Deur, Joseph

DEUR

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 11/20/2007 at 22:17:48

Joseph Deur

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.76, Boomer Twp.)
Joseph Deur, farmer, P. O. Missouri Valley, was born in France, in 1830, near the Switzerland line. He came to America when he was nineteen years old, and first settled in Oswego County, N. Y., after staying in the city of New York for about a month. He lived in Oswego County till 1859, and then came to Pottawattamie County, Iowa, and settled on his present place in the fall of the same year, and has been on it ever since. Most of his life has been spent in farming. His father died when he was two years old, and mother when he was twelve; from that on he had to make his own way. When he landed in New York, he nad only $15. Mr. Deur had one brother, who came to America two years first, but Mr. Deur did not know anything of him for some time. This brother was killed in a coal mine near East St. Louis, Ill., by the mine caving in. Mr. Deur has four sisters in the old country. He was married in New York in 1857, to Miss Jeannette Mohat. She was born in New York, but her parents were from France. They have eight children - five boys and three girls. One of the daughters married, and one son in the lumber business in Missouri Valley, Harrison County, the remainder are at home. When buying land he bought 100 acres and paid $8 per acre. There was not a house between his place and Harris Grove at that time. What settlers that were near him were on Honey Creek; none had got out into the prairie. His farm now consists of 580 acres, and farm well improved. When first coming he had to buy a yoke of cattle on time, getting them of Dr. George McGavern. Everything that they had to buy then came from Council Bluffs. Every pound of butter or meat, unless they could make it, they had to get from Council Bluffs. No horses to work, but all cattle, and Mr. Deur did not know much about it, but had to learn. He is a member of the Catholic Church and votes the Democratic ticket. His farming is mostly stock, and has about seventy-five head of cattle and horses, besides hogs. About 340 acres of his farm are in cultivation, the rest in meadow and pasture. Besides his farm he has also property in Missouri Valley, two good residence houses. Mr. Deur was in the service, belonging to Company B, Thirteenth Iowa, going out in 1864, and remained till the close of the war. From Iowa they went to Tennessee, and was at Nashville in the battle between Hood and Thomas, and then followed Hood down into Alabama, and then were sent back to North Carolina to join Sherman's command, and were with him till the close.