Bio: Bergant John Sr. & Margaret (Mitzie)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Bergant, Gornik, Morris, O’Gorman, Kile, Cohara

----Source: Family Scrapbook

John Bergant Sr. was Dorn in Austria on July 22, 1875. He came to America around 1901. He lived in Jonesville, Illinois where he worked in the coal mines for some years. He received his citizenship there. He traveled the western states working in mines and did some carpenter work which was his trade.

He came to the Willard area in 1914, bought a farm in what was then known as the Gorman Station acres. This area was well settled by this time so he was busy building barns. He cleared his land, cutting trees and blasting stumps, also planted apple trees. He made wine, homebrew and "Mountain Dew" to the delight of the neighborhood.

In 1922 John met and married Margaret Gornik at Eveleth, Minnesota. They were married on May 21st and shortly thereafter he brought his bride to Willard. She recalls the sight before her eyes when she arrived at her new home as "nothing but brush and an ugly black cat sitting under the porch steps".

John and Margaret raised four children. They had one son and three daughters which includes a set of twins. John Jr. married Marie Morris. Amelia (Amy) married John O'Gorman, lives in Milwaukee. Julia (Julie) married David Kile, lives in Thorp, Wisconsin. Margaret (Mitzie) married Andrew Cohara and lives in Willard.