SCHARENBERG FAMILY

            Charles A. Scharenberg (1872-1936) was the son of Herman Scharenberg and Louise Schetzner, both German immigrants.  He was born on January 13, 1872 in Harlem, Illinois.  In late 1925, Charles A. Scharenberg came to Ocean Springs with spouse, Mildred Kotzum Scharenberg (1880-1976), a native of Chicago, and son, Charles I. Scharenberg (1922-1991).   Mrs. Scharenberg was probably a niece of Joseph Kotzum (1842-1915), the Bohemian blacksmith, who made his fortune in real estate at Ocean Springs.  Obviously, Kotzum Street was named for him.

Scharenberg home

In late October 1925, Charles A. Scharenberg acquired a small tract of land in the SE/C of the James Lundy Clark Lot situated on the NW/C of Porter and Kotzum from Russell A. Carver (1887-1961) and spouse, Leona Roberts Carver (1981-1977).  The consideration was $300.  Here at present day 1115 Porter, it appears that the Scharenbergs erected a vernacular bungaloid, which is extant and owned today by Tina Balius Sullivan.   Her parents, Joseph F. Balius and Sharon Wilson Balius (1942-1991), acquired the Scharenberg structure in July 1963, from the Widow Scharenberg and her son, Charles I. Scharenberg.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 57, pp. 16-17 and JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Bk. 255, p. 569)

Clyde Davis Friar (1874-1954) financed the Scharenberg home with a loan in February 1926 for $1803.(JXCO, Ms. Land Deed Trust Bk. 18, p. 379)

Charles A. Scharenberg

In 1930, Charles A. Scharenberg made his livelihood as a carpenter.  He was elected Alderman of Ward 1 in 1935.  During the Spanish American War (1898), he had served in Cuba as a sergeant in Company K, Second Regiment of the U.S. Engineers.  He was a member of McLeod Masonic Lodge No. 424 in Ocean Springs and a congregant of the Baptist Church.  Charles A. Scharenberg expired at the Biloxi Hospital on August 25, 1936 from blood poisoning.  He had bruised his thumb while delivering ice.  His corporal remains were interred in the Veterans’ Facility Cemetery in Biloxi, which is now a National Military Cemetery.  During Mr. Scharenberg’s fatal illness,  several neighborhood men sat with him at night to give Mrs. Scharenberg some rest and relief from their ordeal.(The Jackson County Times, August 29, 1936, p. 3 and Lurleen Schrieber Hall, April 4, 2004)

      Charles Rice Bennett (1884-1971) replaced Charles A. Scharenberg as Ward 1 Alderman upon the latter’s demise in August 1935.  Mr. Bennett, a native of Trenton, New Jersey was elected Mayor of Ocean Springs in 1939, and served two terms completing his civic duty in that office in 1942.  As a young man he played professional

baseball in New Jersey.  Bennett's position was second baseman and shortstop.  This experience enabled him to manage and coach the Ocean Springs Cubs to the championship of the Mississippi Coast Amateur League in 1929. 

            Mildred K. Scharenberg expired at Hattiesburg, Mississippi on July 6, 1976.  Her remains were brought to Ocean Springs for funeral services at the St. Paul’s United Methodist Church with burial in Crestlawn Memorial Park.(The Sun Herald, July 7, 1976, p. A-2)

Charles I. Scharenberg

Charles I. Scharenberg (1922-1991) was born in Wisconsin on December 5, 1922.  He attended local schools and was extremely intelligent.  As a young man, he learned electronics and radios from Harold I. Illing (1897-1959) on Washington Avenue.  Mr. Scharenberg enlisted in the US Navy and served in the South Pacific Theater during WWII.  He was an electronics warfare tech and became an expert on radar.(Bobby Dale, April 5, 2004)

Charles I. Scharenberg expired at Virginia Beach, Virginia in March 1991.  No further information.

REFERENCES:

The Daily Herald, “Mildred K. Scharenberg”, July 7, 1976.

The Jackson County Times, “Charles A. Scharenberg