My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in the book, The History of Clark County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1887.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

* * * *

Jacob Dewald, farmer, was born February 24, 1849, in Rhenish Prussia, one of eleven children of Henry and Catherine (Back) Dewald, both natives of Germany. When our subject was six years old they crossed the Atlantic, and settled at Keokuk, Iowa. The father worked at his trade of shoemaking there until his death in 1857; the mother still survives him, and is living with our subject. The latter began for himself at ten years of age, in Clark County, doing anything he could find, and was thus deprived of an education. At the age of seventeen he rented a farm in Lewis County, and two years later returned to Clark County, where he farmed about five years. He next bought a farm in Lee County, Iowa, and continued there six years. He then returned, and soon after bought his present farm, which is one of the finest estates in the region. It embraces 140 acres of bottom land, and has a fine residence. In spite of his being scarcely able to read, and entirely deficient in writing, he has succeeded remarkably. He first voted for Tilden, and still holds to that political faith.

* * * *

This family biography is one of 232 biographies included in the Clark County, Missouri portion of the book,  The History of Lewis, Clark, Knox and Scotland Counties, Missouri published in 1887.  For the complete description, click here: Clark County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

View additional Clark County, Missouri family biographies here: Clark County, Missouri Biographies

Use the links at the top right of this page to search or browse thousands of other family biographies.