Charles H. Ludwig, 1899 Biography

LUDWIG, ARTS, EVERTS, WAYNE, STEVENS, NIENS

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 3/12/2006 at 13:09:10

I translated the following biography from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published in a special 25th Anniversary Edition of the paper on Friday, 20 September 1899. Information in brackets and notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

Chas. H. Ludwig

The subject of our current description is one of the best-known and most-popular business people in Carroll County, and Mr. Chas. H. Ludwig has the reputation of being a completely honest and reliable businessman.

He was born on 27 November 1853 in Birkenriede, Germany. After the promising boy had attended a few years of school in his hometown, his parents immigrated to America and settled in Joe Davis County, Wisconsin. [There does not appear to be such a county in Wisconsin.] Here, young Charles commenced and completed his studies in elementary school. In 1869, his parents moved to Kniest Township, Carroll County, where his father purchased a farm. Charles H., who meanwhile had grown to promising youth, turned to farming, either assisting his father part-time on the farm, or operated a threshing machine. But he had an urge to go into a commercial occupation, and he then went to the town of Carroll, where he first worked a year as a shop assistant for Mr. Wayne, and then a year for Messrs. Wayne and Arts, who had become partners, and then three years for Mr. Arts, who had taken over the business for himself. Then Mr. Ludwig worked a year for Geo. Everts, and then he associated with Mr. H. E. Stevens, and they opened a general merchandise store. In the fall of 1880, Mr. Chas. Ludwig married Miss Elisabeth Niens from Port Washington, Wisconsin. In 1882, Mr. Stevens withdrew from the business and Mr. Christ Ludwig, a brother of Charles H., took over Mr. Stevens’s share. Since the business had experienced an unexpected and large increase, the store premises soon became too small. The Ludwig brothers purchased a neighboring lot and built a two-story business building, in which the large business is still located today. Mr. Christ Ludwig died in April 1898, at which time Mr. Chas. H. Ludwig took over the entire stock, valued at $24,000, on his own.

The dimensions of the store are 24 feet wide, and 100 feet long, and the basement, store area, and upper storage rooms constitute an area of 7200 square feet, and this space is filled with merchandise that is not to be found in any smaller store in Carroll. The total inventory of merchandise at the moment represents a value of $30,000 and is large enough for a town with four times the population. Mr. Ludwig is assisted by four shop assistants, who are almost always busy helping to fulfill the wishes of the customers. That is the result of a business career of an industrious, honest and reliable businessman.