Category Archives: F. Dominick & Mary (Suhling) Mader Family

Dominick & Edith Mader Family

Frank Mader 1923 –

Frank Mader
1923 –

The last child of Dominick Jr. and Edith Mader, Frank was born at 1530 Adams St. of Nov. 2, 1923.

Frank cut ice on the Mississippi River at age 17 for his uncle Gus. Instead of waiting for the draft he enlisted in the service during World War II. After the war Frank came home on September 26, 1945 he married Dorothy Eden. Frank drove a city bus for a short time before his uncle Gus offered him a job making cement blocks by the West Channel bridge.

This led Frank into starting his own pre-cast concrete business with his brother-in-law Frank Weiser. After several years they split up the partnership and started their own companies. Frank moved to his present location in La Crescent and his company is called Crest Concrete Products.

Frank and Dorothy are the parents of three children: Diane, Steven, and Gary. The home they built at 1504 Cedar St. in La Crescent, MN is near Frank’s plant and is connected by a private drive.

  1. Diane Mader was born Jan. 21, 1947. She is married to John Morrison who is an insurance man in La Crosse. They have two children:
    1. Matt Morrison is an adopted son born in 1973.
    2. Ryan Morrison was born in 1975.
  2. Steven F. Mader born on February 17, 1950 married Linda Kramer. Steven works with his father at Crest Concrete. Steve and Linda are the parents of three boys. [update]
    1. Andrew Mader born in 1979.
    2. Erin Mader born in 1981.
    3. Deke Mader born in 1985.
  3. Gary Mader born on July 9, 1954 is married to Mary Bell. He also works at Crest Concrete. Gary and Mary have four children: [update]
    1. Amy Mader born in 1976.
    2. Austin Mader born in 1979.
    3. Lee Mader born in 1981.
    4. Allison Mader born in 1983.
Dominick & Edith Mader Family

William Mader 1920 –

William Mader
1920 –

William was born on August 27, 1920 to Dominick Jr. and Edith Mader. Recollecting boyhood days, Bill said: “We got two pennies every Saturday and we went to Stryemaders on 16th and Jackson St. to spend it there. In the store it always took as half an hour to decide how to make the pennies go farther.”

“We were about the only Maders who weren’t Catholic and whenever I went over to the cousins on 1402 So. 13th St. near the church, the Priest was always after me saying, “I’ll get you sooner or later!” even in later years, long after my sister and brother rejoined the church, Monsignor Plecity still kidded me, “I got two out of three.”

Bill spent some of his childhood on the farm. After his marriage to Katherine Erickson, Bill returned to the farm to help his father and uncle run it. Bill and Kathy set up housekeeping in a big two-story brick house below the farm near the old race track. (The brick house no longer stands.) They became parents of two children, Sherry and Dennis.

Bill drove a city bus for some time before he worked for the Highway Dept. in West Salem. He and his wife Kathy are living in the home they built on 2119 Redfield St. in La Crosse.

  1. Sherry Mader was born in 1945 and has a doctorate degree. She married Gary Sackett and they reside in La Crosse. Sherry and Gary are raising his three children from a previous marriage and also their son Jon.
    1. Jon Sackett was born in 1982.
  2. Dennis Mader was born in 1950. Dennis is not married. He is employed at Heileman’s Brewery in La Crosse.
Dominick & Edith Mader Family

Margaret (Mader) Seiler 1917 –

Margaret (Mader) Seiler
1917 –

Margaret was the first child and only daughter of Dominick Jr. and Edith Mader born on September 24, 1917.

Promoted to the head of her class because she was such a good student, Margaret graduated from high school at age 16. Because of the depression she couldn’t continue school and was need to help on the farm.

Margaret married Elmer Seiler in 1941, a boy from a neighboring farm. (1) Elmer came from a family of thirteen children whose father had died in his 30’s. He always had to work even as a child and after completing 8th grade, Elmer stayed home to help run the family farm.

Two months after Margaret and Elmer’s first child, Margaret was born in 1942, Elmer went off to war. He served in the Pacific in World War II. Margaret and the baby stayed with her parents on the Mader farm until Elmer returned from the war in 1945.

The young Seiler family moved into a small two room house in the Town of Shelby, where their only son Jim was born in 1946. A few years later Elmer and Margaret build a house together on 2162 Denton St. in La Crosse. Elmer would tell Margaret what needed to be done and how to do it. Like – how to lay a hardwood floor or how to put on laths for the plaster! While they were building the house they lived in the basement.

Elmer was a carpenter by trade and also worked at the Brewery. Both jobs were seasonal so he began working for a fuel company as a technician.

Margaret was interested in the family history and she wrote about it in a letter to her grandchildren so that their great-grandparents would be remembered. All the relatives said Margaret was a lovely woman. Margaret died of cancer at age 58 on October 26, 1975. Elmer is retired and still lives in the home they built on Denton St.

  1. Margaret Seiler was born April 16, 1942. She is a high school teacher in Kenosha. Margaret married Robert Conrad who is a lab supervisor and chemist for American Motors Corp. They have three children.
    1. Kevin Conrad born in 1970.
    2. Kerry Conrad born in 1972.
    3. Craig Conrad born in 1975.
  2. Jim Seiler born September 2, 1946 is a lawyer in St. Louis, Mo. He is married to Sonia Gonzalez and they are the parents of two girls:
    1. Rebecca Seiler born in 1974.
    2. Christina Seiler born in 1978.

_____________

(1) The 1890 Platt Book records Margaret’s grandfather Dominick as an earlier owner of the Seiler farm.
F. Dominick & Mary (Suhling) Mader Family

Mary (Mader) Herman 1889 – 1978

Mary (Mader) Herman
1889 – 1978

The last child of Dominick and Mary Mader. Mary (Mamie) was born March 9, 1889.

Mamie was the wife of Adolf Herman. They lived in Arvado, Colorado, and did not have any children. They owned a chicken ranch and later sold the land to the Academy in Colorado Springs.

When she died in May of 1978 at age 89, Mamie left an estate of over $200,000.00 and had money in 17 banks. She left money to both a Lutheran and a Catholic church, to numerous organizations in Colorado and in La Crosse, and also gave her nieces and nephews $10,000.00 each.

Frank Mader recalls seeing his Aunt only twice in his lifetime.

F. Dominick & Mary (Suhling) Mader Family

Dominick Mader Jr. 1886 – 1956

Dominick Mader Jr.
1886 – 1956

Dominick Jr. was the son of Dominick and Mary born on November 26, 1886. When he was young he helped his father in the brick yard and later on the farm.

Dominick Jr. was joined in marriage to Edith Moss. They were the parents of three children; Margaret, William, and Frank.

Frank remembers living in La Crosse first, where his father worked at People’s Ice and Fuel Co.. He was about eight years old when the family moved to the farm.

Having taken the farm back from Hyde and Funk, Dominick Jr. and his brother Arthur returned to farm it for their father, later purchasing it. One of the large tobacco sheds built by Hyde and Funk was converted into a barn,. the other was torn down. (Andy North and others on Losey Blvd. built their homes from this wood.) Dominick Jr. dairy farmed and sold dirt in town. The dirt was from the area where the race track used to be.

“Dad wasn’t used to driving a tractor. Once he came to the creek bank and hollered ‘Whoa’ to the tractor and it wouldn’t stop!” recalls Bill. “My dad was so easy going. He always smoked a corn cob pipe.”

To the south, just below the house, the Maders had a picnic area. (Where Hass Park is now.) Further away from the house on Dominick Jr.’s farm there was another small park where the downtown business men came every Thursday night for a party. Erickson Bakery, Bodega, and others belonged to the club and they always catered the food. The businessmen enjoyed it so much, eventually they ran power lines down to it for lights and played horseshoes until midnight.

This one particular night they said, “Come on down, Dom!” They had beer and shots until finally they had to carry Dominick home. His wife was so disgusted she told Bill to stay with his father because he was moaning and groaning so much he was going to die. The next morning he probably wished he had because his wife Edith lit into him! This was the only time Bill could remember his father drinking too much.

In ca. 1936, the family moved to 1406 Johnson St. in La Crosse. Dominick’s brother Arthur still remained on the farm.

Bill told this story:

“My mother went over to visit Angeline on 13th St. On the way back in the middle of the street on 15th and Farnam was a present all wrapped up. Ma picked it up, brought it home and opened it. She was surprised to find that it was chicken guts! The butcher shop had put it in the street as a joke to see who would pick it up. Ma wrapped the chicken guts back up and put the present back in the middle of the street. Then she stood behind a tree to see who would pick it up next!”

Dominick Jr. had a disagreement with Fr. Riesterer at Holy Trinity and the family quit going to church. Later, Fr. Plecity tried to get him to come back to the church.Bill recalled, “Dad would be laying on the porch after work and Mom would say, ‘Here comes that young priest again!’ My dad would duck out the back door and visit friends on the next block.”

They never owned a touring car. Earlier, Dominick Jr. drove the ice truck back and forth to work and in later years drove a pick-up.

At the age of 69, Dominick Jr. passed away in his home at 1923 S. 30th St. on Nov. 5, 1956. His wife Edith survived him.

Edith was a cook at Hillview Co. Hospital for many years. When she became old and needed care, she wanted to go to Hillview so that she could look out the window and see the family farm. She couldn’t go there because she had too much money so she went to Gunn Nursing Home instead. Edith was unhappy there and died three months later.

F. Dominick & Mary (Suhling) Mader Family

Henry Mader 1885 – 1954

Henry Mader
1885 – 1954

On February 8, 1885, Henry was born at home to Dominick and Mary Mader. When he was old enough, Henry and his younger brother Dominick, helped on the brick yard by carrying the mold from the molding table to the drying yard.

Henry married a girl whose surname was Grossbach. They had only one daughter, Rose. For some time, they lived at 1406 Johnson St. to care for his widowed mother in her old age.

“I never paid much attention to him. He was the kid of guy you didn’t really notice – like Uncle Arthur.” his nephew Bill Mader said. “He worked at the brewery.”

Henry was living at 1304 Vine St. when after a short illness he passed away April 30, 1954 at age 75.

F. Dominick & Mary (Suhling) Mader Family

August Mader 1884 – 1963

August Mader
1884 – 1963

August was born on the brick yard January 20, 1884 to Dominick and Mary Mader. As a boy his job in the brick yard was to drive the team on the mud wheel.

August was married to a girl named Mary who was a sister of Florence Riek. August and Mary did not have children.

“Gus must have been a real businessman.” Steve Mader said. (Frank’s son.) Gus owned a half interest in People’s Ice and Fuel Co. Originally the ice came from the river. Later, they opened an artificial plant. (Located on the Holiday Inn site between La Crescent and La Crosse.) When the ice business gave way to electric refrigeration, the company switched to the manufacturing of concrete block building units. They kept the same location.

Frank Mader worker on the river cutting ice for his uncle Gus when he was 17. After the service he worked for Gus again making concrete blocks.

Bill Mader remembers Uncle Gus coming out every Christmas to give them each a $2.00 bill. This stopped when they turned 18.

Gus and Mary belonged to a church that held seances and they were not allowed to eat meat. The church didn’t have many members. Gus bought the organ and put a lot of money into the church to keep it going.

Gus had an antique Studebaker. One night he came over to his nephew Frank and gave him the title in an envelope and said, “Someone stole the hubcaps so you may as well have the car before they steal it all?” It had 5,000 miles on it. He was too old to drive it anymore. (The car is still is possession of Frank Mader.) At the same time Gus sold him his old ice truck with the names “Grosch and Mader” on the side.

They lived on 16th and Jackson where Gus kept horses in a barn in the alley. In later years they moved across the street in the big white house on the NE corner where at age 79 Gus died December 23, 1963. He was survived by his wife Mary.

F. Dominick & Mary (Suhling) Mader Family

Arthur Mader 1880 – 1950

Arthur Mader
1880 – 1950

The first son of Dominick and Mary, Arthur was born April 24, 1880 on State Road Coulee. Growing up on the brick yard, his job as a boy was to build the fires in the kilns. When his father sold the brick yard, Arthur was 26 years old.

Arthur never married. The ten years the family lived on the farm he helped his father run it. Later he and his younger brother Dominick became partners and bought the farm.

“Uncle Arthur was a loner. He would work with Dad and not say a word.” Bill Mader said. “He was the kind of guy you didn’t pay much attention to.”

“Art used to come over to visit uninvited. The family dreaded to see him come because he would just sit and not talk but maybe that’s kind of a Mader trait.” reflects Ben Mader.

Bill recalls:

“No matter how much snow or how cold the weather, Uncle Arthur would walk from the farm (Arrow Head Village) to Holy Trinity for Sunday Mass. He always wore his big heavy overcoat and cap with earflaps on his head. After Mass he’d go over to Strasser’s Tavern and have three shots and then walk home.”

In a local hospital on May 31, 1950, Arthur passed away at age 70.

F. Dominick & Mary (Suhling) Mader Family, La Crosse Stories, Mader Family Stories

Dominick Mader’s Brick Yard in State Road Coulee

DOMINICK MADER’S BRICK YARD
In State Road Coulee

Dominick’s brick yard had its beginning in 1858 when Gunkle and Bloomer of Ohio began the manufacturing of brick on State Road. Valentine Weimer operated the Gunkle and Bloomer kilns until he bought them out for $800 in 1862.

After Weimer’s death, Frank, Dominick, and David purchased the brickyard on the estate sale for $4,750 in January of 1878. On April 13th, the same day David sold his farm to Theodore, he gave Frank and Dominick his share for $1.00 Later that year on December 4th, Dominick bought out his brother Frank and became the sole owner. The brick yard had one shed.

Mamie (Mader) Herman wrote about the yard to her niece Margaret:

“…The brickyard shed was about 120 feet long. I think it could have three kilns at a time, when they were burning brick they used cordwood, and in later years, coal and peat was kept burning with a blower run by a gas engine. When the kilns got too hot, some of the boards on the roof of the shed were taken off. Art and Emily North were the kiln builders.
“August was the mud maker. He drove the team on the mud wheel. There were two men to fill the the molds with mud. Dominick Jr. and Henry were the carry off boys. They carried a mold the length of three bricks, from the molding table to the drying yard.
“After the bricks were dry they were built into hacks, and covered with two boards nailed together to form a trough, so they would not get wet, if it rained. They were called wash brick if they got wet and would not bring a good price.”

During the busy season up to 30 men were employed at the Mader brick works.(1) They were paid board plus a small salary. In the 1880’s workers received $25.00 to $50.00 a month. Brick making was seasonal work from May to September.

Dominick and Theodore furnished the brick for the first St. Nicholas Parish on 13th and Park St. They sold the brick at $6.00 per thousand.

The Cargill Mansion on Twelfth and Case Streets was built ca. 1880 of Mader brick selling at $4.75 per 1,000. The bricks were a special bargain during a slack season. The mansion was a residential show place of La Crosse. (The home was torn down by the Presbyterian Church.)

Three yards manufactured common brick around La Crosse in the 1890s; Dominick Mader, M.J. Meyer who opened in 1883 and the Schnell Brothers who opened in 1890.

Dominick owned the business 28 years before he sold it for $4,000 in April of 1906 to his nephew John Boma, who later dismantled the works.
____________

(1) There is confusion between Dominick’s yard and the older one on David’s farm which the older family members don’t remember. The 30 employees could have been at either brick yard during a busy time. Family members recall the brick yard called “State Road Coulee Brick Yard.”