SHEBOYGAN HISTORY

Emil Nehrlich, Page 651

EMIL NEHRLICH, Deputy County Treasurer, residing at Sheboygan, was born in Thuringia, Saxony, Germany, August 19, 1845, being a son of Christian and Catherine (Koerner) Nehrlich, who were also natives of that country.  He emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1855, and landed in Sheboygan, Wis., on the 2d day of July of that year.  The family settled in the town of Mosel.  His father was born January 3, 1798, and his mother August 24, 1808.  The father died January 12, 1867, and the mother December 24, 1891.

    Their family consisted of four children, three sons and a daughter.  William, the eldest, married Christina Conrad, and is a farmer of Dawson County, Neb.; Ernest married Wilhelmine Methfessel, and resides in Sheboygan; Frederica is the wife of Henry Franz, a farmer of Herman; and Emil, whose name heads this sketch, married Barbara Schlicht.

    Emil was reared on his father's farm in Mosel Township, and attended the public schools until eighteen years of age.  In the winter of 1863, on foot, in company with four other young men, he set out for the copper regions of Lake Superior.  The weather was intensely cold as they approached the mining country, while places of shelter were few and far between.  They all suffered severely from exposure.  Mr. Nehrlich, on reaching a settlement in Ontonagon County, Mich., was found to have his feet so badly frozen that in removing his shoes and socks the nails came off all his toes, together with portions of the skin of the feet and toes.  he luckily fell into the hands of good, kind people, who cared for him as well as possible.  Several weeks elapsed before his feet were sufficiently well to admit of his walking.  He then found employment with his benefactors in the woods, and was later employed in the copper mines, spending two years in that region.  At the expiration of that time he went to Chicago, where he spent a year, after which he returned to Sheboygan, and was variously employed, principally in book-keeping, until the fall of 1882, when he was elected County Clerk of Sheboygan County.  He was four times re-elected, and served ten years in that office.  Since retiring from that position, he has served as Deputy County Treasurer under Charles Weisse.

    On the 3d of October, 1872, Mr. Nehrlich was married in Sheboygan to Miss Barbara Schlicht.  Mrs. Nehrlich was born in Germantown, Washington County, Wis., and is a daughter of John Schlicht.  Her father was born in Bavaria, and her mother in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany.  Mr. and Mrs. Nehrlich have five children, three sons and two daughters.  Guido is a plumber by occupation; Otto is a tinner; and Frieda, Mamie and Arno are students.

    Mrs. Nehrlich is a member of the German Reformed Church.  Mr. Nehrlich belongs to the Lutheran denomination.  In politics, he is a Democrat.  Socially, he is a member of Schiller Lodge No. 68, I. O. O. F.; of Eureka Lodge No. 108, A. O. U. W.; and of the Concordia Singing Society.  Of the last-named he has been a member for thirty years, and is the present President.  He is the third active surviving member of the original organization.