Claussen, John

CLAUSSEN, BLOCK, REINCKE, KLOPPING, REINKE, MYERS, WOODARD, MCMILLAN, BOWKER, ATKINS

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 8/27/2009 at 17:57:59

Claussen, John

Claus (John) Claussen, aged sixty-six years, was born in Swopsteadt, Germany, March 19, 1844, his father being Hans Claussen, a native of Germany, who died in Jasper County, Iowa, on a farm at the advanced age of eighty-six years, his mother being also a native of Germany, her maiden name being Margaret (Block) Claussen, she dying in Germany at the age of thirty years. Mr. Claussen has only one full sister and no brother, but as his father married twice after the death of his mother, he has three half brothers and three half sisters, all of whom reside in Jasper County. The name of his sister is Christina Reincke, and she is the widow of William Reincke, residing in Carroll County, Iowa.

The life history of Mr. Claussen is most interesting. He was but twenty-one years of age when he came to America, coming alone and landing at New York. From there he went to Davenport, Iowa, and engaged in the butcher business. After a nine months' stay in Davenport, he came to Newton, Iowa, where he has since remained. It was something near a year and a half after coming to Newton that Mr. Claussen purchased the two and one-half acres upon which his residence now stands. Starting with very little, he set resolutely to work at his trade of butcher and to this small purchase kept adding and adding until at one time he was one of the large land owners in the County, owning over five hundred acres of land. Subsequent reverses and misfortunes, such as often overtake the most far-sighted and resolute, have lost him a considerable portion of this property, but Mr. Claussen is still well fixed and is as cheerful and undaunted as the day he first landed in Jasper County.

After Mr. Claussen had secured a foothold in this County he sent money back to Germany with which to bring four brothers and sisters over here and at all times he was a considerate and dutiful son.

On October 1, 1868, Mr. Claussen was married to Mary Klopping, herself a native of Germany, her father being Conrad Klopping and her mother Elizabeth (Reinke) Klopping, also a native of Germany. Mrs. Claussen came with her parents to America when she was but eight years of age and recounts that the ship that carried them was an old sailing vessel, which was driven by contrary winds far out of her course. Eleven weeks they were upon the seas before they made port and when, after their provisions were almost exhausted, they came to land, it was the port of New Orleans they entered instead of New York as was first intended. Mrs. Claussen states that much of their trouble came from the fact that their captain was making his first voyage to America and was inexperienced. Even at the time of landing he would have run his ship aground upon a sand bar, but for a pilot who came off from the shore and set them right. Mrs. Claussen's parents both died in Jasper County, Iowa, her father four years after coming to America, her mother thirty-six years after coming to this country. Mrs. Claussen is one of seven children, of whom two besides herself are living: Elizabeth Klopping, a half sister, Mrs. Claussen's mother having been married twice, resides in Newton, is the widow of William Klopping, deceased, a cousin of Mrs. Claussen upon her father's side; Louise Myers, widow of John Myers, deceased, is a full sister of Mrs. Claussen, and is seventy-one years of age and resides in Newton.

Mrs. Claussen has at all times been a loyal and cheerful companion and helpmate to her husband, working with him to raise money with which to bring his brothers and sisters over to America from Germany and entering with spirit and sympathy into all his undertakings. She remembers much of interest concerning the growth of the County and the changes that have come since 1853 when she came here. There were only thirty houses here when she came and Sunday school was held in the old courthouse. Land was sold at five dollars per acre and she saw the first courthouse in the County built.

Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Claussen, six of whom are living: Frederick, aged forty-one, resides in Boone, Iowa, his wife's maiden name being May Woodard; Leonora, aged thirty-nine years, is the wife of the Rev. W. McMillan, and resides in Eureka, Illinois; Arthur, aged thirty-seven, is unmarried and lives at home; Christopher, aged thirty-five years, resides in Waterman, State of Washington, his wife's maiden name being Etta Bowker; Henry, of Moline, Illinois; Walter, aged twenty-nine, resides in Newton, his wife's maiden name being Maude Atkins; Una Margaret died in infancy.

Besides farming, Mr. Claussen has always paid much attention to stock buying, being still engaged in that business to a considerable extent. He is and always has been a public-spirited citizen, giving liberally towards many public enterprises. In politics he is a Republican. Both he and his wife are members of the English Lutheran Church. Past and Present of Jasper County Iowa B. F. Bowden & Company, Indianapolis, IN, 1912 Page 939