The Cook family provides me with an unending supply of stories to tell. In 2015, I wrote a post about the Cook family and the members who had served as a Wisconsin Postmaster. It still amazes me that my great-grandfather, Lewis, his father, Alfred, and his uncles, Jacob and Samuel, all served as postmasters in Marathon County, Wisconsin.
Lewis was 46 years old when President Calvin Coolidge appointed him postmaster for the city of Wausau on 30 June 1923. He served the city until his death on 4 September 1934, at the age of 57.
We have a family flag, which according to my father, measures 5’ x 9’6.” On 11 Nov 2001, my mother wrote a note sharing my father’s memory of how the flag came to be in the family. “As Bob (Robert D. Sternitzky) remembers his mother telling him: The flag was flying at the Wausau Post Office the day he (Lewis) died. (They might have run up a new one, then took it down). It (the flag) was given to his wife Effie at a service — funeral, memorial service; Bob isn’t sure.”
The flag just before being archivally boxed in 2024.
Years ago, I scrolled microfilm at the Wisconsin Historical Society library and found no reference to the flag, but now I can sit at home and search online as the paper has been made part of an online newspaper collection. While I have not found any reference to the presentation of a flag, I have amassed a lot of information about Lewis and his career as a Postmaster.
In 1929, the Wausau Daily Record-Herald reported, “a job that carries with a heavy responsibility and a great deal of work, is that of Lewis H. Cook postmaster of Wausau.” “Wausau’s postmaster must have tireless energy, patience and executive ability and Mr. Cook is well-suited to the position.”1
The Wausau Post Office
The post office had a twelve percent increase in the sale of postage, money orders, and parcel post over 1927. The post office employed 45 people, which included 14 mail carriers in the city and seven rural carriers, distributing 400 sacks of outgoing mail and the same number of sacks of incoming mail. What surprised me the most was what people sent through the mail at that time. “The wholesale grocers and farmers send much of their food parcel post as it gets to its destination more quickly than when it is sent by express. Mr. Cook said that often there are as many as half a dozen roasted chickens in the postoffice, which are to be sent to friends and relatives in other parts of the state.” Live baby chicks were also sent through the mail, and Lewis told the newspaper that “the recipients are notified at once of their arrival, and if they are unable to call for the chicks, the postoffice makes every effort to deliver them.” 2Roasted chickens and live baby chicks!
Also, in 1929, Lewis strongly encouraged the use of a “return card” on each piece of first-class mail. Up to this point, a return address was not standard, and if the letters and packages were undeliverable, they went to the dead letter office. During the 1929 Christmas season, the amount of mail that did not reach its destination due to the removal of an address or the use of an improper address was “enormous.” “Assistant Postmaster Becker believes that a million dollars in postage could have been saved patrons throughout the United States for the holiday season alone if more care had been used in addressing this mail or if a return card had been used.”3
I imagine Lewis felt that dealing with roasted chickens, live baby chicks, and the dead letter office was just part of the day-to-day job. I can also imagine the excitement in 1927 when the post office was placed “on the federal building program.” Then, frustration as the project experienced “postponements, rejection, revisions of plans and a host of other obstacles.”4 It wasn’t until March 1931 that he was given the go-ahead to procure the property needed to construct the new building. The land was secured, and the buildings were demolished, yet delays continued. In June 1934, he recommended the property be “turned over to the Chamber of Commerce to be fitted up as a parking place” to ease traffic on the main streets during shopping hours.5 The new post office would not be constructed until 1937.
On July 16, 1931, Lewis was interviewed by the Wausau Daily Record-Herald, explaining a new program he was putting into place, where “Veteran’s Caskets To Be Draped With Government Flags.6 The seventy-first congress had passed an act that stated: “Where a veteran of any war, including those women who served as army nurses under the contracts between April 21, 1898, and February 2, 1901, who was not dishonorably discharged, dies after discharge or resignation from the service, the director shall furnish a flag to drape the casket of such veteran and afterwards to be given to his next of kin, regardless of the cause of the death of such veteran.” “Regulation burial flags, size 5 feet by 9 feet 6 inches, may be secured upon application at any county seat postoffice, or at the nearest U. S. Veterans’ hospital, regional office, national home or other field station of the veterans’ administration. For use in Wausau and vicinity flags may be procured from Postmaster Cook.” The article goes on to state: “The term ‘veteran of any war’ shall mean any person, who is not dishonorably discharged and who served ‘in the military or naval forces of the United States during any period of the Mexican war, Civil war, Spanish-American wark, the World war, those women who served as army nurses during the Spanish-American war, the World war, and also those women citizens of the United States who were taken from the United States by the United States government and who served in base hospitals overseas’ and also all other wars, disturbances, insurrections, battles, expeditions, etc., in which the United States forces were called into duty.”
Finding this article has me asking this question: Is the flag we have in our family one of these flags? The size is correct. Lewis did serve in World War I, albeit on the home front, as part of Company C, 10th Infantry, Wisconsin State Guard (see the blog post: Company C, 10th Infantry, Wisconsin State Guard). If I were to guess, I would say yes, this is a government flag and not one that flew over the post office at the time of his death.
Hotel Wausau
The 32nd annual convention of the Wisconsin Association of Postmasters was held in Wausau on June 19, 20, and 21, 1934. Postmaster Lewis H. Cook served as the convention planner and host. “…the local committee has made arrangements for one of the greatest conventions the men in charge of Wisconsin’s mail have ever had. The city streets are decorated with American flags and welcome signs,” and the Hotel Wausau was ready to welcome the “Postmasters of Wisconsin’s cities, villages, towns and hamlets” who “were converging on Wausau.”7
Activities for the convention included “a tour of inspection of Rib Mountain. A dance at Rothschild park,8 and an “added attraction will be the presentation of moving pictures showing the Fromm Brothers fur ranch in the town of Hamburg. A trip to the ranch is slated for Thursday afternoon.”9
Lewis at the Fromm Brothers Fur Ranch
The convention was a huge success, but the planning and hosting of the event had taken its toll on Lewis’ fragile health. He had been suffering from diabetes for the past ten years, and the disease had slowly taken away his eyesight. So much so that he relied heavily on Effie to be his eyes, and his daughter, Anola, had left high school without graduating so that she could assist him at the post office. Family lore states: “His vision was severely impaired by the diabetes, to the point that he needed his daughter, Anola, to drive, and work as his personal secretary during his later years as Post Master. His wife Effie, would let him know who was approaching them during a social situation so that he could greet them by name.”
Lewis passed away at his home at 125 Sturgeon Eddy Road, on September 4th at 8:15 p.m.
His obituary includes this biography of his public life: “Mr. Cook, a leading Republican for about thirty-five years was a former Marathon county clerk, state assemblyman and member of the county board of supervisors from Unity…Mr. Cook entered politics when twenty-one years of age, his first office being that of justice of the peace at Unity. Later he served in various official capacities in that village and in 1903, to promote the interests of the Republican party and agriculture, established the Marathon County Register, a weekly newspaper of which he was the owner and editor until 1910 when he came to Wausau after disposing of the weekly. He was a member of the county board of supervisors during the time he published his weekly at Unity. In 1912 he was elected Marathon county clerk, a position he held for three terms, serving until the end of 1918. In 1920 he was elected on the Republican ticket to the state assembly from the second county district. While at Madison he served on the legislature’s finance committee.” He also served as president of the Marathon County Agricultural society, and was a director of the society for 25 years. During World War I he was secretary of the local exemption board, served on the local school board.”
September 9, 1934. L-R: Lois Jean Cook, Hattie Cook, Effie DuCate Cook, and Amanda Blood CookL-R: Lois Jean Cook, Russell Cook, Effie DuCate Cook, and Amanda Blood Cook
His funeral was held at his home on Tuesday, September 6th. He was buried in nearby Pine Grove Cemetery, and the “local mail carriers marched in uniform from the Cook residence to the cemetery.”10
Today is my dad’s birthday. He was born September 18, 1934, 14 days after the death of his grandfather, 90 years ago.
It was not a long walk from the residence to the cemetery.
SOURCES:
“One Man’s Job,” Lewis H. Cook, Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 16 Mar 1929, Saturday Evening, p. 6, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 2 May 2024). ↩︎
“Wausau Postoffice Completes a Most Outstanding Year,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 31 Dec 1929, Tuesday Evening, p. 6, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 2 May 2024). ↩︎
“Contractors Asked To Enter Bids on Wausau Postoffice,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 16 Mar 1929, Sunday Evening, p. 1, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 May 2024). ↩︎
“Parking Space,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 11 Jun 1934, Monday Evening, p. 2, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“Veteran’s Caskets To Be Draped With Government Flags,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 16 Jul 1931, Thusday Evening, p. 1, col. 4; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 30 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“State Postmasters Arrive for Annual Convention in City,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 19 Jun 1934, Tuesday Evening, p. 1, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 Apr 2024). ↩︎
In 1925, at the age of 16, my grandfather, Robert H. (Bob) Sternitzky, graduated from Wausau High School, Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin.
An all-around athlete, Bob “Butts” played football and basketball and was on the swim team during his high school career. He also participated in events sponsored by the local YMCA.
1925 Wahiscan. Bob is in the back row, 1st from left
Swimming
This team photo, dated 1924, was published in the 1925 Wahiscan. It was common to publish spring sports in the following year’s book. The high school swim team was a new addition to the sports program at the high school. The team was coached by Kurt Fox, the “boys’ secretary of the Wausau Y. M. C. A.” Young Men’s Christian Association.” The first interscholastic high school swim meet in the state of Wisconsin was held Friday, May 16, 1924, in Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, at the Y. M. C. A. pool. The evening events began at 7:30 p.m.: Diving, the 40-yard/Free Style, the 40-yard Backstroke, the Four-Man Relay, the Plunge for Distance, and the Breast Stroke.
Bob participated in the 40-yard Back Stroke, the Plunge for Distance, and the Four Men Relay. The Four Men Relay is a race “eight times around the tank, each man swimming twice around tank.”1
“The 100 yard relay race was the most exciting event of the evening when Eau Claire slightly outdistanced their opponents and in a flashy swim [Fred] Hilyer went ahead to the finish line a half-stroke ahead of his opponent. The 40 yard backstroke was another event filled with thrilling amazement when Sherman Olson remained a half head behind Sternitzky at the finish line when the two raced almost even on the last lap.”2 Bob’s winning time was 37 seconds.
Bob stood 5’8″
The evening ended with Wausau being awarded 31 1/2 points to Eau Claire’s 29 1/2 points. Wausau took home second in Diving, first in the 40-yard Free Style, first and third in the 40-yard Backstroke, first and third in the Four-Man Relay, second in the Plunge for Distance, and second in the breaststroke.
The second and final meet was held the following week, on Saturday, May 24th, at Wausau’s Y. M. C. A. pool. More than 100 students were there to witness the first home interscholastic aquatic meet. Bob again competed in the 40-yard Backstroke, the Plunge for Distance, and the Four Men Relay. The 40-yard Backstroke was his strongest event, as he easily took first place with a time of 33 4-5 seconds. While it was not reported how he did in the Plunge for Distance, the Four Men Relay team took first with a time of “one minute flat.” The “Local Swimmers Repeat Victory Over Eau Claire. Aquatic Meet in Y Pool is Won by Score off 36 to 25 Saturday Night.”3
Football
The schedule for the 1924 Football Season included eight games. It was a highly anticipated season as the team had participated in the newly inaugurated spring football training “previous to the summer vacation. It was thought in some quarters that this would lead to a general improvement in play.” Bob was one of only five returning players.
His yearbook entry reads: “Robert ‘Butts’ Sternitzky played the whole season at half-back. Until the introduction of the ‘huddle system of signals,’ ‘Butts’ called the plays. Sternitzky could plunge and many of his passes to team-mates resulted in good gains. This is Sternitzky’s last year.”
1924. Bob is in the 3rd row, second from right
The season roster:
vs Tomahawk 14-7
vs Marshfield 7-7
vs Stevens Point 7-7 “Butts Sternitzky scored the lone touchdown on a plunge through the line after a sensational fifteen yard sprint by Kieffer to the enemy’s four yard line. The men in line played a fine contest, opening many holes for the backs, while the ends and tackles were down the field fast on the punts”
vs Eau Claire 15-7
vs Rhinelander 14-7
vs Antigo 0-0
vs Merrill 7-0 Homecoming
The season’s final game was the championship game against Shawano High School. The 2:15 p.m. game was a home game played at Recreation Park in Wausau. In preparation for this game, Coach Ewers moved some players around, one of them being Bob. “He [Coach Ewers] will start Archie at right end instead of Swan, and Stone will begin at left half instead of Sternitzky. The latter is an aggressive player, but not as speedy as Stone…”4 Although favored to win, the team lost the game 20-0.
1925 Wahiscan
Basketball
The basketball season started immediately following the football season and spanned the first and second semesters. During this time, a school career was counted in semesters; eight semesters concluded your high school career. Two members of the 1924 team completed their eight semesters at the end of 1924, so they were ineligible to finish the season; these players were Ralph Patterson and Bob’s brother, Arthur. The yearbook states: “The players deserve more than passing mention for their splendid playing during the season…Robert Sternitzky showed up well when he was given the opportunity. Had Ralph Patterson and Arthur Sternitzky stayed with the team throughout the year, the outcome might have been different.”
1924 Wahiscan
On Friday, December 12, 1924, Wausau defeated Tomahawk High School in the first conference basketball game at the Y. M. C. A. The final score was 24-21. Bob, a left guard, scored 4 points during the game. The newspaper reported: “Sternitzky was the only Wausau player to attempt shots from the floor. He registered two, both in the second quarter for the only points made by his team in that period.”5
Hexalthon Meet
In early March Bob participated in a national Hexathlon meet held at the Wausau Y. M. C. A., where over 200 young men participated. “The boys’ hexathlon meet starts this week and continues throughout the month. There are five divisions, according to weight, 80, 95, 110 and 125 pounds and over.”6 In a hexathlon meet [a Greek word, hexa = 6, athlon = contest] there are traditionally six different track and field contests: 75m hurdles, long jump, javelin, high jump, shot put, and 800 meters. Lampert Ruffing (any relation to the Calumet County Ruffings?) took first place in five of the six events. In May the honor ribbons were awarded, and the newspaper reported that he had taken “fifth in the unlimited class.”7
Bob was awarded the “coveted” “W” for his participation in Swimming, Football, and Basketball. His older brother Arthur also received a “W” in Basketball.8
Arthur Sternitzky graduated from Wausau High School on June 4, 1925. Bob was just one credit shy of graduating and completed this credit during summer school. While attending summer school, he worked as a house painter.
That summer almost 100 years ago, a family story was born, and was told, and re-told. The first to tell the story to her grandson, Robert D. Sternitzky, was Verna Christine (Christine) Goerling Sternitzky, the mother of Bob. The story was then confirmed with the telling of the story by one of Bob’s high school friends. Robert D. (Bob) told the story to his grandchildren in 2004.
As he told it that day, this is the story: “The summer Bob (Robert H. Sternitzky) graduated from high school in 1925, at the age of 16, he worked as a house painter. He was still living at home. One day, his mother, Christine Goerling Sternitzky, answered the phone, and it was Curly Lambeau, coach of the Green Bay Packers, calling for Bob. Bob was working, so Christine took a message. Curly wanted him to play for the Green Bay Packers. The terms were $1.00 a minute for every minute played; Bob would buy his own shoes and insurance and pay for gas from Wausau to Green Bay. Curly was interested in Bob because, when playing high school football, he could throw the “old punkin” (this was the old heavy pigskin ball) 50 yards. He hurt his back playing football in high school, so he didn’t accept Curly’s offer.”
Instead of becoming a Green Bay Packer, Bob took the position of “office boy” at Marathon Corporation in Rothschild, Marathon, Wisconsin. “In 1928 he entered the firm’s accounting department cost section…He was named supervisor of the standard cost department of the firm in 1938.” “When [the] Marathon Corporation main office was shitted to Menasha in 1945, Mr. Sternitzky moved here with his family. From 1947 until several weeks ago he was manager of the manufacturing accounting department at the firm’s Menasha office.”9
In the late 1940s or early 1950s, Bob had his portrait taken by the Fabian Bachrach studio. Louis Fabian Bachrach, Jr. is the photographer best known for his portrait of Senator John F. Kennedy. His photo of Kennedy was used as the official photograph after Kennedy was elected President in 1960. I cannot tell if the photo was taken by Fabian Bachrach himself or by his studio, but I did find evidence of other Marathon Corp. executive’s photos being attributed to Fabian Bachrach. Did they travel to Massachusetts to be photographed? Did a representative of the company travel to Wisconsin at the request of Marathon? We may never know.
I never knew my grandfather; he passed away from a heart attack on 14 Feb 1952 at the age of 43. This strong man, this amazing athlete, had developed a heart condition, “coronary sclerosis and angina,” that failed “to respond under medical care.” His doctor wrote on 14 Jan 1952: “I feel it is imperative you be required to take a leave of absence from your present employment at Marathon Corporation. This leave of absence should be a period of at least three months.”10 He died in Long Beach, California, while he and my grandmother, Anola, were visiting her brother, Neal Cook. His body returned to Wisconsin via railway car, arriving in Wausau on February 19th, where he was met at the station by his father and his son. He was buried in Restlawn Memorial Park, Wausau.
Sources:
“Local Swimmers Repeat Victory Over Eau Claire,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 20 May 1924, Monday Evening, p. 8, col. 5; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“Local High Tank Men Lost First Meet to Wausau,” The Eau Claire Leader, 17 May 1924, Saturday Morning, p. 2, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“Local Swimmers Repeat Victory Over Eau Claire,” Monday Evening, p. 8, col. 5. ↩︎
“Favor Wausau to Win Game and the Title,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 22 Nov 1924, Saturday Evening, p. 1, col. 7; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“Wausau High Defeats Tomahawk at Basket Ball, 24-21,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 12 Dec 1924, Saturday Evening, p. 11, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“Sport Chatter,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 03 Mar 1925, Tuesday Evening, p. 11, col. 2; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 6 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“Sport Chatter,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 13 May 1925, Wednesday Evening, p. 5, col. 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“Students Given Merit Emblems for School Work,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 23 May 1924, Friday Evening, p. 3, col. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 5 Apr 2024). ↩︎
“R. Sternitzky Rites Thursday,” Obituary, Twin Cities News-Record, 18 Feb 1952, Monday, p. 3, col. 6; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 8 Oct 2018). ↩︎
Letter, 14 Jan 1952, from David M. Regan, M.D. to Robert H. Sternitzky; Sternitzky Family Memorabilia; privately held by Susan Sternitzky Fassbender. Robert H. and Anola J. Sternitzky Family Archives, 1950. ↩︎
My great-great-grandfather had one of those names that could be spelled several different ways, depending on the time of day, the person putting his name down onto paper, or the weather. His name was Lewis Herman Cook or Louis Herman Cook. The name sounds the same when spoken, no matter how you spell it.
The question is, how did my great-great-grandfather spell it? What was his preferred form? Below is a list of ways that his name is spelled, minus Wausau newspaper spellings which almost always used the form, Louis.
His maternal grandfather’s name was Lewis Phelps Blood
1880 United States Census – Lewis H. Cook
1892 Mabel Hall’s Autograph Album in which he signed his name – Lewis H. Cook
6 Aug 1906 Letter written to him by his father, Alfred – Louis Cook
1912 Wausau City Directory, p. 90 – Louis H. Cook
12 Sep 1918 WWI Draft Registration Card – Lewis Herman Cook, signed as Lewis Herman Cook
1918 Wausau City Directory, p. 137 – Louis H. Cook (125)
15 Nov 1918 Marathon County Resolution – Louis H. Cook
1919 Army Transport Service, Neal returning home – Louis H. Cook (125)
1920 Wausau City Directory, p. 178 – Louis H. Cook (125)
20 Dec 1920 Evangelical Lutheran Church marriage record for Neal Jasin Cook and Clarice Ovedia Weik – Louis Cook
30 Jun 1923 Appointment of U.S. Postmasters – Lewis H. Cook
1925 Wausau City Directory, p. 223 – Louis H. Cook (325)
1928 Farmer’s Directory, p. 673 – L. H. Cook
27 Apr 1928 – Margaret’s Marriage Announcement – Lewis H. Cook
10 Jan 1928 Re-Appointment of U.S. Postmasters – Lewis H. Cook
1929 Wausau City Directory, p. 141 – Lewis H. Cook (325)
1931 Wausau City Directory, p. 127 – Lewis H. Cook (325)
28 Jun 1932 – Anola’s Marriage Announcement – Lewis H. Cook
1933 Wausau City Directory, p. 108 – Lewis H. Cook (125)
1934 Gravestone – Lewis H. Cook
Number Count from the above examples:
Lewis – 12
Louis – 8
L.H. – 1
His maternal grandfather spelled the name Lewis, his WWI Draft Registration Card, his Postmaster appointments, Marriage announcements, and his Gravestone all using the form “Lewis” suggest to me that this is the spelling given to him at birth. The preferred spelling.
As I continue to go through files, I continue to be surprised by what I am finding hiding inside of them. Interesting things, printed in the early days of information being uploaded to the internet. My recent find was a printout stating that my great-grandfather had, at the age of 40, enlisted in the newly formed Wisconsin State Guard on August 23, 1917.
After a little bit of internet and newspaper searching, I learned that on July 9, 1917, an announcement was made in Madison, that a state guard would be formed to take the place of the Wisconsin National Guard which would leave the state in August of 1917. This new guard would be comprised of men too old or too young for the WWI Draft. It did not exempt the men from the draft once they became of age, or the draft reached out to men age 31 to 45, which it did with the third draft registration, on September 12, 1918.1 Lewis H. Cook, County Clerk of Marathon County appeared that day at the local draft board in the 1st Ward of the city of Wausau, to register for the draft. He was noted to be of Medium height, Medium build, with blue eyes and light hair.
The new organization was to serve as a Home Guard Unit, and would be called upon in emergencies such as floods, large conflagrations, riots, etc. or whenever the police force of the community needed to keep order, or to meet a situation.2
By this time Wausau had already organized. Following the declaration of war with Germany on April 6, 1917, the men of Wausau came together and organized as the Citizens’ Training camp of Wausau. The purpose was to drill “young men who might be eligible as soldiers of the U.S. army, to foster patriotism and to do police duty if any emergency demanded.” A petition was created and circulated on April 9th, just three days after the declaration of war. It was “quietly signed in two days.” The following Sunday they met, elected a board of governors, and the Citzens’ Training Camp “soon came into being.” “We were a motley array of citizens that met for the first drills, and we knew little about drill work. But all were fired with a zeal to be of service in any small way, that might help our country to bring to a successful issue the mighty tragedy into which we had all been thrown.” “Out of the 293 that have entered the ranks, eighty-one enlisted in the regular army.” Many immediately being “taken from the ranks to become corporals and sergeants as soon as it was learned that they had had military training.” The men of the Citizens’ Training Camp ranged in age from nineteen to fifty-five years of age, and they drilled nights and Sundays.3
Lewis Cook, 1918 Camp Douglas ~ No. 168 in the Cook Photo Book
On August 23, 1917, when Colonel H. M. Seaman, inspector general of the Wisconsin State Guard, arrived in Wausau, enough men from this original training camp enlisted in the new guard to form Company C, 10th Infantry. The Wausau company was the 5th in the state following Milwaukee, Green Bay, Stevens Point and North Milwaukee.4 Fifty-two men signed the role that night,5 and formed a line to respond to roll call. The roll call for forty-six of the fifty-two men were listed in the Wausau Daily Record-Herald published August 24, 1917,6 but unfortunately my great-grandfather’s name was not one of the forty-six. The full roster was published by the coordinator of the Marathon County Rootsweb site, but as of today, Rootsweb is down so I cannot access the information that I printed September 13, 2006. The names included on the webpage were compiled from the actual service records for the 10th Separate Company, Company C, 10th Wisconsin State Guard. These papers (at least at that time) were located at the Marathon County Historical Society. The entry for my great-grandfather states:
Name: Cook, Lewis H. ~ Born: Gravesville, Calumet County, WI, ~ Age at enlistment: 40y 9m ~ Date of Enlistment: 8/23/17 ~ Married ~ Occupation: County Clerk.7
Unlike any other state guard, the companies of Wisconsin were trained, and equipped by the state, rather than rely on the War Department for the donation of surplus equipment. The companies were paid an allowance for Armory rent, and an allowance for the upkeep of clothing and for general expense. They were issued uniforms that were different in appearance than those worn by the Wisconsin National Guard and the United States Army. The men were armed with arms issued to the State by the War Department, specifically for this purpose.8
It was determined that all guards attend a week long training camp the summer of 1918. The Wisconsin State Guards met at Camp Douglas, Juneau County, for week long camps during the weeks between July 6 to August 2, 1918. It was a strenuous week of exercises for the infantry field camp. The Wausau guard, part of the Tenth Regiment, with headquarters in Eau Claire, and which included the guards of Wausau, Superior, Menomonie, Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Ladysmith, Neillsville, Mauston and LaCrosse, attended camp during the week of July 27. The schedule for each day kept the guard busy from 6:00 a.m. with First Call, till Taps at 10:30 p.m. Each regiment was required to do guard duty, and spend one morning on the rifle range.9 The members of Company C, First Battalion, and the Tenth Infantry band arrived home in Wausau on August 2, 1918, riding the 4:45 p.m. Northwestern train. They then marched to their quarters at the Y.M.C.A. where they disbanded. The band went on to their headquarters at the Armory, where they also disbanded.
The Wausau guard was honored with a historic guard mount that reads: “Special orders, No. 6, General King, Wisconsin’s foremost soldier, has been pleased to make the following memorandum in a note to the commanding officer, which is published for the information of all concerned: Company C at guard mounting eight a.m. scored next to perfect. It was the finest performance clear through to the posting of the first relief I have ever seen on these grounds. So far as I can recollect and I can recollect pretty well My yearly book will show. The words of commendation from the general are the highest compliment a company can receive. The splendid exhibition was made possible by the earnest hard work done by Captain Becker and C company at the home station and in this camp. No further comment is necessary. By order of Col. Cousins.” Governor E. L. Phillip had this to say about the men of the Wisconsin State Guard at the conclusion of the camps: “These men are not toy soldiers. They come from the rank of the busy men and come here for military training and have made good use of every minute during their stay. There probably is no better training ground than Camp Douglas, dry and healthful, splendid water, in fact just the place to give men real pep.”10
A second camp was held the following year, again in July. Company C maintained its position as one of the leading companies of the regiment during this second week of hard work, and hard play.
The Wisconsin State Guard as a whole was called out 3 times. The first was September 16-18, 1918 in Clark County to assist in the search for draft dodgers. The second time was August 20-24, 1919 as guards during the Cudahy riots. The final time they were called was September 9-12, 1919 when troops were assembled in the armory at Manitowoc as strike riots at Two Rivers started to escalate, but they were not used.
On July 11, 1919, it was reported that Governor E. L. Philipp had ordered for the reorganization of the Wisconsin National Guard. Included in the order was the offer to “Every officer of Wisconsin state guard who passes the examination required by the national defense act and will take the oath of service prescribed by the act, will, on approval by the war department, be also commissioned in Wisconsin National guard reserve.”11
In March 1920 the order was given for Company C, Wisconsin State Guard to be mustered out of service. The company commanders were directed to issue honorable discharges to all men of their commands. The order stated: “The state military authorities desire to express appreciation of the loyal, patriotic and efficient service rendered by the officers and enlisted men of the Wisconsin State Guard during the period of emergency.”12
On the night of April 19, 1920, the men of the Citizens’ Training Camp, and later the Wisconsin State Guard, gathered for a celebratory dinner, to reminisce, and to honor the work that they had done. Following the suggestion to meet occasionally, it was decided to meet annually as the Company C Club. A. P. Woodson stated that “he had formed many friendships as a member of the unit that he would not have made otherwise.”
Henry C. Smith, made the closing remarks: “The life of Company C draws on to its close. If we have helped in any little way and in a workmanlike manner the duties that have been assigned us, we have been fully recompensed. Let us cherish the memories of these three years we have had together, and resolve to profit by the discipline we have received during these dark days of the world’s most tragic period.”
“At the close of the singing of ‘America’ the party ended and the members of the company departed.”13
SourcesSaveSave
“Wisconsin’s Military History,” database, Wisconsin State Guard (www.b-1-105-us/history/wsg/htm\#tables : accessed 10 Feb 2018).↩︎
“Wisconsin Guard Is Formed Here,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 24 Aug 1917, Friday Evening, p. 1, col. 3, digital images, Newspapers.com(www.newspapers.com : accessed 10 Feb 2018). ↩︎
“Company C Club To Meet Yearly,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 20 Apr 1920, Tuesday, p. 1, col. 7, digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 14 Feb 2018).↩︎
Wisconsin. Adjutant General’s Office, Biennial Report of the Adjutant General, State of Wisconsin (University of Minnesota, 1910, digital images, Google Books (www.books.google.com, digitized 29 Mar 2011 : accessed 13 Feb 2018).↩︎
“Solid Week of Military Life,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 25 Jun 1918, Tuesday Evening, p. 1, col. 5, digital images, Newspapers.com(www.newspapers.com : accessed 12 Feb 2018).↩︎
“Band and Guards Come Home Today.” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 2 Aug 1918, Friday Evening, p. 1, col. 7, digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 13 Feb 2018).↩︎
“Issues Orders for Re-Organization,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 11 Jul 1919, Friday Evening, p. 1, col. 1, digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 13 Feb 2018).↩︎
“Company C to be Mustered Out,” Wausau Daily Record-Herald, 10 Mar 1920, Wednesday, p. 1, col. 6, digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 14 Feb 2018).↩︎
This past Friday and Saturday, I had the wonderful opportunity to network with other genealogists, and learn from Judy G. Russell (!) at the Wisconsin Genealogical Society’s Gene-A-Rama. This year the Gene-A-Rama was held in Wausau, Marathon Co., Wisconsin, the birthplace of my father, Robert Sternitzky. I knew that I would have no time to do any research, but I did think I would have time to search out the church that my father and his family attended while living in Wausau. Thinking this would be an easy process, I asked my mom if she knew what church they were attending when dad was baptized. Not finding his baptismal certificate, she did find his Solemn Holy Communion card, dated May 14, 1944, and from St. James Catholic Church. BINGO! A quick Google search showed that St. James church no longer existed in Wausau. What happened to it?
It took a bit of digging, and a lot of disappointment in the lack of information available on the parish website, and also the diocesan website, but I figured it out. They had simply changed the name of the parish. Now in the world of consolidation of parishes, I am used to seeing parishes being re-named. An example is St. Katherine Drexel in Kaukauna, Outagamie Co., Wisconsin. St. Katherine Drexel is the consolidation of three parishes, but they still retain their individual identity by being called: St. Katherine Drexel, St. Mary Site; St. Katherine Drexel, St. Al Site; and St. Katherine Drexel, St. Francis Site, which is the parish located in Hollandtown, Brown Co., Wisconsin. In Wausau, the Eastside Parishes consist of St. Michael Parish, and Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ (formerly known as St. James).
While I have not yet determined when and why the parish was re-named, I have learned that the present building was constructed in 1911-12, as the congregation had outgrown its present building. St. James had been organized in 1905 as the first English speaking Catholic parish in Wausau.
Checking the Mass schedule, I was disappointed to learn that it was a 6:00 p.m. Saturday Mass, while St. Michael’s had the 4:00 p.m. Knowing that churches are usually open 45 minutes to an hour before mass time, I made the decision to attend St. Michael’s for Mass, and then head over to Resurrection, hoping to get in. I had no problems navigating to the address: 621 North 2nd Street, and getting out of the car, I shot a couple of photos of the exterior:
Testing the door, I found it unlocked, and so went in. The lights were still dimmed, and there was a woman praying near the front of the church, who I did not want to disturb. I quickly snapped a few shots, knelt and said a few prayers, and vowed to return at a time closer to Mass time so I could have better light. But until that point in time, I did find this website discussing the restoration of the interior of the church by Conrad Schmitt, and this flickr album showing the windows.
Directly across the street from the front entrance of the church, is the school. Dad would tell the story of how he would take the bus to school, and after school, or at lunch time, would head over to visit his Grandma Sternitzky (Christine Goerling Sternitzky) at her house on Steuben Street.
The Baptismal Font is still there, and appears to be original. Now I just need to be able to get close to it for a good photograph. Another item to add to the growing to-do list. Photo of the Baptismal Font in the Church of the Resurrection aka, St. James. NOTE: This is NOT the original baptismal font, please see comments below.
An Addition: Laziness set in yesterday, and so I didn’t go in search of my great-aunt and uncle’s address in Wausau, even though I knew my father would visit with them also; sometimes for a quick lunch during the school year. And it should be shame on me, as I never knew my great-grandparents, Robert R., and Christine Sternitzky, I did know my grandmother’s older brother, Great-Uncle Russell Cook, and his wife Hattie (Dietzler). Aunt Hattie even attended my wedding! Here is the route dad might have taken to their home from school, and then back down to the Sternitzkys:
Family lore states that when the Cooks left Stockbridge, Calumet, Wisconsin in the late 1870s they took clippings of the peonies that were growing on the property. We know that they liked peonies, as they can be seen in later Cook photos taken in Unity, Marathon, Wisconsin.
As far back as my memory goes, my paternal grandmother lived in one side of a duplex that she owned in Neenah, Winnebago, Wisconsin. As with most homes where the driveway marches close to the house leading to a detached garage, there was a strip garden next to the house. Included in this small garden was an enormous red peony plant. Again, family lore tells the tale that this was an actual clipping of the peony that grew on the Cook property in Stockbridge. While I cannot speak to that, as we would have to analyze what variety of peony grew in Wisconsin during that time period, and was this that variety of peony, I can state that when my mother and I left the duplex for the last time that May day in 1986 following my grandmother’s death, we made the decision to dig up the peony, the Cook Peony.
Cook Peony Blossom
I may never know if this peony can be dated back to the 1800s, but I can attest to the fact that this peony, which was included in every garden during my grandparent’s years in Wausau, Marathon, Wisconsin during the 1930s, moved with them to Nicolet Blvd. in Menasha, Winnebago, Wisconsin, and then on to my grandmother’s 1960s duplex, and has now lived in a garden at my parents home in Appleton, Outagamie, Wisconsin since 1986. In addition, a transplant has been happily multiplying here in my own garden since the late 1990s. That is still an old peony.
Appleton, Wisconsin
An update: In late 2018, I dug the plants out of my garden in anticipation of a move, as we had put our house in Appleton on the market. I potted them into large transplant pots and hoped for the best.
In March 2019, the peony moved to Rumford, Providence, Rhode Island. While Wisconsin was blustery when we left, Rhode Island Marches are mild, and to be honest, the ground never really freezes here. Looking around the yard, we noticed that there were many holes along the south side of the house. Plants had been removed. I chose a spot below the dining room window and planted in the peonies.
We moved Mom with us, and in late June 2019, I dug the last bit of Cook peony out of Wisconsin soil.
Rumford, Rhode Island
Returning to Rhode Island, I created what I am calling an Heirloom garden along the side of the garage. Here, I have planted not only the peonies but the Marie-Frank rhubarb that we also brought with us. My thought is that it will be very easy to explain to any future buyer that this garden is going with us.
While the peony is not as large as it was in 2014, it is thriving and growing and producing beautiful flowers for me to cut and place in my home. And we have added another 10 years to the history of this plant.
