Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Schmidt (who more commonly went by 'Wilhelm' or 'William') was born on the 18th of February, 1857 in Goldbeck, Pommern, Germany to his father, a farmer also named Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Schmidt, and his mother Dorothea Louisa Zabel. He was baptized into the Lutheran church there on the 28th of February, 1857. He was the 2nd child of his parents, who would have 3 more children before his father's death on the 27th of February, 1864 at the young age of 39. His mother remarried to Michael Heidemann and had a total of 6 more children by him.
The exact date of William's immigration to the USA is as of right now, unknown. However, the first mention of him in the USA was his marriage to his wife Johanna Louise Krüger at Concordia Lutheran Church in Albert Lea Minnesota on the 8th of March, 1886.
Shortly after marrying Louise, sometime between July 10th and July 24th he bought a $1000 plot of land in section 30 of Pickerel Lake, Freeborn, Minnesota. He would earn a living farming this plot for the rest of his life.
Between 1887 and 1897 he and Louise would have a total of 6 children together, these being:
- Martha Maria Schmidt
- Christian Friedrich Wilhelm Schmidt
- Maria Louise Mathilde Schmidt
- George Schmidt
- Elsa Dorothea Louise Schmidt
- Dorothea Louise Auguste Schmidt
On June 23rd of 1895, tragedy struck William's farm. A massive cyclone struck down on his home in Pickerel Lake, and while luckily no one was hurt or killed his barn was right in the storm's path.
Here is one account of the cyclone and the damage it did, published in the Freeborn County Standard on the 26th of June, 1895:
A CALAMITOUS CYCLONE
Starting in Alden Makes a Mighty Leap Of Six Miles and Striking the Earth at Intervals. Works Wreck and Ruin on Many Barns and Other Buildings Destroyed, Horses, Cattle and Hogs Killed and Injured, Crops Badly Damaged, but Luckily no Human Lives are Lost and None are Homeless-- Description and Scenes and Incidents of the Awful Scourge.
Sunday afternoon June 23, a rainstorm which had gathered in the western clouds, spread over Albert Lea and adjacent region and prevailed for nearly an hour. In this city, it was quite heavy downpour. But it came without wind and although it was accompanied by hail tor a few minutes, it was not harmful; on the contrary, the rain was a welcome benefaction. But many watching it heard coming from the southwest a deep, mighty and awful rumbling and roaring, and they kept on the lookout for a cyclone. And such in fact it proved to be, and it swept and jumped through three or four townships of the county wreaking extensive damage to buildings and crops.
From Albert Larson, a young man who was among the first to see the huge, twisting, reeling and relentless monster we learn that it formed and first took shape about 5:15 o'clock p. m. in Morin & Mason's pasture west Of Alden. It then at once sprang high into the sky and with a mighty leap of six miles, it first landed southeast near the farm of Wm. Schmidt on section 30, Pickerel Lake township. Here the first considerable ruin was wrought. Mr. Schmidt's large frame barn with its contents was wrecked, and his other outbuildings fences and trees were badly damaged. Next Fred. Yost's farm on section 29. in the same town was in the cyclone's path. His large barn built last year was hurled into the air and scattered in Fred. Fink's fields. The windmill was wrecked, smaller buildings were demolished, trees were twisted, a horse and cow were killed and two horses were badly injured. Next Herman Klukow's place on the northwest quarter of section 30, was struck. His big barn was demolished, the south west corner of his residence was torn away, a small granary was lifted and tossed over high willow trees and set down. chimneys were hurled dowry, a water tank was carried backwards from the course of the cyclone, large trees were twisted by the giant forces, and much other damage was done. The cyclone, yet jumping, rising and again striking the earth, sped across the farm of Aug. Lenz where his windmill was torn off the tower and other havoc was wrought. Then the monster came to Wm. Marpe's, section 3. Nunda, and here it reached the climax of its might, extent, and destruction. Its pathway mostly was perhaps not over ten rods wide; here it was nearer 100. Here Mr. Marpe's large barn was destroyed; part of the farm residence was torn away, and the windmill, corn crib, machine sheds and, in fact, everything, except the house occupied by the family were hurled to destruction and scattered far and wide. A. S. Haves of Albert Lea, was at the place. having driven there with a livery team. Strange to say the horses were not killed outright, being in the barn. A leg of one was broken so it had to be killed. Two pigs were killed, one being perforated with a board. Other hogs Were cut and badly injured and generally it was scene of wholesale ruin. Geo. Hall's place was next in the way of the then subsiding fury. His windmill was wrecked and other extensive damage was done. Here the cyclone arose and spread through the south part of Albert Lea and Freeman townships, being transformed into a fierce wild gale and rain and hail storm, stripping and beating down corn and gram, and half destroying many fields.
Along the course of the cyclone there are many minor wrecks of small outbuildings, windmills, barb wire fences, and the like, and the injury to crops in the immediate pathway, where the cyclone struck the earth. is considerable. The cyclone in all its hideous, terrifying and awe-inspiring form and actuality was seen by many; the roar that accompanied it is described as fearful in the extreme, and the terrible swiftness of its sweep and travel can be judged by its duration, which was about fifteen minutes or at the outside twenty, in going about 10 miles. At Wm. Marpe's a man about to stop there with his team intending to put it in the barn, saw the cyclone coming and by quick action drove out of its way. At the same place the cyclone jumped completely over the pig stye, leaving it uninjured. Mud, mud covered everything. A roof at Herman Klukow's was torn off, spun over and over and landed short distance away right side up. Many other strange incidents are related, but most fortunately no human lives were lost and no human residence was seriously harmed.
At the time of the cyclone a rainstorm prevailed throughout the west part of the county, but it only extended a few miles east of Albert Lea. Hail accompanied it, but outside the cyclone's course there is little damage reported to crops except about Freeborn village.
Due to the extent of the damage, a followup article was published on the 3rd of July, 1895 in the Freeborn County Standard:
Of the farmers who lost most by the late cyclone only Fred. Yost had any cyclone insurance. He had $900 on buildings and stock, but this will not make good his loss. The catastrophe was the hardest on Wm. Schmidt, who is a comparative new settler, but he has pluck and will take hold and in time earn back all be lost, for he is that kind of a man. Fred Fink, who was a soldier in the Prussian-Danish war in 1819, says the thundering of the cannon in battle,the uproar and wreck of war, were not to be compared to the fearful roar of the cyclone,and its like he hopes never to see again. The damage to his crops he estimates at $700, but he has some left, and if we mistake not, a good bank account besides.In August of 1899, William was struck with paralyisis while milking his cows. He lost the ability to talk and died a couple weeks later on the 27th of August, 1899. The following is his obituary, which appeared in the Freeborn County Standard:
Wm. Schmidt, the Pickerel Lake farmer who was stricken with paralysis while milking, died Sunday. He was about 50, and leaves a wife and 6 children. He was an aged citizen and was esteemed by the entire community.He was buried on the 29th of August 1899 and was buried in Concordia Pickerel Lake Cemetery.
In October of 1900 part of his property was sold to the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway company for $2,860.
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