USA > Iowa > Johnson County > Leading events in Johnson County, Iowa history, biographical > Part 59
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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
JOHN H. AND WILLIAM E. FLOERCHINGER
The firm of Floerchinger Bros., composed of John H. and William E. Floerchinger, the subjects of this sketch, is one of the best known business institutions of Oxford, Iowa, and ranks with the leading general merchandise establishments of Johnson county. John H., the senior partner, received his mercantile training in Oxford, having served six years as a clerk in the Fair store and later as partner in a general mer- chandise store with Frank Harris. On June 11, 1903, the present partnership between the Floerchinger brothers was formed, since which time the firm has come rapidly and stead- ily to the front.
John H. is the second child and oldest son of George Floerchinger and his second wife, natives of Germany, who emigrated with four children to the United States in 1869. Although the voyage was made on a steamship, it required thirty-one days to make the voyage. The improvement in the trans-Atlantic service is indicated by the fact that in 1879 Mr. Floerchinger made the return trip in ten days, and again, in 1900, he made it in eight days going and six days returning. On arriving in Iowa, the family engaged in farming on eighty acres in section twenty, about one-half mile west of Oxford. Mr. Floerchinger thoroughly improved the place and added to its acreage. In 1909 he left the home farm. Thereupon he removed to Oxford and bought the Oxford House, which was the first building erected in the town, and was built by his brother, Frederick Adam Floerchinger, in 1869. In 1896 he erected a brick building, the first floor of which is used for storerooms and the second for a public hall. Oxford was a small affair when the Floerchingers first arrived, and Mrs. Floerchinger, in describing her experience, said she started out to find the town and could see only timber and hazel- brush, a small block house, and a little store building kept by M. E. Marvin. She "thought she was in the wilderness proper, and the English language sounded like the cackle of geese."
The first marriage of Mr. Floerchinger was to Jennie Worf, Jannary 4, 1860. She died in Germany in August, 1868, leaving four children: Katherine, born November 19,
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1860, now wife of J. H. Ditte, Alberta, Canada; Frances, born March 16, 1862, wife of William Kruger, Palermo, North Dakota; Adam W., born September 16, 1864; George, born in November, 1866, died May 23, 1906. On December 13, 1868, Mr. Floerchinger married Katie Worf, sister of his first wife, at Havre, France. The children by the latter wife are: Anna M., born December 8, 1869, died February 1, 1908; John H., our subject, born June 4, 1872; Edward, born February 15, 1874, married to Nellie Hiney of Iowa City, living in Illinois ; Frank, born September 10, 1877, in furniture and undertaking business at Oxford; William, our subject, born November 10. 1880; Carl, born February 24, 1885. All the last-named chil-
RESIDENCE OF JOHN FLOERCHINGER
dren were baptized and confirmed in St. Mary's Catholic church of Oxford, of which Mr. and Mrs. Floerchinger have been members for forty-two years, being among the original members of the congregation. The direct descendants now include eighteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. In February, 1910, he sold the old farm. George Floerchinger died February 23, 1912.
John H. Floerchinger was born on the old farm, one-half mile west of Oxford, where he was raised. He was educated in the rural schools and the Oxford public schools. He varied his employment when a good-sized boy by working on a con- struction train on the railroad. Later he took up the work of brickmaking, at which he labored for nine years. His
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next occupation was merchandising, as stated heretofore. Mr. Floerchinger chose for his wife Miss Nellie Sherlock, daughter of James and Rose Sherlock, of Iowa county. Mr. Sherlock was county supervisor and a prominent farmer of that county. One son was born of this union, James George, named after his paternal and maternal grandfathers. Mr. Floerchinger is a democrat, a member of the B. P. O. E., and M. W. A., of Oxford, and a communicant of St. Mary's Cath- olic church.
William E. Floerchinger was also born on the old home farm west of Oxford. He attended district school and grad- uated from the Oxford high school. His first employment aside from farm work was as a clerk for E. B. Morse in the clothing business. Later he worked at the painter's trade. His next step was to associate himself in partnership with his brother John II., as heretofore stated. William Floer- chinger also married a daughter of James and Rose Sher- lock, Miss Artie, who has borne him one daughter, Iowa. He is a member of B. P. O. E., of Iowa City lodge No. 590.
WILLIAM MUSSER
The name of Musser is inseparably interwoven with the history of the lumber manufacturing industry of southeastern Iowa. In this respect it stands among the great generic names of American enterprise.
It has long ago passed into a commercial proverb that great enterprises are the direct result of the operation of great per- sonalities. Hence, to the American mind, familiar with this principle of our business development, the prominence of a family name in any great branch of trade is prima facie evi- dence of the existence of organizing and executive genius within that family of a high order.
The fame of the Musser family is cast on the strictest or- thodox interpretation of this widely accepted rule of industrial preëminence.
Muscatine-on-the-Mississippi was the home and the scene of the activities of Hon. Richard Musser, the father of our subject, who came from Pennsylvania to Iowa City in 1855
William Musssa
THE NEW VAT * PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR LINUX TILDEN FOUNDA 1 N'AS
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and established a lumber yard. In the fall of the same year he moved to Muscatine and established a lumber yard known as R. Musser and Co. In 1871 the company built a saw mill and in 1881 the business was incorporated under the name Musser Lumber Co. Under the vigorous management of Richard Musser, the parent plant at Muscatine developed into one of the great manufacturing concerns of the Mississippi valley.
An affiliated company, the Muscatine Manufacturing Com- pany, was organized and engaged extensively in the produc- tion of sash, doors and blinds, and a branch was established at Kansas City, Missouri.
RESIDENCE OF WILLIAM MUSSER
Richard Musser was essentially a man of action. His con- victions were cast in a rugged mould. He commanded the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens. Politically he was a whig, and naturally, on the dissolution of that famous party, became a republican and was an active partizan therein in the days that tried men's souls. Never an office-seeker, Richard Musser, nevertheless, was called by his fellow citizens to serve for two terms as mayor of Muscatine, namely, in 1874 and 1878. He also served as a member of the city council and for a number of years as a member of the public school board.
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He was interested in the city water works, and was an active friend of every public enterprise. He was the son of Peter Musser, who came of Swiss descent and was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, and married Elizabeth Adams, of Scotch-English parentage, who was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. Richard Musser was born at Adamstown, Lan- caster county, Pennsylvania, November 15, 1819. He is now numbered with the silent majority, but his name and his com- mercial conquests have become the historical property of his fellow men.
Richard Musser took for his wife Sarah Berger, to whom he was married at Pinegrove, Pennsylvania, in March, 1855. William (our subject), the oldest child and only son, was born in Muscatine, Iowa, December 6, 1858. He attended the public schools of his native city and later took a course in the Eastman Business College, Poughkeepsie, New York, gradu- ating in the class of 1880. His first business enterprise was at Iowa City in April, 1883, as manager of the lumber business of R. Musser & Son, succeeding the old J. W. Porter Lumber Yard, which the new firm had purchased. Our subject con- tinued as manager of this enterprise for several years, when the firm name was changed to William Musser and Co. Later Mr. Musser bought ont his father's interest and the name was changed to William Musser, who had by that time established a branch of line yards. The business continued under this name, with our subject as active manager, until 1902, when the business was sold to Fox, Hutchinson & Lake Co., by which it is now known. Since 1902 William Musser has devoted his attention largely to timber lands and the promotion of various lumber manufacturing interests in different parts of the coun- try. He is one of the most expert timber and lumber men of the west. His knowledge of the business extends from the for- est to the finished product, and is the result of early and con- stant study. When a boy at high school, his vacations were spent through choice in his father's saw mills and lumber yards. In his maturer years the force of his early training impels him to the forests for his vacations. He is a timber- man by birth, training, and choice, a worthy scion of the famous name of Musser. But, while he has all the valuable momentum of an honorable name, he is nevertheless a self-
VINCENT WALTERS
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made man, cast in a mould of distinctive originality and recognized as a personal factor of great prominence in the business and financial world.
Mr. Musser was married December 15, 1886, to Miss Edith Shipley, of Chicago. The couple have one daughter, Dorothy, residing with her parents. The family are members of the Episcopal church, and reside in Iowa City.
MICHAEL F. DOLL
Michael Doll is probably the oldest survivor among the pioneers of Jolison county, and although he has passed his ninety-fifth birthday, he is able to give a clear account of his life history with ease, and when called upon for this purpose, was found working in his orchard, caring for seven of the old trees left of the number he planted with seed he brought with him when he came to Jolison county so many years ago. Al- though fairly active for his years, he uses two canes to assist him in walking, and is tenderly cared for by his descendants. He was born in Baden, Germany, September 26, 1816, son of Lawrence and Eva (Pieffer) Doll, the former of whom died in 1821, when his son Michael was but five years old. The mother died there too. Michael Doll came to the United States when he was twenty-one years old, leaving the Fatherland March 12, 1840, in a sailing vessel. After spending forty-eight days on the voyage he landed at New Orleans. He came on to St. Louis and there began working in a distillery at the small pay of six dollars a month. Later he hauled firewood at eight dol- lars per month. After spending four years in the city, Michael Doll crossed into Iowa territory to look over the coun- try and to seek better opportunities. He decided to bring his belongings to Iowa. He had gone from St. Louis to Keokuk by boat, thence to Wapello, and there took the stage to Bloom- ington (now Muscatine). In that neighborhood he found a blacksnake, which he killed. It measured fourteen feet in length. He reached Bloomington November 14, 1844, but had Iowa City in mind as his destination. He made the remainder of the journey in a wagon that belonged to a woman making the same trip. When he reached the Cedar river there was ice
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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
on it, and a man with a skiff pushed it aside and hauled Mr. Doll and the stage driver across.
Upon his arrival in Iowa City, then the territorial capital, Mr. Doll decided to look for a farm. He soon afterwards paid James Berryhill thirty dollars for a preemption claim. Later on he paid fifty dollars for another piece of land. He pur- chased a land warrant for eighty acres which contained a block house, but this building burned the year of his arrival. He sowed fall wheat and the following year sold his crop for a dollar per bushel, which Mr. Berryhill accepted in payment for his claim. He worked one winter on the Coralville dam and received two shares of stock in payment. He also pur- chased a land warrant from Theodore Sanxay, whose son, of the same name, now lives in New York City.
Mr. Doll was an industrious young man, and besides im- proving his own land, worked for his neighbors, at various kinds of jobs. He split rails for fifty cents per day, plowed for himself and others with the old single shovel plow, and used the primitive farm tools then in use to good purpose. He used the scythe and cradle for harvesting his grain, and has lived to see similar work done by the self-binder. A forty-acre tract which he secured was entered at Dubuque by Bishop Loras, who was a great friend of Mr. Doll. In his early years in Johnson county he had to go to Muscatine to do his trading, and the family wore home-spun and home-made clothing. In- dians were often seen in the neighborhood, and wild game and wolves were plentiful, so that all the farm animals were care- fully penned up at night. In their old-fashioned fireplace they did their cooking, and he and his capable wife lived the lives of pioneers without complaint, meeting many hardships bravely and doing without the many comforts and conveniences they were unable to secure. She was a willing and faithful help- mate and was a source of comfort and inspiration to her fam- ily. The trip to Burlington was made several times by Mr. Doll with his ox team, and he hauled merchandise for Mr. Mc- Clure at English River, the route taking three days to cover. On another occasion he was paid by the secretary of state for hauling a load of grain to Muscatine and bringing back candles for the legislature at Iowa City.
Mr. Doll was twice married. By his first wife, Catherine, he
MRS. CATHERINE DOLL
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had two children: Michael, married and living at Lawrence, Nebraska, and Sophia, deceased. Mr. Doll married (second) Catherine Schnoebelen, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Brickard) Schnoebelen, also natives of Germany. She was born in Alsace, in 1829, and died in Johnson county, in Febru- ary, 1907. She spent fifty-six days crossing the ocean in an old sailing vessel. They were married by Father Loras, in St. Mary's Catholic church in Iowa City. Mr. and Mrs. Doll wor- shiped for a time in the house of Ferdinand Haberstroh. The two families were firm friends and Mrs. Doll worked for Mr. and Mrs. Haberstroh one winter when they kept the Park Hotel. After marriage Mr. Doll and wife located on a farm on Section 30 of Liberty township, where they had a double hewed log house. Often mission priests stopped at their home when on the way across the frontier to hold mass at some small town or hamlet. Mr. Doll well remembers all the early priests, and his cabin was always open to them. When it was finally arranged to erect a Catholic church on ground donated for the purpose by Mr. Doll and Gregory Ross, Bishop Loras took dinner in the former's pioneer home. Later a priest's house was erected, which was eventually turned into a school- house, where a Catholic teacher presided. This building burn- ed, however. The old church is now used as a mission and is supplied by a priest from St. Joseph's church at Hills, as mentioned as some length in the sketch of Father Kottenstetts, which is given in this work. This old church bore an inter- esting part in the early history of the region, and its mem- ory is held in affection by all who formerly attended worship there.
The following twelve children were born to Mr. Doll by his second marriage :
Mary, deceased, Mrs. Kueneman, left four children, one of whom is W. J. Kueneman, of the Riverside Leader; Appliai- bolnia, wife of John Worlamont, of Los Angeles, has six chil- dren; Frances, married S. Wombacher and they have three children; Nicholas and Theresa died in infancy; Sigmund, of California, is married and has one son; Magdalene, deceased, left two children; Louise, deceased, one child ; George, of Okla- homa, is mrried and has seven children; Henry, of West Allis, Wisconsin, has four children ; Susanna, widow of Vincent Wal-
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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
ters ; and Celia, wife of Frank Sapourek, of Riverside, has two children. Thus there are forty-three grandchildren, and eight- een great-grandchildren in the family. A characteristic of Mr. Doll is his love of his family. He has helped many relatives to come to America, and to get a start in the world. His brothers and sisters became widely scattered as they grew up, so that he had sisters in Indiana, his brother Joseph was in Buffalo, New York, and some of the family were in Columbus.
Susanna Doll, the eleventh child of her parents, was born on the old homestead which is now her home, on Section 30 of Liberty township, and received her education in the Sisters' School at Iowa City. Her first communion was made in old St. Patrick's church at Iowa City, and she has always been a devout adherent of the faith. In 1888 she was united in mar- riage with Vincent Walters, an upright, honest, and indus- trious citizen, as well as a faithful Christian. His life was cut off in its prime, without an instant's warning, as he was struck by lightning while seated on his corn planter. The cur- rent which caused his death came from underneath, touching a wire near his feet, and he died instantly, this sad event oc- curring May 28, 1903, when he was but forty-one years of age. His death was a severe shock to his immediate family and sad- dened the whole community, who mourned with them in their great loss. He was very popular in the community and all had kind memories of him. Shortly before his death he had pre- sented to St. Joseph's Catholic church at Hills, its communion rail. He left the record of a well-spent life. He had been reared in Washington county, Iowa, his birthplace, and left many friends there. His widow had a suitable monument erected over his remains in St. Stanislaus cemetery. Soon after his death, in 1906, the home, which was the first frame house in the neighborhood, and was built in 1866, was burned, thus bringing added sorrow to the stricken family.
Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Walters : Ferdinand, born in Washington county, where the family lived five years ; Luke, Mary, Ambrose, and Robert, all born on the old home on Section 30, Liberty township; Roy, deceased Feb- ruary 14, 1896, age five years. All were baptized in the faith of their parents and all now worship at St. Joseph's church at Hills.
MICHEAL DOLL
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BIOGRAPHICAL
Politically Mr. Doll has always been a loyal democrat, and has not missed casting his vote at election time. In political gatherings he was always on hand with his torch when needed, and has been delegate to many county conventions. He has always taken an active interest in public affairs. His daugh- ter, Mrs. Walters, has looked after him since the death of his wife. Mrs. Doll was held in great esteem by her neighbors, all of whom remember some act of kindness bestowed by her. She visited the sick and needy and had ready sympathy for all. She lived to see Johnson county transformed from an almost unbroken wilderness to a region of material, moral, and spirit- ual welfare. She lived and died a devont Christian, and helped to acquire a competence for her husband and children. Mr. Doll takes great pleasure in the fine farm, and has always been especially fond of his horses and other stock. The 1911 corn crop, of some sixty acres, was far ahead of the average in production. The place is well stocked and supplied with mod- ern machinery, with everything convenient to carry on the work. In 1893, the year of the World's Fair, the old log house was torn down, and the family now occupy a comfortable and modern home. Mrs. Walters and her children give their ven- erable ancestor every care and attention, and they hope that he will be able to reach the century mark. He has always been a good Catholic and has instilled his calm faith in his children and they in turn to their own children. Such men win the entire respect and good will of their neighbors, for they order their lives according to the faith that is in them, and furnish good examples to those who come after them.
WILLIAM P. TEN EYCK (Deceased)
In the death of the late William P. Ten Eyck, who passed away at his home in Scott township, Johnson county, in the autumn of 1911, the community lost one of its most popular and useful citizens. He had spent all but the first seven years of his life and about four years in California, within the town- ship and was closely identified with its interests and develop- ment. He was a son of one of the oldest settlers of Johnson county and descended from an old New Jersey family. He was born May 26, 1833, in Montgomery county, Ohio, one of
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HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA
the ten children (six sons and four daughters) born to Mat- thew and Salome (Cole) Ten Eyck, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Dayton, Ohio, born December 9, 1816.
The family was founded in America by the great-grand- father of William P., William Post Ten Eyck, who was born in Poland and upon emigrating located in New Jersey, where his son Matthew was born and reared a family, of whom his son Matthew is mentioned in the preceding paragraph. The sec- ond Matthew was the father of William P. Ten Eyck, and was born in Monmouth county, New Jersey. He became a physi- cian and practiced his profession first in his native state and later in Montgomery county, Ohio, where he was married and spent the next few years. His wife was a daughter of John and Hannah S. (Schevelier) Cole, of Scotch and French de- scent, some of her ancestors having come to America with LaFayette when he visited this country. Matthew Ten Eyck and Salome Cole were married at Dayton, Ohio, where they lived until 1838, then journeyed over the prairies to Illinois, remaining there a short time, then came on, in the summer of 1839, to Johnson county, Iowa, and there became prominently connected with various enterprises. Mr. Ten Eyck erected the first house of any consequence in Iowa City, which the family occupied for some time after their arrival, and in this house their daughter Hannah first saw the light, being the first white child born in what is now Iowa City, the date of this event being January 8, 1840. Later in the same year the family moved to a homestead in Scott township, where the parents spent their remaining years. They became influential and ac- tive in social and religious circles in the community and won high respect among their neighbors. They endured the hard- ships and privations incident to pioneer life without a murmur, and pursued the even tenor of their lives with dignity and high purpose. They were members of the Methodist faith and Mr. Ten Eyck was an important factor in promoting the growth and upbuilding of the region, taking keen interest in anything affecting the welfare of his township, county, and state.
William P. Ten Eyck was six years of age when he was brought to the old homestead, and there grew to manhood, being educated in local schools. In 1853, being then in his twenty-first year, he started overland for California, reached
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BIOGRAPHICAL
the region of the gold fields in safety, and remained in the far west until 1857, when he returned home and again engaged in agricultural pursuits, his chosen field of labor from that time on. On October 20, 1858, he was united in marriage with Miss Margaret Hunter, who was born July 20, 1835, daughter of Adam and Elizabeth (Morrison) Hunter, a sketch of whom is to be found elsewhere in these pages. She was born in Mahon- ing county, Ohio, and was brought by her parents in childhood to Scott township, Johnson county, where they were early set- tlers and became most highly respected by all. Of the children born to Mr. Ten Eyck and wife five now survive: Charlotte, Mrs. Orville Mead, has five children - Lucius, Otis, Frank, Reuba, and Opal; William F. went west to California, later to Alaska and has not been heard from for seven years; Edward C., of Garfield, Oklahoma, was married in December, 1897, to Miss Mattie, daughter of W. E. Pratt, of Iowa City (see Mr. Pratt's sketch elsewhere in these pages), and they have two children - Lillian and William; Matthew L., a member of M. W. A. Camp No. 189, and of the Red Men of Iowa City, was married Jannary 1, 1907, to Katherine (Selement) Kohl- rick, who had two children by a former marriage - Mabel and Donald, one son by this marriage, Matthew L., born June 21, 1911, and they live on the home farm; Joseph W.
Both parents are now deceased. He died October 13, 1911, and she September 8, 1911, and are buried in Brick Chapel cemetery.
The two youngest sons of the family received their early education in the township schools, and later attended the academy and commercial college of Iowa City. They have since operated the home farm in partnership and have met, with good success in the undertaking. They devote it to gen- eral farming and stock raising, having a fine herd of shorthorn and polled Durham cattle. The place had been brought to a high state of cultivation by their father, with the assistance of themselves, and they have carried on their work in accordance with his plans and methods. His death was a sad loss to the community and he was deeply mourned by his host of friends.
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