Deters, Henry & Deters, Frank F.

DETERS, LUEHR, DRESSELHAUS, THIES, FRANZEN

Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 1/18/2024 at 12:28:06

Henry Deters, the father of Frank F. Deters, was born in Germany, and was married in Illinois in 1855. He and his wife, Mary, came to Allamakee county, Iowa, in the same year, taking a tract of land in Union City township, near the village of Eitzen, on which they built a log house and started poor, but in time developed a good farm and became prosperous. Both are now deceased.

They had nine children; Henry, deceased; Frank F., of Winnebago township, Houston county; Louisa, now Mrs. Henry Luehr of Wilmington township; Louis, now on the old home farm in Allamakee county, Iowa; Herman, deceased; Emma, wife of William Dresselhaus of Decorah, Iowa; Otto, who met an accidental death, being injured with a hay fork while working on the farm; William, residing in Houston county; and Rosina, who is deceased.

Frank F. Deters, a prominent farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Winnebago township, who has also other extensive land interests, was born on a farm in Allamakee county, Iowa, near the village of Eitzen, Feb. 20, 1858, son of Henry and Mary Deters. He was there reared, attending the common school up to the age of 15 years.

Remaining on the home farm until 1880, he was then married, Oct. 7, 1880, to Louisa, daughter of Fred and Christina Thies, of Eitzen, Minn. He then rented the farm that he now owns and operates, lying just on the edge of Eitzen village, which was improved but had poor buildings.

Here he has since built a good two-story double house of 14 rooms; a large stock and grain barn, 34 by 76 by 18 feet, with full stone basement eight feet high, and well equipped; a horse and hay barn, 30 by 44 by 18 feet; a block tile poultry house, 14 by 22 feet; a machine and buggy shed combined, 20 by 33 feet; besides other necessary buildings, all of which are in fine condition.

His farm lies in two sections, there being roughly speaking 114 acres in section 32 and 40 acres in section 31, or an exact total of 153.98 acres. The land is very productive, and is well fenced and well tilled, there being 140 acres under the plow. Mr. Deters also owns 80 acres of wild land in Marinette county, Wisconsin, and a fine ten-acre timber tract in Allamakee county, Iowa.

His home farm lies on the famous Portland Prairie, and is well stocked with Shorthorn and Hereford cattle and Poland-China hogs, and he operates it in association with his son, Franklin H.

He is also a stockholder in the Eitzen Cooperative Creamery and the Caledonia Co-operative Stock and Grain Co. A man of ability and enterprise, he has attained a high measure of success.

Mr. and Mrs. Deters have one child, the son Franklin H. above mentioned, who was born Aug. 20, 1881, and who has always remained on the home farm. He attended a commercial school at Eitzen, and was also a pupil for two years at Breckenridge Institute, Decorah, Iowa.

On December 2, 1903, he married Rosa, daughter of August and Mary Franzen, of Dupage county, Ill. He and his wife have had four children: Roy, born Sept. 21, 1904; Fremont and Earl, twins, born Sept. 17, 1906, of whom Earl is now deceased; and Edgar, born March 17, 1910.

Mr. Deters and his sons are both Republicans in politics and both have rendered service as town and school board officials. The two families have individual membership in the German Evangelical church of Eitzen.

~~The History of Houston County, Minnesota, 1919, pgs 565-566 (transcribed by S. Ferrall from the book digitalized by Google)