Frederick Beeler

BEELER, DEARDORF, MCCLURE, ROY, STOLTZ

Posted By: Judy Wight Branson (email)
Date: 10/11/2005 at 17:08:59

Fred Beeler is living retired on section 13, Walnut township, and is not only one of the most substantial men of that township but also one of the most sincerely respected. He was born in Baden, Germany, December 4, 1835, a son of Fred and Mary Ann (Stoltz) Beeler, both natives of the fatherland. The father, who was a shoemaker by trade, emigrated with his family to America in 1846 and made his way overland to Ripley county, Indiana, where he purchased a farm and resided until his death, fourteen years later. His widow subsequently removed to Leavenworth, Kansas, and passed away there in 1868.

Fred Beeler remained at home upon the farm until he was sixteen years old and then started out in life on his own account. He learned the blacksmith's trade and when eighteen years of age went to the then far west, settling at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where for two years he worked at his trade at the army post, in the employ of the federal government. At the end of that time he opened a shop in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, but in the following year the lure of the discovery of gold induced him to go to Pike's Peak, where he met with a considerable measure of success as a gold miner. He was a part of the life of the western country in many ways in the '50’s and in 1856 he operated a pony express, carrying mail from Fort Laramie to Fort Bridger in Utah, a distance of six hundred miles, the road leading over much rough and mountainous country and passing through a territory still largely under the power of hostile Indians.

At one time he was captured by a party of Snake Indians on the warpath and probably owes his life to the fact that his horse was branded U. S., which the chief noticed and which led him to give Mr. Beeler his freedom. He not only set him free after being held a prisoner for three hours, but gave him an escort which accompanied him fifteen miles or until he was out of danger. In 1858 he hauled wool from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Independence, Missouri. In 1860 he came to Madison county, Iowa, and acquired a forty acre farm in Walnut township. The next spring he loaded his wagons with honey, butter, eggs and cheese and took the produce to Denver, Colorado. His train consisted of five large wagons and one small one and there were six yoke of oxen to each wagon. Upon reaching Denver he sold not only his produce but also all of the oxen except enough to bring the empty wagons back to this county. The venture was so successful from a financial standpoint that he made a similar trip the next year. He looks back with much pleasure upon those stirring times and is proud of the fact that his courage and endurance were equal to the tests to which they were often subjected.

In the fall of 1860 Mr. Beeler purchased a splendid farm of two hundred acres of land in Walnut township, this county, and is still living upon that place. He proved very successful in his agricultural pursuits and acquired more and more land, owning at one time nine hundred and eighty acres in addition to his home farm of two hundred acres. However, as his children grew to adult years and married he gave them each a tract of land and now holds title to his homestead only. He wisely took his boys into partnership with him as soon as they were old enough and since they had a real and vital interest in the work of the farm and since their labors yielded them financial returns which made them independent, they were more than willing to remain upon the farm, feeling that the city could not offer them anything of real value more than they already had.

Mr. Beeler continued active in agricultural work until four years ago, when he retired and now makes his home with his youngest son, William, a wish expressed by his wife before her death. He is justly proud of the large measure of financial success that has been his, but it is even a greater gratification to him that the relation between himself and his sons has always been one of hearty cooperation and of the greatest goodwill, respect and warm regard, and it pleases him that they have seen fit to follow the occupation to which they were reared and in which is to be found not only material prosperity but also congenial work and a manly sense of independence.

Mr. Beeler was married in 1861 to Miss Nancy McClure, who was a daughter of Henry and Milly McClure, both natives of Ohio and both of English descent. The father was a farmer and followed that occupation in his native state, where he passed away. Subsequently the mother removed with her children to this county and entered land on section 24, Walnut township, where she resided until her death in 1863. The farm was subsequently purchased by our subject. Mrs. Beeler passed away in 1901 and her demise was not only the occasion of great grief to her immediate family but was also sincerely regretted by many others who had learned to know and to love her. She was the mother of five sons: Otto died when two years of age. Othello, who is a farmer, living three miles south of our subject, in Ohio township, married Miss Emma Deardorf, by whom he has three children, Fred P., Otto and Leo. .Fred M., a retired farmer of East Peru, married Miss Nora Deardorf and they have a daughter, Ruth. Charles, a farmer of Ohio township, married Dora Roy and they have three daughters, Helen, Mildred and Kate. Will J., a farmer and stockman of Walnut township, married Hallie Deardorf and they have a son, Donald.

Mr. Beeler supported the republican party until 1873 but since then has at times cast an independent ballot, feeling that the best man for the place should be elected, irrespective of party affiliations. He still believes, however, in the wisdom of the great principles for which the republican party has stood for so long.

He has held a number of offices of trust and responsibility, having served as trustee, justice of the peace, township clerk, and as postmaster of Ohio post office, in Walnut township, which was continued as long as the mails were carried from Winterset to Osceola. Mr. Beeler was postmaster there for fifteen years and in the discharge of his duties was always systematic and conscientious. He has done much to improve the grade of stock raised in the county and was the first man to bring a registered Percheron Norman stallion to Madison county, securing a fine stallion from Chicago in 1862. He continued to raise fine horses until his retirement from active life and all of his horses brought big prices, as they were all registered. He also engaged in the raising of cattle and sheep and for twenty years never fed less than one hundred head of cattle and often two hundred or more. He bred shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs and was known as one of the most extensive stock-raisers of the township. In the early days when buying cattle he often rode one hundred miles a day in the saddle and he thought nothing at all of starting from home in the morning and being in Missouri, sixty-eight miles away, by night.

The success that he achieved, which enables Mr. Beeler to now live retired, was won by much hard work, by the intrepid facing of the perils of the western country, by initiative, energy and the exercise of sound judgment, and from the time that he first took up his residence in this county to the present he has commanded the unqualified respect of all who know him both for his ability as an agriculturist, stock-raiser and business man and for the fine manliness of his character.

Taken from the book, “The History of Madison County, Iowa, 1915,” by Herman Mueller.