~As told by John Bolz
Genealogy is the study of our unique family history. It is a personal record of our ancestors -- when they were born and where they lived, who their children were and who they married, and where they belong in our extended family tree.
The Bolz family were early pioneers in the Illinois Fox River Valley. Michael Bolz and his family emigrated from the Black Forest region of Germany and farmed in East Dundee, Illinois. John Nelson emigrated from Sweden and worked his way up the ladder at the Great Northern Railroad. He and his wife Millie started Nelson's Resort on Crane Lake, Minnesota. J. Arnold Bolz and Belva Nelson Bolz were married and moved to Grand Rapids, Minnesota where he practiced medicine for forty years before retirement.
The Kurkoski family emigrated from Poland/Prussia and settled into South Dakota to farm. They later moved to St. Paul, Minnesota. The Pirri family emigrated from San Benedetto, Italy, a sleepy coastal town on the Adriatic to St. Paul, Minnesota, where they have been active citizens ever since.
The bones here are bones of my bone and flesh of my flesh. It goes to doing something about it. It goes to pride in what our ancestors were able to accomplish. How they contributed to what we are today. It goes to respecting their hardships and losses, their never giving in or giving up, their resoluteness to go on and build a life for their family. It goes to deep pride that the fathers fought and some died to make and keep us a nation.
It goes to a deep and immense understanding that they were doing it for us. It is of equal pride and love that our mothers struggled to give us birth, without them we could not exist, and so we love each one, as far back as we can reach. That we might be born who we are. That we might remember them. So we do. With love and caring and scribing each fact of their existence, because we are they and they are the sum of who we are. So, as a scribe called, I tell the story of my family. It is up to that one called in the next generation to answer the call and take my place in the long line of family storytellers.
Arnold Bolz
Born 1918 in Elgin, Illinois. Graduated from University of Chicago Medical School 1943. Moved to Grand Rapids, Minnesota 1943. Married Belva Nelson. Had 4 children: John, Gretchen, Kristine, Jeffrey. Was an avid photographer and eastern philosopher. Wrote Portage into the Past published by University of Minnesota Press.
Belva Nelson
Born 1916 in Superior, Wisconsin. Graduated University of Minnesota with a degree in Nursing and Education. Nelson Family owned Nelson's Resort on Crane Lake, Minnesota. Was an avid gardener and nature lover.
John Nelson
Born 1893 in Gävleborg, Sweden. Emigrated to the United States in 1903 and settled in Northern Minnesota. Married Millie Dopp in 1914. Worked for the Great Northern Railroad as a telegrapher and train dispatcher. Founded Nelson's Resort in 1931.
Adam Dopp
Born 1826 in Bad Durkheim, Germany. Emigrated to the United States in 1848. Moved to Superior, Wisconsin in 1857. Was a stone mason by trade. Built the first light house on Lake Superior on Park Point in 1857. Was one of the pioneers of the Duluth/Superior twin ports.
Les Kurkoski
Born in 1923 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Served in World War II. Married Viola Pirri. Had five children - Laura, Nancy, John, Jerry and Diane. Drove for Murphy Trucking.
Vi Pirri
Born 1924 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Married Les Kurkoski. Had five children - Laura, Nancy, John, Jerry and Diane. Worked for the Department of Education, State of Minnesota.
Emidio Pirri
Born 1883in San Benedetto del Tronto, Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy. Married Benedetta Liberati in 1915. Emigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota. Worked for the Great Northern Railroad. Had a passion for gardening and winemaking.
Benedetta Liberati
Born 1891 in San Benedetto del Tronto, Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy. Married Emidio Pirri. Emigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota. Had five children - Achille, Umberto, Elvira, Viola and Enrico.
I grew up not knowing much about my genealogy. When you are young, you focus on the here and now. As I grew older, I became more keenly aware that I knew extraordinarily little about my past. I realized that I needed to research on my own since my ancestors had passed and not had a chance to tell their stories.
If you have something you would like to add or if you would like to submit documents for inclusion on this web, please let me know.
We make every effort to document our research. If you have something you would like to add, please contact us.
