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Jasper County, Iowa
Historical and Genealogical Data Exchange
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Fred Rohrdanz The agricultural interests of Elk Creek Township, Jasper County, are ably represented by Fred Rohrdanz, who, during the entire period since his birth, February 17, 1859, has been a resident and honored citizen of the locality of which this history deals. He is a connecting link with the pioneer period of the history of this section, this family having been active in the affairs of the same since the County was attacked by the seekers of new homes from the Eastern states, something more than a half century ago. Going still further, back in the family history, it is learned that his parents in an early day left the vine-clad hills of Prussia and joined the tide of emigration to the free republic in the western hemisphere. This family having been used to the hardest kind of labor in the old country, labor which had inadequate returns, did not shrink from the task of clearing the wild land here and improving it, so they have succeeded. Fred Rohrdanz grew to manhood on the home farm and here he attended the district schools until he was fairly well educated. He is the son of John J. and Mary (Price) Rohrdanz, both born in Prussia, now a part of Germany, the father on February 11, 1825, and the mother in the town of Deemen, on January 23, 1829. There they grew up and were educated and there the father learned the blacksmith's trade. When thirty-six years of age he immigrated to America, locating in New York City, where he worked at his trade for a year. He then went to Niagara Falls, where he assisted in building the first suspension bridge over that noted cataract. The mother immigrated to New York in her girlhood days and there the parents of the subject were married. In 1844, seeking newer fields in which to establish their permanent home, they emigrated westward until they came to Jasper County, Iowa, where the father purchased forty acres of land of the government, for which he paid one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre, in Elk Creek Township. The country was new and they had to undergo many privations for a time, but they worked hard, developed a good farm and became very comfortably established, the father owning at the time of his death about two hundred and thirty-six acres. He was highly respected among the pioneers. Politically, he was a Democrat and in religious matters he belonged to the German Lutheran Church. He was a true pioneer, having come here only one year after the first settler in the County. There was but one house between his and Newton, eleven miles away, and neighbors were indeed very few. He was a splendid soldier, having served in the German Army for a period of eight years and he served gallantly in the Franco-Prussian war. His death occurred on his farm here on November 10, 1906. His family consisted of two daughters and one son, Fred, of this review, being the youngest of the family; his elder sisters were, Mrs. Christina Schultz and Mrs. Mary Berkenholz. . Fred Rohrdanz was a mere lad when he began making a hand in the fields of his father, plowing corn when twelve years of age. He has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits and has met with encouraging success ail along the line, being now the owner of three hundred and nine acres of choice land in Elk Creek Township, which he has placed under excellent improvements and a high state of cultivation. He has a pleasant home and such other farm buildings as his needs require, and everything about the place indicates that a gentleman of good taste has its management in hand. In connection with general farming he raises and feeds considerable live stock of various kinds. Politically, Mr. Rohrdanz is a Democrat and he belongs to the Lutheran Church. On March 19, 1890, occurred the marriage of Fred Rohrdanz and Emma Andrews. The latter was born in Elk Creek Township, Jasper County, on November 19, 1868. She is the daughter of Fred C. Andrews, who came to Jasper County in 1857 from Germany, where he was born on April 1, 1843. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Rohrdanz: Letta, born February 2, 1893; Ella, born August 4, 1901; Otis, born September 22, 1906; Wilma, born March 27, 1908; Pearl, Lulu, Lily and Vera are all deceased. The Past and Present of Jasper County, Gen. James B. Weaver, Editor-In-Chief, 1912 B.F. Bowen Co., Indianapolis, IN, p. 709. |
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