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History of Watertown,
Wisconsin
Augusta (Stock) Wolfram
1884 - 1966
Mrs. Augusta Wolfram,
81, of 108 1/2 South Second Street, died at her home on
She was the former
Augusta Stock, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Rueben Stock and was born in
the town of Lowell on
She was a member of St.
Henry's Catholic Church.
The requiem Mass at St.
Henry's was conducted by the Very Rev. A. J. Herrmann and interment is in the parish cemetery.
SURVIVORS:
Daughter Mrs. William Boettcher
Daughter Mrs. John Knaak,
Watertown
Daughter Mrs. Melvin Anderson, Watertown
Son Edward of Juneau
Son Elmer at home
Son Ray of Watertown
Son Francis of Mukwonago
Son George who was in the
service in 1966
and stationed in the
Philippines.
There
were 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
PRECEDED IN DEATH:
Mrs.
Wolfram was the last member of her immediate family, four brothers and four
sisters having preceded her in death.
Augusta
(Stock) Wolfram
Augusta
was born in the Town of Lowell in Wisconsin on
Rueben and Auguste Wilhelmina (Prietz)
STOCK
She
was the seventh child of nine children born to this family living on a farm in
Dodge County.
When
her parents married, her mother had just recently emigrated from Germany. Her
father was already a Civil War Veteran, having been raised on a farm in the
Lowell area.
Her
father (Rueben) served in Company F - 5th Wisconsin Infantry during the
American Civil War.
Her
father had arrived in Wisconsin circa 1850 from Massachusetts at the young age
of 2 yr. and he had grown up in the Lowell area.
Her
Mother had been born in Germany and had arrived in USA when she was 18 years
old, circa 1869.
Her
parents married 1870; a year after her mother had arrived from Germany. Augusta's parents then settled in the Lowell
area to farm as her paternal and maternal grandparents both farmed in the area.
Either
her maternal grandfather or an uncle, William Prietz,
still owned farmland in the eastern Lowell-Reesville
area in Dodge County in 1910 as shown on a map in a Dodge County Land Plat
book.
Her
father was a tinsmith, as her grandfather had manufactured and sold tin and
hollow ware.
Augusta
STOCK married Joseph WOLFRAM
Augusta
was remembered by her children as being soft spoken and kind. She was olive skinned with black eyes and had
an attractive face, although in her old age, she insisted on wearing make up. However,
she seemed to "live in the past" and continued to wear old period
clothing, long dark dresses from the turn of the century . . .
Family
oral history: According to her
daughter-in-law, Elizabeth EGYHAZI Wolfram, Augusta was a tidy
housekeeper. She "always had the
table set ready for guests. She always
had a tablecloth and crackers on the table.
She would baby-sit her grandson, Charles, and would sit rocking him in
her chair. She often sat in rocking
chair in a corner of the living room. She washed her clothes by hand and did
her own housework and cooking. She was soft spoken and Liz recalls her often
saying, "Now you mustn't quarrel.
The Lord doesn't want you to do that."
She
had suffered the death of one child who died 8 days after birth in 1916 when
she was 32 yr. old. However, three more children were born, making a total of
eight births . . .
Augusta
died of congestive heart failure on
Additional
family history to be found within the Stock Family History book written by
Karren Wolfram and held by the Dodge/Jefferson
Counties Genealogical Society Library (REFER: R-929.2-Stock)
Reuben
STOCK Father of Augusta
CIVIL
WAR VETERAN
Per Dodge County Courthouse Records --00039
Marriage
Registration
Occupation: Tinsmith
Residence: Lowell, Wisconsin
Married
Auguste W. Pritz on
with witnesses
William Richer and Alice Richer
Born
1848 in Massachusetts, young Reuben Henry traveled to Wisconsin soon after his
birth and was about 2 yr. old when his parents settled in the Lowell area circa
1850.
There
were a total of at least 12 children born to parents Henry and Caroline.
Civil
War -Reuben served in Company F - 5th Wisconsin Infantry
A roster of enlisted men shows Reuben served with
several other men from the Township of Lowell, Andrew McFadden, Carl Wilbe and Nathan Powell. Also from Watertown were Alexander
E. Brown, Ferdinand Ott, and Arunah B. Dwinnell
Rueben
enlisted
This was after the original 5th Regiment
had been mustered out on 3rd August at Madison, Wisconsin after
three years of service in war battles.
In May and June of 1864 there had been large numbers of casualties at
Petersburg, Virginia. On 11 July, the 5th Infantry had accompanied
the 6th Corps to Washington, arriving on the 12th, to
assist in the defense of that city. On
that day, the three years term of the non-veterans having expired, they
volunteered for the defence of the Capitol. The
danger having passed, they left Washington on the 16th, for
Wisconsin, and arrived at Madison on the 22nd July where they
received a hearty welcome from the State authorities. They were finally mustered out the 3rd
of August. Thus ended the service of the
original 5th Regiment.
The re-enlisted veterans and recruits were organized
into an “Independent Battalion” of three companies under command of Captain Kempf, Company A, Captain Jacob Cook, Company B, and
Captain Butterfield, Company C. On the
13th of July, they moved with the 6th Corps to the
Shenandoah Valley in pursuit of the enemy. Returned to Washington on the 26th,
and proceeded to Harper’s Ferry. There
were casualtie4s in September and October while near Charleston, taking part in the battle of Cedar Creek.
Meanwhile in Wisconsin-----
Per MILITARY HISTORY OF WISCONSIN ---
Gov. Lewis then re-organized the 5th
Infantry and re-commisioned Col. Allen as its
leader. Previously in 1863, Col. Allen
had been struck by a bullet which had shattered his left hand. Now, under his
supervision, seven companies were rapidly recruited, organized and mustered into
the United States service, and left the state on the 2nd of October,
to join the “Indpendent Battalion” at Winchester.
Colonel Thomas S. Allen had 10 companies under his
command and our Rueben STOCK was in Co. F under Captain William Bremmer. Rueben enlisted
The seven companies recruited arrived at Washington,
received arms, and were sent to Alexandria, where they remained, doing provost
duty, until the 20th of October.
Then they proceeded by way of Martinsburg and Winchester to Cedar Creek,
where they joined the Battalion and the forces under General Sheridan. They remained at that place until the 1st
of December, Col. Allen being put in command of the Brigade. Rueben would have been about 16 yr. of age
then.
With the 6th Corps, they rejoined the
forces of General Grant in the trenches before Petersburg on the 4th
of December, where they remained until
On
In the charge on the enemy’s works at Petersburg,
April 2nd, the 5th Wisconsin and Thirty –seventh
Massachusetts, led by Col. Allen, were in the extreme front, supported by two
lines in the rear. At
Col. Allen led a portion of the regiment two miles
through the abandoned lines of the enemy to the South Side Railroad. By
“On the afternoon of April 3rd,
they joined in the pursuit of General Lee, marching with great rapidity day and night. The Sixth Corps encountered
General Ewell’s forces at “Little Sailors’ Creek” on the 7th. The lines were quickly formed, and they
pushed forward at a double quick, the regiment marching with unbroken line through a swamp waist
deep, under the fire of the enemy’s musketry. They moved to a brow of a
hill, where the enemy was discovered but a few paces distant, admirably posted,
and fighting with the energy of despair.
The regiment was in an extremely hazardous position, being subjected to
a severe flank and cross fire. Colonel
Allen rode in advance of the line as though danger was unknown.” Company G, and Company C were deployed as
skirmishes. “Lieutenant General Ewell
and staff surrendered to six men of the skirmishers, under command of Sergeant
Cameron, Company A, who was promoted Lieutenant on the field, for his
gallantry. The action of the regiment
elicited high encomiums from the corps, division, and brigade commanders.”
Reuben
was listed as one of the 79 wounded—on Wed April 7th (8 later died of wounds) and 16 had been killed directly in the
skirmish. In Rueben’s Company F, the men
killed included Corporal George L, Welty and Privates C. TRUAX and George
TRUAX.
The pursuit was continued until the 9th,
when General Lee surrendered.
On the 10th, the regiment commenced it’s return, and reached Burke’s Station on the 18th,
marched to Richmond, Virginia, which they reached on the 20th. On
the 24th, left for Washington where they arrived on the 2nd
of June, after a long and tedious march.
Left Washington June 16th, 1865, and arrived at Madison June
20th. They were soon mustered
out, Rueben listed as MO on June 13th, thus closing the record of
the “Fighting Fifth”.
“Col. Allen was brevetted Brigadier General for
gallant and meritorious services during the war. Regimental
statistics: ---
Original strength,
1,058.
Gain, by recruits in 1863, -- 210, in 1864, ---684, in 1865, --- 25;
(Reuben
had joined in 1864)
by substitutes, 50;
by drafting 1865, 25; by veteran enlistments, 204;
TOTAL 2,256.
Losses----deaths, 285; missing, 4;
desertion, 105; transferred, 33;
discharged, 405; mustered out, 1,424.”
Reuben
was wounded
Five
years later he marries Auguste PRITZ at St. Henry’s Church, Watertown,
Wisconsin and they live in the Township of Lowell, Dodge County.
Beaver Dam Argus
Newspaper -
Buried
in family plot at Lowell Cemetery in Wisconsin