Ramer, John P.

RAMER, THEMAN, STERNE

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 8/15/2009 at 07:13:00

John P. Ramer

This prominent and wealthy citizen of Newton was born in Rhine, near Elberfeld, in the Kingdom of Prussia, September 7, 1832, being the son of Frederick William and Maria (Theman) Ramer, both of whom were born in the same province, the father in 1802. He is one of two children, the other being Frederick William, who remained in the Old Country and is now a wealthy farmer at Haspe, near Hagen, Westphalia. Our subject's mother dying when he was little more than a year old, his father afterward married again, and by his second union had one son and one daughter. He remained in Prussia, where he operated a small farm until his death in 1885.

At the age of thirteen our subject finished his schooling. At the same time he was confirmed in the Lutheran Church. He continued to assist in the work of cultivating the home farm until May 19, 1853, when he set sail for America, landing in New York, where for a time he was employed with a gardener. On account of suffering with the ague he was obliged to give up his position, and then went to Oneida County, NY, where he remained for one year. Thence he came west to Chicago, and later to the pineries of Wisconsin, where he built a cabin in the great forests of that state, and for the ensuing seven years kept bachelor's hall there, devoting his attention to the clearing of the land.

Disposing of his property in Wisconsin Mr. Ramer bought land in Illinois, and soon afterward purchased a tract near Newton, Iowa. In the fall of 1862 he went to the mountains and for four years was employed in the mines of Idaho, receiving $10 per day. This was a gold mine for him, and it is safe to say that he made more in that way than did the venturesome proprietors, many of whom lost all they had, instead of increasing their fortunes. For four years our subject continued in that position, meantime accumulating what in those days was considered to be a fortune. With the savings of these years he returned to Iowa and purchased land. Then he went back to Wisconsin and married Miss Susan M. Sterne, to whom he was betrothed before going to the mountains. Mrs. Ramer was born on the Rhine in Germany, and came to this country with her father when an infant. She was reared upon a farm near Waukesha, Wis., and received her education in a pioneer schoolhouse, which was built by her father and another man at their own expense.

Mrs. Ramer is one of a family of four sons and seven daughters, of whom all the latter survive and one brother, who went to the mountains with Mr. Ramer in 1862, and engaged in prospecting. Unfortunately he was not successful, and when Mr. Ramer returned home with his little fortune, his brother sent back word that he would never return until he had made his fortune, but his fortune probably never came. He died April 6, 1893. Mr. Sterne is deceased; Mrs. Sterne still survives and makes her home in Wisconsin. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Ramer came to their farm in Newton Township, Jasper County, to which they have since added many acres, until now their possessions in different places aggregate six hundred acres of well-improved land. After living on that farm for seventeen years they removed in 1883 to their fine farm adjoining the city of Newton.

In the winter of 1892-93 Mr. Ramer purchased one of the most elegant residences in Newton, as well as other valuable property, and at the same time he retired from the active duties of agriculture. From the time when he built his little cabin in the wilderness of Wisconsin to the present, he has met with wonderful success, and it has seemed as if everything he has touched has turned into money, until now he is recognized as one of the wealthiest men of Jasper County. He is generous with his fortune, kind to the poor and a friend to those in want. His tastes are not extravagant, for having gained his wealth by the most diligent self-ap
plication and industry; he fully realizes the value of money.
Mr. and Mrs. Ramer are the parents of two sons and two daughters, of whom only one daughter survives. Rudolph Richard, the eldest, died at the age of thirteen years. Nettie M. died at eight, and John Frederick at four years of age. Mary S., the only surviving child, is a young lady of seventeen years of age and is now being educated, special attention being given to the study of music, for which she lifts natural ability. Every advantage, which her father's wealth can bestow, is hers to enjoy, and she is a young lady of culture and many accomplishments.

Formerly a Republican, Mr. Ramer recently cast his lot with the Democratic party, but is not prominent in local politics, nor has he sought official honors. Socially he is identified with the Knights Templar, and no man in the community is more devoted to the Masonic order than he. He was reared in the Lutheran faith, to which he still adheres; his views on religious subjects are of a most liberal kind. His life has been that of a hard working, shrewd businessman, an upright citizen and an exemplary Christian. Portrait and Biographical Record, Jasper, Marshall and Grundy Counties, IA Page 122.