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Alte Landstrasse 16, Zunzgen, Switzerland -- photo by Charles Scholer 2002 (Alte = old, Land = region or area, strasse = street, 16 is the house number)
Our Scholer family originates from the village of Zunzgen, located in the District of Sissach and the Canton of Baselland, Switzerland And we share a common point in our ancestry. But the descendants of Scholers who immigrated to America from Zunzgen between 1852 and 1910 have more in common than just ancestry. We can all point to the same address as being our “point of origin.”
We trace our Scholer ancestry back to Johannes Scholer born April 4, 1728 and his wife, Elisabeth Wuerz, born August 13, 1728. Johannes Scholer and Elisabeth Wuerz married January 21, 1749 in the church in nearby Tenniken, just as his parents had. Johannes was a weaver (Posamenter) of silk ribbons, and in the village was known as Weaver John. Weaving was an important cottage industry in Switzerland. Large looms were set up in many of the homes to augment their incomes. The family owned a double house with a common wall located on Alte Landstrasse (today the address is Alte Landstrasse 16).
Johannes and Elisabeth had four sons: Hans born December 9, 1749, Brosi born April 18, 1751, Hans Heinrich born June 24, 1753, and Hans Jakob born April 1, 1770. When Johannes died in 1812, he left his double house to his four sons – Hans and Brosi each held a ˝ interest in one house, and Heinrich and Jakob each held a ˝ interest in the other house. (1728-1812) _______________________|_________________________________ | | | | Hans Scholer Brosi Scholer Hans Heinrich Scholer Hans Jakob Scholer (1749-1825) (1751-1820) ( 1753-1801) (1770-1856) | | | Johannes Scholer see below see below (also known as John) (1801-1855) (settled in Indiana)
Hans was a carpenter. Hans married May 13, 1783 Katharina Buser. Katharina died childless less than eight years later. Hans married February 22, 1791 Elisabeth Buser. Hans and Elisabeth had two children: Elisabeth born February 14, 1792 and Johannes born April 24, 1801. When Hans died in 1825, he left an estate which consisted of ˝ of one of the houses, ˝ of a barn, ˝ of a stable, one vegetable garden, two orchards, several pieces of meadow land, cultivated land, vineyard and woods. Daughter Elisabeth took most of the land, and son Johannes took the share of the house. In 1854, Johannes sold his ˝ interest in the house to a carpenter, Heinrich Grieder. This sale enabled Johannes and his family (wife Elisabeth and sons Johannes and Heinrich) to buy passage aboard the Ship H.A. Miller and sail to New York in 1855. His daughter Verena had married George Rieder in 1853 and they emigrated to Ohio that year. In the following years, Grieder’s widow and his son took over the entire house (additional purchases in 1855, 1856 and 1857) and repaired and rebuilt it as a single house.
(1751-1820) _____________________|___________________ Heinrich Scholer Friedrich Scholer (1794-1857) (1802-1880) | | Martin Scholer Friedrich Scholer (1840-1918) (1832-1904) | | Carl Martin & Jakob Herman Scholer Paul, Traugott & Maria Scholer (settled in N.J.) (settled in Illinois) (settled in Canada)
Brosi Scholer married January 19, 1778 Anna Buser. Anna died 3 December 1788. Brosi married 25 August 1789 Verena Buser. Brosi married February 22, 1791 Verena Fuechter. There were twenty-one births recorded, but the mortality rate was also high. Heinrich Scholer (1794-1857) was one of the children from the third marriage, who in turn had a son, Martin Scholer (1840-1918). Two of Martin Scholer’s children came to America. Carl Martin Scholer (1870-1942) arrived about 1895 and settled in New Jersey. His brother, Jakob Herman Scholer (1873-1959) arrived about 1897 and settled first in Indiana and then in Illinois. Also from Brosi’s third marriage was Friedrich Scholer (1802-1880). Friedrich also had a son named Friedrich (1832-1904). Three of his children came to America and settled in Canada. His daughter, Maria Scholer had married Karl Sterzer and they came first in 1905 to Ohio, but later settled in Saskatchewan, Canada. Two sons, Paul Scholer (1876-1963) and Traugott Scholer (1878-1948) came to Saskatchewan, Canada in 1911.
Hans Heinrich Scholer (1753-1801) was a carpenter (Schreiner). He had married June 5, 1780 Elisabeth Burgi and they had two children. The younger son, Hans Heinrich Scholer (1784-1839) had numerous children. His widow, Salome Bossard, and his four youngest children came to America, arriving in New Orleans in 1852. They traveled North on the Mississippi River and settled in St. Louis, Missouri and in Iowa.
(1753-1801) | (1784-1839) | Johannes Heinrich, Jakob, Johannes & Salome Scholer (settled in St. Louis, Mo. and Iowa)
Thus, there are many descendants today who can point to this house at Alte Landstrasse 16 and say, “Some of my ancestors lived in this house 250 years ago!”
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