BIOGRAPHY: Ray and Mary owned and operated Marten's Club 29, in Tigerton WI from 1946 to 1956. Ray was then employed by Wisconsin Employer's Group of Green Bay. He was a certified Life Underwriter. He was also a veteran of WWII.
Ray died unexpectedly at his home in Neenah.
At the time of his death he was survived by his wife Mary, daughter Tracy and two sisters, Mrs. (Tom) Bernice Hendry, Winneconne and Mrs. (John) Mildred Schaefer, Neenah.
BIOGRAPHY: Mary worked in the insurance business after husband, Ray's death as well as being a hostess at the Valley Inn to make a home for herself and daughter Tracy.
Mary [6] and Mary Wegner [8] visited in February 1998 and she related these stories:
She remembers when she was 6 years old (1926) she was bed-ridden and in quarantine with the measles and diptheria. She and her mother, Catherine, [2] stayed in the house together, her mother caring for her for 6 weeks. She remembers thinking how sad she was that Grandpa Harry Mollon [1] died during her illness and that she never got a chance to really know him.
*Mary also told me how she, at the age of 13, (1933), her brother Harry E. Mollon [7] and their mother took a train trip to Lewiston Idaho to visit the Louis Blackman family [18]. She noted that they stopped in South Dakato and saw a native Indian dance. Mary remembers that the Blackman home was on a plateau and was an orchard.
*Mary remembered that her mother,Catherine, had been in Idaho in the early 1900 and William C. Mollon went to Idaho to get her and that is where she thinks they were married.
*Mary remembered Edith Ames [22], daughter of Harry I. Ames and Kathryn Lockery who had a physical disability but was able to become a private tutor and taught pupils in her parents large home in Appleton. Mary remembers the home as being on 8th Street in Appleton.*Mary also remembers as a child, playing with the children of John Mollon,[70] Anita and June. She remembers being told by her mother,Catherine, that they could no longer play there, as John had too many different women at the house and it was a bad influence on the children. She also remembers her dad, William C.Mollon [2], was not allowed to socialize with his brother John for the same reason.
*Mary had a bad case of the shingles after Mary [6] had her daughter Tracy [17], in 1968.
*Mary also went on oxygen in the fall of 1997 as her lungs became tired from emphysema. She used inhalers for years though.
BIOGRAPHY: Ferdinand came to the USA in spring of 1882 with three children, Martha, 6 years old, Antonie, 4 years old and Bruno Ferdinand, 2 years old. Harry Mollon recollects that Ferdinand's first wife died. He also remembered hearing that one of the sons died after coming to the USA. Mary Marten [6] remembers Martha visiting in Appleton. Martha and two sons lived in Milwaukee. Mary remembers when Martha would visit she would always take her teeth out and when asked by the children why, she replied that her teeth were "so tired".
PLACE: Ferdinand from Kunerutzwalde, West Prussia and his wife Marian from Posen, Germany were married in La Crosse in fall of 1882 and came to Appleton in 1888. Ferdinand worked for the Chicago & NorthWestern railroad for 45 years retiring in 1922. Marian "Mary" raised their nine children. Ferdinand lost his left arm while working as an oilman for the railroad. Ferdinand was oiling under the train and the engineer moved the train with Ferdinand's arm still under the train.
MEMORIES: Mary Marten [6] remembered that at age 90, Ferdinand broke his hip and at that time people were put in a body cast. She remembers she and her mother living with Grandpa Gehrmann while he was laid up and that twice daily Ferdinand's son's would come over to bathe him and turn him in bed.
!Resource #107, La Crosse County Marriage Registration of Ferdinand Gehrmann & Marianna Krechovek shows date of marriage, parents names & birthplaces.Early German Immigrants in WI by Kate Levi & Albert Faust state that between 1881 & 1887 an agent from the Wisconsin Central Railroad was sent to Germany to secure immigrants to work for the railroad in Wisconsin. The inducement was good wages where in a short time they might earn enough to buy land & build homes.
A copy of the passport belonging to Ferdinand Gehrmann states his hair & eye color, his stature, and age. It also has handwritten notes showing the children that accompanied him, plus his children he had with wife Marian.
Notes from Fred Hanselman[114] grandson of Max. Fred remembers Max had a cottage on the Fox River. Whenever Fred went fishing with Max, Max would be catching fish right and left and Fred wasn't even getting a bite. "Gran'pa would laugh and say I wasn't chewing the right tobacco. We always had fun."
Died of pneumonia at 1 year.