JOHN SCHENK

Sacramento County

Biographies

JOHN SCHENK

JOHN SCHENK--Since 1891 John Schenk has been a resident of California, and the greater part of the thirty-two years has been spent in Sacramento and in many substantial ways he has assisted in its upbuilding and progress. He was born in Milwaukee, Wis., May 29, 1857, the youngest son of five children born to John and Mary Ann (Metzler) Schenk, both natives of Germany. The father passed away when our subject was one year and fifteen days old.

It was a hard task to rear five children, so John was obliged to go to work when only twelve years of age to help support the family. In 1869, the family removed to Racine, Wis., where the eldest son, Charles, was employed. At the age of fifteen, Charles enlisted in the service of his country as a captain’s aide; later he was a seaman on the Great Lakes. John was employed with

J. I. Case as a machinist for three years; later he worked as a journeyman for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, and then went to Rockford, Ill., where he was engaged as a machinist in a jobbing shop, after which he worked in Milwaukee for the Corliss Engine Works. John Schenk from boyhood had taken a great interest in athletics, and in 1887 he joined the Turner's Club in Racine. Recognizing his ability as an instructor in athletics, the Y. M. C. A. employed him in 1890 and he came to the Pacific Coast and located in Fresno, where he took charge of the athletic work of the Y. M. C. A., remaining there for a year, when he removed to Sacramento and was occupied for ten years in traveling about the state in the interest of the

Y. M. C. A., and as instructor for the Athletic Club in Sacramento.

The marriage of Mr. Schenk occurred in Racine, Wis., in 1877, which united him with Mary Speich, a native of Racine, and they were the parents of nine children: Christinia, Ernest and Eleanor are deceased; Amanda is the wife of Monty Newbert and they have five children; Millie, the deceased wife of Horace Clark, is survived by one child; Karl is married and has two children; Robert is married and has one child; Clara is the wife of Victor Garibaldi and they have two children; John Lewis is a machinist in Sacramento. In 1905 Mr. Schenk organized a vaudeville troupe composed of four sons, one daughter and two members from the outside, and for a number of seasons they played on the J. D. Constantine circuit throughout the United States. The sudden death of his eldest son, Ernest, at Kansas City, put an end to their show business. Meantime Mr. Schenk had purchased twenty acres of land at Fruitridge, which he began to develop to fruit and where the family have since resided. In 1911, Mr. Schenk erected a store building and put in a complete line of groceries which he has since handled with fine results. For forty years Mr. Schenk has been a member of the I. O. O. F., and he is a member of the B. P. O. Elks Lodge No. 6 of Sacramento; since early manhood he has been a member of the Turner's Club in Racine, Wis. In politics he is a Republican. For two seasons he served as a member of the state fish and game commission. For the past four years he has sponsored the Fruitridge Boy Scouts troop No. 15; he is also chairman of the troop committee for the Elks troop of Scouts in Sacramento.

Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.

Source: Reed, G. Walter, History of Sacramento County, California With Biographical Sketches, Page 690. Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA. 1923.