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 93

Author: Watrous, Jerome Anthony, 1840- ed
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Madison : Western Historical Association
Number of Pages: 1072

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Richard Sinclair Witte, of the firm of Rose, Witte & Rose, at- torneys, in the Cary Building, Milwaukee, was born in the town of Greenfield, Milwaukee county, in 1864. His father, Richard

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Witte, was born on the paternal estate of Schenkenberg, near Prenzlau, Prussia, in 1829. Prior to coming to America, in 1854 he was an officer in the German army. In 1861 he was united in marriage with Frances Margaret Stewart and spent the greater part of his life on a farm in Wauwatosa, where he died in 1886. Two brothers of Richard Witte were also officers in the Prussian army. The oldest, Adolf, perished in the Crimean war. Herman Witte commanded the Blucher Hussars during the French-German war and received a patent of nobility from Emperor William I in recognition of his service, retiring from the army in 1887 with the rank of lieutenant-general. Mr. Witte's mother is still living. She is a daughter of Robert A. Stewart, of Waukesha county, one of the oldest settlers in Wisconsin, he, with a younger brother, Alex- ander, having spent the winter of 1837-1838 in Milwaukee, then re- turning to his former home in Onondaga county, New York. In 1842 he brought his family and settled on a farm in the town of Pewaukee, on which he remained to the end of his life. He was a Democrat in politics and held office in the town for many years. An uncle of Mr. Witte, I. N. Stewart, now of Appleton, Wis., was a prominent teacher for many years and well known as an edu- cator throughout the state. He was one of the earliest graduates of the University of Wisconsin. Mr. Witte, the subject of this sketch, received his early education in the Wauwatosa schools. After leaving high school he took a course in a business college and was in the employ of the Wisconsin Central Railroad Company for several years. In 1890 he entered the University of Wisconsin. graduated in the law school in 1892 with the degree of LL. B., and immediately began the practice of his profession in Milwaukee. He is a Democrat and has always taken an active part in politics. In 1898 he was appointed assistant city attorney, retiring from said office in 1906. On Oct. 20, 1887, he was married to Miss Ida M. Jeffery, daughter of George and Ann (Hamilton) Jeffery, of Mil- waukee county. Two children have been born to them: George R., who died in infancy, and Rosamond Stewart. Mr. Witte is a member of the bar associations of the city and state and is promi- nent in fraternal circles, being a member of the Free Masons, Knights of Pythias, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and other kindred organizations, having occupied the office of grand chancellor of Wisconsin in the order of Knights of Pythias and D. D. Grand Exalted Ruler of the Elks. The firm of which he is a member is engaged in the general practice of the law and is com- posed of Hon. David S. Rose, mayor of the city of Milwaukee; Mr. Witte, and Earl B. Rose, the son of David S.

William Carl Ferdinand Witte, Ph. G., M. D., is a native of the neighboring county of Waukesha and was born on Aug. 26, 1869. His father, Richard Witte, belongs to a distinguished Ger- man family, and spent the early part of his life on the family estate, Schenkenberg, near Prenzlau, Prussia. The family was well repre- sented in the German army. Several of them were officers of rank. One brother distinguished himself by acts of bravery during the

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Franco-Prussian war, for which he was given a title by Emperor William I of Germany. Richard Witte came to this country early in the fifties and engaged in fruit farming. For some years he owned a farm near the city of Milwaukee, where he died in 1886. His wife was Frances Stewart, daughter of Robert A. and Janette Stewart, who were among Wisconsin's early pioneers. Robert A. Stewart came to Milwaukee in 1837. The following spring he re- turned to his former home in Onondaga county, New York. In 1842 he brought his family to the promising young territory of Wisconsin and died in 1881 on the farm he had purchased from the government. His wife, Janette Hibbard, died in Milwaukee in 1889. Dr. Witte obtained his early education in the schools of Mil- waukee county. He was engaged in teaching in his home county for four years. He took a pre-medical course at the University of Wisconsin, graduating in the department of pharmacy in 1892. The following year he entered Rush Medical College, in which he was graduated in 1896. For a year he was interne in the Presbyterian Hospital of Chicago. In 1898 he came to Milwaukee, where he has since been in active practice. Early in his professional life he af- filiated himself with the Milwaukee Medical College. This institu- tion is now the medical department of the Marquette University. Here he has for some years occupied the chair of surgery and is an active member of the medical faculty. He is attending surgeon to the Trinity Hospital, the Milwaukee County Hospital, the Johnston Emergency Hospital, and the Milwaukee Maternity Hospital. In 1903 Dr. Witte took an extended journey through Europe and spent considerable time in visiting most of the important hospitals of the continent, as well as in London. A large measure of success which has attended his work is due to his conscientious prepara- tions and his unflagging energy. He belongs to the American Medical Association, the Wisconsin State, the Milwaukee County, and Milwaukee Medical societies. He is a member of the Episcopal church and also belongs to the order of Free Masons. In politics he is a supporter of political principles held by the Democratic party, but he is by no means active in the political arena.

Rev. Edward Purdon Wright, D. D., chaplain of the National Military Home for disabled veteran soldiers, at Milwaukee, was born in Lincolnshire, England, April 26, 1825, a son of Rev. Rob- ert and Elizabeth (Purdon) Wright, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of Wales. The father was a minister of the Church of England and spent over forty years in the counties of Wicklow and Carlow, Ireland. He died in Ireland in 1868 at the age of sixty- eight years. His widow then came to the United States and died in Colorado in 1881, at the age of seventy-four. Of their three sons the subject of this sketch is the eldest. Joseph Owen became an attorney and died in India at the age of fifty-one years, and Robert Arthur now resides in San Diego, Cal. Dr. Edward P. Wright was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, and in 1853 graduated at Burlington College in New Jersey. In 1852 he was ordained to the ministry of the Episcopal church by Bishop George W. Doane

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and began his ministerial labors in New Jersey. During the next twenty years he had charge of churches in New Hampshire, Penn- sylvania, Ohio, and Illinois, and in 1873 located in Milwaukee. In 1889 he was appointed chaplain of the soldiers' home, and is now (1908) serving his nineteenth year in that position. Since 1888 Dr. Wright has affiliated with the Republican party, having been at- tracted to that party in the Harrison campaign because of the pro- tective policy advocated. Prior to that time he had been a Demo- crat. For many generations his family has been affiliated with the Episcopal church. He was made a Mason at Nashua, N. H., about 1857, subsequently took the Chapter and Commandery de- grees in Cincinnati, and is now a thirty-third-degree member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. In 1846 Dr. Wright married Mrs. S. P. Coryell, of Philadelphia, who was the mother of four children by a former marriage. She died in 1884, and the follow- ing year he married Miss Georgia Bennett, daughter of C. W. Ben- nett, formerly sheriff of Waukesha county, Wis. Mrs. Wright was born at Auburn, N. Y., and was educated there and at Waukesha. They have no children. Dr. Wright's duties at the home are onerous-visiting and comforting the sick, preaching every Sunday and on Wednesday evenings, and conducting the funeral ceremonies over the departed. Since coming to the home he has buried over 1,600 soldiers.

William George Bruce, secretary of the Merchants' and Man11- facturers' Association of Milwaukee, was born in that city March 17, 1856. His father, Augustus F. Bruce, born in New York, died in 1895, and his mother, Appolonia (Becker) Bruce, was a native of Germany and died in 1876. The parents came to Wisconsin in 1842 and settled in Milwaukee, where the father was a ship carpen- ter. He was an excellent mechanic, an industrious man, and a good citizen, meeting with success in his own line, but taking little part in public affairs. William G. Bruce was educated in the public and parochial schools of the city and by private instruction, and early turned his attention to journalism, being for many years con- nected with the Milwaukee Sentinel, both in the business depart- ment and as a general contributor. In 1890 he entered business for himself, establishing the America School Board Journal and pub- lishing text books on school administration and school architecture, and he became well known in educational circles as a writer and lecturer on school administration. He is still the proprietor of the American School Board Journal and several standard publications on allied topics. He is a stockholder and director in two manufac- turing concerns and is also a director of the German-American Bank. In October, 1906, he was elected secretary of the Merchants' and Manufacturers' Association, which was organized to promote the industrial and civic interests of the city, and Mr. Bruce was elected to the important and responsible position of secretary on ac- count of his activity in public affairs and his unusual abilities as an organizer. He has been very successful in this position, securing the co-operation of business and professional interests and enlarging

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the scope of the work. On May 4, 1880, Mr. Bruce was united in marriage to Miss Monica Moehring, daughter of Henry and Renat- ta Moehring, of Milwaukee, and three children have been born to this union. The eldest, William C., is the present editor of the American School Board Journal, of which his father is the owner, and the second son, Milton F., is the business manager of the same publication. Monica, the only daughter, is at home and a student at the Holy Angels Academy. In politics Mr. Bruce belongs to the Democratic party, and for ten years-from 1896 to 1906-was chairman of the Democratic organization of the city and county of Milwaukee ; and for four years-1902 to 1906-he was the tax com- missioner of the city. He was also, for a number of years, a mem- ber of the school board, and he had charge of the school exhibits at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, and also of the state educational exhibits at the St. Louis Exposition. In religious faith he is a member of the Catholic church, and he belongs to a number of social organizations, among which may be mentioned the Milwaukee Athletic Club, the Jefferson Club, and the Old Set- tlers' Club, being president of the last named organization.

Edward Dreyer, manufacturer of Portland cement sidewalks and concrete construction in general, is a native of Hamburg, Ger- many, born there on Feb. 21, 1858, son of Edward and Minnie (Kamps) Dreyer, both of whom lived and died in Hamburg. His father was a dyer by trade, and for many years had charge of the largest dye house and woolen mills in Hamburg, employing 1,500 people, and having branch houses in many parts of the world. Our subject was reared in Hamburg, received his education in the pub- lic schools there until he was thirteen years of age, and then, in 1871, he went to sea as an apprentice and worked his way up to quartermaster on a merchant marine, saw all of the leading sea- ports of the world, and was one of the survivors of the Schiller steamship catastrophe of the Adler line, off Scilly Island on Friday, May 13, 1875, in which 336 people lost their lives. He followed a seafaring life for ten years, and then came to the United States on July 3, 1881, locating in Milwaukee. He entered the employ of Pfister & Vogel, tanners, for a short time, and then secured em- ployment with the Allis shops, remaining there for two years, after which he took a position as shipping clerk for F. Achtenhagen, which he held for nine years. He was then engaged as janitor at the Bahn Frei Turner Hall, and after three years took the janitor- ship of the Thirteenth Ward public school. In December, 1897, he embarked in his present business, in which he is succeeding well. On Aug. 1, 1878, he married Miss Minnie, daughter of Charles and Catherine Eckert, of Hamburg, Germany, and by her had eight children : Alice, Agnes, Edward, Jr., Walter, Alfred, Lil- lian, and Irma and Ilma, twins. He is a member of Aurora lodge, No. 30, Free and Accepted Masons, and of the Marine Verein Meteor. In politics he casts his lot with the Republican party. Mr. Dreyer has seen more of the world than most men and has thereby gained much information. Starting with little or nothing,

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he is now in independent circumstances, being a self-made man; and he does not need to be ashamed of the job.

Patrick Howard, of the town of Franklin, one of the oldest res- idents of Milwaukee county, is a native of New York, born at Al- bany, Sept. 2, 1833, the descendant of a long line of gallant

Irish ancestors. His parents were Jeremiah Howard, born and reared in County Limerick, the "Golden Vale" of the Emerald Isle, and Elizabeth (Griffith) Howard, also a native of Ireland. The father was born in March, 1799, and died in October, 1852. The mother was born in January, 1801, and died in November, 1854. The parents came to America in 1833, at the time so many Europ- eans were locating in the new country. They landed in New York in June of that year, and lived there until 1841, when they removed to Milwaukee. The Cream City continud to be their place of resi- dnce until 1848, when they settled on a farm in the town of Frank- lin, Milwaukee county. Mr. Howard cleared his farm of timber and built a substantial log hut, the only dwellings in those pioneer days, and there, with Indians as frequent callers, he carried on his farm. Five children, of whom only two are living, were reared in this happy home in the new country. One of the sons, John, laid down his life for his country during the War of Secession. Patrick's parents were devout Catholics, and in this faith all the children were reared. Our subject received his scholastic training in the public schools of the town of Franklin and returned to the farm after finishing his studies. After his parents' deaths he re- ceived the valuable homestead property as a well-merited reward for his services. Mr. Howard owns eighty acres of the most valu- able farming land in Wisconsin, its value being due to its proximity to Milwaukee and the fine soil. He has never specialized, but de- votes his time to general farming. Mr. Howard gives an unswerv- ing adherence to the Democratic party, of which he is a stanch supporter. His wife was formerly Miss Mary Fitzgerald; they had four children: Jeremiah; John, a member of the police force of Milwaukee; Sarah, and Mary. Mrs. Howard passed from this life some years ago, leaving her husband and motherless children. Mr. Howard's second wife was Johanna Bowe, a native of Ireland. One child was born to this union: Edward, a clerk in the Milwau- kee postoffice. The family are members of the Roman Catholic church.

Arthur H. Sanford, M. D., has been engaged in the practice of medicine only since October, 1907, when he opened an office in the suburban village of West Allis, and on July 1, 1908, he formed a partnership with Dr. A. H. Brundage at 2404 State street. Already his ability as a physician has secured flattering recognition in the way of practice, and he is also employed as Associate Professor of Physiology at the Marquette Medical school. He was born in the village of New Albin, Iowa, on Jan. 12, 1882, son of Rev. Alci- more and Amanda (Gilbert) Sanford, the former of whom is a na- tive of Connecticut and the latter of Iowa. The paternal grand- parents, Hawley Sanford and wife, whose maiden name was Eliza-

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beth Johnson, removed to Iowa about 1865, and they now reside in Jesup, that state. The maternal grandparents, Hiram and Eliza (Bennefield) Gilbert, the former of whom was a native of Virginia and the latter of Indiana, located in Iowa in an early day and there they lived out their allotted years. The father of the subject of this review was formerly a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, but now he is financial secretary for the As- sociated Charities and has his residence in the city of Milwaukee. He served as superintendent of the Rescue Mission for nine years. He and his wife are the parents of three sons, two of whom are now living. Dr. Sanford received his early education in the public schools of LeGrand, Iowa, the Evanston, Ill., grammar school, and the Racine, Wis., and the Milwaukee West Division high schools. He afterward graduated in the College of Liberal Arts at the North- western University in Evanston, Ill., receiving the degree of M. A., and he then entered the medical department of the same institution, in which he graduated with the class of 1907. He was married on Aug. 23, 1906, to Miss Margaret, daughter of J. W. and Loretta (Wixson) Seager, of St. James, Minn. Dr. Sanford is a Repub- lican in politics, in religion a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and his professional associations are with the Milwaukee Medical Society and the Alpha Kappa Kappa medical frater- nity. His college fraternities are the Phi Beta Kappa (honorary ), the Sigmi Xi (honorary scientific), and the Sigma Nu.

Alva E. Palmer, D. D. S., who has been prominent in odon- tological circles in Milwaukee for a number of years, was born in London, Ontario, Canada, on May 5, 1869, a son of Edward and Emaline (Kelley) Palmer, of Canada. The paternal grandfather, William Palmer, was a pump merchant in Canada for a good many years. His wife died in 1885 at the age of eighty-six, and he passed away in 1890, in his eighty-seventh year. The maternal grand- father, William Kelley, was a native of Pennsylvania who removed to Canada to engage in the tobacco business. His wife, Catherine Kelley, died in 1873, and his demise occurred in 1900, in his ninety- eighth year. Edward Palmer, the father, was a merchant in Lon- don for more than twenty years, but is now a retired resident of Pittsburg, The mother died in Detroit, Mich., in March, 1891. Four children were born to the parents, all of whom are living. Dr. Palmer received his educational advantages in the public schools of his native country, and when he had completed his scholastic course learned the trade of jeweler. In 1892 he migrated to Mil- waukee and a year later began the study of dentistry. For some six years he was associated with a prominent dentist in Oshkoslı, then returned to Milwaukee, and for some years was with W. C. Young. In March, 1905, in rooms 28 and 29 Cawker building, he established a dental laboratory, and he has since been most success- fully engaged in the conduct of the same. In politics Dr. Palmer identifies himself with the Social-Democratic movement and is a loyal adherent of its principles. On Oct. 16, 1899, 'occurred

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his marriage to Miss Margaret Elizabeth Gokey, of Milwaukee, a daughter of Napoleon and Margaret (James) Gokey, of Portage, Wis. Mr. Gokey died in 1891, and his widow is living in Milwau- kee. To Dr. and Mrs. Palmer has been born one child, Cecelia Margaret.

Alvin J. Brown, D. D. S., a leading practitioner of dentistry in Milwaukee, was born in this city on May 10, 1881, a son of Hans A. and Mary (Oesterly) Brown, the former of whom was born in Racine in 1845 and the latter in Milwaukee on March 19, 1848. The paternal grandparents, Jacob and Ellen Brown, were born in Nor- way and located in a Racine county farming community. Mrs. Brown is deceased, but her husband is still living, a retired resi- dent of Racine. The maternal grandfather, George Oesterly, was a native of Germany who located in Milwaukee early in his life and spent the remainder of his life there. He was the first blacksmith to locate on the South Side in this city. The father, Hans A. Brown, for over thirty years has been in the employ of the Willer Manu- facturing Company. His wife is a member of St. Peter's Lutheran church, being also a member of the choir of that institution. The parents had three children born to them, of whom Dr. Brown is the eldest. Della, the second, is deceased, and Harvey is a machin- ist. Dr. Brown attended the Eleventh Ward school and the West and South Division high schools of th city, graduating at the latter. In the fall after his graduation from South Division he entered the dental department of Marquette University, being at the time but seventeen years of age. In 1901 he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery and immediately opened an office on Mitchell street. His success is largely attributable to his engaging manner, his skillful treatment, and a thorough study of his chosen profession. On Feb. 23, 1904, he became a private in Troop A, First cavalry, Wisconsin National Guard, and has since been one of the moving spirits in that organization. He is not allied with any existing political party, preferring to exercise his right of fran- chise as his conscience and judgment dictate, rather than be ham- pered by political affiliation. His religious relations are with the Church of Christ, fraternally he is prominent as a member of Walk- er lodge, No. 123, of the Knights of Pythias, and Past Chief of the Tribe of Ben Hur.

August M. Gawin, proprietor of the well-known Mirror and Art Glass Works, Milwaukee, and prominently identified with the political life of the city, being the present City Comptroller, was born in the province of Posen, German Poland, Aug. 27, 1867, of mixed Polish and German descent. He is the son of Christian and Dora (Boehm) Gawin, the former a native of German Poland and the latter of Germany. The father followed the vocation of a farmer in his native country and came to the United States with his family in 1870, settling in Milwaukee. Only twelve days after his arrival, while engaged in work for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railway, he was accidently killed. His family thus suddenly deprived of their support and bread-winner, consisted of

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the widow and four small children-three daughters and a son. Of the children three grew to maturity: Mary, now the widow of Max Jazdzewski; Magdalen, the deceased wife of Frank Zur- kowski; and August M., the subject of this sketch. August was only three years of age at the time of his father's death, and he grew to maturity in the city which has ever since been his home. His education was obtained in the parochial and public schools of Milwaukee, and at an early age he began to earn his own liveli- hood as an artist in water colors. He possesses the artistic tem- perament in a high degree, and has utilized his fine artistic gifts in a most practical manner. He saw an opening in the production of ornamental glass of unique design and workmanship, and em- barked in this business in the year 1896. He has met with am- ple success in this undertaking, and the firm of which he is now the head is doing a most prosperous business in the production of mir- rors and high-grade art glass for windows, etc. The business ex- tends throughout the United States and Canada, and at the pres- ent time is giving employment to some twenty-six people. Mr. Gawin was married in February, 1893, to Agnes, daughter of John Pawelski, of Milwaukee, and like our subject, a native of Poland. Mr. and Mrs. Gawin are the parents of an interesting family of six children : Roman, Edmund, Adelle, Maggie, Stanley, and Maurice, and the family are members of and faithful attendants of St. Hya- cinth Roman Catholic church. Mr. Gawin belongs to the Jeffer- son Club, the Calumet Club, Merchants' and Manufacturers' Asso- ciation, Travelers' Protective Association, and the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, and he is also prominently identified with the St. Augustine Benevolent Society, which was originally organized through his efforts. Politically he is a staunch Democrat, and has been prominent in the councils of his party for many years. He served as a member of the state assembly for the Fourteenth as- sembly district for three successive terms, from 1897 to 1903, and during this period was an active and very influential member of the legislature. In June, 1905, he was appointed for a term of five years as a member of the city Board of Park Commissioners, a po- sition in which his artistic faculties have been utilized for the beat- tification and betterment of the city. In the recent spring cam- paign of 1908 he was the candidate of his party for the office of city comptroller, and was elected to that high office by a handsome ma- jority, which evinced his wide popularity with the citizens of Mil- waukee.

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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 93

Author: Watrous, Jerome Anthony, 1840- ed Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Madison : Western Historical Association Number of Pages: 1072

Author: Watrous, Jerome Anthony, 1840- ed
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Madison : Western Historical Association
Number of Pages: 1072