Adam Beiter

BEITER

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 3/10/2009 at 21:24:18

Adam Beiter, who is one of the active business men of Boone, having been closely associated with its commercial interests through the greater part of the time for twenty-two years, dates his residence in Iowa from January 1869. He is a native of Indiana, his birth having occurred in Mishawaka, St Joseph county, February 23, 1849. His father, Barnhart Beiter, was a native of Germany, but when a young child was brought to America and was reared, educated and married in St Joseph county, Indiana, There he carried on farming and reared his family, but afterward removed to Michigan, where he spent his remaining days.
Adam Beiter, of this review, continued under the parental roof during the period of his minority. He had but limited school privileges and is largely a self-educated and self-made man, having depended upon his own resources from an early period. He learned the baker’s trade in south Bend, Indiana, and afterward removed to Terre Haute, that state, where he worked at his chosen vocation in a wholesale steam bakery for one year. On the expiration of that period he came to Iowa, settling in Des Moines, in January 1869. Here he sought and found employment in the line of his trade, continuing for two years and four months in the service of another, at the expiration of which period he formed a partnership and carried on a successful bakery business and grocery store on his own account. At length, however, he sold out there and removed to Grinnell, Iowa, where he continued working at his trade for eight moths, but was not content in that place and returned to Des Moines, where he occupied a position as clerk during the succeeding winter. He next removed to Jefferson and for fie years was in the employ of J D Hall, in the bakery business at that place. In 1880 he came to Boone and established a grocery store, bakery and lunch room, successfully carrying on business along those lines until 1891. He then removed to Chicago and during the period of the World’s Columbian Exposition conducted a restaurant and lodging house. After the fair was over he handled World’s Fair goods for about two years, returning to Boone in 1895. Here he resumed business along the old lines of trade in which he had formerly been engaged, and has secured a good patronage, conducting now an excellent grocery store, bakery and lunch room, which are meeting with creditable success. His long efforts in this line of trade have made him well equipped for carrying on the business and today he is enjoying richly merited prosperity.
In the spring of 1872, in Des Moines, Mr Beiter was united in marriage to Eliza Shirts, a native of Fairfield, Iowa, who was born in 1849, but reared mostly in Des Moines. Unto our subject and his wife have been born ten children: Charles, now a resident of California, Sylvester, who is engaged in business with his father, Ross, at home, Adolph, attending school, Isabella, the wife of E A Hyde, a resident of Waterbury, Connecticut, Daisy, the wife of Charles Hartford of Boone, Leora, Paulina, and Iva Dell, all under the parental roof. Mr and Mrs Beiter also lost one child, Vivian, who died in early youth. In his political views our subject is a stanch Republican, but has never consented to hold office, not wishing to let political aspirations or work interfere with his business interests. He and his wife belong to the Presbyterian church and are widely and favorably known in the community which has been their home for so long. Twenty-two years have passed since they took up their abode in Boone, and here Mr Beiter has gained a creditable position in business circles, being classed among the reliable and enterprising men whose efforts have contributed to commercial activity and therefore to the progress and improvement of this portion of the state.

1902 Boone County History Book