John Hagensick

HAGENSICK, BERINGER, BEDOE

Posted By: Becky Teubner (email)
Date: 1/21/2004 at 11:11:41

JOHN HAGENSICK. Few of the agriculturists of Clayton County are better known than the subject of this biographical sketch, who is a resident of Boardman Township and is there engaged in cultivating the soil and raising a good grade of stock. His finely improved farm contains three hundred and twenty acres, and is supplied with all the comforts that are to be found upon any first-class estate. In addition to this property he also owns a sixty-acre tract, so that his entire landed possessions aggregate three hundred and eighty acres.

A native of Germany, the subject of this notice was born on the 27th of April, 1839, being a son of Christopher and Eva (Beringer) Hagensick, both of whom were born in the same province of Germany as himself. The family emigrated to the United States in 1851 and at once came to Clayton County, Iowa, where they for a time rented farm land. Later they took up land from
the Government. They passed their remaining years on this place, where the father died at the age of eighty-four years, and the mother at the age of seventy. Their children numbered eight, of whom six are living at the present time.

When the family came to America our subject was about twelve years old, and he grew to manhood upon the home farm amid primeval surroundings, for at that time very few improvements had been made in the now prosperous and well improved county. In 1862 he journeyed westward to Colorado and also visited other western states and territories, spending six or seven years
in that portion of the country and being variously employed in the meantime. Returning from the west he resumed farm work, at which he has since been engaged. He was thirty-two years old when he chose a helpmate and companion, his union being with Miss Minnie Bedoe, whose parents, Frederick and Anna Bedoe, were among the early settlers of Clayton County. Mrs. Bedoe still lives here, but Mr. Bedoe died in Read Township about two years ago. There have been born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Hagensick six
daughters and four sons, all of whom are living with the exception of the eldest son, who died at the age of eighteen years.

Shortly after his marriage, Mr. Hagensick purchased from his father the old homestead, upon which he continued to engage in mixed
farming until about 1884, when he disposed of the property and bought three hundred and twenty acres constituting his present estate. In his business enterprises he is keen and sagacious, and in addition to other landed and moneyed interests is a stockholder in a bank. He is well-to-do in this world's goods and the prosperity he has gained is richly deserved, for it has been acquired by his own indefatigable exertions, seconded by the counsel and active co-operation of his estimable wife. He has never mingled actively in politics, but believes in the principles of the Democratic party, which he uniformly supports. With his family he belongs to the Lutheran Church, the services of which he regularly attends, and the good works of which he aids by contributing of his means and time to their support.

-source: 1894 Dubuque, Jones and Clayton Co., IA History pgs. 471-472