LASS, Peter

LASS, COOPER

Posted By: Brian Hass (email)
Date: 12/24/2001 at 09:11:24

[The following biography was obtained from a book called Memorial_and_Biographical_Record. The cover and first few pages of this old book were missing; so, the publisher and copyright date are unknown. But, it is believed to be a South Dakota publication from around the year 1900. The original author of this biography was not listed.]

[From the context of the article, it is obvious that the biography was published before Peter Lass' death, which is known to be 1914 from multiple sources.]

[This biography was converted to a text file form by Peter's great-great-grandson, Brian Hass.]

PETER LASS

It is a pleasure to record the main events in the life of one who has attained an enviable position solely through his own efforts and exertions, and who, though close on to man's alloted three score and ten years, can still look forward to quite a few years of usefulness in his chosen field of labor. It is, therefore, gratifying to place before the reader a brief outline of the life struggles of one of Union county's pioneer citizens.

A native of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Mr. Lass was born in 1836, and grew up to fifteen years of age in the old country. He was raised on a farm and educated in the common schools of his native land, and in 1852 came with an uncle to America. He located in Clinton county, Iowa, and worked on a farm there for three years, receiving as remuneration for his services his board and clothing. By that time he had attained the age of eighteen years, and decided on striking out for himself. He hired out as farm laborer by the month, and continued to make his home in the vicinity until he married, in 1862. This happy event in our subject's life occurred at Sugar Creek, when he led to the hymeneal altar Miss Regina Cooper. This lady is also a native of Germany, and was born in the kingdom of Prussia in 1842. After marriage the young couple took up their domestic life on a rented farm, and later Mr. Lass bought a piece of property in Jackson county, Iowa, on which they took up their abode until coming to Dakota territory. In 1870 he came to Union county, and selected the homestead on which he now resides, as a claim, and then returned to Iowa. The following spring, accompanied by his family, he located on the property, and has ever since made it his home. The first house he put up was a shanty made of cottonwood slabs, and the stove used for cooking was placed outside. As one of the first settlers in the neighborhood, he has been an eye-witness of the marvelous growth of the county, and himself assisted in the development of one of the finest farming sections of the state. The present prosperity of the community, however, was preceded by much hardship and privation, which the early settlers passed though unflinchingly, and our subject, like other of the pioneers, met with and conquered the trials of those times. He withstood the grasshopper plague, the hailstorms, in fact, all the hardships wich any of the old settlers experienced, fell equally forcibly on his shoulders. From the small amount of $60, with which he started his career in Union county, Mr. Lass has accumulated a large property, and is possessed of a competence which will more than tide him past the time which must occur in every one's life. He is now the owner of 480 acres in section 5 of Prairie township, on which he is conducting a thriving general farming business, raising principally hogs in the live stock line and corn in the cereal. The farm is all nicely fenced, and is adorned by a large grove, which he planted himself. Mr. Lass, politically, is a Democrat, and has always interested himself more or less in politics. While a resident of Iowa he served as township trustee, school officer and road supervisor, and has also been a member of the school board of the district where he now resides.

Mr. and Mrs. Lass are the happy parents of twelve children, of the following names: Barbara Henle, Mary Henle, John, married to Miss Annie McGuire; Peter, married to Miss Mary McGuire: Anton, Joseph, Catherine McGuire, Bernard, Henry, Nettie, Annie and William. All the children have been given the best advantages for education by their parents, Mr. Lass believing that, as "knowledge is power," his children should have every facility for acquiring that knowledge. One son, John, has quite a reputation as a teacher and instructor. The family are members of St. Joseph's Catholic church, of Prairie township, of which Mr. Lass has been treasurer for a period of eighteen years.

Mr. Lass is a general reader and well informed on current topics, and a man of more than average ability. Were we to sum up his life labors in one word, that word would be "success," for he has ably and admirably managed his affairs, and justly deserves the credit.

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