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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
CHAPTER VII -- EUROPEAN IMMIGRANTS IN SHELBY COUNTYThe rise of the German element in Shelby county begins about 1870. The settlement, which for many years was known as the Colony, centered about Westphalia and the church established there. Elsewhere in this work the history of that church and the names of some of the early settlers of that township appear. This settlement, starting on the bare prairie, with long hauls to market, has developed wonderfully, so that today the settlement comprises not merely Westphalia township, but large and perhaps major portions of the townships of Union, Grove, Washington, Cass and Lincoln, with large representation in the flourishing towns of Defiance, Earling, Panama and Portsmouth. Other important settlements of Germans were established during the seventies and early eighties in the east part of Shelby township and in parts of Fairview and Monroe townships. Many of these men came to these townships from the eastern Iowa counties of Clinton and Scott. Among the German pioneers of Shelby township, one recalls the names of Albertus, Bohlander, Bergman, Bunge, Esch, Eggerss, Flock, Heinen; Kruckenberg, Kistenbracher, Lutt, Marten, Nieman, Peters, Pingle, Pehmuller, Redelien, Studer, Schnack, Schuster, Stoltenberg, Wiese, and Henry Wunder (father of F. F. Wunder, and county recorder Wunder of Harlan). Among the early German settlers in Fairview township were the families of Beuck, Dreyer, Hagge, Hamdorf, Karstens, Muhlenberg, Meier, Neiman, Priester, Scheel and Schmidt. The beautiful territory in the south part of Monroe township, north of the town of Walnut, was settled from 1870 &45; 1874 largely by sturdy German pioneers from Scott, Clinton, and Cedar counties, among whom might be mentioned the following: Ewald Nissen (father of B. B. Nissen), Conrad Mueller, Joseph Graff, William Fischer, John Hass, Harmon Mickel, John Jave, Martin Plahn, Paul Karstens, Jacob Slotfeldt, L. K. Shaffer, Paul Swenning and Hans Tram. There are a good many Germans in the north part of Greeley township. Again, one meets isolated German names in all parts of the county in the early eighties and, to a less extent, in the seventies. One might mention John Coenen and the Lamm brothers at Harlan; J. W. Paulk and the Escher brothers in Lincoln; Peter Mayer at Irwin; Andrew Rasch in Polk; George Eokars, of Douglas; sometimes the Hertert brothers are so included, but they are, strictly speaking, natives of Luxemburg. The German element in Shelby county has contributed much to her well-being and prosperity, and many of them have in the past and are now serving her well in posts of official duty.
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