April 14, 2021, Page 9

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 "Oldies" & "Good Old Days" Index

 

 

 

Churches are crowded for services on Easter

 

Churches in and about Neillsville were crowded to capacity last Sunday as residents joined with the rest of the Christian world in observance of the Easter Sabbath. Services were a fitting climax to the Lenten season, with nearly every minister building his sermon around the resurrection of Jesus. Brief thoughts from the sermons were prepared for The Clark County Press by several ministers, and are published below: At the Congregational Church, the Rev. George W. Longenecker based the theme of his Easter morning sermon on, “If a man die, shall he live again?” Said the Rev. Longenecker: “This questions has been answered in the proven resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The universal hope of man for immortality becomes assurance through the resurrection of Jesus. “The resurrection gives us the confidence that life is possible beyond the grave. The sacrificial death of Jesus wins the hearts of men to God. His resurrection was necessary for the faith of man in the fundamental principles of Christianity, without which Christianity would have been forever buried in the tomb with Jesus.” Selecting his text from John 20:18, “I have seen the Lord,” the Rev. Edward P. Stone, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Churches of Neillsville, Pleasant Ridge and Granton, told those who gathered in his churches: “Mary Madelene’s experience at the empty tomb changed her despair to joy, and sent her running to the disciples with glad testimony, “I have seen the Lord.” Easter joy comes to all who ‘see’ the Lord. Religion can be joyous when experienced. “Mary knew that the Christ was risen because she had seen and heard Him. While she could not understand the Resurrection, she did glory in it. Death’s power was broken. Never again need men cower before it. Man is immortal; the resurrection proclaims it, ‘Ye too shall live.’ “The resurrection was the final evidence to Christ’s divinity. None but Jesus had ever burst the tomb. Jesus did: Mary and thousands of others have ‘seen’ the living Lord and are happy in His fellowship and love.”

 

Celebrating 60 years of marriage

 

Police chief and Mrs. Fred Rossman observe 60th anniversary Saturday

 

Sixty years ago, April 15, 1879, Fred A. Rossman, then a boy of 15, walked 32 miles to Marshfield over rough and muddy roads to marry the girl of his dreams, Miss Carrie Kunze, of that city. Mr. Rossman had learned the barber trade and with his tonsorial skill and about $2 in cash the young groom assumed the responsibility of a home, nor did the girl bride doubt his ability to fulfill his promises. Saturday, April 15, Mr. and Mrs. Rossman will celebrate the 60th anniversary of their wedding. A dinner will be served at the noon hour for the guests of honor and their children and families, with open house from 2 to 5 that afternoon and from 7 to 9 in the evening. With the exception of a few years which were spent at Loyal, and Ashland, Mr. and Mrs. Rossman have spent their entire married life in Neillsville. Mr. Rossman worked at his trade and during the dull times he did painting and decorating, being expert at both trades. Sixteen years ago, he was appointed chief of police by the city council of Neillsville, which position he has since held. He is a member of Odd Fellow and Moose Lodges. Mrs. Rossman, quiet and domestic in her tastes, has devoted her time largely to the needs and comforts of her family. She is a gracious neighbor and friend and as long as her health permitted she was never too busy to radiate kindness and charity beyond her own home. Mr. Rossman was the third child born in his family and his wife likewise was the third child born to her parents; they are the only surviving members of their respective families. Mr. and Mrs. Rossman are the parents of 12 children, two of whom, Leo and Irving, are deceased. There are 23 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. The children are, namely: Fred A. Jr., Eau Claire; Oscar, Waukesha; Alta, Mrs. William Shumway, Orfordville; Nina, Mrs. Milton Hoidle, Great Falls, Montana; Ernest, Havre, Montana; Katie, Mrs. Melvin Nelson, Orfordville; Birdine, Mrs. Robert Glenn, Chicago; Harry, Waukesha; Donald, Milwaukee; and Floyd, Neillsville.

 

Sixty years ago, Fred Rossman tramped 32 miles over muddy and rough roads to Marshfield to marry Carrie Kunze. Saturday they will observe the anniversary of their wedding. They are the parents of 12 children.
(From April 13, 1939 Press)

 

They’re back on the job

Levis brothers serve town 23 years straight in office

 

 The town of Levis last week returned to office its “brother act,” one of the most unusual of its kind in the nation. The brother act is composed of John and Mike Johnson, who have formed the township’s clerk-treasurer team for the last 23 consecutive years. Undoubtedly there are many brother combinations in local politics spread throughout the United States; but it is safe to say that few can boast as many consecutive years of service to their townships as can John and Mike Johnson. The combination, too, has proven effective. As John, the clerk, declared: “Being brothers, Mike and I sort of team up well together, and we can get the work done quickly.” As for John, last week’s elections saw him returned to office for the 36th consecutive year – which is something of a record in itself. There are few town clerks who have been in office longer – one in Taylor County last week was re-elected to his 39th consecutive term. But 36 years is a good long time. Not once has he been without opposition. John recalls plainly the first time his name was put on the Levis town slate. “I was working on a log drive when the town caucus was held,” he recalled. “A fellow came by after the meeting and I asked him who had been put on the ticket. “You’re on for clerk,” he said. “I don’t want it.” And, without campaigning, John poled 90 out of a total of 150 votes cast in the election. He beat the incumbent, E.S. Lampson. Others have been trying to beat hum ever since. “I told Mike the other day that I ought to quit before I got beat,” he said. A number of changes in the duties of a town clerk have come about in the 35 years John has held the office. For instance, before 1907 no record of births and deaths was kept in the townships. Since that time, the clerk has fallen heir to the job of collecting birth and death records from the physicians and forwarding them to the state and to the county register of deeds. He also keeps a record for the township. Too, in the early days in the office, John was beset with a job of recording which has since been discarded with the law which made the payment of taxes by cash mandatory. The law has been in effect for about 25 years. Before that time, the clerk kept a list of delinquencies. The list was turned over to path masters” – of which there were eight in Levis. Then it was up to the “path masters to get out “road warrants” which would permit a property owner to work out his taxes on the township roads. The delinquent taxpayer could work or not, as he saw fi t, but if he didn’t work out the taxes on the roads, the delinquent amount was added to his taxes for the next year. Finally, if the delinquencies were not paid up, the land might be sold for back taxes. The Johnson brothers came to Clark County from Norway in about 1880 and settled on a farm in the town of Levis with their parents, Ole and Mattie Johnson. Mike, who was elected to his 24th consecutive term as town treasurer of Levis last week, is a bachelor. He works the family place. On the other hand, John is married and has four children living. He gratefully acknowledges that Mrs. Johnson has been invaluable in aiding him with his duties as town clerk. Their four children are: Ina Gosse, a resident of Abbotsford; Marvel Carelton of Milwaukee; Elden, at home; and Roland, who lives in Marshfield.

 

 

For 23 consecutive years John and Mike Johnson (left and right, above) have formed the brother combination in the town of Levis politics. They were re-elected to their posts of clerk and treasurer, respectively, at the polls last week.  (From April 13, 1939 Press)

 

 

County births

 

The following births were filed recently in the office of Register of Deeds Henry Rahn: Born to Mr. and Mrs. James Leslie Moore of Curtiss, route one, a son, Robert James, February 15. To Mr. and Mrs. James Bryon Barrett, Jr., of Owen, route two, a son, James, October 6, 1938. To Mr. and Mrs. Frank Potocnik of Owen, route two, a daughter, Donna Marie, January 5. To Mr. and Mrs. Roy William Thiemke of Granton, route one, a daughter, Johan Delores, February 12. To Mr. and Mrs. Everett Wildish of Neillsville, a daughter, Mona Lane, February 24. To Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Turner of Neillsville, a son, Ronald Lee, March 4. To Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Glen Cram of Neillsville, route one, a son, Art Erne, March 19. To Mr. and Mrs. Edward Schmidt of Greenwood, route one, a son, Robert Edward, March 30.

 

School musicians schedule concert

 

Bands and Glee Club to present program at Armory, April 21 Neillsville’s high school band and Glee Club will combine to present their annual spring concert in the Armory, April 21, at 8 p.m., Richard Becker, director of the bands, has announced, Since the first concert of the school year, last fall, the musical organizations have been preparing for the spring program, and they have worked up a well-balanced program of classical selections, marches, waltzes and instrumental solos. Included on the program will be numbers by such master composers as Johann Strauss, Joseph Haydn, Jean Sibelius, Georges Bizet, and Victor Herbert. The 45-piece junior band, organized at the beginning of the school year, will present a few numbers, as will the Glee Club, which is directed by Miss Grace Elkert. Proceeds from the concert will be used to send the band and Glee Club to Eau Claire, May 12 and 13, to compete in the district contest. About 25 bands, representing schools from all parts of the section, will compete. The high school group won the contest last year and is out to repeat its victory this year.

 

Motor misses: puppy is “seat” of trouble

 

A puppy crawled into a small opening under Dr. A.S. Dustan’s touring car at Stevens Point last Monday. He worked his way through a narrow passage at the right, scrambled over the motor and settled down between the batteries and the side of the motor. The animal’s route could not be questioned, for he left a considerable amount of hair along the trail. When the Chiropodist got into his car Monday afternoon to start for Neillsville, a cylinder was missing. He drove to a garage to have the trouble remedied. Unfastening the hood from within, Dr. Dustan lifted the cover and said, “there’s the trouble,” pointing to a broken wire. The mechanic, standing at the left, lifted the frightened puppy out, with the remark: “And here’s the seat of it.”

 

Meets with board

 

The Rev. Edward P. Stone, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a member of the Lawrence College Board of Visitors, met with the board in Appleton Monday. The board of visitors is composed of eight members elected by ballot by the Wisconsin Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Members are elected for a term of three years.

 

Flyers to meet

 

The Neillsville Flyers baseball team will hold its first reorganization meeting at the city hall Sunday, April 16, at 2 p.m. The management asks that all players who expect to play with the Flyers be present at the meeting. If weather permits, the team will hold a short practice session after the meeting.

 

Husking contest

 

The 1939 Wisconsin State Corn Husking Contest will be held somewhere in Grant County next October, announces the committee of arrangements.

 

Greenwood news

 

The American Legion auxiliary will meet Tuesday evening, April 18, at the Legion Hall. Mrs. Frank Smaldone, Mrs. Carl Stabnow and Mrs. Adelbert Wells will be the hostesses.

 

 

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