HOOK, Henry 1850-1927

HOOK, ANDREESSEN

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 2/1/2015 at 07:35:07

Death Claims Two Good Men At Wellsburg

Henry Hook And Tom Beecroft Both Called Quite Suddenly On Tuesday

Hook was County Pioneer

He Came to this County Sixty Years Ago; Was an Extensive Land Owner

Wellsburg mourns the loss of two well known citizens. Henry Hook passed away at his home very suddenly Tuesday morning and Tom Beecroft died at the University hospital at Iowa City Wednesday forenoon.

Henry Hook
Mr. Hook's sudden death came as a shock to his family and to his many friends throughout this county. He had been in fairly good health all winter and visited with his friends on the streets and in the stores of the town Monday afternoon. Both he and his wife stayed in bed later than usual Tuesday morning. Mrs. Hook got up about nine o'clock and prepared breakfast. She called her husband a number of times but each time excepting the third time he told her he would get up shortly. When he did not answer to the third call the wife went in the bedroom and found that the husband had passed away without a murmur or without a struggle.

Funeral services will be held at the Reformed church in Wellsburg Saturday afternoon at 12 o'clock. Rev. Landsiedel will have charge of the service. Burial will be in the cemetery at Wellsburg.

Mr. Hook was a native of Germany. He would have been 77 years old on his next birthday. He came to this country when a small boy. He remained in Illinois two years and in 1867 he came to Grundy county. That was sixty years ago. There are very few of his early neighbors of that day who are still living here. With the exception of eight years when the family lived in Carroll county, the Hook family made their home in this county continually.

Mr. Hook bought good Grundy county land as fast as his savings would --unreadable-- and at the time of his death his land holdings in the northwest past of the county were extensive.

The family lived on a farm in Colfax township but most of the time they resided on the home place in Pleasant Valley township. Seven years ago they moved to the town of Wellsburg.

Mr. Hook is survived by his wife and nine children. Of the children, six are boys and three are girls. The boys are Barney, Ernest, Henry, Rudolph, Corniel and Herman. The daughters are Mrs. Ben DeVries, Mrs. Peter Arends and Mrs. Chas. Akkerman.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 3 February 1927, pg 1

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Obituary of Henry Hook

Henry Hook was born June 21, 1850, at Ihreu, Ostfr., Germany. Baptism was administered to him on July 7th of the same year and having received a full course in religious instruction, he was admitted to confirmation April 5, 1866, in the Reformed church at Irhove. At the age of 18 he came to America in 1868, and landed first in German Valley, Ill. Two years later in 1870, he moved to Wellsburg, Iowa, on a farm. Here he met Anna Andreessen, his faithful companion, with whom he was joined in holy wedlock on June 22, 1882. In the year 1887 they moved to Breda, Iowa, where they resided until 1895, and then again returned to Wellsburg. About 7 years ago they retired from active life and moved to Wellsburg to spend there the eve of their declining years. By the grace of God they shared life's joy and sorrow together for 44 years. God blessed their happy union with 9 children, who all survived the beloved father. Since June 13, 1920, he had been a member of the Reformed church and proved himself as such loyal, always having at his heart the welfare of his church. In association with him, we learned to know him as a soul striving and seeking for salvation. He loved the word of God and lived with friends and neighbors peacefully, and always was a dear friend of the pastor. Especially during the last weeks, when God prepared him to meet his unexpected call, he was more than ever interested in the things pertaining to eternity. We sincerely hope that during this time God granted him a special preparation to accept salvation. It was last Sunday, when his pastor more than ever observed how deeply interested the deceased was in having God's Word preached, which interest he revealed after the service, when saying to his beloved wife, "Oh, mother, what a blessing to know that we have a savior who accepts sinners." May he have received this conviction by the grace of God when he heard the Word of God last Sunday:--"Whom have I in heaven but thee? There is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." As long as I have know the deceased, he was a good father to the family, caring for all. He always maintained that kind and friendly disposition, known to be his.

He had a kind word for everybody and was especially the children's friend. His Wellsburg friends will miss Mr. Hook sorely.

The news of his sudden death was a terrible shock to the whole community, though it has pleased God in his wise providence to disband the soul of the deceased from its earthly shell on Tuesday morning, at a quarter before 9:00 o'clock. Yes, the Lord has delivered him from all the trials of this earth, and as we confidently hope, let him enter the rest assured to His saints.

May we heed the words of Moses:
"Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." May we ask ourselves steadily:
"Who knows how near my end may be?
Time speeds away and death comes on
How swiftly, oh how suddenly may death be here and life be gone,
My God, for Jesus sake I pray Thy peace may bless my dying day."

The departed reached the age of 76 years, 7 months and 10 days.

He leaves to mourn his death besides the sorrow stricken wife 6 sons and 3 daughters: also two brothers and three sisters and twenty-seven grandchildren. May the Lord comfort all surviving hearts and wipe away all tears.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 24 February 1927, pg 12