THE SCHOENBORN/SCHÖNBORN FAMLY
by Gerald Bade

The Schoenborn family lived in Burgschwalbach, Hessen-Nassau, Germany.  This is within a few miles of where the Fuchs family lived (Netzbch), and the Birlenbach family lived (Niederneissen) and the same village where the Ohlemacher family lived.

The earliest records of the Schoenborn family were found in the Kirchenbuch (parish records) of the Burgschwalbach Evangelical Lutheran Church beginning in 1783.  Their surname is found spelled both Schoenborn and Schönborn in the Parish records.  Some information is from the Ahnentafel (ancestor table) of Erna Fuchs via cousins Dieter and Waltraud Weigang, Netzbach, Germany, a Fuchs descendent.   I have not recorded all the descendents that appear in the parish records as it is a large family.  I will leave that task for someone else.

I have been in contact with a Schoenborn descendent whose mother was born in Burgschwalbach, Germany.  He states that there is a large concentration of Schoenborns living in Florida as well as some who have settled in Australia.

Direct ancestors of the author are shown in bold type below.

Johann Georg Schoenborn and Anna Maria Schmidt
 the authors g-g-g-g-grandparents, had at least six children:

         Johann Philipp Schoenborn (1783 - )
         Philipp Jacob Schoenborn (1786 - ) see below
         Catharina Margaretha Schoenborn (1793 - )
         Heinrich Jacob Schoenborn (1795 - )
         Johann Andreas Schoenborn (1797 - ) married Catharina Margaretha Seelin (a feminine form of Seel) (one documented child):
                  Maria Elizabetha Schoenborn (1820 - ) died at age 18
         Franz Heinrich Schoenborn (1800)

Apparently only Philipp Jacob remained in the Burgschwalbach parish as I found no records for his siblings.  

Click to see descendents of this couple.

Philipp Jacob Schoenborn, 1786 - 1840 and Cathararina Margaretha Sau, 1799 - 1820
the author's g-g-g-grandparents, had nine documented children:

        Maria Dorothea Schoenborn (1821 - ) died at age 3 1/2
        Maria Elizabeth Schoenborn (1823 - ) had four documented children before she married Wilhelm Muench::
               Georg Schoenborn (1846 - )
               Heinrich Jacob Schoenborn (1848 - )
               Philippina Schoenborn (1851 - )
               Carl Schoenborn (1854 - ) 
        Katherina Margaretha Schoenborn (1825 - )
        Peter Schoenborn (1827 - ) married Maria Elizabeth Becker (twelve documented children):
               Philippina Wilhelmina Schoenborn (1855 - 1859)
               Henrietta Maria Schoenborn (1856 - )
               Anna Maria Schoenborn (1858 - )
               Philipp Jacob Schoenborn (1860 - )
               Heinrich Schoenborn (1861) died at 9 days old
               Johann Philipp Schoenborn (1862 -  )
               Johannes Schoenborn (1864 - )
               Georg Schoenborn (1866) died at 2 months
               Anna Maria Schoenborn (1868) died at 5 months
               Catharina Wilhelmina Schoenborn (1869)
               Maria Elizabetha Schoenborn (1870) died at 2 weeks
               Katharina Elizabetha Schoenborn (1872) died at 5 months
        Maria Philippina Schoenborn (1829 - ) married unknown (one documented child): 
               Johann Heinrich ? (1856 - )
        Johann Friederick Schoenborn (1832) died at birth
        Johann Jacob Schoenborn  (1834) married Maria Elizabeth Demarée
        Jacob Schoenborn (1839) married Johanetta Philippina Weber (three documented children):
                Philipp August Schoenborn (1871) lived 2 weeks
                Unnamed Male Schoenborn (1872) died at birth
                Carl Philipp Schoenborn (1873 - )
        Johann Philipp Schoenborn (1843 - ) married Eleonora Carolina Demarée (one documented child):
                Anna Maria Schoenborn (1873 - )

Johann Jacob Schoenborn, 1834 - 1906 and Maria Elizabeth Demarée, 1832 - ????
the author’s g-g-grandparents. Although her name appears to be French in origin, (and her family could well have immigrated from France), she and her father were both born in Burgschwalbach.  Elizabeth's surname is parenthetically spelled "(Demare)" in some Parish records which may be an attempt by the pastor to spell it the way it sounds to him.  They had five known children: 

          Anna Margaretha (a.k.a. Margaret) Schoenborn (1863 - ) married Fred G. Fuchs
          Johann Philipp Anton Schoenborn (1865) died at age 7
          Magdalena (a.k.a. Lena) Schoenborn (1872 - ) Th. Zingheim
          Anna Maria Schoenborn (1868 - ) married Peter Fosselman (five documented children):
                   Joseph A. Fosselman (abt. 1892 - )
                   Bernard P. Fosselman (abt. 1896 - )
                   Rose Fosselman (abt. 1899 - )
                   Frank F. Fosselman (abt. 1903 - )
                   Leo Fosselman (abt. 1907 - )
          Mary Schoenborn (1876 or '78) married Charles Ullrich (three documented children):
                   Carl Ullrich (abt. 1903 - )
                   Paul Ullrich (abt. 1910 - )
                   Marie Ullrich (abt. 1912 - )

This family does not appear together in any censuses, immigration, or passenger ship records that I can find.  I do not know if Johann's (John's) wife immigrated with him or not.  I do not know when he immigrated for sure.  John's daughter Margaret lists her immigration as 1881 and I assume she came with her father.  His daughters Anna and Mary list their immigration as 1886 in census data.   Perhaps the younger girls stayed in Germany until John and Margaret got settled.  Perhaps his wife died in Germany before she could emigrate. 

John is buried alongside his daughter Anna (Fosselman) in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery, Waverly, Iowa.  Read his obituary...

I have a lovely sampler that Margaret stitched in 1877 at the age of 14.