Henry H. Hagensick who has long been a prominent citizen of Elkader, is President of the Elkader State Bank, and when the town was incorporated he had the honor of becoming the first Mayor, which post he held until declining further renomination. For a period of fiteen years he also served most successfully as Township Clerk, and has taken an active part in all movements calculated to benefit the general public and his fellow-townsmen.

The birth of our subject occurred in St. Louis, Mo., May 12, 1854. His father, J.M. Hagensick was a native of Bavaria, who set sail for America in 1854, coming by way of New Orleans, and thence up the Mississippi to St. Louis. After a short stay in that city he proceeded to Clayton county, and settling in Garnavillo, engaged in his trade of blacksmithing for several years. In 1860 he removed to a point five miles south of Garnavillo, and having been appinted Postmaster of Ceres, held that position until the summer of 1894, when he resigned on account of poor health. He received his appointment from Lincoln, and satisfactorily filled the place for thirty-four years. He still makes his home in Ceres, being now sixty-eight years of age. One of the pioneers of Clayton County, he has been prominent in its upbuilding and has held many township offices. In politics he votes with the Democratic party, and personally he is a man of worthy characteristics, being upright and honorable in all his dealings. His wife, who was also a native of Bavaria, bore the maiden name of Margaret Frosch, and her death occurred in this county in 1861.

Henry H., of this sketch, spent his boyhood in this county, receiving a good common-school education. He was only seven years old when death deprived him of his loving mother's care, and ten years later he started out to make his own way in the world. He soon found employment with Joe Eiboeck, who was editor of the Clayton County Journal, and worked with him in his printing office for three months, at the end of which time he was obliged to give up the business, as he fund his health was unable to stand the close confinement incident to that trade. He was next a clerk with the firm of F.D. Bayless & Co. with whom he remained until 1877. Being industrious and thrifty he managed regularly to lay aside a portion of his earnings, which he carefully saved and was thereby enabled to purchase a one-half interest in the store in the last mentioned year. The firm then became known as Bayless & Hagensick, which it has continued up to the present time. they carry a full line of drugs and medicines, and fancy and staple groceries, and have one of the leading stores in the place, their trade coming from far and near.

In 1875 our subject was married to Miss Jane Dresser, whose nativity occurred in Allamakee County, where her father, Calvin Dresser, was one of the early settlers. Two sons have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hagensick, Frank D. and Roy, who are attending school in this city.

In October, 1892, when the Elkader State Bank was organized, our subject was made President of the same; D.D. Murphy, Vice-President and H.G. McGaharen, Cashier. Among the Directors are, F.D. Bayless, F.J. Uriell, J.J. Kann, Ole Johnson and P.J. Cain. This bank does a general banking business, and is favoribly rated among the similar institutions of the country. In politics Mr. Hagensick is a stanch democrat, and fraternally is a member of Elkader Lodge No. 304, I.O.O.F., Lodge No. 2, K.P. and a charter member of Modern Woodmen of America.

~source: Portrait and Biographical Record of Dubuque, Jones and Clayton Counties; Chicago: Chapman Pub. Co., 1894; pg. 298
-transcribed by Sharyl Ferrall

John G. Hagensick, who so ably and capably fills the position of Postmaster at Elkader, has been a resident of Clayton County for about forty years, and almost his entire life has been connected with the history of this locality. The birth of our subject occurred in the Province of Bavaria, Germany, in 1848 and his boyhood up to the age of seven years was passed in his native land. At that time with his parents, J.M. and Margaret Hagensick, he bade adieu to the scenes of his youth and set sail for the United States.

Soon after the arrival of the parents in New York City, they continued their westward journey, the father buying land and becoming a well-to-do farmer of Clatyon County. His son, our subject, received good educational advantages, attending the common schools of the neighborhood, and began to earn his own livelihood in the service of J.L. Hagensick, a merchant in the town of Reed, this county. For one year he remained in that position, at the end of which time he went to Garnavillo, where he worked in the employ of William H. Thome.

The next venture of Mr. Hagensick was to go to Detroit, Mich., where he obtained employment in the sash and door factory and later in the same line of business engaged at Port Huron, Mich. Altogether he followed various occupations in that state during a period of twelve years, when he returned to this county, and at Garnavillo embarked in business for himself as a cigar manufacturer until May, 1881. He then came to this city, being engaged in the same business until October, 1893, when he was appointed by President Cleveland to be Postmaster at this point, and as such he has served satisfactorily since.

While residing in Detroit, Mich., Mr. Hagensick was united in marriage in February, 1877, to Miss Charlotte Karp. The lady is a native of the Buckeye State, and is a daughter of John Karp, formerly a business man of Detroit. A son and daughter have come to bless the home of our subject and wife, their names being respectively, Martin G. and Lottie. The family has a pleasant and commodious home in Elkader and they move in the best social circles of the place, numbering many warm friends in the community where they live.

On political questions Mr. Hagensick is a loyal and devoted adherent to the Democratic party, with which he has been affiliated since attaining his majority. In the discharge of the duties pertaining to his position as Postmaster he is courteous and faithful, thereby making friends and deserving the praise which is unstintedly bestowed upon him. Socially he is a member of Elkader Lodge No. 304, I.O.O.D., also a member of Lodge No. 110, A.O.U.W.

~source: Portrait and Biographical Record of Dubuque, Jones and Clayton Counties; Chicago: Chapman Pub. Co., 1894; pg. 398-401
-transcribed by Sandi Coobs

John Hagensick. Few of the agriculturists of Clayton County are better known than the subject of this biographical sketch, who is a resident of Boardman Township and is there engaged in cultivating the soil and raising a good grade of stock. His finely improved farm contains three hundred and twenty acres, and is supplied with all the comforts that are to be found upon any first-class estate. In addition to this property he also owns a sixty-acre tract, so that his entire landed possessions aggregate three hundred and eighty acres.

A native of Germany, the subject of this notice was born on the 27th of April, 1839, being a son of Christopher and Eva (Beringer) Hagensick, both of whom were born in the same province of Germany as himself. The family emigrated to the United States in 1851 and at once came to Clayton County, Iowa, where they for a time rented farm land. Later they took up land from the Government. They passed their remaining years on this place, where the father died at the age of eighty-four years, and the mother at the age of seventy. Their children numbered eight, of whom six are living at the present time.

When the family came to America our subject was about twelve years old, and he grew to manhood upon the home farm amid primeval surroundings, for at that time very few improvements had been made in the now prosperous and well improved county. In 1862 he journeyed westward to Colorado and also visited other western states and territories, spending six or seven years in that portion of the country and being variously employed in the meantime. Returning from the west he resumed farm work, at which he has since been engaged. He was thirty-two years old when he chose a helpmate and companion, his union being with Miss Minnie Bedoe, whose parents, Frederick and Anna Bedoe, were among the early settlers of Clayton County. Mrs. Bedoe still lives here, but Mr. Bedoe died in Read Township about two years ago. There have been born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Hagensick six daughters and four sons, all of whom are living with the exception of the eldest son, who died at the age of eighteen years.

Shortly after his marriage, Mr. Hagensick purchased from his father the old homestead, upon which he continued to engage in mixed farming until about 1884, when he disposed of the property and bought three hundred and twenty acres constituting his present estate. In his business enterprises he is keen and sagacious, and in addition to other landed and moneyed interests is a stockholder in a bank. He is well-to-do in this world's goods and the prosperity he has gained is richly deserved, for it has been acquired by his own indefatigable exertions, seconded by the counsel and active co-operation of his estimable wife. He has never mingled actively in politics, but believes in the principles of the Democratic party, which he uniformly supports. With his family he belongs to the Lutheran Church, the services of which he regularly attends, and the good works of which he aids by contributing of his means and time to their support.

~source: Portrait and Biographical Record of Dubuque, Jones and Clayton Counties; Chicago: Chapman Pub. Co., 1894; pgs. 471-472
-transcribed by Becky Teubner