The ninth and final baby boy in his family would be celebrating his 125th birthday today. You will be reading about this man’s migration to the snow country of Wisconsin and Minnesota in this post.

Julius Adolph Vogt was born on August 7, 1899, the son of Heinrich and Alwina (Schroeder) Vogt. You can read the story of Julius’s parents in the post, Schroeder and Vogt, that appeared on this blog back in 2020. All 9 of the Vogt children were born in the Fountain Bluff Township of Jackson County, Illinois and baptized at Christ Lutheran Church in Jacob. We can take a look at 2 images of Julius’s baptism record from that congregation’s books.

Julius was not even one year old when he appeared in his first census in 1900. The Vogt family spilled over 2 census pages. Julius’s father was a farmer in the Fountain Bluff Township.

The last census in which we find Julius living in Illinois was the one taken in 1910. Julius was 10 years old at the time.

In the previous post about Julius’s parents, it was said that Julius’s older brother, Martin, made a move to Johnstown, Wisconsin prior to the 1910 census. It must have been shortly after 1910 that the rest of the Vogt family migrated to Wisconsin. Julius had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. This form gives Julius a Turtle Lake, Wisconsin address. He was doing farm labor for Richard Fredricks.

It would be in Wisconsin where Julius would find his bride. We will now switch our attention to her.

Bertha Anna Margaret Fenske was born on February 26, 1901, the daughter of William and Ida (Dunneman) Fenske. She was born in Arlington, Minnesota. In the 1910 census, that is where we find the Fenske family living. Bertha was 9 years old, and her father was a farmer.

The Fenske family moved to Wisconsin at some point during the next decade. Bertha’s family was living in Almena, Wisconsin when the 1920 census was taken. However, Bertha got married prior to that census. Julius Vogt and Bertha Fenske were married on December 28, 1919 in Barron, Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin locations that have been mentioned, Johnstown, Almena, and Barron, are all fairly close to Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. When the 1920 census was taken, we find Julius and Bertha living in the household of Alwina Vogt, who by this time was a widow. They were living in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, and Julius was a farm laborer, and his older brother, Ernest, was working at a sawmill.

Based on future census entries, I believe that Julius and Bertha had 3 children. At some point during the 1920’s, the Vogt’s moved to Minnesota. The 1930 census shows them living in Bayport, Minnesota. Julius was working in a frame factory. There were 2 sons in the family. The 8 year-old son was born in Wisconsin, but the 6 year-old was born in Minnesota. That means the Vogt’s must have moved to Minnesota in about 1923.

The frame factory in Bayport was the Andersen Windows & Doors Company. In 1913, the Andersen Windows Company built a manufacturing plant in Bayport, Minnesota, which is found near the Twin Cities along the Mississippi River. This company has become one of the largest window manufacturers in the country. Perhaps you have seen their company’s logo.

Throughout the rest of Julius’s working career, he was employed by Andersen Windows. When the 1940 census was taken, we find the Vogt’s still living in Bayport. There was just one daughter living in their household, 8 year-old Margaret Vogt. I expected to find the 2 sons who would have been teenagers in this entry. I discovered that their son, Elmer, had died in 1934 at a very young age. And then, I found Melvin in a census entry for Bayport on another page. It is even noted that he should have been found in the entry with his parents. Interestingly, Melvin is found just a few households below that of Fred Andersen, the owner of the window factory.

Julius had his World War II draft card completed in 1942. This is a document that specifally mentions the Andersen Corp. as Julius’s employer.

The last census the public can view is the one taken in 1950. Julius is called a saw machine operator for the window frame factory. His daughter, Margaret, was working at a retail bakery.

Bertha Vogt died in 1968 at the age of 67. Julius Vogt did not die until 1991 at the age of 91. Each of them died in Bayport, Minnesota, but they were not buried there. These two are buried in the Mount Hope Cemetery in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin. That cemetery is the same one in which we find Julius’s parents’ gravestones. It is also where the son of Julius and Bertha, Elmer Vogt, is buried. There are 11 gravesites in that cemetery for people with a Vogt surname. There is also a Vogt family marker indicating that there is a Vogt plot in which several members of that family are buried.

I am pretty sure that the teacherage in which we lived during our 10 years while teaching in Minnesota was equipped with Andersen windows. Up there, it is really important to have well-constructed and insulated windows to keep out the frigid temperatures.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Andersen Windows Company, I am including this video. It is rather lengthy, but at the beginning, it displays what the factory in Bayport looks like now and mentions how long it has been around. Click on the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=anderson+windows+bayport