USA > Wisconsin > Eau Claire County > History of Eau Claire county, Wisconsin, past and present; including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county > Part 55
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Ferdinand Boernke was born in 1830, in Pommern, Germany ; came to America in 1855 and to Eau Claire county in 1881, and settled near Fall Creek on a farm where he has lived since. He married Miss Albertine Profahl, who was born in Germany in 1826. They had six children, three of them still live in Eau Claire county : Julius, Herman and Mathilde, the latter being now Mrs. Rohrer. Mr. Ferdinand Boernke died - and Mrs. Boernke died in
Herman Boernke was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Boernke, born in Pommern, Germany, in 1850; eame to Eau Claire county in 1881 : engaged in hardware business and later became a photographer. He works still in that trade. In 1873 he mar- ried Albertine Breitenfeld, who also was of German descent.
Julius Boernke was born in 1852: came to America in 1855 with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Boernke, and in 1881 settled on a farm near Fall Creek. Since 1908 he has retired and lives in the village of Fall Creek. Ile was married in 1874 to Miss Albertine Mathwich, who was born in Westpreussen, Ger- many, in 1853. Of their eight children five live in Ean Claire county : Julius, Henry and Rudolph are farmers; Edward is a harnessmaker in Fall Creek, and Liddy lives with her parents. Mr. Julius Boernke was school treasurer for twelve years and town treasurer for two years.
August Raatz, born in 1829, in Westpreussen, Germany ; came
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to Eau Claire county in 1856 and settled on a farm near Fall Creek, where he still lives though retired. He was a soldier of the United States army during the civil war and was honorably mustered out. Ile married Miss Henriette Zamsow, who was born in 1829 in Westpreussen, Germany. They had two children, who live in Eau Claire county, - who is married to Henry Brehmel, a farmer in the town of Lincoln, and llerman Kaatz, who farms on the old homestead. The latter was born in 1870 in Lincoln county and in 1899 married Miss Helen Boernke, who is a daughter of Julius and Albertine (Mathwich) Boernke, and was born in 1880 in Wausau, Wis.
Frank Carl Lanua was born March 26, 1859, at Koenigsberg, Germany ; came to America in 1872. Visited in a number of the southern states, where he mostly was connected in the lumber trade. Came to Ean Claire in 1883, worked for several Inmber companies as grader, checker and salesman. In 1901 he moved to Fall Creek, where he is running a lumber yard of his own under the firm name of The Fall Creek Lumber Co. Ile married, June, 1884, Miss Augusta Arnsdorf. Two children, Ida Lanua and Mrs. Minnie Carlson.
Christoph Heuer and his wife, Henrietta, came from Pommern, Germany, in 1887, and settled on a farm near Fall Creek, where Mr. Heuer still lives. Hle was born in 1832. Ilis wife died in 1891. Their two sons, Wilhelm, born in 1860, at Bromberg Pom- mern, and Frank, born in 1868, at Bromberg, Pommern, who came with their parents to this country in 1887, have always worked on the railroad as section laborers and both are now seetion foremen and live at Fall Creek.
Charles Ernst Semisch was born in 1797 in the province Sach- sen-Altenburg, Germany, where he followed the trade of car- penter and joiner, and farmer. In 1835 he married Miss Caroline Christine Herzinger, who was born in 1803 at Crimmitzschau in the kingdom of Saxony, Germany. They immigrated to this country in 1854, lived in Milwaukee until 1866, when they moved to Eau Claire county and lived on a farm in the town of Wash- ington, where Mr. Semisch died in 1877 and his wife in 1881. They had two sons, Julius and Friederich. Julius, the elder, was born in 1837, in the province Saxon-Altenburg, Germany. With his parents in 1854 he came to this country and lived with them at Milwaukee. He enlisted in 1861 and served in the civil war until 1864, when he was severely wounded and honorably discharged. In 1866 he moved with his parents to Eau Claire county and settled with them on the farm in the town of Wash-
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ington. In 1873 he married Miss Auguste Martin, who was born at Zsehernikow, Russia, of German deseent. They settled on a farm at a place what is now the city of Altoona, where Mr. Julius Semisch died December 27, 1913. Friederich Semisch, the second son, was born in 1848, also in the province Saehsen- Altenburg. With his parents he came to this country in 1854 and to Eau Claire connty in 1866. He has sinee lived in this county and followed the trade of shoemaker and carpenter iu the city of Altoona.
Reinhold Liebau was born August 16, 1848, on his father's farm at Koerlitz, a small village in the kingdom of Saxony, Ger- many. Ile received his only education in the common school of that little village, lost his parents when 18 years old, served three years in the German army and fought in the war between France and Germany in 1870-71. For a number of years he lived in several German cities as a musician and working at sev- eral other trades, when he decided to go back on the farm. In 1887 he came to this country and lived for twenty years on a farm of his own. Ile has retired and lives in the city of Eau Claire. He is at present the secretary of the Eau Claire county branch of the "National German-American Alliance of the United States of America." He also is a member of the German sing- ing society, "Germania," and at present the secretary and musi- eal leader of that society. In publie he served as school com- missioner, road commissioner, town supervisor, town clerk and county supervisor. For six years he served as secretary of the farmers' American Society of Equity. In 1873 he married Miss Marie Anna Uhliseh, who was born October 14, 1850, at Dresden, Germany. They had six children, of whom four are living. Mrs. Liebau died October 8, 1908. Their son, Paul, lives in the city of Eau Claire, where he follows the profession of a musician and piano tuner and musie teacher. He was born January 30, 1884, at Bautzen, Germany; came with his parents to this eoun- try and lived with them on the farm. In 1901 he joined a band in the city of Eau Claire and is at present the leader of the Wis- consin State Band of that eity.
August Prill was born October 7, 1848, at Posen, Germany. He came to Eau Claire county in 1871 and settled in the city of Augusta, where he has since been engaged in the hotel business. He was married October 31, 1871, to Emilie Lnedke, who was born at Bromberg, Germany.
Herman Frederick Prill, M. D., son of August and Emilie Prill, was born in Augusta, in 1875. He was educated in the
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Parochial and high school of Augusta. Ile took a four-year pre- paratory course in Concordia College at Springfield, Ill., and ac- quirred his medical education at the University of Minnesota, and the Milwaukee Medical College, and attended the Polyclinic in Chieago. He is now actively engaged in the practice of his profession at Angusta. He served one term as alderman in his home city. Ile is a member of the American Medical Associa- tion, the Wisconsin State Medical Society and the Eau Claire County Medieal Society. He was married in October, 1903.
CHAPTER XLII. THE NORWEGIANS.
By WALDEMAR AGER.
According to census, we have about three thousand persons born in Norway residing in Eau Claire county. Comparatively few of these live in the country, the land in Eau Claire county not being to their liking. There is a strong settlement in the south-west eorner of the county, in the towns of Pleasant Val- ley and Drammen, and all along the southern boundary; there are, however, quite a few farmers scattered through the county and especially near the city limits of Eau Claire. The oldest settlements are in Pleasant Valley, Drammen and Otter Creek townships.
To the three thousand born in Norway may safely be added two thousand of second and third generations who speak the Norwegian language and associate with their own kin in churches and societies, and as a rule read and speak both languages. It may be stated that the Norwegians in a larger proportion than any other race, own their own homes. The newcomer's first savings are laid aside with a view of building a house of his own, and when he does build, he generally puts up a strong fence around it-not so much to keep other people out, as to keep himself within. It gives him his own little world where he is master without intruding upon other people's property ; he wants the boundary established without dispute. He does not think that his house is the best in the street, but he does think, probably, that he, as a man, is as good as any one else, and keeps his house in shape and his back yard elean. Norwe- gians are never found in slum distriets; they may not be any better in the eyes of the Lord, probably, than those who do live in the slums, but they do certainly look better in the eyes of the eity assessor, and they have a healthy respect for appear- anee. They are very sensitive about good neighbors, and are the first on the petition when any improvements on the street are asked for.
The Norwegians did not appear in any considerable numbers before the early sixties. In 1863 the first Norwegian congrega-
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tion was organized, it is still in existence and is one of the larg- est in the city, numbering abont two thousand souls. It is the first Evangelical Lutheran congregation of the Norwegian United church.
The first Norwegian in these parts was an Indian trader by the name of Swenson, but we do not know much about him; a civil engineer from Norway was here about the same time, but made his home at Chippewa Falls. The regular immigration started with Mr. Nels Hanson; he came here in 1852; his wife (now Mrs. Israel Israelson) is still living and a resident of our city. Nels Hanson's brother, Lars, eame in 1854, and a third brother, Abel, eame in 1856. In that year several eame and among others, Sigvald Lund; he died three years ago (1911). The two brothers Lars and Jens Anderson came also this year. These first Norwegians came by the way of Wanpun. Abel Hanson had arranged with one Hans Ludvigson, to take him from Waupun to Eau Claire, but got only as far as New Lisbon from whence he reached Eau Claire by the ox team route.
In 1860 the following Norwegians voted at the presidential election : Sigvald Lund, Pleasant Valley ; Andrew Olson, town of Brunswick; Ole Olson Bakkorn, John Emerson, James H. Johnson, Amund Knudtson, Bridge Creek : Albert Johnson, Abel Hanson, Andrew Engebretson, R. Tillotson, Nels Hanson, Ole HIalvarson, North Eau Claire : Ole O. Bruden, Benjamin Hanson, John Johnson, Oscar Jackson ( ?), Qaer Allison, Ellef Hanson, Ole llolberg, Christian Israelson, John Olesan, L. G. Tilleson, Israel Israelson, town of Eau Claire. Of these there are but two, Israel Israelson and Ole Bruden, who are at the present time living in our city. Some of the Norwegians enlisted at Eau Claire for service in the Civil War; many enlisted in the Fifteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, which was organized as a Nor- wegian regiment in the southern part of the state. Iver Olson and Ole Larson served in Company 1, Hoval Swenson and Peter (. Olson in Company C and Thomas Thorstensen in Company A of our famous Eagle regiment. Mr. Thorstensen was killed in the battle of Corinth. Others were John Hanson, Osten Ruthland, Peter Anderson, Andrew Anderson, Albert (. Halstad, George W. Ilalstad, Ole Peter Olson, II. Swenson, Jens Anderson and Bersvend Nelson. Clans Torgerson went with Captain Sher- man's cavalry troop. Others enlisted under American names just to show how patriotic they were; the number of enlistments were in proportion large, as there were only a handful of Nor- wegians here at that time.
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Thousands of Norwegians have passed through our city, stay- ing here only for a short time to make enough money to get a start in the country. The first immigration came from the iron works at Borum in Norway, and formed large settlements between Colfax and Elk Mound. Another stream eame from the Gudbrandsdalen Valley and made their homes near Meridean : still another about the same time from the Trondelagen; they settled on the Chippewa bottom around Caryville. Later came an immigration from the Nordland of Norway, the land of the midnight sun. They formed a big settlement near Colfax; later currents went to Barron county, the head of the lakes and North Dakota. The last ontpour was to the state of Washington. At Everett, Washington, there is a large colony who are neither Americans nor Norwegians, but style themselves as Eau Claire- ites. They have even some sort of an organization, and will gather once in a while to a banquet and cherish their memories from the sawdust city on the banks of the lordly Chippewa.
Twenty years ago we had a large Norwegian colony at Por- terville, where the Northwestern Lumber Company had a big sawmill. The mill was moved to Stanley and a greater part of the people followed. Porterville was a suburb of Eau Claire. From Stanley many went to the coast, where they are conducting themselves as Eau Claireites and are making good.
Interesting is the history of our first Norwegian immigrants to Eau Claire. The Canadian Irish predominated at the sawmills and in the logging camps. The Norwegians came and it was a question of who were the best men. It was days at hard work, small pay, fights and heavy drinking, and they were all good men. The Norwegian supremacy was to all appearances decided at Ole Bruden's basement saloon and boarding house on Gallo- way street early in the seventies. It was principally our big Norwegian policeman, Paul Branstad, and a very clever fisticus by the name of Chris Johnson that made the scales tip to the side of the vikings. The Canadian Irish were, as far as I can ascertain, driven out of the camps and sawmills and into politics. They satisfied themselves by running our polities, while the Nor- wegians reigned almost supreme in the mills and the camps. The first organization formed was, as stated before, a Lutheran con- gregation ; the second was a singing society-a male chorus- started in 1868. It was presumably the first one of its kind in our city. Our Saviour's Lutheran congregation of the Nor- wegian synod was organized in that year.
In 1874 the society "Norden" was formed. It was organized
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along social lines, arranged theatrical performances and had almost regularly a dance every Sunday night. It was charac- teristic at that time to sell beer in connection with the Sunday dances. In 1875 the society celebrated the Norwegian day of independence, the 17th of May, in a grand style at Olinger's garden. This society also organized the first military company called the Eau Claire Sharp Shooters. Mr. J. L. Johnson, an offieer from the Civil War, was captain. It numbered about one hundred rifles and later became a part of the State National Guard. None but Norwegians could belong. The society built their own hall.
As stated before, the early days were days of heavy drinking ; the Norwegians made no exception to the rule, but they have, however, changed in this respect. In 1886 a total abstinenee society was formed and also a mighty I. O. G. T. lodge, and from that time one the Norwegians have almost without any inter- ruption kept three total abstinence organizations in constant work. At present they have one total abstinence society that meets every Tuesday night. A Norwegian I. O. G. T. lodge meets every Saturday night and a women's temperance society meets privately in the homes of its members. With the exception of the W. C. T. U. these are the only and have for twenty years been the only organized total abstinence societies in our city. In "No License" campaigns the strongest Norwegian wards-the Fourth and the Seventh-are almost sure to follow the strongest Anglo-Saxon or "American" ward-the Third-with a majority for no license.
In the year 1888 a society "Norden" (not the one mentioned before) was organized as a braneh of the Scandinavian Work- men's Association of Chicago. Dissatisfaction with the manage- ment of the head lodge made the local lodge secede from the organization and constitute the Independent Scandinavian Work- men's Association. It speaks well for their executive and con- struetive ability that they thus were able to lay the foundation for a strong and successful organization with about one hundred subordinate lodges seattered throughont our state, Minnesota and North Dakota. This organization has now four thousand five hundred members in good standing. Five hundred thousand dollars are paid out as death benefits and about twenty thousand in sick benefits. Of this amount about thirty thousand dollars have been paid claimants in our city. The first president was Mr. Gunder Thompson, and the first secretary onr late county clerk, Mr. Andrew Steensaas. The present president is
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Assistant Postmaster Peter J. Smith, and the secretary is Mr. Andrew Mellsness. Eau Claire has always been the headquar- ters for this splendid organization and also the place for the publication of its monthly paper-the I. S. W. A. Journal. The local lodge "Norden" is probably the largest Norwegian fra- ternal society in the United States, numbering about six hun- dred members. From our city also sprang the movement which resulted in the forming of the society of the "Scandinavian Sis- ters of America." It was originally organized as an auxiliary to the "Independent Scandinavian Workingmen's Association." The "Daughters of Norden," which is the name of the local lodge, did not for some reason or other join in the con- certed movement and do not belong to the "Scandinavian Sis- ters." This "Independent Scandinavian Workingmen's Asso- ciation" has done much to make the name of our city known among Norwegians throughout the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. At present it has a reserve fund of one hundred and nine thousand dollars and is in excellent shape and well managed by able and sacrificing officers. Besides "Norden" and "Daugh- ters of Norden" we have a strong local lodge of the popular and rapidly growing fraternal organization, the "Sons of Norway"; also a local lodge "Dovre" of the "Daughters of Norway." The last named is a very agile lodge and captures with great regu- larity the head prizes set up by the grand lodge every year for the lodge which secures the greater number of new members.
In the eighties a Norwegian band, "The Normanna Band," was organized and existed for a number of years. A new band was organized some years ago by the "Norden," but it was much handicapped by not having a suitable leader among our talents at that time. A male chorus was organized by the same society. It is under the leadership of Mr. Osmund Musum and is doing well. Other male choruses were the "Heimdal," led by Mr. Andrew Anderson, and a male chorus organized by the members of the Norwegian synod church. At present only the first named is in the field. The Norwegians have, however, their great share in the success of our celebrated Philharmonic Society. The chief promoter was a Norwegian woman (Mrs. Dr. Midelfart). The first president and secretary were Norwegians and some of the best talent both in the orchestra and choir are Norwegian-Amer- icans ; in fact they form the bulk of the big choir.
The first Norwegian newspaper was started about 1879; only a few issues were printed. In 1883 the "Eau Claire Tidende" was launched with Mr. Emil Hirsch as editor. This paper was
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later ou changed to "Arbeideren" (The Workman), edited by Mr. Alfr. George Engelstad. In 1887 Mr. Engelstad joined the prohibitionists and the paper was merged with another Nor- wegian prohibition journal published at Chieago. In 1888 the two editors commeneed to publish the weekly "Reform," which is still published in the city and has probably the largest list of bona fide subscribers of any paper in the Chippewa Valley. Mr. Engelstad returned to Norway in 1890 and Mr. Ole Br. Olson died in 1903. The paper has sinee Mr. Olson's death been edited by Mr. Waldemar Ager, who since 1892 had been connected with the paper as bookkeeper and business manager. The publishers are "The Fremad Publishing Company," which is a stock com- pany. It also publishes a monthly temperance paper, the "Lyng- blomsten," edited by Rev. Olav Refsdal, of Chetek. Besides these two the I. S. W. A. Journal and the "Kvartalskrift," organ for the Norwegian Society of America, is published here; making in all four different Norwegian publieations sent out through our postoffice.
The greatest undertaking that the Norwegians of Eau Claire have attempted is the building of Luther hospital. It represents an expenditure of about seventy thousand dollars, of which about one-half was donated by Mrs. Anna Qvale.
OUR GREAT MEN.
Among the Norwegians of Eau Claire have been four who may be said to have obtained a nation-wide reputation wherever Norwegians have settled.
Marcus Thrane. People who some twenty-five years ago saw Marcus Thrane on the streets of our city-a feeble old man, generally followed by two big dogs-or those who had learned to know him as a lover of children, flowers and musie, would hardly believe that this kind old man had once been the unwill- ing cause of the mobilizing of an army in a European kingdom. Mr. Thrane eame from one of the best Norwegian families; his unele was the famous Norwegian composer, Waldemar Thrane. As a young man Mareus Thrane came in contact with the ideas that later on through the "Internationale" laid the foundation for the modern socialist movement. Marcus Thrane beeame the leader of the workingmen in Norway. His platform, which was considered dangerous at the time, was very moderate indeed, and nearly all his reforms were later on carried through by the regular politieal agencies of Norway. Ile was, however, looked
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upon as a dangerous individual, and arrested and kept for years in confinement. When he was arrested Norway was on the verge of a revolutionary uprising. The whole of Europe was fermented with it at the time, and it was probably this that made the author- ities of Norway nervous. Marcus Thrane had been at rest in his grave at the Lake View cemetery many years before the people of Norway understood what an able, farseeing and in faet mod- erate reformer he had been, and to recognize all he had done for the uplifting of the laboring classes of Norway. His name is an honored one now, and several monuments have been erected with his likeness cast in bronze. He was born October 14, 1817, and died in 1891. His son, Dr. A. Thrane, is a well-known prac- ticing physician in our city.
Rev. Gjermund Hoyme, born October 8, 1857, and died in 1902, has a place in Norwegian-American church history second to none. A born leader of men, splendid orator and gifted writer, he was elected time and time again as president or "bishop" for the Norwegian United church, the largest Nor- wegian Lutheran denomination in the state. The Norwegians do not approve of the title of bishop, but they did recognize in him a man who was every inch an ecelesiastical chieftain. IIe led the organization successfully through one of its worst crisis, and was greatly admired for his splendid leadership. At St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, a splendid chapel bears his name. It was erected to his memory by popular subseription. He was interred at Rose Ilill cemetery. Rev. Hoyme came of good Norwegian peasant stock. Ilis parents emigrated from Valdres, Norway, when he was only a baby.
Ole Br. Olson, born May 19, 1857, at Christiania, Norway, was destined to become the leader of the Norwegian Prohibition party in this country. He was a splendid orator, probably the most talented one among his own people. He was also an efficient writer, and the change in sentiment with reference to intoxicat- ing drinks which is marked among Norwegians in Eau Claire, as well as other places in the Norwegian-America, is in a high degree due to this splendid man's self-sacrificing and indefatigable work for total abstinence and prohibition. It is noteworthy that the largest city in our state under "no license," Stoughton, is also the most Norwegian town, and the driest counties are those where the Norwegians are the strongest. In Minnesota, the largest "no license" eity is Willmar, and this rivals Fergus Falls in being the strongest Norwegian city in Minnesota. Fergus Falls is the largest city that ever carried for "no license" in
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Minnesota. The driest county in Minnesota, "Norman," is also the most Norwegian county. Of five members elected to the Minnesota legislature in the year 1910 on a straight prohibition tieket four were Norwegians. The strongest Norwegian state, North Dakota, is a prohibition state. The prohibition tickets in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota had at one time all a Norwegian at the top, while Wisconsin had one the next to the highest. The prohibition movement is an ultra- American movement in which few foreigners are taking part; so much more eredit to the Norwegians that they found their ways into those ranks and into such numbers, but this is prin- cipally due to the labor of Mr. Ole Br. Oleson, who was laid to rest at the Rose Hill cemetery in the early spring of 1903.
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