Max Zimmerman, Berlin, GER., then Iberia Parish, Louisiana Submitted by Mike Miller ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Max Zimmerman, who from early boyhood has been identified with the paper manufacturing industry and who has filled nearly every position in the mechanical operation as well as the management of paper mills in different parts of the country, has helped give Louisiana one of the leading plants of its kind, being general manager for the Charles Bolt Paper Mills Company at New Iberia. Mr. Zimmerman was born at Berlin, Germany, March 1, 1873. His father William Zimmerman was born in Prussia in 1837, and for some years was a teamster in Berlin and in 1881 brought his family to the United States, living at Menasha, Wisconsin, until his death in March, 1922. After acquiring American citizenship, he voted as a republican and was a devout member of the Evangelical Church. His wife was Minnie Vogel, who was born in Saxony, Germany, in 1829, and died at Menasha, Wisconsin, in January, 1924. Max Zimmerman, only living child of his parents, was eight years of age when brought to America and as a boy he attended public schools at Menasha, leaving school at the age of fourteen, his working experience having since been continuous in the paper industry. His early successive employments were: One year as an employee of the Gilbert Paper Company at Menasha; one year with the Whiting Paper Company at Menasha, working on the beaters and getting promoted to bleacher; a year and a half working on the beaters for the Howard Paper Company at Menasha; a year and a half on the heaters for the Kimball and Clark Company at Neenah, Wisconsin. Having in that famous wood product section of Wisconsin served his thorough apprenticeship, Mr. Zimmerman was next called to the position of beater engineer for the Alexandria Paper Company at Alexandria, Indiana, where he remained three and a half years. Returning to Wisconsin, he was night superintendent of the Wolf River Paper company at Shawano for a year and a half three and a half years with the Rhinelander Paper Company as boss beater, and then again went to India and for three and a half years was tower boss the United Paper Board Company at Wabash. Mr. Zimmerman was with the Mac Sim Bar Paper Company as general superintendent of the mills at Otsego, Michigan until 1917. Since then his service has been with the Charles Bolt Paper Company. He built and acted as general manager of two machine paper board mills until they were sold in 1921 in which year he came to New Iberia, and superintended the completion of the mill plant of the company and has since acted as a general manager. The mill and offices are on Main Street, and the company manufacturers everything in the box board line, shipping its products from coast to coast, some of them going to New York and to San Francisco, and also to such markets as St. Louis, Chicago and Havana, Cuba. The company employs ninety hands and it is one of the important sources of prosperity for the city of New Iberia. Mr. Zimmerman in politics is affiliated with the republican party, is a member of the Christian Science Church, and in masonry his affiliations are with Wabash Lodge No, 61, Free and Accepted Masons, at Wabash, Indiana, Girard Hope Chapter No. 33, Royal Arch Masons and Cavalry Commandery No. 15, Knights Templar at New Iberia, the Scottish Rites Consistory and the Syrian Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Cincinnati, Ohio, and he also belongs to Cincinnati Lodge No. 5, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. On December 29, 1891, at Menasha, Wisconsin, he married Miss Amelia Klaviter, a native of Germany, but reared and educated in Menasha. They have two sons. The older, Arthur, is mill superintendent of the Charles Bolt Paper Company at New Iberia. The second son Oscar, who is employed in the office of the Charles Bolt Paper Company at New Iberia, is a veteran of the World war, having been a member of the Michigan Regulars for three years, was on the Mexican border service during the World war, [and] was stationed for a the at Fort Worth, Texas, being an Orderly Sergeant. A History of Louisiana, (vol. 2), p. 304, by Henry E. Chambers. Published by The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, 1925.