Frederick William Moellering, a well known citizen and successful agriculturist of Clayton County, Iowa, was born on the farm where he now resides, June 27, 1852. He owns a fine farm on section 1, Garnavillo Township, consisting of two hundred acres of valuable land.

His father, John Henry Moellering, was a native of Germany, having been born in Westphalia, Prussia, July 8, 1820. His mother was Margaret E. (Petering) Moellering, a native of the same place, and was born July 13, 1814. The parents of our subject were married in Germany and emigrated to this country in 1844. They landed in New Orleans and went from there to St. Louis, Mo., where they spent the first winter, and in the spring of 1845 came to Guttenberg, this county.
Soon afterward he bought a forty acre farm in Jefferson Township, on which he lived for two years, and then moved to the present farm. He first bought eighty acres of land here and later purchased one hundred and twenty more, making in all two hundred acres.

Five children were given to this couple, all of whom were born in this country except Eliza, the eldest, who was born in Germany and came to the United States with her parents when an infant. She married Louis Meyer and is now living on a farm in Farmersburg Township. She is the mother of five children. Mary Ann, who is now Mrs. F.H. Bruns, resides on section 11, and is the mother of eleven children; John Henry, who married Mary Walker, is a properous farmer of Sac County, Iowa; Frederick William is our subject, and Maggie became the wife of John Mohning, a farmer in Lima County, Iowa.*

Our subject and Miss Eliza Meyer were united in marriage December 30, 1886. Mrs. Moellering is the daughter of William and Hermina (Koster) Meyer, both natives of Germany. Her mother came to America when quite young and made her home for five years with some of her relatives living near Dayton, Ohio. She then came to Garnavillo and married Mr. Meyer.

They became the parents of seven children. Charley, the husband of Amelia Splies, is a farmer living in Allamakee County, Iowa. Eliza is the wife of our subject. Annie, who is now Mrs. Henry Martin, is living on a farm in this county. Mary is the wife of Arthur Behren, a carpenter of Postville, Clayton County*. Minnie, Emma and Elmer are all living at home. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer are both living on a farm in Garnavillo Township. Our subject and wife are the parents of three children, Sophia Maggie, born December 1, 1887; Nora Hermina born August 1, 1889; and Ruland Henry, born September 10, 1891.

Mr. and Mrs. Moellering are worthy members of the Lutheran Church at Garnavillo, and contribute liberally to the support of the same. Politically he is a Republican and is a worker in the interests of that party. He has never aspired to any office but was elected Supervisor in 1884, and faithfully served in that capacity for two years. He is a public-spirited and enterprising citizen, and as such is highly esteemed throughout the community.

~source: Portrait and Biographical Record of Dubuque, Jones and Clayton Counties; Chicago: Chapman Pub. Co., 1894, page 407
-transcribed by Sharyl Ferrall

*transcribers notes:
-there is no Lima County in Iowa
-Postville is in Allamakee co., immediately north of the Clayton co. border

Update! 03/24/07 - by email from Linda Mohning: "The last line in the first paragraph should read 'Plymouth County' instead of 'Lima County'. [The plat] map of Marion Twp., Plymouth County, from 1907 [shows] that Herman Heinrich "Henry" Mohning and Johann Heinrich 'John' Mohning (brothers) lived near each other in sections 15 and 16 of Marion Township, Plymouth County.  Five of the seven children of Herman Heinrich Mohning I came to Plymouth County from Clayton County.  Only Fred and Maggie Mohning remained in Clayton Co.  We farm part of this Mohning land today and my father-in-law, Stan Mohning still resides in section 16.  Other Mohnings live and farm on the original homestead in section 15.   Hope this helps future researchers."