Dora E. Grieme biography

Dora E. Grieme

Dora Elizabeth Grieme and Henry Charles Schumacher were married in Springfield, Ill in 1884. To this union five children were born: Harry Henry was born April 10, 1885; Frederick Karl born June 5, 1888; Anna Rebecca born November 6, 1891; Mabel Juella born October 29, 1893; and Alice Eudora born March 30, 1896. When the youngest child was but fourteen months old, Mr. Schumacher was accidentally killed. He was plowing the acreage west of the homestead with a team and walking plow when the horses were frightened by some hogs rushing through a hedge fence. The lines were around his back so that he was thrown to the ground and the plow struck him in the back injuring his spine when the horses were frightened and ran away. He was hauled into the house and Dr. Halbert was summoned. Mrs. Popple and other good neighbors came and did all that could be done for him. The following morning, May 17th, the doctor told him that he was hurt badly and asked him if there was anything that he had to say or wanted to do for his wife and five small children. He said; "I'm going to get well and work those horses again soon, but if you say, call Judge Murray." The judge was called from Springfield immediately and Mr. Schumacher told the judge that he would get well but if he didn't he wanted to leave his entire estate after his debts were paid to his wife, Dora Grieme Schumacher. The will was signed by him and witnessed by neighbors and the doctor. The judge then left and had gotten only about a mile away when Mr. Schumacher asked for a drink of buttermilk. He took a swallow, coughed, and was gone, May 17, 1897. His remains were conveyed by a spring wagon to the Crowder cemetery for burial there. Some forty years later this cemetery was all but destroyed by pasturing and graves could not be found and identified.

Mrs. Dora Schumacher, with the advice and help of such neighbors as the Knudson's, Cooper's, Popple's, Havey's, and others and a hired man, James D. Forsythe, carried on with her five small children. Days of hard labor often in the fields and nights of house keeping, washing, baking, and mending. The house was a log cabin with bare wood floors and the chores were hard. As the children grew and were schooled, they helped make their own way by helping in neighbors' homes. Harry and Anna spent some time in the Cooper home before marrying and making homes for themselves. Fred and Alice spent much time in the Martin Knudson home before they married. Mabel, not being in the best of health, stayed closer home.

On April 6, 1898, Dora Schumacher and James D. Forsythe were united in marriage at the Kumler Methodist Church by its minister. To this union, two daughters were born: Mary Ann born June 20, 1899 and Alvirgia Lucretta born February 13, 1901.

James Forsythe, a carpenter by trade, tore down the old log cabin and built a five room frame house which burned down in the year of 1908. He then built a nicer two story frame house which is still standing on the old home site in 1961. There were only forty acres of the original farm left in the spring of 1923 when Mr. and Mrs. Forsythe left the farm with their two daughters to live in Springfield. Murray and Alice Schumacher Kern and their three children lived on the home place from then until about 1934 - 1935. After that, it was rented to several different families and finally in 19--, it was sold.

After Mr. and Mrs. Forsythe went to Springfield, they acquired a nice home on Noble Avenue where they lived and he followed his trade of carpentering and building for most of the known and prominent families in and near Springfield. Mr. Forsythe became ill and they lost the home on Noble Avenue. From that time on, they rented homes about Springfield and he continued to work when able, but life again became very hard in their old age. His health failed steadily and he passed away at the St. Johns Hospital November 1946 and was buried at the Rose Lawn Cemetery. Mrs. Forsythe's health also grew steadily worse until she could no longer live alone and was in the St. Johns Hospital for nearly a year, then in the Wrightwood nursing home where she lived for nearly a year. She passed away on May 16, 1951. Memorial services were held for her at the Grace Lutheran Church, Rev. Bard Organbright, officiating and she was buried at the Rose Lawn Cemetery.

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