History of Clark County, Wisconsin (1918)

GOTLIEB RIEDEL, a retired farmer and pioneer residing in Grant Township, was born in Germany, Nov. 16, 1845, son of David and Eliza Riedel. He was I5 years old when he accompanied his parents to the United States in 1864, there being four other children in the family who came at the same time. He had acquired his education in Germany, and after arriving in this country he worked for farmers in the vicinity of Milwaukee until the year 1872, at which time he came to Clark County and bought eighty acres of land in Section 13, Grant Township. As it was all wild land he had plenty of pioneer work to do and started by building a log house, 18 by 26 feet which was somewhat larger than the houses of many of the settlers.

On Nov. 16, 1871, he married Helen Gluch, who was born in Germany, April 17, 1849, daughter of Henry and Rosina Gluch, and had come to America when 21 years old, her parents following later and settling in Grant Township also. She proved a worthy helpmate to him, working in the fields and assisting him to clear the land. Through hard work and perseverance they prospered, although at times they suffered misfortunes. They had at starting one cow and a calf, which formed their entire stock, and for the rest they had to depend on their hands. In 1872 a tornado destroyed their buildings and left them without anything, and later they lost-their stock from disease, but in spite of these setbacks they persevered, building a second log cabin, and at a later period a brick house of eleven rooms and a barn with basement, 40 by 64 feet, their son, Herman who now operates the farm having recently added a silo 12 by 30 feet. As there were no roads in the vicinity in early days, they often had to walk to Neillsville, carrying home their supplies. After about three years of toil under these disadvantageous conditions, they succeeded in procuring an ox team, with which they rode to church on Sunday. Food at times was scarce, but they ground corn and wheat in their coffee mill, when they had it to grind, and sometimes were obliged to pick wild berries to satisfy their hunger. To cut their grain they used an old fashioned cradle and used to flail it out.

Such experiences were common to the pioneer settlers in this and neighboring counties, but it is gratifying to note that Mr. and Mrs. Riedel outlived them and in their later years have enjoyed the reward of their former labors. They still reside on the homestead, with their son, Herman, and are both strong and well. They have been the parents of eight children-Augusta, John, Herman, Martin, Amelia, Augusta (second), Herman(second), and Emil. The two first named respectively Augusta and Herman died young, and John and Martin are also dead, the others are now living.