The Gschoessers originated in Tyrol, Austria. It was here that Johannes Gschoesser was born on May 5, 1775 in Lingen, a village near Haard. Johannes married Katherina Kaniber (4/5/1785-4/16/1848) of Schuttentobel, Germany, daughter of Konrad Kaniber (11/26/1748-7/25/1830) and Ursula Schuchterin (1760-12/19/1816). To this union was born nine children. Joseph Aloys was born on October 8, 1809. It is unknown where the family was living at this time. By 1810 they were living in Harbatshofen, Germany. Here three more children were born: Katharina on October 19, 1810; Johann von Paul on March 3, 1812 (Johann Paulus was christened in Schuttentobel on December 3, 1812); Maria Anna on November 15, 1813. The fifth child, Kreszens was born on May 17, 1816. It is unknown where the family was living at this time. Johannes Gschoesser and his family came to Thanne 2, Rettenberg in 1817. There they lived in a large farmhouse. It is here that the remaining children were born: Johanna on July 12, 1818; Christina on December 15, 1823; Ottilia on December 15, 1823; Heinrika on July 15, 1825. Johannes Gschoesser died of dropsy on February 8, 1847. Katherina soon followed due to consumption on April 16, 1848.

Joseph Aloys grew up to have three children of his own; Johanna Maria, Maria Theresia, and Heinrica Maria. Joseph Gschoesser sold the farmhouse on the Thanne in 1852 and he came to live on a farm near Sulzberg.

Katharina married Franz Jorg in Rottach, Parish of Maiselstein, District Court of Sonthofen.

Maria Anna, Kreszens, Johanna, and Christina all married in Maderhalm, parish Fischen.

Ottilia had an illegitimate child, Heinrich. She went to work in Switzerland in Buhler (Kanton: Appenzeller Land) and later got married there. Heinrich stayed behind and was living on the Thanne in October 1851 perhaps with her brother Joseph.

Heinrika, who was working in Switzerland, planned to emigrate to St. Louis in the US with a female friend in the autumn of 1850. Apparently those plans changed when Heinrika bore an illegitimate daughter, Maria Anna, on May 11, 1851. The father was a hat maker with surname Brutscher who lived in Immenstadt (a town next to Rettenberg.) Heinrika continued to work in Switzerland and it seems Maria Anna lived with Heinrika’s brother-in-law, Franz Jorg, in Rottach. In the summer of 1852, Heinrika, her daughter and Brutscher emigrated to the United States. On the ship Brutscher must have come rather offensive towards Heinrika and the child so that from this day on another man and the captain of the ship took care of them. Brutscher soon returned to Germany. Heinrika came to live in Harbor Creek, Erie, Pennsylvania by way of New York and Pittsburgh. She married and bore another daughter. Her husband may have been Joseph Slaer (sic) from Wurttemberg and her daughter, Sophia, born about 1853. In January 1871 her husband was already three years dead and Heinrika remarried. As of March 3, 1871 Heinrika was living in Chicago together with her husband who was a mechanic.

On July 30, 1835, Johann von Paul married Magdalena Maria Schwendinger (born 8/31/1809) of Dornbirn, Austria, the eldest of nine children of Josef Andra Schwendinger (born 10/20/1772) and Katharina Hammerle (born 1785.) When Magdalena Schwendinger married Johann de Paul she brought an unmarried born daughter with her. This daughter, Katharina, was born January 19, 1834 in Dornbirn. Johann and his family lived in the farmhouse on the Thanne until 1936. At Rettenberg 11, his 9 children were born: Barbara on May 2, 1836; Wilhelmina on September 17, 1837; Johann Quirin on March 29, 1839; Christina on October 31, 1840, Joseph Wilhelm on July 17, 1842; Kreszenz on September 10, 1844; Genofeva on March 7, 1846; Heinrika on July 2, 1848; Josepha on June 2, 1850. Between 1857 and 1860 Johann’s family lived in Durach in a house called “Beim Ziller.” It was the house of a coachbuilder. Durach is a village near Kempten, the capital of the Allgau. For four years Johann worked in a factory in Durach. In 1860 Joseph Wilhelm died at the age of 17. Then on December 17, 1861, Johann Quirin died at the age of 22. Sometime about 1862 Barbara Gschoesser had a daughter of her own, Balvina. On May 27, 1866, Johann Gschoesser declared that the family firmly intends to emigrate to North America in the summer to be with Katharina and Wilhelmina who were already there. Johann, Magdalena, Barbara, Balvina, Christina, Kreszenz, Genofeva, Heinrika and Josepha arrived in America from Bremen, Austria in 1866.

Johanna Maria Gschoesser, daughter of Joseph Aloys, was born July 27, 1846. Together with her fiancé Henry Meyer who was a cheese maker, she emigrated to America and arrived on March 20, 1871. The couple married in America and lived in Chicago, Illinois. Their children were born there: Joseph in 1872 and Franz in 1875.

Katharina Gschoesser married John Ott of Bavaria sometime before 1857. They had 11 children: Lizzie in 1857; John in 1859; Mary in 1861; Joseph in 1862; William in 1864; Charles in 1868; Josephine in 1870; Henrietta in 1872; Antone in 1874; Theresa in 1876 and George in 1878. They lived in Wesleyville, Harbor Creek, Erie, Pennsylvania where John was a Farmer.

Wilhelmina Gschoesser married Joseph Goffler of Austria sometime before 1865. They lived in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois where Joseph was a brick mason. They had three children: John in 1865, Josephine in 1869, and Magdalena in 1871. In 1875 Wilhelmina had another child with her second husband, Anton Henning of Hamburg, Germany. This child was Lizzie. The family lived in Chicago where Anton was a Cigar Maker.

Barbara Gschoesser had another child in 1868, Magdalena Best. She was working as a washerwoman and living in Chicago with her parents and two children in 1870.

Christina Gschoesser married Charles Schwab of Baden, Germany sometime before 1870. They had the following children: Kate in November 1869 and Jennie in 1873. They lived in North East, Erie, Pennsylvania where Charles was a Farmer.

Kreszentia Gschoesser married Charles Beckmann. Carolos Beckmann was born on February 2, 1836 in Hanover, Germany. His father trained him as a mason contractor. He had a brother Joseph who had a son. He had 2 or 3 sisters, one named Anne. He worked in Bremenhaven and Westerrode. In 1866 he left his family and sailed to America. On the 8-week voyage he met the Gschoesser family on their way to meet other family living in Erie, Pennsylvania. He decided to settle in the same city. Charles Beckmann was the name he took in America. He worked in Erie and soon owned 3 small houses. He lived in a brick one and rented 2 frame houses. Four children were born here: Genevieve on June 25, 1869, Elizabeth in 1872, Catherine in 1874, and Henry Joseph in 1876. During the panic of 1873 when U. S. Grant was president, Charles signed a paper for his brother-in-law and lost his property. Erie was hard hit with no work available. Charles heard there was work in Erie County, New York and he moved his family to Elma where he worked and owned a farm on Rice Road. Six more children were born here: Augusta Ernerst in 1879, Helen Victoria on April 3, 1891, Charles, Mary Augustine, Caroline Mary, and Anna.

Genofeva Gschoesser served in a distinguished house in Erie, Pennsylvania and learned well the English language. She married James Jacob Loesch (born 1848 in PA) sometime before 1871. They lived in the city of Erie, Pennsylvania where Jacob was a carpenter. They had the following children: Mary E. in 1871, George W. in 1873, Anna Marie on June 23, 1874, Lawrence Paul on February 26, 1876, and Mattie G. in 1878.

Heinrika Gschoesser, Henrietta as she was called in America, married Christofer Marschaus (born in 1841)in 1871. Christofer was also a native of Germany who emigrated to America in 1860. He came to live in Chicago, Illinois where he was a steel worker. He served in the Army during the Civil War from 1863 to 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Marschaus had a family of seven children: Sophia in 1871, Caroline on December 12, 1873, Josephine F. on January 22, 1876, Lucinda in 1877, Anthony James on June 15, 1879, Anna Mary on July 12, 1881, and Christine Mary on July 8, 1883. The family lived in North East Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania. Henrietta died there in 1902. Christofer lived a long life in North East and died there on May 26, 1930.

Josepha Gschoesser, Josephine as she was called in America, served in a rich farmhouse in Millcreek, Erie County, Pennsylvania for 4 years. She married Anthony Specht on October 4, 1870. Anthony Specht was born in Williainsville, Erie County, New York, on December 22, 1839. He wa a son of Lawrence and Mary Ann (Gass) Specht, both natives of Germany. They emigrated to America in 1829 and settled in western New York, where the father was a stone mason, until 1852, when they came to Erie county, Pennsylvania. They bought a farm in West Greene, and followed farming until 1865. They next moved to North East, where the father died May 13,1867, and the mother July 19,1881. They reared a family of nine children: Mary, Gertrude, Catherine, Eva, Rose, Lena, Lawrence, Anthony and Joseph. Anthony Specht was educated in the public schools, and has made farming his leading occupation. On March 16, 1865, he purchased forty-four acres of land on the shore of the lake north of North East, where he came to own over 153 acres, which fronts on the lake for about 235 rods. He carried on general farming and fruit raising, having over fourteen acres of grapes. When Josephine’s father, Johann, died in Chicago, March 17,1872, the mother came to reside with Anthony Specht. Mr. and Mrs. Specht had a family of eight children: Albert in 1871, Helen in 1874, Rosaline in October 1876, Josephine in August 1883, Frank J. in October 1886, Leo in September 1888, John L. in July 1890 and Anna Winifred on July 26,1893.