Source: The Leaves From the Hischke Family Tree, Friedrih Gottlieb and Albertine (Schwartz) Hischke 1652-1999

Gustav was born in either Stolp, Havelland, Bradenburg Germany or Kottow, Kreis Stolp, Prussia a.k.a
compartment of the North German Lloyd S.S. RHEIN. He was number 179 of 509 passengers, many from Prussia. Gustav arrived at the Port of NY, on 31 July 1882.

NY Passenger Lists Record
about Gustav Hischke
Name: Gustav Hischke
Arrival Date: 31 Jul 1882
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1859
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: Bremen, Germany and Southampton, England
Destination: America
Place of Origin: Germany
Ship Name: Rhein
Port of Arrival: NY
Line: 8
Microfilm Serial: M237
Microfilm Roll: 455
List Number: 1073
Port Arrival State: NY
Port Arrival Country:

Since immigrants needed sponsorship to America, it is thought that Gustav's sponsors were his aunt Caroline Hischke and her husband August Schuettpelz who settled in the Town of How, Oconto County, WI in 1877. He may have boarded with them in their log home until he purchased land in 1885.

Gustav completed an application for Citizenship at the Shawano County Circuit Court on April 22, 1884. Naturalization was granted at the Oconto County Circuit Court - No. 5215- on 27 August 1906. It was witnessed by Robert Pethke and Ben H. Armstrong. Information given: Born in Germany in 1859- Arrived in NY, in 1882.

In 1885 Gustav purchased 80 acres in Sec. 15, T29N, R17E, (W1/2 of SE 1/4) on county Road H, (now Red Banks Rd.), in the Town of How, WI. A two-story log house was built. Their neighbors were the Fred Schuettpelz, Frank Schuettpelz and John Benzke families. Gustav's daughter Elizabeth later recalled that the second story sleeping area was reached with a ladder. It is presumed that Gustav arranged for the rest of the family to come to WI. When they arrived in 1885, they probably lived with Gustav and his brother Friedrich, who, according to the 1885 state census, were already living on the property.

Gustav and Hulda were married on 08 Aug 1886 and lived on their County Road H property for 23 years. All seven of their children were born there. In 1904 he sold 40 acres ( SW 1/4 of SE 1/4) to his brother Paul.

1900 Federal Census Record
about Gustav Hischke
Name: Gustav Hischke
Home in 1900: How, Oconto, WI
Age: 41
Estimated birth year: 1859
Birthplace: Germany
Race: White
Relationship to head-of-house: Head
Occupation: View Image
Immigration year: 1882

In 1909 Gustav sold the remaining 40 acres to Wilhelm Buhrandt and purchased 120 acres from Wilhelm Schoessow in Sec. 23 on Clay Road, in the Town of How, WI. (Source: Oconto County Court House Records). A generous-sized house sat on the property as well as a log cattle barn, a granary, a log woodshed, a smoke house and an outhouse. A hip roofed, basement-style barn was built in 1915. The upper level was used for hay and straw storage and sometimes for social events as corn husking bees. The lower basement level was of stone masonry providing warm, though odiferous, quarters for milk cows, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs and cats. Later, a silo for winter corn-feed storage for cows was built.

1920 Census, Town of How -
Fred was the head of the household now. His parents and brother Frank lived with him.

Gustav and Hulda spoke Plattduetch but were familiar with German and English. They were devout Christians and attended church regularly. They had morning and evening devotions with their family at which time they sang hymns, read the Bible and prayed in German. Gustav was one of the founding fathers of the St. John Lutheran Church in Hayes, WI. The church congregation was founded in 1886. The log structure church was built in 1887 and replaced in 1904 by a brick building. All of Gustav and Hulda's children were baptized and confirmed there.

After their son Friedrich purchased the farm and was married in 1924, Gustav and Hulda occupied a separate two-bedroom apartment in the farmhouse, a custom of the time. They had a kitchen-living room and a bedroom, with their own separate entrance and a small yard which was enclosed by a grapevine covered fence.

Obituary of Gustav-
Gustav was one of the founders of St. John Lutheran Church in Hayes, WI and one of the first settlers in the Town of How. He had been in ill health for a year.

He died at home- town of How, Oconto, WI.