288. Santa Rosa's Washing Machine 1903

Otto F. Clausen was born on June 14, 1850, in Schonhorst, Kirchspiel Brugga, near Kiel, the son of Claus and Johanna (Carstens) Clausen. At the age of 19, Otto sailed for America on May 1, 1869 and settled in Davenport, Iowa a month later. Fortunately, he had a member of the family there by the name of Emil Geisler. A short time later he moved on to Memphis, TN where he became a bookkeeper for St. Joseph's Infirmary. He also enrolled in night classes at a local college to learn English as well as becoming qualified in the commercial and industrial fields. He would later become a clerk in the Central Hotel for the next seven years. With money in the bank, he returned to Europe in 1872 and brought his parents, sisters and one brother back to Memphis with him. By 1876, he had started his own grocery business, taking time out to marry Adele Geisler in 1880. Sadly, she passed away six years later leaving Otto a widower with one surviving child. In 1886, he moved back to Davenport and purchased a home. In 1887, he remarried to Sophia Eveline Steinberg (1865–1928) who gave birth a year later to a son who died in infancy. The following year, he accepted a position as bookkeeper and treasurer of the H. F. Brammer Manufacturing Company, becoming the general manager seven years later in 1895.

In 1901, he finally returned from the company and moved to Santa Rosa County, Florida where he and Eveline lived in Santa Rosa Park (aka Ottonia Park). Around 1903, he met Captain Jacob Kryger who was the proprietor of the Merchants Hotel & Saloon on the southwest corner of Government and Palafox Street in Pensacola. He and his wife Margaret were both from Bavaria and had settled in Pensacola where he and Clausen dabbled in the newly invented washing machine. There is no record of how many washing machines the two men brought into Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties. But, regardless any and all they brought in were greatly appreciated for the people having to use the old washboards that kept their knuckles red, scraped and swollen!

Sadly, all parties concerned had but a few years to live after their entrepreneurial pursuit. Otto passed away at his Santa Rosa home on April 30, 1905 and was transported by train to Davenport, Iowa where he was buried in the Fairmount Cemetery. Eveline would join him in 1928, whereas Margaret Kryger passed away in 1904 and was buried in Pensacola's St. John's Cemetery and joined by Jacob in 1908.