Ernest Albert Fichtner
The Grandfather I Grew Up With, Part I
Ernest Albert Fichtner was born on May 25, 1908, in Grant Township, near Hubbard, Hardin County, Iowa, into a family deeply rooted in both German immigration and Midwestern agriculture. His father, Albert Fichtner, emigrated from Germany with his mother and sister Anna on the Weimar, arriving in Baltimore June 3, 1893. They were a part of a broader wave of German settlers who transformed Iowa’s rural landscape.
No record has yet been found of Albert’s father, other than birth records of Albert’s sisters in Germany. He did not sail on the Weimar with them. Albert’s mother Karolena indicated in the ship’s records that her intent was to go to Hubbard, Iowa so there was likely people familiar to her already there. Two sisters (confirmed by family bible records), “Gustie” and Hulda did not sail with them either. Perhaps they came earlier and that was who Karolena was traveling to be with.
Less than a year later, Albert’s sister Anna married a farmer named Albert Rutzen in Hubbard, on March 12, 1894. Albert was also from Germany but had been in Iowa long enough to have an established farm. Sadly, Albert’s mother died in 1897 leaving him alone and on his own at age 16. Undaunted and with the typical industriousness of a midwestern German immigrant, Albert worked hard and by 1900 was a hired hand on a local farm.
On December 30, 1903 Albert married Bertha Wihimena Kath in Hubbard. There are conflicting records as to whether she was born in Germany or the US but regardless, Bertha was the child of German immigrants. After their marriage, Albert and Bertha settled down on a farm in Grant Township which Albert owned. The family grew quickly, adding a son Herman in 1904, a daughter, Minnie in 1906, Ernest in 1908 and finally, Alice in 1909.
The Fichtners’ farm, located along what would become Highway 65, remained their homestead through multiple censuses, underscoring their stability in an era of agricultural expansion. Ernie, as he was known throughout his life, grew up in a close knit family. He and his brother Herman worked on the family farm as soon as they were able, building the skills needed to run their own farms early in life.
Childhood in rural Iowa was hard work, but there was still time for leisure. Ernie became an avid basketball player in school, an asset to the team with his imposing height. He and his brother both honed marksmanship skills, winning local trapshooting competitions. They were known to be pranksters who loved a good joke and grew even closer as they grew to be adults.
On July 8, 1926 Ernie married Oral Alfield Feeden, a girl of Norweigan heritage, in Hubbard. They quickly settled down on a farm next to that of his brother Herman. Herman had married his wife Hazel just 6 months earlier and the two couples were close. Strong, successful and confident, the brothers started their own families to start the next generation.
Alfield was born with a heart condition and was unable to bear children, and so the couple adopted. Their first daughter, Audrey Beverly was adopted at her birth, on February 12, 1927. For three years they all lived the life of the late twenties, like all the young families in the region.
While they certainly felt the hit of the depression, the 2 farms stayed afloat, even if they didn’t prosper. This was the secret of being invested in land rather than the stock market. Tragedy struck in 1930 when Herman was killed in a auto collision with a freight truck. While the published details say that he was trying to pass on a narrow road, the family knew that Herman was speeding, driving wrecklessly, possibly even fleeing police. Herman was a bootlegger.
It was said that towards the end, the police were searching for him fairly regularly. In order to stay ahead of them, he had arranged a signal to know if it was safe to come home. He would stop at his brother Ernie’s farm and fire a shotgun. If it was safe to return, his wife would shoot one in return. If not, he found somewhere else to spend the night. When he died he was only 25 and he left behind a 3 year old son and his wife as well as his heartbroken brother.
In spite of the loss, Ernie and Alfield continued to grow their family. On October 12, 1931 they adopted Ardythe Elaine and brought her home. While they struggled, they were happy. They attended church, spent time with their extended family regularly and lived the life of midwestern farmers.
Just 4 years later, tragedy struck again when Alfield’s already compromised heart developed an infection in October of 1934. In desperate hope they took her to the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. The hospital treated her unsuccessfully for 10 days before she finally passed away on October 19th.
There ends Part 1 of my Grandpa’s life. I will publish the rest of his story next week.
Ernie's brother Herman sounds like he was a bit of a character. Sad that he died leaving a wife and 3 year old behind but he does seem to have lived life a little 'on the edge'.