For
Muscatine County Iowa
1911
| Biographies For Muscatine County Iowa 1911 | |
Source: History of Muscatine County Iowa, Volume II, Biographical, 1911, page 548
JULIUS WELSCH. The subject of this sketch is one of Muscatine county's most respected citizens----a position he has earned by exceptional business ability and those estimable social characteristics that attract friends and strengthen the bonds of fellowship. Endowed by nature with abundant capacity, he has made good use of his talents and opportunities and in agriculture and stock-raising has built up a reputation which is not confined to the limits of Muscatine county.He was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, October 18, 1847, and is a son of Frederick and Catherine (Keirsh) Welsch. The father was a native of Prussia, Germany, where he was born in 1803. He grew up in the fatherland continuing there until 1844, and although he had acquired a competence he decided to spend the remainder of his days under the protecting folds of the stars and stripes. He brought with him to this country ten thousand dollars in gold, a portion of which he invested in a farm of two hundred acres in Ohio. Being attracted further westward, he came to Muscatine county, Iowa, in 1867, and located in Sweetland township, being at the time of his death the owner of a well improved farm of one hundred and forty-seven acres. There were ten children in his family, three of whom are now living.
Julius Welsch gained his early education in the district schools of the Buckeye state and assisted his father in the work of the farm, coming with him to Muscatine county. He was twenty years of age when he arrived in Iowa and he lost no time in preparing for his life work. After hiring out for wages to neighboring farmers for three years he rented eighty acres, which he later increased to three hundred and twenty acres, engaging extensively as a stock-raiser. After becoming a landowner he steadily increased the size of his holdings and he is now the owner of four hundred and ninety-eight acres in Muscatine county, five hundred and fifty-five acres in Rock Island county, Illinois, and also half owner in four hundred acres of land in Rock Island county, which is valuable on account of its timber, the planting of young trees are being carried on upon an extensive scale, while at the same time the older trees are being cut down and sent to the sawmill. On his home farm he now has thirty-eight horses, eighty head of cattle and one hundred and fifty hogs, and he is one of the large shippers of Montpelier township.
On the 11th of November, 1881, Mr. Welsch was united in marriage to Miss Mary Irwin, a daughter of James and Catherine Irwin. By this union there were seven children, namely: Julius; Catherine, who married Glen McElroy and has one son living; Lizzie, the wife of George Grete and the mother of one child; Ora, who married Arthur Cawiezell; Bessie, who married Joseph Cawiezell, and Jessie, twins; and Mary. The mother of these children having passed away, Mr. Welsch was again married, the lady of his choice being Catherine Wunderlich. One child, Frederick, has been born to the union.
Mr. Welsch is in hearty sympathy with the republican party, accepting its principles as those best adapted to promote the general welfare of the entire country. His business responsibilities have not made it possible for him to devote much time to politics but he has served as township trustee and in other township offices. His success has been due to close application and perseverance. Having once decided on a plan of action he has never permitted obstacles to swerve him from what he believed to be the true course and as a result he has almost invariably won. A goodly supply of common sense is an important factor in his character. In a pleasant and comfortable home, supplied with all the conveniences and many of the elegancies of life, he now enjoys the fruits of his labors.
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