Anton Straub

STRAUB, RICKE, LANGE, REINEKE

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 9/2/2003 at 20:11:31

I translated the following biography from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa between about 1874 and 1918. It was originally published in a special 25th Anniversary Edition of the paper on Friday, 20 September 1899. I have not changed the place or name spellings, and the footnotes in brackets are my own explanations. It read as follows:

Anton Straub

The bearer of this name was born in Ochsenhausen, Bierbach [1] District, Wuerttemberg, on 4 June 1840. In 1876 he immigrated to the United States of North America in order to seek his fortune. After arriving in America he made his way to Detroit, Michigan. Then he settled near Sekenaw,[2] Michigan, where at first he worked in a sawmill and soon after found employment in a butcher shop. Mr. Straub remained there for three years and then in 1870 moved to Omaha, Nebraska. Then he made his way to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he found employment in a slaughterhouse until Fall of the same year. Then he relocated to Dubuque, Iowa where he remained only a few days, whereupon he traveled to St. Louis, Missouri. He also remained there only several days and then made his way back to Omaha, Nebraska. In April 1873, Mr. Straub married Miss Maria Ricke, out of which marriage three children were born, named: Maria, Mrs. Anton Lange; Helena, Mrs. Joseph Reineke residing in Nebraska; and Barbara, Mrs. Fritz Reineke. From Omaha, Mr. Straub and his wife moved to San Francisco, from there to Oregon, and then back to San Francisco where he again worked at his occupation. He remained for two-and-a-half years in these two states, and then traveled back to Anawa,[3]Iowa, where on 26 January 1880 his devoted wife passed away. On 5 September 1880, he married a second time to Miss Anna Ricke, a sister of the deceased first wife, and a virtuous young woman, who was born in Borgentreig,[4] Westphalia on 10 April 1850. After the family had been there one year, they moved again to San Francisco, where, however, they remained only three months. Then they moved back to Anawa [5] and after three months, during which time Mr. Straub took a trip to Kansas and Dakota, he moved with his family to Carroll, Carroll County, Iowa, where he purchased 40 acres of land and settled down. Later he increased his land holdings so that he then called 200 acres of the best land his own. Out of this very happy marriage were born nine children, four of which, however, have died. The names of those children still living are: Andreas, Anna, Louise, Joseph and Joa.[6]

1. This may refer to “Biberach,” a larger town west of Ochsenhausen. Ochsenhausen is in southernGermany,south of Ulm.
2. This should probably be “Saginaw.”
3. This should be “Onawa,” in Monona County, Iowa.
4. This may be “Borgentreich,” Westphalia
5. This should be “Onawa,” in Monona County, Iowa.
6. This is probably short for “Johanna.”