WlLLIAM CHRISTIAN FREDERICK ZIMMERMAN
The name of Zimmerman is inextricably interwoven in the
fabric of southern Johnson county history. If the question were asked,
what. is the most unique enterprise in Johnson county, or for that
matter in the state of Iowa, the answer would be, "Zimmerman." If the
further question were asked, what is the particular object most famous
in the prairie region of eastern Iowa, the answer would be, "the Lone
Tree on the Zimmerman farm." If the biographer should ask, what family
is most remarkable as an example of industrial cooperation and parental
loyalty in Johnson county, the answer, we believe, would be, "the
Zimmerman." Remarkable facts are involved in the affirmative answers to
these questions, but the Zimmerman family is a remarkable family, its
history a remarkable history, and its accompaniments are of a
remarkable order.
The
student of domestic relationships would be attracted at once by the
evidences of affection, unity, and confidence involved in the social
and business affairs of this family. Seeking for a reason, he would not
have far to go. The wholesome German principle of respect for parental
authority, inculcated under the law of love, provides the solution.
William C. F. Zimmerman is a father to his children, but he is more
than that, he is their friend, their most beloved companion, their most
trusted advisor, and their faithful co-worker. The ingredients of his
character most active in his conduct towards his family came by the law
of heredity and example direct from the German ancestry, with whom
kindness seasoned with the grace of firmness was an invariable ride of
action. It will, of course, be inferred, and rightly, that in the
social life of this family there is the gentle spirit of motherhood
which has wrought a mighty work in weaving the strands of affection
that bind so firmly these sons and their father in manhood's estate. It
would be hard to estimate the force of this factor in the general
destiny of families, but in the Zimmerman household we have a concrete
and striking example of its results at their best.
Johan Zimmerman, father of William C. F., was one of ten sons, and he
stated many times with great pride and tenderness that his father had
never touched one of his children except in kindness. This rule he
observed with his own family of three daughters and two sons, and the
same rule by inevitable momentum and habit governed his youngest son,
William C. F. Thus the cohesiveness of the Zimmerman family fabric is
explained. It is a subject worthy of an essay in itself, but we must
pass it to consider the homelier facts of the family history.
The founder of this branch of the Zimmermans in the United States was
Johan, born in Germany in 1800. The date of his birth was contemporary
with the stirring events of the First Empire, and necessarily young
Zimmerman was to some extent involved in the opposition to Bonaparte
which finally became militant and decisive under Blucher. An example of
his prowess and strategy is shown by the fact that a number of
Napoleon's soldiers one day came to the Zimmerman home and ordered
young Johan to hitch up a team and convey them to a given point.
Reluctantly, but with discretion, the young man complied with their
demands; hut, after he had conveyed them to the cover of a neighboring
wood, he suddenly attacked them unawares and overcame them, putting
them to flight. He then returned home, warned the and the entire
household hid themselves until the invaders had left that part of the
country.
Johan Zimmerman and his nine brothers, being faithful adherents of the
Lutheran faith, invariably began each day by saying their prayers
before breakfast. This was one of the requirements of Ludwig Zimmerman,
their father, who, practising the rule of kindness in all things,
believed that due acknowledgement should be regularly made to the
Creator. The introspective value of this habit may not be doubted.
In 1835 Johan Zimmerman married Louise Bornholtz, a native of Hamburg,
born May 7, 1804. The marriage took place in Klein Grabo, where the
couple resided until 1865, the husband being engaged for many years as
time-keeper and steward for a crew of day workers in that city. Louise
Bornholtz's father was a cattle drover by occupation, and was
accustomed to collect large sums of money from the sales of stock.
Frequently he carried on his person in a belt as much as $10,000 at a
time, and his daughter remembers that sometimes he would toss gold
coins to his children for playthings in the home. Of course, the habits
of the wealthy drover became known, and on one of his journeys, after
having collected a considerable sum, he was murdered and robbed. The
perpetrators were never discovered. Louise was a small child when this
tragedy occurred, and her mother having remarried to a man named
Treuman, she became a ward of Emperor William I., with whom she was a
great favorite. Her abilities as a cook brought her especially to the
attention of the Emperor and many times he made special request that
"my little ward shall prepare me something nice to eat." Her mother
died in Berlin in 1830.
On
Thanksgiving day, 1865, Johan Zimmerman, accompanied by his wife and
three children, took voyage in an old-fashioned sailing vessel, the
Humboldt, from Hamburg for New York. A daughter, Mary, wife of Fred
Jahnke, of Iowa City, preceded the family to America several years, and
one son, John, remained in Germany in the army service until 1869, the
end of his five-year term, when he came also, being now a resident of
Lone Tree, Iowa. Of the three children who came on the Humboldt,
Minnie, wife of Fred Lemke, of Lone Tree, died in 1905, Sophia, wife of
John Joens, now resides near Lone Tree, Iowa, and William C. F., with
his family, is a resident of Lone Tree. The date of the latter's birth
was September 9, 1849, and his birthplace was Staat Bellin,
Mecklenburg, Germany. Being just past fifteen years of age at the time
of the departure from Hamburg, William C. F. well remembers the
incidents of the voyage, which was tempestous and long delayed. In the
early part of its journey the vessel was wrecked in the North Sea and
was taken to Plymouth, England, for repairs; the result of this
accident was not only a long delay but much loss of baggage on account
of careless lighterage. The further voyage was characterized by severe
storms and high winds. The vessel's masts were blown away in sight of
New York harbor, causing a delay of seventeen days. The entire journey
consumed six months.
The
storm-tossed family reached New York city May 17, 1866, and proceeded
direct to Davenport, Iowa, by rail, where they resided for three years,
thereafter removing to Johnson county, near Lone Tree. There Johan
Zimmerman was a respected citizen until his death.
He
was noted for his quiet, retiring, peaceable disposition. A member of
the Lutheran church, he aimed to practice his religion without
ostentation. His children remember to have heard him say, "If a man
insults you, do not resent it, and the next time he meets you he will
be ashamed." Mother Zimmerman died May 21, 1901, and the remains of
herself and her devoted husband are interred in Lone Tree cemetery.
William
C. F. Zimmerman removed from Davenport to Johnson county with his
father's family in 1869. The family first rented 240 acres on which
they engaged in general farming for two years. They then bought 480
acres of Dr. Tillotson, which they farmed for about ten years. In 1880
William C. F. came to Lone Tree town, where he engaged in business for
four years. Catching the western fever, in the spring of 1884 he went
to Washington territory with his wife and two small sons. He reached
Spokane shortly after the great fire which had devastated the city, and
now relates with a smile how he was at that time offered property for a
few hundred dollars which
today is worth millions. But, having the spirit of investigation upon
him, he pressed on from Spokane to Cheney, and from that point made a
complete circuit of the Big Bend country, the Coeur d'Alene mines, and
other points. While in Cheney his third son, .John Ernest, was horn
June 19, 1884. This lusty infant established a record for early and
arduous traveling, making the journey from Cheney, Washington, to Baker
City, Oregon, when two weeks old. The major part of the trip, from
Umatilla to Baker was made by stage. The family remained in Baker City
until February, 1885 — again facing the possibilities of a great
fortune, for that city has become a large and wealthy community. At
that time, however, the desire to return to Iowa being strong in their
hearts and the health of Mrs. Zimmerman being poor, they made the
backward trip to Lone Tree. About two years were spent on the farm,
after which the family removed to Lone Tree, where Mr. Zimmerman
engaged in the hardware, implement, and lumber business for about four
years. In the fall of 1890 he bought the celebrated Lone Tree Farm,
consisting of 113 acres in the edge of the town of Lone Tree, on which,
within fifty feet of the present Zimmerman residence, stands the famous
"lone tree," known to every Indian and emigrant of early days in this
section of eastern Iowa. This tree, an elm, was the only tree or shrub
of any description visible in early days in that part of the state, and
served as a landmark for Indians, emigrants, and surveyors. The prairie
fires of those days swept the country clean for many miles, and the
preservation of the "lone tree" is only accounted for on the hypothesis
that the cattle and horses of the Indians, using it for shade, kept the
grass around it trampled down to such an extent that the fires could
not take effect. This tree is an object of curiosity to old settlers
and strangers alike. The reader will have a correct idea of its present
appearance from the engraving published on another page. The entire
Lone Tree Farm is embraced within the city limits of Lone Tree, and a
small part of it has been laid out into lots for city residences. On
this farm William C. F. Zimmerman has resided continuously from March,
1891, to the present time, a period of over twenty years. General
farming has been the program, and the place is now in a thorough state
of cultivation under the active management of Herman Walter Zimmerman,
a young man (unmarried) twenty-two years of age, who is also a director
in the Zimmerman Steel Company.
William
C. F. Zimmerman constantly felt the desire for a business or
manufacturing life, and so, in 1893, he yielded to this impulse and
began the manufacture of windmills and tanks under the firm name of
Zimmerman Bennett, continuing until 1894, when the firm was
incorporated under the name of the Jewel Manufacturing Company. In 1895
this company erected a factory on the site of the present Zimmerman
Steel Company. A full description of the latter, its origin, progress,
and present prosperity, will be found in the first volume of this work.
It is enough for the purpose of this biography to say that in this
enterprise the family of William C. F. Zimmerman have found opportunity
for the expression of their remarkable individual talents and for the
demonstration of those traits of cooperation which have brought them
into prominence and distinction both at home and abroad. The Zimmerman
Steel Company is unique in its personnel, being not a corporation but a
firm composed entirely of members of the Zimmerman family, with one
exception, Mr. H. V. McCluskey, and he is a son-in-law, having married
Bertha, the oldest daughter; hence the reader is able to understand the
following remarkable roster of officers: 'William C. F. Zimmerman,
president and secretary; H. L. Zimmerman, vice president and treasurer;
F. W. Zimmerman, J. E. Zimmerman, H. W. Zimmerman, and William C. F.
Zimmerman, Jr., directors and managers; and H. V. McCluskey,
correspondent and sales manager. And the growth and present business
standing of this company are as remarkable as its personnel, a fact
which the reader will recognize after reading the historical sketch
before referred to.
The
marriage of William C. F. Zimmerman to Rosa Amanda Fredericka Kranel
(nee Nagel) took place at Lone Tree, Iowa, November 15, 1882. The
parents of Mrs. Zimmerman were Thies Nagel and Wepka Katherine Haas,
both natives of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The daughter was born
January 9, 1863, in Fredericks county, Schleswig-Holstein, and came
with her parents to America in 1869. The family settled at Davenport,
Iowa, thence removing to Rock Creek Mills, and thence to Nichols, Iowa,
in 1880. The Nagels were flour millers by trade.
To William C. F. Zimmerman and Rosa Nagel were born the following
children : Henry Ludolph, at Davenport, Iowa, July 25, 1879; Frederick
William, at Lone Tree, April 23, 1883; John Ernest, at Cheney,
Washington, June 19, 1884; Bertha Louise, at Lone Tree (on Tillotson
farm), November 30, 1885; Herman Walter, at Lone Tree, July 6, 1889;
Lillian, at Lone Tree, April 9, 1897; William C. F., Jr., at Lone Tree,
November 12, 1899.
A brief reference to each member of the family may not be amiss.
Henry Ludolph, the eldest son, remained in the parental home until his
marriage, May 22, 1907, to Isabella Williamson, of Mt. Vernon, Georgia,
after which he took up his residence in the town of Lone Tree, where he
now resides. Three children have been born into his family, two dying
in infancy and one, Teresa Louise, dying at the age of fourteen months.
As vice-president and treasurer of the Zimmerman Steel Company, Henry
L. has displayed marked ability and aptitude. He is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church of Lone Tree; past master of the local A. F.
& A. M. lodge and past patron of the Lone Tree Eastern Star. He was
a member of Lone Tree city council for six years.
Frederick William resides on the home farm, is unmarried, a member of
the Reformed church, assistant chief of the Lone Tree fire department,
and manager of the foundry of the Zimmerman Steel Company. He is senior
warden of the Lone Tree A. F. A. M., and a member of the local I. O. O.
F. and of the K. of P.
John
Ernest was married October 1, 1908, to Miss Alma May Kallous, of Lone
Tree. He is a member of the board of directors of the Zimmerman Steel
Company, and is a designing engineer of the company. He took a special
course in chemistry at Iowa State University to fit himself for
technical work at the steel plant.
Bertha Louise graduated from the Irish Business College at Iowa City at
the age of thirteen, and was the first stenographer and typewriter for
the Monarch Grubber Company, the predecessor of the Zimmerman Steel
Company. On her marriage, June 29, 1910, to H. V. McCluskey, she
retired from active connection with the company.
Herman Walter, unmarried, though a director in the steel company,
devotes his attention to the management of the Lone Tree farm, where he
resides.
Lillian, fourteen years of age, resides on the home farm and attends
public school at Lone Tree. Her talents for instrumental music are
being developed under careful training.
William
C. F., Jr., thirteen years old, is a student of the Lone Tree public
schools. Although of tender years, he has an aptitude for business and
enters seriously upon the discharge of his duties as a director of the
steel company. He is an enthusiastic automobilist, and manages the big
family touring car with the ease of an accomplished chaffeur.
Every male member of the Zimmerman family, with the exception of
William C. F., Jr., is a 32d degree Mason, and all are Shriners except
Herman Walter — members of Kaaba Temple, Davenport. William C. F., Sr.,
is a member of Iowa City Commandery, Knights Templar. He has been
secretary of Lone Tree lodge No. 535, A. F. & A. M., since the
first election after organization, and was the first candidate
initiated by the lodge, August 14, 1894. He and his sons are members of
Zarephath Consistory, Davenport. Mr. Zimmerman and his eldest sons are
members of the I. O. O. F. of Lone Tree, and all are members of the
local order of the Eastern Star, including Mother Zimmerman and the
wives of Henry, John, and H. V. McCluskey.
Following in the footsteps of their father, who was educated in the
high school of Germany, the adult children of William C. F. Zimmerman
have obtained their educations in the public schools. Two only have
taken supplementary courses, Bertha, at Irish Business College, and
John Ernest, at Iowa State University.
Some of the incidents in the life of Mr. Zimmerman illustrate the rapid
shaping of events even in the lifetime of a man of sixty-two. For
instance, he bought and operated the first traction steam engine ever
used in Iowa; he introduced the first wire binder into Johnson county;
also the first twine binder.
Mr. Zimmerman is a democrat in politics, and without question time and
time again could have had the choice of any office within the gift of
his fellow citizens of Lone Tree. The only political positions he has
consented to fill, however, were: 1st, school director of Lone Tree, a
position he has held for about fourteen years, being recognized as the
father of the local public school system; and, 2d, city councilman of
Lone Tree for two years, 1896-97. Mr. Zimmerman's religious
affiliations are German Lutheran, and every member of the family has
been confirmed in that church.
The business of the Zimmerman Steel Company extends to all parts of the
United States and to many sections of South America, Europe, and Asia.
Its output is under the direct management of the family, aided, of
course, by a corps of competent workmen. The details given in our
general history volume will tell of the technical responsibilities
resting upon each active member of the family in the affairs of the
Zimmerman Steel Company. We submit that the situation is unique in
industrial annals. Acid to this fact the perfect family harmony of the
partners and the universal esteem in which they are held by their
neighbors of many years, and the case becomes astonishing. It is an
example of remarkable success growing out of proper home relationships
and training, perfect personal confidence, marked aptitude for the work
in hand, and business ability of a high order. It is with some degree
of pride that the publishers of this history invite the attention of
their readers to the Zimmerman family, of Lone Tree, Iowa.
Source:
Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa, History (1913); Volume: 2;
Aurner, Clarence Ray; Cedar Rapids, IA: Western Historical Press
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