Joseph Fitzl

Joseph Fitzl, engaged in general farming on section 34, Union township, Worth county, was born July 27, 1879, upon the place which is still his home, his parents being Mathias and Catherine (Tosel) Fitzl, both of whom were natives of Bohemia, where they were reared and married. In 1869 they came to the United States and for a time were residents of Jefferson, Wisconsin. The father spent the winter there, engaged in chopping wood, and in the spring of 1870 he came to Iowa. His first purchase of land made him owner of a tract of forty acres in Cerro Gordo county, a mile south of the Worth county line. In 1874 he sold that farm to his brother-in-law and purchased the present home place, comprising one hundred and twenty acres of rich and productive land in Worth county, now owned by his son Joseph. It was then a tract of raw prairie upon which not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made, but with characteristic energy he began converting it into productive fields. He erected good buildings for those pioneer days, and although he met many of the hardships and privations incident to frontier life, he resolutely carried on the farm work and continued the efforts that resulted in making a good home for his family. He remained upon that farm to the time of his death, which occurred February 14, 1912. His wife survived until September 5, 1913, when she, too, passed away.

Joseph Fitzl of this review spent his youthful days upon the old homestead farm, which he has always occupied. In early life he attended the district schools and mastered the branches of learning therein taught. Through the summer months he aided in the work of the fields, while continuing his education in the winter seasons. After reaching his twenty-third year he took charge of the home farm and continued its cultivation on shares for some time. In 1909 he purchased the place and has thus always resided upon the old homestead, his sister Mary acting as his housekeeper. His farm work is carefully and systematically done and excellent results accrue. Mr. Fitzl is a stockholder in the Bank of Plymouth and also a stockholder in the Farmers' Cooperative Elevator Company and the Farmers' Cooperative Creamery Company of Plymouth.

In his political views Mr. Fitzl is a democrat but has never been an office seeker, nor has he cared for political preferment as a reward for party fealty. He and his sister are members of the Catholic church and they are widely and favorably known in Worth county, where they have always resided, Mr. Fitzl making the family name a synonym for enterprise and successful effort in the field of agriculture.

Source: History of Mitchell and Worth Counites, Iowa, 1918, Vol. II, Pages 646 & 647

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Transcription by Gordon Felland, 11/20/2006