William Heileman is one of the prominent and successful citizens of Garner Township, who came to Pottawattamie County, thirteen years ago, and has resided on his present farm ever since. He was born August 22, 1857, in Saxony, Germany, the son of William and Wilhelmina (Marker) Heileman, natives of Saxony. William attended school until fourteen years of age, and then commenced farm work. When sixteen years of age he bade his father, mother, six brothers and one sister, good-bye, and came to this country with his uncle, Carl Heileman, who settled in Webster County, Iowa.

William afterward came to Humboldt County, where he worked at farm work by the month, and remained until the spring of 1877, when he came to Pottawattamie County. He purchased eighty acres of land in Minden Township, which he afterward sold and bought his present farm of Margaret Stoker. It was an old, cultivated farm, situated about four miles from the city limits, and consists of 243 acres, 120 acres being cultivated, and the remainder in valuable timber and pasture lands. He has some four acres in a vineyard, about two acres in blackberries, and six acres in orchard. The farm is well adapted for fruit growing or stock raising.

On the 16th of April he was married to Miss Lucretia Stoker, who was born on this homestead, and the daughter of Eller and Margaret Stoker, early and well known settlers of the township.

Mr. and Mrs. Heileman have two children: Ralph Earling and Minnie. Politically Mr. Heileman is a Democrat, and is a member of the Farmers' Protective Alliance of Garner Township. He is a man yet in the prime of life, frank, intelligent and cordial in his manner.