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History of Clayton County,
Iowa:... R Unless otherwise noted, biographies submitted by Dick Barton. Has made for himself secure vantage place as one of the representative business men of the younger generation in his native county and is engaged in the conducting of a well-equipped general store in the village of Clayton, where his substantial trade is based upon effective service and fair and honorable dealings. Mr. Radach was born in the village of Guttenberg, this county, on the 16th of July, 1883, a member of a family of five children, of whom two are living. He is a son of John and Henrietta (Meltzer) Radach, who were born and reared in Germany, where their marriage was solemnized and whence they came to America in 1883, in May of which year, about two months prior to the birth of the subject of this review, they established their home in Clayton county, Iowa, where they still reside and where the father has been sexton of the City Cemetery. In the public schools of his native county Edwin W. Radach continued his studies until his graduation in the high school at Guttenberg, and he put his acquirements to practical test and utilization by becoming a teacher in the district schools, his activities in the pedagogic profession having continued, and that with marked success, during a period of three years. He then established his present business enterprise at Clayton and he has since been known as one of the leading business men and influential citizens of this village, with inviolable place in popular confidence and good will. He has not sought public office or to enter the domain of practical politics, but he gives staunch support to the cause of the Democratic party and takes helpful interest in those things that tend to conserve the civic and material welfare of the community. Both he and his wife hold membership in the Lutheran church. In 1908 was solemnized the marriage of Mr. Radach to Miss Linda Wedemeyer, who was born and reared in this county and who is a daughter of Henry and Mary (Stade) Wedemeyer. Her parents were born in Germany and came to America in the '50s. Her father was one of the substantial farmers of Clayton county at the time of his death and here his venerable widow still maintains her home. Mr. And Mrs. Radach have one son, Orville J. H. Polly Reese was the second person to be cared for by the county and is described as an "insane female without relatives or friends." On the fifth day of February, 1842, Polly Reese "was offered to the lowest bidder and struck off to James Henderson at the sum of $2.87 1/2 per week." Mr. Henderson evidently found he had made a poor bargain for he soon turned Polly back to the county and later, many bills were allowed different people for her board and care. Louis O. Reierson owns and resides upon a portion of the
large landed estate that was accumulated by his father I Clayton county, and he
is one of the progressive farmers and popular citizens of the township in which
he has always maintained his home and in which his circle of friends is
coincident with that of his acquaintances. Mr. Reierson was born in Marion
township, this county, on the 12th of September, 1884, and is a son of Reier and
Mary (Olson) Reierson, both of whom were born and reared in this county, where
their parents settled in the pioneer days, within a short time after immigrating
to America from Norway. Reier L. Reierson was identified successfully with farm
enterprise in Clayton county during his entire active career, and at the time of
his death, which occurred July 24, 1915, he was the owner of a well-improved
landed estate of five hundred and twenty acres, in Marion township. He was a man
of sterling integrity, was a loyal and liberal citizen, was a Republican in
politics and was a consistent communicant of the Norwegian Lutheran church, as
is also his widow, who still remains on the old home place that is endeared to
her by the gracious memories and associations of the past. Of the children the
subject of this review is the eldest; Mary is the wife of John O. Wall, of
Marion township; and Cornelius and Ruth M. remain with their mother on the old
home place. Louis O. Reierson gained his early education in the public schools
and from his boyhood to the present time he has found as the stage of his
activities the farm estate that was accumulated through the ability and energy
of his honored father. On the 1st of March, 1916, he purchased one hundred an
seventy-six acres of the old homestead, and to the operation of this farm, in
Section 1, Marion township, he is now devoting his attention with marked
progressiveness and energy and with the attending success which his broad and
practical experience insures. He has erected good buildings on his individual
farm and has installed on the place also a modern silo, of seventy-five tons'
capacity. He is aligned as a loyal supporter of the cause of the Republican
party, is serving at the time of this writing, in 1916, as treasurer of the
school district, and both he and his wife hold membership in the Norwegian
Lutheran church. On the 20th of June, 1912, was solemnized the marriage of Mr.
Reierson to Miss Elvina Wall, who likewise was born and reared in this county,
and their attractive home is brightened by the presence of their winsome little
daughter, Marjorie Elenore, who was born January 17, 1915. In the early 70s there lived in McGregor, a family of six brothers, named Ringling. The father ran a harness and saddle shop. He was an expert workman, noted particularly for his fine saddles. One of his masterpieces was a beautiful and expensive saddle ordered from him by John Buell, of New York. There were many circuses in those days, all of them traveling overland and few of them carrying a menagerie. Barnum was abroad in the land and was giving the people their first lesson in that great American institution, the circus. The Ringling boys undoubtedly attended the overland circuses and the boat shows which came to McGregor and, in some way, Al, as the ringleader of the boys got it into his head that he would like to have a show of his own. Many are still living in McGregor who remember the first performance of Ringling Bros. circus. One of these has contributed the following account of the beginning of the career of these kings of the big top, who are now said to own and control all the great circuses of America. Their cousins, the Gollmar Brothers, entered the business later, being attracted by the success attained by the Ringlings. The following is the account of the first Ringling Bros. show: "About forty years ago there resided in this same town, McGregor, Iowa, a firm in the harness business known as the Ringling Bros. The firm was composed of quiet young fellows of apparently mediocre business ability, and the last fellows on earth one would suspect of being afflicted, not with the hook worm, but with the show worm. But they were, nevertheless, and what gets into the heart of a fellow is sure to crop out. That is the reason why they gave their first show and that it happened in McGregor, was because they were then here. On a vacant lot in the rear of S. J. Peterson's drug store, they pitched their first tent. It was fully thirty-five feet in diameter, and well filled. There were three star performers Ð just three and no more. Two were on the parallel bars, but Al Ringling was the star. He balanced a big plow on his chin, which he borrowed from Lon Boyle for that special occasion. The exhibition was limited to one performance, and this in the evening. The orchestra was made up of one fiddle. George Williams was the one member of the band and he knew one tune. this he played over and over and when he had finished the audience invariably demanded the second verse, but there was no second Ð it was all first. George was the local plasterer as well as the violinist. There are men in town who can yet whistle that same tune. "The show went from here to Prairie du Chien. three flat boats carried the complete aggregation Ð boats about the size of those now used for clamming, and they rowed across the river. Who would ever imagine that this was the beginning of the world's greatest shows? The harness shop owned by the Ringlings stood where the photograph gallery is now located. The tent was held in place by ropes contributed from clothes lines from the neighbors' backyards. The writer knows whereof he speaks for he got in the show on a pass for contributing these same clothes lines to the good of the cause." A letter from Charles Ringling dated July 11, 1916, questions some of the statements above, although it is not disputed that the first performance, from which the Ringling circus grew, was given at McGregor. Mr. Ringling's letter is as follows: "The mention of the harness shop of Al Ringling at McGregor; this is an error. al Ringling was never in the harness business at McGregor. August Ringling, Sr., father of the Ringling Brothers ran a harness shop at McGregor from 1860 to 1872. At intervals during this period several of the older boys worked in the shop, but only one of the seven brothers actually took an interest in the harness business. This was A. g. Ringling who followed this trade in McGregor for a time and also in Elkader and in Garnavillo, joining his brothers only after the circus had been established for a number of years. There were seven brothers in the family, (in order as to age) Albert, August (A. G.), Otto, Alfred, Charles, John and Henry. The first three have passed to the great beyond. The remaining four brothers, now the firm of Ringling Bros., were born in McGregor. While it is true that the brothers gave a number of amateur circus performances at McGregor, under tents made by themselves, and that they actually planned, while mere boys at McGregor, to own and operate a circus, they did not actually start their first professional show from this point. though the first circus run by the brothers was small it represented some investment and the necessary funds had to be earned in some way. For several years the brothers gave exhibitions in halls and small-town theaters and from the savings of this business they were able in the spring of 1884 to start their first real circus. The first performances were given at Baraboo, Wis., and it was not until several weeks later that they appeared at McGregor." Ð Charles E. Ringling.
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