Bill spent his entire boyhood and youth in and around Aspinwall and in March of 1917 began his career with the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. He achieved the distinction of having attained the position of section foreman as one of the youngest men to do so in March, 1924, at the age of 26.
Bill was married March 23, 1921, to Rosie Dammann. Rosie was born July 22, 1901 in Carroll County, near Manning, the second of five children born to Henry and Emma Dammann.
Bill and Rosie had three children. LaVerne married Rozora Kuhn and they reside in Elgin, Illinois; LaVerne is employed by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad as director of special projects in their Corporate Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Donald married Kathryn Ingraham and is employed by the Des Moines Union Railroad as a chief clerk.
Don and Katy presently reside in Des Moines. Shirley married Richard Swanson and they reside in Manilla, where Richard is the Superintendent for the Gas Department for the town of Manilla.
Bill and Rosie lived in Aspinwall for 30 years until the railroad reduced the number of sections. In 1951 they moved to Manilla, where he continued his railroad career as foreman of the Manilla yards of the railroad and retired in 1963 after almost 46 years of railroad service.
Bill and Rosie celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary in March, 1971, with an open house hosted by their children at Trinity Lutheran Church in Manilla.
There are 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Bill passed away in March, 1973. Rosie continues to reside in Manilla and enjoys seeing friends and relatives.
MARX AND MARGARTHEA SCHRUM
Margarthea Christina Vehrs was born in North
Dithmarschen Holstein, Germany, March 11, 1858. Her parents, Pete and Christina Margarthea Vehrs, also
had three sons, Pete, Gus and Henry. Margarthea was married to Marx Schrum March 11, 1879, and the couple
moved from Germany to the United States in 1880; they settled northwest of Denison.
Marx and Margarthea had 12 children, three of whom died in infancy. Three sons and three daughters are also now deceased: Herman, William, Hugo, Annie (Mrs. Julius Ewoldt), Mary (Mrs. Louis Stammer) and Emma (Mrs. August Schroeder). Gus Schrum is living in Manilla, Miss Amanda Schrum lives at the Elm Crest Apartments in Manning, and Mrs. Alvina Schroeder lives at Flandreau, South Dakota.
Marx and Margarthea moved to Center Street in Manning in 1923, after farming for 43 years. Marx passed away May 3, 1928, and daughter Amanda remained at home to help take care of her mother, who never learned to speak English. Margarthea was a hard working, pleasant woman and a faithful member of the Zion Lutheran Church in Manning.
Amanda, who was 91 November 30, 1981, remembers how happy her mother was at the birth of a great-grandson, March 11, 1943, on Margarthea's 85th birthday. Wayne Behrend, son of Harry and Hilda Ewoldt Behrend, now lives in Manilla.
Margarthea passed away in her home November 16, 1945, after a long illness. Pastor Johann M. Ansorge officiated at the funeral.
One of Margarthea's brothers, Pete Vehrs, lived at Aspinwall on the farm where Chris and Mary Ann Brandt now live. Pete and his wife had four daughters and one son, all deceased except for Mrs. Malinda Ellison, Logan.
Marx Schrum was a cousin to Henry Schrum of Manning. Henry was a shoe repairman for a number of years.
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OLGA HANSEN SCHULTZ
Olga Schultz, daughter of August and Maria Plahn, was born May 20, 1902, in
Carroll County. She has two sisters, Mamie (Mrs. Gib Sievertsen) of Manilla and Edna (Mrs. Leroy Schumann)
of Manning.
She attended the rural schools in Carroll County; later, when the family moved to Aspinwall, she attended the local school. After her education she was employed at some homes in Denison and then took up sewing, a project she followed for many years.
May 10, 1922, she married Bill Hansen, son of Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Hansen of Aspinwall, and they purchased a home from Julius Molter. William Hansen was a business partner of Frank Ehrichs at the General Store for many years. Bill, as he was known to all, attended the Aspinwall Independent School and then went on to attend business college in Waverly for two years, followed by a year of Commercial College at Denison. He first worked as a clerk at the Ehrichs store, and when he became a business partner, the name of the store became The Ehrichs and Hansen Store. When this partnership was dissolved the store was called The Farmer's Mercantile. Bill was a very civic minded man and was the treasurer for the Aspinwall Co-op and the town treasurer until his death in 1946.
In 1949 Olga married Max Schultz of Schleswig, and the couple lived on the farm 1/2 mile west of Aspinwall. In January of 1979 Max passed away.
Soon after this Olga moved to the Manning Plaza.
ODDS AND ENDS
Patrick Hickey, a well-to-do farmer living seven miles northwest of town,
dropped dead last Saturday evening. He had returned from Manning that afternoon
and apparently was in good health but about 20 minutes after eating supper he
suddenly and with no warning whatever dropped to the floor a corpse. The cause
of his death was paralysis.
Manning Monitor, May 29, 1884
JOHN AND BERTHA SCHWIESOW
John C. Schwiesow was born February 12, 1859 in Pomeranian, Germany, one of
a family of eight children. Mrs. Schwiesow (Bertha Wenzel) was born March 17,
1863, also in Pomeranian, Germany. She had four brothers and one sister.
The Schwiesow family immigrated to this country when John was 12 years old; they settled in Wisconsin, coming to Crawford County a few years later.
Bertha and her family came to America when she was seven years old, settling in Clinton County. Three years later they moved to Crawford County to a farm east of Manilla. This farm was better known as the R.C. Bahls place, now occupied and owned by the Harry Behrend.
John and Bertha were married November 25, 1882. They made their home on various farms in Crawford County with the exception of one year in Carroll County. The Schwiesow family moved from a farm to Aspinwall in 1913 and John operated a dray service for many years. In 1914, when Aspinwall was incorporated, he was appointed as town marshal, a position he held for 20 years. He also was the mail messenger for several years.
They were the parents of 10 children. Seven of these children died in infancy and young adulthood. The remaining three children were Walter, who married Lena Vinke and who died in 1962; Marie, who married Harry Schroeder and now lives in Aspinwall; and Rose, who made her home with Marie after their parents died, and whose death occurred in 1960. There are six grandchildren.
Bertha was afflicted with rheumatism and was a wheel-chair patient for more than 20 years. John died November 22, 1936 and Bertha died March 19, 1939. The Schwiesow family were lifetime members of the Manilla Lutheran Church.
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WALTER SCHWIESOW FAMILY
Walter, son of John and Bertha (Wenzel) Schwiesow, was born in the Aspinwall
area in 1895. Lena Vinke was born in the Westside area to Gustav and Marie Karsten Vinke in 1898.
Walter and Lena were married January 30, 1930. They lived near and in Aspinwall until 1939, when they moved to the Botna area. They were the parents of seven children, Bernice, Earl, Louis, Ruth, Colleen, Fern (who died at birth), and Victor. Earl served in the Army during World War II and Louis spent 21 years in the Navy.
Bernice and Ralph Dunlap had three daughters, Deana, Nancy and Brenda. They all live in California.
Earl and his wife Carol Woods had seven children, Dick, Sally, Mike, Faye, Mary, Tom and Robert (who died at birth). They all live in northern Iowa.
Louis and his wife Barbara Pinkston have three children, Stan, Becky and Louis, Jr. Stan and Laurie (Lawsow) Schwiesow have two daughters, Dawn and Carrie. Becky and David Agan have two sons, Chad and Robert. Louis Jr. and Kimberly Schwiesow have four children, Angie and Shane Steinkuhler and Eric and Luke Schwiesow. Louis Jr. and Stan and their families live in Council Bluffs and Becky in California. Louis and Barbara make their home in Manilla.
Ruth and Don Johnson had three children, Bruce, Debbie and Bryan. Bruce and his wife Peggy have three children, Tim, Jodie and Jennifer. Debbie and her husband Ed Testroel have two girls. Don, Bryan and Bruce and his family all live in Coon Rapids and Debbie is in Wisconsin. Ruth Schwiesow Johnson died in 1963 at the age of 31, and she is buried at the Orange Center Cemetery in Guthrie Center.
Colleen and Vern Daeges were the parents of six children, Steven, Nick, Joe, Ronnie, Becky and Bill. Steven and Sue Kloewer have one son, Matt. Nick died of cancer in September of 1975 at the age of 19, and is buried in the Harlan Community Cemetery. Joe and Joy Axland Daeges have three children, Kylie and twin sons, Andy and Aaron, and they live in Irwin. Ronnie, Becky and Bill live at home with their parents in Harlan.
Victor and his wife Donna Winsor are the parents of five children, Vickie, Barry, Scott, Amy and Robin. Vickie is married to Rick Warner and had one son Shawn, who died in November, 1981, at the age of 11 months. He is buried in the Manning Cemetery. Vic's family lives in Manning and Vickie and Rick live near Denison.
Walter and Lena moved to Manning in their later years, and in January of 1962 Walter passed away from heart failure. He is buried in the Manning Cemetery. Lena makes her home at the Manning Plaza.
Louis and Ruth remember going to school in Aspinwall and that their teacher was Helen Wegner. They also remember that Delpha Olson taught them in Sunday School.
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TOM AND DOROTHY SHARP
Tom Sharp was born on a farm in Willow Township in Crawford County April 11,
1913 to Adam and Patience Sharp. He attended country schools through the eighth
grade. In 1927 the family moved to their farm three miles northwest of Dow
City, and Tom attended the Dow City schools, graduating in 1931.
November 19, 1939 he was married to Dorothy Kienapfel of Manning. She was a daughter of Fred and Caroline Kienapfel and was born September 15, 1914. She attended the Manning schools and graduated in 1932.
After their marriage they began general farming three miles northwest of Dow City. In February, 1949, they moved to their farm 1 1/2 miles west and 1 3/4 miles north of Aspinwall, where they still live.
They are active members of the First Presbyterian Church in Manning, and Tom has served as an elder and trustee. He has also served on the Iowa Township board of trustees for the past 16 years.
Dorothy has served on the board of trustees of their church; is a member of the United Presbyterian Woman's Organization and serves as their treasurer at the present time; is a member of the Ruth Circle; and served as secretary and treasurer of the church Centennial Committee during their 1981 centennial celebration. She has served as a secretary for the Royal Neighbors of America Life Insurance Company for the past 14 years, is a member of the Happy Hour Club, and of the Aspinwall Ladies Auxiliary.
They had three children. William T. married Connie Benton and they have a son Chris; they live in Denison. Carole married Ron Evilsizer and they have two daughters, Rhonda and Julie; they also live in Denison. Donald F. was killed in a tragic plane crash June 20, 1980; he was married to Gloria Jahn and they lived in Oshkosh, Wisconsin at the time of his death.
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EMIL SINOW FAMILY
Emil Sinow (born August 3, 1869, died April 4, 1930) was born in Waren, Mecklenberg, Germany, the
second son of Wilhelm and Lisetta Keller Sinow. Lisetta passed away when Emil
was 1 1/2 years old, and Wilhelm later married Maria Timm.
Wilhelm, Maria, and sons Herman and Emil came to the United States in 1881,
settling on a farm near Lost Nation, Clinton County, Iowa. Another son, Robert,
was born in 1883, and in 1885 the family moved to a farm two miles southwest of
Aspinwall, now the home of the Leman Ehlers family.
Wilhelmina Goettsch (born December 30, 1874, died December 19, 1928) was born in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Her parents, Henry and Gretchen Lage Goettsch, brought children Emma, Ferdinand, Wilhelmina, Anna and Herman to the United States in 1889; an older daughter, Lena Goettsch Mohr, arrived earlier. The Goettsch family originally moved to a farm west of Manning near the place now owned by Wilbur Hill, with Goettsch, a well-digger, later moving his family into Manning.
Emil Sinow and Wilhelmina Goettsch were married December 2, 1892. They farmed the Fred Nagel property 1/2 mile south of Aspinwall, purchasing the land in 1902. The Sinow family sold this land about 1921 and purchased a farm one mile southwest of Aspinwall (now the Herbert Witt farm), but after several years again bought the Nagel land. This farm was purchased by Herbert Eich in 1947, who later sold it to Melvin Renze.
Emil and Wilhelmina had four children. William (born November 13, 1893, died January 12, 1969) was married to Margaret Wenzel. They lived in Omaha, where he worked in a packing plant.
Lisetta (born March 8, 1896) was married to John Derner June 6, 1917. They first farmed south of Manning, then moved in 1922 to a farm 11/2 miles southwest of Aspinwall. This was their home until 1949; they then alternated between Manning and Spokane, Washington. They bought a home and moved to 1103 Elm Street, Manning, in 1957, where Lisetta continues to make her home at age 86; John died May 2, 1970. The couple has five children. Merlin (born October 11, 1917) and his wife Doris live in Spokane, Washington, where he works for General Electrics. lona (born May 20, 1919), was married to Mack Carter, who is now deceased; lona lives in Clinton, where she works as a beautician, and she has two sons, Dennis and Ronnie, and five grandchildren. Roland (born April 13, 1921) and his wife, the former Laura Maloy, Manilla, have one daughter, Linda, who is married to Patrick Finley of DeSoto; Roland has farmed the Derner home place since 1947, and purchased the land in 1974. Arletta (born August 22, 1927) and her husband, Gail Christiansen, live in Spokane, Washington, where he works for a pharmaceutical drug distributing company; they have two children, David and Renee, and one grandson. Colleen (born September 10, 1930) and her husband Lyle Eich, a retired postal inspector, live in Ankeny; they have two sons, Steve and Bruce, and three grandchildren.
Emil Sinow Jr. (born December 28, 1902, died June 24, 1968) was married to Amanda Moeller February 20, 1929. They farmed directly south of Aspinwall. They had two sons, Milton, born September 26, 1930, and Melvin, born April 29, 1934.
Melvin, who ran a corn sheller and helped on the farm, and his mother were killed in a car accident September 6, 1970. Milton and his wife Betty now live on the home place and own the Aspinwall Tap.
Herbert Sinow (born January 3, 1911, died March 5, 1970) was married to Minnie Moeller March 28, 1939. He served as the postmaster of Gray until his death. They had two sons, James, who lives with his wife Elayne and
Continued from page 289
three daughters in Audubon, where he works for the county engineer, and Roger, who lives in Gray with his mother and works for Audubon County.
All of Emil Sr.'s children attended the Aspinwall School.
EMIL SINOW
Emil L. Sinow, son of Wilhelmina Goettsch Sinow and Emil Sinow, was born
December 28, 1902, near Aspinwall. He attended Aspinwall School, graduating from the eighth grade in 1915.
February 20, 1929, he was married to Amanda Moeller, daughter of Fred and Metha (Ploen) Moeller. She was born south of Manning November 30, 1908, and attended Brookfield school in Lincoln Township, Audubon County. They first farmed 1/4 mile south of Aspinwall, and in February, 1947, moved to their farm on the south edge of Aspinwall.
They were the parents of two sons, Milton and Melvin.
Emil Sinow died at St. Anthony's Hospital June 24, 1968. Amanda Sinow and her son Melvin were killed in a car accident September 6, 1970. Milton is married and lives on the home place.
MILTON SINOW
Milton E. Sinow, son of Emil and Amanda (Moeller) Sinow, was born September 26,
1930, on a farm 1/4 mile south of Aspinwall. He attended school at Aspinwall,
and in 1947 moved to an acreage on the south edge of Aspinwall with his parents and brother Melvin.
He served in the Army during the years 1954 to 1956. In April, 1956, he purchased two trucks from Ed Hinners and started in the trucking business. He was in the livestock and grain hauling business for 20 years. In 1976 he sold his trucks to Wade Mohr of Manning. Milton purchased a gravel truck, and was in this business for four years. He also was a school bus driver for the Manning Community School for three years. November 1, 1980, he purchased the Aspinwall Tap.
He was married to Betty Lou Ehrichs Henkelman April 3, 1959. Betty was the daughter of Frank and Mabel Sievertsen Ehrichs. Betty attended the Aspinwall school, and graduated from the Manning High School in 1944. She attended C.E. Business School in Omaha, Nebraska, and A.I.B. in Des Moines. She was employed at Wright Airfield in Dayton, Ohio, as a secretary. Betty is the only Ehrichs descendant who was born, raised and still resides in Aspinwall.
Betty was married to Alfred Henkelman in 1948, and he was killed in a car accident in 1954. They were the parents of three children, graduates of the Manilla High School.
Terry Henkelman graduated from Buena Vista College in Storm Lake with a B.A. degree in accounting. He was in the Army for two years, and since September, 1972, has been employed as an auditor for General Services Administration, Kansas City, Missouri.
Cindy Lou Henkelman is a 1973 Buena Vista college graduate, with a B.A. degree in sociology. She married Rex Wagener in 1973. She is a social worker for Buena Vista County and they live in Storm Lake.
Timothy Lee Henkelman attended Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs for one year. He is employed as a brick layer for Slechta Masonry of Denison. He is married to the former Roxanne Loew.
There are three grandchildren, Travis Wagener and. Robbie and Ryan Henkelman.
ODDS AND ENDS
The 4th of July was celebrated in Vail in 1874 with Township Toasts by J. Dempster of Hayes and John
Hilsabeck of Iowa.
History of Crawford County, published in 1911