San
Joaquin County
Biographies
MRS. CARL G. SCHNEIDER
(ALICE
SMALLFIELD)
A worthy representative of an old
pioneer family, Mrs. C. G. Schneider, who was in maidenhood Alice Smallfield,
was brought by her parents to Stockton, California, when she was one year old
and thus has witnessed the development and progress of her adopted city and
county. She has taken a very active part
in its educational development for many years, both as an instructor and as a
member of the board of education. She is
a woman of unusual capabilities, broad-minded and in sympathy with the higher
life and in the education and moral development of the youth she has been the
originator of the Prevocational School in Stockton. Her father, August A. Smallfield, a native of
Kiel, Germany, came to California via Panama in the early ‘50s and mined for a
time, then settled in Stockton where he purchased the Weber Avenue Hotel; this
was later destroyed by fire and he then engaged in the grocery business with
Adolph Dohrmann as a partner. He was a
member of the Volunteer Fire Department and Charity Lodge of Odd Fellows. He
married Miss Regina Steinhilber and they were the
parents of five children: Albert A.,
manager Austin Brothers Hardware Store, Stockton, California; Adolph Dohrmann,
also with Austin Brothers; Mrs. Alice Schneider; Mrs. Mary Koldinger;
and Bernard Nathan, both deceased. Her
father passed away in 1868 and her mother died in 1902.
Alice Smallfield received her
education in the public schools of Stockton and then for eight years was a
teacher in the schools of Tehama County; then for the next thirteen years was a
teacher in the Stockton schools. For a
number of years she was the principal of the Lincoln School, originally on the
site of the Little Vineyard School. The Little
Vineyard School was the first school she attended and it was on the same site
she was principal just before she gave up teaching, at the time of her
marriage. Mrs. Schneider is now serving
her third term as a member of the Stockton board of education and devotes the
greater part of her time to this work.
It was through her efforts that the Prevocational School was established
in Stockton, which has become so successful.
Here the children study one-half day and the rest of the time is given
to learning trades, such as woodworking, mechanical art, etc., and in this
school many boys have started their trade; she was the first teacher to
introduce phonetics, which has now become universal in the schools of the
county. She was elected one of the
fifteen freeholders at the spring election of 1922 to frame a new city charter
for the city of Stockton.
The marriage of Miss Smallfield
occurred on September 12, 1901, and united her with Carl G. Schneider, a native
of Wurttemberg, Germany, and they have one son, Carl A., a student at the
University of California. Mr. Schneider
located in Stockton about thirty years ago where he established himself in the
harness business. In 1901 he also opened
a trunk and leather goods store on East Weber Avenue, where he conducts the
leading store of its kind, his stock being large and complete in every
detail. Mr. and Mrs. Schneider are
active members of the German Lutheran Church.
Transcribed by Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
795-796. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2011 Gerald Iaquinta.
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