Christian H. Gertz was born in Oberwholdac,Oldenburg Province, Germany, Jan. 28,1837. His parents were John H. and Anna (Beck) Gertz, natives of Germany, and the parents of five children, four living, viz.: Christina,Catherine,Christian H., and Henry P.; the father died in 1866, and the mother died on the way to America in 1847, and was buried at sea. Christian H. Gertz came to America when he was 10 years old, accompanied by his parents, arriving here the fall of 1847. They went to St. Louis, thence to Quincy, Ill., where they remained until 1850, when they came to Davenport, this state. His father bought a farm in Sheridan Township, lived there until 1856, then moved to a farm in Lincoln Township, where our subject was married to Lena Peiper, Sept. 22,1860. She was born in Holstein, Germany and came with her parents to the United States when 13 years of age. Her mother, Anna (Brockman) Peiper, died February 8, 1853, and her father was again married to Maggie Weise. After Mr. and Mrs. Gertz were married they lived on the farm with his father until 1862, then moved on a farm on section 20, where he purchased his present farm in 1864, of 160 acres, valued at $75 an acre. He has a nice dwelling-house and one of the finest barns in the county on his place. He and wife have had one child, Louisa M., born May 3, 1862, and died Aug. 14, 1863. In politics he is a Republican.
C.H. Schneckloth was born in Holstein, Germany, Aug 21, 1830. At 20 years of age he was drafted into the army and served two years, and was again drafted, when he ran off to America and arrived in Davenport June 22, 1852. Here he labored as a common day laborer, at $10 a month for a time, and then $90 for a year. In 1854 he commenced farming, and in 1855 married Bertha Wolf, who was born in Germany. Success has attended him in his labors, and he now owns the farm on which he lives, of 80 acres, on which he moved in 1872, and which is worth $125 per acre, and has also 640 acres in Ida County, worth $10 per acre. He is the father of six children-Henry, Peter, Andala, Emma, Ernest, Minnie. In politics, Mr. Schneckloth is a Republican.
George B. Hawley, farmer and stock-raiser, Pleasant Valley, was born in Greene Co., Ill. on the 7th day of October, 1821, son of Capt. Isaac and Nancy (Saterly) Hawley, natives of Addison Co., Vt. ; father born April 4, 1787; mother born Aug. 8, 1792. They were married in Addison Co,Vt., Oct. 16, 1812. By this union there were four children, which lived to be adults, viz.: George B., Daniel S., Harriet E. (now the wife of Henry E. Brown of Webster City, Iowa), and Henry, who died when 21 years of age. Mr. Hawley was twice married; for his first wife married Mabel Wilcox, June 20, 1808. She was born June, 1790. By this union there were two children, viz: Cyrus and Hannah. Mrs. Hawley died July 22, 1807. In 1820 he left his home in Vermont with teams, camping out, and was 40 days on the road, and while on the prairies between Jacksonville and Springfield, was lost nine days, and the only food they had was a possum which was relished by all with the exception of Mrs. Hawley, who could not eat it. They finally located in Greene County, where he took up wild prairie, and opened up a farm, where he raised large quantities of produce which he shipped to St. Louis in flat-boats; he also shipped hogs on flat-boats, and during transportation carried his corn and fed and fattened them on the way. In the spring of 1837 he sold out his farm and emigrated to Scott County, where he bought a claim of Buck Spencer, paying $1,400, there being a log cabin, and a few acres broken. At this time there were but six buildings in Davenport. Mr. Hawley manfully worked to develop a farm which he sold. In 1842 his sons George B. and Daniel S. bought a large tract of land, where George B. now resides. Capt. Hawley was a soldier in the war of 1812, being commissioned as a captain, and took an active part in the battle of Plattsburg, N.Y. His father was a lieutenant in the same war, and also participated in the battle of Plattsburg, where he was shot to death. Capt. Hawley died in Pleasant Valley, Nov. 12, 1861. Mother still living at the advanced age of 90. Capt. Hawley was the first man who brought any onion seeds to Iowa, and the first that raised any in the State. Capt. Hawley came th the county in a keel boat, floating down the Ohio to St. Louis. He then hired a steamer to tow him up to Duck Creek in the immediate vicinity of his cliam. George B. came through by land, driving through their stock to Rock Island, crossing over the river to Davenport about dark, and knowing that his father's claim laid upon the river, himself and a man he brought with him started to find them and got lost, and the first night in Iowa slept in a hay-stack. The next morning they found themselves near the boat. The subject of this sketch was reared on a farm and received a common school education. After arriving in Iowa in 1837, he in company commenced raising onions and potatoes. They built a flat-boat, which they would load with onions and potatoes and float them to St. Louis, where they found a ready market, and followed the business for 13 years. In 1860 he married Miss Lucretia Sawyer. She was born Sept. 18, 1826. She died in 1874. She was a member of the Christian Church, and was loved and respected by all who knew her. He again married, April 25, 1877, Miss Annie E. Graham. She was born Dec. 3, 1856. Two children blessed this union-Henry I. and Maud Lucretia. He has a beautiful farm of 210 acres, valued at $150 per acre. Mr. Hawley has been identified with the county for over 40 years, and has seen its many changes. He is one of the largest well-to-do farmers of the county.
John P. Van Patten was born in Jordan, Onondaga Co, N.Y., Sept. 24,1883, son of John P. Sr and Elizabeth Van Patten, natives of New York. The former was born in 1786; he was an architect and died in 1840. She was born Oct. 19,1796 and now (1882) resides in Denver, Colorado. The subject of this sketch went with his parents to Centreville, Michigan when he was two years old , and remained there until he was eight years old, when he came to Davenport, arriving in November, 1840. He worked on a farm in Long Grove for two years, attended school for two years, then went to Canandaigua, N.Y., where he attended the academy for three and one-half years and clerked in a bookstore for six months; then returned with his mother to Davenport, arriving here in May, 1848. He worked on a farm until Aug. 14, 1848 when he accepted a situation as a clerk in B. Sanford's drug and grocery store; remained in that capacity three years, when he received five per cent of the gross sales. The firm then became B.Sanford & Co. , and Mr. Van Patten said the CO made him feel more important than the percentage. In 1854 Mr. Van Patten disposed of his stock to C.C. Alvord, the firm becoming Alvord and Van Patten, and remained so until March 1, 1867, when Mr. Marks bought Mr. Alvord's interest and the firm has continued as Van Patten and Marks since. Mr. Van Patten married Dora Hartzell Dec. 15, 1859. She was born in Warren, O. and was a daughter of Jonas and Alice (Wallahan) Hartzell, of Ohio. He is living in Davenport and for many years minister of the Disciples Church. She died May 29, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Van Patten have had nine children- Florence D., Bessie, Alice, John U., Edward H., Marion T., Dora H., Alfred, and Philip H.
Among the early settlers to the township (Davenport)
was Adam Noel, who died in the city
of Davenport, August
20, 1872. A local paper of the day says of him: "Adam Noel was born Jan.
10, 1800, in Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania. He removed to what was then
styled the new purchase in the year 1835, locating in Dubuque Co., Wisconsin
Territory, now Scott Co., Iowa. He first built his cabin in what is sometimes
and better known old settlers as Mitchell's Grove, a few hundred feet north
of Mercy Hospital. In the course of a year or so he entered 160 acres at
$1.25 per acre, running from the present Brady Street to Gaines Street, and
from Locust Street, north, on a portion of which ground is the present Scott
County Fair Grounds. He laid out two additions to the city of Davenport,
the first on the west side of Brady Street, the second on the east side and
along Harrison Street. His family consisted of a wife, two sons and two
daughters. Adam Noel was a mechanic, being a carpenter and also a chairmaker,
having established quite a large furniture manufactory in Pennsylvania, which
he sold when struck with the "Western Fever". His first business after coming
West was working as a carpenter on Old Fort Armstrong, on Rock Island, and
although he ranked among the farmers of the county, he never farmed until
he came here. He lived and died in full faith with the Roman Catholic Church,
being a member of St. Marguerite's Church, from which his funeral took place.
He was all his life a firm, reliable Democrat. He was buried by the "Old
Settlers.""
James Henry Schroeder, of the firm of Schroeder & Brandt, grocers, 1401 West Third Street, was born Dec. 22, 1831, and is a son of Henry and Margaret (Schultz) Schroeder, he died in Holstein in 1872, she in 1880. The subject of this sketch came to this country in April, 1857, and located in Davenport. He worked at various branches of business here two years, then obtained a clerkship in a general store at LeClaire, which he retained three years, then returned to Davenport. He clerked for Biederbecke & Miller, grocers, until 1868, when he established his present partnership with Mr. Brandt under the firm name of Schroeder & Brandt. They do a good business. Mr. Schroeder was married in the fall of 1862, in LeClaire, to Elizabeth Schwein, a native of Bavaria, Germany. By this union there has been eight children, six living - Henry, Jennie, Hugo, Laura, John, and Emilie. Mr Schroeder is a member of the Lutheran Church.
Giles M. Pinneo, retired farmer, is a native of Ducksburg, Washington Co., Vt., born April 10, 1809; son of Giles and Hannah (Davis) Pinneo, natives of Vermont, where they were married and six children were born. Mrs. Pinneo died about 1825. Mr. Pinneo again married Mrs. Flora Gage, by whom he had two children. Mr. Pinneo was a volunteer in the war of 1812, and was an old line Democrat. Mr. Giles Pinneo, Jr. was reared on a farm and obtained a good education in the public schools of Vermont. In the spring of 1834, he left his home in the Green Mountain State for the then far West, coming by water to Detroit, Michigan, then by teams to Illinois, striking Fox River 40 miles south of Chicago; from there he walked to Springfield, where he had a brother living. As that section of the country was very unhealthy, and wages were low, he did not tarry there long. His step-mother's brother, John Burnham, having visited Scott County on a hunting expidition, persuaded him to come here. Having two brothers here he concluded to come. He went to Rock Island, arriving there on July 23, 1834. He was taken with a fever and confined to his bed some weeks. In the fall he came to Pleasant Valley Township, made a claim and built a cabin, remaining one year; then came to Princeton Township and located on the place where he now resides. His first summer here was spent in camp. In the fall of 1835 he erected a hewed log house. Mr. Pinneo married Asenath Stricker Nov. 30, 1837; she was born in Clarke County, Ind. They were blessed with four children, of whom Charles W., born Dec. 26, 1839; Sarah, born Nov. 28, 1841, and Mary E., born May 28, 1844 are living. Mr. Pinneo is one of Scott County's earliest settlers and was the first to locate in Princeton Township.
John Reimers is a native of Holstein, Germany, born Nov. 27, 1830. He emigrated to America in 1862, and landed in New York; from there he went to Rock Island, Ill. and purchased a farm between that city and Moline, where he lived four years; then removed to Cedar County. One year later he located in Cleona Township, Scott County, where he now resides, and owns 86 acres of well-improved land, and a good house and barn. Everything about the place speaks of plenty and comfort. He married Anna Kroel, in Germany. They have four children-Lena; Anna, now Mrs. Jacob Shor, resides in Cedar Co, Ia., Julia and Mary. The first two children were born in Germany, the latter two in Rock Island.