Achievements & Whereabouts

Schosers have conquered the world. But where exactly are they? Where have they come from? Where are they going? Schosers have also been at the forefront of many revolutionary discoveries and achievements. Whether in sports, science, business, arts or nonsense, Schosers have the potential to excel. See this unique collection of evidence of Schosers' whereabouts and achievements!

Sunday 25 December 2011

POW

Hans (r.) at work in the quarry
Johannes 'Hans' Schoser joined the German army in March 1944 at the age of just under 18. He was trained as radio operator. His war time duty ended six months later when he was taken prisoner by American troups at the Western Front in France in September 1944. The Americans handed him over to British troups which transferred him to Scotland as prisoner of war (POW).

For three years, Hans was detained in the German Working Camp No. 188 at Johnstone Castle near Glasgow. He worked there first on the construction of a sewer system for a new housing development, then in a quarry and later as office clerk and interpreter. Finally, Hans moved to camp No. 174 to follow studies to become catholic youth leader.

In 1948, Hans was allowed to return home to Germany.
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Tuesday 6 December 2011

The man of many names

No one is safe from misspellings. So probably best not to make a big fuss about the occasional deformation of one's first or family name.

Yet, there are cases which go beyond the limits of the ordinary. Especially, if the misspellings are frequent, seem arbitrary and appear in official documents. This describes the fate of Ludwig Schoser who immigrated to the United States in 1893.

Starting the century as Louis Schosser...
* The 1893 Ellis Island Passenger Record refers to him as 'Ludwig Schoesser'
* The 1900 US Federal Census as 'Louis Schosser'.
* The 1904-1906 Durango Naturalization Records as 'Ludwig Schoser'.
* The 1910 US Federal Census as 'Ludwig Sokaser'.
* The 1911 Durango Ranchers Directory as 'Ludwig Schoser'.
* The 1920 US Federal Census as 'Andwig Schoser'.
* The 1930 US Federal Census as 'Todnez Schaser'.

... having become Todnez Schaser in 1930
In total, there are four different ways Ludwig's first name and five different ways his family name have been spelt. In fact, it is not even clear which was Ludwig's 'true' name as we do not know what he was called at birth. And had Ludwig not spent all his life after US immigration in Durango (Colorado), it would be almost impossible to trace him through time.
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