Michael Feulner
Michael Feulner was born and
reared in Germany and soon after attaining to his legal
majority he came to the United States and established his
residence in Fayette county. Here he remained about five
years and then came to Clayton county, where he has so
directed his powers and energies as to achieve
distinctive and worthy success as one of the substantial
farmers of the county and to win for himself secure place
in popular confidence and esteem.
He arrived in Clayton county with his negative financial
resources represented in an indebtedness of three
dollars, and under these conditions he found employment
as a farm hand at a stipend of twelve dollars a month.
Much is signified in his advancement from such status to
the ownership of one of the finely improved and valuable
farms of the county, and it is gratifying to pay in this
review a tribute to his energy and resourceful ambition.
Michael Feulner was born in Germany on the 29th of
December, 1862, and is one of the seven surviving
children of Wolfgang and Lena Feulner, who passed their
entire lives in Germany, all but one of their children
being now residents of the United States. Michael Feulner
duly profited by the advantages afforded in the excellent
schools of his native land, but his youthful ambition and
self-reliance finally prompted him to seek in the United
States better opportunities for the winning of
independence and prosperity through individual effort. In
1884, when twenty-two years of age, he came to America
and established his residence first in Fayette county and
later in Clayton county, which has been the stage of his
earnest endeavors during the long intervening years. For
the first five years he was employed as a farm hand, and
for the ensuing nine years he farmed on rented land. His
energy and good judgment enabled him to make substantial
advancement toward the goal of financial independence,
and finally he effected the purchase of his present fine
homestead farm, which comprises 140 acres and which is
eligibly situated in Sections 16 and 21, Cass township.
He has made many high-grade improvements on the farm,
including the erection of modern buildings, the planting
of a well-selected orchard and an attractive grove of
shade trees about his pleasant home. Though he has proved
specially successful in connection with his operations in
diversified agriculture, Mr. Feulner has made a specialty
of raising and feeding high-grade cattle and swine and
has developed also a prosperous dairy business on his
farm.
He gives his support to the Republican party and while he
has had no ambition for public office he has shown his
civic loyalty by effective service in the office of
township trustee. Both he and his wife are communicants
of the Lutheran church at Strawberry Point, from which
village their home receives service on rural mail route
No, 3,
On February 21st, 1889, Mr. Feulner wedded Miss Mary
Oppermann, who was born and reared in "this county,
where her parents settled in the pioneer days, upon their
immigration to America from Germany. She is a daughter of
Henry and Mary Oppermann, the former of whom is deceased
and the latter of whom still resides in this country. Mr.
and Mrs. Feulner have four children: Otto, Lydia, Esther
and Alfred. Esther was graduated in the high school at
Strawberry Point and the year 1916 finds her successfully
engaged in teaching in the district schools of her native
county.
source: History of Clayton
County, Iowa; From The Earliest Historical Times Down to
the Present; by Realto E. Price, Vol. II; pg 119-120
-submitted by S. Ferrall
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