SPEICHER, John 1816-1900

SPEICHER, BAYLOR, LIBBY

Posted By: Merikay Mestad (email)
Date: 8/21/2009 at 10:01:47

Death Of Pioneer Hotel Man
John Speicher At Rest
Established the American House in Waterloo and Conducted It Several Years –Succeeded by His Son-in-law –Moved to Orange in 1876.
John Speicher, a pioneer resident of Blackhawk county, died last night at his home in Orange township, in his eighty-fifth year. The cause of death was old age, and the deceased suffered little pain during the past few weeks, while he was steadily and surely nearing the grave. He simply grew weaker and less able to attend to his own wants until he quietly passed into the sleep that knows no earthly awakening. He was born in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, Jan. 7, 1816, and was married to Barbara Saylor January 24, 1841. They moved to Iowa in 1854, their first settlement being in Allamakee county. A year or two later they came to Waterloo.
In the early sixties Mr. and Mrs. Speicher kept a boarding house in the brick building on West Fifth street, now occupied by William’s blacksmith shop, later buying the brick building on the west side of Commercial street, south of the American house, where they continued to carry on the hotel and boarding house business. The name of American house was adopted, this being the beginning of the hotel still running by that name in the larger building that has since been erected on the adjoining property.
In 1876, Mr. and Mrs. Speicher moved to the farm in Orange on which they have since resided, and were succeeded in the hotel by their son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Libby, who still conducts the business. Mrs. Libby is the only surviving child of the deceased, a son, William, having died a number of years ago. Mrs. Speicher still lives at the advanced age of 79 years. Two sisters of the deceased are living in Michigan, while two brothers, Ephriam and Samuel, are both buried in this county. Mr. Speicher was a man of exemplary life, highly esteemed by all who knew him, and a prominent member of the German Baptist church, of which he was for years one of the speakers.
The funeral will take place tomorrow at 2:00 o’clock p.m. at the church in Orange township, and interment will take place in the adjoining cemetery. --Waterloo Daily Reporter, Waterloo, Iowa (Monday 12 Nov 1900)