Mathias Schleder was born in the Rhine Province, called Rhenish Prussia. The Rhine, which is there navigable and celebrated for its picturesque beauty, divides the Province in two parts. The country is rich in agricultural andmineral productions, and the vine is extensively cultivated there, the celebrated Rhine and moselle wines being largely manufactured in the Province.

Mathias Schleder, one of the old pioneers of Jo Daviess County, is now a retired farmer living in Lena. He attended school steadily until he was 13 years of age, and was then employed in assisting his father on the farm, and remained on the homestead until he was 21 years of age. At that period of his life he was inspired with military ardor, and resolved to be a soldier. He joined the army, and after serving two years returned home and remained with his parents until 1845. In the autumn of thatyear young Schleder started from home in a sailing vessel bound for America, and after a passage of 39 days, during which they encountered some tempestuous weather, he landed at New York, and went westward as far as Pittsburgh, PA., where, laboring under the disadvantage of speaking in a foreign tongue, in a country and among people whose customs were unfamiliar to him, he found it difficult to obtain employment. However, with a stout heart and willingmind he turned his hand to whatever work he could procure, and during a great part of the time was engaged in coal mining.

Mr. Schleder was married in 1848 to Miss Annie Maria Kalts, who was also a native of Rhenish Prussia. She was born June 29, 1816, and came to America in 1846. They remained in Pittsburgh until 1851, and then in the hope of improving his circumstances he started for the West, going first to Galena via the Ohio and mississippi Rivers. Here he spent two months in looking for employment, and gaining all the information in regard to the Western country which he could. Having learned many of the details of farming while with his father at home, he decided to invest in land, and purchased a tract of 40 acres in Rush Twp., at thirty-one cents per acre. There was a log house standing on the place which the family occupied nearly four years. They then built a comfortable frame house. The post-office and nearest market was at Galena, thirty miles distant, and letters at that time were rare and costly.

Mr. Schleder cultivated and improved his farm, occassionally adding to it until he finally owned an estate of 100 acres. He lived there until 1878 when he rented his farm and purchased the place in Lena where he now resides. The two acres of ground surrounding his residence are well cultivated, and his table is supplied with delicious fruit and vegetables from his own garden. Mr. and Mrs. Schleder had a family of six children born to them - Mary, now Mrs. Bear is a resident of Carroll County; Kate, now Mrs. Matheny is a resident of Lena; John J. is a resident of Lena; Philamena resided in Kansas; Josephine resided in Dakota and Theodore is a resident of Chicago. Mr. Schleder and family are members of the Roman Catholic Church.

Contributed by Christine Walters
History of Stephenson County 1888 Portrait & Biographica Pg 192