Reminiscences of George Schramm

George Schramm undertook the task of writing his Reminiscences at the advanced age of eighty-five. He was born in Germany in 1816 in the village of Plech, Bavaria, and died in Des Moines, Iowa in 1906 at the age of ninety. He came to America with his parents and eight of his brothers and sisters in 1837, settled in Farmington, Iowa on the Des Moines River in 1845, and moved to the city of Des Moines in 1867. The work speaks for itself. It is a mine of information about the background of the Schramm family, going as far back as the mid-17th century. With an impressive vocabulary, extraordinarily retentive memory, and an interesting style of writing, George Schramm reflected on his past and gave life to the many people and places he encountered, focusing his interests on the early history of Iowa. A good deal of the contents will be of interest to students of European and American history, especially that of Iowa, where Schramm was a pioneer lawmaker, serving the state as a senator and a member of the House of Representatives. The reader should bear in mind the age of the writer and the fact that English was not his mother tongue. George Schramm was an example and inspiration to all who knew him. He was a poet in five languages. He was a true philosopher and a practical theologian. He was a naturalist, delighted by the beautiful world in which he lived. He was loved by his immediate family and his peers, being known as
Father Schramm
to those who recognized him as a pioneer of Iowa and as an early settler of Des Moines. The reader will be both entertained and enlightened and perhaps, be inspired to be a better American and a better human being.