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J. W. STRAUSE, a resident of Louisa County, Iowa, is the manager of the Green Hill Mineral Springs, which are situated two miles northeast of Grand View, and is one of the finest summer resorts in the West. These springs are noted for their great medicinal qualities, and many invalids yearly drink of their healing waters. He has recently opened here a fine hotel, which has been thoroughly refitted and repaired for the visitors who come to this beautiful locality, and who may be assured of courteous treatment and kind attentions from the genial host.
Mr. Strause is a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1838, and a son of John and Sarah (Gass) Strause, whose birthplace was also in that State, who were the parents of fifteen children, five of whom are yet living. In 1866 they came West, settling in Ohio, where the death of the mother occurred in 1868. In that State the father engaged in farming and also followed the trade of a millwright until after his wife died, when he became a resident of Wayne County, Mich., making it his home until 1878, when he too was called to his final rest.
The boyhood days of our subject were spent . . .
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. . . upon a farm and in attendance at the district schools of his native State. His marriage with Susan Lowmiler was celebrated in Pennsylvania, and he there engaged in farming until 1866. Mrs. Strause’s parents were Adam and Catherine (Baker) Lowmiler, who were natives of Pennsylvania, where the father is still living, but the mother was called to her final home some years ago.
After his removal to the Buckeye State Mr. Strause engaged in farming, and also carried on a meat-market near Galion. In 1867 he was called upon to mourn the death of his excellent wife, who died after a short illness. They were the parents of four children, all daughters, though only two are now living: Jemima, now Mrs. Gotts, a resident of Wayne County, Mich.; and Sarah A., wife of William A. Loope, of Muscatine County, Iowa. Margaret C., the eldest child, died in Pennsylvania in 1863 at the age of five years; and Ellen M., the youngest, died very suddenly in 1883, aged seventeen years. After the death of the wife and mother the family removed to Wayne County, Mich., the children keeping house for the father, and endeavoring, as far as possible, to fill the place of the lost one. In that county Mr. Strause engaged in general merchandising at Strasburg and also at Shelton’s Corner, in both of which places he served as Postmaster. In 1877 he went to Canada, where the following year he was united in marriage with Phoebe Van Horn, a native of that country, and a daughter of Cornelius and Roblin (Greeley) Van Horn, the mother being a second cousin to Horace Greeley. After engaging in farming for two years in Canada, he came directly to Iowa, settling on Muscatine Island in 1880, purchasing forty acres of land, all under cultivation, upon which he raises a great many melons and sweet potatoes, having the past year shipped twenty-two carloads of the former product. He is an active worker in political affairs and casts his ballot with the Democratic party. While residing in the East he held many official positions, in all of which he proved an efficient officer, discharging his duties with great credit to himself and to the satisfaction of his constituents.
To Mr. Strause and his excellent wife have been born an interesting family of five children—Cally Serada, John William, Viola Bell, Vesta Clio and Howard Cleveland, all at home. One of the brothers of Mr. Strause at the breaking out of the Civil War was among it youngest soldiers, entering the service when only sixteen years of age, in which he fought until the closing of hostilities.
A fine view of Mineral Springs is given upon the preceding page.
