USA > Iowa > Shelby County > Past and present of Shelby County, Iowa, Vol. 2 > Part 35
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Joseph Fahn, the son of Peter and Katherine ( Brown) Fahn, was born March 15, 1873, in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. His parents were both natives
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of Germany, his father's birth having occurred in Bavaria, and his mother's in the Rhine Province. Peter Fahn worked on a farm in his native land until he was old enough to join the German army and then enlisted and served the full time required of every German male. After leaving the army he resumed farming until 1855, when he married and came to America and located at Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where he worked as a farm hand until the opening of the Civil War. He then enlisted in Company A, Seventeenth Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and served for four years. He had a distinguished record in the Civil War and while he had many narrow escapes, yet he never failed to be with his regiment for duty.
After the close of the war Mr. Fahn returned to Wisconsin and worked at farm labor for a few years. He then bought a small farm in Wisconsin on which he lived until 1873. In the latter year he came to Shelby county, lowa, with his family and located in Grove township, where he bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres. By hard work and good manage- ment he increased his land holdings until he was the owner of three hundred and five acres at the time he retired in 1894. He is now making his home with his daughter. Mrs. A. Assman, in Grove township. His wife died in 1895 at Earling. Iowa, leaving her husband and six children, Mary, Anna. Katie, Emma. Rosa and Joseph. to mourn her loss.
Joseph Fahn received his education in the common schools of Grove township, and after leaving school assisted his father in the work on the home farm until he was twenty-one years of age. He then rented land from his father two years, and upon his marriage his father gave him eighty acres of land on which to establish a home of his own. Being a very progressive young man he made the best of his opportunities, and within a few years owned a half section of the best land in Grove and Washington townships. Ile has made extensive improvements upon his land and now has one of the most beautiful country homes in the county. His barns and outbuildings are equal to the best and everything about the place speaks the thriftiness of its owner. He feeds most of his grain to hogs and cattle and markets one hun- dred and twenty-five head of hogs annually.
Mr. Fahn was married in 1899 at Westphalia, Iowa, to Margaret Lee- nan, the daughter of Henry and Thresia Leenan, and to this union seven children have been born, all of whom are still living with their parents. Lawrence, Leo, Albert, Edmund, Mildred. Hilda and Leonard.
Mrs. Fahn's parents were natives of Germany and came to this country in an early day and were among the first who located in Dubuque
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county, Iowa. They remained there for some years and then moved to Shelby county and located in Lincoln township, where they bought a farm on which they lived until a few years ago. They then moved to Earling where they are now living. They are among the most highly respected and honored citizens of the county, and have always been stanch members of the Catholic church. Mr. and Mrs. Leenan are the parents of fourteen children, of whom ten are living.
Mr. Fahn and his family are all devout members of the Catholic church and are greatly interested in everything pertaining to its welfare. Politically, Mr. Fahn is identified with the Democratic party, but has never been an aspir- ant for any public office. He has preferred to devote his energies to the de- velopment of his farm. He is a man of genial manner and has won a host of friends throughout the community because of the clean and wholesome life which he lives.
MARTIN JULIUS LARSON.
The soil is the basis of all life both animal and vegetable, and the great- est civilizations have arisen from that soil which is the best adapted for human existence. The greatest nations are not found in the Arctic regions, neither do they flourish in the tropics, but the greatest men of the world live along a narrow belt of latitude in the temperate zone, where there are neither extremes of heat nor cold. The United States is embraced within this favored region and here are found the finest fiber of brain and nerve. A man is more or less a creature of his environment and a man who is placed in the tropic zone where he needs no shelter, little clothing and no labor in order to provide himself with plenty to cat, never becomes great. Such conditions hold in the Arctic regions, where the extremes of low temperature are such as to inhibit all advance in civilization. No more favored spot in the United States for agricultural purposes is to be found than within the limits of Shelby county, Iowa, and here men and women from every corner of the globe have gathered. Denmark has contributed its quota, and among these worthy men, Martin J. Larson, of Fairview township, holds an honorable place.
Martin J. Larson was born December 24, 1851, in the little kingdom of Denmark. He was given a good education in the schools of his native land and early in life decided to come to America, where better opportunities awaited the young man. In 1872 he left his home for America and on
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reaching this country immediately went to Shelby county, Iowa. For the first two years he worked on a farm and then bought a team and broke prairie land for farmers in the county for the next two years. With the money which he saved he bought forty acres in Fairview township, and has since added to it until he is now the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of excellent farming land. There being running water upon his farm, it is well adapted to stock raising and he realizes the major portion of his profits from the sale of his stock each year. He has a good residence, commodious barns and out buildings which he has built, and has always been particular in keeping his place in good repair. He has out a large orchard with an abundance of different kinds of fruit trees and takes excellent care of his orchard.
Mr Larson was married in 1875 to Laura Nelson, who was born in Denmark, and to this union have been born twelve children, Louise, Minnie, Nels, Ida, Lena, Lawrence, Marie, Edna, Olga, Clarence, Lillian and Harry. All of these children are still living except Nels, who died at the age of eighteen. and Harry, who died at the age of nine. Mrs. Larson was the widow of Nels Jesperson, and was the mother of three children by her first marriage, Emma, Carrie and Louise, who died in infancy.
Mr. Larson is a Democrat but has not taken an active part in politics. He and his family are members of the Lutheran church.
HENRY CLAUSSEN.
The thirty years which Henry Claussen has spent in Shelby county, lowa, have been sufficient to enable him to acquire a comfortable competence for his declining years. He is now living a retired life in Shelby, Iowa, al- though he still retains his farm in the county. The Claussen family have been prosperous farmers in this county for many years, and three of them have been prominently identified with the agricultural life of their respective communities. They have never neglected to take their share of the burdens of civic life, and are truly loyal to their adopted country.
Henry Claussen. the son of Claus and Katrina (Tauck) Claussen, was born in Germany on September 16, 1860. Claus Claussen was born on February 21, 1825, in Germany and came to this country with his family in 1884, although some of his sons had come here in 1881 and settled in Shelby county, Iowa. Katrina Tauck, the wife of Claus Claussen, was born in
MR. AND MRS. CLAUS CLAUSSEN.
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HENRY CLAUSSEN.
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RESIDENCE OF HENRY CLAUSSEN.
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Germany on May 24. 1828, and died in Shelby county, Iowa, January I, 1900. The father is still living with his son. Henry, in Shelby. and is now past ninety years of age and is the oldest living settler in Shelby county. Claus Claussen and his wife reared a family of five children, four of whom are living, Peter, John H., Henry and Katharine, all of whom are living in this county.
Henry Claussen left Germany in 1884 with his parents and consequently was twenty-four years of age when he arrived in this country. He received a good common school education in his native land and upon arriving in Shelby county, Iowa, began working for himself at once. He rented two hundred and forty acres of land in Shelby township, and in 1900 bought two hundred and forty acres. He operated this farm until 1909 and then bought one hundred and sixty acres in the northeastern part of Shelby township, which he still owns. Here he has put out a grove of fruit and forest trees of five acres, which is one of the largest groves in the township. In 1908 he retired from active farin life and moved to Shelby, Iowa, where he is now living. He has three lots on which he has built a beautiful, mod- ern home at a cost of five thousand dollars. He is not married, and his sister, Katharine, keeps house for him and his aged father.
Politically, Mr. Claussen has always been affiliated with the Demo- cratic party since acquiring the right to vote in this country. He has not been active in political affairs, although he is interested in everything which pertains to the welfare of his fellow citizens. He maintains his membership in the German Lutheran church, while, fraternally, he belongs to the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows.
MICHAEL O'DAY.
One of the largest, if not the largest, farm in Shelby county owned by a farmer of Irish parentage, is the farm of six hundred and twenty acres owned by Michael O'Day. Starting out as a renter soon after reaching his majority, he has become one of the largest land owners in the county and has accumulated this large farm solely through his own individual efforts. Year by year has seen him more prosperous, yet he has not neglected to take the time as opportunity presented itself to assist in the material and civic development of his county. Too much credit cannot be given to a man who acquires such a farm through his own initiative, and the fact that Mr. O'Day
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retains the good will and respect of his fellow citizens, shows that his suc- cess has been well earned.
Michael O'Day. the son of Thomas and (O'Connor) O'Day, was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania. in 1867. His father was born in Ireland in 1834. and remained in his native land until he was twenty- one years of age. In 1855 he crossed the broad AAtlantic and settled in Pennsylvania, where he farmed until the opening of the Civil War. He enlisted at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1862, in the cavalry service, and re- mained at the front until the close of the war. He made a gallant record as a soldier and with his regiment participated in many of the hardest fought battles of the Civil War. After the close of the war Thomas O'Day re- turned to Washington county, Pennsylvania, where he followed farming pursuits for about a year. In 1866 he came to Shelby county, Iowa, and purchased forty acres of land, part of which was covered with a good growth of timber. He cleared twenty acres of this tract and then returned to Pennsylvania, where he remained a year. He had married immediately after the close of the war and upon returning to Shelby county, in 1867, he brought his wife and family with him. He had built a log cabin on his forty acres and in this he lived for about fifteen years. As the times grew better he added to his farm and at the time of his death in 1894, was the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of good farming land in Grove township. His wife was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1839, and died in Shelby county, Iowa, in 1911.
Michael O'Day is one of ten children born to his parents, six of whom are still living. Michael received his education in the schools of Shelby county, and due to the fact that the schools were hardly organized in his boy- hood days, his education was necessarily limited. However, he has been a reader all of his life and today is one of the best informed men of his township, When he was twenty-two years of age he started farming for himself by renting eighty acres from his father. Two years later he bought eighty acres in Grove township, and with this as a nucleus, he has accumu- lated an estate of six hundred and twenty acres, all of which is in one tract. On this farm he has placed buildings which alone cost him eight thousand dollars. . In addition to this he has built several miles of fencing and put in a large amount of drainage. He is one of the largest and most extensive stock breeders of the county and several car loads of stock are sold from his farm each year. His success has been little short of remarkable, considering the opportunities he had as a young man.
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Mr. O'Day was married in 1902 to Jessie Jenkins, who was born in this township in 1882, and to this union six children have been born, Thomas, Leroy, Maurice, Lorenzo. Hubert and Margrette. All of these children are still living except Lorenzo.
Politically. Mr. O'Day has long been allied with the Republican party, but the affairs of his large farm have been sufficient to occupy all of his attention and he has never felt inclined to act as a candidate for any public office, although his advice on political subjects is frequently sought by the leaders of his party. Ile and his family are devout members of the Catholic churchi to whose support they are generous contributors.
EMIL M. MILLER.
The handling of the large grain crop of Shelby county has made it neces- sary to establish grain elevators in various parts of the county. Some of these elevators are in the hands of companies from outside counties, while others are independent concerns owned by citizens living within the county. Such a plant is established at Earling. Iowa, and is owned by Emil Miller, one of the keenest young business men of the county. He has been buying and selling grain for the past six years and in that time has learned the grain business thoroughly.
Emil M. Miller, the son of John P. and Lena ( Berger) Miller, was born November 6, 1883. in Westphalia township. Shelby county, Iowa. His father was a native of Germany. educated in his native land and came to America at the age of twenty-one. John P. Miller first located in Cascade county, Iowa, where he rented a farm for five years, after which he moved to Westphalia township. Shelby county, and purchased a farm of eighty acres. He was married in Cascade county, Iowa, to Lena Berger. who was born in this state. In 1911 John P. Miller and his wife moved to Earling. where they are now living a retired life. Six children were born to John P. Miller and wife: Matthew, who married Gertrude Gross: Lena, deceased; Katherine. the wife of Ulrich Albers: Emil, the subject of this review; Charles, who married Julia Dresen, and Nicholas, who married Agnes Tuffel- , meier.
Emil M. Miller was educated in the Catholic school at Earling, and after leaving school he farmed with his father until 1908. In that year he entered the employ of the Wright & McWhinney Company, grain dealers at Earling.
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and bought grain for them for five years. He had charge of the elevator at Earling and proved an efficient manager for his employers. However, Mr. Miller wished to engage in business for himself. and on July 27, 1914, lie bought the grain elevator of the Loltz Brothers, and is now in active charge of his own plant. He is one of the brightest and keenest young business men of the county and because he has always dealt honestly with his patrons, he has won their confidence and consequently their business.
Politically, Mr. Miller is a loyal Democrat, but the extent of his business interests has so far prevented him from taking an active part in political matters. He is a member of the Catholic church and a generous contributor to its support. Mr. Miller is a young man right at the very threshold of his career and his success so far indicates a prosperous future for him.
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WILLIAM H. MCLAUGHLIN.
Few farmers in Shelby county, lowa, have attained greater success in the stock raising business than William H. MeLaughlin, of Shelby township. Starting in as a renter in 1892, he has become one of the largest land owners in this township, owning more than five hundred acres of land, and has also become one of the largest cattle and hog raisers. His barn is one of the largest and finest in the state of lowa and was built to accommodate his large herds of live stock. He has not only taken an active interest in the material prosperity of the county, but has also served as township trustee and given his hearty support to every worthy measure advanced for the welfare of his community.
William H. MeLaughlin, the son of Charles Jamies and Martha (Camp- bell) Mclaughlin, was born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, September 21, 1861. His father was born in the same county in 1832, while his mother was born in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, in 1835. After his marriage. Charles James McLaughlin, with his brother, became interested in the tan- nery business in Germantown, Pennsylvania. and followed that until 1869. In that year he went west alone on a prospecting trip, intending to purchase a tract of land in some of the western states where good land was to be secured at a low price. He went directly from Germantown, Pennsylvania, to Lanark, Illinois, and from there to Davenport, Iowa, where he met a party of three men : D. B. Pierce and his son Frank and Nathaniel Lawson.
WILLIAM H. MCLAUGHLIN.
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These four men traveled in a covered wagon and started to drive across the state with a view of securing land in a most favorable location. They traveled nearly across the state and finally came to Shelby county, and the sight which here met their eyes was such that they determined to locate in this county. Mr. MeLaughlin at once bought three hundred and twenty acres of unimproved land and also forty acres additional a little later for which he paid eight dollars an acre, and this same land today is worth more than two hundred dollars an acre. He at once built a house and this same house is now occupied by his son, William H. Charles James McLaughlin now returned to his home in Pennsylvania and moved his family to Shelby county, Iowa. He set out an orchard of five acres and was soon raising not only all the fruit he could use but was able to sell a considerable amount each year. As early as 1872 his trees were bearing and he made an exhibi- tion of his apples at the Silver Creek Fair, winning prizes on several of his exhibits.
Charles James Mclaughlin was one of the best known of the early pioneer farmers. Not even the grasshopper scourge could discourage him and, despite the fact that the grasshoppers drove more than half of the pioneers out of the county, he stayed and took advantage of the cheap land which was placed on the market at that time. When the grasshopper plague struck Kansas he and one of his sons drove to that state and bought one hundred and fifty head of cattle. They drove the cattle from the northern boundary of Kansas to Shelby county, Iowa. When they struck the Mis- souri river at Omaha, they swam the entire herd of one hundred and fifty across the river. It is needless to say that a farmer who would have the courage to buy cattle at such a time would succeed, and when he died, in 1897, his extensive holdings of eighteen hundred and forty acres were sufficient proof that he had been successful. When William II. was a lad of fourteen. he and his brother. Ellsworth, aged eleven, herded a large drove of cattle in the northern part of Westphalia township. During the summers from 1875 to 1879 the two brothers herded their father's cattle there all during the summer, driving them home each fall for the winter season. The wife of Charles James MeLaughlin was a worthy helpmate in the new prairie home and no small share of the success which attended her husband should be given to her. Nine children were born to Charles James Mclaughlin and wife: John L., Robert, Mrs. Sarah J. Boget, Eph- riam, William H., Martha, Ellsworth, Mrs. Laura Ennis, and one who died in infancy. Of these children, John L., Robert, Sarah and Martha are (48)
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deceased. Robert attended school at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and later at Glenwood, lowa. He started to teach school in Shelby township in 1870 and was the first teacher in the township. He taught school in his parent's home and used the front room for the school room. He later taught school at Shelby. lowa. He died in Denver, Colorado. in 1911. Ephriam is a prosperous grocery merchant of Boise, Idaho. Ellsworth is a substantial farmer and real estate agent now living in Canada. Mrs. Laura Ennis, the only one of the daughters living, is now a resident of Denver, Colorado. Charles James McLaughlin and his wife were loyal members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church and were two of the first six who organized the Methodist church of Shelby. Mrs. McLaughlin died in 1906.
William H. MeLaughlin was nine years of age when his parents moved from Pennsylvania to Shelby county, lowa, and here he has made his home for the past forty-five years. He received all of his education in one term, and this was received in the front room of his father's house. When lie reached his majority, he rented two hundred and forty acres of his father's farm and farmed it for three years, then took charge of the home place and, subsequently, bought a portion of it. After his marriage, in 1898, he began to add to his land holdings and now owns five hundred and thirty-two acres of well-improved land in Shelby township. He has given particular atten- tion to the raising of registered Shorthorn cattle, although lie also handles Poland-China hogs and Percheron horses. His barn, which cost him four thousand dollars, is ninety by thirty-four feet and has two wings, thirty- eight by fifty-six feet. This barn is one of the most complete barns for live stock purposes to be found in the state of Iowa. It is probable that there is not a barn on any farm in the state which can shelter as much live stock.
Mr. MeLaughlin was married in 1898 to Myrtle Buckley, who was born in Shelby county, Iowa, in 1874. She was a daughter of Harry H. and Maggie ( Chestnut) Buckley, natives of Pennsylvania, who located in Lanark county, Illinois, and later settled in Iowa. To this union five children have been born, three of whom are living and two who died in infancy. Veta, Ralph and Willard are living with their parents, the latter two being twins.
Mr. MeLaughlin has been a stanch member of the Republican party and served his party as trustee of Shelby township from 1910 to 1912. He and his family are enthusiastic members of the Methodist Episcopal church and give it their hearty support at all times. Mr. MeLaughlin is one of the most highly respected men of his township and a man who has always held the interest of his community at heart.
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BALTHASER THILLEN.
A successful farmer and stock raiser of Shelby county. Iowa, is Bal- thaser Thillen, who is the owner of a large tract of land in Washington and Westphalia townships. He is descended from German parentage, and has inherited those characteristics which have brought success to every German settler in this county. Mr. Thillen started in as a renter and by his own industry and good management has accumulated a farm of two hundred and sixty-four acres within a period of sixteen years, and has paid for it all from the earnings of his land. It will be admitted that a man who can accom- plish this in such a short length of time is deserving of a great deal of credit.
Balthaser Thillen. son of Nicholas and Barbara Thillen, was born May 9, 1874, in Clayton county, Iowa. His parents were both born in Germany. His father worked as a farm hand in France for three years, and in 1855 came to America and located in Dubuque county, Iowa, where he worked for a short time. He then moved to Elkader, in Clayton county. Iowa, where he purchased timber land, cleared it and farmed the same until his death, August 27, 1892. Nicholas Thillen was married in Clayton county, Iowa, in 1869. and to this union were born three children, Balthaser. John and Elizabeth. John died when he was eleven years of age and Elizabeth mar- ried Nicholas Miller, and now lives in Clayton county.
Balthaser Thillen received all of his education in the district schools of Clayton county, Iowa, and after leaving school farmed with his father until he was eighteen years of age. At this time his father died and he rented the home farm for three years. In 1896 he went to Shelby county and located in Lincoln township. He rented land for the first two years after coming to this county, and in 1898 bought one hundred and twenty acres in Washing- ton township, where he lived umtil 1910. He then purchased one hundred and four acres adjoining Panama. in this county, moved there and is now living in the town of Panama. He devotes most of his attention to the raising of Chester White and Poland China hogs and has achieved pro- nounced success in the handling of swine.
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