Maria Schneider - Passport Photo
My grandmother, Maria Schneider Greenwald, was born and raised in the German village of Hercegfalva, Hungary in the county of Fejer. The Germans who settled Hercegfalva were known as Donauschwabens.
Grandma was born in 1901 to Istvan Schneider and Eva Wurst. Below is information on her immediate family:
1 Istvan Schneider b: in Hercegfalva, Hungary.. +Eva Wurst d: November 1909...... 2 Elizabeth Schneider b: Abt. 1895 in Hercegfalva, Hungary d: 1918 in Akron, OH in the flu pandemic.......... +[1] Paul Gruenwald b: March 20, 1893 in Bikacs, Hungary d: June 26, 1988 in Wadsworth, OH.............. 3 Elizabeth Greenwald b: July 08, 1914 in Akron, OH d: May 30, 2000 in Wadsworth, OH...... 2 Stephan Schneider b: Abt. 1898 d: Abt. 1918 in Hungary in the flu pandemic...... 2 Maria Schneider b: March 17, 1901 in Hercegfalva, Hungary d: August 07, 1985 in Wadsworth, OH.......... +[1] Paul Gruenwald b: March 20, 1893 in Bikacs, Hungary m: May 27, 1921 in Akron, OH d: June 26, 1988 in Wadsworth, OH.................. +Lewis Harold Gilbert b: March 16, 1923 in Giles Co., TN m: April 17, 1948 in Akron, OH d: July 20, 1965 in Wadsworth, OH...... 2 Eva Schneider b: Abt. 1904...... 2 Johnny Schneider b: Abt. 1908 d. in a bowling argument in Hungary
Oldest sister Elizabeth came to the United States and lived in Akron, OH. It was there she met and married my grandfather Paul Greenwald (Grünwald) who had come from Bikacs, Hungary in 1911. My Aunt Elizabeth was born to them in 1914. Sadly the elder Elizabeth died in the flu pandemic of 1918. After a few years alone with his young daughter who he was raising with the help of his cousin Rose Blazer Thoricht, Grandpa wrote back to Hercegfalva and asked that Elizabeth's younger sister Maria come over to be his wife. (They had never met.) Grandma dutifully agreed to come over. After being seasick for the entire three days of the ocean passage, she arrived at Ellis Island on April 11, 1921. She was in such bad shape that the Ellis Island Immigration Officer indicated she was "crippled." Apparently she couldn't even walk without assistance. Grandma and Grandpa were married about six weeks later in Akron. My mother who was born about two years later is sisters with my aunt by father and cousins by mother.
Grandma lost another sibling to the flu pandemic also. Older brother Stephan succumbed while still Hungary.
And in yet another family tragedy, Grandma related to me that her younger brother Johnny was killed when he beat a man bowling, and the man killed him. This also occurred in Hungary.
Grandma's younger sister Eva is the only one who survived past young adulthood. Grandma said she married a Miller man, but was divorced. She had two children, a son and a daughter, but the son was killed in World War II. See my "Missing Schneiders" page for a photo of Eva.
Below are two photos I believe were taken in Hercegfalva. The first photo is of my great grandfather Istvan (Stephan) Schneider. My mom thinks the photo was taken here in the U.S. when he visited in 1938, but it looks to me as if it was taken at the same time as the other photo which was definitely taken in Hercegfalva. I don't know who the three women are in the photo.
Istvan Schneider
Unknown women
Also, I have some photos of Schneider relatives from Hercegfalva who I would like to communicate with. My grandmother's sister has died by now, but she had children. Please see My Missing Schneider Relatives page.