BY MARY WOLTMANN
The Woltmann family is very proud to have had our farm designated as a Century farm. The farm has been very special to everyone involved.
My grandfather Claus Ferdinand Groepper came to America in 1893 from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. He came through Ellis Island in New York when he was seventeen.
He eventually settled around the Minden, Iowa area. There he met his future wife, Christina Matthiesen. They had three children: Nicholas Herman, Magdelena (Lena), and Meta Wilhelmina. Nicholas and his sister Lena never married. Meta married Clarence Woltmann.
In 1922 Ferdinand bought the Shelby County farm located in Monroe Township.
Herman and Lena farmed with their father until he quit farming. Herman continued to farm until his nephew, David Woltmann, bought the farm. Herman and Lena continued to live on the farm until Herman passed away.
David Woltmann’s son John joined the farming operation. Both John and David have retired. David still owns the land. The original house still stands and Dave and I still live in that house at 1627 300th Street, Harlan, Iowa.
The Century Farm Award was presented to the Woltmann family on August 14, 2025 at the Iowa State Fair. Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, and Brent Johnson, President of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, presented the award.
