1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa
Page Index:
C. Obrecht |
W. Obrecht |
Ohms |
Olsen |
Parker |
Paulsen
Pedersen |
C. Petersen |
G. Petersen |
Pexton |
Philson
One of the first children born in Shelby county, Iowa, was Charles A. Obrecht,
whose parents came to this county early in the sixties and located in Center
township. His long career in this county has made him familiar with every phase
of its history, and such has been his conduct that he has won the esteem and
respect of all those with whom he has come in contact. As a lad he passed
through all of the experiences incident to the settlement of a new county, and
has vivid remembrances of the grasshopper scourge and the many droughts which
have caused so much financial disaster in the county.
Charles A. Obrecht, the son of Martin and Mary (Bachman) Obrecht, was born
December 8, 1869, in the same township in Shelby county where he has always
lived. His father was a native of France, and his mother of Germany. His father
came to America alone, when he was seventeen years of age, and located first in
Goshen, Indiana, where he lived until his marriage. Some time after his marriage
he brought his family to Shelby county, Iowa, and located in Center township, in
Bowman's Grove. He bought forty acres of government land and increased his
holdings until at the time of his death in 1896 he was the owner of two hundred
and forty acres of well improved land in this township. His widow is making her
home with her son, John. There were nine children born to Martin Obrecht and
wife: George, deceased; William, who married Jennie Bamsey; Letta, the wife of
Milton May.; Charles A., the immediate subject of this sketch; Lillie, the wife
of William Bamsey; John, single; Rufus, who married Maude Gardner; Anna, single,
and Hulda, the wife of Luke Heflin.
Charles A. Obrecht received a limited education in the school of his home
neighborhood. The schools of his day were very meager and he has supplemented
his education by wide reading. He remained at home helping his father on the
farm until he was twenty-one years of age and then began working for himself by
renting a farm. In 1891, he bought the farm of eighty acres on which he is now
living, and has placed extensive improvements upon it since acquiring it. He
raises about forty acres of corn each year and feeds all of it to his cattle and
hogs, having found by experience that this is the most profitable way of
farming.
Mr. Obrecht was married March 15, 1899, to Jennie Palmer, the daughter of Taylor
and Hattie Palmer, and to this union three children have been born, Clyde, Ethyl
and Elliott,
The parents of Mrs. Obrecht were both natives of Iowa, and lived in Jasper
county for a number of years before locating in Shelby county. They were early
settlers in Jackson township, Shelby county, where they farmed until 1902. In
that year they moved to Harlan, Iowa, where they are now living. They have
reared a family of eight children: Mary, Jennie, Charles, Lee, Cora, Joseph,
Everett and Daisy.
Politically, Mr. Obrecht is a stanch adherent of the Democratic party, but he
has never had any political aspirations. Mrs. Obrecht is a consistent member of
the Methodist Episcopal church, and is deeply interested in the various
activities of that denomination. Mr. Obrecht has been successful in winning the
confidence and esteem of the entire community in which he has resided for so
many years, and is now numbered among the enterprising and progressive farmers
of his locality. By his genial and unassuming manner he easily wins friends and
always retains them because of his upright manner of living.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1132 - 1133. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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One of the best known farmers and stock breeders of Shelby county is William
Obrecht, who was born in the county where he has spent his whole life of more
than half a century. He is thoroughly modern and up-to-date in all his farming
methods and has made a distinct success in his chosen oc-cupation. His German
ancestry has endowed him with all those sterling characteristics which
distinguish the peoples of that country and as a result he is today one of the
most substantial farmers of his county.
William Obrecht, the son of Martin and Mary (Bachman) Obrecht, was born in
Center township, in this county, on December 1, 1862. Martin Obrecht was born in
Germany in 1835 and came to this country in 1853, settling in Elkhart county,
Indiana. He remained there until 1857 and then came to Shelby county, Iowa, and
entered land in Center township. He built a rude log cabin, broke his land and
put out the first crops which were ever on the land. In 1860 he returned to
Elkhart county and married Mary Bachman, who was born in Germany in 1840. She
left her native land with her parents when she was a small girl and settled in
Elkhart county, Indiana. In 1862 Martin Obrecht enlisted in the Twenty-first
Regiment of Iowa Vol-unteer Infantry at Harlan and served until the close of the
war. He saw hard fighting and was severely wounded in the side in one battle. He
was discharged in Tennessee in the spring of 1865 and at once returned to his
family in this county. He lived in the log cabin for the first five years and
then built a small frame house. At that time there were no towns nearer than
Council Bluffs where he could do his trading and find a market for his crops.
There were many gloomy years before he had his farm improved and in shape to
bring good crops, but with true German thrift and perseverance he overcame all
obstacles and at the time of his death, in 1896, he had one of the best improved
farms in the township. His widow is still living on the old home farm in Center
township. To Martin Obrecht and wife were born~ nine children, only one of whom
is deceased.
William Obrecht received a very limited education, owing to the fact that there
were no good schools in his boyhood days. At an early age he began to assist his
father on .the farm and when he was married his father gave him eighty acres in
Jefferson township. He lived upon this farm for five years and then sold it and
bought the farm of two hundred and forty acres in Center township, where he is
now residing. He has made some ex-tensive improvements upon the farm since
acquiring it and now owns one of the most attractive farms in the county. He has
a fine fruit tree orchard of three acres and takes a great deal of pride in its
care. He has won prize~on his fruit at county fairs and has found that it pays
to spray an orchard if the best results are to be obtained. He is a breeder of
Chester White hogs and has won frequent prizes on some of his best hogs at the
county fairs. He formerly handled pure blooded Morgan horses and had the best to
be found west of the Mississippi river.
Mr. Obrecht was married in 1885 to Jennie Bamsey. She is the daugh-ter of Mr.
and Mrs. William Bamsey and was born in 1865 in the state of New York. Her
father was a farmer in his native state and came to Shelby county in 1882, where
he followed farming until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Ohrecht are the parents of
eight children, Charles, Benjamin, Martin, Mary, Alta, Rose, Nettie and Wayne.
All of the children are unmarried except Charles and still living with their
parents.
Politically, Mr. Obrecht is a Democrat but has never taken an active part in
political matters. However, he was clerk of his township at one time and filled
the office with entire satisfaction to his fellow citizens. Fraternally, he is a
member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 812 - 814. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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The success which has attended tbe efforts of the many German citizens of Shelby
county shows that they are excellent farmers and business men. They came to this
country to give their children better opportunities than they could receive in
their native land and it must be exceedingly gratifying to them to note that
their wishes in this respect have been fulfilled. They are seeing their children
receive the best education which the schools of this state afford and know that
their future is assured. What more could fond parents wish than that their
children should have better opportunities than they themselves had. A sterling
German-American farmer of this county who has been unusually successful is
Nicholas H. Ohms, of Jackson township. He has not only accumulated a fine farm
but he has also taken an important part in the civic life of his community.
Nicholas H. Ohms, the son of Claus Henry and Anna Marie (Elley) Ohms, was born
December 19, 1867, in Schleswig, Germany, and has been a resident of this county
for the past thirty-three years. His father was born in Germany in 1834 and was
a farmer and cooper. His mother was born in Denmark in 1829. He came to Iowa in
1870 and located in Davenport, April 11, 1870, where he followed the cooper's
trade until 1881. In 1877 he came to Shelby county and bought eighty acres of
land in Jackson township, but returned to Davenport after a year's residence and
lived there until 1881. In that year the family permanently located in Shelby
county. He improved the land and prospered to the extent that he was able to
double his farm in acreage before his death, February 6, 1901. His widow passed
away in 1910.
Nicholas H. Ohms was the only child of his parents and was only two years of age
when they came to this country. He received the most of his education in
Davenport, Iowa, being fourteen years old when his parents settled in this
county in 1881. Nicholas H. has always lived upon the same farm in this county
and upon the death of his father came into possession of the home farm of one
hundred and sixty acres. He has made extensive improvements on the farm and now
has one of the most attractive farms in the county. He raises all the crops
peculiar to this section of the state and pays considerable attention to the
raising of live stock. His farm produces about one hundred head of hogs and from
fifteen to twenty head of cattle annually.
Mr. Ohms was married February 24, 1893, to Anna M. Hansen. She is the daughter
of Hans N. and Cecelia Marie Hansen and born in Denmark, October 1, 1872. To
this union there have been born nine children, Anna, Cecelia, Henry, Elise, Hans
D., Clara, Nellie, Emma and Mabel. All of these children are still single and
are now living with their parents.
Mrs. Ohms came to America in 1890 and made her home in Shelby county. Her mother
died in Denmark in 1891. Her father came to Shelby county in 1898 and made his
home in Harlan where he died in 1904. Hans N. Hansen was the father of nine
children: Lars, of Nebraska; Knud, of California; Sopha, deceased; Anna Marie
(Ohms); Hans N., Harlan; Hans, deceased; Albert; Elise (Tobias), Minnesota;
Peter, deceased.
In politics Mr. Ohms is a Republican and has always been more or less interested
in local political matters. At different times in the past he has served as
school director and township trustee and filled both of these offices to the
entire satisfaction of the citizens of the township irrespective of their
political affiliations. He and the members of his family belong to the Lutheran
church.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 794 - 795. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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No country in Europe has sent better citizens to Shelby county, Iowa, than
Denmark, and in whatever profession these sturdy Danes have entered they have
prospered and become leaders in their respective lines. in this county they have
become farmers, merchants and professional men, and in each line of activity
have made a pronounced success. James C. Olsen was a tailor in his native land,
and upon coming to this county followed the same occupation and has built up a
business which is second to none in the county. He has done this because he is
an expert in the tailor trade and gives universal satisfaction to his customers.
James C. Olsen, the son of Jens and Christina (Thompson) Olsen, was born in 1865
in Denmark. His father was born in 1828, and his mother in 1831, and both of
them lived all of their days in the land of their birth, the mother dying in
1890, and the father in 1911, both being buried at Karlby, Denmark. To this
worthy couple were born nine children, four of whom are living.
James C. Olsen left school at the early age of fourteen, but by this time had
received a good common school education in the schools of his native land, for
there is no country in Europe which has a better system of common school
education than Denmark, the percentage of illiteracy in that land being as low
as that of any country in the world. Upon leaving school James Olsen at once
apprenticed himself to a tailor and worked at his trade until 1888, at which
time came the turning point in his career. The historian can picture young James
C. Olsen and his bride as they were talking of their marriage in 1887. The
question arose as to whether they should stay in the land of their birth or come
to America, the land of opportunity, and seek their fortune in this country.
Many of their countrymen had come to Iowa, and settled in Shelby county, and no
doubt, had sent glowing reports back of the opportunities which were to he found
everywhere in this country. James C. Olsen and his young wife were not to be
dismayed by the long trip, and after carefully talking it over, decided that
they, too, would leave their native land, as had thousands of their friends and
relatives, and come to the United States. Immediately after their marriage, in
1887, they came to Iowa, and first settled in Avoca, where James found
employment in a tailor shop. A year later they moved to Harlan, where he worked
for two years and then started a tailoring shop of his own, which has prospered
from the beginning. He worked hard, gave conscientious service to his customers
and gradually built up a trade which now demands the employment in the shop of
two other tailors besides himself. He has invested in property in the city and
now, in addition to his own home, owns three acres of lots on South Tenth
Street, which he considers a very good investment.
Mr. Olsen was married in 1887 to Sine Carlson, who was born in Denmark in 1868,
and to this union nine children have been born, Ida, Olga, Elva, Rose, Viggo,
Alma, Theodore, Leroy and Alice. Ida and Olga are trained nurses in Omaha,
Nebraska, and Ida was at one time a teacher in the schools of Shelby county;
Elva is a telephone operator in Harlan, and Rose is clerking in one of the city
stores, while the other children are still at home and attending school.
In politics, Mr. Olsen identified himself with the Democratic party upon coming
to this country and when he acquired the right to vote cast his ballot for the
candidates of that party. He has taken an active interest in the civic
development of his home city, and although an adopted citizen he has taken his
place in the affairs of government and has done everything he could to benefit
his fellow citizens. He served on the city council of Harlan and while a member
of same was one of the leaders in the fight for sewers and street paving. Every
measure which he felt would benefit the city in any way received his hearty
encouragement and upon retiring from the office he had the satisfaction of
feeling that he had been of some benefit to the community. He and his family are
earnest members of the Danish Lutheran church, and in its prosperity they are
deeply interested. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows and the Modern Woodmen of America and takes a warm interest in the work
of these.two fraternal organizations. Mr. Olsen is a fine type of the selfmade
man and deserves a great deal of credit for the success which has attended his
efforts since coming to this county. He is a man of clean life and habits and no
citizen in the county is more highly respected than he, none standing higher in
the esteem and confidence of his fellow citizens.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1465 - 1467. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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The population of Shelby county, Iowa, has been drawn not only from all parts of
the United States, but from many foreign countries as well. The whole history of
this county is comprehended within the last half century, although there were a
few settlers in the county before that time. It is surprising to note the large
number of Civil War veterans who located in this county a few years after the
war. One of the many veterans of the Civil War to locate in this county is
Walter R. Parker, who is now living a retired life in Harlan. He has lived in
Harlan for the past thirty-four years, during which time he has been identified
with the business life of the county seat. He is a man of unquestioned integrity
and honesty, and has conducted his business affairs in such a way as to win the
esteem of his fellow citizens.
Walter R. Parker, the son of Matthew and Levina (Darrow) Parker, was born June
25, 1842, in Lempster, New Hampshire. His parents were both born in the same
place and after their marriage lived in Hartford, Vermont, for a short time. In
1851 Matthew Parker and family moved to Orland, Indiana, where he followed the
occupation of a farmer. Ten children were born to Matthew Parker and wife:
James, Melissa, Mary, Matthew, John, Edward, Edwin, Walter R., Frank, and one
who died in infancy. All of these children are now deceased with the exception
of Walter R. and Frank, the latter being a resident of Angola, Indiana. Five of
these sons served in the Civil War, Matthew, Frank, Edwin, Edward and Walter R.
Edwin died in Andersonville prison.
Walter R. Parker was nine years of age when his parents moved from Vermont to
Orland, Indiana, and consequently received his education in those states,
completing it in the graded schools of Orland, Indiana. His parents died when he
was fourteen years of age and he lived with his brother, James, from that time
until he enlisted for service in the Civil War in 1862.
Mr. Parker enlisted in Company B, One Hundredth Regiment, Indiana Volunteer
Infantry, at Orland, Indiana, in August, 1862. He joined the regiment at Fort
Wayne and was at once sent to Indianapolis, from which point his regiment was
sent to Mississippi to participate in the campaign against Vicksburg, and he
fought in all of the battles which preceded the fall of that city on July 4,
1863. Later he was in the Atlanta campaign and was with Sherman's army on its
march northward through North and South Carolina, being present at the final
surrender of Johnson on April 26, 1865. His regiment was in the grand review at
Washington, D. C., on May 24 and 25, 1865. He was commissioned a second
lieutenant and before he was finally mustered out in June, 1865, he was promoted
to the rank of first lieutenant. The Civil War record of Mr. Parker was filled
with hardships of all kinds, and although he had many narrow escapes, he is
still living to recall the story of that memorable conflict.
Immediately after the close of the war he went to Clinton, Iowa. but shortly
afterward located in Tama City, this state. He first engaged in the buying and
selling of grain and later in the drug business for three years. He then moved
to Missouri Valley, Iowa, where he lived until 1880, in which year he moved to
Harlan and opened a billiard room, later engaging in the drug business, and
continued to manage a drug store in Harlan until he finally retired from active
work.
Mr. Parker was married January 20, 1870, to Ruth N. Condon, the daughter of
Griffith and Elizabeth (Edwards) Condon. Mr. Condon was born in Indiana county,
Pennsylvania, and his wife was a native of Bedford county, of the same state.
The mother of Mrs. Parker died in 1849, and then her father moved to Scott
county, Iowa, where he married Anna Kerr, a native of Pennsylvania. To the first
marriage of Griffith Condon were born five children: Sarah Ellen, Ruth Ann,
Thomas, Elizabeth and Mary Jane. To Mr. Condon's second marriage were born two
sons, Griffith and David.
Mr. Parker and his wife have two sons, Arley Verne and Edward G. Arley V. is a
mason and one of the prominent citizens of Harlan. He married Lizzie E. Eokers,
and has two children, George and Verne; Edward G. is a painter living at Omaha,
Nebraska. He married Charlotte White, and has three children, Ruth, Walter and
Harold.
Mr. Parker and his wife are consistent members of the Presbyterian church of
Harlan, and are interested in the welfare of their denomination. He is a member
of the Grand Army of the Republic Post at Harlan, and has always been active in
the affairs of the post. Mr. Parker is a man who has been interested in
everything which pertained to the welfare of his home city, and being a man of
progressive ideas and original methods he has contributed not a little to the
advancement of his city.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1473 - 1475. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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The German immigrants to this country have been distinguished above all others
for their thrift, economy and perseverance, qualities which have gained for them
success almost without fail in whatever situation they have been placed. Our
country can boast of no better or more law-abiding class of citizens than the
great number of German people who have found homes within her borders. Though
holding dear and sacred their beloved mother country they are none the less
devoted to the fair country of their adoption. Wherever they settle they do
their full share in the work of progress and their frugality and industry have
often proven an incentive to less industrious citizens.
Paul K. Paulsen, son of Jens and Anna (Boysen) Paulsen, was born August 1, 1861,
in Langenhorn, Germany. He was given a good education in the schools of his home
country and when twenty-one years of age, decided to come to this country where
he might find better opportunities for advancement. He at once located in
Crawford county, Iowa, and a year later came to Shelby county and worked at
Irwin for about three months in the hardware store of Clinton Walrod, after
which he started to work for Fred Cold in a general merchandise store. He worked
here for about four and one-half years, and then. succeeded him in the business
in partnership with A. C. Allen. This partnership lasted for one year, when
Peter Steenhusen bought out the interest of Mr. Allen. The firm of Paulsen &
Steenhusen continued for the next five years, at which time Mr. Paulsen bought
out the interest of his partner and took over the entire store, and has since
1893 managed it alone. He increased the stock in order to meet the rapidly
growing demands of his trade, with the result that in 1900 he was compelled to
erect a new building in order to care for his trade properly. Accordingly he put
up a large twenty-five by ninety foot brick building with basement, and is now
using this entire building for his stock of general merchandise. He carries a
complete line of those goods which are usually handled in department stores in
towns of this size, and has a large trade in Irwin and the surrounding
community. Mr. Paulsen has also invested in land in this county and now owns
two. hundred and seven acres of fine farming land in Polk and Jefferson
townships. In 1893 he built a large, twelve-room, modern house in Irwin, and in
1912 remodeled this home and made it one of the largest and most attractive
homes in the city.
Mr. Paulsen was married February 26, 1888, to Marie Gorichs, who was born in
Westphalia, Germany, on March 29, 1870. Her parents, Andreas and Katrina (Kampman)
Gorichs reared a family of eight children, George, Andreas (deceased), William,
August, Mrs. Lisette Fonken, Mrs. Dina Schwab and Carl. Mrs. Paulsen's father
died in Germany in 1880, at the age of fifty-six. The Gorichs family with the
exception of one son, Carl, came to the United States in 1883. The mother died
in 1902 at the age of seventy-six. Mrs. Paulsen's father was a railroad man in
Germany. George is living in Meriden, Kansas. Mrs. Fonken is living in Clark
county, South Dakota. Mrs. Schwab makes her home in Harlan and Carl is still
living in Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Paulsen are the parents of eight children, all
of whom are still living with their parents but the oldest son. These children
in the order of their birth are as follows: August, born March 22, 1889; Carl,
born May 29, 1891; Anna, born December 25, 1892; William, born March 13, 1897;
Elsie, born July 25, 1898; Alfred, born February 10, 1901; Theodore, born June
11, 1903; Alice, born August 21, 1905. August, the eldest son, is a graduate of
the civil engineering department of Ames College 1912, and is now working for
the Iowa Highway Commission. Carl is a graduate of the Harlan high school 1910,
took a course in the Iowa Business College and is now assisting his father in
the store. All of the other children are now in the public schools but Anna who
is assisting in the store of her father. She is a graduate of the Harlan high
school 1912 and has passed the teachers' examination in the state but has never
taught school. Mr. and Mrs. Paulsen are justly proud of their interesting family
of children and have given them every educational advantage.
Mr. Paulsen has two sisters who are now living in this country, Mrs. Eline Lage,
Manning, Iowa, and Mrs. Margarete A. Zabel, Omaha, Nebraska. In 1885, Mr.
Paulsen's parents came to this country, where they resided with their children
until the death of the father in 1902. The mother is now living at Manning,
Iowa.
On June 2, 1914, Mr. Paulsen, his wife and Alice and Theodore started on a trip
to Germany for the purpose of visiting relatives and seeing the old world as a
part of the children's education. It is needless to say that the trip was very
enjoyable in every particular. Politically, Mr. Paulsen is a stanch Republican
in politics, but his political service has been confined to his membership in
the town council of Irwin. He and his family are all loyal members of the German
Lutheran church and contribute generously of their means to its support. Mr.
Paulsen is a fine example of the selfmade German citizen, a man who started at
the foot of the ladder, and by his own exertions has attained a position of
prominence in his county. He is a man of remarkable business ability and by the
application of those German characteristics of frugality and honesty, he has
built up a very lucrative trade in Irwin and the surrounding territory.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 714 - 716. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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In the year 1878 an ambitious, young Danish lad had just reached his majority.
He had a rugged constitution and an ambition to do something, and as there
appeared to be very little opportunities in his native land, he finally induced
one of his brothers to loan him enough money to come from Denmark to America,
where many of his countrymen had already settled. Upon coming to America he
immediately went to Iowa and located in Shelby county, where he found
employment, it had taken all of his borrowed money to get to this country, and
this same young man who arrived here in 1878, penniless, is now the owner of
five hundred acres of fine farming land in Clay township, and four hundred and
eighty acres of land in Canada. Such, in brief, is the history of Peter
Pedersen, than whom there is no more enterprising and successful farmer in
Shelby county.
Peder Pedersen, the son of Peder and Christina (Christensen) Pedersen, was born
in Denmark on October 14, 1857. His father was born in 1815 and his mother in
1822, and neither of them ever left the land of their birth, his father dying in
1867 and his mother in 1909. Peder Pedersen, Sr., followed the trade of a
blacksmith in Denmark all of his days. He and his wife reared a family of twelve
children, five of whom are deceased.
Peder Pedersen left his native land in 1878 to seek his fortune in America. He
came to Shelby county, Iowa, where many of his fellow countrymen had previously
located and found employment as a farm hand on the farms in this county. He then
married and rented a farm of sixty-two acres in Clay township, but was soon in a
position to buy a farm of one hundred acres in the same township. Because of his
unceasing industry and good management, success met him at every turn, and the
one hundred acres grew to five hundred acres, while at the same time he has been
able to keep his land well improved. No less than ten thousand dollars' worth of
improvements have been placed by Mr. Pedersen upon his land, and the once
penniless youth is now one of the wealthiest men of the county. He has also
invested in land in Canada, and one of his sons is now managing his four hundred
and eighty-acre farm in that country. This son also owns four hundred and eighty
acres adjoining his father's tract, making nine hundred and sixty acres in all.
It seems like a fairy tale when it is recalled that Mr. Pedersen was glad to
work for thirteen dollars a month when he came to this country in 1878, and yet
handicapped as he was by not having any money to invest, he has prospered beyond
his expectations. With good judgment he has stocked his farm with only the best
grade of stock and has been especially interested in the breeding of Shorthorn
cattle. It is safe to say that he is interested in everything pertaining to the
development and advancement of his county's welfare, and to this end he has
given his hearty support to all public spirited measures.
Mr. Pedersen was married in 1881 to Anna C. Nesby, who was born in Denmark on
October 2, 1861, the daughter of Jens C. Nesby, and to this union fourteen
children have been born. Of these children four are deceased, Edna, Lillie, and
two were named Tema. Seven of the children are still living with their parents:
Ida, Henry, Tharval, Agnes, Esther, George and Wilford. One of the sons,
William, is living on his father's farm in Canada. Peder also lives on a half
section of land in Canada, which he owns. James also owns and tills one hundred
and sixty acres of land in Canada.
In politics, Mr. Pedersen gives his hearty support to the principles and
policies of the Republican party, and while interested in everything pertaining
to his community's welfare, yet has never been an aspirant for public office.
His advice on political matters has frequently been sought by the leaders of his
party, but he has preferred to give his entire time and attention to his own
interests and leave the management of politics to those who have more time to
devote to it. He and his family are loyal and consistent members of the Baptist
church and give it their unreserved support at all times. Fraternally, he is a
member of the Modern Woodmen of America.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 744 - 745. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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Standing in New York harbor there is a statue which in many respects is the most
important piece of sculpture which the world has ever known. The statue of
Liberty sympolizes a truth which has brought to this country people from every
corner of the globe and there can be no doubt but that the magic word "Liberty"
has been the talisman which has drawn to these shores the oppressed of every
land. It is not too much to say that the most important document which has ever
been given to the world is the Declaration of Independence, a document which has
made the American nation what it is today. It explains the presence of the
Danes, the Germans, the Norwegians, the French, the Irish, the English, the
Scotch and the peoples of every other nation whose representatives are found in
Shelby county, Iowa. Among the Danes who have come to this country and settled
in Shelby county, there is no one more worthy of mention than Carl Petersen, a
substantial farmer and stockman of Jackson township.
Carl Petersen was born in Denmark, January 10, 1850, and is the son of Peters
and Maren (Langesen) Eskesen. His father was born in Denmark in 1804 and lived
the life of a carpenter there until his death in 1884. His mother was born in
Denmark in 1814 and died in her native land in 1894.
Carl Petersen was given a good common school education in the schools of his
native land and when he reached the age of twenty-one he came to America and
landed in Galveston, Texas, and then went to Lake Charles, Louisiana, and for
two years worked in the saw mills of that city. He next went to southern Texas
and for a time worked in Galveston and Houston. Later he went up the Mississippi
river to Davenport, Iowa. He worked on a farm in Scott county, Iowa, for a short
time and then went to Pottawattamie county, Iowa in 1875, where he worked on a
farm for five years. While working in the latter county he invested his earnings
in eighty acres of land in Jackson township, Shelby county, and in 1880 moved to
his Shelby county farm and started to make his farm a paying proposition. He
lived upon his farm alone for two years, when he married and began a career of
prosperity which has continued down to the present time. He has placed over ten
thousand dollars' worth of improvements on his land and has added to his
holdings from time to time until he now has one of the most attractive farms in
the county. His acreage has increased from eighty to three hundred and seven
acres and no more productive land is being tilled in the county at the present
time. He raises a large amount of live stock each year and finds a ready sale
for all of his farm products.
Mr. Petersen was married August 16, 1882, to Christina M. Larsen, who was born
in Schleswig, Germany, September 10, 1857. To this union have been born twelve
children, Mrs. Mary Albertsen, Mrs. Anna Noon, Mrs. Laura Armentrout, Peter A.,
Mrs. Rose Armentrout, Mrs. Ella Dettlop, John, Carl, Alfred, Louise, Minnie and
William. All of the married children are living in this county and all of the
unmarried children are still at home with their parents.
Mr. Petersen and his family are all members of the Danish Lutheran church.
Politically, he is a Democrat and has always been more or less active in local
politics. He has been trustee of his township and has also served as school
director, giving universal satisfaction in both official capacities. Mr.
Petersen started in with practically nothing and now has attained to a very
comfortable position in life. It is not the mere accummulation of wealth which
makes a man a useful member of society, but rather that he should rear a family
of children to lives of usefulness and honor. This Carl Petersen and his good
wife have done and their interesting family of twelve children is the best
evidence that he has been a useful citizen of his county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 811 - 812. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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The Danish population of Shelby county, Iowa, numbers many hundred, and without
exception they are among the most prosperous and substantial citizens of the
county. George L. Petersen is one of the many farmers of the county of Danish
descent and is one of the solid and thrifty citizens of his township, where he
owns nearly two hundred acres of land. He is an extensive stock raiser, and in
every phase of farming, has met with remarkable success. He has been one of the
most active and leading citizens in the agricultural and stock raising interests
of his county, and his labors have been a potent force in making this county one
of the leading agricultural counties of Iowa. While he has been primarily
engaged in advancing his own interests, yet he has given what aid he could to
his neighbors and the general public in advancing the welfare of his community.
George L. Petersen, the son of Peter and Mary (Larson) Petersen, was born in
Cedar county, Iowa, April 11, 1879. His parents were both born in Alsen,
Denmark, his father in 1840, and his mother in 1838. They were educated in the
schools of their native land and lived there until after their marriage. They
came to America in 1874, and located in Davenport, Iowa, where Peter Petersen
worked for a transfer company under the management of one of the railroad
companies entering that city. A few years later, having saved some money, he
went to Cedar county, and rented a farm there until 1884. In that year he moved
with his family to Jackson township, this county, where he located on the same
farm where his son, George L., is now living. He farmed until 1901, when he
retired from general work, although he is still living on the farm. Two children
were born to Peter Petersen and wife, George L. and Christian D., who married
Laura Lund.
George L. Peterson was five years old when his parents moved from Cedar county
to Shelby county, Iowa. All of his education has been received in this county.
He remained with his father on the home farm until he was twenty-two years of
age, and upon his marriage his father gave him one hundred and fifty-nine acres,
which he is still farming. To this he has added forty acres, so that he now has
one hundred and ninety-nine acres of excellent farming land in Jackson township.
He has placed several thousand dollars' worth of improvements upon his farm and
has it in a shape where it is yielding him a handsome return annually. He raises
about seventy acres of corn a year, which will average about four thousand
bushels. He feeds the most of it to his cattle and hogs, feeding about one
hundred head of hogs and twenty-five head of cattle for the market annually.
Mr. Peterson was married on August 22, 1900, to Emily Hess, the daughter of
Chris and Eliza (Doonan) Hess, and to this union three children have been born,
Leonard, Roy and Vernie, all of whom are still living with their parents.
Mrs. Peterson's parents were born in Denmark and London, England, respectively.
Her father came to America when he was a young man and located at Davenport,
Iowa, and later moved to Illinois and farmed in that state. He was married in
Illinois and shortly after his marriage moved to Shelby county and bought a farm
in Jackson township, where he lived until 1911. In that year he retired from the
farm and moved to Harlan, where he and his family are now living. Mr. Hess and
wife are the parents of twelve children, Alvin, Henry, Lena, Emily, Chris,
Annie, Herman, Ernest, Leonard, May, June and one who died in infancy.
Politically, Mr. Petersen is a stanch adherent of the Republican party, and has
always taken more or less interest in local politics. At present he is holding
the position of school director in his township, and giving this office the same
careful attention which he devotes to his own private affairs. He is a member of
the Danish Brotherhood and is interested in everything which pertains to the
advancement of the Danish citizens of the county.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1140 - 1142. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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James Frederick Pexton, a prosperous druggist and pharmacist of Harlan, Iowa,
was born in 1863 in New York state. His forefathers on both sides of the family
came from England, his father, Thomas Pexton, being born in Yorkshire, and his
mother, Ann Wishart, a native of the same shire, her birth occurring in 1821.
Thomas Pexton was the son of John Pexton, who also was born in England. John
Pexton left England and settled in Westmoreland, New York, retiring from active
labor a few years before his death in 1864. Thomas Pexton, the father of the
immediate subject of this review, spent the rest of his days in Westmoreland,
New York. He had a great memory for historical events and was frequently called
upon by his friends and neighbors for historical data. He died in 1897, his wife
having died in 1882. Thomas Pexton and wife were the parents of eight children:
Thomas, a manufacturer of Dayton, Ohio; Mrs. Mary Brown; Emma, who is keeping
house for her brother, Thomas, at Dayton. Ohio; Sarah, who is living with her
brother and sister in Dayton, Ohio; William, who died when a young man; Charles,
who died in 1909; Albert, who is the superintendent of a foundry at Dayton,
Ohio, and James Frederick, whose history is here recorded.
James Frederick Pexton was given a good, common school education, but was early
seized with a desire to travel. When he was seventeen years of age he started
westward from his native state and finally located in Grinnell, Iowa, where he
began clerking in a drug store. He devoted himself to a study of the drug
business and made an efficient clerk, remaining there for three years. In 1883
he came to Harlan and has been in the drug business ever since. He carries a
full line of drugs and druggists' sundries and has his full share of the trade
in the city and of the surrounding community. Mr. Pexton always has been
interested in, the welfare of his city and county. He has been a member of the
city council of Harlan. While serving in this important public position he
favored every measure which would benefit the city in any way. It is interesting
to note in this connection that the old history of Shelby and Audubon counties
was typewritten in his store in 1886.
Mr. Pexton was married in 1888 to Lillian McNamar, who was born in Wabash
county, Indiana, in 1867, and to this union have been born two sons: Frederick,
born 1889, a graduate of Creighton College School of Pharmacy at Omaha,
Nebraska, and now clerking in his father's store; Raymond, the younger son, born
in 1891, and a graduate of the high school at Harlan. The family are all loyal
members of the Episcopal church and devoted to its interests.
The Democratic party has claimed the support of Mr. Pexton since he was old
enough to vote, and although always taking an active interest in good government
and all that it implies, he never has been an aspirant for any public office. He
has been content to serve his city on several occasions but has never been a man
to mingle in county politics to any great extent. Fraternally, he is a member of
the Knights of Pythias at Harlan and takes an active interest in the workings of
this fraternal organization.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1488 - 1489. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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Agriculture has been an honored vocation from the earliest ages and as a usual
thing men of honorable and humane impulses, as well as those of energy and
thrift, have been patrons of husbandry. The free, out-of-door life of the farm
has a decided tendency to foster and develop that independence of mind and self
reliance which characterizes true manhood and no truer blessing can befall a boy
than to be reared in close touch with nature in the healthful, life-inspiring
labor of the fields. The farm always has been the fruitful soil from which have
sprung the moral bone and sinew of the country, and the majority of our nation's
great warriors, renowned statesmen and distinguished men of letters were born
"near the soil" and were indebted largely to its early influence for the
distinction which they have attained.
Samuel J. Philson, one of the most prosperous farmers and stock breeders of
Lincoln township, this county, was born in 1874, in Shelby county where he
always has made his home. His parents, Parker F. and Mary C. (Miller) Philson,
are both natives of Indiana, being born in Elkhart county, that state, in 1848
and 1851, respectively. Parker F. Philson and his family came to Iowa in 1871,
first settling in Jackson township, this county, at a time when there were very
few settlers in the township. He purchased unimproved land and added to his
holdings from time, to time until he is now the owner of two hundred and fifty
acres of land in the county, in which he is still living in Jackson township.
Parker F. Philson and wife are the parents of three children, Addie, Elmer and
Samuel J.
The education of Samuel J. Philson was received in the schools of this county,
and he remained with his father, working upon the farm, until 1900, when he
married and purchased one hundred and fifty acres of land in Lincoin township on
which he placed extensive improvements, amounting to more than twelve thousand
dollars within the past fourteen years. He has a beautiful home, commodious and
convenient barns and out buildings and his place gives the appearance of being
the home of a man of artistic taste. Mr. Philson is a breeder of Chester White
hogs, Polled Hereford cattle and other high grade live stock. He is a
shareholder in the Live Stock Exchange Association, and one of its most active
members. Mr. Philson is recognized as a stock breeder of great ability. Not only
has he shipped his Chester White hogs into many different states for breeding
purposes, but on several occasions has won prizes at county and state fairs.
Mr. Philson was married in 1900 to Lydia White, who was born in this county in
1877. She is a sister of Edward S. White, the historian of this volume. To this
union have been born three children, Lowell, Dorothy and Lynn.
Mr. Philson has been an active Republican all of his life but has never been an
aspirant for any public office. The only public position which he has ever held
is that of secretary of the local school board and in this position he has done
everything he could do to favor the educational interests of his township. He
and his family are loyal and earnest members of the Congregationalist church,
and in its work are deeply interested. Mr. Philson is one of those men who are
pushing forward the wheels of progress, a man whose well directed efforts have
gained for him a position of enviable prominence in the agricultural circles of
his county. His straightforward and upright course of daily life has won the
unqualified confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens, and given him a
reputation for integrity and correct conduct such as should be coveted by every
man.
Source: 1915 Past and Present of Shelby County, Iowa, pp. 1350 - 1351. Contributed by: Marthann Kohl-Fuhs.
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