HISTORY OF MANITOWOC COUNTY


class of i896, and a well known member of the Odd Fellows, the Elks, the
Eagles
and the Knights of Pythias, who has served as district attorney of Manitowoc
for four years; and Hulda, who married Henry Groth, cashier of the German
American Bank, and resides in Manitowoc.
MICHAEL WIMMER.
One of the most attractive farming properties of Manitowoc Rapids township
is that of Michael Wimmer, whose prosperity is entirely attributable to close
application and the intelligent direction of his affairs. He was born in
Bavaria
on the I2th of September, i859, and is a son of John and Mary Wimmer, natives
of that country where they passed their entire lives, the father devoting
his
energies to farming and the carpenter's trade.
The boyhood and youth of Michael Wimmer were passed in the family home,
the common schools of the vicinity providing him with a good education. As
a
lad he assisted his father in the work of the fields and after leaving school
he
learned the carpenter's trade. In accordance with the requirements of the
gov-
ernment of his native land, he entered the German army, when twenty years
of age, in which he remained for twenty-six months. After the expiration
of his
period of service he resumed the duties of civil life in his home village
and during
the succeeding three years worked in a brewery in the winter months, while
in
the summers he followed his trade. He was an enterprising and ambitious young
man, and desired to advance and acquire a competence that would make him
inde-
pendent in his later years. Conditions around him early brought him to a
realiza-
tion that opportunities in his native land were limited, and to attain his
ambition
of independence he determined to seek new fields of endeavor. With this de-
termination urging him on he in i885 took passage for the United States,
believ-
ing that in the middle west where homes could be acquired for a reasonable
price
and wages were high, he would be able to realize his desire. Upon his arrival
in
this country he came direct to Manitowoc county, locating in the town of
Meeme,
where for two years he worked at the carpenter's trade. As he was a skilful
artisan, intelligent and reliable, he had all the work he could do, although
he was
unfamiliar with the language and customs of the country. He lived in a most
economical manner in his effort to acquire sufficient capital to purchase
some land
and in i888 made the first payment on a tract of eighty acres in Meeme township
upon which had been placed a few crude improvements. He was married very
soon thereafter and he and his bride immediately removed to his farm, where
they resided for eighteen years. The responsibilities of a family and the
incum-
brance on his property stimulated him to put forth greater efforts, and during
the
succeeding years he applied himself indefatigably to the further improvement
and
cultivation of his farm. A man of practical ideas, clear judgment and more
than
average business sagacity, Mr. Wimmer prospered. The first few years, as
is
usual in any enterprise, were fraught with hard work and at times most discourag-
ing, but he was young, enjoyed excellent health and possessed unlimited faith
in
his ability to make a success of his undertaking. As his circumstances warranted
he added to his equipment and' replaced the shed-like barns and outbuildings
by
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