WILLIAM A. MAURER, a prosperous farmer of Delaware township, Delaware  county, is a native Prussia, and was born November 1, 1848. He is a son of Fred and Mary (Rosey) Maurer, both of whom were natives of Prussia, where they spent their active lives, the mother dying there in 1852, aged forty, and the father in 1887, aged seventy-three. The mother was a devout member of the Catholic church and lived a pious Christian life. The father was a shoemaker by trade, but followed his calling only a short time in early life. He served in the Prussian army for a number of years and was afterwards a peace officer in the employment of his country. He was twice married and was the father of seven children. His second wife bore the maiden name of Adeline Marshall, and was a native, also, of Prussia. She is still living, residing where she was born. Five children were the fruit of the first marriage, all of whom are living. The eldest, Josephine, is the wife of Henry Reth, a farmer of Delaware county; Frederick is a farmer residing in Washtenaw county, Mich.; William A., the subject of this
notice, is the third; Carl is a farmer, residing in Delaware county, and Julius is a soldier in the employ of the German government. The two children of the second marriage are Amelia and Gusta, both daughters, residing with their mother in their native place.
William A. Maurer was reared on a farm in his native country, and in his youth got what would be accounted in this country, a good common-school education. In 1871, to avoid entering the German army, he came to the
United States, making his way at once to Iowa, where he settled in Delaware county, beginning his career in this country as a farm hand, working by the month wherever he could secure employment. After a few years so spent he was enabled from his earnings, saved in the meantime, to begin farming for himself, and renting a small place in Delaware township, he set himself up as an independent farmer. He cultivated rented land for five years. He made money and saved it, and at the end of that time he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 26, Delaware township, on which he located and began more earnestly than ever the arduous duty of making a home in the county of his adoption. A year after he made his first purchase he bought eighty acres more in section 25, in the same township and adjoining his first purchase, going in debt for part of this. He has since paid the entire indebtedness on the two tracts and in the meantime has improved both of them, making of them one of the best farms in Delaware township. Mr. Maurer has his entire place under fence, the larger part of it in cultivation, thrifty groves of trees growing on it, well stocked and bearing many other evidences of the industry and businesslike management, which have marked the career of its owner. Mr. Maurer has over four thousand dollars' worth of buildings on his farm, one of these being a handsome residence which he erected in 1888, at a cost of two thousand dollars, and a spacious barn, two stories high, and 36x60, erected in 1883, at a cost of two thousand dollars. He keeps a number of high grade stock,
giving particular attention to hogs, having some of the best breeds of these running: on his farm.
November 21, 1877, Mr. Maurer married, his choice for a companion falling on a young lady then residing in Delaware county, but a native of Hanover, Germany, having been born there in June, 1858. Mrs. Maurer's maiden name was Thada Yelden, daughter of Remmer and Katie Yelden, natives also of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Maurer have had seven children, six girls and one boy, as follows Mary, Millie, Jennie, Carrie, Martin, Tena and Rosa.

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