1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa
Page Index:
Herkenrath |
Schumacher |
Miller |
Havick |
Nielson |
Justice |
F Slates |
S Slates |
Fritz Peters |
Fletcher Peters |
Fred Peters |
Paul Peters |
Peter Herkenrath was educated in the common schools of Germany and was eighteen years of age when he came to America with his father. He worked with his father on the farm in Keokuk county, Iowa, for three years, and then married and came to Shelby county. He settled in Cass township and bought a farm of eighty acres, and with that energy which characterizes the Germans everywhere in this county, he prospered and increased his acreage until he owned four hundred and thirty-five acres of excellent farming land. In 1891 Peter Herkenrath moved to Portsmouth, Iowa, and became engaged in the general merchandise business with Mr. Dohrman, under the firm name of Herkenrath & Dohrman. Fifteen years later Mr. Herkenrath bought out the interest of Mr. Dohrman and took his son, John, in with him as a partner. In 1912 another son, Anthony, joined the firm and since then the firm has been known as Peter Herkenrath & Sons. Mr. Herkenrath is president of the State Bank of Portsmouth and one of the most substantial business men of the county.
Peter Herkenrath was married January 23, 1873, to Mary Ohlinger, the daughter of Peter and Angeline Ohlinger, and to this union eleven children have been born, Angeline, John, Anna, Peter, Matthew, Anthony and William, four being deceased. Angeline is the wife of William Thomas, and has one child, Francis. John married Dorothy Whaley, and has two children, Bernice and Bernard. Anna is the wife of Giles S. Bendon, and has two children, Marie and Peter. Peter, the fourth child of Mr. and Mrs. Herkenrath, married Mayme Caufield. Matthew is single. Anthony married Anna Skalla. William is single.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. .
Contributed by: Dennis Walsh
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Shelby county, Iowa, has attracted farmers from all corners of the globe, and those who have worked faithfully and with determination are today enjoying the results. the handicaps of the early farmers of this county have long since disappeared. With modern methods of agriculture this county presents as attractive a field for farmers as can be found in the United States. One of the prominent and successful farmers of Cass township is Jacob Schumacher, a man of great energy and perseverance.
Jacob Schumacher, the son of Jacob and Mary (Pullis) Schumacher, was born in Wisconsin September 14, 1850. His parents were both natives of Germany and located in Wisconsin early in the history of that state. Jacob Schumacher, Sr., bought forty acres of timber land in Wisconsin, and lived
there for seven years. He then sold his farm and moved to Fond du Lac county, where he bought another farm. He lived here until 1886 when he sold his land and retired from active farm work. He died in 1894 and his wife six years later. Eight children were born to Jacob Schumacher, Sr., and wife, seven of whom are living.
Jacob Schumacher, Jr., was educated in the schools of Wisconsin, and after finishing his education assisted his father on the home farm until his marriage in 1876. Then he bought fifty acres of timber land in Calumet county , Wisconsin, and lived on it for six years, He sold this tract and moved to Shelby county, Iowa, where he lived on a rented farm until 1907.
At that time he bought his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Cass township where he has since placed about three thousand dollars worth of improvements. He now has a good country home, large barns and outbuildings of all kinds, and his farm is producing very satisfactory crops year after year. He feeds the most of his grain to his hogs and cattle and markets about eighty head of hogs each year.
Jacob Schumacher was married February 2, 1876, to Susan Meinz, the daughter of Christopher and Margaret (Baker) Meinz, and to this union have been born nine children, Elizabeth, Mary , Anna, Margaret, Thomas, Katherine, Irene, Mollie and Louise. Elizabeth married Frank Kuncel; Mary is the wife of William Nash and has four children; Edward, Lawrence, Laverne and Francis, deceased; Anna, deceased, was the wife of Peter Heine, and left one son, Joseph; Thomas married Lena Leinen, and has two daughters Hilda and Mildred; Margaret, Katherine, Irene, Mollie and Louise are still at home. The parents of Mrs. Schumacher were both natives of Germany, and her father died in that country in 1868. The widow and her children came to America in 1871 and located in Wisconsin. Mrs. Schumacher is one of a family of seven children, all of whom are living but one brother. Her
mother died in 1880.
Politically, Mr. Schumacher is identified with the Democratic party but has never been an aspirant for any public office. The family are all members of the Catholic church at Portsmouth. Mr. Schumacher is a man of high ideals and interested in everything which will benefit his fellow citizens.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1015-1016.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The fact that there are a large number of retired farmers now making their homes in Harlan, Iowa, is good evidence that farming has been a prosperous occupation in Shelby county. Statistics are not available to show how many retired farmers are living in the county seat, but the large number appearing among the patrons of this volume is sufficient to show that the farmers have met with pronounced success throughout the county. One of the many retired farmers of Harlan is George G. Miller, who, for many years, lived in Lincoln township.
George G. Miller, the son of Elias V. and Susan (Grauel) Miller, was born August 29, 1852, in Jones county, Iowa. His father was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1824, and died in Jones county, Iowa, March 26, 1893. His mother was also a native of Fairfield county, Ohio, her birth occurring in 1823, while her death occurred in 1855. Elias V. Miller received a good common school education in the district schools of Ohio, and after leaving school worked with his father until he was eighteen years of age. His parents then moved to Iowa and located in Jones county, and Elias V., having learned the trade of a carpenter in Ohio, he devoted the remainder of his life to this trade. At the opening of the Civil War, Elias V. Miller became a member of Company F: Thirteenth Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry and served until the close of the war. He was with Grant and Sherman throughout Mississippi, Tennessee and other southern states and was with Sherman on his famous march through Georgia to the sea. A few months before he was mustered out, Mr. Miller was elected captain of his company. There were four children born to the first marriage of Elias V. Miller: Thomas J ., Anna M., George G. and Alvira E. A11 of these children, with the exception of Thomas J., are still living. After the death of the mother of these children in 1855, Elias V. Miller
was married to Elizabeth Barnard, and to this second marriage; eight children were born: Etta, Henry, Ora P., Leslie, Estel V., Ida B., Kenneth and W. L. Three of these children, Henry, Ora and Leslie, are deceased.
George G. Miller, a son by the first marriage, received his education in Jones County, Iowa, and after leaving school worked with his father on the farm until he was twenty-eight years of age. In 1880, he came to Shelby county, Iowa, and bought a farm for twenty-five dollars an acre in Lincoln township, and improved this place by erecting new buildings and setting out fruit and forest trees. He continued to farm this place until 1900, when on account of ill health he sold his farm and moved to Garfield county, Oklahoma, where he bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres and lived for the following ten years. Then, regaining his health, he returned to Shelby county and located in Harlan. Mr. Miller bought a tract of two and one-half acres
within the city limits and has a beautiful home where he is now living.
Mr. Miller was married February 15, 1883, to Syddie Mershon, the daughter of John Mershon and wife, and to this union three children have been born : Fred E., Clyde E. and Eva H. Fred E. married Hazel Green, and has one child, Edmond. Clyde married Laura Mowry and died in the spring of 1914. Eva, the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Miller, is the wife of Everett Hamilton, and they have two children, Mildred and Neoma.
The father of Mrs. Miller was born in Kentucky, August 14, 1811, while her mother was born in Ohio, June 4, 1816. Thirteen children were born to Mr. Mershon and wife: Deborah Ann, Mary E., Nimrod, Cornelius, John, James, Olive, Amelia, Sybil, Syddie, Hester; Elias and Theresa. Of these children Deborah Ann, Elias and Theresa are deceased. Mr. Mershon was a young man when he moved from Kentucky to Ohio and located near Springfield, where he met and married his wife. Some time after their marriage, they moved to Jones county, Iowa, where he farmed the rest of his life.
Mr. Miller and his family are members of the Christian church of Harlan and live lives consistent with the teachings of that faith. Politically, he is affiliated with the Democratic party, and while living in Lincoln township, served as assessor, giving his fellow citizens efficient service in that capacity. He is a man of kindly disposition, and one who endears himself to everyone with whom he is associated
br>
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1104-1105.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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Accomplishments of those of our citizens who are of foreign birth and who have left the shores of their native land and sought Fortune's favor successfully in this land of opportunity are always interesting from an economic point of view and on account of the inspiration which the perusal of the story of their careers furnishes to the coming generations. What one has done, another can do, is a time-tried and truthful maxim which for centuries has been the incentive for man to put forth his best efforts. Ever since America has been the land of the free it has been the. Mecca for the ambitious sons of foreign countries, and no people of foreign birth have been more welcome to our shores than the sturdy and thrifty sons of Norway. Andrew Havick
of Lincoln township is a Norwegian by birth but an American citizen since attaining his majority and a very successful one from a utilitarian point of view. Rising from poverty to the position of a man' of substance he can now view his broad acres over which his herds of sleek cattle are grazing and truly feel that he has accomplished a great deal since he arrived in this country to make his own fortune.
Andrew Havick, son of Anderson and Bertha (Johnson) Havick, was born in Norway, December 15,, 1848. His father was a missionary of the Lutheran belief in Norway and followed this profession after he emigrated to America in 1888. He came here and located in Story county, Iowa, and from this point did extended missionary work in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and South Dakota. He continued in this useful line of Christian endeavor and spread the Gospel until just a few years before his death. He was the father of five children: John, Andrew A., Gorena, Henry and Sarah. John died in Slater, Iowa. Gorena married S. 0. Anderson. Henry is residing in Nebraska. Sarah is the wife of Michael Birkelan. The father of these children was born May 30, 1823 and died January 30, 1909. The mother was born in 1817 and died in October of 1894.
Andrew Havick was educated in the schools of his native land and worked out as a farm hand until he was twenty years of age.In 1868 he emigrated to America and located in Benton county, Iowa, where he worked at farm labor for two years and then went to Story county and worked for another two years. In 1873 he came to Shelby county and broke prairie land for a few seasons and was thus enabled to purchase eighty acres of land at twelve dollars and fifty cents per acre. By hard work, judicious selection of crops and the exercise of native thrift and economy he has been enabled to accumulate a considerable estate of three hundred and twenty acres of fine land in Lincoln township. He does general farming and stock raising and feeds the most of his grain to live stock on the place. He cultivates about one hundred and thirty acres of corn and about fifty acres of small grain. The output of his
farm in live stock will exceed one hundred head of hogs and thirty to forty head of cattle annually. At the present time he has about fifty head of cattle. For the past twelve years he has been a breeder of Shorthorn cattle and has a fine herd of thirty head of pure breds on his farm.
Mr. Havick was married December 26, 1874, to Adele Munsun, and to this union have been born nine children: Lillie, Frank, Lester, Minor, William, Roy, Bertha, Lake, Ruth. Lillie is the wife of Frank Fenton, of Lincoln township and is the mother of two children, Irene and Thelma. Frank married Essie Bryan and has eight children. Gladys, Claude, Esther, Mabel, Harold, Helen, Glynn and an infant. Lester married Pearl Anderson. Willam is deceased. Minor, who resides in Lincoln township, wedded Edna Copeland and has one child, Jean. Bertha, Lake and Ruth are at home with their parents. Roy married Bessie Findley and has one child, Geneate. Mrs. Havick was the daughter of Minor and Isabell Munsun, natives of Norway, as is Mrs. Havick, who was born there February 29, 1855. Her father was born in ____ and died in 1882. Her mother died in 1864. Her parents were farmer folks in Norway. In 1855 Mr. Munsun came to America with his family and located in Illinois where he rented a farm for several years and then invested his savings in a farm of his own. Minor Munsun and wife were the parents of seven children: Kelly; Andrew, deceased; Bertha; Peter; Adele; Dora; Louis. Kelly lives in Chicago. Andrew is dead. Bertha married Jacob Watland. Peter lives near Irwin. Dora married Elmer, Hartman. Louis lives in Indiana.
Mr. Havick is religiously affiliated with the Lutheran church as are the other members of the family. While not taking a very active part in political affairs he usually votes the Republican ticket and believes in the principles of the Republican party. Since 1875, Mr. Havick has resided on his present farm which is one of the best improved in this section of the state and boasts one of the finest residences in the county. He has placed over twelve thousand dollars worth of improvements on the place and is widely known as a substantial and progressive farmer.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1454-1456.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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There is no positive rule for achieving success, and yet in the life of the successful man there are many lessons which might well be followed. The man who gains prosperity is he who can see and utilize the opportunities that come in his path. The essential conditions of human life are ever the same, the surroundings of individuals differing but slightly. When one man passes another on the highway of life to reach the goal of prosperity before others, who perhaps started out before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompass the whole human race. The citizens of Shelby county who are of Danish ancestry are always found to be substantial and prosperous and among these there is no one more worthy of a place in this volume than Niels Nielson, a jeweler and optician of Harlan.
Niels Nielson, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Niels Nielson, was born April 1, 1872, in Denmark. His father was born in Denmark in 1848 and lived there until 1887, when he brought his family to this country. The wife of Niels Nielson Sr., Marie Madson, was born in Denmark in 1849. To Mr. and Mrs. Nielson were born eight children: Mads, deceased; Mrs. Bertha Jacobsen, whose husband is a farmer in this county; Marinus Allen, of Nebraska; Elsie, a dressmaker of Harlan; Mrs. Christina Peterson, a resident of Vermont; Mrs. Anna Christenson, Cedar Falls, Iowa; Alma, who is clerking in the store of her brother in Harlan; Niels, with whom this narrative deals. When the family came to this country, in 1887, they settled at once in Jackson township, in this county, where they bought one hundred twenty acres of land. Niels Nielsen Sr. farmed until 1907 when he retired from active farm life and moved to Harlan, where he now lives surrounded by all the comforts and conveniences of modern life.
Niels Nielson was fifteen years of age when his parents came to this country and, consequently, most of his education was received in the land of his birth. After coming to Iowa, he worked on his father's farm until he was twenty years old and then started to work out. In 1894 he went to Columbus, Ohio, where he took a course in horology, at the same time working in a jewelry jobbing house, learning the commercial side of the trade of a jeweler. In 1895 he returned to Harlan and started in the jewelry business with three hundred dollars worth of stock. He located on East Market Street, and from this little shop sent forth his first completed work on August 13, 1895. One year later he moved to the west side of the square, in what is now known as the Norgaard drug store, and shortly afterwards moved to his present location on the north side of the square. He has a well equipped store and carries a large line of all kinds of jewelry, including watches, rings, silverware, cut glass and such other articles as are found in first class jewelry stores. Mr. Nielson is also an optician and optometrist and does a large amount of optical work of all kinds. In addition to his jewelry business, Mr. Nielson owns four hundred eighty acres of land in South Dakota and three hundred and twenty acres in southern Minnesota. In 1906 Mr. Nielson and a party of carpenters went to his farm in South Dakota and erected buildings in the month of March, when there were several feet of snow upon the ground.
Mr. Nielson was married in 1897 to Christena Jensen, who was born in Denmark in 1873, the daughter of Jens Jensen. Her father was a fisherman and farmer in his native land. Mr. and Mrs. Nielson are members of the Danish Lutheran church and contribute of their time and means to its support. Politically, Mr. Nielson is a Progressive and one of the recognized leaders of his party in his county and state. He is a member of the state central committee and takes an active part in the deliberations of the party leaders. He is now (at this writing) making an active campaign for state senator and will make a strong race whether he wins out or not. Fraternally, he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons and the Modern Woodmen of America.
Mr. Nielson has always been interested in all measures of a public-spirited nature and is an earnest advocate of good government. He has taken his share of the burdens of the community where he has spent so many years of his active life. He was formerly president of the Commercial Exchangeof Harlan, and also president of the State Jewelers' Association of Iowa. He is a man of genial personality and enjoys the respect and esteem of all with whom he is connected.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1274-75.
Contributed by: Mona Knight
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It would be a fine thing if every citizen of the United States would have the thrift and good judgment to lay aside enough of this world's goods to support him in comfort during his declining years. In England the government has provided old age pensions, but in the United States we are told that every man should be able to provide for himself after he passes the meridian of life and is no longer able to work. For such as have not sufficiently provided for themselves in their old age our government provides beautiful homes and takes good care of those who are unable to care for themselves. It is surprising to note in Shelby county, Iowa, the large number of men, and especially farmers, who have retired from active life and moved to the towns. Every town in this county has a large number of retired farmers living in it and each one of them is a living proof that farming in this county pays.
Gustavus A. Justice, who is now living a retired life in Defiance, Iowa, was born in Linn county, Iowa, December 31, 1857. His parents, John and
Margaret A. (Alsworth) Justice, were both natives of Pennsylvania, married in that state and then moved to Linn county, Iowa. They located in this state several years before the Civil War and were able to purchase their land at that time for one dollar and a quarter an acre. They lived in Linn
county until 1865, and then moved to Jones county, in this state, where they purchased one hundred- and sixty acres, paying twenty-five dollars an
acre for it. In 1881 the wife of John Justice died and he then sold his farm in Jones county and came to Shelby county, where he has since made his
home with his son, Gustavus, who was living in this county at the time. John Justice and wife were the parents of four children: Edwih, Gustavus,
Albert and George.
Gustavus A. Justice was educated in the common schools of Jones County, Iowa, and completed his education by taking the course in the high
school at Mechanicsville, Cedar county, Iowa. After leaving school he went to the southern part of Nebraska, where he worked on a farm for one
year. He then returned to Shelby county, bought some stock and farm tools and rented a farm southeast of Harlan, in Fairview township, living on this place for two years. He then rented a farm in Lincoln township two years. He next purchased eighty acres of land near Panama, in Washington township, and seven years later added a tract of similar acreage. Upon this farm he lived for the next nineteen years, during which time he bought two hundred acres more land, making three hundred and sixty acres. He has now retired from active farm life and is living in Defiance. As a farmer he was considered one of the best stock raisers in the county and handled a large amount of Polled Angus cattle. He has since sold his farm in Washington township and bought two hundred and twenty acres in Union township and one hundred and sixty acres in Greeley township.
Mr. Justice was married on October 13, 1881, to Clara E. Miller, the daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Grauel) Miller, and to this union have been born five children: One, who died in infancy: Effie, who married Fred Kolbe, and, has two children, Mildred and Fred M.; Maude, the wife of F. P. Hulsebus; Lillie Fern, who died May 21, 1907, and Ralph, who married Alta Chamberlain, and has three children, Kenneth C., Earl and Harold E.
The Miller family were natives of Ohio. Joseph Miller was twice married. His first wife, Rebecca Grauel, died in 1872, at the age of forty-one, leaving seven children living and three deceased. The seven living children are William H., Susan, Clare, Addie, Katherine, Minnie F., Jennie M. After the death of his first wife, Joseph Miller married Margaret Mc Connaughey, and to this second marriage six children were born: Charles, Clancy, Clifford, Anna, Donia and one who died in infancy. Mr. Miller died in 1892, at the age of seventy-two years.
Mr. Justice has been, a life-long Republican and has held several honors at the hands of his party. He is now a member of the Republican Central
Committee of Shelby county. While living in Washington township, he was treasurer of the school board, and since moving to Defiance he has been city treasurer, as well as a member of the school board. He was also a member of the board of supervisors for Shelby county for five years, during which time he favored every measure which he felt would benefit the county in any way. Religiously, .he and the members of his family are affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church and Mr. Justice is a trustee of the denomination at the present time. Fraternally, he is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons at Harlan. Mr. Justice is the kind of a man who worked for the good of his county, .having always given his influence to all worthy
measures and movements and done everything within his power to make the county a better one in which to live.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 716-718.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the earliest pioneer settlers of Shelby county, Iowa, is Franklin Slates, who has been a resident of this county since i866. He was born in Putnam county, Ohio, spent a few years in Martin county, Indiana, and when he was thirteen years of age came with his parents overland from Indiana to Shelby county, Iowa, making the long trip with an ox and horse team. When Mr. Slates arrived in this, county, on May 10, 1866, there were very few settlers living within the county and there was no evidence whatever that it would some day be one of the leading agricultural sections of the whole United States. Due to the efforts of such sturdy farmers as Mr. Slates, this county has emerged from a condition which was, at that time, very unattractive, till it now presents as attractive an appearance as any county in the state. In this transformation Mr. Slates has borne his full share, and after a period of fifty years, he can look back over the half century and feel that he has done his part for the general welfare of the county.
Franklin Slates, the son of Samuel and Mary Jane (Long) Slates, was born in Putnam county, Ohio, March 30, 1853. His parents were both born in Ohio, reared in that state and lived there until i86i. In that year they moved to Indiana and located in Martin county, where Samuel Slates bought eighty acres of land and farmed for nine years. In the spring of 1866 Mr. Slates sold his Martin county, Indiana, farm and in May of that year started on the long overland trip for Iowa. He and his family packed all of their belongings in wagons and, with oxen and horses, started out. When they came to the Mississippi river, it was at a time when its banks were overflowing and they had a serious time in getting across the river. When they came to the Des Moines river they forded it with their teams. After settling in Shelby county, in the spring of i866, Samuel Slates erected a rude hut, in which the family lived for about a year until such a time as Mr. Slates could build a more substantial residence. He was a carpenter and followed his trade in Shelby county, while he farmed as well. He prospered from the beginning and at one time owned twelve hundred acres of land in the county and was one of its largest stock raisers.
Samuel Slates was three times married. To him and his first wife, Mary Jane Long, there were born four children: Jeremiah, who married Ida Baker; William P., deceased; Franklin, whose history is here given; and Mary Jane, the wife of John 5olmon. The first wife of Samuel Slates died,
and he then married Lucinda Harden, and to this second marriage seven children were born: John, deceased; Hannah, the wife of A. D. Ames;
Alice, the wife of W. R. Adams; S. B., who married Ruth Thomas; Edward; and two who died in infancy. He was married a third time to Sarah
Jane Thomas. Samuel Slates died January 8, 1902, and is buried at Kirkham.
Franklin Slates was six years of age when his parents moved from Putnam county, Ohio, to Martin county, Indiana, and then moved with his parents nine years later to Shelby county, Iowa. The education of Mr. Slates was received in the schools of Indiana, in a log school house with puncheon seats and floor. He remained at home helping his father until he was twenty-eight years of age and then married and started farming for himself by renting land. He rented for seven years and then bought his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Douglas township, on which he has been living for more than thirty years. He has put at least six thousand dollars worth of improvements upon this farm and has so rotated his crops that he has kept it at the maximum point of productivity. He has divided his attention all these years between the raising of grain and livestock in such a way as to secure the maximum results from his labors. He has given particular attention to the raising of Shorthorn cattle.
Mr. Slates was married December ¶4, 1882, to Fanny Tilton, the daughter of Nelson B. and Eliza Vandalia (Stroud) Tilton. Mrs. Slates was born November 15, 1854, in Fayette county, Illinois, and educated in Poweshiek, Polk and Story counties, Iowa.
Nelson B.. Tilton, the father of Mrs. Slates, was one of the old, sterling pioneer settlers of Shelby county, a faithful and loyal member of the church
of his choice and a man highly respected and esteemed by all who knew him. Some time before his death, June 23, 1910, Mr. Tilton wrote a brief summary of his own life, which is here given as he wrote it:
"I was born in Muskingum county, Ohio, October 21, 1828. In 1840 I moved, with my father, to White county, Indiana, and in i8~ to Fayette county, where I was united in marriage to Judy Ann Yoakum on February 16, 1851. She departed this life, January 29, 1852, leaving one son, William Winfrey, who departed this life at the age of six months. December 2, 1852, in Effingham county, Illinois, I was married to Eliza Vandalia Stroud. We moved to Poweshiek county, Iowa, in 1858, and to Shelby county in 1884, where we have lived ever since. We have had six children born to us. One, John Nelson, died at. the age of one year and four months, and is buried in Jasper county, Iowa. Five are now living: Mrs. F. Slates, of Kirkman; C. J. Tilton, of Hurst, Texas; Mrs. Emma McIntosh, of Irwin; James N. Tilton, of Chicago; Mrs. Mary E. Granger, of Kansas City. There are fourteen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren now living. I was baptized in infancy and thank God for Christian parents who consecrated me to God in this holy ordinance in my childhood. I professed religion at the age of sixteen, and united with the Methodist church, which has been my home ever since. In 1892 I experienced the blessing of entire sanctification in Irwin with several others in a revival meeting held by my pastor, Rev. A. R. Miller. Now that I am near the end, I can say that `I have kept the faith, and henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.'" Mrs. Tilton died March 16, 1912, at Kansas City, Missouri.
Mr. Slates and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Kirkman, and have always been much interested in everything pertaining
to its welfare. He was treasurer of his church and is now serving as a member of the board of trustees. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows at Irwin. He has long given his support to the Republican party and has served as township trustee for seven years and as a
member of the school board of his township for a similar length of time.
An interesting incident is told by Mrs. Slates concerning the Mormons. While she was living with her parents, before her marriage, in Poweshiek
county, Iowa, the Mormons came to that county on their way to Utah. She remembers distinctly the safe which was hauled from Iowa City westward
when they changed the capital. It was drawn by twenty yoke of oxen and was guarded by one hundred men.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 784-787.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The Slates family is of German ancestry, the first member of the family, the great-grandfather of Samuel B. Slates, having come to this country in the latter part of the eighteenth century. He located near Harper's Ferry, in West Virginia, and owned large tracts of land in the vicinity of Harper's Ferry. He was the father of several children, but the present sketch is concerned with the branch of the family who are descended from Conrad Slates.
Conrad Slates was born near Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, and married Hannah Funk, and they were the parents of eleven children, William, Samuel, Solomon, Joseph, Harry, Martha, Duvilla (who married William Hibbs), Mary Ann (who married William Hamilton), Catherine (who married William Coller), Leah (who married Samuel Albaugh), and one other. Conrad Slates died in 1878.
Samuel, the second son of Conrad Slates and wife, is the father of Samuel B., whose history is here related. Samuel Slates, Sr., was born in
Carroll county, Ohio, and, upon reaching his manhood married and farmed for a time in Putnam county, Ohio, after which he moved with his family
to Martin county, Indiana, and there he also followed agricultural pursuits for nine years, coming to Shelby county in i866. Here he purchased a
large tract of land in Douglas township and became one of the largest and most substantial farmers of the county, owning about one thousand acres of
land in Douglas township. He was twice married, and to the first marriage of Samuel Slates, with Mary Long, were born five children, Jerry, Samuel P., Franklin, Mary Jane (who married J. B. Solomon), and one child who died in infancy. Mary Long, the first wife of Mr. Slates, died in 1855, and to his second wife, Lucretia Harding, were born six children: Hannah, the wife of A. D. Ames; Alice, who became the wife of William Adams; John, who died at the age of twenty-one; Samuel B., who married Ruth Thomas, and Edward, of Walsenburg, Colorado. Samuel Slates, Sr., was a charter member of Harlan Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and also a member of the Knights Templar. He and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He died in January, 1901, his second wife having died in 1881.
Samuel B. Slates has spent his entire life in the county of his birth, receiving a good common school education in the schools of Kirkman, and
upon his marriage he became a farmer, following this occupation until he was thirty years of age. . He was then appointed postmaster of Kirkman
and served in this capacity from 1897 to 1907. He conducted the postoffice in his confectionery and restaurant establishment, in which he is still engaged. He resigned from the postmastership in 1907, although he served six months during 1913 as assistant postmaster. In addition to his confectionery and restaurant business he is engaged in the business of painting and decorating, and finds plenty of work along this line in Kirkman and surrounding country.
Mr. Slates was married in 1887 to Ruth J. Thomas, daughter of Absalom Thomas and wife, and to this union there have been born two daughters, Sarah May and Bernice A. Sarah May is the wife of Alfred O. Larson, and has three children, Howard M., Adelaide Ethel and Wyone. Mrs. Samuel B. Slates was a daughter of Absalom and Lucinda (Banks) Thomas, both of Darke county, Ohio, where they grew up and married. He was a shoemaker by trade and later a farmer. At the age of forty, in 1882, he came to Kirkman, Iowa, got a farm and lived on it several years. He then retired and moved to Kirkman, where he died, his wife also dving in Kirkman. They were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Thomas served in the Civil War, enlisting from Ohio. He was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic Post at Harlan. In politics he was a Republican. Their children living are four in number: Mrs. S. B. Slates; Charles J., a druggist of Cambridge, Iowa, who married Clara Fouch; Mrs. Charles Sunderland, living in Harlan; Mrs. Lydia Groosbeck, of Harlan. Those deceased were Randolph, who died in Ohio, and George Samuel, who died at Kirkman in infancy.
The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Slates were James and Lydia Banks, who lived in Darke county, Ohio. He was a farmer. They had the following children: Susan, Deborah, Ruth, Creed and Joel.
Mr. Slates is a Republican in politics, but has never held any office except that of postmaster. Fraternally, he is a member of the Woodmen of the World, and has always taken an active interest in the fraternal order, having passed through all of the chairs in his local lodge. At the present time he is the deputy of his lodge. Mr. Slates has always been identified with every measure in his home town which has promised to benefit it in any way, and has aided very materially in its growth. He has made a success of every enterprise in which he has been engaged and has reaped a material reward by reason of his unswerving attention to business.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 874-876.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the earliest pioneers of Shelby county, Iowa, is Fritz Peters, who has been a continuous resident of the county since 1866. He came here as a young man before his marriage, and when he arrived in the county had no money to invest in land. He worked a few years as a farm hand and then started in after his marriage to accumulate land of his own. Year after year found him increasingly prosperous and when he retired to Shelby in 1912, he was the owner of four hundred and fifty-five acres in this county. His success has been due to hard work and good management, qualities which never fail to bring results. His long career of forty-eight years has given him the opportunity to note the progress of the county from its earliest beginning, and there are few men in the county who are better informed on its history and general development.
Fritz Peters, the son of Frederick and Charlotte (Paulgesen) Peters, was born in Germany October 2, 1837. His parents were both natives of Germany, his father's birth occurring in 1805, and his mother's in 1809. Frederick Peters was a cheese and butter maker in Germany, and came to this country in 1868 and lived the remainder of his life with his sons in Shelby and Pottawattamie counties, Iowa. He died in 1897 at the advanced age of ninety-two years, while his wife died in 1892. There were seven children born to Frederick Peters and wife, three of whom are still living: Fritz, Hansel of Avoca, and Albert.
Fritz Peters was educated in his native land and lived there until 1866. In that year occurred the famous war which divided Germany and Austria, and immediately after that war closed, Mr. Peters came to America and located in Shelby county, Iowa. He worked as a farm hand for the first four years after arriving here. Then he married and bought eighty acres of land in Fairview township, in partnership with his brothers, Henry and John. The three brothers farmed this tract for about two years when Fritz sold his share of the eighty to his two brothers and bought eighty acres in Shelby township. Neither grasshoppers, drought, nor prairie fires have been abIe to discourage Mr. Peters, and while many of the earlier settlers left the county during the latter seventies, Mr. Peters stayed with his land. He has accumulated his farm of four hundred and fifty-five acres by careful attention to details, and it is safe to say that few farmer of his age in the county have made a greater success.
Mr. Peters was married April 12, 1870, to Christina Pingle, who was born in Germany, July 31, 1849, and was the daughter of Claus Henry Pingle and wife. To this union have been born seven children: Henry, who is farming in Shelby township; John of Irwin, Iowa; William of Shelby county; Amandus of Arizona; Gustave, who is living on the home farm; Mrs. Matilda Seivers of South Dakota, and Fritz, Jr., who is deceased.
Politically, Mr. Peters is an independent voter, casting his ballot for the best men, irrespective of their politics. He and his family are loyal members
of the German Lutheran Church, and generous contributors to its support. Since 1912 Mr. Peters and his wife have lived in Shelby, where he bought an all-modern house, and is now spending his declining years, surrounded by all the comforts and conveniences of the day. He is one of the most
interesting pioneers of the county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 989-990.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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One of the most prominent and successful physicians of Earling, Iowa, is Dr. Fletcher E. Peters, who has a reputation which extends far beyond the limits of his own county. While a student in the medical college he made a remarkable record, and his achievements since graduation have classed him with the best physicians of the state. He is planning soon to take post-graduate work in the best medical schools of Europe, to better fit himself for his calling.
Dr. Fletcher E. Peters, the son of John M. and Julia (Smith) Peters, was born in Harrison county, Iowa; April 25, 1881. His father was a native of Ireland, and his mother, the state of New York. His father received his education in the land of his birth and came to this country when a young man. He had only ten dollars in his pocket when he landed in America He first located in Mendota, Illinois, worked as a stone mason in that city. He saved his money and sent it to Ireland, to help his other brothers to America. In 1883, John M. Peters moved to Harrison county, Iowa, and located on a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and being an excellent farmer and stock raiser, soon became one of the wealthiest men in the county. He now has a well improved farm of five hundred and forty acres in Harrison county. John M. Peters and wife were the parents of five children: Maude, deceased who was the wife of Andrew Anderson; Albert, who married Celia Manion; Grace, the wife of James Marton; Howard, single and
Dr. Fletcher E.
The elementary education of Doctor Peters was received in the country schools of Harrison county, leaving later for the Woodbine Normal School.
Graduating from the Normal School at Woodbine he received a teacher's certificate, but desiring to enter the medical profession, he at once enrolled at the State University at Iowa City, which he attended for two years. The college building then burned and he left for the Creighton Medical College at Omaha, Nebraska, where he finished his medical education. He received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1902 and the degree of Doctor of Medicine
in 1904. He graduated from the medical college with the honors of his class and served as an assistant in the university hospital during his senior year. Here he improved his knowledge of surgery, and took every possibly advantage offered.
Immediately after graduating from medical college, he began the active practice of his profession in Woodbine, Iowa, remaining there one year, when
he went to Earling, Iowa, and purchased the practice of Dr. L. G. Powell. He has built up that practice, which extends for thirty-five miles around Earling, and is frequently called from the state for consultation. He has the largest practice of any physician in this part of the county, and has built up an enviable reputation as a surgeon. Doctor Peters spends all of his leisure time in study and research and is fast forging to the front.
Doctor Peters was married June 11, 1907, to Anna Kirschbaum, the daughter of Rhiner and Barbara (Schleier) Kirschbaum. The parents of Mrs. Peters were natives of Germany, and coming to this country located in Wisconsin and later came to Shelby county, Iowa. They reared a family of seven children: William, John, Gertrude, Anna, Kate, Mary and Michael. Doctor Peters and his wife are the parents of two children: Xystus and Leroy.
Doctor Peters votes for the best men irrespective of their politics. The demands made upon his time and attention by his profession are so great that
he does not take an active part in politics: He is interested, however, in everything which aids good government. He and his family are members of the
Catholic church. The doctor is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and the medical examiner of the lodge in this county. He is interested in farm
land in Harrison county, and has one of the finest farms there.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1179-1181.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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That life is the most useful and desirable which results in the greatest good to the greatest number, and though all do not reach the heights to which they aspire, yet in some measure each can reach success and make life a blessing to his fellow men. It is not necessary for one to occupy eminent public
positions to do this, for in other and humbler walks of life there remains much good to he accomplished and many opportunities for the exercise of talent
that in some way will touch the lives of those with whom we come in contact, thereby making them better and their lives brighter. In the list of Shelby
county's representative farmers, Fred W. Peters long has occupied a prominent place. Born and reared in this county he has been identified with the
agricultural interests in such a way as to merit the title of progressive farmer. In his record there is much that is commendable, and his career forcibly illustrates what a life of energy can accomplish when plans are wisely laid and actions are governed by right principles and high ideals. In his public career as well as in his private life no word of suspicion has ever been cast upon his reputation and the high esteem in which he is universally held is well earned.
Fred W. Peters, the son of Albert and Anna (Rohrs) Peters, was born October 14, 1877, in the township where he has always lived. His parents were both natives of Germany After their marriage they came to this country and located in Shelby township, this county. Albert Peters bought one hundred and twenty acres which he improved in such a manner that he realized a very comfortable living from it. He retired from active farm life in 1913, and moved to Montana, where he and his wife are now living. They are the parents of six children: Fred, Albert, Hannah, Francz, Mary and Julius. The mother of these children died in 1889, and later Mr. Peters married Frieda Bau. Albert Peters has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows for many years.
Fred W. Peters was educated in the public schools of Shelby township, and later took a course in the high school at Shelby. From his early boyhood he worked on his father's farm and in this way became thoroughly acquainted with all the details of agricultural life by the time he was ready to begin farming for himself in 1904. In the year 1911 he moved to his own farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Shelby township, and has since brought his farm up to a high state of cultivation. He has erected good buildings of various kinds and equipped his farm with the latest machinery. His farm is peculiarly adapted for stock raising, having a creek running through it, as well as a handsome grove of forest trees.
Mr. Peters was married in 1904 to Amelia Maassen, the daughter of Runer Maassen, of this county, and to this union have been born three children: Albert, Wilbur and Arnold. Politically, Mr. Peters is a Democrat, and has been honored by his party with positions of trust and responsibility. He served for several years as school director of his township and is now filling in an acceptable manner the office of township assessor. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is actively interested in the affairs of this fraternal organization. He has acted well his part in life and while primarily interested in his own affairs, has not been unmindful of the interests of others, and has contributed to the extent of his ability, to the advancement of the public good and the welfare of those with whom his lot has been cast. Personally, he is a man of pleasing address, is
sociably inclined and enjoys a wide acquaintance throughout the township and county where he has spent his whole life.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1320-1321.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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Success comes to the deserving. It is an axiom demonstrated by all human experience that a man gets out of this life what he puts into it, plus a reasonable interest on his investment. The individual who inherits a large estate and adds nothing to his fortune cannot be called a successful man, and
he that falls heir to a large fortune and increases it is successful in proportion to the amount he adds to his possession. The man who starts in the world, unaided, and by sheer force of will, controlled by correct principles, forges ahead and achieves success deserves great credit. To a considerable extent Paul F. Peters is a creditable representative of the class last named, a class of men which has furnished much of the bone and sinew of the country, and added to the stability of our government and its institutions.
Paul F. Peters, the son of Johones and Wilhelmina (Dahl) Peters, was born February 18, 1879. in the township where he has spent all of his life. His parents were natives of Germany and were reared and married in that country before coming to the United States in 1868. They located at Avoca, Iowa, where they lived for several years. They then moved to Pottawattamie county, this state, where they operated a farm for five years, after which they
came to Shelby county and purchased a farm of two hundred and eighty acres in Fairview township. Here, Johones Peters farmed successfully until
1906, when he retired from active life and moved to Avoca, where his death occurred April 11, 1908. Johones Peters and wife were the parents of five
children: Herman; Paul F. ; Rudolph; Hugo and Ella, the wife of Louis Guderyon.
Paul F. Peters was educated in the schools of Fairview township and later graduated from the Avoca high school in 1896. The following year he attended the business college at Davenport, Iowa. He has found that the training he received in this excellent institution of great benefit to him on the farm. After leaving the business college he returned home and assisted his father on the home farm until his marriage in 1906, when he moved to his
present farm of one hundred and sixty acres. He is up-to-date in all of his farming methods and by intensive cultivation has succeeded in achieving excellent results.
Mr. Peters was married February 18, 1906, to Minnie Noehren, the daughter of Carl Noehren, and to this union have been born two children: Wilmer and Paul, Jr. Mr. Peters and his wife are loyal and consistent members of the Lutheran Church, in whose welfare they are deeply interested, and to whose support they are generous contributors.
Politically, Mr. Peters is identified with the Democrat party. He has always been interested in local politics. He has served as township assessor for two years, and in this capacity rendered efficient service. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Peters is a young man and has a prospect of a long and prosperous career before him.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1011-1012.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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