Gitzlaff

Gitzlaff

1908 partial map of Somers Township, Kenosha County
Section 16, A. Gitzlaff 78.50 acre parcel

1905 Wisconsin State Census - Somers Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin
August Gitzlaff, head of household, born about 1858 in Germany
Father's Name:  Christopher Gitzlaff
Spouse's Name:  Augusta Gitzlaff
Children:
Louisa, born 1887
Ella, born 1889
Melvina, born 1891
William, born 1894
August, born 1896
Gertrude, born 1900
Also living with August Gitzlass included in this census:  Christopher Gitzlaff, born 1814 and widowed father of August.

U.S. Naturalization Records
August Gitzlaff, born about 1858 in Germany
Arrived in New York June 1866.

Gitzlaff "In the News"
"Miss Lizzie Gitzlaff of Evanston, Illinois spent the weekend with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. August Gitzlaff."
(Source:  Racine Journal October 31, 1917)

"Mrs. Gitzlaff died at the home of her son, August Gitzlaff on Friday after an illness of a few days.  The funeral was held from the house Sunday afternoon."
(Source:  Racine Journal September 21, 1899)

"Little Eddie, the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. August Gitzlaff died on Thursday evening of pheumonia."
(Source:  Racine Journal Feb. 10, 1898)

"John Denig is digging a well for August Gitzlaff."
(Source:  Racine Journal October 11, 1900)

"Mr. August Gitzlaff will build a large barn this spring.  The building will be 30x70."
(Source:  Racine Journal March 14, 1907)

"Mr. August Gitzlaff received a carload of lumber last week for his new barn.  B.F. Yule has the contract for the building."
(Source:  Racine Journal March 27, 1907)

"August Gitzlaff of Kenosha formerly of Somers met with a serious accident at the Pfenning warehouse where he works one day last week.  Mr. Gitzlaff is suffering from several broken ribs and other injuries."
(Source:  Racine Journal March 23, 1921)

"Peter M. Anderson and August Gitzlaff will leave on Tuesday for a two month visit in Europe, the former to Denmark and the later to Germany."
(Source:  Racine Journal December 12, 1911)

"Miss Lizzie Gitzlaff has return to Evanston, Illinois after a visit with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. August Gitzlaff."
(Source:  Racine Journal July 8, 1915)

"Willie Gitzlaff, son of Mr. and Mrs. August Gitzlaff, recently graduated from the College of Commerce in Kenosha and has accepted a position with the First National Bank of Kenosha."
(Source:  Racine Journal October 3, 1911)

"Messrs. August and John Gitzlaff attended the funeral of their uncle, Mr. August Schulz at North Milwaukee on Friday."
(Source:  Racine Journal Feb. 21, 1902)

"Miss Ella Augusta Gitzlaff, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. August Gitzlaff, died Wednesday afternoon, November 21, 1917 following an operation at the Kenosha Hospital.  The deceased was born in Somers in 1889 and has lived near the village all of her life.  She was a young woman of the highest character, of a sympathetic and loving disposition and highly esteemed by a large circle of friends.  To mourn her death there survives her father and mother, three sisters, Misses Lizzie, Malvina and Gertrude Gitzlaff and two brothers, William and August Gitzlaff.  The funeral services were held from the late home Saturday afternoon, followed by services at the Paris Lutheran Church.  Interment at the Lutheran Cemetery."
(Source:  Racine Journal, November 28, 1917)

"John Gitzlaff died at the home of his son, Mr. August Gitzlaff, Wednesday, after a short illness.  Death was due to the natural breaking down of advanced years.  The deceased was born in Germany July 14, 1815 and came to this country in 1866.  After living in Milwaukee two years, he came to Somers where he resided until the time of his death.  He was a good citizen, a man respected and honored by all who knew him.  Two sons survive, August Gitzlaff of Somers and John Gitzlaff of Bristol.  The funeral services were held from his late home on Saturday afternoon.  Interment in the Paris Lutheran Cemetery."
(Source:  Racine Daily, May 27, 1907)

Gitzlaff
Paris Lutheran Cemetery, Paris Township, Kenosha County, Wisconsin
(Source:  Photo courtesy of USGenWebArchivesProjectWisconsin by Larry & Linda Kopet)

Thom



Partial 1887 Map, Somers Township, Kenosha County
A. Thom parcels
Section 1:  22 acres, 30 acres, and another parcel 80 acres
Section 2: 5 acres

Also:  Mrs. J. Thom owned 75 acres in Section 11 but it is not clear if this person is related to A. Thom.

Click on the map for a larger view.




Alexander Thom

Alexander Thom
ALEX THOM DIES SUDDENLY WITH HEART ATTACK
NORTH BEND, September 12, 1928
"This community was shocked Wednesday morning to hear that one of her foremost citizens, Alex Thom, has passed away at 1:45 following a sudden heart attack.
Mr. Thom was in his usual good health on Tuesday and had accompanied Mrs. Thom in the car to the post office for the evening mail.  His attack came on in the middle of the night and he passed away despite medical attention.
For many years Alex Thom has been prominent in business and politics of North Bend and had been elected Mayor for four terms.  He came to North Bend in 1882 when he associated himself with Smith & Mallon, a firm engaged in handling imported horses.   His specialty was of raising blooded Clydesdale horses and Chester White swine.  Four years later he purchased a farm and turned his attention vigorously to general farming and stock raising until 1892, when he retired and again became a citizen of North Bend.  He was a staunch churchman having been a lifelong member of the United Presbyterian Church and was one of the country's leading prohibitionists and elected Mayor on a dry ticket.
He was one of the organizers and the president of the First State Bank of North Bend but had retired and severed his connections with it several years ago.
Alexander Thom was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, September 25, 1847 and would have been 81 years old this month.  He was afforded the advantages of the schools of his native land and was associated with farm enterprises.  In 1877 he came to this country and settled in Wisconsin, where for five years, he was the foreman of an estate owned by Henry B. Sherman in Dodge County, Wisconsin.
The deceased has been married three times.  His first wife was Margaret Agen of Illinois who died in 1892.  For his second wife he married Anna Colllins, who died a few years later.  On April 15, 1913 he married Laura Miller of North Bend, who survives him with one daughter, Mrs. Andrew Harvey of Fremont.  Mr. Thom was the last member of his family.
Mr. Thom was held in high esteem by everyone who knew him and he had a large acquaintance over Dodge County.  He was recognized as a radical prohibitionist and was zealous in the furtherance of the national observance.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been completed but it will probably be held from the family home Saturday afternoon at 2:30 with burial in Woodlawn Cemetery.

More About Alexander Thom
Alexander Thom  was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, September 25, 1847, and is the son of William and Christina (Chalmers) Thom.  William Thom was a farmer by vocation and both he and his wife were zealous members of the Free Church of Scotland.  Of the six children of William and Christina, three came to the United States:  William became a resident of Nebraska and whose death occurred in a hospital at Omaha, December 13, 1919; Isabelle who was the wife of James Thain of Illinois, and Alexander.  Of the other three children, James and George died in Scotland and Andrew was pastor of a church in Stirlingshire as a representative clergyman of the Free Church of Scotland.

More About Alexander Thom and B.F. Yule
CENTENNIAL OF THE ALEXANDER THOM BARN
Thom Barn Centennial Celebration - July 9, 1988
By Donald Harvey
Dodge County Historical Society

"For one hundred years, the candy striped barn north of North Bend, Nebraska has been a landmark for local residents and is listed as one of the historic sites and points of interest in Dodge county.
The barn was constructed during 1888 for Alexander Thom, my grandfather, by Benjamin Franklin (B.F.) Yule, a friend and master barn builder from Somers, Wisconsin.
My favorite stories during my boyhood involved this barn.  My mother, Mabel Thom Harvey, who was Alexander Thom's only child, was born in what is now the dining room of the farm house on October 8, 1888, the same year Frank Yule built the barn.  How I loved the stories of her childhood, the animals and the barn.
Alexander Thom emigrated to America in 1877, spending five years in Wisconsin.  In 1882, he came to North bend to manage the horse importing business of the firm of Smith and Mallon.  In 1886, he bought 160 acres of land, lying on the hill overlooking the Platte valley.
In March 1888, Alex Thom wrote a letter to B. Frank Yule, in Wisconsin, asking him to design a barn for the hillside, with dimensions to accommodate his Clydesdale stock and an upstairs drive-in loft.  he also requested him to figure a bill for lumber.
The original structure was built without nails and, if you look at the beams inside, you will see they are held in place by the oak "pins" which Frank Yule spent the winter of 1888 making.  Through the years I have been intrigued by the beams, supports, pegs and the angles made by them.
Following the standard practice of the time, the wall skeleton was assembled on the ground and teams of horses were used to raise the sides, or "bents" as they were called.  One newspaper account said "it took 50 teams of horses and a lot of men to pull the sides up and pin them together with pegs."
Mr. Yule's wages for the job included $191.75 cash and his fare from Millburn and Wisconsin to North Bend and his return home.  B. Frank Yule was the father of Blanche Thom, wife of Dr. James Thom of North Bend, Dr. James Thom was a nephew of Alex Thom.
The walnut mallet and broad ax used by Yule during the construction are on display at the barn.  These are a gift of his granddaughter, Mrs. Katherine Thom Knox of Lincoln.  They were given to her by her uncle, Earl Yule of Wisconsin.  Earl Yule told Katherine that his father always stood on his head stop the framework of the barn after it was all in place and that Benjamin Franklin Yule was of slight build, 5'9" in height.
Since I was only three years old when my grandfather died in 1928, I don't have many tales to tell.  There are no surviving records of the building of the barn or records of the Clydesdale importing and breeding business.
We do have two silver medals granted in 1882 and 1883 by the Nebraska Board of Agriculture.  The legend engraved on them states they were awarded for the best mare and best stallion of any age shown at the state fair during those years.
In 1893 or 1894, Alex Thom moved to North Bend and was one of the organizers and president of the First State Bank (1907).  he was also Mayor of North Bend for four different terms.  Most of the family stories seem to be centered around his North Bend life rather than the farm.
In 1935, major repairs were begun on the barn.  It needed a new foundation, shingles and was painted in 1937, but the painters left the barn red with no white stripes.  It was not until 1964 that the barn was again painted and the white stripes were added once more.  The barn was painted again in 1976 and this past year Joe Woita has restored and painted the barn for its centennial.
In 1979 Dr. Andre Harvey, my father and son-in-law of Alex Thom, gave use of the barn to the Dodge County Historical Society for the display of agricultural items.  He wished future generations to see the horse drawn equipment he knew in his youth.

Barns of Somers

The Nicholas Thomas Barn
Wood Road, unpaved, in front of barn.
(Source:  Original photo courtesy of the Robert Thomas Family)

Introduction
One way we can document the settlement of Somers Township is knowing when our pioneers built houses and barns.  We know by the biographical sketches I have provided in this blog, settlers in the early 1830's built log cabins and lean shelters as their first homes and shelters.  These structures provided temporary shelter while our first settlers cleared the land so planting could begin.  Once the pioneer became settled and earned money, a more modern and permanent house and barn were constructed.
When were the barns in Somers Township built? 
To answer that question I researched the "Neighborhood News" columns, published by the Racine Journal News or Racine Daily Journal.  The "Neighborhood News" column was written by Minnie Ozanne, the news reporter that represented Somers. This list represents information I could find - not a complete list.  The date in parenthesis represents the date the post was published in the newspaper.

Who built the barns?
Most of the barns in this area were built by Mr. Lauer or Mr. Yule. They also were Somers pioneers and you may find their biographical sketches in this blog of interest.

What makes old barns so appealing?
Could it be that it represents a hardworking, gritty way of life.  A visit inside an old barn immediately draws you in and captures a way of life that no longer exists.  The hand hewn timbers, the smell, the odds and ends that have been hanging on a old nail for the past eighty years all peak the interest of those who visit a barn.  Somers Township, still today, has some fine examples of old barns.

I would welcome an invitation to take photographs of some of our old pioneer barns still standing, inside and out. This is the perfect place to preserve and share history.

Somers Barns

Anderson (05-05-1908) "M.A. Anderson received a car load of lumber for a new barn. William Lauer will do the carpenter work."

Anderson (04-18-1911) "M.A. Anderson had a large barn raising Monday morning.  This barn, when completed, will be one of the largest in this section of the county.  Mr. and Mrs. Rasmussen served dinner to about 40 men."

Barrows (01-06-1905) "Jacob Barrows has received a car load of brick for a basement under his barn."

Biehn (03-15-1907) "Jacob Biehn is unloading brick at Somers for the foundation of his new barn."

Biehn (05-23-1917) "Henry Biehn had a barn raising Friday.  50 neighbor assisting.  William Lauer has the contract."

Boelter (03-02-1906) "Mr. Herman Boelter has received his lumber for a new barn he will build in the spring."

Bohm (03-29-1904) "August Bohm is drawing sand from Kenosha for the foundation of his new barn."

Bush (03-21-1901) "Emory Bush received two car loads of  lumber last week for his new barn."

Bush (05-30-1901) "Emory Bush's barn was raised Thursday afternoon."

Chaffee (06-13-1900) "William Miller is drawing stone from Mr. Chaffe's farm for the foundation of his new barn."

Christensen (05-23-1917) "A barn dance will be held at Theodore Christensen's new barn on Saturday evening."

Corbett (09-15-1914) "James Due of Racine is building the foundation of Thomas Corbett's new barn."

Drew (09-21-1909) "Eric Jensen met with a distressing accident Monday afternoon while at work on William Drew's new barn. It seems while he, with other carpenters, were moving a barrel of oil which slipped and his hand was caught between the building and barrel. Two fingers were badly crushed. Dr. Belting put four stitches in one finger and three in another."

Fink (02-24-1921) "Edward Fink expects to build another new barn."

Fink (10-31-1911) "Edward Fink is building a new barn.  William Lauer and his force of carpenters are doing the work on the County Line Road."

Gitzlaff (03-27-1907) "Mr. August Gitzlaff received a car load of lumber last week for his new barn.  The barn will be 30 x 70.  B.F. Yule has the contract for the building."

Gross (04-06-1909) "William Lauer and his carpenters are building a barn for William Gross."

Hamilton (08-16-1909)  "William Lauer and George Hamilton visited Chicago recently where Mr. Hamilton will purchase lumber for his new house."

Hansche (05-16-1899) "Carpenters are at work at the Hansche Bros. storehouse."

Hughes (02-08-1911) "Marvin Hughes had a large barn raising Tuesday afternoon.  William Lauer and his carpenters are doing the work.  Mr. Hughes will build an addition to his house this spring."

Jensen (05-07-1914) "Chris A. Jensen had a barn raising on Saturday afternoon.  About 35 of his neighbors and friends were there to assist.  A bountiful dinner was served after the raising.  Erick Jensen is doing the carpenter work."

Knudsen (03-27-1903) "Hans Knudsen has completed his barn and as soon as the weather permits he will begin building his new house."

Leet Bros. (09-07-1910) "The Leet Bros. are hauling lumber from Racine for anew barn they expect to build this spring.  B.F. Yule and Fred Heddle have the contract for carpenter work."

Lichter (10-9-1912) "George Lichter is going to build a new barn on the farm he recently purchased, known as the Soens farm.  William Lauer has the contract on the carpenter work."

Mutchie (05-10-1910) "John Mutchie had a big barn raising Thursday forenoon.  About 75 men was present and assisted in the raising.  At noon a bounteous repast was served.  Mr. Mutchie will have one of the largest and most convenient barns in this vicinity when it is finished."

Newman (06-30-1898) "A large company of men aided at the barn raising at Mrs. Marcia Newman's on Monday afternoon.  Tables were set and a bountiful supper was served."

Pedley (02-21-1902) "John Pedley is hauling lumber from Racine for a new cattle barn."

Porter (11-06-1898)  "The barn on the Porter farm is undergoing repairs.  B.F. Yule is doing the work."

Rhodes (01-05-1909) "Mr. Jay Rhodes had a barn raising Wednesday."

Lavin (04-13-1906) "Mr. Lavin is drawing lumber from Racine for a new barn."

Lee (12-21-1906) "Rollie Lee expects a barn raising Friday afternoon."

Leet (06-07-1901 "Mrs. Jessie Leet had her barn raising Saturday."

Leet (04-06-1909) "The Leet Bros. are hauling lumber from Racine for a new barn they expect to build in the spring. B.F. Yule and Fred Headie have the contract for the carpenter work."

Lichter (04-10-1914) "Mr. Frank Lichter built a new barn.  Will Lauer and his men did the carpenter work."

Miller (05-31-1900) "Wm. Miller received two car loads of lumber for his new barn last week."

Miller (06-27-1900) "Dan Pedley began work on Wm. Miller's new barn Tuesday. B.F. Yule and F. Heddle are building a large barn at Milburn, Illinois."

Miller (07-17-1900) "Wm. Miller barn raising will happen today."

Mutchie (05-10-1910) "John Mutchie had a big barn raising Thursday afternoon.  About 75 men were present and assisted in the raising.  At noon, a bouteous repast was served.  Mr. Mutchie will have one of the largest and most convenient barns in this vicinity when it is finished."

Ozanne (06-16-1905) "Pierre and L.E. Ozanne received a car load of lumber for their new barn last week.  B.F. Yule will do the carpenter work."

Ozanne (07-04-1895) "Perhaps it would be a little interesting to the readers of this journal, especially to those of the eastern part of Kenosha County to know that the first barn ever built in the Town of Somers was until recently, still in existence.  The barn was built about the year 1838, and now owned by E.G. Ozanne, who has taken it down, using some of the hard wood timbers for a new building.  On June 18, 1842, James Ozanne and family arrived at Racine from the Isle of Guernsey and on July 4th following, purchased the farm of 335 acres, on which the barn stood.  The farm was afterward's divided up into three."

Rasmussen (02-25-1907) "Matt Rasmussen received a carload of lumber on Monday morning for a new barn to be erected on farm No. 2.  The building is to be 54 x 40.  William Lauer will do the work."

Rasmussen (07-29-1920) "William Lauer and his force of carptenters are building a barn on the M.A. Rasmussen north farm."

Rasmussen (12-08-1905) "Mr. Martin Rasmussen is building an addition to his barn.  William Lauer is doing the carpenter work."

Smith (05-02-1911) "Samuel Smith is building a new barn iin which a large dance will be held next month."

Spencer (09-15-1910) "James E. Spencer received a car load of crushed stone last week for the concrete work in the new barn he recently built."

Spencer (10-27-1910) "James E. Spencer is having concrete floors built in his barn."

Swartz (07-18-1911) "William Lauer and his carpenters will soon begin work on a barn for Jacob Swartz."

Thompson (06-23-1916) "Thompson Bros. are building a large barn.  William Lauer and his force of carpenters are doing the work."

Woodward (06-10-1914) "Woodward Bros. are hauling gravel for their new barn."

Yonk (02-24-1921) "John Yonk is installing a water system in his dairy barn."