Untitled
Surnames: Koerner, Fritschel, Burk, Starck, Meumann, Bartels, Thiele, Reichenbecher, Salinger, Herbert
From Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin, publ. 1901 - page 39-40
REV. E. O. GIESEL, pastor of the German Lutheran Church at Platteville, Grant county, was born in Silesia, Germany, in 1849, a son of Adolph and Nora (KOERNER) GIESEL, who spent their entire lives in that country; the father died in 1890 the mother some time previously.
Reared in his native land, Mr. GIESEL obtained his literary education in his home city, Sagan, and then entered the theological seminary at Hesse. For one year he was house teacher at Berlin, Prussia, with the family of a millionaire. In 1873 he left Germany and came to the United Sates. He was graduated from the seminary at Mendota, Ill., in 1874, and was ordained a minister of the Lutheran Church Jan. 28, 1875. That year he began his pastoral work at Glencoe, Wis., where he erected a church, and preached to the congregations at that place, Montana and Whitehall. He next went to Fairmount, now Welcome, Minn., where he built a parsonage and from there went to Baraboo, Wis. He built a church at that place and also at Caledonia, the same year, while the Baraboo congregation under his pastorate was increased from twelve to thirty-eight families. He also had charge of the churches at Greenfield and Kilbourn City, Wis. For three years Mr. GIESEL was pastor of the Lutheran Church at Meredosia, Ill., and for a year and a half was connected with St. John's Church of Galena, Ill., from which city he came to Platteville, Wis., May 22, 1884, to accept the pastorate of the Evangelical Church of Peace.
This church was organized in 1856, with fifteen or twenty families, and services were first held in the school house and private homes of Platteville. The first pastor was Dr. S. FRITSCHEL, now a professor at Dubuque, Iowa, who came from that city to establish a church here in 1856. Two years later the congregation built 50 feet of the present church. Dr. FRITSCHEL was succeeded by Rev. Mr. BURK, who in turn was succeeded by Rev. C. STARCK, who remained here four years. The next pastor was Rev. Mr. MEUMANN, who died later in Germany, and was followed by Rev. Mr. BARTELS, and Rev. Mr. THIELE, who later became a professor in Milwaukee. The church was divided until the pastorate of the next minister, Rev. Mr. REICHENBECHER, who became a professor in the Milwaukee Theological Seminary. He was followed by Rev. Mr. SALINGER, who in 1878 made an addition to the church building, which is now a fine structure, 80 feet long, and a pipe organ was put in at the same time. Later Rev. C. STARCK was again pastor here, and was succeeded by Rev. Mr. GIESEL, who has been in charge continuously since May 22, 1884. In 1895 a new steeple was built, and a bell put in, at a cost of over $2,000, and the following year the church was thoroughly renovated, being papered and re-seated, while a furnace, altar, pulpit furnishings and a new baptismal font were put in. The first parsonage built near the St. Paul depot, was later sold, and the present parsonage erected in 1883. A parochial school was established during the pastorate of Mr. STARCK, an old church building being purchased and converted into school property. The congregation now numbers over two hundred families, there being about six hundred communicants.
In 1876 Mr. GIESEL was married, in Glencoe, Wis., to Miss Anna HERBERT, who died in Baraboo the following year, leaving one son, Ernest, now pastor at Fall Creek, Wis. Our subject was again married, at Glencoe, in 1878, his second union being with Miss Elizabeth HERBERT, by whom he has the following children: George, Anna, Clara, Nora, Amanda, Herbert, Adolph, Mary and Frieda.
Mr. GIESEL has served the church at Platteville longer than any other pastor, having ministered faithfully to the spiritual needs of the people for seventeen years. He has also given powerful and effective aid to all influences which work for the advancement of the community, and he is not only revered and loved by his own congregation, but is esteemed by all others who have seen his devotion to his noble calling. For the past eleven years he has served as president of the Augsburg Synod.
This biography generously submitted by Carol Holmbeck