History of Sac County 
by William H. Hart - 1914

PAEPER, ROBERT J. -----It has always been a noticeable fact that the German people are thriftier than we and that, everything being equal, they, as a rule, become the possessors of property earlier than the young men of other nationalities. This fact need not be wondered at when we come to consider the matter from the proper viewpoint, owing to the fact that the German is more industrious and less extravagant, keeping in mind the authorism that "a dollar saved is a dollar earned." However, he does not necessarily deny himself the necessities of everyday life, and believes in having a good sprinkle of its luxuries, but he has taught himself to get along with less of the so-called good things of the material world than we of the present generation especially. In other words, Americans are better spenders, and it is no credit to us to say that we are, as a rule, not willing to do whatever falls to our lot with equal grace, being inclined to rebel if we cannot secure just the precise line of work that suits our particular fancy, while, on the other hand, the young German coming to this country will work at whatever is honorable in order to get a foot hold in the world.

Robert J. Paeper, the son of Christopher and Caroline (Reno) Paeper was born August 13, 1860, near Berlin, Germany. His father was born in 1831, and died in this county, October 8, 1903. Caroline Reno, the mother of the subject of this review, died in 1868, in Michigan City, Indiana. 

Christopher Paeper and his family came to America in 1861 and first settled at Michigan City, Indiana, where Christopher Paeper secured employment with the Michigan Central railroad, and here the family remained through the war and until after the death of the mother in 1868. Christopher Paeper and his children then moved to Ford county, Illinois, where they lived on a farm owned by his brother for two years. While living here he was married to Mrs. Emma Bishop in the fall of 1872.

The next spring Christopher Paeper and his family came to Sac county, Iowa, where he purchased three hundred and twenty acres in section 2, Richland township, and they lived on this farm until the spring of 1881, when Mr. Paeper sold out and bought one hundred and sixty acres in Douglas township, in section 22. To this tract he added more land from time to time until he was the owner of four hundred acres in the township at the time of his death in 1903. Christopher Paeper was a public-spirited man, was actively identified with the public affairs of his community and served his fellow citizens by filling very creditably several township offices. By his first marriage Christopher had six children: C. A., of Sac County: R. J., whose history is here portrayed; Mrs. Louisa Schumaker, of Sioux county, this state: Caroline and Minnie, both deceased: Mrs. Mary Winkler, of Luverne, Minnesota. To Mr.  Paeper's second marriage there were born four daughters, all of whom are living in Douglas township, Mrs. Emma Henrich, Mrs. August Henrich, Mrs. Anna Larsen and Mrs. Freda Anderson.

Robert T. Paeper was educated in the public schools of Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. Marrying at the age of twenty-three, he at once began to farm for himself and for the first fifteen years rented a farm in this county. He then bought one hundred and twenty acres of land at thirty dollars per acre, and now has this tract well improved in every way and in a condition where it yields satisfactory returns to the owner. He has built a fine residence and barn, as well as installed a system of drainage which has enabled him to raise better and larger crops. His income is largely augmented by the annual sales of his cattle and hogs. In 1913 he raised forty head of Shorthorn cattle for the market, besides a big drove of Chester White hogs. 

Mr. Paeper was married January 12, 1883. to Inez Cole, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Madison Cole, of Douglas township, and to this union have been born five children, all of whom are still at home with their parents.  The oldest son. William, is a farmer of this township, and the other children are Edward H., Roy, Fred and Christopher.

Politically, Mr. Paeper is a Republican and has taken an active part in the affairs of his home township. He has been trustee for two years and was president of the school board for fifteen years. The members of the family are all stanch adherents of the Methodist Episcopal church, to which they give their zealous support. Mr. Paeper is a man who has won the confidence of his neighbors because of his upright dealings and the frank manner in which he conducts all of his business transactions. As a public official he served his constituents well and faithfully, and in every measure which has for its object the public welfare he is always found lending his active support.

PARKINSON, JOSEPH -----An historical volume always has a place of honor for the pioneer settler; to him is due the credit of having braved the hardships which accompany the first hard struggles endured as necessary in the herculean task of wresting a home from out of the vast emptiness of the prairie and paving the way for the influx of immigration which usually follows the advent of the first brave and hardy conquerors of the wilderness. He it was who lived in a board shack for a home, or maybe a dugout, and eked out his existence by hunting and trapping the wild game and lived for months far away from the centers of civilization and at a long distance from neighbors. The pioneer family are of the "salt of the earth" and are deserving of honors and prestige in the community for the noble work accomplished in behalf of restless and every moving humanity. Joseph Parkinson, of the city of Lake View, Sac county, enjoys the distinction of being the oldest pioneer settler in point of years of residence in the county residing in his home town and township.

Mr. Parkinson was born in 1836 at Ramsbottom, Lancashire, England, the son of Lawrence and Fannie (Wolwork) Parkinson. The father of Fannie Wolwork was a fighting soldier in the British army at the time of her birth.

Joseph Parkinson came to America in 1851 and located in Philadelphia.  He was first married at Chester, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, in 1861, to Sarah Dover, a native of England, who was born in 1831. Their children are as follows: John, born at Upland, Pennsylvania, in May 1862, and died in 1895; Mrs. Mary Jane Sherwood, born in Walworth county, Wisconsin, July 6. 1863, and resides in the town of Wall Lake; Mrs. Harriet Sonnichsen, born in Grant county, Wisconsin, in April, 1864, and resides in Wall Lake township; Priscilla, born in Sac county in 1869 and died in 1874; Emma, born in Sac county in 1872 and died of scarlet fever in 1874 (both are buried in the Grant City cemetery); William, born in 1877, residing in Viola township; Frank, born in 1880, lives in Sac county. The mother of these children died in 1882. Her mother was Mary Dover, who had three children, Thomas, Sarah and Mary Ellen. 

Mr. Parkinson's second marriage took place in 1889 with Eliza Birch, a daughter of Henry and Agatha (Troutman) Birch, natives of Germany, who emigrated to America and settled in Ohio in the year 1849. Mrs. Parkinson was born in Springfield, Ohio. To this union have been born the following children: Florence, born January 25, 1890, and died January 29, 1913; Fred, born in 1892 and died when five months of age. 

In the year 1861 Mr. Parkinson was called out by the governor of Pennsylvania to fight for the Union and first drilled in a company of eighty men at Upland, near Chester, under Captain Kirkman. He was mustered into the Fifty-second Regiment, Volunteer Infantry of Pennsylvania, in September of 1861. His nephew, Thomas Parkinson, enlisted in the same company. The call went forth for sixty thousand volunteers from the state of Pennsylvania at this time and it was intended to use this vast array of militia to repel the threatened invasion of the state by the Rebels. Happily the invasion of the state by the Confederate soldiers was forestalled at this time and the company was returned to Upland. 

In 1863 Mr. Parkinson removed to Racine, Wisconsin. In 1864 he moved to a farm in Walworth county and two years later he settled in Grant county, where he and his family resided until 1868. He and a good sized company of emigrants, relatives, friends and neighbors, thirteen in all, set out for Sac county in the spring of 1868 arriving at the old town of Grant City on the 30th day of April, 1868. The party set out from the town of Bloomington, Wisconsin. Accompanying the pioneer were his wife and three eldest children, and a brother and sister as follows : Christopher, whose son Walter is a resident of Lake View, and who was likewise accompanied by his daughter, Elizabeth ; Thomas Nadico Parkinson, who had a son named James. There were also two children in the Dover family included in the party with their parents as fore mentioned. The party left Bloomington on April 16, 1868 and were enclosed in two great "prairie schooners." The trip was uneventful, but was greatly enjoyed by the migrants. Joseph took up some railroad land at a cost of seven dollars an acre, situated at the eastern shores of Wall lake. He sowed five acres to wheat during the first season and received a crop of forty-eight bushels from his five acres. He paid five dollars for the threshing. The family resided in a house owned by George Hicks, of Grant City, during their first year's residence in Sac county. 

In the fall he set about the erection of a log cabin, sixteen by twenty feet in dimension, hauling the logs from Grant City. Under this cabin he excavated a cellar seven feet in depth and walled it up. This served as their place of abode for several years and was later replaced by a larger frame structure. The family resided on this farm until 1900 and then Mr. Parkinson and his faithful wife retired to a pretty cottage in Lake View for a well-earned rest in their remaining years. He disposed of two hundred acres of his land in October, 1911, at an excellent price and then invested in a farm of one hundred and twenty acres located four miles south of Sac City. He is also the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of good land in Saskatchewan, Canada, near the city of Watson.

Politically, this well respected pioneer citizen has generally been allied with the Republican party, and has served as a member of the school board.  His good wife is a member of the Congregational church and they both are known for their deep religious convictions and as upright moral members of the community in which they reside and are universally respected and loved.

PERKINS, GEORGE B. -----Banking is well considered the highest of our commercial occupations.  No institutions have contributed more to the development and building of the West than the banking concerns. The banks of Sac City without extensions are bulwarks of strength and stability and have been the mainstay and support of the city and the rich farming community around about in important ways. The First National Bank, of which Mr. Perkins is the official head, takes first rank among the banking concerns of the county. To be the titular head of such an important financial concern calls for ability of a high order and attainments such as will command the respect of similar institutions and the patrons of the bank. The president of the First National Bank of Sac City, while yet a young man in years, carries easily and in a dignified manner the responsibilities engendered by the importance of his duties. His ability is unquestioned; while reserved to a certain degree, Mr.  Perkins, by virtue of his education and attainments, and through possessing a pronounced aptitude for the banking business, has achieved a primary success in his chosen field.

George B. Perkins, president of the First National Bank of Sac City, is a native of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where he was born August 11, 1874, the son of George and Emeline M. ( Larrabee ) Perkins. His father, George Perkins, was born in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, May 8, 1820, and died May 3, 1906. George, Sr., was the son of Francis Perkins, whose wife was Rebecca Sherman, both being natives of Pennsylvania. The father of Francis Perkins was Jacob Perkins. Francis and his wife Amy were likewise natives of the same state.

It is thus seen that the family resided in Pennsylvania from a very early day and the ancestors were numbered among the pioneers and builders of the great commonwealth whose people have been such important factors in the settlement and development of the Middle West and the Western states.

Emeline Larrabee, mother of George P. Perkins, was born February 9, 1837, in the state of Connecticut, and was the daughter of Adam and Hannah Gallup ( Lester ) Larrabee, descendants of old New England families The father of Adam Larrabee was Frederick, who took for his helpmeet Abigail Allen, of Connecticut. Frederick Larrabee was the son of Timothy and Abigail (Wood) Larrabee.. The beginning of the Larrabee and Wood families has been traced to the year 1730. The names, Larrabee, Lester, Allen and Wood figure prominently in the genealogical records of the state of Connecticut and the descendants are numerous throughout the length and breadth of the United States.

George Perkins, Sr., like many New Englanders of the letter class, was well educated and early fitted himself for the practice of the legal profession.  Believing rightly that the West offered a more attractive field for the exercise of his talents in this respect, he removed, when yet a young man, to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and soon became one of the prominent and commanding figures of this growing community. The office of probate or county judge was conferred upon him by his fellow citizens and he served the people in this important capacity for a period of twelve years in succession.  He also filled the office of district attorney in a capable and able manner. He was twice married. By his first marriage there were two children: Abbie, deceased, and Nellie (Gerpheide), who resides in Michigan. By his second marriage, with Emeline Larrabee, there were born and reared four children: Lester deceased; George B., of whom we are writing; Frances G., who resides with her mother in the old homestead at Fond du Lac, Wisconsin ; Jedediah B., of Fond du Lac.

George B. Perkins, with whom this narrative is directly concerned, received his early education in the public schools of his native city. He, too, learning of the opportunities which presented themselves to young men of ability and determination in the newer and richer country to the westward, became imbued with the idea of moving onward across the great state of Iowa, as many of the people of his neighborhood had done before him. Accordingly, he set out for Sac City to try his fortunes in the growing and beautiful town on the banks of the Coon river. He sought and immediately obtained employment, on his arrival in July, 1896, in the Sac County State Bank. He remained with this concern in the capacity of bookkeeper, until February, 1901. when he resigned his position to take up his duties as clerk of the district court, to which important office he had been elected in the fall of 1900. He was again re-elected to fill the office in 1902 and served in all for a period of four years. He performed his duties in this public capacity in a manner to justify the confidence imposed in him by his fellow citizens.  At the conclusion of his four-year term as a public official he became connected with the First National Bank as president. Aside from his banking duties he has dealt extensively in Sac county and Iowa lands, and still handles considerable farm lands. Mr. Perkins keeps closely in touch with the farming interests of his adopted county and has a wide and favorable acquaintance among the prosperous agricultural population of the neighboring territory. It is his diversion to serve as clerk of various farm sales which are continually taking place in the territory contiguous to Sac City. He is active in civic affairs in a kindest and unassuming way and is ever ready to lend a helping hand in matters which have an important bearing on the public welfare and the upbuilding of his home city.

Mr. Perkins is a Republican in politics and was mayor of Sac City in 1906. He was an alternate delegate to the Republican national convention in 1908 at Chicago. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and is a leading Mason. He holds a membership in the Sac City blue lodge of Masons and the Rose Croix Chapter, and Commandery No. 38. Knights Templar, of Sac City, of which he is the present commander. 

Mr. Perkins was united in marriage with Lola May Early in June, 1899. His wife is the daughter of Judge D. Carr Early, one of the important figures in the pioneer and subsequent decades of the annals of Sac county. A considerable chapter is devoted elsewhere to the life and accomplishments of Judge Early in the pages of this volume. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Perkins: George Early, who was born March 8, 1900: Miriam Larrabee, who was born March 8, 1901; Eloise Loraine, born March 19, 1914.

Mrs. Perkins is one of Sac City's most talented and estimable women and is active in church, social and club life. She is native born to Sac county and received her primary education in the Sac City high school, after which she studied for three years in Drake University, pursuing a musical and commercial course, and then, continuing her studies in Philadelphia, she graduated from the National School of Education. She graduated from Neff College of Philadelphia and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. She made a tour of Europe with a company of young ladies and studied for two years in the Mmle. Tribou Finishing School for Young Ladies in Paris and became a proficient linguist in the French language. Returning home from her studies abroad, she was prevailed upon to give private lessons in French to Sac City students and was offered a position as French instructor in her alma mater of Neff College and was offered the position of teacher of foreign languages, especially French, in Drake University. Home life appeals to her in its truest sense and she is active in the social doings of the community in which she has spent her life from childhood.

PETERSMEYER, AUGUST C.  -----In every community are to be found individuals who, by reason of pronounced ability and forceful personality, rise superior to the majority and command the homage of their fellows who, by revealing to the world the two resplendent virtues, perseverance in effort and directing purpose, never fail to attain positions of honor and trust and become in the full sense of the many leaders of men. Of this class is the well-known gentleman and success fill grain merchant whose name appears above, a man who ranks among the leading citizens of Odebolt, and who for a number of years has borne an influential part in the affairs of the city and county in which he resides. 

A. C. Petersmeyer, a prosperous grain merchant of Odebolt, was born November 21, 1863, in Lake county, Indiana. He is the son of Frederick and Caroline (Saak) Petersmeyer, both of whom were natives of Germany.  Frederick Petersmeyer was born in about 1825 in Germany and came to America when a young man, settling in Lake county, Indiana. Here he followed the trade of a carpenter until after his marriage, when he became a farmer. In 1871 he came to Sac county and bought land. The following spring he brought his family to this county and in a few years was a farmer of means and influence in Richland township. He added to his land holdings from time to time until he had four hundred and eighty acres at the time of his death, in 1900. In 1886 he moved to Odebolt, where he spent his declining days. His wife died in 1910. Frederick Petersmeyer and wife were the parents of fourteen children: Caroline, the deceased wife of Henry Frevert; Henry W., of Los Angeles, California, who has large land interests in Canada; Mrs. Flora Walter, of Vaughn, Montana; August C, with whom this narrative deals; Fred W., of Hillsboro, South Dakota; Mrs. Sophia Searight, of Odebolt; Mrs. Emma Cook, of Pipestone, Minnesota; Doctor William, of Ashton, Illinois; Edward, of Oklahoma City; Mrs. Lydia Roland, whose husband is employed as roadmaster for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad ; Lillian, who is employed in Davidson's department store in Sioux City; Clare, of Odebolt; Alvin, who died in 1890, and one child, which died in infancy.

A. C. Petersmeyer received his education in Lake county, Indiana, and Sac county, Iowa. He also received a commercial course at the German-English College at Galena, Illinois. He remained with his father on the farm until 1889, when he came to Odebolt and engaged in the grain business. He has been remarkably successful in this line of work. He and his brother, H.  W. Petersmeyer, established the business in 1890, and since 1902 A. C. has had the entire ownership of the business, the present capacity of the storage plant is seventy thousand bushels, and in 1910 an addition was built to increase this capacity. The annual shipment of grain includes from forty to seventy-five car loads of corn, seventy-five to a hundred car loads of popcorn and forty to seventy-five car loads of oats. Mr. Petersmeyer also maintains a seed distributing house. The popcorn is the great crop, and he employs three men to handle this part of his business. His plant now represents an investment of over twenty-five thousand dollars. While engaged primarily in the grain business, he also buys livestock and ships annually from fifty to seventy-five car loads of hogs.

Mr. Petersmeyer was married June 11, 1896, to Wilhelmina Meyer, a native of Missouri, and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Meyer. Henry Meyer was born in Germany and came to America when a young man and located in Missouri. In 1894 he came to Odebolt, where he is now residing.  Politically, Mr. Petersmeyer is a Republican, but owing to his heavy interests, he has never had the time to indulge in the game of politics. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church and give to it freely of their means. Mr. Petersmeyer's record has been one replete with duty well done. He has been an advocate of wholesome living and a believer in clean politics, and has always stood for the highest and best interests of his community.

PETERSMEYER, FRED W. -----It is a well authenticated fact that success comes as the result of legitimate and well applied energy unflagging determination and perseverance in a course of action when once decided upon. She is never known to smile upon the idler or dreamer and she never courts the loafer, only the men who have diligently sought her favor being crowned with her blessings. In tracing the history of the influential farmer and representative citizen of Sac county, Iowa, whose name forms the caption of this review, it is plainly seen that the prosperity which he enjoys has been won by commendable qualities and it is also his personal worth that has gained for him the high esteem of those who know him.

Fred W. Petersmeyer, one of the prosperous farmers and substantial citizens of Sac county, Iowa, was born in Lake county, Indiana, June 7, 1867. His parents were Frederick Wilhelm and Caroline Petersmeyer a sketch of whose history may be found elsewhere in this volume. In 1872 the Petersmeyer family moved to Sac county, locating in Richland township, where F. W., whose history is here set forth, was reared and educated. 

At the age of twenty-one he began farming for himself. Although he was beyond school age. he attended school for a few winters after reaching the age of twenty-one. This shows a striking characteristic of Mr. Petersmeyer and one which has determined his whole career.  In 1892 Mr. Petersmeyer went to Cherokee county, Iowa, and engaged in farms in that county for the next Five years. He then returned to Odebolt. in this county, and worked in the grain elevator and also operated a threshing outfit during the summers of 1908, 1909 and 1910, and in 1910 got approval of the land and homestead claim, living upon it for several years, proving his claim, finally got a patent and now owns nine hundred and sixty acres of excellent land in that state. In 1910 he returned to Odebolt and shortly afterward went to North Dakota with another threshing outfit.  He spent the winter of 1913-14 in Odebolt, and in the spring of 1914 returned to North Dakota to resume threshing and farm work. 

Mr. Petersmeyer was married in 1893 to Hulda Rasmus, who died two years later, leaving him one daughter, Edna, who is now a trained nurse in the Henrotin Memorial Hospital, Chicago. Mr. Petersmeyer has never remarried. In politics he is independent, but is naturally progressive in his tendencies. He favors good government and is not particular which party administers it. He is not a regular member of any church, yet he attends the Methodist Episcopal church and contributes to its support liberally. He is a man who has worked all of his life and has always borne his share in the life of the community in which he lives. He has many warm friends who admire him for his many good qualities.

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