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Frank Killian Massey &
Florence E.G. Rodgers

Frank Killian MASSEY was born on June 3rd, 1912, in the town of Humboldt, Brown County Wisconsin in the Dieu Donne Leurquin home 1 1/2 miles south of Sugar Bush Corners. Frank was the first son of Joseph Henry MASSEY and Mary Louise LEURQUIN.  

At age ten Frank was sent to live with his grandmother Mrs. Anderson, now remarried to a plumber Louie Anderson of Winnetka, IL. They lived in a house on Willow street in Green Bay. On Willow street, Louie kept a horse and spring wagon for travelling from home to his job.

They moved to Appleton about 1917 and lived upstairs on 3rd Street in Hoffman's House where Louie's father came to live with us for a time. This was the second house they lived in. The first house was on the east end of Appleton near a park about two houses away. The thrid house they lived in was above the Chas. Motors Saloon on State street 1/2 block south of College Avenue on the east side of State street.

Anderson's bought a house south on State street about 4 blocks from College Avenue. They lived there until 1922 when they decided to move to Winnetka, Illinois so that Louie could work with his brothers who were in the plumbing business there. Frank decided to return to live with his mother rather than move to Illinois. She was now re-married and Frank had one half-brother Donald. He had spent four years in school at St. Mary's in Appleton, and left the foruth grade to enter Water Division, graduating on 5 June 1927. From age 13 on, he worked on various farms and at home on the farm. He spent one summer at the Balza fram in Duvall helping Florian and John Berger about 1925.

Frank worked for Jule Mellon on the Boncher farm for spring seeding about 2 different years (possibly 1927 & 1928) and summers of 1926, 27 and 28 for Joe Deprey on the Jacob Kaster farm.

Frank met his wife Florence on April 9, 1929 at her 17th birthday party.

He worked for John Phillips on the old VandenHoven farm, next farm south of Deprey's. He worked each fall of 1927,28 and 29, for Frank Detrie, cutting corn, filling silos, threshing, hauling manure and plowing. He worked for Charlie Detrie on the Horkman-Rickel farm from August 1930 to January 1931. Frank sold hosiery for the balance of the winter and went south to Winnetka, IL to visit Louie Anderson. Travelled from Chicago across Illinois and Iowa to Omaha and Council Bluffs, Nebraska looking for work. Came north to Austin Minnesote, east to the Mississippi river, south to Dubuque, Iowa anc crossed the river to east Dubuque, came north into Wisconsin and found a job on a dairy farm at Barneveld. A small town 30 miles southwest of Madison. He didn't like the hills so he returned to Humboldt.

Sold a house for the Wilson Chemical Company, Tyrone, Pennsylvania, and helped Pa Balza in the blacksmith shop at Rainbow Gardens.

Florence E.G. ROGERS was born in Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin.  The daughter of George H, ROGERS and Margaret A. HANSFORD.

Frank Massey courted and married Florence Rogers on February 22nd, 1932 in the West Morovian parsonage by Reverend Clement Hoyler in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Their sponsors were Ernest Paul Rogersand Ella VandenPlas. Had theirwedding supper at the George Rodgers home.  Frank had been living in two rented rooms on old Elderby Orchard farm and they made their home there for the first two months. Florence was sick for the first week with pneumonia. They then moved upstairs on the Rodger's farm and lived there the next 14 months. CAme to Green Bay in the summer of 1933. Frank worked for the Larson Company, on Wequiock Pea vine for the pea harvest. Rhey lived on Smith Street with the Balza family for several weeks before moving into two rooms at 1616 Elm Street-rear. Also had a garden and use of some garage space. Went to work for the Metropolitan Sewer Disctirct Plant construction in February 1934. Worked there until Februrary of 1935. Lived on Vander-Steen house on Smith Street in three rooms in back. Worked part-time on construction and collecting scrap the summer of 1935, moved into one room on Day Streeet with use of wood shed. Had a bicycle for transportation until Norbert took it south to a job in Illinois. It wore out in Iwoa as he headed to California and he discarded it into a ditch and hitch hiked the rest of the way west.

Frank went to work for the Tweet Brothers Plumbing and Heating Company August 13, 1935 as a heating installer and service man until March of 1940. Worked the Rodger's farm in Humboldt until late July and went to the Rodger's farm in Suamico for about two months. Went back to Tweet Brothers from September 1940 to February 1942.

Started "Automatic Heating Service" and collected scrap for war effort during the summer months. Worked on the Ullman farm until March 1943. Planted and harvested crops and rented the joe Hliriak farm at Fisch Mills in November of 1943. Framed until October of 1945. Returned to Green Bay Heating business until the spring of 1949. Worked at Northern Paper Mills until Maarch of 1951. Started the Heating Department at Rabideau Hardware Company, in DePere - going into the hardware department until the old store was sold out. Set up small hardware in Lorrig Grocery Bldg, and managed it for 2 years for Lin-Mor, Inc. Bought the business in 1959. Sold it at auction 9 September, 1966. November 14, 1966 went to work at Betten Processing Corporation as warehouse foreman.

 

Frank, Florence, and Dorothy are pictured to the left along-side Florence's sister (far left).

Frank and Florence had six children only two of which survived infancy:

Frank died in Green Bay, on January 28th, 1979 (obituary). Florence died in Green Bay, Wisconsin on August 29th 1986 (obituary).

Memories:

MASSEY Ancestry

The eldest known Massey ancestor at this time is John MASSEY ( ) who married Mary Katherine BONCHER ( ) (John Massey Family History). They had at least one child, Joseph Henry MASSEY ( ) who married Mary Louise LEURQUIN (1894 - 1967). Joseph and Mary had three children the first of which is Frank Killian MASSEY whose family is described above.

LEURQUIN Ancestry

The LEURQUIN surname is very much a research in progress.  The origin of the Leurquin family like the Balza family is Belgium.  According to the immigration records they come from the area around the city of Temploux.  Our earliest known Leurquin ancestor is Desire LEURQUIN (1824 - 1910) who married Cecelia BOURNONVILLE (1830 - 1918).  Together they had four children (Desire Leurquin Family History).  The third child of this union was Dieu Donni LEURQUIN (1865 - 1935) who married Victoria MARTIN (1871 - 1936).  Dieu Donni and Victoria raised ten children (Dieu Donni Leurquin Family History).  The second of these children was Mary Louise LEURQUIN (1894 - 1967) who first married Joseph Henry MASSEY and had three sons.  The first of these sons was Frank Killian MASSEY whose family history is described above. After Joseph's death in 1917 Mary married Theophile Antoine Joseph BALZA (1878 - 1941) and they raised three more sons (Theophile Balza Family History).

ROGERS Ancestry

The ROGERS surname is a subject for future research.  At present the earliest known Rogers is George H. ROGERS who married Margaret A. HANSFORD. This couple had three children the eldest of which was Florence E.G. ROGERS whose family is described above.

HANSFORD Ancestry

The HANSFORD surname is also a subject for further research.  The earliest know HANSFORD at this time is Margaret A. HANSFORD who married George H. Rogers and had three children.  The eldest of these was Florence E.G. ROGERS whose family is described above.

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Last updated: January 15th, 2000
To make corrections or obtain more information contact: Richard M. Balza
Copyright 2000, Richard M. Balza