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George Schiemer, Sr. was born in 1900 and raised in a small Austrian village. |
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George worked hard and finally earned enough money to pay his fare across the Atlantic to America's beautiful shores. |
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Once in New York City, George lived in a boarding house for immigrants, got a job driving a taxi cab, and perfected his English. |
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Not long after, he met Katherine, a young woman from
Hamburg, Germany, who |
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With a lot of hard work, determination, and a small tractor, George cleared the land that was to become Schiemer Farms. |
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George and Katherine had 2 children, George, Jr. and Carolyn. |
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George, Sr. farmed successfully until his death in 1957. |
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George Jr. received his bachelor's degree in biology and was drafted to the U.S. Army. Upon his father's sudden death he came home to farm. |
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George married Melda and they had 3 children... |
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From an early age, Rod showed an intense interest in farming. As a small boy, he "farmed" with his own toy tractor and spent countless hours in the field with his father. George taught Rod everything he knew about agriculture. |
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Rod began farming on his own in the 90's when George
retired. Like |
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George and Katherine moved to Nyssa, Oregon to help George's uncle, who had settled there. They learned that the state of Oregon was giving homestead land to anyone willing to clear it of sagebrush and farm it for 5 years. This was just the opportunity the couple was waiting for. |
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During this time life was very difficult in a region ravaged by war and poverty. George longed for something better. It was his dream to come to America. |
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Rod |
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Jean |
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Georgia |
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Jean’s note: “In 1985, Mom dressed us up in old clothes and made us pose for this picture.”
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