To All, Here it is, hot off the presses, and with permission to be copied and reprinted. Add it to your own resources, start a personal resource list, give it to a friend, put it in your group newsletter, add it to your web page, tape it to your fridge, whatever it takes to have it handly when you need it. You just never know where ancestors will take you. This is part 1 of my "Happy Hunting Grounds". AREA RESEARCH CENTERS AND ASSOCIATED COUNTIES - PHONE, MAIL, AND E-MAIL Area 1: Sauk Columbia Dane State Historical Society of Wisconsin Archives Division 816 State Madison WI 53706 e-mail: archives.reference@ccmail.adp.wisc.edu phone: 608-264-6460 Area 2: Tempealeau Jackson Monroe LaCrosse Vernon Area Research Center Murphy Library University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse LaCrosse WI 54601 e-mail: hill@mail.uwlax.edu phone: 608-785-8511 Area 3: Iowa Grant Green LaFayette Richland Crawford Area Research Center The Wisconsin Room Elton S. Karrman Library University of Wisconsin - Platteville Platteville WI 53818 e-mail: Freymiller@uwplatt.edu phone: 608-342-1688 Area 4: Jefferson Rock Walworth Area Research Center Harold Anderson Library University of Wisconsin - Whitewater West Main Street Whitewater WI 53190 e-mail: Westonk@uww.vax.uww.edu phone: 414-472-5520 Area 5: Kenosha Racine Area Research Center Parkside Library University of Wisconsin - Parkside Kenosha WI 53141 e-mail: pedraza@cs.uwp.edu phone: 414-553-2411 Area 6: Sheboygan Ozaukee Washington Waukesha Milwaukee Area Research Center Golda Meir Library University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee 2311 East Hartford Ave. Milwaukee WI 53201 e-mail: archives@gml.lib.uwm.edu phone: 414-229-5402 Area 7: Winnebego FoundDuLac Dodge GreenLake Marguette Area Research Center Forrest R. Polk Library University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh Oshkoh WI 54901 e-mail: archives@uwosh.edu phone 920-424-2247 Area 8: Outagamie Calumet Manitowoc Brown Kewanee Door Oconto Shawano Menominee Marinette Florence Area Resource Center Cofrin Library University of Wisconsin - Green Bay 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 e-mail: speccoll@uwgb. edu phone: 920-465-2539 Area 9: Juneau Adams Waushara Marathon Portage Wood Waupaca Langlade Lincoln Forest Oneida Vilas Area Research Area Learning Resources Center University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point WI 54481 e-mail: Wpaul@uwspmail.uwsp.edu phone: 715-346-2586 Area 10: Buffalo EauClaire Chippewa Clark Taylor Rusk Price Sawyer Area Research Center William D. McIntyre Library University of Wisonsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire WI 54701 e-mail: library.archives@uwec.edu phone: 715-836-3873 Area 11: Pepin Dunn Barron Area Research Center Robert L. Pierce Library University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonee WI 54751 e-mail: thoriek@uwstout.edu phone: 715-232-2300 Area 12: Polk StCroix Pierce Burnett Washburn Area Research Center Chalmer Davee Library University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls WI 54022 e-mail: sue.g.watson@uwrf.edu phone: 715-425-3567 Area 13: Douglas Area Research Center Superior Public Library 1530 Tower Ave Superior WI 54880 e-mail: bsinger@spl.uwsuper.edu phone: 715-394-8868 Area 14: Bayfield Ashland Iron (opening summer of 1998 - presently nothing available to nonresidents) Area Research Center Northern Great Lakes Center Rt 3 Box 418 Ashland WI 54806 Temporary phone until opening: Rick Pifer - 608-264-6477 Sept 19 - Grand Opening May 30 - public open house 10-2 pm Co-venture of the USDA Forest Service, National Parks and Recreation, and State Historical Society. For traveling public now, in fall the natural and human history exhibits of the region for visitors and locals will open, Archives for local and others will open in Summer, exact time to be determined. Hope this helps, Rita

On the 26 March, Paul Rakow wrote: > > Joann, > > I think it must say, "Caroline, Gattin von .... " > which means "Caroline, the wife of .... " , and of course the > eroded part would be her husband's name. > > Even though the 1880 census says that she was the mother-in-law, don't > neglect the possibility that she may actually have been the step-mother. > Fresh immigrants were not always too clear on the proper English words > for various relations, so sometimes it gets muddled in the census. > (Step-mother fits better with her habing the surname Wittkopf). > > You found her already in the ship arrival lists in America....... Thanks to everyone who replied and tried to help me solve my Wittkopf mystery! Paul, in making the suggestion that she was a STEP-MOTHER, you gave me a whole new window of approach to the situation. (But first, let me mention that no, I didn't find HER on the ship's lists - only Carl and Louise: I scanned the whole list and found no other names even familiar to me as "Oconto" names.) Being a Stepmother might explain why there was no cemetery stone with "Mother" on it; no recounting in the family of how she as a great great grandmother came to the U.S., why the Wittkopf family Doctor, Dr. Armstrong, attended her, but only her husband's name was known to him, not HER family names. (The whole family was close, including the Werth/Wittkopf half sisters and brothers - sad to think that in later years, Caroline may not have had close family around her....was there a family rift?) Does anyone have a clue what happened to JOHANN CARL or CARL JOHANN WITTKOPF, father of Carl and Wilhelm??? Thanks again; it's great that we have this new group to help us - since I'm all the way out in Maine, I'm far from my roots. Sure helps to be in touch with others in the same research area! Joann Names I'm SEARCHING and have some INFO ON are: WITTKOPF, ELLMAN, WERTH Towns in Pommerania, so far: Rothenklempenow, Boock, Bagemuhl, Stettin, probably Mewegen and Pasewalk.

May I please be given more information on the Suring Group? I have Suehring ancestors. Thank you, sandie miller

Could I please be referred to the Suring Group. Thank you Susan Kranz

Heidi, I think that I can help you with at least the Platten family in Green Bay. They did come to the US in 1842 from the town of Morsdorf, Rheinland, Prussia (now Rheinland-Pfalz part of Germany). The Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have microfilms of the church records that include the Anton Platten who brought his second wife, Mary Margaret Bibelhausen and their children. Mary Margaret was from the nearby town of Valwig, which also has microfilmed church records. The families were Catholic. Both these towns are located in the central western part of what is now Germany (which was not a unified country until 1871), just east of the city of Cochem on the Mossel River. Incidently, one of Mary Margaret's sisters immigrated to New York where she met and married the first John Jacob Astor. They were an educated family and she kept the books with her husband as they built their real estate holdings together in New York. Back to your family. I have a wonderful letter written by Anton and Mary Platten's grand daughter in 1942 (one hundred years after the family arrived), that documents their very event filled journey from Europe to Green Bay. Travel was a high risk gamble back then, and not everyone won. I also have another letter written by a different grand daughter that documents family members through the first three generations in this country. They were shop keepers primarily, with the initial family as farmers who settled just south of Green Bay in DePere. Their settlement was called Pine Grove. The Plattens went on to have a very big and active family. The area was a wilderness in 1842. One of Anton and Mary's daughters, Catharine, was married to Anton Nachtway in the local Menominee Indian kitchen (communal long house used by tribal families for cooking) because it was the largest building in the area. She was 16 then and had come to the US as a four year old. The farm next to Anton and Mary Platten's was owned by Mary's brother, John Bibelhausen, who came in 1845 and is my direct ancestor. So although I am not researching the Plattens, I do have some good information on them and will be glad to send it to you. You have a cousin in Green Bay who has done a masterful job of researching the Plattens and we have been exchanging information. Hopefully you will hear from people working on the other families you mentioned. I will also be happy to send addresses of some dandy places to request information about the family in Wisconsin, such as naturalization papers, church recoprds, land records, etc. Let me know if you are interested. Too bad you haven't had the chance to know Wisconsin better, it is a wonderful place filled with equally wonderful people (of course I may be a little bias). Hope this helps, Rita

At 08:04 AM 3/27/98 EST, you wrote: >Hi > >I have only been to Wisconsin two times, once when I was 10 yrs old to see my >grandmother, and the end December 1979 when my grandmother passed away. > >My areas of interest are in Shawano and Green Bay. My mothers Grandfather >August Schmitz married to first ? had on child, 2nd to Florence Bins was an >attorney in Shawano and his daughter/my grandmother Carol B Schmitz was born >in Shawano Aug. 4 1903 of the 2nd marriage. My Grandmother married Louis Emil >Wagner in a town called Kunesh. My grandfather Louis Wagner grew up in town >called Pittsfield? in a school where all they spoke was german. Louis Emil >Wagner's parents were Emil Wagner and Louise Ouierke? pronounced Year ge. I >think he had 3 brothers and a sister? I know my mother said that named >Lawrence. > >My mother told me that her Great Grandfather Fritz Schmitz was a State Senator >in Wisconsin in the late 1800s, he was the father of August Schmitz. Fritz >(Freidrich) Schmitz came from Hamm, Westphalia, Germany with 2 brothers and >bought acreage in a town called Newton? They were all three well educated and >musicians. Fritz Schmitz married Joanna Groelle and they had 9 children in >Manitowac, Wisconsin. > >On my fathers side: > >My father Donald John Lahey was born in Green Bay on March 30, 1927. He had >an older brother Robert (Uncle Bobby) who died in Korea, and an older sister >Delores Ann Lahey. The family moved when my father was 9 to St. Cloud, >Florida. It seems as though his grandfather Thomas LEAHY was in the Civil War >had invested in some land in Florida that turned out to be useless swamp land. >They did not know that until they moved. Anyway, my fathers parents were >Marie Helen Platten and George Lahey son of Thomas LEAHY. Platten came from >Germany to Wisconsin in 1842. Thomas Leahy and his wife Henna O'Connor were >from Ireland, I am not sure if they came together or married in Wisconsin. > >Anyone with information to confirm any of this, or to expand this information, >or anyone connected to any of these people, please contact me. > >Thank You Very Much > >Heidi > >

Any information welcome and appreciated on Nicholas EHLE who owned 40 acres of land in Shawano County. The year was 1856. Variations include EHL or UHL. Other EHLE names possibly connected are Joseph, Marshall, Edward, Edwin, Harrison. Some of the family then settled in nearby counties of Wisconsin, having come from the Montgomery County/Herkimer County and Mohawk Valley area of New York after leaving Germany beginning about 1740. Thank you. djohn39031@aol.com or djohn@netnet.net

Hi I have only been to Wisconsin two times, once when I was 10 yrs old to see my grandmother, and the end December 1979 when my grandmother passed away. My areas of interest are in Shawano and Green Bay. My mothers Grandfather August Schmitz married to first ? had on child, 2nd to Florence Bins was an attorney in Shawano and his daughter/my grandmother Carol B Schmitz was born in Shawano Aug. 4 1903 of the 2nd marriage. My Grandmother married Louis Emil Wagner in a town called Kunesh. My grandfather Louis Wagner grew up in town called Pittsfield? in a school where all they spoke was german. Louis Emil Wagner's parents were Emil Wagner and Louise Ouierke? pronounced Year ge. I think he had 3 brothers and a sister? I know my mother said that named Lawrence. My mother told me that her Great Grandfather Fritz Schmitz was a State Senator in Wisconsin in the late 1800s, he was the father of August Schmitz. Fritz (Freidrich) Schmitz came from Hamm, Westphalia, Germany with 2 brothers and bought acreage in a town called Newton? They were all three well educated and musicians. Fritz Schmitz married Joanna Groelle and they had 9 children in Manitowac, Wisconsin. On my fathers side: My father Donald John Lahey was born in Green Bay on March 30, 1927. He had an older brother Robert (Uncle Bobby) who died in Korea, and an older sister Delores Ann Lahey. The family moved when my father was 9 to St. Cloud, Florida. It seems as though his grandfather Thomas LEAHY was in the Civil War had invested in some land in Florida that turned out to be useless swamp land. They did not know that until they moved. Anyway, my fathers parents were Marie Helen Platten and George Lahey son of Thomas LEAHY. Platten came from Germany to Wisconsin in 1842. Thomas Leahy and his wife Henna O'Connor were from Ireland, I am not sure if they came together or married in Wisconsin. Anyone with information to confirm any of this, or to expand this information, or anyone connected to any of these people, please contact me. Thank You Very Much Heidi

Hi I have done research on numerous families in Oconto, Shawano, Waupace, & Manitowoc Counties. Suring has started a genealogy group in January. My families are Schuettpelz, Bubolz, Luebke, Klawitter, Zutz, Block, Manske, Luecker, Bahrke, Zahn, Glor, Zellmer. and Taylor. Anyone working on these and need info will be happy to share. Thanks, Barb Bubolz. > >> >

The focus of my research is from Shawano, Wi with the names of Kriefall, Wachholtz, Buelow, and others unknown at this time. Anyone with info on these names, youre help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Tom Kriefall Milwaukee, Wi

I am doing research on my Oconto county families. I have primarily Telford, Milbauer, Westergaard, and Hansen, with marriages into the family from Spice, Kruger, Cota and Andersen. Anybody needing information or having any to share is welcome to contact me directly at SWestrgard@aol.com Sue Westergaard

Hello, Everyone! I'm hoping that someone can help me solve a family mystery. As a child I was told that my great grandfather Carl Wittkopf and his younger brother Wilhelm immigrated to Oconto. I assumed they came together as young men, the first of the family to arrive in American. Wrong! A cousin came up with a news article from the Oconto Enterprise of 1919 which told me that Carl and Louise (Ellman) were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary - that in 1869 they had married and left Stettin for the U.S. This allowed me to search for ship records - I found them - no other family member was on the roster! Where was Wilhelm? I waited anxiously for the 1870 Census film to arrive.. Here they are, in the West Ward: "Whitcup, Chas 25 laborer Prussia Loesa 25 Keeping house CAROLINE 47 LABORER Wm. 18 Laborer There is Wilhelm, but when and with whom did HE come? And could Caroline be their mother? It seemed like ages until the 1880 Census film arrived: "Wittkopf Charles 35 works in Blacksmith Shop Louise 35 Wife Keeping House Ernest 10 son (my grandfather) William 7 son Emma 3 daughter Wittkopf Caroline 57 MOTHER-IN-LAW" !! I now have her death certificate : she had been born 15 Sept 1823 and died 5 Oct, 1894. Her deceased husband's name is listed as John. There is a monument on my great grandparent's plot in Evergreen Cemetery which lists 2 children who died in childhood, and Caroline "Gatkind von..." The lettering is eroded: my brother and I stood there in the rain, trying to decipher it. We had to leave Oconto the next day... If anyone else has knowlege of WITTKOPF FAMILY HISTORY, or can help in any way - my brother Paul and I, and our families, would be most grateful. Joann Wittkopf Levin

On Thu, 26 Mar 1998 Joann Wittkopf Levin wrote: > I now have her death certificate : she had been born 15 Sept 1823 and >died 5 Oct, 1894. Her deceased husband's name is listed as John. There >is a monument on my great grandparent's plot in Evergreen Cemetery which >lists 2 children who died in childhood, and Caroline "Gatkind von..." >The lettering is eroded: my brother and I stood there in the rain, Joann, I think it must say, "Caroline, Gattin von .... " which means "Caroline, the wife of .... " , and of course the eroded part would be her husband's name. Even though the 1880 census says that she was the mother-in-law, don't neglect the possibility that she may actually have been the step-mother. Fresh immigrants were not always too clear on the proper English words for various relations, so sometimes it gets muddled in the census. (Step-mother fits better with her habing the surname Wittkopf). You found her already in the ship arrival lists in America. That should tell you which port she left from. Have you looked for her in the ship departure lists in Germany? Those for Stettin and Hamburg have survived (but the Bremen lists were destroyed). They should give you much more information than the arrival lists. The Hamburg lists have been microfilmed, so they are easy to look at, the Stettin lists aren't on film, so you would have to write to Germany to have them checked. Yours, Paul Rakow rakow@ifh.de

I need a couple of lookups in the 1850 and/or waupaca county census. In 1860 I have John and Margaret Dailey, Town of St. Lawrence, Waupaca, Ogdensburg is the PO which I assume is post office. They have James, Ellen, Dennnis, John and Jerry...I am looking for another child Hannah In 1870 I have a F P. Towle, town of Little Wolf, Waupaca, married to Jane, children are Kinsbury/Kinsbery, thomas, Persila(Priscilla?) and Mary E. They migh not have been in waupaca then, but possibly in WI Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks, Judy Huskey.

Humor break! Marsha KevieW wrote: > > REMEMBER WHEN....... > > A COMPUTER WAS SOMETHING ON TV > FROM A SCIENCE FICTION SHOW > A WINDOW WAS SOMETHING YOU HATED TO CLEAN.... > AND RAM WAS THE COUSIN OF A GOAT..... > > MEG WAS THE NAME OF MY GIRLFRIEND > AND GIG WAS YOUR MIDDLE FINGER UPRIGHT > NOW THEY ALL MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS > AND THAT REALLY MEGA BYTES > > AN APPLICATION WAS FOR EMPLOYMENT > A PROGRAM WAS A TV SHOW > A CURSOR USED PROFANITY > A KEYBOARD WAS A PIANO > > MEMORY WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU LOST WITH AGE > A CD WAS A BANK ACCOUNT > AND IF YOU HAD A 3 1/2" FLOPPY > YOU HOPED NOBODY FOUND OUT > > COMPRESS WAS SOMETHING YOU DID TO THE GARBAGE > NOT SOMETHING YOU DID TO A FILE > AND IF YOU UNZIPPED ANYTHING IN PUBLIC > YOU'D BE IN JAIL FOR A WHILE > > LOG ON WAS ADDING WOOD TO THE FIRE > HARD DRIVE WAS A LONG TRIP ON THE ROAD > A MOUSE PAD WAS WHERE A MOUSE LIVED > AND A BACKUP HAPPENED TO YOUR COMMODE > > CUT YOU DID WITH A POCKET KNIFE > PASTE YOU DID WITH GLUE > A WEB WAS A SPIDER'S HOME > AND A VIRUS WAS THE FLU > > I GUESS I'LL STICK TO MY PAD AND PAPER > AND THE MEMORY IN MY HEAD > I HEAR NOBODY'S BEEN KILLED IN A COMPUTER CRASH > BUT WHEN IT HAPPENS THEY WISH THEY WERE DEAD > > :*:~:*:~:*:~:*:~:*

Hi, I just ran across this excellent site and thought I would pass it along. I have a shelf full of books and atlases, but on occasion, I need to see a county/state as it was before 1900. And this site has it all, as far as U.S. maps go. They take a while to download, but are worth the wait. Take care, Anne <A HREF="http://www.ismi.net/lcmigw/1895.htm">1895 Atlas Title Page</A> or http://www.ismi.net/lcmigw/1895.htm

>Oh! And is the St Patrick's Congregation of Stiles, WI still in >existence? Yeah, they are in fact in existance and completely active, and other than the fact that they are tearing up the east side of the community for the "new and improved" 4 lane highway that is going to be oh-so-handy for the tourists heading "up north" for the weekend (sense a little sarcasm?), it is a quaint little community. I lived in Stiles for about 9 years and that is the church I went to and my parents still go there. I looked for some old literature from the church but could not find any, so I called my parents and had them look at a flyer for the mailing address and all that. This is the information for the rectory next to the church where the priest lives... St. Patrick's Rectory 5246 St. Patrick's Road Lena, WI 54139 920-834-2575 Hope this helps.. Chris Maccaux

Chris, Thank you so much! I knew if anybody had this info, it'd be someone on this list! Uhh, we were planning on coming up that way on vacation this summer, does this mean you don't want us? <snif!> Happy Hunting! Marsha Wilcox mwilcox@lnd.com Davis & Wilcox Web Design -- http://www.usroots.com/spungold/dwwd.html USGenWeb County Coordinator for: Lake Co., IL -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~illake/ Listowner for ILLAKE-L, tracing your roots in Lake Co., IL Oconto Co., WI -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~wioconto/ Shawano Co., WI -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~wishawan/ Home Page -- http://mall.lnd.com/wilcox/ My Genealogy Page: http://www.rootsweb.com/~mawilcox/index.htm Chris wrote: > > >Oh! And is the St Patrick's Congregation of Stiles, WI still in > >existence? > > Yeah, they are in fact in existance and completely active, and > other than the fact that they are tearing up the east side of the > community for the "new and improved" 4 lane highway that is > going to be oh-so-handy for the tourists heading "up north" for > the weekend (sense a little sarcasm?), it is a quaint little > community. I lived in Stiles for about 9 years and that is the > church I went to and my parents still go there. > > I looked for some old literature from the church but could not > find any, so I called my parents and had them look at a flyer > for the mailing address and all that. This is the information for > the rectory next to the church where the priest lives... > > St. Patrick's Rectory > 5246 St. Patrick's Road > Lena, WI 54139 > > 920-834-2575 > > Hope this helps.. > Chris Maccaux

Does anybody know if the cemetery in Flintville, Brown Co. has been indexed, and if so, where I can buy a copy of the index? Apparently a lot of my ancestors are buried there. And can I do this on-line or do I need to do it snail-mail (yuck!)? Oh! And is the St Patrick's Congregation of Stiles, WI still in existence? Thanks! Marsha Wilcox mwilcox@lnd.com Davis & Wilcox Web Design -- http://www.usroots.com/spungold/dwwd.html USGenWeb County Coordinator for: Lake Co., IL -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~illake/ Listowner for ILLAKE-L, tracing your roots in Lake Co., IL Oconto Co., WI -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~wioconto/ Shawano Co., WI -- http://www.rootsweb.com/~wishawan/ Home Page -- http://mall.lnd.com/wilcox/ My Genealogy Page: http://www.rootsweb.com/~mawilcox/index.htm

>Subject: Death has changed. > > Those listed oldtime illnesses were just a few of the common ones. I think infection of one thing or the other was probably the biggest cause of death back then before antibiotics. Poor nutrition at least part of every year didn't help the immune system fight things off. Seems also that there were a lot of accidents during work for both men and women (and children, who often worked full time at logging, farm and factory by age 8). If the accident wasn't fatal, the following infection was. You read all the time about folks having lingering deaths who made out their wills and got a chance to say "good-bye" to relatives who traveled many miles to be at their death bed. They got to compose their own epitaphs, had photographs taken with and for family, and even had some "last words" for others to remember. This was because there was a general acceptance that there was nothing much to do as the infection (or other illness)slowly spred. People just concentrated on keeping the ill person comfortable, and focused on "making final plans". Some of the medical practices weren't much help then either, such as "bleeding" (with leaches or incision) or the use of small doses of poisons and heavy metal compounds (not rock music). The general thought was an acceptance that "death happens". > Today with all the medicines and treatments available, death usually happens more quickly (not always, though) and in this country we are almost completely focused on survival so there is no time or thought for such final ceremony. In 1890 the average life span was 47 for women and 42 for men. People who lived into their 60's were considered very old indeed, and anyone in their 80's was almost unbelievable (there were actually quite a few, but many people didn't know exactly when they were born and birthdays were not celebrated as special occasions as they are now). Guess things have changed a lot these last 200 years. Hope this helps, Rita >