USA > Iowa > Sac County > History of Sac County, Iowa > Part 59
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90
Mr. and Mrs. Keiser have reared a family of ten children. It is interest- ing to note that two of the children were born in Wisconsin, two in Tama county, Iowa, and six in Sac county, Iowa. The children, in order of their birth, are as follows: Edmund, of Spencer, lowa, who is married and has two children, Earl and Ruth; Ida; Albert, of Wisconsin ; Ralph, of Calhoun county, who is married and has two sons, Clifford and Lester ; Mattie ; Mrs. Agnes Weitzel, who has one daughter, June Ida ; Adolph ; Walter ; Maud and Austin. Of these children, Ida, Mattic. Adolph, Walter. Maud and Austin are still at home with their parents. Clara died in infancy.
Politically, Mr. Keiser is a Republican, but has never taken an active part in political affairs. The members of the family are all faithful attendants of the Methodist Episcopal church, and contribute generously to its support. Mr. and Mrs. Keiser have lived together more than fifty years, having cele- brated their golden wedding anniversary in April of 1013. They have seen this county grow from a broad prairie to its present prosperous condition and have had their full share in bringing about this change. They can tell many interesting incidents of the early life of this county and the many trials and tribulations which were endured by the early settlers. They are kindly, genial people, who are hospitable to their friends and neighbors, and are always willing to do more than their share to alleviate any suffering or dis- tress in their community. Such people are a blessing to the locality in which they live, and Mr. and Mrs. Keiser are people of whom any community should be proud. Surrounded by their children, they are now enjoying the fruits of their earlier arduous labors and are receiving the most loving care and attention from their daughters, who are deserving of commendation for the attention given to their aged parents and for their intelligence and
(38)
610
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
aptitude in relieving the parents from the cares which have been theirs for many years. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Keiser is one of which any parents should well be proud. The sons are sturdy, energetic fellows who are ambitious farmers and have been trusted with the work of the extensive Keiser farm for several years past. Could the sunset and the evening of all lives be as blessed and comfortable as those of Joseph Keiser and his good wife the world would indeed be a better place in which to live.
An interesting postscript could be added to this memoir of the Keiser family which will prove to be a matter of history. An account of the great fire which visited the homestead in the evening of March 25. 1914, is appropriate and belongs in this family history. The barn and outbuildings were discovered to be all ablaze on the evening aforementioned, and the efforts of the family and numerous neighbors who came to their assistance, went for naught and the high wind caused a veritable holacaust. The great barn, corn cribs and adjacent buildings were burned to the ground. Four head of cattle and thir- teen calves were lost in the fire, but the great part of the live stock, including the farm horses, were saved. The buildings and stock were well insured and during the summer of 1914 a new and modern barn with all the latest con- veniences for storing the products of the farm and housing of the live stock was erected. The main building is seventy-two by forty-eight feet in extent and is one of the finest farm buildings in Sac county. The timely as- . sistance and the kindness of the neighbors met with the heartfelt appreciation from the Keiser family.
DEWITT G. SCHENCK.
Among the farmers of Sac county, Iowa, who believe in following twentieth-century methods is De Witt G. Schenck, of Cedar township. He comes of a splendid family, one that has always been strong for right living and industrious habits, for education and morality, and for all that con- tributes to the welfare of the commonwealth. Such people are welcomed in any community, for they are empire builders and as such have pushed the frontier of civilization ever westward and onward, leaving the green, wide- reaching wilderness and the far-stretching plains populous with contented people and beautiful with green fields; they have constituted that sterling horde which caused the great Bishop Whipple to write the memorable line. "Westward the course of empire takes its way."
De Witt G. Schenck, proprietor of a two-hundred-acre farm in Cedar
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
township, Sac county, lowa, was born in 1869 in Illinois, the son of William T. and Isabelle ( Brown) Schenck, who were natives of Ohio and New York, respectively. His father is of German descent and his mother traces her ancestry back to the early English colonists. William T. Schenck came to Sac county in 1908, and has a farm in Cedar township. His first wife died in July, 1883. Mr. and Mrs. William T. Schenck were the parents of four children : Mrs. Laura Mendenhall, of Cedar township; Mrs. Armenia Belle Heiserman, of this township: Mrs. Grace Mullins, of Jackson town- ship. this county; D. G., whose history is here presented. By a second mar- riage William T. had one son, Daniel, of Sac City.
DeWitt G. Schenck was educated in the schools of Illinois and farmed in that state until the spring of 1897, at which time he came to Sac county and rented a farm for the first three years of his residence here, after which he bought one hundred and sixty acres at forty-seven dollars an acre. In 1908 he purchased an additional forty acres, for which he paid eighty-eight dollars an acre. His two-hundred-acre farm is now well worth two hun- dred and twenty-five dollars per acre, as he has improved it in every way, built all the buildings on the place, which has two houses, barns and other outbuildings, and he has spent a small fortune on tiling alone. Ile was the first Illinois farmer to lay drain tile for the purpose of draining his land, an example which has been followed widely since the farmers of the county have noticed the success which attended his farming of his tiled fields. He has put up over one thousand dollars worth of woven wire fencing. put twenty-five hundred dollars into tiling and several thousand dollars into buiklings, and it is easy to see why his farm is now worth the price men- tioned above. In 1913 he had on his farm thirty-five head of cattle, seven head of hogs, seventeen head of horses and twenty-five head of sheep, eighty- five acres of corn which averaged forty-five bushels to the acre, while his other crops were in proportion. In addition to his grains, he is a breeder of blooded Shorthorn cattle, which adds not a little to his annual income. .
Politically, Mr. Schenck is a Republican and has taken an active part in the affairs of his party. He has served as township trustee, township as- sessor and as school director of his school district, and in all of these offices he has rendered faithful and efficient service. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and has been a member of that fraternal order for the past twenty-three years, holding his membership in Lodge No. 314, at Maori, Illinois. He is a member of the Christian church and gives to it his generous support.
Mr. Schenck has been twice married, his first marriage being in 1890.
612
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
to Clara E. Mendenhall, a native of Ohio, and her death occurred in 1896, leaving two children, Mrs. Ethel Weohl and Homer. Mr. and Mrs. Weohl are now living on the home farm, while Homer is living on his grandfather's farm. In 1897 Mr. Schenck was married to Flora Mendenhall, also born in Ohio, and to this marriage have been born two children, Hilda and Robert.
The achievements of Mr. Schenck represent endeavor along lines where mature judgment has opened the way. He possesses a weight of character and discriminating judgment that have won the respect and approval of all with whom he has been associated.
JACOB J. IBEL.
Among the citizens of Cedar township, Sac county, Iowa, who have built up comfortable homes and surrounded themselves with valuable landed estates and personal property, few have attained a higher degree of success than he of whom this chronicle speaks. With few opportunities except what his own efforts were capable of mastering and with many discouragements to overcome, he has made an exceptional success in life and has the grati- fication of knowing that the community in which he resides has been bene- fited by his presence and his counsel.
Jacob J. Ibel, of Cedar township, this county, was born August 13, 1872, in New York state, and was the son of Henry and Anna Margaret ( Schueler ) Ibel, both of whom were natives of Germany. His parents were reared in Germany, but came to this country before they were married, and were later married in New York, near Ilion. Henry Ibel was a carpenter in his native land, but when he came to this country in 1873 he followed the vocation of a farmer. Henry Ibel and his family arrived in Iowa on December 24, 1873, and first located temporarily at Cedar Rapids. Later they bought a farm in Benton county, but shortly afterwards sold it and moved to Linn county, this state. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ibel have retired from their farm and now live in Cedar Rapids. They are the parents of five children: Mrs. Anna Phelps, who lives near Covington, Iowa; Mrs. Katie Schrimper, of Cedar Rapids: Mary, who is at home; Mrs. Louisa Ring, who resides on the old homestead farm in Linn county, and Jacob J .. whose history is here portrayed.
Jacob J. Ibel was educated in the public schools of Benton county, Iowa, in the district known as the Hamilton district. He was married when he
613
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
reached the age of twenty-three and then farmed for three years in Linn county. this state. From there he moved to Poweshiek county, this state, where he followed farming pursuits near Grinnell. He bought his first farm in Calhoun county in 1900, buying one hundred and sixty acres for thirty- seven and one-half dollars an acre. In 1901 he sold this farm for fifty dollars an acre, clearing twelve and a half dollars on each acre in less than one year's time. He then purchased ninety-eight acres in Calhoun county, for fifty-six dollars an acre, and after farming it for one year, moved to Linn county, Iowa, but returned in 1908 and sold his Calhoun county farm for eighty-two and one-half dollars an acre. His next move was to the state of Washington, where he had a one-hundred-and-sixty-acre wheat ranch, but he got enough of Washington in one year, and in 1910 he returned to this county and bought his present farm of one hundred and twenty acres in June, 1910, for ninety-six dollars an acre, and has refused one hundred and fifty dollars an acre for the land since that time. Mr. Ibel has made a success of his farming operations, and in 1913 had forty acres of corn which had a good average of forty bushels to the acre. He usually has for sale twenty head of hogs each year and ten head of cattle, and finds this no inconsider- able part of his annual income.
Mr. Ibel was married February 19, 1896, to Johanna M. Kimm, a native of Benton county, this state, and the daughter of Rev. Jacob Kimm, a min- ister of the New Jerusalem church. Rev. Jacob Kimm was a soldier in the Civil War, enlisting in Company E, One Hundred and Fifty-second Regi- ment, New York Volunteer Infantry, and lost his left leg while in the service in the battle of the Wilderness. At the close of the war, Mr. Kimm came to Benton county, lowa, and afterwards owned a farm in Iowa county. He is now living in the state of Washington, his wife, Magdalena Eubel, a native of Germany, having died April 9, 1897. Rev. Jacob Kimm and wife were the parents of ten children: Leonard, Mrs. Anna Harthill, both of Washington: Mrs. Johanna Ibel; Milo, also of Washington; Lewis, de- ceased ; Mrs. Rosa Barr, who lives at Storm Lake, Iowa; Winfield, Milford and Jesse, all of Washington, and Ida, deceased. Mrs. Ibel's father was married October, 1898, to Sarah Davis, and to this second union were born three children, two of whom are living. Kenneth, Kermit, and Elmer, de- ceased. An uncle of Mrs. Ibel's, J. H. Kimm, now living in South Dakota, reared seventeen children, nine of whom formed the famous "Kimm Base- ball Nine." Mr. and Mrs. Ibel are the parents of two children, Benton J .. born June 1, 1898, and Marion C., born January 21, 1900.
Politically, Mr. Ibel reserves the right to cast his vote for those men
614
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
whom he considers the best qualified to hold the offices of his locality. He votes for the best men irrespective of party affiliations, feeling that in doing this he is fulfilling the highest ideal citizenship, and he is right, for it is the independent voter who is always the most intelligent voter of the com- munity.
Mr. Ibel was reared in the Lutheran church and now subscribes to the belief of the New Jerusalem denomination. His support may be depended upon for the furthering of any cause calculated to advance the county's in- terests for the political, industrial, educational, religious or moral welfare. and among his many commendable traits Mr. Ibel makes and retains friends easily, as does his estimable wife.
FRED HILLMANN.
Among the enterprising young men of Lytton, Sac county, Jowa, the Hillmann brothers occupy a very prominent and conspicuous place. They have built up an industry which touches the life of every farmer in the town- ship, and the success which has attended their efforts has come about because they have given the best of service to their patrons. In the enterprising little town of Lytton, which, by the way, is the smallest town in the state to own its own electric light plant, they have built up a creamery which is the pride of the community and these two establishments are no small factors in the material advancement of the community in which they are located.
Fred and George Hillmann, the sons of Otto Hillmann, were born in 1887 and 1884, respectively. Otto Hillman was a native of Germany and came to America when a young man and settled near Waverly, in Bremer county. lowa. In 1887 he came to Sac City and opened a mercantile estab- lishment with his brother, in which business he remained for three years. He then went to Manson, lowa, in 1890, and started a creamery and shortly afterwards had two branch stations in the county known as skimming sta- tions. In 1894 he settled on a farm south of Lytton and operated a creamery and for the next ten years did a very profitable business. In 1907 he built the Hillmann creamery in Lytton, which he managed until his death. on Decem- ber 2, 1907, since which time his sons, Fred and George, have been success- fully managing the creamery. Otto Hillmann married Ida Vogt, a native of Bremer county, lowa. and to this union were born six children : Alena, de- ceased : Esther ; Priscilla: Ferdinand, living at Omaha: George and Fred, who are at home with their mother.
015
SAC COUNTY, IOWA
The Hillmann creamery is the most important establishment in Lytton. and one of the best equipped creameries in the state. The building is twenty- two by eighty feet in size and is equipped with all the latest improved machin- ery for the making of butter. It has a daily capacity of four thousand pounds and is now manufacturing from one thousand to one thousand five hundred pounds of excellent creamery butter each day, and about one hundred tubs of butter weekly. The Hillmann brothers take a great deal of pride in their plant and keep it absolutely clean and sanitary at all times, thereby giving their products a name which guarantees it a ready sale in the best markets
The Hillmann brothers are members of the German Lutheran church. as are all the members of the family. George is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, while Fred holds his membership with the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows. These young men are fine examples of American citizens, and have a bright business career before them. They have established a business which is sure to grow and become an increasing factor in the welfare of the community. They are agreeable men to meet and have a host of warm and loyal friends throughout the township in which they live.
ROBERT IRVIN WILSON.
There is no calling, however hunible, in which enterprise and industry, coupled with a well-directed purpose, will not be productive of some meas- ure of success, and in the pursuit of agriculture the qualities mentioned are quite essential. Among the well-known and highly respected farmers of Sac county, lowa, who have attained to a definite degree of success in their line and who at the same time have greatly benefited the community in which they live is the gentleman to a review of whose life and career we now direct the reader's attention.
Robert Irvin Wilson, one of the prosperous farmers of Cedar township, Sac county, lowa, was born September 27. 1877, in Clinton county, lowa. the son of John and Caroline ( Cook ) Wilson, natives of Canada and New York, respectively. Her parents left their native homes and migrated to Clinton county, Iowa, in the latter fifties, and there John Wilson met and married Caroline Cook. John Wilson was born in 1850 and died in June, 1888. They lived the rest of their lives in Clinton county, this state, and to them were born a family of four children: Mabel, who died at the age of
616
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
three years : Nathan J., of Coon Valley township: Robert 1. and J. Lowell, of Sac township, the three brothers all now living in Sac county.
The three brothers came to Sac county, Iowa. in March, 1899, and Robert at once bought one hundred and twenty acres of land in Cedar town- ship for thirty-six dollars an acre, the land having few, if any, improvements upon it at that time. He has placed many improvements, consisting of tiling, fencing, barns and a new home, on his farm, and expended about ten thousand dollars in improvements altogether. In 1909 he purchased forty acres ad- joining his farm, for which he had to pay eighty dollars an acre, and al- though it was but a few years ago, the same land is now worth about two hundred dollars an acre. In 1911 Mr. Wilson erected a fine, modern resi- dence, which has all the latest conveniences. In addition to his regular farm- ing pursuits, Mr. Wilson raises from twelve to fifteen head of cattle for the market each year and finds this a profitable part of his vocation.
Mr. Wilson was married on Christmas eve. in 1896. in Clinton county, lowa, to Florence Miner, a native of Jo Daviess county. Illinois, the daughter of Albert and Ella A. Miner, who had come to lowa in 1881. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are the parents of one son, Ronald, who is now fourteen years of age, born September 3, 1899.
Politically, Mr. Wilson belongs to the Republican party, but the cares of his farm life have been such as to prevent his taking a very active part in the political game. Religiously, Mr. Wilson and his family are earnest and consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which they are faithful attendants and to the support of which they are liberal contributors.
JOHN A. REYNOLDS.
One of the world's noble army of productive workers who left a definite impress upon this community by reason of his high standing as a successful business man and a loyal and progressive citizen was the late John A. Rey- nolds, and it is most consonant that in this volume be entered and perpetuated a brief tribute to his memory and a record concerning the more salient points in his career. He was a man of many admirable traits and he had a host of friends among those with whom he labored.
John A. Reynolds was born July 4, 1854, at Hudson, Ohio, and was a son of William and Rebecca (Tawn) Reynolds. He removed to Grinnell, Iowa. in 1863, and was first married February 23, 1878, to Lottie Elliott,
JOHN A. REYNOLDS
617
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
1
who died May 14, 1891, leaving seven children, named as follows: Ida, wife of S. L. Howell, Poweshiek county, Iowa; Nellie lives in Colorado; Walter, a merchant at Odebolt, Iowa; Charles and Ben have a book store at Ames, Iowa; Flora is a stenographer in Des Moines, Towa: Mrs. Lottie Smith lives near Grinnell, Iowa. In the fall of 1878 John A. Reynolds came to Odebolt, Iowa, and started the first blacksmith and wagon shop in the town, with George Parker as a partner. Mr. Parker retired in 1886 and Charles W. Kistler became his partner.
On December 24. 1892, Mr. Reynolds was married to Teresa Shea, who was born in Lake county, Illinois, April 7. 1870, daughter of Cornelius and Mary (Delaney ) Shea, the former a native of Ireland and the latter born in the state of Illinois. Cornelius Shea was born in the year 1843 and came to America with his parents in 1846. He removed to Sac county, Iowa, in 1877, and settled in Wheeler township, where the family resided on a farm in West Wheeler. Mr. Shea built and operated a hotel in Odebolt after leaving the farm. In 1881 the Sheas removed to Odebolt, and in 1890 re- moved to Nebraska, where they lived until 1902, when they removed to Los Angeles, California. Mrs. Mary Shea died in Odebolt in 1891. To the union of Cornelius and Mary Shea the following children were born: Tim- othy, who lives in Los Angeles, California: Mrs. Katie Burnquist, who re- sides in Hays township. Ida county, Iowa; Teresa, widow of John A. Rey- nolds, the immediate subject of this memoir; Mary, wife of John Myers, of Carroll, Iowa: Sarah died in 1900; Cornelius, who lives in Spokane. Wash- ington : Eugene, who is a priest in the state of Michigan; William died in 1891 ; Helen and George live in Los Angeles.
Mrs. Reynolds was reared in the Catholic faith. By her marriage with Mr. Reynolds five children were born. These are: Mary, born June 7, 1894; Josephine, born March 31, 1897: Eugene, born March 16. 1899; Gertrude, born October 23. 1903 ; Alice, born July 7. 1909.
John A. Reynolds served as mayor of Odebolt for several terms. and served in the city council for a period of eighteen years. He was a man who took much interest in his home community, and he had the confidence of all throughout his entire residence in this locality. In his business transactions he was uniformly successful and was the owner of a good farm of three hundred and twenty acres in Wheeler township. He was a Master Mason and a member of the Methodist church.
Mr. Reynolds was called by death on July 5, 1910. He was a plain, sincere, honest man, in whose death all could feel a common sorrow. Meas-
.
618
SAC COUNTY, IOWA.
ured by its beneficence, its rectitude, its fidelity to the plain and simple vir- tues, his life counted for much, and in his passing there were many who truly felt they had lost a friend.
FRED BREHM.
It is not an easy task to describe adequately a man who has led an eminently active and busy life and who has attained a position of relative distinction in the community with which his interests are allied. But biog- raphy finds its most perfect justification, nevertheless, in the tracing and recording of such a life history. It is, then, with a full appreciation of all that is demanded and of the painstaking scrutiny that must be accorded each statement, and yet with a feeling of satisfaction, that the writer essays the task of touching briefly upon the details of such a record as has been that of the honored subject of this sketch, whose eminently successful career is now under review.
Fred Brehm, a prosperous retired implement dealer of Lytton, Iowa, was born in Germany in 1848, the son of Fred and Mary ( Ritter ) Brehm, In 1874 Mr. and Mrs. Fred Brehm, Sr., came to the United States and located first in Burlington, Racine county, Wisconsin, where they engaged in farming for about three years. They then came to Sac county, lowa, where they stayed a short time, after which they located in Calhoun county, this state, but in 1887 moved back to Sac county, living on a farm near Wall Lake for about five years.
When Fred Brehm came from Wisconsin to Iowa he was accompanied by his step-father, who engaged in the implement business at Lytton, but later sold out to his sons, in the spring of 1913. In addition to his implement business he was also largely interested in land in this county, and is now the owner of one hundred and eighty-five acres near Lytton, although he pre- viously had two hundred and ten acres near Sac City, which he sold in 1910. The success which has attended Mr. Brehin in his business is decidedly shown when it is stated that when he came from Wisconsin he had only fifteen dollars, but by true German thrift and frugality he used this slender amount as a working basis, and on it built his present comfortable fortune.
Mr. Brehm was married in 1884 to Mary Karges, who was born in Wisconsin, of German parentage. To this marriage there have been born eleven children : Fred, who is in the implement business in Lytton : Walter,
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.