HOLL Family


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This biography submitted by Submitted by great, grand daughter of John HOLL and 
Veronica KURZ, Rita Neustifter 


18:58 08/31/1999

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Many of the early homesteaders to Oconto County were first generation
Americans whose parents were born in Germany. This was the case with the HOLL
brothers who settled in what is now the area of Town of How and Town of
Underhill, Oconto County. Their father, Jacob HOLL and their mother Margaret
DOLLAR were both born in Rheinland, Prussia and married in the "Old French
Church" (St. John the Evangelist) at Green Bay, in 1856. They raised 7 sons and
4 daughters on their Brown County farm. Green Bay was a very large immigrant
center for over 100 years and often the new families bought or rented the
smaller farms nearby, then "spread out" to neighboring counties such as Shawano,
and Oconto where there were large parcels of fertile undeveloped land at lesser
prices. The HOLLs, as with many young men, earned money in the many lumber camps
and saw mill operations of northern Wisconsin. Padus (now a ghost town) was one
such place. Starting at the age of 9 was not unusual, and these children, living
in the winter camps, used small crosscut saws to cut branches into firewood for
sale by the lumber companies. Once they were nearing adulthood, the brothers cut
trees, drove teams hauling lumber wagons, worked as "River Rats" (a dangerous
spring and early summer job which involved riding the floating logs down stream
and breaking up logjams), and then sawed lumber to make money for buying a
homestead. 

In 1879, Jacob HOLL Jr.(second oldest son), walked to the Town of How, as he had
heard that there was good land to be had there. The 19 year old hiked the land
until he found what he was looking for. He slept under a tree that night, and
walked to town the next day to claim the property. Bringing back a new ax, which
was his only tool, Jacob built a lean-to for shelter and began to develop the
homestead. Older brother, John HOLL, followed in 1880, and developed a fine log
home, good sized log barn, chicken coop, several acres of cleared land, owned a
team of oxen, field equipment, two wagons, and several head of dairy cows five
years later at the age of 26. Brothers Joseph, Peter, and Henry each developed
their own successful farms in the area. Sister Catharine HOLL was the first
school teacher in the district and John, Joseph and Jacob Jr. were active
members of the local school board and held many elected commission offices.
Henry and his wife moved back to Green Bay after a short time, and youngest
brothers Matthew and Edward HOLL settled in the area. Edward was born only two
months after his father, Jacob HOLL, Sr. died of pneumonia in 1880. Mother
Margaret HOLL finished raising her family at the farm in Green Bay, facing
drought, and the destructive effects of forest fires along the way. In her last
years she lived with son Matthew and his family in Oconto County and was buried
in the Town of How with other family members upon her death in 1908. 

John HOLL (1857-1931) sold his farm shortly after his marriage to Veronica KURZ,
in 1885. They bought a general store in the once prosperous village of Hayes.
Eventually John built a much larger store and by the 1890's owned 9 properties
and buildings in Hayes. The railroad station at Suring, where produce and grain
could be shipped from, was the eventual downfall of Hayes. John was Justice of
the Peace, Notary Public, and Postmaster as well during his long life. The
family was always active in, and members of the councils of the original St.
Michael Church in Keshina, and were founding members of St. Michael Church in
Suring in 1907. For many years the family sponsored the annual Independence Day
festival and picnic with fireworks in the evening, and had Santa visit for
several days each November to talk with the children of both white settlers and
Native American families. The store was passed along to his children and
grandchildren and remained open until the 1970's. John and Veronica raised 9
children. 

Jacob Jr.(1859-1941) owned a sawmill as well as his farm. He married a local
woman, Clara PRINZ, and had 7 children. Clara died in 1900 from "consumption" as
Tuberculosis was then called. It was a common and devastating disease in the
area at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. Jacob then
married another local woman, Emma RUSCH and raised 7 more children. 

Catherine HOLL (born 1871) gave up teaching when she married successful business
and bank owner J. Edward KAYE in Green Bay. She was flamboyant and social. The
couple had no children. Known in the family as "Aunt Kitty Kaye", she did much
philanthropic work in Brown County. 

Peter HOLL (1861-1911) owned a successful farm and married Elizabeth (Lizzy)
PRINZ, the sister of Jacob Jr's wife Clara, and also a local woman. They had two
sons before Lizzy died, also of TB in 1898. Peter then married a local woman
Minnie GUELKER and they had 6 children before Peter died prematurely from TB.
Minnie raised the family alone on the farm. 

Joseph HOLL (1869-1941) farmed in what is now the Town of Underhill (originally
Town of How). Joseph married Oconto County woman Margaret JORGENSEN. Joseph also
owned the stage and dray service running between Underhill, Suring, Gillett,
Hinz, and Hayes, which made the complete route twice a day (except Sundays) to
handle train travelers, shoppers, and return trip passengers. The weekly Oconto
County Reporter announced in December 1893 "It affords excellent accommodations
for passengers". 

Matthew HOLL (1877-1950) married local woman Anna KOPITSCH and had three
children, which were raised on their Town of How farm. Matthew was described as
a "mathematics genius" who could do "sums and calculations in his head like (as
fast as) lightening". Many a bet was lost over Matthew's ability to add faster
that a cash register or adding machine, and he never needed a pencil. Matthew
was blind the last 15 years of his life, but insisted on "doing my share" of the
work around the farm. This combination lead to many falls in those last years,
and eventually to his death from falling down the concrete cellar stairs. 

Edward HOLL (born 1880) married Wilhelmina SCHMIDT and built a general store in
Hintz, Oconto County, in partnership with his brother Joseph. They had one
child. Ed's older brothers helped raise him, as he was born shortly after his
father's death. Eventually Ed bought out his brother's interest and built a
"social hall" onto the rear of his expanded store. The store was also the post
office, with Ed and Wilhelmina as postmasters. Both the store and the social
hall were popular gathering places for local residents, and the family hosted
weddings, anniversary parties, funeral wakes, local festivals, dances, traveling
acts, and the annual Fourth of July celebrations. Although no longer used, the
store and social hall buildings as well as the original family home still stand
in Hintz beside the Oconto River. 

Many of the descendants of the HOLL brothers, who were such an active part of
the settlement of early Oconto County, Town of How and Gillett, still can be
found on the farms and in the villages of their ancestors. Submitted by great,
grand daughter of John HOLL and Veronica KURZ, Rita Neustifter