Portraits

Herman Weigel

Herman Weigel was born in Germany in 1859 probably in Weigelsdorf, Silesia, Germany which is now known as Wigancice, Dolnoslaskie, Poland. Herman arrived in Marshfield, Wisconsin in the early days of the settlement, a few years before the fire in 1887.

Herman was the fourth of five siblings who came to the Marshfield area from Weigelsdorf. His older brother, Paul, and older sister, Marie, arrived first in Wisconsin in 1877. Marie met and married Stephen Luecke in Milwaukee in 1880 and then moved up to settle in Marshfield before 1885. Paul married in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin in 1881 and then came to the Marshfield area.

Joseph Weigel was the next to immigrate in May of 1878. Joe married in Manitowoc County as well and then made the move to Marshfield. Brothers Paul and Joe bought wild land on the line between Wood and Marathon Counties on what is now McMillan Street. Herman was next to arrive and fortunately he recounted his early days in Wisconsin in some interviews with Marshfield newspapers over the years.

Herman came in November of 1878 according to his Declaration of Intention to

become a citizen filed in 1884. He was escaping the draft in Germany, and so he left without permission to emigrate. Herman arrived at the port of New York and then made his way to Milwaukee where he hoped to find work as a cabinet maker. He only had $9 in his pocket upon his arrival and he had no tools. He managed to find some work, but wages were low and rent was high. Herman decided to come to Marshfield where his brothers had settled.

When he arrived at the rough settlement that became the city of Marshfield, he inquired after his brother Paul. A citizen told Herman to continue north on the muddy lane that is now Central Avenue for another mile and a half and then ask for directions from someone there. At the county line, he met a woman who pointed into the woods and told him that his brothers traveled in that direction when they passed by. Herman said there was no trail, barely even a cow path, but he followed the path until he came to a clearing with a small farm. There the farmer directed Herman further on to his brother Paul’s property.

Herman stayed with Paul and Joe and helped them clear land for a little over a year and then went back to Milwaukee to work in his trade of cabinet making. In 1882, the last of the brothers, August Weigel, made it to Wisconsin and bought land on the county line next to his brothers. The three farms were side by side on the north side of McMillan Street running almost from today’s Galvin Avenue east to Stadt Road.

By 1883 Herman was back in Marshfield and secured a position at Upham’s plant making extension tables. Lots were being sold here for $10 and lumber was relatively cheap. Herman built a small house at 532 South Central Avenue, which is the current location of the parking lot next to Heinzen Printing, and walked to and from work every day. Herman married Clara Hartl at St. John’s Catholic Church on 14 September 1885 and they lived in their little house for nearly 20 years.

The little Weigel house was a story and a half with a small barn in the back. The house survived the fire in June of 1887 that destroyed most of Marshfield. Herman and Clara woke the morning after the fire to find residents packed into the lower floor of their home with the belongings that could be salvaged piled in with them. The refugees stayed until temporary housing could be built.

Herman enjoyed working for Governor Upham (then Major Upham). He told of a time when work was slow and he thought about quitting the Upham plant but he didn’t have a good reason. Then a mechanic at the plant borrowed some of Herman’s tools and ruined them. Herman felt that he could use the broken tools as his excuse to give notice. When Upham asked him why he wanted to leave and Herman told him about the tools, Upham told Herman to go right to the hardware store and replace the tools at the expense of the company. Herman was then sent back to work and, having nothing else to complain about, he stayed for 23 years.

Herman’s health began to decline and he sold the little house on Central Avenue to George Donhard in about 1901. It was at this time that Herman decided to move out to McMillan Street near his brothers. Herman bought 100 acres next to the property of his brother Joe in section 34 in the town of McMillan. Herman and his wife, Clara, lived on their farm for about 40 years. Herman’s son Oscar eventually took over the farm and Herman lived on that land until his death in 1947.

Herman was the last survivor of the Weigel siblings who traveled from Germany to the US. He came when Marshfield was still just a few rough houses and muddy tracks for roads. Wagons and trains were the primary means of transportation. No one had electricity or indoor plumbing. During Herman’s life, he saw the city burned to the ground and rebuilt into a prosperous community. Homes had electricity, radios, and telephones. Cars and trucks were the means of transportation. Tractors replaced horse drawn farm equipment. Herman was among the last of the “old settlers” of Marshfield and he was truly a witness to the birth of our little city.