Bio: Karas, Sigismund (1860 - 19??)

Contact: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Karas, Frenzel, Murray, Paungartner, Vahldieck

---Source: History of Marathon County Wisconsin and Representative Citizens, by Louis Marchetti, 1913.

Karas, Sigismund (18 April 1860 - 19??)

SIGISMUND KARAS,* proprietor of the Karas Machine Shop and Automobile Garage, at Wausau, Wis., has been a resident of this city for many years, owns valuable property here and is one of the reliable and well known business men. He was born at Vienna, Austria, April 18, 1860, and is a son of Mathias and Mary Karas, the former of whom was a farmer and also a mechanic and gunsmith.  

In his youth and under his father's direction, Sigismund Karas learned the machinist's trade. He remained at home until he was twenty-one years of age, after which he worked for large machine companies in their shops in Austria. In 1889 he came to America and to, Wausau. Here he found employment as a machinist in the old Frenzel works and afterward, for almost five years he was with the D. J. Murray Company, when he started a small repair shop of his own on the site where he is still located. Subsequently he bought the land and erected on it a shop with dimensions of 18 x 30 feet, which may be compared with his present place of 32 x 60 feet, which he finds none too large as he has plenty of work to keep about six men busy. He also handles the Imperial automobiles and supplies and does a large business along this line. His garage is situated at Nos. 904-906 Third Street, and his residence is at No. 908 Third Street, and he owns the entire property.  

Mr. Karas was married in Germany, in June, 1889, to Miss Maria Paungartner, and when they reached Wausau his money capital was thirty-five cents. They have two children: Rosa, who is the wife of Louis Vahldieck and they have a daughter, Helen; and Rudolph, who is employed by Mr. Karas, as is also Mr. Vahldieck. Mr. Karas is one of the charter members of the local lodge of the Equitable Fraternal Union. His success in business may be attributed to his thorough knowledge of his particular line of work and to his unremitting industry. He is a highly respected resident of Wausau.