Heinrich Scherer

   Cause of his death was consumption.⁸

   Another name for Heinrich was Henry.

  General Notes:

 
He came from either Berlin or Cologne, Germany. He was naturalized in 1884. He was a millwright? stone mason?
^{[Elizabeth Jaeger Gilbertson]} 


<=====>


Heinrich Scherer came to this country with Father Van De Brook of Kaukauna. Father had gone back to the old county to get people who could build locks [for the river] and Heinrich was one of them. He must have been quite an accomplished mill wright to have built the locks at Kaukauna.
^{[Martha Jaeger Mogensen]}
 

<=====>


Dear Cousin:

Barbara has discovered an old bill-fold with attached memo sheets which belonged to our Grandfather Heinrich Scherer. There are only three memoranda in it, all written in the old German script. The first entry is from Nov. 10, 1849 and the last (Aunt Ett's birthday, 18 Jul, 1871). Through the kindness of Prof. and Mrs. Richard Calvin who teaches German here, I offer their translations of Grandpa's notes verbatim.

Page 1: (Grandpa must have picked this up from some Scotch co-worker, maybe on the Depere Dam construction crew. It must have tickled his sense of humor. He wrote it entirely in German script, English words, phonetically spelled out as he understood it).

     When I was a batchelor I lived by myself,
     And all the bread and cheese was laid on the shelf.
     The rats and the mice, they made such a strife,
     I was forced to go to London to buy me a wife.
     The roads were so bad, the lanes were so slow,
     I was forced to bring her home in a wheel-barrow.
     The wheel-barrow broke, my wife had a fall,-
     Devil take the wheel-barrow, my wife and all.'

Page 2 and 3 (A year by year roster of family births. I have added in parentheses the dates from our records or from their grave - stones in Oconto Cemetery)
  Anna Barbara Scherer    26 Nov 1851            (15 Oct 1852)
  Matthias Scherer              2 Oct 1853            ( 1928)
  John Scherer               4 August 1855            ( Jan 1939)
  Anton Scherer (1st)      4 August 1857            (10 Sept.1857)
  Anton Scherer (2nd)     5 August 1858            ( July 1933)
  Jacob Scherer                12 Nov 1860            ( 1932)
  Kristina Scherer              16 Feb 1862            (20 July 1863)
  Lena Scherer              25 March 1864            ( 1941)
  Elizabeth Scherer           2? Feb 1866            ( 8 Aug 1866)
  Mary Margaret              30 May 1868            ( 8 Aug 1956)
  Etta                               18 July 1871            ( 1940)
 
(On the leather rear pocket of the bill-fold was this in German)
This book belongs to Heinrich Scherer in Koachol (Kaukauna?). Who finds it when it is lost has to bring it back to me, or otherwise the BLACK GOAT (Satan?) is coming and pushes you down.
Kacholo on 10 Nov. 1849
^{[Maynard Keefe to Esther Jaeger Bushey] 9 10 11}

  Research Notes:

 
Scher, Scherr, SCHERER, Sherer (barber, shearer, warper) ¹²

  Medical Notes:

He had been troubled with asthma for a long time, which finally ended in consumption, and it was this disease which caused his death. ⁸

  Noted events in his life were:

• Baptism: in the Catholic Parish of St. Martin, 26 Sep 1825, Trierscheid, Parish Üxheim, Nohn, Adenau, Coblentz, DEU. ⁴

• Immigration: on the ship Walpole from Harve, 20 Jul 1846, New York, New York, New York, USA.  
List or Manifest of all the Passengers taken on board the Walpole whereof Briggs Thimas is Master, from Harve burthen 592 48/95 tons:
Heinrich Scherer / 34 / m / Hesse / Farme

• Census: 1850 US, 12 Sep 1850, Kankanlin, Brown, (Kaukauna, Outagamie), Wisconsin, USA. ¹³
Henry Scherer | 24 | M | Mason | Prussia |

• Occupation: Mason, 12 Sep 1850, Kankanlin, Brown, (Kaukauna, Outagamie), Wisconsin, USA. ¹³

• Census: 1855 Wisconsin, 01 Jun 1855, Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁴
Heads of Families | Aggregate Population |
Amable Asline | 4 (White Male) | 3 (White Female) | 1 (Foreign Born) |
John Diedrich | 3 (White Male) | 2 (White Female) | 3 (Foreign Born) |
Peter Diedrich | 2 (White Male) | 4 (White Female) | 3 (Foreign Born) |
John Diedrich | 1 (White Male) | 2 (White Female) | 2 (Foreign Born) |
Henry Scherer | 2 (White Male) | 1 (White Female) | 2 (Foreign Born) |

• Naturalization: Letter of Intent, 26 Oct 1848, Green Bay, Brown, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁵  
State of Wisconsin, County of Brown, SS
 
Heinrich Sherer personally came before the subscriber, the Clerk of the District Court of the United States for said County, being a Court of Record, and made an oath that he was born in Prussia on or about the year Eighteen Hundred and twenty five, that he emigrated to the United States, and landed at the Port of New York on or about the month of July in the year Eighteen hundred and forty six, that it is bona fide his INTENTION to become a Citizen of the United States, and to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatever, and particularly to Frederick William 4th King of Prussia whereof he is a subject.
 
/s/ Heinrich Scherer
 
Subscribed and sworn to the 26th day of October A. D. 1848
 ~~~~~~~~, Clerk

• Land Contract or Deed: Henry Scherer purchased homestead, 23 Mar 1860, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁶
This Indenture, Made the Twenty Third day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty between Michael Christian of the Town and County of Oconto, State of Wisconsin of the first part & Henry Scherer of the same place party of the second part.

Witnesseth, that the party of the first part, for and in consideration of the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars to him in hand paid by the said party of the second part, this receipt whereof is hereby confessed and acknowledged, has given, granted, bargained, sold, remised, released, aliened, conveyed and confirmed, and by these presents does give, grant, bargain, sell, remise, release, alien, convey and confirm unto the said party of the second part his heirs and assigns forever, all that certain pieces or parcel of land situated in the county and state aforesaid & described as follows to wit "beginning as a stake in the bank of the Oconto river at the n. e. corner of the land deeded by Paul McDonald to Frederick Messinger & running south in a parallel line with the range line fifty two rods to a stake thence east at right angles with the range line twenty one (21) rods and twenty one links to a stake bearing trees samarae 10 inches in diameter north 21° 30" west twenty links samarae twelve inches in diameter north 79° east twenty three links thence north parallel with the west line twenty rods and twelve (12) links to the south east corner of the land deeded to A. R. Gale by Paul McDonald thence westerly along the south line of said Gale's land to the s. w. corner of land deeded to A. R. Gale by Thomas Milledge thence north along the west line of said Gale's land twenty (20) rods to a stake set on the bank of the Oconto river & thence westerly along the bank of said river fourteen (14) rods to the place of beginning. containing six and one fourth 6¼ acres more or less and being a part of lot six (6) sec nineteen (19) town twenty eight (28) range twenty two (22)

Together with all and singular the Hereditaments and Appurtenances thereunto belonging, or in any wise appertaining; and all the estate, right, title, interest, claim, or demand whatsoever of the said party of the first part, either in Law or Equity, either in possession or expectancy of, in and to the above bargained premises, and their Hereditaments and Appurtenances. TO HAVE AND TO HOLD the said premises as above described, with the Hereditaments and Appurtenances, unto the said party of the second part, and to his heirs and assigns forever.

AND THE SAID party of the first part for his heirs, executors and administrators, does covenant, grant, bargain and agree, to and with the party of the second part, his heirs and assigns, that at the time of the ensealing and delivery of these presents he is well seized of the premises above described, as of good, sure, perfect, absolute, and indefeasible estate of inheritance in the Law, in fee simple, and that the same are free and clear from all incumbrances whatever, and that the above bargained premises, in the quiet and peaceful possession of the said part of the second part his heirs and assigns, against all and every person or persons, lawfully claiming the whole or any part thereof, he will forever WARRANT AND DEFEND.

In Witness Whereof, the said party of the first part, has hereunto set his hand and seal the day and year first above written.

Sealed and Delivered, in presence of

/s/ J F Mordruff Michael Christian (Seal)
/s/ H R Baem

STATE OF WISCONSIN,
County of Oconto Be it Remembered, that on the 23rd day of march A. D. 1860 personally came before me the above named Michael Christian to me known to be the person who executed the said deed, and acknowledged the same to be his free act and deed, for the uses and purposes therein mentioned.

Reciv'd for Record March 23rd at 5½ o.clock PM

/s/ James Lewis, Register /s/ J L Woodruff
/s/ R. L McDuff, Dpty Notary Public
Oconto Co Wis

• Census: 1860 US, 17 Aug 1860, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁷
268 | 239 | Henry Shearer | 31 | M | Mason | 600 | 200 | Prussia Germany |
268 | 239 | Mary Shearer | 29 | F | | | | Prussia Germany |
268 | 239 | Matthew Shearer | 6 | M | | | | Wis |
268 | 239 | John Shearer | 4 | M | | | | Wis |
268 | 239 | Antone Shearer | 1 | M | | | | Wis |

• Census: 1870 US, 02 Jul 1870, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁸
| 78 | 76 | Sherer, Henry | 47 | M | W | Brick Mason | 800 | 100 | Prussia | / | / | | | | / | / | | / |
| | | Sherer, Mary | 37 | F | W | Keeping House | | | Prussia | / | / | | | | / | / | | |
| | | Sherer, Mathew | 17 | M | W | Laborer | | | Wis | / | / | | | | / | / | | |
| | | Sherer, John | 14 | M | W | At Home | | | Wis | / | / | | | / | / | / | | |
| | | Sherer, Antone | 12 | M | W | At Home | | | Wis | / | / | | | / | / | / | | |
| | | Sherer, Jacob | 9 | M | W | At Home | | | Wis | / | / | | | / | | | | |
| | | Sherer, Magdelana | 5 | F | W | At Home | | | Wis | / | / | | | | | | | |
| | | Sherer, Margaret | 2 | F | W | At Home | | | Wis | / | / | | | | | | | |

• Occupation: brick mason, 02 Jul 1870, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁸

• Census: 1880 US, 29 Jun 1880, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁹
| | | Scherer, Henry | W | M | 52 | | | M | Brick Mason | ... | Germany | Germany | Germany |
| | | Scherer, Mary | W | F | 47 | Wife | | M | Keeps House | ... | Germany | Germany | Germany |
| | | Scherer, Lena | W | F | 15 | Daughter | S | | Attends School | ... | Wisconsin | Germany | Germany |
| | | Scherer, Maggie | W | F | 13 | Daughter | S | | Attends School | ... | Wisconsin | Germany | Germany |
| | | Scherer, Etta | W | F | 9 | Daughter | S | | Attends School | ... | Wisconsin | Germany | Germany |

• Occupation: brick mason, 29 Jun 1880, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁹

• Residence: the Scherer Homestead, 210 Scherer Avenue, Abt 1860-1894, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ²⁰

• Naturalization: Certificate No. 2719, 25 Sep 1885, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ²¹  
54
 
Certificate of Naturalization
No. 2719
 
Be it Remembered, That at a Term of the ...Fourteenth... Judicial Circuit Court, held at the Court House in the City of OCONTO, for the County of OCONTO, in the State of Wisconsin, in the United States of America on the …Twenty fifth…day of …September… in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and …eighty four…, …Heinrich Sherer…, a native of …Prussia… exhibited a petetion, praying to be admitted to become a CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, and it appearing to the said Court that he had declared, on oath, before the …Clerk of Circuit… Court for the ... County… of …Brown, Wis… on the …twenty sixth… day of …October… A. D. 18 …44...; that it was BONA FIDE his Intention to become a CITIZEN OF THE UNITED STATES, and to renounce forever all allegiance or fidelity to any Foreign Prince, Potentate, State and Sovereignty, whatsoever, and particularly to ...The Emperor of Prussia… of whom he was at that time a subject, and the said ...Heinrich Scherer… having on his solemn oath declared, and also made proof thereof, by competent testimony of …L. G. Smith and Luke Walsh… citizens of the United States, that he has resided one year and upwards within the State of Wisconsin, and within the United States of America upwards of five years immediately preceding his application; and it appearing, to the satisfaction of the Court, that during that time he has behaved himself as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States and well disposed to the good order and happiness of the same; and having on his solemn oath declared, before the said Court, that he would support the Constitution of the United States, and that he did absolutely and entirely renounce and adjure all allegiance and fidelity to every Foreign Prince, Potentate, State and Sovereignty whatever, and particularly to ...The Emperor of Prussia… of whom he was before a subject:
 
Thereupon the Court admitted the said …Heinrich Sherer... to become a citizen of the United States, and ordered all proceedings aforesaid to be recorded by the clerk of the said Court, which was done accordingly.
 
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto affixed my hand and the seal of the said Circuit Court, at OCONTO, this …twenty fifth… day of …September… in the year one thousand eight hundred and …eighty four…
 
/s/ R. L. Hall
Clerk
 
Original delivered to
H. Sherer, Sept 27/84
/s/ R. L. H.
Clk

• Occupation: mason, builder, and farmer, 1846-1894, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA.

• Obituary: the Oconto Enquirer, 02 Nov 1894, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ²²  
Heinrich Scherer died on the 30th of October at his home in the South ward, after an sickness of several months. He had been troubled with asthma for a long time, which finally ended in consumption, and it was this disease which caused his death. Deceased was born in Prussia, Sept. 29th, 1824, and was, therefore, 70 years and 31 days of age at the time of his death. He removed to this country at an early day, settling in Oconto county about thirty years ago. He was well and favorably known, being a good citizen and an honest man. The funeral took place today from St. Joseph's church and was largely attended. Rev. P. J. Lochman conducted the services. The deceased leaves a wife and seven children -- three daughters and four sons -- who are assured the sympathy of all in their bereavement.

• Cemetery: St Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, 02 Nov 1894, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ²³  
     HENRY 
   SCHERER 
1824 – 1894

• Obituary: the Oconto Enquirer, 09 Nov 1894, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ²²
Henry Scherer, whose death notice appeared in the last issue of The Enquirer, had been a resident of this city for thirty-eight years, and had been in the United States since 1848, coming over at that time with his brother Mat, who now lives at Highcliff, Wis. He made Kaukauna his home for about eight years before moving to Oconto. Mr. Scherer was born in the village of Tierschied, district of Adenau, province of Coblentz, Germany.

• Census: 1895 WI, 20 Jun 1895, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ²⁴
| Henry Scherer | 2 (Male) | 2 (Female) | | | 4 (United States) |

[There is some discrepancy here in that Henry Scherer died 30 Oct 1894. His tombstone also has the death year as 1894]

• Publication: Land of the Fox, Saga of Outagamie County, 1949, Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA. ²⁵
Joseph de Marche, Emile, Joseph and Adolph Brouillard, Henry Louis and George Bissonette, on or near the French road. During the middle forties more French Canadians, a few Dutch, Irish and Germans settled farms in an ever widened circle of the original Kaukauna area. The History of Outagamie County lists these names of settlers who came between the years 1842 and 1848: Benjamin Done, Francois Mellotte, Paul Thyboux, Matthias Oert, John Diederick, Peter Renn, Francois Palladoux, Thomas H. Clark, Oliver Le Court, Moses Poquette, Anton Loth, Henry Shearer and a Monsieur Crevier.

• Publication: the Oconto Enquirer, 20 Mar 1975, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ²⁶

100 Years Ago

...Henry Scherer informs us that he contemplates going out of the dairy business this spring.

• Letter: From the Diocese of Trier, 01 Apr 1996, Trier, , Rheinland-Pfalz, DEU. ²⁷
Bistumarchiv Trier - Jesuitstraße l3b-D 54290 Trier

Mr. William J. Schuck
8851 81 Ave S.W.
Tacoma, WA 98498-5901
• U. S. A. -

Datum 1. April 1996
Zeichen 230-96; 5.7.1
Bearbeiter Jutta Müller
Durcchwahl (0561) 7105-351

Dear Mr. Schuck,

The parish "Tierscheid" that you were looking for is actually Trierscheid which was a subsidiary of the Parish Üxheim, since 1803 a subsidiary ofNohn. The baptism of Heinrich Scherer on 29. 9. 1824 could not be found under that date, instead on 26. 9. 1825. Thus we are sending you the certificate of baptism from the church record book No. 2 from Nohn (Page 58, No. 9). The fee for the document was paid by the international post-office coupons included in your letter.

In regards to further intensive research about the parents and other ancestors of Heinrich Scherer we refer you to the enclosed information sheet. We ask you for your kind understanding.

We hope to already have been of help with this document.

Sincerely yours,

/s/ Jutta Müller

Heinrich married Mary Ann Diedrich, daughter of Peter Diedrich and Barbara Mayer, on 20 Dec 1850 in Little Chute, Brown, Wisconsin, USA.¹ (Mary Ann Diedrich was born on 12 Sep 1830 in Köln, , Nordrhein-Westfalen, DEU,^{28 29} died on 25 Oct 1910 in Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA ^{29 30} and was buried on 27 Oct 1910 in Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA ^{30 31}.) The cause of her death was dropsy.⁸

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Marriage: at St John Nepomucene Catholic Church, 20 Dec 1850, Little Chute, Brown, Wisconsin, USA. ³²
Matrimonio junxi Henricus Scherer cum Anna Marie Dederich. Testibus Petro Diderich et Gertruda Diderich. [Joined in marriage Henry Scherer with Anna Maria Diderich. Wittnessed by Peter Diederich and Gertrude Diderich, Father P. J. Vanderbrook

• Marriage: at St John Nepomucene Catholic Church, 20 Dec 1850, Little Chute, Brown, Wisconsin, USA. ³³
Matrimonio junxi Henricus Scherer cum Anna Marie Dederich. Testibus Petro Diderich et Gertruda Diderich. [Joined in marriage Henry Scherer with Anna Maria Diderich. Wittnessed by Peter Diederich and Gertrude Diderich, Father P. J. Vanderbrook

• Publication: concerning the church altar used for their wedding, 12 Mar 1925, Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA. ³⁴
AN HISTORIC ALTAR
Isabelle Fox

To a lover of antiquities, the story of a little white altar and its wanderings, may be an interesting one.

When the Fox River Valley was a vast wilderness, the now thriving village of Little Chute was a mere speck on the horizon of civilization, that speck, a wigwam fifteen feet long and six feet high, built by an Indian woman for the Rev. Theodore J. Vanden Brock, a priest of the Order of St. Dominick, who left Holland in the early thirties to do missionary work among the Catholic population and the Indians scattered over the country.

In 1834 he was sent into the wilds of Wisconsin, by the Bishop of Detroit, settling in Little Chute, and thus the Cross was planted in the beautiful Fox River Valley. The wigwam served as church and residence for six months, during which time Father Vanden Brock, wilth the aid of Indians, built a church the timber being secured from the forest along the river bank. The roof was of bark, a split log was used as an altar, the sacred vessels were old treasures, unearthed at Rapids des Peres, having been buried there when the missionary fathers of St. Francis Xavier church, built in 1676 by Charles Alhanel, were massacred and the church burned by Indians.

During 1838 there came to Little Chute Antoine Mosseau and his son-in-law, Ephraim St. Louis and family, natives of Canasda, Marielle, Province of Quebec. Mr. Mosseau, a carriage maker and carpenter by trade, did not like the idea of a split log being used as an altar, and conceived the idea of making for Rev. Vanden Broek and altar and tabernacle, which he fashioned from the beautiful white pine from the forest surrounding the church. With tools brought front his home it was not a difficult matter. The altar and tabernacle, painted white, with gold trimmings and cross, was the pride of Father Vanden Brock's heart during the years he served as priest in Little Chute.

After the death of Rev. Vanden Broek in 1851, a new church was built and the altar was presented to Mrs. St. Louis, daughter of Mr. Mosseau and mother of Rev. Manus St. Louis, who was stationed at Phlox, Wis., where he built a small church, carrying the lumber on his back from a nearby forest for its erection. His parents removed to Phlox from Little Chute taking the altar and tabernacle with them and where it again did service in a mission church. Later when Rev. St. Louis was removed to Green Bay, he took the altar with him, leaving the tabernacle in Phlox, where it is held sacred by the people of the parish. On being transferred from Green Bay to Iron Mountain, Mich., he gave the altar to his sister, Mrs. Alex Grignon, when it was shipped to her at her home near the Combined Locks on the steamer Evelyn. At Mrs. Grignon's death it passed into the hands of her daughter, Mrs. Michael Maher.

After the destruction fire of Holy Cross church in 1916, Mrs. Maher gave the altar to Msgr. P. J. Lochman, pastor, for use in the chapel of the school house during the erection of the present handsome structure, and on its completion the Altar was placed in the chapel of the new church--on the right of the' main altar--a sacred reminder of the hardships endured by the missionaries in the dim and distant past.

Kneeling before this quaint little altar we see in imagination the backwoods church, the priest offer-

• Researcher: Grignon Trading Post, 14 Jan 2004, Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA. ³⁵  
Grignon Trading Post ledger a 'gold mine of information'
^{By Judy Dixon Hebbe
For the Times-Villager}

“It is a gold mine of information,” JoEllen Wollangk, director of operations for the Outagamie County Historical Society, said of the recently acquired ledger dated 1836-1842, which itemized sales of goods at Green Bay and Grand Cakalin. The Grand Cakalin trading post belonged to the Grignon family.

“It tells us what people bought, who bought items and what the items cost,” she continued. “It doesn't tell us what the Grignons paid for items or how much profit they made off the business, but it does indicate payments to both Charles and Augustine, Jr., (the half brother who was a partner in the business), so we can get an idea of how much they made annually.”

The 6½“x16” leather bound book contains 483 pages covering transactions with individuals who shopped or worked at the trading post, which was located at the base of the hill behind the Charles A. Grignon Mansion. The first four pages were labeled “Green Bay” and the remaining “Grand Cakalin” (or Kakalin or Cackalin or various other spellings), the name of the area now known as Kaukauna.

The book abounds with names familiar to local history, such as Eleazor Williams, and landowners, such as Adelle, Broulliard and Lawe. There is also a list of items sold to the “Butte des Morts outfit,” which is a reference to Charles Grignon's father, who ran a trading post at Butte des Morts.

“It was a Super Wal-Mart of its day,” Wollangk said of the Grignon trading post. “The Grignons sold everything that could not be grown or made in the area.”

Listings in the book include, among other things, lead, sugar, flour, leather, snuff, ribbon, blue calico, cranberries, horse blankets and “1 yoke oxen - $50.00.”
Another entry showed a payment for “4 days labor - $4.00, plus 1 day labor - $1.00,” which Wollangk conjectured meant” labor was roughly paid $1.00 per day, at least that done for the Grignons.”

To modern consumers, prices appear reasonable. One entry showed 2# Imperial tea, $3.50; 1 qt. Holland gin, $1.00; oats for horse, $.75; bread, $.25; 5# tallow, $1.25; 6# sugar, $.75; 1 qt. whisky, $.50 for a total of $8.00
.
Another entry under Grignon and Powell lists “3 horses @ hay, oats and entertainment for 2 men, $1.50” with no further explanation.

“Somethings we may never know,” Wollangk said.

Of the great variety of things people bought, whisky appears in the ledger most frequently. It may speak to a dearth of stills in the area and help to explain why the German brewmeisters were able to launch such successful businesses when they came into the area later in the century.

The entire Grignon family bought goods from the trading post. Women who were not yet allowed to own property or control their own funds were allowed to charge on their husbands' accounts or for someone else, but never on their own.

For the Outagamie County Historical Society, the book is a welcomed source of interesting and valuable information.

“We could assume that the trading post sold most of the items listed in the ledger, but we did not have the evidence to back it up,” Wollangk said. “We have had to focus on the domestic side of the family, because we had letters and evidence to show us what happened during those years Charles lived in the house. Now we can interpret the business side of the family with accuracy.”

Copies of the pages from the ledger will be available for use during the annual spring School Days program on the fur trade at the mansion. Wollangk anticipates developing a computerized database so researchers and the public can retrieve the information in the book by date, name or product.

“We have already gotten responses from our members asking if we can find family names in the book,” Wollangk said. “Family lore tells of great-grandparents coming through this area or settling here for periods of time. They want to know if shopping at the trading post could verify the information.”

The ledger came to the historical society after a long rest in an attic of a house in Dedham, Mass. It was found by Marcia Copabianco as she helped her parents clear out their house; no one could determine why it was in their possession. No family member had a relationship to the Grignons, Green Bay or Grand Cakalin.

Through research on the Internet, Copabianco located the historical society's Web site. A call to Wollangk resulted in a fall trip to Kaukauna by Copabianco accompanied by her two sisters, Cynthia Layton and Nancy Murphy. After touring the mansion and learning more about the family, the three sisters agreed that the book should be donated to the historical society.

“It was so fortunate that Marcia Copabianco got interested in the book, and she didn't throw it away while cleaning out the house,” Wollangk said.

• Researcher: Grignon Trading Post, 14 Jan 2004, Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA. ³⁶  
Accounting ledger a valuable educational resource for society 325

The Outagamie County Historical Society has acquired the accounting ledger once used by the Charles A. Grignon family to record their family business transactions at the Grignon Trading Post at Grand Cakalin (or Kakalin), now known as Kaukauna.

Marcia (Layton) Copabianco of Dedham, Mass., found the ledger while she was helping her parents clear out their house. She donated the ledger, dated 1836-1842, to the Society. She spent a great deal of time studying the entries in the ledger and noticed that the Grignon family name was mentioned repeatedly throughout the book. An extensive Internet search led her to the OCHS, which owns and operates the Grignon Mansion.

The ledger contains historical information that will enhance the historic interpretation of the Grignon Mansion and the society's annual fur trade focused School Day event each May.

The ledger includes the following information: what the trading post sold; the total income of the post; sums paid for different types of labor; customer names and what they purchased; how different commodities were measured; how often individuals shopped at the post; the cost of meals served at the post; and occasional references to how much money the Grignon's personally took out of the business.

It remains a mystery as to how the book came to be in Copabianco' s parents' attic, as there is no evidence of a family connection of any kind. Fortunately, it was never thrown out and will now be used as an interpretive and educational reference of the time period by the society.

Serious researchers who wish to see the historic ledger may do so by appointment only on Tuesday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon at the Outagamie Museum in downtown Appleton. A research fee of $4 will be charged per individual per visit. OCHS members are free.

For more information or to make a research appointment, contact Matt Carpenter, OCHS director of interpretive programs and curator of collections at 735-9370 ext. 113.

• Photograph: (church altar), 30 Apr 2006, Stiles, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ³⁷
Mossau / Manseau, who owned the land in Kaukauna before Peter Diedrich was also, the craftsman who carved the first altar for Father Vandenbroek's church in Little Chute in 1837/1838.

This would have been the Altar at St. John's that Peter Diedrich and Joanna Jung were married. It is also most likely the Altar that John Stoveken Sr. and Gertrude Diedrich were married at in Kaukauna / Little Chute. Probably Scherer / Diedrich as well.

This altar seemed to have been lost after about 1930 after several well documented moves. It appears that a descendant of Manseau who I communicate with may have found the altar in a town called Stiles, WI based on a tip from an individual in Kaukauna who had a recollection of a side altar at Holy Cross being shipped to Stiles. Holy Cross was the last known positive location of the Altar.

It is very probable that the Altar was built on Manseau's property in Kaukauna that was later owned by Peter Diedrich and by John Stoveken.

Another curiosity. John Stoveken Jr and Margaret St. Mitchell were married in Phlox at the time the altar was located in Phlox by Father St. Louis who is the Grandson of Manseau. The world (at least Kaukauna and Northeastern WI) was indeed small in the mid 1800's.

[My only caveat is that the Altar has not been absolutely confirmed as being authentic (But it sure seems to match the appearance)]

  Marriage Notes:

 
Grandpa Scherer’s home ­ which was Aunt Lane’s home and Uncle Matt And Uncle Al... Al was Aunt Lane’s husband. Uncle Matt lived with them and Aunt Ettie lived there too. She had a bedroom upstairs. Aunt Lane played the zither and Uncle Matt played the fiddle.

You came into the front hall and there was a stairway going up to the right where the living room ­ the parlor ­ was. And what was the dinning room was fixed up as a living room and it had a big leather covered sofa that would unfold and that was where I would sleep when I stayed there. They had a summer kitchen behind the regular kitchen in the house. You went right from the kitchen to a summer kitchen and into a shed. It wasn’t separated.
^{[Betty Jaeger Gilbertson]
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