1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa
Page Index:
Lawrence |
Taylor |
Kroman |
Miller |
Kruckenburg |
Kueppenbender
There are not many settlers in Iowa who came from the state of Georgia, but one of those who has settled in Shelby county, Iowa, is Samuel P. Lawrence. His parents moved from Georgia to Illinois during the Civil War, and thirty-three years ago Mr. Lawrence landed in Shelby county, and has
since been actively connected with its history. He went through all, of the struggles incident to pioneer life, and although he started in with nothing, yet
by his good management and honorable business dealings he has acquired a farm of two hundred and eighty-five acres of well improved land. He has always been much interested in everything pertaining to the civic life of his community. He has served for many years either as trustee or school director of his township. Mr. Lawrence has always been known as a man of the highest integrity.
Samuel P. Lawrence, the son of Thomas and Jane Lawrence, was born
in the state of Georgia, October 2, 1857. His parents were also natives of
that state. His father was an overseer on a plantation in Georgia until 1863,
when he left the state and moved to Illinois with his family. He died shortly
afterwards. Eight children were born to Thomas Lawrence and wife:
James, John, William, Fletcher, Samuel, Mary, Dorothy and Margaret.
James and Samuel are the only ones now living.
Samuel P. Lawrence was six years of age when his parents moved from
Georgia to Illinois, and consequently all of his education was received in the
schools of the latter state. After leaving school he worked as a farm hand
until 1881 when he married and moved to Iowa, locating in Shelby county,
where he purchased eighty acres of land. He has prospered to such a degree
that he is now the owner of two hundred and eighty-five acres of land, on
which he has placed at least eight thousand dollars' worth of improvements.
He has divided his attention between raising crops and breeding of live stock.
He is still actively engaged in farming and has his farm well equipped with
all the latest and best machinery.
Mr. Lawrence was married February 26, 1880, to Mary Bauerle, the
daughter of Frederick and Catharine Bauerle, natives of Germany. To this
union have been horn two sons, John H. and Otto Ray, both of whom are
still single and living with their parents. Mrs. Lawrence's parents were
residents of Illinois, and both of them are now deceased, dying in 1849. They
came from Germany in 1839, and married in New York city.
The family are consistent and faithful members of the Christian church. Fraternally, Mr. Lawrence is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America,
while politically, he has always been identified with the Democratic party. He has served his party in various official capacities. For twelve years he
was the efficient trustee of Cass township, and during that time left no stone unturned whereby the interests of his township might be advanced. As a member of the school board of his township, he gives his enthusiastic support to all measures which he feels will improve the schools. Thus, he has earned the commendation of his fellow citizens, interested in education. He is a man who is alive to the needs of the times and who may be classed definitely among the representative men of the county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1099 - 1100. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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A man who has been identified with the history of Shelby county for the past. forty years is Lieutellas S. Taylor who is now living a retired life
in the county seat. Starting in as a school teacher, he has always been interested in education and has been one of the main sponsors for the educational system which was finally established in this county He took the first petition around for signatures in his district in Lincoln township and as a result became the father of the public school in his own township. For many years he served on the school board of Lincoln township and in this capacity was enabled to carry out many of his ideas in regard to the school system. Such men are a blessing to the community in which they live and it seems peculiarly fitting that the life story of Mr. Taylor be embodied in the history of the county for which he has done so much.
Lieutellas S. Taylor, the son of James and Minerva (Lindley) Taylor, was born December 23, 1841, in Warren county, Indiana. His father was born in Fleming county, Kentucky, March 20, 1817, and his mother was born in Hamilton county, Ohio, June 1, 1825. There were ten children born to James Taylor and wife, seven of whom are living: Albert, Orlando, Ira P., Samantha Jane (Miller), Ella (Plummer), Belle (Nichols) and Lieutellas S. James Taylor moved to Warren county, Indiana, with his parents when he was a young man, married in that county and lived there until he came to Jones county, Iowa, in 1850. There he bought a farm of two hundred and eighty acres of land and lived until his death in 1870. His wife died March 16, 1912.
The early education of Mr. Taylor was received in Jones county, Iowa,
where he came with his parents when he was nine years of age. He was
a young man of exceptional ability and was largely self-educated. Before
reaching his majority, he had begun to teach in the district schools of Jones
county and followed the profession of teaching for seven years with marked
success.
Mr. Taylor was married when twenty-six years of age and under the
inspiration of his wife was successful from the first. He saved the money
which he made in the school room and invested it in land and thus laid the
foundation for his subsequent prosperity. He rented land in Jones county
until 1874 and in that year moved to Shelby county and bought eighty acres
in Lincoln township. He paid ten dollars an acre for the land and was
the first man to break the sod on the farm. He built a rude shack, twelve by
eighteen feet, and started in with no money to grow his first crop. He and
his wife were good managers and by close economy were soon able to add
another eighty acres to their holdings. In the course of a few years they
built a fine home on their farm and set out a large grove of fruit and forest
trees. He made a specialty of raising Shorthorn cattle and made a pronounced success in the handling of his live stock. Several years ago, Mr.
Taylor bought three hundred and twenty acres in South Dakota which he
still retains. In 1904 he sold his farm in Lincoln township and moved to
Harlan where he has since resided.
Mr. Taylor was married April 2, 1871, to Mary E. Mershon, the daughter of Noble and Mary Ann (Van Croft) Mershon. She was born March 20, 1848, in Jones county, Iowa. Her father was a native of Flemming county, Kentucky, and her mother of Union county, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Mershon were married in Ohio and later moved to Jones county, Iowa, where he died in 1900 and she in 1909. Ten children were born to Noble Mershon and wife: Mary E., Alice, Ann, William, Joseph, Asel, Jennie, Charles, Lee and Henry. All of these children are still living with the exception of Joseph.
Mr. and Mrs. Taylor are the parents of six children: Alva W., Benjamin E., Maude, E. Grace, Carl C. and E. May. Alva W. married Gertrude Price and has two children, Mary Ruth and McLean Carsley. Benjamin E. married Lillian Sallter and has seven children, Sylvia, Harold, Hazel, Dorothy, Everett, Marjorie and Richard. Maude is the wife of Guy W. Sarvis and has one son, David. Carl married Uphemia Ramsey. The other
two daughters, Grace and May, are still single and make their home with their parents in Harlan. Grace is a teacher in the Union University of
Nanking, China. May is a teacher in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Politically, Mr. Taylor is a Democrat and has always been actively interested in civic affairs in his township and county. He was assessor in Lincoln
township for several years and served on the school board several terms. The family are members of the Christian church and Mr. Taylor has been an
elder in the church for many years and has always been very much interested in all kinds of church work.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1100 - 1102. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The fertility of the land in Shelby county, Iowa, has attracted men from all over the United States as well as from many foreign countries.
Far away Denmark has sent to this county many sterling citizens and they and their descendants are prominent factors in the county's development.
Andrew H. Kroman was born in this county of Danish parentage, and has met with that success which characterizes all of the Danish farmers of this
county.
Andrew H. Kroman, the son of Peter H. and Katherine (Andersen)
Kroman, was born in Jackson township, Shelby county, Iowa, in 1878.
Peter H. Kroman was a native of Denmark, horn in 1841, and was the son
of Andrew and Johannah Kroman. Andrew Kroman, Sr., was born in
Denmark in 1800 and died in his native land in 1878. Johannah Kroman
died in Denmark in 1843. Five children were born to Andrew and Johannah
Kroman, two of whom are deceased.
Peter H. Kroman was reared in his native land and in 1870 came to
America and settled in Illinois. He worked in that state as a farm hand
for seven years and as soon as he was married, to Katherine Andersen, in
1877, he brought his young bride to Shelby county, Iowa, where he purchased eighty acres of land in Jackson township. He set out two acres of
fruit and forest trees and made extensive improvements upon his land. By
good management and strict economy he was able to add to his holdings
from year to year until, when he retired, in 1910, he was the owner of three
hundred and eighty acres of excellent farming land in Clay and Jackson
townships. Upon the marriage of his son, Andrew H., in 1910, he retired
from the farm and moved to Elkhorn, where he and his wife are now living.
There were two children born to Peter H. Kroman and wife, Johannah
(deceased) and Andrew H.
The education of Andrew H. Kroman was received in the district
schools of Jackson township, and later be became a student in the Highland Park College at Des Moines, Iowa. He took a normal course in this
excellent institution in order to gain a good education. However, the fact
that his father had a large farm and he was the only son caused him to give
up his idea of a professional career and return to his father's farm. Upon
his marriage, in 1910, his father left the farm and Andrew H. took active
charge of part of the large estate of his father. He is now farming two
hundred and twenty acres in such a way as to bring in a handsome revenue
for himself and father. The farm is stocked with only the best grades of
live stock and he feeds most of his grain to the stock, having found by
experience that this is more remunerative than selling the grain. He is a
progressive farmer, keeps in close touch with the latest methods of agriculture, and by his good management has risen to a place of prominence among the progressive and enterprising farmers of his county.
Mr. Kroman was married in 1910 to Christina Christensen, who was born in Jackson township in 1884. She was the daughter of the late Albert
Christensen, one of the early settlers of Shelby county. Mr. Kroman and wife are the parents of one son, Peter M. They are loyal and consistent
members of the Danish Lutheran church and give their hearty support to the denomination of their fatherland. Politically, he gives his support to
the Republican party, and although he is one of the best informed men in his township on the political issues of the day, he has not taken an active part in political matters. The management of his large farm requires the most of his time and attention and, consequently, he has left political matters to others, although his advice is frequently sought by the leaders of his party. Mr. Kroman is a man who is deeply interested in the welfare of his township and county and all public-spirited measures find in him an enthusiastic supporter. He is a man of genial and kindly manner, and he and his wife are held in high esteem by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 702 - 703. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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It is the intention of this volume to record the biographies of strong men who by their industrious and upright lives have made Shelby county
prosperous. We present not only the history of the county but also facts in the lives of those most prominent. George E. Miller, of whom this review is written, is a native of Shelby county, and the son of a well known Shelby county pioneer. His farm, "Pine Grove," is located two and one-half miles west of Harlan, in Lincoln township.
Mr. Miller was born November 6, 1876, on the farm where he now lives: He is a son of Pence Miller, who was born in Jones county in 1851
and who died in 1907. His father was a native of Morley, Iowa, the son of
George W. Miller, of the Buckeye state and a pioneer settler of Iowa. He
was a participant in the famous "Jones County Calf Case," which attracted
national attention some years ago. He died at his residence in Anamosa,
Iowa, in 1913.
Pence Miller came to Shelby county in 1871 and resided on the farm
now owned by his son, George. After his first crop he purchased forty
acres of land in Lincoln township in section fourteen. This was the first
of a long series of wise land investments, his holdings increasing to five hundred acres. He was a prominent Democrat and for many years a leader of the party in Shelby county. His wife was Flora J. Bothwell, a native of
Jones county, now a resident of Harlan. The children of Pence and Flora
J. Miller are George E., Mrs. Lillie M. Simms of Portsmouth, Iowa; Mrs.
Leona Battey of Harlan; Grover P. of Harlan; Chauncey B., a veterinary
surgeon of Manning, Iowa, and Verna J., who is at home.
George E. Miller was educated in the public schools and graduated from
the Harlan high school in 1896. For five years he taught school in Shelby
county. He then engaged in farming, and now is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of the old homestead. His farm is well improved with excellent buildings and fencing, and is very productive. Mr. Miller is also a large cattle buyer.
He was married in July, 1913, to Miss Della Ramsey of Portsmouth,
Shelby county, and is the father of three children: Gladys, aged nine; Audrey,
aged five, and Jeanne Woodrow, an infant.
Mr. Miller is a Democrat, and he is an enthusiastic admirer of President Woodrow Wilson. Having inherited his natural interest in politics
from his father, he has always been more or less active in politics, and was elected to the office of county supervisor in 1910. He began his official
duties January 1, 1911, for a term of three years. He is at present chairman of the board of county supervisors and is an able and earnest official
who gives the interests of his fellow citizens the first consideration. The affairs of Shelby county are wisely administered by Mr. Miller and his board,
and his popularity as a county official and citizen is pronounced. Mr. Miller is a Mason of high degree, having become a member of the Mystic Shriners of Sioux City, Abu Bekr Temple. He is a companionable gentleman, whose friendship is highly valued by the citizens of the county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1150 - 1151. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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Of the many retired farmers now living in Shelby, Iowa, Fred Kruckenburg is an excellent representative. His fine farm of two hundred and eighty
acres is evidence that he has improved every opportunity. He has well performed his duties as a public-spirited citizen and has given his country loyal and enthusiastic support.
Fred Kruckenburg, the son of Henry and Mary (Becker) Kruckenburg, was born in Germany in 1846. His parents lived in Germany all their lives and reared a family of three children, two of whom are still living.
Fred Kruckenburg received a good, common school education in his native land and in 1866, set out for America. He landed in New York
harbor on New Year's Day, 1867, and went at once to Chicago, Illinois. He had learned the carpenter's trade and found plenty of work in Chicago.
The Chicago fire of 1871 gave employment, at good wages, to any carpenter in the city. For six years, Mr. Kruckenburg had all the work that he
could do, and in 1874 came to Avoca, Iowa, to buy land in Shelby county. He worked as a carpenter for a year in Avoca, and for a time in Minden
and Council Bluffs. He then came to Shelby county and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Shelby township, although he still did carpentering. For sixteen years he was a carpenter and contractor in Shelby county, and at the same time added to his land holdings. When he retired in 1906, he owned two hundred and eighty acres of highly-productive and well-improved land, where he had placed four thousand dollars in improvements. He owns four lots and a residence in Shelby and is a shareholder in the Shelby Lumber Company. He is a man of integrity and has always worked for the best interest of his community.
Mr. Kruckenburg was married in 1883 to Christina Alburtus, born in Wisconsin in 1853. To this union has been born one daughter, Minnie, who
is teaching in the high school at Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Politically, Mr. Kruckenburg is a stanch Republican and has always been interested in local politics. The only official position he has ever held
was that of school director, where he was instrumental in raising the standard of the schools of his township. He and his family are loyal members of the German Lutheran church at Shelby. Mr. Kruckenburg was one of the prominent men in the organization of the church and the erection of the
building. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Avoca.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1151 - 1151. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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The ministry of the Gospel is the most honorable profession to which any man can address himself and the one fraught with the most good to
humanity. Wherever the Catholic people settle they always make arrangements to establish a church, and as soon as there are enough children, they start a parochial school. Shelby county, Iowa, has a large Catholic population and the people are liberal contributors to their churches and schools. The parish of St. Joseph at Earling has been in charge of Rev. Bartholomew Kueppenbender for the past two years during which time he has endeared himself to his parishioners and the citizens of the city.
Rev. Bartholomew Kueppenbender, the son of Frank and Anna (Mager) Kueppenbender, was born August 14, 1849, near Cologne, in the Rhine
Province, Germany. His father was a farmer in early life and later operated a flour mill at Dueren, Germany. His parents celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in Germany and then came to America in 1889 and lived with
their son, Bartholomew, who was then stationed at Roseland, Nebraska.
There were ten children born to Frank Kueppenbender and wife, Peter, John,
Anna, Kate, Bartholomew, Werner, Frank, William and two who died in
infancy.
The education of Father Kueppenbender was received in Germany and America. After finishing the course in the common school in his home neighborhood, he entered the college at Dueren and was in attendance there for five years. He then attended Sargenuend College for two years and a half after which he entered the University of Muensten at Westphalia where he remained until 1877. In that year he came to America and located at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he finished his education at St. Francis Seminary.
Immediately after graduating from the college at Wisconsin he was ordained and read his first mass at Omaha, Nebraska, in St. Philomena cathedral. His first assignment was the St. Stephens church at Beachemville, Nebraska, and there he remained for the next twelve years, leaving that parish for St. Francis Sales church at Lincoln, Nebraska, where he remained three years. He was then transferred to the Church of the Assumption at Roseland, Nebraska, where he was stationed eight years. He was next sent to Davenport, Iowa, and given the charge of the St. Joseph church at that place. He remained there only a short time and then was sent to St. Mary's church at Solon, Iowa, where he ministered to the people for four years. The next three years were spent at Bauer, Iowa, where he was in charge of the St. Joseph church after which he was sent to the Mercy hospital at Council Bluffs, Iowa, for a year and a half. In October, 1912, he came to Earling, Iowa, and has since been in charge of the St. Joseph parish in
that place.
He is a man of broad and cosmopolitan sympathies and has already won a place in the affections of the parish. Politically, he is a Democrat and is
interested in everything which pertains to good government. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and deeply interested in the welfare and
success of this Catholic fraternity.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 767 - 768. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs
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