F. W. Lueth
Thrift and energy have been the prominent factors in the success of F. W. Lueth, who has acquired four hundred and twenty acres of land in Nishnabotny township.
He is a native of the province of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, his natal day being the roth of January, 1844. His parents were Frederick and Dorothea (Doss) Lueth, also natives of Germany, in which country the mother passed away, but in 1881 the father emigrated to the United States, making his home with his two sons, F. W. and Henry, until his demise. They were the parents of six children: Deitlief, who is a resident of Germany; Dorothea, deceased; F. W., our subject; Anna, of Germany; Henry, who is living in Nebraska ; and Maggie, also a resident of Germany.
F. W. Lueth was reared in the parental home, acquiring his education in the common schools of his native land, of which he continued to be a resident until he had attained his twenty-fifth year. Having become dissatisfied with the limited possibilities of the old world, in March, 1869, he took passage for the United States, feeling confident that he should find here the opportunities for which he was seeking. Making his way westward he first located in Clinton county, Iowa, where he continued to reside for six years.
At the expiration of that period he removed to Carroll county, remaining there until 1883, at which time he came to Crawford county. Three years before settling here he had purchased eighty acres of prairie, which formed the nucleus of his present homestead. He immediately broke the land and placed it under cultivation and had begun to erect a house and outbuildings before leaving Carroll county. General farming and the breeding of graded stock has claimed his attention, but he is also an extensive feeder of cattle and hogs. He has met with success in his various ventures and as a result has added forty acres to his homestead, in addition to which he also owns eighty acres on section 25, Nishnabotny township, and a fourth of section 36. All of the necessary improvements have been made upon the latter place, which is now occupied by his son.
Mr. Lueth's plans for a home of his own had their culmination in his marriage in 1875 to Miss Augusta Wensel, a native of Germany, and they have become the parents of seven children: William, who is a resident of Nishnabotny township; Emma; Emmiel; Richard; Delilah, who is the wife of William Haynes, of Denison; Hulda; and John. All of the children with the exception of the eldest son and Mrs. Haynes are living at home.
Although he was confirmed in the Lutheran church when a boy in Germany, Mr. Lueth is not now identified with any denomination. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, and he is also a member of the Germania Society at Manilla. Ever since naturalization conferred upon him the right of suffrage, he has given his political support to the candidates of the democratic party until within the last two years, when he transferred his allegiance to the republican party. He has always taken an active interest in civic affairs, having served as road supervisor for six or eight years. Mr. Lueth came to America with a very limited capital and although there have been difficulties and obstacles in his path, he has resolutely overcome them, carrying to a successful issue everything he has ever undertaken, and as a result he is rated as one of the substantial agriculturists of the county.
Source: History of Crawford County, Iowa. Vol. II. Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1911.