Charles L. Schiele Biography >From "History of Davenport and Scott County" Vol. II by Harry E. Downer-S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago. Surnames: Schiele, Waltenburg, Barneck, Clawson, Carl. The fourteen hundred acres of excellent farm land in Cedar county, Iowa, and the fine town residence on Main street, Davenport, are an indication of the success which attended the agricultural operations of Charles L. Schiele. He has been closely identified with the public affairs and although America is but the country of his adoption, he was one of those who offered his life in support of the Union during the years of the great struggle between the north and south. Mr. Schiele was born in Prussia Germany, December 16, 1840, a son of Carl and Wilhelmina (Waltenburg) Shiele. The father, who was born in 1811, served in the German army and followed the baker's trade in his native land. In 1854 he started upon his journey to the United States with his family, disembarking at New Orleans. They traveled up the Mississippi river to Davenport, where they landed June 20, 1854, and then went to Muscatine county, Iowa, almost immediately for Mr. Schiele had friends there who persuaded him to buy eighty acres of timber land. With the help of his sons he built thereon a log cabin, which remained the family home for several years. Later he bought eighty acres more and again eighty acres in the same township, upon which he lived until his death in 1887. After his demise the mother lived with her son Otto until her death in 1907 when she was ninety-four years of age. They were the parents of five children: Charles L.; Frederick, deceased; Wilhelmina, ! deceased; Julius, who lives on the old homestead in Montpelier township, Muscatine county; and Otto, who lives near Durant in Cedar county. Charles L. Schiele attended the public schools of Germany before the family came to this country. Being but fourteen years of age, however, at the time of their arrival, he was enrolled as a pupil in the public schools of Muscatine county, but during the progress of the Civil war he decided to join the forces of the north. Accordingly, in the fall of 1864, he enlisted in Company C, Second Tennessee Infantry, at St. Louis, Missouri, whence he went to Nashville, Tennessee, participating in the famous battle there. Then he went to Franklin Crossroads, where he became infected with typhoid fever and was sent back to the hospital at Nashville. He remained there several months and having recovered, was discharged May 10, 1865. Thereupon he retuned to his home, where he remained until 1869. In the meantime, Mr. Schiele and his brother rented one hundred and sixty acres of land from their father, which they operated until about 1867, when Mr. Schiele bought a wild tract of equal area in Farmington township, cedar county. The year 1868 he spent in breaking it and preparing it for cultivation, and in 1869 he married, built a house upon his land and took up his residence there. It remained his home of thirty-six years, but in the meantime, as the result of his unceasing labor and his economy, he had accumulated the fourteen hundred acres which he still owns. While this is the record of the success he gained in his private life it affords no indication of the respect and confidence he has won from his fellow citizens, who have witnessed his advancement. They elected him on the democratic ticket as county supervisor and assessor and he also served as justice of the peace for sixteen years. After his removal to Davenport in the spring of 1907, he was elected trustee! of the city, holding the position to the present. On the 1st of June, 1869, Mr. Schiele wedded Miss Elizabeth Barneck, who was born in Germany and is a daughter of Moritz and Elizabeth Barneck, of Muscatine county. They have become the parents of six children. Charles, the eldest, married Emma Miller and lives in Cedar county. They have two children, Carl and Helen. Gustavus, who lives upon the old home place in Cedar county, married Bertha Clawson and they have three sons, Otto, Richard and John. Morris resides in Chicago, Illinois. Richard is deceased. Rudolph married Stella Carl and lives in Cedar county. Clara E. lives with her parents. Faithful in the performance of his duties and endowed with the noble qualities of honesty integrity, Mr. Schiele deserves the high regard in which he is held by those with whom he has come in contact. His success in his vocation redounds to the agricultural prosperity of the state of Iowa, while his life record is a high tribute to the citizenship of Davenport. ~~~~~~*~~~~~~ Elaine Rathmann ACC Scott Co, IA USGenWeb Project List Adm: *IA-CIVIL-WAR *IA-DANES