Esther Leona Louisa BORTH

Father: William Frederick BORTH
Mother: Clara Laura SANITER

Family 1: Norman Richard SUHR

(1) Wisconsin, U.S., Marriage Records via Ancestry.com.

  1. Jane SUHR
  2. Ronald SUHR
                                                     _________________________
                            ________________________|
                           |                        |_________________________
 _William Frederick BORTH _|
|                          |                         _________________________
|                          |________________________|
|                                                   |_________________________
|
|--Esther Leona Louisa BORTH
|
|                                                    _William Karl SANITER ___
|                           _Charles W. SANITER ____|
|                          |                        |_Louisa Erna? EIFERT ____
|_Clara Laura SANITER _____|
                           |                         _Friedrich WILLENBOCKEL _
                           |_Ida Emma WILLENBOCKEL _|
                                                    |_Julianna WILDE _________

Notes

Updated December 27, 2022. Compiled by Howder (www.howderfamily.com) from the following source(s):

(1) Wisconsin, U.S., Birth Records via Ancestry.com

- Name: Esther Leona Louisa BORTH
- Birth Date: 10 May 1921
- Birth County: Dodge, Wisconsin, USA

(2) 1930 United States Census Wisconsin, Dodge Co., Emmet Town. (part of): Enumeration District 14-17; Sheet 5A; (undated) 1930.

Esther BORTH is the daughter of William F. and Clara BORTH. She is 8 years old, born in Wisconsin, and attending school.

(3) 1940 United States Census for Wisconsin, Dodge Co., Emmet Twp.: Supervisor's District 2; Enumeration District 14-23; Sheet 3B; April 9, 1940.

Esther BORTH is the daughter of Clara BORTH, a widow. Clara furnished information to the census taker for this household.

- Address: R1 Watertown, Wis.
- Home: It is a farm
- Age: 18, single
- Highest Grade of School Completed: High School - 4th Year
- Birthplace: Wisconsin
- Residence on April 1, 1935: Same House
- At Work: No, Home Housework

(4) William F. Jannke III and Ken Riedl, Co-Editors, Watertown History Annual 1, November 2006. Watertown Historical Society, Watertown, Wisconsin. "The Borth Quintet: A Tale of Radio's Pioneers, 1930s - 1940s." Pages 107-114.

"With these musical strains the popular radio act, the BORTH Quintet, opened their weekly Sunday afternoon broadcasts. From 1934 to the late 1940s they were heard throughout the state of Wisconsin over WIBU radio in Poynette. The quintet was comprised of Robert, Esther, Selma, Norma and Meta and together they played instruments (Robert played the violin, Meta the Spanish guitar, and all played the harmonica) and sang golden songs of days gone by. Even now after more than 50 years has passed since they were last heard, the very mention of the BORTH Quintet brings a smile to the faces of those who remember eagerly finishing their chores so that they could all gather around the radio at 3:00 to listen to the sisters sing."

"The BORTHs lived on a farm located about three and a half miles north of Watertown, in the Town of Emmet. Their parents, William and Clara (SANITER) BORTH, were hard working farmers of Germanic ancestry. German was spoken around the family home until the children were old enough to attend the Stone School, located a short walk south of the farm. From then on, English was the only language spoken in the family. They never sang any songs in German while they performed."

"In 1931 William BORTH, the head of the house, died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving the family to struggle in the throes of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Mrs. BORTH was a determined woman and she bravely maintained the farm and raised her children, one of whom, Selma, was born with Cerebral Palsy."

"The family struggled on and then in the mid 1930s Mrs. BORTH was approached by radio pioneer William C. FORREST, owner of radio station WIBU, to act as a sales representative for Watertown. Her job was to sell ad space on the radio, and for each ad she sold she got a commission. This is how she was able to maintain farm machinery, buy groceries, etc."

"Beginning in 1934 the Watertown Daily Times began to carry notices of the newly formed BORTH Quintet appearing at 4H events and picnics... By 1934 they had made their first appearance on WIBU and the rest, as they say, is history... Their mother, Clara, served as their agent and for approximately seventeen years the quintet would travel the 48 miles to Poynette to broadcast each week."

"On the trunk of their car Mrs. BORTH had a large sign painted to advertise her daughters' radio program. As they traveled, and the BORTHs were great ones for visiting all parts of the United States and Canada, the ad on the car's trunk spread the fame of the sisters radio show... The broadcasts continued without fail, with the possible exception of December, 1945 when the radio tower was felled by a severe ice storm."

"By 1940 Robert BORTH left the group. Always a loner, his sisters recalled he wasn't particularly interested in being a part of the act. As his sister Meta remarked, with a wry smile 'Poor Bob, amongst four women. No wonder he felt slighted.'... Robert later served in the army during WW II and was employed at Aunt Nellie's and Kraft Foods. He kept a hand in the music business by playing in several area polka bands."

"The next to leave the act was Esther, who married Norman SUHR in 1944. After her marriage she retired from performing to raise children and help her husbank run the family farm, which they bought from her mother in 1949."

(5) Wisconsin, U.S., Marriage Records via Ancestry.com

- Name: Esther BORTH
- Gender: Female
- Marriage Date: 5 Aug 1944
- Marriage County: Jefferson, Wisconsin, USA
- Spouse: Norman SUHR

(6) 1950 United States Census for Wisconsin, Dodge Co., Emmet: Enumeration District 14-26A; Sheet 6; April 10, 1950.

Esther [BORTH] SUHR is married to Norman SUHR, head of household. Children in the household are Jane and Ronald SUHR.

- Address: Highway 26
- Farm: Yes
- Age: 28; married
- Birthplace: Wisconsin
- Occupation Category: Keeping House

(7) "Watertown Woman Dies in Crash" via Newspapers.com. Fond du Lack Reporter; Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; 17 Sep 1973, Mon.

"WATERTOWN -- An 83-year-old Watertown woman was killed in a two-car accident Saturday at 5:45 p.m. Loretta DARCEY died of head injuries following a collision on Highways 16 and 26 about 2 1/2 miles north of here. She was a passenger in an auto driven by Francis DARCEY. The DARCEY car was southbound, and according to the police report, failed to yield after stopping for a stop sign. The DARCEY car was hit on the far right side by an auto driven by Norman SUHR, also of Watertown. SUHR suffered lip and facial injuries, and his passenger, Esther SURH, had head and face injuries. The State Patrol investigated the accident. It was the 27th traffic fatality of the year in Dodge County."

(8) Kittell, Hazel (Saniter), compiler, "The Elsie Saniter Family Journal," (Kewaunee, WI: self-published manuscript, June 19, 1997), p. 69, 199, 214, 223.