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These are the covers of the three photo albums where these pictures were stored for the past 130 or so years, first by my Grandparents, then by my Mother, Leona Schwien Mathisen. Perhaps the first two albums were selected later by Grandmother Laura Schwien. Whoever selected the first two was quite the "romantic!" I never pictured my either my Grandfather or Grandmother as "romantics," but he was 74 and she was 54 when I was born and grandchildren rarely picture their grandparents as "romantics."
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The photograph is Charles Schwien, son of Christian and [Maria] Dorothea Schwien who lived many years on a farm in Liberty Township, Scott County, Iowa. He was known as Charley and was born in Liberty Township, June 18, 1867. In 1888 Charley and his older brother Gustav [Gus] headed "out west" on the train from Davenport--to O'Brien County, Iowa where many families from Scott County had previously moved. In O'Brien County, Gus and Charley worked to get their own farms and raise their families.>
This photograph was taken at the Davenport photography studio of J. M. Lenz, circa 1887.
In O'Brien County, 1907, Charley married Laura Trojahn who was born in Butler Township, Scott County, Iowa; they had 7 children. Charley died September 30, 1949 in Hartley, O'Brien County, Iowa. For more information on Charley and Laura's family and the entire Schwien family, see Scott County Ancestors: Schwien Family Collection at this same website.
The 1870 Federal Census, Liberty Township, Scott County, Iowa shows three Quistorf families living in Liberty Township, Scott County, Iowa at the same time as the Christian and [Maria] Dorothea Schwien family.
The Henry Quistorf family lived the second farm [or across the road] from the Schwien farm where Charley Schwien, 3 years old at the time, was raised. The Census lists this family as farmer Henry F. Quistorf, age 32; Louisa Quistorf, age 35; Herman Quistorf; age 6, born approximately 1864; Amelia Quistorf , age 4 and Theresa Quistorf, age 2.
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218 Brady Street, Corner of Alley bet Second and Third, Davenport, Iowa.
This picture in the album was labeled "Theresa Quistorf Rock" and records show that Theresa Quistorf married Christian Rock in 1890.
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For more information on the Families of Rock, Klauschmidt, Meints, Greve, Quistorf see the biography of Christian Rock, Sr. in the History of Davenport and Scott County Vol. II by Harry E. Downer-S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago.
Although the children of Charley and Laura Schwien never lived in Scott County, in 1946 the Schwien families in Scott and O'Brien counties began an annual family reunion. Charley, Laura, their children and families traveled to Davenport each summer for this reunion. Out of this effort, long-lasting friendships grew between the second- and third-generation Schwien families. One of these lasting friendships was between my parents, Dale and Leona Schwien Mathisen and my "Grandfather's cousin's son" and his wife, Ralph and Irene Zindel. Keeping in touch these 60+ years led Mrs. Zindel, formerly of rural Walcott area and now living in Davenport, to include in her 2007 Christmas card to Leona Schwien Mathisen a clipping from a local Davenport paper telling of Mrs. Zindel's 90th birthday. This clipping mentioned that her maiden name was Rock. It was in January of 2008 that I began to scan, label and categorize the pictures now recorded in this grouping and the "Schwien Family Photos" also posted on this website. When I came to this picture of "Therese Quistorf Rock" the name "connected." I sent a copy of the picture to our friend, Mrs. Zindel, in Davenport and asked if this might be a relative. I soon got a letter in the mail that said, "How on earth did you get a picture of my Grandmother??" Mrs. Zindel isn't related to the Schwiens--except by marriage. How did I get her Grandmother's picture?? Through these picture albums of neighborhood friends from the 1870s and 1880s. Somehow I wasn't surprised Mrs. Zindel was related to Therese Quistorf Rock; looking into the face of Therese is the same as looking into the face of her granddaughter Irene.
This story is one we would like to repeat for every one of these pictures! The Internet can now make this possible. Therese's family had only one picture of her and it was not this picture. The original of this picture of Therese is finally back among her family in Scott County where it belongs after traveling from Scott County, Iowa to O'Brien County, Iowa, to Monterey County, California to Missoula County, Montana and Spokane County, Washington! Many of miles of travel considering the era in which the picture was taken!
The 1880 Federal Census, Liberty Township, Scott County, Iowa shows family of Henry F. Quistorf with additional children. Amanda was born in 1870, Josephine in 1872, Anna in 1874, and Adolph in 1878.
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404 Brady Street, Davenport, Scott County, Iowa.
Christian "Christ" "Chris" Jaeger was born in Plon, Schlesweig, Holstein, Germany, 3 Dec 1866. He immigrated with his father, Henry "Hy" Jaeger, his brother, Carl Jaeger, his sister, Carolina Jaeger, and 2 of Caolina's children, Augusta and Johannes, in 1881.
Chris Jeager was united in marriage to Amanda Quistorf in Scott County, Iowa on October 20, 1891. Amanda died in 1907, Scott County, Iowa.
Chris remarried to Margaretha Braas on 17 Feb 1909 in Scott County, Iowa
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Chris and Margaretha later moved to Oneida, Madison County, New York and Chris died 29 Sep 1944.
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Do you suppose some descendant still has this gold watch or necklace that Josephine is wearing in this picture? I still have my Grandmother's gold watch with "Laura" engraved on it!!
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Carl Jaeger was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, 22 May 1864, and was the older brother to Christian "Christ" "Chris" Jaeger. He married Anna Claussen in Scott County, 2 May 1891. Shortly after that, they moved to northwest Iowa, living in Clay County, O'Brien County, and Dickinson County.
Not too long ago I was contacted by Carl's granddaughter--and discovered that her sister was a friend of mine from Primghar High School. The family had moved to MN my senior year of high school and we lost contact. Through this picture, my long lost high school friend and I have been in contact again. All the years in school we never knew that her grandfather's picture was in my grandfather's photo album and that we were "related" via marriage.
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This picture is labeled with their names and "Schoolmates of Charley Schwien." Charley Schwien, born 1867, went to local Liberty Township/Scott County schools. An atlas of Scott County of that era showed a Thompson family living about one and a half miles northwest of the Schwien farm in Liberty Township so that was probably the family of Willy and Peter. It is uncertain which boy is Willy and which is Peter.
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Nothing was known about Malony Schroeder Adams until recent research on Ancestry showed Malony Schroeder living in Scott County, but moving to O'Brien County before her marriage to Jack Litzel in Feb 1910. She lived the rest of her life in O'Brien County, marrying Oscar Adams after the death of Jack Litzel.
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Henry and Doris Jalas, This tin-type taken by Timpe Photographers, 2nd Street, next door St. Louis House, opposite Ditzen's Drug Store, Davenport, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Jalas later moved to O'Brien County, Iowa.
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Both of these young men probably moved to O'Brien County later. The photo album has a later picture of Carl Struck by an O'Brien County Photographer.
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Unknown Man. Does anyone recognize the design of the jewelry clipped to his pocket?? The figures on the bottom two appear to be runners; the top one is different but hard to see. One needs better photoshop software than I have to enlarge the figures without distortion.
Page created by Lynn McCleary, June 29, 2017