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PETER HOEPFNER

No people that go to make up our cosmopolitan civilization have better habits of life than those who came originally from the great German empire for they and their descendants are distinguished for their thrift and honesty, and these two qualities in the inhabitants of any country will in the end alone make that country great. When with these two qualities is coupled the other quality of sound sense, which, all classes of these people seem to possess, there are afforded such qualities as will enrich any land and place it at the top of the countries of the world in the scale of elevated humanity, and the gentleman whose name initiates this biographical review may well be proud of the fact that he belongs to this noble race of mankind.

Peter Hoepfner, a farmer of Center township, Fayette county, was born in Germany, October 6, 1852, the son of Jonas and Mary (Tim) Hoepfner, both born in Germany, where they grew to maturity and married and there the father worked at various things in an effort to make an honest living, until 1870, when he brought his family, consisting of wife, two sons and one daughter, to America and located at Naperville, Illinois, and there the father found employment at various lines of work, spending the latter part of his life with his sons. Jonas Hoepfner died in 1875, and his oldest son came to Fayette county, Iowa, locating in Banks township, where the parents died and where the son, mentioned above, farmed for many years.

Peter Hoepfner received his education in the fatherland, being eighteen years old when he came to the United States. He began life here by farming in Illinois until 1892 when he came to Iowa and bought one hundred and sixty acres in Center township, Fayette county, where he still resides and which he has under a fine state of cultivation and improvement, having erected a large and substantial barn and made other noticeable changes. He is a general farmer and stock raiser and has been very successful in his chosen line of work.

Mr. Hoepfner was married in 1876 to Louisa Schulty, who was born in Germany, the daughter of Herman and Christina (Saase) Schulty, Who came to America in 1868, and located at Naperville, Illinois, and there followed farming until he retired to the village of Naperville. The following children have born to Mr. and Mrs. Peter Hoepfner: Minnie (deceased), Lewis, Augusta, Emma (deceased), Nellie, Mary, Herman, Liza, Fred, Lulu (deceased) and Peter.

Mr. and Mrs. Hoepfner are members of the Lutheran church, and in political matters he is a Democrat; he has been school director and road supervisor for many years, very conscientiously performing the duties of these offices, for he is always interested in whatever tends to the betterment of his community.

~transcribed for the Fayette Co IAGenWeb Project by Cheryl Walker