Schneider, John (Born 1831)

SCHNEIDER, WINTER

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, volunteer (email)
Date: 1/3/2010 at 20:03:10

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel
Tuesday, January 10, 1911

IS RIGHT WITH THE BOYS
AGED PIONEER ENTHUSIASTIC FOR MODERN IDEAS
LIVED HERE OVER FORTY YEARS
John Schneider is One of the First Settlers in the Floyd Valley and Came Here More Than a Half Century Ago

One of the foremost boosters for the Farmer’s Short Course to be held in LeMars next month is John Schneider, of Hinton, and his efforts in helping to make the Course a success are all the more praiseworthy as he has nearly attained the age allotted to man by the psalmist. Mr. Schneider is one of the first of the early band of pioneers that settled in the Floyd Valley in the days before the war. He is truly a pioneer. He trod the virgin soil of what is now Plymouth County, when the Indians roamed at will, wild animals had their lair, and deer, turkey, prairie chickens, and other game were abundant.

Mr. Schneider is a booster for the Short Course. Although his days of farming are over, he takes an active part in overseeing the farms, of which he owns several, and keeps well posted on up to date and modern methods of agriculture, and is deeply interested in corn breeding and fine stock raising.

John Schneider has seen this country grow from a prairie wilderness to one of the finest producing states of America, and it is men like he who by their toil and steady application to one pursuit have helped to bring this splendid result to pass.

Born in the Grand Duchy of Hesse Cassel, Germany, on September 29, 1831, he attended school in his native village, receiving the rudimentary education afforded in those days, and early learned to assist in the daily toil of the family to eke out a sustenance.

Fired by the tales told by travelers of the new land and the Golden Eldorado in the western hemisphere, he early made up his mind to emigrate, and on May 8, 1853, started from his native shores for America, landing after a perilous voyage, full of adventure and incident, the passage consuming 72 days, finally landing in New York on September 13, 1852. He worked in Auburn, New York, for the next two years as a cigar maker and then moved to Ogle county, Illinois, where he went to work on a farm.

On March 16, 1856, in company with Adam Falke and Lewis Schmidt, he set out on foot for Iowa. The two walked to Dubuque, and then across the state of Iowa, arriving in Sioux City on April 15th.

On his arrival in Sioux City, Mr. Schneider’s worldly possessions besides the clothing in which he stood were $55 in gold and a half share in a yoke of oxen. In those days Sioux City was nothing but a collection of shacks and huts, situated in a mud bed.

In July of the same year, he preempted land in section 4, Hungerford township, and still lives on the same place. He was united in marriage with Catherine Winter on May 15, 1859, and together they toiled and underwent the experiences and hardships incident to pioneer lives, but withal happy in their honest labor, the rearing of their young family, and always managed in some way to keep the wolf from the door. How well they succeeded can be gleaned from the fact that Mr. Schneider at present owns 1165 acres of good Plymouth County soil, besides property in Sioux City, and personal belongings. His wife departed this life in April 1909, full of years and honor, and well beloved.

Mr. Schneider makes his home with his son, Phil Schneider, near Hinton. His other children are, Mrs. G. T. Koenig of Melbourne, Mrs. Rev. Buck of Des Moines, and Miss Frederica Schneider, of Hinton.

Fred Held was the first settler in the valley, and John Schneider the second.

Mr. Schneider has a fund of reminiscences of early days, which are highly interesting. He can tell of encounters with the roving bands of Indians, who were not always friendly, he always got along with the Indians who were in the habit of camping along the Floyd Valley. Mr. Schneider relates that in early winters the deer were so thick that a man could get and kill one with an axe if he did not have a gun, and all kinds of wild fowl were to be had for the shooting. He used to make trips to Sioux City on foot, dragging a hand sledge, on which to bring back provisions.

Mr. Schneider bears the weight of nearly four score years lightly, and is hale and hearty, taking a keen interest in what is going on in the world, and attends to business daily.

In early days he helped organize the county and was a supervisor when the county had only two supervisors, serving four terms, from 1860 to 1870, successively.

He is working for the success of the Farmer’s Short Course, being a believer in new ideas, attributing a large share of his success in life to his always having been willing to learn something. Mr. Schneider will be at the Farmer’s Short Course in LeMars in February [1911].

Plymouth Biographies maintained by Linda Ziemann.
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