Henry H. Sterrenberg

STERRENBERG, HAUPMANN, ALBERTUS

Posted By: Peter Gausmann (email)
Date: 2/7/2010 at 06:45:41

HENRY H. STERRENBERG

Henry H. Sterrenberg, living on section 1, King township, is the owner of one of the valuable and attractive farms of Winnebago county and is prominently known as one of the leading stock raisers, making a specialty of handling thoroughbred Aberdeen-Angus cattle. He was born in Germany, March 20, 1857, and is a son of W. and Kuna (Haupmann) Sterrenberg, who were also natives of that country, where the father followed the occupation of farming throughout his entire life. He passed away in 1911, having long survived his wife, whose death occurred in 1862.

In his youthful days Henry H. Sterrenberg assisted his father in farm work in Germany, there remaining until 1881, when, attracted by the reports which he had heard concerning the opportunities of the new world, he crossed the Atlantic when a young man of twenty-four years. He located in Hardin county, Iowa, and during the second year of his residence at Abbott he engaged in general merchandising, which he followed for seventeen years. He next came to Winnebago county, Iowa, and moved upon a farm of two hundred and forty acres on section 1, King township, which he had previously purchased. To this he has added, extending the boundaries of his farm until it now comprises four hundred and sixteen acres of splendidly improved land. He has continuously and successfully operated his farm and has recently completed one of the finest residences in the county. His farm work has been carried on with notable skill and efficiency, and everything about his place indicates his careful supervision and his practical and progressive methods. His farm is cross-fenced, dividing it into forty acre fields, and it is all tiled, the drainage making his fields very productive. He practices the rotation of crops and utilizes many modern scientific methods of improving his farm. He makes a specialty of handling pure bred Aberdeen Angus cattle, keeps a herd of one hundred and twenty-five head on hand and feeds and ships about two carloads of cattle annually. He also is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company and in the Cooperative Creamery Company of Thompson.

In 1885 Mr. Sterrenberg was united in marriage to Miss Anna Albertus, and to them have been born four children, John, William, Kuna and Henry. Mr. and Mrs. Sterrenberg hold to the Lutheran faith and are generous supporters of the church. His political endorsement is given to the republican party, and while he has never sought nor desired public office, he has served for a number of years as a member of the school board and the cause of education finds in him a stalwart champion. He has never had occasion to regret his determination to try his fortune on this side the Atlantic. He felt that his efforts would not be as hampered in this country as in his native land and he was ambitious to make the best possible use of his time and talents. Gradually he has worked his way upward and each year has marked his advancement in a business way until he now stands as one of the foremost representatives of the farming and stock raising interests of Winnebago county. He enjoys, moreover, the high regard and respect of all with whom he has come in contact, for his business methods have been reliable and he has never taken advantage of the necessity of a fellowman in any commercial transaction.

Source: History of Winnebago County and Hancock County, Iowa: A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement, Vol. II. Pioneer Publishing Company (Chicago), 1917. pp. 507-508.