Source - Year: 1868; Arrival: New York, New York; Microfilm Serial: M237, 1820-1897; Microfilm Roll: Roll 301; Line: 38; List Number: 997

John Heiligenthal - line 12

George Heiligenthal - line 15

Bernard Richter - line 16

Joseph Arndt - line 29

Source - Year: 1870; Census Place: Burlington, Racine, Wisconsin; Roll: M593_1733; Page: 221A; Image: 59; Family History Library Film: 553232

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.

Richter, William (line 80)

Source - Year: 1925; Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925; Census Place: Rock Valley, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: IA1925_1948; Image: xref

Richter, William (line 80)

Source - Year: 1925; Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925; Census Place: Rock Valley, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: IA1925_1948; Image: xref

Richter, William (line 80)

Source - Year: 1925; Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925; Census Place: Rock Valley, Sioux, Iowa; Roll: IA1925_1948; Image: xref

Mrs. Wm. Richter passed away at her home in Rock Valley at ten o'clock Sunday evening following a week's illness.

Mrs. Richter was born in Westphalia Germany. March 9, 1859, and was sixty-seven, eight months and nineteen days old at the time of her death.

She came with her parents to this country when she was nine years of age. The family located in Burlington, Wis., where she grew to womanhood.

She was united in marriage with Wm. F. Richter at Burlington, February 18, 1879. A few weeks later they moved to Rock Valley and lived on a farm northwest of here, until about eight years ago, when they moved to Rock Valley.

Mrs. Richter was a woman who was very highly respected and loved by all who knew her. and the bereaved husband and children have the sincere sympathy of many friends

Mrs. Richter was the mother of nine children. four of whom died in infancy. Those living are. Mrs. A. F. Schemmer, and W. B. Richter, of Rock Valley, Mrs, Fred Haas, of Omaha, Nebraska, E. H. Richter, of Madison. S.D., and Mrs. D. Crowley of Canby. Minn, all of whom were here to attend the funeral of their mother. She also leaves her husband Wm. Richter, and 21 grandchildren besides other relatives

Funeral services were held at St. Mary`s church in Rock Valley, Wednesday morning.

Among those from a distance who attended the funeral are Mrs. Henry Rosmiller, Burlington, Wisconsin, Mr. John Heiligenthal, Lyons, Wis., Mrs. Ben Richter, Mr. and Mrs. L. Richter, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Richter, Mr. and Mrs Henry Hatting, and Mr. Herman Hatting, Ashton, Iowa, Mrs. Henry Gossling and daughter, Anna, and Clara, Remsen, Iowa.

Source - Rock Valley Bee - Dec 3, 1926

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