|
History of
Audubon County, Iowa F Unless otherwise specified, biographies submitted by Dick Barton. Among the enterprising and progressive farmers of
Audubon county now living retired, none stands higher in the esteem of his
fellow citizens than Andrew Gustaf Forsbeck, of Gray. He has long been engaged
in agricultural pursuits in this county and the years of his residence here have
served to strengthen the feeling of admiration on the part of his neighbors and
fellow townsmen because of his honorable, upright life. He has set a worthy
example for the younger generation and is therefore entitled, as one of the
representative citizens of Audubon county to representation in this volume. Andrew Gustaf Frosbeck was born in Sweden on
December 9, 1846, the son of Peter Peterson and Anna (Peterson) Frosbeck, the
former of whom died in 1851, and the latter of whom died when Andrew Gustaf
Forsbeck was a mere lad. Before Mr. Forsbeck reached his majority he became a
sailor, sailing on the Atlantic ocean and on the Mediterranean Sea. His service
expired January 30, 1874, and after this he came to America, locating in
Whiteside county, Illinois, where he engaged in farming and on February 20,
1879, was united in marriage to Mary Antoinette Aikman, who was born on April 8,
1852, in Lyons, Iowa, the daughter of Robert and Sarah Aikman, natives of New
Jersey and Canada, respectively, and old settlers in the state of Iowa. To
Andrew G. and Mary A. (Aikman) Frosbeck three children have been born, Sadie,
the wife of Chris Christensen, of Cameron township, this county; Ella, the wife
of Lou Hansen, who lives on the home farm, and Carl D., county engineer of
Audubon county, living in Audubon. Mr. and Mrs. Forsbeck have five grandsons,
Nelson, Carl, Lyle and Roy and Ralph Christensen, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Chris
Christensen, of Cameron township. Andrew Gustaf Forsbeck came to Audubon county on
August 23, 1881, settling in Lincoln township. Previously, in 1879, he had come
from Whiteside county, Illinois, to this county and had purchased eighty acres
of raw prairie land in section 36, at sixteen dollars an acre. At that time
there was no town where Gray now stands. Mr. Forsbeck erected there a house,
sixteen by twenty-four feet, hauling the lumber all the way from Illinois. He
still owns his original purchase of eighty acres. In January, 1912, Mr. Forsbeck
retired from the farm and moved to Gray, where he erected a fine, modern home on
a hill, which gives him a splendid view of the surrounding country. Mr. Forsbeck is well acquainted with the early
history of Gray, where he now lives. He relates that Doctor Warner was the first
physician of Gray; that George Schroeder was the first saloon keeper; that Will
Johnson was the first merchant and that Mr. Reeves kept the first hardware
store, later selling out to Stotts & Myers. The first store building was a
rough board shack; the first drug store was kept by Doctor Hinsdale, and the
first liveryman was a Mr. Eby. Andrew Gustaf Forsbeck is one of the best-known
citizens of this community. He is a Republican and has held various minor
township offices and for years has been looked to for counsel and advice in
local political matters. Although Mr. Forsbeck was reared as a Lutheran, the
family attend the United Brethren and Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Forsbeck
is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Gray and the Woodmen of
the World, in the affairs of both of which orders he takes a warm interest, and
is held in high regard by all who know him. --------------------------------------------
Additional information from Inga Karlsson: 1910
Iowa Census, Audubon
County, Lincoln
Township, Enumeration
District: 26, Sheet
7 B, 139
- 139, 10
May 1910 Forsbeck,
Andrew G., Head, Male, White, 63, born Sweden, Farmer, Married 31 Years, Father
born Sweden, Mother born Sweden Forsbeck,
Mary A., Wife, Female, White, 58, born Iowa, Married 31 Years, Mother of 3 Children
- All Living, Father born Pennsylvania, Mother born Canada Moody, Errine, Adopted, Female, White, 12, born South Dakota, Single, Father born England, Mother born Iowa ------ Audubon
News - Advocate Mrs.
Forsbeck Dies at Daughter's Home Mrs.
Andrew G. Forsbeck, 76 years old, and a resident of this county since 1881,
died
last Thursday at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Chris Christensen of Cameron
Township. Her death followed a long illness. For more than 18
months, Mrs. Forsbeck
had been in feeble health, and for two weeks preceding her death
she
was bedfast. Mrs.
Forsbeck, whose maiden name was Mary A. Aikman, was born in Lyons, Clinton
County on April 8, 1852. Her marriage to Andrew G. Forsbeck took place on
February 29, 1879 at Morrison, Illinois. Thus had Mrs. Forsbeck lived, she
and her husband would have been able to have celebrated their golden wedding
anniversary next year. To
County in 1881 During
the first two years of their married life, Mr. and Mrs. Forsbeck made their
home in Whiteside County, Illinois, coming to this county in February 1881. Mr. Forsbeck bought a farm one mile west of Gray, and they made their home there
for 32
years, retiring and moving to the present home in Gray in March, 1913. Mrs.
Forsbeck was the mother of three children, who, besides the husband and
father
survive. The children are Mrs. Sadie Christensen, and Mrs. Ella Hansen, both of
Gray; and Carl Forsbeck, Spokane, Washington. A foster daughter, Mrs.
Irene Moody Faulkner, lives at Cedar Falls. There are besides eight
grandchildren, and one brother, R. F. Aikman of Gray. Funeral
Saturday Funeral
services were hold Saturday afternoon a 2 o'clock from the home in Gray.
Rev. W. Z. Allen of this city officiated, assisted by Rev. Fred Warner of
Gray. It is proper to judge the success of a man's life by
the estimation in which he is held by his fellow citizens. They see him at his
work, in his family circle, in church, and hear his views on public questions,
observe his morals and witness how he conducts himself in all the relations of
society and civilization. They are, therefore, competent to judge of his merits
and demerits. After a long course of years of daily observation, it would be out
of the question for a man's neighbors not to know his worth. In this connection
it is not too much to say that Carl D. Forsbeck has passed a life of great
service to the people of Audubon county. That he has been industrious and has
the confidence of all who have the pleasure of his friendship cannot be denied.
Mr. Forsbeck has been honored by the people of Audubon county with appointment
to the responsible position of county engineer. Carl D. Forsbeck was born on May 3, 1883, on a farm
near Gray, Iowa. He is a son of Andrew G. and Mary (Aikman) Forsbeck, natives of
Sweden and Lyons, Iowa, respectively. Andrew G. Forsbeck was born in 1846 in
Sweden and came from that country when twenty-five years of age to America. He
was a sailor from boyhood and crossed the ocean several times from Liverpool to
New York. He made several voyages, in fact, to New York city and to southern
ports, and also to southern European ports. He settled in Illinois in about 1874
and there married. In 1880 he came to Lincoln township, Audubon county, Iowa,
and settled on prairie land. He purchased land from the Rock Island railroad and
was successful in developing a fine farm. Since 1911 he has been living in Gray.
During his active life he was an extensive dealer in live stock. Andrew G. and
Mary (Aikman) Forsbeck had three children: Ella, the wife of Lou Hansen, of
Gray; Sadie, the wife of Chris Christensen, a farmer near Gray; and Carl D., the
third child. Carl D. Forsbeck was educated in the Gray and
Audubon schools and in Iowa State College. After attending the latter
institution five years he received the degree of Bachelor of Science in 1908,
and was graduated as a civil engineer. Subsequently, he took a post graduate
course at the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago. He is now working for
his Master's degree in this institution. For some years Mr. Forsbeck was civil
engineer for the Rock Island railroad and was connected with the maintenance
work on the Iowa division. While attending college he worked for the Des Moines
and Iowa Falls railroad; also the Ft. Dodge and Southern railroad during his
vacations. After his graduation he went to New Mexico, where he had charge of
forty thousand acres of land and made a survey which required one year. Mr.
Forsbeck was employed by the Santa Fe railroad for about one year in New Mexico,
Texas and Colorado on maintenance and construction work. He then worked for the
Southern Pacific railroad and was located in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado
for seven months on locating a new line across the Navazo Reservation from
Gallup, New Mexico, to Durango, Colorado. After this he returned to Iowa and did
valuation work for the Union Pacific for nearly two months. At Waterloo, Mr.
Forsbeck maintained a private office as consulting engineer until June, 1913,
when he came to Audubon and took charge of the county work on January 1, 1914.
Previously, Mr. Forsbeck had twice been elected county surveyor of Audubon
county. He also had been appointed once. He has been in charge of the
engineering work in Audubon county for the past eight years. Mr. Forsbeck designed and constructed the Kimballton
waterworks system. He also designed the first steel bridge, with concrete floors
and concrete abutments that was ever erected in Audubon county. In fact, Mr.
Forsbeck was the first engineer appointed in Audubon county. Politically, Mr. Forsbeck is an independent
Republican and votes for men rather than party emblems. He is a member of the
Methodist Episcopal church. Fraternally, he is a member of the Free and Accepted
Masons, the blue lodge and the chapter, and he is also a member of the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Forsbeck is a member of the Iowa
Engineering Society and a member of the Delta Upsilon national Greek letter
college fraternity. Among the strong and influential citizens of Audubon county, Iowa, a record of whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this section, Hans C. Fredericksen, of Hamlin township, occupies a prominent place. For many years he has exerted a beneficial influence in the locality where he resides. His chief characteristics are keenness of perception, tireless energy, honesty of purpose and everyday common sense, which have enabled him not only to advance his own interests but also largely contribute to the moral and material advancement of the community. Hans c. Fredericksen was born on April 6, 1857, in Denmark. He is the son of Frederick and Hanne Fredericksen, both natives of Denmark, where they were farmers. They had seven children, of whom Hans C. was the third, the father dying when Hans C. was five years old, after which the mother was married again. Hans C. lived at home until eighten years of age, at which time he started to earn his own living, working on neighboring farms. In the spring of 1884, Hans C. Fredericksen came to the United States, landing at New York city. He came directly from New York city to Clinton, Iowa, where he had relatives. He worked in a saw-mill there for one year and then took up farm work which he followed for five years. Subsequently, he rented land for fourteen years and in the spring of 1903 came farther west to Audubon county, where he purchased his present farm of three hundred and sixty acres in section 14 of Hamlin township. The land was fairly well improved for such a large farm, and Mr. Fredericksen has built a large eleven-roomed house with furnace, gas lights and waterworks throughout. He has also built a large barn, one hundred and sixteen by one hundred and eighteen feet, which is one of the largest in Audubon county. Mr. Fredericksen has good cattle sheds, hogs houses, etc., and altogether one of the most improved and best-equipped farms in this section of the state of Iowa. Since coming to this state, Mr. Fredericksen has made his industry count for increasing profit each year. His farm is conducted as a business proposition and he keeps a careful account of profits and losses and is, therefore, able to adjust his profit and the products of his farm in accordance with what he is able to make out of each department. On July 22, 1890, Mr. Fredericksen was married in Clinton, Iowa, to Amelia Hansen, who was born in Denmark and came to the United States in the same year which she and her husband were married. Mr. and Mrs. Fredericksen have six children, Ellen, Frederick, Metha, Freda, Marie and Esther. All of these children are living at home. The mother of these children died on July 22, 1911. Hans C. Fredericksen does general farming and stock raising. He feeds a great many cattle and hogs and is, in fact, one of the largest feeders in Audubon county. Mr. Fredericksen is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a Democrat, but has never held office nor has he ever cared to do so. The duties required in overseeing his large interests and the various operations upon his farm, have prevented him from taking an active part in political affairs; moreover, he is more keenly interested in the welfare of his family and his home. The Fredericksen family are all active members and loyal supporters of the Danish Lutheran church.
|