This three part posting will provide details of the Joseph Schlick and his sister Maria Schlick Schneider life, work, farming activities, civic contributions, and connections to the Village of Burlington in Burlington Township, Kane County Illinois. Both the Schlicks and the Schneiders contributed to the growth of the community of Burlington, Illinois. As we will see, Joseph Schlick became a leader in the community. Joseph served both as the Mayor of the Village of Burlington and also served terms on the local Burlington School Board.

The first Schlick to move into Burlington was Maria (nee Schlick) Schneider. Maria was the daughter of Casper Schlick. She married George M. Schneider.

George M. Schneider learned his trade as a Blacksmith in Prospect Park (now Glen Ellyn) Illinois. George served on the School Board as a Director for School District 2 in Burlington for eight years and a Trustee for five years. He also served as a Juror for the courts in Geneva. He was also a Banker and member of the Kane Camp No. 471 Modern Woodman of American in the Burlington. He was a Democract in his politics. The Modern Woodmen is a tax-exempt fraternal benefit society. The membership organization sells life insurance, annuity and investment products to help fund member benefits and social, educational and volunteer programs that meet community needs.

Maria (nee Schlick) Schneider, Maria and George emigrated to Burlington in 1880 from DuPage County. They had married on 6 April 1880 at St. Johns Catholic Church in Winfield Illinois by Father John Weiderhold. George purchased a blacksmith shop and a residence and continued his blacksmith business until his death 27 October 1893. The Schneiders and the Schlicks were devote Catholics. They had six children: Annie E, Frank J., George P., Margaret K., Laura Mary, and Carl Michael.

Maria was a widower for thirty-five years. George died in 1893. It must have been a very challenging situation to raise six children following her husband’s death. Maria was extremely active in the St. Charles Catholic Church in Hampshire Illinois. She was a member of the Ladies of the Maccabees Burlington Hive. The Ladies of the Maccabees was a fraternal organization formed in the 1800s exclusively for women an auxilary organization of the Knights of the Maccabees. The Maccabees paid insurance benefits and the ladies were active in local community benefical activities. Maria was also caretaker of her father Casper Schlick who lived in her home for the final eight years of his life (circa 1887 to 1895). Her father Casper was an early settler in 1852 of DuPage County Illinois.

Joseph Schlick was the son of Casper Schlick. He was born in Prospect Park (now Glen Ellyn) Illinois in 1 December 1855. Married October 1, 1878 to Mary Anne Armbrust by Father John Weiderhold of St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Winfield Illinois. They migrated to Burlington Illinois in 1878. The Schlicks owned over 170 acres of land straddling Burlington and Hampshire Townships in Kane County Illinois. Burlington was located not too far from there farm. It was an ideal location for a family farm. Plenty of natural woodlands, rich dark Illinois soil, close to rail transportion depots in the Villages of Hampshire and Burlington.

The Hampshire (Illinois) Register is a major source of information on the Schlicks and their family. In a review of several decades of the newspaper I located the following obituary on Joseph Schlick and details regarding his funeral published on the front page and first column of the Hampshire (Illinois) Register for 1 May 1924.

Burlington Loses Prominent Citizen

Joseph Schlick Answers Call After Several Month’s Illness

Joseph Schlick, Sr. for more than forty-five years a citizen of this community died at his home at Burlington, Saturday morning, April 25 at six thirty o’clock following a serious illness of several months.

Joseph Schlick son of Casper and Margaret Schlick was born December 1, 1855 at Glenn Ellyn. On October 1, 1878, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Anne Armbrust at Wheaton.

On November 4, 1878 he moved to Burlington on the farm he purchased and lived there until December 10, 1906, when with his family, he moved to the residence he built in the village of Burlington.

Mr. Schlick was a man loyal in friendship, bigh hearted and liked by everyone for his sterling qualities. The community will greatly miss him.

Surviving him are his wife, three sons, Casper and Martin of West Chicago and Joseph Jr. of Burlington and four daughters, Mrs. Odelia Reiser, Mrs. William Umbdenstock, Mrs. Anthony Seyller and Mr. Miss Rosa Schlick of Burlington and twenty-three grandchildren. One sister Mrs. Mary Schneider of Elgin was unable to attend the funeral services due to illness.

Services were conducted at St. Charles Catholic Church by Rev. F. J. Brummel on Thursday morning at ten o’clock at Hampshire. Pallbearers were John Grollerman, Jos. Umbdenstock, Wm. Dumoulin, Sr., Victor Haderer, John Waughan and George Haderer. The body was laid to rest in the Catholic cemetery at that place.

The following from out of town attended the funeral: Mrs. Jos. Lehrer, Mr. Jos. Zink and Miss Marie Reith of South Kanekauna, Wisconsin, Louis Armbrust of Chicago, Mr and Mrs Frank Armbrust, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Armbrust and son Clarence, Mr. and Mrs. Kanns, J. Armbrust, J. Kuhn, Peter, Frank, and Ed Sittler, Helen, Lucy and Marie Sittler of Wheaton; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Stark of Cloverdale, Mr. and Mrs. John Weberpal, Mrs. Andrew Weberpal and Adam Weberpal of West Chicago: Mrs. Matt Kline, son John and daughter Tillie, Chris Armbrust and Mrs. John Holbach, and son Robert of Winfield; Mrs. Anna Endinger, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Langerstrom, Mrs. Louis Sester, Albert Davis and Geo. Conro of Elgin; Mr. and Mrs. Jos. Vogel of Gilberts, and Mr. and Mrs. J.R. Kieman and Mrs. S.H. Mateson and son Harvey of Genoa.

In part two of this post we will look at the family and children of Joseph and Mary Anne Schlick and their life in Burlington.