Philip C. Andre

As printed in 1905

PHILIP C. ANDRE.

I'liii.ii C. Andrk, who is engaged in gardening, but is largely living retired in Burlington, was born in Miehlan, Prussia, Ciermany, on the 30th of January. 1826. His father,.Adam Andre, was a custom shoemaker, who learned and followed his trade in Germany. Crossing the Atlantic to America, he became a resident of Louisville, Ky. He landed at New Orleans, and went up the river to Kentucky, where he continued to reside until 1852, when he came to Burlington, and opened a shoe shop and worked at his trade until 1863, when his life's labors were ended in death. His wife, surviving him several years, died in 1870. She bore the maiden name of Philapena Weis. They became the parents of three sons and a daughter, as follows: Philip C.; George, who was a prominent grocer of Burlington, and died in 1872; P. A., who has conducted a shoe store in Burlington since 1857; and Katherine, who is also living in this city.

Philip C. Andre spent the first twenty years of his life in his native country, acquiring his education in the public schools, and learning the shoemaker's trade after putting aside his text-books. He came to America in 1846, making the voyage on a three-mast sailing vessel, which was sixty-eight days in crossing the Atlantic at that time. It was called the " Espendola," and carried three hundred and sixty passengers. Severe storms were encountered, and the vessel was attacked by pirates, but they were frightened away when the cannon were turned upon them. At length the vessel dropped anchor in the harbor of New Orleans. Mr. Andre did not delay long in that city, but made his way northward to Louisville, Ky., where for four years he worked at his trade of shoemaking. He then came by boat to Burlington, arriving in this city the loth of March, 1851. He found here a small village with no railroad and no bridge across the river. All shipments were made by river boats. The winter of 185 1 and 1852 was a long and severe one, and Mr.

Andre suffered the usual hardships and experiences of early settlers. He had two brothers, who had come to Burlington in 1850, and in 1852 his parents arrived here. His father owned about eight acres of land, and Mr. Andre had become familiar with farming methods as well as shoemaking. In Burlington he worked with his father in the shoemaking business for a time and then accepted a position as a common laborer. He acted as night watchman for many years, being twenty-four years in the Merchants National Bank, five years in the Hawk-Eye Woolen Mill, and in the Putman Flour Mill two years. He completed his service with the bank when seventy-two years of age. He was one of the most trusted employees there, and through his fidelity to duty he was long retained in the service.

Mr. Andre has been very active in church work in Burlington. Soon after his arrival he assisted in building the first German church here, it being erected on Columbia Street in 1850. He was an elder in the first German Evangelical church from 1854 till 1864, when he helped build Zion Evangelical church and served as an elder from its first election in 1864 to 1884, and has been a member of the Sunday-school for thirty-two years. During that period he served as one of its teachers and also as its treasurer and secretary. He has done everything in his power to promote the cause of the church, and his labors have been attended with good results. His early political support was given the Whig party, but he could not vote until the time of the election of 1856, when he supported John C. Fremont. He was naturalized while in Louisville, Ky. He served as school director for one term in an early day, and the cause of education has always found in him a warm friend. He petitioned and carried a proposition for cHvidiiig a district six miles square and making an indepenilent district. He was also instrumental in building the West Madison School.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

As printed in Biographical review of Des Moines County, Iowa (1905). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.