A History of some of the Early German Settlers in the Community of Brighton, Kenosha County, Wisconsin, collected by Miss Louise Thom in 1932 for the State Historical Society.
Daniels (Math) Family
(This information received from Mr. Jacob Daniels of Brighton, now a resident of Burlington and who is spending some time with his son Henry of Brighton. He is the son of Math Daniels. Mr. Jacob Daniels celebrated his 74th birthday on Sept 25, 1932).
Math Daniels came to this country in 1846 to avoid army service in Germany. He was on the water three months and lived on half rations. He arrived at Southport (Kenosha, Wis). His older brother Hubbard was in heavy artillery service in Germany, at the time of Math's departure.
The Frei family removed from Weiskirchen, Trier, a year later and settled in Franklin Township, Wis (St. Martins), and Katherine Frei and Math Daniels were married at Brighton in the little log church. They settled on the farm north of Brighton, opposite the Dixon home, where the John Fettes family now resides.
The children were Nick, Tony, Jacob, Matt and Max deceased; Jacob of Brighton, and Martin of Milwaukee; also four daughters all deceased, Mrs. Helen Kasper, Mrs. Phronie Meyers, Barbara, a nun in the Notre Dame convent, and Mrs. Mary Schroeder.
Jacob Daniels, a brother, came from Germany two years after Math came. His wife was a Kass; they had no children. Hubbard also came later and bought the farm on which John Zeihen lives now.
Nick, another brother arrived sometime later. His children were John Daniels, who for a number of years was the organist at the Brighton Catholic Church, Mrs. Toelle, Mrs. Gerten, Mrs Fettes (the grandmother of John Fettes), and Mrs. Shaflin of Chicago.
Henry Toelle, a brother-in-law, taught the school at Brighton in 1864-65-66. This was a Catholic school in which German was taught in the forenoon and English in the afternoon. The subjects taught were Cathecism, Bible History, Reading, Spelling and Arithmetic. The school was located where the Soldiers Monument now stands.
The Mrs. Hamaker of the old Hamaker homestead on Highway 43 was a sister of Math Daniels. She married Mr. Hamaker in Germany and when she came with her husband and children to America, Math met them in Chicago and furnished their transportation from that location to Brighton by means of oxen and wagon.
Hess Family (this information from the Rev F. S. Hess, Waterloo Wis, and Math Hess, Milwaukee)
Friederich Hess and his wife, Gertrude Esser, came from Blankenheimersdorf, Kreis Schleiden, Rhine Province, Prussia, in 1846, arriving in Wisconsin in August of the same year. They made their home on 160 acres of land in the town of Brighton, Kenosha County, one and one half miles east of the present Brighton Catholic Church. With them came their six children, viz: Anna Mary, Peter, Joseph, Valentine, John Peter and John. Of these children, Peter, the eldest son, remained with his father, succeeding in the possession of the farm. Anna Mary, with her husband, N. Ehlen, made her home in the town of Brighton, Joseph moved to Potosi, Grant Co, Wis, Valentine went to California in 1848, John Peter moved to Farley Iowa, and John located in Madison, Wis. Grandfather Friederich Hess died in the month of August in the year 1879, at the age of 87 and was buried near the Catholic Church in Brighton at the side of his wife who preceded him in death about eight years before.
Rev Francis, Xavier Hess is the pastor of St. Joseph's church, Waterloo, Wis. He is the son of Peter Hess and Anna Mary Scholzen, who were married in Brighton in the old St. Patrick's Church in 1850 by Father Etchmann.
Wiesmann Family (this information was received from Mrs. Walker of Brighton).
Jacob Wiesmann, von Ackerswirth and Geschaftsman, farmer and business man, was born in Buchold, Munster, Westfahlen Germany February 10, 1807. He was married at Westphalen and in 1847 came to America with his wife and four children, Henry, Johanna, John and Theodore. Katherine (Mrs. Walker) was born here in 1851. Mr. Weisman bought the farm in Brighton from a Mr. Kochlin, who is buried in the Brighton cemetery.
Mrs. Welker (spelled with e here) is the only child living. She married Cornelius, the oldest son of William Welker. She remembers hearing the name of "Bovy" and of an incident relative to the loss of a dog belonging to this family. She thinks this family lived somewhere south of the Brighton Catholic Church. She also remembers hearing about "Old Man Krings" and that he was a bass singer. A Mr. Buchner, another teacher of the Brighton school, is associated in her memory as a writer of German verses.
Welker Family (from Mrs. C. Welker, Brighton)
William Welker came from the same part of Germany and at about the same time that the Wiesmann family did. He brought his family with him and settled in Brighton. His children were Cornelius, Brighton, Elizabeth (Mrs. Faber), Chicago, Gertrude (Mrs. Faber), Chicago, Mary Ann (Mrs. Mucker), Chicago, and Anna (Mrs. May) Chicago.
Wagner Family ( information from Mrs. Elizabeth Wagner Becker of Chicago and Ben Becker a son of Mrs. Elizabeth Wagner Becker)
John and Elizabeth Wagner and family of seven children arrived in Paris, Wisconsin, June 10, 1850 from Fliessem, Kreis Bitburg, Germany. Their voyage in a sailboat took twenty nine days. They settled on a farm in Paris, remaining until 1868, Mr. Wagner then retiring and moving to Kenosha Wisconsin, where he died May 8, 1892 at the age of 87. Mrs. Wagner continued to live in Kenosha until 1898 when she moved to Chicago to live with her daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Becker. She died in Chicago April 20, 1902 at the age of 98.
Mr. Wagner was born February 15, 1805 at Flieszem, Kreis Bitburg, Germany and Mrs. Wagner, the former Elizabeth Heinz, was born June 24, 1804 at Matzen, Kreis Bitburg, Germany.
The Wagner family consisted of the following:
Peter Wagner born Jan 15, 1832, married to Mary Baltes of Somers, Wisconsin, locating at New Market, Minnesota where he died September 22, 1925.
Henry Wagner married to Lena Wiesen, who settled on the old homestead at Paris upon his father's retirement where he died. Nick and Joe Wagner of Brighton are sons of Henry Wagner.
Gertrude Wagner born November 1, 1836, married to John Belting of Kenosha, Wis, where they established their home. She died April 16, 1899. Mrs. N.P. Mischler of Kenosha is the daughter of Gertrude Wagner Belting.
Margaret Wagner born Spet 20, 1838, married to Peter Bernard of Chicago, Ill, where they made their home. Mrs. Bernard died September 26, 1906.
Nicholas Wagner, born August 15, 1841, married to Agnes Pitts of Kenosha, Wis, established a home at Chicago where he died May 28, 1913.
Catherine Wagner, born May 9, 1842, married to John Dahm of Niles Center, Ill, established a home here and died Sept 7, 1904.
Elizabeth Wagner, born April 3, 1847, married to Jacob Becker of Fond du Lac, Wis, establishing a home at Chicago, Ill, where she still lives.
While the Wagner family were not actual residents of the township of Brighton, they were members of the Brighton community and of the Brighton Parish. We find their names on the list of early pew-holders of the Brighton Catholic Church, as compiled by Rev. N. L. Freiman in his Brighton History.
Poss Family (this information was obtained from Mrs. Charles Jackely of Brighton)
Mathias Poss, wife and four children, and father, Jacob Poss, came to this country in 1857. Mathias Poss was born in Fleasem, Germany. Mrs. Anna Mary Poss was born in Elenz Germany. Upon their emigration they landed in New York, and after a short stay in Chicago came to Brighton and bought 40 acres. After four or five years they bought 40 acres more. They lived on this farm until their death. Mr. Poss died Jan 12, 1900 at the age of 80 and his wife died August 25, 1908 at the age of 84.
There were ten children in the family of whom four survive. Mrs. Valentine Jackley and Mrs. Charles Jackley of Brighton and Mr. Valentine and John Poss of Ashton, Iowa.
Mrs. Chas. Jackley had in her possession the cross used at the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Mathias Poss, also she had a bit of lace used in the bride's wedding cap.
Reiter, Peter family (from Peter Reiter of Brighton, Wis)
Jacob Reiter came to America in 1850 with his parents John and Catherine Reiter, and two brothers and two sisters. They bought forty acres of land which now belongs to the Jake Meyers farm. In 1859 they bought eighty acres, the homestead. A few years after Jacob Reiter married Mary Seivert. Eleven children were born to them of whom eight survive. Jacob Reiter was born in Fliesen, Germany and died in July 1917 at the age of 87. Mary Seivert Reiter was born in Alsace-Lorraine.
Hotz, Mathias - Born Mary 15, 1830 in Birresborn, Kreis Prum, Regierungsbezirk Trier, Rhein Province, Died at Brighton, May 4, 1895.
Hotz - Mrs. Catherine Lenz Hotz . Wife of Mathias Hotz. (taken from extract of Racine Journal News)
Mrs. Catherine Hotz, one of the oldest residents of the town of Brighton, will celebrate her ninetieth birthday anniversary Feb 24. She has been a continuous resident of the town for 77 years. She has never worn glasses, reads the German and English papers and loves to sew and patch quilts. Mrs. Hotz was born in the Rhine Province, Germany February 24, 1834. She came to America in 1854 with her parents and about a year later was married to Nicholas Eppers. They had three children. After the death of Mr. Eppers she married Mathias Hotz. They had eight children, six are still living. They are Nicholas Eppers and John Hotz of Adrian Minnesota; Mrs. Hutley, Maple Hill Kansas, Mrs. Peter Reiter, Brighton, Mrs. Peter Schicamuth, Kenosha and Peter Hotz of Brighton. (Mrs. Hotz died several years ago)
Eppers, Valentine - born in Metz, in the province of Trier, October 27, 1831, and came to America when about ten years old. He married Catherine Tenhagen. She was born Dec 16, 1830.
It was last updated.Monday, 04-May-1998 08:04:56 MDT