Roelf Freese, 1899 Biography

FREESE, KUHLMANN

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 5/1/2006 at 20:02:19

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:

Roelf Freese

Mr. Roelf Freese was born on 30 March 1831 in Neermoor, District of Leer, Ostfriesland [East Frisia]. After successfully attending school, he worked on various farms, and in 1852 he was inducted as a soldier into the 8th Company, 7th Regiment, in Osnabrück. He served the King of Hanover for seven years, and then he was honorably discharged. He then worked a short time in the countryside, and on 26 April 1856 he married the respected Miss Taalke Kuhlmann, at which time he started working for himself. In the spring of 1861, he and his family moved to America, where they settled first in Ogle County, and then in Carroll County, Illinois. After living there for nine years, he moved with his family to Ackley, Hardin County, Iowa. Mr. Freese lived here another three and a half years, and then the family moved to Wheatland Township, Carroll County, where they purchased 240 acres of land. They later acquired another adjoining farm of 80 acres, and another 240 acres on the border of Carroll and Crawford Counties, which is well-equipped with good buildings. The Freese family are honest German-Americans and esteemed by all their acquaintances. This happy marriage produced eleven children, two of whom, however, have died. The names of the children still living are: Freerk, Janna, Bernd, Hauwe, Anna, Mettje, Christian, Wopke and Tiebettje, and a grandchild named Lüsse.