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Aloiz SchickelgruberFather of Adolf Hitler.
Date of Birth: 07.06.1837
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Alois Schickelgruber
Alois Schickelgruber (1837-1903) was the father of Adolf Hitler. He was born on June 7, 1837 in Strones, Lower Austria. Alois was the illegitimate son of seasonal worker Johann Georg Hiedler and peasant Anna Maria Schickelgruber. His parents only married five years after his birth, in May 1842 in the town of Döllersheim. As he was born out of wedlock, Alois carried his mother's surname for almost 40 years. He was raised in the household of his uncle Johann Nepomuk Hiedler, who adopted him in 1876 when Alois was already an adult. In early 1877, twelve years before Adolf's birth, Alois changed his surname to Hitler. Leaving his uncle's home, Alois started working as an apprentice to a shoemaker at the age of 13. At 18, he joined the Imperial Customs Service and served as a customs officer in Braunau and other cities in Lower Austria until his death. This position allowed him to climb the social ladder, unlike his peasant ancestors. Alois presented himself as a respectable representative of the middle class, wearing a splendid uniform with shiny gold buttons, a velvet cap with a gold trim, and a revolver on his belt.
Personal Life
Alois Schickelgruber's personal life was secluded and unhappy. In 1864, he married Anna Glasl, the daughter of a fellow customs officer, who suffered from a long illness and passed away in 1883. Just a month after her death, he married Franziska Matzelsberger, a young maid in a hotel, who gave birth to a son before they got married. This marriage was also unsuccessful, as Franziska died of tuberculosis. On January 7, 1885, after obtaining pastoral permission, Alois married Klara Pölzl, his third wife who was 23 years younger than him. She became the mother of Adolf Hitler.
Retirement and Family Life
In 1895, when Adolf was six years old, Alois retired from the customs service due to his age. For four years, their family constantly moved from place to place in the vicinity of Linz, where Alois engaged in beekeeping and indulged in drinking at rural inns. Alois, who was hot-tempered and despotic, constantly tyrannized his own family. Adolf endured beatings from his father's cane and belt. He often had to bring his drunken father home from the local tavern. Constant conflicts occurred between the 64-year-old Alois and the 12-year-old Adolf. Alois, who wanted his son to become a civil servant, was shocked to learn that Adolf preferred art. The father was furious, saying, "As long as I'm alive - never!" Alois died suddenly in Leonding on January 3, 1903 from a lung hemorrhage. His widow was left with two children and a tiny pension. Detractors of Adolf Hitler constantly tried to attach the name Schickelgruber to him and venomously hinted that he did not adopt this surname because the phrase "Heil Schickelgruber!" lacks sonority. This was a hint that Adolf Hitler's grandfather was Jewish, but there was no sufficient evidence to support such a claim.
