To Ralph Schrammeck from Hope Wood in Arizona, USA
I would be so delighted if we turned out to be related. I have tried so hard to find about Henry Schrammeck. There is a family tradition, maybe it's a myth, that Henry's surname was spelled Sramek with a little mark over the S to make it a "sh" sound. It is said that Henry's teacher in the US persuaded him to change the spelling to Americanize it. But if Silesia is another name for Bohemia, I'm wondering if the name was spelled Schrammeck before Henry came. I don't know what Henry's mother's maiden name was. I was told that she died when Henry was a child. I don't know if that happened before they came to the US or after they came here. When I saw your message I was so excited I forgot the name of the person who could be Henry's brother, or was it his father's brother? I'm sorry. Do you have relatives who came to America? Henry, and at least one brother came with their father and maybe their mother sometime between 1852 and 1858. They were in Wisconsin at first. My grandfather, Henry Schrammeck, told me he remembered walking to church (Roman Catholic) with his father holding his hand. Henry's father died when Henry was about 12 years old. His brother assumed the roll of head of the house. Henry, being an independent Schrammeck, like the rest of us! didn't like being told what to do. So he left home and drove a team of oxen or horses, the stories are not always the same, out to Montana. Henry homesteaded and took out tree claims in Cascade. He eventually owned one of the largest cattle ranches in that part of Montana. I don't remember how much I told In my message that you read. If I am repeating myself, please forgive me. I was living in Korea then and that seems like a long time ago. I don't know if my address will appear in this message. It is
hopewood67@hotmail.com Please let me hear from you. Maybe with a few more details we can find a connection. Thanks so much for your message. Hope