Marshall County KS Archives Biographies.....Schmidt, Mathias M. 1876 - living in 1917 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ks/ksfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com July 21, 2005, 11:11 pm Author: B. F. Bowen MATHIAS M. SCHMIDT. The Hon. Mathias M. Schmidt, representative from the fortieth district in the Kansas Legislature, a former educator and banker, who is now actively engaged in the insurance business in the village of Home, is a native of the state of Wisconsin, but has been a resident of Marshall county since he was three years of age. He was born at Port Washington, Wisconsin, July 8, 1876, son of Michael and Mary (Molitor) Schmidt, natives of Europe, both born in the grand duchy of Luxemburg, the former of whom, an honored veteran of the Civil War, spent his last days in this county and the latter of whom is still living, now making her home at Marysville, an honored pioneer of this county. Michael Schmidt was twice married. By his first marriage he was the father of three children and by his second marriage was the father of ten children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the firstborn and all of whom are living. Michael Schmidt was born in Luxemburg on December 25, 1837, and was but twelve years of age when he came to this country with his parents, the family settling in Wisconsin, wliere Michael was reared on a farm. Upon attaining his majority he went to Illinois, where he began working for George B. Reynolds, who, upon the breaking out of the Civil War, organized the Sixty-fourth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was made the colonel of the same. Michael Schmidt enlisted in that command and served from 1861 until 1863, when he received his discharge on account of deafness contracted in service. This command was attached to the Army of the West and Mr. Schmidt saw service at the engagement of Island No. 10, at the battle of Shiloh, at Ft. Donelson, at Pittsburg Landing and at Ft. Henry. Upon the completion of his military service he returned to Wisconsin, married there and located at Sheboygan, where he was engaged in buying grain until 1879, when he came to Kansas with his family and settled in Herkimer township, this county, where he homesteaded a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of raw prairie land and established his home. There he lived for seven or eight years, at the end of which time he moved farther east in that same township and there spent the rest of his life, his death occurring on June 8, 1913. His widow, who was born in Luxemburg on August 2, 1850, and who was but nine months of age when her parents came to this country, the family settling in Wisconsin, still survives and is now making her home at Marysville. Mathias M. Schmidt was reared on the home farm in Herkimer township, receiving his early schooling in the district school in the neighborhood of his home and supplemented the same by a- course in the old Modern Normal School at Marysville, after which, in 1896, he began teaching school in Oketo township and for five years thereafter was engaged as a teacher in the district schools of Marshall county. He then for three years served as principal of the schools at Herkimer, one year as principal of the Oketo schools and two years as principal of the schools at Home. In 1902, Mr. Schmidt took a course at the Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois. On 1907 he organized the Citizens State Bank of Home, was elected cashier of the same and served in that capacity for seven years, at the end of which time he resigned that position and has ever since been very successfully engaged in the insurance business at Home. Mr. Schmidt retains his stock in the Citizens State Bank and takes an active and influential interest in the general business of his home town and of the county at large. He is a Democrat and in 1914 was elected to represent the fortieth Kansas representative district in the state Legislature, his services in the House being of large benefit not only to his district, but to the state at large. Mr. Schmidt is a member of the Kansas State Historical Society, an active member of the National Geographic Society and a member of the Kansas Academy of Science. He has the largest and finest library in Marshall county and for years has been accounted as one of the leaders in the cultural activities of this part of the state. On December 11, 1906, Mathias M. Schmidt was united in marriage to Nellie Thomas, who was born in Franklin township, this county, March 9, 1882, daughter of Joshua and Margaret (Francis) Thomas, natives of Wales, who came to this country in the seventies and settled at Madison, Wisconsin, moving thence, in 1880, to Kansas and settling in Franklin township, this county. A few years later Joshua Thomas moved to the village of Home, where he engaged in the mercantile business and there spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring on January 19, 1905, he then being about sixty years of age. His widow is now living at Marysville. Nellie Thomas was graduated from the high school at Chillicothe, Missouri, took a special course in music and was engaged in teaching in this county at the time of her marriage to Mr. Schmidt. To that union three children have been born, Victor Hugo, Carol M. and Mary M. The Schmidts have a very pleasant home at Home and take a proper interest in the community's general social activities, helpful in promoting all worthy causes thereabout. Additional Comments: Extracted from: History of Marshall County, Kansas: its people, industries, and institutions by Emma E. Forter Indianapolis, Ind.: B.F. Bowen & Co. (1917) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ks/marshall/bios/schmidt57bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ksfiles/ File size: 6.0 Kb