| Notes |
- http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/c/h/Jim-Schafer/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0001.html
Notes for Michael John Schafer:
My Dad, "A Little Of My Life History: As told to Sister Charlene in an interview, with John also in attendance.
I am one of twelve children in the family.I was born in the year 1896, 12th of February.My father, Johannes Schafer, was a blacksmith by trade.He blacksmithed from the time he was married until the year 1902.At that time he decided to go out into the country to farm instead.There was not too much in blacksmithing--there were about 12 other blacksmiths in the colony of Speier, which had a population of about 10,000.The colony of Speier had no railroad going through it and no boat service.Before my father had to enter into the service (military), the war had ended , so he didn't have to go.But they definately decided to leave for America to get away from militarism.
(Editor's note: The Colony of Speier is located in the Province of Kherson, 106 versts from the Capital of Odessa and 4 versts from the border of the Landau district.The Beresan River divides the Colony.The first settlers were from the Rhine region of Germany.The main occupation of the settlers was agriculture and ranching.There are many familiar names in the roster of the first settlers of the Colony, however, this writer was not able to authenticate or trace any of these family names.The family names include Frohlich, Gerhardt, Buhlinger, Wetzstein, Wagner, Stockert, Schaf, Vogel, Keller, and Kunz, to name a few.One name in particular was that of Michael Schafer, age 60, son of Michael, from Bietigheim, Baden.Wife's name Margaretha nee Herdwick.One son listed as Michael age 26, wife Angela nee Weisgerber.Again this writer is not able to draw any authenticated ties to this Schafer family, but one would believe that there is relationship.Source of editor's information is "The German Colonies In South Russia 1804 to1904, Volume II"by Rev. Conrad Keller)
They had three boys then, me, Michael, my brother Louis, and the baby Jerome.So in the fall of 1907 they sold out all of their belongings.After we had our sale, we moved into the Colony of Speier to straighten out all of our bills.We had a house there and some debts left over.So we sold the house also and got the tickets to Mandan, North Dakota.We bought the tickets from the officials there in Speier.Two of our uncles, Uncle Steve and Uncle Valentine took us to the City of Odessa.They took us with the team of horses, and two wagons filled with all our belongings.We had bedding, clothing and some provisions of food for on the way.It took us two days and a night to get to Odessa.Then we boarded a train and traveled another night and two days before we reached Antwerp, Belgium, where we would embark for the United States.We had to wait there for three days for the boat that was supposed to take us across the big pond. But on account of a storm on the ocean that boat never got there.Plans were changed therefore so that a smaller boat, a freighter, was prepared to take on the passengers.This freighter would take quite a bit longer to get across.In all we were 13 days on the "Big Pond".Two of these 13 days were so stormy that we just stood still, not moving in any direction until the storm had subsided. Then we had a shipwreck on the big pond.The crew of the boat had gone on the wrong side of an island and hit a rock, causing a leak in the freighter.It was damaged quite badly, we were up to our ankles in the water in our rooms on the boat.There were 600 families on this large boat: counting the children, I'd say there were about 2,000 persons besides the crew.This happened about 3 o'clock in the morning and it was quite a commotion.Everyone was afraid this was the last of us. (Editor's Note:Dad told me that the crew and capitan had been celebrating that night and left an inexperienced crew member in charge of navagation.When the ship ran aground, the capitan and crew sobered up in a hurry.)There were some fisherman on the island.With their help, the crew ran the boat up on the beach, shot some cables over onto the island.These were caught by the fishermen and tied around the trees to steady the boat until the men on board could bail out the water and mend the leak.A ferry was made--all the mothers and children and, and the men last, were taken by rowboat to the island.A few of the people were guided to leave the boat by way of a ladder made of rope down the side of the ship, to get them off more quickly.My brother Louie, and I were among this group.We were put on a small steamer and taken to another station.It took us about two or three hours to get to that station.There we boarded a train,about 200 of us, and were taken then to the destination that we had intended to make with the freighter: Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada.It took us about seven or eight hours to get there.Our mother and father, brother Jerome, and older sister Mary Eve and younger sister Perpetua(Sr. Magdelen), were on another boat which took them three days to get to Halifax, because they had gone by a round about way on water to get there.
(Editor's Note: Dad told me that he and Louie were very afraid that they would not see their parents or family again.He said that Louie cried and cried, but he knew he had to be brave and take care of Louie. On the third day when they were reunited with their parents, he said, "When I saw my dad, then I cried!")
In Halifax we boarded a train, the Great Northern, which routed us down to St. Paul, Mn, where we changed to the Northern Pacific and started on the last leg of our journey to our destination marked on our tickets: Mandan, North Dakota.
When we got to Mandan, dad ran across a friend who had left Speier five years previously and made his way to Mandan.Dad asked him if he knew Adam Wetzstein, my dad's school friend.He said yes, I know Adam, he works at the hardware store of Hegarts.He took us to Adam Wetzstein's where there was a happy reunion, then immediately he ordered a drayman to get our belongings from the depot.We all got on too and went to his home.We lived in the Wetzsteins' basement for two weeks.In the meantime, father found many more acquaintances of his that had moved over from Speier, among then was Adam Schaff, from Odense, Paul Schaff's father.Adam Schaff had just built a new house that summer and had vacated his sod house.It was still liveable, so Adam Schaff came in with his team and wagon, loaded us up and took us out there to our first home in America, the sod house.We lived in that sod house until the 24th day of February.Then we moved to Fallon and lived with a cousin of Adam Schaffs'.That Fall, October of 1908, we moved into the stone house where I lived with my parents, brothers and sisters, until being called to the military service, because of World War I.I was stationed in Camp Custer, Battle Creek Michigan.I was in the service just a little over seven months, then the war was over, and I came home.***
By this time I was 23 years old.I decided to start in life myself.The family was used to me not being there to help with the farm work.I heard of a girl in Haliday, North Dakota, that she was available, from her Aunt, Emelia Pfaff.My mother went up there to see about it.When she had looked into the situation, she made the arrangements.Then on July 7, 1919, we were married in Richardton, at the Benedict Abbey.The parish priest at Haliday was then on vacation, and Richardton was the nearest parish.
I had already bought a farm.We moved right into our own house in Grant County.The following year, March 30, 1920, our first son, Leo, was born.We lived on that same first place until 1924.Things were very poor, very rough, crops were bad, so we couldn't make our payments on the farm, so we lost the first place.So we rented a farm close by where we stayed until 1926.We had pretty fair crops during that time, and I was able to buy another place.I bought a half section of land and just raw prairie.Then I bought an old house and granary and another small building in the area.During the winter I moved it up there to my land.In the spring of 1927, I moved into that place then, the place which is now owned by my son, Adam.My son Pete was the first child born there in '27.In 1929, through a faulty chimney, our house caught fire in the spring of the year, just before springs work, and burned to the ground.I was just getting grain ready, cleaning it, with the help of my brother-in-law, Matt Vogel and my brother Valentine.We saved only a few scraps of bedding and furniture, but not very much, most everything was gone.So we lived in the granery, a pretty good sized, fairly new building.Then we built a new house, the one that is on the place now.
In September of that year, 1929, our son John was born, in that new house, just before I had the furnace installed.I remember it was pretty cold already, in that September.The Sunday after he was born, I had the furnace already there, so I obtained a man, Gabe Hoffman, Bob Hoffman's brother, to help me install the furnace, so as to obtain heat and comfort into the house.
In August 20, 1931, our son Richard was born.He was the last one to be born on the farm.After that the Doctors changed their habits, they did not go out into the country anymore.They had a maternity home in Flasher.Mary Lou, our second daughter, was the first to be born in the maternity home (of our children).The home was operated by Mrs. Tomlin at that time.The doctor was Dr. DeMolley.By the time our third daughter, Margie was born, Mrs. Emelia Pfaff was running the maternity home.Virginia and Jim were likewise born at Mrs. Pfaff's maternity home.
School.We had trouble all the while with school.Our children had to go out of the district where we lived, we lived in Weeks Township, but they went to Otter Creek Township school. It was closer and a pretty fair road ran from our home to it.It was two and a half miles to Otter Creek school, five and a half miles to the Weeks school and no road at all.So I had to battle with the school district.Our township officials did not want to pay any tuition for our children--which is the government policy for public schools -- to the Otter Creek Township.And the Otter Creek officials needed that money to pay their taxes and their teachers' scholarships, and expenses of upkeep.But in the end, since they could not provide a road, they finally let our children go to the nearer school.We wanted all the children to have some time in Catholic school, taught by Sisters, so Leo and Otto went to St. Peter and Paul School in Fallon, for a year in preparation for their First Holy Communion.When Sister Charlene (Caroline) was eight years old she went to St. Nicholas school in Garrison, and stayed with Grandma Fix,Pete and Adam were prepared by the Sisters who taught Catechism in the summer months.BenedictineSisters.John went to the Benedictine Abbey School in Richardton during his high school years.Richard, Mary Lou, and Margie went to St. Anthony's boarding school.Flasher had its own parochial school, St. Lawrence Elementary school, by the time our two youngest, Virginia and Jim started to school.Otto and Caroline, (Sister Charlene), went to Flasher Public High School.Otto finished there, but Sister went to St. Mary's Central High School in Bismarck in her senior year, and graduated there.Leo, Pete and Adam did not have high school, but studied on their own.Otto and Leo enlisded in the government CCC Program and gained some experiences in Custer South Dakota.Leo was then drafted into the Army...On December 7, 1941.On his birthday, March 30, 1942, when he was just 21 years old, he left us for the service.Otto, Adam and Pete were also drafted.But because of having quite a bit of farming work at that time, I succeeded in getting them deferred, to help me on the farm.But Leo stayed in.....
After Sister Charlene (Caroline) was graduated from high school, she stayed home one year, and then the following fall she went to the Convent.She saw an ad in the Sunday Visitor about the Missionary Sisters, Servants of the Holy Spirit, in Techny, Illinois.She wrote for information and arranged everything, then talked it over with her mother.Then they came to me.She had to have a physical examination and have her teeth and eyes taken care of, everything in tip-top shape, otherewise she would not be accepted.So we took care of that and she entered then in September, 1943. (Sr. Charlene: "I left on August 29 and stayed overnight at Stanley and Rose Pfaff's that night.Stanley took me to the Greyhound bus station on a rainy Tuesday morning.I arrived at Convent of the Holy Spirit, Septmeber 1, 1943 at 9:00 P.M., having walked two miles from the deserted shack of a railroad station that is Techny RR station.)
She was there, as a postulant for a year,her health was not so good...she was taking treatments for her knees (which had been injured in a accident on the farm--the stairs all around the Convent proved too much of an aggravation of the still unhealed tissues). In the Spring of 1944 she had a chance to come home for a visit.She sacrificed her only chance to come home once again (as a prayer that God would let her keep her vocation.)The doctor had advised that she be dismissed.But the Sisters made a novena to the Founder of her Order to heal her knees so that she could be admitted.He did, and she was accepted after all.
Leo had been in several army training camps here in the country - Texas and New Jersey. In the winter of early 1945 he was sent to England.(He stopped in Chicago, so he made his way out to Techny to see Sister Schafer (as Caroline was called as a postulant.)When they said Good-bye after a very short tour and the taxi came for him, little did she dream that it was the last time they would see each other in this life.June the 6th, Leo went with his fellow infantry men into France for the big battle of World War II.We learned later that volunteers were asked for to take a message across dangerous territory and Leo volunteered.They had all been given General Absolution before their departure into battle.Leo was shot and killed, while on his mission.He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, for his courage.He fell on the battlefield June 9th, 1945.It took quite a while until the official notification came to us.We were just ready to get into the car for a trip toTechny to rejoice with Sister Charlene on her acceptance into the Order as a novice when the telegram arrived.It was with heavy, heavy hearts that we drovethe 1000 miles to Techny, to our oldest daughter's investment, having just lost our oldest son, Leo in war.Joy, Sorrow, and another milestone also had to be marked on the day after our daughter became a nun.It was our ttwenty-fifth wedding anniversary July 7, 1945.A three-way celebration: our life together for 25 years, the death of our first-born son and our first born daughter's consecration of her life to God's Service in the Religious life as she received the white veil of a novice Missionary Sister Servant of the Holy Spirit.We renewed our vows of marriage.It was a hard day for us.But life must go on.We had to bear it all and continue.
Sister Charlene: "When did you serve as a policeman"?
Dad: I started out in 1949, just helping on holidays and weekends, when the chief was gone on sick leave or vacation.I was on duty 24 hours a day.Started the Watkins business in about 1955, and was with it about 4 years, then Mom got sick and I stayed around home or close by.In the year 1954, I hired out to the State Industrial School, the Reform School near Mandan.I was with this school for about 13 months, then Mom got a heart-attack, and I resigned from the school and stayed in town.For awhile I was a part-time rural mail carrier--a substitute for my son John, who was the regular carrier.This was for about 3 years.Bill Shearer was the postmaster.
My son John followed in my footsteps in the law, becoming the magistrate judge of Flasher, until the town council changed the police system, and the judicial system was transferred to Mandan, the county seat.
Sr. Charlene: " you mentioned to me once that you did some interperting once for some Russian people who came to the US to attain citizenship.Could you tell me about that"?
Dad: I had entered the service on June 22, 1918.When the American officials were questioning the non-citizen members of the Army at Battle Creek, in a very officious kind of language and these German-Russians who had come over just as I did, as immigrants, but had never taken out citizenship papers, could not understand them.One of the officers asked them if they knew anybody who could talk English and also Russian.So they told him, "Yes, our foreman Mike Schafer can talk both languages."So he wrote out a note and sent one of them to take it to the commanding officer, who then put a man in my place in the blacksmith shop, and told me to go down to the office and be interperter for those men. So I went down, and told the men, in Russian, -- "This man is going to ask me a question, then I will ask you.Answer anything, say anything you want to, and I'll give hem the right answer, and We'll fix this out.Don't go to laughin' tho, and make a joke out of it, see?"So the official asked me, and I asked the men in Russian, then gave the answer in English to the Questioner.They were not required to know too much.They asked them, who the mayor of their town where they lived was, who the president was, what they expected from this country... So in just a short time, they were made citizens.Seven men.This was at Camp Custer, in 1918, August."Where did you learn Russian?, the questioner asked me.In Russia, I told him. " When did you come to this country?" I told him, "In 1907, when I was 11 years old." Next he asked, When I became a US Citizen? I told him I was not yet 18 years old when my father had his homestead approved.That was in 1912, November 19th.If you wish to verify my statement, you can call the Morton County Clerk of Court.His name is John Hendmann.He will tell you.I interpreted for my father at the time of his becoming a citizen, because he did not know the American language.So I became a citizen along with him because I was still a minor.The official did make the call to Mandan to Mr. Hendmann. He went to the records, took down the book and found the 1912 recordings.he then answered: "Yes, Michael J. Schafer became a US citizen on November 19, 1912."So the official said, "I guess you know what you're talking about.
When the flu broke out in 1916, I had been in the blacksmith shop right from the beginning of my Army experiences.In October it got pretty bad.I had 104 men under my charge.I had 52 forges there and two men at each forge.This was in a long building, very drafty.One morning only about 15 of the 104 men came back to work, the rest were all sick with the flu, and we had a lot of work to get out .Prior to that I had been occupied with showing the men how to put the shoes on straight, on the foot of the animal, and when they had trouble with a horse or mule, I helped them.I'd out a cinch under them and kinda get the animal under control so he would mind, then they'd be able to shoe them.We had one stanchion for real bad ones.If we had trouble we'd put them into that stanchion with vices that could be clamped to their feet and screwed securely.So on this day when so many of the men did not report for work, but had to report to the infirmary and were put on sick list instead, and into the hospital, then I pitched in and helped those fifteen men that were left.I worked up a sweat and in that drafty building, caught a cold and came down with the flu myself.The next morning, I had to report to the infirmary with the papers of my record.the waiting list was long and while I was waiting I keeled over.So they pinned my papers to me, put me on a stretcher, into an ambulance and took me to the base hospital.There were so many coming into the base hospital that they did not have time to give them very good care.So, as soon as they saw I was unconscious and delirious, they figured there was no use bothering with him, so they put me in a storage room and left me to die.And there I was.But even with the high fever I had, I was determined to live, so I held on.I was there for two days without any attendance what-so-ever.Then when they saw, after two days that I was still alive, they took me inside and starting caring for me.Naturally I had developed double pneumonia.I couldn't write or do anything, but I had my identification with me, and from this they saw that I was a Catholic, so they called a priest.The Chaplain came and gave me the last rites and sat with me, but I did not know anything about this at the time.I was delirious.I did not know there was anybody around.I just know that I fought to live.Being young and never having been sick much before I survived and came out of it.As soon as I felt better, being young and ambitious I looked around and sized up the situation.there was only one elderly nurse taking care of rows and rows of sick soldiers.We had barracks that contained 32 men each.They were all filled with some sick, some not so sick and many dying just like flies.She was worn out, to say the least.As soon as I could stand up and walk again, I showed myself friendly and compassionate to her and she gave me a chart, and showed me how to take temperatures, blood pressure and how to mark it on each chart.It gave her quite a relief and she was very grateful.She had four barracks to take care of, about 128 men.So I took two and she had two.I was just 45 days in the hospital.On the day they discharged me, November 11, I walked down the street towards my company.During that time my suitcase and my barracks bag had been brought to me, so I was carring them and walking along when the Chaplain came riding out onto the road.I put my suitcase down and slipped my barracks bag off my back and saluted him."At ease, at ease," he said."You remember me?" he asked."No, I don't believe I've ever met you, Sir."He said, "I didn't think so."He told me that he spent two nights with me when I was in delirium, and was surprised to see me walk down the street alive and well.He said, "you tell your priest when you get home that you have already been anointed."
I went on to my company to the remount area where the blacksmith shop was, and from there I was transferred to the 78th Infantary.Most of the men went home at that time, the war was over, but they put me into the supply company and I had to stick aroung until the last dog was hung.I received all of the supplies that the boys had to check in before they left for home.Then on February 2, when pretty well all the men had been discharged and their supplies in order, I was transferred to Camp Dodge, Iowa.It was the closest camp to North Dakota.When I arrived there they found that my vision was not up to the power that it should be, as a result of my bout with pneumonia, so steps were taken to clear that up.They put drops in my eyes, etc., and in the meantime, put me to work making roads, paths for walking from office to office in the camp.I was getting tired so I approached a leutenent who was quite friendly to me and told him I'd like to go home.He said he'd see what he could do.So he did work it out and got a discharge for me.I arrived home on February 24, 1919.
I helped the folks put in the crop that Spring.There were three brothers that were big enough to help at home, Jerome, Louie, and Adam, and they were used to me not helping them since I was gone, so I went on my own.I went to Haliday with my mother and Mrs. Pfaff, Mom's aunt, Emelia Pfaff, sho told my mother that she knew a nice girl for me, her niece, Barbara Fix.I asked for her hand...and they turned me down!Mrs. Pfaff was Mom's Godmother and knew my parents well, and Mom's folks well.I took a liking to Mom right away, she was pleasant.Her folks were very strict.They didn't let her go around or out much.She went with her cousin, Tony Wilhelm to a dance or party sometimes, but otherwise she was very quiet, reserved.Finally after your Mom and I had talked for awhile, and the folks had talked in the other room for awhile, they came and talked with me...Grandma Fix was doing most of the talking and Grandpa was just listening.They still turned me down.Mom started crying, she liked me.Finally her father (Grandpa Fix) said, "go ahead, go ahead.Grandma Fix said nothing, but later she scolded him saying, "oh you always give in." So we talked to her Uncle Dan.He was quite a level headed man.We left and went over to Renners to stay overnight,that was on a Saturday.On Sunday we were there in the evening yet, Uncle Dan took Mom and brought her over to the Renners' house and said, "Yes, Barbara would like to marry you."So we set a time...two weeks from that day: July 7, 1919.We gave them time to make an investigation...they could come down and find out for themselves what kind of man I was.I don't recall if they did come down to Fallon or not, but I did give them some papers and evidence of what type of character I am, what I've done so far in life, and so we set the date and went ahead with the arrangements.And being it was vacation time their father from Haliday was gone on vacation, so we decided to get married at Richardton--that was the next closest other church, so we were married at the Assumption Abbey of the Benedictine Fathers at Richardton.There was another couple married on that same day, Schaff's from Taylor.After the wedding we went out to Haliday where the folks lived at that time and had a small reception and gathering there with all the trimmings, a meal and dancing.We were there until the following Monday.Mom gathered up her clothes and some things and we went down to Flasher.
I had already bought a farm and had it furnished, so we moved right unto our own home...although it was not completely paid for yet...and started our life together there."That year happened to be a very dry year, and the crops were very meager that year.So I had to work out and scraped to gather enough feed for the cattle---we started out very poorly.My father's place was about 17 miles east from our place by Fallon, North Dakota, so we worked back and forth with them and did the best we could.We did not get back to Haliday very much because we didn't have a car and with a team it was too far, so Mom didn't get to see her folks much that first year.The following year, of course, I put in a crop again.My father-in-law, Grandpa Fix, had an accident at that time with an automobile and got severly hurt, so by August, he passed away, so he didn't live very long. (1922)
Leo, our first-born son, was born March 30, 1920...Otto, our second son in July 1922.It was in '22 that Grandpa had his accident.He farmed a pretty good sized farm, and had a big crop that year.I helped to harvest their crop after I got my crop in.They had quite a bit of it already cut, but there was a great shortage of elevators to store grain, we had to pile the grain in the fields.So we picked it up from the fields with several of the neighbors outfits and hauled it to town and marketed it.Then we took stock of the farm, made an inventory of all their property, etc.When Grandpa had been so sick, he had appointed me and his brother, Dan, as administrators of his place, because he knew he would not live long.Uncle Dan was pretty busy with his shop, but he helped with the inventory.We took a third man as arbitrator and listed all the belongings, stock, horses, cattle, harnesses, machinery and everything and then in the fall had an auction sale, disposed of everything and straightened out the bills that he had.He was quite respected and trusted.He had a lot of credit, but the property he had was old and cheap, so it did not bring the full amount that it had debts against it.In time it would have worked itself out for him, but because of his untimely death, a lot of it didn't bring the price that it really should have.And naturally some of the second mortgage holders on it had to "hold the bag", so to say, theyjust did not get paid because the property didn't reach.He did have insurance and because he died in the accident it was a double indemnity and he was given $2,000.So I saw to it that that was taken care of so they could get a home.I instructed Grandma Fix not to sign anything without my knowledge so it would be safe to get a home.After the sale we took them down to our place in Flasher.They stayed with us the first winter.They went to school there.Rosie was just a year old at the time.Nick, Joe, Louie, and Margaret were with them.John was married.Then Grandma took her family over to Fallon and moved into the old Store building, close to the school, run by the Benedictine Sisters, where the children went, and close by the St. Peter and Paul Church.
In the spring, Uncle Louie found a job with the Voight Brothers in Garrison, and Grandma went up there to look for a home.She found a small place, the place where they lived until she moved out to Oregon way after Margaret was married and living out there.Uncle John Fix died in Wyoming, away from his family who lived in Montana.Aunt Margaret died on the operating table of cancer.She had had a premonition and had all her affairs completely in order.(Editor's note. We are extremely grateful to Sister Charlene.
More About Michael John Schafer:
Burial: 26 Mar 1989, Flasher, North Dakota.
More About Michael John Schafer and Barbara Marie Fix:
Death of one spouse: 19 May 1973
Marriage: 07 Jul 1919, Richardton, North Dakota.
Seal: Married for 53 years and 10 months at death.
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1896 - 1989 (93 years)