Wendy Kraft lives in a beautiful home on a hillside overlooking the Mississippi River, at the end of a dead-end street in the west side of Davenport:
She takes enormous pride in the long life of the Eldridge farm started in the 19th century by her great-great grandfather, Peter Arp, who came to Iowa from Fiefbergen, Germany (in Schleswig-Holstein) in the 1850s.
The 77-acre farm began in 1866 south of Eldridge on Buttermilk Road and is one of several new Century Farms recognized this year by the State of Iowa. The barn wasn’t built until the 1920s and was sold with a house around 2002.
The farm produces corn and soybeans, and it is rented out.
“Grandma was the best cook, so her food, playing on her porch,” Wendy said recently of her fondest memories. The farm had about 20 cats, plus dogs, chickens, geese and ducks.
In its early years, the farm was owned by Peter Arp’s son John, his grandson Elmer Arp, then Elmer’s children Merl Arp and Ardelle Kraft (who was married to Henry Kraft).
Ardelle and Henry were Wendy’s parents and her grandma was Nora Arp (Elmer’s wife), who died in 2001 at age 101. “She was the sweetest, most loving lady,” Wendy recalled.
Wendy was one of six children – with siblings Charlotte Harksen, Dianne Harrington, Susan (who died of leukemia at age 27 in 1979), Kent Kraft and Joni Grove.
Susan’s son Jonathan Zimpleman lives in South Carolina and is part owner with the living siblings.
The farm is owned by Arps & Krafts LLC, and the Merl Arp Marital Trust.
They found out about the state Century Farm program from the 2023 North Scott Press when it was featured. This was the first time the family applied for the honor, and could have applied for the Heritage (150 years and up) designation, which it plans on doing.
At the recognition at the Iowa State Fair in August, Wendy’s family attendance totaled 17 representatives from nine states – in addition to Iowa, they came from Oregon, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, South Carolina, California, Colorado, and Maryland.
The youngest family member is Finley Kraft, 15 months, son of Dan Kraft and Emily Wright Kraft (Dan is Kent’s son), from Hiawatha, Iowa – the seventh generation.
“I have a really deep sense of my heritage, my roots,” Wendy said. “I have been to Fiefbergen twice, the first time in 2004.”
“It was awesome, knowing that I’m walking the same paths, the same streets that Peter did,” she said, noting she keeps in touch with a couple distant German cousins. “Fiefbergen was founded around 1275.”
Wendy is a member of the Schleswig-Holstein Society, named for the region in Germany from which many Quad Cities area immigrants hailed.
“Genealogy, my ancestry fascinated me,” she said. The society (Wendy is a charter member) meets quarterly.
So many Germans moved to Iowa because of similar topography and similar climate, Wendy said.
When they had past family reunions (every few years), Wendy’s boyfriend used to call it “The Arps and Krafts Show.”
That family heritage lives on in rural Eldridge.