USA > Iowa > Howard County > History of Chickasaw and Howard counties, Iowa, Volume II > Part 5
USA > Iowa > Chickasaw County > History of Chickasaw and Howard counties, Iowa, Volume II > Part 5
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In 1912 Dr. Kessel gave the lower half of his property to the city for park pur- poses with the understanding that the city authorities should use the same to secure a location for a Carnegie library. In accordance with this condition, the city immediately took the necessary legal steps to secure a central location, and Mr. Carnegie was pre- vailed upon to give seventeen thousand five hundred dollars with which to erect the building. The Cresco public library is considered to be one of the finest libraries in the state of Iowa. Dr. Kessel was honored with the presidency of the library board, which position he is still filling.
The property given for park purposes is now being improved, and in the spring of 1920 will be put under the control of a park commission which will make further ex- tensive improvements. Dr. Kessel has proposed to erect, at a cost of about ten thou- sand dollars, a war memorial to the soldiers, sailors and marines who went from this county. and who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives during the Great war. Work on this memorial will begin at the earliest opportunity.
At the beginning of the World war he entered the government service as a member
George KESSEL.
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of the local exemption board and continued in that position throughout the entire period of America's hostilities with Germany. His spare moments were spent in private work and in speaking at public meetings for the furthering of the work of the various or- ganizations to promote the morale, physical welfare and comfort of the army and navy, and thus working for the speedy end of the war and the best interest of the United States and her citizens.
On the 26th of May, 1886, Dr. Kessel was married to Miss Lila Truitt of Grinnell, Iowa, who passed away in 1898 and was laid to rest in Cresco. They had four daughters, Martha, Julia, Helen and Gertrude. The first named is now Mrs. Raymond Haas of Eldora, Iowa. Julia became the wife of Allan D. Shackleton of Brooklyn, New York, who enlisted at the outbreak of the war in the aviation service and died of in- fluenza and pneumonia in December, 1918, at Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas. Helen was in the Y. M. C. A. overseas service as entertainer and spent many months in France, entertaining the overseas troops. She and Gertrude are now at home with their father.
Dr. Kessel is a most public-spirited citizen and is constantly putting forth effective effort for the welfare and progress of Cresco and Howard county. It would be difficult to find anyone who has done more effective work for the city or whose public spirit is manifest in tangible results to a greater degree. He cooperates heartily in all plans and measures for the general good but gives the major part of his time and attention to his extensive and important professional duties. He is a warm friend of the Mayo brothers of Rochester, Minnesota. In fact they have worked together on a number of occasions and he is thoroughly in touch with the advanced and progressive measures which those eminent surgeons follow. His own work is conducted along the same lines and his high standing is recognized by the leading surgeons throughout the country. He has member- ship with several organizations and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. The general public attests the fact that he has no superior in surgical work in the state of Iowa.
His political faith is that of the republican party. Fraternally he is connected with the Masons and is continually finding opportunity to exemplify in his life the beneficent spirit of the craft, which is based upon a recognition of the brotherhood of mankind and the obligations thereby imposed. He belongs to the Congregational church and is con- tinually extending a helping hand to fellow travelers on life's journey.
MATTHIAS KOBLISKA.
Matthias Kobliska, devoting his attention to general farming on section 23, Howard township, has made his home in northern Iowa since 1884, in which year he took up his abode in Chickasaw county. He was born in Bohemia, February 2, 1863, a son of John and Rosa (Lukas) Kobliska, both of whom remained residents of Bohemia until death called them. After acquiring a common school education Matthias Kobliska, then a youth of seventeen years, bade adieu to friends and native land and came to the United States in 1880, hoping to find better business opportunities in the new world. He first made his way to Chicago, where he was employed at day labor for four years, and in 1884 he came west to Iowa, settling in Chickasaw county, where he worked as a farm hand for five years. During that period he carefully saved his earnings until the amount was sufficient to enable him to buy a team of horses and the necessary machinery with which to begin farming for himself. He also bought at this time forty acres of land, for which he paid three hundred and fifty dollars. This he began farm- ing and cultivated the tract for two years. He also worked out for others in the mean- time in order to gain ready money and after two years he sold his forty-acre tract and made investment in one hundred and thirty acres, for which he paid twelve hundred dollars. The place was at that time said to be the poorest farm in Chickasaw county and some of his friends told him that they would not have it as a gift; but with char- acteristic energy he began to cultivate and improve the place and converted it into an excellent farm property that is today worth one hundred and fifty dollars per acre. He disposed of that place in 1901 and bought one hundred and sixty acres of his present
Vol. II-3
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home farm on section 23, Howard township. Six or seven years later he acquired an- other eighty-acre tract adjoining the first purchase and now has an excellent farm property of two hundred and forty acres. The land is rich and arable and his fields annually bring forth large crops as the reward of his care and labor. He is practical in all that he undertakes and his methods exemplify the most modern ideas of farming.
In 1886 Mr. Kobliska was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Kozebroctka, who was also a native of Boliemia and came to the United States when a young woman of seventeen years. To Mr. and Mrs. Kobliska were born seven children, as follows: Barbara, who is the wife of Joseph Etzler, of Philbrook, Minnesota; Mary, the wife of James Obat, who follows farming in Howard township; Anna, the wife of Frank Kaderabek, a butcher of Alta Vista, Iowa; and Frank, Christina, Elizabeth and Joseph, all at home. The wife and mother passed way January 29, 1917, her death being the occasion of deep and widespread regret among many friends.
Mr. Kobliska and his children are communicants of the Catholic church and in poli- tics he is a democrat, having supported the party since becoming a naturalized Ameri- can citizen. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for he has here found the opportunities which he sought and in their utilization has won a most desirable place among the substantial farmers of Howard county.
HERMAN RADTKE.
Herman Radtke is one of Alta Vista's oldest business men. For a long period he was actively identified with blacksmithing and wagon making but is now living retired. He was born in Germany, December 3, 1849, a son of Carl and Henrietta Radtke, who came to the United States two and a half years after the arrival of their son Herman in this country. The latter was reared and educated in Germany, attending the public schools. His forefathers in both the paternal and maternal lines as far back as he has any knowledge were blacksmiths and at the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to the trade, serving a three years' term of indenture in his father's shop. He afterward spent the usual five years as a traveling journeyman and in 1871 he came to the United States, making his way first to Chicago. He arrived there at the time of the great fire and was afterward employed in that city as a journeyman blacksmith for three years. In 1874 he came to Alta Vista in search of a location, but the prairie country looked desolate and lonely after life in a big city and he returned to Chicago. He remained there, however, for anly a few months and then again made his way to what is now known as Alta Vista. Here he made a permanent location in the fall of 1875 and es- tablished a shop, which was the first building of the town. In the intervening period he has conducted business and has become known as one of the most substantial and progressive citizens of the county. He continued in blacksmithing and wagon making, being accorded a liberal patronage, and as the years passed his unfaltering industry and perseverance brought to him a measure of success that now enables him to live retired.
In 1880 Mr. Radtke was united in marriage to Miss Anna Bauer, of Chicago, who was born in Germany. They have become parents of three children, of whom two are living: Harry L., a blacksmith; and Oswald C., who has followed the same business. The latter was a member of the Fifty-fifth Engineers of the United States army, on active duty in France during the great World war. The two sons are now conducting the shop in Alta Vista which was long carried on by their father. Mr. and Mrs. Radtke have also reared a daughter, Mamie, who became a member of their household when two and a half years of age.
In politics Mr. Radtke is a stanch republican and became the first mayor of Alta Vista after the incorporation of the city. He has also served repeatedly as a member of the town board and has likewise been treasurer and member of the school board. Fraternally he is connected with Alta Vista Lodge, No. 658, I. O. O. F. The son Harry L. is a member of Maple Leaf Lodge, No. 528, A. F. & A. M., of Elma, and a member of Alta Vista Lodge, No. 658, I. O. O. F., while the son Oswald also belongs to the Odd
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Fellows Lodge at Alta Vista. Mr. Radtke was the first postmaster of Alta Vista, filling that office for thirteen years. His wife is a member of the Lutheran church. The fam- ily are widely and favorably known, having a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaintance. Mr. Radtke has contributed in substantial measure to the upbuilding and progress of the city, and his worth as a business man and citizen is widely acknowledged.
JOSEPH P. PECINOVSKY.
The farm upon which he now resides, situated on section 12, New Oregon township, Howard county, was the birthplace of Joseph P. Pecinovsky, whose natal day was Janu- ary 5, 1887. His father is Joseph F. Pecinovsky, who is mentioned at length elsewhere in this work. The son was educated in the public schools of Protivin, in the public schools of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and in the Breckenridge Institute at Decorah, Iowa. After completing his education he returned home and was associated with his father in the farm work up to the time of his marriage, which was celebrated on the 25th of June, 1912, when Miss Anna M. Polashek, of Tama county, Iowa, became his bride. Following the marriage of Joseph P. Pecinovsky his father removed to the town and the son took charge of the old home farm, comprising three hundred and sixty acres of rich and productive land. This place he has since cultivated and of this farm he now owns one hundred and eighty-five acres, his father still retaining the balance of the property. As the years have passed Joseph Pecinovsky has prospered in his under- takings and has thus acquired his personal holdings, constituting one of the excellent farm properties of this section of the state.
To Mr. and Mrs. Pecinovsky have been born two daughters, Adelia and Evelyn. In his political views Mr. Pecinovsky is a republican and keeps well informed on the ques- tions and issues of the day but does not seek nor desire office. He and his wife are members of the Catholic church. He is regarded as one of the successful farmers and leading citizens of New Oregon township, having devoted his entire life to agricultural interests, so that he is thoroughly acquainted with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops in this section of the country.
H. W. TANK.
On the roster of county officials in Chickasaw county appears the name of H. W. Tank, who is filling the position of county auditor. He was born in Stapleton town- ship on the 16th of January, 1877, his parents being Frederick and Ottelia (Drewelow) Tank, both of whom were natives of Prussia. The father came to the United States when a youth of nineteen years, while the mother crossed the Atlantic when a maiden of fourteen years. For a year Mr. Tank remained in Wisconsin and in 1870 came to Chickasaw county, Iowa. The mother had an aunt living in Chickasaw county, so that she made her way direct to this section on coming to the new world. They were mar- ried in New Hampton in 1873 and immediately afterward took up their abode upon a farm of eighty acres in Stapleton township, which Mr. Tank purchased at that time. and both he and his wife resided upon the farm until called to their final rest, his death occurring February 2, 1907, while his wife passed away October 11, 1901.
H. W. Tank was educated in the district schools and as early as his fourteenth year became a wage earner. He secured employment as a farm hand at a salary of eleven dollars per month and continued to work for others until his twenty-third year, when he bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Utica township. This he at once began to cultivate and develop on his own account and for thirteen years operated that farm. In 1914 he sold the property and removed to Lawler, where he was engaged in business for three years, being associated with two brothers in the carpen- ter's and painter's trades. In 1916 he was elected to the office of county auditor and
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in 1918 was reelected to that position, in which he has since most capably served, prov- ing one of the competent and popular officials of Chickasaw county.
On the 11th of February, 1902, Mr. Tank was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Winkelman, of Boyd, Chickasaw county, a daughter of August Winkelman, who came from Prussia to the new world about 1894, settling in Chickasaw county. He is now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Tank have been born two daughters, Esther and Melba.
In his political views Mr. Tank has always been a republican and keeps well in- formed on the questions and issues of the day, while to the principles and candidates of the party he gives stalwart support. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church and guide their lives by its teachings, ever proving loyal to the church and also giving generous support to every cause or movement calculated to uphold public benefit.
L. E. EMMONS.
The consensus of public opinion places L. E. Emmons with the foremost citizens of Cresco. For a long period he was identified with farming interests in Iowa but is now living retired, enjoying a rest which he well merits owing to the enterprise and indus- try which he displayed during his connection with the agricultural development of this section of the state.
Howard county numbers him among her native sons, his birth having here occurred on the 28th of November, 1860, his parents being Loren F. and Phoebe E. (Humphrey) Emmons. The father was a native of Hartland, Connecticut, while the mother's birth occurred in Chenango county, New York. They were married in the Empire state and in 1856 the father came west to Iowa, his wife joining him here the following year. Upon his arrival in Howard county, Loren F. Emmons settled upon the farm which his son, L. E. Emmons, left in 1905. The father devoted his remaining days to agri- cultural pursuits and wrought a marked transformation in the appearance of his place, which he brought under a very high state of cultivation. He died upon the old home farm March 11, 1905, having lived upon that place for a period of forty-nine years. His widow survived him and passed away in Cresco on the 19th of January, 1910, having made her home with her son, L. E. Emmons, following the death of her husband. While never an office seeker, Loren F. Emmons served as county supervisor and filled other local offices, taking an active interest in all affairs pertaining to the county's progress and upbuilding. His worth as a man and as a citizen was widely acknowl- edged and all who knew him entertained for him the highest respect.
L. E. Emmons, whose name introduces this record, resided upon the home farm for forty five years. His early training was that of a farm-bred boy whose time is divided between the acquirement of an education in the district schools, the pleasures of the playground and the work of the fields. After he had attained his majority, owing to the fact that he was an only son and his father in ill health and in debt, he felt it his duty to remain at home and look after his parents, and through the following quarter of a century he and his father conducted the farm in partnership, at which time I. E. Emmons inherited the home place. The year following he retired and removed to Cresco. Not long afterward he was made secretary of the Farmers Mutual Insurance Company, in which capacity he is now serving. He is also representative of the Iowa Tornado Insurance Company and is a well known figure in insurance circles, for he rep- resents as well the Town Dwelling and the Home Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Iowa. He is also a writer of automobile fire insurance and annually his policies repre-, sent a large investment.
On the 8th of April, 1885, Mr. Emmons was married to Miss Susan Farley, a daugh- ter of Jolin J. Farley, who was one of the early settlers of Howard county, arriving here from the state of New York in 1858, when the work of progress and improvement had scarcely been begun in this state. Both he and his wife are now deceased.
In his political views Mr. Emmons is a republican and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day but has never been a politician in the sense of office seeking. He belongs to Cresco Lodge, No. 285, I. O. O. F., and is a past grand in the
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order. Both he and his wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church and he is treasurer of the board of trustees in the church. He gives earnest support to the church financially and otherwise, doing everything in his power to maintain the legal and moral status of the community or to advance its social and intellectual inter- ests. In a word his aid is always given on the side of progress and improvement and he holds to high standards in civic affairs.
ANTHONY MILLER.
Anthony Miller, who carries on general farming on section 2, Chickasaw township. in Chickasaw county, was born in Germany, January 6, 1864, a son of Peter and Anna Mary (Langens) Miller. Both his father and mother remained residents of Germany until their life's labors were ended in death. It was in 1883 that Anthony Miller, then a youth of nineteen years, came to the new world, following his brother Gerhard, who two years before had crossed the Atlantic. Anthony Miller first made his way to Jo Daviess county, Illinois, where he joined his brother, and there he worked by the month as a farm hand for six years. On the expiration of that period he removed to Iowa in company with his brother Gerhard and together they bought ninety acres of land in Dayton township, Chickasaw county, for which they paid eighteen hundred and fifty dollars. They conducted their farming interests jointly for two years and at the end of that time Anthony Miller bought his brother's share in the farm and continued the cultivation of the place for eight years. He then sold the property and removed to his present place on section 2, Chickasaw township, purchasing two hundred acres of land, for which he paid fifty-six dollars per acre. This he has since owned and developed and to his original holdings has added until his place now comprises two hundred and eighty acres. The soil is naturally rich and productive and his labors have made his fields very arable. Large crops are annually gathered and his success has been the direct outcome of persistent and earnest labor intelligently guided.
On the 10th of November, 1890, Mr. Miller was united in marriage to Miss Lena Hauser, a daughter of John Hauser, who was one of the first settlers of Washington township, Chickasaw county, where both he and his wife passed away. They died upon the old homestead farm there about twenty years ago. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been born four sons and a daughter who are yet living: Edward, Frank, William, Leo and Anna, all at home. Their son Frank served in the American army during the recent World war and at first was attached to the Eighty-eighth Division, while later he was made first sergeant in a machine gun company and remained at Camp Dodge, lowa, for ten months as an instructor.
Mr. Miller and his family are members of St. Boniface Catholic church, at Ionia. He has served as a school director for four years in Dayton township and for three years in Chickasaw township. He was greatly interested in war work, acting as a member of the Liberty Loan committee on the third, fourth and fifth loan drives in Chickasaw township and doing effective work in this connection, aiding in putting Iowa splendidly over the top. in the early part of the drive.
FRANK SHELHAMER.
Frank Shelhamer is one of the prominent and representative farmers of Afton township, making his home on the northwest quarter of section 1. He is held in high regard as a representative man of Howard county, belonging to that class of citizens whose devotion to the public welfare is manifest in many tangible ways. He was born in Virginia, October 2, 1861, his parents being Charles and Eliza Shelhamer, the latter a native of Pennsylvania. In the year 1866, Charles Shelliamer came with his family to Howard county, Iowa, and for a time was employed in a grist mill. He then pur- chased one hundred and sixty acres of land about two miles north of the present farm
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and took up the arduous task of developing the fields. The place was a tract of prairie land upon which not a furrow had been turned nor an improvement made. He con- tinued to develop this farm for eight years, when he sold the property and removed to Adams county, Nebraska, where he took up a homestead claim, residing there for sixteen years, He then disposed of his property in Nebraska and returned to Howard county, purchasing the present home place of two hundred and forty acres, of which he became owner about 1883. At the time it came into his possession there was only a small house upon it, sixteen by twenty-four feet, and no other buildings worthy of mention. About thirty or forty acres of the land had been broken and he turned the first furrows on the remainder. For two years he cultivated the farm and then sold it to his son Frank, a young man of twenty-three years. Practically all the improvements upon the place have been put there by Mr. Shelhamer of this review.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Shelhamer were married in Pennsylvania, but during the early boyhood of their son Frank they removed to Iowa, so that he was practically reared in this state and in Nebraska. His youthful experiences were those of the farm- bred boy on the western frontier. On the 16th of March, 1886, he wedded Elizabeth Young, a daughter of James and Margaret Young, who were farming people of Howard county. They have become the parents of two children, Winnie and Vera. The elder is now the wife of Daryl C. Grover, of Howard county, who is operating land belonging to her father. Vera is the wife of Rev. William Bell, a minister of Howard county. With Mr. and Mrs. Shelhamer resides his mother, the father having passed away in February, 1897, upon the home farm.
In his political views Frank Shelhamer is a republican, always supporting the party at the polls, and while he has never been a politician in the sense of seeking office as a reward for party fealty, he stands as a stanch supporter of all plans and measures for the general good. For a number of years he has served as school director and the cause of education finds in him a warm friend His religious faith is indicated by his attendance at the Baptist church of Riceville. He and his wife are widely and favor- ably known in this section of the state, having an extensive circle of warm friends, and everywhere they are spoken of in terms of high regard.
MAURICE F. CONDON.
Maurice F. Condon, attorney at law of New Hampton, was born in Chickasaw county September 4, 1873, a son of Maurice and Elizabeth (Dorsey) Condon, who were natives of Ireland. The father came to the United States in young manhood and, his father having died on the Emerald isle, brought his mother with him to this country. For four years he resided in Connecticut, near Hartford, and then came to the middle west, making his way first to Racine, Wisconsin. It was there that he married Elizabeth Dorsey, who came to the new world when eleven years of age with a sister, her parents having previously passed away. Immediately after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Condon came to Chickasaw county, Iowa, settling on a farm in Washington township. This was in the year 1859 or 1860. Mr. Condon purchased a farm and later owned and bought various properties but continued to reside in Washington township up to the time of his death, which occurred on the 21st of June, 1894. His widow survived him for almost two decades, passing away on the 24th of April, 1913, at the age of seventy-three years, while Mr. Condon was seventy-five years of age at the time of his demise. They were of the Catholic faith.
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