Wapello County IA Archives Biographies.....Kitterman, Samuel 1845 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 July 6, 2013, 10:57 pm

Source: See Below
Author: S. J. Clarke, Publisher

SAMUEL KITTERMAN.

Deeds of valor have been the theme of song and story throughout the ages. The
world instinctively pays deference to the man who is willing to risk his life
for the principles in which he believes. Among the veterans of the Civil war now
living in Ottumwa is Samuel Kitterman, who was a lad of but fifteen years when
he offered his services to the government, and on various hotly contested battle
fields he gave evidence of his loyal support to the stars and stripes. In days
of peace he made farming his life work until a recent date, when he retired from
business, and is now enjoying well earned rest.

Mr. Kitterman was born December 31, 1845, in Bureau county, Illinois, while his
parents were en route to Iowa from Perry county, Indiana. In June, 1846, they
arrived in Wapello county and Samuel Kitterman has since made his home within
its borders. His father, Henry Kitterman, was a native of Virginia and a son of
Peter Kitterman, a native of Germany. He in turn was a son of Justice Kitterman.
It was the grandfather of our subject who became the founder of the family in
the new world. When a young man he crossed the Atlantic to the United States
with his two brothers, but later returned to Germany and had to serve his time
in the army. He then came again to the United States and did military duty as a
defender of American interests in the War of 1812. He died in Floyd county,
Virginia, in 1824, having for thirty-four years been a resident of the new
world, the date of his arrival in the United States being 1790. He married a
lady who was a relative, and they became the parents of five sons and two
daughters. Henry Kitterman, born in Virginia, removed westward to Indiana in
pioneer times and in that state was married to Abigail Inlaw, who was born in
Indiana. By a former marriage he had three children, while ten were born to his
second union. His wives were sisters, the elder being Betsy Inlaw. Following her
demise he wedded Abigail Inlaw, who passed away in Wapello county in 1876. Henry
Kitterman went to Kansas, where he died about 1871. He was not only an
enterprising farmer, but was also a good mechanic, displaying skill especially
in working in wood or leather. He made everything which he needed in the line of
wood and iron implements and his ingenuity was of great worth in the pioneer
districts where settlers had to depend largely upon their own resources for all
the comforts and conveniences they had. Of the children of Henry Kitterman eight
sons and three daughters are now living. Philip T., a resident of Tracy, Iowa,
and Mary Jane, the wife of Joseph West of Winlock, Washington, were born of the
first marriage. Another son of the first marriage, Middleton, died in 1858 when
a young man. The children of the second marriage were: Samuel; Henry, who died
at the age of two years; James Henry, who served for more than two years as a
member of Company F, Seventh Iowa Infantry in the Civil war and is now living in
Elk county, Kansas; George W., who was also a member of Company F, Seventh Iowa
Infantry, .and now makes his home in Muskegon, Michigan; Christopher C., of
Chicago; Lydia Ann, the wife of Grant Clark of Creston; Elias, of Elk county,
Kansas; Jerome B., a resident of Chillicothe, Iowa; Abraham Lincoln, of Geddes,
South Dakota, and Hettie, living in Los Angeles, California.

Samuel Kitterman, brought to Wapello county in his infancy, was here reared upon
the home farm. He listened to the talk of war before the outbreak of the
rebellion and watched the progress of events following the opening of
hostilities. At length his patriotic spirit could no longer be fettered by farm
duties and on the 17th of December, 1861, he enlisted as a member of Company F,
Seventh Iowa Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of the
war, or for three years and seven months, having veteranized at Pulaski,
Tennessee. He enlisted when he was fifteen years of age, and while at the front
he participated in the battles of Shiloh and Corinth, Mississippi, in many
skirmishes and in the siege of Atlanta. On the 22d of July, 1864, he was in the
engagement at Atlanta on that side of the army where McPherson fell at Lay's
Ferry. In eighteen minutes there the command lost seventy-two men out of three
hundred who had responded for duty. Mr. Kitterman was with Sherman all the way
through to Raleigh, North Carolina, and then on to Washington, where he
participated in the Grand Review, the most celebrated military pageant ever seen
in the western hemisphere. Thousands of victorious Union soldiers marched
through the streets of the capital and passed before the reviewing stand, where
the president welcomed the returning Union forces. After the war Mr. Kitterman
engaged in cradling wheat, and following his marriage, which occurred in 1868,
he resided for one year in Monroe county upon a rented farm, but on the
expiration of that period he returned to Wapello county and settled on Fremont
Road, seven and a half miles north of the city. He there engaged in farming
until 1908, and is still the owner of that tract of land of eighty acres, which
he brought to a high state of development and improvement. He now makes his home
with his son, S. A. Kitterman, in Ottumwa.

On the 20th of February, 1868, Mr. Kitterman was united in marriage to Miss Mary
O. Wilson, who was born in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and on coming
to the west settled first in Delaware county, Iowa. About the close of the war
her parents removed with their family to Wapello county, and here Mrs. Kitterman
passed away in December, 1907, her, death being deeply regretted by all who knew
her. Seven children were born of that marriage: Jennie May, now the wife of
Philip Martin of Ottumwa; John H., of Willamina, Oregon; George Grant, a
resident of Ottumwa; Samuel Ansel, of this city; Mrs. Ola A. Young, of Ottumwa;
Oren Alexander, of Niobrara, Nebraska; and Alta R., the wife of C. E. Abrams of
Montana. All of the children were born on the home farm in Richland township.

Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Kitterman has given his
political support to the republican party, and he has held the office of
constable and justice of the peace. He has also been a school director in
Richland township for nine years and believes that the schools should keep in
touch with the progress of the times. He is a member of the Presbyterian church,
of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the subordinate lodge and encampment of
Odd Fellows. A review of his life displays many sterling traits of character,
not the least of which is his loyalty to his country and his loyalty to duty at
all times. He has ever been faithful in friendship, and he enjoys the high
regard of his fellowtownsmen, among whom he has now lived for almost three score
years and ten.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:
HISTORY OF WAPELLO COUNTY IOWA
ILLUSTRATED
VOLUME II
CHICAGO
THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1914


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