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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
CHAPTER VII -- EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS IN SHELBY COUNTY (CONT'D)MISCELLANEOUS FOREIGN-BORN CITIZENS.In addition to the foregoing groups, there should be mentioned natives of other countries who early settled in Shelby county. Among these was a group of Austrians, including John Gorsche, now a well known resident of Douglas township, and Michael Petsche, now deceased, but formerly a resident of Westphalia township. Both of these men came to Shelby county in 1874, and both for some years following their arrival pursued the vocation of pack peddlers. At this arduous occupation they finally made a few hundred dollars, which they were able to invest in cheap Shelby county land, with the result that Mr. Petsche, at the date of his death, was worth in the neighborhood of one hundred thousand dollars, and Mr. Gorsche today owns several hundred acres of land in Shelby county, worth from one hundred and fifty dollars to two hundred dollars per acre, together with large herds of cattle and other live stock. Two other Austrians also coming to Shelby county in 1874 were George Muschitz and Joseph Weiss. John Paman, who for some years conducted a shoe store in Harlan, was an Austrian. About 1880 Jacob Kukar, another Austrian, came to Westphalia township. There have never been very many French in the county, but among them may be named Martin Obrecht, one of the pioneer settlers of the east part of the county, and Peter Buch, one of the pioneer settlers of Lincoln township. There have been a few Bohemians and Poles in the county. Charles Kostelecky, who was in business at Shelby years ago, and later was the proprietor of a livery barn in Harlan, was a native of Bohemia. Natives of Poland, who were pioneers in Washington township, might be named the families of Nowatzke and Kwapizeske. Of course, there were a good many natives of Canada. Among these might be mentioned, Eliab Myers, a pioneer of Bowman’s Grove; F. J. McNaughton, a pioneer of Grove township; E. J. Vaughn, a pioneer of Lincoln township; L. H. Perkins, a pioneer of Clay township, and others. Editor W. C. Campbell, of the Harlan Tribune, has the unique distinction of being, so far as this author is informed, the only native of Australia residing in the county. A few Swiss have made their homes in Shelby county. Among them might be named Joseph Yackey, an early settler in Union township, father of H. V. Yackey, a former clerk of the district court of Shelby county. Joseph Yackey was prominent in the Methodist Episcopal church, sometimes preachers for his church, and was a well known Republican leader of Shelby county, at one time being the nominee of his party for election to the lower house of the General Assembly of Iowa. Another native of Switzerland is J. Hch. Schmid, a well known merchant and grain dealer of Kirkman. Other persons of Swiss ancestry are the Hulsebus families, well known pioneers of Union township.
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