Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1925-09-09
w Ed so YEARS,
GRANT PIONEERS
CELEBRATE DAY
Two Hundred Relatives Join
Mr.. and Mrs. Phil ROesch
In Family Reunion.

tables on the lawn at the home of Mr.
and Mrs Phil Roesch in this city were
seated at dinner last Monday members
of the immediate families of Mr.. and
Mrs. Roesch, relatives and their
families and neighbors to the number
of 200. The occasion was the Goth an
niversary of their wedding day, and
jolly gathering it was.
Mr. and Mrs Roesch are early day
pioneers of Grant county, and are
still happy, hale and hearty despite
the vicissitudes of life.
They began life together 60 years
ago on farm near Potosi where they
reared their family and where they
continued to reside until the year
1886, when they retired and moved to
Potosi. Five years ago they moved to
this city to be near their children.
Mr.. Roesch, who came to this coun-
try with his parents in 184S, direct
from Germany, is veteran of the CIV
il war, and has vivid recollection of
incidents in the strife of that memoir
able conf1ice of the North and South.
Mr.. Roesch kept diary during his
term of enlistment and this document
was placed on file with the War de-
partment at Washington following his
discharge from service.
Mr. Roesch wrote a history of his
life since coming to this country
which was read at the gathering last
Monday. It is appended just as he set
it down:
1--WE arrived in Potosi, Wis, June 6,
1857, after 46 days on the ocean COM
ing across, father, mother. with seven
children besides my oldest brother,
Frank, whom we met in Chicago. He
would not stay but went away in a
month after we got here. Father
bought the place on Boice Creek-125
acres-for $3.50, paid for it in gold,
got wagon, pillow, yoke of oxen,
COW and some household goods, then
all of his money was gone.
There were only eight acres open
or in cultivation, on the place, the rest
being all in timber. In the fall of 1857
there was a hard panic; the banks
all over the u S. went under, or most
all of them. Father was a cap and
mitten maker and never had done any
chopping.
"I was the oldest boy at home, IA
years old, so of course 1 had to go to
work chopping and clearing land so
as to raise something for the family
ito eat, instead of going to school.
Well, and father got two acres
cleared by next spring, plowed that
and put it in corn. Put in six acres
of the old field in wheat, but the
chinch bugs killed that SO we haSaly
got any more than our seed BACK
Father and [ would work and clear
land as fast as we could and by the
time I went in the army in 1862 we
had about 20 acres of timber land
cleared and under plow
Mother died in the spring of 1861.
Sister Lenora, older than l, married
shortly after mother died. Sister Re-
gina was the oldest girl at home,
about IA years old then. In the spring
of 1852 father married again. Times
were very hard since 1857. I worked
out lots of days during that time. All
a man could get was SOC day and a
days work was from sun up to sun
down.
wheat flour was selling at $500 a
hundred, so il would take 10 days
to earn 100 pounds of -four. Good
farm hands would get from SO to $13
month.
"In August '62 I enlisted in the
army. We were sent up to Minnesota
after the Indians There was no rail-
road north of La Crosse at that time.
We came back in December to Madf-
son: went South in February '63 and
to Vicksburg in May Helped to cap
ture the city and 10000 prisoners;
then to Arkansas, and in May to Chat
tanooga, and was with Gen. Sherman
in most of those battles till we got
to Atlanta; then marched to the sea
and up through the CarOlinas and till
the last Confederate army had sur
rendered.
"Then on to Washington and was IN
the grand review passing before Pres
ident, Gen. Grant, Gen. Sherman and
other high officials.
eve were discharged from the U.
| S. army on June Z, at Washington and
arrived at home June "a, 1865. While
in the army "a months the Company
lost So men out of the 100 that en-
listed in August, 1862 in Potosi. Now
I find only eight of the 100 alive.
"Sept. 5, 1865, bought 80 acres of
land Own it yet.
"WelI. Sept. 7, 1865, we were mar
ried. It was a very rainy day. There
was no bridge over the creek below
Hampton's and I had quite time to
get across, but we got there.
so this is our 60th wedding ami
versary. We thank all for being with
us this day"
Of the children of Mr.. and Mrs.
| Roeech who were present on this oc-
casion we're: Mrs. Henry Korber, Mrs.
William Gelbach and Mrs. ]. w. Glib
son of this city; Clyde E. Roesch of
Potosi. One son, William R., living at
| Eau Gallie, Fla, was not present.
! Brothers and sisters: Mrs. Joeeph
Fine, John Roesch, Mrs. William West
/ ing, Charles Roesch Otto Roesch and
| Ohio Roesch, all of Lancaster.
| Out of state guests present We're:
Mr.. and Mrs Joe McAllister and NIL
! dred, Jacksonville, Fla, Mr.. and Mrs
Robt. Crouch of Los Angeles, Calf.
The relatives included six grand
| children and nine great-grandchil-