The DeRuntz Family Memory Page

Special thanks to Mary Pohl Carmody for sharing this photograph of our DeRuntz grandmothers as girls. And my son Joe Sharamitaro for help with the photo restoration.

DeRUNTZ FAMILY MEMORIES

The memories below were generously shared by Mary Pohl Carmody and are carefully selected from her DeRuntz/Trebilcock Family Biography.

Mary wrote that the biography is a joint effort by variouis DeRuntz family descendants, collected and organized by Mary in 2004.

Per Mary, the sources of this information are mostly; Blanche Trebilcock Pohl, George Trebilcock, Joan Trebilcock Byrne, genealogy work by Jean Trebilcock Bohn, passed-down stories written up by Doris Trebilcock Weissert and Joyce Trebilcock. Mary Pohl Carmody is the scribe and all errors are hers. The older genealogy material is currently available from Mary Carmody or Allen Bohn

On John Baptiste and Josephine Horny DeRuntz

John Baptiste and Josephine were both born in France, in the Haut-Rhin county of Alsace in the adjacent villages or communes of Altenbach 1819 and Goldbach 1818, respectively. John Baptiste was born to a single mother, Mary Ann Peter, at the home of her father and listed in the church records as John Baptiste Peter. Mary Ann and Theobald DeRuntz married in 1822 but John Baptiste’s name was not officially changed until 1838.

We have a copy of the document with which his name was officially changed, he was legitimized and his inheritance rights secured by reason of subsequent marriage of his parents. Our cousin Gerald Campbell deRuntz of Berkeley, California translated these records and documents from French to English. John Baptiste and Josephine were married in 1843. Mary (Carmody) has recently traced the DeRuntz line back from the last ancestor located by Jean (Trebilcock), who was Gangolph DeRuntz born 1757 in Lautenbach-Zell, to Pauli DeRuntz born about 1670 and is optimistic about tracing Josephine’s line beyond Nicolaus Horny born 1839.

On Their Emigation

John Baptiste was 46 when the family emigrated in 1865. He first appears in the St. Louis City Directory in 1873 where he is a laborer living on Clay between Primm and Poepping in Carondelet. His son Joseph is also listed, as a “teamster” boarding at John’s address. In addition, in 1874, children Emily “dressmaker,” Frank “lab.,” and John Jr. “lab.” appear, living at the family home, as well as Louis “machinist” who was boarding at 1235 N. 5th. John Baptiste appears regularly in the City Directory from 1873 to 1882 usually with “lab.” (laborer) as occupation and at the same home at Clay near Tesson in Carondelet. In 1882 his occupation changes to “farmer.”

In about 1880 John and Josephine purchased a farm in Cedar Hill. Only one child Emil farmed with them while the other children stayed in the St. Louis City-Carondelet area. After the tragedy of Emil’s death (see below), Frank probably went to Cedar Hill in part to help his parents, as he disappears from the Directory in 1884. In 1885 daughter Emilie Vogt and her husband and children moved to a farm in Barry County, Missouri. John died in 1892 at 73 years of carcinoma. We believe he was buried in St. Louis, but don’t know where (Note: per Burial Certificate he is buried at Mount Olive Cemetery). Josephine moved to the home of her daughter Emilie in 1892 and continued to live with the Vogt family (in St. Louis and Barry County) until she died of old age in 1907 at age 88. Josephine is buried in Monett at Mt. Calvary Cemetery (Catholic) in the Vogt family plot.

We don’t know just what prompted the family to come to America but do know French Alsace was under threat from Germany and, in fact, in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War, Alsace became part of Germany. We also know Aloyse often expressed anti-German sentiments and the DeRuntzes were Catholic. The year 1865 was just after the Civil War in this country during which many men were killed so perhaps opportunity beaconed. Doris and Joyce heard the story that one night John and Josephine gathered the children around the kitchen table (the oldest children were in their early 20s). On the table was a large red handkerchief. When John opened it, it was full of money. He told the family they had sold everything and decided to immigrate to America.

Memories Of Their Children:

On Basilisse DeRuntz and Peter Schaub in New Albany, Indiana

Basilisse married Peter Schaub in 1869 and had 3 children. When her mother died, Basilisse was living in New Albany, Indiana and could not attend the funeral. We don’t know when she died.

Note: Basilisse and Peter Schaub raised 9 of their own children plus two children from Peter’s first marriage; Peter Schaub (1858-1884) and Mary Schaub Zipp (1862-1935) in New Albany, Indiana.

Note: Of their eleven children, three of four sons became priests; Peter Schaub (1858-1884), Francis Schaub (1876-1939) and Joseph Schaub (1870-1901).

Note: Basilisse died 1 July 1917, she is buried with her husband Peter Schaub (1831-1906) in the family cemetery plot in New Albany, Indiana.

On Joseph DeRuntz (1845-1879) in St. Louis, Missouri

Joseph DeRuntz never married and sadly died in 1879 at 33 years old.

On Aloyse and Amelia DeRuntz in St. Louis, Missouri:

When Aloyse (aka Louis) and Amelia married Dec. 7, 1875, he was 28 and she 17. In doing genealogy research, Jean Bohn located a previous marriage record for Aloyse—to Barbara Frank in St. Louis County on June 4, 1872; his age is given as 23 and hers as 18. We do not know what happened to Barbara or if Amelia knew of that marriage. In 1875-6 Aloyse (and Peter) were working at Belcher’s Sugar Refinery. In 1877 Louis was “engineer” living at 909 Brooklyn.

Amelia’s and Aloyse’s 3rd and 4th children (Sybilla (1880-1903) and Mable (1882-1882) were born in Denver. Louis may have left for Denver as early as 1878 and returned as late as 1884 as there are no City Directory listings for him during that period.

Memories from George Trebilcock (grandson of Amelia and Aloyse): Grandfather Louis carried his tools in a carpetbag. He might go to work in the morning in a machine shop and by noon have quit there and gone somewhere else to work. He never had problem getting a job, but keeping them was something different. Once he was working as a machinist and learned there was work putting big casings in the Mississippi, (perhaps the Eads Bridge which was finished in 1874 and allowed railroad service into St. Louis for the first time). The work consisted of pumping water out and keeping pressure on so water stays out while guys (sand hogs) removed all the sand and dirt until they got to bedrock to provide a sturdy base for the bridge. There was a limit of how many hours they could work. Seemed to have something to do with being careful not to get the “bends.” (When an air-breathing person descends in water below 33 feet, at which depth the pressure is twice that on land, his blood becomes saturated with nitrogen. If he ascends too rapidly, the nitrogen bubbling back out of the bloodstream can cause extreme pain and injury. The Mississippi is usually about 33 feet but at high water can be 50 feet deep.) Emily told the story that Louis and his brothers would work the allotted time, rest a little, and then, giving an assumed name, join a crew working on a different piling and work there as long as they could. She said he once worked 72 hours straight. He would do whatever paid the most.

George, Doris and Joyce collaborated on this passed-down story: Sometimes Louis would work out of town, even as far away as Mexico, for long periods. One time, (possibly 1888 or 1889, when she was 8-9) Emily was sitting on the front steps when a man came up and asked if she was Emily DeRuntz. She said, “Yes,” and he filled her apron with silver dollars. She ran into the house to show her mother and he followed her. Next thing she knew her mother was kissing the handsome man. Louis had been gone so long that Emily did not recognize her father. He said, “We’re not living here anymore”. They immediately rented a new place with new furniture and bought all new stuff – only took what they were wearing. He had worked as a foreman in a silver mine—only white people could be foremen. Because they worked the Mexican laborers very hard and treated them badly, the foremen could not go out at night for fear the Mexicans would kill them. So, at night they locked themselves in and Louie had a big knife for protection. Back at home he used that knife to chop kindling.

In 1890 Louis is “engineer” living at 3682 Clark Ave. In 1891-5 he is “machinist” or “fitter” living at 3615 Manchester. In 1893 son George (17 yrs.) entered the workforce as a laborer. In 1896-8 both Louis “machinist” and George laborer or driver are residing at 2339 Clark. We have a nice photo of 4 of the daughters, including Emily, sitting on those front steps (SEE ABOVE). In 1899 Louis and George (now “polish.,”), and presumably the rest of the family, are residing at 514 S. Ewing Ave. In 1900, they have moved to 3529 Manchester. In 1901 Louis is gone and Amelia is listed as widow of Louis living at 3529 Manchester. In 1903 Louis and George are living at 3517 Manchester. In 1904-6 Louis “engineer” continues to be at that address. But George married Mayme Donahue in June of 1903 and moved to a different address and by 1906 he is a “machinist”. In 1907 Louis’s residence is 5515 Manchester.

Amelia and Louis died in the same year, 1910. He died first on Feb. 19 of arteriosclerosis complicated by carcinoma of the stomach; his age is given as 52 on his death certificate, but he was 62 years old. He and Amelia were living at 2431a Coleman, the same address as Emily and William. The whole family moved again, before Amelia died on September 29, to a new address: 6168 Crescent Ave. Amelia’s death certificate shows cause as tuberculosis and chronic nephritis; she was age 52. Louis and Amelia were both buried at Mount Olive. Jean photographed their gravestones.

There seems to have been a high incidence of stomach cancer among the DeRuntzes. Along with the possibility of inherited stomach cancer genes we should include the effects of snuff use, a widespread habit among some ethnic and working-class groups of that generation. We have passed- down stories of snuff use by DeRuntz men and women alike. For the younger or more sheltered reader, snuff is a type of tobacco which came in a small round can. A person would take a pinch and insert it between the lip and the upper front teeth. The user usually had colorful yellowish teeth and they expectorated a wad of dark brown spit, sometimes in the general direction of a spittoon. But, they swallowed a lot of it, too, perhaps precipitating development of stomach cancer.

On Emilie and Engilbert Vogt in Monett, Missouri

Emilie married Engelbert Vogt of Goldbach, France. They had 8 children and lived in Carondelet next door to the DeRuntz family home (E. Benton St. in the 1880 Census) until at least 1883. In 1885 they purchased an 80-acre farm for $100 about 3 miles east of what is now Monett, MO.

Engelbert died in 1902 when their youngest child was only 9 and several years later Emilie moved from the farm to town. She spoke German and other languages in addition to English and French and loved to read. She died of cancer at age 83 (1934) and has many descendants.

A great-granddaughter, Carmen Shanks Bein, is collecting the genealogy for this family. See Genealogy of the Ozarks for her website.

On Bruno DeRuntz (1849-1850) in Altenbach, France

Bruno DeRuntz sadly died at only five months old in France in 1850.

On Henriette (Harriett) and Louis Lang in St. Louis, Missouri

Harriet married Louis Lang and had 3 children. At the time of her mother’s death (1907) she was Mrs. Harriet Hauser and Hy Hauser was the informant on her mother’s death certificate so apparently she married for a 2nd time. One of her grandchildren, Harold Lang, was a talented dancer in Broadway shows in the 1940-50s. The Emily and William Trebilcock family went to see him dance in “Pal Joey” in St. Louis in the early 1950s. Harriet died of gastric carcinoma at 68 years (1922).

Amelia’s children were always happy when Aunt Henrietta DeRuntz Lang came to visit because she brought bananas for the children. This was a special treat for them.

On Francois DeRuntz (1854-1855) in Weiller, Haut-Rhin, France

Francois DeRuntz sadly died as an infant in France in 1855.

On Xavier (Frank) and Elizabeth “Lizzie DeRuntz in Cedar Hill, Missouri

Blanche DeRuntz Pohl heard Frank was an ironworker and a heavy drinker in his youth. He moved to Cedar Hill, MO (30 miles from St. Louis in Jefferson County) at the advice of the family to get away from the temptations of the city, and probably also to help his parents with their farm.

Frank married Lizzie Dott. They had 5 children and enjoyed few amenities. During the 1930s the DeRuntz family would have reunions in Cedar Hill and we have photos of him and Lizzie outside a log cabin making applebutter. He is a tall (over 6 feet) lanky man. Frank lived to age 86 (1942).

On John Baptiste Jr and Wilhelmena DeRuntz in Los Angeles, California

John Baptiste, Jr. was listed in the St. Louis City Directory as a plumber, pipefitter and in the heating business. He moved to California and was a journeyman steamfitter. He married Wilhelmena Emily Kelm and they had 5 children.

This line of the family was known to Emily (DeRuntz) and William Trebilcock (who were short in stature) as the “tall DeRuntzes”. Two of their children visited the Trebilcocks in St. Louis in the 1930s. J.B. died in Los Angeles after 1920 so he lived to be at least 62. (Note: his death documented as 11 Sept 1922 at 66 yrs old) Mary has email contact with one of his grandchildren, Gerald Campbell DeRuntz of Berkeley Calif., who visited at least twice the DeRuntz ancestoral French villages of Altenbach, Goldbach, etc., and was fluent in French.

Note: John Baptiste and Minnie, soon after the turn of the century, moved with their five children to Los Angeles, California, where they resided until their deaths.

Note: In 1894, John survived a really frightening incident in their St. Louis, Missouri neighborhood. He and several neighbors met after work at a local grocery store and saloon. One of the neighbors threatened another and John, when they were leaving, tried to settle the fight still going on after the two men were asked to leave the saloon. John was stabbed in his neck by the man who had threatened earlier that he could "lick anything in the house". Luckily several men got John to a doctor and he survived the "frightful gash in his neck".

Note: John Baptiste Jr's death in Los Angeles, California is documented as 11 Sept 1922 at 66 yrs old

On Emil DeRuntz in Cedar Hill, Missouri

Emil was murdered in 1883 at age 23 years in a lovers’ quarrel in Cedar Hill. He had been walking a girl home from church. A rival met them about a mile from the church and shot and killed Emil. The girl ran and the assailant shot her in the arm. He then went into the woods and killed himself. We have a newspaper clipping about the tragedy.

Emil lived with his aged parents; John Baptiste and Josephine, and that evening, leaving at 6 p.m., they took his body by wagon all the way to Carondelet, arriving at 2 a.m. He was buried at Mount Olive Catholic Cemetery in Carondelet.

On Eugene and Cora Deruntz in Granite City, Illinois

Eugene married Cora Cartwright and they had 5 children. He didn’t drink much and loved to read. They lived for a while in Oklahoma and Cora died there. His sister Harriet lived in Oklahoma for a while, too. Eugene returned to the St. Louis area and lived to the age of 80. He, too, had the tall genes, and passed them on to his descendants. His death certificate shows his occupation as “machinist with the L&M Railroad” and cause of death “cancer of the stomach”.

Mary Ellen Vogt, a granddaughter of Emilie DeRuntz, Eugene’s sister, remembers Uncle Eugene visiting a couple times and that he yodeled for them – said he learned it in the Swiss Alps. Most of his line of the family lived in Granite City, IL. One of his children was named Phoephield Joe Deruntz. There have been many spellings or pronunciations of that name. Emily said “Toe-fill”.

Note: Eugene DeRuntz was an inventor as well as a locomotive fireman for the railroad, and in 1903 was granted a patent for his invention for a detachable leg for steam coils.

Many thanks to my son Joe Sharamitaro for his help on photo restoration.