Magdalena Schrock (Schrack) b. 10 Apr 1811 Sarrebourg, Moselle, FR d. 4 Aug 1855 Congerville, Montgomery Twp., Woodford Co., IL: The Schrock-Birkey Connection

Magdalena Schrock (Schrack)[1]

Female 1811 - 1855  (44 years)


Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    Event Map    |    All

  • Name Magdalena Schrock (Schrack)  [2, 3
    Birth 10 Apr 1811  Sarrebourg, Moselle, FR Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    • Father, Joseph Schrag, living at the mill Remeling, between Saarebourg and Imling. Mother’s name given as Marie Rixsiker (surname of her stepmother, Catherine Marie Rugsegger.) Jean-Claude Koppel in his 2017/18 book says Magdalena was born at the Rotmhule in Sarrebourg, but birth record says the family was living at the mill Remeling. Perhaps they are one and the same.
    Gender Female 
    Immigration 1831  Baltimore, MD Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • The ship list with Johannes and Peter and families lists Madeleine Gerrard, 19, within the Schrag families that arrived in Baltimore in 1831.
    Religion Amish Mennonite 
    Residence Abt 1832  Wayne, Ashtabula Co., OH Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    Residence Aft 1832  Butler Co., OH Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Lived on the acreage of her brother Peter
    Residence 1838  Congerville, Montgomery Twp., Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this location  [6
    USR1 Cholera  [7
    Death 4 Aug 1855  Congerville, Montgomery Twp., Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Burial Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Probably on unnamed cemetery on their land. (Congerville, McLean Co?)
    Person ID I473  Schrock-Birkey Connection
    Last Modified 7 Feb 2021 

    Father Joseph Schrag (Schrack),   b. 17 Mar 1772, Bistroff, Moselle, FR Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 5 Apr 1830, Rhodes, Moselle, FR Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 58 years) 
    Mother Maria Neuhauser,   b. Abt 1772-1773, Gosselming, Moselle, Lorraine, FR Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Aft 1826 (Age ~ 54 years) 
    Marriage Abt 1800  Gosselming, Moselle, Lorraine, FR Find all individuals with events at this location  [6
    • Alzing?
    Family ID F3199  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Christian Smith (Schmitt),   b. 31 May 1810, Bisping, Moselle, Lorraine, FR Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 2 Aug 1855, Congerville, Montgomery Twp., Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 45 years) 
    Marriage Abt 1833  Wayne, Ashtabula Co., OH Find all individuals with events at this location  [8, 9
    • Joe Staker - Calculated from birth of children
    Children 
     1. Mary S. Smith,   b. Abt 1833, Butler Co., OH Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1896, Harper, Harper Co., KS Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 63 years)
     2. Barbara Smith,   b. Abt 1835-1836, Butler Co., OH Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Aug 1855, Congerville, Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 19 years)
     3. Peter Smith (Schmitt),   b. 1 Jun 1837, Butler Co., OH Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 17 Nov 1875, Livingston Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 38 years)
     4. Anna (Nancy) Smith,   b. 1840, IL Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1861 (Age 21 years)
     5. Magdalena S. Smith,   b. 11 May 1841, Congerville, Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 14 Apr 1916, Harper, Harper Co., KS Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 74 years)
     6. Joseph Smith,   b. 22 May 1843, Congerville, Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 3 Jan 1889, Harper, Harper Co., KS Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 45 years)
     7. Christian Smith,   b. 18 Jan 1846, Congerville, Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1924 (Age 77 years)
     8. John Smith,   b. 1848, Congerville, Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 19 Aug 1855, Congerville, Woodford Co., IL Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 7 years)
    Family ID F208  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 21 Jun 2010 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 10 Apr 1811 - Sarrebourg, Moselle, FR Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsImmigration - 1831 - Baltimore, MD Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Abt 1832 - Wayne, Ashtabula Co., OH Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Aft 1832 - Butler Co., OH Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - Abt 1833 - Wayne, Ashtabula Co., OH Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - 1838 - Congerville, Montgomery Twp., Woodford Co., IL Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 4 Aug 1855 - Congerville, Montgomery Twp., Woodford Co., IL Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Woodford Co., IL Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Notes 
    • Magdalena and Christian lived in the country near what became Congerville, Woodford Co., IL. They had eight children.The parents and three children died of cholera, five survived. (One source includes a daughter Nancy, b. 1840 in Congerville, who died of cholera.)

      “Early medical works and other accounts unite in stating that its (cholera) characteristic symptoms were first, extreme and greatly offensive purging, soon followed by vomiting and severe muscular cramping, rapidly terminating in a complete physical collapse, which very few of its victims ever survived. It was said if the patient could survive the collapse stage, his chances for recovery were very good, but only an extremely small number withstood this terrible physical strain. the pioneer physicians applied the name ‘rice-water evacuations’ to the first stage.”

      Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, April 1930: “…Then came next the worst and most extensive of all the local cholera outbreaks, that of July and August, 1855. The total number of deaths of this period will never be known, and can only be approximated.”
      ——————————————————
      "Husband, Christian, died 2 Aug 1855 of cholera, in his log cabin home. Three days later Magdalena died, 5 Aug, followed by the death of her nineteen year old daughter Barbara, and a few hours later by her six year old son John. These deaths left four orphaned children, who were placed in separate homes. What trauma the surviving children must have suffered.

      “Grandfather’s brother, Joseph, was made administrator over the family and at various times the children related the good care they received from their Uncle Joe...Uncle Joe Smith looked after the needs of the family often supplying them with choice meats which commanded very little price on the market. Their Uncle Valentine Maninger, being a cobbler, provided boots for the family and their clothing was largely home-spun.”

      "The Lydia Oyer material says that Magdalena Schrock Smith died on the Saturday following her husband's death. The perpetual calendar shows that to be August 4. There has been much discrepancy about these dates of death. This family is listed on p. 124 of Milo Custer's Asiatic Cholera in Central Illinois, 1834-1873". Journal of Illinois State Historical Society 23 (April 1930): 113-162. Others who died in the same community were John Lantz (August 5), Jonas Kaufman (August 6) and Bishop Daniel Zehr (August 11).


      From the Magdalena Schrock presentation June 2010 at Schrock Immigrant Day in Metamora, IL: Great Great Grandma Mary Oyer's account:

      “…all four [died] of cholera in a short space of time, from Wednesday afternoon when Grandpa [died.] [He] contracted it in Bloomington the day before. There was a funeral for him on Thurs. - the rest all well yet, but by Sat. night Grandmother went at 12 o'clock and Barbara a half hour later and John, 6 yrs. old Monday morning at 3 o'clock. No funeral held for them. The rest all sick with cholera. Those who took sick at Grandpa's funeral were Andrew Schrock, Grandma's brother and Mrs. Ulrich. …This is the way my father gave it more than once and said how sad it was for them.” [5, 7, 10, 11]

  • Sources 
    1. [S4] Willard Smith, Johannes Schrock: His Children and Grandchildren.

    2. [S768] F. Robert Henderson and Barbara Craig Phelps, Maninger Family History, (Self published by Robert Henderson).

    3. [S142] Myrna Slagell Park, Illinois Mennonite Women: A Legacy of Caring.

    4. [S436] Birth Document of Magdalena Schrag (Schrack), Is the day 10 or 11?.

    5. [S334] Family of Christian Schmidt and Magdalena Schrock.

    6. [S398] Joseph Staker, Amish Mennonites in Tazewell Co.

    7. [S346] Milo Custer, Asiatic Cholera in Central Illinois, 1834-1873.

    8. [S464] Valentine Maninger Family.

    9. [S334] Family of Christian Schmidt and Magdalena Schrock, Gives marriage place as Butler Co., OH.

    10. [S103] Steven R. Estes, Illinois Ministers Attending Amish Ministers’ Meetings of 1862-1878, p. 65, 67.

    11. [S505] A History of the Family of C. H. and Mary (Imhoff) Smith--(Anabaptists in America, Aunt Lulu’s Scrapbook), (Specialty Press, Kalamazoo, MI 49001), P. 65.


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