Of all the names I have been researching, this name has been inquired about the most. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to be very helpful. You see the Schmalenbergs are of the Lutheran faith. Somewhere along the line, my ancestors converted to Catholicism. It is also thought that sometime in the past my ancestors were "von Schmalenberg". They originally came from the Pfaltz area of western Germany.
My earliest record of them is from a photocopy of a confirmation of a marriage certificate. My Grandmother needed this in WW2 to prove she wasn't Jewish. It states:
It is noted in the marriage records that on May 15,1888 Jakob Schmalenberg (Roman Catholic) son of Friedrich and of Katherina Siebert, born in Tolszere near Lemberg in 1860, was married to Elisabeth Bauer (Roman Catholic) daughter of Josef and Theresia Schmidt, born in Lubsza near Stryj in 1869, in the local Catholic Church.
Machlinec Nov 30,1939
Jakob Schmalenberg was a church builder by trade. He was also quite prolific, fathering 12 children, 6 of each sex. Tragically, 3 of each sex died young. Of the ones to reach adulthood there was John, Karl and Martin for the boys. Martin lost both of his legs in WW2. Karl had a couple of daughters that immigrated to Australia. Of Jakob's daughters, two moved to the USA. The third daughter, Maria, was born in Wola Oblaznicka (the German name for the town was Drosseldorf). She eventually married Karl Mayer
Jakob Schmalenberg died in 1915. It was always told that he died after getting caught in some floodwater and catching something. It is now suspected that he might have died due to complications of type 2 diabetes. Elisabeth was much longer lived. She lived with Maria and her family and moved with them to Frankfurt A.M. where she died in 1960.