Biographical Sketch of Franz Schwarzer, Franklin County, Missouri

>From "History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford and 
Gasconade Counties", Biographical Appendix, Goodspeed Publishing 
Company, 1888.

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Franz Schwarzer, manufacturer of zithers in Washington, Mo., is a 
native of Olmutz, Austria, born in 1828, and the son of Anton and Marie
(Struad) Schwarzer.  The father was contractor for buildings, and also
engaged in the manufacture of furniture.  Franz was sent to the gymna-
sium at Olmutz, and subsequently spent three years at the Polytechnic
Institute at Vienna, where he learned the principles of architecture,
wood carving and ornamentation.  Returning from college, he received 
instruction on the zither from the celebrated composer, Ludwig Ritter
Von Ditrich, a member of the Austrian nobility.  As soon as Mr. Schwar-
zer learned to play on the instrument he began to study the principles
involved in its construction.  Being something of a mechanical genius
for one of his age, he went to his father's shop at Olmutz, and there
worked incessantly to improve the zither.  His first efforts were so
successful that they attracted the attention of the renowned composer,
Carl J. F. Umlant, of Vienna, who repeatedly urged the young man to go
to Vienna and manufacture the improved instrument and thus win fame and
fortune, but our subject had made up his mind to emigrate to America.
Accordingly, in 1864, he sailed to the United States, and settled near
Holstein, Warren Co., Mo., and began tilling the soil.  At the end of 
two years he became convinced that farming was an occupation better
suited for someone else than for himself, and in 1866 sold out and came
to Washington, where he began earning a living by erecting altars, 
pulpits and other fancy wood work.  While so engaged he thought of his
improvement on the zither of Austria.  Inquiry developed the fact that
there was no such manufactory in the United States, and that the inst-
rument was almost wholly unknown here.  Mr. Schwarzer made no excite-
ment about the matter, but made a zither now and then for a friend, 
until he opened a shop and began to devote his entire time and atten-
tion to the manufacture of the same.  His capital was limited, and he
was compelled to go slowly.  Gradually his instrument began to be heard
in Europe and soon he had a foreign demand he was not able to supply.
His business has constantly increased until he now employs eleven men,
and his instruments have been sold in every State, and are also quite
well established in Germany, Austria, France, Spain, England and Mexico.
Prior to 1862 only two kinds of zithers were manufactured in the world,
and they in Europe.  They were the prime or common style and elege. 
Mr. Schwarzer's first improvement was called the concert.  He has since
made the following: Arion harp, harp zither, with forty-three and forty
four strings; harp zither, with thirty-eight strings; arion, violin and
cello.  In 1873 he sent three finely-made instruments to Vienna Exposi-
tion, and received a massive gold medal as the first prize over about
thirty European competitors.  He has made over 3,000 instruments in all
and last July celebrated the twenty fifth anniversary of his manufac-
tory.  The wood used in its manufacture is of two kinds: Spruce, ob-
tained from Boston, and segoya gigants, of California.  March 1, 1859,
Mr. Schwarzer married Miss Josephine Petters, a native of Brunn, Mor-
avia, Austria, born in 1836.  He has a newphew, Charles Grobe, living
with him, also a niece, Thressa, sister to Charles, and he is a guard-
ian to both.  He is a Republican in politics, and was chief of the fire
department in Washington for several years.

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