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Descendants of Franz Anton GROBBEL
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Some of Their Stories
Children of Anton & Elizabeth GROBBEL
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Elizabeth GROBBEL 16 (b. 8 OCT 1856 in Warren Twp., MI, d. 25 SEP 1934 in Arcadia Twp., MI) was the first child of Anton and Elizabeth GROBBEL. She married Jacob SCHLAÜD on 20 NOV 1877 in St. Clement Church. Jacob SCHLAÜD (b. 27 DEC 1845 in Koblenz, Prussia, d. 21 NOV 1928 in Arcadia Twp., Lapeer Co., MI) was the son of Joseph Jacob SCHLAÜD and Catharine HÜPPERT. Jacob's first wife was Catherine ROTARIUS, who died on 11 APR 1877, leaving Jacob with 3 young daughters, ages 1, 3 and 5 years-old. Elizabeth and Jacob had thirteen children together. The Schlaüd farm was located on the south side of 11 Mile Road, just east of the railroad tracks. About 1882, they sold the farm to Louis Hartsig and bought a bigger farm in Arcadia Twp., Lapeer County, Michigan. John Schlaud, of Grand Blanc, MI has researched and documented 1,930 descendants of Elizabeth and Jacob.
Catherine Mary GROBBEL 16 (b. 07 OCT 1860) was the fourth child of Anton and Elizabeth GROBBEL. She married Bernard SCHNOBLEN on 20 MAY 1884 in St. Clement Church. Bernard SCHNOBLEN (b. 24 MAR 1861), and his twin brother Andrew, were the sons of Anthony SCHNOBLEN and Margaret ROTARIUS. Their last name was variously spelled as "Schnöbelen" (1861) and "Schnobele" (1884) in the St. Clement Parish records, and eventually came to be spelled as "Schnoblen" and "Snoblen".
Anthony John Frank GROBBEL 16 (b. 30 OCT 1865, d. 12 MAR 1942) was the sixth child, and first son, of Anton and Elizabeth GROBBEL. He married Mary MINICK on 27 JUN 1894. Mary MINICK (b. 16 MAY 1869, d. 25 FEB 1942) was the daughter of John MINICK (b. 14 NOV 1834, d. 22 FEB 1905) and Mary Ann GANSEN (b. 08 APR 1839, d. 09 MAR 1908). Anthony was a Macomb County Highway Commissioner, as well as a farmer in Section 16 of Warren Twp.
Bernard John GROBBEL 16 (b. 17 SEP 1867, d. 04 MAR 1954) was the seventh child of Anton and Elizabeth GROBBEL. He married Catherine OHLERT on 12 OCT 1897. Catherine OHLERT (b. 16 AUG 1877, d. 1919) was the daughter of Joseph OHLERT (b. abt. 1852 to Joseph OHLERT and Margaret GAYEN) and Susanna WIEGAND (b. 31 MAR 1854 to Frank and Barbara WIEGAND). Joseph and Susanna were married at St. Clement Church on 3 MAY 1875. "Ben" was a farmer and later (some time after 1900) became the sexton at St. Clement Church. Catherine died from complications and the flu, following the birth of Rose Ann.
Frances Mathilda GROBBEL 16 (b. 20 OCT 1869, d. 1909) was the eighth child of Anton and Elizabeth GROBBEL. At St. Clement Church on 14 MAY 1895, she married Anthony J. MINICK (b. 27 SEP 1872, d. 1957), who was the younger brother of her sister-in-law, Mary (Minick) Grobbel.
Grandchildren of Anton & Elizabeth GROBBEL
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Clement Anthony GROBBEL 17 , (b. 02 NOV 1895 in Warren Twp., Macomb Co., MI, d. 30 MAR 1977 in Detroit, Wayne Co., MI) was the oldest child of Anthony GROBBEL16 and Mary MINICK. He married Marcella Leontine PETERS on 19 OCT 1921. Marcella PETERS (b. 31 MAR 1902, d. 10 FEB 1937) was the daughter of Henry A. PETERS (b. 10 MAR 1872 to Anthony PETERS and Margaret CAMPBELL, d. 13 OCT 1943) and Esther C. HAYES (b. 28 MAR 1875 , d. 03 JUL 1942). Clem and Marcella had eight children, all of whom were born in Center Line, Macomb Co., MI. Marcella died during childbirth in Detroit, Wayne Co., MI., and is buried in the St. Clement Cemetery in Center Line, MI. Clement is buried in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, MI..
Clem was 22 years old when the U.S. entered World War I. He was soon drafted into the Army and on 27 JUN 1918, he arrived at Camp Custer, near Battle Creek, MI. There he began training with Rifle Company I of the 339th Infantry Regiment of the National Army. The 339th became known as "Detroit's Own Regiment", since 75% of the enlisted men and officers were from the Detroit area (upon their return to the U.S. in 1919, they took to calling themselves the "Polar Bears"). On 14 JUL 1918, the 339th broke camp and boarded trains for New York City, from which they sailed for England on 22 JUL 1918. After another month of training with British weapons, the 5,500 men boarded troop transport ships on 22 AUG 1918 and sailed for Archangel, Russia, which they reached on 4 SEP 1918.
The 339th was placed under British command and spread out along six different fronts surrounding Archangel. Their orders were to replace the existing French and British troops of the Allied Expeditionary Forces who were engaging the Bolsheviks (Communists), however there was never a clearly defined objective. Companies I, K, L and M were assigned to the Railroad Front, which was 100 miles to the south near the village of Obozerskaya.
The conditions were miserable for the troops, the marshy terrain was flooded with standing water, and the first heavy snows came on 15 OCT 1918. On 11 NOV 1918, the World War in Europe ended with the Armistice, while in Russia, the fighting continued. By Nov. 18th, when the last of the 339th finally received their British-issued winter uniforms, temperatures were consistently below zero degrees Fahrenheit.
That winter was very difficult for the poorly equipped members of the 339th. Their British commanders never ventured out into the field, thus they did not understand how inadequate both their weapons and winter gear were. There were regular engagements with the Bolo's as they were called, but what resulted was basically a stalemate. Despite being ill-equipped and out manned, the 339th was able to inflict more casualties than they received in battle. However the bitter cold and sickness were also formidable enemies and 100 of their members were either killed in action or succumbed to illness and were buried in Russia.
By April, an American General, W.P. Richardson, had arrived to visit the 339th out in the field and he observed first-hand their deplorable situation. His report set in motion the removal of the 339th, which began in June when they were replaced by British volunteers who continued the holding action until the British leadership gave up and totally withdrew from Russia in October of 1919. The main elements of the 339th arrived back in Detroit on July 4, 1919 and were treated to a warm homecoming, complete with a parade and picnic on Belle Isle. [ Sources: a)"Detroit's Own Polar Bears - the American North Russian Expeditionary Forces 1918-1919", S.J. & J.R. Bozich, Polar Bear Publishing, Frankenmuth, MI ; b) "When Hell Froze Over" (originally published as "The Ignorant Armies"), E. M. Halliday, ibooks, inc. - Simon & Schuster, Inc. New York, NY, 1958, 2000]
Clem was never one to reminisce about his war-time experiences as a "Polar Bear", so the written record and his medals will have to speak for him. On March 4, 1920, the United States Secretary of War issued General Orders No. 14, Section IX, which awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (medal no.1800) to:
- "Clement A. Grobbel (Army serial no. 2051645) corporal, Company I, 339th Infantry, 85th Division. For extraordinary heroism in action near Emtsa, Russia, November 4, 1918. When attacked by a largely superior force, in order to deliver a more effective fire, Corpl. Grobbel voluntarily left his trench and took up a position on top of the railroad bank. Although exposed to heavy machine gun fire, he held his position and fired his Lewis gun until the enemy was repulsed. The conduct of this noncomissioned officer was an important factor in the successful defense of the position. Residence at enlistment: R.F.D. No. 2, Warren, Mich."
He was also awarded the French "Croix de Guerre" medal by the French government (and which was presented to him by General William Edmund Ironside, the British military commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in North Russia), along with a certificate dated January 30, 1919.
The Distinguished Service Cross is our nation's second highest military award for valor, ranking just below the Medal of Honor. Out of the 5,500 U.S. Soldiers who fought in Russia during WWI, only 23 were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Clem was discharged from the Army at Camp Custer on 17 JULY 1919 and given the sum of $314.35, which included a $60.00 bonus. His discharge papers indicated that he was "a millwright with an excellent character".
Shortly after returning home, Clem met Marcella Peters. Years later, he told his children that "she was my first and only girlfriend". Two years later they married and started raising a family on Central Ave. in Center Line, MI. Clem enjoyed tinkering with mechanical things and these talents were put to good use when he started his own cement business. [ excerpt from a letter he sent to his parents on 13 APR 1919 from Russia: "..... I bet "dad" was busier than the devil when he was making those things in the cellar "Ha" . I bet everything runs smooth and nice. I long to see it. It is so long since I tinker(ed) around a auto or gas engine, that I almost forgot how they look. I have been studying up some little I might do when I get back. Some wonderful ideas a fellow can think about some times before he goes to sleep......"]
During the late 1920's, he laid many of the sidewalks in Center Line, as well as made cement blocks for use in building the many basements that he dug with a team of horses. His "cement factory" and equipment was located on a nearby lot on Dale Avenue (this lot is where he eventually built a new home for his growing family). Ultimately, he had to sell his equipment to satisfy his creditors, and since his parents had provided their farm acreage as collateral for his loans, it had to be sold also.
Clem had been a volunteer fireman for the Village of Center Line, so he sought employment as a Policeman, beginning around 1931 . He was the first appointed Police Chief for the City of Center Line and served from 31 MAR 1936 through 27 MAY 1937, at which time he transferred to the Water Department as Superintendent.
Following the death of Marcella, Clem hired a succession of housekeepers to look after his children while he was at work. One of these housekeepers was Lucille Kunath, who later married Charles L. Grobbel (Clem's first cousin). On 01 JUN 1940, Clem married Roxanna J. KENNEDY Carney (b. 17 MAY 1894, d. 19 AUG 1980), who was the widow of Edward CARNEY (a member of the first Center Line City Council).
Clem retired from the Center Line Water Department on 3 MAR 1956 (and was replaced by his son Vincent's brother-in law, Ralph Hiller). He then began working for St. Clement's Parish as a sexton/janitor for the church and school. One of his duties was to ring the Angelus Bell in the steeple of the old St. Clement Church (1880-1967) at 6:00AM, Noon and again at 6:00PM. He retired again around 1974 and later died from complication of diabetes on 30 MAR 1977. His last words, spoken to his children at his bedside, were "take a lot of pictures of your children and love them".
Notes:
· Clem Grobbel's medals, uniform and some of his other WWI artifacts are on display at the "Michigan's Own, Inc. Military and Space Museum", which is located at 1250 Weiss St., Frankenmuth, MI 48734, phone (517)652-8005 or 652-3188. The museum also has a Website at "http://www.michigansown.org".
· The families and friends of the Polar Bears hold a Memorial Service annually on Memorial Day Monday at 11:00 a.m. at the Polar Bear Monument in White Chapel Cemetery, Troy, Michigan.
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