Schoenauer Family Historical Facts~
Our Family Schoenauer is a direct descendant of Conrad Schönauer,
During the middle ages there existed no registration of persons. Most people were not able to read or write. America was not well known. nobilities of a person only existed and they would have coat of arms with sealing wax on their parchment. These handwritten documents was the only way to identify people. The documents contained a name and a date of issuing. The Schoenauer family trees identity is the color silver ground with a red rectangle on the documents.. . . . . . .
Conrad, Johann, Heinrich, Hartung and Victor were often First names in the early years of Schönauer Family. Conrad I Schönau lived at 11-to 1200. Conrad II documented in the years between 1200 and 1300 might have been and uncle of Conrad III, son of Bertold of Schönau Kyburg, and brother of Conrad II. Conrad II was a knight in the County of Toggenburg. His Castle was near by the Monastry Fischingen This Castle was completely destroyed in the war of 1442 between Zurich and Toggenburg. People around the Castle used the stones to build her houses. The road to the Castle is still named Schönauerstrrasse.
King Albrecht of Habsburg was known to be very difficult and refused to give some properties to his nephew Johann, son of his dead brother Rudolf. At the age of 30, between the months of April and May of 1308, King Albrecht held court in Baden, near Zurich, and mocked his nephew Johann. Johann swore vengeance and conspired a plot with the knights of Kyburg, Rudolf of Warth and Conrad the Schönauer. The next day they killed King Albrecht across the river by Windisch.
A man of action was Rudolf of Warth, who was also a friend of Conrad III of Schönau, both from Kyburg. Rudolf was captured and convicted to a terrible death. Conrad fled to the Monastery Fischingen, Toggenburg, where he sought protection. He donated all his property to the Monastery and he lost his title of knight. Conrad’s new named was Schönauer and he moved in 1319 to the Monastery of St. Urban and from heir to the county Langental Bern. In the year 1319 the abbey sends him to the Monastry of St. Urban, where he became an administrator district in the County Langenthal Bern. - Here I have some documents missing just
The original document dated 6. 12. 1298 in the State Archiv of Zurich shows a contract between Conrad III and Rudolf of Warth. Conrad bought a mill near to his Castle Mossburg, where he lived.
The Schonauer Family trees in Switzerland have almost ended. The Tree of Grosshöchstetten has no more then about 5 Persons. The tree of Zurich ended 1729, the tree of Basel ended 1998. The tree of Elsass 2 persons. The tree of Griesenberg includes about 60 Persons the largest tree of today.
America has many families from the lineage Schonau, several different spellings exist in America today, ~ Schoenauer, Shoenauer, Shoener, Schoner, and many others. Our families are all connected from Pennsylvania to Oregon and Iowa. Harry Shoenauer lives in Switzerland and is a direct descedant of the Schonau, Sconowe, he lives in Switzerland and continues to delve into our geneology. Harry has spent many years researching our family history and he continues to provide me information so that I can update our family website.
Below shows the beginning of our family, note the dates of 1214,
This page was last updated: February 21, 2012
