CHICKASAW COUNTY
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HISTORY OF FREDERICKSBURG & VICINITY

By W. S. Pitts

Submitted by Beverly Witmer & Lynn McCleary, March 14, 2013


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NEWSPAPERS. pg 199

The first newspaper published in Fredericksburg was The Independent, Comfort Babcock Editor and Proprietor. The first number was issued the first week in April 1888. He did not publish very long, removed the plant to Nashua.

The second paper, The Fredericksburg News, Don A. Jackson, Editor and Proprietor. Established 1889.

FRED NIEWOHNER. pg 130

Fred Niewohner came to Iowa from Wisconsin. His wife's maiden name was Louisa Neiman. When they came to Iowa they settled in Fayette county. Afterwards they moved to Manly, Worth county. A few years spent there then they came to this township and bought the farm owned by Joseph H. Benedict. This was in 1893, and here he has since resided. Children born to this family: Herman, George, Henry, Martha, Herbert, August, Laura, Emma and Hertha--two dead. Mr. Niewohner is a very thorough farmer and owns one of the fine farms of the township. His buildings are good ones and ample for all the needs of the farm. He has a fine orchard and much small fruit. He is a steady going, money making German, and one of the staunch farmers of Chickasaw county.

PATRICK NOLAN. pg 93

Patrick NoIan, another of our early settlers, was born in Ireland. Over sixty years ago he came to America and made his first stop in Washington county, New York. Here he worked in a foundry for several years. He was married in 1851 to Elizabeth Armstrong. Nine children were born to this union: William, Catherine, James, Francis, Alice, Thomas, Stephen, Maria and Peter.

Mr. Nolan came with his wife to Iowa in 1858, and located on the southwest quarter of section 31-95-11, two miles north of town. He also bought the north half of the southeast quarter of section 31-95-11. Here himself and wife worked hard and opened up a farm and reared their large family. As his children grew up he thought he did not have land enough for them all. He said: "I wanted the boys to have each one a farm of their own." To bring this about he bought a tract of wild land containing 480 acres lying in the southeast part of Fredericksburg township, to-wit: the north half and the southeast quarter of section 34-94-11. In the whole township there is not a more desirable piece of land. A stream of water runs through it from north to south. For three years he raised wheat upon it and each year was an entire failure. Mr. Nolan was discouraged. He was $1800.00 in debt and the inter-est accumulating. He said: "I made up my mind I would change off and give wheat the go by." He went to work and picked up a lot of two-year-old steers, bought them on time, and put them on the rich grass lands. For three years he struggled against cold and storm, living much of the time alone in a little house he had built, watching and caring for his cattle. He sad: "It was the toughest struggle of my life.'' The spring of 1884 be sold his cattle in Chicago for $3,500.00. This amount of money put him out of debt and left $1000.00 for future investments. His children are all away looking out for themselves, except two daughters, Alice and Marie. Mrs. Nolan is a noble woman. Mr. Nolan owned 730 acres of land at the time of his death which occurred in the month of March 1904. Mrs. Nolan and two daughters reside at New Hampton.

LEONARD NOURSE. pg 58

Leonard Nourse, son of Timothy and Lucretia Nourse, was born in Clarendon, Vermont, January 2, 1832. The years of his minority he spent in the east. At the age of twenty-three he left New England and arrived in the state of Wisconsin in 1855. Here, January 1, 1857, he married Miss M. E. Smith, and the 3d day of May, the same year, they came to Fredericksburg. Here, like the rest of the early settlers, he had to scratch, and that right down hard to make a living. He has been very successful, and now owns a fine farm of 390 acres beautifully located. They have one son, D. B. Nourse, who is married and lives on the farm. Mr. L. Nourse has been prominent in town and county work, and has held the position of county supervisor for one or two terms.


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Page created by Lynn McCleary, March, 2013