Month: December 2007

I found the following article today while starting to pack up my things for the upcoming move.

The following is about my great, great grandfather. As you’ll see in the article, you’ll see he lived in Basel, Switzerland before coming to the United States where he started a successful agriculture venture.

I’ve also included a picture of him, his wife and two of their children. The following article is from a book about Wayne County.

The interesting thing about the article is it identifies my great grandfather as Wallace, his middle name, instead of his first name, John. The article was published back in 1910 and reflects things as current events. My great, great grandfather died in the 1900’s. My great grandfather passed away November 12, 1977.

There is no nation that has contributed to the complex makeup of our American social fabric, an element of more sterling worth and of greater value in fostering and supporting our national institutions than has Switzerland.

From this source our republic has had much to gain and nothing to lose. Switzerland has given us men of sturdy integrity, indomitable perseverance, high intelligence and much business sagacity – the result being the incorporation of a strong and strength-giving fibre, ramifying through warp and woof.

A man who may well look with pride on his Swiss origin is the subject of this review, who is one of the enterprising and progressive agriculturists of Milton Township, Wayne County, where he is personally recognized as a representative citizen, having attained a high degree of success through his operations.

Jacob Schorle was born in Basel, Switzerland on the 22nd of October, 1867, and is the son of Otto and Mary (Gysin) Schorle, both of whom also were natives of that little republic where they spent their lives and died. They were the parents of four children. two of whom came to America, the subject being the only survivor here. The two who remained at home are still living.

The subject received a good education in the public schools at Basel and in his youth learned bookkeeping. At the age of eighteen years, fired with an ambition to secure larger opportunities for future advancement, he came to the United States, and at once located in Milton Township, Wayne County, where for the ensuing three years he was in the employ of Peter Mongey, later working for five years for John Slemmons.

He was industrious and economical and at the end of the period noted he found himself in position to start out on his own account. He therefore bought one hundred and sixty acres of fine land located northeast of Sterling, in Milton Township and here he has since conducted farming operations with a very gratifying degree of success.

His property is adorned with a full set of neat and attractive farm buildings, everything about the place indicating the owner to be a man of good judgment and wise discrimination. In connection with the tilling of the soil, Mr. Schorle also devotes considerable attention to stock raising. Holstein cattle being his specialty. He is progressive in his methods and keeps in close touch with the latest ideas in relation to successful agriculture.

On March 22, 1889, Schorle was united in marriage to Mary Leichty, a daughter of John and Veronica (Mongey) Leichty. This union has been a most happy and congenial one and has been blessed in the birth of ten children namely: Walter, Otto, Martha, Fannie, Howard, Dorothy, John Wallace, Laura, Edith and Harold.

In religion, the subject is a member of the Reformed church, as is his wife, and they take a deep interest in the various activities of that society. His political affiliation is with the Democratic party, and he takes a commendable interest in the trend of current event, though not in any sense a seeker after puhlic office or official preferment of any nature.

Mr. Schorle is one of the intelligent, substantial and responsible men of the township in which he lives. He has been a successful agriculturist and has done much to develop the resources of his his estate, making another of the fine farms which are the pride of Waye County. He enjoys the respect and esteem of the public as a man of integrity, while he is much beloved in the narrower circles of private life.

From: HISTORY OF WAYNE COUNTY, OHIO, Volume II, 1910, B.F. Bowden and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana.