Wm. F. Richter, Rock Valley, one of Sioux county's oldest pioneers, died at the home of his son William Richter, Jr. at the age of 83 years. Mr. Richter passed away Saturday evening.
Mr. Richter was born at Burlington, Wis. on Feb 23, 1853. He was married to Miss Mary Richter on Feb. 18, 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Richter have lived in Sioux county since their marriage. They lived on a farm for many years. In 1918 they retired and moved to Rock Valley where Mr. Richter has lived since that time. Mrs. Richter preceded him in death in November 1926.
Mr. Richter is survived by five children who are - Mrs. A. F. Schemmer and William J. of Rock Valley, Mrs. D. A. Crowley of Canby, Minn., Mrs. F. N. Haas of Omaha, Nebr. and Ed Richter of Madison, S.D. Four sons preceded him in death whose names were John, Herbert, Henry, and Clarence. He is also survived by one brother Theodore Richter and a sister Mrs. William Luke of Burlington, Wis.
Funeral Services for Mr. Richter were held at St. Mary's Catholic church Tuesday morning. Rev. Father Forester was in charge.
Source - St. Mary's, Burlington, WI, Vol 4 - Marriage Records; 1846-1890; Image 178/866
Richter, William (line 18)
Source - Year: 1880; Census Place: Rock, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: T9_364; Family History Film: 1254364; Page: 150.1000; Enumeration District: 193; Image: 0551
Richter, William (line 94)
Source - Year: 1900; Census Place: Rock, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: T623 459; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 142.
William Richter - Line 1
Josephine Glowezesky - Line 31
Source - Year: 1910; Census Place: Rock, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: T624_423; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 155; Image: 1259.
Richter, William (line 57)
Scemmer, Ben (line 69)
Richter, John (line 82)
Source - Year: 1920; Census Place: Rock, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: T625_514; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 171; Image: 983.
Page 1 of 3
Richter, William (line 80)
Source - Year: 1925; Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925; Census Place: Rock Valley, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: IA1925_1948; Image: xref
Page 2 of 3
Richter, William (line 80)
Source - Year: 1925; Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925; Census Place: Rock Valley, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: IA1925_1948; Image: xref
Page 3 of 3
Richter, William (line 80)
Source - Year: 1925; Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925; Census Place: Rock Valley, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: IA1925_1948; Image: xref
John Haas - line 78
William Richter Sr. - line 94
John Wiemer - line 98
Source - Year: 1930; Census Place: Rock Valley, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: 683; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 27; Image: 278.0.
Wm. F. Richter
Wm. F. Richter, Rock Valley, one of Sioux county's oldest pioneers, died at the home of his son William Richter, Jr. at the age of 83 years. Mr. Richter passed away Saturday evening.
Mr. Richter was born at Burlington, Wis. on Feb 23, 1853. He was married to Miss Mary Richter on Feb. 18, 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Richter have lived in Sioux county since their marriage. They lived on a farm for many years. In 1918 they retired and moved to Rock Valley where Mr. Richter has lived since that time. Mrs. Richter preceded him in death in November 1926.
Mr. Richter is survived by five children who are - Mrs. A. F. Schemmer and William J. of Rock Valley, Mrs. D. A. Crowley of Canby, Minn., Mrs. F. N. Haas of Omaha, Nebr. and Ed Richter of Madison, S.D. Four sons preceded him in death whose names were John, Herbert, Henry, and Clarence. He is also survived by one brother Theodore Richter and a sister Mrs. William Luke of Burlington, Wis.
Funeral Services for Mr. Richter were held at St. Mary's Catholic church Tuesday morning. Rev. Father Forester was in charge.
Source - The Sioux County Capital - Nov. 12, 1936
William Richter Family Personal narrative by Katie Richter (Mrs. A.F. Schemmer)
Among the early settlers in this community were Mr. and Mrs. William F. Richter, who came here as newlyweds in 1879. They were accompanied by Mrs. Richter's father, mother, and brother and first lived in a log cabin two miles west and one mile north of Rock Valley, where their eldest children were born. After three years, they purchased the farm one-half mile west of their first home which was their home until they moved to Rock Valley in 1918. John Draayer now lives on this farm.
They were one of the thirteen families which formed the nucleus of St. Mary's Catholic Parish in 1881. Prior to that time, they had attended church in LeMars, making the trip about once a month in a lumber wagon, going on Saturday afternoon and returning on Sunday.
The year 1879 was the last one that the grasshoppers came in hordes and took all the crops. After the crops were destroyed that year, Mr. Richter, having a team, went to work for the Milwaukee Railroad helping to grade the roadbed for the railroad which as put through that year.
In 1881 these pioneers saw the highest flood that the Rock River has ever had -- it being two miles wide and extending from Main Street in Rock Valley to two miles west. It had snowed early that year on October l7, after which the weather turned bitterly cold and the accumulation of snow never left until on April 15 when a rain fell, melting all the winter's snow and causing the great flood.
These hearty pioneers also worried through the blizzard of 1888 when their eldest daughter (Mrs. A.F. Schemmer, deceased 1972) was marooned in the schoolhouse three miles west and one north of Rock Valley with the teacher of that school, Mrs. W.C. Leonard, and her brother, Will Renshaw, who taught at the school just north. They had no lights and no means of communication with the outside world. Mrs. Schemmer slept on a school bench that night. The following morning Mr. C.W. Renshaw, father of the two teachers, stopped for his neighbor, Mr. Richter, and together they started walking to the schoolhouse for their children. Upon reaching the top of a hill, they could see smoke coming from the schoolhouse chimney and realized all was safe.
Mrs. Richter died in 1926 and Mr. Richter in 1936. Both are buried at Rock Valley.
Source - Written by Mrs. A.F. Schemmer in 1955
4 gererations - William F. Richter, Katie (Richter) Schemmer, Clarence Schemmer, and Jim Schemmer (est time 1932-1933)
Born : 23 Feb 1853
