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HISTORY OF
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Clayton County
IOWA
FROM THE EARLIEST HISTORICAL
TIMES DOWN TO THE PRESENT
INCLUDING A GENEALOGICAL AND BIO-
GRAPHICAL RECORD OF MANY REPRE-
SENTATIVE FAMILIES, PREPARED FROM
DATA OBTAINED FROM ORIGINAL
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
EDITED BY REALTO E. PRICE
m TWO VOLUMES
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO
Robert O. Law Company
1916
, l\ c
Pfi
c t.
THE NEW YORK
puBi.i;; LiciuiiY
260956B
AtrWH, Lh .•..:.; AND
TILUEN FerND^.TiONS
B 1843 L
fT^
VOLUME II.
The personal sketches in this volume are arranged in alpha-
betical order, thus rendering an index unnecessary. Following is
a list of illustrations :
Facing
Embert Bergemeyer 43
Henry H. Clark, M. D 68
D. J. Grain and Wife 75
Francis T. Davis and Wife 85
Martin Dittmer 89
Ernest Enderes and Wife 109
E. O. Glesne 145
Peter B. Green 147
David G. Griffith 148
John G. Hempel 175
John H. Hill 179
L. L. Hulverson 187
Otto O. Johnson 199
Frederick W. Kann and Wife 204
M. E. Knight and Wife 217
S. H. Knight Family Group, 1855 219
George J. Lenth 247
Henry Luehsen 255
James McGuire 264
W. C. Meyer and Wife 276
John H. Moellering and Wife 282
Ole Nelson 294
Col. George H. Otis 312
Henry Pust and Wife 336
J. G. Reidel 341
H. S. Rittenhouse 351
Xavier Schaefers and Wife 360
Althea R. Sherman 376
E. Amelia Sherman, M. D 377
Mark B. Sherman 379
S. Melissa Sherman 380
Sherman Home, Built 1845 381
> G. R. Turner 416
<^ J. A. Wilder and Wife 443
F. X. Wolters and Family 452
'r
HISTORY OF
CLAYTON COUNTY
BIOGRAPHICAL
Charles S. Adams has been for nearly thirty years one of the
representative business men and popular and influential citizens of
Volga, where he has been engaged in the general merchandise busi-
ness since 1888, as senior member of the well-known and represen-
tative firm of Adams & White, in which his coadjutor is Edward
W. White. He has been a resident of the Hawkeye state since he
was a lad of six years and is a scion not only of one of the promi-
nent and influential families of this commonwealth but also one
that was founded in New England in the early colonial era of our
national history. Mr. Adams was born in the city of Lowell,
Massachusetts, on the 7th of May, 1851, and is a son of Captain
Shubael P. and Lydia E. (Stetson) Adams, both likewise natives of
the historic old Bay State, where the latter passed her entire life,
her death having occurred in 1853, and the subject of this review
being the younger of her two children ; the older child, Mary, is now
in San Francisco, Cal. Captain Adams was reared and educated in
Massachusetts, where he became a successful representative of the
legal profession and where he served as a member of the state legis-
lature from 1845 to 1857. In the latter year he became one of the
pioneer representatives of his profession in the city of Dubuque,
Iowa, where he built up a practice that gave him distinction as
one of the leading members of the bar of this state. He united
with the Republican party at the time of its organization and was
one of the most prominent and influential advocates of its principles
and policies to be found in Iowa at the time of the climacteric period
leading up to the Civil War. He was a specially forceful and effec-
tive stump speaker and did yeoman service in stumping Iowa in
support of Abraham Lincoln when that great man became the
Republican candidate for president of the United States. He
gained his military title as provost marshal, Third Dist. Iowa, in
the great conflict through which the integrity of the Union was
perpetuated, and he was one of the venerable and honored pioneer
members of the Iowa bar at the time of his death, which occurred in
l8 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
1894. Charles S. Adams continued his studies in the public schools
until he had completed the curriculum of the high school and sup-
plemented this discipline by a course of higher study in Bayless
College, at Dubuque. In 1872, shortly after attaining to his legal
majority he entered railway service, in the employ of the C. D. &
M. Railroad Company, now part of the C. M. & St. P. system, and
for a period of sixteen years he was in active service as a skilled
locomotive engineer. In 1888 he established his home at Volga,
Clayton county, where he has been engaged in the general merchan-
dise business during the long intervening years and where the
high reputation of the firm of Adams & White has ever constituted
its best commercial asset. Mr. Adams has been liberal and loyal
in the supporting- of those enterprises and measures that have con-
tributed to the civic and material prosperity of the community, is
a Republican, though never a seeker of political preferment. He
served as a progressive and valued member of the board of educa-
tion of Volga for the long period of twenty-six years and has other-
wise been quietly but effectively influential in local affairs. He is
affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, the Brotherhood of American Yeomen and the Modern
Brotherhood of America. On the 12th of May, 1880, was solemn-
ized the marriage of Mr. Adams to Miss Emma E. Crain, who was
born in this county on the 23d of May, 1861, and who is a daughter
of James and Harriet Crain, who were born and reared in England
and who became pioneer settlers of Clayton county, Iowa, where
they established their home on a farm near Volga in the year 1854,
both passing the remainder of their lives in this county. Mr. and
Mrs. Adams became the parents of four children, of whom the first
was Harriet, who was born July 8, 1881, and whose death occurred
in the following month ; William J., who was born November 2,
1882, was a student in U. I. University for four years and is now
one of the principals in the Collier-Adams Manufacturing Company,
at St. Joseph, Missouri; Shubael P., who was born June 18, 1885,
was graduated in U. I. U., class '07, also in historic old Yale Uni-
versity, 1910, and he likewise is with the Collier-Adams Manufac-
turing Company, of St. Joseph, Mo. ; and Edna, who was born Sep-
tember 30, 1889, was graduated in the Volga high school, after hav-
ing made a record of twelve years' attendance in the village schools
without a single mark of absence or tardiness: she was later in
the Upper Iowa University and she is now at the parental home,
a popular figure in the representative social life of the community.
Albert Allen, an automobile dealer of Elkader, is a native of
the Hawkeye State, having been born in Clayton county, Iowa,
September 20, 1872, and is a son of Hans and Annie (Olson) Allen,
who came from Norway to America, locating in Clayton county,
Iowa. Mr. Allen passed to the other life in the year 1896. ^ They
were the parents of twelve children, and eleven of them still sur-
vive. Albert Allen was reared on a farm, and after reaching young
manhood, began the occupation of drilling wells with his brother,
Ole, and then ran threshing machines through the harvesting sea-
son. In 1902 he went to Elkader, his brother, Ole, joining him a
BIOGRAPHICAL I9
year later, where they organized the firm of Allen Bros., which has
grown to such large proportions that they have erected a building
sixty by one hundred and twenty feet in size, and two stories in
height, to house their machines. They deal specially in the Buick;
machine, but also handle the Oldsmobile and Cadillac automobiles.
He is united in marriage with Nettie Hirsch, who was born in
Clayton county, and three children, two sons and a daughter, have
been born to them, Raymond, Alvin and Maurine. Mr. Allen is a
Republican, though not particularly active in political work; he is
affiliated with the Congregational church, and is a member of the
fraternal order of Masons, and of the Modern Woodmen,
S. C. Ainsworth, M. D,, has secure vantage-place as one of the
representative physicians and surgeons of Clayton county, where
he has been engaged in the practice of his profession since 1901,
with residence at Volga, from which village he controls a large
and influential practice that extends throughout the splendid ter-
ritory normally tributary to the village. The doctor is upholding
most effectively the high prestige gained by his honored father
in the medical profession, in which his success has been unequiv-
ocal and in connection with which he insistently carries forward
the study and research that keep him in close touch with the ad-
vances made in medical and surgical science. Dr. Ainsworth was
born in the city of Syracuse, New York, on the 6th of January,
1877, and is the elder of the two children of Dr. E. A. and Ellen
(Stanton) Ainsworth, both of whom were born and reared in the
state of New York, The younger of the two children is Fannie L.,
who is the wife of Charles W. Dickens, with whom she is success-
fully associated in the practice of law at West Union, the judicial
center of Fayette county, Iowa, both having been graduated in
the law department of the University of Iowa. Dr. Ainsworth of
this review was about seven years old at the time when his parents
came to Iowa and established their residence at West Union,
Fayette county, in 1882. There his father continued in active
practice as one of the leading physicians and surgeons of that sec-
tion of the state, until 1914, since which time he has there lived
virtually retired, though many of the families to which he long
ministered with all of ability and unselfish devotion still insist upon
having recourse to his counsel and professional attention. His
cherished and devoted wife was summoned to eternal rest in 1903,
secure in the affectionate regard of all who had come within the
compass of her gentle and gracious influence. At West Union
Dr. S. C. Ainsworth was reared to adult age and after profiting
duly by the advantages afforded in the public schools, including
the high school, he became imbued with the earnest ambition of
emulating his father in the choice of a career. His preliminary
study of medicine was carried on under the eflfective preceptorship
of his father and to fortify himself still further he then entered the
well-known medical college in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, in
which institution he was graduated as a member of the class of
1899, and from which he received his well earned degree of Doctor
of Medicine. His professional novitiate was served at West Union^
20 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Fayette county, where he continued to be associated in practice
with his father until 1901, when he came to Clayton county and
established himself in practice at Volga. Here he now controls a
large and representative practice, based alike on his recognized
ability and the unqualified personal popularity which he has gained.
The doctor is one of the wideawake and loyal citizens of Clayton
county and is found aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause
of the Republican party. He is an active member of the Clayton
County Medical Society and the Iowa State Medical Society, and
at Elkader is affiliated with Lodge No. 72, Ancient Free & Accepted
Masons. He and his wife are popular figures in the leading social
life of their home community and Mrs. Ainsworth is a zealous
member of the Presbyterian church. In September, 1901, was sol-
emnized the marriage of Dr. Ainsworth to Miss Katherine Hart-
man, who was born at Fayette, in the Iowa county of the same
name, and who is a daughter of M. J. and Emma (Weber) Hart-
man, whose five children all survive the honored father. Mr. and
Mrs. Hartman were born and reared in Germany and upon coming
to the United States they established their home in Chicago, where
they met their full share of hardships incidental to the great Chi-
cago fire of 1871, and whence they came a few years later to Iowa
and established their home at Fayette, where the death of Mr.
Hartman occurred in 1915, and where his widow still resides. Dr.
and Mrs. Ainsworth have three children, whose names and re-
spective dates of birth are here indicated : Dortha E., February 5,
1903 ; Sidney E., December 3, 1908 ; and Katherine L., December
17, 1913.
Oley Allen, who with his brother, Albert, a sketch of whose
life appears in another portion of this work, was born near
McGregor, Clayton county, November 28, 1865. He is a son of
Hans Allen and Anna (Olson) Allen. Hans Allen accompanied
his parents to America as a boy of sixteen years, the voyage con-
suming over five months, which, in this day of six-day steamers,
helps us to realize the difficulties and hardships they endured to
make living easier for their descendants. They came direct to
Iowa via rail as far as Galena, Illinois, the end of the railroad in
the west, thence up the Mississippi to McGregor's landing, where
his father took up a government claim of 160 acres about six miles
from what is now the town of McGregor. Hans Allen assisted his
father in reclaiming the land and later he took up a claim on his
own account near his father's land and reclaimed it, and having
improved it, sold it at a considerable profit, afterward returning
to the home farm, which he continued to work until his father's
death, at which time he bought the other heirs' interests and con-
tinued on the domain until his death, in the year 1896. In 1864
occurred the marriage of Hans Allen and Anna Olson, whose par-
ents were also pioneers of Clayton county, coming to Iowa in the
early '60's. There were born to them 12 children, Oley, Carrie,
Anna, Albert, Mary, Christine, Andrew, Lemuel, Helma, John,
Esther and Katherine. They are all living with the exception of
Anna, who passed to the other life in 1904. Oley Allen had his
BIOGRAPHICAL 21
early education in the Mendon district school, walking over two
miles in winter, often when the thermometer was thirty degrees
below zero. Later a new school was built in Clayton township,
nearer his home, which he attended until he was nearly twenty
years of age. It is interesting to note that in the early days of
Clayton county the boys and girls could only attend the winter
term of school, being too busy helping their parents during the
summer season. After leaving school, in conjunction with his
brother, Albert, they entered business life by operating a drilling
outfit, and also owned three threshing machines, which they ran
during the harvest season and they also owned and operated a
sawmill near McGregor, In 1903, the brothers disposed of their
interests in these outfits and Oley Allen came to Elkader, Iowa,
being preceded by his brother Albert, who arrived in Elkader in
1902. They started a machine repairing shop, making repairs on
all kinds of machinery and coming into contact with the majority
of the farmers in Clayton county. They gradually drifted into the
automobile business, beginning by making repairs on the single
cylinder machines, which were practically the only ones on the
market; later they took the agency of the Oldsmobile car, and in
1907, accepted the agency of the Reo car; also, in the spring of 1910,
they secured the agency for the Buick automobile. Their business
grew so rapidly that they were forced to build to meet its require-
ments and erected a two-story structure with a floor space of about
18,000 feet and in 1916 put in a sprinkler system which was the first
one installed in Clayton county. They are the largest automobile
dealers in Clayton county and, on the Buick machines, do the larg-
est business of any county agency in the Chicago territory. On
Dec. 20th, 1895, Oley Allen was united in marriage with Emma
Hulverson, a daughter of Gustav and Gertrude (Peterson) Hulver-
son, both of whom were pioneers of Clayton county and to them
were born two children, William, age 18, and Ruth, 16 years of
age. Mr. Allen is a member of the Modern Woodmen and of the
Odd Fellows lodges, and both he and his wife are members of the
Lutheran church.
William M. Allyn is a sterling representative of an honored
pioneer family given to Clayton county by historic old New Eng-
land, and holds prestige as one of the vigorous and upright citizens
who aided in laying broad and deep the foundations for the fine
superstructure of civic and industrial prosperity now in evidence
in this attractive division of the Hawkeye State. He whose name
initiates this paragraph has been a resident of Clayton county for
more than sixty years and is now one of its venerable and highly
esteemed citizens, the while he has not only been a prominent figure
in connection with the development of the agricultural resources
of the county, but his also is the distinction of having been one of
the gallant patriots who represented Iowa as a soldier of the Union
in the great civil conflict through which the nation's integrity was
perpetuated. Though he has relegated to others the more arduous and
exacting labors and responsibilities that were long his portion as
one of the world's productive workers, he still resides on his fine
22 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
homestead farm of 280 acres in section 2, Garnavillo township, and
his residence is within easy access of the village of St. Olaf, from
which he receives service on rural mail route No. 2, William M.
Allyn was born in New London county, Connecticut, on the 28th
of December, 1828, and in that staunch commonwealth of New
England his parents, Abel and Polly Allyn, passed their entire
lives, both having been representatives of fine old colonial stock.
Of the eight children Mr. Allyn is the younger of the two now living,
and his sister, Margaret, is the widow of James Billings, and now
a resident of New London county, Connecticut. Mr. Allyn was
reared and educated in his native state, where he gained his early
experience with the work of the home farm and where he continued
his residence until he had attained more than his legal majority.
In April, 1859, when Z2 years of age, he came to Clayton county,
Iowa, where he secured a Mexican soldier's claim in Garnavillo
township, and on this original place he has continued to live and
labor during the long intervening years, which have been marked
by his faithful stewardship and by his successful achievement in
connection with the basic industries of agriculture and stock-
growing. His financial resources when he came to Iowa were
merely nominal, and through his own well ordered endeavors he
has gained large and worthy success, as indicated by his ownership
at the present time of a valuable and specially well improved landed
estate of two hundred and eighty acres. It is a far cry to revert
to the primitive log cabin which he erected for his original abiding
place to the fine modern residence which he now occupies, and
all other permanent improvements which he has made on his farm
are of the best type. When the dark cloud of civil war cast its pall
over the national horizon, Mr. Allyn was one of the loyal and patri-
otic citizens of Clayton county who subordinated all other interests
to go forth in defense of the Union, and his service during the great
fratricidal conflict was such as to reflect perpetual honor upon his
name and memory. In the spring of 1862 he enlisted as a private
in Company E, Twenty-seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with
which he proceeded to the front and in which he rose to the office of
sergeant. His regiment was assigned to the army of Tennessee
and within his service of nearly three years he took part in numer-
ous engagements, including a number of the sanguinary battles
marking the progress of the war. In an engagement at Pleasant
Hill, Louisiana, he received a severe wound in his left foot, and
after having been confined to a hospital for several weeks he was
mustered out and received his honorable discharge. He then
returned to his farm and during the long years that have since
elapsed he has here continued as one of the staunch and influential
representatives of the agricultural and live-stock interests of Clay-
ton county, with inviolable place in popular confidence and good
will. He is a stalwart in the local camp of the Republican party
and has shown a loyal interest in all things pertaining to the com-
munal welfare, but he has had no desire for public office, his only
service having been that of school director, of which office he was
the incumbent for several years. Soon after his service as a sol-
BIOGRAPHICAL 23
dier in the Civil war had been terminated Mr. Allyn wisely girded
himself the better for the active duties and responsibilities of life
by taking unto himself a wife. He wedded Miss Juliette Eddy,
who was born in the State of Vermont, as were also her parents,
Joseph and Celeste Eddy, with whom she came to Iowa in the pio-
neer days, her parents passing the remainder of their lives in this
state. Mr. and Mrs. Allyn shared with mutual solicitude and loy-
alty the joys and sorrows of life, and their ideal companionship
found its greatest glory in the gracious evening of their lives, the
silver cord of their devotion being severed in 1901, when Mrs.
Allyn was summoned to eternal rest, her memory being revered by
all who came within the sphere of her gentle influence and her
mortal remains resting in the cemetery at Kandallville, Winneshiek
county, not far distant from her old home. She is survived by two
children, William, who has practical charge of the old homestead
farm, and Juliette, who remains with her father and presides over
the attractive home ; she is popular in the social life of the com-
munity and was graduated in the high school at McGregor.
Conrad Andreas has maintained his home in Clayton county
from his boyhood and has here brought his energies to bear so
effectively as to win for himself a large measure of material pros-
perity in connection with the basic industries of agriculture and
stock-raising, of which he is now one of the prominent and honored
exponents in Sperry township. His parents were pioneer settlers
of this county and still reside here, venerable in years and estab-
lished in a home in which they find peace and comfort in the gra-
cious evening of their long and useful life. Conrad Andreae was
born at Dubuque, Iowa, on the 20th of November, 1856, and is a
son of Albert and Magdalena Prottengeier Andrese, who were born
and reared in Germany and who immigrated to America in the
early '50s. They established their home in Dubuque, Iowa, and
about 1853 they came to Clayton county and settled on a farm in
Sperry township. Later they removed to Wisconsin, but about
two years later they returned to Clayton county, where they have
since maintained their home. Of their nine children seven are
living. Conrad Andreae remained at the parental home until the
time of his marriage, and in the meanwhile had made good use of
the advantages of the common schools. At the age of twenty-
three years he wedded Miss Anna Weege, who has the distinction
of having been the first white child born in St. Sebald, Sperry
township, this county, where her parents established their home in
the early pioneer days. After his marriage Mr. Andrese farmed
on rented land for two years and he then purchased a portion of
his present well improved farm of two hundred acres, in Section
19, Sperry township, the excellent improvements on the place hav-
ing been made by him and his well directed efforts having resulted
in his developing one of the really model farmsteads of this favored
section of his native state. He is one of the prosperous farmers
and highly esteemed citizens of Clayton county, is a Democrat in
politics, takes a lively interest in community affairs, but has never
sought or held public ofHce. Both he and his wife are communi-
24 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
cants of the Lutheran church, and of their eight children the last
two died young; Henry is cashier of the Volga Savings Bank;
George, Herman, Katherine, Albert and Frederick remain at the
parental home.
Henry C. Andreae is the efficient and popular cashier of the
Volga Savings Bank and is known and valued as one of the repre-
sentative business men of the younger generation in his native
county. He was born in Sperry township, this county, on the 7th
of October, 1883, and is a son of Conrad and Anna (Wege)
Andreae, the former of whom was born in Dubuque, this state, and
the latter of whom was born in Clayton county, both families hav-
ing been founded in Iowa in the pioneer period of its history. The
parents now reside in their pleasant home near Arlington, Fayette
county, and the father has been a prominent and influential expo-
nent of agricultural enterprise in this section of the Hawkeye state^
both he and his wife being zealous communicants of the Lutheran
church and the lineage of both tracing back to staunch German
origin. Of the eight children the eldest is George, who remains with
his parents on the home farm ; Henry C, of this review, was the next
in order of birth ; Katherine is at the parental home, as are also Her-
man and Albert ; Philippina is deceased ; Frederick is the youngest
member of the parental home circle ; and William died in early child-
hood. After havingprofited fully by the advantages afforded in the dis-
trict schools Henry C. Andreae continued his active association
with agricultural industry for three years, and he then fortified
himself more fully for the practical affairs of life by completing a
two years' course in the Upper Iowa Business University, at Fayette.
For a short time thereafter he was identified with the general mer-
chandise business and he then assumed a clerical position in the
employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company,
his service having been continued in Clayton county for a period
of four years, after which he held for six months the position of
money clerk in the office of the Wells-Fargo Express Company in
the city of Milwaukee. The impaired health of his loved mother
caused him to resign this position and return to the parental home,
and in 1910 he accepted his present responsible post, that of cashier
of the Volga Savings Bank, an incumbency in which he has shown
marked discrimination and executive ability. His political alle-
giance is given to the Democratic party and both he and his wife
are communicants of the Lutheran church in their home village
of Volga, where also they are popular factors in the leading social
activities of the community. On the 2d of May, 1913, was solemn-
ized the marriage of Mr. Andreae to Miss Selma Piehl, who was
born and reared in Clayton county, and they have a winsome little
daughter, Mary Elizabeth, who was born May 12, 1915.
George Aulerich was a youth of nineteen years when he came
with his widowed mother from his German Fatherland to America
and established a home in Iowa, where it has been his to gain
through earnest and honest endeavor a generous measure of suc-
cess and to become one of the most substantial landholders and
exponents of agricultural industry in Clayton county. Here he has
BIOGRAPHICAL 2$
maintained his home for half a century and here he resides upon
his fine homestead farm in Farmersburg township, though the
autumn of the year 1916 will record his attainment of the psalm-
ist's span of three score years and ten. The gracious prosperity
that attends him in his venerable years enables him to put aside
the heavier burdens and labors that were so long his portion. He
is one of the substantial and honored citizens of the county, is the
owner of a large and well improved landed estate of nearly six
hundred acres in this county, and none is more clearly entitled to
representation in this history. Mr. Aulerich was born in Germany,
on the 30th of September, 1846, and is a son of George and Dora
(Schultz) Aulerich, the former of whom passed his entire life in
Germany, where his vocation was that of farming. In 1866 the
widowed mother came with her three children to the United
States and established a home in Clayton county, Iowa, where she
passed the remainder of her life and attained to the venerable age
of 81 or 82. Of the children two are living. He whose name
introduces this review gained his early education in the excellent
schools of his native land and was nineteen years of age when he
accompanied his mother to the United States and to Clayton
county. Here he found employment as a farm hand for several
years, and in the meanwhile he carefully saved his earnings and
bent every energy to the gaining of independence and worthy pros-
perity. Finally he purchased a farm of seventy acres, in Farmers-
burg township, and upon the same he continued his residence six-
teen years, his energy and good management having brought to
him such measure of success that he was then enabled to sell his
farm to advantage and purchase a portion of the fine homestead
on which he now resides. With increasing prosperity he continued
to add to his landed estate until he became the owner of two hun-
dred and fifteen acres of fine land in section 6, Farmersburg town-
ship, upon which splendid domain he still retains his residence and
to the supervision of which he still gives his vigorous attention,
as the years rest lightly upon him. At a later period he purchased
other land to the amount of three hundred and sixty acres, situated
in Monona township, and this property is given over to the care of
his oldest son, who is a substantial agriculturist and progressive
citizen of his native county. Mr. Aulerich has been deeply appre-
ciative of the opportunities which have been afforded him in the^
county and state of his adoption, and has stood exponent of loyal
and liberal citizenship. He is a staunch Democrat in politics but
has had no desire for public office, the only position of the sort in
which he has consented to serve having been that of member of
the school board of his district. He and his wife are earnest com-
municants and liberal supporters of the Lutheran church at Farm-
ersburg. In 1872 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Aulerich to
Miss Minnie Klinge, who was born in Germany, one of a family of
six children, all of whom are living and all of whom came with the
parents, Frederick and Elizabeth (Holtz) Klinge, to the United
States in the year 1871, the family home being established in Clay-
ton county, where the father became a substantial farmer and where
26 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
he passed the rest of his life, the venerable mother being still a
resident of this county and being nearly ninety years of age at the
time of this writing, 1916. Of the seven children born to Mr. and
Mrs. Aulerich the eldest is George, Jr., who is one of the progres-
sive farmers of this county, as is also Henry, who remains at the
parental home and is associated with his father in the management
of the farm ; Bertha is the wife of Charles Engelhardt and they
reside in the state of South Dakota ; Matilda is a trained nurse by
profession and resides in the city of Chicago ; Amelia and Emma
remain at the parental home ; and Emil is another of the aggressive
young farmers of Clayton county, where he has a farm of one hun-
dred and fifty acres in Monona township.
Herman A. Axtell may well consider himself fortunate in being
the owner of one of the fine farm estates of Clayton county and
further interest attaches to his prestige as one of the progressive
and successful agriculturists and stock-growers of the county by
reason of the fact that he was an infant at the time of the family
removal to this county and was reared to manhood on the farm
which he now owns and on which he has an ideal rural home. Mr.
Axtell was born in Lorain county, Ohio, on the 17th of September,
1862, and in the following year his parents came to Clayton county
and settled on the farm now owned by him. He is one of the five
surviving children of Augustus E. and Martha (Bartlett) Axtell,
the former a native of Vermont and the latter of the state of New
York. After having maintained their residence in Ohio for a
term of years the parents came to Clayton county, Iowa, in 1863,
as previously noted, and the father proved a resourceful and broad-
minded member of the pioneer community, in which he developed
and improved the splendid landed estate now owned and occupied
by his son Herman A., of this review. Here he died at the age of
85 years and here his venerable widow still resides, she having
celebrated her eighty-fourth birthday anniversary in 1916 and being
one of the revered pioneer women of the county. Reared to the
sturdy discipline of the farm, Herman A. Axtell was not permitted
to neglect in the least the advantages aflforded in the public schools
of the locality and period, and his individual ambition along this
line was indicated by his later completing an effective course of
study in a business college at Fayette. He continued to be asso-
ciated with the work and management of the home farm until he
was 21 years of age, and thereafter he was employed for a total of
five years in a creamery at Cresco, Howard county, and Clayton
county, where he gained expert knowledge of this line of indus-
trial enterprise. For twenty years thereafter he rented the old
homestead farm of his parents and proved himself one of the spe-
cially alert, progressive and successful farmers and stock-growers
of the county. At the expiration of the period noted he purchased
the fine property, which comprises two hundred acres of land, in
sections 24 and 25 Cass township which is improved with the best
type of farm buildings and supplied with the most approved mod-
ern facilities. In connection with diversified agriculture Mr.
Axtell has been specially prominent and successful in the breeding
BIOGRAPHICAL 2/
and raising of fine Shorthorn cattle and Duroc-Jersey swine. He
has served consecutively since 1910 as township clerk, has been
secretary of the school board of his district since 1902, and served
fourteen years as township assessor. These preferments denote
alike his loyal interest in public affairs of a local order, his ability
and the high estimate placed upon him in the community that had
always represented his home. He gives his political allegiance to
the Democratic party, is affiliated with the jModern Brotherhood of
America and he and his wife attend and support the Baptist church
at Strawberry Point, from which village their attractive and hos-
pitable home has service on rural mail route No. 1. In 1888 was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Axtell to Miss Leah Lamphiear,
who was born and reared in this county and who is a daughter of
William and Elizabeth (Maxwell) Lamphiear, the former of whom
is deceased and the latter of whom still maintains her home in this
county. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Axtell the first, Fern C.,
died at the age of 12 years ; Lloyd W. now has the management of
the fine farm of three hundred and forty-five acres which his father
owns in Stutsman county. North Dakota; Fannie M. was gradu-
ated in the Teachers' Institute at Cedar Falls and is now a popular
teacher in the public schools of Riceville, Iowa ; Meron A. is a
member of the class of 1918 in the Iowa State Agricultural College,
at Ames; Howard I. is attending the high school at Strawberry
Point; and the two younger members of the ideal home circle are
Herma R. and Martha E.
Henry C. Baars is associated with his next younger brother,
Fritz, in the operation of the fine old homestead farm, in Section
36 Highland township, that figures as the place of their birth, and
they are known as progressive and energetic young agriculturists
and stock-growers of their native county, with secure place in pop-
ular esteem. Henry C. Baars was born on this farm on the 29th
of August, 1888, and is a son of Henry and Augusta (Adam) Baars,
the former of whom was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, and the
latter in West Prussia. Henrys Baars was a young man when he
came to the United States, and in 1869 he came to Clayton county
and established his home in Cox Creek township. He later re-
moved to and improved one of the fine farms of Highland town-
ship, and he and his wife now reside at Elkader. the county seat,
where he is living retired, after having won substantial prosperity
through his long and effective association with farm industry. He
is a Democrat in politics, and he and his wife are earnest com-
municants of the Lutheran church. Herman, the eldest of their
seven children, is a prosperous farmer in Sperry township ; Henry
C. and Fritz, as already noted, are associated in the operations of
the old home farm, which comprises two hundred acres, and Fritz
was here born on the 17th of November, 1800; Albert died in child-
hood, as did also Hilda; and Alfred and Carrie remain at the pa-
rental home. Henry C. Baars is indebted to the public schools of
his native county for his early education, and he continued to
assist in the operation of the home farm until he was twenty years
old. He passed the following years in South Dakota, then resumed
28 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
his association with the work of the home farm and one year later
he and his brother Fritz assumed the active control and manage-
ment of the fine old homestead, upon which they have since con-
tinued their successful operations in diversified agriculture and
the raising of excellent live stock. The subject of this review is
serving as school director of his district, is a Democrat in his polit-
ical adherency and both he and his wife hold membership in the
Lutheran church, Mr. Baars is married to Miss Katherine Kuehl,
daughter of Joseph J. Kuehl, of whom individual mention is made
on other pages of this work.
John Bahr is actively associated with one of the representative
business enterprises of the vigorous little city of Elkader, judicial
center of Clayton county, and has made an excellent record in his
chosen vocation. He is a skilled artisan, and has entire charge of
the plumbing and heating departments of the substantial hardware
establishment in which he owns a half interest, as junior member
of the firm of Brown & Bahr, in which his coadjutor is H. D.
Brown. From infancy he has borne the name of his step-father,
and he is a son of Frank and Sophie (Muller) Schornable, being
an only child. By his father's previous marriage there was one
son, Frank, and his mother later became the wife of Peter Bahr.
Of the children of this last marriage the following brief record is
consistently given at this point: Mary and Lena reside at Elkport,
this county; Sophia is the wife of George Smith, and Clara the
wife of John Wittman, both likewise residents of Elkport; Annie
resides in the city of Cedar Rapids, this State ; Eliza is the wife of
Ernest Heuschen, of McGregor, Clayton county; and one daughter
died in infancy. John Bahr, the immediate subject of this sketch,
was born in Volga township, this county, on the 14th of December,
1870, and there he attended in boyhood the district schools, though
his broader education has been that gained under the direction of
that wisest of all head-masters, experience. As a lad of fourteen
years he became virtually dependent upon his own resources, as
he then left the home rooftree and found employment at farm work.
One year later he established his residence in Elkader, where he
entered the employ of his present business associate, Mr. Brown,
and served a practical apprenticeship to the tinner's trade. Later
he purchased a half interest in the business, to the expansion and
definite success of which he has contributed effectively, and it is
interesting to record that he became a partner in the thriving enter-
prise before he had attained to his legal majority. Fidelity, con-
secutive industry and sterling integrity have marked his business
career, and have given him inviolable place in popular esteem,
besides which he has won substantial place as one of the vigorous
and enterprising business men of his native county. He has shown
deep interest in community affairs and has been a member of the
board of aldermen of Elkader for thirteen years, his services in this
office having been marked by the same spirit of progressiveness
and loyalty that has dominated his course in his private business.
He is a stalwart in the local camp of the Republican party, is
affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Woodmen of the
BIOGRAPHICAL 29
World, and both he and his wife are communicants of the German
Lutheran church. On the 21st of March, 1893, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Bahr to Miss Kate Wertley, who likewise was
born and reared in this county, and of their two children the first,
a daughter, died in infancy, the surviving child, Harry John, having
been born February 21, 1903, and being at the present time, 1916,
a duly ambitious student in the public schools of Elkader.
Edward E. Bauder is one of the representative younger expo-
nents of agricultural industry in his native county and his progres-
siveness is shown in his availing himself of the most modern and
approved facilities and methods in carrying forward the operations
of the fine old homestead farm, in section 7, Marion township,
where additional interest attaches to his activities by reason of the
fact that the farm that thus receives his attention was the place of
his nativity, his birth having here occurred on the 4th of August,
1885. He is a son of Samuel and Caroline (Riorke) Bauder, the
former of whom was born in the fair little republic of Switzerland
and the latter of whom was born and reared in Iowa, a member of one
ofthe sterling pioneer families of this commonwealth. Samuel Bauder
came to America when a youth and he became one of the success-
ful agriculturists and representative citizens of Marion township,
Clayton county; his widow maintains her home in Elgin, Fayette
county. Of the six children the eldest is Alfred, who is now a
resident of the city of Cedar Rapids, this state ; Mary is the widow
of Knudt Scarshaug of Elgin ; Emma is the wife of Ole Olson, of
Clermont, Fayette county ; Anna is the wife of Lewis J. Grouth, of
Elgin, Fayette county; Edward E. is a successful farmer of Marion
township and figures as the immediate subject of this sketch ; and
Ernest is now a resident of the city of Detroit, Michigan. The
father of these children died when Edward was a boy of nine years.
Edward E. Bauder was reared to adult age on the home farm of
which he now has the active management and is indebted to the
public schools of Clayton county for his early educational disci-
pline. His career as an independent agriculturist was initiated
when he was twenty years of age and he has shown remarkable
circumspection and progressiveness in the directing of the opera-
tions of the old homestead farm. Under his supervision have been
installed many improvements of the best modern type, including
a silo that has a capacity for the storage of one hundred tons, and
a gas engine for supplying water for both farm and domestic pur-
poses. Mr. Bauder has made his general farm operations distinc-
tively successful and in connection with diversified agriculture he
is giving special attention to the raising of the large type of
Poland-China swine, the best specimens of this breed being found
in appreciable numbers on his farm. He has insistently bred to
the best type, as is shown by his paying one hundred and ten
dollars for one pure-bred and registered brood sow and eighty dol-
lars for another, besides which he is the owner of the well-known
boar, "Big Black Orange," the registered number of which is
226,579, and thus he has the best breeding stock, with resultant
prominence as one of the leading breeders of Poland-China swine
30 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
in this part of Iowa, As a citizen Mr. Bauder is loyal and progres-
sive, even as he is in connection with the affairs of business, and
he is aligned as a supporter of the principles and policies of the
Republican party. His home place receives mail service on a rural
route from the village of Elgin, which is his postoffice address. On
the 24th of February, 1910, Mr. Bauder wedded Miss Alma
Bakeman, who was born and reared in this county and who is a
daughter of Nicholas and Mary (Underwood) Bakeman.
Frederick W. Bauer. — The admirable agricultural resources of
Clayton county have constituted the secure basis of its progress
and prosperity, and as exponents of the great fundamental industry
of farming there are found at the present time a goodly number of
alert and valued representatives of the second generation of fami-
lies whose names have been prominently and worthily linked with
the development and advancement of this section of the state.
Frederick W. Bauer is one of the native sons of Clayton county,
who holds prestige as one of the substantial agriculturists and rep-
resentative citizens of Boardman township, where he owns and
operates a well improved farm of one hundred and eighty acres.
Mr. Bauer was born in Garnavillo township, this county, on the
31st of August, 1869, and is a son of William and Emma (Hoch-
hause) Bauer, both of whom were born in Germany. William
Bauer was a child when he accompanied his parents on their im-
migration to America, and the family home was established in the
State of Ohio, where he was reared to adult age and received a
good common school education. As a young man he came to Iowa
and numbered himself among the pioneers of Clayton county. He
purchased a tract of land in Garnavillo township and reclaimed the
same into a productive farm. In the late '80s he sold this property
advantageously and soon afterward purchased the farm now occu-
pied by his son, Frederick W., the immediate subject of this sketch.
Here he continued his successful activities as a thrifty and pro-
gressive agriculturist and stock-grower until about 1906, since which
time he and his wife have maintained their residence in the city of
Dubuque, where he is living virtually retired, in the enjoyment of
the tangible rewards of former years of earnest toil and endeavor.
He contributed his quota to the development of Clayton county
along both civic and industrial lines and both he and his wife have
a wide circle of friends in this county. They are zealous commu-
nicants of the Catholic church and his political affiliation is with
the Democratic party. Of the children the eldest is he whose
name introduces this article ; Elizabeth is the wife of Max Ovitz
and they maintain their home at Elkader, the judicial center of
this county ; Otilla is the wife of Joseph Schiltz, of Dubuque ; Agnes
is the wife of Paul Schammel, of Waterloo, this state ; Charles and
Irma are with their parents in Dubuque ; and Amelia died in child-
hood. Frederick W. Bauer reverts to the excellent public schools
of his native county as the medium through which he acquired his
early education, and his initial experience in connection with the
practical affairs of life was that gained in his early association with
the work of the home farm. This discipline, continued through the
BIOGRAPHICAL 3 1
period of his youth, well fitted him for the responsibilities which
he assumed when he engaged in farming and stock-growing in an
independent way and has contributed materially to his winning
of precedence as one of the thorough-going, ambitious and suc-
cessful farmers of his native county. He continued his association
with his father in the work and management of the farm until his
parents left the homestead to enjoy urban life, and thereafter he
rented the place of his father until 1906, when he purchased the
property, which now comprises a farm of one hundred and forty
acres, equipped with a substantial and attractive modern house of
two stories, and with excellent barns, fences and other accessories
of a model farmstead. With much of discrimination and enter-
prise Mr. Bauer carries forward his operations along the line of
properly diversified agriculture, and he likewise gives attention to
the breeding and raising of high-grade live stock. As a public-
spirited citizen of well reinforced political convictions, he is aligned
as a staunch supporter of the Democratic party, both he and his
wife being communicants of the Catholic church, in the faith of
which they were reared. On the 16th of November, 1900, was sol-
emnized the marriage of Mr. Bauer to Miss Eva Fryetich, who
likewise was born in Clayton county, where her father has long
been a prosperous farmer, and the five children of this union are:
Florence, Evaline, Clarence, Helen and Marian.
Fred A. Beckett passed virtually his entire life in Clayton
county, as he was an infant at the time when his parents became
pioneer settlers of the county, and here it was his to achieve defi-
nite independence and success through his efifective association
with the basic industries of agriculture and stock-growing and to
win and retain the confidence and good will of all with whom he
came in contact. He was one of the representative farmers of
Clayton township at the time of his death, which occurred on the
24th of April, 1908, and his widow still resides upon and has the
general supervision of the affairs of the fine homestead farm, which
comprises one hundred and five acres and which is most pleasingly
situated in section 34, Clayton township. Mr. Beckett was born
at Belvidere, Illinois, on the 13th of September, 1858, and is the
only deceased member of a family of four sons born to Peter B.
and Charlotte A. (Wayman) Beckett. His parents were born and
reared in England and immigrated to America in 1852. They were
residents of Ohio about one year and thereafter maintained their
home at Decatur, Illinois, until 1854, when they removed to Rock
county, Wisconsin, where the father initiated activities as a
farmer, of which line of enterprise he became an exponent a few
years later in Boone county, Illinois, where the birth of the subject
of this memoir occurred and whence soon afterward the family
came to Clayton county, Iowa, where Peter B. Beckett eventually
became one of the substantial and prominent farmers of Clayton
township and where he continued to reside, a sterling and honored
citizen, until his death, which occurred in 1901, his devoted wife
having passed away in 1894. Reared to maturity upon the farm
of his father, Fred A. Beckett early learned the valuable lessons of
32 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
practical industry and availed himself simultaneously of the advan-
tages afforded in the public schools of the locality. He was a
young man when he initiated his independent career as an agricul-
turist and stock-grower on the fine farm upon which his widow
still maintains her home and which he developed into one of the
model places of Clayton township. Here he continued his well
ordered activities until he was called from the stage of life's mor-
tal endeavors, a few months prior to his fiftieth birthday anniver-
sary, and he left as a gracious heritage the untarnished reputation
and the record for worthy accomplishment that indicate the finest
sense of personal stewardship, his mortal remains having been
laid to rest in the cemetery at Clayton. He was a loyal and public-
spirited citizen, was a Democrat in his political allegiance and was
a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, as is also his widow.
In the year 1881 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Beckett to
Miss Bessie Robinson, who was born in England and who came
with her parents to the United States and became a resident of
Clayton county in the year 1873. She is a daughter of William and
Elizabeth (Drake) Robinson, both representatives of fine old Eng-
lish lineage, and her parents continued their residence in Clayton
county until their death, their five children still surviving them.
Mr. and Mrs. Beckett became the parents of ten children, concern-
ing whom brief record is made in conclusion of this memoir:
Cora E. is the wife of August Saacke and they maintain their
home at McGregor ; Hettie May is the wife of Percy Anderson, of
McGregor; Bessie is the wife of James Duval and they reside in
South Dakota ; Albert drowned at the age of 9 years ; Anna R. is the
wife of John McWilliams, a representative farmer of Clayton
county; Beatrice is the wife of Frederick Sibell, of Madison, Wis-
consin; Peter F. and George remain with their widowed mother
and are associated in the work of the home farm ; Lucile likewise
remains a member of the home circle ; and the tenth child died in
infancy.
John T. Beckett has been a resident of Clayton county from
the time of his nativity and owns and resides upon the fine old
homestead farm, in Clayton township, which figures as the place of
his birth and which under his energetic and judicious management
has been made one of the well improved and valuable landed estates
of the county. Mr. Beckett is a scion of staunch English stock in
both the paternal and maternal lines and was born in Clayton on
the 25th of December, 1863, when he became a right welcome
Christmas arrival in the home of his parents, Peter B. and
Charlotte A. (Wayman) Beckett, both natives of England. He
whose name introduces this article was the fourth in order of birth
in a family of four sons, of whom three are living. Peter B.
Beckett was born on the 25th of October, 1821, and was reared and
educated in his native land, where his marriage was solemnized.
In 1852 he came with his young wife to the United States and they
passed the first year in the state of Ohio. They then established
their residence at Decatur, Illinois, where Mr. Beckett entered the
employ of the Illinois Central Railroad Company, in the service of
BIOGRAPHICAL 33
which he continued until 1854, when he removed to Beloit, Wis-
consin, where for a short interval he was engaged in the manufac-
turing of brick, after which he was for two years a representative
of agricultural enterprise in that vicinity. During the ensuing year
he was engaged in farming in Boone county, Illinois, and he then,
about the year 1858, came to Clayton county, Iowa, where he
turned his attention to the butchering business, of which he was a
pioneer exponent and with which he continued his identification
for a few years. He then purchased a tract of land in section 34,
Clayton township, where he reclaimed and developed a productive
farm and where both he and his wife passed the remainder of their
long and useful lives — sterling citizens to whom came a merited
prosperity and the greater reward of the confidence and good will,
of the community in which they long maintained their home.
Mrs. Beckett was summoned to eternal rest in 1894 and her vener-
able husband passed away in 1901, their remains resting side by
side in the cemetery at Clayton. Both were reared in the faith of
the Church of England and their lives were guided and governed
by the Christian principles which they thus professed. John T.
Beckett was reared to adult age on the farm which he now owns
and operates, and in the meanwhile he gained due reinforcement
for the battle of life by attending the common schools of the locality
in which he gained the education that proved ample foundation for
the broader and more practical discipline that has come to him
through association with men and affairs in later years. Shortly
after attaining to his legal majority he rented the old homestead
farm, and later he purchased the property, which comprises one
hundred and fifty-six acres and upon which he has made many
excellent improvements of permanent order. This is one of the
good farms of the county and it has been the stage of his well
ordered activities during his entire adult career, the while he is
known as a progressive and successful representative of agricul-
tural and live-stock industry in his native county as well as a loyal
and steadfast citizen who is well upholding the honors of the name
which he bears. He is now serving his second term in the office
of township trustee, was treasurer of his school district for some
time, and is aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the
Democratic party. He is affiliated with Oakleaf Camp, No. 2875,
Modern Woodmen of America, at Clayton, in which he has passed
various official chairs, and both he and his wife hold membership
in the Christian Science church. In the year 1892 was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Beckett to Miss Caroline Allen, who likewise
was born and reared in this county and who is a daughter of Hans
and Anna (Olson) Allen, both of whom were born in Norway,
whence they came with their parents to the United States when
young. Mr. Allen became one of the substantial farmers and
highly esteemed citizens of Clayton county and here his death
occurred in 1896, his wife still surviving him. Mr. and Mrs.
Beckett have two children, — Leslie, who is now employed at Elka-
der, the county seat, and Veva A., who is attending the McGregor
high school.
34 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Frederick G. Bell maintains his residence in his native city of
McGregor, Clayton county, and has gained prominence and influ-
ence as one of the representative factors in connection with the
important operations involved in the grain industry in this section
of the Union, as he is now the incumbent of the responsible posi-
tion of manager at McGregor of the interests and extensive busi-
ness of the firm of Gilchrist & Company, which maintains a great
chain of grain elevators throughout Minnesota and northern Iowa.
Mr. Bell is one of the alert business men and popular and public-
spirited citizens of McGregor and is a member of a family whose
name has been long and worthily identified with the annals of
Clayton county. He was born at McGregor on the 12th of May,
1874, and is the second in order of birth of the three children of
Colin F. and Lacy (Sloan) Bell, the former a native of the State
of New York and the latter of Illinois. Of the three children the
first-born was a son who died in infancy, and the youngest of the
number is Miss Elizabeth Bell, who still maintains her home at
McGregor. Colin F. Bell came to Clayton county in the pioneer
days and was for many years engaged actively and successfully in
the buying and shipping of grain, with residence and business head-
quarters at McGregor, where he died Feb. 1st, 1905, when about 82
years of age, and where his wife passed away May 1st, 1906.
Frederick G. Bell acquired his early education in the public schools
of McGregor and supplemented this discipline by an effective
course in the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, at Troy, New York.
After his return to McGregor he became associated with his father
in the grain business, with which he has since continued to be
identified and in connection with which his experience has been
such as to give him authoritative knowledge of all conditions and
details. As manager for Gilchrist & Company he has supervision
of a large and important business in the buying and shipping of
grain, and his progressiveness and loyalty are further shown in the
lively interest which he shows in all that touches the welfare of
his native city and county. His political allegiance is given to the
Republican party. Mr. Bell holds membership in the Congrega-
tional church, his wife following the precepts of the Christian
Science church. August 8, 191 1, was the date that recorded the mar-
riage of Mr. Bell to Miss Emma Farnum, who was born and reared
at Mason City, Cerro Gordo county, this State, and they have four
children — Farnum, Colin, Lyman and Lacy. It should be noted
that Mr. Bell's interest in and prominent association with the
grain business is further evidenced by his holding membership in
the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago.
Sam Bennington. — Notwithstanding all the advancement that
has been and yet shall be made in all other domains of human
enterprise, it is certain that the great industries of agriculture and
stock-growing, most closely allied with the earth itself, must ever
figure as the basis of prosperity and progress along both material
and civic lines. Thus that man may well be considered fortunate
who stands exemplar of progressive enterprise in connection with
these all-important phases of industrial activity, and such an alert,
BIOGRAPHICAL 35
vigorous and successful man is Sam Bennington, who has won
precedence as one of the representative agriculturists and stock-
raisers of his native county, where he is associated with his brother
William in the ownership and operation of one of the finely-
improved and extensive landed estates of Clayton county, the same
being specially well known by reason of its prestige in the pro-
duction of the best grades of live stock, and the brothers having
gained high reputation for the energy, discrimination and advanced
policies which they have effectively brought to bear in connection
with their operations. Sam Bennington was born on a farm in
section 36, Sperry township, this county, and the date of his nativ-
ity was August 29, 1872. He is a son of Samuel and Esther
(Bidwell) Bennington, both of whom were born in England —
representatives of sterling old families of the "right little isle."
Samuel Bennington was reared and educated in his native land
and his entire active career was one of close and favored associa-
tion with the great fundamental industry of agriculture. He was
a young man when he came to the United States and in 1856 he
numbered himself among the pioneer settlers of Clayton county,
Iowa, where he obtained land and, with characteristic energy and
circumspection, instituted the development of a farm, in Sperry
township. He was a man of strong and upright character, was
possessed of much business acumen, and through his well ordered
endeavors he achieved a large and worthy measure of success.
He gained assured place as one of the influential agriculturists and
valued citizens of Clayton county at the time of his death, which
occurred March 3, 1906; he was the owner of a valuable landed
estate of nine hundred acres. His devoted wife passed to the life
eternal on the 7th of April, 1880, and concerning their children the
following brief data are entered : Charles is now a resident of Rago,
Kingman county, Kansas ; Annie is the wife of Thomas Butcher, of
Lawrence. Van Buren county, Michigan; Esther is the wife of
Edward W. Griffith, of Marion, Lynn county, Iowa ; William and
Sam are, as previously noted, associated in successful operations
as prominent farmers and stock-growers of Clayton county. He
whose name initiates this article is indebted to the public schools
of his native county for his early educational discipline, and he
became actively associated with the work and management of the
home farm, in connection with which he gained broad and exact
knowledge of all details of practical and scientific agriculture and
stock-raising and proved a valued coadjutor of his honored father
until the latter's death. He and his older brother. William, now
own a valuable landed estate of seven hundred and seventy acres,
in Highland and Sperry townships, and he occupies on the same
the old homestead residence of his parents. The Bennington Brothers
give special attention to and have achieved marked success in the
raising of the best grades of Shorthorn cattle. Shire horses and
Shropshire sheep. The permanent improvements on the extensive
farmstead are of the best order, including a large and attractive
house, excellent barns, and minor buildings, and the equipment
throughout is of the most advanced type, indicative of the progres-
36 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
siveness and thrift that make the model farmer. William Benning-
ton, who is a bachelor, occupies a house of his own, and this building
likewise adds to the attractions of the fine fraternal domain, which
is one of the admirable rural estates of this section of Iowa. The
brothers pay unequivocal allegiance to the cause of the Repub-
lican party and are loyal and public-spirited citizens who command
the high regard of the people of their native county. Sam
Bennington is affiliated with the camp of the Woodmen of the
World at Volga, which city constitutes his postoffice address and
from which he receives service on rural mail route No. 2. On the
22d of December, 1903, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Bennington to Miss Clara Chapman, who likewise was born and
reared in Clayton county and whose parents, Engel and Mary
(Jellings) Chapman, both now deceased, were born in England.
Mr. and Mrs. Bennington have no children.
August Benson is another of the sterling sons of the fair Norse-
land who have found in America the advantages and opportunities
for the achieving of definite independence and prosperity, and he
has been a resident of Clayton county for over thirty years. Here
his industry and progressiveness are indicated in his ownership of
one of the fine farms of Highland township, and he is specially
worthy of representation in this publication. Mr. Benson was
born in Goteberg, Sweden, on the 5th of August, 1855, and is a son
of Bengt Anderson and Bertha (Larson) Anderson, who passed
their entire lives in their native land, their son August receiving
the surname of Benson, in accordance with the ancient custom of
Sweden, that of giving to children for surnames the full or a deriva-
tive from the personal name of the father. He whose name initi-
ates this review was reared on his father's farm and gained his
early education in the schools of his native land. He was the
eighth in order of birth in a family of twelve children, of whom the
eldest, Anna Breta, remains in Sweden ; Christina and Andrew
died in their native land ; Lars and Johannes still reside in Sweden ;
Carl and August (first of the name) are deceased, the latter having
died in infancy and the same name having been given to the sub-
ject of this review, who was the next child; Magnus is deceased;
Johanna is the wife of Halvor Torkleson, a progressive farmer of
Clayton county; John resides in the city of Chicago, as does also
Emma, who is the wife of August Jacobson. August Benson re-
mained at the parental home until he had attained to the age of
twenty-one years, when he severed the ties that bound him to his
native land and came to America, fortified with energy and ambi-
tion and determined to make advancement through his own efforts.
He resided for some time in the state of New York, maintaining
his home first at Brockton and later at Dunkirk, and incidental to
his work at this period of his career it is interesting to record that
he had the distinction of driving the first spike in connection with
the construction of the line of the Nickel Plate Railroad in the
Empire state. Later he was for five years in the employ of a
physician, Dr. Williams, at Dunkirk, and he then, in 1885, came to
Clayton county, where he worked one year on a farm. He had
BIOGRAPHICAL * 37
carefully conserved his earnings during the period of his residence
in the United States, and thus he found himself at the expiration of
this first year justified in the purchasing of his present farm of
one hundred and sixty acres, in Section 1, Highland township. He
has made the best of improvements on the place, has a substantial
and modern residence of two stories, and in addition to the home-
stead he now owns a tract of twenty acres of timber land, in High-
land township. Mr. Benson is a practical, industrious and pro-
gressive farmer, gives special attention to the raising of clover, and
propagates also the other crops best suited to the soil and climate
of this section of Iowa, including alfalfa, which he has grown quite
successfully in a small way for the last few years, besides raising
fine grades of live stock. The splendid prosperity that has at-
tended his indefatigable efforts is further attested by his having in
recent time purchased in Highland township an additional tract
of one hundred and ninety-seven acres, in which he has given to
his sons a partnership interest. He is a staunch Republican, is
serving as school director of his district and he and his wife are
earnest communicants of the Lutheran church. In 1884 was sol-
emnized the marriage of Mr. Benson to Miss Elizabeth Jacoby,
who likewise was born in Sweden, and she has proved his devoted
helpmeet during the years of their gracious companionship. Of
the children born to this happy union, all received the advantages
of the excellent schools of Clayton county. Hilma, the oldest, is
married to Mr. Levy M. Erickson of Farmersburg; Charles August
is a graduate of the Iowa State College of Agriculture at Ames,
and is the present deputy clerk of the District Court of Clayton
county. Jerda is a successful and popular teacher in the district
schools, and Oscar Arthur is preparing himself for a collegiate
course at Ames College. It is planned soon that Charles shall
resign his official position and that father and sons shall join in
the improvement of the old homestead and their newly acquired
land, which is all in one body, and convert it into a first-class stock
farm.
Ben M. Benson holds precedence as one of the representative
farmers of Highland township, and is well worthy of recognition
in this history of his native county. He was born in Marion town-
ship, on the 22d of July, 1862, and is a son of Michael and Bergat
(Olson) Benson, both of whom were born in Norway. Michael
Benson was reared to manhood in his native land and in 1859 he
immigrated to the United States and established his residence in
Marion township, Clayton county, in 1861. After due experience
as a pioneer farmer in that township he removed to section 3,
Highland township, where he developed a fine farm of one hundred
and twenty acres, this old homestead having continued as his place
of residence until his death, which occurred January 10, 1891, the
devoted wife of his young manhood having been summoned to rest
on the 5th of June, 1875, and both having been earnest members of
the Norwegian Lutheran church. Of their five children the first,
Ben, died in infancy, and the second child is Ben M., the immediate
subject of this review; Ole is a prosperous farmer in Wagner
38 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
township; Carrie is the wife of Nels E. Nelson, of Lyon county;
and Isabel is the wife of Henry Embertson, of Wagner township.
Ben M. Benson has resided on the old homestead farm from the
time of his birth and now owns a well improved landed estate of
iwo hundred and sixty acres, devoted to diversified agriculture and
the raising of approved grades of live stock. He has at all times
taken a loyal interest in community affairs, is a Republican in his
political adherency, served two terms as township trustee and is
now a member of the school board of the home district in which he
himself acquired his early education. Both he and his wife are
communicants of the Norwegian Lutheran church in Highland
township and he is serving as its treasurer His attractive home,
with modern conveniences and appointments, receives mail service
on rural route No. 2 from the village of Elgin. On the 8th of
March, 1889, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Benson to Miss
Berdelia Lein, who likewise was born and reared in this county,
where her parents, Lars and Josand (Olson) Lein, established
their home upon their immigration to America from Norway, in
1857, her father becoming one of the sturdy and honored pioneer
farmers of Highland township. He died in 1870 and his widow
now resides in the state of Minnesota. They became the parents
of eleven children, of whom the first, Ivan, is deceased ; Ole resides
at Grand Forks, North Dakota; Emily is the wife of Bertines
Hulverson, of North Dakota; Isabel is the wife of A. Storeland and
they reside in Minnesota; Bertha is the wife of Hans Hanson, of
Sioux Falls, South Dakota ; Lars is deceased ; Mrs. Benson was
the next in order of birth; Georgina is the wife of Henry Highfield,
and they reside in the state of Idaho; Julia is the wife of M. T.
Paulson, of Austin, Minnesota; Caroline is the wife of Rev. N. G.
Peterson, who is now pastor of a Lutheran church in the city of
Des Moines ; Laura is the wife of M. O. Swinstad, of Devil's Lake,
North Dakota. In conclusion is given brief record concerning the
children of Mr, and Mrs. Benson : Leonard Elmer was born Sep-
tember 22, 1889, and is associated in the management of the home
farm ; Betsy Maria, born November 7, 1890, is the wife of Lars
Larson, of Boardman township ; Adelia Louisa, who remains at
the parental home, as do also Josephine Ida, Melvin Enoch,
Cornelia Betina, Belva Belinda and Luella Geneva.
Frank Bente is a scion of the third generation of the Bente
family in Clayton county, with whose annals the name has been
identified since the early pioneer days, and he is now one of the
extensive and representative agriculturists and stock-growers of
his native county, where he is the owner of a well improved landed
estate of three hundred and twenty-seven acres, in sections 11 and
12, Boardman township and with free mail service on one of the
rural delivery routes from Elkader, the county seat. Mr. Bente
was born in Cox Creek township, this county, on the 17th of Feb-
ruary, 1876, and is a son of William and Margaret (Kress) Bente,
both of whom were born in Germany but reared and educated in
the United States. William Bente was a child of three years at
the time of his parents' immigration to America and he became one
BIOGRAPHICAL 39
of the pioneer settlers in what is now Cox Creek township, Clayton
county, Iowa, where he reclaimed and improved a valuable farm
and where he continued his residence until his death, which
occurred in 1910. He was one of the substantial and highly
esteemed citizens of this county, was a Republican in politics and
was a communicant of the Lutheran church, as is also his widow,
who now maintains her home at Elkader, the county seat. Of
their ten children the eldest is Henry, who is a prosperous farmer
in Read township; Louis resides at Elkader; George is engaged in
farming in Boardman township; Mary is the wife of Adolph
Altschul, of Duluth, Minnesota; Frank, of this review, was the
fifth child; Annie is the wife of Edward Messe, of Littleport, this
county; Michael is a farmer in Cox Creek township; Katherine is
the wife of Robert Englart, and they reside in the city of Chicago;
Ida is the wife of John Miller of that city; and Elizabeth
is the wife of Morris Hesner, of Strawberry Point, Clayton
county. Frank Bente passed the period of his childhood and
youth on his father's farm and in the meanwhile fortified himself
in mental discipline by attending the public schools. He con-
tinued to be associated with the work and management of the home
farm until he was twenty-three years of age, and in his independent
career as an agriculturist and stock-grower he has shown himself
ambitious, resourceful and progressive, with the result that he has
gained distinctive success and is to be designated as one of the
representative farmers of his native county. In 1907 he purchased
his present fine farm of three hundred and twenty-seven acres, and
he is making the same one of the model places of the county, with
a consistent application to diversified agriculture and the raising of
good grades of live stock. He is aligned as a staunch supporter
of the principles of the Republican party, is affiliated with the
Brotherhood of American Yeomen, and both he and his wife are
communicants of the Lutheran church. On the first of August,
1900, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bente to Miss Lena A.
Scheer, who has likewise born and reared in Clayton county and
who is a daughter of Frederick and Lena Scheer, both natives of
Germany. ]\Ir. and Mrs. Bente have two children — Florence Mary,
who was born October 30, 1902 ; and Ralph William Edward, who
was born December 19, 1903.
James W. Bentley is a representative of the second genera-
tion of one of the well-known pioneer families whose name has
been worthily linked with the social and material development and
progress of Clayton county, and, loyal to and appreciative of the
manifold advantages and attractions of his native county, James
Wilbert Bentley has had no desire to sever his allegiance thereto,
for he has here continued an exponent of the important and basic
lines of industry under whose influence he was reared and is one of
the substantial and enterprising farmers of Highland township.
He was born in this township on the 26th of December, 1861, and
is a son of Albert and Sarah Jane Bentley, who became residents
of the county in the earlier '50s and who here passed the remainder
of their lives — folk of strong individuality, invincible integrity and
40 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
that appreciation of the true value of human thought and action
that made them account well for themselves in all of the relations
of life. Of their children the first-born, Albert, died in infancy;
Emma, the widow of George Keeland, resides in the state of North
Dakota; Charles E. is deceased; Mrs. Mary Bateman resides in
the city of Minneapolis, where her husband is identified with
business enterprise ; and James W., of this review, is the youngest
of the children. After having made good use of the advantages
afforded in the public schools James W. Bentley continued as an
active and resourceful assistant in the work of the home farm until
he had attained to the age of nineteen years, when he went to
West Union, Fayette county, where he worked about one year.
He then made his way to the State of Michigan, but in the follow-
ing spring he returned to his native county, where he worked on
a farm until the ensuing autumn. He then went to Minnesota,
where he amplified his experience, but after an absence of a year
he showed his continued loyalty to his home county by resuming
his residence within its borders and by renting the old homestead
farm of his father. He remained with his widowed mother until
her death, and shortly afterward, in 1883, he purchased his present
farm, which is eligibly situated in section 23, Highland township,
and which comprises two hundred and thirty-five acres of the fine
land for which this section of the Hawkeye state is famed. Since
assuming possession of this domain Mr. Bentley has made many
high-grade improvements on the place, including the erection of a
house and other buildings of the most approved modern type. He
has had no aspiration for the honors of political office but has
shown loyal interest in all things touching the well being of the
community and gives unequivocal support to the principles and
policies for which the Republican party stands sponsor. In a
fraternal way he is affiliated with the Modern Brotherhood of
America. His splendid rural home is about four miles distant
from the village of Volga, from which place it receives service on
mail route No. 1. On the 22d of June, 1884, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Bentley to Miss Margaret Waltenbaugh, who was
born in Clayton county, April 28, 1865, and of the five children of
this union the eldest is Mabel, who is the widow of Frederick
Heiden and who now resides at Elkader; Delia is the wife of
William Davis, of Manchester, Delaware county ; Hattie is the wife
of James Meyers, of Volga ; and Blanche and Mildred remain at
the parental home.
Elmer E. Benton. — No history of Clayton county could be
written without frequent mention of Elmer E. Benton and of his
father, Willard A. Benton, both of whom served the county in the
office of sheriff and both of whom took active part in all the affairs
of Clayton county's civic life. Willard A. Benton, father of Elmer
E. Benton, was born in Afton, New York, and was the son of
Orange Benton, a descendant of one of the oldest families of New
England. The life of Willard Benton was filled not only with
good deeds and substantial accomplishments, but with adventure
and travel such as fall to the lot of but few. He was born on the
BIOGRAPHICAL 41
farm which was the ancestral home and received his preliminary
education in the schools of the county. At an early age he started
to earn his own livelihood and first worked as an apprentice at the
tanner's trade. It was while he was working at this trade that the
discovery of gold in California filled all the east with dreams of a
golden El Dorado. The bold and adventurous nature of the youth
was at once fired with these reports of fabulous riches and he joined
the exodus to California and, with a companion, George Church,
he made the voyage "around the Horn," landing in San Francisco
in 1853. Three years were spent by him in the gold fields of Cali-
fornia, and he suffered all the hardships and partook of all the ex-
citement and vicissitudes of the early days of placer mining. His
fortunes were varied and his golden dreams were not fulfilled, but
his spirit was undaunted and he resolved to push on, across the
broad Pacific, to the gold fields of Australia. He traveled through
this new continent for about six months, finally reaching the gold
fields. He arrived with no resources save strong and willing hands
and a knowledge of mining gained in California. He immediately
staked a claim, and fortune smiled on him, for the result of his first
day's labor was an ounce and a half of virgin gold. While moder-
ately successful in Australia, Mr. Benton longed for his native land
and within six months he was again on the Pacific, returning to
America. The good ship "Yankee Blade," on which he embarked,
suffered a most tempestuous passage and was finally wrecked off
the coast of Southern California. The passengers and crew were
rescued by the ship "Goliath," and Mr. Benton was enabled to
resume his voyage and to return to his home in the Empire State.
His next, and most fortunate adventure was on the sea of matri-
mony, and, in 1856, he was married to Anna Maria Buck, also a
descendant from an old New England family, who proved a model
help-mate in every way and who was for many years one of the
most popular and beloved women of Clayton county. Two chil-
dren v/ere born to them, Nellie M., who died at the age of three
years, and Elmer E., whose name heads this brief biography. In
1857, shortly after their marriage, this brave young couple decided
to move to the wider opportunities of the middle west and settled
on Iowa as their future home. Arriving at Prairie du Chien, they
crossed the Mississippi at McGregor's Landing, and Mr. Benton
bought a farm in Howard county, which he cultivated for about a
year. This was in the "Golden Era" of McGregor's history and
Mr. Benton decided to cast his lot with the promising young me-
tropolis. He engaged in the commission and real estate business
and soon established himself as one of the leading spirits of that
progressive city. He was an ardent union man, and, in 1861, he
was appointed postmaster of McGregor. As the magnitude of the
war increased and the call for troops became more pressing, Mc-
Gregor, like hundreds of other cities, was hard pressed at times to
fill its quota. It was in such an emergency that Willard A. Benton
volunteered to raise a company of infantry. The story of his work,
how he fairly stormed the town with martial music and with stir-
ring patriotic appeals, has been told in volume one of this history.
42 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
In a short time a company of more than one hundred men had
been raised and Willard A. Benton was the unanimous choice for
captain. He accepted this call to duty and, amid the cheers of the
people of McGregor, he and his gallant company embarked on the
"War Eagle," and glided from the peace of Iowa to the grim
scenes of war. The company proceeded to Camp Franklin, where
it was mustered into the regular army. Captain Benton took
part, with his company, in the battles of Hartsville, Mo., Port
Gibson, the charge of Black River Bridge, near Vicksburg, and
various other engagements under General Grant. Sickness com-
pelled him to leave his command, to the great regret of his brav€
company, and he returned to McGregor, where, as soon as he had
regained his health, he was reinstated as postmaster, during his
absence the position having been efficiently filled by his capable
wife. He was postmaster at McGregor for eight years and upon
retiring from that office he undertook a large contract to supply
wood to the C, M. & St. P. Ry., and also conducted a flourishing
real estate business. It was at this time also that he introduced
a unique industry into Clayton county, devoting his spare time to
the raising of trout in a hatchery which he conducted for several
years, thus being a pioneer in the great work now undertaken by
the Government at North McGregor and many other stations. In
1873, Willard A. Benton was elected sheriff of Clayton county, serv-
ing with greatest efficiency for three terms in that important office.
Retiring from this position he returned to McGregor, where he
spent the remainder of his life. His useful, patriotic and success-
ful career ended on this earth September 9, 1905, when he died at
the age of seventy-six years, having been preceded in death by his
wife, who passed to the other life, March 26, 1894. Elmer E. Benton
received his preliminary education in the public schools of his native
city, McGregor, and later was a student of the high schools. Before
graduation, however, being ambitious to make his own way in the
world, he obtained a position with his father as deputy sheriff. In
1880, at the close of his father's term of office, he went to Butte
City, Montana, taking a position in the mines, and later prospecting
for about two years. He returned to McGregor in June, 1882, and
engaged as a traveling salesman for John Elbling, being employed
in this capacity for about five years. He then accepted the posi-
tion of deputy sheriff under J. J. Kann, and he later served in the
same capacity under Sheriff George Cook. In 1895 he was elected
to the office of sheriff on the democratic ticket. He was thrice re-
elected, serving a total of eight years. Such was his popularity
that for his fourth term he had no opposition, the Republicans con-
ceding his election, and no candidate caring to stand against him.
Mr. Benton is today serving his country as field deputy revenue
collector, in which work he has proven an efficient and incorruptible
public servant. His name, like that of his father before him, is
synonymous with kindliness, good fellowship, efficiency and ability.
James Bergan pays no divided loyalty to Clayton county, Iowa,
though he claims Macoupin county, Illinois, as the place of his
birth, which there occurred on the 27th of July, 1862. He has been
THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
iffrOE. LINQX AND
TILDBN WUNDiTlONB
EMBERT BERGEMEYER
BIOGRAPHICAL
43
a resident of Clayton county since he was a child of about four
years and here he is now associated with his brother John in the
ownership of one of the large and splendidly improved farms of
Sperry township, where they stand forth as enterprising and influ-
ential exponents of agricultural and live-stock industry in this
favored section of the Hawkeye state. The parents, Patrick and
Elizabeth (Stulley) Bergan were born and reared in Ireland and
came to the United States in 1848. They continued their resi-
dence in Illinois until 1866, when they came to Clayton county,
Iowa, and settled on a farm in Highland township. There they
passed the remainder of their lives, earnest, kindly and upright
folk who won independence through their own endeavors and
who commanded the high regard of the community in which
they long lived and labored, both having been communicants of
the Catholic church. Of the eight children six still survive the
honored parents. James Bergan was reared on the old homestead
farm and gained his early education in the schools of Highland
township. He remained at home until the death of his parents and
he and his brother John then purchased the farm upon which they
and their families now reside, the same comprising a fine estate of
two hundred and forty-five acres, in section 16, Sperry township,
and the brothers having improved the property with substantial
and essentially modern buildings. They are associated also in
the ownership of twenty acres of land within the corporate limits
of the village of Volga. James Bergan has been loyal and liberal
in the support of measures and enterprises tending to advance the
communal welfare, is a staunch Democrat in politics but has never
been imbued with any ambition for public office. He and his wife
are zealous communicants of the Catholic church, and prior to her
marriage Mrs. Bergan has been a successful and popular teacher
in the district schools of Clayton county. They have no children.
In 1912 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bergan to Miss
Katherine Minihan, who was born in Highland township, this
county, in the year 1870, and whose parents, Patrick and Mary
(Gaynor) Minihan, were well known and highly esteemed citizens
of this county at the time of their death, both having been born in
Ireland and having been children at the time of the immigration of
the respective families to the United States. Mr. and Mrs. Minihan
became the parents of seven children, all of whom are living
except one.
Embert Bergemeyer, the present efficient and popular sheriff
of Clayton county is a Norwegian by birth but a thorough Ameri-
can at heart. He was born in the city of Christiania, Norway, June
8th, 1877, the son of Elias Bergemeyer. He came to America with
his parents, landing in New York July 14, 1888, and the family came
at once to McGregor, where they had relatives among the early
Norwegian pioneers. As a lad he worked on the farm and attended
the rural schools of Clayton and Mendon townships. His has
been a life of hard work and his younger days he spent farming and
threshing in the northern part of the county. He was married in
1899 to Miss Anna Allen of McGregor and to them one son, Clinton
44 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Bergemeyer was born. The death of his wife ended this happy
union. On November 24th, 1903, he was married to Miss Sarah
Margaret Bertsinger of McGregor and they have a charming
daughter, Marjorie Regina. For a number of years Mr. Bergemeyer
was in the drayage and ice business at McGregor which business
he sold in 1908. For five years he was city marshal of McGregor
and also a constable for Mendon township. It was his efficiency
as peace officer and his genial good-heartedness which makes him
highly popular with all the men, that led to his nomination for
sheriff on the Democratic ticket in 1910. There were three can-
didates in the primary election, Mr. Bergemeyer winning by a
plurality of thirty-six votes. At the election, however, in Novem-
ber, 1910, he defeated his opponent, Doug. Brown, by a majority of
1,078. In the primary of 1912 he had no opposition and in the
election of that year he received one of the largest majorities ever
given a candidate for sheriff, being elected over Frank Wood,
Republican, by a majority of 1,764. Again, in 1914, he had no
opposition in his own party at the primary and he was elected by
a majority almost as large, he receiving 1,689 more votes than his
opponent, J. P. Hurley, the Republican candidate. In the primary
of 1916 there was a four-cornered fight in which Mr. Bergemeyer
was the winner by 125 over his nearest opponent, and he is at
present the Democratic nominee for sheriff. There is no question
but that he has been a faithful, efficient and capable officer and a
worthy successor to such men as James Davis, W. A. Benton,
E. E. Benton, Martin Dittmer, and others who have made Clayton
county noted for its excellent sheriffs. During the year of 1915
from some unknown cause a fire broke out in the roof of the county
jail which is also the sheriff's residence, and at this time he lost a
large portion of his household goods. As an officer, Mr. Bergemeyer
has been eminently successful. There have been no jail deliveries
during his term and all the work of his office has been attended to
promptly and with courtesy, but with due firmness and proper
regard for law. While, fortunately, there have been no serious
crimes committed in the county during the past few years where
the criminals were unknown, nevertheless Mr. Bergemeyer is
entitled to much credit for his clever detective work in a number of
instances. One clever capture, due largely to his detective ability
was the breaking up of an arson gang which set fire to a new resi-
dence in the eastern part of the county in 1913. Mr. Bergemeyer
followed the clews in the case and succeeded not only in capturing
those guilty of this crime but in unearthing the burning of the
Haggen barn in which horses and live stock were ruthlessly burned
to death. Mr. Bergemeyer is one of the best liked men in Clayton
county. He is capable, both physically and mentally, for the exact-
ing office which he holds, and while he is inexorable in the perforni-
ance of his duty, he has a kindness of heart and a sympathy for his
fellows which makes him an ideal officer. He has taken an active
part in all civic movements at McGregor and Elkader and through-
out the county, and his friends predict that he will be triumphantly
elected this fall.
BIOGRAPHICAL 45
Ernest A. Bergman. — A progressive and popular citizen of
McGregor, which has represented his home from the time of his
birth, holds place as one of the sterling business men of his native
city, with a circle of friends that is limited only by that of his
acquaintances. With recognized eligibility, Mr. Bergman appeared
in the spring of 1916 as a candidate for nomination for the office of
sheriff of Clayton county, on the Democratic ticket, and the result
of the primary election was that he was defeated by 41 votes. Mr.
Bergman was born at McGregor on the 12th of November, 1875,
and is a son of Frederick and Margaret (Daubenberger) Bergman,
both of whom were born in Germany. Frederick Bergman immi-
grated to the United States when a young man and for a time
maintained his residence in the State of Pennsylvania, whence he
removed in an early day to Wisconsin and established his resi-
dence at LaCrosse, where he remained about two years. In 1865
he numbered himself among the pioneer settlers at McGregor,
Iowa, where for many years he successfully conducted a meat
market, though he lived virtually retired for a number of years prior
to his death, which occurred in May, 1910, the wife of his youth
having passed away in 1874, and their children having been ten in
number: Frederick, the first-born, is deceased; Frank still main-
tains his home at McGregor ; Henry is deceased ; Edward resides
at McGregor; Albert is deceased; Ernest A., of this review, was
the next in order of birth ; William likewise maintains his home
at McGregor; Odilda is the wife of John A. Walters, of McGregor;
and Misses May and Charlotte still reside in their native place.
Continuing his studies in the public schools until he had duly
profited by the advantages of the McGregor high school, Ernest A.
Bergman then became associated with the operation of his father's
meat market, and later he was engaged in the hotel business at
McGregor for a period of about five years. He then resumed his
connection with the meat-market business, of which he has since
continued a prominent and successful representative in his native
place. He has been a zealous supporter of the cause of the Demo-
cratic party and an active worker in its local ranks, though he
never appeared as a candidate for public office until he announced
his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for sheriff of his
native county, in the spring of 1916. He is affiliated with the local
organizations of the Masonic fraternity, the Woodmen of the
World, and the Modern Brotherhood of America. On the 22d of
August, 1913. was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Bergman to
Mrs. Clara (Nelson) Elder, widow of Howard Elder and daughter
of Nels Nelson. By her first marriage Mrs. Bergman has one son,
Howard.
Theodore Bems became the owner of the fine old homestead on
which he was born, in Jefferson township, and long held precedence
as one of the representative agriculturists and stock-growers of
his native county. He still retains possession of his fine landed
estate, but since 1910 he has lived virtually retired in the little city
of Guttenberg, where he erected a fine brick residence which has
since been his place of abode and which is one of the most modern
46 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
and attractive homes in this part of the county. Mr. Berns was
born in Jefferson township on the 6th of November, 1860, and is a
son of Theodore and Mary Berns, who were born in Prussia and
who became sterling pioneers of Clayton county, Iowa, where they
continued to reside on their old homestead farm until their death,
both having been zealous communicants of the Catholic church and
the father having been a staunch supporter of the cause of the
Democratic party. Theodore Berns was reared and educated in
his native land and came to the United States and to Clayton
county, Iowa, about the year 1845. He purchased a small tract
of land in Jefferson township and by his indefatigable energy and
excellent business ability he achieved substantial success, as indi-
cated in his accumulation of one of the large and valuable landed
estates of Jefferson township. Of the children the eldest two,
Herman and Peter, now reside at Garnavillo, this county ; Mary is
deceased ; Theodore, Jr., of this review, was the fourth child ;
Joseph resides at National, this county; Henry is a substantial
farmer of Jefferson township ; and Yetta is deceased. Theodore
Berns, Jr., was favored in having the advantages not only of the
district schools of Jefferson township but also those of the excellent
Catholic parochial schools at Guttenberg. His entire active career
was marked by close association with the work and management
of the old homestead farm upon which he was born and into the
ownership of which he came when he was about 14 years of age,
by purchasing the interests of the other heirs. This fine rural
domain comprises seven hundred and ten acres and is one of the
more extensive and valuable farm properties of Clayton county,
with permanent improvements of an order that mark it as a ver-
itable model. While on the farm Mr. Berns gave special attention
to the raising of high-grade live stock, including Shorthorn cattle
and Poland-China swine. He was known for his distinctive energy,
progressiveness and good judgment and made himself known as
one of the representative agriculturists and stock-growers of this
section of the Hawkeye state, the while his well ordered enterprise
gained to him large and substantial prosperity. He has always
taken loyal interest in community affairs of a public order, is a
staunch supporter of the cause of the Democratic party but he has
never been deflected from his course by aught of ambition for
political ofifice. Both he and his wife are communicants of the
Catholic church, as was also his first wife, and he is affiliated with
the Knights of Columbus, as a member of a splendid lodge in the
city of Dubuque. April 16, 1887, recorded the marriage of Mr.
Bern to Miss Mary Lueck, daughter of Henry and Mary Lueck, of
Guttenberg, and she survived her marriage by only four years, as
she passed to the life eternal on the 8th of October, 1891. Mary,
the one child of this marriage, is now the wife of John Hoeger, of
Jefferson township. On the 16th of February, 1894, was solemn-
ized the marriage of Mr. Berns to Miss Clara Lueck, daughter of
Benjamin Lueck, of New Union, Iowa, and of the six children of
this union all remain at the parental home except the youngest,
Elizabeth, who died in childhood. The names of the children of
BIOGRAPHICAL 47
the attractive home circle are here designated in respective order
of birth; Edward, Hilda, Raymond, Melania and Eugenia.
James M. Berry owns and conducts the Berry Hotel at North
McGregor, and has proved himself one of the efficient and popular
exponents of this line of enterprise in Clayton county. His hotel
caters to a large and appreciative patronage and is maintained at
a high standard of excellence, while he has a wide circle of friends
among the traveling public as well as in his home county. He is
one of the substantial and progressive citizens of the county and is
well entitled to representation in this publication. Mr. Berry is a
scion of fine old Irish stock in both the paternal and maternal lines
and claims the Badger State as the place of his nativity. He was
born in Waukeshaw, Wisconsin, on the 16th of November, 1868,
and is a son of John and Bridget Berry, both of whom were born
in Ireland and both of whom were children at the time of the im-
migration of the respective families from the Emerald Isle to Amer-
ica. The marriage of the parents was solemnized in Waukeshaw,
Wisconsin, and they removed to Prairie du Chien when the sub-
ject of this sketch was but one year of age. Later they moved to
North McGregor, where the mother passed into the other life De-
cember 31, 1915, after a residence in North McGregor of twenty-
two years. The venerable father is still alert and vigorous of mind
and body, and now has the distinction of being the oldest employee
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul R. R. Co., he having given
a life time of faithful service to this great corporation. He main-
tains his home at North McGregor, and of his nine children, six
are living. James M. Berry was a lad of ten years at the time of
the family removal from Wisconsin to Allamakee county, Iowa,
and he was there reared at Waukon, the county seat. In 1885,
while still in his teens, he made his way largely by stage coach, to
the Black Hills of South Dakota, and for three years followed the
free and invigorating life of a cowboy. With the advent of the
railroad, he embarked in the restaurant business at Oelrichs, South
Dakota, and subsequently at Hot Springs, and he has been engaged
in the restaurant and hotel business since that time. The winters
of 1891 and 92 were spent as clerk in the hotel San Marino, "South-
erland," Florida. He was engaged in hotel business at Chicago
during the World's Fair and, on August 27, 1894, he purchased
from the late Charles Huffschmitt the furniture and lease of the
C, M. & St. P. R. R. hotel and lunchroom at North McGregor,
which he successfully conducted for fourteen years. Careful and
effective service brought to him decisive success and he finally
erected the handsome three-story brick hotel that bears his name
and that is conducted by him according to the most approved mod-
ern standards. This hotel has the unique distinction of being the
most valuable property of the kind in a town of less than six hun-
dred population in the United States that is conducted on the
European plan. The hotel is well equipped in all departments and
has a large and representative patronage, being especially in favor
with the commercial travelers who have occasion to visit North-
eastern Iowa. Adjacent to the village Mr. Berry owns a well im-
48 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
proved farm of fifty-seven acres, besides which he is the owner of
a good farm in Allamakee county. His political allegiance is given
to the Democratic party, which he has served as precinct commit-
teeman for the past fifteen years, and he is now a member of the
Democratic State Finance Committee. For fifteen years also he
has been a member of the City Council of North McGregor.
Broad-gauged and progressive in his civic attitude, Mr. Berry has
been especially prominent and influential in the promotion of the
National Park which it is hoped to have established near North
McGregor, on the shores of the Mississippi River. It is not too
much to say that he has been foremost in the agitation of this im-
portant project, and has spent much of his time and means bring-
ing it before the State and nation. In recognition of his ability and
enthusiasm in this matter, he has been made chairman of the_ Ex-
ecutive and Publicity Committee of the Mississippi Valley National
Park Association. He is also interested in the good roads move-
ment and is superintendent of the northern division of the Eastern
Iowa Scenic Highway, and is a committeeman of the Upper Mis-
sissippi River Improvement Association. In the city of Dubuque
he holds membership in the lodge of the Benevolent & Protective
Order of Elks. In his youth he attended St. Johns, now Campion
College at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and in later years, in rec-
ognition of many sterling qualities, he was made an honorary
alumnus of that famous school. In the city of Chicago, on the
16th of October, 1902, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Berry
to Miss Anna D. Brophy, who was born and reared in Clayton
county, Iowa, and who is a daughter of Thomas and Mary
(Sweeney) Brophy. She received excellent educational advantages
in her youth and graduated from St. Mary's Academy at Prairie du
Chien, Wis. ; both she and her husband being communicants of the
Catholic Church. Mr. and Mrs. Berry have four children, Donald
John, James Stanton, Margaret Virginia and Elizabeth Marie.
Hiram C- Bishop has wielded large influence in the forming
and directing of popular sentiment and action in Clayton county,
both through his services in pubHc office and through his editorial
utterances as in the columns of the Clayton County Democrat, of
which representative paper of northeastern Iowa he was the
founder and of which he is still editor and publisher. He served
with marked efficiency and progressiveness as superintendent of
schools of Clayton county for six years and later represented his
district in the Iowa State Senate for two successive sessions. He
gained definite prestige in the pedagogic profession, of which he
continued as a representative for a long period and as an exponent
of which he first came to Clayton county. The former Senator is
a native of northeastern Iowa and stands definitely exemplar of
the fine element of citizenship that has made this one of the most
advanced and opulent portions of the Hawkeye commonwealth.
He is a scion of an honored pioneer family of Iowa and this fact
emphasizes the consistency of according to him a special tribute in
this publication, for it has been his to lend much of distinction to
a name that has been signally prominent in this part of Iowa since
BIOGRAPHICAL 49
the time when this portion of our great national domain was vir-
tually on the very frontier. Hiram Crusan Bishop was born on a
farm near West Union, the judicial center of Fayette county, Iowa,
on the 10th of March, 1852, and is a son of Franklin Park Bishop
and Cynthia Ann (Commack) Bishop, the former of whom was
born in Kentucky, on the 31st of March, 1818, and the latter of
whom was born in Virginia, on the 18th of June, 1819, she having
been a child at the time of her parents' removal to Kentucky, where
she was reared and educated and where her marriage to Mr, Bishop
was solemnized. In the year 1839 Franklin P. Bishop came with
his family from the old Bluegrass State to Iowa and became one of
the early pioneers of Fayette county, where he obtained a tract of
government land, near West Union, and where he eventually
reclaimed one of the valuable farms of the county. As a man of
sterling character and strong mentality, he was an influential figure
in connection with the social and material development and
upbuilding of Fayette county, and both he and his wife were vener-
able and revered pioneer citizens of that county at the time of their
death, he having passed away in 1902 and she in 1909. Both were
zealous members of the Baptist church and in politics he was first
a Whig and later a Democrat. Their marriage was solemnized in
the year 1839 and they became the parents of twelve children,
whose names are here recorded in the respective order of birth:
Susan Mary, James Thomas, Sarah Ann, Elizabeth Matilda,
William Hamilton, Hiram Crusan, Solomon Wayne, Sabitha Jane,
Martha Catherine, Eliza Adelaide, Harry Wilson, and Franklin.
Of the children six sons and three daughters are now living. The
vigilant and resourceful pioneers of Iowa early made the best pos-
sible provisions for the education of their children, and it is matter
of record that there have been few states in the Union that have
continuously maintained so low a percentage of illiteracy. Thus
it was the privilege of Hon. Hiram C. Bishop, the immediate sub-
ject of this review, to receive in his youth the best of scholastic
advantages. He was reared under the invigorating influences of
the home farm and while contributing his quota to its work he
applied himself diligently to his studies in the district school near
his home until he was eligible for the initiating of higher academic
study. At West Union he attended Ainsworth Academy, and after
leaving this institution he prosecuted his studies in Upper Iowa
University, at Fayette. He put his scholastic attainments to ef-
fective test and utilization by entering the pedagogic profession,
in which he gained unequivocal success and popularity. He taught
seven terms in the rural or district schools and thirty-one terms in
town public schools, in which connection his services finally became
enlisted in Clayton county. That he made his benignant influence
felt in connection with educational aflFairs in this county needs no
further voucher than the statement that he served from January 1,
1888. to January 1, 1894, as county superintendent of schools, his
administration having been diligent in advancing the general stand-
ard of the work of the schools and by progressive policies that did
much to conserve this end. Mr. Bishop has always been a stalwart
50 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
advocate of the principles and policies for which the Democratic
party stand sponsor, and he has given yeoman service in further-
ance of its cause in northeastern Iowa. He served as a member
of the State senate from 1900 to 1905, and was recognized as one of
the dominating figures in the deliberations on the floor of the
upper house and in the councils of the various committees to which
he was assigned. On the 4th of July, 1893, he founded the Clayton
County Democrat, at Elkader, the judicial center of the county,
and during the intervening period of nearly a quarter of a century
he has maintained for his representative paper a high standard as
an exponent of local interests and a director of popular sentiment.
He and his wife are members of the Universalist church of Elkader,
and he is affiliated with the local organizations of the Brotherhood
of American Yeomen, the Knights of Pythias and the Modern
Woodmen of America. June 14, 1882, recorded the marriage of
Mr. Bishop to Miss Emma Kern, who was born at Elgin, Fayette
county, this state, on the 13th of March, 1864, and the four children
of this union are: Arthur C, Max B., Clint G., and Ruth. All of
the children were graduated in the Elkader high school, in which
the only daughter was a member of the class of 1916, besides being
also a graduate of St. Joseph's Musical School at Elkader. All of
the sons maintain editorial association with newspaper publishing,
and Max and Clint are graduates of the law department of Drake
University, in the city of Des Moines.
Vemer F. Blake is one of the popular and influential business
men of the younger generation in his native county, and in the
thriving village of Volga he has for the past fifteen years had the
control and management of the well-established furniture and un-
dertaking business that was founded by his mother, who is now one
of the honored and venerable pioneer citizens of this county. Ver-
ner F. Blake was born in Sperry township, Clayton county, Iowa,
on the 3d of March, 1880, and is a son of Morris L. and Cynthia C.
(Hawthorne) Blake, the former of whom was born in the state
of Vermont and the latter of whom was born in Clayton county,
Iowa, where her parents settled in the very early pioneer days.
Morris L. Blake came to this county when a young man, has been
prominent in connection with business and civic afifairs and is now
living virtually retired in the village of Volga. He and his wife be-
came the parents of four children, all of whom are living, and both
Mr. and Mrs. Blake are well known and highly esteemed pioneer
citizens of Clayton county. In the public school Verner F. Blake
continued his studies until he had completed the curriculum of the
high school, and since leaving school he has been actively asso-
ciated with the properous furniture and undertaking business of
which he now has the sole management. He is affiliated with the
Modern Woodmen of America, he and his wife attend and support
the Presbyterian church in their home village, and for the past
twelve years he has been giving most loyal and efficient service
as a member of the village council of Volga, his political allegiance
being given to the Republican party. On the 11th of January,
1905, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Blake to Miss Elsa Wal-
BIOGRAPHICAL 5 1
tcnbaugh, who was born in Howard county, this state, and who is
a daughter of James E. and Caroline (Perkins) Waltenbaugh, who
now maintain their home at Rockford, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs.
Blake have two sons, Russell Eugene, who was born October 9,
1906; and Merton James, who was born September 26, 1915.
Sven Blockhus. — In a spot far removed from the fair North-
land in which he was born, a scion of a long line of sturdy and
upright Norse ancestors, it has been given to Sven Blockhus to
achieve through his own ability and efforts the well earned rewards
of independence and definite prosperity. He is one of the enter-
prising and successful farmers of Marion township, where he ex-
emplifies excellent judgment and progressiveness in the carrying
on of his diversified agricultural operations and in the raising of
good grades of live stock, and he is a sterling citizen who is en-
titled to definite recognition in this history of the Hawkeye state.
Mr. Blockhus was born in Norway, on the 30th of November,
1872, and is a son of Ole and Mary Blockhus, the former of whom
passed his entire life in Norway, where he followed the mason's
trade, his widow having continued at the old home since his death.
Of their eleven children all are living except one and seven of the
number are residents of America. The subject of this sketch gained
his early education in the schools of his native land and remained
at the parental home until he was fifteen years of age, when he
found employment at farm work. To this vocation he applied him-
self until he had attained to the age of nineteen years, when he
came to the United States and made Iowa his destination. In the
early period of his residence here he found employment on farms
in Fayette and Clayton counties during the summer months and
gave evidence of his ambition and good judgment by attending
school during the winter terms for the purpose of gaining effective
knowledge of the English language and otherwise extending his
education. During two winters he was a zealous and appreciative
student in Breckenridge Institute, at Decorah, Applying himself
diligently to the work to which he set his hand, Mr. Blockhus care-
fully saved his earning and finally, in 1900, he was able to institute
independent operations as a farmer. He purchased in that year
his present farm, which comprises one hundred and forty-one and
one-half acres and which is situated in section 7, Marion town-
ship. Here he has since continued his vigorous and successful
activities as a general farmer, and he made his place give forth
patent evidence of thrift and prosperity. He is a man of strong
mentality and well fortified opinions, is a Republican in politics,
and has served six years as justice of the peace, besides which he
has been assessor of Marion township since 1914. Both he and
his wife are active members of the Norwegian Lutheran church.
On the 13th of March, 1903, Mr. Blockhus wedded Miss Gina Holt,
and they have six children, all of whom remain at the parental
home — Ida, Otto, Severin, Bessie, Fridjof and Herbert.
Albert Boleyn. — In America the true patent of nobility that is
viewed with the greatest respect is that held by the man who has
depended upon his own powers and exertions in making his way to
52 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
the goal of worthy success, and such achievement has significantly
characterized the career of Albert Boleyn, who became virtually
dependent upon his own resources when he was a mere boy and
who has pressed forward to the mark of large and well ordered
prosperity. The evidences of his temporal success are shown
in his ownership of one of the large and well improved
landed estates of Clayton county, by his prominence as a buyer and
shipper of live stock on a large scale and by his being a stockholder
and director of the Volga Savings Bank, with which he has been
thus identified from the time of its organization. He is one of the
substantial and honored citizens of Clayton county, a man whose
life has been guided and governed by integrity and resolute pur-
pose, and none is more clearly entitled to recognition in this history.
Mr. Boleyn was born on a farm near Wadena, Fayette county, Iowa,
on the 17th of December, 1866, and is the eldest of the three children
born to Joseph and Mary (Poor) Boleyn, both natives of Pennsyl-
vania. The second child, Amelia, is now the wife of Frank Jones, of
Oelwein, Fayette county; and the third child, Inez, died in infancy.
The subject of this review was not yet three years old at the time of
his mother's death, which occurred in May, 1869, and his father
continued to reside in Fayette county until his death, at the age of
about sixty years. Joseph Boleyn was a young man at the time
when he came from the old Keystone state and numbered himself
among the pioneer settlers of Fayette county, Iowa, where he was
long actively identified with agricultural pursuits, as one of the sub-
stantial farmers of the county, and he passed the closing years of
his life in the village of Oelwein, where he died on the 8th of April,
1904. Albert Boleyn may consistently be said to have been gradu-
ated in the college of his own practical and varied experiences, and
such were the exigencies of time and place that in his youth he was
enabled to attend the schools of his native county in only a desul-
tory way. When but seven years of age he began to provide for
his own maintenance, and his early compensation for his work on
a farm was the princely stipend of five dollars a month. During the
summer seasons he thus worked for wages during his boyhood and
youth, and in the winters he worked for his board and availed him-
self of the privilege of attending the district schools. On the 21st
of September, 1886, about three months prior to his twentieth birth-
day anniversary, he married Miss Margaret Lowe, the devoted
young woman who was to be his helpmeet and zealous coadjutor in
his efforts to achieve independence and enduring prosperity, she
having been born and reared in Clayton county, where their mar-
riage was solemnized and where they have maintained their home
during the long intervening years. During the first year after his
marriage Mr. Boleyn was employed at farm work by his wife's
father and he then purchased one hundred and fourteen acres of
land in Sperry township, where he instituted his independent opera-
tions as an agriculturist and stock-grower. It will not strain the
imaginative powers to appreciate that in the years that followed in
their course Mr. Boleyn was found applying his energies with
unstinted zeal and circumspection, with the result that increasing
BIOGRAPHICAL 53
prosperity attended his efforts and he was able to make appreciable
advancement. All this is most clearly demonstrated in his owner-
ship at the present time of a finely improved landed estate of three
hundred and fifty-six acres, in Sperry and Highland townships,
where he has long stood well to the front as one of the most pro-
gressive and energetic agriculturists and stock-growers of this
county. Though he still gives his general supervision to the opera-
tions of his farm property he and his devoted wife have maintained
their home in the village of Volga since October 17, 1906, when
they took possession of their newly erected and modern residence,
which is one of the most attractive in the village, with fine grounds
comprising an entire block, and with a genuine hospitality that
equals its physical charm. Since his retirement from the farm Mr,
Boleyn has not permitted his energies and activities to wane, as he
has developed a large and prosperous business in the buying and
shipping of live stock. The extent of his operations along this
important line of industrial and commercial enterprise may be
appreciated the better when it is stated that during the months of
August and September, 1915, he bought and shipped stock to the
value of $127,576, the incidental financial transactions having been
effected through the medium of the Volga Savings Bank, of which,
as previously noted, he has been a stockholder and director from the
time of its incorporation. Mr. Boleyn is a stalwart advocate of the cause
of the Republican party and while he has not been troubled by
office-seeking proclivities he has given most effective service in the
position of justice of the peace. He is affiliated with the Modern
Brotherhood of America and both he and his wife are zealous mem-
bers of the Methodist Episcopal church of Volga, of which he is a
trustee. David and Elizabeth (Dempster) Lowe, the venerable
parents of Mrs. Boleyn now maintain their home at Volga and are
honored pioneer citizens of Clayton county. Of their children
Mrs. Boleyn is the eldest; Daniel likewise resides at Volga;
Clarence, Harry and Susana are deceased. Of the five children
born to Mr. and Mrs. Boleyn all remain at the parental home except
the third, Walter M., who was born August 21, 1896, and whose
death occurred November 21, 1898. The names and respective
birth-dates of the surviving children are here noted: Benjamin H.,
Julv 15, 1888; David E., November 4, 1891; Vena, September 21,
1898; and Neva, September 11, 1903.
Henry C. Bothmer is able and gratified to pay to the Hawkeye
state the allegiance and loyalty of a native son and he has been a
resident of Clayton county since his childhood, being one of the
six surviving children of a family of seven born to Henry and
Caroline (Lozier) Bothmer, both of whom were born and reared in
Germany, whence they immigrated to America in 1852 and were
married in Pennsylvania. The parents first established their home
in Pennsylvania, but a few years later they came to Iowa and num-
bered themselves among the pioneers of Fayette county. At West-
field, that county, as a practical miller by trade, the father operated
one of the pioneer flour mills of northeastern Iowa, and a few years
later he came with his family to Clayton county and assumed charge
54 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
of the mill in the village of Clayton, where he passed the residue of
his life, his wife having died here also. He whose name introduces
this article was reared to manhood in Clayton county, availed him-
self consistently of the privileges afforded in the public schools of
the locality and period, and as a youth he initiated his independent
career by assuming a position as clerk in a general store at Clayton.
Here he later engaged independently in the farm implement busi-
ness, and since about 1885 he has given the major part of his time
and attention to the buying and shipping of live stock, of which
important line of industrial enterprise he is one of the prominent,
successful and popular representatives in this section of the state,
his operations involving the shipping of an average of sixty car-
loads of live stock each year. In addition to owning a fine modern
residence at Clayton and a farm of thirty acres in Clayton town-
ship, this county, Mr. Bothmer has a valuable tract of seven hundred
and forty acres of land in the State of Michigan and a well improved
farm of one hundred and sixty acres in South Dakota. He has
manifested no desire for public office or political activity, but gives
his support in national and state affairs to the Democratic party.
At Garnavillo he is affiliated with Garnavillo Lodge, No. 90, Ancient
Free and Accepted Masons, and his wife is a communicant of the
Lutheran church, which he attends and supports. In 1888 Mr.
Bothmer wedded Miss Kate Specht, who was born in Grant county,
Wisconsin, and who is a daughter of Herman and Sarah (Spiese)
Specht, both now deceased. Of the three children of Mr. and Mrs.
Bothmer the second child, a daughter, died in infancy; Benjamin H.
is now a resident of Montana ; and Clyde H. is employed as a clerk
in a Clayton mercantile establishment.
Jackson E. Bowman is one of the alert and popular young busi-
ness men of his native county and is now the general manager of
the well ordered department store conducted at Volga by the firm of
Pohl & Bink. He was born in Mallory township, this county, on
the 18th of June, 1888, and is a son of Silas and Martha (Walters)
Bowman, the former of whom was born in Pennsylvania and the
latter of whom was born in Clayton county, a member of one of
the sterling pioneer families of this favored section of the Hawkeye
state. Silas Bowman came to Clayton county when a young man
and was one of the substantial farmers and honored and influential
citizens of Mallory township at the time of his death, which
occurred on the 24th of June, 1912. He was a Democrat in politics
and his religious faith was that of the Congregational church, of
which his widow, now a resident of Guttenberg, this county, like-
wise is a zealous member. Walter, the eldest of the five children,
is now a resident of Cedar Bluff, Nebraska; Frank died in child-
hood; the subject of this review was the third in order of birth;
JLeroy resides at Guttenberg; and Dolly is the wife of August
Bendschmidt, of Elkport, this county. Jackson E. Bowman fur-
thered his preparation for the active duties and responsibilities of
life by making good use of the advantages afforded in the excellent
public schools at Guttenberg, and as a youth he found employment
m the grocery store of A. W. Latta, at Osterdock. After being
BIOGRAPHICAL 55
thus engaged about one year he there entered the employ of the
firm of Walters & Company, engaged in the general merchandise
business, and about a year later he there assumed a clerical posi-
tion in the general store of John Mosher, with whom he remained
about three months. With marked circumspection and judgment
he then decided to advance himself in fitness for business life by
taking a course in a commercial college in the city of Cedar Rapids,
and he there continued his studies eight months. He applied him-
self with characteristic diligence and appreciation and after having
thus more effectually equipped himself for executive service he
entered the employ of the representative mercantile firm of Pohl &
Bink, of whose well equipped general merchandise or department
store at Volga he has been manager since May 26, 1915, the enter-
prise having most signally prospered under his careful and pro-
gressive direction. Mr. Bowman is found aligned with the Demo-
cratic party and both he and his wife hold membership in the
Congregational church at Volga, the while they are popular factors
in the representative social life of their home community. On the
24th of August, 1914, Mr. Bowman wedded Miss Ida Neihause,
who was born and reared in this county, and their one child, Ruth,
was born January 2, 1915.
Warren A. Boynton is one of the representative farmers of
the younger generation in Clayton county and is known for his
civic and industrial progressiveness and for his vigorous mentality
and well fortified opinions. He shows a high sense of personal
stewardship in connection with community interests and is one of
the well known and distinctively popular citizens of Clayton county,
within whose borders the major part of his life has been passed.
Warren Adelbert Boynton was born in Grundy county, Iowa, on
the 1st of December, 1879, and is a son of Charles Henry and Sarah
Ellen (Cole) Boynton, the former a native of the sta,te of New York
and the latter of Iowa, where her parents settled in the early pioneer
days. Charles H. Boynton was the son of Charles Sherman Boyn-
ton, who was born at Rodman, New York, January 16, 1822, and
who died at the home of his son at Strawberry Point, May 27, 1916,
at the age of ninety-four years, five months, eleven days. In 1856,
he came with his wife Clarissa and his family to Iowa and settled
five miles east of Strawberry Point on the farm now owned by his
son Charles H. and operated by his grandson Warren A. Boynton.
Charles H. Boynton, the father of the subject of this sketch, came
with his parents to Iowa in 1856, and resided in Qayton county
until his marriage. He then settled on a farm in Grundy county,
after having resided for two years in Clay county, and he continued
his activities as a successful farmer in Grundy county for seventeen
years. In 1890 he purchased the farm of one hundred and twenty
acres in Clayton county, this being the old homestead farm situated
in Section 20, Lodomillo township. Of 'the children of Charles
H. and Sarah Ellen Boynton, the first born, a daughter, died at
the time of birth ; Charles D. now resides near the city of Spokane,
Washington; Alma M. is the wife of George Maresh, M. D., of
Riverside, Iowa ; Raymond Scepter, a talented artist, maintains his
56 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
home at San Francisco, Cal. ; and the sixth child, a daughter, died
in infancy; Warren A., of this review, having been the third in
order of birth. After having gained due prehminary discipline in
the rural schools, Warren A. Boynton supplemented this by an
effective course in the High School at Strawberry Point. That he
made good use of his educational opportunities is indicated by the
fact that he became a successful teacher in the district schools of
Clayton county. He continued as a popular representative of the
pedagogic profession for one year, and he passed the ensuing two
years on a farm in Grundy county. Upon his return to Clayton
county he assumed the management of his father's farm in Lodo-
millo township, and after two years he married and removed to
Wisconsin. He remained in that state only nine months, and since
that time he has had the active management of his father's farm
in Lodomillo township, where he has successfully given his atten-
tion to diversified agriculture and the raising of fine live stock.
Mr. Boynton is not constrained by strict partisan lines in politics
but gives his support to the men and measures meeting the approval
of his judgment, his attitude thus being that of an independent
voter. He is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows and the Modern Woodmen of America ; both he and his wife
are earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. On the
5th of April, 1904, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Boynton to
Miss Agnes Judett, who was born at Central City, Linn county,
Iowa, and their six children are Charles Floyd, Ellen Margaret,
Hazel, Adel, Howard Raymond, Edwin Russell, Faith.
Elmer H. Brandt has given distinctive evidence of his progres-
siveness and good judgment in connection with the ownership and
operation of one of the fine farms of his native county, for the
major part of the splendid improvements on the place has been
made by him and the pervasive atmosphere of thrift and prosperity
marks the owner as a man of energy and enterprise. Mr. Brandt
was born in Garnavillo township, this county, on the 5th of Novem-
ber, 1890, and is a son of Henry and Mary (Nieman) Brandt, who
are now living retired in the village of Garnavillo, both being natives
of Germany. Henry Brandt was a boy at the time of the family
immigration to America and his parents became early pioneer set-
tlers of Clayton county, where they passed the remainder of their
lives and where he himself gave his entire active career to effective
operations as a farmer and stock-grower, through the medium of
which industries he gained the success that enables him and his
wife to pass the gracious twilight of their lives in peace and pros-
perity. He is a Republican in his political adherence and both he
and his wife are devoted communicants of the Lutheran church,
Elmer H. Brandt was reared on the home farm and after complet-
ing the curriculum of the district schools he continued his studies in
turn in the Garnavillo high school, took a business course and an
agricultural course. After reaching his legal majority he became
associated with his brother Louis H. in the management of the
home farm, and three years later he removed to his present fine
farm, of which he is the owner and which comprises two hundred
BIOGRAPHICAL 57
and nine acres, in section 7 and 12, Garnavillo township. Though
he gives his attention to diversified agriculture and utilizes the
most approved scientific methods in this connection, Mr. Brandt
has specialized in the raising of high grade cattle of the Shorthorn
type and has made this department of his farm enterprise notably-
productive in financial returns. He is a Republican in politics and
is serving as secretary of the school board of his district. On the
11th of February, 1914, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Brandt
to Miss Laura M. Kregel, daughter of Edward W. Kregel, con-
cerning whom detailed mention is made on other pages of this work.
Mr. and Mrs. Brandt are the parents of a fine pair of twin sons,
Gerald and Harold, who were born on the 9th of October, 1915.
Mrs. Brandt has been a resident of Clayton county from the time
of her birth, attended the Garnavillo high school and both she and
her husband have a host of loyal friends in their home county.
Louis H. Brandt is admirably proving his resourcefulness and
progressive policies as a representative of agricultural and live-
stock industry in his native county, and it is gratifying to record
that he has the direct control and management of the fine old home-
stead farm on which he was born and reared and which is now
known as Sunny View Farm. This admirably improved landed
estate is situated in section 24, Garnavillo township, and comprises
three hundred and four acres of as fine land as is to be found in this
favored section of the Hawkeye state. Mr. Brandt's unwavering
loyalty to and appreciation of his native county are manifested not
only in his active and successful association with its agricultural
interests but also by his enterprise and public spirit as a citizen.
He is aligned firmly and consistently with the Republican party
and his personal popularity in the community which has ever rep-
resented his home is definitely signified by the fact that in 1916 he
is found serving as township clerk and as school director of his
district. Both he and his wife are earnest communicants of St.
Paul's Lutheran church at Garnavillo. Louis H. Brandt was born
June 23, 1886, and is a son of Henry and Mary (Nieman) Brandt,
both of whom were born in Germany and both of whom are living
in gracious comfort and retirement in the village of Garnavillo,
secure in the high esteem of all who know them. Henry Brandt
was but a boy at the time when he came with his parents from
Germany to America, and soon afterward the family home was
established in Clayton county, where he was reared to manhood
under the conditions and influences of the pioneer days and where
he eventually gained a place of prominence as one of the repre-
sentative farmers of the county. Both he and his wife, now vener-
able in years, are devout communicants of the Lutheran church
and he has given unwavering allegiance to the Republican party.
Of the eight children, two sons and six daughters, all are living, save
one daughter who died in infancy. Louis H. Brandt early began to
lend his aid in the work of the home farm and in the meanwhile he
made good use of tlie advantages aflforded in the public schools of
his native county, his educational discipline thereafter being effec-
tively supplemented by a two years' course in the college of agri-
58 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
culture of the great University of Wisconsin, at Madison. He has
continuously been identified with the operations of the fine farm-
stead on which he was born, and he assumed charge of the same
shortly after his marriage, which occurred on November 23, 1910,
when he was twenty-four years of age. As a farmer and stock-
grower he has fully upheld and even added to the high reputation
long sustained by his honored father, and he is essentially one of
the broad-minded, energetic and progressive exponents of these
basic lines of industry in his native county. He has been distinc-
tively successful in the breeding and raising of full-blood Short-
horn cattle, to which branch of farm enterprise he is giving special
attention. In the year 1910 was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Brandt to Miss Amanda Matt, who was born and reared in Farm-
ersburg township, this county, where her father, Joseph Matt, is
still actively identified with agricultural pursuits, the mother having
passed to eternal rest when about 35 years of age. Mr. and Mrs.
Brandt have two fine little sons — Valmah H. and Robert J.
Harrison Douglas Brown, familiarly known to all as "Doug."
Brown, is a native lowan, born in McGregor, June 24, 1861, and was
the son of Mathias J. Brown, born in New York State and Bertha
(Amundsun) Brown, a native of Norway. They came to McGregor
in Clayton county about 1850, where the father followed the trade of
plasterer until his death June 3, 1885. The wife survived her hus-
band ten years, dying September 19, 1895. They were the parents
of seven children. Clara, the oldest living child, is the wife of John
R. Rallton of St. Louis; George W. resides in Lakeport, Florida;
Douglas, the subject of this sketch ; Bertha, deceased ; Alma, who is
now Mrs. George Heilma of McGregor; and Cyrus, deceased.
Douglas Brown received his elementary education in the McGregor
public schools, but at the age of thirteen he was obliged to give up
his studies and begin the making of his own way in the world.
In 1877, he, together with his brother, went to Minnesota, where
for three years he was employed by a railroad company. Abandoning
railroading as a business, he went to McGregor, Iowa, in 1882,
where he took up the tinner's trade, engaging in that work until
1884, spending two years in McGregor and three in Elkader. At
the end of that time he entered into business for himself, opening a
hardware store, which is the oldest and most complete of its kind
in Elkader, dealing in hardware and stoves of all descriptions, and
which includes thoroughly up-to-date tinning and plumbing
departments. He was united in marriage to Emma Heilman, May
11, 1886, a native of Clayton county, and the daughter of Jacob and
Eliza (Schmidt) Heilman, both natives of Germany, but who immi-
grated into America in their early youth, joining the sturdy pioneer
colonies which have done so much to place Iowa in the front rank of
the states of our Union. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Brown have but one
child remaining of the four that were born to them. Their first-
born were twins, one of which died in infancy, and the other. Hazel,
reached the age of eight years ; and H. Douglas, the only survivor,
is affectionately called "Doug., Jr." Mr. Brown takes an active
interest in the affairs of the Republican party, of whigh he is a
BIOGRAPHICAL 59
member, and has served on the city council as alderman, and on the
school board. He belongs to the Masonic Lodge, is a thirty-second
degree member of the Ancient and Accepted Order of Scottish Rite,
and affiliates with the Congregational church, in all of which he
holds a deservedly high standing. Notwithstanding his varied time
absorbing occupations, our subject finds opportunity to wield a
poetic pen, and has given glimpses of the great pleasure afforded
him in his favorite pursuit of railroading in several poems, entitled,
"The Old Elkader Line" ; "On the Old L and D." ; and "Beulah
Land." While he claims no particular literary merit for these
verses, yet the descriptions given in them are unexcelled and were
read with great interest and appreciation by his many friends in
Clayton county. He describes the pioneer experiences of Mr. V, R.
Miller, an old pioneer, most aptly in a poem, a portion of which is
quoted below:
When the deer and bear and wildcat roamed the forests at their will,
And the voices of the Indians could be heard from hill to hill.
As they called out to their comrades for to join them in their play
Of romping, fishing and hunting just to pass the time away.
When through the stillness of the midnight you heard the coyotes
howl.
And it made you kind of shaky to hear the hooting of the owl.
When around in the darkness stealthy shadows softly crept.
As the wild beast of the forest prowled around you while you slept.
When Uncle Sam was fighting and had Mexico on the run.
And before the California craze for gold had begun.
Allured by far spread reports that Iowa's soil was best
A young man left New England, and started for the west.
* * * He has seen the ox-teams haul the wheat from a hundred
miles away.
The old stage coach has come and gone, it too, has had its day.
And all the big warehouses that once were on the shore,
As they bulged with wheat and grain, clear to the door ;
^^'ith dressed pork on the river bank, and every kind of game ;
That was when the steamboat thrived before the railroad came.
Herbert C. Brownson is one of a family of three children, who
own one of the fine landed estates of Clayton county, and the prop-
erty includes the original old homestead which was obtained by
their paternal grandfather in the early pioneer days when this now
opuleni section of the Hawkeye state was little more than an un-
trammeled wilderness. Herbert C. Brownson and his brother and
sister own and reside upon the old homestead and as representa-
tives of the third generation of the family in Clayton county they
are well upholding the honors of a name that has been one repre-
sentative of prominence and influence in connection with the civic
60 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
and industrial development and upbuilding of the county. The
eldest of the three children is Miss Lois Brownson, who was grad-
uated in the Fayette Business College and who is now the popular
chatelaine of the attractive home, the extensive farm being under
the direct and effective management of her brothers, Herbert C.
and Lloyd. Herbert C. Brownson was born on the farm which now
represents his home and which comprises two hundred acres of
most productive land, in Section 22 Farmersburg township. The
date of his nativity was February 5, 1884, and he was the second
in order of birth of the three children who remain on the old home-
stead. His parents, Freeman and Rachel (Datisman) Brownson,
were natives respectively of the state of New York and of Ger-
many, and the latter was a child at the time of her parents' immi-
gration to the United States. Freeman Brownson was a youth at
the time when his parents established their home amid the pioneer
wilds of Clayton county, and here he and his wife continued to
reside until their death. He inherited the pioneer homestead of
his father, Daniel Brownson, who came to Clayton county in 1846
and who acquired in 1849 a homestead of forty acres that is now
included in the fine landed domain owned by his grandchildren.
Freeman Brownson was a man of vigor and industry, known for
his sterling character and his mature judgment, and he added to
the area of the old homestead until he had accumulated one of the
valuable farm properties of the county, the same being represented
in the splendid farm now owned and occupied by his three children.
The Brownson brothers are known as progressive young agricul-
turists and stock-growers and are giving special attention to the
raising of short-horn cattle and Duroc-Jersey swine. Both give
allegiance to the Democratic party and Herbert C, the immediate
subject of this review, is now serving as treasurer of the school
district in which he gained his early education. He and his brother
and sister are still unwed and in the attractive home they are fully
upholding its long maintained reputation for generous hospitality.
All attend and support the Congregational church in the village of
McGregor, which is their postoffice address.
Jason D. Brownson. — One of the professional men of Clayton
county, who has gained for himself not only the esteem and good
will of the people of his community, but a high place in the ranks
of his chosen profession, is Dr. Jason D. Brownson of Monona.
Dr. Brownson is a worthy son of one of the pioneers of the county
who by his progressive ideas left a deep impress upon the agricul-
tural developments and especially upon the live stock industry of
his community. Throughout the history of Clayton county as re-
corded in the first volume of this work, frequent mention has been
made of Freeman Brownson, as one who was prominent in county
affairs, in the promotion of agricultural interests and in the impor-
tation of thoroughbred stock, thus aiding in the establishment of
the reputation which Clayton county proudly holds, today, for the
high standard which it maintains in the production of cattle, horses
and swine. Freeman Brownson and his wife Lana (Flanagan)
Brownson were both natives of the state of New York, and together
BIOGRAPHICAL 6l
they came to Iowa at an early date and joined the colony of pio-
neers who were beginning that wonderful process of transforma-
tion which has made Clayton county the richest in Iowa. To Mr.
Freeman Brownson must be given the credit of having imported
the first thoroughbred Percheron horses ever owned in the county,
and also of being the owner of the first full blood Poland-China
hogs which the county had ever known. To this pioneer couple
were born three children, of whom the subject of this sketch was
the eldest, and two died in infancy. The mother died in 1870,
when Jason Brownson was but three years of age, and a few years
later his father was again married to Miss Rachel Datisman, and to
them seven children were born : Frank, Lucy, Ruben and Una
(deceased), Lois, Herbert C. and Lloyd, all of whom reside in the
county in the vicinity of National. Jason D. Brownson lived the
life of the farm lad of his day, attended the public schools of the
county and, being ambitious for a higher education and for pro-
fessional training, after completing the course of study in the
county schools, he matriculated in Cornell College at Mt. Vernon,
Iowa, an institution which for many years has maintained the high-
est standard of excellence. From this institution he graduated in
1892, and to the excellent education there received Mr. Brownson
added a course of four years' professional instruction in the famous
Northwestern University at Evanston, Illinois; here he received
his professional degree, graduating with honor, in 1896, after which
he immediately began the practice of his profession at Elkader.
In 1900 he removed to the beautiful city of Monona and there for
sixteen years he has continued in practice most successfully and
has achieved not only a competency, but a high reputation both
professionally and as a citizen. He was married September 5, 1895,
to Miss Minnie Penman of Rockton, Illinois, and their delightful
home is one of the social centers of Monona. Politically, Dr.
Brownson has affiliated himself with the Democratic party and
socially he is a member of high standing in the Masonic Order and
in the Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks.
Parke Buckley has the active supervision and management of
a landed estate of five hundred acres, in section 19, Lodomillo
township, and of this fine property — the splendid farm was accu-
mulated and developed by his honored father; — he owns through
inheritance the major part, his personal holding comprising three
hundred and sixty acres. On this model farmstead of the twentieth
century Parke Buckley has resided from the time of his birth,
which here occurred on the 10th of July, 1856, and the old home-
stead at that time was but a pioneer farm that was of far less
extent than the present estate and that was in process of reclama-
tion from the frontier wilds. Mr. Buckley is a son of Franklin R.
and Helen M. ^Turner) Buckley, both of whom were born and
reared in the State of New York and both of whom became honored
pioneers of Clayton county, Iowa, the venerable mother being now
a resident of the village of Strawberry Point, where she has main-
tained her home the greater part of the time since the death of her
husband. Franklin R. Buckley established his home in this county in
62 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
the year 1854, his purchase of the original homestead place in Lodo-
millo township having been effected in the preceding year. A man
of high character and virile progressiveness, he achieved large and
worthy success in his farm operations and at the time of his death,
May 10, 1901, he was the owner of more than seven hundred acres
of valuable land in Clayton county. He was influential in com-
munity affairs, as a leader in popular sentiment and action, and he
commanded secure place in the esteem of the people with whom he
came in contact in the varied relations of life. His political sup-
port was given to the Republican party and he supported the Con-
gregational church, of which his widow has long been a devoted
adherent. Of their six children the eldest is Sarah, who is the wife
of Jesse F. Taintor, of Ripon, Wisconsin ; Parke, of this review,
was the next in order of birth and is the only son ; Eva is the wife
of Byron W. Newberry of Strawberry Point ; Jessie is the wife of
Miles Alderson, of Stanley, Wisconsin ; Mary is the wife of James
Alderson, M. D., and they reside in the city of Dubuque ; and Helen
remains with her widowed mother. After having made good use
of the advantages afforded in the excellent public schools of his
native county Parke Buckley entered Iowa College, at Grinnell, in
which institution he was graduated as a member of the class of
1881. He is a farmer and stock-grower. His political proclivities
are indicated in his staunch support of the cause of the Republican
party and he and his wife are members of the Congregational church
at Strawberry Point, which place is their postoffice address. The
maiden name of Mr. Buckley's first wife was Nettie Williams, and
she is survived by one daughter, Harriet, who is now the wife of
Walter Hall, of Leroy, Minnesota. For his second wife Mr.
Buckley married Miss Lucina Bixby, and no children have been
born of this union.
Alonzo M. Burlingame is the junior member of the ambitious
and progressive firm of Tayek & Burlingame, which is engaged in
the general merchandise business in the Aallage of Froelich, with a
well equipped store that gives effective service to the large patron-
age drawn from the thriving section of the county normall}' tribu-
tary to the village mentioned. He is a member of one of the well-
known and highly esteemed families of Clayton county and is one
of the loyal young men who has found in his native county ample
opportunity for successful achievement. Mr. Burlingame was born
at North McGregor, this county, on the 20th of January, 1892, and
is a son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Kostle) Burlingame, the for-
mer of whom was born in the State of Massachusetts, and the latter
of whom is a native of Bohemia, she having been a child at the time
of her parents' immigration to America. Benjamin Burlingame has
been a resident of Clayton county from boyhood and his parents
were numbered among the sterling pioneers of this county. He
was afforded the advantages of the public schools at McGregor and
has been identified with agricultural pursuits during virtually his
entire active career. Since 1895 he has owned and resided upon
his well improved farm, in Giard township, and he is one of the
popular and substantial citizens of that part of the county. He is
BIOGRAPHICAL 63
a Stalwart supporter of the principles and policies for which the
Democratic party stands sponsor and his wife is an earnest com-
municant of the Catholic church. Of their three children the eldest
is Edward, who is now a resident of Helena, the capital city of the
State of Montana; Marjorie is the wife of Jacob J. Tayek ; and the
subject of this sketch is the youngest of the number. After duly
profiting by the advantages afiforded in the district schools of his
native township Alonzo M. Burlingame completed a course of high
study in the high school at McGregor, besides which he was grad-
uated in the celebrated Rasmussen Business College, in the city of
St. Paul, Minnesota, as a member of the class of 1911. This last
discipline well equipped him for the handling of the practical details
pertaining to the business with which he is now identified, as a
member of the enterprising mercantile firm of Tayek & Burlingame,
in which his coadjutor is his brother-in-law, Jacob J. Tayek, con-
cerning whom individual mention is made on other pages of this
work. Mr. Burlingame was married June 27, 1916, to Miss Mattie
Fett, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fett, prominent farming
people of Watson, Iowa ; he is aligned in the ranks of the Demo-
cratic party and is a communicant of the Catholic church, in the
faith of which he was reared.
William J. Byrnes is a popular bachelor, a progressive farmer
and a substantial business man of his native county, and he is the
owner of the fine old homestead farm on which he was born and
reared ; the gracious home circle includes also his venerable and
revered mother and his sisters, Mary and Eunice. After the death
of his honored father Mr. Byrnes assumed the active management
of the home place, which comprised two hundred and forty acres,
and by his ability and enterprise he has since added to his landed
estate until he is now the owner of a finely improved property of
five hundred acres, in Sperry and Cox Creek townships. The old
homestead is in Sperry township and here he was born on the
20th of February, 1860, a date that indicates conclusively that his
parents were numbered among the pioneer settlers of that part of
Clayton county. He is a son of James and Margaret (iSIcTaggart)
Byrnes, both of whom were born in Ireland — members of fine old
families of the fair Emerald Isle. As a young man James Byrnes
came to the United States and established his residence in the city
of Boston, where he found employment in a rolling mill, he having
learned the trade of iron and steel rolling in his youth. About the
year 1856 he numbered himself among the pioneers of Clayton
county, Iowa, and here he achieved large and worthy success in
connection with the basic industry of agriculture. He continued
his residence on the old homestead until his death, which occurred
July 20, 1896, and he was a man whose sterling character and
worthy achievement gained and retained to him the confidence and
good will of his fellow men. His political support was given to the
Democratic party and he was an earnest communicant of the
Catholic church, as are also his widow and their children. Of the
children the eldest is Sarah, who is the wife of Daniel Thyne, of
Doon, Lyon county; Mary remains with the family that now
64 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
occupies a modern home in Strawberry Point ; John passed to the
life eternal on the 13th of January, 1895; the subject of this sketch
was the next in order of birth ; Eunice is a member of the old home
circle ; Catherine is the wife of Timothy C. Glennon, of Strawberry
Point; and James died in the year 1880. William J. Byrnes is
indebted to the schools of his native county for the early educa-
tional discipline of which he made good use, and he gained in his
boyhood and youth the fullest meed of experience in connection
with the work of the farm, of which he assumed the management
after the death of his father, as previously stated in this context.
In addition to his successful operations as an extensive agriculturist
and stock-grower he now conducts a substantial and prosperous
business as a buyer and shipper of live stock with Strawberry
Point as his business headquarters. His political allegiance is
given to the Democratic party and he has served as trustee of his
native township. He is an active communicant of the Catholic
church and is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus and the Mod-
ern Woodman of America.
Arthur Jones Carpenter, cashier of the First National Bank of
Elkader, Iowa, is a native of the Hawkeye state, having been born
in Buchanan county, June 16, 1871, and is the son of L. D. and
Mary (Andrews) Carpenter, the former a native of Trenton Falls,
New York, and the latter of Boston, Massachusetts. They moved
to Iowa where his father was an inventor and builder of tread-power
mills, in Arlington, Iowa. He died February 19, 1887, but the
mother still survives, and is a resident of Fayette, Iowa. To their
marriage four children were born, the first two of whom were twins :
Charles R., cashier of the Fayette State Bank, and Carrie, who is
the wife of A. E. Whitney also of Fayette ; Arthur was the third
child ; and David died in childhood. Arthur Carpenter received his
higher education in the University of Fayette, where he spent three
years in pursuit of his studies. On leaving college, he learned the
moulders' trade, abandoning that work at the end of one year, to
take up the profession of school teaching. After one winter in the
school room, he filled positions in the Arlington and Fayette Banks
for two years, but in 1893 resigned to go to Elkader as bookkeeper
in the newspaper offices of the Register and Argus. At the close
of a year's study in stenography, he returned to Elkader, lowaj
where he entered the law offices of R. E. and V. T. Price and James
E. Corlett. Having proven abilities of a high order in the various
vocations, he was elected cashier of the National Bank of Elkader,
in 1898, the duties of which position of trust he is still discharging
with such efficiency and integrity that he has been chosen chairman
of the Northeastern Bankers' Association — Group No. 4. He is an
earnest and energetic political worker in the Republican party,
having served as chairman of the Central Republican Committee,
and now acting as its treasurer. He has also filled minor county
offices, and in his life of varied and engrossing interests has found
time to give consideration to the educational affairs of his commun-
ity, serving as school treasurer for many years. In Masonic circles
he is a prominent figure, being a member and one time master of
BIOGRAPHICAL 65
the Blue Lodge, and a member of the Scottish Rite, and in religion
he is a member of the Congregational church. April 25, 1901, he
was married to Alice Paterson, of whom he was bereft by death,
June 9, 1903, being left with one child, a daughter, Gladys, born
October 1, 1902. He was married a second time, October 19, 1905,
to Alice Howard, and three daughters have been born to them:
Ruth H., who has attained the age of seven years; Gertrude, four
years of age ; and Loraine, two years old.
George Cassutt, a well-known citizen and successful business
man residing in the city of Elkader, became a resident of Clayton
county when he was a boy of nine years and through his own well
directed endeavors he has proved himself one of the world's pro-
ductive workers and has gained worthy independence and prosper-
ity, together with secure place in the confidence and esteem of the
people of the county that has represented his home for more than
half a century. Mr. Cassutt takes justifiable pride in reverting to
the fine little republic of Switzerland as the place of his nativity, and
there his birth occurred on the 8th of February, 1851. He is a soa
of John and Margaret Cassutt, who immigrated to America and
established their home in Clayton county, Iowa, in 1860, the sub-
ject of this review having thus gained his rudimentary education in
his native land and having been a lad of nine years at the time when
the family home was established in Clayton county, where he con-
tinued to attend school when opportunity afforded. His father
engaged in farming in Boardman township and continued as one
of the substantial and honored citizens of that township until his
death, which occurred February 27, 1877, his devoted wife having
passed to the life eternal on the 24th of August, 1874. Of their
children two died in infancy, prior to the family immigration to the
United States; George, of this review, was the third child;
Christina is deceased; Mary Ann is a resident of Elkader, Iowa;
Joseph is a prosperous farmer in Boardman township ; and Mary
and her husband maintain their home in the city of San Bernardino,
California. George Cassutt assisted his father in the work of the
home farm and in 1870, as a youth of about twenty years, he formed
a partnership with two other men and engaged in the operation of
a threshing outfit. He possesses marked natural talent as a
mechanic and found both satisfaction and profit in his association
with the operation of the threshing machine, besides which he pur-
chased a second-hand outfit of blacksmith tools and accessories and
established on the home farm a blacksmith shop, in which he found
much requisition for his work after the close of the threshing sea-
son. Later he became sole proprietor of the threshing outfit and
business, by buying the interest of his partners. He successfully
operated the outfit until 1878, when the machine was destroyed by
fire, but within the same year he put his mechanical skill to good
use by building a new threshing machine, in which he utilized all
the available parts saved from the old machine and purchased such
new parts as were demanded to place the machine in good working
order. After operating the outfit two seasons he sold the same and
also severed his association with direct farm enterprise. Remov-
66 .' MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
ing to Elkader, the county seat, he here rented a vacant blacksmith
shop and operated the same about eighteen months, giving special
attention to therepairingof farm machinery and implements. Impaired
health compelled him to retire from this field of enterprise, and, to
recuperate his powers, he passed a few months in the state of Cali-
fornia. Inthespringof 1883Mr.Cassuttpurchasedawell-drillingoutfit,
besides which he acquired also a good farm of one hundred and
forty acres, in Boardman township, his brother Joseph being given
the active supervision and control of the farm, on which they both
maintained their home. Mr. Cassutt proved very successful in his
business of constructing drilled wells, and in 1886 he purchased
a new and improved drilling outfit, to the operation of which he
still continues to give his attention, his services having been given
in the construction of wells throughout a wide area of country in
this part of the state and a prosperous business having been
developed also by him in the selling and installing of wind mills.
He still owns the well improved farm and in 1887 he purchased his
present attractive home at Elkader. He is a Democrat in his
political allegiance and has served as a member of the city council
of Elkader. Mr. Cassutt is known as a loyal and public-spirited
citizen and he still permits his name to be enrolled on the list of
eligible bachelors in Clayton county.
Ole Christiansen is a representative of one of the sterling pio-
neer families of Clayton county, which has been his home since he
was a child of two years, and he is a scion of that fine Scandinavian
stock that has proved such a splendid force in connection with the
civic and material development and progress of the great north-
western section of our national domain. Mr. Christiansen has been
one of the successful agriculturists and stock-growers of Clayton
county, but is now living virtually retired in a pleasant home in
the village of Gunder, his postoffice address being the neighboring
village of Postville, Allamakee county. Mr. Christiansen was born
in Norway, on the 4th of February, 1855, and was but two years
old at the time when his parents immigrated to America and estab-
lished their home in Clayton county. He is a son of Christian and
Betsey (Olson) Christianson, both of whom passed the remainder
of their lives in this county, where the father developed a good
farm and became a prosperous and honored citizen, both he and
his wife having been zealous communicants of the Lutheran church.
Of their seven children, five survive. To the public schools of
Clayton county Ole Christianson is indebted for his early educa-
tional advantages and after leaving the parental home he was em-
ployed at farm work in this county for several years. He then
purchased a farm and to the active management of the same he
continued to give his attention until his retirement from the labors
that had so long engrossed his time and attention. He still owns
the property, which he rents to a desirable tenant. Mr. Christian-
son is a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party
and both he and his wife are communicants of the Lutheran church.
In November, 1893, Mr. Christianson married Miss Christina Nel-
son, who was born in Norway and who was a young woman when
BIOGRAPHICAL . 67
she came with her parents to the United States. Mr. and Mrs.
Christianson have no children.
Julius Christoleit has effectively demonstrated his energy and
ambitious purpose during the period of his residence in Clayton
county, for he came here about twenty years ago and set himself
vigorously to the winning of independence and prosperity through
his own endeavors. That he is successful needs no further voucher
than the statement that he is now the owner of one of the well
improved and valuable farms of this county and that he stands
exponent of civic and industrial loyalty and progressiveness, with
deep and abiding appreciation of the opportunities that have been
afforded to him in the land of his adoption. Mr. Christoleit was
born in Germany, on the 8th of May, 1866, and is a son of Charles
and Rosa Christoleit, who passed their entire lives in their Father-
land, and of whose nine children only three are now living. Julius
Christoleit was reared and educated in his native land, and there
was solemnized his marriage to Miss Amelia Suttkous, who, with
their two children, accompanied him on his immigration to the
United States, in 1895. Soon after his arrival in America Mr.
Christoleit came with his family to Clayton county, where he found
employment by the month as a farm hand until he purchased his
present well improved farm, which is situated in section 2, Sperry
township and which comprises three hundred and twelve acres.
He has erected a modern house and other buildings on the place
and is known as one of the substantial and enterprising agricul-
turists and stock-raisers of the county, in which he arrived with a
cash capital of only twenty dollars and in which he has won
advancement to his present secure position of independence and
generous prosperity. He and his wife became the parents of eight
children, of whom six were born after the removal to America.-
Charles is deceased; Frederick C. and William H. assist in the work
and management of the home farm ; Pauline is now in the State
of Wisconsin; Anna and Gustave remain at the parental home;
Emma is deceased ; and Julius, Jr., is the youngest member of the
home circle.
Ethan S. Clark is the owner of one of the excellent farms of
Highland township and in his native county has won for himself
a secure position of success and prosperity through his own well
ordered efforts and progressive policies. Mr. Clark was born at
National, this county, on the 9th of September, 1880, and is a son
of James P. and Mary (Thompson) Clark, both of whom were
born in the state of New York. James P. Clark came to Clayton
county when he was a young man and here he was actively identi-
fied with agricultural industry until the time of his death. His
marriage was solemnized in this county and his widow now resides
in the home of their son Ethan S., of this review, who was the
sixth in order of birth in a family of seven children. Annie, the
eldest of the children, is the wife of George Swift, of Washington ;
Myrtle is the wife of William Hawley, of Charles City, Iowa ; Frank
is now a resident of Santa Ana, California; Gaylord and Victor
are deceabed ; Ethan S. was the next child ; and the youngest is
68 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Earl, who is now a resident of Gillespie, Illinois. Ethan S. Clark
gained his early education in the schools of his native county and
of Drake University at Des Moines, of which he is an alumnus of
the Commercial Department, and also of Fayette University, Illi-
nois. He began to depend largely upon his own resources when
he was a lad of twelve years. He found employment at farm work
for a term of years, and in the meantime he developed exceptional
ability as a ball-player, with the result that he was drawn into the
national game in a professional way. In 1901-2 he was a suc-
cessful player in the Kentucky and Illinois Baseball League, and
after his retirement from this line of activity he resumed his asso-
ciation with agricultural pursuits. He continued to work on the
farms of other agriculturists until 1912, when he purchased his
present farm of one hundred and twenty acres, in section 35, High-
land township, where he has since continued with marked vigor
and progressiveness his operations as an agriculturist and stock-
grower, his home receiving service on one of the rural mail routes
from the village of Volga. His political allegiance is given to the
Republican party, and he is now serving effectively in the office of
township trustee, his incumbency of which fully attests his popu-
larity in the community. He is affiliated with the Modern Wood-
men of America, and his wife holds membership in the Order of
the Eastern Star and the Royal Neighbors. Mr. and Mrs. Clark are
both members of the Methodist Episcopal church. On the 7th of
October, 1903, Mr. Clark wedded Miss Edith Susie, who was born
and reared in Clayton county and who was a successful and popular
teacher in the public schools during a period of five years prior to
her marriage. She is a daughter of William and Margaret (Scra-
der) Susie, who were born in Germany, and her mother is an hon-
ored pioneer citizen residing at Volga, this county, her father dying
April 19, 1916. William J., their eldest son, resides at Volga; Mrs.
Clark was the next in order of birth ; Jennie is a teacher in the
village schools at Volga; Frederick is engaged in the poultry and
grain business at Volga ; and Marian is the wife of Clarence Voshell,
of that village. Mr. and Mrs. Clark have but one child, Frederick
Carroll, who was born July 16, 1904, who is now attending the
public school at Volga.
Henry H. Clark, M. D.^ — A man of the character and ability of
Dr. Clark was not made for obscurity and the circumstances of time
and place have not been the makers but the instruments of his
stewardship in the profession that he has signally honored and dig-
nified by his long and effective services. He has the distinction of
being the veritable dean of his profession in the State of Iowa at
the time this publication is issued, and has maintained his home
at McGregor, Clayton county, for nearly half a century — years
marked by large and worthy achievement as a man of affairs and
as one of the most able and influential physicians and surgeons of
this favored section of the Hawkeye state. The doctor is one of
the favored mortals whom nature launches into the world with the
heritage of a sturdy ancestry, splendid physical powers, an alert
and receptive mind, and energy enough for many men. Added to
HKXRV H. CLARK, M.D.
BIOGRAPHICAL '■ 69
these attributes are exceptional intellectual attainments and the
valued lessons of a wide and varied experience. Planted in a
metropolis, such a man would have used his talents in competing
with and uplifting his fellow men. Planted in a pioneer community
he used them in developing the things the environment needed and
has marked the course of his life by earnest and self-abnegating
service in the alleviation of human suffering and distress. In
his profession, to the exacting demands of which he has subordi-
nated all else, he has manifested that true human sympathy which
transcends mere emotion or sentiment to become an actuating
motive for helpfulness. It is needless to say that he is honored
and revered in the county in which he has accorded his unselfish
and efficient professional ministrations for many years, and his
benignant influence in community affairs in general has given him
precedence as one of the essentially representative citizens of
Clayton county, so that there is all of consistency in according to
him special recognition in this history of the county. Dr. Clark was
born in Centre county, Pennsylvania, on the 12th of October, 1842,
and is a scion of sterling families that were early founded in the old
Keystone state. He is a son of John and Helen (Wolf) Clark, who
were born and reared in Pennsylvania and whose marriage was
there solemnized in the year 1839. Both were natives of Union
county, that state, and representatives of old and influential fami-
lies of that section of the Keystone commonwealth. John Clark
owned and operated a farm in his native state until about the year
1852, when he removed with his family to Illinois and became one
of the early settlers of Stephenson county, where he purchased a
tract of three hundred and twenty acres of land and developed one
of the fine farms of that section of the state. To the management
of his extensive landed estate he continued to give his active super-
vision until 1870, after which he lived virtually retired until his
death, which occurred in 1888, when he was about 75 years of age,
the old homestead farm being placed in charge of his son James
after he himself retired from the labors and responsibilities that
had long engrossed his attention. His devoted and cherished wife
passed to the life eternal at the age of 75 years, and concerning
their children brief record may consistently be entered at this junc-
ture : William went forth as a loyal and valiant soldier of the Union
and when the Civil War was precipitated on the nation, and he
sacrificed his life in the cause, as he was killed while participating
in the historic siege of Vicksburg. He was a member of Battery L,
Second Illinois Artillery, and his command was commonly known
as Bolton's Battery. Dr. Henry H., the immediate subject of this
review, was the next in order of birth. John S. is engaged in the
real-estate business at Belvidere, Illinois, and is a prominent and
influential figure in the aflfairs of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows in Illinois, in which the year 1916 finds him serving as
chief examiner for the state organization. James B. is a prosperous
retired farmer and maintains his home at Hampton, the judicial
center of Franklin county, Iowa. Mary J., twin sister of James B.,
is the wife of Theron E. Heary, and they reside in the city of
70 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Dwight, Illinois. Dr. Henry H. Clark acquired his preliminary
educational discipline in the common schools of his native state
and was a youth of 12 years at the time of the family removal from
Pennsylvania to Illinois, where he continued his studies in the
schools of Stephenson county and later pursued high academic
studies in Rock River Seminary, at Mount Morris, that state. With
high ideals and ambitious purpose, he early formulated plans for
his future career and determined to prepare himself for the medical
profession. He finally entered the Chicago Medical College, in
which he completed, with characteristic zeal and fidelity, the pre-
scribed curriculum and in which he was graduated in the spring of
1870, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. It was thus given
him to have left Chicago in the year prior to that which brought
devastation to the city through the historic fire that swept the pres-
ent great metropolis in 1871. After his graduation the doctor
served the customary period as an interne in Mercy Hospital, still
one of the leading hospitals of Chicago, and in this connection he
gained most valuable clinical experience, besides receiving from the
hospital a diploma which he prizes more than any other honor that
has been bestowed upon him during the later years of a signally
active and useful career. On the 10th of October, 1870, two days
prior to his twenty-eighth birthday anniversary. Dr. Clark, an
ambitious and well fortified young physician, established his resi-
dence in the village of McGregor, Clayton county, Iowa, and here
entered upon a professional novitiate that proved of short duration,
for his ability and gracious personality soon gave him precedence
as one of the successful and influential members of his profession
in the county, where he has controlled during the long intervening
years a specially extensive practice. In the early days he faithfully
and unselfishly faced many hardships and arduous labors in pursuing
his humane mission, for he traversed long distances in winter's cold
and summer's heat, over roads that were scarcely worthy of the
name, and with ready response to the call of duty, no matter how
dark or stormy the night or how slight the probability of his receiv-
ing due financial compensation for his services. It need scarcely be
said that in the highest and best sense Dr. Clark has proved himself
humanity's friend — and greater tribute than this can be given to no
man. He has wielded large influence in community affairs and has
been a leader in the furtherance to these things that make for civic
and material prosperity and progress. Typical of his broad sym-
pathy and public spirit was his action when, in 1902, he erected and
equipped his modem hospital at McGregor, the same bearing his
name and being recognized as having the best appointments and
facilities of all similar institutions in Clayton county. The hospital
makes the best of provisions for the treatment of disease and for
the handling of surgical cases according to the most approved
methods of the twentieth century. The institution draws an appre-
ciable support from far outside the limits of Clayton county and is
a noble monument to the liberality and professional zeal and loyalty
of the founder and owner. Dr. Clark has served consecutively since
1903 as a member of the Iowa state board of health, and he became
BIOGRAPHICAL 7I
a member of the state board of medical examiners at the time of
its organization, his service in this connection having continued
until the expiration of his term and having covered a period of
about thirteen years. He is actively identified with the American
Medical Association, the American Association of Railway Sur-
geons, and the Surgeons' Association of the Chicago, Milwaukee &
St. Paul Railway. He has long been an honored and influential
member of the Iowa State Medical Society, and before this repre-
sentative body he delivered in 1916 a specially interesting and tech-
nically valuable address upon the subject of surgery. The doctor
holds membership also in the Cedar Valley Medical Society, and
has for many years been a leader in the councils and activities of
the Clayton County Medical Society, of which he was one of the
organizers and of which he is serving as president in 1916. For a
period of about thirty years Dr. Clark has had the distinction of
serving as president of the United States board of pension examin-
ing surgeons for Clayton county, and he gave fifteen years of effec-
tive service as a member of the board of education of McGregor, of
which he was president several terms. His political allegiance,
fortified by well taken opinions concerning economic and govern-
mental policies, is given to the Republican party. Until this point
in the narrative has been left the making of reference to a specially
notable and distinguished phase in the career of Dr. Clark. He was
about nineteen years of age at the inception of the Civil War, and
in 1862, in response to the call for volunteers, he enlisted as a pri-
vate in Company G, Ninety-second Illinois Mounted Volunteer
Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Cumberland and
which was a part of Wilder's famous Mounted Brigade with which
he continued in active service from August, 1862, until final victory
had crowned the Union arms and the war reached its close. He
lived up to the full tension of the great conflict between the North
and the South and with his regiment participated in fifty-two
engagements, including a number of important battles. He was
always to be found at the post of duty, a loyal and valiant soldier,
and though he was often in the thick of the fray and assigned to
hazardous duty, it was his good fortune to escape wounds and
capture. In the later years he has vitalized the more gracious
memories and associations of his military carer by maintaining
affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic. In the year 1872
was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Clark to Miss Judith Baugh,
daughter of Judge Downing Baugh, who was one of the honored
and influential pioneers of Clayton county, where he established his
residence in the earlier '50s, upon coming with his family from
Mount Vernon, Illinois. Both he and his wife continued their resi-
dence at McGregor until their death and their names merit high
place on the roll of the honored pioners of the county. In conclu-
sion is entered brief record concerning the children of Dr. and Mrs.
Clark: Alice May, who is her father's efficient and valued coadjutor
in the work and management of the Clark Hospital at McGregor,
was graduated in the medical department of the University of Iowa
as a member of the class of 1902, and she not only has a large and
'J2 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
representative private practice, but also has the unique distinction
of being the only woman physician in the United States to hold
regular appointment as a railway surgeon. Florence L. is a young
woman of fine intellectual and literary talent and articles from her
pen have appeared in leading newspapers and magazines of the
United States. Harry H. is a special agent of the Department of
Agriculture, with headquarters at the national capital, and to him
has been assigned the conducting of technical agricultural investi-
gation in every state of the Union. Maude G. is the wife of Judd J.
Dunaway and they maintain their home at Miami, Arizona.
William Clarence passed to eternal rest in 1906, at the age of 21
years. Ethel B. is the wife of Carl Bickel, of McGregor, and they
have a winsome little daughter, Barbara.
R. R. Clark merits recognition in this publication by reason of
his status as a loyal and progressive citizen of Clayton county and
as an effective and popular representative of the newspaper fra-
ternity and business in this section of the state that has been his
home since the time when he arrived on the stage of life and with
the imperturbability of infancy blandly faced a frowning world — and
that with no semblance of appreciation of the fact that destiny was
eventually to throw him into the weird vortex of practical jour-
nalism. Mr. Clark is editor and publisher of the well-ordered weekly
paper entitled the Strawberry Point Press, at Strawberry Point, and
is making the same an effective vehicle for the exploiting and fur-
thering of community interests and also for the advancing of the
cause of the Republican party, of which he is a stalwart supporter.
Mr. Clark was born at Pomeroy, Calhoun county, Iowa, on the 26th
of August, 1881, and is a son of George E. and Mary (DeMoss)
Clark, the former of whom was born at Haverhill, Massachusetts,
on the 4th of August, 1858, and the latter of whom is a representa-
tive of one of the pioneer families of Oregon, her birth having
occurred at The Dalles, that state, on the 1st of January, 1862. The
parents of the subject of this review now maintain their home at
Garwin, Iowa, and the father has given the greater part of his active
career to hardware and harness business. In the public schools
of his native county R. R. Clark continued his studies until he had
completed the curriculum of the high school at Jolley, and thereafter
he was for one and a half years a student in Tobin College, in the
city of Fort Dodge. As a youth he gained his novitiate in the "art
preservative of all arts," and he has been an alert, vigorous and
popular exponent of the newspaper business in Clayton county since
he assumed his present association at Strawberry Point, where he
has been editor and publisher of the Strawberry Point Press since
1911. On the 15th of June, 1907, was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Clark to Miss Ruth Glass, daughter of William and Soloam
(Robb) Glass, of Strawberry Point, and the one child of this union
is a somewhat autocratic little son, Jack G.
Seth Clark — That the opulent natural resources of Clayton
county have not lacked appreciation on the part of the native sons
of the county is clearly demonstrated by their continued associa-
tion with the county and its varied interests, and it is specially
BIOGRAPHICAL 73
pleasing to find such a large and vigorous percentage of such citi-
zens who are here effectively aiding in maintaining the county's
prestige as a center of agricultural industry. Such a substantial
and honored citizen is Mr. Clark, who owns and operates the fine
old homestead farm on which he was born and reared and which is
one of the well improved and valuable landed estates of Wagner
township. Here he has resided from the time of his birth and in
progressiveness, civic loyalty and worthy achievement he has sig-
nally honored the name which he bears and which has been indis-
solubly linked with the history of Clayton county since the early
pioneer days, in fact, for more than fifty years. Such are the ster-
ling citizens who specially merit recognition in this publication.
On this present farm, in section 31, Wagner township, Seth Clark
was born on the 17th of August, 1860, and he is a son of Milo P.
and Mary (Lundbeck) Clark, the former of whom was born in the
State of New York and the latter in Ohio, their marriage having
been solemnized in the latter state, on the 20th of May, 1849. Upon
coming to Clayton county, about the year 1852, Milo P. Clark ob-
tained one hundred and seventy-six acres of government land, in
what is now Wagner township, where, with characteristic vigor
and progressiveness, he set himself to the task of reclaiming a farm
from the virgin wilds. The measure of his success was large in
the passing years, and he eventually became the owner of a val-
uable domain of four hundred acres, all but twenty-five acres of
which is now owned by his son Seth, of this sketch, who was the
third in order of birth in the family of five children, of whom the
first. Amy E., died in childhood ; Jacob is now a substantial citizen
of Hancock county, this state, his home being in the thriving little
city of Britt; Mary is the wife of Jacob Gehring, of Marion town-
ship, Clayton county ; and James E. died in infancy. Alilo P. Clark
was one of the influential and honored pioneer citizens of Clayton
county at the time of his death, which occurred March 27, 1901,
and his devoted wife soon followed him to the life eternal, so that
in death they were not long divided, Mrs. Clark having passed away
on the 23d of September of the same year. Seth Clark was reared
to manhood on the fine old homestead of which he is now the owner
and is indebted to the public schools of his native county for his
early educational discipline. He gained an enduring appreciation
of the value of honest toil and endeavor and his long and intimate
experience has made him a most practical and scientific agricultural-
ist and stockgrower, for he has from his youth been closely associ-
ated with the work and management of the home farm, of all of
which — three hundred and seventy-five acres — he has been the pro-
prietor since he was forty-one years of age, the property having
come into his possession through direct bequest on the part of
his honored parents, the memories of both of whom are held in
enduring veneration in the county that represented their home and
stage of effective activity for many years. Politically, the father
was a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party. He
whose name initiates this article is likewise unfaltering in allegiance
to the Republican party, and he has been loyal and progressive in
74 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
the supporting of measures and enterprises that have contributed
to the social and material welfare of his home community and na-
tive county ; the while he has maintained the fullest measure of
popular confidence and esteem. He has served six years as trustee
of Wagner township, besides having held minor offices of local
trust. On the 2d of January, 1887, was solemnized his marriage to
Miss Annie Embretson, who was born and reared in this county,
where her parents settled in the pioneer days, both having been
born in Norway. She is a daughter of Lars and Jane (Nelson)
Embretson, representative of that fine Scandinavian element of
citizenship that has contributed much to the development and up-
building of Clayton county. Her father became one of the pioneer
farmers of Wagner township, where he continued to reside until
his death and where his widow still maintains her home. Of their
children the first-born was Embret, who is deceased ; Mrs. Clark
was the second in order of birth ; Nels operates the old homestead
farm in Wagner township ; Lena is the wife of Martin Severson, of
North Dakota; Knute is associated with his brother in the control
of the fine farm developed by their father, as is also Ole, and the
widowed mother likewise remains on this place, which is endeared
to her by the hallowed memories and associations of the past. Mr.
and Mrs. Clark have two children — Alvin and Joel. Alvin is asso-
ciated in the work and management of the home farm, and on the
18th of April, 1914, he wedded Miss Helen Landsgard, who likewise
was born and reared in this county. Joel is successfully associated
with agricultural pursuits in Boardman township. The attractive
home of Mr. and Mrs. Clark is one of the fine rural residences of
Clayton county, is known for its generous and unostentatious hos-
pitality, and receives mail service on rural route No. 3 from Elkader,
the county seat.
Mrs. Minnie Clough has been a resident of Clayton county
since her childhood and here she has shown splendid energy and
resourcefulness as a business woman, her success having been the
result of her well-ordered efforts and personal popularity and hav-
ing given her a place of prominence and influence in business cir-
cles in this county. She owns and conducts at Strawberry Point
the well-equipped general merchandise store known as the Bee
Hive, and the same has the best of facilities for meeting the de-
mands placed upon it by a large and appreciative patronage. Mrs.
Clough owns not only the modern brick building in which her store
is located but also a well-improved farm of one hundred and eighty
acres in Cass township. She is essentially one of the representative
business women of Clayton county and her gracious personality
has gained to her a circle of friends whose number is virtually
equal to that of her acquaintances. She was born in Dubuque
county, Iowa, and is a daughter of Gottlieb and Minnie (Heisler)
Steinhulber. Her parents were born in Germany and were chil-
dren at the time of the immigration of the respective families to
America, where they were reared and educated and where their
marriage was solemnized in Iowa. In the pioneer days Mr. Stein-
hulber was engaged in the mercantile business in Dubuque for a
THE NFW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
AerroE, lenox and
D. J. GRAIN AND WIFE
THE RESIDENCE
BIOGRAPHICAL 75
number of years, and in 1860 he came with his family to Clayton
county and purchased a farm in Sperry township. He became one
of the prosperous agriculturalists and highly esteemed citizens of
this county and here continued to maintain his residence on his
old homestead until his death, though he was visiting his sister
in the city of New York at the time of his demise, which occurred
in 1906. His cherished and devoted wife did not long survive him,
as she was summoned to the life eternal in 1908. They became
the parents of six children, all of whom are living, and all were
carefully reared in the faith of the Lutheran church, of which her
parents were lifelong and devout communicants. Mrs. Clough con-
tinued her studies in the public schools of Clayton county until
she had completed an effective course in the high school at Elkader.
In 1885 she engaged in the mercantile business at Strawberry Point,
and here her Bee Hive Store is now one of the principal mercantile
establishments of the progressive village, with a substantial trade
that has been developed through effective service and fair and hon-
orable dealings. Mrs. Clough is an earnest communicant of the
Lutheran church and is liberal in the support of the various de-
partments of its work. She has a pleasant home in which she finds
pleasure in extending cordial hospitality to her many friends, and
in which she is lovingly rearing two little girls whom she has taken
under her benignant care and one of whom is the daughter of one
of her kinsfolk.
Deles J. Grain is one of the most progressive farmers of the
younger generation in his native township and is a popular factor
in community affairs, influential in connection with public interests
and loyal in his support of those things that tend to advance the
general welfare. He is the owner of one of the fine landed estates
of Sperry township and it is specially interesting to record that on
this homestead he has lived from the time of his birth, which here
occurred on the 31st of July, 1879. He is a son of James and Jane
(Broker) Crain, both of whom passed the closing years of their
lives in Volga. James Crain was born in England, where he was
reared to 15 years of age, and he came to the United States in the
year 1852. He first located at Lockport, New York, and in 1854 he
came to Iowa and numbered himself among the pioneers of Claytoij
county. He settled on a tract of wild land now included in the well
improved farm of the subject of this sketch, and his ability and well
ordered enterprise as a farmer enabled him to accumulate a large
landed property and to gain substantial success as an exponent of
farm industry. He was thrice married, and the two daughters of
his first marriage are now married and reside in the village of
Volga, this county. Of the two children of the second marriage
the elder was William, who died when seven months of age ; and
the younger is Delos J., to whom this sketch is dedicated. The
mother of Delos J. Crain was born February 14, 1853, and reared in
the State of New York and came to Clayton county in her youth,
her marriage to James Crain having here been solemnized and she
having been 52 years old at the time of her death, August 25, 1905.
Both she and her husband were earnest members of the Methodist
76 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Episcopal church and they so lived as to merit and receive the high
regard of those with whom they came in contact in the various
relations of life. Delos J. Grain continued his studies in the public
schools until he had attended the high school at Volga for one year,
and thereafter he was a student during one term in the business
college at Fayette, this state. He assisted his father in the affairs
and work of the home farm until he had attained to his legal major-
ity, and he then rented the old homestead, on which he continued
his farming operations under these conditions for a period of five
years. He then became the owner of the valuable property which
comprises two hundred and ten acres of as fine land as is to be
found in Clayton county, the farm being situated in sections 1 and
11, Sperry township, and which was part of his father's estate. Here
he carries on general farming, and also gives considerable attention
to the breeding and raising of Shetland ponies, and the modern
house that Mr. Grain has erected on the place being looked upon as
one of the finest rural domiciles in this township, even as its hos-
pitality has caused it to become a center of much of the represen-
tative social life of the community. Mr. Grain is aligned as a stal-
wart supporter of the cause of the Republican party, and the year
1916 finds him serving with characteristic loyalty and efficiency as
township trustee and as president of the school board of his dis-
trict. He is affiliated with lodge No. 72, Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, in Elkader, and there he and his wife are zealous and
valued members of the Methodist Episcopal church, he being a
member of its board of trustees. On the 25th of September, 1900,
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Grain to Miss Ethel Smith,
who was born in Delaware county, this state, and who is a daugh-
ter of William B. and Orril (Gowles) Smith, the former a native of
Ontario, Ganada, and the latter of the State of Massachusetts. Mr.
and Mrs. Smith were pioneer settlers of Iowa and continued to
reside in this state until their death, all save one of their seven chil-
dren still surviving them. Mr. and Mrs. Grain have four children,
whose names and respective dates of birth are here noted: Gecil
Orril, July 23, 1902 ; Erma E., April 24, 1904 ; Mildred Ruth, August
8, 1906; and William B. Smith Grain, May 25, 1908.
Albert N. Crawford, who owns and conducts a well-equipped
harness and saddlery establishment in the village of Garnavillo,
has been a resident of Glayton county from the time of his birth
and has won for himself distinct success and prestige as one of
the progressive and representative business men of the county.
In addition to the modern two-story brick building in which his
business is conducted, he owns also a frame business building in
the village and the attractive residence in which he and his wife
maintain their home and delight to extend hospitable welcome to
their many friends. Mr. Grawford was born in Glayton township,
this county, on the 24th of May, 1872, and is a son of James and
Elizabeth (Gregory) Grawford, the former of whom was bom in
Ohio and the latter at Racine, Wisconsin. The parents of Mr.
Grawford settled in Glayton county in the early period of its his-
tory and here they passed the remainder of their lives, secure in
BIOGRAPHICAL 'J'J
the high regard of all who knew them, the father having given the
greater part of his active life to agricultural pursuits. Of the three
children the eldest is Edgar, who now resides in the city of Du-
buque; Albert N., of this review, was the next in order of birth;
and Agnes is the wife of Melvin Ringle, of Rock Island, Illinois.
Reared to maturity in Clayton county, Albert N. Crawford did not
fail to profit duly by the advantages afforded in the public schools,
and when 18 years of age he entered upon a practical apprentice-
ship to the trade of harnessmaker. After he had proved himself a
skilled artisan at his trade he began to consult ways and means
for establishing himself in independent business, and in 1902 he
realized his ambition by opening a harness store at Garnavillo,
where he has built up a substantial and prosperous business and
has a store that is well equipped with all kinds of harness and
saddlery goods demanded by the local trade and where is main-
tained an excellent manufacturing and repair department also.
Mr. Crawford is one of the enterprising business men and public-
spirited citizens of his native county and though he has had no
desire for public office of any kind he is found aligned as a staunch
supporter of the cause of the Democratic party. Both he and his
wife are active members of the Lutheran church at Garnavillo and
both have in their native county a circle of friends that is limited
only by that of their acquaintances. In the year 1905 was solemn-
ized the marriage of Mr. Crawford to Miss Lena Ihde, who, as
already intimated, was born and reared in Clayton county. They
have no children. Mrs. Crawford is a daughter of Frederick and
Sophia Ihde, who were born in Germany and who established their
home in Clayton county about half a century ago, here to remain
as highly respected citizens until the time of their death. The ca-
reer of Mr. Crawford has been marked by earnest industry and
careful and honorable business policies, so that he well merits the
success he has achieved.
George H. Cunningham is numbered among the representative
merchants and honored and influential citizens of the vigorous lit-
tle village of Monona, where he is engaged in the hardware and
implement business, with a large and well-equipped establishment
that is at all times prepared to meet the demands of an extended
and representative patronage. Mr. Cunningham is one of the well-
poised and substantial business men of the younger generation in
his native county and consistently finds individual recognition in
this publication. He was born in Giard township, this county,
on the 8th of September, 1888, and is a son of Isaac and Frances
(Collier) Cunningham, both of whom were born in Holland. Isaac
Cunningham came to the United States about the year 1866, and
established his residence in the State of New York. About a decade
later he came to Iowa and established his home in Clayton county,
where he purchased a farm, in Giard township. There he con-
tinued his successful activities as an agriculturist for many years,
and he and his wife now reside in the village of Monona, where he
is living virtually retired and in the enjoyment of the goodly re-
wards of former years of earnest endeavor. He is a Republican
78 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
in politics and continues to take a lively and discriminating interest
in the issues and questions of the hour, with well fortified views
concerning governmental and economic policies. He is a trustee
of the local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
both he and his wife are zealous members of the Methodist Epis-
copal church. They are numbered among the honored pioneer
citizens of Clayton county and in the gracious environment of an
attractive home and surrounded by a host of loyal friends, they
may well feel that their lines are cast in pleasant places. Daniel H.
the eldest of their children, is a prosperous farmer in Monona town-
ship; Mae F. is the wife of George Hazlett, of Giard township;
William died at the age of 31 ; Carrie P. is the wife of James Camp-
bell, of Colton, South Dakota; James is a resident of Monona;
George H., the immediate subject of this review, was the next in
order of birth; and Hazel remains at the parental home. After
completing the curriculum of the public schools of Monona, George
H. Cunningham further fortified himself by an effective course in
the Toland Business College, in the city of La Crosse, Wisconsin.
He passed the ensuing four years as a bookkeeper in the city of St.
Paul, Minnesota, and then became a traveling commercial sales-
man for the Huber & Furman Drug mills, of Fond du Lac, Wis-
consin, with which concern he continued his successful work for
four years. In July, 1915, Mr. Cunningham returned to his native
county and established his residence in Monona, where he pur-
chased the hardware stock and business of the firm of Furguson &
Licht. With marked circumspection and progressiveness he has
since carried forward this enterprise, and his establishment is well
stocked with heavy and shelf hardware, stoves, ranges, etc., with a
well equipped department devoted to plumbing and heating appli-
ances, for the installment of which he has the best of facilities,
bedsides which there is special attention given to the sale of gas
engines, windmills, and farm implements. Mr. Cunningham is pri-
marily a business man and though he is emphatically progressive
and loyal in his civic attitude and a staunch advocate of the poli-
cies and principles of the Republican party, he has manifested no
ambition for public office of any kind. Both he and his wife hold
membership in the Methodist Episcopal church of Monona and
are popular factors in the representative social activities of the
community. On the 23d of August, 1910, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Cunningham to Miss Jessie E. Foster, daughter of
Bartley and Eva (Wheat) Foster, of St. Paul, Minnesota, and
they have two children — Eva Francis, who was born August 10,
1911, and Daphne Lorayne, who was born April 4, 1915.
Albert L. Currie, D. D. S,, is an able and representative expo-
nent of the profession that involves both a science and a mechanic
art and is known as one of the successful practitioners of dentistry
in Clayton county, his place of residence being in the attractive
and thriving village of Monona, where he has well appointed offices
with the best of modern facilities in both the operative and lab-
oratory departments. As a skilled workman of punctilious loyalty
to his profession and the requirements of all patrons, he has built
BIOGRAPHICAL 79
up a substantial and representative practice and is one of the pop-
ular and progressive citizens who consistently find recognition in
this history of Clayton county. Dr. Currie was born in the city
of La Salle, Illinois, on the 28th of August, 1869, and is a son of
James and Louise (Fairbanks) Currie, both natives of the State
of Ohio. The parents of the doctor removed to Delaware county,
Iowa, when he was about 3 years of age. His father is now living
retired from active business with his son, after having been twenty-
three years in the service of the Illinois Central R. R. as foreman
carpenter of the Iowa division. He is a stalwart advocate of the
principles of the Republican party and is a member of the Con-
gregational church, as was also his wife, whose death occurred
several years since. Of their children the first two, Addie Louise
and George, are deceased ; Charles is engaged in the practice of
medicine in the city of Des Moines ; Frank L. and Acacia are de-
ceased, and Dr. Albert L., of this review, is the youngest of the
number. Dr. Currie continued his studies in the public schools
until he had completed the curriculum of the high school, and in
consonance with his ambitious plans he entered the department
of dentistry of the University of Iowa, in which institution he was
graduated as a member of the class of 1891 and from which he
received his well-earned degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. For
the ensuing four years he was established in practice at Earlville,
Iowa, Delaware county, and he then, in 1895, came to Clayton
county and opened an office at Monona, where he has since con-
tinued in successful practice and where he controls a large and
important professional business which is based alike on his rec-
ognized technical ability and his unequivocal personal popularity.
The doctor pays unswerving allegiance to the Republican party,
though manifesting no ambition for public office of any kind, and
he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, including the adjunct
organization, the Order of the Eastern Star. On the 26th of Octo-
ber, 1894, Dr. Currie wedded Miss Martha Thomas, daughter of
David and Sophia Thomas, of Greeley, this State, and she is the
popular chatelaine of their present home, which is known for its
generous hospitality. Dr. and Mrs. Currie have no children.
Darrow, George H., telegrapher and station agent of Farmers-
burg, Iowa, was born in Joplin, Missouri, January 29, 1870, and is
the son of Allison C. and Elvira (Woodin) Darrow, the former a
native of New York, and the latter of Pennsylvania. Mr. Darrow,
senior, lives in Kansas, where he is engaged in farming, but his
wife died November 15, 1896. They had two children: a son
George, a sketch of whose life will follow ; and a daughter, Lucinda
v., who is the wife of Clarence L. Adams of Cherrydale, Kansas.
George Darrow left home at the age of twenty years, going to a
school of telegraphy in Janesville, Wisconsin, for seven months,
then to Campbell, Minnesota, for another period of study for about
the same length of time. After completing his work as a student,
he took up the profession of telegraphy, filling positions as operator
in Green Valley and Kerkhoven, Minnesota, for about one year,
when he was made station agent at Kandiyohi, in the same State.
80 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
After five years he went to the Pacific Coast, remaining one year,
then returned east, locating successfully in Chicago, Ruthven, Iowa,
and various other towns, as telegraph operator. After spending
about six months each in these places, he went to Whittemore,
Iowa, for three years, and to Emmettsburg in the same State for
two years, but on November 15, 1904, he accepted the position of
station agent and telegraph operator in Farmersburg, Iowa, and
is still conducting the business of that thriving station, in a highly
satisfactory manner. Mr. Darrow is a man of varied interests.
Beside his station work he is also interested in a coal business, and
is a director of a grain company of Farmersburg. He was united
in marriage to Mary E. Gappa, April 10, 1907, and they are the
proud and happy parents of two sons, Clarence A., and Lawrence
M. Mr. Darrow belongs to the Democratic party, though not par-
ticularly active in political work, and is a member of the Masonic
fraternity.
Wilmer W. Davidson has won secure prestige as one of the
representative younger members of the bar of Clayton county and
is associated with his honored father, with residence in the fine
little city of Elkader, the judicial center of the county. Mr. Dav-
idson was born in Volga, this county, on the 10th of November,
1874, and is a son of Thomas Marion Davidson and Margaret E.
(Wickham) Davidson, both of whom were born and reared in the
State of Ohio and the marriage of whom was solemnized January
25, 1864, at which time the young husband was still in service as a
gallant soldier of the Union in the Civil war. Thomas M. Davidson
arrived in Clayton county, Iowa, on the 25th of October, 1856, and
established his residence on a farm near Volga, thus becoming a
resident of the county in the pioneer epoch of its history and hav-
ing here maintained his home for half a century. When the Civil
war was precipitated he subordinated all other interests to tender
his aid in defense of the Union. He enlisted in Company F, Six-
teenth United States Infantry, with which he proceeded to the
front and entered upon his strenuous career as a soldier. While
with a supply train en route between Bowling Green, Kentucky,
and Nashville, Tennessee, he was taken prisoner by a party of
Morgan's historic raiders, but was paroled three hours later. His
exchange effected, he continued in active service during three years
of the great internecine conflict, the last year having found him as-
signed to the position of duty sergeant and his honorable discharge
having been received on the 12th of November, 1864. He took
part in numerous engagements, including the memorable battle
of Shiloh, and proved himself a leal and loyal soldier of the nation,
his continued interest in his old comrades having in later years
been signified by his appreciative affiliation with the Grand Army
of the Republic. After the close of his military career Mr. David-
son returned to Clayton county and here he applied himself finally
to the diligent study that prepared him for the legal profession,
his admission to the bar having occurred in 1878, since which time
he has continued in the active practice of his profession, with high
standing as an able trial lawyer and well fortified counselor, and
BIOGRAPHICAL 8l
with secure vantage ground as one of the leading members of the
bar of Clayton county, where he has appeared in connection with
much important litigation during the long period of nearly forty
years that have recorded his successful labors in his chosen pro-
fession. In 1896 he was elected county attorney, and of this office
he continued the incumbent eight years, his administration having
been marked by efficiency and having added materially to his pro-
fessional precedence. His political allegiance is given to the Re-
publican party and he has been influential in its councils and cam-
paign activities in Clayton county for many years. He and his
wife became the parents of four children, the first two being twins,
one of whom died at birth, the other twin, Elmer E., dying at Polk
City at the age of 9 years. Margaret A. is the wife of Rev. Robert
C. Lusk, who is a clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church
and who holds, in 1916, a pastoral charge at Marble Rock, Floyd
county, this state; and Wilmer W., immediate subject of this re-
view, is the youngest of the children. Wilmer W. Davidson con-
tinued his studies in the public schools of his native county until
he had completed the curriculum of the Elkader high school, and
within a short time after his graduation he entered the law de-
partment of Drake University, in the city of Des Moines, in which
institution he was graduated as a member of the class of 1901,
and from which he received the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He
was forthwith admitted to the bar of his native state, and has been
actively associated with his father in general practice since that
time, with assured and well-proved reputation, both as a resource-
ful advocate and conservative counselor. His political support is
given unreservedly to the Republican party, and no better voucher
for his personal popularity can be found than in his incumbency
of the office of mayor of Elkader, to which important municipal
position he was elected for the second term in the spring of 1916
and in which he is giving, at the time of this writing, a most pro-
gressive and satisfactory administration. Both he and his father
hold membership in the Clayton County Bar Association, and in
Elkader he is affiliated with Elkader Lodge, No. 72, Ancient Free
& Accepted Masons, as well as with the adjunct chapter of the
Order of the Eastern Star, and of the De Molay Consistory No. 1,
also with the local camp of the Modern Woodmen of America and
the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. In November, 1901, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Davidson to Miss Mollie Beer,
who likewise was born and reared in this county and who is a
daughter of Christian and Marie (Schori) Beer, the former of whom
is deceased and the latter of whom still maintains her home in
this county. Mr. and Mrs. Davidson have a winsome little daugh-
ter, Ruth Marie, who was born April 6, 1911. ,
G. Walter Davies is a scion of the third generation of the
Davies family in Clayton county and the name which he bears was
not only one of prominence and influence in connection with the
early stages of development and progress in the county but has
also continued to exert distinctive force in the furthering of the
civic and industrial prosperity of this favored section of the State,
82 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
with long and effective association with the basic enterprise of ag-
riculture. He whose name initiates this paragraph is one of the
representative farmers of Mendon township, known for his energy,
progressiveness and good judgment in connection with business
affairs and his loyalty to the duties and responsibilities of citizen-
ship, so that it is but in natural sequence that to him goes forth
the full tide of popular confidence and good will in the county that
has ever been his home and in which he has found ample oppor-
tunity for effective achievement. Mr. Davies was born in Mendon
township, this county, on the 6th of January, 1873, and is a son of
Thomas M. and Louisa (West) Davies, the former of whom was
born in Cumberlandshire, in the extreme northwestern part of Eng-
land, on the 24th of September, 1842, and the latter of whom was
born at Waukesha, Wisconsin. Thomas M. Davies was a lad of
about ten years when he accompanied his parents on their removal
from England to America, in 1852, and his father, Lewis Davies,
became one of the pioneer settlers at McGregor, Clayton county,
Iowa, in the vicinity of which now vigorous little city he obtained
a tract of land and instituted the reclamation of a farm, both he
and his wife having passed the residue of their lives on this old
homestead. Thomas M. Davies gained his elementary education
In his native land and supplemented this by attending the schools
of McGregor. He continued to be associated with the operations
of the home farm until there came to him the opportunity to pay
the highest possible tribute of loyalty to his adopted country. With
the outbreak of the Civil war he subordinated all else to go forth
in defense of the Union. He enlisted in Company B, Fourth Iowa
Volunteer Infantry, with which he served as a gallant but youthful
soldier until some time after the expiration of his term of enlist-
ment. He was at the front with his command for a period of ten
months and then received his honorable discharge, his continued
interest in his old comrades in arms being indicated by his active
affiliation with the post of the Grand Army of the Republic at
McGregor, where he is now living virtually retired. After his
return to Clayton county Mr. Davies engaged in farming on his
own responsibility. In Mendon township he purchased a quarter
section of fertile land, and there he continued his successful enter-
prise as an industrious and discriminating agriculturist and stock-
grower until advancing years and generous prosperity justified his
retirement from the heavy labors and responsibilities that had so
long been his portion. He is aligned as a stalwart supporter of
the cause of the Republican party, to which he has paid allegiance
from the time of attaining to his legal majority, and both he and
his wife hold membership in the Congregational church at Mc-
Gregor. Of their children the subject of this review is the eldest;
William is deceased ; Birdie is the wife of Melvin Robbins, of this
county; and Lillian and Harry remain at the parental home. G.
Walter Davies gained his early education in the excellent schools
of Mendon township and there continued to assist in the work and
management of his father's farm until he had reached his legal
majority. After being employed thereafter as a farm hand for one
BIOGIL\PHICAL 83
year he initiated independent activities as a farmer, his operations
being continued on rented land in his native township until 1901,
when he purchased his present homestead place, his original pur-
chase having been of one hundred and fifty-four acres, to which he
has since added an adjoining tract of forty-six acres. Thrift and
indomitable energy have been exemplified by Mr. Davies in his
farming operations and he has achieved independent and substan-
tial prosperity through his well-ordered endeavors, his excellent
farm being devoted to diversified agriculture and the raising of ap-
proved grades of live stock. Mr. Davies was reared in the faith of
the Republican party and such have been his personal convictions
that he has never wavered in his allegiance to this staunch organ-
ization and his confidence in its ultimate return to supremacy in
national aflfairs has not waned in the least. His progressiveness and
public spirit have been shown in loyal support of community inter-
ests and in according co-operation in the furtherance of enterprises
advanced for the general good of his native county and State. He
is, in 1916, president of the Mendon Township Farmers' Institute,
an office of which he has been the incumbent for two years, and
prior to assuming this position he had served one year as vice-
president. He has served since 1912 as school director of his dis-
trict, and both he and his wife are zealous members of the Con-
gregational church at McGregor. September 14, 1898, recorded the
marriage of Mr. Davies to Miss Elma Haymond, daughter of George
and Catherine (Doak) Haymond, of Winterset, Madison county.
Mr. and Mrs. Davies have no children.
Thomas M. Davies. — That within the pages of this history
of Clayton county it has been found possible to accord specific rec-
ognition to a goodly percentage of the sturdy and enterprising yeo-
men who are influential and honored exponents of the agricultural
interests of this section of the State, can not but add greatly to the
consistency and value of the publication, for Clayton is essentially
an agricultural county, with resources and advantages not to be
excelled, with the logical result that the great basic industry con-
stitutes the nucleus around which has been evolved the general
prosperity that now marks this favored section of the Hawkeye
commonwealth. Though Thomas M. Davies is to be considered
as one of the older but still active and influential representatives
of agricultural and live-stock industry in Clayton county, it is spe-
cially interesting to record that he has been a resident of the county
from early youth and is a scion of one of its honored pioneer fam-
ilies, besides which is his enduring distinction for having been one
of the loyal and valiant young men who went forth from Iowa to
serve as soldiers of the Union in the Civil war. He resides upon
and gives his personal supervision to his well improved farm of
one hundred and sixty acres, which is eligibly situated in Mendon
township, at a point within about four and one-half miles of
the thriving little city of McGregor, from which place he receives
service on rural mail route number One. Mr. Davies was born
in Cumberlandshire, England, on the 25th of September, 1842,
and thus was a lad of about ten at the time of the family
84 ' MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
immigration to the United States, in 1853. He is a son of
Lewis and Mary Anne (Michell) Davies, the former a native of
Montgomeryshire and the latter of Cumberlandshire, England. In
his native land the father continued to follow the vocation of miner
until 1853, when he came with his family to America and numbered
himself among the pioneers of Iowa. After remaining for a brief
period in Dubuque he came to the wilds of Clayton county and
obtained a tract of land in what is now Giard township. Here he
reclaimed and developed a productive farm, and on this pioneer
homestead he and his noble wife passed the remainder of their lives
in peace and prosperity and in the inviolable esteem of all who
knew them. Both were communicants of the Church of England
and after coming to the United States they continued in the same
faith, here defined as that of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
Lewis Davies contributed his quota to the civic and material de-
velopment and progress of Clayton county, was a man of strong
mentality and sterling character and took deep interest in the com-
munal welfare, his political support having been given to the cause
of the Republican party. Of the children of this honored pioneer
John, the first-born, went forth as a soldier of the Union when the
integrity of the nation was jeopardized by armed rebellion, and
he sacrificed his life in a righteous cause, as he was killed in the
battle of Vicksburg; Thomas M., subject of this review, was the
second child; Daniel maintains his residence at McGregor, this
county; William is deceased; James is a prosperous farmer in
Giard township; Lewis resides in the vicinity of the city of Spo-
kane, Washington; George is a resident of the State of Idaho;
Sarah is deceased; Mary is the widow of Jacob Heffner and
maintains her home at Stillwater, Minnesota ; and Richard remains
in Clayton county, as one of the representative farmers of Mendoii
township. Thomas M. Davies gained his early education in his
native land and after the family home had been established in
Clayton county he continued to attend the pioneer schools when
opportunity offered, but in the meanwhile found definite requisi-
tion for his services in connection with the development and gen-
eral operations of his father's farm. Such was his association when
the Civil war was precipitated, and in 1864, within a short time
after attaining to his legal majority, he enlisted as a private in
Company B, Fourth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with which he served
faithfully and gallantly until the close of the war, with a record
of having been one of the boys in blue who took part in Sherman's
ever memorable march from Atlanta to the sea. He participated
in numerous engagements and effectually proved his loyalty to
the nation to which he has paid appreciative allegiance since his
boyhood. For two years after the close of the war Mr. Davies
rented his father's farm, and he then purchased eighty acres of
his present homestead, to which he later added an adjoining eighty
acres, so that he is now the owner of a well-improved farm of one
hundred and sixty acres, the general appearance of which breathes
of unmistakable thrift and prosperity and indicates the progressive
policies and methods which the owner has brought to bear. The
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BIOGRAPHICAL S$
excellent buildings on the place have been erected by Mr. Davies,
and the greater part of other permanent improvements have been
wrought under his effective supervision. Well-earned prosperity
and comfort are his, and now, in the gracious twilight of a well-
spent life, he may feel that his lines have been cast in pleasant
places. He has never sought public office but has loyally supported
the measures and enterprises that have tended to foster the general
welfare of the community and has not faltered in allegiance to the
Republican party. He was reared in the faith of the Church of
England, as was also his wife, but both have been for many years
earnest members of the Congregational Church at McGregor. In
that attractive little city is maintained also his affiliation with the
post of the Grand Army of the Republic, through the medium of
which he vitalizes the more gracious associations and memories of
his military career. On the 4th of March, 1873, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Davies to Miss Louisa West, who was born near
Madison, the beautiful capital city of Wisconsin, and the date of
whose nativity was March 12, 1849, Mrs. Davies was the first-
born of a family of six children, all of whom are still living except
the second, Mozella. Jeanette is the wife of Charles Weston and
they reside in the State of Oklahoma; George was the next in
order of birth; Albert maintains his home in Oklahoma, and Ed-
ward resides at Clermont, Fayette county, Iowa. George and
Louisa (Webb) West, the parents of Mrs. Davies, were natives re-
spectively of England and Paris, France, and their marriage was
solemnized in the city of London. They came to the United States
in 1848 and became pioneers of Wisconsin, where they remained
until their removal to Clayton county, Iowa. Here Mr. West se-
cured a tract of land and began the development of a farm, this
homestead having continued as his place of residence until his
death, which occurred December 29, 1864. He was a Republican
in politics, served as township clerk in the earlier period of Clayton
county history, and both he and his wife were communicants of
the Church of England. Mrs. West long survived her honored
husband and passed the closing period of her life in the home of
her daughter, Mrs. Davies, where she was summoned to eternal
rest on the 25th of July, 1896, venerable in years and loved by all
who had come within the compass of her gentle influence. All of
the children of Mr. and Mrs. Davies are living with the exception
of the second, William L., who is deceased ; Walter is a successful
representative of agricultural enterprise in Mendon township;
Birdie is the wife of M. J. Robbins, of the same township ; Lillie
G., who was married Sept. 4, 1916, to C. G. Messinger, of Fonda,
la. ; and Harry T., who remains at the parental home.
Francis T. Davis has been a resident of Clayton county for
nearly half a century, has here exerted his energies effectively
along normal lines of industrial and business enterprise and for
nearly a quarter of a century he and his wife have maintained
their home on their splendid farm of four hundred and eighty
acres, in Section 5, Sperry township. Their first domicile on this
now finely improved estate was a log house of the true pioneer
type, and their present commodious and modern residence is an
86 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
ideal home in which they are enjoying peace and prosperity as the
shadows of their lives begin to lengthen from the golden west.
Mr. Davis claims the old Empire state as the place of his nativity,
was about twenty years of age at the time when he accompanied
his parents to Minnesota, from which state he soon afterward went
forth as a Union soldier in the Civil war, after the close of which
he came to Clayton county, Iowa, where he has maintained his
home during the long intervening years that have crowned his
labors with large and well-merited success. Mr. Davis was born
in the city of Utica, New York, on the 7th of July, 1840, and in
the schools of his native state he gained his early educational
training. He is a son of Josiah and Emily (Wadsworth) Davis,
the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Connecticut,
and in 1861 he accompanied his parents on their immigration to
Minnesota, where they became pioneer settlers on a farm near
Winona, and where his honored father and mother passed the re-
mainder of their lives. Of their six children only two are now liv-
ing. Soon after the family home had been established in Minne-
sota the Civil war was precipitated, and Francis T. Davis forth-
with manifested his youthful patriotism by enlisting in Company I,
Eleventh Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, in which he was made
corporal of his company. Corporal Davis proved a loyal and val-
iant soldier and his active service as such covered a period of one
year, at the expiration of which he was mustered out and accorded
an honorable discharge. In later years he has vitalized the mem-
ories and association of his military career by maintaining affilia-
tion with the Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. Davis was mustered
out in the city of St. Paul and thereafter he was employed in a
flour mill in Minnesota until 1868, when he came to Clayton county
and assumed a position as a skilled miller in the only flour and
grist mill that was then operated at Elkader, the county seat. There
he continued his services in this capacity for a period of fourteen
years, at the expiration of which he and his wife purchased and
removed to their present farm, which has been their home during
the years that have since clasped. Mr. Davis has always given
unqualified allegiance to the Republican party, has been loyal and
public-spirited as a citizen, but has had no ambition for public
office, though he served a number of years as a member of the
school board of his district. His wife holds membership in the
Baptist church, and prior to her marriage Mrs. Davis had been a
successful and popular teacher in the schools of Clayton county,
the fine farm on which she noAv lives having been the old home-
stead of her parents. On Oct. 23d, 1871, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Davis to Miss H. Eliza Cummings, who was born in
Vermillion county, Illinois, and who is a daughter of Frederick G.
and Sophia (Douglas) Cummings. both natives of the state of
Maine and representatives of sterling families that were founded
in New England in the colonial period of our national history. The
parents of Mrs. Davis became pioneer settlers in Vermillion county,
Illinois, where they established their home about the year 1838
and where they remained four years. For the ensuing four years
BIOGRAPHICAL 87
they continued their pioneer experience in the state of Wisconsin,
and they then came to Clayton county, Iowa, and settled on the
pioneer farm which has been developed into the splendid modem
homestead now owned and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Davis. Here
the parents passed the residue of their lives, and of their seven
children four are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Davis became the par-
ents of three children, of whom the youngest, Edwin W., died at
the age of six years; Frederick now has the active management
of the old homestead farm, is married and has two children ; Jen-
nie is the wife of Thomas A. Kitterman, of this county, and they
have three children.
Edmund De Graw, was born in Ontario, Canada, August 16,
1847, but came to Clayton county, Iowa, at the very early age of
four years, with his parents, Asa and Mary (Ferguson) De Graw,
both natives of the Old Dominion. They made the long and toil-
some journey overland, driving a team of horses from Canada to
McGregor, Iowa, thence to Monona, Clayton county, arriving here
in 1851, where they settled upon the farm that was their home
until the close of their lives. They were the parents of two chil-
dren, Edmund, the subject of this review, and Alvina, the wife of
William Smith, residing in Hardin, Iowa. Mr. De Graw dutifully
cared for his parents during their lives, but after their deaths he
sold the old homestead and came to Monona, Iowa, where he
bought the place he now owns, and upon which he is profitably
engaged in general farming and stock raising. He married Miss
Ella Butts, a native of Pennsylvania, and the daughter of Andrew
J. and Eliza (De Force) Butts. Mr. Butts was a native of New
York state, but his father, Samuel Butts, removed to Iowa, where
he resided until his death in Fayette county. He responded to the
call of his country in the Civil War, and served in Company F of
the Sixth Iowa Cavalry. Mrs. De Graw was the eldest of six chil-
dren born to her parents, of whom she and her sister Anna, the
wife of William Skepreth, of Omaha, Nebraska, are the only two
living. Forand, Carrie, Lola, and Minnie have all been taken by
death. Mr. and Mrs. De Graw have been blessed with ten chil-
dren, all of whom are living: Edith, the wife of Mr. Clark Bothel,
of Malcolm, Iowa; Ernest, of Cedar Falls; Earl, of Waukon ; Ross,
of Monona ; Grace, now Mrs. Charles Bothel, of Madison, South
Dakota ; Ethel, the wife of W. N. Carr, of Malcolm, Iowa ; Glenn,
residing with his parents ; Hazel, the wife of Mathew Wiley, of
Montezuma, Iowa ; Cleo, wife of Asa Briar, of Waukon ; and Lyal,
living at home. Mr. De Graw is a Republican in politics, and is a
member of the Methodist church.
Joseph Desotel is consistently to be accorded recognition as
one of the progressive representatives of agricultural and live-stock
industry in Clayton county, and his operations are carried forward
on his well-improved farm in his native township of Millville, where
his father established a home nearly seventy years ago, so that the
family nam.e has been identified with the civic and industrial his-
tory of the county since the early pioneer days. Joseph Desotel,
Jr., the immediate subject of this review, was born in Millville
88 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
township on the 6th of April, 1874, and is a son of Joseph and
Mary (DeBruiette) Desotel, both representatives of sterling old
French families that were founded in the Dominion of Canada gen-
erations ago. The parents were born and reared in Montreal,
Canada, and the father came to Clayton county, Iowa, about 1840.
He purchased land in what is now Millville township, became one
of the earliest settlers of that part of the county and there reclaimed
and developed a productive farm. About two years prior to his
death he removed to the village of Guttenberg, where he passed
the remainder of his life in well-earned retirement and where he
died in the year 1906, his wife passing away soon after and both
having been earnest communicants of the Catholic church. Mr.
Desotel was a staunch supporter of the cause of the Democratic
party and served for some time as township trustee. Of the chil-
dren the eldest is Lena, who is the wife of William Kiefer, their
home being in the city of Chicago; Lucy is the wife of George
Blodgett; Amelia is the wife of Jacob Franks, of Colesburg, Iowa;
Louise is deceased ; Louis is a resident of Guttenberg, this county ;
Maxim is deceased, the subject of this sketch having been the next
in order of birth and the eighth child, Josephine, being deceased;
August resides at Colesburg, William at Turkey River, John at
Muscatine, George at Guttenberg, and Mary in the city of Du-
buque ; Elizabeth is the wife of Charles LaPage ; Emma is also
married ; Nellie is the wife of Daniel McMullen, of Dubuque ; and
Edward resides at Guttenberg. Joseph Desotel, Jr., gained his
early education in the schools at Turkey River and continued his
association with the work of the home farm until he had attained
to the age of twenty-two years, when he rented a farm and ini-
tiated his independent career as an agriculturist and stock-grower.
Finally he purchased his present excellent farm, which comprises
eighty acres and which is eligibly situated in Millville township, on
rural mail route No. 2 from the village of Guttenberg. With marked
energy and progressiveness he is giving special attention to stock-
farming, and is a successful breeder and grower of Durham and
Galloway cattle and Poland-China swine. He is a Republican in
politics and both he and his wife are members of the Lutheran
church. On the 16th of February, 1897, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Desotel to Miss Emma Timm, who was born in Mill-
ville township, on the 3d of October, 1874, and who is a daughter
of Christ and Mary (Kieckbush) Timm, who were born in Ger-
many and who became pioneer settlers in Clayton county. The
father died on his homestead farm in Millville township and his
widow now resides at Guttenberg. He was a Republican in his
political adherency and was a lifelong communicant of the Lutheran
church, as has been also his venerable widow. Mr. and Mrs. Deso-
tel have five children: Charles, Emil, Otto, Hilda and Marie.
Henry H. Diers, owner and progressive manager of the fine
landed estate known as the Center Valley Stock Farm, in Section
4, Read Township, specially merits recognition in this history of
his native county, for he is a member of one of its sterling pioneer
families, is known as one of the representative agriculturists and
THE NEW yoak
PUftLIC LIBKA&Y
AOTUt, ULN9X AND
TOjUSm PUUNDATlUNfl
I L
MAETIX DITTMEE
BIOGRAPHICAL 89
prominent stockgrowers of the county, and has the distinction of
owning and residing upon the old homestead farm on which his
birth occurred November 20, 1873. He is a son of Frederick W.
and Margaret (Schneider) Diers, who were born in Germany but
who were children at the time of the immigration of the respective
families to the United States. They are now honored pioneer
citizens of Clayton county and reside on the old home place, and
of their children four are living. They are Henry H., Mrs. Dr.
W. A. Miller, of Elkader; Mrs. Frieda Hagensich, of Reed town-
ship; Alma, at home. They lost two children, Emma, who died,
aged 3 years, and one who died in infancy. Henry H. Diers prof-
ited by the advantages afforded in the public schools of his native
city, including the high school at Elkader, and his activities of a
practical order have always been in connection with the operations
of the well improved homestead which he now owns, the property
having been rented by him from his father for several years after
his marriage, which occurred in 1900. Some years after he had
thus assumed connubial responsibilities he purchased the property,
which comprises two hundred and eighty acres and which consti-
tutes one of the model landed estates of Clayton county. Mr. Diers
is giving special and successful attention to the breeding and rais-
ing of thoroughbred shorthorn cattle and registered Poland-China
and Duroc-Jersey swine, fine specimens of each of which he has
for sale for breeding and general farm purposes at all times. He
has been for twenty years the efficient and valued secretary of the
school board of his district, is a member of the directorate of the
St. Olaf Savings Bank, the Farmersburg & St. Olaf Creamery Com-
pany, and the Poland-China & Duroc Swine Association, and is
significantly to be designated as one of the most progressive and
loyal citizens of Read township. His political allegiance is given
to the Republican party and both he and his wife are communicants
of the Lutheran church. In 1900 was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Diers to Miss Emelie Best, who was born in Read township
and who is one of the six children, all living, of William and Minnie
(Schmidt) Best, who were children when they accompanied their
parents to America from Germany and who early became residents
of Clayton county. Mr. Best is still one of the representative farm-
ers of Read township and his devoted wife passed to the life eternal
in the year 1913. Mr. and Mrs. Diers have two children, Alice M.,
who was born April 1, 1901, and Willis F., who was born June 2,
1903.
Gustav Dittmer, Jr., is a representative of well known pioneer
families of Clayton county, where he was born, in Jefferson town-
ship, on the 1st of February, 1879, and he now maintains his home
in the progressive little city of Guttenberg, where he controls a
prosperous business as a carpenter and builder. He is a son of
Martin and Carolina (Aulwes) Dittmer, the former of whom was
born in Germany and the latter in Clayton county, where her par-
ents established a home in the pioneer days and soon after their
emigration from Germany. Martin Dittmer was a young man
when he came to Clayton county, in 1850, and in Jefferson town-
90 t MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
ship he obtained a tract of land and developed one of the valu-
able farms of the county. He was one of the successful farmers
and honored citizens of Jefferson township at the time of his
death, on the 12th of May, 1914, and his venerable widow now
maintains her home at Guttenberg. Martin Dittmar became well
known for his musical ability, and as a cornet player he was iden-
tified with one of the excellent bands early organized in Clayton
county. He gave his political support to the Republican party,
was influential in community affairs in his township and was an
earnest communicant of the Lutheran church, as is also his widow.
Of their children the eldest two, Henry and William, now reside
at Ireton, Sioux county; the subject of this sketch was the third
child ; and the youngest, Augusta, is the wife of John Rademacher,
of Guttenberg. Gustav Dittmer, Jr., was reared to adult age on
the home farm, made good use of the advantages afforded in the
public schools and from 1902 until 1912 he had the active manage-
ment of the home farm. He then removed to Guttenberg, where
he purchased a good residence property, and where he has since
given his attention vigorously and successfully to work at the car-
penter's trade and where he has become one of the representative
contractors and builders of this part of the county. He is now
serving as assessor of Guttenberg, la., and is the incumbent also
of the office of constable. His political allegiance is given unre-
servedly to the Republican party, and while still on the farm he
served two terms as trustee of his native township. He is the
owner of a well improved farm in Sioux county, Iowa. Both he
and his wife are communicants and liberal supporters of the Lu-
theran church at Guttenberg. November 12, 1902, recorded the
marriage of Mr. Dittmer to Miss Clara Fredelake, who was born
and reared at Guttenberg, and whose parents, Henry and Salina
(Voss) Fredelake, still maintain their home in this village, the
father being in the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul
Railroad. Mr. Fredelake was born in Germany and his wife in
Clayton county, where her parents settled in the pioneer days. Con-
cerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Fredelake, brief record may
consistently be entered at this juncture: Anna is the wife of Will-
iam Dittman, of Ireton, Sioux county; Mary is the wife of Benjamin
Aulwes, of Guttenberg; the wife of the subject of this sketch was
the next in order of birth ; George resides at Guttenberg and John
at Madison, Wisconsin ; Augusta is the wife of John Cassatt, of
Guttenberg, in which village also reside Henry and Otto; Hilda is
the wife of Albert Reed, of Gregory, Missouri; and Elsie remains
at the parental home. Mr. and Mrs. Dittmer have two children
— Leslie John and Dorothy Caroline Marie.
Herman Dittmer is to be considered specially favored in the
status that is his as the owner of one of the splendidly improved
landed estates of his native county and further prestige is his by
reason of his being the owner of the farm, in Section 30, Cox Creek
township, where he was born, on the 4th of January, 1865, and
where he has continued his activities as an agriculturist and stock-
grower from his youth to the present time. He is one of the lead-
BIOGRAPHICAL 91
ing exponents of these basic lines of industrial enterprise in his
native township and county and is a wide-awake, broad-minded
and progressive citizen who well merits consideration in this his-
tory. Mr. Dittmer is a son of Peter and Magdalena (Banke) Ditt-
mer, who were born in Germany and who became residents of Clay-
ton county in the early '60s. The father became one of the most
enterprising and successful farmers of Cox Creek township, con-
tributed his quota to the civic and material advancement of the
county and commanded secure place in the confidence and esteem
of all who knew him. He remained on his old homestead farm
until his death, at the age of 75 years, and here his venerable widow
still resides, in the midst of the hallowed memories and associa-
tions of the past. She is a devout communicant of the German
Lutheran church, as was also her husband, and the latter was a
Democrat in his political proclivities. Of their children, the first-
born was Annie, who died in young womanhood ; Lizzie is the wife
of Jacob Stemmer, of Elkader; Martin is deceased; Mary is the
wife of Adolph Elvers, of this county ; and Herman, of this review,
who is the owner of the old homestead, where his loved mother
remains with him and is accorded the deepest filial solicitude. The
district schools afiforded to Herman Dittmer his early educational
advantages and his long and effective association with the work
and management of the home farm have made him doubly appre-
ciative of its value and its manifold attractions. His landed estate
now comprises four hundred and seventy acres of fertile land, in
Section 30, Cox Creek township, and the residence, a substantial
and commodious stone building, is one of the fine rural homes of
the county. All improvements on the place are of the best order
and the most approved of modern machinery, implements and other
accessories are used in carrying forward operations in general agri-
culture and the raising of the best grades of live stock. Mr. Ditt-
mer has served as trustee of his native township, is a stalwart
supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, is affiliated with
the Modern Woodmen of America and both he and his wife hold
membership in the German Lutheran church, their attractive home
receiving service on rural mail route No. 3 from the village of
Strawberry Point. In 1894 was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Dittmar to Miss Clara Meder, who is a representative of one of
the honored and influential families of Clayton county, adequate
record of the family history being given on other pages, in the
sketch of the career of her father, Henry Meder. Mr. and Mrs.
Dittmer have three children, all of whom remain at the parental
home — Arthur, Irene and Floyd.
Walter C. Dittmer, a native lowan, was born in Elkader, Iowa,
Feb. 14, 1890. His father was a well known citizen and an earnest
and worthy endeavor to give to the world the best that was in him
marked the course of his life. He was born on the 19th of Janu-
ary, 1858, in Hamburg, Germany, the son of Peter and Magdalena
Dittmer. When a boy of three years he came with his parents to
America and settled in Clayton county. After the family had lived
several years near Communia, they purchased a farm in Cox Creek
92 ' MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
township, which is now owned by Herman Dittmer, with whom
the aged mother makes her home. When a young man Martin
Dittmer came to Elkader and engaged in the lumber business with
his brother-in-law, Jacob Stemmer. About 1896 they disposed of
this business and started in the implement business under the title
of Stemmer & Dittmer. Later Mr. Dittmer bought his partner's
interest and took into partnership Mr. Stallman, under the firm
name of Dittmer & Stallman. In 1911 Walter Dittmer was taken
into the firm and an atitomobile agency was added to the business,
dealing in the Studebaker and Velie machines, and meeting with
a splendid measure of success. On September 14th, 1881, Martin
Dittmer was united in matrimony with Katherine Dohrer of Clay-
ton county, and they were the parents of three children : Walter,
26 years of age ; Florence, who died when 5 years of age, and Roy,
16 years. Martin Dittmer took an active interest in the affairs of
the community, and for seven years, from 1904 to 1911, was sheriff
of Clayton county, in which capacity he served the people faithfully
and conscientiously. He was a member of the school board at
the time of his death, which occurred November 14, 1914. The
funeral services were conducted by Elkader Lodge, No. 72, A, F.
and A. M., of which he was an esteemed member. The Register
& Argus, under date of November 19, 1914, said, "The great man
of Elkader has fallen ; the good man has been called from out of
our midst. A shadow of gloom is cast not only on home and fam-
ily but over our entire community. Not that death is unfamiliar
to our minds, for every day death is exerting his solemn power
upon the race of man, but there are instances where it is impressed
more vividly on our minds and where it calls forth a profounder
sentiment of sorrow. This is true today when we stand with
bowed heads and throbbing hearts beside the last earthly remains
of a beloved husband, father, brother, son, relative, friend and citi-
zen, Martin Dittmer." Walter Dittmer received his education in
the grade and high schools of his native town, and in a commer-
cial college of Decorah, Iowa, completing his course in that insti-
tution in 1911, when he returned to Elkader to join his father in
the implement business, as noted above. He is independent in
politics and a member of the Masonic order.
Gilbert S. Donaldson stands forth as one of the most pro-
gressive and influential citizens and business men of the thriving
village of McGregor, where he is the owner and operator of the
well-equipped electric light and power plant that gives the best
of service to the community. He has broad and accurate knowl-
edge concerning applied electricity and was formerly associated
with his father in the control of the plant of which he is now the
sole owner, his residence at McGregor dating from the year 1902.
Mr. Donaldson was born in New Jersey on the 5th of April, 1878,
and his parents, Gilbert and Annie (Berryman) Donaldson, were
born and reared in the State of New York. He whose name ini-
tiates this article was about 2 years of age at the time of the family
removal to Minnesota, and there the devoted wife and mother was
summoned to eternal rest on the 8th of September, 1888, the sub-
BIOGRAPHICAL 93
ject of this sketch being the eldest in a family of six children: Will-
iam, the second son, is a resident of the city of Minneapolis ; Lloyd
maintains his home at Boise, Idaho; Jean is the wife of Professor
George L. Martin, who is a member of the faculty of the University
of Montana, at Bozeman ; Jessie likewise is a resident of Bozeman,
and Annie died in infancy. Gilbert Donaldson became prominently
identified with business activities in Minnesota, where he continued
his residence until 1902, when he came to Clayton county, Iowa,
and became associated with his son, Gilbert S., in the ownership of
the electric light and power plant at McGregor. Here he continued
to maintain his home until 1909, when he sold his interest in the
plant and business to his son and removed to the city of Boise,
Idaho, where he now maintains his home. Gilbert S. Donaldson
profited fully from the advantages afforded in the public schools
of Minnesota and after his graduation in the Minneapolis high
school he was for three years a student in the University of Minne-
sota. He then obtained a position in the employ of an electric
manufacturing company of Minneapolis, with which he continued
his association five years. He gained excellent experience in con-
nection with practical electrical work and service, and after sever-
ing his association with the company mentioned he went to the
city of Cincinnati, Ohio, where he remained for one year in the
employ of the Bullock Electric Manufacturing Company. At the
expiration of this period he came to McGregor, Iowa, where he
formed a partnership association with his father in the ownership
of the local electric light and power plant, of which he has been
the sole owner since 1909, as previously stated, and the service of
which he keeps up to the best modern standard. He is a loyal and
public-spirited citizen, is a Republican in his political allegiance,
and both he and his wife hold membership in the Congregational
church. On the 10th of December, 1910, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Donaldson to Miss Caroline Peterson, who was born
and reared at McGregor and who is a daughter of S. J. and Stella
(Ramage) Peterson. Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson have no children.
Rev. Thomas Dowling. — The great mother church of Christen-
dom finds effective representation in Clayton county in St. Mary's
Church at McGregor, of which Father Dowling was the revered and
zealous pastor. His consecration has been shown not only in con-
nection with the spiritual affairs of his parish, but also in his earnest
labors to advance its temporal welfare, and in addition to this he
stands forth as a broad-minded and public-spirited citizen who
commands the high regard of the entire community. A devoted
worker in the vineyard of the Divine Master, his labors have been
fruitful in goodly results and his prominence and influence in the
community life specially entitle him to representation in this his-
tory of Clayton county. Hard by the beautiful Lake Killarney, in
Kings county, Ireland, Father Thomas Dowling was born on the
1st of February, 1878, a son of James and Hannah (Slattery) Dow-
ling, both of whom were born and reared in that same district of
the fair Emerald Isle, where the venerable father still maintains
his home, the devoted wife and mother having passed to the life
94 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
eternal. Of the four children, Father Dowling of this review is the
only one in America, and was the second in order of birth. John
continues his residence in Kings county, Ireland, as do also Mar-
garet and Diana, the former of whom is the wife of John J. Barry,
and the latter of whom is the wife of O. Flaherty. In the common
schools near the old home in Ireland Rev. Thomas Dowling ac-
quired his rudimentary education, which was supplemented by his
attending in turn the intermediate and the university schools in
the seaport city of Tralee, in County Kerry. His higher academic
studies were prosecuted in a seminary at Killarney, and in prep-
aration for his high ecclesiastical functions he completed a thorough
philosophical and theological course in St. Patrick's College, at
Carlow, in which institution he was graduated as a member of the
class of 1901. On the 1st of June of that year he was ordained to
the priesthood, and within a short time thereafter he came to the
United States. In September, 1901, he became assistant pastor of
St. Patrick's Church in the city of Dubuque, Iowa, where he re-
mained until January 1, 1911, when he assumed pastoral charge, as
priest of St. Mary's parish at McGregor, where in his earnest and
devoted labors he retained the zealous co-operation of his parish-
ioners and the confidence and good will of the entire community.
The parish organization under Rev. Father Dowling was repre-
sented in about one hundred families, and its property, including
the church edifice, valued at about fifty thousand dollars. In con-
nection with the work of the church there were maintained effect-
ively the men's and the women's courts of the Catholic Order of
Foresters, the Altar Society, and the League of the Sacred Heart.
In the chapter in Volume 1 of this history, devoted to the work of
the Catholic church of Clayton county will be found a complete
history of this parish. Rev. Father Dowling was given charge at
McGregor, January 1, 1911, and for more than five years he devoted
himself with faithful diligence and well directed zeal to the spiritual
and material welfare of his church and parishioners, earning the
affection and esteem of all. It was with deep regret that the mem-
bers of his congregation and the entire citizenship parted with him
upon his transfer to the church at Eldora, Iowa, in the early months
of 1916.
John W. Downie. — In connection with the various personal
sketches appearing in this history it is most pleasing to note the
large percentage of native sons of Clayton county who have here
been born and reared under the sturdy discipline of the farm, who
have continued to pay loyal allegiance to the fundamental art and
industry of agriculture, and who stand forth as substantial farmers
and stockgrowers of this opulent section of the Hawkeye State.
Such an one is Mr. Downie, who is a representative of a well known
and highly esteemed family of this county and whose prestige as
a farmer bases its claims on his ownership and individual manage-
ment of a fine landed estate of 212 acres in Boardman township,
the improvements on the place and its general air of thrift making
it one of the model farms of the county. On the homestead farm
which is now his place of abode John W. Downie was born on the
BIOGRAPHICAL 95
2d of February, 1878, and he is a son of John and Ruth (Williams)
Downie, the former of whom was born in the Dominion of Canada,
of staunch Scottish lineage, and the latter of whom was born at
Lockport, New York. John Downie was a man of strong intel-
lectual powers and of mature judgment, with energy and resource-
fulness in connection with business and imbued with those sterling
attributes of character that ever beget objective confidence and
good will. In his youth he became skilled as a surveyor and upon
coming to Clayton county, Iowa, about the year 1841, he not only
found much demand for his interposition along this important line
of civil engineering work, but also made judicious investments in
land, with the result that he eventually accumulated the large and
valuable estate now represented in the fine farm owned and oper-
ated by his son John W., of this review. On his farm he lived in
peace and plenty until the close of his life, his death having occurred
in 1884. The only child of his first marriage was Henry R., who
was a resident of Boardman township at the time of his death,
when about 55 years of age. John Downie exemplified in his
career the sturdy integrity and the business sagacity so typical
of those of Scottish ancestry, and no citizen of Clayton county
had more secure place in popular confidence and esteem. His po-
litical support was given to the Republican party and as a citizen
he was well qualified for not a little of leadership in popular senti-
ment and enterprise. Mrs. Ruth (Williams) Downie long survived
her honored husband and was 70 years of age at the time of her
death, which occurred on the 12th of March, 1903, on the old home-
stead farm which had long been her place of residence, and which
was endeared to her by many hallowed memories and associations.
Of the five children the eldest is Lillian, who is the wife of Samuel
D. Bergerson, of Berien Springs, Michigan ; Rose was 39 years of
age at the time of her death in 1903 ; Warren W. is now a resident
of Harrington, Washington ; Ray H. resides at Davenport, that
state ; and John W., of this review, is the youngest of the children
as well as the only representative of the immediate family in Clay-
ton county. To the public schools of this county John W. Downie
is indebted for his early education, and he remained on the home
farm until after the death of his mother and his sister Rose, both
of whom passed away in the year 1903, as noted in the preceding
paragraph. Thereafter he completed an efifective course in a busi-
ness college at La Crosse, Wisconsin, in which he was graduated
as a member of the class of 1906, and soon afterward he assumed
personal charge of the fine old homestead farm, to the supervision
of which he has since devoted himself with marked efficiency and
progressiveness, with the result that he stands forth as one of the
essentially representative agriculturists and stock raisers of his
native county, with secure place as a loyal and liberal citizen who
merits the unqualified esteem in which he is uniformly held. Mr.
Downie pays unfaltering allegiance to the Republican party and
is zealous in support of its cause, though he has never manifested
aught of ambition for public office. Both he and his wife attend
the Congregational church and are popular factors in the represen-
96 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
tative social life of the community ; the while their attractive home
is known for its generous hospitality and good cheer. On the 7th
of March, 1907, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Downie to
Miss Leona Hulverson, who likewise was born and reared in this
county and who is a daughter of Lars L. and Isabel (Thompson)
Hulverson, honored citizens of Boardman township. Mr. and Mrs.
Downie have a winsome little daughter, Marjorie Lillian, who was
born on the 5th of November, 1912.
Julius Duerst is proprietor and manager of the Franklin Hotel
at Strawberry Point and is proving himself a most successful and
popular hotel man in his native village, where he is maintaining his
hotel at such a standard as to gain the appreciative supporting pat-
ronage of the traveling public and also of the local trade. He was
born in the village that is now his home and the date of his nativity
was August 20, 1869. He is one of the six surviving children of
George and Mary (Brader) Duerst, who immigrated to America
from Germany in the early '50s and who established their home
in the city of Dubuque, Iowa, which then had little of metropolitan
pretensions. In 1855, they came to Clayton county and established
their residence at Strawberry Point, and here the father engaged
in the work of his trade, that of tinner. Later he turned his atten-
tion to the selling of agricultural implements and machinery, and
finally he became a traveling salesman for a wholesale shoe house.
After having made a successful record of several years in this
vocation he engaged in the general merchandise business at Straw-
berry Point, where he built up a prosperous enterprise and where
he continued his active association with the same until 1890, since
which time he has here lived virtually retired, his devoted wife
having passed to eternal rest in 1890 and both having become com-
municants of the Lutheran church before leaving their native land.
To the public schools of his native village Julius Duerst is indebted
for his early educational advantages, and here he was employed
as a salesman in mercantile establishments from his youth until
April 1, 1916, when he became proprietor of the Franklin Hotel,
to the management of which he and his wife have since given their
effective attention, their house being the best hotel in Strawberry
Point and receiving a substantial and profitable supporting patron-
age. Mr. Duerst has shown himself loyal and liberal as a citizen,
is a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party but
has never sought or held public office. He is affiliated with the
local lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, as well as
its adjunct organization, the Daughters of Rebekah, and holds
membership also in the Modern Woodmen of America and the
Brotherhood of American Yeomen. He and his wife hold mem-
bership in the Lutheran church. The year 1911 recorded the mar-
riage of Mr. Duerst to Mrs. Emma (Balufif) Brink, who was born
and reared in this county and who is a daughter of John and Mary
Jane (Nace) Baluif, both now deceased, the father having been a
boy at the time of his parents' immigration from Germany and his
wife having been born in Virginia. They became the parents of
four children, of whom three are living. Mr. and Mrs. Duerst have
BIOGRAPHICAL 97
no children but Mrs. Duerst has one son by her former marriage,
Bert Lee Brink, who is married and now resides in the city of
St. Paul, Minnesota.
Robert W. Duff, the popular incumbent of the office of post-
master at Volga, has been prominently concerned with civic, indus-
trial and general business activities in his native county, is a scion
of an honored pioneer family of Clayton county and in both the.
agnatic and distaflf lines traces his ancestry back to the staunchest
of Scotch origin. As an influential and loyal citizen who commands
unequivocal confidence and esteem in his native county, Mr. Duff
is well entitled to recognition in this history. He was born in
Highland township, this county, on the 3d of December, 1882, and
is a son of William and Cecelia (Probert) Duff, both natives of
Scotland. William Duff was a lad of ten years when he accom-
panied his parents on their immigration to America, and the family
home was established in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He
was a young man when he numbered himself among the pioneers
of Clayton county, where he settled in the early '50s and where he
became one of the prosperous and representative farmers of High-
land township. He was a man of superior mental gifts, was a citi-
zen whose aid and influence were given to those enterprises that
tended to conserve the social and material advancement of the
county, his political allegiance was given to the Democratic party
and he was an earnest member of the Presbyterian church, as is
also his widow, who now resides at Volga and who is one of the
loved pioneer women of the county. Mr. Duff met a tragic death,
being killed by a bull, this deplorable accident having occurred
January 17, 1899. Of the children the first-born was William, Jr.,
who died at the age of four years ; Nettie, the next born, lives with
her mother; Mayme is the wife of William Glasgow, of Garden
City, Kansas ; George is deceased ; John is a resident of Highland
township; Isabel remains with her widowed mother; Mary is the
wife of Arthur R. Kunzman, of Volga, and her twin brother, Albert,
resides at Volga, Iowa. Robert W. Duff was reared under the
sturdy discipline of the home farm and after profiting by the advan-
tages afforded in the public schools he continued his studies in a
college at Fayette and in Lenox College, at Hopkinton, this state,
in the normal department of which latter institution he was gradu-
ated as a member of the class of 1904. In the meanwhile he had
made an excellent record as a teacher in the schools of his home
county, and after his graduation he continued his services in the
pedagogic profession for seven terms. He then engaged in the
general merchandise business at Volga, and in connection therewith
developed a large and prosperous business in the buying and ship-
ping of live poultry for C. E. Lovett. He shipped most of the
poultry to New York City, and in connection with his operations
had occasion to make twenty-seven trips to the national metropolis.
In 1911 Mr. Duff was elected secretary and general manager of
the Farmers' Co-operative Commission & Creamery Company at
Volga, and to the duties of this dual office he gave his careful and
effective attention until the 1st of January, 1915, when he assumed
98 ' MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
his present office, that of postmaster of Volga, his appointment
having been made on the 17th of the preceding November. This
preferment in itself indicates that he has been influential as a Clay-
ton county representative of the Democratic party, and his admin-
istration in the office of postmaster has been marked by progres-
siveness and by tl^e bringing of the service up to the highest
possible standard. Both he and his wife hold membership in the
Presbyterian church. On the 2d of October, 1908, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Duff to Miss Augusta Brabandt, who likewise
was born and reared in Clayton county, and the one child of this
union is a fine son, Cecil W., who was born May 10, 1910.
William Duwe has been a resident of Clayton county since he
was a lad of about ten years, and he has maintained his home in
the county for more than sixty years, within which he has won for
himself distinctive independence and prosperity, shown himself
loyal and upright in all things and thus gained inviolable place in
popular confidence and good will. He is now living virtually re-
tired in the village of Clayton and is well entitled to representation
in this history. Mr. Duwe was born in Germany, on the 28th of
March, 1843, and is a son of George and Fredericka Duwe, who
immigrated to America in 1853 and established their home in the
pioneer German colony at Guttenberg, Clayton county. The mother
lived only three weeks after the arrival of the family in America,
and of her nine children five are now living. The father eventually
became one of the representative farmers of Clayton county, and
here his death occurred about the year 1875. William Duwe gained
his rudimentary education in his native land and after the coming
of the family to America he attended the pioneer schools of Clayton
county for some time. He continued to assist his father in the work
of the home farm until he had arrived at his legal majority, and he
then rented a farm for one year. He next purchased a farm, but
after residing on the same about one year he traded the property
for a house and lot in the village of Guttenberg, where he estab-
lished his residence in 1865 and where he continued to remain until
1873, when he sold his property at Guttenberg and removed to the
village of Clayton, where he conducted a hotel and retail liquor
business for many years and with marked success. He retired from
active business in 1897 and he and his wife have since lived in peace
and prosperity in their attractive village home at Clayton. Mr.
Duwe is a staunch advocate of the principles and policies of the
Democratic party, was for a number of years a member of the
school board and has served several terms as township trustee of
Clayton township, a position of which he is the valued incumbent
at the time of this writing. He gives liberal support to the Cath-
olic church, of which his wife is a devoted communicant. In the
year 1863 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Duwe to Miss Mary
Ann Osterdock, who was born in the state of Indiana and who was
a child at the time of the family removal to Clayton county, where
her parents passed the remainder of their lives on a farm, she being
now the only one living of their three children. Mrs. Duwe is a
daughter of Dominic and Mary (Cabel) Osterdock, the former a
BIOGRAPHICAL 99
native of France and the latter of Germany, Upon coming to Amer-
ica the parents established their home in Indiana, where they re-
mained until 1846, when they became pioneers of Clayton county,
Iowa, where they passed the remainder of their lives, as previously
stated in this context. In conclusion is entered brief record con-
cerning the children of Mr. Duwe, and incidentally it may first be
stated that they have six grandchildren and one great-granddaugh-
ter. Of their children the firstborn was George L., who died at the
age of thirty-three years ; Amelia L. is the wife of Christ Beckman,
who is now manager of a pump factory in the city of Des Moines;
Anna M. is the wife of Edward J. Crawford, of Dubuque ; William
H. resides in the city of Spokane, Washington, and is employed as
an inspector in the service of the Northern Pacific Railroad Com-
pany; Elizabeth E. is the wife of Floyd Duff and they maintain
their home in the city of Portland, Oregon, Mr. Duff being in the
employ of the Northern Pacific Railroad Company.
Hal M. Eaton, D. D. S., is engaged in the successful practice of
dentistry in his native town of Strawberry Point, and is known as
one of the skilled and representative exponents of his profession
in Clayton county. He maintains an attractively appointed office,
with the most approved equipment in both operative and laboratory
departments, and his success has eminently justified his choice of
vocation. The doctor was born at Strawberry Point on the 8th of
April, 1873, and is a son of Dr. Adelbert D. and Nellie (Renwick)
Eaton, the former a native of New York state and the latter of
Illinois. The father prepared himself thoroughly for the dental
profession and established his home at Strawberry Point about the
year 1855. He was one of the pioneer representatives of his pro-
fession in Clayton county, was a man of sterling character and
genial personality, and he not only built up a large and lucrative
professional business but also stood forth as a specially progressive
and public-spirited citizen. He continued his residence at Straw-
berry Point until his death, which occurred on the 12th of April,
1892, his widow still maintaining her home here. Of the children
the eldest is Claude, who resides at Strawberry Point; Winifred is
the wife of L. S. Chase, of Oakland, California; the subject of this
review was the next in order of birth ; Carl is now a resident of
Adams, Wisconsin ; Blanche resides in the city of Dubuque ; and
Miss Trixie is with her sister in Oakland, California. Dr. Hal M.
Eaton gained his early education in the public schools of Strawberry
Point and in the meanwhile, when fourteen years of age, he here
found employment in a drug store. He devoted three years to serv-
ice in this connection and then began the study of dentistry under
the able preceptorage of his father. To perfect himself in his chosen
vocation he finally entered the department of dentistry of the Uni-
versity of Iowa, in which he was graduated as a member of the class
of 1895 and from which he received his degree of Doctor of Dental
Surgery. His native town has been the stage of his professional
activities during virtually the entire period of his practice, and he
is one of the wideawake, loyal and public spirited citizens of Straw-
berry Point, where his popularity has been shown by his election
260n5C>R
lOO MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
to the office of mayor, in which he gave a progressive and acceptable
administration. The doctor is not a partisan in politics but gives
his support to men and measures meeting the approval of his judg-
ment. He is affiliated with the local organizations of the Knights
of Pythias and the Masonic fraternity. On the 14th of November,
1900, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Eaton to Miss Myrtle
Gilchrist, who was born and reared in this county, and their only
child is Myrwyn, who was born July 30, 1902.
Edward P. Eberhard has gained precedence as one of the vigor-
ous and representative business men of his native county and vil-
lage and owns and conducts a large and prosperous lumber manu-
facturing business at Guttenberg, where he has a well equipped mill,
the same being devoted to the production of hardwood lumber
and in connection with the business Mr. Eberhard gives employ-
ment to an average force of forty men during the entire year. In
connection with his milling enterprise he has also done an appre-
ciable amount of important rock contract work for the government.
He is a progressive man of affairs, a loyal and broad-minded citizen,
and his character and achievement have given him secure place
in popular confidence and esteem. He has served as a member of
the city council of Guttenberg and also as a member of the board
of education, and his fraternal affiliation being with the local
camp of the Modern Woodmen of America. Edward P. Eberhard
was born at Guttenberg, this county, on the 15th of December,
1871, and is a son of Andrew and Catherine (Blankenheim) Eber-
hard, both of whom were born in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany.
Upon establishing his residence in Clayton county Andrew Eber-
hard first located on a farm near Elkport, but he later engaged in
the farm-implement business at Guttenberg, where he continued
his association with this line of enterprise until his death. He
passed to the life eternal in the year 1885, and his venerable widow
still maintains her home in Guttenberg. He was one of the sub-
stantial, honored and influential citizens of Clayton county, was a
Democrat in politics, and served not only as a member of the county
board of supervisors but also as a member of the school board of
Guttenberg. Of their children, the eldest is Augusta, who re-
mains with her widowed mother; Sanzie is the wife of William
Ball, of Garnavillo, this county; Louis is deceased; Edward P., of
this review, was the next in order of birth ; and Mary died in child-
hood. After having duly profited by the advantages of the public
schools of Guttenberg, Edward P. Eberhard was employed for sev-
eral years by the local firm of Zimmerman & Ives, engaged in the
manufacturing of pine lumber. In 1910 he became the owner and
operator of his present hardwood mill, and he has made of the
business a splendid success, as he has brought to bear indomitable
energy, much administrative ability and mature judgment. He
has associated with him his son Eugene in this business. On the
5th of April, 1893, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Eberhard
to Miss Louisa Aulwes, w^ho was born and reared in this county,^ a
daughter of William and Catherine Aulwes, of Jeflferson township.
Mr. and Mrs. Eberhard have three children — Elsie, Eugene and Alo.
BIOGRAPHICAL lOI
Elsie is now the wife of Irwin Chatsworth, of Guttenberg ; Eugene
is married to Olga Eckart, daughter of J. P. Eckart, and the other
two children remain at the parental home.
John P. Eckart is a man whose initiative ability and progressive
business policies have made him an influential figure in connection
with the banking business and other lines of enterprise in his native
village and county, and he has made a splendid record in connec-
tion with the development of the substantial business controlled by
the Guttenberg State Bank, of which he was the virtual founder, as
he was the promoter of its organization, in the year 1900, and has
served as its efficient and popular cashier from the time of its incor-
poration to the present. Its original board of directors included
also the following named and representative citizens: Henry Eckart,
Thomas S. Ives, John Wolter, James E. Corlett, and Henry Brandt.
The bank was incorporated with a capital stock of twenty-five thou-
sand dollars, and its first executive corps was as here noted:
President, Thomas S. Ives; vice-president, John Wolter; cashier,
John P. Eckart. For the accommodation of the new institution a
substantial and modern building of two stories and basement was
erected, and the same is owned and utilized by the bank with the
second floor equipped and rented for office purposes. The person-
nel of the executive officers in the year 1916 is as here designated:
President, Henry Eckart; vice-president, Thomas S. Ives; cashier,
John P. Eckart; assistant cashier, Oscar B. Eckart. In addition
to the president and vice-president the present directorate includes
also Henry Brandt, F. X. Wollers and H. J. Overbeck. The admin-
istration of the affairs of the Guttenberg State Bank has been
marked by circumspection and progressive policies, though its busi-
ness has been directed at all times along careful and conservative
lines. Its total deposits are now nearly $400,000, and its surplus
fund is twelve thousand five hundred dollars. It is one of the sub-
stantial and well ordered financial institutions of Clayton county
and its upbuilding reflects special credit and distinction upon its
able and popular cashier. John P. Eckart was born at Guttenberg,
his present place of residence, and the date of his nativity was May
17, 1864. He is a son of Henry and Dorothea (Benecke) Eckart,
both natives of Prussia, in which part of the great German Empire
the father was born in Braunweiler Kunznacht and the mother in
Seehausen, Kingdom of Saxony. Henry Eckart was reared and
educated in his native land, where he learned the trade of black-
smith, and in 1852 he immigrated to America. He remained in the
State of New York for some time and on the 9th of April, 1856, he
established his home at Guttenberg, Clayton county, Iowa, where
he engaged in the work of his trade and established one of the pio-
neer blacksmith shops of the county. He assisted in the erection
of the first bridge across the Mississippi river in this locality and he
continued in the work of his trade for nearly half a century, his
retirement from the same having occurred in 1892. He has long
been one of the honored and influential citizens of Guttenberg, his
integrity being as sturdy as the vocation which he long followed,
and he has contributed his quota to the civic and material develop-
I02 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
ment and upbuilding of Clayton county, where his circle of friends
is limited only by that of his acquaintances. Mr. Eckart is living
virtually retired, though he is president of the Guttenberg State
Bank. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, he
served as a member of the village council for a long period and was
the resourceful and loyal mayor of Guttenberg for several terms.
He is a zealous communicant of the Lutheran church, as was also
his wife, who was summoned to eternal rest on the 10th of October,
1894. Of their children the eldest is Henry C., who is a represen-
tative citizen of Guttenberg; Ida remains with her venerable father
in the pleasant home at Guttenberg; John P., the immediate subject
of this review, was the next in order of birth; Augusta is the wife
of Francis X. Wolter, of Guttenberg; Herman is a resident of Salt
Lake City, Utah ; Clara is the wife of Frederick J. Brezinsky, of
Mankato, Minnesota; and Oscar B. is assistant cashier of the
Guttenberg State Bank. After making effective use of the advan-
tages afforded in the public schools of his native village John P.
Eckart completed a business college course. Under the direction
of his father he gained facility in the work of the blacksmith trade,
and he worked in his father's shop five years, after which he was
employed as clerk in a mercantile establishment at Lemars,
Plymouth county, until 1889. For two years thereafter he was a
commercial traveling salesman for the house of Hood, Bonbright
& Company, of Philadelphia, and he next passed about a year as
salesman in a leading mercantile establishment in the city of St.
Paul, Minnesota. He then returned to his native village, where he
erected and placed in operation the Excelsior mill, in 1892. He
continued in control of this industrial enterprise for the ensuing
eighteen months and then engaged in the banking business at
Brush Creek. Fifteen months later he sold his interest in this busi-
ness and returned to Guttenberg, where he engaged in and
developed a specially successful clothing business. In 1900 he
organized the Guttenberg State Bank, to the executive affairs of
which he has since given the major part of his time and attention,
though he is serving also as treasurer of the Guttenberg Canning
Company, in which he is one of the principal stockholders. Mr,
Eckart is a staunch advocate of the cause of the Republican party
and while he takes a lively interest in public affairs of a local order
he has not sought official preferment, though he served several
terms as township treasurer. As a progressive and public-spirited
citizen Mr. Eckart assisted in the organization of the Upper Mis-
sissippi Improvement Society, of which important organization he
is serving as treasurer. In 1906 he was concerned in the organi-
zation of the National River & Harbor Congress, in the city of
Washington, and he has taken lively interest in the work of the
organization. On the 31st of July, 1894, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Eckart to Miss Linnie K, Bormann, daughter of
August and Mena (Kottman) Bormann, of Elkader, this county.
The four children of this union are: Olga D., who is the wife of
Eugene Eberhard, of Guttenberg; and Una M., Agnes G., and
Ila H., who remain at the parental home.
BIOGRAPHICAL IO3
Oscar B. Eckart, the popular incumbent of the position of
assistant cashier of the Guttenberg State Bank, is proving an effi-
cient and valued coadjutor of his brother, John P. Eckart, who is
the cashier of the institution and who is made the subject of indi-
vidual mention on other pages of this work, in which connection is
given also brief record concerning his parents, honored pioneer
citizens of Clayton county, the information thus given rendering it
unnecessary to repeat the family data in the sketch here presented.
Oscar B. Eckart was born at Guttenberg, on the 5th of December,
1884, and after having made good use of the. advantages afforded
in the excellent public schools of his native city he took a course of
higher study in the Iowa State Agricultural College, at Ames.
After leaving college he was for a time employed in the Guttenberg
State Bank, and in 1904 he went to the city of St. Louis, Missouri,
but after having there been employed a short interval he made his
way to Chicago, in which great metropolis he passed nine months
in the employ of Lyon Brothers, engaged in the wholesale general
merchandise business. He then returned to Guttenberg, in the fall
of 1905, where he has since served with marked efficiency as assist-
ant cashier of the Guttenberg State Bank, one of the substantial
financial institutions of Clayton county. He is serving also as city
treasurer, is a Republican in politics, and is affiliated with the
Fraternal Order of Mystic Workers. On the 21st of November,
1912, Mr. Eckart wedded Miss Irene Kathryn Bunke, daughter of
Joseph F. and Helen E. (Kriebs) Bunke. She was born in Omaha,
Nebr., Sept. 14, 1886, moving with her mother to Clayton county
when ten years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Eckart have two children —
Dorothea Helen, who was born June 22, 1913; and Kathryn Ida,
who was born October 20, 1915.
John Eglseder owns and effectively operates in his native town-
ship a well improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and he
is recognized as one of the vigorous and resourceful agriculturists
and stock-raisers of the younger generation in Clayton county, his
association with farming having been continuous since the time
when he began to lend his boyish assistance in the work of his
father's old homestead. He was born in Jefferson township, this
county, on the 23rd of October, 1882, and is a son of John and Mary
(Vonbruel) Eglseder, the former of whom was born in Germany
and the latter at Guttenberg, Clayton county, her parents having
been early pioneer settlers of this county. John Eglseder, Sr., came
with his parents to the United States about the year 1855, and after
remaining for a short period in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, the
family came to Clayton county and established residence in the vil-
lage of Garnavillo. Later John Eglseder purchased and improved
a farm in Jefferson township, and for many years he continued as
one of the active and successful exponents of farm enterprise in
this county. He and his wife now reside in an attractive home near
Garnavillo, and he is now living virtually retired. He gives his
support to the cause of the Democratic party and he and his wife
are communicants of the Catholic church. Of their children the
eldest is Mary, who is the wife of Henry Mormann, of Jefferson
I04 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
township; Frank remains at the parental home; Annie is the wife
of Frank Walz, of Clayton township; the subject of this review
was the next in order of birth ; William is a farmer of Clayton town-
ship; Catherine is the wife of Henry Schmelzer, of Garnavillo
township ; and Henry remains with his parents. John Eglseder,
Jr., whose name introduces this article, was afforded in his youth
the advantages of the excellent village schools of Guttenberg, and
he continued to assist in the activities of his father's farm until he
had attained to the age of twenty-eight years, when he purchased
his present attractive and well ordered farmstead, where he has
since given his close and effective attention to diversified agricul-
ture and to the raising of good grades of live stock, including the
Hereford type of cattle. His political allegiance is given to the
Democratic party and he and his wife are active communicants of
the Catholic church. On the 22d of February, 1911, Mr. Eglseder
wedded Miss Elizabeth Buechel, who likewise was born and reared
in Guttenberg, Iowa, where her parents, Henry and Sophie Buechel,
still reside. Mr. and Mrs. Eglseder have three children — Cyril,
Floyd, and Walter.
E. Charles Ehrhardt. — Nearly sixty years ago the parents of
this well known and representative citizen of Boardman township
numbered themselves among the pioneers of Clayton county, and
the family name has been specially prominent and influential in
connection with the development and progress of agricultural indus-
try in the county, the while its representatives have invariably
stood exponent of loyal and liberal citizenship. He whose name
initiates this review is the owner of one of the fine landed estates of
the county in which he has maintained his residence from infancy
to the present time, and his well improved farm, comprising two
hundred and seventeen acres, is most eligibly situated about two
miles west of Elkader, the judicial center of the county, and in
sections 21 and 22, Boardman township, with service on rural mail
route No. 2 from the county seat. Mr. Ehrhardt became the owner
of this valuable farm in 1880 and during the long intervening years
he has shown great circumspection and enterprise in carrying for-
ward successful operations as one of the representative agricultur-
ists and stock-growers of the county and with inviolable place in
popular confidence and good will. He is serving with character-
istic efficiency and loyalty in the office of township trustee and as a
valued member of the executive committee on community insur-
ance, besides which he has shown equal diligence and public spirit
as incumbent of minor township offices in past years. He is one of
the influential men of his township, is a Democrat in his political
adherency, is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World and the
Fraternal Union, and both he and his wife are earnest communi-
cants of the Lutheran church. Mr. Ehrhardt was born at Elmira,
Chemung county, New York, on the 26th of February, 1857, and is
a son of John and Henrietta (Kaiser) Ehrhardt, who came to Clay-
ton county, Iowa, in the year following that of his birth, and who
here passed the residue of their earnest and useful lives, John
Ehrhardt was a native of Germany, as was also his wife, and he came
BIOGRAPHICAL IO5
to the United States in the early '50s. After his marriage, which
was solemnized in the State of New York, he there continued his
residence until 1858, when he came with his family to Clayton
county, Iowa, and became a pioneer farmer in Boardman township,
where he reclaimed and improved a good farm and became a sub-
stantial and honored citizen who was known for sterling integrity
and for his industry and enterprise as a farmer. He was about 84
years of age at the time of his death and his wife passed away when
55 years of age, the names of both meriting enduring place on the
roll of the worthy pioneers of this county. Both were zealous
communicants of the Lutheran church, in the faith of which they
carefully reared their children, of whom the subject of this sketch
is the eldest; Annie, the second child, died in childhood; Lena is
the wife of L. Maville, a prosperous farmer of Cox Creek town-
ship; John is a resident of Elkader; Mary is the wife of J. J.
Kuehl, of Boardman township, and her twin sister died in infancy;
and George lives at Elkader. E. Charles Ehrhardt early began to
assist in the work of his father's farm and his educational advan-
tages in his youth were those afforded in the pioneer schools of
Boardman township, where he has continued his active allegiance
to the great basic industry of agriculture during the long interven-
ing years and where he has achieved success of unequivocal order*
a preceding paragraph having indicated the scope and importance
of his operations as a farmer and stock-raiser. On the 5th of June,
1884, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ehrhardt to Miss
Elizabeth Brockman, who was born and reared in this county and
who is a daughter of Christ and Maria (Meyer) Brockman, both
natives of Germany. Her father immigrated to the United States
in 1852 and became a pioneer settler in Clayton county, his old
homestead, in Farmersburg township, having continued as his
place of residence to the present time and his devoted wife having
passed to the life eternal on the 8th of March, 1908. She lived for
three years in Ohio before coming to Clayton county. Of their
children Mrs. Ehrhardt is the eldest; Annie is the wife of Edward
Reardon, of Elkader ; August, George and Bertha are deceased ; and
Frederick, Sarah and Christ remain at the paternal home, in Farm-
ersburg township. Mr. and Mrs. Ehrhardt became the parents of
six children, concerning whom brief record is given in conclusion
of this review: George C, a merchant at Communia, Volga town-
ship ; Carl R. is associated with his father in the work and manage-
ment of the home farm ; Frederick J. is a successful and popular
teacher in public schools ; Edward H. remains at the parental home ;
the fifth child, a daughter, died in infancy; and the youngest mem-
ber of the home circle is Elmer.
Walter L. Eichendorf is consistently to be designated as one of
the representative younger members of the bar of Clayton county,
and is engaged in the successful practice of his profession at Mc-
Gregor. His personality and professional ability have given him
secure place in popular confidence and esteem and his law business
shows a constantly cumulative tendency, the while it has involved
his appearance in connection with important litigated causes in
I06 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
which he has won decisive victories and proved himself a resource-
ful trial lawyer. He has deep appreciation of the dignity and im-
portance of his chosen vocation and its unwritten ethical code finds
in him a close observer. In the city of Clinton, judicial center of
the Iowa county of the same name, Mr. Eichendorf was born on
the 26th of July, 1889, and he is a son of John and Amelia A. (Kra-
nert) Eichendorf, who still maintain their residence at McGregor,
and of whose three children the subject of this sketch was the second
in order of birth. Harry G., the elder son, resides at McGregor and
is a shoe man by vocation; and Lillian is the wife of George F.
Hamilton, of Hampton, Franklin county, this state. John Eichen-
dorf was born and reared in Germany, where he learned the trade of
tailor, and in the early '80s he immigrated to the United States and
engaged in the work of his trade in the city of Clinton, Iowa. Six
years later he came with his family to Clayton county and estab-
lished his home in the thriving village of McGregor, where he has
since been engaged in successful business as a merchant tailor, his
political support being given to the Republican party and both h6
and his wife holding membership in the Christian Science church.
Walter L. Eichendorf was a child at the time of the family removal
to Clayton county and at McGregor he was reared to adult age.
He continued his studies in the public schools until he had com-
pleted the curriculum of the McGregor high school, and within a
short time after his graduation he followed the line of his ambitious
purpose and was matriculated in the law department of the Univer-
sity of Iowa, in which he was graduated as a member of the class
of 1912, his admission to the bar of his native state having been
virtually simultaneous with his reception of the degree of Bachelor
of Laws. His professional novitiate was served at Lake Mills, Win-
nebago county, where for eighteen months he was junior member
of the law firm of Kingland & Eichendorf and where his initial suc-
cess justified fully his choice of vocation. At the expiration of the
period noted he returned to McGregor, where he has developed a
substantial and representative law business that is constantly ex-
panding in scope and importance and where he stands forth as a
loyal and public-spirited citizen. He is a well fortified advocate of
the principles and policies of the Republican party and is affiliated
with Bezer Lodge, No. 135, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, of
which he is serving as secretary in 1916. His name is still enrolled
on the roster of eligible young bachelors in his native state, and he
remains at the parental home. He is popular in professional, busi-
ness and social circles and is an active member of the Clayton
County Bar Association.
Henry Eiffert is the owner of a valuable landed estate of two
hundred acres, eligibly situated in Giard township and near the little
village of Froelich, and by his energy, stability and good judgment
he has proved himself one of the essentially representative agricul-
turists and stock-growers of his native county. As a farmer and
as a public-spirited citizen he has directed his course with that dis-
criminating sense of stewardship that betokens sterling character
and that begets unqualified popular approbation, the while definite
BIOGRAPHICAL IO7
success and prosperity have come as a natural sequel. Mr. Eiffert
is a representative of one of the honored pioneer families of this
county and here was born in Monona township on the 10th of April,
1859, a son of Hanscourt and Elizabeth (Hoch) Eiffert, both of
whom were born in Hessen, Germany. Within a comparatively
short time after his immigration to the United States Hanscourt
Eift'ert came to Iowa and established his residence in Clayton
county. He was a young man at the time and in the initial stage of
his progress toward the goal of independence he was employed on
the farm of a Mr. Schneider, in Monona township. Industrious
and frugral, his ambitious purpose caused him carefully to conserve
his earnings until he realized the prime object of this ambition and
was enabled to purchase a farm of his own, in Monona township.
He developed and improved this land into one of the productive and
valuable farms of that township and there continued his successful
activities as an agriculturist until his death, which occurred Febru-
ary 12, 1887, when he was in the prime of his useful manhood. His
venerable widow now resides in the village of Monona, both having
early become members of the religious organization known as the
Evangelical association, and he, as a loyal citizen of his adopted
country, having allied himself staunchly with the Republican party.
Of the two children the subject of this review is the elder, and the
younger son, Emil, is deceased. Henry Eiffert was reared to man-
hood on the old homestead farm which was the place of his nativity
and in the meanwhile he did not neglect to avail himself fully of
the advantages afforded in the local schools. He was about twenty-
eight years of age at the time of his father's death and the man-
agement of the home farm then devolved upon him, though he
profited much by the wise counsel and earnest co-operation of his
widowed mother. When thirty-three years of age he purchased
his mother's interest in the farm, to the operation of which he there-
after devoted himself for some years, at the expiration of which he
sold the property and purchased one hundred and sixty acres of
his present farm, to the area of which he later added by the pur-
chase of a contiguous tract of forty acres, so that his fine domain
now has a total of two hundred acres of the fertile and valuable
land of his native county. He has made many admirable improve-
ments on his farm, including the erection of good buildings, and
has made it give forth the unmistakable evidences of thrift and
prosperity. He is discriminating and progressive as an exponent
of diversified agriculture, and has proved specially successful also
in the raising of high-grade live stock, his farm having high repu-
tation for its full-blooded black Polled Angus cattle. Mr. Eiffert
has at all times done his part in the furtherance of those things
which have tended to advance the social and material prosperity of
the community, is aligned as a loyal supporter of the cause of the
Republican party and has been signally immune from office-seeking
proclivities, the only public office which he has consented to assume
being that of school director, of which he was the incumbent sev-
eral years. Both he and his wife are earnest members of the Evan-
gelical church, or Association, at Froelich, and he has sensed as a
I08 , MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
member of its board of trustees. The marriage of Mr. Eiffert to
Miss Elizabeth Ulrich was solemnized June 3, 1892, and they have
three children, whose names and respective dates of birth are here
given : Blanche, June 7, 1893 ; Esther, March 6, 1895 ; and Roy,
July 17, 1898. Mrs. Eiffert was born in Giard township, this
county, on the 11th of February, 1862, and is a daughter of John
and Catherine (Wagner) Ulrich, the former of whom was born in
Germany and the latter in the State of Indiana. John Ulrich was
a boy at the time of accompanying his parents on their immigration
to America. Upon coming to Clayton county he located in the
vicinity of the village of Watson, and later he purchased a farm in
Monona township. After selling this property he bought a farm
in Giard township, and there he continued his residence, as one of
the sterling citizens and successful farmers of the county, until his
death, which occurred May 22, 1905, his widow, who was born
March 17, 1835, being now one of the venerable and loved pioneer
women of Clayton county. Of their children the eldest is John,
who is a resident of Clarion, Wright county ; George maintains his
home at Garner, Hancock county; James is a resident of Cedar
Falls, Blackhawk county; Mrs. Eiffert was the fourth child and
she is now the only representative of the immediate family in
Clayton county; and Helen died in childhood.
Ember Embretson is a representative of the fine Scandinavian
element of citizenship that has contributed effectively to the mate-
rial and civic development and progress of Clayton county and
though he is able to claim Norway as the place of his nativity he
has passed virtually his entire life thus far in Clayton county,
where he is a scion of an honored pioneer family and where he is a
prominent exponent of the fundamental industry of agriculture, his
finely improved homestead being eligibly situated in Wagner town-
ship, a short distance south of the village of St. Olaf, though his
greater prestige as an agriculturist lies in his ownership of valuable
landed estates in both Minnesota and South Dakota. He has been
for many years one of the well known and influential citizens of
Clayton county and for a period of twenty years he was successfully
engaged in the general merchandise business at St. Olaf, where also
he served as postmaster. As a sterling and honored citizen and
influential man of affairs he well merits recognition in this publi-
cation. Mr. Embertson was born in Norway, on the 27th of July,
1849, and in the following year his parents, Ole and Goso (Larson)
Embertson came to America. They were numbered among the
pioneer settlers in Wagner township, Clayton county, Iowa, where
the father passed the remainder of his life as an energetic and sub-
stantial farmer, his wife likewise having died on the old homestead
place, and both having been earnest communicants of the Lutheran
church. Of their children the subject of this sketch is the eldest;
Lars is now a resident of the State of Montana; Annie is deceased;
Johanna is the wife of W. Louis Larson and they reside in Minne-
sota ; Knute maintains his home at St. Olaf; Gunnell became the
wife of Jacob Larson and is now deceased; Henry is a prosperous
farmer in Wagner township; Oscar is a resident of Riceville,
f
THE NEW Y(iH,h
PUWLIC LlBliAiiV
ISrOt, LS.N9I AND
I
ERNEST ENDEEES AND WIFE
BIOGRAPHICAL IO9
Mitchell county ; and Ludwich is a representative farmer of Wagner
township, Clayton county. Reared under the conditions and influ-
ences which marked the pioneer epoch in the history of Clayton
county, Ember Embertson attended the local schools when oppor-
tunity afforded and in the meanwhile he gained invaluable experi-
ence in connection with the work of the home farm, with the opera-
tion of which he continued to be associated until he had attained to
the age of twenty-two years. He then opened a modest general
store at St. Olaf, and from a small inception he built up a large
and prosperous business, to which he continued to devote his atten-
tion for a period of about twenty years, when he retired from this
line of enterprise, after having served during the greater part of this
interval as postmaster of the village. While thus engaged in busi-
ness at St. Olaf Mr. Embretson purchased his present fine little
farmstead of sixty-six acres, a short distance to the south of the
village, and here he erected his commodious and attractive mod-
ern residence, which continues as the family home and which is
a center of unostentatious hospitality and good cheer. In South
Dakota Mr. Embretson is the owner of a valuable estate of seven
hundred acres, and in the State of Minnesota he has four hundred
and eighty acres, both of these properties receiving on his part a
general supervision. He is a stalwart in the camp of the Repub-
lican party and has been influential in its local councils and cam-
paign activities. He served four terms as trustee of Wagner town-
ship and has been notably liberal and progressive as a citizen. Mr.
Embretson is one of the substantial men of Clayton county and is a
stockholder and director of the St. Olaf Savings Bank. Both he
and his wife are communicants of the Lutheran church at St. Olaf.
As a young man Mr. Embretson wedded Miss Betsy Larson, of
Reid township, and she is survived by four children — Geneva,
Parina, Adelia, and Ella. For his second wife Mr. Embretson
wedded Miss Nellie Hulgerson. who was born and reared in this
county, and they have two children — Phelman and Edwin, who
remain members of the home circle.
Ernst Enderes holds a place of prominence as one of the rep-
resentative business men of his native county, as he is president of
the Enderes Manufacturing Company, which is engaged in the
manufacturing of various types of tools at Littleport. The com-
pany has a well equipped plant and certain of the high-grade tools
manufactured were invented and patented by the president of the
corporation, who has long been known as a man of fine mechanical
ability. Mr. Enderes was born on the old homestead farm of his
father, near Communia, this county, and the date of his nativity
was March 9, 1861. He is a son of John and Barbara (Prupst)
Enderes, both natives of Germany and both honored pioneer citi-
zens of Clayton county at the time of their death. John Enderes
was one of the earliest settlers in the community about Communia,
this county, where he established his home about the year 1849 and
where he reclaimed and improved a good farm. He was a nail-
smith by trade and prior to coming to Clayton county he had fol-
lowed the work of his trade. Of the three children the eldest is
no MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
William, who is a resident of Littleport ; and Ernst and Emiline
were twins, the latter being now deceased. Ernst Enderes was
reared under the invigorating discipline of the farm and made good
use of the advantages afforded in the public schools of the locality
and period. In his youth he learned the trade of blacksmith, and
at the age of twenty years he left the parental home and engaged in
the work of his trade in Postville, Allamakee county. There he
remained about four years, and he then, in 1885, established his
home at Littleport, where for the ensuing twenty-six years he vig-
orously and successfully applied himself to the work of his trade,
as the owner of a blacksmith shop. In 1907 he became the founder
of the prosperous manufacturing enterprise of which he is now the
executive head, and his associates as stockholders and directors of
the company are Ernst and John W. Enderes, Christ C. Pust, Elmer
L. Gifford, and George C. Ruegnitz, Jr. In politics Mr. Enderes
gives his allegiance to no definite party but supports the men and
measures meeting the approval of his judgment. He is affiliated
with the local organizations of the Modern Woodmen of America
and with the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. On the 18th of
September, 1883, Mr. Enderes wedded Miss Louisa Hupp, who was
born in Allamakee county, this state, and they have three children:
John is associated with the manufacturing company of which his
father is president ; Rose is the wife of George Ruegnitz, of Volga
township ; and Elsie is the wife of Seymour Lalleyer, of Littleport.
John Engelhardt is another of the native sons of Clayton
county who stands effectively forward as an able and successful rep-
resentative of agricultural and live-stock industry in this favored
section of the Hawkeye State, and through his own energy and
well ordered endeavors he has become the owner of one of the well
improved and valuable landed estates of his native county, the same
comprising two hundred and eighty acres and being situated in sec-
tions 23 and 26, Wagner township, and about three-fourths of a mile
distant from the village of St. Olaf, which is his postofifice address.
Mr. Engelhardt was born in Wagner township, this county, on the
19th of May, 1876, and is a son of Rudolph and Mary (Schmidt)
Engelhardt, both of whom were born in Germany. Rudolph
Engelhardt was twenty years of age at the time when he numbered
himself among the pioneers of Clayton county, and here he devoted
the remainder of his life to the great basic industry of agriculture,
in connection with which he gained distinctive independence and
substantial prosperity. He was one of the well known and highly
esteemed citizens of this county at the time of his death, which
occurred on the 9th of August, 1893, and his widow now maintains
her home at Farmersburg, this county. Of the eleven children
George and Louis are prosperous farmers of Monona township ;
John, of this review, was the third in order of birth ; Augusta is the
wife of William Jones, of Lime Spring, Howard county ; Emma is
the wife of Jefiferson Jones, of Gunder, Clayton county ; Martha is
the wife of Henry Boler, of Cresco, Howard county ; Amelia is the
wife of Frederick G. Wilkie, of Reid township, Clayton county;
Arthur resides at Bonair, Howard county, and Robert at Farmers-
BIOGRAPHICAL III
burg, Clayton county; Alma is the wife of Edward Olke, of Lee,
South Dakota ; and the eleventh child, a girl, died in infancy. John
Englehardt is indebted to the public schools of Clayton county for
his early educational discipline and he was a lad of sixteen years at
the time of his father's death. He had in the meanwhile gained his
due quota of experience in connection with the work of the home
farm and after the death of his father he entered the employ of his
oldest brother, as an assistant in the work and management of the
latter's farm. In 1900 he gave patent evidence of his ambition and
self-reliance by purchasing a farm of one hundred and sixty acres,
in Wagner township, and with increasing prosperity he has made
judicious investment in other valuable land in this township until
he now has a fine domain of two hundred and eighty acres,
improved with good buildings and devoted to diversified agricul-
ture and the raising of excellent grades of live stock. Mr. Engel-
hardt is most loyal to his native county and has here found ample
opportunity for the achieving of worthy success in connection with
the great fundamental industry under whose influence he was
reared. He is liberal and progressive in his civic attitude, is aligned
as a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party and has
been called upon to serve in minor township offices. He is affiliated
with the Woodmen of the World and both he and his wife hold
membership in the Lutheran church. In 1899 was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Engelhardt to Miss Keka Draves, who likewise
was born and reared in Clayton county, and of their five children
two died in infancy. The surviving children are: Albin, age 9;
Harvey, age 7 ; Philmon, the baby, one year of age.
Charles J. Engler. — One of the representative mercantile estab-
lishments of the thriving village of Garnavillo is that owned and
conducted by Mr. Engler, who here has a specially substantial and
well equipped store in which he handles all kinds of heavy and
shelf hardware, stoves, ranges, and plumbing, lighting and heating
supplies and plants. He is at all times prepared to furnish esti-
mates for the installation of plumbing, lighting and heating equip-
ment, and the high reputation for his establishment constitutes its
best commercial asset, for its service is of the best type in all
departments and fair and honorable dealing is the rule from which
no deviation is permitted. Mr. Engler has gained a secure place as
one of the progressive business men of his native county and is
specially worthy of recognition in this publication. Charles J.
Engler was born at Monona, this county, on the 31st of March,
1877, and is a son of John and Mary (Light) Engler, the former a
native of Germany and the latter of the State of Kentucky. John
Engler established his home in Clayton county, was a harnessmaker
by trade but after coming to this county he became a successful
farmer of Clayton township, where his death occurred on the 17th
of December, 1887, his widow being still a resident of that township
and being a devout communicant of the Catholic church, as was
also her husband. Of the children the first-born was Rose, who
died in young girlhood ; Louis is a prosperous farmer of this county;
Emma is the wife of Robert Anderson and they maintain their home
112 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
in the city of Dubuque, Iowa ; Lena is the wife of Bernard Tonner,
of Clayton township; Catherine and William remain at the old
homestead with their mother; Charles J., of this review, was the
next in order of birth; and Albert is still with his mother on the
home farm. Charles J. Engler gained his early experience of prac-
tical nature in connection with the work of the home farm and was
about ten years of age at the time of his father's death. He made
good use of the advantages afforded in the public schools of the
locality and at the age of twenty-two years he left the farm to
enter upon an apprenticeship to the tinner's trade, in a hardware
establishment at Elkader, the judicial center of his native county.
Within two years he had so applied himself as to become a skilled
workman at his trade, and his first work as a journeyman was at
Neola, Pottawattamie county, where he remained two years. For
the ensuing three years he was engaged in the work of his trade
at Stuart, Guthrie county, and he then went to Kalispell, Montana,
where he remained about one year. Upon his return to Clayton
county he resumed his association with the work and management
of the old homestead farm, but after a lapse of eighteen months he
went to the city of Chicago, where he remained two years and
broadened his knowledge of the hardware business as well as of
the work of his trade. He next returned to his native county and
assumed a clerical position in the general merchandise establish-
ment of William L. Kords, in the village of Clayton. About a
year later he removed to Ossian, Winneshiek county, where he
worked at his trade for a brief interval. In 1909 he established his
home at Garnavillo, where he has since risen to a prominent place
in connection with the business and civic activities of the village.
For three years he was employed in the hardware establishment of
the firm of Kregel & Luehsen, and he then purchased the interest
of the senior member of the firm. Thereafter the enterprise was
continued under the firm name of Luehsen & Engler until the death
of Mr. Luehsen, since which time Mr. Engler has individually
owned and conducted the flourishing enterprise, his establishment
controlling a substantial trade that extends throughout the ample
territory normally tributary to Garnavillo. Mr. Engler is liberal
and public-spirited as a citizen and while he has had no ambition
for political preferment he has been found aligned as a staunch
supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, his religious faith
being that of the Catholic church, of which he is a communicant.
He still permits his name to remain engrossed on the roll of eligible
bachelors in his native county, and here his circle of friends is vir-
tually coincident with that of his acquaintances.
Henry Erickson has been a resident of Iowa from the time of
his birth and while he is of the valiant type of loyal and progressive
American citizenship he has not failed to mark his appreciation of
the traditions and his history of the land of his ancestors and exem-
plifies in his personality the sterling integrity and the constructive
energy that have made the Scandinavian element of citizenship so
influential and valued a factor in connection with the social and
industrial development of the greater western portion of our
BIOGRAPHICAL II3
national domain. He takes just pride in being a scion of one of
the honored pioneer families of Clayton county and here he is one
of the successful farmers and substantial and honored citizens of
Marion township, liberal and loyal as a citizen and influential in
public affairs of a local order. He was born in Marion township,
on the 14th of December, 1864, and is a son of Peter and Barbara
Erickson, both natives of Norway. Peter Erickson was reared and
educated in his native land and was a young man when, in 1854, he
immigrated to America and established his residence in the State
of Wisconsin. There he remained until 1859, when he came with
his family to Clayton county and established a home on one of the
pioneer farms of IMarion township. Substantial success attended
his indefatigable labors as an agriculturist and stock-grower and
he still continues his association with farm industry, being now
one of the sterling pioneer citizens of Grand Meadow township.
He is a Republican in politics and both he and his wife are earnest
communicants of the Norwegian Lutheran church. Of their seven
children the first, Erick, died young; Louis is a resident of the State
of Montana and the subject of this sketch was the third child;
Samuel and Benjamin are successful farmers in Grand Meadow
township ; Albert is deceased ; and Emma remains at the parental
home. Henry Erickson did not fail to profit duly by the advantages
afforded in the public schools of his native county and he there-
after continued his association with the work and management of
his father's farm until he had attained to the age of twenty-four
years. He then went to Lyon county, this state, where he pur-
chased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres and where he con-
tinued his residence for the ensuing four years. He then sold the
property and returned to Clayton county, where he purchased his
present excellent farm, on section 12, Marion township, the place
comprising one hundred and forty-seven acres of most fertile land
and the improvements on the same being of modern order. In
connection with diversified agriculture Mr. Erickson gives special
attention to the raising of Poland-China and Chester White swine,
and in all of his activities he has shown the spirit of thrift and pro-
gressiveness. He has given his ready support to measures and enter-
prises projected for the general good of the community and has been
called upon to service in local offices of public trust. He held the
office of township trustee for seven years and that of township
clerk for eight years, besides which he has served as school director
of his district. His political allegiance is given to the Republican
party and he and his family hold membership in the Norwegian
Lutheran church. His home receives its mail service on rural
route No. 1 from the village of Postville. On the 18th of Septem-
ber, 1889, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Erickson to Miss
Josephine Nelson, who was born April 26, 1870, in Marion town-
ship, this county, and concerning their children the following brief
data are given in conclusion of this review: Nora in 1915 was a
student in one of the leading conservatories of the city of Chicago,
where she is studying dramatic art and preparing herself for a
stage career, her talent in this line being pronounced exceptional ;
114 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Emily is the wife of Louis Amendson, of Grand Meadow township ;
Gertrude is the wife of Henry Larson, of that township; and the
five children who remain members of the home circle are Mabel,
Agnes, Nettie, Peter and Harriet.
John Everall. — There is no need for puzzling or indirection in
determining the sterling value of the life services of this venerable
and honored pioneer citizen of Clayton county, for he has marked
the passing years with earnest and effective endeavor, has shown a
high sense of personal stewardship and has held the unequivocal
confidence and esteem of those whom his benignant influence has
touched in the varied relations of his long and useful career. Mr.
Everall was born in Shropshire, England, on the 20th of April, 1839,
and in that same section of the "right little isle" were born and
reared his parents, Richard and Elizabeth (Liversage) Everall, folk
of superior mentality and fine attributes of character. The paternal
grandfather of the subject of this review was one of the pioneer
clergymen of the Congregational church in England, and it is
worthy of note that all of his children, seven in number, were resi-
dents of the United States at the time of their death. In 1851 Rich-
ard Everall came with his family to Clayton county, Iowa, and
became one of the pioneer farmers in Farmersburg township, where
his well directed labors brought to him a generous measure of pros-
perity, as gauged by the standards of the locality and period. Both
he and his wife passed the closing years of their life in the village
of Farmersburg and both were venerable in years at the time of
their death. They were zealous members of the Congregational
church, instant in human sympathy and kindliness and in good
deeds. They became the parents of three children, and the only
survivor is the honored citizen to whom this sketch is dedicated,
he being the eldest of the number ; Elizabeth was a resident of
Farmersburg at the time of her death ; and Mrs. Martha Ann
(Everall) Sutton died at Bloomington, Wisconsin. John Everall
gained his rudimentary education in his native land and supple-
mented this by attending the pioneer schools of Clayton county, as
well as by individual application which, with his naturally studious
tendencies, effectively broadened his intellectual horizon. In Clay-
ton county he gained in his youth a close fellowship with the work
of the pioneer farm of his father, and during many years of his active
career he continued his close allegiance to the basic industry of
agriculture, through the medium of which he gained substantial
success. He has long been one of the prominent and influential
citizens of Clayton county and special distinction is his for the
valiant service which he rendered as a soldier of the Union in the
Civil war. From 1858 to 1862 he was a successful and popular
teacher in the schools of this county, and he abandoned his peda-
gogic services only to respond to the call of higher duty, for in
August, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company E, Twenty-sev-
enth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with which he proceeded to the front
and took part in the various engagements that marked the record of
this gallant Iowa regiment. He lived up to the full tension of the
great conflict between the states of the North and the South, was
BIOGRAPHICAL II 5
wounded in action in July, 1864, but was not long incapacitated for
service, as he continued with his regiment until the close of the war,
rose from the rank of first sergeant to that of first lieutenant of his
company, and received his honorable discharge in June, 1865. In
later years he has vitalized the more gracious memories and asso-
ciations of his military career by his appreciative affiliation with
the Grand Army of the Republic. After the war Mr. Everall re-
sumed his association with farming in Farmersburg township, and
his ability and unqualified popularity have brought to him many
official preferments in the public service. He has filled nearly all
township offices, and for a period of four years he was county super-
intendent of schools. He was for six years the incumbent of the
office of county auditor, and for eight years he represented Clayton
county in the upper house of the Iowa Legislature. In every public
office to which he has been called he has proved a faithful, loyal
and efficient incumbent, and he has shown himself well fortified in
his opinions concerning matters of economic and governmental
polity. He is now living virtually retired in his attractive home
at Farmersburg, and finds that his lines are cast in pleasant places,
for he is surrounded by a host of friends who are tried and true,
and is revered alike by old and young. In a basic way he has ever
given stalwart allegiance to the Democratic party, but in local
affairs he has not been constrained by strict partisan lines, as he
has given his support to men and measures meeting the approval of
his judgment. Mr. Everall has been long and appreciatively affili-
ated with the Masonic fraternity, and for eight or nine years he held
the office of master of the lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons
at Farmersburg. In this village, on the 25th of October, 1865, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Everall, then a youthful veteran
of the Civil war, to Miss Vallonia Renshaw, who was born at
Brownsville. Pennsylvania, on the 9th of April, 1841. Of the seven
children of this union, five are living. Richard, the firstborn, died
in boyhood ; Martha remains with her parents ; John is successfully
established in the practice of law in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota;
Dr. George L. became a representative physician and surgeon in
the city of Clinton, Iowa, but was at the old home in Farmersburg
at the time of his death; Bruce B., M. D., is engaged in the practice
of his profession at Monona, Clayton county; Dr. Benjamin C. was
engaged in the practice of medicine in the city of Waterloo, this
state, until the border troubles with Mexico, in the summer of 1916,
led to his going to Texas as captain and surgeon of the hospital
corps of the First Iowa Volunteer Infantry, in which capacity he
is serving at the time of this writing; Bessie E., the youngest of
the children, is now an efficient and popular teacher in the public
schools of Lake City, Minnesota. Senator Everall was one of the
leaders of his party while in the Iowa Senate and was known for
his quiet, but forceful support of wise measures for the benefit of
the people. He still takes an active interest in the bank at Farmers-
burg and is known and loved throughout the county.
Henry Farmer. — Through his vigorous and successful opera-
tions in connection with agriculture and live stock industry Mr.
Il6 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Farmer has given consistent justification to the patronymic which
he bears, as he is the owner of one of the finely improved farms
of Lodomillo township, besides which he has secure place in popular
esteem in the county which became his home when he was an infant.
Mr. Farmer, who was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, on the 8th
of June, 1854, is a son of John and Mary Ann (Barr) Farmer, both
of whom were born and reared in the north of Ireland. The par-
ents received their education in their native land and about 1845
came to the United States, where their marriage was solemnized
and they established their residence at Wheeling, West Virginia.
In 1856 they came to Clayton county, Iowa, and the father became
a pioneer farmer in Lodomillo township, where he and his wife
passed the residue of their lives, he having followed in earlier years
the trade of a blacksmith. Both were of the Protestant faith in
religion, and in the same they reared their children. Henry, the
subject of this review, is the elder and only survivor, his brother,
John, Jr., having died when forty-three years of age. Henry
Farmer gained his early education in the pioneer schools of Clayton
county, and he continued his active association with the work of
the home farm until his marriage. On the 20th of January, 1876,
Mr. Henry Farmer wedded Miss Margaret O'Brien, who was born
in Rochester, New York, and who is a daughter of James and Anna
(Kalnan) O'Brien, the father being a native of Ireland, while the
wife Anna was of French origin. James O'Brien was a soldier of
the Union in the Civil war, serving as a member of the Michigan
cavalry, their home at that time being at Mackinac Island. He died
while in active service at Memphis, Tennessee. His widow, who
survived him by many years, spent the remainder of her life with
her three children at Mackinac Island and Chicago. The two sur-
viving of this family being Mrs. Farmer, who is the younger, and
her sister Rebecca, wife of O. E. Huene of Manchester, Iowa. Mr.
and Mrs. Farmer became the parents of four children : Nellie Irene,
the eldest, in 1898 became the wife of C. J. Rulon, who is a mer-
chant of Wood, Iowa, and a son of K. Rulon of Clayton county.
To them was born one son, Burdette, in 1904. James Willard,
who resides upon and manages his father's farm in Delaware county,
in 1904 married Nettie Hockaday, daughter of William Hockaday
of Manchester, Iowa. In 1906 and 1913 their two sons were born,
Wayne James and Henry Bertram respectively. Floy Lucille, who
in 1906 became the wife of Dr. A. L. Breed of Rock Elm, Wiscon-
sin, died at her home in Wisconsin at the age of twenty-six years.
And Zelda Vivian, who has since 1913 been a teacher in the Elkader
schools. After Mr. Farmer's marriage he lived on a part of his
father's farm in Clayton county until 1879, when he, with his family,
moved to Kansas, where he purchased a one hundred and sixty acre
farm. Becoming tired of the West, they returned in 1882, then
making their home in Delaware county. About 1890 he purchased
a^farm of one hundred and fifty acres in Delaware county. On
this place, which he still owns, he continued his operations as an
enterprising agriculturist and stock raiser for a period of about
fifteen years, at the expiration of which time he returned to the old
BIOGRAPHICAL II 7
homestead in Clayton county which he had inherited from his par-
ents and which is situated in Section 28, Lodomillo township. He
has since continued as one of the representative farmers of this
part of Clayton county and gives also a general supervision to his
farm in Delaware county, a property that is now in the active charge
of his only son. He is a Republican in his political proclivities and
is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Knights of Pythias.
Otto Fascher is another of the sterling sons of the German
Fatherland who has found in our great American republic the op-
portunities through which he has achieved definite independence
and prosperity, and Clayton county has been the stage of his activi-
ties during the entire period of his residence in the United States.
His industry and self-reliance have been on a parity with his ambi-
tion and integrity of purpose, and through his own ability and well
ordered endeavors he has won secure place as one of the substantial
and popular exponents of agricultural industry in Clayton county.
He is a loyal and progressive citizen, and that his ability has not
lacked popular appreciation is evidenced by the fact that he is serv-
ing as trustee of Read township, of which position he has been the
efficient incumbent since 1914. Mr. Fascher was born in Klein
Kiisten, Germany, on the 9th of August, 1872, and is one of the six
surviving children of Carl and Dorothea (Welle) Fascher, the for-
mer of whom passed his entire life in that section of the German
Empire and the latter of whom came to the United States in 1895,
the remainder of her life having been spent in Clayton county, Iowa,
where she died in the spring of 1916, a devout communicant of the
Lutheran church, as was also her husband. Otto Fascher was
reared and educated in his native land and was twenty-four years
of age when, in 1896, he came to America and established his home
in Clayton county. Here he was employed at farm work for a few
years, and his further progress toward the goal of independence
was made by his operations on a rented farm, where he continued
his energetic labors, when he purchased sixty acres of excellent
land in Section 5, Read township, where he has proved himself a
resourceful and energetic farmer and stock-grower and gained pres-
tige as one of the able and valued exponents of these basic lines of
industry in Clayton county. He has improved his farm with good
buildings and in its various operations he avails himself of scien-
tific methods and the most approved modern facilities in the way
of implements and machinery. From the time of becoming a nat-
uralized citizen of the land of his adoption he had given his support'
to the cause of the Democratic party, and in addition to serving as
township trustee, as previously noted, he is a school director of his
district. He and his wife are communicants and earnest supporters
of the Lutheran church at St. Olaf, from which village his farm
receives service on rural mail route No. 2. On the 21st of Septem-
ber, 1900, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Fascher to Miss
Augusta Kuhn, who likewise was born in Germany and who came
with her parents, William and Fredericka Kuhn, to America in 1894,
in which year the family home was established in Clayton county.
Here Mr. Kuhn died in 1910, and here his widow still resides. Of
Il8 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
the six children of Mr. and Mrs. Fascher the first two died in in-
fancy; Lucy died at the age of three months and Hilda at the age
of five months. The two surviving children are Arno, born De-
cember 25, 1903, and Leona, born August 28, 1905,
Rudolph W. Fett holds place as one of the enterprising and
representative merchants in the village of Luana and has been a
resident of Iowa since his boyhood days, his parents having been
pioneers of this State. He was born in the Prussian Province of
Pommern, designated in English as Pomerania, and the date of his
nativity was April 6, 1866. In the same province were born and
reared his parents, Frederick and Henriette (Schrader) Fett, and
there they continued their residence until 1875, when they immi-
grated to America and soon afterward established the family home
in Allamakee county, Iowa. There Frederick Fett reclaimed and
developed a fine farm and he continued to be actively identified with
agricultural pursuits in that county for many years. He and his
wife are now venerable and honored pioneer citizens of Allamakee
county, where he is living retired, in the enjoyment of the gracious
rewards of former years of earnest and well directed endeavor.
Their eldest child, Charles, continues to uphold the prestige of the
family name in connection with agricultural industry in Allamakee
county ; Augusta is the wife of August Duball, of that county ; Fred
still remains a representative of agricultural interests in the same
county ; and the subject of this review is the youngest of the chil-
dren. Rudolph W. Fett was a lad of about seventeen years at the
time of the family immigration to the United States, and thus he
had received in his native land his rudimentary education, which
was supplemented by the discipline which he gained in the schools
of Allamakee county, Iowa. He assisted in the work of the home
farm and later found employment on other farms in Allamakee
county. In 1894 he came to Clayton county and founded a general
merchandise business at Watson, in which village he continued his
operations in this line until the autumn of 1915, when he removed
to Luana and purchased the general merchandise stock of Eleazer
Schinholtz. He maintains his store at a high standard in the vari-
ety and completeness of its stock in all departments, and in the
effective service given in meeting the demands of a substantial and
appreciative patronage. He is one of the progressive and valued
business men of this fine little city and has a wide circle of friends
in Clayton county. Mr. Fett is a staunch Republican and within
the period of his residence at Watson he served 15 years as post-
master of that village. Both he and his wife are earnest members
of the Methodist Episcopal church at Luana. On the 5th of March,
1891, Mr. Fett wedded Miss Lena Krueger, who was born and
reared in Allamakee county, and their five children all remain mem-
bers of the gracious home circle, namely: Donald, Gladys, Murney,
Carlisle, and Maicil.
John Feulner is another of the sterling sons of the great Ger-
man Empire who came to America in the period of aspiring youth
and who has found in Clayton county the opportunities through
which he has worked his way to a position of definite independence
BIOGRAPHICAL II9
and prosperity. His finely improved farm of ninety acres lies
adjacent to the corporate limits of the village of Strawberry Point,
and is one of the valuable places of Cass township. Here he gives
special attention to the raising of excellent grades of cattle and
swine, and he has developed a prosperous dairy business in connec-
tion with the agricultural department of his farm enterprise. Fur-
ther evidence of the success which he has won through his own
ability and application is that given in his ownership of a half inter-
est in a tract of two hundred and twenty acres of good land in the
State of Oklahoma. Mr. Feulner was born in Germany, on the 21st
of December, 1873, a member of a family of nine children, of \vhom
seven are living — all save one of the number being now residents of
the United States. He is a son of Wolfgang and Lena Feulner,
who passed their entire lives in Germany. In the excellent schools
of his native land Mr. Feulner gained his early education and in
1891, when a youth of seventeen years, he severed the home ties and
set forth to seek his fortunes in America. He came with slender
finacial resources but with a full measure of energy and indomit-
able ambition, so that he was well fortified for the task which he
set to himself, that of winning his way to the goal of prosperity.
Soon after landing in the port of New York city Mr. Feulner came
to Clayton county and obtained employment on a farm in Cass
township. Advancement was his resolute purpose and he proved
judicious in his use of the facilities at hand. Finally he rented a
farm, and after there continuing his indefatigable activities for a
period of three years he found himself so placed as to justify his
purchase of a farm and he has owned various farms in this vicinity,
always disposing of them, until he secured his present home, upon
which he has made numerous improvements and in connection with
which he has proved himself a resourceful and successful agricul-
turist and stock-grower. It is much to have come as a stranger in
a strange land and to have won through personal effort such a
large measure of success as stands to the credit of this popular and
loyal citizen of Clayton county. His political proclivities are indi-
cated by his staunch support of the cause of the Republican party
and both he and his wife are communicants of the Lutheran church.
On April 22, 1897, Mr. Feulner wedded Miss Frederica Opperman,
who was born and reared in this county, and they have one daugh-
ter, Alice Mary, who is, in 1916, a student in the high school at
Strawberry Point.
Michael Feulner was born and reared in Germany and soon
after attaining to his legal majority he came to the United States
and established his residence in Fayette county. Here he remained
about five years and then came to Clayton county, where he has
so directed his powers and energies as to achieve distinctive and
worthy success as one of the substantial farmers of the county
and to win for himself secure place in popular confidence and es-
teem. He arrived in Clayton county with his negative financial re-
sources represented in an indebtedness of three dollars, and under
these conditions he found employment as a farm hand at a stipend
of twelve dollars a month. Much is signified in his advancement
I20 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
from such status to the ownership of one of the finely improved
and valuable farms of the county, and it is gratifying to pay in
this review a tribute to his energy and resourceful ambition. Michael
Feulner was born in Germany on the 29th of December, 1862, and
is one of the seven surviving children of Wolfgang and Lena Feul-
ner, who passed their entire lives in Germany, all but one of their
children being now residents of the United States. Michael Feul-
ner duly profited by the advantages afiforded in the excellent schools
of his native land, but his youthful ambition and self-reliance finally
prompted him to seek in the United States better opportunities for
the winning of independence and prosperity through individual
effort. In 1884, when twenty-two years of age, he came to America
and established his residence first in Fayette county and later in
Clayton county, which has been the stage of his earnest endeavors
during the long intervening years. For the first five years he was
employed as a farm hand, and for the ensuing nine years he farmed
on rented land. His energy and good judgment enabled him to
make substantial advancement toward the goal of financial inde-
pendence, and finally he effected the purchase of his present fine
homestead farm, which comprises 140 acres and which is eligibly
situated in Sections 16 and 21, Cass township. He has made many
high-grade improvements on the farm, including the erection of
modern buildings, the planting of a well-selected orchard and an
attractive grove of shade trees about his pleasant home. Though
he has proved specially successful in connection with his operations
in diversified agriculture, Mr. Feulner has made a specialty of rais-
ing and feeding high-grade cattle and swine and has developed also
a prosperous dairy business on his farm. He gives his support to
the Republican party and while he has had no ambition for public
office he has shown his civic loyalty by effective service in the
office of township trustee. Both he and his wife are communicants
of the Lutheran church at Strawberry Point, from which village
their home receives service on rural mail route No. 3. On Febru-
ary 21st, 1889, Mr. Feulner wedded Miss Mary Oppermann, who
was born and reared in this county, where her parents settled in
the pioneer days, upon their immigration to America from Ger-
many. She is a daughter of Henry and Mary Oppermann, the for-
mer of whom is deceased and the latter of whom still resides in
this country. Mr. and Mrs. Feulner have four children : Otto,
Lydia, Esther and Alfred. Esther was graduated in the high
school at Strawberry Point and the year 1916 finds her successfully
engaged in teaching in the district schools of her native county.
Joseph Fink. — Fortunate is that man whom destiny leads into
a sphere of endeavor in which he can effectively exercise his talents
and energy and through the medium of which he can achieve a suc-
cess that not only makes for his individual independence but also
tends to conserve the communal welfare. Joseph Fink is one of
the sterling German citizens of Clayton county, and in the land of
his adoption he has found ample opportunity for the gaining of
the worthy prosperity which was the mark set by his youthful am-
bition. He is one of the substantial representatives of the sturdy
BIOGRAPHICAL 121
yeomanry of this county, and as an agriculturist and stock-grower
his success is best evidenced by the unmistakable thrift and pros-
perity that his fine farm betokens. He was born in Germany, on
the 16th of February, 1858, and is a son of Joseph and Sophia
(Thilk) Fink, with whom he came to America in 1884, when he
was twenty-six years of age and after he had availed himself of
the advantages of the excellent schools of his native land. The
father passed the closing years of his life in Fayette county and his
widow now resides in the home of the subject of this review, who
accords to her in her venerable age the most loyal of filial care and
solicitude. Prior to coming to America Mr. Fink had gained prac-
tical experience in the trade of mason, and at this trade he was
engaged in work in Buchanan county, Iowa, until 1889, when he
came to Clayton county and purchased the farm upon which he has
since maintained his home and upon which he has made excellent
improvements of a permanent order, including the erection of sub-
stantial farm buildings. His farm comprises one hundred and
thirty-two acres and is eligibly situated in Section 29, Cass town-
ship, not far distant from the village of Strawberry Point, which is
his postoffice address. In connection with his general agricultural
operations Mr. Fink has developed a prosperous dairy department
of farm enterprise and gives attention to the raising not only of
good cattle but also of other farm live stock. Political activity and
public office have had no lure to this energetic and successful farmer,
who has won his prosperity entirely by personal ability and eflfort,
and he shows his civic loyalty by supporting measures advanced
for the general good of the community and by exercising his fran-
chise as a representative of the Democratic party. Both he and
his wife are active communicants of the Lutheran church. In 1888
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Fink to Miss Kume Schram,
who was born in Germany and who was a young woman when she
came to America, in 1884. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Fink,
Emma and Edwin remain at the parental home; Bertha is the wife
of Earl Cummings and they are now residents of the state of Min-
nesota ; Ida is the wife of Alfred Mikota, of Cedar Rapids, this
state ; and Frederick and Minnie are the younger members of the
home circle.
William Finley was a lad of sixteen years when he came from
the fair old Emerald Isle to America and began to assist his uncle,
the late John Finley, in the work of one of the productive farms of
Highland township, Clayton county, and he has not only continued
his residence in the township during the intervening years but has
also gained secure status as one of the enterprising and substantial
farmers and popular citizens of Highland township, where he is the
owner of a large and well improved landed estate, a portion of
which was formerly the old home of the uncle with whom he made
his home during the early period of his residence in America. Mr.
Finley was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, on the Uth day of
July, 1874, and is a son of Michael and Maria (Fions) Finley, both
of whom passed the closing years of their lives in their native land,
Ireland, the father having been a farmer by vocation during vir-
122 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
tually his entire active career and both he and his wife having been
devout communicants of the Catholic church. Of their children the
eldest is Thomas, who still resides in Ireland; William, of this
review, was the next in order of birth ; John resides in the State of
Montana ; Michael is in South Africa ; and John and James died in
infaney. To the schools of his native land William Finley is
indebted for the educational advantages that fell to his portion in
his boyhood, and, as previously noted, he was sixteen years of age
when he came to America and became a resident of the county in
which he has since gained marked success and an established posi-
tion as one of the progressive exponents of agricultural and live-
stock industry in this section of the state. During the first five
years of his residence in this county Mr. Finley worked for his
uncle on the latter's farm, in section 23, Highland township, and he
then purchased one hundred and forty acres, to which he has since
added until he now has a finely improved estate of two hundred and
sixty acres, nearly all of which land is available for cultivation, the
place being discriminately given over to diversified agriculture and
to the breeding and raising of excellent grades of live stock, Mr.
Finley is a director of the State Bank of Volga, is a Democrat in
his political adherency, is affiliated with the Catholic Order of For-
esters, and both he and his wife are communicants of the Catholic
church. On the 14th of July, 1896, was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Finley to Miss Emma Roche, who was born and reared in this
county and who is a daughter of John and Hannah (Markham)
Roche, both natives of Ireland. Mr. Roche was a youth when he
came to America, and he resided first in the state of West Virginia.
He was eighteen years old when he came to Clayton county, and
here he has since maintained his home, he and his wife being well
known and much esteemed citizens of Elkader, the county seat. Of
their sixteen children nine are deceased, and Mrs. Finley is the
fourth in order of birth of those surviving. The eldest is Michael,
who is a farmer in Highland township ; William is identified with
farm enterprise in Boardman township ; John is a resident of
Omaha, Nebraska ; Mary is a member of a Catholic sisterhood and
is in a convent at Danbury ; Kathrine is the widow of Patrick Orr
and resides at Elkader; and Cecelia is in a convent at Mason City.
Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Finley the first two died at birth,
and all of the others remain at the parental home, namely: Frances
Dechantal, Mary Cecelia, Matthew, Florence Zita, and Edward
John.
Leonard L. Fisher is a popular representative of the third gen-
eration of a family that was founded in Clayton county more than
sixty years ago, and due record of the family history is given on
other pages of this publication, in the sketch of the career of his
father, Luman S. Fisher, so that further review is not demanded in
the present connection. He whose name initiates this paragraph is
making excellent record in connection with the operations of the fine
old homestead farm on which he was born, in Lodomillo township,
and he has become the owner of one hundred acres of the specially
large landed estate accumulated by his father He was born Feb. 2,
BIOGRAPHICAL 1 23
1882, and his early education was acquired in the public schools of
his native county. As a youth he worked at the carpenter's trade
for a period of about three years, but he has had the good judgment
to refrain from severing his allegiance to the basic industries of
agriculture and stock-growing and has continued his active partici-
pation in the work and management of the large and valuable
landed estate of his father, the homestead being known as the Good
Luck Stock Farm and being given over specially to the breeding and
raising of the best types of Poland-China swine and Holstein cattle.
Leonard L. has not only been distinctively successful in the raising
of these types of live stock but is known also as a fancier and suc-
cessful grower of the barred Plymouth Rock poultry. His political
allegiance is given to the Republican party, he is affiliated with the
Modem Woodmen of America, and he is known as one of the
progressive and public-spirited young men of his native county,
where his circle of friends is limited only by that of his acquaint-
ances. October 28, 1903, recorded the marriage of Mr. Fisher to
Miss Fern Lulu Lathrop, who was born in the State of Wisconsin,
as were also her parents, Cassius W. and Martha (Graves) Lathrop;
her father now resides at Van Tassell, Wyoming, where he is
engaged in ranching; his wife died in 1913. Mr. and Mrs. Fisher
have four children, and their names and respective dates of birth
are here designated; Claude Lathrop, March 4, 1904; Norman Fern,
July 28, 1905; Clyde Harley, June 20, 1912; and Wilma Lou, May
26, 1914.
Luman S. Fisher was brought by his parents from the old
Keystone state to Clayton county, Iowa, when two and one-half
years of age and the family home was established in North
McGregor, where they remained three and one-half years, then
moved to Elkader and at the age of nine years he went to Pennsyl-
vania with his mother, returning to Clayton county at the age of
21 years, and his early educational advantages were afforded in
the schools of Iowa, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kansas. He was
born in Pennsylvania, on the 8th of April, 1855, a son of Thomas
and Eliza (Sturtevant) Fisher, who likewise were natives of that
historic old commonwealth. The parents set forth for Iowa when
their son, Luman S.. who was the second of their three children,
was two and one-half years of age, the first-born having been a
daughter, Hattie, who died when 50 years of age, and the youngest
child, North, who died at the age of nine years, was the first white
child born at North McGregor, Clayton county. Thomas Fisher
turned his energies to the reclaiming of a farm on the frontier, and
he aided nobly in the social and industrial development and prog-
ress of Clayton county, where he achieved worthy success and
popular esteem. He was one of the most venerable pioneer citizens
of the county at the time of his death, which occurred in May, 1912,
his devoted wife, who had been a true helpmeet and a mother, hav-
ing passed to eternal rest in July, 1907. As intimated in previous
statements, Luman S. is the only one of their children now living,
and he stands forth as one of the extensive landholders and repre-
sentative agriculturists and stock-growers of Clayton county. Hq
124 MEMOIRS OF CLAVTON COUNTY
remained at the parental home until he had attained to the age of
seventeen years, when, in the spring of 1872, he went to Kansas, in
which state he continued his association with agricultural pursuits
for a period of about four years. Upon returning to Iowa he
worked for a few months on a farm in Marion county and in the
autumn of 1876 he returned to Clayton county, where he has since
maintained his home and where his well ordered and constructive
activities has brought to him a large measure of success. In 1887
Mr. Fisher purchased one hundred acres of land in Lodomillo
township, and within a short time thereafter he added to the same
an adjoining thirty-five acres. With increasing financial prosperity
he showed his good judgment by making further judicious invest-
ments in Clayton county, land, and his finely improved estate now
includes three hundred and twenty acres in Lodomillo township and
he sold a tract of 320 acres in Fallon county, Montana, which he
owned for some time. During the long intervening years that have
marked his enterprising activities as a farmer Mr. Fisher has not
only proved a careful and energetic exponent of diversified agricul-
ture, but has also been notably successful as a grower of high-grade
live stock. He has long given special attention to the breeding and
raising of the best type of Poland-China swine, and he still gives
his personal supervision to this interesting department of his farm
enterprise, besides having prestige as being now one of the oldest
active representatives of the Poland-China breeding in the entire
State of Iowa. Mr. Fisher has at all times been ready to do his
part in the promotion of enterprises and measures advanced for the
general good of the community and he served six years as a mem-
ber of the county board of supervisors, is now assessor of Lodomillo
township, and has been called upon to serve in various minor offices
of a local order. His political support is given to the cause of the
Republican party and he is affiliated with the lodge of Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons at Edgewood, and also with the Modern
Woodmen of America, his attractive rural home receiving mail
service on rural route No. 1 from Edgewood. On December 30,
1880 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Fisher to Miss Sophia
Hesner, who was born and reared in Lodomillo township, and in
conclusion of this sketch is given brief record concerning their
children: Leonard L. has the active management of the old home-
stead and concerning him individual mention is made on other
pages of this work ; Lyle likewise is a successful representative of
agricultural industry in his home township ; Frank is now a resi-
dent of Meridian, California, and is giving special attention to the
raising of rice ; Nellie is the wife of Nicholas Lang, of Mederville,
this county; Mabel is the wife of Irving Hindal, of Lavina, Fergus
county, Montana ; Grace is the wife of Louis Tieden, of Cox Creek
township, Clayton county; and Ruth and Frederick remain at the
parental home.
E. C. Fitzpatrick, an enterprising business man of Elkader,
Iowa, was born in that city. May 10, 1888, and is the son of Matthew
and Elizabeth (Connell) Fitzpatrick, the former a native of Ohio,
and the latter born in Clayton county, Iowa. Matthew Fitzpatrick
BIOGRAPHICAL I25
was brought by his parents to Clayton county when he was five
years old, where he received his education, and upon reaching man-
hood took up his business interest in the same county, following the
profession of law, and conducting an abstract business. He was
very active in political circles, holding the offices of deputy treas-
urer and recorder for a term of six years. His wife died May 28,
1913. To their union were born eight children: Mary, the wife of
T. J. Foley, of Salt Lake, City, Utah ; Mathew J., who is a physi-
cian of Mason City, Iowa ; Ella, living at home ; Edward C, the
subject of this sketch; Caroline, deceased; James F. and Katherine,
also at home. E. C. Fitzpatrick received his education in the grade
and high school of Elkader, and upon finishing his work in the class
room entered business as a clerk with a mercantile firm, but on Oct.
25, 1912, bought for himself a clothing and gents' furnishing house,
which business, by his energy and upright methods, he is fast de-
veloping into one of the best of its kind in his community. He led
to the altar Olga S. Hasek, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and they have
one son, Edward C, Jr., born November 3, 1914. Mr. Fitzpatrichk
is keenly interested in the welfare of the community and is now
serving the public as a member of the city council of Elkader.
Matthew Fitzpatrick was an infant at the time when his par-
ents came to Clayton county and settled on a pioneer farm in Cox
Creek township. Here he passed the residue of his life and here
it was given him to so assert his vital, loyal and noble personality
as to achieve prominence and influence, a large place in community
afifairs and the inviolable confidence and esteem of his fellow men.
Mr. Fitzpatrick was a representative member of the Clayton county
bar, and in addition to gaining prestige and success in the legal
profession he served with marked ability and credit in various pub-
lic offices of local trust. He was one of the prominent and honored
citizens of Elkader, the county seat, at the time of his death, which
occurred on the 8th of March, 1916. This publication exercised a
consistent function when it entered a tribute to the memory of
this valued citizen. Matthew Fitzpatrick was born in the city of
Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 11th of May, 1853, and thus he was barely
63 years of age at the time when he was summoned to the life
eternal. He was a son of Patrick and Catherine Fitzpatrick, and
was about two years old at the time when his parents came to
Clayton county, in 1855, his father obtaining a tract of wild land
in Cox Creek township and there reclaiming a farm. On this home-
stead the parents passed the remainder of their lives and both were
earnest communicants of the Catholic church. Matthew Fitzpatrick
early began to assist in the work of the home farm and after profit-
ing by the advantages aflforded in the rural schools of that pioneer
period in the history of the county, he later made good use of the
advantages afforded in the high school at Elkader. He became a
successful and popular teacher in the schools of this county but
his ambition led him into another field of professional endeavor.
He studied law under the effective preceptorship of William A.
Preston, at Elkader, and in 1883 he was admitted to practice. Mr.
Fitzpatrick proved a resourceful trial lawyer and well fortified
126 ' MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
counselor, and he developed a substantial and representative laW
practice, to which he gave his attention with characteristic zeal
and earnestness. For a time he served as deputy county treasurer,
under the administration of Charles E. Flowete, and in the autumn
of 1884 he was elected to the office of county recorder, of which
he continued the incumbent six years and in which he made a
splendid record as an executive of the county government. Mr.
Fitzpatrick was a man of strong convictions and broad intellectual
ken. His political allegiance was given to the Democratic party
and he was an effective advocate of its principles and policies. He
was a zealous and devout communicant of the Catholic church,
and he and his family held membership in the parish of St. Joseph's
church at Elkader, in which his funeral services were held. He
was actively affiliated with the Knights of Columbus and the Cath-
olic Order of Foresters. At the time of his death an Elkader paper,
in an appreciative tribute, spoke as follows: "He will be missed
and mourned not only by his kindred but also by neighbors and
many friends who have known him intimately and admired him
for his upright, clean, Christian life, and for the interest he mani-
fested in public affairs, especially political and educational mat-
ters." On the 11th of April, 1882, was solemnized the marriage
of Mr Fitzpatrick to Miss Elizabeth Council, and of their seven
children all survive them except one daughter, Caroline D., who
died in 1898. The devoted wife and mother was summoned to
eternal rest on the 28th of May, 1913, and the surviving children
are as noted : Mary E. is the wife of John T. Foley, of Salt Lake
City, Utah ; Michael J., M. D., is engaged in the practice of his
profession at Mason City, this state ; and Edward C, Ellen C,
James F., and Catherine R. still maintain their home at Elkader.
John L. Flanagan, owner of the Majestic theater of Elkader,
was born in Chicago, Illinois, January 25, 1868, and was the son
of Michael and Catherine (Quinn) Flanagan, both of whom were
natives of Ireland, now deceased. Emigrating to America, they
went to Clayton county, Iowa, in 1859, where the father engaged
in farming. He took an active part in the political affairs of his
county, and held several minor township offices. Three children
were born to them : Catherine, living in Chicago ; John L., the sub-
ject of this sketch; and Martin J., of Selby, South Dakota. John
Flanagan was reared on his father's farm, remaining there until
he was twenty-one years of age. He then went into businss for
himself, engaging in the buying and selling of grain in South Da-
kota for five years. Returning to Elkader, he met with an accident
to his leg, caused by a fall of a horse, which incapacitated him
for further active physical work, and in 1910 he entered into the
moving picture business, a successful undertaking, called the Ma-
jestic Moving Picture Theater. He shares in the public activities
of his city as justice of the peace, and in religious matters is a
member of the Catholic church.
Joseph W. Forward is giving a most able administration as
cashier of the State Bank of Edgewood and is known not only as
a careful and efficient executive and representative business man
BIOGRAPHICAL I27
but also as a citizen whose place in popular confidence and esteem
is one of inviolable order. He was born at Waterville, Oneida
county, New York, on the 26th of October, 1856, and is a son oi
Jonah and Jane (Stantial) Forward, both of whom were born in
England. The father immigrated to America in 1840 and estab-
lished his residence in Oneida county. New York, where he engaged
in farming. Later he removed with his family to Illinois, where
he long continued his identification with the same basic line of
industrial enterprise, and both he and his wife passed the closing
years of their lives at Rockton, Winnebago county, that state,
where his death occurred August 24, 1903, and hers on the 25th
of October, 1913. They became the parents of eight children, con-
cerning whom the following brief data may consistently be re-
corded : William resides at Rockton, Illinois ; James resides at
Berlin, Wisconsin, George at Union Grove, and Charles at Osh-
kosh, that state. The subject of this sketch was the next in order
of birth and is the only representative of the immediate family in
Iowa, with the exception of his next younger brother, Edwin, who
resides at Sheldon, O'Brien county, and Mary and Robert main-
tain their home at Rockton, Illinois. Joseph W. Forward received
his early education in the public schools and remained at the par-
ental home until he had attained to his legal majority. In the
meanwhile he learned the art and trade of telegraphy, and as a
youth he served eight years as a telegraph operator in the employ
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. He then engaged
in the mercantile business at Edgewood, Clayton county, where
he has since maintained his home. After having continued his
association with mercantile enterprise for a period of seven years
he was chosen cashier of the State Bank of Edgewood, of which
office he has since continued the efficient and valued incumbent,
his service in this capacity having been initiated in the year 1898.
His political proclivities are shown in his alignment as a loyal ad-
vocate and supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, he is
affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and the Modern Woodmen
of America, and both he and his wife are earnest members of the
Methodist Episcopal church. On the 5th of March, 1881, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Forward to Miss Anna L. Royden,
who was born and reared at Rockton, Illinois, and they have two
children, Jennie L. and Ruth, both of whom are able and popular
teachers in the public schools.
John Foster, manager of the Floete Lumber Company of El-
kader, Iowa, was born in that state in Fayette County, August 18,
1868, and is the son of John Allen and Jessie (McNaught) Foster,
both natives of Scotland. The father came to America at the youth-
ful age of 13 years, locating in Pennsylvania. At the outbreak of
the Civil war in 1861 he enlisted for the service of his country in
the Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalry, in which he served faithfully
four years. He fought and was wounded in the battle of Bunker
Hill, was captured by the Confederates and held a prisoner in
Andersonville for three weeks. After the close of the war he went
to Fayette county, where he engaged in the peaceful pursuit of
128 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
farming, and went to a well-earned repose in death February 10,
1914, leaving his wife still living at Arlington, Fayette county,
Iowa. They were the parents of ten children who, in the order
of their birth, are Allen, of Arlington, Iowa; John, the sketch of
whose life will follow; Betsy, deceased; Thomas, of Strawberry
Point; Isabel, the wife of Oscar Finuf, of Independence, Iowa;
Eliza, who died in infancy ; Rob, dead at the age of thirteen years ;
Archibald and William, who are engaged in business together in
Webster City, Iowa; and Jesse, who is a physician of Aurora,
South Dakota. John Foster married when he was twenty-one,
and came to Elkader as a helper in the lumber yard of the Floete
Lumber Company, and devoted himself so sedulously to his work
for seven years that his untiring energy and devotion to the inter-
ests of his employers was rewarded by them in making him man-
ager of their company, and that trust he still faithfully and effi-
ciently discharges. He is united in marriage to Clara Dell Ogle,
a native of Fayette county, and to them have been born one son
and three daughters : Freemont J., Clara Belle, Jessie, and Rebecca.
Mr. Foster is a consistent and intelligent member of the Repub-
lican party, and belongs to the fraternal organizations of the M.
B. A., and Yeomen, and is affiliated with the Congregational church.
George F. Freeman was a boy at the time of his parents' re-
moval from the old Empire State to Iowa, and during the long
intervening years he has looked upon the Hawkeye commonwealth
as his home, though his career has been one marked by varied and
interesting experiences, in which the domination of the wanderlust
was not absent in the period of his young manhood. He is now
numbered among the substantial citizens and business men of
McGregor, and is one of the well known and distinctly popular
citizens of Clayton county, with a circle of friends that is limited
only by that of his acquaintances. Through his own efforts Mr.
Freeman has won independence and prosperity, and in addition to
having operated for nearly fifteen years a ferry line between Mc-
Gregor and Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on opposite sides of the
Mississippi, he has been engaged also in the piano business at
McGregor since 1913. Mr. Freeman was born in Madison county,
New York, on the 5th of June, 1856, and is a son of George B. and
Adelia (Coon) Freeman, both likewise natives of that State, where
the respective families were founded in an early day. In 1865,
when the subject of this review was a lad of nine years, the family
came to Iowa and established residence at Ossian, Winneshiek
county, where the father engaged in the work of his trade, that
of blacksmith. In 1872 George B. Freeman removed with his
family to Decorah, the judicial center of that county, where he
continued his activities until 1882. He passed the ensuing two
years in the State of Minnesota, then returned to Decorah, but
two years later removed to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, where he
continued his residence until 1896, when he returned with his wife
to Clayton county and established his home at McGregor. He
was, like Tubal Cain of old, a veritable "man of might," and was
known as a skilled artisan at his trade, to which he devoted the
BIOGRAPHICAL I29
greater part of his active career — a sturdy, upright citizen who
commanded the high regard of his fellow men. His devoted wife
passed to the life eternal in 1909, and in the following year he too
passed away, so that in death they were not long divided. 0£
their children the first-born was Eva, who was about 35 years of
age at the time of her death ; the second child was a daughter who
died in infancy ; George F., of this review, was the next in order of
birth ; Mary is the wife of Henry Chase, of Deer River, Minnesota ;
Edith died when about 30 years of age; Nellie is the wife of Samuel
A. Edgar and they reside in the State of Kansas ; Charles is a resi-
dent of the city of Chicago and Henry of Minnesota; and Jennie
is the wife of Henry Smith, their home being in the State of Mich-
igan. George F. Freeman gained his early education in the public
schools of New York and Iowa, and when eighteen years of age
he left the parental home, at Decorah, and set forth with a circus
or show troupe for Minnesota. Proceeding by boat up the Miss-
issippi river to Winona, that State, the party thence made the
overland trip to Wabasha, Minnesota, where the manager of the
show rented a hotel and in the same began manufacturing a quan-
tity of canvas into a tent for his show. Prospects by this time did
not seem so promising or alluring to the young man from Iowa,
and thus Mr. Freeman severed his association with the prospective
amusement enterprise and found employment on the ferry line
across the Mississippi river at Reed's Landing. Longing for home
had soon animated him to such an extent that he made the best
possible provision for returning to the parental roof by purchasing
a skiff in which to make his somewhat venturesome and hazardous
way down the river. The first night out he disembarked at La
Crosse, Wisconsin, and thence he continued his voyage down to
McGregor, his present place of residence, and by working at such
employment as he could obtain he maintained himself until he
again arrived at the parental home. This youthful adventure oc-
curred in the year 1874, and in the following year, at Decorah,
he took unto himself a young wife, in the person of Miss Kate
Allan, who knew his financial resources were at the lowest ebb
but who had faith in his ability to provide for them. The mar-
riage ceremony was performed on Monday and the following
Wednesday the young groom walked a distance of fifteen miles
into the country and obtained work in the harvest field. Each
Saturday night during the harvest season he walked back to De-
corah to remain with his wife over Sunday, and the early matutinal
hours of Monday found him again plodding his way to the farm
on which he was employed) — fifteen miles distant, as previously
noted. Through his arduous labors in the harvest he earned
ninety-five dollars, and with this financial reinforcement he and
his wife engaged in housekeeping at Decorah. In 1877 they re-
moved to North McGregor, Clayton county, and after there estab-
lishing a home Mr. Freeman entered the employ of the Chicago,
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company, the first year having
been given to service of cleaning coaches and the two ensuing
years to work as a brakeman on the main line of the road. He
130 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
was then advanced to the position of locomotive fireman, of which
he continued the incumbent for five years, and after learning the
art of telegraphy he held the post of operator for the same rail-
road as a dispatcher, his entire association with the road covering
a period of eighteen years. Thereafter he was for a time engaged
in mercantile business for some time, and in 1902 he built a ferry
boat which he placed in operation between McGregor and Prairie
du Chien and which provides for the transportation of both passen-
gers and freight. He has successfully operated this ferry line dur-
ing the intervening years and, as previously noted, he has also
developed a prosperous business in the sale of pianos, being agent
for the F. Radle Piano Co., New York City, Lyon & Healy, Chi-
cago, Schuman Piano Co., Chicago, and Morenus Piano Co., Chi-
cago, with which line of enterprise he has been identified since
1913. Loyal and public-spirited as a citizen and a staunch sup-
porter of the cause of the Democratic party, Mr. Freeman has been
called upon to serve as a member of the board of aldermen of the
city of McGregor, in which position he was the zealous advocate
and supporter of progressive policies and yet duly conservative in
the management of municipal afifairs in general. He is affiliated
with the Masonic fraternity, and both he and his wife hold mem-
bership in the adjunct organization, the Order of the Eastern Star.
Mr. and Mrs. Freeman became the parents of two sons, of whom
the younger died in infancy ; Robert R. followed in the footsteps
of his father and identified himself with railway operations, in con-
nection with which he has won advancement to the position of
conductor on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad.
Benjamin Frieden has been a resident of Clayton county from
the time of his nativity and is the owner of one of the large and
splendidly improved landed estates of the county, the same being
situated in Marion and Highland township and including the old
homestead farm on which he was born, the date of his nativity
having been January 14, 1836. He is a son of Benedict and Anna
(Baumgartner) Frieden, both of whom were born in the fine little
republic of Switzerland, whose "mountains still are free and keep
the boon of liberty." Benedict Frieden was a young man at the
time of his immigration to America, and after residing for a time
in Ohio he came to Iowa and numbered himself among the enter-
prising farmers of Marion township, where he eventually accumu-
lated and brought under successful cultivation a large landed prop-
erty. Here he continued his residence, as one of the sterling and
honored citizens of the county, until his death, which occurred when
he was sixty-six years of age. The wife of his youth passed to
eternal rest when their son Benjamin, of this review, was a child
of three years. They became the parents of nine children : Fred-
erick is now engaged in farming in the state of Missouri ; John is a
resident of Oklahoma ; Samuel is deceased ; Frank resides in Okla-
homa ; Eliza is deceased, as are also Mary Ann and Joseph ; the
subject of this sketch was the eighth child ; and the youngest, Annie,
is the wife of Joseph Sneider, of West Bend, Palo Alto county, this
state. For his second wife the father wedded Mechlin Garber, who
BIOGRAPHICAL I3I
survives him, and they became the parents of two children — Rose,
who died in childhood, and Selma, who is the wife of Tim Thomann,
of Elgin, this county. Benjamin Frieden was reared to the sturdy
discipline of the home farm and in the meanwhile he made good
use of the advantages afforded in the public schools of his native
township. He continued his active association with the work of
the home farm until the death of his honored father, shortly after
which he purchased the interests of the other heirs and became the
owner of the well improved property, which comprised three hun-
dred acres, in Marion township. Material evidence of his success
and progressiveness is given in his ownership at the present time
of a fine estate of nearly seven hundred acres, and he is known as
one of the enterprising and representative agriculturists and stock-
growers of his native county. The attractive family home, in
Marion township, is on the homestead which was Mr. Frieden's
birthplace, and it is modern in its facilities and appointments, as
are also the other excellent and substantial buildings on the large
domain owned by Mr. Frieden. He is aligned as a staunch sup-
porter of the cause of the Democratic party, and he has served as
township trustee and as president of the school board of his district.
Both he and his wife are communicants of the Apostolic Lutheran
church. April 9, 1887, recorded the marriage of Mr. Frieden to
Miss Leah Sneider, and she passed to the life eternal on the 29th of
January, 1905. Of this union were born eight children : Celia is
the wife of Daniel Butikofer, of Marion township ; William is en-
gaged in farming in Highland township; Ida is the wife of Samuel
Butikofer, of Fayette county; Esther is the wife of Emil Moor
and they reside in Iowa ; Levi and Bertha remain at the paternal
home; Emil is identified with agricultural pursuits in Highland
township ; and Louisa died in early childhood. For his second wife
Mr. Frieden chose Mrs. Rachel (Sneider) Sutler, a sister of his first
wife. The parents, Joseph and Mary Pfarrer Sneider, were born
and reared in Switzerland and became early settlers of Clayton
county, where the father became a prosperous farmer and where
his death occurred on the 7th of May, 1914. Mrs. Sneider survives
her husband and still maintains her home in this county. At the
time of her marriage to the subject of this review, Mrs. Frieden
was the widow of Frederick Sutler, of Marion township, and of the
children of her first marriage Joseph and Frederick are deceased;
Lucy is the wife of John Butikofer, of Marion township ; Daniel is
a substantial farmer in that township; Marie is the wife of Elmer
Bluiner and they are now residing in the state of Illinois; and Will-
iam and Eli remain in Marion township. Of the second marriage
no children have been born.
Fred J. Friedlein is one of the progressive and influential busi-
ness men of the younger generation in his native county and is
manifesting much initiative and administrative ability as manager
of the Guttenberg yards and business of the Meuser Lumber Com-
pany, of which important corporation he is vice-president, the com-
pany having control of a chain of lumber yards in the county and
the extensive headquarters at Guttenberg being the distributing
132 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
yards from which the other branches of the important business are
supplied. The Guttenberg branch was established many years ago
and came under the control of the present owners in 1908, with
Fred J. Friedlein as manager. The flourishing enterprise includes
the wholesale and retail dealing in lumber, coal, cement, plaster,
brick, general lines of building material, silos, etc., and the extent
of the business is indicated by the fact that in connection there-
with employment is given to a force of from eight to ten persons.
Fred J. Friedlein was born in Jefferson township, this county, on
the 9th of September, 1879, and is a son of Frederick and Harriet
(Schrunk) Friedlein, both representatives of sterling pioneer fami-
lies of Clayton county. Frederick Friedlein was born in Schmalz,
Germany, on the 7th of August, 1850, and in his native land he
was baptized in the German Lutheran church. He was but two
years of age at the time of the family immigration to America, and
the home was established in Clayton county. Here he was reared
to manhood and here he gained his early education in the village
schools of Guttenberg. His parents were honored pioneers of the
county and here passed the residue of their lives. He himself be-
came a prominent and successful exponent of agricultural industry
and was the owner of one of the fine farms of the county at the
time of his death, which occurred on the 3d of June, 1886. He
was a Republican in politics, was affiliated with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, and both he and his wife were earnest mem-
bers of the Lutheran church. Mrs. Friedlein survived her hus-
band by more than a quarter of a century and was summoned to
eternal rest on the 26th of June, 1913, her entire life having been
passed in Clayton county, where her parents settled in the pioneer
days soon after their immigration from Germany. Of the children
of Frederick and Harriet Friedlein the eldest is Ella, who is the
wife of Lewis D. Moser; Wiley is a resident of Guttenberg; Fred
J., of this sketch, was the next in order of birth ; Ina is the wife
of George Erhart, their home being in the state of Idaho; and
Lourelle is a resident of Lewistown, Montana. Fred J. Friedlein
made good use of the advantages afforded in the schools of Gut-
tenberg and after completing the curriculum thereof he took an
effective course in the Dubuque Business College, in which he
was graduated as a member of the class of 1900. For ten months
thereafter he was employed in a lumber yard at Guttenberg, and
for the ensuing ten months he was a clerk in a local shoe store.
He then assumed a place in a local lumber office and he has since
been continuously identified with the lumber business, in which
his advancement has been won by his own ability and well directed
activities, his close application and excellent judgment having
given him a thorough knowledge of all details of the business of
which he is now a prominent exponent in his native county. He
is loyal and public-spirited in his civic attitude, but has manifested
no ambition for public office. He is affiliated with the Masonic
fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has a
wide circle of friends in both business and social circles in his na-
tive county. On the 9th of September, 1903, was solemnized the
BIOGRAPHICAL I33
marriage of Mr. Friedlein to Miss Clara Scholz, who was born and
reared in this county and who is a daughter of W. Herman Scholz,
of Guttenberg. Mr. and Mrs. Friedlein have a winsome little
daughter, Julia Harriet, who was born August 2, 1909.
William Fuelling, president of the Farmersburg Grain Com-
pany, and democratic mayor of that city, was born in Germany,
July 19, 1866, the son of Henry and Mary (Meeger) Fuelling. The
father having died in Germany, the mother, with rare courage,
emigrated to America with her seven children, going to Iowa, and
locating in Clayton county, Garnavillo township. She suffered the
loss of her two eldest children, Laura and Yetta, but five still sur-
vive : Louisa, the wife of Louis Gelherman, of Healdsburg, Cal. ;
Louis, of Farmersburg, Iowa ; Julia, married and living in Lamars,
Iowa; Ernest, a farmer of Wagner township; and William, our
subject, who is the youngest of the family. He worked on the
farm until he was seventeen years of age, but at that time learned
the carpenter's trade, at which he worked for three years, then en-
gaged in contracting and building, afterwards going into the lum-
ber business, in which he still continues. He was married January
19, 1888, to Louisa Seifert, a native of Clayton county, and they
had three children. Otto, the eldest, and Leroy and Alma, deceased.
Mr. Fuelling is a member of the Masonic lodge and of the Wood-
men of the World. In his religious belief he is a Lutheran and
is a member of that church. His son Otto, who is associated with
him in his lumber buisness, was born in Clayton county, March 20,
1889, and was married May 13, 1910, to Miss Genevieve Brown, of
Cresco, Iowa. Two children are the result of this union, Kenneth
Williams, and Winifred Emma Louise. Otto Fuelling, like his
father, is a member of the Democratic party and has served on the
town council. He is a Mason and a member of the Lutheran church.
John C. Garms is another representative of a pioneer family
of Clayton county and has secure status as one of the substantial
farmers and influential citizens of Giard township, where he owns
and operates a fine landed estate of three hundred and forty-one
acres and where his hold upon popular confidence and esteem is
indicated by his incumbency, in 1916, of the office of township
trustee. Mr. Garms was born in Farmersburg township, this
county, on the 23d of February, 1863, and is a scion of the fine
German stock that has played most benignant and effective part
in the development of the resources of Clayton county and in the
maintaining of a high civic standard in this favored section of the
Hawkeye State. Mr. Garms is a son of Joachim and Katherine
(Schultz) Garms, both of whom were born in Mecklenburg, Ger-
many. The father was reared and educated in his native land and
came to the United States about the year 1853. Soon after his
arrival in America he made his way to Iowa and established his
residence near Garnavillo, Clayton county. After being employed
by others for a short interval he rented a farm in Farmersburg
township and his industry and frugality soon fortified him suffi-
ciently to enable him to purchase a farm of his own, in Monona
township. There he continued his successful activities as an agri-
134 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
culturist and stock grower until he had attained to advanced age,
and he passed the remainder of his life in the well-earned retire-
ment that constitutes a fitting sequel to years of earnest and honest
industry. He was a Democrat in politics and both he and his wife
were zealous communicants of the German Lutheran church, Mrs.
Garms having survived her husband by a period of several years.
Of their children the eldest is Henry, who is now a resident of
Charles City, Floyd county; Annie and Elizabeth died young; Min-
nie is the widow of Henry Berg and resides in the village of Clay-
ton, this county ; John C, of this review ; Mary is the wife of Her-
man Knut, of Monona township ; Reika is the wife of William Bur-
ring, of Luana, this county ; and William is deceased. The early
educational advantages of John C. Garms were those afforded in
the schools of Pleasant Grove township. He became his father's
effective assistant in the work and management of the old home-
stead farm and thus continued his activities until he purchased the
property. He sold this homestead place and purchased a farm of
one hundred and eighty-eight acres in Section 5, Monona town-
ship. Later he added one hundred and fifty-three acres to his es-
tate, and thus he now has a valuable farmstead of more than three
hundred acres ; the while he is an effective exponent of progressive
agriculture and stock growing in his native county. Mr. Garms is
a stalwart in the local camp of the Democratic party, has shown
a vital interest in all things pertaining to the communal welfare
and is giving most effective service in the offfce of township trus-
tee, beside which he is a member of the board of trustees of the
German Lutheran church at Monona, of which both he and his
wife are earnest communicants and loyal supporters. November
29, 1889, recorded the marriage of Mr. Garms to Miss Annie Schroe-
der, who was born in Garnavillo township, this county, on the 18th
of May, 1863, and who is a daughter of August Schroeder, who
was born in Hanover, Germany, and who became one of the pio-
neer settlers of Clayton county, where he was for many years a
prosperous farmer and where he and his wife, who likewise was a
native of the kingdom of Hanover, passed the remainder of their
lives, honored by all who knew them and secure in the faith of the
German Lutheran church. Mr. and Mrs. Garms have five children:
Catherine is the wife of Robert Woskoe, of Monona township;
Rudolph is an energetic representative of agricultural industry in
that township ; and Walter, Robert and Selma complete the family
circle at the parental home, which is pervaded by the atmosphere
of good cheer and prosperity and which is known for its generous
but unassuming hospitality.
Benjamin F. Gaylord came with his parents to Clayton county
when he was a lad of eleven years and he is now one of the ven-
erable and honored citizens of the village of Strawberry Point,
which has represented his home from the time when he returned
to Clayton county as a gallant young veteran who had given most
loyal and efificient service as a soldier of the Union in the Civil war.
He is the only surviving member of a family of nine children, and
three of his brothers sacrificed their lives on the field of battle in
BIOGRAPHICAL 135
the Civil war, their remains being laid to rest in soldiers' graves
in the south, Mr. Gaylord was born in Illinois on the 30th of April,
1838, and is a son of Stephen and Rachel A. (Robinson) Gaylord,
the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of North Carolina.
The father became a pioneer of the state of Illinois, where he es-
tablished his home in 1827, and in 1832 he represented that state
as a gallant soldier in the historic Black Hawk Indian war. In
1849 he came with his family to Iowa and became one of the early
pioneer settlers of Clayton county, where he obtained a tract of
wild land, in Cass township, and where he instituted the reclama-
tion of a farm. He secured the land from the government and his
first domicile was a rude log house of the true pioneer type, the
same having a roof of rough boards, a puncheon floor, a chimney of
mud and sticks, and a primitive door with the old-time latch-string.
This sturdy pioneer did not live to enjoy the fruition of his earnest
labors as a farmer in Clayton county, for he passed to the life eter-
nal on the 14th of January, 1854. His widow survived him by more
than thirty years and was one of the revered pioneer women of
the county at the time of her death, in 1886. As previously stated,
Benjamin F, Gaylord was a lad of eleven years at the time the
family home was established on the frontier farm in Clayton
county, and here he was reared under the conditions and influences
of the pioneer days, his educational advantages having been those
afforded in the somewhat meager schools of the day. He was a
sturdy and industrious youth of twenty-three years at the time
of the inception of the Civil war, and his loyalty and patriotism
prompted him at once to abate his labors on the farm and go forth
in defense of the Union. He responded to President Lincoln's first
call and, in September, 1861, enlisted as a private in Company G,
Third Missouri Volunteer Cavalry. With this gallant command
he served three years, within which he took part in many engage-
ments, including a number of the important battles of the war, and
it was his misfortune to have been wounded on five different occa-
sions, on one of which he was left supposedly dead on the battle-
field. He continued with his command until November, 1864, when
he was mustered out, in the city of St. Louis — a loyal soldier who
well merited the honorable discharge that was accorded to him.
In later years he has vitalized his memories of the great conflict
in which he thus took part by means of his appreciative affiliation
with the Grand Army of the Republic. After the close of his mili-
tary career Mr. Gaylord returned to Clayton county and became
a clerk in a mercantile establishment at Strawberry Point, and with
this line of enterprise he continued his active association for thirty
years, since which time he has lived virtually retired in the village
that has long represented his home. In Clayton county this ven-
erable citizen has a host of staunch friends and finds that his "lines
are cast in pleasant places." His allegiance to the Republican party
has been unfaltering, but the only office in which he has served
was that of tax collector, of which he was the incumbent for one
term. He is affiliated with Lodge No. 130, Ancient Free & Ac-
cepted Masons, and has passed various official chairs in the same.
136 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
In 1865 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Gaylord to Mrs. Clara
M. (Eaton) Gaylord, the widow of his brother, who met his death
while serving as a soldier of the Civil war. Mrs. Gaylord was
born in the state of Vermont and was a daughter of Amos and
Maria Eaton, sterling pioneer settlers of Clayton county. The
supreme loss and bereavement in the life of Mr. Gaylord came
when his devoted wife was summoned to eternal rest, her death
having occurred in May, 1891. Of their four children the last died
in infancy and the other three survived the loved mother, although
Burton M. and Minnie A. have since passed away; Alice E. is the
wife of Robert C. Barnes, assistant cashier of the Strawberry
Point State Bank, and with them her venerable father now makes
his home.
John Geraghty has long been numbered among the substantial
agriculturists of Clayton county, is a representative of a sterling
pioneer family of this section of the state and has here maintained
his home since he was a lad of seven years. He has shown the
sturdy purpose, industry and progressiveness that are the distinct
urge to worthy success and is to be considered one of the really
representative citizens of Giard township, where he is the owner
of a well improved farm, his home receiving mail service on Rural
Route No. 1 from the village of McGregor. Mr. Geraghty was
born in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, on the 8th of June,
1847, and is a son of Patrick and Anna (Kelly) Geraghty, both
native of County Mayo, Ireland, where the former was born March
17, 1816, and the latter in the year 1814, their marriage having been
solemnized in their native land. In 1846 this aspiring young couple
emigrated to America, confident of their ability to gain in this
country the goal of definite prosperity. They remained about one
year in the city of New Orleans and thence went to Loveland,
Ohio, in which State Patrick Geraghty found employment at rail-
road work until 1855, when he came with his family to Clayton
county, Iowa, and became one of the pioneer settlers of Giard
township, where he obtained a tract of eighty acres of wild land
and began the reclamation of a farm. Prosperity attended his earn-
est and indefatigable efforts and he was eventually enabled to add
to the area of his farm until he had a valuable landed estate of two
hundred and forty acres. He erected good buildings on the home-
stead and there continued to reside, as one of the prosperous and
popular citizens of the county, until the time of his death, which
occurred December 8, 1892. He was undeviating in his allegiance
to the Democratic party and took a lively interest in community
affairs, as was shown by his being called upon to serve as road
supervisor and also as a director of his school district. Both he
and his wife were earnest communicants of the Catholic church,
in the faith of which they carefully reared their children, and Mrs.
Geraghty survived her honored husband by less than five years,
as she was summoned to the life eternal on the 19th of March,
1897. Of the children the subject of this sketch is the eldest and
the only one of the number born in Louisiana ; Patrick is a resident
of Monona, this county; Mary is the widow of Thomas McGovern
BIOGRAPHICAL lyj
and resides in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota; Michael and
Catherine are deceased ; James is a substantial farmer of Giard
township, and Anna is deceased. John Geraghty was an infant
at the time of his parents' removal to Ohio and was a lad of seven
years when removal was made to Clayton county, where he has
marked the passing years with worthy achievement and where he
has inviolable place in popular confidence and esteem. His early
education was acquired in the pioneer schools of Giard township
and he continued to be a valued assistant in the work of his father's
farm until 1875, when, at the age of twenty-eight years, he pur-
chased eighty acres of land in Giard township, this being part
of the old homestead of his father. Later he added eighty acres
to the area of his farm, which, under this industrious and well-
ordered management, has been developed into one of the finely
improved and most productive places in Giard township, the same
being devoted to diversified agriculture and to the raising of ex-
cellent grades of live stock. Mr. Geraghty is found aligned as a
supporter of the cause of the Republican party, is a loyal and pub-
lic-spirited citizen and served for the long period of twenty-three
years in the office of township assessor, his careful and effective
administration having created none of the enmities that often at-
tend such official prerogatives and having been most satisfactory
in a popular sense. He and his wife are zealous communicants ot
the Catholic church and he is affiliated with the Knights of Colum-
bus. On the 18th of April, 1876, was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Geraghty to Miss Anna English, who was born in County
Mayo, Ireland, on the 16th of April, 1855, and who gained her early
education in the parochial schools of her native land. In 1869,
when she was a girl of fourteen years, she accompanied her parents
on their emigration to the United States, and the family home
was soon afterward established in Mendon township, Clayton
county, where her parents, Anthony annd Honora (Solon) English,
passed the residue of their lives, honored by all who knew them
and both earnest communicants of the Catholic church. Mr. Eng-
lish became one of the prosperous farmers of Mendon township
and was influential in local affairs, his political support having
been given to the Democratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Geraghty be-
came the parents of ten children, concerning whom brief mention
is made in conclusion of this review; Patrick is now residing in the
city of St. Paul, Minnesota ; John, Jr., is associated with agricul-
tural industry in Mendon township ; Michael is a resident of Sioux
City, this State ; James and Francis are deceased ; Thomas main-
tains his home in the city of Great Falls, Montana ; Joseph is as-
sociated in the work and management of the home farm ; James
is deceased, and Catherine and Edward are the younger members
of the family circle of the parental home, which is known for its
hospitality and good cheer.
Michael Geraghty passed virtually his entire life in Clayton
county though it was his to claim the old Buckeye State as the
place of his nativity. His parents came to Clayton county when
he was an infant and became pioneer settlers in Giard township,
138 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
where, earnest and upright, they passed the residue of their lives,
secure in the high regard of the community in which they lived
and labored to goodly ends. Michael Geraghty long held secure
vantage place as one of the representative farmers and honored
and influential citizens of Giard township, and on his fine home-
stead farm he continued to reside until his death, which occurred
on the 14th of October, 1906. He was born at Loveland, Clermont
county, Ohio, on the 14th of March, 1855, and is a son of Patrick
and Anna (Kelly) Geraghty, both natives of County Mayo, Ireland,
where they were reared to maturity and where their marriage was
solemnized. Soon after this important event in their lives the young
couple severed the ties that bound them to the fair Emerald Isle
and came to the United States. After passing about one year in
the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, they removed to Clermont
county, Ohio, where Patrick Geraghty was employed at railroad
work until 1855, when, shortly after the birth of the subject of
this memoir, he came with his family to Iowa and became a pioneer
settler of Giard township, Clayton county. He obtained a tract of
eighty acres of land and was indefatigable in his well-ordered in-
dustry, which eventually resulted in his becoming the owner of a
weH-improved landed estate of more than two hundred acres. He
was one of the substantial and highly esteemed pioneer citizens of
the county at the time of his death, which occurred December 8,
1892, and his devoted wife passed away on the 19th of March, 1897,
both having been earnest communicants of the Catholic church.
Of their children three sons and two daughters are still living,
and of the family further mention is made on other pages of this
work, in the sketch dedicated to the eldest son, John, who is one
of the well known citizens of Clayton county. Michael Geraghty
was reared under the benignant influence of the home farm and
was indebted to the pioneer schools of Giard township for his
early educational training. He continued to assist his father in
the activities of the old homestead farm until he had attained to
his legal majority, when he began a virtual apprenticeship to the
carpenter's trade as a skilled workman at which he thereafter ap-
plied himself until 1887, when he purchased a farm of sixty acres
in Giard township, later adding to its area by the purchase of a
contiguous tract of eighty acres. He made excellent improvements
on the place, including the erection of substantial and modern
buildings, and here he continued his activities as a thrifty and
progressive agriculturist and stock-grower until the time of his
death, his widow still maintaining her home on the fine farm that
is endeared to her by many gracious memories and associations.
Mr. Geraghty commanded the unequivocal confidence and good will
of all who knew him, was a man of alert mentality and of im-
pregnable integrity in all of the relations of life, and he was influ-
ential in community affairs. His political allegiance was given to
the Democratic party but the only public office in which he ever
consented to serve was that of school director. He was a zealous
communicant of the Catholic church at Monona, as is also his
widow. On the 3rd of May, 1886, was solemnized the marriage of
BIOGRAPHICAL 139
Mr. Geraghty to Miss Catherine O'Malley, who was born in Alla-
makee county, this State, on the 4th of May, 1863, a daughter of
Charles and Anna (Burns) O'Malley, both natives of County Mayo,
Ireland, where the former was born August 8, 1817, and the latter
on the 7th of June, 1829, their marriage having been there solemn-
ized on the 3d of May, 1849. In 1852 Mr. O'Malley immigrated
with his family to the United States and established his home in
Allamakee county, Iowa, where he became a substantial pioneer
farmer and contributed his quota to the civic and industrial de-
velopment of the county. A man of sterling character, he com-
manded unqualified popular respect and when venerable in years
he and his wife came to the home of their daughter Catherine, wife
of the subject of this memoir, where he received the utmost filial
care and devotion until he was summoned to the life eternal, on
the 23d of May, 1911, about three months prior to the eighty-second
anniversary of his birth. His venerable widow remains a loved
and revered member of the family circle at the home of Mrs.
Geraghty, and, like him, she is a devoted communicant of the
Catholic church. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. O'Malley, Mary
and James are deceased ; Bridget is the wife of Lewis Larson, of
Lawler, Chickasaw county, this state ; Edward, Sabina, Patrick and
John are deceased ; Mrs. Geraghty was the next in order of birth ;
and Hannah is deceased. The three children of Mr. and Mrs.
Geraghty remain with their widowed mother and their names and
respective dates of birth are here noted: John, March 8, 1887;
Mayme, May 23, 1889; and Michael, May 8, 1892.
Otto Germar is another of the native sons of Clayton county
who has here found an excellent field for the achieving of definite
success through normal and legitimate mediums of productive en-
terprise, and he is associated with his brother Albert in the carry-
ing on of a substantial and representative business in contracting
and building, with residence and business headquarters in the thriv-
ing village of Volga. His progressiveness is on a plane with his
technical ability as a carpenter and builder, and his advancement
has been gained through his own well directed efforts and steadfast
integrity of purpose. Mr. Germar was born in the city of Gutten-
berg, this county, on the 28th of January, 1870, and is a representa-
tive of a family whose name has been worthily linked with the his-
tory of the county for virtually a period of seventy years, the record
thus running back to the very early pioneer epoch. He is a son of
Henry and Theresa (Brumell) Germar, who were born and reared
in Germany and who immigrated to the United States in 1846.
These sterling pioneers disembarked in the city of New Orleans, and
in the following year made their way up the Mississippi river to
become pioneer colonists in Clayton county, Iowa. They estab-
lished their home in the frontier village of Guttenberg and there
Henry Germar engaged in the work of his trade, that of carpenter.
In the autumn of 1877 he removed with his family to Volga and
opened a lumber yard. Here he continued to conduct a prosperous
lumber business for nearly thirty years, his retirement from the
same having occurred in 1905, shortly after the death of his wife,
140 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
who had been his devoted companion and helpmeet. After having
profited fully by the advantages afforded in the public schools of
his native county, Otto Germar further fortified himself by taking
a course in the Bayless Business College at Dubuque. He remained
at the parental home until he had attained to his legal majority and
in the meanwhile he had served a practical and effective appren-
ticeship to the carpenter's trade, under the punctilious direction of
his father. His independent business career was initiated when he
formed a partnership with his brother Albert and they began the
development of their now large and prosperous business in con-
tracting and building. They have erected many buildings of the
best modern type and have thus contributed much to the material
advancement of their native county, the while they have stood ex-
ponent also of loyal and liberal citizenship. Otto Germar is the
owner of several pieces of real estate in Volga, including his at-
tractive residence property. He is affiliated with the local lodge
No. 72, of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, and he and his wife
attend and support the Methodist Episcopal church in their home
city. In 1902 Mr. Germar wedded Miss Valeria Green, who was
born at Volga, in the year 1876, and who is a daughter of Peter
and Lydia (Sherman) Green, the former of whom was born and
reared in Clayton county, a member of a very early pioneer family,
and the latter of whom was born in the state of Illinois. Mr.
Green died in 1900 and his widow still resides at Volga. Of the
five children born to Mr. and Mrs. Germar the second and fourth,
Gilbert and Russell, died in early childhood. The surviving chil-
dren all remain at the parental home — Gretchen, Norbet G., and
Leota.
Martin X. Geske now holds secure place as one of the repre-
sentative members of the bar of his native county and is engaged in
the practice of his profession in the fine little city of McGregor,
where he was born on the 1st of November, 1870, a scion of a
family whose name has been worthily identified with the history
of this county for more than half a century. Mr. Geske is known
as a man of high academic and professional attainments and prior
to his initiating the practice of law he had made an admirable repu-
tation as a successful and popular representative of the pedagogic
profession. He is a son of Frederick F. and Mary S. (Wilkin)
Geske, both of whom were born in Prussia. Frederick F. Geske
was reared and educated in his native land, where also he served
an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade. In 1856 he came to
the United States, assured that in the great American republic
would be offered better opportunities for the achieving of independ-
ence and prosperity through individual effort. Soon after his arrival
he made his way to Minnesota and established his residence at
Taylor's Falls, where he engaged in the work of his trade and
became bridge-foreman for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul
Railroad. In 1859 he became one of the pioneer settlers at Mc-
Gregor, Iowa, and here he was for a number of years associated
with Robert Schultz in the manufacture and sale of carbonated
beverages, including soda and pop. The two partners made the
BIOGRAPHICAL I4I
enterprise a success and built up a substantial trade throughout
this section. In 1867 Mr. Geske purchased a farm of seventy-eight
acres, lying contiguous to McGregor, and here he found diversion
from his regular business activities by giving his supervision to
the cultivation and improvement of the farm, to which he added six
acres. This fine little homestead of eighty-five acres is still in the
possession of the family. Frederick F. Geske was an upright, sub-
stantial citizen who commanded unqualified popular esteem, and he
contributed his quota to the development and progress of the county
and the thriving little city of McGregor, wherein his death occurred
on the 17th of March, 1897, and where his widow still maintains
her home. He was a staunch adherent of the Democratic party and
his religious faith was that of the Lutheran church, of which his
wife likewise became a member in her youth. Of the children of
this sterling pioneer couple the subject of this review is the first-
born ; Henry resides at McGregor and is carrying forward the
prosperous business here established by his father many years
ago; Albert is now a resident of Sioux City; Kate is the wife of
Anton Huebsch, who is postmaster of McGregor and who is indi-
vidually mentioned on other pages of this work; Edith is the wif6
of Fred Ertz and they reside in the city of St. Paul, Minnesota;
Amy is the wife of George Heffren, of St. Paul; and Sadie is the
wife of Carl F. Mehlhop, of Dubuque. In the public schools of
McGregor Martin X. Geske continued his studies until he had
completed the curriculum of the high school, and after his gradua-
tion he held for ten months a position as clerk in a general mer-
chandise establishment at Monona, this county. He then passed
successfully an examination that entitled him to a teacher's cer-
tificate, and after receiving this evidence of eligibility he obtained
the position of teacher in the public schools at Hardin, Allamakee
county, where he remained thus engaged for seven months. For
the ensuing two months he taught an unexpired term in a district
school west of Guttenberg, Clayton county, and in the autumn of
1891 he entered the normal department of what is now Valparaiso
University, in the city of Valparaiso, Indiana. In this great insti-
tution he completed a scientific course and was there a student
until 1893, in the autumn of which year he went to Windom, Minne-
sota, where he remained one year as teacher in the public schools.
He was then elected principal of the public schools at Lake Crystal,
that State, and after a year of successful work in this position he
entered the University of Minnesota, where he vigorously pursued
a course of study, until the death of his father in the spring of
1897, made it virtually necessary for him to leave the institution.
In consonance with a well formulated ambition, Mr. Geske soon
afterward began reading law, under the preceptorship of D. D.
Murphy, a leading member of the bar of Elkader, judicial center
of Clayton county. After one year of such preliminary discipline
he entered the law department of Drake University, at Des Moines,
where he continued his technical studies one year and admirably
fortified himself for the work of his chosen profession. He was
graduated in this institution as a member of the class of 1900, with
142 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
the degree of Bachelor of Laws and with virtually concomitant
admission to the bar of his native State. Thereafter he was for one
year associated in practice with his former preceptor, Mr. Murphy,
and in 1902 he removed from the county seat to his native city of
McGregor, where he has built up a substantial and representative
general practice and gained definite precedence as a resourceful
trial lawyer and well fortified counselor. He served from 1904 to
1908 as county attorney, and his unqualified popularity in the city
that represents his "native heath," has been shown in his being
called upon to serve as a member of its municipal council, of which
office he is the incumbent in 1916, besides which he had the dis-
tinction of being elected mayor of the city, in which office he gave
a most progressive and effective administration, from 1911 to 1913.
His public spirit has been shown also by his earnest and effective
service as a member of and president of the board of education of
McGregor, through the medium of which he has manifested his
deep and abiding interest in educational affairs. Mr. Geske is found
aligned as a staunch and effective advocate of the principles of the
Democratic party, is a member of the Clayton County Bar Associa-
tion and the Iowa State Bar Association, and is affiliated with the
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Woodmen of the
World and the Masonic fraternity, in which last mentioned he has
served several terms as master of Bezer Lodge, No. 135, Ancient
Free & Accepted Masons, at McGregor. He attends and gives
liberal support to the local Congregational church, and is always
ready to give his support to measures tending to enhance the gen-
eral welfare of his native city and county, where he still permits his
name to be enrolled on the roster of eligible bachelors.
E. L. Gifford is one of the representative young business men
of his native county and is a son of Horatio L. Gifford, a sterling
and influential citizen of whom specific mention is made on other
pages of this volume, so that further review of the family history
is not demanded at this juncture. He whose name introduces this
article is the efficient and popular cashier of the Littleport Savings
Bank, and his progressiveness and popularity having been indicated
by his service of four years as mayor of Littleport, a position in
which he gave a most effective and satisfactory administration of
municipal affairs. He has served also as township clerk, and he is
now treasurer of the Littleport board of education and treasurer of
the Littleport Farmers' Co-operative Company. In politics he is
aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the Republican party
and he is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Gifford was
born at Mederville, this county, on the 19th of June, 1883, and
after having fully availed himself of the advantages of the public
schools he initiated his active business career. For five and one-
half years he conducted a prosperous general merchandise business
at Littleport, and of this business he disposed in 1910, in which
year he was elected to his present position, that of cashier of the
Littleport Savings Bank. On the 24th of December, 1903, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Gifford to Miss Ilda Ortmann,
who likewise was born and reared in this county, and the one child
BIOGRAPHICAL I43
of this union is a winsome little daughter, Ilo May, who was born
January 11, 1904.
George L. Gifford holds precedence as one of the alert and
progressive young business men of Clayton county and maintains
his residence in the thriving village of Elkport, where he conducts
a substantial enterprise in the handling of furniture, lumber and
builders' hardware. He was born at Ord, Valley county, Nebraska,
on the 1st of April, 1883, and is a son of Prentice P. and Minnie
(Voss) Gifford, the former of whom is deceased, having passed to
the life eternal on the 31st of December, 1912, and the major part
of his active career having been devoted to traveling and hotel
business. His widow resides at Elkport. Of the three children the
eldest is May B., who is the wife of Asa Kriebs, of Elkport; George
L., of this review, was the next in order of birth ; and Harry W. is
likewise a resident of Elkport. He whose name initiates this article
gained his early education in the public schools, in which he con-
tinued his studies until he had completed the curriculum of the
high school at Elkport. He then, at the age of eighteen years,
began work as a carpenter's helper, and he received $1.50 a day in
compensation for his services. He became a skilled workman at
the trade of carpenter and after being employed as a journeyman
for a period of five years he engaged in business as a contractor
and builder. He developed a large and prosperous enterprise, in
connection with which he gave employment to a force varying from
five to eight men, and in the meanwhile he maintained his residence
and business headquarters at Elkport. Here he has, since his re-
tirement from the contracting business, built up a most substantial
enterprise in the handling of furniture, builders' hardware and,
lumber, and he is essentially one of the wide-awake business men
and loyal and progressive citizens of Elkport. He has had no de-
sire to enter the arena of practical politics or to seek public office,
but he is giving most effective service as treasurer of the independ-
ent school district that has its interests centered at Elkport. On
the 1st of March, 1905, Mr. Gifford married Miss Lizzie Ortmann,
daughter of John and M[ary Ortmann, well known citizens of Clay-
ton county and both natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Gifford
have one son, Glenn, who was born March 25, 1913. At Colesburg,
Iowa, Mr. Gifford is affiliated with Lodge No. 67, Ancient Free and
Accepted Masons.
Horatio L. Gifford is a native son of Iowa and a representative
of one of the early pioneer families of this state, within whose
borders he has maintained his home continuously save for a period
of about seven years, during which he was a resident of the state
of New York. He is now conducting a well equipped meat market
in the village of Volga and is one of the substantial business men
and popular and influential citizens of this place. Mr. Gifford was
born in Buchanan county, Iowa, on the 19th of August, 1855, and
is a son of George L. and Clarinda (Quigley) Gifford, the former a
native of the state of New York and the latter of Indiana. George
L. Gifford came to Iowa in the year 1839 and entered claim to a
tract of government land in Boardman township, Clayton county.
144 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
On this homestead he established his residence, as one of the very-
early pioneers of that county, and his first domicile was a log house
of primitive order, with clapboard roof and with an old-time stone
fireplace. In this little dwelling was maintained the family home
for many years, after which a more pretentious residence was pro-
vided, and on this old homestead farm George L. GifTord and his
wife passed the remainder of their earnest and industrious lives.
Of their seven children only three are now living. Horatio L.
Gifford was reared to the sturdy discipline of the pioneer farm and
gained such educational advantages as were afforded in the common
schools of the locality and period. He assisted in the work of his
father's farm until he had attained to his legal majority, and for
several years thereafter he conducted independent operations on a
rented farm in his native county. After leaving the farm he was for
five years engaged in the mercantile business at Mederville, Clay-
ton county, and he then sold his stock and business and removed to
Littleport, this county, where he conducted a hotel and incidentally
continued also his operations as a farmer, for a period of twenty
years. He then engaged in the general merchandise business at
that place, but seven years later he sold out and removed with his
family to Brooklyn, New York, where he continued his residence
until 1913, when he returned to Clayton county, and established his
present thriving business enterprise at Volga. Mr. Gififord is a
Republican in politics ; he and his wife hold membership in the
Methodist Episcopal church ; at Elkader he is affiliated with Elka-
der Lodge, No. 72, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons ; and at
Littleport he is an active member of Camp No. 1723, of the Modern
Woodmen of America, in which he has passed all of the official
chairs. While a resident of Littleport he served three years in the
office of justice of the peace. In 1878 Mr. Gififord wedded Miss
May Voss, who was born and reared in Clayton county, and who
passed to eternal rest in the year 1906. Of the four children of this
union three died in infancy, and the one survivor, Elmer, is now
cashier of the Littleport Savings Bank. In 1907 was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Gifford to Miss Emily Van Wynam, who was
born in the state of New York, and they have three children, George
L., Horace P., and Mildred L,
Edward H. Gleason, former member of the enterprising hard-
ware firm of Gleason & Linder, of Volga, and concerning Laurence
L. Linder, individual mention is made on other pages of this work.
They in 1915, purchased the hardware stock and business of John
Shields, and by their progressive policies, fair dealings and effective
service to patrons materially expanded the scope of their business,
the status of which gave them secure place as business men of the
thriving little city of Volga. Mr. Gleason was born in the city of
Omaha, Nebraska, on the 24th of August, 1890, and is a son of
William and Barbara (Haering) Gleason. His father was born in
the city of Boston, Massachusetts, of staunch New England stock,
and the mother was born in Clayton county, Iowa, a member of a
well known pioneer family. William Gleason was a skilled car-
penter and builder and developed a substantial business as a con-
THE NEW vuilk
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AOTOt, LINOI AND
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E. O. GLESNE
BIOGRAPHICAL 1 45
tractor at his trade, both he and his wife having been residents of
Strawberry Point at the time of their death. Of their three children
the subject of this review is the eldest; and Lottie and Lulu, twins,
reside at Strawberry Point, this county. He whose name initiates
this article was a boy when he first came to Clayton county, and
as a lad of thirteen years he here found employment on the farm of
his maternal uncle, with whom he remained six years, the while he
continued to avail himself of the advantages of the public schools.
After leaving the farm he worked one year at the carpenter's trade,
and he then engaged in the garage and automobile business in the
city of Omaha for one year. Thereafter he maintained his residence
at Waterloo, this state, until 1915, when he became associated with
Laurence L. Linder in the business of handling standard lines of
heavy and shelf hardware, stoves, ranges, etc., the firm made a
specialty of the installing of furnaces and other types of heating
plants. On April 26th, 1916, Mr. Gleason withdrew from the busi-
ness. Mr. Gleason is found aligned as a loyal supporter of the
cause of the Democratic party and both he and his wife hold mem^
bership in the Lutheran church. On the 9th of September, 1915,
Mr. Gleason wedded Miss Clara Graesch, who was born, reared and
educated in Clayton county, and they are popular young folk in the
social activities of their home community.
Even O. Glesne is a scion of one of the sterling Scandinavian
families that was founded in Clayton county in the early pioneer
days, and the name which he bears has been honorably linked with
the history of this county for more than sixty years, the while it
has stood exponent of distinctive influence in connection with the
development of the agricultural resources, and the furtherance of
the civic prosperity of the county. He whose name introduces this
article owns the old homestead farm on which he was born and
also an adjoining tract of one hundred and sixty acres, his fine
landed estate thus comprising three hundred and twenty acres and
constituting one of the model farms of the county. In Wagner
township, this county, Even O. Glesne was born on the 30th of
September, 1857, and he is a son of Ole E. and Helgar (Sonsteby)
Glesne, both of whom were born in Norway. Ole E. Glesne was
reared and educated in his native land and came to America about
the year 1853. He passed about one year at Rock Prairie, Wiscon-
sin, and then came to Clayton county, and entered claim to a tract
of government land in Wagner township. He lived up to the full
tension of the pioneer activities in this section of the Hawkeye
State and by his indefatigable industry and good management not
only reclaimed his land to cultivation but also attained to substan-
tial prosperity and to the ownership of a valuable landed domain
of two hundred and eighty acres, in possession of much of which
he continued until his death, which occurred May 20, 1914. He was
one of the influential citizens and honored pioneers of the county
and his name merits enduring place on the pages of its history.
His widow still remains on the old homestead and is a devoted
communicant of the Lutheran church, as was he likewise. Of the
seven children Even O., of this review, is the eldest ; John resides
146 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
at Elkader, the county seat ; Riley and Jane are deceased ; Tillie
is the wife of John Johnson, of Wagner township ; Christina is de-
ceased ; Ole is a clergyman of the Lutheran church and had pastoral
charge at Aberdeen, South Dakota, but was called to the pastorate
of the Lutheran church at Decorah, la., in 1916. Even O. Glesne
early began to contribute his quota to the work of the home farm
and in the meanwhile he availed himself fully of the advantages
afforded in the pioneer schools, so that his environment was such
as to cause him to wax strong in both mind and physique and to
equip him effectively for the active duties and responsibilities of
life. He continued to be associated with his father in the work
and management of the home farm until he had attained to the age
of twenty-two years, when he went to Pembina county, North
Dakota, where he took up a pre-emption claim and began the
reclamation of the same. In due time he perfected his title to the
land and developed a productive farm. There he continued his
residence seven years, at the expiration of which he sold his farm
and returned to his native county. Here he bought a farm, but he
later disposed of the same, and in 1890 he purchased one hundred
and sixty acres in Section 21, Wagner township, where he has
since continued to give his attention to progressive and effective
activities as a farmer and stock-grower, besides which he has added
to his possessions by the purchase of one hundred and sixty acres
of his father's old homestead estate. Mr. Glesne is known as one
of the vigorous and steadfast exponents of these basic lines of in-
dustry in his native county ; he is one of the loyal and public-spirited
citizens of Wagner township. He has been called upon to serve
as township trustee and also as treasurer of the school board of
his district, and his political allegiance is given to the Republican
party, both he and his wife being communicants of the Lutheran
church. The family home is known for its generous hospitality and
is eligibly situated about 6 miles distant from Elkader, the county
seat, with mail service on Rural Route No. 3 from that city. The
17th of March, 1886, recorded the marriage of Mr, Glesne to Miss
Bergit Peterson, her personal name being the Norwegian equivalent
of the English Betsey. She was born and reared in Clayton county
and is a daughter of Torkel and Gunnell (Knudson) Peterson, both
natives of Norway, whence they immigrated to the United States
in 1849, settlement being first made in Wisconsin, from which
State they came to Iowa and numbered themselves among the
pioneers of Clayton county, where Mrs. Peterson died half a century
ago and where her husband continued to reside until his death,
which occurred September 3, 1899. Of their children the eldest is
Annie, who is the widow of Ole Severson and who maintains her
home in Kansas; Ingeborg died on the 23d of March, 1916; Gunnell
is the wife of Anulf Steenson and they reside in North Dakota;
Peter is deceased ; Carrie is the widow of Chris Everson and main-
tains her home in Wisconsin; Bergit is the wife of the subject of
this sketch ; Knute resides in North Dakota and his twin brother
died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Glesne became the parents of five
children, Gustava Henrietta, Edwin Benoni, Oscar Theodore, and
THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASrUM, LINtfX AND
TDLDBN rOUNDiTlUNB
I L
PETEE B. GREEN
BIOGRAPHICAL 147
Elvira and Elvina, twins. All of the children are living except
Elvina, who died in infancy.
Peter B. Green was born on the 5th of June, 1853, and passed
his entire life in the State of Iowa, where he rose to prominence and
large prosperity as one of the representative agriculturists and
stock-growers of Clayton county and where he was the owner of
a valuable landed estate, which his widow still retains in her pos-
session and to the management of which she gives careful and
judicious supervision. Mrs. Green resides on the finely improved
homestead farm, eligibly situated in Sperry township, about one
mile distant from the village of Volga, and she is the owner of a
valuable estate of two hundred and sixty-seven acres, the home-
stead place being endeared to her by the gracious memories and
associations of the past and being valued the more by her because it
figured as the stage of the earnest and successful labors of her
honored husband. Peter B. Green was a resident of Clayton county
from his infancy until the time of his death, which occurred on the
27th of March, 1900, and his character and achievement were such
as to cause his memory to be honored by all who knew him, his
remains being laid to rest in the cemetery at Volga. He was a loyal
citizen, a progressive and reliable business man, a staunch advocate
of the cause of the Republican party and an earnest and consistent
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, in the work of which
his widow still continues to be actively concerned and of which she
is a devoted adherent. Mr. Green was adopted in infancy by Daniel
and Hartley (Brown) Green, wdiose marriage was solemnized in
Cambridgeshire, England, on the 21st of June, 1840, both having
been born and reared in that fair county of merrie old England.
Daniel Green was born at Wittlesea, Cambridgeshire, on the 22d of
December, 1818, and was there reared and educated. After their
marriage he and his wife continued their residence in their native
land for somewhat more than a decade, and on the 4th of April,
1852, they severed the cherished ties and set sail for America. In
1854 they became pioneer settlers in Clayton county, Iowa, where
Mr. Green secured a tract of wild land and developed a productive
farm, both he and his wife having passed the remainder of their
lives as well known and highly honored citizens of this county.
They had no children of their own but gave to their adopted son,
the subject of this memoir, the true love and solicitude of actual
parentage. Peter B. Green was afforded the advantages of the
public schools and virtually his entire active career was marked by
close and successful association with the basic industries of agri-
culture and stock-growing, through the medium of which he gained
substantial and enduring independence and prosperity, the concrete
evidence thereof being given in the finely improved landed estate
still owned by his widow. He purchased the homestead now occu-
pied by Mrs. Green shortly after their marriage, and here he con-
tinued his well ordered activities until death set its seal upon him.
On the 12th of October, 1872, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Green to Miss Lydia E. Sherman, who was born and reared in this
county, and who is a daughter of Joseph and Jane (Moon) Sherman,
148 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
of whose ten children six are now living. The parents were born
and reared in the state of New York and were numbered among
the pioneers of Clayton county, Iowa, where they established their
home on a farm and where they passed the residue of their long
and useful lives, their names meriting enduring place on the roll of
the honored pioneers of Clayton county. Mr. and Mrs. Green be-
came the parents of three children, all of whom survive the honored
father : William is now a resident of the state of Wisconsin ; Walter
has a farm in Sperry township near the city Volga, and Valeria
is the wife of Otto Germar, of whom individual mention is made
elsewhere in this publication.
David G. Griffith was a resident of Clayton county for about
thirty years and gained prestige as one of the able and successful
representatives of the newspaper business in the Hawkeye state.
At the time of his death he was associated with his only son in the
editing and publishing of the Elkader Register and Argus, which
represents a consolidation, in September, 1907, of the Elkader Reg-
ister and the Elkader Argus. Of the former paper he had long
been editor and publisher, and he had made it an effective exponent
of local interests as well as a safe and able leader of popular senti-
ment. He was a man of strong intellectual powers and sterling
character, one of the leading citizens of Elkader, commanding an
impregnable place in popular confidence and esteem, and his high
standing in this county makes it imperative, as a matter of historical
consistency and just deserts, that in this publication be entered a
tribute to his memory and a brief record of his career. David
Golden Griffith was born at Mohawk, Herkimer county, New York,
on the 17th of October, 1845, and was a son of Ira and Nancy
(Golden) Griffith. Ira Griffith, who was engaged in the hotel busi-
ness during much of his active career, was a son of Jesse Griffitb,
and the latter was a son of William Griffith, Jr., who was a member
of the New York Rangers during the war of the Revolution, his
birth having occurred in 1762, and he having been a resident of
Worcester, New York, at the time of his death, on the 9th of Octo-
ber, 1838 ; his father. Captain William Griffith, was an officer of the
Continental army in the war of the Revolution. Mrs. Nancy
(Golden) Griffith was a daughter of John Golden, and her maternal
grandfather, James Eaton, was, with his family, among the few
survivors of the historic Indian massacre at Wyoming, Pennsylva-
nia. David G. Griffith was the only child of his parents, and after
the death of his mother his father contracted a second marriage,
the one child of this union being a daughter Frances, who became
the wife of Rensaeller D. Hubbard, of Mankato, Minnesota. David
Golden Griffith was not yet nine years old at the time of his mother's
death and thereafter he lived mainly with her kinsfolk, at Utica,
New York, until the autumn of 1861. In the meanwhile he profited
fully by the advantages afforded in the Utica schools and there had
finally entered upon a practical apprenticeship to the printer's trade.
On the 25th of October, 1861, about two weeks after he had cele-
brated his sixteenth birthday anniversary, he enlisted for service
as a soldier of the Union in the Civil war. He became a private
DAVID G. GRIFFITH
^HIBIP I l||rii«
I'HL "N
IffTO*. UIINWI AND
TILDIfiN raUNOATlWNt
B 1<
BIOGRAPHICAL I49
in Company M, Second New York Artillery, his enlistment having
been for "three years or during the war," and in November, 1863,
he re-enlisted as a veteran volunteer, his service continuing until
he received his honorable discharge on the 15th of October, 1865.
His regiment was a part of the Army of the Potomac and saw much
severe service. It was attached to the First Brigade of the First
Division of the Second Army Corps, under command of General
Hancock, and the famous Irish Brigade likewise formed a part of
this gallant corps, while the division was in command of General
Nelson A. Miles. The Second New York Artillery ranked eighth
in the number of its losses in the war. Of the original Company M
with which Mr. Griffith went to the front, he was one of only five
that returned at the close of the long conflict, and he held commis-
sion as second lieutenant of his company at the time when he was
mustered out. At the time when Manassas Junction was captured
by General Stonewall Jackson's corps, Mr. Griffith was captured,
but, with other enlisted men, he was paroled on the field of the
second battle of Bull Run. After passing three months in the parole
camp at Annapolis, Maryland, he was exchanged, whereupon he
promptly rejoined his regiment. He served in the battles and
minor engagements from Spottsylvania to Petersburg, and at the
latter place, on the night of June 16, 1864, he was so severely
wounded that he was sent to the north for proper treatment and
care. In the following November he rejoined his regiment, with
which he served during the final campaigns against the forces of
General Lee. At Burksville Station, after Lee's surrender, he com-
manded the guard having in charge the artillery surrendered by the
great Confederate leader. He was mustered out October 15, 1865,
two days prior to his twentieth birthday anniversary. Soon after
the close of his gallant career as a youthful soldier of the Union
Mr. Griffith entered the office of the Utica Morning Herald for the
purpose of completing his apprenticeship as a printer. He con-
tinued his services in newspaper offices at Utica, New York, until
April, 1870, when he came to Iowa and established his residence
in the village then known as Buffalo Grove, near the present town
of Aurora, Buchanan county. There, on the 14th of December,
1870, was solemnized his marriage to Miss Mary A. Carpenter, who
was born at Trenton Falls, New York, on the 6th of February,
1845. One of her brothers had been a former comrade and tent-
mate of Mr. Griffith in the army and had sacrificed his life to his
county. After his marriage Mr. Griffith worked at his trade in
Dubuque and Chicago, and from the latter city he returned, in
1872, to Dubuque, where he retained a position on the Daily Herald
until August 1, 1880, when he came to Clayton county and estab-
lished his permanent home at Elkader, where he had shortly be-
fore purchased an interest in the Elkader Register. In the control
of this paper he was associated with George A. Fairfield until Jan-
uary 1, 1893, when Mr. Fairfield retired from the partnership and
was succeeded by Harry L. Griffith, the only child of the subject
of this memoir, who has continued the business since the death of
his father and concerning whom individual mention is made on
150 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Other pages of this publication. David G. Griffith filled a large
place in the community life of Elkader and Clayton county and
was splendidly influential not only through the medium of his ex-
cellent paper but also in a direct personal way. For many years
he gave his allegiance to the Democratic party, but in the later
period of his life he was aligned with the Republican party. He
served three terms as mayor of Elkader and was postmaster of
this place during the first administration of President Cleveland.
He was always active and influential in public affairs in Elkader
and the county. He held membership in the Baptist church, and
in the time-honored Masonic fraternity his affiliations were with
Elkader Lodge No. 72, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons; Har-
mony Chapter No. 41, Royal Arch Masons; and DeMolay Con-
sistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, at Clinton, this state, in
which last he received the thirty-second degree. He was identified
also with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Modern
Woodmen of America and other fraternal organizations, the while
he was a specially appreciative and honored member of E. Boardman
Post, No. 187, Grand Army of the Republic, through the medium
of which he manifested his abiding interest in his old comrades in
arms. It has already been stated that Mrs. Griffith was born at
Trenton Falls, New York, and it may further be noted that she
is a daughter of Bradford James Carpenter and Jane Laura (Jones)
Carpenter, the former of whom was born at Richford, Vermont,
September 25, 1807, and the latter of whom was born at Troy,
New York, on the 4th of January, 1807, their marriage having been
solemnized at Berkshire, Vermont, on the 2d of April, 1833. Mr.
and Mrs. Carpenter passed the closing years of their lives at Ar-
lington, Fayette county, Iowa, where his death occurred July 23,
1881. Of their four children who attained to maturity Lorin D.
and Charles W., both of whom were soldiers in the Civil war, are
now deceased, as is also Sarah B., the one surviving child, besides
Mrs. Griffith, being Homer R., a resident of Atlantic, Iowa. Since
the death of her husband, Mrs. Griffith has continued to reside at
Elkader, a place that is endeared to her by the hallowed memories
and association of the past and in which community she is held
in affectionate regard by all who know her.
Harry L. Griffith. — As editor and publisher of the Elkader
Register and Argus, Mr. Griffith is well upholding the journalistic
prestige here maintained for many years by his honored father,
the late David B. Griffith, to whom a memoir is dedicated on other
pages of this work, so that further review of his career and the
family history is not demanded in the present connection. Harry
Llewellyn Griffith was born at Buffalo Grove, near Aurora, Buch-
anan county, Iowa, on the 22d of October, 1872, and is the only
child of David G. and Mary Anne (Carpenter) Griffith. He was
a lad of eight years at the time when the family home was estab-
lished at Elkader, and after his graduation in the Elkader high
school, as a member of the class of 1889, he was a student in the
University of Wisconsin about two years. Thereafter he worked
at electrical engineering until 1895, and during a portion of this
BIOGRAPHICAL I5I
time he prosecuted advanced technical study in the Drexel Insti-
tute, in the city of Philadelphia. On the 1st of January, 1893, he
purchased an interest in his father's paper, the Elkader Register,
and became a member of the firm of D. G. Griffith & Son, though
he did not assume an active connection with the business until
1895, when, on account of impaired health, he returned to the par-
ental home and incidentally assumed the business management of
the paper of which he has maintained the ownership and control
since the death of his father, on the 27th of August, 1910. In Sep-
tember, 1907, was effected a consolidation of the Elkader Register
and the Elkader Argus, and both names are retained in the present
publication, which is the leading paper of Clayton county, both
the newspaper and job departments of the office being of excellent
modern equipment and facilities. Though he is registered as a
Republican, Mr. Griffith is in a political way independent in his
attitude and makes his paper stand representative of the same pol-
icy. He is affiliated with Elkader Lodge No. 72, Ancient Free &
Accepted Masons; Harmony Chapter No. 41, Royal Arch Masons,
and has received the thirty-second degree of the Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite of Masonry, in De Molay Consistory, at Clinton, this
state, besides which he holds membership in the Elkader camp of
the Modern Woodmen of America. June 16, 1896, recorded the
marriage of Mr. Griffith to Miss Flora May Lothrop, of Dubuque,
and she passed to the life eternal on the 18th of March of the fol-
lowing year. At Fayette, Iowa, on the 1st of January, 1907, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Griffith to Miss Abbie Helen Gran-
nis, and they have four children, whose names and respective dates
of birth are here entered: Helen Katherine, August 16, 1908; Mary
Golden, October 20, 1910; and David Grannis and Harold Sherman,
twins, June 15, 1912. Mrs. Griffith was born at Grannis Mills, Fay-
ette county, Iowa, on the 28th of December, 1883, and she received
excellent educational advantages, including a course in the music
and art department of Upper Iowa University, at Fayette, in which
she was graduated. She is the youngest daughter of Henry J.
and Abigail Caroline (Hubbell) Grannis, and her mother was a
lineal descendant of Roger Sherman, one of the signers of the Dec-
laration of Independence. Henry James Grannis was born near
North Liberty, St. Joseph county, Indiana, July 18, 1841, and he
died at Fayette, Iowa, October 13, 1907. His parents, John and
Rhoda (Bennett) Grannis, removed from the state of New York
and became pioneer settlers in Indiana, he having been the next
to the youngest of seven children, of whom five attained to years
of maturity. In 1860 Henry J. Grannis accompanied his parents on
their removal to Iowa and the family settled at Fayette, where he
attended Upper Iowa University until September 15, 1861, when
he enlisted in Company C, Twelfth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, known
as the "University Recruits." By the young ladies of the univer-
sity Mr. Grannis was selected as color bearer of his company, to
which they had presented a flag, and later the company became the
color company of the regiment, Mr. Grannis having had the dis-
tinction of bearing the colors for his regiment until he received
152 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
his honorable discharge, on the 20th of January, 1866. He took
part in the capture of Fort Henry, and his flag was the first on
the ramparts of Fort Donnelson, February 15, 1862. At Shiloh,
after being under fire from 9 a. m. to 5 :45 p. m., he was captured
in that famous "Hornets' Nest" that did so much to save the day
from absolute disaster. Taken as a prisoner of war to Montgomery,
Alabama, he was there held five weeks, being then transferred to
Macon, Georgia, where he remained until October 11, 1862, when
he was paroled, his exchange having been effected on the 10th of
the following month. In December he rejoined his regiment and
resumed his post as color bearer. He participated in the battle of
Jackson, Mississippi, May 14, 1863, and in the siege of Vicksburg,
where he took part in all important engagements until June 22d,
when his regiment was sent to Black River to guard the rear from
attack by the forces under General Johnston. After the expiration
of his original term of enlistment Mr. Grannis, on the 25th of Dec-
ember, 1863, re-enlisted as a veteran volunteer, continuing as color
sergeant and taking part in the battles of Tupelo, Mississippi, and
Nashville, Tennessee, the expedition against Mobile and the siege
of Spanish Fort. In his service he carried the colors in every im-
portant battle in which his regiment was engaged — twenty-three
in all — and was under Confederate fire one hundred and twelve
days. He carried the colors also on the march for a distance of
2,670 miles, and by water and land transportation traveled 13,809
miles. Consistently may be ventured the statement that this record
was equaled by that of no other color bearer in the Union service.
In several engagements the colors were riddled in Mr. Grannis'
hands. On one occasion every guard was killed or wounded, yet,
strange to say, he never received a scratch or suffered the flag to
go from his hands except at the time when he was captured. That
the flag was always to the front and carried with greatest gallantry
every official report from the regiment testified, for every one of
the reports makes special mention of "our gallant color bearer."
On the 22d of November, 1865, Mr. Grannis was commissioned
first lieutenant, but he never mustered as such, as he chose the colors
rather than promotion.
Halsten S. Groth is the fortunate owner of one of the finely im-
proved farm properties of his native county, the same comprising
two hundred acres of fertile land in Section 7, Marion township, and
including the old homestead place on which he was born, the date
of his nativity having been May 19, 1861. Mr. Groth has here been
actively concerned with progressive operations as an agriculturist
and stock-grower during the entire course of his adult career, and
he is distinctively to be designated one of the enterprising, success-
ful and representative farmers of the county, with secure place in
popular confidence and good will, thus nullifying any application
of the scriptural aphorism that "a prophet is not without honor
save in his own country." Mr. Groth is a son of Sven and Birget
(Oin) Groth, both natives of Norway. The father was a young
man at the time of his emigration to America and after remaining
two years in Wisconsin he came to Clayton county and became one
BIOGRAPHICAL 1 53
of the pioneer settlers of Marion township. Here, by energy and
good business policies, he achieved large and worthy success as a
farmer, and at the time of his death he was the owner of the sub-
stantial estate of two hundred acres that is now in the possession
of his son Halsten S., of this review. Sven Groth, a man of un-
qualified integrity and honor, passed to eternal rest on the 3d of
September, 1881, a zealous communicant of the Norwegian Luth-
eran church, as is also his venerable widow, who remains on the
old homestead with their eldest child, subject of this sketch, and
who celebrated in 1916 her eighty-fifth birthday anniversary. The
second child, Helgrim, is a resident of Hebron, North Dakota ;
Rachel resides at Broadview, Montana; Barbo is deceased; Kittil
and Bertin maintain their home at Maple, Cass county, North Da-
kota ; Olena is the wife of Kittel Esk, of Finley, Steele county, that
state; and the other five children died young. In the public schools
of Clayton county Halsten S. Groth continued his studies until he
had availed himself of the advantages of the high school at Elgin,
and upon attaining to his legal majority he assumed, in the interest
of his widowed mother, the active supervision of the home farm.
About two years later he rented the place, and after the lapse of
another year he purchased the interests of the other heirs and came
into sole possession of the valuable property, upon which he has
since made the best of modern improvements, including the erection
of an attractive and commodious frame house of two stories and
substantial and well equipped barns. He has also installed on the
farm a silo that has a capacity of one hundred tons, and he brings
to bear in his operations as an agriculturist and stock-grower the
most approved of modern policies and facilities, with the result that
his success has been of substantial and unequivocal order. He is a
director of the Farmers' Dairy Company at Elgin, this county; is
president of the Gunder & Clermont Telephone Company, is serv-
ing with marked loyalty and efficiency as township trustee, and is
essentially one of the popular and influential citizens of his native
county. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party
and he and his wife are earnest communicants and liberal support-
ers of the Norwegian Lutheran church. Their attractive home
receives mail service on rural route No, 4 from the village of Elgin.
On the 24th of May, 1888, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Groth to Miss Helen Skarshang, who was born and reared in this
county, and of the five children of this union the eldest is Jessie
Benora, who is the wife of Jens Halverson, their residence being
in the state of Minnesota; Selmer likewise resides in that state ; and
Harry, Alma Sophia, and Arthur remain at the parental home.
John Groth is one of the venerable and honored pioneer citizens
of Clayton county, where he has maintained his home for more
than sixty years and where he has contributed his full quota to
civic and industrial development and progress. He and his wife
still reside on their fine old homestead farm, in Section 8, Marion
township, and they have the high regard of all who know them,
both having long been zealous and influential communicants of the
Norwegian Lutheran church. Their attractive home now has mani-
154 • MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
fold advantages that were notable for their absence in the pioneer
days, and not the least is the free mail service afforded by rural
route No. 4 from the village of Elgin. Mr. Groth was born in
Norway, on the 19th of December, 1833, and is now the only sur-
vivor of the nine children of Halsten and Ragnild (Kittleson) Groth,
who passed their entire lives in their native land, the subject of this
review having been the youngest of their children. Mr. Groth
gained his early education in the schools of his native land and was
a youth of eighteen years when, in April, 1852, he embarked on the
sailing vessel that gave him transportation to America. He landed
in the port of New York City and thence came directly to Iowa,
where he numbered himself among the pioneer settlers of Marion
township. He purchased one hundred and ninety acres of land, in
Section 8, and from the same he developed the well improved
farm that now constitutes his home. He has won independence
and definite prosperity through his own well ordered labors and
enterprise and has long been numbered among the substantial ex-
ponents of agricultural and livestock industry in Clayton county,
the while he has at no time failed to live up to the varied duties and
responsibilities of loyal citizenship. He has had no ambition for
public office, but is a stalwart supporter of the principles of the Re-
publican party. On the 16th of January, 1862, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Groth to Miss Guri Tollefson, likewise a native of
Norway, and eleven children were born of this union. Halsten, the
firstborn, died in childhood; Sarah remains at the parental home;
Rachel is deceased ; Halsten (second of the name) is associated in
the work and management of the old homestead farm; Tollef re-
sides in the village of Elgin ; Sophia and Kittle are deceased ; Louis
is a resident of Elgin, Fayette county; Sophia and Martin are still
members of the parental home circle ; and the youngest child, a son,
died at birth.
Wilford E. Gruver, the efficient and popular cashier of the
Clayton Savings Bank and the valued incumbent of the offices of
treasurer of Clayton corporation and of the school district in which
the village of Clayton is situated, is a native son of the Hawkeye
state and is a scion of the third generation of both the paternal
and maternal families in Iowa, with the civic and material history of
which commonwealth the names of the respective families have
been long and worthily identified. Mr. Gruver holds precedence
as one of the representative young business men and loyal and
public-spirited citizens of Clayton county, has a secure place in
popular esteem and is well entitled to recognition in this publica-
tion. He was born at West Union, Fayette county, Iowa, on the
5th of November, 1890, and is a son of Benton C. and Amazet
(Burke) Gruver, both of whom were likewise born in this state,
where their parents settled in the early pioneer days. The father
of the subject of this review has given the major part of his active
career to agricultural pursuits and still maintains his residence in
Fayette county, his devoted wife having been summoned to eternal
rest in 1913 and being survived by all of their eight children. Wil-
ford E. Gruver supplemented the advantages which he received
BIOGRAPHICAL 155
in the public schools of his native county by taking an effective
course in a business college in the city of Cedar Rapids. Soon
after having thus fortified himself he assumed a clerical position in
a bank at West Branch, Cedar county, and two years later he was
promoted to the position of assistant cashier of the institution.
About two and a half years later he resigned this office and became
cashier of a bank at Beaver Creek, Minnesota, where he remained
one year. He then resigned his position and came to Clayton
county, where he has served as cashier of the Clayton Savings
Bank since 1915, and where he has made an admirable record in the
executive management of this substantial and popular financial
institution of the county. He is treasurer of his school district.
His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and at
West Branch, Cedar county, he still retains affiliation with
Wapsinonock Lodge, No. 381, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
He is popular in the representative social life of the community.
On June 8th, 1916, he married Katharine Richards, of McGregor,
whose father, F. S. Richards, is cashier of the First National Bank,
of McGregor.
John P. Habermann has shown the progressiveness, industry
and mature judgment that significantly mark the sterling race from
which he is sprung and which has contributed a most valuable
element to the complex social fabric of our great American republic.
Mr. Habermann is now one of the representative business men and
honored and influential citizens of the village of Osterdock, Clay-
ton county, and is well entitled to recognition in this history of his
home county. He was born in the beautiful Rhine Province of
Germany, on the 16th of November, 1875, and was a lad of eight
years when he accompanied his parents, John P. and Catherine
(Lortcher) Habermann, upon their immigration from their native
province to the United States, in 1884. The family home was first
established at Tama, the judicial center of the Iowa county of the
same name, but one year later removal was made to Sioux City,
this state. In 1893 the parents removed from that city to Cassville,
Wisconsin, where the father now lives retired and where the de-
voted wife and mother passed to eternal rest in the year 1912, both
having become zealous communicants of the Catholic church when
they were young. John P. Habermann, Sr., entered fully into the
spirit of American institutions and as soon as possible became a
naturalized citizen, whereupon he espoused the cause of the Demo-
cratic party, in the ranks of which he has since been staunchly
aligned. The eldest of the children is Mary, who is the wife of
Anthony Dressen, of Harrison, Idaho; the subject of this sketch was
the next in order of birth; Margaret resides in the city of Minne-
apolis, Minnesota; Frances is the wife of John Moore, of Turkey
River, Clayton county; Elizabeth is the widow of Edward Carter
and maintains her home at Mandan, North Dakota ; Frank is a
resident of Dubuque, Iowa; and Matthew and Josephine remain
with their father at Cassville, Wisconsin. John P. Habermann, Jr.,
the immediate subject of this review, gained his early education
principally in the public schools of Sioux City, and as a youth he
156 ' MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
was there employed for a time in a bottling establishment. He
was about eighteen years old when he accompanied his parents on
their removal to Cassville, Grant county, Wisconsin, and there he
served a thorough apprenticeship to the blacksmith's trade, to which
sturdy vocation he gave his energies for the long period of twenty-
two years, during the last seven of which he conducted a blacksmith
shop at Osterdock, Iowa, his present place of residence. Mr. Haber-
mann gave significant evidence of his loyalty when the Spanish-
American war had its inception. He was at the time a resident of
Cassville, Wisconsin, and in June, 1898, he enlisted as a member of
Company M, Third Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He was with
his regiment in active service in both Cuba and Porto Rico, and with
the command received his honorable discharge in the month of
January, 1899. Mr. Habermann has maintained his home at Oster-
dock since 1905 and here he now owns and conducts a well ap-
pointed and popular restaurant and confectionery store. He has
served as mayor of the village, is at the present time a valued and
progressive members of the village council, his political allegiance
is given to the Democratic party, he is affiliated with the Catholic
Knights of Wisconsin and the Spanish-American War Veterans,
and both he and his wife are communicants of the Catholic church.
On the 12th of November, 1901, was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Habermann to Miss Christine Eckstein, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Eckstein, of Cassville, Wisconsin, and the five children
of this union all remain at the parental home, namely : Adele, Mar-
garet, Hans, Rose and Ethel.
John Louis Hagensick has been a resident of the Hawkeye
state from the time of his birth, is a representative of one of the
honored pioneer families of Iowa and is now one of the substantial
farmers and influential citizens of Read township, with secure place
in the confidence and good will of the community. He was born in
Ceres, this state, on the 30th of December, 1874, and is a member of
a family of twelve children, all of whom are living. His parents,
John M. and Margaret (Winch) Hagensick, were born and reared
in Germany and soon after coming to America they became pioneer
settlers in Iowa, in 1854. The father was a blacksmith by trade and
he continued his active association with the work of his trade until
1860, when he engaged in the general merchandise business in the
little village of Ceres, Clayton county, where also he was appointed
postmaster under the administration of President Lincoln. He was
one of the most honored and influential citizens of his community
and it is specially interesting to record that he continued the in-
cumbent of the office of postmaster for the long period of thirty-
four years, his retirement having taken place in 1894 and his death
having occurred in September, 1897, his devoted wife having pre-
ceded him to eternal rest and both having been zealous members
of the Evangelical Lutheran church. He was affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
took deep interest in the aflfairs of these organizations. John Louis
Hagensick acquired his early education in the public schools of
Clayton county and as a lad of eleven years he became a member
BIOGRAPHICAL \ I57
of the home circle of one of his uncles who was a farmer in thi^
county. He assisted his uncle in the work and management of the
farm for a period of thirteen years and he then married and estab-
lished his residence on a farm which he rented for the ensuing five
years. At the expiration of this period he purchased his present
well improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in Section 33,
Read township, where also he owns an additional tract of ten acres
of timber land. He is one of the progressive and energetic farmers
and stock-growers of Clayton county and substantial success is at-
tending his well ordered endeavors, the while he may well take
pride in the excellent improvements and general air of thrift which
mark his farm as one of the model places of Read township. He is
a Republican in politics, is serving at the time of this writing, in
1916, as treasurer of the school board of his district, and both he
and his wife are members of the Evangelical Lutheran church. In
the year 1901, March 27, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Hagensick to Miss Freda Diers, who was born and reared in Read
township, and who is one of the four surviving children of Freder-
ick W. and Margaret (Schneider) Diers, who were children at the
time of the immigration of their parents to America and who now
reside upon their fine homestead farm in Read township. Mr. and
Mrs. Hagensick have four children, whose names and birth dates
are here noted: Ada M., February 8, 1903; Amos F., July 11, 1905 j
Milton H., July 27, 1908, and Lloyd A., October 23, 1913.
Philip B. Haid has been a resident of Clayton county since 1903
and is one of the prominent and influential citizens of North Buena
Vista, where he has served with characteristic efficiency as mayor
and as justice of the peace and where he held for two terms the
office of village assessor. He is a stalwart in the ranks of the Re-
publican party and has been an effective advocate of its principles
and policies, the while his loyalty to the party is intensified by the
cause which it virtually represented during the climacteric period
of the Civil War, in which he served as a valiant soldier of the
Union. Many years later his undiminished loyalty and patriotism
were shown by his eflfective service as a soldier in the Spanish-
American war. Mr. Haid was born in New York, on the 3d of
August, 1845, and his education included a course in the great
University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor. After the close of the war
he maintained his residence in the city of Nashville, Tennessee, for
a term of years, and he has been a resident of Clayton county since
June 3, 1903. He is a communicant of the Catholic church and
one of the most popular men of the southeast part of Clayton
county.
Ernest Haltmeyer is of the younger generation of a family
whose name first became identified with Clayton county in the
early pioneer days, and in his native county he has achieved indi-
vidual success and prestige as an argiculturist and progressive citi-
zen, with character and accomplishments that have given him im-
pregnable vantage-ground in popular confidence and esteem. He
and his family reside in the village of Farmersburg, and their
attractive home is known for its generous hospitality. Mr. Halt-
158 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
meyer was born on a farm near the city of McGregor, this county,
and the date of his nativity was June 27, 1880. He is the second
in order of birth of the three children of John and Barbara (Eide-
miller) Haltmeyer, the former of whom was born in Austria and
the latter in the state of Pennsylvania. Of the three children the
eldest is Lydia, who is the wife of William F. Linderman, of this
county, and the youngest is Emma, who is the wife of Henry Brall-
meier, of McGregor. John Haltmeyer first made his appearance
in Clayton county, Iowa, in 1855, when this section was little
more than an untrammeled wilderness, and later he went to Minne-
sota, where he maintained his residence for a term of years. In
1874 he became the owner of a farm near McGregor, this county,
and here he continued to reside until his death, which occurred
in 1897. He was a substantial and influential citizen of his commu-
nity and served for some time in the office of road supervisor.
His first wife, whose maiden name was Susana Volgenant, was
comparatively a young woman at the time of her death, and is
survived by four children — Emily, who resides at McGregor and
who is the widow of George Leibrand; Herman, who maintains
his home at South McGregor ; John, who is a resident of Man-
chester, Delaware county, this State ; and Flora, who is the wife
of John Dehn, of Clayton. The second wife of John Haltmeyer
survives him and now maintains her home at McGregor. Ernest
Haltmeyer, the immediate subject of this review, acquired his early
education in the public schools of Clayton county, and his inde-
pendent career as a youth was marked not only by his work as a
farm employe but also by effective activity as a stone mason and
plasterer, to which lines of enterprise he still gives his attention
in a successful way. He is a well-fortified supporter of the prin-
ciples of the Democratic party and is now serving as a member
of the Farmersburg board of education. He is affiliated with the
Masonic fraternity, and in 1916 is serving as venerable council in
his camp of the Woodmen of the World. On the 27th of Feb-
ruary, 1902, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Haltmeyer ta
Miss Christina Drallmeier, who likewise was born and reared in
Clayton county and who is a daughter of William and Mary (Man-
delkow) Drallmeier, who were born in Germany and who became
residents of Clayton county in the pioneer days. Mr. and Mrs.
Haltmeyer became the parents of four children, of whom the third,
Mabel, died in childhood. Edna, Irving and Irene are at the
parental home.
Arthur Hamann. — One of the modern and thoroughly equipped
business establishments of the thriving little city of Guttenberg
is that of the firm of Hamann & Staack, dealers in automobiles
and owners of a substantial garage and automobile accessories busi-
ness. The firm has the local agency for the standard Buick, Olds-
mobile and Cadillac automobiles, and in the large garage and
repair shop, a building fifty by one hundred feet in dimensions,
the best of accommodations and facilities are provided for the carry-
ing on of the prosperous business which had its inception in the
autumn of 1912. He whose name initiates this paragraph is the
BIOGRAPHICAL 1 59
senior member of this popular firm of progressive young business
men, and for this reason, as well as on account of his being a native
son of Clayton county and a representative of a sterling pioneer
family, he is specially eligible for recognition in this publication.
Mr. Hamann was born on the old homestead farm of his parents,
in Farmersburg township, four and one-half miles north of Garno-
villo, and the date of his nativity was September 27, 1888. He is
a son of Herman and Elizabeth (Koss) Hamann, the former of
whom was born near Clayton Center, this county, and the latter
in Garnavillo township, the respective families, of staunch Ger-
man lineage, having been founded in this county in the early
pioneer days. Herman Hamann was reared and educated in Clay-
ton county and has long been a successful and influential exponent
of agricultural and live-stock industry, both he and his wife still
maintaining their residence on their fine old homestead farm in
Farmersburg township, and both being active communicants of
the German Lutheran church, the political allegiance of Mr. Ha-
mann being given to the Democratic party. Of the children, the
subject of this sketch was the second in order of birth, and the
eldest is Glendor, who is a progressive farmer of Farmersburg
township ; Laura is the wife of Albert Schlake, of Garnavillo town-
ship ; and Herman, Jr., remains at the parental home and is asso-
ciated with his father in the management of the farm. Arthur
Hamann continued his studies in the public schools until he had
availed himself of the advantages of the high school at Garnavillo,
and thereafter he took a course in mechanical engineering as a
student in the great University of Wisconsin, at Madison. The
technical knowledge thus gained has splendidly equipped him for
the business of which he is now a successful representative, and
after leaving the university he was for some time employed in an
automobile garage in the city of Omaha, Nebraska, where he also
fortified himself still further by attending an automobile school.
After his return to Clayton county he assisted in the work of his
father's farm for a year, and then, in 1912, became associated
with Arthur H. Staack in founding their present repre-
sentative business enterprise, the original establishment of the
firm of Hamann & Staack having been a building twenty-five by
fifty feet in dimensions, and the two principals having personally
handled all the repair work until the business so increased in scope
and importance as to justify the employment of skilled assistants,
the establishment of the firm now giving employment to six com-
petent assistants. Mr. Hamann is a Democrat in politics, is affil-
iated with the Brotherhood of American Yeomen, and he and
his wife are communicants of the Lutheran church. Of his business
associate, Mr. Staack, individual mention is made on other pages
of this work. On the 15th of May, 1912, Mr. Hamann wedded
Miss Alma Schlake, who was born and reared in this county and
who is a daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Wilker) Schlake, of
Garnavillo township. Mr. and Mrs. Hamann have two children —
Dolores, who was born January 31, 1913, and Alo, who was born
December 10, 1915.
l60 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Herman C. A. Hamann is a well-known and highly esteemed
member of a family that has given its due quota of able and hon-
ored representatives to the furtherance of the development of agri-
cultural resources in Clayton county and to maintaining in the pres-
ent generation the high standard of this great and basic industry
in the county. His father became a resident of Clayton county
sixty years ago and during the long intervening period the family
name has been closely and worthily linked with the social, indus-
trial and civic activities of this favored section of the Hawkeye
state. Herman C. A. Hamann, one of the vigorous and represent-
ative farmers of Farmersburg township, was born on the old home
farm of his parents, in Read township, this county, and the date
of his nativity was March 10, 1862. He is a son of August and
Minnie (Rumpf) Hamann, both of whom were born and reared in
Germany, though their marriage was solemnized in America.
August Hamann immigrated to the United States in 1857, in which
year he became a resident of Clayton county, where he found em-
ployment as a farm hand, as his financial resources were very lim-
ited and he was dependent upon his own exertions in making his
way to the goal of independence and prosperity. Here he finally
rented a farm, but after operating the same three years he removed
to Minnesota, where he purchased a farm. Three years later, how-
ever, he sold this property and returned to Clayton county, where,
in the year 1869, he purchased the fine farm of three hundred and
ten acres that is now owned and operated by his son Herman, the
subject of this sketch. He still lives in Farmersburg township, as
one of its most venerable and honored pioneer citizens, and the
wife of his youth passed to eternal rest in 1870, Herman C. A.
being one of three children, and another of the number being Otto
F. W., of whom individual mention is made on other pages. After
duly profiting by the advantages afforded in the schools of his
native county Herman C. A. Hamann continued to remain at the
parental home and to lend his aid in the work of the farm until he
attained to his legal majority, when he purchased a farm in Farm-
ersburg township and gave his attention to its cultivation and im-
provement during the ensuing four years. He then sold the prop-
erty to advantage and purchased his present farm, situated in Sec-
tions 35 and 36 Farmersburg township. In connection with well
directed operations as an agriculturist Mr. Hamann has specialized
and made a distinctive success in the breeding and raising of fine
livestock, including horses, cattle, sheep and swine, and every detail
of his farm enterprise receives his effective and punctilious super-
vision, so that his farm gives unmistakable assurances of general
thrift and prosperity. Mr. Hamann is aligned as a loyal supporter
of the cause of the Democratic party and while he has shown a
loyal interest in community affairs, he has had no ambition for
public office. He proved, however, a most zealous and efficient
member of the school board of his district during a service of fifteen
years in the office of school director. Both he and his wife are
earnest and valued members of the Lutheran church at St. Olaf,
and he is a member of its board of trustees. In April, 1886, was
BIOGRAPHICAL l6l
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hamann to Miss Elizabeth Koss,
daughter of John and Elizabeth (Wilke) Koss, who was born in
Gamavillo township, this county, where her parents established their
home soon after their emigration from Germany to the United
States, in the '50s, and where they passed the remainder of their
lives, their five children still surviving them. Mr. and Mrs. Hamann
have four children, who in their generation are well upholding the
honors of the family name : Glender F. is a prosperous farmer of
Farmersburg township; Arthur O. is engaged in the garage and
automobile business at Guttenberg, this county; Laura M. is the
wife of Albert Schalke of this county; and Herman A., who re-
mains at the parental home, is a graduate of the high school at
Garnavillo.
Otto F. W. Hamann was born in Farmersburg township, this
county, on the 4th of June, 1867, and is a son of August and Minnie
(Rumpf) Hamann, honored pioneers of whom adequate mention
is made in the sketch of their older son, Herman C. A. Hamann,
on other pages of this work, so that a repetition of the data is not
demanded in the present article. He whose name introduces this
paragraph was reared to the invigorating and benignant discipline
of the home farm, profited fully by the advantages afforded in the
public schools of the locality and period. Soon after attaining to
his legal majority he married and initiated his independent career
as a farmer. He showed his ambition and self-confidence by pur-
chasing the fine homestead place of two hundred and seventy acres,
upon which he now resides and upon which he has made the best
of modern improvements. The farm, given over to well-ordered
operations in diversified agriculture and the raising of good grades
of livestock, is situated in Section 25, Farmersburg township, and
in addition to this property Mr. Hamann also owns another tract
of eighty acres in Clayton township. He is a director of the Gar-
navillo Livestock Commission Co., is a Democrat in his political pro-
clivities and has served continuously since 1904 as secretary of the
school board of his district. Both he and his wife are members
and liberal supporters of the Lutheran church. In the year 1890
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hamann to Miss Anna Neu-
bauer, who was born and reared in Germany and who was seven-
teen years of age at the time of the family immigration to America,
in 1883, when her parents, William and Anna (Ortman) Neubauer,
established their home on a farm in Clayton county, where they
passed the remainder of their lives, their two children surviving
them. Mr. and Mrs. Hamann have six children : Amelia is now
the wife of William Kugel ; Harvey, who took a course in the Wis-
consin State Agricultural College, is associated with his father in the
management of the home farm ; Lucy, who remains at the parental
home, was graduated in the college at Waverly, this state; Adele
was graduated in the high school at Garnavillo and is now a popular
and successful teacher in the schools of her native county; and
Anna and Irwin are the younger members of the happy home circle.
Edward B. Hanson, M. D., is a popular and progressive young
man who has by his ability and service gained secure prestige as
1 62 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
one of the presentative physicians and surgeons of his native county,
and he is engaged in successful general practice, with residence
and professional headquarters in the village of Edgewood. The
Doctor was born at Strawberry Point, this county, on the 9th of
April, 1880, and is a son of Bernard and Julia (Scully) Hanson,
the former a native of Germany and the latter of Ireland. Ber-
nard Hanson became a resident of Clayton county in the early
pioneer period of its history, as he here established his home about
1841. He became one of the pioneer farmers of Cox Creek town-
ship and later engaged in the general merchandise business at
Strawberry Point, where he continued in this line of enterprise
for many years, and where he continued his residence, as a repre-
sentative citizen, until the time of his death, which occurred Feb-
ruary 19, 1910, his devoted wife having passed to the life eternal
in February, 1899, and both having been zealous communicants of
the Catholic church. They became the parents of seven children,
of whom the first two, James and Frederick, are deceased ; Mar-
garet now resides in the city of Dubuque, as does also Thomas;
Dr. Edward B., of this review, was the next in order of birth ; May
resides in the city of Portland, Oregon ; and Lulu is deceased.
In the public schools of Strawberry Point Dr. Hanson continued
his studies until he had completed a course in the high school, and
his higher academic education was obtained in the University of
Iowa. In preparation for his chosen profession he entered the
celebrated Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital in the city
of Chicago, in which he was graduated as a member of the class of
1903, and from which he received his degree of Doctor of Medicine.
He served as interne and house physician of the hospital of the in-
stitution, and in the latter position he continued until May, 1904,
the experience having added materially to his fortification for the
exacting and responsible duties of private practice, as the clinical
cases in the hospital were such as to give him broad and varied
knowledge of a practical order. Upon leaving Chicago the Doctor
returned to his native county and established his residence at Edge-
wood, where he has since been engaged in successful general prac-
tice and where he has proved an able and loyal exponent of the
benignant homoeopathic school of practice. He is an ambitious
student of his profession and keeps in close touch with the ad-
vances made in medical and surgical science, the while he is ac-
tively affiliated with the American Institute of Homoeopathy. His
political allegiance is given to the Democratic party and he and
his wife are communicants of the Catholic church. On the 25th
of November, 1908, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Hanson
to Miss Lottie Smith, of Strawberry Point, and they have a win-
some little daughter, Helen Maurine, who was born June 29, 1912.
Joseph Harbaugh is a sterling citizen who is living in gracious
retirement in the village of Garber and whose present status of
peace and prosperity stands in evidence of the material success
that is to be gained in connection with the great industry of agri-
culture, of which he was long and active and representative expo-
nent in Clayton county. He came to this county with his parents in
BIOGRAPHICAL 163
the year that marked his attaining to his legal majority, and as
his honored father died a few months later he assumed heavy
responsibilities, as he was the eldest of the children and became
the virtual head of the family. He has now attained to the vener-
able age of eighty-two years (1916), and in his well preserved
mental and physical powers he exemplifies the admirable results of
right thinking and right living. He is one of the honored pioneer
citizens of Clayton county, a man of steadfast rectitude and one
who has played well his part in connection with the duties and
responsibilities of life, and none is more worthy of recognition
in this history. Mr. Harbaugh was born in Bradford county,
Pennsylvania, on the 11th of July, 1834, and is a son of Thomas
and Mary (Blackburn) Harbaugh, both likewise natives of the
old Keystone State, where the father was born in the year 1812
and the mother in 1810, she having been a daughter of Joseph
Blackburn, who passed his entire life in Pennsylvania, and who
was of English descent, the family name of his wife having been
Weingarner. John Harbaugh, paternal grandfather of the subject
of this review, likewise passed his entire life in Pennsylvania, a
representative of an English family that was founded in America
in the colonial days, the family name of his wife having been
Hammond. Thomas Harbaugh, a carpenter by trade, came with
his family to Iowa in 1855 and became a pioneer settler of Clay-
ton county, where he established his home in Pine Hollow, Volga
township. There he died in the autumn of the same year, leaving
a widow and seven children. Of the children the subject of this
sketch was the eldest, as previously noted ; Elizabeth died in child-
hood; Josiah is living retired in Volga township; Mary, who be-
came the wife of John Grace, is now deceased ; Margaret is the
widow of John Jones; Sarah is the widow of William Tompkins;
John is a substantial farmer of this county ; and Rachel is the
widow of Quint Hart. Joseph Harbaugh was twenty-one years
old at the time of the family removal from the old Keystone State
to Clayton county, Iowa, and with the death of his father he
assumed the responsibilities of making provision for his widowed
mother and the younger children, besides having also to look
earnestly to the interests of the young wife whom he had brought
with him from Pennsylvania. He purchased forty acres of wild
land, in Section 8, Volga township, and on the same he erected
an unpretentious house as a domicile for the family. In 1857 he
returned to Pennsylvania, and from that state he went to Mans-
field, Ohio, where he remained three and one-half years. The
following year he passed at St. Johns, the judicial center of Clin-
ton county, Michigan, and he then returned to Clayton county,
where he continued his successful activities as a farmer during
the ensuing half century, his homestead farm, of one hundred and
twenty acres, having been well improved, and forty acres of the
same being still in his possession, the other eighty acres having
been sold by him several years ago. He retired from the farm
in 1914 and has since resided in his pleasant and comfortable
home in the village of Garber. His loved mother attained to ven-
l64 ' MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
erable age and passed to the life eternal in June, 1891. Mr. Har-
baugh has always been a supporter of the principles for which
the Democratic party has stood sponsor in a basic way, and he
is a member of the Dunkard church, as was also his wife. In Bed-
ford county, Pennsylvania, in 1833, was solemnized the marriage;
of Mr. Harbaugh to Miss Mahala Heck, daughter of Daniel Heck,
and she passed to the life eternal more than thirty years ago. They
became the parents of five sons and five daughters: Ellen is the
wife of Dill MacDole; Daniel is a farmer in Volga township;
Adeline is the wife of Frank Stone; William Sanford is a farmer
in South Dakota; Mary Catherine is the wife of Henry Hansel;
Jefferson is a prosperous farmer of Volga township; Charles is a
land agent in the state of Washington; Joseph J. is a substantial
farmer near Colesburg, Delaware county, Iowa; Miss Nettie lives
with her sister, Mrs. Hansel; and Malinda is the wife of Edward
Jennings. On the 12th of December, 1891, at Osterdock, this
county, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Harbaugh to Mrs.
Lizzie (Wingard) Shea, a daughter of the late Jacob Wingard, of
Scranton, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Harbaugh presides with gracious-
ness over the pleasant and hospitable home at Garber and she and
her husband have an adopted daughter, whose maiden name was
Lena Weaver and who is now the wife of Villard Harbaugh, their
home being in South Dakota.
John Hartwick has been a resident of Clayton county since
he was a lad of six years, and within the intervening period of
nearly sixty years he has proved himself a resourceful exponent
of agricultural and live-stock industry in this favored section of
the Hawkeye State, where he has precedence as the owner of one
of the most extensive and valuable landed estates in Clayton
county, the same comprising nearly one thousand acres, and his
splendidly improved homestead being eligibly situated in Giard
township, with rural mail service on Route No. 1 from the village
of McGregor. Mr. Hartwick is a representative of one of the
honored and influential pioneer families of this county, and of that
staunch German element of citizenship that has played so large
and benignant a part in connection with the social and material
development and upbuilding of the county. He was born in the
Grand Duchy of Hessen, Germany, on the 29th of September, 1840,
and is a son of Conrad and Elizabeth (Schneider) Hartwick, who
left the Fatherland in 1847 and immigrated to America. Soon
after their arrival in the land of their adoption they came to Iowa
and numbered themselves among the early settlers of Clayton
county. After a comparatively brief period of residence in the
little village of McGregor, Conrad Hartwick purchased a tract of
wild land in Giard township and instituted the reclamation of the
same. Industry and good management were not denied a gener-
ous measure of prosperity, and he became one of the extensive
landholders and substantial farmers, as well as an honored and
influential citizen, of the county, where he continued his residence
until the time of his death, which occurred May 25, 1890, the
lovpd wife of his youth having been summoned to eternal rest on
BIOGRAPHICAt 165
the 25th of May, 1873, and the subject of this review having been
their only child. Conrad Hartwick entered most fully into the
spirit of American institutions and became a staunch advocate of
the principles and policies of the Republican party. He was a man
whose course was guided and governed by invincible integrity,
and both he and his wife were zealous and consistent members
of the German Methodist Episcopal church. John Hartwick was
reared under the invigorating influences of the home farm, and
his memory links the pioneer epoch in the history of Clayton
county with the twentieth century of opulent prosperity. He gained
his early education in the pioneer schools of Giard township, and,
as the only child, he naturally remained at the parental home, and
with the passing years began to relieve his father more and more
of the exacting duties and responsibilities attending the various
operations of the large farm, into full possession of which he came
in 1890, upon the death of his honored father. The homestead
comprised seven hundred acres and he has since added to his
landed estate until he now has a fine domain of nearly one thou-
sand acres, all in Giard township. He is one of the extensive and
influential representatives of agricultural and live-stock industry in
Clayton county and through his well ordered enterprise has become
known as one of the substantial capitalists of the county. He is
one of the leading stockholders in the State Bank of McGregor and
is serving as a member of its directorate. Now venerable in years,
he has given over the active management of his farm estate to
his only surviving son and is living virtually retired, strong of
mind and physical powers and secure in the confidence and good
will of the community in which he has lived since his boyhood.
Mr. Hartwick has never been perturbed by ambition for public
office, though he has been loyal and liberal as a citizen and given
his co-operation in the furtherance of those movements that have
tended to conserve the general welfare of the community, the
while he has been found aligned as a staunch supporter of the
cause of the Republican party, both he and his wife being zealous
members of the German Methodist Episcopal church at Giard,
in which he formerly served as a steward. On the 2d of March,
1865, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hartwick to Miss
Christina Arnold, of Farmersburg township, this county, and she
has proved a devoted companion and helpmeet during the long
intervening years, while her gracious personality has gained and
retained to her the high regard of all who have come within the
compass of her influence. She is the second in order of birth in a
family of three children, of whom the first was Frederick, whose
death occurred when he was about sixty-two years old ; Mary, the
youngest of the number, is the wife of Edward Grifiin, and they
maintain their home in Hancock county, this state. Mrs. Hart-
wick was born in Baden, Germany, on the 20th of October, 1847,
and was about four years of age when, in 1851, her parents, Fred-
rick and Christinia (Sexaur) Arnold, immigrated to America and
settled in Farmersburg township, Clayton county, where she was
reared and educated, her father having been one of the substantial
l66 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
farmers of that township at the time of his death, which occurred
January 4, 1874, and his wife having long survived him, she having
been called to the "land of the leal" on the i6th of November, 1904,
at a venerable age, and both having been earnest members of the
German Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. and Mrs. Hartwick
became the parents of four children, all of whom are living except
the third, Alfred, who was born September 16, 1873, ^"^ who died
on the 9th of the following February. Matilda is the wife of
William A. Meyer, a prosperous farmer of Giard township, and
she was born May 16, 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have four chil-
dren — Gilbert N., Clinton John, Ewald A., and Irwin W. Clara,
the second child, was born September 27, 1869, and is now the wife
of Rev. George Wessel, who is a clergyman of the Methodist
Episcopal church and who now holds the superintendency of the
church in South Dakota, their only child being a daughter, Irene.
Theodore Hartwick, who has the active supervision of the home
farm, was born September 30, 1875, and is well upholding the
prestige of the family name, both as a progressive citizen and as
a successful agriculturist and stock-raiser of his native county.
He married Miss Matilda E. Datisman, of Dubuque, Iowa, and
they became the parents of two children, John and Helen, the latter
of whom died at the age of seven years.
Miner F. Harwood is one of the most popular, progressive and
influential business men in his native town of Strawberry Point,
where he is cashier of the First National Bank and otherwise
prominent in business and civic affairs. Here his birth occurred
on the 3d of March, 1878, and he is a son of Newton and Helen
(Tuller) Harwood, both of whom were born and reared in the
state of New York and both of whom passed the closing years of
their lives in Clayton county. The father came to this county in
1870 and for a long period he was actively engaged in farming
enterprise, besides which he gained prominence as a citizen of
Strawberry Point, where he served for several terms in the office
of city marshal. The subject of this sketch is the younger of the
two children, and the firstborn, Julia, died in infancy. Miner F.
Harwood received excellent educational advantages in his youth,
his earlier discipline having been that of the public schools of his
native county. He was thereafter a student for about two years
in Upper Iowa University, in which institution he took a com-
mercial course, and later he went to the city of Chicago, where
he completed a course in the School of Pharmacy of Northwestern
University. He was graduated in June, 1899, and also took a
course of higher academic study in the school of instruction main-
tained under the auspices of the Central Young Men's Christian
Association of Chicago. Upon his return to Strawberry Point
he here became actively identified with the drug business and at
the same time he assumed the general supervision of the old home
farm of 170 acres, a property of which he disposed in 1910. In
February of the following year he was chosen assistant cashier of
the First National Bank, and his executive ability and marked fidel-
ity lead to his being advanced to the office of cashier of this repre-
BIOGRAPHICAL 167
sentative financial institution, the latter office having been held by
him since July i, 1913. He has been a member of the directorate of
the bank since 191 1, is serving as township treasurer at the time of
this writing, in 1916, besides which he is treasurer also of the
Strawberry Point District Fair Association and of the local Farm-
ers' Co-operative Association, which operates the creamery at
Strawberry Point. He is a leader in progressive movements in
his native place, which has done much to further the civic and
material advancement of Strawberry Point. Mr. Harwood gives
his political allegiance to the Democratic party and is prominently
identified with the Knights of Pythias, in which he is chancellor
commander of Acme Lodge, No. 130, and he is treasurer of Straw-
berry Point Encampment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
in which fraternity his basic affiliation is with York Lodge, No. 175.
On the 28th of November, 1900, was solemnized the marriage of
Mr. Norwood to Miss Harriet Flower, who was born in Fayette
county, this state, and they have one daughter, Helene, who was
born March 2, 1908.
William Haufle has passed the greater part of his life thus far
in Clayton county, where he was born December 4, 1874, and he
became dependent upon his own resources when a mere boy. His
courage, ambition and energy proved equal to the responsibilities
that devolved upon him and resulted in his winning, by personal
effort, a substantial measure of success and prosperity. He became
one of the progressive and successful exponents of agricultural
and live-stock industry in this section of his native state, and
after selling his well improved farm of one hundred and twenty
acres, in Fayette county, he returned, in 1913, to Clayton county
and purchased twenty-six and one-half acres of valuable land in
Cass township, this entire tract being within the corporate limits
of the village of Strawberry Point and having been by him im-
proved with a fine and thoroughly modern residence, erected in
the summer of 1916 and constituting the pleasant home of the
family. Mr. Haufle is now the efficient and popular secretary and
manager of the Strawberry Point Co-operative Commission Com-
pany, which is proving a most important medium for the market-
ing of farm products in this section of the county. He is a staunch
Republican in politics, has served as a member of the school board,
and both he and his wife are communicants of the German Luth-
eran church. Mr. Haufle is a son of Florian and Louisa Haufle,
both of whom were born in Germany. The father came to America
when a young man and he became one of the substantial farmers
of Clayton county, his farm having been near Strawberry Point.
He died August 4, 1902, his devoted wife having passed away in
1883. Of the six children four are deceased, and of the two sur-
viving, William, of this sketch, is the elder, his brother Frederick
being now a resident of Snohomish, Washington. The early edu-
cational advantages of William Haufle were those of the district
schools, and as a lad of fourteen years he began working as a farm
hand, his wages having been given to his parents in large part
until he had attained to his legal majority. Thereafter he con-
l68 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
tinued his sendees as a farm hand for four years, and the ensuing
four years found him engaged in farming on land which he rented.
He then purchased eighty acres of land in Fayette county, and
with increasing prosperity he added to this a tract of forty acres.
He continued as one of the vigorous and successful representatives
of farm enterprise in Fayette county until 1913, when, as pre-
viously stated, he sold his farm and established his home at Straw-
berry Point. On December 16, 1897, Mr. Haufle wedded Miss
Elizabeth Allenstein, who was born and reared in this county, and
who is a daughter of Christof and Caroline (Griesinger) Allenstein,
both natives of Germany. The father was comparatively a young
man at the time of his death, which occurred about the year 1880,
and of his four children, Mrs. Haufle is the youngest ; Mary is the
wife of Frederick Griesse, of Rock Rapids, Lyon county; Minnie
is the wife of John Lindtner, of Steen, Rock county, Minnesota;
Augusta is the wife of Henry Griesse, of Rock Rapids. After
the death of her first husband, Mrs. Allenstein^ became the wife
of Michael Weger, and he is survived by their two children —
Emma, wife of Theodore Falck, of Fayette county, and Lena, wife
of Martin Baumgardner, of Clayton county. For her third hus-
band, Mrs. Weger married George Weger, and they own and
reside upon a fine farm near Strawberry Point, their two children
being William and Sophia. Mr. and Mrs. Haufle have three chil-
dren — Clara Caroline Minnie, who was born November 29, 1898;
Emma Barbara, who was born August 12, 1902, and an unnamed
baby.
John Hauschen was not yet one year old at the time when his
parents, in 1857, became pioneer settlers of Clayton county, and
here he has maintained his home during the long intervening years,
within which he has accounted well for himself as one of the
earnest and productive workers. He has been an effective ex-
ponent of the agricultural interests of the county, has conducted
a prosperous business as a wagonmaker, and is now established
in the control of a substantial and prosperous hardware and gro-
cery business in the village of Clayton, with a record that redounds
to his honor and that has given him inviolable place in the con-
fidence and good will of the people of Clayton county. Mr.
Hauschen was born in the city of Galena, Illinois, on the 12th of
August, 1856, at which time his native place was a mere village,
and in the following year his parents removed to Clayton county,
Iowa, as previously noted. He is one of the three surviving
members of a family of eight children and is a son of John and
Mary Hauschen, the former of whom was born in Germany and
the latter in Scotland. In 1854, within a short time after their
marriage, the parents immigrated to the United States and estab-
lished their residence in Illinois, where they remained until their
removal to Clayton county. In his native land John Hauschen,
Sr., had learned the trade of blacksmith, and he became one of
the pioneer exponents of the same in Clayton county, where both
he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives, secure in the
high esteem of all who knew them, and where each was of ad-
BIOGRAPHICAL 169
vanced age at the time of death. He to whom this sketch is
dedicated was reared under the conditions and influences that
obtained in the pioneer epoch of the history of Clayton county,
and here he acquired his early education in the common schools
of the period. Under effective direction he learned in his youth
the trade of wagonmaker, at which he became a skilled workman,
and in 1881 he established a wagon shop in the village of Clayton,
where he continued to conduct a successful business until, in 1888,
he turned his attention to the basic industry of agriculture. He
rented a farm of 120 acres in Clayton township, and there he con-
tinued his operations in diversified agriculture and stock-growing
for a period of seven years. He then again opened a wagon shop
at Clayton and continued his activities in the work of his trade
until 1901, when he established himself in the hardware business,
to which he later added a grocery department. This dual enter-
prise he has since successfully conducted and he is known as one
of the representative business men of the county that has been
his home during virtually his entire life thus far. In politics Mr.
Hauschen is not constrained by strict partisan lines but maintains
an independent attitude and gives his support to the men and
measures meeting the approval of his judgment. His secure place
in popular confidence and esteem has been indicated in his service
as treasurer of Clayton corporation for a period of fifteen years
and by his giving an equal period of service in the office of trea-
surer of his school district. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with
the Modern Woodmen of America and both he and his wife are
earnest communicants of the Lutheran church. In addition to
his individual business Mr. Hauschen has the management of the
Clayton office of the Standard, the Bell and the Garnarvillo Tele-
phone Companies. In the year 1881 was solemnized his marriage
to Miss Mary L. Kuenzel, who was bom and reared in Clayton
county, as a representative of an honored pioneer family, and the
four children of this union are Victor, Ernest G., William E. and
Christopher.
J. W. D. Havens became a resident of Clayton county in the
pioneer days and when he was a lad of about seven years. His
career has been varied and interesting and included gallant service
as a soldier of the Union in the Civil war, after the close of which
he traveled extensively as a member of a band that gained high
reputation for the high-grade musical standard which it represented.
Since 1908 he has been associated with his only son in the livery
and automobile business at McGregor, and he is one of the well
known, genial and popular citizens of Clayton county — a sterling
citizen who well merits consideration in this history. Mr. Havens
was born in Essex county, New York, on the 6th of December,
1844, and is a son of John and Jane (Stevenson) Havens, the for-
mer of whom was born in the State of New York, where the family
was founded in an early day, and the latter of whom was born in
the Province of Ontario, Canada. John Havens was one of the
adventurous argonauts who made their way to California after the
discovery of gold in that state, and he gained distinction as one of
170 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
the memorable "Forty-niners," though he did not live long to enjoy
this distinction, as he was accidentally shot and killed soon after
his return to New York, where he left his young widow with one
child, he to whom this sketch is dedicated. In 1851 J. W. D. Ha-
vens accompanied his mother on her removal to Clayton county,
Iowa, and after maintaining her home here for a number of years
his mother removed to Richland county, Nebraska, where she
passed the remainder of her life. Mr. Havens was reared to ma-
turity in Clayton county, where he availed himself of the advan-
tages of the pioneer schools and where in his youth he imbibed
deeply of the vigorous spirit of the progressive west. When the
Civil war was precipitated on the nation he was not yet seventeen
years of age, but his youthful patriotism was not long to be held
in bounds, and in 1862 he enlisted as bugler in the Sixth Iowa
Cavalry. He saw long and strenuous service, was detailed to scout
duty for a considerable period and had many hazardous experiences,
his service in the volunteer branch of the United States army hav-
ing covered a period of three years, besides which he gave two
years of effective service as an Indian scout in the great west. In
this latter service he several times received arrow wounds, and on
one occasion was wounded by a gun shot in his right leg. After
the close of his career as an intrepid and hardy soldier, Mr. Havens
returned to Clayton county, but soon afterward he became a mem-
ber of an excellent band that traveled throughout the various states
of the Union and made an admirable record for effective musical
renditions, his service in this connection being that of leader of
the orchestra. During all these long years Mr. Havens has con-
tinued to look upon Clayton county as his home and here his circle
of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances. As previ-
ously stated, he has been since 1908 engaged in the livery and au-
tomobile business at McGregor, with a well equipped establishment
and with his only son as his effective coadjutor in the thriving en-
terprise. Mr. Havens had previously served eleven years as city
policeman of McGregor, and for eighteen years he held the office
of constable. He is unswerving in his loyalty to the cause of the
Republican party, is an appreciative and valued member of Harvey
Dix Post, Grand Army of the Republic, and is identified also with
the local organization of the Brotherhood of American Yeomen,
On the 4th of July, 1888, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ha-
vens to Miss Eolah M. Hill, who was born in the state of New
York, and their only son. Earl M., still remains at the parental
home, besides being associated with his father in business, as al-
ready noted, and being one of the popular and enterprising young
men of his native county.
George W. Hazlett, as one of the representative agriculturists
and stock grower of Clayton county, may well take pride in and
mark his appreciation of his fine homestead farm, in Giard town-
ship, for not only is it one of the model places of the county, but
it is also that upon which he was born and reared, his birth having
here occurred on the 3d of August, 1875. He is a son of George
and Jane (Whitaker) Hazlett, both natives of Ireland, where the
BIOGRAPHICAL I7I
former was born in County Monaghan and the latter in County
Sligo. George Hazlett was reared and educated in his native land
and in 1849, as a young man, he immigrated to America, where he
felt assurred of broader opportunities for the winning of stable
prosperity. Soon after his arrival in the United States he came to
Iowa and took up a tract of government land in what is now Giard
township, Clayton county, but in the following year he yielded to
the lure incidental to the recent discovery of gold in California, to
which State he made his way over the plains to the New Eldorado,
where he met with measurable success in his quest for the precious
metal and where he gained the distinction of being one of the pio-
neers in the gold fields. Upon his return to Clayton county he
directed himself vigorously and effectively to the reclaiming and
improving of his farm, which he brought under a high state of cul-
tivation. With increasing prosperity he continued to make judi-
cious investment in land, and at the time of his death he was the
owner of a valuable estate of two hundred acres of specially well
improved land. He was one of the honored pioneers of the county,
contributed much to its civic and industrial development and prog-
ress and was influential in community affairs. His political alle-
giance was given unreservedly to the Republican party and his
alert mind caused him to become well fortified in his convictions
concerning public affairs. He served efficiently as township trustee
and was otherwise prominent in local affairs. This sterling citizen
passed to the life eternal in January, 1891, secure in the high regard
of all who knew him. and his venerable widow, who with him held
membership in the Methodist Episcopal church, still remains on
the old homestead with her son George W., the immediate subject
of this review. Of the children the first-born, Marjorie, the wife of
J. W. Radskinner, is deceased ; Rachel is the wife of Samuel Barnes,
a prosperous farmer in Linton township, Allamakee county ; Susan
is the widow of John Feay and maintains her home at Henry, South
Dakota ; Mary Jane is deceased ; William remains on the old home-
stead ; Albert is deceased ; Jennie is the wife of John Belk, of Henry,
South Dakota; and Cora resides at Monona, one of the most at-
tractive villages of her native county. George W. Hazlett, the
youngest of the eight children, was reared to manhood on the farm
which is still his place of abode and after profiting by the advan-
tages of the district schools he completed an effective course in
the high school at Monona. He then put his scholastic attainments
to practical test by teaching one term in the district school of his
home county, and thereafter he pursued for a time higher academic
studies in a seminary at Wood Springs. His appreciation of and
close allegiance to the basic industry of agriculture have contin-
ued during the years that have since intervened and he is known
and honored as one of the representative citizens and progressive
farmers of this favored section of the Hawkeye State. As a youth he
began his independent career as an agriculturist on his father's farm,
and in 1898, after the death of his father, he and his brother, Wm. J.,
purchased the landed estate of two hundred acres, to which they
have since added a tract of eighty acres, so that they are the owners
172 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
of one of the large landed domains of his native county, even as it
is also one that most fully shows for thrift and prosperity. The farm
is devoted to diversified agriculture and the raising of good breeds
of live stock, including short-horn cattle and Poland-China swine,
and in both departments of the farm enterprise Mr. Hazlett has
as his partner and valued coadjutor his brother William. He is
broadminded and liberal as a citizen, gives a staunch support to
the cause of the Republican party in a generic way but is some-
what independent of strict partisanship in local aflfairs. At Monona
he is affiliated with the camp of the Modern Woodmen of America,
and there also he and his wife, as well as his mother, hold mem-
bership in the Methodist Episcopal Church. On the 19th of Sep-
tember, 1898, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hazlett to Miss
Mae Cunningham, who was born and reared in Giard township,
and who is a daughter of Isaac and Frances R. (Collier) Cunning-
ham, still residents of this township. Mr. and Mrs. Hazlett have
five children, namely: George Irwin, Wilma, Merlie Mae, Frances
Marjorie, and Mary Jane. The family home is one of the attractive
and hospitable habitations of Giard township and is a popular cen-
ter of much of the representative social life of the immediate com-
munity.
William James Hazlett, who is actively associated with his
brother George in the operations of the fine old farmstead de-
scribed in the preceding paragraph, was here born on the 8th of
January, 1865, and the two brothers are partners in the ownership
of the valuable estate. William J. Hazlett is indebted to the public
schools of his native township for his early educational advantages,
and he has been continuously identified with the work and man-
agement of the old homestead farm from his early youth to the pres-
ent time. He has remained a bachelor and resides with the family
of his brother, the home circle being the more complete and gracious
by reason of the presence of the venerable mother, who is held in
affectionate regard by all who have come within the sphere of her
gentle influence. Mr. Hazlett is aligned as a staunch advocate of
the cause of the Republican party, is affiliated with the Woodmen
of the World and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Northern
Light Lodge No. 156, at Monona, and is a zealous member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is serving as a trustee.
Albert L. Heddleson, one of the vigorous and progressive ex-
ponents of agricultural and live-stock industry in Clayton county,
was born on the fine homestead farm which he now owns and occu-
pies, in Cass township, and the date of his nativity was May 3,
1876. He is a son of Jacob and Laura (Ferguson) Heddleson, of
whose seven children he was the fifth in order of birth, and the other
surviving children are 2 sons and 3 daughters. The father was
born in the state of Ohio and the mother in that of Illinois, where
their marriage was solemnized, and whence they came to Clayton
county, Iowa, in the early '70s, their home being established on
the farm now owned and managed by the subject of this review.
The father became one of the prosperous farmers and honored and
influential citizens of Cass township and both he and his wife con-
BIOGRAPHICAL 1 73
tinued to reside on their home farm until the close of their lives.
In the public schools of Clayton county Albert L. Heddleson con-
tinued his studies until he had profited duly by the advantages of
the high school, and thereafter he continued to lend his co-operation
in the work of the home farm until he had attained to his legal
majority, and thereafter he continued virtually independent opera-
tions on the same fine farm until he assumed entire control of the
property. This splendidly improved homestead comprises one hun-
dred and sixty acres, in Sections 27 and 34, Cass township, and in
addition thereto Mr. Heddleson owns also forty acres in Delaware
county. He is not only an enterprising agriculturist who brings
to bear in his operations the most approved methods and appli-
ances but he is making a specialty and definite success also in the
raising and feeding of the fine Black Angus type of cattle and the
Hampshire swine. He is a popular and appreciative member of
the lodge of Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Strawberry
Point, and has filled the various official chairs in the same. He
has served as a member of the school board of the district in which
he himself gained his early education, and his political allegiance
is given to the Democratic party. He is a stockholder in the
creamery at Strawberry Point and he and his sisters attend and
support the Methodist Episcopal church in that village, from
which their home receives service on rural mail route No. 2.
Mr. Heddleson has permitted his name to remain on the roll of
eligible bachelors in his native county, but has been signally fav-
ored in having three sisters associated with him in maintaining
the generous hospitality of the home, over the domestic economies
of which the sisters preside most graciously, even as do they also
over its social activities. Katherine E., Jessie B. and Pearl M. are
all high school graduates, and the two younger sisters also com-
pleted collegiate courses. Pearl M. having been for some time a
representative of the pedagogic profession, as a successful and pop-
ular teacher in her home county.
Hans Helgesen. — One of the most gratifying elements of our
national life is the part played by men of foreign birth who have
chosen America for their permanent home and who have caught
the real spirit of our institutions. They have lent themselves with
all of the fine force that is in them to patriotic service and to
furthering the social and material welfare of the land of their
adoption, besides which they have reared their sons to deep appre-
ciation of the privileges and opportunities afforded in the great
republic of America, thus reinforcing stable and worthy social and
industrial conditions. This is especially true of those of Scandi-
navian birth or lineage, and from this source the United States
has had much to gain and nothing to lose. Clayton county,
Iowa, has been fortunate in gaining an appreciable element of
such valued Scandinavian citizenship and it is most pleasing to be
able to render in this history a due tribute to those of this class
who stand representative in loyal citizenship and resourceful ac-
tivity in connection with the communal life. He whose name
initiates this article is a native son of Clayton county and may well
174 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
take pride in his lineage, which traces back to the staunchest of
origin in the fair Norseland. He was born on the old homestead
farm of his father, in Section 27, Wagner township, this county,
and the date of his nativity was August 25, 1876, and it is gratifying
to note that he is now the owner of the fine farm which was the
place of his birth and in the operations of which he is well up-
holding the prestige of a family name that has been prominently
identified with the civic and industrial development and progress
of this favored section of the Hawkeye State. Mr. Helgesen is a
son of Peter and Jane (Glesne) Helgesen, both of whom were born
in Norway. Peter Helgesen was a lad of thirteen years at the
time when he came to the United States, and he became a youthful
pioneer of Clayton county, where he found employment at farm
work until he had attained to the age of sixteen years, when he
entered claim to the homestead of one hundred and sixty acres now
owned and occupied by his son Hans, of this review. He reclaimed
the land to cultivation, labored early and late with undaunted
purpose and finally won for himself substantial independence and
prosperity. He made the best of permanent improvements on his
farms, including the erection of the present commodious and at-
tractive house and large and well equipped barns and other farm
buildings, and here he held sway as one of the substantial farmers
and honored citizens of Clayton county until his death, which
occurred on the 9th of May, 1906, his widow still remaining with
their son Hans on the old homestead that is endeared to her by
the hallowed memories and associations of the past. She is a
devoted communicant of the Lutheran church, as was also her
husband, and the latter was a staunch Republican in his political
proclivities. Of the eight children the eldest is Helen, who is the
wife of Ole M. Benson, of Wagner township; Nellie is the wife
of Embert Embretson, of St. Olaf, this county; Caroline is the
wife of Otto Johnson, of St. Olaf; Hans (ist) died in infancy and
Hans (2nd) is the immediate subject of this sketch; Mary remains
with her brother and widowed mother on the old homestead ; Oscar
is now a resident of Dickinson, North Dakota; and Gerhard died
in childhood. He whose name initiates this article was reared to
the sturdy discipline of the home farm and in the meanwhile
profited duly by the advantages afforded in the local schools. He
remained with his parents until 1902, when he became identified
with the general merchandise business, at St. Olaf. In 1905, about
a year prior to the death of his father, he purchased the old home-
stead farm, and here he has since continued his progressive and
successful activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower, every-
thing about his well improved domain bearing evidence of thrift
and prosperity. He is loyal in supporting measures and enter-
prises tending to advance the general well-being of the community
and is unswerving in his allegiance to the Republican party, both
he and his wife clinging to the religious faith in which they were
reared and being zealous communicants of the Lutheran church.
On the 14th of October, 1900, Mr. Helgesen wedded Miss Alice
Larson, who has been a resident of this county from the time of
JOHN G. HEMPEL
BIOGRAPHICAL 175
her birth, and the one child of this union was Orvill Hurburt, who
was born September 4, 1915, and who died September 10, 1916.
1916.
Hempel, John G. — One of the men whose career reflects credit
upon Clayton county and who by his earnestness and ability has
gained a state-wide reputation, is Mr. John G. Hempel of Elkader.
He has not only filled positions of trust and confidence in the
county, but he has been recognized as one of the leaders of his
political faith in Iowa, and his counsel and experience have been
called for on many occasions. Mr. Hempel is a native of Clayton
county and practically all of his life has been spent within its bor-
ders. He is the son of Charles F. and Dorothy (Newman) Hem-
pel. His parents were born in Friedland, Germany, coming to
America in 1851, and settling in Erie county, Pa., where his father
was employed in various capacities for a period of two years. Con-
sumed with the spirit of the pioneer, the family determined to go
to the new west, and accordingly, in 1853, they came to Clayton
county. They journeyed by rail as far as Galena, 111., which was
then the terminus of the road, and they then came by boat, up the
Mississippi to McGregor's landing. They settled in Giard town-
ship, where John G., the subject of this sketch, was born, Decem-
ber 9th, 1860. During the years 1859 and 1864 Mr. Hempel, senior,
made several trips across the prairie to Nebraska, taking up claims
as a matter of speculation. The journey was made by ox team
and Mr, Hempel took his little family with him so that Mr. John
Hempel is one of the few in this county who have any remembrance
of the hardships of the pioneer prairie trail. Charles F. Hempel had
seven children, Charles M., who resides at Hillsboro, N. D. ; Edwin
A., of Minneapolis, Minn.; John G., of Elkader; Katharine and
Caroline, of Charles City, Iowa ; Mary, of Nashua, Iowa ; and Ade-
line, deceased. In 1911, at the age of eighty-one, the respected
father of the worthy family passed to the other life at his home at
Charles City, Iowa, having been preceded by his wife, who died
in 1896, at the age of fifty-six. As a boy and youth John G. worked
on his father's farm, and attended the schools of Giard township,
laying the foundation not only of a thorough and practical educa-
tion but of good health and of habits of industry, thrift and thor-
oughness. At the age of twenty he left the old homestead and went
to the little village of Giard, where he obtained a position as clerk
in the general store conducted by J. D. Bickel. Some six months
later the firm of Neill and Bickel was formed, and for one year
Mr. Hempel was buyer for this firm, his work being so satisfactory
that he was later made manager of the company's store. This
position he held for three years. Desiring to learn the clothing
business, Mr. Hempel resigned his place in Giard and went to
McGregor, where, with the thoroughness for which he is noted,
he spent seven years with various firms of that city, learning every
detail of the clothing business. At this time, having saved suffi-
ciently from his salary, he returned to Giard, buying the store in
which he had formerly been an employee. He conducted this store
for three years and during this time came to be recognized as one
176 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
of the solid and trustworthy men of the county. His friends and
neighbors showed their appreciation of his ability and he was made
secretary and treasurer of the Farmer's Creamery Association, sec-
retary of the township school board, and secretary of the Clayton
County Fair Association, April 1st, 1895, Mr. Hempel disposed
of his business at Giard, moved to Elkader and started the cloth-
ing and furnishing store with which he has been connected con-
tinuously for the past twenty-one years. During these years hte
has built up the largest clothing business in Clayton county, carry-
ing the largest exclusive clothing stock in the county. In 1894,
while Mr. Hempel was still at Giard, the republicans, looking for
a strong and popular man for their ticket, as the county had been
democratic for a number of years, placed Mr. Hempel in nomination
for recorder. It was not expected that he would be elected and it
was a surprise when he came out of the race with a scant 97 ma-
jority against him when the other democratic majorities ranged
from 250 to 450. This excellent showing induced his friends to
place him in nomination, in 1896, for the office of county auditor
and he was elected by a majority of 33. He was re-elected in 1898,
1900 and 1902, serving eight years in this important capacity. His
record as an official was without a flaw and he was noted for his
efficiency, courtesy and faithfulness. While holding office as audi-
tor the county treasurer, Charles Ruegnitz, died, Mr. Hempel, under
the law, taking charge of his office, and shortly before the semi-
annual settlement of the board of supervisors, in conjunction with
John H. Hill, he was appointed to balance the books of this office.
During these years and subsequently, Mr. Hempel took an active
part in the politics of the Republican party in the state and in the
congressional district, and his ability as a party organizer was rec-
ognized by his election for two terms as a member of the Repub-
lican State Central Committee for the Fourth Congressional district.
He was also appointed by Gov. A. B. Cummins as a member of the
state voting machine commission, in which capacity he served sev-
eral terms, and contributed valuable effort to the state. He was
also appointed to audit the books of the state fair association, and
for a number of years he was a member of the city council of Elka-
der. Upon leaving the auditor's office Mr. Hempel resumed active
charge of his clothing store, and to this business he has devoted all
his energies since that time, with most gratifying results. It may
be remarked that at present Mr. Hempel is conducting the business
without assistance of any kind, and that no stock could be neater
and more methodically arranged, and no business in better condi-
tion than this concern which he operates single-handed. Mr. Hem-
pel presents a splendid example of German efficiency, thoroughly
and stalwartly Americanized. While engrossed in his business, he
finds time for other things and he is recognized as one of the strong
and progressive republicans of the state, and he is ready at all times
to give his best efforts for the benefit of his party and of Clayton
county. On February 1st, 1887, Mr. Hempel was united in mar-
riage with Miss Emma J. Beckel of Giard, and to them were born
three children, Iowa H., now Mrs. G. J. Graf, who is acting as
BIOGRAPHICAL 177
deputy county treasurer, Kathleen, at home, and Johneyette G.,
who died September 13, 1906, at the age of five years. Mr. Hempel
holds membership in the Masonic and Odd Fellows orders and is
one of the most valued citizens of the community and of the county,
and he is, perhaps, as widely known as any man living in the county
today.
Charles F. Hemiing is signally fortunate in being the owner of
the fine old homestead farm upon which he was born and reared
and upon which he has been specially progressive and successful
in his independent operations as an agriculturist and stock grower.
He has improved the place with excellent buildings since the same
came into his possession and the farm is one of the model home-
steads of Garnavillo township, where it is eligibly situated in Sec-
tion 6, the area of the farm being one hundred and sixty acres. On
this homestead Mr. Henning was born on the 3d of February, 1873,
and he is a son of John and Katherine (Schultz) Henning, of whose
large family, comprising twelve children, only four are now living.
The parents were born and reared in Germany and upon coming
to the United States they became pioneers of Clayton county, Iowa.
Here they established their residence on the farm now owned by
the subject of this review, here the father reclaimed and improved
a productive farm and here he and his devoted wife passed the re-
mainder of their lives, successful in their earnest endeavors and
respected by all who knew them. Charles F. Henning early ini-
tiated his services in connection with the work of the farm of
which he is now the owner and in his boyhood and youth he did
not neglect to profit by the advantages afforded in the public
schools of his native county. His marriage occurred in the year
1898 and within a short time thereafter he purchased the old home
farm, to the operations of which he has since given his attention
with marked energy and discrimination. He is a stalwart in the
local camp of the Democratic party, served two years as trustee of
his native township, and for nine years he was a member of the
school board of his district. He is liberal in the support of those
things that tend to advance the communal welfare, has secure
place in popular esteem and both he and his wife are communicants
of the Lutheran church, in the faith of which they were reared.
In 1898 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Henning to Miss Ame-
lia L. Kahle, who was born and reared in this county and who is a
daughter of August and Mary (Balke) Kahle, both of whom are
now deceased. Mr. Kahle and his wife were born and reared in
Germany and he became one of the pioneer farmers of Clayton
county, where he continued to reside on his homestead farm until
his death, as did also his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Henning have two
children, Elmer John F. and Amelia Katherine M.
Charles F. Hesner has been a resident of Clayton county from
the time of his birth and has here found ample opportunity for
productive enterprise, not only in connection with the funda-
mental industries of agriculture and stock-growing, but also in the
furtherance of business and capitalistic enterprises. He is now
living virtually retired in the attractive residence which he erected
178 ' MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
in the village of Edgewood, in 1895, and he is also the owner of
the modern theater or opera-house building which provides a
medium for high-class entertainment for the people of his com-
munity. He is associated with his brother in the ownership of a
valuable landed estate of three hundred and seventy acres, in
Lodomillo township, and this includes the old homestead farm on
which he was born, the date of his nativity having been October
8, 1861. Mr. Hesner is a son of John and Barbara (Goodyear)
Hesner, who were born and reared in Germany, and who estab-
lished their home in Clayton county in the early '50s, soon after
their immigration to America. The father was a man of splendid
energy and judgment and he accumulated and improved a large
landed property, in the operations of which he held precedence
as one of the substantial and progressive farmers of the county.
He was one of the venerable pioneer citizens of Clayton county at
the time of his death, which occurred April 9, 1901, the wife of
his youth having passed away in 1867, and their children having
been seven in number : Andrew is now a resident of Manchester,
Delaware county ; Margaret and Barbara are deceased ; John re-
sides at Strawberry Point, this county; Sophia is the wife of
Luman S. Fisher, concerning whom individual mention is made
on other pages ; Charles F., of this review, was the next in order
of birth ; and Maria is the wife of L. D. Zahrndt, of Edgewood.
After having- duly profited by the advantages afforded in the
schools of his native county, Charles F. Hesner continued his
active association with the work and management of the old home
farm and eventually he became associated with his brother John
in the ownership of the valuable landed estate of three hundred
and seventy acres. He continued his activities as one of the repre-
sentative farmers in Lodomillo township until 1895, when he re-
moved with his family to Edgewood, where he erected his present
fine residence, one of the most modern and attractive in the village,
and he has since continued to give his supervision to his various
property interests, which are of substantial and important order.
He is a Democrat in politics and is affiliated with the Modern
Woodmen of America. As a young man Mr. Hesner wedded Miss
Clara Blanchard, and she is survived by two children, Herbert
and Helen, who remain at the paternal home. On the 25th of
December, 1906, Mr. Hesner married Mrs. Lillie (Smith) Cooper,
her first husband having been Clarence R. Cooper, a native of
Ohio, and the only child of that union being Martha Theresa, who
remains with her mother. Mrs. Hesner was born and reared in
Clayton county and is a daughter of Andrew and Martha Ann
(Sergent) Smith, who came from Canada and established their
home in Cass township, this county, in 1857, Mr. Smith having
here passed to eternal rest in September, 1876, and his wife having
survived him by nearly thirty years, her death taking place Decem-
ber 8, 1905. Of the four children, Mrs. Hesner is the youngest;
Albert resides at Strawberry Point, this county; Wilbur is now a
resident of Marion, North Dakota; and Louis died in childhood.
I'HB SEW YORK
^WOt, LINM AMD
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JOHN H. HILL
BIOGRAPHICAL I79
John Henry Hill. — Fortunate is the county which has in its
midst some man whose knowledge of county affairs and of property
interests is so complete and intimate that he is recognized and
accepted as authority by all. Clayton county has such a man in
John Henry Hill. For many years he has been delving into the
records of the county, and no history would be complete without
reference to him and to his work. His record as a citizen and
official and as a soldier is without a flaw, and his friends are num-
bered by his acquaintances. Mr. Hill was born in Waddingham,
England, June 27, 1845. He was the son of John and Mary (Hird)
Hill, and came, with his parents, to Bytown, now Ottawa, Ontario,
at an early date, where his father took up a claim of one hundred
acres in Carleton county. Mr. Hill was one of a family of five
children, Thomas, who died in 1913; John Henry, the subject of
this sketch ; William H. ; Benjamin, who is a farmer in Carleton
county, Ontario, and EHza J., who resides in Ottawa. Mr. Hill
was educated in the country schools near Ottawa and, on gradu-
ating, taught in the common schools for one year. In 1863, he
came to the United States, worked for a farmer near Skowhegan,
Maine. Although having lived in this country but three months,
he was fired with patriotic zeal for the Union, and responded to
Abraham Lincoln's call to arms by enlisting in the fifteenth regi-
ment, Maine infantry. He served faithfully and bravely until the
close of the war, and was honorably discharged from the service
of the United States May 31, 1865. After the war the great excite-
ment attendant upon the discovery of oil attracted him to Western
Pennsylvania, where he remained for two years. In 1867 he came
to Iowa, first settling in Bremer county, where he lived until the
spring of 1872. Coming to Clayton county, he resided in Mallory
township until January i, 1886. At this time he removed to Elka-
der, having been appointed deputy county treasurer. This position
he held for eleven years, performing his duties so faithfully and
giving such satisfaction to the people that he was honored with
the nomination for county recorder, on the Democratic ticket, and
was elected by a comfortable majority. He was twice re-elected
for this office, retiring from the public service January i, 1903. It
is a remarkable evidence of the popularity of Mr. Hill, and the high
esteem in which he was held, that, at the three elections when he
was a candidate, he was the only Democratic candidate elected.
In 1875, Mr. Hill was married to Miss Mary Hansel, a daughter
of Jacob Hansel, of Mallory township. They are the parents of
eight children: Eliza, J. Wilbur, Martha J., John J., Mary C,
Ethel, Franklin and Florence. Mr. Hill is a member of Elkader
lodge. No. 72, A. F. and A. M., Mystic Camp M. W. A., and of the
Brotherhood of American Yeomen. Last, but not least, he is proud
to be a member of Boardman Post No. 184, G. A. R. Mr. Hill has
for many years followed the abstracting business and his work is
so careful and conscientious, and his knowledge of property trans-
fers so complete, that he is looked upon as an authority, and his
word as to a title is as good as a guarantee deed. Mr. Hill is a
kindly, genial gentleman ; he has an inexhaustible fund of facts
l8o MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
and anecdotes concerning Clayton county and its people. His life
has been one of honor and integrity and he has served his adopted
country well, both as a citizen and as a soldier. Few men in Clay-
ton county have more real friends.
Charles Hinsch, a successful hardware merchant of Farmers-
burg, Iowa, was born in Germany, January 30, 1850, and is the
son of Henry and Claudina (Schoelerman) Hinsch, the former of
whom died in Germany. Charles was the second of three children
born to his parents; Henry, the eldest, dying in childhood, and
Claudina married to Detrich Ben Jegerdes, of Worth county, Iowa.
Mr. Hinsch learned and followed the cabinet trade in Germany
for fourteen years, then traveled as journeyman for one year,
before coming to America in 1869. He arrived in Clayton county
in the fall of that year, where he took up carpentering, keeping
at that trade for several years, when he went into wagon making,
continuing in the business for fifteen years. At the expiration of
that time he opened a hardware store, building up the thriving
business he still conducts in partnership with his son Arthur. He
married Amelia Bothner, and they have become the parents of
several children : Henry, who is a contractor and builder of
Farmersburg; Claudina, the wife of Christ Meyer, of Montana;
Charles, of Minnesota; Arthur, associated with his father in busi-
ness ; Adele, who is married to C. J. Coon, of Van Horn, Iowa ;
Alma, the wife of P. J. Hemerick, of Billings, Montana; and Eva,
who is a teacher. Mr. Hinsch is a Democrat in politics, and has
served as Justice of the Peace four years. He belongs to the fra-
ternal orders of Masons and the M. B. A., and is a member of the
Lutheran church.
Assor S. Houg has been a resident of Marion township from
the time of his birth to the present and during his entire adult life
he has here been actively associated with the fundamental and all-
important industries of agriculture and stock-raising, of which he
is now a prominent and influential exponent. He is a man of strong
mentality and in his honorable and useful career he has contributed
to the civic and industrial advancement and prosperity of his na-
tive county; the while he has been the recipient of unqualified
popular esteem and has been influential in community affairs in
his home township. He represented Marion township on the county
board of supervisors for two terms and his total period of service
as township clerk has covered more than twenty years, he being
the incumbent of this position at the present time and having served
continuously as secretary of the school board of his district since
1882. He is director and vice president of the Elgin Savings Bank
and the vice president of the Elgin Farmers' Dairy Co. His polit-
ical allegiance is given to the Republican party and both he and his
wife are zealous communicants of the Norwegian Lutheran church
at Clermont. Mr. Houg was born in Marion township, of this
county, on the 4th of September, 1857, and is a son of Svend and
Margaret (Groth) Houg, both natives of Norway, where they were
reared and educated and where their marriage was solemnized.
They came to the United States in the year 1852 and established
BIOGRAPHICAL l8l
a home in Clayton county, where the death of the devoted wife and
mother occurred in March, 1878. Svend Houg was born December
4, 1814, and upon numbering himself among the pioneers of Clay-
ton county he purchased of his brother-in-law, Ole Groth, a tract
of one hundred and ninety-five acres of land, in Marion township.
With the passing years large and well merited prosperity attended
his efforts and he became one of the substantial farmers and in-
fluential citizens of Marion township, a devout and zealous worker
in and communicant of the Norwegian Lutheran church, as was
also his wife, and for many years he served as a member of the
church board of trustees. This honored pioneer, now one of the
most patriarchal citizens of Iowa, retains remarkable mental and
physical vigor, though he is one hundred and one years of age
at the time of this writing, in the summer of 1916. Revered in
the county that has long been his place of residence, he is cared
for with deep filial solicitude in the home of his son Assor S.,
the immediate subject of this sketch. The first three children,
Lars, Ragnild and Halsten, are deceased ; Ole is a resident of
Emmett county, this state ; Kittle and Knudt are residents of
Elgin, Iowa; Ingeri is a resident of Climax, Minnesota; the sub-
ject of this sketch was the sixth child ; Olaf is a prosperous
farmer of Fayette county; Ragnild (second of the name) is the
wife of F. E. Gladen, of St. Paul, Minnesota ; Elling is another
of the representative farmers of Marion township ; and Guri resides
at Reynolds, Grand Forks county, North Dakota. Assor S. Houg
was reared to manhood on the old homestead farm of his father.
He made good use of the advantages afforded in the public schools
of the locality and period and since 1882 he has had the active su-
pervision of the splendid estate, as the present owner of three hun-
dred and fifteen acres of most fertile and productive land, in Sections
17 and 20, Marion township, the property being improved with sub-
stantial and modern buildings and being maintained at the best
modern standard in both the agricultural and stock-raising depart-
ments. Mr. Houg has kept himself in close touch with the thought
and action of the day, is well fortified in his convictions concerning
governmental and economic aflfairs, and has been an appreciative
student and reader, his early education having included a course of
one year in college. At the age of 33 years he wedded Miss Bertina
Rear, and her death occurred on July 28, 1901. Of the three chil-
dren of this union the eldest, Elmer Martin, is now a resident of
Clermont, Fayette county ; and Sylvan Arthur and Elizabeth Ruth
remain at the paternal home. On the 15th of November, 1905, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Houg to Miss Emma Rear, who
likewise was born and reared in this county, and the three children
of this marriage are Signy Margrethe, Gerhard Myron and Anna
Esther.
Elling S. Houg has in his independent career as a farmer mani-
fested the energy, progressiveness and excellent judgment that in-
variably conserve success that is stable and worthy, and he is con-
sistently to be designated as one of the representative agriculturists
and stock-growers of his native township and county. He is a son
l82 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
of Svend Houg, who was one of the sterling pioneers of Qayton
county, and concerning the family history it is not necessary to
enter into details in the present connection, for on other pages the
record is adequately given in the sketch of A. S. Houg. He whose
name introduces this article was born in Marion township, this
county, on the 1st of March, 1865, his early educational advantages
having been those afforded in the common schools of the locality
and period and his entire career having been marked by close and
effective association with farm industry, of which he has become a
prominent and susbstantial representative in his native township.
In 1903 he purchased his present well-improved farm of two hun-
dred and seven acres, the same being eligibly situated in Sections
15 and 22, Marion township, and in the proximity of the village of
Elgin, from which the pleasant home receives service on rural mail
route No. 5. Mr. Houg carries forward his agricultural and live-
stock operations with energy and circumspection, is an able and
popular representative of these all-important lines of industry in
Clayton county, is a Republican in politics and takes loyal interest
in community affairs of a public order. He has given effective
service as an official of his school district and is now serving as
school director. Both he and his wife are active members of the
Norwegian Lutheran church. On the 13th of December, 1897, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Houg to Miss Maria Olson, who has
been a resident of this county from the time of her birth and who
is a daughter of John Olson, further mention of the family being
made on other pages, in the sketch of the career of T. J. Olson. Mr.
and Mrs. Houg have seven children, all of whom remain at the
parental home, namely: Joseph Millard, Ruth Sylvia, Emily
Myrtle, Agnes Sophia, Hilda Geneva, Alice Loretta, and Myron
Ansel.
Frederick H. Howard, M. D., has been established in the
practice of his profession at Strawberry Point for more than thirty
years, is dean of his profession in this thriving village and is next
to the oldest physician and surgeon of Clayton county in point of
years of consecutive practice within its borders. His success in
his exacting and humane vocation has been on a parity with his
recognized ability and zeal and he is to be consistently designated
as one of the representative physicians of this section of his native
state — one who has kept in close touch with the advances made
in both departments of professional work and who has in the mean-
while stood exponent of the staunchest and most loyal citizenship.
Dr. Howard was born in Delaware county, this state, on the 6th of
February, i860, and is a son of John B. and Sarah (Proctor)
Howard, the former of whom was born in the state of New York
and the latter in Ohio. The father of the Doctor is now one of the
patriarchal pioneer citizens of Iowa, to which state he came in
1840, after having been the overseer of the first railway grading
that was done in the state of Illinois. He celebrated in 1916 the
one hundredth anniversary of his birth, retains remarkable mental
and physical vigor and is one of the most venerable men in the
s'^'^^e which he has seen developed from the wilderness of the
BIOGRAPHICAL 183
frontier to its present proud position as one of the great and
opulent commonwealths of the Union. Upon coming to Iowa this
aged and honored citizen established his residence upon a pioneer
farm in Delaware county, and there the family home was main-
tained until i860, when, shortly after the birth of the subject of
this review, removal was made to Fayette county, where John B.
Howard has resided during the long intervening years, a strong
and worthy citizen who has contributed his quota to the civic and
material development and upbuilding of the Hawkeye state. His
cherished and devoted wife passed to eternal rest in 1913, at the
venerable age of 76 years, and of their nine children, seven are
still living. Dr. Howard was an infant at the time of the family
removal to Fayette county, where he was reared to adult age on
a pioneer farm and where he profited fully by the advantages
afforded in the public schools of the period. Thereafter he pur-
sued a higher academic course in Fayette College, and in con-
sonance with his earnest ambition he finally entered upon the study
of medicine in the Hahnemann Medical College in the city of
Chicago. In this institution he was graduated as a member of the
class of 1885, and after thus receiving his degree of Doctor of
Medicine he engaged in the practice of his profession at Volga,
Clayton county, on the 14th of March, 1885. In the following
October he removed to Strawberry Point, which village has since
continued as the center of his professional activities, which have
been attended with unequivocal success and resulted also in his
gaining marked prestige, with inviolable place in popular confi-
dence and esteem. The Doctor is an influential and honored mem-
ber of the Clayton County Medical Society, and is identified also
with the Iowa State Medical Society and the American Medical
Association. He served several years as health officer at Straw-
berry Point and also held the office of school director for a number
of years. He is affiliated with the local lodge of the Ancient Free
and Accepted Masons and also that of the Knights of
Pythias. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party
but he has never sought the honors of political office, as he has
considered his profession worthy of his undivided fealty. He is
the owner of a well improved farm of one hundred and twenty
acres in Cass township. He attends and supports the Congrega-
tional church, of which his wife is a zealous member. On the 3d
of June, 1885, Dr. Howard wedded Miss Alice Clark, of Dewitt,
this state, and she was summoned to the life eternal in 1899. Of
the four children of this union, Frank C. died at the age of eight
years; William H., M. D., is a graduate of the Hahnemann Medical
College, and is now associated with his father in practice, a young
man who is well upholding the professional prestige of the name
which he bears; Bessie May was graduated in the high school at
Strawberry Point and still remains at the paternal home ; and
Irwin P. is still attending school. In 1901 was solemnized the
marriage of Dr. Howard to Miss Aloda Wood, who was born and
reared in this county and who is a daughter of H. M. and Mary
184 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
(Hanks) Wood, both now deceased. Of this second marriage of
the Doctor no children have been born.
Anton Huebsch has in his career effectually set at naught any
application of the scriptural aphorism that "a prophet is not with-
out honor save in his own country," for in his native city of Mc-
Gregor his secure place in popular confidence and esteem is indi-
cated by his incumbency of the office of postmaster, in which
position he has served consecutively since 1913, and in which his
administration has been most effective and satisfactory. In the
thriving little city that now represents his home Mr. Huebsch was
born on the 5th of April, 1871, a son of George and Sarah (Snyder)
Huebsch, both of whom were born in the Kingdom of Bavaria,
Germany, and both of whom were numbered among the sterling
German contingent of pioneer settlers in Clayton county, Iowa,
where they continued to reside until their death, with secure place
in the esteem of all who knew them. George Huebsch was reared
and educated in his Fatherland and was a youth at the time of his
immigration to America. He remained for a time at Galena, Illi-
nois, and from that place came to Iowa and established his home
at McGregor about the year 1858. He was one of the pioneer
merchants of this place, where he conducted a grocery store for
a number of years, but later he resumed the work of his trade,
that of stone mason. He was called from the stage of life's mortal
endeavors on the 25th of December, 1897, his devoted wife, who
had been a true helpmeet, having passed to eternal rest in Sep-
tember, 1895. Of their children, the eldest is Lena, who is the
wife of William T. Minney, of McGregor ; George died in child-
hood ; Frances is the wife of Frederick Wehler, of Algona, Kos-
suth county; John, who is a painter by trade and vocation, resides
at McGregor; Anton, of this review, was the next in order of
birth ; William maintains his residence at Mobridge, South Da-
kota ; Margaret died in infancy ; and Frank is employed as a book-
keeper at McGregor. Owing to the exigencies of time and place,
the early educational discipline of the present postmaster of Mc-
Gregor was of limited order, but his alert mentality has enabled
him in later years to profit most fully from the valuable lessons
ever to be gained in the school of practical experience, so that he
has nullified the seeming handicap of his youth. He attended
school in his native town until he had attained to the age of twelve
years, when he initiated his career as one of the world's produc-
tive workers and began to provide for his own livelihood. He
worked in a local brickyard for two seasons, and at the age of
fifteen years he entered upon a practical apprenticeship in the
printing establishment of A. F. Hofer & Sons, publishers of a
newspaper at McGregor. With this firm he remained three and
one-half years, and the incidental discipline, as has consistently
been maintained in such connection, proved virtually the equivalent
of a liberal education. At the age of nineteen years Mr. Huebsch
initiated his career as a full-fledged journeyman printer. He went
to the city of Denver, Colorado, where he found employment at
his trade and where he remained two years. He then returned to
BIOGRAPHICAL 185
McGregor, where for the ensuing six years he held the position of
foreman in the printing and newspaper office of J. F. Widman.
^n June, 1896, Mr. Huebsch purchased the plant and business of
the North Iowa Times from O. G. Wall, and of this paper he con-
tinued editor and publisher until 1906, when he sold the plant and
business at McGregor and went to North Dakota, where he en-
tered claim to a tract of land and instituted the development of
the same. Two years later, in 1908, he resumed his residence in
his native town, where he effected the repurchase of the North
Iowa Times, of which he has since continued editor and publisher
and which he has made a most effective exponent of local interests
and a potent director of popular sentiment. He has served as
postmaster of McGregor since 1913 and both through personal
activity and through the medium of his newspaper he has given
yeoman service in the furtherance of the cause of the Democratic
party. On the 27th of June, 1900, was solemnized the marriage
of Mr, Huebsch to Miss Katherine Geske, who likewise was born
and reared at McGregor, and they have three children — Dorothy,
Frederick, and Mary Ann. Mr. Huebsch is a progressive and
public-spirited citizen who has had much influence in public affairs
in his native county.
John A. Huebsch is another of the native sons of Clayton
county who are effectively maintaining its high standing in con-
nection with agricultural and livestock industry, and in Section
34, Sperry township, he is the owner of a finely improved landed
estate of two hundred and eighty acres, which may consistently be
designated as one of the model farms of Clayton county, the place
being devoted to well ordered agriculture of diversified order and
to the breeding and raising of high-grade live stock. In the town-
ship that is now his home, Mr. Huebsch was born on the 20th of
May, 1866, a member of a family of 8 children, of whom 5 are
now living. He is a son of John A. and Mary (Burkhard) Huebsch,
who were born and reared in Germany and who came to Clayton
county and became pioneer settlers soon after their arrival in
America, in the middle '40s. The father obtained a tract of wild
land in what is now Sperry township, and the first home provided
was a log cabin of the true pioneer type, as was also the primitive
barn which he erected on the place. He reclaimed one of the finely
productive farms of the county and here continued his residence,
a substantial and honored pioneer citizen, until his death, which
occurred in the year 1911. His venerable widow still resides in
the county and township that are endeared to her by the gracious
memories and associations of the past. John A. Huebsch, Jr., the
Immediate subject of this review, was reared to manhood on the
home farm and has had cause to place in later years high valuation
on the incidental discipline which he then received, for the same
has contributed definitely to his success as an independent farmer.
He made good use also of the advantages afforded in the public
schools of the locality and period, and in all the years that have
since passed it is pleasing to record that he has not wavered in
his loyalty to his native county nor lacked in appreciation of its
l86 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
admirable resources. He takes deep interest in all things pertain-
ing to the communal welfare, served six years as township assessor
and several years as a member of the school board, and in politics
he has always been arrayed in the ranks of the Democratic party.
Both he and his wife hold membership in the Lutheran church.
Their attractive home is known for its generous hospitality and
their postofifice address is St. Sebald. In 1891 Mr. Huebsch wedded
Miss Elizabeth Fliehler, who likewise claims Clayton county as
the place of her nativity and of their ten children all are living
except Irwin, who was the seventh in order of birth and who died
at the age of 8 years. The names of the surviving children are
here indicated in respective order of birth : Ida, Arthur C, John
F., Oscar M., Lottie, Walter W., Annie, Harold and Maxine. All
remain at the parental home except Ida, who is now residing in
the city of Dubuque.
Amos W. Hughes is a sterling pioneer citizen who finds that
his name, Amos Wilson Hughes, singularly enough, combines the
surnames of both the Democratic and Republican candidates for
the presidency of the United States in the campaign of 1916, and
incidentally it may be noted that this fact does not imply any vacil-
lating policy of political allegiance on his part, for he is found a
staunch and well fortified advocate of the principles of the Dem-
ocratic party. Mr. Hughes has been a resident of Clayton county
since his boyhood, his parents having here established their home
more than sixty years ago. He was born in Lycoming county,
Pennsylvania, on the 4th of April, 1849, and is a son of James and
Margaret (Stevins) Hughes, both likewise natives of the old Key-
stone state, where they were reared and educated and where their
marriage was solemnized. The lineage of the Hughes family is
traced back to staunch Welsh origin and that of the Stevins family
to sturdy German stock. In the year 1855 James Hughes came
with his family to Iowa and became one of the pioneer settlers in
Lomodillo township, Clayton county, where he engaged in the
work of his trade, that of carpenter, and where also he became the
owner of wild land which he developed into a productive farm,
both he and his wife having passed the remainder of their lives
in this county and both having been well advanced in years at the
time of death. Andrew, the eldest of their children, enlisted as a
soldier of the Union in the Civil war and he died while in the gal-
lant ranks of the "boys in blue"; Catherine Jane is the widow of
Charles McKinness and resides in the state of Missouri; Amos W.,
of this review, was the next in order of birth ; Ambrose resides at
Strawberry Point, this county ; Sarah Elizabeth is deceased ; Bur-
ros resides at Littleport, this county; Hannah Maria and Esther
Emma are deceased, as is also Minnie, the youngest of the children.
Amos W. Hughes was a lad of about six years at the time of the
family removal to Clayton county, where he was reared to manhood
and where his educational advantages were those afforded in the
pioneer schools. At the age of sixteen years, while serving as
engineer in a saw mill, his left arm was caught in a center shaft
and the injury was such as to necessitate the amputation of the
^ fifiJ NKW Uih
4---.Z
L. L. HULYERSON
BIOGRAPHICAL 187
arm. For many years thereafter he was engaged in the buying and
shipping of live stock, and since 1914 he has been engaged in the
grain, feed and coal business at Littleport, a loyal and upright
citizen who has secure place in popular esteem. The maiden name
of his wife was Isabel Marshall, and she has been a resident of
Clayton county from the time of her birth. They have two sons,
Warren J. and Raymond.
Hulverson, Lars L., was born in Read township, Clayton
county, Iowa, September 22, 1860. He was the son of Lars C. and
Mary Hulverson, both natives of Norway, who came to Iowa, set-
tling in Clayton county on a farm, and both of whom are now
deceased. The father took an active interest in the affairs of his
township, holding several minor offices, and he and his wife were
the parents of nine children: John, of Miller, Iowa; Nettie, who is
the wife of Andrew Larson of the same place ; Christina, married
and living in Miller, Iowa ; Isabel, the wife of John Faber, of Read
township ; Gilbert, of Wagner township ; Mattie, who is married
to H. Nelson, of St. Olaf; and Lars L., who is the youngest of
the living children, the two, Nettie and Ole, who were born, later,
having died. He received his education in the public schools of his
county, remaining on the home farm until he was twenty-one years
of age, at which time he was married, and began farming for him-
self on rented land. Such marked success attended his efforts that
he was soon enabled to buy a farm of ninety acres of his own, which
he cultivated with equally good results. In 1803 he received the
appointment of Superintendent of the county asylum, and con-
ducted the affairs of that institution with such competent ability
and fidelity to trust that he was reappointed four different times,
holding the position for twenty-four years altogether. He was
united in marriage to Isabel Thompson, who died, leaving him with
four children : Leona, the wife of John Downy, of Boardman town-
ship ; George, who is a farmer ; Bertha, married to John Stoops,
of Read township ; and Lawrence, who is still with his father. Mr.
Hulverson took for his second wife Mary Lembke, who was born
in Clayton county. Mrs. Hulverson is the daughter of Franz
Lembke, who was born in Viershof Lauenberg, Germany, and
Mrs. Louisa Lembke, nee Louisa Krueger, also of Lauenberg, Ger-
many, being the seventh child in order of birth. May, 1871, they
emigrated to America, coming direct to Clayton Center, Iowa,
where, on June 17th, 1871, they were united in marriage. Mr.
Lembke passed to the other world December 2d, 1913, his wife
surviving him nearly two years, passing away May 26th, 1915.
They were very prominent and highly thought of in the commu-
nity and were mourned by a large circle of friends. Mr. Hulverson
is a member of the Democratic party, always ready to work to
advance its political interests, has served on the town council and
is a member of the fraternal order of Modern Woodmen.
Andrew Hultgren is one of the sturdy, vigorous and determined
men who has not missed the true purposes of life nor waited for
circumstance to mould or change his fate. His stewardship has
been shown in steadfast integrity, invincible determination and in-
l88 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
defatigable industry, the result being that in the land of his adop-
tion he has won worthy success and an independent position as one
of the essentially representative agriculturists and stock-growers
of Clayton county. He is a scion of the fine Scandinavian element
that has contributed greatly to the social and material development
and progress of the great northwestern portion of our national do-
main, and is thoroughly in harmony with American sentiment and
institutions ; the while he consistently treasures the traditions and
honors the history of his native land. He was born at Philipstad,
Wermland, Sweden, on the 28th of July, 1861, and is a son of An-
drew Hendricksen and Annie (Walberg) Hultgren, both of whom
passed their entire lives in that district of Sweden, where the father
was a substantial farmer, and both of whom were earnest commu-
nicants of the Lutheran church. Of the children the subject of
this sketch is the eldest, and the younger is Annie Sophia, who is
the wife of Carl Granberg, their home being still in Sweden. He
whose name introduces this article gained his early education in the
schools of his native land and as a youth he there found employment
m iron mines. In 1881, with the determined courage born of worthy
ambition, he set forth to seek his fortunes in the United States,
where he felt assured of better opportunities for the winning of
success through individual effort. Soon after his arrival in Amer-
ica he made his way to Clayton county, Iowa, and established his
residence in Mendon township, where for three years he found
employment in a saw mill. In the meantime he further showed his
spirit and good judgment by attending school when opportunity
afforded in order that he might acquire a better knowledge of the
English language. After remaining in the county somewhat more
than three years Mr. Hultgren went to the city of Chicago, where
he found profitable employment and where he remained until 1893,
in which year he returned to Clayton county and purchased a farm
of forty acres, in Mendon township. Pressing forward to the high
mark of his ambitious purpose, he finally sold this property and
purchased his present fine landed estate of three hundred and
twenty acres, upon which he has made numerous improvements
and which he has developed into one of the model farms of Mendon
township, his attention being energetically given to diversified agri-
culture and to the raising of good grades of live stock. Mr. Hult-
gren has entered fully and loyally into community affairs, is a Re-
publican in his political proclivities and has served effectively as a
member of the school board of his district. Both he and his wife
are zealous members of the Swedish Lutheran church, in which
he is serving as a deacon, and he is affiliated with the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, the Brotherhood of American Yeomen and
the Woodmen of the World. November 24, 1887, recorded the mar-
riage of Mr. Hultgren to Miss Caroline Olson, daughter of Ole and
Christine (Beckman) Olson, of Mendon township, this county. Mr.
and Mrs. Hultgren became the parents of seven children, all of
whom are living and still residents of Mendon township except the
youngest, Walter, who died in early childhood. The names of
the surviving children are here entered in the respective order of
BIOGRAPHICAL 189
birth: Arthur Otto, Edwin B., Carl W., Elmer G., August C. and
John A. The sons are identified with agricultural pursuits in Men-
don township, and the eldest son, Arthur O., and his wife are the
parents of two children, Alice and Richard. Ole and Christine
(Beckman) Olson, parents of Mrs. Hultgren, were born in Jutland,
Sweden, where their marriage was solemnized and whence they
immigrated to America in 1870. They established their home in
Clayton county and still reside on their old homestead farm, in
Mendon township, venerable in years and honored by all who know
them. Mr. Olson was born July 29, 1835, and his wife on the 22d
of June 1842. Both are devoted communicants of the Swedish
Lutheran church and he is a stalwart Republican in his political
adherency. Of the children, Mrs. Hultgren is the first-born ; August
has charge of the old homestead farm of his parents ; and Hannah
died in childhood.
Humphrey, James T., was born in Clayton county on August
23, 1876. He is the son of Lawrence and Mary (Fleming) Humph-
rey, both natives of Ireland, who came to America in 1862, and
settled on a farm in Clayton county. To this union were born ten
children: Richard, of Mims, Minnesota; Michael A., of Logan,
Iowa ; Ella, now the wife of James Ryan of Flemmington, South
Dakota; Mathew, and Lawrence B., of Monona; Anna, residing
with her mother; Alice, deceased; James T., the subject of this
sketch ; William F., of Monona, and Emily. The worthy father of
this fine family died July 15, 1900, but the mother still lives and
resides in Monona. Mr. Humphreys received his education in the
public schools of Decorah and Breckenridge Institute at Decorah,
la. After the completion of his schooling he engaged in farming
until he was twenty-eight years of age, taking an active interest
in dairy matters, and was made secretary of the Farmers' Creamery
of Lowena, Iowa. In 1904 he decided to take up a mercantile busi-
ness, and accordingly with his brother, Lawrence B., bought out
the Walsh and Garrity Implement House at Monona and, under
the firm name of Humphrey Brothers, they are conducting a thriv-
ing business in all sorts of farming implements. Mr. Humphrey
was united in marriaige to Miss Grace Cool, September 24, 1913.
No children have been born to them. He is affiliated with the
Democratic party in politics and has ever taken a keen interest in
civic affairs, serving on the city council for four years. He is a
member of the fraternal orders of Yeomen, Woodmen and Knights
of Columbus.
Jeremiah P. Hurley has been a resident of Clayton county
from the time of his birth, was here reared to the invigorating and
benignant discipline of the farm and has here become one of the
prominent and influential exponents of agricultural and live-stock
industry. Largely through his own energy and well directed
enterprise he has become one of the prominent landholders of this
section of the state, where he is the owner of a well improved and
valuable estate comprising a total of six hundred and eighteen
acres, all of which splendid domain receives his careful and effec-
tive supervision, the while he maintains his home on a model farm-
190 , MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
stead that is situated in Highland township, near the attractive
village of Volga. Mr. Hurley was born in Highland township,
this county, on the 1st of September, 1878, and is a son of Barney
and Catherine (Neimens) Hurley, the former of whom was born in
Ireland and the latter in the state of New York. Barney Hurley
was young at the time when he came from the fair old Emerald
Isle to America, in the year 1854, and his marriage to Miss Cathe-
rine Neimens was solemnized in the year 1873. They became the
parents of eleven children, all of whom are living except one. The
devoted wife and mother passed to the life eternal on the 226. of
March, 1910, and the father passed away on the 8th of February,
1912, the remains of both being laid to rest in the cemetery at
Elkader. They were sterling pioneers of Clayton county, where
the father became a prosperous farmer, and the memories of both
are cherished by all who came within the sphere of their kindly
influence, both having been devout communicants of the Catholic
church. Jerremiah P. Hurley gained his early education in the
public and parochial schools of Clayton county and remained at
the parental home until he was nineteen years of age, after which
he was employed three years as a farm workman in his native
county. He then assumed connubial responsibilities and with his
bride, who has proved his devoted companion and helpmeet, he
established his residence on a farm which he rented and upon
which he continued operations for the ensuing eight years. He
then purchased a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Highland
township, and with characteristic vigor turned his attention to the
operations and improvement of the property, which he still owns
and which he has developed into one of the model farms of the
county. With increasing financial resources he continued to make
judicious investment in the fine land of this favored section of the
Hawkeye state, and, as previously stated, he is now the owner of a
valuable landed property of six hundred and eighteen acres, the
while he has incidental precedence as one of the most progressive
and influential exponents of agricultural and live stock industry in
this section. Mr. Hurley gives special attention to the breeding
and raising of the full blood and registered Percheron horses and
also raises other lines of live stock of the best grade. His worthily
achieved success offers both lesson and incentive, and he has so
ordered his course in all the relations of life as to merit and re-
ceive the unqualified respect and good will of his fellow men. His
political allegiance is given to the Republican party, but he has
held no public office save that of member of the school board, as
such preferments have no appeal to his ambition. He and his
family are communicants of the Catholic church. In the year
1901 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Hurley to Miss Anna
Meyer, who likewise was born and reared in Clayton county and
who is one of the four surviving children of Joseph and Elizabeth
(Whittle) Meyer, the former a native of Germany and the latter
of Iowa, where her parents settled in the early pioneer days. Mr.
Meyer is now deceased and his widow still maintains her home in
Clayton county. Mr. and Mrs. Hurley have four children — Mary,
BIOGRAPHICAL I9I
Helen, Reta, and Dorothy. The two elder daughters are, in 1916,
students in the parochial schools at Elkader.
James T. Hyde, blacksmith and implement dealer of Elkader,
was born September 20, 1862. His parents were Patrick and Cathe-
rine (Kelliber) Hyde, both natives of Ireland, who came to Amer-
ica about 1847, locating first in New York, going thence to Chi-
cago, and later settling in Clayton county on a farm in 1858. The
father passed from this life February 7th, 1901, but the mother is
still living and resides in Elkader. To their union nine children
were born, of whom James was the eldest, followed by Mary Ellen,
wife of Thomas Gill, of Oelwein, Iowa ; John, Thomas, and Patrick
Joseph, all of Elkader; Katie and William, deceased; Anna, who is
the wife of E. W. Charleton, of Windsor, Ontario; Leo, residing
on a farm near Elkader. James T. learned blacksmithing in his
youth, and worked at the trade in various places throughout the
state for a number of years, but finally located in Elkader, Iowa,
where he and his brother Thomas set up in business for them-
selves in the same line of work, and have served their patrons with
dexterity and despatch for twenty-one years. They have taken
their brother Patrick Joseph into partnership with them, and have
enlarged the business by becoming dealers in farming implements
four years ago under the firm name of Hyde Brothers. They
erected a cement block building thirty by sixty-five feet, and three
stories high, and to accommodate the rapidly growing needs of
their prosperous business, contemplate the erection of another
building of the same size this year. James Hyde was married
October 19, 1892, to Bessie Johnson, who died July 7, 1905, leaving
him with two children, Joseph and Leroy J. He was wedded July
28, 1913, to Louise Royston, widow of M. J. Kelliber. She is a
native of Illinois. Mr. Hyde is keenly interested in the welfare
of his community and is an active worker in the Corn School of
the county. He is equally alert in the service of the Republican
party, having served on the City Council, and is a member of the
Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Hyde is affiliated with the
Republican party in politics, and is a consistent member of the
Catholic church. Patrick Joseph Hyde, the executive head of the
firm, obtained his early education in the public schools of Elkader
and of Graham county, Kansas, and on the family's removal to
Elkader, in 1897, he entered into the steam laundry business with
D, C. Foley. In 1900, severing his connection with Mr. Foley, he
entered the wholesale liquor business and, in 1907, together with
John Gemmel, bought the Hotel Bayless. In 1909, he bought Mr.
Gemmel's interest and continued in the hotel business until 1913,
at which time he sold it to Mr. Asay, the present owner. He then
entered into partnership with his brothers, and it is largely due to
his efforts that the business has grown to be the largest of its kind
in Clayton county. In 1903, Mr. Hyde was joined in the bonds of
matrimony with Margaret Maley, the daughter of Michael and
Katherine (Leonard) Maley, of Elkader, and formerly of Louis-
ville, Kentucky. Mr. Maley died in Louisville in 1898 and Mrs.
Maley now makes her home with her daughter. Mr. and Mrs.
192 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Hyde are the proud parents of four children: Joseph, 12 years;
Margaret, 10; Edwin, 3, and the baby, little Hugh, aged 3 months.
Mr. Hyde does not affiliate with any orders, his spare time being
devoted to his home. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hyde are communicants
of the Catholic church.
John F. Ihde is an honored representative of one of the ster-
ling pioneer families of Clayton county and here he has maintained
his home from the time of his nativity, the while his entire active
career has been one of close and successful identification with the
fundamental industries of agriculture and stock growing. He is
the owner of one of the finely improved farms of Garnavillo town-
ship and his secure vantage place in popular esteem is augured by
the fact that he is serving in the of^ce of justice of the peace with
characteristic discrimination and loyalty. Mr. Ihde was born in
Garnavillo township on the 18th of September, 1858, and thus his
memory forms an indissoluble link between the pioneer epoch and
the latter day opulent period of prosperity in this county. He is a
son of Frederick and Sophia (Klurr) Ihde, who were born and
reared in Germany, where their marriage was solemnized and
whence they came to America in 1856. In the year that thus marked
their arrival in the land of their adoption they became pioneer
settlers in Clayton county, where they established their home on
the farm now owned by the subject of this sketch. Here the father
provided a log cabin as a home for the family, and then energet-
ically set himself to the reclaiming of a farm from the veritable
wilderness. Success attended his indefatigable labors and he be-
came with the passing years one of the substantial farmers and
influential citizens of his township, the while his progressiveness
was shown in the excellent improvements which he made upon
his farm as increasing financial resources made this possible and
consistent. He finally retired from active labors and he and his
wife passed the closing years of their long and useful lives in the
village of Garnavillo, both having been devout adherents of the
Lutheran church. Of their nine children only three are now living,
Frederick, who is a resident of Nebraska; John F., who is the
immediate subject of this reviev/ ; and Lena, who is the wife of A.
N. Crawford of Clayton county. John F. Ihde gained his early
education in the pioneer schools and continued to assist his father
in the work and management of the old homestead farm until he
reached his legal majority. He then purchased a farm of one hun-
dred acres in Read township, where he continued his independent
activities as a farmer for the ensuing ten years. He then sold the
property and purchased his father's old homestead, which comprises
one hundred and sixty acres and which is situated in Section 2,
Garnavillo township, one of the well improved and fertile farms of
the county and one that is given to diversified agriculture and the
raising and feeding of good grades of livestock. Mr. Ihde is a
stockholder in the Farmers' State Bank of Garnavillo. is a stalwart
advocate of the principles of the Republican party and is now serv-
ing as justice of the peace. Both he and his wife are earnest com-
municants of the Lutheran church at St. Olaf, from which village
BIOGRAPHICAL I93
their pleasant home receives service on rural mail route No. 2. In
the year 1879 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Ihde to Miss
Anna Thoma, who was born in this county and who is a daughter
of William and Margaret Thoma, pioneers to whom individual
reference is made on other pages of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Ihde
became the parents of nine children, concerning whom the follow-
ing brief records is entered : Caroline is the wife of George Kurdel-
meier ; Luella is deceased ; Elizabeth is the wife of Frederick Kurdel-
meier; Anna is the wife of Richard Hinzma ; Lottie is the wife of
Herman Wies ; Benjamin is a prosperous farmer of this county;
and Reuben, John and Amanda remain at the parental home.
George M. Jacobs has achieved special success and priority as
a raiser of high-grade poultry, and his finely equipped little poultry
farm is eligibly situated in immediate proximity to the village of
Guttenberg. He was born in this village on the 20th of March,
1873, and is a son of G. Henry Jacobs and Elizabeth (Nolte) Jacobs,
the former of whom was born in Mecklenburg-Schweren, Germany,
on the 29th of November, 1838, and the latter of whom was born at
Bisslagen, Germany, on the 19th of September, 1842. G. Henry
Jacobs acquired his early education in the schools of his native land
and was a lad of sixteen years when he accompanied his parents
on their immigration to America, his father, John Jacobs, becom-
ing a pioneer settler on Cedar creek, Clayton county. G. Henry
Jacobs became a man of broad intellectual ken and mature judg-
ment, and he long held a position of prominence and influence in
the county that continued to be his home until his death. In the
earlier part of his independent career he followed farming for a
time, and he then became associated with Clement Schwaller in
the general merchandise business at Guttenberg. With this line
of enterprise he continued his identification several years, and in
the meanwhile he served as postmaster of the village. For about
six years thereafter he conducted the Washington Hotel at Gutten-
berg, and he then engaged in the practice of law, having given care-
ful study to the science of jurisprudence and thus having gained
admission to the bar. He continued in the practice of his profession
at Guttenberg about twenty-one years, and during much of the time
he held the office of notary public. He held inviolable place in pop-
ular confidence and esteem, served several years as mayor of Gut-
tenberg, and was an efifective advocate of the principles and policies
of the Democratic party. His death occurred September 17, 1888,
and his widow survived him by nearly a quarter of a century, she
having been called to eternal rest on the 21st of May, 1911. Of their
children the eldest is Walter G., who resides at Aberdeen, South
Dakota; Hugo C. is a resident of Luxemburg, Iowa; the subject of
this review was the next in order of birth ; Clementine is the wife
of Warner Eggerth. of Spokane, Washington, in which city also
resides William H., the next in order of birth ; Matilda is the wife
of William Stretch and they reside in the city of Chicago; and
Addie remains at the old home in Guttenberg. George M. Jacobs
is indebted to the public schools of Guttenberg for his early edu-
cational discipline, and as a youth he found employment in a cigar
194 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
factory in his native village. He became an expert cigarmaker and
after being employed at his trade in Guttenberg for ten years he
was similarly engaged at Charter Oak, this state, for one year. He
then returned to Guttenberg, where for the ensuing sixteen years
he was engaged in the retail liquor trade, and upon his retirement
from this business he established his present prosperous enter-
prise, in the raising of and dealing in fine poultry. He has served
as a member of the city council of Guttenberg and is known as a
stalwart in the local camp of the Democratic party. On the 19th
of February, 1901, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Jacobs to
Miss Elizabeth Kickbusch, daughter of Charles and Frederica Kick-
busch, of Millville township. Of the children born to Mr. and Mrs.
Jacobs, Freda and Vivian, the third and sixth in respective order of
birth, are deceased, and all of the others remain at the parental
home, namely: Walter W., Emma, Irene, Hilda, Helen and George.
John E. Jacobson, dealer in general merchandise at St. Olaf,
Iowa, was born in Claremont, of that state, June 24, 1873, and is the
son of Erick and Belle (Olson) Jacobson, both natives of Norway.
The father came to Clayton county, Iowa, in i860, and took up
the vocation of farming, which he followed until his death. To
him and his wife, who is also deceased, were born ten children,
eight of whom are living : Ole, of Nora Springs, Iowa ; Caroline,
who is the wife of Ole Koppang, of Claremont, Iowa ; Gustave and
Jacob, who are twins, the former living at Nora Springs, Iowa, and
the latter at Watertown, Wisconsin ; Anna, married to Gilbert
Ostlie, and living at Claremont, Iowa ; Edward, deceased ; Emma,
wife of John Peterson, of Claremont; John, the subject of this
sketch ; Mary, who is now Mrs. Nels Larson, of Postville, Iowa ;
and Eliza, deceased. John E. Jacobson remained on his father's
farm until a year after his marriage, when he moved to Claremont,
and was employed in a general merchandise business for five years,
when he went to Gunder, going into the same line of business for
himself. After remaining in that place for another five years, he
went to St. Olaf, Iowa, where he started a general merchandise
store, the first and only one of its kind in the town. He took H. E.
Landsgard into partnership with him in the business, which is
being conducted under the firm name of Jacobson and Landsgard,
and in its success is a credit to the intelligent effort and efficiency
which the partners devote to its upbuilding. Mr. Jacobson married
Julia Skarshoug, of Clayton county, and they have reared a family
of four children : Hiram E., age 15 ; Grace B., age 13 ; Clarence R.,
age 10; and Louis V., age 6 years. He is a staunch Republican,
and in reward for his unswerving and honorable adherence to the
principles of his party, was awarded the postmastership of his
town, which position he held for five years. He was a school
director, and is serving on the City Council at the present time.
Both he and his wife are members of the Norwegian Lutheran
church.
Benjamin W. James is successfully established as a manufac-
turer and dealer in the best grade of cemetery monuments of granite
and marble and in this line of enterprise is the worthy successor
BIOGRAPHICAL I95
of his honored father, who was one of its pioneer exponents in
Clayton county. Mr. James has well equipped business quarters
in the thriving city of Guttenberg, and is one of the representative
business men and popular and influential citizens of his county.
Mr. James was born in Millville township, this county, on the 20th
of June, 1863, and is a son of Charles and Amelia (Greybill) James,
the former of whom was born in Dillon, Staffordshire, England,
August 17, 1826, and the latter of whom was born at Richfield,
Pennsylvania, October 4, 1834, coming with her parents, Thomas
and Amelia (Womer) Greybill to Guttenberg on May 2, 1842.
Charles James, the father of the subject of this sketch, was but
four years of age at the time of the family immigration to Amer-
ica in 1830, and his father, Thomas James, first established the
family home in the state of New York. Later he resided at Mas-
sillon, Ohio, and at Janesville, Wisconsin. He met his death as
the result of a ship wreck in Thunder Bay on Lake Huron, dying
as the result of the exposure. For many years prior to leaving
England he was employed as a mechanic in work on Windsor
Castle. Charles James acquired his early education in the schools
of New York and Ohio, and at Cleveland he served a thorough
apprenticeship to the trade of marble and granite cutting, in which
he became a skilled artisan. After leaving the Buckeye state he
resided for some time at Galena, Illinois, and was engaged as
traveling representative of the R. L. Rosevro Monument Company,
now of St. Louis, Missouri. In 1862 he came with his family to
Clayton county, Iowa, and established his residence in Millville
township, where he became the owner of a small farm and where
also he continued actively engaged in the granite business for many
years, many fine specimens of his handiwork being fourd in the
various cemeteries of Clayton county at the present day. He died
at his old home in Millville township on the 17th of August, 1896,
a sterling and honored citizen of the county that had represented
his home for more than thirty years. He was a stalwart advocate
of the principles of the Republican party, and was a zealous mem-
ber of the United Brethren church, as is also his venerable widow,
who now maintains her home in the city of Waterloo, this state.
Of the children, the subject of this review is the eldest; Ada is
the wife of Louis Wentworth, a wholesale lumber dealer and con-
tractor, of Omaha, Nebraska ; Hannah is the widow of Caleb Ken-
yon, and in her home at Waterloo she has the companionship of
her loved mother; William is a substantial farmer of Millville
township; and Dwight and Esther are deceased. After having
duly profited by the advantages of the public schools of his native
county, Benjamin W. James gained a higher course of academic
discipline by attending Leander Clark College, at Toledo, Iowa.
Under the effective direction of his father he gained thorough
knowledge of the trade of granite and marble cutting, and he has
been successfully established in the monument business and north-
west land investment at Guttenberg since 1895, the high grade of
his work and the effective service given, having combined to make
him one of the leading exponents of this line of business in Clayton
196 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
county, where he has ever held impregnable vantage place in popu-
lar confidence and esteem. The Republican party has the un-
swerving allegiance of Mr. James, and though he is loyal and
public-spirited as a citizen he has never been troubled by aught
of ambition for political office. He is the owner of an attractive
home property at Guttenberg, besides his place of business and a
tract of valuable land in La Moure and Stutsman counties. North
Dakota. He is affiliated with the local lodge of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows and he and his wife are zealous and official
members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Guttenberg. On
the 8th of October, 1894, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
James to Miss Minnie B. McCrum, daughter of Thomas and Martha
McCrum, of Earlville, this state, and they have two sons — Paul G.,
who was born March 20, 1897, is at present superintendent of the
Consolidated Schools at Fertile, Iowa, and Dwight, who was born
February 21, 1904.
Lawrence Jennings has been a resident of Iowa since he was a
lad of about ten years and the fact that he has now passed the
psalmist's span of three score years and ten offers conclusive evi-
dence that he is a representative of one of the pioneer families of
the Hawkeye State. He has maintained his home in Clayton
county since 1855, has been a resourceful exponent of agricultural
industry and other lines of enterprise, has achieved definite inde-
pendence and material prosperity and thus is justified in the en-
joyment of the peace and comfort that attend him after his retire-
ment from active labors and when his life begins to see its golden
shadows lengthening from the crimson west. He has accounted
well for himself and to the world, and is now living virtually re-
tired in the attractive little village of McGregor, where he has
association with a host of friends who are tried and true and whose
fealty has borne the test of many years. Mr. Jennings was born at
Welland, Province of Ontario, Canada, on the 14th of February,
1843, and his parents, Matthias and Mary (Dill) Jennings, were
born and reared in Ontario, where the father learned in his youth
the trade of cooper, which he there followed in connection with
agricultural pursuits until 1853, when he came to Iowa and num-
bered himself among the early settlers of Jackson county. There
he remained until the spring of 1855, when he came with his fam-
ily to Clayton county and purchased a tract of wild land in Mendon
township. There he reclaimed and developed a productive farm,
and he also continued in the work of his trade, having established
a cooperage on his farm and having found much demand for his
productions as a skilled workman at his trade. Eventually he
turned his attention to the study of medicine and became a suc-
cessful representative of the profession in Clayton county, where
he continued in active and successful practice, as one of the pioneer
physicians of this section of the State until his death, which oc-
curred in 1864, his wife surviving him by several years. Of the
children the subject of this review is the eldest; Nancy and Euphe-
mia are widows and both are residents of this State ; Sarah, wife
of John Kane ; Anna, wife of George Kildare, of Seattle, Wash. ;
BIOGRAPHICAL I97
Mrs. Alice Fuller, a widow, resides in the city of Seattle and Har-
riet and Jasper are deceased. Lawrence Jennings gained his ru-
dimentary education in the schools of his native province, con-
tinued his studies during the period of his parents' residence in
Jackson county, Iowa, and was a lad of twelve years at the time
of the family removal to Clayton county, where he was reared to
manhood and where he has continued his residence during the long
intervening years, though as a youth he was absent from the county
for a time, while in the service of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
Railroad Company. He availed himself of the further educational
advantages afforded in the pioneer schools of Mendon township,
assisted in the work of the home farm and also learned the cooper's
trade under the effective supervision of his honored father. Upon
attaining to his legal majority he purchased his father's farm and
cooperage, and to the management of both enterprises he there-
after giving his attention for a period of ten years, besides which
he became a successful contractor in grading work on the line of
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. After the completion
of this contract work he resumed his operations as a farmer in
Mendon township, besides which he further showed his initiative
ability and progressiveness by engaging in the manufacturing of
lumber. He became the owner of an extensive tract of timber land
and operated a well-equipped saw mill, in the meanwhile contin-
uing his successful association with the basic industry of agricul-
ture. He became the owner of a fine landed estate of six hundred
and forty acres, and this valuable property he later sold. In 1911
he purchased a nice residence property in the village of McGregor,
where he and his devoted wife have since maintained their home
and where he finds himself, in his days of retirement, compassed
by most grateful influences and associations. Mr. Jennings has
always given his allegiance to the Democratic party and shown a
loyal interest in all things touching the general welfare of the
community. Though he has had no ambition for public office he
served several years as road supervisor in Mendon township. He
is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
both he and his wife are attendants of the Methodist Episcopal
church. On the 12th of October, 1867, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Jennings to Miss Sophrona Caroline Dickens, who was
born in Mendon township, this county, on the 28th of August,
1847, the seventh in order of birth of the eleven children of Edward
and Anne (Van Sickle) Dickens, honored pioneers of Clayton
county, where their old homestead farm is one of the fine places
in the Pleasant Ridge district of Mendon township. Mr. Dickens
was born in Tennessee and his wife in Ohio. He was one of the
very early settlers of Clayton county, where he obtained a tract
of government land, in Mendon township, about the year 1835,
both he and his wife having passed the remainder of their lives as
honored and representative citizens of this county, where he be-
came a prosperous farmer and was influential in community affairs.
Of the Dickens children the first two, William and Lucius, are
deceased; John W. is a resident of Boise, Idaho; Edward is de-
198 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
ceased ; Clayton likewise resides in the capital city of Idaho ; Rob-
ert maintains his home at Red Lake, Minnesota; Mrs. Jennings
was the next in order of birth ; Harriet is the wife of Clarence
Luce, of Republican City, Nebraska ; Josephine is the widow of
Herbert Cornell and resides at McGregor, Clayton county; Mary
Jane is in Yankton, South Dakota, and Lillian is the wife of Joseph
Gill, of Sibley, Osceola county, Iowa.
Henry O. Johnson, a successful farmer and highly esteemed
citizen of Wagner township, is a sterling representative of that fine
Scandinavian element of citizenship that has played so large and
important a part in the social and industrial development of this
county as to make the definite recognition of the scions of the sec-
ond generation of such families specially consistent in connection
with the compilation of this history. Henry O. Johnson was born
in Wagner township, this county, on the 9th of July, 1877, and is a
son of Ole and Annie Johnson, honored pioneers, concerning whom
adequate mention is made on other pages, in the sketch dedicated
to their son Otto, so that a repetition of the data is not demanded in
the article here presented. Henry O. Johnson is indebted to the
public schools of his native county for his early educational training,
and, with characteristic ambition and determination, he profited
fully by the advantages thus afforded him. He continued to be
associated in the work and management of his father's farm until
1907, when he purchased his present fine farm, which comprises
two hundred and twenty-three acres and which is eligibly situated
in Section 28, Wagner township. This model rural domain is im-
proved with substantial and modern buildings and is maintained
under a high state of cultivation, with due attention given also to
the raising of excellent grades of livestock. Though Mr. Johnson
gives general and effective supervision to the various operations of
his splendid farm, his health has been much impaired since 1912 and
he is unable to do much active work. His political allegiance is given
to the Republican party and he has reason for the faith that is his
in politics, for he has studied the questions and issues of the hour
and is well fortified in his convictions as to matters of public policy.
He is a communicant of the Lutheran church and his name yet
remains on the list of eligible bachelors in his native county. His
home is but a few miles distant from Elkader, and from the county
seat he receives service on rural mail route No. 3.
John F. Johnson, president of the St. Olaf's Savings Bank,
and farmer and stock raiser of large interests, was born in Wagner
township, Clayton county, December 4, 1855. His parents were
Fingar and Ingred (Olson) Johnson, both natives of Norway, who
came to America, settling in Clayton county, Iowa, in 1852, where
they settled on a farm. His mother died in 1915, but his father
is still living on the farm at the advanced age of eighty-eight years.
To their union were born seven children : Eliza, wife of Thomas
Wold, who is a farmer of Clayton county, in Wagner township;
John F., with whom this sketch deals particularly ; Clara, deceased ;
Emma, who is now Mrs. Rugland of Wagner township ; Gumrid,
living at home ; Maria and Henry, deceased. Mr. Johnson is what
OTTO 0. JOHNSON
BIOGRAPHICAL / I99
may well be termed a man of affairs, and has been successful in
all his undertakings because of the intelligent insight and untiring
industry he has brought to bear upon them. He remained on his
father's farm until he was twenty-five years of age, when he began
his own work in life by buying one hundred and sixty acres of
land to which he soon added another one hundred and sixty. He
acquired large land holdings in South Dakota and is extensively
and profitably engaged in farming and stock raising. His integrity
and keen business insight have made him president of the St.
Olaf's Savings Bank, and the Republican party to which he be-
longs has availed itself of his clear judgment in the administration
of various township offices. He has been secretary of the school
board and is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church. Mr.
Johnson was united in marriage to Tillie Glesne, who was born
in Clayton county, and to them have been born seven children, all
of whom are still at home : Irene, Helen, Johanna, Frances, Arthur,
Oliver and Ruth.
Johnson, Otto O., prominent citizen and cashier of the St. Olaf's
Saving Bank, was born October 2, 1871, in Clayton county, Iowa,
the son of Ole and Anna (Wold) Johnson. His father was born
in Norway, but came to America locating in Clayton county, Iowa,
where he owned and conducted a large farm with the greatest suc-
cess, until his death. His mother was born in Wisconsin and is
still living on the home farm. They had an unusual family of thir-
teen children, all of whom except two are living. Otto, the subject
of this sketch, is the eldest; the second child, Olavus, died during
the year 1908 ; Helen is the wife of Louis Larson of Lilly, South Da-
kota; Johanna, wife of Elmer Ronquist of Clayton county; Bertha,
the wife of Herbert Olson of St. Olaf ; Rudolph, Benjamin, Elaine,
Olvin and Nettie living at home with their mother ; and Ruth, de-
ceased. Otto Johnson received his education in the common
schools, remaining on the farm until he was 26 years of age. Three
years later, in August, 1900, he married Caroline Helgeson, a native
of Clayton county, and to them have been born two children —
Alenta Josephine and Leroy. In 1900 he was appointed census
enumerator for Wagner township and he then spent some time
in the hardware business. On September 1, 1903, he was appointed
postmaster of St. Olaf, which position he held for twelve years. In
1908 he entered the banking business and in 1915 he resigned his
position as postmaster to devote his entire time to the affairs of
the bank. In 1904 he was elected township clerk, being re-elected
in 1906 and 1908, thus serving the public for three terms. Mr.
Johnson has served as town clerk of town of St. Olaf and member
of town Council for several terms and at present serving as mayor
of said town ; also serving as member of school board of the
Independent school district of St. Olaf, Iowa. Mr. Johnson
has been an ardent Republican at all times, serving several
terms as county committeeman and having been honored by
his party by the appointment as assistant doorkeeper at the Na-
tional Republican convention held at Chicago in 1916, at which
Hon. Charles E. Hughes was nominated for president. Both Mr.
200 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
and Mrs. Johnson are staunch members of the Norwegian Lutheran
church, Mr. Johnson serving as trustee. No one man has done
more for the enterprising village of St. Olaf than has this capable,
alert and affable young business man.
George S. Jones is another of the well-known and popular
native sons of Clayton county who is well entitled to recognition
in this history. He maintains his residence in the attractive vil-
lage of Edgewood, where he is engaged in business as a contractor
in cement construction work and where he is serving with charac-
teristic loyalty and efificiency not only as a member of the village
council, but also as trustee of Lodomillo township. Mr. Jones was
born in Cox Creek township, this county, on the 18th of February,
1860, and is a son of Albert and Annie (Thomas) Jones, the former
a native of the State of New York, and the latter of Wisconsin.
Albert Jones established his residence in Clayton county in the year
1859, and when the Civil War was precipitated on the nation he
served about one year as a soldier in Company B, Twenty-first Iowa
Volunteer Infantry, his honorable discharge having then been
granted to him on account of the impaired condition of his eyes.
Both he and his wife passed the closing years of their lives in Dixon
county, Nebraska. They became the parents of twelve children,
concerning whom brief record is here given: John is deceased;
William is a resident of Waterloo, this state ; Emma is the wife of
Riley Armstrong, of Morningside, Woodbury county, Iowa ; James
resides at Albany, Illinois ; and Frank in the state of South Dakota ;
Frances died in infancy ; George S., of this sketch, was the next
in order of birth ; Florence is the wife of James Bigley and they
reside in the state of Nebraska ; Seth lives in Kansas ; Charles in
Wisconsin ; and Adelbert at Auburn, Nebraska ; and Clinton is de-
ceased. George S. Jones continued to be associated with his fath-
er's farming operations until he had attained the age of twenty-
four years, and in the meanwhile his educational advantages had
been those afforded in the public schools. At the age noted he
took unto himself a wife, and soon afterward he and his bride
established their home at Edgewood, where they have since resided
and where both are held in high popular estimation. Mr. Jones is
the owner of about one and one-fourth acres of land in the village,
and on the same he has a pleasant home, such success as has been
his having been the result of his own energy and well directed
efforts. Mr. Jones is a staunch supporter of the cause of the Demo-
cratic party and he has been called upon to serve in various local
ofifices of public trust. He was for three terms the incumbent of the
position of road supervisor, served six terms as street commissioner
of Edgewood, gave effective service in the ofifices of constable and
village marshal, served two terms as game warden, three terms as
superintendent of township roads and three terms as superinten-
dent of county roads. In 1916 he is serving his third term as a
trustee of the village council of Edgewood and is also trustee of
Lodomillo township. He is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen
of America and the Royal Neighbors, and both he and his wife hold
membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. March 25, 1885,
BIOGRAPHICAL 20I
recorded the marriage of Mr. Jones to Miss Emma Holmes, and
their only child is Leon A., who was born February 28, 1894, and
who remains at the parental home ; he received a high school edu-
cation and his childish precocity was shown by his learning the
multiplication table when he was but four years old.
Ernest G. Kaiser is enlisted as one of the vigorous and re-
sourceful young representatives of mercantile' enterprise in his
native county and is senior member of the progressive firm of
Kaiser & Wiethorn, which bases operations on the ample capital
of fifteen thousand dollars and which conducts one of the most
attractive and prosperous general merchandise establishments in
the village of Monona. Of the junior member of the firm, Wil-
liam B. Wiethorn, individual mention is made elsewhere in this
publication. Mr. Kaiser was born in Farmersburg township, Clay-
ton county, on the 4th of December, 1889, and is a son of William
and Augusta (Groth) Kaiser, the former of whom was likewise
born and reared in this county, a scion of one of its sterling Ger-
man pioneer families, and the latter of whom was born in Germany,
whence her parents came to America when she was a child, they
likewise being early settlers of Clayton county. William Kaiser
was reared and educated in this county and during his entire active
career never severed his allegiance to the basic industry of agricul-
ture, of which he was for many years a prominent and successful
exponent in Farmersburg township. A well known and sterling
citizen, he is now living retired in the village of Monona. He has
been influential in community affairs and is a stalwart in the local
camp of the Democratic party, though he has never been troubled
by aspiration for political ofifice. Both he and his wife are earnest
communicants of the German Lutheran church. Of their children
the first-born was William, who died in childhood; Amelia is the
wife of Frederick Drahn, a farmer in Giard township ; Julius is
now a resident of Topeka, Kansas ; Arthur is a progressive farmer
in Monona township; Elizabeth died young; Emil is a resident of
Earned, Kansas ; Arno maintains his home at Monona, as does also
Freda, who is the wife of Charles G. Schultz ; Ernest G., of this
review, was the next in order of birth ; Hildegarde and Elsie re-
main at the parental home ; Helmuth is deceased ; and Edmund,
Irene and Raymond are the younger members of the family circle
at the parental home. Ernest G. Kaiser continued his studies in
the public schools of Clayton county until he had completed a
course in the high school at McGregor, and he further fortified
himself for the active duties and responsibilities of life by availing
himself of the advantages of a business college in the city of Cedar
Rapids. He continued to be associated with his father in the work
and management of the home farm until he had attained to his
legal majority and thereafter devoted two years to work at the
carpenter's trade. His initial mercantile experience was gained
by a service of one year as clerk in the store of the firm of English
& Kaiser, at Monona, and for three months thereafter he was sim-
ilarly retained in the mercantile establishment of C. J. Orr, of this
village. On the 1st of April, 1913, he formed the present partner-
202 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
ship alliance with William B. Wiethorn, and under the firm name
of Kaiser & Wiethorn they have built up a most substantial and
prosperous business at Monona, with a store that is distinctly mod-
ern in all appointments and facilities, with departments devoted to
dry goods, groceries, men's furnishings, and boots and shoes. Mr.
Kaiser is loyal and progressive in his civic attitude as he is as a
sterling business man, and he is found aligned as a staunch sup-
porter of the cause of the Democratic party. His circle of friends
is limited only by that of his acquaintances. On the 17th of Janu-
ary, 1912, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Kaiser to Miss Sid-
nie Hupfer, daughter of Charles and Elizabeth (Earnhardt) Hup-
fer, of Giard township, and the two children of this union are : Vir-
gil, who was born April 19, 1913, and Delpha, who was born July
4, 1915.
John H. Kaiser has impregnable vantage-place as one of the
prosperous and representative farmers and loyal and valued citi-
zens of his native county, where his finely improved homestead
farm is eligibly situated in Section 36, Farmersburg township, the
splendid property being consistently and picturesquely named
Meadow Lark Farm. He is a scion of one of the sterling pioneer
families of Clayton county and as adequate data concerning his
parents appear in the sketch of the career of his brother, William
E. Kaiser, on other pages of this work, it is unnecessary to repro-
duce the same in the present connection. John Henry Kaiser was
born in Farmersburg township, this county, on the 27th of August,
1876, and is a son of John G. and Mary (Wiegmann) Kaiser. In
addition to receiving in his youth the advantages of the public
schools he prosecuted a course of higher study in the Decorah
Institute and in the Minnesota Agricultural College. After attain-
ing to his legal majority Mr. Kaiser left the parental roof and
instituted his independent career as a farmer. For nine years he
continued his operations on rented land and he then removed to
the fine farm which he now owns and which comprises one hundred
and sixty acres of most fertile and productive land, in Section 36,
Farmersburg township. The substantial and thoroughly modern
buildings on the place have been erected by Mr. Kaiser and in
addition to this property, considered one of the best improved
farms in the county, he is the owner also of one hundred and eighty
acres of valuable timber land, lying partly in his home township
and partly in Clayton township. He is a stockholder in the Garna-
villo Savings Bank and the St. Olaf State Bank and the St. Olaf
Grain Co., and he is also a land owner in both Minnesota and Okla-
homa. He is a stalwart and well fortified supporter of the cause
of the Republican party, served several years as president of the
school board and takes lively interest in all things pertaining to
the community welfare. Both he and his wife attend and support
the Lutheran church. In November, 1902, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Kaiser to Miss Seuera Wirkler, who was born and
reared in this county and who is a daughter of Joseph and Emma
(Meyer) Wirkler, well-known residents of this county and both
natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Kaiser have two children —
BIOGRAPHICAL 203
Herbert J,, who was born August lo. 1907 ; and Gertrude E., who
was born August 20, 1910.
William E. Kaiser is one of the extensive agriculturists and
stock-growers of his native county and is the owner of a fine
landed estate of four hundred and forty-four acres, situated in Sec-
tion 14, Farmersburg township, about 10 miles distant from the
village of McGregor, which is his postoffice address. Mr. Kaiser
was born on the old homestead of his father, in Garnavillo town-
ship, this county, on the loth of December, 1880, and was one in
a family of seven children, all of whom are living except one. The
parents, John G. and Mary (Wiegmann) Kaiser, were both born in
Germany and were children at the time of the immigration of the
respective families to America. John G. Kaiser became one of the
extensive landowners and representative farmers of Clayton county,
where he was an honored and influential citizen and where both
he and his wife continued to reside until their death. He whose
name initiates this review is indebted to the public schools of
Clayton county for his early educational discipline, which was
effectively supplemented by a course in Dixon College, in the city
of Dixon, Illinois, an institution which he attended during two
successive winters. He thereafter continued to be associated with
his father in the latter's extensive farming operations until he had
attained to his legal majority, when he rented of his father the
farm which he now occupies and which he later purchased, the
same comprising four hundred and forty-four acres and being one
of the splendid landed domains of Farmersburg township. With
the most progressive methods and policies, Mr. Kaiser has taken
an advanced stand in connection with agricultural and live-stock
industry in his native county and his enterprising spirit has been
shown in the excellent improvements that he has made upon his
rural estate, including the erection of a commodious and attractive
modern house, which was completed in 1916, and which is one of
the ideal country homes of this favored section of the state. In
connection with wisely diversified agriculture Mr. Kaiser gives
special attention to the breeding and raising of the best types of
Jersey and Hereford cattle, and his herds attract much attention
by reason of their extent and their manifest superiority. Liberal
and public-spirited in his civic attitude, Mr. Kaiser is always ready
to lend his influence and practical co-operation in the furtherance
of measures projected for the general good of the community, and
the year 1916 finds him serving loyally and efficiently not only as
township trustee but also as secretary of the school board of his
district. He is alert in his association with the varied afTairs of
general importance in the community and is vice-president of the
Clayton County Fair Association, his political allegiance being
given to the Democratic party and both he and his wife hold mem-
bership in the Lutheran church, the while their unqualified popu-
larity indicates the high estimate placed upon them in their native
county, their attractive home being a center of refined and gracious
hospitality. Mr. Kaiser has achieved unqualified success in his
independent career as a representative of the great basic industries
204 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
of agriculture and stock-raising and is consistently to be designated
as one of the leading farmers of Farmersburg township. On De-
cember 17, 1906, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Kaiser to
Miss Verone Mohrman, who was born and reared in Clayton county
and who is a daughter of William and Amelia (Schumacher)
Mohrman, the former a native of Wisconsin and the latter of Iowa,
and both still residents of Garnavillo township, the father being a
carpenter. Mr. and Mrs. Kaiser are the parents of three children,
whose names and respective dates of birth are here entered : Lois
K., September 17, 1907; Lloyd W., July 2, 1909; and Bernice L.,
December 29, 1915.
Henry Kamm has resided upon his present fine farm, in Buena
Vista township, since he was a young man of twenty-one years, and
during this long period of more than half a century he has stood
exponent of energy and progressiveness in connection with his
farming operations and of the best type of loyalty and public spirit
as a citizen. He is one of the sterling men who have aided in the
industrial and social development and advancement of Clayton
county and is eminently entitled to recognition in this history.
Mr. Kamm was born in Wurttemberg, Germany, in the year 1842,
and is one of the three surviving children of David and Agnes
Kamm, who passed their entire lives in Germany. In the excellent
schools of his native land Henry Kamm received his early educa-
tional discipline and about the time of attaining to his legal ma-
jority he severed the ties that bound him to home and Fatherland
and set forth to win for himself independence and prosperity in
the United States. Soon after his arrival in this country he came
to Clayton county and purchased his present farm, which comprises
one hundred and sixty acres and which has been developed and
improved under his zealous and effective direction. He is unwaver-
ing in his support of the principles of the Republican party and his
loyal interest in local affairs was signified by the specially effective
service which he accorded during his three years' incumbency of the
office of township trustee. He and his family hold membership in
the Lutheran church. On the 23d of March, 1871, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Hy. Kamm to Miss Mary Bockel, who is a
daughter of Henry and Maggie Bockel, natives of Germany.
Mr. and Mrs. Kamm became the parents of six children, of
whom the eldest, Robert, is now a resident of the city of Dubuque ;
Emma is the wife of W. H. Magee of Manchester, Iowa; Henry is
deceased ; Marie is the wife of A. C. Noggle of North Buena Vista,
Iowa ; Joseph is employed in the village of North Buena Vista, and
George is at the parental home.
Frederick W. Kann is a scion of the third generation of the
Kann family in Clayton county, where his paternal grandfather
established his home about three-fourths of a century ago, and the
family name has been most effectively concerned with the record
of civic and industrial development and progress in this section of
the Hawkeye state, with Frederick William Kann holding such
status as a loyal and honored citizen and representative farmer as
to well uphold the prestige of the name which he bears. He was
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BIOGRAPHICAL 20$
born in Jeflferson township, this county, on the 12th of September,
1849, and is a son of William and Mary Kann, both natives of
Germany — the father having been born in Prussia and the mother
in the Kingdom of Hanover, and their marriage having been
solemnized in Clayton county. William Kann came with his
parents to America in the early '40s, and his father, Gottfried Kann,
became one of the very early settlers in Jeflferson township, Clay-
ton county, where he reclaimed a farm and where he and his
wife passed the remainder of their lives. William was reared and
educated in his native land and was a young man at the time of
the immigration to America. After coming to Clayton county he
entered claim to one hundred and sixty acres of government land,
in what is now Jefferson township, and he rose to prominence and
influence as one of the substantial farmers and sterling citizens of
this county, where he died about 1908 at a venerable age, his
devoted wife having been summoned to eternal rest on the i6th of
May, 1898, and both having been life-long communicants of the
Catholic church. Of their children, the subject of this review is
the eldest; Henry, Catherine, Mary and Mary (second of the
name) are deceased; Joseph is a resident of Minot, North Dakota;
Annie is the wife of William Uriell, of Read township, Clayton
county ; and Huburt maintains his home in the state of Oklahoma.
Frederick W. Kann gained his early education in the pioneer school
of district No. 6, Jefferson township, and continued to assist in the
work of his father's farm until he had attained to the age of twenty-
eight years. For two years thereafter he farmed on rented land,
and he then purchased a farm of his own, but he later sold this
property. From that time forward he continued operations on a
rented farm until he purchased his present fine landed estate, which
comprises three hundred and thirty acres, and which constitutes
one of the model farms of Jeflferson township. The place is
equipped with permanent improvements of the best order, and a
number of the buildings have been erected by the present energetic
and progressive owner, the farm being given over to wisely ordered
operations in the line of diversified agriculture and the raising of
excellent grades of horses, cattle and swine. Like his honored
father, Mr. Kann is found aligned as a loyal supporter of the cause
of the Democratic party, and both he and his wife are earnest com-
municants of the Catholic church. May 16, 1878, recorded the
marriage of Mr. Kann to Miss Dina Berns, who was born in Jeffer-
son township, this county, on the i6th of December, 1853, and
whose early education was acquired in the Catholic parochial
schools at Guttenberg. She is a daughter of Henry and Annie
(Knueber) Berns, who were sterling pioneers of Jefferson town-
ship. The father was born at Hoghlar, Bezirf, Miinster, Germany,
on the 20th of September. 1817, and the mother at Hillen Regier-
ungsbezirk, Miinster, in Westphalen, on the 17th of January, 1819.
The parents of Mrs. Kann were married in their native land and
immigrated to the United States in 1847. Shortly after their ar-
rival in America they came to Iowa and became pioneer settlers of
Jefferson township, Clayton county, where they passed the residue
206 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
of their long and worthy lives, the father having passed to eternal
rest on the 29th of May, 1889, and the mother having been vener-
able in years at the time of her death, which occurred June 26,
1900. Both were devout communicants of the Catholic church and
in politics Mr. Berns was a Democrat. Of their children, the eldest
is Mary, who resides in Garnavillo township and who is the widow
of Xavier Schaefers ; Henrietta, Theodore and Herman are de-
ceased ; Mathilda has consecrated her life to service as a member
of one of the gracious sisterhoods of the Catholic church and is
known as Sister Constantine, her place of residence being the city
of Chicago ; Henry is deceased ; and Elizabeth, the widow of John
Wolter, resides in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. In con-
clusion is entered brief record concerning the children of Mr. and
Mrs. Kann: Edward died in childhood; Arthur H. remains at the
parental home and is associated in the work of the farm ; Richard
J. is a representative of agricultural industry in Jefferson township ;
Amanda is the wife of Edward Griffin, of Freeport, Illinois, and
they have two children, Bernice and Stanley ; Rose is the wife of
Edward C. Meier, of Osterdock, Clayton county, and they have two
children, Jerome and Dolores; Hubert H. and Gregory X. are
associated in the work of their father's farm ; and Stella is the wife
of Andrew Matt, of Vermillion, S. D., their one child being a son,
Wayland Paul.
Vina Katschkowsky. — While Clayton county, at the primary
election in 1916, gave more than one thousand majority against the
extension of suffrage to women, the men of the county had already
shown their faith in womanhood and their willingness to recognize
good and efficient service, by either man or woman, by the election
of Miss Vina Katschkowsky as recorder for Clayton county. This
was done at the election in 1914, when Miss Katschkowsky was
elected by a handsome majority. In doing this, the voters did not
find their confidence misplaced, for Miss Katschkowsky has shown
herself to be industrious, capable, accommodating and highly ef-
ficient. As a result of this good work there was no opposition to
her re-election in 1916. Miss Katschkowsky is a Clayton county
product, having been born in Elkader, in 1891. She is the daughter
of Adolf K. and Elizabeth (Musfeldt) Katschkowsky. Her father
was born in Germany and came to America in 1871, going first to
Cleveland, Ohio, where he was employed in various capacities. He
was the first of his family to come to the "land of the free," his
parents arriving in America a year later. In 1875 ^^ came to Iowa,
settling at Elkport, where his parents made their home. Shortly
afterward he moved to Elkader, where he now resides. In 1879
he was married to Miss Elizabeth Musfeldt and to them five chil-
dren were born : Minnie, Adolf, Jr., Louis, Vina, the subject of this
sketch, and Freda. Miss Vina had her preliminary education in
the public school, later attending the Elkader High School, and
then entering business life as a clerk in Poull & Bink's general
store. About a year later she was appointed to the position of
assistant to County Recorder J. W. McLaughlin, filling the position
most acceptably for four years, and obtaining a thorough and com-
BIOGRAPHICAL 207
prehensive knowledge of the duties and responsibilities of the
recorder's office. At the insistent request of her friends in the
court house as well as of influential friends throughout the county,
she was induced to allow her name to be placed on the Democratic
ticket as a candidate for county recorder in the election of Novem-
ber, 1914, being elected by a large majority. That she has given
entire satisfaction to the public is evidenced by the unanimous
desire for her re-election. Miss Katschkowsky is a young lady of
charming personality. She is deservedly popular on account of
her bright vivacity and her cheerful and friendly disposition, and
she has a very wide acquaintance throughout the county. While
giving full time to the work of her office, Miss Katschkowsky's
interests are not all confined to her official duties and she takes an
active part in all the social events which transpire among the
young people of Elkader. Her life record certainly shows what
can be accomplished by a young woman of intellect and integrity
and proves that a woman can be safely entrusted in the most
responsible positions.
Frederick Keeling is another of the native sons of Clayton
county who has won definite success and precedence in connection
with agricultural and live-stock enterprise, and though he still owns
his splendidly improved farm he now rents the property and is
living practically retired in the attractive home which he has pro-
vided in the village of Volga. He is a stockholder in the creamery
company at Volga, a stockholder in the Volga Savings Bank, and
is a member also of the Farmers' Live Stock Commission Company
at this place. Mr. Keeling was born in Highland township, this
county, on the 30th of August, 1863, and is a son of John and Mary
(Fletcher) Keeling, who were born and reared in England, where
their marriage was solemnized. About 1850 the parents came to
the United States and after having resided for the first decade in
the state of New York they came to Clayton county, Iowa, and
established their home on a pioneer farm. John Keeling developed
one of the splendidly productive farms and continued to reside on
his old homestead, situated in Highland and Sperry townships,
until his death, his wife also having died on the old home place.
Of their five children two are now living. Frederick Keeling made
good use of the advantages afforded in the public schools of his
native county, and after initiating his independent career he con-
ducted operations on a rented farm for several years. He then pur-
chased the property, in Section 5, Sperry township, and on this
splendidly improved farm of two hundred and forty acres he con-
tinued to reside until 1914, when he retired from the active labors
that had long engrossed his attention and given him substantial
prosperity, and he has since maintained his home in the pleasant
village of Volga. He is now serving as township trustee, is a stal-
wart advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and he and
his wife became zealous members of the Volga Presbyterian church,
of which he is an elder. In 1884 Mr. Keeling wedded Miss Mar-
garet Robinson, who was born in the Province of Ontario, Canada,
whence her parents, William and Margaret (Galier) Robinson came
2o8 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
over into the United States in 1865 ; they finally established their
home in Clayton county, and here they passed the residue of their
lives. No children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Keeling, and the
supreme loss and bereavement of his life came when his devoted
wife was summoned to eternal rest, her death having occurred on
the 1st of December, 1914, and her remains being laid to rest in
the cemetery at Volga. She was a woman of most gentle and
gracious personality and held the high regard of all who came
within the compass of her influence.
William Keleher is another of the native sons of Clayton town-
ship who can legitimately claim to be a representative of a pioneer
family of this section of the Hawkeye State and who has proved
himself possessed of those elements of character that conserve in-
dividual success as well as prompt objective confidence and good
will. In his native county he has found scope and opportunity for
the achieving of a secure vantage-ground as an exponent of the
all-important industries of agriculture and stock-raising, his present
attractive homestead comprising one hundred and sixty acres in
Section 28, Boardman township, and the same giving patent
evidence of the owner's policies of thrift and progressiveness. On
the old pioneer homestead farm of his father, in Section 34, Board-
man township, Mr. Keleher was born on the 5th of March, 1861,
and the high estimation in which he is held in the community sets
at naught in his case any application of the scriptural aphorism
that "a prophet is not without honor save in his own country."
He is a son of Thomas and Mary (Dureen) Keleher, both natives
of the fair Emerald Isle and representatives of staunch old families
of Erin. Thomas Keleher was a lad of nine years at the time when
he accompanied his parents on their immigration from Ireland to
the United States, and he was reared to maturity in the State of
New York. About the time of attaining to his legal majority he
came to Iowa and constituted himself one of the pioneers of Clayton
county. Here he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land
in the present township of Boardman, and not only did he reclaim
this tract to effective cultivation but he also evinced his cumulative
prosperity by adding to his original purchase until he became the
owner of a valuable landed estate of three hundred and twenty
acres. He continued to hold this property until his death, which
occurred in June, 1906, and his name shall be long honored as that
of a sterling pioneer who did well his part in furthering the social
and industrial development and upbuilding of Clayton county. He
was influential in public affairs of a local nature and was called
upon to serve in various township offices. His first wife, mother of
the subject of this review, was summoned to eternal rest in 1878,
and of their seven children William, to whom this article is dedi-
cated, was the first born ; Jerry owns and resides upon the old
homestead farm of the father ; James is a resident of Clermont,
Fayette county; Catherine died when young; Anna remains with
her brother Jerry on the old homestead ; Frank is another of the
prosperous farmers of Boardman township ; and Edward is a resi-
dent of Marcus, Cherokee county. For his second wife the father
BIOGRAPHICAL 209
wedded Miss Hannah Roach, and she too is now deceased, as is
also John, the eldest of their children ; May and Stell maintain their
home in the city of Chicago; and Chloe remains at the old home-
stead farm. Availing himself duly of the advantages afforded in
the common schools of the locality and period, William Keleher was
reared to manhood under the conditions and influences of the pio-
neer farm, in the work and management of which he continued to
be associated with his father until he had attained to the age of
twenty-five years. For three years thereafter he was engaged in
farming on a tract of two hundred and twenty acres which he
rented, on Turkey river, and he then removed to the Hyde farm,
in Boardman township, which he later purchased. To this place
of fifty acres he subsequently added by the purchase of an adjoining
tract of one hundred and ten acres. He brought his farm up to a
high state of productiveness, made excellent improvements of a
permanent order, and there continued to reside for the long period
of twenty-two years, at the expiration of which he sold the property
to his brother Frank and purchased his present fine homestead, in
Section 28 of his native township, upon which he established himself
in the spring of 1913 and upon which he has since continued his
successful enterprise as a general farmer and stock-grower. Mr.
Keleher has taken a lively interest in community affairs and has
never wavered in his loyalty to and appreciation of his native
county. He has served as township trustee and road supervisor,
as well as a director of the school board of his district, and he
accords a stalwart allegience to the cause of the Democratic party.
His home is known for its generous hospitality and good cheer, is
modern in its equipment and appointments, and receives mail
service on rural route No. 2 from Elkader. Both he and his wife
are communicants of the Catholic church. On the 24th of Novem-
ber, 1891, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Keleher to Miss
Mary Hoover, who was born and reared in Clayton county and who
is a daughter of Julius and Margaret (Stence) Hoover, now resi-
dents of San Angelo, Texas. Her father was born in Pennsylvania
and her mother is a native of Ireland. Mr. and Mrs. Keleher have
three children — Florence M., who is a successful and popular
teacher in the public schools of her native county; and Grace M.
and Thomas Leo, who remain at the parental home.
John R. King, who conducts a prosperous business as a dealer
in coal, feed and implements at Strawberry Point, was born in
Fayette county, this state, on the 28th of June, 1876, but was a
boy of 13 years at the time of his parents' removal to Clayton
county, where he was reared and educated and where his energy
and enterprise have gained to him substantial success as one of the
sterling and popular business men of Strawberry Point. He is a
son of James and Phoebe (Wright) King, both of whom were born
in the Province of Ontario, Canada. The father was a carpenter
by trade but during the last thirty years of his life he was engaged
in the lumber business at Strawberry Point, where his death oc-
curred on the 5th of October, 1910. and where his widow still main-
tains her home. Thomas, the first-born of their children, is de-
210 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
ceased ; Mary is the wife of H. H. Oppermann, of Strawberry Point;
Albert W. is engaged in the lumber business at Minneapolis, Minne-
sota, and the subject of this review is the youngest of the number.
John R. King gained his early education in the public schools and
at the age of fifteen years he began his apprenticeship at the car-
penter's trade. Later he learned the trade of telegraphist, and for
two years he was employed as an operator in the service of the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company. At the age of
twenty-five years he took unto himself a wife, and for two years
thereafter he and his wife conducted a hotel at Strawberry Point.
He then removed to a farm owned by his father in Cass township,
and there he continued his successful activities as an agriculturist
and stock grower for ten years, at the expiration of which he re-
turned to Strawberry Point and established his present thriving
business enterprise, the same being based upon effective service,
fair and honorable dealings and the personal popularity of the pro-
prietor. Mr. King gives his support to the cause of the Democratic
party, has received the three degrees of the ancient craft Masonry,
being affiliated with the lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons
in Strawberry Point, where he also holds membership in the Mod-
ern Brotherhood of America. On the 4th of April, 1900, was sol-
emnized the marriage of Mr. King to Miss Mary E. Moine, who
was born and reared in this county, and they have three children,
Myrtle, Harold M. and Don L.
Rufus G. Kinsley is a native son of Clayton county, a member
of one of the honored pioneer families of this favored section of the
Hawkeye state, and has achieved prominence and influence as one
of the progressive farmers and business men of the county to which
he pays unfaltering allegiance and of whose splendid resources and
attractions he is deeply appreciative. Mr. Kinsley is a scion of a
staunch old family that was founded in New England in the colonial
days and that in later generations sent forth its sturdy sons to
follow the star of empire in its western course. He was born in
Giard township, Clayton county, on the 15th of September, 1871,
and is a son of Guy and Lucinda (Ellsworth) Kinsley, both natives
of the state of Vermont, where they were reared and educated and
where their marriage was solemnized on the 15th of March, 1853.
Guy Kinsley was born at Fletcher, Franklin county, Vermont, on
the 12th of February, 1825, a son of Benjamin A. and Katherine
(Montague) Kinsley. He was reared to the sturdy discipline of a
New England farm, received a good common school education in
the old Green Mountain state and as a young man of twenty-five
years, in 1850, he came to the west and numbered himself among
the pioneers of Clayton county, Iowa. Here he bent his energies
to the reclaiming and development of a farm and he eventually
became one of the prosperous and influential agriculturists and
representative citizens of Giard township. He celebrated in the
spring of 1916 his ninety-first birthday anniversary, and since his
retirement from the active labors and responsibilities that long
marked his energetic and useful career he has lived retired in the
city of McGregor, where he and his wife, are enjoying the comfort
BIOGRAPHICAL 211
and gracious prosperity that is justly their due. Both are earnest
members of the Baptist church and they have the respect and
veneration of the people of the county in which they have main-
tained their home for more than sixty years. Mrs. Kinsley is a
daughter of Aaron Ellsworth, who was a substantial farmer of
Vermont. On coming to Clayton county Guy Kinsley obtained a
tract of government land, and this he developed into one of the
fine farms of this section of the state, the while he contributed also
to the social, educational and religious upbuilding of the com-
munity. Of the eleven children the subject of this sketch was the
ninth in order of birth; Lucy, the firstborn, is now a resident of
Wheaton, Minnesota; Frank maintains his home at McGregor;
Amanda is wife of Dr. Renshaw, of Monona, this county; Fannie
is the wife of George Hill, of Springfield, Missouri ; Cora is the wife
of Eustace Renshaw, of Estherville, Emmett county, Iowa ; Ben-
jamin resides at McGregor; Alice maintains her home at Marshall-
town, this state; Margaret is the wife of Louis Kramer, of
McGregor; J. D. resides at Lisbon, Linn county; and Prudence
is deceased. Rufus G. Kinsley is indebted to the public schools of
Clayton county for his early educational discipline, which was sup-
plemented by higher courses in the Breckenridge school, and the
Valparaiso University, at Valparaiso, Indiana. As a youth he
taught two terms in the district schools of Clayton county, and
thereafter he was for a time engaged in the buying of grain for the
firm of Gilchrist & Moore. He then engaged in the farm-implement
business at Monona, where he continued his association with this
line of enterprise for a period of eight years. For the ensuing eight
years he was there engaged in the hardware business, and he then
retired from mercantile life and removed to his present fine home-
stead farm, which he had purchased some time prior to retiring
from the mercantile business at Monona. His farm comprises
three hundred and sixty acres, is equipped with the best of perma-
nent improvements and is one of the model places of the county.
In connection with well ordered agricultural enterprise of a diver-
sified order, Mr. Kinsley has developed a specially prosperous dairy
business on his farm, where he maintains a fine herd of eighty head
of thoroughbred Jersey cattle. He is a director of the Citizens'
State Bank of Monona, and in that village he is associated with his
brother Benjamin in the ownership and operation of a successful
handle factory, he having been one of the founders of this important
industrial enterprise of Clayton county. In politics Mr. Kinsley
designates himself a Progressive Republican, and he has been called
upon to serve in various township offices. While a resident of
Monona he served as a member of the board of education and also
as township clerk. His postoffice address is McGregor, and from
that village he receives service on one of the rural mail routes. He
is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and is one of
the progressive, wideawake and popular citizens of the county that
has ever represented his home and in which he has achieved dis-
tinctive success through his well ordered activities. On the 4th of
April, 1906, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Kinsley to Miss
212 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Jessie L. Killen, daughter of John Killen, of Monona, and they have
two sons — John, who was born January 9, 1907, and Robert, who
was born September 30, 1908.
Kleinpell, W. F., hardware merchant of Elkader, Iowa, was
born in Cassville, Wisconsin, December 10, 1864, and was the son
of Carl and Louisa (Wagner) Kleinpell, both natives of Germany,
who came to America in 1850, locating at Freeport, Illinois, where
they lived about eight years before finally locating in Cassville,
Wisconsin. The father was a harnessmaker by trade, which occu-
pation he followed for some years, but later went into general mer-
chandizing. He died in Cassville, but his wife is still living in that
town, a well known and competent woman, and where, during the
administrations of Grant and Hayes, she held the position of post-
mistress. To their union was born a large family of children, th^
first three of whom are dead. The oldest living child is Julius,
who is a dealer in lumber in Cassville, Wisconsin; our subject
comes next in the point of age and is followed by Amelia, who
died at the age of fifteen; Henry, a physician of Chicago; Walter,
deceased; Freda, living at home with her mother, and Reinhardt,
of Flint, Michigan. At the age of fourteen years, W. F. Kleinpell
left home and began to make his own way in the world, going first
to Freeport, Illinois, where he served an apprenticeship of two and
a half years to a machinist, after which he went to Elkport, Iowa,
for two years, and to Cassville, Wisconsin, for three years, in both
of which places he engaged in a general merchandise business. In
1887 he moved to Elkader, Iowa, where he conducted a hardware
store for a firm that he afterwards bought out and has continued
in the business with such great success that he has enlarged it by
adding heating and plumbing departments. He was married
January 18, 1888, to Minnie Schmidt, who was born in Clayton
county, and is a daughter of J. B. and Carrie (Hartman) Schmidt.
Two children have been born to them: Louise Caroline, born in
1890, now the wife of C. F. Murphy, of Elkader; and Dorothy Ella.
Mr. Kleinpell is a democrat, has served on the city council and on
the school board, and is a member of the Woodmen of the World.
Henry Klinkenberg is a scion of a pioneer family that has
played a large and benignant part in the industrial and civic de-
velopment and upbuilding of Clayton county and the place of his
nativity was the finely improved farm of two hundred and forty
acres which he now owns and makes his place of residence, the
same being eligibly situated in Section 29, Farmersburg township,
about 2^ miles distant from the village of St. Olaf, which is the
postoffice address of the family. Mr. Klinkenberg was born March
28, 1874, and is a son of Carl and Dorothy (Mandelkow) Klinken-
berg, both of whom came from their native land, Germany, to
America in the year 1857. That year marked their arrival in
Clayton county, Iowa, and they became pioneer settlers on an
embryonic farm in Farmersburg township. In 1863, Carl Klinken-
berg purchased a tract of forty acres of wild land in Reed township,
and through his industry and good management he was so sig-
nificantly prospered that he was eventually able to claim as his
BIOGRAPHICAL 213
own a valuable landed estate of thirteen hundred acres, of a con-
siderable portion of which he has now disposed, though he continues
to maintain his residence on his original homestead place and
continues a prominent and honored exponent of agricultural in-
dustry in the county that has been the stage of his worthy and
successful endeavors as one of the world's productive workers.
His devoted wife, who proved a faithful helpmeet, is now deceased,
she having been a devout communicant of the Lutheran church,
as is also Mr. Klinkenberg, and of their nine children, six are living.
Henry Klinkenberg is indebted to the public schools of his native
county for his early educational discipline and he continued to be
associated with his father in the work and management of the
latter's large landed estate until his marriage, after which he rented
one of his father's farms. This property he later purchased and it
constitutes his present fine homestead of two hundred and forty
acres, maintained under effective cultivation and given over to
diversified agriculture and the raising of excellent grades of live
stock. The permanent improvements on the place are of sub-
stantial and modern order and Mr. Klinkenberg is the owner also
of twenty-three acres of timber land in Reed township. His polit-
ical support is given to the Democratic party and both he and his
wife are communicants of the Lutheran church at Farmersburg.
In June, 1901, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Klinkenberg to
Miss Bertha Kurth, who was born in the state of South Dakota,
and who is a daughter of William and Lena (Schroder) Kurth.
The parents were born in Germany and came to the United States
in 1882, in which year they established their home in South Dakota.
They later came to Clayton county, Iowa, where they still reside.
Of their seven children all are living except one. Mr. and Mrs.
Klinkenberg have two children — Fritz William, who was born
February 26, 1902, and Alvin G., who was born June 15, 1911.
Herman Klinkenberg is essentially one of the representative
factors in connection with the promotion of the agricultural and
live-stock interests of his native county and in addition to his own-
ership of a most fertile and productive landed estate of four hun-
dred acres in Wagner township he owns also a well improved
tract of two hundred and seventy-five acres near New Hampton,
Chickasaw county. He is a scion of one of the well known and
influential pioneer families of Clayton county, and concerning his
father more specific mention will be found on other pages of this
work. Mr. Klinkenberg was born at Farmersburg, this county, on
the 25th of December, 1864, and is a son of Charles and Dora
(Maulks) Klinkenberg, both of whom were born in Germany.
Charles Klinkenberg was reared to manhood in his fatherland, where
he received good educational advantages in his youth, and as a
young man of twenty-five years he manifested the courage of his
conviction by immigrating to America, with assurance that in the
United States he would find better opportunities for the achieving
of independence and advancement through individual effort. He
became one of the early settlers of Clayton county, where he labored
with characteristic energy and zeal in the reclaiming of a farm from
214 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
the untrammeled prairie and where he became one of the substan-
tial agriculturists and influential and honored citizens of Farmers-
burg township, where he still resides, his wife having been sum-
moned to the life eternal in June, 1915. Of their nine children, the
eldest is August, who resides at Elkader, this county; Minnie is
the wife of Charles Radlif, of Farmersburg; Herman, of this review,
was the third child ; William is a prosperous farmer in Farmers-
burg township ; Lena is deceased ; Mary is the wife of John Mad-
dens, of Grand Meadow township ; Henry B. is a substantial ex-
ponent of agricultural industry in Farmersburg township ; and tw_o
sons died in infancy. To the public schools of his native county
Herman Klinkenberg is indebted for his early educational discipline,
and he continued his active association with the operations of the
home farm until he had attained to the age of twenty-five years,
when he instituted his independent career as a farmer and stock-
grower on his present home place. Energy, circumspection, thrift
and wise policies have characterized his activities in this important
domain of industrial enterprise, of which he has become one of the
prominent and influential representatives in this part of the State,
his homestead place, of four hundred acres, being eligibly situated
in Section 36, Wagner township, and the supplemental area of two
hundred and seventy-five acres being represented in his farm near
New Hampton, Chickasaw county, as previously noted in this con-
text. He has proved himself an ambitious, progressive and far-
sighted agriculturist, always ready to avail himself of improved
machinery, scientific methods and approved modern facilities of
every sort, the while he has regarded his chosen vocation as well
worthy of his undivided time and attention, his progressiveness has
extended also into his relations to community aflfairs, and he has
given his influence and co-operation in the furtherance of measure^
projected for the general good, along both civic and material lines.
His political convictions are indicated by the unwavering allegiance
which he accords to the Democratic party, and while he has had no
ambition for public office his civic loyalty has caused him to give
most effective service in the position of school director, of which
office he is still the valued incumbent, in 1916. Both he and his
wife are communicants of the Lutheran church at St. Olaf, which
village is their postoffice address. On the 19th of June, 1890, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. Klinkenberg to Miss Minnie Muel-
ler, who was born and reared in this county and who is a daughter
of John and Minna (Meyer) Mueller, both natives of Germany.
Mr. Mueller established his residence in Clayton county in the
pioneer days, became a successful farmer and honored citizen and
there continued to reside until his death, which occurred April 27,
1906, his widow now maintaining her home at Farmersburg. They
became the parents of twelve children, of whom the eldest is Henry,
of Farmersburg township ; Lena is the widow of Henry Harnish ;
Mrs. Dora Frederick and her husband reside at Emmettsburg, Palo
Alto county, this State, as does also John ; Mrs. Klinkenberg was
the next in order of birth ; Frederick is a resident of Farmersburg
township ; Mary is the wife of William Klinkenberg, of that town-
BIOGRAPHICAL 2IS
ship, where also resides Louisa, the wife of Charles Schmidt; Will-
iam lives in the village of Farmersburg; Annie is the wife of August
Kahle, and they maintain their home in Minnesota; Bertha is the
wife of Mine Dickinson, of Emmettsburg, Iowa; and Martha is the
wife of Charles Faber, of Ionia, Chickasaw county. Mr. and Mrs.
Klinkenberg became the parents of four children : Lucy is the wife
of Arthur Schmidt, of Wagner township; Bertha and Frederick
died in childhood ; and Mathilda Marguerite remains at the parental
home.
Henry J. Klotzbach takes justifiable satisfaction in claiming
Clayton county as the place of his nativity and in being a represen-
tative of one of the sterling pioneer families of the county, the name
of which he bears, having been identified with the history of this
favored section of the State for more than sixty years and having
been worthily connected with the record of both civic and industrial
development and progress. He resides upon the well improved old
homestead farm, in Giard township, and is the owner of this farm of
forty acres. He was born October 16, 1865. As a progressive and
wideawake farmer he gives his attention to diversified agriculture
and stock-growing, and he is one of the substantial and valued ex-
ponents of these important lines of industrial enterprise in his native
county. Mr. Klotzbach is a son of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Heis-
ner) Klotzbach, both of whom were born in Germany and both of
whom were representatives of that admirable German element of
citizenship that has played so important a part in the development
of the resources of Clayton county. Nicholas Klotzbach immi-
grated from his Fatherland to the United States in 1844, and he
became a farmer in Lorain county, Ohio, where he continued his
activities until 1855, when he came to Iowa and numbered himself
among the pioneer settlers of Clayton county. On the farm now
owned and occupied by his son Henry J., of this review, he indus-^
triously applied his energies, and he reclaimed his land from the
virgin wilds, made substantial improvements of a permanent order
and eventually accumulated an estate of about eighty acres. He
continued his identification with farm industry in Giard township
until the close of his long, worthy and useful life, and passed to
eternal rest on the 23rd of October, 1905, his devoted wife soon
following him, as her death occurred December 28, 1907. Both
were devoted members of the Reformed Church and he was a
staunch Democrat in his political proclivities, with a deep appreci-
ation of the institutions and advantages of the land of his adoption.
He was influential in community aflfairs and served for a number of
years in the ofhce of township trustee. At the old homestead
remain the two eldest children. Misses Martha and Elizabeth, who
are held in affectionate esteem by all who know them ; Louisa is
the wife of Charles L. Luckerman, of McGregor, this county; Lena
is the wife of Frank C. Butts, of Farmersburg township ; Edward
remains with his sisters on a portion of the old homestead farm ;
Henry J., immediate subject of this sketch, was the next in order of
birth ; William is a prosperous farmer in Mendon township ; George
died in the year 1909; and Julia is the wife of Louis H. Haefner,
2l6 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
their home being in the State of Montana. Henry J. Klotzbach
was reared to the sturdy discipline of the farm and in addition to
receiving the advantages of the local schools he attended for a time
the public schools in the city of Galena, Illinois. As a youth he
clerked for a time in a general store at Giard, at which place he
later became an expert workman in a creamery, this same vocation
having later found him a representative at Farmersburg. In 1896
he purchased his present farm of forty acres, which is a part of
the old homestead of his honored father, and here he has found
ample scope for efifective enterprise as an agriculturist and stock-
grower, in connection with which he has achieved substantial suc-
cess and prosperity, with the result that he may consistently be des-
ignated one of the representative farmers of his native county. His
political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and he has
been called upon to serve in various local offices of public trust —
preferments that fully attest the high estimate placed upon him by
the people of his home community. He held for eight years the
position of township assessor, was secretary of the school board of
his district for nine years, was township clerk for eight years, and
with marked efficiency, the judicial office of justice of the peace,
and he has served consecutively since 1904 as road superintendent
of his township. He is affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, and
his religious views are in harmony with the tenets of the Reformed
Church, in the faith of which he was reared. Mr. Klotzbach is a
bachelor and his two maiden sisters preside over the home.
John Klotzbach marked the course of his life with earnest and
worthy endeavor and gave to the world assurance of integrity and
uprightness in all things. He was one of the honored German
pioneer citizens of Clayton county and here achieved independence
and substantial prosperity through his well ordered association with
agricultural industry. He was a resident of the county for more
than half a century, and on his fine homestead farm, in Giard town-
ship, his death occurred on the 27th of January, 1907. His place
in the community life was not one of ostentation, but he lived
and labored to goodly ends and was faithful and true in all of the
relations of life, so that he commanded to the fullest degree the
confidence and good will of his fellow men, the while he contrib-
uted his part to the social and material development and upbuilding
of the county that was long his home and in the history of which
his name and works merit recognition. Mr. Klotzbach was born in
Germany on the 18th of September, 1834, and thus was in his sev-
enty-Jhird year at the time of his death. In his Fatherland he
gained his early education and he was a lad of about fourteen years
when he came with his parents to America. He resided in the state
of Ohio until 1852 and there worked at the cobbler's trade, as did
he also for a time after coming to Clayton county, Iowa, in the year
last mentioned. Finally he purchased a tract of one hundred and
twenty acres of land in Giard township, where he developed a pro-
ductive farm, later adding eighty acres to its area. Through energy
and well directed industry he developed one of the fine farms of
the county, and to its active management he continued to give his
fHE NEW VORg
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BIOGRAPHICAL 217
attention for many years, though he retired from active labors sev-
eral years prior to his demise. Mr. Klotzbach coveted success, but
scorned to attain it save by worthy means, so that the prosperity
that crowned his efforts was a merited and consistent result. He
was always ready to do his part in the furtherance of measures and
enterprises tending to conserve the civic and material welfare of
the community, was a staunch Republican in politics and was a zeal-
ous member of the German Methodist Episcopal church, as is also
his venerable widow, who still remains on the old homestead farm,
the same being endeared to her by the hallowed memories and asso-
ciation of many years. Mr. Klotzbach manifested his abiding
Christian faith in good works and kindly deeds, and he served for
a number of years as a trustee of the church with which he and his
wife were actively affiliated. On the 18th of July, 1871, was solem-
nized the marriage of Mr. Klotzbach to Miss Catherine Hahn, who
was born in Lorain county, Ohio, on the 19th of February, 1853,
and whose parents came to Iowa in the following year, to become
sterling pioneer settlers in Giard township, Clayton county, where
her father purchased land and reclaimed a good farm. Mrs. Klotz-
bach is a daughter of John Peter Hahn and Elizabeth (Lattaman)
Hahn, both of whom continued their residence in Clayton county
until the close of their long and useful lives, and both of whom
were devoted members of the German Methodist church. Mr. and
Mrs. Klotzbach became the parents of eleven children, concerning
whom brief record is given in conclusion of this memoir : Theodore
is a prosperous farmer in Monona township ; Levi is a resident of
Klemma, Iowa ; Frederick and Catherine died in childhood ; Rose
remains with her widowed mother on the old homestead ; Clara is
the wife of Elmer Weithorn, of Watson, this state ; Huldah is
the wife of Otto Erbe, and they reside in the city of Cedar Rapids.
Iowa ; Frank is identified with business interests in the village of
Monona ; and Roy. Willard and Harry remain on the old homestead,
in the work and management of which they are associated, as rep-
resentative young farmers of their native county, where they are
effectively upholding the honors of the name which they bear. It
is interesting to record that Mrs. Klotzbach has seven grandchil-
dren, as representatives of the third generation of the family in
Iowa. Theodore Klotzbach has three children — Gerald, Angeline
and Irene ; Levi Klotzbach has three children — Ila, Allen and Lloyd ;
and Clara, wife of Elmer Weithorn, has one son — Raymond.
Myron E, Knight is one of the venerable but still vigorous and
active pioneer citizens of Clayton county, which has represented his
home from boyhood, and he resides on his finely improved home-
stead farm, with the distinction of having maintained longer con-
tinuous residence on a single farm than any other man in Lodo-
millo township. Mr. Knight is, in both the paternal and maternal
lines, a scion of fine old colonial stock in New England, and he takes
a due measure of pride in reverting to the historic old Bay state as
the place of his nativity. He was thirteen years of age at the time
of the family immigration to Iowa and has continuously maintained
his home in Clayton county during the long intervening years.
2l8 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
though it was his to go forth and render most gallant service as a
valiant soldier of the Union in the Civil war. Mr. Knight was borrj,
at Norwich, Hampshire county, Massachusetts, on the 19th of Feb-
ruary, 1842, and is a son of Samuel H. and Betsey (Stevens) Knight,
both likewise natives of Massachusetts, where the former was born
November 28, 1803, and the latter on the 22d of January, 1812.
Samuel H. Knight came with his family to Clayton county in the
year 1855 and became one of the pioneer farmers and influential arid
honored citizens of Lodomillo township as now constituted. Here
he reclaimed his farm to cultivation and here he and his devoted
wife continued their ideal companionship until the close of their
lives, Mrs. Knight having been summoned to eternal rest on the
5th of December, 1873, and her bereaved husband having passed
away on the 31st of the same month. They became the parents of
ten children, one of whom died in infancy, and of the others four
sons and two daughters are now living. Mary Alice, who was
born July 25, 1852, passed away in the home of her brother, Myron
E., of this sketch, on the 3d of June, 1863, and in the same home,
on the 23d of September next occurred the death of an older brother,
Samuel Judson, who was born June 22, 1838. Three of the sons
were soldiers in the Civil war, and John S. was but seventeen years
old when he took part in the battle of Pea Ridge and was severely
wounded. As previously stated, Myron E. Knight was a lad of
thirteen years at the time of the family immigration to Clayton
county, and the home was established on an unimproved tract of
land in Section 30, Lodomillo township, where he has resided during
all the long intervening years. His early education was gained in
his native state and the pioneer schools of Clayton county, and he
contributed his full quota to the reclamation and development of
the home farm. He is now the owner of a specially well improved
and valuable landed estate of 215 acres, all being situated in Lodo-
millo township except fifteen acres, which are in Cass township.
Mr. Knight now gives special attention to the dairy department of
his farm enterprise, and finds distinctive satisfaction in giving his
personal supervision in a general way to the splendid farm property
that has been accumulated and largely reclaimed and improved by
him, the family home being a commodious and attractive brick
residence that has long been known as a center of cordial hospi-
tality. On the 11th of August, 1862, at the age of twenty years,
Mr. Knight tendered his service in defense of the cause of the
Union and it was given him to live up to the full tension of the
Civil war and to prove a loyal and gallant soldier of the Union. On
the date noted above he enlisted as a private in Company B, Twenty-
first Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and with this gallant command he
continued in active service until the close of the war. He was
mustered out with his regiment on the 15th of July, 1865, at Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, and he received his honorable discharge at Clin-
ton, Iowa, on the 24th of the same month. On the 11th of January,
1863, Mr. Knight participated in the battle at Hartsville, Missouri,
and in May of the same year he took part in the engagements at
Port Gibson and Campion's Hill, Mississippi, as well as the charge
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BIOGRAPHICAL 219
at Black River Bridge, that state, on the 17th of that month. In
this charge. Colonel Samuel Merrill, commander of the regiment,
was wounded, and it will be recalled that this honored commander
later served two terms as governor of the state of Iowa. Mr.
Knight took part also in the siege of Vicksburg and his regiment
was specially prominent in the charge on the fortifications of that
<;ity on May 22, 1863. In the spring of 1865 he participated in the
subjugation of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely. He still retains in
his possession, as an interesting souvenir, a small memorandum
book which he carried in his pocket during his entire period of
service in the war between the north and the south. He vitalizes
the more grateful memories and associations of his military career
by maintaining affiliation with the Grand Army of the Republic.
Mr. Knight has been a leader in popular sentiment and action in
his home community, and he served for a full quarter of a century
as township treasurer. For twelve consecutive years he was trustee
of Lodomillo township, and he has also served with equal and char-
acteristic efficiency as a member of the school board of his district.
His political allegiance has always been given to the Republican
party and he has for many years been an active member of the
Baptist church, of which his wife likewise was a devout adherent,
their gracious companionship having been severed by her death,
which occurred October 23, 1908. On the 1st of January, 1871,
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Knight to Miss Bessie J. Gil-
l)ert, who was born in Chenango county. New York, on the 22d of
March, 1842, a daughter of Lyman and Sallie (Holcomb) Gilbert,
She was a woman of gentle personality and her death was deeply
mourned by those who had come within the compass of her kindly
influence. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Knight the eldest is
Alice M., who is the wife of Charles H. Smith, of Lodomillo town-
ship ; John S. is a prosperous exponent of agricultural industry in
the same township ; William M. remains at the old home and proves
his father's valued aid in the management of the farm; Kate M. is
the wife of Ernest Schroeder, of Dundee. Delaware county ; Charles
W. died on the 26th of June, 1882 ; and Earl M.. still remains on the
home farm, the fine rural place receiving its mail service on route
No. 1 from Strawberry Point.
Herman L. Knuth. — About two miles distant from the village
of Luana, in Monona township, is located the well improved farm
of Mr. Knuth, and the thrift and prosperity there in evidence fully
indicate his energy and progressiveness as one of the substantial
representatives of agricultural and live-stock industry in the county
that has been his place of residence since he was a lad of fourteen
years and in which his independence and prosperity have been
gained through his own well ordered eflforts. Herman L. Knuth
was born in Prussia, on the 22d of April, 1863, and is a son of
Charles and Augusta (Hayden) Knuth, who immigrated to Amer-
ica in 1872, when the subject of this sketch was nine years old. The
family home was established in the city of Chicago, and as this was
in the year immediately following that of the great Chicago fire,
Charles Knuth found ready demand for his eflfective services as a
220 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
skilled carpenter and builder. He remained in the western me-
tropolis five years and then, in 1877, came to Clayton county, Iowa,
and established the family home in Read township. He continued
to follow the work of his trade for several years and then pur-
chased a farm in Wagner township. He became one of the pros-
perous farmers of the county and continued to reside on his old
homestead until his death, which occurred in 1901. He was a Demo-
crat in politics and was a loyal and honorable citizen who com-
manded unqualified popular esteem. He was a zealous communi-
cant of the Lutheran church, as is also his venerable widow, who
now maintains her home in the village of St. Olaf, this county. Of
their children, Herman L., of this review, is the eldest; William
resides at St. Olaf; Emil is now a resident of Austin, Minnesota;
and Ida is the wife of John Gottschalk, of Littleport, this county.
Herman L. Knuth gained his rudimentary education in his native
land and after the immigration of the family to America he con-
tinued his studies in the schools of Chicago, as did he later in those
of Read township, Clayton county. As a youth he was here
employed at farm work for several years, later he rented a farm in
Monona township, and in 1892 he purchased one hundred and sixty
acres of his present fine farm, which now comprises four hundred
and forty acres and which is one of the model farms of Monona
township, with the substantial improvements and general thrift
that indicate the progressiveness and good management of the
fortunate owner. Mr. Knuth is a stockholder in the Luana
Savings Bank, of which he formerly served as a director ; he is
aligned as a loyal supporter of the principles of the Democratic
party, and has served as a member of the school board of his dis-
trict; he also owns twelve acres of valuable timber land in Franklin
township, Allamakee county. Both he and his wife are communi-
cants of the Lutheran church at Luana, from which village they
received service on rural mail route No. 1. On December 3rd,
1885, Mr. Knuth wedded Miss Mary Garms, daughter of Joachim
and Katherine (Schultz) Garms, sterling pioneers of Monona town-
ship, and of this union were born six children, namely: Alvin,
Walter, Louis, Werner, Milda, and Edward. All of the children
are living except Edward. Alvin and Walter are progressive young
farmers of Monona township and the other three children remain
at the parental home. Mr. and Mrs. Knuth have one grandchild,
Lorene, the little daughter of their son Walter.
Karl J. Konzen has become a wideawake and progressive ex-
ponent of the journalistic profession in his native state, and as
editor and publisher of the Volga City News he is making his paper
an effective exponent of local interests and of the principles and
policies for which the Democratic party stands sponsor. He founded
this newspaper in the year 1915, and has a well equipped plant,
with modern facilities not only for the issuing of his attractive
weekly paper but also for the executing of job printing of all kinds
demanded in a community of this order. He has gained for his
newspaper a representative support and is making it a vehicle for
the promotion of the best civic and material interests of the section
BIOGRAPHICAf aSI
in which it is published, his work being based on alert and vigorous
mentality that makes him an effective editor and on a technical
knowledge of the printing business in its various departments. His
field of enterprise is extended by his publishing also of a weekly
paper at Rudd, Floyd county, where he maintained his residence
prior to coming to Clayton county, and where he served as secre-
tary of the Commercial Club. Mr. Konzen was born in Lawler,
Chickasaw county, this state, on the 21st of October, 1895, and is a
son of John G. and May (Connors) Konzen, both of whom were
likewise born in Iowa, where the respective families settled in the
pioneer days. The father gave the major part of his active life to
mercantile business, and was one of the highly esteemed citizens
of Lawler county at the time of his death, which occurred May 3,
1914. He is survived by his wife and three children. Karl J.
Konzen is indebted to the public schools for his early educational
discipline and has had the liberal supplemental training ever in-
volved in association with the "art preservative of all arts." His
alliance with the printing and newspaper business had its inception
when he was a lad of sixteen years, and from that time to the pres-
ent he has not wavered in his allegiance thereto, the while he has
delved deeply into the mysteries of the art and business and has
proved himself not lacking in self-reliance and resourcefulness as a
representative of journalism. As previously intimated, he estab-
lished his residence at Volga in the year 1915, and here he has,
through his personality and progressiveness, gained leadership in
community sentiment and action and also a secure place in popular
confidence and good will. He is a vigorous and effective advocate
of the principles of the Democratic party and as there is no measure
of inconsistency in a young bachelor proving an able newspaper
man Mr. Konzen can legitimately claim both of these distinctions.
John Krambier, St., is one of those sterling citizens who, after
years of close and effective association with the great basic industry
of agriculture, find that there has come the well earned prosperity
which permits them to lay aside the arduous labors and responsi-
bilities that long fell to their lot and to pass the gracious twilight
of their worthy lives in retirement, with the repose, peace and pros-
perity that properly crown such careers of useful endeavor. Mr.
Krambier was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, on the 8th of De-
cember, 1844, and has been a resident of Clayton county since he
was a lad of fourteen years. He is a son of John and Elizabeth
(Schultz) Krambier, who were born and reared in Mecklenburg,
where the former learned in his youth the sturdy trade of black-
smith. In 1859 the family immigrated to the United States and
became members of the very appreciable German pioneer colony
that was established in and about Guttenberg, Clayton county, in
which village John Krambier (I) engaged in the work of his trade.
Later he removed to St. Olaf, this county, where he established a
shop and built up a substantial and prosperous business as a black-
smith, besides which he made judicious investment in land and
developed a productive farm, both he and his wife having been
honored pioneer citizens of the county at the time of their death
222 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
and both having held reverently to the faith of the German Lutheran
Church. Of their children, the subject of this review is the eldest;
Elizabeth died when young; Louise is the wife of Henry Gilster,
of Farmersburg, this county; August and Lena are deceaseds-
Charles is now a resident of Austin, Minnesota; Fred and Annie
are deceased; Frederica is the wife of William Jacobi and they
reside in the State of California; and Mary is the widow of John
Tiedeman, her home being in the city of Seattle, Washington, where
her husband's death occurred. John Krambier, immediate subject
of this sketch, acquired his early education in the excellent schools
of his fatherland and was, as before stated, about fourteen years
old at the time of the family immigration to America. He was
reared to manhood on the pioneer farm in Clayton county and con-
tinued to be associated with his father in the work of the home farm
until he had attained to the age of twenty-two years. He then
bought a farm of eighty acres, in Wagner township, where he con-
tinued his activities as an agriculturist for a period of about ten
years. He then sold the property and went to Minnesota, from
which State he later went to South Dakota, but after an absence of
about twelve years he returned to Clayton county and purchased a
farm of one hundred and eighty-three acres in Wagner township.
After operating this place successfully for a period of ten years he
sold the property and purchased a farm of one hundred and ten
acres in Monona township, near the village of the same name.
There he upheld his reputation as a progressive and successful agri-
culturist and stock grower until 1911, when he felt justified in
retiring from active labor, with the result that he sold the farm
and established his residence in the village of Luana, where he has
an attractive home and is enjoying generous peace and prosperity,
the while he is surrounded by a host of friends who are tried and
true. Mr. Krambier is found arrayed in the ranks of the Democratic
party and both he and his wife are communicants of the German
Lutheran Church, in the faith of which they were reared. Novem-
ber 14, 1868, recorded the marriage of Mr. Krambier to Miss Au-
gusta Englehardt, who was born in Pomerania, Germany, on the
14th of September, 1848, and who there received her early educa-
tional training. She is a daughter of John and Mary (Schmidt)
Englehardt, who immigrated from Prussia to America about the
year 1862 and who became early settlers in Clayton county, where
Mr. Englehardt became a prosperous farmer near Garnavillo, both
he and his wife having passed the closing period of their lives in
the village of Farmersburg. Their eldest child, Rudolph, is de-
ceased ; Bertha resides at Farmersburg and is the widow of Ferdi-
nand Ranke ; William is deceased ; Mrs. Krambier was the next in
order of birth; Carl is deceased; Henry resides in Farmersburg;
and Minnie is the wife of Louis Hockendorf, their home being now
in California. Mr. and Mrs. Krambier became the parents of four-
teen children, and it is most gratifying to note that death has never
invaded this admirable family circle : Henry resides at Luana, and
William at Rudd, Iowa ; Hattie is the wife of Charles Baumgart
and their home is in Minnesota; Charles is a resident of South
BIOGRAPHICAL 223
Dakota; Augusta is the wife of August Duering, of Luana; John,
Jr., is a prosperous farmer in Monona township, Robert in South
Dakota and Louis in Monona township ; Emma is the wife of Will-
iam Rasmussen, of Britt, Hancock county; Minnie remains at the
parental home ; Ida is the wife of William Landt, of Luana ; Ben-
jamin resides at Luana, George at Britt, Hancock county, and
Bertha remains with her parents.
John Kramer has precedence as one of the enterprising and
representative merchants and prominent and influential citizens of
his native place, the thriving and attractive little city of McGregor,
where he is engaged in the clothing and men's furnishing business,
with a well stocked and handsomely appointed store in which
centers a substantial and appreciative supporting patronage. The
major part of his life has been passed in Clayton county, but for
four years he maintained his residence in McKenzie county, North
Dakota, where he still owns the well improved farm which he re-
claimed from the virgin prairie. Mr. Kramer was born at McGregor
on the 26th of August, 1873, and is a son of Jacob and Katherine
(Kahl) Kramer, both natives of Germany and both honored pio-
neers of Clayton county. Jacob Kramer was reared and educated
in his native land and as a young man, in 1853, he immigrated to
the United States, confident of his ability here to find better oppor-
tunities for the gaining of success and definite prosperity through
personal effort. He remained for a time in Albany in the State of
New York. In 1856 he came to Iowa and established his residence
at McGregor, where he engaged in the work of his trade, that of
carpenter, and where he became a successful contractor and builder
in the pioneer days. He was influential in public affairs in the com-
munity, served for a time as village marshal, besides which his
strong hold upon popular confidence and esteem was shown in his
being called upon to serve as a member of the municipal council
and also as a member of the board of education of McGregor. He
became a naturalized citizen after establishing his home in this
county, and it is worthy of note that in obtaining his naturalization
papers he walked from McGregor to Garnavillo to apply for and
perfect the same. In 1856 was solemnized the marriage of Jacob
and Katherine (Kahl) Kramer. Both he and his wife were promi-
nently concerned in the founding of the German Presbyterian
Church of McGregor, and the first meeting of its incipient congre-
gation was held in their home. Honored for his sterling character
and worthy achievement, this sturdy pioneer citizen was summoned
to eternal rest on the 30th of January, 1912, and his venerable
widow still remains at the old home in McGregor, secure in the
affectionate regard of all who know her. Of the children the eldest
is Jacob, who still resides at McGregor ; Minnie is the wife of
William O. Warley, and they maintain their home in the State of
North Dakota; William F. resides at McGregor; Charles F., Louis
M. and Frederick likewise reside in this city; Kate died in 1914; and
John, of this review, is the youngest of the number. John Kramer
is indebted to the public schools of McGregor for his early educa-
tional discipline, and at the age of fifteen years he assumed a posi-
224 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
tion in the freight office of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Rail-
road at McGregor. In compensation for his services he received
thirty-five dollars a month, and for some time he continued to give
to his mother each month all but five dollars of his earnings. He
finally won advancement to the position of ticket agent at this sta-
tion, and he retained this incumbency until he had attained to the
age of twenty-six years. Thereafter he was associated with his
sister Minnie in the dry-goods business at McGregor until 1906,
when their establishment was virtually destroyed by fire. He then
went to McKenzie county, North Dakota, where he entered claim
to a tract of government land, and instituted the reclamation and
improvement of the same. In due time he perfected his title to the
property, which he still owns and which comprises one hundred and
sixty acres of fertile and productive land. On this farm Mr. Kramer
continued to reside until 1910, since which year he has been con-
ducting his present prosperous enterprises at McGregor, his attract-
ive store showing at all times a select and comprehensive stock of
men's clothing and furnishing goods. He is aligned as a loyal sup-
porter of the cause of the Republican party and is affiliated with the
local organizations of the Woodmen of the World and the M. B.
A.'s. Mr. Kramer is alderman at large of the city of McGregor
and secretary of the McGregor Building & Loan Association, while
both he and his wife hold membership in the Presbyterian Church.
On the 17th of October, 1900, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Kramer to Miss Stella Church, daughter of Lafayette F. and Cor-
rinda (Wynne) Church, her father having for many years conducted
a prosperous livery business at McGregor. Mr. and Mrs. Kramer
are popular factors in the social life of their native community,
where their circle of friends is limited only by that of their acquaint-
ances and where their attractive home is a center of generous hos-
pitality and good cheer. Their only child, Louis L., was born at
McGregor, on the 5th of January, 1902, and is an ambitious young
student in the public schools of his native place at the time of this
writing, in 1916. He is a vigorous, generous and popular lad and
a worthy scion of the third generation of the Kramer family in
Clayton county.
Theodore J. Krasinsky came from Germany to America when
a youth of eighteen years and established his residence in Iowa,
where it has been his to achieve distinctive success and prosperity
through his own energy and well directed efforts and where he
may consistently be termed one of the pioneer citizens of Clayton
county, for here he has maintained his home during the greater
part of the period since he came from his native land, nearly half
a century ago. He owns and conducts a well stocked and modern
general merchandise establishment in the village of Garnavillo,
and in connection therewith he has a specially well appointed
jewelry department, with excellent facilities for the repairing of
watches, clocks and general lines of jewelry. Mr. Krasinsky is
essentially one of the influential business men and representative
citizens of Garnavillo, where he has served in various public offices,
including that of postmaster of the village. He has impressed
BIOGRAPHICAL 22$
upon the community that has long been his home the strength
and steadfastness of his sterhng character and he commands in-
violable place in popular confidence and esteem, so that in all
respects he is specially worthy of recognition in this history of
Clayton county and its people. Mr. Krasinsky was born in Ger-
many, on the 24th of July, 1850, and is a son of John and Dorothy
(Brunern) Krasinsky, both of whom there passed their entire lives;
they became the parents of three children, of whom two are living.
He whose name introduces this article was reared and educated
in his Fatherland, and in 1868 he followed the course of his youthful
ambition by severing the home ties and setting forth to seek his
fortunes in the United States. Soon after his arrival in America
he came to Iowa and found employment at farm work in Clayton
county, this occupation having been followed by him for the first
three years, at the expiration of which he assumed a position as
clerk in a mercantile establishment at Garnavillo. Several years
later he engaged independently in the general merchandise busi-
ness at McGregor, but after conducting the enterprise about
two years he disposed of his stock of goods and removed to the
city of Dubuque, where he was employed as clerk in a mercantile
establishment for a period of six years, this being the only interval
of his not maintaining his home in Clayton county during the entire
time that he has been in America. Upon returning to this county
from Dubuque he again established his residence at Garnavillo,
and soon afterward, in 1884, he was appointed postmaster, under
the Cleveland administration. He continued the efficient incum-
bent of this office for a period of one term, and in the meanwhile he
again engaged in the general merchandise business, with which he
has continued to be successfully identified during the long inter-
vening years. He has built up a large and substantial business
and the high reputation he has won for himself and his establish-
ment constitutes a most valuable business asset, besides being a
matter of just pride and satisfaction to him. Mr. Krasinsky has
been prominent and influential in the Clayton county councils of
the Democratic party and in addition to his service as postmaster
he held for thirteen years the office of township clerk and was for
several years a member of the board of education of Garnavillo.
In addition to his substantial and modern store building and an
attractive residence property Mr. Krasinsky is the owner of two
village lots that have not been improved with buildings. He is
affiliated with the blue-lodge, chapter and council bodies of the
York Rite of the Masonic fraternity and both he and his wife are
communicants and liberal supporters of the Lutheran church in
their home village. In the year 1872 Mr. Krasinsky wedded Miss
Elizabeth Walleser, who was born in Pennsylvania but who has
passed the greater part of her life in Clayton county, where her
parents established their home when she was a child. Mrs. Kras-
insky is a daughter of Matthew and Rosina (Ruester) Walleser,
both natives of the Kingdom of Baden, Germany, whence they
came to America when young folks, their first place of residence
having been in Pennsylvania, whence they came to Clayton county,
226 ' MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Iowa, in the early pioneer era of its history, their home having
been established on an embryonic farm, which they developed into
one of the valuable landed estates of the county and upon which
they passed the remainder of their lives. Mr. and Mrs. Krasinsky
have four children : Amelia is the wife of Frank Barnhouse and
they reside in the city of Chicago; Hugo is now in the city of St.
Paul, Minnesota, in which state also reside the two younger sons,
Waldemar and Baldwin, the latter maintaining his home at St.
Paul.
Edward W. Kregel is a scion of the third generation of one of
the well known and highly honored pioneer families of Clayton
county and through his character and achievement has marked as
his own a place of distinctive prominence and influence in connec-
tion with civic, industrial and social activities in his native county,
where he has substantial and important interests by way of joint
ownership with his brother Herman D., in the fine landed estates
of Garnavillo township — the Black Diamond Stock Farm, whicff
comprises one hundred and ninety-seven and one-half acres and
which is eligibly situated in Sections 13 and 14. On this splendid
homestead he maintains his residence and there he is giving special
attention to the breeding and raising of pure-blood Aberdeen Angus
cattle, in connection with which department of his farm enterprise
he has gained a reputation that far transcends local limitations.
Mr. Kregel was born in Garnavillo township, this county, on the
1st of May, 1863, and is one of the five surviving children of John
D. and Helena A. (Kaiser) Kregel. The parents were born in the
Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, and both were children at the time
of the immigration of the respective families to America, Mr. Kregel
having been a lad of six years and his wife having come with her
parents in the year 1845. Both families settled in Ohio, whence
they later came to Iowa, in the early pioneer days, and John D.
Kregel became one of the early settlers in Garnavillo township,
Clayton county, where he attained to secure status and high honor
as a prosperous farmer and influential citizen and where he and his
wife passed the remainder of their lives. The boyhood and youth
of Edward W. Kregel were marked by his assisting in the work of
the home farm and making good use of the advantages ofifered by
the public schools of the locality, his studies having eventually in-
cluded the curriculum of the Garnavillo high school. After his mar-
riage, which occurred in the year 1887, he purchased the fine farm
which he now owns and which has been brought up to its present
model status through his individual efforts and progressive policies.
He has been a leader in advancing the agricultural and live-stock
industries in this section of the state and his influence in these direc-
tions has added materially to his unqualified personal popularity.
He was secretary of the Clayton County Agricultural Society in
1892, and in the following year he became secretary of the Farmers'
Creamery Company of Garnavillo, at the time of its organization,
this office having been held by him for a period of nine years, at the
expiration of which he declined further retention of the position,
though he has continued to serve as a member of the board of di-
BIOGRAPHICAL 227
rectors of the company. He was likewise one of the organizers of
the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company at Garnavillo, and has
been continuously an officer of the same save for an interim of three
years. For many years he has been a director of the West Side
School of Garnavillo ; during his three years of service as township
trustee he was the staunch advocate of liberal and progressive poli-
cies and instrumental in the effecting of the building of several fine
bridges in the township ; and the year 1916 finds him serving his
first term, with characteristic loyalty and efficiency, in the impor-
tant office of county commissioner. His political allegiance is given
to the Republican party and he and his family are communicants
of the Lutheran church. In the year 1887 was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Kregel to Miss Sophia M. Bruns, who was born and
reared in Garnavillo township, and whose parents, Frederick H.,
deceased, and Anna M. (Moellering) Bruns, resided in Monona ;
the father was a representative farmer of Garnavillo township, he
having been six years of age at the time of his parents' immigration
from Germany to America, and his wife having been born in Clay-
ton county, a member of a well known pioneer family. Of the
children of Mr. and Mrs. Kregel the eldest is Arthur J., who is
married and who has the active charge of the old homestead farm of
his father ; Laura M. is the wife of Elmer H. Brandt, who is indi-
vidually mentioned on other pages of this work ; Irene E. and Edna
P. M. remain at the parental home, the former being a graduate of
the Garnavillo high school, where Edna is attending, being now
(1916) in the tenth grade.
Herman D. Kregel is one of the five surviving children of
John D. and Helena A. (Kaiser) Kregel and is a popular repre-
sentative of one of the well known and honored pioneer families of
Clayton county, which has been his home from the time of his
birth and in which he has won secure status as one of the prominent
and successful exponents of agricultural and live-stock industry in
his native township. He was born in Garnavillo township on the
15th of August, 1865, and he may well take pride in being a repre-
sentative of that fine German element of citizenship that has played
a splendid part in connection with the civic and industrial develop-
ment and progress of Clayton county. His parents were born in
the Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, and were children at the time
of the immigration of the respective families to the United States,
the home of each family having first been established in the state
of Ohio. John D. Kregel became one of the early settlers of Garna-
villo township, where he won distinct prosperity and prestige
through his association with agricultural industry and where he
became a substantial farmer and honored and influential citizen.
Both he and his wife remained on their old homestead farm until
their death, and both were earnest and lifelong members of the
Lutheran church. Herman D. Kregel was reared to the sturdy
discipline of the old homestead farm, gained his early education in
the public schools of the county and continued to assist his father
in the work of the farm until he had attained to his legal majority.
He then became interested in the Black Diamond Stock Farm, which
228 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
consists of one hundred and ninety-seven and one-half acres of the
old homestead, which is situated in Sections 13 and 14, Garnavillo
township. This place is owned jointly by himself and his brother
Edward W. and is notable for the fine improvements, including good
buildings, and in connection with his operations in the domain of
diversified agriculture Mr. Kregel gives special and successful at-
tention to the breeding and raising of the Black Polled Angus cattle.
He is a member of the directorate of the Garnavillo Savings Bank,
of which he was one of the organizers, and is known as one of the
substantial and upright citizens of his native county. He has fur-
ther shown his progressiveness by identifying himself with the
Garnavillo Commission Company and the Garnavillo Creamery
Company, in each of which important corporations he is a director.
He has served with characteristic loyalty and efficiency in the office
of township trustee, is a Republican in politics and he and his wife
are zealous communicants of the German Lutheran church at Gar-
navillo. April 24, 1890, recorded the marriage of Mr. Kregel to
Miss Minnie Meyer, who likewise was born and reared in this
county, and whose parents, Louis and Eliza (Moellering) Meyer,
natives of Germany, are now venerable and honored pioneer citi-
zens of Farmersburg township. Mr. and Mrs. Kregel have four
children — Adelia, Arnold W., Elmer J. and Ivanelle. The three
elder children have been given the advantages of the public schools,
including the high school at Garnavillo, in which Adelia and Elmer
J. were graduated.
Frank J. Kriebs, M. D. — The thorough preparation, the dis-
tinctive technical ability, the sterling character and the fine sense
of stewardship that have marked the professional career of Dr,
Kriebs have given him place of prominence as one of the able and
representative physicians and surgeons of his native county and
state, and he has been engaged in the successful general practice
of his profession at Elkport for the long period of thirty years. As
a physician of high ideals he has been guide, counselor and friend
to many of the families of this part of Clayton county, and as a
citizen of broad and liberal views he has been an honored and in-
fluential figure in the community life. Dr. Kriebs was born at
Guttenberg, this county, on the 27th of May, 1859, a date that
indicates conclusively that he is a scion of one of the pioneer fami-
lies of the county. Here he gained his youthful education in the
public schools, and after making a substantial advancement along
academic lines of study he followed the course of his worthy and
resolute ambition by initiating his preparation for the exacting
profession in which it has been given him to achieve unequivocal
success and high honors. In 1881 he was graduated in the cele-
brated Rush Medical College, in the city of Chicago, and after thus
receiving his well earned degree of Doctor of Medicine, he engaged
in the practice of his profession in Carroll county, Iowa, where he
remained until 1886, when he returned to his native county andi
established his residence and professional headquarters at Elkport.
Earnest and efifective service in his humane vocation has enabled
him to build up a specially large and important general practice and
BIOGRAPHICAL 229
he has long- held prestige as one of the leading physicians and sur-
geons of Clayton county, with a due regard ni temporal prosperity
and with the greater recompense involved in the confidence and
high regard of the community in which he has lived and labored to
goodly ends. He is an influential and valued member of the Clay-
ton County Medical Society, and has long held membership also
in the Iowa State Medical Society and the American Medical Asso-
ciation. He served six years as county coroner, is now the zealous
incumbent of the office of health officer of the county, and he is
local surgeon for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. The
doctor has found time and opportunity to lend his effective co-oper-
ation in the promotion of civic and business enterprises that have
advanced the best interests of the community, and it may be spe-
cially noted that he was one of the organizers of the Elkport Sav-
ings Bank, of which he has been vice-president from the time of its
incorporation, and that he is a stockholder in two other banking
institutions in the county. His residence property at Elkport is
one of the most modern and attractive homes of the village and in
Volga township he is the owner of a well improved farm of one
hundred and eighty acres. He is well fortified in his opinions con-
cerning economic and governmental policies and gives his allegiance
to the Democratic party. Both he and his wife are earnest com-
municants of the Catholic church and in a fraternal way he is affili-
ated with the Modern Woodmen of America. On the 12th of Sep-
tember, 1894, was solemnized the marriage of Dr. Kriebs to Miss
Nettie E. Goodsell, who was born in the state of Massachusetts and
who is a daughter of Jerome and Margaret (Dorgan) Goodsell,
the former of whom was born in Connecticut and the latter of
whom was born in Ireland. Mrs. Kriebs was a child at the time
of her parents' removal to Clayton county, and here her father
died when 72 years of age, her mother, now venerable in years,
being still a resident of this county. Dr. and Mrs. Kriebs have
one daughter, Helen May, who was born February 2, 1898, and
who is now a member of the class of 1916 in Mount St. Joseph's
College, in the city of Dubuque.
George Kriebs. — It is one of the most consistent and gratifying
functions of this publication to accord specific recognition to those
honored and influential citizens who are today prominent in the
civic and business activities of Clayton county, who claim the
county as the place of their nativity and who are representatives of
sterling pioneer families of this favored section of the great state
of Iowa. Such an one is Mr. Kriebs, who has long been one of the
leading business men of Elkport, where he owns and conducts one
of the finest retail drug stores in the county and where he has served
as a director and as cashier of the Elkport Savings Bank from the
time of its organization to the present. He is one of the substan-
tial capitalists of his native county, is a liberal and loyal citizen
who commands unequivocal popular esteem, and he is definitely
entitled to consideration in this history. George Kriebs was born
at Guttenberg, this county, on the 25th of October, 1857, one of a
family of nine children, of whom seven are now living. He is a
230 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
son of John P. and Lena (Sisemann) Kriebs, who were born and
reared in Germany and who immigrated to America in the '40s.
The parents became pioneer settlers in the fine- German colony of
Guttenberg, Clayton county, Iowa, and there the father long held
secure status as one of the most honored and influential citizens
of the thriving community. He was a leading merchant of that
village, held the office of postmaster for a long period and gave
several years to characteristically efficient administration in the
office of mayor of the village. He was a stalwart in the local camp
of the Democratic party and both he and his wife were communi-
cants of the Catholic church. They were venerable and revered
pioneer citizens of Clayton county at the time of their death.
George Kriebs attended the public schools of his native village until
he had attained to the age of fifteen years, when he became a clerk
in a drug store at Elkader, where he remained thus engaged for
the ensuing six years, and where he gained a thorough and prac-
tical knowledge of all details of the business that is of semi-pro-
fessional order. Upon leaving the county seat Mr. Kriebs engaged
in the drug business at Elkport, where he has continued his active
association with this line of enterprise during the long intervening
years and where he now has one of the largest and best equipped
drug stores in the county. In 1906 he became one of the organizers
and incorporators of the Elkport Savings Bank, of which he has
since served as cashier and in the upbuilding of the substantial
business of which he has been the dominating executive. This is
one of the representative financial institutions of Clayton county,
bases its operations upon a capital stock of ten thousand dollars
and now has a surplus fund of five thousand dollars. The vice-
president of the bank is Dr. Frank J. Kriebs, a younger brother of
the cashier, and of the doctor individual mention is made on other
pages of this publication, in the general historical department of
which is given also due consideration to the banking and other
financial institutions of the county. Mr. Kriebs is not only one of
the principal stockholders of the bank of which he is cashier but
also has stock in several other banks in his native county. His
material prosperity is further indicated by his ownership of a fine
landed estate of three hundred and thirty acres, in Volga township,
and in civic afifairs he is definitely prominent and influential, with
splendid equipment for leadership in popular sentiment and action.
He is one of the most prominent men in the local councils of the
Democratic party, as indicated by the fact that he is serving as
chairman of the Democratic central committee of Clayton county.
He served four years as postmaster of Elkport, under the adminis-
tration of President Cleveland, and he has been called upon to serve
also in virtually every village and township office in his home com-
munity. He has passed all of the official chairs in the Elkport
Lodge. No. 345, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is affiliated
also with the local camp of the Modern Woodmen of America. He
is secretary of the company which owns and controls the Elkport
opera house, of which popular amusement resort he is manager.
In November, 1877, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Kriebs to
BIOGRAPHICAL r 23 1
Miss Louise E. Cook, who was born at Elkader, this county, and
who is a daughter of the late Asahel D, Cook, who was one of the
honored and influential citizens of the county, where he and his
wife continued to reside until their death. Of the children of Mr.
and Mrs. Kriebs, the eldest is Frank D., who is now engaged in
the drug business at Beresford, South Dakota ; Vera L,, a popular
young business woman, is serving as assistant cashier of the Elk-
port Savings Bank ; Gertrude H. is the wife of William J. McTag-
gart, of Rochester, Minnesota ; Asa G. is a representative merchant
of Elkport, where he is serving as postmaster; and Harold J. C.
remains at the parental home.
William C. Kruse. — As one of the representative business men
of the younger generation in his native county, Mr. Kruse owns
and conducts a well equipped and essentially modern furniture and
undertaking establishment in the village of Monona, and his promi-
nence in community affairs as well as his unqualified personal pop-
ularity is indicated by the fact that he is now serving as municipal
treasurer of the village. Mr. Kruse was born on a farm in Giard
township, this county, and the date of his nativity was March 5,
1880. He is a son of Henry and Amelia (Busch) Kruse, both of
whom are now deceased, and both of whom were honored pioneer
citizens of Clayton county at the time of their death, both having
been born in Germany. Henry Kruse was a lad of thirteen years
when he came to America and within a short time after his arrival
in the land of his adoption he established his residence in Clayton
county, where he grew to manhood under the conditions and influ-
ences of the farm and where he eventually purchased a farm of his
own, in Giard township. He later sold this property and bought
another farm, in Monona township, and he long held distinct prece-
dence as one of the progressive and successful agriculturists and
stock-growers of this county. After his retirement from active
labors he established his home in the village of Monona, where his
death occurred about two years later, his devoted wife surviving
him by a number of years. Both were earnest communicants of
the Lutheran Church and in politics he gave a staunch support to
the cause of the Democratic party. Of the children the firstborn,
Mary, is deceased ; August and Henry W. both reside in Monona ;
William C, of this review, was the next in order of birth ; Adelia is
the wife of Roy Koth, of Monona, and Amanda is the wife of Arnold
Kaiser, of the same place. William C. Kruse found his childhood
and youth compassed by the invigorating discipline of the home
farm, and in the meanwhile he made good use of the advantages
afforded in the public schools of his native county. He continued
his active association with agricultural pursuits until he had at-
tained to the age of twenty-five years and then went to Monona,
where for one year he was employed in the furniture and under-
taking establishment of George Kaiser. In 1906 he engaged in the
same line of enterprise at Sumner, where he continued in business
until 1911, when he transferred his residence to Monona, where he
has since controlled a substantial and representative business, with
a store in which he displays at all times a large and varied assort-
232 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
ment of furniture, besides having a thoroughly well appointed de-
partment devoted to undertaking. He is not only v^^ell known as a
representative funeral director of his native county but is also a
licensed embalmer. Mr. Kruse is essentially liberal and public-
spirited as a citizen and takes loyal interest in all things touching
the welfare of his home village and native county, where his circle
of friends is limited only by that of his acquaintances. He is un-
wavering in his allegiance to the Democratic party and, though he
is m no sense a seeker of public office, his civic loyalty is shown by
the careful and effective service which he is rendering in the office
of village treasurer. Both he and his wife hold membership in the
Lutheran Church and give earnest support to its various depart-
ments of work. On the 24th of April, 1906, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Kruse to Miss Amanda Kregel, daughter of Will-
iam and Paulina (Dickman) Kregel, of Monona, where Mrs. Kruse
was born on the 8th of December, 1881, her education having been
acquired in the public schools of this village and in an institution
of higher education at Decorah. Mr. and Mrs. Kruse have two
children — Gerald, who was born September 26, 1909, and Pauline,
who was born December 5, 1915.
Joseph J. Kuehl is another sterling representative of the fine
element of German citizenship that has contributed in large and
altogether commendable measure to the civic and industrial devel-
opment and progress of Clayton county, within whose borders he
has resided since he was a child of two years. Though he is a
native of Germany and pays due deference to its noble traditions
and customs, as a matter of birthright, he is a true American in
thought, action and appreciation, with his only knowledge of
German institutions and customs that received from his parents
and from later reading of admirable literature pertaining to the
Fatherland which he left in the days of his infancy. He is now
known as one of the energetic, progressive and substantial farmers
and stock-growers of Clayton county, is the owner of a well im-
proved landed estate, and is one of the influential citizens of Board-
man township, his homestead being situated four miles west of
Elkader, the county seat, from which place he receives service on
rural mail route No. 2. Joseph J. Kuehl was born in Germany on,
the 24th of January, 1864, and thus was about two years of age
when, in 1866, he accompanied his parents, Joseph and Dorothy
(Pick) Kuehl, on their immigration to the United States, the family
home having been established in Clayton county, Iowa, in the same
year, and the death of the devoted wife and mother having occurred
in March, 1871. Joseph Kuehl obtained a tract of land and became
one of the pioneer farmers of this county, where he achieved inde-
pendence and prosperity through industry and earnest effort and
where he developed one of the excellent farms of Boardman town-
ship. He is still a substantial landholder of the county, but is now
living virtually retired at Elkader, in the serene enjoyment of the
rewards of former years of toil and endeavor, and secure in the
high regard of all who know him. Of the four children the subject
of this review is the firstborn ; Mary died in childhood ; Sophia is.
BIOGRAPHICAL 233
th€ wife of Henry Schrader, of Elkport, this county; Henry died
when young. Mrs. Dorothy (Fick) Kuehl was the second wife of
Joseph Kuehl, and after her death he contracted a third marriage.
His third wife is now deceased, and of their twelve children seven
are deceased : Herman resides at Elkport, this county ; Charles at
Littleport, John at Elkport, and Henry at Elkport. All of the
other children died young except Lena, who was a young woman
at the time of her demise. Joseph J. Kuehl was reared under the
invigorating influence of the home farm, early began to contribute
his quota to its work, and in the meanwhile profited duly by the
advantages afforded in the public schools of the locality. He con-
tinued to be associated with his father in the work and management
of the old homestead farm until he had attained to the age of
twenty-three years, when he purchased one hundred and twenty
acres of land, near Communia, this county, and initiated his inde-
pendent career as a farmer. Four years later, however, he sold
this property, and he then purchased a farm of one hundred and
sixty acres in Section 29, Boardman township, where he has since
maintained his home and successfully carried forward his progress-
ive operations as an agriculturist and stock-grower. To his original
purchase he later added a tract of eighty acres in Section 19 and
still later he purchased eighty-six acres in Section 3, so that his
landed estate in Boardman township now comprises three hundred
and twenty acres. He has made many fine improvements on this
valuable property and has won precedence as one of the essentially
representative farmers and stock-raisers of this favored section of
the Hawkeye State, with the status of a broad-gauged and public-
spirited citizen who is always ready to do his part in the further-
ance of measures and enterprises that tend to advance the general
welfare of the community. In politics he is found aligned as a
staunch supporter of the now dominant Democratic party, and he
has served as township trustee, as well as in minor township offices
and as a member of the school board of his district, an office of
which he is the incumbent at the time of this writing, in 1916. He
is affiliated with the Woodmen of the World and the Brotherhood
of American Yeomen, and both he and his wife are earnest com-
municants of the Lutheran Church, in the faith of which they were
reared. February 2, 1887, recorded the marriage of Mr. Kuehl to
Miss Mary Ehrhardt, who likewise was born and reared in Clayton
county, and who is a representative of the sterling pioneer family
concerning which adequate mention is made on other pages of this
work. Mr. and Mrs. Kuehl became the parents of ten children :
George W. is a progressive farmer of the younger generation in
Boardman township ; Carrie is the wife of Charles Raemer, of Volga
township ; Mary is the wife of Herman Raemer, of the same town-
ship ; Frederick is a substantial agriculturist in Read township ;
Arthur is associated in the work and management of his father's
farm ; Catherine is the wife of Henry Baars, of Boardman township;
and Hilda, Louisa, Frances and Mildred remain at the parental
home.
234 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Herman C. Kuenzel has the distinction of being one of the rep-
resentative business men of his native village of Garnavillo, where
for more than thirty years he has been successfully established in
the drug trade and where he has a well appointed drug store that
commands a substantial and appreciative patronage. He is a scion
of one of the sterling pioneer families of Clayton county, with whose
history the name which he bears has been closely and worthily
identified for nearly three score years and ten, and in this connection
it is most gratifying to render incidental tribute to his honored
parents, who here lived and labored to goodly ends and whose
memory is here held in enduring esteem. Mr. Kuenzel was born at
Garnavillo on the 14th of October, 1855, and is a son of John Henry
and Anna (Mohrman) Kuenzel, the former of whom was born in
the Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany, and the latter in the Province
of Hanover. John Henry Kuenzel was but seven years of age when
he accompanied his parents on their immigration to America, and
the family home was established at New Bremen, Auglaiz county,
Ohio, where he was reared to adult age and where he learned the
trade of harnessmaker. In 1850 he came to Clayton county, Iowa,
and numbered himself among the pioneer settlers of Garnavillo,
which was then a mere frontier hamlet. About one year later he
became associated with his brother-in-law, the late Benjamin F.
Schroeder, in the erection of a flouring mill at this point, and in the
early days they were compelled to haul their flour product by team
and wagon to Clayton, from which point it was shipped down the
Mississippi river to St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Kuenzel was one of
the pioneers of this important field of enterprise in Clayton county,
and through the same he aided greatly in the industrial and civic
development of the county, his identification with the milling
business having continued up to the time of his decease. John
Henry Kuenzel was known and honored as one of the vigorous,
upright and enterprising men of the county, was influential in
public affairs of a local order and commanded the high regard of
all who knew him. He served in minor township offices and also
as school director, and he played well his part in connection with
the development and upbuilding of the community in which he
long maintained his home. Of the family of ten children the eldest
is Margaret, who is the wife of Frederick Harberg, of Garna-
villo; Julia is the wife of Frederick Schoelerman, of Lake Park,
Minnesota ; Herman C, of this review, was the next in order of
birth ; Anna is the wife of Joseph Walleser, of Garnavillo ; Marie
is a resident of Cleveland, Ohio ; Henry maintains his home in the
city of Dubuque, Iowa ; Edward C. and Frederick B. reside in
Cleveland, Ohio ; and Fredonia and Laura are deceased. Herman
C. Kuenzel is indebted to the public schools of Garnavillo for his
early educational discipline, and at the age of sixteen years he here
entered upon an apprenticeship to the cabinetmaker's trade, in
which he became a skilled workman and to which he devoted his
attention for a period of eight years. He then, in 1880, established
himself in the drug business in his native village, where he has since
continued successfully in this line of enterprise, with present status
BIOGRAPHICAL 235
as one of the oldest merchants of the place in point of consecutive
operations. Mr. Kuenzel has shown the deepest loyalty to his home
village and county and has been an influential figure in community
affairs, with impregnable vantage-ground in popular confidence and
good will. He was for six years a member of the village council,
and the high estimate placed upon him in this connection was shown
when he was elected to the office of mayor, of which he continued
the incumbent two years and in which he gave a most progressive
and satisfactory administration. He was for a long period given
preferment as a member of the board of education, of which he
served twelve years as president, and for nine years he held the
office of postmaster of Garnavillo. His political allegiance is given
to the Republican party, he is affiliated with the local Turnverein,
and both he and his wife are communicants of the Lutheran church*
On the 9th of July, 1884, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Kuenzel to Miss Nellie Walleser, who likewise was born and reared
at Garnavillo, a representative of another of the honored pioneer
families of the county. She is a daughter of Matthew and Rosina
(Riester) Walleser, both natives of Germany and both now de-
ceased. Of their children she was the seventh in order of birth,
and concerning the others the following brief record is consistently
entered: Henry is deceased; Frances (Francis?) is a resident of
Nashua, Chickasaw county; Emil maintains his home at Garna-
villo; Elizabeth is the wife of Theodore J. Krasinsky, of this place;
Rosina is the wife of William Schumacher, of Garnavillo, where also
resides Joseph, the next in order of birth ; and Anna is the wife of
Henry Kuenzel, their home being in the city of Dubuque. Mr. and
Mrs. Keunzel of this review have one son, Webber B., who is now
serving as postmaster of Garnavillo and who is one of the repre-
sentative young men of Clayton county.
George Kuhlman. — One of the most gratifying conditions that
have been noted in connection with the preparation of this history
is that there are to be found in Clayton county very many native
sons of the county who have had the good judgment here to con-
tinue their close allegiance to the basic industries of agriculture and
stock-growing and to prove definitely alert, vigorous and success-
ful exponents of these important lines of enterprise. Such an one
is Mr. Kuhlman, who owns, resides upon and effectively directs
the operations of the fine homestead farm which has been his place
of residence from the time of his birth. He was born August 31,
1875, in Garnavillo township, and a portion of his homestead farm
lies within the corporate boundaries of the thriving village of Garna-
villo. He is a son of Frederick W. and Mary (Dahl) Kuhlman,
both of whom were born and reared in Germany, whence they im-
migrated to America in 1848. They located in the state of Ohio,
where they remained until 1852, when they came to Iowa and estab-
lished themselves as pioneer settlers in Garnavillo township, Clay-
ton county. The journey from Ohio to their destination was made
with an ox team and a covered wagon, and the original home of
the family was a log cabin of the true pioneer type. Frederick W.
Kuhlman gained substantial success through his farm operations
236 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
and both he and his wife were honored pioneer citizens of this
county at the time of their death, when well advanced in years.
Both were earnest communicants of the Lutheran church, in the
faith of which they reared their five children, all of whom are living.
George Kuhlman continued his studies in the public schools of his
native county until he had made good use of the advantages afforded
in the high school at Garnavillo, and he remained with his parents
until their death, proving his father's valued coadjutor in the work
and management of the old homestead farm, which he eventually
inherited and which is one of the valuable landed estates of the
county, with the best of improvements of a permanent order and
with an area of two hundred and seventy acres, in Sections 8 and
17, Garnavillo township. The farm is given over to diversified
agriculture and the raising of approved grades of live stock, ancl
in connection with these lines of industry the subject of this sketch
had well upheld the high prestige of the family name. He is a
stalwart in the local ranks of the Republican party and has served
as township trustee and as a member of the school board. He is
one of the stockholders of the Farmers' Co-operative Creamery
Company of Garnavillo, and was its president for a period of five
years, besides which he is a director of the Farmers' State Bank of
Garnavillo, of which he was one of the organizers. Mr. Kuhlman
is stifl to be acclaimed as one of the eligible bachelors of his native
county, even as he here has a circle of friends that is limited only
by that of his acquaintances.
Henry H, Kuhlman is a native son of Clayton county and a
scion of an honored pioneer family that was here founded more
than sixty years ago. Here he has found ample scope and oppor-
tunity for large and worthy achievement along normal lines of in-
dustrial and business enterprise, and he is now serving as the effi-
cient and popular cashier of the Farmers' State Bank of Garnavillo,
of which he was one of the organizers and in which he is a substan-
tial stockholder. Further evidence of the confidence and esteem
reposed in him in the community is that afforded by his being called
upon to serve as mayor of the thriving village of Garnavillo, in
which important municipal office the year 1916 finds him giving
a most progressive and effective administration. Mr. Kuhlman
was born in Garnavillo township, this county, on the 25th of May,
1865, and is one of a family of five children, all of whom are living.
He is a son of Frederick W. and Mary (Dahl) Kuhlman, both of
whom were born in Germany, where they were reared and edu-
cated and whence they came to the United States in 1848. They
maintained their residence in the state of Ohio until 1852, when
they came to Iowa in 1852 and became pioneer settlers in Garna-
villo township, Clayton county. The entire journey from Ohio to
Clayton county was made in a covered wagon drawn by oxen, and
the original home was a primitive log cabin, which the family occu-
pied several years. The father gained substantial success through
his operations as a farmer and both he and his wife continued to
reside on their old homestead until their death, when well advanced
in years. Henry H. Kuhlman was reared under the conditions and
BIOGRAPHICAL 237
influences of the pioneer farm and continued his studies in the
public schools until he had completed the curriculum of the high
school. He remained at the parental home until he had attained
to the age of thirty-one years, when he married Miss Hannah Aul-
wes, who was born and reared in this county and who is a daugh-
ter of John and Minnie (Straus) Aulwes, still venerable and hon-"
ored pioneer citizens of the county, their home being now in the
village of Guttenberg. The father was born in Germany and the
mother in Clayton county, where her parents were very early set-
tlers. After his marriage Mr. Kuhlman lived on a rented farm
until he purchased a place of thirty acres adjacent to the village of
Garnavillo, where he continued his successful activities as an agri-
culturist for a period of ten years. He served as secretary of the
Farmers' Creamery Company for six years, and for three years was
secretary of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company. He then
sold his farm and assumed the position of assistant cashier of the
Garnavillo Savings Bank, which he served in this capacity for a
period of seven years. He then became one of the organizers and
incorporators of the Farmers' State Bank of Garnavillo, and he has
been its able and valued cashier from the inception of its business
to the present time. Mr. Kuhlman is distinctly one of the vigorous
and progressive citizens and representative business men of his
native county, is a Republican in politics and is serving in 1916 as
mayor of Garnavillo, as previously stated, he having been incum-
bent of this office for several consecutive years. He has served also
as township trustee, as justice of the peace and as secretary of the
board of education, of which last mentioned post he was the incum-
bent for several years. He is affiliated with Garnavillo Lodge, No.
90, Ancient Free & Accepted Masons, in which he has passed vari-
ous official chairs, and both he and his wife are zealous communi-
cants and supporters of St. Paul's Lutheran church in their home
village, their circle of friends being coincident with that of their
acquaintances. They have no children.
Arthur R. Kunzmann conducts a prosperous enterprise as the
owner of a well equipped automobile garage in the village of Volga,
where he makes a specialty of handling the Buick, Oakland and
Ford automobiles, for which he is local representative, and in addi-
tion to controlling this prosperous business he is the owner of a
well improved and valuable farm, in Sperry township. He is an
alert and popular young business man and is well entitled to con-
sideration in this history. Mr. Kunzmann was born in Fayette
county, this state, on the 29th of April, 1881, and is a son of George
and Louise (Frey) Kunzmann, both of whom were born in Baden,
Germany. The father came to America about the year 1851 ; after
residing for a brief period in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
he made his way to Wisconsin, where he purchased a tract of land
and became a pioneer farmer. On the land which he thus owned is
situated at the present time one of the prosperous villages of the
Badger state. After remaining in Wisconsin for a number of
years George Kunzmann came to Iowa and purchased a farm in
Fayette county, where he won large and worthy success through
238 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
his own ability and well ordered enterprise and where he continued
to reside until his death, which occurred on the 10th of February,
1903, his widow being still a resident of that county and both having
become earnest communicants of the German Lutheran church
when they were young folks. The eldest of their children is Louise,
who is the widow of Elmer Chandler and who maintains her home
at Leeland, Saginaw county, Michigan ; George resides in the city
of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as does also Robert ; Otto remains on the
old homestead farm in Fayette county; Amos is a resident of Cedar
Rapids ; and Arthur R., of this review, is the youngest child. Pass-
ing the years of his childhood and early youth on the home farm,
Arthur R. Kunzmann made good use of the advantages afforded
in the public schools of his native county, and he finally indulged
in distinctive talent and predilection for mechanical pursuits by
establishing and conducting a blacksmith shop on the farm. To
perfect himself at his trade he finally went to the village of Wadena,
Fayette county, where he gained the experience that made him a
skilled artisan. In 1904 he came to Volga, Clayton county, and
established a blacksmith shop. For the ensuing nine years he here
conducted a prosperous general blacksmith business, and he then
traded his shop and business for a farm of one hundred and fifty
acres, in Sperry township. However, he continued to work in his
old shop for eighteen months, in the employ of the new owner, and
in 1915 he erected his present substantial garage building, which
is fifty by one hundred and twenty feet in dimensions and which
affords the best of accommodations and facilities for the substantial
automobile and repair business which he has developed. He also
gives a general supervision to his farm, which he rents. Mr. Kunz-
mann is found aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause of the
Republican party, he and his wife are communicants of the German
Lutheran church, and he is affiliated with the local organizations
of the Modern Woodmen of America and the Brotherhood of Amer-
ican Yeomen. On the 10th of May, 1903, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Kunzmann to Miss Mary Duff, and they have two
fine little sons, William and Albert.
George F. Kurdelmeier was born on the fine farmstead which
he now owns and operates, in Section 4, Read township, and the
date of his nativity was February 2, 1868. His honored father wa^
one of the sterling pioneers who contributed a generous quota to
the civic and industrial development and upbuilding of Clayton
county, and the precedence which he eventually gained as one of
the extensive and representative farmers of the county has been
fully upheld and also advanced by his son George F., of this review,
who is showing marked circumspection and progressiveness in the
management of his large and valuable landed estate. He whose
name initiates this article is one of the six surviving children of
William and Maria (Pieper) Kurdelmeier, both of whom were
children at the time of the immigration of the respective families
from Germany to the United States. William Kurdelmeier and his
wife were reared and educated in the state of Ohio, where their
marriage was solemnized, and upon coming to Clayton county.
BIOGRAPHICAL 239
Iowa, they established their home on the farm now owned by their
son George F. Here the father continued his productive activities
as one of the honored and successful farmers of the county until
his death, which occurred in 1898. His widow, now venerable in
years, still resides in the county that has long been her home and
in which she has the high regard of all who know her; she is a
devoted communicant of the Lutheran church, as was also her hus-
band. George F. Kurdelmeier has always maintained his home on
the fine farm which he now owns and has had the good judgment
never to sever his allegiance to the basic industries of agriculture
and stock-growing, through the medium of which he is proving him-
self one of the substantial citizens of his native county. His mar-
riage was solemnized in the year 1900, and shortly afterward he
purchased the old homestead farm of two hundred acres, to which
he later added by the purchase of an adjoining tract of forty acres,
in the same township, so that his landed estate now comprises two
hundred and forty acres of as fine land as is to be found in this
section of the state. For his independent career he was fortified
not only by long and practical experience but also by the discipline
which he received in his boyhood and youth while attending the
public schools of his home township. His political support is given
to the Republican party ; he is always ready to give co-operation in
the furtherance of those objects that tend to advance the general
welfare of the community and he has served as school director of
his district for the past twenty years. Both he and his wife are
communicants of the Lutheran church. The attractive home is
known for its cordial hospitality and receives mail service on rural
route No. 1 from the village of St. Olaf. In 1900 Mr. Kurdelmeier
wedded Miss Caroline Ihde, who likewise was born and reared in
Read township and who is a daughter of John and Anna (Thoma)
Ihde, both natives of Iowa and now honored residents of Garna-
villo township, this county, only one of their nine children being
deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Kurdelmeier have five children, whose
names and respective dates of birth are here noted : Charlotte,
April 4, 1901 ; William J., June 21, 1902; Arno G., October 13, 1903;
Cora M. S., June 16, 1905 ; and Roslyn A. M., November 2, 1912.
Charles H. Lange is one of the prominent and successful ex-
ponents of agricultural and live-stock industry in his native town-
ship and county, and his finely improved landed estate of two hun-
dred acres includes the old homestead place on which he was born,
in Section 15, Cox Creek township. Charles Henry Lange was
here born on the 16th of April, 1872, and he is a son of Henry and
Louisa (Zahrndt) Lange, both natives of Germany. Henry Lange
was a child of three years at the time of his parents' immigration
to America and the family home was first established in Indiana,
whence removal was later made to Ohio, where he was reared to
manhood and gained a good common-school education. At the age
of twenty years Henry Lange became a pioneer settler in Clayton
county, Iowa, and through his energy and well ordered endeavors
he reclaimed and improved one of the valuable farm properties of
Cox Creek township. He was one of the well known and highly
240 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
honored pioneer citizens of the county at the time of his death,
which occurred on the 7th of May, 1903, and his venerable widow
still resides in this county, where she is held in affectionate regard
by all who know her. Emma, the eldest of the children, is the wife
of John Marshall and they reside at Gold Bar, Washington ; Will-
iam now resides in the city of Dubuque ; Otto and Ida are deceased ;
Laura is the wife of William Reichart, of Littleport ; Charles H., of
this review, was the next in order of birth ; Hugo resides at DeKalb,
Illinois, and Raymond at Elkader, the judicial center of Clayton
county; Mamie is the wife of Gustav Mentzel, of Cox Creek town-
ship. Charles H. Lange has been from his early youth closely
associated with the work and management of the fine old homestead
farm which he now owns and occupies and which, with its modern
improvements and general air of thrift and prosperity, is consis-
tently to be termed one of the model farms of Clayton county, the
place being devoted to diversified agriculture and to the raising of
good grades of live stock. He profited fully by the advantage af-
forded in the local schools and it is interesting to note that at the
present time he is serving as secretary of the school board of the
district in which he himself acquired his early education, this office
having been held by him since 1912. His political allegiance is
given to the Republican party, and he is affiliated with the Masons,
the Royal Neighbors and the Modern Woodmen of America. His
wife holds membership in the Royal Neighbors and also the Order
of the Eastern Star. They are active communicants of the Lu-
theran church and have a wide circle of friends in their native
county. On the 16th of January, 1901, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Lange to Miss Minnie Ortman, who was born in Volga
township, this county, and who is a daughter of Henry and Sophia
(Musfeldt) Ortman, the former a native of Germany and the latter
of the state of New York. Mr. Ortman was thirteen years of age
when he came with his parents to Clayton county and he was num-
bered among the representative farmers of Volga township for
many years prior to his retirement and removal to the village of
Littleport, where he and his wife now reside, as does also William,
the eldest of their children ; Martha, the second child, is the wife
of John Bock, of Elkader; Mrs. Lange was the next in order of
birth and her twin brother, Louis, is now living on the old home
place ; Ilda is the wife of Elmer Gifford, of Littleport, and at the
parental home in that village remain the three younger children,
George, Karl, and Edna. Mr. and Mrs. Lange have five children,
whose names and respective dates of birth are here indicated:
Luella, January 1, 1902; Ruby and Ruey, twins, May 22, 1905;
Milton, January 26. 1908; and Leland, April 9, 1911.
Fred W. Lange is one of the native sons of Clayton county
who continue to pay loyal allegiance to the county and to mark
their appreciation of its splendid resources and manifold attrac-
tions. Of broad-minded progressiveness, Mr. Lange has demon-
strated his vigorous and resourceful spirit through his active asso-
ciation with agricultural and live-stock industry in his native
county and he holds definite precedence as a grower of fine Jersey
BIOGRAPHICAL 24I
and Guernsey cattle. He takes much satisfaction in being the
owner of the fine old homestead farm of his parents, both of whom
are now deceased and the memories of both of whom are held in
high honor in the county that long represented their home and was
the stage of their earnest and fruitful endeavors. Fred W. Lange
was born in Giard township, this county, on the 21st of September,
1868, and is a son of Adam and Anne (Froelich) Lange, both of
whom were born in Hessen, Germany, and the latter of whom was
a child at the time of her parents' immigration to America, the
family having settled in Clayton county, Iowa, in the early pioneer
days and its name being perpetuated in that of the village of Froe-
lich. Adam Lange was reared and educated in his native land
and as a young man he came to the United States and established
his home in Giard township, Clayton county, Iowa. Here he was
employed at farm work for several years, his services in this
capacity having been given on the farm of Mr. Schneider and
Henry Froelich, both influential pioneer farmers of the county.
He finally purchased the farm of one hundred acres on which his
son Fred W., of this review, now lives, and with augmented pros-
perity he added fifty acres to his landed estate, which he developed
into one of the fine farms of the county. Here he passed the
residue of his life, secure in the high regard of all who knew him
and attended by the gracious prosperity that resulted from his own
honest and effective efforts. His death occurred about the year
1911 and his wife preceded him to eternal rest, both having been
devoted members of the Evangelical Church, in which he served
most effectively as Sunday-school superintendent. He did well
his part in connection with civic and industrial activities in Clayton
county and while he had no ambition for political preferment he
gave staunch support to the cause of the Republican party. Of
the children the firstborn was John, who is deceased; August is a
resident of Portland, Oregon ; Henry maintains his residence at
Rockford, Illinois; Carl is deceased; Fred W., of this sketch, was
the fifth child; Julius resides at Rolfe, Pocahontas county, Iowa;
Elizabeth is deceased; and Amelia is the wife of Harry B. North-
cut, of Sterling, Colorado. Fred W. Lange received not only the
advantages of the public schools of Giard township but also those
of the Palmer Business College, in the city of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Thereafter he was employed for some time as a clerk in the mer-
cantile establishment of Adam Schneider, at Monona, and finally
he engaged in the general merchandise business in the village of
Froelich, where he continued his operations until 1900, when he
sold his stock and business and purchased the old home farm of
his father. He has made various improvements on this fine domain
of one hundred and fifty acres and thrift and prosperity are shown
forth in such a way as to ofifer palpable evidence of his progressive-
ness and good management. Though he gives due attention to
diversified agriculture, he is making a specialty of the raising of
the best type of Jersey and Guernsey cattle and has recognized
precedence in this line of enterprise in his native county. Mr.
Lange is vitally interested in all things tending to advance the
242 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
civic and material welfare of the community, is a Republican in his
political allegiance, and both he and his wife hold membership in
the German Methodist Episcopal church, their attractive home
being a center of generous hospitality. In the year 1900 was sol-
emnized the marriage of Mr. Lange to Miss Lena Albert, who was
born and reared in Giard township, and who is a daughter of
William Albert, a representative farmer of that part of the county.
Mr. and Mrs. Lange have three children — Carl L., Kenneth, and
Wesley.
Albert R. Larson is another of the vigorous and progressive
citizens who are upholding the high prestige of Clayton county as
a center of prosperous enterprise along the lines of agricultural and
live-stock industry, and his well improved farm, comprising one
hundred and forty acres, is eligibly situated in Section 10, Highland
township, in which township he has maintained his home from
the time of his birth, the date of his nativity having been March 3,
1870. He is a son of R. C, and Rachel Larson, both natives of
Norway and both young at the time when their parents came to
America and established their residence in Clayton county, in the
pioneer period of the history of this section of the Hawkeye state.
R. C. Larson was a lad of nine years at the time of the family
immigration to America and during the long intervening years he
has been a resident of Clayton county, where he has achieved
success through his connection with agricultural industry and
where he and his wife still reside on their old homestead farm, in
Highland township, his political support being given to the Repub-
lican party and the abiding religious faith of the family being that
of the Norwegian Lutheran church. The eldest of the children
of this honored pioneer couple is Mary, who is the wife of E. E.
Gunderson, of Highland township ; Christ is now a resident of
North Dakota ; the subject of this sketch is the third child ; Julia
remains at the parental home ; Sophia is the wife of B. O. Paulson,
of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota ; and Henry is a resident of Edger-
ton, Wisconsin. Albert R. Larson continued his effective asso-
ciation with the activities of the home farm until he had gained
the dignity of his legal majority, and in the meanwhile he had
profited fully by the advantages afforded in the public schools.
At the age of twenty-one years he rented the home farm, and after
having there continued his successful operations in an independent
way for a period of five years he purchased his present farm, which
he has made one of the really model places of his native township
and which is the stage of his energetic and successful activities
as an agriculturist and stock-grower. He is a Republican in poli-
tics and both he and his wife hold membership in the Norwegian
Lutheran church. Their pleasant home is a few miles distant from
Elkader, the county seat, and from that place it receives service on
rural mail route No. 3. On the 18th of June, 1896, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Larson to Miss Mary Larson, who was born
and reared in this county, and who is a daughter of Peter and
Carrie (Benson) Larson. Mr. and Mrs. Larson became the
parents of eight children, of whom the last two, died in fancy. The
BIOGRAPHICAL 243
surviving children, all of whom still remain at the parental home
are: Isabel, Philemon, Nella, Glenn, Paul and Laurence.
Chris P. Larson has found in his native township ample op-
portunity for carrying forward of successful activities as an up-to-
date agriculturist and stock-grower, and it is specially pleasing to
record that his well improved farm of one hundred and twenty
acres, in Section 2, Highland township, is the place of his nativity,
his birth having here occurred on the 25th of September, 1876. He
is a son of Peter and Carrie (Benson) Larson, sterling citizens of
whom adequate mention is made pn other pages, in the sketch
dedicated to Edward P. Larson, an elder brother of him whose
name initiates this article. Chris P. Larson felt the urge of intel-
lectual ambition to such a degree as to cause him in his 3'outh to
profit duly by the advantages afforded in the public schools of his
native county, and he has from his boyhood been closely associated
with the work and management of the fine old homestead farm
which he now owns, this property, comprising one hundred and
twenty acres, having been purchased by him in 1911, and his mail
service being received through the medium of rural route No. 3
from Elkader, the county seat. His political support is given to the
cause of the Republican party, his religious faith is that of the
Norwegian Lutheran church, and he is to be designated as one of
the popular bachelors and public-spirited citizens of his native
county, where his circle of friends is limited only by that of his
acquaintances.
Edward P. Larson is a representative of one of the honored
and influential pioneer families of Clayton county and his parents
were numbered among the sterling Scandinavian citizens who set-
tled in this section of the state in the early days and gave splendid
impetus to civic and industrial development and progress, besides
which his father manifested high loyalty to the land of his adoption
by serving as a Union soldier in the Civil war. He whose name
introduces this review is one of the specially progressive and popu-
lar exponents of agricultural and live-stock industry in his native
county and is the owner of a fine landed estate in Highland town-
ship, the village of Elgin being his postoflice address. He was
born in the township that is now his home, and the date of his
nativity was October 27, 1871. He is a son of Peter and Carrie
(Benson) Larson, both of whom were born in Norway. Peter
Larson was reared and educated in his native land and was a young
man when he immigrated to the United States. He was but seven-
teen years of age when, on the 3rd of December, 1863, he enlisted
as a private in Company H, Seventy-fourth Illinois Volunteer In-
fantry, and went forth to aid in the defense of the nation's integ-
rity, his company having been commanded by Captain T. Hulburt.
He served during the remainder of the war and received his honor-
able discharge on the 29th of May, 1865, at Springfield, Illinois.
Within a short time after the close of his service as a valiant
soldier of the Union he returned to Clayton county, Iowa, where
he had lived for a time prior to entering the ranks of the Union
army, and from the modest little farm of eighty acres which he here
244 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
purchased as a youthful veteran he eventually developed a valuable
and well improved landed estate of two hundred and eleven acres,
in Section 3, Highland township. Here he continued his activities
as a successful farmer and loyal and honored citizen until ten
months prior to his death, when he removed to the village of
Gunder, where he passed to the life eternal on the 1st of August,
1910, his cherished and devoted wife having died in November,
1894, and both having been earnest communicants of the Nor-
wegian Lutheran church. They became the parents of six chil-
dren, of whom the eldest is Lars, another of the representative
farmers of Highland township; the subject of this review was the
second child ; Henry is a prosperous agriculturist in Wagner town-
ship; Maggie is the wife of Albert R. Larson of Highland town-
ship ; Christ is one of the substantial farmers of Highland town-
ship; and Belle is deceased. Edward P. Larson in his boyhood and
youth broadened his mental ken by availing himself consistently of
the advantages of the public schools of his native county and simul-
taneously he fortified himself in practical knowledge by lending
his quota of assistance in the work of his father's farm. He re-
mained at the parental home until he had attained to his legal ma-
jority, and he then began an apprenticeship to the blacksmith's
trade, in which he became a competent artisan. For some time he
was engaged in the operation of a drilling machine and a threshing
outfit, and in 1900 he resumed his active and independent associa-
tion with agricultural pursuits. It was at this time that he pur-
chased in his native township a farm of one hundred and forty-
seven acres, and to this excellent property he has since added until
he now has a fine farm of two hundred and thirty-nine and one-half
acres, in Section 3, Highland township. The permanent improve-
ments are of the most approved modern type and include an
attractive brick house of two stories and the best of barns and
other farm buildings. Mr. Larson is not only one of the energetic,
sagacious and progressive representatives of agricultural and live-
stock industry in his native county but is also liberal and public-
spirited as a citizen. He is serving in 1916 as township trustee, a
preferment that indicates the high estimate placed upon him in his
native community, and his political allegiance is given to the Re-
publican party. Both he and his wife are zealous communicants
of the Norwegian Lutheran church at Highland. In May, 1899,
Mr. Larson wedded Mrs. Julia (Thompson) Knutson, widow of
Thomas Knutson, the one child of her first marriage being Lena
B. Knutson. Mr. and Mrs. Larson have five children, and their
names and respective dates of birth are here indicated : Peter,
July 15, 1900; Cora, August 10, 1902; Orvald, September 15, 1905;
Mabel, October 15, 1908; and Elmer G., April 30, 1912.
Charles J. Lembke has special reason to take satisfaction in the.
precedence that is his as one of the representative agriculturists and
stock-raisers of his native county, for he is the owner of the well
improved farm, in Monona township, which figures as the old home-
stead of his parents and as the place of his nativity. He was here
ushered into the world on the 18th of October. 1874, and is the
BIOGRAPHICAL 245
second in order of birth of the three children of Henry and Minnie
(Rice) Lembke, both natives of Germany and both well known
and honored citizens of Clayton county, their home being now in
the village of Monona, where, after having won independence and
prosperity through well ordered endeavor, the father is now living
virtually retired. At the parental home remains Henry, Jr., the
eldest of the three children, and the youngest is Emma, who is the
wife of Charles Klingermann, of Monona. Henry Lembke, Sr.,
was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, on the 3rd of February, 1840,
and was reared and educated in that section of the Fatherland,
where he remained until about the year 1868, when, as an ambitious
young man dependent upon his own resources, he came to the
United States and established his home in Clayton county, Iowa.
After devoting about two years to service for others, as a farm
workman in Farmersburg township, he purchased land in Monona
township and initiated what proved a specially successful career
as an independent agriculturist. He continued his active associa-
tion with the management of his farm until he was nearly seventy
years of age, and since 1907 he has lived in well earned retirement
in the village of Monona, where he owns an attractive residence
property and where he and his wife are surrounded by friends who
are tried and true. Mr. Lembke has given his support to the Demo-
cratic party from the time he became a naturalized citizen of his
adopted land and both he and his wife are zealous communicants
of the German Lutheran church at Monona. Charles J. Lembke is
indebted to the public schools of Monona township for his early
educational discipline and he continued to be associated with his
father in the work of the home farm until he finally rented the
same and assumed entire supervision of its operations. Tn 1907
he purchased this fine old homestead, which comprises one hundred
and twenty acres, and here he stands forth as an exemplar of sci-
entific and progressive enterprise in connection with the fundamen-
tal industries of agriculture and stock-raising. He gives special
attention to the raising of high-grade cattle and the Chester White
type of swine. Though loyal to all civic duties and responsibil-
ities, Mr. Lembke has manifested no ambition for public office
and his political activities have been represented in his loyal sup-
port of the cause of the Democratic party. He is affiliated with
political activities have been represented in his loyal support with
the Brotherhood of American Yeomen and both he and his wife
are communicants of the Lutheran church at Monona. On the
1st of June, 1903, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Lembke to
Miss Minnie Schroeder, who was born at Guttenberg, this county,
on the 11th of June, 1874, and who is a daughter of John and Mary
(Tuecke) Schroeder, who now reside in the village of Monona.
Mr. Schroeder, who is now retired from active life, was born in the
city of Cincinnati, Ohio, and he came with his parents from the
old Buckeye state to gain incidental prestige as a pioneer of Clay-
ton county, Iowa, the family home having been established in the
Guttenberg community. He became one of the prosperous farmers
of Monona township and since his retirement he has maintained his
246 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
home at Monona, as previously noted. He is a Republican in poli-
tics and both he and his wife hold membership in the Lutheran
church. Mrs. Schroeder was born at Guttenberg, this county, and
is a representative of one of the sterling pioneer families of this
section of the State. Mr. and Mrs. Lembke have three children,
and their names and respective dates of birth are here given : Erwin,
April 20, 1904 ; Lorena, November 28, 1906 ; and Verni, August 10,
1909.
Harry W. Lemka, of Cox Creek township, Clayton county, is
the son of Carl and Lena (Dohrer) Lemka. Carl Lemka was born
in Read township, this county, August 20, 1857, and his parents
were Henry and Anna (Penno) Lemka, natives of Clayton county
and of Germany, respectively. Carl was reared in Cox Creek town-
ship and acquired his education in the public schools. Three years
after his marriage he purchased a farm of one hundred acres in
Boardman township, which he has increased to one hundred and
eighty acres. In 1915 he bought a farm of forty-one acres in Cox
Creek township on which he is now living. He is a Democrat in
politics, is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and,
with his wife, is a communicant of the German Lutheran church.
Of their three children, Harry W., whose name heads this sketch,
is the eldest, and lives at home with the parents ; Hilda is the wife
of George Hubbard, who lives on the homestead in Boardman town-
ship, and Raymond remains at the parental home. Harry W.
Lemka is one of the successful young farmers of the county who
takes an interest in all the modern methods of scientific farming
and stock raising. His training has qualified him for the success-
ful pursuit of agriculture and his outlook on life hopeful and highly
encouraging to him and to his friends. He is a Democrat and a
member of the German Lutheran church. His name is still on the
roll of eligible young bachelors of Clayton county.
Albert Lenth is another well known and popular representa-
tive of that sterling German contingent of citizenship which has
wielded potent influence in the social and material development
and upbuilding of Clayton county, and he is one of the substan-
tial farmers of Farmersburg township, where he is the owner of
a well-improved homestead place of one hundred and thirty-one
acres and where, in connection with general agricultural enterprise,
he has given special attention to and been successful in the raising
of the fine Red Polled cattle. Mr. Lenth was born on the farm
of his father in Farmersburg township, this county, and the date
of his nativity was August 22, 1870. He is a son of Carl and Doro-
thea (Schmalfeld) Lenth, both of whom were born and reared in
Germany, whence they came to America and established their
home in Clayton county in the early pioneer days. Here the father
long held precedence as an energetic, enterprising and successful
farmer, with impregnable standing as a loyal and honored citizen,
and he continued to reside on his old homestead farm until his
death, which occurred in December, 1915. He was a zealous com-
municant of the Lutheran church, as is also his widow, who still
remains on the old home place, and of their twelve children seven
THE NKW vi>K,K
PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASrrOB, L£N9X AND
TILUBN rUUNDATlWNS
I L
GEOEGE J. LENTH
BIOGRAPHICAL 247
survive the honored father. Albert Lenth found the period of his
childhood and youth compassed by the conditions and influence
of the home farm and early began to contribute his quota to its
work, the while he made good use of the advantages afforded in
the public schools. He continued to be associated in the manage-
ment of his father's farm until he had attained to the age of twenty
years, when he purchased his present farm, in Section 19, Farmers-
burg township, where he has since continued his well-ordered oper-
ations as an agriculturist and stock-grower, of which important
lines of industrial enterprise he is one of the representative expo-
nents in his native county. He is a stockholder of the Farmers'
Bank at St. Olaf, is a Democrat in his political allegiance and served
four years as school director of his district, this being the only
public office for which he has consented to become a candidate.
With the effective co-operation of his wife, who has proved a true
helpmeet, he has achieved success and independence, and to the
gaining of this end they have put forth their best efforts with
thorough harmony of motive and action. Both are communicants
of the Lutheran church at Farmersburg and in their native county
their circle of friends is limited only by that of their acquaintances.
In the year 1896 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Lenth to
Miss Louise Gottschalk, who was born and reared in Reed town-
ship, this county, her parents being sterling pioneer citizens of that
township, where they still reside on their old homestead farm.
Mrs. Lenth is a daughter of William and Wilhelmina (Crepeline)
Gottschalk, both of whom were born and reared in Germany, their
home having been established in Clayton county within a short
time after their immigration to the United States. Mr. and Mrs.
Lenth have ten children, namely: Wesley, Harold, Mabel, Milton,
Leona, Roy, Lucy, Aaron, Alva, and Rosina.
George Lenth, a successful and prominent business man of El-
kader, Iowa, was born March 17, 1875. He is of German parentage,
his father, Joachim, having been born in Mecklenburg, Germany,
and the mother was a native of the historic Rhine region. Joachim
Lenth was a prosperous farmer of Clayton county, who died July
3, 1913, but his wife still lives and conducts the home farm. To
their union were born eight children : Bertha, who is the wife of
W. M. Grube, of South Dakota ; Emma, married to J. K. Rupp,
and living in Monona, Iowa; William C., of Evanston, Illinois;
Charles, died in India as missionary; Henry F., who is a farmer at
Riceville, Iowa ; George, with whom this sketch is concerned ; Louis
C, who is a feed merchant in Elkader; and Ella, who is the wife
of Charles Harbrichter, of Monona, Iowa. George Lenth remained
on the home farm until he was twenty-one years of age, then
started out to make his own way in the world by first working
on neighboring farms for a period of three years, after which he
gave up agricultural pursuits and started upon his busy and varied
career as a business man by entering the employ of a livery firm
for one year, then buying a half interest in the firm. Continuing
in this occupation a term of three years, having enlarged it by the
purchase of a dray and bus line and by the addition of a coal and
248 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
fuel business, he finally disposed of his interests in everything ex-
cept the coal and ice business. In 1913 he widened his field of
activities by opening a music store, the only one of its kind ii^
Elkader. This business has grown so rapidly and to such large
proportions that in 1915 he disposed of his ice, feed and coal interests
in order to devote his time entirely to his music business. To the
latter he added the sale of Edison Diamond Disc phonographs,
of which in less than two years he sold a car load. On November
15, 1897, he married Ella Schock, a native of Elkader, and they
have one child, Lawrence, born in July 1904. Mr. Lenth's great
and absorbing business affairs have precluded any active partic-
ipation in political work, but he is a loyal member of the Republican
party. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and to the Order
of Eastern Star, and is affiliated with the Congregational church.
John Lenth has maintained his residence in Clayton county
for nearly half a century, has been an energetic, discriminating
and successful exponent of agricultural industry and still gives his
personal supervision to the operations of his fine homestead farm
in Farmersburg township, where his sterling integrity and his
worthy achievement have marked him as fully entitled to the es-
teem in which he is uniformly held. Mr. Lenth was born in Meck-
lenberg, Germany, on the 27th of May, 1851, and is a son of Chris-
tian and Mary Lenth, who there passed their entire lives and of
whose twelve children eight are still living. He whose name in-
troduces this review was reared in his native land, where his early
educational advantages were those offered in the excellent national
schools, and in November, 1869, when eighteen years of age, he
severed the ties that bound him to home and fatherland and set
forth to seek his fortunes in the United States. Within a short
time after his arrival in the land of his adoption he came to Clay-
ton county and obtained work on a farm in Farmersburg township.
Industrial and frugal, he carefully saved his earnings and pressed
forward to the goal of independence and successful individual ac-
complishment. The years have brought to him gracious rewards,
and he has long been known as one of the substantial farmers of
Farmersburg township. He made improvements on the farm which
he purchased in his youth and there continued operations until
1903, when he sold the old homestead to his son, Alfred F., and
purchased his present fine landed estate, which comprises two hun-
dred and forty-two and one-half acres, of which forty acres are
timbered land, his place being under a high state of cultivation,
being eligibly situated in Section 3, Farmersburg township, and
being one of the model farms of the county, with thrift and pros-
perity in evidence on every hand. Mr. Lenth has shown his sense
of stewardship by the hearty interest he has taken in all things
pertaining to the communal welfare and while never a seeker of
official preferment, he is now giving most efficient and loyal serv-
ice as treasurer of his school district. Both he and his wife are
earnest communicants of the Lutheran church, in the faith of which
they were reared. On October 6th in the year 1882 Mr. Lenth mar-
ried Miss Lena Rohde, who likewise was born in Germany, one
BIOGRAPHICAL 249
of the seven children of Christian and Minnie (Lehmenn) Rohde,
who came to the United States in 1874 and established their home
in Clayton county, where they passed the remainder of their lives.
Mr. and Mrs. Lenth became the parents of seven children, all of
whom are living except one : Alfred F. and Arnold are successful
farmers of the younger generation in their native county ; Elmer
J. is associated with his father in the operations of the home farm ;
Hilma and Olga E. likewise remain at the parental home ; Leona
E. died at the age of about seventeen years ; and Clara M. is a
student in the college of Waverly, Bremer county, at the time of
this writing, in 1916.
John P. Lenth is another popular representative of that fine
German element of citizenship that has been prominently and
worthily concerned with the civic and industrial development and
upbuilding of Clayton county, where he is a scion of the second
generation of an honored pioneer family that was here founded
fully seventy years ago. He is now one of the representative
farmers of Farmersburg township and is a native son of Clayton
county who is specially entitled to recognition in this history. Mr.
Lenth was born in Garnavillo township, this county, on the 11th of
November, 1860, and his parents, John and Annie Lenth, were
both born and reared in Germany, though their marriage was
solemnized after they had become residents of the United States.
John Lenth was born and reared in Mechlenburg, Germany,
whence he immigated to America about the year 1845. Soon
after his arrival in the land of his adoption he came to Clayton
county and established his residence in Garnavillo township. For
several years he was employed as a farm hand and finally he
purchased a farm near St. Olaf, in Farmersburg township, where
he achieved substantial success through his earnest and energetic
operations as an agriculturist and where both he and his wife
passed the remainder of their lives, secure in the esteem of all who
knew them and both were devout communicants of the Lutheran
church. Of the five surviving children the subject of this review
is the eldest ; Joseph W., Frank and August are prosperous farmers
of Monona township, and Herman has similar precedence in
Farmersburg township. John P. Lenth was reared on his father's
farm and gained his early education in the schools of Farmersburg
township. His independent career was initiated by his onding
employment at farm work, and his ambition led him to make good
use of his opportunities and the rewards of his labors. In 1886,
as a young man of twenty-five years, he purchased one hundred
and seventy-one acres of land in Farmersburg township, and to
the same he later added an adjoining tract of eighty acres, so that
he now has a valuable landed domain of two hundred and fifty-one
acres. Within the thirty years of his independent operations as an
agriculturist and stock-grower Mr. Lenth has been indefatigable in
his industry, circumspect and progressive in his policies, and has
gained prestige as one of the prosperous and enterprising farmers
and public-spirited citizens of his native county. He is a stock-
holder and director of the Luana Savings Bank, is a staunch sup-
250 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
porter of the cause of the Democratic party, has served effectively
in the ofifice of township trustee and as a member of the school
board, and both he and his wife are zealous communicants of
the Lutheran church at Luana, which is their postofifice address.
On the 14th of December, 1887, was solemnized the marriage of
Mr, Lenth to Miss Dora Harnack, who was born in Garnavillo
township, this county, on the 31st of October, 1862, a daughter of
Joseph and Dora (Hahn) Harnack, who were born and reared in
Mecklenburg, Germany, and who became residents of Clayton
county, Iowa, about the year 1855. The father became one of the
substantial pioneer farmers of the county and was a resident on
his farm in Garnavillo township until the time of his death, his
widow being now a resident of the village of Monona. Mr. and
Mrs. Lenth have a fine family of eleven children : Ella is the wife
of Benjamin Jarms, of Monona township, and they have two chil-
dren, Edna and Myron ; Hilda is the wife of Hubert Miller, of
Monona township, and they have one child, Helen ; Gustav is a
successful farmer in Wagner township, is married and has one
son, Harvey ; John A. is identified with agricultural pursuits in
Wagner township, and the other children remain at the parental
home, namely, Wilber, Elmer, Ernest, Hubert, Louis, Esther and
Nora.
Joseph T. Leonard, a successful business man of Elkader,
Iowa, was born in New York City May 17, 1870. He is the son
of John and Sarah (Holan) Leonard, both natives of the Emerald
Isle, the former of County Dublin, born in 1831, and the latter of
County Meath, born in 1836. John Leonard came to America with
his parents Richard and Julia (Dunn) Leonard in 1842, where they
located in Fall River, Massachusetts, remaining until 1855 ; they
then went to Clayton county, Iowa, where the father engaged in
farming until his death in 1858, his wife dying two years later.
When John Leonard, the father of our subject, was seventeen years
of age, he started out to make his own place in the world by learn-
ing the machinists' trade, after which he went to New York City
and was in the employ of the Singer Sewing Machine Company,
working in the shops of that concern for twenty-five years. In
1875 he turned his back on city life, and came west to a farm in
Clayton county, Iowa, engaging in agriculture until his death. He
and his wife were the parents of ten children : William H., who
died December, 1915 ; Richard, who resides on a farm near Elkader;
Alice, married to A. Ballbright ; Sarah, the wife of Louis Meder,
of Oklahoma ; Charles, of Fargo, North Dakota ; Joseph, with whom
this sketch deals particularly ; and Fred, a farmer of Clayton
county. Joseph assisted in the management of his father's farm
of five hundred acres until he was thirty-one years old, but after
his marriage, at this time, he bought a farm of one hundred acres
for himself, conducting a creamery business in connection with it.
This grew so rapidly and to such large proportions that he was
obliged to go to Elkader, where he could obtain better facilities
for the handling of his cream. His business now amounts to the
gratifying sum of three thousand two hundred dollars a year, and
BIOGRAPHICAL 25 1
is conducted under the name of Crown Brand Creamery. During
the course of a year they handle two hundred and thirty-seven
thousand six hundred and fifty-eight pounds of cream, hfty-five
thousand nine hundred and sixty pounds of poultry, and forty-three
thousand seven hundred and forty-seven dozen eggs. He also
conducts a large ice cream business, shipping over five thousand
gallons a year, and his reputation as an ice cream manufacturer is
such that he has received a splendid oflfer from one of Iowa's col-
leges as instructor, which offer, on account of his large business
affairs, he was forced to decline. Mr. Leonard is an open-minded
man in his political convictions and therefore belongs to the Inde-
pendent party. He was married February 6, 1901, to Anna Walker,
a daughter of Henry Walker and Mary Ellen (Kiefer) Walker,
both of whom are old and highly respected residents of Mederville
and who have both been connected with the early history of Clay-
ton county. Mr. and Mrs. Leonard are the proud parents of two
children, Florence, 13 years, and Clarence, 7 years of age.
Laurence L. Linder is effectively proving his progressiveness
and facility as one of the representative business men of the younger
generation in the vital little city of Volga, where he was for a
time associated with Edward Gleason in the ownership and conduct
of a well-equipped hardware store. He was born in Volga town-
ship, this county, on the 26th of August, 1891, and is a son of
George Theodore and Amelia Matilda (Younkman) Linder, the
former of whom was born and reared in this county, a representa-
tive of a sterling pioneer family, and the latter of whom was born
in the state of Pennsylvania. Of their three children the first, Ada,
died in infancy ; Lawrence L., of this review, was the second ; and
the youngest is Dola, who remains with his parents on the home-
stead farm. Laurence L. Linder continued his studies in the pub-
lic schools until he had completed the curriculum of the Volga
high school, in which he was graduated as a member of the class
of 1908. Thereafter he continued his association with the work
and management of his father's farm until 1913, when he purchased
an interest in the Shales hardware establishment at Volga. Subse-
quently Shales sold to Gleason and on April 26. 1916, the latter
sold out his interest to Mr. Linder and he has since continued a
vigorous and popular factor in the direction of the substantial and
prosperous enterprise. His political proclivities are indicated by
his alignment with the Democratic party. His wife is a member
of the Catholic church at Volga. On the 20th of September, 1914,
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Linder to Miss May Cecelia
Quinn, and they have a fine little son, Laurence Leroy, who was
born May 4, 1915.
George F. Lindroth. — That community, no matter how incon-
spicuous, that can not claim provisions in the line of garage and
general automobile facilities may consistently be said to fall below
the standard set for the present day, and it is thus pleasing to note
that in the village of Luana, Clayton county, the best of service
is given in the well equipped garage conducted by Mr. Lindroth,
who is one of the popular and energetic business men of the
252 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
younger generation in his native county. He was born in Reed
township, this county, on the 7th of April, 1877, and is a son of
Fred and Mary (Bueder) Lindroth, both of whom were born and
reared in Germany, where their marriage was solemnized and
where the father served a thorough apprenticeship to the trade
of stone-cutter, in which he became a skilled artisan. About the
year 1868 Fred Lindroth and his wife immigrated to America and
established their home in the city of Buffalo, New York, where he
engaged in the work of his trade. In 1872 this sterling citizen
established his residence in Read township, Clayton county, where
he was engaged in the work of his trade for a time. He finally
purchased a farm near Elkader, the county seat, and there he con-
tinued his successful activities as an agriculturist and stock-grower
until his death, his wife also having remained on the old homestead
until her death and both having been devout communicants of the
German Lutheran Church, while the political allegiance of Mr.
Lindroth was given to the Democratic party. He and his wife
were earnest, industrious and worthy citizens who made their lives
count for good in every relation and who held the unqualified
esteem of all who knew them. Their eldest child, Charles, is now
a resident of Hartford, South Dakota; Elizabeth is deceased; Fred
likewise is a resident of Hartford, South Dakota; William main-
tains his home at Guttenberg, Clayton county ; Frank is a resident
of Luana, this county; George F., of this review, was the sixth
child; and Lena is the wife of Henry Holtz, of Guttenberg, this
county. To the public schools of his native county George F.
Lindroth is indebted for his early educational training, and after
leaving the home farm he was employed at farm work for others
until, at the age of twenty-one years, he purchased a farm of his
own, in Monona township. He proved an ambitious and enterpris-
ing agriculturist and stock-grower and was not denied a due meas-
ure of success in connection with his energetic and well ordered
operations as a farmer. He remained on his farm until 1913, when
he established his home in the village of Luana, where he has
since been successfully engaged in the conducting of a garage and
general automobile business, in which his valued coadjutor and
partner is Fred C. Schultz, of whom individual mention is made
on other pages of this work. The firm have the local agency for
the well known Studebaker and Chevrolet automobiles, have a well
equipped repair shop, and own the substantial garage buildmg
Avhich they erected for the purpose and which is thirty by sixty feet
in dimensions, the establishment giving employment to three
assistants. Mr. Lindroth is president of the Luana Town Hall
Company, served one term as president and general manager of
the Farmers Telephone Company, and during an incumbency of
four years he was a loyal and progressive member of the village
council of Luana, besides which he held for two terms the position
of constable. His political convictions are indicated by the stal-
wart support which he gives to the Democratic party, and both he
and his wife hold to the religious faith in which they were reared —
that of the German Lutheran Church. On the 20th of September,
BIOGRAPHICAL 253
1898, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Lindroth to Miss Louisa
Heins, who was born in Read township, this county, on the 28th
of December, 1874, and whose educational advantages were those
afforded in the public schools of Luana. She is a daughter of
Henry and Fredericka (Kuss) Heins, who were born in Germany.
Mr. Heins came to Clayton county in 1861 and found employment
in and about Garnavillo. In 1867 he went to California, but five
years later he returned to Clayton county, where for many years he
was one of the active and successful exponents of agricultural in-
dustry in Read township. Since leaving his farm he has lived
retired in the village of Luana, his devoted wife having passed
away on the 18th of March, 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Lindroth became
the parents of three children, of whom the first two, Rosina and
Rodena, are deceased. The only son, Arnold, is still attending
school.
David P. Lowe.^ — Though he claims the Badger state as the
place of his nativity, David P. Lowe has been a resident of Clayton
county since he was a child of three years and during the long
intervening period of nearly three score years and ten he has re-
sided continuously on the old homestead farm, in Section 4, Sperry
township, where his honored parents established themselves upon
coming from Wisconsin to this county in the year 1847. The father
was numbered among the very early settlers of Sperry township,
where he reclaimed a farm from what was virtually a wilderness
and where it was within his privilege and ambition to contribute
generously and effectively to the social and material development
and upbuilding of the county. He whose name initiates this re-
view has long been one of the representative agriculturists of the
township in which he was reared from childhood and in which
he has been active and influential in community affairs continuously
save for the period of his absence from home when serving as a
soldier of the Union in the Civil war. Righteousness and resolute
purpose have characterized his entire career, and now that the
shadows of his earnest life begin to lengthen from the golden west
he rests secure in the high regard of all who know him and com-
passed by the conditions that make for peace, prosperity and gra-
cious contentment. Mr. Lowe was born in Rock county, Wiscon-
sin, on the 10th of March, 1844, and is now the only living member
of a family of nine children born to James M. and Betsy Elizabeth
(Bates) Lowe, both of whom were born and reared in Pennsylvania,
where they maintained their home until their removal to Rock
county, Wisconsin. In the latter state they remained until 1847,
when they came to Clayton county and established their home on a
pioneer farm of one hundred and sixty acres of government land,
the same being an integral part of the finely improved landed es-
tate now owned by their only surviving child, the subject of this
review. The father remained on this home place until his death,
which was one of tragic order, as he was killed by injuries received
when the team which he was driving ran away. He was about
75 years of age at the time of his death, which occurred December
3, 1878, his loved and devoted wife having been summoned to eter-
254 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
nal rest on the 14th of August of the preceding year. They were
kindly, earnest and sincere folk who placed true valuations on men
and conditions and whose lives were replete in good works and
gracious deeds. They were devout members of the Methodist
Episcopal church and assisted in the organization of the first church
in Sperry township, the father having likewise been the earnest
founder of the first Sunday school in that township. Both he and
his wife did all in their power to foster the causes of religion and
education and to further high civic ideals in general. Mary, the
eldest of their children, was born in 1830 and died young. All of
the other children are now deceased with the exception of the
subject of this review, who was the next to the youngest, and the
names and respective dates of birth of the others are here consist-
ently recorded: Sarah, July 24, 1832; John W., April 30, 1834;
Emily, June 24, 1836; Elizabeth, January 30, 1838; James, Sep-
tember 16, 1841 ; Eliza Ann, January 16, 1843 ; Marilla, September
18, 1846. David P. Lowe was reared to manhood under the sturdy
and benignant influences of the pioneer farm, to the work of which
he early began to contribute his effective aid. He thus followed
the even tenor of his way until his patriotism prompted him to
tender his services in defense of the Union when the nation was
plunged in the vortex of civil war. On the 11th of May, 1864,
when twenty years of age, he enlisted as a private in Company A,
Forty-seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, J. L. McCormick having
been captain of the company. The regiment saw service princi-
pally in the states of Arkansas and Tennessee and Mr. Lowe was
not called upon to participate in any of the greater battles marking
the closing period of the great fratracidal conflict. He received his
honorable discharge at Davenport, this state, on the 28th of Septem-
ber, 1864, and then resumed his association with the work and man-
agement of his father's farm. He has never abated his interest in his
old comrades and indicates this by his active affiliation with the
Grand Army of the Republic. His landed estate now comprises
two hundred acres and constitutes one of the splendidly improved
and valuable farms of Sperry township, one hundred and sixty acres
of the tract being the old home place of Mr. Lowe's parents. Ap-
preciative of the policies and cause for which the Republican party
virtually stood sponsor during the climacteric period of the Civil
war, Mr. Lowe became affiliated therewith in his young manhood
and has never since wavered in his allegiance. He has not sought
public office of any kind but has serv^ed most effectively as town-
ship trustee, a position to which he was called by the importunities
and votes of his fellow citizens. He holds membership in the
Brotherhood of American Yeomen and he and his wife are zealous
members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Volga, which vil-
lage represents their postoffice address. On the 12th of December,
1866, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Lowe to Miss Elizabeth
Ann Dempster, who was born in Wayne county, Michigan, and
who is a daughter of John and Margaret (Templeton) Dempster
and who came to Iowa about 1852, establishing their home on a
pioneer farm in Fayette county, where they passed the remainder
i'U^lC LiiiKAKY
^»ro«, LtNM AND
TILDm TOUNDAT1UN8
HENRY LUEHSEX
BIOGRAPHICAL 255
of their lives and where their daughter, Elizabeth Ann, wife of
the subject of this review, was reared and educated. The parents
were natives of Scotland, the father having been eighty-six years
of age at the time of his death, and the mother having passed away
December 31, 1907, at the age of 97 years. They became the par-
ents of thirteen children, of whom the eldest is Margaret, who is
the widow of Oscar Finch and who resides at Augusta, Wisconsin;
William and Thomas are deceased, as are also the next two chil-
dren, James and Anable ; John is a resident of South Dakota ;
Mary is the widow of George A. Smith and resides in Missouri;
Mrs. Lowe, wife of the subject of this sketch, was the next in order
of birth ; Jane resides at Volga, this county, and is the wife of
James Bissell ; Lavinia, David, Susanna and Luana are deceased,
the last two mentioned having been twins. To Mr. and Mrs. Lowe
have been born five children, concerning whom brief record is
here given : Margaret, who was born July 24, 1867, is the wife of
Albert Boleyn, of whom individual mention is made on other pages
of this volume ; Susanna, who was born December 7, 1869, died on
the 17th of the following February; Daniel E., who was born Sep-
tember 24, 1871, remains at the parental home; Harry S. was born
January 18, 1877, and died on the 4th of January of the following
year, and Clarence E., who was born February 22, 1884, passed
away on the 24th of July, 1886.
Henry Luehsen has been a resident of Clayton county since
his early childhood, is a representative of one of the honored pio-
neer families of the county and has achieved definite prominence
and influence as one of the leading business men and progressive
citizens of the thriving village of Garnavillo, where he has been
established in the furniture and undertaking business for more
than thirty years and where he has served seventeen years as post-
master, an office of which he is the present efficient and valued
incumbent. Mr, Luehsen was born in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio,
on the 14th of June, 1861, and is a son of Henry and Margareta
(Luers) Luehsen, both natives of Germany, where the former was
born on the 11th of December, 1823, and the latter on the 5th of
October, 1818. In his native land Henry Luehsen, Sr., learned the
tailor's trade, to which he there devoted his attention until 1850,
when he immigrated with his wife to the United States and estab-
lished his residence in the city of Cincinnati. He continued his
residence in Ohio until 1864, when removal was made to Clayton
county, Iowa, where he became one of the early settlers in the vil-
lage of Garnavillo and where he successfully continued in the mer-
chant tailoring business for many years, his death having here
occurred in 1903, shortly prior to his eightieth birthday anniver-
sary, and the wife of his young manhood having here been sum-
moned to eternal rest on the 8th of April. 1876. both having: been
devout communicants of the Lutheran church and his political alle-
giance having been given to the Republican party. Of the three
children the first-born was Herman, who died in childhood,
prior to the family immigration to America ; Dora was born in
Cincinnati, Ohio, and she was a resident of National, Clayton
256 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
county, Iowa, at the time of her death. She married John Schier-
holtz. He whose name initiates this review was about three years
of age at the time of the family removal to Iowa, and he was reared
to manhood in Clayton county, where he duly availed himself of
the advantages of the public schools and where he has won marked
prestige and prosperity as a man of energy, mature judgment and
much progressiveness. He has been for thirty-two years (1916)
engaged in the furniture and undertaking business at Garnavillo
and is essentially one of the honored and representative citizens
of this place. Mr. Luehsen has been influential in public affairs of
a local order and has shown a lively interest in all things pertaining
to the civic and material welfare of his home county, besides which
he has been an active and influential factor in the Clayton county
councils of the Republican party. As previously noted, he has
given seventeen years of efficient service in the office of postmaster
of the village, and for twelve years he was secretary of the Clay-
ton County Fair Association. Both he and his wife are earnest
communicants of the Lutheran Church, and he is affiliated with
the local lodge of the Woodmen. On the 14th of February, 1885,
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Luehsen to Miss Mary Ihde,
who was born in this nounty on the 6th of September, 1863, her
parents having been sterling pioneers of the county, where they
continued to maintain their home until their death. Marvin H.,
the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Luehsen, was born on the 25th of
May, 1886, and the supreme loss and bereavement in their married
life came when this devoted son was called to eternal rest, he having
been a resident of Garnavillo at the time of his death, which oc-
curred on the 27th of January, 1915.
Calvin P. Luther has the distinction of being postmaster of
his native village of Guttenberg, a position to which he was ap-
pointed in February, 1916, and prior to assuming this incumbency
he had made an excellent record of service in other public positions
of responsibility. He was born at Guttenberg, Clayton county, on
the 11th of April, 1865, and is a son of John and Julia (Goodrich)
Luther, the former of whom was born and reared in Switzerland
and the latter of whom was born in the state of New York. John
Luther immigrated to the United States in 1848 and soon after-
ward came to Iowa and established his residence at Dubuque.
Within a short time thereafter he came to Clayton county and be-
came one of the pioneer settlers of the fine German colony formed
at Guttenberg. Here he established a blacksmith shop, and as a
skilled artisan he continued in the work of his trade for many years,
a sturdy, upright and sagacious citizen v.^ho made for himself a
place of prominence and influence in community afifairs. He is now
venerable in years and is living retired in the village that has long
been his home and in the development and upbuilding of which he
has aided in generous measure. He is a Democrat in his political
faith and adherency, has served as a member of the board of super-
visors, as a member of the village council and as mayor of Gutten-
berg. He is affiliated with the local lodge of the Ancient Free &
Accepted Masons and he is still a vital and influential figure in
BIOGRAPHICAL 257
the community life, with secure place in the confidence and good
will of his fellow men. His cherished and devoted wife passed
to the life eternal a number of years ago, and of their children
the subject of this sketch, Calvin P., is the eldest; Mary is the
wife of George Kreglow, of Foley, Minnesota ; Ella is the wife of
John Stoeffler, of Seattle, Washington ; John E. is a resident of the
city of Spokane, Washington; Bertha E. is the wife of William
Wilson, of St. Louis, Missouri ; William, the youngest of the chil-
dren, likewise resides in St. Louis. After profiting fully by the
advantages aflforded in the public schools of Guttenberg, Calvin P.
Luther entered upon a practical apprenticeship to the blacksmith
trade, under the able and punctilious direction of his father, and
he continued his active association with the operations of his father's
shop for a period of about fifteen years. In the meanwhile he had
so ordered his course as to retain the unequivocal confidence and
good will of the people of his native place, and thus he was dis-
tinctly eligible when he was chosen the incumbent of the office of
city marshal, in which position he continued his effective adminis-
tration during the protracted period of ten years. Thereafter he
served three years as deputy state game warden, and in February,
1916, there came to him still higher official preferment, in his ap-
pointment to the position of postmaster, in which he is giving a
most efficient and satisfactory administration. Mr. Luther has
further honored his native city by former service as a member of
its municipal council and by equally effective work during his in-
cumbency of the office of justice of the peace and county constable.
He has been vigorous and influential in the local councils of the
Democratic party, in behalf of whose cause he has given yeoman
service. He is affiliated with the time-honored Masonic fraternity
and also with the local organization of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. When a young man of twenty-one years Mr. Luther
wedded Miss Ruth Morlend. daughter of the late Jacob Morlend,
of Colesburg, Delaware county, and she passed to the life eternal
after but three years of wedded life, her only child, Getsie, having
been accidentally burned to death at the age of eighteen years. In
1886 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Luther to Miss Annie
Stoefifler, who was born and reared at Guttenberg, where she was
aflforded the excellent advantages of the Catholic parochial schools!
She is a daughter of Frank and Annie Marie (Gerner) Stoeffler,
who still reside at Guttenberg and both of whom are earnest com-
municants of the Catholic church. Mr. Stoeffler was born in Ger-
many and was a youth when he came with his parents to America
and settled at Guttenberg, where he became associated with his
father in the operation of a lime kiln. Several years later he en-
gaged in farming, to which line of enterprise he gave his active
attention for many years. He is now living practically retired and
is one of the highly esteemed citizens of the county, his political
support being given to the Democratic party. Mr. and Mrs. Luther
have a fine family of twelve children, whose names are here entered
in the respective order of birth : Frank, Bertha, Harold, Jodina,
Leroy, Lillian. Reuben, Evelyn, Raymond, Margaret, Bernice, and
258 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Anthony. Frank is engaged as a barber at Guttenberg; Bertha is
the wife of Veral Smith, of Cook, Minnesota; and all of the other
children remain at the parental home.
Emil C. Maier owns and resides upon the fine old homestead
farm which figures as the place of his nativity and which is eligibly
situated in section 19, Volga township. He has proved specially
progressive and resourceful in his independent operations as an
agriculturist and practical dairy farmer and he is one of the popu-
lar and influential citizens of his native township, with an abiding
loyalty to the county that has represented his home from the time
of his birth. Emil Charles Maier was born on his present home-
stead farm, on the 21st of November, 1870, and is a son of Jacob
and Mary (Lundt) Maier, both of whom were born in Germany
and both of whom are honored pioneer citizens of this county, the
father having celebrated in 1916 his eighty-third birthday anniver-
sary. Of the children the eldest is Frederick, who is now a resident
of Wadena, Fayette county ; Anna is the wife of John Stoecker, of
Charles City, Floyd county; Emil C, of this review, was the next
in order of birth ; Mary is deceased, and Alvina and Lucy reside
at Rockford, Floyd county. Emil C. Maier was reared to the
sturdy discipline of the home farm and in the meanwhile made
good use of the advantages afforded in the excellent public schools
of his native county. At the age of thirty-two years he rented the
home farm from his father, and eleven years later he purchased the
property, which comprises one hundred and forty-eight acres of
fertile land, equipped with good improvements of a permanent
order and maintained as one of the really model farms of this sec-
tion of the state. Mr. Maier carries forward with energy and dis-
crimination his operations along the line of diversified agriculture
and is making the dairy department of his farm enterprise one of
important and profitable order. His political allegiance is given to
the Democratic party, and he served six years as a member of the
school board of his district. He is secretary and treasurer of the
Volga Valley Telephone Company, which gives to its numerous
subscribers the best of service, and both he and his wife are earnest
communicants of the German Lutheran church at Littleport, in
which he serves as usher. In the year 1902 was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Maier to Miss Anna Schaub, who likewise was
born and reared in this county and who is a daughter of Traugott
and Mannie (Nielbecker) Schaub. Mr. and Mrs. Maier have eight
children, namely: Alma, Viola, Pearl, lona, Florence, Marvin,
Verda and Grace. All of the children remain members of the
parental home circle, and this attractive family home is known for
its gracious and unostentatious hospitality.
John A. Maiers is a representative in Clayton county of a line
of enterprise that has most important bearing upon the material
and civic welfare of the community, as he is successfully estab-
lished in the real estate business in the village of Monona, in which
his operations have grown to wide scope, involving dealing not
only in village and farm realty in this part of Iowa, but also in
farm lands in both Minnesota and North and South Dakota. He
BIOGRAPHICAL > 259
is a man of circumspection and progressiveness, and his reputation
for fair and straightforward dealing in all transactions constitutes
a business asset of indubitable value. Mr. Maiers was born in
Dubuque county, Iowa, on the 4th of October, 1876, and is a son of
John N. and Mary (Ries) Maiers, both natives of Germany and
both young at the time of the immigration of the respective fami-
lies to America. John N. Maiers was a boy when he came with his
parents from the Fatherland to the United States, and his father
became a pioneer settler in Dubuque county, Iowa, his parents
there passing the remainder of their lives in close association with
the basic industry of agriculture. John N. was reared to manhood
on the pioneer farm, received the advantages of the common schools
of the locality and period, and he has continued to the present time
his residence in Dubuque county, where he is a substantial farmer
and a representative citizen of his home community. His political
allegiance is given to the Democratic party and he served for years
as township trustee, besides being otherwise influential in public
affairs of a local order. Both he and his wife are earnest commu-
nicants of the Catholic Church. Of the children, John A., of this
review, is the eldest ; Nicholas V. is a successful representative of
agricultural enterprise in Dubuque county ; Anna is the wife of
John V. Kluesner, of that county; Frank D. likewise remains in
his native county; Michael M. is a resident of Tracy, Minnesota;
Emil maintains his home at Luxemburg, Dubuque county, Iowa ;
Mathew remains at the parental home; and Benjamin died in child-
hood. John A. Maiers gained his preliminary education in the
public schools of his native county, and thereafter he pursued a
higher academic course in St. Joseph's College, in the city of Du-
buque, where also he attended Bayless Business College, in which
he was graduated in 1898. He was graduated in pharmacy in the
college at Highland Park, a suburb of the city of Des Moines, as a
member of the class of 1901, and for ten years thereafter he was
successfully engaged in the drug business at Monona, Clayton
county. He then turned his attention to the real estate business,
in which his success has been of unequivocal order and in which
he now holds prestige as one of the leading exponents of this im-
portant line of enterprise in Clayton county. He has a large busi-
ness of most substantial order, and his real estate operations touch
Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Mr. Maiers is progressive and loyal in his civic attitude as well as
in his business affairs, and takes a lively interest in all things per-
taining to the welfare of his home community and native State.
He has served as treasurer and also village clerk of Monona, and
is aligned as an unwavering supporter of the cause of the Demo-
cratic party. He and his wife are zealous communicants of the
Catholic Church and he is affiliated with the local organizations of
the Knights of Columbus, the Modern Woodmen of America, and
the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. On the 21st of January,
1902, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Maiers to Miss Ida
Walsh, who was born and reared in Clayton county and who is a
daughter of Andrew and Frances Walsh, well known citizens of
26o MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Monona township. Mr. and Mrs. Maiers have three children —
Alberta, Marcella, and Mary Frances.
Horace A. Mallory. — It has been within the powers and ambi-
tion of Horace Allen Mallory to gain and maintain secure place
as one of the representative agriculturists and stock-growers of
Clayton county, and special interest attaches to his career by
reason of his being a scion of one of the early pioneer families of
this section of the Hawkeye state. Though the most of his life
thus far has been passed in Clayton county, he was born at Coles-
burg, Delaware county, this state, and the date of his nativity was
February 13, 1865. He is a son of Augustus H. and Rose (Knee)
Mallory, the former of whom was born in Genesee county. New
York, and the latter in Blair county, Pennsylvania. Augustus H.
Mallory was a lad of thirteen years when he came with his parents
to Iowa, in 1839, and the family home was established in what is
now Section 33 of Mallory township, Clayton county, a township
that was named in honor of this well known pioneer family.
Augustus H. Mallory gained ample experience in connection with
the arduous labors incidental to reclaiming a frontier farm, and
later he learned the blacksmith's trade, as an expert workman at
which he conducted a successful business at Colesburg, Delaware
county, for several years. After his retirement from this business
he became the owner of one of the extensive farms of Clayton
county, and he continued his residence on this old homestead until
his death, which occurred at an advanced age. His widow long
survived him and was summoned to eternal rest on the 18th of
February, 1916, venerable in years and held in high regard by all
who had come within the compass of her gracious influence.
Augustus H. Mallory was a man of sturdy independence, was well
fortified in his convictions and was a staunch supporter of the
cause of the Republican party. In a fraternal way he was for many
years in active affiliation with the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows. Of the children the first born was William, deceased;
Samuel G. remains on the old homestead farm he and his only surviv-
ing brother, Horace A., of this review, having purchased the entire
landed property that had been accumulated by their father; Cath-
erine is the wife of John Palmer, of Mallory township ; Horace A.
was the fourth child; Alta Mae is the wife of Reuben Smith, of
Elk township ; Lettie is the wife of Harry Brown, of Elk township ;
and Bess is the wife of Walter A. Lee, of Britt, this state. Horace
Allen Mallory acquired his youthful education in the district
schools of Mallory township and remained at the parental home as
an active associate in the work of the farm until his father retired,
when he and his brother Samuel G. rented the homestead, into the
ownership of which they came by the purchase of the interests of
the other heirs. Horace A. individually owns three hundred and
twenty acres, constituting one of the fine farms of Clayton county,
and the substantial and modern buildings that in themselves give
evidence of thrift and prosperity have been erected by the present
owner. Mr. Mallory has not only carried forward his agricultural
operations with the progressiveness that implies the utilization of
BIOGRAPHICAL 26 1
the most modern appliances and the approved scientific methods,
but he has also been specially successful in the raising of high-grade
live-stock, including Durham cattle and Jersey Red swine. He
has not hedged himself in with the interests of mere personal
advancement but has shown a loyal and public spirited concern in
all things pertinent to the communal welfare, the while he has been
distinctively influential in public affairs in his township and county.
His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and he was
for two years a member of the board of county supervisors, on
which he served with characteristic discrimination and loyalty, as
did he also in the ofifices of township clerk and assessor and in that
of secretary of the school board of his district. At Colesburg he
is aflfiliated with the lodges of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and in the
time-honored Masonic fraternity he is afifiliated also with the
chapter of Royal Arch Masons at Greeley and with the consistory
of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in the city of Clinton. The
name of Mr. Mallory is still enrolled on the list of eligible bachelors
in Clayton county.
James L. Mathews, Jr., is one of the progressive and repre-
sentative business men of the younger generation in his native
county, where he is associated with his father and brother Leigh
in the conducting of a flourishing garage and general automobile
business at Farmersburg. He was born on a farm in Wagner
township, Clayton county, on the 24th of November, 1877, and is
a son of James L. and lona (Layton) Mathews, the former a native
of Ohio and the latter of Indiana, the parents being now numbered
among the sterling pioneer citizens of the county, where their circle
of friends is limited only by that of their acquaintances. James L.
Mathews, Sr., was reared and educated in the Buckeye State and
came to Iowa about the year 1856, when he was a youth. In Wag-
ner township, Clayton county, he acquired a tract of wild land,
which he developed into one of the excellent farms of this section
of the state, and in connection with which he gained substantial
success. He became the owner of a large landed estate and con-
tinued to give his attention to agricultural industry until 1890,
when he removed from his farm to the village of Farmersburg,
where he engaged in the pump business. From this line of enter-
prise he was gradually drawn into the automobile trade, in which
he is associated at the present time with his sons, under the firm
name of James L. Mathews & Sons. In 1916 this progressive firm
completed the erection of a substantial and attractive building for
the accommodation of its large and constantly expanding business,
and this building is of hollow brick and steel construction. It is
fireproof and is fifty by one hundred feet in dimensions, the large
floor space being well arranged for general garage purposes and
for the display of automobiles. The firm handles the celebrated
Overland, Hudson and Hupmobile motor cars and keeps a full com-
plement of repairs and accessories, with the best of garage facili-
ties. He whose name initiates this article is the eldest in a family
of five children ; Ruth is the wife of Louis RaalofT, a prosperous
262 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
agriculturist of Farmersburg township; and Leigh, Glenn and
Gladys remain at the parental home. James L. Mathews, Jr., found
the period of his childhood and early youth compassed by the be-
nignant and invigorating influences of the home farm, and after
having profited by the advantages of the local schools he further
fortified himself by a thorough course in the Cedar Rapids Business
College, in which institution he continued his studies eighteen
months. Thereafter he held for one year a clerical position in the
offices of the Cedar Rapids Transfer Company, after which he was
similarly engaged in the Cedar Rapids freight office of the Chicago,
Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad until 1910, when he became asso-
ciated with his father's business activities at Farmersburg, as one
of the interested principals in the firm of James L. Mathews & Sons.
Like his father, he is aligned as a staunch supporter of the cause
of the Democratic party, and both as a citizen and as a business
man he is known for his loyalty and public spirit, as well as for his
steadfast integrity of purpose. In 1914 was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Mathews to Miss Ella Schrader, who was born in
Wayne township, this county, and they have a fine little son, James
John.
Theodore Matt is another of the native sons of Clayton county
who has had the good judgment here to continue his allegiance to
the great fundamental industry under whose benign influences he
was reared, and he now has well fortified vantage-place as one of
the progressive and substantial farmers of Farmersburg township,
his well improved homestead being situated in Section 10 and com-
prising one hundred and four and one-half acres of most fertile
land, in addition to which he owns also ten acres of valuable timber
land, in Section 12 of the same township. His success represents
the direct result of the application of his own ability and efforts
and he has reason to take pride in being one of the sturdy and
valued yeomen of Clayton county. He was the second in order of
birth in a family of eight children, all of whom are living, and is a
son of Joseph and Anna M. (Beins) Matt, both likewise natives of
Clayton county and representatives of sterling pioneer families.
Joseph Matt has long been one of the prosperous farmers of this
county and commands the high regard of the community in which
virtually his entire life thus far has been passed, his devoted wife
having been summoned to eternal rest. Theodore Matt passed
the period of his childhood and early youth on the home farm and
is indebted to the public schools of his native county for his edu-
cational discipline. He remained at the parental home until the
time of his marriage, in 1903, when he purchased his present farm,
which is one of the finely improved places of Farmersburg town-
ship and the operations of which he is carrying forward with con-
summate discrimination and well directed energy, his wife proving
his devoted coadjutor in his progressive activities as one of the
substantial agriculturists of this section of the Hawkeye state. He
is a zealous supporter of the cause of the Democratic party, but has
not sought public office, though he is serving most effectively as a
director of the school district in which he lives. Both he and his
BIOGRAPHICAL 263
SI
wife are communicants of the Lutheran church at McGregor, which
village is their postoffice address. The year 1903 recorded th«
marriage of Mr. Matt to Miss Etta Gossman, who likewise was
born and reared in Clayton county, as were also her parents, who
are well known citizens of Clayton township, and of whose six
children five are living. Mr. and Mrs. Matt are the parents of
three children, whose names and respective dates of birth are here
noted : Florence Mary A., February 7, 1905 ; Jackson M., October
27, 1910; and Lillian Caesara, April 12, 1915.
William J. McGrath, M. D., has been engaged in the successful
practice of his profession at Elkader, the judicial center of Clayton
county, for slightly more than twenty years, and through his able
and effective ministrations as well as his personal popularity he
has gained definite prestige as one of the representative physicians
and surgeons of this part of the state. The doctor was born in
Lafayette county, Wisconsin, on the 17th of October, 1871, and
is a son of James and Mary (Ryan) McGrath, both natives of the
Emerald Isle and representatives of fine old families of Ireland.
James McGrath was a lad of ten years when he accompanied his
parents on their immigration to America, and he was reared to
manhood in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. As a young man he
went to the state of Wisconsin, where he eventually became one
of the substantial agriculturists of Lafayette county. There he
passed the remainder of his life, and he was about fifty years of
age at the time of his death, his widow being now a resident of
Darlington, that county. Of the eight children the eldest is Kate,
who is the wife of John Egan, their home being in the state of
Montana; Margaret is the wife of Albert H. Doyle, of Berkeley,
California; James is a resident of the state of Oklahoma; Dr. Mc-
Grath, of this review, was the next in order of birth ; John is a suc-
cessful buyer and shipper of live stock at Darlington, Wisconsin ;
Mary is the wife of Patrick J. Daley, of Warren, Illinois; Jessie is
the wife of Joseph Kelly, of Richland Center, Wisconsin ; and Ella
is the wife of William J. Riley, of Darlington, that state. Dr.
William J. McGrath is indebted to the excellent public schools of
his native state for his early educational discipline, which was sup-
plemented by a course in a normal school in the state of Indiana.
In consonance with his ambitious purpose he was finally matricu-
lated in the celebrated Rush Medical College, in the city of Chicago,
and in this institution he was graduated as a member of the class
of 1895 and with the well earned degree of Doctor of Medicine.
Through close and appreciative study and effective post-graduate
work within the intervening years he has kept in touch with the ad-
vances made in medical and surgical science, and he has recourse
to the best standard and periodical literature of his profession, be-
sides which he vitalizes his interest in his work and that of his
confreres by means of active affiliation with the Clayton County
Medical Society, the Iowa State Medical Society and the American
Medical Association. Within a few months after his graduation
in Rush Medical College Dr. McGrath established his residence at
Elkader, where he has since continued his earnest work as a phy-
264 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
sician and surgeon and where his success has been on parity with
his recognized ability and his unequivocal devotion to his acting
vocation. He lends his influence in support of those things which
tend to advance the civic and material welfare of the community,
but he has had neither time nor inclination for political activity or
officeholding. On the 12th of January, 1898, was solemnized the
marriage of Dr. McGrath to Miss Adelia Partridge, of Argyle,
Wisconsin, and their only child is a son, Malcolm.
James McGuire is a well known and popular representative of
one of the sterling pioneer families of Clayton county, where his
parents established their home more than sixty years ago, and
while he has wandered far afield from his native county in gaining
certain of his experiences as one of the world's workers, he has
always looked upon Clayton county as his home and paid to it
loyal allegiance. He is one of the substantial and influential citi-
zens of the county, is now living retired in the village of Clayton,
and that he has never assumed connubial responsibilities has in no
degree militated against his personal popularity in the home county,
where his circle of friends is coincident with that of his acquaint-
ances. James McGuire was born in the village of Clayton on the
22d of June, 1857, the third in order of birth in a family of thirteen
children, all of whom are living except three. He is a son of James
and Margaret (Depew) McGuire, the former of whom was born
in Ireland and the latter in the state of Pennsylvania, where their
marriage was solemnized. In 1855, with youthful ambition and
steadfast purpose, this sterling couple became pioneer settlers of
Clayton county, Iowa, and after residing for an interval in the little
village of Clayton they removed to the embryonic farm which
James McGuire, Sr., purchased in Clayton township. He improved
one of the productive farms of the county and on his old homestead
he continued to reside until his death, in 1883, his widow being
still a resident of the county and being one of its venerable and
revered pioneer women, her eighty-second birthday anniversary
having been celebrated in 1916. Reared under the invigorating
discipline of the pioneer farm, James McGuire, Jr., the immediate
subject of this review, early learned the lessons and dignity of
honest toil, and in the meanwhile he profited duly by the advan-
tages afforded in the schools of the locality. In his youth he also
served a virtual apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade, and as a
competent workman he followed the same at intervals for a number
of years. In 1878 Mr. McGuire went to Kansas and entered claim
to a homestead of government land in Ness county. He remained
on the property until he had perfected his title and later passed
three years in Texas, where he was actively identified with the
herding of cattle on the great open ranges that then characterized
the Lone Star state. In 1884 he returned to his native county and
assumed the active control and management of the old homestead
farm. There he continued his operations until 1910, when, with his
venerable mother, he removed to the village of Clayton, where he
has since lived virtually retired. Though he sold the old home
farm Mr. McGuire is still to be consistently designated as a landed
JAMES McGUlRE
THE NEW T""*
PUftllC IIBHAHY
ABTTOt, LttNW 4ND
BIOGRAPHICAL 265
proprietor, for he is the owner of a well improved farm of one
hundred and sixty acres in South Dakota, and a valuable tract of
two hundred and forty acres in the Province of Alberta, Canada.
He has ever given his allegiance to the Democratic party and is
well fortified in his convictions concerning matters of public import.
He served for a full quarter of a century as clerk of Clayton town-
ship, six years as clerk of the village of Clayton and five years as
secretary of the school board — preferments that indicate alike his
ability and the popular estimate placed upon him. Mr. McGuire
was one of the organizers of the Clayton Savings Bank and is still
a member of the directorate of this well ordered institution. At
Garnavillo he is affiliated with Garnavillo Lodge, No. 90, Ancient
Free & Accepted Masons, in which he has passed various official
chairs, and he is affiliated also with the Brotherhood of American
Yeomen and with Oakleaf Camp, No. 2875, Modern Woodmen of
America, in which latter he has served in each of the official chairs.
His devoted and venerable mother, to whom he accords the deepest
filial solicitude, still presides over their pleasant home in Clayton.
Hugh McKellar, late the owner of the fine old homestead farm
upon which his father established the family home more than sixty
years ago, maintained his residence there from the time he was a
lad of five years. Mr. McKellar was born in Tioga county, New
York, on the 8th of October, 1848, and was a son of Hugh and Mary
(McKuenan) McKellar, both natives of Scotland and representa-
tives of sterling old families of the land of hills and heather. Upon
coming to America, about the year 1842, Hugh McKellar, Sr., first
located near the city of Albany, New York, and later established
his residence in Tioga county, that state, where he remained until
1853, when he came with his family to Iowa and became a pioneer
settler of Clayton county. He obtained a tract of land in Section
16, Highland township, where he reclaimed and developed a fine
landed estate of two hundred and forty acres. He was a black-
smith by trade, and on his farm he maintained a well equipped
blacksmith shop, in which he found ample demand for his services.
He was one of the sturdy and upright men who contributed mate-
rially to the civic and industrial development and progress of the
county, and he remained on his old homestead until his death, which
occurred July 4, 1877, his widow having passed to eternal rest on
the 22d of May, 1879. They became the parents of six children,
concerning whom the following brief data are given: Archibald
died in childhood; Peter resides at Elgin, Fayette county; Sarah is
deceased ; the subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of
birth; Maria is the wife of Jerome N. Robbins, of Highland town-
ship; Roxie is the widow of John Service and resides at Elgin,
Fayette county. He to whom this brief review is dedicated gained
his youthful education in the district schools of Highland township,
and the stage of his activities during the long intervening years
was the old homestead farm on which he was reared from childhood
and which now comprises three hundred and thirty acres. Mr.
McKellar never wavered in his allegiance to the Republican party
and, though he was loyal and liberal in his civic attitude, he was
266 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
not imbued with any ambition for the honors or emoluments of
public office. He affiliated with the Masonic fraternity, and at the
time of his death, June 7, 1916, he was one of the highly esteemed
citizens of the county.
James H. McLaughlin. — Within the pages of this publication
will be found individual mention of a goodly contingent of the
native sons of Clayton county who have here found ample field for
productive achievement and the winning of success and prestige of
unequivocal order. Such an one is the well known citizen of Mc-
Gregor whose name initiates this paragraph, who has given his
earnest co-operation in the furtherance of civic and material enter-
prises that have worked greatly to the advancement of this pictur-
esque little city, who has been prominent in business life and in the
public affairs of the community and whose course has been so
ordered as to retain to him the fullest measure of popular confi-
dence and good will. Mr. McLaughlin is a scion of staunch Scotch-
Irish stock and is a representative of one of the sterling pioneer
families of Clayton county. He was born in Highland township,
this county, on the 22d of July, 1857, and is a son of John and Wini-
fred (Hanaghan) McLaughlin, who here established their home
more than sixty years ago and who continued as honored citizens
of the county until the close of their long and useful lives. John
McLaughlin was born in the town of Castlebar, County Mayo, Ire-
land, where he was reared to adult age and where his early educa-
tional advantages were those afforded in the parish school. In his
native county he continued his association with agricultural pur-
suits until he had attained to the age of thirty years, when he mani-
fested his ambition and self-reliance by severing the many gracious
ties that bound him to the fair old Emerald Isle and by coming to
America, where he felt assured of better opportunities of winning
independence and prosperity through his own efforts, as he was
entirely relying upon his own resources in making his way to this
worthy goal. After passing a few weeks in New York city he
determined to cast in his lot with the progressive west, which
offered superior attractions to the man of vigor and earnest purpose.
He made his way to De Kalb, Illinois, and soon afterward found
employment on a railroad that was being pushed forward in con-
struction westward. He was signally fortunate also in having thus
made DeKalb his headquarters, for there it was that he met and
won as a wife the gracious young woman who was his devoted
companion and helpmeet during the remainder of his life. For a
period of twelve years Mr. McLaughlin found employment as a
teamster, principally in connection with railroad construction, and
by his frugality and well ordered saving of his earnings he provided
the means by which he made secure advancement toward the mark
of substantial independence. He finally purchased a team of horses
and with his wife set forth for Clayton county, Iowa. They crossed
the Mississippi river at Dubuque and then made their way by easy
stages to Elkader. They arrived at the site of the present thriving
county seat of Clayton county at a time when virtually the only
building in the place was the old-time Davis mill — an historic and
BIOGRAPHICAL 267
substantial old structure that is still in an excellent state of preser-
vation and that is still operated as a flour mill, the property being
owned by Schmidt Brothers, who are representative business men
of Elkader. Soon after his arrival in Clayton county, which was
then virtually on the frontier, Mr. McLaughlin purchased eighty
acres of government land, in what was then known as the Scotch
settlement of Highland township. He reclaimed this farm to effect-
ive cultivation and there was maintained the family home until
1869, when this industrious and sterling pioneer sold the property
to advantage and purchased another farm, of one hundred and
twenty acres, in the same township. On this latter homestead,
which he made one of the valuable farms of the county, he passed
the remainder of his life, his death having occurred March 15, 1887.
His cherished and devoted wife passed to the life eternal nine days
previously, both having been earnest communicants of the Catholic
church. Their marriage was solemnized in 1853, at DeKalb, Illi-
nois, where Mrs. McLaughlin had established her residence upon
coming to America, in the early '40s, in company with her uncle
and his family, she having been born at Ballinrobe, County Mayo,
Ireland, where she was reared and educated. Mr. and Mrs. Mc-
Laughlin became the parents of five children : John, who was born
in 1854, is now residing at Elkader, the judicial center of Clayton
county; Mary A., who was born in 1856, is the wife of Thomas
Mulligan, of Aberdeen, South Dakota ; James H., of this review,
was the next in order of birth ; and Margaret, who was born in
1859, and who passed to eternal rest in 1895, was the wife of Will-
iam Kelleher ; she became the mother of four children, two of whom
were reared in the home of her brother James, of this sketch. Of
the two children thus reared and educated by Mr. and Mrs. Mc-
Laughlin, the elder is Stella, who is now the wife of Thomas Grady,
of Monona, this county, and the younger, Katherine, is the wife of
Joseph Roerig, who is, in 1916, serving as postmaster at Adrian,
Minnesota. James H. McLaughlin was reared under the influence
of the pioneer farm and early began to aid his father in the work of
the same, the vv'hile he profited duly by the advantages afforded in
the district schools of his native township. At the age of twenty
years he left the parental home and initiated his independent career
by turning his attention to railroad construction work, in the employ
of Flynn & Williams, contractors in connection with the extending
of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad. He remained with
this firm four years, and his sturdiness and competency then gained
to him the position of foreman with James Brooks, a contractor in
railroad grading. Two years later Mr. McLaughlin resigned this
position to accept a similar and more remunerative post with the
firm of Foreman & Prockelton, with whom he remained one year.
He severed this alliance to avail himself again of a better opportu-
nity, as at that time he entered the employ of the Michel Brewing
Company, of La Crosse, Wis., in the responsible and confidential
position of auditor. That his efficient services and broad executive
ability have not lacked appreciation is vouchsafed by the fact that
he has continued his active association with this company during
268 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
the long intervening period of twenty-eight years, and his fidelity
and close application are significantly shown in the fact that during
this entire period he has never missed earning his diurnal salary.
In all that makes for loyal and liberal citizenship Mr. McLaughlin
has always accounted splendidly for himself, and his earnest co-
operation has been given in the furtherance of movements and
enterprises projected for the general good of the community, and
while he is well fortified in his political convictions and has been
an influential figure in the local councils and activities of the Demo-
cratic party. He is serving in 1916 as a member of the municipal
council of McGregor. He was the leading promoter of the move-
ment that resulted in giving to McGregor, in 1899, the modern and
well conducted Zimmerman Hotel, which was erected at a cost of
about twenty-five thousand dollars and which is recognized as one
of the best hotels in Clayton county. He is affiliated with the
Catholic Order of Foresters and the Benevolent & Protective Order
of Elks, and both he and his wife are zealous communicants of the
Catholic church, prominent in the work and support of the parish
in their home city, where their circle of friends is limited only by
that of their acquaintances. On the 25th of October, 1881, was
solemnized the marriage of Mr. McLaughlin to Miss Sarah Gil-
martin, daughter of John and Mary Gilmartin, of Toledo, Tama
county. Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin have had no children, but in
their home have been reared two daughters of his sister, as has
already been noted in this review.
George E. Medberry. — In Section 6, Highland township, is sit-
uated the well improved farm of the sterling citizen to whom this
review is dedicated, and he is known and honored as one of the
substantial and influential citizens of the township in which he has
maintained his home for the past twenty years and in which he has
held the office of township clerk continuously since 1903. He served
six years as constable and has been a valued member of the school
board of his district, of which he served as president. All of these
preferments indicate alike his ability and the high estimate placed
upon him in his home community. Mr. Medberry was born in
Mercer county, Pennsylvania, on the 30th of October, 1862, and is
a son of Marion and Sarah (Kilgore) Medberry, the former a native
of the state of New York and the latter of Pennsylvania, both
having been of staunch Scottish ancestry and both having been
residents of Fayette county, Iowa, at the time of their death. The
father was a carpenter by trade and vocation and was for many
years a successful contractor and builder. Of the four children,
the eldest is John K., who resides at Rock Rapids, Iowa ; Frank L.
is a resident of Fayette, this state ; the subject of this sketch was the
next in order of birth ; and Charles H. resides in Fayette county.
George E. Medberry acquired his youthful education in the public
schools of Fayette county, and as a lad of fourteen years he found
employment at farm work, his compensation being ten dollars a
month. As a youth he passed two years in the state of California,
and thereafter he was a resident of Fayette county and engaged
principally in farming until 1896, when he came to Clayton county
BIOGRAPHICAL 269
and rented the old Quigley farm, which comprised one hundred and
fifty-six acres and which is an integral part of his present fine farm
property of two hundred and sixty acres. His success is indicated
in the excellent returns which he has received from his well ordered
operations as an agriculturist and stock-grower and by his having
accumulated one of the valuable farm properties of Clayton county.
His political allegiance is given to the Republican party and men-
tion has already been made of the various public offices in which
he has been called upon to serve in Highland township. His at-
tractive home receives service on rural mail route No. 2 from the
village of Elgin. On the 27th of December, 1895, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Medberry to Miss Rosetta Rothlisberger, who
was born in Switzerland, and who was summoned to the life eternal
on the 16th of April, 1914. She is survived by four children, all
of whom remain with their father on the old home farm, namely:
Aden J., Rex R., Lena E. and Walter K.
Edwin Meder was born at Communia, Clayton county, Iowa,
on a farm consisting of eighty acres. When he was ten years old
he and his parents moved to Clayton township on a farm which he
now owns and successfully operates, and the same comprises two
hundred and ten acres of most fertile land of that enduring integ-
rity that is so pronounced a constituent of the soil of this favored
section of the Hawkeye state. This farm, or the most of it, has
been in the possession of the Meder family since the early pioneer
era in the history of Clayton county. Edwin Meder was born on
the 9th of March, 1856. He is the only child of Frederick and Al-
bertina (Gade) Meder, who were born and reared in Germany. In
1853, they immigrated to the United States, and became pioneer
settlers of Clayton county, Iowa. They were married in Garnavillo,
Iowa. Here the father gave his attention zealously to the achieving
of worthy independence and prosperity through association with
the basic industry of agriculture, and in 1866 he purchased the farm
now owned by his only son, the immediate subject of this review,
this having continued as the abiding place of both him and his wife
until the close of their long and upright lives, and the names of
both meriting high place on the enduring roll of the sterling pio-
neers of Clayton county. Experience in connection with the work
of the home farm was gained by Edwin Meder in his boyhood and
youth, and he acquired his early education in the pioneer schools of
a county and state that have always maintained a high standard of
literacy. Upon attaining to adult age he began to relieve his father
more and more of the work and responsibilities involved in the op-
erations of the farm, of which he eventually assumed the active
management and of which he became the owner after the death of
his parents. He has kept the old homestead up to the highest stand-
ard of productiveness, employs scientific methods in all depart-
ments of his farm enterprise and gives special attention to the
breeding and feeding of live stock of the best grades. He is known
and honored as one of the loyal citizens and progressive farmers
and men of aflfairs of his native county, is a Democrat in his polit-
ical proclivities, and has served continuously since 1900 in the office
270 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
of township assessor, his fine landed estate being situated in Sec-
tion 11, Clayton township. He has served fourteen years as school
director and eighteen years as school secretary, and is now treas-
urer of his school district, the while he manifests a lively interest
in all things pertaining to the civic and material welfare of his home
township and county. At Clayton he is affiliated with Oakleaf
Camp, No. 2875, Modern Woodmen of America, and both he and
his wife are earnest communicants of the Catholic church in the
same village. In 1882 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Meder
to Miss Mary Grouney, who was born in Northampton county,
Pennsylvania, one of the five survivors of the nine children born to
James and Ellen (Gilson) Grouney. Her parents were born and
reared in Ireland and upon coming to the United States they estab-
lished their residence in Pennsylvania, where they remained until
they came to Clayton county, Iowa, and became pioneer settlers
on a farm, both having continued their residence in this county
until their death, and Mrs. Meder having been a child at the time
of the family removal from the old Keystone state to Iowa. In
conclusion is given brief record concerning the children of Mr. and
Mrs. Meder: Estella A. is the wife of Richard F. Meehan, a farmer
of this county, and prior to her marriage was a successful teacher;
Fannie E. is the wife of Jas. J. Meehan, likewise of this county, and
prior to her marriage she also had been a popular and successful
teacher in the public schools ; May M. is now numbered among the
efficient and popular representatives of the pedagogic profession and
is a teacher in the schools of her native county ; Anna L. is the wife
of Elmer Mueller, a farmer of Clayton county, and she likewise
made before her marriage a record as a successful teacher; Clement
J. is associated in the work of the home farm ; Fredr. J., who like-
wise remains at the parental home, was graduated in the high school
at Garnavillo; and Walter J. is, in 1916, a student in the high school
at Guttenberg, this county.
Henry Meder. — No history of Clayton county can be really
consistent with itself if it fails to pay high tribute of honor to the
sterling and venerable citizen whose name initiates this paragraph
and who was the virtual founder of the now thriving village of
Mederville, which was named in his honor. In the pioneer period
of Clayton county history Mr. Meder cajjie to the county as a young
man who had but recently emigrated from his German fatherland
and whose fortification for the success-battle of life was represented
in his own integrity of purpose, his energy and his ambition. Such
was his ability that he became a leader in industrial and civic aflFairs
in the county and within more than sixty years of residence in the
county he has marked the passing days with large and worthy
achievement and has contributed much to the civic and material
development and progress of the county whose manifold advantages
and attractions he is now able to enjoy in the gracious evening of
a well spent life. Mr. Meder was born in Mecklenburg, Germany,
the ancient home of both his paternal and maternal ancestors, and
the date of his nativity was January 20, 1834, so that he has now
passed the age of four score years. He is a son of Louis and
BIOGKAPHICAL 2/1
Frederica (Sauerbray) Meder, the former of whom passed his entire
life in Germany and the latter of whom, after the death of her hon-
ored husband, came with her children to America and established
her home at Guttenberg, Clayton county, Iowa ; she passed the re-
mainder of her life in Valya township. Both she and her husband
were earnest members of the German Lutheran church. Of their
ten children the first five, Sophia, Frederick, Mary, Hannah and
Augusta, are deceased ; Caroline is the widow of Ferdinand Albrecht
and resides in Cox Creek township, this county; the subject of this
review was the next in order of birth ; Frederica maintains her home
at La Crosse, Wisconsin ; Louisa is deceased ; and Charles was in
Capetown, Africa, at the time of his death. In the schools of his
native province Henry Meder acquired his early education, and he
was a youth of nineteen years when he came to the United States
with his mother and three other of the children. They arrived in
the city of Chicago on the 4th of July, 1853, his mother providing
the money to defray the cost of his transportation to the new home
at Guttenberg, Clayton county. Upon arriving at his destination
he forthwith turned his attention to whatever honest work he could
obtain, and the harvesting of grain with an old-time cradle repre-
sented one of his early experiences in the pioneer community. He
finally purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in Cox
Creek township, and later he gave eighty acres of this property to
one of his brothers-in-law. He proved successful as a farmer and
finally became associated with two other enterprising citizens in
the purchasing of two hundred acres of land in Cox Creek township,
this tract including the site of the present village of Mederville.
The three far-sighted men erected at Mederville a grist mill, and
later Mr. Meder purchased the interests of the other two and asso-
ciated his sons with him in the operation of the mill. The plant
was finally destroyed by fire, but he promptly rebuilt the mill and
resumed operations. His courage and self-reliance were shown
forth in bold relief at this time, for the loss of his mill had crippled
him financially and he was paying also ten per cent interest on an
indebtedness of $13,585. His energy and good management proved
equal to the heavy responsibilities thus placed upon him and he in
due time paid every dollar of his obligations and was once more
on a firm financial footing. A second disaster came to his mill, a
Cottonwood tree being carried through the mill flume and greatly
damaging the machinery, as well as the building itself. This dam-
age likewise failed to check his ambitious purpose, and he has not
only been a leader in the material upbuilding and business activities
of his home village and county, but has also been influential in the
advancing of those things that contribute to the social welfare of
the community. To him more than all others is due the develop-
ment and upbuilding of the village that bears his name, and the
history of the county s)iould record that he donated to Mederville
four acres of ground for its present cemetery, a half acre of land
as a site for the public school building, and about four acres to the
railroad company for the freight and passenger station. He still
owns a valuable tract of one hundred and sixty acres and he still
272 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
takes a lively interest in community affairs. He has served as
township trustee and was a member of the board of county super-
visors for a period of six years. He has given loyal support to the
Republican party and he and his family hold zealously to the faith
of the Lutheran church. As a young man Mr. Meder wedded Miss
Dorothy Brookman, and the supreme loss and bereavement of his
life came when his devoted wife and helpmeet was summoned to
eternal rest, her death having occurred June 10, 1904. In conclu-
sion is given brief record concerning their children : Barney was
born July 30, 1857, and is now a resident of the state of Oklahoma;
Louis was born September 21, 1858, and he is now deceased ; Emma,
who was born April 2, 1860, is the wife of John Nugent, and they
reside in the state of Wisconsin; Henry was born July 30, 1861,
and died August 12, 1874; Lena was born February 12, 1863, and
resides with her venerable father in the pleasant home at Meder-
ville ; Albert, who was born July 13, 1865, is a representative farmer
near Mederville ; August was born on the 22d of March, 1867, and
died on the 22d of the following month ; Clara was born March 9,
1869, and is the wife of Herman Dittmer, a prosperous farmer of
Cox Creek township; Rosa, who was born July 14, 1871, is the wife
of M. M. Marshall, of Elkader ; the next child, a daughter, was born
in December, 1873, and died the same day; Ida is the widow of
John Dinan and maintains her home at Elkader, the county seat;
and Charles B., who was born February 13, 1879, resides at home.
Richard Mentzel is the owner of one of the well improved farm
properties of his native township and is known as one of the pro-
gressive agriculturists and stock-growers of Clayton county. His
estate comprises one hundred and forty-six acres and is eligibly
situated in Section 7, Cox Creek township, with service on one of
the rural mail routes from Elkader, the county seat. Mr. Mentzel
was born on the old homestead of his father in Cox Creek town-
ship, and the date of his nativity was November 22, 1861. He is a
son of Gustav Edward and Elizabeth (Dohrer) Mentzel, both na-
tives of Germany. The father was a young man at the time when
he established his home in Clayton county, and he became one of
the pioneer farmers of Cox Creek township, where prosperity at-
tended his earnest endeavors during the passing years. He is now
living virtually retired in a pleasant home near Osborne, this county,
and is jone of the venerable and honored pioneer citizens of this
section of the Hawkeye state. His cherished and devoted wife
passed to the life eternal on the 30th of May. 1915. Of their chil-
dren the subject of this review is the eldest; Annie is the wife of
Christ Schramper, of Osborne; Julius is deceased; Mollie is the
wife of Ferdinand Schrader, of Wadena, Fayette county ; and
Gustav is a prosperous farmer of Cox Creek township. Richard
Mentzel received his early education in the pioneer schools of his
native township, and from his youth to the present time he has
been closely identified with the all-important industries of agricul-
ture and stock-growing. Of this line of enterprise he has continu-
ously been an exponent in his native county, save for a period of
two and one-half years devoted to farming in the state of Nebraska.
BIOGRAPHICAL 273
He has made his present farm a model of thrift and good manage-
ment, and is a citizen who takes loyal and helpful interest in com-
munity affairs, his political affiliation being with the Democratic
party. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Broel, like-
ivise was born and reared in Clayton county, and of their five chil-
dren the eldest two, Carrie and Clarence, remain at the parental
home ; Florence is the wife of John Schrampfer, of Volga, this
county ; Richard is deceased ; and Max, the youngest of the number,
born December 16, 1907, is a vigorous lad who is attending the
district school near his home.
John H. Meyer. — In Section 35, Farmersburg township, is situ-
ated the fine rural estate of John H. Meyer, who is one of the
prominent representatives of agricultural and live-stock industry in
Clayton county, and whose prestige along the^e lines is the more
pleasing to note by reason of the fact that the farm which he owns
and operates includes the old homestead of his parents and is the
place of his birth, which here occurred on the 19th of January, 1879.
He is a son of Louis and Elizabeth (Moellering) Meyer, both of
whom were born and reared in Germany. Louis Meyer was a
young man at the time of his immigration to America, in 1854, in
which year he established his residence in Clayton county and be-
came one of the pioneers of Farmersburg township. In 1862 he
purchased a tract of eighty acres of land in this township, and this
proved the nucleus around which he developed a fine landed estate
of two hundred and eighty acres, with incidental advancement to a
place as one of the most enterprising and successful farmers of the
township. His marriage was solemnized July 5, 1861, and he and
his wife are now living retired with their son John H., both having
become communicants of the Lutheran church while they were
young folk. Of their children, the eldest is Louis W., who is a
prosperous farmer in Clayton township ; Margaret is deceased ;
Wilhelmina is the wife of Herman D. Kregel, of Garnavillo town-
ship ; Mary is deceased ; Henry L. is now a resident of Plymouth
county, this state ; John H., of this review, was the next in order of
birth ; and Elizabeth is the wife of Theodore Meyer, of Garnavillo.
The father has been an influential figure in community affairs, has
been a loyal supporter of the cause of the Democratic party and
has served as road superintendent, as well as a director and also as
treasurer of the school board of his district. John H. Meyer ac-
quired his early education in the public schools of his native town-
ship and from his youth to the present time the old homestead farm
has been the stage of his productive activities. He purchased the
farm from his father in December, 1911, and is thus the owner of
an estate of two hundred and eighty acres, virtually all being avail-
able for cultivation and with improvements of exceptionally superior
order, including the best type of farm buildings. The attractive
home is a substantial and commodious brick house of ten rooms
and the farm is recognized as one of the model places of Clayton
county, with the best of provisions and facilities for the carrying
on of diversified agriculture and the raising of approved grades of
live stock. Mr. Meyer has never deviated from the line of close
274 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
allegiance to the Democratic party and though he has had no desire
for public office he has given his influence and co-operation in the
furtherance of those things that conserve the communal well being
and he is now serving as treasurer of the school board of the dis-
trict in which he himself pursued his studies as a .boy and youth.
He and his wife hold membership in the German Lutheran church
and their home receives service on rural mail route No. 2 from the
village of St. Olaf. On the 8th of June, 1904, was solemnized the
marriage of Mr. Meyer to Miss Caroline Meyer, who likewise was
born and reared in this county and is a representative of a pioneer
family concerning which adequate mention is made on other pages»
in the sketch dedicated to her brother, Theodore Meyer. Mr. and
Mrs. Meyer have two children — Laverne Elizabeth, who was born
May 20, 1905, and Louis C, who was born February 26, 1910.
Theodore L. Meyer was born November 20, 1875, and the place
of his nativity was the finely improved farm which he now owns
and operates, in Garnavillo township. He is a son of Carl and
Eliza (Peterson) Meyer, who were pioneer settlers in this town-
ship, and both of whom were born in Germany, though their mar-
riage was solemnized in America. Carl Meyer came to this country
as a young man and soon numbered himself among the pioneers of
Qayton county, where he married Miss Eliza Peterson and where
both passed the remainder of their lives, industrious, upright and
earnest folk who achieved substantial success through the medium
of agricultural enterprise and who commanded the high regard of
all who knew them. The devoted wife and mother was summoned
to eternal rest on the 10th of July, 1910, and the father passed away
March 25, 1913, both having lived consistently with the religious
faith which they zealously professed, as communicants of the
German Lutheran church. Of their thirteen children all are living
except one, and of the family further mention is made in other
articles appearing in this publication. Theodore L: Meyer was
reared and educated in Garnavillo township, and there he continued
to assist his father in the work and general management of the old
homestead farm until he had arrived at his legal majority, when
he initiated his independent career as a farmer by renting the
old homestead, upon which he continued operations under these
conditions for several years. In 1911 he purchased the property,
comprising two hundred and two and one-half acres, in Section 12,
Garnavillo township, and in Section 17 of the same township he is
the owner of sixty acres of valuable timber land. He is one of the
broad-gauged, vigorous and successful agriculturists and stock-
growers of the county, is a Democrat in his political allegiance, is
serving as school director, and he and his wife hold membership
in the Lutheran church. On the 5th of May, 1909, was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Meyer to Miss Eliza M. Meyer, who was born
and reared in this county and who is a daughter of Louis and Eliza-
beth (Moellering) Meyer, who are sterling pioneer citizens of this
county and both of whom were born in Germany. Louis Meyer
came to America in 1854 and became one of the pioneer farmers
of Farmersburg township, where he accumulated eventually a large
BIOGRAPHICAL 275
and valuable landed estate. He was long numbered among the
aggressive and representative exponents of farm industry in this
section of Iowa and is now living retired on the old home place,
both he and his wife being devout communicants of the German
Lutheran church. Of their children, Louis E. is a prosperous farmer
in Clayton township ; Margaret is deceased ; Wilhelmina is the wife
of Herman D. Kruegel, of Garnavillo township; Mary is deceased;
Henry L. is now a resident of Plymouth county, this state ; John H.
is individually mentioned elsewhere in this volume; and Eliza M,,
wife of the subject of this sketch, is the youngest of the number.
Mr. and Mrs. Theodore L. Meyer are the parents of two children
— Myrene E. M., who was born April 22, 1911; and Gerald L. P.,
who was born June 30, 1913.
William A. Meyer. — Northeastern Iowa has had much to gain
and nothing to lose through the interposition of the very appreci-
able German element of citizenship, and the German contingent has
been one of marked prominence and influence in this favored sec-
tion of the Hawkeye State since the early pioneer days. He whose
name initiates this paragraph was born in the kingdom of Hanover,
Germany, and was about fourteen years of age at the time of the
family immigration to America. The date of his nativity was Octo-
ber 20, 1857, and he is a son of Conrad and Hannah (Schroeder)
Meyer, who were born and reared in Hanover and who there con-
tinued their residence until 1871, when they came to the United
States and established their home in Clayton county, Iowa, and
later moved to Fayette county, which was the residence of him and
his devoted wife until they were summoned from the stage of life's
mortal endeavors, sterling folk who had full appreciation of the
relative values in the scheme of human life and who marked the
passing years with earnest and productive effort, the while they
justly commanded the unqualified esteem of those with whom they
came in contact. Of their children, the eldest is Louisa, who is the
wife of William Meyer, of Postville ; Minnie is the wife of Henry
Klamp, of Algona, Kossuth county; William A., of this review,
was the next in order of birth ; and Carl is a prosperous farmer
near Postville. He to whom this sketch is dedicated gained his
early education in his native land and, as before noted, was
about fourteen years old at the time of accompanying his parents
to America. He came to Clayton county and obtained employment
on a farm near Garnavillo. Thereafter he passed twelve years as
an efficient and valued employe on the farm of John Hartwick, of
Giard township, and in the meanwhile he practiced the economy
born of ambitious purpose and good judgment, with the result that
he was fortified in a financial way when he finally purchased a farm
of one hundred and twenty acres in Giard township. His energy
and progressive policies brought to him cumulative success and he
has added to his landed estate until he now has three hundred and
eighty acres, the same constituting one of the well improved and
essentially model farms of Clayton county. He has made excellent
improvements on the place, including the erection of a commodious
and attractive house and other good buildings of modern type and
276 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
facilities, and he is known as one of the wide-awake, energetic and
enterprising farmers and stock-growers of this section of the Hawk-
eye State, besides which he enjoys the popularity that ever comes
to the loyal and upright citizen whose achievement has been large
and altogether worthy. Though never agitated by ofitice-seeking
ambition, Mr. Meyer is a staunch supporter of the cause of the
Republican party and always ready to give his co-operation in the
furtherance of measures advanced for the general good of the com-
munity. Both he and his wife are zealous members of the German
Methodist Episcopal church in their home community, and he has
given to the same efficient service in the offices of trustee, class-
leader and superintendent of the Sunday school. March 24, 1887,
stands as the date on which was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Meyer to Miss Matilda Hartwick, daughter of John Hartwick, an
honored pioneer of whom specific mention is made on other pages
of this work. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer became the parents of five chil-
dren, of whom the eldest, Otto, died at the age of eleven years.
All of the other children remain at the parental home and their
names are here entered in the respective order of birth : Gilbert,
Clifton, Ewald, and Irvin.
William C. Meyer. — It is specially gratifying to note that in
Clayton county are to be found many representative citizens who
claim the county as the place of their nativity, who are scions of
sterling pioneer families and who have here found the best of op-
portunities for personal achievement and the winning of worthy
success in connection with industrial, business and professional
activities. Such a citizen is William C. Meyer, who now conducts
a substantial and prosperous business in the handling .of agricul-
tural implements and machinery in the thriving little city of Garna-
villo and who is one of the loyal and public-spirited men of his
native county, with such secure hold upon popular confidence and
esteem that he has been called upon to serve as a member of the
village council and also of the local board of education. Mr. Meyer
was born on a farm in Farmersburg township, this county, on the
8th of April, 1860, and is a son of Louis H. and Annie (Werges)
Meyer, both natives of Germany. Louis H. Meyer was born and
reared in Germany and as a young man, in 1847, he immigrated to
the United States and numbered himself among the pioneer settlers
of Clayton county, Iowa. In Farmersburg township, as now con-
stituted, he obtained a homestead claim of one hundred and sixty
acres, and this he reclaimed and developed into one of the fine
farms of the county, the same being eligibly situated in Section 17,
and the homestead having continued to be his place of residence
for sixty-five years. There he died on his eighty-fifth birthday
anniversary, one of the well known and highly honored pioneer
citizens of the county, and there his venerable widow still maintains
her home, both having become in their youth devout communicants
of the Lutheran church, in harmony with whose faith they ordered
their lives as the years dropped into the abyss of time. Of their
eleven children the first-born was Charlotte, who is deceased, her
death having occurred when an infant ; Annie is the wife of Henry
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BIOGRAPHICAL 277
Benjegerdes, of Plymouth, Cerro Gordo county, this State; Min-
nie is the wife of John Splies, of Monona, Clayton county; William
C, of this review, was the next in order of birth ; Henry died when
about 21 years of age; Mary is the wife of Frederick Zarbrok, of
Manly, Worth county, Iowa; Frederick is a resident of Postville,
Allamakee county; Louis resides at Manly; Maggie died in child-
hood; Charley resides on the old homestead; the tenth child, a
daughter, died at birth ; and Elizabeth is the wife of Frederick
Lucke, of Manly, Worth county. William C. Meyer continued to
be associated with the work and management of the old home-
stead farm until he had attained to the age of thirty-seven years,
and his early education was gained in the excellent public schools
of his native county. At the age noted he took unto himself a wife
and initiated his specially successful career as a dealer in agricul-
tural implements and machinery, in which line of enterprise he has
been established at Garnavillo since 1897, with a substantial trade
that extends throughout the wide area of fine farming country nor-
mally tributary to this village. He keeps his stock up to the best
standard in all departments and has shown himshelf a reliable, con-
scientious and progressive business man, with the result that he
has gained a high reputation and a secure place in the confidence
and esteem of all who know him. Mr. Meyer gives unequivocal
allegiance to the Republican party and has been zealous in the ac-
tivities of the same in his native county. He is now a valued mem-
ber of the village council of Garnavillo, besides which he is serving
efficiently as a member of the board of education and as president
of the board of trustees of the local Lutheran church, of which
both he and his wife are zealous communicants. On the 27th of
December, 1897, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Meyer to Miss
Emma Meyer, who likewise was born and reared in Clayton county
and who is a daughter of the late D. H. Meyer, further mention
of the family being made on other pages of this publication in the
sketch dedicated to her brother, William F. Meyer. Mr. and Mrs.
Meyer have two children, Bessie Annie and Maude Elizabeth, both
of whom remain at the parental home.
William F. Meyer claims the old Buckeye state as the place
of his nativity but was still an infant at the time of the family
removal to Iowa, where his parents became pioneer settlers in
Clayton county, so that he was here reared to manhood under the
conditions and influences of the early period of the county's history,
his educational advantages having not only included the facilities
of the public schools of the period, but also of Briggs' Academy.
He may now be said to be conducting one of the pioneer mercan-
tile establishments of the county, as he is direct successor to the
general merchandise business that long received the direct co-oper-
ation of his mother and that is one of the leading enterprises in
the thriving little city of Garnavillo. Mr. Meyer was born in the
city of Cincinnati, Ohio, on the 31st of October, 1853, and is a son
of Dietrich H. and Margaret (Kregel) Meyer, who immigrated
from their old home in Germany when young folk and who first
established their home in Ohio, from which state they came to
2/8 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Clayton county, Iowa, in the earlier '50s and became pioneer set-
tlers at Garnavillo, which was then a mere frontier hamlet. Here
they became associated in the conducting of a general store of
modest order, and after the death of the husband and father, in
1871, the widowed mother continued the business — that from which
has been evolved the substantial and prosperous general merchan-
dise establishment now owned and successfully conducted by the
subject of this sketch, who is one of four survivors of a family of
twelve children. The devoted mother continued her association
with the business until her death, which occurred in 1893, and thus
she survived her husband by more than a score of years, both hav-
ing been zealous communicants of the Lutheran church and hav-
ing been numbered among the founders of the church of this de-
nomination at Garnavillo. William F. Meyer initiated his inde-
pendent career by engaging in the hardware business at Garnavillo,
in 1873, and with this enterprise he continued his identification until
1881, when he sold the stock and business and purchased one-half
interest with his mother in the well-established general merchandise
business which he has individually continued since her death. He
has maintained for his store a high reputation for effective service
and for fair and honorable dealings, so that its trade is drawn from
all parts of the prosperous territory normally tributary to Garna-
villo. Mr. Meyer was one of the principal organizers of the Garna-
villo Savings Bank, of which substantial and popular institution
he has been the president from the time of its incorporation. His
political allegiance is given to the Republican party and as a citi-
zen he has proved himself loyal and public-spirited. He has had
little time to give to official service, but was specially alert and
efficient during his incumbency of the township offices of clerk and
trustee, besides which he served for several years as a member of
the board of education. He and his wife are zealous communicants
and influential members of St. Paul's Lutheran church at Garnavillo
and for several years he served on its board of trustees in the capac-
ity of president. He owns besides his substantial store building one
of the attractive residence properties of Garnavillo, and this pleas-
ant home is known for its generous hospitality. In the year 1881
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Meyer to Miss Elizabeth Dut-
tle, who was born in the city of Dubuque, this state, where her par-
ents, the late Jacob and Christina Duttle, were early settlers. Mr.
and Mrs. Meyer have one son, Arthur L., who completed the cur-
riculum of the public schools of Garnavillo and then entered Beloit
College, where he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of
Arts. In preparation for his chosen profession he entered the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania, in the city of Philadelphia, where he con-
tinued his technical studies during four years, at the expiration of
which he received his degree of Doctor of Medicine. Thereafter
he devoted two years to effective and original investigation in part
at Harv^ard university and in part at Oxford university, England.
He is now engaged in research at the Rockefeller Institute for
Medical Research, having been appointed to the staff of that in-
stitution in the year 1915.
BIOGRAPHICAL 2/9
Isaac H. Miles, M. D., has gained secure vantage ground as
one of the able and representative physicians and surgeons of
Clayton county, within whose borders his parents established their
home in 1869, and his advancement to his present influential status
in his profession and as a broad-minded and progressive citizen
stands as the direct result of his own ability and well-ordered en-
deavors. He is engaged in active general practice at McGregor,
and his large and worthy success in his exacting vocation affords
the most effective voucher for his ability as well as his inviolable
place in popular confidence and esteem. Dr. Miles claims the old
Empire state of the Union as the place of his nativity and is a scion
of a family whose name was long identified with the history of
that commonwealth. He was born at Castile, Wyoming county,
New York, on the 26th of July, 1855, and thus was a lad of fourteen
years at the time of the family removal to Clayton county, Iowa,
in 1869, his rudimentary education having been acquired in his
native state and having been effectively supplemented by his taking
advantage of the privileges afforded in the public school of Clayton
county. The doctor is a son of Daniel D. and Harriet C. (Hoyt)
Miles, both of whom were born and reared in the state of New
York, They were numbered among the sterling pioneer citizens
of Clayton county, Iowa, where the father became one of the sub-
stantial farmers and influential citizens of Boardman township,
and where both he and his wife continued to maintain their home
until their death. They are survived by three sons and one daugh-
ter. In the public schools of Clayton county Dr. Miles continued
his studies until he had been graduated in the high school at Elka-
der, and in the meantime he had given effective assistance in the
work of the home farm. Dominated by ambitious purpose, he
consulted ways and means and finally found it possible to enter
upon the work of preparing himself for the profession in which
he has since gained marked success and prestige. He went to the
city of Chicago and entered the Hahnemann Medical College, in
which he was graduated as a member of the class of 1888 and from
which he received his coveted degree of Doctor of Medicine, and
later he attended the Chicago Homeopath Medical College, also
taking his degree at that institution. For one year thereafter he
was engaged in practice at Clarinda, Page county, Iowa, and he
then returned to Clayton county and established himself in prac-
tice at McGregor, which place has since represented his home and
the center of his broadly extended professional activities. He has
kept in close touch with the advances made in medical and surgical
science and for more than a quarter of a century has controlled a
practice that has given him precedence as one of the leading physi-
cians of Clayton county. He holds membership in the Iowa State
Medical Society, and at McGregor he is affiliated with the Knights
of Pythias and with Bezer Lodge, No. 135, Ancient Free & Ac-
cepted Masons, in which latter he has passed the various official
chairs. Liberal and public-spirited in his civic attitude. Dr. Miles
takes a loyal and helpful interest in community affairs, and he
served several years as a member of the village council of Mc-
28o MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Gregor, his political allegiance being given to the Republican party.
Well merited temporal prosperity has attended the earnest endeav-
ors of Dr. Miles, and he is the owner of a valuable landed estate
of three hundred and twenty acres in Minnesota besides owning
his fine residence property and other realty in his home village of
McGregor. In the year 1892 was solemnized the marriage of Dr.
Miles to Miss Helen E. Williamson, who was born at Elkader, this
county, and who is the only deceased member of a family of five
children, her father, Henry H. Williamson, having been one of the
early settlers of Clayton county. Mrs. Miles was summoned to the
life eternal on the 11th of April, 1915, beloved by all who had come
within the sphere of her gracious influence. She devoted her life
to charitable actions, in an unostentatious way, and her loss was
particularly felt by the many recipients of her benevolence. Her
mortal remains were laid to rest in the beautiful cemetery at Elka-
der. Dr. and Mrs. Miles had no children.
William J. Mitchell figures as one of the representative figures
in capitalistic and financial enterprise in Clayton county, where he
is president of the Luana Savings Bank, one of the substantial and
well-ordered institutions of the county, and one whose development
and upbuilding have been signally furthered by his wise admin-
istrative policies. This bank was incorporated under the laws of
the State on the 12th of October, 1908, with a capital stock of ten
thousand dollars. The personnel of the original executive corps
was as here noted : R. J. Stoehr, president ; J. F. Miller, vice-pres-
ident; W. J. Mitchell, cashier. In addition to the president and
vice-president the original directorate included also W. J. Splies,
H. L. Knuth, G. F. Lindroth, James Humphrey and Fred Palas.
The bank began operations in a room on the first floor of a build-
ing twenty-three by thirty-six feet in dimensions, and later the pres-
ent substantial brick building was erected, the property being owned
by the bank. The institution has paid regular eight per cent, divi-
dends to its stockholders, and on the 15th of April, 1916, it rendered
the noteworthy dividend of forty-nine per cent. The capital of the
institution has been increased to twenty thousand dollars, and the
present executive officers are as follows: W. J. Mitchell, president;
J. F. Miller, vice-president, and W. J. Splies, cashier. The board of
directors includes, in addition to the president and vice-president,
the following named representative citizens : James Humphrey,
J. P. Lenth, Gustave Pufahl, Fred Palas, and C. H. Burnham. Will-
iam James Mitchell, known for his loyalty and progressiveness both
as a business man and as a citizen, was born in Somerset county,
Pennsylvania, on the 15th of May, 1847, and is a scion of old and '
honored families of that section of the Keystone State, his parents,
Jackson and Catherine (Rush) Mitchell, having likewise been born
in Somerset county, where they were reared and educated. In his
native county Jackson Mitchell continued his activities as a carpen-
ter and contractor until April, 1853, when he came with his family
to Iowa and numbered himself among the early settlers of Alla-
makee county, where he and his wife passed the residue of their
lives and where they were honored pioneer citizens at the time of
BIOGRAPHICAL . 281
their death. Of their children the firstborn was Silas, who is de-
ceased, and William J., of this sketch, was the second in order of
birth ; Ethan Allen is a resident of Rossville, Allamakee county, as
is also Mary, who is the wife of James McClintock ; Sarah, deceased ;
Lucinia, deceased; John H. resides at Waterloo, Blackhawk county;
and Charles is a resident of Monona, Clayton county. William
J. Mitchell acquired his early education in the pioneer schools
of Rossville, Allamakee county, and he was a lad of about six years
at the time of the family immigration from Pennsylvania to Iowa.
That he made good use of the opportunities thus afforded him is
shown by the fact that he became a successful and popular teacher
in the village schools of Rossville, where he continued as a repre-
sentative of the pedagogic profession during three winter terms, the
intervening periods having been devoted to work at the carpenter's
trade, in which he had acquired proficiency under the able direction
of his father and uncle. Thereafter he was for five years associated
with his brother-in-law, William Henderson, in the general mer-
chandise business at Rossville, and he then resumed his effective
service as a teacher in the public schools of his home county. His
success as well as his unequivocal personal popularity was shown
when he was elected county superintendent of schools for Allama-
kee county, an office of which he continued the incumbent six years
and in which he gave a most able and satisfactory administration.
For three years thereafter he was employed in a banking institution
at Waukon, the judicial center of that county, and he then became
associated with Benjamin F. Boomer in the organization of the
First National Bank of Waukon. He was president of this bank
from its inception until the lapse of a period of about six years,
when he retired to devote his undivided time and attention to the
buying and shipping of live stock, with Waukon as his business
headquarters. After having continued successful operations along
this line about three years Mr. Mitchell came to Farmersburg,
Clayton county, where he organized the Farmersburg Savings Bank.
After serving as executive head of this institution for five years he
disposed of his interest in the same and removed to Luana, where
he eflFected the organization of the Luana Savings Bank, of which
he became cashier, an office which he held until his election to the
presidency, in 1916. Mr. Mitchell has not hedged himself in with
mere business, but has shown himself distinctively a loyal, pro-
gressive and public-spirited citizen. He is well fortified in his
opinions concerning economic and governmental affairs and has
given staunch allegiance to the cause of the Democratic party. He
is now serving as treasurer of the village of Luana, and he is affili-
ated with the local organization of the Knights of Pythias. On the
26th of November, 1871, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Mitchell to Miss Elizabeth Henderson, who was born in Harrison
county, Ohio, on the 24th of March, 1851. and who is a daughter of
Andrew and Jane (McDowell) Henderson, both of whom were born
in Pennsylvania, and both of whom died on their old homestead
farm near Rossville, Allamakee county, Towa, where they estab-
lished their residence in 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have three
282 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
children : Catherine Jane is the wife of John C. Everall, of St. Paul,
Minnesota, and they have one child, Marjorie Jane. Rollo H. is
now a resident of Seattle, Washington, and is the father of two
children — William Hampton and Helen Elizabeth. Cecelia Maude
is the wife of Walter Bulman and they maintain their home at
Chariton, Lucas county, Iowa.
Frederick W. Moellering not only owns and occupies the fine
old homestead farm on which he was born, in Section 1, Garnavillo
township, but through his own energy and ability he has so fur-
thered his success along financial lines as to have enabled him to
accumulate one of the splendid landed estates of his native county,
where he now owns somewhat more than five hundred acres and
where he is known and honored as a wide-awake, enterprising and
specially successful exponent of agricultural and live-stock industry
and as a liberal and public-spirited citizen. On the farm on which
he now resides, Mr. Moellering was born June 27, 1852, and he is
a scion of a sterling pioneer family whose name became identified
with the civic and industrial life of Clayton county fully seventy
years ago. He is a son of John H. and Margaret (Petering) Moel-
lering, both of whom were born in Prussia, whence they came to
America in the late '40s and became pioneer settlers of Clayton
county, Iowa. Here the father eventually purchased the homestead
now owned by the subject of this review, and upon this pioneer farm
he provided as the family domicile the primitive log house in which
Frederick W., of this sketch, was born. Later he provided modern
buildings of the most approved type, and he became one of the
substantial farmers and honored and influential citizens of Garna-
villo township, where he accumulated a fine estate of about two
hundred acres and where both he and his wife died when v.^ell
advanced in years, both having been zealous communicants of the
Lutheran church. Of their six children all are living except one.
After having profited by the advantages gained in the common
schools of the locality and period Frederick W. Moellering con-
tinued to assist his father in the work and management of the home
farm until he had attained to his legal majority, when he assumed
the supervision of its operations. Later he purchased the property,
comprising two hundred acres of fine land, and to the same he has
since added until he now has a valuable and splendidly improved
estate of five hundred acres, all available for cultivation, and also a
tract of eighty acres of timber land. He gives special and eflFective
attention to the breeding and raising of shorthorn cattle of the best
type and is known as one of the most progressive agriculturists
and stock-growers of his native county. He is a Republican in his
political allegiance, has served as road supervisor and for several
years was a member of the school board of his district. He and his
wife are communicants of the Lutheran church and their attractive
home, a center of generous hospitality, receives service on rural
mail route No. 1 from the village of Garnavillo. On the 30th of
December, 1886, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Moellering to
Miss Eliza Meyer, who was born and reared in this county and
whose parents. Henry W. and Minnie Meyer, became pioneer set-
.lOHN H. ^[()KLLKHI^■(i AND WIFE
THE NEW YORK
PU&LJC LIBRARY
kSrtOt. LKNtfX AND
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BIOGRAPHICAL 283
tiers of Clayton county within a short time after their immigration
from Germany, the father being now one of the venerable pioneer
citizens of the county, where he has been a successful farmer, and
the devoted mother having passed to the life eternal. Mr. and
Mrs. Moellering became the parents of six children, of whom four
are living: Sophia M. is the wife of Helmuth Wirkler; Nora M. is
deceased ; Roland H. remains at the parental home and is associated
in the activities of the farm ; Urben is deceased ; and Lucile and
Arthur are the younger members of the home circle.
J. Fred Mohning, whose well improved farm is situated in
Section 28 and 33, Clayton township, is a scion of one of the well
known pioneer families of Clayton county and has here proved his
resourcefulness and enterprise as one of the representative agricul-
turists and stock-raisers of his native county, the while he is fully
upholding the prestige of a family name that has been prominently
and worthily linked with the annals of civic and industrial develop-
ment and advancement in this favored section of the Hawkeye
State. On the old homestead farm of his parents, in Clayton town-
ship, this county, Mr. Mohning was born on the 7th of April, 1868,
and he is a son of H. H. and Maria (Pefmeyer) Mohning, who were
born and reared in Germany, whence they came to the United States
in the '50s. Soon after their arrival in America they established
their home on a pioneer farm in Clayton county, Iowa, where their
first place of abode was a primitive log house, with clapboard roof
and with no chimney save a stovepipe protruding from the roof.
The father gave himself energetically to the reclamation of his
farm, was successful in his operations as an agriculturist and con-
tributed his quota to the development of the resources of the county.
In later years he removed to Remsen, Plymouth county, where
both he and his wife passed the remainder of their lives. Of their
nine children, seven are now living. He whose name initiates this
article passed his boyhood days under the conditions and influences
of the pioneer period of Clayton county's history, early began to
aid in the work of the home farm and in the meanwhile profited by
the advantages afforded in the local schools. Upon attaining to
his legal majority he rented the old homestead farm, with the affairs
of which he had been associated up to that time, and one year later
he purchased a tract of eighty acres adjoining the home place. He
is now the owner of the entire landed estate, which comprises one
hundred and seventy acres of fertile land, and which constitutes
one of the well improved and specially productive farms of the
county, the same being most eligibly situated in Sections 28 and 33,
Clayton township and on rural mail route No. 3 from the city of
McGregor. As a loyal and progressive citizen, Mr. Mohning has
shown a lively interest in community affairs, and in 1916 he is
serving his third consecutive term in the office of township trustee,
a preferment that indicates the high estimation in which he is held
m the community that has always represented his home. He is also
secretary of the school board of his district, a position of which he
has been the efficient incumbent since 1897. He is essentially one
of the representative citizens of Clayton township, was one of the
284 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
organizers of the Clayton Savings Bank, of which he is a director,
and both he and his wife are zealous and valued communicants of
St. Paul's Lutheran church at Garnavillo, of which he is a trustee.
In the year 1893 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Mohning to
Miss Amelia Otting, who likewise was born and reared in this
county and who is a daughter of J. F. and Fredericka Otting, both
now deceased, her father having been born in Hanover, Germany,
and having been one of the sterling pioneers of Clayton county,
where he became a substantial agriculturist. Mr. and Mrs. Mohning
have four children — Evangeline F. M:, Lester F. H., Georgena M.,
and Foster H. A., and the family is one of prominence and popu-
larity in the social activities of the community.
Knudt E. Mork needs no further proof of his distinctive thrift
and prosperity than that afiforded in the general appearance of his
fine farm of two hundred and twenty-five acres, the major part of
which is situated in Section 21, Marion township. The spirit of
determined enterprise and progressiveness has characterized his
entire career and through his well directed endeavors he has be-
come one of the substantial farmers of his native township, the
while his course has been such as to retain to him the unqualified
confidence and good will of his fellow men. Mr. Mork was born in
Marion township on the 1st of January, 1860, and is a scion of a
family that was founded in this county more than sixty years ago.
His parents, Embreck and Rachel (Olson) Mork, were born in
Norway. As a young man the father immigrated to America, in
1854, and he remained in Wisconsin until the following year, when
he came to Clayton county and became one of the pioneer farmers
of Marion township. Here he reclaimed his land to cultivation
and here he continued his industrious activities as a farmer until
his death, which occurred in 1880. His wife survived him by a
number of years and both were consistent members of the Nor-
wegian Lutheran church. Halver, the eldest of their children, is
now a resident of Clear Lake, this state ; Sarah S. is the wife of
T. H. Olson, of Marion township ; Ole is a prosperous farmer in
that township ; Peter E. resides at Gunder, Iowa ; Thomas is an-
other of the substantial farmers of Marion township ; and the sub-
ject of this review is the youngest of the number. Knudt E. Mork
gained his early education in the pioneer schools of Clayton county
and continued his association with the work of the home farm until
he was eighteen years of age. He then served an apprenticeship
to the carpenter's trade, and as a skilled carpenter and builder he
continued to follow his trade successfully for a term of about fifteen
years. He then purchased ninety-three acres of land in his native
township, and from this he has developed his present valuable
landed estate of two hundred and twenty-five acres, as he continued
to make additions to his farm from time to time, in consonance with
the increasing prosperity that attended his energetic activities as
an agriculturist and stock-grower. He has made the best of per-
manent improvements on his farm, the buildings being kept in the
best of repair and everything about the place giving evidence of
careful and effective management. Among the modern improve-
BIOGRAPHICAL 285
ments is a substantial silo of ninety tons' capacity. Mr. Mork is
undeviating in his allegiance to the Republican party, has been
liberal and influential in public affairs of a local order, has served
with marked efficiency as a memebr of the school board of his dis-
trict and since 1914 he has been the valued incumbent of the office
of treasurer of his native township. Both he and his wife are ear-
nest communicants of the Norwegian Lutheran church, in the
faith of which they were reared and with which their own children
are actively identified. The attractive family home, known for its
generous hospitality, receives mail service on rural route No. 5,
from the neighboring village of Elgin. On the 15th of February,
1890, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Mork to Miss Betsy Olson,
who likewise was born and reared in this county, and of their in-
teresting family of twelve children all remain at the parental home
except the eldest two — Rosina, who is the wife of Christ Ander-
son, of Marion township ; and Alma, who is the wife of William
Nelson, of Grand Meadow township. The names of the children
who remain members of the cheery home circle are here entered in
the respective order of birth : Enoch, Sophia, Clara, Abel, Henry,
Reuben, Ida, Emma, Ruth and Kenneth.
Jacob Moser is a citizen who can claim as the place of his
nativity the staunch and fair little republic of Switzerland, though
he has been a resident of Clayton county since he was a lad of
seven years. He is now one of the prosperous farmers and repre-
sentative citizens of Cass township, where he is the owner of a
well improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres, in Sections 17
and 18. Mr. Moser was born in the canton of Sulothurn, Switzer-
land, on the 24th of April, 1864, and is one of the nine survivors of
the twelve children born to Jacob and Mary (Grimm) Moser, who
came with their family to America in the year 1871 and forthwith
established their home in Clayton county, where the father became
one of the substantial farmers of Mallory township, though he
continued for many years to find demand for his skilled work at his
trade, that of stone mason. He died at the home of his daughter
in Delaware county, Iowa, and his wife continued to reside on the
old homestead farm until her death. Jacob Moser, Jr., the imme-
diate subject of this review, was reared to manhood in Clayton
county and is indebted to its public schools for his early educa-
tional training. He continued to be associated with the work of
his father's farm until he was eighteen years of age, and for the
ensuing nineteen years he carried on independent operations on a
farm which he rented. He then purchased his present well im-
proved homestead farm, which he has made one of the model places
of Cass township and on which he has not only been successful in
his activities as a general agriculturist, but also in the raising of
excellent grades of cattle and swine and in the conducting of a
specially prosperous dairy department. He is loyal to all civic
responsibilities, has served two terms as school director, is a Re-
publican in his political adherency. and is affiliated with the Modern
Brotherhood of America. In 1888 was solemnized the marriage
of Mr. Moser to Miss Katherine Hemann, who was born and reared
286 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
in Germany and who came to the United States in 1883, in company
with one of her brothers. In conclusion is given brief record con-
cerning the children of Mr. and Mrs. Moser: Lizzie is the wife of
James B. Fowler, of Bremer county, this state ; Caroline is the wife
of Sebo Olrich, a farmer of Bremer county ; Rosa, Edward, Albert,
Clara and Juanita remain at the parental home, and four children
died in infancy.
John R. Moser, one of the vigorous and representative farmers
of Mallory township, is here the owner of the fine old homestead
farm which figures as the place of his nativity, his birth having
here occurred on the 2d of August, 1874. He is a son of Nicholas
and Annie Marie (Mulett) Moser, both natives of the fine little
republic of Switzerland. Nicholas Moser was reared and educated
in his native land and came to the United States when a young
man. He passed the first three years in the state of Ohio and then
came to Clayton county, Iowa, where he purchased a tract of land
in Mallory township and where he developed one of the valuable
farms of the county, this old homestead having continued as his
place of residence until his death, which occurred on the 26th of
January, 1904. The devoted companionship that had existed during
the entire period of the married life of this sturdy pioneer and his
gentle wife was not long severed, for she passed to eternal rest
about one month prior to his death, the date of her demise having
been January 4, 1904. Both were devout members of the United
Brethren church, and he was a Democrat in his political proclivi-
ties. The subject of this sketch is the youngest of the surviving
children and concerning the others specific mention is made on
other pages, in the review of the career of an older brother, Lewis
D. John R. Moser is indebted to the well conducted school of
district No. 4, Mallory township, for the effective educational disci-
pline which he received in his boyhood and youth, and in the mean-
while he waxed strong in physical powers also, through the duties
that fell to his portion in connection with the work of the home
farm. Upon arriving at his legal majority he purchased the old
home place of one hundred and eighty-eight and one-half acres, in
Section 4, Mallory township, this being only a part of the landed
estate that had been accumulated by his honored father. He has
made excellent improvements on the farm, including the erection
of modern buildings, and has demonstrated most significantly the
worthy success that is to be gained in this favored section of the
state through well ordered operations in diversified farming and
the raising of good grades of live stock, the farm of Mr. Moser
showing at all times the best types of work horses, graded cattle
and Poland-China swine. Mr. Moser gives his allegiance to the
Democratic party, is affiliated with the Osterdock lodge of the In-
dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and his wife is a communicant of
the Lutheran church, he himself having been reared in the faith
of the United Brethren church. On the 28th of December, 1898,
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Moser to Miss Elizabeth D.
Morarend, who was born and reared in Jefferson township, this
county, and who is a daughter of Dietrich and Dorothea (Schroe-
BIOGRAPHICAL 287
der) Morarend. Mr. and Mrs. Moser became the parents of five
children, three daughters and two sons. Millard L., who was the
third in order of birth, died in infancy. The surviving children,
who remain members of the ideal circle of the parental home, are
Florence, Mabel, Elvah, Bert and Vera.
Levds D. Moser is the owner of one of the line farms of his
native county, the same being eligibly situated in Jefferson town-
ship and comprising one hundred and eighty-one acres. Mr. Moser
has shown marked energy and circumspection in his independent
operations as a farmer and his success furnishes the best voucher for
his ability as an agriculturist and as a grower of high-grade live
stock. In the stock-raising department of his farm enterprise he
specialized in the breeding and growing of the best breeds of
Durham cattle and Poland-China swine. Lewis Daniel Moser was
born in Mallory township, this county, on the 26th of September,
1868, and is a son of Nicholas and Annie (Mollat) Moser, both of
whom were born in the fair and noble little republic of Switzerland.
Nicholas Moser was reared and educated in his native land and
upon coming to America, when a young man, he first established
his residence in Ohio. He remained in the old Buckeye state three
years and then came to Clayton county, Iowa, where he purchased
the land from which he developed one of the fine farms of Mallory
township, this old homestead having continued as his place of
abode until his death, which occurred January 26, 1904, his cherished
and devoted wife having passed to the life eternal on the 31st of
the preceding month, so that "in death they were not long divided,"
after an earthly companionship that had been one of ideal devotion
and sympathy. Both were earnest members of the United Brethren
church and Mr. Moser, in consonance with his well fortified opin-
ions, gave his support to the cause of the Democratic party. Of
the surviving children, the eldest is Henry, who is a farmer of
Mallory township ; William follows agricultural pursuits in Jeffer-
son township ; Frederick continues a representative of agricultural
industry in Mallory township ; Andrew resides at Millville, this
county; Lewis D., of this review, was the next in order of birth;
Lydia is the wife of Charles Friedlem, of Mallory township ; Emma
is the wife of George Hansel, of Manchester, Delaware county ;
and John is a prosperous farmer in Mallory township. Lewis D.
Moser acquired his youthful education in the schools of Mallory
township, and he continued to assist in the work and management
of the home farm until he had attained to his legal majority, after
which he rented the place, to the operation of which he continued
to give his attention until he was twenty-six years old, when he
rented the farm of which he is now the owner, the property having
been purchased by him fourteen years later and he having remained
on the place during the entire intervening period. The farm com-
prises one hundred and eighty-one acres of most fertile land, im-
proved with good buildings, the most of which have been erected
by the present owner, and it is one of the valuable farm properties
of Mallory township. Mr. Moser is a staunch supporter of the
cause of the Democratic party but has consented to serve in only
288 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
one public office, that of township assessor. He is an appreciative
member of the time-honored Masonic fraternity, in which his an-
cient-craft affiliation is with the Lodge of Ancient Free & Accepted
Masons at Guttenberg, where he likewise maintains membership
in the adjunct organization, the Order of the Eastern Star. He
has received various degrees in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite
of this great fraternal order, and is in this branch of Masonry affili-
ated with the consistory in the city of Clinton, this state. He is
identified also with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the
Modern Woodmen of America. On the 21st of February, 1894,
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Moser to Miss Ella Friedlein,
who was born in Jefferson township, this county, on the 24th of
January, 1875, and who received the advantages of the public
schools in the village of Osterdock. She is a daughter of Frederick
and Harriet (Schrunk) Friedlein, representatives of sterling pioneer
families of Clayton county. Frederick Friedlein was born in
Schmalz, Germany, on the 7th of August, 1850, and was but two
years old when his parents came to the United States and estab-
lished their home in Clayton county, Iowa, where he was reared
and educated and where he became a representative farmer of Jef-
ferson township, his death having there occurred June 3, 1886, and
his widow having passed to eternal rest on the 26th of June, 1913,
her entire life having been passed in Clayton county, where her
parents settled in the pioneer days, soon after their immigration to
this country from Germany. Frederick Friedlein and his wife were
earnest and consistent communicants of the Lutheran church, and
their daughter Ella, wife of the subject of this review, is a member
of the Eastern Star at Guttenberg, she being one of their five sur-
viving children. Mr. and Mrs. Moser have six children, all of whom
remain members of the attractive and happy home circle, their
names being here entered in the respective order of their birth:
Irwin, Mildred, Harold, Reuben, Merrill, and Myrna.
Herman Mueller, now venerable in years, is living virtually
retired, after a long period of close and effective association with
business activities, and he may consistently be designated as one
of the pioneer merchants of Elkport, where he established his resi-
dence in 1873, shortly after the completion of the railroad through
this place, and where he has since maintained his home, secure in
the high regard of all who know him and specially eligible for
representation in this publication. Mr. Mueller was born in Ger-
many, on the 24th of March, 1842, and is a son of Karl and Chris-
tena (Maier) Mueller, who passed their entire lives in Germany,
where the father long followed the trade of shoemaker. The sub-
ject of this sketch is the youngest in a family of five sons and five
daughters and v.^as reared and educated in his native land, where
he gained a thorough knowledge of the shoemaker's trade, under
the effective direction of his father. In 1869, when about twenty-
seven years of age, he came to the United States, and he first lo-
cated in New Jersey, where he found employment at his trade, but
before the close of the year 1869 he came to Iowa and established
his home in Dubuque. There he continued in the work of his
BIOGRAPHICAL 289
trade until 1873, when he removed to Clayton county and opened
a shoemaking shop at Elkport. He eventually developed a pros-
perous general boot and shoe business and continued to give to
the same his supervision for many years. He gained a comfortable
competency and since his retirement from active business he and
his wife have lived in peace and comfort in the pleasant home at
Elkport, the house having been erected by him in the second year
of his residence at Elkport. Mr. Mueller has been a loyal and
influential citizen and has done his part in the development and
upbuilding of Elkport. He served four years as a member of the
board of aldermen, four years as mayor and for an equal period as
a member of the board of education. He is a Republican in poli-
tics, is affiliated with the Ancient Order of United Workmen and
the Modern Brotherhood of America, and both he and his wife are
earnest communicants of the German Lutheran church. As a young
man Mr. Mueller married Miss Jacobina Scharft, who likewise was
born and reared in Germany, and of their five children four died in
infancy, the one surviving being Herman F., who is a representa-
tive business man of Elkport and who is individually mentioned
elsewhere in this compilation.
Herman F, Mueller has, through his own industry and well
directed energies, gained definite success and precedence as one of
the representative business men of his native county, and in the
thriving village of Elkport he is conducting a substantial and flour-
ishing enterprise as a representative of the jewelry, optical and
music business, with a well equipped establishment that receives
an appreciative supporting patronage. He was born at Elkport on
the 26th of October, 1873, and is a son of Herman Mueller, a ster-
ling pioneer citizen of whom individual mention is made on other
pages of this work. Herman F. Mueller attended the public schools
of his native village until 1889, when, at the age of sixteen years,
he entered Bayless Business College, in which institution he took
an effective commercial course. In 1890 he returned to Elkport,
where he assisted in the shoe store of his father until the following
year, when he again went to Dubuque, where he was employed one
year in a shoe factory. He then learned the barber's trade, and to
the work of the same he applied himself in Dubuque until 1894,
when he went to Elgin, Illinois, the headquarters of the great Elgin
watch works, and there, with the financial resources which he
gained by continuing his work at the barber trade, he completed a
course in the Elgin Horological School, in which he gained a thor-
ough knowledge of the watchmaking and jewelry trade and also
of the optical business, which latter he acquired by attending night
school. It may well be understood that during this period of
eighteen months passed at Elgin the young man had few idle mo-
ments, for he was applying himself constantly to study and prac-
tical work in perfecting himself as a watchmaker and optician and
in the meanwhile was working at the barber t*rade to aid in defray-
ing his expenses. His ambition has been a dominating character-
istic and he is one of those who appreciate the value of hard work
and who are always ready to apply themselves indefatigably. Upon
290 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
leaving Elgin Mr. Mueller returned to Elkport and initiated an
independent business enterprise of somewhat unusual ramifications.
He realized that no one department of the business would at the
time render adequate financial returns, and thus he combined the
barber, the optical and the jewelry business until the enterprise
grew to such proportions as to justify his disposing of his barber
shop and the concentration of his time and attention in the con-
ducting of his now well established jewelry and optical business.
He has since established also a well equipped musical store, in the
management of which his wife is associated with him, and in
which he carries full lines of pianos, Victrolas, and other musical
instruments, as well as sheet music and musical merchandise in
general. These brief statements mark him as one of the most pro-
gressive business men of Elkport, and his success has been the
result of zealous and well directed effort and fair and honorable
business policies. He is a Republican in politics. Both he and
his wife hold membership in the Lutheran church in their home
village. On the 10th of November, 1896, was recorded the mar-
riage of Mr. Mueller to Miss Ida Brandtman, who was born and
reared in this county, and whose parents, Henry and Mary Brandt-
man, were born in Germany, whence they came to America and
established their home in Clayton county many years ago. In her
youth Mrs. Mueller became an expert milliner and after several
years of married life and after she had become the mother of a fine
son, she engaged in the millinery business at Elkport. After de-
voting herself to the enterprise for ten years her impaired health
caused Mr. Mueller to sell all of his business interests, and for the
purpose of recuperating his wife's physical energies the family
passed about eighteen months in the state of California. Upon
their return home he re-engaged in the music and jewelry business.
Mrs. Mueller associated with her husband in the music business,
to which she has since given much of her time and attention. Mr.
and Mrs. Mueller have one son, Ralph, who was born December 8,
1897, and who is preparing himself carefully to assist his father in
the jewelry, optical and musical business. At the time of this
writing, in 1916, he is attending the Bradley Institute, in the city
of Peoria, Illinois, where he is taking courses in the watchmaker's
and jeweler's trade and also further preparing himself for service
as a scientific optician.
Donald Munger is another of the native sons of Clayton county
who is contributing effectively to upholding the high standard of
agricultural industry within its borders, and his farm, which com-
prises forty acres, is situated in Boardman township. He is one
of the energetic exponents of agriculture in this section of the
Hawkeye state, is a scion of an honored pioneer family of Clayton
county. Mr. Munger was born in Reed township, this county, on
the 7th of March, 1886, and is a son of George W. and Augusta
Sophia (Bandow) Munger, both folk of fine mentality and much
practical ability, though both were deaf and dumb from birth.
George W. Munger was born in the state of New York and his wife
was born in Germany. He passed the closing period of his life at
BIOGRAPHICAL 29 1
Elkader, this county, where he died November 18, 1914, and where
his widow still maintains her home. He became one of the pros-
perous farmers of the county, to which he came with his parents in
the early pioneer days. He was a son of Milo E. and Jane M.
(Glaiser) Hunger, who settled in Reed township in the pioneer
period of Clayton county history and who here passed the residue
of their lives. George W. was the eldest of their nine children;
Frederick is a resident of Rolla, Missouri ; Ebenezer, of Delaware
county, Iowa ; Eugene is deceased ; Aurelia is the wife of Jeremiah
Cassidy, of Elkader; Mary is the widow of Edward Gifford and
she likewise maintains her home at Elkader, this county ; Carrie
is the wife of George F. White, of Volga, this county; Simeon is a
resident of Oelwein, Fayette county ; and Milo resides at the county
seat of Clayton county. Donald Munger, immediate subject of this
review, was the second in a family of three children. His older
brother, Charles H., is now a resident of Cresco, Howard county,
and the younger brother, Dale W., resides at Manchester, Delaware
county. Donald Munger was reared to the sturdy discipline of the
farm and continued to attend the public schools of the locality until
he had attained to the age of sixteen years. Both of his brothers
had in the meanwhile left the parental home and it thus devolved
upon him to assume eventually the practical control and supervi-
sion of the old homestead farm, to the management of which he has
since given hit. attention, with marked success. He is a loyal sup-
porter of the cause of the Democratic party and is affiliated with
the Modern Woodmen of America as a member of the camp at
Elkader. His name is still enrolled on the list of eligible young
bachelors in his native county.
Daniel D. Murphy was born near New Diggings, Lafayette
county, Wisconsin, August 22nd, 1862. His parents were John G.
and Ellen (McCarthy) Murphy, both natives of Ireland, who came
to this country when they were quite young. His boyhood was
spent in working on farms in the summer time and attending school
in the winter. When seventeen years of age he taught country
school one winter, and entered the State Normal School at Platte-
ville, Wisconsin, from which he was graduated in the spring of
1883. He came to Guttenberg, Iowa, in September, 1883, and was
for three years superintendent of the public school at that place,
during which time the same was developed into a three-year high
school. During this time he attended summer schools and also
read law. Entered the Law School of the University of Iowa, from
which he graduated in 1887. He then returned to Guttenberg and
for a few months practiced law there and worked in the Clayton
County Bank, which had then just been established at Guttenberg.
In 1888 he came to Elkader and has since that time resided and
practiced law at Elkader, Iowa. In 1890 he was elected county
attorney, and re-elected in 1892, serving four years. He served
six years on the Town Council and has been a member of the
Board of Education of Elkader, Iowa, for about fifteen years, of
which board he has been for some years and is now president.
When the State Board of Education, the managing board of our
2^ MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
State institutions of higher learning — to-wit : the State University,
the State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, the State
Teachers' College and the College for the Blind — was created by
the Legislature in 1909, Mr. Murphy was appointed a member of
the board, and after serving a term of four years was reappointed
for a term of six years, and since January 1st, 1914, he has been
and is now president of the board. He was the Democratic candi-
date for Congress in the Fourth District in 1910, being defeated by
about 200 votes in a district in which the normal Republican ma-
jority is over 5,000. He was married in 1888 to Henrietta Johnsen
of Guttenberg, Iowa. Her parents were among the pioneer settlers
of Guttenberg and for many years were in the furniture and under-
taking business at that place. His family consists of one son,
Clarence F. Murphy, who since 1914 has been a member of the
firm of D. D. Murphy & Son. Mr. Murphy was one of the organ-
izers of the Elkader State Bank in 1892 and has been during its
entire existence its vice-president. He is also connected as a stock-
holder or director with many of the banks in Clayton county. He
is a member of the Catholic Church ; also a member of the State and
American Bar Associations, and has always taken an active part
in the work of his profession. In 1908 he served as president of
the Iowa State Bar Association. In addition to professional work
he has always been active in public affairs, and especially in edu-
cational matters.
Muschewske Brothers constitute a firm of editors and publishers
who are prominent and representative factors in the newspaper
profession in Clayton county, where they own and conduct most
progressively the Guttenberg Press, which they have brought to
high standard as one of the influential weekly newspapers of this
section of their native state and in connection with their newspaper
publishing they maintain also a well ec|uipped job office. The two
brothers are prominent and valued business men of the fine little
city of Guttenberg, and in their native county their circle of friends
is coincident with that of their acquaintances. Louis C. Mus-
chewske, the senior member of the firm, was born at Elkader, the
judicial center of Clayton county, on the 19th of July, 1881, and
Harry J., the junior member of the firm, was there born on the 15th
of April, 1887. They are sons of Friedrich Wilhelm and Elisa
(Ortman) Muschewske, whose marriage was solemnized at Elkader
on the 7th of September, 1879, and of whose four children two are
deceased. The father was born at Marien Werder, Prussia, Ger-
many, on the 25th of May, 1839, and the mother was born at Stolpe,
near Neustadt, in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, on the 2d of
April, 1851, both having been reared and educated in their native
places. Friedrich W. Muschewske became a resident of Clayton
county, Iowa, in 1873, and after remaining a short time at Elkport
he removed to Elkader, where he engaged in the harness business
and where he passed the residue of his long, useful and honorable
life, his death having occurred on the 21st of May, 1897. This
sterling citizen had represented his native land as a valiant soldier
in the Franco-Prussian war, in 1870-71, and it was soon after the
BIOGRAPHICAL 293
close of this historic conflict that he came to America. He was in
full sympathy with the government and institutions of the land of
his adoption, was a man of superior mentality and broad views,
was a Democrat in his political adherency, and both he and his wife
early became earnest communicants of the Lutheran church. Mrs.
Muschewske became a resident of Clayton county in 1874 and she
now maintains her home at Guttenberg, venerable in years and sus-
tained and comforted by the loving devotion of her two sons. The
Muschewske brothers both continued to attend the public schools of
Elkader until they had completed the curriculum of the high school.
On the 20th of June, 1898, Louis C. began at Elkader his novitiate in
newspaper work, where he found employment in the ofifice of the
Nord Iowa Herold. Later he was associated with other newspapers
in the state, and for a number of years thereafter he followed the
musical profession, his talent in this line being of high order. On
the 12th of May, 1911, he became associated with his brother in
the purchasing of the plant and business of the Guttenberg Press,
and they have since continued as editors and publishers of this
alert and vigorous weekly paper and in the control of the prosper-
ous job-printing business that has been developed under their pro-
gressive management. Harry J. Muschewske formed his alliance
with the "art preservative of all arts" in April, 1903, when he be-
came connected with the Nord Iowa Herold, with which he con-
tinued his alliance at Elkader until he removed to Guttenberg and
became his brother's partner in the thriving newspaper enterprise
which they have since conducted. The Press is a vital exponent of
the best sentiment and action of the community and its policy is
distinctively one of loyalty and progressiveness. The two brothers
designate themselves as independent Democrats in politics and are
essentially loyal and public-spirited citizens. Louis C. is affiliated
with Guttenberg Lodge, No. 126, Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, and Harry J. with the local organization of the Brotherhood
of American Yeomen. At Guttenberg, on the 4th of October, 1911,
was solemnized the marriage of Louis C. Muschewske to Miss
Minnie K. Soltau, who was born in Guttenberg, this county, on the
21st of December, 1888. No children have been born of this union.
At Elkader, on the 14th of September, 1911, Harry J. Muschewske
wedded Miss Louise D. Pupke, who likewise is a native of this
county, where she was born July 2, 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Harry J.
Muschewske have a winsome little daughter, Arleen, who was
born May 20, 1912, in Guttenberg.
Mrs. L. Nagel is continuing the general merchandise business
that was formerly conducted by her late husband at North Buena
Vista and is one of the well known and popular business women
of Clayton county, as well as a gracious factor in the social life of
her home community. She was born at Sand Spring, Delaware
county, this state, on the 10th of August, 1871, and is a daughter of
E. P. and Minnie Sawyer, both natives of the state of Vermont and
members of sterling old families of New England. The father was
born March 6, 1843, and became one of the pioneer settlers of Iowa.
For a number of years the home was maintained in Delaware
294 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
county, but the mother of Mrs. Nagel passed the closing year of her
life in California. Mrs. Nagel acquired her early education in the
public schools of Iowa and her discipline included a course in the
Audubon School in the city of Dubuque. On the 9th of November,
1893, she became the wife of Frank P. Brahm, who was reared and
educated in the city of Dubuque and who was a son of John and
Theresa Brahm. His death occurred in 1899 and he is survived by
two children — Hazel, who is the wile of Ray Minger, of Buena
Vista, and Earl, who remains with his widowed mother. On the
8th of October, 1901, was solemnized the marriage of the subject
of this review to Charles F. Nagel, who was born in Germany and
came to Iowa when six years of age, a"d who was educated in the
schools of North Buena Vista, Clayton county, and those of the
city of Dubuque. For a number of years he gave his attention to
agricultural pursuits, and at the time of his death he was one of
the successful and honored merchants of the village of North Buena
Vista, and an earnest member of the Lutheran church. He was
summoned to eternal rest on the 5th of March, 1915, and is survived
by four children, who lend cheer to the home of their doubly wid-
owed mother and whose names are here indicated in respective
order of birth — Blanch, Laura, Elmer and Stella.
Ole Nelson is one of the venerable and honored pioneer citizens
to whom it is gratifying to give recognition in this history. He
is one of the sturdy sons of the far Norseland who came to the
United States as a young man and who shortly afterward availed
himself of the privilege of giving extraordinary manifestation of
his loyalty to the land of his adoption, for within a few months
after his arrival in America he went forth as a valiant soldier of
the Union in the Civil war. He came to Clayton county, Iowa, in
the year that marked the close of the war, and here he has main-
tained his home during the greater part of the long intervening
period — a man of strong mentality, sterling integrity and high civic
ideals. He has been one of the world's workers, has traveled ex-
tensively both in America and abroad and is now living in gracious
retirement on his homestead farm, which, with characteristic gen-
erosity, he gave to the worthy young couple with whom he resides
and who accord to him true filial afifection and care, he having no
children of his own and his wife having passed away in 1905. Mr.
Nelson was born in Norway, on the 19th of November, 1840, and
is a son of Nels and Margot (Evanson) Anderson, his surname
being derived from the personal or Christian name of his father,
in accord with the ancient custom in Norway. The parents came
to America in 1862 and they were residents of Iowa at the time of
their death. Ole Nelson was reared and educated in his native
land and on the 29th of July, 1861, a few months prior to his twenty-
first birthday anniversary, he arrived in the United States. From
the national metropolis he forthwith made his way to Wisconsin,
where he obtained employment at farm work. On the 19th of the
following November, however, he subordinated all else to tender
his aid in defense of the Union — an action that shall ever reflect
honor upon his name and memory. He enlisted as a private in
OL?] NELSON
THE NEW YORK
PU&LIC LIBRARY
ASTOB, LINOI AND
TILDEN rOUNDfcTlONB
BIOGRAPHICAL 295
Company F, Fifteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, with which
he proceeded to the front and with which he served two years,
during which he participated in numerous engagements and proved
himself a faithful and gallant soldier of the republic. In the battle
of Stone River he received a severe gunshot wound in his left
leg, and the injury so incapacitated him that he was given an hon-
orable discharge, at Nashville, Tennessee. After recovering from
his injury Mr. Nelson went to Jasper county, Illinois, and soon
afterward he gave evidence of his unabated loyalty and military
ardor by enlisting in Company I, 143rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry,
with rank of corporal. With this command he served until the
expiration of his one hundred days' term of enlistment, his regi-
ment being commanded by Colonel Smith, and he received his
second honorable discharge on the 8th of December, 1864, at Mat-
toon, Illinois. In later years he has perpetuated the more pleasing
memories and associations of his military career by maintaining
affiliation with that noble and patriotic organization, the Grand
Army of the Republic. In the winter of 1865 Mr. Nelson came to
Clayton county, Iowa, and after having here been employed a few
months he went to Mower county, Minnesota, where he entered
claim to a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres. He sold the
property one year later but continued his residence in Minnesota
until 1872, when he returned to Clayton county, where he has since
maintained his home and where his activities have been principally
in connection with agricultural pursuits and the raising of live
stock. He may consistently be said to have been one of the foun-
ders of the village of Gunder, where he became the owner of six
and one-half acres of land and where he erected the first building
in the village. The farm upon which he now resides is eligibly
situated in Section 11, Marion township, with mail service on rural
route No. 1, from Postville. He made good improvements on the
farm and continued in the ownership of the property until he trans-
ferred the same, with proper stipulations and legal provisions, to
Mr. and Mrs. A. T. Holem, with whom he makes his home and
whom he looks upon with the appreciative aflFection of a father.
He married Mrs. Julia Gundelfinger, widow of Alexander Gundel-
finger, of Madison, Wisconsin, and she was summoned to eternal
rest on the 20th of November, 1905, no children having been born
of their union. Mr. Nelson has made four tours abroad since he
came to America, and has visited not only the land of his birth but
also England and various continental countries of Europe. His
political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and he has
served as trustee of Marion township. He is a zealous communi-
cant of the Norwegian Lutheran church at Gunder and a member
of the Grand Army post at Elkader, the county seat.
Hon. Byron W. Newberry. Prominent in the history of Straw-
berry Point, of Cass township and of Clayton county as well as in
the annals of the state of Iowa, stands Byron W. Newberry. He
has been one of the most helpful, progressive and energetic men
of his home city, he has well represented Clayton county in legis-
lative halls and he has helped to write upon the statute books of
296 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Iowa many of its best and most effective laws. It is, therefore,
altogether fitting that his life history should be included in this
volume as one of the representative men of Clayton county and as
one who has added luster to its name and fame. He was born at
Brownhelm, in the old Buckeye state, on the first of September,
1853, the son of James Newberry and Maria (Westfall) Newberry,
both of whom were natives of the state of New York. The father
was born in Orange county, New York, May 26th, 1827, and the
mother in Onondaga county of the same state, April 14th, 1828.
They were imbued with that pioneering instinct which was such a
potent factor in the development of the great central West and
filled with the courage and energy of youthful ambition they left
the Empire state to make their home together and to carve out
fortunes for themselves in Ohio. After some length of residence
in Ohio they again listened to the call of the West and made Iowa
and Clayton county their home. In their new home they soon
made impress through their industry and enterprise and their
spirit of progressive citizenship, and it was here that their two
sons, Byron W. and Charles W., were reared to honored manhood.
With that instinct of Americanism which knows that "Knowledge
Is Power," they gave to their children not only the lessons of
thrift and industry from their own example, but equipped them
with the best educational advantages which the state afforded.
Thus Byron W. Newberry not only faithfully attended the schools
of Clayton county, but after completing their course of study he
received a collegiate education at Upper Iowa University, at
Fayette, an institution which has ever been a just favorite with the
people of Northeastern Iowa on account of its thoroughness and
its Christian surroundings. Graduating from this seat of learning
with the class of 1875, Mr. Newberry, the next autumn, matric-
ulated in the law department of the State University of Iowa, an
institution from which a very large per cent of the successful law-
yers of Iowa have graduated. In 1876 he graduated from the
University law school, receiving his degree of LL. B. and being
admitted as a member of the Iowa bar. He at once began the
practice of his chosen profession and in 1887 the brothers, Charles
and Byron, entered upon that successful partnership which still
continues and which has brought to them not only a competency,
but established reputation as among the notable attorneys of the
state. With the years of successful practice came added interests,
and Mr. Newberry is now not only an attorney but a banker and
a farmer on an extensive scale and his name is connected with
many interests of his home city and indissolubly linked with all
that has made for its progress and upbuilding. Throughout his
manhood days Mr. Newberry has been a staunch and earnest sup-
porter of the principles of the Republican party and for many
years he has been a prominent factor in its councils, not only in
Clayton county, but in the state at large. Mr. Newberry was
elected on the Republican ticket as senator for the Thirty-sixth
Senatorial district and he served with distinction during the
thirtieth, thirty-first and thirty-second sessions of the legislature
BIOGRAPHICAL 297
of Iowa. During this time he served on many important com-
mittees and his name is now attached to legislation which with
each passing year gives added proof of its value to the people of
the entire state. In the year, 1916, he is again the standard bearer
of his party for this important position, and his friends insist that
his record and his eminent qualifications will assuredly meet with
the endorsement of an election. Mr. Newberry is a man who has
never sacrificed his convictions for expediency. His life has been
as an open book and no endorsement at the polls could be stronger
than that which has long been accorded him by his fellow citizens
through their confidence, esteem and real affection. Always an
earnest student and a lover of Iowa and all that pertains to it Mr.
Newberry has for a number of years been a valued member of the
Iowa State Historical Society, and it is a pleasure to note that a
large portion of the interesting and carefully prepared history of
Cass township written by him has been incorporated in the first
volume of this work. Mr. Newberry is also a member of the Iowa
State Bar Association and, fraternally, is affiliated with the order
of the Knights of Pythias, while his religious allegiance is faith-
fully and zealously given to the Congregational church. On De-
cember 30th, 1905, Mr. Newberry was united in marriage with
Miss Eve M. Buckley, a native of Strawberry Point, and the daugh-
ter of Franklin R. and Helen M. (Turner) Buckley, long respected
citizens of that community. The home of Senator and Mrs. New-
berry is one of the centers of the social life of their community and
both are known and loved for their kindliness, their steadfastness
to high ideals and their broad and genuine interest in all that per-
tains to the welfare and happiness of their friends, who include all
the people of Strawberry Point and vicinity.
Benjamin Nieland is the fortunate owner of one of the extensive
and finely improved landed estates of his native county, is a member
of an honored pioneer family of this favored section of Iowa, and
that he takes lively interest in all things pertaining to the social
and material welfare and progress of Clayton county is but evidence
of his loyal appreciation of its attractions and resources, and an
evidence also of his representative status as one of the enterprising
and successful farmers of the county. He was born in Jefferson
township, this county, on the 14th of June, 1866, and he is one of
the four children born to Herman and Elizabeth (Roth) Nieland,
all of the children still surviving the honored parents, who passed
the closing years of their long and worthy lives on their old home-
stead farm in Jefiferson township. The parents were born and
reared in Germany and upon coming to the United States they be-
came pioneer settlers of Clayton county. They first established their
home in the fine German colony of Guttenberg, but finally removed
to the farm, in JeflFerson township, where they passed the residue
of their lives, prospered in their earnest endeavors and resting
secure in the high regard of all who knew them, both having been
devout communicants of the Catholic church. The father of this
family died, April, 1913, and the mother died about thirty-nine
years ago when our subject was eleven years of age. Benjamin
298 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Nieland did not deny himself the discipline that conserved growth
of both mind and physical powers during the period of his boyhood
and youth, for he profited duly by the advantages of the public
schools of Clayton county and in the meanwhile contributed mate-
rially to the work of the home farm. With the passing years he
became thoroughly familiar with all departments of farm activity,
and development brought him substantial poise as a practical agri-
culturist and stock-grower. He remained at the parental home
until 1901, when he wedded Miss Cecelia Burr, who was born and
reared in this county, one of the family of fourteen children born
to Matthew and Elizabeth (Wellman) Burr, who were born in
Germany and who were numbered among the early settlers of
Clayton county. Mr. Burr was one of the substantial farmers and
honored pioneer citizens of the county at the time of his death and
his widow still remains a resident of the county. Within a short
time after his marriage Mr. Nieland purchased his present fine
homestead farm, which comprises two hundred and forty-one acres
in Sections 15 and 22, Farmersburg township, and which is im-
proved with excellent buildings, is maintained with utmost care
and circumspection, and which constitutes one of the really model
farms of Clayton county. In addition to this home place Mr. Nie-
land owns also forty acres of timber land in Clayton township. He
is a Democrat in politics, is serving in 1916 as school director of
his district, and both he and his wife are communicants of the
Catholic church. They have three children, whose names and re-
spective dates of birth are here indicated : Norbert J., May 12, 1902 ;
Sylvia Matilda, June 2, 1905 ; and Adelia Anna, September 29, 1908.
Bernard Nieland owns and resides upon the fine old home-
stead farm, in Jefferson township, that figures as the place of his
birth and on which he has made an admirable record of successful
achievement along the lines of diversified agriculture, the raising
of good grades of live stock and the conducting of a well ordered
dairy department as an adjunct of his progressive farm enterprise.
On this farmstead he was born November 26, 1863, and he is a son
of John G. and Mary (Teders) Nieland, both natives of the King-
dom of Hanover, Germany. Reared and educated in his native
land, John G. Nieland was a young man at the time of his immi-
gration to America, about the year 1856, and soon after his arrival
in the land of his adoption he came to Iowa and numbered himself
among the pioneers of Clayton county. He purchased wild land
in Jefferson township and reclaimed the same into one of the pro-
ductive farms of the county. He was one of the honored and in-
fluential citizens of this township at the time of his death, which
occurred in January, 1889, and his widow was summoned to the
life eternal on the 26th of December, 1914, both having been earnest
communicants of the Catholic church, and his political affiliation
having been with the Democratic party. Of the children, the eldest
is Gerhardt, who likewise is a prosperous farmer of Jefferson town-
ship ; Catherine is the wife of Edward Harter, of Guttenberg, this
county ; Annie is the wife of Anthony Mehnke, of Luxemberg,
Dubuque coimty; the subject of this sketch was the next in order
BIOGRAPHICAL 299
of birth; Mary is the wife of Matthias Burr, of Guttenberg; and
Henry is a substantial farmer of Jefferson township. Bernard Nie-
land was favored in having in his youth the advantages of the ex-
cellent public schools at Guttenberg, and after leaving the home
farm he was employed on other farms in the county about two
years. For three years thereafter he conducted operations on a
rented farm, and he then purchased the old homestead farm of his
father, the same comprising two hundred acres, and having since
constituted the stage of his energetic and successful operations as
an agriculturist and as a stock and dairy farmer. He has mani-
fested no desire for public office, though always ready to do his part
in the initiating and developing of enterprises projected for the
general good of the community and standing forth as a staunch
supporter of the cause of the Democratic party. Both he and his
wife are zealous communicants of the Catholic church at Gutten-
berg, which thriving little city is their postoffice address. On the
23d of November, 1886, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Nie-
land to Miss Elizabeth Dorweiler, who was born in Jefferson town-
ship, this county, and who gained her education in the parochial
and public schools of Guttenberg. She is a daughter of Paul and
Annie (Roth) Dorweiler, who were born and reared in Germany
and who became pioneer settlers of Clayton county, where the
father was one of the substantial farmers of Jefferson township at
the time of his death, his widow still remaining on the old home-
stead and both having become communicants of the Catholic church
when they were young. Mr. and Mrs. Nieland became the parents
of fourteen children, but only five of the number are now living,
all of them being still members of the gracious family circle of
the parental home, namely: Bernard, Jr., Edward, Clara, Theresa,
and Hildegard. The names of the deceased children are here noted :
John, Catherine, Lena, Raymond, Elizabeth, Rose, Werner, Paul,
and Anna.
Herman H. Nieland is consistently to be given individual rec-
ognition in this history, for he is not only a scion of one of the
sterling pioneer families of Clayton county but is also one of the
native sons who has proved a substantial and resourceful repre-
sentative of agricultural and live-stock enterprise in his native
county, his present finely improved farm, in Sections 19 and 24,
Jefferson township, comprising one hundred and fifty-eight acres
and being a portion of the landed estate accumulated by his father,
from whom he received the same by direct inheritance. On the
farm he has erected excellent buildings, including a commodious
and pleasant residence, and he has made his homestead give forth
every evidence of thrift and prosperity, the farm being given to
well ordered agriculture of consistently diversified order and to the
raising of approved grades of live stock. Mr. Nieland was born in
Jefferson township, this county, on the 29th of August, 1860, and
is a son of Herman and Elizabeth (Roth) Nieland, who continued
to reside on their old homestead farm until the close of their long
and worthy lives. The father was a native of Hanover, Germany,
and was a young man when, in 1856, he immigrated to the United
300 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
States and numbered himself among the pioneers of Clayton county.
Here, by unremitting application and good judgment, he gained
substantial prosperity and developed one of the valuable farms of
the county. He was a staunch Democrat and he and his wife were
earnest communicants of the Catholic church. Of their four sur-
viving children the subject of this review is the eldest; William is
individually mentioned on other pages of this volume ; Annie is the
wife of Joseph Berns, of National, this county, in which village
Benjamin, the youngest of the children, likewise maintains his resi-
dence. Herman H. Nieland grew to adult age under the sturdy
and invigorating influences of the pioneer farm and in connection
with its operations gained the practical experience that splendidly
fortified him when he instituted his independent career as a farmer.
He continued his association with the work of the home farm until
1896, and thereafter rented a portion of the old homestead for about
two years. He then inherited one hundred and fifty-eight acres as
his part of the valuable landed estate that had been accumulated
by his honored father, and here he has since continued his pro-
gressive and successful operations as an agriculturist and stock-
grower. He is a Democrat in his political allegiance and is a com-
municant of the Catholic church, in the faith of which he was reared.
He has never married.
William Nieland. — One of the fine farms of Jefferson township
that receives service on rural mail route No. 1 from the neighbor-
ing city of Guttenberg, is that owned and effectively operated by
WilHam Nieland, who has proved one of the progressive and re-
sourceful exponents of agricultural and live-stock industry in his
native township and who is a sterling citizen commanding high
popular esteem, the while he is a representative of one of the hon-
ored pioneer families of Clayton county. He was born in Jefferson
township, this county, on the 27th of February, 1862, and is a son
of Herman and Elizabeth (Roth) Nieland, both of whom remained
on their old homestead farm in this township until their death.
The father was born in the Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, and was
a young man when he came to America, in 1856, and established
his home in Clayton county. Here he was employed principally at
farm work for the first two years, and he then purchased a farm
of his own. He reclaimed his land to effective cultivation and was
long numbered among the successful farmers and loyal and public-
spirited citizens of the county, to whose social and material devel-
opment he contributed his quota. His political support was given
to the Democratic party and both he and his wife were zealous
communicants of the Catholic church. Of their four surviving
children the eldest is Herman, who is a substantial farmer of Jef-
ferson township; the subject of this review was the next in order
of birth ; Annie is the wife of Joseph Bours, of National, this county ;
and Benjamin likewise maintains his residence at National. Will-
iam Nieland marked the period of his boyhood and youth by the
diversity implied in attending the district schools and the rendering
of assistance in the work of the home farm, and it has been a matter
of good judgment, as well as of personal satisfaction and profit,
BIOGRAPHICAL 3OI
that he has never severed his active allegiance to the basic indus-
tries of agriculture and stock-growing, through the medium of which
he has gained a generous measure of success. It is specially pleas-
ing to record that his fine farm, which comprises three hundred
and thirty acres, is the old home place on which he was born and
reared and which came into his possession partly through inherit-
ance and partly through his purchasing of the interests of the other
heirs. He has proved specially energetic and progressive in his
operations as an agriculturist and has also made a splendid record
in the raising of high-grade live stock, including the short-horn
type of cattle and approved grades of swine. Never a seeker of
public ofifice, he has given his active co-operation in the furtherance
of enterprises projected for the general good of the community and
is found aligned as a loyal supporter of the cause of the Democratic
party. Both he and his wife are communicants and liberal sup-
porters of the Catholic church at Guttenberg. In October, 1900,
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Nieland to Miss Mary Berns,
who was born and reared in Garnavillo township, this county, and
who is a daughter of Peter and Josephine (Schmelzer) Berns, her
father being one of the representative farmers of that township.
Mr. and Mrs. Nieland have two children — Anthony and Catherine.
Gerhardt H. W. Niemann. — More than sixty years ago, as a
lad of about five years, Gerhardt Henry William Niemann accom-
panied his parents on their immigration to America from Germany
and virtually his entire life since that time has been passed on his
fine homestead farm, in Jefferson township, where his parents estab-
lished their home soon after their arrival in America. The sterling
citizen to whom this sketch is dedicated has long been known as
one of the representative agriculturists and stock-growers of Jef-
ferson township, has been influential in community affairs of a
public order and has so ordered his course as to make his example
well worthy of emulation and as to gain and retain the high regard
of those with whom he has come in contact in the varied relations
of life. Though he is nearing the psalmist's span of three score
years and ten, he is still vigorous of mind and physical powers and
finds satisfaction in giving a general supervision to the work and
management of his valuable and extensive farm. Mr. Niemann
was born in the Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, on the 16th of
November, 1848, and is a son of Herman and Maria (Enger) Nie-
mann, who were born and reared in Hanover, where they continued
their residence until 1853, when they came to America and estab-
lished their residence on the pioneer farm from which has been
developed the fine landed estate now owned and occupied by their
son Gerhardt H. W., of this review, he being the elder of their two
surviving children, and his sister, Mary, being the wife of Henry
Brandt, a well known citizen of Garnavillo. The father reclaimed
his land to cultivation and was one of the sturdy and progressive
pioneers who did eflfective service in connection with the civic and
industrial development and upbuilding of Clayton county. When
well advanced in years he and his wife removed to the village of
Garnavillo, where they passed the remainder of their lives in the
302 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
repose and prosperity that properly crowned their earnest and in-
dustrious labors of preceding years, both having been zealous com-
municants of the Lutheran church, in which he served a number of
years as trustee. Under the conditions and influences of the pio-
neer farm Gerhardt H. W. Niemann was reared to maturity, and
in the meanwhile he attended the schools of the locality and laid
the foundation for the broad and practical education which he was
later to gain under that wise headmaster — experience. He con-
tinued his association with the work and management of the home
farm until he was thirty years of age, when he purchased eighty
acres of the same, to which he later added two hundred and thirty
acres, so that he now has a splendid landed estate of three hundred
and ten acres, upon which he erected the substantial and modern
buildings that now mark the farm, and on which he gives his active
attention to properly diversified agriculture and to the raising of
horses, cattle and swine of excellent grades. Through his own abil-
ity and efforts he has achieved large and worthy prosperity, and
the owner of so fine a farm as his is to be considered fortunate in-
deed. Taking a loyal interest in all things pertaining to the
communal welfare, Mr. Niemann served thirteen years as town-
ship trustee and several years as a member of the school board.
His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party and
in the Lutheran church, of which both he and his wife have
long been active and valued communicants he held for a num-
ber of years the office of trustee. On the 19th of January, 1883,
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Niemann to Miss Augusta
Schutte, who was born in Jefiferson township, this county, on
the 8th of January, 1865, and whose parents, Henry and Enga
Schutte, there established their home on a pioneer farm upon their
immigration to America from Prussia, Germany, in the early '50s,
both "having here passed the remainder of their lives on the old
homestead and both having been lifelong members of the Lutheran
church. Mr. and Mrs. Niemann have six children, Alma, Louis H.,
Edward and Alvina, who remain at the parental home, and the
two older children are Mary and William H., the former being the
wife of William Hernish, of Bremer county, and the latter being
engaged in farming in Butler county.
Willismi Nodurft owns and operates one of the fine farms of
Cass township and his prestige as one of the representative agri-
culturists and honored citizens of Clayton county is pleasing to
note, especially when it is taken into consideration that he has here
maintained his home since he was a youth of nineteen years and
is the owner of the farm upon which his parents established their
home upon coming to this county, more than half a century ago.
Mr. Nodurft was born in Hanover, Germany, on the 27th of Novem-
ber, 1856, and is a son of William and Minnie (Oppermann)
Nodurft, who immigrated to America in 1858 and who first estab-
lished their residence at Platteville, Wisconsin. In or about the
year 1876 they came to Clayton county and settled on the farm now
owned by the subject of this sketch. Here the death of the devoted
wife and mother occurred, and the father thereafter returned to
BIOGRAPHICAL 303
Wisconsin, where he passed the remainder of his life. Of the eight
children all are living except two. William Nodurft acquired his
early education in the schools of Wisconsin and was about nineteen
years old when he accompanied his parents on their removal to
Clayton county. He remained at the parental home until 1882,
when was solemnized his marriage to Miss Louise Otdoeffer, who
was born in Pennsylvania and who was a child at the time of the
family removal to Clayton county, Iowa, in 1865. She is a daugh-
ter of Sigmund and Margaret (Scharam) Otdoeffer, who were
natives of Germany and who passed the closing years of their
lives in Clayton county, where the father was a prosperous farmer
for many years prior to his demise. Mrs. Nodurft is one of a family
of six children, all of whom still survive the honored parents. After
his marriage Mr. Nodurft rented the old homestead farm of his
father for a period of fourteen years, at the expiration of which he
purchased the property, which comprises one hundred and sixty
acres of fine land, in Section 7, Cass township, and which is one of
the well improved farms of the county, with all of its appurtenances
indicating thrift and good management. Mr. Nodurft and his wife
continued their residence upon the farm until 1908, since which
time they have maintained their home in the village of Strawberry
Point, in the full enjoyment of the rewards of former years of
earnest endeavor. In addition to the old homestead place Mr.
Nodurft owns six acres of timber land in Sperry township and his
attractive residence property at Strawberry Point. His political
allegiance is given to the Democratic party and both he and his
wife are zealous communicants of the Lutheran church in their
home village. They became the parents of four children — George
A., who has charge of the old home farm ; Minnie, who is the wife
of Louis Frederick, of this county ; Arthur, who died at the age of
5 days, and Frederick H., who remains at the parental home.
Ellis Noggle is now engaged in the general merchandise busi-
ness in the village of Buena Vista, where he had previously suc-
cessfully conducted a hotel, and he is a popular citizen of the county
in which the major part of his life has thus far been passed, so that
he is well entitled to recognition in this history. He was born in
Delaware county, Iowa, on the 15th of August, 1877, and is a son
of Jacob and Sarah (Dark) Noggle, both natives of Kansas, where
their respective parents settled in the early pioneer days.
Jacob Noggle was born March 12, 1849, and gained his early edu-
cation in the pioneer schools of the Sunflower state. His entire
active career was one of close identification with the basic industry
of agriculture, and he came with his wife to Clayton county within
a short time after their marriage. He became one of the pros-
perous farmers of the county, and here he continued to reside until
his death, which occurred December 9, 1903, his widow having been
summoned to eternal rest on the 23d of March, 1907. They became
the parents of seven children : Milton is a resident of Littleport,
this county; Thomas J. now resides in Wisconsin; A. Corey main-
tains his home at Buena Vista; Ellis, subject of this sketch, was
the next in order of birth ; Joseph ; Cassius was killed by lightning.
304 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
and Rosina is the wife of John Pollock, of this county. Reared on
the home farm, Ellis Noggle gained his early education in the
district schools of Clayton county and supplemented this by at-
tending the village schools of Elkport. He finally assumed the
management of his father's farm, later followed the same vocation
in an independent way, and thereafter he operated a sawmill for
several years. In 1907 he engaged in the hotel and retail liquor
business at Buena Vista, and with these lines of enterprise he con-
tinued his association until the 1st of January, 1916, when he opened
his present well equipped and attractively appointed general mer-
chandise store in this village, where he is receiving a substantial
and appreciative patronage. He is a Republican in politics, is
affiliated with Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Loyal Order of
Moose, and attends and gives liberal support to the Methodist
church, of which his wife is an active member. On the 16th of
February, 1896, Mr. Noggle wedded Miss Rillie Darrow, who was
born at Peabody, Marion county, Kansas, on the 17th of November,
1879, a daughter of Sylvester and Louisa (Knox) Darrow. Mr.
and Mrs. Noggle have five children — Ada, May, Clifford, Sylvia,
Edna and Geraldine.
John Nuehring is one of the sterling and honored citizens who
is specially entitled to specific representation in this history, for
he is not only one of the extensive landholders and prosperous and
influential farmers of the county, which has been his home from
the time of his birth, but is also a scion of one of the very early
pioneer families of Clayton county, with whose history the name
has been identified for more than seventy years. Mr. Nuehring was
born in Jefiferson township, this county, on the 16th of November,
1848, and is a son of William and Mary (Biermann) Nuehring,
both natives of the Kingdom of Hanover, Germany. William
Nuehring was reared and educated in his native land and was a
youth when he severed the home ties and set forth to seek his
fortunes in America. He came to this country about the year 1838
and first established his residence in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio.
About the year 1843 he came to Clayton county, Iowa, and became
one of the pioneer settlers of Jefferson township, where he obtained
a tract of wild land and set to himself the task of reclaiming a farm.
He proved himself well fortified for the activities and responsibil-
ities of pioneer life, but his life was not spared to enable him to
gain the fruition of his earnest labors. He passed to eternal rest
about the year 1851, when in the prime of his useful manhood and
when his son John, of this review, was a child of about three years.
His wife survived him by more than forty years and was summoned
to the life eternal about the year 1896, when venerable in age, both
having been devout communicants of the Lutheran church. Of
their children the first-born was Eliza, who died at the age of 76
years ; Mary is the widow of Adam Brown and maintains her home
in the city of Columbus, Ohio ; William is deceased ; John, of this
review, was the next in order of birth ; Henry is a resident of Gut-
tenburg, this county ; and Frederick is deceased. John Nuehring
was, as already noted, a mere child at the time of his father's death,
BIOGRAPHICAL 30$
but he was reared to manhood under the sturdy discipline of the
pioneer farm, the while he made good use of the educational oppor-
tunities afforded in the schools of the village of Guttenberg, a fine
German colony having seen to it in the early days that excellent
schools were provided for the youth of the community. Mr, Nueh-
ring as a youth continued his active association with the work and
management of the old home farm which was the place of his
birth, and finally he purchased the property, his present valuable
landed estate, which comprises four hundred acres and constitutes
one of the model farms of the county. He still gives his active
supervision to the operations of his splendidly improved farm, which
is devoted to diversified agriculture and to the raising of high-grade
live stock, including the Aberdeen type of cattle. Mr. Nuehring
has never wavered in his allegiance to the Republican party, has
been loyal and public-spirited as a citizen, has served as school
director, and both he and his wife have long been zealous commu-
nicants of the Lutheran church at Guttenberg, which is their post-
office address. In April, 1870, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Nuehring to Miss Annistina Ribbie, who was born in Hanover,
Germany, on the 18th of September, 1852, and who was a child
when her parents, William and Louisa (Luehring) Ribbie came to
Clayton county and established their home in Jefferson township.
Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Nuehring the first was Amelia, who
died when about 18 years of age ; Alvina remains at the parental
home; Louisa is the wife of Otto Lake, of Guttenberg; William
is a substantial farmer of Jefferson township and is individually
mentioned on other pages of this work ; and Mary died in childhood.
William Nuehring is a scion of the third generation of the
Nuehring family in Clayton county and as an ambitious and pro-
gressive agriculturist and stock-grower he is effectively upholding
the civic and industrial prestige of the honored name which he bears
and which has been worthily linked with the history of this county
since the early pioneer days. Due record concerning the family
history is given on other pages of this compilation, in the sketch
of the career of his father, John Nuehring, and it is thus unneces.sary
to repeat the data in the present article. William Nuehring was
born in Jefferson township, this county, on the 16tli of August,
1877, and is a son of John and Annistina (Ribbie) Nuehring, who
still reside on their fine landed estate in Jefferson township. Wil-
liam gained his early educational training in the schools of his na-
tive township and continued to be associated in the work of his
father's farm until he had attained to the age of twenty years, after
which he conducted independent farming operations on rented land
for eight years. He proved in this connection his versatility and
resourcefulness as an exponent of agriculture and live stock in-
dustry, and in 1905 he purchased his present admirably improved
stock farm, which is eligibly situated in Section 30, Jefferson town-
ship, and which comprises two hundred acres of as fine land as is
to be found in this favored section of the Hawkeye state. He is
giving special attention to the raising of Hereford cattle and ap-
proved grades of swine, in connection with his general agricultural
306 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Operations, and his success has been of unequivocal order. He is
one of the wide-awake and progressive farmers and loyal and pop-
ular citizens of his native township and county, is an active mem-
ber of the Farmers' Shipping Society and a director of the Clayton
County Mutual Insurance Company. His political allegiance is
given to the Republican party, he has served with marked efficiency
and acceptability in the office of township trustee, besides which he
has accorded equally effective service as a member of the school
board of his district. Both he and his wife are communicants of
the Lutheran church at Guttenberg, from which village their at-
tractive home receives service on rural mail route No. 2. On the
18th of February, 1897, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Nueh-
ring to Miss Mathilda Dittmer, who likewise was born and reared
in this county and who is a daughter of Gustav and Ricka (Rausch)
Dittmer, of Guttenberg. Mr. and Mrs. Nuehring have four children,
namely: Verni, Sylvia, Augusta and Mathilda.
August Obermoller is another of the native sons of Clayton
county who has proved conclusively that through the medium of
agricultural and live-stock industry is to be gained substantial and
enduring prosperity, and it is through such means that he has won
large and worthy success through his own energy, ambition and
well-ordered endeavors. He has held to the course of integrity and
honor in all of the relations of life, is one of the highly esteemed
citizens of his native county and is especially entitled to recogni-
tion in this history. He was born on a pioneer farm in Garnavillo
township, this county, on the 24th of October, 1859, and the place
of his nativity was a humble log house of the true pioneer type.
He is one of the two surviving members of a family of three chil-
dren and is a son of Peter and Augusta (Vedaman) Obermoller,
who immigrated to America from their native district of Germany
in the year 1856. They settled that year in Clayton county, and
the little log house which the father built on his embryonic farm
was equipped with clapboard roof, a floor of rough boards and a
door with the old-time latch string. On this farm the parents
passed the remainder of their lives, industrious, upright and useful
citizens who commanded unqualified popular esteem. The pioneer
schools of Clayton county provided August Obermoller with his
somewhat limited educational advantages in boyhood and youth
and he assisted his father in the work of the home farm until he
became of age. He then began his independent operations as an
agriculturist and stock-raiser on the farm which he now owns and
occupies and which has been brought to its present fine status
through his energy and good management. With increasing finan-
cial resources he made additions to his landed estate, and his well-
improved homestead now comprises two hundred acres, in Section
35, Farmersburg township, and 40 acres in Garnavillo township.
On the place Mr. Obermoller has erected the best type of farm
buildings, including a commodious house that is known for its gen-
erous hospitality and good cheer. In addition to this valuable prop-
erty Mr. Obermoller owns three hundred and twenty acres of good
land near Delrapids, South Dakota, and this latter estate is also
BIOGRAPHICAL 307
well improved. He has been one of the world's noble army of un-
assuming but effective workers, has been loyal to all civic duties
and responsibilities and has not swerved from the course of alle-
giance to the Republican party, the while both he and his wife
have exemplified in their daily lives the faith they profess as earn-
est communicants of the Lutheran church. In 1886 was solemnized
the marriage of Mr. Obermcller to Miss Katherine Greimann, who
was born and reared in this county and who is a daughter of Wil-
liam and Anna (Hollbrugee) Greimann, who came from Germany
in 1852 and who were honored pioneer citizens of Clayton county
at the time of their death. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Ober-
moller the first-born was Peter, who is deceased ; Anna is the wife
of Christ Bierbaum ; William continues to be associated in the
activities of the home farm ; Augusta is the wife of William Nei-
mann ; Wilhelmina remains at the parental home ; Louisa is de-
ceased ; and Mary is the youngest member of the home circle,
Edwin Olson is one of the substantial and progressive farmers
of the younger generation in his native township and is a repre-
sentative of one of the sterling Scandinavian families that have
played an important part in the development and progress of this
prosperous and attractive section of the Hawkeye state. Mr. Olson
was born on the home farm of his parents in Marion township, and
the date of his nativity was March 8, 1895. He is a son of Ole K.
and Isabel (Gulsvig) Olson, who were born in Norway and both
of whom passed the closing years of their lives on the well-improved
farm in Marion township, where the father established his residence
upon coming to this county as a young man. Both were earnest
members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and they lived right-
eous, productive and unassuming lives, secure in the respect and
good will of all who knew them. Of their five children the first-
born, Cornelius, died in infancy, and to the second son likewise
was given the name of Cornelius, he being now a prosperous farmer
in Marion township, and Edwin, subject of this review, being the
next in order of birth ; Melvin is now a resident of Forest Lake,
Minnesota, as is also Jetina, the youngest of the children. That
Edwin Olson did not neglect the educational advantages that were
afiforded him in his youth is indicated by the fact that he continued
to attend the public schools of his home township until he had at-
tained to the age of eighteen years. He gained in the meanwhile
equally valuable discipline through his active and effective asso-
ciation with the work and management of the home farm. In ini-
tiating his independent career he rented a farm in his native town-
ship, and under such conditions he continued his energetic opera-
tions as an agriculturist and stock-grower until he was fortified for
the purchasing of his present farm, which he obtained in the year
1915 and which comprises one hundred and sixty acres of fertile
and well-improved land, in Section 12, Marion township, with serv-
ice on rural mail route No. 4 from the village of Elgin. Here Mr.
Olson is bending his energies to progressive enterprise as an agri-
culturist and as a raiser of good grades of live stock, and he is one
of the substantial and prosperous young men of his native county,
308 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
with high reputation for sturdy integrity of purpose in connection
with all the associations and responsibilities of life. His political
allegiance is given to the Republican party and both he and his
wife hold membership in the Norwegian Lutheran church. On the
23d of February, 1915, was recorded the marriage of Mr. Olson to
Miss Bertina Gunderson, who was born in Fayette county, this
state, and who presides most graciously and effectively over the
domestic economies and social activities of their pleasant home.
Martin A. Olson is another of the sterling citizens who has
found in his native county ample scope for successful achievement
in connection with the great basic industry of agriculture, and he
is one of the substantial and progressive farmers of Wagner town-
ship, with secure standing as one of the loyal and public-spirited
citizens of the county in which he was born and reared and in
which he stands as a popular representative of an honored pioneer
family. Mr. Olson was born in Wagner township, this county,
on the 15th of October, 1878, and is a son of Aslak and Gro Olson,
both natives of Norway. Aslak Olson was reared to manhood in
his native land and upon coming to the United States he numbered
himself among the pioneers of Iowa. In the early '60s he settled
near Postville, Clayton county, where he continued his activities
as a pioneer farmer until about 1870, when he purchased and re-
moved to a farm in Section 34, Wagner township, where he gained
large and worthy success as one of the resourceful and energetic
farmers of the county and where he continued to reside until his
death, which occurred in 1895. His widow survived him by a score
of years and was a venerable and loved pioneer woman of Clayton
county at the time of her death, on the 4th of October, 1915. Of
the children of this honored pioneer couple the eldest is Sigre, who
is the wife of E. T. Sensegard, of Wagner township ; Ole and Nels
A. are representative farmers of that township ; Lars is a resident
of Decorah, Winneshiek county ; Albert maintains his home at For-
est City, Winnebago county; Martin, of this review, was the next
in order of birth ; Julia is the wife of T. T. Loftogard, of Marion
township, this county ; and Oscar is a prosperous farmer in Wag-
ner township. By a former marriage Aslak Olson became the
father of three children^ — Gulik, who is now a resident of North
Dakota ; and Astria and Sigre, who are deceased. Martin A. Olson
found the period of his childhood and youth compassed by the
benignant influences and discipline of the home farm, and his early
educational advantages were those afforded in the public schools
of the locality and period. While still a boy he began to give ef-
fective assistance in the work of the home farm, and thus it is but
natural that he should have developed into one of the most prac-
tical and resourceful of exponents of agricultural industry in his
native county. After the death of his honored father he assumed
charge of the home farm, which he rented from his widowed mother
for one year. He then went to North Dakota and entered claim
to a homestead, to the improvement of which he gave his atten-
tion for one year. He then returned to Clayton county and again
rented the old homestead farm, in connection with which he also
BIOGRAPHICAL ' 309
look charge of an additional tract of one hundred and sixty acres,
which he had purchased prior to going to North Dakota. His own
farm, which is eligibly situated in Section 26, Wagner township,
is about one mile distant from St. Olaf, which is his postoffice ad-
dress, and in 1914 he removed from his father's old homestead to
his own farm, upon which he had erected an excellent modern
house of two stories, besides having made other improvements of
the best order. He devotes his attention successfully to diversified
agriculture and stock-growing, and has become known also as
somewhat of a specialist in the raising of bees, as a practical and
enthusiastic apiarist. On the 4th of September, 1912, was solemn-
ized the marriage of Mr. Olson to Miss Mabel Nestevy, who was
born in the State of Minnesota, and the three children of this union
are: Melvin Arthur, who was born August 17, 1913; Adella Mar-
guerite, who was born October 11, 1914, and Joel Joseph, the baby,
who was born April 30, 1916. Both Mr. Olson and his wife are
strict members of the International Bible Association.
Nels A. Olson is one of the native sons of Clayton county who
is here contributing a due quota to the agricultural prestige of the
county, and he is one of the progressive and highly esteemed citi-
zens of Wagner township, where he is the owner of one of the
well-improved and highly productive farms of this favored section
of the Hawkeye State. Further interest attaches to his career by
reason of his being a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families
of Clayton county and a representative of that fine Scandinavian
element of citizenship that has played so important a part in fur-
thering the civic and industrial development of the county. Nels
A. Olson was born on the old homestead farm of his father, in
Wagner township, this county, and the date of his nativity was
March 10, 1872. He is a son of Aslak and Gso (Westeleg) Olson,
both of whom were born and reared in Norway, where their mar-
riage was solemnized. In the early '60s Aslak Olson and his wife
immigrated from the fair Norseland to the United States and es-
tablished their home on a pioneer farm near Postville, Clayton
county, Iowa, where they remained until about 1870, when they
removed to a farm in Section 34, Wagner township, where Mr.
Olson brought under effective cultivation a fine homestead of 170
acres. He was one of the energetic, industrious and successful
farmers of the county and his sterling character gave to him se-
cure place in popular confidence and good will. He continued to
reside on his farm until his death, which occurred in 1895, and his
widow passed to the life eternal on the 4th of October, 1915 — an
earnest and faithful helpmeet who had done well her part in aiding
her husband to win independence and prosperity and who had
proved a devoted wife and mother. Of the children the eldest is
Astri, who is the wife of T. Jacobson, of St. Olaf, this county;
Sigre is the wife of E. T. Sensegard. of Wagner township; Ole
and Nels A. are both prosperous farmers of Wagner township and
the latter is the immediate subject of this sketch ; Lars is a resi-
dent of Decorah, Winneshiek county ; Albert maintains his home
at Forest City, Winnebago county ; Martin A. is individually men-
3IO MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
tioned on other pages of this work ; Julia is the wife of T. T. Laf-
togard, of Marion township, Clayton county; and Oscar is a pros-
perous farmer in Wagner township. By his first marriage the
father had three children : Gulik, who is a resident of the State of
North Dakota; and Astria and Sigre, who are deceased. Aslak
Olson aligned himself as a staunch supporter of the cause of his
political party and took a loyal interest in local public affairs, both
he and his wife having been earnest members of the Lutheran
church. Nels A. Olson was reared to the sturdy discipline of the
home farm and continued to be associated with its work and man-
agement until about the year 1892 ; the while he had profited duly
by the advantages afforded in the public schools of the locality.
After leaving the old homestead on which he was born and reared
he purchased his present fine farm of eighty acres, in Section 35,
Wagner township, and he has not only brought his land under the
best state of productiveness but has also made permanent improve-
ments of exceptional excellence, including the erection of a sub-
stantial and modern brick house of two stories. He is known as
one of the wide-awake and successful representatives of agricul-
tural industry in his native county, as a liberal and progressive
citizen and as one altogether worthy of the unqualified esteem in
which he is held in the community that has been his home from
the time of his birth. His political allegiance is given to the Re-
publican party and both he and his wife hold membership in the
International Bible Association. On the 20th of December, 1897,
Mr. Olson wedded Miss Mary Olson, who was born in Clayton
county on the 18th of April, 1874, and who is a daughter of Gilbert
and Laura (Peterson) Olson, both natives of Norway. Gilbert
Olson was another of the sterling pioneers and successful farmers
of Clayton county, where he continued to reside until his death,
his widow now maintaining her home at Elkader, the county seat.
Of their children it may be recorded that Ole is a prosperous farmer
of Boardman township; Mary, wife of the subject of this review,
was the next in order of birth ; Peter is a resident of Elkader ; Julia
is the wife of Ole Olson, a farmer of Wagner township ; Louisa is
deceased ; and Gustav resides at Elkader. Mr. and Mrs. Nels A.
Olson became the parents of three children: Alph, who was born
May 6, 1899 ; Millard, deceased ; and Ira Rayme, who was born
May 7, 1906.
Thomas J. Olson, one of the representative agriculturists and
stock-growers of Clayton county, owns and stages his activities
on the old homestead farm, in Section 10, Marion township, that
figures as the place of his birth, the date of his nativity having been
May 14, 1874. He has inviolable place in the confidence and good
will of the people of the community that has ever represented his
home, and is now serving as township trustee and as a member of
the school board of the district in which he himself gained his early
educational discipline. He has been the zealous and efficient in-
cumbent of the position of township trustee since 1912 and as an
executive has put forth earnest efforts to further the measures
and enterprises that have been projected for the general good of
BIOGRAPHICAL 3II
the community. His political allegiance is with the Republican
party and he and his wife are communicants of the Norwegian
Lutheran church, their attractive and hospitable home receiving
service on rural mail route No. 4 from the neighboring village of
Elgin. Mr. Olson is a son of John C. and Rachel (Holstenson)
Olson, the former of whom was born in Norway and the latter in
Clayton county, Iowa, where her parents settled in the early pioneer
days. John C. Olson was a young man when he came to America
and established his residence in Clayton county. He began his
farming operation near McGregor, and about the year 1870 he re-
moved to Marion township and purchased a tract of land in Section
10, where he eventually reclaimed and brought under effective cul-
tivation a fine farm of two hundred acres. Here he continued his
residence, a sturdy and honored citizen, until his death, which oc-
curred in 1890, and his venerable widow still remains with her son
Thomas J., of this review, on the old homestead. He to whom this
sketch is dedicated is the eldest of the eight children ; Ole resides
at Clermont, Fayette county ; Mary is the wife of Elling S. Houg,
of Marion township ; Tillie is the wife of John H. Olson and their
home is in North Dakota ; Emma is the wife of Henry E. Rear, of
Fayette county ; Adolph is a successful farmer in Wagner township,
Clayton county ; Henry is now a merchant in Hillsboro, North Da-
kota ; and Josephine is the wife of Conrad Reinhardt, of Chandler,
North Dakota. The public schools of his native township afforded
to Thomas J. Olson his early educational advantages and he con-
tinued to assist in the work of the home farm until he was twenty
years of age. Thereafter he passed about ten months in North
Dakota, and then he resumed his association with the work and
management of the homestead farm. In 1897 he purchased this
valuable property, which comprises one hundred and ninety-five
acres of fertile land, excellently improved with good buildings and
maintained under effective cultivation and as the stage of successful
stock-raising enterprise. June 24, 1894, recorded the marriage of
Mr. Olson to Miss Mary H. Olson, who likewise was born and
reared in this county and who is a daughter of the late Hans and
Sarah (Knudson) Olson, the former of whom died December 4,
1915, and the latter on the 6th of July. 1906. Of the children the
wife of the subject of this review was the second in order of birth;
Charles, Ole and John are residents of North Dakota, as is also
Emma, who is the wife of Ole Kuppon ; Henry is deceased ; Louis
is a resident of North Dakota and the youngest child, a daughter,
died in infancy. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Olson
the eldest is Henry, who is associated with his father in the work
and management of the home farm ; John died in childhood ; Selma
was born April 15, 1901, and remains at the parental home; Elmer
was born May 24, 1903, and is still attending school ; Thalmar is
deceased ; and the three younger members of the happy home cir-
cle are: Myrtle, born February 14. 1907; Agnes, born February 4,
1910; and John, born October 10, 1913.
Henry K. Oppermann, one of the representative farmers of
Cass township, has been a resident of Clayton county since his
312 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
boyhood days and is a member of a family tliat here settled nearly
half a century ago. He was born near Darlington, Wisconsin, on
the 23d of September, 1859, and is a son of Christian and Minnie
(Props) Oppermann, who immigrated from Germany and became
pioneer settlers in Wisconsin, where they remained until 1867, when
they came to Clayton county, Iowa, and established their home
on a pioneer farm in Cass township, where they passed the re-
mainder of their earnest and worthy lives. They became the par-
ents of eight children, of whom five are living, and they were zeal-
ous communicants of the Lutheran church, in the faith of whom
they carefully reared their children. He to whom this sketch is
dedicated was a lad of about eight years at the time of the family
removal from Wisconsin to Clayton county, and here he was reared
to manhood on the old home farm ; the while he profited by the
advantages afforded in the common schools of the locality. He
remained at the parental home until he had arrived at his legal
majority and then began his independent career as a farmer on
rented land. He continued his operations under these conditions
about eight years and then purchased the fine homestead farm upon
which he now resides, the same comprising one hundred and forty
acres of fertile land, in Sections 4 and 9, Cass township. Much
of the land was reclaimed personally by the present owner and the
substantial and attractive farm buildings were erected by him, all
things about the attractive rural domain giving evidence of thrift
and prosperity. After living on the farm about nine years Mr. Op-
permann and his wife removed to the village of Strawberry Point,
where he engaged in teaming and where he remained about four-
teen years. He then returned to his farm, to the active manage-
ment of which he has since continued to give his attention. His
political allegiance is given to the Democratic party and he and his
wife are members of the Lutheran church at Strawberry Point,
from which village they have service on rural mail route No. 3. In
1883 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Opperman to Miss Mary
Griesinger, who was born in Germany, and who came to America
when a girl. Mr. and Mrs. Oppermann became the parents of five
children : Anna, Katie, Irwin, Gottlieb and Edgar, and all are de-
ceased except Edgar, who remains at the parental home and is his
lather's valued associate in the work and management of the farm.
Otis, Col. George Henry, was born October 10, 1838, in Kees-
ville, New York, and was the son of Thomas Jefferson Otis. His par-
ents were both natives of that state, although the mother was reared
in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, and it was there her marriage took
place. Thomas Jefferson Otis was a boot and shoe manufacturer
at Elmira, New York, and subsequently saw service in the Mexican
War. He was affiliated with the Republican party in politics, and
was a member of the Methodist church. He located in the State
of Iowa with his wife and family in 1856, but afterwards removed
to Austin. Minnesota, where he died in 1874, his wife following him
in death in 1882 at McGregor, Iowa. Of the four children born to
this union, George Henry, the subject of this sketch, is the sole
survivor. Edmond R., William and Elizabeth are deceased. George
COL. GEORGE H. OTIS
THE NEW n,n.fc
PUBLIC LIBKAKY
A8T0K, LEN»X ANQ
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BIOGRAPHICAL 313
H. Otis received his elementary education in the schools of Elmira,
New York, Racine, and Mineral Point, Wisconsin. At the age of
fourteen years he entered the office of the Mineral Point Tribune
as an apprentice in 1852, but nine years later, at the outbreak of
the Civil War, he enlisted in the service of his country. His war
record is a brave and enviable one. He was mustered in as a pri-
vate and in recognition of excellent and courageous service received
rapid promotion through the ranks of corporal, sergeant, second
lieutenant, first lieutenant, and captain of Company I, Second Wis-
consin Volunteer Infantry, in the famous Iron Brigade. Still higher
honors were bestowed upon him when he was made major and pro-
moted lieutenant colonel of his regiment. Still later he was trans-
ferred by the war department and received a commission as major
of the Eighth United States Reserves. He gave long and honorable
service to his country, extending over a time of four years and two
months, and participated in all the engagements of the Army of the
Potomac, beginning with the first Battle of Bull Run. He was
married at Dodgeville, Wisconsin, February 14, 1868, to Marie E.
Owens, who died March 31, 1871, leaving no children. On Febru-
ary 19, 1874, he took for his second wife Kate M. Seitz, of Mc-
Gregor, Iowa, and four children were born to them : Edmund R.,
who is married to Dora Entwisle, and is a prominent and successful
lawyer and real estate dealer, with headquarters at Des Moines and
Denver; Irving J., who is a linotype operator in San Francisco,
California, and married to Clara L. Curtis ; George Stanley, married,
and secretary of the Chamber of Commerce of Miles City, Mon-
tana; and Marian Rebecca, wife of Herbert Buchanan, of Monona,
Iowa. Mr. Otis is an aggressive and consistent advocate of the
doctrines enunciated by the Republican party, and has served the
city of Monona as mayor, was postmaster for nine years and filled
minor offices in a thorough and acceptable manner. In religious
belief he is a Methodist. He is a member of the Masonic lodge, the
Community Club, the Grand Army of the Republic, in the last of
which he has served as Commander of Monona Post No. 495.
Christian H. Overbeck has been a resident of Clayton county
since his boyhood, is a scion of one of the sterling German pioneer
families of this section of the Hawkeye State, and he has contributed
his share to the civic and material development and progress of the
county as a successful farmer, as a merchant and as a loyal and pub-
lic-spirited citizen. He is now living retired in the village of Luana,
where he was formerly engaged in the hardware business, with
which he continued to be identified until 1904, when he sold the
same to the present proprietor, Rudolph J. Stoehr. Christoph Henry
Overbeck was born in the Province of Flanover, Germany, on the
9th of June, 1843, and has been a resident of Clayton county for
more than sixty years. He is a son of Adam and Louise (Wagman)
Overbeck, both of whom were born and reared in Hanover, where
they continued to maintain their home until 1852, when they immi-
grated to the United States, their son Christoph H. having been
at the time a lad of about eight years. The family remained about
six months in the State of Indiana and in the spring of 1853 came
314 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
to Clayton county, Iowa, and became members of the fine German
pioneer colony in and about the present village of Guttenberg.
There Adam Overbeck obtained a tract of government land and
instituted the development of a farm, the same having comprised
forty acres. On this old homestead, which he made one of the
productive farms of the county, both he and his wife passed the
remainder of their lives — folk of prodigious industry and sterling
character, and well worthy of the high esteem in which they were
held. They were honored pioneer citizens of this county at the
time of their death, and both were earnest communicants of the
German Lutheran church. Of their children the subject of this
sketch is the eldest; Louisa is the wife of Bernhard F. Schroder,
•of Postville, Allamakee county; and Henry resides at Elgin, Fay-
ette county. Christoph H. Overbeck was reared to the sturdy dis-
cipline of the pioneer farms and in the meanwhile did not in the
least neglect the advantages afforded him in the schools of the
locality. He soon initiated a virtually independent career by find-
ing employment at farm work aside from that of the home place,
and at the age of twenty-three years he became associated with his
father in the renting of a farm which he later purchased. To the
work and management of this farm he continued to devote his at-
tention about 5 years, and after selling the property he purchased
a tract of two hundred and seventy acres in Grand Meadow town-
ship. This large landed estate he developed into one of the model
farms of this section of the State by bringing it under effective cul-
tivation and by making the best of permanent improvements, in-
cluding the erection of substantial farm buildings. There he won
distinctive success in connection with diversified agriculture and
the raising of good grades of live stock, and he continued his resi-
dence on the farm until 1894, when, with a substantial competency,
he retired from the arduous labors and manifold cares that had long
been his portion, and established his home at Luana, where he owns
an attractive residence and where he was for a number of years
engaged in the hardware business, though he has lived retired from
all active business since 1904, as previously intimated in this article.
His career has been that of a quiet, unassuming, persistent and suc-
cessful worker, and his character and achievement have been such
as to make him fully entitled to the unqualified popular confidence
and esteem in which he is held. His political allegiance is given
to the Republican party and he has long been a zealous and earnest
communicant of the German Lutheran church. For eleven years he
served as treasurer of the church of this denomination at Luana.
On the 4th of July. 1874, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Overbeck to Miss Caroline Bierbaum, daughter of Gerhardt and
Caroline (Walker) Bierbaum, who were honored pioneers of Clay-
ton county. Mrs. Overbeck passed to the life eternal on the 16th
of July, 1899, a devoted wife and mother and an earnest commu-
nicant of the German Lutheran church. Of the children of this
union the first, Catherine, died in childhood ; Caroline remains at
the paternal home ; Louise is the wife of John Goerges and they
reside in South Dakota ; August and Anna are deceased ; Benjamin
BIOGRAPHICAL ^1$
and Margaret are twins, the former being a substantial farmer in
Monona township and the latter being the wife of William Loeske,
of Denver, Colorado ; Eleanora is deceased ; Amelia remains at the
home of her father; and Emma, Esther and Nora are deceased.
On the 24th of December, 1904, Mr. Overbeck contracted a second
marriage, when Mrs. Minnie (Springborn) Neverman became his
wife, she having an adopted daughter. Bertha. Mrs. Overbeck was
born at Garnavillo, this county, on the 3d of June, 1858, and is the
eldest of a family of four children, the second of whom was John,
who died young; Elizabeth is the wife of Fred Lempke, of Alla-
makee county ; and Frederica is deceased. John and Elizabeth
(Saaso) Springborn, the parents of Mrs. Overbeck, were born in
Mecklenburg, Germany, and came to America about the year 1856.
They became pioneer settlers near Farmersburg, Clayton county,
where Mr. Springborn developed a good farm, to the operations of
which he continued to give his attention until a short time before
his death, his wife likewise being deceased, and both having been
communicants of the German Lutheran church.
Arthur J. Palas has gained secure vantage-ground as one of the
able and representative members, of the bar of his native country,
and at its judicial center, the city of Elkader, he is engaged in the
successful practice of his profession. He is a scion of one of the
old, honored and influential families of Clayton county, being one
of the twelve children born to John and Caroline (Voss) Palas,
both of whom are now deceased, the father having been one of the
progressive and broad-minded citizens who contributed much to
the civic and industrial development and advancement of this coun-
try, where he owned at the time of his death one of the large and
valuable landed estates of Farmersburg township. John Palas was
the son of John and Eliza (Wiegman) Palas, and was born in Ger-
many, October 14, 183 1. He came to the United States in 1855,
settling in Clayton County and having upon his arrival but $25 with
which to start his battle for fortune in his new home. With charac-
teristic German thrift and energy, he at once began his career as a
farmer, laying the foundations for the fortune which was later his.
In 1858, he was married to Caroline, a daughter of Frederick Prust, a
native of Germany. Three children were born to them — John, in 1859 ;
Mary, in 1861, and William, in 1864. His wife died February 6, 1864,
and in June, 1864, Mr. Palas was married to Carolina, a daughter of
George and Mary (Plotz) Voss, also a native of Germany. The fruits
of this union were ten children — Bertha, bom July 25, 1865 ; Carolina,
deceased, born July i, 1866; Ida, born July 17, 1868; Anna, deceased,
born Feb. 14, 1870 ; Henry, born November 24, 1871 ; Fritz, born July
17, 1873 ; Louis, born July 25, 1875 ; Louisa, born June 19, 1877; Her-
man, born July 25, 1879, and Arthur, the subject of this sketch, bom
May 19, 1891. John Palas was highly successful as a farmer and was
highly esteemed as a citizen. He and his family were reared in
the Lutheran faith, and Mr. Palas gave his political allegiance
to the Republican party. At the time of his death he was the owner
of a farm of 710 acres in Farmersburg township.
3l6 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
Arthur J. Palas was born on the old homestead farm, in Farm-
ersburg township, and the date of his nativity was May 19, 1881.
He received his higher academic or literary education in Drake
University, from which he received the baccalaureate degree, and
within a comparatively short time after leaving this institution,
in the city of Des Moines, he went to Texas. In the Lone Star
state he availed himself of the excellent advantages of the law
department of the University of Texas, at Austin, in which he
completed the prescribed curriculum and was graduated with the
degree of Bachelor of Laws. Soon after his graduation, with inci-
dental admission to the Texas bar, Mr. Palas returned to Iowa and
engaged in the practice of his profession in the city of Des Moines,
where he remained two years. He then returned to his native
county, in 1911, and he has since been established in active general
practice at Elkader, where his ability has been distinctively shown
forth both in his activities as a trial lawyer and as a well fortified
counselor. He has developed a substantial and representative law
business and is one of the prominent and popular members of the
Clayton county bar. That he has not been denied the fullest meas-
ure of popular confidence and esteem is indicated by his present in-
cumbency of the office of county attorney and as a public prosecu-
tor he has made an excellent record that has added materially to
his professional reputation. His political allegiance is given to
the Democratic party and both he and his wife hold membership
in the German Evangelical church. Mr. Palas married Miss Anna
Rehmann, who was born at Osage, Mitchell county, this state, a
daughter of John W. and Anna (Gundlach) Rehmann, the former
a native of Germany and the latter of Fayette county, Iowa, where
their marriage was solemnized. Mr. Rehmann was a musician of
fine talent and was a representative teacher of music in the city
of Des Moines at the time of his death, his widow being still a
resident of that city. Of their children, the eldest is Ada, whose
husband, Reinhold Weissinger, is now a soldier in the German
army and taking part in the great European war; Mrs. Palas was
the next in order of birth ; Elsa is the wife of Arthur Neumann, a
successful contractor and builder in the city of Des Moines ; John is
engaged in the furniture business at Des Moines ; and Theodore is
a student in the department of forestry at the Iowa State Agri-
cultural College, at Ames.
Henry Palas is to be designated with all consistency as one of
the representative farmers and popular and influential citizens of
his native country and township, and is the owner of a well im-
proved landed estate of two hundred and eighteen acres, eligibly
situation in Monona township and devoted to well ordered opera-
tion along the lines of diversified agriculture and the raising of
high-grade live-stock. The major part of this fine farm was pur-
chased by Mr. Palas in 1896, when he was a young man of twenty-
five years, and to the original tract of one hundred and ninety-eight
acres he added by the subsequent purchase of a contiguous tract of
twenty acres. He has been specially successful in the raising of
Angus cattle, of which he keeps an average of about fifty head, and
BIOGRAPHICAL 3I7
in the raising of good grades of swine, of which he has about one
hundred head at the time of this writing, in the summer of 1916.
Mr. Palas is a stockholder of the Luana Savings Bank, in the
Farmers' Co-operative Stock Company and the Farmers' Co-
operative Creamery Co. at Luana, and also in the Town Hall Asso-
ciation of Luana. He is unfaltering in his allegiance to the Demo-
cratic party, is well fortified in his opinions concerning matters of
public im}>ort. is serving as president of the school board of his dis-
trict and is giving characteristically effective administration in the
office of township trustee, both he and his wife being communi-
cants and liberal supporters of the German Lutheran church at
Luana, from which village their attractive farm home receives
service on rural mail route No. 1. Of the parents of Mr. Palas —
John and Caroline (Voss) Palas — honored pioneers of Clayton
county, adequate mention is made on other pages of this work,
in the sketch dedicated to their son, Arthur Palas. Henry Palas,
the immediate subject of this review, was born in Farmersburg
township, on the 21st of November, 1871, and after having profited
fully by the advantages afforded in the public schools of the county
he continued to be associated in the work and management of his
father's farm until he had attained to the age of twenty-five years,
when, as previously noted, he purchased his present farm, to the
successful operation of which he has since given his close attention
and npon which he has made many high-grade improvements, so
that the place is one of the model rural homesteads of Clayton
county. On the 25th of February, 1898, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Palas to Miss Emma Buckmann, who was born in
Farmersburg township, on the 23d of October, 1876, a daughter of
John and Frederica (Otting) Buckmann, both natives of Germany.
John Buckmann was a child of three years at the time of his
parents' immigration to America, and after residing for a time in
the city of Cleveland, Ohio, the family came to Clayton county and
settled in Read township. Mr. Buckmann and his wife still reside
on their old homestead farm, in Farmsburg township, where their
daughter Emma, Mrs. Palas, was reared to adult age, her educa-
tional advantages having included those afforded in the village
schools at National. Mr. and Mrs. Palas became the parents of
eight children, all of whom remain at the parental home save Lloyd,
who was the fourth in order of birth and who died at the age of
five years. The name of the children who remain members of the
ideal home circle are here noted in the respective order of birth :
Arthur, Herbert, Ella, Leroy, Henry, Helen and Margaret.
Louis J. Palas was born on the 25th of July, 1875, and the place
of his nativity was the fine farmstead on which he now resides,
in Sections 29 and 30. Farmersburg township, where he is the owner
of a splendidly improved and well ordered landed estate of two
hundred and forty acres, besides which he holds in his possession
a valuable tract of thirty acres of timber land, in Section 24, of
the same township. This fine old homestead, known as the Stone
Wall Farm, has been the stage of his vigorous and progressive oper-
ations as an agriculturist and stock-grower, and in these important
3l8 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
industrial lines he has added to the prestige which his father had
long enjoyed in the same field of enterprise. He gives special atten-
tion to the raising of Red Polled cattle and Berkshire swine, and
has achieved not only marked success but also more than local
reputation in this department of his farm operations. Mr. Palas
is emphatically one of the liberal and progressive citizens of his
native county, where he is a popular representative of an honored
pioneer family, and his prominence and influence in connection with
civic and business afifairs are indicated measureably by the fact that
he is a director of the Clayton County Telephone Company, the
Garnavillo Insurance Association, and the Clayton County Live
Stock Association, besides which he is treasurer of the Farmersburg
Creamery Company and the St. Olaf Creamery Company, of which
latter he was formerly president. He is serving as a member of
the board of trustees of Farmersburg township, is a stalwart in the
local camp of the Democratic party and both he and his wife are
communicants of the Lutheran church at Farmersburg. Their
home is an attractive modern residence with the most approved
appointments and facilities, including an individual electric light
system. The beautiful home is the acme of comfort and pleasing
surroundings, and is further known as a center of hospitality. M.
Palas was reared to manhood on the fine farm of which he is now
the owner and is indebted to the public schools of his native county
for his early educational training. Soon after attaining to his legal
majority he purchased the old homestead farm, to the supervision
and improvement of which he has since given his attention with all
of zeal and enterprise, so that he stands forth as one of the essen-
tially representative exponents of agricultural and live-stock indus-
try in Clayton county. He is a son of John and Caroline (Foss)
Palas, both natives of Germany. Upon coming to America, in 1851,
the parents became pioneers of Clayton county, and later they came
into possession of the farm now owned by the subject of this sketch,
the father having reclaimed the same from the primitive wilds and
having become one of the substantial, well-known and highly-hon-
ored citizens of Farmersburg township. John Palas passed forward
to the life eternal in the year 1903, and his widow was summoned
to eternal rest in 1910. both having been devoted communicants
of the Lutheran church. Of their fourteen children all are living
except two. On the 26th of February, 1901, was solemnized the
marriage of Louis J. Palas to Miss Mary Lenth, who likewise was
born and reared in this county and who is a daughter of Carl and
Dorothea (Schmalfeld) Lenth, both natives of Germany and both
numbered among the honored pioneers of Clayton county, where
the father continued his association with agricultural pursuits until
his death, which occurred in December, 1915. The widowed mother
still resides on the old homestead and of the family of twelve chil-
dren seven survive the honored father. The names and respective
dates of birth of the four children of Mr. and Mrs. Palas are here
indicated : Luther, May 22, 1904 ; HarleyJ., January 29, 1906 : Iva C,
April 22, 1908; and Sylvan L., August 10, 1910.
BIOGRAPHICAL 319
John L. Palmer has not been compelled to go outside the lim-
its of his native township to find opportunity for the achieving of
definite and worthy success through association with the basic in-
dustries of agriculture and stock-growing, and he is essentially one
of the enterprising and substantial farmers of Mallory township.
Mr. Palmer is descended, in both paternal and maternal lines, from
families that were founded in America in the colonial period of our
national history, and his father was born in the State of New York,
his mother having been a native of Vermont. Mr. Palmer was
born in the township that is now his home, and it is pleasing to note
that the place of his birth, which occurred July 12, 1860, was the
homestead farm which he now owns and occupies. He is a son of
Henry and Clarissa (Penhollow) Palmer, and his father came to
the west about the year 1841. Henry Palmer became one of the
early settlers of Clayton county, where he obtained one hundred
and sixty acres of government land, from which he reclaimed one
of the fine farms of Mallory township. Here he remained, a sterling
and honored citizen, until the time of his death, which occurred in
1872, and his wife survived him by nearly two score of years, she
having been summoned to eternal rest in 1910, when venerable in
years. She was a devoted member of the United Brethren church,
as was also her husband, and the latter gave his political allegiance
to the Democratic party. Of the children the first-born were twins,
Frank and Francis, the former being deceased and the latter being
now a resident of Nebraska ; Eugene is deceased ; Charles is a res-
ident of Dunn county, Wisconsin, and Richard of Spring Valley,
that state; Whitman maintains his home at Blaine, Washington;
Burdette is a substantial farmer in Mallory township ; Edna now
resides in the city of Duluth, Minnesota ; Lucy is the wife of Lavine
White, of Elk township, Clayton county ; Emma resides at Duluth ;
and the subject of this sketch is the youngest of the number. John
L. Palmer acquired his earlier educational training in the district
school near his birthplace and supplemented this by attending the
village schools at Elkport. After leaving school he continued his
association with the work of his father's farm until he had attained
to the age of 22 years, when he went to Knapp, Wisconsin, in which
state he remained nine years, devoting his attention to farming dur-
ing the greater part of this interval. He then returned to his native
county and purchased eighty acres of his father's old home farm,
upon which he has made excellent improvements, including the erec-
tion of good buildings, and upon which he is giving his attention
with marked success to the raising of general lines of agricultural
products and the breeding and growing of high-grade live stock, in-
cluding Durham cattle and Jersey Red swine. He is at all times
ready to do his part in supporting measures and enterprises advanced
for the general good of the community, is a Democrat in his polit-
ical proclivities and has served with marked efficiency as school di-
rector of his district, though he has had naught of desire for political
preferment. He is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America
and his wife is a member of the United Brethren church. September
10, 1882, stands as the date recording the marriage of Mr. Palmer
320 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
to Miss Catherine Mallory, who was born in Delaware county, this
state, on the 11th of September, 1863, a daughter of Augustus H.
and Rose (Knee) Mallory, concerning whom more specific mention
is made on other pages of this work, in the sketch dedicated to their
son Horace A. Mrs. Palmer has been a resident of Mallory town-
ship since early childhood and received her education in the public
schools of this part of Clayton county. To Mr. and Mrs. Palmer
have been born eight children, concerning whom brief record is
given in conclusion of this review : Harry, who was born September
3, 1883, is now a resident of Aberdeen, Washington ; Ralph M.
who now maintains his home at Duluth, Minnesota, was born Nov-
ember 13, 1885 ; Francis, who was born December 27, 1888, died
at the age of five years; Ray resides at Dayton, Iowa, and was born
February 4, 1893. The other four children remain at the parental
home and their names and respective dates of birth are here indi-
cated: Augustus, April 14, 1895; Edna B., December 15, 1897;
Max, March 18, 1901 ; and Howard, March 5, 1907.
Dr. H. S. Patterson, a prominent physician of Clayton, Iowa,
was born June 5, 1851, and is a son of Wesley and Lucy Ann (Shu-
man) Patterson. His father is a native of Ohio, and his mother was
born in Pennsylvania, but soon after their marriage they came to
Iowa, locating in Clayton county, on a farm in 1850, remaining until
1891. In that year they went to North Dakota, where Mr. Patter-
son began a banking business, that proved to be a most prosperous
undertaking, in which he accumulated great wealth. Mrs. Patter-
son died June 7, 1915. To this marriage were born six children,
of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest, followed by Daniel
of New Rockford, North Dakota ; Joseph, who is a bank president
of Wahpeton, North Dakota ; Wesley, Jr., of Corry, Ohio ; Jennie,
wife of W. L. Carter of Tellman, Florida ; and Perry W. of North
Dakota. Dr. Patterson received his education in the public schools
and afterwards went to Hahnemann College, Chicago, for the study
of medicine. After receiving his degree from that institution in
1888, he went to Toledo, where he engaged in the practice of his
profession for two years, at the expiration of which time he re-
moved to Grundy Center, and later to Waukon, Iowa, remaining
in each place for a period of about one year, finally locating in
Clayton county, Iowa, in 1892, where he is still practicing. On
December 19, 1872. he was united in marriage to Sarah E. Shel-
hamer, daughter of Jesse B. and Emeline (Pierce) Shelhamer, who
were natives of Pennsylvania and New York respectively, both of
whom are now deceased. They were the parents of four children :
the first two boys dying at birth ; Emaline, wife of Dr. Patterson,
and Rosalia, deceased. Dr. Patterson and his wife had two daugh-
ters, Alice and Susie, both of whom were taken from them by
death. He is a member of the Methodist Church, and is afifiliated
with the Republican party, at one time holding the office of town-
ship clerk under its patronage.
Ernest M. Penhollow is one of the native sons of Clayton county
who can claim descent from a long line of sterling New England
ancestors, and on the paternal side he is a scion of a family that was
BIOGRAPHICAL 321
founded in America in the colonial era of our national history. He
is the owner of a well improved farm of eighty acres, in Mallory
township, and the same was the place of his birth, even as it is a
part of the original homestead that was obtained by his honored
father from the government in the early pioneer days. On this old
homestead Ernest M. Penhollow was born on the 21st of April,
1863, and he is a son of Richard and Mercy (Bates) Penhollow,
the former of whom was born at New London, Connecticut, and
the latter in Chautauqua county, New York. Richard Penhollow
was reared and educated in his native state and as a young man, in
the period prior to 1850, he came to Clayton county, Iowa, and
became one of the pioneer settlers of Mallory township, where he
obtained a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of wild land and
where he developed the fine farm of which that owned by his son
Ernest M. is an integral part. Richard Penhollow and his wife
passed the remainder of their lives in this county, honored pioneer
citizens who had the fullest measure of popular esteem and who
contributed their quota to the civic and material development and
progress of the county. Both were consistent members of the
United Brethren church and in politics Mr. Penhollow gave unfal-
tering support to the principles and policies of the Republican
party. Of the children, the first two were George W. and Emily,
both of whom died young; Helen is the wife of Jesse Holtman, of
Lima, this state ; Malvina is deceased ; Roswell B. resides at Nor-
folk, Nebraska ; Henry is deceased ; Ansel maintains his home at
Millville, this county ; Jason H. is deceased ; William H. is a resident
of Arlington, Fayette county ; Miranda and Edward L. are deceased ;
Dora is the wife of Frederick Chittenden, of Fayette ; and the sub-
ject of this review is the youngest of the number. Ernest M. Pen-
hollow has from his boyhood been associated with the work of the
farm of which he is now the owner, and his early educational ad-
vantages were those afforded in the public schools of his native
township. At the age of twenty-six years he purchased eighty
acres of the old home farm, and upon the same he has erected sub-
stantial buildings of modern type, besides making other permanent
improvements of excellent order. In connection with judicious ag-
riculture of diversified character, he is a successful grower of graded
Durham cattle and Poland-China swine, and he is known as one of
the progressive farmers and loyal and public-spirited citizens of
this section of his native county. His political allegiance is given
to the Republican party, he is serving in 1916 as township trustee,
and in the village of Osterdock he is affiliated with the lodge of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the camp of the Modern
Woodmen of America. In March, 1890, was solemnized the mar-
riage of Mr. Penhollow to Miss Sophrona McSperrin. who likewise
was born and reared in Clayton county, a daughter of William and
Heneretta (Walters) McSperrin, of Elk township. Mr. and Mrs.
Penhollow have but one child, Harry, who remains at the parental
home.
Lee Perkins has been numbered among the vigorous and rep-
resentative business men of the village of Volga since the autumn
322 MEMOIRS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
of 1915, and has here developed a prosperous enterprise in the
conducting of a blacksmith and general repair shop and in the han-
dling of a full line of the standard grades of farm implements. He
gives special attention to the repairing of automobiles and is known
and valued as one of the energetic and progressive members of
the local business community. Mr. Perkins was born in Fayette
county, this state, on the 3d of June, 1859, and is a son of Calvin
and Adelia (Scott) Perkins, the former of whom was born in Ohio
and the latter in Indiana, in which latter state their marriage was
solemnized. In 1846, within a few years after their marriage,
Calvin Perkins and his wife came to Iowa and courageously took
upon themselves the responsibilities of pioneers. The father ob-
tained a tract of government land in Fayette county, erected thereon
a log cabin of the true pioneer type, and then gave his energies to
the reclaiming and developing of a productive farm. He became
one of the substantial exponents of agricultural industry in Fayette
county and he and his devoted wife were sterling pioneer citizens
of that county at the time of their death. They became the parents
of fourteen children, of whom eight are now living. Reared and
educated in his native county, Lee Perkins there contributed in his
boyhood and youth a very effective service in connection with the
work and management of the home farm, and when he was twenty
years of age his father there gave to him a farm and he initiated
independent operations as an enterprising agriculturist and stock-
raiser. He remained on his well improved farm until 1904, when
he removed to the village of Arlington, Fayette county, where for
the ensuing six years he owned and operated a saw mill. He then
returned to his farm, to the management of which he continued to
give his attention until September, 1915, when he established his
present business enterprise at Volga, though he still retains pos-
session of his farm and gives to the same a general supervision.
Mr. Perkins is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fel-
lows, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Brotherhood of Amer-
ican Yeomen, and the Homesteaders. He has had no desire for
the honors or emoluments of public office, but accords a stalwart
support to the cause of the Democratic party. In 1879 was recorded
the marriage of Mr. Perkins to Miss Ida C. Smith, who was born
in the state of Michigan and who is a daughter of Hiram and
Adelia (Reed) Smith, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Perkins
have three children, of whom the eldest, Arthur E., remains at the
parental home and is associated with his father's business; Marvin
C. is now a resident of the city of Chicago ; and Minerva is at home.
Andrew Petsche, who was born in Austria, on the 28th of
January, 1868, was a lad of thirteen years when he came to the
United States, and during the intervening years he has maintained
his home in Iowa, where through his own energy and well directed
efiforts he has gained secure place as one of the successful farmers
and stock-growers of Clayton county. Here he was associated in
his youth with the farming operations of his elder brother, John
Petsche, of whom individual mention is made on other pages of
this history, together with adequate data concerning the family
BIOGRAPHICAL 323
record, so that it is not necessary to repeat the information in the
article here presented. Andrew Petsche is one of the four surviv-
ing children of Andrew and Marie (Gerschech) Petsche, and all of
the children now reside in Iowa. The father passed his entire life
in Austria and the widowed mother was a resident of Clayton county
at the time of her death, both having been earnest communicants
of the Catholic church. Andrew Petsche, Jr., the immediate sub-
ject of this review, gained his rudimentary education in the schools
of his native land, and upon coming to the United States he joined
his older brother, John, who was then a resident of Dubuque. In
that city Andrew was enabled to avail himself of the advantages
of the public schools, and after his brother John had become the
owner of a farm in Clayton county Andrew became an assistant
in the work thereof. He was thus engaged for four years, and for
nearly five years thereafter he was employed on other farms in
this county. He then rented a farm, and after three years of ener-
getic and successful work thereon he was enabled to purchase his
present well improved farm of one hundred and fifty acres in Jef-
ferson township, where he is giving special attention to the breed-
ing and raising of Hereford and Durham cattle and the best breeds
of both red and black swine. His political allegiance is given to
the Democratic party and both he and his wife are communicants of
the Catholic church at Guttenberg. On the 4th of February, 1913,
was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Petsche to Miss Cecelia Foil-
man, and they have a winsome little daughter, Margaret Christina,
who was born Janu
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