Joseph was the fifth child of his parents Joseph and Crescentia Gully. His ancestry was Alsatian and German. His father was bilingual, fluent in French and German and his mother, from Wurttemberg, spoke German.
Three years prior to his birth, his family moved from Wilmington, Delaware to Mineral Point in SW Wisconsin where they opened a farm ten miles from town on land in Fayette Township. Joe was reportedly their first child born on the farm and he may have been birthed, according to oral family history, in a cave in a hillside under a slate of rock. The crude but functional dugout location of his nativity, likely created and left by lead miners, was used by his family until a home could be built. The approximate site of the family's "cave" home can still be seen today.
When Joe was 3.5 years old his father died following a brief unknown illness or injury. After his mother married again 2.5 years later, his family of nine moved 380 miles to Stearns County, St. Martin, MN where Joe grew-up. In 1875, at 17 years old, he is enumerated in the Minnesota State Census living and working for farmer neighbor Leonard Garding. At some point, he and older brother Jacob jointly owned 80 acres of land across the road from their home place overlooking the beautiful Sauk River when in early 1880's they sold out. Joe moved to Day County, Dakota Territory where open land near the Dakota tribal boundary had been made available for settlement.
Joseph settled in what later became South Dakota near Webster (Dakota Territory split into two states in 1889) where he met and married his wife Clara Michlitsch, a native of Austria and daughter of Stephen Michlitsch. They married in February 1885 in Minnesota. Both he and Clara spoke German in their home.
Joe discovered his land, not unlike much of the Coteau region of NE South Dakota, was much rockier than he had first thought.
His younger brother Richard W. Gully found work in (North) Dakota Territory, approximately 40 miles north of where he was, so Joe and Clara moved there and homesteaded in Richland County north of Hwy 11 about 6 miles east of the rough sprouting community of Lidgerwood. They birthed three sons, one an infant death, on property located in Liberty Grove Township (extreme northern Moran Township) very near the elevator site called Stiles and eight miles east of brother Richard's future homestead. Sometime after, they purchased more land straight south of Hwy 11 in southern Moran Township surrounding prairie water that is known today as Gully Slough. The family eventually built a new home near the slough where the remainder of their children were born. Joe and Clara lived there for decades. Their four year old son Johnny was killed in July 1897 when he slipped under the wheels of the family wagon.
Joe and Clara had good land on both pieces and were successful farmers. Much of the Gully land is still in the family. Joe also owned a third much smaller parcel off the north end of Lidgerwood's main street at the base of Swan Lake that he sold to brother Richard (ca. 1906) when the Richard W. Gully Meat Market opened a few blocks south on main street. Richard used the triangle shaped 10-15 acre lakeside lot as a slaughtering location. After his meat market changed hands in 1917, he sold the property.
Physically, Joe was reportedly a strong fellow for his size, standing about 5'3.5". He had thinning hair and a prominent Gully nose with a mustache. When he'd visit this author's mother's farm during her youth during the 1930's, she and her young siblings would giggle when Uncle Joe sucked coffee out of his mustache.
Joe was 90 years old at death--the longest lived of his fifteen siblings. His funeral day in January 1948 coincided with an impending blizzard and because of the storm, church services were cancelled and his body was taken directly to the Catholic cemetery where he was laid next to Clara. written by Gregory Dorr
Three years prior to his birth, his family moved from Wilmington, Delaware to Mineral Point in SW Wisconsin where they opened a farm ten miles from town on land in Fayette Township. Joe was reportedly their first child born on the farm and he may have been birthed, according to oral family history, in a cave in a hillside under a slate of rock. The crude but functional dugout location of his nativity, likely created and left by lead miners, was used by his family until a home could be built. The approximate site of the family's "cave" home can still be seen today.
When Joe was 3.5 years old his father died following a brief unknown illness or injury. After his mother married again 2.5 years later, his family of nine moved 380 miles to Stearns County, St. Martin, MN where Joe grew-up. In 1875, at 17 years old, he is enumerated in the Minnesota State Census living and working for farmer neighbor Leonard Garding. At some point, he and older brother Jacob jointly owned 80 acres of land across the road from their home place overlooking the beautiful Sauk River when in early 1880's they sold out. Joe moved to Day County, Dakota Territory where open land near the Dakota tribal boundary had been made available for settlement.
Joseph settled in what later became South Dakota near Webster (Dakota Territory split into two states in 1889) where he met and married his wife Clara Michlitsch, a native of Austria and daughter of Stephen Michlitsch. They married in February 1885 in Minnesota. Both he and Clara spoke German in their home.
Joe discovered his land, not unlike much of the Coteau region of NE South Dakota, was much rockier than he had first thought.
His younger brother Richard W. Gully found work in (North) Dakota Territory, approximately 40 miles north of where he was, so Joe and Clara moved there and homesteaded in Richland County north of Hwy 11 about 6 miles east of the rough sprouting community of Lidgerwood. They birthed three sons, one an infant death, on property located in Liberty Grove Township (extreme northern Moran Township) very near the elevator site called Stiles and eight miles east of brother Richard's future homestead. Sometime after, they purchased more land straight south of Hwy 11 in southern Moran Township surrounding prairie water that is known today as Gully Slough. The family eventually built a new home near the slough where the remainder of their children were born. Joe and Clara lived there for decades. Their four year old son Johnny was killed in July 1897 when he slipped under the wheels of the family wagon.
Joe and Clara had good land on both pieces and were successful farmers. Much of the Gully land is still in the family. Joe also owned a third much smaller parcel off the north end of Lidgerwood's main street at the base of Swan Lake that he sold to brother Richard (ca. 1906) when the Richard W. Gully Meat Market opened a few blocks south on main street. Richard used the triangle shaped 10-15 acre lakeside lot as a slaughtering location. After his meat market changed hands in 1917, he sold the property.
Physically, Joe was reportedly a strong fellow for his size, standing about 5'3.5". He had thinning hair and a prominent Gully nose with a mustache. When he'd visit this author's mother's farm during her youth during the 1930's, she and her young siblings would giggle when Uncle Joe sucked coffee out of his mustache.
Joe was 90 years old at death--the longest lived of his fifteen siblings. His funeral day in January 1948 coincided with an impending blizzard and because of the storm, church services were cancelled and his body was taken directly to the Catholic cemetery where he was laid next to Clara. written by Gregory Dorr
Joseph was the fifth child of his parents Joseph and Crescentia Gully. His ancestry was Alsatian and German. His father was bilingual, fluent in French and German and his mother, from Wurttemberg, spoke German.
Three years prior to his birth, his family moved from Wilmington, Delaware to Mineral Point in SW Wisconsin where they opened a farm ten miles from town on land in Fayette Township. Joe was reportedly their first child born on the farm and he may have been birthed, according to oral family history, in a cave in a hillside under a slate of rock. The crude but functional dugout location of his nativity, likely created and left by lead miners, was used by his family until a home could be built. The approximate site of the family's "cave" home can still be seen today.
When Joe was 3.5 years old his father died following a brief unknown illness or injury. After his mother married again 2.5 years later, his family of nine moved 380 miles to Stearns County, St. Martin, MN where Joe grew-up. In 1875, at 17 years old, he is enumerated in the Minnesota State Census living and working for farmer neighbor Leonard Garding. At some point, he and older brother Jacob jointly owned 80 acres of land across the road from their home place overlooking the beautiful Sauk River when in early 1880's they sold out. Joe moved to Day County, Dakota Territory where open land near the Dakota tribal boundary had been made available for settlement.
Joseph settled in what later became South Dakota near Webster (Dakota Territory split into two states in 1889) where he met and married his wife Clara Michlitsch, a native of Austria and daughter of Stephen Michlitsch. They married in February 1885 in Minnesota. Both he and Clara spoke German in their home.
Joe discovered his land, not unlike much of the Coteau region of NE South Dakota, was much rockier than he had first thought.
His younger brother Richard W. Gully found work in (North) Dakota Territory, approximately 40 miles north of where he was, so Joe and Clara moved there and homesteaded in Richland County north of Hwy 11 about 6 miles east of the rough sprouting community of Lidgerwood. They birthed three sons, one an infant death, on property located in Liberty Grove Township (extreme northern Moran Township) very near the elevator site called Stiles and eight miles east of brother Richard's future homestead. Sometime after, they purchased more land straight south of Hwy 11 in southern Moran Township surrounding prairie water that is known today as Gully Slough. The family eventually built a new home near the slough where the remainder of their children were born. Joe and Clara lived there for decades. Their four year old son Johnny was killed in July 1897 when he slipped under the wheels of the family wagon.
Joe and Clara had good land on both pieces and were successful farmers. Much of the Gully land is still in the family. Joe also owned a third much smaller parcel off the north end of Lidgerwood's main street at the base of Swan Lake that he sold to brother Richard (ca. 1906) when the Richard W. Gully Meat Market opened a few blocks south on main street. Richard used the triangle shaped 10-15 acre lakeside lot as a slaughtering location. After his meat market changed hands in 1917, he sold the property.
Physically, Joe was reportedly a strong fellow for his size, standing about 5'3.5". He had thinning hair and a prominent Gully nose with a mustache. When he'd visit this author's mother's farm during her youth during the 1930's, she and her young siblings would giggle when Uncle Joe sucked coffee out of his mustache.
Joe was 90 years old at death--the longest lived of his fifteen siblings. His funeral day in January 1948 coincided with an impending blizzard and because of the storm, church services were cancelled and his body was taken directly to the Catholic cemetery where he was laid next to Clara. written by Gregory Dorr
Three years prior to his birth, his family moved from Wilmington, Delaware to Mineral Point in SW Wisconsin where they opened a farm ten miles from town on land in Fayette Township. Joe was reportedly their first child born on the farm and he may have been birthed, according to oral family history, in a cave in a hillside under a slate of rock. The crude but functional dugout location of his nativity, likely created and left by lead miners, was used by his family until a home could be built. The approximate site of the family's "cave" home can still be seen today.
When Joe was 3.5 years old his father died following a brief unknown illness or injury. After his mother married again 2.5 years later, his family of nine moved 380 miles to Stearns County, St. Martin, MN where Joe grew-up. In 1875, at 17 years old, he is enumerated in the Minnesota State Census living and working for farmer neighbor Leonard Garding. At some point, he and older brother Jacob jointly owned 80 acres of land across the road from their home place overlooking the beautiful Sauk River when in early 1880's they sold out. Joe moved to Day County, Dakota Territory where open land near the Dakota tribal boundary had been made available for settlement.
Joseph settled in what later became South Dakota near Webster (Dakota Territory split into two states in 1889) where he met and married his wife Clara Michlitsch, a native of Austria and daughter of Stephen Michlitsch. They married in February 1885 in Minnesota. Both he and Clara spoke German in their home.
Joe discovered his land, not unlike much of the Coteau region of NE South Dakota, was much rockier than he had first thought.
His younger brother Richard W. Gully found work in (North) Dakota Territory, approximately 40 miles north of where he was, so Joe and Clara moved there and homesteaded in Richland County north of Hwy 11 about 6 miles east of the rough sprouting community of Lidgerwood. They birthed three sons, one an infant death, on property located in Liberty Grove Township (extreme northern Moran Township) very near the elevator site called Stiles and eight miles east of brother Richard's future homestead. Sometime after, they purchased more land straight south of Hwy 11 in southern Moran Township surrounding prairie water that is known today as Gully Slough. The family eventually built a new home near the slough where the remainder of their children were born. Joe and Clara lived there for decades. Their four year old son Johnny was killed in July 1897 when he slipped under the wheels of the family wagon.
Joe and Clara had good land on both pieces and were successful farmers. Much of the Gully land is still in the family. Joe also owned a third much smaller parcel off the north end of Lidgerwood's main street at the base of Swan Lake that he sold to brother Richard (ca. 1906) when the Richard W. Gully Meat Market opened a few blocks south on main street. Richard used the triangle shaped 10-15 acre lakeside lot as a slaughtering location. After his meat market changed hands in 1917, he sold the property.
Physically, Joe was reportedly a strong fellow for his size, standing about 5'3.5". He had thinning hair and a prominent Gully nose with a mustache. When he'd visit this author's mother's farm during her youth during the 1930's, she and her young siblings would giggle when Uncle Joe sucked coffee out of his mustache.
Joe was 90 years old at death--the longest lived of his fifteen siblings. His funeral day in January 1948 coincided with an impending blizzard and because of the storm, church services were cancelled and his body was taken directly to the Catholic cemetery where he was laid next to Clara. written by Gregory Dorr
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