Bandits and cartoons

Published: 18. Juli 2022 updated: 17. Dezember 2023

Introduction

Sometimes exciting relationships are found. Such has its origin in our Aulmann line, a lower line of the green Nassau line…

As stated in the article „Unserer frühesten Vorfahren“ („Our earliest ancestors“, German only), the Aulmanns originally came from Eschbach and moved from there via Miehlen to Endlichhofen.

Our Aulmann ancestors in Miehlen include Marx Groß (born around 1615) and his father Samuel (died 1636). Their descendants are shown in this diagram…

The two are also ancestors of Johannes Bückler, better known as „Schinderhannes“ and Walter Elias „Walt“ Disney, the American trickle film producer and inventor of world-famous Comic figures. Reason enough to take a closer look at the relationships. This is done in the order of the birth of the protagonists.

Concerning the contemporary work of the personalities, I recommend the information linked in the text. I also point out that part of the research is based exclusively on secondary literature, that can be found in the source list at the bottom of the text.

In an earlier version of this article Adam Opel, founder of the Opel company, once the largest bicycle manufacturer in Germany and later automotive group, was named as a descendant of Marx Groß. This relationship was taken from a secondary source and refuted in a new consideration. But Adam Opel remains a married relative.

The persons presented:

• Johannes „Schinderhannes“ Bückler
• Walter Elias „Walt“ Disney

Johannes „Schinderhannes“ Bückler

The ancestors of Johannes Bückler (born presumably in autumn 1779 in Miehlen or Weidenbach) from paternal side were executioners and knackers. His father Johann was born in Merzweiler in 1758 and married Anna Maria Schmidt (born 1755) in 1777. The parents of Johannes Bückler fled in 1783 from Miehlen because of some crimes. In 1784 the father served in the army for six years. He deserted in 1789 and returned to his birthplace, Merzweiler.

Johannes Bückler also began an apprenticeship with a knacker (regionally also called „Schinder“), where his nickname „Schinderhannes“ derives from. Already during his apprenticeship, he started as a 15-year-old with his criminal career, which finally ended with his execution in Mainz on November 21, 1803.

Marx Groß was the great ×3 grandfather (or great-great-great-grandfather) of Schinderhannes…

Since the grandparents of the latter were 2nd cousin, he appears twice in the table above (Implex).

In the closest of two relationships, Schinderhannes is my 4th cousin 6 times removed (or 4th cousin of the 6th degree).

Walter Elias „Walt“ Disney

Walt Disney (born 1901 in Chicago), his family business and the many cartoons he created, everyone knows, especially his mouse, which was invented in 1928, which is immortalized on the Hollywood Walk of Fame…

His grandmother Henriette Catharine Groß was born in Miehlen on July 22, 1837…

Her baptism entry in the church register of Miehlen…

Accordingly, she was born illegitimately by Maria Catharina Schmidt. However, the blacksmith Johann Georg Groß declared himself as the father.

Her parents married on June 10, 1838 and emigrated to the United States with their children in the early 1840s.

There are various and partly utopian ancestors of Henriette Catharine Groß in several Internet-databases. However, in the original church register of Miehlen, – apart from one exception – her ancestors can be comprehended well…

Unambiguous ancestor line

The exception concerns the great ×2 grandfather (or great-great-grandfather) of Henriette Catherine Groß named Johann Hermann, because there are two possible options of this name in the relevant timeframe.

First Johann Hermann Groß was born on July 28, 1712 in Miehlen and married Anna Maria Ackermann there on November 29, 1740…

The second option is his cousin of the same name, born on April 23, 1716, who married on January 19, 1746 Anna Maria Spitz. In some online databases it is noted that he died on December 27, 1727 at the age of 11 in Miehlen. However, there is no corresponding entry in the church register of Miehlen, and he is listed there in 1728 at his confirmation.

Nevertheless, due to the godparents, Johann Hermann, born in 1712, is the likely ancestor in this line. Either way, Marx Groß was the great ×7 grandfather of Walt Disney and the latter in the narrower of two relationships my 7th cousin twice removed (or 7th cousin of the 2nd degree).

Relationships

Finally, the – closest – relationship between the protagonists with each other:

Schinderhannes was a 4th cousin, 4 times removed (or 4th cousin of the 4th degree) of Walt Disney.

The opposing relationship is accordingly.

Source documents

Dieses Werk ist lizenziert unter einer CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Lizenz. Ggf. zu beachtende andere Lizenzrechte bleiben hiervon unberührt. Dies gilt insbesondere für Fotos aus Kirchenbüchern und die Verwendung unseres Familienwappens (siehe Impressum)!

This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License. If applicable, other license rights remain unaffected. This applies in particular to photos from church books and the use of our family coat of arms (please refer to the imprint)!

Copyright © by Jens-Peter Stern | familie-stern.de