Notizen zu dieser Person
WILLIAM KNAAK A self-made man and one of the most progressive of his community is found in the person of William Knaak, who owns and occupies a fine farm in section 6, Lake township, Cerro Gordo county, Iowa. Mr. Knaak was born June 14, 1850, fifty miles from Berlin, Germany, son of Christian and Charlotta (Tech) Knaak, both of whom came to this county and passed the later years in the home of William Knaak, where they died, the father in 1884, at the age of sixty-four years ; the mother, February 15, 1899, at the age of seventy-seven years. In their family was one other child, a daughter, Amelia, now the wife of Fred Schmidt, of Clear Lake , Iowa . In his native land Mr. Knaak received a common school education, and after the removal of the family to this country and their settlement in Detroit , he began working at the carpenter's trade. That was in 1870. He soon mastered the trade and engaged in contracting and building, and was thus occupied when the panic of 1873-4 came on. The brought about a change in the plans and operation. In April, 1874, he came to Cerro Gordo county, Iowa, and bought forty acres of land in section 8, Lake township, of which he settled won to farm. This land he improved from the wild state and cultivated until 1884, when he sold it, and with the proceeds purchased eighty acres of his present farm, then untouched by the plough. Subsequently he made other purchases of land until he now owns two hundred and eighty acres in Lake township and one hundred and sixty acres in Lincoln township, the former being the home farm, which is improved with two sets of buildings. He has a large, modern home ; a barn, thirty-six by one hundred and twelve feet in dimensions ; a double crib, thirty-two by sixty-four feet, with solid concrete floors and foundation, besides feed sheds, hog houses and numerous other farm buildings—all his own work. Since 1883 he has been feeding and shipping cattle and hogs, handling annually about one hundred head, which he ships to the Chicago market, always going himself with the shipment to Chicago . And while Mr. Knaak has for years carried on extensive operation in farming and stock raising, he has not confined himself to these. From time to time he has identified himself with other enterprises. He is a director, and adjustor for eight counties, of both the Iowa Mutual Tornado Insurance Company and the Town Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and is a director of the Cerro Gordo Farm Co-operative Creamery Company at Clear Lake , of which, for seven years, he was president. In 1904 he erected the postoffice building in Clear Lake , a modern, two-story, brick structure, the only fireproof building in the town. For years he has been prominently identified with the Cerro Gordo Fair Association, in which he is a director and superintendent of cattle. Fraternally, Mr. Knaak has membership in various organizations in Clear Lake, including the F. and A. M., the K. of P., the M. W. A., Yeomen, and M. B. A. Politically he has been a life-long Republican, active and enthusiastic in the work for the party, serving as a committeeman and as delegate to various conventions. For ten years he has served as school treasurer. All this is without a knowledge of its language, and who by his own efforts, beginning with the first reader, without a teacher, acquired a usage of English. In the summer of 1910 he and his wife made a visit to the old home in Germany . Mr. Knaak married, August 18, 1872 , Miss Wilhemina Trebesch, who was born in Germany , November 28, 1849 , a daughter of Frederick and Christiana (Zone) Trebesch. The Trebesch family came to the United States in 1872 and settled at Detroit, Michigan, where her parents died, the father in 1884, at the age of sixty years ; her mother in 1890, at the age of seventy. To Mr. and Mrs. Knaak have been given six children, namely : Herman, at home ; Annie, wife of Herman Buss, of Clear Lake, Iowa ; Matilda, wife of Frank Tesene, of Lake township ; Hulda, at home ; Flora, wife of William Schmoll, of Lake township ; and Frances, at home.
Sebastian
Masch
