Evening star., 1925-06-07


78 years. His name? August
i Wilhelm Schroeder. For 81
years his home was No 524
Ninth street southeast, between Z
and G. Thousands of Washingtonian
now dead knew him and call him
friend. Washingtonians living, re-
member him, and almost ali men
whose eyes are on this page will
| think, Yes, 1 knew him."
In July, 1924, the Rambler wrote of
the late Henry A. Linger's farm on
Bowen road, opposite the country
home of Sayles j. Bowen, mayor of
Washington for two terms, 1868 and
1863. IN that ramble was written:
THE old Linger house and lands on
Bowen road have been occupied a good
many years by Blair Domer. Blair
is a brother of Charlie, VIII, Harry,
Eulalie and Della. All the old boys
know Charlie. VIII is teller with the
Columbia National Bank. Harry is
with the Swartzell, Rheem and Hen
sey Company. Eulalie married Clar-
ence Rheem. All of which calls up
memories not alone of genial, gentle
Clarence Rheem, but of poor Tom
Hensey and George Swartzell Della
| married a gentleman, by name ALL
| man, and the Rambler has lost track
| of her"
|
Samuel Domer. deceased, long pastor
| of St. Paul's English Lutheran
Church, southwest corner of II and
Eleventh streets northwest His
Washington home was 73S Eleventh
street and he bought the Linger farm
as a country home. Blair Domer's
wife is a daughter of August w.
Schroeder. She was his fourth child
and was named Ellie. The Rambler
set these facts in a memory niche that
he might tell you of August Schroeder
and his family. He thought that a
story on this subject would lead to
one or more about Washington rnu-
sicians of other years, feeling that this
matter would interest you.
In 1840 Christian Schroeder, his
wife, Dorathea Miller Schroeder, and
their son, August, landed at Baltimore
from Germany after three months at
sea in "A sail ship. August was born at
Hanover, Germany, in 1886. The family
came from Baltimore to Washington
a few days after entering the United
States and went to live on a farm near
Four Corners, this side of Burnt
Mills, on the Colesville road In Mont
gomery County, Md
Christian was a musician and from
his youth had been a German military
bandsman. Soon after making home
near Four Corners, Christian enlisted
in the Marine Band and moved to
Washington with his wife and son,
renting the house on the southeast
corner of Tenth and G streets south
east. The house stands
Christian served several enlistments
in the band-I believe three of four
years each, and part of a fourth-and
died May 27. 1854. His grave is in
Congressional Cemetery. His widow.
Dorathea, lived until 1884, and the
Rambler has seen a scar certificate
giving her little pension as widow of
Christian Schroeder of the Marine
Band, who died of disease contracted
in line of duty" The Rambler has
looked at issues of The Evening Star,
May 27-3O, 1854. but they do not hold
an account of Christian Schroeder's
death. No significance is in that be-
cause newspapers did not gather news
so well then, as now.
A UGUST SCHROEDER enlisted in
the Marine Band in 1857 He was
81. had full music training under his
| father and others and had been play
| ing the cornet in private music COM
| panies. The year before going with
| the Marine Band he bought the lot
street southeast, 1t was his home
| till death, the home of his Il children
| and is the home now of four of his
children, Leila Henderson Schroeder,
| Emmie May Schroeder Mrs. Rita
| Schroeder Won Hermann and Robert
| Morgan Schroeder. He was with the
Marine Band till 1S76-19 years-and
| in that time he played his part in
| ceremonies gay or grim, many of
them historic-inaugura of Presi-
dents, reception of delegates from
| many nations, funerals of men who
made history and parades which mil
| lions watched. He played his cornet
with the band at Capitol and White
House concerts in Summer and played
| in brass or strings at parties where
! the public went, and at dances, din
| ners and fetes to which invitations
| were not given to unknown, humble
| folk like you and me.
| The Marine Band for all its life
| has played a part in great affairs, yet
man does not often know or read
! the name of a bandsman. l wish I
could write that word "bandman' but
| the copy reader and the proofreader
would call me down and prove that
| the important dictionaries do not ad-
nit it. Yet it is senseless to write
| ''bandsman n''-possessive of band"
with the posSeSsive mark outgrown-
when "bandman" would meet the
| need and be in line of usage which
has made "barbershop" from bar