Matthias Scherer

   Cause of his death was cancer.^{6 7}

  General Notes:

 
He was born in Kaukauna, Wisconsin and at the age of 3 was brought to Oconto by his parents. In his younger days he helped his father haul supplies with teams here from Green Bay, that being the only means of transportation at the time. During his life he was employed at drilling wells and as a stone mason; he also served Oconto for 25 years as a constable.
 
Matt injured his eye in an accident and subsequently lost the sight in that eye.
 
Uncle Matt had a glass eye. Had lost his eye in an accident with a pocket knife when he was very young. He really never had steady work. When I went to Aunt Lane's house to visit (he lived with her) he would play checkers with me or snooze in his chair. This was in 1925-6-7 and he died in 1928. I later found out he drank a lot which is why he probably slept so late.
 
I'd go to Aunt Lane's, which was the old Scherer House on Scherer Avenue. Uncle Matt, Grandpa's brother was there (lived there). He never married. He sat in the kitchen in a captain'' chair and he tipped it back until it was on the back two legs and he slept. Why he never fell backwards I never did figure out. When he was a little boy he lost one eye to a jack knife accident - I don'' know how. Anyway, he had a glass eye. The first I'd ever seen. He would take it out and let me touch it. I thought that was really something. In later years when I asked my mother about his sleeping she told me he drank too much and slept it off sitting in the chair. I have a picture of him wearing a sheriff's badge. One of his obituaries said he helped his father haul supplies from Green Bay, worked as a well digger and a stone mason and a constable for 27 years. I can remember playing checkers with him and he had a slew of tricks, jokes and stories that I thought were funny. As a little girl that was a surprise, you don't expect it of adults. The obituary said he died of cancer. ⁸

  Noted events in his life were:

• Census: 1855 Wisconsin, 01 Jun 1855, Kaukauna, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA. ⁹
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) |

• Census: 1860 US, 17 Aug 1860, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁰
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. ¹¹
| 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: laborer, 02 Jul 1870, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹¹

• Census: 1900 US, 09 Jun 1900, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹² 1900; Census Place: Oconto South Ward, Oconto, Wisconsin; Roll: T623 1808; Page: 8B; Ln 80-82; Enumeration District: 140: 9 June, 1900, Frank Kraigway, Enumerator

| | 148 | 151 | Sherer, Henry [Mrs?] | Head | W | F | Sept | 1834 | 73 | W | | 11 | 7 | Germany | Germany | Germany | 1842 | 58 | | | | | Yes | Yes | Yes | O | F | F | 31 |
| | ... | ... | Sherer, Matthew | Son | W | M | Oct | 1853 | 46 | S | | | | Wis | Germany | Germany | | | | Well Driller | 0 | | Yes | Yes | Yes | | | | |
| | ... | ... | Sherer, Henrietta | Daughter | W | F | July | 1871 | 28 | S | | | | Wis | Germany | Germany | | | | House Keeper | 0 | | Yes | Yes | Yes | | | | |

[Henry Scherer is deceased by this census. It appears that the entry was written over and possibly the first response to the enumerator was to list Henry and then it was clarified that Mary Scherer was the head of the house and a widow]

• Occupation: well driller, 09 Jun 1900, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹²

• Census: 1905 WI, 01 Jun 1905, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹³
| 738 | Sherer, Mary | Head | W | F | 73 | Wd | Germany | Germany | Land Lady | 12 | O | | H |
| ... | Sherer, Matthew | Son | W | M | 49 | S | Wisconsin | Germany | Laborer | 12 | | | |
| ... | Sherer, Henrietta | Dau | W | F | 35 | S | Wisconsin | Germany | Dressmaker | 12 | | | |

• Occupation: laborer, 01 Jun 1905, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹³

• Census: 1910 US, 20 Apr 1910, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁴
| 210 | 120? | 129 | Scherer, Mathew | Head | M | W | 56 | S | | | | Wisconsin | Germany | Germany | | | English | Masonry | General Mason | U | No | 12 | Yes | Yes | Yes| O | 7 | H | 13 | 2 | 9 | 8|
| ... | .... | ... | Scherer, Henrietta | Sister | F | W | 36 | S | | | | Wisconsin | Germany | Germany | | | English | None | | | | | Yes | Yes | Yes| | | | | | | |
| ... | .... | ... | Scherer, Mary A | Mother | F | W | 77 | Wd | | 11 | 7 | Germany | Germany | Germany | 1842 | | English | None | | | | | Yes | Yes | Yes| | | | | | | |

• Occupation: general mason, 20 Apr 1910, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁴

• Census: 1920 US, 1920, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁵
| 210 | 13 | 13 | Whittaker, Albert | Head | R | | M | W | 60 | M | | | | |Yes | Yes | Maine | | Maine | | Nova Scotia | English | Yes | Filer | lumber mill | No |
| ... | .. | .. | Whittaker, Lena | Wife | | | F | W | 55 | M | | | | |Yes | Yes | Wisconsin | | Germany | German | Germany | German | Yes | None | | |
| ... | .. | .. | Whittaker, Genevive | daughter | | | F | W | 18 | S | | | | Yes |Yes | Yes | Wisconsin | | Maine | | Wisconsin | | Yes | None | | |
| ... | .. | .. | Scherer, Mathias |brother-in-law| | | M | W | 66 | S | | | | |Yes | Yes | Wisconsin | | Germany | German | Germany | German | Yes | blacksmith | of practice | No |
| ... | .. | .. | Scherer, Henrietta |sister-in-law | | | F | W | 49 | S | | | | |Yes | Yes | Wisconsin | | Germany | German | Germany | German | Yes | None | | |

• Occupation: blacksmith, 1920, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁵

• Occupation: stone mason and later was the town constable for 25 years: Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁶

• Residence: the Scherer Homestead, 210 Scherer Avenue, Abt 1860-1928, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁷

• Cemetery: St Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, 18 May 1928, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁸  
  MATTHIAS
  SCHERER
1853 † 1928

• Obituary: Oconto Enquirer, 18 May 1928, Oconto, Oconto, Wisconsin, USA. ¹⁹  
MATT SCHERER FUNERAL IS LARGELY ATTENDED
Oconto, Wis.

The funeral for Matt Scherer, pioneer resident of this city was held this morning from St. Joseph's Catholic church. The pallbearers were George Merline, Chris Hermsen, Charles Phillips, Nick Strack, Joseph E. Keefe and Fred Strack.

Among those attending the funeral from out-of-town were the Rev. Anselm Keefe, rector of St. Norbert's college, De Pere; Mr. and Mrs. Fred Jaeger, Marinette; Mrs. Richard Jaeger, Marinette; Miss Elizabeth Scherer, Mrs. John Scherer, Edwin Whitaker, Duluth, Minn., Mr. and Mrs. Erwin Drolette, Manitowoc; Anton Scherer, Marinette; John Scherer, Green Bay; Mrs Frank Lindsay, Marinette.

• Obituary: Green Bay Press-Gazette, 18 May 1928, Green Bay, Brown, Wisconsin, USA. ²⁰  
MATT SCHERER, 74, DIED
HAD BEEN ILL 5 MONTHS (Special to Press-Gazette)
OCONTO WIS.

Matt Scherer for more than 70 years a resident of Oconto, died at his home here on Scherer Ave., yesterday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock. He had been ailing about 5 months. Death was due to cancer.

He was born at Kaukauna on October 2, 1853, and at the age of three was brought to Oconto by his parents. He had made his home here ever since. Mr. Scherer knew Oconto when it was merely a village and in his younger days helped his father haul supplies with teams home from Green Bay, that being the only means of transportation at the time.

During his life he was employed drilling wells and as a stone mason and he also served the city for 25 years as constable.

Mr. Scherer is survived by three brothers, Jacob, Oconto; John, Green Bay; Anton, Marinette, and three sisters, Mrs. Al Whittaker and D.T. Keefe, Oconto; Miss Etta, Escanaba, Mich.

The funeral will be held this morning from St. Joseph's church with Rev. L.C. Beck officiating. Interment will be in Oconto Catholic cemetery. Matt was a member of the Holy Name Society. The body was taken to the Gagnon Mortuary.