Katherine (Schneider-Wentz) Schneider Collection

Collection

Identifier: GRHC SC 010

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Katherine (Schneider-Wentz) Schneider Collection consists of two hand-written letters in German, dating to 1923; correspondence relating to the collection and the letters; and a typescript of Katherine Schneider’s biography written by Katherine’s son, Philip Wentz.

The letters were discovered behind the drawers of a sewing machine cabinet belonging to Katherine (Schneider) Wentz Schneider Schmidt. It does not appear that the letters were written by any relative of the Schneider family. It is possible that the letters were already in the sewing machine when Katherine Schneider purchased it.

The correspondence, dating to 2004, relates to the letters and contains more information about them. Also included is a translation of the letters into English, but it is believed that the translation is not accurate.

The biography of Katherine Schneider was written by Philip Wentz, who was the son of Katherine and John Wentz. The nine-page biography is very extensive and covers the many years of Katherine’s life. The biography is not dated, but it was written sometime before Philip Wentz’s death on March 1, 2004.

Dates

1923
2004

Creator

Schneider, Katherine, 1890- (Person)

Access

Access to the physical collection is available upon request. Request must be made at least three (3) business days prior to ndsu.grhc@ndsu.edu.

Copyright

Copyrights to items in this collection remain with original copyright holders or are in the public domain.

Biography

Katherine (Schneider-Wentz) Schneider was born in March 1890, in South Russia. She was born to parents Philip and Philippine (Weber) Schneider. When Katherine was seven years old, her father, Philip, died, and her mother later remarried to Michael Beitz. In 1902, Katherine immigrated to the United States with some of her family, settling around Towner, North Dakota.

In 1905, Katherine Schneider married John Wentz, and the couple had seven children. In 1909, the family moved to Canada. John Wentz died in 1923. A year later, Katherine married Kasimer Schneider, who also had lost a spouse and had seven children. Katherine and Kasimer Schneider had five children together.

The family later moved back to North Dakota and farmed. OnJune 8, 1935, Kasimer Schneider died of cancer at the age of fifty. In 1947, Katherine remarried again to Fred Schmidt. She lived with Fred in Towner, ND until his death in 1965. Katherine died on December 12, 1982, at the age of ninety-two.

Extent

4 Folders

Language of Materials

English

German

Additional Description

Summary

This collection contains two hand-written letters in German, dating to 1923; correspondence relating to the letters; and a biography of Katherine Schneider, written by Katherine’s son, Philip Wentz.