Balthasar Best was born at Darmstadt, Sterkenburg, in the state of Hessen, Germany on March 7, 1838. His father, Jacob, was a doctor. Jacob had another doctor friend, who had emigrated to America and encouraged him to do the same. In 1850, Jacob packed up the entire family and sailed to America. The family included the parents and eight children, four boys and four girls. They took a steamer from Buffalo, New York intending to locate in Toledo, Ohio. However, while crossing Lake Erie and near Cleveland, the boat caught fire and was soon a mass of flames. His mother, father, four sisters and three brothers were all lost. He alone made it to shore, apparently by holding on to something that floated.

In an affidavit dated April 27, 1908, Balthasar stated: "I beg to report that I am not in possession of the records pertaining to my birth; that on June 17th, 1850, while crossing Lake Erie with my father and mother and other members of my family, our ship was wrecked, my parents and brothers and sisters were all drowned, I being the sole survivor of the family. Everything that we possessed was lost, including the family Bible, wherein the record of my birth was recorded. I was twelve years old when the disaster occured and distinctly remember having seen my name of recorded in our family Bible before we sailed from Germany." Another affidavit identified the ship as the Griffith.

Balthasar and probably some other passengers made it to shore, but, as stated before, none of the rest of his family survived. Civilians from town came to the shore to help out with the rescue. A German family took him in, but treated him cruelly, housing him in a basement cellar. One day while the family was gone, he was outside in the yard crying when another young boy came by. He too spoke German and, when Balthasar related how poorly he was being treated, the other boy encouraged him to come to their house. He did and was adopted by this new family. Their name was Kleinschmidt. They treated him much better and he came to love them as his own.

At some time, perhaps about 1856, he moved to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Here he learned the trade of being a cabinet maker. In 1859, he moved to nearby, Winona, Minnesota, perhaps again with the family. He lived on 4th Street about a block away from Mathias Kinnen, who would later become a comrade and life long friend as a result of their war experiences together. In Winona he learned the trade of sash and door making. The term "sash" means windows or window frames.

He was 23 years old, when he enlisted. he was mustered into Company K, on April 29, 1861. At the time of his enlistment a clerk dropped the "h" in his name and recorded it as Baltasar Best. He was 5' 8" tall. He had a light complexion, gray eyes and brown hair.

Family oral history records that his childhood friend also enlisted in the Union Army. When he was killed Balthasar felt very bad and said that it should have been him who died rather than his friend; perhaps seeing it as a matter of being the orphan rather than the one who had a family. The Kleinschmidts that it was not his fault and told him not to blame himself. Research indicates the soldier who died may have been Corporal Jacob A Kleinschmidt. He enlisted in Company A of the 37th Ohio Infantry, on September 6, 1861. He was killed at Princeton, West Virginia, on May 17, 1862.

Balthasar kept a diary, which was written entirely in his native German language. (Today that diary, covering the year 1863, is in a private collection.) Many men who were recent immigrants from other countries could understand military commands, when in the field. But when they had free time it was common for them to revert to their native language when writing or when speaking to others who understood them. In his diary he noted that Levi Allred was his tentmate for awhile. In August of 1863, Levi was promoted to Sergeant which probably meant he needed to tent with another sergaent for duty sharing purposes. Balthasar noted that Franklin Sheets was now his new tentmate. Some records indicate that he was wounded at Bristow Station but he never mentions it in his pension application so if he was wounded it was probably only a slight wound. Balthasar was mustered out with the regiment on May 5, 1864, having fought in twenty battles during his three years of service. These included Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Bristow Station.

Balthasar returned to Winona. He married Francisca (Fanny) Salentine. She was born in Cologne, Germany on March 28, 1846. They moved to Tama City, Iowa, in January 1873, where they ran a restaurant for awhile. A year later they moved to Traer, Iowa, where he put up a building on the west side of town and ran another restaurant. This was the first restaurant in the village. He put up another building where he and his wife ran a restaurant and hotel known as The Best House. In 1878 he enlarged the building and devoted his time exclusively to running the hotel.

On October 21, 1875, he and several other area men became charter members of the Ancient Order of United Workman Enterprise Lodge No. 31. On January 9, 1876, their only child, Minnie, was born.

Baltasar said that he developed rheumatism after the battle of Gettysburg as a result of the rigors of the war. He said it was especially troublesome when he stood on picket duty and would get wet. His veterans pension in 1906 was $6 per month. At that time he asked for an increase in his pension because he now had lost the use of both legs from the rheumetism he contracted during the war. Mathias Kinman was a comrade in the First, whom Balthasar knew from when they both lived in Winona before the war. They kept in contact for years afterward as well. Mathias wrote a testimonial for him in 1890 to help him prove the need for his pension, as did another comrade, Henry Boysen.

His wife, Frannie, died on March 28, 1909. She was buried in the Buckingham Cemetery, just outside of Traer. Balthasar died on April 29, 1911, at the age of 73. He was buried next to his wife.

Their daughter Minnie B Best, died in 1958, at the age of 83. Minnie's daughter, Marione, born on July 28, 1906, was the source of much of this information.