While living in Germany, my great grandfather, Robert Woerner Schoenthaler, worked as a businessman and owned a jewelry store. In the early 1900s, my great-grandfather gathered his immediate family and immigrated from Germany to Saint Louis, Missouri to open a jewelry store to seek greater opportunities than what he had in Germany. Before boarding a ship, my great grandfather purchased this safe for his travels. In 1911 he used this small, metal, and beautiful bank to keep his money, coins, and small prized possessions safe while traveling across the world.  This small safe was eventually passed down to my mother and although she doesn’t keep valuables in it, she has it proudly displayed in her office at home. Soon after arriving in St. Louis, my great-grandfather met his wife Sammy Lane Woods, and they soon after had a daughter, Martha Ann Schoenthaler.

– Sarah Jackson

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more