Carroll County IAGenWeb

HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY IOWA

A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement

VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1912

Transcribed by Sharon Elijah October 5, 2020

Few men of Carroll county are more generally known than Dr. Alois Kessler of Carroll. He is now serving his fourth term as county coroner, a position he has filled with great satisfaction to the people, and for over twenty years he has engaged in successful practice at Carroll. He was born at Solon, Iowa, April 22, 1858, son of Jacob and Christina (Wolters) Kessler, both natives of Bavaria, Germany. The father was born at Lohr and the mother at Landau. He was by trade a blacksmith. He served in the German army in 1848, and in 1855 came to America and took up his residence at Solon, Iowa, subsequently spending eight years in the copper mines of northern Michigan. The family lived in Solon four years and from that place moved to Iowa City, later settling at Atlantic, Iowa, in 1870, where he continued during the remainder of his days. He died in 1907, having reached the advanced age of eighty-one years. The beloved wife and mother survives and is now living at Atlantic. She is a member of the Catholic church as was also her husband. There were four children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Kessler, namely: Alois, of this review; Jacob, deceased; Joseph, who lives at Auburn, Iowa; and Anthony, of Atlantic. Jacob Kessler, the paternal grandfather, was the head of a large iron foundry in Germany. He had several brothers in the Russian campaign of Napoleon and all of them were frozen to death during the disastrous retreat of the French army from Moscow. There were nine children in their family—Frank, William, Michael, Jacob, Alois, Adolph, Catharine, Joseph and Nicholas. The maternal grandfather was Anton Wolters. He came to America and settled at Solon, Iowa, where he engaged in farming. In his family were five children—Michael, Anthony, Nicholaus, Christina and Mary.

Alois Kessler lived in various places with his parents and received his early education in the common schools. He early showed an inclination for educational pursuits and graduated from the Iowa City Academy in 1882. Matriculating in Iowa State University, he took the literary course and was graduated with the title of A.B. in 1886. Having decided to devote his attention to the practice of medicine he entered the Hospital College of Medicine at Louisville, Kentucky, and was graduated from this institution with a degree of M.D. in 1888. He began practice at Carroll the year following and has since continued without interruption in that city. Professionally, he is identified with the Carroll County Medical Society, the Iowa State Medical Society, and the American Medical Association. He has from the start been closely devoted to his profession, and in the field to which he has turned his attention has found ample room for the exercise of talents which have brought him well merited rewards.

On the 9th day of October, 1889, Dr. Kessler was united in marriage to Miss Barbara Bauer, daughter of Joseph and Margaret (Lentz) Bauer. The parents were both born at Baden, Germany. The father came to this county at the age of twelve years and the mother when she was about twenty. After their marriage they lived at Evansville, Indiana, and later at Buffalo, New York, locating in Iowa City, Iowa, about 1860. There were seven children in their family—Catharine, Joseph, Barbara, Charles and Henry, twins; Thomas, and Abilene. The paternal grandfather was Joseph Bauer and the grandfather on the maternal side was Michael Lentz. Six children were born to Dr. and Mrs. Kessler, namely: Marie, who died in infancy; Alois, who was called away January 5, 1911, at the age of sixteen; and Carl, Leo, Lillian and Ardan, all of whom are at home.

The success of Dr. Kessler has been due to his adaptability to his profession and to habits of close observation and study which he formed early in life. Being gifted with a cool and clear judgment he is generally able to diagnose his cases correctly and few have a more comprehensive knowledge of remedies. He is a constant student and keeps fully abreast of the great advances made in all departments of a profession which calls for the application of the keenest discrimination and also for the most unselfish service. Politically, he is in sympathy with the democratic party and fraternally, is identified with the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Order of Foresters. He and his wife are sincere members of the Catholic church.

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