USA > Iowa > Johnson County > Leading events in Johnson County, Iowa history, biographical > Part 11
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JOHN SUEPPEL, SR. Deceased
"His life was gentle and all the elements So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up And say, This was a man."
The greatest monument to the memory of any human life is a record of worthy character, of good deeds accomplished. No granite shaft can tell the story : it must be engraved upon the page of history as recorded in the hearts and minds of men.
The subject of this sketch was a person whose character left a deep impression upon the community in which he moved and his departure from the scenes of active life leaves a va- cancy that must long be realized. His watchful care and zeal and good faith in every official position of life won for him the confidence and respect of all who knew him. His loyalty to home, friends, and fraternal relations displayed his great
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moral worth and won him the admiration and love of these associates with him. He never sowed to the wind, neither did immorality of any kind find lodgment in his pure mind. Noth- ing dishonorable or untruthful was ever charged against him, but in every department of life he walked uprightly before God and man, squaring his actions by the square of justice, ever remembering that he was traveling upon a level of time to a brighter, purer sphere than this.
Jolm Sueppel was born October 8, 1836, at Muersbach, Landgericht Bannach, Koeigriech Bacom. With his parents he came to America in 1853, and the family settled at Erie, Pa. Three years later, being then nineteen years of age, he became imbued with a desire to try his fortune in the farther west aud in a newer country, so bidding adieu to the paternal home he came to Iowa City. He arrived there on New Year's day, 1855, and soon became identified with the business in- terests of the pioneer town, and for forty years conducted suc- cessfully different commercial enterprises, part of the time dry goods and later the grocery business. Forty years in business in Iowa City is a long record for any man, but the career of Mr. Sueppel did not comprise the accumulation of wealth alone but embraced a desire to benefit mankind and advance the welfare of the community. He was public spirited in every sense of the word, anxious to aid and encourage the growth and npbuilding of his city. He was proud of his state, his county, and of Iowa City and her educational institutions, parochial schools and hospitals.
He was city treasurer from 1876-1877 and in 1877 was elect- ed county treasurer, which office he held for four years. He was one of the leading citizens instrumental in securing the fine Carnegie library. He was one of the principal founders of the Roman Catholic Mutual Protection Society, which from a small beginning has grown into a state-wide organization with over 4,000 members, including also a number of branches in adjoining states, and which by securing protection and sup- port to the widows and children of its beneficiaries is doing a noble work of charity and blessing that not only brings a great reward upon its founders and supporters, but is of incalculable value and benefit to humanity. So great was the esteem of the members of the society for his financial ability that they
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elected him one of the directors of the state board and re- tained him in that position until his death, when he was then in the beginning of his fifteenth year of service. In 1881 Mr. Sueppel was elected treasurer and secretary of the R. C. M. P. S., and held that office for ten years.
For over thirty years he held some responsible office in the management of the Catholic church. He was an active mem- ber of St. Mary's Gentlemen's Sodality and never missed a communion Sunday while able to attend. He was a member of St. Joseph's Benevolent Society and the Knights of Colum-
RESIDENCE OF JOHN SUEPPEL, SR.
bus, and was ever devoted to the noble principles of fraternity and Catholicy which that order inculcates. His wife was a charter member of Rosary Society.
Mr. Sueppel was married September 12, 1859, to Miss Catherine Robert, daughter of Wolfgang and Katherine (Shellhorn) Rohert, natives of Bavaria, who came to America on a sailing vessel, and after an eight week's voyage landed at Baltimore, Maryland, July 4. From Baltimore they came by rail and canal to Havre de Grace, and then over the Alle-
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gheny Mountains by elevated railway to Pittsburg and then down the Ohio river by steamer to Cincinnati and St. Louis. From St. Louis they proceeded by steamer up the Mississippi river to Burlington, Iowa, and then across the wild prairie country with an ox team to Johnson county. They crossed the English river at the present site of Riverside, and finally arriving at Old Man's creek in Sharon township they estab- lished their pioneer habitation in the woods. They first located on section 31, and lived for a time in true pioneer style in a log house made of big round logs put together with wooden pegs in place of nails. They lived here on a small farm of fifty acres for about two years. They then moved to a different location on the same section where they built a larger house and here they made their home for fifteen years. During some part of this time Wolfgang Rohert and his son Adam worked on the state capitol then building and walked from the farm back and forth to their work, a distance of ten miles.
On September 12, 1901, Mr. and Mrs. John Sueppel cele- brated their forty-second anniversary. The following notice regarding the event appeared in a local paper :
"There were no demonstrations and no formal observance of the happy event but the bride and groom received many congratulations from the many warm friends who recalled the fact that the veteran grocer and his estimable wife had been pronounced one September 12, 1859. The bride resided then at Old Man's Creek, and the young groom, though not an im- personator of Leander, who swam the Hellespont for his loved one or Lochinvar who bore his bride away on the fleet steed, Mr. Sueppel in claiming his bride called to mind both the an- cient and modern gallant. To bring Miss Rohert to Iowa City where Rev. Father Emmons might pronounce the words that made the couple husband and wife it was necessary for the prospective groom to ford the Iowa river, and of course the ever ready friend at hand played an important part in that journey to the west side. The lower river bridge was then building and the abutments going into place. The contractor was a former sheriff of Johnson county - Marshal Scott Wilson's father, by the way. Thus the young man found it incumbent upon him to drive thru the rolling waters of the Iowa and he accomplished this feat without hesitation. He
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brought his sweetheart, the priest was summoned and the young woman now a noble wife and mother became Mrs. Sueppel."
Mr. Sueppel was a man of strong purpose, high minded, the essence of honor, with a strength and warmth of sympathy that made kindred and friendly ties especially strong. His life was one of vigor. Activity was as essential to him as the air he breathed. All who knew him will hear testimony to his memory. A man of strong mental force, his unerring judgment marked him from his fellows and only good motives actuated his conduct. His life of fortitude stands as a model of worthy emulation by a rising generation.
On Thursday, February 23, 1905, he laid down the burdens and cares of earthly life and his soul passed out through the gateway of immortality to his eternal rest. The funeral cor- tege from the church to the cemetery was a long and impres- sive procession. The four societies of which the deceased was a member attended the obsequies in a body. Court had been adjourned as a mark of respect for the departed former pub- lic official and the city and county authorities assisted at the services. So great were the throngs of people that sought entrance that the big church edifice was quickly filled to over- flowing so that many could not obtain admittance. The dense- ly crowded auditorium and array of prominent priests in the sanctuary with Rt. Rev. James Davis, D. D., coadjutor bishop of Davenport, made an impressive scene, a silent but forceful demonstration of the high regard of clergy and laymen for the lamented departed. It was the largest funeral seen in Iowa City for many years. The sanctuary rail and the casket were covered with a profusion of magnificent floral tributes from the family and friends.
RALPH OTTO
The centennial year and month of American independence witnessed the birth, in Iowa City, of the subject of this sketch. It was fourteen days subsequent to the national anniversary however, that the hearts of Max Otto and Katherine MeIn- nery were gladdened by the arrival of their first son, Ralph,
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who was the fourth child of the family, three daughters, Agnes, Clementine, and Mary, having preceded him. Later the stork made three visits to the household bearing Joseph, Lucia, and Helen. These seven children had a worthy father and mother in Max and Katherine Otto, a happy union of Ger- man and Irish blood which, under the favorable conditions existent in the American great west, is productive of progres- sive progeny.
Max Otto was a native of Germany, and saw the light of day on Christmas, 1842, near Dusseldorf. Katherine MeIn-
RESIDENCE OF RALPH OTTO
nery, his wife, was born in Ireland, August 13, 1843, and came to Iowa in 1854. The former received a liberal education in Dusseldorf, and when twenty-four years of age came to Amer- ica, reaching Iowa City in the latter part of 1866, where he at once entered upon active work as a school teacher in the build- ing in the northern part of the city, which afterwards was known as the Convent School, corner of Brown and Johnson streets. Five years later he began business as a dealer in musical instruments and taught music in connection therewith. His classical German education had fitted him for the work of
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instruction, and coupled with this he possessed the most deli- cate and discriminative natural taste, the whole combining to make him one of the most competent and popular instructors of the west. Throughout his life, though in after years active in other lines, his love and taste for music were preserved. Perceiving the necessity for a German newspaper in this sec- tion of Iowa, in 1881 he established the Iowa City Post, which he conducted with ability until his death twelve years later. Mr. Otto was called to the responsibilities of public office in the spring of 1882, when he was elected city clerk, an office to which he was re-elected in 1883, '84, '85, and '86, making a consecutive term of office longer than that of any previous in- cumbent. In 1887 he was elected to the office of clerk of the dis- trict court of Johnson county, being re-elected to second and third terms without opposition, and receiving the nomination of his party by acclamation. In addition to discharging the duties of the two offices above mentioned, Mr. Otto served as a member of the Iowa City school board. His marriage to Miss MeInnery took place April 4, 1869. She was a school teacher in Iowa City for six years, doing her work in a two- story brick building, which, on being burned in 1869, was re- placed by a new brick, and the school work continued therein by Mrs. Otto until 1871. Max Otto died March 14, 1893, and the Johnson County Bar Association adopted very complimen- tary resolutions, reciting his sterling character and invaluable public services as clerk of the district court. Mrs. Otto is still living.
Ralph Otto is a graduate of the Iowa City high school and of the Department of Liberal Arts, S. U. I., 1898, and the De- partment of Law, 1900. The year of his graduation he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in his native city, continuing without interruption until the present time. That he is a worthy son of a worthy sire is proven by the fact that he was chosen as mayor of Iowa City and filled that office and professor of law at his alma mater. His legal practice is very large, and his property holdings in the city and county are extensive.
His marriage to Miss Alma Moffitt, of Iowa City, took place July 29, 1903. The bride was born in this city November 9, 1878, her parents being of English descent. One daughter,
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Gretchen, four years of age, brightens the home at 415 East Brown street.
Joseph M. Otto, the second son, brother of Ralph, was born at Iowa City September 29, 1878. IIe graduated from the Iowa City high school in 1894 and from the Department of Liberal Arts, S. U. I. in the class of 1898. He served as dep- uty clerk of the district court until 1901, when he became dep- uty county anditor, serving for about one year. Thereafter he became assistant cashier of the Citizens Savings & Trust Company, hokling this position until 1908. He was admitted to the bar in 1906, and has been an active practitioner ever since. He is a member of B. P. O. E. and Knights of Column- bus.
Of the five daughters of Max Otto, Agnes is supervisor of drawing in the Iowa City public schools and Lucia is a teacher in the high school.
The student of biography cannot fail of being impressed by the rise and progress of this family in America. The sit- nation is one fraught with compliment alike to the talented and energetic German father and his no less talented and vig- orous Irish wife and to the gifted children who have brought honor and further distinction to the name of Otto; but it is also a significant commentary upon the great country of lib- erty, where the social, educational, and economic conditions make such successes possible. "A Lesson in American Fam- ily Development" might fittingly be the title of this brief story of Max Otto and his descendants.
ALBERT HEMMER
One of the honored retired merchants of Iowa City is Al- bert Hemmer, who for twenty years, from 1881 to 1902, was engaged in the dry goods business in the University City. At that time, though only fifty years of age, he withdrew from active business, and today. in the prime of life, resides at his home, 430 East Bloomington street. Mr. Hemmer is a native of Peoria, Illinois, the date of his birth being November 12. 1855. His parents were Joseph and Margaret Hemmer, both of whom were natives of Germany. They died in Illinois and
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are buried there. The elder Hemmer was by trade a mill- wright, having secured a thorough knowledge of the business in Germany, where he pursued the calling prior to removing to America. Albert also was an expert miller, having learned the trade in Cresent Flour Mills, Davenport, in 1870, and when he came to Johnson county in 1875 he engaged in that trade, continuing in the same line for ten years.
In 1877 Mr. Hemmer was married to Miss Marie S. Rupert, a native of Iowa City, whose parents, born in Germany, were pioneers of Johnson county, having located in 1855. Mr. Rupert died in 1874. The mother died August 26, 1911, at an advanced age of 89 and both are buried in Iowa City.
RESIDENCE OF ALBERT HEM MER
Albert Hemmer and wife are the parents of three children : Amelia, born August 17, 1878, is married to J. S. Mutchler and resides at Harvard, North Dakota; Mary, born July 5, 1880, is married to A. E. Marquardt and resides at Lombard, Illinois; Amil John G., born December 24, 1882, is a civil en- gineer and a resident of Chicago.
Mr. Hemmer's business life has always been characterized by conservatism, strict integrity, and straightforwardness, though his methods were not lacking in vigor and aggressive- ness, as must be evident from his long continuation as one of the leading merchants of lowa City. The inherent honesty and ability of the German and the push of the American were
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happily combined in him in the making of a sane, responsible citizen. In politics nationally he is a democrat, though he has always placed citizenship above partisanship. He and his wife attend the German Lutheran church, of which she is a member.
At fifty-six, conscious of having wrought well in the years of active life, he is in that state of mind and physical health to enable him to thoroughly enjoy existence and take an active interest in the current affairs of his city, state, and nation. Among his neighbors, who are unanimously numbered in the category of his personal friends, he is highly esteemed-an indorsement to which no man can be indifferent, for there can be no better.
Our subject served efficiently on the school board of Iowa City for nine years, and was one of the directors of the old Iowa City National bank. He was assistant assessor of Iowa City for eight years up to the close of 1911.
SAMUEL F. LE FEVRE
Few men were better known or more widely respected in Johnson county than Samuel Le Fevre, who, while a capitalist, was every inch a man of.affairs and aggressive in his efforts to develop the city and county of his adoption. Mr. LeFevre was born at Paradise, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, in 1846. His death occurred at his residence in Iowa City on June 15, 1900. Mr. LeFevre, though strictly speaking a finan- cier, had a great fondness for agriculture, and though not personally an adept at farming, he owned a large farm south- east of Iowa City, which he took great pleasure in supervising. In connection with T. C. Carson, who was president of the Johnson County Savings bank, he formed a partnership in a carriage repository. For a number of years Mr. Le Fevre represented his ward in the city council of Iowa City, in the affairs of which he exercised a distinctive influence. It was his invariable rule to put into the administraton of public business the same industry and care which he exercised in the management of his private interests. This trait of character brought him the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens universally. Fraternally Mr. Le Fevre was a member of the
SAMUEL LEFEVRE
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A. F. & A. M. of Iowa City. The family were members of the Congregational church.
Mr. Le Fevre's marriage to Miss Anna Lord took place at Iowa City. The latter is a native of Maine, and came with her parents to Johnson county in 1870. Her family settled in Scott township on a farm purchased by her father. This homestead is still farmed by Mrs. Le Fevre's only brother, Frank Lord. Her parents spent their declining years at the home of their daughter in Iowa City, receiving every comfort that could be provided in a palatial home. Mrs. Lord died in 1886 and Mr. Lord in 1893.
RESIDENCE OF MRS. ANNA LEFEVRE
One son was born to Samuel and Anna Le Fevre, Samuel Lord Le Fevre, in 1886, a young man of great promise. He was a graduate of the Iowa City high school, and at his death, in his nineteenth year, he had just completed the freshman year in the State University of Iowa. His death was a great sorrow to the devoted mother, who only five years previously had been called to mourn the departure of her beloved husband.
Samuel Lord, the father of Mrs. Le Fevre, was born in Han- cock county, Maine, September 1, 1826. Attracted by the gold excitement on the Pacific coast, he went to California in 1850, but returned to Maine in 1852 and engaged in the lumber busi- ness. In 1857 he removed to the province of New Brunswick, continuing in the same line of business until 1860, when he
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again returned to the bosom of his native state. His next and final move was to Johnson county, Iowa, in 1870, in company with his wife (Emma Smith, to whom he was married in Maine in 1855) and his two children, Anna and Frank. His occupa- tion in Johnson county, until his retirement, was farming, a business which he enjoyed.
HERBERT M. THOMPSON
From the schoolmaster's desk to the editorial sanctum is an easy and natural step. There is no better post-graduate course on earth than the newspaper forum, and the curriculum of this institution is peculiar in that it provides for no day of gradu- ation; hence in the great College of Journalism there are no alummi, barring, of course, those fellows who have become smitten with the extreme unction of old age. Herbert M. Thompson was a successful school teacher in Iowa for thirteen years, being an instructor in the towns of Palo, Shellsburg, Mondamin, Thornton, and Solon. In the latter town he has been principal for the past three years, and for the year 1911, the date of this biography, continues to hold that office. On April 1, 1911, however, he purchased the Solon Economy, the local newspaper, and became at once its editor, thus making the change from Three R's to Fourth Estate without undue shock. In connection with his regular school work, Mr. Thomp- son spent one year upon the lecture platform, and for a num- ber of years was an instructor at teachers' institutes in various places. His editorship of the Economy, with the injunction of its name constantly in mind, ought to give him the opportunity for extensive usefulness.
Our subject was born at Shellsburg, Iowa, May 7, 1879, and received his fundamental education in his native village, graduating from the high school. Thereafter he took up the active work of teaching, adding to his store of practical and technical knowledge by attendance at summer schools in sev- eral different institutions. His parents are Rev. J. W. and Mary (Simmons) Thompson. The former was born in Tennes- see and the latter in Illinois. Rev. Mr. Thompson received his education and spent the early part of his life in his native
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state. He began his ministry there. Later he removed to Illinois, where he met and married Mary Simmons, who was a native of Dallas. Her father, Samuel Simmons, was a soldier in the Civil War, serving three and one-half years, retiring from active service on account of a serious wound, from the effects of which he died in later years. Reverend Thompson and wife removed to Iowa about thirty-five years ago and set- tled at Shellsburg. Their family consisted of ten children: Ollie, now Mrs. W. O. Penrose, of Marshalltown, Iowa; Ed- ward S., engaged in boot and shoe business at Omaha, Nebras- ka; Mary L., chief buyer for Benson & Thorne, retail dealers in ladies' and children's furnishings, at Omaha ; Shirley M., manager of the Shellsburg Lumber Co., Shellsburg, Iowa; our subject ; Maybelle R., now Mrs. R. E. Browne, whose husband is manager of the S. H. Knox 5 and 10 cent store at Buffalo. New York; Clifford H., a farmer, residing near Shellsburg, Iowa; Mande, who died at the age of nine years ; Grace L., now Mrs. C. C. Miller, her husband being a representative of the International Harvester Co., residing at Shellsburg, Iowa; Winnifred, wife of Lee Cheney, a barber, of Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Our subjeet was married in 1904 to Miss Alta A. Barlow, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Barlow, of Palo, Iowa. Mrs. Thompson is a native daughter of Nebraska. Mr. Thompson is of the democratie political faith, and being a man of intelli- gence, of course speaks his mind. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
DR. MARTIN OSCAR STAUCII
A graduate of the Medical Department of the State Uni- versity of Iowa in the class of 1911, Dr. Martin Oscar Stauch, of Solon, Iowa, is just entering upon the practice of his chosen profession. His friends, having in mind the carefulness of his preparation and his natural fitness for the work, predict for the young physician a career of great usefulness, and to this end they will aid him by an abundance of good wishes -- a valuable asset on the balance sheet of any young man.
Dr. Stanch is a native Iowan, born March 1, 1890, in Battle Creek, Ida county. He comes of fighting stock. His father,
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Andrew Stauch, born in Germany in 1850, came to America in 1867, making the voyage in a sailing vessel, sixty days being consumed in the journey. His first stop for any length of time was in Ohio, from which state he enlisted in the regular army for a period of five years. Having completed his term, he re- enlisted for another five years, which he completed, making ten years of continuous service in the army. During this period he traveled all over the west and was engaged in numerous cam- paigns against the Indians, having many miraculous escapes. On his discharge from the army, he settled in Ida county, Iowa, where he engaged in the furniture and undertaking business at Battle Creek, continuing therein until his death, January 22,
HOME OF DR. M. O. STAUCH
1901. He married Miss Ameta Peper, who bore him three chil- dren : our subject; Elsie, who died at the age of sixteen; and Marie, who is now attending school at Battle Creek and living with her widowed mother.
Our subject graduated from the Battle Creek high school in 1907, thereafter entering the Medical Department of the State University of Iowa, graduating in 1911, as before stated. He is a member of the Nu Sigma Nu, an international medical fra- ternity. For three years he was a member of the second de- tachment of the hospital corps of the Iowa National Guards, and was a first sergeant when he received his discharge in May, 1911.
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