For more than a half century John H. Reichert was a resident of Tipton and during that period was ever an honorable and upright business man, whose labors contributed in substantial manner to the upbuilding and progress of the city as well as to his individual success. In whatever field he labored he accomplished what he undertook, as his energy was unfaltering, while his industry never flagged. His prominence in the community will make his history one of interest to many of our readers.
Mr. Reichert was born in Navarre, Stark county, Ohio, on the 5th of January, 1839, and was one of a family of several children. He attended school for only about two or three months in the year and then only until fourteen years of age, when he was obliged to relinquish his studies in order to assist his father, who was a cabinet-maker. He worked at the bench for a time but did not find that pursuit congenial and desired of his father permission to go west, after making a futile attempt to secure a position in which he might learn the carpenter’s trade in his home town. His father reluctantly consented for he was the only child at home but finally granted him permission on the condition that John should remain at home for five or six months to assisthim in disposing of some of his furniture which he had made, that he might thus discharge his indebtedness and have a little money remaining.
It was at that time that John H. Reichert began to realize what a sacrifice it would be for his father for him to go west and he resolved therefore not to take a dollar of his father’s money but borrowed twenty-five dollars when, in the spring of 1856, at the age of seventeen years, he started for Iowa. On the 28th of May he reached Tipton and the next morning began working as a carpenter on the house of Moses Bunker at a dollar per day. He was thus employed until the following winter, losing not even a half day’s time during that period. The next spring he joined his brother in a partnership for carrying on carpentering and they did a contracting business for seven years when they extended the scope of their activities by establishing a lumber business, in which they were also successful. As there was no railroad to Tipton at that time, they hauled all their lumber from Muscatine.
A further change in the nature of their business occurred in the spring of 1868 when they disposed of their lumberyard to Harry Hatch and established a hardware store, in which a growing trade brought them well merited success until 1875, when John H. Reichert sold out on account of failing health, occasioned by the close confinement of the store. Again however, he entered into active connection with the lumber trade, for indolence andidleness were utterly foreign to his nature, and he became a partner of Tipton Culbertson, whose interest he purchased the following year, thus becoming sole proprietor. He conducted the business alone until 1885, when he admitted Charles Geller to a partnership under the firm style of Reichert & Geller. He continued an active factor in the management and control of the business until January 1, 1900 when he sold his interest to his son, H. W. Reichert, and retired from active business life. Throughout his connection with the trade interests of Tipton he had maintained an unassailable reputation and enjoyed that success which results from earnest and determined effort intelligently directed.
On the 1st of October, 1863, Mr. Reichert was united in marriage to Miss Perlina Birely and theirs was a most happy and congenial married life up to the time of her death which occurred on the 21st of January, 1888. Mr. Reichert survived until December 19, 1907. He had never been in good health from the time of his retirement from business and in the fall of 1907 he went to Marlin, Texas, for relief, but the change of climate did not bring the relief anticipated and his life was brought to its close. His memory is honored by all who knew him and is warmly cherished by those who were closely associated with him through the ties of friendship and of kinship. He had many good qualities, not the least of which was his sense of justice, which prompted him to deal honestly with all men and made his name the synonym of commercial integrity in Tipton.
