Beck, Joseph 1838-1912

BECK, ICORST

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Volunteer (email)
Date: 6/4/2010 at 13:00:00

LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel
Friday, May 24, 1912

OLD RESIDENT DEAD
Joseph Beck a Early Settler in Stanton Township

Following and illness of one week’s duration, Joseph Beck died at his residence, 1022 Cedar street, on Tuesday evening. His death was caused by an attack of appendicitis.

Joseph Beck was one of the pioneer residents of Plymouth county and an extensive landowner, having several farms in Lincoln and Stanton townships. For the past three years he had retired from the active cares of farm life and lived in LeMars.

Mr. Beck was a native of Germany, and was born in Mecklenberg, August 17, 1838. When a youth in 1859, he emigrated to America and shortly after his arrival came west and spent several years in Wisconsin and Minnesota and finally landed at Sioux City, which in those days was an outpost on the Missouri. Taking to farm life, Mr. Beck located on a farm in Stanton township, where with his wife, Marie Caroline Icorst, to whom he was married forty-five years ago, lived until retiring a few years ago when they came to LeMars to spend the autumn of their lives in ease and contentment, having by industry and frugality acquired a fair portion of this world’s goods.

Their union was blessed with twelve children, who did their share in helping their parents in converting the raw, prairie into bounteous fields from which year after year fine harvests have been garnered. Mr. Beck was a successful farmer and had well stocked granaries, fine animals, good buildings on his place, and in later years the best a northwestern Iowa farm can give to those who put forth effort in tilling the soil and reaping the benefits afforded by the generous and bountiful arms of nature.

Mr. and Mrs. Beck enjoyed a long and happy life together, the cares of work, the upbringing of a fine healthy family fully occupying their time, together with the social life of the community, church work, and other interests.

Mr. Beck was a citizen highly regarded in the community. A fond husband and father, devoted to his family, a good neighbor and friend. He was a charter member of the Lincoln township Lutheran Church and a consistent Christian.

With the widow eleven children are left to mourn his death. They are: Mrs. J. Hoffman, of Lincoln township; Mrs. Emma Ideker, Lincoln; August Beck, Stanton; Mrs. Michael Kounkel, Stanton; Mrs. George Kounkel, Lincoln; Hermann Beck, Lincoln; Charles Beck, Plymouth; Albert Beck, Stanton; Mrs. Hermann Prust, LeMars; Julius Beck, of Hungerford; Edward Beck of Lincoln.

A brother, Cliffe Beck, resides at Leeds.

The funeral will be held from the residence on Cedar street today and the remains interred in the Lincoln Township Lutheran Cemetery. Rev. J. Marth, of Lincoln, will preach the funeral sermon.