Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, History of Barron County, Wisconsin (1922)

Read in the archive.org full text for the Hatten research (research/hatten/Kuchenmeister_Panian_Haberkorn.md, October 2026). Three family biographies, written while George Panian’s death was fresh:

• Joseph Kuchenmeister (p. 384): “born on a farm in Wright County, near Delano, Minn., Feb. 7, 1874, the son of Frank and Margaret (Borrell) Kuchenmeister, natives of Bavaria, and pioneers of Minnesota.” He came to Barron County in 1899 as a clerk in George Panian’s store, ran it with S. W. Sparlin and George Panian Jr. as the Panian Mercantile Co., then with Sparlin as the Almena Mercantile Co. “In 1908 he was made postmaster, which position he still retains. Since 1913 he has devoted his business attention to a good furniture store, in connection with which he has undertaking parlors.” His wife Theresa was “born in Westphalia, Iowa, Feb. 26, 1878, the daughter of George and Mary (Haberkon) Panian”; their children “Joseph, Laura, Norbert, Emil, Leo and Margaret.”
• Frank Kuchenmeister (p. 385): “born in Bavaria, Germany, Nov. 26, 1844,” son of “John and Magdalina (Schmidt) Kuchenmeister,” who came over with five children, Frank, Jacob, Valentine, Barbara and Dorothy, 46 days by sailing ship, reached St. Paul and “drove with ox teams to a farm in Wright County, near the present site of Delano.” The book dates this 1869. “By his first wife, Barbara Blatz, he has four children: Frank (deceased), Jacob, Ben and John. By his present wife, Margaret Borrell, he has four children: Joseph, Katherine, Louis and Edward.” He retired to Delano in 1902 and came to Almena in 1907.
• George Panian (pp. 384-386): “pioneer merchant and one of the founders of Almena, was a man who left his name indelibly impressed on the history of his vicinity.” Born in Austria 25 March 1851, son of George and Mary (Mitchell) Panian; “He lost his father when he was five years old, and was reared by his mother and his step-father, Michael Perse.” Left Austria in 1866, came over on the Germania in 1871, “robbed of 100 Napoleons aboard ship,” peddled from Dubuque with “a pack of goods weighing about 190 pounds,” kept a store at Westphalia, Iowa, from 1875, lived in Cherokee County, Iowa, and at Royalton, Minnesota, then at Zell, Dakota, where “The postoffice was kept in his store, and he was made the postmaster.” Married Mary Haberkorn (“April 12, 1876,” as printed). Nine children: “Theresa, George J., Rosa, Julia, Joseph, Anna, John, Mary (deceased) and Frank (deceased).” “He died Sept. 30, 1921,” and was buried 4 Oct 1921.
• Almena (pp. 1133-1134): founded in 1887, when “Theodore Hamm of St. Paul … persuaded his relatives, Albert H. Koehler and S. W. Sparlin, to spy out the land and clear up a townsite.” Sparlin was the first postmaster; “His successor as postmaster was George Panian, who was also a store keeper. Mr. Panian had charge of the mails until June, 1908, when he was succeeded by Jos. Kuchenmeister.” The Almena State Bank “was organized Oct. 19, 1908, by C. C. Coe, M. C. Howard, George Panian and Charles Kaemmer.”