Zahner, Jacob J. (1819-1899)

ZAHNER

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 11/11/2007 at 22:34:53

Jacob J. Zahner
Oct 2, 1819 - Feb 8, 1899

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.229, Rockford Twp.)
Jacob J. Zahner, farmer, P. O. Loveland, is a native of Switzerland. He was born in October, 1818, and came to America when he was about twenty-six years of age. About two years later, he was married in Michigan, in which State he had first settled, to Miss Katherine Mundinzer, a native of Germany, who came to this country previous to our subject. They were married at the house of a Mr. Lusts. They came from Michigan to Dubuque, this State, about 1851, and lived there till about 1856, when he came to this county, and settled on his present farm, which now consists of 220 acres. Our subject was in the military school in the old country with Gen. Sigel, of rebellion fame; he also is a Catholic in religion and in politics is a Republican.

(From the 1891 Biographical History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, p.271)
JACOB ZAHNER, a prosperous farmer of Rockford Township, was born in Switzerland, October 2, 1819, the son of Jacob and Mary Ann (KANE) ZAHNER, natives also of that country. The father was a lumber merchant and died in 1828. His wife, also a native of Switzerland, was the daughter of a blacksmith who died shortly after Napoleon passed with his army through that country. In their family were six children: Casper Joseph, Josephine, and Hersence, born in Switzerland; Jacob, our subject, besides a son and a daughter deceased.
Jacob, the eldest, was brought up to the tradeoff his father. At the age of twenty-nine years, he sailed from the port of Havre de Grace for America, landing in New York in 1847, and visited or resided for a short time at the following points: Sandusky, Ohio, until the next spring; in Michigan, in the pineries, one year; New Orleans a short time; Vicksburg, Mississippi until March; Sandusky again a short time; Michigan again, working for the same lumber company as before, for five years; and while there, September 1849, he married Catharine MONDINGER, a daughter of Jacob and Catharine MONDINGER, natives of Wirtemburg, Germany. She was but a while when her parents died. She was born October 29, 1820, and came to America in 1848, residing in New York for a time and then in Sandusky, and then in Michigan until she was married. A year after ward, Mr. ZAHNER moved to Dubuque, Iowa, bought a tract of land and resided upon it three years. Selling out he came to Pottawattamie County, crossing the state by ox teams, and, after remaining in Council Bluffs a few weeks in order to look around on both sides of the Missouri, he finally selected his present locality on section 1, Rockford Township, buying eighty acres of wild prairie, covered in a great part with plum brush. Here he passed through the almost uniform experience of pioneer life, dwelling in a log house, cutting off the brush, breaking the prairie with oxen and suffering all the privations and tedious monotonies of the frontiersman in establishing a comfortable home for himself and family, and he has been thus led to witness all the changes in which he has been an actor, and in which his neighbors have also participated in developing the country to its present high standing. He now has a fine residence, barns and out buildings, orchards, and shade trees, etc. But in order to produce these grand results, he has had to exercise his pluck and energy, with at least fair health.
He is a Republican on national issues, but of course in the local elections, he votes independently. He has been School Director for a number of years. He and his family are members of the Catholic Church of Honey Creek, being zealous in the cause of religion, morality and education. His children are: Josephine, wife of Thomas WILSON of Rockford Township; Frances, residing in Harrison County; Catharine, wife of Thomas KINYON and residing in Harrison County; Elizabeth, at home; Mary, Mrs. Ed RYNE, residing in Boomer Township; and John, a resident of Rockford County.