BIOGRAPHY: Greusel, Nicholas
From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875

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	Colonel NICHOLAS GREUSEL. – This gentleman, a resident of Mount Pleasant, 
Iowa, is a native of Bavaria, Germany, where he was born July 4, 1817.  He immigrated to 
America with his parents and nine brothers and sisters in the Spring of 1834.  The paternal 
funds being exhausted upon their arrival in New York, young Nicholas was informed that 
he must earn his own support.  Unable to speak a word of English, he started out to seek 
employment and fortunately first made application to the widow of Nicholas Fish, mother 
of the present Secretary of State, Hamilton Fish, who took great interest in him and taught 
him to read and write.  The following Spring he removed to Detroit, where he was 
engaged in milling until the breaking of the Mexican war, when he enlisted, and was 
commissioned a captain in the 1st Michigan Infantry Volunteers, and served until the 
close of the war, when he returned home and engaged in the lumbering business, which 
he followed, except about one year, during which time he held the office of Inspector 
General of Lumber for the state, until the Fall of 1837, when he was broken up and left 
without a dollar.  He then removed to Chicago, and was in the employ of the Chicago, 
Burlington and Quincy Railroad Company, until the Spring of 1861, when raising a 
company, he was chosen major and afterwards promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 
7th Illinois Infantry Volunteers.  After serving some three months, he was appointed by 
Governor Yates, colonel of the 37th Illinois, with which regiment he remained, excepting 
what time he was in command of a brigade, until February 7, 1863, when he was 
honorably discharged.