1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa
Page Index:
Boel |
Klepper |
Gooding |
Burton |
Norgaard |
White |
Adams |
Albers |
Altman |
Long |
Fisher
One of the native sons of Denmark, who have risen to a position of
prominence in the affairs of Shelby county, Iovva, is Eskild C. (better known
as Chris) Boel, a retired hotel manager of Harlan, and one of the extensive
land owners of the county. Prominently identified with the hotel business in
Harlan for twenty years, Mr. Boel had one of the finest hotels of the city,
and as long as he was in the business there there was no more popular
hostelry in this part of the state than the Harlan Hotel. A hotel is a necessary
institution in any place or settlement presenting any kind of urban preten-
sion, and from the earliest history of Harlan there have been taverns of one
kind or another. The career of Mr. Boel since coming to this county, at the
age of twenty-one, shows what can be accomplished by a young man with
determination and ability, since all that he has today has been acquired solely
through his own unaided efforts.
Eskild C. Boel, the son of Peter and Anna (Eskildseen) Boel, was born
in Denmark in 1861. Peter Boel was born in 1832 and always lived in Den-
mark, never having come to this country. His wife died in 1879. To Peter
Boel and wife were born six children, two of whom are deceased.
Eskild C. Boel was educated in his native land, but before reaching his
majority had made up his mind to come to America to seek his fortune. As
soon as he was twenty-one he crossed the Atlantic and at once came to Shelby
county, Iowa, where he found work on a farm in Jackson township as a day
laborer. He continued to follow farm life for five years and then began
clerking in a hotel at Harlan, following this for ten years, after which he
purchased a half interest in the Park Hotel with Nels Anderson. Eighteen
months later he sold his interest in this hotel and bought the Harlan Hotel.
Upon acquiring this hotel he made extensive improvements on the interior.
fitting it up in such a way as to make it the most attractive hotel in the city.
He carried out all of the old furnishings and auctioned them off on the street.
He continued to manage this hotel with marked success until 1903, when he
sold out his interest in this business and since then has devoted all of his
energies and time to the management of his agricultural interests. He has
invested largely in land and now owns twelve and one-half acres in lots in the
city of Harlan, three hundred and twenty acres in Center township, this
county, and eighty acres in CoIfax county, Nebraska. At one time he owned
three hundred and twenty acres of land in Antelope county, Nebraska, but
sold this in 1902 and bought three hundred and twenty acres in Platte county.
Nebraska, which he sold in 1913. He has a responsible tenant upon his
farm in Shelby county and gives his farm his own personal supervision. He
has a water system on the farm and outbuildings and his eighty-acre pasture
field is well supplied with water, which is piped over it from nearby springs.
His home and farm buildings are lighted by carbonite.
At least every five years Mr. Boel takes a trip to his native land in order
to visit his father and other relatives and friends. His last trip was taken in
1914. He left this country in May for Denmark, returning October 9, the
same year. His visit took him close to the great war zone and while he was
at Rebe, Denmark, across the border from Schleswig, August, 1914, he
could hear cannonading at Helgoland, several miles away, for a couple of
days.
Fraternally, Mr. Boel is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted
Masons, holding membership in Harlan Lodge No. 49, while religiously he
holds his membership with the Danish Lutheran church, and is secretary of
his denomination in Harlan.
Politically, he is a Progressive, although he is not a partisan in any
sense of the word. Mr. Boel may be classed as an independent voter, he
feeling that the interests of his county will be best served by voting for the
best men irrespective of their party affiliations.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1283 - 1285.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the many German citizens who have cast their lot in Shelby
county and thereby have not only benefited themselves, but the general public
as well, is John Klepper, a pioneer citizen of Westphalia township. He has
always been an honorable, upright, industrious, temperate and economical
man in every way, and his exemplary conduct has gained for him the esteem
of his fellow citizens. He has performed well his part as a part of the body
politic, and no one questions his standing as one of the leading farmers and
worthy citizens of the township.
John Klepper, the son of Christian and Margaret (Manger) Klepper,
was born in Luxemburg, Germany, January 1, 1844. Christian Klepper
traveled throughout Germany, buying coal and wood for large factories, and
followed this business all his life. Christian and Margaret Klepper were
the parents of eight children, all of whom are now deceased except John,
Annie, Lena and Anthony. These children in the order of their birth are
as follows: Michael, Lena, Anthony, Margaret, John, Annie and two who
died in infancy.
John Klepper received his education in the schools of Luxemburg, Ger-
many, and after leaving school, worked upon his father's farm until he was
twenty years old. He then went to France and worked on different farms
in that country for six years. At the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War
in 1870, he returned to his native land, and he continued to work in Germany
at different occupations until 1877, when he finally decided to come to the
United States and invest in farming lands in Iowa, where many of his
countrymen had already settled. Upon coming to this country he located in
Clinton county, but a year later settled in Westphalia township, where he
purchased a farm of eighty acres. He succeeded beyond his fondest hopes,
whereas if he had remained in Germany he would have missed the golden
harvest which has attended his efforts in this county. Today, he is the proud
owner of four hundred and forty acres of fine farming land and each year
he sends to the market four car loads of cattle and from two to four hundred
head of hogs. In 1914, he put out two hundred acres of corn, and one hun-
died and forty acres of oats.
Mr. Klepper was married January 25, 1880, to Susan Altman, the daugh-
ter of Mr. and Mrs. John Altman, and to this union have been born ten chil-
dren, Benjamin, John, Michael, Nicholas, Joseph, Peter, Frank, Alexander,
Anna, and Mary. Anna married John Schmitz, and has four children, Alvin,
Alphonso, Alex and Cyril. The rest of the children are unmarried and still
living with their parents. Mrs. Klepper's parents were natives of Germany
and early settlers in this county, where they lived until their death. John
Altman and wife were the parents of seven children: Susan, the wife of the
immediate subject of this review; Justine, Annie, Susan, John, Nicholas and
Lena.
The Democratic party claims the support of Mr. Klepper and, although
interested in good government, he has never been an aspirant for public
office, or taken an active part in political matters. He and his family are
members of the Catholic church, and he is a member of the Knights of
Columbus. Mr. Klepper is a fine type of the self-made man.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1285 - 1286.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the many veterans of the Civil War, who at the close of that dread struggle entered the pursuits of peace and stamped the impress of their sturdy characters upon Shelby county, Iowa, was Fred Gooding, late deceased, a man who had been one. of the most successful farmers of the county. By his indefatigable industry and good management he accumulated a fine farm in Center township and was one of the many successful farmers to locate in the county seat to spend their declining years. The war record of Mr. Gooding was indeed remarkable and that he lived so many years to tell of the terrible experiences through which he passed in that awful struggle was due to the fact that he had an iron constitution and a spirit which could not be broken.
Fred Gooding, the son of Peter and Elizabeth (Dimphle) Gooding, was born May 13, 1838 in Union, New jersey, and died in Harlan, Iowa, November 2, 1914. His father was born in Manheim, Germany in the year 1807 and served in the German army for six years. Peter Gooding came to America in 1833 before his marriage and settled in Union, New Jersey, where he found employment on the farms in the immediate neighborhood until his marriage. He was married in 1837 to Elizabeth Dimphle, who was born in France in 1814. His wife came with her parents from France in 1836 and located in New Jersey near Union. After their marriage Peter and his wife moved on a rented farm in New Jersey and lived on. the same farm for the next twenty-one years. In 1860 they moved to Elmwood, Illinois, entered
eighty acres of government land and remained on this farm the remainder of their days: Peter died in 1885 and his wife in 1909, at the age of ninety-five years. He was a Presbyterian and his wife was a Lutheran in faith.
Before the organization of the Republican party Mr. Gooding was a Democrat but owing to the fact that he was a radical opponent of the institution of slavery he joined the newly organized Republican party in 1856 and thereafter was a staunch supporter of its principles. Peter Gooding and wife were the parents of a large family of twelve children, seven of whom are still living: Edward, Olathe, Kansas; Caroline, Fort Morgan, Colorado; Samuel, Aberdeen, South Dakota; Matilda, St. Louis, Missouri; George, Kansas City, Missouri; Elizabeth, Durango Southern, Colorado; Daniel, Elmwood, Illinois. The deceased children are Frederick, whose memory this narrative perpetuates; Margaret, Charles, Benjamin and Ulysses. The meager education of Mr. Fred Gooding was received in New Jersey
and the earlier days of his boyhood were spent on his father's farm. He learned the trade of watch-case maker and engraver, spending several years in New York city as an apprentice. When sixteen years of age his health failed and he returned home. In 1858, in company with his brother Edward, he left his native state and went to Illinois, his parents following two years later.
Fred Gooding worked on a farm in Illinois until he enlisted in the Civil War. He was mustered into Company E, Seventy-seventh Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, on August 13, 1862, at Peoria; Illinois; and served with this company until the close of the war. His regiment rendezvoused at Peoria, Illinois, and was taken first to Covington, Kentucky, where it was attached to the brigade under the command of Brig-Gen: A. J. Smith. The brigade followed the rebel Morgan in various parts of Kentucky and participated in several skirmishes in that state during the fall of 1862. After spending the winter of 1862-1863 in Memphis, Tennessee, the regiment was transferred by water to a military post in Arkansas, preparatory to joining the campaign against Vicksburg. During the spring of 1863, Mr. Gooding was on the sick list for a time but recovered in time to go with his regiment when it made the start for Vicksburg. They went down the Mississippi river to Milligans Bend and were in camp there for a month, leaving that place to march to Brier Point. The next two months were filled with some of the fiercest fighting of the whole war and the many engagements fought around Vicksburg up to the surrender of that city on the Fourth of July, 1863, will go down in history as the bloodiest of all American history. All of the engagements can not be enumerated here but one of the number, the battle of Champions Hill, has been declared by military experts to have been
the bloodiest battle of the war. On May 18, the Union forces made an assault on the outer works of the city but were repulsed with terrible slaughter. Four days later the assault was renewed and with better success although the city was not taken until nearly two weeks later. On July 4, the Confederates finally surrendered to General Grant and nearly thirty thousand prisoners were turned over to the Union army to be disposed of in detention camps.
After the taking of Vicksburg, the regiment to which Mr. Gooding was attached was marched to Jackson, Mississippi, where they faced General Johnston and compelled the Confederates to retreat to the east. Then the Union army was taken back to Vicksburg and kept there for a month, after which they were floated down the river to Lake Pontchartrain, near New Orleans. A stop of several weeks at that place was followed by the removal of Mr. Gooding's regiment to Alexander, Texas, and shortly afterwards it started on the Trans-Mississippi campaign in the same state. After fighting and skirmishing at several places in Texas, Mr. Gooding's regiment was captured and a total of twenty-eight hundred Union men were made prisoners. This battle, known as the battle of Sabine Cross Roads, was a short but very decisive one, and the Union forces were forced to capitulate because they were surrounded by a much larger force of the Confederates. The captured men were confined for thirteen months in a rude stockade at Tyler, Texas, and during this time suffered untold misery. They were given a tumbler of corn
meal and a half pound of meat daily but had no salt to make it palatable. The prisoners plowed up a tract and put out some vegetables but were paroled before they reaped the benefits of their labors. They plowed the ground by hitching eight men to an old plow which they found in the stockade and this occupation was the only enjoyable feature of their long incarceration. Before they finally left here several hundred of the men had succumbed to disease and only a remnant was left when the news of their parole reached them. They were taken from Tyler, Texas, to New Orleans, kept there a month and then taken to St. Louis where they were kept in camp for a time. By that time the war was over and the regiment was taken to Springfield, Illinois, and mustered out.
Mr. Gooding reached his old home in July in time to help his father with the harvest and despite the terrible experiences through which he had passed was able to do his share of the harvesting. It is not possible for us of today to appreciate the sacrifices which these boys in blue made for their country and the only way that. we can show our gratitude to them is to honor the survivors of that awful struggle in every way possible.
In the fall of the year in which he returned from the army, Mr. Gooding married and he and his bride at once went to Iowa, locating at Pella, in Marion county. They bought eighty acres of land but remained in that county only two years, leaving it to settle in jasper county. A year later they decided to go over into Shelby county and when they came into this county they selected eighty acres in Center township. They were among the first settlers in the county and endured all the hardships incident to life in a new country. They improved the land and as they prospered from. year to year they added to their original holdings until at the time they retired from the farm in 1900, they owned four hundred acres of. fine land in Center township. In the latter year they moved to Harlan, where Mr. Gooding spent the
remainder of his days surrounded by all the comforts and conveniences of modem life. His widow still makes her home in Harlan.
Mr. Gooding was married December 20, 1866, to Matilda Chrisman, the daughter of G. T. and Thirza (Huggins) Christman. Mrs. Gooding was born in Salem township, Knox county, Illinois. Her parents were born, reared and married in Virginia, near Harpers Ferry. After their marriage they moved to Highland county, Ohio, and, after a residence there of five years, moved to Knox county, Illinois. Mr. Christman died in Illinois in 1871 at the age of seventy-six. Mrs. Christman died in Shelby county at the home of her daughter at the age of seventy-six. Mr. Christman and wife were the parents of twelve children: Jane, Mary, David, Rachel, Julia,
James, Allan, Amanda, Josephus, John, George and Matilda. All of these children are now deceased except Josephus, who lives at Denver, Colorado; John, of southern Missouri and Matilda, the widow of Mr. Gooding. Two sons were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gooding, William H. and Alva V. William H. married Cora Allen while the other son is still single. Both of the sons are jewelers and are partners in business in Bedford, Iowa. The family are members of the Congregational church. In politics, Mr. Gooding was a stanch Republican but never displayed any inclination to participate in political affairs. He was a loyal, member of the Grand Army of the Re- public post at Harlan and held various offices in the local organization.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1289 - 1292.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The practice of medicine has made great strides during the past century and the science of healing has never been on a surer foundation than it is today. It is true that there are different schools of medicine, but there are certain great, principles which are recognized by all who seek to clear the body of diseases. At the present time there are three great divisions in the medical profession, namely: The allopath, the homeopath and the osteopath, each of which claims to be in possession of the proper methods of treatment for human ailments. Not only do we have these three, but we have chiropractors and Christian scientists as well. While it is true that the allopath and homeopath classes are in the lead, there is scarcely a town of any considerable size in the United States that does not sustain an osteopath, and it
is undoubtedly true that there are a great many sufferers from disease who have been greatly benefited, if not cured, by the use of osteopathy. Among the osteopaths of Iowa who have attained success in this particular branch of medical science there is no one in this section of the state with a better reputation than Dr. Benjamin O. Burton, of Harlan. Although he has been in this city but a short time, he has amply demonstrated his ability to practice medicine according to the rules and principles of osteopathic procedure.
Dr. Benjamin O. Burton is the son of John W. and Abbie (Freeman) Burton, and was born at Bentonsport, Iowa, in 1868. His father was a native of Kentucky, his birth having occurred in Georgetown, that state, in 1811. He came to Iowa in the early history of this state and here he lived the life of a farmed in Van Buren county, near Bentonsport, until his death, which occurred in 1891. His wife, Abbie Freeman, was born in 1823, near Dayton, Ohio, and died in this county in 1906, both of them being buried in Bentonsport. To their marriage, which occurred in 1840, were born twelve children, three of whom are living: William B., the owner of nine of the largest rooming houses in St. Louis, whose birth occurred in 1842;. Martha, who is still living in Bentonsport and Dr. Benjamin O., with whom this narrative deals.
Doctor Burton was educated in the schools of Bentonsport, and lived at home until he reached the age of twenty-three years, when he engaged in the livery business and also bought and sold horses. In 1897 he entered the School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Missouri, and was graduated from that institution in 1900. He first began the practice of his profession at Coin, Iowa, and two years later moved to Shenandoah, this state, where he built up a large and lucrative practice and where he remained for eight years. He then went to Fort Morgan, Colorado, and after! practicing there for three years, removed to La Junta, Colorado, in 1913. He remained in the latter place until 1914, when he removed to Harlan, this county, where he has since been practicing. He thoroughly understands every phase of osteopathy and
the hundreds of patients who have received benefit at his hands bear grateful testimony to the skill with which they have been treated.
Doctor Burton was married in 1891 to Minnie A. Seward, who was born in Bentonsport, Iowa, in 1872. Her father, Edward Seward, is now living in Bentonsport, Iowa. Doctor Burton and wife are the parents of two children, Stanley, a graduate of the Business College in Shenandoah, Iowa, and now an employee of a wholesale drug company at Omaha, Nebraska, and Edith A., who is married and now lives in Denver, Colorado.
Doctor Burton is an independent in politics, with strong progressive inclinations, but the nature of his profession has precluded him from taking an active part in politics, although he is actively interested in all measures affecting the general welfare of his community. Religiously, he is a member of the church of the Latter-day Saints, and to that denomination gives generously of his means. Fraternally, he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Brotherhood of American Yeomen.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1293 -1294.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the most enterprising young business men of Harlan is Jorgen J. Norgaard, a druggist of the city, and a young man of excellent endowments and Upright character. He has been a valued factor in local affairs and has commanded the universal confidence and esteem of all with whom he has been connected. He is a sterling type of the Danish citizens who have come to this county, and while not a native of Denmark himself, his parents were both born in that country. Starting in as a pharmacist early in his career, he showed such marked ability that by the time he was twenty-eight years of age he had bought out the drug store in Harlan and is now the proprietor of a prosperous business, which is increasing by leaps and bounds.
Jorgen J. Norgaard, the son of Rev. P. Jensen and Anna (Jorgensen) Norgaard, was born in 1883 at Elk Horn, Iowa. His father was born in 1840 in Denmark, but left his native land in 1879 in order to give his children the advantages which were to be found everywhere in this country. Rev. P. J. Jensen, Mr. Norgaard's father, was a minister and scholar and upon coming to this country followed his profession. The family first settled in Michigan, but a year later settled in Shelby county, Iowa, where Rev. Jensen taught school in Elkhart College. In 1883 he became the pastor of the Danish Lutheran church at Elk Horn, remaining with this church until his retirement, in 1913. At the present time Mr. Jensen is visiting in his home country. His wife, Anna Jorgensen, was born in Denmark in 1836, and died in 1911.
Rev. P. J. Jensen and wife were the parents of seven children, five of whom are living.
Jorgen J. Norgaard attended the common schools of Minnesota and then went to Grandview College, where he remained for two years. He then came to Harlan and started clerking in a drug store, but feeling that he needed a course in pharmacy before attempting to do this kind of work, entered Highland Park College in 1904 and was graduated from that excellent institution a year later. He then returned to Harlan and purchased a half interest in a drug store. In 1911 he bought out the entire business and has since managed it alone with a success which speaks well for his efforts. He carries a large and carefully selected line of drugs and druggists' sundries, which are attractively displayed, and by his earnest efforts to please all who enter his store and his sound business judgment, he has met with
well deserved success in his enterprise, being considered the leading druggist of his county. In addition to his drug store, which is valued at seven thousand
dollars, he has a beautiful home in the city.
Mr. Norgaard was married in 1908 to Carrie Christiansen, who was born in Denmark in 1888, and to this union have been born two sons, Harvey and Elmer. Elmer, the younger child, was awarded first prize in the Baby Contest held at the Shelby County Fair in August, 1914. Mr. Norgaard and his wife are both earnest and loyal members of the Danish Lutheran church, and in its prosperity they always have been vitally
interested.
Fraternally, Mr. Norgaard is a member of the Loyal Order of Moose, while politically, he has always identified himself with the Democratic party, but the nature of his business has been such as to preclude him from taking an active part in politics. He always has been interested in educational affairs and is now a member of the school board of his city and is acting as treasurer of that board at the present time. Mr. Norgaard is a man of wide and accurate information on the current questions of the day, being a close reader and observer of men and events. Although he has been very successful in his private affairs, yet he is also interested in the welfare of his community and gives his unreserved support to every enterprise looking to the advancement of his fellow citizens.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1294 - 1295.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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It is the progressive, wide-awake man of affairs who makes the real history of a community and his influence as a potential factor of the body politic is difficult to estimate. The examples such men furnish of patient purpose and, steadfast integrity strongly illustrate what is in the power of each to accomplish, and there is always a full measure of satisfaction in adverting even in a casual way to their achievements in advancing the interests of their fellow men and in giving strength and solidity to the institutions which make so much for the prosperity of the community. Such a man is Charles O. White, and as such it is proper that a review of his career be
accorded a place among the representative citizens of the city and county in which he was born.
Charles O. White, the son of Nicholas and Rachel (Kniss) White, was born in Douglas township, this county, in 1871. His father was born in 1841 in New York state, settled with his parents in Illinois in 1860, and a year later accompanied them to Shelby county, Iowa. In the same year he enlisted for service in the Union army, in Company L, Fourth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Cavalry, and served until the close of the war, being discharged in 1865 at Memphis, Tennessee. Immediately after the close of the war he returned to Shelby county, Iowa, and purchased land in Douglas township, paying six and seven dollars an acre for excellent land. He improved this land and became a successful farmer, making a specialty of the breeding of White Hereford cattle. In 1898 he retired from active farm
life and moved to Harlan, where he is now living. Nicholas White married Rachel Kniss, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1846, and to their union twelve children were born, ten of whom are still living.
Charles O. White received a good, common school education in the schools of Douglas township and lived with his parents until he was nineteen years of age. Being a young man of more than ordinary ability and having applied himself while attending school, he succeeded in securing a license to teach school in his county and taught for two years in Polk township. He then returned to the farm and worked for his father until 1898, when he began clerking in a store at Harlan. Two years later he became a traveling salesman for the Harlan cigar factory, but three years later quit the road and purchased a half interest in the factory. Three months later he purchased the entire factory, but sold it out in 1906, and engaged in the restaurant business, continuing in this line for the next six years. He then sold this
business to his brother and retired from active work. He is the owner of eighty acres of land in Guthrie county, Iowa; one hundred and sixty acres in Cotton county, Oklahoma; two business lots in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and valuable real estate in Harlan.
Mr. White is identified with the Progressive wing of the Republican party and has always been interested in political affairs. He has served as road supervisor of Douglas township, has been on the council of Harlan for four years, and at one time made the race for county clerk, but it happened that the tide of politics was against him and he was defeated. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias, and is actively interested in the works of these two excellent fraternal organizations. Mr. White is a man of splendid personality and because of his industrious habits and persistent energies he has attained a definite degree of success in life and enjoys the entire confidence and esteem of all the citizens of his community with whom he has been associated, and
is regarded as one of the representative citizens of his county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1288 - 1289.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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Perhaps in no other profession are prosperity and success so universal as in agriculture. A poor farmer is a rarity, especially in Shelby county, and if one is found who obtains a substantial difficulty it does not necessarily follow that he has been a failure, for upon investigation it will be found that many times he has put his shoulder to a friend's wheel and aided others, thereby injuring himself. Those men are the unnumbered heroes. A large number of the farmers of this county have started in with practically nothing, and have won their success solely through their own unaided efforts. Such a man is William R. Adams, who, from early boyhood, has known what it is to look out for himself, and consequently his present prosperity should be very gratifying to him and his friends. He is one of the few farmers in this county who came from England, but for the past quarter of a century he has been largely identified with the history of this county, William R. Adams, the son of William and Jane Adams, was born July 1, 1863, in Liverpool, England. His father was born near Belfast, Ireland, and was a ship carpenter by trade. William Adams, Sr., served his apprenticeship of five years at Belfast, and then went to Liverpool, England. where he worked for one year, and then worked for six years in the ship building yards of Liverpool. He then sailed as ship carpenter and was on the high seas for thirteen years before he finally came to the United States. He eventually landed at Rock Island, Illinois, with his family, and lived there until his death, on June 26, 1905. William Adams, Sr., and his wife were the parents of two children, one of whom died in infancy, the other being the present subject of this review.
William R. Adams was six years of age when his parents settled in Rock Island, Illinois, in May, 1869, and he received his education in the schools of that state. From the age of nine he has hustled for himself and knows what it is to meet the hard knocks of a cold world. His first trip to Shelby county was made with a friend by team from Jasper county, Iowa, in 1878. In the season of 1880 he spent his first period in Shelby county. When a mere youth he worked in the coal mines of Iowa, and while still a young man worked as a brakeman on the Burlington railway. He remained in the employ of the railroad company for two years, after which he came to Shelby county, Iowa, in the spring of 1882, where he worked on a farm by the month for four years. He then rented a farm for two years, and in 1889
purchased his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres and added to it until he has two hundred and eighty acres, on which he has lived for the past twenty-five years, buying land as he was able. He has been remarkably successful in agricultural pursuits and has as well an improved farm as can be found in his township. He is the owner of eight hundred acres of land in three farms -- two hundred and eighty acres in the home farm; two hundred acres in Douglas township, and three hundred and twenty acres in Jefferson township. He raises all the crops common to this section of the state and pays due attention to the raising of live stock for the markets.
Mr. Adams was married October 18, 1885, to Alice Slates, the daughter of Samuel and Lucretia (Hardin) Slates. The reader is referred to the sketch of Samuel C. Slates, which is found elsewhere in this volume, for further data on the Slates family. Mr. and Mrs. Adams are the parents of seven children: Charles F., who died at the age of eighteen; Harry R.; Samuel L., who married Blanche Snow and has two children, William B. and Ruth; Lillian J.; Grace L.; Ethel May and Frank S.
Mr. Adams is a Republican in politics and has been honored by his party on several occasions. He has served four years as township trustee and two years as school director. For several years he was director, secretary and treasurer of the Donley Creamery Company, a co-operative companv which has done a great deal for the farmers of this township. He has also been a director of the Mutual Telephone Company for nine years. Fraternally, Mr. Adams is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has passed all the chairs in the local lodge, being now a member of the grand lodge of his state. He and his wife are both members of the
Daughters of Rebekah, and also hold their, membership in the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Adams is also a member of the Modern Woodmen of America arid has passed all the chairs in this body also. Although a quiet and unassuming man, he has contributed much to the material advancement of his community, and his admirable qualities and upright course of life have tended greatly to the development of the circles in which he. has moved. He is a man of kindliness and neighborly impulses and has brought to bear into his every-day life the precepts of the Golden Rule.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 866 - 868.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the most successful business men of Earling, Iowa, is John M. Albers, the secretary and treasurer of the Earling Grain Company. Born in Germany he came to this country when a child and received an excellent college education, thereby peculiarly fitting him for a business career. He became interested in the grain business before completing his college course, and has made it his chosen life work. He is a man of widely recognized business ability and because of his honest efforts and, high reputation for integrity he has won the confidence of all of the people with whom he has had any business transactions.
John M. Albers, the son of Herman H. and Veronica (Wessels) Albers, was born in Hanover, Germany, September 1, 1880. His father had a very interesting career. After receiving his education in his native land of Germany, Herman Albers became a sailor, and for eight years traveled the high seas, visiting nearly every part of the world. In 1848 he located in California, took up a claim and began digging for gold. Like hundreds of others he was unsuccessful in finding his fortune in the hills of California, and as a result he returned again to the sea. He next located in Australia, and while living in that country became lost in the great Australian desert, being without food or water for three days. He went from Australia on around the world and finally returned to his native land, where he married and lived until the eighties, when he brought his family to America, locating in Shelby county, Iowa, and lived in Earling until his death. He and his wife reared a family of seven children: Albert, Thekla, Ulrich, Herman, John M., Nicholas and Henry. Albert and Thekla are deceased; Ulrich married Katherine Miller; Herman is a Catholic priest, while the other two sons, Nicholas and Henry, are still unmarried.
John M. Albers came to America with his parents in the early eighties and received his common and high school education in the graded schools of Earling, Iowa. After leaving school he taught for two terms in his home township, and then entered Drake University, at Des Moines, Iowa. Upon returning home he began to buy grain for the Armour Grain Company, working with this company for two years. He resigned his position with this firm in order to return to college, and entered Creighton University, at Omaha, Nebraska, where he was in attendance for one year. Upon his return home he secured employment with the Atlas Grain Company, and bought grain for them for a year and a half and then became identified with the Wright & McWhinney Grain Company, remaining with them for the following two years. In 1908 he helped to incorporate the Earling Grain Company, and has been the secretary and treasurer of this company since its organization. The company owns several elevators throughout this section of Iowa, the main office of the company being located in Omaha, and is under the charge of Mr. Albers. Mr. Albers is thoroughly acquainted with every phase of the grain business and is recognized as one of the best judges of grain in the state of Iowa.
Mr. Albers was married October 28, 1908, to Margaret Zender, the daughter of Anton and Lena (Kuhl) Zender, and to this union have been born two children, Helen and Bernice.
Politically, Mr. Albers is an independent voter, giving his support to the best man irrespective of his political affiliations. At the present time he is a member of the city council of Earling, and is interesting himself in every measure which promises to benefit his city in any way. He and his family are devoted member of the Catholic church, and are generous contributors to its support. Mr. Albers is a Fourth degree member of the Knights of Columbus, and is now Deputy Grand Knight of the Earling Council, Knights of Columbus, No. 1741. Mr. Albers is still a young man and the success which has attended his efforts thus far augurs well for the future.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1479 - 1481.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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Of the many business men of Shelby county, Iowa; who were born in Germany few have a wider acquaintance than Joseph Altman, the proprietor of a livery stable in Earling, Iowa. It is a notable fact that, almost without exception, the German settlers of this county have been remarkably successful in whatever line of activity they have devoted themselves to. Mr. Altman followed farming pursuits for several years and then became engaged in the transfer and livery business in Earling, where he has lived for the past fourteen years. While interested primarily in his own affairs, yet he has not been too busy to take an intelligent interest in the community life about him, and has served his fellow citizens in various capacities.
Joseph Altman, the son of Bernard and Magdalena (Klepper) Altman, was born December 13, 1875, in Luxemburg, Germany. His father was a steam engineer in his native land and followed that trade until he came to America in 1882. Upon coming to this country Bernard Altman and his family located in Westphalia township, Shelby county, where he purchased eighty acres of land. He prospered and when he retired from the farm and moved to Earling in 1899, he was the owner of a well improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres. He died in Earling in 1905, and his wife's death occurred two years later. There were seven children born to Bernard
Altman and wife: Henry, who died at the age of six; John married Thresia Baire; Michael, who married Louise Becker; Hannah, the wife of Nicholas Kenkel; Mary, the wife of Theodore Schuering; Joseph, with whom this narrative deals and Josephine, the wife of N. W. Schram.
Joseph Altman was six years of age when his parents came from Germany to Shelby county, Iowa, and consequently all of his education was received in the district schools of this county. He assisted his father on the home farm until his father retired in 1899, and then he rented the home place and farmed it himself for two years. He then moved to Earling, bought out the transfer and livery business of William Kranz, and has since been engaged in this line of activity. His stable is well equipped with good horses and a varied assortment of vehicles for the trade to which he caters.
Mr. Altman was married June 16, 1914, to Elizabeth Dresen, the daughter of William and Minnie (Nowatski) Dresen. Mrs. Altman's parents are prominent farmers in Union township, this county, where they have reared. their family of seven children: Julia, Elizabeth, Christian, Katherine, William, Henry, Mary. Julia is the wife of Charles Miller. All the rest of the children, with the exception of Elizabeth, the wife of Mr. Altman, are still single and living at home with their parents.
The Democratic party has claimed the political allegiance of Mr. Altman, and in its welfare he has always been actively interested. He is now serving as street commissioner of Earling, and giving faithful service to his fellow citizens in this capacity. He and his wife are loyal members of the Catholic church of Earling, deeply interested in its welfare and generous contributors to its support. Mr. Altman is a member of the Knights of Columbus and is considered by all as one of the rising young men of his city.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1493 - 1494.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The career of William J. Long in Shelby county, Iowa, began in 1876, although he had previously visited the county and purchased land. During this long period in the county he has been very prominently connected with the various phases of its development and has served in several official capacities. In fact, he has been holding some official office for half of the time that he has lived in the county. He has been a very successful live stock breeder and has won many prizes in fairs throughout the state of Iowa. He has been living for several years in Shelby, where he has a beautiful home.
William J. Long, a retired farmer of Shelby county, Iowa, was born in Blair county, Pennsylvania, in 1848. His parents, David and Sarah (Kumsman) Long, were both natives of the same county, his father's birth occurring in 1822, and his mother's in 1826. David Long was a farmer in Pennsylvania until 1856, when he moved with his family to Carroll county, Illinois, where he bought a farm and when he retired in 1873 to Lanark, Illinois, he was the owner of two hundred acres of excellent farming land. He died in 1899 and his wife died in 1898. There were six children born to David Long and wife: Mrs. Katherine Hodge, of Lanark, Illinois; Mrs. Jennie Halverstine, whose husband is a passenger engineer running out of Norfolk, Nebraska; Theresa; Lester, deceased; Mrs. Mollie Compton, whose husband
is a conductor on the Burlington out of St. Joseph, Missouri; Mrs. Carrie Myers, of Lanark, Illinois, deceased.
William J. Long received a good common school education in the schools of Lanark, Illinois, and at the age of twenty-two married and began farming for himself. He first rented one hundred and twenty acres of land in Carroll county, Illinois, and in 1876 came to Shelby county, Iowa, and rented one hundred and forty acres near Tennant. He had made a prospecting trip to this county before that time and purchased one hundred and twenty acres of unimproved land in Shelby township, for which he paid twelve and fifteen dollars an acre. In 1878 he broke up his own farm and put out his first crop. He gradually improved the farm by building a house, barn and other outbuildings, and within a few years had the satisfaction of seeing his farm yield very satisfactory returns. He had to haul his logs and posts for building purposes to Harrison county in order to get them sawed. He set out forest and fruit trees immediately upon settling on his farm and now has not only an abundance of fruit, but also sufficient wood for all purposes. He has also added to his acreage and now has two hundred acres of fine land in Shelby county. He has specialized in the. raising of Clydesdale horses and his stock has taken frequent prizes.
Mr. Long was married in 1870 to Mary Elizabeth Mowry, who was born in Stevenson county, Illinois, in 1853, the daughter of John and Lugia Mowry, and to this union have been born three children, Laura J., Lester D. and Emma M. Laura J. married John Poole and now lives at Little Rock, Arkansas. She attended the college at Highland Park, Des Moines, Iowa, and taught school at Council Bluffs and also in Harlan, teaching at the latter place under Edward S. White, the editor of this history, when he was the superintendent of schools. Lester D. married Helen McCormac and is a farmer living at Algona, Iowa. Emma M. married Edgar E. Best, and is now living on the old home place. Mr Long has five grandchildren, Floyd and Harold Long, Gladys and Herbert Pool and Glee Elvira Best.
Politically, Mr. Long has been identified with the Republican party since reaching his majority. He has served as school director of his township for fifteen years and also served as constable for many years in his younger days. Re and his family are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in whose welfare they are deeply interested, and to the support of which they are liberal contributors.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 847 - 848.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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It requires something more than hard physical labor to do successful farming in this age: Muscle counted for more than anything else in the days of the pioneers, when about all the farmer had to do was to reap abundant harvests after clearing his land, plowing it and sowing the seed. Then all the natural elements were in the soil and it required no clever management for the husbandman to get good results. Conditions, however, have changed very materially, and today it requires brain work of a high order for one to be very successful as a farmer. There is no better farming territory in the United States than is to be found within the confines of this county, and no better farmers can be found than those who are tilling the fields of Shelby county. They believe in doing well whatever they undertake, and so we find their fields
free from weeds, well fenced, well tilled and in every way up-to-date. We find their farming machinery is properly cared for, housed in good shelters, while their barns have all of the modern conveniences. One of the many successful farmers of this county is Gideon Fisher, who comes from a family which has furnished many notable men.
Gideon Fisher, the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Hildebrand) Fisher, was born August 20, 1851, in Wayne county, Indiana. Benjamin Fisher was born in York county, Pennsylvania, in 1801, and as a young man learned the basket making trade, and followed this with his farming. After his marriage, which occurred in Pennsylvania to Elizabeth Hildebrand, the daughter of Jacob Hildebrand, of York county, Pennsylvania, he moved to Wayne county, Indiana, where he resided for twenty-one years. In 1857 Benjamin Fisher and family moved to Jasper county, Iowa, where he died in 1880, his wife having passed away four years previously. The history of York county, Pennsylvania, was written by Henry L. Fisher, now deceased, an eminent lawyer of that county, and a descendant of the Fisher family. Benjamin Fisher was the son of George Fisher, who in turn was the son of George Fisher, who came from Germany to this country and settled in York county,
Pennsylvania. The father of Benjamin Fisher was an influential citizen of York county, and was the colonel of the militia of his county. George Fisher and wife were the parents of five children: Benjamin (the father of Gideon), Michael, Daniel, Joseph (a minister of the Evangelical church) and Anna, the wife of Rev. Steffie, a minister of the same denomination. Benjamin Fisher and wife were the parents of fifteen children: Eliza, the wife of George Stambaugh; Rebecca, the wife of Martin Rummel; Savilla, the wife of Michael Bowens; Sarah, the wife of Rev. Jacob Keiper; Maria, the wife of Rev. J. F. Schriber; Eleanor, the wife of the Rev. Samuel DeCover; Elizabeth, the wife of Rev. Philip Wingert; Jemima, the wife of S. J. Moyer; Keziah, the wife of Spencer Carney; Adam; Benjamin; Edward, who served
four years in Company B, Thirteenth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry; William, who served in the same company with Edward and died during the siege of Vicksburg in 1863; and Gideon, whose history is here related. Gideon Fisher was six years of age when his parents moved to Jasper county, Iowa, and in the schools of that county he received all of his education.
He remained at home assisting his father on the farm until he was twenty-three years of age, and then married and began renting land in Jasper county. In 1876, he came to Shelby county and purchased the farm where he now resides. He has now lived in this county nearly forty years, and consequently has seen it emerge from a broad prairie to its present position as one of the leading counties of the state. He has engaged in general farming all his life and with a success which has been commensurate with his efforts. He has improved his farm in every way until it now presents a very attractive appearance. He has now practically retired from active labor.
Mr. Fisher was married March 12, 1874, to Sarah E. Long, the daughter of Joseph and Lydia (Poorbaugh) Long, of Jasper county, Iowa, and to this union have been born six children: Earl V., who first married Ivy Ganser, and after her death, Abbie Pixley, and has two children, George and Iva May; Warren C., who first married Rose Ross and after she died in 1905, he married Lucile Gardner and has two children, Legrand and Harriett E.; to the first marriage were born two children; Muriel and Leslie D., deceased; Hoyt S. married Bernice Gingery, and has one child, Ellarde; Sanford J., who married Daisy McClain, and has three children, Bernice, Floyd and Ruth; Harry, who married June Poling; Grace, the wife of James Jensen, and the mother of one child, Leo.
Mrs. Fisher's parents were born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, and located early in Elkhart county, Indiana, and there Mrs. Fisher was born. They came to Jasper county, Iowa, in 1856, where Mr. Long got government land and lived until his death in 1901. His widow died in 1907. Mr. Long was a farmer. They lived on the farm fifty years and there were no deaths in the family until the father died. Mr. and Mrs. Long were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They reared eight children: Henry, Mary, Sarah Ellen, Martha, William, Louisa, Julia and Charles.
Mr. Fisher has long been identified with the Republican party, and while taking a deep interest in good government, has never been a candidate for any public office. He has been interested in the educational life of his community, and has served as school director of his home township. His wife is an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His life has been one of the highest integrity and his name has been synonymous with good deeds and his influence in his home community has ever been helpful and progressive.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 848 - 850.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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