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LOUIS C. NUS

A man who has been conspicuously identified with the material growth of his section of Fayette county is Louis C. Nus, and to him nature has not denied a fair measure of success in connection with agricultural pursuits, for he has been a very persistent worker and his present valuable farmstead would indicate that he is a good manager as well. His birth occurred in this county, on September 14, 1858, and he is the son of Hugo and Henreicka (Meisgeier) Nus, both natives of Germany, the father born September 4, 1836, and the mother on October 21, 1837. They came to America in 1853 and were married at Cleveland, Ohio, on April 9, I855. They came to Fayette county, Iowa, in I856, and located on his present farm, he having begun life in this county as a day laborer, he being one of the many pioneer settlers of this locality who began their careers here in this way; but being a hard worker and persistent he accumulated rapidly and is now the owner of a large farm, well improved.

Louis C. Nus, of this review, is the third of his father's family of seventeen children. He received a common school education, remaining with his father until he became of age, when he began life as a day laborer, saving his wages until at the close of three years he had one thousand dollars of his earnings. In 1891 he purchased the farm on which he lives at present and he has been very successful as a general farmer and has a very comfortable home. He was married on April 5, 1888, to Mary Semm, daughter of Christian and Margaret Semm, natives of Germany, from which country they emigrated to America in I853, and settled in Fayette county, Iowa, where they purchased a farm, in which occupation Mr. Semm has been very successful; he is now living in Arlington at the age of seventy-two years, his wife having died in March, 1889, and is buried in Taylorsville cemetery. Three children, all living, were born to them, namely: Fred, August, and Mary, wife of Mr. Nus, whose birth occurred May 1, 1863; and she grew to maturity and was educated in her native community.

Mr. and Mrs. Nus began their married life on rented land, moving to their present home in 1891, into a small frame house where they lived until 1899, when they built a modern and beautiful residence, which is furnished with all modern conveniences, acetylene lights having been recently installed, having their own plant. Thousands of yards of cement have been used for walks about the place, also for flooring and water-tanks, and an excellent silo has been built, in the barn, of cement. It is probable that no better facilities for breeding and feeding stock can be found in the county than at Mr. Nus's place. He is a splendid mechanic and has provided his workshop with all kinds of tools and he does most of his own repairing. Everything about the place shows thrift and prosperity and exceptionally good management. No small part of Mr. Nus's success has been due to the encouragement and assistance of Mrs. Nus, who is a broad-minded woman and always very industrious.

Adding to his first purchase, Mr. Nus now has a farm of one hundred and ninety-two acres and timber land.

Mr. and Mrs. Nus are the parents of three children, namely: Anna, born October 25, 1891, takes much pleasure in music in which she has taken special instructions and has much more than ordinary talent; Glen, born December 23, 1895; Alyia, born August 24, 1892.

Politically, Mr. Nus is a Republican, and both he and his wife are members of the Lutheran church, well known and popular in the local congregation and in all circles in the township which has long been honored by their citizenship.

~transcribed for the Fayette Co IAGenWeb Project by Chuck Taylor