Pfranger, George 1845 - 1932

PFRANGER, NIEHAUS, NEIHAUS, SCHUG

Posted By: Reid R. Johnson (email)
Date: 9/17/2018 at 09:00:20

Clayton County Register, Thur., 25 Feb. 1932.

Strawberry Point: Funeral services of George Pfranger were held at the Lutheran church Monday afternoon conducted by Rev. M. O. Jahr. A quartette composed of Mesdames A. Schumann and Otto Gipper and the Misses Helene Jahr and Wilma Dahl with Miss Ida Fliehler, accompaniment, furnished the music. The American Legion attended in a body six of them being pall bearers: L. L. Kramer, D. G. Courtnage, A. Gipper, G. Sherman, Fred Bierrer and Fred Otterbeck. He was given military honors at the grave. Interment took place in the local cemetery.

George Pfranger, last Civil War veteran of Strawberry Point, was born in Saxony, Germany, March 26, 1845. He, with his mother, brothers and sisters came to the United States when he was but sixteen years of age. With the outbreak of the war he applied for an enlistment as fife player not being very strong, but the need of musket bearers was so great that they assigned him to Co. C 16, 2nd New York State Volunteers. Through various skirmishes and the fighting at Port Hudson he came unscratched but at the Battle of Pleasant Hill on April 9, 1864, he was wounded twice in the left arm within the space of two minutes. General Grant found it imperative to retreat and left them in charge of a few men all to be taken by the rebels. Nine weeks he remained a prisoner and then the scarcity of provisions forced the Southern army to parole him. He was crowded into a skow and taken down to Red River and on to New Orleans. While in the hospital, yellow fever broke out and he was hurridly removed to the Jefferson barracks near St. Louis and was discharged in Jan. 1865. In 1868 he came from Minnesota to Iowa. In 1891 he was united in marriage and his wife passed away in 1894. He was again united in marriage. For a year he attended Lutheran Seminary at St. Sebald. He passed away at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Fred Niehaus last Friday at the age of nearly 87 years. He is survived by two daughters and one son, Mrs. R. W. Schug and Mrs. F. W. Neihaus both of Strawberry Point, Theodore Pfranger of Belmont, Mont., seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren besides other relatives and a large circle of friends.

(Note: The surname Niehaus/Neihaus was spelled both ways in the article.)