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Francis Schifferdecker |
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Francis Schifferdecker, One of the early settlers of southwestern
Illinois, now living in Red Bud Precinct, is a native of Baden, Germany.
He was born in 1829 and is a son of Joseph and Teresa (Bopp)
Schifferdecker, both of who were also natives of Baden. In 1933,
when our subject was a lad of four summers, they crossed the Atlantic to
America, landing in Baltimore, Md. Their first location was in
York County, Pa., and they lived in the Keystone State and in Maryland
for seven years. In 1840 they cast in their lot with the early
settlers of Monroe County, Ill., settling eight miles south of Waterloo,
where they reared their family of six children. Catherine and Mary
both died in Monroe County, leaving families. Our subject is the
next younger. Teresa died in Monroe County, leaving a husband and
a family of children to mourn her loss. George is now a well-to-do
farmer of Carroll County, Mo. Barbara is the wife of Otto Wagner,
of Randolph County. The father of this family became one of the
leading citizens of Monroe County, and before his death accumulated a
valuable property. He passed away t the age of fifty-seven.
Both he and wife were active members of the Catholic Church and reared
their family in that faith.
Francis Schifferdecker spent the days of his boyhood and youth upon the old homestead, and when a young man started out in life for himself, following the pursuit to which he was reared. He purchased a farm of two hundred and forty acres in Monroe Countym and as a companion and helpmate on life's journey chose Miss L., daughter of Lenhart Wagner, of St. Clair County. Their union was celebrated in 1855, and upon the farm which the husband had purchased they began their domestic life, making it their home until 1864, when he removed to Burksville and engaged in merchandising until 1866, when they removed to the farm upon which our subject is now living. In 1868 the wife died, leaving a family of seven small children, as follows: George, who was married in 1893 to Miss Anna Burgmann; Otto, deceased; Catherine, wife of Joseph Siegfried, of Randolph County; A. Elizabeth, wife of Richard Pittmann, of Carroll County, Mo.; Lidwien, wife of Frank Keres, of Randolph County; Joseph and John. Mr. Schifferdecker has been a second time married, this union being with Lidwien La Forge, by whom he has eight children: Frank; Matilda, wife of Dr. Meyer, of Evansville; Henry, Mary, Teresa, Ellen, Clarence and Walter. The farm on which Mr. Schifferdecker resides comprises one hundred and sixty-three acres of highly improved land. He at one time owned over twelve hundred acres, but has given to his children considerable amounts. He and his family are all members of the Catholic Church, and in politics he is a stanch Democrat. For some time he has been officially connected with the schools of this community, and the cause of education finds in him a warm friend. He is recognized as one of the progressive citizens of the county and is truly a self-made man, for what he has accomplished is the result of his own efforts, and the prosperity which he now enjoys is the reward of untiring labor. |