Biography:  John A. STELLPFLUG, LaCrosse Co., Wisconsin

Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archivesby Dale Ebersold [ebersold@bestonline.net] USGenWeb NOTICE:  In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogy information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercialentities, as long as this message remains on all copied material.These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profitor presentation by other organizations.Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposesother than as stated above, must contact the submitter or the listedUSGenWeb archivist.-------------------------------------------------------------------------JOHN A. STELLPFLUG, who resides on section 29, Gale township, is a representative of one of the pioneer families of Trempealeau County.His father, John Stellpflug, was born in Prussia in 1797, and wasreared to the occupation of a farmer and shepherd, as is the customin the agricultural regions of that country; he also served his time in time in the Prussian army.  He was twice married, his first wife being Mary Rokus, who died in Germany, leaving three sons, the eldest of whom, Herman, came to America in 1845, the first of the family who came to the United States.  Louis, the second son, came to this country with his father.  He was married in Louisiana, after which he lived a number of years and died leaving a family, who removed after the father's death to Louisiana.  The third of three sons, Christian, learned the trade of a harness-maker in Germany, and came to America with his father.  He also died in this country, leaving a family; his widow is now also deceased.  The father remarried in Germany, his second wife being Elizabeth Luoir, to whom three sons were born before the family left Germany.  John A. was the eldest; Francis, now a merchant of the city of La Crosse; Clements, a resident of Gale township, was born on the ocean in the passage to America.In 1845 Mr. Stellpflug, Sr., emigrated to America with his family, their objective point being Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which they reached in due time.  There they continued to reside until 1854, when, having sold the farm in Washington county, the family started Westward with the intention of settling in Minnesota.  They traveled with ox teams and wagons, and on arriving in La Crosse the father left his family while he started out for a trip through Southern Minnesota to look for a desirable place of settlement.  But learning that the Indians were somewhat troublesome, he was not willing to risk his family in that section of country, and consequently decided to locate in Trempealeau county, and settled on the place where his son, John now lives.  Here he and his boys erected a log cabin, which still stands on the place, and began at once to break the land and prepare for a crop.  They sowed some winter wheat the first fall, but this did not produce a large crop, as they sowed too late, having not learned the character of the soil.  The father first secured eighty acres of land, on which the old homestead now stands, and also obtained forty acres of timber.  He and his sons improved the place and made a pleasant home, and here the father died, August 10, 1863, and lies buried on a beautiful rise of land near the old home.  Besides the children already mentioned as born in Germany, and Clements, who was born on the way to America, was a little brother also named John, who was born in Washington county, and died at the new home in Gale township, in August 1854, in his fourth year, and lies buried by the side of his father.  Mr. Stellpflug was a man of large experience and great energy of character, but on coming to a new country when well advanced in life, he did not become acclimated so readily as a younger man would have done, and the exposure incident to a pioneer life was very severe on him, dying, as has been before stated, in 1863.  The younger son and brother, who died soon after the arrival of the family in this country, was a victim to the exposure and excitement to the new life.John A. Stellpflug, who owns and occupies the homestead farm, was born in Germany, September 28, 1838, having been about sixteen years of age when he came with his father to Trempealeau county.  He helped clear up the homestead farm which the father bought in the name of the son, so that inreality he has always owned the place.  In the early days he worked out and earned money for the benefit of the family.  He was married to Sarah Shonat, who was born in Walworth county, New York, a daughter of George Shonat, now deceased.  She came to this county with her parents in 1855.  They have ten children, three sons and seven daughters:  Frederick J., Francis G., Joseph C., Julia A., Abigail E., Ellen S., Katherine A., Mary E., Florence C. and Laura A.  The mother of Mr. Stellpflug lives with her son at the old homestead.  She still continues in good health for one of her advanced years.  Our subject came to this country many years ago, when just verging into manhood, and l=has lived to witness the growth and progress which a period of thirty-seven years has made.  He is esteemed as a good neighbor, and as an honorable and progressive citizen.Source:BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY of La Crosse, Trempealeau and Buffalo Counties,WISCONSIN, THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY, CHICAGO, 1892, pages 656-657