Charles A. Gross

As printed in 1912

CHARLES A. GROSS

Charles A. Gross owns one of the well-cultivated and productive farms of Liberty township, and is well known throughout Johnson county as a successful farmer and a breeder of fine draft horses. He has been successful to a large degree and has been able to retire from active life, although he still occupies a part of the old home farm. He was born on the homestead of his father, and is fifth of the eight living children of his parents, Vincent and Phoebe (Marks) Gross, natives of France and of Ohio, respectively, a sketch of whom is to he found elsewhere in this work. The parents came to Johnson county in an early day. Charles Gross remembers his father making his horse shoe nails and similar articles by hand, and has witnessed a remarkable change in the region where he has spent his entire life.

Mr. Gross was born January 31, 1865, and received his education in local schools and Iowa City Academy, supplemented by a course in Williams Business College, at Iowa City. He began farming when a mere boy and has always carried on this occupation, paying especial attention to stock raising. He is an intelligent and energetic worker and in this way made many improvements on his farm. He owns 230 acres in Sections 17 and 18 of Liberty township, which is all under cultivation and now conducted by a tenant. Since 1909 Mr. Gross has been importing fine horses and has made two trips to France to look after his interests in this line. He has about eighteen head (including colts) of fine draft horses, being one of the leading horsemen of his part of the state. He also has about forty-five head of cattle and ninety of hogs. His land is very fertile and in 1911 he had a yield of sixty-five to seventy bushels per acre of corn on some forty-five acres. His buildings are all modern and substantial, and he has two splendid barns, one of which holds one hundred twenty-five tons of hay. One of the beautiful and useful features of his farm is the natural well-spring, fourteen feet deep, which supplies his farm with water for most purposes.

In 1890 Mr. Gross was married to Miss Frances Melecber, also of Liberty township, daughter of John and Caroline (Shultz) Melecber, and they have three living children, namely: Vera W., wife of Alexander Gringer, of Hills, Iowa, has two children, Lela and Lillian; Blanche, a graduate of the high school and St. Joseph's school, of Iowa City; Clarence, at home. Mr. Gross has rented his farm for a few years past and resides in a pleasant and cheerful home he has erected on the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section is, township 78, range lie remained with his parents during their lifetime, and cared for their comfort and happiness. He has two children at home and the family have every comfort and convenience obtainable. They are well known and have a large number of friends in the community. The family is identified with the early history of Johnson county and has always borne an honorable part in local affairs. Mr. Gross is a democrat in politics and is a member of the Woodmen, of Hills. He has served as a delegate to the democratic county convention and in other ways has been active in political matters.

Although he has been dead many years, Fidell Heitzman is well remembered among the surviving early settlers of Johnson county. He was an industrious and representative citizen, an original member of St. Mary's church at Riverside, and always ready to help forward the welfare and prosperity of the region. He was born in Baden, Germany, April 28, 1810, and his death occurred in Riverside, June 25, 1888, at the age of seventy-eight years. He came to America in youth and became a pioneer farmer of Johnson county. He helped construct the foundation for the McClure Mill at English river, now Riverside, for which he received forty cents a day. He hauled grain to Muscatine with an ox team, the trip consuming several days, and he camping out nights on the way. His first claim was a quarter section of land which he entered from the government, and he became a successful farmer. At the time of the gold excitement he made a trip over the plains to California and spent two years there, after which he returned to Johnson county. He took a prominent part in the life of his community and won many warm friends.

Mr. Heitzman was married at old St. Mary's church in Iowa City, in 1853, to Mary Wombacher, and on the same day her sister, Elizabeth Wombacher, became the wife of Rochus Knebel, who is mentioned in another sketch in this work. The two couples rode to Iowa City in a wagon and Mr. and Mrs. Heitzman ate their wedding breakfast at the home of Ferdinand Haberstroh. This house was often used in an early day as a place of worship by the Catholics, another home used for the same purpose being that of Joseph Schnoebelin, two miles west of Riverside, the latter being a log dwelling. The priests in those days rode to the various missions on horseback, carrying their vestments in their saddle-bags. Mary Wombacher was born in Germany May 27, 1831, the ninth of ten children.

As printed in Leading events in Johnson County, Iowa, history (1912). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.