Biography of the first owner:
Charles Benjamin Clark, a Representative from Wisconsin; born in Theresa, Jefferson County, New York, in August 1842; attended the common schools; moved to Wisconsin in 1855 with his widowed mother, who settled in Neenah, Winnebago County, Wisconsin. He enlisted in Company I, Twenty-first Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, at its organization, and served with the same regiment during the Civil War. He engaged in mercantile pursuits, banking, and the manufacture of paper as one of the co-founders of Kimberly-Clark Corporation. He was the mayor of Neenah 1880-1883, member of the city council of Neenah 1883-1885, a volunteer firefighter, member of the State assembly in 1885, elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1891), and the unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890 to the Fifty-second Congress. Clark died in Watertown, Jefferson County, N.Y., while on a visit to his old home on September 10, 1891. He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Neenah, Wisconsin.
Story about the building:
Theda Clark (Charles' eldest daughter) oversaw the construction of the house after graduating from college. Theda also married her sweetheart, Will Peters of Goshen, Indiana at the home. She later gave birth to their first child, a daughter, in the house in 1903. Theda Clark Peters bled to death from complications three days after childbirth. Theda was worried about potential complications from labor and had a will written shortly before her death. In the will, she set aside $96,000 for a community purpose. She discussed the purpose with her younger brother, C.B. Clark, Jr. and told him she hoped it would be to construct a hospital. C. B. Clark, Jr. remembered his sister's wishes and had a hospital built in her memory for the community on Doty Island in Neenah. The hospital was originally named the Theda Clark Memorial Hospital but the name has been recently shortened to ThedaCare.
List of other owners:
C.B. Clark: 1882-1891
Carrie Clark (widow of Charles B. Clark Sr): 1891-1922
No info: 1922-1930 (Bill, last name is unknown)
Nathan H. Bergstrom: 1930 (might be earlier)-1982
Mrs. N.H. Bergstrom: 1983-1989
Bank Ownership(?): 1990-1995
Torge Goderstad: 1996-2003
Eric Eberts: 2003-present
Charles Benjamin Clark, a Representative from Wisconsin; born in Theresa, Jefferson County, New York, in August 1842; attended the common schools; moved to Wisconsin in 1855 with his widowed mother, who settled in Neenah, Winnebago County, Wisconsin. He enlisted in Company I, Twenty-first Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, at its organization, and served with the same regiment during the Civil War. He engaged in mercantile pursuits, banking, and the manufacture of paper as one of the co-founders of Kimberly-Clark Corporation. He was the mayor of Neenah 1880-1883, member of the city council of Neenah 1883-1885, a volunteer firefighter, member of the State assembly in 1885, elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Congresses (March 4, 1887-March 3, 1891), and the unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890 to the Fifty-second Congress. Clark died in Watertown, Jefferson County, N.Y., while on a visit to his old home on September 10, 1891. He is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Neenah, Wisconsin.
Story about the building:
Theda Clark (Charles' eldest daughter) oversaw the construction of the house after graduating from college. Theda also married her sweetheart, Will Peters of Goshen, Indiana at the home. She later gave birth to their first child, a daughter, in the house in 1903. Theda Clark Peters bled to death from complications three days after childbirth. Theda was worried about potential complications from labor and had a will written shortly before her death. In the will, she set aside $96,000 for a community purpose. She discussed the purpose with her younger brother, C.B. Clark, Jr. and told him she hoped it would be to construct a hospital. C. B. Clark, Jr. remembered his sister's wishes and had a hospital built in her memory for the community on Doty Island in Neenah. The hospital was originally named the Theda Clark Memorial Hospital but the name has been recently shortened to ThedaCare.
List of other owners:
C.B. Clark: 1882-1891
Carrie Clark (widow of Charles B. Clark Sr): 1891-1922
No info: 1922-1930 (Bill, last name is unknown)
Nathan H. Bergstrom: 1930 (might be earlier)-1982
Mrs. N.H. Bergstrom: 1983-1989
Bank Ownership(?): 1990-1995
Torge Goderstad: 1996-2003
Eric Eberts: 2003-present
Works Cited:
"CLARK, Charles Benjamin - Biographical Information." CLARK, Charles Benjamin - Biographical Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.
Fox Cities Directory. Vol. 1937-2016. N.p.: City of Neenah, n.d. Print.
O'Regan, Suzanne. "History of Neenah Interview." Personal interview. 19 May 2016.
Peters, Theda Clark, and Suzanne Hart. O'Regan. Family Letters: A Personal Selection from Theda Clark's Life. Amherst, WI: Palmer
Publications, 1983. Print.
"CLARK, Charles Benjamin - Biographical Information." CLARK, Charles Benjamin - Biographical Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2016.
Fox Cities Directory. Vol. 1937-2016. N.p.: City of Neenah, n.d. Print.
O'Regan, Suzanne. "History of Neenah Interview." Personal interview. 19 May 2016.
Peters, Theda Clark, and Suzanne Hart. O'Regan. Family Letters: A Personal Selection from Theda Clark's Life. Amherst, WI: Palmer
Publications, 1983. Print.