Directory features

county pioneers

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Dr. L.A. Fritsche, son of the area's earliest settlers, published a two-volume history in 1916 entitled History of Brown County, Minnesota: Its People, Industries and Institutions.

Fritsche, a prominent physician and New Ulm's first mayor, served for a decade, beginning in 1910.

He ran for the Farmer-Labor nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1922 and was a congressional candidate in 1930. He was a candidate for governor in the 1924 and 1928 primary elections.

Fritsche's first volume, reviewed in The Journal several months ago, was a county history that focused largely on New Ulm and its leading citizens. The second volume was a biographical directory of New Ulm and Brown County pioneers.

The bio directory, reprinted almost in its entirety, includes sketches of about 200 New Ulm and Brown County pioneers and their families. It has lengthier pieces about the Fritsches.

The essays include the childhood, education, career and civic and professional affiliations of each subject. Family history data includes parents and siblings, spouses, marriages and offspring.

The book includes a Nov. 25, 1991, story by Mankato Free Press reporter Jim Anderson on how the Minnesota Commission of Public Safety targeted U.S. Germans during World War I.

German-American historian Don Heinrich Tolzmann of the University of Cincinnati, spoke in New Ulm several months ago.

He edited Fritsche's work with the intent of making it available and accessible to interested readers. Fritsche's book was out of print many years ago.

Tolzmann felt it was particularly appropriate to edit Fritsche's work because several historical anniversaries are approaching -- the 140th celebration of the Dakota Conflict this year and the 150th anniversary of the founding of New Ulm in 2004.

The main families featured in the book, which include a core collection of German-American founding families west of the Mississippi, are:

Albrecht, Alwin, Amann, Amundson, Aufderheide, Backer, Baer, Bakke, Behnke, Bell, Benham, Bentzin, Berg, Berkner, Berndt, Bertrand, Beussman, Bingham, Bobleter, Boock, Brandt, Brust, Buenger, Casperson, Christiansen, Crone, Dahl, Dehn, Dittbenner, Doehne, Durbahn, Eggensperger, Eibner, Erickson, Essig, Flor, Forster, Foster, Frank, Frederickson, Fritsche, Furth, Gaetke, Gareis, Gastler, Goblirsch, Graff, Griebel, Gronlau, Guggisberg, Gulbrandson, Hackbarth, Halvorson, Hamann, Hammermeister, Hanson, Hauenstein, Heimann, Held, Hellmann, Henle, Herzog, Hofmeister, Hohn, Holm, Huevelmann, Humphrey, Ives, Jensen, Johnson, Jones, Julius, Juni, Kaiser, Kiesling, Klein, Klossner, Knees, Koch, Koehler, Koester, Krause, Krook, Lambrecht, Landskron, Lange, Lebert, Lehrer, Liesch, Lilleodden, McPhee, Manderfeld, Marti, Mauch, Mayer, Mecklenburg, Melzer, Meyer, Mickelson, Mikaelson, Miller, Minium, Mo, Moe, Mohr, Moll, Mueller, Mullen, Neumann, Niemann, Norman, Ochs, Olstad, Oswald, Ouren, Palmer, Peterson, Pfaender, Pfisterer, Pickle, Rasmussen, Raymond, Retzlaff, Roland, Rowland, Ruemke, Saffert, Schilling, Schlinkert, Schlumpberger, Schnobrich, Schrader, Schreyer, Schoepfer, Schubert, Schultz, Schweiger, Schwendinger, Seifert, Siegel, Skinner, Spelbrink, Spellbrink, Sperl, Sprenger, Stegeman, Stolz, Stone, Strickler, Tappe, Thordson, Vetter, Vogel, Vogtel, Weilandt, Weiser, Wheeler, Wiebel, Winkelmann, Zieske and Zschunke.

The 568-page book was printed in 2001 for Clearfield Company, Inc. by Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., Baltimore, Md. Cost is $49.95.