GERLICH, August

History of Northern Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical, 1881, pp 166-167

August GERLICH, billiard hall and saloon, Fountain City [Cross Township (per 
1878 Atlas), Buffalo County, Wisconsin], was born 10 December 1829 in 
Germany. He came to America with his parents in 1833, and lived with them in 
Cincinnati [Hamilton County, Ohio] until 1848, when he went to Dubuque 
[Dubuque County], Iowa, where he worked at tailoring, and also in Galena [Jo 
Daviess County], Illinois. In 1853 he started to work at painting, which he 
followed until 1856, and then came up the Mississippi to Fountain City, where 
he remained but a short time, returning to Galena.

There [Galena, Jo Daviess County, Illinois] he [August GERLICH] married Mrs. 
[Barbara] GERLICH, widow of his deceased brother, Frederick J., by whom she 
had two children: Frederick A. and Caroline E. After his marriage he 
[August GERLICH] returned to Fountain City, in the fall of 1865, and has made 
it his home ever since. He engaged at house and sign painting until 1880, 
when he started his present business. He [August GERLICH] has nine children: 
Fidelia; Ludwig W.; George H.; Emma [Emma E.?]; Lena; John E. [John Elmer?]; 
Alford [Alfred?]; Nora [Elenora?]; and one infant son unnamed. [Thus 
Barbara, whose maiden name is not given, had eleven children: two with her 
first husband, Frederick J. GERLICH, and nine with her second husband, August 
GERLICH, the brother of her first husband.]

[The August GERLICH family is enumerated in the 1880 census of Fountain City, 
Buffalo County, Wisconsin: August, age fifty, painter, born in Bavaria (by 
his census age, about 1830) to parents also born in Bavaria; wife Barbara, 
age forty-one, born in Bavaria (about 1839) to parents also born there; and 
Carolina, stepdaughter of August (daughter of Frederick J. and Barbara 
GERLICH), age twenty-two, a servant, born in Illinois to parents both born in 
Bavaria. (1) Fidelia, the first child of August and Barbara GERLICH 
mentioned in the biography, is not listed with the family in the 1880 census. 
The children who were enumerated include: (2) Ludwig W., single, age 
seventeen, printer, born in Iowa, about 1863 by his census age, to 
Bavarian-born parents; (3) George H., age fourteen, born in Wisconsin, by 
calculation about 1866; (4) Emma E., age twelve, also born in Wisconsin, 
about 1868; (5) Lena, age nine, born in Wisconsin, about 1871 by her age in 
the census; (6) Elmer (John Elmer?), age five, born in Wisconsin, about 
1875; (7) Alfred (Alford?), age three, born in Wisconsin, about 1877; and 
(8) Elenora (Nora), age one, also born in Wisconsin, by deduction in 1879. 
Not enumerated with the family is (9) the unnamed infant son, by deduction 
born in 1881. Frederick A. GERLICH (son of Frederick J. GERLICH and stepson 
of August GERLICH) is also not among those enumerated. Bracketed material 
added by submitter (who is not researching these surnames) to support and 
clarify information given in the biography and to raise questions.]

Submitted by Cathy Kubly