AUGUST SCHRADER.
Germany has contributed much to the agricultural interests of Iowa, for from that country has come many of her sons who, in becoming successful farmers, have added much to the wealth and prestige of the country of their adoption. One cannot but admire the ambition which drove August Schrader, now a well-known retired farmer of Audubon county, when a young man still in his teens, to the United States, where he has become a prominent and much esteemed citizen.
August Schrader was born on February 20, 1850, in Pommern, Germany, son of August and Wilhelmina (Carl) Schrader, who grew up and married in the town which became the birthplace of their children. The father was a tailor, and after his death, in 1864, the wife and her five children came to America, this journey, which was to change the direction of their whole lives, taking place in 1869. Having three brothers in Poweshiek county, the widow took her little brood there, and for a while, worked for one of her brothers. In later years, she made her home with her oldest son, William, where she died in the year 1875. She brought her children up in the faith of the Lutheran church. Besides William and August, the subject of this biography, there were in the family Albert, now a retired farmer in Guernsey, Iowa; Herman, also a retired farmer living in the same town, and Henry, who was killed by lightning in Poweshiek county.
In keeping with the strict educational customs of Germany, Mr. Schrader, Sr., educated his children in the common schools, and August was kept in school as long as he could be spared from work to help support the family. When he reached his nineteenth year, his mother, who by this time had become a widow, accompanied him and her other children to this country, and then began the struggle with the realities of life. For five years, he worked out by the month.
On September 19, 1875, August Schrader was married to Henrietta Possehn, daughter of William and Wilhelmina (Limp) Possehn, of Posen, Germany. Coming to America the same year that Mrs. Schrader and her fatherless children came, this family located in Keokuk county, Iowa, where the father engaged in farming. He died in 1882, while his wife lived until 1911. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Schrader were as follow: Augusta, who married William Neitzel, of Wilcox, Canada; Emma, the deceased wife of William Schrader, brother of the subject of this sketch; Othelia, now Mrs. Edward Border of Benton county, Iowa, and Amos whose present home is east of Audubon, Iowa. Mrs. Schrader was the first-born of this family.
After his marriage, Mr. Schrader bought ninety-two acres of farm land in Iowa county, Iowa, and lived there ten years, placing valuable improvements on it. He sold out in 1885 and removed his family to Poweshiek county. Purchasing eighty acres he resided there for seven years, when he again changed his residence, this time to Cameron township, Audubon county, where he became the owner of one hundred and sixty acres. Having been successful in his agricultural enterprises, in 1913, he was able to retire from active work, and move to Audubon, Iowa, for permanent residence. About six thousand dollars worth of improvements were put upon his farm, where besides engaging in general farming, he raised Duroc-Jersey and Poland China hogs, Shorthorn cattle and draft horses.
In political affiliation, Mr. Schrader is a Republican, and served for six years as school director, filling that position with credit to himself and to the office which he held. Both Mr. and Mrs. Schrader are members of the Lutheran church, and their lives are closely identified with the history of the county which has been their home for several years.
They have always been deeply interested in the welfare of their four children. Their eldest daughter, Emma, became the wife of Albert Fancher on December 29, 1897. Albert Fancher was born on February 20, 1875, in Keokuk county, Iowa, the son of Richard and Nancy (Marshall) Fancher, the former, a native of Washington county, the latter of Fulton county, Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Fancher lived in Keokuk county until 1882, they then moved to Audubon county, where they located in Cameron township. The father of Albert Fancher died in 1912, his wife having passed away eleven years previously. All of his life he was a farmer. Albert, the son, engaged in farming in Cameron township, this county, until 1914, when he built his present home in the eastern part of Audubon. He has never aspired to public office, and has given all of his time to farming and stock raising. He has been successful in raising Clydesdale horses, Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs.
The second child born to Mr. and Mrs. Schrader is Henry, also a farmer in this county, Cameron township. He married Augusta Horning. William, who died in 1902, at the age of twenty-one, married Mabel Johnson; Harry, another son, is farming on the land in Cameron township which belongs to his father. He is married to Anna Diest. Walter, the youngest, is a farmer in Viola township, this county, and married Mary Hayden.
Coming down still another generation, we learn that Mr. and Mrs. Schrader have five grandchildren, namely: Dale and Burnice, children of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Schrader; William Schrader, who is named for his father; Dorothea, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Schrader, and Ariel, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Waaler Schrader.
Success has not easily come to Mr. and Mrs. Schrader. It seldom comes that way. But having cost effort and sacrifice, they are all the more appreciative, and are ready to share its pleasures and benefits with others less fortunate. Their home is a factor for helpfulness in the community in which it is located.
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Transcribed from History of Audubon County, Iowa Its People, Industries and Institutions With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, by H. F. Andrews, editor, Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Company, 1915, pp. 643-645.
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