WIXCEL, Samuel Milton - 1914

WIXCEL, PRUDON, BARNES, EVERHART

Posted By: Volunteer
Date: 7/7/2009 at 02:49:27

HISTORY OF
Cherokee County
IOWA
VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY
1914
by Thomas McCulla

SAMUEL MILTON WIXCEL.

Samuel Milton Wixcel, a man of excellent business ability and enterprise, who has done much for industrial interests of Marcus through his development of the business operated by the Wixcel Manufacturing Company, was born in Lafayette, Stark county, Illinois, August 6, 1872. He is a son of Peter and Margaret (Prudon) Wixcel, the former a native of Sweden and the latter of Ohio. The father came to America with his parents when he was nine years of age and located at Bishop Hill, a Swedish colony in Illinois. He learned the blacksmiths trade at Rapids City, Illinois, and followed this during the remainder of his active life. He is now seventyseven years of age and is living retired with his son, having survived his wife since 1885.

Samuel Milton Wixcel was reared and educated in Illinois and in 1884 accompanied his parents to Marcus. He afterward obtained employment with the Western Tube Works, at Kewanee, Illinois, and acquired his first manufacturing experience while with that concern. When he returned to Marcus he followed the decorative contracting business until 1900 and then engaged in the manufacture of farm implements at Sioux City, continuing there until 1908 when he moved his plant to Marcus. His business was operated under the name of the Wixcel Manufacturing Company, incorporated under the laws of the state with an authorized capital of five hundred thousand dollars. The officers are as follows : Samuel M. Wixcel, president; C. T. Hopper, vice president; E. J. Wallen, secretary; and T. A. Black, treasurer. The company owns a modern plant of two buildings, fifty by one hundred feet in dimension, and it manufactures farm implements, of which its main line is the celebrated "Wixcel Automatic Self Hay Loader," invented and designed by Mr. S. M. Wixcel, besides designing and manufacturing special machinery. It controls a large patronage throughout the state and the concern is one of the most important of its kind in this locality. Mr. Wixcel is the inventor of a large number of laborsaving devices, and the products of his ingenious mind are favorably known throughout the United :States and many foreign countries; he has probably taken out more patents than any other individual in the state of Iowa.

On April 26, 1899, Mr Wixcel was united in marriage to Miss Frances E. Barnes, a daughter of Frank S. and Sarah (Everhart) Barnes of Marcus. Mr. and Mrs. Wixcel have two children, Myrne, who was born June 28, 1900, and Ruth, born July 31, 1908.

Mr. Wixcel attends the Christian church and his wife is a member of the same church. He gives his political allegiance to the progressive party. He is an energetic and capable man of business and concentrating his attention upon the development of his extensive interests has met with gratifying and well deserved success.