Fred Xavier Harmsen

Fred Harmsen was born to Harm and Theresa (Aleck) Harmsen, November 10, 1890, on a farm northwest of Persia in Cass Township just east of the Banner School, and near his grandfather, Xaver Aleck's farm.

He had four brothers and sisters; Herman, Ella, William and Emma. He is the only surviving member of his family. When he was thirteen years old he moved with his family to a farm in Washington Township, the first place north of Persia School. The Bob Frieze family now resides there. He attended school during the winter months and helped with the farm work the remainder of the year.

Bertha was born to Charles and Augusta (Wunder) Hamann on April 29, 1890, on the farm that is now owned by our grandson, Larry Watson and family. I had eight brothers and sisters: Gus, Emil, John, Louie, Carl, Freeda, Dora and Leona. I attended Sunny Hillside school with my brothers and sisters. When I was fourteen years old my mother died and being the oldest girl in the family, I had the task of caring for them.

In 1906 I moved with my family to the farm now owned by Kenneth Letts. I lived there until February 14, 1912, when Fred and I were married. We were married at the Christian Church in Council Bluffs. We stayed overnight and came back on the train the next day to Fred's home place. His parents had moved to Persia.

Our two children were born there, Clifford born and died March 5, 1916, and Velma Harmsen Watson born December 19, 1917. We lived there until March 1918 when he bought the farm now owned by Lynn Graps. Weed spray was unheard of in those days so Fred would go to the cornfields with a hoe on those hot summer days and hoe out the cockleburrs.

In March 1941, we moved to the farm where I was born, and resided there until July, 1959, when we bought a home in Persia next to the RlL.D.S. Church. Our grandson, Larry Watson, was married to Carol Simonin and moved to our farm.

Fred always raised a lot of hogs, and in our early years of farming the hogs were driven to the Persia stockyards, and loaded on the train and shipped to F. A Wellman & Sons at the Omaha Stockyards.

We picked corn by hand. I finally learned to take my own team and wagon so I wouldn't get hit on my head with an ear of corn that sometimes went astray when two were working at the same wagon.

We were married 70 years in February. We are the oldest couple ever to have lived in Persia. We are members of the United Methodist Church. I belong to the U.M.W. and American Legion Auxiliary.

We have one daughter, Velma Watson, and her husband, Milton, two grandchildren, Larry Watson and wife, Carol, and Lynette Dvorak and husband, Marvin, and seven great-grandchildren, Jennifer, Suzanne, Rebecca, and Barbara Watson, and Jacquelyn, David and Meghan Dvorak. Submitted by Bertha Harmsen.

Source: Persia Centennial 1883-1983. Written by the People of Persia, Iowa. Taylor Publishing Co., Omaha, Neb., 1983, p. 99-100.

• Updated from Find A Grave Memorial via Bertha Elizabeth Harmsen (born Hamann) by SmartCopy: Jul 15 2015, 22:49:46 UTC