~HERMAN, GRANT CO., MINNESOTA~

History and Genealogy of SCHMIDT and FISCHBACH families.

 

Handwritten on the back of this postcard is

"Bert and Ted Fischbach. Herman, MN"

Can anyone identify this establishment please? The counter to the left is filled

with candy, the one on the right by the stools above the spitoon has cigars. Groceries in the

background, lunch menu on the wall. Circa 1920.

 

Postcard, Herman, MN, "Fifth St. looking West"

Per the above postcard, Brian Werk graciously shared the following information:

From the book "Blossom on the Prairie"
The History of the Herman, Minnesota Area through 1900
Gary W. Hedstrom, author
published in 1976 by The Herman Review (newspaper)

"People watching R. P. Wells in his 1908 Maxwell, one of the first cars owned in Herman. Buildings left to right are: Winger Store, Dr. Thayer's Office, Merchant's Hotel, Herman Cash Store, Cream Station, Logan Jewelry, Grant Co. State Bank. The photo (postcard) was provided by Ed Devries."

Brian added:

"All of those businesses are now something else today. Namely the Grant Co. Bank is known as "Denny's Cafe". No affiliation with Denny's Restaurants. It is the main information artery of Herman!"

Methodist E. Church, Herman, Minnesota. Not postmarked, but handwritten on the back is "this is the Church at Herman Minn Where Bro's Charlie and Jep's Funerals was Preached".

Per Brian Werk, the following information is provided:

The picture you have of the Methodist Church in Herman is not one I have, but I do have another picture of it. The "Methodist Episcopal Church" was organized in 1879 and the Church was built in 1882 at a cost of $4500. The photo I have was contributed by Ed Devries.

And Patty Benson, curator for the Grant County, MN Historical Society/Museum supplied the following information:

"From files I have with the church's history, the church was built in 1881-82. In 1925 the church was raised to add a basement. Cottonwood trees planted on either side of the front walk were planted in 1885 . I would guess the photo was taken in the early 1900s."

William B. SCHMIDT (born 24 Jan 1868 at New Ulm, Minnesota, died 22 Jul 1943 at Anaheim, CA), far left, standing next to his wife, Julia Maria (KOCHENDORFER) Schmidt. William and Julia married at Menomonie, WI in 1889, and were living in Herman, MN by 1890. They lived in Herman until they moved to Anaheim in 1923. William was a blacksmith while living in Herman. The couple on the right are Mr. and Mrs. Underwood, who owned the store in the background.

William and Julia had nine children while living in Herman, including my grandmother, Margaret Elizabeth Schmidt, who was born on 10 Dec 1900.

Margaret was born and raised in Herman, attending church and school there. She used to tell us a story about when she was a teenager she was a member of the local girls basketball team, but had to sneak out of the house to go participate in the games because her father would not approve of such behavior from one of his daughters. Herman is also where she met her future husband, Theodore "Ted" B. Fischbach. Ted moved to Herman after he was discharged from the army, World War I (where he had fought and was wounded in France). Ted was helping his two brothers, Hubert and Andrew Fischbach, with their carpentry business. On October 30, 1920, Ted and Margaret eloped, traveling across the border into Stevens County where they were married at the courthouse. They moved to Anaheim with Margaret's parents in 1923.

Margaret's younger brother, Stanley Schmidt, remained in Herman his entire life, dying there in August of 1964.

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