USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Memoirs of Milwaukee County : from the earliest historical times down to the present, including a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in Milwaukee County, Volume II > Part 126
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Michael Schmidt, deceased, who for many years was one of the prominent farmers of Milwaukee county, was born in Bavaria, Ger- many. Nov. 25, 1832, the son of Joseph and Katie (Trotmann) Schmidt, who were among the carly German pioneers who came to America and located in Milwaukee about the middle of the Nineteenth century. They sailed for the new world and landed in 1847. Mr. Schmidt was a tailor by trade, and after establishing his new home continued that vocation on the farm he bought, doing job work for the retailers and earned a fair competency. Both he and his wife resided
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on this homestead until the close of their lives. Michael, the subject of this sketch, was reared on his father's farm and received his scho- lastic training in the public schools of the township and at St. Mary's Catholic school. Brought up in the Catholic faith, he joined the church when quite young and was a devout member and loyal worker all his life. After leaving school Michael remained at home and assisted his father until he married, when he bought forty acres of land and sub- sequently added thirty acres to his original place. On this fine farm he spent his entire life, with the exception of one year spent in the city. On April 23, 1877, Mr. Schmidt was united in marriage with Anna Rode, who was born in Saxony, Germany, April 17, 1852. She was the daughter of Adolph and Mary (Berkman) Rode, who were born April 27, 1827, and March 9, 1825, respectively. Mr. Rode came to America in 1852 and about 1860 his family joined him. He bought the farm where he still resides in Milwaukee county. . He first purchased twenty acres of land, but added to it until he now has eighty acres of the most valuable farming land in the county. At the time of the Civil war he was drafted, but was excused on account of illness. Mr. Rode has never left the old home which he has learned to love with each passing year, and he expects to live there the remainder of his life. Eleven chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt : Michael, born Jan. 26, 1880, married Anna Petrie, of the town of New Berlin, Waukesha county, where they live on a farm; Mary, born April 14, 1881, is the wife of John Haff, who lives in West Allis ; Joseph, born Oct. 24, 1882, is a ma- son by trade and resides with his mother on the old homestead ; Adolph, born Jan. 7, 1883, is a mason by trade and also lives at home; Elizabeth, born Oct. 29, 1884, at home; Gottfried, born Aug. 22, 1887, at home ; Jacob and Anna, twins, born March 22, 1891; Andrew, born March 31, 1893, at home, and George, born Sept. 21, 1895, at home. One child, born after Elizabeth, died in infancy. Mr. Schmidt was sum- moned by the angel of death, Oct. 28, 1902, after a life devoted to his family and his fellow men. He had lived upright and honestly, and his death was keenly felt and mourned by his sorrowing family and friends. In no place was his loss felt more than in the church where he had worshipped for so many years. He was a Democrat in politics but had never sought public office, devoting his time and energies to family and business. Mr. Schmidt was a self-made man and is an example of what a determined, honest, ambitious man may make of himself if he is determined to succeed. Mrs. Schmidt still resides on the old home farm. She also owns a business block on Thirty-first street and Na- tional avenue, in Milwaukee.
Theodore A. Walch, one of the proprietors of the North Mil- waukee Light and Power Company, is a native of Milwaukee, of Swiss and German parentage. The father, Jacob Walch, came to Milwaukee from Switzerland in 1867 and worked at the mason's trade. In 1877 he was employed as a mason by the Schlitz Brew- in Company, and has worked for that company continuously since that time. He was married in Milwaukee to Miss Mary Kurth, a native of Pommern, Germany, and to the marriage were born eleven children ; Paulina, wife of Charles Kurth, of Milwaukee; Amanda,
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who married Charles Besch, of Milwaukee; Charles, who entered holy orders and is a minister of the Lutheran Evangelical church at Houston, Texas; Mary, wife of William Propp, of Brookfield, Wis. ; Jacob, who married Ella Schmidt and resides in North Mil- waukce ; Theodore A., the subject of this sketch ; Arnold, a painter in Spokane, Wash .; William, who is engaged in the plumbing business in Aberdeen, S. D .; Paul, a salesman of Milwaukee; Adolph, engaged as engineer with the North Milwaukee Light and Power Company ; George, employed in a department store in Milwau- kee. Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Walch reside at 858 Twenty-third street and are members of the Zion Lutheran church of that neighbor- hood. Theodore A. Walch was born at Milwaukee July 3, 1880, attended the German Lutheran school in Milwaukee, and was first employed in farming at Ottawa, Waukesha county. There he re- mained six years. Having become interested in mining he left Ottawa for northern Minnesota and worked for the Republic Iron and Steel Company, in the Duluth and Mesaba mines, and in the Pettit mine and the Genoa mine at Sparta, Minn. Still further northwest he pursued his way, traveling through northern Dakota and Manitoba. One winter was passed at Munising, Mich., in the pineries, and then Mr. Walch returned to Minnesota and prospected near Hibbing. He discovered the iron mine now owned by James Geary, and was engaged at Chisholm, Minn., in pumping out a flooded mine for the Minnesota Iron and Steel Company. During these years Mr. Walch became quite conversant with mining en- gineering and he returned to his old home in Milwaukee to seek a business opportunity in his chosen occupation. He entered the employ of the Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company, in North Mil- waukce, but after three months became engineer for the Schneider Furniture Company, with whom he remained six months. Another year was spent with the North Milwaukee Electric Company as night engineer, and in December, 1904, a company was formed by Peter Sievers, P. V. Schissler and Mr. Walch, to purchase the plant which is now known as the North Milwaukee Light and Power Company. Mr. Walch has supplemented his practical experience in engineering with a course in the I. C. Correspondence School and is well-equipped to conduct the increasing business of his company. He is a loyal Republican and a member of the Evangelical Lutheran church of North Milwaukee, and also belongs to the National So- ciety of Stationary Engineers. On June 8, 1904 occurred the mar- riage of Theodore Walch and Olga Engel, daughter of Julius and Christina Engle, natives of Lodtz, Russia. One son was born to them but died in carly infancy.
August D. Meiselbach, of the A. D. Meiselbach Motor Com- pany, a prominent manufacturer and business man of North Milwau- kee, Wis., and one of the most generous and public-spirited citizens of that place, was born in New York city in 1863, the son of August D. and Caroline (Eigle) Meiselbach, both of whom were natives of Sax- ony, Germany. Mr. Meiselbach is descended from a line of manti- facturers and inventors, and it may almost be said that he has in-
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herited his fine abilities in those lines of endeavor. His grandfather, August D. Mieselbach, who spent his whole life in Saxony, was a manufacturer, as well as an inventor of note; as early as 1832 he in- vented a horseless wagon, which was in a way the precursor of the mod- ern automobile, and he was also the inventor of an excellent tricycle. Our subject's father was a prominent vehicle manufacturer, and came to the United States from Saxony in the year 1854, first locating in New York city, where he was engaged in the manufacture of wagons, om- nibuses, and ambulances, until 1867. He then moved west to Chicago and established himself there in the same line of business. In 1882 he made a trip to the Fatherland, and was drowned on the return voy- age through the sinking of his vessel at sea. His widow still survives and makes her home with her son in North Milwaukee. Our subject is the only survivor of a family of seven children. He attended the public schools of Chicago until he was twelve years old, and was then apprenticed to the machinist's trade for a period of three years. At the end of this period he was employed for some ten years by E. F. Angle and other manufacturing firms, and was then associated for three years with the W. R. Parsons Manufacturing Company, manufacturers of sewing machines and of numerous pat- ent devices. He then embarked in the manufacturing business on his own account, devoting his time to various patents, and turn- out the first patent cash register. At the end of two years he embarked in the bicycle business with Messrs. Emes & Frost, un- der the name of the Peerless Bicycle Company. He subsequntly went to Columbus, Ohio, where he was associated in business with the Columbia Bicycle Company until the middle of 1895. On June 20, 1895, Mr. Meiselbach came to Milwaukee, where he entered into a contract with the firm of Lindsey Brothers to manufacture 20,000 bicycles for them. He bought out the Hunt & Kipp factory at North Milwaukee, in January, 1896, and also operated factories at two other points, one being located on St. Paul avenue, Milwau- kee; these two factories he afterward sold, but continued to run the one at North Milwaukee until September, 1898, when he sold it out. He next purchased the Sieg Bicycle Factory and the Lavin T. Shols typewriter interests at Kenosha, Wis., and began the manufacture of typewriters, being engaged in that line of indus- try until the year 1903. He then returned to North Milwaukee, where he organized the A. D. Meiselbach Motor Wagon Company, manufacturers of commercial automobiles and the McKaig auto- mobile transmission gear.
During the years 1897 and 1898 Mr. Meiselbach maintained extensive exhibits both at Madison Square Garden, New York city, and at Chicago, Ill .; he also maintained a large store and warerooms at 84-86 Reade street, corner of Church street, New York city. Mr. Meiselbach has always been a staunch adherent of the Democratic party in politics, and served as the first president of the village of North Milwaukee. He has contrib- uted more than any other one man to the advancement and the material upbuilding of North Milwaukee, where his business push and energy are everywhere in evidence. In 1897 he installed the
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electric light plant of North Milwaukee; built the splendid Casino in 1900 ; erected five large store buildings and a number of dwelling houses, as well as the extensive manufacturing plant he now oper- ates, in 1903 ; and he has since constructed a number of other im- portant buildings. He is broad-minded, progressive, and liberal in his views, exceedingly generous by nature, and has extended a helping hand on innumerable occasions to others. Mr. Meiselbach was united in marriage in 1884 to Miss Margaret Miller, of Chi- cago, Ill., and four daughters are the fruit of this union, to-wit: the Misses Lillie, Hattie, Emma, and Jessie. He is a member of numerous clubs, fraternal orders, and societies, in both Chicago and New York city. He is one of the most approachable of men, his generous and kindly instincts have won for him a host of warm friends, and he is especially endeared to the people of North Mil- waukee, for whom he has done so much. By the exercise of in- domitable energy, enterprise, and sound business judgment, com- bined with a remarkable inventive capacity, he has become a man of large affairs, and now holds a position of commanding impor- tance in the business world. By the citizens of North Milwaukee his name will always be cherished as one of its most useful and public-spirited citizens.
Arthur H. Hansen, D. D. S., one of the leading figures among the younger generation of dentists in Milwaukee, was born in this city Sept. 15, 1881, a son of Capt. Andrew and Lava (Johnson) Hansen, both of whom were born in Norway. The paternal grand- father, Hans Oleson, came to Milwaukee while still a young man, and here he died in February, 1900, at the ripe age of eighty-one years. His widow, although eighty-two years of age, is still liv- ing, and is in wonderful possession of all her faculties. The ma- ternal grandmother is also living, and is seventy-eight years of age. The father came to Milwaukee when a youth and became a lake captain. His death occurred in 1882 by drowning, and he left beside his widow, who is still living, one son, the subject of this review. Dr. Hansen received his early educational training in the public schools of Milwaukee and for five years was a sailor on the lakes. He then entered the dental department of Mar- quette University and in 1904 was graduated at the institution with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. He at once opened an office and began the practice of his profession, which practice has now grown to large proportions, due in large measure to his gen- iality, his carefulness, and his courteous manner. In political mat- ters he is a stanch adherent of the tenets of the Republican party, and in religious relations is affiliated with the English Lutheran Church of the Ascension, of Milwaukee. Professionally he is as- sociated with the Southern Wisconsin Dental Association, and is a prominent fraternity man, being a member of Wisconsin lodge, No. 13, Free and Accepted Masons; Wisconsin chapter, No. 7, Royal Arch Masons; Wisconsin council, No. 4, Royal and Select Masters; and he is also prominently identified with Walker lodge, No. 123, Knights of Pythias. On Feb. 26, 1907. Dr. Hansen was
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united in marriage to Miss Ethel M. Rudermann, of Palmyra, Wis., a daughter of William and Mary (Luderman) Rudermann. They have no children.
Charles William Stehling, priest of the Catholic church, and professor of dogmatic theology at St. Francis Seminary, is a na- tive of Milwaukee, born Aug. 21, 1872. His father, Joseph Steh- ling, was born in Koenigswinter, Germany, in 1846, and came to this country as a child of seven or eight years, with his parents. He was reared in Milwaukee, and there married Catherine Blommer, a native of the city, who died in August, 1907. Another son, Ed- ward, is assistant rector of the Church of St. Raphael, at Madison, Wis. Charles W. was educated at the parochial school of St. Jo- seph, Milwaukee, and later at St. Francis Seminary, subsequently spending two years at the University of Innsbruch, Tyrol, Austria, where he was ordained by Bishop Prickson in Tyrol, July 18, 1895, and officiated at his first mass one month later, at the Church of St. Boniface. He served for ten years as assistant at St. Vincent's church, Oshkosh, Wis., and in 1905 he went to Rome, Italy, to study, and there received the degree of D. D. at the end of the year. He further pursued his studies at the Catholic University of Amer- ica, at Washington, D. C., for another year, and in 1907 was ap- pointed to his present position in the Seminary of St. Francis. He is a careful and conscientious student, and is eminently fitted for the responsible position which he now occupies.
Henry Lucas, one of the prominent consulting engineers of Milwaukee, is a Frenchman by birth, born in Paris on June 15, 1852, being the son of Louis and Charlotte Lucas, who were both natives of the same city. They came to the United States about the middle of the Nineteenth century and soon after landing on the shores of the new world located at West Bend, Wis., where the father followed his trade as a tinsmith. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lucas continued to reside in West Bend all their lives. During the Civil war Mr. Lucas organized a company known as the West Bend Guards. He had charge of a Federal prison at West Bend for some time, and subsequently was placed in charge of the Confederate prisoners at Camp Randall, Madison, Wis. Henry, the subject of this brief review, received his scholastic training in the public schools of West Bend, where he passed through the grades and then finished a course in the high school. Before finishing the high school he had determined to become a machinist, and for that purpose obtained a position in the Allis Machine Works at Milwaukee, where he learned his trade. For fifteen years Mr. Lucas worked at his trade, part of the time as foreman for the Appleton Machine Company, of Appleton, Wis. About fifteen years ago he returned to Milwaukee to accept a position as erecting engineer for the Vilter Manufacturing Company, and remained with the firm two years. After severing his connection with the Vilter Company Mr. Lucas installed a confection plant and ran it for eight years ; he then took charge of the power plant in the Germania building for eighteen months. He had the honor to install the heating
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plant in the Wells building, the largest office building in the city of Milwaukee, and was superintendent of the power plant until August, 1908, when he resigned his position to establish himself as a consulting engineer. Mr. Lucas has had wide experience as an engineer and is meeting with most marked success in his pres- ent profession. Recently he has installed a plant at Green Bay, which is one of the largest plants in the state. Mr. Lucas is es- sentially a self-made man, and his present achievements are entirely due to his tireless industry, natural ability, strict attention to every detail of the business himself, and his determination to succeed. Mr. Lucas is well known in the business circles of Milwaukee and is recognized as one of its substantial men.
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