Weyres, Valentine

The Weyres Family lived on Corbett Road, Town of Somers

1880 U.S. Federal Census
Valentine Weyres, born about 1847 in Prussia, age 33
Mary Weyres, born about 1859 in Wisconsin, age 23

Valentine and Mary Weyres
Valentine (Valentinus) Weyres (Weires) was born March 6, 1846 in Feuerscheid, Bitburg Prum, Eifel Region, Rheineland-Palatinate, Germany.  He was the son of Thomae Weires and Annae Margarethae Thiltges or Thieltges.  Valentine married Miss Mary Niederprim, daughter of Wilhelmus Niederprim and Magdalena Thiessen-Niederprim September 8, 1879 in Waukegan, Illinois.  Read more about the Niederprim family.

Valentine Weyres arrived in the U.S. on October 1871 - Detroit.
(Source:  Naturalization Records, Kenosha County)

Children of Valentine and Mary

Mathias (Matt) Weyres, born July 1, 1880 in Racine.  Died March 18, 1918 in Racine.




(©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of Lynn Thompson Powell)

"Mathias Weyres, a progressive farmer, died last night at the age of 37 years.  He was born in Kenosha County and lived in Mount Pleasant and Somers for the last 20 years, where he was quite well known and had many friends.  He is survived by three sisters - Mrs. Joseph Lotz and Mrs. Peter Mandernach of Mount Pleasant, and Mrs. Gus O' Day of St. Paul; and three brothers, William Weyres of Washington, now in the airplane service, Thomas Weyres, with the U.S. forces in France, and Joseph Weyres of Mount Pleasant.  The remains will be taken from Beffel's funeral parlors this evening to the home of his sister, Mrs. Joseph Lotz, and the funeral services will be conducted Saturday morning from St. George's Church in Kenosha."
(Source:  Racine Journal Times March 21, 1918)


Mary (Mamie) Elizabeth Weyres, born October 2, 1881 in Racine.  Mary married Joseph Lotz at St. George Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin on May 2, 1900.  Mary Weyres Lotz died September 28, 1941 in Racine, Wis.

Children of Joseph and Mary Weyres Lotz
Edmund John Lotz, born about 1901 in Mt. Pleasant, Racine County
Lawrence Valentine Lotz, born about 1903 in Mt. Pleasant, Racine County
Bernard Frank Lotz, born about 1904 in Mt. Pleasant, Racine County
Rose Lotz, born about 1908/09 in Mt. Pleasant, Racine County
Robert William Lotz, born about 1912 in Somers, Kenosha County
Mary Elizabeth Lotz, born about 1914 in Somers, Kenosha County
Aloysius Joseph (also known as Louis J. on census) Lotz, born about 1921 in Somers, Kenosha County

The Joseph and Mary (also known as Mamie) Weyres Lotz family
(©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of Lynn Thompson Powell)

Angelina (Annie) Weyres, born October 31, 1883 in Racine.  Angelina married Fordyce Cyrus Miles in 1940 in Iowa.  Angelina Weyres Miles died November 10, 1976 in Duluth, Saint Louis, Minnesota.

(©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of Lynn Thompson Powell)

Helena (Lena) Weyres, born March 8, 1889 in Racine.  Lena married Peter Mandernach on November 11, 1908 in Racine, Wis.  Lena Weyres Mandernach died August  9, 1968 in Kenosha.

William Weyres, born October 4, 1891 in Racine.  William married Lillian M. Schrader on August 21, 1919 in Racine.  William Weyres died Feb. 9, 1976 in Racine.

Thomas Weyres, born October 24, 1895 in Racine.  Thomas married Ida Marie Behrens on October 11, 1921 in Racine.  Thomas Weyres died May 7, 1935 in Racine.

Margaret Weyres, born January 1894 in Racine.  Margaret died August 3, 1894 in Racine.

Joseph Theodore Weyres, born October 3, 1902 in Town of Somers, Kenosha County.  Joseph married Gertrude Catherine Mueller (also known as Miller) on May 5, 1927 in Racine.  Joseph Weyres died December 10, 1983.   Gertrude Mueller Weyres was born July 31, 1903 and died March 19, 1967.
(Information Courtesy of Lynn Thompson Powell)

Joseph Weyres and Gertrude Mueller Weyres
(©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of Lynn Thompson Powell)



Joseph Weyres and Gertrude Mueller Weyres Wedding
Maid of Honor is Fran Blackburn (Seitz) and Best Man is Bernard Lotz
(©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of Lynn Thompson Powell)
 

Joseph Weyres ObituaryJoseph T. Weyres, 81, 2521 14th Place, died Saturday (Dec. 10, 1983) morning at his home.  The son of Valentine and Mary (Niederprim) Weyres, he was born Oct. 3, 1902 in the Town of Somers.  He attended Kenosha County schools and moved to Koshkonong, Mo., in 1975.  He moved back to Kenosha in October of this year.  On May 5, 1927 he married Gertrudge Mueller in Racine.  She died in 1967.  He installed awnings for Godske Awning Co., Racine, for more than 35 years and retired in 1975.  While living in Kenosha he was a member of St. George Catholic Church.  He also was active as a baseball and softball umpire in Kenosha for many years.  Surviving are a son, James Weyres, of Koshkonong; two daughters, Mrs. Richard (Rosemary) Thompson, Somers, and Mrs. Harland (Beverly) Reidenbach, Kenosha; 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by three brothers, William, Thomas and Mathias; and three sisters, Mamie Lotz, Lena Mandernach and Annie Miles.





Joseph Weyres driving The Godske Co. truck, May 19, 1941.
(©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of Lynn Thompson Powell)
 

A Story About Joseph Weyres, Godske, Air City Airport in Sturtevant, Sylvania Airport in Sturtevant, Wisconsin

James B. Weyres (1933-2011) was the son of Joe and Gertrude (Mueller) Weyres.  James was a professor at the State University of Arkansas.  He had a pilot's license and regularly flew from Little Rock to Kenosha to visit family.  Joe also flew with James but it is not know if he was a licensed pilot.  Prior to retirement, Joe Weyres worked for the Godske Awning Co., operated by Carlyle Godske, who also managed the Air City Airport in Sturtevant, Wisconsin located along Durand Avenue, east of Eight Avenue (now 90th Street).  A large cement block hanger building (used as a warehouse by Auer Steel) remains at the time of writing this article.  The grass runway that roughly paralleled Durand Avenue (Highway 11) has been built over by commercial developments including Farm & Fleet and the Kilarney Apartments.  In 1943 and 1944, a POW (Prisoner of War) camp was located at northwest (kitty corner) from the airfield.  A Phillips gas station was located on that corner, prior to the POW camp.  The station was operated by Les Feuerer whose son, Les, Jr. married Rita Miller, a niece of Gertrude Miller Weyres.

During the decade preceding WW2, Air City was a busy place on weekends, during the summer, and fall.  Air shows, parachute jumping, stunt flying (barnstorming) as it was called, and appropriate too since there were two large barns, Pierce and Mikleson farms, on two boundaries of the runway.  I remember stopping off at the airport when walking home from catechism class at St. Sebastian's on Saturday afternoons with sisters Fran and Marie.

The airport was financed by a Dr. Ross who envisioned a great future for Air City.  The Air Port Inn Tavern, and the hanger in which versions of the Canadian Canack aircraft were built, are about all that remain of Air City Airport.

Two miles west of Air City on Durand Avenue, another airfield attracted barnstormers from about 1928 to about 1938.  Carlyle Godske was instrumental in creating this airfield.  Mr. Godske employed Ed Hedeen to manage the facility which was located on farmland owned by Peter Braun, brother of John (Johannes) Braun, my grandfather. (Just south is the east/west road called Braun Road in Racine County).  Peter had followed John from the Verscheit area of Germany, settled in the Sturtevant area and raised a large family, most of whom migrated to the Milwaukee area in the 30's.  The house and farm buildings remain, having been purchased by the Creuzinger Farms of Sturtevant.  The airfield utilization was short lived and is thought to have been abandoned in the mid-30's.  No structures remain.

About a mile northwest of this site there is the Sylvania Airport, a small privately owned airfield started by the Koser family, that hosts private airplane owners and has limited events such as skydiving, made safer by the development of "steerable" parachutes.

Less that two miles to the south was the University of Lawsonomy airstrip, located between Braun Road and "KR" Kenosha-Racine County Line Road and east of I-94.  It has returned to agricultural use.  Information can be found in the "Grass Roots History of Racine County."

Carlyle Godske was instrumental in obtaining the A.J. Horlick property on the northwester side of Racine for use as the Racine Airport, once known as Horlick-Racine Airport.  It is now known as Racine's Batten Field.

There were a number of privately owned landing strips located around the county such as the one at the former Fancher's Nursery on Highway 20 and H.  The need for support facilities at a central facility led to the demise of the dream of "an airplane in every driveway."
(Source:  Compiled by Hubert H. Braun, September 2013 and copy courtesy of Lynn Thompson Powell)

Thompson-Jensen Family Group Photos

Summer of 1909 or 1910
Normal Eugene Thompson - 52 years old
Julia B. Stetson Thompson - 53 years old
Wendell Rhodes standing in front row - 4 or 5 years old
Seated at left - Ned Ozanne, Jim Spencer, Normal E. Thompson, Jay W. Rhodes
Back row standing - Mollie Rhodes Spencer (2nd wife), Julia Stetson Thompson, Mabel Cook Rhodes.
Somers, Wisconsin

(©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of Lynn Thompson Powell)

 



Old School Mate Party for Christine at Laura Thompson's
Alice B. Bailey, Mabel Longmore, Sena Iverson, Emma Jensen, Christine Maegaard, Kathrine S. Pophal
Minnie Ozanne, Fannie Baker, Anna Jensen, Kittie Haigh
Somers, Wisconsin

(Source:  ©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of Lynn Thompson Powell)

 

 

Somers Vintage Photos

Old Blacksmith Shop, Highway E, Somers, Wisconsin
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection

Jim Bullamore House (brother of Albert)
located directly behind the Bullamore Bros. store, Somers, Wisconsin
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection

Bullamore Bros. General Merchandise store in Somers, Wisconsin
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection

William Bullamore, father of Jim and Albert
Somers, Wisconsin
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection

Albert and Eunice Bullamore House
This house was located on the "back road"
Somers, Wisconsin
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection

1938 - Burr Oak School, Somers, Wisconsin

Seated:  Marge Aderman, Edward Cornwall, Don Aderman, Teddy Hart, Wayne Aderman, Charlie Clark, Bunky Tabbert, Carol Rhodes, Jean Bush, Betty Aderman, Janice Christensen, Barb Fenske

Standing:  Edith Tabbert, ?, Eleanor Struhart, Joan Yule, Vern Christensen, Don Tabbert, Lloyd Christensen, Miss Rose Stevens, Joseph Struhart, Don Bush, Floyd Bailey, Glenn Heide, ?, Bill Bush, Everett Cornwall, Wesley Tabbert, Gene Bailey, Pete Kristianseon, Herbie Kristianson, Audrey Christensen, Beverly Beechner, Glenn Bailey, Harold Kristianson

©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection

Somers Congregational Church (building on right)
Parsonage (house in center of photo)
Highway E, Somers, Wisconsin
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection



Somers Superette, Highway E, West of Railroad Tracks, Somers, Wisconsin
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection

Somers Superette, Highway E, West of Railroad Tracks, Somers, Wisconsin
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection

The "village" of Somers, Wisconsin looking west from the railroad tracks
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection



Somers Congregational Church, Somers, Wisconsin
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection

Somers Creamery (Fenske)
This building was located on "back street".  It was converted into a the Fenske Garage which serviced automobiles for many years.  In the 1970's Fenske's son-in-law purchased the garage and opened Mel's Auto Service, owned by Melvin Klapproth.
©2014 Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson.  Photo Courtesy of the Ellen Klapproth Mortensen Collection

Rider

Partial 1908 Map of Somers Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin
J. Reider, 39 acres.  See parcel by the number "12" on map.
Farm located on Wood Road just south of location of Wood Road School.
(Note:  Reider and Rider spellings are used on census and county documents)
 

John (Jack) Rider
John R. (Jack) Rider, 86, Racine, died Monday night at St. Luke's Memorial Hospital, Racine.  He was born on May 30, 1893 in the Town of Somers, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John (Margaret) Rider.
On April 21, 1917 in Racine, he married Louise Svitavsky.
He was a farmer in Kenosha County for many years and retired in 1962.  He was a member of Kenosha County Farm Bureau.
Surviving are his wife; a son, John J.; a daughter, Mrs. Joseph T. (Florence) Broesch; and a brother, William P.
(Source:  Racine Journal June 18, 1979)
(Note:  See information about the Broesch family on this site.)

John and Margaret Rider
1900 U.S. Census - lived in Somers
Married 1892
John Rider born about 1863

Gascoigne

Dr. Glarence Gascoigne
Dr. Clarence C. Gascoigne, 74, Bradenton, Florida, died in Adrian, Michigan, Saturday.  He was born in Somers on Sept 20, 1904, the son of the late Thomas and Julia Gascoigne.
He graduated from Marquette Medical School in 1932.  He practiced in Kenosha for several years before becoming a company doctor for Kohler Co., Kohler, Wisconsin where he worked until his retirement.
Survivors include his wife, Florence, Bradenton, Florida; two sons, Dr. Richard Gascoigne, Adrian, Mich. and Dr. James Gascoigne, Tuscaloosa, Ala., and six grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents and by a brother, Everett.
(Source:  Racine Journal May 5, 1979)

Esther "Ruby" Gascoigne Share

Father:  Samuel Philip Gascoigne

Mother:  Margaret Mary Bose Gascoigne

Born:  July 27, 1910

Married July 19, 1936 to Jack Share

Died:  July, 1981 in Orlando, Orange County, Florida

Buried:  Oviedo Cemetery, Seminole County, Florida

Moved:  1930 to Orlando

She was a seamstress by occupation and hobby and went by the name of Ruby rather than Esther for much of her life.  She married restauranteur, Jack Share, in Ohio, and moved to central Florida where they owned a tavern.  She and Jack had two children, Karen Share Brockman, and William Share.

(Source:  Charity Brockman April 16, 2024)

William Gascoigne
William E. Gascoigne, 66, 1905 Birch Road, died at his home Monday evening following a short illness.
He was born in Kenosha on July 7, 1903, a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Gascoigne, Sr. and received his education I local schools.  Mr. Gascoigne was employed as a parpenter for many years, retiring in 1952.
He married Marie Wallig on November 28, 1928, at St. Anthony Church.  She died on Dec. 21, 1967.
Mr. Gascoigne was  a member of St. George Church and the Carpenters Local 161.
(Source:  Racine Journal Sept 15, 1969)

Everett T. Gascoigne
Everett T. Gascoigne, 76, Friendship, Wisconsin, died at the Adams County Hospital Saturday morning following a long illness on Oct. 2, 1976.
Born in Somers Township on July 12, 1900, he was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Gascoigne.  He received his education in the schools of Kenosha.
On April 17, 1926 he married Florence F. Fogarty.  Florence passed away at the age of 75 at Shady Lawn West Nursing Home in Kenosha.  Everett operated Gascoigne Garage from 1926 to 1941.
Mr. Gascoigne served as business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers No. 127 for eight years.  He also served as Treasurer of the Wisconsin International Brotherhood Electrical Workers State Conference.  He was a past president of the Building Trades Union.  He served on the Kenosha Harbor Commission until 1966 when he moved to Castle Rock Lake, Friendship.  There he served as Assessor for the Township of Quincey.
He was a member and past president of the Kenosha Eagles Club.  He was also a member of the Mound View Country Club, Friendship.
(Source:  Racine Journal)

Robert John Gascoigne
Robert John Gascoigne, 61, Presque Isle, Wisconsin, died unexpectedly at his home Monday night.  He was born on May 25, 1912 in Kenosha, the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Samuel P. Gascoigne, and attended school here.  He had resided in Kenosha all his life until moving to Presque Isle two years ago.
On Oct 6, 1937, in Kenosha, he married Margaret Hugunin.
(Source:  Racine Journal. No date on clipping)

Mrs. Julia Gascoigne
Mrs. Julia C. Gascoigne, 82, died at Kenosha Hospital yesterday afternoon following a five-week illness.  The daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. George Breckenfield, she was born in Racine Sept 25, 1877.
She spent her early life and received her education in Racine and moved to Somers Township in 1899.  She came to Kenosha to make her home in 1914.  On June 20, 1899 she married Thomas W. Gascoigne, who preceded her in death on Feb. 16, 1943.  She was a member of the First Methodist Church, Kenosha Chapter 92 of the Order of Eastern Star and the Royal Neighbors of America.

Survivors include two sons, Everett T., Kenosha; Dr. C.C. Gascoigne, Kohler, Wis. a brother and a sister, William Breckenfield, Winthrop Harbor, and Mrs. Martha Eisenhut, Racine.  She was preceded in death by three brothers and three sisters.
(Source:  Racine Journal.  No date on clipping)

Pfc Arthur E. Gascoigne

The remains of Pfc. Arthur E. Gascoigne, son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Gascoigne, Rt. 4 Box 45 Somers, will be returned to Kenosha Friday for reburial.

Gascoigne was killed in an accident in France May 16, 1945, eight days after the cease fire order had been given.

He was born in Kenosha November 10, 1916, and received his education at the Berryville School.  He was employed by Thompson and Marken in Somers before entering the army November 13, 1941.  Gascoigne was attached to an ordinance unit going overseas in 1943.  He was overseas 21 months before his death occurred.

He was a member of the St. Thomas Aquinas Church.

In addition to his parents, he is survived by seven brothers, William, Walter, Robert, Samuel Jr., Roger, Harvey and George; and five sisters, Mrs. Viola Swanson, Mrs. Lyle McLain, Mrs. Martha Canterbury, Miss Elsie Gascoigne, all of Kenosha, and Mrs. Ruby Share, of Orlando, Florida.

(Source:  Kenosha News December 16, 1948)

Yunk

George H. Yunk
George Henry Yunk, 74, died at St. Catherine's Hospital Sunday afternoon following a long illness.
Born in Somers, Wisconsin on June 23, 1900, he was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. John Yunk.  Mr. Yunk farmed in Somers Township until retiring five years ago.

He was a member of Somers Volunteer Fire Department.

Survivors include two brothers, Marvin A. Yunk, Elcho, Wisconsin; and Leslie f. Yunk, Somers; and a sister, Mrs. Merle (Lila) Maurer, Racine.  He was also preceded in death by a sister, Mrs. Lucy Glasman.  Union Grove Cemetery.
(Source:  Racine Journal June 8, 1975)

The Yunk farm was located on Highway E (Somers Road) between Highway 31 and Highway EA near the railroad tracks.

U.S. Census Information
John Yunk was born in 1871 in St. Jacoby, Holland
He died in Racine May, 1940
Immigrated 1873
Spouse:  Charlotte "Lottie" Jane Lee (1874-1955)
John and Charlotte were married April 11, 1899

Children of John and Lottie Yunk
Lucy Alice (1902-1971)
Marvin Alvin (1905-1982)
Lila Mildred, born 1908
Leslie Fred, born 1911

Bakery and Grocery Store

"A bakery has opened in the village."
(Source:  Racine Daily, September 19, 1911)

"Another general merchandise store is to be opened in Somers.  Carl Hitzler, who has been with Louis Fenske in the creamery for some time, has entered into partnership with Gus Mogenson and will conduct in connection with the bakery business, a general grocery store."
(Source:  Racine Daily, May 21, 1912)

St. Casimir Cemetery

Saint Casimir Cemetery
Sign on 47th Avenue
47th Avenue just north of Washington Road
Somers Township, Kenosha County
(Source:  Photo courtesy of Jacqueline K. Nelson)

Saint Casimir Cemetery
Peaceful circle drive with very old trees
47th Avenue just north of Washington Road
Somers Township, Kenosha County
(Source:  Photo courtesy of Jacqueline K. Nelson)

Saint Casimir Cemetery
47th Avenue just north of Washington Road
Somers Township, Kenosha County
(Source:  Photo courtesy of Jacqueline K. Nelson)

Partial 1908 Map of Somers Township, Kenosha County
Emil F. Falk property showing Polish Cemetery

St. Casimir Polish Cemetery
47th Avenue north of Washington Road, Township of Somers, Kenosha County

History:

"Says the Kenosha News: Deeds filed in the office of the Register of Deeds transferred ten acres of the farm of Emil F. Falk in the Town of Somers to St. Casimir's Church congregation. The purchase price was $1,250. The property is to be used as a cemetery for the burial of Polish people and it is the plan of the Trustees of the Congregation to have it surveyed and platted within the next few weeks. It will be ready for use by early summer. Since the organization of the Polish Catholic church in the city of Kenosha, the members of the congregation have had no regular place for the burial of their dead."
(Source: Racine Journal, March 9, 1906)

"This is a small, lovely, Catholic Cemetery, formerly serving the mostly Polish member of the now closed St. Casimir Parish, 1009 Washington Avenue, Kenosha, Wisconsin. The Cemetery is now merged with St. George Cemetery, 2909 Sheridan Road, Kenosha, Wisconsin.  Both cemeteries are administered by St. Elizabeth Catholic Parish, 4816 7th Avenue, Kenosha, Wis.
(Source: BillionGraves.com)

Click here for the history of St. Casimir Parish in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Doctor

Somers had several "resident" doctors that served the community.  Postings relating to other doctors will be added as information becomes available.


"Dr. G.N. Almfeld, of Chicago, has located at Somers.  He comes highly recommended and seems to be the right man.  His office is in the Presbyterian Parsonage."
(Source:  Racine Journal, Aug. 18, 1905)

Basketball

"The Pike Woods Basketball team played the Somers team two games Friday evening at Woodman Hall.
Pike Woods:  First A. Werve; f, G. Werve; M. Schmitt, center; Moran, g; Thomas, g.
Somers: First C. Jensen, f; H. Tabbert, f; F. Bradley, center, P. Rice, g; O. Tabbert, g.
Somers 29 - Pike Woods 26

Referee-Herzog.  Scorer-Dixon, Moran.  Time keepers - J. Jensen, C. Dorey

Pike Woods: Second - Moran, f; Rogers, f; W. Thomas, center; F. Gascoigne, g, G. Thomas, g.
Somers: Second - G. Leet, f; H. Gascoigne, f; E. Jensen, center; C. Lytle, g; Bishop, g.
Somers, 36 - Pike Woods 12
(Source:  Racine Journal March 30, 1906)

Woodward, Betsy

Partial 1908 Map of Somers Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin
This official map shows Betsy Woodworth owns 50 acres of Section 6, This is an error according to a descendant of the family.  The correct name of the person who owned the property should be Betsey Molyneux Collier Woodward.

 

Woodward
Henry Woodward was born at Bedford, Leigh, Lancashire, England on March 12, 1853 to William and Betsey (Collier) Woodward.  His wife, Elizabeth (Betsy) Mathers was born at Bolton, England on April 30, 1854.  They came to America in 1883 and lived with Richard and Martha Collier on a farm in Section 6, Somers Township, Kenosha County.  Henry and Betsy had seven children, 6 boys and one girl.  Henry died May 20, 1903 and Betsy died Feb. 2, 1937.

Children of Henry and Betsy Woodward
James - born Dec. 22, 1873 at Bolton, Lancashire, England.  James and his 2 wives are buried at Sylvania Cemetery in Yorkville Township, Racine County.
William - born Dec. 8, 1875 at Bolton, Lancashire, England.  Died March 28, 1924. Never married.  Buried at Sylvania Cemetery.
John Woodward - born Oct. 29, 1878 at Bolton, Lancashire, England.  Married to Wilhelmina (Minnie) Heidersdorf, daughter of Christian and Margaret Heidersdorf (neighbors) Dec. 1, 1922.  Died May 23, 1950.  Buried at West Lawn Cemetery, Racine County.
Margaret Woodward - born May 14, 1884, married to Otto Melcher. No children.  Buried at Sylvania.
Thomas Woodward - born Feb. 29, 1888 at Sylvania (twin died in infancy). Married. Died on Feb. 21, 1973 and buried at West Lawn Cemetery.
Richard - born April 26, 1890 at Sylvania.
Fred - born Nov. 29, 1894 in Wisconsin.  Died 1979. Never married.  Buried at Sylvania.

Richard's son, Vernon Donald Woodward, born May 2, 1929 lived on the Woodward farm in Section 6, Somers Topwnship.

James' son, Earl Woodward, married Frances Glad Peterson who was born at  Uncle Knud Hansen's home in Somers Township.

(Source:  Mary Anne Falk, April 1991, Sylvania Cemetery Board of Trustees)

Hansen, Knud

Partial 1908 Map of Somers Township, Kenosha County
K. Hansen, Section 5 West

 

Knud Hansen
Knud Hansen was born on April 26, 1866 in Jutland, Denmark.  He married Inger H. Andersen, daughter of Rasmus and Inger (Johansen) Andersen in Denmark.  They came to America in 1891 with Inger's parents.  He farmed in Somers Township.  They had two daughters.  Inger died on November 21, 1904.  Knud died November 13, 1955.

Children of Knud Hansen and Inger H. Andersen Hansen
Ingrid Hansen - born October 6, 1890 in Denmark.  Married Joseph Valley.  The had 4 children.  Died March 16, 1970

Minnie Hansen - born Feb. 20, 1894 in Somers Township, Kenosha County, married to Fred Janecek on April 27, 1935 at Waukegan, Illinois.   Died Jan 6, 1983.

Buried at Sylvania Cemetery in Yorkville Township, Racine County, Wisconsin

(Source:  Mary Ann Culshaw Falk and the Sylvania Cemetery Board of Trustees, April 1991)

Lippert

Partial 1908 Map of Somers Township, Kenosha County
J. Lippert, 80 acres, Section 26
P. Lippert parcel, 80 acres, Section 28

Peter Lippert
Peter Lippert is now living retired in Kenosha, his home being at No. 121 Sheridan Road.  He was for a considerable period identified with agricultural interest in the County and afterward engaged in business along industrial lines, his well directed efforts bringing him the success that now enables him to put aside further business cares and responsibilities.  He was born in the Rhine Province of Germany, October 22, 1837, and is therefore nearing the eightieth milestone on life's journey.  His parents were Phillip and Efer (Kerper) Lippert, who spent their entire lives in the fatherland.

After acquiring his education in the schools of Germany, Peter Lippert learned the butcher's trade and also worked on the farm of his father, but when nineteen years of age he bade adieu to friends and native land and sailed for the United States, thinking to try his fortune in the new world.  Landing on the eastern coast, he made his was to Albany, New York, where he remained from April until the fall of that year and then came to Wisconsin.  For seven years he was a resident of Somers Township and afterward of Pleasant Prairie.  When he arrived in Wisconsin he had a cash capital of but fifty cents, so that he practically began life here empty-handed.

After working as a farm hand in the employ of others for four years he began renting land and cultivated a large farm of six hundred and forty acres.  After renting land for seven years he invested his savings in fifty acres and to this kept adding from time to time until he had two hundred and forty acres.

In 1890 he erected a fine brick residence and he has also built two other dwellings in Kenosha.  After leaving the farm he went to Chicago, where he purchased a bicycle shop which he conducted for three years, but at the end of that period he returned to Kenosha and purchased the machine shop that is now owned by Frank Wells, operating that plant until he retired from active business about five years ago.  His life has been a busy and useful one.  Few men remain active in business until they reach the age of seventy-four years, but Mr. Lippert did and enjoyed the goodwill, confidence, and his regard of all his business associates.

In 1861 occurred the marriage of Mr. Lippert and Miss Magdalena Thomy, who was born in Luxemburg, Germany, a daughter of William Thomy, who came to this county about 1856 and settled in the Town of Somers, there making his home until his death, which occurred about thirty-four years ago.  His wife, who bore the maiden name of Felicia Even and was also a native of Germany, survived him for some time and passed away about eighteen years ago.  Their daughter, Mrs. Lippert, attended school in Germany for six years and to some extent in America after the emigration of the family to the new world.  By her marriage she has become the mother of nine children:
William V. of Kenosha;
Elizabeth, who is bookkeeper for J.A. Pitts of Kenosha;
Catherine, the wife of Joseph Meyers, connected with the Milwaukee Railroad Company at Milwaukee;
Anna, the wife of F.R. Bartsch, a school teacher of Chicago;
Eugene, who is engaged in merchandising in Chicago;
Peter John, a graduate of St. Francis School of Milwaukee and was made Assistant Pastor of St. James Parish in Kenosha where he died sixteen years ago;
Lillian, who is now Sister Mary Bernardo and who after graduating from the High School of Kenosha and the Normal School of Chicago is now Sister Superior of a parochial school at Madison, Wisconsin;
Laura, who is a member of a Catholic Order and is now connected with Mercy Hospital in Chicago, being known as Sister Mary Victoria;
Lou C. a manufacturer of Kenosha who spent three years at the Jesuit Institute in Chicago and one year in St. Francis College at Milwaukee.

Mr. Lippert is a communicant of St. George's Catholic Church and is a member of St. Joseph Council of the Knights of Columbus.  He served for fourteen years on the School Board and has long been actively interested in affairs relating to the welfare and progress of his community.  He has never had occasion to regret his determination to come to the new world, for here he has found the opportunities which he sought and in their improvement has won success.
(Source: The City and County of Kenosha, Biographical Sketch, Vol. II, S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, 1916)




John Jacob Lippert and Catherine Pfisterer Lippert
June 26, 1895
(Source:  Photo from Linda_Treasure@ public posting of Ancestry.com)

John Lippert
A well improved farm property is that owned and occupied by John Lippert on Section 28, of Somers Township.  He was born near Trier, Germany, September 19, 1869, a son of Mathias and Katherine (Merentens) Lippert.  The father is still living in Germany, but the mother passed away in 1885.

John Lippert attended the public schools to the age of fourteen years and afterward worked with his father upon the home farm until he reached the age of eighteen.  He then came to the United States, for the reports which he had heard concerning the opportunities of the new world proved very alluring and  he resolved to try his fortune on this side of the Atlantic.  He arrived in Kenosha County empty-handed, dependent upon his own resources for all that he has since acquired and enjoyed.  For two years he was employed as a farm hand and later secured employement in Kenosha, spending some time in the Bain Wagon Works, while afterward he was employed in the Allen Tannery for ten years.

In 1893 he went to Iowa and was a farm hand in Dubuque County for one year.  In 1894 he returned to Kenosha and for two years was in the employ of John M. Blackman.  He next purchased eighty acres situated on Section 26, Somers Township, and has since been upon this farm.  All of the improvements are his work and the farm presents a most attractive appearance with its excellent buildings, its well kept fences, its modern machinery and highly cultivated crops.

On the 26th of June, 1895, Mr. Lippert was married to Miss Katrina Pfiesterer, a daughter of Jacob and Julie (Fellhauer) Pfiesterer, who were also natives of Germany and arrived in KKenosha County at an early period in it development.  Mr. and Mrs. Lippert became the parents of nine children, of whom Sophia is deceased.  Those still living are:  Julia; Mathew; Amelia; Marie; Phillip; Valentine; John; and Catherine.

The family are communicants of St. George Catholic Church, and Mr. Lippert is identified with the Catholic Order of Foresters.  He is now serving as Chairman of School District No. 2. 
(Source:  The City and County of Kenosha, Biographical Sketch, Vol. II, S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, 1916)


Philip Lippert
Philip Lippert, one of the representative and enterprising agriculturists of Kenosha County, owns and operates a well improved farm comprising eighty acres on Section 28, Somers Township.  His birth occurred in Germany on the 8th of January, 1865, his parents being Mathias and Kathrina (Mertes) Lippert.  The former still resides in the fatherland but the latter passed away.

Philip Lippert attended the common schools of Germany until fourteen years of age and then became an apprentice at the cabinet maker's trade.  In 1882, when a youth of seventeen, he crossed the Atlantic to the United States,  hoping to benefit by the advantages which he had heard might be enjoyed in this country.  During the first year of his residence in the new world he worked as a farm hand for his uncle in Pleasant Prairie Township and for the next five or six years was similarly employed by others.  Subsequently he rented land on shares for three years and during the following three years worked in Kenosha shops.  He then began farming on his own account and at the end of a year located on the Stevenson place, which he cultivated for a year and a half.  In 1895, he purchased a farm of eighty acres on Section 28, Somers Township, and has since devoted his time and energies to its operation, annually gathering good harvests which find a ready sale on the market.

In 1893 Mr. Lippert was united in marriage to Miss Sophia Kopp, a daughter of August Kopp.  He is a Democrat in his political views but not bitterly partisan, considering the capability of a candidate as of more importance than his party affiliation.  He is a devout communicant of St. George's Catholic Church and also belongs to St. Michael's Society.  Mr. Lippert has never had occasion to regret his determination to establish  his home in the new world, for here he has found the opportunities which he sought and through their wise utilization has won a gratifying and well merited measure of success.
(Source: The City and County of Kenosha, Biographical Sketch, Vol. II, S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, 1916)

Valentine Lippert
Valentine Lippert, who died on the 8th of May, 1916, and was buried in Kenosha, made his home on Section 28, Somers Township, and was a well known representative of farming interests in that locality. He was born February 14, 1840 in Germany, his parents being Philip and Eva Lippert.  He attended the common schools of his native country until eleven years of age, after which he was employed near his home for three years.  Later he took up carpenter work, spending a year and a half in learning the trade, which he later followed for three years.  He next went to France, where he worked for two years at carpentering, and then, thinking to have better opportunities in the new world, he crossed the Atlantic to the United States in 1867.

The following year Mr. Lippert arrived in Kenosha and for a time was employed at the carpenters' trade by Nicholas Pirsch.  He continued to engage in carpentering for several years and later was employed at farm labor for seven or eight years.  On the expiration of the period he removed to South Dakota, where he resided for three years, and then returned to Kenosha county, becoming identified with farming interests of Somers township.

Mr. Lipper always voted with the Republican party and for three years he served as Constable in Kenosha and was also a Member of the Town Board.  He belonged to the German Catholic Church and its teachings were a guiding force in his life.  He became comfortably situated and this was due to his earnest and well directed efforts, which brought to him a well deserved success, enabling him to enjoy all of the comforts and some of the luxuries of life.
(Source: The City and County of Kenosha, Biographical Sketch, Vol. II, S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., Chicago, 1916)

Methodist Episcopal Church of Somers

(Source:  "My Memoirs" by Minnie A.G. Ozanne. Copyright 1948)

First Methodist Church in Wisconsin Built in Somers
(Source:  Racine Journal Times, December 21, 1927)

"The first Methodist Episcopal Church building in the State of Wisconsin was erected in the year 1840 with a congregation made up of the families who had settled in the center of a wilderness that is now the Town of Somers, seven miles northwest of Kenosha.

Positive identification of this little group of pioneers is established with the discovery of some of the early "minutes" of the little congregation of immigrants who decided to go beyond the settlement of Pike Creek, now Kenosha, and go further inland to a little patch in the woods that had been leveled by a forest fire a year before.  Many of the interesting facts concerning this discovery are told by Mrs. E.G. Ozanne, of Somers, who is preparing an interesting history of the early days in the settlement of Somers.

While the first building to house a Methodist Episcopal congregation was built in 1840 the formation of the church organization came three years before when a prayer meeting was called in one of the rude log cabin houses constructed in the section by the first family to arrive.

The establishment of the church came immediately after the arrival of the three Kellogg brothers, Chauncey, Seth, and Thaddeus, and their families who had come with ex team and covered wagon from New England in August 1837.  In New England the three brothers had been prominently identified with the church, and one of their promises was to form a congregation as soon as they should settle.  In six days the brothers had helped construct six log cabins and during that time their group had been joined by twelve more families.

Seth Kellogg, the oldest of the of three brothers, called a prayer meeting for the seventh day and ten persons met in one of the cabins that bright Sunday morning.  A Sunday School was formed in which all ten enrolled, and Mrs. Seth Kellogg was named the first superintendent.

The result of this meeting bore its first fruit a month later when the sum of $200 was received as a gift by one of the Kellogg sisters who raised the funds in Sunday School in New York.  With this money to furnish such materials as were available by stage from Chicago and Milwaukee, the building was begun.  Chauncey Kellogg had been a carpenter in the east and he gave all his spare time to the erection of the church.  Austin Kellogg, another member of the original family, had been a blacksmith and he made the nails and braces for the building.

No one who worked on this building during the next two years accepted pay.  The timbers were hand hewn out of solid oak.  Benches and pews were planed from trees cut down at the edge of the clearing.  With all other work that required the attention of these pioneers church workers, the new building proceeded slowly.  when completed in the spring of 1840, the congregation had grown to 35 families.  At its large dedicatory service there were visitors from miles around.

The first regularly ordained minister who served the church, as available records show, was the Rev. Julius Field, who had married one of the Kellogg daughters.  He assisted in the building of the church and officiated at the consecration of the building.  Later he became Pastor of the First Methodist Church in Racine in 1845.  Ebenezer Washburn came to the village in 1843 to make his home with his daughter, Electa Washburn Kellogg, wife of Seth Kellogg.  He, known as "Father Washburn" was one of the early pastors.  He built a home for himself at the point that has since been known as Kellogg's Corners in the Town of Somers and lived there until 1850 when he moved to Racine.  He died in 1857.  Among the early ministers there were Rev. James Ozanne, Father Washburn, John Collett and Joshua Collier.

Among the ordained pastors were:  Delos Hale, George Parsons, A.J. Benjamin, E.L. Eaton, William Rollins, E.D. Kohlsted, M.L. Norris, and A.M. Sanford.  Rev. P.J. Lawson in 1910 was the last to occupy the pulpit.

Among the Sunday School superintendent were:  Mrs. Seth Kellogg, and Amon T. Gould, who operated a blacksmith shop at Kellogg's Corners for many years, and who held the superintendency of the Sunday School over a long period.

In 1860 a Sunday School festival was held with 300 present, most of them children of that original group of pioneers who founded the First Methodist Church in Wisconsin.

In 1916 the building was sold, taken down, and used in the building of a barn on a nearby farm.  The original lumber and timbers were found to be in an almost perfect state of preservation.

The day commemorating the 104th anniversary of that first prayer and Sunday School, following the arrival of these Kellogg brothers and their families, to that little patch in the woods that later became known as Kellogg's Corners, some sixty of their descendants met in reunion on the site of this first church.  A beautiful feature of this reunion was the dedicatory service of a large boulder that was one of the original corner-stones of the church foundation.  The unveiling was by two boys, Donald Mann, of Los Angeles, California, and James Beall, of Chicago, both descendants of the Kellogg's.  This boulder is beautifully engraved, and permanently set - a grand tribute to those early pioneers who came."

Cornerstone of the Methodist Church at Kellogg's Corners.
(Source: "My Memoirs" by Minnie A.G. Ozanne. Copyright 1948)

Austin Kellogg

Abresch

"William Abresch, aged 35 years, died at St. Mary's Hospital in Racine, on Wednesday afternoon after a lingering illness of consumption.  The deceased leaves a wife and two little children.  The funeral was held on Friday afternoon from the Holy Innocent's Church in Racine."
(Source:  Racine Journal Feb. 21, 1901)

Abresch family of Somers - more information here
I have some information on the Racine-Kenosha, Wisconsin, Abresch family I would like to contribute. First of all, my grandmother, Mary Maude McFarland (2/2/1870 – 8/15/1974) married William Abresch (12/3/1869 – 2/13/1901) in Racine, Wisconsin, on 8/20/1894. William had a brother John (1871 - ?) and a sister Mary. After William died in 1901, his widow, Mary Maude, married Peter Mueller who was my grandfather. So Mary Maude McFarland is the common link between the Abresch and the Mueller families.

William Abresch and Mary Maude McFarland had two sons that I am aware of -- John William Abresch (9/12/1895 – May 1977) and, your grandfather, Samuel Claude Abresch (8/21/1897 – 8/18/1983). John never married, and lived all his life in Racine as a tile setter for the Peterson Tile Co. and died of cancer in his 80’s. Sam enlisted in the US Navy during WWI, probably early in 1918.

During the1950’s and early 60’s when I was a youngster, Sam lived with my parents and his mother, Mary Maude, on our farm, the Mueller farm, (on the county line between Racine and Kenosha Counties) in the Town of Somers, Kenosha County, Wisconsin. I can recall him telling stories about his ship being torpedoed off the coast of Spain, and him being rescued and taken to Portugal by fishermen. Based on research I’ve done, I believe the ship that was sunk may well have been the USS Buenaventura, built in 1913 at Howden-on-Tyne, England. During the first year of World War I she was employed by the U.S. Army and, in July 1918, was transferred to the U.S. Navy and assigned to the Naval Overseas Transportation Service (NOTS). On 14 September, after unloading her cargo at Bordeaux, France, she sailed in a convoy bound for Philadelphia. Two days out of Bordeaux, the convoy was attacked by the German submarine U-46 off the northwest coast of Spain. The Buenaventura was hit by two torpedoes at 2045 hours, was abandoned and sank a few minutes later with the loss of 19 men. I think Sam got out of the Navy after the war but reenlisted sometime later. I recall him telling stories about serving aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma during the late 1920's and the 1930's when it was home-ported on the west coast. Sam married Della Simmons (4/16/1911 - ?) of Blanchard, Idaho, on 9/21/1928 in Everett, Washington. According to my father, they lived in either Garden Grove or Gardena, California, and had two children – Anna Mae Abresch (b. 3/13/1930) and William Bert Abresch (b. 8/13/1931) who I believe is your father. It appears that Della disappeared, leaving Sam alone in California with the children. In February 1938, Sam came back to the Racine area with his two children; his mother (Mary Maude McFarland Abresch Mueller) took care of them on the Mueller farm.

Anna Mae Abresch married Glenn Heide on 8/4/1951 and they had three children – Bruce (b. 3/6/1953), Patrick (b. 4/25/57) and Scott (b. 12/13/1958). Anna Mae later married David Borger on 4/29/1978; they had no children. William Bert Abresch married Lena (last name ?) and they had two children – William Abresch, your brother, and you, John Abresch. That’s all the information I have on the Abresch side of the family.

As for the Mueller side, William Abresch’s widow, Mary Maude McFarland, married Peter Mueller (8/1/1869 – 5/20/1946) on 9/6/1905 in Racine, Wisconsin. Together they had seven children:
Ethel Mueller (1906 – 1986) m. James Wayne
Francis Mueller (1908 – 1965) m. Germaine Raguth
Frank Mueller (1910 – 1993) m. Luella Everette
Frederick Mueller ( 1913 - ) m. Beatrice Hall
Henry Mueller (1915 – 2002) m. (1) Josephine Carlson, (2) Erica Dumas
Edwin Mueller (1918 - ) m. Marcella Thomas
Josephine Mueller (1920 - ) m. Francis Karls

My father is Edwin Mueller who is still living (as of 12/24/2005) on the same farm in Kenosha County where he was born, and which his father, Peter Mueller, owned before him.

Your tale of old family lore differs from the story I was told. In the version I am familiar with, it was Harriet McFarland, born on the Island of Guernsey in the English Channel, who worked as a stewardess on Great Lakes sailing vessels and drowned in a storm on Lake Erie in 1848. That event orphaned her son, Edwin P. McFarland (4/14/1846 – 8/220/1922) who was taken in by the Andersons who lived at the corner of Petrifying Springs Park on the Green Bay Trail near Kenosha, Wisconsin. Edwin P. married Josephine Seeley (3/27/1856 – 12/25/1932) on 3/30/1874 in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, and in 1890, after separating from his wife Josephine, he bought the Anderson house and brought his daughter, Mary Maude McFarland, there to live, where she grew up in the care of “Grandma” Anderson. Edwin McFarland took off for points south and eventually ended up in a Veterans Home in Johnson City, Tennessee, where he died. My father has his original Union Army discharge papers dated July 18, 1865. No farms that I know of were given to any of these people as wedding presents by wealthy landowners. Had that been the case with Mary Maude McFarland, she would not have had to scratch to eke out a living on her own between the time she was widowed with two young children, after William Abresch died in 1901, and when she married Peter Mueller in 1905.

I hope this helps. It gets confusing when there are many different individuals named John Abresch and William Abresch. I would appreciate any additional information about the Abresch family from the Racine/Kenosha area so I can fill in the blanks.
Mary (Mueller) Reinhart, De Pere, Wisconsin

Bowers

Partial 1908 Map of Somers Township, Kenosha County
Section 17, H. Bowers 100 acres.

Hiram Bowers
Hiram Bowers was born on September 28, 1860 at Sylvania, Racine County, and is the son of Isaac Bowers and Sarah Ann Lee, born in Lancashire, England.
He married Sarah Jennie Naylor, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Henderson) Naylor, on April 8, 1885 and farmed in Somers Township, Kenosha County.
Hiram and Sarah had three children.  Sarah died in childbirth with the third child on August 15, 1907.  A son, Hiram Kenneth died September 1907.  Two girls, Erma (Mrs. George Leet) and Marcy (Mrs. Frank Lichter).  Hiram died July 1, 1943 and is buried in Mound Cemetery with his wife Sarah.
(Source:  Sylvania Cemetery, Yorkville, Racine County, Mary Ann Culshaw Falk and the Sylvania Cemetery Board of Trustees, copyright 1991)


Sarah Naylor Bowers Obituary (wife of Hiram Bowers, son of Isaac Bowers)
"Mrs. Bowers was born in the Town of Paris, Kenosha County, forty-three years ago, and came to Somers when a child, where she has resided most of her life, esteemed and beloved by all who knew her.  She was kindhearted, generous, ever and always ready and willing to render assistance where it was needed.
She was a woman of joyous and sunshiny nature, diffusing her own happy spirit over those with whom she came in contact and few people had more sincere and devoted friends than she.  A sincere Christian, a loving daughter and friend, a devoted wife, a good mother.
She was united in marriage to Hiram Bowers, twenty-three years ago, who with two daughters, Misses Erma and Marcia Bowers, and an infant baby son, a mother, three brothers, William Naylor, Bloomington, Ill., George Naylor, St. Paul, Minn., Joseph Naylor, San Francisco, California; and two sisters, Miss Emma Naylor of Racine and Mrs. R. Neff, Gray's Lake, Ill. survive her.
The funeral services were held from her late home Saturday afternoon, conducted by Rev. Williams, assisted by Rev. Gosling.  The  musical services were rendered by a trio, consisting of Mr. J.G. Mitchell of Evanston, Ill.; Mrs. L.L. Owen, Burlington and Mrs. Buchan, Union Grove.
The casket was embowered in flowers the testimonials of loving friends, among them a handsome floral design from the Somers Camp Modern Woodmen of America, attesting the regard with which the deceased was held by that society.  A large procession of sympathizing friends followed the remains to their last resting place in Mound Cemetery, Racine.
(Source:  Racine Journal August 21, 1907)

Leet and Bowers Marriage
On Thursday, April 4, 1912, Miss Erma L. Bowers, oldest daughter of Mr. Hiram Bowers, was quietly united in marriage to Mr. George P. Leet, son of Mr. and Mrs. George F. Leet.
Rev. Bigler of the First Presbyterian Church of Racine officiated. After the ceremony, Mr. and Mrs. Leet departed for a brief wedding trip south. The bride is one of our most popular and accomplished young ladies. The groom is one of Somers' most enterprising young men, a young man of force and sterling worth. Few young people launch into the world under more favorable currents and a host of friends are please to extend congratulations upon their happy union.
(Source: Racine Journal, April 16, 1912)

Lichter and Bowers Marriage
On Tuesday morning at 7 o'clock the marriage of Miss Marcia Bowers to Frank Lichter was celebrated at St. George's Church in Kenosha. Rev. Father Nickel, pastor of the church, officiated in the presence of a few close friends of the contracting parties. Miss Madeline Lichter was bridesmaid and Nicholas Lichter served as best man. The bride is the younger daughter of Hiram Bowers and is an accomplished young woman. The groom is the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. George Lichter, one of Somers most popular young men. After a short wedding trip to Chicago, the young couple went to housekeeping on the farm west of the village. Congratulations and best of wishes are extended by a host of friends.
(Source: Racine Journal, Jan. 18, 1915)

Kenosha Country Club

Kenosha Club Buys Golf Source Site
Purchased by Southport Organization
One of the finest sites for a golf course in the state of Wisconsin has been purchased by the Kenosha County club through the A.F. Stahl Agency of Kenosha, situated near the intersection of the Berryville Road with Sheridan Road between Racine and Kenosha.
The purchase of the Kenosha County Club includes 175 acres of land and it is the intention of the club to erect on this land a magnificent clubhouse. The Lingies, Linstroth, and Benson farms make up the parcel of 175 acres, and the consideration, although not made public, should be in the neighborhood of $30,000.00.
The situation of this land is nearly ideal for a country club. All roads approaching the place are improved, and the main road is a cement highway. The interurban railway passes right at hand. Should there ever be a movement to unit Racine and Kenosha golfers, this club is as easily accessible to Racine as to Kenosha.
The Kenosha County club will continue in its present quarters for some time, but an effort will be made to get the new clubhouse and golf links ready for use in 1921.
(Source:  Racine Journal Times, Feb. 27, 1920)

New Golf Course Planned in Kenosha
Contracts for the construction of the new golf course of the Kenosha Country Club have been let and the work of the construction is to start on March 15. The contract provides for the completion of the course by October 15. It is expected that close to $60,000. will be expended in the construction of the course and it is planned as one of the finest golf courses to be found in the middle west, members, say.
The actual work of building the bunkers and the sand pits and laying out the greens is to be started on April 1. The seeding down of the new course will be done in August and it is expected that the course will be ready for play in May or June of 1922.
Plans are now being made for the erection of a clubhouse, to cost $50,000, it is estimated. The plans in clued provision for dining rooms, a large dance hall, and locker rooms.
(Source:  Racine Journal Times, March 2, 1921)
 

Harvest Party at Kenosha Country Club on Saturday

First Annual County Fair to be Inaugurated As Theme of Season’s Last Party
The days back when the County Fair was the one big event of the year which was looked forward to and planned for during the four seasons, will be revived at the Kenosha Country Club next Saturday evening.
The Club members are to have a real fair, their first annual, for the entertainment committee in the zest of planning for the event feels that even as the old-timers, the Club will clamor for a similar fete each year.
The County Fair will be a feature of the annual Harvest Home dinner dance, which each year caps activities at the Club, and the entire Clubhouse will be utilized for the exhibits of bumper crops, prize “preserves” and the other excellent entries of the Fair.
Suitable exhibits have been arranged for all the members, and they will be grouped about the tables, and in other conspicuous places with the name of the exhibitors in plain view.  And like all County Fairs, there is to be a “Midway” where ballyhooers will announce special entertainment for the farmers and farmerettes “coming to town.”
To carry out the spirit of the party still father, the entertainment committee has requested all members come in rural costumes.  The matter of costumes will also revive an old custom in vogue at Harvest Home parties a number of years ago, but which fell into the discard the past few seasons.
More than two hundred and fifty reservations have already been made for the vent, and only a few more can be accepted.  None will be taken after Friday morning.
(Source:  Kenosha Evening News, September 11, 1929)

 William Still
William Still, 72, for many years the professional golf instructor in the early history of the Kenosha County Club and known as “The Father of Kenosha Golfing” died at his home near Jacksonville, Florida.
(Source:  Racine Journal Times, October 7, 1939)

Directors Elected 1910 (Club in Kenosha)
"The annual meeting of the Kenosha Country Club was held at the clubhouse on Monday evening and the annual reports of the officers showed that the season now drawing to a close had been one of the most successful in the history of the club.  Many new members have been added to the lists during the year and the greatest interest has been taken in the club events.  The report of the treasurer of the club showed that there was a deficit of about $800 for the season but this total deficit was made up by popular subscription before the close of the meeting.  The deficit was largely due to losses incurred through the operation of the dining room at the club and it is not an unexpected deficit.  members of the club realize that it is impossible to serve meals such as are served at the club with a profit.
Considerable work has been done in adding to the club's property this year and all of these improvements are paid for.
At the annual election of directors, Charles W. Allen, Charles Chester Allen, and Chester D. Barnes were elected to succeed themselves as members of the Board of Directors.
While there are not more big tournaments scheduled for the season the links will be kept open until late in October.  The recent rains have placed the greens and fair green in excellent condition and it is certain that the enthusiastic Kenosha golfers will keep the ball rolling until driven off the field by the early snows of winter.  The election of officers for the new year will not take place until the regular winter meeting of the Board of Directions to be held next February."
(Source:  The Telegraph Courier September 8, 1910)