Schieren was born on February 28, 1842 in Neuss, Rhine Province, Kingdom of Prussia. He was the son of businessman John Nikolous Schieren and Wilhelmina Langenbach. His father was an active supporter of the German Revolution of 1848, and was a close compatriot with Carl Schurz, Friedrich Hecker, and Hugo Wesendonck. After the Revolution failed, the father was forced to immigrate to America in 1849, settling in Brooklyn, New York.