BIOGRAPHIES: John DURISCH, Arcadia, Trempealeau Co., WI

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** Posted for informational purposes only -- the poster is not related
to the subject of this biography.

John Durisch, a well known and highly esteemed citizen of Arcadia Village, 
now living retired after a long and active career, was born in Switzerland, 
June 21, 1846. With his parents, Thomas and Anna Durisch, also natives of 
Switzerland, he came to America in 1852, landing at New York.  From that 
city the family came west to Prairie Du Sac, Wis., where they lived until 
1856.  They then migrated to Buffalo County, making the trip overland by 
ox team and driving before them twenty-one head of cattle.  Arriving after 
a twelve-days' journey, they settle in Danuser's Valley, Montana Township, 
where Thomas Durisch bought 160 acres of new land from the government.  
With the aid of his son, John, he grubbed and cleared the land, building 
of tamarack a comfortable log house, 16 by 20 feet, hewn inside and out, 
and which was the pride of all that region.  Mr. Durisch continued to 
cultivate and improve his farm until his sudden death while plowing in the 
field in 1861.  The mother, Anna Durisch, was born Sept 4, 1810, and died 
at the home of her son in Arcadia at the age of 100 years.  John Durisch 
was six years old when he accompanied his parents from Switzerland.  He 
had attended the common and parochial schools in his native land and had 
but little further education after coming to America.  At his father's 
death he was sixteen years of age and he subsequently operated the farm 
for his widowed mother up to 1869, breaking about forty acres more of the 
land.  His father had built a substantial log barn, 20 by 24 feet, which 
added to the value of the property.  In 1872 Mrs. Durisch rented the farm 
and with her family moved to Fountain City.  The family included, in 
addition to the subject of this sketch, a daughter, Agnes, who was born 
in Switzerland, and who married Christ Mauele, a farmer of Montana Township.  
She died in Arcadia in 1893.  The subject of this sketch and his mother 
resided in Fountain City up to 1874.  He married Lucy, daughter of Christ 
and Elizabeth Kindschy, pioneer settlers of Buffalo County, in 1870.  In the 
spring of 1874 he arrived in Arcadia Village with his wife.  Building a small 
house on what is now Deer Park Street, he entered into the teaming and livery 
business, and was thus occupied until 1898.  He then traded the business for 
an improved farm of 160 acres in Lewis Valley, Arcadia Township, but remained 
in town and rented the farm.  In 1876 the big flood came and wrecked Mr. 
Durisch's house in Arcadia.  He then built his present brick veneer residence 
on Main Street, a nice-appearing and comfortable dwelling.  His first wife 
died in 1893.  They had one son, Thomas C., who was born February 10, 1872, 
died in 1884.  Mr. Durisch remained a widower for a short time and then, in 
1895, married Katherine, daughter of John and Katherine Maurer, of Arcadia.  
A Republican in politics, he was elected sheriff in 1894, and served one term, 
retaining his residence in Arcadia, and having a deputy, N. L. Fredrickson, in 
charge at Whitehall.  For many years he served as village marshal, a member of 
the village board and as street commissioner.  In 1914 he retired from active 
business life and in the same year sold his Lewis Valley farm.  A number of 
years ago he invested in lands in the state of Montana, his interest in which 
he still retains.  He is also a stockholder in the Western Wisconsin Telephone 
Company.  Among his earlier activities may be mentioned the fact that, with 
J. I. Dewey, Charles Miller and James Gaveney (father of John C. Gaveney), he 
made the first canvass of Arcadia Township for 500 cows to stock the first 
creamery in this section, which creamery was built at Arcadia, west of the 
Trempealeau River.  For a number of years Mr. Durisch hauled cream and butter 
from this creamery, often taking as many as sixty 60-pound tubs at one load.  
Mr. Durisch was reared in the faith of the German Evangelical Church and is 
an active member of St. John's Church of that denomination at Arcadia, of 
which with A. F. Hensel, Herman Cloug and Jacob Schneller, he was one of the 
founders.  He was treasurer of the church for twenty-two years and for a 
number of years superintendent of the Sunday School.  He and his wife are 
members of the best society in the village.

--Transcribed from the "History of Trempealeau County Wisconsin, 1917" 
pages 731-732.