Nolte, A.

SCHULTZ, WITTE, THORN, LAGESCHULTE

Posted By: BCGS
Date: 1/1/2010 at 11:29:55

For almost thirty-seven years A. Nolte has lived upon his present farm in Warren township and during the greater part of that time has been active in its cultivation, contributing in substantial measure to general growth and progress in this locality and winning a personal success which places him in the front ranks of progressive and successful farmers of his township. He was born in Germany in 1852 and came to America with his parents when he was ten years of age. They settled in New York state and a year and a half later moved to Cook county, Illinois, where the father bought a small farm, which he operated for three years. In 1866 he removed to Iowa and bought land in Bremer county, upon the present site of the town of Tripoli. Two years later he sold this and purchased prairie land two miles west of the town and there operated a farm for eight years. Upon the expiration of that period he purchased the property eighty acres of which is owned by the subject of this review. The father operated this farm until his retirement and made it his home until his death, which occurred when he was eighty-four years of age. His wife passed away at the age of seventy-five. To them were born six children, of whom four have passed away. The others are A. Nolte, of this review; and Mrs. Minnie Schultz, of Tripoli.

A. Nolte acquired his education in the public schools of Germany, but his advantages along that line were limited, as he came to America at the age of ten and never attended school to any great extent in Iowa. He remained upon his father's farm until the latter retired from active life and then took charge of the homestead, which upon his father's death came into his possession. He has lived upon this property for thirty-seven years and during that time has added to the original tract, owning today in partnership with his sons almost six hundred acres of land, practically all of which is under a high state of cultivation. It lies on sections 29 and 32, Warren township and is one of the finest tracts of land in this locality. Mr. Nolte owns also a fine residence in Waverly and is well and favorably known in the city.

In 1873 Mr. Nolte married Miss Amelia Witte, a native of Germany, who came to America when she was fifteen years of age, and settled in Waverly, where she resided until her marriage. They have become the parents of fifteen children: Matilda; Fred, who lives in Warren township; Minnie, the deceased wife of Frank Thorn; Sarah, who married Frank Thorn after the death of his first wife; Charley, who lives in Warren township; Bertha, at home; Henry and Willie, both at home; Martha, the wife of Henry Lageschulte; John, at home; Frank, also at home; Laura, who is engaged in teaching; Elsie, at home; Ruth, who is attending school; and Harvey. The family are members of the Evangelical church.

Mr. Nolte has lived in Bremer county for almost forty-seven years and has witnessed a great deal of the growth and progress of this part of Iowa. He is numbered among the men who have been active in shaping the course of agricultural development in this locality and he is held in high respect and esteem by those with whom he has come in contact in the course of his honorable and upright life.

History of Bremer County, Iowa Vol. II 1914