Bio: Wittenberg, Gustav (1923)

 
Contact: Stan

Surnames: Wittenberg, Kroski, John, Rheindecker, Fierke, Veri, Brown

----Source: History of Wood County, Wis. (1923) page 543

Gustav Wittenberg, a public official of Port Edwards Township and owner of a large farm there, was born in Germany, March 10, 1859, son of Frederick and Mary Wittenberg. The parents were natives of Germany, in which country the father worked on farms until 1892, when he came to the United States and settled at Grand Rapids, Wis. (now Wis. Rapids), in which city the family resided until the death of the mother; since that time the father has made his home with his son-in-law in Port Edwards. Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Wittenberg were the parents of nine children, of whom six are now living, four in the United States and two in Germany. Gottfried and Minnie live in Germany; Gustav, August, Charles and Herman live in the United States; Frederick and Lena are deceased; Mary is the wife of August Kroski. Gustav Wittenberg was reared in Germany, attending school there and working on farms until 1883, when he came to the United States. Here he first settled at Hartland, in Waukesha County, Wis., where he worked on farms, and in the spring of 1887 he came to Wood County and located at Grand Rapids (now Wis. Rapids). He worked for the John Edwards Company in their sawmill at Port Edwards for a time, and later worked for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad on their gravel and wood trains, in the days of the old wood-burning engines. After leaving the employ of the railroad company he worked in the pulp mill at Centralia (now a part of Wis. Rapids) until it burned down, and then homesteaded 120 acres of land in Section 18 of Port Edwards Township. Since proving up on this property he has added to it until he now owns 280 acres in Sections 12 and 18. When Mr. Wittenberg first acquired this land it was covered with brush and timber and had by way of buildings only a small frame house and a log barn. The years of hard work Mr. Wittenberg has put into the development of this property have wrought wonderful changes in it; instead of a wilderness, it is now a modern, highly developed farm, with a nice frame residence, two good barns, silo, and all the other equipment of up-to-date farming; 140 acres of excellent soil are under the plow, and the place is stocked with a fine herd of Holstein cattle with a pure-bred sire at the head. Mr. Wittenberg is carrying on general farming and dairying, and his place is one of the model farms of the community. Besides accomplishing this great work of development he has always found time to work for every cause which would benefit those about him, and he has been called upon to serve in public office many times. He was school treasurer for 15 years, township treasurer for four years, and has served as township supervisor. In 1922 he was again elected to the office of township treasurer, and is serving in that capacity at the present writing. Dec. 3, 1887, at Wis. Rapids, Mr. Wittenberg married Miss Amelia John, daughter of Albert and Frederica John. Mrs. Wittenberg's parents were early settlers in Wood County; both are now deceased, and Mrs. Wittenberg passed away in 1906, leaving five children, Lena, Anna, William, Mabel, and Elnora. Of the children, William married Elsie Rheindecker and has two children, Esther and Arthur; he is associated with his father in the operation of the farm, and his wife keeps house for the family, assisted by Elnora. Lena is the wife of Rev. George Fierke, of Wittenberg, Wis. Anna married Charles Veri and lives on a farm in Port Edwards Township. Mabel is Mrs. William Brown, living in the State of Washington.