HARNACK, John --- 1857-1946

SASS, HARNACK, THOMA, MILLER, KRAMBEER, SCHULTZ, MEYER, SCHROEDER, DAHL

Posted By: Iowa GenWeb Volunteer
Date: 6/4/2011 at 20:38:03

John Harnack, 89, Pioneer Resident, Passes Away Friday

John Harnack, 89, a resident of this community since 1878, passed away last Friday morning in a Rochester, Minn. hospital, following an operation. Funeral services were held Monday afternoon at two o'clock in the family home in Postville, with the Rev. F. R. Ludwig officiating, and interment was in the Postville cemetery.

Mr. Harnack was born October 29, 1857, at Garnavillo as the son of Christ and Dora Sass Harnack, and lived in that community and attended the schools there until the family moved to this community in 1878.

He was married to Miss Maggie Thoma of Postville on April 14, 1885, by the late Rev. John Gass. To this union four children were born, of whom three died during an epidemic prevailing here in 1894.

He is survived by one daughter, Mrs. Fred J. Miller; four sisters, Ida, Mrs. John Krambeer of Monona; Anna, Mrs. Joe Schultz, Emma, Mrs. Louis Meyer, and Mary, Mrs. John Schroeder, all of Postville. His wife, parents, a brother, Bernhardt, and one sister, Sophia, Mrs. August Dahl, preceded him in death.

Mr. Harnack's vocation was farming. After his marriage he operated his father's farm in Fayette county and later purchased one of his own, operating the two for a number of years, but finally selling the one in Fayette county. Afterwards he purchased the farm a mile west of Postville on which the family lived for eight years, whereupon he moved to town and Postville has been his home since.

Mr Harnack served on the Town Council from 1906 to 1910 and was always interest in the progressive movements of the community.

Postville, Iowa newspaper of the time clipping, hand dated 1946, from Dorothy Schave's obituary collection.