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Johann Christoph Bast, the father of our subject, was born in Germany 13 May 1789 there raising twelve children four of whom died as children. Eventually the surviving children emigrated to America. Due to religious persecution, Johann and his children Jacob, Regina, and Christina emigrated from Germany in 1848 and arrived in Wisconsin in 1849. He lived with his son Jacob until his death in 1859. Jacob, born 26 March 1823 was the first of the family to arrive in Germantown and purchased 40 acres on Bonniwell and Division Roads in July of 1848. In 1852 Jacob married Christina Hoelz born 8 October 1822 in Ellern in Koblenz. He had met her as she came to visit a neighbor. Jacob died 27 January 1899 and Christina on 15 November 1907 and both are buried in Christ Evangelical Cemetery in Dheinsville. Jacob and Christina had five children: Paul, Jacob Jr. married Elisabeth, Christopher married Christine, Peter, and Christina. Paul and Peter died as children. As the children arrived the small log house became a bit crowded and in 1861 a larger log house was built but of freshly cut lumber. As the wood dried it splintered causing cracks. In 1866 a third house had to be built. John Philip Beuscher, known as Philip Beuscher was born on 5 October 1812. He and his wife Margaret Braun and their children came to the Town of Germantown and were reported to be in the community in 1855. Philip was from Auen, Koblenz. With them in 1855 were there six children Eva (1836), Sophia (1839), Philip (1842), Jacob (1844) Henrich (1847), and Elizabeth (1850). The 1873 plat map shows John Philip had purchased 80 acres of land identified as the W1/2 of the NE quarter in Section 16, Township 9 North, Range 20 East. His son Philip was the owner of 60 acres of land identified as the E1/2 minus 20 acres of the NW quarter in Section 16. Heinrich Beuscher owned 30 acres of land, 20 in the E1/2 of the NW quarter and 10 acres in E1/2 of the NE quarter of the NW quarter in Section 16. His son Jacob and family were living with Philip and Margaret. Philip died at the age of 81 years on 4 August 1894. His wife Margaret died at the age of 74 on 12 September 1881. Both are buried in Christ Evangelical Cemetery in Dheinsville. Philip, born 2 February 1842, married Sarah Kurtz, daughter of Jacob and Eva, on 16 July 1869. To them were born seven children: Philip (1870); Eva (1872); Lydia (1874); Wilhelmina (3 April 1877) who married Frank Goll; Wilhelm (20 December 1879); George (24 November 1882-June 1965); and Eddie Adam (25 June 1885) married Margaret Beck. Philip died at the age of 45 years on 17 May 1887 and is buried in Christ Evangelical Cemetery. After Philip died, Sarah rented out the farm and in July 1897 sold it to William Klumb. Sarah died at the age of 66 on 11 September 1916. On 14 January 1889 Philip Beuscher, born 29 June 1870, purchased the Hotel in South Germantown called the Old Town Inn. A picture of the Beuscher Hotel can be seen here. He and his mother Sarah ran the establishment. Philip sold the hotel in 1921 to Joseph and Anna (Ott) Siegl. Philip died at the age of 53 years on 5 December 1923. Eva, born 3 July 1872, married John Ernst Beck. Together they had eight children. On 12 July 1920, Eva and three of her children Archie, age 14, Loraine, age 10, and Harvey, age 7, were killed in a car/train accident on Pilgrim Road in Germantown. All were buried in Christ Evangelical Cemetery. A picture of the Beck home can be seen here. Lydia, born 5 November 1874, married Ernst Brandenburg, son of Ferdinand and Louisa (von Gartzke) Brandenburg, and to them were born Al, and Herbert who married Gladys Yacks. Ernst and Lydia, in 1911, purchased the log cabin home of Jacob Schlaefer which had been previously moved to the south side of Fond du Lac Road in South Germantown. The family lived there until 1976. Jacob Beuscher, son of Philip and Margaret, was born on 10 May 1844. On 7 May 1875 he married his neighbor's daughter Elisabeth Rheingans. To them were born nine children: Jacob Peter (4 April 1875); Henry (14 September 1876-29 October 1973); Friedrick (26 October 1877-30 March 1942); Anna K.(14 September 1879-14 September 1960); Maria Karolina (25 June 1881-18 December 1881); Elizabeth Margaret (2 December 1882-15 February 1966); Edward John (27 February 1885-16 March 1980); Rosa (14 August 1866); and John Albert (31 December 1887-15 September 1963). Jacob took ownership of his parents 80 acres and by 1915 had acquired another 80 acres of the neighbor Rheingans land. The land remained in the Beuscher name through 1924. In 1842 Phillip Jacob Dhien and his wife Katharina Elisabeth Sinz, their son Jacob, Peter Dix and Peter Sinz were the vanguard emigrated from Seibenbach, Coblenz. On 22 August 1842 collectively they purchased 800 acres of land. As other arrived the land was parceled out to families with the name Klumb, Bast, Casper and Wetterhaus. It is here the community of Dheinsville began. Phillip Jacob died on 26 May 1880 and Katharina on 27 April 1883. Both are buried in Christ Evangelical Cemetery in Dhiensville. Phillip Dhein the grandson was born in the Town of Germantown 12 May 1843. His parents had settled in Section 8. Phillip lived on the old homestead all his life. Mr. Dhein was the Treasurer of the Germantown Insurance Company, a substantial institution in the county in 1881 with a capital of $250,000. Phillip married Miss Elizabeth Schowalter on 15 October 1872. Elizabeth was born on 23 December 1851 in Jackson. By 1881 they had three children, the oldest a son Philip was born 10 February 1874, a daughter Ida was five and son John was born in 1878. Mr. Dhein's father Jacob died in 1865 at the age of 51 and his mother in 1881, still lived, was 60 years of age and enjoyed excellent health. Phillip died on 3 July 1901 and Elizabeth on 8 August 1947. Both are buried in Christ Evangelical Cemetery. Johannes Diefenthaeler, son of Anton and Maria Magdalen (Scheib) Diefenthaeler, was born on Tuesday 1 May 1810 in Spiesheim, Alzey, Rheinhausen, Germany. On 5 April 1838 Johannes age 27 married Katherine age 23, daughter of Johannes Peter and Anna Margaret (Kussel) Diefenthaeler. Shortly thereafter came Johannes in 1838, Margaret in 1840 and Klara in 1842-1844. Johannes, Katherine, Johannes Jr., Margaret, and Klara emigrated through Antwerp on 15 June 1843 arriving in Milwaukee on 9 August of that year. Klara contracted the measles and the family was required to remain in Milwaukee. Eighteen days later Klara died. We find the family taking residence in South Germantown on what is now Main Street just west of the railroad tracks. A picture of their house can be seen here. In Germantown arrived Jacob in 1845, Katherine in 1847, Elsia in 1849-1930, Mary in 1852, and Adam in 1854. Margaret was born on 6 January 1840 in Spiesheim. She married Mr. Schnuk. Jacob was born in Germantown on 28 June 1845. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Valentin and Elizabeth (Gemnenden) Schaetzel. To them were born: Johanna in 1868 who married Johann Held; Laura Louise in 1870, Ella Elisabeth in 1872, Emelie Maria in 1874-1904, Johann Adam in 1876-1896 and George Washington 1878-1918. Katheirne was born on 20 July 1847 in Germantown. On 12 April 1868 she married Peter Bronn Jr., the son of Peter Bronn and Katharina Krain/Krein. She died in 1877. Mary was born on 17 May 1852 in Germantown. On 23 March 1873 she married Phillip Gottleib Duerrwaechter. See the Phillip Duerrwaechter biography for more information on this family. To Adam, who was born on 16 December 1854, and Christina Leonhardt arrived: Laura who married Charles Riengruber and to whom arrived Howard and Harold to which Howard's Cartage in 1932 was started, Laura then married Benjamin C. Duerrwaechter, son of Christian and Mary (White) Duerrwaechter, born in Keil; Christina in 1880 who married Harry H. Snyder to whom were born Harriet who marrried William Hartmann, Dorothy who married Hubert J. Meessen and Arthur who married Harriet Jones; Lydia Emeli in 1882 who married Mr. Christopher; Fleetwood in 1885 who taught music; Alpha Lena in 1890 who married Norman Lentzner and to whom George and Fern were born; and Jeanett in 1902 who married Mr. Mueller. The Diefenthaeler commercial building just west of the railroad tracks on the north side of Main Street was built, it is believed, by Johannes Diefenthaeler and Phillip Duerrwaechter, and managed by the family Diefenthaeler firstly Johannes, then Adam. The Diefenthaeler commercial building came into the hands of the Duerrwaechters through Phillip/Emma and in the twentieth century was referred to as the Duerrwaechter building. Benn and Laura operated the Implement and Machinery Store on the other side of Main Street just west of the Hilgendorf Feed Mill. The Diefenthalers are buried in Last Home Cemetery and St. John United Cemetery. A descendant chart of the family can be found here. In 1846, Johann Dotzler and Appolonia Dotzler emigrated from Bavaria to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Accompanying them was 13 year old Stephen Dotzler. It is now believed they came from a small town called Haag near the city of Roding in the municipality of Cham in Oberphalz about halfway between Regensburg and Amberg. It is unclear the exact relationship of Stephen to Johann or Appolonia other than to say he is related either to one or the other. (Johann/Appolonia and Stephen were baptismal sponsors for each of the others children, per St. Boniface baptismal records) That same year, on 21 June 1846, Johann and Appolonia were married at the Cathedral of St. Peter The Apostle in Milwaukee. They remained in Milwaukee for several years, may have moved to the Town of Menomonie, specifically Menomonee Falls, per daughter Margaret, and in the year 1858 or 1859 arrived in South Germantown, per baptismal records of their children and land records. The family farmed the land, 40 acres, which today [2009] is part of Wendland Nursery on Division Road. To them were born ten children, seven of whom reached maturity: Maria born 1847, married John Dreier of Thiensville at St. Boniface; John Adam born 1849, Barbara born 1856, married Joseph Lickteig at St. Boniface; Margaret born 1858, married John Henry Gottlieb Rathert; Stephen born 1859 and died before 1862; Stephen born 1862, married Maria Magdalena Link; and Margaret Cunigunda born 1865, married Ernst Gierke. The 1873 plat map for the Town of Germantown, Washington County, shows J. Dotzler owning 40 acres in Section 28-9-20, the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter (SESE). The land was purchases from Leonard Schuster, 30 acres on 29 December 1859 and another 10 acres on 20 March 1861. Family descendants identify that around 1877, Johann, Appolonia and their children with husbands, with the exception of their son John Adam, moved to Bonair near Cresco, Howard County, Iowa. Washington County land records show Johann and Appolonia sold their 40 acre farm on 28 November 1876. In 1879, Johann and Appolonia purchased a 160 acre farm in Howard City Iowa from Joseph Lickteig Sr., the father of the husband of their daughter Barbara. Both Johann and Appolonia died in Howard County, Iowa, he in 1888 and she in 1903. They are buried there in Calvary Catholic Cemetery. Son, John Adam and known to the family as John, remained in South Germantown and say 1874, married Sophia Braun. They had one daughter Maria Magdalena born 1875, she died three months later. Per census records, John's occupation was identified as a mason/bricklayer. His descendants believe he was a barkeeper or saloon owner. The Dotzler family reports Adam and Sophia built their home in the original village on Main Street, across the street from Gehls. In 1999, the building was occupied by Nancy's Groom Room. A picture of their home taken in 1999 can be seen here. Adam died in 1916 and Sophia in 1930. Both are buried in St. Boniface Cemetery, Goldendale, as is their daughter Maria Magdalena. Stephen, born 1833, who accompanied Johann and Appolonia from Bavaria, also settled in South Germantown. He was a soldier in the Civil War being a member of the 51st Wisconsin Infantry, Company C. Stephen was mustered in on 20 March 1865 and six months later was mustered out on 19 August 1865, serving during this period in Kingville, Missouri. In 1862, Stephen married Ernestine Baumgartner at St. Boniface. To them were born: John in 1863, Louisa in 1866, Stephen in 1868, Mary Wilhelmina in 1870, George in 1872, Anna in 1874, Fridolin in 1876, Lena in 1878, and Conrad in 1880. Sometime after the year 1880, Stephen and family moved to Milwaukee. Stephen died in 1884, Ernestina in 1916, and they and several of their children are buried in Legion Cemetery in Milwaukee. A descendant chart of the family can be found here. The following story and a 1/2 inch diameter American Gold Dollar, minted in 1851, has been treasured in the Dotzler family for over a century. The gold dollar was handed down by Grandmother Margaret (Dotzler) Rathert to my mother, Frances (Rathert) McDonald, and finally to Gerald McDonald. This Gold Dollar was a baptismal gift to Margaret, daughter of Johann and Appolonia.
In 1862 the Dotzler family was living on a small 40 acre farm in South Germantown with a Staatsville post office. In this year, news was spreading throughout the vicinity that Indians were coming, killing and burning the inhabitants. A man on horseback came to the farm and neighboring farms advising people to leave and seek protection. Appolonia and her neighbor said we have lived together, if need be, we all will die together, so they buried their few valuables including the Gold Dollar and prepared to defend themselves. The men gathered pitchforks and whatever other weapons were available. Fortunately the danger never arrived. For a long time the family only half believed the family legend but in the last few years, we have confirmed the story has a basis in fact. Phillip Duerrwaechter, son of Cristian F. and Rosina B. Duerrwaechter, was born in Delbronn, Wuertemberg, Germany on 14 September 1847. Phillip is pictured in the book GERMANTOWN The Early Years 1838 - 1915, page 69. He came to America with his parents at age 10 in 1857. His father settled on Section 25. Afterwards the family moved to Schleswig, Manitowoc County where he remained until 1862 when he set out for himself engaging in different kinds of business and traveled several years until his return to his old home in Germantown in 1871. A picture of the family home can be seen here. At this time he commenced a lumber business and in 1880 he added the manufacture of Agricultural implements; he was a very successful businessman. Mr. Duerrwaechter has been elected Town Clerk four years, which position he still holds. [written in 1881] He married Miss Mary Diefenthaeler on 27 March 1873. Mary was born on 17 May 1852 in South Germantown. They had four children, John Adam 8 June 1875-9 March 1946, George 4 July 1877-12 April 1878, Arthur 14 September 1879-29 October 1905, and Emma 26 December 1881-9 October 1969. None of the children married. His father Christian died 16 July 1874 at the advanced age of 81 years. Phillip died on 8 January 1923 and Mary on 24 December 1931. Both are buried in Last Home Cemetery. The biggest safe in town was in a room behind the Diefenthaeler Saloon, this portion of the commercial building was built in 1895. The locals brought their money to Phillip Duerraechter who operated a "bank" there. In time, Phillip began to make loans and a true bank developed and was charted in 1910 as the Germantown State Bank. In 1923, after Phillip died, Emma his daughter, was elected bank president and with this act became the first woman bank president in the State of Wisconsin. She became known as "Wisconsin's First Lady of Banking." Emma retired in 1959 and in 1962 donated funds which were used to build Germantown's first public library. The building was located on land donated by the Germantown Fire Department in Firemans Park at the northeast corner of Park and Fond du Lac Avenues. The library, named in her family's honor, was called "Duerrwaechter Memorial Library." Pictures of the family can be found here.
George Gebhard was born on 17 December 1809 in Eckenhaid, Kres Lauf, Bavaria. He was the son of John Jost and Anna Maria (Haas) Gebhard. In 1844 George emigrated to the United States. In that same year Margaret Mueller, daughter of Johan Georg and Cunigunda (Bezold) Mueller also emigrated. She was born 18 January 1821 also in Eckenhaid. It is uncertain when George and Margaret were married but it is believe it happened in 1845 in Brookfield. To George and Margaret were born: Johann George in 1845 who married Margaret Gebhard; Johann in 1849 who married Maria Johanna Friedrich; Karl in 1851 who married Mary Miller; Christina in 1853 who married Herman Graef; Georg in 1855, Maria Margaret in 1857; Magdalena in 1858-1869; Apollonia in 1860-1869; and Anna Lena in 1862 who married John Theodore Miller. On 1 March 1848 George was issued a land patent for 40 acres of land identified as the NW quarter of the SE quarter in Section 28, Township 9 North, Range 23 East. The land patent was issued in the name of George Gephert. In 1859 this land was identified to G. Golthard. By 1873, 30 acres, the NENE in Section 28, and 60 contiguous acres to its north, SESE in Section 21 were identified to G. Gebhard. By 1892 George had increased the holding on the north to 110 acres. In 1915 we see the property had been reduced to 80 acres, the E1/2 of the SE quarter in Section 21. George died on 2 August 1887 and Margaret on 21 November 1889. Both are buried in St. Boniface Cemetery in Goldendale. The children of Johann George and Margaret: Frederich, William J., Anna M., George, Barbara, Edward, and Benedict who, for the most part, remained in Germantown. The children of Johann and Maria Johanna: Mary Magdalena, Katherine, John Albert, Nicholas, Jacob, Albert, Margaretha Julia, Alnora Barbara, and Cacelia Catherina departed to Waukesha and Fond du Lac Counties. The children of Charles and Mary: Mary Gertrude, Anna Theresa, John Peter, Charles, George Francis, Rose Margaret, Frank Joseph, Sarah Elizabeth, and William Michael headed to Waukesha County. The children of Christina and Herman Graef: Anna Maria, William Joseph, Margaret, Rose, Joseph John, John William remained in Washington County. After George died, the Gebhard homestead land came into the hands of his grandson Bennedict "Ben" Gebhard. Throughout this time the land was used for dairy farming. Today, 2003, this land would be the greater part of the Lake Park Golf Course located on the northwest corner of Division and Mequon Roads. The early Gebhards can today be found in St. Boniface Cemetery in Goldendale or Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee. A picture of the family can be found here.
John Paul Gehl, the son of Michael N. Gehl and Mary Anne (Fohl) Gehl, was born on 3 May 1870 in Nenno, Wisconsin. His parents had purchased the Nicholas Nenno Hotel and added a small creamery. It is here that John Paul learned the dairy business. Siblings of John Paul were: Linus born in 1852; Matthias in 1864 who married Mary Salick; Anne in say 1865, Nicholas in 1866 who married Mary Burbach, and Michael F. in 1868 who married Wilhelmina Scheu. In 1896 we find John Paul operating the Badger Milk Products Company plant located on Main Street in Germantown just east of what is today Western Avenue. On 27 April 1897, John Paul married Theresa Newbauer. At this time his brother Nicholas was in a brokerage business in Milwaukee and owned the creamery. As Nicholas owed John an amount of money, he deeded the creamery over to John in payment of that debt and as a wedding present. To John and Theresa came: Gertrude Joan in 1898 who married Leo O'Rilley, children: Mary; Oliver Nicholas in 1900 who married Adolphine Peglow; Elisabeth Louise in 1901 who married Joseph Poole; Eugene Roger in 1905 who married Eileen Catharina Rohlinger, children: Patricia, Robert, and Richard; Irene Maria and Paul William in 1909, Irene married Nels Hansen, married: Charles Gifford and Paul married Olive Zeihm, children: Dolores, John, George; and Helen in 1917-1917. A picture of their home can be seen here. Oliver went into the insurance business while Eugene and Paul followed their father into the dairy business. In 1915 John Paul built a new dairy plant east on Main Street adjacent to and east of North Street and in 1932 a second plant on Capital Drive in Milwaukee. Eugene took responsibility of the operation and upon his death, Paul assumed control. When Paul retired, operation management came under his son Paul Jr. John Paul, Theresa, Oliver, Adolphine, and John are buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee. Eugene and Eileen are buried in St. Boniface Cemetery in Goldendale. A picture of the home of Eugene and Eileen can be seen here here. A picture of the early home of Paul and Olive can be seen here. Helen is buried in the Gehl family heritage cemetery in St. Lawrence. Pictures of the family can be seen here.
Peter Göttelmann married Catherine Holl about 1836 in the old country, Hesse-Darmstadt. To this union were born Jacob in 1837 and Katherine in 1840. It is reported in a family publication that Peter, Catherine, their son and daughter, and Katherine's father Jacob Holl emigrated to the new world arriving in Milwaukee and on to the Township of Germantown. On 1 November 1841 we find Peter and Catherine purchasing 80 acres of land in Township 9 North, Range 20 East, Section 26 identified as the W1/2 of the NE quarter. A land patent was issued for this land on 3 March 1843. The land today would be identified to the southeast corner of Mequon and Pilgrim Roads. Catherine's father, three days before had purchased 160 adjacent acres to the west in Section 27 known as the NE quarter. We also find Jacob's wife Maria and their son Jacob Jr. in Germantown at this time. In the Township of Germantown were born their sons Peter, Ludwig, Adam, and Johannes and a second daughter Elizabeth. Peter died in 1887 and Catherine in 1883. Both are buried in St. Paul United Church of Christ Cemetery in Menomonee Falls under the name Gettelmann. The family name changed over the decades. Upon entry to the United States you will find it as Göttelmann. In 1892, plat maps show it as Goettelmann but more likely you will see it as Gettelmann. In 1915 it had become Americanized to Gettelman and by which spelling we know the family today. Jacob, the first born in 1837 in Hesse-Darmstadt, had a falling out with his father and departed the homestead when he was 24 years. He was known to have lived in Iowa and Arkansas. Jacob married and to he and his wife were born five children the last named Lawrence. His wife died in 1882. Sometime after leaving the homestead, Jacob changed his name to Ilea and in 1889 he died and was buried in Huntington, Arkansas. For many years the father Peter and later his brother Adam had attempted to find him and reconcile the situation but to no avail. On his deathbed, Jacob asked his youngest son Lawrence to contact the family and let them know he had died. It was at this time Jacob's family became aware of their father's birth name. A grave marker was erected by his brother Adam with the inscription reading Jacob Ilea Gettelman. Their second child was Katherine born in 1840 in the old country. Peter was their first child born in the Township of Germantown in 1843, married in 1868 to Charlotte Jung, daughter of Johann Jung and Eva Marie Borngasser, at Christ Evangelical Church in Dheinsville. To this family were born: Katharine 1868-1869; Justine Lina who married William Schuckmann; Johannes who married Anna Hubenthal; Philipp who married Amanda Rosener; Adam; Eva who married William Wetterau; Jacob who married Helen Severenz; and Louisa who married Charles Wiskershen. The homestead land passed into the hands of his son Peter Jr. In 1915 it was in the hands of his grandson John Gettelman and by 1929 was no longer in Gettelman hands. Peter died in 1896 and Charlotte in 1912. Both are buried in St. Paul United Church of Christ Cemetery, Menomonee Falls. Son Ludwig, the fourth of their children, was born in 1846. He was also known as Lewis. Ludwig married Bertha Petzold, daughter of Andreas and Justine Petzhold of the Town of Granville. In 1873 we find the family owning a farm along Mequon Road located a quarter mile west of the Gettelmann homestead. A plat map would have 80 acres identified as the W1/2 of the NE quarter in Section 27 along with an adjacent 40 acres to its west known as the SE quarter of the NW quarter. The 80 acres had belonged to his grandfather Jacob Holl. To this family were born: John who married Ida Kolb; Louis who married Emma Hahndorf; Louisa who married George Pritchard; Peter who married Katie Henrich; Katherine who married Marshall Connors; George who married Elsie Kletti; Edward who married Anna Klug; Ira who married Anna Umhoefer; Henry who married Maria Dhein, daughter of Phillip and Elizabeth (Schowalter) Dhein, and who together established a farm in Dheinsville at the southwest corner of Maple and Holy Hill Roads. (a portion of this Dheinsville farm remains in the hands of Gettelman descendants); and the twins Alvina and Alfred. Ludwig died in 1912 and Bertha in 1932. Both are buried in Last Home Cemetery, Germantown. In 1892 Ludwig's land had been divided and was in the hands of his sons Lewis and Peter. In 1915, Lewis' land had passed on to Edward and Peter's land to Ira. Edward remained in possession of his land in 1929 while Ira's land, at that time, was no longer in Gettelman hands. Adam was their fifth child and born in the Township of Germantown in 1847. He married Magdalena Schweickhardt, daughter of Georg, in 1870 and to them were born: Katherine who married Albert Kraatz; Emma who married Mr. Steinman; Amanda who married Mr. Wollaeger; William; Frederick who married Louise Starke; Elfrieda who married Herbert Currie; and Johannes. Adam went on to take over control of the Schweickhardt Brewery (1877) and renamed it A. Gettelmann and later A. Gettelman Brewing Company, Milwaukee. William succeeded his father as the brewery director (1925), then came his son Fred (1929) and his sons Fred (1939)/Tom(1941) assuming the duties. Adam died in 1925 and was buried under the name Gettelman. Next came Elizabeth in 1849 followed by Johannes, the last child of Peter and Katherine. Johannes was born 1855. In 1880 he married Mary Graf, daughter of Georg and Mary, and to them were born five children: Elsa Maria in 1882 who married Edward Schmidt; Juliana Christine in 1884 who married Henry Pickhardt; G. Maria in 1886, Josephine in 1887 who married Chester Henrizi; and Helena Louise 1890-1893. Johann died in 1915 and his wife Mary had died in 1886. Both are buried in St. Paul United Church of Christ Cemetery in Menomonee Falls under the name Gettelmann. A descendant chart of the family can be viewed here. Jacob and Joseph Habermacher emigrated to Germantown, Wisconsin from Cham, Switzerland through Ellis Island in New York; Jacob on 16 April 1914 and Joseph on 04 May 1916. They were the sons of Jacob and Anna Habermacher. Jacob was born 26 December 1894 and married Florence Lenning about 1920. Together they were the parents of Marjorie born 1921 who married Rudolph George William Naab, Dorothy June born 1924, Lois Agnes born and died 1925, and Earl Henry born 1929. After Florence died in 1937, Jacob married Agnes Florence Riesch, daughter of Rudolph and Barbara Wilhelmine Kruger. Jacob, Florence, and Agnes are buried in Last Home Cemetery in Germantown. Jacob and Florence became the managers of the tavern and boarding house in the original Schalbach complex on the south side of Main between Walterlin Street and Broadway, later known as Church Street and Park Avenue. Jacob's brother Joseph was born 23 October 1896, arriving in Germantown several years after Jacob and became an automobile garage owner there on the northwest corner of Church and Main. On 17 June 1934 Joseph married Mary L. Kosterman, daughter of John Kosterman and Margaret Batzler. Later Joseph built a service station on highway 55, on the north side between Church and Park Avenue. Later they added a restaurant which Mary managed and operated. Good home cooking for the truckers and village people. Mary died in 1979 and Joseph in 1995 at 99 years. Both are buried in St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery, in Germantown, Area 4, Row 4, Graves 332 and 333. Earl Henry left the village in 1948 joining the United States Air Force, retiring after 20 years of service in 1979. He married Della Jean P... and soon arrived Patricia, Randall and Sandra. Earl died in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2011. In 1841 we find Jakob and Maria Holl in Germantown. Jakob was born 24 June 1873 and Maria on 1 October 1870. On 30 October of that year, Jakob purchased 160 acres of land in Township 9 North, Range 20 East, Section 27 identified as NE quarter. Today, this would be the southwest corner of Mequon and Pilgrim Roads. With Jakob were his wife Maria and their son Jacob Jr. Their daughter Katherine had also emigrated, probably with them, the wife of Peter Göttelmann and they were located on adjacent lands east on what is today the southeast corner of this same intersection. The families had emigrated from Biebelheim, Hesse-Darmstadt. Katherine was born in 1814 and details on her can be found in the biography of Peter Göttelmann. Maria died in 1854 and Jakob Sr. in 1866. They are buried in St. John United Church of Christ Cemetery, Kuhburg. With Jakob's death, the Holl homestead was divided with the east 80 acres going to their son Jakob Jr. and the west 80 acres going to their daughter Katherine. Jakob Jr., born 1815, married Katherine Strauss and to them were born four children: Elizabeth who married Friedrich Gilbert, Jacob who married Friederike Brenner, Philipp, and Katherine in 1855. Jakob Jr. died in 1895 and Katherine in 1905. Both are buried in St. John United Church of Christ Cemetery, Kuhburg. With the death of Jakob Jr., the homestead land passed into the hands of his son Philipp. Philipp was born in 1852 and in 1880 he married Margaret Straub, daughter of Wilhelm and Margarethe (Laubenheimer) Straub. To them were born four children: George in 1881; Jacob, Katharina Johanna in 1885, and William in 1892 who married Ruth Hornig. A picture of the home of William and Ruth can be seen here. Philipp died in 1909 and Margaret in 1947. Both are buried in St. John United Church of Christ Cemetery, Kuhburg. With the death of Philipp, the homestead land passed into the hands of his son Jacob. Jacob was born in 1883. In 1910 he married Maria Huber, daughter of Ulrich and Maria (Bauernfeind) Huber. To them were born: Milton in 1911; Harold in 1913 who married Nellie Brown; and George in 1915 who married Marion Lucile Blank. Jacob died in 1969 and Maria in 1975. Both are buried in St. John United Church in Christ Cemetery, Kuhburg. Jacob was the last surviving charter member of the Germantown Volunteer Fire Company and the last member of the Holl family to own the homestead land. Pictures of the family can be viewed here.
Nicholas Klumb, one of the oldest settlers in this town, was born in Ellern near Koblenz, Germanic Lands on 15 December 1820. He came to America in the month of July 1843 and located on 40 acres of land on Section 9. He was one of the successful farmers owning 160 acres of the finest land in the town and everything around him shows through his industry, comfort and thrift. He had the misfortune of loosing one of his hands by a thrashing machine in 1871. Mr. Klumb married Miss Margaret Rehingans in 1847. Margaret was born on 22 January 1824 in Rheinbollen, Rhine Provence. Together they had nine children - Elizabeth age 31; William, 29; Heinrich, 27; Juliana, 25; Margaretta, 23; Friedrich, 20; Christina, 18; Philip, 15; and John, 12 years. Five of the children are married. Nicholas held the position of Treasurer of the Germantown Mutual Insurance Company for several years. He died on 4 January 1904 and Margaret on 2 September 1906. Both are buried in Christ Evangelical Cemetery. Johannes Knetzger, the son of Frederich and Anna (Steinweihs) Knetzger, was born on 20 March 1801 in Dormitz, Bavaria. He had six siblings: Ev, Jakob, Margaretha, Johann, Barbara, and Maria Eva. On 21 August 1830, Johann married Katherine Hoffman, the daughter of Joseph and Anna (Reinhard) Hoffmann. Katherine was born on 25 January 1810 in Ebersbach, Bavaria. To them were born Julius Sebastian in 1832, John in 1835, and Leonard in 1839. Johannes, Katherine and their children Sebastian (10), John (7), and Leonard (3) sailed on the boat Mozart leaving Bremen and arriving in New York Harbor on 1 Jul 1842. They headed directly for Wisconsin and in December of that year their fourth child George arrived in their new home in Germantown. On 2 August 1842 Johannes and Katherine were land patent purchasers of 320 acres of land identified as the E1/2 of Section 17 and 40 acres being the NENW of that same section. One day later they purchased 80 acres of land in Section 8 identified as the W1/2 of SE quarter section. On 12 September 1842, 80 additional acres of land were acquired known as the E1/2 of NW quarter in Section 20. Lastly were acquired on 4 November 1843, 80 acres of land known as the W1/2 of the NW quarter in Section 17. In total then, Johannes and Katherine acquire 600 acres of land. Their son George was born 14 December 1842. George may be the first born in the township. The Knetzgers were religious people but there were no pastors in the immediate area and few in the Milwaukee Catholic Diocese. In 1844, Father Michael Heiss was assigned as missionary to the then Washington County. Father chose the Germantown area as the staging point for his exploits in the north wilderness area. Initially he said Mass and provided sacraments using peoples homes as his temporary church. Johannes and Katherine were privileged as their home was used for this purpose. In 1845 the Knetzgers donated land to the Milwaukee Diocese at the southwest corner of their property and there was built a log cabin church. These acts started St. Boniface Parish and cemetery in 1845. That same year came there last child Johannes. In 1846 arrived Maria Eva Knetzger, sister to Johannes, along with her husband George Regenfuss and their four children Matthias who married Elisabeth Kohl, Jacob who married Elizabeth Rossbach, John who married Margaret Merkel, and George who married Elizabeth Kohl, the latter who was born in New York City in 1846. George and Eva took up residence on the 160 acres of land in Section 20. It is here George started a brewery on land where today (2003) the Lone Star Tavern sits. In 1847 George and Eva donate four acres of their land to the Milwaukee Diocese and St. Boniface was moved from section 17 to section 20 where it is located today. To George and Eva came their last child John in 1848. The Regenfuss name remained in the area four more decades and then can be found in Milwaukee and further north in Wisconsin. For the children of Johannes and Katherine Knetzger: Sebastian was born on 28 October 1832 in Dominz. On 2 January 1854 he married Anna Marie Rossbach. To them were born Jacob in 1857 who married Elizabeth Frost, John in 1858 who married Anna Marie Klosterman, Carl in 1859-1890, George in 1860 who married Theresa Aldorff and later Matilda Wick, Mary in 1862 who married Andy Boehler, Elizabeth in 1864 who married Mathias Knippel and lived in Iowa, Theresa in 1867 who married Christ Turck, Katherine in 1867 who married Frank Louman, Kunigunda in 1871 who married Theodore Kolvenbach, and Henry in 1873 who married M. Hayes. John, who was born on 21 April 1835 in Dominz, married Kunnigunda Deckelmann. To them were born John in 1861 who married Anna Braun, Joseph in 1862-1938, Mary Regina in 1864-1865, Mary in 1868 who married James Jelnik, George in 1869 who married Carolyn Sauter, Charles Conrad in 1870 who married Hattie Wiersing, Anton in 1873 who was lost gold mining in Alaska, Frank in 1875-1927, and Barbara in 1877-1904. Leonard was born on 14 December 1842 in the Town of Germantown. He married Beautrix Weber Hohler on 21 June 1861. In 1865 the family moved to Illinois. George, who was born on 14 December 1842, married Marie Margaret Fritzner, daughter of George Fritzner. To them were born George in 1867 who married Theresa Fleischman, Anna in 1868-1916, Kunigunda in 1870 who married Fred Garnett, Mary in 1872-1912, Elizabeth in 1874 who married John Schickert, Ambrose in 1876-1901, Leonard in 1878 who married Kunigunda Girish and who was the harness maker on Main Street, Edmund John in 1880 who married Myrtel Damon, Josephine in 1881-1966, and Barbara Cecelia in 1883-1889. Leonard, the harness maker, son of George and Margaret, married Kunigunda Girish, daughter of Andrew Girsch and Anna Steger. To them were born Alphons Andrew in 1907, Isadora Georgia 1910-1913, Clarence Jacob in 1912, Leonard Jacob in 1914, and Almira Barbara in 1919 who married Frank Weber. Before 1873, the Johannes Knetzger property was divided among his sons Sebastian, John and George. Sebastian received the southwest 60 acres and through his daughter Kunigunda this became Kolvenbach land. John received the north 76 acres and by 1915 it was no longer under the Knetzger name. George came into possession of the eastern 70 acres containing the homestead log house. In 1988 this property was sold, and with that action, the Knetzger homestead land, under the Knetzger name, was no more. Many of the Knetzgers chose St. Boniface Cemetery as their burial location. A picture of the family can be seen here.
Frederic William Mehre, son of Heinrich Samuel Mehre and Ida Magdalena Zemke, was born 2 December 1897 in Plymouth, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Fred's grandparents Johann and Johanne (Wust) Mehre emigrated in 1864 from Saxony, Germanic Lands. A descendant chart of the family can be found here. Most early family members remaind in Sheboygan County, specifically yhje communities of Plymoutn, Greenbush and Glenbeulah. During WW I, Fred was a member of the Student Army Training Corps. He was teaching in Filmore, Wisconsin as was Genevieve Campfield. Genevieve was born 2 February 1901 in Poy Sippi, Waushara County, Wisconsin. Frederic married Genevieve Margaret Campfield, daughter of George Nicholas and Lillian (Wells) Campfield, on 23 August 1924 in Berlin, Green Lake County, Wisconsin. In the month of August, 1927, teaching positions became available in the new Germantown State Graded School and Fred and Genevieve accepted the positions. Fred contracted to be Principal and teach the four upper grades (5-8). Genevieve contracted to teach 1st through 4th grades. Fred was also janitor inside and outside the new two room school. Fred remained principal until he retired. In 1929 Fred Sr. was elected Village Clerk and he held this position for the next 25 years. Fred and Genevieve spent the rest of their lives in Germantown. First they resided on Pleasant Hill Avenue, east side, three doors north of the highway. Ten years later, in 1937, they moved to Park Avenue to two different locations. The first what became the Clarence Strack residence for many years, and the second being the old school house. In the mid 1940s they moved to Main Street on its north side, two door east of Church Street. To them were born son Frederic "Fred" and daughter Gwendolyn "Gwen." Fred Jr. became a Troop 54 Scout Master, a charter member of the Germantown Lions Club, and in 1958 the first Police Chief of the Village. Part time police officers were Gene Arnold, Ernie Boggs, Clyde Dhein, Dean Grinell, Bob Kanies, Dan Rieder, and Gordy Heilgendorf. Frederic William died at 72 years on 9 September 1969 and Genevieve Margaret at 96 years on 14 February 1997. Both are buried in St. Boniface Cemetery. A picture of the couple can be found here. A picture of the family home can be seen here.In 1803 John Mullen was born in Ireland. In 1845 he was found living in New York and at the time purchased 80 acres of wooded land in section 21 in the Town of Germantown. Four in the family John, his wife Hannora Sullivan(per SSSF) who was born in 1815, and their daughters Mary, born 23 May 1842, and Johanna, born 19 February 1846, and grandfather William Downy moved from Rochester, New York to their property in Germantown. In 1849 sister Hannora arrived. Living nearby in the Town of Richfield were William, born on 7 September 1844, and Alexander, born 1848, sons of Thomas and Anne (Gordon) Hayes, who courted and married the sisters Mary and Hannora. Johanna on 23 August 1876 was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis in Campbellsport, Wisconsin receiving the name Sister Mary Seraphia. Sister taught in schools in Wisconsin and Iowa from 1877 to 1900. In 1903 she became Director of Novices. In 1907 we find her as Second Councilor, in 1913 as Third Councilor, and in 1919 Second Councilor OSF-SSSF. Sister Mary Seraphia died on 20 December 1934 and is buried in the Sister's cemetery in Campbellsport. John Mullen, the father, died on 21 December 1892 and his wife Hannora on 4 February 1875. Both are buried in St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery in Germantown, at the time in Goldenthal. Their daughter Hannora and Alexander had seven children: Alexander John, Francis Thomas, Mary Winifred married Robert Salmon, George Aloysius married Gertrude Kelly, Margaret Ann, Joseph married Ethel Shields, and Josepha married James Bias. Their daughter Mary and William had six children: John (1870-28 June 1900), Anna Johanna (28 November 1874-4 November 1963), Nora, William (17 December 1879-22 April 1958), Minnie, and Daniel Edward (23 January 1887-10 May 1966). John, William and the three girls did not marry. Daniel married Margaret Burg (1886-13 October 1980) and raised two girls Mary and Betty. Mary joined the Sisters of Mercy receiving the name Sister Margherita. In the 1870 John Mullen shared the farm with William and Mary which ultimately passed into the hands of John's grandson Daniel. Many of the above named individuals are buried in St. Boniface Cemetery, Goldendale. Konrad Noegel, son of Michael Nögel and Mary Stirnweis, was born on 12 March 1858 in the town of Heroldsbach, Forchheim, Bavaria. He was the son of a long list of farmers who can be traced in the town to 1711. When he was twenty-six (1884), he left Germany with some friends to start a new life in America. Joining him on the ship was his nineteen-year old girlfriend and soon-to-be wife, (Anna) Katharine W. Welker, daughter of Joannis and Margaretha Welker. Katherine was born on 17 April 1865 in the town of Hausen, Forchheim, Bavaria, about a mile and a half east of Konrad’s hometown. They arrived in New York on 26 July 1884 on the SS. Elbe. By November of the same year they were married at the St. Boniface Church and living in Goldenthal. At first, Konrad found a job at the Orchard Inn in Germantown, but soon afterwards he began farming. After their home burned down in 1893, they moved to Richfield where they had acquired sixty-five acres of lowland for farming. Their lands appear first on the 1915 plat map for Polk sections 34 and 35. Their main crops were horseradish and potatoes, though they also grew grapes, cherries, apples, and currants. Katherine reportedly made a very potent wine from the grape yield. Eventually they also obtained dairy cattle. Konrad sold his crops mainly in Milwaukee’s markets. He would take them by way of a cart drawn by a team of horses. Often some of his children would join him on the journey, but they had to walk much of the distance with him on the way there in order to lighten the horses’ load. The family spoke only German. In fact, Katherine insisted that everyone spoke to her in German; she never learned English. Konrad had acquired limited English and their children learned it in school, but at home German was the language of choice. German was spoken so much in the family that many of Konrad and Katherine’s grandchildren had difficulties in first grade trying to adjust to English. Together Konrad and Katherine had nine children: George J. Noegel (27 February 1885, 30 June 1974), Maggie “Margaret” E. Noegel (1 June 1887, 11 January 1983), Michael Noegel (13 November 1888, d. 27 April 1950), Joannem “Konrath Jr.” Noegel (5 March 1891, 7 July 1962), Barbara Margaret Noegel (9 August 1892, 17 June 1930), Mathies “Mathew” Eugene Noegel (16 February 1894, 24 July 1969), Andrew John Noegel (18 October 1896, 25 January 1994), Joseph George Noegel (16 August 1903, 21 March 1992), and Anton “Tony” John Noegel (16 November 1904, 5 August 1984). Some of the children also took up farming, though a few of them found jobs on the railroad, canning companies, and other factories. Except for Mathew, Andrew, and Joseph, all of the children left Richfield to start their lives elsewhere. Some chose places not far from home such as West Bend and Menominee Falls. Others moved to Milwaukee, Chicago, and Michigan. After a prolonged illness, Konrad Noegel died on 14 July 1911. He was only fifty-three. Katherine carried on the farm with the help of her son Andrew. This is one of the reasons why Andrew never married and did not leave town. Katherine Noegel died on 22 October 1952 at the age of eighty-seven due to complications suffered after breaking her hip. She left her property to her son Andrew. At the time, their son Mathew also owned land in Richfield, section 4. Both Konrad and Katherine were buried in the St. Boniface Catholic cemetery in Germantown. At the time of Katherine’s death the couple had eighteen grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren. Son Andrew John is buried in St. Boniface Cemetery in Germantown and son Mathew Eugene and his wife Margaret Ida Loosen are buried in St. Mary Cemetery, Richfield. Pictures of the family can be found here. Jacob Rottman, a native of Bavaria Germany, settled in Washington County, Wisconsin as early as 1843, where he purchased 40 acres of farm land in Section 15 in the Township of Germantown. Here he met and married Barbara Pfeil, on December 18, 1844 at Christ Church in Dheinsville. Jacob's parents and siblings are unknown, but it appears he had family in Fond Du Lac County. The Pfeil's, also early settlers of Washington County, were a large family and many lived in the nearby townships. Barbara's parents are unknown, but she may have had a brother, or possibly a cousin, Phillip Pfeil, who came to Washington County from Heppenheim, Rhine Hessen, Germany in 1846. Jacob Rottman was in his 30's when he married, born say 1809. Barbara's year of birth was determined to be say 1819. They had five children while in Germantown: Jacob Jr., (married Elizabeth ROCKSTRAH), born Sept 2, 1846; Catherine Mary, (married Carl QUANDT) born Jan 29, 1848; John Bernhardt, (married Marion (KILGORE) born Dec 5, 1849; and Margaret, (married Ludwig BECK) born Jan 15, 1852. The family had moved to Wayne Township by 1854. Jacob sold the property in Germantown in July of 1857. Three more children were born while in Wayne Township: Caroline Sophia, (married Joseph HARTL) born Oct 23, 1854; Elizabeth, born 1856; and Paulina Christine, (married Andrew ZACHER) born 1859. In 1867 they were living in Kewaskum and in 1869 in Fond Du Lac County, town of Auburn. It is believed that Jacob Rottman passed away in Fond Du Lac County sometime between 1870 and 1880. Barbara later went to live in Kenosha with her married daughter, Margaret Beck, and died sometime after 1880. Reverend Ruegg of Rockfield was born 9 April 1837 in the Canton of Zurich, Switzerland. He studied for the ministry at St. Chrishona near Bale, Switzerland, for the Evangelical Church. After completing his studies he was assigned to the parish at Rex, Canton Vaud where he remained two years when in 1846 he came to Madison, Wisconsin to preach the Gosple to the congregation of St. Paul Church (Evangelical). In 1868 he took charge of Christ Church German Evangelical) in the Town of Germantown where he has been ever since [1881]. His congregation consists of about seventy families. Reverend Ruegg married Miss Amalia Zimmerman formerly of the Canton of Clarus, Switzerland in 1867. Amalia was born on 10 July 1842. She received a thorough course of all the English branches at the Minnneapolis High School and became a teacher which she followed until her marriage. In 1895 Reverend Reugg became pastor of a newly formed congregation, Zoar Evangelical, located in Rockfield. The most remarkable things from the career of Reverend Ruegg are the facts that he never owned a horse, but always walked on his visits to his people; that ne never took a vacation with the exception of a visit to his daughter in Nebraska, and declared he was homesick for his people all the time, especially on Sunday; and that he never in all the 50 years of his ministry asked for a salary, his maximum being: "freely ye received, and freely give". Reverend Reugg died on 15 December 1915 and Amalia on 27 September 1924. Both are buried in Our Savior United Church of Christ Cemetery, Rockfield. The Schaetzel presence in the Township of Germantown started with Johnann Schaetzel. Johann had emigrated from Guntersblum, Rhine Hessen, Germany on 20 October 1840 a year after his wife, Maria Margaretha Sachs, had died. To them had been born Johann, Johann Adam who married Anna K. Bushmann, Michael 1802-1820, George Wilhelm 1805-1805, Anna Maria who married Jacob Loos and who died in Louis Corners, Wisconsin, Maria Katharina 1808-1837, George Jakob, Valentin, Henry who died in infancy, and Viola Barbara who married Ervin Riedel. Along with Johann Sr. came Johann Jr. and his wife Anna Dorothea an their six children. On 29 Oct 1840 a Johann Schaetzel became a land patentee with the purchase of 80 acres of land in Section 35 identified as the west one half of the NE section and 40 acres of land in the same section identified as the NE quarter of the NE quarter. One of their children was Katherine who married Anthony Weisner, the first purchaser of land in Township of Germantown. He also resided in Section 35, the E one half of the SE quarter. Anthony and Katherine were neighbors. In 1841 arrived Jean Valentin, known as Valentin. In 1850 he became a land patentee in Section 33 of 40 acres of land identified as the NE quarter of the NW quarter. Valentin married Elizabeth von Geminden in Milwaukee. He sold the 40 acres and purchased 80 acres in section 35, the west one half of the SE quarter. He has a separate biography. At this time you have in Section 35, the NE quarter owned by Johann Schaetzel less 40 acres, and in the SE quarter the west one half owned by Valentine Schaetzel and the east one half by Anthony and Katherine (Schaetzel) Weisner. By today's reckoning [2003], this would be the northwest corner of Highway 145 and County Line Road. On 1 March 1848 we have Jacob Schaetzel becoming a land patentee with the purchase of 40 acres of land in Section 31 identified as the SW quarter of the SE quarter. On 1 September of that same year he purchased an additional 40 acres in section 33 identified as the SW quarter of the NE quarter. George emigrated with his wife Mary Elisabeth and their five children. John Schaetzel, son of Johann Jr., in 1918 became Fire Chief of the Germantown Fire Company retaining this position for six years. This became a family tradition. Lavern Schaetzel was Fire Chief in 1955 for three years and Harold Schaetzel in 1957 for fourteen years. John Schaetzel, son of Harold was secretary of the department in 1991. Harold's father, Art Schaetzel Sr., was a Fire Company Trustee for 35 years. A picture of the family home can be seen here. The Schaetzel family have been members of St. John United Church of Christ Congregation in Kuhburg and many chose the church cemetery as their final place of rest. Pictures of the family can be found here.
Mr. Schaetzel, a farmer on Section 35 with a postal address of Menomonee Falls, was born in Guntersblum, Duchy of Hesse, Germanic Lands on 23 February 1814. He immigrated to America in June of 1841. His destination was the state of Wisconsin arriving in Milwaukee that summer. He cast his vote at the first county election in Milwaukee County held that year. At the time there were only four stores and three saloons and many Indians were camped around. At first he settled on Section 25 where he remained for two years then moved to his present home where he has since lived. He was Chairman of the Town in 1855 and also in 1858. He was School Commissioner for several years and a member of the Legislature in 1861 and at present is one of the Directors of the Germantown Mutual Insurance Company. He married Miss Elisabeth Geminden in 1843 in Milwaukee. Elisabeth was born on 23 February 1822 in Gross Winterheim, Hessen-Darmstadt. In 1881 they had eight children living: Elizabeth born 1845 who married Jacob Diefenthaeler, John in 1847 who married Eva Mary Graeser; Mary in 1849, Johanna in 1851 who married William Gaeser; Adam in 1852 who married Katharina Dexheimer; Margaret in 1854-1880; Jacob in 1885; Philip in 1857; and Henry in 1860 who marrried Mary Stein. Mr. Schaetzel was the fourth settler in Germantown. Valentine died on 26 June 1885 and Elisabeth on 2 August 1882. Both are buried in St. John United Cemetery. On 1 September 1841 we find Jacob Schlaefer becoming a land patentee with the purchase of 80 acres of land in Section 22 identified as the E 1/2 of the NE quarter. Today [2003] the Kennedy Middle School would be centered on this land. That same day he purchases 40 acres in Section 23 identified as the SW quarter of the NW quarter. In the first half of the twentieth century this was known as the Rintelman Farm. The 1880 census identified three of his sons living in Germantown: Frank whose wife was Sophie and their two children Jerusa and Delia; Jacob whose wife was Caroline and their four daughters Emma, Louesa, Adda, and Mena (probably Wilhelmina); Peter whose wife was Sahra and their two sons Charles and George; and Andrew whose wife was Mary and their two children Richard and Mary Ann. Andrew was not identified in the 1880 census as living in Germantown. In 1880 Frank's occupation was identified as a lime manufacture and in later years the land was identified to the Cream City Lime Company. Peter and Jacob were farmers. By 1873 J. Schlaefer had increased his land holding by an additional 140 acres. This included the S ½ of the southwest quarter in Section 23, the land on the north side of Mequon Road from Pilgrim Road east to the railroad tracks, and the SW quarter of the NW quarter in Section 22, northwest corner of Western Avenue and Main Street, with an adjacent 30 acres in the SW quarter of the NE quarter of Section 21 (refuge disposal area in 2003). The land along Mequon road was short lived for by 1892 it had been sold to A. Deifenthaeler and J. Walter. Looking at the original Schlaefer 120 acres using plat maps, up to 1892 the land was identified to J. Schlaefer. In 1892 it was identified to A. L . Schlaefer and was called Spring Valley Dairy Farm. This would lead you to believe there were some springs on the property. By 1892 the north 48 acres of the 80 acre parcel was under the name Alvin Strack. A.L, Schlaefer owned 40 acres in Section 23 and U.F. Schlaefer owned the SE 13 acres of the 80 acres while the adjacent SW 19 acres were owned by the Cream City Lime Company. By 1929, Alvin Strack had sold his land to Alvin Gronemeyer while the owners of the remaining Schlaefer land, the 40 acres in Section 23 and the 67 acres in Section 22/23 were now in the hands of Art Rintelman. The 1930 census identifies two with the surname Schlaefers living in South Germantown, Cora (Nehs) Schlaefer, age [54, revised from 51], and living with her was her daughter Dorothy, age 15. Eight of this family chose Germantown as their final resting place: Harvey/Adeline, Frank, Edward, and Mathilda in Last Home Cemetery and Elmer/Lilliam and Magdelan in Our Savior United Cemetery. A picture of the family can be found here. Martin Schottler was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germanic Lands in March of 1833. He came to America with his parents in 1846 and the family settled in the Town of Germantown. He was twice elected to the Legislature, his first term being in 1863 and the second in 1864. He has held the office of Justice of the Peace twenty years and that of Town Clerk fourteen years. At present [1881] Mr. Schottler is Secretary of the Fireman's Mutual Insurance Company of Germantown and is much esteemed by his fellow citizens. He married Miss Anne Bartol in 1864. Their matrimonial life was blessed with nine children, the eldest being Mary age fifteen, Katy thirteen, Louisa twelve, Anna ten, Sophie nine, Martin seven, Mina five, Ida three, and Willie two. Mr. Schottler's father is 73 years and enjoys excellent health; he lives in the Town of Richfield. Johannes Franz Schwalbach was born 20 January 1812 in the Rhine Province, Darmstadt, Germanic Lands. In 1843 Franz emigrated to the United States. At the time he was identified as a shoemaker. Franz was not a land patentee but the 1859 plat map shows he owned 40 acres of land in Section 22 known as the NW quarter of the NE quarter. This land had been purchased as a land patent on 14 October 1841 by Valentine Schwalbach. Franz married Anna Mary Zimmer in Milwaukee and to them were born eleven children: John Frank in 1845; Valentin in 1846 who married Helena Emmerich; Helena in 1848 who married John Weihing; George in 1850 who married Theresa Strasser and lived in the Township of Merton; Anna Maria in 1852 who married Franz Jacob Eder and lived in West Bend and who was the jail keeper in 1880; Eva in 1855 who married Andrew Kohl; Margaret in 1856; Sophia in 1858 who married Anton Theilmann; Susanna in 1861 who married John Kohl, brother of Andrew; John William in 1863; and George in 1868-1895. Franz died in 1898 and is buried in Last Home Cemetery, South Germantown. John Frank, born in 1845, married Christina Wiehling. Christina was born 6 August 1845 in Wuettemberg, Germanic Lands, the daughter of John. To them were born George, Frank, John, Emma, Lewisa, Henry, Mary, and six more, His occupation was that of general merchant as he co-owned the Goelzer and Schwalbach general merchandise complex built in 1870 on Main Street in South Germantown. A picture of the business complex can be seen here. He also owned a lumber yard located to the south. In 1907, when the Germantown Volunteer Fire Department was organized, he was assigned the duty of hose foreman. Frank, his secular name, was Fire Department Trustee for six years. He died in 1915 and Christina in 1920. Both are buried in Last Home Cemetery. John William was born 11 June 1863 and married Anna Doering. Plat maps show in 1892 he was in possession of the original Schwalbach homestead land in Section 22. A picture of the house can be seen here. John, a farmer, died in 1937 and Anna in 1942. From the estate was sold 25 acres of the homestead land to the Germantown Volunteer Fire Department which became Firemen Park. The homestead house and surrounding land came into the hands of the Schneider family. John and Anna are buried in St. Boniface Cemetery in Goldendale. A descendant chart of the family can be viewed here. Joseph Siegl was born on 23 April 1887 in Ober-Vollmau, Bohemia the ninth child and sixth son of Anton Siegl and Margaret Mühlbauer. On 20 September 1902 Joseph, at the age of fifteen, left Vollmau traveling alone to Milwaukee where his oldest brother Anthony and Veronica (Spoerl) Siegel were living. Joseph married Anna Ott in 1907 in St. Louis. Anna was the third child and first daughter of George Michael and Maria (Philipp) Ott born on 4 June 1887 in Godas bie Kemnath, Bavaria and had emigrated in 1903. Joe and Anna established their residence in St. Louis where Joe was a brewmeister at a brewery located there. Here was born their son Joseph Anthony on 22 January 1908 who maried Theresa Carolina Martin of Menomonee Falls and daughter Ann Margaret on 31 July 1912 who married Oliver Peter Schulteis of Richfield. The family lived in St. Louis for fourteen years. In July of 1921 they moved back to Milwaukee and on 4 November purchased the Buescher Hotel on Main Street in South Germantown. The Siegl Hotel Parlor Dance Hall and Park was famous for its squab dinners served at the hotel or to be taken as carry-out. Pictures of the hotel and the family during this period can be seen here. Anna died on 30 July 1944. In 1945 Joe sold the hotel to Clarence and Mary (Bellman) Boyung. He died on 4 April 1946. Both are buried in St. Boniface Cemetery in Goldendale. A pictures of the family can be found here.
The heritage of the Staats family of Germantown goes to the very core in the existence of the original village. First to arrive was Valentine who was a land patentee of 40 acres purchased 21 May 1843 in Township 9 North, Range 20 East, Section 22 known as the NE quarter of the NW quarter. On 1 July 1848 a land patent was issued to Valentine and Adam Staats for 80 acres known as the W1/2 of the NW quarter. The 80 acres was contiguous on the west to the 40 acres Valentine acquired in 1843. To put this into perspective, the land would be located on the SE and NE corners of Fond du Lac and Freistadt Roads. In the 1950s, this area was still referred to as Staats' corners and Staats' hill. By 1859, Valentine had sold to Adam his interest in 80 acres they bought jointly and acquired and additional 40 acres to his south. To simplify the land dealings, we soon find that Adam and Valentine had swapped lands. The 40 acres that Adam owned on the west and the 40 acres that Valentine owned on the east now had Adam owning the north 40 acres and Valentine the south 40 acres. This land swap was important to the history of Germantown for by doing so, this allowed Adam to have access to lands surrounding the Fond du Lac Trail where he built the Staats Hotel and later in 1852 the Staats Brewery. This corner of the township became known as Staatsville and retained this distinction for some people into the 1870s. In the 1850s the hub of activities centered in Staatsville: stagecoach pickup and delivery, a postal mail stop, and a hotel to socialize and conduct business. It is at the Staats Hotel that the Germantown Farmers Insurance Company, first in the state, had their office. While Adam managed the hotel and the brewery, Valentine was proprietor of a saloon on Fond du Lac trail some 500 yards south on its west side just a bit north of Frank Schwalback's homestead house. Valentine married Elisabeth and to them was born a son Wilhelm. Wilhelm married Rosina. Valentine's land was passed down to his son Wilhelm and after Wilhelm died, to his wife Rosina. She sold the property to A. Hilgendorf. Rosina died in 1909. Both She and Wilhelm are buried in Last Home Cemetery, Germantown. After Adam died, his son John ran the brewery business and did so for some 28 years. After John died in 1880, the executor of the estate, Phillip G. Duerrwaechter, managed the brewery until it was sold to A. Hilgendorf sometime before 1892. In 1892 we have William Staats owning 28 Acres of land on the northwest corner of Fond du Lac and Freistadt Roads. In 1929 this land was in the hands of Adolf Staats and in 2003 it is owned by Gene and Janet Arnold. The original land patentee for this 28 acres in Section 15 was Peter Grueneisen Jr. A picture of Adolph and Maria can be found here. Peter Strack, born 11 December 1803 in Morschbach, Rhineland, and his wife Anna Katharina Waechter, born 10 May 1802 in Ellern, Koblenz, Rhineland, and their six children, Maria Margaret age 12, Anna Catharina age 10, David age 9, Wilhelm age 7, Peter age 6, and Eva age 3, emigrated to the United States through the Port of Rotterdam on the Barque Louisa under the command of Captain E. Burnham. The family, plus one, arriving at the Port of New York in June of 1843. The plus one was their seventh child Rosina who was born in route. Peter was listed as a Weaver. The family came to the Town of Germantown where Peter was issued a land patent in the NW quarter of Section 15. On board the same ship were Jacob and Regina Klumb and their seven children, Christopher and Caroline (Hoelz) Paulus, Martin Hoelz and his six children, Philip and Christina (Harter) Imig and their seven children, Peter Jacob and Elizabeth Rheingans and their three children and Christopher and Margaretha (Stiehl) Schreck and their 6 children. All were from the same area in Germany and all settled in the Town of Germantown and surrounding area. Daughter Maria Margaret married Melchoir Greulich, Anna Catharina married Herman Juedes, Wilhelm married Elisabetha Gerhard and resided in Scott, Sheboygan County, Peter age 6, Katherine who married Williaim Goelzer and lived in Germantown, Eva who married Jacob Wolf, and Rosina who married Valentine Klumb. The 1859 Plat map show Peter owning 120 acres in the center of Section 15: SE quarter of the NW quarter, SW quarter of the NE quarter, and the NE quarter of the SW quarter Peter died on 27 July 1876 and Katharina on 24 March 1880. Both are buried in Christ Evangelical Cemetery, Dhiensville. Son David was born 03 December 1835 in Rhineland, Prussia. He married Elisabeth Friedrichs, born 06 October 1847, and they were blessed with four children: Maria who married Herman Lucht, Heinrich who died as an infant, Elisabeth and David. Mother Elisabeth died on 03 December 1873, then David married Dorothea Strassburg and shortly following came Anna Katharina, Emma Eva who married Alfred Meyer, William who married Alma Zehlof, Alvin August who married Amelina Dhein, and Louis Arthur. The 1873 Plat map shows David Strack, son of Peter, to be in possession of 70 acres of the homestead property. David and Dorothea both died in Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, he on 11 March 1918 and she on 12 March 1934. David, Elisabeth, and Dorothea are buried in Christ Evangelical Cemetery, Dheinsville. The 1892 Plat map shows David, grandson of Peter, to be in possession of 105 acres of the homestead. It also shows that the Chicago-Northwestern railroad tracks ran diagonally southeast-northwest through the SW quarter of the NE quarter section 15 of the homestead. David, grandson of Peter, was born 18 October 1873. He married Amanda Klumb and were blessed with two children, Edwin Otto born 04 September 1907 and Celia born 31 August 1909. To Edward who married Helen Kentoski, born 11 Jan 1916, came Richard and Diane. Edward and Helen are buried in St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery, Germantown The 1915 Plat map does not show a Strack as owning any of the homestead property. But the 1929 Plat map has David again owning 96 acres. David died in 1939 and Amanda in 1940. Both are buried in Christ Evangelical & Reformed Cemetery, Dheinsville. Pictures of the family can be found here.
Joseph Vogl, also known under the surname Vogel, was the owner of the Vogl Independent Brewery located in Germantown from 1909 to 1914. Originally it had been known as the Staats Brewery. He purchased the brewery from Albert Herman Reingruber. In 1914, Joseph purchased the Mauston Brewery in Mauston, Juneau County, Wisconsin. It is unknown at this time if he sold his Germantown brewery before purchasing the Mauston brewery. Joseph died in Maston in 1922 and his body was laid to rest in Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. With him there are his wife Margaret, died at age 86 on 20 February 1954 in Cudahy, Milwaukee County, his father Frank, died at age 60 on 22 September 1901 in Cudahy, his son Joseph Frank Jr. died at age 52 on 17 September 1945 in Moline, Illinois, and two infant children Harry, died at age 0 on 14 November 1901 in Town Line and Ludwig, died age 0 on the same day as Harry and at the same location. In the late 1890s, it looks as though the family resided in the northern part of the Germantown area or more likely in the southern part of the town of Richfield for they were members of St. Mary Catholic Church located in the town of Richfield (Pioneer and Hillside Roads).
In 1872 J.H. Walterlin was identified as a charter member of Lincoln Lodge, NO. 183, A. F. & A. M. in Menomonee Falls. The 1880 census identifies John was 31 years old, born in Wisconsin, was married, lived in Menomonee Falls and was a butcher. J.H.'s father Francis was born on 15 October 1803 in Elsass-Lothringen, France and emigrated from Havre on 15 April 1831 arriving in Baltimore on 15 August. His father traveled through the southern states for five years and located say 1836 in Eire, Pennsylvania where he remained for eight years in the meat business. It is here he marred Elizabeth Becherer. From Erie in say 1844 he relocated to Mishawaka, Indiana and after five years there, say 1849, he relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In all these locations he followed the meat business being one of the early butchers in Milwaukee. Five years later the family removed to the Township of Germantown. This would be about 1854. The 1860 census has the family living in the Village of Menomonee Falls. Francis Sr. died on 24 September 1888 and Elizabeth on 4 July 1886. Both are buried in German Emanuel Cemetery, Menomonee Falls. Francis Jr. married Katherine Volland of Germantown, the daughter of George and Christina (Zibold) Volland. George had emigrated in 1842 and in that year became a land patentee in Section 18, the NW quarter of the NW quarter. In 2003 this would be the southeast corner of Highway 41 and Holy Hill Road. Francis and family settled in Menomonee Falls. The other children were Elizabeth who married Henry Loos, Georgia who married Henry Leininger, Joseph, Peter who married Frieda, and Charles who married Augusta Ehnert. John, our subject and a twin to Joseph, and his wife Magdalene 'Lena' returned to the community of South Germantown and opened a meat market probably in the early 1880s on the west side of the railroad spur, south side of Main Street. Shortly after their children arrived: Vernon 1881-1883; Herbert in 1883 who married Rose T. Greulich and their children Winifred and John; Austin born 1885 who married Selma; Aaron born 1887 who married Mathelda Juliana "Odelia" Hauser on 8 June 1921 and followed their children Arlene, Le Roy, and Doris. A picture of the home of Herbert and Rose can be seen here.
In the early 1900s, John our subject purchased the land between Broadway up to what was to become Church Street and from Fond du Lac to Main Street less the lots along Main Street and a small section along Fond du Lac which Mat. Steger owned and where Mat's barn was located. On his land along Broadway John began construction of the Walterlin home which remains in the families to this day [2003]. A picture of the house can be seen here. John died before the home was completed and his son Herbert finished the construction. Sometime later John's son Herbert bought a 16 acre parcel of land containing a quarry from the Cream City Lime Company. This land was located east of Fond du Lac across from Gehl Dairy. At the beginning of the 21st century the quarry had been filled and what remained of the 16 acres was then sold to Gehl Dairy which used the property for building expansion. About 1918 John retired and the meat business came under the management of his sons Herbert and Aaron his only surviving children. John died on 19 August 1921 and Magdalene on 15 July 1931. Both are buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Milwaukee. Genevieve Mehre, in her remembrances of Germantown, in 1927, relates the Walterlin Brothers maintained a Meat Market with fresh meats, lard, and other items available at all times. They also used a delivery truck to sell their meat products in the rural areas. In the mid 1920s John's son Herbert bought the old wooden school house at Pleasant Hill and Freistadt Road and move it to his property along Broadway. He turned it into a residence later the home of Frederic and Genevieve Mehre and after the home of Allen and Cora (Baertlein) Schulteis. Herbert died on 14 March 1951, Rose on 10 August 1979, Aaron on 31 July 1942 and Odelia on 6 August 1990. All are buried in Calvary Cemetery in Milwaukee. A descendant chart of the family can be viewed here.
Andreas Wetterau was born on 1 November 1803 in Dens, Rotenburg, Hessen, Germanic Lands. About 1830 Andreas married Anna Elisabeth Möller who was born in Rotenburg on 15 September 1808. Prior to 16 September 1842 Andreas and Anna Elisabeth emigrated to the United States for on that day they purchased and were issued a land patent on 1 August 1844 for 40 acres of land identified as the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter in Section 18, Township 9N, Range 20 East. Looking at a road map, the land would be situated on the southwest corner of Goldendale and Holy Hill Roads. To Andreas and Anna Elisabeth was born one son named Wilhelm on 13 April 1832 in Krauthhausen, Rotenburg. By 1859 Andreas had increased his holding to 80 acres acquiring 40 contiguous acres to his south. Andreas died on 3 April 1871 and Anna Elisabeth on 18 February 1869. Both are buried at Christ Evangelical Cemetery in Dheinsville. Son Wilhelm, into whose hands the homestead passed, was married three times. First to Louisa Strassmann. To them were born Frank Andreas in 1854 who married Margareth Wolf and Emilius who married Bertha Kroening. Louise died 13 May 1857. On 23 August 1857 Wilhelm married Elisabeth Weinheimer the ceremony taking place in Town 10. On 10 December 1864 in Germantown he married his third wife Katharina Herzog born 27 June 1841 in Steeg, Koblenz, Germany. To Wilhelm and Katharina were born Wilhelmina in 1865 who married Phillip W. Kraemer, Anna Elizabeth in 1866 who married Andreas Fischenich, Margaret Katharina in 1867-1871, Maria Katharina in 1870 who married Heinrich Schneiss, Anna in 1871, and William in 1874. Wilhelm died in 25 May 1875 and Katharina on 15 June 1921. Both are buried at Christ Evangelical Cemetery. Ownership of the Homestead then was passed to Andreas' grandson William. William who was born on 7 January 1874 married Eva Gettelman on 23 November 1898. Eva was the daughter of Peter and Charlotte (Jung) Gettelman and born on 24 December 1878. To William and Eva were born Aubrey Phillip in 1899 who married Elsie Schneider, Ruric William in 1901, Robert George in 1902 who married Isabel Feilbach, Mabel Anna Louise in 1906 who married Fredrick Fruehling, and Esther Margaret in 1909 who married Peter Jung. William died on 10 May 1941 and Eva on 24 February 1961. As are the other Wetteraus, William and Eva are buried in Christ Evangelical Cemetery. Great-grandson Ruric then took possession of the homestead property. Ruric was born on 3 March 1901. He married Hattie Tietz. Ruric died on 21 November of 1969 and Hattie on 30 January 1993. Both are buried along side his ancestors in Christ Evangelical Cemetery. Current possession of the homestead land is in the hands of 2nd great-grandson William who lives in the original log house. Pictures of the family can be found here.
Ignatius Zins was born in Austria in 1829. He was a wagon maker. On 8 December 1856, in New York, Ignatius married Catherin Mueller of Bavaria. Their first daughter Amelia (Benz) arrived two years later. The family moved to Germantown settling in a small log cabin near the fork (Main Street) heading west off of the Fond du Lac Indian trail. In 1860 their second daughter Berthan (Schmidt) arrived followed in 1862 by Jane (Lentz). A third daughter Louisa (Benthein) was welcomed in 1863. Besides the wagon business, the family raised a few sheep. Ignatius served in the Civil War on two different occasions. First, he joined the Wisconsin 34th Infantry Regiment on 24 November 1862 and was assigned to Company H. He was mustered out on 08 September 1863 attaining the rank of 1st Sergeant. Ignatius then enlisted a second time, on 01 April 1865, as Sergeant in the Wisconsin 51st Infantry Regiment and assigned to Company C. Eight days later Robert E. Lee surrendered and he was mustered out of service on 19 August 1865. In 1868, Ignatius bought 40 acres of land in the Town of Richfield, moved the family there, and raised a larger herd of sheep. |
