| MUSCATINE COUNTY IOWA | |
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David Parry
David was born August 5, 1811 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. He married Lydia K. Hollingsworth on December 10, 1835. Lydia was born April 20, 1805 in Delaware. They came to Goshen Township in 1855 settling on one hundred and twenty acres where he farmed. They had six children Phoebe, Mary, Lewellen, Sarah, John A and one son Ferdinand died.
David was a Democrat.
This was taken from the 1879 Atalissa Directory.
J. A. and Lucinda Lyons Parry
J. A. Parry was born in 1847 in Newcastle County, Delaware. He was the son of David and Lydia Hollingsworth Parry, of Welsch and English descent. J. A. moved to Iowa in 1855, traveling in wagons they arrived in September of that year and settled in Muscatine County where he continued to live. He received his education in the schools of the county. In 1872 J. A. married Lucinda Lyons daughter of William and Sarah Abrams Lyons. After their marriage they continued to live on the farm where they had two children, Carrie M. and Harrison C. They farmed one hundred-twenty acres and raised stock. J.A. was active in political affairs, casting his ballot for the man he thought would best serve the country. He assisted in organizing the school districts in the township and did all that was possible to advance the cause of education. He was a member of the Ionic Lodge No 122, A.F. & A.M. of Atalissa where for many years he held the office of Junior Warden. J.A. was numbered among the progressive and enterprising farms of Goshen Township and was highly esteemed by all.
This was taken from the history of Muscatine County Atlas printed in 1889.
Joseph W. Richardson
Joseph was born September 10, 1808 in Frederick County, Maryland. He married Lucina Watson on April 24, 1842 in Ohio. They came to Muscatine County in 1849 and settled on land he received from the Government. Lucina was born September 12, 1813 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania and died January 24, 1852. There were two children Mary and Isaac. Joseph was a Republican.
This was taken from the 1879 Atalissa Directory.
Roland and Thelma Arp Rochau
520 Oak StreetPicture: Roland and Thelma Rochau with their children taken in the fall of 1940. Back row Dorothy, Thelma, Roland and Phyllis. Fron row Donald and Arlene.
Roland was born June 12, 1897 and died February 10, 1964. Thelma was born March 26, 1900 and died January 12, 1990. They were married March 15, 1919 and had 4 children Dorothy Spilger, Phyllis Spilger, Donald Rochau and Arlene Passmore. They were members of the Zion Lutheran Church. He was a farm hand while living in Atalissa.
Louis and Laura Frenzel Schmidt
Louis was born in 1876 and died in 1941. . . .
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. . . He farmed around the Atalissa area and was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church. There was no information on Laura. They had 5 children Wilma Schafnit, Myra Garvin, Russell Schmidt, Ivan Schmidt and Carl Schmidt. They lived north of Atalissa on the Kaska farm.
George M. Scott
George was born in 1938 in Cedar County, Iowa. He was a dealer in general merchandise in Atalissa. George married Margaret Hutchinson from Ohio in 1866. There were five children Joseph, Mary, Minnie, Jesse and Elsie.
George enlisted in Company D, 24th I.V.I., in 1862 and was discharged in 1865. He was a Democrat.
This was taken from the 1879 Atalissa Directory.
William and Emeline Arnold See
William F. See was born in the county of Bath, Kentucky in 1836 the son of William and Michal Johnson See. The See family was of German descent and the Johnson’s were of Welsch and Irish decent.
William was raised to farm life and educated in the district schools of Kentucky. In 1862 he enlisted in Company H, 10th Kentucky Cavalry where he served for one year. He was honorably discharged at Maysville, Kentucky on September 17, 1863. He married Emeline L Arnold the daughter of Henry and Frances Muse Arnold on November 10, 1863. They came to Iowa in 1864 settling in Jones County. The original purchase was 80 acres, he improved and added to it until it comprised of 340 acres, which he sold in 1881. In April the same year George purchased 228 acres in Goshen Township and added 42 acres. George engaged in general farming and usually had from 60-70 head of good graded shorthorn cattle and a fine grade of Clydesdale and Norman horses.
They belonged to the Christian Church in West Liberty, Iowa. They had 2 children Alice and Cora May.
This was taken from the History of Muscatine County Atlas written in 1889.
Simon and Mary Shelter
Simon G. Shetler was born October 6, 1850 the son of Jonas and Harriet Hayes Shetler. Simon was one of 9 children and 3 ended up in Goshen Township. They were Simon, Maggie Fiederlein and Mattie Cunningham. Simon purchased 171 acres of good land in Goshen Township where he established his permanent home. Simon married Mary S. Swigart on December 22, 1875. Mary S Swigart was the daughter of John and Betsy Clark Swigart. They had 9 children John, May, Minnie, Pearl, Roy, Chauncey, Nellie, Ray and Myrtle. Mary died on September 27, 1904. She was generous and had noble qualities, all who met her liked her. She was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was always involved in worthy causes. Simon was of the Republican Party and served as township trustee and also a member of the school board. He was a member in Lodge No. 122 A.F.&A.M. of Atalissa and filled all of the chairs in this lodge.
This was taken from the History of Muscatine County atlas written in 1911.
Picture: The Simon and Mary’s family taken in 1898 in front of their home.
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Back row Minnie, May, Roy and Nellie, front row Myrtle, Ray, Chancie and Pearl. Far left is Mary and far right is Simon. The house is next to Timberlake Cemetery.
Picture: Simon and Mary Shetler taken in 1898 with their two youngest children Raymond and Myrtle.John and Catherine Davis Smith
John was born in 1822 the son of Jarret and Elizabeth Evitt Smith in Licking County, Ohio. The family came to Muscatine County, Iowa in 1852. John married Catherine Davis in 1846 and in 1849 they moved to a farm in Muscatine County. John purchased 40 acres of raw prairie land with no improvements. John and his family rented a house until he could build the family home on the land. As time went on he acquired more land ending up with 320 acres. John and Catherine had 8 children Martin, William, Sophronia, Mary, John, Rowena, Davis and Rhoda. He was a Republican and held various offices of public trust in the township and served as the Road-Commissioner. John was the third permanent settler of Goshen Township, having arrived when the smoke of the Indian wigwams had scarcely blown away.
This was taken from the History of Muscatine County Atlas written in 1889.
Grant and Ada McGill Smith
Picture: Grant Smith and Ada Smith
Ada was born April 7, 1891 the daughter of James Franklin and Eliza Cromer Law McGill. She was born in a small log cabin near the Mississippi River at Port Louisa, Iowa. She married Grant Smith in Rock Island, Illinois on April 8, 1911. They had 4 children Curtis, Zella, Charles and Jean. They purchased the farm consisting of 160 acres at Tice Bridge and lived there 17 years. The purchase price at the time was 7,000 dollars. This information was taken from a book that Ada wrote recalling her life in Iowa.
Benjamin and Sarah Drake Smith
Picture: Sarah Smith
Sarah was born in New York and Benjamin in Ohio. They came to Iowa in 1852 and bought a farm South of Atalissa in 1853. Ben farmed the land until his death in 1889. Sarah died in 1902 and both are buried in the Overman Cemetary. There were 6 children Luna Coverston, Louisa Parker, Mary Walters, L.B., Eugenia VanHorn and Henry C. Eugenia Smith was the Great grandmother to Stewart Arnold and Jessie Stewart.
Walter Smith
Picture: Walter Smith in 1912
Walter was born in 1892 and died in 1938, the son of August and Molly Walters Smith. He married Irma Connelly and they had 5 children Helen, Marjorie, Bernice, Bertha and Alan. Walter was Assistant Cashier at the Atalissa Savings Bank until it closed in 1933, Secretary for the Shipping Association and also worked for E.O. Markham at the Midway Garage until his death. Walter was active in Community Affairs and served as town clerk and Clerk for the School Board. His grandmother wanted the family to have an American name so August changed the name from Schmidt to Smith.
R. M. and Alice Fullmer Stiles
R. M. was born October 24, 1846 in Columbia County, Pennsylvania the son of Josiah and Beulah Albertson Stiles. He received his edu-. . .
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. . . cation in a log schoolhouse in the Keystone State and grew up on a farm. At age 21 he began working for neighboring farmers. In 1870 he decided to seek his fortune and came west taking up abode in Atalissa. He worked at the carpenters trade for 12 years and did some contracting. R.M. settled on a farm in Goshen Township where he farmed for 26 years. He returned to Atalissa in 1908 and had a wagon making and a general repair shop. He owned a fine business building, a commodious residence and a block of ground. He was recognized as one of the more prosperous citizens of the community.
In 1870 he married Alice Fullmer and they had four children W. A., H. B., Edna and Claude. Alice died in 1907 and she is buried in West Liberty.
Mr. Stiles never ran for public office but he did hold the position of School Director and was of the Republican Party.
This was taken from the History of Muscatine County Atlas written in 1911.
Nicholas Spilger
Picture: Nicholas Spilger
Nicholas was born January 13, 1851 the son of George and Catharine Vetter Spilger in Rock Island, Illinois. Both of his parents were from Germany and came to the United States around 1850. Nicholas received his education in the common school and when he was old enough he began working as a farm hand. At 26 years of age he purchased his first piece of land, 120 acres in Mercer County, Illinois and was there 3 years. Then he purchased 80 acres in Goshen Township about 1 ¼ miles from his farm. He had 160 acres where he did general farming and also raised and marketed cattle, hogs and horses. Nicholas married Mary Weiss the daughter of George and Elizabeth Fuhr Weiss on February 10, 1881. They had 2 children Albert J. and Philip G. Mary died in 1884 at the age of 29. They were members of the Lutheran Church and he was of the Republican Party. Nicholas married Margaret Weiss in 1915. He passed away June 13, 1939 at the age of 88 years.
When living in town Nicholas lived on the corner of Fourth and Linn Street. He had so many gophers he hired the kids to catch them. He gave the children twenty-five cents a gopher. Perky Carlisle remembers that he made really good money because he found 8 babies, he earned $2.00 that day.
This was taken from the History of Muscatine County Atlas written in 1911.
Phillip and Anna Gatzke Spilger
1412 Kelly AvenuePicture: Phillip and Anna Spilger
Phillip was born June 19, 1884 and died March 19, 1954. Anna was born September 10, 1886 and died April 18, 1969. They grew up in the Atalissa area and lived at 1412 Kelly all their married lives. They married February 11, 1915 and were members of the Zion Lutheran Church in Atalissa. Their daughter Lucille Freyermuth remembers that no matter what transpired during the week you knew exactly where you’d be come Sunday, it would be in church.
It is believed that Phillip was on the board of directors of the Atalissa Savings Bank, along with being a full time farmer. Anna’s family talks about her large gardens and what a great cook she was. They had 6 children Lucille Freyermuth, Merlyn Spilger, Kenneth Spilger, Wayne Spilger, Harold Spilger and Leland Spilger. All are still living except for Kenneth who died at the age of 1 year of Scarlet Fever. Leland Spilger is now living on the family farm, the new house was built in 1929. The farm has been in the family for 100 years.
The Stauffer Family
The first known generation was George and Susanna Myers Stauffer. The home was located on the property where Joe Blick and family now live, at 218 Railroad St. Atalissa, Iowa. The chil-. . .
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. . . ,dren that are known are Mollie Stauffer Thompson, Mrs. Frank Dennison, Mrs. Ida Stauffer Coss, Jess Stauffer and Winfield Stauffer.
Picture: Winfield Staufer and his sister Ida Coss.
Their son Jess was born August 28, 1869 in Muscatine County, Iowa and spent his entire life in the Atalissa area. Jess was the town Marshall in the 1930’s the Street Lamplighter and mowed the Overman Cemetery with a push mower. As an adult Jess lived at 30 Linn Street. He died December 21, 1943 and is buried in the Timberlake Cemetery.
Picture: George and Susanna Staufer
Charles and Sarah Jane “Sadie” Beggs Staley
Charles was born May 28, 1862 the son of Jacob and Catherine E Keeler Staley. Sarah Jane was born March 30, 1865 the daughter of Hugh and Matilda Frankenfield Beggs. Charles purchased 120 acres of land in Goshen Township, Iowa in 1893 and added more land until he had 386 acres. Most of the land was cultivated except for the portion he used as pasturage for his stock. On December 16, 1886 Charles married Sarah Jane “Sadie” Beggs. Her father was from Ireland and mother was from Pennsylvania. There were 5 children Archie H., Louis F., Floyd E., Theresa C., and Leota M. There were 8 grandchildren in 1936. They went to the Methodist Church. Charles died March 7, 1941.
This was taken from the History of Muscatine County Atlas written in 1911 and from newspaper clippings of his death and their Golden Wedding Anniversary announcement.
Picture: Charles and Sadie Staley family the children are Louie, Archie, Floyd, Leota and Teressa.
Jacob and Catherine E. Keeler Staley
Jacob and Catherine were farmers in Pennsylvania until 1870 when they came to Iowa. They later moved to Illinois. There were seven children Rosa Jane, Charles, Sherman, Harvey, Julia Ann, William and Roy.
Jacob died December 7, 1904. He was in the Civil War where he received a ball that lodged in his hip and carried it the rest of his life. He was wounded in the battle at Five Forks.
Picture:
Jacob Staley
Staley FamilyPg. 92
Gale and Esther Melick Sterner
Gale W. was born April 2, 1889 the son of George and Margaret Johnston Sterner. He died October 25, 1984 and is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Muscatine, Iowa. Gale was born in a family of 8 boys Carl, Van, Dallas, Ralph, Ivan, Lester and George. They were all born in Cedar County over by the Cove Restaurant along Interstate 80. Gale worked at the Lumberyard for Fred Stortz, a trapper at Wiese Slew and a section hand for 20 years. He and Esther had a wonderful garden and really good strawberries. Gale married Esther Melick February 8, 1911 and she died April 22, 1928. There are four children Leslie, Clare, Margaret “Peggy” and Orville all deceased. After Esther died Gale raised the children with the help of several Atalissa women. While living in Atalissa Gale and Esther lived at the north end of Linn Street.
Gale married Edna Miller on April 5, 1941 and she died October 5, 1961. They lived in Muscatine.
Picture:
Gale Sterner
Esther Sterner
Gale and Esther’s children Margaret, Clare, Leslie and Orville.Samuel B. and Mattie E. Oxley Stucker
Samuel was born August 24, 1847 the son of Russell P. and Ann Stiles Stucker in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. Mattie was the daughter of Daniel and Jane Combs Oxley and was born in Belmont County, Ohio. Samuel’s family came to Goshen Township in 1867, they settled on a seventy-five acre farm. At age 22 years he rented land and began farming on his own, in 1897 he purchased 85 acres and added 20 more later on. He raised good class stock and was very successful in raising grains. He and Mattie were married in 1891 and had 2 children Oliver D. and Esther A. Mattie passed away March 14, 1909 and is buried in the West Liberty cemetery. Mattie was a true and loving companion and a woman of many noble qualities. She was well educated and had taught school before her marriage. Samuel wasn’t affiliated with any religious denomination but Mattie was a member of the Methodist Church. He was supportive of the republican party. Samuel passed away August 23, 1929.
This information was taken from the History of Muscatine County Atlas written in 1911 and from his obituary.
Picture: Samuel and Mattie Stucker
Oscar and Lucy Stucker
Lucy was born March 2, 1869 in Atalissa and attended school in the Atalissa school system. She married Oscar April 2, 1890 and had 3 children Mrs. Jean Zinger, Lloyd and Russell. Oscar was in the contracting business for over 30 years. They were members of the Presbyterian Church. Oscar passed away in 1924 and Lucy on June 9, 1942.
Russell Park and Ann Stucker
Russell was born February 8, 1823 (died . . .
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. . . June 25, 1914) in Stillwater, Pennsylvania. He came to the area December 5, 1867 and settled on a farm one mile south of Atalissa on Penn Avenue. Russell came here with his wife Ann and their 9 children. Ann passed away in 1909. Their children’s names were Richard Frank, Willis (Civil War Veteran), Margaret “Low” Lamb, James Hallick “Jim”, William B. “Bigler”, Harriet “Hattie” Jones, Oscar, Emeline “Em” Worrall and Samuel B. “Brit”. They lived on the farm until 1894 then moved to town. In 1904 they lived in the house on the SW corner of Linn and 4th St. When Russell died it was sold to Nicolas Spilger, who later sold it to Rudy and Edna Warner. In 1959 James Stucker, Great-grandson of Russell, bought it. They were members of the Christian Church.
William and Jessie Lundy Stucker
William was born April 3, 1852 the son of Russell P. and Ann Stucker. He came to Atalissa at age 15 and lived the last 70 years of his life in this area. Jessie was the daughter of Captain William and Mary Lundy. They were married January 16, 1873 and had 3 children. Mrs. R. H. Chase, Mrs. Florence Small and Fred. They farmed the property at the end of Penn Avenue on 137th St. Marlin Daufeldt now owns the property. Jessie died in 1928, William died May 10, 1940 and was said to be the oldest living male resident in Goshen Township. It is indicated in several articles that they were members of the Christian Church.
William and Jessie were married in Captain Lundy’s stone house on the hill overlooking Atalissa. Jessie’s father was the one who first settled here and gave the land that is now Atalissa to the people to develop into a village. Captain Lundy gave it the name. It is said there were 12 or 13 stoves in the house at the time of the wedding and corncobs were the fuel used to heat as it was cheaper than coal. Francis and Dorothy Carlisle own the house now.
James H. and Emma Worrell Stucker
James was born August 5, 1862 (died in 1947) and came to Atalissa in 1867. He married Emma Worrell March 10, 1887 and they had 2 children Hilbert W. and Lula Stucker Kephart. They farmed on Penn Avenue across from the Penn Avenue School. James and Emma were also a member of the Penn Avenue Grange No. 2213, members of the Presbyterian Church and James was a member of the Masonic Temple.
Picture:
James H. and Emma Stucker
Emma Stucker and Emma Worrall.B. F. and Rebecca Desbro Tice
B. F. was born in 1821 the son of John A. and Anna Eliza Stoner Tice in Washington County, Maryland. The family came to Iowa in 1848 and he settled in Louisa County, Iowa. B. F. lived there until he moved to Muscatine county in 1854 and finally settled in Goshen Township in 1858. In 1865 he purchased his first piece of land consisting of 112 acres known as Overman’s Ferry. For over 30 years he was in charge of the Ferry and also operated the farm. As time went on B.F. added to the original farm until he had 320 acres. In 1850 he married Rebecca Desbro the daughter of Jesse Desbro. They had 6 children Ann Eliza, William, Martha Rebecca, John, Elizabeth and Josephine. Rebecca died in 1859 B. F. married Nancy Wymer the daughter of Matthias and Hannah Baughman Wymer, in 1880. They had 3 children Franklin, Sarah and Margie. B. F. was a Democrat, held various township offices and was County Supervisor. He was a very respected member of the community and had many friends.
This was taken from the Muscatine County Atlas and was written in 1889.
Charlie and Rachel Toyne
1158 Oak StreetCharlie was born February 26, 1870 the son of John and Elizabeth Gleadell Toyne and Rachel was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Esmoil. He married Rachel December 13, 1894 and they had four children Maurice, Melvin, Glenn and Elizabeth. They were farmers in the Atalissa area.
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Charlie died June of 1946.
Picture: Charles and Gussie Toyne taken in 1943
Charles Edward Turner
214 Third StreetCharles was born January 9, 1874 the son of George and Caroline Turner in Geneseo, Illinois. Charles married Essie L. Barnes and after her passing he married Elizabeth Giddeon on October 15, 1927. He had 2 daughters Mrs. Carl Durham and Mrs. Durham and Mrs. Raymond Windhurst and 2 stepdaughters Mrs. Harlan Baker and Mrs . Carl Peterson. Charles was a respected resident of Atalissa and a member of the Masonic Lodge and associate patron of the Atalissa order of the Eastern Star. He also managed the Atalissa Lumberyard from 1929-1947.
Carl VanHorn
114 Third StreetPicture: Carl VanHorn taken around 1908.
Carl was born in 1888 the son of Jesse and Eugenia Smith VanHorn and married Abigale Flint.
Carl lived in the house on Third Street where Dennis and Carol O’Neal now live from 1928-1960.
Carl worked on the railroad. After he was old enough to enter Moose Haven in Florida he sold the house and moved. In less than six months he was back here as Florida wasn’t his cup of tea.
Erma and Ernest VanHorn
Picture: Erma and Ernest VanHorn, twins, taken around 1909.
Erma and Ernest were twins born to Jesse and Eugenia Smith VanHorn in 1894. Erma married Otis Arnold and had 3 children Jean Verlee Williams, Jessie Pearl Stewart and Stewart Arnold.
Ernest married twice. He and his second wife Martha Schulz had one daughter Twyla who lives in Cuba, Illinois.
In 1920 Ernest was half owner in a gas station and garage located a few yards north of what is now the Mini Mart. It burnt down.
John B. VanHorn
Picture: John VanHorn’s home taken in 1911.
John was born July 17, 1886 the son of Jesse and Eugenia Smith VanHorn in Louisa county, Iowa. John received his education in the public schools graduating from the Atalissa high school. He received a teaching certificate and taught school for 6 months. He then took a position as clerk in the Atalissa Savings Bank and after 18 months was made assistant Cashier. On May 3, 1905 he married Nora N. Lamb. She was born January 13, 1888 in Atalissa. She taught school for 2 years before her marriage. They had 1 daughter Dorothy M. born September 9, 1906. John . . .
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. . . was a member of Ionic Lodge No. 122, A.F. & A.M. and was secretary of that organization. They were both members of the Order of the Eastern Star.
This was taken from the History of Muscatine County atlas written in 1911.
Picture: John and Nora’s family standing Ernest, Pearl, John, Jessie and Carl. Sitting Jesse, Erma and Eugenia taken in the early 1900’s.
Jesse and Eugenia Smith VanHorn
Picture: Jesse and Eugenia VanHorn around 1930.
Jesse was born February 10, 1853 the son of Jesse and Elizabeth Bender VanHorn. Eugenia was born December 27, 1860 the daughter of Benjamin and Sarah Drake Smith.
Jesse was educated in the public schools and until age 21 he assisted his father on the farm. He then rented a farm where he resided for 25 years. In 1899 he moved to Goshen Township, Iowa where he rented until he purchased 140 acres in 1904. Jesse married Eugenia Smith October 7, 1880 and they had 7 children Pearl E., Wilma G., John B., Carl, Jessie L., Ernest Ray and Erma Mae. They were members of the Christian Church. He was of the democratic party, served 6 years on the school board and was a member of the Modern Brotherhood lodge of America.
Eugenia died May 23, 1940 and Jesse died December 24, 1944 they are both buried at the Overman Cemetery.
This was taken from the History of Muscatine County Atlas and from their Obituaries.
Picture: Jesse and Eugenia sitting with friends in back row Mrs. Nachbaur, Mildred Smith and Mabel Carlisle White taken in 1935.
Hanson B. Watters
Hanson was born December 9, 1840 in Belmont County, Ohio and was the son of Dr. W. W. Watters.
Hanson came to Muscatine County with his parents in the spring of 1851. In August of 1861 he enlisted in Company G., of 2d I. V. C. In February of 1864 he reenlisted as a veteran and mustered out in Davenport in October 1865. He saw several battles; the siege of Corinth, Iuka, Tupelo, battle of Corinth and Coffeeville, Miss. Hanson was slightly wounded when the ball passed through his saber-belt, clothing, memorandum book and lodged against one of his ribs.
He married Ruth H. Parker on December 24, 1868. Ruth was born in February 1846 in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. There were three children Allen P., William L., and George S. He started farming in 1869, had forty acres in Goshen Township, served as Township Assessor for several years and was a republican.
This was taken from the 1879 Atalissa Directory and the History of Muscatine County written 1911.
Henry Q. and Dora A. Watters
Henry was born April 18, 1852 the son of Dr. and Mrs. W.W. Watters on a farm near Atalissa, Iowa. Dora was born October 14, 1859 in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. They were married December 10, 1881 in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. They had 5 children Willard, Richard B, Fred, Linn and Marie. Henry died . . .
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. . . December 1930. Willard married Pansy Vauble September 2, 1913. He farmed and later on sold seed corn.
Marie married one of the Lundy boys.
Henry owned 50 acres bordering Atalissa on the North end from Lundy to Oak Street. The house was on top of the first hill on the Eastside of Oak Street. He raised Jersey cows and sold milk.
Picture:
Dora Watters
Henry and Dora’s son Willard with his team of horses taken in 1913.Dr. William W. Watters
William was born March 17, 1809 in Harford County, Maryland. He and his father moved to Belmont County, Ohio in the fall of 1822. In the spring of 1834 he commenced the study of medicine at Somerton and graduated from Cincinnati Medical College in 1839.
William married Teresa D. Gregg March 15, 1840. Teresa was born January 21, 1821 in Belmont County, Ohio.
William continued his profession until moving to Muscatine County in 1851. He started farming on land he had received from the government. Over time William purchased land until he had two hundred acres on the home farm and ninety acres in Cedar County. They had seven children Hanson B., William G., Mary E., Henry Q., Walter P., Emma I., and Sarah W. William was a republican.
This was taken from the 1879 Atalissa directory.
George and Elizabeth Fuhr Weiss
George was born October 20, 1827 the son of Phillip and Barbara Muendle Weiss in Germany. George was 20 when he came to America and after a year here he went back to get his parents. He came back in 1848. Shortly after getting to the United States his father passed away however his mother lived until 1858. He married Elizabeth Fuhr of Buffalo, New York on April 25, 1854.They had 11 children Catherine, Margaret, Phillip, Louisa, John, Clara, Emma, Christian, Valentine, Lydia and Barbara. Rather than support any one party he chose to vote independently.
He died July 8, 1910 and was a very well thought of person in this community. His farm was in Goshen Township section 22 and consisted of 400 acres.
Phillip and Rosina D. Kauffman Weiss
Picture: Phillip Weiss in 1920.
Phillip was born April 22, 1861 the son of George and Elizabeth Fuhr Weiss in Rock Island county, Illinois. Rosina was born January 3, 1861 the daughter of Andrew and Rosina Ruchti Kaufmann in Muscatine county, Iowa. Rosina’s mother was from Switzerland and her father from Prussia.
Phillip received his schooling in the public schools in Rock Island county, Illinois and at age 15 years he came to Muscatine county, Iowa with his parents. While at home he learned the fine art of farming from his father. At 24 he married Rosina D. Kaufmann on February 19, 1885. They had 8 children Lydia D., Andrew C., Mary E., George W., Albert J., Walter F., Leonard P., and Lena R. The Weiss’s have been remarkably successful as homemakers and there is no happier family to be found in Iowa. Phillip never sought public office choosing to devote his time and energy to his private affairs. Phillip was an independent who votes his own way and a member of the school board for a number of years. He was a member of the Lutheran Church and was active in the neighborhood when needed.
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Picture: Phillip Weiss kneeling in the back and sons Andrew, George, Albert and Leonard in 1920.
William and Melinda Lange Weiss
William was born November 22, 1846 the son of Charles and Anna Roda Weiss in Prussia, Germany. Melinda was born the daughter of Henry and Caroline Grose Lange in the village of Moscow, Iowa. Her parents were both from Germany. William was 16 years old when he, along with his parents came to America. He was educated in Germany and was involved in the occupation of farming his whole life. He married Melinda Lange January 12, 1876 and they had 6 children Anna Caroline, Albertina Augusta, Henrietta Elnora, Elizabeth Otilda, William Theodore and Rudolph Lewis.
After they were married William continued farming for his father for 3 years at the end of which his father gave him 160 acres, where he continued to reside. He later added land until he had 310 acres. Along with farming he also engaged in raising, Norman, Percheron and Clydesdale horses and shorthorn cattle. The farm is 1 mile from Atalissa. He was a member of the Lutheran Church where he was active in the affairs. He was also very helpful in the organization of the school districts since he was very much for further education and for promoting anything that would benefit the public.
This was taken from the History of Muscatine County, Atlas written in 1889.
Willhelm Werth
2028 137th StreetWillhelm and Lydia Weiss Werth lived here for many years. Willhelm was a charter member of the Zion Lutheran Church and was the first janitor. He was a valued member of the community and even helped in the European relief campaign of Muscatine county Lutheran Churches in 1947.
Picture:
Wilhelm and Lydia Werth
Wilhelm and Lydia and his mother in front of house now owned by Treva McKillip around 1915.George R. Wilkinson
George was born July 28, 1821 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. In August of 1839 he went to Belmont County, Ohio and worked as a potter. While there George married Maria Smith on March 21, 1845. Maria was born in December of 1820 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They came to Muscatine County in the summer of 1855 settling on the 238 acres he farmed in rural Atalissa. There were seven children Eleanora, Gilpin, Elma W., Dallas, Alice V., Lucetta and Anna M. two children died Samuel S. and Philena.
George was raised under the instruction of the Society of Friends and was a republican.
This was taken from the 1879 Atalissa directory.
William and Margaret White
William was born January 11, 1864 the son of James and Johanna Creadon White. Margaret was the daughter of Patrick and Maria Magee. . .
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. . . Moylan. Their parents were from Ireland. They were married September 29, 1891 and had 4 children Walter, Frances, Margaret and Wilmer. William rented 225 acres in Cedar County, Iowa where he farmed for 11 years. As he prospered he purchased 160 acres in 1898 and added 50 more in Muscatine County and another 93 in Cedar County. Of the 303 acres a portion was pasture and timberland but the part in Goshen Township was cultivated. He raised good grade stock and had both cattle and hogs. William was educated in a good common school making it much easier to earn a living when he left home. He belonged to the Democratic Party, served on the school board 6 years and was of the Catholic Faith.
William died in 1944 and Margaret in 1924.
This information was taken from the History of Muscatine County Atlas written in 1911 and from William’s obituary.
Francis recalled that Dr. Ahrens built the house. Everyone thought the Whites were rich as they drove a big white touring car and had gas lights in the house. William had a big barrel to hold the gas and one day while he was pumping up the pressure he pumped it too much and blew off the lid. There was no electricity in Atalissa until around 1925, 1926 or 1927.
Picture: William and Margaret on their wedding day September 29, 1891.
George Worrall
George was born September 19, 1805 in Harrison county, Ohio. He married Sarah Barnet in 1830 and they had 5 children Thomas, Nathaniel, Johnathan, Mary Eleanor and John. Sarah died in 1841. George married Leah Hodgin in 1843 they had a son Elias and lost an infant, Leah died in 1846. George married Sarah Hart on March 6, 1854. Sara was born September 30, 1827 in Morgan County, Ohio. She was in the millinery business for three years in Ohio. Sara opened the first millinery and dressmaking shop, in Atalissa, in 1857 and run in until 1874. At that time she started a new career as a hotel manager. They had 4 children Jerome, Emma H., George and Frank V. In 1855 George came to Iowa and in 1857 he moved to Atalissa where he opened a grocery store. George was appointed Postmaster until 1862. In September of 1862 he enlisted in the thirty-seventh, known as the Graybeard regiment and was discharged in 1865 at Galliopolia, Ohio. He returned to Atalissa where he was the postmaster. In his obituary it is stated that his most prominent character traits were honesty, a strict regard for truth, a kind heart, a hatred for shams and a lover of his country. His funeral services was conducted by the Masonic Order. George also owned the hotel where Ron Gatzke lives now. They were members of the Presbyterian Church and he was a Republican.
Part of the information was taken from the 1879 Atalissa Directory.
George and Erma Stucker Worrall II
George was born September 1, 1871 the son of George and Sarah W Hart Worrall. Emma was born December 29, 1858 (died September 19, 1951) the daughter of Russell P. and Ann Stiles Stucker. They were married August 1, 1892 and had 2 daughters. George was a hotel owner operator and a barber. When he was a young man he was a carpenter with Oscar Stucker. Emma was a member of the Eastern Star in Atalissa and George was a 33rd Degree Mason. He loved to go fishing with Otis Arnold, Johnny DeMean and Roy Hawk and play pool.
They had two daughters Viola Poole and one died in infancy.
Charles and Lucy McCroskey Wright
Charles was born August 28, 1860 the son of David and Hannah A. Ford Wright in Cedar county, Iowa. Lucy was born June 22, 1869 the daughter of David and Sarah Gay McCroskey in Cedar county, Iowa. They were married in 1886 and had 2 children Zola L. and Myril.
Charles began farming when he was 21 years old by renting land until he could afford to purchase his own. He bought 63 acres in Goshen Township where he turned it into one of the most . . .
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. . . productive farms of its size in the township. He was of the Republican Party.
This was taken from the History of Muscatine County Atlas.