I have a copy of an obituary for John Henry DAGEL which I'll post here. In it they mention Sibley, and Oceola county. At the time of his death J.H. DAGEL had 15 children, 44 grand children, 56 g-grand children and 20 g-g-grand children.
-From unknown newspaper clipping, hand dated at Feb. 19, 1933
J.H. Dagel, Civil War Veteran, Dies: Lived 62 Years on Osceola Homestead
Osceola county lost one of its earliest pioneer settlers by the death of John Henry Dagel, 89, who died Sunday morning of pneumonia. He had been seriously ill but two days. Funeral services were conducted Wednesday afternoon from the home by the Rev. W. J. Bell with burial being made in the local cemetery.
One of the two surviving Civil War veterans in this county and one of the few in this section of Iowa, he homesteaded five miles south of Sibley in 1871. One of the earliest settlers in this region, he has lived for the past 62 years on the same farm, which is believed to be a long-time residence record in this section of Iowa or perhaps the entire state.
J.H. Dagel was born in Herkimer county, New York, January 30, 1844. In 1849 he moved to Allamakee county in eastern Iowa with his parents. In 1867 he married Miss Laura M. Russell, who died March 17, 1923.
The couple in 1871 drove by ox-team from Allamakee county to the homestead south of Sibley, via way of Cherokee and Sheldon, where Mr. Dagel continued to make his home until his death.
He served for thirteen months with Company F, Ninth Iowa cavalry, during the Civil War. Too young to serve, being but twenty years of age, he was one of a party of four young men to be paid to take the places of men who had been drafted and did not desire to serve. The large share of his time while an army man was spent in Arkansas.
During the years spent on the homestead, Mr. and Mrs. Dagel acquired ownership of nearly 2,000 acres of northwestern Iowa land, all of which he owned until about two years ago, when he deeded a quarter section to each of twelve living children.
At one time Dagel was farming 4,000 acres of land with the assistance of hired help.
In recalling incidents in the early history of Osceola county, Dagel recalled that in 1873 he had 37 acres destroyed by grasshoppers in two hours and that he caught about eighteen bushels of the pests every day and used them for hog feed. Nearly two thirds of the settlers left as they could not make a living. He was once offered a quarter section, now stands, in trade for a colt.
Mr. Dagel was the father of fifteen children; three of whom, Edward, Isabelle and George, preceded him in death. He is survived by 44 grandchildren; 56 great-grand-children; and 20 great-great-grand-children.
The children living are: Mrs. Soren Anderson of Sanborn; Mrs. John Kimble of Withee, Wis.; Mrs. George Thornquist of Alphine, Ore., Mrs. Mertie Wraight of Sibley, Louis Dagel of Sibley; Henry Dagel of Verdi, Minn.; Edgar Dagel of Wahpeton, N. D.; Mrs. Neal Bowman of Blue Island, Ill.; Jess Dagel of Sibley; Mrs. George Marshall of Sibley; Dick Dagel of Sibley and Barney Dagel of Sibley.