August Prenger, 1903 Obituary

PRENGER, PENKHUS

Posted By: David Reineke (email)
Date: 6/5/2005 at 18:51:53

I translated the following obituary from Der Carroll Demokrat, a German-language newspaper published in Carroll, Iowa, between about 1874 and 1920. It was originally published on Friday, 13 March 1903. Any information in brackets or notes at the end are my own explanations. It reads as follows:

August Prenger

August Prenger died on his farm south of Halbur on Thursday, 5 March, following a 14-day illness. Almost three weeks ago, he left with a [railcar] load of cattle to Chicago, just as the last cold wave had set in. He caught a cold on the trip and returned home ill. A doctor was called, who explained that he had contracted pneumonia. He hovered at the edge of death for a few days, but with medical care and treatment he recovered, and it was thought that he was on the road to recovery. On Thursday afternoon, his condition suddenly worsened, and he died.

The deceased came to America in 1874 from Brockdorf, Oldenburg, Germany, and he lived about four years in New Vienna, Iowa. He then came to Carroll County and purchased the Wilhelm Stamm farm south of Halbur, where he lived until his death. In 1883, he married Miss Anna Penkhus [possibly Penthus], with whom he lived in a happy marriage. This marriage produced six children, namely three sons and three daughters. The oldest son will be 19 years old and will carry on the farming under the supervision of his mother.

The deceased was 51 years old and was known as an honorable and hard-working man. His father predeceased him a few years ago, but his mother survives him. The burial took place on Monday at the cemetery in Halbur with numerous acquaintances and friends in attendance.