Victor George Edward "Vic" Fiegel is buried in the Bickett/Fiegel plot, Grave 3, Lot 6, Block 32, Oak Hill Cemetery, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI. Helen Means (Bickett) Fiegel is buried in the Bickett/Fiegel plot, Grave 2, Lot 6, Block 32, Oak Hill Cemetery, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI. Alan Thomas Fiegel, is buried in the Bickett/Fiegel plot, Grave 1, Lot 6, Block 32, Oak Hill Cemetery, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI.

Victor George Edward "Vic" Fiegel birth record.

The Xenia Daily Gazette, Xenia, Greene Co., OH, Saturday, September 7, 1912

YELLOW SPRINGS

Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Bickett are the proud parents of a new baby daughter.

The WWI Draft Registration Form dated June 5, 1917,  shows Victor A. Fiegel, born October 30, 1886, in Austin, TX, is living at 137 W. 16th Street, City of Los Angeles, CA. He has a wife and child.

       

           

The 1932 edition of The Ariel Yearbook shows Helen Bickett, Watertown, is a Freshman at Lawrence College, Appleton, Outagamie Co., WI.

Lawrence University was originally named Lawrence Institute of Wisconsin in its 1847 charter from the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, but the name was changed to Lawrence University before classes began in November, 1849. Lawrence University was the second coeducational institution in the country. From 1913 until 1964, it was named Lawrence College, to emphasize its small size and liberal arts education focus. The name returned to Lawrence University when it merged with Milwaukee Downer College.

The 1933 edition of The Wisconsin Badger Yearbook shows Helen M. Bickett, Class of 1934, is living at Chadbourne Hall, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Dane Co., WI.

The 1933 edition of The Wisconsin Badger Yearbook shows Helen Bickett, Watertown, is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, 220 Lawn Place, Madison, Dane Co., WI.

   

The 1934 edition of The Wisconsin Badger Yearbook shows Helen Bickett, Watertown, is a member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority, 220 Lawn Place, Madison, Dane Co., WI.

       

   

This picture of Helen Means Bickett was used for the Senior Class picture of the 1934 edition of The Wisconsin Badger Yearbook, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Dane Co., WI.

HELEN M. BICKETT, Watertown; School of Commerce; Lawrence College 1; Congregational Student Cabinet 2; Commerce Club 4; Y.W.C.A. 2, 3, 4; Alpha Gamma Delta.

After Helen Means Bickett graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Dane Co., WI, she went to live with her parents at 700 Clyman St., Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI.

The 1934 City Directory for Watertown, WI, shows Bickett LeRoy M (Gertrude) pres L M Bickett Co r700 Clyman

Bickett Helen M r700 Clyman

Bickett Ruth G student r700 Clyman

Bickner Arth J (Alice C) trav h905  7th

The 1936 City Directory for Watertown, WI, shows Bickett LeRoy M (Gertrude) pres L M Bickett Co r700 Clyman

Bickett Helen M bkpr L M Bickett Co r700 Clyman

Bickett Ruth G clk L M Bickett Co r700 Clyman

Bickner Arth J (Alice C) slsmn h905  7th

The Galveston Coastal News, Galveston, Galveston Co., TX, Friday, June 25, 1937

To the right are a group of visitors from Wisconsin, who have been spending the week here as the guests of Mrs. W. J. Chapman and daughter, Miss Jean Chapman. Miss Ruth Bickett, standing, and Miss Helen Bickett, seated on the top step, are the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. L. M. Bickett of Watertown, Wis., and the nieces of Mrs. Chapman. They were accompanied by Miss Doris Kaddatz, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. C. Kaddatz, of Watertown, who is seated on the lowest step. Miss Chapman, who is pictured with the group will accompany them when they leave. They will spend a few days in New Orleans before returning home.

   

 The fishing boat "Eva" in Galveston, Galveston Co., TX, owned by Dora Agnes "Aggie" (Bickett) Chapman. Pictures courtesy of Anne Kathleen (Chapman) Merillat.

Bettison's Pier, one of Galveston's most popular fishing spots of the early 1900's. Operated by Capt. R. L. Bettison, his pier and fishing house was located on the North Jetty, seven miles from the city. Bettison offered free transportation to the pier. The pier sold bait and tackle and had overnight accommodations... for men only. On July 21, 1909 a hurricane struck Galveston... the city's first major test of its new seawall. There was extensive damage to Galveston's beachfront, and both Murdock's and The Breakers were destroyed. But, as the newspaper declared: "the seawall paid for itself today." Though the seawall was strewn with debris, it weathered the storm and came through with flying colors. Not a single life was lost in the city of Galveston. However, 5 lives were lost on outlying fishing piers. Two of those lives lost were those of Capt. Bettison and his wife when Bettison's Pier was completely destroyed during the storm. Their bodies were found within 12 hours, but the coroner reported that nearly every bone in Mrs. Bettison's body was broken, a testament to the awful struggle the two had endured

The 1938 City Directory for Watertown, WI, shows Bickett LeRoy M (Gertrude) pres L M Bickett Co r700 Clyman

Bickett Helen M acct L M Bickett Co r700 Clyman

Bickett Ruth G clk L M Bickett Co r700 Clyman

Bickner Arth J (Alice) slsmn h905  7th

           

Helen Means Bickett, in her wedding dress, with her sister, Ruth Gertrude Bickett, 700 Clyman Street, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI.

   

Alan Thomas Fiegel Oak Hill Cemetery Interment Records.

Victor Kirt "Rip" Fiegel, about 1948, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI.

Victor Kirt "Rip" Fiegel, about 1954, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI.

Wisconsin Congregational Conference Pilgrim Camp, Green Lake, Green Lake Co., WI, June 20-25, 1955. Click on the picture for an enhanced for a large JPG file in a 19X13 format.

Vic and Helen returned to Watertown in 1944 and Vic worked at the L. M. Bickett Company until September, 1952, when they moved to Walworth, WI, and started the A. K. Rubber Products Company, on the proverbial shoestring. The company prospered, and in 1956 Vic and Helen bought property in Elkhorn, WI, put up a building, and moved the company there. In the fall of 1957 Vic and Helen themselves moved to Elkhorn. The company was incorporated in 1959.

The Janesville Daily Gazette, Janesville, Rock Co., WI, Wednesday, September 8, 1954

WALWORTH - A son, Edward Todd, was born Saturday to Mr. and Mrs. Victor Fiegel at St. Mary's Hospital, Watertown. The Fiegels have one other son, Kirt, 12.

The Janesville Daily Gazette, Janesville, Rock Co., WI, Friday, May 8, 1956

WALWORTH - A. K. Rubber Products Co. has completed plans to move from Walworth to Elkhorn. The firm will start next week on construction of a 5,600-square foot factory located on W. Centralia street. The move from the R. P. Maxon property in Walworth will be made because of a need to expand floor space and to better shipping facilities. Owner and manager of the company is Victor Fiegel, who established the plant here four years ago, moving from Watertown. All present personnel will continue employment at Elkhorn. The Fiegel family will maintain their home in Walworth.

       

Victor Kirt "Rip" Fiegel graduated from Elkhorn High School, Elkhorn, Walworth Co., WI, in the Class of 1960.

       

Dixie Lee Ann Daacon graduated from Elkhorn High School, Elkhorn, Walworth Co., WI, in the Class of 1961.

Victor Kirt "Rip" Fiegel and Dixie Lee Ann Daacon marriage record.

Helen Means (Bickett) Fiegel and Victor George Fiegel, about 1980.

The Watertown Daily Times, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI, Saturday, June 26, 1954, Centennial Edition

Square Dancers United to Form Do-Si-Do Club in City

In the spring of 1950, five Watertown couples discovered that when each arrived at a square dance somewhere around the vicinity the others were also there. This led to friendship and plans to go to these dances together. One thing led to another, until Mrs. Ted Koerner, Jr. and Vic Fiegel decided it was high time Watertown had a club of its own.

Met in Basement

In May, the Ted Koerners, Les Kaerchers, Bill Dauers and Vic Fiegels started meeting in the Fiegel's basement, usually on the night square dancing was on TV. They bought the few records available in town and went to work - and work it was, with completely unfamiliar calls every few seconds until the familiar “Promenade your Partner”. Slowing down the records and finding an occasional dance duplicated on TV the group really got goin’.” Another couple added to the group was the Art Killians. It was later decided that going to a Milwaukee dance would help the learning process. They attended a dance of ‘Doc’ New land’s (who is one of the present callers) and immediately found out how much they did not know - quote Helen Fiegel, “Were we green!” At any rate this dancing with “Doc” spoiled the other dancing and it was decided there just had to be something better for Watertown and more couples had to get the swing and have the fun of good square dancing. The next few months were spent contacting couples who might be interested, trying to locate a hall, and trying to find a Milwaukee caller who would come to Watertown and start from the bottom with a group who had only enthusiasm as an asset.

Obtained Elks Hall

Sept. 10, 1950 was finally selected as the date and 100 couples had said yes they’d come. Vic Fiegel, ruler in hand, spent two weeks measuring halls in town and finally obtained the Elk’s Hall. The next few days were spent al­ternately worrying about not having anyone show up and the original five footing the bill for everything - or on the other hand, being mobbed and not having enough room for the crowd.

The dance was a huge success and 44 couples signed up to belong to the club which Alice Dauer and Edna Kaercher dubbed the Do Ci Do Club when they were sending out the first postal cards to announce the dances. The name was later changed to the Do-Si-Do Club of Watertown, as the Si spelling is the one most commonly used by square dance publications. At first, the club was more or less allowed to run itself by general opinion of what needed doing but it finally seemed necessary to get down to something more businesslike. Vic Fiegel was elected president and Bill Dauer, treasurer, for a series of five dances. However at the end of those five there was enough in the treasury - so a sixth dance was added to the series. Then a new group of volunteers took over the official duties. Thus the club was run until the spring of 1951. It was decided to become a member of the SDAW (Square Dance Association of Wisconsin). This necessitated a set of by-laws and a complete set of officers. First officers of the club were: Ted Koerner Jr., president; William Frish, vice-president; James Wilson, secretary, and Ray Kaercher, treasurer. All officers are elected as couples instead of as individuals. Meetings during the winter months are held on the second and fourth Sundays in Moose Hall. During the summer the group meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays in Riverside Park.

Jamboree Here

As members of the SDAW our first state-wide Jamboree was held in June of 1953 at Turner Hall with a capacity crowd from every part of the state. At that time the club numbered only 18 member couples but earned the enviable reputation of having the SDAW ask when the club would again play host to the state group. This dance was set up for July 2 of this year but cancelled by Do-Si­Do in deference to the centennial plans. Do-Si-Do members are taking an active part in the Centennial: Sister-of-the-Swish Chapter, street demonstration, centurama, old time and square dance at Turner Hall, and Squaring ‘Em Up for the Cavalcade. Also a TV show for one hour over the Madison Station June 19. From its small beginning in the spring of 1950, has come this thriving club of 1954. May it survive and grow through the next century as Watertown itself has done in the last. Hats off to Watertown; may our children and grandchildren see its second hundred years - the first 100 are the hardest.

Officers and Members

The present officers and members of the Do-Si-Do Club are: President, Marion and Barbara Elliott; vice-president, Joe and Maxine Rhodes; secretary, Harold and Ann Smith; treasurer, Fred and Audamae Bucheger; historian, James and Esther Wilson.

The following letter was sent from Helen to her sister, Ruth Larson, in 1973.

Sunday, April 29, 1973

Dear Ruth,

I have been trying to sort out my thoughts ever since we came back from Ohio so I could write a coherent letter and tell you what I found out. It was such an interesting trip and how I wish we could have stayed a day or two longer. Vic was very patient but at the end of two days I knew he'd just about had it, so we started on our way home. Of course we had rain almost all the time we were there.

Monday morning we went to the cemetery at Clifton, which is only three or four miles from Yellow Springs. When we neared Clifton we saw a state policeman walking along the road and asked him directions and he directed us to a filling station for more information. At the time I sort of wondered why we would see a state policeman in that particular place, but from what I heard on the radio as we were driving Wednesday morning I think I know. More about that farther on. We found this old cemetery which they say is still being used but there is no sexton so we couldn't get help in locating specific graves. The cemetery is at the top of a small hill, and when you look at those old, old gravestones and read the dates on them you literally get carried back in time and think of all the history those names represent. Near the road the first stones we found had what we thought said "Mary Bickett, wife of Henry Bickett", and then another Mary Bickett, Henry Bickett, and children's names. We carefully moved weeds away and Vic took a picture of one, and I was quite excited, thinking that proved what I had felt all along, that Bicketts were there earlier than the book said, when we suddenly realized that name was Rickett, not Bickett.

Anyway, we found Baker markers, some of the sons of Thomas and their families, but we did not have time to find Thomas and Sarah, and George, his son and our great-great-grandfather or his wife, which was the one I particularly wanted to find, to get her name, at least her first name because they didn't put maiden names on them. I already have a clue as to her maiden name. We used chalk to bring out the lettering because the stones were so worn. We were really covering the area systematically when the rain started and a very strong wind came up which probably seemed even worse because we were on a hilltop. At the same time we heard two cars with sirens going driving around the countryside, and with all that wind the only thought I had was that it must be a tornado warning. (I heard later other people half expected a tornado, too.) So we decided we had better quit and be on our way, with full intentions of coming back to Clifton.

Wednesday we heard on the radio there had been quite a car chase around the Clifton area, with the police chasing someone who was finally caught. Which probably explained the presence of the state policeman and also the sirens.

We drove back to Yellow Springs and saw the sign "Cemetery Road" across the highway from us in Yellow Springs and thought it would probably take us to Glen Forest Cemetery, so we took it. After we started up that street I remembered Mr. Shaw, the former Glen Forest sexton who had sent me information about the Baker and Bickett lots there, lived on Cemetery St., and there we were, right in front of his house. He was at home and was delighted to come along with us. It was raining pretty hard by that time. I told him I wanted to see about getting Grandmother's grave marked and he said we were in luck, that the present sexton was there as he had a funeral that morning. He sent us off in the right direction and then went home--I guess there's some professional jealousy there.

We found the Baker lot. There are at least three Baker lots, one is our grandparents and one is our great-grandparents', and another that might be a relation but there was too much to do to spend time finding out. Our lot has an enormous stone in the center which says Baker on it, but there are only three graves. One is Ralph W., a baby, and it has a small marker. One is Grandfather Baker's grave, and they have a lovely large stone on that with raised lettering which would cost a fortune now. At the foot of his grave is another marker put up by the G.A.R. because he was a Civil War veteran. Then Mr. Shaw told us he was sure Grandmother's grave was right next to Grandfather's, without any marker.

I had visualized a center stone with a place for all the names of those who were buried there, but such was not the case. We found that the present sexton also sells markers, and since he was busy then we made an appointment for 1:00 Tuesday afternoon to look at literature, and in the meantime he would check on the lot and see what color, etc., he would recommend. So back we went, on Tuesday, and I ended up doing the only thing I could, ordering a stone marker. It is the flat kind like what is used today--it would have been impossibly expensive to match the . one on Grandfather's grave. I believe it is something like 13" or 14" by 24", and is raised about 8" above the ground. It will have on it "Helen M. Baker, 1844-1925". The cost, completely set in place, is $164.00. I had no idea it was going to cost anything like that, before we went to the cemetery, but the grave must be marked, and I am willing to pay it, and if you can give anything toward it, that would be fine. I just saw no other way out of the problem. It will be all in place before Memorial Day, and he will bill me after it is done.

When this was finished it was really raining hard. The sexton told us the Gerhardt graves were near the road and pointed out where to look, but we could not find them from the road in the cemetery, so we did not see them or find the Bickett lot either. The only Bicketts who are buried there are Maude, Arnold, and Ruth. Of course after you get home you think why didn't you look particularly for the Gerhardt lot--maybe our great-grandmother Dorothea Whiele Gebauer Gerhardt is buried there, although that is only a slim chance.

Back to Monday. We returned to Xenia and went to Woodland Cemetery there, and the wife of the sexton was very nice and helpful. We found the Bickett lot which I thought (!) had the graves of our ancestors. I did not see the grave of our grandfather George and I do not know where he is buried.

I then called Marguerite Williams, Mom's friend and former Yellow Springs (LRL note: next door neighbor in 1910 and 17 years younger) neighbor and the one with whom I have exchanged several letters. I told her we would like to take her to dinner that night, but she absolutely refused and said it would be impossible for her to go, as she gets around with a walker. But she would like us to come for a simple supper in her kitchen. But I didn't want her to bother, and we left it that we would come to see her at 7:00 that evening. When we got back to the motel at 5:00 there was a message to call her--she would expect us at 6:15. She's apparently quite strong-willed. So we bought some flowers to take to her, and we went. She is an interesting conversationalist, and she does have strong opinions. She also told me to be sure to thank Mr. Ankeney, a man who lives in Xenia and who hunted up some Baker information for her before she wrote me what information she could. I tried repeatedly to get him on the phone but it was always busy, so I have written him a note. Before we left she gave me a plate which Mom had given Marguerite's sister Florence I don't know when, probably between 60 and 70 years ago. I should have just thanked her profusely and let it go at that, but not me--I immediately said I was going to see that Joyce got that plate, and then had to go into details about who Joyce was, etc. I have also written her how dear Joyce had always been to Mom, and how I felt she would really appreciate it. With the very best of intentions, it's so easy to put one's foot in one's mouth. I could just have given Joyce the plate, and not said anything. Florence was Marguerite's oldest sister and I think about Mom's age (LRL note: 3 years younger).

Monday afternoon I spent at the courthouse, and I found the county records are anything but complete. It is impossible to do anything about correcting Pal's birth certificate since he is no longer alive, even though I had brought his death certificate along and the lady said it very obviously was wrong. So that is that. Also old death records do not give the information the present-day ones do--names of parents, birthplace, etc., but just the name, date of death, cause of death, and I'm not sure whether they give the  age. I found the record of Uncle Earl's birth, and found his first name was Manley, which was a family name in Grandmother Bickett's ancestry. Uncle Manley Simons was a rear admiral, but I haven't yet found out whether the name belongs in her father's or her mother's ancestry. I did find the will of our great-great-great-grandfather Thomas Baker, and the names of all his children and also the names of the four grandchildren who lived with him--our great-grandfather Isaac was one of the grandchildren, and his father George was one of Thomas's sons and died in 1814 from a wound he received in the War of 1812. I did not know the date of our Grandmother and Grandfather Bickett's marriage so I hunted in vain for that, too.

From 1908 on, birth and death records are kept at the Health Department at the hospital, so about 8:30 the next morning, Tuesday, we arrived at the hospital. And they are incomplete--many were sent directly to Columbus, so I have a couple of forms here for requesting information. Then a series of fortunate coincidences happened. A man standing nearby talking with the girls behind the desk heard me asking questions. He followed us outside, and asked what name we were searching for. I told him I would love to find some lady whose maiden name was Bickett, because she might know family history, so he said he knew one and would take us to her house. Also I inquired about the First Baptist Church, for the Simons family went to that church, and he pointed it out. Then he took us to the home of a Mrs. Myrtle Peterson, whose maiden name was Bickett. I introduced myself to her and she said are you from Watertown, Wisconsin, because someone had been in Watertown one time and reported there were Bicketts there, and a rubber factory. She had records and we compared them, and I found out the name of the town in Pennsylvania where William R. Bickett and John Henry Bickett were born, in other words I have located the Coaquilla Valley, and when I looked at the Pennsylvania map for Lewistown I found a Reedsville and a McVeytown nearby. So research on that county should prove very interesting. Anyway, I told her our great-grandfather was Adam Reed Bickett, son of William R. Bickett, and she said she had never heard of him, and she was descended from William R. Bickett. There was an Adam R. who was her grandfather's brother, but they called him Uncle Reynolds. So I figured he must have preferred that to Adam, and let it go at that.

I went to the First Baptist Church, and the minister was extremely courteous and obliging, and couldn't understand why my letter to his church last November had not been delivered but instead returned to me. We looked back in his old records and found Joseph A. Simons, Grandmother's father, had contributed to the church through 1899, but not in 1900, so that's a clue to when he died. Also there was a Mrs. William Simons (Aunt Emma ?) and son, but I didn't think Aunt Emma had any children--perhaps she had a son who died. And there was another Simons family--obviously other relatives moved here along with Grandmother's parents.

Then we went to the Second United Presbyterian Church, where the minister apologized profusely for not answering my letter to him, of last November. He still had it out on his desk. And I met a Mrs. Lois Bickett who was working in the office-­Bickett is an uncommon name, to be sure, everywhere but in Xenia, where there are very many, and Mrs. Lois Bickett couldn't believe you seldom find it. And in Xenia apparently they all belong to the Second United Presbyterian Church, and I bet the reason there was a rift between Adam Reed Bickett and his son George was because George married a Baptist. Anyway I told Reverend Beams that what I had asked him in my letter was all wrong, that I had been positively shocked to find Ann Galloway married John Jacoby when I had been sure she married a Junkin and was our great-great-grandmother. What I was trying to find was the old records of the Massie's Creek Church which merged with the Second United Presbyterian and whether they would tell who Mary Ann Junkin's parents were (she was Adam Reed Bickett's wife). We looked in his old records but we couldn't find anything on the Massie's Creek Church. He was quite interested in what church I belonged to, and understood how come in Wisconsin where there is a Congregational Church there is no Presbyterian because it was settled by New Englanders and the two churches cooperated in those days so they wouldn't duplicate efforts. During all this research I have read up a lot on Presbyterian history, and I was well prepared to talk with him.

Back at the motel I thought I would call the library, and there I found a lot of resources. The Mormon Church has put many, many records from all over the world on microfilm, and in return for borrowing the records to start with they give microfilm copies--in this case the county hadn't wanted them so the library took them and also had a microfilm reader which I had learned to use in Madison. We were there until after 6:00 and then I said I wished I had looked up something else, so Vic said well, the library's open until 9:00, so we went back and stayed until closing. I looked at old newspapers from the 1840's hoping for a report of the Junkin-Bickett wedding--for some reason they didn't have copies of the papers for the years around then, besides the weddings weren't written up as they are now, with names of parents, just the fact that the wedding took place. I did find the date of the Simons-Bickett wedding, which you might like to put in the family Bible--George and Elizabeth (it is listed as Elizabeth on the record) October 27, 1875. Ages aren't given, he attested he was 21 and she that she was 18, just legal ages, as he was born in 1851. The clergyman was B. Bedell--I would be interested in finding out whether he was Baptist or Presbyterian!

At the library the librarians were so friendly and helpful. One found the name of a semi-professional genealogist and called her about the Junkin family, and I am going to write to her and have her do what she can about that, and the connection with the Galloway family. And I told them when I am through with all this research I will send them a copy, which they would be happy to have. They have records of who is buried in which cemetery, which is very interesting, and they have a copier so I brought home copies of a few pages. The Clifton one is done but only the page with the W's is at the library. They called for me and found the rest of it is not yet ready for placing in the library. There I could find out the first name of George's wife (Baker). I think I will ask them to send me copies when they get the rest of it.

They told me about this at the library, and I picked up the order blank which I am enclosing. I am going to order a copy of Robinson's History for myself. The history I have here is tom Dills', dated 1881. Robinson's is dated, I believe, 1902, and is based largely on Dills', plus having an index in the center of many, many early settlers. It has far more information in it than Dills'. I had looked at an old copy of it in Madison and copied some of the biographical sketches and parts of the settlers' index on the Xerox, but I always wish I had also copied something else, too. I'm enclosing the order blank because you might want one, too.

After we had ordered the gravestone and before we went to the library, we went to see Margaret Kahoe, who is a charming person. She is the one who sent me the copies of the old papers about Thomas Baker being in the Revolution. I called her Monday around 5:00 and told her we would like to stop in on Tuesday afternoon, and got directions to find her home, in the country. Remember Mom's cousin Josephine Hutchison Littleton, whom she thought so much of? Josephine's mother Hester was our Grandfather Baker's sister. Marguerite Williams had written me that there had been some trouble, that for years Hester and Grandfather did not speak to each other, but after Grandfather died she could remember seeing Mom help Aunt Hester across the street to see Grandmother. She said, do not speak of this to any of the living, that she did not know what the trouble had been. But I have an idea it had to do with division of the homestead property. Margaret Kahoe's mother (Nettie, I believe) and Josephine were sisters, daughters of Hester, and Margaret lives on some of that property, in a very interesting old house which she and her husband have modernized, refinished woodwork, etc., and the house in which she (Margaret) was born. When giving directions, she said that on the corner of the road where we were to turn was what used to be Grandmother Baker's house (our great-grandmother), and she laughed a little self-consciously when she said it as though there was a story connected with it. Margaret was born in 1914, and her husband is city-manager of Yellow Springs, and is about to retire. They wanted to take us out to dinner that night. Her husband had hoped to get home while we were there, but he didn't arrive. At that point we still planned to start for home that evening, so we said we couldn't, though I suggested we might stay, but it was vetoed. She had a little additional information to give me about the Bakers, also she asked if we were related in any way to the Means family. I have wondered ever since just how Willie Baker (some kind of cousin, the one who had all these old papers which Margaret now has) ever got hold of this particular letter. It was a letter written by a Catholic Sister to Mr. Julian after Aunt Gertie died, telling just how much good care they had given her, and the immediate chores they did right after death. If ever a letter was asking for money, that was. I showed no interest in it at all. I think Mom's life had been dominated by the Means influence, that she had done this and that because the Meanses wanted it, a dress she had to wear for high school graduation because it had been a gift from them and she didn't like it, furniture which she didn't want--such as that hat rack at the front door, etc., and then no inheritance. One time you showed me photo albums with all the pictures removed. I am certain they were Means photographs. A frame which I had rescued because she was going to give it to Goodwill was here with a picture of Mr. Means in it, and one time Mom saw it and said how on earth did that get here--I think she got rid of all the things she had always hated but had to keep because they were Means family things. She didn't feel that way about everything else, but she certainly did about pictures.

Now about what has been sent to me since we came home. This arrived only yesterday--a letter from Myrtle Peterson, the (I've figured it out), the fourth-cousin once removed, from Xenia. She sent a letter telling me she just can't figure out Adam Reed Bickett, that she is descended from William R. Bickett and knows who all his children were. You see, originally there were two Bickett brothers who settled in Greene County, William R. (I supposed and still do that that R. stands for Reed, his mother's maiden name) and John Henry. In the History William R. is listed as marrying Isabella Alexander, and their children are listed, beginning with Adam R. Now when I saw that I assumed (and I've found you shouldn't assume anything in genealogical research) that Adam R. meant Adam Reed whose family Bible you have. The only thing against that was the fact that Adam Reed was born in 1822, and the History says William R. and Isabella were married in 1827--well, that could have been 1821 and someone misread it as 1827 and perpetuated the error. Also among Adam Reed Bickett's children was a son named John Henry, and I have wondered how come they named a son for an uncle when not one of the sons was named William for the father. Since yesterday I have had to re-orient my thinking, and I think I'm on the right track now. There must have been two Adam R.’s, one Adam Reynolds who was a son of William R. and Adam Reed who was a son of John Henry Bickett. Adam Reynolds must have been the younger of the two if his parents were married in 1827, so perhaps to avoid confusion he tent by his second name. That means that our great-great-grandmother was not Isabella Alexander Bickett, but Margaret Dean Bickett, and believe me, that simplifies things for me because the Robinson's History Index gives the Dean genealogy way back to Ireland. That means all the thought I've given to the Alexander lineage was wasted because that doesn't pertain to us at all.

Myrtle Peterson says she goes to the library frequently, in fact she enclosed a couple of pages which she Xeroxed for me just this week, but I already have that information. I am going to write to her next, if I ever get this letter finished, and ask her if she will check and see if she can find descendants of John Henry Bickett and how many children he had, etc. I already know of three--Adam Reed, his sister Mary who gave him the Bible, and Daniel Bickett, named for his mother's father, Daniel Dean. I have sent for some DAR information on various people, at $2.00 per name I thought it was a pretty good buy for verified information, and among the names is one for Alexander which now doesn't mean a thing to me.

People are so very kind and willing to help. I know the genealogist I am going to write to in Xenia will charge something, but if she can come up with some answers it will be worth it.

I am so very sorry the Manors were not in Xenia when we were there. I'm sure I could have gotten some leads on Grandmother's (Bickett) family from them. I didn't get any answers to the questions I wrote them last November, but maybe if I wrote again I will have better luck. From cemetery records I know Gilletts and Randalls also moved to Greene County. Grandmother Bickett's husband was Joseph A. Simons, her mother was a Gillett, and her mother's mother a Randall. They went to Michigan briefly probably locating relations there, and then returned to Greene County. The Aneke Jans story became a family story because an Aneke Jans descendant named Sutherland married a Randall. That must have happened in Michigan. There are Gilletts and Randalls buried around Lansing, and we stayed at a Randall's Inn at Notre Dame (Niles, Michigan), and the other day in my own kitchen I found a clue--a paper cup was made at Sutherland Paper Co., Kalamazoo, Michigan. Funny how these things happen.

I have spent a couple of hours writing this, so I guess it's time I stopped. I still have three letters to write, and I can't spend much more time on this project or thought either, for that matter. We will be leaving a week from next Friday and won't be home until June 1, and I have sewing to do, plus a lot of other preparations and planning food for Todd because he will be coming home while we are gone. I know we will have a wonderful time, but there's so much to be done at home at this time of year. And I can't help thinking about these unanswered genealogy questions while I'm doing other things.

I've gone to great detail in this letter--I have been so excited about all the things I keep finding out, and you are the only other person who would be as interested as I. Sometime I want to go back to Ohio.

Love,

Helen

Victor George Edward "Vic" Fiegel Death Certificate.

   

Victor George Edward "Vic" Fiegel Oak Hill Cemetery Interment Records.

The Janesville Daily Gazette, Janesville, Rock Co., WI, Monday, November 11, 1985

Victor George Fiegel, 75, of 434 Oakland, died Saturday at Holton Manor Nursing Home, Elkhorn. He was born Oct. 16, 1910, in Little Rock, Ark., and spent his early life in Galveston, Texas. He married Helen Bickett on Oct. 16, 1938, in Watertown, where they lived until 1952 when they moved to Walworth. They had resided in Elkhorn since 1957. He Founded the A.K. Rubber Products Co., Elkhorn, in 1952, retiring in 1976. He was a member of the Elkhorn Kiwanis Club and the Walworth-Fontana Rotary Club and a past president of the latter with a 28-year perfect attendance record. He was a member of the Elkhorn Congregational Church of Christ, serving as moderator, deacon, trustee and building committee chairman. He was also active in Boy Scouting. Surviving are his wife; two sons, Victor Kirt of Elkhorn and Edward Todd of Boulder, Colo.; and two grandchildren. Services were held this morning at the Congregational United Church of Christ, Elkhorn, with burial in Oak Hill Cemetery, Watertown. Memorials may be made to the church. Betts Funeral Home, Elkhorn, was in charge of arrangements.

The following genealogy information was written by Helen to a Bickett researcher in 1987:

Victor G. Fiegel was born in Little Rock, AR in 1910, and when he was four years old the family moved to Los Angeles, CA. On January 28, 1919 he was run over by the wheel of a wagon, and the injuries to his leg kept him hospitalized for four months. His parents had divorced, and in May he went back to Texas with his father and lived with an aunt and uncle in Austin while recuperating. In June, 1920 he went to live with his father in Galveston, TX where he grew up. After attending a business college in El Paso, TX in 1929-1930, he went to Eureka, CA where his mother and stepfather lived, and worked for some time as a dental technician for his stepfather. He enlisted in the merchant marines and made several trips across the Pacific, before returning to Galveston.

Helen was born in Yellow Springs, OH in 1912, but grew up in Watertown, WI, where the family moved in 1921. After high school, where she was active in music organizations, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison with a degree in Business Administration (School of Commerce). She was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. These were Depression years and she worked on several of the student-assistance programs.

We met in Galveston, TX and were married in Watertown, WI October 16, 1938. We lived in Galveston until 1940 when we moved to Watertown and Vic worked at the L. M. Bickett company. After World War II began, in 1942, we moved back to the Galveston area and lived in LaMarque and Texas City while Vic worked at the Pan-American oil refinery. We returned to Watertown in 1944 and Vic worked at the L. M. Bickett Company until September, 1952 when we moved to Walworth, WI and started the A. K. Rubber Products company, on the proverbial shoestring. The company prospered, and in 1956 we bought property in Elkhorn, put up a building, and moved the company there. In the fall of 1957 we ourselves moved to Elkhorn. The company was incorporated in 1959, and at this writing it has been in existence for 28 years and has a very solid foundation.

We have been active in the Congregational Church in Elkhorn, both of us having served in a number of capacities over the years. Vic has been moderator, and as chairman of the building committee when our Christian Education Building was erected in 1970. He was a member of the Elkhorn Kiwanis club and the Walworth-Fontana Rotary Club, with 27 years perfect attendance in the Rotary Club. Helen has enjoyed serving as piano accompanist for music contestants from the Elkhorn school for about 15 years, and has pinch-hit as organist at the church on occasion. Also--she spent eight years working on this genealogy project, searching libraries and county courthouses across the country, writing hundreds of letters, and becoming acquainted with hitherto-unknown relatives.

All three of our children were born in Watertown, although when Todd was born we were living in Walworth. Alan only lived to be 26 months old. Kirt and Todd graduated from Elkhorn High School, where both excelled in instrumental music. Kirt graduated from Carroll College in 1964 with a degree in business administration, having spent his junior year at the University of Hawaii, in Honolulu, Todd graduated from the School of Music of the University of WI-Madison in 1976, with a degree in music education. In 1980 he received his master's degree in conducting, also in Madison.

Kirt took over management and ownership of the A. K. Rubber Products Co. Inc. in 1980, and Todd is now assistant professor of music at Muskingum College in New Concord, OH.

Helen Means (Bickett) Fiegel Death Certificate.

   

Helen Means (Bickett) Fiegel Oak Hill Cemetery Interment Records.

The Janesville Daily Gazette, Janesville, Rock Co., WI, Thursday, October 27, 1988

Fiegel, Helen B.

ELKHORN - Helen B. Fiegel, age 76, of 434 Oakland Lane, died on Tues., Oct. 25, 1988 at the Lakeland Hospital, Elkhorn, following a long illness. She was born on Aug. 28, 1912 in Yellow Springs, OH, the daughter of LeRoy and Gertrude (Baker) Bickett. She was a 1935 Accounting and Commerce graduate of the University of Wisconsin. She married Victor Fiegel on  Oct. 16, 1938 in Watertown; he preceded her in death on Nov. 9, 1985. In 1952 they founded the A. K. Rubber Products Co. in Walworth and relocated to Elkhorn in 1957. A talented musician and scholar, she possessed an inquiring mind and was always in pursuit of knowledge. She was a member of the Elkhorn's Women's Club, Daughter of the American Revolution, and Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority. She served in a variety of capacities as a member of the Congregational United Church of Christ. She was dedicated to education, musical activities and many other worthy causes. She is survived by 2 sons, Kirt of Elkhorn and Todd of Pocatello, ID; 2 grandchildren, Andria and Laurie. She was preceded in death by one 1 son, Alan, and 1 sister, Ruth. Funeral services will be Fri., Oct. 28, at 1:30 P.m. at the CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, Elkhorn, with the Rev. Jay Karlow officiating. Burial will be in Oak Hill Cemetery, Watertown. Friends may call at the church from 12:00 Noon on Fri. until the time of services. Memorials in her name may be made to the Elkhorn Area High School Scholarship  Foundation, Inc. BETTS FUNERAL HOME, Elkhorn, is handling arrangements.

Victor Kirt Fiegel was honored with a retirement party March 23, 2017, at the Elkhorn Chamber of Commerce Building, Elkhorn, Walworth Co., WI. Kirt was a Charter Member of the Elkhorn Rotary club as well as being a major contributor to the Rotary Foundation, club President and Assistant Governor. His club wants to honor him for his 48 years of service with Rotary.

               

Victor Kirt "Rip" Fiegel and family members.

Haase-Lockwood & Associates Funeral Home and Crematory, Elkhorn, Walworth Co, WI.

Kirt Fiegel

January 11, 1942 - July 26, 2023

Picture taken June 21, 2020.

V. Kirt Fiegel, loving husband and father, successful businessman, civic leader, philanthropist, and great friend, passed away in Elkhorn on July 26, 2023, at the age of 81, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Kirt was born in Watertown on January 11, 1942, the son of Victor and Helen (Bickett) Fiegel. In 1952, in the back of a machine shop in Walworth his parents founded A.K. Rubber Company. The business was immediately successful and it wasn’t long before it outgrew its limited space. With the help of the newly-formed Elkhorn Development Company in 1956, the company bought property and built a factory on West Centralia Street; the family followed in 1957. Kirt graduated from Elkhorn High School in 1960, and in 1964 from Waukesha’s Carroll College with a degree in business administration. His junior year in college was spent attending the University of Hawaii, a state that he loved and that figured prominently for him in subsequent years. Upon college graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy Officer’s Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island. Having discovered his sharp business acumen during officer’s training, in 1965 the Navy appointed him purser on the U.S.S. Frontier as a Lieutenant J.G., this despite Kirt’s having volunteered for active duty in Viet Nam. The Frontier alternated station between Anaheim, CA, and Honolulu, HI. In Anaheim, a romance flourished with Dixie Daacon, herself an Elkhorn graduate of a year later than Kirt who was teaching elementary school there, and he knew he had found the love of his life. They were married in Anaheim on August 13, 1966, in a regal Naval officer’s ceremony replete with military honors and drawn sabers. Their daughter Andrea was born in May of 1967 while they were stationed in Honolulu. Daughter Laurie (Matesevac) was born in Elkhorn in 1970. Kirt and Dixie’s daughters now reside in New Mexico and Colorado, respectively, and each has two sons who loved Kirt deeply. Upon retirement from Naval service, Kirt and Dixie returned to Elkhorn and he worked alongside his father, learning from Vic’s experience and applying his own business skills and engineering brilliance in the design of intricate rubber parts that broadened and grew the business substantially. During the next few years, Vic retired and handed the reigns of the company to his son. Until Kirt’s own retirement more than 30 years later, he was not only CEO but also the master engineer who designed all the molds and processes required for the increasingly detailed and precise rubber parts for which A.K. Rubber gained worldwide recognition and respect. Kirt’s leadership, compassion, and sharp instincts established A.K. Rubber as the premier resource for custom parts for everything from critical micro-surgical tools to high-stress environments of underwater pressure in the guidance system of torpedoes. In countless situations he invented a part that could be utilized in the most unusual, demanding, and critical situations when others in the industry believed it could not be done. Employing up to 100 personnel, his employees were exceptionally loyal, often dedicating their entire careers to A.K. Rubber. Kirt treated them with the same respect and compassion. He sold the company and retired in 2000 but continued to assist former employees through unexpected life challenges. During the company’s success and also after retirement, Kirt and Dixie have provided the means for many to have opportunities that they would not otherwise have been able to afford. Out of the limelight, many scholarships have been provided for educational growth and embarkation on successful careers. Musicians both, Kirt and Dixie gained lifelong benefits from music experiences in the Elkhorn schools and they have made substantial donations for the enrichment of music programs that have provided for technology and instruction to be made available to all Elkhorn students. Ongoing and generous support has been provided to theatrical endeavors, cultural programs, the American Red Cross and other charities, as well as to the First Congregational Church, where they have been members for 55 years and at which Kirt, like his father before, served as moderator. Both have been active in various leadership roles in the church throughout their adult lives. Kirt also was instrumental in the formation, and served as charter president, of the Elkhorn Rotary Club in 1969. He enjoyed decades of uninterrupted service with the organization, serving as the chapter’s president twice again and also as regional assistant governor. Kirt was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Alan, who died in 1948 at the age of 26 months. Kirt is both mourned and celebrated by Dixie, Andrea, Laurie and Kirt’s son-in-law Jason, brother Todd and his wife, Susan, of Saratoga Springs, Utah, his grandsons Solace and Leo Matesevac and Keshav and Vilas Roybal, and his and Dixie’s many friends in Elkhorn and elsewhere. He left the world a better place, one that will continue to be enriched by his success and through his and Dixie’s love and generosity. A memorial celebration of Kirt’s life will be announced at a later date. Haase-Lockwood & Associates Funeral Home and Crematory of Elkhorn is honored to serve the Fiegel family.