BioA: Firnstahl, Mr./Mrs. Paul (50th Anniv. - 1930)

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Surnames: FIRNSTAHL WEIX SCHRAUFNAGEL OSBORN

----Sources: COLBY PHONOGRAPH (Colby, Clark County, Wisconsin) 05/01/1930

Firnstahl, Mr./Mrs. Paul (50th Anniv. - 25 Apr. 1930)

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Firnstahl of Colby celebrated their fiftieth or golden wedding anniversary at their home last Friday afternoon and evening. The reception was arranged by their relatives in this vicinity and was a surprise for them with only immediate relatives of this vicinity being present.

Mr. Firnstahl was born in Vienna, Austria, and came to Colby in 1875 with his parents. Mrs. Firnstahl, nee Barbara Weix, was born in Leroy, Wis., and lived there eighteen years before coming here with her parents, her brother, Mike, and her sister, Mrs. Henry Schraufnagel. They were married at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Colby April 25th, 1880, and located on a piece of wild land about two miles east of Colby. By diligent and hard work they built a splendid farm out of this wilderness which is now owned by their youngest son, Isadore. They have two other sons, Gorman, in the wholesale and fruit canning business at Seattle, Washington, and Otto, a general store manager at Almany, Minn. They also have two daughters, Mrs. A. E. Osborn and Miss Leona Firnstahl, R. N., both of Wausau. Also fifteen grand children. In 1922, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Firnstahl moved to the city of Colby from the farm.

Mr. and Mrs. Paul Firnstahl have always had the respect and esteem of everyone in the community which is shown by the number of public offices Mr. Firnstahl has held. He was treasurer of the town of Hull for six years, and assessor for eight; has been director, agent and treasurer of the Hull Town Mutual Insurance Company the past twenty-three years; is a director of the Security State Bank which institution he helped organize; is supervisor of the second ward of the city of Colby; and is also director of the Colby graded school district.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Firnstahl can recall many experiences of the early days. There were no roads as we have them today, but merely trails through the woods, and when anyone came to town, it was necessary to take an axe along, in case a tree fell over the road. Oxen, for the most part, were the means of travel, and, when those living four miles or more from town came to Colby, it was considered a day’s task. Colby had no banks or garages at that time and nobody ever dreamed that there ever would be such a thing as an automobile. Many who were here at that time, according to Mr. Firnstahl, would have left if they could, but could not get out. Although the Soo Line, then the Wisconsin Central, only went as far as Medford, Colby was quite a town and contained a drug store, two hardware stores, two shoe repair shops, three general stores, flour and feed store, hotel, boarding house and a dozen hair salons. The principal income of settlers came from the sale of wood and logs and several large saw mills were in operations in this section.