Untitled Surnames: Fidler, Barth, Focht, Althaus, Leffelholtz, Weber, Dresler, Schmerbach, Hartung, Utte, Kunkle, Snyder, Splinter

From Commemorative Biographical Record of the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette, Wisconsin, publ. 1901 - page 282-283

GEORGE WIEDERHOLD, proprietor of the "Dickeyville Hotel," at Dickeyville, Grant county, was born in Prussia April 12, 1839, and is a son of Nicholas and Anna (FIDLER) WIEDERHOLD both natives of Prussia. The father was born in 1795, and the mother in 1797. They came to this country in 1857, landing at Baltimore after a seven weeks' voyage. Coming to Galena, Ill., in June of that year, the husband and father died the following August, leaving his wife with five children. The strain was too great for her endurance, and she broke down, dying the following year. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas WIEDERHOLD were consistent Christian people, and are remembered as ambitious and energetic to the last degree. Of their five children, all born in Germany, (1) Elizabeth, the eldest, born in 1831, was, like the other children, educated in their native land. She married Jacob BARTH, a native of Baden, Germany, and they settled in Galena, Ill., where she died in 1898, leaving one daughter, Lizzie, now Mrs. Lorenzo FOCHT, of Galena. (2) Mary, born in 1835, married Henry ALTHAUS, of the town of Paris, Grant county, and died, leaving no family. (3) Dorothy, born in 1835 is now the widow of George A. LEFFELHOLTZ, and lives in Jamestown, Grant county. She has had five children, one that died in infancy, Annie, Lizzie, George and Henry. (4) Joseph, born in 1835, was first married in Galena, and moved to the town of Paris, where his wife died, leaving seven children, George, Joseph, Frank, John, Charles, Dorothy and Katie. Dorothy is the wife of Charles DRESLER and lives in Kieler, Grant county. Katie is the wife of Christopher DRESLER, of the town of Paris. Joseph WIEDERHOLD married second Miss Dorathea WEBER, of Grant county, to which union were born four children. He now lives in the town of Paris.

George WIEDERHOLD is the fifth and youngest member of the family. A good education was given him in Germany, and after coming to this country he learned the shoemaking trade, which he followed until he enlisted in the Civil war, as a member of Company H., 25th Wis. V.I., under the command of Capt. Schwan. This regiment served in the Western Army under Gen. Sherman and other distinguished officers. On the march to the sea its presence was often made manifest to the retiring enemy. Skirmishes and fighting were daily occurrences, and they were often days without food, barefooted and ragged, but they drove the Rebels, and the "boys" were happy. Mr. WIEDERHOLD served until the close of the war, and received his honorable discharge at Madison, Wis., and he returned with gladness to the scenes of peaceful life.

Resuming his trade at Dickeyville, Mr. WIEDERHOLD was married there in August, 1865, to Miss Theresia SCHMERBACH, of Grant county, daughter of Barth and Annie R. SCHMERBACH, natives of Germany, who came to the United States in 1848, and lived for a short time in the State of New York. Coming to Wisconsin, they settled near the Wisconsin and Illinois State line, on what was known as the Sinsinawa Mound, and there made their home for a number of years, eventually moving to the town of Paris, where they died. Mrs. WIEDERHOLD was born in Germany in 1846, and was reared in this country. After their marriage Mr. WIEDERHOLD and his wife located in the town of Dickeyville, where he owned a home. Later on he bought a farm near the village, and greatly improving it with new buildings and energetic work, they there made their home until 1874. That year he purchased his father-in-laws hotel property in Dickeyville, and became a hotel man, which has been his calling to the present time. As a genial and hospitable landlord he has made many friends among the traveling public, and is known as a solid and substantial citizen.

To Mr. and Mrs. WIEDERHOLD have been born a large family of children, of whom (1) Annie and (2) Lizzie died in childhood. (3) Maggie, born in 1866, married John HARTUNG, a resident of the town of Paris, and has had eight children, John (who died at the age of seven years), George, Joseph, Frank, Lizzie, Lena, Arthur, and the baby. (4) Joseph, born in the town of Paris in 1868, married Miss Lizzie UTTE, and lives on his father's old homestead farm. They have one son, Arthur. (5) George, born in September, 1870, is running a restaurant in Cuba City. (6) Michael, born in May, 1872, married Miss Christina KUNKLE, of this county, and they now reside in the village of Dickeyville, where he is doing a good business as a contractor and builder. (7) Annie, born in 1874, is the wife of Peter SNYDER, a resident of the town of Hazel Green, where he is engaged in farming. They have two children, Peter and Joseph. (8) Theresia, born in January, 1877, married Joseph SPLINTER, and has her home in Cuba City; she is the mother of two children, Arthur and Hildergard E. (9) Barthel, born in July, 1880, has learned the carpenter's trade and is now in partnership with his brother in Dickeyville. He is one of the solid and capable young men of the day.

Mr. WIEDERHOLD has held several local offices, was a member of the town board, and for eleven consecutive years was collector of the town. Our subject, wife and family are all members of the Catholic Church.



This biography generously submitted by Carol Holmbeck