Bio: Longenecker, George W. and Rose E.
Transcriber: Marianne

Surnames: LONGENECKER CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH BERTHOLD NORTH DAKOTA SMITH LAFOLLETTE ROESSLER MINOT NORTH DAKOTA DUETSCH TAPLIN CALWAY PROVO UTAH VIOLA WISCONSIN BRULEY

----Source: Originally printed in the Clark County News, November, 1945, Transcribed from the Clark County Press "The Good Old Days", November 29, 2000

The Rev. George W. Longenecker has given notice that he will on January 1 terminate his pastorate of the Neillsville Congregational Church. He will thus bring to a close a pastorate of 38 years, one of the longest pastorates in the history of the Congregational Church in Wisconsin. On the state rolls of that church, he is the only pastor whose name appeared in 1898 and who is still in active service. Longenecker has a record as a community minister. Because of his friendliness and his tact he has been acceptable to persons of other churches and of those with no church affiliations. The result being that he has officiated at 255 weddings and 800 funerals during the second period of his ministry here, beginning in 1916. This extensive service, particularly in funerals, has grown out of Mr. Longenecker's broad sympathies and Christian kindliness. He has been able to preside at the funerals of men and women of a great variety of living and experience, able to serve without harrowing the feelings of the living. This capacity has grown out of the fact that he has not attempted to settle the questions of future reward he has left the question of judgment to they Almighty.

The Longeneckers came to Neillsville originally in 1897. They brought two little children with them. Two more were added to the family during the first period of their service here. The first pastorate extended from 1897 to 1905. In the latter year, Longenecker resigned with the purpose of resting for eight months from the ministry. His plan was to take up a homestead in North Dakota and to work the land. So the Longeneckers settled 24 miles from Berthold, N. D. and started their farming operation. But Longenecker could not get away from preaching. There was the inner urge and the call from outside. The district superintendent wanted him to fill the vacant pulpit at Berthold and he preached there on his first Sunday in North Dakota. Thereafter he just kept on preaching in that congregation. also he had taken with him a tent, which he bought at an auction while living here. He put the tent up in his front yard and held services in it on Wednesday evenings. to these services, the homesteaders came from miles around.

The year following the arrival of the Longeneckers in North Dakota, the railroad made a quick development of the village of Plaza. The village sprang up in a hurry and was quite a place almost immediately. The village was only four miles from Longenecker's homestead, so Longenecker transferred his preaching to that location. He first preached in a hardware store, then in other buildings, until finally a church building was available. In his North Dakota location, Longenecker was not bereft of Wisconsin friends. For instance, George Smith was already there and had settled nearby, became a postmaster and named his post office "LaFollette." His son, George, had political leanings and he put them into a newspaper, which he called the LaFollette News.

When the village of Plaza sprang up, with railroad backing, George Jr., wrote to the railroad and made a proposition. He proposed that he move over to their town with his newspaper and with the post office, change the name of the town to "LaFollette." But that did not sound good to the railroad, as LaFollette had a reputation with the railroads. So the railroad wrote back, saying "LaFollette is a name we do not care to perpetuate." Under those circumstances, George did what the mountain did he moved to Mahomet. He went over to Plaza, let them call their blamed old town just what they wanted to call it, and changed the name of his newspaper to the Plaza Pioneer. Also, the Longeneckers had a visit from August Roessler of the Neillsville community. He wanted to buy land and Longenecker took him around in search for it. But August couldn't find anything that looked as good to him as the Longenecker farm, which had upon it a 20' X 20' one and a half story high house, then regarded as a large home. So the Longeneckers sold the place to Roessler, gave up farming and went to a pastorate in Minot, North Dakota. Other Neillsville persons in that locality who were homesteaders: Ferdinand Deutzch, Neill Taplin and Forest Calway, of whom the last two did not reside there. The Minot pastorate lasted from 1908 to 1910.

Then the Longeneckers moved to Provo, Utah, in a district of which the superintendent was a personal friend. They remained there two years before returning to Wisconsin, taking a pastorate at Viola. From there they returned to Neillsville in 1916. Although his chief interest has been in the ministry, Longenecker has been at heart a farmer, too. During his first residency here, he bought a wild 160 acres in the town of Seif and has retained it all these years. Upon his return in 1916, the understanding with the church was that he would divide his time between the church and the cultivation of the Fred Bruley place just north of the city. When that place was sold, the Longeneckers bought their present home, Sunset Point, where they have a large space for gardening and were Longenecker has grown vegetables for himself and the neighbors, including melons when there were any left to divide. In his earlier years also, Longenecker was known for his love of horses. He always kept a good buggy horse and a fine stepper. He liked to drive them in a race and raced them more than once. The plan of Longenecker is to take life easy. He is 84 years of age, believes that it will be best for him to give way to a younger man, who can do for the local Congregational Church what he can no longer do.

1900 Federal Census, ED 28 Neillsville city Ward 1-3, Clark, Wisconsin, United States, pg. 3, Family 45

George O. Longenecker, white male

Married 8 yrs. (1892)

Occupation: Congregational Minister

Father's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania

Household Members
Head Geo O Longenecker M 39 (Oct 1861) Pennsylvania
Wife Rose Longenecker F 34 (Aug 1866) Michigan, shorthand instructor, 4 children, - 3 living; father b. Germany, mother b. NY
Daughter Gladys Longenecker F 6 (Oct 1894) Michigan, student
Son Ernst A Longenecker M 4 (Apr 1896) Ohio
Son George Wm Longenecker M 1 (Aug 1899) Wisconsin
Servant Grace Converse F 22 (Feb 1878) Wisconsin, single white female

1910 Federal Census, Minot, Ward, North Dakota, pg. 11, family 215

George Longenecker
Father's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania

Household Members
Self: George Longenecker M 48y Pennsylvania
Wife: Rose Longenecker F 43y Michigan
Daughter: Gladys Longenecker F 16y Michigan
Son: Ernst Longenecker M 14y Ohio
Son: William Longenecker M 10y Wisconsin
Daughter: Lois Longenecker F 9y Wisconsin

1920 Federal Census, Clark, Wisconsin, family 1

George O. Longenecker, White, married male
Father's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania

Household Members
Self: George H Longenecker M 58y Pennsylvania
Wife: Rose E Longenecker F 53y Michigan
Daughter: Gladys Longenecker F 26y Michigan
Son: Ernest Longenecker M 23y Ohio
Son: William Longenecker M 20y Wisconsin
Daughter: Lois Joy Longenecker F 18y Wisconsin

1930 Federal Census, Neillsville, Clark, Wisconsin, Dist. 29, household 33, line 5

George W Longenecker, white, married, male
Father's Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Mother's Birthplace: Pennsylvania

Household Members
Head George W Longenecker M 68 Pennsylvania
Wife Rose E Longenecker F 63 Michigan
 

1940 Federal Census, Neillsville, Neillsville City, Clark, Wisconsin, United States, Enumeration District Number: 10-29, Family 164, Line 33

George W Longenecker, white, married male
Residence in 1935: Same House

Household Members
Head George W Longenecker M 78 Pennsylvania
Wife Rose E Longenecker F 73 Michigan

Wisconsin Birth Records

George W Longenecker
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 19 Augl 1899
Event Place: Clark, Wisconsin
Record Number: 001581