Henry Walter Bucher ^{1 2 3 4}

   Another name for Henry was Henry Matter Bucher.⁵

   FamilySearch ID: GL2Z-ZCB.

  General Notes:

Henry was left fatherless at the age of ten. He was a shoemaker by trade until the age of 21. He went to Stephenson County, IL, staying for 3 years and then moved to Lester Township, Black Hawk County, Iowa, with the A.R. Dickey family, living with them. (approx. 1858). With two yoke of oxen, he turned the virgin soil of Iowa for Thomas Titus for about two years. About 1861 he bought a threshing outfit from Christ Brubaker of Waterloo, Iowa. The machine and horses burned about a year later, causing him to start over. He returned to PA, for two years (1867-1868). On December27, 1869, he married Rebecca Millikan Hood, the widow of Captian Thomas Hood.

In 1877, he bought the general store in the village of Lester Center, Black Hawk County, Iowa, from Sam Kaylor. He started with $2000 worth of stock and did about $5000 worth of business (gross) a year. In 1886, he occupied the first store in Dunkerton, Black Hawk County, Iowa, and received the first shipment of freight in the town on December 23, 1886. He and his daughter Bernice ran the Dunkerton store while Mrs. Bucher ran the Lester Center store. Henry and his daughter were forced to sleep on the counters at night because there were no houses built in Dunkerton at that time. They returned to Lester Center on weekends.

About 1888, he bought a lot on the south side of Main Street in Dunkerton and had a two story building erected for his business. He ran his business, a general store, in this building until the time of his death in 1909.

Around 1892, he ended his business in Lester Center and moved the building to Dunkerton, where he rented a school house until 1899. At this time he moed it to Main Street and eventually sold it. Until 1900, he and his family lived above the store he built in Dunkerton, at that time he built a house.

Lester Center no longer exists and was never large. Consisting of the general store, a blacksmith, a church and few houses (4 or 5).

Dunkerton was the main cause for the decline in Lester Center when the railroad by passed Lester and went through the Dunkerton farm. Mr.Dunkerton donated the land (mostly untillable swamp) for a town and depot for the rail road. Currently the population is about 650 and growing slowly.

Henry was the postmaster for Dunkerton between 1896 and 1909. He was the township assessor in 1889.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Photo: See his photo at http://www.searchtrees.com/BucherPhotos7.htm.

2. Census in 1850 in Franklin Twp., Adams, PA. ⁶ Adam Bucher, age 15, was living in the household of farmer Charles Steiner, 36 and his wife Elizabeth, 36. Also in the home was their daughter Harriet, 12 and son Samuel, 8.

Two farms later on the same census page is Henry Bucher, age 15, living with farmer Philip Cutshaw, 34, and his wife Hannah, 31; Aaron, 2; and Israel, 1. [he is living with his aunt and uncle.].

3. Moved: 1858, , Black Hawk, IA.

4. Census in 1870 in Lester Twp., Black Hawk, IA. ⁷ Henry Bucher, farmer, 35, was living with wife Rebecca, 30; and Mattie, 1. The parents were born in Pennsylvania, Mattie in Iowa. The post office was Cedar Falls.

5. Census in 1880 in Lester Twp., Black Hawk, IA. ⁸ Henry Bucher, 45, grocer, was living with wife Rebecca, 41; Mattie, 11; Bernice, 7; Blance, 7; Nettie, 1. Also with them: Howard Page, clerk, 19. Henry and Rebecca and their parents were born in Pennsylvania. All th children were born in Iowa. Howard and his parents were born in Maine.

6. Census in 1900 in Dunkerton, Black Hawk, IA. ⁶ Henry W. Bucher, 65, born Nov 1834, was living with wife of 31 years, Rebecca, 61, Nov 1838; and daughter Nettie, 21, Dec 1888. Henry and Rebecca were and their parents were born in Pennsylvania; Hettie in Iowa.

7. Obituary: on 31 Oct 1909. H.W. Bucher Passes Away.
Formerly postmaster at Lester and Dunkerton.
Born in Pennsyvania, but came to this county in 1858.

The funeral services of Henry W. Bucher, for many years postmaster here and an old settler of Lester Township, were largely attended today. They were held this morning at 10 o'clock at the Baptist church, Rev. Mr. Cochran of Fairbank officiating. Mr. Bucher died Sunday afternoon at 3:30 after a long illness of kidney and intestinal trouble.

Deceased was for many years prominent in business and political circles of the county. He was a stanch Republican and took an active interest in his party's welfare. Born in Adams County, PA., Nov.30, 1834, he was 75 years of age. His maternal ancestors were natives of Germany, but came to America prior to the revolution, and Mr. Bucher heard his great-grandmother, who died in 1848, aged 96, tell of that struggle for liberty. At the age of 10 deceased was left fatherless and at the age of 13 began to learn the shoemaker's trade, at which he worked until 1858. He came to Black Hawk county in 1858, and remained until 1867, when he returned to his old home in Pennsylvania, but came back to Iowa two years later. He settled at Lester Center where for a time he conducted a store and was postmaster. He was also a member of the board of supervisors, township treasurer, clerk and assessor. He was married in December, 1869, to Rebecca Milligan Hood, who was the widow of Capt. Thomas Hood, who was killed at the battle of Shiloh. Four children were born to them -- Mrs. H.W. McIntosh of Dunkerton, Mrs. O.G. Alexander of Dunkerton, Mrs. Blanche Champlain of Canon City, Colo., and Mrs. George Barlow of Des Moines.

Henry married Rebecca H. Milliken, daughter of Samuel Milliken and Catharine Kephart, on 27 Dec 1869 in Lester Twp., Black Hawk, IA. (Rebecca H. Milliken was born on 10 Nov 1838 in , Centre, PA,⁶ died on 24 Mar 1925 in Dunkerton, Black Hawk, IA and was buried in Dunkerton, Black Hawk, IA.)