Fred (Fritz) Schroeder was born on January 10, 1836, in Neetzka, Germany. In 1863, Fred immigrated to the United States. His mother Minne, must have accompanied him, as she appears as a resident in his home in 1880. He married Wilhelmine (Minnie) Carolina Dorothea Daehn in 1865 in Wisconsin.
Fritz bought land in Metomen, just north of Fairwater Wisconsin. This land eventually shows up in Willilam Toll's name so around 1906, the land was sold or given to William and Elizabeth. He and his wife "Minnie" then moved to Hall Street in Ripon, Wisconsin.
(Note in Metomen the close proximity of a Daehn farm-just to the southeast. Rumors are that Elizabeth became pregnant by "Charlie Daehn". The 1900 census also shows a Charlie Daehn living nearby.)
Wilhelmine (Minnie) Carolina Dorothea Daehn was born on August 30, 1839, in Strelitz, Germany. Census records show that Minnie arrived in the U.S. in 1860. She married Fred (Fritz) Schroeder in 1865 in Wisconsin. She died on March 1, 1921 at the age of 81. She is buried at Hillside Cemetery in Ripon, Wisconsin.
Fritz and Minnie had three children in 10 years.
The 1900 census shows Minnie's niece, Minnie (Daehn) Konow living at the farm, as well as a servant named Gustav Tagatz.
Fritz died on January 21, 1913 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin at age 77 years of meningitis. Minnie died on March 1, 1921 in Wisconsin, at the age of 81. Both are buried at Hillside Cemetery in Ripon Wisconsin, as is Fritz's mother Minne.
Interesting Note: Minnie's niece, Wilhelmine Friedricke Caroline (Lena) was married to Carl Toll. So perhaps when Minnie & Fred's daughter Elizabeth became pregnant, they called on family to find a suitable husband (William Toll, Carl Toll's brother)
The Pedrick Notebook from the Ripon, WI library contains a page about the Schroeders - see the link below.
Henry was born in April 1866 in Metomen, Wisconsin. He married Augusta Fink on May 14, 1892, when he was 26 years old. Henry used the more phoenetic spelling Schrader in his name. Henry and Augusta Fink raised three children in Berlin, Wisconsin:
Augusta died in May 1925 at the age of 49. Henry lived to be 99 years old - he passed away in May of 1965. Both are buried in a family plot at Hillside Cemetery in Ropon, Wisconsin.
Karl was born in Metomen, Wisconsin. He died at age 3 years, 8 months, and 19 days, as is spelled out in German on his headstone. His cause of death is unknown. Karl is buried at Hillside Cemetery in Ripon Wisconsin.
Elizabeth Eva Schroeder was born on March 20, 1876 in Metomen, Wisconsin. She lived with her parents, grandmother, and brother Henry on the farm in Metomen.
In 1893, Elizabeth's first son, Albert Fredrich Toll was born. His father is unknown. Rumors are that Elizabeth became pregnant by a "Charlie Daehn".
On November 28, 1894 Elizabeth married William Toll in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. William is the brother of Carl Toll, who married Elizabeth's cousin Lena Daehn. Perhaps family intervention brought William and Elizabeth together.
William became a father to Albert. It is unknown as to whether William formally adopted Albert, but the young man took William’s name and joined the Toll branch of the family tree. William and Elizabeth had two additional sons. Their family now consisted of:
By 1910, William and Elizabeth had moved to her father's farm located 1.5 miles NE of Fairwater, and the property was now in William's name.
William and Elizabeth moved to the house at 316 Blackburn Ave. in Ripon Wisconsin in 1917. They rented the farm in Metomen to the newlyweds Albert & Martha. William died in 1918, and Elizabeth remained in Ripon until her death in 1946.
Lloyd remembers Grandma Elizabeth as a kind woman. He spent many summers in Ripon with Elizabeth and his uncles Fred and Ed and cousin Douglas, and had fond memories of those days. He recalled that Elizabeth loved the country duo Lulu Belle and Scotty. They performed on a very popular radio program called "National Barn Dance" (you can find videos of them on YouTube). The duo would also perform live around the country, including in Ripon Wisconsin. Lloyd said that when in Ripon, they stayed with Elizabeth, much to her delight.
Shortly after moving to town, William died. By 1930, Elizabeth Toll was 54 years old and lived in the house on Blackburn with her son Fred & his first wife Grace. Fred lived there after he and Grace were divorced and until he married Jean (Regina) Wollermann. (Fred and Jean lived at 555 Newbury in Ripon, but it seems that they moved back to 316 Blackburn after Elizabeth's death.) Elizabeth died on December 20, 1946, in Ripon, Wisconsin, at the age of 70, and was buried there.