Henry C. Voss

VOSS, DORMAN, NAEVE, DIERKS, PASSIC, ANDERSEN, SCHLEMMER, BACH, BRETT

Posted By: Barbara Gehlsen Nugent (email)
Date: 7/24/2011 at 22:57:05

1911 Wolfe's history of Clinton County, Iowa by P. B. Wolfe. Excerpt from pages 982-984

HENRY C. VOSS

A Descendant of one of the early and prominent families of Clinton county is Henry C. Voss, a man who has won success in life because he has worked for it along legitimate lines, believing in employing twentieth century methods in all his undertakings.

Mr. Voss was born in Clinton county, October 1, 1864, and was reared on a ram and educated in the district schools. He is a son of Fritz and Cathrena Voss, both natives of the province of Holstein, Germany. They came to America at different times, when single, and married in New York. They came to Clinton county, Iowa, in 1862 and for two years he was employed at such labor as he could find to do, then rented land and engaged in farming. He came, as did most of the people from his country, very short of means, so hard work, which had no terrors for him, fell to him. After renting a farm for a number of years, successfully saving his earnings, he bought eighty acres of land which had poor improvements and a small amount of which was in cultivation. But he soon put it in better shape and kept working hard, early and late, and he later added to the land until he owned two hundred acres. He put it all under fence and about one hundred acres in cultivation; the remainder he left to grass. The entire farm was susceptible to cultivation. He did a general farming business and raised live stock, and fed for the market each year over two car loads, shipping them to Chicago market. He gave his attention to the farm and its products and was very successful. It took nerve and determination to accomplish what he did, but he was equal to the occasion. He underwent all the deprivations and hardships of an early settler, and by hard work, honest dealing and good financing he was rewarded with success and created a good estate. He was a strong Democrat, but never aspired to office. He was reared in the Lutheran church, from which faith he has never departed. He was well posted in all business matters and politics, a broad-minded and intelligent business man, a good financier and well known and highly respected, his integrity and honor being above reproach. He died February 23, 1901, aged sixty-six years. His wife yet survives and finds a good home among her children, mostly with her son, the subject of this sketch. She is now seventy-two years old. She was reared in and has always affiliated with the Lutheran church. She has six children, viz: Augusta, Mrs. H. Dorman, who died and left three children; Henry C. of this review; Anton is running the Tenth Mile house, and is a popular man; Ella, Mrs. John Neave (Naeve); Frances, Mrs. John Dick (Dierks); Johanna, Mrs. F. Passic.

Henry C. Voss, of this review, remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-eight years old, when he married. He was young when his father moved to the homestead, and there he grew to manhood, helping his father on the farm. When twenty-eight years old he married, in the year 1893, then rented the homestead farm one year, after which he rented another farm and moved on to it. He remained a renter on that farm for five years, then again rented the homestead for three years. In 1902 he bought out eh interests of the other heirs and has since successfully carried forward the work inaugurated by his father, general farming and raising and feeding of live stock for the market; he ships to the Chicago market. He has invested some of his surplus in the Goose Lake Bank stock, but gives most of his attention to the farm and its products. Politically he is a stanch Democrat in local politics, though he reserves the right to vote for the man of his choice. He was brought up in the Lutheran church, from which faith he has never departed. He has made considerable improvement on his farm, has erected another large barn and keeps all buildings in good repair and the farm in a high state of cultivation. The house is a large two-story frame, situated on a natural elevated site, beautiful with forest and fruit trees. He has added to the sanitary conditions, by a spacious lawn and cement sidewalks around the house and yard; he has also put in a large amount of tiling on the farm, to aid in the agricultural development of the same. He is a practical and successful farmer and stock handler, and among the well known and highly respected citizens of Deep Creek township..\
Mr. Voss married Emma Andersen, who was born in Clinton county, Iowa, in 1870, daughter of Casper Andersen, an early settler and a prominent farmer from Germany, province of Holstein; his wife, Johanna Schlemmer, was also a native of Germany. The family were early settlers in Clinton county. The father came with limited means and rented and farmed a few years, then bought one hundred and twenty acres of land in Hampshire township. It was a small and poorly improved farm, but he was energetic and made substantial improvements and was a good farmer and hard worker. He remained there during the rest of his life, and died on March 6, 1908. He was a member of the Lutheran church and a Democrat in politics. He followed general farming, raising live stock for the market, and by hard work and honest dealing created a competency for his old age.

His wife survived him and makes her home with a daughter. Mr. Andersen had one son and four daughters by a previous marriage. His son Henry owns and runs a grist mill and handles lumber at Bryant. By his last marriage the following children were born; Emma, wife of the subject; Laura, Mrs. George Bach; Alvina, Mrs. John Brett; Mattie, Mrs. H. Dierks; Adolph, who lives on the old homestead. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Voss has been blessed with the following children: Malinda, born November 20, 1893, is at home; George, born February 22, 1895; Augusta, born March 25, 1895; Lucinda, born September 30, 1900; Loretta, born June 17, 1902; Hannah, born March 3, 1904; Henry, born April 21, 1906, and Alma, born June 5, 1908.