BITTERMAN, James Calvin 1866-1956

BITTERMAN, HEINSELMAN, JONES

Posted By: Marilyn O'Connor (email)
Date: 12/10/2010 at 12:23:56

RITES TODAY FOR
J.C. BITTERMAN
INTERMENT HERE

Instrumental In First
R.F.D., Rural Phones
And Other Pioneering

Funeral services will be held at 3 o'clock Thursday afternoon, February 9, in the Major funeral home at Mason City for J. C. Bitterman, 89, who died Monday, February 6, [1956] in a Mason City hospital. Burial will be in Park cemetery at Nora Springs. The casket will be carried by Walter Alborn, Roy Johnson, E. J. Eggert, Lyle Pickford, Lloyd Stevens and Carl Petersen.

James Calvin Bitterman was born on September 12, 1866, in Plainfield, Illinois, the oldest of six children of Manies E. Bitterman and Sarah Heinselman Bitterman. In 1870, the family moved to Cerro Gordo county, Iowa, where they made their home on land three miles west of Nora Springs. His brothers and sisters were Edward L. Bitterman, M. Clinton Bitterman, Jennie Chapman, Trulie Schulte and Mary Forbes, none of whom survive.

"Cal" as he was called, attended business school at Fayette and then took up farming next to his father's land. In March 1890, he and Anne E. Pickford were married and both lived to celebrate their 59th anniversary. Three children were born to them; Dale H., Ruth G., and Grace V. Ruth, as Mrs. L.K. Jones, died in 1947 in Seatle, Mrs. Bitterman died in 1949 in Mason City.

J. C. Bitterman and his brother-in-law, Arthur Pickford, were instrumental in starting the first rural free delivery out of Nora Springs in 1900. Mr. Bitterman was also a pioneer in the installation of rural telephones in 1902; and the betterment of the dirt roads in the days of the King road drag. He was well known as a thresherman and farm insurance adjustor.

He acted in several capacitites in Portland township rural school offices. He was a very early policy-holder of the Cerro Gordo Mutual Insurance association and was twice president of that association. He was also active in the management of the North Iowa Fair in its early days.

In 1915 when their son took over the farm, Mr. and Mrs. Bitterman and their daughters moved to Madison, Wisconsin, where he worked with the Madison Good Roads club, the Dane county Humane Society and the Madison Association of Commerce. The family was active in the First Unitarian Society of Madison.

After about 20 years, Mr. and Mrs. Bitterman returned to Mason City to make their home. They joined the North Iowa Golden Wedding Club in 1940, and attended the First Congregational church.

Survivors include one son, Dale H. Bitterman of Nora Springs; one daughter, Mrs. Noel F. Thompson of Madison, Wisc.; seven grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.