hellwigj
Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The
Big Bend Country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties,
State of Washington", published by Western Historical Publishing
Co., 1904.
JULIUS HELLWIG is one of the
prosperous farmers and stockmen of Douglas county and resides about eleven
miles northwest from Ephrata. He was born near Marienwerder, Prussia,
Germany, on March 28, 1855, the son of Christopher and Florentina (Toelk)
Hellwig, natives of Prussia. The father was a soldier for many years.
The public schools of his native country supplied the educational training
of our subject and when sixteen years of age, he bade farewell to the Fatherland
and sailed to the United States. For a time he worked in New York
and then went to Boston, Massachusetts, and engaged in the sugar refinery
for a year. From there he journeyed to Bloomington, Illinois, and
did general work until 1876, when he returned to Germany on a visit.
The next year, he came back to the United States and concluded to try the
western portion. Accordingly he went to Montana, but finding it too
cold, he went thence to California. Afterwards, he made his way north
to Washington. He went thence to Alberta, where he engaged in the
stock business for some time. He operated along the High river until
1883, then moved to North Dakota and farmed, taking up a pre-emption.
Selling that, he came back to Washington and in 1887 settled where we now
find him. He now has three hundred and twenty acres of land under
cultivation, well improved and a fine stock of cattle and horses.
Mr. Hellwig has three brothers and one sister, Karl, William, Hermann,
and Mrs. Augusta Lutz.
At Cheyenne, Dakota, in 1884, Mr. Hellwig
married Miss Amelia, the daughter of Gotfred and Louisa Ponto, natives
of Prussia. Mrs. Hellwig has three brothers and one sister, Julius,
August, Frank and Alvena Todd. To Mr. and Mrs. Hellwig, two children
have been born, Lillie, on February 16, 1886, and Esther, on July 28, 1895.
The former in North Dakota and the latter on Sage Brush flat, Douglas county.
Mr. and Mrs. Hellwig are adherents of the Lutheran church and are very
worthy people.
Mr. Hellwig's brother, Karl, served in the
Franco-Prussian war, being actively engaged through every battle of that
conflict. The Emperor of Germany, William First, personally presented
him with two fine medals.
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