Obituary: Adams County, Wisconsin: Ralph ZENTNER

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Submitted by Joan Benner, <jmbenner@tznet.com> May 2005

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From the Adams County Press, Saturday 11 April 1903, Page 4 Column 4

Ralph ZENTNER Dies Suddenly

At his home in Point Bluff, Adams Co., WI, April 2nd 1903, Ralph ZENTNER,
aged 57 years, 18 days.

Deceased was born in Elm, Canton Glarus, Switzerland, on the 3rd day of
March, 1846. His parents were John and Catherine ZENTNER. His parents came
to this country when he was only seven years old, and settled at Black
Earth, then about five miles south of the now city of Oshkosh and on the
west bank of Lake Winnebago, where about a year later his mother died.
Shortly after her death the husband returned to his old home in
Switzerland, and soon after died, leaving his little son an orphan to the
care of a maternal uncle, John ELMER. For some years Ralph had a home with
this uncle, until July 1861, when at the age of 15 years he enlisted in
Company K of the Second regiment of Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He served
for a time as orderly for Colonel (afterward Governor) Lucius Fairchild,
and was severely wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864, and
lay wounded on the battlefield for five days. The relief came at last, and
he was taken to a hospital and placed upon an operating table preparatory
to an amputation of the wounded limb. Just at this point, Surgeon Wolcott
of Milwaukee, appeared on the scene, took ralph from the table, gave him an
incalculable benefit of his personal attention and saved the foot and
ankle.

After his recovery Ralph re-entered the military service as a member of
Company G of the Sixth Wisconsin Infantry, and was subsequently transferred
to ____ Battery, where he was finally honorably discharged from the
military service of the United States, and returned to his former home to
assume all the duties and obligations of a good citizen in civil life.

In 1872 in company with C. H. SCHNEIDER, he came to Adams county and first
settled at Barnum in the town of Rome, where the mills of the Weed Lumber
Company were located, and which had already become a prominent lumbering
point on the Wisconsin River. It was there that the trinity of good
fellowship between him, J. V. GUNNING and C. H. SCHNEIDER was formed that
lasted until broken by the death of Mr. ZENTNER.

On July 4, 1876, Mr. ZENTNER and Miss Lizzie DAVIS of Point Bluff, were
married, and for some years made their home at Barnum. Afterwards, Mr.
ZENTNER purchased a farm near Point Bluff, where they have resided and had
their home for many years past. The home they builded (sic) there was an
ideal one--one such as only love and affection, industry, frugality and
mutual devotion can build and fill with esteem and happiness, and each is
made to feel that he or she is a constituent part of a cherished and
cherishing whole.

Deceased was a member of John Gillespie Post, G. A. R., of Kilbourn, and
Quincy Lodge, F. & A. M., of Friendship. He was a frequent visitor at the
Post meetings in this place, and every comrade here and every brother in
the Lodge hailed his presence as a great personal pleasure, and the
expression was and is universal in these orders, as with many others: "I
cannot help but feel that by Zentner's death I have suffered a great
personal loss." He was so genial in his ways, so zealous to please and add
to the enjoyment of others, withal he was an honest, independent man, firm
in his conversation and fearless in maintaining his views, but in so doing
so liberal and courteous as seldom or never to give offense.

The funeral was on Sunday last, and the feeling and interest was made
manifest by the great crowd that attended the services. Large delegations
representing the Masonic societies of Kilbourn and Friendship and the G. A.
R. posts of the same places, clothed in the appropriate insignia of their
respective orders were present to pay the last and sad rites in memory of
their deceased brother abd comrade and each performed its appropriate
ceremonies.

Rev. Dr. Bolton and Dr. Scott DAVIS, a brother of Mrs. ZENTNER, conducted
the services. Each made an exceedingly appropriate address. 

The procession from the family residence to the church was fully a third of
a mile in length and the capacity of the church could not hold more than a
third of the people who gathered at the funeral.

Besides a widow, the deceased leaves five sons--William R., John, Albert,
Samuel and Francis.