JULIUS KAAZ.
The life story of Julius Kaaz, founder and proprietor of the manufacturing concern which bears his name, is an account of the achievements of a self-made man who left his native land to seek opportunity and fortune in Atchison, and found it. During the period of thirty-four years of his life which has been spent in his adopted city, Mr. Kaaz has succeeded even beyond his expectations and has made a place for himself an enviable one in the city. He arrived in Atchison in 1881 without a dollar, but endowed with a willingness to do whatever came to hand, imbued with a desire to succeed where the opportunity awaited him. The Julius Kaaz Manufacturing Company is a monument to his industry and ambition. This is one of the thriving and important establishments in the city of Atchison, and is widely known as one of the city’s leading industries. The extensive plant covers two floors of a building, 52×130 feet, and from eighteen to twenty men are employed in the mill proper, and from five to thirty-five men are given employment at outside work. The factory is conveniently located at 1200–1208 Main street and is fully equipped with all modern machinery to facilitate the manufacture of the high grade products which consist principally of bank, church and store fixtures, made to the order of the purchaser. An example of the high grade work turned out by the Kaaz plant can be seen in the interior fixings and furniture of the German-American State Bank of Atchison. Mr. Kaaz ships his output to Kansas and Nebraska cities and all parts of the United States, and it is unsurpassed in quality and finish.
Julius Kaaz was born March 26, 1854, in Prussia, German Empire, a son of Daniel and Christina (Schroeder) Kaaz, who were the parents of four children: Wilhelmina Loeproeck, a widow residing in Atchison county; Ernest, Atchison; Mrs. Christina Schmeling, deceased; Julius, the youngest of the family. Daniel Kaaz was a carpenter by trade and came to Atchison from Germany with his family in 1881. He resided with his son Julius upon his retirement from active labor until his death in 1902. His wife, Christina, was born in 1821, and died in 1895.
Jul. Kaaz
Julius Kaaz attended the schools of his native land and studied architecture. He learned the trade of carpenter under his father, but could not content himself to settle down in his native land and follow in the footsteps of his forebears. When still a young man the germ of ambition called him to other lands, and his goal was America. His desire to better his condition led him to set sail for this country in 1881, arriving in Atchison, where he at once sought employment. His first work was cutting cordwood in the timber land, south of the city, during the winter, and in the spring of the following year he worked on the Missouri river, making and placing riprap. Soon afterward he was given a job working at his trade for $1.50 per day. For one year he worked for wages, and at length decided to embark in business for himself and began taking contracts at a time when he had no capital worth speaking of. It was even necessary for him to borrow the saw and hammer which he used in his work. In 1885 he formed a partnership with Henry Braun in the contracting business which continued until 1909, when they dissolved partnership. In 1907 Mr. Kaaz erected his first planing mill which has grown into his present extensive establishment consisting of plant, yards and warerooms.
He was married to Ida Schmeling in 1883, and to this union have been born nine children, as follows: Emil, Lena, Robert, Lydia, Julius E., Otto, Fred, Arthur, Martha. Of these children Martha is deceased, Lydia is her father’s secretary, Fred is also employed in the office, and Otto H. is employed in the mill. Mrs. Kaaz was born September 6, 1856, in Prussia, German Empire, and is a daughter of August and Ernestine (Polzien) Schmeling. She left her native land when sixteen years of age and came to Atchison.
Mr. Kaaz, while politically allied with the Republican party, is an independent voter who believes in voting for the individual who seems to be most capable of serving the people, rather than supporting an avowed politician. He and the members of his family are affiliated with the German Lutheran church and are liberal supporters of this denomination.