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HENRY WILLIAM SCHROEDER. The city of Breese, Illinois, is the home of some flourishing business houses which supply the large contiguous territory with necessities, and one that controls an extensive trade and is constantly enlarging its field of operations is that owned by Henry William Schroeder, a lumber and building material business. Mr. Schroeder is well known to the citizens of Breese, as he has lived in this city all of his life, his birth having occurred here September 15, 1869.

Mr. Schroeder is a son of Conrad Schroeder, who was born in Hessen, Germany, and came to the United States at the age of eighteen years, with a brother, John, who was sixteen years old at that time. Locating in Clinton county, Illinois, they began to follow their trades, Conrad being a wagon maker and John a blacksmith, and soon thereafter each entered business on his own account and became well and favorably known to the business citizens of the city of Breese. Conrad Schroeder married Miss Christina Wiese, of Clinton county, where her father was a prominent agriculturist, and they had a family of eight children, of whom five survive: Carrie; Henry W.; Louisa, who became the wife of E. G. Hofsommer; Lydia, who married August Hofsommer; and Emil J. Mr. Schroeder continued in the wagon making business, in connection with dealing in farming implements, up to the time of his death. His widow, who survives him, resides in Breese and attends St. John's Evangelical church, of which he was also a consistent member. In his political views he was a Republican, but his business interests always demanded all of his time and attention and he never held nor cared for public office.

Henry W. Schroeder spent his boyhood in Breese. where he attended the public schools, later entering the Southern Illinois Normal University, and eventually took a course in architectural drawing at Shenk's Architectural Drawing School, St. Louis. Entering an architect's office in St. Louis, Mr. Schroeder continued to follow that line for a time, but eventually went into the carpenter and building business at St. Louis, having learned that trade before he took up architectural work. In 1892 he came to Breese, where he formed a partnership with E. G. Hofsommer in the building and contracting business, and this association continued for five years, when Mr. Schroeder purchased Mr. Hofsommer's interests. Lately, however, he has almost entirely abandoned the contracting business, giving the major part of his attention to dealing in lumber and building material, and to the manufacture of artificial stone, as secretary of the Breese Artificial Stone Company. This company has extensive yards at Breese, and is one of the largest industries of this thriving city. In addition Mr. Schroeder is secretary of the Breese Water and Light Company, and takes an active and intelligent interest in all matters pertaining to the material welfare of his native city. He is a Republican, but, like his father, he has found no time to mix in polities. He attends St. John's Evangelical church, and is a member of the Southern Illinois Lumber Dealers' Association and the Concordia Singing Society.

In 1903 Mr. Schroeder was married to Miss Lily Hofsommer, daughter of William J. Hofsommer, of Breese, and four children have been born to this union, namely: Melva, Irma, Margaret and Carl. Mr. Schroeder is an excellent business man, and has demonstrated that a man may become successful through the use of honorable and upright business methods. His standing as a citizen is equally high, and personally he is very popular having many warm friends in the city of his birth.

In 1903 Mr. Schroeder was married to Miss Lily Hofsommer, daughter of William J. Hofsommer, of Breese, and four children have been born to this union, namely: Melva, Irma, Margaret and Carl. Mr. Schroeder is an excellent business man, and has demonstrated that a man may become successful through the use of honorable and upright business methods. His standing as a citizen is equally high, and personally he is very popular having many warm friends in the city of his birth.