My great great grandfather, Dietrich Winter (Jr.) was born 18 Sep 1861 on the family farm at Meins, Germany. The son of Philip Winter and Elizabeth Hottum. Dietrich was referred to as "Jr." after his grandfather, Dietrich Winter (Sr.), one of the first white settlers in Plymouth Co., Iowa.
Dietrich went to college at Baden-Baden, and then to France to study, upon completing he returned to Heidelberg, Germany, where he worked in a general merchandising business. In 1882, he immigrated to Plymouth county, Iowa. First settling on his aunt, Mrs. John (Katherine Winter) Schneider's farm outside of Hinton and a year later working on his uncle, Louis Winter's farm (the original site of Dietrich Sr.'s cabin) for five years. From there he went to work for the Nigg Drug Store in Merrill.
In 1892, Dietrich moved to Hinton, where he purchased a general merchandising store from B.F. Bogenrief. (This store was the first located in Hinton in 1881. Some of the lumber for the structure of this building was from a country store that was located in Melbourne in 1862.) On June 24, 1894, at the ME Church in Merrill, Iowa, Dietrich wed Estella May Hancer , daughter of Fred and Emma (House) Hancer. Estella complimented the business having vast retail experience from her family at Merrill.
Estella attended country school in Plymouth Township, upon completion she graduated from LeMars High School (most likely a Normal school). Thereafter receiving her teaching certification from Cedar Falls, and teaching the same country school she had attended for one year. She next went to work for her aunt Betty Hancer Haylock's hardware and general store in Merrill, and for a while also worked as a cashier at a Merrill bank.
Dietrich was appointed Postmaster (several terms through out the years) and the office resided in Winter's Store. Estella was a strong Methodist and helped to organize Prohibion and Suffragist support groups.
The Winter's had the following children; (1) Francis Dietrich "Die Die", husband of Lydia Jensen; (2) Georgene Edith , wife of Ollie D. Harrison; (3) Frederick Aldrich , husband of Mildred Cavin; (4) Harold Philip , husband of Nellie C. Carpenter; (5) Leonard Alverne , husband of Ruth Somers; (6) Ivan Paul , husband of Ardyce R. Hickey, and (7) Juanita Jeannette , wife of (1) Gerrit DeGroot and (2) Dr. D. Roemer Smith.
Only "Die Die," who took over the general store and Georgene, whose husband was the manager of the Farmers Co-Operative remained in Hinton. Ivan located in Sioux City and operated Winter's Funeral Home.
The location of the first Winter's Store was at the corner of Main and Highway 75. In ca 1908, the Winter's constructed a much larger store located on Lots 6 and 7 of Block 1. (Some of the rafters this store was built from came for the original store which was constructed from lumber from the Melbourne settlement). Notice the store first operated under the name of D. Winter, Jr. and the new store was changed to the wife's care and called E.M. Winter Merchandise. Dietrich cut ice from the Floyd River and had built an ice house next to the store, so that the patrons of the store could keep food cold, this was considered an unbelievable fete at this time.
Dietrich died June 5th, 1935, at his home in Hinton, and was buried in Graceland Park Cemetery, Sioux City, Iowa. Estella continued to operate and clerk at the store for the rest of her life. She was considered a real "character," lifting 100lb bags of product and scolding any man that thought she couldn't. Estella was in her prime in the days of Prohibition, running a saloonkeeper or two out of town, and she physically and verbally demonstrated for women to have the right to vote. She died October 28th, 1956, at a Sioux City hospital.
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Dietrich Winter taken in LeMars, Iowa by the Carratt Studio in 1890. Dietrich was the son of Philip Winter, and grandson of Dietrich Winter (Sr.) one of the first settlers in Plymouth Co., Iowa in 1856. |
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This photo was taken at Dabb's Studio of LeMars, of Estella May (Hancer) Winter in 1890 |
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Winter's Store as it appeared in 1899, the same year Dietrich and Estella installed a phone (the first in Hinton). The store front was known as Dietrich Winter, Jr. To the south is the Bank of Hinton, the location of these buildings is present day Frank's Folleys on the corner of Main and Highway 75. {at that time the corner of Main and Floyd}.
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Children of Dietrich & Estella Winter Photo taken at Genelli's Studio in Sioux City in October 1907, pictured: Harold, Die Die and Georgene (in the back), and Fred, in the front: Ivan, Juanita and Leonard Winter.
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1909 Estela May Hancer Winter with customers in the interior of the Winter's Store, Hinton, Iowa. The store boosted one of the largest inventories in the area and they worked closely with companies in Omaha, Minneapolis and Chicago to stock their store. The new Winter Store located on Lots 6 and 7, Block One of Hinton, Iowa. (several lots to the north of the first store.) This building is now the home of Sportman's Trading Post at the Pioneer Village in Plymouth County Fair Grounds. |
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Dietrich Winter taken in 1930. | |
Estella Winter taken in 1930. | |
The In-laws: Lydia Jensen Winter, Mildred Cavin Winter, and Nellie Carpenter Winter (standing) and kneeling: Gerrit DeGroot, Ruth Somers and Ollie Harrison. June 7th, 1935, Hinton, Iowa. Winter family: Ivan, Juanita, Leonard, Harold, (Mother) Estella Hancer Winter, Fred, Georgene, and Diedie, taken in Hinton, Iowa, June 7th, 1935. | |
Estella May with her great granddaughter, Candi (Harrison) Herbst, taken at Estella's home in Hinton on February 3rd, 1949. Candi and her family lived with Grandma Winter until 1952, and Estella adored her family so much that the great grandkids had a lot of one on one involvement with her. | |
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