Joseph Langel, 1899 Biography

LANGEL, HEYING

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 11/25/2006 at 12:26:51

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. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

Joseph Langel

Mr. Joseph Langel, who enjoys an excellent reputation, was born on 23 August 1863 in Liberty Township, Dubuque County, Iowa. He spent the wonderful years of his youth there, romping about as a cheerful boy, and attended the public school and later the parochial school. When he had acquired his elementary education, he decided, like his father, to become a farmer. He learned the practical aspects of the work from his father, and he worked loyally and industriously for his parents until he was 26 years old. For some time he had been acquainted with a respectable young lady, Miss Katharina Heying, and he married her on 19 February 1889. The young couple then moved onto Kramer’s farm in the vicinity of Dyersville, where they lived for two years. Due to illness, he gave up farming for two years and moved with his wife to Luxemburg [in Dubuque County]. But having lived an active and industrious life, and being accustomed to the impulse to work, the couple did not tolerate staying in Luxemburg for long. And so in March 1892, they moved to den Township, Carroll County, where they purchased 240 acres of land, which they worked quite successfully. It is one of the prettiest properties in Eden Township, and the farm is equipped with good barns, stables, and grain bins, and also with a comfortable house. Despite the fact that Mr. Langel was born in this country, the Joseph Langel family maintains the good German customs. Therefore, the family is very respected by all their acquaintances in Carroll County, and they enjoy an excellent reputation. At present, Mr. Langel is president of the Roman Catholic Aid Society, St. John’s Subsidiary No. 48, and he is president of the Templeton Creamery Company, a shareholder-owned creamery in the town of Templeton. This very happy and Christian marriage has produced six children, the first-born of which, however, died at a tender age. The names of the children still living are: Dorothea, Vitus, Thekla, and Zita.