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THIRD GENERATION

6. Joseph Robert SCHACHERN was born on 31 Jan 1862 in Deggendorf, Germany.⁽¹³⁾
*Full text of Joseph's birth record from the Deggendorf parrish records*

Hölzl/Schachinger Joseph, illegetim, * 31. Januar 1862 Deggendorf
* RegNr.343 Bd.13/31 S.292
Joseph wurde am 31. Januar 1862 um 12 ¼ Uhr Mittags, illegetim geboren
getauft: am selben Tag.
Vater (angeblich): Joseph Schachinger, Hausbesitzerssohn von Aidenbach
Mutter: Maria Hötzl (Hölzl), Inwohnserstochter , geb. bei Plattling in Fißhersdorf.
Taufpatin: Kreszenz Hölzl, Inwohnerstochter von Egg.
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=== translation ===
Hölzl/Schachinger Joseph, born on 31. January 1862 in Deggendorf
Joseph was born on 31. January 1862, at quarter past 12 at the lunchtime,
and a illegetim child.
christening: on the same day.
father: (would be) Joseph Schachinger, houseowners son from Aidenbach
mother: Maria Hötzl (Hölzl), lodgerdaughter, born near Plattling in Fißhersdorf.
godmother: Kreszenz Hölzl, lodgerdaughter from Egg.

Laws in Bavaria at the time of Joseph's birth barred people from marrying if they were too poor. It is possible that this was the case for Joseph's parents.

He immigrated in 1871 to United States.⁽¹⁴⁾ He was naturalised in 1880 in Beaver, Pennsylvania.⁽¹⁵⁾⁽¹⁶⁾ He died on 13 Dec 1943 in Monaca, Pennsylvania. Schachern is a made-up name, probably based on the town of Schaching in Bavaria where Joseph was born.

FAMILY LEGEND: Joseph was descended from some type of nobility. His natural father lost a title because he married a commoner.
FACT: Joseph's parents never married; his father is listed as a "homeowner's son" and his mother as a "lodgerwoman." Marriages were not allowed in Bavaria in the 1800s if the parents were too poor.

FAMILY STORY (relayed by Georgeanna Eller Czepiel): "I remember a letter from Mathias to Joseph about keeping safe while playing ball in Texas - 1895 and where had he gotten that last name. Was it taken from the town's name which in the notice was in Schaching, Germany."

FAMILY LEGEND: Joseph was sent to America with a tag on his coat at a very early age (9-10) because the step-father was so mean he wouldn't even let him have any milk.
FACT: The 1910 census lists Joseph's date of immigration to the US as 1871, confirming his age at immigration as relayed in the family story.

FAMILY STORY (relayed by Georgeanna Eller Czepiel): "I think the work was down in Monaca and that is why he had to go to Ohio on Sunday an return late Friday or maybe even Saturday. Sad stories of how all of the kids were in the living room playing instruments and singing and he was in the doorway. Then one of the kids would later look over to him and he would be gone, He couldn't bear to say goodbye. He worked for Phoenix Glass in Monaca Pennsylvania. His particular trade was glass blower / and possibly listed as glass cutter as well."

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Joe Schachern was a glassworker at a variety of locations (Monaca, PA - AFGWU local 36, Rochester, PA AFGWU local 25 - defunct, Martin's Ferry, OH - AFGWU local 15 - defunct).

Confirmed employment records (from the AFGWU files in Toledo, OH):
>Monaca, PA -- 1904-1910 (Phoenix Glass Co.)
>Martin's Ferry, OH -- 1910-1913
>Rochester, PA -- 1915-1916 (Beaver Valley Glass Co.)

In 1910 Joe Schachern was working in Martin's Ferry as a fireman to replace James Tiers, who died after being hit by a "traction car" on his way to work. Joe Schachern had withdrawn his union card from local 36 in Monaca and left the Phoenix Glass Co. to take Tiers's place.

Joe was a prominant member of the American Flint Glass Workers' Union (AFGWU):
>National Auditing Committee, 1909, 1910 (chairman), 1911 (chairman), 1912-1914, 1915 (chairman)
>Paste Mold Committee, 1904, 1905, 1906-1908 (chairman) 1911 (secretary), 1913
>Local 15 (Martin's Ferry) delegate to National Meeting, 1911, 1912, 1913
>Local 36 delegate to the National Meeting, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908
>National Meeting Credentials Committee, 1904, 1906
>Imperial Order of the Gazams - 1905 (charter member)

Sources:
>Proceedings of the 27th Convention of the AFGWU, 1904
>Proceedings of the 28th Convention of the AFGWU, 1905
>Proceedings of the 29th Convention of the AFGWU, 1906
>Proceedings of the 30th Convention of the AFGWU, 1907
>Proceedings of the 31st Convention of the AFGWU, 1908
>Proceedings of the 32nd Convention of the AFGWU, 1909
>Proceedings of the 33rd Convention of the AFGWU, 1910
>Proceedings of the 34th Convention of the AFGWU, 1911
>Proceedings of the 35th Convention of the AFGWU, 1912
>Proceedings of the 36th Convention of the AFGWU, 1913
>Proceedings of the 37th Convention of the AFGWU, 1914
>Proceedings of the 38th Convention of the AFGWU, 1915

Joe Schachern also published several articles in the magazine of the AFGWU, "The American Flint"
>"A Plea for Equity and Justice," Vol.1 No.5, March 1910
>""Is the Toiler Really Getting the Best of It?" Vol. 1 No.7, May 1910
>"The Kicker and His Kicks," Vol. 2 No. 5, March 1911

BASEBALL HISTORY

Joe Schachern played catcher and first base, and managed minor league teams.

Prior to 1889, he played for the Beaver Falls, Water Cure, and Beaver teams (New Orleans "The Daily News," 4/16/1889)

Unknown newspaper clipping -- Water Cure, PA team's season statistics:
Joe Schachern -- 13 games, 53 at-bats, 16 runs, 19 hits, 108 put outs, 29 assists, 3 errors, 4 sacrifice flies, .358 batting average, .978 fielding average

4/16/1889 "New Orleans Daily News" -- catcher for the New Orleans team of the Southern League

4/20/1892 "Sporting News":
Joe Schachern played in the following cities or leagues:
New Orleans, 1889
Austin, 1890
PA League, 1891
Apportioned to the Galveston, TX team on 4/20/1892

8/29/1892 "Johnston (PA) Daily Herald"
Johnstown team season averages for Joe Schachern:
46 games, 35, hits, .211 avg., 2 home runs, 8 doubles
Fielding averages -- 44 games, 256 put-outs, 50 assists, 9 errors, 8 stolen bases, .971 fielding average
Averages also noted in the 10/22/1892 "Sporting News"

Player--Manager, Austin team of the Texas League, 1895 ("want ad" for players in the 3/23/1895 "Sporting News"). The Texas League did not operate in 1893 or 1894 (http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/TT/xot1.html).

4/30/1895 "Austin Daily Statesman" -- Austin beats Houston 7-5
Schachern catching, 1-4 (1b), 4 put-outs, 1 assist, 1 error
Schachern bodily ejected the umpire from the game

5/5/1895 "Sporting News" - Austin beats Galveston 6-4
Schachern catching, 0-4, 7 put-outs, 1 assist. Austin Senators were 5-9 at this point in the season

4/29/1901 "The Beaver Times"
Monaca beats the Our Boys, 10-0. Joe Schachern's statistics:
0 runs, 1 hit, 7 put-outs, 0 errors, 0 assists. Played 1b

5/6/1901 "The Beaver Times"
Monaca defeats the "Original Acorn" team of Pittsburgh 26-9. Joe Schachern's statistics:
3 runs, 4 hits, 11 put-outs, 0 assists, 0 errors, 1 2b, 2 sb. Played 1b

Catcher, Monaca, PA team, 1901
7/12/1901 "East Liverpool Ohio Evening News Review"
Joe Schachern at 1b, 1 hit no runs, 5 put-outs

Unknown newspaper clipping -- claims Joe Schachern played for Baltimore in 1889 along with the following teams: New Haven, CT, Austin, TX, Portland, OR, Johnstown, PA, Lansing, MI, Battle Creek, MI, Hornellville, NY. However, there are no records of him playing for the Orioles in 1889.

The "Toledo News--Bee" of 7/5/1910 lists Joe Schachern as a "former pitcher for the Orioles" in an article about the AFGWU convention.
He was married to Mary Ellen O'ROURKE on 14 Aug 1884 in Rochester, Pennsylvannia.⁽¹⁷⁾

7. Mary Ellen O'ROURKE was born on 18 Oct 1865 in Steubenville, Ohio.⁽¹⁸⁾ ⁽¹⁹⁾ She died on 22 Mar 1938 in Beaver, Pennsylvania.⁽¹⁸⁾ Mary Ellen was one of nine children from County Cork, Ireland. Only she was born in the United States, thus the youngest.

Family Legend (as recounted by Georgeanna Eller Czepiel):
"Mary Eller was descended from Lady O'Rouke (County Clare I think). Mary Ellen also had a brother go to fight the Indians he must not have been too good at it because he was never heard from again."
Children were:

i. Mary Anna SCHACHERN was born on 6 May 1885 in Monaca, Pennsylvania.⁽²⁰⁾⁽²¹⁾ She died on 25 Nov 1970 in Kilbuck Township, Pennsylvania.⁽²⁰⁾ She was buried in St. John's Catholic Cemetary, Monaca, PA.⁽²²⁾
ii. Almyra SCHACHERN was born on 18 Oct 1886 in Monaca, Pennsylvania.⁽²³⁾ ⁽²¹⁾ She died on 18 Oct 1969 in Beaver, Pennsylvania.⁽²³⁾ She was buried in St. John's Catholic Cemetary, Monaca, PA.
iii. James W. SCHACHERN (Private).
iv. Joseph Charles SCHACHERN was born on 23 Jul 1889.⁽²⁴⁾⁽²¹⁾ He died in 1947.⁽²⁵⁾
v. Edward Jerome SCHACHERN was born on 5 Aug 1891.⁽⁴⁾⁽²¹⁾ He was baptised on 20 Sep 1891 in Ecclesia S. Ceciliae, Rochester, PA.⁽²⁶⁾ Godparents - Charles and Elizabeth Balzer He died on 2 Aug 1918 in France.⁽²⁷⁾
vi. Robert A. SCHACHERN was born on 15 Jul 1893.⁽²⁴⁾⁽²¹⁾ He died on 1 Dec 1918 in Monaca, Pennsylvania. Death related in family story from Georgeanna Czepiel - Robert died of the flu during the 1818 influenza epidemic Robert died in the upstairs bedroom in Monaca. His son Robert was born in the same room.
Family Legend (as recounted by Georgeanna Eller Czepiel):
"His widow and two children went to live with her mother afterwards but her mother was charging for the food her children were eating so my grandparents [Joe and Mary Schachern] raised he and Thelma."

vii. Merle Francis SCHACHERN was born on 25 Aug 1895.⁽²⁴⁾⁽²¹⁾ He died on 17 Oct 1952 in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvannia.⁽²⁸⁾⁽²⁹⁾
Merle worked for the Crucible Steel Company of Midland, and was a veteran of World War I. Merle served in Company 8 of the 832nd infantry, and was discharged as a Private First Class.

viii. Helen C. SCHACHERN was born on 11 Apr 1897.⁽²⁴⁾⁽²¹⁾ She died on 7 Jul 1961.⁽³⁰⁾
Helen was, among other things, a songwriter. Copyrighted songs of hers include "Lovesick," "Almond Eyes," "My Very Own," and "Song of Love." These songs were composed between 1924 and 1929.

Source: September 1929 issue of "The Metronome"

Helen also performed the piano over the radio, at WEAF in New York City in 1924, and was a partner with Charles F. Norton in the firm of Saxhouse starting in November 1927.

ix. Leland SCHACHERN was born on 1 Mar 1899.⁽³¹⁾⁽²¹⁾ He died on 10 Sep 1978 in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.⁽³¹⁾ He was buried on 13 Sep 1978 in St. John's Catholic Cemetary, Monaca, PA.⁽³¹⁾ Leland worked as a floor boy at Phoenix Glass (carried water to the glass blowers).

Leland played football for Geneva College in 1920 and 1926-28, and coached football and baseball at Beaver Falls High School from 1943 to 1964. His football teams had a cumulative record of 63-29-3, and his 1961 baseball team won the WPIAL championship. His most significant moment as a college player was scoring a touchdown in a 1926 game against Harvard (then a national powerhouse) that Geneva College won, 16-7. Leland was the quaterback and place kicker, scoring the touchdown on a 12-yard run and kicking a 38-yard field goal. In 1927 he was an honorable mention on several All-America teams in 1927. Geneva College went 8-0-1 that year, with Leland personally scoring more than 25% of the team's points.

Though his time in high school was interrupted by World War I, he returned to finish high school in 1919, serving as player-coach for the football team (final record, 6-2-1).

Leland also coached at Monaca, Aliquippa, East Liverpool, and Hopewell high schools, and played semi-pro baseball for 17 years. He was inducted into the Beaver Falls Sports Hall of Fame in 1968, and the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 1977.

x. Erskine George SCHACHERN was born on 4 Apr 1902.⁽³²⁾⁽²¹⁾ He died on 24 Jun 1976.⁽³³⁾⁽³²⁾
xi. Esther SCHACHERN was born on 2 Sep 1903 in Monca, Pennsylvania.⁽³⁴⁾ She died on 25 Sep 1987 in Monaca, Pennsylvania.⁽³⁵⁾ She was buried in St. John's Catholic Cemetary, Monaca, PA.⁽³⁵⁾
Esther was a lifelong resident of Monaca, and spent her entire career as a school teacher in the Monaca School District (retiring in 1965 after 42 years of service).

xii. Eunice Luella SCHACHERN was born on 17 Sep 1905 in Beaver, Pennsylvania.⁽³⁶⁾ She was baptised on 5 Nov 1905 in SS. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church, Beaver, PA.⁽³⁶⁾ Godparents were James Schachern and Almyra Schachern She received a degree in Bachelor of Science in Education from New York University in Jun 1927 in New York, NY.⁽³⁷⁾ She died in Oct 1986.⁽³²⁾
3 xiii. Eleanor Agatha SCHACHERN.