page_title: Frederick Hinde Zimmerman
section_title: Family and farming
hierarchical_section_title: Frederick Hinde Zimmerman / Family and farming
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture of Peter Jacob Hinde Zimmerman
context_page_description: Frederick Hinde Zimmerman was an American banker, farmer, real estate entrepreneur, businessman, and hotel owner. Due to his large land holdings and expertise in farming Zimmerman became a notable farmer, breeder, and real estate entrepreneur during his life. Zimmerman's farm, originally purchased by his grandfather Thomas S. Hinde from the federal government in 1815, included the Grand Rapids Dam, Hanging Rock, and Buttercrust. His first experience running a business was in 1883 when he ran a grocery store in Fort Smith, Arkansas with his cousin Harry Hinde. Many of Zimmerman's businesses centered on his family farm, but in later years Zimmerman achieved success through his ownership and investment in mines, banks, and real estate. He also owned or invested in the Hanging Rock and Grand Rapids Dam Farm Company, the Grand Rapids Hotel Park Company, and the Wabash Bull-Frog Mines Company.
  Zimmerman was among the fourth generation of the Hinde family in the United States that was begun by his great-grandfather Dr. Thomas Hinde. His grandfather Thomas S.
context_section_description: After the failure of the grocery store in Arkansas in 1886, Zimmerman returned to the family farm and became a gentleman farmer. After Zimmerman returned, his father gave a small acreage of the Hinde farm to Zimmerman's half brother John H. Zimmerman, who raised pigs and farmed the acreage until he sold the property to Zimmerman several years later. Zimmerman was given title to the Hinde family farm by his father on July 13, 1902 after he married Agnes Oldendorf (1872–1922).  Agnes was the daughter of Peter and Mary S. Oldendorf who ran a music business and were retail liquor dealers in Mount Carmel. The brother of Zimmerman's wife, Charles Oldendorf, who served as mayor of Mount Carmel, Illinois during the late 1890s, encouraged Zimmerman to join the fraternal organization the Knights of Pythias.  In 1906, Zimmerman became chancellor commander of the Knights of Pythias lodge in Wabash County, Illinois and was a Captain in the uniform rank of the order.
  After receiving title to the Hinde family farm in 1902, Zimmerman built a house for his young family near the Grand Rapids Dam.  Once construction of the new home was completed Zimmerman used two horse teams and numerous men to lift his father's old home near the river and move it to higher ground closer to his new home.  The couple had two children, Rebecca Zimmerman in 1901 and Peter Jacob Hinde Zimmerman in 1903.  Zimmerman and his wife raised their children in the Methodist faith and they attended school in Mount Carmel.  From his son's early years Zimmerman trained him to operate the farm land and livestock.  His son won many awards in livestock shows.  Following Zimmerman's death in 1924, ownership of the Grand Rapids Hotel was divided equally between his children.  They owned the hotel until it was burned down in 1929 by hotel manager Glenn Goodart under suspicious circumstances.
  In 1901, Zimmerman was elected secretary of the Illinois Farmers' Institute, a position he held for three years.  His father also held leadership positions with the Illinois Farmers' Institute and frequently gave speeches on good farming practices, the origin of soils, the road system, and climatic influence on plants. Meetings during his tenure as secretary averaged 350 participating members and a yearlong membership in 1901 cost $71.99. The district director stated that during the tenure of Zimmerman and the other officers they made the institute, "...look very attractive after they fixed it up with flags and bunting." At this time the institute members and Zimmerman were followers of the Grangers Movement, which put emphasis on families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and agriculture.
  Zimmerman was well known for raising some of the finest trotting horses in Southern Illinois, and many of his horses were noted for their dressage ability. Zimmerman also operated a successful livestock operation that focused on raising specialty hogs and cattle. He was noted nationally as a breeder and owner of Holstein-Friesian cows by the Holstein-Friesian Association of America.  Three of his Holstein cows (Netherland Gem Segis, Kosa Beat Segis, and Vickery de Kol Korndyke) were listed among the best known of the breed in herd and pedigree listings. For a short time Zimmerman and his father raised registered Shropshire sheep primarily for meat, at the family farm near the Grand Rapids Dam.  Some of their Shropshire sheep were listed on the American Shropshire Registry, which was a national register for the highest quality sheep of the breed.  Zimmerman's son lived on the family farm his entire life and in later years was elected to various public offices in Wabash County Illinois.  Like his father, he continued the tradition of raising specialty hogs and cattle.  Both men continually expanded the family land holdings and diversified the farming operations.
caption: Peter Jacob Hinde Zimmerman in 1920, Fred Zimmerman's son.
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