USA > Nebraska > Platte County > Past and present of Platte County, Nebraska : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 12
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for others. He is also a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company of Hum- phrey.
In May, 1903, Mr. Lohaus was united in marriage to Miss Cunnigunda Braun, a daughter of Joseph and Eva (Scheidemantel) Braun, who are represented else- where in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Lohaus have become parents of six children : Alphonse, Henry, Lucy, Leander, Syra and Mary, all at home.
The family attend the Catholic church, of which the parents are members, and Mr. Lohaus is also identified with the Catholic Order of Foresters and the Knights of Columbus. Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise he has voted with the democratic party, and he has served as township committeeman, taking a deep interest in political affairs and keeping well informed on the questions and issues of the day at all times. His life has been one of well directed industry and thrift, and along clearly defined lines of labor and business integrity he has won his success.
HENRY C. LACHNIT.
Henry C. Lachnit for a number of years occupied public office in Platte county and is now engaged in the retail liquor business in Humphrey. He was born in Columbus township, April 7, 1878, a son of Frank and Josephine (Meir) Lachnit, both of whom were natives of Germany. The father, a farmer by occupation, came to the United States in 1874 and settled on a farm near Columbus, Nebraska, renting land for a time but afterwards purchasing farm property which he owned and cul- tivated until 1900. He then retired and removed to Columbus, spending his remain- ing days in the enjoyment of a rest which he had truly earned and richly deserved. His wife passed away February 2, 1910, and he survived her only twenty-six days, his death occurring on the 28th of February.
Henry C. Lachnit attended the district schools and remained at home to the age of twenty-one years, when he enlisted as a member of Company A, Thirty- ninth United States Volunteers for service in the Spanish-American war. He was with that command for two years in active service in the Philippines, and, although he joined the army as a private, he was promoted to the rank of corporal October 1, 1899, and was mustered out as sergeant on the 4th of March, 1901. He took part in a number of the engagements in the Philippines, including the battle of Colomba, January 1, 1900; Lipa, January 13th; San Diego Hill. January 21st; Majaijay, January 23d; Santa Cruz Bridge and San Diego Hill, March 16th; and again in the engagements at Colomba, August 29th and September 12, 1900. He enlisted on the 27th of September, 1899, and was discharged at San Francisco May 6, 1901, with the creditable record of "honest and faithful."
When the country no longer needed his military aid Mr. Lachnit returned home and assisted in the further development and improvement of his father's farm for two years. In 1901 he was appointed deputy sheriff under Sheriff C. J. Carrig, with whom he served for four years. He then resigned and entered the retail liquor business at Lindsay, where he remained for two years, when, in 1909, he was elected on the democratic ticket to the office of sheriff of Platte county, assuming the position in 1910 and serving for five years and three months, having been twice
HENRY C. LACHNIT
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reelected. At the close of his term he came to Humphrey, where he has since engaged in the retail liquor business.
On the 21st of August, 1907, Mr. Lachnit was married to Miss Mary Griffin, a daughter of Morris and Margaret Griffin. Their children are: Ramona, born June 24, 1908; and Morris and Margaret, twins, born July 26, 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Lachnit are members of the Catholic church and he is identified with the Knights of Columbus, with the Elks Lodge, No. 1195, of Columbus, and the Columbus Aerie of Eagles, in which he has filled all of the chairs and is a past worthy presi- dent. He is likewise a member of the Sons of Herman and belongs to the Spanish War Veterans Association and the Maennerchor. In these different organizations he has gained many friends, and that he made a creditable record in public office is indicated in the fact that he was three times chosen by popular vote for the position which he filled.
JOHN T. STEFFES.
.No history of Humphrey would be complete without extended reference to the members of the Steffes family, who have borne so important and prominent a part in promoting the business activity and material development of the town, their labors being of farreaching effect and benefit. John T. Steffes is engaged in the real-estate and insurance business as a recognized leader in that line and he is also a member of the firm of Steffes Brothers, general merchants. His enterprise is of the character that brooks no obstacles or difficulties that can be overcome by per- sistent, earnest effort and gradually he has advanced along business lines until in this connection he is recognized as one of the foremost residents of Humphrey.
Mr. Steffes is a native of northern Michigan. He was born July 25, 1870, a son of Jacob and Mary Catharine (Wagner) Steffes, who were natives of Germany, the father having been born on the Rhine, while the mother was a native of Sax- enburg. Jacob Steffes, who followed the occupation of mining, came to America on attaining his majority and settled in Michigan. His wife had been brought to the new world when but three years of age by her parents, who located in the upper peninsula of Michigan. It was to the mining regions of that district that Jacob Steffes made his way and found employment, and after his marriage his wife con- ducted a tavern and saloon while Mr. Steffes followed mining, their united labors thus contributing to their success. In 1875 they came to Nebraska, settling in Madison county, where their earnings were invested in two hundred and forty acres of land on sections 33 and 34, Green Garden township, on Union Creek. They occupied that farm until 1880, meeting with good success in its cultivation and im- provement, and then removed to Humphrey, where Mr. Steffes engaged in the hotel, livery and saloon business, continuing his activity along those lines until his death, which occurred in 1888. His wife survived him for many years, passing away in 1904.
John T. Steffes attended the Humphrey parochial schools and also the school at St. Bernard and made his initial step in the business world as a clerk in the store of William Eimers in Humphrey, spending four years in that connection. In 1895 he turned his attention to the live-stock business, buying and selling live stock
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and also operating a butcher shop until 1904, when he entered the employ of P. McKillip and for several years worked for him in the real-estate business. In 1909 he established a real-estate agency on his own account and today is enjoying a substantial success in that field. In 1911 he extended the scope of his business to include general insurance and in that department has won a liberal clientage. Even this does not cover the scope of his activities, for in 1907, in partnership with his brothers, Jacob, Henry and Nicholas, he opened the largest general mercantile store in Humphrey and they also own and conduct a similar establishment at Cedar Rapids, Nebraska, of which Henry Steffes is acting as manager.
On the 9th of March, 1898, Mr. Steffes was united in marriage to Miss Lena M. Edwards, a daughter of Dr. William and Lena (Schneider) Edwards, the former born near London, England, and the latter in Erie county, New York. They were married in Omaha, Nebraska, where for a number of years Dr. Edwards was actively engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery. Subsequently he removed to Platte Center, this county, and here followed his profession until his death in 1892, when he was fifty-seven years of age. His widow then removed to Humphrey and now makes her home with our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Steffes have the following children: Leona, Viola, Florence, Cecelia, Leonard, John and Francis. Death also claimed two of their children, Catharine and Marian.
The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church, and Mr. Steffes belongs to the Catholic Order of Foresters. In politics he is a democrat but not an aspirant for office. He ranks with the substantial young business men of Humphrey, guided in all he does by a laudable ambition that has prompted him to put forth the most earnest and persistent efforts for the attainment of creditable success. His business activities, too, have been of a character which have con- tributed to general prosperity and to the upbuilding of the community as well as to individual advancement.
GEORGE FAIRCHILD.
George Fairchild, of Columbus, was a prominent figure in connection with the annals of Nebraska as well as in local affairs of his home locality and thus it was that his death proved not simply a private bereavement but a public misfortune. He was born in Danbury, Connecticut, September 21, 1854, and was a youth of about seventeen years when he removed from Columbus, Ohio, to Platte county, Nebraska, in the year 1871. Here he accepted a position in the Arnold jewelry store of Columbus, in which he learned the trade and in which he remained for several years. He was for some time in the employ of the Union Pacific Railroad, was an accountant with the firm of Spiece & North and for several years was associated with W. A. Way in the coal business. Each step in his career marked an advance in his business interests and responsibilities. He became the first local manager for the Bell Telephone Company at Columbus and afterward he was appointed to the responsible position of accountant in the office of the state auditor. So efficient was his work in that connection that his services were retained for some time, his last duties being those of examiner of the county treasurer's books. He .
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always regarded a public office as a public trust and it was well known that no trust reposed in him was ever betrayed in the slightest degree.
On the 6th of May, 1885, occurred the marriage of Mr. Fairchild and Miss Elenora Bremer, a daughter of Charles and Mary Bremer. She was born in Omaha, February 16, 1864, and they became the parents of a daughter, Mary, now the wife of Frank Justus, of Columbus.
The family circle was broken by the hand of death when on the 7th of October, 1914, Mr. Fairchild passed away at Wilbur, Nebraska. He was a consistent member of Grace Episcopal church and he belonged to various fraternal organiza- tions, including the Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias, the Royal Arcanum, the Royal Highlanders and the Modern Woodmen. His political allegiance was always given to the republican party and he did everything in his power to further its legitimate success. In Columbus he long figured as a prominent and influential citizen and was the first chief of the fire department, while with many other con- cerns of public importance he was actively and helpfully associated. He enjoyed the confidence and goodwill of colleagues and contemporaries in business life and in public office and thus it was that his sterling qualities made his death a matter of deep and sincere regret.
ARTHUR A. BENHAM.
Arthur A. Benham, manager for the T. B. Hord Grain Company at Humphrey, where he also buys live stock and handles coal, has through close application and unremitting energy made for himself a creditable position in business circles. He was born at Wautoma, Wisconsin, August 15, 1870, his parents being Allen B. and Mary (Trufant) Benham, natives of New Hampshire. The father became a merchant in early life. On leaving New England he went with his parents to Wisconsin, his father becoming a farmer of the Badger state. Allen B. Benham was then a young lad. When he had attained a sufficient age he began learning the tinner's trade, which he followed for about twelve years. In 1872 he removed to New Windsor, Illinois, where he established a hardware store, conducting busi- ness at that point and at Kewanee, Illinois, for several years. Success attended his efforts and he finally retired with a substantial competence. He then removed to Omaha, where he now resides at the age of sixty-eight years, while his wife is still living at the age of sixty-seven.
Arthur A. Benham was reared and educated in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska, where his father was working as a tinner. He continued with his parents to the age of twenty-seven years and when his education was completed and his text- books put aside he began buying grain and hogs in the employ of others. He was thus engaged in Cedar Rapids for nineteen years, at the end of which time he came to Humphrey as manager for the T. B. Hord Grain Company, which he still represents. He displays sound judgment in buying grain and has developed a good business at this point. He also buys stock and handles coal and his business interests are carefully and systematically managed.
In June, 1897, Mr. Benham was united in marriage to Miss Lena Beggs, a daughter of A. J. Beggs, who was engaged in farming in Illinois at an early period
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and subsequently removed to lowa, in which state he was actively identified with general agricultural pursnits until 1894. In that year he took up his abode in Boone county, Nebraska, and there followed farming for several years but at the present time is living retired in the enjoyment of well earned rest. His wife passed away in 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Benham have two sons, Ralph B. and Howard B., who are sixteen and fourteen years of age respectively.
The parents belong to the Episcopal church and in his political views Mr. Benham is a republican but not an aspirant for office. He exemplifies in his life the beneficent spirit of the Masonic fraternity, to which he belongs, and his course has ever been an upright, honorable one, gaining for him the high regard of all with whom he has been brought in contact through business or social relations. He has attractive social qualities which have won him popularity and throughout the community he has a host of warm friends.
REV. HERMAN MIESSLER.
Rev. Herman Miessler, pastor of the German Lutheran church at Columbus, has done splendid work for the moral development in the community in which he lives, his influence being a direct and tangible force for uplift in many lives, not only in Columbus, but in various sections of Nebraska. A native of Michigan, he was born in Isabella county in 1861. His father, Gustav Miessler, now living at Crete, Illinois, went to Michigan as a missionary among the Chippewa Indians but on account of ill health resigned his position there in 1869 and removed to Chicago, where he studied medicine at Hahnemann College. In due time he was graduated and entered upon practice in Chicago but is now living in Crete.
Rev. Miessler obtained a common school education in Michigan and attended high school in Chicago. He afterward entered Concordia College at Fort Wayne, Indiana, from which he was graduated with the class of 1880 and then entered Concordia Seminary at St. Louis, Missouri, where he completed his course in 1883. Immediately afterward he came to Columbus, at which time the congregation of the German Lutheran church consisted of only ten families. He also had charge of two smaller churches in the distriet until they became self-sustaining. He entered with zeal and enthusiasm upon his work and his efforts were soon manifest in tangible results. Under his guidance the church has steadily grown until there are now one hundred families connected with the Columbus church and a paro- chial school is also maintained. He is actively identified in establishing churches throughout this section of Nebraska and also in founding various parochial schools, and his influence has been an immeasurable force for good. He is a member of the Missouri synod of the German Lutheran church and also of the teachers' board of the seminary at Seward, Nebraska.
On the 5th of October, 1884, Rev. Miessler was united in marriage to Miss Clara Wurmb, a daughter of Theobald von Wurmb, who was born in South Africa, his father being a missionary to the Hottentots. Through family connections Mrs. Miessler is related to the great German Schiller. To Rev. and Mrs. Miessler have been born the following children: Walter, who wedded Emma Schreiber and is
REV. HERMAN MIESSLER
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engaged in the drug business in St. Louis, Missouri; Adela; Olga; Eugene, who is assisting his brother Walter in the drug store in St. Louis; Elmer; and Marcella.
In his political views Rev. Miessler is a democrat and keeps well informed on the issues of the day, being not unmindful of the duties and obligations of citi- zenship, yet he never seeks nor desires preferment in that connection. He is recognized as a man of marked ability, of strong intellectual force and effective power as a speaker. He is a man of large physique and commanding personality and of keen sympathy and is well liked not only by people of his own congregation but by representatives of all denominations.
EDWIN AHRENS.
Edwin Ahrens, directing his attention entirely to farming interests, belongs to that class of representative business men who win success through perseverance, laudable ambition and unfaltering energy. He has been a lifelong resident of Platte county, for he is one of her native sons, his birth having occurred on the old home farm of the family in Bismark township, September 24, 1884, his parents being Edwin and Anna (Loseke) Ahrens. The father was born in Olden- burg, Germany, June 21, 1831, and acquired a fair education in that country. He also worked on a farm there and for ahout two years served in the German army. Coming to America, he made his way to Nebraska and homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres in Platte county. The entire district was then largely undeveloped and unimproved and on the tract which came into his possession not a furrow had been turned. He met the usual experiences and hardships of pioneer life when one has to break the sod and prepare the fields for cultivation before crops can be planted. He was energetic and resolute, however, and he bravely met the difficulties which confront the settler upon the frontier. In time his labors brought about a marked change in the appearance of his farm, which was converted into productive fields, bringing forth abundant harvests. In April, 1861, he had wedded Miss Anna Loseke, also a native of Oldenburg, Germany, who is now living in Leigh, Nebraska. To them were born the following children: John, who is a resident of Columbus; Minnie, who is the wife of Fritz Loscke, of Bismark town- ship; Margaret, who gave her hand in marriage to Henry Sander; Herman, living in Bismark township; Anna, who is the wife of Louis Groteluschen, of Audubon county, Iowa : Bertha, who is the wife of Erich Wurdeman, living south of Leigh; Edwin, of this review; and Ella, at home with her mother.
The death of Edwin Ahrens, Sr., occurred on the 11th of January, 1892, and was the occasion of deep and widespread regret, for during the years of his resi- dence in Platte county he had won a place among the substantial and highly respected citizens of the district. In politics he was a democrat and for a number of years was treasurer of his township, making an excellent officer, which fact is indicated by his frequent reelections. He belonged to the German Evangelical Lutheran church and guided his life according to its teachings.
Edwin Ahrens, whose name introduces this review, obtained a public-school education while spending his youthful days under the parental roof and through the periods of vacation he worked upon the home farm, early becoming familiar
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through experience with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. He has never sought to change his occupation and in fact finds farming a congenial pursuit and one which is bringing to him a substantial and gratifying annual income. He is now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres and the farm is divided into fields of convenient size by well kept fences, while all the farm work is conducted according to modern methods and exemplifies the ideas that science has put forth, while practical experience has proven their value.
On the 28th of October, 1909, Mr. Ahrens was united in marriage to Miss Emma Müller, who was born in Bismark township, this county, June 8, 1885, her parents being Friedrich and Magdalena (Karlin) Müller. They now have two sons, namely: Paul Frederick, who was born August 23, 1910; and Arlo Edwin, whose natal day was February 2, 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Ahrens are well known in this county, having an extended acquaintance, while many come within the closer circle of friendship. Those who know them speak of them in terms of warm regard and among business acquaintances Mr. Ahrens is mentioned as one who is as reliable as he is enterprising.
DANIEL WEISER.
Daniel Weiser is a resident farmer of Sherman township, living on section 8, where a valuable property of three hundred and sixty acres pays tribute to the care and labor which he bestows upon it. He was born in Austria, February 3, 1855, a son of Frank and Johanna (Browner) Weiser, both of whom have passed away, at the ages of forty-five and forty-seven years respectively. The father was a weaver by trade and served for seven years in the Austrian army as an officer of minor rank. He belonged to the Catholic church, passing away in that faith after having spent his entire life in Austria.
When Daniel Weiser put aside his textbooks, after attending the public schools, he worked as a farm hand in Austria, being thus employed until 1877, when at the age of twenty-two years he came to the United States. He then pur- chased land in Sherman township, paying one hundred and fifty dollars for eighty acres. Upon this tract he put up a sod honse and with characteristic energy began the arduous task of developing and improving the farm, to which he has kept adding from time to time until he now has three hundred and sixty acres, on which is to be seen a fair set of buildings. His entire life has been devoted to general agricultural pursuits and the success which he has attained is the merited reward and legitimate result of his labors.
In 1883 Mr. Weiser was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Beitel, a native of Austria and a daughter of August and Bertha (Koenig) Beitel. The father, a factory worker in Austria, emigrated to the United States and in 1879 took up a homestead claim of eighty acres in Humphrey township, Platte county, Nebraska, where he devoted his attention to general farming. Mr. and Mrs. Weiser are the parents of eight children, namely: Anna, the wife of Adam Kimig, who is an agriculturist of Sherman township and by whom she has one child; Louis; Emma; Bertha; Paulina; Martha; Ella; and Ida.
The family hold membership in St. Mary's Catholic church of Grand Prairie
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township. Mr. Weiser has been active along no line outside of business, preferring ever to concentrate his energies upon the development and improvement of his farm, whereby he has provided a comfortable living for his family and gained for himself a place among the substantial and well-to-do residents of the township.
HENRY F. J. HOCKENBERGER.
Henry F. J. Hockenberger, numbered among the most prominent citizens of Columbus, is actively identified with real-estate, loan and insurance interests as a member of the Becher, Hockenberger & Chambers Company. His birth occurred in Corning, New York, on the 8th of September, 1860, his parents being William and Charlotte (Rochrig) Hockenberger, the former a native of Baden, Germany, and the latter of the Rhine province. William Hockenberger, born in 1818, emigrated to the United States in 1846, while his wife came to this country with her parents in 1837. Their marriage was celebrated in Rochester, New York, in 1847. The death of Mrs. Charlotte Hockenberger occurred in 1865 and the fol- lowing year Mr. Hockenberger wedded Mrs. Mary Halm nee Kling. In 1878 they removed to Boone county, Nebraska, where his demise occurred in 1887 and his widow then returned to New York, in which state she passed away in the year 1905. George Hockenberger, the paternal grandfather of our subject, spent his entire life in Baden, Germany, and was an agriculturist by occupation.
In his youth Henry F. J. Hockenberger attended the public schools of Elmira, New York, and Blossburg, Pennsylvania, the family home having been established in the latter town in 1868. He put aside his textbooks at the age of thirteen years and subsequently worked at coopering in Elmira, New York, for two years. On the expiration of that period he returned to Blossburg, Pennsylvania, where he was employed in his father's brewery for two years and then accompanied his father and stepmother to Nebraska. Here he worked on a farm and in a flour mill for one year and occupied himself with odd jobs for a time. At the age of eighteen years he secured a position with the Columbus real-estate, loan and insurance firm of Becher & Price, which at the end of two years became Gus G. Becher & Company. He continued in the service of that concern for ten years and on the expiration of that period, in 1891, he was admitted to a partnership in the firm, which then became Becher, Jaeggi & Company and was changed to Becher, Hockenberger & Chambers when in 1900 Leopold Jaeggi was succeeded by E. H. Chambers. In 1913 the business was incorporated as the Becher, Hock- enberger & Chambers Company. The record of Mr. Hockenberger is a splendid illustration of the power of industry, perseverance and energy in the attainment of success, for he has worked his way upward from a humble position in the business world to one of prominence and influence. Since 1886 he has served as secretary and director of the Columbus Land, Loan & Building Association and for the past two years he has been the chief executive officer of the Young Men's Christian Association in Columbus.
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