The Life of Karol Florian
Sikorski
more commonly known as
CHARLES JOSEPH SHIKOSKI
1886 Aug. 8 First
Communion of Florian Sick (Father Fred)
1904 March 17 Karol
Florian Sikowski, the son of Mary Dugenske
and Florian Sikorski was born at
home in a farm house on the Northwest
Road. Difficult birth, Dr. Baldwin made
an instrument delivery.
March 22 Baptism
registered at St. John the Baptist Church in Princeton
as Carule Florian Sikorski. Sponsors
were John Wozniak and Pauline Dugenske.
March 23 Mother
died of "child bed fever."
Grandmother, Pauline
Dugenske nursed Karol along with her son, Ted.
Priest from Princeton baptized him as
Karol Sikorski at the farm house
1905 June 20
His father Florian married Maggie Dugenske, a sister of his mother Mary.
1908 He moved with his father and family to a
farm his father had rented
belonging to Mr. Crabtree, a civil war veteran. This farm now owned by Arnold Zuehls.
1911 Enrolled in Kelm Rural School. Teacher told him that "Charles" was the "American" form of
his name. He was enrolled by the name of Charles Sikorsky.
1916 Karol Sikorski received First Communion at
St. John the Baptist Church in
Princeton.
1917 Oct. 23
Confirmed at St. John the Baptist Church. Took the
name "Joseph" as a confirmation name and thereafter used Joseph
as a middle name. Jacob Dudzinski,
sponsor
1918 April 1 Father
bought farm from I. O. Sherwood on Land Contract.
May 17
Graduated from Eighth Grade from Kelm School.
November Plowed field across the road for his father. All the church bells in Green Lake were
ringing. His father went to town to find out why and learned that the World War Armistice was signed.
1918-19 Family transferred membership from St. John
the Baptist Church in Princeton to
Our Lady of the Lake Church in Green
Lake.
c 1920 Built a combination swill house-milk house for his father who had bought clay block remnants from the lumber company. Blocks were hard to fit together because they came from different lots. Corner blocks were not matched with side blocks.
c 1926 Began working as a carpenter under Otto
Bierman for H. O. Stone Company
of Chicago at the Lawsonia Estate, building the
original hotel erected where the present Roger Williams
Hotel is on the Green Lake Conference Center. He also worked on some of
the houses on the Estate, including
the Ann Hathaway Cottage.
1929 Was working on the hotel when the stock
market crashed. Continued working until the hotel was finished, or at least enclosed, then was laid off.
1930s Found work where he could. Worked as a "hired hand" receiving "room and
board." Worked for Messerschmidt for a while. Also worked for Fred Siefert.
For one year he rented a farm from his
Uncle Frank Dugenske. Did not continue renting it because he hated to do his own cooking.
Early Lived with his father, helping him with
chores, etc. 1940s Hired out doing odd jobs like yard or garden
work, putting up and taking down
piers, repairing buildings, etc. Was a "handy man" for lake shore
people and for Maplewood,
working "by the day" or "by the job".
1942 Summer
Met Harriet on the Maplewood pier shortly after erecting it. Started
dating her. They went to county fairs, movies and bowling with Vic
Swader and his date.
October Drafted into the U. S. Army. Trained in Medical Corp. at Camp Barkeley, Texas.
1943 February
Received Honorable Discharge from army.
Worked for V. S. Kutchin as
Maplewood's primary farm hand.
1944 April 1
Joined his brother John in buying their father's farm on a land contract.
May 20
Married Harriet Grant at Guardian Angel Church in Almond. Continued to work on Maplewood Farm, wife
worked as waitress and cook's
helper for Maplewood Hotel.
Oct. 1
With John took over their father's farm.
1945 Feb 7
Became the father of twins, Virginia and Robert.
Dec. 18 House burned down. Began to live with wife and children in a 12 x 16 foot building, built
for a Rod Shop by Norton's.
1946 Mar 21
Bought out John's half interest in the farm they bought from their father.
Aug 27
Son Richard was born.
November Moved 12 x 16 foot building close to woodshed and built a passage between them to make a
two room dwelling.
1947 Aug. 11
Daughter Frances born.
1948 Feb 26 Took
care of his young children when his wife was
in the hospital for surgery.
March 1 Paid off farm mortgage in full by selling off much chattel (some cattle, 3 horses, all
pigs including breeding stock,
corn and oats.) This greatly reduced his
farm chores leaving him more
time to work on building a house.
1949 Mar 10
Daughter Anna born.
1949-50 Dug basement with F-12, laid cement footings,
laid cement block foundation,
framed house.
1950 May
4 Son William born.
1951 Contracted out work of siding, roofing and
plastering of house to save time
rather than doing this work himself.
June 30 Son David born.
1952 Continued working on new house.
Sept 28 Daughter Alice born. Sold the last two horses.
December Moved into unfinished house he was building.
1955 Aug. 27
Daughter Carol born.
1957 Aug. 12
Daughter Barbara born.
1960 Volunteered work on building Our Lady of
the Lake Church, taking with him
Bob and Dick as helpers.
1965 Lightening struck silo, weakening it so
that it fell apart.
c 1966-67 Road built through Shikoski farm. Bought that triangular piece of farmland from Maplewood owners
that had been left on the NW side of
newly re-routed Hwy 23.
1969 Diagnosed as having "Farmer's
Lung." Told to stay out of barn if he wanted to live.
July
Sold all cattle.
1970 Attended Real Estate classes in Oshkosh.
August
Sold Southeast corner property to Bel Air Inc. for recreational use.
This tract of land now owned by Big
Green Stor-It Warehousing.
1980 Attended Real Estate classes in Oshkosh.
Became a Funk Seed Corn salesman.
1987 Jan 2
Died from an accident driving an all terrain vehicle. Accident
happened in the same field in which he was
plowing for his father in November, 1918.
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