Family Stories & Reflections

Memories and reflections passed down through the Schmieder-Beck family are shared here as stories of faith, hard work, and perseverance—stories that help keep their lives and legacy alive.

Vintage farmhouse and red barn across field

Chapter 14: When the Bidding Stopped — December 7, 1928

By grace and grit, this became more than land — it became the Schmieder Homestead.  ...
Vintage black-and-white portrait of woman

Chapter 13: A Day of Memory – Rosa’s Reflections on Auction Day

 Rosa Beck Schmieder -  A Life of Quiet Mercy, Forged in Work and Sacrifice This...

Chapter 12: December 7, 1928: Reflections on a Pivotal Day

 This chapter examines George and Rosa’s reflections on December 7, 1928, as they recount their...
Vintage black-and-white wedding couple with inset portrait

Chapter 11: A Winter Morning: Memories Before the Auction

Wedding photograph of Louise Willman and Xaver Schmieder (George’s brother), 1926 — also pictured Maria...
Vintage multi-generational family portrait outdoors

Chapter 10: The Kreutter Farm Years on Hall’s Hill (1926–1928)

Schmieder Family Photograph — first row (left to right): George Jr., Hilda, Fred, and Arnold;...
Sepia portrait of children in sailor outfits

Chapter 9: From Gulf Road to Hall’s Hill

Schmieder children, c. 1926 — left to right: Arnold, Hilda, and Fred; seated: George. The...
Children gathering eggs in a hay-filled barn

Grace Amid Hard Times: Easter Faith and Family, 1933

Easter Morning, 1933 — The Schmieder Children searching for their baskets in the barn haymow...
Historic brick apartment building with vintage cars

Chapter 8: Scalding Water and Saving Grace

Fred’s Story at St. Jerome’s St. Jerome Hospital, Batavia (circa 1920s)Operated by the Sisters of...
Silhouetted mother and children by glowing stove

Chapter 7: Schmieder Family’s First Christmas in America, 1924

Loneliness in a New Land: Longing for Christmas Past The bitter cold seeped through the...
Vintage ocean liner with twin smokestacks

Chapter 6: Tears and Hope — A Passage to America, 1924

SS Bremen: The Ship That Carried Rosa and Her Children to a New Life in...