Grassman, Michael W.

GRASSMAN

Posted By: Karon Velau (email)
Date: 6/29/2021 at 11:29:01

History of Warren County, Iowa; Containing a History of the County, Its Cities, Towns & Etc., by Union Historical Company, 1879, p.667

GRASSMAN, MICHAEL W., merchant, Jefferson Township, Churchville; born in Germany, in 1837, and came to this country with his parents when quite young; he was raised principally in Ohio; came to Des Moines in 1861, and remained there until 1866; while there he followed the blacksmithing trade; he then came to this county and also followed his trade for about seven years, and then engaged in the mercantile business, and has followed that since; was married first in this State to Miss Caroline Churchman, in 1865, a native of Ohio; had a family of three sons: Frank S., John H., and Edward M; was married the second time to Miss Mary McCarty, a native of Germany; have two children: Mary E. and Geo. L.; Mr. Grassman is engaged in the mercantile business at Churchville.

History of Warren County, Iowa from Its Earliest Settlement to 1908, by Rev. W. C. Martin, Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, Illinois, 1908, p.631

MICHAEL GRASSMAN
M. [Michael] Grassman, who is now living retired in Churchville, Iowa, claims Ger­many as the land of his birth, being born in Baden on the 31st of August 1837. He lost his father, John Grossman, when quite young and his mother subsequently married again. With her and his stepfather he came to the new world in 1839 and settled in Ross County, Ohio, where he was reared upon a farm. During his youth he learned the blacksmith's trade, at which he continued to work for many years.
On first coming to Iowa in 1859, Mr. Grassman located in Des Moines, where he engaged in blacksmithing for two years and a half, and at the end of that time came to Churchville, establishing the first blacksmith shop in the village. After carrying on that business for about seven years, he em­barked in general merchandising on a small scale but as he prospered in his new undertaking he kept adding to his stock until he had a well equipped store and had built up an excellent trade, which he continued to enjoy for twenty-seven years. He also served as postmaster of the village, being ap­pointed to that office under President Harrison's administration. While en­gaged in merchandising he bought land near Churchville and in connection with his other business he engaged in agricultural pursuits for a time but finally sold his farm and is now living retired, enjoying the fruits of former toil in well earned ease.
Mr. Grassman was married in Des Moines, February 16, 1861, to Miss Caroline Churchman, who was born in that city and was a daughter of Michael Churchman, one of the early settlers of Iowa. She died in 1871, leaving three children, namely: Frank, who died when a young man; Henry, now a resident of Des Moines, and Edward, of Texas. For his second wife he wedded Mary McCarty, who passed away in 1877, and there are two children living by that union: Mary, the wife of Frank Hansman, of Polk Cunty, Iowa, and George, of Des Moines, who was adopted by a step-brother of our subject, John Klemm, and has taken the name of Klemm. Mr. Grassman's last wife was Johanna Mueller, who died December 21, 1900, leaving two children: Elsie, wife of Thomas Gilespie, of Madison County, and Rose, at home with her father.
In politics Mr. Grassman is a Jeffersonian Democrat and in religious faith is a Catholic, having been reared in that church. Commencing life for him­self with no capital, he deserves much credit for the success that he has achieved and he is justly entitled to be ranked with the self-made men as well as the leading citizens of his adopted county.