Nicholas Gengler, one of Plymouth County's best-known and most substantial farmers, owner of a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Marion township, where he and his family are very pleasantly and very comfortably situated, is a native of Luxemburg, but has been a resident of this country since he was seventeen years of age and of this county since he was twenty-one. He was born in the grand duchy of Luxemburg on March 6, 1856, son of Michael and Katherine (Zettinger) Gengler, both natives of that same district and the former of whom was engaged in the milling business there until 1873, when he came to this country with this family and settled in Will county, Illinois, where he and his sons worked the coal mines until 1877, when they came to Iowa and located on a farm in Marion township, this county, where they established their home and where Michael Gengler and his wife spent their last days, the latter dying in 1888, at the age of sixty years, and the former, in 1895, at the age of seventy-four. They were members of the Catholic church, connected with St. Mary's parish at Remsen, and their children were reared in the faith of that church. There were five of these children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the fourth in order of birth, the others being as follow; Theodore, a well-known farmer of Marion township, this county; John, a farmer, of Fredonia township; John P., of Marion township, and Susan, who died in 1873, the year in which the family came to America.

Reared in his native Luxemburg until he was seventeen years of age, Nicholas Gengler received excellent schooling in both German and French and upon coming to this country perfected himself in English in the schools here. He was twenty-one years of age when the family moved from Illinois to Plymouth county and shortly after his arrival here he began farming on his own account. Following his marriage in 1889 he and his wife established their home on a farm in section I of Union township, this county, Mr. Gengler there having bought a place of three hundred and twenty acres, at that time wild prairie land, and proceeded to develop and improve the same. Upon taking possession of that place Mr. Gengler put up a small house, one story in height, sixteen by twenty-six, and farm buildings suitable to his needs at that time, but as he developed his farm made other improvements until he had brought the place up to a high standard of development. There the Genglers made their home until 1903, when they moved to a farm of one hundred and twenty acres which Mr. Gengler had bought in section 29 of Marion township, and on this latter place they ever since have resided, now having one of the best-kept farms in that part of the county. Since taking possession of his Marion township farm, Mr. Gengler has added to the same by the purchase of an adjoining "forty," has remodeled the house at an expense of about three thousand dollars, put up new farm buildings at an additional expense of about six thousand dollars, has planted shade trees and an orchard and has otherwise improved the place in excellent shape. In addition to his general farming he has given considerable attention to the raising of high-grade live stock and has done very well. Mr. Gengler is a Democrat and gives a good citizen's attention to local civic affairs. For some years he served a member of the school board in his district and in other ways has given of his time to the public service.

It was in 1889 that Nicholas Gengler was united in marriage to Mary Salentiny, who was born at St. Paul, Minnesota, daughter of Nicholas and Mary (Gengler) Salentiny, natives of Luxemburg, who came to the United States in 1865 and after a some-time residence in St. Paul moved to a farm nine miles south of that city, where they lived until 1874, when they came to Iowa and settled on a quarter-section farm that Mr. Salentiny bought in Marion township, this county, and where he and his wife spent the rest of their lives. Mr. Salentiny was a substantial pioneer farmer and increased his holdings in Marion township until he became the owner of two hundred and eighty acres. His death occurred in 1904, he then being sixty-eight years of age, and his widow survived until 1911, she also being sixty-eight years of age at the time of her death. They were members of the Catholic church and their children were reared in that faith. There were twelve of these children, nine of whom are still living and of whom Mrs. Gengler is the eldest, the others being as follow: Susie, who married Bernard Rody and died in 1896, leaving three children, James, Nellie and Mary; John, a resident of Le Mars, this county: Michael, also a resident of Le Mars; Mrs. Kate Luken, of Marshall, Minnesota; Lizzie, who is living at Sibley, this state; Maggie, who is living at Spokane, Washington; Nicholas, who married Lizzie Roerig and has one son, Joseph; Peter, of Le Mars, and Josephine, who is living in South Dakota. To Mr. and Mrs. Gengler five children have been born Mary, Annie, John, Michael and Lena, all of whom are living save the first-born. These children received their schooling in the local district school and in parish school. The Genglers are members of St. Catharine's Catholic church at Oyens and take a proper interest in parish affairs, as well as in the general social activities of the community in which they live. Mr. Gengler is a member of the Mutual Protective Society of the church.

Theodore Gengler, one of Plymouth county's best-known and most substantial pioneer farmers, the owner of a fine farm of four hundred and eighty acres in Marion township, where he makes his home, former township clerk and former assessor, is a native of Europe, but has been a resident of this country since the days of his young manhood. He was born in the grand duchy of Luxemburg on September 6, 1850, son of Michael and Kate Gengler, both of whom were born in that same grand duchy, who came with their family to the United States in 1873 and located at Bridewood, in Will county, Illinois, where for four years Michael Gengler and his sons worked in the coal mines there. In his native country Michael Gengler had been a miller. After four years of labor in the mines in Illinois he decided to become a farmer and in 1877 followed his son, Theodore, who had settled in Plymouth county the year before, to this county and bought a quarter of a section of land in Marion township, paying for the same six dollars and fifty cents an acre, and there established his home, he and his wife spending the remainder of their lives there. They were the parents of five children, four of whom are now living, those besides the subject of this sketch, the eldest, being John, of Fredonia township, this county; Nicholas, of Marion township, and John P., who lives with his brother Theodore.

Theodore Gengler was reared as a mill boy in his native land, working with his father in the mill there until he was well grown, when he went to France and in that country worked as a farmer and as a miller until he came to this country with his family in 1873, the family, as noted above, settling at Bridewood, Illinois. There Theodore Gengler worked in the coal mines until 1876, when he came to Iowa and bought a quarter of a section of land in Marion township for the whole family. The family worked together for a number of years. They bought more land but when the mother died the father gave farming and they divided the land. Theodore became owner of the old place of one hundred and sixty acres and a year later be bought forty acres more, making his farm then two hundred acres, and since then he has added to his possessions until now he is the owner of a fine farm of four hundred and eighty acres and has long been regarded as one of the most substantial farmers in that part of the county. Mr. Gengler suffered the privations common to the pioneer life of this section of the state in the days of the grasshopper visitations, but stuck to his place and eventually did very well. In addition to his general farming he gives considerable attention to the raising of live stock and feeds most of his grain on the place; in addition to the cattle he raises, keeping about one hundred and fifty head of hogs. His horses are of the Belgian breed.

In 1879, about three years after coming to this county, Theodore Gengler was united in marriage to Anna Weiler and to this union three children have been born, namely; Michael, who married Margreth Getzinger and has two children, Mary and Michael; Lena, who married John Nillis and has one child, a son Theodore, and Mary, who is living at Rochester, Minnesota. The Genglers are members of the Catholic church at Remsen and take a warm interest in parish affairs. Mr. Gengler is a member of the Luxemburger Bunderbund of America and of the Mutual Protective Society of his church and gives his earnest attention to the affairs of both organizations. He is a Democrat and has served his community in the capacity of township clerk, as assessor, as school director and as supervisor of roads in his district, ever taking a good citizen's interest in local civic affairs, a ready promoter of all movements designed to advance the general welfare of the community in which he lives.