Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
FISCHER, (Maria) Carolina Rhomberg
Family History: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=dmcpol7767&id=I6168
FISCHER, Maria Carolina (Rhomberg). (Austria, July 19, 1844--1910). Maria Carolina Rhomberg came to this country in 1855. She married Louis FISCHER in Dubuque on February 17, 1862. She was the great-great-grandmother to three cousins who in 2010 managed FISCHER COMPANIES (THE) and the HOTEL JULIEN DUBUQUE.
Caroline’s husband was a partner in the Fischer, Wheeler & Company ice business. When Louis died in 1875 from pneumonia contracted after a fall into the MISSISSIPPI RIVER while cutting ice, Caroline took over his ice business.
One of Iowa's first businesswomen and a young widow at 31 with five young children, Caroline proved an extremely capable and driving force in the community. She bought out her partners, invested in downtown and riverfront property, and brought her family into the business. It is claimed that she followed her ice delivery men around town in her own horse and buggy to be sure her men were “doing their work properly.” Many taverns offered drinks to the drivers to persuade them to leave a little extra ice. On occasion, upon finding the drivers passed out in the ice wagon, Caroline drove the team of horses and wagon back to warehouse with her own horse and buggy in tow.
In 1878, long before the Fischers owned the Hotel Julien Dubuque, the Fischer Wheeler & Co. ice business had a contract with the Julien to supply ice to the guesthouse. The three-year contract was for “all the ice necessary” for $25 a month or $300 for the entire year.
Caroline’s daughter, Julia, played a large part in running the business. Even while in high school, Julia helped Caroline with the company books. Julia completed a two-year business course and a four-year Latin/scientific course concurrently while earning a teaching certificate. She graduated in 1886 as valedictorian and rejected a scholarship to Smith College to stay in Dubuque and help her mother. Julia taught at Dubuque’s PRESCOTT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, working nights and weekends for her mother. Julia operated the business for thirty-four years before her death. Julia's daughter, Pauline, later married Louis PFOHL. Pauline served as secretary or treasurer of the firm from 1946 through the 1960s.
In memory of (Maria) Carolina Rhomberg Fischer, the HOTEL JULIEN DUBUQUE unveiled its new dining offering, CAROLINE'S RESTAURANT.
---
Sources:
"Rich History for Fischer Companies," 175 Years Volume II, Telegraph Herald, June 23, 2008
Rhomberg Family Information http://www.cpinternet.com/~jime/rhomberg.htm
