USA > Iowa > Clayton County > History of Clayton County, Iowa : from the earliest historical times down to the present : including a genealogical and biographical record of many representative families, prepared from data obtained from original sources of information, Volume I > Part 86
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Herman H. Nieland is consistently to be given individual rec- ognition in this history, for he is not only a scion of one of the sterling pioneer families of Clayton county but is also one of the native sons who has proved a substantial and resourceful repre- sentative of agricultural and live-stock enterprise in his native county, his present finely improved farm. in Sections 19 and 24, Jefferson township, comprising one hundred and fifty-eight acres and being a portion of the landed estate accumulated by his father, from whom he received the same by direct inheritance. On the farm he has erected excellent buildings, including a commodious and pleasant residence, and he has made his homestead give forth every evidence of thrift and prosperity, the farm being given to well ordered agriculture of consistently diversified order and to the raising of approved grades of live stock. Mr. Nieland was born in Jefferson township, this county, on the 29th of August, 1860, and is a son of Herman and Elizabeth (Roth) Nieland, who continued to reside on their old homestead farm until the close of their long and worthy lives. The father was a native of Hanover, Germany, and was a young man when, in 1856, he immigrated to the United
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that he has never severed his active allegiance to the basic indus- tries of agriculture and stock-growing, through the medium of which he has gained a generous measure of success. It is specially pleas- ing to record that his fine farm, which comprises three hundred and thirty acres, is the old home place on which he was born and reared and which came into his possession partly through inherit- ance and partly through his purchasing of the interests of the other heirs. He has proved specially energetic and progressive in his operations as an agriculturist and has also made a splendid record in the raising of high-grade live stock, including the short-horn type of cattle and approved grades of swine. Never a seeker of public office, he has given his active co-operation in the furtherance of enterprises projected for the general good of the community and is found aligned as a loyal supporter of the cause of the Democratic party. Both he and his wife are communicants and liberal sup- porters of the Catholic church at Guttenberg. In October, 1900, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Nieland to Miss Mary Berns, who was born and reared in Garnavillo township, this county, and who is a daughter of Peter and Josephine (Schmelzer) Berns, her father being one of the representative farmers of that township. Mr. and Mrs. Nieland have two children-Anthony and Catherine. Gerhardt H. W. Niemann .- More than sixty years ago, as a lad of about five years, Gerhardt Henry William Niemann accom- panied his parents on their immigration to America from Germany and virtually his entire life since that time has been passed on his fine homestead farm, in Jefferson township, where his parents estab- lished their home soon after their arrival in America. The sterling citizen to whom this sketch is dedicated has long been known as one of the representative agriculturists and stock-growers of Jef- ferson township, has been influential in community affairs of a public order and has so ordered his course as to make his example well worthy of emulation and as to gain and retain the high regard of those with whom he has come in contact in the varied relations of life. Though he is nearing the psalmist's span of three score years and ten, he is still vigorous of mind and physical powers and finds satisfaction in giving a general supervision to the work and management of his valuable and extensive farm. Mr. Niemann was born in the Kingdom of Hanover, Germany, on the 16th of November, 1848, and is a son of Herman and Maria (Enger) Nie- mann, who were born and reared in Hanover, where they continued their residence until 1853, when they came to America and estab- lished their residence on the pioneer farm from which has been developed the fine landed estate now owned and occupied by their son Gerhardt H. W., of this review, he being the elder of their two surviving children, and his sister, Mary, being the wife of Henry Brandt, a well known citizen of Garnavillo. The father reclaimed his land to cultivation and was one of the sturdy and progressive pioneers who did effective service in connection with the civic and industrial development and upbuilding of Clayton county. When well advanced in years he and his wife removed to the village of Garnavillo, where they passed the remainder of their lives in the
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Wisconsin, where he passed the remainder of his life. Of the eight children all are living except two. William Nodurft acquired his early education in the schools of Wisconsin and was about nineteen years old when he accompanied his parents on their removal to Clayton county. He remained at the parental home until 1882, when was solemnized his marriage to Miss Louise Otdoeffer, who was born in Pennsylvania and who was a child at the time of the family removal to Clayton county, Iowa, in 1865. She is a daugh- ter of Sigmund, and Margaret (Scharam) Otdoeffer, who were natives of Germany and who passed the closing years of their lives in Clayton county, where the father was a prosperous farmer for many years prior to his demise. Mrs. Nodurft is one of a family of six children, all of whom still survive the honored parents. After his marriage Mr. Nodurft rented the old homestead farm of his father for a period of fourteen years, at the expiration of which he purchased the property, which comprises one hundred and sixty acres of fine land, in Section 7, Cass township, and which is one of the well improved farms of the county, with all of its appurtenances indicating thrift and good management. Mr. Nodurft and his wife continued their residence upon the farm until 1908, since which time they have maintained their home in the village of Strawberry Point, in the full enjoyment of the rewards of former years of earnest endeavor. In addition to the old homestead place Mr. Nodurft owns six acres of timber land in Sperry township and his attractive residence property at Strawberry Point. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party and both he and his wife are zealous communicants of the Lutheran church in their home village. They became the parents of four children-George A., who has charge of the old home farm; Minnie, who is the wife of Louis Frederick, of this county; Arthur, who died at the age of 5 days, and Frederick H., who remains at the parental home.
Ellis Noggle is now engaged in the general merchandise busi- ness in the village of Buena Vista, where he had previously suc- cessfully conducted a hotel, and he is a popular citizen of the county in which the major part of his life has thus far been passed, so that he is well entitled to recognition in this history. He was born in Delaware county, Iowa, on the 15th of August, 1877, and is a son of Jacob and Sarah (Dark) Noggle, both natives of Kansas, where their respective parents settled in the early pioneer days. Jacob Noggle was born March 12, 1849, and gained his early edu- cation in the pioneer schools of the Sunflower state. His entire active career was one of close identification with the basic industry of agriculture, and he came with his wife to Clayton county within a short time after their marriage. He became one of the pros- perous farmers of the county, and here he continued to reside until his death, which occurred December 9, 1903, his widow having been summoned to eternal rest on the 23d of March, 1907. They became the parents of seven children: Milton is a resident of Littleport, this county; Thomas J. now resides in Wisconsin; A. Corey main- tains his home at Buena Vista; Ellis, subject of this sketch, was the next in order of birth; Joseph; Cassius was killed by lightning,
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but he was reared to manhood under the sturdy discipline of the pioneer farm, the while he made good use of the educational oppor- tunities afforded in the schools of the village of Guttenberg, a fine German colony having seen to it in the early days that excellent schools were provided for the youth of the community. Mr. Nueh- ring as a youth continued his active association with the work and management of the old home farm which was the place of his birth, and finally he purchased the property, his present valuable landed estate, which comprises four hundred acres and constitutes one of the model farms of the county. He still gives his active supervision to the operations of his splendidly improved farm, which is devoted to diversified agriculture and to the raising of high-grade live stock, including the Aberdeen type of cattle. Mr. Nuchring has never wavered in his allegiance to the Republican party, has been loyal and public-spirited as a citizen, has served as school director, and both he and his wife have long been zealous commu- nicants of the Lutheran church at Guttenberg, which is their post- office address. In April, 1870, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Nuehring to Miss Annistina Ribbie, who was born in Hanover, Germany, on the 18th of September, 1852, and who was a child when her parents, William and Louisa (Luehring) Ribbie came to Clayton county and established their home in Jefferson township. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Nuehring the first was Amelia, who died when about 18 years of age; Alvina remains at the parental home; Louisa is the wife of Otto Lake, of Guttenberg; William is a substantial farmer of Jefferson township and is individually mentioned on other pages of this work ; and Mary died in childhood.
William Nuehring is a scion of the third generation of the Nuehring family in Clayton county and as an ambitious and pro- gressive agriculturist and stock-grower he is effectively upholding the civic and industrial prestige of the honored name which he bears and which has been worthily linked with the history of this county since the early pioneer days. Due record concerning the family history is given on other pages of this compilation, in the sketch of the career of his father, John Nuehring, and it is thus unnecessary to repeat the data in the present article. William Nuehring was born in Jefferson township, this county, on the 16th of August, 1877, and is a son of John and Annistina (Ribbie) Nuehring, who still reside on their fine landed estate in Jefferson township. Wil- liam gained his early educational training in the schools of his na- tive township and continued to be associated in the work of his father's farm until he had attained to the age of twenty years, after which he conducted independent farming operations on rented land for eight years. He proved in this connection his versatility and resourcefulness as an exponent of agriculture and live stock in- dustry, and in 1905 he purchased his present admirably improved stock farm, which is eligibly situated in Section 30, Jefferson town- ship, and which comprises two hundred acres of as fine land as is to be found in this favored section of the Hawkeye state. He is giving special attention to the raising of Hereford cattle and ap- proved grades of swine, in connection with his general agricultural
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well improved. He has been one of the world's noble army of un- assuming but effective workers, has been loyal to all civic duties and responsibilities and has not swerved from the course of alle- giance to the Republican party, the while both he and his wife have exemplified in their daily lives the faith they profess as earn- est communicants of the Lutheran church. In 1886 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Obermöller to Miss Katherine Greimann, who was born and reared in this county and who is a daughter of Wil- liam and Anna (Hollbrugee) Greimann, who came from Germany in 1852 and who were honored pioneer citizens of Clayton county at the time of their death. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Ober- möller the first-born was Peter, who is deceased; Anna is the wife of Christ Bierbaum; William continues to be associated in the activities of the home farm; Augusta is the wife of William Nei- mann; Wilhelmina remains at the parental home: Louisa is de- ceased; and Mary is the youngest member of the home circle.
Edwin Olson is one of the substantial and progressive farmers of the younger generation in his native township and is a repre- sentative of one of the sterling Scandinavian families that have played an important part in the development and progress of this prosperous and attractive section of the Hawkeye state. Mr. Olson was born on the home farm of his parents in Marion township, and the date of his nativity was March 8, 1895. He is a son of Ole K. and Isabel (Gulsvig) Olson, who were born in Norway and both of whom passed the closing years of their lives on the well-improved farm in Marion township, where the father established his residence upon coming to this county as a young man. Both were earnest members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and they lived right- cous, productive and unassuming lives, secure in the respect and good will of all who knew them. Of their five children the first- born, Cornelius, died in infancy, and to the second son likewise was given the name of Cornelius, he being now a prosperous farmer in Marion township, and Edwin, subject of this review, being the next in order of birth; Melvin is now a resident of Forest Lake, Minnesota, as is also Jetina, the youngest of the children. That Edwin Olson did not neglect the educational advantages that were afforded him in his youth is indicated by the fact that he continued to attend the public schools of his home township until he had at- tained to the age of eighteen years. He gained in the meanwhile equally valuable discipline through his active and effective asso- ciation with the work and management of the home farm. In ini- tiating his independent career he rented a farm in his native town- ship, and under such conditions he continued his energetic opera- tions as an agriculturist and stock-grower until he was fortified for the purchasing of his present farm, which he obtained in the year 1915 and which comprises one hundred and sixty acres of fertile and well-improved land, in Section 12, Marion township, with serv- ice on rural mail route No. 4 from the village of Elgin. Here Mr. Olson is bending his energies to progressive enterprise as an agri- culturist and as a raiser of good grades of live stock, and he is one of the substantial and prosperous young men of his native county,
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H. Otis received his elementary education in the schools of Elmira, New York, Racine, and Mineral Point, Wisconsin. At the age of fourteen years he entered the office of the Mineral Point Tribune as an apprentice in 1852, but nine years later, at the outbreak of the Civil War, he enlisted in the service of his country. His war record is a brave and enviable one. He was mustered in as a pri- vate and in recognition of excellent and courageous service received rapid promotion through the ranks of corporal, sergeant, second lieutenant, first lieutenant, and captain of Company I, Second Wis- consin Volunteer Infantry, in the famous Iron Brigade. Still higher honors were bestowed upon him when he was made major and pro- moted lieutenant colonel of his regiment. Still later he was trans- ferred by the war department and received a commission as major of the Eighth United States Reserves. He gave long and honorable service to his country, extending over a time of four years and two months, and participated in all the engagements of the Army of the Potomac, beginning with the first Battle of Bull Run. He was married at Dodgeville, Wisconsin, February 14, 1868, to Marie E. Owens, who died March 31, 1871, leaving no children. On Febru- ary 19, 1874, he took for his second wife Kate M. Seitz, of Mc- Gregor, Iowa, and four children were born to them: Edmund R., who is married to Dora Entwisle, and is a prominent and successful lawyer and real estate dealer, with headquarters at Des Moines and Denver; Irving J., who is a linotype operator in San Francisco, California, and married to Clara L. Curtis ; George Stanley, married, and secretary of the Chamber of Commerce of Miles City, Mon- tana; and Marian Rebecca, wife of Herbert Buchanan, of Monona, Iowa. Mr. Otis is an aggressive and consistent advocate of the doctrines enunciated by the Republican party, and has served the city of Monona as mayor, was postmaster for nine years and filled minor offices in a thorough and acceptable manner. In religious belief he is a Methodist. He is a member of the Masonic lodge, the Community Club, the Grand Army of the Republic, in the last of which he has served as Commander of Monona Post No. 495.
Christian H. Overbeck has been a resident of Clayton county since his boyhood, is a scion of one of the sterling German pioneer families of this section of the Hawkeye State, and he has contributed his share to the civic and material development and progress of the county as a successful farmer, as a merchant and as a loyal and pub- lic-spirited citizen. He is now living retired in the village of Luana, where he was formerly engaged in the hardware business, with which he continued to be identified until 1904, when he sold the same to the present proprietor, Rudolph J. Stoehr. Christoph Henry Overbeck was born in the Province of Hanover, Germany, on the 9th of June, 1843, and has been a resident of Clayton county for more than sixty years. He is a son of Adam and Louise (Wagman) Overbeck, both of whom were born and reared in Hanover, where they continued to maintain their home until 1852, when they immi- grated to the United States, their son Christoph H. having been at the time a lad of about eight years. The family remained about six months in the State of Indiana and in the spring of 1853 came
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and Margaret are twins, the former being a substantial farmer in Monona township and the latter being the wife of William Loeske, of Denver, Colorado; Eleanora is deceased; Amelia remains at the home of her father; and Emma, Esther and Nora are deceased. On the 24th of December, 1904, Mr. Overbeck contracted a second marriage, when Mrs. Minnie (Springborn) Neverman became his wife, she having an adopted daughter, Bertha. Mrs. Overbeck was born at Garnavillo, this county, on the 3d of June, 1858, and is the eldest of a family of four children, the second of whom was John, who died young; Elizabeth is the wife of Fred Lempke, of Alla- makee county; and Frederica is deceased. John and Elizabeth (Saaso) Springborn, the parents of Mrs. Overbeck, were born in Mecklenburg, Germany, and came to America about the year 1856. They became pioneer settlers near Farmersburg, Clayton county, where Mr. Springborn developed a good farm, to the operations of which he continued to give his attention until a short time before his death, his wife likewise being deceased, and both having been communicants of the German Lutheran church.
Arthur J. Palas has gained secure vantage-ground as one of the able and representative members of the bar of his native country, and at its judicial center, the city of Elkader, he is engaged in the successful practice of his profession. He is a scion of one of the old, honored and influential families of Clayton county, being one of the twelve children born to John and Caroline (Voss) Palas, both of whom are now deceased, the father having been one of the progressive and broad-minded citizens who contributed much to the civic and industrial development and advancement of this coun- try, where he owned at the time of his death one of the large and valuable landed estates of Farmersburg township. John Palas was the son of John and Eliza (Wiegman) Palas, and was born in Ger- many, October 14, 1831. He came to the United States in 1855, settling in Clayton County and having upon his arrival but $25 with which to start his battle for fortune in his new home. With charac- teristic German thrift and energy, he at once began his career as a farmer, laying the foundations for the fortune which was later his. In 1858, he was married to Caroline, a daughter of Frederick Prust, a native of Germany. Three children were born to them-John, in 1859; Mary, in 1861, and William, in 1864. His wife died February 6, 1864, and in June, 1864, Mr. Palas was married to Carolina, a daughter of George and Mary ( Plotz) Voss, also a native of Germany. The fruits of this union were ten children-Bertha, born July 25, 1865; Carolina, deceased, born July 1, 1866; Ida, born July 17, 1868; Anna, deceased, born Feb. 14, 1870; Henry, born November 24, 1871 ; Fritz, born July 17, 1873; Louis, born July 25, 1875 ; Louisa, born June 19, 1877; Her- man, bern July 25, 1879, and Arthur, the subject of this sketch, born May 19, 1891. John Palas was highly successful as a farmer and was highly esteemed as a citizen. He and his family were reared in the Lutheran faith, and Mr. Palas gave his political allegiance to the Republican party. At the time of his death he was the owner of a farm of 710 acres in Farmersburg township.
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in the raising of good grades of swine, of which he has about one hundred head at the time of this writing, in the summer of 1916. Mr. Palas is a stockholder of the Luana Savings Bank, in the Farmers' Co-operative Stock Company and the Farmers' Co- operative Creamery Co. at Luana, and also in the Town Hall Asso- ciation of Luana. He is unfaltering in his allegiance to the Demo- cratic party, is well fortified in his opinions concerning matters of public import. is serving as president of the school board of his dis- trict and is giving characteristically effective administration in the office of township trustee, both he and his wife being communi- cants and liberal supporters of the German Lutheran church at Luana, from which village their attractive farm home receives service on rural mail route No. 1. Of the parents of Mr. Palas- John and Caroline (Voss) Palas-honored pioneers of Clayton county, adequate mention is made on other pages of this work, in the sketch dedicated to their son, Arthur Palas. Henry Palas, the immediate subject of this review, was born in Farmersburg township, on the 21st of November, 1871, and after having profited fully by the advantages afforded in the public schools of the county he continued to be associated in the work and management of his father's farm until he had attained to the age of twenty-five years, when, as previously noted, he purchased his present farm, to the successful operation of which he has since given his close attention and upon which he has made many high-grade improvements, so that the place is one of the model rural homesteads of Clayton county. On the 25th of February, 1898, was solemnized the mar- riage of Mr. Palas to Miss Emma Buckmann, who was born in Farmersburg township, on the 23d of October, 1876, a daughter of John and Frederica (Otting) Buckmann, both natives of Germany. John Buckmann was a child of three years at the time of his parents' immigration to America, and after residing for a time in the city of Cleveland, Ohio, the family came to Clayton county and settled in Read township. Mr. Buckmann and his wife still reside on their old homestead farm, in Farmsburg township, where their daughter Emma, Mrs. Palas, was reared to adult age, her educa- tional advantages having included those afforded in the village schools at National. Mr. and Mrs. Palas became the parents of eight children, all of whom remain at the parental home save Lloyd, who was the fourth in order of birth and who died at the age of five years. The name of the children who remain members of the ideal home circle are here noted in the respective order of birth : Arthur, Herbert, Ella, Leroy, Henry, Helen and Margaret.
Louis J. Palas was born on the 25th of July, 1875, and the place of his nativity was the fine farmstead on which he now resides, in Sections 29 and 30, Farmersburg township, where he is the owner of a splendidly improved and well ordered landed estate of two hundred and forty acres, besides which he holds in his possession a valuable tract of thirty acres of timber land, in Section 24, of the same township. This fine old homestead, known as the Stone Wall Farm, has been the stage of his vigorous and progressive oper- ations as an agriculturist and stock-grower, and in these important
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John L. Palmer has not been compelled to go outside the lim- its of his native township to find opportunity for the achieving of definite and worthy success through association with the basic in- dustries of agriculture and stock-growing, and he is essentially one of the enterprising and substantial farmers of Mallory township. Mr. Palmer is descended, in both paternal and maternal lines, from families that were founded in America in the colonial period of our national history, and his father was born in the State of New York, his mother having been a native of Vermont. Mr. Palmer was born in the township that is now his home, and it is pleasing to note that the place of his birth, which occurred July 12, 1860, was the homestead farm which he now owns and occupies. He is a son of Henry and Clarissa (Penhollow) Palmer, and his father came to the west about the year 1841. Henry Palmer became one of the early settlers of Clayton county, where he obtained one hundred and sixty acres of government land, from which he reclaimed one of the fine farms of Mallory township. Here he remained, a sterling and honored citizen, until the time of his death, which occurred in 1872, and his wife survived him by nearly two score of years, she having been summoned to eternal rest in 1910, when venerable in years. She was a devoted member of the United Brethren church, as was also her husband, and the latter gave his political allegiance to the Democratic party. Of the children the first-born were twins, Frank and Francis, the former being deceased and the latter being now a resident of Nebraska; Eugene is deceased ; Charles is a res- ident of Dunn county, Wisconsin, and Richard of Spring Valley, that state; Whitman maintains his home at Blaine, Washington ; Burdette is a substantial farmer in Mallory township: Edna now resides in the city of Duluth, Minnesota; Lucy is the wife of Lavine White, of Elk township, Clayton county ; Emma resides at Duluth ; and the subject of this sketch is the youngest of the number. John L. Palmer acquired his earlier educational training in the district school near his birthplace and supplemented this by attending the village schools at Elkport. After leaving school he continued his association with the work of his father's farm until he had attained to the age of 22 years, when he went to Knapp, Wisconsin, in which state he remained nine years, devoting his attention to farming dur- ing the greater part of this interval. He then returned to his native county and purchased eighty acres of his father's old home farm, upon which he has made excellent improvements, including the erec- tion of good buildings, and upon which he is giving his attention with marked success to the raising of general lines of agricultural products and the breeding and growing of high-grade live stock, in- cluding Durham cattle and Jersey Red swine. He is at all times ready to do his part in supporting measures and enterprises advanced for the general good of the community, is a Democrat in his polit- ical proclivities and has served with marked efficiency as school di- rector of his district, though he has had naught of desire for political preferment. He is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America and his wife is a member of the United Brethren church. September 10, 1882, stands as the date recording the marriage of Mr. Palmer
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