The name of
Rohret is well known in Johnson County, where it has long stood for
good citizenship and upright dealing. Albert P. Rohret is a native of
the county, born in Union township, September 14 1859, son of Adam and
Barbara (Long) Rohret. The father was born in Bavaria in 1826 and came
to American in young manhood. He was married in 1852 in Iowa County,
Iowa, by Father McCormich, to Miss Long, their union taking place in a
little Catholic church, with neither a door nor a window in it. In
1895, Mr. Rohret retired from active life and located in Oxford, where
he died in 1904. Of their six sons and four daughters, all the sons and
one daughter now survive. The latter is Mrs. Ed Everett, of West Lucas
township.
Wolfgang
and Katherine (Shellhorn) Rohret left Bavaria, their native land, July
4, 1840, and landed in Baltimore after a voyage of eight weeks. They
came by rail and canal to Pittsburg, thence down the Ohio river to the
Mississippi and up that river to St. Louis and on to Burlington, Iowa.
They then came through the wilderness with an ox team to Johnson
County, forded the English river at the present site of Riverside, and
arrived at Old Man’s creek, Sharon township, where they took up their
habitation in the woods. They first lived on Section 31. For some time
lived in true pioneer style, their shanty being made of round logs,
held together with wooden pegs in lieu of nails. They had fifty acres
of land in that home, but after occupying it about two years, removed
to another location in the same section, where they erected another log
house and occupied it about twenty-five years. During an early day,
Wolfgang and Adam Rohret worked on the old capitol building, walking to
and from their work, a distance of some twelve miles.
Albert
Rohret was educated in the local schools and remained on the home farm
until reaching maturity. This place is not the property of his brother
Benjamin G., cashier of the Farmers Savings Bank at Oxford. The latter
was born May 31, 1874, educated in the common schools and Iowa City
Academy, and in 1904, came to Oxford to work in the Security Bank, now
known as the Farmers Savings Bank. He married Mary E. Healy, daughter
of J. R. Healy, a retired farmer of Cedar Township, and she died
November 14, 1906, leaving two daughters, Esther and Mary.
At
the age of twenty-one years, Albert P. Rohret began working in a
general store in Oxford. He and his brother, john H. established a
general store, under the style of Rohret Brothers, in 1881, this
arrangement continuing until 1890, when the former retired from the
business and moved to what is now Cosgrove, where he erected a building
and established the first store n that town. He erected the first
residence in the town, of which he was the founder, and served as the
first postmaster, holding office five years. His brother John H.
continued the store in Oxford until 1895, when he and Albert
established the Security Bank, now the Farmers State Bank. They are two
of the most prominent citizens of Oxford, Johnson County, and have
taken an active part in building up public enterprises there. John
Henry Rohret served two years as mayor. He is the president of the
Rundell Land & Improvement Company, of Iowa City, vice president of
the Iowa City Street Railway Company, and a member of the Commercial
Club, Iowa City, where he now resides. All the Rohret families are
members of the Catholic church, several of them belonging to St. Mary’s
parish, Oxford. Albert P. belongs to the building committee which has
charge of the new church edifice to replace the one now occupied by St.
Mary’s congregation.
Mr. Rohret was married to Miss Virginia
Floerchinger, daughter of Adam Floerchinger, and three children have
been born of their union: Adams, Cletus, and Gertrude.
The family are well known in social circles and have many friends.
(Source:
Aurner, Clarence Ray. Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa, History.
United States: Western historical Press, 1912; Vol. II, Biographical,
pgs. 823-825)
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