William Scholl, born October 19, 1866, in Baden, Germany, was a notable farmer in Richardson County, Nebraska, from 1883 onward. After immigrating to the United States in 1882, he initially worked on a farm in New York before moving to Nebraska. In 1894, Scholl bought and began improving his farm in the Barada precinct, where he resided for many years. He married twice, first to Caroline Hartmann in 1892, with whom he had two children, and then to Anna Scholl in 1905, with whom he had four children. Scholl was a dedicated farmer and community member, active in the Lutheran church and the local school board.
Williarn Scholl, proprietor of an excellent farm of two hundred and ten acres in section 31 of the precinct of Barada, this county, is of European birth, a native of the grand duchy of Baden, but has been a resident of this country since 1882 and of Richardson county since 1883. He was born on October 19, 1866, son of Simon and Christina (Klonig) Scholl, also natives of Baden, the former of whom, a farmer, born there in 1828, spent all his life in his native land, his death occurring in 1904, and the latter of whom is still living there, now in the eighty-fifth year of her age. Simon Scholl and wife were the parents of three children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the only one who came to this country, the eldest of the children having died in infancy and the youngest of whom, his sister, Mrs. Mary Rothardt, is still living in Baden.
Reared on the home farm in his native Baden, William Scholl received his schooling there and when sixteen years of age, in 1882, came to the United States and for two years thereafter was engaged in working on a farm in New York state. In 1885 he came to Nebraska and began to work as a farm hand on a farm in the precinct of Arago, in this county, receiving a wage of twenty dollars a month. In 1888 he rented a tract of land and began to farm for himself. He married in the fall of 1892 and in 1894 bought the farm on which he is now living and on which his wife was born, and has ever since resided there. Since taking possession of that place Mr. Scholl has made numerous important improvements on the same including the erection of a new dwelling house and two barns and the planting of an orchard of three hundred trees. The first barn he built was destroyed by fire in 1913 and he erected a better one in its place. Mr. Scholl gives considerable attention to the raising of live stock in addition to his general farming and is doing very well. He is a Democrat and has served as a member of the school board of district No. 23.
Mr. Scholl has been twice married. On October 22, 1892, he was united in marriage to Caroline Hartmann, who, as noted above, was born on the farm on which Mr. Scholl is now living, in 1874, a daughter of Leopold and Sophia Hartmann, natives of Germany, who came to this state from Wisconsin in 1872 and became pioneers of Richardson county. Mrs. Caroline Scholl died in 1904, leaving two children, a son and a daughter, William and Sophia, and in 1905 Mr. Scholl married Ana Scholl, who was born on a pioneer farm in the precinct of Arago, in this county, daughter of Fred and Mary (Heilmann) Scholl, natives of Germany, the former of whom was born on March 16, 1850, and the latter, April 18, 1857, who were married in their native land and remained there until in April, 1881, came to this country and proceeded on out to Nebraska and became residents of this county. Fred Scholl was a stonemason and after coming here worked at that trade until 1886, in which year he bought a farm in the precinct of Arago. In 1901 he bought the farm on which he is now living in that same precinct and there has made his home ever since. To him and his wife have been borne nine children, four of who were born in the old country. Those besides Mrs. Anna Scholl are as follow: Mary, deceased; Bertha, who married H. Fritz and is now deceased; Fredia, wife of H. Fritz, living near Verdon, this county; Fred, who is living in Arago precinct; Henry, who is farming the old home place; Katherine and Ida, who are at home with their parents, and Emma, deceased.
To William and Anna (Scholl) Scholl have been born four children, Elias, Fred, Emma and Edna. Mr. and Mrs. Scholl are members of the Lutheran church and take a proper part in church works, as well as in other neighborhood good works, helpful in promoting movements designated to advance the common good thereabout.
Source: Edwards, Lewis C., History of Richardson County, Nebraska : Its People, Industries and Institutions, Indianapolis : B.F. Bowen, 1917.