THE VOLGA GERMANS IN PORTLAND
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People > Pioneers > Conrad and Anna Maria Schnell

Conrad and Anna Maria Schnell

Johann Konrad Schnell was born on June 9, 1838 in Norka, Russia, the son of Ludwig Schnell (born 1812) and Katharina Jörg (born 1813).

Konrad (Conrad) first married Katharina Magdalena Huck (born 1838) in Norka on January 29, 1857. After giving birth to six children, Katharina Magdalena died on April 17, 1868. One of those children, Johannes (born December 9, 1860), would immigrate to the United States and also settled in Portland.

On November 23, 1869, Conrad married Anna Maria Müller who was born in Norka on May 13, 1836, the daughter of Ludwig Müller (born 1798) and Anna Maria Heuser (born 1800). Anna Maria was the widow of Johannes Lehl.

Conrad and Anna Maria (Emma) became the parents of three children who were born in Norka: Peter (born October 18, 1870), Johann Heinrich (Henry) was born June 21, 1873, and Magdalena (born December 8, 1875).

The Schnell's immigrated to the United States with several other families from Norka departing from Hamburg, Germany on July 4, 1877 aboard the steamship Suevia.  

In 1880, the family is farming in Clay County, Nebraska along with Conrad's brother, Johannes (John) who was born on August 8, 1853 in Norka.

By 1888, the Conrad Schnell family were living together in Albina on the north side of San Rafael two lots east of Rodney Avenue. Both Conrad and his son John were working as laborers.

In 1891, Conrad and Emma are living on the south-side of Russell, two lots east of Margaretta Avenue (now MLK. Blvd.). Sons Peter and Henry are living at the same address. All three of the adult men are working as laborers. 

One of Conrad's sons, Peter, married Anna Maria (Emma) Miller, the daughter of John and Anna Elisabeth Miller on February 19, 1891. The ceremony was performed by Rev. Hartung of the nearby German Methodist Church since no Volga German churches had yet been established in Albina. The Schnell's hosted the Miller family when they first arrived in Portland. Peter and Emma started a grocery store at the corner of Union Avenue and Fremont Street and lived in back of the store. Emma's family also lived at the store until their home was completed in May 1891. Later, John O. Miller and his son-in-law Peter ran the store. The profits were too small for two families and Peter bought another store across the street which he kept for three years.

Emma died on November 30, 1906. Konrad died on September 15, 1909. Both are buried at the Historic Columbian Cemetery in Portland.
Konrad and Emma Schnell Headstone
Photograph courtesy of Steve Schreiber.

Sources

Haynes, Emma S. My Mother's People. N.p.: 1959. Print.
​

Ship manifest, 1888 Portland City Directory, 1900 U.S. Census, death records - Ancestry.com

​Norka database.
Last updated August 5, 2017.
Copyright © 1998-2023 Steven H. Schreiber
  • Home
    • About This Website
    • Reviews
  • History
    • Historical Timeline
    • Migration to Russia
    • Emigration from Russia
    • Settlement in America
    • Migration to Portland
    • Little Russia
    • A Short History of Albina
    • World War I
    • The Volga Relief Society >
      • Portland Volga Relief Society Subscribers 1921
    • World War II
    • Assimilation and Dispersion
  • Beliefs
    • Churches >
      • Albina Seventh-day Adventist Church
      • First United Mennonite Baptist Church
      • Ebenezer German Congregational Church
      • Free Evangelical Brethren Church >
        • German Evangelical Congregational Brethren Church
      • Second German Baptist Church
      • St. Pauls Evangelical and Reformed Church
      • Second German Congregational Church >
        • Evangelical Congregational Church
      • Zion German Congregational Church >
        • Rivercrest Community Church
    • Pastors
    • The Brethren
    • Denominations >
      • German Reformed Church
      • German Evangelical Synod of North America
      • Evangelical and Reformed Church
      • German Congregational Church
      • Seventh-day Adventists
      • United Church of Christ
  • People
    • Our People
    • Notables
    • Pioneers 1881-1892
    • Stories
    • Photographs
    • Help Identify These People
  • Community
    • Characteristics
    • Businesses >
      • Bakeries Retailers and Services
      • Garbage Haulers
      • Grocery and Meat Markets
      • Restaurants >
        • Helsers on Alberta
        • McCormick & Schmicks
        • Wildwood
      • Saloons and Taverns
      • Suppliers and Manufacturers
    • Employers
    • Education
    • Sports
    • Maps
    • Documentary
  • Traditions
    • Foods
    • Folk Medicine
    • Expressions
    • Weddings
    • Holidays
    • Folk Music
    • Funerals and Burial Sites
  • Resources
    • Family Research
    • Books and Video
    • Works Cited