John Henry Schallau (1839-1920) married Catherine Maria Sielhorst (1849-1911) in Germany. He was born in or near the town of Verl, northwest of the city of Paderborn in what was then the Province of Westphalia (Westfalen) of the Kingdom of Prussia and is today the State of North-Rhine Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) of the Federal Republic of Germany. The original family name was "Große-Schallau." (In German, the "ß" character represents a double "s" sound and is usually written in English as "ss".) Große-Schallau is the name of an historic country estate just east of the town of Verl, and it is likely that at some point in the past the family was associated with that place.
The "Große" part of the name was dropped either before or at the time of the family's emigration to the United States. One branch of the family further changed the name from "Schallau" to "Schallan."
Before his marriage, John Henry served in the Prussian Army at the time of the war between the allied German states and the Kingdom of Denmark, in 1864. He participated in the storming of the Danish fortress of Düppel (in Danish, Dybbøl) and was awarded the Düppel Storm Cross (Düppeler Sturmkreuz). Historical accounts state that this battle was particularly violent, with heavy casualties on both sides. (See the Danish Military History Website for an account of the capture of the fortress of Düppel.)
In 1882 John Henry and Catherine Maria emigrated to the United States with their six children, aged 1 year old to 12 years old. Three more children were born in America. In the first published history of our family, Alice and Bibiana Schallau state that John Henry and Catherine Maria left Germany "to get away from military domination." Since Alice's and Bibiana's father was Henry Schallau, who was one of the children born in Germany, he would have been in a position to know the reason for the emigration and to have passed that knowledge on to his daughters.
In Germany, by 1882, Chancellor Otto von Bismarck had put into place a system of universal military conscription. Although we do not have a letter or document from 1882 telling us why John Henry and Catherine Maria left Germany, we have to note that by 1882 they had four boys. Perhaps their memories of three Prussian wars (1864, 1866, 1870), John Henry's experience on the battlefield at Düppel, and the prospect that all their boys would eventually be required to serve in the Imperial German Army, made them look upon America as a safe haven. In 1882 the United States' concerns were primarily internal -- the U.S. did not involve itself in European politics or wars nor did it maintain a large standing army. For many immigrants who had experienced Europe's numerous wars firsthand, America's isolation in the 1880s offered them the chance to pursue their lives and fortunes in peace.
John Henry and Catherine Maria and their children arrived at the immigration station at Castle Garden, on the southern tip of Manhattan, New York, on April 3, 1882, on board the emigrant ship Pieter de Coninck, of the Belgian Engels Line, sailing from Antwerp. (Antwerp would have been one of the closest major ports to the area in Germany in which the family resided, and thus the easiest and perhaps least costly departure point.)
John Henry and his family first came to a farm in Linn County, Iowa, near a small country place called Stark Settlement, just east of the town of Atkins. (The Stark and Wieneke families -- relations from Germany -- had already settled in this area.) After three years, in 1885, the family relocated to a farm southeast of Van Horne, in Benton County, which borders Linn County. This farm became the permanent family home (photo). Today, the site of the farm lies northeast of the intersection of US Highway 218 with US Highway 30 (map), in Section 28 of Eldorado Township, where it was located on the northwest one-quarter of that section. The original house -- in much modified form -- is still there.
In Germany John Henry had supervised stables in which work horses for a coal mine were kept. He had no experience in farming yet he came to Iowa at age 43 and made a success of it. In due course he and his wife saw all nine of their children attain adulthood. Of these, eight married, and seven had children of their own. Eventually 49 grandchildren were born, and 42 of these attained adulthood. Today, descendants of John Henry and Catherine Maria Schallau number in the several hundreds and live across North America, from the East Coast to California and Alaska, and from Canada to Mexico. And the Schallau presence is still strong in Benton County and adjoining areas.
John Henry Schallau
(Photo)
(Obituary)
Born April 28, 1839 in Verl, Westphalia, Germany
Died December 12, 1920 in Van Horne, Iowa
Father: Henry Schallau (Heinrich Große-Schallau)
Mother: Elisabeth
Catherine Maria (Mary) Sielhorst
Born February 20, 1849 in Germany (most likely in or near Verl)
Died May 26, 1911 in Benton County, Iowa
Married April 13, 1869 in Germany
John
and Maria in the 1890s (photo)
Elizabeth Schallau
Born February 25, 1870 in Germany
Died July 22, 1901 in Benton County, Iowa
Married Andrew Komischke on February 13, 1893
Wedding
photo of Andrew and Elizabeth Schallau Komischke
John Schallau (Photo)
Born October 31, 1872 in Germany
Died in 1931 in Benton County, Iowa
Did not marry
Henry Schallau
(Photo)
(Entry from an
old directory)
Born January 18, 1874 in Germany
Died March 8, 1934 in Sutherland, O'Brien County, Iowa
Married Rosa Brecht in January 1901
Wedding
photo of Henry and Rosa Schallau
Augusta M. Schallau (Photo)
(Obituary)
Born August 17, 1876 in Dortmund, Westphalia, Germany
Died December 17, 1937 in Vinton, Benton County, Iowa
Married Thomas P. Nolan on October 1, 1900
Conrad Schallau
Born December 25, 1878 in Germany
Died September 21, 1956 in Van Horne, Benton County, Iowa
Married Marguerite Hickey on October 26, 1904
Wedding
photo of Conrad and Marguerite Schallau
The Conrad
and Marguerite Schallau family in 1923 (photo)
Joseph Christopher Schallau (Schallan)
(Photo 1)
(Photo 2)
(Obituary)
Born May 16, 1881 in Germany
Died May 30, 1931 in Fort Dodge, Webster County, Iowa
Married Mary Louise Wagner on November 6, 1907 in Yankton, S.D.
Joseph
C. and Mary Louise Schallan (photos)
The
Schallan family in the 1940s (photo)
Anne Schallau
(Obituary)
Born August 25, 1883 in or near Atkins, Iowa
Died July 26, 1960 in Marengo, Iowa County, Iowa
Married Joseph Patrick Fitzgerald on October 7, 1905
Charles Conrad Schallau
Born March 28, 1885 near Vinton, Benton County, Iowa
Died January 5, 1969 in Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa
Married Gail Hevener on November 10, 1917 in Nashua, Iowa
Wedding
photo of Charles and Gail Schallau
Mayme Schallau (Photo)
Born December 4, 1888 in Watkins, Benton County, Iowa
Died September 9, 1963 in Iowa
Married Edward (Ted) Kelly
No children
Sending information and material
1956 Family History
The Schallau Family Site was
created and is maintained by
Joseph B. Schallan. (Biosketch)
Last updated on September 3, 2007