ZAHLTEN, AUGUST

ZAHLTEN, RIEBHOFF

Posted By: Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/16/2004 at 14:19:10

Biography reproduced from page 423 of the History of Kossuth and Humboldt Counties, Iowa published in 1884:

August Zahlten was born Jan. 12, 1817, in Prussia, and came to America in 1852, landing at New York. From there he went to Pennsylvania, where he lived sixteen months, and then went to Ohio where he stayed nine months. After this he moved to Humboldt Co., Iowa, remaining during the winter of 1854, and on the 20th of May, 1855, he began to work for Judge A. C. Call, working for him all summer. Before coming to Kossuth county, he had located a claim in Humboldt county, but having little money, he sold his claim to Mr. McKnight, and the same fall bought a claim of 160 acres on section 36, township 96, range 29, of Mr. Gates, occupied it one year, then sold out to James Rone, and bought 160 acres from Mr. Graw, paying for the claim $125. He has since lived here and followed farming. He has held a number of township offices, such as justice of the peace, township trustee, school director and road supervisor. He was married Jan. 7, 1857, to Margaret Riebhoff, a native of Hanover, Germany. They have four children – Mary, born Feb. 6, 1858; Theresa, born Nov. 18, 1860; Emma, born Jan. 9, 1863; and Clara, born Dec. 9, 1864. Mr. Zahlten and family are members of the Congregational Church at Algona. In 1862 he enlisted in a company to defend the frontier of Iowa against the Indian outbreak in Minnesota, and served four months. Politically, he is a greenbacker.