Biographies For Muscatine County Iowa 1889

Source: Portrait and Biographical Album, Muscatine County, Iowa, 1889, page 361
RUDOLPH ALTEKRUSE, residing on section 3, Seventy-Six Township, is one of the early settlers of Muscatine County. He was born in Germany, in 1813, and is the son of Jacob and Lizzie ( Hally ) Altekruse, who were also natives of the same country. His father was born in 1873, and died at the age of sixty-nine, and his mother died at the age of forty-two, when he was but fourteen years of age. They were the parents of eight children, though all are now deceased with the exception of Rudolph, of this sketch.

On the 3d day of February, 1837, Rudolph Altekruse was united in marriage with Sophia Gerdt vordermork, a daughter of Jacob Gerdt vordermork, born Dec. 9, 1809. Two weeks later, having resolved to cast their lot in America, the young couple bade goodby to their friends and native land, and crossed the broad Atlantic. They landed at Baltimore June 24, 1837, and shortly afterward Mr. Altekruse secured work by the month as a farm hand. He continued in that employment for about four years, when, accompanied by his family he followed the course of human emigration, and landed in Muscatine County on the first of April, 1841. Immediately after his arrival he purchased a farm of 120 accres, eighty of which were prairie land, and situated on section 3, Seventy-Six Township, the remainder being timber land on section 31. He subsequently purchased another 120 acres tract, forty of which are on section 3, and eighty acres on section 4. He is now one of the leading farmers od Seventy-Six Township, where he has resided for almost half a century.

Mr. and Mrs. Altekruse are the parents of eight children, though two died in infancy. Those reaching maturity were : Henry, who was born in Maryland, Aug. 8, 1839, and now resides in Lake Township ; Sophis, born in Maryland, March 31, 1838, is now the wife of Adolph Gurtz, a farmer of Lake Township ; Rudolph J., born June 1, 1848, is engaged in farming on his father's land, and on the 5th of January, 1876, married Alice M. White, their union being graced by five children, all of whom are living---Rosella M., Mamie A., Ida O., Samuel C., and Clark C.; Mary M., born June 17, 1851, is now the wife of W. H. Chapman, of this county.

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