Schuele Family

About the Schuele Family

An Entrepreneur Converted

Adam Schuele, a former member of the Harmony Society, became a successful businessman near Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania during the 1830s. As an owner of steel mills and gristmills, he was a thrifty and well-to-do man. William Keil took Schuele by storm with his communal preaching. Schuele’s brother Matthias Schuele entreated Adam not to “throw his all into this imposter’s” lap, but to no avail. 

An Experience To Be Counted On

Adam Schuele was chosen to be a scout by Keil and was among those who selected Bethel, Missouri as the site for a communal society there. Keil was so impressed by the Bethel choice that he made Schuele one of the leaders of the group who would look for a new site in western America. Later, Keil’s dislike of the Willapa choice directly fell on Schuele.

Schuele and Others

Some of the most interesting research conducted on the Aurora Colony was by Clark Moor Will.  In his document titled Schuele and Others he wrote:

“Schuele’s implicit hope and trust, not in God, but in Keil, was finally broken by a continuation of seemingly the same inconsistent actions that were so plainly seen by Adam’s brother, Matthias. So indignant was Keil toward Schuele that he planned and actually started the building of a road around rear of his place to the Giesy claims beyond. When Schuele died, only one man dared follow his bier to the grave.”