USA > Iowa > Audubon County > History of Audubon county, Iowa; its people, industries, and institutions > Part 49
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On November 1, 1894, John Wallert was married to Ida Foss, of this county, who was born on March II, 1874, in Atkinson, Henry county, Illi- nois, the daughter of Henry and Mary (Jacobsen) Foss, both of whom were natives of Germany, the latter having been born in Schleswig on September 25, 1846. She came to the United States with her parents in 1868 and after settling at Moline, Illinois, was married on December II, of the same year to Henry Foss. In 1885 they came to Audubon county, purchasing a farm six miles east of Exira, in Audubon township, where they lived until 1907 when they retired and moved to Exira. They were the parents of four chil- dren, Henry, Ida, Charles and a second daughter, who died at the age of five years. To John and Ida (Foss) Wahlert have been born five children, Herbert, born on September 24, 1895; Myrtle, May 14, 1897 ; Ralph, October 29, 1899; George, September 27, 1902, and Emma, October 21, 1904.
Mr. Wahlert is engaged in general farming and stock raising. In the fall of 1913 he built a large ten-room house, which is equipped with every modern convenience, including gas lights and bath, one of the largest dwell- ings in Greeley township. Mr. Wahlert's barns are also of excellent con- struction. There are three barns on the farm as well as granaries, hog- houses and other well-kept farm buildings.
All in all John Wahlert must be regarded as one of the most progressive and enterprising farmers of Audubon county, not only for the reason that he gets handsome profits from all of his investments and labor but also for the reason that his farms are among the best-kept places in Audubon county. He is well known in this section of the state for his sturdy, independent man- hood, his shrewd, business-like management and his honorable, upright character.
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HANS FABRICIUS.
Hans Fabricius, a farmer and stockman of Douglas township, Audu- bon county, Iowa, who was born, February 29, 1868, in Denmark, is the son of Hans and' Anna Fabricius, both of whom were natives of Denmark, and the parents of eight children. The children were, H. M., Mary, Hans, Kat- rina, the elder, George, Katrina, the younger; Mike and Anna. The father for many years was a sailor on the Baltic sea, and being caught in a tornado was drowned. The Fabricius children, with one or two exceptions, have all come to this country. H. M. lives in Idaho; Katrina, the elder, died in. infancy; George is a farmer in Audubon county; Michael is a farmer in Audubon county ; Anna died in her native land, and Mary still lives in Den- mark.
Educated in the public schools of Denmark, Hans Fabricius left school at the age of fourteen, and, after working on a farmi for three years, worked in a blacksmith shop for four years. At the age of twenty-one he came to this country with his brother, Mike, and after landing in New York city, they came direct to Audubon county, where Hans worked on a farm for three months. He then conducted a blacksmith shop at Audubon for a year, after which he lived on the farm for three months, and then removed to Elkhorn, Iowa, where he started a shop of his own. After owning and conducting this shop for nine and one-half years, he bought a farm of fifty acres near Fis- cus, and two years later purchased forty acres more. Mr. Fabricius kept on adding to his land, until he owned two hundred and fifteen acres in Douglas township. He is accustomed to feed all of the grain he raises to live stock. Ordinarily he feeds about one carload of cattle and about eighty head of hogs every year. He keeps a thoroughbred Shire stallion on the farm, and since owning his present land has invested about six thousand dollars in buildings, fences and ditches.
In 1893 Mr. Fabricius was married in Elkhorn to Caroline Tovil, of Elkhorn, the daughter of Soren Tovil. Mr. and Mrs. Fabricius are the par- ents of five children, Hans, Anna, Einar, Harry and Martin, all of whom are living at home. The three youngest children are attending school.
A Democrat in politics, Mr. Fabricius served as school director for two years. Religiously, the Fabricius family belong to the Danish Lutheran church. Fraternally, he is a member of the United Danish Brotherhood. Like so many of the Danish farmers who have come to Audubon county, Mr. Fabricius has established a comfortable home in this county, has lived to rear a family of children, and to take a commendable part in the govern-
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ment of our country. During the years of his life in this country he has become a thorough-going and enthusiastic citizen, and by his wisdom and his counsel has added to the stability of our institutions and the well-being of our government. It is men such as he who have made the raw prairie teem with growing grain and bountiful harvests. This is one of the contributions which the diligent and industrious Danish citizens have made to our civiliza- tion.
SAMUEL FRANKLIN GARMIRE.
The name of Samuel Franklin Garmire is one quickly recognized by the citizens of Lincoln township, as belonging to a man whose good manage- ment and never-failing supply of energy have been directed toward the goal of his ambition. Fate decreed that he should be a farmer, and she should be well pleased with what he has accomplished. His present splendid stock- farm is the result of the interest and good management which he has always displayed in his work. His fine stock-farm is one of the most attractive places of the kind in the county, as he has always had a strong belief in the saying that "whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well."
Samuel Franklin Garmire, general farmer and stockman, of Lincoln township, Audubon county, was born on October 20, 1850, in Holmes county, Ohio. He is a son of Daniel Garmire and Elizabeth (Dunmire) Garmire. His early education was received in the public schools of Holmes county. Leaving school at a nearly age, he went to work on his father's farm, after which he worked at the carpenter's trade at Benton for twelve years, going from there to Walnut, Iowa, and later, to Audubon county, where he bought eighty acres in Lincoln township. Mr. Garmire has spent about seven thou- sand dollars in improvements on his farm. All the grain raised on the place is fed to his stock, of which he sells about seventy-five head a year.
Mr. Garmire has been a member of the county board for six years, and has been trustee of the township for nine years, also acting as president of the school board. He is a member of the United Brethren church at Gray, and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has occupied the position of chairman. In politics, Mr. Garmire is a stanch Republican.
Daniel Garmire, father of our subject, was born in Holmes county, Ohio, as was also his wife. He was a farmer, and always lived in the county in which he was born. They were the parents of eight children, one of whom
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died young : James, Samuel Franklin, Theodore and Theophilus, twins; Mary, Alice, William and John. S. F. is the only one in Audubon county at present.
At the age of twenty-two, Mr. Garmire was united in marriage to Mary Schreiber, daughter of John Frederick and Katherine (Resla) Schreiber, who was born in Wittenberg, Germany, by whom he has had five children, as follow : Clara B., Elizabeth A., Elsie A., Cora R., and Charles F. Clara became the wife of S. E. Newell, and has one child, Winifred. They live in Lincoln township. Elsie is married to C. H. Newell, and lives in Lake City. They have two children, Grace and Velma. Cora became the wife of L. G. Dixon, and lives at Ames, Iowa. They have two children, Ivadell E. and Eva. Elizabeth A. married Edward H. Bunker, of Gray, Iowa. They have one child, Edith May. Charles married Grace Cameron, of Gray, Iowa. They have two children, Marjorie A. and Samuel C.
AUGUST BURR.
The German nation has furnished thousands of good citizens to the state of Iowa, and Audubon county has been fortunate to count a number of these as part of her body politic. The descendants of these early German settlers in Iowa are characterized by the same thrift and economy which made their fathers the leading farmers and business men of the various com- munities in which they settled. August Burr, one of the leading farmers of Audubon county before his retirement and removal to Audubon, the county seat, was a worthy citizen of Audubon county and a native-born German, possessing all of those admirable qualities which characterize his people.
August Burr was born in December, 1846, in Mecklenburg, Germany. He is the son of Henry and Christian Burr, who died when August was young.
In 1870, when twenty-four years of age, August Burr came to America and located near Iowa City, working as a farm hand for some time. Later, he rented a farm in Johnson county, near Iowa City, and lived upon this farm until 1880. In the meantime he had adapted himself to American methods and was becoming prosperous. He left the farm in Johnson county, Iowa, and after that moved to Audubon county, where he lived on a rented farm for two years. At the end of this period, Mr. Burr bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Greeley township; this farm consisted of raw prairie land and had never been plowed. Mr. Burr was able to purchase
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the land for seven and eight dollars an acre and, although he had little money at the time, he was able to make the first payment and soon built a small house. He lived on this farm until 1907 and then moved to Audubon. In the meantime, Mr. Burr had prospered by good management and frugal, economical habits and now owns four hundred and forty acres, one hundred and sixty acres of which is Hamlin township. August Burr has worked hard and has been thrifty throughout his life. In the early years, his struggle for success was made harder from the fact that he had to pay a heavy rate of interest, in some cases as high as twenty-four per cent. Mr. Burr sold his home farm in 1914 for one hundred and fifty dollars an acre. This price is in marked contrast to the price that was paid thirty years ago, when money was very scarce and living was very hard.
August Burr was married on November 23, 1876, to Marie Schalow, who was born on February 23, 1853, at Mecklenburg, Germany, and who is the daughter of John Schalow, who came to America in 1875. Mr. and Mrs. Burr were married in Johnson county, Iowa. They have been the parents of six children : Mrs. Lena Savage, of Audubon; Mrs. Etta Owen, of Hamlin township; Minnie, who is at home; Mrs. Sophia Rubel, of Greeley township; Henry, who married Glee Anciaux and lives in Greeley township, and August, who lives in Greeley township.
August Burr has always been independent in politics and has never identified himself with a particular party. He believes in supporting measures and men rather than parties and party emblems. Mr. and Mrs. Burr and family are members of the German Lutheran church.
IVER P. HANSEN.
There is no calling however humble, in which enterprise and industry, coupled with well-directed purpose, will not produce some measure of suc- cess. In the pursuit of farming, the qualities mentioned are quite essential. Among the well-known and highly-respected farmers of Audubon county, who are now living retired, having acquired a substantial competence for their declining years, and who, while they have done this, have at the same time greatly benefited the community in which they live, is Iver P. Hansen, who lives at Audubon, Iowa. Mr. Hansen, who is well known throughout Audubon county, is a native of Denmark, which has given to this country so many of her best citizens and it is eminently fitting that a brief account of his life and works be included in this volume.
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Iver P. Hansen, a retired farmer of Audubon, Iowa, was born on April 28, 1845, in Denmark. He is the son of Hans Christian Peterson and Bodel (Frederickson) Peterson, the former of whom died in 1850 and the latter in 1874. Hans C. Stevenson was a cabinetmaker by trade. He and his wife were the parents of four children: Iver P., the subject of this sketch; Elsie, who is now deceased, who was born in Denmark but later came to America; Nelsena, the wife of Jens Anderson, of Wisconsin. Iver P. Hansen's mother was married three times and was the mother of eight children.
Iver P. Hansen was married in Denmark to Christina Marie Peterson, May 29, 1869, and in 1870 they came to America. After arriving in this country, Mr. and Mrs. Hansen came to Chicago, where he worked in the fall of 1870 and then went to Wisconsin and worked in the timber, cutting cord wood for fifteen years. He also farmed one hundred and sixty acres which he owned in the wilderness: this farm was located in Dore county. Mr. Hansen cleared one hundred acres of his timbered tract. He made a trip to Audubon county in 1884 and purchased one hundred and twenty acres, which were partly improved, in Leroy township, west of Audubon. Mr. Hansen paid twenty-seven and one-half dollars for it. Subsequently, he returned to Wisconsin and sold out his holdings in that state. He brought his family to Audubon in 1885. Mr. Hansen added eighty acres in 1892 which he purchased at thirty-five dollars an acre, and now owns two litin- dred acres. In 1906 he sold his farm at ninety-seven and one-half dollars an acre, which was the first farm sold at that price. In 1910 he bought one hundred and sixty acres in Cameron township for sixteen thousand dollars and in March, 1907, he moved to Audubon. Later he built a splendid new modern house in south Audubon. This house consists of nine rooms and cost thirty-two hundred dollars.
To Mr. and Mrs. Iver P. Hansen, six children have been born, Hans C., who is a farmer in Adams county, Iowa; Peter L., who is a merchant in Washington ; Clara M., who is the wife of Postmaster R. C. Spencer ; Augusta L., who married William Geombel, of Adams county, Iowa, and Frank Edward, who lives on a farm in Cameron township, and has one child, Frances Marie. Hans C. Hansen has two children, Iver Peter and Mary Louisa, and Mrs. Clara M. Spencer also has two children, Arnold Hans and Lillian Esther.
Mrs. Iver P. Hansen was born on May 15, 1848, in Denmark and was the daughter of Peter Laurersen and Marie (Jensen) Peterson, who lived and died in Denmark, where they were farmers.
Iver P. Hansen is a Democrat in politics. For many years he was a
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school director and road supervisor in his native township. In 1898 Mr. Hansen was a candidate for representative but was defeated. Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Hansen and family are identified with the Presbyterian church.
GEORGE C. NORTHUP.
Among the worthy citizens of Audubon, Iowa, whose residence here has contributed in no small degree to the prestige of the community is George C. Northup, a member of the firm of Northup Brothers, grain and live stock dealers, of Audubon. While laboring for his own individual advancement, Mr. Northup has never forgotten his obligations to the public and his sup- port of such measures and movements as have been made for the general good, has always been forthcoming. Although his life has been a busy one, his private affairs making heavy demands upon his time, he has never allowed it to interfere with his obligations as a citizen and neighbor. Through long years of residence in this locality, he has ever been true to the trust reposed in him, whether of a public or private nature; his reputation in a business way being unassailable. Possessing in a marked degree those sterling traits which command the confidence and regard of his neighbors and business associates, he is, today, honored by all who know him and is numbered among the representative men of this section of the state ..
George C. Northup was born on March 20, 1869, in Johnson county, Nebraska. He is the son of Nathan and Harriett ( Sherlock) Northup and a brother of H. A. Northup, whose life story is told elsewhere in this volume.
George C. Northup came to Audubon county in 1881, when twelve years old and attended school in Audubon. The Northup family moved to John- son county, Iowa, in 1875. When George C. Northup had attained his majority, he began farming for himself in Douglas township on a rented farm which he operated for one year. He later rented land for one year in Leroy township and subsequently, for one year in Sac county. In the spring of 1893, he moved to Pierce county, Nebraska, where he purchased one hun- dred and sixty acres of land on which he resided for six years. At the end of this period, or 1899, he sold out this farm in Pierce county, Nebraska, and farmed for three years in Douglas township. He then purchased eighty acres in Cameron township and lived there for two years. At the end of this time, he purchased one hundred and sixty acres in Cameron township, on which he lived for three years. He then sold out and purchased one hun-
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dred and sixty acres in Melville township and lived on this last farm for two years. In the spring of 1909, Mr. Northup moved to Audubon, the county seat of Audubon county, and here engaged in the grain and stock business with his brothers, H. A. Northup and William Northup under the firm name of Northup Brothers. This firm buys and ships to the eastern market about two hundred and forty carloads of live stock each year. The firm also buys and ships about one hundred carloads of grain each year. This is con- sidered a large business and the Northup Brothers are known as very suc- cessful business men in this locality.
George C. Northup was married on March 4, 1891, to Ella Darland, the daughter of I. M. Darland, one of the pioneer settlers of Audubon county. To Mr. and Mrs. George C. Northup, two children have been born, Mable, who is the wife of T. A. Moore and has one child, Fern, and Parker, seven years of age, who is at home and attending school.
In politics, Mr. Northup is a Democrat. He is not identified with any church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows and is active in the affairs of this lodge.
F. L. ANDERSON.
One of the comparatively few farmers of Cameron township, who is a native of the great Hawkeye state, is F. L. Anderson, the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Cameron township. Mr. Anderson was born in Louisa county, Iowa, June 16, 1869, the son of Peter F. and Barbara Anderson, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Pennsylvania. Peter F. Anderson was a small child when his parents moved west to Iowa and located in Louisa county. There he grew to manhood and farmed until 1878 when he moved to Audubon county and rented the farm which his son, F. L., now owns and farms. Later, he purchased this farm and increased his holdings to four hundred acres. He is now living retired. Peter F. and Barbara Anderson were the parents of eight children, five of whom are still living, two being in this county, Mrs. Anna Caldwell and F. L., the subject of this sketch.
F. L. Anderson received practically all of his education in Audubon county and after leaving school, farmed with his father for a short time, following which he began farming for himself. For more than six years, he was a renter and farmed rented land in Douglas township. After about six
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years, he moved to Ross, Iowa, and there engaged in the implement business for four years. In 1899 Mr. Anderson was elected sheriff of Audubon county and served four years, after which he moved to his father's farm and has been farming it since that time.
Mr. Anderson raises one hundred acres of corn which yields an average of fifty-five bushels to the acre. He also raises eighty acres of small grains, and ten acres of alfalfa ; he sells all of this grain. Mr. Anderson is an exten- sive breeder of thoroughbred Clyde horses and has built up a good market for this breed.
On March 10, 1891, Mr. Anderson was married to Julia Baker, the daughter of Charles Baker. Six children have been born to this marriage: Frank, Dale, Hazel, Howard, Glenn and Helen. All of these children are unmarried and live at home with their parents.
Fraternally, Mr. Anderson is a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the commandery. Aside from the term as sheriff of Audubon county, which he served, he has also been township trustee and is the present secretary of the local school board. Mr. Anderson has always been affiliated with the Republican party.
F. L. Anderson not only filled the office of sheriff with credit to him- self and to the entire satisfaction of the people of Audubon county, but he has also filled other positions of trust and responsibility with exceptional credit. He is today regarded as one of the leading farmers and citizens of Audubon county. The Anderson family is very popular in Cameron town- ship and Mr. Anderson enjoys the personal friendship of a host of people living in Audubon county. His honor and integrity have always been above question.
THOMAS McMICHAEL.
Thomas McMichael, who owns one hundred and twenty acres of splen- did land in Cameron township, Audubon county, Iowa, is one of the suc- cessful and skillful farmers of this township, who was born in Muscatine county, Iowa, March 19, 1855. Mr. McMichael's parents, James and Margaret (Mccullough) McMichael, were natives of Ireland. James McMichael came to America when a young man and first located in Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania, where he was married, and where he remained until he moved to Muscatine county, Iowa. There he purchased a farm and was engaged in farming the remainder of his life. He and his wife were the
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parents of eight children, seven of whom are still living: James, William, Thomas, George, John, Anna and Barbara. The father of these children died on January 9, 1907 and the mother in March, 1914.
Thomas McMichael, the subject of this sketch, received practically all of his education in Muscatine county, Iowa, to which his parents had moved after leaving Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Mr. McMichael's life during his youth was that of the average boy in this section of the state. After leaving school he worked with his father on the farm until 1882, when he was twenty- seven years old. He then moved to Audubon county and located in Cameron township, where he bought one hundred and twenty acres of land, the farm upon which he now lives and on which, at the time, the soil had never been broken, Mr. McMichael being the first to work the ground. He has put many valuable improvements upon the farm at a cost of at least four thou- sand dollars. Originally, he paid only eight dollars an acre for the land, but it is many times as valuable today. He raises forty acres of corn and at least twenty-five acres of small grain each year. He also feeds about twenty-five head of hogs and sells most of his grain.
Thomas McMichael was married on September 23, 1887, when he was thirty-two years old to Ettie Gray, the daughter of W. F. and Hannah (Crow) Gray. Two children, Homer and Leslie, have been born to this marriage, both of whom are unmarried and live at home with their parents.
Mrs. McMichael was born in Fayette county, Iowa; her father was a native of Canada and her mother of the state of Ohio. Her father came to Fayette county, Iowa, when a young man and was married there and farmed in that county until 1880, when he moved to Audubon county, locating in Cameron township, where he purchased eighty acres of land, from which he has retired and lives at Gray, Iowa. He and his wife had seven children, five of whom are now living: Alonzo, Arthur, Mrs. Effie Farnham, Mrs. Ethel Baldwin and Mrs. McMichael.
Mr. and Mrs. McMichael and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. McMichael is not identified with any political party, but is altogether independent in his voting. He has never been active in politics, however, and has never held office.
Few farmers in Cameron township have paid closer attention to the details of modern farming than Thomas McMichael and few men have a better farm than he. Not only is he considered a successful farmer but he is a man who has made many warm friends in this part of Audubon county- friends who respect and admire him for his high moral character and cordial, friendly manners.
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JOHN E. SIEMSEN.
No farmer of Cameron township, Audubon county, Iowa, is more highly respected than John E. Siemsen, who is the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of land in Cameron township, and who is a native of Davenport, Iowa, having been born there on September 15, 1874. Mr. Siemsen is a son of Peter and Caroline (Jorgen) Siemsen, both natives of Hamburg, Germany. The former was a carpenter and followed this trade in his native land. On coming to America in 1867 he located in Davenport, Iowa, where he worked at his trade and lived in that city until 1882, when he removed to Audubon county, and located in Douglas township. Here he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land, operating this farm until 1905, when he retired from active farm life and removed to Audubon, where his death occurred in 19II. His wife is still living. Peter Siemsen paid ten and twelve dollars an acre for his first land purchased in Audubon county in 1882. He was the first to break the prairie sod, improved the place in various ways and devel- oped a good farm. He served in the Danish War of 1848. Peter and Caroline Siemsen were the parents of six children, three of whom are living in this county, Mrs. Mary Nelson, Fred and John E., the others being, Charles, Mrs. Minnie Flagg and Mrs. Mollie Hood.
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