1890 Buchanan and Delaware Counties History pgs. 245-246
EARNEST DITTMER, farmer and stock raiser, of
Delaware county, with his post-office at Colesburg,
Iowa, was born in Hamburg, Germany, May 1, 1831, and is a son of John and Mary
(Bennett) Dittmer, both natives of
Germany, the former born in 1796 and the latter in 1800, and both immigrants to
the United States in 1851, and both dying in Clayton county, Iowa, the father
in 1873 and the mother in 1870.
Earnest
Dittmer is the eldest of a family of four children, the three younger ones
being-Henry, who is now deceased; Gustave, a resident
of Clayton county,
Since his residence here, Mr. Dittmer has become quite popular with
his fellow-citizens, and has served them as justice of the
peace four years, and as
school director for several terms. His first marriage took
place April 19, 1852, to Miss Ann Mary Reddingshafer,
a native of Germany, and to this union were born twelve
children, in the following order- John George, October 16, 1853,
now a farmer in Colony township, about one-half mile west of
Colesburg; George Martin, born October 2,
1855, and also a farmer in Colony township; Henry Aaron, born March 5, 1858, is
the leading physician of Manchester, Iowa; Mary D., born June 5, 1860, is the
wife of Dr. I. P. Van Berg, of the town of Albert Lea, Minn.; Martin E.,
born August 9, 1862, is a prominent
medical practitioner at Sioux Falls, Dak.;
Charles L., born May 30, 1864, is a pharmacist;
Edward B., born December 31, 1866, resides
under the parental roof; Earnest G., born February 7, 1869, is attending
school at Cedar Falls, Iowa; Benjamin F., born September 24, 1872, died
September 10, 1873, and three other children died in infancy unnamed.
Mrs.
Dittmer went to her long rest in January, 1877, tranquilly and serenely, in the
faith of the Methodist Episcopal church. The second marriage
of Mr. Dittmer was in August, 1882, to Mrs. Keziah Moyer,
a native of Centre county,
Mr. Dittmer
has led a moral and upright life, as well as an industrious one, and has won
the esteem of all with whom he has come in contact, he and his family to-day
holding an enviable position, socially, in their various communities.
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