MATTHIAS AND MARIA CARSTENSEN
Matthias Carstensen, born April 11, 1852, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany,
and Maria Petersen, born September 22, 1851, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany,
were married in Germany and came to America with their daughter Maria. They
landed in New York City on their daughter's first birthday, March 14, 1880.
They came to Crawford County, and their first home was one mile west of
Aspinwall (now owned by Herbert Witt).
A few years later they bought 160 acres two miles north of Aspinwall. They lived there until they moved to Aspinwall in 1902 to a new home built on the northeast edge of town now owned by Croghan-Younie-Ranniger.
The daughter attended the Iowa Township District No. 2 school. One of her favorite teachers was C.J. Holling. He later was postmaster at Aspinwall.
Maria married Gustav Koester December 1, 1897. They had eight children. All attended the same Iowa Township School, thus the family sent these children and one grandchild to this school for 32 consecutive years -- March, 1907, to May, 1939. All graduated from eighth grade and the grandchild went on to Manning High School and graduated there and later on to Iowa State College. Five grandsons served in the armed services in World War II.
Maria died at her home in Aspinwall October 1, 1906, and Matthias died in an Omaha hospital January 26, 1907.
ODDS AND ENDS
Hayes Township News: John Wiese sold 15 hogs last Monday for 4c; they averaged
over 297 pounds each. Mr. Shirtcliff of Vail was the purchaser.
Adam Schneekloth hauled corn to Westside, getting 20c a bushel for it. He had
400 bushels.
Denison Newspapers, September 3, 1886
EVERETT CHRISTENSEN FAMILY
Everett Fred Christensen, son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Fred Christensen of
Exira, was born June 12, 1926, southwest of Hamlin. He had two sisters, Alice
and Vivian, both deceased.
Marjorie Kathryn Christensen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Tibben of Audubon, was born November 27, 1926, east of Exira. She has two brothers, Wayne of Audubon and Eldon of Exira.
Everett and Marjorie were married October 18, 1953, in St. John's Lutheran Church at Audubon. They moved to the Botna area December 3, 1963, and have lived on the Thomas Campbell farm ever since. They were the "family of the week" over Omaha's WOW television in March of 1979.
Everett is a member of the Aspinwall Community Club at Aspinwall and the American Legion in Manning, and Marjorie belongs to the Aspinwall Community Club Auxiliary and the American Legion Auxiliary. They are members of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Manilla.
Everett and Marjorie are the parents of four children, Janet Vivian, Lynn Everett, Lee Rodney, and Lyle Kevin.
Janet was born October 8, 1957. She graduated from Manning High School in 1976, and from Des Moines Area Community College at Ankeny in 1977 as a medical secretary. She was married to Wayne B. Brown April 26, 1980, and they have lived in Boise, Idaho the last three years.
Lynn was born January 4, 1960. He graduated from Manning High School in 1978. Lynn was active in F.F.A. and received several awards, including Greenhand, Chapter Farmer, State Farmer and American Farmer Degree. He was chapter president, state vice president from the southwest district and also southwest district sentinel. Lynn was married to Kristine Rank August 30, 1980, and they live on an acreage southeast of Manning. He started working for Manning Ag. Center when he was a junior in high school and is still employed there today. Lynn and Kristine are the parents of a son, Bradley Lynn, born November 14, 1981.
Lee was born December 21, 1962. He graduated from Manning High School in 1980, and is presently attending Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, studying to be an Accountant Specialist.
Lyle was born February 20, 1964, and graduated from Manning High School in January, 1982. In March, 1982, he entered Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, to study welding.
ODDS AND ENDS
Hayes Township News: Otto Kruse, who began building a new barn the
beginning of the month, has not finished. John Touser
painted his new barn and is now building a new corn crib.
Denison Newspapers, October 29, 1886
Page 198
HOWARD AND DONNA
CHRISTENSEN
Donna Christensen is a native of the Aspinwall area. She is a daughter of Frank
Ehrichs, now deceased, and Mabel (Sievertsen) Ehrichs-Vinke, now living in Manning. Donna
is a graduate of Manning High School, attended Cottey
College at Nevada, Missouri, and Iowa State Teachers College at Cedar Falls,
before teaching in rural schools for several years near Aspinwall.
She was married to Howard Christensen in 1951. They farmed south of Manning for many years before Howard enrolled in the University of Iowa. I n 1967 they moved to Cedar Rapids where they still reside.
Howard and Donna have three children: Kevin, an electrical engineer, now living in San Jose, California; a daughter Jill, a graduate of Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, and now a music and vocal teacher in Palco, Kansas; and Bryce, a music major in his third year at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon.
ODDS AND ENDS
I can remember my mother telling about when she was a child living with her
parents, the Jacob Kuhls, on the Brandt Brothers farm
west of Aspinwall. They would see troupes of gypsies coming along the old
Milwaukee tracks; they would camp in the pasture south of the place, and in the
evening they would sing and dance around the campfire. At one time the gypsies
had a performing bear on a chain. They would come to the house and beg for food.
Hugo Wilhelm
ODDS AND ENDS
The young boys in town would carry fresh manure from the stockyards to the
greenhouse run by Andrew Babik. He would pay them 5c for a three gallon pail
full, and was it ever heavy! Roy Schilling had to dilute it with water and then
water the plants that were hanging in the building.
Roy Soll
HANS J. CLAUSEN FAMILY
Hans J. Clausen was born in Lügumkloster, Germany,
January 5, 1888. He came to the United States with his grandparents at the age
of three, and they made their home around the Davenport and Rock Island,
Illinois areas. Until he was 17, Hans made his home with his aunt and uncle,
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clausen. Following an illness of malaria, he came to this
section of Iowa to work in the clear, open air. He worked several years as a
farmhand, until he was called to serve in the first World
War. After his discharge he returned to Iowa and worked on various farms
again, and then in 1924, he became an employee of the Milwaukee Railroad based in Aspinwall.
March 23, 1927, he was united in marriage to Amanda Schroeder, daughter of Louis and Mary (Lemster) Schroeder. The couple made Aspinwall their home continuously from that time on. In 1948, Hans was forced to retire from his railroad work because of ill health. His condition became worse, and March 24, 1954, he suffered a stroke that left him bedfast. A series of strokes followed, and he passed away January 10, 1955, at his home.
Amanda was born October 5, 1901, in Iowa Township, Crawford County. She moved to Aspinwall with her parents in 1908, and has lived in her present home for 55 years. She has lived in the town of Aspinwall, continuously, for 74 years.
Amanda has always been willing to help all friends and relatives when the need arose, and there seemed to be a lot of that. She cared for her husband and also her father, until their deaths, and has been like a second mother to Emma and John Schilling's sons. Besides all this, she states her occupation as "homemaker.''
Page 199
HENRY CLAUSEN FAMILY
Henry Claus Clausen was born September 30, 1861 in Lügumkloster,
Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Dorothea Rasmussen was born August 11, 1865 in
Rectinsylt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Henry and Dorothea
were married in Germany and came to the United States in 1889, and he was in
the butchering business in Davenport. In 1891 they came to Crawford County,
farming in the Vail vicinity until moving to Aspinwall in 1915. Here he worked
for the Neola Elevator and the Denniston and Partridge Companies.
Mr. Clausen passed away February 11, 1935, and Mrs. Clausen July 3, 1935.
Their children were Minnie, deceased at two years of age, Lorenz, John, and Gondalena.
Lorenz was married to Marfa Ewoldt and their children were Henry and Earl, both deceased, and Arlo, living in Manilla.
John married Elizabeth Schupiter. Their children were Floyd, deceased; Alvin, married to Lucille Podey, deceased; Lucille, married to Leonard Schleita, who died and she later married Lester Lee, Denison; and Arlene, married to John Fredrichsen, who died, and she later married Marion Day, Denison.
Gondalena married Julius Hass. Their children were Henry, married to Zita Devaney of Denison; Marvin, deceased in 1954, married to Florence Steckelberg Hass-Lapel; Helen (Mrs. Raymond Schuldt) of Denison; Melvin, deceased in 1974, married to Vernetta Greder; Laverne (Mrs. Earl Schmidt), Denison; Lester, married to Viola Steckelberg, Manilla; and Merlin, married to Verna Singsank, Manning.
Henry Clausen's nephew, Hans, made his home with the Henry Clausens. Hans' widow Amanda resides now in Aspinwall.
Darlyne Thomssen was born November 14, 1933, in Aspinwall, daughter of Henry and Emma Kai Thomssen.
Eddy and Darlyne were married March 30, 1952. They lived in Aspinwall from 1956 to 1964. At that time Eddy was assistant manager of the Aspinwall Co-op.
Mr. and Mrs. Dahleen have four children: Janine (Mrs. Dale Keim), who lives in Denison; Bruce, Brenda and Troy, all in Denison.
The Dahleens moved to Denison in 1964, where Eddy was employed for 17 years at Ehrichs Motors, and then with Midwest Truck Sales of Denison, as warranty manager. Darlyne is employed at Albertsen's Flower Boutique in Denison.
ODDS AND ENDS
I remember smoking my first cigarette -made of corn silk -- with the Brady boys
in back of the lumber yard.
John Babik, Omaha
ODDS AND ENDS
One of the things I liked to do when I was growing up
in Aspinwall was to watch the blacksmith shoe horses at the shop east of Main
Street. There was a large tree in front of the shop, which provided good shade
for the smithy. It always reminded me of the poem I learned at the Aspinwall
school:
Under a chestnut tree, the village smithy stands,
A mighty man was he with large and sinewy hands,
His brow was wet with honest sweat,
He earns whatever he can,
A village smithy, a mighty man was he.
John Babik, Omaha
Page 200
DALE DAMMANN FAMILY
Dale, son of William Dammann Jr. and Arla Lohrmann Dammann, was born in Iowa
Township, Crawford County, in July, 1942. His father was born in Audubon County
and his mother in Crawford County.
Dale graduated from Manning in 1960 and did farm work until he was drafted to the Army in April of 1964. He served two years of active duty and one year of inactive duty. After his discharge from the Army in March of 1966, he did general farm work, working for Dale Vollstedt in January, 1967.
Dale and Carolyn Bear of Van Meter, Iowa were married May 20, 1967. They lived on the Karl Rohr farm 1/2 mile south of Aspinwall until moving to the home place, 1 mile west and 2 miles north of Aspinwall, in 1968, to farm in partnership with his father.
They have two children, Douglas, born in March, 1971, and Shannon, born in June, 1974.
DARYL DAMMANN FAMILY
Daryl Dammann, son of Walter and Malinda Dammann, was born September 26, 1946,
in Carroll County, the oldest of four children.
In 1968 he married Deanna Winther, daughter of Harold and Alice Winther of rural Audubon. She was the third oldest of five sisters and three brothers. One brother was killed in a car accident.
Daryl and Deanna were united in marriage June 29, 1968. They lived in Manning for two years and then rural Manilla. They are parents of three children, Gaylene Dee, age 12 and in the 7th grade at the Manilla Community School; Dwight Daryl, age eight and in the 3rd grade at the Manilla School; and Darren Carl, age four.
Daryl and his family now live northeast of Manilla on an acreage.
Page 201
HUGO "SHORTY" DAMMANN FAMILY
Hugo Dammann, the third son of Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Dammann Sr. of Manning, and
Gertrude Farley Niederfrank, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Everett Farley of Perry,
were married in the Lutheran Church in Des Moines March 11, 1947, attended by
Mr. and Mrs. Lester Dammann. They moved to their first home in Aspinwall. This
home is now occupied by the Ron Schilling family.
At that time Gertrude had a daughter by a former marriage, Sharon Rae Niederfrank, age five, who attended the Aspinwall School for one year, with Lucille Wegner and Clariss Christian as teachers.
Shorty worked for Leo Bruck at the ManCryCo Farms until 1950, and then started driving an ice cream truck at the Manning Creamery. He continued working there until Manning Creamery sold out to Wells Blue Bunny 10 years ago, and still is employed with the Blue Bunny Company. He has a record of 31 years driving a truck and not having an accident.
Gertrude worked in the ice cream and butter rooms at the Manning Creamery for eight years.
They bought a home in Manning 29 years ago at 1006 Main Street, where a daughter, Dorthie Dee, was born December 28, 1953. Also born there were twin sons, Rick and Rob, February 5, 1958. They all attended Manning School and graduated from the high school there. The family belongs to the Methodist Church.
Sharon Rae is married to Dr. Allen 0. Swanson. They have two daughters, ages 18 and 13, and they live in Whittier, California.
Dottie is married to Robert Schiltz. They have a son, five, and a daughter, three. They live in Japan where Robert is a Master Sergeant in the Air Force. Dottie does secretarial work for the government.
Rick drives for Ramsey Transfer and Rob is employed at AGRI Industries.
Shorty is a member of the American Legion and V.F.W. Posts in Manning. Gertie is an active member in the Methodist Church and V.F.W. Auxiliary. She has been employed at the Manning School in the hot lunch program for eight years.
Page 202
LESTER AND RUBY DAMMANN
Lester and Ruby Cavanaugh Dammann moved to Aspinwall in 1934 with their
one-year old son LeRoy. They lived on an acreage which is now part of the
Brandt Brothers farm; their home is now the Ron Schilling residence. At the
time, the house was owned by Lester's mother and step-father, Mr. and Mrs. R.E.
Winters, who had purchased the house in 1929 and lived there for two years. The
Winters moved to Oregon in 1931; although Lester
accompanied them there, he returned to Iowa six months later. He and Ruby were
married in 1933 and they started a small farm operation on the acreage in
Aspinwall while Lester worked part time at ManCryCo Farms of the Manning and Manilla area.
This was during the Depression, and the severe winter of 1936 did nothing to help matters. Lester worked through the winter at jobs such as cutting wood and scooping snow off the highway and the railroad. After surviving the weather and economy, the Dammanns began to develop their operation which consisted of raising a few hogs, running a small dairy, and raising a family of six children. Five of the children were born in Aspinwall, Kenneth in 1937, Dick in 1938, Sandra in 1940, Geri in 1945, and Nancy in 1946. During these years they purchased the acreage and continued to work for ManCryCo Farms, which were owned by Jake Bruck.
Bruck had also purchased the lumber yard in Aspinwall, naming Louie Schroeder as manager. Lester helped him, which now gave Lester full time employment. By 1939 his responsibilities had shifted more to the farms, with the job to become very interesting and very permanent. Feeling more secure, the Dammanns remodeled their barn for their small dairy herd, from which they sold cream and then milk to the Manning Creamery. They also built a new hog house and installed a running water system, the first one in Aspinwall. They finished covering the water line December 7, 1941 -- Pearl Harbor Day.
By this time, the children were beginning to attend school; 1941 also brought changes at the ManCryCo Farms as Mr. Bruck passed away, the lumber yard was sold to the newly organized cooperative, and the farms were reorganized. Lester was named farm manager for the general farming part of the farm, while the ManCryCo dairy herds and hog operation were under other supervision. The Dammann family remained living in Aspinwall and still maintained their small, but profitable, business.
By this time, the country was involved in a war which changed the lives of many of those who went and for those who didn't; Lester's main problem was getting the work done on a large farming operation which was still using horse power. By 1945, the Dammann family had also run out of house space, and had a child who would be graduating from the Aspinwall school and would be attending -classes at Manning. Taking first things first, they remodeled the house; the family of eight lived in two rooms during the months of the major project.
The remodeling job was completed in July, and within a few months, the Dammanns were asked to accept an offer to be Herdsman and Manager of ManCryCo Farms. An offer of this kind required a lot of consideration. It was hard to turn down, but it also meant leaving something they had developed and enjoyed in addition to leaving a nice remodeled, modern home they had just barely gotten used to. They finally decided the job meant more, so they moved to Manning December 7, 1946.
The Dammann house was left empty for two months, when Hugo "Shorty" Dammann moved in with his new bride, Gertie. They lived there one year, at which time the place was sold to Hugo Kuhl, who had retired from farming.
Lester and Ruby spent from 1946 to 1963 as Herdsman and Manager of the ManCryCo Farms. They then purchased the farms, and after successfully breeding, showing, milking and selling registered Holsteins and developing a hog operation, they had one of the largest dairy dispersals ever held in Iowa, in 1974.
Lester and Ruby are now retired and living in Manning. LeRoy owns and farms the old ManCryCo #2 farm west of Manning. Richard is owner-operator of the Manning Auto Supply. Sandra (Mrs. Keith Hass) is secretary and agent at Manning Insurance Agency. Geraldine (Mrs. Kenneth Spies) is bookkeeper at Manning Heating and Sheet Metal and Spies Fur Company. Nancy (Mrs. DeWayne McCord) lives at Carroll where she clerks at a department store. Kenneth was tragically killed in a car-pedestrian accident in Cedar Falls in 1973; at the time, he was serving as state president of the Iowa Chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation of America.
The newest generation of the Dammann family includes a total of 15 grandchildren.