Louis W. SCHROEDER

SCHROEDER, GRAGERT, STUCK, SHELDON, CHAPLINSKI, SOBINSKI

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 2/19/2017 at 20:32:50

Louis W. SCHROEDER

When Louis W. Schroeder was born he came with the blood of brave soldiers, sturdy pioneers and stout, hearty farmers coursing through his veins. Nor was be "untrue to the heavenly vision," for he has added luster to the name given him at his birth. The privations which sorely tried his spirit in his youth served only to set his lips with determination, and the obstacles he found across his path he used as stepping stones. On these he climbed until he has reached the place where public office has sought him and popular confidence has become one of the joys of his years. Few men have won the long continued trust and respect of the public with more certainty, than has he whose history follows.

Louis W. Schroeder, a native of Manitowoc county, Wisconsin, was born on April 22, 1867, and is the son of Henry and Mary ( Gragert) Schroeder. Henry Schroeder was born at Benlow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Ger­many, on April 25, 1829, and passed away at Williams, Iowa, on May 7, 1915. having lived to the ripe old age of eighty-six years. Henry Schroeder spent his childhood and youth in Germany, where he received his early education, and when fourteen years of age was confirmed in the German Lutheran church. He was taught the principles of agriculture on his father's farm, and after his school days were over was employed on neighboring farms. According to German custom he had to serve his time in the German army, beginning such service in the fall of 1851, when he was a youth of twenty-two. After two and one-half years, he was granted leave of absence, and came to America, arriving, after a voyage of fourteen weeks, in New York on April 22,1854 In August. 1854, Henry Schroeder went to Manitowoc county, and two years later, on September, 1856, was married to Mary Gragert who was born at Zulow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, on February 23, 1838. She was the daughter of Charles and Mary (Stuck) Gragert, both of whom were born in the above place, the former having been born in 1808, and died in Vernon township 1892 at the age of eighty-four. Mrs. Gragert was born in 1819, and died in Vernon township in 1881, being then sixty-two years of age. After his marriage, Henry Schroeder, father of the gentleman whose name heads this article, worked for seventeen years for a lumber company in Manitowoc county. In ]une, 7872, he moved with his family to Ackley, Hardin county, Iowa, traveling by rail, and from thence, by wagon to Vernon township, this county, where he bought a homestead claim of Tom Clark of eighty-six acres, in section 30. At the expiration of eight years he had proved up on this place, which, when he bought it, had a modest one-room log cabin and a hay shed which served for a stable, both being built of the crude material at hand. To this rude home he brought his wife and three children and began the usual hardships of pioneer life. His only live stock consisted of a team of horses and one cow and a few chickens, but he knew how to cultivate the land and make it productive, and so successful was he that soon he was able to buy sixty acres in section 19, located a little north of the home place, and eighty-seven acres, of which he later sold one-half. This gave him a total of more than one hundred and eighty-nine acres. After several years of prosperity Henry Schroeder built a splendid home of seven rooms, to which he later added four rooms, also a good substantial barn, fifty two by sixty feet, and other buildings. There the family lived until 1900, when they moved to Williams, Hamilton county, where Mr. Schroeder spent his declining years, his death taking place on may 7, 1915. His wife, Mary, who is the mother of Louis W. Schroeder, lives with her son. To Mr. and Mrs. Schroeder were born three children: Wilhelmina, born on September 4, 1858, who died on June 15, 1881, and who was the first wife of F. R. Sheldon, of Williams: Augusta, born on August 6, 1861, who after the death of her sister became Mr. Sheldon's second wife: and Louis, the subject of this sketch. Louis W. Schroeder was only five years of age when he came with his parents to Wright county, where he spent the remainder of his childhood and youth. After finishing the common schools, one of which was the Sheldon district school, he helped his father on the farm until his marriage, which took place on December 27, 1887, he being at that time twenty years of age. His wife was, before her marriage, Emma Chaplinski, who was born in a Polish province of Prussia, January 1, 1869. She was the daughter of Simon and Pauline (Sobinski) Chaplinski, the former of whom was born also in Prussia, in 1836. and died in March 1911 at Williams. His wife was born in 1840 and still resides at Williams, Iowa. After the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Schroeder, Mr. Schroeder continued to operate the old farm of his father, adding to the improvements a well-equipped barn, fifty-two by forty feet, and a hog house sixteen by twenty-four feet and other buildings. The hog house has a cement feeding floor. The value of the farm was further enhanced by a complete system of tiling and a hog-tight, woven-wire fence surrounding eighty acres. Mr. Schroeder attributes his success to his fine hogs, dairy cattle and horses. It is his custom to grow from forty to fifty acres of corn, which averages fifty bushels to the acre, and a similar amount of small grain. Tie feeds about sixty head of hogs and keeps usually from twenty-five to thirty head of Red Polled cattle and about ten head of a splendid grade of Norman draft horses. Mr. Schroeder retired from active farm life in December, 1909, and moved to his beautiful seven-room home in Dows. this being situated on five acres just west of the town's corporation line. This home with its barn and garage, is practically modern and is one of the finest suburban homes in this vicinity. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Schroeder has been blessed by the birth of three children. Charlotte. May and Marjorie. Charlotte was born on December 1:3, 1888, and is the deceased wife of Frank Gragert. She died on February 14, 19.14, leaving three children, Vera, Amy and Charlotte. May was born on September 19, 1894, and became the wife of Herman Schroeder, of Vernon township. Marjorie was born on December 23, 1897, and lives with her parents. Mr. Schroeder at one time owned one hundred and sixty acres of land in Clark county. South Dakota, selling this land in 1911 and buying eighty acres in section 35, Blaine township. His land holdings now amount to two hundred and seventy-live acres, besides which be owns a piece of business property at Williams which he got in trade for his South Dakota land. Mrs. Schroeder is a faithful and consistent adherent of the Roman Catholic faith. Mr. Schroeder belongs to the Knights of Pythias, Star Lodge No. 269, and also of the Mystic Workers and the Yeoman. He has served as road supervisor, school director, township assessor for six years, and township clerk. Mr. Schroeder is considered one of the most progressive and substantial farmers in the county and one of the most highly respected citizens of Dows. He has won the public confidence to such an extent that it has honored him with public office, and of all such honors Mr. Schroeder has proven himself worthy of a strict adherence to his conception of right. Like his worthy ancestors he has been a generous, high-minded, honest and public-spirited man.

HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY IOWA ITS PEOPLE, INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS BY HON. B.P. BIRDSALL, B.P. Bowen & Co., Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana, 1915, page 954.