John Bruhn Biography >From "History of Davenport and Scott County" Vol. II by Harry E. Downer-S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago. To view the picture of John Bruhn that accompanies this biography, please go to the main Scott county, Iowa page at: http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ and click on Pictures/ Documents section. Surnames: Bruhn, Jansen, Hannemann, Hansen, Graham, Lohmann, Sellen, Eckhardt, Kardel. A life of industry, crowned with success, enabled John Bruhn to spend hi last years in honorable retirement, enjoying the fruits of his former toil. He was indeed a self-made man and in his youth met many hardships and difficulties, but gradually he worked his way up until he won prosperity as the reward of his diligence. He was born at Lütjenburg, Holstein, Germany, in 1827, and in early life learned the butcher's trade. He was twenty-one years of age when in 1848 he joined the army, serving as a soldier throughout the Schleswig-Holstein war against Denmark. In 1852 he determined to come to America and left Hamburg in a sailing vessel, which reached New Orleans after a voyage of thirteen weeks. In company with several traveling companions he went up the Mississippi river to St. Louis, and as he had no money began looking for employment. He did not succeed in his search for work there and so went to Bunker Hill with a country-man, Louis Jansen, who was likewise a butcher by! trade and who had a brother who was engaged in the tailoring business in Bunker Hill. The two young men eagerly accepted any work which they could secure. They worked on farms, on the railroad and also as bricklayers' helpers. Their wages were very small-not more than fifty cents a day. At the end of two weeks their fingers were so sore that they were compelled to give up work for a time. When they did somewhat recuperate, a prominent Scotchman of Bunker Hill, who was hostile to the resident Irish butcher, asked them if they would not establish a butcher shop there. They said they would like to, but did not have the necessary money, so the Scotchman supplied them with capital, a horse and wagon and equipped a small shop for them, so that the new business was begun. It was in June, 1853 that they opened their shop and they remained together until November, making quite a little money. In the latter month Mr. Jansen came to Davenport with four hundred dollars, while Mr. Bruhn! remained at Bunker Hill until January, 1854. He then came to Davenport at the request of Mr. Jansen, who had secured employment with Christian Hannemann, an uncle of Louis and Charles Hansen. Mr. Bruhn and Mr. Jansen bought out the business of Mr. Hannemann, and were so successful in its conduct that in 1855 Mr. Jansen sailed for Germany with four thousand dollars. Mr. Bruhn, then left alone, discontinued the butchering business and began buying hogs for Mr. Graham and was becoming prosperous when Mr. Graham failed. Mr. Bruhn, with two other men, had signed a note of twenty-eight thousand dollars for his employer and when Mr. Graham went into bankruptcy all of Mr. Bruhn's hard earned saving were taken to meet the note. In 1857 Mr. Jansen returned to America, for Germany was no longer to his liking. He had already expended half of his capital, but with the remainder he and Mr. Bruhn again established themselves in the butchering business with renewed zeal. They prospered and in 1858 went to California, but times were bad and they remained in the Golden state only about six months. On returning to Davenport, Mr. Bruhn became associated with two Americans in the live-stock business, shipping to Chicago, but the undertaking was unsuccessful and at the end of a year he had lost nearly all of his capital of five thousand dollars. This was i! n 1860. In the fall of that year Mr. Bruhn mad the acquaintance of the young lady, Miss Maria Lohmann, who became his wife on the 19th of April, 1861. At that time he had no more money than was necessary to begin housekeeping. However, he had the friendship of a Mr. Sellen, who established Mr. Bruhn in the butchering business again. And hence again he started in that line with Diedrich Eckhardt as his partner. They soon had a liberal patronage and became prosperous. After about two years Mr. Bruhn disposed of his interest to Mr. Jansen and turned his attention to the live-stock business, making shipments to Chicago. In 1864 he purchased a house on Third street, near the Turner hall, and took up his abode there in May, 1865. Mr. and Mrs. Bruhn at that time had two children and four were added to the family while they maintained their residence on Third street. In 1874 they removed to the Bluff, where until 1896 they occupied a large dwelling. During that period their four daughters ! were married and the sons removed to the west. The decade between 1880 and 1890 was devoted by Mr. Bruhn to dealing in farm lands, and purchasing a farm for himself on Mud creek, he there engaged in feeding stock during the winter seasons. In May he led the cattle out to pasture and in the following fall shipped them to Chicago. The farm, comprising two hundred acres, he sold to W. Kardel in 1893, and during the remainder of his life lived practically retired. Mr. and Mrs. Bruhn traveled life's journey happily together for forty-six years, their mutual love and confidence increasing as time went by. Mr. Bruhn had reached his eightieth year when he was called to his final rest and a life of usefulness and activity was thus ended, when, in 1907 he passed away. He never had occasion to regret his determination to seek a home in the new world, for here he found the opportunities which were offered and in their improvement he worked his way upward. In all of his business affairs he was thoroughly reliable and in his social relations manifested the sterling qualities of the true gentleman. ~~~~~~*~~~~~~ Elaine Rathmann Assist. CC: Scott Co, IA USGenWeb Project List Adm. for: *IA-CIVIL-WAR *IA-DANES