HOOK, Fred B. 1857-1945

HOOK, SOORHOLTZ

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 1/28/2015 at 16:39:39

Fred B. Hook, Grundy Pioneer, Died Saturday

Fred B. Hook, who had been a continuous resident of this section of Grundy for 72 years, died at the Eldora hospital shortly after eleven o'clock Saturday night. He was taken sick a week before with pneumonia. When his condition became worse a few days later, he was taken to the hospital at Eldora. That was three days before his death. Prior to his last illness he was up and about the house daily and made a visit to Wellsburg every Friday. He would have been 88 years old had he lived until next September.

Mr. Hook was widely known throughout northwest Grundy and he was held in high regard by all. He came to this country and to this county from Germany when he was 15 years old. The county was pretty much in a prairie state at the time he came here. He helped to convert this prairie soil into the best producing land in the country. He liked farming and made it his life business. And he was successful at it. He knew good land when he saw it and became the owner of several good farms. The entire 72 years of his life in Grundy county was pretty much in the same neighborhood. He liked to tell of his early life on a Grundy county farm and there were not many others who had so clear a recollection of the important events that have taken place in this locality during nearly three-quarters of a century of the county's history.

Was a Native of Germany
Mr. Hook was born in Eastfriesland, Germany, September 26, 1857. At the age of 15, he with his mother, four sisters and one brother came to America and located on a farm in Colfax township, now the Lupke Hook farm. That farm has been owned and operated by some member of the Hook family ever since. A little later his three other brothers left the old country and came to join the remainder of the family on the farm in Colfax township.

Fred Hook and Catherine Soorholtz were married at Melbourne, Iowa, during the month of February, 1883. They remained with his mother on her farm until 1894 when Mr. Hook bought a farm of his own which remained his up to the time of his death. It is 2 miles south and a mile east of Wellsburg. Mrs. Hook died in 1902. He continued to live on the home place until five years ago when he moved to the new place built by his daughter, Mrs. Andrew Olthoff, and husband.

Surviving members of his immediate family are two daughters, Mrs. Andrew Neiter, Steamboat Rock, and Mrs. Andrew Olthoff. One surviving son makes his home with the Olthoff family. One son John died in 1937 and one son died in infancy. There are four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Mr. Hook came from a family of nine children. The father died in Germany. There were five sons and four daughters. The sons were Rudolf, Harm, Henry, Ernest and Fred. The daughters were Mrs. Wumke Wumkes of Lincoln township, Mrs. Fred Nieman, Mrs. Henry Bunger and Mrs. Peter Heikens. Only one of this large family now remains. She is Mrs. Wumkes, who is now 89 years old.

Funeral Services Wednesday
Funeral services were held at the home Wednesday afternoon and later at the Reformed church in Wellsburg. Rev. Wm. Landsiedel officiated at the service. Burial was in the cemetery adjoining the church.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 7 June 1945, pg 9