A Standard History of Waupaca County, Wisconsin. An Authentic Narrative of the Past, with Particular Attention to the Modern Era in the Commercial, Industrial, Educational, Civic and Social Development.

              HISTORY OF WAUPACA COUNTY 689
Schoepkes came upon the scene in time to take part in the very earliest pioneer development. Each family head bought a tract of wild timber land. Louis Schoepke settled in section 28 on what is now known as the AVilliam Nickel place. August bought land in section 29. John located just west of August, also in section 29. Gottlieb Schroeder and Christ Scharnow and their wives also acquired wild land in the same neighborhood. They all built up homes, cleared their land, and used their sturdj^ manhood and womanhood, their worthy traits of industry, to the benefit of that community as long as they lived.
August Schoepke was the great-grandfather of Alvin C. Schoepke. The grandfather was John Schoepke, who came to the United States as already noted in 1854, spending two years in Dodge County, and then locating on a tract of wild land in section 29 of Bear Creek Township. He cleared the land, developed a good farm, and spent the rest of his life there. He was twice married. His first wife, a Aiiss Behnke, died in Germany, leaving two children, Charles P. and August P. John Schoepke married for his second wife Alaria Krushke.
Charles P. Schoepke, father of Alvin C, was born in Germany, was a child when brought to America, and lived on the home place with his father and did much of the labor of clearing it up. He made an honor¬ able record by three years of service as a Union soldier during the Civil war. After the war he married Augusta Tischer, and they then started out to make a home for themselves. In section 12 of Bear Creek Town¬ ship Charles P. Schoepke bought a tract of eighty acres of wild timber, and after getting a house up continued the w^ork of clearing and was an active farmer there until 1876. He then bought his father's old place in section 29, and some years later acquired eighty acres in section 20. When he bought his father's old home about twenty-two acres of it yet remained in timber and he cleared this off and added that much more to the area of cultivation. In his earlier years Charles Schoepke used oxen to do the heavy work of the farm. He spent his last years on the old home farm in section 29. He and his wife were the parents of nine children: Emma, Alvin C, William, now deceased, Alinnie, Frederick, deceased, Theodore, Walter, Alma and Lizzie. Emma married Charles Aiiller and they live at Bear Creek Station, Alinnie is the wife of P, II. Kasper, a cheese maker in Bear Creek Township. Theodore farms the old Schoepke place in section 29. Walter is a cheese maker in Matteson Township. Alma is the wife of Lewis Schmallenberg of New London. Lizzie is unmarried and also fives in New London.
Alvin C, Schoepke grew up on his father's farm in Bear Creek Town¬ ship, had a good education, and until he was about twenty-six years of age he remained at home assisting his father. One summer he worked out for others and also spent a winter in a sawmill. In the fall of 1894 he put up a two-story store building 22 by 50 feet on a lot of an acre of ground given him by his father in section 20, He then bought a small stock of general merchandise, and that was the beginning of his career as a merchant. For a few years he had a partner named Ira Thompson, but he bought out this partner in 1898,    The store was very small at the