Louis Emil Schraidt collection

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.