Bay Park
 

Granite City, Madison County, Illinois
 

Dr. Leonard Schreifels

There is perhaps no profession which affords a wider field for the exercise of those admirable qualities of honor and usefulness than the medical profession, and among those who ably represent it here Dr. Leonard Schreifels is eminent. For years his interests in life have been identified with those of Granite City and he enjoys not only an honored place in the ranks of the country's medical profession, but the confidence of his fellow men and the gratitude of the many who have benefited by his skill and by the kindliness of which his whole life savors. He is a native German and possesses that thoroughness and never-abating thirst for knowledge which characterizes his countrymen. The date of his birth was July 20, 1866 and Peffingen, its scene, and his parents were Nicholaus and Mary Katherine (Thielen) Schreifels. He was one of a large family of children, four of whom died in infancy, and an enumeration of the others is as follows: Elizabeth (who died at the age of fifteen), Katerina, Mary, Margaret, Anna, Nicholaus, Wilhelm, Johann B., Leonard and Johann.          

Young Leonard, like his brothers and sisters, obtained his preliminary education in the German schools, and pursued his more advanced studies in the high school. When he was eighteen years old his father died and, as the family was in modest circumstances and its needs many, he determined to go to America, where he believed wider opportunities awaited him. He persisted in this determination, lured by the hope that he might be enabled to complete his professional preparation, and at the age of twenty-one years landed in New York, full of hope and ambition. He went thence to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he obtained employment, working in the mines and as a hostler, and eventually securing more profitable employment. By the exercise of the most unceasing diligence and thrift he found himself at the end of six years the possessor of the tidy sum of four thousand dollars. He then returned to Germany, where he spent a year with his mother and brothers and sisters. He then returned and entered St. Francis Seminary, where he made a study of the languages, and following that he went to Valparaiso, Indiana, where he entered the normal school and and there remained for three years. At Valparaiso he took a course in both pharmacy and medicine under Dr. Lorey and Professor Eckley, of Chicago, and then went to St. Louis, where he entered the famous College of Physicians and Surgeons. He completed his preparation there in 1899, receiving his well-earned degree, and began his practice in St. Louis. He remained there, however, but one year and arrived in Granite City on April 5, 1900, this having ever since been the scene of his enlightened services, with the exception of the period beginning with 1904; when he returned to the Fatherland and entered the University of Berlin, where he was enrolled two years, and subsequently studying for six months at the University at Bonn, on the Rhine, the school attended by the present emperor himself. Thus he came into contact with the greatest medical geniuses in the world. Now thoroughly equipped for the best possible work, and desiring to make America the scene of his future career, he returned in 1907, but not alone, for he was accompanied by his mother, a sister and three brothers. His married brothers located in Canada, where they are now engaged in agriculture.

For his own home Dr. Schreifels paid Granite City the highest compliment within his power by choosing to reestablish himself here, and with him he brought his mother and his brother Johann and sister Katerina. Thus in the pleasant evening of life the mother's interests are well looked after, and her widowed heart has been comforted by the devotion of her son, whose kindly ministrations have anticipated her every wish.

Fraternally Dr. Schreifels is a member of Ben Hur lodge, of the Modern Woodmen of America, the Mutual Protective League and is a social member of the Royal Neighbors. In all these organizations he holds the office of medical examiner. He belongs to professional organizations, namely: the East Side Medical Association, the Madison County Medical Association, the Illinois State Medical Association, the St. Louis Medical Association, the German Medical Association of St. Louis, and he is also a member of the American Medical Association. In the matter of religious faith he was reared a Catholic and his mother is an honored member of that communion. He believes that a man's chief religious tenet should be "Honesty." Politically he is equally broad and believes in supporting the men who will do all in their power to secure the best welfare of the people. His own remarkable success is the logical outcome of his energy and well-directed industry and a courage which brooked no obstacles. It is also due to the fine conscientious thoroughness in everything undertaken which has won the universal confidence. He is indeed a man among men, his name being synonymous with an admirable integrity of character. The very lines of his countenance denote strength of character and noble manhood, which is not only a veritable inspiration in the sick room, but to all men a "kindly light." He is essentially public-spirited and gives heartiest cooperation to every movement likely to prove conducive to the public welfare. Madison county may well be proud to claim him among its citizenship, and find it matter for self-congratulation that he adopted America as his nation and Granite City as his abiding-place.

Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois, and Its People, 1812 to 1912--Volume 2, Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago & NY, 1912, Pg. 755 & 756
 

Collegeport, Matagorda County, Texas
 

Burton D. Hurd Land Company Sales Schedules
Collegeport , Texas February 3^rd, 1912

Bay Park

Dr. Schreifel's place on the bay front at DeMoss was the scene of merrymaking July 1, when the people of Collegeport and vicinity originally from Canada gathered at the beautiful farm home. There was a sumptuous feast. A ball game in the afternoon was a feature, and a special boat from Collegeport conveyed the enthusiasts to the game.

Houston Post, July 6, 1913 

Dr. Leonard Schreifels of Granite City, Ill., came in Saturday last for a few days' looking after his farm interests south of town.--Matagorda County Tribune, October 17, 1913  

Judge Willis As A Castaway

Last Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful, an ideal early fall day. Judge W. B. Willis, our esteemed City Secretary, having occasion to visit Collegeport, went across the bay to our neighboring town in a row boat. On the return trip, when within two hundred yards of the Palacios landing, Judge Willis’ frail craft was struck by the heavy squall that came down suddenly from the northwest. He saw it was useless for him to attempt to land, so turned his boat with the wind and rode the waves until the wind subsided. A second time he was within a short distance of the Palacios shore when another and bigger wind struck him, and he had to again float with the tide which carried him entirely across the bay where he went ashore to await the abatement of the storm. He went to the home of Dr. L. Schriefiels [Schreifels] at the old J. P. Pierce ranch, who kindly took him in to await the passing of the storm.

By this time it was well along in the afternoon, and the friends of the judge at Palacios grew uneasy as to his fate, and a large number got busy arranging to send a searching party to find him. The boat could be seen by the aid of glasses on the opposite bank, and some thought it upside down. Capt. Will Sutterfield and his launch Clarette, which have won distinction as the principal life saving service of Palacios, quickly responded to the cry of distress, and with a number of volunteers went in search of the missing man. Those who accompanied the Clarette were Rev. Israel, Gordon Lawson, Raymond Rhea, Carter Williamson, Jim Sutterfield, __ F. Sutterfield, Warren Martin and Bob Massenberg and one or two others whose names we did not learn. They had difficulty in getting from the launch to shore, and it was considerable task after they found the judge, as they did very soon at Dr. Schriefiel’s [Schreifels] home, in getting back to the launch with him, Gordon Lawson wading and towing the judge in his row boat, and incidentally giving the judge a complete ducking. But the rescue was successfully made, and the party with the judge safe and sound but a little chilly along the spinal column, and very much baptized, reached the city late Sunday evening. The judge is an old seaman, and says he was in no great danger at any time, though he did get completely chilled by the cutting wind. He is however deeply grateful to the friends who so cheerfully came to his rescue, and is not seeking to have another such experience.—Palacios Beacon, October 31, 1913