History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties

"History of Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas Counties Wisconsin"

Compiled by George O.Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others. Printed in 1924 by H.C.Cooper. Jr. & Co., Minneapoli-Winona MN. ill. 787 pages. The first two hundred pages are history of the three counties, the remainder of the book is biographies.

Biography

Bonfight, Andrew, a well known and respected citizen of Three Lakes, Oneida County, who is now living retired after many years of activity in different occupations, was born in Germany, Feb. 4, 1864. He was educated in his native land, where he learned the trade of stone cutter and remained until he was 16 years old. Then in 1880 he came to the United States, and for about four years thereafter worked at his trade in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. At the end of that time, after paying a month's visit to a brother in Cleveland, he located in Buffalo, N.Y., where he spent two years at his trade. After that he spent a winter in the woods at or near Bay City, Mich., engaged in logging, subsequently returning to Buffalo. He remained in the latter city but two months, however, when he again changed his location, going to Canada, where he worked six months in a quarry getting out stone for the construction of the Welland canal. Detroit, Mich., was his next stopping-point, but he stayed but two weeks in that city, going on to Chicago, where also he spent two weeks, his next objective point being Dubuque, Iowa, near which city he spent a couple of weeks in farm work. Having now got as far west as he wanted to go, he returned east, stopping a few days at La Crosse, Wis., then going up the river to Hastings, Minn., and finding work for one season on a farm there. He then returned to La Crosse, going thence to Milwaukee, where he worked in a stone yard three months. His next stop was at Madison, whence he went to Oshkosh, in which vicinity he worked two weeks on a farm, subsequently visiting Appleton, Menomonie and Marquette, then returning to Appleton, from there going to New London, Wis., then to Rhinelander and a few days later to Monico. It was in the year 1888 that he arrived in Monico, and there he was to make a longer stay, as, having obtained a job as section hand on the Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railway (now the C. & N. W.), he was thus occupied for the next three years. He was then transferred to Three Lakes and made section foreman, and subseqently his headquarters were at State Line, Watersmeet and Pelican successively. Altogether he was section foreman about 25 years. He was also in the general mercantile business at Park Falls for a short period. For six years until recently he followed farming on a tract of 24 acres within the village limits of Three Lakes, but sold seven acres of this as a site for the new high school lately erected. Mr. BONFIGHT was married May 13, 1898, to Rosa ASSMAN of Three Lakes. He and his wife are members of the Catholic Church.

Transcribed by Susan Swanson, from pages 234; History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties Wisconsin; Compiled by George O. Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others; 1924, H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co.

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