Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Schmitz, Fred 1852 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 24, 2006, 11:56 pm Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908) FRED SCHMITZ is one of the successful farmers of Willmont township. His farm consists of 240 acres of land on sections 28 and 29, upon which he has lived for more than a quarter of a century. He is a German by birth, having been born in Cologne Sept. 14, 1852. His father, Peter Schmitz, was born in 1812 and died in Germany Nov. 3, 1880. His mother, Agnes (Paas) Schmitz, was born in 1820 and died in September, 1902. During the first thirty years of his life Fred Schmitz lived on his father's farm in Germany. Excluded from this should be the years 1872-75, when he was with the German army stationed at Posen. As a result of the advertising of the Catholic Colony company, which settled western Nobles county, Mr. Schmitz decided to leave his native country and seek a home in Nobles county, Minnesota, about which the advertising told in such glowing terms. It was on the 24th day of July, 1882, that Mr. Schmitz landed in New York and five days later when, he arrived in Adrian. He at once bought the southwest quarter of section 28, Willmont township,—the homestead of Daniel Fritz—paying for that and two yoke of oxen the sum of $450. Upon that land he builded his home, and there he has resided ever since. He added to his real estate holdings by the purchase of the south half of the southeast quarter of section 29 in 1890. In the business and political life of the community in which he lives Mr. Schmitz has always taken an important part. He is clerk of school district No. 66, and has held the office fifteen years. For seven or eight years he served as a member of the Willmont board of supervisors. In company with Emil Graf and Roman Hartman, Mr. Schmitz some twelve years ago organized the Willmont Fire Insurance company, one of the strong financial concerns of Nobles county. Mr. Schmitz has held the office of director of the company ever since it was organized. The company does practically all of the fire insurance business in seventeen townships in Nobles, Rock and Murray counties. Mr. Schmitz was married in Adrian Jan. 11, 1886, to Mary Studeny, born in Minneapolis Nov. 1, 1868. She is the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Studeny. Her father died in 1902, her mother in 1905. To Mr. and Mrs. Schmitz have been born the following children, all of whom live at home: Fred W.3 born Aug. 17, 1888; Peter Joseph, born May 1, 1890; Josephine Maria, born April 17, 1892; Lizzie Kolp, born Dec. 30, 1894; William John, born July 9, 1897; Joseph Peter, born August 9, 1900; Mary Theresia, born July 25, 1903; Lena Maria, born Dec. 1, 1905; John, born May 4, 1908. The family are members of the Catholic church of St. Kilian. Additional Comments: Extracted from: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY MINNESOTA BY ARTHUR P. ROSE NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA PUBLISHERS 1908 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mn/nobles/bios/schmitz193gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mnfiles/ File size: 3.4 Kb