Bio for CHRISTGAU, Arthur Ernst (b.1892 d.1986), Mower Co., MN ========================================================================= USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Diane Rollins Submitted: February 2007 ========================================================================= ARTHUR CHRISTGAU 1892-1986 Arthur Ernst Christgau was born August 29, 1892, at his parents home in Dexter Township, Mower County Minn. His parents were Fred and his wife Adeline Vanselow Christgau. Art was born again into God's family by the sacrament of Holy Baptism in 1892 by Pastor H. Bruss at Trinity Lutheran Church, Dexter Township. He was confirmed in the Christian faith at the same church in 1906 by Pastor John Guse. Art was a lifelong member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Dexter Township. The church is sometimes called the "Christgau Church" since the church property was donated by the Christgau family. Art loved his church. When he was a young man he would take the pastor by horse and buggy, or cutter during the winter, to visit the sick and make other calls. During Art's retirement years he served for many years as a delegate to the Minnesota District and Synod conventions for the Wisconsin Synod. Art's school years were spent at the Dexter Township 106 Public School, the Southern Minnesota Normal College and the University of Minnesota School of Agriculture. On June 4, 1929 he was married to Elsie Stern at Trinity Lutheran Church with Pastor Otto Hohenstein officiating, Art served in the Army during WWI. He entered the service in 1917 and was discharged in 1919. Before Art went off to war he worked as a steam engineer for threshing machines and saw mills. When Art returned from the war he was a custodian at the Elkton Public School and he also did some football and basketball coaching. Art then went to work for the Austin Public Schools as superintendent of building and grounds. He held that position for 35 years. When he first started working for the school district he was also the first person in the area to sell State Farm Insurance, but had to give that up, due to conflict of interest. While he worked for the school system he also held the positions of truant officer and stage manager. After Art retired he went on to work for the Fuller Brush Company and later sold cleaning supplies to schools and businesses. Throughout his life Art belonged to and supported many organizations. Some of them are the Veterans of Foreign Wars, World War I Barracks, American Legion, American Association of Retired Persons, Izaak Walton League, Exchange Club, Mower County Historical Society. For many years Art was the familiar figure at the train depot on the Mower County Fairgrounds during the County Fair. Art was called to his eternal home on September 6, 1986, at the age of 94 years and 8 days. He was preceded in death by five brothers and three sisters. Art was survived by his wife Elsie, who died September 14, 1986, at Prairie Manor in Blooming Prairie. Also surviving are three brothers and two sisters-in-law, Victor and his wife Muriel of Washington D.C., Theodore of Sun City, Milton of rural Austin, Lydia Fankell, Clear Lake, Iowa; many nephews, nieces, cousins and friends. Services were held September 9, 1986 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Dexter Township. ART'S SERVICE IN THE GREAT WAR The following quotes that describe Art's military service in WW I, came from an article that appeared in The Austin Daily Herald. Art and a group of four other WW I veterans met every weekday morning at 10 A.M. and had coffee at Harry's Café in Austin for many years. "Christgau volunteered for duty in the US Army. Two months after he swore allegiance to the US, he was in Europe kissing the dirt of the trenches beneath heavy shell fire. He would spend 16 months under shell fire, including several periods of continuous shellfire without relief. He was a truck driver and a clerk, who was gassed by the enemy in the Great War." ========================================================================= Copyright Diane Rollins 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm =========================================================================