My grandpa, August Herman Rettammel Sr. was born one-hundred years after the Declaration of Independence was signed and the 13 colonies continued their fight for freedom from England.  Actually the country was approaching the centennial celebration when he was born in Chicago on June 4, 1876, exactly one month before the country was 100 years old. August was the second child to live to adult-hood to parents August F. (Franklin or Fredrick) Rettammel and Louise (nee Felix) Rettammel. Grandpa’s parents were both from East Prussia, Germany and came to the United States in 1865. Grandpa had an older sister called Eva born in Chicago in 1873.

Grandpa early life is sketchy but he was raised in Chicago, going to Lutheran German church, school until possibly 1892 when he would have been 16 years old. Chicago City directory indicates that in 1892 grandpa’s family lived at 351 Southport Ave. and that Grandpa was working as a Machinist.

Grandpa’s father August F. Rettammel bought land in Juneau County Wisconsin in 1897 from a couple out of Chicago. Thereafter I assume that Grandpa followed his father to Wisconsin. However in January 1901 Grandpa married Ida Behrend from Marinette, WI. The Behrend originally were in Chicago. So not sure how Grandpa met his first wife but between time of marriage in 1901 until Ida (Behrend) Rettammel died in November 1907 he lived in Marinette, WI.

Thereafter Grandpa moved to Juneau County with his daughters, Elise and Mabel Rettammel to Lyndon Station, WI. On August 1909 he married my grandma Ernestina Wendland of Lyndon Station and St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. Witnesses were Emil and Minnie Siekert, and Theodore Rettammel and Tillie Schliske, all of Lyndon Station. The Reverand E.G. A. Wachholz presided.