Obit: Schuh, John (1843 - 1933)

Contact:  Stan

Surnames: SCHUH LANG FRANE SCHAFFER KESLER STEINWAND ZASSENHAUS STANLEY BURMEISTER LINDNER CECE MURRY

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 01/04/1934

Schuh, John (26 Dec. 1843 - 31 Dec. 1933)

John Schuh, one of Colby’s pioneers, passed away at his home in Colby Sunday morning, Dec. 31st, infirmities of old age being the cause of his departure to the distant shore. Funeral services were held Wednesday morning at St. Mary’s Catholic church, Rev. L. J. Lang officiating, and internment was made in the Colby cemetery. The pall bearers were L. W. Frane, Victor Frane, Nick Schaffer, Chas. Kesler, Geo. Steinwand and Fred Zassenhaus.

The deceased was born in Germany December 26th, 1843, thus reaching the age of ninety years and five days. When nine years of age, he emigrated to the United States with his parents, locating at Cooperstown, Wis., where his father farmed. He became foreman of the bark department at Whitcomb’s tannery at Manitowoc, but, following his marriage at Copperstown, he and Mrs. Schuh came to the town of Colby where he purchased 100 acres of land from a homesteader who had improved the place by erecting a small shack. By hard work and privations, they built a splendid farm. He cleared the land, sold the timbers and nine years later, purchased an additional eighty. He improved the farm with modern buildings and today it is one of the foremost farms in this community, four miles southwest of Colby. The first six years he farmed with oxen after which he purchased horses. Four years ago, he and his wife moved to the city of Colby, where his wife died Feb. 13th, 1931.

Mr. Schuh has always enjoyed good health and did not need the services of a physician until eighty-six years old. Until he was seventy-five years of age, he hauled milk every day and until four years ago, did other chores as cut corn, split wood, etc. When he first came to Colby, he was a member of St. Mary’s congregation, then just a mission. Later, he was a member of St. Kilian Catholic church, and, since the erection of the new St. Mary’s church he attended there. He helped to erect all the three churches in Colby. The past several years he lived with his daughter, Miss Christina, and choose to live a quiet life. He read the Bible and the Colby Phonograph. He smoked a great deal and preferred common foods to the fancier ones. Like all our early pioneers, he was a good Christian, a man of generous impulses and never forgot the hospitable ways of the pioneer. His life work was done and well done for he filled the various relations of life as son, husband, father, brother, friend and filled them well.

He is survived by ten children: Mrs. Joe Stanley of Dixon, Ill., Mrs. Arthur Burmeister of Dixon, Ill., Mr. Ed. Schuh of Forreston, Ill., Mrs. August Lindner of Durand, Ill., Mrs. Louis Cece of Chicago, Ill., Mrs. Walter Murry of Milwaukee, Albert Schuh of Colby, John Schuh of Colby, Joe Schuh of Colby and Christina Schuh of Colby. There are twenty-seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. Four children, Margaret, Elizabeth, Mary and Peter, are deceased.