Booknau, H.R.

BOOKNAU

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 4/8/2010 at 07:24:22

History of Poweshiek County Iowa (1911)
Page 227/228

H.R. BOOKNAU

One of the finest farms in Poweshiek county is that owned by H.R. Booknau. It comprises nine hundred and sixty acres and is in many respects a model place, the barns being strictly modern and all utensils and appliances the best to be found in the market. This large and valuable property Mr. Booknau has acquired through his own exertions and it is, indeed a monument to his ability and energy.

He is a native of Boston, Massachusetts, born June 22, 1848, a son of George and Christina (Lynn) Booknau, both of whom were natives of Germany. The father was born in 1809 and devoted his attention to farming in the old country. He came to America in 1842, and in 1850 removed with his family from Boston to Hartford, Wisconsin. He came to Poweshiek county, Iowa, in 1859, and after spending one year at Montezuma removed to Grinnell, and in 1864 purchased a farm in Chester township. He applied himself with such diligence that in a few years he owned four hundred acres, but in 1870 met with financial reverses from which he did not recover. He died in 1890, his wife having passed away at Hartford, Wisconsin, forty years previously. There were five children in the family--four boys and one girl, the subject of this review being the fourth in order of birth.

Educated in the common schools and in an academy at Grinnell, H.R. Booknau early became acquainted with farm work under his father, and ever since his boyhood has devoted his attention to agriculture and stock-raising. The financial reverses of his father he regards, not as a misforturne, but rather as a blessing to himself. He went to work on his own account and thus developed the strength of character and clearness of judgment which carried him through many difficulties and finally made him financially independent. He purchased his first land in 1880, the cost being thirty-six dollars an acre, and in 1881 he acquired more land, being today one of the important landholders of the county. He makes a specialty of raising and feeding Poland China hogs and shorthorn cattle, marketing as many as three hundred cattle in a year. He is a large feeder, and as he is a good judge of livestock and understands his business thoroughly he usually receives the best prices quoted for his class of stock in the market.

In politics Mr. Booknau supports the republican party, and religiously he is connected with the Congregational church at Grinnell. He is a bachelor, his widowed sister, who has four children, keeping house for him. He has witnessed many changes in Poweshiek county, one of which is the advance in the price of land. He remembers when land sold at three dollars per acre and the same land now commands three hundred dollars per acre. He has also noted the remarkable improvements in farm methods, all branches of agriculture and stock-raising having been revolutionized since the early days of farming in this county. He is fond of building anchor posts, and has one two feet in diameter, which extends seven feet in the ground and six feet above, tapering to eighteen inches at the top. It is reinforced by steel wire and weighs seventy-five hundred pounds, and yet it is a cheap post, as it only cost sixteen dollars. This is believed to be the most remarkable anchor post in the county, if not in the state. He is a man of good education, a constant reader, a clear and logical thinker, and his advice is often sought by neighbors and friends, who seldom make a mistake if they follow the line he suggests.