Perhaps the first Wunder to arrive in Davenport was Wilhelm Wunder in 1852, after spending a year in Sheboygen, Wisconsin. He worked as a carpenter until 1859 when he purchased a farm near Blue Grass. Farming was his principle occupation until his retirement in 1886, moving to Davenport. His son, Henry F. Wunder, became a well respected banker and the mayor of Blue Grass early in the twentieth century.
Farmer Detlef Wunder
Also starting out as a carpenter and moving to farming was Detlef F. Wunder. Born in Gleschendorf, Schleswig-Holstein, in 1827, the son of Hans Wunder and Catherina Brey, he arrived in Davenport in 1854. After helping build the first bridge to cross the Mississippi in the area, he bought a farm in Maysville. He was a big success. He left an estate of 245 acres and $10,000 to his wife and children.
Detlef's death in 1908 did not reflect his success in life. According to his obituary in the August 31 issue of the Davenport Democrat, Detlef was working on the roof of his home June 19 in Davenport, where he retired to in 1901, when he fell to the ground. The 81 year old suffered a broken arm and ribs, along with a concussion. Two months later he died.
Coopers
A greater tragedy, the Civil War, did not deter the siblings Detlef, Wilhelm, Wilhelmina, and Louise Wunder from arriving in Davenport in the early 1860's. All were born in Engelau, Schleswig-Holstein, the children of Detlef Wunder and Catherina Pommeresch. Detlef and Wilhelm were coopers by trade as was their father and great uncle in Schleswig-Holstein. Even Wilhelmina married a cooper in Davenport.
As coopers, Detlef and Wilhelm were at the forefront of washing machine technology towards the turn of the twentieth century. According to an article by Leon Lagerstam, Davenport was known as the "washing machine capital of the world." Davenporters William Voss and Henry Brammer came up with inventions that attached a device to a wooden tub to mechanically scrub or agitate the clothes. Wilhelm worked for Brammer constructing the tubs.
Business Owners
Frederick Wunder immigrated to Davenport in 1855. He labored as a wagonmaker but soon he started a grocery business with Claus Meinert. With his status of a business leader in Davenport and the German community, he also became a leader of the Turnverein, which Germans used for physical fitness and social purposes. He was pronounced a "respected citizen of Davenport" in a front page obituary in 1894.
A year after Frederick's death, John Wunder arrived in Davenport. According to Roberta Wunder, he came to America in 1881 with four brothers, George, Paul, Herman, and William, and two sisters, Margaret and Mary. John lived in Lansing and Dubuque, Iowa before moving to Davenport. Along with brother William, John started Wunder Brothers Blankbook Manufacturers and General Binders. However John died at fifty-three of "acute indigestion" while doing inventory in his office, according to his obituary in 1916.
That was who the Wunder immigrants in Scott County were. Hard workers in agriculture, skilled labor, and business who established themselves and benefited the community. No wonder there were many Wunders in Iowa in 1920.
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