Miscellaneous Businesses
In 1954 Brewster had a Music Repair Shop in the building next to the Drug Store. It was run by Virgil and Lorene WEIS.
Carpenters have been many. A few I have noted in items during my reading have been: Pete REIFENBERGER, John WEAVER, John HOHLE, Ed LUDWIG, Taylor MOHAN, John BESSER, John SORENSON, E.C. TAFT, H. OLSON, Wm. BUSCH, Ed OLSON, Ernest VAUX, Amos POWELL, Rudy BERREAU and August ANDERSON.
Stock Buyers have been Bob ERICSON, OLSON and MCCALL, Andrew OLSON, L.P. HANSON, Thos. FITZGERALD, George WAKEMAN and Son. Mr. WAKEMAN was buying stock as early as 1916 and continued in it the remainder of his life. Orville WAKEMAN was in business with him and later Vernon, who is still buying stock in 1958. Wood buyers who ran special ads were G.W. TAYLOR, G.W. WAKEMAN and Ray HABERMAN.
In the Hay pressing business a few names are mentioned, however, most everyone was in that business as this was a vast prairie. At one time Brewster was the second largest hay shipping center in the U.S.
In 1908 C. F. HARTMAN and Frank BAUCHLE were a “Hay Co.” in 1916 Ray CLARK did pressing; Mr. George NELSON used to close shop to go out pressing hay as did other businesses.
Tilers included John and Dennis SILVER, who in 1906 bought a Ditching machine. They sold it in 1907. John said it was no good, it could neither milk cows or dig praties. Other ditchers were Tom TORGESON, Frank HOFFMEISTER, David NOLDE, Anton EBERT, Jim MONTGOMERY and Carl and Christian HANSEN. Pete ANDERSON and NORMAN do ditching at this writing in 1958.
Auctioneers have been D.E. HARVEY, B.T. MCCHESNEY, Charles WING, Frank BAUCHLE and L.P. HANSON.
Cleaning and pressing establishments had been operated in 1916 by Walter HURLEY and Noah CARTER over MAHONEY’S Hardware; V.H. GUISENDORFER did this work and in addition ordered tailor-made suits. E.C. SCARP bought Vic’s equipment in 1917, but Vic was again doing this work in 1927. In 1921 ‘The Co-operative Cleaners,’ operated by Mr. PRICE, were established in Brewster.
GEYERMAN’S in the early 1900’s bought dressed poultry and shipped it in refrigerated cars. In 1906 they shipped 4,000 pounds of dressed turkeys and geese.
In 1916 T.E. BLY sold “Pure Italian Bees,” Bee supplies and Honey.
In 1911 Adam BAUCHLE advertised Rhode Island Red Eggs for sale for hatching; in 1913, Purebred Plymouth Rock Eggs for sale, Y.E. WILEY. Ladies advertising cabbage and tomato plants for sale included Mrs. John HOHLE, Mrs. Gus POSORSKI and Mrs. Fred BESSER.
Well diggers were almost as numerous as Hay Pressers, some of them were Fred WHIPPKEY, J.C. MCCONKEY, J.C. MURPHY, Will LUNGREN, O. GLEASON, John SORENSON, Mike MCCALL, Pat SILVER, Jake GERZINE and E.A. BOISDORF. While we’re on the subject of water, since the 1940’s a soft water sales service had been run by Pedro MOORE and Joe MCCALL, Sylvester SCHMITZ and Gaylord GRAF.
In 1946 Army and Navy Surplus was sole in the SILVER Building by NORSKOG. In 1947 Betty BLACKWELL was an Avon Dealer; in 1949 it was sold by Mrs. Ernest VAUX. Mrs. Helene KRUKEMEYER, at the present time is a Stanley Dealer. She has done sales work in the past twelve years for various companies.
In 1948 Wesley WEY ran a “Refrigerator Service.”
1949 brought “Road Grading” and maintenance equipment, when Daryl FRANTSEN moved to Brewster. FRANTSEN continued until this year, 1958, when he sold his equipment.
In 1946-1947, Brewster was the home of Mr. Wm. O’CONNER, game warden. Maybe you do not regard this as a business, but try breaking game laws and if you are caught they’ll “give you the business!”
Radio repair servicemen included: in 1927, M.A. SCHEMMEL; 1934, Henry WEAVER; 1945 Clif KRUMLING in the building next to the Drug Store, and in 1946 located in the KRUKEMEYER Building
In 1946 Sam PALMER opened a place of business in the DEMPEWOLF Building, handling Skelgas and Appliances.
Jewelers included Dennis SILVER, who fixed watches and clocks in the early 1900’s and continued to do so through the years.
In 1939 Tinker Nick (Nick PELLICOTE) sharpened scissors, saws and knives, and repaired washing machines in his “shop on wheels.”
In 1926 Bud SILVER advertised for work as a taxidermist. In 1927 Mrs. Frank BESSER sold Mountain Roller Canaries.
In 1926 Mrs. Fred BESSER did rug and carpet weaving. Today in Brewster Helen SMITH weaves, as do Mrs. Maynard DATZMAN and Mrs. Harold ZINNEL. The first pop-corn stand I read of was run by Lorenzo PATTERSON at the corner of EBERT’S Store.
MEIERS ran a milk route about 1900. Rudy MEIER used to help deliver it. Others who sold milk include: BUSCH’S, A.J. HABERMAN, MCCARVEL, BAUMGARD, and the creameries and stores.
In 1910 Jim MONTGOMERY did surveying. In 1924 P.J. SILVER was an agent for Jewell Nursery. In 1925 David BIER graded eggs for the Merchants Co-operative Egg and Poultry Association.
In 1930 Bob ENSIGN did custom hatching. In 1930 Mrs. C.A. HAUSCHEN gave private dramatic lessons.
In 1941 Brewster had a new industry known as the United Mattress Co. It was located in the MANUEL Store Building and rebuilt old mattresses. It was run by J.H. JITER and W.L. SPARKS of Mountain Lake.
Income tax returns have been figured for us by W.G. QUARNSTROM, Frank BAUCHLE Jr., and Bernard HARTMAN.
A portion of our insurance agents: T.K. GRIMSTAD, F.J. OPPEK, O.N. WICKLUND, John B. GRIMSTAD, A.W. EBERT, C. BURROWS, Anton EBERT, John MCNAB and A.W. WELLS, also the banks.
Land Companies had early beginnings. In 1876 Chas. BURROWS was a land dealer and insurance agent. In 1907 we had the C.R. WEST Land Co.; 1911, Brewster Lane Co., in the MCCHESNEY Building; 1912 L.F. REID, agent for Texas Land; 1914, WILEY AND MCCONKEY; 1916, WILEY Land Co.
In 1951 cesspools and septic tanks were cleaned by KNITTEL and ANDERSON. ANDERSON and Son continue the work.
We have had Watkin, Ward and Raleigh dealers living in Brewster. The first Watkin dealer listed in the early years, who came with his team was I.D. HUDSON. Others who resided in Brewster include: Grover BARBER, George LANNING, Emil BECKMAN and Hugh MCNAB.
Painters and Paper Hangers, and this list is far from complete were: 1903, C. SYNKERSON; 1906, Dennis SILVER; 1910, Bill PINZ and Henry BISCH; Later: Fred OBERLE, Tom SILVER, Ivan HILTON, Martin PINZ, Lyle PETTY, Henry WEAVER, Wm. SCHUERKAMP, George MANUEL, Alton SEVERSON, Jess SCHLATTER and Larry NELSON.
Nobles County Genealogy
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