USA > Wisconsin > Langlade County > History of Langlade County, Wisconsin, from U. S. government survey to present time, with biographical sketches > Part 61
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with Louis Novotny and John Randall in the opera- tion of a saw mill in Neva township near Deerbrook, Wis. The mill burned. Mr. Jicha then moved to Antigo where he made his home up to his death on Oc- tober 14, 1914. He was laid to rest in the Antigo Catholic cemetery. He is survived by his wife; two sons, George and John, of Antigo, and two daughters, Rose, now Mrs. William Aulik, and Anna, now Mrs. Ed. Aulik, both of Antigo, Wis .. Mr. Jicha led a busy and useful life and when his death came the commun- ity lost one of its respected pioneer citizens. The
conspicuous devotion to duty none stands higher in general esteem than Henry Hay, four times District Attorney, and a leading member of the bar of upper Wisconsin. Henry Hay, the third of four boys, was born in Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, the son of W. H. and Kate (Osborne) Hay. He studied at the Oshkosh Normal, which he finished in 1894. In the fall of 1894 he entered the University of Wis- consin and in 1898 graduated with the Bachelor of Letters degree. He then entered the University law school from which he graduated in 1899. He was ad-
ATTORNEY HENRY HIAY
Senior member of the law firm of Hay & White, former Chairman of the War Legal Advisory Board, former president of the Antigo Militia League, was four times elected District Attorney of Langlade County, finally declining to become a candidate for re-election.
Jicha residence is at 403 Seventh avenue. Mr. Jicha was a member of St. Wencel's and St. Joseph's Benev- olent Societies and the Eagles lodge.
George Jicha was a soldier in the World War. The family are members of St. Mary's church congrega- tion.
HENRY HAY. Among the public spirited citizens of Langlade County, who have filled positions of res- ponsibility and trust because of marked ability and
mitted to the bar in the fall of 1899. He then began the practice of law with E. J. Goodrick, the law firm becoming known as Goodrick & Hay. Arthur Good- rick, now Municipal Judge of Langlade County, had been in practice with his father previously but had given it up temporarily due to ill health.
On February 10, 1900, Mr. Hay came to Antigo to make his home and has been engaged in the practice of law here since. He was elected District Attorney of Langlade County in 1904 and successively after
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HISTORY OF LANGLADE COUNTY.
that until 1912, when he declined to again be a can- didate. He was previously twice City Attorney, in 1902-04.
Attorney Hay was united in marriage on January 2, 1901, to Miss Alice Service, daughter of John R. and Janet R. Service, of Oshkosh, Wis. To this union three children, Helen, Janet and Marjorie, have been born. The Hay residence is at 1006 Clermont street.
Mr. Hay has served in various public capacities. He was U. S. Court Commissioner for a number of years, served as chairman of the Legal Advisory Board during the World War, was active in all finan- cial drives in the county during the war, and was President of the Antigo Militia League.
He is a member of the Wisconsin Bar Association, the Langlade County Bar Association, and is the senior member of the law firm of Hay & White, with offices in the Fidelity Bank Building. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic orders and the Odd Fellows.
HARRY W. JACKSON, Superintendent Antigo Water Department, was born at LaCrosse, Wisconsin, June 18, 1882, the son of Elizabeth and G. A. Jackson. When three years old he moved with his parents to Tomah, Monroe County. The family resided there two years, moving then to Kaukauna, where Mr. Jack- son spent his boyhood and youth. He attended the public schools and the Kaukauna High School. In 1898 he left High School to enter Armour Academy of Chicago, from which he graduated in 1900. He then entered Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, from which he was graduated as a Mechanical Engi- neer in 1904. Mr. Jackson then went to Wausau, Marathon County, Wisconsin, where he took charge of the Wausau Water Works as Superintendent, being Superintendent from 1907-11. He then moved to Antigo, organizing the Langlade Laundry Company with Frank G. Drews as an associate. This he was interested in from 1911-16, when the plant was sold to other parties. Mr. Jackson then accepted the Superintendency of the Antigo Water Department, which he has been in charge of since March, 1916. He was married to Antonette Ringle, daughter of Val. Ringle, of Wausau, November 25, 1910, to which union one child, which died in infancy, was born. The Jackson residence is at 912 Arctic street. Mr. Jack- son is a member of all Masonic orders, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the E. F. U., and F. R. A.
H. W. Jackson is a son of the late well known loco- motive engineer, who was born September 26, 1857, at Tomah, Wis. G. A. Jackson was married to Eliza- beth Connor in 1879. He was in the locomotive ser- vice of the C. & N. W. railway for thirty-three years, all of which were spent, with the exception of one years, as an engineer. He had eight years' service with the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad pre- viously. Mr. Jackson died September 5, 1919. His remains are interred at Tomah, his birthplace. He is survived by his wife of Antigo, Wis., one son, Harry W., of Antigo, Wis., and one daughter, Mrs. F. G. Drews, Antigo, Wis. The late Mr. Jackson was a member of the I. O. O. F., the Masonic orders, and
the B. of L. E. His death removed from service one of the oldest engineers of the Ashland Division, C. & N. W. railroad.
GEORGE GRALL, a prominent deceased farmer of Rolling township, was born in Austria on August 15, 1854, the son of Theresa and George Grall. When eighteen months old he moved to the United States with his parents, settling on a farm at Francis Creek, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. Here he attended par- ochial school and assisted his father on the farm. He also engaged in carpenter work for a time. Mr. Grall was united in marriage to Barbara Thouser on July 2, 1880, to which union ten children were born as fol- lows: Barbara, now Mrs. Jos. Cejka, of Antigo, Wis .; Frank and Charles Grall of Rolling township, Lang- lade County, Wisconsin; George and John, of Milwau- kee; Anna, now Mrs. S. A. Klajbor, Joseph and Clar- ence, all of Antigo; Irene, deceased; William Grall, of Wausau, Wis. Mr. Grall came to Rolling township in 1882 when this territory was a vast wilderness. He engaged in agriculture on a forty acre farm which he lived to see developed into one of the best in the county. April 13, 1914, he moved into the city of Antigo, retiring from his years of farm work. It was his great enjoyment to see his sons carry on the work where he left off. Mr. Grall passed away at the age of 65 years and three months, November 15, 1919. He was laid to rest in the Antigo Catholic Cemetery. He was a member of the Catholic Foresters and the Modern Woodmen of America. Mrs. Grall is living at the Grall residence, 412 Edison street, Antigo, Wis. George Grall was a thrifty and substantial citizen who did his part in the upbuilding of a new country.
ZACK T. BAGBY, JR., a prominent insurance agent, who has, by his square dealing and excellent person- ality, gained a host of friends in Langlade County, was born in the village of Gray, Ash County, North Carolina, on February 29, 1888, the son of Zack T. and R. E. (Mastin) Bagby. When a boy he spent his early school days at Gray from where he went to Trayer, Iowa, and for one year attended school. Mr. Bagby then went to Hartley, Iowa, and in 1915 grad- uated from the Hartley High School. He then went to Fulda, Minnesota, to become instructor in the Man- ual Training department in the Fulda High School, in which capacity he served from 1916-17.
In the spring of 1917 Mr. Bagby came to Antigo and engaged in the life insurance business as a Dis- trict Agent for the well known firm of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. Mr. Bagby has been very successful in Antigo. April 5, 1916, he was married to Miss Mayme Robertson, of Alden, Minnes- ota. To this union three children were born, namely, Robert, age 4; Beth, age 3; Jene, age 1-one boy and two girls.
Fraternally Mr. Bagby is a member of the B. P. O. E., the Moose, the Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias. The family attends the Methodist Episcopal church. The Bagby residence is at 224 Hudson street.
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HISTORY OF LANGLADE COUNTY.
Mr. Bagby's father died in 1916 and is buried at Tran- son, N. C. His mother is a resident of Laurense, Iowa.
FRED L. BERNER. In preparing a historical and biographical work, such as this publication is intend- ed to be, it is essential that specific mention be made of those who have been identified with the highest
some and capable newspaper, one of the most efficient journals of northern Wisconsin.
Fred L. Berner was born in the town of Gibson, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, November 27, 1880, the son of Henry and Caroline Berner. He moved with his parents to Antigo in the spring of 1884, one year before the incorporation of Antigo as a city, and he has made this city his home ever since.
FRED L. BERNER
Editor of the Antigo Daily Journal, Secretary-Treasurer of Berner Brothers Publishing Company, has been a resident of .Antigo, with the exception of a few years, all of his life. He played an active part in the prosecution of the world war activities in Langlade County and takes a keen interest in all civic enterprises.
and best interests of the community. It is therefore consistent with the spirit of this work that extended place be given to the life and activities of Fred L. Berner, Secretary-Treasurer of Berner Brothers Pub- lishing Company and editor of the Antigo Daily Journal, Langlade County's first and only daily publi- cation. In his capacity as an Editor he has given the best that was in him to the publication of a whole-
The subject of this review attended the city schools and graduated from the Antigo High School with the class of 1898, following which he taught a rural school in the county for one year.
Mr. Berner moved to Columbus, Wisconsin, in the fall of 1898 where he was associated with his brother, Henry Berner, in the publication of the Columbus Democrat, a weekly paper. He was editor of that
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HISTORY OF LANGLADE COUNTY.
paper and at that time was the youngest editor in the state, having been only nineteen years of age when he entered upon that work.
In the fall of 1901 he returned to Antigo, having dis- posed of the Columbus Democrat, and purchased the Antigo Journal, then a weekly publication. He has had editorial charge of that paper since, during which time it has developed into a twice-a-week paper, and in 1904 it was launched as a daily paper.
Mr. Berner has always taken a keen interest in all public affairs and is a leader in all civic enterprises that tend to benefit the city and county. He was the first Secretary of the old Commercial Club, mentioned elsewhere, and became Vice President of the Associ- ation of Commerce, when the latter Antigo organization was perfected. During the World War he was Sec- retary of the Antigo Militia League, a member of the Langlade County Council of Defense, a member of the Executive Committee of the Red Cross, was Secretary of the Langlade County Liberty Loan Association and had complete charge of all publicity in that regard.
Fraternally he is affiliated with the Antigo Lodge A. F. & A. M .; Antigo Chapter, R. A. M .; Antigo Coun- cil; R. & S. M .; Elks; Knights of Pythias; Moose; Beavers, and F. R. A.
Mr. Berner was united in marriage to Margaret M. Edwards, of Oconto, on August 27, 1906, and their home is located at 1012 Superior street, Antigo.
NICHOLAS BOLL. One of the pioneer families of Langlade County was that of Nicholas J. Boll, a native of Germany, who settled in the city of Antigo in 1885. No account of Langlade County's history would be complete without a sketch of this well known citizen, who passed away from this world on May 27, 1911, at the advanced age of eighty-two years.
Nicholas Boll was born in Dumstadt, Germany. He spent the first sixteen years of his life in his native land, corning to America then with his mother, a broth- er and a sister. His father died in Germany when young Nicholas was but a small boy. Landing in New York the family soon became absorbed in the customs of their adopted country. June 17, 1885, Mr. Boll was united in marriage to Mary Rettinger, who had emigrated from Dumstadt when eleven years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Boll shortly afterwards moved to Ft. Atkinson, Wisconsin, and from there to Manitowoc County, settling at Clark's Mills in 1864. Here he en- gaged in the hotel business for about nineteen years and then moved to Antigo. He then took up a home- stead in Rolling township. While in Antigo he con- ducted a hotel and lived an honorable and useful life. He lived to see Antigo grow from a little hamlet to a thriving city of nearly ten thousand inhabitants. Ten children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Boll, as fol- lows: Barbara, now Mrs. Henry Heim, of Santa Rosa, California; Anna, now Mrs. Anna Smith, of Norwood township; Mary, now Mrs. William Yentz, of the city of Antigo; Elizabeth, now Mrs. Thomas Schmitz, of the city of Antigo; Anthony, former Langlade County Sheriff, a resident of Antigo; Theresa, now Mrs. Anton
Nowotny, the wife of the Clerk of the Circuit Court; Maggie, now Mrs. John Herman, of Antigo; Joseph Boll, a prominent lumberman of Antigo; Nicholas, Jr., deceased; Emma, now Mrs. R. A. Bloedorn, of Polar township. Mrs. Nicholas Boll, Sr., is living at 417 Hudson street.
Nicholas Boll, Civil War veteran, as he was, from his first connections in the county, became deeply in- terested in all that was for the general betterment of the community. He was a member of the Catholic faith and lies at rest in the Catholic cemetery beside the remains of his son, Nicholas, Jr. With his death there passed from earth one of the real pioneers of the picturesque new north.
E. J. BYRNE, prominent Antigo dairyman, was born in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, July 5, 1888, the son of Hugh and Margaret Byrne. He lived in that county for the first thirteen years of his life, attending rural school while there. In the year 1901 the Byrne family moved to Antigo, Langlade County, Wisconsin. Here Mr. Byrne engaged in the grocery business for seven years, following which he inaugurated the An- tigo Dairy, a model institution of its kind. With him in the conduct of the Antigo Dairy since 1915 has been Hugh Byrne, a brother.
E. J. Byrne was united in marriage on June 15, 1914, to Mary Riley, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Riley, well known Antigo citizens. To this union one child, Robert, was born.
Mr. Byrne is a member of Antigo Council No. 1002 Knights of Columbus, of which order he is a fourth degree member, and he is a member of the Fraternal Reserve Association. The Byrne residence is at 217 Lincoln street. The family attends St. John's Catho- lic church of Antigo, Wis.
The Byrne family is one that has long enjoyed the friendship and high regard of the best people of the community which has been their home so many years and they are in every detail worthy of the respected place they occupy in popular esteem and confidence.
WALTER L. ELLIOTT. Among the men of prom- inence over a quarter of a century ago, none were held in higher esteem than the late Walter L. Elliott, suc- cessful and energetic citizen, who passed away Janu- ary 2, 1904. The career of this active life should be an inspiration to any young man who has lofty ideals and ambition.
Mr. Elliott was born on a farm in the town of Win- neconne, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in 1868, the son of Thomas Elliott. He received but a limited education during his boyhood. Farm life did not sat- isfy his desire for accomplishing something definite in life. At an early age he became an engineer on a grain thresher. In 1887 he came to Antigo to take a position as an engineer for Herman Brothers, who then conducted a mill on the site of the Crocker Chair plant. A year later he accepted a position in the Antigo-Edison Electric Company, then managed by Lewis Lusk. In 1889 he went to Chicago after which
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HISTORY OF LANGLADE COUNTY.
his rise was phenominal. He entered the employ of the National Electric and Construction Company and in four years was advanced to the position of Chief Engineer at a handsome salary. In 1896 he was made Consulting Engineer of that company. Mr. Elliott was also Superintendent of the Belvidere Street Rail- way. He returned to Antigo in October, 1897, and purchased the Antigo Electric plant, which he com- pletely reorganized. He was active in civic affairs in Antigo and was engaged in other commercial en- terprises, including the management of the Antigo Telephone Co.
Walter L. Elliott was united in marriage to Bertha Albrecht in 1887. To this union four sons, Henry T., Walter P., George E., and Clarence M., were born.
Mr. Elliott was a member of the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. Few men in Langlade County stood higher in public confidence and esteem than he did. The electric industry in Antigo stands as a per- manent monument to his memory.
ALDEN HERBERT MURTON. No record of the successful business men of Langlade County would be complete without a sketch of the career of Alden H. Murton, who has been a resident of this county for a number of years. Mr. Murton was born January 26, 1860, in the Town of Macomb, St. Lawrence County, New York state, the son of Martha (Walrath) and Thomas Murton. Until he reached twenty years he stayed on his father's farm, aiding him after he com- pleted the rural school course. He then moved to Weyauwega, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, and work- ed in the lumbering industry as a teamster. Between six and seven years passed and then Mr. Murton came to Langlade County, settling first at Antigo, and in the fall of 1890 he moved to Bryant, Price township, where he operated a store and engaged in a general lumbering business for two and a half years. It was at this time that the Bryant village fire occurred and Mr. Murton's was one of the most disastrous fires of the town. In 1894 Mr. Murton moved to New London, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, and for that time up to 1908 he was engaged there in the mercantile business, after which he went to Sugar Bush and for two years operated a business successfully. He then returned to Antigo, Langlade County, engaged successively in the scaling of lumber, logging, potato industry as a representative of the L. Starks Company and was for a few years in the mercantile business. April 1, 1922, he purchased the bakery of B. Finch at 603 Fifth avenue and is now conducting the same with an ex- cellent public patronage.
Mr. Murton was married on November 7, 1885, to Sarah Davis, of St. Lawrence County, New York, to which union the following children were born: Earl, deceased, born at Weyauwega; Vera, born at Bryant, Price township, now Mrs. Oliver Weinandy, of Coch- ran, Wisconsin; Beatrice and Lila, both born in New London. Mr. Murton was a Supervisor and an Alder- man of the Second Ward, New London, while a resi- dent there. He has been a member of the Odd Fel-
lows (North Star Lodge No. 104) of New London for over a quarter of a century. He is a member of the Congregational church.
HENRY C. PLAUTZ, a man well known in Antigo and surrounding districts and one who has devoted himself assiduously to his business, was born May 13, 1865, in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, the son of Martin Plautz. When a year old he moved with his parents to Montpelier, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, where he lived until he reached the age of nineteen. What public school training he had he acquired at Montpelier. When nineteen Mr. Plautz started out into the world to meet the obstacles of life and fight them alone. July 5, 1884, he was united in marriage to Albertina Buss, of Kewaunee County. To this union five children were born: Herman and William, de- ceased; Henry, Jr., who, on March 19, 1919, was united in marriage to Miss Agnes Pohlman, of Antigo, and to which union two boys, Chester and Charles, and one daughter, Lorraine, were born; Edward, who on December 29, 1921, was united in holy bonds of mat- rimony to Miss Viola Kieren, of Gilbert, Minnesota, to which union one child, a son, was born; and Meta, a daughter, now Mrs. Henry Keanist, of Aberdeen, South Dakota.
Henry Plautz is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America. He has resided in Sheboygan Falls, Clark County, and elsewhere before coming to Antigo to make his home on April 13, 1902. Mr. Plautz has followed the occupation of a millwright and a filer, and since 1913 has been engaged in the furniture bus- iness, as is his son, Henry, Jr. Mr. Plautz has three- fourths of an acre of Golden Seal and Ginseng in a model garden located on South Superior street, Anti- go, Wis. In the cultivation of these roots he is highly interested.
The Plautz residence is at 703 South Superior street. The family is held in high esteem by a wide circle of acquaintances.
HENRY BERNER, SR., one of the pioneer resi- dents of the city of Antigo, was born in Germany, February 29, 1829. He left Germany at the time of the exodus of the "Forty-eighters", but went to Can- ada, where he spent a year and then came to the United States, settling in the town of Gibson, Manito- woc County, where he conducted a shoe shop. It was while living there that he married Miss Caroline Zan- der, and to which couple seven children were born, Louis, William, Mrs. Otto Klessig, Miss Mary, and Henry, Fred and Otto.
In the spring of 1884 the family moved to Antigo, where Mr. Berner had purchased a general store. The building has since been removed, it being located just south of the city hall. Shortly after getting lo- cated here Mr. Berner also purchased a tract of land, which was then a solid wilderness and considered far from the city. It is now the south-east portion of the city, mostly covered with homes.
Mr. Berner was also the pioneer German newspaper
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publisher of the city, having started "Die Pioneer" in the year 1885, with a Mr. Groser as editor. It was published here for less than two years, and then moved to Shawano, as the town was too small to support the publication, and it is still being published, although the name has been changed several times since then.
It was about the year 1893 when he sold out his store and spent the remaining years of his life on the farm, which shortly after became a part of the city. He died December 25, 1893.
years old. He was united in marriage to Amelia Schumann, of Grant township, Shawano County, on August 27, 1879. That fall, October 1, 1879, the Parsons family settled on a homestead near Polar, Langlade County. March 1, 1880, John W. Parsons and his young wife moved to Polar township. To this union the following children were born: Her- man W., April 17, 1880; Ella, 1882; William, 1884; Clara, March 11, 1888; Edward, December 24, 1890; George, October 10, 1893.
JUDGE J. W. PARSONS
Who has served as Judge of Langlade County longer than the combined terms of his predecessors. Judge Parsons, who came to Langlade County in 1880, is the Grand Commander of the Beavers Reserve Fund Fraternity.
HON. JOHN W. PARSONS, for many years, and yet, a prominent Langlade County personage, was born on February 11, 1861, in the town of Wilson, Niagara County, New York, the son of Johanna and Charles E. Parsons. When three years old he moved with his parents to the state of Michigan, settling near Ludington, where the Parsons resided for seven years. The family then moved to Wisconsin making their home at Greenville. In 1872 they moved to the town of Lorrie, Waupaca County, and there the future Langlade County jurist lived until he was eighteen
January 23, 1886, the Parsons home was destroyed by fire and William, the third child, came to his death in the catastrophe. Edward Parsons passed away March 18, 1891. The other children are still living. Herman was married to Lizzie Dick, of Grant town- ship, Shawano County, and this union is blessed with four children, Arthur, Roy, Freida and Florence; Ella Parsons married John Techlien, of Norwood township, in 1906, and to that union four children, Elsie, Har- vey, Edna and Techlien were born; Clara married Patrolman John Utnehmer in 1904; their children
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are Hattie, Walter, Oscar and Reuben. George W. Parsons, the youngest son, married Anna Krause in August, 1912, and they have one son, John Woodrow Parsons. Herman Parsons resides on the old Par- sons homestead in Polar township. The rest of the Parsons progeny reside in the city of Antigo.
John W. Parsons became a leader among his fel- low men at once after he settled in Polar township. In 1882 he was elected Supervisor of Polar township and served two years in that capacity. He then serv- ed as Assessor for two years and then was promoted to township Chairman of Polar, serving in that posi- tion of trust for twelve years. He was Chairman of the County Board of Langlade County from 1895 to 1899 until he resigned to accept the office of Register of Deeds, to which he was elected. Two years of exceptional service in that office and Mr. Parsons found himself elected in the spring of 1891 to the office of County Judge. He qualified on January 1, 1892, and has been on the bench ever since.
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