History: Spencer Twp., Marathon Co., Wis. (1913)

Contact: eldolken@potc.net

Surnames: Hayward, Rienow, Riendfleisch, Gripentrog, Cramer, Rietbrock, Chessak, Theusz, Milkowski, Berg, Kuppka, Maczynski, Gara

----Source: History of Marathon County Wisconsin and Representative Citizens, by Louis Marchetti, 1913, pg. 557 -  561.

Town of Spencer (1913)

TOWN OF SPENCER (1913)

The town of Spencer was organized in 1877, to consist of Township 26, Range 2 East. Its first chairman was John K. Hayward. The Wisconsin Central Railroad enters the township on the southeast corner and runs practically exactly diagonally through the township. It seems that the first homestead entered in all the territory along the Wisconsin Central line was made in this town. The earliest settlers in this as in other towns along the line of the Wisconsin Central were native Americans, many of them veterans of the Civil war. The German emigration set in afterwards, and a great majority of the town of Spencer belongs to that nationality. Some of the earliest farm settlers in that town who made fine profitable farms were: Charles Rienow who died about six years ago (but his family occupies the farm) and Gottfried Riendfleisch, Aug. Griepentrog, and Charles Cramer, who have excellent farms, although the clearing and getting out the stumps was unusually hard in that town because of the very large pine stumps which were on the land. There is a little saw mill in that town owned by the Consolidated Farm Company, which is doing some custom sawing for farmers. There are two cheese factories located in this town. The town is divided into three school districts, each having a good modern schoolhouse. The largest part of the settlement is on the east and north side of the town in the western portion of Marathon County settled through the efforts of Fred Rietbrock, of Milwaukee, and the town was justly given his name. The first settlers were of Polish nationality, in their majority workmen from Milwaukee who bought their land on favorable terms from Rietbrock. Most of them succeeded by hard work, industry, and economy in becoming well to do farmers and able to give their children a fair start in life, which they would hardly have been able to do in the congested district where they came from. Some of the newcomers returned to Milwaukee after a short stay, being unable to accustom themselves to the lonesome work in the woods, but the majority remained, and with the influx of more settlers, Germans among them, the burdens of the new settlement were more easily borne.

In a few years the growing village of Athens furnished a market for logs, there being the saw mill of Fred Rietbrock and a grist mill at Rib Falls were already in existence not to exceed from three to ten miles from the settlement.

A post office named "Poniatowski" was established where Joseph Chessak kept a store and took the farm produce in exchange for goods and helped the farm settlement along to the best of his ability.

There is now one creamery and one cheese factory established in this town, and there is a good market for all sorts of logs and cordwood at Athens.

The first settlers were Peter Theusz and Milkowski among the Polish people, and John Berg among the German.

The town is divided into four school districts, with as many good schoolhouses. It is an undisputable fact that the crop of children in Marathon County, especially among the farming population, is above the average. At Poniatowski there are two Catholic churches, both fine, large brick buildings, and a similar parsonage, all in close proximity. The population is largely of that faith, but being of Polish and German nationality, the desire to have the sermon preached in their mother tongue, in the language which they best understand, was the determining factor in the erection of the two churches. Rev. Florian Kuppka is the resident rector of both churches. He speaks not only the Polish and German languages, but is just as proficient in the English tongue, and there is complete harmony between both congregations.

The Holy Family Polish Church was founded in the year 1882. The first priest was Reverend Maczynski and after him came Rev. A. Gara, under whose patronage the first church was built in 1888 and who remained with the congregation until 1898. He was succeeded by several priests until the present rector, Rev. Florian Kuppka, arrived in July, 1908. The membership of this congregation is ninety-five families.

The German Holy Trinity Mission Church was built in 1888 and has a membership of thirty-four families.