Schowalter, Christian (1828-1907)

Christlicher Bundesbote obituary: 1907 Apr 25 p. 6

Birth date: 1828 or 1829 Nov 11

text of obituary:

✝ Skizze von Prediger Christian Schowalter ✝

Liebe Botenleser! Am 16. April haben wir die irdische Hülle unseres lieben alten Lehrers, welcher die meiste Zeit seines irdischen Lebens in der Zions Gemeinde bei Donnellson, Iowa, als Schullehrer und Preidiger [sic] tätig war, auf den Friedhof getragen. Nebst seiner lieben Familie folgten seinem Sarge eine große Schar trauernde Freunde und Bekannte von nah und fern, welche früher von dem Dahingeschiedenen unterrichtet und nach Leib und Seele treu gepflegt worden waren. Bis zu seinem Ende hat er uns mit Briefen, mit Worten und Leben kräftig gepredigt. Aber unser Verlust ist sein Gewinn. Er, der ihn am Abend des 13. April durch einen Schlaganfall plötzlich von allen Leiden erlöste, im Alter von 78 Jahren, 5 Monaten und 1 Tag, hat es wohl gemacht. — Jetzt, da der Dahingeschiedene so plötzlich von uns entrückt wurde, können wir es fast nicht glauben, daß wir in diesem Leben immer von ihm geschieden sein müssen, und in Wirklichkeit weilt er noch unter uns in seinen Werken und in seinem Leben; er durfte durch die Gnade Gottes viel tun im Reich Christi. Möchte sein Einfluß und sein Leben in uns allen zu einem recht fruchtbaren Samenkorn werden!

Folgende Brüder haben sich an dem Leichengottesdienst beteiligt: Pastor Fauth von der Evangelischen Kirche von Donnellson predigte über 2. Kön. 2, 12a; S. M. Musselmann von Wayland, Ia., über 1. Kor. 1. 5, 9. 10 und Peter P. Hilty über Apg. 8, 2.

Christian Schowalter erblickte das Licht dieser Welt am 11. November, 1828 in Affenheim, Rheinbayern, Deutschland. In seiner Jugend besuchte er verschiedene Schulen in Deutschland und in der Schweiz; so bildete er sich heran zum Lehramt. Im Jahre 1850 kam er nach Amerika und zwar in die Gegend von Ashland, Ohio. Hier lehrte er in den Schulen ungefähr 3 Jahre. In 1853 kam er nach Lee Co., Iowa, und lehrte in der Gemeindeschule der Zions Mennonitengemeinde und in West Point. Am 25. Oktober 1855 verehelichte er sich mit Rosina Haffner. Aus dieser Ehe entsprossen 14 Kinder, von welchen ihm 6 in die obere Heimat vorangegangen sind. Von 1855 bis 1862 diente er als Lehrer der deutschen Zions-Gemeindeschule. Ausgangs des Jahres 1861 wurde er als Prediger gewählt, und diente nun als Prediger und Lehrer dieser Gemeinde bis 1868. In 1868 hat er einen Ruf als Lehrer der Mennonitischen Bildungsanstalt in Wadsworth, Ohio, angenommen. Da arbeitete er zwei Jahre im Segen des Herrn. Dann machte er eine Reise in die alte Heimat Affenheim um seine Mutter zu besuchen.

In 1870 kam er wieder zurück nach Lee Co., Ia., und nahm da seine Arbeit als Lehrer und Prediger der Zions-Gemeinde wieder auf. Er lehrte und predigte in dieser bis 1888, dann legte er das Lehramt nieder, und diente dann dieser Gemeinde als Prediger bis im Oktober 1904. Da mußte er wegen seines Leidens auch dieses Amt nieder legen. Er hat dem Herrn und der Gemeinde treu gedient. Im Ganzen hat er 39 Jahre Schule gehalten und 43 Jahre im Predigtamt gedient.

Am. 25. Oktober 1905 durfte er mit seiner, ihn überlebenden Gattin im Kreise seiner noch lebenden Kinder die goldene Hochzeit feiern. In den letzten 3 Jahren hat ihn der Herr durch eine schwere Leidensschule geführt, aber er trug sein Kreuz geduldig und ohne Murren. Die Hinterbliebenen, Gattin, 8 Kinder, 14 Enkelkinder trauern nun über den Dahingeschiedene, doch nicht als solche, die keine Hoffnung haben.

"Selig sind die Toten, die in dem Herrn sterben, von nun an. Ja, der Geist spricht, daß sie ruhen von ihrer Arbeit; denn ihre Werke folgen ihnen nach." — (Die in Aussicht genommene Lebensbeschreibung, für den B.-B.-Kalender, 1908, wird später erfolgen. — Ed.)

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1927 Mar 30 p. 1

text of obituary:

BIOGRAPHY OF REV. CHRISTIAN SHOWALTER

Former minister of the Zion Mennonite Church of Donnellson, Ia. By Jacob Schnebele

Rev. Schowalter was born Nov. 11, 1828 in Assenheim, Bavaria, Germany. From his 6th to his 14th year he attended public school for 8 months a year, after which he worked on his father's farm a few years. In 1845, now being 17 years old he went to the school at Benggen, which he attended 2 years. After that he attended a normal school at Schiers, from where he graduated in 1849. He then taught school at Deutchhof in Bavaria. After this he received a call from a Mennonite school at Hayesville, O. He came to America in 1850 and taught school at Hayesville for 3 years, now being 22 years old. He then received a call from the Zion Mennonite church in Lee County Pa. [sic Ia.], for teaching school. He arrived there on June 8, 1853 and on Aug. 2 the same year he began teaching school in this congregation. At this place, near Franklin, he was married with Rosina Haffner on Oct. 25, 1855. He taught the congregation school until overwork and failing health forced him to give it up. He was also chosen as minister for this church in 1861.

He commenced teaching in German and English both, but later he taught only in the German language. He taught in an old building which was formerly used as a stable, for about 2 years, until the first church for the Zion congregation was built. He then taught in the basement of this church until 1881. He taught all the branches which were then taught in the public schools besides giving religious instructions every day in some form or the other. He opened and closed each day with prayer, he taught the pupils to be orderly, honor older people, especially parents. After 1881 he taught school for about 7 more years in the new frame school house of the congregation. During all this time he omitted only 2 years when he was principal of the Wadsworth, O. College in 1868 and 1869. In the fall of 1869 he made a trip to Germany to see his old mother after which he returned to his congregation to serve them as minster and teacher. He began preaching on Christmas 1861 and was ordained to the full ministery [sic] the following year. He preached for about 42 years. He was one of the founders of the Mennonite Conference and was chosen for secretary almost at beginning, about 1861, and remained in this office until a few years before his death. When attending Conference in Pennsylvania in 1875 his oldest daughter Magdalena died after a short illness. As traveling was slow in those days, by the time he received the sad news it was impossible for him to return back home for the funeral. You can imagine the father's feeling when he arrived home. he also was a member of the foreign mission board and for many years was president of it.

He was greatly interested in the first movement for Sunday school and Christian Endeavor in his church and helped much to establish them.

He also served his fellowmen in a medical way, and often was called out in the night to give aid to some sufferer, without requesting any pay for his aid. He also wrote a German Catechism which was used for many years for religious instruction for baptism in Mennonite churches. He himself generally gave religious instructions for baptism about 2 or 3 times a week for about 6 months in the year.

The last years of his life he was a great sufferer from an incurable disease. Nearly 2 years prior to his death he had the pleasure to install his successor, Rev. Hilty, as minister.

On October 25, 1905, father and mother Schowalter had the pleasure to celebrate their golden wedding in the presence of all their living children, and the greatest part of the congregation. But on account of his suffering he could not enjoy this occasion as greatly as he and his family had wished. Nearly 1½ years after the golden wedding he was released from his suffering by our kind heavenly Father. He went to sleep as usual in the evening, never to wake up anymore on this earth, no one noticing the time of his departure. He reached the age of 78 years, 5 months, 4 days.

His faithful life-companion outlived hm about 10 years, being 80 years 9 months and 4 days old at the time of her death. They now abide in the heavenly mansions prepared by our heavenly Father for His children.

Father Schowalter was a man of great influence in his congregation and school. He is gone but by no means forgotten.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1938 May 4 p. 6

text of obituary:

A Founder of General Conference Remembered in Gift to Bethel College

Reverend Christian Schowalter, a founder of the General Conference of Mennonite Churches of North America (shown above with his wife Mrs. Rosina Haffner Schowalter), has been remembered by friends who were his former pupils in school and members of his congregation at Donnellson, Iowa, with a $1,000 gift to the Bethel College Memorial Fund. A memorial biography (the fifth of a series) of Reverend Schowalter, pioneer pastor and conference organizer, is published in this issue of the Review.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1938 May 4 p. 6

Rev. Christian Schowalter A Memorial Biography

It was in the time of the Reformation that the lives of three brothers living in Switzerland, John, Jacob, and Christian Schowalter, were in danger. Religious persecutions were spreading. The Schowalter brothers fled from their homes and found refuge in western Germany near the peasant village of Weissenburg, Alsatia. Here the trio became tenants on the manors of Schafbach and Gaisberg not far from the western bank of the strem made immortal in song and myth, the Rhine River.

One of these brothers, who went north into Germany from scenic Switzerland, was the ancestor of Christian Schowalter, early Mennonite educator in America, pastor, mission worker, and a founder of the General Conference of Mennonite churches.

Born at Assenheim, Bavaria, Germany

Born November 11, 1829, at Assenehim, Bavaria, Germany, young Christian Schowalter started gong to public school at the age of six years. When fourteen he went to work for three years on his father's farm. Although his parents, John and Magdalena Schowalter, had but moderate means they were eager that the studious boy should go on with his education and at seventeen he enrolled at a normal school in Beugen, studied here two years and continued his normal school training at Schiers in the canton of Graubeunden in eastern Switzerland.

Graduating at Schiers in July, 1849, he taught school for one year in Deutschhof, Bavaria. Receiving an invitation from Haysville, Ohio, to teach school there, Schowalter in 1850 in a company of seventy-two persons migrated to America.

Taught in Ohio and at Donnellson Iowa

He taught in Ohio three years and in 1853 went to teach a parochial school at Donnellson, Iowa. Here in Donnellson, Iowa, the young school teacher became acquainted with Rosina Haffner whom he married on October 25, 1855.

The pastor of the Mennonite Zion church at Donnellson died in 1861 and that same year Schowalter was chosen pastor of this church by lot. Beginning his pastorate in December 1861 Reverend Schowalter continued in the ministry for forty-three years.

He introduced the Sunday School in his church and was instrumental in interesting the young people of his congregation in music. This church was very active in supporting mission work and in 1897 when the Mennonite Mission Board arranged to send Phillip Rabbit, a Cheyenne Indian from Oklahoma, to attend Bethel College the members responded generously in giving money for the Indian's school expenses.

Promoted Idea of Greater Church Unity

In 1858 a movement for greater unity among Mennonite churches was begun. Schowalter, then a school teacher, was one of the promoters of the idea. Next year when a meeting was held to outline steps for such a unification, he was chosen as secretary. He became a member of the committee that drew up the constitution for the conference, was a member of the committee that prepared the Handbook for Ministers, and president of the Foreign Mission Board from 1896 to 1902.

The question of higher education for Mennonite youth came up in conference circles and Reverend Schowalter mapped out a course of instruction and principles on which a school could be conducted. His plans met with favor and on January 2, 1868, he was induced to become principal of the Wadswroth school, Wadsworth, Ohio, and was the first man ever to head a Mennonite institution of higher learning in America. He held this position nearly two years and at the end of his principalship visited Germany with his family.

Observed Golden Wedding Anniversary

In 1905 Reverend and Mrs. Schowalter celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Failing health two years later caused Reverend Schowalter to retire from the ministry and on April 13, 1907, passed away at the age of seventy-eight years.

Through his zeal and interest in Christian cooperation and organiztion, Reverend Schowalter will ong be remembered as furthering a closely-knit unity among Mennonite churches that today has grown into a General Conference in North America with a membership of 156 churches.

Friends who were members of Reverend Schowalter's church at Donnellson, iowa, attended school with him as their teacher; and who preformed [sic] the marriage ceremony for them, have made a memorial gift of $1000 to the Bethel College Memorial Fund in honor of this pioneer pastor, conference organizer, and teacher.

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Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1964 Feb 27 p. 6

article: Historical Marker near Donnellson, Iowa Honors Memory of Pioneer Teacher, Pastor by Mrs. Reuben Neff

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The Mennonite obituary: 1907 Apr 25 p. 6

Text of obituary:

SCHOWALTER.—On April 13, near Donnellson, Iowa, Rev. Christian Schowalter passed to his heavenly reward, aged 78 years, 5 months and 1 day. The deceased was born in Assenheim, Germany. He came to America in 1850 and remained in the vicinity of Ashland, Ohio, until 1853, when he came to Lee Co., Iowa, and to his late home, where he has resided ever since excepting two years—from 1868 to 1870—when he was principal of the "Christliche Bildungsanstalt" at Wadsworth, Ohio. In 1855 he married Rosina Haffner, which union was blessed with fourteen children, six of whom preceded him to the land beyond. Bro. Schowalter had been pastor of the Zion Mennonite congregation for over 43 years, and a school teacher for 39 years. Two years ago he and his wife celebrated their golden wedding. He leaves to mourn his death, his wife, six sons and two daughters. The funeral services were held on April 16 at the Mennonite church near by his late home, conducted by Rev. P. P. Hilty, pastor of the church, and assisted by Rev. Fauth, and Rev. Musselman, of Wayland, Iowa, preaching in English. The funeral was the largest that was ever held there, two-thirds of those present being unable to gain entrance to the church. The floral offerings were numerous and beautiful. Interment was made in the church cemetery.