The Ford Family

Born	January 18, 1854 Austria
Died	January 23, 1900 Rockford, IL

Spouse	Wenceslaus Wenzel Schrom
Married	September 7, 1875 Jefferson, Wisconsin
Children	Henry Schrom Minnie Weldon Bertha Schrom Albert James Schrom Tillie Marie Schrom George Gottlieb Schrom Frank Joseph Schrom Edward Schrom Arthur Otto Schrom Fred John Schrom Theodore James Schrom

Bio
The story of Thekla Schrom, great grandmother of TopDog, reflects the lives of many poor immigrant women coming to the USA in the 19th century. She leaves home a poor girl, gets married, and has 11 children. She buries one of them before she dies of TB at the age of 46. She leaves behind her husband to care for 6 boys, ages 7 to 15. Much of that work likely fell on the shoulders of her two at-home daughters, Tillie age 18 and Bertha age 22. These gals are already exhausted for caring for their very sick mother for the past two years. This mother could not get out of the bed for the last 6 weeks of her life. It is possible that the reason Tillie herself dies two years later is that she contracts the highly contagious TB from her mother. Bertha dies two years after Tillie, possibly from ?consumption? as well.

So why does Thekla leave her homeland at the tender age of 21 anyway? Certainly Bohemia has been in a constant state of turmoil over ?ownership? between the Germans and the Turks. There is constant fighting and discontent. I suspect, however, that her reasons are far more personal. She does not travel with anyone in her immediate family. We know for certain that she lands in America on May 29th of 1875. Her first child, Harry, is born 5 months later in October of 1875. So, we can safely conclude that she left aboard the SS Braunschweig out of Bremen Germany about 4 months pregnant.

Laws required Captains of ship?s bringing in people from foreign countries to list every person along with their age and some basic information. Thekla is of course traveling in third class which is very crowded with inadequate sanitation, privacy, and food. She appears to be traveling with another family from her hometown as the Heads of the families are listed first, followed by the wife and then the children. Passenger number 358 is Joseph Pfleger age 34 followed by his wife and three small children. Finally, passenger 363 is one Thekla Benesch of Bohemia. Another family follows her and then we see the name of Barbara Wenceslas and Filomena Schrom. Perhaps she has come at the suggestion of Wenceslas as the child she carries is his.

They all travel up to Wisconsin where millions of European immigrants are drawn by the prospects of farming. Thekla and Wenceslaus are married on September 7th, 1875 in Jefferson Wisconsin and settle down to raise a family and farm the rich land. Their first child, Harry, is born in October of 1875, followed by Minnie in 77 and Bertha in 79. The 1880 census lists Wenceslaus as a farmer. The couple add more children to help with the farm. Albert James is born in 1881, Tillie in 83, but before George is born in 1885, young Albert dies at the age of 3.

Frank Schrom (grandfather to TopDog) is born in December of 1887. He soon gets twin brothers when Arthur and Edward are born January 24, 1890. Then, for unknown reasons, comes the move to Rockford.

In Rockford they are living in a big city, far from the country life. Wenceslaus gets work as a saloon keeper. The family moves to a crowded apartment where two more children are born. Fred is born in 1892 and and Teddy a year later.

By now we find a rather tired Thekla who has spent the last 20 years of her life having children. The tighter living conditions and poverty that is known to breed ?consumption? may have contributed to her catching the disease. We know she is sick for the last two of her 8 final years living in Rockford. Thekla dies on January 23, 1900 at the age of 46.