USA > Wisconsin > Brown County > History of Brown County, Wisconsin, past and present, Volume II > Part 30
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JOSEPH F. NOVITSKI
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
AO1 JK LENOX AND 1.A. AFULADATIONS
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adopted and in work accomplished. He is a member of the Wisconsin County Superintendents' Association ; the Wisconsin Teachers' Association ; the Northeastern Wisconsin Teachers' Association ; and the Brown County Teachers' Association, of which he has been president for one year. He is recognized everywhere as an able educator, one whose work shows con- tinuous progress in reaching out toward high ideals.
On June 22, 1910, Mr. Novitski was united in marriage to Miss Margaret R. Ennis, a daughter of John and Margaret Ennis, the former a railroad employe and an old resident of Green Bay. Mr. and Mrs. Novitski have two daughters, Catherine and Eleanor, who are the light and life of the house- hold at 402 South Broadway.
Mr. Novitski holds membership with the Catholic Order of Foresters and with the Knights of Columbus. He has worked his way upward in spite of difficulties and obstacles which would have utterly discouraged many a man of less resolute spirit. He was taught by his parents to read Polish when he was four years of age, and as soon as he had mastered the lan- guage he read every book and paper that he could obtain. He entered the public school at the age of seven years, and his comprehensive and accurate knowledge of the Polish language enabled him to master the English more readily. His parents could not send him to school regularly for they needed his services in developing the farm, so that when he reached the age of eight- een years he had attended school for only about six hundred days, or three school years. During that time, however, he studied at home at every available opportunity and acquired sufficient knowledge to enter higher insti- tutions of learning. The summer before he entered normal school he worked in a sawmill to carn enough money to pay his own way through school, and after studying for seven and a half months he resolved to teach for two years unti he had again saved up a sum sufficient to enable him to continue his studies at the normal school. Thus overcoming all difficulties he steadily progressed, and since assuming the office of county superintendent of schools he has done much advance work in connection with the school system in Brown county, introducing many improvements that have kept the schools on a par with the best to be found in the state.
FRANK BOEDER.
Frank Boeder has for many years been closely associated with the agri- cultural development of Morrison township, where he owns eighty-eight acres of land which he devotes to general farming.
Mr. Boeder was born in Germany in 1852, which was his boyhood home, but in his early youth he resolved to come to America and establish a home. Borrowing the necessary money from his father in 1872, he took passage for the United States, with Wisconsin as his destination. Friendless and unfamiliar with the customs of the country his first years in America were fraught with trials and hardships. He had to take practically any employ- ment he could find and accept any wage, having received only thirty dollars Vol. U-16
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for his first year's work. He first located in Washington county, coming from there to Brown, where he has ever since made his home. From child- hood he had been trained in habits of thrift and diligence and by the exer- cise of these qualities he ultimately saved enough money to buy his present farm. It was covered with brush and timber when he took possession of it, but during the intervening years the entire tract has been cleared and brought to a high state of productivity. Substantially constructed modern buildings have taken the place of the crude structures he first put up, and various other improvements have been added from time to time until it is now one of the prosperous farms of the county. When Mr. Boeder first came to Morrison township, there were but few roads and a trip to Manitowoc, the nearest trading post at that time, involved con- siderable traveling, as it was necessary to drive around the hills and seek fordable places in crossing the streams, as there were no bridges. It was the day of ox teams and that laborious farming which prevailed prior to the advent of modern machinery and farming implements, and tasks which under present conditions can be performed in a few hours then con- sumed days. Pioneering as it was then known not only required great physical fortitude to withstand the many hardships and privations but the courage and resolution to patiently endure the innumerable discouragements and failures which in many instances followed one after another in rapid succession. Mr. Boeder had his full share of such experiences but he per- sisted in his purpose, overcoming obstacles as they arose until he had his farm established on a paying basis, and is now enjoying a good measure of success in the pursuit of his business.
BARNEY LEMKE.
Barney Lemke engages in general farming and stock-raising in Morri- son township, where he owns a hundred and twenty acres of well improved and highly cultivated land. He is a native of Brown county, his birth hav- ing occurred in the township where he now resides in 1872, and a son of John and Lena ( Schultz) Lemke, well known farming people of this com- munity.
The entire life of Barney Lemke has been passed in the immediate vicinity of his present home. He was reared in very much the same man- ner as other country lads, receiving his education in the local schools and early directing his energies along agricultural lines. After leaving school he gave his undivided attention to the cultivation of the home place with which he assisted his father until his marriage. Immediately after this event he came to his present farm, which was presented to him by his father. It is one of the most attractive properties in the township, including a com- fortable residence, and all of the other buildings are new and of modern construction. Everything about the place is well kept, and presents an appearance of thrift and prosperity. Mr. Lemke, who has cleared a portion
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of his holding, keeps at least one man all of the time and directs the opera- tions of his farm in a systematic and business-like manner.
Mr. Lemke was married in 1904 to Miss Clara Lemke, and to them have been born three children, Herbert, Margareta and Erna.
The family attend the Lutheran church, in which the parents hold mem- bership. Mr. Lemke gives his political support to the republican party and takes an active interest in local affairs. Having passed his entire life in this community he is well known and has many friends, being regarded as a worthy representative of an honored pioneer family.
EBEN ROGER MINAHAN.
The name of Minahan has been for many years well known and widely popular in different circles in Green Bay. Representatives of the name have been prominent in the civic life of this section for many years. One of the largest office buildings in this city is the result of the enter- prise and energy of one of the family and the name has always been connected with every movement looking toward municipal advancement and improvement. Eben Roger Minahan is a worthy representative of his family in this city. He is a son of Robert Emmet and Nellie Mina- han, the former a prominent physician and surgeon of Green Bay and mayor of the city for two terms. The birth of Eben Roger Minahan occurred in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, January 26, 1882. He received his early education in the grammar schools of that city, was graduated from the East high school of Green Bay in 1899, took his degree of Bachelor of Letters from the University of Wisconsin in 1903, and that of Bachelor of Laws from the same institution two years later. He began the prac- tice of his profession in the fall of 1905, in partnership with his uncle, Victor I. Minahan, an attorney at Green Bay. They became associated under the firm name of Minahan & Minahan and are still operating under this title. Eben R. Minahan is regarded as one of the rising professional men in this county. He has shown an aptitude for the law, capacity for close study and a thorough mastery of the different phases of his pro- fession which have lifted him out of the ranks of ordinary lawyers. He is absolutely independent along political lines. He pins his faith to men, regardless of party, and takes an intelligent interest in public affairs. He is a member of Green Bay Lodge, No. 259. B. P. O. E., and has always been prominent in that organization.
Mr. Minahan was married in this city, January 29, 1909, to Miss Jes- sie Copp, a daughter of William Henry and Minnie Copp. Mrs. Mina- han's father died in 1883 leaving behind him a record of honorable service during the entire period of the Civil war, having enlisted from Maine in 1861, continuing his connection with his regiment until 1865. He fought under Meade at Gettysburg. . Two of his brothers were also in the Fed- eral army during the war and one died in prison. The early ancestors of the family came from Copp's Hill, Boston, Massachusetts. William
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Henry Copp was a thirty-second degree Mason when he died in 1883. He is buried in Woodlawn cemetery, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Minahan are the parents of two children: Roger Copp, aged two years : and Nancy, born April 4, 1912. Mr. Minahan's grandparents were natives of Ireland and the Celtic qualities of enthusiasm and quick grasp of com- plex situations have made their descendant, E. R. Minahan, a proficient and successful lawyer.
CHARLES J. MARCHANT.
Charles J. Marchant is operating the Cedar Creek mill in Green Bay, one of the oldest establishments of its kind in the city, and in the six years during which he has managed the enterprise has won distinct and substantial business success. He was born in Scott township, Brown county, March 31, 1868, and is a son of Joseph and Philomena (Villiesse) Marchant, natives of Belgium. The father came to America when he was eighteen years of age. He settled on the Red river, where he followed farming for four years and at the end of that time came to Bay Settle- ment, where he lived until his death. His wife was also a native of Bel- gium. where she was born in 1836. She died in America in 1897. They were the parents of eight children: Telesphore, who is now farming near Bay Settlement; August, who lives at home; Constant, of Green Bay; Charles J., the subject of this sketch; Joseph, at home; Octavius, who is in partnership with his brother Charles J .; Julian, who follows farming ; and William. a Catholic priest in New York city.
Charles Marchant attended the district schools of his native town- ship and after laying aside his books associated himself with his father in the work of the farm. As a boy he engaged extensively in fishing on Green Bay and followed this line of occupation until he was twenty-five years of age. At that time he established himself in his present flour- milling business, which he purchased in partnership with his brother Octa- vius in 1906 from Lamarre & Hauterbrook. The enterprise with which he is connected is called the Cedar Creek mill and is one of the oldest establishments of its kind in Green Bay and in the vicinity. Mr. Mar- chant is well versed in the details of his business and gives the conduct of his enterprise his personal attention. By adhering to the policy of hard work and intelligent industry and to standards of honor and integrity he has made his business prosper until it is now one of the most important establishments of its kind in the city. It is equipped with the most modern labor-saving machinery and while it is the oldest mill in Brown county is at the same time one of the most flourishing. It is situated on Cedar Creek, from which its name is derived. and Mr. Marchant does a large and constantly increasing business.
Charles J. Marchant was married in 1894 to Miss Odile Zentzius, a relative of Bishop Fox, of Green Bay, and a daughter of Andrew and Felecity Zentizius. Mrs. Marchant was born in Bay Settlement, August
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10, 1869, and remained at home until her marriage. She and her husband have four children, namely. Mary, Ephraim, Gilbert and Leo, aged respec- tively seventeen, fifteen, thirteen and nine years, all of whom are at home. The family belong to the Roman Catholic church.
Mr. Marchant is numbered among the successful men of Green Bay. He discharges his business affairs in a prompt and capable manner and by following standards of industry and integrity has made his life useful and valuable.
CAPTAIN CHARLES HARTUNG.
For over thirty-seven years Captain Charles Hartung has been identi- fied with the hardware business in Green Bay and his name has been a synonym during that time for successful and comprehensive business meth- ods, untiring energy and honesty and straightforward dealing. He is now living retired in the seventy-first year of his age and makes his home in the city, to the commercial expansion of which he has contributed his energy and business ability. Captain Hartung was born in Reuss, Ger- many, February 19, 1841, and is a son of Henry and Augusta (Muntzert) Hartung. The father was born in Germany and came with his family to America in 1858. He settled in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, where he fol- lowed his trade of shoemaking until his death in 1906, when he was ninety-three years of age. His wife passed away in 1882, when she was sixty years old. To their union were born seven children, six of whom are living: Charles, of this review; Fred, who is a shoemaker in Apple- ton, Wisconsin ; August, who lives in Chicago; Robert, who makes his home in the same city; Louisa, now Mrs. William Schuetze; and Bertha, the wife of John Stoelzer, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Captain Hartung came to America in his youth and acquired his English education in Wisconsin, although he had attended public school in Germany. The trip across the Atlantic was made on a sailing vessel and sixty-five days were consumed in the journey. Captain Hartung had learned the shoemaker's trade and followed this occupation until 1860. In the following year he enlisted in Company C, Fifth Wisconsin Volun- teer Infantry, and saw three years of hard service under General Han- cock. His duties were principally in Virginia and he was wounded in the hip at the battle of Williamsburg, May 5, 1862. He was sent to the hospi- tal at Fort Monroe and later was transferred to Washington. He received a two months' furlough and when he was coming back to rejoin his regi- ment he met upon the boat Colonel Larobee, of the Twenty-fourth Regi- ment, with whom he engaged as second lieutenant in Company C and reen- tered the service, joining the Army of the Potomac, in which he served as captain until the close of the war. During his term of enlistment he was present at many of the important engagements, witnessing the bat- tles of Atlanta, Peach Tree Creek and many others. He was mustered out with honorable discharge in 1865 at Nashville, Tennessee, and came
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to Green Bay, where he established himself in business. For some time he conducted a grocery store but abandoned that enterprise eventually in order to engage in the hardware business, with which line of occupation he has the record of thirty-seven and one-half years of continuous identi- fication. He is one of the oldest merchants living in the city and although he has retired, he still keeps up an intelligent interest in local mercan- tile conditions.
Captain Hartung married Miss Lena Bader, who was born in Ger- niany in 1843. She is a daughter of Jacob Bader, who followed farming in the fatherland and who came to America at an early date, settling in Detroit, Michigan, whence he later removed to Green Bay. IIe was identi- fied with agriculture all during his life and was a prominent and respected citizen. To Captain and Mrs. Hartung have been born two children, Clara and Emma, both of whom are living at home.
Captain Hartung has served his community with ability and intelli- gence in various offices. He was deputy collector of the United States for three and one-half years and did constructive work as mayor of Green Bay. For seven years he was alderman from the second ward and did valuable and important work in this capacity as he did in all other aspects of his public service. Twenty years after the expiration of his last term as alderman he was again elected to the city council and served for eight years with conspicuous success. He affiliates with the Lutheran church and his fraternal relations inchide his connection with Green Bay Lodge, No. 19, I. O. O. F., and with the Turner Society, of which he was at one time president. Captain Hartung has the distinction of being the oldest living merchant in Green Bay and an able and worthy veteran of the Civil war. During the course of his career, which has been marked by continuous labor in worthy causes and by well directed energy along lines of advancement, he has gained no truer success than that which is embodied in the title which he has earned of a thoroughly honest man.
LAWRENCE GOTFREDSON.
The development and growth of a city are directly dependent upon the prosperity and strength of its business institutions and the men who are responsible for the greatness and wealth of these enterprises are responsible often for the city's expansion. As public citizens they not only promote their individual prosperity but the work they do builds up their cities and makes the nation great.
A man of this class is Lawrence Gotfredson, who now holds the position of president of the Gotfredson Brothers Company, dealers in hardware and agricultural implements. He was born in New Denmark, Brown county, Wisconsin, September 15, 1871, and is a son of Niels H. and Lawrentina Gotfredson, natives of Langland, Denmark, who crossed the Atlantic to America in 1847, stopping first in Milwaukee. Niels H. Gotfredson set out on foot from that city in an effort to locate a grant of land and arrived
Lawrence Gotfredson.
THE NEW YORK 1
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in what is now New Denmark, Brown county, when that district was still a wilderness and part of De Pere. He and his family were the first settlers in the district and when it was set apart from De Pere they named the little town which they founded after their native country. The father became one of the leading citizens of New Denmark and held at various times practically all the township offices. He died February 22, 1894, at the age of eighty years. His wife lived until April 12, 1898, her death occurring when she was seventy-six years of age, and she is buried beside her husband in the old cemetery situated on the home farm, which was given to the community by Mr. Gotfredson. They were the parents of eleven children, three sons and eight daughters, of whom seven are still living but only two in Brown county, these being Lawrence of this review and his sister, Laurena, the wife of Christ Thompson, living on the old home farm.
Lawrence Gotfredson began his education in the primary schools of his native town and later pursued his studies in the Green Bay Business College, where he spent two winters. At the age of seventeen years he returned home and for some time assisted his father in the work of the farm. While thus employed he also sold agricultural implements and thus obtained his start in his present business. Forming a partnership with his brother, Benjamin, he at length opened a hardware and agricultural implement store at Coopers- town, Wisconsin, which was carried on under the firm name of Gotfredson Brothers for two years. They also opened a branch store in Seymour, where they dealt in agricultural implements and buggies for a year and a half. In the spring of 1888 they came to Green Bay and established themselves in business at No. 1155 Main street, in a little two-story wooden building, forty- two by sixty feet, where they remained until 1900. Each year brought increased trade to the firm and the market for their goods grew constantly. In 1896 they added a wholesale department to their business and the same year erected a building on Washington street, where the Morley-Murphy Hardware Company is now located. Two years later they erected a ware- house, sixty by one hundred and seventy-five feet. The wholesale business was in charge of our subject, but in the fall of 1903 they sold that department together with the building to the Morley-Murphy Company and retained only the retail department. It was in 1900 that they bought the property on which their present magnificent store building stands, first erecting a one- story frame structure. forty-eight by one hundred and ninety-eight feet, but a few years later this was torn down and in 1905 their present building was erected. It is four stories high and has a floor space of five thousand, three hundred and ninety square feet. In connection with their other busi- ness the brothers were for many years interested in buying and selling horses, Benjamin having charge of the retail department of the store and the horse business. Since much of the farm machinery is now run by motor power, instead of horse power our subject has become interested in the automobile business and is now vice president of the American Automobile Trimming Company of Detroit and holds the same office in the American Automobile Trimming Company, Ltd., of Walkerville, Ontario, Canada. He is vice president of the Bank of Green Bay, which is one of the strong financial
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institutions of the city, and his time is now largely given to the real-estate business, looking after the Gotfredson Brothers' lands and loans.
On the 14th of June, 1910, Lawrence Gotfredson was united in marriage to Miss Beulah Witherell, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Witherell, pioneer settlers of Green Bay, and they now reside at the Beaumont Hotel. Mr. Gotfredson gives his allegiance to the democratic party and is a firm believer in its policies and principles. He has always been interested in the cause of education and has served as a director of the local school board. He is a prominent member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and stands high in both business and social circles.
FRANK DEVILEY.
Frank Deviley, who is the present candidate on the republican ticket for the office of sheriff, in which capacity he served most capably for one term, was born in Spa Belgium, on the 25th of April, 1868. He is a son of Alphonse and Antoinette (Dehan) Deviley, also natives of Belgium, where they were likewise reared and married. Subsequently the family emigrated to the United States, first locating at Danville, Illinois, where the father, who was a stone cutter, followed his trade. Later they came to Duck Creek, this county, the father engaging in stone cutting until 1907, when he retired from active work and removed to Green Bay. Here he passed away in 1908, at the age of sixty-eight years. The mother, who has passed the sixty-ninth anniversary of her birth is residing at Duck Creek. She is a daughter of Eugene Dehan, a stone mason by trade, and his wife, Desiree Delcourt. who came to the United States in 1884. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Deviley numbers seven, our subject being the second in order of birth. The others are as follows: Rosalie, the wife of Desire De Caster ; Joseph, who is a resident of Green Bay; Mary, who married P. Gay: Clara, the wife of P. Moes; Anna, who married L. Barlamant; and Palmyre, the wife of J. Boncher.
Frank Deviley accompanied his parents on their removal to the United States and completed his education in the common schools of Illinois and Wisconsin. When old enough to earn his own support he laid aside his school-books, and learned stone cutting under his father. He followed his trade until his marriage, subsequently directing his energies along agricultural lines. He acquired a comfortable competence and has for some years past been living in Green Bay.
Mr. Deviley has been twice married. his first union having been with Miss Margaret Williguet. a native of Howard township, this county, and a daughter of Eugene and Jane ( St. Claire) Williguet, farming peo- ple who located in Brown county during the pioneer days. Of this mar- riage were born Martha, Lorenz, Herbert, and Norris and Norine, twins, all of whom are living at home. In 1907 the family mourned the loss of the wife and mother, who was forty-one years of age at the time of her death. The lady who now bears the name of Mrs. Deviley was formerly
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Josephine LaCourt, a daughter of Alphonse and Caroline (Laer ) LaCourt. They were natives of Belgium, whence they emigrated to the United States in 1858, locating in Green Bay, where the father followed the trade of butcher. He was a veteran of the Civil war, having gone to the front as a member of the Second Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, remain- ing in the service for three years.
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