Name/Title
Portrait of Colonel Jacob Shmoder / SmauderEntry/Object ID
2021.3.92Description
Charcoal drawing of Sand Lake resident and disabled American Civil War veteran Colonel Jacob Shmoder who later changed his surname to Smauder per his grave site. This entry primarily refers to him as Shmoder since that name appears on the military and veteran paperwork displayed below. He was born in Germany in 1841, joined the Union Army in 1861, married in 1866, had 5 children of which 4 survived past infancy, and died in Sand Lake in 1923. Ms. Pilar G. Dexter obtained the portrait from the estate sale of Mrs. Annette Fletcher, who was the granddaughter of Jacob Shmoder, a long-time family friend of the Dexter family, and a long-time (40 years) kindergarten teacher at the West Sand Lake school. Thereafter, the Dexter family donated the drawing to the Averill Park School District (APSD) in honor of Mrs. Fletcher which displayed it for many years. The APSD further donated the portrait to SLHS in December of 2021. This entry includes a PDF of an email from Ms. Dexter to the APSD which better describes the background of the portrait as well as copies of the Colonel's military disability and pension records. While the photocopies of the original records that were donated along with the portrait are difficult to decipher, they appear to indicate that Colonel Shmoder was wounded by a musket ball at Fort Buhlow, Louisiana, in 1863. The charcoal rendering is of near photograph quality but difficult to capture due to glare off the glass that covers it. As a side note, Town Historian Robert Moore formerly owned and resided in Shmoder's well-preserved family home at 9 Crowley Way in Averill Park from 1988 to 1992. This entry includes a photo of the home and link to its location.Artwork Details
Medium
Charcoal DrawingSubject
Jacob Shmoder a.k.a. SmauderCataloged By
Michael Frederick PerryCreated By
curator@slhstrustees.orgCreate Date
January 30, 2022Updated By
curator@slhstrustees.orgUpdate Date
November 3, 2022
