D-Day and Algoma Seamen Gerhart, Lessmiller & Nessinger

USS Nevada at Normandy

June 6 was the 75^th anniversary of D-Day. Under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, over 160,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, to gain the European foothold in Europe that led to the defeat of Germany a year later. History tells that more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the invasion. Of the landed troops, more than 9,000 were killed or wounded. Cousin Cal was there and said some drowned jumping from the Higgins boats into the rough surf as the heavy packs pulled men under. Whether it helped if one could swim, Cal didn't think so. Men died in the water and as soon as they hit the beach. That was from fire. The dying continued.

D-Day – or any other war or invasion – just didn’t happen “over there.” Kewaunee County has been touched by all the wars. Even the War of 1812. Then British sloops Felicity and Archangel were patrolling Lake Michigan to keep an eye on the French and alliances they might be forming with the Indians. Joseph McCormick who first visited the area in 1834 came out of that war with the rank of Major. He is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery. Civil War veterans were buried in Ahnapee/Algoma before McCormick, but his service was the earliest. Algoma men were among the Kewaunee County men who served, and Algoma men were at Normandy too.

During late summer 1944, Algoma Record Herald carried a reprint from Canton Repository. The article looked back at D-Day saying that America was not then fighting with money and material, but with thousands of lives. The Repository said that until war struck home, it was estimated, but not understood. It was happening daily with telegrams from the Secretary of War saying he “regrets to announce…..” or “he died heroically.” The article went on to say that survivors paid in sorrow for the sacrifice of the dead and only survivors were qualified to speak of the war.

This 75^th anniversary marks the last time World War ll veterans will be in attendance. For the next big anniversary event, the 100th anniversary, there won't be any veterans left and few who lived through World War ll will be alive by then. Who will begin to understand the sacrifices made at Normandy and all over the world? 

Algoma men wee among the over 156,000 U.S. men who stormed Normandy beaches where more than 4,000 lost their lives. Thousands more were wounded or were missing. 

U.S Navy Seaman Melvin F. Lessmiller was one who took part in the invasion of Iwo Jima and in the invasion of the Philippine Islands. He also took part in D-Day aboard the Texas. Another was Pharmacist’s Mate 3c Melvin Nessinger who was aboard the battleship Nevada, the Texas’ sister ship. Gunner’s Mate Ray Gerhart was another Algoma man on the Nevada that day. When Pfc. Thomas Kaye returned to Algoma, the Record Herald noted his certificate from his commanding general, Maj. Gen. Charles H. Gerhardt, who recognized the unusual fighting toughness of his 29^th Infantry Division at Normandy. All participants of Normandy were entitled to one star on their theater ribbons.

When Melvin Nessinger wrote from the Nevada to his parents, he told them D-Day was something Hollywood could never reproduce. He said several hours before H-hour, the sky was lit with dropping shells, but the men didn’t know whose shells they were. He said their minds were torn by what they’d find, and the mines that lined roads. Nessinger told how the ship vibrated in the drone of over 800 bombers and shells hitting an 8-mile stretch of beach, while contrasting the tracers’ beautiful patterns across the sky.

Shore batteries were firing on the invasion fleet when just after dawn Messerschmitts came out of a cloud bank to meet tracer fire. For Nessinger, hours melted into days and nights, and during the days, one could see Allied transports from horizon to horizon as bombers and fighters worked to find enemy positions. Melvin thanked folks for their letters and the prayers which he said were being heard. Melvin was proud to be serving on the ship and glad his parents had heard how well the men on the Nevada accounted for themselves. The Nevada set new records for accuracy that day.

Lessmiller was both at Iwo Jima and Normandy and told his parents that the Marines have “what it takes, and they take what they land on, no matter what.” Nessinger and Gerhart went on to remind Algoma residents to keep buying war bonds because on D-Day alone the Nevada presented “the Germans with a gift of a million and a half dollars in ammunition alone.”

The Nevada was the only ship present at both Pearl Harbor and Normandy, and Gerhart was aboard. Being launched in 1914 and serving in World War l, the old battleship was the flagship at the Utah Beach landing. Hit by 7 bombs and 2 torpedoes at Pearl Harbor, the ship lost 120 men.

Judge Donald Gleason spoke at Algoma’s commencement, offering graduates advice and encouragement. He referenced the war and D-Day saying the graduates would never forget their “graduation and D-Day – the day of the European invasion.” It is doubtful that any ever did.

A week of two later, the Record Herald editorialized about the thousands and thousands of “American boys” were giving their lives to “erase Nazi tyranny from the face of this globe.” The paper pointed out that such tragedy stirred others and how a steady flow of war materials was necessary. The paper went on to say that maybe production wasn’t as dramatic as men struggling against machine guns but production was imperative. It opined that one day Algoma residents might learn that Algoma-made airplane and glider parts played a role in the invasion of Europe. Residents did indeed learn the role of Algoma Plywood made pieces.

And the U.S.S. Nevada? Wikipedia tells us that Nessinger and Gerhart served aboard the 2^nd U.S. Navy ship to be named for the 36^th state. Launched in 1914, it was the lead ship of two Nevada-class battleships and the first of the “standard-type” battleships. Trapped at Pearl Harbor during the attack on December 7, it was the only battleship to get underway during the attack. The damaged ship was salvaged and modernized to serve in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. When the war was over, the old battleship was used for atomic bomb practice. It was decommissioned in August 1946 and later sunk for naval gunfire practice.

Nessinger, Gerhart and Lessmiller told some of their D-Day stories. Stangelville’s James Steinberger never did. He was one of the thousands killed at D-Day. The Record Herald said that “up and down the quiet streets of this country and along rural highways, the homes of America were paying the price for D-Day.” Casualty lists were beginning to catch up.

Raymond Julius Gerhart was born in Algoma on September 4, 1921 and died on October 15, 1979 in San Diego, California. He is buried in El Camino Memorial Park. 

Melvin Nessinger's stone in Pioneer Cemetery, Shortsville, New York

Sources: Algoma Record Herald; Carlton Repository online article; Find a Grave; Wikipedia.
Photos: Naval vessels online; Find a Grave.

Ernest H. Haucke, KIA: World War l & and Haucke Post 236

All over America plans are being made for Memorial Day weekend, which marks the beginning of summer for many. There will be camping trips, weekend trips to water parks and zoos, baseball games and more. There will be parades led by American Legion Color Guards, and Legionnaires will form the parties firing the salute at cemeteries with graves holding veterans of all this country’s wars. In anticipation of the event, the Auxiliary and others will be marking each veteran’s grave with a flag.

Memorial Day, or Decoration Day as it was once called, came about with Southern women who decorated the graves of fallen soldiers, and by May 1868, the Grand Army of the Republic (Union soldiers) established the day to decorate graves of the dead with flowers. Memorial Day, as a designation, came into vogue after World War ll and became the day’s official name in 1967.

The Sons of Veterans (of the Civil War) oversaw Ahnapee/Algoma Decoration Day events from the beginning through 1919. Ernest Haucke American Legion Post was founded in March 1920, and since then has planned Decoration Day activities in Algoma.

Algoma’s Ernest Haucke was the first of the Kewaunee County men to die on the battlefields of Europe in World War l. Born on April 11, 1896, Ernest was Grandma’s first cousin, and was the same age. Fifty years later, he was not forgotten, but frozen in time as a 22-year-old man.

In July 1917, young Ernest was in Two Rivers, in a National Guard unit, and waiting to be called. Men had draft numbers, and Ernest’s was 47. February 1918 found Ernest at Camp Merritt in New Jersey, a camp for transient troops that was one of three camps under the control of the New York Port of Embarkation. In a letter written from Camp Merritt, he said how glad he was to be sleeping in a fine spring bed and to be out of the canvas cots and tents of Camp MacArthur in Waco.

Ernest wrote about his train trip from Waco, Texas to New Jersey . The 4 ½ day, 5 night journey began in Waco’s warm sunny weather and ended with the snow and ice of New Jersey.

The young Algoma doughboy traveled through states he had never been in. He thought most of the larger cities were great, that the Appalachian mountains were prettier than the Cumberland mountains and reported seeing a prison camp for German spies. Periodically, the train stopped so the men could hike for a mile or so. Its first stop was Pine Bluff, Arkansas, which, Ernest wrote, was known for its beautiful women. Arriving at Washington, D.C. at 10:30 at night was disappointing since the captain promised they’d detrain at Washington and parade around the capitol. As it was, they had to be satisfied with the glow of city lights offering a view of the metropolis. Camp Merritt was within 15 miles of New York City, prompting most men to take advantage of a 24 hour leave.. The leave gave Ernest the opportunity to see his relative, Fred Busch, who managed one of the larger New York hotels.

Camp Merritt agreed with Ernest who said it was more like home with snow and heated buildings. There were 60 men in a building and 30 in a room which, Ernest thought, made for “jolly good times” for men who were beginning to feel like brothers. Ernest said he didn’t expect to be in New Jersey long before being shipped to France, knowing Algoma folks read about the sinking of the Tuscania. Troops aboard were in the 32^nd Division, the division that Ernest’s company was a part of. The company knew many of the men who had gone down.

According to Ernest, the YMCA was the first place the men tried to find in New Jersey. The “Y” gave the men something to do to escape lonesome hours, and he generally spent several hours an evening there.

Ernest encouraged friends to write to him at Priv. Ernest H. Haucke, Co, G., 128^th Inf. U.S.N.G., A.E.F. via New York. The address would get letters to him in camp and in France.

A little more than 5 months later, an Algoma Record Herald headline announced Ernest’s death on the battlefields of France. Ernest was the 2^nd city man to enlist – Jerry Jerabek was the 1^st - and the first in the county to be killed in action. He died on July 20^th, but it was weeks later before his family knew it and learned that Ernest was a part of a great allied victory at Chateau-Thierry,  

Ernest was among the other Algoma men who began their training in Sturgeon Bay before going to Camp Douglas for a short time. Then it was to Camp MacArthur for intensive training before going to New Jersey and to France. His parents last heard from him toward the end of June, and when Rev. Schlei spoke at his funeral service at St. Paul’s, he paid tribute to Ernest saying he died a Christian death that was most honorable. Schlei called him a young hero and asked the congregation to offer special prayers for the man buried beneath a white cross in France. Ernest’s body was eventually returned to his family in Algoma, and he is buried at the Evergreens.

As a youngster, Ernest attended school in the Town of Ahnapee and in Algoma where he always lived with his parents. He was employed at Ahnapee Veneer and Seating Co. and was described as a clean-cut young man who was highly thought of. Just after he joined the military, he told his brother Arnold he joined to “do his duty.

Ernest’s story is much the same as the Algoma men who died in World War I, and those who survived. But, because Ernest was the first to be killed, the Legion Post was named for him. Chartered in March 1920, one of the 15 charter members was Jerry Jerabek, Algoma’s first volunteer. In April 1920, the paper announced that 10 new members were added in one week. The Haucke Post was open to men in northern Kewaunee County and southern Door County.

The American Legion was growing and when the Haucke Post was chartered, there were over 8,000 posts. More posts were predicted as the Legion expected to serve 2 million men by the end of 1920. The G.A.R. posts, founded after the Civil War, reached the height in membership in 1910 when its roster listed a half million members. Going forward, the World War l veterans took over duties performed by the Sons of Veterans. That included Memorial Day ceremonies.

Ernest Haucke Post 236 remains in existence at just under 100 years old. As it did for 98 years, the Post will honor veterans for the 99th time in ceremonies in Algoma on Monday, May 27.

Sources: Family history and Algoma Record and Algoma Record Herald. Photos are from the Record Herald.

Silver Creek: Wells, Valentine and the Mill

Silver Creek brings to mind the area west of Algoma radiating from the intersection of County Highways D and S. Named because the South Branch of the Ahnapee River, often called Silver Creek after passing Bruemmerville, went through it,  the rural area supported Silver Creek School, Swamp Creek Cheese factory and folks with names such as Leischow, Nell, Wessel, Sibilsky and Entringer and more.

However, Kewaunee County had an earlier Silver Creek, this one about 3 miles north of Algoma. The  community was fading as the other Silver Creek was growing. The earlier Silver Creek entered Lake Michigan in Section 7, Township 25, Range 26. In 1857 Albert Wells and Alonzo B. Valentine bought a large tract of land surrounding the creek. They built a pier, a sawmill and a store and, for the next few years, the hamlet became one of the liveliest places in Kewaunee County. The settlement even had a school taught by Capt. Zeb Shaw’s elderly father. In that brief span of a few years, Silver Creek looked toward prosperity and by 1860, there were those who said the fledgling community would rival its nearby neighbor, one only a few years older: Ahnepee. That never happened.

Whether or not the Civil War caused the company’s financial struggles remains unclear, although those problems started just after the war’s outbreak. On January 26, 1863, the entire property was sold by Kewaunee County Sheriff J.P. Arndt at a Sheriff’s Sale at the county courthouse. At issue were 482 and 80/100  acres.

Plaintiff Anson Bigelow filed a Summons for Relief against defendants Alonzo B. Valentine, Albert Wells, Julia P. Wells, William Ackley and D.D. Haskell in Circuit Court, Kewaunee County on August 5, 1861. The State of Wisconsin addressed the defendants saying they were summoned and required to answer the complaint filed in the office of Kewaunee County Clerk of Courts Hiram H. Fenn, and to provide a copy of their response, within 90 days, to Attorney J.D. Markham in his Manitowoc office. Failing to answer the complaint meant that the plaintiff would apply to the court for the relief demanded in the complaint. Hon. David Taylor, Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit of the State of Wisconsin, was the witness.

According to the online site  https://definitions.uslegal.com/c/civil-procedure-summons/  

"A summons is a paper issued by a court informing a person that a complaint has been filed against her. A copy of the summons must be served on each defendant at the same time as the complaint to start the time running for the defendant to answer."  When the complaint is filed, it sets forth facts and allegations that the plaintiff believes justifies the granting of relief against the defendant. Also included is the relief which the plaintiff seeks.

Anson Bigelow was the mortgage holder and it appeared he was the new owner of the property, however he failed to do much with it.

In 1868, Ahnepee shipped 114,718 ties, 211,960 posts and 8,863 cords of wood. During the same year, Silver Creek shipped 10,000 ties, 20,000 posts, although exceeded Ahnepee by shipping 10,000 cords of wood. As shipping decreased, the place gradually deteriorated and the mill was sold. The place that was going to rival Ahnepee faded into history.

Although the Silver Creek lost its importance as a commercial center, the community remained. Silver Creek residents Perry Austin and Charlotte Berg married in Ahnepee on December 27, 1862. Austin was recognized in 1874 for killing 23 deer during the season.  A few months after Austin’s wedding, in February 1863, Ahnepee’s Rev. Hela Carpenter thanked the people of Silver Creek for the “temporal favors bestowed on him for the support of the gospel. “ The temporal favor was in the amount of $63 contributed to support Carpenter’s missionary efforts at Silver Creek.

John Tipler, with George Barrand as his relief, was driving the lake shore stage route between Ahnepee and Sturgeon Bay in 1870. The men carried mail and passengers on an open buck board, fashioned of thin hickory planks and lacking springs. Stops included Silver Creek, Stoney Creek, Clay Banks, Vignes, and Cheeseville, later called Salona. The rest stop was on Shaw’s corner on the Door and Kewaunee County line. By the mid-1870s, there was more fish than forest products going out of Silver Creek. During spring 1874, the Silver Creek Fish Co. reported taking an astounding 20,000 brook trout.

It was in 1946 that the hamlet that time forgot came back into the news. For some reason, while Anson Bigelow was the original mortgage holder and was awarded the foreclosed-on property, he did not get a clear title. It was Zeb Shaw who brought that to light in 1926 when he sued Wells, Valentine, their wives and descendants, and many of the surrounding property owners including Fellows, Braunsdorf, Coe, Wing, Acker and Shaw in addition to unknown heirs, unknown lien holders and unknown property owners.

They had 20 days from service of the summons to answer. The only relief was to quiet the title to and to establish the plaintiff’s claim of title against the defendants. That would bar the defendants from any right or title to the east 30 acres of Government Lot 2 in Section 6 of Township 25 N, Range 26 E, except 2 acres in the northeast corner and a strip of land one rod wide along the lake shore running from the said Lot 2 to the high water mark on the Lake Michigan shore.

Algoma Attorney Sid Knutson was the plaintiff’s attorney who pointed out that the Circuit Court would appoint guardian ad litems for all the infants and all insane and incompetent persons.

Notes: Today's Algoma was renamed in 1897 from Ahnapee, which it became in 1873. The community named Wolf River in 1851 was renamed Ahnepee in 1859. When the village received its charter in 1873, the spelling reflected the "if you can't beat them, join them" idea as the state consistently spelled the community;s name incorrectly  The paper long known as the Enterprise,began as the Enterprize. That spelling changed in 1865.

Captain John Ross made his home at Silver Creek. Living with him was fisherman Jackson Jordan who enlisted in the Civil War. Eli Dunham and Well's employees Willet Wheeler and Spencer Dunham were other Silver Creek men who enlisted with Jordan. Wheeler's military service was short: his hand was blown off at Shiloh, his first military action.

Sources: Ahnapee Record/Algoma Record/Algoma Record Herald; Kewaunee Enterprise; Door County Advocate.

Kewaunee County & the Short-Lived Bookmobile

April 10 is Bookmobile Day in Wisconsin, a day that brings to memory the Door-Kewaunee County bookmobile.  In the world of 2019, few remember it coming to Kewaunee County communities and even fewer have memories of the joys it brought the county’s rural school population. It never was the mainstay that it was in Brown and Door Counties, and that Kewaunee County even had a bookmobile was a credit to hardworking, passionate citizens who wanted to bring books to all areas of the county. Books for kids and books for adults.  During the initial demonstration program alone, the counties saw a 16% increase in library circulation. When the bookmobile made its first appearance in the peninsula’s counties, 23% of Wisconsinites did not have access to a free public library.

Just before Halloween 1949, Kewaunee County Board was considering joining Door County in requesting the state library demonstration in the area. As it was, Wisconsin would approve a single demonstration area and an informational request was not binding. A bookmobile was part of Wisconsin’s Free Library Commission projects and Kewaunee County could get the free information on a bookmobile and its services when such a unit toured the area early in November. On its tour, the bookmobile was expected to stop at schools in addition to the homes of county board members.

During the board meeting, May Smithwick, county superintendent of schools, spoke in favor of the demonstration, which could only enrich the education of the children in rural schools. Rural schools had libraries, but the books – many outdated - remained the same from year to year with possible additions of a few new ones.  Some rural shelves appeared full, but often, being devoid of library books, the shelves stored unusued text books

A letter sent to Otto Adams, chairman of the county board, from the Library Commission, stated that the 1949 legislature enacted the Library Demonstration bill, providing funding of $50,000 yearly for 3 years to a rural county or adjacent counties selected for the demonstration. The law also specified that the state would pay half the cost of a single demonstration as long as the state portion did not exceed 50% of the total cost. It further called upon the people within the demonstration area to develop their own initiatives, ensuring the library service would continue without interruption following the 3 year demonstration period.

In 1950, the approximately $70,000 in books and equipment would be left in the area after the initial period was no small change! The state also pointed out that at the end of the 3 years, a county with a 25,000 population would tax property at one mill.* The state encouraged applications from areas that were neither above nor below average in population, existing services, wealth and more.

 It was furthermore noted that average costs would be about $1.50 per capita if an area held at least 25,000 people. Door and Kewaunee Counties jointly met that requirement. The Library Commission believed average rural Wisconsin communities had the ability to organize free library service and had the local resources to continue its support, providing a large enough population was served. A committee made up of Mrs. Smithwick, a county board member, a school official and 3 prominent community members were charged with informing Kewaunee County residents of the opportunities offered.

Door County wanted the library demonstration project, however its population made it too small to qualify. Working with Kewaunee County made it eligible. In meetings with the state, Door County was given the same information as Kewaunee. They were told how there would be a central pool of books and other printed materials available to all. A system of inter-library loan would put even more information at one’s fingertips. But Door County could not do it alone. There was more than the bookmobile though. There would be book talks and story hours. Films would be available to rural schools. There would be an advisory staff assisting local librarians, school groups and individuals, and a book collection that rotated thus always offering something new. Algoma, Kewaunee and Sturgeon Bay would be the main libraries with branches at Casco, Luxemburg and many of the villages of Door County. There would be two bookmobiles.

It was an exciting time in November 1949 when the bookmobile stopped at schools to allow parents and students to tour it to find out what it held. Still, both county boards had to approve the demonstration if the state approved the counties’ application. Kewaunee County Board approved the demonstration project. Most areas were onboard, but others were not. It was understood that the demonstration would not be put into an area that was opposed to it.

In early January 1950, it was announced that the regional library would go into operation on February 1. An entirely new project meant there were logistics to work out. A temporary director needed to be hired and standards needed to be established. Eyebrows were raised when Kewaunee County board members saw the state-set salaries for the administrative assistant, two typists, cataloguers, 2 drivers and the librarians. The book budget totaled about $12,000. One bookmobile was to be donated by the State Library Commission with funds from the State Federation of Women’s Clubs, while the other would be paid for by the counties. Then there were the office supplies and equipment. The project’s costs fell between $53,500 and $57,500. By-laws were written by a team from each county and an administrative committee was made up of an equal number of residents from each county. Among the committee’s responsibilities was “selling” the demonstration project in their respective areas. It was not easy.

The need to “sell” the project was kept in mind as a requisite for the director. One of the candidates for the job was “high in library work” in the State of Washington. If she were hired to set-up the D-K program, she would have to take a significant decrease in salary. The representative from the state commission felt that the one hired to set-up the program would be one who’d need to take “hard knocks,” and after the set-up, a director with other talents might be named. He pointed out that the D-K demonstration would be closely watched throughout Wisconsin and across the U.S. The person hired to be director would be developing something entirely new. She would be raising her position in the library profession. In 1950, nobody expected a man to served in such a position, especially in such a rural area. Mr. Botsford from the library commission opined that not many were qualified for the director’s position.

Board members noted the need to watch salary precedents carefully so that future county boards would see their way clear to continue the project when the state stepped away from the project. Headquarters for the regional library would be in the basement at the Sturgeon Bay quarters. Sturgeon Bay, Algoma and Kewaunee were to decide whether their books would be circulated. Then it came out that progressive Algoma’s 1948 book budget was $1,400 while Door County spent $1,400 in total. Kewaunee city spent just $482 in the same year.

The goal was that the bookmobile would be ready for making at least two trips each to each school in each county before the end of the school year. To meet that goal, first two months of 1950  were spent getting the new system organized and working out snags

In continuing to explain the need for the new system, it was pointed out that library facilities at schools were important, but did not receive the attention necessary. If the library was well maintained, information on a variety of subjects was available. County teachers had great hopes for the Regional library. Algoma librarian Mrs. Dorothy Ackerman, and the librarian from Baileys Harbor, spoke on WJPG radio acquainting listeners with what was going on with the new library and its programs.

There was eager support and fierce opposition to the new system. There were those who felt the books would put foolish notions into the minds of children. The opposition was largely in Kewaunee County, but there was opposition in Southern Door County as well. Some felt a regional library system was government interference that would only expose folks to moral and political dangers. At the same time Senator Joseph McCarthy was holding hearings looking for Communists behind every tree. There were those who felt that the trouble on the Korean Peninsula meant war and if such a library system was going to add $12-15 a year in taxes, a possible war in Korea would drive taxes up even more.

On April 4, 1950,  Montpelier town board unanimously passed a resolution requesting a referendum on the bookmobile and the money it cost. The Town felt Kewaunee County residents were treated unfairly when the County Board made its decision approving the demonstration.

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At the end of the demonstration period, the committees, the librarians, the teachers, the kids and most of the parents felt the system and bookmobile was a resounding success. 90% of rural children in both counties used the bookmobile. Kewaunee County’s Town of Franklin students averaged 40 books a year, the highest record within the two counties. Children in the Town of Carlton averaged just over 30 books a year. Women used the bookmobile as well, although during the trial period, only a handful of Kewaunee County men used it.

Kewaunee County voters had their chance to express their views in the 1952 election which also saw future president Dwight Eisenhower and Senator Joe McCarthy on the ballot. Algoma, Casco and Luxemburg voted in favor of the library system. Kewaunee city rejected the system by 1 vote and it was voted down in the rural areas that received the most service. Families with school children generally wanted the bookmobile, however they were outvoted by those without children in school.

When the bookmobile came to an end, rural school children were in tears. For a little while, they had something their city cousins did. The demonstration worked. Other counties got their own bookmobiles and regional library systems. Door County voted to maintain the program on its own. For over 40 years, the bookmobile was a boon to Door County children, their parents, and anybody who wanted to use it.

Sources: Algoma Record Herald

 *The term "millage" is derived from a Latin word "millesimum" meaning "thousandth," with 1 mill being equal to 1/1,000th of a currency unit. As used in relation to property tax, 1 mill is equal to $1 in property tax, which is levied per every $1,000 of a property's determined taxable value. This definition was found at  .https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/millrate.asp

Ahnapee, Algoma & the 2nd Street Bridge

Tongues have been wagging about Algoma’s 2^nd Street Bridge reconstruction for close to 20 years. According to Door County Daily News, it will happen this summer. A year ending in 9 seems to be magic for the bridge since 1899 and 1949 were the two most recent reconstruction years. Set in a 2019 context, discussion concerning the need for the bridge is not much different than it was following World War ll, or well before 1900. Who today would think at one time the bridge’s placement determined the center of town?

Algoma’s senior citizens remember the old iron bridge turning to allow boat traffic to get up river. In an earlier day, boats traversed the river, turning into Mr. Gericke’s dock to off-load provisions for his store at the northwest side of 2^nd and N. Water. Boats went to the furniture factory on S. Water, now Navarino, and as far as the Plumbers and the Veneer and Seating Co., last known as the Hardwoods.

Some of t hose same adults have not-so-fond memories of walking to or from St. Mary’s only to come upon seagulls vying for the fish guts on the deck planking. The gulls didn’t give up easily and the little kids weren’t about to take them on by walking right through. Older boys got plenty of attention as they chased screaming girls with those vile, half-eaten fish. Then there are those who remember getting pooped on when some pleasure boater sounded the horn when coming upon a flock of seagulls feasting near the bridge.

When Major Joseph McCormick and his party sailed up the (now) Ahnapee River to today’s Forestville in 1834, the guts could have been a lot bigger as later history recorded muskellunges of over 35 lb. caught in the river. In a day before the goose poop became part of its landscape, Algoma’s commercial fishing industry lined the river banks on either side of the 2^nd Street Bridge, and the gull offal was there.. Seagulls and fish guts have always been a part of Algoma, and a part of the bridge history.

Most presume that a bridge was always at 2^nd Street, but it wasn’t. The community’s first bridge was a log footbridge constructed near the mouth of the river in 1856 by Joseph Anderegg, Peter Schiesser, William Fagg and Matt Simon, however the mouth of the river wasn’t where it is today. A spit of land covered what today is the mouth. The river turned north, for about a block from the main channel, before turning east and entering Lake Michigan at a spot that in 2019 would approximately be the foot of Michigan Street. When the community’s first school opened on the north side of the river in 1855, south side children were not able to attend because the footbridge had yet to be built. A year after the footbridge, in summer 1857,  a wooden bridge was built near the mouth east of present-day Church Street, crossing the river just east of the current Von Stiehl Winery.

Then came years of problems. Spring ice raised havoc all over the county and when freshets washed out the bridge in April 1866, the bridgeless community turned to Captain Hank Harkins to run a ferry near the mouth for several months as it took some time before normal bridge travel was resumed. By June it was announced Ahnepee's* village bridge was nearly complete. 

Second Street Bridge - 1883 Birdseye Map

Following the Civil War, Ahnepee underwent a period of significant growth, and with that came the June 1868 opening of a new bridge. By then townsfolk, feeling the mouth bridge should be moved toward the center of town, replaced it with a log bridge built on the 2nd Street site. Repair of the 2nd Street bridge was news again on March 23, 1876 when Simon Haag was hired to replace the stringers and then replank the bridge at a cost of $120.00. It was imperative that the bridge was made safe until the channel was excavated to permit passages of vessels to the deeper waters above it. Steam drilling and blasting during harbor development in April 1876 caused the collapse of the newly repaired bridge.

Once again the bridge gave way in September when Charles Damas was crossing with his team hauling a load of wood. Luckily, Mr. Damas and his team were rescued without serious injury. Since the bridge was the only one connecting both sides of the community, once again the town provided a ferry, again run by Captain Harkins, until the bridge was repaired. In April 1883, the bridge was in trouble again. A new brace was a necessity and the drop needed a new 2” thick pine plank cover. The bridge was deemed unsafe again in June 1888 and finally repaired in December 1890.

The bridge remained an issue and when Ahnapee was in the midst of a boom in the summer of 1895, the city again decided to have the bridge repaired. There was no option in August. Seven hundred people -most of whom were on their way to St. Mary’s - crossed the bridge on Sundays. Between 70 and 80 teams also crossed the bridge, however as summer wore on the situation became so tenuous that team travel was banned.

From the late 1850s on, the community sought to Improve the harbor and channel. The nearly on-going work with the U.S. Engineers caused some to call for action on the bridge situation. Since the bridge was too low, it was decided to put a "draw" in it. When the harbor was ready, it was felt the bridge should be ready to permit vessels to travel the river at will. By 1899, the community - newly christened Algoma – was forced to completely construct a new 2^nd Street bridge. William Damas had the contract and began tearing down the bridge in May.

As with anything else, if there was something to go wrong, it did. Work was pushed back in October 1899 when the use of a steam pump was delayed. Without it, the center crib could not be pumped out and masons could not do their work. When the pump finally came from Sturgeon Bay so late in the season, the city said the work would be pushed until completed.

The 2nd Street iron bridge opened 10 years before this post card was send.
The building on the left is Gericke's Store. The dock is at the right of the store.

By mid-January 1900, the workforce had been increased, the heavy center piece was in place and the city said the work would be finished in a few weeks. Fortunately, the ice was thick enough to support heavy pieces of equipment and material, and time was saved. The U.S. Engineers were reconstructing the piers while the bridge work was going on, and dredgings from the pier work were used as fill near the bridge. Algoma’s premier contractor, Fred Wulf, did the masonry work while the J.G. Wagner Co. of Milwaukee built the actual bridge for a cost of $6,700.

When the iron bridge was replaced in 1949, the current bridge was a marvel. Algoma caught up with the big cities! Gone was the planking and the shaking as vehicles crossed the bridge. Gone was the fear of the little kids who could see the water through the planking and through the sides of the bridge, and gone was the long walk to the 4^th Street bridge for St. Mary’s kids who lived downtown.

Phyllis Kessler, Miss Wisconsin, was on hand for the bridge dedication on July 2, 1949. The event began at 7:15 PM with a few words from Frank Knipfer, Kewaunee County’s highway chairman at the time the building decision was made. Second Ward alderman Art Dettman represented the city in his short address. Dettman served as chairman of Algoma’s street and bridge committee. A county representative was there to give a report on the role of the county and state. After the speeches concluded, Miss Wisconsin was driven up to cut the ribbon, thus opening the bridge.

The parade that followed the official bridge opening  was led by the American Legion colors and color guard, followed by Miss Wisconsin, the AHS band, Legion drill team and, of course, the requisite convertibles carrying the speakers. Those who wished to join the parade were invited to do so.

The parade eventually arrived at the Dug-Out where Algoma High School band presented a one-hour concert on the lawn. That was followed by Algoma Hunting and Fishing Club’s annual dance. Royalty was in attendance at the dance as Miss Wisconsin remained for it

New construction brings tweaks and so did the bridge, but the tweak concerned downtown’s other bridge. The new bridge was higher and carried more cars than the 4^th Street bridge, which also needed work. Alderman Wenniger asked for a windbreak for the new bridge and after much discussion, the windbreak was approved. However, a windbreak was also approved for 4^th Street since many citizens would find it improper for one bridge to have such a feature and not the other.

* Ahnepee became Ahnapee in 1873 when the village was chartered. Its name changed to Algoma in 1897.

Sources: An-An-api-sebe: Where is the River?, c. 2001; Commercial Development in the Youngs and Steele Plat, c. 2006; Algoma Record Herald; doorcountydailynews.com.
Map: U.S. Engineers, August 1870

The postcard is in the blogger's collection. The snippet of the early bridge is from the 1883 Birdseye Map.

Kewaunee County: Wisconsin's Early Eugenics Laws

Few in Kewaunee County have heard the name Francis Galton and the few who did were probably glad to forget him. He was the founder of a movement dedicated to improving the human population by controlled breeding, thus increasing desirable genetic characteristics. Wikipedia defines Eugenics as "a set of beliefs and practises that aims at improving the genetic quality of a human population by excluding certain genetic groups judged to be less desirable and promoting other genetic groups judged to be superior." Galton's concepts fell into disfavor only after such ideas were included in Nazi doctrines. Nevertheless, eugenics did have an impact on Kewaunee County.

As early as January 1905, the following was included in Algoma Record's religious news: Mr. Francis Galton, F.R.S., has founded in London university (sic)  a fellowship for the promotion of the study of '"National Eugenics," the study of the agencies under social control that may improve or repair the racial qualities of future generations either physically or mentally.

Epileptics, feeble-minded and insane were in 1907 banned from marriage and sexual intercourse. Severely disabled were usually kept institutionalized as it was not expected they would ever marry, but others were often sterilized. Passing a eugenics law in 1913, Wisconsin's edict targeted "mental defectives" and epileptics for sterilization. Laws varied by state and by the 1960s, most sterilization efforts were discontinued. Wisconsin's trust of science, medicine, psychology and sociology was there to form public policy which accepted eugenics as a science.

Mental defectives were defined as those receiving state aid, people in state institutions such as Wisconsin Home for the Feeble-Minded in Chippewa Falls, those who were promiscuous or otherwise  violated social norms. Authorities also looked for similar traits in one’s family. If a family refused sterilization, the one in question could be institutionalized indefinitely, however the director of the Chippewa Falls’ home felt sterilization was both efficient and fiscally responsible over institution. Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned the law that required people to prove they were fit to marry.

During mid-January 1914, the Record carried an article saying Wisconsin's Attorney General Owen said physicians who entered agreements not to test under eugenics' marriage law "come dangerously near conspiracy in obstructing the administration of the law" and that the "conditions must be looked after."

Two months later in March 1914, officers of the State Federation of Catholics in Wisconsin and the U.P. adopted a resolution protesting sex eugenics, inviting moral people to use their influence to prohibit such teaching. Then in June 1915, Dr. Charles Davenport of the eugenics laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor, NY warned against possible hereditary tendencies and cancer. He said such research showed incidences were highest in Maine, and that dominant traits show up in cousins marrying cousins as frequently happened on the islands off Maine's coast.

When in November 1915 the State Board of Health reviewed 1914 statistics, it was noted that there were 3,807 fewer marriages in Wisconsin than in 1913. Statistical information convinced the board that financial depression “retards marriage” and said economic factors affected marriage rates while the eugenics law was only partly responsible. However, there were also common law marriages. By 1915, the marriage law was amended so that ample publicity was given to applications and thereby allowing for objections to the marriage.

Kewaunee County’s own John Cashman served in Wisconsin’s legislature. Cashman attacked eugenics in April 1923 saying it was “a farce” that the state could no longer afford to keep on the books. He went on to tell of the Milwaukee woman who masqueraded as a man to get a physical certificate to wed and then said the law proved ineffective in accomplishing its original purpose. The law was repealed in the Senate, 18 – 17. The law’s lone defender said he would favor an amendment to provide a Wasserman* test in all cases if the present provisions were inadequate.

Frank R. Sherwood came to Algoma in April 1923, lecturing men and boys on hygiene at a program held in the high school auditorium. He gave his lecture as a part of the State Board of Health and the federal government. Sherwood told the assembled that unless the boys lived better than those around them, American would be ruined because 35 of every 100 examined for the army were physically unfit. They had poor teeth, poor feet and venereal disease. Sherwood said fathers had to give more time to their sons. Then he said the eugenics law should be rigidly enforced because sins of the fathers often result in crippled and blind children or in an invalid mother. He said towels, drinking cups and dance halls were the most common spreaders of venereal disease which resulted in the birth defects.

At the July 1924 meeting of Wisconsin County Clerks, Kewaunee County Clerk Joseph Lazansky was appointed a committee of one to represent the clerk’s association in an appearance before the legislature. Lazansky’s job was working to obtain uniform dance hall ordinances, and the adoption of uniform marriage laws throughout the country. There were those who felt dance halls were at the root of venereal disease. As the law stood, the marriage eugenics law affected  men only. Lazansky advocated that the law should apply to both contracting parties – bride and groom. It was pointed out that, “Couples who are physically unfit go from Wisconsin to neighboring states, get married and come back here. The misfit children are then thrown upon the institutions of Wisconsin.”

In 1931, marriages in Kewaunee County totaled 119, 2 over the previous year. There were 7 divorces and 8 the preceding year according to the State Board of Health, but overall the state recorded 544 few marriages than the year before. The state felt the figure did not tell a complete story because a national committee in 1917 provided for publication, via the county clerk’s office, the intent to marry. That prompted couples to go to one of the 4 adjacent states which had not adopted the 1917 code, however the law was not thought to be a factor. 1930’s marriage rate was 15% below 1929, a rate possibly due to the country’s economic woes.

Women were targets of eugenicists. Women could be judged defective by having a child out of wedlock, going to a tavern or defying social mores. The average age of sterilized women was 21. In Wisconsin Public Television’s October 6, 2016 edition of University Place, speaker Scott Gordon said the sterilization programs was found scientifically credible, nevertheless of the 1,823 people recorded, 79% were women.

In August 1937 the state health officer said 25 years before Wisconsin was proud to be one of the first three states to enact premarital examinations for men and, in 1937, extended the intelligent procedure to brides as syphilis prevention. The effects of the new eugenics law would be immediate and prevent “procreation of innocent babies doomed to suffer the cruel blight of congenital syphilis. “ The State Health Officer said the noble aim would be accomplished without surrendering the right to marry and hinged on successful treatment of diseases because the previous health problem would no longer affect the children born to the union. The health officer went on to say that the law eliminates heartbreak and offers joy to a marriage.

One wonders how such laws affected Kewaunee County. Obviously, there would have been those who were forbidden to marry under the law. A genealogical search brought to light a widow and three young boys living at the Poor Farm. The boys were listed with words describing their limited intelligence, words that would be highly pejorative in today’s society. The boys might have had delayed speech, stuttered, or something else prompting the recorder to jot down the apparent intelligence. One son eventually became a successful business man, married and had a family. Another took employment in his uncle’s hotel. What might the labels have done to those children?

As recently as April 1969 , eugenics was part of the Southern Door High School science fair. The student creating the display received a Superior rating for the charts on eugenics, which was then said to be the explanation of genetics, which is the study of heredity.  Fifty years later, DNA is part of medicine and culture. News reports have carried instances of DNA also being misused.

A generation earlier, in early 1934, the Advocate was a head of its time when it reported that eugenics was a well-born theory that was :undoubtedly true.” The paper said brains had to be educated and environment is education “in the truest sense of the word.” Environment was a matter of home, family, social contacts, geographical location, luck in opportunity and the ability to take it. As the paper pointed out, eugenics could not control those factors.

*A blood test to determine syphilis.

Sources: Algoma Record/Algoma Record Herald with reprints of articles from Wisconsin Dept. of Public Health; Door County Advocate; Wikipedia; https://www.uvm.edu/~lkaelber/eugenics/WI/WI.htm

Algoma, The Early 1900s Coal Strike and the Fuel Co. Dock

While discussing the amount of coal resources in the U.S. several years ago, then President Barack Obama said the U.S. was the Saudi Arabia of coal. The Hopi Indians were using coal to fire pottery in the 1600s and it was coal that led to industrialization in the U.S. and across the world. Coal became a necessity in Algoma too.

Necessities and resources breed strikes, and the coal strike early in 1900 had an impact on Algoma, although not nearly as the strikes that followed. Things were changing. Coal was important to blacksmiths in the small community, and some residents had small coal-burning stoves, but coal was most essential in the production of iron and steel in the eastern states. Trains and ships were burning coal, and coal was used in the generation of electricity. As the U.S entered the 1900s, coal became more important, and then it was anthracite which burned hotter and so much cleaner than the long-used soft coal. 

The United Mine Workers of Pennsylvania struck for shorter work days, higher wages and recognition for their union. Cities across the country were depending on coal and, with winter coming, the coal strike could have been more disastrous than it was, at least in Algoma. It was a first in that the strike was the first time the U.S. government had a presence in arbitration. President Theodore Roosevelt set up an investigating commission that suspended the strike. In the end, workers increased their income by about 10% and had their work day reduced one hour, going from 10 to 9 hour days while the mine owners made more money and never did recognize the union. Bituminous coal workers who went on strike before 1900 made gains the anthracite workers did not. And it was anthracite that was growing in popularity.

Initially, it was Ahnapee & Western that brought coal to Algoma, and not always without incident. In June 1900, the city saw about 30 tons of coal dumped on the foot of Steele when a boxcar jumped the track. As it was, the train was run into the side-track where the crevices were filled with accumulated sand and gravel, derailing the back of the engine. It took the crew about three hours to right the car, but how it dealt with the piles of coal is anybody’s guess. Presumably because of what happened the following day near Kewaunee when three carloads of coal were lost. The accident was far worse. A washed-out culvert 6 miles from Kewaunee caused the locomotive to jack-knife. Two railroad employees died in the tragedy.

While Kewaunee County seemed to be coping with the strike, New York papers said in June 1902 that coal was overshadowing trade because of less than favorable manufacturing. The papers continued saying that idle miners would be available to take temporary jobs in Wisconsin or other states that needed temporary farm workers. By November it looked as if the government would use prison labor, something that didn’t happen but nonetheless stirred up a hornet’s nest.

Papers were full of mining, what was going on in Washington, and even around the world. Local papers carried the national news, but also kept an eye on local happenings. It was news in July 1902 when reports were that part of Sturgeon Bay’s Hart Line coal dock broke down thus dumping large amounts of coal to go into the bay. News was also made when the Furniture Factory received a carload of soft coal  at the same time. The company had been using wood, but the wood supply became so scare that the company was forced to use the soft coal. It seemed as if the editors were getting tired of the strike, saying ”every person in the county will rejoice over the ending of the strike, unless a there were a few selfish politicians who hoped to profit from its continuation until after the election.”

In October the Record opined that the householder trying to conserve his coal stock would be well-advised to put storm windows on his house. Estimates were that storm windows saved 1/4^th the cost of fuel. In December one of the trappers dismissed the coal trusts saying they might as well as go out of business because, to look at muskrats,  the winter of 1902-03 would be one of the finest. When swamp muskrats made their homes large and warm, it was a warning that weather would be bad. The trapper’s  prediction of an easy winter was that the muskrat residences were small and thinly covered, meaning a mild winter would follow.

Local papers called little attention to lack of coal in town and how folks were affected, however found it newsworthy early in 1903 when a train carload of coal came from Green Bay for the school. By then the editors were writing that although hard coal was thought to be a failure of usefulness in tests just after 1800, 100 years later the coal was so useful that it “ruled the human race.” It seemed to suggest Algoma needed that coal too.

When the coal strike ended later in 1903, Algoma was breathing easier and expected to have enough coal within a month. In December the editor said that the cold weather was affecting wood and coal piles, but Algoma was fortunate to look toward keeping warm with plenty of both. Things began happening in Algoma, and coal began its rule there too. In September 1904, William Hobus finished the new coal shed for the Water & Light plant. The shed was big enough to hold four carloads of coal. Coal came via the railroad and via coal ships, which sometimes created  transportation problems. 

Newspapers saw such issues as a win for farmers in Eastern and Northern states such as Wisconsin. Coal influenced prices paid for wood, and years after the strike farmers were advised that their own cordwood would turn a profit while keeping the woodlot productive. They could also provide their own fuel. Low quality woodlot products never brought in much money, but the year offered farmers the opportunity to get rid of less productive trees while improving woodlot condition.

It almost seemed to happen magically that by late 1909, Algoma had the finest coal docks around. In April, Henry Grimm of Algoma Fuel Co. announced a new project that would make Algoma the coal distribution point for an entire section of the country.

Grimm had an architect in town, dealing with plans and specifications, for a new coal dock to be built on the company’s property on the north side of the river. The dock would include such modern details as a steam hoisting device.

Michael Wenniger, Sr. was in charge of construction when the Fuel Company began building its new dock, in 1909, on the north side of the river at the west end of the north pier. A week before the first ship was expected, a Green Bay engineer was in Algoma starting up the machinery and ensuring the hoisting apparatus would work without a hitch when the boats began arriving. After a few minor defects were dealt with, the equipment was ready to go. A 40 x 60’ coal shed 30’ high was being rushed to completion at the same time. The shed stood about 130’ north of the river.

M.T. Green at Algoma Fuel Co. Coal Dock, 1909

Plans were to have coal raised from the boat’s hold with dippers that could hold about ½ ton. The dippers would be raised and dumped into hoppers at the top, and from the hoppers carried to cars holding about two tons. The cars traveled an elevated track to the coal shed. Between the river and the shed, there was a 100 x 120' cement floor for dumping soft coal.

On November 28, 1909, Algoma was in business. The M.T. Green made history as the first coal boat to unload at the new dock. Carrying 700 tons of coal, the boat, owned by the E & M RR & Nav. Co. of Chicago, made big news in Algoma when she entered Algoma on November 28, 1909.

The following July, the coal dock again made news when the Wyandotte of Wyandotte, Michigan came into port. Before Capt. William Yates made Algoma, he left part of his 3,000 ton of soft coal - loaded at Toledo - at Manistique and at Sturgeon Bay. The Wyandotte was 377’ long, and the largest boat to enter Algoma to that time. She had 16 large hatches, two small hatches, and drew 16 feet of water.

The Green, the Wyandotte and others unloaded in the next few years and Algoma was in business until the next coal strike.

Note: The lighthouse keeper's home, now a private residence, is visible in the back left corner of the 1909 postcard. Both postcards show the dippers. A close look at the bottom postcard indicates the cars taking the coal to the piles.

Sources: Ahnapee Record, Algoma Record, Algoma Press and notes on the reverse of the M.T. Green postcard in the blogger's collection. Postcards are in the blogger's collection.

1900: Algoma & the Reunion of the 14th Wisconsin Vol. Inf.

The Civil War was a 25-year old memory when Algoma was the site of a three-day reunion of 14^th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. Algoma spared no pains and gave a royal welcome to all those arriving on the afternoon train that June 1900 day.  The city band and school children who met the train led the parade to Perry’s hall where visitors registered and were assigned their quarters.

During the evening there were reminisces, speeches and plenty of music. When more veterans came the following morning, they were as enthusiastically met as their comrades the previous day. Throngs gathered in the street as the men marched through. St. Paul’s male choir sang and its pastor delivered a short address. When Rev. Eppling made reference to Algoma State Senator DeWayne Stebbins as Wisconsin’s next governor, the audience broke into thunderous applause. Stebbins was a veteran, however he served in the Navy..

It was such a grand event that Col. Ward, who filled in for one who failed to appear, asked participants to give a rousing cheer to the people of Algoma. The paper said that cheer rocked Perry’s hall to its foundations. Attendees were pleased  and participated in all the festivities while Algoma residents basked in the glow.

Kewaunee and Manitowoc County men forming Company E were among those who made up the 14^th Wisconsin V.I. The unit was formed at Fond du Lac where they were trained at a camp renamed for Col. David Wood* who led them. The 14^th went into service on January 30, 1862 and mustered out oat Mobile, Alabama on October 9, 1865.  Four of its members received the Medal of Honor for the Battle of Corinth.

The 14^th was at Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, Kennesaw Mountain, Atlanta and more.  One hundred sixteen men were killed in action and another 194 died of disease. Nine officers also died. A plaque at Camp Randall in Madison bears the name of the 27 who were killed at Shiloh in April 1962, among them men from Ahnepee.*.

Over 91,000 Wisconsin men served in the Union Army. 3,794 were either killed in action or mortally wounded. Just about twice that number died of disease. Others died from accidents. Of the total enlistments, 13.4% of the men lost their lives. Kewaunee Co., with its population of 7,039, gave 1 of every 17 residents to the war. Of the 408 men, 65, or 13%, were dead at the war’s end. Wisconsin gave 1 of 9 residents to the war, prompting one to wonder why Kewaunee County gave a lesser percentage of men. Kewaunee Co. was split off from Door in 1852. The county was still young with young families. If the number of young children weren’t counted, the county’s men would have looked like far greater numbers.

The men of Co. E, 14th Wisconsin were in evidence at the celebration. In those intervening years many had died, but they and their fallen comrades were remembered. Algoma men thought of those with whom they served, men recruited primarily by William Henry. Ezra Austin was severely wounded at Corinth where Alfred Vibber was killed. William Herring was wounded at Vicksburg and William Wheeler, Julius  Wintermayer and John Lovell were wounded at Shiloh/Pittsburg Landing.. Maruice VanDoozer and William Clark died in action and William Sabine died there of disease. John Gonyou came home and was incarcerated when he set fire to the Kewaunee jail. He died in the fire he set. Other county men died or were injured, however, the above list rpresents only those of Co. E with ties to what became Algoma.

There were other Civil War reunions over the year throughout Wisconsin. By 1930, the veterans were growing fewer and fewer. On Memorial Day that year, Frank Gregor of Lincoln, Eugene Heald of Forestville and I. W. Elliott of Algoma gathered for a photo during the festivities. Elliott's brothers Park and David were killed  during the Civil War, and when I.W. died in December 1941, he was 95 years old and Algoma's - and Kewaunee County's - last Civil War veteran. The popular "Dad" Elliott was living with in Milwaukee with his son Frank at the time of death. He was also Milwaukee's last Civil War veteran.

Gregor, Elliott and Heald, Memorial Day 1930, Record Herald photo

*Ahnepee was spelled as such until the village was chartered as Ahnapee in 1873.
Note: Elliott, Gregor and Heald were not members of Co. E. Others in the company were killed, died of disease or were wounded, but they do not appear to have been Ahnepee/Algoma residents.

Sources: An-An-api-sebe: Where is the River? c. 2001; Algoma Record, Algoma Record Herald; Wisconsin Roster of Civil War Volunteers; Blogger's personal notes and databases. The the exception of the Record Herald photo, photos have been taken by the Blogger.

				Ahnapee