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Frederick Thorman

Frederick Thorman, deceased, a German pioneer farmer of Fayette County, of 1855, who in that year located in Jefferson Township, was born in Lenzen, Prussia, August 10, 1801. His early life passed uneventfully and on attaining to mature years he was married in his native land in 1825, to Miss Mary Meyer who was born in the same town wherein her husband was, the date of her birth being April 7, 1808. For many years after their marriage they continued to reside in their native land but after twenty-eight years bade good-by to their old home and crossed the Atlantic to America in 1853. They at once came to Iowa and first effected a settlement in Dubuque County, where Mr. Thorman engaged in farming until their removal to Fayette County in 1855. Here he entered four hundred and eighty acres of wild land which he improved and cultivated, transforming it into a good farm, while he himself became one of the prominent agriculturists of the township where he continued to make his home until his death, which occurred August 23, 1885. His wife had died several years previous, in October, 1878.

Mr. and Mrs. Thorman were consistent members of the Lutheran Church and were the parents of the following children, viz: Mary, the eldest, who became the wife of Gustave Warner and died in Jefferson Township several years ago; J. Frederick who is supposed to reside in Texas; William who married Augusta Schmidt and is a farmer of Oran Township, this county; Dora, wife of Frederick Schwartz Sr., of Jefferson Township; Charles, who married Minnie Schmidt and follows farming in Oran Township; Augusta, wife of Fred Zetsch, of Hazelton, Buchanan County, Iowa; August who wedded Mary Schmidt and is living in Antelope County, Neb.; Louis who wedded Mary Meyer and resides in Adams County, Iowa; Julius who operates and occupies the old home farm; John who married Dora Meyer and is a leading farmer of Jefferson Township, his sketch being given elsewhere in this volume. All of the children are living except the eldest.

Mr. Thorman learned the blacksmith's trade in the old country and followed it for a time in Germany but after coming to America was engaged exclusively in farming and stock-raising. In politics he was a Democrat. An industrious, enterprising and honest man, he succeeded in acquiring a large property and helped his children, by liberal gifts, to start in life for themselves