Crysant "Christian" Schlund (1829-1911)

Christian (Crysant/Chrysant/Christ) Schlund was the third child of Fidel Schlund and Josepha Marckhart Schlund. He was born in 1829 in Immenstadt, Bavaria. He immigrated to America in 1853 at age 23. Christian Schlund married Elizabeth Kirchner. They had three children during their marriage; Caroline, Clara, and Anna. He died on August 27, 1911, in Oak Park, Illinois, having lived a long life of 81 years.


b. November 26, 1829 Immenstadt, Schwaben, Bavaria
d. August 27, 1911 River Forest, Cook, Illinois
Burial- August 30, 1911 Forest Home Cemetery Cook, Illinois
         m. Elizabeth M. KIRCHNER Schlund (b.1837-d.October 24, 1906)
         Married in 1860

                1. Caroline "Carrie" E. Schlund (b.1859 in Missouri -d. August 4, 1945 )
                    m. William H L Schroeder
                    Married on May 12, 1881 Oak Park, Illinois
                            a. Harry R Schroeder
                            b. Albert W Schroeder
                    m. Jacob Hebel
                    Married on September 21, 1886 Oak Park, Illinois


                2. Clara J. Schlund (b.1861 in Missouri -d. Augusr 31, 1924 Died aboard Steamship Metagama)
                    m. John J. Kennedy
                    Married on August 29, 1887
                    (no children)

                3. Anna M. Schlund (b.1863 in Iowa-d.)
                    m. unk Gansslen


Additional information about Christian Schlund
Naturalization- September 15, 1856- Buchanan County, Missouri
1870 Census- Proviso, Cook, Illinois
1880 Census- Harlem, Cook, Illinois
1900 Census- Proviso, Cook, Illinois
1910 Census- Proviso, Cook, Illinois
1911 Death Certificate
Sep 2, 1911 Obituary in the Oak Park Leaves, Oak Park, Ill.

1910 Census Proviso, Cook, Illinois

Schlund	Christian	Head	Male	White	80	1830	Widowed	Germany	Germany	Germany	1851
Schlund	Anna M	Daughter	Female	White	40	1870	Single	Illinois	Germany	Germany
Heck	Frank F	Boarder	Male	White	43	1867	Widowed	Wisconsin	Germany	Germany

Christian Schlund Passport page 1 

Christian Schlund Passport page 2

Elizabeth Schlund death notice. Wife of Christian Schlund.

Christian Schlund Obituary

Newspaper  article from Oak Leaves 1936 mention of Christian Schlund

Christian Schlund Death Certificate

Maria Anna Schlund (1826- abt 1898)

Maria Anna Schlund was the oldest child of Fidel Anton and Maria Josepha Schlund. Maria Anna was born October 10, 1826 in Immenstadt, Schwaben, Bavaria. She did not immigrate to America with the family. She had married in Immenstadt and remained there. She possibly married a man named Edward Wilfins. If you know anything more about Maria Anna Schlund, please contact me.

I found the following article that gives mention of Anna the sister who stayed in Germany. It was in the Oak Park Oak Leaves Newspaper on August 21, 1903.

Anton "Anthony" O. Schlund (1827-1893)

Anton Schlund was the second oldest child of Fidel and Josepha Schlund. He was the oldest son of the couple. Anton was born in Immenstadt, Bavaria in 1827. He immigrated to America at age 25 in 1853. He served in the 69th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company E with his father Fidel. He was never married. He died in 1893 in Newark, New Jersey.











ANTON “ANTHONY” O. SCHLUND

b. August 13, 1827 Immenstadt, Schwaben, Bavaria
d. January 21 1893 Newark, Essex Co., New Jersey
m. No spouse
69th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Company E


Additional information about Anton Schlund
1859 City Directory- Chicago, Illinois, USA
1870 Census- Newark Ward 13, Essex, New Jersey
1870 City Directory- Newark, New Jersey, USA
1873 City Directory- Newark, New Jersey, USA
1874 City Directory- Newark, New Jersey, USA
1875 City Directory- Newark, New Jersey, USA
1877 City Directory- Newark, New Jersey, USA
1878 City Directory- Newark, New Jersey, USA
1880 City Directory- Newark, New Jersey, USA
1880 Census- Newark, Essex, New Jersey
1882 City Directory- Newark, New Jersey, USA
1887 City Directory- Newark, New Jersey, USA
New Jersey Index of Wills, Inventories, Etc. Vol. I, Essex County, Pg. 470

Cousin Connections: Tracking Down Family Portraits

According tho the Haase papers, in 1909 Pauline Schlund Haase, a granddaughter of Fidel and Josepha Schlund, purchased two life size oil paintings of Fidel and Josepha. They were purchased from members of the Marckhart family in Immenstadt and Pauline brought them to the United States. As of the writing of the papers, 1959, the portraits were owned by Elsa Haase Sweet.

The papers also include crude photocopies of pictures of the portraits. I was curious if I could find better quality pictures of the oil paintings. I decided to look on Ancestry.com and see if I could find any descendants of Pauline Schlund Haase.

I got into touch with a gentleman who ended up being a cousin! He shared better pictures of the portraits with me. I then shared the information he had given me about who the current owner of the portraits might be with another cousin. We have just started working together and she has shared so much information with me. I am so glad we connected! She was able to find out who has the portraits. In just one day!

So now we know who currently owns the portraits and have better pictures of them. I never realized before how much connecting with cousins really pays off in genealogy. Now that I am making these connections I am learning more than I have in a long time. I also am able to share what I know about the Schlunds with others which really makes me happy!

I have permission to share the portraits so I am posting them here. I also am posting a retouched version, done by a photographer friend from Facebook. I hope anyone with connections to the Schlund family enjoys these pictures.

Retouched version of the painting of Fidel Schlund

Retouched version of the painting of Josepha Schlund

Immigration to America- Part 1

In 1853 Fidel decided to immigrate to America with his family due to continuous spying and harassment by the police.

The German book, “Kurier für Niederbayern: Landshuter Tag- u. Anzeigeblatt: unabhängige”, Records their passage through Nuernberg on Feb., 21st, 1853. (Translated to English)

“Between the many emigrants, who rush to the ports, you’ll find the former congressman Fidel Schlund from Immenstadt, who passed here with his family the day before yesterday. With Mr. Schlund the home country drops not only a very affluent man but also a man with a very strong character.”

German Flag 1848

Several sources tell the story of the Fidel’s departure from Germany. According to them, Fidel Schlund mounted his ship to America with the black, red, and golden flag tied around his body. The original flag was returned to Immenstadt, however, is disappeared in the 1950s. http://www.historisches-franken.de/index04/wanderausstellung.htm My grandmother recalls being told this story as a young girl.

Life in Germany

Coat of arms of the
Town of Immenstadt in Allgäu
Image from Wikipedia.

Fidel Schlund and his family lived in Immenstadt. Immenstadt is a little town in the county of Allgaeu in the far south area of Bavaria, Germany in the German Alps. This area in Germany is known for its beautiful landscapes and farm produce, especially dairy.

Click here to learn more about Immenstadt.

Contemporary depiction of the
parliamentarians entering the St. Paul Church
Image from Wikipedia

Fidel was a member of the Bavarian Parliament in 1845 and 1848. He was the leader of the left-wing liberal in the Allgäu. He was also a member of the Frankfurt Assembly, the first freely elected Parliament for all of Germany. The Frankfurt Parliament held session from May 18, 1848 to May 31, 1849. They met in St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt Germany.

Frankfurt Parliament in Session in St. Paul’s Church 1848

Image from Wikipedia

As member of the German National Assembly, Fidel Schlund was involved in the unsuccessful Revolution of 1848 in Germany.  The Revolution was spurred by those who sought to oppose the religious and political tyranny of the ruling classes.

Click here to learn more about the Frankfurt Parliament.

Willmer Alois Leonhard Schlund- Father of Fidel Schlund

Fidel Schlund's father, was Willmer Alois Leonard Schlund. Willmer was born in about 1770 and died in 1837.

The following information about Willmer is from "The Schlund Family" a family history paper written by Herbert E Haase in 1959. It is currently my main source for information regarding Willmer as very little is known about him.

Willmer Schlund came originally from the city of Weingarten, which is located about 50 miles northwest of Immenstadt. He had been impressed into Napoleon's army and captured by the Austrians. When he was liberated he came to Immenstadt. The Napoleonic/Austrian War was fought over ownership of Bavaria. When the French were in control of the area they impressed many Germans into their ranks, regardless of nationality and inclination.

A family story told by one of Willmer's great granddaughters is the theory that Willmer was a Frenchman, not a German, and that he had assumed a German name when he settled in Immenstadt. There is no verification that this story is true so it remains an interesting speculation.

Willmer married Katherine Kennerknecht on January 18, 1803. She was his second wife. The Schlund family home was a impressive four-story structure on the most prominent corner of the open city square in Immenstadt. Willmer bought the home from the Count of Rosenfels, who occupied it as his town house. As of this writing (1959) the Vogt family had owned the home for over one hundred years.

Willmer was a dyer and manufacturer or woolens, cottons, and linens. He was a merchant.