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 September 20, 2020

G. von Glan, who is numbered among the extensive landowners and prosperous farmers and stockmen of Carroll county, is one of the sturdy type of Europeans who are doing so much toward cultivating the lands of the middle and far west. His birth occurred at Ost Friensland, Germany, on the 26th of July, 1844, his parents being Edcard and Catherine (Holdcamp) van Glan, also natives of the same place. The father was a farmer by occupation and engaged in that pursuit until his death, in 1880. His wife passed away in 1871, and both spent their entire lives in the fatherland. Their family of ten children included the following: Herr, John and Cornelia, all deceased; Ettie, G., of this review; Kuno, who was killed in the battle of Mars Latour, in the Franco-Prussian war in 1870; Peter, still residing in Germany; Higo, deceased; Anna, also in the fatherland; and Bertha, who has passed away.

G. von Glan acquired an excellent education in his native land and became thoroughly proficient in the Germany, French and English languages. He remained with his parents until twenty-seven years of age, and then, having received intelligence of the agricultural advantages offered in the new world, he left the fatherland and came to the United States, first locating at Freeport, Illinois. After one year spent at that place he came to Iowa, and for two years was employed as a farm hand at Ackley, after which he made his way to Carroll county, taking up his abode on his present farm on Section 8, Wheatland township. This tract he has greatly improved, for he erected good buildings, planted fruit and shade trees, enclosed the fields with neat fences and has introduced many of the inventions in farm machinery for tilling the soil and caring for the crops, and the land for which he originally paid seven dollars per acre is now recognized as as valuable and desirable property as can be found in the county. Prosperity has attended his efforts as the years have gone by and as his financial resources have permitted he has invested in more land until today he owns seven hundred and thirty-five acres, all in Wheatland township, and three hundred and twenty acres in South Dakota, making him one of the extensive landowners in his section of the county. This land is all under excellent cultivation, the Iowa land containing four good sets of improvements and the Dakota land being equipped with one set of substantial and commodious buildings. He has large live-stock interests and now makes a specialty of raising and feeding shorthorn cattle.

Mr. von Glan was married, in 1872, to Miss Mary Garrels, a native of the United States, born of German parentage. This union has been blessed with six children, as follows: Herman, who operates one of his father’s farms; Bena, at home, Higo, also at home; Gotlieb, operating a portion of his father’s land; Mary, who married John Clausen, of Wheatland township and Bertha, under the parental roof.

Mr. von Glan’s political allegiance is given to the democratic party, to which he has been loyal since casting his first vote, although he has never sought or desired public office in reward for party fealty. He is a man of high moral character, and being one who does not permit business affairs to crowd out his religious obligations, always finds time for church work, holding membership in the German Presbyterian church. He is one of the organizers of the church in this section, served as its first deacon and is yet acting in that capacity. Mr. von Glan is well known throughout the locality in which he has resided for more than thirty-five years, and is highly respected and esteemed by all who know aught of his career, for the success which he now enjoys has come to him entirely through his own well directed efforts and the principles which have governed him in business and private life have ever been of the most honorable and praiseworthy.

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