The Village of Lynn

 

George Ure and Gottlieb Sternitzky were the founders of the town of Lynn and the little village of the same name. Mr. Ure is the father of the present Clerk of the Circuit Court and secretary of the Lynn Mutual Fire Insurance Co. and Lynn Mutual Tornado Insurance Company and Mr. Sternitzky was the father of Henry, Charles, Ernest, James Sternitzky, all prominent Clark County residents. The two pioneers came from Chicago in 1855, Mr. Ure paying $300 for an eighty which he never saw, but which turned out to he a first class piece of land, now worth thirty or forty times the cost price, They drove through from Sparta with a team. Bartemus Brooks and sons Alonso, Dan and Erwin were also among the first comers, and Archibald Yorkston arrived shortly after, and Frederick Yankee with his sons August, William, Herman and Henry, all of whom are well known Clark County residents today.

 

In the old days it was the custom for all the settlers to club together and go to Sparta for flour, once a year. One year Mr. Hoover was so sick that he could not accompany the caravan and when they returned they found him without flour in the house. He dickered with a neighbor for a barrel of flour in exchange for forty acres of land, on which later over a million feet of pine timber was cut by W. T. Price.

 

Lynn is a station on the branch line of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad up from Babcock where it connects with the main line. This line crosses the Omaha railroad a half mile from Lynn. The two roads were built at the same time and there was a sharp clash when the construction crews met at the junction. The Omaha was pushing through from Neillsville to Marshfield and the St. Paul had dreams of a through line to the Superior country. The St. Paul got to the crossing first and chained an engine to the tracks and had a carload of armed men guard the right of way and for several days excitement ran high although it subsided without any physical violence.. The Wisconsin Central pushed through a line to Ashland about the same time and the St. Paul never completed its line, but the prompt work of the contractors in those early days gave It the right of way at the junction although it runs only three or four trains a week while the Omaha has several through trains daily.

 

      Joseph Rondorf, Town of York.

 

THE LYNN MUTUAL INS. CO. [Advertisement]

 

For thirty-seven years the Lynn Mutual Fire Insurance Company has been one of the most successful cooperated institutions conducted by farmers in the country. According to its last report, there were nearly 5000 policies in force carrying insurance for over ten million dollars, and the company is steadily growing. It has an enviable record of fair and just treatment of all policy holders, conservative, careful and economical management and sound business principles which has made it known throughout the country as a most successful organization.

 

It was organized in 1878, Thomas Reed being the first president and Charles Sternitzky the first secretary. The first twenty-five policies were issued to David Hillert, Maple- works, Henry Neinas, Fremont, W. Behling, Nasonville, Wilhelm Lachman, Lynn, C. Sternitzky, Lynn, F. Pofahl, Lynn, John Hoover, Lynn, Alonzo Brooks, Lynn, Ernst Barth, Nasonville, Johann Garbisch, Mapleworks, James Sternitzky, Lynn, John Jackisch, Lynn, August Yankee, Lynn, George Kleinschmidt, Lynn, G. Wischulke, Lynn, Fred W. Davis., Mapleworks, Hiram J. Seager, Neillsville, Ernest Sternitzky, Lynn, Louis and Thomas Reed, Neillsville. In 1900 Henry Sternitzky was chosen secretary in place of his brother who died, and six years later George Ure was elected to that position a I has held it since.

 

Henry Sternitzky

President of Lynn Mutual Fire Ins. Co.

George A. Ure

Secretary Lynn Mutual Fire Ins. Co.

John P. Kintzele

Treasurer Lynn Mutual Fire Ins. Co.

 

A charge of 25 cents per hundred dollars of insurance for five years is made when policy is issued and assessments made each year to cover the losses incurred, and for the past twelve years the loss rate has averaged two mills on the dollar, making the cost of insurance about one half of the cost of policies in the old line companies.

 

Five thousand dollars was the biggest loss paid by the company in its history although it paid losses of more than $10,000 due to one storm which swept the county, about twenty policy holders suffering damage to live stock and buildings. The company operates in Clark Co. and in Lincoln and Hock townships in Wood county. It has adjusted over 5000 losses and has had only one law suit. The expenses of the organization are only about $1800 a year, $1000 only being paid in salaries to officers. There are thirty-seven agents of the company.

 

The present directors are George A. Ure, Neillsville; C. W. Dewey; Neillsville; P. N. Christensen R.F. D. Marshfield; J. P. Kintzele, R. F. D. 1, Granton; Henry Sternitzky

R. F. D. 2, Granton, Herman Carl, R. F. D. 5, Neillsville; A. M. Steinwand, R.F.D. 2, Colby; William Vollrath, R.F.D. 2, Greenwood. The sum of 21,465.74 was paid in losses last year. Insurance is issued on detached dwellings, all farm property, country churches, school houses, stores, town halls, creameries and cheese factories and their contents except merchandise in stores. The secretary is under $5,000 bond and the treasurer $15,000.

 

 

The Lynn Mutual Tornado, Cyclone or Hurricane Insurance Company was organized by the directors of the Lynn Mutual Fire Insurance Co. on March 2, 1905 and started business on June 1 following. On the third of June there was a big storm up near Withee which damaged the property of seven new policy holders and losses aggregating $484.50 were promptly paid. Since that time, however, there have been no assessments levied until 1914, losses aggregating $1,527 being paid in the year 1912. In 1907 there was quite a cyclone went twisting through the county and did a lot of damage but by singular good fortune to the company, not one of its policy holder, suffered any damage. In 1914, however, there was a storm which caused 103 losses in one day, aggregating $7,962.42. This caused an assessment of three mills for that year.

 

The present directors are John Ure. R. F. D. Granton; P. N. Christensen, R. F. D. Marshfield; A. F. Dankemyer, Chili; Hy. Sternitzky, R. F. D. Granton; Wm. Vollrath, H. R.F.D, Greenwood, George A. Ure, Neillsville, William Kurth, R. F. D. Neillsville; Ernest Sternitzky, R. F.D. Granton; William Schlinsog, R, F.D. Granton, Henry Sternitzky is president, George Ure, secretary and Ernest Sternitzky, treasurer. In its last report, the company had 1966 risks carrying $3,392,500 insurance. The salaries paid are 25 cents per policy for the president, 50 cents per policy for the secretary, 8 per cent of premiums received for the treasurer and two dollars a day and expenses for the directors. The company is authorized to operate throughout the state of Wisconsin and is actually operating in Clark, Eau Claire, Wood, Marathon and Portage counties and is gradually extending its field. It has 48 agents at present.

 

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