Harens, Mathias 1839-1927 & Margaret Koob Family

HARENS, KOOB, HOLCOMB, EHLERINGER

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 7/18/2022 at 08:21:16

Harens, Mathias 1839-1927 and Margaret Koob Family

This BIOS for the Mathias ‘Mathew’ Harens family was compiled by Wilma J. Vande Berg of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society. Their family information and stories of the life and times of those pioneers can be read about in several Sioux County Books. “The Story of Sioux County” by Charles Dyk give a very colorful account of pioneer life with it joys and hardships. The book “Siouxland A History of Sioux County” by Nelson Nieuwenhuis give a great historical account of the area. The “1908 Sioux County Atlas” also has historical accounts of the various townships of Sioux County as well as pictures of the pioneers.

No local published biography or family history was found for the family.
Some excerpts from history books.
1908 Atlas part III Section 11 page 12. The time of the arrival of the settlers in Sioux County in the spring of 1870 was so late that no crops were grown the first year, some land was broken and preparation made for the next year. Mr. Harens had bought two cows in Dubuque County for $80.00, but lost them on the trip. They were found by other parties, so that he got one-half what he paid for them. He recalls one trip after cows from Floyd Township when they went down nearly to Cherokee to get the strayed cattle.
1908 Atlas Part IV Section 3 page 35 has a family picture of the Mathew Harens family which will be put at the end of this biography.
In the Book ‘Story of Sioux County’ page 118 mentions Mathew Harens. “They had came from Dubuque and Jackson county, Iowa by ox drawn prairie schooners and it took them three weeks to reach their intended location. They suffered the hardships and difficulties of the pioneers. The first to come were Matthew Harens with four single men, and Peter Hansen…..etc.
Hospers Iowa Centennial book, page 16 lists Mathew Harens as a charter member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church at Hospers. Same book page 10, tells about the Luxembourger settlers first came to Plymouth county and found that the land was taken up. They were told that the Dutch had taken up land west of the Floyd River, so they hastened to the east side of the Floyd River from Nassau Tsp to the present town of Alton. “These Germans and Luxembourgs were all of the Roman Catholic faith it is believed that the first Catholic Mass was observed in the shanty of Matthew Harens who lived on a homestead in the northwest corner of Section 26 in Floyd Township. Rev. Lenihan from Sioux City was present to perform the service and hie assistant was a young man named Joe Selig, who later was to become a lifelong resident of Hospers.

RESEARCH NOTES : From a family report posted on ancestry.com (by others, other than submitter)
Mathias Harens was born 8 Jul 1839 at Kerscherhoef, Hanover Germany died 28 Jun 1927 at Hospers IA. He was the son of Michael Harens 1810 and Anna Holcomb 1810. He married on 9 Feb 1875 at Dakota City, Humbolt Co. IA He married Margretha Koob she was living in Humbolt County at the time of her marriage ..

Margretha Koob was born 29 Nov 1849 Angelsberg Mersch Luxembourg died 1 Jul 1903 Hospers, IA. She was the daughter of Charles Karl Koob 1801-1889 and Margarette Elisabeth Ehleringer 1813-1879.

CHIKDREN of Mathias Harens and Margretha Koob:
1 . Justine Harens born 1876 Iowa died Dec 1959 at Cogswell ND. She married John Hayen reportedly had 13 children.
2 . Charles Harens born 5 apr 1877 Iowa died 8 Jan 1851 Minnehaha, SD buried in Marion, Turner Co. SD. He married 8 Jan 1913 to Anna M. Heer Harens 1882-1965. Four children were listed
3 . John Harens 27 May 1878 Hospers, Iowa died 28 Jan 1857 Clencoe, Minnesota His wife was Elizabeth Magdalena Huberty. ‘Find A Grave’ lists 14 children born to them.
4 . Frank born 18 Mar 1881 Sioux Co. IA died 26 Oct 1958. He married Anna Marie Stoeber 1885-1956 Six children listed
5 . Michael Harens born 7 Mar 1882 Floyd Tsp, Sioux County IA died 2 Feb 1963 Orange City IA He married Christina Molitor 1894-1987. One child listed
6 . Margaret Harens born 21 Apr 1884 Floyd Tsp Sioux County IA 23 Sep 1911 Hospers Sioux Co. IA She married Frederick Rothenbuehler 1885-1949. One child was given.
7 . Mary Harens born 1Mar 1886 died Dec 15, 1918 Alton IA Mrs. Pete Wiltgen, They had two children.
8 . Nicholas Harens born 30 Jun 1889 Hospers Iowa died 28 Dec 1918 Nobles Co. MN buried St. Mary’s Alton IA. His wife was Mary Ann Reeff, Two children reported
9 . Anna Harens born 21 Jan 1891 Iowa, single, died Nov 1969 LeMars IA.

OBITUARY OF Math. Harens 1839-1927.
Harens, Father born 1839 died 1927 buried in St. Anthony’s cemetery Hospers IA. Alton Democrat of Jul 8, 1927
Math. Harens age 87 years, 11 months and 20 days died June 28 at the home of his son Mike 3 miles south of Hospers from cancer from which he had suffered for two years.
Deceased was born at Kerscherhoef, Germany July 8, 1839, came to the United States in 1867 and to Sioux County in 1870, being one of the earliest pioneers to settle here. He was married Feb. 9,1875 to Miss Margaret Koob and nine children were born to his union, six of whom survive their father and mother, as follows: Mrs. John Hayen of Coggswell, N. D.; Charles of Marion, S. D.; John of Glencoe, Minn.; Frank of Coggswell, N. D.; Mike of Hospers and Miss Anna of Alton. The children who died were Margaret (Mrs. Fred Rothenbuehler), Mary (Mrs. Peter Wiltger) and Nicholas.
Funeral services were held Friday, July 1, at St Anthony's Catholic church at Hospers, Rev. Sturm of the Granville parish officiating and burial was in St Anthony's cemetery here. A great host of friends and relatives came to attend the funeral of the pioneer and honor his memory, among others being Mr. and Mrs. Harens son Math and daughters Mary Ann and Margaret of Coggswell, N. D.;.Mr. and Mrs. Charles Harens of Marion, S. D.; John. Harens and children, Regina, Mary and Bernard, Dem. Jemming, of Glencoe, Minn.;! Frank Harens of Coggswell; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Rothenbuehler and son Edwin of Garretson, S. D.; Mr. and Mrs. Math Harens, Peter Kramer and Mrs. Math Kramer of Wilmont Minn., Mrs. J. P. Poeckes of LeMars and many, from surrounding towns.

OBITUARY of Margaretha Koob Mrs. Matt Harens
"Mrs. Matt Harens died at her home three miles south of Hospers Wednesday morning, July 1, 1903, after an illness of several months of heart trouble. She was born in Angelsberg, Luxembourg, on August 30, 1849. She came to Iowa and settled at Donatus in 1870; she moved to Fort Dodge in 1875, where she married Matt Harens and later came to Sioux County. She is survived by nine children: Mrs. John Hayen, Charles, John, Frank, Maggie, Marie, Nick, and Anna; four sisters and four brothers - Mrs. Marso of Marion Junction, South Dakota, Mrs. Hentges of Montrose, Missouri, Mrs. Wagner of Alexandria, South Dakota, Mrs. Streff, living in Oregon, Nick Koob of Alton, Iowa, John of Dakota City, Iowa, Frank of Garden Plains, Kansas, and John of Osakis, Minnesota. The funeral was Friday morning, July 3, 1903."

[Notes: The name of the newspaper was not indicated on the Ahnentafel that contained this obituary. Also, Matthew [Mathias] and Margaretha Koob Harens were married on 9 February 1875 at Corpus Christi Church in Dakota City, Iowa---not at Fort Dodge, Iowa]

This picture came from the Sioux County 1908 Atlas Part IV Section 3 page 35

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