A Narrative History of The People of Iowa with SPECIAL TREATMENT OF THEIR CHIEF ENTERPRISES IN EDUCATION, RELIGION, VALOR, INDUSTRY, BUSINESS, ETC. by EDGAR RUBEY HARLAN, LL. B., A. M. Curator of the Historical, Memorial and Art Department of Iowa Volume IV THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Inc. Chicago and New York 1931 WILLIAM A. SCHERFE. Many interests claim the attention of William A. Scherfe, of Fort Madison, and he has the satisfaction of knowing that he has been successful in all that he has undertaken. Although now in the very prime of useful manhood, he is a banker, manufacturer and insurance broker, and his offices, Fort Madison Savings Bank Building, 602 Seventh Street, are the center of his numerous transactions. William A. Scherfe was born at Fort Madison, July 24, 1867, a son of Augustus Scherfe, the later of whom was born at Wurttemberg, Germany. When he was but three years old he was brought to the United States by his parents, who located at Fort Madison. The arrival of the Scherfes was during 1848, the year that brought so many substantial German people to this country owing to internal disturbances in their own land and a scarcity of foodstuffs. They came here with the willingness to labor hard to make their way in the new world, and there were but few of them who failed to prosper. In fact there have been no better immigrants than those from Germany, and their industry and frugality, combined with their intense love of liberty, are reflected in many of their descendants. Growing up in Fort Madison, Augustus Scherfe attended its common schools, and made the best of the opportunities offered him. When war was declared between the states this youth of German birth was one of the first in his neighborhood to enlist, and he served in Company F, Fifth Iowa Infantry, from August 1, 1861, until his honorable discharge four years and four months later with the rank of corporal. After the close of the war he was appointed a guard at the Iowa State Penitentiary, and held the position until 1868, when he moved to Burlington, Iowa, and was in the employ of Hunt & Kendall until 1872. In that year he went to Lincoln, Nebraska, an agent for the Union Pacific Railroad, and he remained there for four years. In 1876 he returned to Burlington, and in 1877 he came back to Fort Madison, and once more became a guard at the penitentiary. In 1890 he resigned from that position and established himself in an insurance business, in which he continued until 1900, when he retired, although he did not die until 1916. He married Miss Amelia Springer, and they had three children born to them: William Arthur, who is the eldest; Mrs. Amelia W. Soechtg, of Fort Madison; and Mrs. Matilda Griffith, of Chicago, Illinois. Mrs. Augustus Scherfe died in 1906, ten years before her husband. William Arthur Scherfe was reared at Fort Madison, and attended its common schools, completing the work of the eighth grade in 1878, when only eleven years old, and could not longer attend school, much as he longed to do so, for he was a bright soldier, because he had to go to work to earn his own living. He entered the employ of J. Ehart & Son, of Fort Madison, at a monthly wage of five dollars. More humane laws today shield the child from any kind of exploitation, but when Mr. Scherfe was a boy nothing was thought of his having to work in a manner no one, no matter what his age may be, would today. For that pitifully small wage William Arthur Scherfe, a lad of brilliant parts, had to open up the store at six o'clock in the morning, and continue at work until nine o'clock at night, fifteen hours a day. After two years the lad left these employers to go with the J. W. Frow Grocery store as delivery boy, and continued as such until 1884. In the latter year he went into the machine shop of J. W. Miller, and there he served his apprenticeship, so that when it was completed he worked as a journeyman machinist with the Atchinson, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad for about a year in its water department. He then became a fireman of the Chicago, Fort Madison & Des Moines Railroad, but, in October, 1892, was injured, and so was forced to refrain from active labor for two years. However, in 1893, he went into his father's insurance office, where he learned the business; succeeded his father, in it in 1900, and still conducts what is one of the oldest concerns of its kind at Fort Madison. For fourteen years Mr. Scherfe served as secretary of the school board. He is a member of the executive committee of the Boy Scouts; was president of the local Chamber of Commerce for four years, and it president of the library board. In addition to his other interests he is president of the Cushman Foundry & Machinery Company, and secretary and a director of the W. A. Sheaffer Pen Company, as well as a stockholder in several banking institutions. For some years he has been a Rotarian. He is a thirty-second degree and Knight Templar Mason, and also belongs to Kaaba Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S.; the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and other organizations. In politics he is a Republican. Not only is he a conscientious and valued member of the Presbyterian Church, but he has been one of the trustees of the church for twelve years. On June 16, 1892, Mr. Scherfe was married to Miss Mary A. Young, of Troy, Iowa. No children have been born to them. Debbie Clough Gerischer Iowa History Project _http://iagenweb.org/history/_ (http://iagenweb.org/history/) Scott County, Iowa _http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/index.htm_ (http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/index.htm) **************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. 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