- FERDINAND J. BLEICK. Among the representative self-made agriculturists of Greenville township, Outagamie county, none commands greater respect than this gentleman. He is a native of this township, born September 28, 1872, a son of John and Louisa (Brockman) Bleick, natives of Mecklenburg, Germany, where the former was born December 24, 1835, and the latter January 26, 1826. John Bleick was about fourteen years of age at the time he came to America with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Bleick, his brother, Ludwig, and his sister Dorothy, accomplanying them. Frederick Bleick was a laboring man in Germany, and thinking that he could better his condition and that of his family he started for Milwaukee, completing a long and perilous journey when the family arrived in that city by boat from Quebec, where they had come from Hamburg. After a year spent in Milwaukee, the family moved on to Outagamie county, traveling via ox-team, and settling on section 10 on land that had been pre-empted some time before by John and Ludwig Bleick. Here the parents spent the rest of their lives. John Bleick had received an education in the schools of his native country, but had no knowledge of the English language when he first came here, but he soon acquired enough information to be able to do business among the English-speaking people of the new section, and he was also strong and industrious and worked at whatever he could find to do, splitting rails, chopping cord wood, and making numerous trips to Appleton and other points, although these trips during the early days were not without danger, as he found out when he encountered a large black bear on one of his sojourns. On another trip he carried fifty pounds of flour on his back from the village of Little Chute to his home, although in that same month the few other farmers of the vicinity were sending their ox-teams to the village for their provisions, on account of the inclemency of the weather. In 1855, John Bleick was married at Greenville, to Louisa Brockman, also a native of Germany, and they located on an eighty-acre tract in Greenville township, which was very poor property, being nearly all swamp land, but at the time of his death, in 1902, he had acquired a farm of 227 acres, over 200 of which were in a state of cultivation. He was a member of the Lutheran Church, and a Democrat in politics, being elected to various offices of honor and trust. His widow, who still survives, makes her home with her son Herman, who is a representative farmer of Greenville township. The other children were: Minnie, wife of C. A. Gielow, of Manitowoc; Charles, a farmer of Greenville township; Augusta, who married Gus Zuhlke, of Hortonville; Lizzie, wife of Ed Wigert, of Dale township; Ferdinand J.; and Ida, deceased.
Ferdinand J. Bleick attended the district schools of Greenville township and also spent a year in study at Hortonville, and at the age of twenty-two years began farming a part of his father's property. He now has 100 acres in an excellent state of cultivation, devoting the land to general farming, and also doing some dairying and stock raising. He devotes all of his time to his farm, and bears the reputation of being one of the good, practical agriculturists of his section. He is a member of Greenville Lodge, No. 9033, Modern Woodmen of America, in which he is present escort, is independent in politics, and connected with the Lutheran Church. In 1895 he was married to Miss Lena Luebben, who was born in Greenville township, March 4, 1875, daughter of Gerhardt and Sophia (Dayho) Luebben, natives of Luxembourg and Mecklenburg, Germany, respectively, the former born August 18, 1826, and the latter July 27, 1836. They came to the United States at a very early day, settling in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and later coming to Outagamie county, where they bought a farm, on which Mr. Luebben died March 24, 1897. His widow remained on the farm a short time, then going to Neenah for two years, after which she again resided on the home farm for a short time and then went to Appleton, where she now lives: She and her husband had twelve children, of whom Mrs. Bleick was the tenth in order of birth. Mr. and Mrs. Bleick have had one child: John Gerhard, born May 17, 1896, residing at home.
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1872 - 1924 (51 years)
1900 Census
