Gottlieb and Wilhelmine Siegert Schwartz immigrated from Füerstenwalde, Koenigsberg, Prussia, on the ship Fanny, arriving in New York on 29 Jun 1847. They settled in the Township of Lomira, Dodge County, WI along with fellow immigrant families, Mechelburgs, Tischers, and Pade's, and their daughter Wilhelmina Schwartz Schmidt and family. Their son Fred and his wife Wilhelmine (Schrap) and child; and her parents John and Dorothea Schrap and family, immigrated to the same sections 21 May 1848. The Gottlieb & Wilhelmina Schwartz family consisted of daughters: Wilhelmina Schwartz Schmidt, and Louise Bussewitz Hankwitz; and sons: Fred, Carl, and John.
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Taken from the Early Days in the Town of Lomira which was published in the Lomira Review: A.A. Roeseler, editor.
THE FIRST SETTLERS - Part X - Wednesday, May 23, 1917
Particulars concerning the Brandenburg Settlement in the Southeastern Town:
In a previous article I stated that the very first important German settlement in the town was made in the year 1847, or three years after the arrival of Samuel Kinyon, Gottlieb Schwartz, with his wife and his three sons, Carl, Fred and John; his son-in-law Carl Schmidt and wife; and his three neighbors Pade, Meckelburg and Tischer with their families, started from their home in Fuerstenfelde, Province and had heard letters read in the homes of some of their neighbors who had friends already living in America. From these letters they learned that the prospects for the man of limited means were much better in America than in Europe. A certain Schultz who had several years previously emigrated from Fuerstenfelde and had settled in Milwaukee, had written especially flowing accounts about his new home. He had pictured it as a veritable Paradise. He also stated that he had built a palace in which he and his family were living in a style that compared favorably with the nobility in Europe. As he had been a man of very limited means and very ordinary ability, they believed they ought to be able to do as well as he. There seemed little prospects indeed to better their circumstances in the Fatherland and so they longed to get to this land of Promise. They crossed the Atlantic in a sailing vessel and landed at New York, and they embarked on a river steamer for Albany. In these years the country was full of sharks whose sole occupation was to fleece the emigrants. This gang had experts that had mastered many foreign tongues. On the river steamer with the Schwartzes was also a large party of Norwegians.
Some sharks that mingled among the emigrants gave them to understand that religious services were to be held in a large room in the middle of the steamer, and that the laws of the land made it mandatory for every emigrant to be present at these services. As soon as all the emigrants had assembled in this apartment the doors were closed, but there were no signs of the holding of services. Then when some tried to open the door they found them all barred. When after awhile the doors were again thrown open they found that their chests had been broken open, and their best wearing apparel, boots and shoes and other articles of value missing. A number who had concealed their money and other valuables among their clothing found that also gone, to their sorrow. You may imagine how these poor people felt under these circumstances in a strange land and among strange people. All their efforts failed to locate the stolen goods and the robbers. Only Gottlieb Schwartz found one of the shoes belonging to his family near the engineer's station. He picked up and held it under the engineer's nose, vehemently gesticulating and demanding in loud and angry words the return of his stolen goods. The engineer replied "nichts versteh", seized the shoe and stuck it into Mr. Schwartz's coat pocket, intimating by gestures and facial expression to keep mum or else he might lose the other shoe also.
After the boat had made several landings, several well dressed, fine looking men came and conversed the emigrants in broken German and Norsk. They appeared very sympathetic and friendly, and so the emigrants told them their tale of woe. These men advised the emigrants to keep the matter quiet until they landed in Albany, and that they would give them every assistance possible to find the perpetrators and to bring them to justice. It was their special work to ferret out such matters. But to succeed it was absolutely necessary not to speak of this matter to any one, and also not to mention a syllable of the offered help. When they arrived at Albany their sympathetic friends had vanished, but other stately looking men came to greet them in their native tongue. To them they related what had happened on the ship and also the proffered help of the men who could not be found. These men informed them that they should have refused to leave the ship until an official investigation had been made and their goods had been returned or paid for. They promised to take the case in hand, and expressed the hope that it might still be possible to recover the goods. They took leave of them promising to return in a definite time, but it was the last they ever heard or saw of them.
----------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, May 30, 1917
THE FIRST SETTLERS PART X1
More Facts Concerning the Schwartz Vicinity
In the years that the Schwartz party came to America, the fleecing of emigrants, especially those who were not familiar with the language of the country was a common occurrence. Scarcely an emigrant escaped without being duped or robbed in some way. This was indeed a hard lot, as nearly all were poor and had little to spare.
At Albany the Schwartz party embarked on a canal boat, going by the Erie canal to Lake Erie. Then they embarked on a lake steamer, crossing lakes Erie and Huron into Lake Michigan. At Sheboygan they were greeted by a number of Germans who invited them to disembark and make their homes among them. It was their set purpose, however, to proceed to Milwaukee to look up the Mr. Schultz who had written such glowing accounts to their native town. They found him living in a log hut with several attached board shanties. They enquired about the location of his palace of which he had written to his former neighbors. He informed them that the log house in which he lived was the palace in question. This took the bottom out of their illusion, and what they saw here, together with the memory of their fleecing on the boat, make them thoroughly homesick for the Fatherland. However, there was no returning for them and so they were determined to make the best of it. While the women and the children remained at the Schulz home, the men at once set out on a land-hunting expedition. According to directions they set out for the Fond du Lac land office which they reached in due time. They then selected and purchased that tract of land on which Charles Schwartz, grandson of Gottlieb Schwartz, now resides in the southeastern part of the town of Lomira. After looking up the land they at once returned to Milwaukee and brought the women, the children and the baggage to the land selected. They erected a rude hut and covered it with bark as a temporary shelter. The bark rolled up and afforded very poor shelter against the frequent heavy rains. In the month of August they had heavy thunderstorms nearly every night, so it was impossible to keep themselves and their goods from being thoroughly drenched repeatedly, before they were able to construct a more substantial roof and devise means to keep the rain from beating in at the sides.
The place where they settled was specially heavy timbered with dense underbrush and teemed with myriads of mosquitoes. Smudges were the only protection against this pest in those days. Besides their troubles with rain and mosquitoes, starvation stared them in the face, and this appeared to be the most formidable of the three difficulties with which they had to battle. They had brought with them some hard, dried up stale bread from the ship and some rancid butter, on this they lived until they could secure a little flour from Milwaukee. In order to lengthen out their supplies, each one's portion was measured out daily. They also secured a few potatoes and turnips. Instead of coffee they prepared a drink from roasted acorns of which there was an abundant supply. These too were used in limited quantities as an article of food to lengthen out their other limited supplies. Wild plums, cherries, berries and grapes which grew in abundance, they likewise utilized to the fullest extent. They also gathered a store of hazel nuts, bitter nuts, hickory nuts and butternuts. Even the fruit of the hawthorn and of the wild sour crab apple they utilized to the fullest extent.
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 27, 1917
THE FIRST SETTLERS PART XV
How the Schwartzes worked their way Upward
While these Brandenburg pioneers at first had no desire to ever increasing their land-holdings they in a few years changed their minds. In 1888 John Schwartz, the youngest son of Gottlieb Schwartz, alone owned 360 acres of choice land in prime condition.
In 1853 John Schwartz bought a four-horse power threshing machine, it being the fourth threshing machine then owned in the town of Lomira, the other three were owned by John Folts, Samuel Kinyon and Michael Zickerick. The Schwartz machine, like the Kinyon machine, did not separate the chaff from the wheat. The straw was raked out by hand and the chaff was cleaned out by a hand fanning mill. With this four horse power threshing machine they were able to thresh 500 bushels of wheat per day, and they charged five cents per bushel, besides their board and feed for their horses. Some years later the Schwartz brothers bought an eight-horse power machine, after a few years a ten-horse power machine, next a twelve-horse power machine, and finally one of the most modern separators run by one of the best steam tractors, threshing 1500 bushels of grain and over, per day, at two cents per bushel for oats and barley and three cents per bushel for wheat.
John Schwartz from his youth up was one of the hardest and most efficient workers in the town. He was a man of untiring energy and unsurpassed skill. Whatever he grappled with he proved himself master of the situation. For whomever the Schwartz brothers threshed they required breakfast to be served before daylight so that as soon as the day dawned the threshing could begin. Due to strict watchfulness and attention to every detail the machine seldom stopped except when meals or luncheon were served. Winters the machine was entirely overhauled so when the threshing season started it was in prime condition. Every morning early, everything was looked over to see that no nut was loose. Their reputation as master threshers spread far and wide and all that possibly could, tried hard to secure their services. They had to refuse many a job for want of time. Not infrequently they threshed evenings by moonlight, especially if there was hope of completing the job on that day, or even on nights when there was no moonshine and a storm was threatening, either for completing the job or at least for finishing a stack. I well recall how Mr. Schwartz had once promised a small farmer, Mr Delzer, that he would be at his place at about 5 p.m. and complete the job that evening. This Mr. Delzer had his help on hand at the appointed hour, but through some hindrance the machine did not arrive until after sun down. A number of the hands thought there would be no more threshing that evening and made ready to go home. They did not know the Schwartz brothers. John Schwartz informed them that within a half hour the threshing machine and horse power would be set up and the threshing would begin. As it was full moon there would be sufficient light to complete the job that night. All remained and a little after ten the work was completed, and the machine was moving on to the next neighbor according to schedule. This was not an isolated case; many similar cases might be cited.
From 1850-1853 wheat sold for 35 cents per bushel, and oats and barley from six to ten cents per bushel. Cows at that time could be bought at eight dollars per head and oxen at twenty dollars per yoke. In 1848 Gottlieb Schwartz paid two dollars to have a barrel of flour transported to his homestead from Mr. Foster's new mill opened that year at Mayville.
_________________________________________________
Nice video of the Stephenson County,IL Antique Engine Club's 12 Horse Sweep powered Case Threshing Machine.
Click here for video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpAezT9pHwo
----------------------------------------------------------
Taken from the Early Days in the Town of Lomira which was published in the Lomira Review: A.A. Roeseler, editor.
THE FIRST SETTLERS - Part X - Wednesday, May 23, 1917
Particulars concerning the Brandenburg Settlement in the Southeastern Town:
In a previous article I stated that the very first important German settlement in the town was made in the year 1847, or three years after the arrival of Samuel Kinyon, Gottlieb Schwartz, with his wife and his three sons, Carl, Fred and John; his son-in-law Carl Schmidt and wife; and his three neighbors Pade, Meckelburg and Tischer with their families, started from their home in Fuerstenfelde, Province and had heard letters read in the homes of some of their neighbors who had friends already living in America. From these letters they learned that the prospects for the man of limited means were much better in America than in Europe. A certain Schultz who had several years previously emigrated from Fuerstenfelde and had settled in Milwaukee, had written especially flowing accounts about his new home. He had pictured it as a veritable Paradise. He also stated that he had built a palace in which he and his family were living in a style that compared favorably with the nobility in Europe. As he had been a man of very limited means and very ordinary ability, they believed they ought to be able to do as well as he. There seemed little prospects indeed to better their circumstances in the Fatherland and so they longed to get to this land of Promise. They crossed the Atlantic in a sailing vessel and landed at New York, and they embarked on a river steamer for Albany. In these years the country was full of sharks whose sole occupation was to fleece the emigrants. This gang had experts that had mastered many foreign tongues. On the river steamer with the Schwartzes was also a large party of Norwegians.
Some sharks that mingled among the emigrants gave them to understand that religious services were to be held in a large room in the middle of the steamer, and that the laws of the land made it mandatory for every emigrant to be present at these services. As soon as all the emigrants had assembled in this apartment the doors were closed, but there were no signs of the holding of services. Then when some tried to open the door they found them all barred. When after awhile the doors were again thrown open they found that their chests had been broken open, and their best wearing apparel, boots and shoes and other articles of value missing. A number who had concealed their money and other valuables among their clothing found that also gone, to their sorrow. You may imagine how these poor people felt under these circumstances in a strange land and among strange people. All their efforts failed to locate the stolen goods and the robbers. Only Gottlieb Schwartz found one of the shoes belonging to his family near the engineer's station. He picked up and held it under the engineer's nose, vehemently gesticulating and demanding in loud and angry words the return of his stolen goods. The engineer replied "nichts versteh", seized the shoe and stuck it into Mr. Schwartz's coat pocket, intimating by gestures and facial expression to keep mum or else he might lose the other shoe also.
After the boat had made several landings, several well dressed, fine looking men came and conversed the emigrants in broken German and Norsk. They appeared very sympathetic and friendly, and so the emigrants told them their tale of woe. These men advised the emigrants to keep the matter quiet until they landed in Albany, and that they would give them every assistance possible to find the perpetrators and to bring them to justice. It was their special work to ferret out such matters. But to succeed it was absolutely necessary not to speak of this matter to any one, and also not to mention a syllable of the offered help. When they arrived at Albany their sympathetic friends had vanished, but other stately looking men came to greet them in their native tongue. To them they related what had happened on the ship and also the proffered help of the men who could not be found. These men informed them that they should have refused to leave the ship until an official investigation had been made and their goods had been returned or paid for. They promised to take the case in hand, and expressed the hope that it might still be possible to recover the goods. They took leave of them promising to return in a definite time, but it was the last they ever heard or saw of them.
----------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, May 30, 1917
THE FIRST SETTLERS PART X1
More Facts Concerning the Schwartz Vicinity
In the years that the Schwartz party came to America, the fleecing of emigrants, especially those who were not familiar with the language of the country was a common occurrence. Scarcely an emigrant escaped without being duped or robbed in some way. This was indeed a hard lot, as nearly all were poor and had little to spare.
At Albany the Schwartz party embarked on a canal boat, going by the Erie canal to Lake Erie. Then they embarked on a lake steamer, crossing lakes Erie and Huron into Lake Michigan. At Sheboygan they were greeted by a number of Germans who invited them to disembark and make their homes among them. It was their set purpose, however, to proceed to Milwaukee to look up the Mr. Schultz who had written such glowing accounts to their native town. They found him living in a log hut with several attached board shanties. They enquired about the location of his palace of which he had written to his former neighbors. He informed them that the log house in which he lived was the palace in question. This took the bottom out of their illusion, and what they saw here, together with the memory of their fleecing on the boat, make them thoroughly homesick for the Fatherland. However, there was no returning for them and so they were determined to make the best of it. While the women and the children remained at the Schulz home, the men at once set out on a land-hunting expedition. According to directions they set out for the Fond du Lac land office which they reached in due time. They then selected and purchased that tract of land on which Charles Schwartz, grandson of Gottlieb Schwartz, now resides in the southeastern part of the town of Lomira. After looking up the land they at once returned to Milwaukee and brought the women, the children and the baggage to the land selected. They erected a rude hut and covered it with bark as a temporary shelter. The bark rolled up and afforded very poor shelter against the frequent heavy rains. In the month of August they had heavy thunderstorms nearly every night, so it was impossible to keep themselves and their goods from being thoroughly drenched repeatedly, before they were able to construct a more substantial roof and devise means to keep the rain from beating in at the sides.
The place where they settled was specially heavy timbered with dense underbrush and teemed with myriads of mosquitoes. Smudges were the only protection against this pest in those days. Besides their troubles with rain and mosquitoes, starvation stared them in the face, and this appeared to be the most formidable of the three difficulties with which they had to battle. They had brought with them some hard, dried up stale bread from the ship and some rancid butter, on this they lived until they could secure a little flour from Milwaukee. In order to lengthen out their supplies, each one's portion was measured out daily. They also secured a few potatoes and turnips. Instead of coffee they prepared a drink from roasted acorns of which there was an abundant supply. These too were used in limited quantities as an article of food to lengthen out their other limited supplies. Wild plums, cherries, berries and grapes which grew in abundance, they likewise utilized to the fullest extent. They also gathered a store of hazel nuts, bitter nuts, hickory nuts and butternuts. Even the fruit of the hawthorn and of the wild sour crab apple they utilized to the fullest extent.
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 27, 1917
THE FIRST SETTLERS PART XV
How the Schwartzes worked their way Upward
While these Brandenburg pioneers at first had no desire to ever increasing their land-holdings they in a few years changed their minds. In 1888 John Schwartz, the youngest son of Gottlieb Schwartz, alone owned 360 acres of choice land in prime condition.
In 1853 John Schwartz bought a four-horse power threshing machine, it being the fourth threshing machine then owned in the town of Lomira, the other three were owned by John Folts, Samuel Kinyon and Michael Zickerick. The Schwartz machine, like the Kinyon machine, did not separate the chaff from the wheat. The straw was raked out by hand and the chaff was cleaned out by a hand fanning mill. With this four horse power threshing machine they were able to thresh 500 bushels of wheat per day, and they charged five cents per bushel, besides their board and feed for their horses. Some years later the Schwartz brothers bought an eight-horse power machine, after a few years a ten-horse power machine, next a twelve-horse power machine, and finally one of the most modern separators run by one of the best steam tractors, threshing 1500 bushels of grain and over, per day, at two cents per bushel for oats and barley and three cents per bushel for wheat.
John Schwartz from his youth up was one of the hardest and most efficient workers in the town. He was a man of untiring energy and unsurpassed skill. Whatever he grappled with he proved himself master of the situation. For whomever the Schwartz brothers threshed they required breakfast to be served before daylight so that as soon as the day dawned the threshing could begin. Due to strict watchfulness and attention to every detail the machine seldom stopped except when meals or luncheon were served. Winters the machine was entirely overhauled so when the threshing season started it was in prime condition. Every morning early, everything was looked over to see that no nut was loose. Their reputation as master threshers spread far and wide and all that possibly could, tried hard to secure their services. They had to refuse many a job for want of time. Not infrequently they threshed evenings by moonlight, especially if there was hope of completing the job on that day, or even on nights when there was no moonshine and a storm was threatening, either for completing the job or at least for finishing a stack. I well recall how Mr. Schwartz had once promised a small farmer, Mr Delzer, that he would be at his place at about 5 p.m. and complete the job that evening. This Mr. Delzer had his help on hand at the appointed hour, but through some hindrance the machine did not arrive until after sun down. A number of the hands thought there would be no more threshing that evening and made ready to go home. They did not know the Schwartz brothers. John Schwartz informed them that within a half hour the threshing machine and horse power would be set up and the threshing would begin. As it was full moon there would be sufficient light to complete the job that night. All remained and a little after ten the work was completed, and the machine was moving on to the next neighbor according to schedule. This was not an isolated case; many similar cases might be cited.
From 1850-1853 wheat sold for 35 cents per bushel, and oats and barley from six to ten cents per bushel. Cows at that time could be bought at eight dollars per head and oxen at twenty dollars per yoke. In 1848 Gottlieb Schwartz paid two dollars to have a barrel of flour transported to his homestead from Mr. Foster's new mill opened that year at Mayville.
_________________________________________________
Nice video of the Stephenson County,IL Antique Engine Club's 12 Horse Sweep powered Case Threshing Machine.
Click here for video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpAezT9pHwo
Gottlieb and Wilhelmine Siegert Schwartz immigrated from Füerstenwalde, Koenigsberg, Prussia, on the ship Fanny, arriving in New York on 29 Jun 1847. They settled in the Township of Lomira, Dodge County, WI along with fellow immigrant families, Mechelburgs, Tischers, and Pade's, and their daughter Wilhelmina Schwartz Schmidt and family. Their son Fred and his wife Wilhelmine (Schrap) and child; and her parents John and Dorothea Schrap and family, immigrated to the same sections 21 May 1848. The Gottlieb & Wilhelmina Schwartz family consisted of daughters: Wilhelmina Schwartz Schmidt, and Louise Bussewitz Hankwitz; and sons: Fred, Carl, and John.
----------------------------------------------------------
Taken from the Early Days in the Town of Lomira which was published in the Lomira Review: A.A. Roeseler, editor.
THE FIRST SETTLERS - Part X - Wednesday, May 23, 1917
Particulars concerning the Brandenburg Settlement in the Southeastern Town:
In a previous article I stated that the very first important German settlement in the town was made in the year 1847, or three years after the arrival of Samuel Kinyon, Gottlieb Schwartz, with his wife and his three sons, Carl, Fred and John; his son-in-law Carl Schmidt and wife; and his three neighbors Pade, Meckelburg and Tischer with their families, started from their home in Fuerstenfelde, Province and had heard letters read in the homes of some of their neighbors who had friends already living in America. From these letters they learned that the prospects for the man of limited means were much better in America than in Europe. A certain Schultz who had several years previously emigrated from Fuerstenfelde and had settled in Milwaukee, had written especially flowing accounts about his new home. He had pictured it as a veritable Paradise. He also stated that he had built a palace in which he and his family were living in a style that compared favorably with the nobility in Europe. As he had been a man of very limited means and very ordinary ability, they believed they ought to be able to do as well as he. There seemed little prospects indeed to better their circumstances in the Fatherland and so they longed to get to this land of Promise. They crossed the Atlantic in a sailing vessel and landed at New York, and they embarked on a river steamer for Albany. In these years the country was full of sharks whose sole occupation was to fleece the emigrants. This gang had experts that had mastered many foreign tongues. On the river steamer with the Schwartzes was also a large party of Norwegians.
Some sharks that mingled among the emigrants gave them to understand that religious services were to be held in a large room in the middle of the steamer, and that the laws of the land made it mandatory for every emigrant to be present at these services. As soon as all the emigrants had assembled in this apartment the doors were closed, but there were no signs of the holding of services. Then when some tried to open the door they found them all barred. When after awhile the doors were again thrown open they found that their chests had been broken open, and their best wearing apparel, boots and shoes and other articles of value missing. A number who had concealed their money and other valuables among their clothing found that also gone, to their sorrow. You may imagine how these poor people felt under these circumstances in a strange land and among strange people. All their efforts failed to locate the stolen goods and the robbers. Only Gottlieb Schwartz found one of the shoes belonging to his family near the engineer's station. He picked up and held it under the engineer's nose, vehemently gesticulating and demanding in loud and angry words the return of his stolen goods. The engineer replied "nichts versteh", seized the shoe and stuck it into Mr. Schwartz's coat pocket, intimating by gestures and facial expression to keep mum or else he might lose the other shoe also.
After the boat had made several landings, several well dressed, fine looking men came and conversed the emigrants in broken German and Norsk. They appeared very sympathetic and friendly, and so the emigrants told them their tale of woe. These men advised the emigrants to keep the matter quiet until they landed in Albany, and that they would give them every assistance possible to find the perpetrators and to bring them to justice. It was their special work to ferret out such matters. But to succeed it was absolutely necessary not to speak of this matter to any one, and also not to mention a syllable of the offered help. When they arrived at Albany their sympathetic friends had vanished, but other stately looking men came to greet them in their native tongue. To them they related what had happened on the ship and also the proffered help of the men who could not be found. These men informed them that they should have refused to leave the ship until an official investigation had been made and their goods had been returned or paid for. They promised to take the case in hand, and expressed the hope that it might still be possible to recover the goods. They took leave of them promising to return in a definite time, but it was the last they ever heard or saw of them.
----------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, May 30, 1917
THE FIRST SETTLERS PART X1
More Facts Concerning the Schwartz Vicinity
In the years that the Schwartz party came to America, the fleecing of emigrants, especially those who were not familiar with the language of the country was a common occurrence. Scarcely an emigrant escaped without being duped or robbed in some way. This was indeed a hard lot, as nearly all were poor and had little to spare.
At Albany the Schwartz party embarked on a canal boat, going by the Erie canal to Lake Erie. Then they embarked on a lake steamer, crossing lakes Erie and Huron into Lake Michigan. At Sheboygan they were greeted by a number of Germans who invited them to disembark and make their homes among them. It was their set purpose, however, to proceed to Milwaukee to look up the Mr. Schultz who had written such glowing accounts to their native town. They found him living in a log hut with several attached board shanties. They enquired about the location of his palace of which he had written to his former neighbors. He informed them that the log house in which he lived was the palace in question. This took the bottom out of their illusion, and what they saw here, together with the memory of their fleecing on the boat, make them thoroughly homesick for the Fatherland. However, there was no returning for them and so they were determined to make the best of it. While the women and the children remained at the Schulz home, the men at once set out on a land-hunting expedition. According to directions they set out for the Fond du Lac land office which they reached in due time. They then selected and purchased that tract of land on which Charles Schwartz, grandson of Gottlieb Schwartz, now resides in the southeastern part of the town of Lomira. After looking up the land they at once returned to Milwaukee and brought the women, the children and the baggage to the land selected. They erected a rude hut and covered it with bark as a temporary shelter. The bark rolled up and afforded very poor shelter against the frequent heavy rains. In the month of August they had heavy thunderstorms nearly every night, so it was impossible to keep themselves and their goods from being thoroughly drenched repeatedly, before they were able to construct a more substantial roof and devise means to keep the rain from beating in at the sides.
The place where they settled was specially heavy timbered with dense underbrush and teemed with myriads of mosquitoes. Smudges were the only protection against this pest in those days. Besides their troubles with rain and mosquitoes, starvation stared them in the face, and this appeared to be the most formidable of the three difficulties with which they had to battle. They had brought with them some hard, dried up stale bread from the ship and some rancid butter, on this they lived until they could secure a little flour from Milwaukee. In order to lengthen out their supplies, each one's portion was measured out daily. They also secured a few potatoes and turnips. Instead of coffee they prepared a drink from roasted acorns of which there was an abundant supply. These too were used in limited quantities as an article of food to lengthen out their other limited supplies. Wild plums, cherries, berries and grapes which grew in abundance, they likewise utilized to the fullest extent. They also gathered a store of hazel nuts, bitter nuts, hickory nuts and butternuts. Even the fruit of the hawthorn and of the wild sour crab apple they utilized to the fullest extent.
------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday, June 27, 1917
THE FIRST SETTLERS PART XV
How the Schwartzes worked their way Upward
While these Brandenburg pioneers at first had no desire to ever increasing their land-holdings they in a few years changed their minds. In 1888 John Schwartz, the youngest son of Gottlieb Schwartz, alone owned 360 acres of choice land in prime condition.
In 1853 John Schwartz bought a four-horse power threshing machine, it being the fourth threshing machine then owned in the town of Lomira, the other three were owned by John Folts, Samuel Kinyon and Michael Zickerick. The Schwartz machine, like the Kinyon machine, did not separate the chaff from the wheat. The straw was raked out by hand and the chaff was cleaned out by a hand fanning mill. With this four horse power threshing machine they were able to thresh 500 bushels of wheat per day, and they charged five cents per bushel, besides their board and feed for their horses. Some years later the Schwartz brothers bought an eight-horse power machine, after a few years a ten-horse power machine, next a twelve-horse power machine, and finally one of the most modern separators run by one of the best steam tractors, threshing 1500 bushels of grain and over, per day, at two cents per bushel for oats and barley and three cents per bushel for wheat.
John Schwartz from his youth up was one of the hardest and most efficient workers in the town. He was a man of untiring energy and unsurpassed skill. Whatever he grappled with he proved himself master of the situation. For whomever the Schwartz brothers threshed they required breakfast to be served before daylight so that as soon as the day dawned the threshing could begin. Due to strict watchfulness and attention to every detail the machine seldom stopped except when meals or luncheon were served. Winters the machine was entirely overhauled so when the threshing season started it was in prime condition. Every morning early, everything was looked over to see that no nut was loose. Their reputation as master threshers spread far and wide and all that possibly could, tried hard to secure their services. They had to refuse many a job for want of time. Not infrequently they threshed evenings by moonlight, especially if there was hope of completing the job on that day, or even on nights when there was no moonshine and a storm was threatening, either for completing the job or at least for finishing a stack. I well recall how Mr. Schwartz had once promised a small farmer, Mr Delzer, that he would be at his place at about 5 p.m. and complete the job that evening. This Mr. Delzer had his help on hand at the appointed hour, but through some hindrance the machine did not arrive until after sun down. A number of the hands thought there would be no more threshing that evening and made ready to go home. They did not know the Schwartz brothers. John Schwartz informed them that within a half hour the threshing machine and horse power would be set up and the threshing would begin. As it was full moon there would be sufficient light to complete the job that night. All remained and a little after ten the work was completed, and the machine was moving on to the next neighbor according to schedule. This was not an isolated case; many similar cases might be cited.
From 1850-1853 wheat sold for 35 cents per bushel, and oats and barley from six to ten cents per bushel. Cows at that time could be bought at eight dollars per head and oxen at twenty dollars per yoke. In 1848 Gottlieb Schwartz paid two dollars to have a barrel of flour transported to his homestead from Mr. Foster's new mill opened that year at Mayville.
_________________________________________________
Nice video of the Stephenson County,IL Antique Engine Club's 12 Horse Sweep powered Case Threshing Machine.
Click here for video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpAezT9pHwo
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Taken from the Early Days in the Town of Lomira which was published in the Lomira Review: A.A. Roeseler, editor.
THE FIRST SETTLERS - Part X - Wednesday, May 23, 1917
Particulars concerning the Brandenburg Settlement in the Southeastern Town:
In a previous article I stated that the very first important German settlement in the town was made in the year 1847, or three years after the arrival of Samuel Kinyon, Gottlieb Schwartz, with his wife and his three sons, Carl, Fred and John; his son-in-law Carl Schmidt and wife; and his three neighbors Pade, Meckelburg and Tischer with their families, started from their home in Fuerstenfelde, Province and had heard letters read in the homes of some of their neighbors who had friends already living in America. From these letters they learned that the prospects for the man of limited means were much better in America than in Europe. A certain Schultz who had several years previously emigrated from Fuerstenfelde and had settled in Milwaukee, had written especially flowing accounts about his new home. He had pictured it as a veritable Paradise. He also stated that he had built a palace in which he and his family were living in a style that compared favorably with the nobility in Europe. As he had been a man of very limited means and very ordinary ability, they believed they ought to be able to do as well as he. There seemed little prospects indeed to better their circumstances in the Fatherland and so they longed to get to this land of Promise. They crossed the Atlantic in a sailing vessel and landed at New York, and they embarked on a river steamer for Albany. In these years the country was full of sharks whose sole occupation was to fleece the emigrants. This gang had experts that had mastered many foreign tongues. On the river steamer with the Schwartzes was also a large party of Norwegians.
Some sharks that mingled among the emigrants gave them to understand that religious services were to be held in a large room in the middle of the steamer, and that the laws of the land made it mandatory for every emigrant to be present at these services. As soon as all the emigrants had assembled in this apartment the doors were closed, but there were no signs of the holding of services. Then when some tried to open the door they found them all barred. When after awhile the doors were again thrown open they found that their chests had been broken open, and their best wearing apparel, boots and shoes and other articles of value missing. A number who had concealed their money and other valuables among their clothing found that also gone, to their sorrow. You may imagine how these poor people felt under these circumstances in a strange land and among strange people. All their efforts failed to locate the stolen goods and the robbers. Only Gottlieb Schwartz found one of the shoes belonging to his family near the engineer's station. He picked up and held it under the engineer's nose, vehemently gesticulating and demanding in loud and angry words the return of his stolen goods. The engineer replied "nichts versteh", seized the shoe and stuck it into Mr. Schwartz's coat pocket, intimating by gestures and facial expression to keep mum or else he might lose the other shoe also.
After the boat had made several landings, several well dressed, fine looking men came and conversed the emigrants in broken German and Norsk. They appeared very sympathetic and friendly, and so the emigrants told them their tale of woe. These men advised the emigrants to keep the matter quiet until they landed in Albany, and that they would give them every assistance possible to find the perpetrators and to bring them to justice. It was their special work to ferret out such matters. But to succeed it was absolutely necessary not to speak of this matter to any one, and also not to mention a syllable of the offered help. When they arrived at Albany their sympathetic friends had vanished, but other stately looking men came to greet them in their native tongue. To them they related what had happened on the ship and also the proffered help of the men who could not be found. These men informed them that they should have refused to leave the ship until an official investigation had been made and their goods had been returned or paid for. They promised to take the case in hand, and expressed the hope that it might still be possible to recover the goods. They took leave of them promising to return in a definite time, but it was the last they ever heard or saw of them.
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Wednesday, May 30, 1917
THE FIRST SETTLERS PART X1
More Facts Concerning the Schwartz Vicinity
In the years that the Schwartz party came to America, the fleecing of emigrants, especially those who were not familiar with the language of the country was a common occurrence. Scarcely an emigrant escaped without being duped or robbed in some way. This was indeed a hard lot, as nearly all were poor and had little to spare.
At Albany the Schwartz party embarked on a canal boat, going by the Erie canal to Lake Erie. Then they embarked on a lake steamer, crossing lakes Erie and Huron into Lake Michigan. At Sheboygan they were greeted by a number of Germans who invited them to disembark and make their homes among them. It was their set purpose, however, to proceed to Milwaukee to look up the Mr. Schultz who had written such glowing accounts to their native town. They found him living in a log hut with several attached board shanties. They enquired about the location of his palace of which he had written to his former neighbors. He informed them that the log house in which he lived was the palace in question. This took the bottom out of their illusion, and what they saw here, together with the memory of their fleecing on the boat, make them thoroughly homesick for the Fatherland. However, there was no returning for them and so they were determined to make the best of it. While the women and the children remained at the Schulz home, the men at once set out on a land-hunting expedition. According to directions they set out for the Fond du Lac land office which they reached in due time. They then selected and purchased that tract of land on which Charles Schwartz, grandson of Gottlieb Schwartz, now resides in the southeastern part of the town of Lomira. After looking up the land they at once returned to Milwaukee and brought the women, the children and the baggage to the land selected. They erected a rude hut and covered it with bark as a temporary shelter. The bark rolled up and afforded very poor shelter against the frequent heavy rains. In the month of August they had heavy thunderstorms nearly every night, so it was impossible to keep themselves and their goods from being thoroughly drenched repeatedly, before they were able to construct a more substantial roof and devise means to keep the rain from beating in at the sides.
The place where they settled was specially heavy timbered with dense underbrush and teemed with myriads of mosquitoes. Smudges were the only protection against this pest in those days. Besides their troubles with rain and mosquitoes, starvation stared them in the face, and this appeared to be the most formidable of the three difficulties with which they had to battle. They had brought with them some hard, dried up stale bread from the ship and some rancid butter, on this they lived until they could secure a little flour from Milwaukee. In order to lengthen out their supplies, each one's portion was measured out daily. They also secured a few potatoes and turnips. Instead of coffee they prepared a drink from roasted acorns of which there was an abundant supply. These too were used in limited quantities as an article of food to lengthen out their other limited supplies. Wild plums, cherries, berries and grapes which grew in abundance, they likewise utilized to the fullest extent. They also gathered a store of hazel nuts, bitter nuts, hickory nuts and butternuts. Even the fruit of the hawthorn and of the wild sour crab apple they utilized to the fullest extent.
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Wednesday, June 27, 1917
THE FIRST SETTLERS PART XV
How the Schwartzes worked their way Upward
While these Brandenburg pioneers at first had no desire to ever increasing their land-holdings they in a few years changed their minds. In 1888 John Schwartz, the youngest son of Gottlieb Schwartz, alone owned 360 acres of choice land in prime condition.
In 1853 John Schwartz bought a four-horse power threshing machine, it being the fourth threshing machine then owned in the town of Lomira, the other three were owned by John Folts, Samuel Kinyon and Michael Zickerick. The Schwartz machine, like the Kinyon machine, did not separate the chaff from the wheat. The straw was raked out by hand and the chaff was cleaned out by a hand fanning mill. With this four horse power threshing machine they were able to thresh 500 bushels of wheat per day, and they charged five cents per bushel, besides their board and feed for their horses. Some years later the Schwartz brothers bought an eight-horse power machine, after a few years a ten-horse power machine, next a twelve-horse power machine, and finally one of the most modern separators run by one of the best steam tractors, threshing 1500 bushels of grain and over, per day, at two cents per bushel for oats and barley and three cents per bushel for wheat.
John Schwartz from his youth up was one of the hardest and most efficient workers in the town. He was a man of untiring energy and unsurpassed skill. Whatever he grappled with he proved himself master of the situation. For whomever the Schwartz brothers threshed they required breakfast to be served before daylight so that as soon as the day dawned the threshing could begin. Due to strict watchfulness and attention to every detail the machine seldom stopped except when meals or luncheon were served. Winters the machine was entirely overhauled so when the threshing season started it was in prime condition. Every morning early, everything was looked over to see that no nut was loose. Their reputation as master threshers spread far and wide and all that possibly could, tried hard to secure their services. They had to refuse many a job for want of time. Not infrequently they threshed evenings by moonlight, especially if there was hope of completing the job on that day, or even on nights when there was no moonshine and a storm was threatening, either for completing the job or at least for finishing a stack. I well recall how Mr. Schwartz had once promised a small farmer, Mr Delzer, that he would be at his place at about 5 p.m. and complete the job that evening. This Mr. Delzer had his help on hand at the appointed hour, but through some hindrance the machine did not arrive until after sun down. A number of the hands thought there would be no more threshing that evening and made ready to go home. They did not know the Schwartz brothers. John Schwartz informed them that within a half hour the threshing machine and horse power would be set up and the threshing would begin. As it was full moon there would be sufficient light to complete the job that night. All remained and a little after ten the work was completed, and the machine was moving on to the next neighbor according to schedule. This was not an isolated case; many similar cases might be cited.
From 1850-1853 wheat sold for 35 cents per bushel, and oats and barley from six to ten cents per bushel. Cows at that time could be bought at eight dollars per head and oxen at twenty dollars per yoke. In 1848 Gottlieb Schwartz paid two dollars to have a barrel of flour transported to his homestead from Mr. Foster's new mill opened that year at Mayville.
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Nice video of the Stephenson County,IL Antique Engine Club's 12 Horse Sweep powered Case Threshing Machine.
Click here for video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpAezT9pHwo
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