1915 PAST AND PRESENT OF SHELBY COUNTY IOWA
BY EDWARD S. WHITE, B.A., LL.B.
B.F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc.
Indianapolis, Indiana
pages 1448 ~ 1449
WILLIAM SCHWARTE.

The farmer has always been conceded to have some advantages over his
city brother, but until within the past few years the disadvantages of farm life
were often considered to outweigh these. Now, with the establishment of
good roads and schools in country districts, the use of modern machinery
which has lightened the farmer's tasks; with the advent of the automobile
and telephone and with the mail carried to his door each day, the farmer can
be said to have practically all of the advantages of his city brother with none
of the latter's disadvantages. It is gratifying to note the large number of
young men who are remaining on the farm. When Iowa is turned over to
tenant farmers, as are the New England states, farming will rapidly become
a lost art. Today there are thousands of acres lying waste in the New Eng~
land states for the want of capable farmers to till them. Among the success~
ful young farmers of Shelby county, William Schwarte, the owner of two
hundred acres in Westphalia township, is deserving of a place among the
progressive farmers of his county.
William Schwarte, the son of Herman and Magdalena (Nolles)
Schwarte, was born November 14, 1882, in the township where he is now
living. His parents were both natives of Germany. Herman Schwarte was
employed as a shepherd and also assisted his father on the farm in Germany
before coming to this country. He came to America in 1870 and located
near East St. Louis, Illinois, where he worked on a farm for about a year.
He then moved to Shelby county, Iowa, and bought forty acres of land in
Westphalia township, where he lived until his removal to the farm where

William resides and died here one year later, July 1, 1913. He was a suc~
cessful farmer in every sense of the word, and not only accumulated a fine
farm of three hundred and forty acres, but took a prominent part in the civic
life of his community as well. He was married at Mt. Carmel, Carroll
county, Iowa, in 1874, to Magdalena Nolles. Herman Schwarte and wife
were the parents of eleven children: Annie, the wife of Benjamin Blum;
John, who married Maggie Gubbles; Herman, who married Rosa Leenan;
Mary, the wife of John Blum; Bertha and Katherine, who are nuns in St.
Rosa convent at La Crosse, Wisconsin; Waldburg, who married Antone
Freund; William, whose history is here related; Magdalena, a nun in St.
Rosa convent; Elizabeth, who died at the age of fifteen and Barbara, who died
in infancy.
William Schwarte received a good education in the schools of West~
phalia township, and when a mere lad, began to assist with the work on the
home farm. He remained with his parents until 1909, when he married and
bought a farm of two hundred acres, on which he is now living. Although
he has owned this farm but five years, in that time he has demonstrated that
he has all of the necessary qualifications for the successful farmer. He
understands every phase of stock raising and gives much of his attention to
this side of the agricultural life.
Mr. Schwarte was married June 29, 1909, to Mary Schiltz, the
daughter of Michael and Caroline (Shechinger) Schiltz, and to this union
have been born three sons: Herman, Michael and Joseph.
Mrs. Schwarte's parents were born in Illinois and Germany respectively.
Michael Schiltz came to Shelby county, Iowa, when he was twenty~three
years of age and located in Westphalia township, where he became a success~
ful farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Schiltz are the parents of eleven children:
Katherine, Joseph, Michael, Jacob, Cecelia, Anthony, Vitus, Aloysius, Mary
and two who died in infancy. Joseph married Katherine Blum and Mary
is the wife of Mr. Schwarte. All the other children are still single and living
at home.
Mr. Schwarte is identified with the Democratic party, but his extensive
agricultural interests have demanded all of his attention, so that he has not
bad the time to mingle' freely in politics. Religiously, he and his family are
earnest members of the Catholic church, to whose support they are generous
contributors. Mr. Schwarte is still a young man but the success which has
attended his efforts thus far has already given him a prominent place among
the representative farmers of his community, and every indication points to
a long and prosperous career for him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

William & Mary Schwarte-50th
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
from Westphalia, IA 1872~1997 book "PRESERVING OUR PAST, ENSURING OUR FUTURE":

William Schwarte, son of Herman and Magdalena Nolles Schwarte, was born November 14, 1882, north of Westphalia. On June 29, 1909, he married Mary Ann Schiltz, (b.9/30/1889), daughter of Michael and Caroline Schechinger Schiltz.
Their children: Herman, married Charlotte Mickey; Rev. Michael, ordained in 1938; Joseph, married Evelyn Main; William, married Fern Schwarte; Sylvan, married Roseann Schulte; Marie, married Joe Sullivan;
Caroline, married Ivo Esser; Margaret, married Gerald Eipperle, Martin, married Catherine Kaufman;
Raymond; and Bernice.
William died March 8, 1965; Mary Ann died June 20, 1981. Both are buried in Westphalia.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

From my gravestone photo collection that I took between 2002 & 2013.
I originally posted on http://iowagravestones.org/cemeteries.php?cid=83
All photos are copyrighted - Any unauthorized use or distribution is prohibited without written permission from me.
Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
(Find A Grave Member #47102630)
706 5th St.
Defiance, IA 51527-3004
[email protected] or
[email protected]