WILLIAM B. SCHROER, former land appraiser for Washington township and a well-known farmer and landowner of that township, living on rural mail route No. 1 out of St. Marys, was born in Washington township, a member of one of the pioneer families of the New Knoxville neighborhood, and has lived there all his life. Mr. Schroer was born on a farm about a mile north of New Knoxville on October 1, 1868, and is a son of Herman and Sophia (Wierwille) Schroer, the latter of whom also was born in that township, a member of the pioneer Wierwille family who were among the early settlers of that section of the county. Herman Schroer was born in Germany and was but a lad when he came to this country with his parents, the family coming on out here into western Ohio and becoming settlers of the New Knoxville neighborhood, where he grew to manhood and became a farmer, after his marriage establishing his home on an "eighty" in the woods north of New Knoxville, where his last days were spent and where he increased his land holdings to 245 acres. He and his wife were the parents of eleven children, nine of whom are still living, the subject of this sketch having seven sisters, Elizabeth, Sophia, Anna, Louise, Minnie, Fredericka and Flora, and a brother, Henry C. Schroer, concerning whom further mention is made elsewhere in this volume. Reared on the home farm, William B. Schroer "grew up" to the ways of the farm and has ever followed that vocation. His father died before his school days were over, and he thus early began to assume mature responsibilities in connection with the operations of the home farm, continuing to farm in his mother's behalf until his marriage, when he established his home on the home place on which he is now living, which then belonged to his mother, and has since resided there, he and his family being quite comfortably situated. Mr. Schroer has a well-improved farm of seventy-five acres and his operations are carried on in accordance with modern methods of agriculture. In addition to his general farming he gives considerable attention to the raising of livestock and is doing well. William B. Schroer married Matilda Wellman, also a member of one of the old families of Washington township, a daughter of Henry and Christena (Kruse) Wellman, and to this union two children have been born, a son, Arthur, and a daughter, Bertha, the latter of whom is at home with her parents. Arthur Schroer married Huldah Schroerluke and has two children, Elvera and Ruth. In his political views Mr. Schroer is a Democrat with independent leanings and has given proper attention to local civic affairs. In 1910 he was elected land appraiser for his home township. He and his wife are members of the First Reformed church of New Knoxville, and he has served the congregation of that church as a deacon. Mrs. Matilda Schroer was born in Washington township, where her parents had settled following their marriage. Both her parents were born in Germany, but were married in this county. They were the parents of nine children, three of whom are still living, Mrs. Schroer having two brothers, Louis and Herman Wellman.
This Schroer farm is located at 11278 Glynwood-New Knoxville Road and was the home of Leonard and Lenora Hoelscher Clausing for many years.