Genealogie Story of Fritz Meyer's Friend, Frederick Schroeder from Oldendorf und Nahendorf

               Older draft 
This article or one clipping from a newspaper that I read earlier almost like this one, is fondly recalled to my mind, because it gave me my first clues for a genealogy start on my Meyer family in Oldendorf und Nahrendorf as well as vast and wide Iowa.

Instead of scanning it, I am typing out this article I have found in the Calhoun county Iowa history book 1851 - 1982. pp. 393. I made my own adjustments since I am the author of this post.

SCHROEDER FREDERICK (1836 -1889) Frederick Schroeder was born in Northern Germany in 1836. His future wife Mary Saucke, daughter of Henry and Mary Saucke, was born on January 29 th in 1847 at Oldendorf Germany, On January 1, 1869 they were married at Narendorf Germany.

[ There is a picture at this point of Elisabeth Schroeder and Mrs Frederick with an unknown Dorothea. who looks a little like granny of the Clampets Hillbillies, who luck was to strike it rich in oil or Texas gold that is. }

Frederick was a carpenter by trade and among other things, helped build watch towers in the forests of Germany. Mary, who lived to an old age and provided much of this information, claimed to have helped prepare meals for the German royalty, when they would come to the forests in their part of Germany for the annual hunting trip called " schutzenfest" Kaiser Wilhelm, crown prince of Germany, was among those in the hunting party.

The marriage of Frederick and Mary was blessed with one son Fred, and two daughters Mary and Elizabeth all of whom were born in Germany.
Possibly because of numerous wars in Germany, together with the desire to follow other friends to the new world in search of a better life, the Schroeders immigrated to the United States. The young family came by steamship across the ocean. The trip lasted about three weeks and they landed in New York July 4th in 1883.

They preceded west an stayed for a time at Joliet, Illinois where Frederick worked at his carpenter trade. Then before winter was to set in, he once again went westward in search of old friends from Germany now settled in Northern Greene County Iowa. He traveled by train to Churdan, Iowa, and after much difficulty in communication because of the language, was directed north east of Churdan to the Frederick Meyer family [ Frederick Meyer had 00. md. 1882 in Jackson county Iowa] He walked on foot through shoulder high prairie grass, around numerous ponds , and through marshy areas until he found the Fred Meyer home. [ His friend from Oldendorf. ]

Together they prepared a meager home in a vacant outbuilding near the Meyers and were soon joined by Mary and the children.

They stayed there about a year and then bought a quarter section of land south west of Farnhamville in Reading township, Calhoun County. Here they built a new substantial house of frame construction . due to his old world influence, the house was insulated with sun - baked clay bricks handmade from the clay they dug out from a nearby hillside. These bricks were placed between the studding with a clapboard siding put on the outside with plaster lath and plaster walls on the inside. With true pioneer spirit they continued to farm, gradually changing the prairie wilderness to the highly productive area we know today.

Frederick was not long to live in his new house, having passed away in 1889. Mary and the children continued to farm and raised chickens, hogs, and Cattle. As the children grew to adults additional land was acquired as well as a home in Farnhamville.

Son Fred married Anna Seil of Joliet, will county Illinois and eventually moved back to Illinois. Daughter Mary married Richard Kanning of Churdan and settled north of that community. Daughter Elizabeth married William Schroeder and they continued the Calhoun county farming operation.

Mary Elizabeth Schroeder, the pioneer wife of Frederick, died in 1938 at the age of 91 years. Surviving were her three children, twenty one grandchildren, and fifteen great grandchildren. Clipping Submitted by Ruth Consier.

My comments:

Notice the spelling of Narendorf. There is a place Narendorf Germany, which is not in Bleckede or Goehrde area. I only recently discovered that little fact. However my research tells me that it is really suppose to be Nahrendorf.

Our Fred at one time or another spelled his name the same way.. Frederick and Friederich.

I imagine that Frederick Schroeder had much to tell Fred Meyer. He maybe too carried messages from his brother Wilhelm Meyer. As you know Wilhelm himself was to set off to America the next year in the spring of 1884. I am sure this is how some sent news to loved ones in america through people they knew leaving to join the others.
Maybe Fred remembered this Anna Seil while he was at Joliet at the 1883 time of early emigration. Maybe Fred Schroeder family kept in touch with those who lived in that area. I know my Frederick Meyer of this article kept in touch with family and old friends of Illinois and Michigan. In fact he also had an early death. Fred Meyer had died by 1919. His wife had gone a few years earlier. However, Fred and three others of ihs family died with him.

Yes, I just love this article. It told us soooooooo much. and led me to other clues. I wish we had some kind of documentation of their stay at Joliet , and who they knew there as well from their past. And how they knew to find Frederick Meyer at Churdan. After all in 1869 he left home  [ Oldendorf ] to be in Galena, Jo Daviess county Illinois. He left there and went to Jackson county, Iowa. And to settle and farm with cheaper land deals to the area Fred found him. on foot. I think I remember reading somewhere that Mary Elizabeth Schroeder remarried. I'll have to see if I can back up that speculation.

So who else came from Oldendorf / Nahrendorf?. Who maybe stopped off at Joliet, Illinois first. or others even from Dahlenburg area and Bleckede. I think they could have gone to Iowa too. We know his fathers sister-in-law Mary Mollemann was at Galena, who married Ahrens before Fredrick Meyer was to emigrate. Maybe a time line is needed. Schenk did as well.

And now to topic of Seil. the name seems to come out all over the place, these days with little ties to each other. Notice in link below with Schroeder name the Seil name appears. I just don't know anything about the Seils of Joliet Illinois. I wish I did. I have at least six separate families of the Seil familien name. We cannot forget that Henry Dohrmann and his wife Dorothea Seil from Hamburg also went to Joliet, Will county Illinois and came to settle in the Farnhamville area.

It would be nice to learn more about the William Schroeder, whom the Friederick daughter married.

Many villages in germany have Schutzenfest shooting contests. It makes me think of the story of William Tell. Schutzenfest test the marksmanship. However, one should be on the rich side to win the chance to become Koenig or King because it becomes a big party at your expense.


For more reading and links try these links:

Saucke mentioned in Fred Meyer birth records.
http://arootdigger.blogspot.com/2008/08/i-am-taking-photos-from-meyer-book-so.html

Schroeder mentioned in Meyer records / Questions
http://arootdigger.blogspot.com/2008/07/rootdigger-gets-church-records-in.html

Marriage of Anna Seil and fred Schroeder at Joliet [Stein Tree]
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2201075&id=I116121197

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:3085515&id=I26

**You must read this post on surname Saucke, Daetz, Wolter[s]Schroeder!!
http://genealogyofoldendorfundnahrendorf.blogspot.com/2008/10/name-wolters-from-oldendorf.html

Fisbeck gives much info on residents of Will county
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2201075&id=I116121197

Schutzenfest
http://www.schuetzenverein-pommoissel.de/Rede1.html
http://www.sgibleckede.de/
http://www.nilscity.de/Bilder/2004-07-16_Bleckede.html

Local Newspaper may have articles on the Schutzenfest.
http://www.sk-bleckede.de/termine.pdf

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=bleckede++Sch%C3%BCtzenfest&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&oq=
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=dahlenburg+Sch%C3%BCtzenfest&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&oq=

Images dahlenburg
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&q=dahlenburg%20Sch%C3%BCtzenfest%20K%C3%B6nig&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Hunting at historical Goehrde
http://genealogyofoldendorfundnahrendorf.blogspot.com/2008/12/158-159-160-161-162-163.html

http://www.goehrde.de/?page=aktuelles1.php&navigation=navi09

Jagd Schloss- One area where the towers were in the forest.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdschloss
http://www.goehrde.de/html/content/geschichte.html

Lüneburger Heide: Erlebnistouren im Schnuckenland" src="http://bks2.books.google.com/books?id=NqxQ5bvwircC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=5&edge=curl&sig=ACfU3U3TzrTzdOWYvO0hJiDYXMZKDnVdgA&h=80" height=80>

Lüneburger Heide: Erlebnistouren im Schnuckenland‎ - Page 47

Gisela Buddée, Urs Kluyver - History - 2005 - 113 pages

Jagd- schloss von Göhrde (23 km südöstl.), mitten *£? in einem der größten
Waldgebiete Deutschlands gelegen, ... 05821/570, www.bad-bevensen-tourismus.de

Comment 2:
Well, I have been asked several times to put in my blog what I know of This Frederick Schroeder family. Unfortunately, I know so little. My source has been only this and another similar article. Plus the little bit you can find in the Stein tree link. Iadmit though, that I have not searched lately to see if there are more on this Schroeder family trees " out there" at the heritage medias. But, I think you should definately use the search box at this blog and my arootdiggers blog link for all information I have in church records and family records of this surname Schroeder. No doubt there is more to come.
If you have information, I would love to hear it.just me jo