Milwaukee County Wisconsin Genealogy

Biographies and Family Information

Includes Marriages, Births, Confirmations, Baptisms

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MATHIAS NETZER

Mathias Netzer was born in Freudenburg, Prussia 28 Nov. 1817, the son of Mathias Netzer and Katharina Quari. He married Elizabeth Grandil, daughter of Nikolaus Grandill and Maria Maas on the 25th of November 1841 at St. Trinitatis Catholic Church in Freudenburg. They had seven children, three of them dying in Freudenburg before they left for America.

The Mathias Netzer family left Freudenburg on the 14 of March 1857 with $400.00. They went to the port of Havre, France to board the ship 'Tornado' to go to the United States of America. This ship had 689 passengers, plus the crew, so it was a really large ship for those days. They landed at New York on the 15 April 1857. There were six of them in their family when they landed. I was never able to find the youngest one, Mathias, who was eight months old. He must have died sometime after they left the ship. It is not known where they lived until they bought their farm of 80 acres in the town of Meeme Northeast of School Hill) on 1 May 1860, for $160.00 from Edward H Janssen and wife Friederike. Then on 17 September 1867, Mathias Netzer bought the farm across the road from his farm for $800.00 from DeLorma & Lila Brooks, who were land prospectors. Mathias became a naturalized citizen on the 28 Mar. 1868 in the city of Manitowoc, WI.

In the fall of 1891, Mathias Netzer, who was a widower by then, went down to Missouri to visit his son Peter and family. He stayed there for several months. He was expected to stay there all winter, but then in January of 1892 he decided to come back to Wisconsin. On his way home, he stopped at the Wisconsin Sanglois Hotel in the 4th ward of Milwaukee to spend the night. This was close to the train station. He was 75 years of age at the time and hard of hearing. He was told to turn off the gas lights and not to blow them out like a kerosene lamp. Mathias could not have understood the hotel personal, as he blew out the lights and was gassed to death. The next day, a messenger came to the farm home on horse-back to inform John Netzer of his father's death. Only the younger girls of the family were home as the rest of the family were at the wedding of William Binversie and Regina Schuler which was on February 1, 1892. William was the youngest brother of Margaret Netzer.

The next day, John went to Milwaukee by train to identify his father and come back with his body. It cost $95.00 to prepare the body for burial which included the coffin, and $1.84 to ship the body by train from Milwaukee to Centerville - which is now called Cleveland.

At the time of Mathias' wife's death, they were both living with their daughter Magdalena Birsch and her husband who owned a saloon and hotel on the 42 near Edwards on the south end of the town of Meeme. Lots of travelers would stop over night at the Birsch's, on their way through. The Netzer's had been retired for many years by that time. Mathias was carrying a lot of money with him at the time of his death. The money he had came from either John or Peter, when they paid back their father as they were paying off their debt to their father.

Source: Unknown

 

JACOB A. NOBLE

Jacob A. Noble has been for many years a prominent engineer sailing out of Milwaukee, but in 1898 he entered the employ of the Wisconsin Milling Company as chief engineer. He has been endowed with many good qualities of head and heart, is generous and companionable, and now holds a responsible position. He was born January 21, 1847, at St. Catharines, Ontario, and is the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Campbell) Noble. The father was raised near Kingstone, Ontario, and after leaving home he went to St. Catharines, where he soon displayed an aptitude for business, and finally founded a large axe factory, to which in the course of time he added a large flouring mill, but suffered reverses during the financial crash of 1857. He joined the silent majority in 1861. The mother was born near Belfast, Ireland, and was a descendant of Colin Campbell; her father was a captain in the Scots Grays, a famous British cavalry regiment, and on being retired on half-pay crossed the Atlantic with his family to locate a government grant of land near Toronto. The family had carried on a factory for the manufacture of lace previous to their emigration to the New World. The mother of our subject died in 1874.

After attaining a good public-school education in St. Catharines, Jacob A. Noble spent some time as a clerk in a dry-goods store, but that occupation being too confining he adopted the life of a sailor, going to Port Colborne and shipping on tugs operating on the Welland canal, among them the Minnie Battle and Florence. He also acted as engineer of a dredge, doing contract work at Bay City. In 1872 he was appointed engineer of the steamer Florence, plying in the Detroit and Windsor ferry line. The next year he applied for American papers, which were granted by Mr. DeForest, of the Cleveland district, and was appointed chief engineer of the steamer Alpena. He then moved to Milwaukee and shipped as chief engineer of the steamer Susquehanna. After sailing for a number of years as chief of lumber barges, which included the Hickox, Hilton, Almedinger, Neptune and Fayette, he entered the Milwaukee Cement Works as engineer. Owing to some change in the company Mr. Noble, in 1891, returned to the lakes as second engineer of the steamer George H. Dyer, followed by a season as second in the Thomas Davidson. In the spring of 1893 he was appointed chief engineer of the Thomas Davidson and ran her for four seasons, always with satisfaction to everybody concerned. In the spring of 1897 he transferred to the John Duncan as chief, closing the season in the Fred Pabst, and at this writing he is chief engineer of the Wisconsin Milling Campany, of Milwaukee. He has twenty-four issues of license.

His brother, William Noble, who is also a resident of Milwaukee, sailed as chief engineer of many steamers, among them being the R. J. Hackett, Forest City, and Amazon, and since 1882 has been superintendent chief engineer of the Wolf and Davidson line of steamers.

In November, 1888, Jacob A. Noble was wedded to Miss Catherine Rung, of Milwaukee, and they reside at No. 972 Scott street, Milwaukee, Wis. Socially our subject is a member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association, No. 9, of Milwaukee, and is vice-president of that body.

Source: History of the Great Lakes, Vol. 2 by J.B. Mansfield Published Chicago: J.H. Beers & Co. 1899

 

ERNEST O. NORQUIST

Ernest O. Norquist, 84, the gentle, principled survivor of the Bataan death march and Japanese prison camps during World War II. He went on to become a Presbyterian minister, civil rights activist and the quietly outspoken father of former Milwaukee Mayor John O. Norquist. Ernest Norquist died of natural causes March 8.

 

C.W. NORRIS

son of G.D. Norris, was born in Milwaukee, corner of Main and Oneida streets, in 1849. After completing his education he was engaged as book-keeper in the office of Norris & Kershaw. In 1871 he became a partner in the house of G.D. Norris & Co.

Source: HISTORY OF MILWAUKEE 1881

 

G.D. NORRIS

G.D. Norris was born in Boston, Mass, March, 1822. A graduate of Boston Latin School, he was engaged in early life in the wholesale dry goods business as clerk with his father. He came to Milwaukee in 1843, and commenced business as a ship-chandler, fitting out the bark UTICA. In 1867 he formed a partnership with Mr. C.J. Kershaw in the grain and commission business, under the firm name of Norris & Kershaw. Continued in this line till his death in October 1869, while still conducting his former business of ship-chandlery. He returned East in 1848 and was married, occupying on his return the house now standing on the southwest corner of Main and Oneida streets. About a year after he removed to Cass street, near Martin, the place now occupied by Wm. L. Candee, where he lived until 1864. Commenced building the brick building No. 566 Van Buren street in 1863, and moved in the Fall of 1864, where he lived until his death.

Source: HISTORY OF MILWAUKEE 1881

 

DR. THOMAS J. NOYES

Source: The Medical History of Milwaukee, By Louis Frederick Frank. Published 1915. Germania Publishing Co.

Dr. Thomas J. Noyes came to Milwaukee in 1836 from Franklin, N. H., and acquired a large practice by his jovial disposition, carrying a cheering air into the sick room. His good-fellowship soon led him into politics. In 1843, during the first small-pox epidemic, he was appointed chairman of the board of health, though he had ceased to practise his profession. He was justice of the peace for several years and proprietor of the hotel known as the Milwaukee House for a while. In 1837 he was elected president of the first medical society of Milwaukee. In 1855 he started for California, but died before reaching his destination.

 

HENRY NYLAND

CANTWELL, Mary J. (wife of Henry Nyland), LYNCH, Margaret (mother-in-law of Henry Nyland), SHOWENAAR, Dena (mother of Henry Nyland)

Henry Nyland, whose work as a marine engineer speaks for him, is endowed with an earnest, studious personality. He has earned the respect and esteem of those with whom it has been in the order of his marine life to associate.

Mr. Nyland was born in Grand Haven, Mich., on December 6, 1863, his parents being A.J. and Dena (Schowenaar) Nyland. His father is a native of Holland, the land from which the early settlers of New York migrated, and his mother of Zealand. They came to the United States in 1848, stopping a short time in New York, and going thence to Holland, Mich., where they settled on a farm. Some years later the family moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., were Mr. Nyland, Sr., started in business as a tanner, conducting that until it was destroyed by fire; after which he went to Milwaukee, later returning to Holland, Mich., where he again went into business. In 1887 he purchased the controlling interest in the Grand Haven Leather Company, removed to that city, and as president and general manager devoted his attention to the building up of the business, in which he has been eminently successful by virtue of his large practical knowledge and enterprise.

Henry Nyland, the subject of this sketch, received a liberal education in the public schools of Milwaukee and Holland, and in 1881 adopted a lake faring life by shipping as fireman on the steamer Fannie Schriver, plying between Holland and Saugatuck, a berth he retained two seasons, joining the excursion steamer Macatawa the following spring. He then stopped ashore two years as engineer of the Grand Haven Leather Company's plant, of which his father was president, holding that position until, 1889, when he was appointed chief engineer of the Grand Haven city waterworks. In the spring 1891 he again took up his steamboat life, this time as chief engineer of the Charley West, owned by George T. Arnold, and after two seasons took charge of the passenger steamer T. S. Faxton.

In the winter of 1893-94 he put the engine into the steamer Islander, and brought her out new and ran her during the season, laying up both the Islander and Ossifrage at the close of navigation, after which he entered the employ of the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad Company as chief of the F. & P. M. No. 5, on her winter route, running her that winter and the two following years, when he was transferred to F. & P. M. No. 3, of which he was chief for some time.

On June 3, 1887, Henry Nyland was united in marriage to Miss Mary J., daughter of William and Margaret (Lynch) Cantwell, of Marcellus, Mich. The children born to this union are Madgie Jane, and Herman W. The family homestead is No. 869 Marshall street, Milwaukee, Wis. Socially, Mr. Nyland is a charter member of the Marine Engineers Beneficial order of the Maccabees.