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Albertine had the opportunity to work in Appleton before her
marriage. When she married Karl Zick they started their house-
keeping in a log house. Karl had been a caretaker of geese in
Germany, but here in America he raised sheep. This made wool
available for Albertine to do her knitting of warm clothing for
her family. Albertine loved to sing religious songs and even
rendered a solo in the Sunday morning church service.
Another important place in this area, which was used by these
early ancestors was the cheese factory and general merchandise
store located on the Southwest corner of theaEast half of Sec.10
Township 20 Range 20.
On Apr.27, 1888, John Zick sold a    acre of land to Wm.Praeger
for $50.00. (Recorded in Book of Deeds Vol.19 P.621 in the Regis-
ter of Deeds office in Calumet Court House, Chilton, Wis.)
The factory was started between 1885 and 1890.
John Wolfmeyer bought that property on Feb.1, 1890 for $600.00.
(Recorded in Book of Deeds Vol.20 Page 462 at Court House, Chilton,
Wis.) John Wolfmeyer worked as an apprentice for other cheese-
makers to get his training to become a cheesemaker. That was all
that was required, in those days, to operate a factory on your own.
John Wolfmeyer married the oldest daughter of Caroline and
Friedrich Bastian, Emma Bastian, on Dec.10, 1891.
The house across the road from the factory was built in 1899
and the store next to the factory was built in 1901. The factory
has changed ownship several times. John Wolfmeyer sold to his son
Leland, when Leland got married. Leland sold to Elmer Schreiber.
During these next years Alvin Wolfmeyer, second son of John, was
preparing himself for the cheesemaker trade. He took a course at the
Dairy School at University of Wisconsin and graduated in 1923. An
anprenticeship learning was still the only requirement for making
cheese, but the schooling made it possible to get an earlier start.
Elmer Schreiber sold the factory as a partnership to Alvin
Wolfmeyer and Alvin's brother-in-law, Harvey Schnell in 1923. Sev-
eral years later Alvin bought out Harvey's half and operated it
with hired help. Alvin bought the house and store when he got
married in 1927. Alvin Wolfmeyer moved the factory equipment into
the store building after World War II, which closed the store. In
1951 he sold the business to Harold Zick. Around 1956 Zick sold
the milk business and equipment to Theil Cheese Plant. After sev-
eral years the land was sold to Bernard Geiger, a farmer. All
trace of the factory is gone, but the well and pump still remain,
and the land is used for farming again.
Memories about the factory and store are many. Early farmers
for many years had to take the whey (aby-product of the cheese mak-
ing process) along home to feed their hogs. Years later a large
tank truck came around collecting whey from all factories in the
area. The last years cheesemakers had to get rid of the whey himself,
Nora Krueger Reichardt remembers when no cheese was made on
Sunday mornings.
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