The Record of the Schwindt Family
Polli
Jost Turner, Editor
First Generation--
Grandfather
Schwindt, born March 20 (ca 1820). Married Maria DeWald, born
Dec. 4th (ca. 1824, in Nassau, Germany); died 1885. They had
at least one daughter. After Grandpa Schwindt died, Maria married
Henry Meier (or Meyer), born ca. 1822 in Hanover, Germany; died
1872.
The family was living in Collinsville, IL, in the 1870. Henry was a laborer,
his real estate was valued at $1200, his personal estate was $200. Both
his parents were foreign born, but he was a US citizen. Maria’s
parents were also both foreign born. The census gives Emelie’s age
as 17. If the confirmation certificate we have is correct, she was actually
19 at the time. It also says all the children were born in Illinois,
when Emelie’s certificate says New Orleans.
Given the large gap between Emelie’s age and Louise’s, I wonder
if she was the only child from Maria’s first marriage--perhaps the
others were all Meyers by birth.
Emelie’s death certificate doesn’t give her mother’s first
name, but gives the maiden name as DeWald. Her confirmation certificate
gives the name as Meier, but the census uses Meyer. Approximated years
are deduced from the census--other years are taken from Clara Petzoldt’s
notes.
1. Emelie Schwindt,
born Feb. 23, 1851, in New Orleans, LA; died Oct. 8, 1925; 74 years old
(from birth certificate. Confirmed April 16, 1864, in Collinsville, IL,
by Rev. H. Fiek. Her confirmation certificate gave her name as Emelie
Meier, using her step-father’s name, but her wedding certificate
used the name Schwindt. Married (May 21, 1871, in Troy, Madison Co.,
IL, by Rev. C. Holst) Moritz Petzoldt, a sadler. They moved to Los Angeles
in 1883.
2. Louise Schwindt (Meyer?),
born Sept. 9, 1857; died 1938. Married Goodheart.
3. Johanna Schwindt (Meyer?),
born Jan 29, 1861; died 1947. Married McKenzie. She witnessed Oscar’s
birth certificate, [#4 below] according to that, they lived in San Francisco
in 1942.
4. Friederich Meier,
"Uncle Freddy," born Jan. 26, 1863; died 1887. Was godparent
for Emelie’s daughter Agnes.
Third Generation--
Emilie Schwindt, born Feb. 23, 1851, in New Orleans, LA; died Oct.
8, 1925, in Los Angeles; 74 years old. Married (May 21, 1871,
in Troy, Madison Co., IL, by Rev. C. Holst) Moritz Petzoldt,
born March 25, 1844, in Lengenfeld, Sachsen, Germany; died Sept.
15, 1919, in Los Angeles; 75 years old.
The family moved to Los Angeles in August 1883. (However, we have a birthday
card Moritz wrote to Emelie in Los Angeles in 1882--perhaps he moved
out first, or took a trip west to check things out?), where they attended
the Trinity Lutheran church, a German-speaking church. Moritz was a sadler,
or harness-maker, and had his own saddlery shop in Los Angeles (at 456
Spring St.). For many years they lived in a home at 1514 Orange St. (which
is now Wilshire Blvd.), but in their later years they moved to 733 W.
Washington.
Both Moritz and Emilie were buried in Inglewood Cemetery in Inglewood,
CA, near Los Angeles. The plot number is: 580 Crescent, #1&2. Washington
Undertakers, which handled their burials, was next door to their home,
at 735 W. Washington. They are no longer in business.
Many of these dates and other info came from notes made by Clara. Her
memory was questionable by that time.
1. Adolph Petzoldt,
born Oct. 28, 1873, in Troy, Madison Co., IL; died Dec. 23, 1874; 14
months old.
2. Lydia Petzoldt,
born Dec. 5, 1875; died Feb. 1899 (?), of typhoid fever; 18 (?)years
old.
3. Clara Louise Petzoldt,
born May 21, 1878, in Troy, Madison Co., IL; died Sept. 23, 1976, in
Pomona, CA; 98 years old. Not married. Left home and family Nov. 1898,
apprenticed as a photographic assistant and model, and later became a
photographer herself. She pioneered new techniques in portrait photography
using available light--President Teddy Roosevelt had seen her work and
was so impressed that he came to her to do his portrait--he died only
a few months later. When business slowed, she became a nurse. She was
one of the early feminists.
4. Oscar C. Petzoldt,
born Aug. 15, 1880, in Troy, Madison Co., IL; died Jan. 13, 1970, in
Florida; 89 years old. Married (June 16, 1923) Anna Muller, born in Coblenz,
West Germany. Oscar was baptized into the Lutheran church in Troy, IL--godparents
were Christian Burmeister, Maria Klausing (aunt), Ferdinand Goehring,
and Carl Petzoldt (uncle). Oscar joined the army and shipped out to Germany
in 1917, and stayed on there with the army of occupation after WWI. There
he met and fell in love with Anna. When he returned stateside, she followed,
and they were married in New York. They lived in Long Island until his
retirement from Republic Aviation, after which they moved to Pompano
Beach, FL.
5. Agnes
Sophie Petzoldt,
born Oct. 8, 1882, in Troy, Madison Co., IL; died March 15, 1967, in
Yucaipa, CA; 84 years old. She was baptized into the Lutheran church
in Troy, IL, and her godparents were Louise Eigenbrodt (aunt), Friedrich
Meier (uncle) and Friederike Rauch (aunt). Married Burton Cranswick Jost.
6. Arthur William Petzoldt, [Arthur Moritz Wilhelm Petzoldt
on his baptismal certificate]
born Jan. 13, 1885, in Los Angeles, CA; died June 22, 1966, in Banning,
CA; 81 years old. Married Emma and later divorced. They had no children.
He was confirmed into the Lutheran Church on April 18, 1900, in L.A.
He was a photographer. He wore a false leg, from the thigh, for years.
7. Rose Petzoldt,
born March 30, 1892, in Los Angeles, CA; died May 27, 1976, in Pomona,
CA; 88 years old. Married (July 16, 1913, in Los Angeles) Theodore John
Burger, born March 19, 1888; died Feb. 7, 1961; 73 years old. Both were
buried in Pomona Cemetery, Pomona, CA.
Fourth Generation--
Agnes Sophie Petzoldt, born Oct. 8, 1882, in Troy, Madison Co.,
IL; died March 15, 1967, in Yucaipa, CA; 84 years old. Married Burton Cranswick Jost, born June 19, 1881, in Banning, CA; died
Nov. 15, 1972, in Banning; 91 years old. They were divorced.
His second marriage was to Mearlie Jane Collins, born Dec. 22,
1903. There were no children from the second marriage.
1. Elwood
Burton Jost,
born March 10, 1907, in Los Angeles, at 1514 Orange St. Orange Street,
once a small residential street, is now Wilshire Blvd. There were no
doctors she felt comfortable with in Banning at the time, so Agnes went
to her parents' home in Los Angeles in time for the birth. Elwood married
Dorothy Gailyn Page.
2. Arthur Christopher Jost,
born also on Orange Street in Los Angeles. Married (July 20, 1933) Wilna
Mae Edgerton; born May 30, 1916; died June 19, 1947; 31 years old.
Second marriage (Feb. 20, 1958), Dorine Russell, born Aug. 15, 1916;
died June 21, 1989, in Banning; 73 years old.
No children from the second marriage. Third marriage to Shirley Peterson.
Art was a general contractor in Santa Cruz for some years before retiring.
3. Florence Margaret Emily Jost,
born in Banning, CA. Married (June 28, 1931) Eugene Albert Brinton, born
Sept. 16, 1902; died Sept. 15, 1940; 38 years old.
Second marriage to Bernard Herbert Lee, "Uncle Barney." They
had no children. Barney was a trucker until he retired and sold his rig.
Florence was a switchboard operator for the telephone company in Banning.
Fifth Generation-
Elwood
Burton Jost, born
March 10, 1907, in Los Angeles, CA; died July 4, 1992, in Banning,
CA; 85 years old. Married (Sept. 11, 1932, in Banning) Dorothy
Gailyn Page, born March 10, 1910, in Boulder, CO; died March
11, 1992, in her home in Banning, CA, of pancreatic cancer; 82
years old.
His given name was Burton Elwood, but his parents called him Elwood to
avoid confusion with his father. It was not until he had his own business
(he was a distributor for Mobil Oil Co.) that he one day obtained a copy
of his birth certificate and saw his given name. He decided then it was
easier to change his name legally than to change everything to do with
the business. Thus he legally became E.B. Jost, as everyone in Banning
already knew him. Elwood and Dorothy were buried in San Gorgonio Momorial
Park in Banning.
1. Leonard Elwood Jost,
"Len," born in Redlands, CA (there was no hospital in Banning
at the time). He owned several businesses at different times, and most
recently was vice-president of Academy Insurance, which sells insurance
to men on military bases. Married Donna Gray. They had two children, and
later divorced.
Second marriage, Rheamae Popick.
2. Janice Gwendolyn Jost,
born in the family home on the corner of First and Gilman Streets, in
Banning. Married (in Banning) Ralph Brand Sutton, "R.B.," born
in Clovis, NM. After the children were grown Janice became executive
secretary to the president of California Baptist College. R.B. worked
for Western Electric for a number of years, then transferred to their
sister company, Pacific Bell. He retired in 1994.
3. Clarence Leroy Jost,
"Lance," born in Riverside Comm. Hosp, in Riverside, CA. It was
during WWII, so the doctor took Dorothy to the hospital in his car in case
of a blackout-he had special headlights that could be used during a blackout-Elwood
followed in his own car. Married (at the Jost Cabin in Pinewood, near Idyllwild,
CA) Carolan Marie Sauter. Lance is an artist, specializing in sculpture.
4. Pauline Ruth Jost,
"Polli," born in the newly built Banning Hospital. It was snowing
while she was born. When told that a few years later, she cried because
Mother told her that the "mean nurses" wouldn't let her go out
and play in the snow at the time! Married (at Church on the Way, in Van
Nuys, CA) Randall Lee Turner, "Randy" born in Pomona, CA.
Sources:
Clara Petzoldt
Margaret Burger
Mildred Burger
Information sent by Jean Preston
Information sent by Clinton Wunderlich, gleaned from the church records
in Altenburg, MO
March 1, 2013
Polli Turner
