John Axmear

As printed in 1903

JOHN AXMEAR, SR.

It is astonishing to witness the success of young men who have emigrated to America without capital and through their own unaided efforts have arisen to positions of wealth and prominence. The readiness with which they adapt themselves to circumstances and take advantage of the opportunities offered brings to them success and wins them a place among the leading men of the community in which they reside. To this class belongs John Axmear, Sr., a prosperous citizen and retired farmer now living in the village of Keswick, Iowa.

He was born in Amsterdam, Holland, on the 30th of November, 1822, and was reared and educated in his native land, attending school until sixteen years of age and acquiring a good knowledge of the common branches of learning. He then clerked in a store for two years, and at the end of that time entered the army, in which he served for four years. On leaving the service he resumed clerking and was thus employed for five years. In the meantime he was married, the lady of his choice being Duty Deline, by whom he had five children, four sons and one daughter, namely: John, Emily, Jacob C, William and George W. The mother of these children died in 1860, and for his second wife Mr. Axmear married in 1861 Julia Ann Martin, a native of Bavaria, Germany, and by this union he has one daughter, Malissa, wife of T. A. Morgan, of Webster, Iowa.

It was in 1850 that Mr. Axmear emigrated to the new world and took ii]) his residence in Baltimore, Maryland, but after a short time spent in that city he removed to Cumberland, the same state. In the employ of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad he was later sent to Virginia, where he held the position of boss of a gang of seventy-five Irish laborers, who were employed in laying the first track at Oakland, Maryland. For thirteen years he remained in the service of that company, during which time he had charge of the workmen laying the track from Oakland, Maryland, to Wheeling, West Virginia.

Seeking a home in the west, Mr. Axmear came to Keokuk county, Iowa, in 1863. and bought a farm of one hundred and four acres of land in Adams township, which he at once began to improve and cultivate. Meeting with success as an agriculturist, he has added to his property from time to time as his financial resources have increased, until to-day he and his sons together own about two thousand acres of valuable land, most of which is in Adams township, this county, though three hundred and twenty acres are in Minnesota. Mr. Axmear continued his farming operations until 1890, when he removed to Keswick and retired from active labor. His property in town consists of thirteen acres, it being one of the finest places in Keokuk county, as the grounds are laid off into a beautiful lawn, which show the skill of an expert landscape gardener. Here, surrounded by all the comforts which make life worth the living, Mr. Axmear expects to spend his remaining days, enjoying a well-earned rest. He deserves to be classed among the purely self-made men who owe their advancement entirely to their own well-directed efforts. Industry, enterprise and good management have been the means whereby he has achieved his success, and his course in life has ever been such as to win for him the confidence and high regard of all with whom he has been brought in contact. In his political affiliations Mr.

Axmear is a stanch Republican, who has ever taken a commendable interest in the affairs of his adopted country.

As printed in A genealogical and biographical history of Keokuk County, Iowa .. (1903). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.