John H. Brus Biography >From "History of Davenport and Scott County" Vol. II by Harry E. Downer-S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. 1910 Chicago. Surnames: Brus, Bockhorst. One of the enterprising farmers of Buffalo township is John H. Brus, who was born I Muscatine county, Iowa, and is a son of Rudolph and Adelheid (Bockhorst) Brus. The father was born in Holland, July 19, 1838, and at the age of eight, in 1846, he came with his parents to this country. Like so many of their compatriots the family landed at New Orleans, thence made their way by boat up the Mississippi river to St. Louis, where they disembarked and spent six months, so that it was not until the spring of 1847 that they reached Scott county. Here in Blue Grass township, Theodore Brus, the paternal grandfather, bought a farm, which has remained in the possession of his descendants to the present and is the home of a grandson Theodore and his mother. On that place Rudolph Brus grew to young manhood, witnessing and participating in the development of the county, which was rapidly progressing during those years. In 1864, in Davenport he wedded Miss Adelheid Bockhorst, who was born ! in Prussia, Germany, in 1843, and is a daughter of Henry Bockhorst, who had come to this country and taken up his residence in Scott county, Iowa. In 1874 Mr. Brus purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land upon the line between Blue Grass and Hickory Grove townships. That farm remained his home throughout the rest of his life and is now the residence of his widow and their two sons, Frank and Bernard, and their daughter. Rudolph Brus died in 1892, and with his demise, Blue Grass township lost one of its valued citizens and successful agriculturists. John H. Brus was reared upon the farm his father had bought. He was enrolled as a pupil in the public schools of his district, although no more time than was necessary was devoted to the preparation of lessons, for there was always labor to be accomplished around the home. He lived with his family, operating the place after the death of his father until 1900, when, having married, he was desirous of establishing a home of his own. Accordingly he went to Hickory Grove township, where he rented property, and then, after two years' experience, came to Buffalo township, where he purchased the fine farm he and his wife own and which has been their home since. He has cultivated the soil with skill and profit and is rapidly rising to a position among the men engaged in a similar occupation. It was in 1900 that Mr. Brus was united in marriage to Miss Lena Brus, a daughter of Jacob Brus, from whom the young couple acquired their home. They have become the parents of five children, namely: Adeline, Raymond, Velma, Walter and Marie. Since old enough to exercise the franchise right of an American citizen, Mr. Brus has adhered to the principles of the republican party, and on its ticket was elected to membership on the school board, which he still holds. While he was still a resident of Blue Grass township he was also identified with public interests, for then he served as road supervisor. A member of the Catholic faith, he belongs to the congregation of St. Joseph's in the city of Davenport. Having fulfilled the public trust imposed upon him with credit to himself and the satisfaction of his fellow citizens, Mr. Brus enjoys the respect of those associated with him in occupation, while the success which has come to him has won their admiration. ~~~~~~*~~~~~~ Elaine Rathmann ACC Scott Co, IA USGenWeb Project List Adm: *IA-CIVIL-WAR *IA-DANES