Anna "Annie" Maria Knauf was born in the area of Nettesheim-Butzheim, Rheinland, in Preußen (now Germany), the eldest surviving child of Heinrich Knauf and Margaretha Schieffer. However, FindAGrave member Mary Mys states that according to German birth records, she was born on 17 Dec 1863. Because this date conflicts with her headstone and the Saint Joseph's parish burial records, Mary Mys actually speculates "the family member who added her name to the tombstone with her husband did not actually know when she was actually born [and this was her daughter, Anna Margaret Simonizh Hermann]...It is [also] possible that the engraver from the Monument Works who added her name made an error.".

About 1869, Annie immigrated to America with her parents and siblings Johann "John" and Margaret. Folklore indicates her father died shortly after the farming family settled in Iowa.

Her mother remarried to Adam Fischer (a.k.a., "Fisher") in 1875 and the family lived in Cassville, Wisconsin. Two siblings, Appolonia and Joseph were born there before the family moved to Westphalia, in Shelby County, Iowa by 1880.

On 06 Nov 1888, Annie married to Austrian immigrant George Simonizh, Sr. in Portsmouth, Cass Township, Shelby County, Iowa. They had four children born there, but by 1898 crop failure drove the entire Knauf, Fisher and Simonizh families to relocate to Texas. The George Simonizh family settled at Rhineland, in Knox County, where three more children were born. Their offspring were:
- Joseph Simonizh (1890–1902)
- Anna Maggie Simonizh (1892–1976)
- Catherine "Kate" Mary Simonizh (1895–1955 )
- Rosa "Rose" M Simonizh (1896–?)
- Mary Magdalean Simonizh (1899–1982)
- George Arnold Simonizh, Jr. (1901–1969)
- Emma Martha Simonizh (1905–1980)

George Sr. died in 1926. Annie appears in the 1940 census, living in Abilene, Texas, where she presumably died.

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Obituaries:

Early Knox Settler Dies.
Mrs. Anna S. (sic) Simonizh, 88, a pioneer settler of Rhineland in Knox county, died in Abilene at 12:25 a.m. Friday.

She died at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Henry Hermann, 101 South Eighth St., with whom she had lived a little more than a year.

Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced by Laughter-North.

Mrs. Simonizh was born Dec. 16, 1863, in Germany, near the Rhine River. She came to Wisconsin (sic), in 1874, from Germany and was married Nov. 6, 1888 in Portsmouth, Iowa, to George Simonizh.

The family dame to Knox County in March, 1897, and settled at Rhineland. They were the seventh family to move there. Mr. Simonizh, a farmer, died May 14, 1926.

Mrs. Simonizh was a charter member of the St. Joseph Catholic church at Rhineland.

Survivors are five daughters; Mrs. Hermann, Mrs. John Vens of Amarillo, Mrs. Rose Tuehler (sic) of Panhandle, Mrs. Albert Andrae of Plainview, and Mrs. Fred Redder of Munday; a son, George A. Simonizh of Abilene; 18 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren; a sister, Mrs. Margaret Grewing, and a brother, Joseph Fischer, Sr., both of Muenster, Tex.

(Published in the Abilene-Reporter News, Sept. 1, 1952, Page 2-A)



Rites in Rhineland Set for Mrs. Simonizh.
Funeral for Mrs. Anna S.(sic) Simonizh, 88, who died in Abilene Friday will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Rhineland. The Rev. Fabin Diersing, of the church will officiate.

Burial will be in the Rhineland Cemetery. Laughter-North Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Rosary will be said for Mrs. Simonizh at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Laughter-North Funeral Home here."

(Published in the Abilene-Reporter News, Sept. 6, 1952, Page 3-A)
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obituary text contributed by FindAGrave member Mary Mys, #48306257