Schucking Family Genealogy

Agnes Gilbert

Birth:         7 Dec. 1883               Salem, Marion, OR[1]

Marriage:  24 Feb. 1904           Salem, Marion, OR[2]

Death:        5 Oct. 1969               Salem, Marion, OR[3]

Buried:  Mt. Crest Abbey Mausoleum, Salem, Marion, OR[4]

Parents: Andrew Nathaniel and Estelle Ann [McCully] Gilbert[5]

Agnes Gilbert was born 7 December 1883 in Salem, Oregon to parents Andrew Nathaniel and Estelle Ann [McCully] Gilbert. The Gilberts had three children: Ray David, Henry Warren, and Agnes. The family lived on the southwest corner of Chemeketa and Liberty Streets NE, owned and operated Patterson & Gilbert grocery, and managed agricultural holdings in rural Polk County, near Eola. Agnes attended local schools and studied two years at Willamette University.

In 1901-1902 she traveled the European continent and studied art in Paris.[6] Upon her return, she had an active community and society life, with activities frequently reported in the local newspapers. She was also musically gifted, and a popular addition to musical evenings about town, where she would sing and play the piano. In June 1903, Agnes was chosen queen over one of Salem’s earliest celebrations, a Grand Carnival. This was a role that she would reprise in the late 1940s and 50s, with the revival of Salem’s community celebration known as the Cherry Festival.  The Oregon Statesman reported at the time:

“Miss Gilbert will make an ideal queen. She is a stately brunette of decided beauty and a graceful and accomplished young society woman who will represent Greater Salem with perfect tact and charming complacency and do honor to the Capital during her reign of a week during the Carnivala.“[7]

She married Bernard Otto Schucking on 24 February 1904 in Salem. Schucking was a well-established businessman with wealthy family ties in the San Francisco area and twelve years her senior. The intimate wedding ceremony was held at the Gilbert home on Liberty St. and witnessed by immediate relatives and six of the bride’s girlfriends. The bride wore a gown of duchess lace over white silk with a tulle veil crowned by the same wreath of orange blossoms her mother had worn at her wedding. A wedding supper was served at the house and followed by a lavish reception held at the Willamette Hotel in Salem.[8] The couple’s two-week honeymoon took them to San Francisco and Southern California.[9]

After the marriage, the couple set up housekeeping at 366 Chemeketa St. in Salem, not far from Agnes’ childhood home. The couple had no biological children. Agnes continued to be a dominant figure in the Salem social world, organizing many luncheons, teas, and benefits. In 1911 she was elected president of the Cherry City Improvement League, one of several such community functions. She was active with Red Cross work during both World Wars especially at Camp Adair, served on boards of countless pageants and festivals, hospital committees and auxiliaries over the course of her lifetime.

Agnes loved to travel and in 1924 she made national news with a cross-country road trip that retraced her mother’s 1852 journey on the Oregon Trail. Agnes and her mother Estelle made the trip unescorted, in a 1924 Reo Sedan touring car outfitted with camping gear and equipped with balloon tires.[10] As transportation methods improved, Agnes would make yearly trips to visit her sister-in-law in New York City, often as a stop-over on one of her European trips. She was an ardent supporter of the airline industry in Salem, and in 1950 received an award from United Airlines in recognition of the 100,000 miles she had traveled by air.[11]

In 1930-31 the Schuckings purchased the Gilbert-Patterson agricultural interests known as Eola Acres, which had been co-owned by Agnes’ father A.N. Gilbert and his partner I.L. Patterson. They remodeled the Patterson farmhouse and moved to the property with Agnes’ mother Estelle. In December 1938 Agnes officially opened the Oak Tree Gift Shop later renamed Eola Acres Florist, an improvement on the farm stand initially set up by the Patterson family to sell excess produce, flowers, and other farm products. The tasteful design, uncluttered by roadside advertising, earned Agnes an award of merit from the Oregon Federation of Garden Clubs in 1940.[12] Husband Bernard passed away in 1940. After his death, she adopted two adult employees, Robert “Bob” Owens, and Helene Schultz. The dynamic trio brought national recognition to the Eola Acres Floral Shop and the area, through their innovative floral designs and Holiday House tradition.

In her golden years Agnes served as a member of the Oregon State Fair Commission and the Board of Oregon Roadside Beautification Committee. She also served at various times as a director of the Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Sanctuary Committee and Board of Trustees of the Presbyterian Church, and on the advisory boards of the Salvation Army and Zonta International, a service club for women. She was a member of the Presbyterian Church and active in Polk County Republican politics. In 1957 she was named Salem’s First Citizen at the age of 73, and in 1959 as honorary chairman of the Marion County committee for the Oregon Centennial celebration. She was also known as Salem’s unofficial gracious hostess in welcoming prominent visitors, like the King of Nepal, in 1960.

Agnes died 5 October 1969 at Salem Hospital, after a three-month battle with cancer. She was 85 years of age. Her ashes were placed in Mt. Crest Abbey Mausoleum alongside her husband Bernard, and parents Andrew and Estelle Gilbert.

Upon her death, the following tribute appeared in the Oregon Statesman:

“Somehow, it’s hard to believe that Agnes Schucking is gone…. She probably put more into [her] 85 years than 1,000 other people. She was well traveled, well read, and well versed in life and living.

Agnes Schucking traveled to Europe every year, touring with the National Florists Telegraph Delivery group of which she was a member. On the way over, she would always stop at the fashionable Revlon beauty palace in New York for a complete day of pampering. Just less than three years ago, while traveling on another extensive trip, she rode a camel and climbed a mountain, among other things.

Agnes Schucking was that kind of woman. And that kind of woman, with her zest, nerve, strength, and spirit, is always missed.”[13]

 

Bernard Otto Schucking

Birth:         20 Dec. 1871             Baltimore, Maryland[14]

Marriage:  24 Feb. 1904            Salem, Marion, OR[15]

Death:        27 July 1940            Eola, Polk, OR[16]

Buried: Mt. Crest Abbey Mausoleum, Salem, Marion, OR[17]

Parents: Constantine Ludwig and Elise [Sutro] Schucking[18]

Bernard Otto Schucking was born 20 December 1871 in Baltimore, Maryland to German Jewish emigrant parents, Constantine Ludwig and Elise [Sutro] Schucking. Bernard or Benno was the middle of three children born to the couple: Theodore Emile, Bernard Otto, and Ottilie Clara.

Father Constantine owned a stationery-notions store in Baltimore[19] until his death 26 February 1877.[20] The family remained in Baltimore until 1883, then mother Elise moved her family to San Francisco, California to be near her brother Adolph Sutro[21], millionaire, engineer/builder of the Sutro tunnel and mayor (1895-1897). Here Benno received his education, graduating from the San Francisco Boys’ High School on 3 June 1889.[22]

After graduation he went to work for the Emil Horst Company, a worldwide supplier of hops.[23]  Within a few years he managed the sale of other agricultural products for them as well. By 1895, he was traveling regularly to Sacramento, California as well as Portland, Oregon, buying hops for businesses in Boston, St. Louis and perhaps elsewhere.[24]

His Uncle Adolph Sutro died in 1898, leaving a considerable fortune to his children and other relatives, including Bernard and his brother Theodore. Bernard’s mother Elise died the following year. Using his inheritance, he set up shop as a hop broker, first in Portland, then in Salem with offices in the Bayne Building. He continued as an active hop trader through at least 1914[25], and retained an interest in hop culture and commerce the rest of his life.

He married Agnes Gilbert 24 February 1904 in Salem, daughter of a prominent merchant family. That same year he bought out his brother-in-law’s retiring business partner and became part of the family grocery business, formerly Gilbert-Baker Grocery.[26] Both he and Agnes also gradually assumed more management responsibility of the Gilbert family agricultural interests, like the hop growing operation in Eola, OR. For a short period during the first World War, he worked for the Blumauer-Frank Drug Co. in Portland, commuting home to Salem on the weekends.[27] Then Bernard took work with the State Highway Department as an accountant / bookkeeper until retirement in the early 1930s.

He died 27 July 1940 at his home in Eola Acres of congestive heart failure, following a two-year illness.[28] His ashes are interred in the Mt. Crest Abbey Mausoleum in Salem, along with his wife Agnes, and in-laws Andrew & Estelle Gilbert.[29]

Robert Leland Owens

Birth:  2 July 1923           Portland, Multnomah, OR[30]

Death: 6 Nov. 1969         Salem, Marion, OR[31]

Burial: Mt. Crest Abbey Mausoleum, Salem, Marion, OR[32]

Birth Parents: Verl L. and Pearl [Strandos] Owens[33]

Robert Leland Owens was born 2 July 1923 in Portland, Oregon to Verl L. and Pearl [Strandos] Owens. His only sibling, Vernon Leonard Owens was born the following year. His parents divorced by 1930 and the boys and their mother went to live in the household of Pearl’s brother Andrew Strandos in Portland. At age 16, according to the 1940 census Robert worked as a florist in a retail florist shop. City directories confirm his occupation and list the shop name as Eddy’s Flowers at 504 SE Morrison St. Two years later, his draft registration lists the same employer and gives us a glimpse at personal details like his height of 5’7”, weight 128 pounds, light complexion, blonde hair, and brown eyes.

He enlisted in the army on 27 February 1943 and served in World War II, first assigned to an anti-aircraft unit at Camp Stewart, Georgia. At the end of the war, Bob returned to his employment at Eddy’s Flowers and worked as an instructor at the Potter School of Design in Portland. He was hired by Agnes Schucking the summer of 1946 and moved to the Salem area to work as a florist at Eola Acres.[34]

He quickly made a name for himself with his innovative designs, floral arrangements, and demonstrations. He was a popular guest speaker and instructor both at local garden clubs and nationwide floral conventions. In 1963 he was invited to be one of the designers taking part in the design school during the annual convention of the Northwest Florists Association, an exceptional honor according to newspapers at the time.[35]

His talents were also in high demand on the decoration committees of yearly charitable benefits like the Mardi Gras Ball (Salem General Hospital Auxiliary[36]) and the Patron of the Arts Gala (Salem Art Association),[37] and Portland events such as the 1958 Portland Symphony Ball themed “My Fair Lady”.[38] When the Cherrians needed help with a float for the Rose Festival Parade, they turned to Bob[39]and when neighboring Pentacle Theatre’s new center was built in 1963 Bob and Eola Acres were part of the landscape design process. Bob also included some personal touches to create the “magic” for their grand opening reception, like flower floats in the “lake” in front of the building.

And of course, he was an integral part of the Eola Acres team with Agnes and Helene, in the design, plan, and execution of the entire décor for the floral shop’s annual Holiday Open House held in December of each year. Agnes Schucking formally adopted Bob in December 1953.[40] Bob was 30 years old at the time.

In November 1969, a month after the death of his adopted mother Agnes, Bob tragically followed. His obituary states that Bob choked to death while eating his evening meal at home in Eola Acres.[41] He was pronounced dead on arrival at Salem Hospital. Funeral services took place at Rigdon’s Colonial Chapel on Monday, November 10, 1969 and his ashes were interred in Mt. Crest Abbey Mausoleum in Salem.[42]

 

Helene Estellene Schultz

Birth:  14 Apr. 1912           Sargent, Custer, NE[43]

Death: 9 Jan. 2000          Salem, Marion, OR[44]

Burial: Mt. Crest Abbey Mausoleum, Salem, Marion, OR[45]

Birth Parents: Alexander and Agnes Mary [Daugherty] Schultz

Helene Estellene Schultz was born 14 April 1912 in Sargent, Nebraska to parents Alexander and Agnes Mary [Daugherty] Schultz. Little has been recorded about Helene’s early life prior to arrival in the Salem area, including the circumstances that brought her west from her birthplace. We can only date her arrival through secondary sources such as an adoption announcement which appeared in the 21 December 1953 issue of the Oregon Statesman [46] and the 1940 Federal Census which lists her in the Schucking household as a maid, with a 1935 residence as rural Custer County, Nebraska.[47] Helene was 41 years old when Agnes Schucking formally adopted her in 1953.[48]

She, and adopted brother Bob initially worked for Agnes Schucking at Eola Acres Farm and in the Eola Acres Floral Shop. We first catch a glimpse of Helene in a 1955 newspaper feature where she appeared with Agnes, showing off a few family treasures of the Gilbert and Schucking family. Then again in 1958, with a bottle-fed lamb, illustrating the variety of tasks she performed on the farm. The lamb featured grew into a fat, sassy and spoiled pet that often pushed open the door of the gift shop for treats, much to the customer’s surprise.[49]

Then came the grand 1959 Centennial celebration. Big business for the florist and Agnes Gilbert Schucking herself, because of her family’s Oregon Trail roots. Miss Helene Schucking appeared in the newspaper and at local events wearing a black taffeta and satin dress belonging to Mary McCully, ancestor of Agnes. The dress, over a hundred years old, was brought across the plains by Mrs. McCully.[50] Also important to note, regarding the celebration, the dynamic trio of Eola Acres came up with the unique idea of a colonial bouquet for women attending the old-fashioned costumed events of the Centennial. The tiny, lace-trimmed bouquets or wristlets were made from old fashioned flowers such as pinks, moss roses, pansies, and the Old Mission rose brought to Oregon by the early Methodist settlers.[51]

After the deaths of Bob and Agnes, Helene continued to operate the floral shop through December 1996. She died 9 January 2000; her ashes are entombed at Mt. Crest Abbey Mausoleum.[52]

 

[1] Oregon, Select Births and Christenings, 1868-1929, Ancestry.com

[2] Marriage Announcement, Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR) 25 Feb 1904, p. 4

[3] Oregon, U.S., Death Index, 1898-2008, Ancestry.com

[4] Find A Grave memorial website

[5] Oregon, Select Births and Christenings, 1868-1929, Ancestry.com

[6] Capital Journal (Salem, OR), 30 Jun 1902, p. 3

[7] Agnes Gilbert Chosen Queen” Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR) 23 Jun 1903, p. 2

[8] “Schucking-Gilbert” Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR) 25 Feb 1904, p. 4

[9] Oregon Daily Journal (Portland, OR) 27 Feb 1904, p.14

[10] “Mother-Daughter Roadtrip 1920 Style”, https://www.willametteheritage.org/mother-daughter-roadtrip-1920-style/, Willamette Heritage Center, January 20, 2019.

[11] “Extensive Air Travel Brings Plaque to Agnes Schucking” Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 28 Nov 1950, p. 5

[12] “Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs activities. Medal of merit awarded” Oregonian (Portland, OR) 10 Mar 1940

[13] “About Our Agnes” Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 7 Oct 1969 p. 6

[14] “B.O. Schucking Dies at Home Eola Acres” Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 27 July 1940 p. 10

[15] Marriage Announcement, Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR), 25 February 1904 p. 4

[16] Oregon, Death Index, 1898-2008, Ancestry.com

[17] Find A Grave memorial website

[18] “B.O. Schucking Dies at Home Eola Acres” Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 27 July 1940 p. 10

[19] City directories for Baltimore, Maryland, Ancestry.com

[20] Death Certificate for Constantine Schucking #23775, Maryland State Archives

[21] San Francisco funeral home certificate for Theodore Schucking (Bernard’s brother) record of California residence 48 years, death in September 1934.

[22] “Boys’ High School Commencement Exercises of Last Night” San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, CA) 4 Jun 1889 p. 8

[23] The Record-Union (Sacramento, CA) June 2, 1894 p. 4

[24] Various newspaper notes record Bernard Schucking as “of Sacramento,” “of Boston,” and “of St. Louis,” but his residence until after 1900 was actually San Francisco.

[25] “Hop trade rushing. Thousands of bales change hands in Oregon.” Oregonian (Portland, OR), 9 October 1914

[26] Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR) 29 Dec 1904 p. 4

[27] Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR) 6 Oct 1918 p. 2

[28] Death Certificate of Bernard O. Schucking, Oregon State Archives

[29] City View Cemetery Records

[30] World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, Ancestry.com

[31] Oregon, U.S., Death Index, 1898-2008, Ancestry.com

[32] City View Cemetery Records

[33] Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 (for brother Vernon Leonard), Ancestry.com

[34] “Florist Here” Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR) 19 July 1946 p. 5

[35] “Notations” Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 12 Sep 1963 p. 15

[36] “1966 Mardi Gras Ball on Jan. 29” Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 22 Jan 1966 p. 18

[37] “Patron of the Arts Gala A Spectacular” Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 13 Nov 1961 p. 6

[38] Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 9 Apr 1958 p 14

[39] “Cherrians Seek Rose Float Aid” Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 12 Jun 1958 p. 5

[40] Adoption Announcement, Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR) 21 Dec 1953 p. 6

[41] Obituary, Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 7 Nov 1969 p. 3

[42] City View Cemetery Records

[43] Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Ancestry.com

[44] Oregon, Death Index, 1898-2008, Ancestry.com

[45] City View Cemetery Records

[46] Adoption Announcement, Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR) 21 Dec 1953, p. 6

[47] 1940 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com

[48] Adoption Announcement, Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR) 21 Dec 1953, p. 6

[49] “Pet Lamb Rules Roost” Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 25 Apr 1958, p. 1

[50] “Reflections of Yesterday” Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR) 15 Feb 1959 p. 19

[51] “Mrs. E.C. Shucking Wins Again” Capital Journal (Salem, OR) 23 May 1940 p. 16

[52] City View Cemetery Records