Bio: Matkovich, Martin & Theresa

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Kocyan, Trunkel, Daughenbach, Dill, Gnader, OBlack, Bertrand, Rauen

----Source: Family Scrapbook

Martin was born in Jugoslavia on August 30, 1886 and came to the United States in 1905 and lived in Ely and Virginia, Minnesota. He was married in Virginia, Min¬nesota on August 17, 1908 to Theresa Kocyan. Theresa was born on December 24, 1888 in Jugoslavia and came to the United States at the age of 18. She settled in Min¬nesota also, and worked in a boarding house where she met Martin.

After their marriage they lived in Marion, Minnesota for six years and came to Willard in 1914 by train. (Louis was four years old when they came by train and does remember the trip to Willard.) Six children were born to them: Ann, born in 1909; Louis, in 1910; John, in 1911 and Martin, in 1913. They were born in Minnesota. Amelia, in 1914 and Marie, in 1919 were born in Willard.

Someone was waiting for them with a team of horses and wagon at the depot and then took them to their farm (currently Duwayne Trunkel farm) which had a one room house and lots of rock. When they got to their farm from Minnesota, Louis remembers his mother going in the house and she sat down and cried. Martin was a watchman in the mines in Minnesota before coming to Willard and at first felt they really made a mistake leaving a good job and coming to Willard. They bought one cow and one horse and that is how they got started farming. They picked stones from morning to night - day after day getting the land cleared.

Chud Daughenbach lived across the road from the Matkovich farm and he taught Theresa how to can berries and some baking. Chud built some houses in the Willard area including the one Louis lives in now. At one time Martin and Theresa owned that property. It was sold to Louis when he married in 1939. Chud had built their upstairs railing by hand and it was saved during remodeling and is now in the Don Kirn home. This railing is approximately 80 years old.

Martin at one time was clerk for the Town of Hendren and was a member of the Willard school board. They retired from farming in 1946 and then built a house in Willard.

Louis married Beulah Dill in 1939, they farm in Willard. Ann Gnader is living in California. John married the former Alvina Oblack of Willard. He lives in Bellevue, Washington; Amelia married Sam Bertrand, she is now deceased; Martin lives in Tigerton, Wisconsin; and Marie is married to Leonard Rauen and now lives in Burlington, Wisconsin.

Martin passed away in September of 1962 at the age of 76. Theresa was 92 years of age when she passed away in 1982.