Edward Kittner: 1830-1902
Posted December 15, 2020
Hallo liebe Freunde, my name is Edward Kittner. I was born in Germany on January 30, 1830. About the age of 12, I became an apprentice to a blacksmith. I eventually learned the trade and became a master blacksmith. I moved to America in 1855 with my dear wife, Sophie and we made our way to Detroit. A few years later we moved to the lumber town of Peshtigo. There I set up a blacksmith shop and began making lumber wagons and repairing equipment for the lumber mills. Life was going very well, until the Summer of 1871. It was a very dry summer, so dry that fires began burning in nearby forests. It was Sunday evening on October 8th, when it seemed the whole world was on fire. Somehow my wife, children and myself survived that evening, but the town of Peshtigo and my shop were nothing but ash.
We moved to Green Bay after the fire, and in 1872, I reestablished my blacksmith shop on South Washington Street. Things were going well, until a fire destroyed my shop on February 27, 1880. I once again started over. After the fire, my new blacksmith shop and two-story wagon works was producing high quality buggies, wagons and sleighs. It seemed like everyone wanted a Kittner wagon. I was even selling items as far away as Marinette.
About 1900, my body was growing tired from all the hard work, so I turned my business over to my sons to continue the quality wagon work. I drew my last breath on July 19, 1902. My sons ran the shop a few more years, until automobile started to replace the horse and wagon. Today my memory continues with a bar named Kittner’s Pub, which is located in my former wagon factory.
Edward Kittner does not have a headstone at Woodlawn Cemetery.