Elizabeth Schulmacher Stoll

Page 5 of The Lawrence County News, published in Lawrenceville, Illinois on Wednesday, February 16th, 1921

(An interesting obituary relating the difficulties faced by immigrants moving to the Midwest before the Civil War follows.)

Elizabeth Schuhmacher was born in Waldhauser, Wurttemberg, Germany on January 13th 1838; Died at the home of her son in Lawrenceville February 11, 1921, at the age of 83 years and 29 days.

Left fatherless at an early age with her mother and two younger brothers, she emigrated to the United States in 1852. One brother remained in Germany, and so far as known, is living. The other two preceded her in death. The voyage was made by a sailing vessel, requiring 13 weeks to make the trip. The vessel was blown out of her usual path by severe storms and was given up for lost. After undergoing many trials, not the least of which threatened starvation, the vessel landed at New Orleans Louisiana, and the little family made its way up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Louisville Kentucky. The mother was in frail health and much of the burden of providing for the family fell on the shoulders of the girl. They made their way to Dubois County Indiana, where the mother died and the three small children were thrown upon the tender mercies of the world.

Strangers in a strange country, unaccustomed to the ways of the people, unable to speak their language and possessing very little money or valuables, their lot was a hard one, but they came from a sturdy race and surmounted seemingly impossible difficulties.

The boys were apprenticed, one to a cabinet maker, the other to a wagon maker, and Elizabeth secured work in a hotel at Petersburg, Indiana. Here she was married on February 6,1856 to Henry Stoll, a native of her own country, and they moved to Olney in the fall of the same year where they continued to reside until the death of the latter on November 26, 1898. Elizabeth then moved to Lawrenceville to make her home.

Eight children were born to them, four of whom survive: William H, Joseph I, and Frank Stoll of Olney, and C F Stoll of Lawrenceville. The only daughter died in infancy, as did one son. Another son grew to manhood before answering the final summons, and still another has not been heard from for 20 years and it is presumed he also preceded her in death. She is also survived by 9 grandchildren and three great grandchildren, in addition to many other relatives.

Reared in the Catholic faith Elizabeth afterwards embraced the Protestant religion and united with the German Evangelical church in Olney and for many years was a regular attendant at the services of that church. Since moving to Lawrenceville, she never identified herself with any church but was a constant reader of the Word of God until the past year or so when her eyesight failed. Of a retiring disposition, she made few acquaintances in her old age, and her last days were spent in the company of her children only.

Four weeks ago, she was compelled to take to her bed with an aggravated case of kidney trouble. Rheumatism from which she had been a sufferer for years together with infirmities of age sapped her vitality and she fell an easy victim to senile pneumonia passing peacefully to the other shore shortly after the stroke of midnight on February 11, 1921. She had made a special request for a quartet to sing a German song at her funeral. Burial was in the Olney cemetery.