History of Outagamie County Wisconsin, In

HISTORY OF OUTAGAMIE COUNTY 909 the United States in 1865, settling in Dale township, where Mr. Dorshner died in 1901, aged sixty-five years, his widow still surviving. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Grossman: Lorena, who married Charles Wischow, of Dale township, and has two children; and Harriet and Palmer, residing at home. Mr. Grossman is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and is a Democrat in politics. His religious connection is with the Reform Church of Dale. He engages in general farming and markets dairy products, hogs and potatoes and feeds his hay and grain. He has a number of good substantial buildings on his property, including a basement barn, 35x70 feet, built in 1907. Louis ULLMER, who owns and operates a tract of 120 acres in section 2 and another property of sixty acres in section 3, Seymour township, is one of the leading agriculturists of this section. His birth occurred December 28, 1876, in Brown county, Wisconsin, and he is a son of Joseph and Mary (Reinhardt) Ullmer. When Joseph Ullmer was three years old his father died, and when he was but fifteen years old he left his native country, Germany, coming to the United States, where he spent the remainder of his life at the blacksmith trade and in farming in Brown county, Wisconsin, his. death 'occurring in 1910, when he was fifty-seven years of age. His widow survives him, being fifty-five years old, and has been the mother of these children: Louis, Henry, Joseph, William, August, Charles, Leo, Mathias, Lawrence, Emily, Louisa, Mary, Clara and .Cecil, of whom August is deceased. Louis Ullmer was educated in the district schools of Brown county, and as a youth learned the blacksmith trade with his father, an occupation which he followed for five or six years, and when twenty-six years of age he began farming in Brown county. In 1907 he came to Seymour township, where he has since made his home, being engaged in general and dairy farming, and having a large nine-room house, and two dairy barns, 40x70 and 40x60 feet respectively. Mr. Ullmer has devoted much attention to the raising of fine dairy cattle and Percheron horses, and he is also an extensive breeder of hogs. His farming in- terests .have demanded all of his time and attention and he has never aspired to public office. In 1902, Mr. Ullmer was married to Anna Boehm, who was born in Bohmem, Germany, August 16, 1881, daughter of Frank and Anna (Meyers) Boehm, who still re- side in Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Boehm had these children: Anton, who died in America; Katie; Anna, Mrs. Ullmer, who came to the United States when she was sixteen years old; Frank, in Germany; Theresa, living in this country; Louisa, in Germany; and Frances, Katie and Wolf, who came to America in 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Ull- mer have had five children, namely: Marcella Florence, born March 3, 1903; Raphael, born June 9, 1904; Matilda, who died November 4, 1906, aged seventeen months; Bernard, who was born February 8, 1908; and Gertrude, born February 3, 1910. MARX A. LEMKE, of the city of Kaukauna, was born in Brown county, Wisconsin, September 10, 1858. William and Caroline 910 HISTORY OF OUTAGAMIE COUN'TY (Schroeder) Lemke, his parents, came with their four children, Charles, August, Elvina and Minnie, to America in 1858, and for about six years resided on a farm near Milwaukee. They then moved to Brown county, this state, where William Lemke died in 1874, aged fifty-nine years, and Mrs. Lemke in 1901, at eighty-five years of age. Martin A. Lemke received a limited education in the public schools of his native county, and in 1891 came to Kaukauna and purchased the American House. Previous to this, in 1882, he married Bertha Rahn, daughter of Julius Rahn who came to the United States and located near Milwaukee where Mrs. Lemke was -born. For seven years Mr. Lemke operated the American House and made it one of the noted and popular hostelries of Wisconsin, then leased the property to others. In the meanwhile he purchased what is now known as the "Lemke Farm" and has since devoted his time and attention to agricultural pursuits. In 1898 he built the Oakgrove cheese factory which was removed when he disposed of it in 1910. In 1902 he built a second cheese factory known as the "Lemke No. 2" which he sold in 1905. In 1898 he took up his residence on the farm and there lived until returning to Kaukauna in 1905. When Mr. Lemke bought his farm it had little beyond the ordinary, but under his wise management it has been brought to a high state of improve- ment and is considered one of the best in the county. To Mr. and Mrs. Lemke eight children have been born; Walter, dying in in- fancy; Antone, Elma, Arthur, Hugo, Viola, Laura and Elvera. Mr. Lemke is one of the progressive and enterprising men of the county. He served on the county board three years, as school director one year, and he and wife are members of the German Lutheran Church. EDMOND J. CANCE, one of the prominent farmers and extensive landowners of Bovina township, who has a magnificent property of 470 acres in sections 10 and 15, was born September 15, 1877, in Ettrick, Trempealeau county, Wisconsin, son of Alexander and Agnes (Edmond) Cance, natives of Scotland. Alexander Cance came to the United States with his brothers, and at an early day settled in Trempealeau county, while his wife came to America with her parents, settling first in Canada and moving thence to Minnesota, in which State Mr. and Mrs. Cance were married. They settled in Trempealeau county on a farm, where Mr. Cance carried on farming until 1896, in which year they moved to Outagamie county, and in 1906 retired and went to Shiocton, where both are now living. They had a family of six children, Edmond J. being the third in order of birth. He received a common school education and lived at home with his parents until his marriage, in September, 1906, to Miss Alma McNiesh, who was born March 31, 1885, the youngest of the six children of Thomas and Mary McNiesh, natives of Ontario, Can- ada. Mr. and Mrs. McNiesh came to the United States as young people and were married in Appleton, Wisconsin, after which they began farming, an occupation which they carried on throughout their lives. Mr. McNiesh died in 1910, aged fifty-nine years, and his widow survived him but six months, she being but fifty-four HISTORY OF OUTAGAMIE COUNTY 911 years old at the time of her death, and both were buried in Black Creek. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cance: Agnes E. and Hervon G. After marriage, Mr. Cance rented the farm which he now operates, and in 1910 he purchased the property from his father. This excellent tract, which is completely fenced with woven and barbed wire, has 325 acres under cultivation, and is equipped with a fine modern residence, built by Alexander Cance, good outbuildings and a substantial barn, the latter of which will be remodeled by Mr. Cance during this summer. He engages in general farming and stockraising, keeping Short Horn cattle, Poland-China hogs and Shropshire sheep, and he specializes in cabbages and dairy products. Mr. Cance is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and is a Republican in politics. He has been much interested in the cause of education, and is now serving as clerk of the Shiocton high school and treasurer of the district school board. He and Mrs. Cance are members of the Congregational Church of Shiocton. EDWARD O'KEEFE, who is president of the firm of O'Keefe- Orbison Engineering and Construction Company, contractors, con- structors and engineers, and the largest firm in its line in Wiscon- sin, was born at Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1855, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Hanrahan) O'Keefe. Thomas O'Keefe was born in County Limerick, Ireland, in December, 1817. Edward O'Keefe received his preliminary education in the public schools of Appleton and Green Bay, and later attended Lawrence College for two years, after leaving which he engaged in mill work, which he continued until 1882, at which time Mr. O'Keefe formed a partnership with Thomas W. Orbison. This company, which does contracting, constructing and engineering has erected most of the mills on the Fox River, but has not confined its operations to this section of the country, as large construction contracts have been ac- cepted as far away as the State of Maine. The firm enjoys a reputa- tion that is second to none in the country, and the partners are espe- cially well known as consulting engineers -on hydraulic work. In 1882, Mr. O'Keefe was married to Mary Hart, of Appleton; daughter of Warren Hart, an early settler of this part of Outagamie county, and five children have been born to this union. The family are members of St. Mary's Catholic Church. In politics, Mr. O'Keefe is an ardent Democrat, but he has found little time to engage in matters of a public nature. REV. JOHN FAVILLE, who, as pastor of the Congregational Church at Appleton, Wisconsin, became widely known through this city both for his spiritual helpfulness as well as for the executive ability that brought about, within two years, the replacing of the small structure of the congregation by an edifice that ranks with the leading ones of the place.

Load more