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Obit: Kuentz, Adam (1844 - 1942)

Transcriber: Stan

Surnames: Kuentz, Hoffmann, Reeves, Wiersig, Whitney, Fleischauer, Dix, Sabler, Dins, Kobs, Kloehn, Eckoff, Turner, Hildebrandt, Schwierske

----Sources: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 11/19/1942

Kuentz, Adam (2 Apr. 1844 - 14 Nov. 1942)

Adam Kuentz, the oldest resident of the city of Colby, Wis., and a resident of Clark county for 72 years, died Saturday night at 8:45 o’clock at the home of his son in law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Schwierske, in Colby, at the age of 98 years, bronchial pneumonia being the cause of his departure to the distant shore.

Funeral services were held at the Lulloff Funeral Home in Colby on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 18, at 1:30 o’clock and at the Zion Ev. Lutheran church at 2:00 o’clock, Rev. O. Hoffmann officiating, and internment was made in the Colby cemetery. Pall bearers were H. W. Reeves, Walter Wiersig, C. W. Whitney, E. A. Fleischauer, Oscar Dix and Carl Sabler. Those in charge of the flowers were Mrs. Albert Dins, Mrs. Fred Kobs, Miss Martha Kloehn and Miss Edna Kobs.

Out of town people here for the funeral were Ed Eckoff of Rib Lake and Mrs. Wm. Turner of Phillips.

The deceased was born in Swingenberg, Darmstadt, Germany, on April 2, 1844, and came to the United States with his parents when two years old. He attended the country schools and assisted on his father’s farm which, at that time was surrounded with wilderness. Later, he worked in lumber camps. He operated a cheese factory for a number of years before moving to Colby in 1870, when he bought 120 acres of land in Clark county. In 1880 he built a hardware store in Colby which he conducted for 19 years and then sold it to Zillmann Brothers, who, in turn, sold it to Stroota and Stieber, the present owners.

Mr. Kuentz belonged to the Wisconsin Schuetzen Verein and took an active part in its meetings. He won many medals and prizes in sharp-shooting contests, winning the grand prize in the Chicago contest of 1879. He also won many prizes since then at contests in Milwaukee, Chilton, Davenport, Iowa, St. Louis, Mo., and other cities. In 1931, at the age of 87, he participated in the shooting contest at Davenport. He was one of family of 10 children, five of whom reached the age of 90 or more.

He was married in Ashland to Miss Amelia Hildebrandt. The deceased was a member of Zion Ev. Lutheran church of Colby, Wis., and was well known for his honest dealings and congenial disposition.

Surviving besides his widow are two children, Herbert Kuentz of Madison and Mrs. Schwierske of Colby; a brother, George Kuentz, 96 years old, of Sheboygan Falls, and a grandson, Fredrick Schwierske, who is in the U.S. navy at San Francisco, Calif.

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Bio: Kuentz, Adam (1844 - 1942)

Transcriber: Stan

Surnames: Kuentz

----Source: Colby Phonograph 1 Jul 1897

Adam Kuentz returned from Joliet, Ill., Monday evening, where he had bee attending another Schuelzen fest.  He had trouble with his gun and did not do so well as he otherwise might, yet he captured a very pretty gold medal and $22.50 in cash.

       Schuelzenfest Medal

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History of Schützenfest

The German festival called Schützenfest, or Marksmen's Festival, has a very long and fabled history, with its origins on the European continent. While less well known in America than its counterpart, Oktoberfest, the festival is much older and steeped in tradition.
 

As the legend goes, it all started in the fifteenth century in Europe when a marksman (Schütze) shot down an eagle that had attacked a small child. The people in the village were so joyous about this newly-found "hero" that they made him an honorary king of the village for a year. In subsequent years, the villagers would hold a festival to commemorate this occasion, having a sharpshooting competition, with the winner becoming honorary king for a year. Thus began the tradition of the Schützenfest in many parts of Germany and Switzerland.

This legend was based on some truth, as in these earlier times, when most men were farmers, they were all trained in using arms, and became a paramilitary of sorts, known as the Wehrbauren, or farmer soldiers. They would fight for their leaders when called upon to do so in the many wars and incursions that took place in those days, and then would go back to their farms when the fighting was over. They would celebrate by holding sharpshooting contests, with the winner being honored for his shooting skills. This was a more logical beginning for the Schützenfest, but not nearly as romantic as the marksman downing an eagle to save a young child's life. Nancy Pelzel, July 2021

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