John Conrads, 1899 Biography

CONRADS, JÜRGENS, JUERGENS

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 3/3/2007 at 18:49:58

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

John Conrads

Mr. Conrads was born on 8 June 1858 in Hohenkirchen, Oldenburg. He spent the years of his youth there, attended elementary school, and was confirmed in the local church. He then took up farming and worked on various farms. On 14 January 1883 he married Miss Sophia Jürgens [Juergens], a well-brought-up and honest young woman who was born on 6 March 1864 in Jever, Oldenburg. On 5 February 1883 the young couple traveled from their homeland to distant America in order to seek their fortune. They arrived in Baltimore on 1 March, but continued on farther to the West with the iron horse. On 4 March the young couple arrived in Carroll County, the goal of their journey. Mr. Conrads then took a job with an uncle in Sheridan Township, while his wife took a position with an employer in Carroll. In 1885 the young couple rented a farm in Sheridan Township, where they lived for three years, working hard and honestly. They then purchased a fine 120-acre parcel of land in Grant Township, on which they built a fine residence and stables, etc. Mr. Conrads and his wife endured some hard times, but their labor was supported by God’s blessings, and he is now the owner of a fine farm. The Conrads family enjoys a very good reputation, and they are popular with everyone due to their honesty and integrity. This happy marriage produced eight children, and their names are: Otto, Johanna, Maria, August, Charley, Frank, Alfred, and Walter.