PIEHN, Louis H. (born 1836)

PIEHN, SCHENDLER, BOWMANN, MOHRING, SHANEWISE

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 1/15/2012 at 21:27:17

The later Louis H. Piehn, former well-known banker and hardware merchant of Nora Springs, was born in Germany in March 1836, the son of William Piehn and wife, also natives of Germany, who came to Chicago and then to Altavesta, Iowa, about 1853, and there spent their last days. Louis H. Piehn owned the land on which Altavesta now stands and lived there for ten years, having come to the place with his parents.

Louis H. Piehn was twice married. His first wife, who he married in Chicago, Illinois, was Christine Mohring. They were the parents of one child, Maria R., who later became Mrs. Herman F. Schendler. Some time after the death of his first wife he married, on December 9, 1886, Christine Shanewise, born in Carlsruhe, Germany, on January 26, 1851, and who came to America when an infant with her parents. She was the daughter of Frederick and Barbara (Bowmann) Shanewise, who came to America and located at Davis, Illinois, and lived for nine years in that state. About 1860 they moved to near Waterloo, Iowa, and still later moved to Bremer county, this state. Frederick Shanewise was a blacksmith by trade. At the time they came to Blackhawk county and settled near Waterloo, the Indians were still numerous. Mr. Shanewise bought three hundred and twenty acres of land in Bremer county, just on the Blackhawk county line, and there farmed to the end of his life.

To Mr. Piehn's second marriage three children were born, namely: Alma, deceased; Lucretia, and Harold, deceased.

Louis H. Piehn came to Nora Springs in a very early day and started in the hardware business, at the same time screening off a portion of his store and converting the same to the purposes of a private bank. The growth of his banking business demanded increased space and it was transferred to a separate building, which accomodated the business for some time. After successfully conducting the private bank for some years he decided to have the business incorporated and the name changed to the First National Bank. [truncated]

Floyd Obituaries maintained by Lynn Diemer-Mathews.
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