Hermann Luchtel, 1899 Biography

LUCHTEL, GROTE

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 5/1/2006 at 19:49:14

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:

Hermann Luchtel

This man, who appears in a picture with his estimable wife, although not among the earliest settlers of Carroll County, along with his family, still holds a respected place among all the German society in Carroll County. He is a progressive and practical farmer, and his equipment, most of it produced by his own hand, may be considered exemplary.

Mr. Hermann Luchtel was born in New Vienna, Dubuque County, Iowa on 28 July 1850. As a studious young boy he attended school there, and then he devoted himself to farming and worked there until he was 22 years old. He then purchased a parcel of land in Delaware County, and on 16 July 1872 he married Miss Sophia Grote, a well-brought-up young woman. Mr. Luchtel then moved with his young wife to the previously-purchased farm, which he worked successfully for six years. He then sold the farm and established a new home in Wheatland Township, Carroll County, purchasing a farm of 120 acres, where the family lived until 1890. Mr. Luchtel then acquired another farm of 120 acres in the same township, and then another 120 acres of adjoining land, where the family still lives today. This true Christian marriage produced six children: Maria, Anna, Heinrich, Clemens, Hermann, and Clara.