MT. ANGEL - Recreational. vehicles, campers, cars and tents of many sizes dotted the grounds behind the Oktoberfest Building here last weekend, as 525 members of the Louis Schwab family worldwide gathered in reunion.

The three-day event held last weekend celebrated the lives and accomplishments of an estimated 3,000 family descendants of Louis Schwab and his wife Josephine (Winterer) Schwab.

In 1804, Schwab ancestors purchased the former Carthusian monastery buildings, exclusive of the church, in Astheim, Germany. It was here that Louis Schwab was born in 1825. Later, Louis' father bought the shares of his relatives and sold half of the monastery estate and kept the rest for his family.

As a young man of 24, Louis arrived in the United States and became a citizen in Philadelphia in 1854. He married in the early 1850s and later they moved to Iowa.. In 1881, the family moved to Mt. Angel after learning about the opportunities in Oregon and plans for a Benedictine monastery in Marion County.

At this time, the Rev. Father Adelhelm Odermatt, O.S.B. (who later became the first abbot of Mt. Angel Abbey), asked Louis to assist the monks by taking options on three nearby farms for the abbey. Unfortunately, Louis died in September, 1882, before all the paperwork could be completed; so his wife, Josephine, finished the transaction and sold 215 acres to "Rev. Father Adelhelm Odermatt, Prior, and his Successors" in November of 1882 for $6,000.

Of special interest to those attending the reunion was the display of a copy of the original deed from Josephine Schwab to Mt. Angel Abbey's first abbot and other treasured artifacts of Abbot Odermatt, which were shared by Bob and Merri Flury of Portland.

An unusual circle of descendants involved Merri, who is a great-granddaughter of Louis Schwab, who in turn married Bob Flury whose great-grand uncle was Abbot Adelhelm Odermatt.

With his three sons, John, Adolph and Fred, the involvement of church, community and fanning continued. As a young man, Fred Schwab became Mt. Angel's first mayor, served many terms on the city council and school board, and was a member of the building committee of the present St. Mary's Church.

Louis' daughter, Caroline (Mother Gaudentia of the Sisters of Providence) was a noted hospital administrator in the Northwest. She was appointed superior of Sacred Heart Hospital, Spokane and began her administrative duties at St. Vincent's Hospital in Portland in 1922. She eventually was transferred as superior of the new Columbus Hospital, Great Falls, Mont., which was also erected under her supervision.

Mary Ann, Pauline and Dorothea were the other daughters. Dorothea (Sister Rosula of the Sisters of Providence) served the nursing profession both in specialized patient care and administration at Sacred Heart Hospital, Spokane.

This legacy of service was carried on by the descendants of the Schwabs that followed. The late Sister Marilyn Schwab of the Benedictine Sisters at Mt. Angel received world-wide recognition for her research and work in gerontology and geriatric nursing. She was instrumental in the formation of the Benedictine Nursing Center (now Providence Benedictine Center) and served as prioress of the Benedictine Sisters in Mt. Angel.

LINKS TO THE PAST -- Bob Flury, left, holds a crucifix that belonged to his great grand uncle, the Rev. Father Adelhelm Odermatt, the first abbot of the Mt. Angel Abbey. Merri Flury holds the deed for the property. It was signed by her great grandmother.

One of her last endeavors before her death was strong involvement in the establishment of the Marilyn Schwab House, which is a residential center in Mt. Angel for developmentally challenged adults.

Schwab descendants have met every five years in Mt. Angel since 1981. The reunion now hosts 10 generations in a festival of barbecuing, dancing, games, creating banners, talent shows, golf tournament, touring Schwab historic places and grave sites as well as happy exchanges of photos and family tree discoveries. A tour of The Oregon Garden in Silverton was an added attraction this year.

A special treat was the ability to view the 240-foot-long genealogy chart of the descendants in America. It takes up two full walls in the Oktoberfest Building. Family genealogist Louis Schwab, Jr., of Portland reported "the Atlantic bridge was built between Germany and America."

It came about through a notation found in a German prayer book belonging to Gertrude Schwab, who was born in Germany and later moved to Ohio. The inscription dated "Astheim, 1868," gave the family the clue to the city of their roots."

Louis continued: "Tom Schwab of Custer, Ohio, followed up the lead and in 1981 the first contact was made with the German Schwabs."

On sale was the revised genealogy book, "The Schwab Family: From Astheim, Germany to Mount Angel, Oregon, and Beyond: 1804-2001, written by Louis Schwab, Jr. of Portland. This is the fourth revision by Louis.

An opportunity for the Schwabs of America to visit the Schwabs in Germany will be made available by Louis Schwab. Jr. of Portland who will be leading a Schwab tour to Astheim-Volkach in 2004, the 200th anniversary of the Schwab purchase of the former monastery in Astheim.

Four Schwab families still reside on the grounds of the former monastery. Friedel and Friedl Albert of Volkach, Germany, who are direct descendants of Louis' brother Kaspar, still reside near the Schwabs' ancient Carthusian Monastery and remain one of the strong links to the Schwabs in America.

Special guests in attendance at the reunion in Mt. Angel were Drs. Arnold and Sonja Schwab with their four children of Astheim and Elke Kramer, also of Astheim.

The reunion ended Sunday with a family Mass in the Oktoberfest Building said by the religious members of the Schwabs with special prayers, music and the baptism of Isabel Rose Schwab, daughter of Gary and Catherine Schwab and grandparents Patrick and Susan Schwab.