USA > Iowa > Fayette County > Past and present of Fayette County, Iowa, Volume II > Part 62
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chased twelve acres where he has since raised small fruit, making a specialty of strawberries.
Mr. Hall was married in September, 1865, to Mary A. Hidinger, daugh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Hidinger, who came from Saxminia, Germany. They came to America when young and located first in New York and in 1850 they came to Fayette county, Iowa, and lived on a farm.
To Mr. and Mrs. David H. Hall seven children were born, namely : Mary A., Orrin H., John H. and Winnie C., who died in infancy, and Ella M., Eva C. and Emma M., living. Ella is the wife of Fred Messerli, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this work.
Mr. Hall and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mr. Hall is a member of the local post of the Grand Army of the Re- public. He is a Republican in politics and has taken considerable interest in local affairs, at one time serving as assessor of Illyria township, and he was secretary of the school board there for a period of seventeen years, serving in each capacity in an able and conscientious manner, winning and retaining the confidence and respect of all who knew him, as, indeed, he has done wherever he has lived.
FRED MESSERLI.
The little republic of Switzerland has, perhaps, sent a larger number of its best and most representative citizens to America than any other country in proportion to its size and they have been of great benefit to whatever community they have gone, being, as a rule, hard workers, loyal and honor- able in their relations with their neighbors. In mentioning this class the name of Fred Messerli, of West Union, Fayette county, should not be overlooked. He was born in Switzerland on June 10, 1866, and is the son of Christian and Marie (Krebs) Messerli, both born in Switzerland. The subject's father followed farming and dealt in wool, as did also his father, whose name was Christian and who spent his life in the old country. He participated in one of the early wars of that country. In 1867 Christian Messerli, Jr., and family came to America, the trip requiring six or eight weeks. They came direct to Illyria township, Fayette county, Iowa, and there bought at first forty acres of land, later added to this as they prospered until they finally became the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and twenty-three acres. Mr. Messerli greatly improved the place, erected substantial build- ings and had one of the best farms in the township and he was considered
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one of the best farmers of the same. He carried on general farming and stock raising with great success. He still lives on the old place, but for sev- eral years has not done any regular work. He has lived a quiet life, devot- ing his time exclusively to his individual affairs, and he is deserving of a great deal of credit for what he has accomplished, having been very poor when he came here. He cleared one hundred and sixty acres.
To Mr. and Mrs. Christian Messerli seven children were born, named as follows : Elizabeth, Amanda, Anna, Christian, Mary, Fred (subject) . and Clara. The father of these children is a member of the German Luth- eran church.
Fred Messerli was educated in Illyria township, this county, and he began working on his father's farm when a boy. Later he purchased eighty acres of land near the home place and there farmed successfully for several years and then bought one hundred and twenty-four acres and moved onto it. carrying on general farming. In the fall of 1906 he came to West Union and has lived retired; however, he still looks after his agricultural interests in a way. He has been very successful in his life work, being a good mana- ger and a man who believes in looking well to his individual affairs.
Mr. Messerli was married in 1891 to Ella Hall, daughter of D. H. Hall, a prominent citizen of this county, and this union has resulted in the birth of the following children: Walter Day, Erla May, Florence Frieda and Merrill Hall.
Mr. and Mrs. Messerli and their children are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The father is a Republican, but he has never aspired to public positions ; being reserved, honest and of a disposition that makes friends readily, he is popular with all.
GEORGE BURGET.
The venerable and highly honored citizen of Fayette county whose name appears at the head of this review, well deserves a place among the prominent citizens of the county, not only because of his long association with its pros- perity and advancement, but also by reason of his being descended from a race which has from the very beginning been a powerful factor in our coun- try's progress and have proved themselves to be true Americans and pa- triots.
George Burget was born in Ashtabula county, Ohio, on June 24, 1832,
GEORGE BURGET.
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being the son of Joachim and Clarisa (Patterson) Burget, both parents being natives of New York state. The birth of his father occurred in December, 1799, and he lived until the year 1846, when he passed away. The mother survived him for several years and died at Rockford, Illinois, after giving birth to six children, three of whom are still living. Both parents were of Baptist persuasion and were devout members of that church. The father was a Whig in old-time politics and was actively interested in the political af- fairs of his day.
It is rare, in this country, composed so largely of families who have not kept a record of ancestors nor shown the interest that is manifested in other lands in the history of families, that the progenitors of a man can be traced so far back as can those of Mr. Burget's, for his line runs straight back beyond the time when the Dutch occupied New York. In that long distant past two brothers, Joaiakim and Conrad Burget, in Holland, decided to try their for- tunes in the new world, and after sailing the then long and wearisome voyage, reached New Amsterdam, where New York City now stands. Both brothers liked the new country, prospered and remained. They were men of sturdy old Dutch stock, with its accompanying sterling qualities. Conrad married, but had no children. Joaiakim also married, and one of his children, William, was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch. Thus early the family were eager to declare their patriotism and William Burget was a soldier in the war of 1812. It is but natural, then, to find the descendants of this early fighter engaged in the struggle between the North and the South during the Civil war. Mr. Burget enlisted on August 14, 1862, in Company F, Thirty- eighth Iowa Regiment, under Capt. J. F. Rodgers and Lieut. Henry Shoe- maker. He was in many engagements, seeing active service constantly. During the siege of Vicksburg the position his regiment held, in this nine- teen days' service, ending on the 4th of July, was so strenuous and exposed that three hundred of his regiment died; and on the 12th of the month, when activities were renewed, only seventeen were able to go to the front. Mr. Burget was one of the number, and went into battle, though greatly ex- hausted. He was in the storming of Fort Blakely, which occurred three hours after Lee's surrender, his regiment being at that time ignorant of that great event. On June 30th he was discharged, in Clinton, Iowa, and re- turned to his farm. He draws a well deserved pension. His brother died in the service.
Of his two sons, one met his death through an accident in a mill at Rockford, Illinois, when but seventeen years of age. His remaining son, William, was born in Iowa and after attending common school in his town-
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ship, took up farming and now owns a fine farm, on which he is prospering. He was married to Lucinda Voskell in 1897.
Mr. Burget has lived on the farm which he now occupies since before the war, a splendid farm of one hundred and fifty-eight acres. On this he en- joys a pleasant and very comfortable old age after a life full of activities of many kinds.
JOHN WILLIAM DICKMAN.
The present review briefly mentions the life of a man who has been for more than twenty years concerned in educational work, and for eighteen years of that time has been connected with Upper Iowa University. Not only is he a man prominent in the lines of his profession, but he is also active in business, and has shown especial merit in the conduct of such business affairs of the university as have fallen to his care. His career proves that one may be a scholar, and at the same time a man successful in commercial matters.
John William Dickman was born at Defiance, Defiance county, Ohio, on April 22, 1863, the son of William and Martha Ann (Schott) Dickman. His father was born in Wooster, Ohio, on January 29, 1837; his mother in Hamburg, Germany, on December 20, 1841. They later moved to Iowa from Ohio. Their son, John William, received his education at the public schools and at Upper Iowa University, from which institution he graduated in 1888. He has since taken post-graduate work at Columbia University, New York City.
Immediately upon his graduation from college he was elected a mem- ber of the faculty of his alma mater. From 1895 to 1898 he served as the superintendent of public schools of Sumner, Iowa. He now holds the chair of economics and social science in Upper Iowa University, and for nine years he has been vice-president of the institution, which position he still holds. For eight years he engaged in business in the sale of lumber and farming implements. His instruction is thorough in his courses, and evidences the fact that Professor Dickman has mastered the subjects which he teaches in such a way that he can readily impart knowledge to others in a manner to make a lasting impression. He is in truth a master of his work, and at the same time a student, ever keenly seeking new truth in his chosen field.
In politics Professor Dickman is a Republican, and has recently iden- tified himself with the progressive wing of the party. He has held the office
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of county surveyor. In religious affiliations he is a member of the Methodist church. Professor Dickman was married on August 22, 1889, to Adella G. Maltbie, the daughter of Henry M. and Harriet S. (Delano) Maltbie, of Hinckley, Illinois. To this marriage the following children have been born : Paul William, John Milo and Lucile Marie.
Fraternally, Professor Dickman is a member of the Masons and of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is an active member of the American Political Science Association and of the American Economic Association.
Professor Dickman is a stockholder in the State Bank of Fayette, Iowa. For twenty years he has been the treasurer of the Alumni Association of Upper Iowa University, and almost wholly through his personal efforts has secured an endowment for the association now aggregating thirty-five thou- sand dollars. He has also materially assisted Mrs. Dickman, the president of the Ladies' Professorship Association of Upper Iowa University, in securing an endowment of twenty thousand dollars. Professor and Mrs. Dickman take their full part in the social and other activities of the college and the town of Fayette.
ERASTUS WILLIAMS APPELMAN.
Whenever the claim is made that business enterprises cannot be suc- cessfully undertaken by the government it is usually met by a reference to the postal service, which employs thousands of men, is almost absolute in its certainty of service and is efficient in every way. The postal service is a very attractive field of work, offering excellent opportunities to the young man or even to those who, like Mr. Appelman, are older and who have been quite successful along other lines, but see in the mail service a field of endeavor which satisfies them.
Gustavus Adolphus Appelman, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Connecticut, February 23, 1817. The sea had a strong attraction for him and he shipped as a sailor at the age of fifteen, and followed the sea for twenty-three years, during which time he advanced to the command of a whaler, sailed around the world three times, and visited every known country, including China, Japan, Australia, the Spice Islands and Greenland. He sailed around Cape Horn several times, was on whaling voyages in the north Pacific ocean and in Bering sea, and gathered a large collection of interesting and instructive relics in the course of his voyages, including arti- cles from every region visited. His love for the sea was inherited from his
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father, John Appelman, a native of Germany, who emigrated to Connecticut, and was a seafaring man all his life. Gustavus Adolphus married Prudence Ann Williams, who was born in Cider Hill, Connecticut, in 1821, the daugh- ter of Erastus and Nancy ( Hewett) Williams, and sister of Judge Elias H. Williams. Of their union the following children were born: Anna M., wife of ex-Governor William Larrabee; John, deceased; Noyes, of Witten, South Dakota; Hannah, deceased; Erastus W .; Lucy, deceased, lived in Elkader, left three children: Elias H., of Clermont; Franz S., of Portland, Oregon ; and Lydia, wife of H. J. Grotewohl, of Hartley, Iowa. In 1854 Mr. Appel- man abandoned the sea and came to Garnavillo, Clayton county, Iowa, and the next year came to Fayette county and spent the remainder of his life on the farm where his son Elias H. now resides, dying November 4, 1893. His wife had preceded him on December 5, 1880. Mr. Appelman was a Whig in early life and later a Republican. He was a man who was noted for the vast range of his information on all important subjects, and a man with whom it was a treat to talk. His reputation was unexceptionable.
Erastus Williams Appelman was born at Mystic River, Connecticut, March 27, 1854, came to Iowa an infant, and was educated in the Fayette county schools and Ames Agricultural College. He taught school for six- teen years, part of the time in normal work, making a specialty of mathe- matics. The Horace E. Horton Bridge and Iron Company then engaged him as field engineer, and he filled this position for eight years, during which time the firm had under construction the High bridge at Dubuque, Iowa, and the steel arch bridge from Hennepin to Central avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the world-renowned High bridge of St. Paul, one of the highest in the world. In their employ he traveled over the entire middle West. In 1888 he accepted a position under the government in the railway mail service. Because of his familiarity with the workings of the system, he was appointed to represent this service at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at St. Louis, . his duty being to explain the details of the service to visitors from all parts of the world, especially those from foreign nations. Here he met representa- tives of every government of the world. His performance of the duties of this position were very satisfactory to all and won him much commendation. At present he is assigned to the service on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway from Dubuque, Iowa, to Sanborn, Iowa.
On August 7, 1877, Mr. Appelman was united in marriage to Helen Almira Van Buren, a cousin of President Van Buren, born in Osceola. Polk county, Wisconsin, August 7, 1858, the daughter of Martin and Margaret (Bell) Van Buren. Eight children, all living, are the fruits of this union :
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Roger Williams, Dudley Ralph, Frederick Adolphus, Augusta Larrabee, Anna Margaret, Helen Joy, Marion Prudence and Van Buren.
Mr. Appelman is a Republican and he and his wife are members of the Episcopal church, in which he is an earnest worker, now being one of the trustees having in charge the welfare of the "church of our Saviour." Mr. Appelman is well known about Clermont and liked wherever known, for he has qualities about him which win liking and respect. As a teacher, as an engineer and in his present position he has performed his duties in such a way as to reflect credit on himself and to please those who employed him He is a man of more than ordinary intellectual calibre and acquisitions, having accumulated a store of knowledge and wisdom in his varied experi- ence in life.
HON. ANDREW ADDIE.
It would be decidedly inconsistent in a history of Fayette county wherein are enumerated the representative citizens who have won recognition for themselves and at the same time have conferred honor upon the community, were there failure to make mention of Hon. Andrew Addie, who has long held worthy prestige in business and political circles, and has always been distinctively a man of affairs, wielding a wide influence among those with whom his lot has been cast, ever having the affairs of his county at heart and doing what he could to aid in its development. Thus for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he was one of the loyal supporters of the National Union during the troublous days of the early sixties, he is given a conspicuous position in this work.
Mr. Addie was born in Fifeshire, Scotland, October 19, 1839, the scion of an excellent and well-established ancestry, and in July, 1844, he was taken by his parents, John and Margaret Addie, to Rock county, Wisconsin, where they procured a farm on which they spent the remainder of their lives, the father dying at the age of sixty-six years and the mother when eighty-four years of age. They were highly respected by their neighbors for their integ- rity and kindness. Their son, Andrew, grew to maturity on the farm and attended the common schools, receiving a very serviceable education, which in later years was supplemented by miscellaneous reading. In 1864 he showed his loyalty to his adopted country by enlisting in defense of the flag, in Company I, Thirty-eighth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, at the organization of the regiment, which was sent to Virginia and took part in the capture of Fort Mahone on April 2, 1864. He saw some hard service and much fighting.
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He was promoted to first corporal and he ranked as third sergeant when dis- charged. He served faithfully in whatever capacity he was assigned. In the fall of 1865, after receiving an honorable discharge, he came to Scott township, Fayette county, Iowa, and bought eighty acres of wild land at five dollars per acre. He had saved enough to pay for it and to get a start. He proved to be a very successful agriculturist and soon had the place under a high state of cultivation and excellent improvement. Prospering by care- ful management and hard work, he added to his original purchase from time · to time until he owned two hundred and eighty acres. He also bought another farm of eighty acres, which he still owns. Mr. Addie paid as high as thirty-six dollars per acre for some of his land. He carried on general farming, devoting especial attention to the raising of grain and to livestock. He is now living in practical retirement in his comfortable and substantial home, surrounded by evidences of thrift, prosperity and good taste. His home is now at Arlington, seven miles from his farm.
Mr. Addie has long taken considerable interest in local political affairs and he has been rewarded by being entrusted with a number of public offices. He served one term as county clerk. He served very faithfully and creditably in the Iowa state Legislature, the twenty-third and twenty-fourth General Assemblies, in 1889, 1890, 1891 and 1892. He made his influence felt in that body and his counsel was frequently sought by his colleagues. He made a record which was heartily endorsed by all his constituents. At the first session there was a deadlock for five weeks over the speakership. He served on the committee on appropriations, mines and mining; not being especially gifted as a public speaker, his work was principally in the commit- tees ; his first term was so satisfactory that he was easily re-elected. He has always been an active worker in the Democratic ranks and is widely known as an influential, conservative and business-like advocate of whatever tends to promote the interests of Fayette county.
Mr. Addie was married in 1861, while living in Rock county, Wiscon- sin. to Emily Goodman, who was born in England and who came to Amer- ica when a child and located in Rock county, Wisconsin. She has proven to be a most worthy and faithful helpmeet and the success of Mr. Addie is due in no small measure to her counsel and encouragement. Eleven children have graced this union, three of whom are now deceased, namely: Thomas G. died when twenty-seven years of age; Eva is the wife of George B. Speed. living on the home farm; Mary is the wife of John Seedorf, living in Center township, this county; Emily married Albert Schug, who also lives on the farm of Andrew Addie; Harriet married E. J. Spensley, a farmer in Bu-
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chanan county, Iowa; James W. is also a farmer; John E. is a painter and lives in Madison, Wisconsin; Lillean, who died on the 17th of August, 1910, was the wife of D. J. Frederick, a railroad man living at North Platte, Ne- braska; Alice M. is the wife of Fred Pieplow, a farmer living in Putnam township, Fayette county.
Mr. Addie is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Brush Creek Post, of which he was commander for several years, and is now adjutant. He is one of the first members of the same. He has been a mem- ber of Goldenrod Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Arlington, for a period of eighteen years.
GEORGE JOHN SCHLATTER.
This family originated in America with John Schlatter, who came from Baden, Germany, about 1854 and settled in the vicinity of Galion, Ohio. After a residence there of one year he decided to cross the Mississippi and eventually pulled up in West Union township, Fayette county. About 1856 he bought eighty acres a mile and a half east of Hawkeye, to which subse- quently he added forty more. About 1859 he married Barbara Young, a native of Wittenberg, Germany, by whom he had two children. George John and Jacob. . The latter died in infancy and his mother about the same time, which was 1862. In 1878 the father married Mary Schieffelbein, by whom he had a child named Mary. She married John Schlagle and lives in Hawkeye.
George John Schlatter, the only surviving child by the first marriage, was born in Fayette county, Iowa, in 1861. He remained on the home farm in Windsor township until twenty-four years old, assisting in the farm work after he grew up and meantime attending the public and Lutheran schools.
On December 1, 1885, Mr. Schlatter married Mary, daughter of John and Barbara (Smith) Dietel, both from Bavaria, Germany. Mrs. Schlatter was born on a farm east of Hawkeye, where her father has resided for many years. After his marriage, Mr. Schlatter removed with his wife one and a half miles west and a half mile south of Hawkeye, where he has ever since made his home. He had owned a farm at that location since 1883, to which he from time to time added until the tract amounts to two hundred and eighty acres. In addition to this he invested in one hundred and twenty acres two miles west and another tract of the same extent across the road from the other. His original eighty acres has grown into five hundred and twenty.
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Mr. and Mrs. Schlatter have nine children: Leonard F., Henry J .. Arnold G., Carl A., Minnie B., Lottie M. E., Gerhardt W., Malinda B. and George F. A. Leonard married Lizzie Ungerer and resides two miles west of his father on one of the latter's one hundred twenty-acre farms. The other children all remain with their parents.
Mr. Schlatter has devoted his entire life to farming and has made a success of it. He possesses the essential qualities for the business-energy, good judgment, industry and the art of economy. He is a modest, unassun- · ing man and is highly esteemed as one of Fayette county's good citizens.
Besides general farming, to which he has devoted most of his time, he does some stock raising, handling cattle, hogs and other livestock suitable to farms in his section of Iowa. He has a well-improved farm, up-to-date appliances and farm machinery, keeps every thing around him in good order and lives substantially though not extravagantly. His only side line is owner- ship of some stock in a co-operative creamery at Hawkeye. For three years he served as trustee of Bethel township and in many ways has made himself useful in official capacities. He has always been active in church work and a reliable supporter of every worthy cause. At present he is trustee of the Lutheran church, of which he has long been a member, and has served the same organization as treasurer. His political affiliations are with the Demo- cratic party, but he is not hidebound or narrow, being able to see merit in men of all parties.
GUSTAV A. OELWEIN.
Gustav A. Oelwein, after whose family the city of Oelwein was named, is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and the only surviving child of Fred- erick and Cecelia (Schmidt) Oelwein, who were natives of Saxony, Ger- . many, and emigrated to America in 1837, settling in Baltimore.
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