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Schmeidler, John

Father John Schmeidler, O.F.M., a native of Hays, Kansas, is the son of Marcellus F. & Mary Schmeidler.  He was ordained in 1997 and began his service to the parish of St. Fidelis Catholic Church in Victoria, Kansas, in 2013. He will also be serving the missions of St. Ann in Walker and St. Boniface in Vincent.

His Volga German ancestors come from the colonies of Graf, Herzog, and Pfeifer.

Schönheiter, Clement

Father Schönheiter, son of Anton Schönheiter, was born 22 November 1873 in Neu-Kolonie. He attended the Catholic Seminary in Saratov and was ordained on 3 July 1897 and began serving the parish in Hildmann. From 1910-1928, he jointly served the parishes in Köhler and Göbel.

Schnell, Russell C.

Dr. Russell Schnell, whose ancestors immigrated to North America from Norka, was born and raised in Castor, Alberta and graduated from Gus Wetter School in 1963. He holds first class honors degrees in Biology from the University of Alberta, and Chemistry from Memorial University, Newfoundland. He earned his M.S. and then Ph.D. from the University of Wyoming in Atmospheric Science.

Schneider, Anton

Father Schneider, son of Johannes Schneider (1770-1814) & Maria Katharina Hildt, was born in Mariental on 26 March 1798. He was orphaned at the age of 15 when both parents and his only sister died. He was a teacher for 25 years in Mariental. He is the author of many early accounts of Volga German settlement among the colonies. He died in Mariental on 13 August 1867.

Scheibel, Franz Wilhelm

Franz Wilhelm Scheibel was born 7 February 1816 in the Volga German colony of Messer. He served as the schoolmaster in the neighboring colony of Kolb. He was one of the scouts selected to come to North America in 1874 to investigate opportunities for the Volga Germans to immigrate to the United States. He and the other scouts traveled by train to Hamburg, Germany, where they boarded the SS Schiller. They arrived at Castle Garden in New York City on 15 July 1874.

Still, Michael

Father Still, son of Michael Still, was born in 1893 in the Ekaterinoslav Province of Russia. He became a church organist before joining the Russian army. He served in the military from 1914-1917. He returned to a career as a parish organist serving several parishes in the Crimea.