Obituary- taken from The Oklahoma Odd Fellow, part 1
Posted 02 Jan 2010 by pipecreek1430
William Schlege was born near Weimer, Saxony, Germany 13 July 1845 and came to this country with his parents in 1851, settling in Wapekenita, Ohio, where his father worked at the trade of wagonmaker, later moving onto a farm which proved to be in the oil district. At the age of 15 GW was apprenticed to learn the trade of machinist, but in 1864 he volunteered for service in the 34th Ohio Infantry, serving until the close of the Civil War. After the war he farmed for a while and completed his trade and moved to Kansas. He operated a saw and grist mill for some time at Fredonia. Later he was appointed under-sheriff of Wilson County, Kansas, and was a U.S. detective prior to the opening of the Oklahoma settlement. He came to Guthrie on the first train as a deputy U. S. Marshall and served in this capacity for four years and was assistant chief of police of Guthrie before coming to Chandler, OK.
He was one of the first residents of Chandler, helping to survey the townsite, which has since been his home. He has served as a member of the council, been acting mayor,and since 1907 has been baliff of the district court. In all of these positionsshis service hsas been of the most exemplary character and his friends are numbered by his acquaintances.
This is taken from a copy of the Oklahoma Odd Fellow.
Past Grand Representative, Past Grand patriarch, Past Grand Treasurer. Born near Wiemer, Saxony, GermanyJuly 13,1845,died in Oklahoma city, Oklahoma January 17,1929. Buried in Chandler, Oklahoma, Jamuary 20, 1929.
The funeral was held in his hometown of Chandler, where he had lived ever since it had been a town, on Sunday afternoon, January 20, 1929. At the funeral there were present eleven Past Grand Masters, adn ten Past Grand Patriachs, which was the greatest number of persons holding that rank who wver attended any funeral held for an Odd Fellow in the state of Oklahoma. Practically ever lodge in Lincoln County were represented at the funeral. the totoal number of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs present was estimated to be not less than 300.
In all probablilty " Uncle Billy" was the best known resident of Lincoln County, being a first settler of Chandler and a continuous resident of that city until his death. He had been a baliff in the district court at Chandler for twenty-one years and as a fitting tributes the court house bell was tolled when the procession was passing the courthouse on its way from the church to the cemetery.
Uncle Billy was one of the Pioneers in Odd Fellowship in Oklahoma. He was a charter member of the lodge at Guthrue, which was instituted February 13,1890, transferring his memebership to the lodge at Chandler as a charter member at that lodge when it was organized and in which he held membership until his death.
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/10235385/person/-623209119/facts
