History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens, Part 64

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1042

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Robert P. Kuhlmann passed his boyhood and youth on his father's small farm and assisted in the latter's general store. In 1890 the family came to Wausau and at first Mr. Kuhlmann delivered groceries for a local store and afterward became a clerk. In 1895 he entered the em- ploy of the Heinemann Bros., as a clerk in their clothing store and still later worked for Nathan Heinemann, with whom he continued until he went into business for himself, in 1909, with the exception of a period of eighteen months during which he sold shoes on the road. He carries

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on business according to modern methods and the firm handles only the most reliable goods.

Mr. Kuhlmann was married in 1895, to Miss Bertha Bentz, a daugh- ter of August Bentz, of Wausau, and they have two sons, Edwin and Robert. Mr. Kuhlmann is identified with the Modern Woodmen and with the Beavers.

A. C. WAGNER, postmaster at Edgar, Wis., and a member of the furniture and undertaking firm of C. Wagner & Son, was born at Chi- cago, Ill., June 5, 1874, and is a son of C. and Amelia Wagner, the lat- ter of whom died when her son was one month old.

A. C. Wagner was educated first at New Holstein and completed his public school course in the High School at Kiel, Wis., after which he was a clerk in the general mercantile store of Heins Bros. for seven years and in 1897 came to Edgar to embark in the furniture and under- taking business. Later he was joined by his father, C. Wagner, and the firm name has been C. Wagner & Son ever since. The firm carries furniture, wall paper, carpets, curtains, pianos, organs, sewing machines, trunks and children's carriages. Mr. Wagner also writes insurance for the New York Underwriters, the St. Paul Fire and Marine, and the Na- tional, Hanover and Queen Companies. He is interested with his brother. Arthur Wagner, in a general store at Norrie, Wis., and addi- tionally is a stockholder in the Edgar Bank, in the Edgar Telephone Company and also the Marathon County Telephone Company. Mr. Wagner is a licensed embalmer and covers all the home territory and a radius of twenty-five miles. In politics a Republican he has been post- master at Edgar since May, 1901, succeeding C. C. Barrett, and since then the office has been transferred from the fourth to the third class and four mail routes have been established. When Mr. Wagner took charge there were but two daily mails while now there are five outgoing and four incoming mails, all being handled between 8 A. M. and 8 P. M. The business transacted at Edgar is probably the largest post office business of any part of the county outside the county seat, the records showing that the gross business done in the year ending December 31, 1912, amounted to $2,841.35. In every way Mr. Wagner has given satis- faction as an official. Mr. Wagner married Miss Mary Homne, who was born at Wittenberg, Shawano county, Wis., and they have three chil- dren: Edgar, Ruth and Dorathea. Mr. Wagner is second vice presi- dent of the Wisconsin Postmasters' Association.

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PHILIP MENZNER, postmaster at Marathon City, has large busi- ness interests here, owns and operates a saw mill, and has been engaged in manufacturing lumber at this point since 1894. He was born at Rhinepfalz, Germany, May 20, 1866, a son of L. H. Menzner and wife, the former of whom died in Germany in 1872. Four years later the mother of Philip Menzner joined him in America.

Philip Menzner was sixteen years of age when he left his native land and came alone to the United States, his first location being in In- diana where he spent the summer and in the fall of the same year came to Wisconsin where he has continued to reside. For four years he worked on farms during the summer seasons and at lumbering in the big woods during the winters and afterward engaged in lumbering and logging in Marathon county and, as above mentioned, began manufac- turing in 1894 at Marathon City. His mill, which was built by his father-in-law, Henry Fricke, stands on the site of the first mill ever erected here. For a number of years Mr. Menzner was engaged also in the general mercantile business here and his influence has been at all times beneficial as a promoter of the town's best interests. In politics he is a Republican and in July, 1897, was appointed postmaster. Through his efforts three rural mail routes have been established and all of the call and lock boxes provided are now rented. Although the town's busi- ness has probably quadrupled since he became postmaster he keeps the mail service satisfactory to every citizen and both as man and public official is held in esteem.

In 1893 Mr. Menzner was married to Miss Helen Fricke, who was born at Marathon City and is a daughter of Henry and Veronica Fricke, who were pioneer settlers here. Mr. and Mrs. Menzner have four chil- dren: Elmer, Fred, Philip and Margaret. The family residence stands on Main street. At different times Mr. Menzner has served in town offices, at present being a member of the school board and for five years was president of the town council. He belongs to some German social organizations and also to the Modern Woodmen of America at Wau- sau, Wis.

GUSTAV H. BAESEMANN, one of the well known men of Mara- thon county, of which he has been a resident since July, 1866, occupies his handsome residence at No. 810 Grand avenue, Wausau, and is num- bered with the city's capitalists. He was born March 10, 1855, at South Germantown, Washington county, Wis., and is a son of John and Ernes-

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tina Baesemann. John Baesemann and wife were born in Germany but were married at Milwaukee, Wis., coming to America when aged about eighteen years. About 1866 they moved to Marathon county and set- tled on the Big Rib river, where Mr. Baesemann went into the saw mill business and also bought 200 acres of land in the town of Rib Falls. Both he and wife died in Marathon county in advanced age, being well known and highly respected people.

Gustav H. Baesemann obtained a district school education and as soon as old enough began work in his father's saw mill and continued to operate a saw mill for many years, later adding a flour and a feed mill, all being operated by water power. Mr. Baesemann owns 800 acres of land in the town of Rib Falls and has made many other property investments throughout the state.

Mr. Baesemann married Miss Pauline Salzman, who was born in Manitowoc, Wis., and they have four children: Laurinda, who is the wife of Irvin Marchetti; Jessie, who is the wife of William Kickbush, of Lake View, Idaho; Clara, who is the wife of Hon. Oscar Ringle, who is a member of the Wisconsin State Legislature; and Walter R. Mr. Baesemann is a member of the Odd Fellows. His activity in public af- fairs is covered by the services he renders as an honest, upright and fear- less citizen.

HON. A. RITGER, mayor of the village of Marathon City, where he has been a general merchant for twenty-three years, occupies a very high place in public esteem, enjoying the confidence of his fellow citi- zens both in business life and in public office. He was born in Washing- ton county, Wis., November 27, 1857, and is a son of Philip and Cather- ine Ritger, both of whom died in Washington county.

For one year after the termination of his school days, A. Ritger en- gaged in business in Nebraska, then returned to Washington county and subsequently came to Marathon county and became one of the early resi- dents of Marathon City and one of its most useful, enterprising and pub- lic spirited men. He had a part in some of the earliest business develop- ing here, erected the first brick building in the village and in 1892 started the first creamery in Marathon county, locating it here and has con- tinued as its sole proprietor. As the business of the village developed and the population increased, it was Mr. Ritger's enterprise and fore- sight that brought about the organization of the State Bank of Mara- thon City, of which he was elected first vice president, succeeding to the

WILLIAM B. SCHOLFIELD

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presidency of this institution in 1910. The other officials are: Michael Duerstine, vice president, and George Ritger, cashier. A lifelong Demo- crat, Mayor Ritger has served his party loyally and for thirteen years was chairman of the Democratic County Committee. He was first elected mayor of the village in 1895, and has served in 1899, 1903, 1904, his last election being in 1912. Without doubt much of the prosperity which has attended the growth of Marathon City may be attributed to the wise measures brought about during the various administrations of Mayor Ritger. For twenty-three years he has conducted his general store here, carrying hardware, machinery, dry goods and groceries.

In Washington county, Wis., Mayor Ritger was married to Miss Maggie Seubert, and they have had the following children :. Lena, Philip, Maggie, George, Peter, John, August, Mary, Joseph, Katie, Anna, Etta and Wienant, of whom Peter, John and Mary are all deceased. Mayor Ritger and family belong to St. Mary's Catholic church. He is a member of the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, a charter member of the local body.

WILLIAM B. SCHOLFIELD, secretary and treasurer of the Wausau Box and Lumber Company of Wausau and interested in many other enter- prises of business importance in this section, has practically spent his entire life in this part of Wisconsin. He was born at Stevens Point, Wis., Novem- ber 15, 1855, and is a son of William and Mary ( Haseltine) Scholfield.

Dr. William Scholfield was born at Sandusky, O., and prior to coming · to Wisconsin, in the early fifties, practiced medicine at Joliet, Ill., where he married Mary Haseltine, who was reared in the state of New York. They came to Schofield in 1851 and Dr. Scholfield went into the lumbering busi- ness, but shortly afterward removed his residence to Stevens Point, where the family continued to reside until his death, in December, 1863, at the age of fifty-four years. He was one of the first lumber operators in the county shipping by river to St. Louis and other lower river points. For a number of years he owned a store at Stevens Point and was a man of good business energy and foresight. His widow survived him until 1893, dying at the age of sixty-one years. They had five children: Kate S., who is the wife of Charles W. Harger, who is vice president of the Marathon County Bank at Wausau ; Elizabeth R., who is the widow of George W. Manson, resides at Seattle, Wash .; Mary Virginia, who is the wife of C. C. Hoefer of Kansas City; Margaret Ann, who is a resident of Wausau; and William B., who is the second born of the family.

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Mr. Scholfield attended the public schools until twenty years of age, after which he was employed for five year's as bookkeeper for the C. P. Haseltine Company at Schofield, and then embarked in a general mercantile business at Wausau. Several years later he moved his business to Merrill, Wis., and continued there for three years and also, in partnership with George Lang- ley, started in the lumber and planing mill business. In 1888, after selling his interests at Merrill, he returned to Wausau and was one of the organizers of the Wausau Box and Lumber Company, the original members of the firm being: Charles V. Bardeen, president; C. E. Turner, vice president; W. B. Scholfield, secretary and treasurer, and Samuel Quaw, director. Three years later Mr. Scholfield and Mr. Turner purchased the interests of the other members and have operated the same until the present, Mr. Scholfield being secretary and treasurer since its first organization in 1892. This plant affords employment to about 135 operatives, consumes 15,000,000 feet of lumber annually, and the product is shipped to all parts of the United States and Mexico.

On September 1, 1880, Mr. Scholfield was married to Miss Zoa Manson, the oldest daughter of Rufus P. Manson, a pioneer lumberman of Wausau. and they have three children: William R., who conducts a lumber yard at Eldora, Ia., married Miss Delia Thayer, daughter of E. B. Thayer of Wau- sau, and they have one son, William Eugene; and Mark and Harvey, twins. Mark is in the advertising business and Harvey is in the business with his father. A Republican in politics, for fifteen years he has been a member of the school board and also served on the county board and has served as a member of the city council. For twelve years he was secretary of the Masonic lodge and has served as master and also eminent commander. He belongs also to the Knights of Pythias. He is a member of Universalist church and is one of its board of trustees.

OSCAR BREHMER, druggist, with fine quarters in the Brehmer Building on First avenue, South Wausau, Wis., is one of the younger representative business men of this city, in which he has passed much of his life. He was born here September 30, 1882, a son of William R. and Bertha (Drost) Brehmer. William R. Brehmer was born in Ger- many and in his infancy was brought to the United States by his par- ents who settled at Milwaukee, Wis .. where he lived until he was twenty years old and then came to Wausau. Here he operated a saw mill and planing mill in and near Wausau, afterward became much interested in the lumber business in the county and subseqeuntly moved to Salem,

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Ore., where he still lives. In 1897 he erected the substantial double brick building which bears his name, on First avenue, South Wausau. He married Bertha Drost, who was born in the town of Berlin, Mara- thon county, a daughter of William Drost, who was a pioneer in this county and a prominent early business man. He conducted a store, also a saloon, and his place was a trading point for the Indians and hunters bringing in furs.

Oscar Brehmer was reared at Wausau and educated in the public schools and afterward entered the drug store of W. W. Albers for a time and then went to Milwaukee, where he was in a drug store for three years, and afterward, until he returned to Wausau, in 1912, was employed by the Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company. He pur- chased his present store from W. W. Albers, his old employer, who had established the business in October, 1897. Mr. Brehmer is a qualified pharmacist and in addition to his stock of pure drugs he carries all the articles now usually found in a first class drug store.

In 1904, at St. Joseph, Mich., Mr. Brehmer was married to Miss Esther Grieger, of Watertown, Wis. They take part in the pleasant social life of the city.

JOSEPH BARBER, M. D., physician and surgeon at Marathon City, was born at Charlestown, Wis., March 24, 1864, and is a son of Joseph and Frances (Demouth) Barber. The father of Dr. Barber was born in New York and became a shipbuilder and when he came to Wis- consin located on a farm in Calumet county on which he lived for thirty- two years, moving then to Clark county, where his death occurred in his seventy-second year. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity and was buried with Masonic honors at Greenwood, Wis. He was also an Odd Fellow. A Republican in politics he had served in public offices both in Calumet and Clark counties. He and wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. She was a native of New Jersey but was married in New York and died in Clark county, Wis., when aged sev- enty years.

Dr. Joseph Barber was the fifth born in a family of eight children. One brother, who is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and of the University of Chicago, is a Presbyterian minister. Another brother, who is principal of the schools of Withee, Wis., has taught school for thirty-four years, and Dr. Barber had two sisters who taught school, all the family being intellectually gifted. After completing the

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public school course at Chilton, Wis., Joseph Barber spent one year in the University of Illinois and then entered the Kansas City Medical College, where he was graduated in the class of 1896. Prior to coming to Marathon City on April 7, 1906, Dr. Barber practiced at Greenwood, in Clark county, and one year at Collins, was health officer at Greenwood and for two years county coroner of Clark county, and while in Clark county served as the first president of the Metallic Screen Company. When he entered into practice at Marathon City he succeeded Dr. Taughter. On June 1, 1910, he remodeled the old city hall and has util- ized it ever since as a drug store, the family residence being on N. Maine street. He is examiner for the Germania Lodge, E. F. U., for the K. O. T. M., and for a number of insurance organizations, while his private practice extends eighteen miles both north and south of the vil- lage, sixteen miles west and eight miles east. He is an ex-member of the Wisconsin State Board of Health and belongs to county, state and na- tional medical bodies.

On September 1, 1899, Dr. Barber was married to Miss Ella Webb, of Galesville, Wis., a daughter of George and Mary (Hammond) Webb, the former of whom was born at Bedford, England, and the latter at Barndydum, England. Mrs. Barber is the youngest of their three chil- dren. Dr. and Mrs. Barber have one daughter, Mildred, who attends school. Dr. Barber belongs to the Methodist Episcopal and Mrs. Bar- ber to the Presbyterian church. She is secretary of the E. F. U., and belongs to the Rebekahs and in 1907 took the Grand Lodge of Ashland degrees of Assembly and Chivalry. Dr. Barber is a progressive Re- publican. At the time the handsome school building was erected at Marathon City he was chairman of the committee in securing the public school. He is a stockholder in the Marathon Telephone Company and in the Marathon Zigler Hamburg Company, and fraternally is identified with the M. W. of A., the E. F. U., the G. N. G., and has taken the Can- ton high degree of Odd Fellowship and is one of the committee of the Wisconsin Encampment.

GEORGE W. BOROWITZ, merchant tailor, at No. 212 Jefferson street, Wausau, came to this city in 1898 and has been in this business ever since. He was born in Germany, December 7, 1870, and is a son of Michael and Hulda Borowitz. In 1881 Michael Borowitz brought his family to the United States and they located at Manistee, Mich., where he conducted a tailoring establishment until his death. His widow

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survives. At that time George W. Borowitz was a boy eleven years of age and he completed his education in the public schools of Manistee and afterward helped his father as he learned the details of the tailor's trade with him. Afterward he attended the A. D. Rhode & Son's Cutting School at Cleveland, O., and in 1898 came to Wansau as noted above. At first he had his own tailor shop and later went into the clothing business but subsequently sold his clothing stock, but during all this time had continued his tailoring business so that it has been continuous for fifteen years. Mr. Borowitz has a fine custom trade and there are many particular people who depend largely upon his taste and skill in the selection, cut and fit of their garments.

Mr. Borowitz married Miss Josie Kroupa, of Traverse City, Mich. They are members of St. James Catholic church and for two years he was a member of its board of trustees. He belongs to the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Order of Foresters, the Eagles and the Elks.

WILLIAM SELL, who deals in hardware, stoves, tinware, paints, etc., at No. 514 Third street. Wausau, operates a tinshop and does all kinds of furnace repair work, is a well known business man here and enjoys a widely extended patronage. He was born on a farm in Wood county, Wis., November 17, 1875, and is a son of William and Caroline (Hobback) Sell, who moved to Wausau in 1876. The father is now de- ceased but the mother survives.

William Sell was reared and educated at Wausau and his first em- ployment was in a box factory, where he remained one year and then entered the employ of the Montgomery Hardware Company and learned the tinner's trade while there and continued to work for James Mont- gomery for fourteen years. For four more years he remained connected with that company as a stockholder and then started for himself on Third street where the Electric Theater is now located. He afterward bought the site of the Mongomery Hardware Company and remained three years, moving then to his present location. He keeps five tinners busy and his products go all over the state.

Mr. Sell married Miss Rose Dietl, a daughter of August Dietl, a prominent merchant at Wausau, and they have had three children: Harold, who died at the age of five years ; and Rose and Fritz.

A. F. HARTER, M. D., physician and surgeon, who has been es- tablished professionally at Marathon City for the past seven years, has

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built up a practice which includes many families in the town and those residing within a radius of ten miles south, ten miles north, six miles east and three miles west, and in attending to so large a number dis- tributed over so wide a territory, finds himself a very busy man. Dr. Harter was born at Campbellsport, Wis., December 26, 1882, and is a son of J. V. and Catherine Harter, the former of whom died at Milwau- kee, Wis., and the latter of whom is a resident of Marathon City.

A. F. Harter first attended the parochial school in his native place, then the public schools at Milwaukee, then Marquette College at Mil- waukee, and secured his medical training in the Wisconsin College of Physicians and Surgeons at Milwaukee. After some experience in St. Francis' Hospital, at La Crosse, he came to Marathon City in June, 1905, succeeding Dr. William Gorholt. Dr. Harter is a member of the county and state medical societies and of the American Medical Association. Formerly he was physician for a number of insurance bodies. He has a fine library and well equipped office in his residence which is located on the east side of Main street, Marathon City.

Dr. Harter married Miss Winifred Slattery, who was born at Mil- waukee and is a daughter of Michael Slattery. Dr. and Mrs. Harter have two children: Winifred and Alipia. They are members of St. Mary's Catholic church and Dr. Harter is identified fraternally with the Catho- lic Order of Foresters. Although his political convictions make him a stanch Democrat he has never engaged actively in politics but both in his profession and in his citizenship commands the respect and enjoys the esteem of those who know him in either relation.

SAMUEL D. BURNETT, who is one of the engineers on the Wis- consin State Highway Commission board, and is one of Marathon coun- ty's leading engineers, since 1912 has been in partnership with Walter E. Richardson and they are proprietors of the Wausau Engineering Company at Wausau. Prior to the organization of this company Mr. Richardson had not been a resident of Wausau, but Mr. Burnett has lived here for thirty-two years. It is strange how different talents de- velop, for Mr. Burnett came of farming people and was born on a farm near Madison, Wis., September 22, 1876, and is a son of David Chandler and Louisa (Stahl) Burnett, these being pioneer names in Wisconsin.

Samuel D. Burnett was four years old when his parents moved to Wausau, where his father served as chief of the police force for six years and one term as under sheriff and then retired to his fine farm in the

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town of Kronenwetter where he still lives. Samuel D. remained at home and attended school until he was fourteen years of age and then began an independent life, going to work in the pine woods and continuing until he was nineteen years of age, when he turned his attention to school teaching and during the six consecutive terms that he taught, three in Marathon county and three in South Dakota, he applied himself both to architectural studies and to those pertaining to engineering, for which he had taste and talent. It was while he lived in South Dakota that the Spanish-American War broke out and in 1898 he enlisted as a private in the 3rd U. S. Vol. Cav., was in camp at Chickamauga and was mustered out in October of the same year. He returned then to Wausau, his home ever since although his business has called him many times into other sections for a more or less protracted period. After re- turning from military service he put in two seasons on location and con- struction work for the Chicago and St. Paul Railroad, and then went south with the Missouri Pacific, Iron Mountain & Southern Railroad system in the maintenance of way department, being away from Wau- sau for nearly three years. His studies and experience soon brought him to a high degree of proficiency in his profession. He served as as- sistant engineer of construction on the Paper Mills at Mosinee and the four dams across the Wisconsin river at that place, this large contract being completed in February, 1912. In the following month Mr. Bur- nett embarked in his present business enterprise.

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History of Marathon County, Wisconsin and representative citizens, Part 64

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn Publication date: 1913 Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1042

Author: Marchetti, Louis. cn
Publication date: 1913
Publisher: Chicago : Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1042