Dear fans. I'm sorry I've been missing my weekly History Series column recently. I have no good excuse or explanation beyond saying, I just don't have enough hours in the day to get all my work completed. The good news behind that statement is that my "excuse", at least, isn't health related. This past May 2024, I celebrated my three year anniversary as "cancer free". That's no guarantee that tomorrow will go well, but it's good news in the cancer world. A person doesn't appreciate how valuable your health is, until it's not. I hope you all are doing well.

One of the many subjects of interest at the Owen-Withee Area Historical Society is the ethnic history and cultural diversity of the Owen-Withee area. Ethnicity is closely tied to history. Different nationalities and origins have different histories, customs, religions, and occupations. They each bring their own unique twist to history. Sometimes, one ethnic group doesn't get along with another ethnic group.

Thanks partly to the advocacy of Susie Fritz Jablonic (Owen High School graduate, Class of 1954), I have personally long been interested in the cultural/ethnic history of the Owen-Withee area. Over 100 years of a melting pot of cultural diversity in the Owen-Withee area. Where does your family fit into the ethnic puzzle of history? Susie has been an active and leading member of the Owen "Friends of the Old School" group since its founding in 1995. Susie is a lifelong history buff and cheerleader to preserving and celebrating all things related to the heritage of Owen-Withee. In her own words, this is “an invitation to share your ethnicity and an outline if you just want to gather and compile your own information—a starting place maybe, for your family to think about where your ancestors came from and why".

Owen and Withee as distinct legal entities have been around for about 125 years. Prior to the U.S. Civil War, the area was a remote wilderness that was inhabited by nomadic Native Americans, and maybe a stray French fur trader passing thru. Those were the first ethnic residents of the Owen-Withee area.

Successive generations brought new waves of ethnic groups (with their languages, religions and customs) to the Owen-Withee area. Some of the significant migration waves into Owen–Withee over the years include the Germans, the Danish, the Norwegians, the Finnish, the Polish, the Amish, the Mennonites, the Hispanic, and others.

When did your family come to Owen–Withee? And why? Susie Jablonic, the Friends of the Old School and the Owen-Withee Area Historical Center have developed a cultural questionnaire on this topic. We invite you to complete the questionnaire and turn it in to the Withee Library, the Owen Old School group or the Owen-Withee Area Historical Society.