page six April 19, 1947

FINAL RITES HELD FOR JACOB A. LAUER,

STANELY PIONEER

Funeral services were held for Jacob A. Lauer on last Saturday morning at 9:00 o'clock from St. Ann's Church, the Rev. Paul Pitzenberger officiating. The pallbearers were Theodore Heiting, Barney Micke, John Amerling, Alfred Meyers, Joseph Seufzer and Frank Flecity.Interment was made in St. Mary's cemetery.

Surviving Mr. Lauer are numerous nieces and nephews, and a few cousins, throughout the country.

Early Stanely Settler

When Jacob Lauer died he was one of the last of the men who came to the Stanley Country when Stanley was in its infancy.

He was born in Germany on January 10 of wither 1867 or 1868. At about the age of 14 he came , all alone, to the United States to live and work with his brother, hardware dealer Math Lauer's father, at Hilbert, Wis. Two years later he went back to Germany to vist for a year. In the spring of 1885, he returned to Hilbert with his brother, John.

As near as can be figured, Jake Lauer came to the Stanley Country in the summer of 1885. His first job was in Helgeson's store. Helgeson had bought the steam sawmill built in 1884 over where the Ladysmith Milk Co-op. now has their plant, and he operated a store in conjunction with the mill. Jake worked in the store and sort of went to school under Mrs. Helgeson. That Mrs. Helgeson did a good job is quite evident in the fact that Jake married a schoolteacher in the summer of 1889, and went into business for himself in the early nineties.

Helped To Build Stanley

At about the time he reached his majority, Jacob A. Lauer was united in marriage to Miss Mary (Minnie) E. Rolls, who at the time was a teacher in the Stanley schools. The Lauers had no children.

After his job in the store, as far as we have been able to determine, Jake Lauer started a saloon in the early nineties, across the street from the Soo depot on First Ave. A similar business is still being conducted in the same location.

Jake's next venture was a farm over in Clark county, but he was back in Stanley within a few years. In about 1900 he opened up a hardware business on First Ave. in the near vicinity of the present Legion hall. Chalkley is said to have followed him in business in this location. At any rate, within a few years, he was operating a hardware store in the location now used by Joe Grabon.

Some years after 1910 Jake left Stanley again, to work for a few years in the state of Maryland. then he returned to Wisconsin to settle at Neenah for a time.

Finally, in about 1934, the Jacob Lauers bought a home on Garfield St. in Stanley, and moved here to retire. After many years, many experiences and many wanderings, after having played his part in the early building of the City of Stanley, misfortune finally overtook Jake in his retirement. Mary E. Lauer, his wife, preceded him in death on October 10, 1939. Unable to care for himself alone, he spent his last days in the Old Folk's Home. But Jake Lauer had set an active pace during his life, and many will be the legends that outlive him.

Contributed by Monica Johnson