John Christian (1834-1908)

CHRISTIAN

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 10/13/2016 at 23:38:25

From Nevada Representative February 28, 1908

OBITUARY

DEATH OF JOHN CHRISTIAN

John Christian, one of the most prominent and most successful farmers of Howard township, died at his home there on Wednesday morning after a prolonged illness. Mr. Christian was seventy-four years of age and had been a resident of Story county for more than fifty years. A native of Norway, he came to the United States as a boy in the 40s and lived in Kendall county Illinois for about ten years. In September, 1857, he removed to Story county and took up 120 acres of government land, on which he ever after resided. He was not the first of the Norwegian settlers in Howard township, but he was one of the first, and of those early settlers he is probably about the last to go. He and his family endured the privations of pioneers having to go to Boone or Marietta to mill and having Iowa City as their nearest railroad point. Nevada was then a very small village, and the prairie to the north of town was substantially unbroken, while over the prairie for a number of years after his settlement in the county prairie fires occasionally swept. Mr. Christian has said that if he only had had more money he might have taken up more land and so become a very rich man but in spite of any early handicaps he was notably successful and became what in this section is regarded a rich man. He was also an exceedingly good man and he had a discriminating view of matters. He once told of having answered a neighbor who was grumbling about a on that was too bookish to suit the father to the effect that a boy of that sort was one to be proud of, when so many boys were fooling away their time, and he made predictions that have since been more than realized for the success of the boy. For quite a number of years Mr. Christian had been considerably crippled a the result of a very bad fall he had in a runaway near Story City and it is quite within reason to believe that the injuries then sustained shortened his life. He was a man of splendid physique and prefect habit, and but for such an accident or some sudden illness, he ought to have lived far into his eighties. He leave a large family and probably as many friends as any man of equal acquaintance in the county. His funeral will be held today at Salems church in Roland.