kindergarten teacher, b. Hamburg, Germany. In 1852, while aiding her sister in conducting a Froebelite kindergarten in London, she met and married (July 10, 1852) Carl Schurz (q.v.), and in August of that year accompanied him to the U.S., settling in Philadelphia, Pa. Forced to return to Europe because of her health in 1855, she was joined by her husband in 1856 and after a tour of England and Switzerland, returned with him to America, settling at their new home in Watertown, Wisconsin. There, in the fall of 1856 Mrs. Schurz is credited with opening what is often referred to as America's first kindergarten for the benefit of her daughter, Agatha, and children of relatives and friends. Remembered primarily for her influence on the kindergarten movement, Mrs. Schurz is credited with converting Elizabeth Peabody to the Froebel philosophy at a meeting in Boston in 1859. For many years a semi-invalid, Mrs. Schurz returned to Germany after the death of her daughter in 1867. There she remained until her death, cheered by frequent letters and visits from her husband, who had become one of the most important German-American politicians of his day. J. Schafer, C. Schurz . . . [Evansville, Wis., 1930]; J. Schafer, ed., Intimate Letters of C. Schurz (Madison, 1928); Wis. Mag. Hist., 13, 14.Learn More
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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]
