John & Louisa Pietsch Appel were the parents of Ed, Gus, John, Guido, Augusta Exner, Minnie Haberman, Josephine Appel, Louise Haberman, Margaret Koopman, Cecelia Dean and Laura Kennedy. They were preceded in death by a daughter, Mary, who died in 1899.

John Appel was born in Neumoltein, Austria, on December 27, 1855. When he was a young man of 22 he left Europe to come to America and settled in southwestern Minnesota before the state had roads or any of the modern conveniences of living. The first home was a sod house in Belfast township. Mr. Appel helped build the railroads, worked in lumber camps near Mankato and did other work necessary in the new land.

He was married in 1879 to Louisa Pietsch, of Heron Lake, at Avoca and in 1884 they took a homestead in Belfast township. In this vicinity, Mr. Appel carried on farming operations for a number of years, retiring in the fall of 1916 to move to Fulda. Mr. and Mrs. Appel were the parents of twelve children, two of whom, Mary and Edward, have preceded their father in death. Mrs. Appel died in September, 1936. The surviving children are three sons, John, of Dundee, Guido, of Sleepy Eye, and Gus, of Fulda and seven daughters, Mrs. Hubert Exner (Gusta) and Mrs. H.H. Dean (Cecelia), of LaMoure, N.D.; Mrs. Moritz Haberman (Minnie) of Kinbrae, Mrs. Alfred Haberman (Louise) of Heron Lake, Mrs. F.C. Koopman (Laura) of Hardwick, and Miss Josephine Appel of Fulda.

There are 39 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren. Of his immediate family, parents, brothers and sisters, all remained in Austria and all have preceded him in death. He has never lacked however for family devotion, all of the sons and daughters visiting him very often and the daughter, Miss Josephine, with whom he lived, being especially faithful in her care of him and constant in her attendance. She did everything possible to make his illness bearable, looking always to his physical comfort with patience and cheerfulness, her nurses training standing her in good stead during the last few weeks. Many relatives and friends who would have come to Fulda for the funeral services were kept at home by the New Year's storm, but among those who attended were Mrs. Hubert Exner and Mrs. H.H. Dean of LaMoure, N.D., Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Haberman, Mr. and Mrs. A. Haberman, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schafer, Clarence Mixner and Clifford Langer of Heron Lake, Mr. and Mrs. Leo Kennedy and two daughters of Hardwick, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Ramert of Avoca, Emanuel Ramert of Dovray, Guido Appel and son, Leon of Sleepy Eye, Mr. and Mrs. Emmett Kennedy, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Kennedy of Luverne, Mr. and Mrs. Moritz Haberman of Kinbrae, and relatives from the Fulda vicinity. St. Rita's Guild of the Catholic church served dinner for about fifty relatives before they left for their homes in the afternoon.

Lot/Block information provided by GraveFinder #50434390.