USA > Wisconsin > Brown County > History of Brown County, Wisconsin, past and present, Volume II > Part 6
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Eugene Leo Bau'r was a lad of only seven years when he came to the United States with his parents. He was reared to manhood and educated in Grand Rapids. Michigan. After leaving school he entered a furniture factory, where he spent eighteen months learning the trades of veneering and joining, following which he took up plaster of Paris work. He subse- quently came to Milwaukee and took a position with Pleish & Heck of the Milwaukee, now the Schlitz Hotel. After being in their service for two years he entered that of Robert Reinhardt, of the same city, with whom he remained for a similar period: His next employer was John Koerner, also of Milwaukee, for whom he worked for five years. In 1905, Mr. Bau'r came to Green Bay and during the succeeding two years was employed in the buffets of various hotels in the city. At the expiration of that period he decided to engage in business on his own account, establishing the place he is now conducting. He has a tastefully furnished, attractive buffet which is well conducted and patronized.
On the 27th of September, 1905, Mr. Bau'r was united in marriage to Miss Rosa Heine, whose birth occurred in Milwaukee on September 7, 1882. She is a daughter of Michael and Elizabeth (Albert) Heine, long
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residents of Milwaukee, where the father passed away but the mother is still living. To Mr. and Mrs. Bau'r there has been born one daughter, Majorie, who is five years of age.
In matters of religious faith the parents are Lutherans and fraternally Mr. Bau'r is a member of the Eagles lodge and the Turn Verein. Mr. Bau'r is a genial man of kindly nature and generous impulses and during the period of his residence in Green Bay has made many friends.
JAMES H. MCGILLAN.
One of the strong law firms of Green Bay is that of which James H. McGillan is junior member. He came to this city in October, 1899, and entered into his present relation as a member of the firm of Green. Fair- child, North, Parker & McGillan on the 15th of March, 1912. He has been a lifelong resident of Wisconsin, his birth having occurred at Ap- pleton, January 7. 1870. His parents were James H. and Johanna Mc- Gillan, the former coming from Ohio to Wisconsin, where he engaged in the business of lumbering. The family is of Scotch-Irish origin and was founded in America in 1790. Several representatives of the name served in the Civil war. James H. McGillan, Sr., died in November, 1907, at the age of seventy-one years, while his wife passed away in March, 1908, at the age of sixty-four. They lie buried in Riverside cemetery at Apple- ton, Wisconsin.
James H. McGillan, whose name introduces this review, acquired his primary education in the public schools of his native city and was gradu- ated from the high school with the class of 1887. He then spent two ycars as a student in Lawrence University at Appleton and in 1889 en- tered the law department of the University of Wisconsin, from which he was graduated in 1891, receiving the LL. B. degree. He had applied him- self with thoroughness to the mastery of legal principles and, well equipped for his professional career, he opened an office in Marinette, Wisconsin, and began practice. He met with quite satisfactory success there un- til October, 1899, when he came to Green Bay and entered the firm of Minahan and Fontaine at No. 207 North Washington street. This part- nership was dissolved in 1905, after which Mr. McGillan remained alone in practice until the 15th of March, 1912, when he joined the firm of Green, Fairchild, North & Parker. His name was then added to the firm style and he is now associated with one of the strongest law combina- tions of the city. Their clientage is very extensive, connecting them with the most important litigation heard in the courts of the district. No one better realizes the necessity of careful preparation and no one more thor- oughly prepares for the presentation of his cause before the courts in Green Bay than does Mr. McGillan. He does not seek to enshroud his cause in any sentimental garb or illusion but presents his facts in the strong, clear light of common sense and sound reasoning.
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On the 25th of April, 1901, in Marinette, Wisconsin, Mr. McGillan was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude Sommerville, a daughter of Dr. James A. Sommerville, who for many years has been a practitioner at Marinette. Mr. and Mrs. McGillan now reside at No. 509 South Quincy street.
Fraternally Mr. McGillan is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Pythias. His college fraternity was the Delta Tau Delta, and he still wears the fraternity pin and is interested in its affairs. He is a member of the American Bar Association and is interested in all efforts to raise the standards of practice and promote the ends of justice. He is the owner of a magnificent sixty-five foot yacht- the Killarney-and is an enthusiastic sailor and fisherman, being now commodore of the Green Bay Yacht Club.
JULIUS LIEBENOW.
Julius Liebenow, well known in business circles of Green Bay, as the proprietor of a large jewelry store, has been a resident of the city since 1892. His establishment is located at 205 North Washington street, where he enjoys an extensive and growing trade. He is a native of Germany, having been born in Schivelbein, Pommern, May 21, 1862. His parents are Julius and Johanna Liebenow, now residents of Racine, Wisconsin.
Julius Liebenow's early youth was spent in his native country, where he acquired the excellent education which the public schools of Germany afford. He learned his trade in Pommern and came to America in 1879, landing in New York city, whence he went direct to Chicago, where lie worked at the jewelry trade until 1883. In that year he came to Green Bay and found employment in the jewelry store of E. L. Hall. By the practice of thrift and strict economy he eventually accumulated a small capital, with which he bought the interests of his employer and started in the jewelry business for himself at his present location. His success since that time has been rapid and continuous. He has added an optical department. to which he gives much time and attention. It is equipped with the most modern appliances, and Mr. Liebenow's skill and knowledge along this line are rapidly making it a profitable branch of his already flourishing business.
On July 9, 1885, Mr. Liebenow was married in Green Bay to Miss Magdalena Barth, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Barth, old resi- dents of that city. They became the parents of two children, Meta and Otto, both of whom died in infancy. Their graves are in Woodlawn cemetery, Green Bay. Some years ago Mr. Liebenow purchased a pleas- ant home at 106 North Monroe street and in this he and his wife now reside.
Mr. Liebenow's political affiliations are republican. He always votes this ticket on national and local issues and although he never seeks office
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for himself, he yet takes an interest in political life. He is a Knight Templar Mason, and prominent in the affairs of the order. He is loyal to his city, proud of her past and keenly desirons of aiding in making her future prosperous.
RANALD L. McDONALD. .
Ranald L. McDonald is a prominent representative of the drug in- terests of Green Bay. He has been connected with this line of activity since 1896 and received his degree as a registered pharmacist, October 13. 1900. He has conducted a store at his present location, No. 209 East Walnut street, since May 15, 1908, and is well known as a successful and progressive business man. He was born in De Pere, Wisconsin, July 2, 1876, a son of Ranald and Catherine (Ferrell) McDonald. The fam- ily is of Scotch origin and was founded in America in colonial days. One of the great-grandfathers of our subject, who also bore the name of Ranald McDonald, was a major general in the British army and the grandfather held the rank of adjutant general. Ranald McDonald, the father of our subject, came to America from Chatham, New Brunswick, in 1865 and settled in De Pere. He was a carpenter by trade and was in charge of the Northwestern car shops for some time. He was always active in municipal affairs and held the positions of postmaster, clerk and assessor in his adopted city. He was also for many years a director of the De fPere_ board of education. His death occurred October 20. 1907, at the age ofc LIE! sixty-eight years, and his grave is in Mount Calvary cemetery, De Pere.
His son, Ranald I. McDonald, the subject of this sketch, acquired his primary educationin the public schools of his native city and was gradu- ated from the high school with the class of 1895. He accepted a posi- tion in the De Pere Paper Mills, where he remained for one year before he started to learn the drug business. He studied under William Work- man for two years, at the end of which time his brother, F. A. McDon- ald. bought the business and our subject continued in his employ for four years. In 1898 he entered the Medical College of Milwaukee for the purpose of studying pharmacy. He took the state examination and received his diploma as a registered pharmacist October 13. 1900. He was thus well equipped for the business in which he chose to engage and returned to De Pere, where he worked for some time, later going to Merrill, Wis- consin, where he remained for two and one-half years. In 1903 he bought the store of the Wagner Drug Company at Oshkosh, which he conducted until 1905, when he sold out and engaged as a pharmacist with C. S. Lit- tle, of Appleton, Wisconsin. After a year in that city he went to Texas in 1906, but in the following year returned to Appleton, where he worked as a pharmacist with his former employer, C. S. Little. In 1907 he went to Milwaukee, where he took a position as pharmacist with Adolph Spie- gel and remained in this connection until he came to Green Bay, in 1908.
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Here he built and equipped a drug store of his own, which upon its com- pletion was one of the most up-to-date establishments of its kind in the state of Wisconsin. He was remarkably successful in his first venture and was soon enabled to extend his business interests. He bought the Little Drug Store, at the corner of Madison and Mason streets and is at present conducting the two concerns.
On July 21, 1904, Mr. McDonald was united in marriage to Miss Mar- garet Woulfe, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Woulfe, of Waco, Texas. They became the parents of a son, Ranald R., who died in infancy and is buried at Appleton. Mr. McDonald and his wife reside in a pleas- ant home at No. 326 South Madison avenue, which they have made a hospitable meeting place for their many friends in Green Bay. He is a prominent member of the Elks and the Knights of Columbus and also holds membership in the Catholic Order of Foresters. In politics he is independent, preferring to have his judgment unbiased by party lines. He is a devout adherent of the Roman Catholic church and prominent in its affairs. He has attained that success in his chosen occupation which is the result of a thorough knowledge of the details of his business and a dominating but well controlled ambition.
CARL G. SCOTT.
A native of De Pere and a man who has been for many years promi- nently identified with its business life is Carl G. Scott, cashier of the State Bank. He was born in ISSI, a son of James H. and Ellen (Vessey) Scott. The father came to De Pere in 1850 and was educated in the county schools of the district, later attending Lawrence University at Ap- pleton, Wisconsin. For many years he was associated with his father in the grocery business under the firm name of J. S. Scott & Son. Later he became bookkeeper for a lumber firm in De Pere and held this position for fourteen years. He has spent the last fifteen years as traveling sales- man for a lumber company and is living in De Pere.
Carl G. Scott received his early education in the public schools of De Pere, graduating from the high school with the class of 1900. His banking career began in that year, when he became associated with the institution of which he is now cashier, as messenger and clerk. His rise was rapid. Five years later he was appointed assistant cashier and in 1907 was elected to his present office.
In 1908 Mr. Scott was united in marriage to Miss Jean Wright, a daughter of M. F. Wright, of De Pere, and they have a son, Ralph, who was born October 5, 1911. Mr. Scott is remarkable for his close appli- cation to business and it is this quality more than any other which is the secret of his rapid rise. Almost the only interest which he has outside of business is his connection with the Masonic fraternity. He has been through all the chairs of the local organization and is a past master of De Pere Lodge, No. 85, F. & A. M., also belonging to Warren Chapter,
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No. 8, R. A. M., and to Palestine Commandery, No. 20, K. T. His life has been devoted to the interests of the bank of which he is cashier and his services in this capacity have been invaluable. Probably no business institution of today has need of such care in the selection of their of- ficers as have banks. On the honesty of the officers of a financial institu- tion of this kind depends its weight in the community and its reputation as a dependable banking house. The State Bank of De Pere has rea- son to congratulate itself upon its selection of Carl G. Scott to the posi- tion of cashier.
CAPTAIN PETER PETERSON.
Captain Peter Peterson is one of the pioneers on the Great Lakes and has sailed his vessels on the waters for almost fifty years, during which time he was one of the great individual forces in the development of the lake traffic which has grown to be such an important industry at the present time. He is one of the oldest captains on the Great Lakes and is known in almost every port thereon and is highly esteemed and respected wher- ever known. He is spending his retired life in Green Bay, where he is numbered among the oldest residents and has well earned the rest he is enjoying. He was born in Hardinger, Norway, February 10, 1835, a son of Peter and Boletta (Halverson) Peterson. The father carried on the shoemaker's trade in connection with the management of a farm.
Captain Peterson, the first born in a family of seven children, attended the public schools of his native place during boyhood, and although his opportunities were not of the best he managed to secure a good prac- tical education to which his subsequent reading has added. As a boy he showed a love for the life on the water, and he gained some excellent experience in the fishing boats at his home, while later he secured employ- ment on larger vessels engaged in the coastwise trade and spent two or three years in that work. In 1853 he came to America, landing in New York, and on July 20 of that year he arrived at Chicago, where for some time he was employed upon the railroad, operating between that city and Geneva, Illinois. He worked at that occupation during the time of the cholera which raged among the emigrants, but finally abandoned it in favor of sawmilling and lumbering. In the spring of 1854 he made his first trip on the Great Lakes from De Pere, on the sloop Ebineezer bound for Chi- cago with a cargo of shingle bolts, under Captain Johnson, Captain Peter- son piloting her to Sturgeon Bay. He then shipped for three months on the schooner Wyoming under Captain Sullivan. Later he was employed on various boats, including the schooner Yeagree ; the schooner Trowbridge ; the Kitty Grant; the Josephine Lawrence, in which he spent some time before the mast; the Eleanor, under Captain Henderson; and the bark America, under Captain Owen Davis, in which he spent three seasons, being promoted during the last year to the post of second mate. In 1862 he formed a partnership with Messrs. Olson and Gunderson and purchased the schooner
PETER PETERSON
PURICLIENTPY
٧٥٤٢٧ ٠٫٢٢٥٧٦٦ TILDEN FOUNDINON
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Alleghany, which ran during that season, Mr. Gunderson assuming the position of captain. In the fall they sold the vessel, and Captain Peterson, with Captain Gunderson and Lambert Nau, built the schooner Mary Nat, which they ran during the summer of 1863 with our subject as captain. During the next season Captain Gunderson had charge, and in 1865 Cap- tain Peterson again took the post of captain. The vessel was engaged in the lumber trade and proved a successful investment, but in the fall of 1865 our subject sold his interest to Lars Olson. He then built the Libbie Nau, in partnership with Lambert Nau, taking a one-third interest, and for five years following he ran this vessel in the grain and lumber trade. In 1872 he and his partner built the schooner City of Green Bay, without disposing of the Libbie Nau, however, and during that season Captain Peterson had charge of the new boat. In 1873 they built the Anna M. Peterson, one of the larg- est schooners then on the lakes and one which became known throughout shipping circles as remarkably swift. From 1874 to 1884 Captain Peterson sailed this boat, but on the death of his partner the vessel was sold in con- nection with the settlement of the estate. He then bought the schooner F. A. Georger of the Union Steamboat Company, in partnership with Fred- erick Hurlbut of Green Bay, each taking a one-half interest, and after sail- ing her for five years the Captain sold out and spent a season on shore. In 1890 he and Captain Albright purchased the steamer T. S. Christie from A. L. Thompson, of Detroit, Michigan, Captain Peterson taking a two-thirds interest and sailing the boat every season until he retired from active work in 1900. He has been a shipbuilder as well as a captain and promoter and no man has done more to upbuild lake and passenger traffic in this part of the country. He is considered by his associates to be a master craftsman and an expert sailor, well versed in the practical and scientific aspects of navi- gation, familiar with currents, channels and weather conditions and being besides an able and resourceful business man. His retirement was felt as a distinct loss to inland navigation, as it deprived that industry of one of its pioneers and one of its greatest and most widely known workers. In 1899 he erected a handsome and commodious residence at No. 832 South Madi- son street. Green Bay, which has since been his home.
In 1860 Captain Peterson was united in marriage to Miss Johanna Van den Boomen, who was born in Holland on the 27th of August, 1840, a daughter of Cornelius Matthew and Anna Maria (Hoffman) Van den Boo- men, who came to America from the country of dikes in 1850 and settled in Green Bay, Wisconsin, spending the remainder of their lives in Brown county and passing away in Preble township. The paternal grandfather of Mrs. Peterson was Matthew Van den Boomen, a member of one of the noble Holland families. Mrs. Peterson is one of two, surviving of a family of eight children, her brother being William, who resides in Preble township, this county. Captain and Mrs. Peterson became the parents of ten children, as follows: William, who is a resident of Hammond, Indiana ; Cornelius E., of Green Bay, who is an engineer on the St. Paul railway and who married Miss Agnes Burke, by whom he has five children; Peter J., who married Miss Clara Stokes and is in the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad at Chicago; Louis L., an engineer in Green Bay, who Vol. II-4
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married Miss Catherine Nolan, by whom he has three children; Johanna B., who is a resident of Green Bay; Christine B., who is the wife of W. H. Kiernan, of Spokane, Washington; Ida O., who is the wife of Frank J. O'Connor and resides in Milwaukee : Anna Marie, who was killed in a rail- way accident near Odessa, Minnesota, on the 18th of December, 1911, on her way home from a visit to her sister, Mrs. Kiernan of Spokane; George W., who is deceased; and Harold M., a resident of Green Bay. Captain and Mrs. Peterson celebrated their golden wedding in 1910, and this year was the golden jubilee of another important event in the life of Captain Peter- son, for it was on November 5, 1860, that he was admitted to United States citizenship in Cook county, Illinois.
Captain Peterson is well known in fraternal circles of Green Bay, being one of the oldest members of the Masonic order and belonging to the com- mandery. He joined this organization in Chicago upon first coming to America and has been active and prominent in its affairs since that time. He is likewise a member of the Ship Masters Association. Besides being a pioneer upon the Great Lakes he is one of the early settlers in Green Bay and has maintained a residence in the city for many years. The integrity of his character, the force of his personality and the importance of his accomplishments have made him prominent in the city and have gained him honor and esteem wherever he is known.
AMZI W. BURTON.
The subject of this sketch is the superintendent of the Green Bay schools, which position he has held for twelve years. For the eight years previous to entering upon the duties of this office he was superintendent and principal of the Fort Howard (now the west side) schools. His first practical experience in the management of schools began in 1880, when he assumed the principalship of the Sun Prairie high school. In the inter- vening years before coming to Green Bay he held a similar position for varying periods at the head of the schools of Neillsville, River Falls, Hud- son and Oconto, besides holding for two years the position of chief clerk in the state department of education.
Although he took a partial course in the Wisconsin State University, Mr. Burton is essentially a self-made man. As evidence of this it may be stated that before entering the university he had obtained a state certifi- cate, being at that time the youngest man in the state to attain this dis- tinction.
Born in Sheboygan county in 1857, he has all his life lived in Wiscon- sin. In 1880 he was married to Miss Annie M. Langford, of Madison, Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Burton have three children: Pearl, who was married in 1897 to Dr. O. C. Rather of Green Bay ; Robert, sales manager for the Diamond Lumber Company of the same city; and Frances, organist for the St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal church of the west side.
In view of his twenty years of service in the schools of Green Bay,
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one judges that Superintendent Burton must have been fortunate in meet- ing the public expectation, managing affairs with tact, intelligence and zeal. As to the theory and practice of teaching, he is not considered a "faddist," nor yet is he an ultra conservative. He declares that he believes our fore- fathers knew something about teaching, and that their practices should not be lightly discarded for glittering, untried experiments. He is always ready, however, to adopt any improvement that has been tested or that ap- peals to common sense. In consequence of this attitude he has seen sey- eral things of importance gain a permanent foothold in the school system over which he presides. Among these are the day school for the deaf, the open air school, the kindergarten, manual training and domestic science, a strong commercial course in both high schools, and a two-year high school course for pupils who cannot afford to take a full four-year course, but must get out and earn a living. Playgrounds constitute another matter in which the superintendent is greatly interested. He hopes in the near fu- ture to see not only ample grounds but adequate playground apparatus and systematic supervision of the use of the apparatus.
VERY REV. JOSEPH EDWARD EMERY, O. M. I., D. D.
Very Rev. Joseph Edward Emery, an eminent Catholic divine now residing at Howard, Wisconsin, has since 1911 acted as superior of the Oblate Fathers. Many honors have been conferred upon him in the path of his holy calling. His birth occurred in New Glasgow, province of Quebec, in the year 1855. He obtained his early classical education in the College of Assumption and in 1877 entered the seminary of St. Jo- seph's College, now the University of Ottawa, in which institution he completed his theological studies and was ordained priest in 1881. In 1873 he had been led to join the Oblates of Mary Immaculate by a deep- felt prompting to devote his gifts and energies to the heroic works of the missions that were scattered throughout the unsurveyed wastes of the Canadas and the northwest. His noble generosity was not to be fully gratified in this direction. For the first two years, however, of his priest- hood he rendered valuable service in the several posts, ministered to at that time by the Oblate Fathers along the Canadian Pacific Railway. Then his useful qualities of mind and heart called him elsewhere. In 1884 he was transferred to Tewksbury, Massachusetts, there to act as master of novices and subsequently as superior of the Oblate College established at that point. For nine years Father Emery worked in these positions with splendid results. They were nine years of valuable preparation for the more important charges of the future.
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