John Deringer, an early settler of Prairie Farm Township, now retired after many years filled with hard work, was born in Switzerland, February 4, 1855, the oldest son of John and Elizabeth (Wirt) Deringer.
These good people started for America in 1857, with their three children, John, Elizabeth, and Emil. The hardships aboard ship were many, the trip took seven weeks, and before it was ended,Emil had died and was buried at sea.
After disembarking at New York, the family came west and located on a tract of land in Buffalo County, this state. That county is one of the oldest in western Wisconsin, and even in 1857 much of it was wild.
The Deringer family did their trading at Alma and Fountain City, both on the Mississippi River. As time passed the father and mother built up a good farm on which they spent the remainder of their lives. Two more children, Fred and Otto were born there.
The subject of this sketch, John Deringer, was reared in Buffalo County, attended school there, learned farming from his father and helped with the development of the home place.
In 1880 he came to Barron County and took a homestead of 80 acres in Section 22, Prairie Farm Township. He had little with which to start. His tools consisted of little more than an axe, a hoe and a shovel. He built a small shanty and cleared a few acres. Most of the furniture was made by himself from trees cut on the place. No roads had been built to his claim, and such supplies as he needed he brought in on his back from far away trading points. But he had strength and courage, as he had been familiar with pioneer life since early boyhood, and he knew how to set to work to develop a farm in the wilderness.
In time his hard work resulted in success. He has improved the place to a fine farm of 100 acres, well tilled, well fenced, and well equipped. The old log shanty was replaced with a comfortable home, and the log stable gave way to a barn, 35 by 70 feet, a silo 34 by 18 feet, and other suitable buildings.He christened the place Prairie View Farm, and its sightly appearance testifies to the fidelity with which he has labored and the pride which he has taken in it.
Mr. Deringer was married at Prairie Farm, on September 17, 1881, to Julia Rassbach, the daughter of Casper Rassbach, the pioneer. Mr. and Mrs. Deringer have six children: Otto, William, Henry, Anna, wife of W.V. Keyes; Sadie, wife of Ralph Williams of Park Falls, Wi., and Lydia, wife of Albert Wahl, of Maple Grove Township.
In 1915 he sold the place to August and George Marks, who in 1919 sold it to W.V. Keyes, Mr. Deringer's son-in-law. Mr. Deringer has four acres in section 26, with a pleasant home where he and his wife now live.
In connection with carrying on general farming and dairying, Mr. Deringer has for some quarter of a century worked at his trade as a stone mason. He has done much mason work on many of the farm buildings in the vicinity.
As the father of children, Mr. Deringer has been interested in education and has served on the school board. He has been active in the Evangelical Church, and has served on its board of treatise.
