1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa
Page Index:
Lee |
Louis |
Hoegh |
Howlett |
Neubauer |
Koesters |
Huebner
Schulte |
Young |
Schomer |
Monaghan |
Sharp |
Huber |
Jensen
The young farmer whose history is related in this connection, is the son
of one of the most highly esteemed and honored pioneers of Shelby county,
Iowa, a man who for over a half century has been a valued factor in the
development of this county. Emery H. Lee is a worthy son of his father,
and by his well directed energies in the practical affairs of life, his capable
management of his own business interests, he has demonstrated what may
be accomplished by a man of energy and ambition. His tenacity and fortitude are due, no doubt, in a large measure, to the worthy traits inherited
from his sterling father, whose high ideals and correct principles he has
ever sought to emulate. By a straightforward and commendable course, he
has made his way to a respectable position in his county, winning the hearty
admiration of the people and earning a reputation as an enterprising, progressive man of affairs.
Emery H. Lee, the son of Samuel and Mary (Burchel) Lee, was born
December 27, 1887, in Fairview township, on section fourteen. His father
was born in Ohio, and came to Shelby county with his parents when he was a
small boy. Samuel Lee was educated in the public schools of this county,
reared on the home farm and has devoted all of his life to farming and
stock raising. At the present time he is the owner of three hundred and
forty-six acres of well cultivated land in this county, on which he has a
fine group of farm buildings. Some years ago he retired from, active
farming, rented his farm, and went to Colorado, where he remained three
years. He then went to Kansas, and in 1911, located in Nebraska. Samuel
Lee served two terms as assessor of Fairview township, and for several
years was on the school board of his township. Samuel Lee and wife
were the parents of seven children: . Warren W.; Nathan S., who married
Ethel Landers, and they have one child; Helen M.; Emery H., whose history
is here presented; Benjamin H., who married Amanda Nelson; Amy Louisa,
the wife of Oscar Rold; William M. and Cecil D., who are with their
parents.
Emery H. Lee was educated in the public schools of his home township and spent the summer vacations during his boyhood days on the farm.
Early in life, he decided to follow farming and with the persistency which
characterized his sterling father, he has devoted his whole life to this. He
is energetic and prosperous in his business and highly esteemed by all of
those who know him.
Mr. Lee was married March 10, 1909, to Laura A. Larson, the daughter
of Jeppe and Carrie (Sorensen) Larson, and to this union has been born
one daughter, Orpha Laverne, four years old.
Mr. Lee is a breeder of Aberdeen-Angus cattle, of which he has sixty
head. He has exhibited his cattle at the county fairs at various times. He
also raises Duroc Jersey hogs and general purpose horses. Mrs. Lee raises
Rhode Island Red and White Leghorn chickens. He calls his farm "Oakdale Farm."
In politics, Mr. Lee is a Republican, as was also his father. Mr. and Mrs. Lee are members of the Danish Baptist church at Cuppy's Grove.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1173 - 1174.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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The most elaborate history of biography is necessarily an abridgement,
the historian or biographer being compelled to select the most essential facts
regarding the life of his subject. In summing up the career of a man, one
must needs touch only the most salient points, to bring out the keynote of
his character. In this volume will be found the biographies of many citizens of Shelby county whose lives have been spent within its borders. One
of these is Fred Louis, who occupies a prominent place in the citizenship
of the county.
Fred Louis has spent his whole life near Harlan. He was born on
a farm south of Harlan, June 6, 1880, was the son of John H. Louis, a native of Pennsylvania, born in 1842. He was the son of Jacob Louis, a native
of France, who settled in Pennsylvania. After the close of the Civil War, in
which he had enlisted as a Union soldier, John H. Louis came to Iowa with
his mother and settled in Cuppy's Grove. He had served in two Pennsylvania regiments, having enlisted twice during the war. John H. was one
of the earlier pioneers of Shelby county and after living a few years on his
farm in Cuppy's Grove he moved to the town of Harlan and was county
auditor in the late seventies. When his term as auditor expired he moved
to a farm of three hundred acres southwest of Harlan, and later to a farm
north of the county poor farm, which he sold. Then he bought the old
Campbell farm. He increased his holdings to three hundred and twenty
acres, and also bought one hundred and sixty acres in Jackson township,
east of Harlan. He was a representative in the state legislature from his
county about the year 1892. He retired to his residence in Harlan and
died here in February, 1909.
John H. Louis was a life long Democrat, a prominent figure in Shelby
County during his long residence there. He was a Free Mason and well
advanced in this oldest and grandest of fraternal societies. He married
Trannie B. Fetter, a teacher in Iowa, who was born in Illinois in 1850 and
now makes her residence in Ft. Dodge. To this union the following children
were born: John J., a resident of Minneapolis; Fred and Anna, wife of
J. R. Files of Ft. Dodge, Iowa.
Fred Louis was educated in the Harlan public and high schools and
a short time at the State University of Iowa. He studied agriculture and
farmed the home place until the estate was sold. He then spent two years
in the West, returning to Shelby county in 1904. He erected buildings on one
hundred and sixty acres of the old homestead and resided on his farm near
Harlan for a period of five years. In 1909, he moved to Harlan and for
three years conducted a plumbing establishment in that city. In 1912, he
disposed of his business there and has since been engaged in looking after
his farming interests, and his father's estate. Mr. Louis has long been
identified as a breeder of fine live stock. He is the efficient vice-president
of the Shelby County Fine Live Stock Exchange and takes great interest
in this association.
Mr. Louis was married in November, 1904, to Myrta Edwards, a daughter of William C. Edwards of Harlan. They have one child, Fred Jr., four years old. Mr. Louis is a Democrat and an active and influential member of the Congregational church of Harlan. He lends his active assistance to those influences which best promote the general welfare of his community. No citizen of Shelby county is more favorably known nor more highly esteemed than Mr. Louis.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1174 - 1175.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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The Farmers' Bank at Elk Horn, Iowa, showed a remarkable amount of
business at the, close of its first year, October 30, 1914. This bank was organized by William Hoegh, the present cashier, in 1913 and opened for business October 21, of that year. Accurately summarized, the business of the
bank stood as follows on October 20, 1914: Resources-Loans, $54,161.66;
expense, $2,073.26; building and real estate, $4,554.60; cash and available,
$10,170.32; discount, $624.13; total, $71,583.97. Liabilities-Capital stock,
$10,000; interest, exchange and commission, $2,422.70; deposits, $59,161.27;
total, $71,583.97.
William Hoegh, the cashier of the Farthers' Bank of Elk Horn, was born in Audubon county, Iowa, November 1, 1877. His parents, Nels P. and
Marie (Knos) Hoegh, were both natives of Denmark. Nels P. Hoegh came to America when he was twenty years of age and located in Davenport,
Iowa, where he worked as a laborer for a short time before going to Colorado to work in the silver mines. He remained in Colorado for three years and
then returned to Davenport, Iowa, and bought land in Audubon county, where he is still residing. He first bought eighty acres of land and met with
such unusual success in his farming operations that he now owns nearly three thousand acres of land in this section of the state. He has now retired from active farm life in order to devote his time to his extensive agricultural and business interests. Nels P. Hoegh and wife were the parents of nine children: George W., William, Anna, Walter, Nels A., Bennie, Catherine, Edward and Anna, deceased.
William Hoegh was educated in Audubon county, Iowa, and spent one
term in the Danish Lutheran College at Elk Horn. He then spent one term
in the business college at Atlantic, Iowa, after which he returned home and
assisted his father on his large estate until he was twenty-five years of age.
He then married and started farming for himself and for the next nine years
was engaged in agricultural pursuits. He then located in Atlantic, Iowa, as
assistant cashier of the Farmers' Savings Bank at that place and remained with
the bank for a year and a half. For the last half year of this time he also
was the cashier of the Brayton Savings Bank at Brayton, Iowa. He became the first cashier of the Farmers' Bank at Elk Horn upon its organization, in the fall of 1913, and has since continued to hold this position. The bank has the following corps of officials at the present time: Nels P. Hoegh, president; Christian Christensen, vice-president; William Hoegh, cashier; Lillie Madsen, assistant cashier; J. P. Johnson, Thor Madsen, Gjode Gjodesen, J. P. Carlson, Knud Hansen, directors.
Mr. Hoegh was married March 5, 1903, to Anna K. Johnson, the daughter of Lars and Anstine (Billo) Johnson. To this union three children have
been born: Theodore, Harry and Leo.
Mr. Hoegh and his family are loyal members of the Danish Lutheran church and are deeply interested in its welfare. Politically, he gives his stanch
support to the Republican party, and while living in Audubon county served as assessor in Oak Field township.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1330 - 1331.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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It is always pleasant. and profitable to contemplate the career of a man who has won a definite goal in life and whose career has been such as to command the honor and respect of his fellow citizens. Such in brief is the record of the well known farmer, Lambert Howlett, than whom a more
whole-souled or popular man it would be difficult to find within the limits of Shelby county. Although born in England, he has lived in this county
for many years and is thoroughly identified with the various phases of the county's growth. Not only has be labored for his own individual advancement and that of his immediate family, but also for the advancement of the community at large.
Lambert Howlett, the son of William and Susan Howlett, was born May 30, 1851, in England. His parents were both natives of. that country, and during the fifties came to the United States and settled in Chicago, Illinois. William Howlett had been a stone and brick mason in his native land
and after locating in Chicago followed his trade in that city. He remained there a few years and then, with his family, moved to Hancock county, Illinois, where he worked at his trade for several years. He next moved to Shelby county, Iowa, making the long, overland trip in company with A.
Cuffy, for whom Cuffy's Grove is named. After moving to this county he engaged in farming, and was in active service in this pursuit until his death
in 1900, his wife having passed away several years previously. William Howlett and wife were the parents of three children: William, Samuel and
Lambert.
Lambert Howlett attended the public schools of Illinois and Shelby
county, Iowa, but owing to the fact that the schools in this county in his
day afforded only a very limited course, his schooling was necessarily meager.
Early in life he began to work upon his father's farm, so that by the time
he was married, at the early age of eighteen years, he had a thorough knowledge of the details of agricultural life. He farmed rented land for several
years and then bought his present farm of sixty acres, on which he has lived
for the past forty years. He has a fine fruit orchard, in which he has a
great variety of fruit. He raises such crops as usually are found in this
locality, and handles as much live stock as he can accommodate on his farm,
paying particular attention to the raising of hogs.
Mr. Howlett was married in 1869 to Nettie C. Rold, the daughter of Christian Rold, and to this union have been born six children: Susan, the
wife of Annon Lee; Anna, the wife of Christ Nelson; Mary, the wife of John F. Lee; Nellie, who married Marenious Christiansen; Mrs. Jessie
Anderson and Clarence.
Mr. Howlett and wife have reared their children to lives of usefulness and now have the satisfaction of seeing them happily married and rearing
families of their own. Mr. Howlett is one of the pioneers of his township, and during the course of a long and useful life has seen his township emerge
from a primitive condition to its present state of prosperity.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1500 - 1501.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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The three score and ten years allotted to man by the Psalmist have been passed by Michael Neubauer, a prominent farmer of Cass township, Shelby
county, Iowa. Born and reared in Germany, he came to this country when a young man and has accumulated his farm of two hundred and eighty
acres in this township by hard work and good management. He has a model farm in every respect, and has placed several thousand dollars' worth of improvements upon the place. He is a quiet and unostentatious man, and one whose integrity has never been questioned.
Michael Neubauer, the son of Chris and Rosa (Schmidt) Neubauer, was born in West Prussia, Germany, January 3, 1844. His parents lived all
of their lives in their native land, his father dying in 1865, and his mother in 1872. They reared a family of nine children: Chris, Rosa, August, John,
Michael, Elizabeth, Sophronia, Justinia and Michael.
Mr. Neubauer attended school in Germany for a short time, and early
in his boyhood began to help his father on the home farm. In 1868, at the
age of twenty-four years, he decided to come to America to seek his fortune.
Accordingly, he crossed the ocean and located in Muscatine county, Iowa,
where he worked as a farm hand for seven years. During this time he became thoroughly familiar with the American method of agriculture, and
about 1877 he felt that he was in a position to farm for himself. Accordingly, he married and started renting land in Muscatine county. Four years
later he came to Shelby county, and bought one hundred and twenty acres in
Cass township from the Rock Island Railway Company, and diligently applying himself to his farm, he has added to it from year to year until he is now
the owner of two hundred and eighty acres of fine farming land, well improved and highly productive. He has a beautiful country home, large and
commodious barns and every convenience which is demanded by the twentieth
century farmer. He and his sons have operated a threshing machine during
the summer Seasons for several years and have found this a very profitable
venture. Mr. Neubauer is one of the largest stock raisers of his township,
feeding all of his grain to his cattle and hogs.
Mr. Neubauer was married in 1877 to Justinia Weisse, the daughter of John and Rosa (Streich) Weisse, of Muscatine county, Iowa, and to this
union there have been, eight children born: Paul, who married Clara Barnheier; Leo, single; John, deceased; Joseph, who married Susan Gundinger; August, single; Rosa, deceased; Michael, deceased; and one who died in infancy. The mother of these children died January 22, 1890.
Mr. Neubauer has been an independent voter, feeling that the best interests of his township and county were preserved when he cast his ballot
for the best men, irrespective of partisan politics. He and his family are devout members of the Catholic church and generous contributors to its
support.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1501 - 1502.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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To take from Shelby county, Iowa, the farmers who are of German
birth or parentage would be to remove a large proportion of the most substantial agriculturists of the county. It is safe to say that the German
citizens of Shelby county have been largely responsible for the material
prosperity which has come to several of the townships in the county. These
farmers have given their adopted country an unswerving allegiance and
have participated in the affairs of government in a way which has made
them genuine American citizens. Among the many German farmers of
Shelby county, mention of Robert Koesters, a prosperous farmer of Grove
township, seems eminently proper in a biographical work of this character.
Robert Koesters, the son of Joseph and Regetta (Schulte) Koesters,
was born in Germany July 29, 1868. His father made a trip to America
in 1878 and located in Earling, this county, but only remained in this county
six months. He then returned to Germany and lived in his native land for
the next eight years. In 1886 he returned to Earling, Iowa, with his family
and has since made this place his home. However, he has crossed the Atlantic
no less than five times during the past few years. Eight children have been
born to Joseph Koesters and wife: Casper, Anton, John, Robert, Joseph,
Richard, Hubert and Fredericka.
Robert Koesters received all of his education in the schools of his native
land and came with his father to Earling, Iowa, in 1886. He worked as a
farm hand for ten years and then rented a farm in Grove township and
began farming for himself. He purchased his first farm in Grove township
in 1900, securing one hundred and seven acres of land for twenty-five dollars
an acre. Later he sold this farm and bought the farm of one hundred and
ninety-nine acres in the same township, on which he is now living. He has
placed extensive improvements, upon this land since acquiring it and by a
judicious system of crop rotation and scientific fertilizing has brought his
farm to a high state of productivity.
Mr. Koesters was married in October, 1903, to Thresia Schneider, who was born in Detroit, Michigan, and to this union have been born seven children: Valeria, Gebrella, Norbert, Richard, Antionette, Frank and Louis. The father of Mrs. Koesters is deceased, while her mother is making her
home with her children.
Mr. Koesters and his family are loyal members of the Catholic church and are generous contributors to its support. He is a Democrat, but has
never been active in political matters, although he is interested in everything pertaining to the civic welfare of his community.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1502 - 1503.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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One of the youngest and most promising of the younger generation of
farmers and stock raisers in Shelby county, Iowa, is Frank Huebner, who is
now living on his father's farm in Cass township. He comes from German
parentage and has a lot of those characteristics which mark the successful
German residents of this county. He is deeply interested in agriculture and
since he has decided to make that his life work is devoting all his energies
towards making a success. He is a man of energy and determination and
the success which he has so far attained indicates that he will have a bright
future before him.
Frank Huebner, the son of Albert and Barbara (Duyzel) Huebner, was born in 1890 in Westphalia, Iowa. His father was born in Germany in 1843,
and his mother in Germany in 1853. Albert Huebner and wife left Germany in 1876, came to America and settled in Pottawattamie county, Iowa
In that county Mr. Huebner worked one year with his brother-in-law and then removed to Shelby county where he purchased land in Westphalia township which he farmed a few years. He then sold his farm in Westphalia township and bought two hundred acres in Cass township on which he lived until 1907 when he retired and moved to Portsmouth to spend his declining years. Seven children were born to Albert Huebner and wife, six of whom are still living.
Frank Huebner received all of his education in the schools of Shelby county, and lived at home until he was twenty-one years of age at which
time he rented eighty acres of land from his father and began farming for himself. Since his father retired from the farm he has taken over the general management of the whole farm and is devoting all of his attention to the care of the same. He keeps a high grade of live stock and annually markets several shipments of cattle. and hogs.
Mr. Huebner was married in 1914 to Susan Treiwiler who was born in this county in 1889 at Portsmouth. Mr. Huebner is a Democrat but as yet has taken no active part in politics. He and his wife are consistent members of the Catholic church, to whose support they are generous contributors.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1503 - 1504.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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There are a large number of German families in Grove township, Shelby county, Iowa, and among this number is Peter Schulte, who came to this
country when he was seventeen years of age. By applying himself diligently to his agricultural pursuits he has accumulated a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres, all of which has been the result of his individual efforts. Thrift and industry have marked his career and these qualities, whenever faithfully followed are always sure to bring definite results.
Peter Schulte, the son of Frank and Thresia Schulte, was born in Westphalia, Germany, June 18, 1873. His father followed the trade of a
blacksmith in Germany until he came to this country, in 1890, and settled in Westphalia township, Shelby county, Iowa. One of the sons of Frank
Schulte, Joseph. had come previously to this country and located in Shelby county, and when his father came to America, in 1890, he farmed with this
son for about ten years. In 1900, when Joseph Schulte removed to South Dakota, his father went with him and his death occurred in the latter state
on June 17, 1906. The wife of Frank Schulte died June 15, 1913.
Peter Schulte is one of nine children born to his parents, six of whom are still living. The early education of Mr. Schulte was received in his native
land, and after leaving school he went into his father's blacksmith shop and learned that trade. After his parents came to this country, in 1890, he assisted in the work on the home farm in this . county for a time and then worked out as a. farm hand for four years, after which he started in to
farm for himself on rented land, and rented until 1901, when he purchased one hundred acres of land in this county, continuing to operate this farm
until 1904, when he moved to South Dakota, where he bought a farm, but remained there only a short time. He then returned to Shelby county and
bought his present farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Grove township, where he is now living. He has placed many improvements upon this farm
since acquiring it, and now has, a well equipped and highly productive farm.
Mr. Schulte was married June 17, 1897, at Westphalia, Iowa, to Katherine Klein, the daughter of Joseph and Thresia (Stoltz) Klein, and to this
union eight children have been born: Rosella, Katherine, Pauline, Anna, Henry, Edward, Albert and Lena. All of these children are still living with
the exception of Lena. Mrs. Schulte's parents were born in Germany, and were among the first settlers of Westphalia township. They lived upon a
farm in this township until 1909, when they retired to Earling, Iowa, where they are now living. They reared a family of eleven children.
Mr. Schulte is a Democrat in politics, but has never been active in political affairs. He and his family are devout members of the Catholic church,
and are interested in its welfare and generous contributors to its maintenance.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1504 - 1505.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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Some men are adapted for certain lines of work; it is the law of nature, presumably, that certain individuals were intended to fill specific positions and
perform allotted tasks. It was never intended that all should enter the learned professions, or that everybody should be merchants, bankers or bricklayers. When we come to analyze conditions and look about us with an observing eye, things seem to move as with one accord, the people working in concert toward the attainment of a certain end-that end being the creation of the greatest measure of comfort possible and the attainment of the greatest amount of prosperity possible under the conditions which confront the human race. Out of the mass of workers and among those whose mechanical and physical skill are such important factors in the achievements of the world's great tasks, the man who undertakes to follow the course of nature along certain definite lines, with a view to securing the greatest good for the greatest number of those immediately concerned, stands out prominently and is easily identified from the mass of human beings. In this connection the biographer is pleased to write a brief review of the life of Wilson D. Young, a well-known contractor, of Harlan.
Wilson D. Young was born September 16, 1863, on a farm in Washington county, Pennsylvania. He is a son of William and Mary Ann Young,
both of whom were natives of Pennsylvania. The Young family migrated from the old homestead in Pennsylvania to Des Moines county, Iowa, in 1869. Two years later, in 1871, they came to Shelby county and settled on a farm in Douglas township, which they improved. This farm was originally a soldier's grant. The family resided on this farm until September, 1903, when they removed to Harlan. The mother died in December, 1907, and the father in December, 1914.
They were the parents of the following children, namely: Mrs. L. A. Stockdale, of Harlan; James J., a farmer of Douglas township; Kate M.,
at home; Mrs. I. W. Alter, of Wayne, Nebraska; William M., a resident of Defiance, Shelby county; R. E.; Wilson D., of Harlan, and Mrs. Lafayette
Darland, of Laurel, Nebraska.
Wilson D. was eight years old when the family settled in Shelby county.
He was reared on the farm and attended the district schools of the neighborhood, in Douglas township. He began teaching in the rural schools in 1858, and continued this in connection with farming till 1889 when he entered the
Western Normal college at Shenandoah, Iowa. In 1890 he entered Highland
Park Normal college of Des Moines, from which he received the degree of
Master of Didactics. After graduating he held the principalship of the
schools of Kirkman, Paton, Panama and Defiance, all in Iowa.
In 1903 he quit educational work to become deputy county auditor
under George S. Croft, holding this position for four years. In 1907 he
accepted the position as bookkeeper for the Lana Construction Company, of
Harlan, Iowa, now of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and has charge of the field work
done by the company. This firm is well-known throughout Iowa and
Nebraska as general contractors and bridge builders on an extensive scale.
All the work done in Shelby county is in charge of Mr. Young. The present
contract on which they are engaged and over which Mr. Young has supervision is straightening the channels of the Botna river and Indian creek by
ditching and dredging. The project is a very important one and will reclaim and drain thousands of acres of excellent land. In addition to this work Mr.
Young had charge of the sewer work and paving of the city of Harlan, and frequently takes contracts for this class of public improvement.
Politically, Mr. Young is a Republican, and lends his support and assistance to the principles of that party. He is a fine type of successful man,
and is a strong, virile personage who shows capability in whatever tasks he undertakes. He is one of the many Shelby county citizens who has made
his own way in the world from boyhood and is naturally adapted to the difficult occupation in which he is engaged. The firm which he represents
is in high repute in the state, and a great deal of its prestige is due to Mr. Young's popularity with the mass of the citizens in the county with whom
the company comes in contact, and to his reputation for fair and honorable dealings with all.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1505 - 1507.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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One of the youngest and mast progressive farmers of Shelby county is
Peter M. Schomer who is now managing two hundred and forty acres of his
father's farm in such a way as to stamp him as one of the coming agriculturalists of the county. It is a hopeful sign when our young men of today
turn to the farm where they are sure to make a comfortable living rather than
go to the city and lead a precarious existence. There never was a better
opportunity for a good farmer to make money on the farm than today and
a more general trend to the farm is bound to set in sooner or later. The 1910
census disclosed the fact that our cities and towns are growing at the expense
of the country and this lamentable fact is as true of Iowa as the older states
of the east. Iowa is one of the banner farming sections of the Union and
with the prices which farmers are receiving now for their crops and live stock
it strikes the onlooker as being a mistake for the man who has a farm to
desert it for the city.
Peter M. Schomer, the son of Jacob and Katherine (Staffles) Schomer,
was born September 24, 1888, in Lincoln township in Shelby county, Iowa.
His parents were both natives of Germany, his father coming to this country
at the age of seventeen with his brother. They first located in Rutland,
Illinois and a few years later moved to Shelby county and bought a farm
in Lincoln township. Jacob Schomer was a successful farmer and when
he retired to Panama in 1910 he had a farm of five hundred and sixteen acres
of excellent farming land in this county. To Jacob Schomer and wife were
born a family of nine children: Annie, who died at the age of twenty years;
Maggie, the wife of John Conrad; Lena, the wife of Andrew Klein; John,
who married Mary Fluehr; Mary, the wife of Albert Klein; Clara, the wife
of Michael Olinger; Henry and Fred, who died in infancy; and Peter whose
history is here presented.
Peter M. Schomer was given a good common school education in the schools of Panama and spent all of his summer vacations on the home farm
where he learned from his estimable father all of those little details of attention to the soil which go to make the successful farmer. After leaving school
he remained upon the farm with his father until his marriage. His father had such confidence in his son's ability to manage the farm that he retired from active work and turned the general management of it over to him. He has fully justified his father's faith in his ability to conduct the farm and is now rated among the most successful young farmers of his county. He raises all of the crops which are indigenous to this section of the state and gives due attention the handling of live stock.
Mr. Schomer married Josephine Thielan, daughter of John and Lena (Stoltz) Thielan, and to this marriage has been born one daughter, Cornelia.
The reader is referred to the sketch of John Thielan which is found elsewhere in this volume for further details concerning the Thielan family.
Mr. Schomer has been identified with the Democratic party since reaching his majority, but has not had any definite personal aspirations along
political lines. He and his wife are members of the Catholic church and give it their hearty support at all times.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1507 - 1508.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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The people who have come to this country from Ireland are as substantial and worthy citizens as any who have come from foreign shores, and
wherever they have settled they have become honored and respected citizens. Shelby county, Iowa, is proud to number many of the sons of Erin among its representative citizens. As a race they are characterized by industry and a degree of patience which overcomes all obstacles, thus insuring them success in whatever undertaking they choose to follow. One of the substantial Irish farmers of his county is Thomas Monaghan, of Grove township. He is one of the younger farmers of the township, and yet already has arisen to a prominent position among the men of his township and county.
Thomas Monaghan, the son of Patrick and Bridget (Dean) Monaghan,
was born in Harrison county Iowa, in 1886. His parents were both born
in Ireland, his father in 1839 and his mother in 1850. Patrick Monaghan
left his native land in 1864 and upon coming to America, settled in Scranton,
Pennsylvania, where he engaged in mining for the succeeding fifteen years.
During the time he married and in 1879 he removed with his family to Hay
City, Kansas, where he operated a farm for a short time, and then moved to
Minnesota, but a year later permanently located in Harrison county, Iowa.
He rented land there upon his arrival in 1884, and in 1886 bought one hundred and sixty acres, which he still retains. He has now retired from active
farm life, although he is remaining on his farm. His wife died in 1892.
Eleven children were born to Patrick Monaghan and wife, six of whom are
living.
Thomas Monaghan received his education in the schools of Dunlap, Iowa, and remained at home until he was twenty-five years of age, when he
married and began farming for himself in Shelby county. He immediately bought two hundred and sixty-five acres of land, on which were good improvements and has since added to the general attractiveness of the farm. He has thirty-five acres of natural timber upon his farm, a feature which
deserves to be mentioned in a state where forests are so rare. Mr. Monaghan is one Of the largest stock raisers of the township, and although he has
been established but a few years, has shown that he thoroughly understands the handling of live stock.
Mr. Monaghan was married in 1911 to Nellie Laughran, who was born in Crawford county, Iowa, in 1886, and to this union one daughter, Mazie,
has been born.
Mr. Monaghan is affiliated with the Democratic party, but his extensive agricultural interests have demanded his time and attention, so that he has
not been active in political affairs. He and his wife are devout members of the Catholic church, while Mr. Monaghan holds his membership in the
Knights of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization which includes a large number of the Catholics of this county. Mr. Monaghan is a genial
man and easily wins and retains friends, of whom he has a large number among the citizens of his section of the county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1510 - 1511.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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One of the progressive agriculturists of Grove township, Shelby county,
Iowa, is Andrew J. Sharp, who, by diligent effort and sturdy persistence,
has accumulated a fine farm in this county. He is a man of strong character
and by a consistent course of consecutive effort, has arisen to a position of
affluence as well as influence in his community.
Andrew J. Sharp, the son of George and Mary E. (Patschet) Sharp,
was born December 21, 1870. His father was a native of Indiana and his
mother of Ireland. George Sharp was a soldier in the Civil War, being a
member of Company G, Twenty-sixth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry,
and served throughout the whole war. He was born in 1834 and is still
living in this county. George Sharp moved to Missouri in 1880 and bought
a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, and after living there some years
removed to Shelby county, where he has since lived.
Andrew J. Sharp is one of seven children, five of whom are still living. He received his education in the Missouri common schools, and after leaving
school assisted his father with the work on the home farm until he was twenty-one years of age. He then rented a farm and began farming for
himself in Missouri. A few years later he came to Iowa and located in Grove township, this county, where he purchased a farm.
Mr. Sharp was married September 30, 1908, to Reno (Roundy) Fouts, the daughter of Washington and Vira Roundy, pioneer settlers of Shelby
county.
Mr. Sharp is a Republican in politics, but has never taken an active part in the political affairs of his township and county. However, he takes
an intelligent interest in the civic welfare of his community and such measures as he deems worthy are given his unqualified support.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, p. 1511.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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The nations of the world have contributed of their best blood to the population to the United States, but no nation has given to this country better citizens and more loyal subjects than has Germany. The various revolutions which occurred in Germany during the nineteenth century, while they
were unfortunate for that country, were, on the other hand, a blessing for this country, for during that time thousands of the best people of Germany
fled to the United States and became eager citizens of this country. No more patriotic citizens fought for the North during the Civil War than did the
thousands of German soldiers who enlisted under the Stars and Stripes and gallantly defended the honor of their newly adopted country. We will never forget the services of such men as Carl Schurz, one of the best soldiers of that conflict, and a man who made a great name for himself afterward in the political life of this country. Without exception, the German settlements of this country are characterized by thrift and industry and Shelby county, Iowa, owes a debt to its German population which it can never repay. One of the many excellent German citizens of this county is John Huber, a prosperous farmer of Center township.
John Huber, the son of Frederick and Anna (Seeland) Huber, was born in 1853 in Schleswig, Germany. His father and mother were horn in the same state in 1824 and lived in the land of their birth all of their days, the father dying in 1907.
John Huber was one of three children horn to his parents, one of whom is deceased. It would be very interesting to know the reasons which induced
so many thousands of young Germans to come to this country, but it is safe to assume that they felt that this country offered better opportunities for pecuniary independence for themselves and their descendants. There can be no question but that it has so proved, as can be testified by hundreds in Shelby county alone. In 1873 John Huber was nineteen years old, had a good common school education, was a young man of strong physique and fully able to take care of himself. When he came to this country in that year, his chief asset was his willingness to work, and with this as his capital he felt no hesitancy in leaving his native land and settling in a new country. He first located in Illinois and readily found work on the farms of that state. Two years later he permanently settled in Shelby county, Iowa, and for the first two years worked upon different farms in the county. He then bought three hundred and twenty acres of land in Center township, and as the township was then very thinly settled, he secured his land at a low price. His farm still has on it about forty acres of natural timber land and this one feature has made the land very valuable. He has placed several thousand dollars worth of improvements upon the farm since acquiring it and now has a farm which is easily worth fifty thousand dollars. He has always been a large stock raiser and markets about twenty beef cattle each year.
Mr. Huber was married in 1893 to Elizabeth White, who was born in Harlan in 1866. To this union there have been born three children, Anna,
Ethel and Fred. Anna is a graduate of the Vocational College at Harlan and is teaching school in Westphalia township. Ethel graduated from the
high school at Harlan and is now teaching in the county. Fred is still in school.
Politically, Mr. Huber is allied with the Democratic party but has never been an aspirant for office. He takes an intelligent interest in good government, however, and gives his hearty support to all movements which will bring it about. He and his family are members of the German Lutheran
Church.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 758 - 759.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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The little kingdom of Denmark has furnished a few citizens for Shelby county, Iowa, and these men have proved to be among the most substantial
and influential men of their respective communities. The Danish people have always been recognized as honest, frugal and progressive, and those who have settled in this country have, without exception, been leaders in the localities in which they reside. For the past quarter of a century, Andrew P. Jensen, a native son of Denmark, has been a resident of this county, and in that time he has accumulated a very comfortable competence, while at the same time he has taken his full share of the burdens of civic life. He has gained his prosperity because he saw and utilized the opportunities which came to him.
Andrew P. Jensen, the son of Jim and Mary Jensen, was born July 28, 1866, in Denmark. His father was a lifelong farmer in the land of his birth
and died there in 1886, his wife being still living. To Jim Jensen and wife were born six children, three of whom died in infancy. Those living are
Carrie, Denmark; Andrew P. and Christ, Palo Alto county, Iowa, the two latter being twins.
Andrew P. Jensen was educated in the public schools of Denmark and passed his boyhood days on the farm in the same manner as the boys of this
country. He remained in his native land until after his father's death and then feeling that there were better opportunities in this country for advancement, came to the United States in 1889 and settled in Shelby county, Iowa. He was only twenty-three years of age when he landed in this county and at once he rented a farm in Center township and started in to make his fortune in this new world. He rented land until 1897, and then bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Center township, which he kept until 1912. He then sold this, farm and purchased one hundred and twenty acres in Douglas township, but kept this tract only about a year, when he disposed of it and purchased one hundred and thirty-eight acres in Pottawattamie county, which he still owns. He has now retired from active farming and resides in Harlan, at 212 East Durant street. While engaged in agriculture he raised the grains and fruits common to this locality, and always kept as much live stock on his farm as he could handle, giving special attention to Shorthorn cattle. He has always been recognized as a good business man and in his various dealings with his fellow men has always been very successful.
Mr. Jensen was married February 23, 1893, to Ida Gillett, the daughter of Henry and Margaret (Ruger) Gillett, a native of Orleans county, New
York. The Gillett family are descended from an old and highly respected colonial family and are numbered among the prominent and influential families of New England today. On the maternal side of Mrs. Jensen, the ancestry is of German stock. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Gillett were the parents of eight children: Carrie, who died in infancy; Frank, who married Elizabeth McMullen and has three children, Rose, Roy and one who died in infancy; Ida, the wife of Mr. Jensen; Daniel, who married Alice Haywood, and has three children, Otto, Irma and Grace; Sadie, who married Christopher Stafferson, and has seven children, Verna (who died when five years of age), Arthur, Lola, Victor, Mina, Ivan and Rena; George, who married Mary Petersen, and has eight children, Hazel, Everett, Louis, Russell, Fern, Francis, Vera and Dorothy; Nellie, who married Christ Nelsen, and has one son, Gallard; Alice, who married Frank Haywood, and has six children, Donald, Olive, Harold, Margaret, Dorothy and George. Mr. and Mrs. Jensen have had three children, Elma, Bernice and Earl F., who died in infancy.
Mr. Jensen is a member of the Republican party but has never been active in. its deliberations, preferring to devote his entire time and attention to his agricultural interests. Nevertheless, he is an advocate of good government and has always given his influence to all worthy movements of a civic, moral, or educational nature. He and his family are earnest and loyal members of the Baptist church of Harlan and have always been interested in its various activities. Mr. Jensen has proven a worthy member of the body politic since coming to this county and has made his influence felt for good, being a man of sterling worth, whose life has ever been closely allied with the best interests of his community. His career has been that of a man of high moral character, honest and excellent social qualities, and whose efforts have been for the betterment of the members of his home community.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 832 - 833.
Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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