Anton Pölking [Poelking], 1899 Biography

POELKING, WERDEHOFF

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 5/19/2006 at 19:25:11

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:

Anton Pölking [Poelking]

This man must also be counted among the old pioneers of Carroll County because he has been a landowner in Wheatland Township since 1872, and like all the old settlers, he came upon the uncultivated prairie and converted it into blooming fields and so contributed his share to culture and progress for which the free states of North America are distinguished. Mr. Pölking was born on 31 July 1849, in Lohne, Oldenburg, to honest farm people. When his school years were behind him, he devoted himself to farming and worked on his parents’ farm until he was 18 years old. Feeling the urge to seek his fortune far in the West, we see him crossing the ocean in 1867. Arriving in the United States of North America, he made his way to Cincinnati, Ohio, already by that time a significant city, where, however, he remained only three months. He then moved to New Vienna, Iowa, where he took up his accustomed occupation and worked for several years on various farms. In 1872, Mr. Pölking purchased a 120-acre farm in Wheatland Township, Carroll County, and on 26 January 1875, he married Miss Maria Werdehoff, a virtuous and proper young woman. After a few months, the young couple moved completely out to Wheatland Township, Carroll County, to occupy and operate the farm that had been purchased in 1872. Here, year after year, we see Mr. Pölking working his farm, and the more he increased his circle of acquaintances in Carroll County, the more he and his family climbed in respect among their fellow-citizens. Today, the Pölking family is among the most respected in Carroll County, and they are esteemed and honored everywhere they are known. In 1889, Mr. Pölking had the satisfaction of increasing his real estate by 120 acres, and the family still lives today on this beautiful farm, which is equipped with a fine residence, excellent stalls and other buildings. Eight children were the fruit of this happy marriage, two of whom died at a tender age. The names of the still-living children are: Margaretha, Franz, Clara, Anton, Maria, and Clemens.