Carl Forth, born in Germany in 1830, came to America in 1856, settled first at Hampton, Illinois, and in 1858 took up a forty-acre farm in Olive Township, Clinton County. He married Theresa, a native of Pennsylvania born in 1831, and added to the farm until he owned five hundred acres, all in Olive Township, when he died in 1908, a few months after her. Three of their sons have sketches in the 1911 history: Charles Joseph Forth, who owned 287 acres and married Dora Schroader of Scott County in 1891; Henry Forth, who ran the 230-acre old homestead and began breeding Polled-Angus cattle; and Yengle A. Forth, born in 1872, who farmed 160 acres and married Helen Ehlers in 1900. The sketches print Theresa's maiden name two ways and give birth dates for Charles and Henry only seven months apart, so both points are shown as the books give them. Every fact below is cited to a public-domain Clinton County history.
Where the family starts
Carl Forth and Theresa (Boman) Forththe earliest generation in the recordMost recent in our records
Henry Forthborn 1869Tap a name to jump to that person.
Settled in Olive Township in 1858
Farmer and stock raiser, Olive Township
CHARLES JOSEPH FORTH.
The Perth family, for a number of generations, has been among the best known and most highly respected in the central part of Clinton county, and they have shown themselves as especially worthy of commendation in connection with agricultural pursuits, their farms always being well tilled and well kept and they have always made a comfortable having and had good homes and their reputations for honesty and integrity have been without a stain.
No better representative of this honored family is to be found than Charles Joseph Porth, who is a native of this county, born in Olive township on the old homestead, May 4. 1869. He is the son of Carl and TJiresa (Boman) Porth; the father was born in Germany on April jo. 1830, and the mother was born in Pennsylvania on July 20, 183 1. Carl Porth spent his early manhood in Germany and was educated there. He emigrated to America in 1856 and settled in Hampton, Illinois. In 1858 he located in Clinton county, Iowa, on a forty-acre farm. He was an excellent manager and farmer on an extensive scale. As he prospered, he added to his original purchase until he owned five hundred acres of excellent land at the time of his death, all lying in Olive township. He was a general farmer and an extensive stock raiser and feeder, and he became well known and influential here. In politics he was a Democrat, but he never asked his friends for public office. He was a loyal member of the Catholic church, in which faith he died. His family consisted of six children, of whom five are living, three sons and two daughters. Carl Porth was also the father of four children by a former marriage, three of whom are living. By a former marriage the mother of the subject also had four children, of whom three are living. Carl Porth's death occurred on January 20. 1908, having been preceded to the grave by his wife on October 20, 1907.
Charles J. Porth. of this review, grew to maturity on the homestead and received his education in the local public schools. When a small lad he began farming and he has always followed this line of endeavor, with a large degree of success attending his efforts. He is now the owner of two hundred and eighty-seven acres, and he makes stock raising one of the principal lines of his work, being a good judge of all kinds of live stock and some excellent specimens are to be found at his place in all seasons. He has a comfortable home and good outbuildings.
As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Farmer on the old homestead, Olive Township
It would indeed be hard to find a man in Olive township who understands better how to get the best results in manipulating the soil of Clinton county, for he has spent his life here and has devoted his time, for the most part, in studying the relation of soil, climate and seeds, with the result that he never has to ask the advice of anyone when he wants to rotate his crops or plant any new kind of grain, for he has experimented until he now knows definitely what to do in every instance,
Mr. Forth was born on the old Forth homestead in Olive township, this county, on December 23. 1869. He is the.'on of Karl and Thresa (Beuman) Forth, the former born in Germany and the latter in Pennsylvania. The father is further mentioned in the sketch of Charles Porth.
The subject was educated in the public schools of this township, which he attended when not working; in the crops on the home place. He operates in a very successful manner two hundred and thirty acres of land, on which he has placed modern and substantial improvements. This is the old homestead, and under his skillful management the richness of the soil has been retained and he has a very well kept home and carries on general farming and stock raising in a manner that stamps him as one of the leading agriculturists of this township. He has begun the breeding and raising of Polled-Angus cattle. He also feeds extensively and is a good judge of live stock. He has been very successful both as a farmer along general lines and as a stock man.
As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Farmer, Olive Township
YENGLE A. FORTH.
In taking up this review of the life of Yengle A. Forth, one of the comfortable established agriculturists of Olive township, Clinton county, attention is called to one who has, by his life of consistent endeavor, won for himself a good property and the respect of his fellow citizens.
Mr. Forth has foreign blood in his Aeins. but he is an American by right of birth, having been born in Clinton county, Iowa, on April 22, 1872. He is the son of Carl Forth, who is mentioned at proper length in another part of this volume, the father being a native of Germany and the mother, Theresa, of Fennsylvania.
The subject was reared on a farm and began working on the same when quite a child and he has made farming his life work. He was educated in the public schools of his native community and the parochial schools in Davenport, receiving a very good education along general lines. He began farming for himself after finishing his education and he is now the owner of a good farm of one hundred and sixty acres, which he has placed under an excellent state of improvement and on which he carries on general farming and stock raising. He has a very comfortable home and good outbuildings and everything about his place shows good management.
Politically, Mr. Forth is a Democrat, but he is not especially active in political affairs, though he has Aery ably served as school director.
On February 15, 1900, Mr. Forth was married to Helen Ehlers, a native of Davenport, Iowa, where she was reared until four years old, and was educated in Grand Mound. She is the daughter of Henry and Catherine (Kroeger) Ehlers. both natives of Germany, who came to America in 1872 and located in Chicago, and in 1875 they came west to Davenport, where they lived six years, then moved to Grand Mound, Clinton county, and here the father's death occurred on January 30, 1910; Mrs. Ehlers is still living in Grand Mound. They were the parents of six childrcTi. four of wh'im are living. Mr. Ehlers was a carpenter by trade and a very skilled workman. In politics he was a Democrat. To Mr. and Mrs. Forth three children have been born, Alice May, Willie and Walter.
As printed in the source1. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
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