Editing Lorenz Schroeter (section)

== Personal life ==
After returning from military service, Schroeter rented a small apartment in [[Kalk]] in 1881 and lived there alone. He attended St. Marien, the Catholic parish church in Kalk. [[Catharina Ladesteijn]] moved from [[Rotterdam]] to Cologne for domestic work in 1886. She also attended St. Marien. They first spoke after Mass in spring 1886, when they happened to leave the church at the same time. They began seeing each other regularly within a few weeks. Schroeter proposed in spring 1888, and they married at St. Marien on 6 April 1889.

After the wedding, the couple rented a larger apartment in Kalk. Their son Lourens was born in Cologne on 15 December 1889. [[Paul Schroeter]] was born on 7 October 1891, and the couple had other children. In 1892, Schroeter bought a small house in Kalk with savings from his railway salary. The family continued visiting his relatives in Stommelerbusch. At home, he brought discarded wagon fittings and pieces of wood to show the children how simple repairs were done, especially Lourens.