Nemaha County Biographies - S
All biographies are from "The History of Nemaha County," 1916:
Gottlieb Schneider. Whenever you find a settlement of German or
Swiss emigrants, there you find a country of prosperous and enterprising
homes, whose owners are usually well-to-do and are ambitious for
themselves and their progeny. Gottlieb Schneider, well-to-do farmer of Adams
township, of Swiss birth, is a striking example of the successful foreign
born American citizen, who has risen to a place of prominence and
substance in the land of his adoption.
Gottlieb Schneider was born in Switzerland, October 8, 1863, and is
a son of Albert and Elizabeth (Schneider) Schneider. Albert, his father,
was born in 1811, and died at his Swiss home in 1863. Elizabeth, his
wife, and mother of the subject, was born in Switzerland in 1830,
married in 1855 and lived in her native land until 1883, and then, immigrated
with her family to America, first locating in Cleveland, Ohio, where she
resided until 1888, and then migrated to Kansas, locating in Brown
county, where she was housekeeper for her son, Gottlieb, for two years.
She then returned to Cleveland, Ohio, and lived in that city for
twenty-seven years, finally returning to Switzerland, where her demise occurred
in 1898. The children of the Schneider family are as follows: Jacob, a
machinist of Cleveland, Ohio, and father of three children ; Albert,
Edward, Mrs. Elsie York, mother of one child; Gottlieb, the subject of this
review, who left his native land when seventeen years of age (in 1880)
and immigrated to America. He located in Cleveland. Ohio, and worked
in the machine shops, plying his trade of skilled machinist for four years.
In 1884, Mr. Schneider came West to Jackson county, Kansas, and
worked as farm hand for $15 per month for four years, and then rented
eighty acres of land for a year, after which he again hired out for $25 per
month and boarded himself in a residence furnished him by his employer.
One year later he again rented sixty acres in Jackson county, which he
farmed for two years, then moved to Brown county, Kansas, where he
rented 160 acres for three years, after which he rented 160 acres in Adams
township, Nemaha county, and served as overseer of a 480-acre farm,
owned by M. Schaible, of Brown county. He looked after the Schaible
farm for one year, then rented 160 acres more land and farmed it for one
year. Mr. Schneider is owner of 160 acres of land in Adams township
and is still renting the Schaible farm of 320 acres. He is an extensive
live stock man and favors the Duroc Jersey breed of hogs. His farm
produces well and he cultivates 200 acres of corn annually, some of
which is sold for seed to the extent of $150 yearly.
Mr. Schneider was married December 26, 1889, to Fredericka
Landle, a daughter of Frederick and Mary M. (Roehm) Landle, and this
union has been blessed with six children, as follows: Herman, a farmer
in Jefferson county, Kansas; Walter, at home; Mrs. Lillie Pugh, wife
of a farmer near Seneca, has one child, Lloyd; George, Anna and
Harold, at home. Frederick Landle, father of Mrs. Schneider, was born in
Baden, Germany, was a factory employee and died in his native land
when Mrs. Schneider was three years old. Mrs. Mary M. Landle was
born in Germany in 1842, and died in her native land in 1911. There
were three children in the Landle family, namely: Christina Ruhe,
California, mother of four children; Mrs. Rosa Roehm. Mrs. Louise Buerr,
Mrs. Amy Dossier, and Robert; Fredericka, wife of Gottlieb Schneider;
Mrs. Louise Jenni, Germany, mother of four children. Mrs. Fredericka
Schneider was born October 7, 1867, and was reared in her native
village in Germany. When ten years of age she worked out for $25 per
year until she was twenty years old, and then came to America,
where she worked as domestic for $2 per week for two years and was
then married.
Mr. and Mrs. Schneider are members of the German Evangelical
Church.
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Philip J. Scott. Some of the interesting history of Marion
township has been told around the fireside in the home of Philip J. Scott,
farmer and stockman, on long winter evenings. His mother, Catharine
(Hogan) Scott, was born January 14, 1833, in Ontario, Canada. She
was the daughter of Patrick and Sarah (Burk) Hogan, natives of
Ireland. Both parents died in Canada. Mr. and Mrs. Scott had been living
in Nemaha county only a short time when an incident occurred which
nearly proved fatal to Mrs. Scott, and of which she never tires of telling.
It was one afternoon in 1876, while they were living on the Sullivan
place, southwest of Baileyville. In those days many Indians lived around
the country by stealing horses and grain, and often attacking houses
and burning them. On this particular afternoon she was alone and out
across the prairie she could see a band of red men coming. They came
closer, and Mrs. Scott began to grow fearful. But when they were two
miles away, neighbors went out and frightened them back and no harm
was done. The Indians frequently came into the settlements and drove
off the hogs belonging to the white people, but the hogs usually found
their way back home. William Scott, the father of Philip, has also seen
a very interesting part of Kansas history and before his death he used
to tell story after story to the young folks who had not gone through
the days which were more dangerous and uncertain. He was born in
Ireland, February 26, 1828; and when a child he came to Canada with his
parents. He was a son of William and Elizabeth Scott and his father
followed farming. In 1870 the father of Philip Scott came to Nemaha
county, Kansas, where he worked as a laborer, mostly in Seneca. The
following year he rented a farm, which he managed until 1877, when he
homesteaded forty acres in Marion township, section 28. He put up a
small one-room house 16x18 feet, with an additional small room above.
He broke up this land and in 1881 bought another forty acres, thus
making eighty acres, which amount he owned at his death in 1882. He was
married, January 16, 1859, and the facts concerning his wife's life have
already been related. She is now living with her son, Philip. Eight
children were born to Philip's parents : Elizabeth, now Mrs. Sullivan,
of Marion township, widow; Sarah, Mrs. Donnelly, of Center township ;
William, Center township ; Mary, Mrs. Rice, of Baileyville ; Richard,
Marion township; Philip, of whom this biography is to deal in full; Ella,
living at home; Agnes, Mrs. Anderson, Marion township. Mr. and Mrs.
Scott were members of the Catholic Church.
Philip Scott attended district school in district No. 70, Marion
township. He has always lived on the old home place, and since 1892 he has
never missed a year feeding hogs and cattle, handling ten or twelve
loads each year. He usually keeps two hundred head of cattle the whole
year and buys hogs and cattle for the markets continually. His farm is
also productive and nets him a comfortable return. He owns 515 acres
of land at this time.
Mr. Scott is a Democrat in politics and in 1911 served a term as
justice of the peace and later served a second term, his work being so
satisfactory to the people of the township. He has always taken an
interest in public affairs. Mr. Scott is not married. He is a regular
attendant at church and contributes liberally to religious and charitable
enterprises. For many years he has been a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and has held all offices in the Baileyville Lodge of
Odd Fellows. Mr. Scott is a popular man in his community and is
always a leader in public enterprises. His good judgment and wide
acquaintance have made him unusually influential in the affairs of Marion
township.
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George W. Sourk is one of the "live wires" and best-known business
men in Nemaha county, and his drug store at Goff is one of the most complete and up-to-date of any in the county.
He enjoys a large and permanent patronage because of the excellent service which he renders, and his
business grows steadily with the passing of time.
Mr. Sourk was born February 24, 1876, and is the son of William
and Amanda (Mitchell) Sourk. The father was a native Scotchman and
came to the United States at the age of sixteen and located with his
parents at Oshkosh, Wis., where his father had pre-empted forty acres of
land. At the age of twenty-one, he started out to farm for himself, and
until 1880, he farmed in Whiteside and Stark counties, Illinois. He then
came to Kansas and bought 320 acres of unimproved land in Harrison
township, Nemaha county, and lived on this place until his death, in
July, 1910. When the Kansas City Northwestern railroad was built
through Kansas, William Sourk had a spur built out to his farm and this
line is still known as Sourk's spur. He was a heavy shipper of grain and
livestock. At the time of his death he owned 720 acres of well improved
land. He was a member of the Christian church and attended to his
religious life with great sincerity and faithfulness.
The mother of George W. Sourk was born in Kentucky and received
a common school education. She was married to Mr. Sourk in Illinois
and died in Kansas in 1909. Eight children were born to them, George
W. being the youngest son.
George W. Sourk received a common school education and began
life for himself at the age of nineteen, when he took a position as school
teacher and taught for nine years. At the end of that time he bought out
Dr. L. A. Corwin's drug store and soon afterward became a registered
pharmacist. His venture into the drug business became a great success,
and eight years later he bought out the store of C. H. Hayes, which he
consolidated with his own, making it one of the largest and most
complete drug stores in Nemaha county. In addition to his business, he owns
320 acres of land in Harrison township, which are well improved, and has
a residence in Goff. He also owns the large business block in which his
store is located. For many years he has been city clerk of Goff, and is
secretary of the Goff Telephone Company. He is a member of the
Masonic, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen of
America, and is a Republican in politics.
In April, 1906, he was married to Maud Ward, and five children
have been born to them, as follows: Lois, born April 8, 1907; Lela, born
September 26, 1908; Ward, born April 19, 1912; George, born November
16, 1913, and Amanda Elizabeth, born March 5, 1916.
Mrs. Sourk is the daughter of E. R. and Elizabeth (Artman) Ward.
Her father was born in Ohio in 1846 and was a soldier in the Civil war.
Mr. Ward is prominent in the affairs of Wetmore and is
president of the First National Bank, Wetmore, Kans. Mrs. Sourk was born
November 7, 1879, in Larkin, Kans., and after receiving a common school
education, she attended the State Normal School and taught for eight
years afterward in the graded schools. She professed to the faith of
the Methodist Episcopal Church and belongs to the Eastern Star lodge.
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F. J. Strathmann, photographer of Seneca, Kans., is fast making a
name for himself as an artist and photographer of ability. His business
is growing each year, and his work in a difficult line is commending itself
to an ever increasing circle of patrons. The greater number of the
photographs used in making the half-tone plates of Nemaha pioneers and well
known citizens which are found in this volume were made by Mr.
Strathmann. The work speaks for itself and is to be commended particularly
and strongly as indicative of the painstaking care in making the excellent
likenesses so necessary for the use of the engraving departrtient of this
work, bestowed upon the subjects by Mr. Strathmann.
F. J. Strathmann was born at Fayetteville, Ill., August 26, 1892, and
is a son of F. B. and Ida (Fietzan) Strathmann, natives of Illinois. F. B.
Strathmann, his father, is a son of George Strathmann, a German
emigrant, who was born at Nassau, Germany, and served as a government
official in his home city in Germany. F. B. Strathmann learned the
profession of photographer when a young man, and came to Kansas
August 27, 1908. He located at Axtell, Marshall county, Kansas, and has
an excellent business in his profession as photographer in Axtell and the
surrounding country. F. B. Strathmann was married in Illinois to Ida
Fietzan, who was born April 15, 1871. To this marriage have been born
nine children, as follows: Frank J., subject of this review; Bertha, wife
of Joseph Nolte, Hanover, Kans.; Joseph, Lydia. John, Edward Alma,
Barbara and Albert.
Mr. Strathmann was educated in the public schools of Muscotah, Ill.,
and the Seneca, Kans., High School. He learned the art of photography
under his father's tutelage, and in March, 1914, he purchased the Fowler
photograph gallery in partnership with Joseph Nolte. October 1, 1914,
Mr. Strathmann became sole owner of the establishment, and has since
been conducting it very successfully.
He was married February 24, 1914, to Miss Anna Dultmeier of
Templeton, Iowa, a daughter of Henry Dultmeier, a native of Germany. To
this marriage has been born a child, namely: Frank Jr., born March 4,
1915. Mr. Strathmann is an independent in politics, and is a member of
the Catholic church, and is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus.
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This website created June 12, 2011 by Sheryl McClure.
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