Connecting With Zion’s Past

 Zion’s Ministers: Part VIII

 by Dennis Dugger

 Rev. Christian J. Schaller (June 1885 to June 1894)

 After the departure of Rev. Henry F. Deters, Rev. Christian J. Schaller guided Zion for nine years. He was the unanimous choice in a congregational vote Feb. 8, 1885 to replace Rev. Deters. He arrived in June 1885 with his widowed mother, Louisa Schaller and his young wife, Katie (nee Flach). According to the records of Zion UCC in Evansville, Indiana, and Vanderburgh County marriage records (Book 12, page 521), Christian Schaller married Catherine L. Flach on Sep. 25, 1884. But what of his early years?

 A Carl Schaller, age 30, arrived in New Orleans from Brunswick, Germany, on Nov. 29, 1845 aboard the ship Charlemagne. I’ve found a Mar. 29, 1846, St. Louis County marriage record for C. A. Wilhelm Schaller and L. G. A. Henriette Janike. I believe these are the parents of Christian Schaller and that the following 1850 Census listing could represent their household.

 1850 Census; Carrolton, Louisiana, Jefferson Parish

C. A. W. Schaller, age 35, minister, G. E. church, born in Germany

Louisa Schaller, age 30, born in Germany

Agnes Schaller, age 1, born in Louisiana

 This suggests that Christian’s father may also have been a Evangelical minister. The “C” is likely for “Carl”, while “Louise” explains the first initial in the marriage record. Agnes probably died as an infant as I’ve found no other record of her. An older brother, Jacob, was born about 1852 in Louisiana; see below.

 In a history of the German Evangelical Church Society, Rev. John Schroeder found the name of Karl Schaller, born in Brunswick in 1815, educated at Jena, Goettingen. It stated that Karl came to America in 1841 and was accepted as a pastor in the Society in 1854, and died in 1857. This data seems to fit except for the year of arrival in America. I do believe that the father of Christian Schaller died not too long after 1855 because there are no younger children shown below in the 1870 Census. And it would have been possible for the family to move to Indiana after the birth of Jacob in Louisiana about 1852; but before the birth of Christian. And Karl could have served in the Holland, Indiana, Evangelical church because it was founded in 1840.

 Christian J. Schaller was born Dec. 26, 1855 in Holland, Indiana, according to one source. Sometime after his birth, his father died, leaving Louisa a widow. But I have not found Louisa and her boys in 1860 yet.

 At some point before 1870, the family moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and Louisa married Ludwig Nehl. According to a Rootsweb.com source, Ludwig was born in 1816 and died Nov. 22, 1871. It gives Louisa’s maiden name as “Jaenicke” which agrees with Zion’s death records. Here is the family in 1870.

 1870 Census; Louisville Ward 10, Jefferson Co., KY

Lewis Neal, age 55, hardware dealer, born in Prussia

Louisa Neal, age 48, keeping house,

Mary Neal, age 27, without occupation, born in Prussia

Ludwig Neal, age 11, attending school, born in Kentucky

Jacob Shollor, age 17, works in tobacco factory, born in Louisiana

Christ Shollor, age 16, apprentice printer, born in Holland

 “Lewis” is an English form of “Ludwig”. Ludwig Nehl was shown in Louisville in the 1860 Census with his first wife, Anna Catherina Elisabeth (Kroeger) who was shown as Eliza. Obviously, “Shollor” should have been “Schaller”. So in late 1871, Louisa found herself a widow once more and apparently decided to go back to using the Schaller name.

In 1880 Christian and Jacob, were recorded with their widowed mother listed as the head of household.

 1880 Census; 10th Ward; Louisville; Jefferson Co., KY

Louisa Shaller, widow, age 59, born in Ger.

Jacob Shaller, son, age 27, born in Louisiana, laborer

Christ Shaller, son, age 25, born in Indiana, clerk in a store

 Christian graduated from Eden Seminary in 1883. He was ordained the same year and began his first pastorate at St. Pauls Church in Minnesota Lake, Minnesota. He was there from 1883 until 1885.

 Then in 1884, as stated earlier, Christian married Katharina Flach. There is an interesting connection between Rev. Schaller and Maxine Schroeder, wife of Zion’s former pastor, Rev. John Schroeder. Between 1881 and 1884, Maxine’s maternal grandfather, William Buehler, received about a dozen letters from Katie Flach. In sequence, the voice of the letters moved from friendly to romantic, but ended in a “chill” in the last letter. At the time, Katie was living with an aunt in Evansville. The aunt was married to Rev. Christian Schrenk, one of the pioneering pastors in the Evangelical Synod.

 Shortly after the Schallers arrived here in 1885, their first child, Ida Louise, was born July 22. Ida was baptized Aug. 20 by Rev. C. Wiegman from Rockport. On July 7, 1887, another daughter, Katrina Eleanore, was born; she was baptized July 31. Then multiple tragedies struck the Schaller family. On Nov. 8, 1887, four-month old Katrina died of “abdominal infection”. Rev. J. R. Rausch conducted her funeral. Then on July 1, 1888, Rev. Schaller’s mother, Louisa Schaller (nee Jaenicke), died at age 66. Rev. Rausch returned two weeks later to conduct the funeral of Katie, Rev. Schaller’s 27 year-old wife. She died July 15, from consumption. Zion’s records identify her as Louisa Catherina Schaller (nee Flach). Katie was buried in Elmwood Cemetery in a grave provided by the Steitler family. Our records show that multiple deaths within a relatively short period were not that uncommon for families in those times.

 During Rev. Schaller’s ministry at Zion, the debt on the original 1874 property and building was retired. The church also purchased a second lot; one on Allen Street next to the church, for the price of $700. In 1889, the second parsonage was built on that lot at a cost of $2450.

In 1887, a Council member, Mr. Auer, complained that Rev. Schaller had not fulfilled his duties when he refused to conduct a funeral for a Mr. Diefenbach. Rev. Schaller explained his inaction, and after much debate, the Council voted that the matter had been handled correctly; he was not obligated to conduct funerals for non-members. So, Mr. Auer resigned from the Council and as a member of the church.

 In 1889, with permission of the congregation, Rev. Schaller began “lectures” in the English language for Zion’s youth. It was also in 1889 that Rev. Schaller married Anna Ritterskamp, his second wife. Born in Vincennes, Indiana, on Sept. 2, 1868, she was the daughter of Peter and Julia Stark Ritterskamp.

On Oct. 19, 1890, Rev. Rausch again returned to Zion; this time to baptize their first child, Carl William Oscar Schaller, who had been born Oct. 1, 1890. But, once again tragedy struck. Nine-month old Carl died July 21, 1891, and Immanuel Theodore Seybold, pastor of St. John’s Evangelical Church in Rockport, conducted the funeral. (Rev. Seybold has a connection to former minister, John Schroeder’s wife, Maxine; he was her grandfather.)

In December of 1891, Rev. Seybold returned to baptize Laura Julia, second child of Christian and Anna Schaller, who had been born Dec. 10. Rev. Seybold also conducted her funeral in October of 1892.

 Later, a third child, Carl Peter Ludwig Schaller, was born Mar. 7, 1893, to Christian and Anna, and became the half brother to Ida Louisa Catherine Schaller, the surviving daughter of Rev. Schaller and his first wife.

At the May 1894 Council meeting, Pastor Schaller submitted his resignation and the Council accepted it; agreeing to wave the constitutional requirement of a three month notice. The congregation instructed “the secretary to write to the President (of the district) and to ask for a suitable preacher for the congregation who can preach both German and English. The salary shall be $700 a year and to be paid quarterly.”

 So in 1894, Christian Schaller moved his family to Millvale, Pennsylvania where he was pastor of First Evangelical and Reformed Church until his death on May 27, 1898. For a time he was honorary Treasurer of the Pennsylvania District. His obituary appeared in the Owensboro Messenger on May 31, 1898. Millvale must have been near Bennett where he died. He was buried in Vincennes, Indiana.

 Rev. Schaller had a total of four children with Anna, his second wife, counting Carl Wilhelm Oscar Schaller that was born and died as an infant in Owensboro. Anna was left with three young children.

 Shortly after Christian Schaller’s death, Anna moved back to Vincennes, in Knox County, Indiana, to be near kin and childhood friends. I found her in the Vincennes City Directory, showing her as the widow of Christian J. Schaller; she was living at 509 N. 8th St. She became a faithful member of St. John’s Church and raised her children in a Christian way. For ten years she was the superintendent of the primary department of St. John’s Sunday school. She was also president of the Ladies Aid Society for several years. In addition she once served as president of the local Emmaus Society and did much work for the epileptics and feebleminded at the Emmaus Home in St. Charles, Missouri, an institution that belonged to the Evangelical and Reformed Church.

 In the end, through her long illness, her daughter, Ida, (She was the daughter of Rev. Schaller and Katie, his first wife.) was constantly by her side. Anna died on July 26, 1951 at the age of 82. Her remains were buried in Greenlawn Cemetery. In her obituary, three surviving children were identified as Miss Ida L. Schaller, Carl L. Schaller, and Wilbur Schaller.