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FURNET A. KIEL

The following is a record of the life of one who, by close attention to business, has achieved marked success in his chosen line of endeavor and risen to an honorable position among the enterprising men of his locality. Furnat A. Kiel, of Smithfield township, Fayette county, is one of those estimable characters whose integrity and strong personality win the confidence and respect of their fellow men and leave the impress of their personality upon the time in which they live. He was born in Green county, Wisconsin, April 15, 1868, and was educated in the rural schools of that community, and the German Lutheran school from which he was graduated, and in that church he was confirmed when fourteen years of age. He is the son of August and Minnie (Bretzeg) Kiel, both born near Berlin, Germany, the father in August, 1826, and the mother in September, 1833; they were children of parents who worked on farms of large land owners, and when Mr. and Mrs. August Kiel became a proper age they also began farm work. They were married in 1855, and, desiring a home of their own, they sought American shores in 1856, and located in Green county, Wisconsin, where they worked as farm hands on a large farm for a number of years. About 1862 or 1863, Mr. Kiel bought one hundred and sixty acres and in later years added other purchased and he established a good home and became fairly well-to-do, owning an excellent farm of two hundred and forty acres at the time of his retirement. About 1890 he sold his farm and retired from active life. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, eight of whom are living at this writing: Fred W. lives in Scott township, Fayette county; Herman lives in Green county, Wisconsin; Henry lives at Artesian, South Dakota; Frank lives in Martintown, Green county, Wisconsin; Mrs. Mary Tricklel lives in Monroe, Wisconsin; Furnet A., of this review; James lives at Highmore, South Dakota; Mrs. Emma Tricklel lives at Browntown, Wisconsin. The oldest and youngest children are deceased.

Furnet A. Kiel lived with his parents until he was eighteen years old when he left home and came to Fayette county, Iowa, with his brother, Fred, who rented a farm in Harlan township for about two years. The first year Furnet A. was in this county he worked as a farm hand, then returned to Monroe, Wisconsin, and worked three years in a brick yard and at railroad work. In 1890 he returned to Fayette county, and on May 26, 1891, he bought one hundred and eighty-seven acres in section 8, Smithfield township. During the summer of 8191 he worked out as a farm hand and in the spring of 1892 he moved onto his farm, where he lives at present. He is considered an honest, hard-working, capable farmer, a good hand at any kind of work about a place. He has built a very comfortable and modern dwelling and spacious barns on the farm since he bought his present excellent place. He carries on general farming and dairying, and always keeps some excellent stock, making a specialty of Duroc-Jersey hogs. He has been very successful in all these lines of endeavor.

Politically, Mr. Kiel is a Republican, but he has never held public office. He is a member of the Yeoman Lodge, No. 94, of Fayette, Iowa, and he is a member of the German Lutheran church.

On December 23, 1891, Mr. Kiel married Nettie L. Adams, who was born in Maynard, Fayette county, May 6, 1871, and was educated in the public schools of that place, graduating from the high school with the class of 1889. She is a lady of refinement and the possessor of many praiseworthy traits which render her a favorite with a wide circle of friends. She is the daughter of Leander L. and Rebecca (Cline) Adams, who are mentioned fully in a separate sketch in this volume. When eighteen years old Mrs. Kiel secured a school in Harlan township and taught there for three years in a very acceptable manner, giving up the position upon her marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Kiel are the parents of two children, Grant Leander, born April 26, 1895, is attending school in Fayette; Louis Adams was born December 29, 1897. Mrs. Kiel is an active and leading member of the Mothers' Club, consisting of twenty-five members, which was organized in March, 1901, in Smithfield township. The object of the club is a very laudable one--self-improvement. Mr. and Mrs. Kiel gained prosperity by proving themselves worthy of it, and their success in life is a grand indication of what can be gained by industry, integrity and perseverance. 

~transcribed for the Fayette Co IAGenWeb Project by Sharon Dorland