John Abegglen

The little republic of Switzerland has sent to America comparatively few of her adopted sons, but those who have come are a valued portion of our citizenship. One of these worthy immigrants is John Abegglen, who was born to Peter and Maggie Abegglen. His father followed farming in one of the beautiful valleys of Switzerland until 1855, when he brought his family across the Atlantic to America. Proceeding into the interior of the country, he took up his abode in Ripley county, Indiana, where he remained until 1869, and then came to Monroe county, Iowa. For the next twenty-four years he was one of the respected residents of this vicinity, and in 1893 his life came to a peaceful end, when he was eight-two years of age; his wife is also deceased. Both were devout and consistent members of the Lutheran church and impressed upon the minds of their children lessons which have borne fruit in upright lives. The worthy couple were the parents of the following children: Crist, Margaret and Gottlieb, deceased; John; Elizabeth, also deceased; and Fred and Anna, both residents of Monroe county.

John Abegglen was born in Switzerland November 27, 1840, and was a youth of fifteen when he came with his parents to the new world. All the educational advantages he was privileged to enjoy were obtained before he left his native land. He accompanied his parents to Iowa and has since been one of the prominent agriculturists of this great state. Shortly after his second marriage he took up his residence on his present farm just east of Lovilia, and in the course of the nearly ten years spent on the place has made his property both valuable and attractive. Excellent improvements are found on the farm, and everything is kept in the best of order and system.

In 1865 Mr. Abegglen returned to Switzerland on a visit, which ended in a practical romance for him, inasmuch as he met Miss Margaret Michalo, with the result that she accompanied him to the United States, where they were married in 1866. Their domestic life was begun on a farm in Cedar township, Monroe county, where they remained during the lifetime of Mrs. Abegglen. They enjoyed eighteen years of wedded life, but in 1884 Mrs. Abegglen was called to her final rest. The children born of this marriage were John, Charles, Anna, George, Walter and Sherman, who are all living; and those deceased are Willie, George and Jennie. Ten years after the death of his first wife Mr. Abegglen married Miss Jennie Rose, a daughter of Edward and Phrela Rose. For a quarter of a century Mr. Abegglen has been an exemplary member of the Masonic fraternity, and his political support is given to the Republican party. Both he and his wife are members of the Lutheran church, but as there is no congregation of that denomination in the vicinity, they attend the services of the Methodist Episcopal church.