Marcus Franciscus Studer, known as Frank Mark, was born April 25th, 1866, to Amandus and Franquoise Bollinger at St. Agatha, Ontario. His parents had immigrated to Canada 19 years prior, from Oberbruck, Alsace Lorraine. He was the youngest of 10 children. When Frank was three, his family moved to Illinios where they lived for nine years. They then moved to Ackley, Iowa and later to the nearby town of St. Benedict. Frank married Francesca (Frances) Schumacher there in 1889. They lived on a small farm and had eight children; Fred, Isabel, John, Herman, Nick, Greg, Frank Anthony and Robert. Isabel passed away when she was just eleven months old. After the deaths of his parents, Frank purchased a store in a nearby town, but being a merchant wasn't for him. So around 1911 he came to look for land to homestead in Saskatchewan and fullfill his dream of each of his soms owning a quarter of land. He filed on the North Bench N.W. 24-8-22 and the N.E. 23-8-22. On Easted Sunday, 1912, the family left Corwith, Iowa on three boxcars for Tompkins, Saskatchewan. Upon arriving the family went by foot and horse and wagon to their new homestead and tents were used for shelter until a wood house could be built. Fireguards and barn and chicken house were built soon after. The family all worked together and helped each other on their various quarters of land. They did custom threshing and creaking throughout the area. The threshing machine was pwered by eight horses driven around a turntable with one operator standing at the turntable. The straw had to be forked away from the back of the machine. In the twenties this machine was replaced by a Rumley Tractor and separator which Frank's sons Nick and John purchased. They also had a bunkhouse and cookhouse, each on a steel eheeled wagon tht accompanied their crew. Sometimes the boys worked on other farms and on the railroad. When the railroad was being built Frank peddled produce to their camps. Years later Frank purchased a new Happy Farmer tractor used for breaking up soil. It pulled a 14 inch two-bottom plow. The Studer home held many musical gatherings. Frank enjoyed playing the violin and some of his sons played instruments. His wife Frances often cooked for the threshing crews, she passed away of cancer in 1924. Frank stayed on the homestead and in 1953 married the widdow, Mary Hewitt Lamberty, separating in the forties. Frank then went to live with relatives in Virden, Manitoba. In February, 1949, he suffered a stroke, and his health deteriorated, he was moved to St. Huber Mission near Whitewood, Saskatchewan. He passed away February 9th, 1950 and is burried there.
children:
Frederick Amandus Studer 1890 – ; Isabella Mary Studer 1891 – ; John Frank Studer 1892 – 1959; Hermon Anton Studer 1894 – ; Nicholas George Studer 1895 – ; Greggor Pious Studer 1896 – 1972; Frank Henry Studer 1899 – ; Robert John Studer 1901 – 1982