The full biographical sketch as printed in 1910, transcribed from the public-domain book. Spelling and wording are the original author’s; a few scanning errors may remain.
C. HENRY WITT.
C. Henry Witt, a prominent agriculturist of Rockingham township, Scott county, forms part of that great German element which, added to our native stock, helps to give it stamina. He was born in Holstein, Germany, June i, 1851, his parents being Frank and Cecelia (Hoch) Witt. When Mr. Witt was only two years of age his father died and in course of time the mother again married, the second husband being a Mr. Oelrick. His mother by her first mar- riage had three children : Dorothy, deceased ; Christina, who is the wife of Ger- hart Busing of Nebraska; and the subject of the sketch. To the second mar- riage were born Herman, and Anna, who became the wife of Henry Melius, now deceased. In 1868 Mr. Oelrick resolved to bring his household to !ffliierica and to prove or disprove for his own satisfaction the reports of wealth and oppor- tunity lying in wait for the thrifty immigrant. They landed in New York but went on at once to Chicago. There their hopes in the promised land were to suffer a severe blow for they were overcharged to a great extent by a dishonest hotelkeeper with whom they were unable to cope on account of their unfamiliarity with the language and customs of the country. They were without sufficient money to pay the exorbitant bill and Mr. Witt's sisters were compelled to stay
and work it out. The rest of the family came on to Davenport, the subject of the sketch having in his pocket at the time of his arrival only the sum of fifty cents. Fortunately he secured work in a very short time as driver on an ice wagon, at which he continued for about nine years. At the end of that time he found himself, on account of his previous thrifty conduct, able to enter the ice business for himself, and he remained in this more independent capacity for about five years. In 1882 he made a radical change by becoming a landowner and agriculturist. He first purchased some eighty acres in Rockingham town- ship from Henry Puck. Upon taking possession of this he built a house and made numerous other improvements and, thus satisfactorily environed, lived there until 1906. In this year he purchased from Mr. Petersen his present valuable homestead, also in Rockingham township, and built a substantial and attractive residence in which his household is at present established. His farms, the first of which is rented, are well improved and in a high state of cultivation. He does not specialize but engages in general farming with much success.
Mr. Witt has been twice married. He first wedded Miss Mary Stuart, and to this union one child, a daughter, named Helen, was born. Both mother and daughter are deceased. His second marriage occurred in November, 1889, his wife, whose maiden name was Carrie Kern, being the daughter of Frank and Christina Kern of Germany. They lived and died in their native land, although the mother at one time visited her daughter in America. Four children came to bless this union: Charles, born December 28, 1890; Mary, June 4, 1892; Henry, December 8, 1894; and William, October 24, 1901. All four of them reside under the parental roof.
The survey of the life of C. Henry Witt from the time he arrived in Daven- port, a simple German boy with fifty cents in his pocket, to his present position of independence and respect is indeed inspiring and an eloquent testimony both as to Mr. Witt's native ability and the possibility of his adopted land.
Source: History of Davenport and Scott County, Iowa (1910. See the original pages at the Internet Archive.
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