Bio: Seubert, John (1855 – 19??)

Contact: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Seubert, Sherry, Miller, Ritger, Bayer, Waltdrap, Martin, Misoll, Harskin

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

---Seubert, John (15 April 1855 – 19??)

JOHN SEUBERT. There are many wealthy and prominent men in Wisconsin and Marathon County has its full quota, and the larger number of these has built up their fortunes through industry and good judgment in their lumber and agricultural operations. One of the well known men of the town of Cassel, Marathon county, residing in section 9, four and one-half miles west of Marathon City, owns 650 acres of valuable land, on which stands the finest rural residence in the entire county. He was born in Washington County, Wisconsin, April 15, 1855, a son of Nicholas and Margaret Seubert. The father died when John was nine years old, leaving a family of six sons and four daughters.  

The early years of Mr. Seubert were more or less toilsome for the family was large and a living had to be made out of the home farm and he worked for neighboring farmers, getting a very small amount of schooling in the meanwhile, and spent many winters in the logging camps in the woods. In 1882, near Marshfield, Wis., he bought eighty acres of land, made a clearing there and built a house. His next purchase was of eighty acres two miles north of his first farm, in the town of Spencer, Marathon County, cleared sixty acres of it, remodeled the house and built a barn. During some seven years while owning that place he engaged in logging in the winters in Ashland County for Henry Sherry, devoting his summers to farming. After he sold that place he moved to Marathon City where he went into a general store business under the firm name of Miller, Ritger & Seubert, and during the succeeding ten years he was a buyer of lumber and the other members of the firm carried on the store, all having their capital involved. Mr. Seubert then sold his interest there and in the spring of 1901 bought his present farm, which was then all woods and so dense that he had to cut a road for two miles in order to reach his property. He built a log house there and since then improvements have followed swiftly. He has 288 acres cleared, 170 acres of which he calls hay land and he carries on all his large agricultural operations himself, with the assistance of his sons. In November, 1901, the present handsome modern residence of fourteen rooms was completed, in which has been installed city comforts including a system of hot water heating.  

On May 16, 1882, Mr. Seubert was married to Miss Frances Bayer, who was born at Menasha, Wis., a daughter of George and Katie (Waltdrap) Bayer, who were born in Germany. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Seubert: Johanna, who is the wife of Jacob Martin; Clara, who is the wife of Fred Misoll, residing in Idaho; Peter, who was born at Marshfield; Gust, who was born after the family moved to Marathon City, where all the remaining children were born: Madaline, Mathilda, Frances, Agatha and Aloysius. Mr. Seubert and family are members of St. Mary's Catholic Church, to the building of which he was a liberal contributor. He is a Democrat but his business interests have always so engaged his time that he never felt free to accept public office. He is a stockholder in the State Bank of Marathon City; is interested also in the local telephone company, and in the Seubert Harskin Land Company, the Colby Southern Land Company and the Wausau Southern Land Company. He is identified fraternally with the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin and the Foresters.