Herman Scherle immigrated to the United States in 1846 at
the age of 35. His father, Franz Anton, had died in 1840. Herman
must have inherited part of the family farm, and he had purchased
other property. When he asked the Ehrenstetten City Council permission
to immigrate, he was refused. He sold off his rather extensive
holdings, but the proceeds did not cover all his debts.
He was denied passports. There were seventy two people immigrating
from Ehrenstetten, and somehow he, his wife, Johanna, and their
five children were able to join them on their exit from Germany.
The immigrants with permission to leave received allotments from
the City Council of Ehrenstetten of potatoes, and other food
stuff for the voyage. 1850 was a period of revolution in Germany,
and these immigrants were leaving the termoil and fighting caused
by the civil wars. They were leaving beautiful, fertile farms,
and it must have been a very difficult decision to sell out and
leave their homeland.
The Ehrenstetten immigrants sailed into New Orleans in 1846.
In 1847 Herman and his family settled in Paewaukee, Wisconsin.
Seven years later he moved to Genessee, Wisconsin where he spent
the remainder of his life. Herman continued to be a farmer, the
one activity he knew best. He and Johanna had seven more children
in the United States.
Herman died in 1877 at the age of 62 years, 11 months. The
following was taken from his obituary:
Mr. Scherle received a common school education such as Germany
then afforded. He had a remarkable tact and love for literature.
He was very well read and posted in history, and seemed as if
he had the history at his finger's end. He had no other profession
than that of farming having been one from boyhood. He greatly
admired nature in her countless forms, and therefore became opposed
to all forms and all varieties of religious beliefs and believed
that the basis of knowledge was in studying nature.
He was a man of a large compassionate heart, never turning
away the poor from his door. He sympathized with the poor and
distressed both in religious and financial sense. He was an honest
man, and believed that honesty was the best policy. No man was
ever cheated by him knowingly for he detested those who would
do anything dishonest. In politics he never took an active part.
At first he was a Democrat, but when the rebellion broke his
sympathies were with the enslaved Negro, and consequently he
joined the Republican party where he remained until the Greely
campaign of 1872 when he joined the reformers and strongly opposed
the Grant administration. Since then he has been conservative.
married Johana Federer 4 August 1840. She was born
7 May 1816 Germany. She lived with son Herman in Waukesha Wisconsin
in 1900 census, age 84
children
1(i). William Shirley born 30 May 1841 Baden Germany:
He lived with his sister Sophia Cook in their Lyon Nevada 1900
census household
1(ii). Theodore Shirley born 25 March 1842 Baden, Germany,
died 10 October 1916. He married Mary O'Neal 28 November
1872 Paradise Valley, Humboldt Co. Nevada.
1(iii). Henry Shirley born 28 May 1843 Baden, Germany,
He lived at Sutro, Lyon Co Nevada in 1880 and at Inyo California
in 1900 census; He died 25 November 1900 San Francisco, California.
married Amelia Bussse 23 October 1869 Virginia City,
Nevada.
children:
2(i). Jennie A Shirley born about 1870 Nevada, age
10 in 1880 census
2(ii). Lilian E Shirley born about 1873 Nevada, age
27 in parent's 1900 census
2(iii). Arthur A Shirley born about 1875 Nevada, age
25 in parent's 1900 census
2(iv). Etta D Shirley born about 1878 Nevada, age 22
in parent's 1900 census
2(v). William H Shirley born about 1887 California,
age 13 in parent's 1900 census
1(iv). Mary Theresa Shirley born 12 October 1844 Baden
Germany, died 3 July 1907 Dayton, Nevada. She married Alexander
A. Bowland 12 November 1874 Vivan Mill, Nevada.
1(v). Jane Shirley born 7 February 1845 Baden Germany,
died 16 November 1923 Hebron Illinois. She married Erastus Stanton
Libbey 12 November 1871 Carson City, Nevada.
1(vi). Sophia Shirley born 11 October 1848 Wailesha,
Wisconsin, died 12 August 1933 Fullerton, California. She married
Robert A. Cooke 12 November 1874 Vivian Mill, Nevada.
1(vii). Louisa Shirley born 15 February 1850
Waukesha, Wisconsin, died 29 March 1878 Gold Hill, Nevada.
1(viii). Franklin Pierce Shirley born 11 September
1852 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lived at Sutro, Lyon Co Nevada in
1900 census; He died 10 July 1915 Virginia City, Nevada.
married Harriet Carrier 10 April 1889 Dayton, Nevada.
children:
2(i). Rolland D Shirley born about 1889 Nevada, age
11 in 1900 census
2(ii). Florence M Shirley born about 1891 Nevada, age
9 in 1900 census
2(iii). Inez E Shirley born about 1893 Nevada, age
7 in 1900 census
2(iv). Myron C Shirley born about 1895 Nevada, age
5 in 1900 census
2(v). Herbert C Shirley born about 1897 Nevada, age
3 in 1900 census
1(ix). Victoria Shirley born 10 May 1854; She lived
with brother Herman and mother Joanna in 1900 census; She, died
29 March 1933 She married William Colaton.
1(x). Herman D. Shirley born 27 December 1856; He was
living at Waukesha Wisconsin in 1900 census with his sister Victoria
and widowed mother; He died 10 July 1905 Sutro, Nevada.
1(xi). Dr John J. Shirley born 27 December 1856; He
and his wife lived in Washington DC in 1900, 1910 and 1920 census;
Lived Fullerton, Orange Co California in 1930 and 1940 census,
age 83; He died 26 November 1945 Sutro, Nevada
married Martha Ann King
No apparent children
1(xii). Henrietta Shirley born 11 January 1859 Waukesha
Wisconsin; She lived with her brother John J Shirley in 1940
census, age 80; She died 24 January 1941 Fullerton California.
Herman Anton Scherle