USA > Iowa > O'Brien County > Past and present of O'Brien and Osceola counties, Iowa, Vol. II > Part 38
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George A. Aupperle, a successful osteopath of Sutherland. O'Brien county, Iowa, was born at Lancaster, Wisconsin, in 1879 and is the son of George and May (Lickel) Aupperle. George Aupperle, Sr., was born in
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Perry county. Pennsylvania, in 1831 and when twelve years of age moved to Wisconsin with his parents. He came from Pennsylvania with his parents when he was twelve years of age and upon reaching his majority he became a farmer in that. state. In 1881 he came to Sac county, Iowa, purchased land and farmed there until his retirement in 1913. He then sold his farm and moved to Sheldon. Iowa, where he and his wife are now living. George and Mary Aupperle were the parents of eleven children, eight of whom are now living.
Doctor Aupperle received his elementary education in Wisconsin, and at the age of twenty-one began working on his father's farm by the month. Later he went to Minnesota where he worked for three years, and then at the age of twenty-four he went to Des Moines, Iowa. In 1906 he took up the study of osteopathy in the osteopathic college at Des Moines and graduated in 1909. Immediately after his graduation he came to Suther- land where he has been practicing up to the present time. Since moving to Sutherland he has built up a good practice and has taken an active part in the life of the city.
Doctor Aupperle was married in 1910 to Winifred Neff, who was born in Auburn county, Iowa, in 1886. To this marriage has been born one son, Donald K. The Republican party has claimed the support of Doctor Aupperle since reaching his majority. He has always taken an active in- terest in political affairs and was elected mayor of Sutherland in April. 1914. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and render it their support at all times. Doctor Aupperle is a man of pleasing personality and since coming to Sutherland has impressed every- one with whom he has been associated by his sincerity of purpose and high ideals.
WILLIAM THEO. FREDERICK KARL VOSS.
The life history of William T. F. K. Voss, one of the well known and highly estcemed German residents now living in honorable retirement in Hartley, O'Brien county, Iowa, shows what industry, good habits and stanch citizenship will accomplish in the battle of acquiring property and rearing children to lead steady and respectable lives. He came to this state at the age of ten and his life has been replete with duties well done and in all of his career in this county he has never shirked his duty either in the role of a private citizen or in the capacity of a public official. The score of years
WILLIAM T. F. K. VOSS
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which he has lived in this county has made his life well known to his fellow citizens, and they have ever been outspoken in their commendation of his clean and wholesome life.
William T. Voss, a retired farmer and banker of Hartley, was born in Germany in 1847, and is the only son of Carl and Sophia (Koster) Voss. Carl Voss was born in Germany in 1800 and upon reaching manhood joined the police force in his native land, continuing to hold this public position in his native land until 1857, when he came to this country with his wife and son and settled in Scott county, Iowa. He lived there until 1867, when the family moved to Cedar county, where Carl Voss died the same year. He was twice married, his second wife, Sophia Koster, being the mother of William T., whose life history is herein sketched.
William T. Voss received the elements of a common school education in his native land and after coming to this country completed his education in the schools of Scott county, Iowa. After his father's death, in 1876, he continued to live on the old home place in Cedar county for the next twenty- five years, then sold the farm and moved to O'Brien county and in 1893 purchased two hundred and forty acres of land in Center township. He made extensive improvements on the farm in various ways, among which were the setting out of ten acres of fruit and forest trees, and in the twenty years that he owned the farm he put about eight thousand dollars worth of improvements upon it and when he sold it in 1912 he cleared a good profit upon his investment. Mr. Voss had previously moved to Hartley and re- tired from active work. He has now lived in Hartley for the past four years. In addition to his agricultural interests he owns extensive banking and manufacturing interests. At this time he is the largest stockholder in the German Savings Bank of Hartley and is a director in that institution. He also is interested in the Farmers Elevator Company of Hartley, and the lumber company of the same town. He also has shares of stock in the Garden Plow Works of Hartley.
Mr. Voss has been twice married. His first marriage occurred in 1868 to Katherine Shaffer, and to this union were born seven children, of whom the following are living in O'Brien county: Mrs. Emma Petersen, Charles F., William, Frederick. Louis, Otto. The second wife of Mr. Voss was Mrs. Augusta Miller.
The Democratic party has always claimed the support of Mr. Voss, and he has been honored by his party on several occasions by being nominated for local offices. He has served as justice of the peace of Center township. school director, road overseer and township trustee, and in all of these offices
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he has rendered faithful and efficient service to the citizens of the township. He and his family are devoted members of the German Lutheran church and give it their earnest and hearty support at all times. Mr. Voss has al- ways looked upon the sunny side of life and has ever been hopeful that the good would rule instead of the bad. He is a man of kindly and genial nature and of high moral character, and for these reasons he has won the confidence and good will of everyone with whom he has been associated.
HENRY P. SCOTT.
Few men of O'Brien county were as widely and favorably known as the late Henry P. Scott, of Liberty township. He was one of the strong and influential citizens, whose lives became an essential part of the history of this section of the state. For years his name was synonymous with all that con- stituted honorable and upright manhood. For about thirty years he was one of the most influential factors in the civic life of his township. At differ- ent times during his career he was county supervisor, township trustee, town- ship clerk and secretary of the school board of his township. In all of these various official capacities he performed faithful and efficient service to his fellow citizens.
Henry P. Scott was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, in 1844 and died in Liberty township. O'Brien county, Iowa, in 1907. He was one of nine children born to William and Maria ( Lampson ) Scott. William Scott was born in 1815 in Ireland and died in 1900: his wife was born in 1819 and died in 1892. In 1869 Mr. Scott and Sarah E. Marsh were mar- ried in Illinois. She was born in Illinois in 1846 and is the daughter of Ed- win and Mary (Frank) Marsh. Edwin Marsh was born at North View, Massachusetts, March 13, 1818, and was a farmer and saw-mill operator. After reaching manhood he moved to Illinois, where he continued in agri- culture and the saw-mill business until his death in 1903. Mary Frank, the mother of Mrs. Scott, was born at Warsaw. New York, in 1827 and died in 1913. Edwin Marsh and Mary Frank were married in 1845 and to their union were born eight children, all but three of whom are still living. Sarah E. Marsh was given a good education and taught school before her mar- riage in Madison, Cook county, Illinois.
After his marriage Henry P. Scott went to the state of Wisconsin and engaged in the mercantile business. Two years later he went to Libertyville,
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Illinois, where he was in the mercantile business for twelve years. In 1881 he moved to O'Brien county, Iowa, and purchased three hundred and twenty acres in Liberty township, where he lived until his death in 1907. He was a progressive farmer in every sense of the word and was one of the best agri- culturists in the county.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry P. Scott were the parents of eight children: Mrs. Julia McClanahan, of South Dakota. Edward, deceased; Arthur, of South Dakota; Warren B., who is now farming the home place; George, a farmer, of South Dakota; LeRoy, a farmer of this county, and Lawrence, a farmer of Harper county, Kansas.
Mr. Scott was a loyal member of the Methodist Episcopal church and was always interested in the affairs of this denomination. Politically, he was a Republican and in that capacity served in several important offices in his township and county, as county supervisor, township trustee, township clerk and secretary of the school board, playing an important part in the civic life of his community. Fraternally, he was a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Mr. Scott was a man who performed his every duty in a way becoming the true American citizen and consequently he left behind hin a name which is honored and cherished by his family.
HENRY ZAHN.
The subject of this sketch is of German extraction and from his an- cestors he inherited the habits of thrift and industry which have made possible his attainments. He came with his parents to this country at a time when it was torn by the Civil War. For many years his parents struggled in their new home in the wake of the war and with adverse administrations which followed. As a boy he had all the hardships that were common to the youths in the latter seventies and the early eighties. But the mold in which he was cast only served to bring out the sterling qualities that lay within.
Henry Zahn was a son of George B. and Susan O. ( Plauder) Zahn and was born in Germany in 1865. There were four other children in the family: Lucile (Yearter). who now lives in Colorado: Louise ( Esphes- hiet ), now in Illinois : Helen ( Berger), now in Minnesota, and a child which died during its infancy. When George B. Zahn brought his family to this country he settled in Clifford county, Ohio, on a farm where he reared his
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family and remained till he retired from active operation a few years ago. He died in 1905.
Mr. Zahn secured employment on a farm where he worked seven years. In 1895 he removed to Iowa where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of unimproved land. By means of consistent farming and frugal and industrious habits he has increased its acreage until he now has two hundred and forty acres. This is one of the modern farms in O'Brien county. There are improvements on the place amounting to eight thousand dollars, and a beautiful grove of several acres, which he planted soon after he bought the farm. Stock raising has occupied an important place in his life and he was one of the first in this community to realize that it is the blooded stock that pays. He has made a specialty of Norman horses, of which he has several head. and Shorthorn cattle and Duroc Jersey hogs.
In 1896 Mr. Zahn was united in marriage to Anna Flunk. To them have been born five children. Helen. Tillie. William, Elizabeth and Leon- ard, all of whom are at home with their parents.
Mr. Zahn has been busy with the duties of the farm and the breed- ing and raising of pure blood stock. His interest in politics is the interest of the patriotic citizen rather than that of the office seeker. His sympa- thies and vote have always been with the Republican party and he is re- garded as one of their stanchest supporters. He and his family are men- bers of the German Lutheran church, to which he contributes freely.
JAMES CUTSINGER.
Happy is the man who can retire after a life of hard work and feel that he has sufficient to provide for his wants for his declining years. It is very evident that the man who can retire to a life of ease in his later years has been a man of energy and well-defined purpose. At the close of the Civil War many farmers left the Eastern states and took advantage of the cheap lands in Iowa. At the same time there were many soldiers who were given free transportation to O'Brien county, as well as other counties in the state, and allowed to take up government land at a very low rate. Among the distinguished veterans of the Civil War who made this county their home after the close of the war, there is no one who is more deserving of mention in this volume than James Cutsinger, a retired farmer now living in Sheldon.
JAMES CUTSINGER
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James Cutsinger was born in 1841. in Johnson county, Indiana, the son of Perry and Clara (Harter) Cutsinger. The father was a native of Kentucky, born in 1811, and died in Indiana in 1846. His wife was born in Indiana in 1822. To Perry Cutsinger and wife were born three children: Sarah Ann, deceased : Jacob, who is a carpenter living in the state of Wash- ington, and James, whose history is here given.
James Cutsinger was four years of age when his father died, and in 1851 his mother married Garland Flanner, who was born in 1822, and he was a veteran of the Mexican War and, after his marriage to Mrs. Cut- singer, went to Minnesota, where he engaged in farming. To this second union were born three children: Jasper, a member of the fire department of Minneapolis, Minnesota : Harry, deceased. and Mrs. Mary Jane Austin, also deceased.
James Cutsinger was ten years of age when his mother was married the second time and he then lived with his mother and stepfather until he was twenty-six years of age. At the opening of the Civil War he enlisted in Company B. Tenth Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. After seeing service with the Indians in that state his regiment was transferred to Mis- souri, and he saw hard service in the South and West and was discharged at Fort Snelling. Minnesota, in 1865. Immediately after the close of the Civil War he came to Jasper county. Iowa, purchased a farm and began to lay the foundation of his present prosperity. For twenty years he lived in that county, buying and selling several farms in that time, and in 1885 he came to Osceola county, where he lived on a rented farm for ten years, after which he bought one hundred and sixty acres of unimproved land in that county, to which he later added eighty more acres. He has improved his two hundred and forty acres at a total cost of four thousand dollars. Among other improvements he put out six acres of fruit and orchard trees. In 1912 Mr. Cutsinger retired from his farm and moved to Sheldon, where he owns a fine residence in the northern part of the city. In addition to his farm in Osceola county, he has a share in the elevator company at Rittier. Iowa. and an interest in the elevator at Ashton, Iowa.
Mr. Cutsinger was married in 1866 to Paulina Rudsell, who died five years later. To this marriage were born three children: Perry, who lives at Ashton, Iowa: Edward and James, who are living in the state of Wash- ington. In 1872 Mr. Cutsinger was married to Rachel Gardner, and to this union there were born nine children : Mrs. Clarrisa Power, who is a resident of Montana : Mrs. Minnie Walker, of this county; Arthur, of this county ; Mrs. Mamie Lockwood, who lives on the home place in Osceola county ;
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George and Clay, living in Sheldon; Ethel and Hazel, who are with their parents in Sheldon.
Mr. Cutsinger cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln and has con- tinued to vote the Republican ticket down to the present time. While he has always taken an active interest in politics, public office has never had any attractions for him. He and his family are regular attendants of the Metho- dist Episcopal church, and give to it their earnest support at all times. His fraternal relations are restricted to his membership in the Grand Army of the Republic, which, in many ways, is the most honorable fraternity to which a man can belong in the United tSates. Mr. Cutsinger is a man who has lived a life singularly free from contention and for this reason has always been regarded with confidence and respect by all with whom he has been associated.
HARRY H. HENDRICK.
Men are of value to any community in proportion as they take part in the life of the community in which they live. In every community there are always leaders and when these leaders are men of character and integrity the general standard of the civic life of the community will naturally be high. On the other hand, where these men are not actuated by the highest motives. the general tone of the locality is lowered. Among the citizens of Grant town- ship, O'Brien county, Iowa, who combine strength of character with good business and administrative ability, there is no one who is more deserving of mention in this biographical volume than Harry H. Hendrick, the present trustee of Grant township.
Mr. Hendrick was born in 1866 in Carroll county, Illinois, and is the son of Louis C. and Catherine L. (Herald) Hendrick. Louis C. Hendrick was born in 1832 in New York state and when a young man left his native state and settled in Illinois, where he engaged in farming until his retire- ment in 1890. His death occurred one year after he had retired from active farm work. Louis C. Hendrick and wife were married in 1863 and to their union were born four children: Mrs. Carrie M. Calkins, of Carroll county. Illinois ; Arthur Y., deceased; Carlton C., of Carroll county, Illinois, and Harry H., whose life history is here sketched.
Harry H. Hendrick received a good common school education in the schools of Carroll county, Illinois, and on reaching his majority left home and worked on farms in Illinois and Iowa for six years. He lived on his
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father's farm in Carroll county, Illinois, for seven years. In 1898 he came to O'Brien county, Iowa, where he purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land in Grant township. Within the past sixteen years he has made exten- sive improvements upon the farm in various ways. He has a splendid and attractive residence, commodious and substantial barns and other outbuild- ings, which indicate that he has adopted modern methods in his agricultural operations. In 1910 he sold his farm at a good profit and purchased two hundred and fourteen acres in the same township, on which he has made many improvements. He has always been a large stock raiser and has paid special attention to the breeding of Shropshire sheep and keeps from ninety to a hundred head every year. He has exhibited them at the O'Brien county fair and has won first and second prizes.
Mr. Hendrick was married in 1891 to Lottie R. Thomas, and to this union have been born two children, Arthur and Eula, both of whom are graduates of the high school at Sutherland. Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick have given their children the advantage of the best education, feeling that at this day and age of the world a good education is necessary for success in life.
Mr. Hendrick belongs to that large and increasing class of men who are independent in their voting, and believes he is best serving the interests of his state when he casts his ballot for the best man and not for any single group of men because they happen to be on a particular party ticket. He and his , family are earnest members of the Methodist Episcopal church and take an active interest in the work of their favorite denomination. In his fraternal relations he is found affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, the Modern Woodmen of America and the Brotherhood of American Yeo- men. While he has always been an active worker in promoting his own in- terests, Mr. Hendrick has never lost sight of the fact that the best citizens are those who take their part in public life, to the extent that they may be acquainted with government under which they live. He has never shirked any public duty and has felt that he should take of his time for such public duties as came his way. With this idea in mind, he has served as school director in his township and is now serving as trustee of Grant town- ship. He gives to his official positions the same careful and painstaking serv- ice which he did to his own affairs, and for this reason is highly commended by every one with whom he comes in contact. He is a man of genial and pleasing personality and has a host of friends throughout the township and county who admire him for his public spirit and interest in everything affect- ing the life of the county in which he is an honored resident.
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MICHAEL YUNGBLUTH.
Among the prosperous farmers and stock raisers of Waterman township. O'Brien county. Iowa, who have made a pronounced success in their chosen vocation, there is no one who deserves more worthy mention in this bio- graphical volume than Michael Yungbluth, who is descended from sturdy German ancestry and he has all of those excellent characteristics which have marked the people of that country through the centuries of their history. He is a splendid type of the self-made man and has the satisfaction of knowing that everything which he possesses today has been won by the sweat of his brow. Starting in at the foot of the ladder. he has gradually climbed to agri- cultural success until he is today recognized as one of the leading agricultur- ists of his township.
Michael Yungbluth was born in Jo Daviess county. Illinois, in 1863, and is the son of Adam and Maria (Trevethen ) Yungbluth. Adam Yungbluth was born in Germany in 1822 and his wife was a native of England. He received a common school education in the schools of his native land. Early in life he became ambitious to try his fortunes in the New World. and with this intention he left his native land when only seventeen years of age. Upon arriving in this country he at once went to Illinois, where he engaged in farming until his death, which occurred in 1901. Starting in with practically nothing. he worked his way to a position where he was able to retire manys years before his death and spend his declining days in ease.
Michael Yungbluth was one of ten children born to his parents and one of the six who are now living. He received a good common education in the schools of Illinois and when nineteen years of age left his father's home to work for himself. He had heard of the good lands to be bought at a moder- ate price in Iowa, and with the good intention of investigating conditions in this county, he came to Clay county in 1882, where he worked as a farm hand for one year and then went to Cherokee county and for several years he worked at different places until 1892, when he came to O'Brien county. Upon marrying in 1898 he purchased one hundred and forty-four acres of land in Grant township, which he improved in such a way as to sell it at a handsome profit in 1913. after which he immediately bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in Waterman township, and is now living on this farm. Since buy- ing this farm in 1913 he has made extensive improvements, among which may be mentioned the installation of electric lights in his home. As a farmer he keeps apace with twentieth-century methods in agriculture and has found
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that it pays to use the best efforts if the greatest returns are to be expected. While raising all of the crops common to this locality, he has not neglected giving special attention to the breeding of live stock, as farmers in this sec- tion of the state have found that stock raising is always profitable, and es- pecially when a good grade of stock is bred. Realizing this, Mr. Yungbluth has always kept a high grade of live stock and has always found a ready mar- ket for this product. He has made a specialty of the breeding of Poland China hogs and has met with marked success along this line.
Mr. Yungbluth was married in 1898 to Luella Brown, and to this mar- riage have been born three children, Edna, Fred and Donald, who are still living with their parents. Mr. and Mrs. Yungbluth are giving their chil- dren the advantages of a good education in order that they may be better fitted to fight the battle of life when they leave the parental roof.
Mr. Yungbluth is a stanch Republican, but has always felt that his agri- cultural interests demanded the greater part of his attention, consequently he has never been active in political life in his county. However, he has been a constable in Grant township, and filled that office in a very satisfactory manner. He and his family are earnest and faithful members of the Metho- dist Episcopal church and subscribe liberally to the support of their favored denomination. Fraternally, he is a member of the Brotherhood of American Yeomen and takes an active interest in the affairs of that fraternal organiza- tion. Such has been his life since coming to this county that he has won the confidence and esteem of every one with whom he has been associated.
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