Louis Emile Dolder was born September 28, 1866 in Alsace, France. He came to America in 1868 at the age of twenty months, accompanied by his father Jean George, his Aunt Josephine and Uncle Leonard, and several of his siblings, Caroline Age 19, Elizabeth age 16, Josephine age 12, Charles 11, Adele 9, Louise 6 and George 4. One brother and one sister stayed behind. Their mother had died in March of 1867 in Alsace. The family arrived in the port of New York on the ship Cella on May 23, 1868.

The group chartered passage to Chicago via the St. Lawrence seaway and Great Lakes. From Chicago they traveled overland to LaSalle county near Sheridan, Illinois. Most of the children were farmed out to relatives to help raise them because they had no mother and their father was in ill health. Their father died December 1880.

Louis was raised to adulthood by Aunt Josephine and Uncle Leonard Dolder. He met Anna Clara Ulrich and on the 10th of April 1892, they were married in St. John the Baptist Church in Somonauk, Illinois. Aunt Josephine was the first to pass on and at that time, Uncle Leonard lived with Louis and Anna so they could look after him. Just before Uncle Leonard died in 1902, he deeded the farm to Louis, who in turn, sold it to a cousin Fred Bastian, and almost immediately loaded his family consisting of wife and five children, and made the arduous trip to Iowa where they settled near Anna's parents.

Louis was a man of many trades, a farmer, postmaster, shoe and leather repairman, elevator manager, marshall, and carpenter. Louis loved music and was an accomplished musician. He lived the rest of his life in Humboldt county, Iowa except for a short time in Minnesota. The remaining three children were born in Iowa.

On April 4, 1942, Louis and Anna celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary. Louis died Monday morning February 21, 1949. He is buried in North Lawn cemetery, Fort Dodge, Iowa.