Young George’s life was forever changed when at age 6 his father, Johann “John” Frederick Schenk, died in Iron Mountain Michigan on April 27, 1884 – at the age of 39. George’s mother, Katharina “Katherine” Ziegler Schenk, was left to raise George and his seven siblings on her own – the youngest being 9 months and the oldest being 14.

George William Schenk (pronounced “Shank” and sometimes spelled Schenck) was born September 29, 1877 in Houghton, Michigan.  After his father died, George’s mother found it difficult to support her family and soon made the decision to follow her two oldest sons who had left Michigan to work in the gold and silver mines of Montana.  By age 14, George found himself working in hard rock mines as a water carrier.

George spent much of his youth following whatever mine-related work he could find in Montana’s thriving, and then failing, mining towns.  By early 1897, he was living in Marysville, Montana – and had met and fallen in love with Mary Gertrude Rumping.

Mary and George courted for several years, married on August 29, 1900, and had five children between 1901 and 1914.  They lived in Marysville, where George worked in various mines, including the famous Drumlummon Mine.

After suffering from tuberculosis of the lungs for two years, George died on October 31, 1915.  At age 38, he was about the same age as his own father when he died.  And sadly, another mother was left to face the daunting challenge of raising young children with few, if any, resources.

George is buried in the Marysville cemetery, together with his baby daughter Valentine who had died earlier in 1915.