Biography of Michael Metz, Franklin Co, AR

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        Date: 16 Aug 1998
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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed
Publishing Co., 1889.

Michael Metz, a prominent hardware dealer of Altus, Ark., was born in
France, on the 8th of March, 1853. His parents, Michael and Katie
(Heideneker) Metz, were born in Northern France, which is now a
portion of Germany, the father's death occurring in 1871, at the age
of sixty-one years. He was a wagon-maker by trade, and a member of the
Catholic Church. The mother is still residing in Alsace, Germany, and
is sixty-eight years of age. Michael Metz is the youngest of their
four children, and when eighteen years of age determined to seek his
fortune in the United States, and for two years worked at his trade in
Chicago, and then became a newspaper carrier for a Chicago German
newspaper, continuing at this six years, working also at his trade. He
then came to Franklin County, Ark., and after working at his trade for
six years in Ozark, came to Altus and opened a tin-shop, and soon
after added a stock of hardware. In 1875 he was married to Annie
Ziegler, a daughter of Lorenz Ziegler. She was born in 1856, and died
September 27, 1881, having borne three children: Mena, Mike, and
Frankie, who died in 1880, aged four years. The mother and child are
buried in the Catholic grave-yard at Chicago. In 1883 Mr. Metz married
Minnie, a sister of his first wife, and by her became the father of
three children: Leon, Carl and Alfred, who died in 1886, when two
years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Metz are members of the Catholic Church,
and he affiliates with the Union Labor party.