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Otto Lange, the son of Johan and Louise (Rosenau) Lange, was born on August 5, 1888 in Annette, Russia.

Otto’s parents were German colonists living in Annette and were part of Volhynia German Settlement Area.

The Russian government, not happy with the German settlement, passed laws that denied educational

opportunities, made it illegal to sell land to anyone but a Russian, and established compulsory military service.

Not wanting to fight in the Russian army, Otto age 23, elected to immigrate to the United States arriving at the

Port of Philadelphia on July 10, 1912. Otto came to the Laona area in 1914.

Susanna (Rode) Lange, the daughter of Daniel and Justine Rode, was born

on February 8, 1893 in Annette, Russia. At age 17, Susanna along with her

mother and sisters Pauline and Emily, immigrated to the United States

arriving at the Port of Galveston on June 25, 1910. After arriving in America, Susanna worked for several

years in Oklahoma as a maid/baby sitter for the Jim Thorpe family. During the 1912 Olympic Games,

Thorpe won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon. He would later become the first president of what

is now the National Football League. Susanna came to the Laona area circa 1916.

Otto and Susanna knew each other in Annette, Russia, and it is assumed that after their arrival in the states they stayed in contact. Otto’s sister Josephine had married Susanna’s brother Ewald. Susanna and Otto were married in Laona, Wisconsin on April 19, 1916. The couple purchased a farm in Starks’s Settlement from Fred Elliott in 1916. When Otto first arrived in the area he worked for Jones Lumber Company near Laona. For many years Otto worked 10-12 hour days at the Connor mill in addition to farming, often walking to and from work. With their farm located at the end of what is now Airport Lane, Connor’s mill was a several mile round trip. In addition to raising nine children, Susanna helped with the farm chores when Otto was working long days at the mill. When Susanna arrived in the United States she was unable to read and write English, but as her children were educated, Susanna also learned to read and write English. Education was very important to her and she continually encouraged her children to get a good education, which she had been denied. Otto became a naturalized citizen on May 11, 1926 and Susanna would also become a citizen of the Unite States in 1942. Susanna died in Laona on December 4, 1965 at age 72. Otto died at the Crandon Convalescent Center on February 13, 1976 at age 87..

The couple had nine children, six daughters and three sons; Frieda, Herman, Martha, Emma, Leonard, Hedy, John, Ruth and Esther.

The Children of Otto and Susanna Lange

Frieda (Lange) Milanowski Frieda was born at Laona in 1917. Frieda married Ray

Sorenson from Rhinelander in September 1937. They had two children, David who married

June Amundson, and Alice who married Gary Gilbertson. Ray died of cancer. Frieda later married

Sigmund Milanowski in 1956 and they had three children; Susie who died in an automobile

accident at age 17, John who married Kathy McAuliffe, and Mary Ann who died at birth.

Frieda and Sig lived in Ashland, Wisconsin. Sig worked for the railroad and on the ships

that bought the ore in. Frieda worked at the hospital as a nursing assistant.

Sig died in January of 1994 at age 86.

Herman Lange Herman was born in Laona at 1918. Herman married Alice Sederstrom in

Laona on October 9, 1957 and they did not have any children.

During WWII Herman was in the Merchant Marines. After the war he lived in Georgia where

he and some friends ran a business fixing small airplanes. Later Herman moved back to

Laona where he married Alice Sederstrom in October of 1957. Herman worked for Connor's

for many years doing various job including working in the woods, working at the mill, and at

the Connor Farm. He also farmed his own land and was very active in St. John Lutheran

Church.

Herman died May 12, 1994 at Laona at age 75 and Alice died November 1987 and at age 73.

Martha (Lange) Attig Martha was born at Laona on January 11, 1921. Martha married Maurice

Attig in 1939 and they had two children; Carole who married Robert Gray, and Jimmy who died of

leukemia in 1955,

Martha and Maurice met in Laona when Maurice came to work in the Connor mill. They were married

in Highland Park, Ill in 1939, and shortly after moved to Murphysboro, Ill., where they lived until after

the war. When Maurice returned from the war he was unable to find employment, so the family moved

to Maywood, Illinois where Maurice trained to be a barber. They lived in Maywood for 14 years, and in

1968 they moved to Seminole, Florida.

Maurice worked as a barber and Martha worked in the hospital as the head of a cleaning department.

Following retirement Martha and Maurice moved back to Laona and on lived on the farm that had belonged

to Martha’s brother Herman.

Martha died January 4, 2007 at Laona at age 85 and Maurice died January 10, 2004 in Laona at age 88.

Emma (Lange) Hoffman Emma was born in Laona at 1922. Emma married Ernest

Hoffman in 1954 and they had 3 children; Gayle (unmarried), William who married

Patti Bartlein, and Jean who married Michael Anuta.

Emma graduated from Milwaukee County as a registered nurse. During her last six months

of training she was accepted into the Army Nursing Cadet Core and trained at Percy Jones

General Hospital in Michigan. Following her training she moved to Carbondale, Illinois, and

worked at the Carbondale Doctors’ Hospital until 1954. In 1954 she married Ernest and they

moved to Berkeley, Illinois where Emma started work at Elmhurst Hospital. In 1961 Ernest,

Emma and their three children moved back to Laona, Wisconsin. Ernest took over operation

of the family farm and Emma worked at the Ovitz hospital in Laona until it closed in the late

1960s.Following the closing of the hospital, Emma worked at the Crandon Nursing home

until her retirement at age 69.

Ernest died at January of 1995 in Laona at age 77. Emma still lives at the family farm in Laona. She continues to put in a

garden and raises chicken and ducks.

Leonard Lange Leonard was born at Laona in 1923. He died in 1937 at age 14 from an accidental gun shot.

Hedwig O. (Lange) Tamin Hedy was born at Laona in 1925. Hedy married Howard

Quarty in 194_, and they had three children; Susan who married Scott Bowen, Sharon who

married Eugene Conklyne and then Jeff VanSluis, and Gary was married briefly to Rhonda.

Hedy was later divorced from Howard and she married Edward Tamin.

Hedy lived most of her married life in Long Island, New York. She worked many different

jobs over the years including waitressing and a cook at a hospital. At the time of her death

she was running a deli.

Hedy died in Long Island in 1996 at the age of 71. Edward Tamin has also passed away.

John D. Lange John was born at Laona in 1927. He died in 1928 at age 18 months as a result of pneumonia.

Ruth M. (Lange) Lemke Ruth was born at Laona in 1930. Ruth married Frank Lemke in

1947 and they had seven children; John who married Janice Buettner, Sandy who married

Eugene Plummer, Kathy who married Dale Elliott, Frank Jr. (unmarried), Debby who married

Michael Kennedy, Lori who married Chuck Sekel, and Karen who married Jeff Lehman.

Ruth and Frank lived on a farm in the township of Nashville in Forest County. Ruth held

many different jobs including 10 years as a night operator for the Crandon Telephone

Company. At age 38 she started college and five years later she earned a bachelors

degree from the University of WI – Oshkosh. She taught kindergarten in the White Lake

School district for 21 years before her retirement. Frank farmed the farm and worked in the

woods as a logger. The family also operated a maple syrup business for almost 50 years.

This business is still in operation, but they are now tapping about 1,000 taps compared to

the 2500 taps they used to do.

Esther (Lange) Wilson Esther was born at Laona November 10, 1932. Esther married

Benjamin Wilson June 5th 1954 and they had 3 children; a son Mark, and daughters Judy,

and Joan. Joan is presently married to Joe Smith III. She has two children from a previous

marriage; son Jason, and daughter Angela.

Esther and Ben lived in Gillett for 5 years then moved to Suring until their children were

raised. Esther moved to Oconto after she and Ben divorced in 1986. She lived in Oconto

the rest of her life and worked as a care taker. She enjoyed cooking, crocheting, sewing,

reading, church and spending time with her grandchildren.

Esther died December 22, 2002 in Oconto, Wisconsin at age 70.

Lange Family Photos

Lange Family 1947 (standing left-right) Martha (Lange) Attig, Hedy (Lange) Tamin,

Emma (Lange) Hoffman, Herman Lange, Ruth (Lange) Lemke, Esther (Lange) Wilson and Frieda (Lange) Milanowski. Susanna (Rode) Lange (seated left) and Otto Lange (seated right). Lange Family Photo