CHAPTER XXVII (Part 38)
BIOGRAPHICAL
Joseph H. Puthoff, progressive and successful farmer of Deepwater township, proprietor of a well-improved farm of 140 acres, is a native of Henry County and comes of an old pioneer family of the Germantown neighborhood. Mr. Puthoff was born November 27, 1868, about one eighth of a mile west of his present home.
Henry Puthoff, his father, was born in 1839 and died in 190(1. He was a native of Germany, and was a son of Henry Puthoff, who accompanied his son to America in about 1860. Mr. Puthoff settled southeast of Germantown where he purchased 160 acres of land, improved it and increased his holdings to 240 acres. He was married in Germany to Theresa S. Schaffermeier, who was born in 1842 and died in 1909.
Henry and Theresa Puthoff were parents of six children: Henry, living in Kansas; Mrs. Mary Meier, also living in Kansas; Joseph H., subject of this sketch; Herman resides on the home place; Mrs. Theresa Jergen died in Canada; Anna lives in St. Louis.
Joseph H. Puthoff was educated in the Gemantown schools and began farming on his own account in 1897. He then located on his present place which he improved and built up to suit his needs and requirements, making it one of the best farms in this neighborhood of rich and productive farmsteads.
In November of 1896, Joseph H. Puthoff and Frances Witzel were united in marriage. Mrs. Frances Puthoff is a daughter of John Witzel, one of the old settlers of Germantown, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. To this marriage have been born five children: Norbert, born January 16, 1898; Clements, born May 5, 1900; Elizabeth, born August 31, 1901; Agnes, born November 5, 1904; Josephine, born October 24, 1907.
Mr. Puthoff is a Republican and he and his family are members of the Germantown Catholic Church. He is an industrious, intelligent, hard working citizen who has the respect and esteem of all who know him.
Henry Puthoff served for three years in the German army before leaving the old country to find a free home in America. He served as a member of Company H, Seventh Missouri Cavalry during the Civil War and was a comrade of John J. Cook of Germantown. He saw about three years of hard service in Missouri and Arkansas during the rebellion and served his country until the war ended in 1865. Bushwhackers constantly harassed the settlers of his neighborhood during the war and would carry off provisions, live stock and anything that took their fancy.
Joseph Puthoff, his brother, had suffered severely from their depredations. When Henry was on furlough and hiding out at home, the Rebels had taken the last horse which his brother owned. He determined to get even and stop them from taking away the animal that night. He said "They'll not take the horse away tonight," and hiding down by a rail fence he made up his mind to shoot them down as they came past his hiding place. The odds were much against him, but seasoned and brave soldier that he was, he was brave enough to attack the company of marauders in defense of his brother's property. As he lay in wait with his gun at his shoulder ready to fire, his brother came to him and said: "Henry, don't shoot; let them take the horse; don't kill a man for a horse." Joseph Puthoff lived to the great age of eighty-eight years and often told the story of how his brother Henry tried to fight a company of bushwhackers in defense of his last horse. Henry Puthoff was the bugler of his company and a great friend of Captain Box, who came to see him while attending a reunion at Urich.
Barney Bettels - For the past twenty-five years, Bernard or Barney Bettels, has resided upon his fine farm of 195 acres in Deepwater township, and during this time he has been constantly improving his place, which includes seventy acres of timber and pasture land. The Bettels home sets far back from the road about half way across the farm land. The Bettles farm is in three tracts, 100 acres of which comprises the home place.
Barney Bettels was born in Germany September 1, 1867, the son of Frank and Gertrude Bettels, who emigrated to America in April, 1871, and settled in St. Charles County, Missouri. In 1873 they went to St. Louis County, Missouri, the mother having died in St. Charles County.
Mr. Bettels attended school in St. Louis and resided there until 1881. When he attained the age of thirteen years he came to Henry County and lived with his brother William for three years and finished his schooling at Germantown, after which he drew wages under Bernard Schmidding. He worked for two years for Joseph Cook and one year for Mr. Wincke, receiving $100 per year for three years. In August of 1889 he went to California and was employed on a large grain ranch in Tulare County for three and a half years, then returned to Henry County. His brother, Fred Bettels, dying, he purchased his brother's farm for $1,500. He has prospered and added to his acreage and laid away money during the years that he has been engaged in farming and is regarded as one of the substantial and enterprising land owners of Henry County.
June 21, 1893, Barney Bettels and Minnie Cook were united in marriage. Mrs. Minnie Bettels was born in Henry County, June 2, 1871, and is the daughter of John J. Cook of Germantown, a sketch of whom appears in this volume. To them have been born children as follows: Leo, born May 24, 1894, member of the Knights of Columbus and assisting his father on the farm, now a private in the National Army; Bernardine, born January 21, 1896; Clements, born October 3, 1898; Delia Margaret, born December 3, 1901; Rosa Emma, born February 15, 1905; Magdalena Mary, born February 21, 1908; Elenora Anna, born February 4, 1911.
Mr. Bettles is a Democrat, but he devotes little time to political matters outside of voting. He and his family are members of the Germantown Catholic Church.
Henry Teeman - The late Henry Teeman was one of the oldest native-born pioneers of Henry County, and a history of the Teeman family extends over a period of nearly ninety years in Henry county, a longer period than the memory of any living man in this county runneth. The Teemans first settled in this county in the early thirties. Joseph and Elizabeth Teeman, parents of Henry Teeman, were born and reared in Germany, immigrated to America, first settled in Baltimore, Maryland, came from there to St. Louis, and thence to the Germantown neighborhood in Henry County. They settled in this county in 1836. To Joseph and Elizabeth Teeman were born fifteen children: Anna Mary, died in childhood; Joseph, a Union veteran in the National Soldiers' Home at Leavenworth, Kansas; Henry, the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Eliza Devinne, deceased; Mrs. Anna Stevens, living in Kansas; John, a farmer, Deepwater township; Mrs. Margaret Hecker, died in Colorado; Mrs. Mary Goth, deceased; Frank, a farmer in Deepwater township; Mrs. Bertha Curtis, Leavenworth, Kansas; Rosamond, wife of Henry Sickman, Deepwater township; Anton, Deepwater township; Mrs. Theresa Silliman, deceased; George died in infancy; one child died in infancy.
Henry Teeman was engaged to be married when the Civil War broke out, but he responded to President Lincoln's first call for volunteers and enlisted in Company K, 2nd Kansas Infantry, for ninety days' service.
In 1862, he again enlisted, this time in Company H of the Seventh Missouri Cavalry and served until the close of the war, receiving his honorable discharge at Warrensburg in April, 1865, and got his final papers at St. Louis. The company with which he first enlisted was dispersed after the Battle of Lexington, and nearly all of its survivors joined the cavalry.
October 27, 1863, while on furlough, in Pettis County, Mr. Teeman was married to Mary Augusta Kleine, who was born at Nieuheim, Herpster, Germany, March 12, 1841. She was a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Stratdhausen) Kleine who immigrated to America in 1854, landing at New Orleans, and thence to Cincinnati, where after they lived for one year, they came to Henry County, arriving here May 1, 1855. Mr. and Mrs. Klein lived and died on their farm near Johnstown. Their two other daughters were: Mary Elizabeth, born February 25, 1865, and Anna Augusta, born July 12, 1866.
To Henry and Mary Augusta Teeman were born twelve children: Mary Elizabeth, born February 25, 1865, now Sister Francisca, Denver, Colorado; Almira Augusta, born July 12, died December, 1868; Margaret, born February 16, 1867, deceased; Bertha Francisca, born 1870, wife of Henry Silliman, Montrose, Missouri; Matilda, born September 4, 1872, widow of Harold Balliot, Assumption, Illinois; Henry Robert, born September 26, 1874, married Elizabeth Dahlman and resides at Genda Springs, Kansas; Frances, deceased; Sophia, Sister M. Catharine, a teacher in the high school at St. Joseph, Missouri; Augusta Theresa, born December 4, 1879, wife of John Fick, Deepwater township; Cecilia Clara, born September 8, 1881, wife of Bias Vogel, Walker township; Louis Albert, born July 26, 1883, at home; Henry, born April 8, 1886, an oil man at Vinita, Oklahoma, married Mary Etta Teeters and has two children.
Mr. and Mrs. Teeman built their first home in 1865, and moved to their farm in August of that year. They first built a small shack, and inasmuch as Mr. Teeman's health had been seriously impaired, much of the work of making a home fell upon his good wife's shoulders. They had a hard time of it for several years but both kept up their spirits and made things go. They began with forty acres which Mrs. Teeman received from her father. This farm is now well improved and Mrs. Teeman has capably managed it for several years. She now has forty acres of good, rich land. Mr. Teeman was a Republican. He was a member of the Catholic Church and was affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic. He died on August 26, 1904.
Mrs. Teeman is a most capable and well preserved woman who is noted throughout the country for her intelligence and sprightliness. During the year 1862, when this section of Missouri was overrun with bushwhackers or freebooters, the parents of Mrs. Teeman suffered from their depredations. One time in 1862, when armed men had entered the house with the intention of killing her father, John Kleine, she flew at the man, struck the gun out of his hand and dared him to shoot her father. After the battle of Lexington she cooked meals for twenty-two half famished soldiers over an old fashioned fireplace. Mrs. Teeman is a most interesting lady and loves to talk of old times and especially of the times during the war when there was so much excitement.
