Simon Peter Strobel (1849 - 1917)

Born 28 Sep 1849 in Franklin Township, Columbiana, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Died 23 Mar 1917 at age 67 in St. Cloud, Stearns, Minnesota, United States

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Biography

Simon Peter Strobel, 67, a retired blacksmith, passed away on 23 March 1917 at Saint Cloud, Stearns, Minnesota. He was born on 28 October 1849 in Franklin Township, Columbiana, Ohio, a son of Philip Strobel, 1815-1895 and Genovefa (Blau) Strobel, 1818-1909. He married Miss Anna Mary Gales in about 1874.

In 1846, Simon's grandfather, Thomas Strobel and his father, Philip Strobel left Hohenzollern, Germany, located south of Stuttgart, accompanied by Philip's wife and children, Godeleva, Kilian, and Regina. It is thought Thomas may have worked for a time as a stone mason in the construction of the Hohenzollern Castle.

They located in Columbiana County, Ohio where Philip worked some seven years at his trade as a stone mason. Before the expiration of this period Thomas bought eighty acres of land in Ashford, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Subsequently he returned for the rest of the family. He then farmed on this place until within a few years of his death in 1884.

Then Philip operated the place until his death in 1896 at the age of seventy-nine. Philip's wife died in 1908 at the age of ninety-one.

Simon followed the fortunes of the family in Ohio and Wisconsin and received such education as the district schools afforded. At the age of sixteen he left home and went to West Bend, Wisconsin where he spent three years and a half learning the blacksmith's trade. From there he went to Kewaskum, Wisconsin where he was associated for two years with his brother, John in the same business. After that he spent two years working at various places throughout the country including Atchison, Kansas and Warsaw, Illinois. After this he returned to Wisconsin and started a blacksmith shop of his own in St. Kilian where he remained for ten years. From his marriage to Agnes Gales came seven children.

In 1882, Simon took his family to St. Cloud, Minnesota. There he entered into partnership with his brother-in-law, Peter Gales for the manufacture and sale of wagons. Mr. Strobel took charge of the blacksmith department of the work. The company flourished and the output became well-known throughout that part of the state and their wagons were unexcelled in that era.

But the introduction of modern machinery and the formation of companies which made wagons on a large scale did away with the old methods of substantial and honest hard work. As a result cheaper vehicles were placed on the market and made competition difficult for the old fashioned workmen who put his own honor and stability into every wagon. In 1909, Simon sold out to his partner who remained to run the business.

Mr. Strobel was a member of the Saint Cloud School Board having been elected in the spring of 1914. For three years he had served on the city council. He was a member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Saint Cloud and its St. Joseph's Society.

He was survived by: his wife, Anna, b. 1854; children, John P. Strobel, b. 1875, he married Miss Agnes Gans; Anna "Annie" Marie (Strobel) Doerner, b. 1878, she married John Doerner; Albert R. Strobel, b. 1880, he married Miss Elvina Besseman, no children; Mathilda (Strobel) Bowers, b. 1883 of Minneapolis, she married William Bowers; Alphonse Strobel, b. 1886 of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Rose Sophia (Strobel) Messing, b. 1890 of Freeport, Minnesota, she was a school teacher; Raymond Peter Strobel, b. 1894 of Mitchell, South Dakota; siblings, Godeleva (Strobel) Berg, b. 1841 in Germany; Kilian Strobel, b. 1843 in Germany; Katharina (Strobel) Beisbier, b. 1856; Philip Strobel, b. 1858; Andrew Strobel, b. 1860; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Simon was preceded in death by: his parents; and siblings, Regina Strobel, 1846-1866; John Strobel, 1850-1913; Joseph Strobel, 1851-1914; Geneva (Strobel) Remmel, 1853-1904; Anna Maria (Strobel) Klockenbusch, 1855-1917; and infant, Anthony Strobel, 1863-1863.

Mr. Strobel is buried at the Calvary Cemetery, Saint Cloud

Sources

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/pedigree/landscape/MD82-VVT
• William Bell Mitchell, History of Stearns County, Minnesota, vol. 1, pp 92-96.
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial ID 154120510/simon-peter-strobel.
• C. Tonelli, Findagrave contributor no. 48733878.