Henry William Klemme

(1821-1908)

Henry William Klemme was born on August 28, 1821, in Germany, to John Frederick Klemme and Mary Charlotte (Wellhausen) Klemme. His father was 29 years old at the time of his birth, and his mother was 23.

He married Anna Katharine Gesell on April 12, 1846, in Franklin, Indiana.

Early Life and Immigration

Henry immigrated to the United States in 1837, arriving in Baltimore. From there, he traveled by stagecoach to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), and then continued by boat to Cincinnati, Ohio, before settling in Franklin County, Indiana.

Family and Work

Henry and Anna established their home in Indiana, where they married and began raising a large family. In 1862, he moved his family west to Winneshiek County, Iowa, purchasing farmland at $1.25 per acre.

He worked as both a farmer and a shoemaker, contributing to the development of the rural community. In 1893, he moved his family to Elma, Iowa.

Family Life

Henry William Klemme and Anna Katharine Gesell had fourteen children:

• John Philip Klemme (1847–1938)
• William Henry Klemme (1849–1943)
• Rosena Klemme (1850–1852)
• John Charles Klemme (1852–1947)
• Harmon Johanas Klemme (1854–1926)
• Anna Katharine Klemme (1856–1917)
• John J. Klemme (1857–1925)
• Mary Klemme (1858–1944)
• Henry Frederick Klemme (1861–1957)
• Christian Klemme (1862–1933)
• Jacob William Klemme (1864–1924)
• Benjamin Frederick Klemme (1866–1953)
• Joseph Klemme (1868–1964)
• Stephan A. Klemme (1870–1947)

Siblings

Henry William Klemme had six siblings:

• John Henry Christian Frederick Klemme (1819–?)
• Dorothy Christine Rosina Klemme (1823–?)
• Dorothy Sophie Charlotte Klemme (1825–1827)
• John Charles Louis Klemme (1828–1894)
• John Klemme (1831–1930)
• Abbie Klemme (1839–1913)

Later Years and Legacy

Henry William Klemme died on August 29, 1908, in Iowa, at the age of 87. He was laid to rest in Decorah, Iowa.

His life reflects the experience of nineteenth-century immigration, westward movement, and settlement—building a family and livelihood across the growing American frontier.