Yager, Henry -- 1827 - 1908

YAGER, MUSSER, PRICE

Posted By: Janice Sowers (email)
Date: 12/26/2006 at 17:22:53

From the Scrapbook of Newspaper Articles by Mrs. Lillian Wheeler

Henry Yager was born at Wooster, Wayne County, Ohio, of German parentage, Nov. 13, 1827. Here he spent the major part of his youth, and in 1848 he was married to Mary Musser. To this union were born eight children, all of whom with the exception of a daughter who died in infancy, are still living: Frank, William, and Simon at Calmar, Iowa; Mrs. Price at Decorah, Iowa; Charles at Rockford, Iowa, and Oliver and Henry at Riceville, Iowa.

In the year 1857 he emigrated to Iowa, locating at Locust, Winneshiek county, where he resided until the fall of 1891, when he moved to Decorah to take up the duties of county treasurer. After his term of office expired he moved to Calmar and later came to Riceville, where he has resided to the time of his death, which occurred March 10, 1908.

Coming to Iowa in 1857, he experienced all the privations and rigors of that early pioneer period, and was actively connected with the public good, especially along the lines of school work, serving for twenty consecutive years on the educational board of his township as secretary. During the Civil War he received a First Lieutenant's commission of the "Pleasant Township Guards," from Governor Wm. M. Stone, but his company was never called into actual service. He was also appointed to the secret service and reported to the provost marshal.

He bore his eighty-one years remarkable well, being active in business until a very few months before his death. His genial, cheerful disposition made it always a pleasure to meet him, and he was held in the very highest esteem by all those who knew him. His Christian manhood was always a factor for righteousness in the community, and he could be counted on to ring true on all questions pertaining to the highest and best interests of his town and community.

In his boyhood, he united with the German Evangelical church, but of late years he has been a regular and consistent communicant of the Methodist Episcopal church. His Christian experience was manifested in his face, his handshake, his actions and his motives. He was an enthusiast for his Divine Master, and lost no opportunities to serve him.

The deceased leaves a devoted wife, six sons and one daugshter, together with a host of friends to mourn his loss from among us. What is our loss is Heaven's gain.