William R (Bill) Schwartz
Bill Richard Schwartz 1902-1967
William R. Schwartz was born December 10, 1902, in Moravia, Texas. He was the seventh child of Joseph and Sophie (Loika) Schwartz. When he was born, his siblings included Sophie (9), Ernest (6), Ottilie (5), Joe (3), Otto (2) and Martha (1).
Bill stayed home in Moravia until he was 23 years of age. He was deeply missed by Mama Schwartz when he left in June 1925 to follow his brothers to West texas. His brother, Otto, had asked him to help farm the land that Otto had rented from W.H. Wilde near Fairview School in Tom Green County.
In the beginning, Bill and Otto each made $4 a week (during the winter months) for grubbing cat claw bushes and stumps from the that land. Bill did not know that one day Mr. Wilde would become his father-in-law.
Bill lived and farmed with Martha and Otto for six years. It was during this time that Stella Wilde met Bill on a Sunday afternoon in 1926. Bill and Stella were married on January 12, 1932.
First home in Wall, Texas
Our first home was about a mile north of the Wilde home place in Bethel (about 6 miles south of Ballinger). They lived four years there (which is now part of Bennie Wilde's place) and raised cotton and maize, cows, pigs and chickens. They had a baby the first year, daughter Alice.
Then on June 1, 1936, they moved to St. Anthony community, halfway between Wall and Veribest. I was a large white wooden house as seen in the picture. Bill was a good manager and bought land near St. Anthony.
The rock house
In 1941, Bill built their nine-room rock house for $8,000, which included material and labor. The house is located on Eola Road - FM 765. In 1967, when Bill was only 65 years old, he was opening his barn door and died of a massive heart attack. Stella continued to live in the home. She had a large garden and did a lot of canning. The grandkids remember her wonderful meals when they visited. Stella died on July 26, 1991.
