Schooler, Peter

SCHOOLER

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 7/2/2021 at 20:38:40

History of Warren County, Iowa from Its Earliest Settlement to 1908, by Rev. W. C. Martin, Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1908, p.667

PETER SCHOOLER
Peter Schooler is the owner of a good farm of one hundred and twenty acres on section 20, Allen Township, where he is now practically living retired, but for many years he was successfully engaged in it operation. He was born in Paxton, Scotland, July 7, 1830, and was reared and educated in his native land, where he also learned the carpenter’s and joiner’s trades. Hoping that he might do better in the new world, he went to Liverpool, where he took passage on a sailing vessel, and celebrated the twenty-third birthday on the Atlantic. After a voyage of six weeks he landed in New York and proceeded up the Hudson River to Albany, where he worked at his trade for about eighteen months. He then went to Chicago and later in 1854 removed to Keokuk, Iowa, where he followed carpentering for one season.
In the spring of 1856 Mr. Schooler came to Warren County and took up his residence in Carlisle, where he resumed work at his trade. He then had a brother, Thomas Schooler, living in Greenfield Township. Going to Des Moines he was employed on the old state capitol, and continued a resident of that city for about three years, at the end of which time he returned to Warren County and purchased a home in Greenfield. During the following twenty years he worked at this trade and then purchased his present farm in Allen Township to the improvement and cultivation of which he devoted his time and attention for many years. Although he still resides upon the farm he is now practically living retired, leaving the more active duties of the place to younger hands, while he supervises its operation. When he bought the farm there was an old house upon it but this he has replaced by a good two-story residence, has built a barn and other outbuildings, has fenced the land and placed it under cultivation, so that he now has one of the best improved farms of the locality.
In 1857 Mr. Schooler was married in Des Moines to Miss Jeanette Hastie, who was born and reared in Choicelee, Scotland and they became the parents of the following children: John, who is at home; William, a business man of Palmyra; James, a carpenter of Colorado Springs; Charles and Edwin, both farmers of Lincoln Township; Thomas, a farmer of Palmyra Township; Arthur and Austin, who have rented the home farm since their father’s retirement, having a farm of their own nearby; Mary, who was formerly a teacher but is now at home; Isabell, who died at the age of nineteen years, and George, who died at the age of twenty. Mr. Schooler has also been called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away December 28, 1903, and was laid to rest in Scotch Ridge cemetery.
In 1896, accompanied by his daughter, Mr. Schooler visited his old home in Scotland after an absence of forty-three years. He found two brothers and a brother-in-law living besides about forty-five nieces and nephews and a number of old school friends, whom he enjoyed meeting. They had a pleasant voyage over of ten days and landed in Glasgow but the return trip was not so enjoyable as they encountered two days of very rough weather. Although it was a great pleasure to visit the scenes of his boyhood and youth. Mr. Schooler is well contented to make his home on this side of the Atlantic, where he has prospered in his business affairs and has made many warm friends. He is independent in politics and has served as assessor of his township three years and has also held school offices. An earnest and faithful Christian, he is a member of the United Presbyterian church and has served as ruling elder for over thirty-three years.