USA > Wisconsin > Brown County > History of Brown County, Wisconsin, past and present, Volume II > Part 21
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GEORGE D. NAU
"IE NAT TRANS PUBLIC LIBRARY ١
1373A, LENOX 199 TILDEN FOUNDATION"
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HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY
On the 10th of March, 1885, Mr. Nau was married, at Mannsville, New York, to Miss Frances Miner. a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Miner. By this marriage has been born one child, Julia Gladys, who has studied in Europe. The former family residence at No. 200 South Adams street was erected by Mr. Nau in 1885, but in 1912 he moved to his present home on Porlier street.
Mr. Nau holds membership in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Royal Arcanum and the Knights of Pythias and he gives his political al- legiance to the republican party. He has served as alderman of the second ward but otherwise has not sought nor desired office, preferring to concen- trate his energies upon his business affairs, which have been of growing vol- ume and importance. His activities are a feature in the industrial and com- mercial development of the community and, while contributing to individual prosperity, are also a factor in public progress.
EDWARD MARTIN.
Edward Martin, who is living retired and who was for many years closely associated with agricultural interests in Brown county, was born in County Carlow, Ireland, in 1834, a son of Bernard and Mary (Mc- Cabe ) Martin, also natives of the Emerald isle, who came to America in 1852 and settled in De Pere, where the father engaged in farming and similar labor until his death in 1877, at the age of seventy-five years.
Edward Martin received a limited education in the public schools of his native country. He was eighteen years of age when he came with his parents to De Pere and he farmed in the vicinity of the city for a number of years. About 1860 he assumed entire management of the homestead and operated the same along modern lines of development un- til his retirement in May, 1905. Since that time he has been residing in De Pere and has gained widespread respect and esteem by reason of the fine qualities of his mind and character.
Mr. Martin married Miss Bridget Farrell, a daughter of Patrick and Mary (Madigan) Farrell. She was born in County Limerick, Ireland, her birth having occurred February 2, 1842. Mr. and Mrs. Martin have nine children. Patrick is an attorney in Green Bay. Minnie is the wife of Bernard Hart, a conductor on the Northwestern Railroad, by whom she has three children: Mary, aged fourteen and a student in the St. John school; Josephine, aged ten: and Bernard, aged eight. Thomas is conducting a shoe store in Green Bay. John is a practicing attorney in the same city. Michael is engaged in farming on the old homestead. Joseph, of Green Bay, is an attorney, is married and has three children. Leslie conducts a shoe store in Green Bay. Margaret is the wife of John Goemans, a hardware merchant of De Pere, by whom she has seven chil- dren : Florence C., aged fifteen, a student in the De Pere high school ; Francis, aged thirteen; Marie, ten; Edward, eight; Agnes, six; Mildred, five; and Margaret, four. The third youngest son born to Mr. and Mrs.
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Martin is William, who is at present serving with ability and efficiency as deputy sheriff of Brown county. He was born on the home farm in June, 1866, and after he had completed his education aided his father in the management of the homestead until he came to De Pere to assume the management of the Valley Telephone Company. He remained in this capacity for three years and then clerked in a local shoe store until 1909. Gradually he became identified with the public life of the district and was appointed in the latter year deputy sheriff, and has since served, dis- charging his duties ably and efficiently. He was a candidate for the office of sheriff at the recent primaries, and is now nominated for that office. William Martin married Miss Anna Lee, a daughter of Patrick Lee, a well known railroad man, and they have three children. Lee, Clar- ence and Donald. The family are devout adherents of the Roman Catho- lic church.
Mr. Martin of this review is one of the well known religious work- ers in De Pere and was one of the founders of St. Patrick Society. In politics he is consistently democratic and has always been prominent in the party's councils, although he never seeks public office. During the course of his active career he did able work in promoting the agricultural development of his section and in establishing agricultural standards, and he has well earned the retirement which he enjoys.
MATTHEW JOHN MAES.
The career of Matthew John Maes is a striking example of the power of a dominating ambition to make a business success. He was a son of poor parents and was obliged to work for his living at the age of thirteen years and is now, at the age of fifty, manager of the West De Pere branch of the State Bank of De Pere. He is a native of Holland, having been born in that country in 1862. His parents, John and Gertrude Maes, left their native country in 1870 and crossed the Atlantic to America. They settled first at Spring Lake, Michigan, where they remained for two years, later coming to Detroit and then to De Pere, where the father died May 23, 1898, at the age of seventy years, his wife surviving him until October 6, 1900, when her death occurred in her seventieth year.
The early education of Matthew John Maes was limited. He at- tended the parochial school in De Pere until he was thirteen years old, when he was obliged to lay aside his books, in order to earn his living, devoting his leisure hours to home study. He obtained work in a brick- yard and factory, where he remained until he was twenty-nine years of age. He felt the need of the educational advantages of which the hard- ships of his early life had deprived him and when he was twenty-nine years of age he entered the Green Bay Business College, taking a general course of instruction along commercial lines. He became interested in the public life of De Pere and was elected in 1893 to the position of city clerk, continuing in this office for thirteen years. His service was continu-
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ous from 1893 until 1896. He then was out of office for two years and was reelected in 1898 and continued as city clerk until 1908. He served as city treasurer for one term and was also a member of the city fire department from 1893 until 1904. He was elected to the city council in 1908 and served for two years. In all these capacities he made a record for himself for hon- esty and efficiency in office. He was an ideal public servant, lending the weight of his influence and assistance to every movement tending toward the growth and progress of his city and county. When the De Pere public li- brary was founded in 1896 he was made its first librarian and this position he held until 1900, when he was elected to the presidency of the library board and is now acting in this capacity.
Mr. Maes' banking career began in 1908, when he was made manager of the newly established branch of the State Bank of De Pere on the west side of the river in this city. He is still active in this capacity. He has become well known in De Pere as a public-spirited citizen, taking an active interest in the history and progress of the city and in the develop- ment of its educational and commercial life. Fraternally he is a member of Green Bay Lodge, No. 617, Knights of Columbus, and served for several years as trustee of that organization. He is also prominent in Columbus Court, No. 315, Catholic Order of Foresters, and has passed through all its chairs. Both of these fraternal organizations are affiliated with the Roman Catholic church, in which faith Mr. Maes was reared and of which he is a devout adherent. He is a member of St. Boniface church and a director of the St. Boniface Benevolent Society. His religion is of a practical kind, leavening his life and influencing his career, and it has been a vital influence in his public and private life.
CHARLES A. STRAUBEL.
Charles A. Straubel is successfully engaged in the wholesale cheese business at Nos. 409 to 411 North Washington street, Green Bay, Wis- consin. He was born in Green Bay, December 2, 1870, and is a son of H. A. and Minnie Straubel. The father is a native of Germany and emi- grated from that country to America in 1845 and settled in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Immediately after establishing his home in Green Bay he engaged in the manufacture of wagons, in which he continued for some time and then became connected with a flour mill. On the opening of the Civil war he enlisted in the Ninth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infan- try, and served during the entire period of the war. During a portion of his time as a soldier he was a prisoner at Andersonville. At the close of the war he returned to his home in Green Bay and there engaged in business for a number of years. His wife died in 1898 and is buried in Woodlawn cemetery. The father now lives retired and maintains his resi- dence in this city.
Charles A. Straubel was reared at home and received his early edu- cation in the public schools of Green Bay and later pursued a business
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course in the Green Bay Business College. After completing his busi- ness education he took up work in the Citizens National Bank as book- keeper and teller and continued in those positions for a period of five years. He has the distinction of having been the first bookkeeper em- ployed by that bank. After leaving the employ of the bank he traveled for one year and then engaged in the cheese business in partnership with Julius R. Meyers. The business was conducted under the firm name of Meyers & Straubel for three years, after which time Mr. Straubel in 1897 became sole owner and has since successfully continued the business un- der his own name. He has been very prosperous in his business and he is now the largest wholesale cheese dealer of Brown county, his sales reaching almost one million dollars per year. The buildings which he requires in the conduct of his business were all erected by Mr. Straubel with a view to safety and convenience and his plant constitutes one of the most modern, up-to-date of its kind in the county. He is also presi- dent of the Brown County Telephone Company, of which he was one of the organizers and is one of the principal stockholders of that corpora- tion, and is also a director of the Citizens National Bank.
Charles A. Straubel was married in Green Bay, December 19, 1896, to Miss Alice J. Van Dycke, a daughter of Louis and Octavia Van Dycke. The father was an early settler of Green Bay and was the founder of the Van Dycke Brewing Company. Mr. and Mrs. Straubel are the parents of three children : Minnie and Austin, who are pupils in the public schools ; and Florence, who is five years of age. The family reside at the old homestead, which was built by the subject of this review.
Mr. Straubel has fraternal relations with the Masonic order, holding membership in the commandery and having attained the thirty-second degree. He is also a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. He is one of the representative business men of Green Bay and is well known throughout business circles of Wisconsin and is numbered among the useful and desirable citizens of his portion of the state.
JOHN M. FRANSSENS.
For forty-three years John M. Franssens has been connected with the harness business in Green Bay, originally conducting his interests along both wholesale and retail lines but now concentrating his efforts solely on the wholesale trade. A spirit of unfaltering determination actuates him in all his undertakings. Straightforward and honorable in all his dealings, no resident in Green Bay occupies a more enviable position in its commercial and financial circles.
Descended from an old and prominent family in his native land, he was born in Verrebroek, East Flanders, Belgium, April 20, 1848, and is a son of John Modest and Nathalie (Verlaet ) Franssens. The house in which his birth occurred was built in 1629 by one of his paternal ancestors who was a tanner, and the family records show a line of tanners conducting business at
III Kram.
THE NEW YORK ! PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX 149 TILDER FOUNDATIONS.
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HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY
Verrebroek from 1629 down to the present time. The business has been handed down from father to son through successive generations and is to- day owned and conducted by Charles Louis Franssens, a brother of John M. Franssens, who owns and occupies the old house which has been the family home for about three centuries.
The last named was educated in the schools of Belgium, learning both the French and Dutch languages, to write and converse, and also learned the trade of a tanner. In 1868 he came to the United States, then a young man of twenty years, and settled in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He had come to America as representative of the family to advise them concerning a re- moval to the new world. Here he started in the harness business and at the same time attempted to perfect himself in the English language and gain a knowledge of American ways and customs. At the end of the year he ad- vised his parents against coming to the United States on account of their age, the good business which they there enjoyed and the comforts which they would be forced to give up. He, however, remained to thoroughly acquaint himself with the harness trade and in 1874 he opened a small retail harness shop. The business grew rapidly and assumed such proportions that he soon established a wholesale department and conducted business along both wholesale and retail lines until 1909, when he closed out his retail depart- ment and has since conducted an exclusive wholesale business, at the same time manufacturing his own harness. Ile employs on an average of eleven men in the Green Bay establishment besides several traveling salesmen on the road. Close application and unfaltering energy have been salient fea- tures in placing him in a prominent position in trade circles of the city and he is honored by all for what he has accomplished.
On the 10th of October, 1872, Mr. Franssens was united in marriage to Miss Mary C. Delwiche, a daughter of William and Virginia ( Beaulin ) Del- wiche, of Green Bay, who were originally from St. Denis Province, Namur, Belgium. Mr. Franssens was the first and is the only one of the family to have come to America, and having none of his relatives with him he has perpetuated their names in the naming of his children who are six in number. These are: Adele, who is the wife of H. E. Nelson, a commercial traveler residing in Green Bay, and is the mother of one daughter, Nathalie ; Charles L., a commercial traveler residing at Fort Worth, Texas, who married Grace Vincent and has three children, Gertrude, Charlotte and John Eugene; Ce- cile, residing at home ; Alphonse J., a commercial traveler of Green Bay, who married Jennie Marsland and has a son, Charles Louis ; Nathalie L., the wife of Edward Woodcock, a farmer of Collins, Wisconsin, and the mother of two children, Dexter and Alice Mary ; and Modest W., at home. The family reside at 434 South Jackson street, Green Bay.
Mr. Franssens belongs to Washington Lodge, No. 21, F. & A. M., joining in Green Bay, and since 1879 has been a member of the Temple of Honor, a temperance organization in which he has passed through all the chairs and through the council of the order. In politics, too, he has been somewhat prominent and for three years, in 1884-85-86, represented his ward in the city council. He was selected for the office by some members of the Business Men's Association and by them elected to the position. In this they recog-
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nized his business qualifications and standing, and felt that such qualities would well serve the public in controlling municipal affairs. His influence was strongly felt for he stood for just laws and their rigid enforcement. Always a temperate man, he stood for temperance principles and a high li- cense and better regulation of the saloons. So potent was his influence that some of the liquor men attempted, by boycotting his business, to intimidate him or drive him from the town. At all times Mr. Franssens stands for im- provement and progress and the course which he has followed in his busi- ness career marks him as an energetic, upright man.
CHARLES W. MUELLER.
Charles W. Mueller has been well known in banking circles of Wrights- town since he began his active career and is today one of the prominent bankers in the city. He is a practical business man with the capacity to make his ability effective and has brought the enterprise to a high degree of prosperity. He is a native of Wrightstown, and is a son of one of the foremost organizers and promoters in the early period of the de- velopment of the city. His birth occurred December 27, 1862, and his parents were Carl G. and Mary (Thompson) Mueller. His father was born in Saxony, January 8, 1834, and came to America with the grand- father of our subject in 1852. They first settled in Milwaukee, where Carl G. Mueller clerked in a general store for some time, coming to Wrightstown in 1856. After a short period spent as a hotel clerk he opened one of the first general stores in this section of the country suc- ceeding to the business of the Wrights, after whom the town was named. He invested heavily in land and was one of the early dealers in real estate in the county. He soon became a leading figure in local affairs and when the home seekers began to come into the state it was he who sup- plied them with money and other necessities to help them in founding a new home. At the time he also operated a ferry across Fox river and later built the first floating bridge across that stream. He was the founder and promoter of the first hotel in Wrightstown which he called the Amer- ica House and also conducted the first sawmill in the city. For some years he operated a brewery but later abandoned this to engage in gen- eral merchandising at Ashland, and also ran a sawmill. He was one of the organizers of the first Lutheran church in his section, donating the grant upon which the building was erected and always retaining his active interest in the affairs of the church. He was the leading figure in the organization and promotion of the most important enterprises in Wrights- town and the surrounding country, giving to worthy causes and always working along constructive and progressive lines for the general welfare. He donated land to many home seekers and to many business concerns and was one of the greatest individual forces in upbuilding and develop- ment. He was prominent in democratic politics and served for twenty- five years as postmaster of the city. When he died December 15. 1886,
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his many friends gathered from all parts of the state to offer him last honors.
Charles Mueller was educated in the public schools of his native section and from an early date was his father's chief assistant in managing the affairs of the various enterprises with which the latter was connected. AAfter the death of Carl G. Mueller he took entire charge of the estate and later became cashier of the Bank of Wrightstown with which he is still connected. The volume of its business is constantly increasing, owing to the systematic and intelligent way in which it is handled and the bank is one of the leading financial institutions in the city.
In 1886 Mr. Mueller was united in marriage to Miss Louisa Delzer of Calumet county, a daughter of August and Ernestina Delzer. Mr. and Mrs. Mueller are the parents of four children: Edwin, Irene, Emma and Carl. The family belong to the Lutheran church. Mr. Mueller gives his allegiance to the democratic party but has never sought public office, although for the past twenty-six years he has been village clerk, having served in this capacity since the incorporation of Wrightstown. He is a successful banker having had personal experience in the various as- pects of that occupation, and is conservative and systematic as a finan- cier. He is a valuable addition to the section of the country in which he resides by reason of his industry, practical methods and intelligent skill, which have made him successful and which have been factors in the growth of an important enterprise.
SAMUEL ABBOTT BROWN.
Samuel Abbott Brown, who at the time of his retirement from busi- ness had attained an enviable position in commercial circles, owed his suc- cess to his long-continued and intelligent activity as a dominating force in one of the well known hardware establishments in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He is a native son of that city, his birth having occurred July 2, 1847. The family came originally from New York state, where Lorenzo Brown, the grandfather of our subject, was prominent in business and political cir- cles. He was born in 1798 and died in November, 1866. He was a cloth weaver by trade and had learned the details of that occupation with Mil- lard Fillmore, later president of the United States. While a resident of Buffalo, New York, he served as sheriff of Erie county and later rendered efficient service as United States marshal in western New York. It was Lorenzo Brown who founded the family in Green Bay, where he came with his sons, La Fayette and James C. Brown, at an early date and where he resided during the remainder of his life. After coming to this county he devoted his time and attention to agricultural pursuits. In politics he was first a whig and later a republican and served as sheriff of Brown county for some years. He wedded Mary Sloat, who died in 1855, and they became the parents of four children: Harry F., the father of our subject ; La Fayette, who died in Nevada in 1880; James, who died in
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Green Bay; and Mary, who died in Buffalo, New York. The son La Fayette was at one time captain of a boat that plied the river as far as Fond du Lac through Lake Winnebago. He became a soldier of the Civil war.
Harry F. Brown, born near Buffalo, New York, was one of the early settlers in Brown county and established his residence in Green Bay in the fall of 1844. He was at that time in the employ of the American Fur Company and came from Buffalo to Wisconsin in their interests. He was married in Green Bay in 1846 to Miss Apolonia E. Law, the youngest daughter of John Law, a justice of the peace and trader in pioneer times of Green Bay. Harry F. Brown became well known in many lines of activity in his adopted city and was employed as a bookkeeper and ac- countant by various mill owners. He was a fine penman and his intelligent and shrewd business qualities soon gained him rapid advancement. He became a member of the firm of Tyler & Brown, who dealt in Indian goods and conducted the first regular stage line between Green Bay and Fond du Lac. On the 23d of April. 1847. he was appointed captain of Company C of a regiment of militia in Brown county by Governor Henry Dodge, the last territorial governor before the formation of the state. He also served as register of the land office under President Taylor and was president of the borough of Green Bay at an early day, when that city was still a small village. He did not enlist in the federal army during the Civil war but was employed in a private capacity by the United States government in the quartermaster's departments of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. Just before the close of hostilities he took an active part in the Freedman's Bureau at Vicksburg. He died at Green Bay June 30, 1887, at the age of sixty-six years, having long survived his wife, whose death occurred No- vember 19, 1878. Their children were: Samuel A., of this review ; Frank L., who died in Green Bay in 1883; Mary Law, who died at the age of thirteen years, and Georgia, who married William T. Moyer, a veteran of the Civil war and a resident of Green Bay, by whom she has one son, Harry F.
Samuel A. Brown received his education in the public schools of Wis- consin. He was thirteen years of age when the Civil war broke out and his father's patriotism and activity fired his enthusiasm. At the age of seventeen he enlisted in the Forty-first Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and was assigned to the Western army, stationed at Memphis, Tennessee. He was mustered out and honorably discharged in the fall of 1864 and imme- diately returned to Green Bay, where he learned the tinsmith's trade under Theodore Harris. Later, however, he was in the railroad service for a time and also engaged in milling. On the ist of August, 1892, he formed a partnership with P. L. Tickler and under the firm name of Brown & Tickler they opened a small tin shop. As time passed they soon gained the confidence of their patrons and the business steadily grew until they were at the head of a prosperous trade, becoming one of the leading hardware concerns on the west side of Green Bay. This connection continued until the Ist of January, 1912, when the firm dissolved partnership and Mr. Brown retired from active life, having well contributed his share toward the business development and upbuilding of the city.
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