Lake County IN Archives Biographies.....Scherer, Nichols 1830 - 
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Author: T. H. Ball (1904)

HON. NICHOLS SCHERER.

    Hon. Nichols Scherer has for many years figured prominently in public
affairs and business circles in northwestern Indiana, and his history is a
notable one in that he came to this state empty-handed and in humble capacity
entered business life. If those who claim that fortune favors certain
individuals will but examine into the life record of such men as Mr. Scherer
they will learn that it is not circumstance or environment, but indefatigable
energy and industry that form the basis of all success. Mr. Scherer, recognizing
that each day held its duty and its opportunity, worked on steadily, performing
to the best of his ability each task that came to him, and now after many years
of residence in Indiana he is numbered among the substantial citizens and
leaders in Lake county. He makes his home at Schererville, which was named in
his honor, and of which town he is the founder and promoter.

    Mr. Scherer was born in Prussia, Germany, on the 29th of June, 1830, and
came to America with his parents, John and Mary Scherer, in 1846. They landed at
New York city, where they remained for about four weeks, and thence proceeded
westward by steamer and canal boat to Chicago, and on to St. John township, Lake
county, settling in the town of St. John. The father died about 1865, aged one
hundred and three years and the mother died about 1870, aged ninety-nine years.
The father died in Dyer and the mother died in Schererville, and both parents
are interred in St. John's cemetery in one grave.

    Mr. Scherer began working for the state of Indiana as swamp-land ditcher and
was afterward appointed land commissioner, which position he held until he
became connected with railroad interests. He went from St. John to Dyer in the
capacity of landlord, and in the latter place was engaged in the hotel business,
as well as railroading. He remained there for about nine years, on the
expiration of which period he was engaged on the construction of the Panhandle
Railroad, then called the Chicago & Great Eastern. He was head boss on the road
from Richmond, Indiana, to Chicago, having charge of the building and the
repairing and also running all kinds of trains. He located at what is now
Schererville in 1865, being at that time connected with the Great Eastern
Railroad, and he remained with the company for twelve years.

    In the meantime he purchased the land upon which Schererville now stands,
laid out the town, and it was named in his honor. He has been a resident here
for almost forty years. He was with the Pan Handle Railroad, which is now a part
of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, and during that time he also built a part
of the Michigan Central Railroad at Union City, Michigan, and a part of the
Eastern Illinois Railroad, of the Wabash Rail-rod, and the Milwaukee & St. Paul
Railroad, also constructing what is known as the Joliet cutoff, now a part of
the Michigan Central Railroad. At the same time he was engaged in the sand
business, shipping sand from Schererville, and in this he still continues. He
likewise dealt in real estate, and carried on farming, and thus extending his
energies to many lines of business activity he conducted important interests,
which proved to him lucrative and made him one of the substantial citizens of
northwestern Indiana.

    Mr. Scherer has been a resident of Lake county for fifty-eight years, and is
well known in this part of the state, his labors being of a character that have
contributed to the development and improvement of the state, as well as to his
individual prosperity. Outside of the strict path of business he has also proved
a helpful factor in interests for the general good, and has cooperated in many
movements which have for their object the welfare of the general public. His
political allegiance has always been given to the Democracy. and he has served
as road superintendent and as constable. He was also swampland commissioner and
for one term represented his district in the state legislature, where he gave
loyal support to all bills which he believed contained measures for benefit to
the commonwealth.

    While residing in St. John Mr. Scherer was united in marriage to Miss
Francisco Uhlenbrock, who was born in Germany October 10, 1833. They became the
parents of seven children, but only three are now living: Anna, the wife of
Nicholas Schaefer; Maggie, the wife of Adam Gerlach, who is mentioned elsewhere
in this volume; and Teressa, the widow of Jacob Austgen. There are now
thirty-three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Mr. Scherer and his
family are members of the St. Michael's Catholic church. No history of this
community would be complete without mention of Mr. Scherer, for, coming to this
section of the state at an early period in its development, he is now numbered
among the honored pioneers, his mind bearing the impress of the historic annals
of the county. He can relate many interesting incidents of those primitive times
as well as of the later-day progress and improvement, and moreover he has played
so prominent and helpful a part in the substantial upbuilding of the county that
his name is inseparably interwoven with its history.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF
Genealogy and Biography
OF
LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA,
WITH A COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY 
1834—1904

A Record of the Achievements of Its People in the Making of a Commonwealth and
the Founding of a Nation.

REV. T. H. BALL
OF CROWN POINT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO   NEW YORK
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1904


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