BioA: Reyer, Mr./Mrs. Adam (50th Anniv. – 1931)
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Surnames: REYER BOECHER REICH DISTLEHORST ONCKEN

---Source: COLBY PHONOGRAPH (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) 09/17/1931

Reyer, Mr./Mrs. Adam (50th Anniv. – 10 Sept. 1931)

Mr. and Mrs. Adam Beyer of Colby observed their fiftieth or golden wedding anniversary at their home last Thursday, Sept. 10, having been married Sept. 10, 1881, in the town of Wilson, Sheboygan county. They came to this community a few days after their marriage and purchased a homestead near Cherokee from Peter Boecher, a Civil War veteran. The farm, at that time, was all wood land and Mr. Reyer chopped down the first tree. Most of the timber, chopped down to clear the land, was burned as there was no sale for it in those days. They came to town by the use of oxen and “jumpers”, for, if a wagon would be used, it was very apt to tip over as the roads were bad. They were on the farm for nearly fifteen years before horses were purchased. At first, they had but one cow, but, gradually, a fine herd and a splendid farm were built.

Mr. Reyer takes great pride in the education he has given his children and issues a challenge to all early settlers in Marathon county, who came here when this was a vast wilderness, to duplicate the education he has provided them. Eight children went through high school, five through university and two through normal.

Mr. Reyer was born in Hessen, Germany, June 5, 1852, and came to the United States with his parents when three years old, settling in the town of Wilson, Sheboygan county, where he resided until twenty-one years of age when he went to Illinois where he worked for four years. He also spent four years in Upper Michigan.

Mrs. Reyer, whose maiden name was Miss Emma Reich, was born on March 7, 1860, in the town of Wilson, Sheboygan county, and was married to Mr. Reyer in the town in which she was born and then lived on the homestead they purchased for thirty-one years. Eleven years ago, they moved into the city of Colby.

They had eleven children, one of whom, Olive, died several years ago. Those still living are William and Hugo, New York City; Otis and Edward, Columbus, Ohio; Harold, Miss Madeline Reyer and Mrs. Fred M. Distlehorst, Madison, Wisconsin; Mrs. Henry Oncken, Bellingham, Minnesota; Carl, Cherokee; Richard, Colby.

No celebration was held in honor of their fiftieth anniversary because the children are so widely scattered and most of them were here this summer on vacation.

A picture of Mr. and Mrs. Reyer is printed on page eight of this issue.