CARL FREDERICH KOSCHNITZKI was born December 4, 1835 Schillingsfelde, East Prussia and died February 25, 1915 San Francisco, California. His parents were Jacob and Anna C. (Treder) Kosznicki.
As a young man, Carl Frederich emigrated from Danzig Territory, East Prussia (then a Free State, later Poland) to Germany because of political unrest in his native land. The Germans and the Russians were always battling through Poland, to such an extent that it was called the "Polish Corridor".
Carl's earliest occupation was that of a cabin boy at age 12. He followed the sea for many years, principally on American vessels, during which time he enlisted in Boston with the U.S. Army to serve in the Civil War fighting for the Union, under the name of Carl Brown.
On one of his voyages at sea, he landed in Yerba Buena, which is now San Francisco and is possibly the reason why the family settled in San Francisco.
Passed on to his Granddaughter, Grace (Koschnitzki) Ogden from bits and pieces her mother told her (Mary (von Arx) Koschnitzki:
"Grossvater left Danzig, it could have been at the time of political upheaval; the Germans and the Russians were always battling through Poland, to such an extent that it was called the Polish corridor. Mother said he stayed at an inn that was run by the Schraders, and that they talked about him in German, not knowing that he too, could speak the language. Apparently Anna Sophia was a cute little chick who made an impression on him, because he went back and married her!
Grossvater served in the U.S. Army, fighting for the Union, under the name Carl Brown."
ANNA SOPHIA SCHUMACHER PLUNS was born December 5, 1842 Oderquard, Hannover, Germany and died May 13, 1928 in Yacolt, Clark County, Washington.
Her parents were Johann Frederick Pluns, born November 11, 1805 in Krummendeich, Hannover, and died January 12, 1860 and Anna Schumacher, born February 01, 1815 in Oderquard, Hannover, and died January 12, 1895. They married June 1840 and had seven children:
Katherina Margretha Pluns, born February 02, 1841.
Anna-Sophia Schumacher Pluns, born December 05, 1842 in Oderquard, Hannover
Meta Marie Pluns, born May 10, 1845. She married Henrich Schlicting.
Anna Elise Pluns Pluns, born September 24, 1847. She married Ferdinand Martin Wilhelm Reeper.
Johann Frederick Wilhelm Pluns was born May 01, 1850, died April 10, 1896.
Emma Henrietta Elanor Pluns, born 1855. She married Claus Omland.
Henrietta Pluns (died in infancy)
Anna Sophia was previously married (November 3, 1868) to Carl August Frederick Wilhelm Schrader. He died August 28, 1869 from appendicitis. They had a son named Carl August Frederick Wilhelm Schrader, Jr. (Charlie)
who was born September 1869 in Hamburg,Germany and died January 5, 1923 in Portland, Oregon.
Charlie met and married Lily Arrowsmith who was born March 1874 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England and died November 28, 1958 in Multnomah County, Oregon. Together, they had one son, Raymond A. Schrader, born August 30, 1911 in Portland, Oregon, died December 10, 2002 in Portland, Oregon, and one daughter, Dorothea L., who was born about 1915 in Oregon and died June 27, 2002 in Portland, Oregon.
After the war, Carl went back to sea again, then in Hamburg, Germany, he met and wooed Anna Sophia Schumacher Pluns Schrader where on February 1, 1873 they married. Carl signed an agreement that he would take care of Carl Schrader, Jr. as if he was his own son. Carl and Anna Sophia lived in Bremmerlehe and Balje, Germany and had eight children together.
There was political unrest in Germany and because of this, Anna Sophia did not want her children to be "cannon fodder" (killed by guns). It was decided they would immigrate to the United States, starting with the oldest boys, Carl Schrader, Jr., Bill and Jack. Each son was sent to the United States after they completed school (age 16 years)and just before the age of military conscription (every boy in Germany had to serve time in the Army).
The three "men" remained on the Atlantic Coast for awhile and then left for San Francisco to an uncle, Bill Pluns, a building contractor, who did some work at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. When Pluns finished the job and no longer needed them, he put the boys and their trunks on the sidewalk and said goodbye! This story was told by Carl Frederich to his granddaughter. There is a conflict regarding this story as the 3 men met their parents in New York in 1901 and traveled with them to San Francisco. There is the possiblity that Al, Fred and Gus moved back to the Eastcoast as to meet up with their parents, after leaving the employment of their Uncle Bill Pluns.
On April 28, 1901, Carl age 66, Anna Sophia, age 59 and their two youngest children, Heinrich (Henry), age 16 years and Maria, age 13 years, left Hamburg, Germany for the United States on the steamship PENNSYLVANIA. The ship originated out of Hamburg, then stopped for more passengers and possibly cargo in Bologne, France, then on to Plymouth, England then finally departing for New York. They arrived in New York on May 1st, where their sons Al, Fred and Gus, who had lived on the East Coast, joined them. They remained for four days, then departed for San Francisco. On May 23rd, 1901 they arrived in San Francisco, where the two oldest sons, John Wilhelm (Bill) and Jonni (Jack) lived and were married.
Carl and Anna Sophia remained in San Francisco for 14 days then departed with Fritz (Fred), Heinrich (Henry) and Marie for Buncombe Hollow on the North Lewis River in Clark County, Washington in June 1901. Charlie Schrader, Anna's son from her first marriage, received a land patent for acreage in Buncombe Hollow. This is where Carl, Anna Sophia, Henry, Marie and Fred had moved after leaving San Francisco. Marie had told her granddaughter, Carolyn Womack Rinta "they sure lucked out for they were in San Francisco when the big fire came through the Lewis River country the Fall of 1902 and in the Lewis River country when the earthquake/fire hit San Francisco in the Spring of 1906."
After a disagreement with Charlie, Carl and Anna returned to San Francisco in 1907 and moved to Millbrae, San Mateo County, California, which is 16 miles south of San Francisco. In the long run, this turned out to be a good move. Where the community of Buncombe Hollow was located, an electrical company (now Pacific Power and Light) purchased all the homesteads located in the valley and built a dam in 1928. In 1930 the Merwin Dam project was completed and the flooding of the valley took place. Lake Merwin not only supplies power, but it is a recreational area loved by the locals.
Where Henry and sister Marie went to school
Carl Frederich passed away at 1:20 A.M. on February 25, 1915 in his home at 3656 A 17th Street, San Francisco, California of Carcinoma of the Pancreas. His ashes were scattered into the San Francisco Bay from the Golden Gate.
Following the death of Carl in 1915, Anna Sophia went to live with her son Fred and his
wife Ada in Portland, Oregon then finally with her daughter Marie in Yacolt, Washington.
Here is a letter written by her daughter, Marie to Ada, her dear friend and sister-in-law:
Yacolt, Wash.
Feb. 22, 1928
Dear Ada:
Have been wanting to write to you, for the last week got the medicine, but did not use it. I called up Dr Hockett and he sent some out on the stage have been giving her that 4 times a day, but it does'nt do any good she is getting weaker all the time her feet and legs are swollen so and when you press on them it leaves a big dent.
I wrote to all the boys and told them how she was, so if any of them wont come and see her, the cant say to me that I did'nt let them know, I hope Fred can come up soon, it seems so funny she does'nt say a word that she never can get well again she is making so many plans what she is goint to do other times when she was sick she would always say that she would never get well again........
Hope to see you soon. There was a fire in town. Hansen's sweet shop burnt to the ground so you better come to Yacolt and start a sweet shop. business will be good for another year as Murhphy's camp will soon logg near town and they are not going to build a cook-house.
Write soon Marie
Before she died at Marie's, Anna Sophia wrote these instructions:
She wanted to be buried in her black dress, in which she was twice married.
She did not want the family to hire an undertaker.
She requested cremation.
She wanted to be buried at sea as was her husband.
There she died on Mother's Day, May 13, 1928.
Her ashes were scattered into the San Francisco Bay, from the Golden Gate.