Surnames: Will, Silbernagel, Schwartz, Peirce, Casey, Bergmann, Lucas, Norton, Zitzgibbons, Koleske, Schmidt, Schilling, Hanke

----Source: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 10/06/1955

Will, William (6 Feb. 1858 - 3 Oct. 1955)

William Will died Monday at 6:00 P.M. at the home of his son, Frank Will, town of Colby,Wisconsin at the age of 97 years, old age complications being the cause of his death. Funeral services are being held this Thursday morning, starting at 10:00 o’clock at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Colby, Wis., Rev. Vincent Schwartz officiating, and internment will be made in the Colby (Colby, Clark Co. Wis.) Cemetery.

Mr. Will was born on February 6, 1858, in the town of Herman, Sheboygan county, where he married Anna Silbernagel in 1878. Immediately after their marriage, they moved onto a farm west of Colby and engaged in farming until 1920 when they sold the farm to their son, Frank, and retired from farm work and moved to the city of Colby, Wis. Mrs. Will died in 1937 after which Mr. Will made his home with his son, Frank, until the time of his death.

Surviving are six children - Joe Will of Potosi, Henry Will of Libertyville, Ill., Mary Peirce of Tacoma, Wash., Nettie Casey and Frank Will of Colby and Tony Will of Unity.

Besides his wife, one son, William Will, Jr., who died in 1949, preceded him in death.

Like all early settlers of this area, Mr. Will was a good Christian, honest in all his dealings, and, being of a congenial disposition had many friends.

----Source: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 10/13/1955

Funeral services for William Will were held last Thursday morning at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Colby, Wis., Rev. Vincent Schwartz officiating, and internment was made in the Colby (Colby, Clark Co. Wis.) Cemetery. Grandsons - Foster, Jerome, Ralph, Neland, Donald and Jerome Will - served as pall bearers.

Mr. Will was born in the town of Herman, Sheboygan county, on February 6, 1858, thus reaching the age of 97 years and eight months. Following his marriage to Anna Silbernagel on February 12, 1878, at Schwartzwald, they moved to the town of Colby where Mr. Will had purchased a farm. Except for a period of eight years, they lived here, until 1920 when Frank Will took possession of the farm, when they moved to the city of Colby, Wis. After the death of Mrs. Will in 1937, Mr. Will returned to the farm where he passed away.

Surviving are six children - Joe of Potosi, Henry of Libertyville, Ill., Mrs. W. B. Peirce (Mary) of Tacoma, Wash., Mrs. D. J. Casey (Nettie) and Frank of Colby and Tony of Unity; 19 grand children; 38 great grand children; a great great grand child, a sister, Mrs. Fred Bergman of Reedsville. Besides his wife, a son, William, preceded him in death.

Out of town relatives attending the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. Joe Will of Potosi, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Will, Jerry Will, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Lucas, Joan and Lyndell Lucas, Mrs. Dick Norton and Mrs. Francis Zitzgibbons of Libertyville, Ill., Mrs. Fred Bergman of Reedsville, Mrs. Cornelius Will, Mrs. John Will and John C. Will of Sheboygan, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Koleske of Madison, Mrs. Schmidt of Kiel, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Will of Mellen, Mr. and Mrs. Foster Will of Owen, Mr. and Mrs. Erwin Schilling of Thorp, Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Will of Loyal and Mr. and Mrs. John Hanke of Milan.