Bio: Karsten, Joseph (4 March 1943)

Contact: Crystal Wendt
Email:  crystal@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Karsten

----Sources: The Clark County Press (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 4 March 1943

[*Portion cut off here.] to the county court at Neillsville last week. It contained the papers of Joseph Karsten, who lived in the edge of the village of Curtiss, and who died February 17. Those papers included bonds of the government of the United States and of the Kingdom of Denmark; of mortgages upon farms in Clark and adjacent counties; of deeds to various farms. All told, the accumulations of Joseph Karsten over the years are estimated to have aggregated about $40,000. The heirs are seven nephews and nieces, the children of Joseph Karsten’s brother and sister; Mr. Karsten had no issue of his own, living as a lone bachelor until his death.

Mr. Karsten was not a man to attract attention during his life. He was, in appearance and manners, much like other farmers of Clark County. But he found the way to accumulate much ore of this world’s goods than is given to most. His recipe for doing it was also his own.

In a county of dairy farmers, Joseph Karsten did not make a main business of milking cows. His way was to raise steers and sheep. This appealed more to his business judgment, and his success would seem to indicate that he was right, at least as affecting himself.

Then Mr. Karsten did not married, and most persons who have brought up families will agree that in this he avoided a major matter of expense. He lived all alone and cooked for himself. In this way he avoided the expense and waste which characterize many households.

He was also a man of thrifty habits, saving rather than spending. He had no bad habits of any considerable extend; used no liquor and did not smoke; he may have chewed a little tobacco but not much. He did not waste his funds on riding around the country. At the time of his death he was the possessor of a Chevrolet coupe of 1941 model which had traveled, according to the speedometer, 200 miles. Obviously, with this mileage, he had no occasion to worry about tire or gasoline rationing; he rationed himself.

If this statement about a quite, industrious man seems to make him out a bit odd, it accords neither with his appearance nor with his attitude toward life. The impress which he made upon those who knew him was that he was a level-headed farmer, whose head was perhaps a little **Rest cut off. - [continued on Page 7; Strong box.]