USA > Wisconsin > Fond du Lac County > Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, past and present, Volume II > Part 38
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In a memorial service held following his demise, one long acquainted with Mr. Steenberg and his work, said: "Men live after they are dead in the good deeds they have done, in the beneficial influences they have inaugurated. Some here will remember how Mr. Steenberg brought order out of chaos in the edu- cational institutions of the city ; how he gave a national reputation to the high school of the city, so that wherever the name of Fond du Lac was known the fame of its high school was also mentioned. His method in education was an ad- mirable one. While he was particular about attendance and scholarship and all the details necessary to successful school work, his great aim was manhood and womanhood. The many who are here tonight who studied under his instruction will bear testimony to the fact that Mr. Steenberg never stopped in his instruc- tion with the text-books. His interest in his pupils was such that he followed them into after life, was proud of their successes and had a ready and practical sympathy for them in their failures."
With his ten years' service spent as a representative of educational interests in Fond du Lac, Mr. Steenberg retired from that field, although he never ceased to feel the deepest interest in the public schools, nor failed to give his cooperation to any movement for their welfare and upbuilding. In 1871 he turned his attention to industrial activity as a manufacturer of sash, doors and blinds, becoming junior partner in the firm of Lewis & Steenberg, his associate for five years being H. H. Lewis. In 1876 the latter sold out to Mr. Steenberg, who from that time forward continued in business alone. His enterprise was not a large one, the factory which he owned being one of the more modest insti- tutions embraced in the long list of the great sash and door factories of the northwest. He was conservative in his business methods and had no liking for the risks which must be taken by those who desire great wealth; but on the other hand, risking nothing, he lost nothing ; and his business was probably more uni- formly profitable than that of almost anyone who can be named in his line. The result was that he left a comfortable fortune which was ample for his own needs and those of his family, not only while he lived, but makes liberal provision for them since his death. For eight years he was secretary and treas-
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urer of the wholesale Sash, Door & Blind Manufacturers' Association of the Northwest, retiring from that office in 1889. His qualities of mind and his strict integrity were greatly appreciated by his fellow officers in that association, and no man was held in higher regard in the entire association. He entered the field of newspaper publication, when in 1884 he joined P. B. Haber and other in pur- chasing the daily and weekly Commonwealth of Fond du Lac, continuing the publication of that journal under the name of the Commonwealth Printing Com- pany, of which he remained the president from its organization until his demise. In this connection one who knew him well said: "His modesty was well shown in his relation to the paper in which he was a chief stockholder. Though he was in a position to use the paper, which was for a country city an influential one, he was never known to do so. His name seldom appeared in its columns and we have no doubt that many citizens of Fond du Lac knew nothing of his connection with it. His financial connection with the paper seemed to him sufficient reason why he should be less conspicuous in connection with it than the humblest re- porter. The Timberman sometimes had occasion to ask assistance of the paper through Mr. Steenberg, and while, with his unfailing courtesy, he would take especial pains to grant the favor, it was always done with a careful avoidance of any appearance of directing in the matter. He would give an introduction and request as would an outsider that the Timberman should be assisted in its work, but he would decline to go further than this, leaving his associate, Mr. Haber, in absolute charge."
Naturally a man who held the high ideals which characterized the life of Mr. Steenberg would be a devoted husband and father. On the 22d of April, 1862, he was married to Miss Harriet Green, of Salisbury, Connecticut, a daugh- ter of Osmond Spencer Green, who was a son of Isaac and Achsah (Spencer) Green, and was born in the town of Salisbury, Connecticut, February 8, 1802. He wedded Mary Adeline Conklin on the 9th of October, 1831, and his death occurred January 23, 1871, while his wife passed away November 20, 1877. Of their five children, Mrs. Steenberg is the only one now living. She has not only long been prominent in social and church circles of the city but also displays ex- cellent business and executive ability. Since her husband's death she has been made president of the O. C. Steenberg Company, which was incorporated in 1896 with a capital stock of fifty thousand dollars. The plant was established forty-four years ago and the business has enjoyed a substantial growth that has at length brought it to large proportions. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Steenberg were born two sons, Fred G. and Hubert Steenberg, and one daughter, Sarah, who died at the age of ten years.
Mr. Steenberg was long a devoted member of the Congregational church, faithful to its teachings, active in its work and occupying prominent official po- sitions in the organization. In his religious belief was found the permeating in- fluence of his life. It was manifest in a helpful spirit toward all mankind; it took tangible form in his encouragement to his employes; in his geniality toward all his fellowmen; in his assistance to the needy; in his efforts to secure higher standards of citizenship and of individual living. In a word, he sought progress and improvement along all lines nor was he ever content to choose the second best. In politics he was an active republican, for he took it to be the duty as well as the privilege of every American citizen to exercise his right of franchise and to support those principles and measures which he regarded as the most valuable features in the public life of city, state and country. Fraternally he was con- nected with Fountain Lodge, No. 26, F. & A. M.
No better estimate of his character can be given than in quoting from those who were long associated with him. The editor of the Timberman said : "When a good man dies, all who know him mourn. Such a man was Orrin C. Steenberg, the well known sash, door and blind manufacturer of Fond du Lac, Wiscon- sin, and a wide circle of friends were grieved and shocked at his sudden death on
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Thursday, May 17. Mr. Steenberg was not a great man, measured by his achievements, for he was modest and unambitious; he sought no brilliant suc- cess but was content to gain a modest fortune, with the esteem of his associates and the community in which he lived; that esteem being based on the lovable characteristics of the man and the good he had done. It is not so much of what he did as of what he was that we wish to speak, and yet the two are inseparably joined. What he did grew out of what he was, and in a measure what he was was determined by the lines in which his earlier years were spent. His ambitions were for others rather than for himself, and he was modest as far as personal credit was concerned but zealous for the good of others. He was a most com- panionable man. He had a good deal of the Puritan in his make-up and was a steadfast supporter of things he conceived to be right, but there was none of the Puritan intolerance in him; and while he would fight with all his might for temperance, for example, and use his personal influence to the greatest extent, both in public and private ways in this line, he had no condemnation for the in- dividual who was weaker than himself. Mr. Steenberg valued money for what it would do rather than for itself, and had too great a love for other things in life to become very wealthy. This quality was undoubtedly largely due not only to his inborn tendencies but to the training received in his earlier years. He was a successful business man, but he might have been eminently so if he had set his heart on it. As it was, he was content with that which would enable him to do the good he wished to do in the community where he lived and to fill his place in the world honorably and well."
The high position which Mr. Steenberg occupied in public regard was fur- ther indicated in the fact that a memorial service was held for him in the Con- gregational church on Sunday evening following his passing. On that occasion Judge Giffin said: "Mr. Steenberg was a domestic man. First in his heart was his family and next his church and Sunday school work. While he was not a brilliant man he certainly was among that class of men who are most success- ful because most useful to the community in doing the greatest good possible. While he was not emotional in religion, he was strong in his convictions and at the same time charitable. He was a Christian in reality. With him it was a vital principle. He ever taught, 'Do this because it is right, shun this because it is wrong.' He was strong in his likes and yet it could scarcely be said he was strong in his dislikes. He did not feel at enmity with any on earth and was ever ready to speak a good word of those who disagreed with him. God estimates man by moral worth. Let us therefore remember and imitate his virtues. His good deeds and ours will never die but live as long as time shall last and extend into eternity." On the same occasion Maurice McKenna said: "It affords me pleasure on this solemn occasion to contribute what I can to the memory of the man whom we laid at rest yesterday. There were but few who did not know Mr. Steenberg. And yet he was a man far above the appreciation he received from the community. He was a modest man and yet I know he was a man of su- perior and finished education. It is thirty-one years since I first saw Mr. Steenberg, and I can now see him as I saw him then, when I entered the high school as a pupil. He was then a young man. It seemed from that moment as if I had known him for years. Although I was not identified with any society or organization of which he was a member, and was of a different nationality and creed, yet I am satisfied that he extended to me every courtesy and consider- ation that he did to those who were more closely associated with him. This is but an example of his broadness of mind and heart. He was not a narrow man. I had the honor to possess his confidence and spent many an evening with him at his home during the first summer of our acquaintance. He took such an inter- est in me that he made all the arrangements for me to attend college at his alma mater, without expense to myself, but just thirty years ago tomorrow I bid good- bye to Mr. Steenberg and went into the military service and all that program
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was changed. The last time I ever met him was on the train coming up from Waukesha, about the time we were receiving the sad news of the death of Sam H. Hammond. I then had Mr. Hammond's last letter and my respect for poor Hammond was such that I showed it to but few people here. I should read it now if I had it but it is at present in the possession of the Rev. Mr. Kid- der. Together Mr. Steenberg and I read over that letter and as was ever his custom he made very helpful observations which were exceedingly helpful and which were heard by his son who was returning from the military academy. At that time we compared ages and he spoke of two trees he had planted in the yard of the high school. He talked of the bright prospects of life hereafter and little did I dream then of this sad occasion which was to come so soon. When Mr. Holbrook asked me to speak he also asked me to prepare a few lines, which I have done in the brief time that has intervened.
"Dear honored friend, thy years are told, Thy heart is still, thy brow is cold, Thy life is done, thy toils are o'er -- Thy aches and ills-forevermore. All that was mortal disappears Behind a darkening mist of tears; All that remains of one so brave- A memory and a lonesome grave. Thou know'st tonight, serenely mild, Rienzi's rest beside thy child.
"We miss the sunlight of thy face That graces so oft this solemn place, Thy tender glance, thy kindly word That nevermore shall here be heard. Long after all these rites shall be, Some saddened hearts will yearn for thee. Thou wert so dear to us and ours, The sunshine and the precious flowers That brightened life, that gemmed our way, And charmed existence day by day.
"How frail the thread, how slight the span, On which revolves the life of man! How transient is poor human breath ! 'Tis sad-too sad-this chill of death, O! for the hope that comes to bless The darkest hours of men's distress, The bleakest woe, the deepest gloom- Unfolds a rose. above the tomb, A promise that, when time is o'er, We greet our treasured dead once more.
"How can we spare from this stern earth Thy sterling counsel, manly worth ? Thou faithful friend, preceptor kind, Possessor of a lofty mind, Among the myriads of men, But few could be what thou hast been.
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A heart that knew not how to spare, That shed its blessing everywhere,
A rich, effulgent pentecost Is what thy friends and loved ones lost.
"There are those here who turn their gaze Back through the years to earlier days, Where, in their schoolroom tasks immersed, As girls and boys, they knew thee first. Though time has swept apace since then, Those girls grown women, boys grown men, And, though in many paths they tread, They all repine that thou art dead, And naught can dim their love for thee Till they, too, share eternity.
" 'Tis meet that thou art laid away Amid the flowers and balm of May. The coffin lid, the pulseless shroud, May shade thy visage from the crowd, May shut thee in, but that is all That death can keep below the pall, For years and years above thy tomb, Thy honored life shall burst in bloom. O God! Thou dost in all excel- Dear, mute, dear friend, farewell, farewell!"
MATHIAS MAHLBERG.
Mathias Mahlberg, deceased, was well known in agricultural circles of Springvale township and the qualities of his manhood aside from his marked success as a farmer were such as to gain him the respect and friendship of those with whom he came in contact. In his agricultural career he won pros- perity by reason of the straightforward, progressive and enterprising methods which he followed. He was born April 10, 1827, in Prussia, Germany, near Cologne, on the Rhine river. He was educated in the public schools of his native country and followed general farming in the section in which he was born until he came to the United States in 1855. He settled first in Auburn town- ship, where he purchased forty acres of land to which he later added eighty acres. He cultivated the soil and was successful as a general agriculturist upon this tract until he moved to Washington county, where he purchased another farm, upon which he lived for three years. He later sold his one hundred and twenty acres in Washington county and came to Springvale township in 1891. Here he purchased one hundred and sixty-six acres of land on section 13 and began its cultivation. He was thrifty, hard-working, progressive and energetic. founding upon these qualities a success in life which was gratifying and well deserved. He died upon his holdings on April 15, 1898. He was one of the well known men of Springvale township and was in all the various relations of his life upright, straightforward and honorable.
Mathias Mahlberg was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude Mahlberg, who was born July II, 1834, in Prussia, Germany, and who died in Springvale township on September 27, 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Mahlberg were the parents of eleven children. Matthew was born November 23, 1854, and died April 15, 1893. Mary, whose birth occurred June 9, 1858, became the wife of Joseph
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Halbleib, of Kansas, and her death occurred on February 26, 1887. Peter was born on September 2, 1860, and died on December 18, 1909. John, born in Auburn township on November 4, 1862, is engaged in general farming upon the home property. He attended school in Auburn township and has been for many years one of the progressive and substantial agriculturists of his dis- trict. Margaret, born February 2, 1864, is the wife of P. D. Nigh, a farmer of Campbellsport. Helen, born June 1, 1866, is the wife of J. P. Fellenz, who is engaged in farming in Washington county. Katherine, born June 27, 1869, at- tended school in Auburn township and is keeping house for her brothers upon the old homestead. Frances was born February 7, 1871, and died December 4, 1910. Rosa, born March 6, 1874, is the wife of Bruno Winninger, a farmer of Hartford, Wisconsin. Susan was born February 19, 1878, and died June 27, 1904. Joseph, the youngest member of the family, was born December 2, 1879. He attended school in Washington county and is operating the old homestead in partnership with his brother John.
Mathias Mahlberg was a member of the Roman Catholic church of Wood- hull. His children are now living upon the farm which he operated for so many years and its active management has been assumed by his sons, John and Joseph. The brothers are numbered among the substantial and representative agriculturists of the section, carrying on the enterprise founded by their father along modern, systematic and progressive lines. They are the proprietors of one of the finest and most highly improved farms in Fond du Lac county, which is well stocked and capably handled. They are progressive in politics, voting al- ways for men regardless of party. They are not office seekers, being content to devote their entire time and energies to the carrying on of their important enterprise. Their success is the greatest evidence of the value and worth of the life of their father, who trained them to work earnestly and sincerely along lines which lead to worthy prosperity.
JAMES H. NOLAN.
Almost every civilized country on the face of the globe has sent representa- tives to Fond du Lac county. Among those furnished by Ireland was John Nolan, the father of James H. Nolan, whose name introduces this review. He was born and reared in Ireland, and having arrived at years of maturity wed- ded Rose Gallagher. They began their domestic life in their native country, but thinking to have better opportunities on this side of the Atlantic they came to the United States in 1853 and made their way at once to Manitowoc county, settling in Schleisingerville township where they lived for nine years. They then removed to Friendship township, Fond du Lac county, remaining there seven years and later moved on section 20, Eldorado township where they lived about twenty years and subsequently returned to Fond du Lac where the mother died in 1900. The father is still living and resides in Fond du Lac.
It was in Manitowoc county that James H. Nolan was born and reared, spending his youthful days in the usual manner of farm lads who depend upon the public school for educational privileges and whose business training is re- ceived through the work of the fields. His practical experience well qualified him to take up the management of the farm on his own account and he is now successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits, cultivating the crops best adapted to the soil and climate. He is a man of progressive spirit and all the buildings upon the farm today were erected by him. There is a comfortable dwelling and good barns and outbuildings furnishing ample shelter for grain and stock.
In 1894 Mr. Nolan was united in marriage to Miss Mary Whalen, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Whalen, residents of Empire township. To them
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has been born one child, a son, James, who is thirteen years of age. The par- ents are communicants of St. Mary's Catholic church and James H. Nolan gives his political support to the independent party and for a few years served as road master during which time he put forth earnest efforts to improve the public highways. In fact in all matters of citizenship he stands for progress and advancement.
JOHN BERGIN.
John Bergin, an enterprising and successful agriculturist residing on sec- tion 12, Eldorado township, has spent his entire life in Fond du Lac county, his birth having occurred in the year 1862. His parents, Michael and Julia (Closey) Bergin, were natives of Ireland. The father came to Fond du Lac county in 1842 and here entered a tract of land from the government.
John Bergin obtained his education at Eldorado, this county, and since put- ting aside his text-books has been engaged in the work of the fields. All im- provements which may now be seen on his farm of two hundred acres, on sec- tion 12, stand as monuments to his thrift and enterprise. The well tilled fields annually yield golden harvests in return for the care and labor which he be- stows upon them, and thus his income has been gratifying.
In 1894, in North Fond du Lac, John Bergin was united in marriage to Miss Maggie Castin, a daughter of Thomas and Mary Castin. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Bergin are eight in number, as follows: Francis, who is sixteen years of age; Edwin, a youth of fifteen; William, who is thirteen years old ; Timothy, Veronica, David and Mansfield, who are eleven, eight, seven and five . years of age respectively ; and Helen, one year old.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise John Bergin has sup- ported the men and measures of the democratic party, believing firmly in the principles of that organization. His religious faith is that of the Catholic church and his life has been upright and honorable in all its relations, com- manding the regard and esteem of those with whom he has come in contact.
ALBERT N. TRIPP.
Albert N. Tripp, who engages in general farming in Osceola township, is a representative of one of Fond du Lac county's esteemed pioneer families. His parents, Ephraim Robbins and Sarah (Bartlett) Tripp, were natives of Oneida county, New York, the father's birth having occurred on the 28th of August, 1815, and that of the mother on August 19, 1820. The paternal grandfather was John Tripp, likewise a native of the Empire state, where he engaged in farming until his death. In November 1854, Ephraim Tripp, together with his wife and children, of whom there were then seven, removed to Wisconsin. They first located in Walworth county, remaining there until March, 1861, when they came to Fond du Lac county. Here the father farmed as a renter for three years, and then purchased a place in Eden township, in the further improve- ment and cultivation of which he engaged until his death, in 1876. He had long survived the mother, who passed away in 1863. Nine children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Tripp, all of whom are still living. In order of birth they are as follows: Sarah, now Mrs. Olmsted; John, who resides in Fond du Lac; Mary, now Mrs. E. C. Airhart; Chester; Margaret; Hannah ; Eugene ; Jennie ; and Albert, our subject.
EDWARD C. AIRHART
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Albert N. Tripp was reared at home and educated in the district schools. He early assumed his share of the duties in connection with the cultivation of the farm, remaining at home until after the death of his father. He has since made his home with his brothers and sisters and is now operating the farm of Mrs. Airhart, which is one of the attractive and valuable properties of Osceola town- ship.
Mary Tripp, now Mrs. E. C. Airhart, was born in the state of New York on the 17th of January, 1845, and there received her early schooling. She was a child of nine years when her parents located in Wisconsin, which has since been her home. She was a very ambitious girl and made the most of her meager opportunities in her efforts to avail herself of a better education. After com- pleting the course of the district schools she attended the high school in Fond du Lac and then went to teaching, thus obtaining the money to continue her studies at the Geneva Seminary, which institution she attended for a time.
In 1868 Mary Tripp became the wife of Edward C. Airhart, a son of John and Mary (Kilmer) Airhart. John Airhart was a son of Michael and Magda- lene Ehrhardt, for so the name was originally spelled, and was born in Alsace, Germany, in 1790. He lived with his parents to the age of sixteen years and was then drafted for service in Napoleon's army. He was under the command of that intrepid military leader during the siege of Spain, doing active duty as a private soldier in the infantry. He participated in many battles and sharp skirmishes, experiencing all the hardships that came to those who served under Napoleon. Ere two years had passed he was captured in Spain and taken to Gibraltar, where he remained several months, after which he was held as a prisoner of war on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean sea. He was next sent to America, where the War of 1812 was in progress. At the battle of Plattsburg, New York, becoming tired of enforced service as a soldier, he laid down his arms and was given a pass by the United States superintendent on the 15th of September, 1814. The original pass is still in possession of his descend- ants. This terminated his military experience. He spelled his name in German on giving it to the superintendent, who wrote it Airhart instead of following the original spelling Ehrhardt, and, as John Airhart could neither read nor write or speak the English language, he knew nothing of this change in orthography and the name has since been written in the present form.
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