Item Detail
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Schneider, Susanna Klossner
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1842-1903
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MSS 8
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Biography
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Susanna Klossner Schneider was born August 15, 1842 to Christian Klossner and Susanna Kunz in Zweschenfluhe-Bern, Switzerland. Her mother died when she was only six, and her father sent her to an all-girls training school. Not long after being converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Susanna made the voyage overseas to join the saints in Utah. She became friends with a man, Christian Schneider, whom she later married in 1870. After reaching Salt Lake City, the family moved to Choho Valley, where Christian built a home and farmed. They had eight children, and in the late 1880s, Christian was called to serve a mission. After leaving, a diphtheria epidemic struck the family, and five of the young children died. In 1886, after Christian's return, another boy was born, and in 1888, a young girl came to live with the Schneiders. In order to take care of her more easily, Christian married her in polygamy. Not long after, Christian was forced to go into hiding as federal agents were searching for active polygamists. Following the marriage of Susanna's daughters, Susanna's health began to fail, and she died December 3, 1903.
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This is a three-page typescript biography of Susanna Klossner Schneider and her husband Christian Schneider, written by Alice Johnson, and located in the Margaret Steed Hess collection. It begins with a description of Christian's childhood before relating Susanna's. She accepted the Gospel as a young woman and particularly enjoyed singing hymns with the saints. She had a love for music and also became an accompanist. Alice describes Christian and Susanna's early relationship, for he had noticed her early on, but was too shy to talk to her. By chance, they traveled west in the same company, and this gave him the courage to finally speak to her. He offered her a ride upon seeing her with her handcart and for most of the remaining journey he walked, so that she could ride. After they were married, Susanna made a deal with Christian: she would teach him to better his writing and reading if he would teach her to shear sheep. Thereafter, Susanna spun wool into yarn and also knit garments for Christian. Alice includes an excerpt from one of Susanna's daughter's diaries, in which the daughter describes how the children heckled the federal agents who were searching for their father. All of the children received an education, and two of the girls were trained as nurses.