Louis Emil Schraidt collection

Collection

Identifier: MS-0632

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

The papers of the Louis Emil Schraidt family, consists of 2.30 cubic feet of material centered on Johann Casper Schraidt of Ottawa County, Ohio. Spanning the years from 1847 to 1976, the collection includes correspondence (some in German), legal documents, clippings, photographs, and genealogical files relating to the Schraidt, Weigand, and Trapp Families, and life in Ottawa County, Ohio and Put-in-Bay.

Dates

Creation: 1847-1976

Extent

2.30 Cubic Feet (5 archive boxes)

Creator

Schraidt, Louis Emil, 1885-1972 (Person)

Scope and Contents

The Louis Emil Schraidt Family Papers consists of correspondence, legal documents, photographs, newsclippings and genealogical material relating to the Schraidt Family of Ottawa County, Ohio, dating from 1847 through 1971. The material is of interest from a genealogical standpoint for the related Trapp, Schraidt, Kuehner, and Weigand families of the German immigrants to the Lake Erie Islands area, as well as for information on the wine culture of the region.

The one group of correspondence in the collection includes a series of German letters between Franz and Alois Trapp, written between California and Sandusky from the 1860s through the 1880's, with some personal documents dating to 1847. These have typed transliterations for a few pieces, but no translations. The other body of correspondence relates to the family of Louis Emil Schraidt, including letters between his mother (Wilhelmina Trapp Schraidt Weigand), a series of letters from daughter Norma Schraidt Parrino and her family, and letters from miscellaneous friends. There are additional letters of Wilhelmina Weigand from the 1930s corresponding with friends and relations, and a small grouping of letters written by Louis Emil Schraidt to Ann Weis Ranke and Helen Weis Judson, dealing with family and Put-in-Bay history. All of this family correspondence makes frequent references to life and people in the the Put-in-Bay area. The small grouping of business correspondence includes a detailed material costs list from the construction firm of John Feick for the construction of the Heineman-Schraidt house and barn, Put-in-Bay.

Among the subject files are two folders of genealogical material collected by Calvin Kuehner, a descendant of Caspar Schraidt's daughter, Bertha. The family group record sheets cover information on the related Schraidt, Weigand, Kuehner, and Trapp families, and the miscellaneous correspondence includes copies of official documents from county officials.

The legal documents in the collection include both personal papers, such as marriage certificates and wills, as well as property records. These center primarily on Wilhelmina Trapp, her first marriage to Caspar Schraidt, his estate, her marriage to William Weigand, and their property in Put-in-Bay, on South Bass Island, Lake Erie.

The final section of the collection consists of photographic material, both loose items and family photo albums. The loose photos show views of Schraidt/Weigand related wine businesses in Put-in-Bay. The albums were the possessions of Louis Emil Schraidt, and most of the identifications supplied were written by him.

Biographical / Historical

The Louis Emil Schradt Family Papers center on the descendents of Caspar Schraidt, a German immigrant to Put-in-Bay, Ohio. Caspar, who was born in 1823, emigrated to the United States in 1852, settling first in Sandusky, where he worked as a carpenter and cabinetmaker. Moving to Put-in-Bay in 1859, Schraidt bought some land and became involved in the wine-culture of the island, developing a grape variety under his name, "Schraidt's Seedling". A founder of the Put-in-Bay Wine Company, Caspar was also a member of the American Wine Growers Association.

Caspar was married in 1852 to Dorothea Humbert, who died in 1881. In May of 1882 he married again, to Wilhelmina Trapp, with whom he had two children, Louis Emil (born Jan. 30, 1884) and Bertha. When Caspar died in 1886, his son was just a year old and his daughter was an infant. Wilhelmina remarried William Weigand in 1889 and he became the guardian of her minor children. Her second marriage added another child to the family, Laura.

Louis Emil was married to Hilda Heinemann in 1912 having one child, Norma, born in 1914. She later married Nick Parrino and had two children, Thomas and Stefani. Louis Emil died on Jan. 16, 1972. Bertha married Arthur Oswald Kuehner in 1914. Their son was Calvin Charles Kuehner, born in 1922.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

Materials in English; letters between Franz and Alois Trapp and will of Caspar Schraidt are written in German.

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The donation and transfer of these records to the Center for Archival Collections was arranged through the cooperation of Calvin C. Kuehner, Murray, UT, (formerly of Lombard, IL) on Sept. 4, 1991, with addition material received on May 4, 1996, and on Oct 13, 2006 from Elizabeth Daly.