Biography of Michael L. Shoudel, pages 865/866/867/868. 
History of DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, 
Inc., Indianapolis, 1914.



No other people that go to make up our cosmopolitan 
civilization have better habits of life than those who come 
originally for the great German empire. These people are 
distinguished for their thrift and honesty, and these two 
qualities alone in the inhabitants of any county will in 
the end make that county great. When with these two 
qualities is coupled the other quality of sound sense, a 
strong German characteristic, there are afforded such 
qualities as will enrich any land and place it at the top 
of the countries of the world in the scale of elevated 
humanity. Of this excellent people came Michael L. Shoudel, 
who for many years has been one of the well known farmers 
of DeKalb county, Indiana. He comes of a race that produced 
the famous "Iron Chancellor," the greatest statesman, all 
things considered, that ever walked this terrestrial 
sphere. He comes of a race that is famous for its original 
investigations in the problems of civilized life, such men 
as Goethe and Heckel, to say nothing of the coterie of the 
greatest musicians of  all lands, and climes.  The Germanic 
blood is found in the veins of the greatest men and women 
of this and former generations and the Shoudel family may 
well be proud of their descent from such a race. The 
subject of this brief sketch is easily the peer of any of 
his fellow citizens in all that constitutes right living 
and correct citizenship. He is a close and intelligent 
observer, has read much, and takes pains to keep himself 
well informed upon current events.  He is quiet in 
demeanor, a thinker, and a man of deeds rather than word. 
He is essentially a man of the people because he has large 
faith in humanity and is optimistic in his views. Michael 
L. Shoudel, who for many years has been one of the best 
known and influential citizens of Smithfield township, 
DeKalb county, Indiana, was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 
1844. He is a son of Matthias and Magdalena (Miller) 
Shoudel, whose personal sketch appears elsewhere in this 
work, therefore further mention of the subject's 
antecedents will not be made at this point.  Michael L. 
Shoudel was about eleven years of age when the family 
emigrated to the United States, locating in Chicago,  in 
1865. Two years later they came to the little patch of wild 
land in Smithfield township, DeKalb county, Indiana, where 
they made a start in their struggle for financial 
independence in a strange land.  Here the subject of this 
sketch performed his full share of the strenuous toil 
incident to the clearing of the land and putting it in 
shape for cultivation, and he distinctly recalls having 
plowed a six-acres field which required ten days' work with 
a yoke of oxen, for the ground was full of roots and stumps 
and progress was exceedingly slow and wearing on both men 
and beasts.  Soon after his marriage in 1872, Mr. Shoudel 
commenced farming on his own account  on forty acres of 
land which he had received from his father, and as he was 
prospered in his undertaking he bought more land from time 
to time, until he now owns two hundred and eighty acres of 
as fine land as can be found in DeKalb county. He is up-to-
date and progressive in his methods of work and has 
achieved a distinctive success in his vocation. He has been 
a hard worker continually from his first initiation into 
the pioneer struggle and indeed in that early day at one 
time they would have returned to  Chicago if they could 
have done so, but they had not been able to make the trip, 
so they struggled on and the struggle became a triumph. Mr. 
Shoudel, although about seventy years old, is still active 
physically and is able to perform a good day's labor on the 
farm. He has never been sick much and has always been 
active in anything to which he has applied his efforts. He 
has been an eye-witness and a participant in the wonderful 
growth which has characterized this section of the state 
and remembers well when Waterloo consisted of but three 
stores, a saloon, a hardware store, and dry goods store, 
and a few buildings, and when the court house at Auburn was 
a very primitive and poorly furnished affair. Mr. Shoudel 
had but limited educational opportunities, never having 
attended school a day until after sixteen years of age. He 
than started in the primer and in fifty-eight days was in 
the third reader. The second winter he again attended 
school and worked hard to gain knowledge and has been a 
continual reader throughout his life and is today 
considered a man of wide and unusual information on many 
subjects. One of his leading qualities is his persistency 
in his application to any task to which he applies himself 
and this has enabled him to conquer where many others would 
have failed. In the public and civic life of the community 
Mr. Shoudel has for many years been an influential factor 
and has always exerted his influence in favor of such 
movements as had tended to advance the best interest of the 
community.  In 1872 Mr. Shoudel married Joanna Reinig, who 
was born in Bavaria, Germany, the daughter of Frank and 
Joanna (LaFroise) Reinig. She came to America late in 1872 
with her mother, her father having already emigrated to 
this country. Here they applied themselves to agricultural 
operation, as had their fellow citizens, the Shoudels, 
Millers and Smiths. To Mr. and Mrs. Shoudel have been born 
eleven children, six boys and five girls, namely: John, who 
lives on the Hezekiah Leas farm, married Margherita Hoff, 
and they have four children, Albert, Clara, Michael and 
Esther; Annie is the wife of  Frederick Gfeller, who lives 
south of the Catholic church, and they have eight children, 
Freddie, Dora, Matthias, Mary, Celia, Joseph, Herman and a 
baby girl; George, who married Marie Hoff, lives on one of 
his father's farms near Summit, and has two children, Agnes 
and a baby boy; Michael is unmarried and helps his father 
run the farm and also operates a threshing machine; 
Matthias, who is also unmarried, is at home; Kate is the 
wife of Andrew Shiffli, who lives two and one half miles 
east of his father on the Shoner farm, and is the father of 
two children, Agnes and Wilford; Lena, Mary,  Caroline, 
Joseph and Frank are all unmarried and at home with their 
parents. The subject and his wife also reared Fred Elliott, 
who was born November 26, 1880, the son of George and 
Caroline (Rennig) Elliott, the latter having given up her 
life at birth of her son. Fred Elliott died on September 8, 
1910. Mr. Shoudel and members of his family  are all 
connected with the Catholic church, in the prosperity of 
which  they are deeply interested and to the support of 
which they contribute liberally. Mr. Shoudel is a man whom 
to know is to respect and admire, for, having started in a 
lowly capacity, he gradually forged to the front and by 
faithful effort and prompt discharge of every duty 
devolving upon him he finally acquired a comfortable 
competency and has won and retains the good will and regard 
of all who know him. He has ever tried to do the right as 
he has seen and understood the right and as a 
representative citizen  of his community he is eminently 
entitled to representation in a work of the character of 
the one at hand.

Submitted by: 

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com