Conrad Schleining
Conrad Schleining was one of the many Germans from Russia that immigrated to the United States by way of Ellis Island. He was born on April 8, 1892 in Norka, Russia, which is fifty miles south of Saratov near the Volga River. In April of 1937, he was among the one hundred and some Germans from Russia who took the oath to become a citizen of the United States. Conrad Schleining then served in World War I with the United States Army in France. Up until the time of his death, he was a member of the Sheboygan Barracks 2091, Veterans of World War I.
Conrad Schleining married Nathalie Pinicker Bolgert on May 28, 1927 at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Conrad was active in the workforce of Sheboygan as he held a job at Polar Ware Company and later Dillingham Manufacturing Company until his retirement in 1956. On April 20, 1968, Conrad died after a brief illness and was buried in Sunrise Memorial Gardens. His loving wife Nathalie later joined him on June 16, 1972. Nathalie was from Norgard, Russia, came to the United States by way of Ellis Island with her father, and settled in Milwaukee before traveling to Sheboygan.
Germans from Russians came to the United States hoping to find a better life. They settled in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Nebraska. The land was cheap to buy and they would have the freedom to farm the lands and live free from the Russian government. Many of the Germans from Russian where successful in acquiring land and contributing to the agriculture industry as we know it today. Once War World I started, immigration to the United States stopped. Many of the Germans from Russian immigrants served in the war and went on to become well known for their dedication in serving their new country.
Sheboygan, Wisconsin’s Germans from Russia history is full of interesting facts. Many of the immigrants have shared stories of their up bringing in Russia as well as their travel experience to the United States. Many Germans from Russia left family and friends behind to escape the Russian rule. Conrad Schleining was one who left his mother and father to travel to the United States for a better life. After his marriage to Nathalie, his family was started in Sheboygan. The couple had five children, Marion, Nancy, Betty Jean, John and Darleen along with a stepson Arthur Bolgert and a stepdaughter Hildegard Bolgert.
