McKean County Leonhard Koenig and Bernadina Augustine Fluma Biography

Biography FOR Leonhard L. Koenig And Bernadina Augustine Fluma

Leonhard Koenig was born in Duderstadt, Hanover, Prussia, Germany in April, 1853 to a family that owned a textile mill there. This mill burned down uninsured from suspected arson prior to Leonhard=s emigration to America in 1886. Their area of Germany was at this time in a period of chaotic political unrest which was believed to be the cause for the arson. In 1877 Leonard married Bernadina Augustine Fluma who was born in Liebensburg, Hanover, Germany on April 18, 1853. Leonard died in Smethport, Pa.in 1905 and Bernadina in Smethport in 1934. Leonard and Bernadina had four children as follows:

Leo Koenig born in Germany in May,1880

Richard Koenig born in Braunschweig, Germany on Oct. 18, 1883

Margaret Koenig born in Smethport on May 22, 1890

in the 1900 U.S. Census it was stated that they had four children with three then alive.

In this census Leonhard was listed as a painter, but he was later also an interior decorator doing upolstering , wallpapering and painting. Grandson James had a very fancy quilt that Leonhard had made out of upholstery scraps . James.=s family enjoyed using it as a nice soft ground cushion under their sleeping bags when they went camping. After repeated use in this fashion it became worn, faded and tatered. What should have been a family heirloom was ruined by their unthinking carelessness.

Leonard was a Catholic and Bernadina was a Lutheran. When Leonard died it was said that Bernadina called the Catholic Church to come and take care of his last rites. The Catholic Church refused to do so until they were paid so Bernadina told them to stay there then and hung up. From then on the family was of the Episcopal denomination.

Bernadina would say to anyone who disagreed with her, "due bis ferrick eine da kopf" This is probably poor spelling but is the way it sounded. It meant," your crazy in the head." Daughter Margaret and her family lived with Bernadina from about 1925 until she died in 1934. The parlor in Bernadina=s home was off limits being used only to entertain important visitors, such as ministers. There was a big upright piano in the room that Margaret played on occasion. Louise would try to sneak in when the coast seemed clear and pick out a few notes on the piano. Sometimes however Gramma woukld be in the cellar beneath the parlor and could hear Louise up in the parlor, Bernadina would then bang on th floor real hard with what ever was handy and yell "get out."

Bernadina was always working, painting sawing or hammering at something. When she painted she would wrap her forearm with a piece of cloth, and it would be soaked with paint when she finished. She spoke broken English and subscribed to a German language magazine that would have a short song in German in most issues. Grandson James liked to cuddle on her lap and have her sing these songs to him in German. There was a large chair in the family room , that was a cross between an easy chair and a lounge chair, that was called a" Morris Chair." This was where Bernadina and James would sit for the song sessions. It was here also that Bernadina would cross her leg and let James set on the ankle of the foot of the crossed leg and bounce him up and down. James thought this great fun and said he was riding horseback. When James got close to a narrow stair that went down to the basement Bernadina would yell at him."be careful do fall the treppa reunter." Again the English words used here were not used by Bernadina and the spelling used for the German words is suspect.