Meinen, Henry

MEINEN, TADDIEKEN

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Plym. CC (email)
Date: 3/19/2005 at 12:02:12

Henry Meinen

Henry Meinen, a native of Germany, and now a successful farmer of Preston township, Plymouth county, was born on March 11, 1860, and was the son of Anton and Mary (Taddieken) Meinen.

Anton and Mary (Taddieken) Meinen were natives of Germany and there received their education in the public schools and grew up and were married. As a young man Anton Meinen engaged in farm work, and during his residence in Germany he was employed as a farm hand in his home community. He learned the system of thorough and systematic farming and the care of farm stock. In 1866 he and his wife decided to come to America. On their arrival in the United States they located in Illinois, where Mr. Meinen rented land and engaged in general farming, for many years. In 1885 he came to Iowa and purchased two hundred and forty acres of land in section 35, Preston township, Plymouth county. The tract at that time was all wild prairie land, was without improvements and required much work to place it under cultivation. Mr. Meinen at once erected a small frame house, sixteen by twenty feet, and in this the family lived for some years, during which time he devoted himself to the development of the place and making many valuable improvements. He planted a fine grove of six acres and enlarged his house and built his barn. During the early years of his life on the place, the house was much damaged and the barn ruined by a cyclone. He at once rebuilt both the house and the barn, and planted a larger grove for future protection from the devastating winds. He developed his farm until he had one of the best in the township, and his home was one of the best in the community. He engaged in general farming and stock raising until 1905, when he retired from the active duties of farm life and lived with his son, Henry, until the time of his death on January 22, 1915, at the age of eighty-three years. Mrs. Meinen died on August 8, 1910, at the age of seventy-seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Meinen were active members of the German Lutheran church and took much interest in all church work, and were prominent in the social life of the community, where they were held in the highest esteem by all who knew them. They were the parents of three children, Henry, Anna and Mary,. Anna and Mary died in the year 1871. Henry Meinen received his education in the public schools of Illinois, and remained at home until he was thirty years of age. While living in Illinois, he assisted his father with the work on the farm and came with him to Plymouth county. Here he assisted his father in the work of developing and improving the home farm. In the fall of 1889 Henry Meinen was united in marriage to Lena Nannen, one of the prominent young women of the county. In the spring of 1890 the father gave Henry Meinen eighty acres of land in section 35, Preston township, in recognition of his having lived so long at home. There was no building on the place at that time, and Mr. Meinen purchased forty acres from John Pitcher at forty dollars per acre with scant improvements. He at once entered into the task of developing his new farm and preparing it for the crops. As a general farmer and stock man he met with much success, and in time his farm was recognized as one of the finest in the township. In 1903 he built a fine two-story modern house, and later one of the finest barns in the district. Here he has planted beautiful groves, and today he has a most ideal country home, and one that is supplied with every convenience.

As Henry Meinen prospered in his work, he purchased more land, and is today the owner of fourteen hundred acres of the finest land, all of which is under high cultivation and well improved. A part of his land is in Sioux county, and he also owns one section in Texas. He is a strong advocate of intensive farming and the keeping of the best stock. He generally has about one hundred head of Shorthorn cattle and two hundred head of hogs. Much of the grain and hay that he raises on his farms, he feeds on the place, and his cattle and hogs, when ready for the markets, are recognized as among the best that are shipped from that section of the country. He takes much pride in his animals and gives them the best of care and attention. His early training on the farm, together with the German instinct for industry and economy, have been vital factors in his success as a business man and a farmer.

To Henry and Lena Meinen have been born the following children; Herman, Minnie, Bertha, Alfred, Emma and Alma. Minnie is the wife of Ernest Frerichs, a prominent young farmer of Preston township, they are the parents of one child, Esther. The other children are at home with the parents. Mr. and Mrs. Meinen are active members of the German Lutheran church, and have long been prominent in the social and the church life of the community. They take great pleasure in the development of the social and moral conditions of their home district, and are held in the highest regard by all.

Politically, Henry Meinen is identified with the Republican part, and has always taken an active interest in the civic life of the township and the county. Being a man of excellent judgment, his advice and influence are often sought in matters of public concern. For a number of years he served as a director of his school district.

BOOK SOURCE:
History of Plymouth County, Iowa
Indianapolis, Ind.: B. F. Bowen, 1917