John A SPIELMAN 1834-1914

SPIELMAN, HERSHBERGER, HIRSHBERGER, MCELHINNY, HARRISON, TURNEY, CRAF, BERG

Posted By: Richard K Thompson (email)
Date: 8/17/2009 at 22:31:11

Fairfield Daily Journal
Monday
December 28, 1914

CAPT. J.A. SPIELMAN IS CALLED

Capt. John A SPIELMAN, for more than seventy years a prominent resident of Jefferson county died at 8:40 o'clock Sunday evening at his home on South Main street. Death was due to diabetes.

The funeral services will probably be held Thursday, although definite arrangements will not be made until it is known at what hour John SPIELMAN, a son, now enroute will be able to arrive here from California.

Captain SPIELMAN was born in Columbus, Ohio, July 10th, 1834 being the son of John and Saloma Berg SPIELMAN. In 1840 the family moved to Jefferson county, Iowa, where the father entered government land in Walnut township. Here the family resided for many years, and it is still in the possession of one of the daughters Mrs. Caroline CRAF.

The son John returned to Ohio at the age of seventeen and took a course in Capital University, soon returning to Iowa where he learned the tinners trade in Burlington. Following this he was a dry good clerk at Mt. Pleasant until he established himself in a general store at Germanville, which he conducted until the outbreak of the Civil war.

Mr. SPIELMAN had been a captain of a company of Home Guards prior to the war, and with twenty of his companions enlisted in March 1862, in Company K, 17th Iowa Volunteer Infantry. Through the courts martial and discharge of the captain of his company Mr. SPIELMAN was elected captain on September 29th, 1862.

Upon his return from the army, Mr. SPIELMAN in company with his father entered into the hardware business in Fairfield under the firm name of J. A. SPIELMAN & Co his father died in 1889. The business was the most important of its kind in the county and was conducted at the present location of the Gaines Brothers' store. After successfully conducting the business for thirty-two years he disposed of it and became actively connected with the management of the First National Bank of Fairfield, of which he was vice president. He was also actively connected with the Fairfield Gas Co., an early enterprise. For a period he was active in the bank management, but in later years, although vice president still, failing health has prevented close attention to business.

Mr. SPIELMAN was an enthusiastic Republican from the organization of the party. With the late Senator James F Wilson and Waltus Colin, he organized the party in Jefferson county for the (sic. unable to read text). He has served as County Clerk and in other positions of public trust with efficiency and fidelity.

Captain SPIELMAN was well known throughout the country in connection with the G.A.R. He was one of the organizers of George Strong Post, and was a regular attendant upon State and National Encampments, frequently holding positions of honor in this connection.

Of German parentage it was natural that he long held membership in the English Lutheran church, to which he was much devoted. For (sic. ? unable to read text) years he was treasurer of the Synod of Iowa, and was frequently a delegate to the General Synod where he served as a member of the Board of Church Extension: He was one of the board of trustees of Carthage College and was serving as president when ill health compelled his resignation in 1888. For years he was superintendent of the Fairfield Lutheran Sunday school, and was actively connected with the county and State Sunday school organizations.

At Germanville, April 24th, 1860, he was married to Miss Christina HERSHBERGER (sic. HIRSHBERGER), and to them have been born six children: Henry A., of Topeka, Kansas,; John G. of Chicago; Mrs. Carrie McELHINNY and Mrs. Dillon TURNEY, and Fred A, of Fairfield, and Mrs. F.W. HARRISON of Los Angeles, California. In 1910 the family celebrated the Golden Wedding in most pleasing and appropriate manner.

*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.

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Transcriber note: At Evergreen Cemetery (Fairfield, Iowa) in 3rd Addition.076 is the still standing Turney-Spielman-Harrison mausoleum. It contains the individual crypts for: John A and Christine Spielman, their daughter Claudia Mae and her husband Frederic William Harrison; and also the other daughter Bella and her husband Dillon Turney, and their daughter Margaret Christine Turney.