1900 Biography - Nicholas Immel

NICHOLAS IMMEL, a representative citizen and model farmer of Kidder county, resides in township 140, range 71, and has met with success in his chosen calling.

Mr. Immel was born in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Rhine, in 1840. His parents, Peter and Annie (Haneuer) Immel, emigrated from Germany in 1846 and settled in Wisconsin and were among the pioneers of that state. At that time our subject was but five years old. The family settled about thirty miles north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the father followed farming. Mr. Immel is the fifth in a family of fourteen children, was reared on the farm, and had limited school advantages in his boyhood. At the age of eighteen he spent one year on Lake Michigan as a sailor. In the spring of 1861 he enlisted in the Sixth Wisconsin and was sent south. His first skirmish was at Gaines' Mill, Virginia. He spent three years in the service, and was in the following great battles: Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg. At the close of the war he came home and worked three years in the lumber woods of Wisconsin during winters and in summer engaged in rafting on the rivers as far south as St. Louis. He then engaged in broom manufacturing in West Bend, Washington county, Wisconsin, and continued in this line for seven years, when his plant was completely burned out, leaving him only the clothing he had on his back. His loss was six thousand dollars. This occurred in 1878. For three years following he worked at carpenter work for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and for the next two years worked at anything he could find to do.

In 1883 he came to Dawson, North Dakota, I took up government land, and, although he had only six dollars in money, he proceeded to construct a shell of a house and a dugout barn, being accompanied only by his eldest son. He earned ninety-five dollars at carpentering and had to take his pay in Dawson town lots. His family joined him in 1884, and the next year he rented a farm and began farming, while making such improvements as he could on his claim. He raised three thousand bushels of grain, one thousand of which he received as his share of the crop. This put him on his feet financially for the time being, and he then began farming his own land. In 1891 fire destroyed all buildings except his residence, together with grain and some stock, machinery, hay, etc. The railroad paid him three hundred dollars for the damage, they having caused the prairie fire that burned out his farm yard. He owns a well-equipped farm and also rents land for cultivation each year. He has made a success of farming and stock.

Mr. Immel was married, in 1868, to Miss Mary Able. Mrs. Immel was born in Germany, the daughter of Michael Able. She came to America with a brother in 1860. Mr. and Mrs. Immel have a family of eight children, named as follows: Peter, Louisa, Gusta, Albert, Isabel, Clara, Walter and Annie, all born in Wisconsin. Mr. Immel is a Democrat, and has been active in political and public affairs. He has been a school officer for the past eight years. He is a member of the G. A. R., has been commander of the local post, and has held most of the offices at various times.

Extracted 22 Nov 2020, by Norma Hass, from Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota published in 1900, pages 1391-1392.