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WILLIAM W. HALLER 1826-1907

HALLER, KAUFFMAN, HAWKS, COMLEY, HALL, HAGGARD, GLEW, TUCKER, BOOTH, PAYNE

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 10/13/2016 at 23:33:35

WILLIAM W. HALLER a wealthy retired farmer of Farley Dubuque County was born in Harrison County Va. September 12, 1826 and was the second child in a family of three children born to John and Katie Kauffman Haller both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania and grew to manhood and womanhood near Clarksburg, Va. where their parents had located.

The father of our subject John Haller, was a son of Michael Haller who served in the War of 1812. This last named gentleman was born in the Fatherland and came to America at an early day. Michael T., a brother of the gentleman of whom we write, became a soldier in the Union cause and was made Captain of the Home Guards. While in the service he was killed in Barber County, Va. leaving a wife and eight children to mourn his loss. His sister Isabel married a Mr. Hawks of Piano ILL. She had previously been married to Joshua Comley who died leaving her with five children.

At the youthful age of five years, the father of our subject took him to Vermilion County ILL. where that parent died leaving him an orphan with the mother having died a short time before in Virginia.

About the year 1835, Mr. Haller and his sister who were at the time members of the family of Elijah Hall removed to southwestern Missouri where they lived on the frontier among the Indians. Here he grew to man's estate without any educational advantages whatever but being of a studious disposition he made the best of the opportunities afforded him thereby gaining a wide knowledge of men and affairs knowledge.

In 1846 our subject located in Iowa near Keokuk and there it was that he wrote his first letter which was to his brother in Virginia. Soon after coming to Iowa he went on the Mississippi River employed as one of the crew plying between Dubuque and St. Louis. He continued in this employment about two years but thinking he might better his financial prospects he left this business and took up the honorable vocation of a farmer locating at Peosta where he purchased an uncultivated tract of sixty acres.

In the meantime, Mr. Haller had married Miss Jane Haggard whom he had met in the southern part of the state. Mrs. Haller is a daughter of William Haggard who was a minister. After living at Peosta for some time our subject in 1855 sold out his property and purchased a tract of eighty acres of fertile land two and one half miles north of Farley.

Our subject furnishes a good example of our so called self made men as is shown by this biographical record of his life. He has gathered together his riches by unremitting and well directed toil and displayed keen common sense good powers of calculation and excellent business qualifications in his dealings which have also always been characterized by strict honesty and fairness.

Mr. Haller in 1862, although he had a family of six children dependent on him for support, enrolled his name with the comrades of Company F. Twenty first Iowa Infantry. Soon after he was transferred to St. Louis where he lay sick in the hospital for six long weary months. His illness so disabled him as to unfit him for the hardships of war and he was honorably discharged and sent home.

Mr. and Mrs. Haller reared the following children John J. who is a resident of Dubuque, William W. Jr. of Frankfort Kan., Paulina wife of E. W. Glew. Ellen wife of George Tucker and Arthusa wife of Joseph Glew. The sons are all prosperous mechanics all honor being due to their father of whom they learned their trade and who commenced the same after locating in this county.

After tenderly and carefully rearing her children Mrs. Jane Haller passed quietly away.

In 1881 Mr. Haller was a second time married taking Mrs. Abbie Booth as his wife she is a daughter of R. S. Payne. In his political affiliations our subject is a stanch Republican for which party he ever uses his influence and casts his vote In social life he is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity and is a genial and whole souled old gentleman who has exerted a good influence in the moral and social elevation of the community in which he lives and has responded generously to all appeals for help in carrying out plans for public improvement.

He now makes his home in the town of Farley where he owns a substantial and convenient residence having lived here since 1875 and is passing his declining years quietly amid the comforts which he accumulated in early life.

THE HISTORY OF DUBUQUE COUNTY IOWA
http://members.tripod.com/~Doreen_3/index-2.html

Note: "The History of Farley" - Welu Printing Co. - Copyright 1966


 

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