In the books' own words, not ours, with obvious scanning errors fixed. The later printing (1911) is folded below the first. A few names of people born after 1905 are withheld for privacy. Families often supplied these stories to the publisher, so check key dates.
From History of Linn County Iowa : from its earliest settlement to the present time (1911), Portrait and biographical album of Linn County, Iowa (1887)
RANK KONIGSMARK. Among the promaj) using young farmers of College Township the gentleman whose name stands at the beginning of this narrative is one of the most popular and prominent. He is the owner of a fine tract of land, embracing 220 acres, lying on section 29, all of which is in a high state of cultivation. He was born on the place which constitutes his present homestead, June 16, 1863. His father, Antone Konigsmark, was a native of the Austrian Province of Bohemia, and was occupied in agricultural pursuits in his native country. There he was married to Miss Maiy Skala, of which union two children were born — Kate ami Thomas. Mrs. Mary Konigsmark died in her native land March 1, 1853. Antone Konigsmark contracted a second marriage five weeks after the death of his first wife, with Lidmila.Cech, and of this union two children were born — Joseph and Frank. After the birth of their children, seeking to better their financial condition, the parents emigrated to the United States, landing upon American shores in 1862, and immediately proceeded to the young Hawkeye State, where they located on that part of the section which now constitutes the homestead of their son, with whom they are yet living.
Frank Konigsmark is the youngest of his father's
Residence of W-. Flemming, Sec. I3v Otter Creek Towns hi p.
i; family. He remained at home until his marriage, soon after which the father and mother retired from active labor and gave the reins of the family government into the hands of their son. The marriage of our subject occurred at Marion, May 29, 1882. The lady of his choice was Miss Anna Castek..She was born in Johnson County, this State, Feb. 24, 1863, and remained at home with her parents until her marriage. Her father was a farmer, and with his wife is still living upon their old homestead. They reared a family of eight children. The household of our subject and his wife has been brightened by the birth of one child — Frank.
Mr. Konigsmark carries on his farming operations in a methodical and systematic manner, and his farm is furnished with all the appliances for progressive and successful agriculture. It is well stocked with numbers of the fine domestic animals, and is an ornament in every way to this agricultural community. Mr. K. is a solid Democrat politically, and by every means in his power promotes the interests of that party, which he believes to be for the interest of his community and country.
iILLIAM FLEMING, one of the foremost dairymen and farmers in Otter Creek Town- Wl ship, was born in Jefferson County, Ind., March 20,1832. He is a son of John and Mary (McCrury) Fleming, natives of Kentucky. The father was born in 1785 and died in February, 1835, in Indiana; the mother was born in 1795 and died in March, 1877. Thejr were the parents of eight children, as follows: Jennie A. married Jacob Ferris, and is now deceased; Betsy II. married Mr. H. D. Medcalf; James married Miss Armede Evans; Polly married II. Medcalf; John married Miss Julia Payne; Nancy became the wife of T. Evans; Samuel is still single; and William, our subject.
William Fleming was the youngest member of the parental family, and was reared on his father's farm, attending the common-schools. At about the age of twenty he started out for himself, and hired out by the month for some time. He came to Iowa in 1*44. In 1853 he took up a claim of 200 acres in Otter Creek Township, and afterward purchased it from the Government. Mr. Fleming was united in marriage Dec. 31. 185 I. to Anna Eliza Eastman. Of this union there were born seven children — Cor- K win D., born Dec. 0, 1855, married Miss Nancy Lanning, and lives in Idaho; Attula E., born Jan. 2, 1857, married James II. Davis Dec. 25, 1877, lives at Paris, this county; Othello M., born April 10, 185! married April 25. 1 880, to Miss Mary Gleason, living in Spring Grove Township, this county; Willie, born Jan. 1 0, 1 804, died in infancy; Alice Mary, born May 28, 1865, married June 5, lH.sii. to S. S. Rogers, and also lives in Idaho; Inez E., born Dec. 23, 1867; MyrtieL., born Aug. 20, 1872. Mrs. Fleming departed this life Aug. 9, 1881. Mr. Fleming formed a second matrimonial alliance with Miss Sarah E. Shinn, July 3, 18*2. Of this union there is no issue. Mrs. Anna Eliza (Eastman) Fleming was the second child of Mr. T. R. Eastman, and Mrs. Elizabeth (Gould) Eastman, both natives of Ohio, and moved to Iowa July 4, 1854. They were parents of twelve children, nine girls and three boys. Mr. Eastman held the position of County Superintendent of Schools in Linn County for several years. Mr. Fleming is now the owner of 210 acres. He has put into operation a fine creamery. His dairy consists of forty milch cows, some of them Jersejrs, some Shorthorns, and other high grades. He entered into this business in 1884. He has a very fine house for caring for his cream and butter, and makes an average of forty pounds of first-class creamery butter per day, which he ships to the New York market. He has about ten head of horses of the Bashaw, Gold Dust and Percheron stock; his hogs are of the Poland-China breed, while his sheep are Cotswold and French Merino. The barn is three stories in height with basement, and cost $3,500. He can stall forty head of stock and shelter forty head of young cattle. In> root cellar will hold 12,000 bushels of roots, 150 tons of hay and 4,000 bushels of grain. ( >n the farm is a windmill, used for sawing wood, churning butter, grinding grain and pumping water, lie has ju>t completed a scale house which is supplied with Fairbank scales. The house he now occupies i> a frame one,
\ xtrnziirrxixiTrrxTxixEnarii with the exception of one room, which was the first put up on his land in 1853, and is made of hewed logs. It is a very complete dwelling. Mr. Fleming has in course of construction a handsome residence. There are also 900 apple trees on the farm. Mr. Fleming is a model farmer; he has spared im expense in the improvement of his farm, and it is now one of the finest in the State of Iowa. To its improvement and cultivation he has bent all his energies, and brought to it, not only his own practical experience, but has largely utilized the experience of others. His progress in material wealth is an evidence that he has made excellent use of his brains in carrying on his work.
In politics Mr. Fleming is independent. Though he has no taste for public office, hi* fellow-citizens have honored him by electing him for several years to the position of District Supervisor and Township Trustee.
Mr. Fleming is a member of the Christian Church, and was a building Trustee in that body. Known far and near for the excellence of his judgment, his unswerving integrity in business transactions, and his generous liberality, he cannot help but have the esteem and confidence of his community. He has been first and foremost in all good works, and has taken a leading part in the material development of the township and the county, besides contributing largely to moral, social and charitable objects.
A portrait of Mr. Fleming and view of his farm. residence and out-buildings, appear in another part of this work.
As printed in Portrait and biographical album of Linn County, Iowa (1887). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
FRANK KONIGSMARK, JR.
Frank Konigsmark, Jr., who in the conduct of his agricultural pursuits is manifesting the value of scientific as well as practical knowledge of farming, is one of Linn county's native sons, his birth occurring in College township on the 9th of March, 1884. Of noble origin, he comes of a family whose name has long been an honored one in German Bohemia and is descended from ancestry distinguished for noble deeds in both peace and war.
The family was founded in America by Anthony Konigsmark, the grandfather of our subject, who was born in Bohemia on the 28th of March, 1812. In his native country he was reared and educated and there was united in marriage to Lydia Cech. In 1860 he crossed the Atlantic to the United States, making his way direct to Iowa, where he acquired six hundred and forty acres of land, casting in his lot with the early settlers of this district. He endured all of the hardships and privations incident to the opening up of a new farm, but with undaunted energy and untiring industry persevered from year to year, and the results of his labors became manifest in a well developed and valuable farm property. He passed away on the 12th of March, 1S9S, having survived his wife for three years, her death occurring in 1895.
Their son, Frank Konigsmark, Sr., the father of our subject, was born in 1863 in College township, Linn county, and was here reared and educated. He, too, followed agricultural pursuits as a life work, and his efforts were attended with such gratifying success that he is now able, as a result of industry, energy and perseverance, to live in retirement from active labor, enjoying in well earned rest the fruits of his former toil. His wife, who in her maidenhood was Anna Castek, was born on the 21th of February, 1863, a daughter of a well known farmer of Johnson county, who is now deceased, as is also his wife. Mr. and Mrs. Konigsmark now reside in Cedar Rapids. In their family are the following children, of whom our subject is the eldest, the others being: Oldrich C, who is now a clerk in Cedar Rapids; Vlasta, a graduate of the Cedar Rapids high school; Rudolph; and Stanley and Lester, twins.
The educational training of Frank Konigsmark, Jr., was thorough and comprehensive. After graduating from the public schools he pursued a business course in a commercial college and then became a student in the Iowa State University, where he completed a course in agriculture. He thus fully equipped himself to meet the responsible duties that would devolve upon him in providing for his own support, for he had already decided upon the occupation to which he had been reared as a life work. Accordingly, although many opportunities were open to him and he received several offers to enter the business world, he rented the old home farm upon the retirement of his father and there at once began putting the scientific knowledge of farming which he had acquired to the practical test. lie is carrying on his agricultural pursuits along strictly up-to-date and modern methods and devotes one hundred and fifty-five acres, of the three hundred and twenty acres constituting the farm, to the raising of cereals, having one hundred acres in corn, thirty acres in oats and twenty-live in wheat. The balance of the farm is meadow and pasture land, for he also engaged quite extensively in stock-raising, fattening a large number of hogs and cattle for the market annually. He makes a specialty of shorthorn cows, having at present fifty head of high grade stock with a fine bull at the head of the herd.
It was on the 5th of September, 1906, that Mr. Konigsmark laid the foundation for a happy home of his own by his marriage to Miss Tillie Dobrovsky, a daughter of Lewis and Anna (Zalesky) Dobrovsky, her father being a retired farmer of College township. Unto this union have been born two children: [name withheld], born April 2, 1907; and Alma, whose birth occurred October 12, 1909.
In politics Mr. Konigsmark is a stalwart democrat and was elected to the office of township clerk at the primary election held in June, 1910. He belongs to a family which has long been identified with the growth and upbuilding of Linn county and Iowa, who have ever taken their part in the work of improvement and development and who have ranked at all times among the valued and representative citizens of the county. A station on the. Cedar Eapids & Iowa City Intcrurban Electric Railway is named after his father, and the old original house, erected by his grandfather, is still standing on the homestead farm, a well known landmark throughout the locality. The personal history and business record of Prank Konigsmark, Jr., have ever been in harmony with an honored ancestry, and he stands high in the opinion of his fellow citizens, a position to which he has attained, however, through his own good merits. Although numbered among the younger farmers of this section, he has, nevertheless, won a degree of prosperity which augurs well for a successful future. Progress has been the keynote to his advancement and the excellent results which have attended his labors are but the proof of what may be accomplished when practical experience is guided and directed by intelligent and thorough knowledge of the science of agriculture.
As printed in History of Linn County Iowa : from its earliest settlement to the present time (1911). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.
Named in this biography: John Lewis (b. 1858)
The printed record stops around 1911. We trace your line from there down to you, with every source cited.