USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Milwaukee > History of Milwaukee, city and county, Volume III > Part 43
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CHRISTIAN J. BALLMAN.
Christian J. Ballman, manager of the Twelfth Street store in the chain of stores owned by Edward Schuster & Company, was born in Chicago, Illinois, July 12, 1885, and is a son of Hubert and Margaret ( Udelhofen) Bailman, both of whom were natives of Germany, whence they came to America at the ages of nine and seventeen years, respectively, the father crossing the Atlantic in 1853. while the mother made the trip to the new world in 1860. The father was a railroad man who made his home in Chicago throughout the period of his resi- dence in the new world.
Christian J. Ballman was educated in the public schools of that city and started out in the business world as an employe in a wholesale shoe establish- ment of Chicago, with which he was connected for three and a half years. He then became an employe in The Fair, one of the large department stores of the city, acting as a salesman in the shoe department for a period of three years. At the end of that time he returned to the firm by which he was originally em- ployed and for which he acted as city salesman for a year and a half. Later he was again connected with the shoe department of The Fair as a clerk and suh- sequently became assistant buyer and still later was promoted to the position of buyer for the shoe department in that establishment.
It was on the 13th of March, 1914, that Mr. Ballman came to Milwaukee to act as shoe buyer for the three stores owned by Edward Schuster & Company. He continued to serve in that connection until February 1, 1918, when he was made manager of the Twelfth Street store, which is one of three of the large department stores owned by this company. The store has steadily grown and flourished under his management and the trade is always on the increase. The business is today an important feature in connection with the commercial activity of Milwaukee and the enterprise, energy and well formulated plans of Mr. Ball- man contribute in large measure to the success now enjoyed.
On the 25th of November, 1908, Mr. Ballman was united in marriage to Miss Otilda Mock of Chicago, and they have become parents of two children: Richard and Eugene. In religious faith Mr. Ballman is a Catholic and has membership with the Knights of Columbus. He also belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. In business life he is forceful and resourceful. He has advanced steadily step by step since starting out independently and each forward step has brought him a broader outlook and wider opportunities, until today he is a forceful figure in commercial circles in his adopted city.
ABRAHAM P. ROSENBERG.
The mercantile establishment of Abraham P. Rosenberg is one of the attrac- tive commercial houses of Milwaukee. Conducting his interests under the name of Rosenberg, Incorporated, he is at the head of a large millinery emporium and carries an extensive stock of ladies' ready-to-wear garments. The business has been developed along the most progressive lines and success has been the legiti- mate and logical outcome of his carefully directed labors and sound judgment. Mr. Rosenberg was born in Kremenetz, Russia, in 1874, and came to the United States in 1890. He made his way at once to Milwaukee, where he remained for three years and then removed to Sturgeon Bay. At that place he engaged in merchandising for four years, on the expiration of which period he returned to Milwaukee and opened a store with an attractive stock of ladies' ready-to-wear garments and millinery. He organized his business under the name of Rosenberg, Incorporated, of which he has since been the president, and later he expanded his activities hy becoming treasurer of the Rhea Manufacturing Company, devoted to the manufacture of bloomers, aprons and overalls. He is likewise the treas- urer of the Glockhoff Clothing Company and thus he has constantly enlarged his
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business activities until he is a foremost factor in the commercial circles of the city.
On the 18th of February, 1900, in Milwaukee, Mr. Rosenberg was united in marriage to Miss Ida Goldstein, a daughter of Barnard Goldstein, representative of one of the old families of this city. The children of this marriage are Beatrice, Sylvia, Geraldine and Annette-four interesting daughters. Mr. Rosenberg had been in America five years when he sent for his parents, Peter and Flora ( Isen- burg) Rosenberg, to join bim in the new world. Following their arrival the father engaged in the dry goods business on Mitchell street in Milwaukee until his demise.
Mr. Rosenberg was on the honor roll in connection with the Liberty Loan and Red Cross drives during the World war. In politics he has always maintained an independent course, voting for men and measures rather than party. He be- longs to the Milwaukee Athletic Club and holds to the religious faith of his fathers, being a member of Temple Emanu-El. He finds his recreation in reading and music and has made far advance along those lines of personal culture. Com- ing to America a youth of sixteen, be has never had occasion to regret his deter- mination to seek his fortune in the new world, for here he has rapidly worked his way upward, gaining the sure rewards of labor intelligently directed. He is the president of the Upper Third Street Commercial Association.
ARTHUR EARL POHLMAN.
In the past few years rapid strides have been made in photography and it has become a valuable asset in the business world, being a popular form of adver- tising. One of the most important enterprises of that kind in Milwaukee is the A. E. Pohlman Company, of which Arthur Earl Pohlman is president. He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the 22d of February, 1897, a son of William and Laura (Klein) Pohlman, botb residing in Milwaukee. The father was born in Milan, Indiana, and has been a resident of Milwaukee for some years, gain- ing prominence as an engineer. His wife is a native of Milwaukee and a daugh- ter of W. B. Klein, a police officer and cigar dealer. Her father served in the Union army during the Civil war. The Kleins are descended from ancestors who fled from Germany as refugees in the Revolution of 1847.
Arthur Earl Pohlman received his education in the public schools of Milwau- kee and later entered the Wauwatosa high school, from which he was graduated after completing the required course. He attended night schools for some time and his first position was as office boy in the store of the F. Mayer Boot & Shoe Company, where he remained for eight months. He also worked at the machine business, learning the trade, and when the family removed to Grafton, Wisconsin, he took up the study of photography under the instruction of E. T. Laabs. For three years he resided in Grafton, during which time he hecame thoroughly familiar with every phase of the business, and upon returning to Milwaukee with his parents in 1916, established the Laabs-Pohlman Company. At first the firm used the Harley-Davidson Studio and was building up a splendid business when Mr. Pohlman was called for army service on the 26th of August, 1918, and as a member of the Eighty-fourth Division was stationed at Camp Sherman, Ohio. He remained in the service until the signing of the armistice ended hostilities and for several months following his discharge worked for Brown & Rehbaum, commercial photographers, at Milwaukee. On the 1st of April, 1919, he estab- lished the present business, which was incorporated as the A. E. Pohlman Com- pany, in January, 1921, Mr. Pohlman becoming president and E. G. Wenzel, secre- tary and treasurer. The company engages in all branches of commercial photog- raphy, doing its own photographic work, and numbers among its regular patrons such well known concerns as the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, the Kiel Fur- niture Company, the Wisconsin Chair Company, and many others. The company operates all over the United States, being sent to different parts of the country by its clients, and its catalogues and sketches are all photographed by the con- cern. When the business was first established Mr. Pohlman handled the work alone hut the business has grown to such proportions as to necessitate the serv- ices of a staff of five photographers, in addition to the two members of the firm. It conducts two studios, the other heing located at Grafton, Wisconsin.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Pohlman has been a member of the repub- lican party but has never taken an active interest in political affairs. His relig- ious faith is indicated by his membership in the German Lutheran church and fraternally he is an Odd Fellow, belonging to Excelsior Lodge, No. 20. In line with his work he holds membership in the Commercial Photographers Associa- tion of Milwaukee. Mr. Pohlman is musically inclined and has often made puh-
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lic appearances as a violin soloist. He is director of the Odd Fellows orchestra and spends a great deal of his spare time studying along musical lines. He is likewise an artist of ability, having done many sketches and landscapes, and in portrait work he has confined himself to tinting. He also does much water color sketching. Mr. Pohlman is a lover of the great outdoors, seeing nature through the eyes of an artist, and he is particularly fond of hunting and fishing. He is a follower of all athletic sports and is seldom absent from a baseball game. Mr. Pohlman has made good use of his opportunities and has prospered from year to year. He has conducted all business matters carefully and successfully and the position he now holds as one of the representative business men and citizens of Milwaukee, is the result of his own intelligently directed effort.
FRANK BARTLETT TRAVIS.
One of the prominent and representative business men of Milwaukee is Frank Bartlett Travis, city superintendent of the Western Union Telegraph Company with headquarters at 116 Wisconsin street. A native of Canada, he was born at Hamp- ton, New Brunswick, on the 1st of September, 1872, and is a son of Allen McNab and Mary Holly ( Bartlett) Travis. Allen McNab Travis, who passed away in May, 1910, was born in St. John, New Brunswick, and was for many years engaged as a railroad divisional agent. His father was William Harry Travis, a customs house officer at St. Jolin and was the seventh son of a seventh son. Mrs. Allen McNab Travis, mother of our subject, was a woman of great intellect and refinement. She was a native of St. John, New Brunswick, and received a splendid education. In later life she wrote a commentary on the New Testament which stands high in the church, and she was an eminent authority on all ecclesiastical matters, being consulted even by the bishops. She was also a great student of astronomy and lectured and wrote many articles on that subject. She passed away in 1905, her death coming as a severe blow to her many friends in the community. Her father was James Bartlett. Ifer brother, Allison A. Bartlett, was a well known philatelist and resided in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. He won prominence as a stamp collector and had the best collection of British stamps. He was associated with Mann, Byers & Company of Glasgow, Scotland, as Canadian representative for fifteen years and made two trips a year to Scotland.
The Travis family have become prominent in many walks of life. A sister of Frank Bartlett Travis, the subject of this review, is now a medical missionary for the British-Canadian Foreign Missionary Society and is stationed at Kweitehfn, Honan province, China. She received her education at McGill University at Mont- real and was graduated with the highest honors ever attained by a woman at that institution. She was awarded three medals, the Governor General's medal, the Parker Memorial medal and the Prince of Wales medal, being the only woman who has ever received the last named. She then decided upon a medical education and entered Johns Hopkins University at Baltimore, Maryland, for her training. During the World war she was in the Red Cross service in Serbia, having volun- teered in 1915, and was in charge of the Mabel Grouitch Memorial Hospital at Nish. She underwent many hardships in rendering her great service to humanity and for some time was held a prisoner of war. A brother, William Harry Travis, is residing in Los Angeles, California, where he is engaged in the testing and regu- lating department of the Pacific Telephone Company of that city. Another brother, B. C. Travis, is likewise a resident of Los Angeles and is general superintendent of the Lewellyn Iron Works there, the largest industrial institution in southern California. The fourth member of the family, Minnie E. Travis, is still residing in Hampton, New Brunswick, Canada. Upon the death of her mother she assumed her church duties and activities and during the World war she worked unceasingly for the Canadian soldiers. Traveling has been her favorite form of recreation and she was present at the coronations of King Edward VII and King George V.
Frank Bartlett Travis, whose rame initiates this review, was educated in the schools of his native city and in due time entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Boston. where he completed an electrical course. After graduating from that institution he remained in Boston as chief operator in the service of the Postal Telegraph Company and for four years was manager of that business. Sub- sequently he removed to Washington, D. C., and after five years was returned to Boston, in 1911, remaining there until 1916, when he removed to Chicago as com- mercial agent for the Western Union Telegraph Company. He was active in that connection until May 1, 1918, when he was sent to Milwaukee as manager and in 1919 was made city superintendent, Milwaukee having been made a separate district. Mr. Travis is a man of keen business insight and ability and believes in the doctrine of hard work. His determined effort, intelligently directed, and the
FRANK B. TRAVIS
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ability for devising the right thing at the right time, have played important parts in the continued success of the business in which he is active.
On the 9th of August, 1901, occurred the marriage of Mr. Travis and Miss Lilla L. Alden, a daughter of Augustus D. Alden of Belchertown, Massachusetts, and a direct descendant of John and Priscilla Alden. Mrs. Travis is prominent in club and social circles of the city and is a pianist and vocalist of much ability.
Mr. Travis gives his allegiance to the republican party, although he does not take an active interest in political affairs, preferring to devote the greater part of his time to his business interests. His religious faith is that of the Episcopal church, while his wife is a Congregationalist, and his social connections are with the Milwaukee Athletic Association and the Optimists Club. As a man ever inter- ested in the development and improvement of the community he holds membership in the Association of Commerce and is likewise a member of the Electrical Asso- ciation of Milwaukee. Mr. Travis is fond of all outdoor sports and his hobbies are swimming and ice skating, although he is also fond of baseball and golf. When a lad of sixteen years he swam a distance of two miles in fresh water and was known to be the swiftest ice skater in his home city.
CHARLES D. ORTGIESEN.
Charles D. Ortgiesen, president of the Ideal Shoe Manufacturing Company, and thus identified with one of the more recently organized manufacturing interests of Milwaukee which are so rapidly developing the city into a great manufacturing center, with its ramifying trade connections reaching out in all directions, has from an early age been dependent upon his own resources and by merit and capability has steadily worked his way upward. He was born in Dixon, Illinois, November The mother 29, 1883, and is a son of John and Marion (Dietrich) Ortgiesen. The father's passed away in 1883 and the father afterward married Mrs. Portinous.
death occurred in 1920, at Nelson, Illinois, where he lived after retiring from the farm, having devoted many years to the work of tilling the soil and caring for his crops. His second wife died in October, 1920. There were four sons and three daughters by the first marriage and two sons and two daughters hy the second.
Charles D. Ortgiesen, the youngest of the children of the first marriage, was educated in the public schools of Nelson, Illinois, and at an early age started out to provide for his own support. He was employed in various ways and at the age of sixteen years began learning the shoe business, which he followed through all its branches. He was with the Weyenberg Shoe Company for a period of ten years and upon leaving that house resigned the position of superintendent of upper cut- ting in May, 1921. He then organized the Ideal Shoe Manufacturing Company, of which he is president, with Roy Strehlow as treasurer and Frank Burger as secre- tary. They manufacture children's school shoes and are putting out an excellent shoe for the price. The long experience of Mr. Ortgiesen well enables him to understand thoroughly the work that is required in manufacturing and the qual- ity of the leather. The plant is well equipped and the business has been thor- oughly systematized so as to produce the maximum result at the minimum expendi- ture of time, labor and material-which is the secret of all business success.
On the 5th of November, 1911, in St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Ortgiesen was united in marriage to Miss Anna Schuchardt, a daughter of Frank Schuchardt of Springfield, Illinois. Mr. Ortgiesen enjoys hunting and fishing when he can find time to put aside business cares for a brief period and indulge in those sports. His religious faith is that of the English Lutheran church and fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. His political allegiance is given to the republican party but while he has firm faith in its principles he has never sought nor desired office as a reward for party fealty, preferring to give his undivided time and attention to business. Steadily he has advanced as the result of his industry, perseverance and determination and his recent entrance into the manufacturing field on his own account is indicative of future progress.
CHARLES R. FARNIIAM, M. D.
Dr. Charles R. Farnham, oculist, aurist and laryngologist, is successfully prac- ticing in Milwaukee, his ability being attested by hundreds of patients who have benefited by his services. Dr. Farnham is a native son of Wisconsin, his birth having occurred in Delavan, October 10, 1879, his parents being Lieut. Charles S. and Catherine ( Smith) Farnham. The father, a native of New Hampshire and of Irish descent, was for many years a traveling salesman. He served as a soldier of
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the Civil war and for a long time he made his home in Milwaukee, where his death occurred in 1903. His wife died on "Mothers' Day" in 1918. They were the parents of two children, the daughter being Katherine R. Farnham.
Dr. Farnham, the only son, acquired his education in the schools of Wauwa- tosa, his parents having removed to Milwaukee county in his infancy. He com- pleted the high school course by graduation with the class of 1898. He started out in the business world as a clerk and was thus employed for two years, after which he determined to devote his attention to professional interests and entered the medical department of Marquette University, from which he was graduated in 1904, with the M. D. degree. He afterward spent two years as assistant surgeon at the National Soldiers Home and later did postgraduate work on the eye, ear, nose and throat at the Chicago Polyclinic in 1906-7. He then entered upon active practice in Milwaukee and through the intervening period has here remained, save when taking postgraduate work. He has made steady progress in his specialty and is regarded as one of the most capable of the physicians devoting their atten- tion to diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat in Milwaukee. In 1911 he was a postgraduate student in the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Dr. Farnham enlisted for service in the World war in November, 1917, and was called upon for active duty on the 31st of January, 1918, when he was sent to Camp Taylor at Louisville, Kentucky, as representative of the eye department. Eight months later he was sent to France with an ophthalmological unit and there remained for six months after the armistice was signed. He was advanced to the rank of captain and received his discharge at Camp Taylor. May 19, 1919. 1 France lie served first with the American Expeditionary Forces. and later with the British troops.
With his return to Milwaukee, Dr. Farnham resumed the private practice of medicine and maintains an office at No. 396 National avenue on the south side. In the field of ophthalmology and otology he has made an excellent record and his success is attested by the steady increase in his practice. Dr. Farnham is a member of the Episcopal church and he also belongs to the American Legion. His standards of life are high and his many sterling traits of character have won him the warm regard and strong friendship of those with whom he has come into con- tact. He is most ethical in his practice, holding to the highest standards of the profession, and his ability in his chosen field is pronounced.
BALTHASAR HOFFMANN, JR.
Balthasar Hoffmann, Jr., occupying a prominent place on the stage of business activities in Milwaukee as a representative of the great industrial interests which have been the foundation upon which the city's growth and development rests, is now the president of the B. Hoffmann Manufacturing Company, manufacturers and jobbers of steamfitters', plumbers' and mill supplies.
Born in Milwaukee, September 26, 1883, he is a son of Balthasar Hoffmann, who passed away October 30, 1913. The father was also a native of this city, born in 1859, and was a son of John C. Hoffmann, a native of Germany, who on coming to America established his home in Milwaukee. Thus from pioneer times the fam- ily has heen represented in this city and has been closely associated with its up- building and growth. Balthasar Hoffmann, Sr., was the founder of the present business now conducted by his son and was an important factor in industrial circles until bis demise. He married Alvina Reinke, who was born in Germany and who was brought to the new world by her parents during her childhood, her father becoming a farmer at Bear Creek, Wisconsin. Mrs. Hoffmann survives and makes her home in Milwaukee.
In the acquirement of his education Balthasar Hoffmann, Jr., attended the public schools, passing through consecutive grades to the West Division high school, and when he had completed his course there he became a student in the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago, from which he was graduated in 1907 with the degree of Bachelor of Science, having completed the mechanical engineering course. With his return to Milwaukee he became associated with his father in business, having been elected a director before entering upon the business. He had learned the machinist's trade between the time when he completed his high school course and the time he entered the Armour Institute, and, gradually acquainting himself with every phase of the business, he steadily advanced and upon his father's death in 1913 became the president. He had had charge of the sales department from 1908 and was thoroughly familiar with every phase of the business, so that he has proven a splendid executive officer. The company is engaged in manufacturing and johbing mill supplies and also steamfitters' and plumbers' supplies, and they sell throughout Wisconsin and surrounding states.
BALTHASAR HOFFMANN, JR.
BALTHASAR HOFFMANN, SR.
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HISTORY OF MILWAUKEE
On the 22d of June, 1909, Mr. Hoffmann was married to Miss Clara L. Seefeld. a daughter of Henry F. Seefeld, of the Suelflohn & Seefeld Company. Mrs. Hoff- man was born in Milwaukee and by her marriage has become the mother of two children: Eleanor Louise and Claretta Alvina, both pupils in the public schools. Mr. Hoffmann votes with the republican party but has never been active in politics. He belongs to Wisconsin Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M., and Kilbourn Chap- ter, R. A. M., and is also a member of the Milwaukee Lodge of Elks. His interest in community affairs is indicated in his membership in the Association of Com- merce, and he belongs also to the Optimists Club and the Milwaukee Athletic Club, being fond of athletics and outdoor lite. It is in this way that he gains the neces- sary recreation from the onerous cares of business, for his interests are steadily developing, making heavy demands upon his time and energy.
WILFORD FERDINAND ROWE.
Wilford Ferdinand Rowe, manager of the banking division of Arthur Young & Company, certified public accountants, was born in Dallas City, Illinois, June 26, 1879, and is a son of Edwin P. and Wilhelmina Pauline (Graff) Rowe, both of whom were natives of Illinois and the father is still engaged in the shoe busi- ness at Carthage, that state.
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