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From Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette, Wisconsin, publ. 1901 - PAGE 243
C. F. KLINKHAMMER, one of the successful and prominent farmers of Cassville township, Grant county, chairman of the township board, and a man of influence in the community, was born in the Rhine Province, Germany, in 1839, a son of Wynand and M. Ann (KLINKHAMMER) KLINKHAMMER, natives of Germany, who never left the Fatherland. A brother of our subject, Peter, came to Albany, N.Y., in 1852, and in 1854 migrated to Glen Haven township, Grant county.
Our subject was reared and educated in Germany, after which he served for four years in the German army, and was in the war between the German Confederation and Denmark in 1864. He was one of the stormers of Fort Dueppel, on April 18, 1864; this was a very bloody battle, in which thousands were killed in about two hours. Our subject was the only non-commissioned officer left in his company after the battle. Mr. KINKHAMMER started for America in 1865, sailing from Antwerp June 1, on the ill-fated vessel "William Nelson," which burned on the 26th of June, 1865, in mid-ocean, and 447 lives were lost. The captain and sailors took the lifeboats, and left the vessel, never turning their hands to save anybody or do anything. When the heat became unbearable Mr. KINKHAMMER jumped into the ocean and swam toward the nearest boat, which he reached after an hour's free-handed swimming. He caught hold of the rim of the boat, but the second mate struck his hands off. Then he looked around, and seeing two inch boards, ten feel long, and ten inches wide, took one under each arm, laid on his back, and so swam toward another boat into which he was taken about sundown; he left the burning vessel between 8 and 9 o'clock Monday morning. The sailing-vessel "Merkur," a Dutch ship, found them on Wednesday morning and brought them to Havre, France, landing there July 10, 1865. Nothing dismayed, our subject again started for the goal of his desires, taking passage the second time July 18, 1865, in a steamer, and landing, after seventeen days, in New York, whence he went direct to Glen Haven, Wis. Here he remained one year, then went to Cassville township, purchased land, opened it up, and now has one of the finest pieces of farming property in that town of Cassville, comprising 320 acres. From 1895 to 1898 Mr. KLINKHAMMER resided in Cassville, and at the latter date returned to his farm, where he has since lived.
In 1867 our subject was married, in Cassville, to Miss Mary AHRENS, born in St. Louis, a daughter of Ignatz and Catherine (PEINE) AHRENS, natives of Germany. Of the children born to our subject and wife five are living: Clara; Anna, now Mrs. KNAPP, of Beetown township; Susan, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin in June 1900; Lena; and Agnes. They have also an adopted son, John KLINKHAMMER, a very estimable young man, now eighteen years old.
Mr. KLINKHAMMER has been on the township board for about twenty years, and chairman since 1897; also a director of the Bloomington Farmers' Insurance Co., which position he has held for eighteen years. Mr. KLINKHAMMER has been enabled to develop his land to the best advantage, and is a man well known and highly respected throughout the community.
This biography generously submitted by Carol Holmbeck