All Roads Lead to Sheboygan (At Least for Me- for a While Anyway)

Let me introduce you to Jay Kroll. He lives in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and just last week he contacted me via email. He happened to stumble across my JD's Jottings blog and I quote, "found it very interesting, informative and overall enjoyable. Good work.." Wowsers! That was nice to hear. I must say I was flattered, and somewhat surprised since most of my jottings came about rather spontaneously, and did not involve a lot of planning and forethought. I usually just sat down, picked out a picture and wrote about it. Thank you, Jay, for the compliment. That makes me happy.

 

Here's the thing. Jay is also a genealogist and family historian. He can't get enough of it. In his own words, he is a genealogy addict. I understand completely. Best of all, however, is (remember, his name is Jay KROLL, he is a 3rd cousin. My Grandma Haubrich was a Kroll. Her Dad, my great grandfather and Jay's great grandfather were brothers. Jay was kind enough to send me a file of his Kroll research and is is loaded with good stuff I didn't have. We plan to meet sometime in the near future.

 

I am very grateful for this unexpected contact and new acquaintance, for obvious reasons. But it is also helpful to me since it gave me a (re)-starting place as I hope to be able to spend a lot more time now on this good stuff in retirement. Jay is clearly a lot more polished, organized, and professional than I am, but I hope that our meeting with be of mutual benefit.

 

Anyway, about the KROLLS OF SHEBOYGAN:



 



Let me share with you one of my favorite pictures. I don't remember exactly when, but I do remember how excited I was when I found it, or it found me. (You see, I don't document very well!) It is the earliest photo we have of Grandma Haubrich, probably late 1888. It became the starting point for my Kroll family research. I knew who all the people were, but I wanted to learn all about them and what happened to them. There are lots of pictures too!

It a great place to make this fresh start in my family history research. Fred (Friedrich) Kroll and Anna (Thielmann) came to Sheboygan in 1873 from what was called Royal Prussia. Like many other like-immigrants, there is nothing especially unique and special about their life, but at the same time, like many other like-immigrants, their life is fascinating and amazingly interesting to people like me. I'll have more to say about that.

As for their children, there were seven, five of who survived into adulthood. Each one is a story in itself. Gustav is the oldest and became a career army man, serving from the Spanish-American War years, through WWI, and into the 1920s. He spent time in Prescott, AZ at Fort Whipple (been there) and settled in San Antonio, TX. He married a local girl of Mexican descent. Both are buried in Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Fred Jr stayed in the Sheboygan area his entire life. The Fred Krolls and the Haubrichs of Kenosha spent quite a bit of time together, the one visiting the other back and forth over the years. Fred married a Dutch gal and they had one son who died in his 20's. 

Emma was the oldest daughter. She ended up marrying a Kenosha man, Fred Lorenz and their home became the hub of sorts for the Kroll/Haubrich family into the 1940s. Another of my favorite series of pictures , which I will share sometime, were taken on their back porch. I have had an email contact with one of her granddaughters who now lives in Texas and has some of the same pictures I have. 

Emilie is my grandma and this is where the Haubrich family meets the Krolls. I could write a book about her. She lived with us for several years in Zion and died at the hospital in Waukegan. I will never forget carrying her frail body down the front stairs of the house on Elizabeth Avenue that day. I have a tape recording of her talking about her mom and dad and living in Sheboygan. She was an interesting lady.

Finally, there's Bertha. She married Grandpa Haubrich's younger brother Adolph, moved to Phoenix in the late teens because of his poor health, and died there while only in his late 30s. Bertha and her three children moved back to Kenosha. She lived as a widow for almost 45 years. We remember her best as living with her cousin, Elvira Lorenz, in a cute little house in Kenosha. Daughter Betty Jean still lives in Kenosha today. (Which reminds me, I need to call her.)

Yikes - I was going to make this a short one. Oh well. There you have it. Hopefully, I'll have more to share soon. Thanks, Jay Kroll. My house now is right on Hwy 23 in Montello and if you take that east you will drive into Lake Michigan in Sheboygan. So, I guess all roads do lead there, at least mine will, for a while anyway.

Now I'm One of the Old Timers

 

     Today is the first day of being "retired" and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I guess it may take a while to figure that out - then again, maybe not. I do know that it got me thinking about the past and our family, not that it takes a whole lot to get me doing that. One picture popped into my mind - the one below.



      Some may remember this, but at 4711 20th Avenue in Kenosha, where Aunt Norma and Uncle Kelly lived, with Grandma Haubrich living in an upstairs apartment, Uncle Kelly kept a very organized and clean basement. It was still a basement with a low ceiling, but it was not a real scary place like basements could often be. Among other things, I remember Uncle Kelly's work bench area straight head when you came in the door, the red-painted floors, and the dart board baseball game back in the corner. (It was always covered with a sheet and it was a real treat when it got uncovered and used, which was not very often. I mean, what could go wrong with a couple of kids in a low-ceiling basement throwing darts!)

       Then there was the bathroom and shower. It was on the outside wall of the bathroom that this picture (or one like it, if not this actual one) was hanging. I remember looking  at it and wondering who those people were. They must have been important or they wouldn't be hanging on the wall in the basement! (I also remember that on inside wall of  the bathroom was a little corncob in a glass box. It said, "For Emergency Only" - so I guess someone had a sense of humor!

      The "Old Timers" was a club at the Simmons Company in Kenosha. At first I thought they were all retired, but I guess not. The picture below in from 1940, and Pa Haubrich retired in 1947 (according to his obituary.) So I think it was just a group of workers who had achieved various milestones of long and faithful employment in the company. Pa worked there for 50 years!

       That's him in the second row, just left of center, over the right shoulder of the lone female in the picture. They called him "Shorty," and he was, but it looks like there could have been any number of "Shortys" in this group. Also in the picture is his brother-in-law, Fred Lorenz and cousin Fritz Haubrich. (The last two guys in the front row right.)

 

 

       Simmons - the mattress company, was a major employer in Kenosha for a greater part of the century. They were a huge part  of the community. Not only did many of the Haubrichs work there, but many Kenoshans. It almost was a community in itself. Pa played in the Simmons Band and Simmons Park has always been a landmark and popular place for get-togethers and relaxation. Even my Dad talked about the amazing Simmons picnics.

       I never really knew my Grandpa Haubrich since I was barely 4 years old when he died, but I do remember this picture very well and I am glad I have it. Too bad I can't talk to him about it now. I am sure  he would have lots of  great stories about working there and about old Kenosha as well.

       Maybe he could have given me some tips on how to be one of the "Old Timers" today.