Janssen, Jacob "James"

1875 - 1940  (65 years)    Has 12 ancestors and 8 descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Janssen, Jacob "James"
  Nickname	James
  Born	29 May 1875	De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA
  Gender	Male
  1940 Census	1940	Ashwaubenon, Brown, Wisconsin, USA
  Jacob Janssen 64 Mary Janssen 64 Marion Janssen 34 Harry Paulie 49 John Pilguin 58 William Hurley 42 Warren Calahan 34 Frank Garriss 58 Harry Kelley 51 Steve Korencheck 43 John Compton 48
  Family History Researcher	Nicknamed Oatmeal Jake Jacob Janssen, briefly mentioned above, was my great-grandfather. He was born 29 May 1875 in De Pere. On 24 Oct 1899 he married Mary M. Rupiper, who's nickname was "Mate". You can read more about her and the Rupiper family in my German Heritage essay. Shortly after their marriage, the census record shows Jacob working as a teamster. He then worked as a machinist for a paper mill, the American Writing Paper Company. He also worked for the McEachron Lumber Company. In 1914, Jacob became the superintendant of the Brown County Workhouse. He had found his true calling. The county board of supervisors re-elected him term after term, and he held the post for 26 years, until his death in 1940. At the time of his death, he was thought to be the oldest county employee in active service. The county workhouse and farm was located in Ashwaubenon, WI. My brother Jay tells me it was on the site now occupied by Western Racquet Club, between Ashland Ave. and Oneida St. During his tenure as superintendant, Jacob earned the nickname "Oatmeal Jake". His position with the workhouse entitled him to the powers of a deputy sheriff. Part of his job was to crack down on the panhandlers, vagabonds, tramps, and hobos who drifted into town on the railroad lines. His motto was "Get out of the county, or into the workhouse." If you ended up in the workhouse, Jake would surely put you to some hard labor, and your only wage would be a hot bowl of his namesake. The entire family-Jacob, Mary, and their two children, lived at the workhouse. In fact, the 1930 census lists the members of the Janssen household as Head , Wife, Son, Daughter, and "Inmate"-29-year-old George LaRue. Jacob and Mary Janssen had two children, Carl and Marion. The younger child, Marion Janssen, was born 21 May 1905 in De Pere. My siblings and I, when we were younger, knew her as "Auntie Mick". As a young woman she worked as a stenographer. She married Thomas Edward Quick. He was born in Poplarville, Mississippi, near New Orleans. He was a sugar chemist. He graduated from the Audubon Sugar School at Louisiana State University. Thomas moved to Green Bay to work for the Menomonee Sugar Factory, which processed sugar beets. Thomas died in 1981, and Marion in 1995. They had three children. Robert Quick was born with cerebral palsy and died at the age of one. Thomas Edward Quick Jr. died 4 Dec 2005 at the age of 63. He and his former wife Sherri had two children, Greg and Michelle Quick, now in their 30s and living somewhere in Wisconsin. Ann Quick is alive and well and has been living in Carmel, IN since 1986. She and her husband Donald Welch have four grown children-Lisa, Heidi, Molly, and Collin-who are spread out across the county. The three girls are married with kids of their own. "Pops" Marion's older brother, Carl W. Janssen, was my grandfather. He was born 29 Aug 1900 in De Pere. Carl attended St. Boniface School and St. Norbert High School in West De Pere. During his teen years he grew up at the Brown County Workhouse in Ashwaubenon, where his father was the superintendant. Following high school he served in the military during World War I. He then attended the Marquette University School of Pharmacy in Milwaukee. The 1920 census shows Carl's occupation as "carpenter", indicating he worked his way through school. On 14 April 1925, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in De Pere, Carl W. Janssen married Loretto Marie Dart. Among their grandchildren, Carl and Loretto were known as "Pops" and "Tetta". To read more about Loretto and the Dart family, see my essay on Our Belgian Heritage. Marion Janssen was the maid of honor at the ceremony, and Loretto's cousin Edward Allen, a close friend of the groom, was best man. Following the ceremony, Carl and Loretto departed for a three-week honeymoon to Kenosha, Milwaukee, Chicago, and "eastern cities", before returning to take up residence with Loretto's family. By 1928 Carl was the owner and operator of his own drugstore. His first business was located at the corner of Irwin and Mason Streets in Green Bay. In the early 1930s he bought the H. I. Wheeler drug store in De Pere, and operated the store until he was appointed postmaster on 23 Jun 1944. He held the office of postmaster until retiring in 1970. Carl had held the post longer than anyone in the history of the east De Pere post office. During his tenure, annual postal receipts rose from $22,000 to over $200,000. When asked about his plans after retirement, Carl said that he and Loretto planned to "take it easy for a while." Carl was also active in community organizations. He was commander of the Heesaker-Brown post of the American Legion and served as their chaplain for many years (from 1936 to at least 1970). He met every train returning bodies of World War II veterans. He was a member of the De Pere Rotary Club for 37 years, and at one time served as its president. He also served as the club's song leader for many years (from 1936 to at least 1970). His wife Loretto accompanied him on piano. He enjoyed barbershop quartet singing. He was a charter member of SPEBSQSA, the barbershopper organization, and a member of the first quartet formed under that organization, "The Note-Able 4". He was a member of the Wisconsin Association of Postmasters, past president of the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Association of Postmasters of the United States, and past exalted ruler of the Green Bay Elks Club No. 259. He also served as chairman of the March of Dimes and Red Cross drives for several years, and worked with Boy Scouts. He was also a member of the Holy Name Society of St. Francis Xavier Church in De Pere, WI. Carl W. Janssen died at St. Vincent's Hospital in Green Bay, WI, on 24 Jan 1978. The cause of death was prostate cancer. Carl and Loretto had two children, Jay and Mary Claire. Mary Claire Janssen was born 10 Mar 1929 in De Pere, WI. She graduated from De Pere High School, and St. Scholastica College in Duluth, MN. On 23 Oct 1948, she married Thomas J. Francken, son of Herbert and Edna Francken. I don't know much about the Old World origins of the Franckens, but the name Francken also originated in Holland. I would imagine it means "son of Frank", or perhaps it denoted a descendant of the Franks, the tribe that dominated central Europe from the 5th to the 8th century. Tom and Mary Claire lived just off of Merill St. in De Pere, across from the old high school. When I was a kid I remember that Tom worked as a cigar salesman, and thanks to him I had a small collection of buttons advertising White Owl Cigars. After he retired, he operated the draw bridge over the Fox River in De Pere. Mary Claire was an avid knitter and seamstress, and played bridge in the St. Francis Bridge Marathon for 17 years. She died of cancer on 24 Dec 1987. Tom died on 10 Feb 1999. The Franckens had three children. Peter Francken and wife Patti live in Green Bay. They have two sons, Jeremy and Kyle. Kay Francken lives in Austin, MN with husband Rodney Middlebrook. They have three children: Jeb, Lia, and Hannah. Rod Francken and wife Donna live in Marinette, WI.
  Died	5 Dec 1940	Ashwaubenon, Brown, Wisconsin, USA
  Buried	Mount Calvary Cemetery, Depere, Wisconsin, USA
  Person ID	I147288	1FamilyTree
  Last Modified	21 Sep 2017

  
  

  Father	Janssen, William,   b. 8 Oct 1844, Oosterhout, , Gelderland, Netherlands ,   d. 19 Aug 1916, De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA  (Age 71 years)
  Mother	Geenen, Wilhelmina,   b. 25 Mar 1853, Freedom, Outagamie, Wisconsin, USA ,   d. 22 Oct 1933, De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA  (Age 80 years)
  Family ID	F38468	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Rupiper, Mary,   b. 24 Apr 1875, De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA ,   d. 4 Mar 1970, Ashwaubenon, Brown, Wisconsin, USA  (Age 94 years)
  Married	24 Oct 1899
  Children	+ 1. Janssen, Carl W.,   b. 29 Aug 1900, De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA ,   d. 24 Jan 1978, De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA  (Age 77 years) + 2. Janssen, Marion,   b. 21 May 1905,   d. 21 Aug 1995, De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA  (Age 90 years)
  Last Modified	13 Oct 2010
  Family ID	F56128	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map	Load the map	Born - 29 May 1875 - De Pere, Brown, Wisconsin, USA 1940 Census - 1940 - Ashwaubenon, Brown, Wisconsin, USA Died - 5 Dec 1940 - Ashwaubenon, Brown, Wisconsin, USA Buried - - Mount Calvary Cemetery, Depere, Wisconsin, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set