Gottlieb Steiner helped organize Grantfork phone company, Pierron elevator, Highland dairy

Gottlieb Steiner (1864-1959), the third child of Ulrich and Maria Leder Steiner, was born in Clinton County, west of Jamestown.

In 1889, he married Elise Ambuehl (1867-1945), the daughter of Johann Andreas Ambuehl and Anna Elise Mollet Ambuehl.

Elise’s grandfather Hans Luzi Ambuehl came to Highland in September 1839, according to Esther Casper Baumann’s book, “Family Ties.”

Elva Reinemer Beck compiled the Beck-Reinemer family tree in 1976, which contained the following information: “Gottlieb Steiner started farming east of Grantfork, in Leef Township, Section 34, then in Saline Township, Section 2, where they lived until they retired to Highland, at 1312 Laurel St. Gottlieb was an industrious, successful farmer and always took part in community affairs. He was director of Fairview School for many years.”

Gottlieb and Elise lived the first crossroad east of Grantfork. Gottlieb helped organize and served as director of Grantfork Telephone Company, which later became the Alhambra-Grantfork Telephone Co. and is now called AG Communications. He was also one of the organizers of Pierron Cooperative Equity Exchange Elevator and was director for over 20 years. He was also instrumental in organizing and managing of the Highland Dairy Farms Co., serving as director, until the company was merged with National Dairy Co., now Sealtest.

Elva’s information continues: “In Highland, he was an organizer and director of Eclipse Feed Mills Inc. (This business was located were the old Joseph Suppiger Mill had been built in 1837-39. It is now a metal warehouse for Highland Community School District No 5.) He was a school trustee of Highland for many years. He was a member of the Evangelical Church and the Churchmen’s Brotherhood and a member of the board of directors of the Highland Home Association for many years, serving as president from 1931-1939.

“Then, after his wife Elise died in 1945, he moved to the Highland Home, living there until three months before he died in 1959, at the age of 94.”

Gottlieb and Elise had five children:

▪ Ida Mary Steiner (1891-1976) was a teacher at Hedgemound School from 1910-1913. In 1913, she married Henry R. Reinemer. They moved to Circle, Mont.

▪ Their second daughter, Elva Reinemer, returned to this area, and in 1942, married Clarence Beck. They farmed “Beck Hill” in Section 1 of Saline Township.

Elva and Clarence had two daughters: Maureen Beck Hamiltom of Richland, Wash., and the late Kathleen Beck Hosto (Carl) Loyet. Kathleen was a rural mail carrier inAlhambra and was killed on her route in 1999. Carl Loyet lives in rural Alhambra. (Carl gave me the Beck-Reinemer family tree from book, by his mother-in-law, Mrs. Elva Reinemer Beck.)

▪ Hilda Steiner, a twin, married Roland Bleisch in 1921. He was a mail carrier in Trenton for many years. They had two children: Dr. Virgil (Nayda) Bleisch and Grace Bleisch (John) Becht.

▪ Milda Steiner, Hilda’s twin, in 1915 married Charles Casper. They farmed in Saline Township, Section 11 and then 29, retiring to Highland. They had six daughters.

▪ Esther Casper, in 1939, married Harold Baumann. They are both deceased. They had the “All we have we owe to udders” dairy farm four miles east of Highland. Esther and Harold had three children: Carl Baumann, the late Jeanne Baumann Meyer, and Lynnette Baumann Schupbach.

This story was originally published December 28, 2017 at 8:04 AM with the headline "Gottlieb Steiner helped organize Grantfork phone company, Pierron elevator, Highland dairy."