Brown County MN Archives Biographies.....Forster, John H. 1873 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 November 23, 2014, 11:01 pm

Source: See Below
Author: L. A. Fritsche

JOHN H. FORSTER.

    John H. Forster, well-known furniture dealer and undertaker at New Ulm, is a
native son of Brown county, having been born on a farm in Sigel township,
September 10, 1873, son of Carl and Barbara (Steiner) Forster, both natives of
Austria, for years prominent farming people of this county, whose last days were
spent in comfortable retirement in New Ulm.

    Carl Forster was born in Austria, son of Martin and Margaret (Forster)
Forster, who though bearing the same surnames were no blood relation to each
other, and who emigrated with their family from that country to the United
States, locating first in Wisconsin and then coming to Minnesota and settling in
Brown county, where both spent the remainder of their lives, Martin Forster
having been eighty-seven years of age at the time of his death. They were the
parents of five children, namely: Mrs. Mary Hacker, of New Ulm; Carl, father of
the immediate subject of this biographical sketch; Mrs. Theresa Scharenbroich,
of St. Cloud, this state; Mrs. Katie Federspiel, of Racine, Wisconsin, and Mrs.
Anna Backus.

    Carl Forster was thirteen years old when he came to America with his
parents, who settled at Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and there he grew to manhood and
acquired a com-mon-school education. In that city he married Barbara Steiner,
who also was born in Austria, daughter of Albert Steiner and wife, who came to
America and settled in the Manitowoc neighborhood, where they spent the rest of
their lives on a farm. Albert Steiner and wife were the parents of three
children, John, Mrs. Anna Kulneck and Barbara. After his marriage Carl Forster
became a farmer and was thus engaged in the vicinity of Manitowoc until 1868, in
which year he came to Minnesota and settled in Brown county. He bought a farm of
two hundred and seven acres in Sigel township and there established his family,
quickly becoming recognized as one of the leading men in that community. In
their later years Carl Forster and wife retired from the farm and moved to New
Ulm, where the former died on December 17,1913, at the age of seventy-four
years, and the latter, January 26,1910, aged sixty-one. Both were earnest
members of the Catholic church and their children were reared in that faith.
There were eight of these children, as follow: Mrs. Henry Seifert, of New Ulm;
George P., of Springfield, this county, Charles A., deceased; John H. the
subject of this sketch; Frank, who occupies the old family homestead in Sigel
township; Albert died in 1910 in Canada; Mrs. Rose Gaag, of Minneapolis, and a
daughter who died in infancy.

     John H. Forster was reared on the old home farm in Sigel township,
attending both the public and the parochial schools, upon the completion of
which elementary course, when he was sixteen years old, he went to Sleepy Eye,
this county, and there learned the harness-making trade, following the same for
four years. He then entered a business college at Minneapolis and there took a
comprehensive course in commercial forms after which he returned to New Ulm and
for three years was engaged as a harness-maker there in the store of August
Quense, at the end of which time he bought the Quense establishment and
conducted the same for four years. Then selling out the harness business, he
bought an interest in the furniture and undertaking establishment of his
brother, Charles, at New Ulm, and one year later, in 1901, bought his brother's
interest in the same and since then has conducted the business alone, being the
proprietor of one of the most extensive and completely equipped establishments
of this character hereabout. Mr. Forster's establishment occupies three floors
and he carries a large and first-class line of goods in the furniture line,
while the undertaking department is conducted along the most modern lines
approved by up-to-date funeral directors.

     On February 1, 1898, John H. Forster was united in marriage to Anna Amann,
who was born in the state of Illinois, daughter of Andreas and Catherine (Sturm)
Amann, the former a native of German and the latter of this county, who were the
parents of six children, namely: John, of Sleepy Eye, this county; Anna, who
married Mr. Forster; Benjamin, Lucy, Adelaide and Martin, the latter of whom is
deceased.

     To John H. and Anna (Amann) Forster twelve children have been born: Lucy,
Adelaide, Hugo, Rosa, Harold, Marcella, Elfretta, Marguerite, Marie, Helen,
Grace and Alma. Mr. and Mrs. Forster are members of the Catholic church and take
a warm interest in parish affairs. They also are concerned in the general good
work of the community and are held in high regard by their many friends. Mr.
Forster is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Order of Foresters
and the St. Joseph Society, in the affairs of which he takes an active interest.
He is a Democrat and takes a good citizen's part in political affairs, though
not an office seeker.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:
HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY MINNESOTA
ITS PEOPLE, INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS

L. A. FRITSCHE. M. D.
Editor

With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records
of Many of the Old Families

VOLUME II
B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana


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