Schield House

Frank  Schield was born in Nicholasdorf, Austria, on the December 13, 1835, son of Joseph and Mary Conote-Schield.  Frank was raised in Austria and learned the trade of shoemaking, and after finishing his apprenticeship, began to travel though the country ending up in Hamburg with his brother and sister.  From there they left for New York where they remained for one week and moved on to Milwaukee for six months while continuing to work in his trade.

 

Mr. Schield moved several more times; once to Michigan where he worked in a saw mill for about a year; then to St. Louis before moving to Greene County.

 

For his first five years in Greene County Frank worked for Hazard Clendenen and rented a home from him.  At the end of that five years he purchased 80 acres of rough timbered land from Clendenen and constructed the stone farm house in 1871.

 

In March of 1860 he was married to Anna Lager a native of Germany. She had lost her previous husband some years earlier. They were the parent of two boys, Joseph and George and Anna had two children from her previous marriage Henry and Huston. 

 

The house is nestled in a tiny valley behind heavy foliage, barely visible from the road.  The house was left to Joseph and Mary Goeddy-Schield after Franks death. 

Copyright 2011 Illinois Valley Cultural Heritage Assoc.