Johann Leopold Schwittkowski
1865–1933
When Johann Leopold Schwittkowski was born on November 5, 1865, in Danziger Höhe, Westpreußen, Preußen, his father, Johann, was 27 and his mother, Maria, was 23. He married Augusta Julie Reikowski on October 4, 1893, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They had nine children in 18 years. He died on February 4, 1933, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, at the age of 67, and was buried there.
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His brother Anton Adalbert was born on December 7, 1867, when Johann Leopold was 2 years old.
His brother “unknown” was born about 1868 when Johann Leopold was 3 years old. Another brother “unknown” was born about 1869 when Johann Leopold was 4 years old. These are really just guesses as I know there were two other brothers, I just haven’t been able to locate them. I just put them in where there seemed to be age gaps.
His brother Paul Anton was born on February 25, 1870, when Johann Leopold was 4 years old.
His sister Maria Elisabeth was born on March 14, 1872, when Johann Leopold was 6 years old. She died three months later on June 30, 1872, when Johann Leopold was 6 years old.
His sister Anna Elisabeth was born in April 1874 when Johann Leopold was 8 years old.
His brother Jacob Albert was born on February 27, 1876, in Gdansk, Pomerania, Poland, when Johann Leopold was 10 years old. Jacob died 22 May 1881 at the age of 5.
His father, Johann, passed away on March 26, 1883, in Gdansk, Pomerania, Poland, at the age of 45. Our Johann was just 17 years old.
I imagine he helped his mom raise his seven living younger siblings in the nine years before he left for America.
Emigrated to United States of America at Age 26
25 May 1891 • Antwerp, Belgium
Arrival
Departed Antwerp, Belgium with his brother Anton on the ship “Belgenland”; arrived in Philadelphia on 25 May 1891. Ship manifest notes both are German cits, are farmers, sitting in J Forward, are carrying 2 pieces of luggage, and plan to settle in Milwaukee.
“2 pieces of luggage”. Can you imagine going to live in a foreign country with one piece of luggage each? Amazing!
25 May 1891 • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Residence
Johann Leopold Schwittkowski lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1892.
Anton and John lived together.
Residence
Johann Leopold Schwitkowski lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in September 1893.
Anton and John lived together and Paul lived on 9th.
Marriage
Johann Leopold Schwitkowski married Augusta Julie Reikowski in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on October 4, 1893, when he was 27 years old.
Seems he and Anton were married the same day.
Rev. A. J. Decker- Person Pronouncing Marriage Paul Schwitkowski- Witness Joseph Bergenthal-Witness St. Anthony Church 8th & Mitchell Streets
Augusta Julie Reikowski
1869–1964
Birth of Daughter
His daughter Martha was born on August 25, 1894, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Birth of Son
His son Grzegorz “George” Paul was born on July 10, 1896, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Birth of Daughter
His daughter Clara Elizabeth was born on July 24, 1898, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Residence
Johann Leopold Schwittkowski lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 7, 1900.
Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head of House: Head 495 19th Ave. One street over from Reikowski’s (his wife’s parents)
Birth of Son
His son Bernhard “Ben” Felix was born on November 20, 1900, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Birth of Daughter
His daughter Margaret “Marge” Anne was born on February 22, 1903, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Naturalization
29 Jun 1906
Birth of Son
His son John was born on August 21, 1906, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Birth of Daughter
His daughter Theresa was born on October 24, 1908, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Residence
Johann Leopold Schwittkowski lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1908.
Death of Daughter
His daughter Theresa passed away on September 3, 1909, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when she was less than a year old.
Residence
Johann Leopold Schwittkowski lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1909.
Residence
Johann Leopold Schwittkowski lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 25, 1910.
Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head of House: Head
Birth of Son
His son Ralph C Hennig was born on July 12, 1910, in Wisconsin.
Name Change
Sometime from 1910-1911, the whole family transitioned to the name of Hennig. Hennig was his mother’s maiden name. The reason is listed on Paul’s naturalization papers. An excerpt is below.
“While said name would indicate that the undersigned is Polish, that in fact he is German; that by reason of the name, those with whom the undersigned associates are given to understand that he is of Polish extraction, when in fact he is a German …”
Johann Leopold Schwittkowski became John Paul Hennig.
Johann insisted he was German, and, at the time he was born, he was. But he was born in Danzig (Gdansk) which Germany ruled at the time. However, Schwitkowski is a Polish name. His parents were Polish. The “owski” was too Polish for him.
Employment (Wisconsin Historical Society)
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS356
From 1900 until about 1921, he worked as a Grain Elevator Operator. Either due to the strike of Grain Elevator employees in 1921 or due to the crop shortage during the same time period, he left that job to become a laborer in the Iron Foundry of Falk Corp. until his death.
Falk Corp. was known as a Milwaukee brewery established by Franz Falk and Frederick Goes. The site that Falk and Goes chose for their brewery, named the Bavaria Brewery, was a narrow strip of land in the Menomonee Valley, which is the location of Falk’s main plant today. Following a devastating fire that destroyed much of the brewery in 1892, the company was sold to Frederick Pabst. Falk’s youngest son, Herman, took this opportunity to branch out into manufacturing, beginning with wagon couplings and then moving on to electric street railway supply, and then to a process known as “cast welding” to create a solution for the poor joints between rails. The work also included a variety of foundry work and, finally in 1910, gears.
For the next hundred years the Falk Corporation continued to be an innovative leader in the manufacture of gears and gear trains for a wide variety of industries around the world.
An unidentified Falk employee stands next to a large Steel Spur Gear. The sign in the photograph reads, “Cast Steel Spur Gear. Made by The Falk Co. Milwaukee, Wis. For Featherstone Foundry and Machine Co. of Chicago, Ills. Wt. 9340 lbs.”
Death of Sister
His sister Anna Elisabeth died on May 23, 1912, in Danzig-Bürgerwiesen, Freie Stadt Danzig, Preußen, when Johann Leopold was 46 years old.
Birth of Son
His son Roy J. Hennig was born on March 29, 1913, in Wisconsin.
Residence
John Paul Hennig lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1915.
Hennig Family circa 1918
Martha, Ralph, Clara, Johnnie, Marge
George, John Paul, Roy, Augusta, Ben
1919
AGE 54
Residence
John Paul Hennig lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1919.
Death of Brother
His brother Anton Adalbert died in 1919 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when Johann Leopold was 54 years old.
Residence
John Paul Hennig lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1920.
Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head of House: Head
1920 • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Residence
John Paul Hennig lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1924.
1924 • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Residence
John Paul Hennig lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1930.
Marital Status: Married; Relation to Head of House: Head
Death
John Paul Hennig died on February 4, 1933, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when he was 67 years old.
Died at home, 1529 S 26th St, 8 Ward, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Died of cerebral hemorrhage caused by ateric sclerosis & hypertension.
Funeral
Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 8:45 a.m. from the residence, 1529 S. 26th St. to St. Lawrence’s Church. Internment Mount Olivet Cemetery. Allstadt Funeral Services.
7 Feb 1933 • Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA
Burial
With his wife- Funeral Home: Altstadt Cemetery: Mount Olivet Cemetery Location: Block: 9 Section: 2 Row: Lot: 8-s Grave:
Loganalogy- The Family Historian 
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