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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Joseph
J. Plasil
&
Frank F.
Plasil
DODGE COUNTY WISCONSIN Past and Present VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED, Homer Bishop Hubbell, 1913, CH1CAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING.
Joseph J. Plasil.
A native of Dodge
county and the son of one of its most prominent pioneers and at the present
time active and successful in the development of one hundred acres of land on
section 2, Shields township, is Joseph J. Plasil, who was born in Watertown,
May 3, 1865. His father, Joseph Plasil,
was a native of Bohemia and grew to maturity in that country. Influenced by the hope of a better fortune in
America, he crossed the Atlantic in 1861 and landed in Maryland, where for some
time during the Civil War he engaged in teaming in the government service. In 1863, however, he left Maryland and
journeyed westward to Wisconsin, locating in Watertown, where he worked at carpentering,
which he had learned in Bohemia, and at any other work which would add to his
income. Being thrifty, ambitious and
energetic, he saved out of his earnings enough money to buy forty acres of land
and this now constitutes a part of the family homestead.
When it came into Mr.
Plasil's possession it was a tract of uncultivated timber land and not an acre
had been under the plow. With
characteristic energy he cleared the trees from a small space and with the
lumber cut down built a log house in which he made his home. Acre by acre he extended the work of
development and finally had his entire farm cleared and improved. Gradually he bought more land and finally
owned two hundred and ten acres. Upon
this property he erected a fine modern residence to replace his log cabin,
built a good barn and other substantial outbuildings and made general
improvements about the place. He planted
a number of acres in orchard and carried on general farming and stock-raising
with great success until his death, in 1895, when he was seventy-three years of
age.
His widow, who was in
her maidenhood Miss Barbara Kutchers, survives him and has reached the age of
seventy-six. She makes her home with her
son, Frank F. Plasil, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work.
Joseph J. Plasil grew
up on his father's farm and when he was little more than a child assisted in
the hard work of clearing the timber and grubbing up stumps. He remained upon the homestead until after
his father's death and carried forward the work of development. After his marriage, which occurred in 1902,
he settled on his present farm, which constitutes one hundred acres of fertile
and productive land. At this time very
little of the property was improved and the only building upon it was a
dilapidated house. Mr. Plasil, however,
erected a substantial, two-story modern dwelling and began to improve and
cultivate the soil. At the present time
most of the land is cleared and under cultivation and the excellent condition
of the farm shows the owner's careful supervision. He has built a fine barn with a good
basement, has erected a silo and made other general improvements. He gives his attention to general farming and
specializes in dairying, keeping a fine herd of cows for this purpose. An important branch of his activities is stock-raising,
in which he is extensively engaged, breeding and fattening for the market fine
grades of Holstein cattle.
As Mr. Plasil's
farming operations have succeeded he has extended his interests and become
connected with the business life of his section. He was one of the promoters of the Liberty
Cheese & Butter Association and is a stockholder and treasurer of the
controlling company.
In 1902 Mr. Plasil
married in Shields township Miss Anna Dobyschek, who was born in Bohemia and
who came with her parents to Wisconsin when she was four years of age. She was reared and educated in Dodge County
and remained at home until her marriage.
Mr. and Mrs. Plasil have four children, Agnes. Paul, Barbara and
John. The family are devout adherents of
the Catholic religion and attend St. Joseph's Church in Richwood.
Mr. Plasil's farming
has been practical and productive of good results. He stands steadily for progress in standards
and improvement in methods and has upon his property all equipment and accessories
necessary to the conduct of a modern farm.
By well directed and persevering work he has attained success which has
not only made him prosperous but also constitutes an element in the general
agricultural development of this section.
Frank F.
Plasil
DODGE COUNTY WISCONSIN Past and Present VOLUME II
ILLUSTRATED, Homer Bishop Hubbell, 1913, CH1CAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING.
Click to enlarge
Frank F. Plasil.
The Spring Brook stock
farm, comprising two hundred and thirty acres of well improved land, is located
on sections 6, 2 and 11, Shields township, and in its equipment fully meets
every requirement for a model agricultural enterprise. Its owner, Frank F. Plasil, is known
throughout Dodge County as an exceptionally able farmer and stock-raiser,
progressive in his methods and exacting in his standards, and he has won a
distinct and substantial success, which places him in the front rank of
prosperous agriculturists.
A native of Dodge
County and a son of one of its most prominent pioneers, Mr. Plasil was born in
Shields township, on his present farm, December 4, 1868.
Joseph Plasil
His father, Joseph
Plasil, was a native of Bohemia and grew to manhood in that country. After he had attained his majority he was
attracted by the opportunities which America offered and crossed the Atlantic
to Maryland, settling in that state in 1861.
In Bohemia Mr. Plasil
had learned the carpenter's trade and had worked at it for some time, but he
abandoned it in Maryland to engage in teaming, acting in the service of the
Federal government during the Civil War.
In 1863 he pushed westward to Wisconsin and settled in Watertown, where
he worked at his trade and at anything else which would bring him an
income. By economy and hard work he
saved out of his earnings enough money to purchase forty acres of land, which
forms a part of the present homestead. He located upon this property and
cleared the timber from a small portion, upon which he built a log cabin, in
which he resided while carrying forward the work of development.
As his financial
resources grew and his harvests increased he bought more land, adding to his
holdings from time to time until he owned two hundred and ten acres. Upon this property he erected a fine modern
house to replace his original cabin, built barns, granaries and silos and in
every way possible added to the excellent condition of the farm. A large portion of it he planted in fruit
trees and upon the remainder carried on general agricultural pursuits, gaining
added prosperity and success with every year.
He passed away when he
was seventy-three years of age, and his death was widely regretted in the
section to which he came as a pioneer and where his sterling qualities of mind
and character had endeared him to a large circle of friends. His wife survives him and makes her home with
her son, the subject of this review. She
has reached the age of seventy-six.
Frank F. Plasil is one
of a family of two children. His elder brother, Joseph J., is a successful and
prominent farmer in Dodge County.
Frank Plasil
Mr. [Frank] Plasil of
this review was reared upon the family homestead and from an early age was
identified with the arduous labor of clearing timber and grubbing up
stumps. He received his primary
education in the public schools of his district and supplemented this by a
course in the Watertown High School.
After his father's death he succeeded to a portion of the home farm,
which included the family residence, and he purchased more land and steadily
carried forward the work of improvement and development. Nothing in the way of modern equipment is
lacking upon the property and the excellent improvements which Mr. Plasil has
made are all of a substantial and lasting kind.
His residence is one of
the finest in Dodge County and fitted with all modern conveniences and
accessories. It is heated by hot water,
has hot and cold water in the bathroom and other parts of the house, and the
light is furnished by gasoline. All the
other buildings upon the property are of the same modern and substantial
kind.
Upon this property Mr.
Plasil does general farming, specializing in the raising of high-grade Holstein
cattle. In addition to this he has for
some years been engaged in the dairy business, his dairy products commanding a
ready sale and a high price on the market.
He was one of the promoters and is the president of the Liberty Cheese
& Butter Association and has other important business interests.
Mr. Plasil married, in
St. Henry's Church in Watertown, in October, 1904, Miss Alice Hrobsky, who was
born and educated in Shields township.
She is a daughter of Wenzel Hrobsky, who resides in Watertown. Mr. and Mrs. Plasil have four children, Francis,
Alta, William and Joseph. The family are
devout adherents of the Roman Catholic church and regular attendants at St.
Joseph's Church in Richwood.
Mr. Plasil gives his
allegiance to the democratic party and is a stanch supporter of the principles
and policies for which the party stands, although his public spirit never takes
the form of office seeking. He has won a
creditable position in farming circles of Dodge County. His steady work, his well-tried integrity and
his progressive business methods have won their natural reward and he is
respected and esteemed wherever he is known.
Joseph Plasil
1911 - 2004
Joseph
J. Plasil, 93, of Hillside Manor in Beaver Dam and formerly of 405 N. Eighth
St., Watertown, died on
Funeral
services were held at the Hafemeister Funeral Home in Watertown with the Rev.
Bernard Rott of St. Henry’s officiating. Burial took place in St. Bernard's
Catholic Cemetery.
Joseph
was born
Joseph
had been a farmer in the town of Shields and had been employed as a machinist
at Seaman Andwall Company in Ixonia and in security at Weyenberg Shoe Factory
in Beaver Dam.
Joseph
was a member of St. Henry’s and the National Rifle Association for more than 50
years. He enjoyed hunting and fishing,
coin and stamp collecting.
He was
the last member of his immediate family.
SURVIVORS:
Daughter Ruth A. (William) Shier of Watertown
Daughter Sherry (William) Rake of Beaver Dam
Son Bruce (Joyce) Plasil of West Allis
Five grandchildren, James
(Jessie) Clark of Watertown, Cheryl (Brian) Ohrmundt of Watertown, Justin Rake
and Aaron Rake, both of Beaver Dam, and Jennifer (Matthew) Dirks of DePere; and
two great-grandchildren.
PRECEDED IN DEATH:
Parents
Brothers Francis and William Plasil
Sisters Edna Stuntebeck, Alice Stuntebeck and
Alta Langer
Cross Reference:
Alice
L. Stuntebeck, age 85, passed away on Tuesday, October 19, 1999 at St. Mary's
Hospital in Madison. She was born on
April 12, 1914 in Watertown, the daughter
of Frank and Alice (Hrobsky) Plasil.
On January 5, 1944 she married Joseph Stuntebeck at St. Joseph's
Catholic Church in Richwood and he preceded her in death on May 16, 1990. She had farmed with her husband in the
Marshall area for many years. She was a
member of St. Mary of the Nativity Catholic Church in Marshall and she was an
avid gardener and loved music. Survivors
include two daughters, Bernadette (James) Blank of Marshall and Pat (John)
Eustice of Marshall; two sons, Kenneth Stuntebeck of Marshall and Warren Sluntebeck
of California; five grandchildren, Monica Casey, Misty Ferguson, Josephine
Eustice, Matthew Eustice, and Philip Eustice; four great-grandchildren; two
sisters, Edna Stuntebeck of Marshall and Alta Langer of Phoenix, AZ; a brother,
Joseph Plasil of Watertown; nieces and nephews and other relatives and
friends. In addition to her husband, she
was a preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, William and Frances
Plasil. Funeral services will be held on
Thursday, October 21, 1999 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church in
Marshall with Monsignor Raymond Klass officiating. Burial will be on Friday at the parish
cemetery. Hart-Vick Funeral Home in
Marshall is serving the family. WSJ 10/21/1999
History of Watertown, Wisconsin