Great-grandfather Robert and grandfather Harvey holding Caroline as a baby at the Grafton firehouse.

As you know, North Shore Bank’s theme for fiscal year 2019 is “Deep Roots and Growing Stronger.” In keeping with that sentiment, this week Grafton teller Caroline Holzer shares some of her family’s long history with the area.

If you have deep roots in your community, or know another employee who does, please drop us a line at shorelines@northshorebank.com!

Caroline Holzer’s family helped found the community of Grafton in the late 1800s. In fact, part of the Grafton firehouse — which her people helped build — holds a small museum that includes photos of her ancestors. Caroline was gracious enough to answer a few questions about her clan’s history in the area, and share some pictures too!

How long has your family lived in Grafton, and how did they help found it?
My great-great-great grandfather Peter Eernisse and his brother Isaac were immigrants from the Netherlands and came over with their grandparents around 1850. They all found their way to Cedar Grove, and after fighting in the Civil War, they found their way to Grafton. (Which has had a few nicknames throughout its existence, but most people then called it Ulao, Hamburg, or just Grafton.) Peter went on to become a blacksmith, and Isaac dedicated his life to farming, and at that time, the two were very involved in the community, hosting many events on their property.

Caroline (right) with her brother Bubba, at the firehouse raising money for Fill the Boot, which supports the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

You said that you and your brother spent so much time at the firehouse, it felt like you lived there.
My mom and dad worked all the time, and when we were little, the department was still volunteer-based. When your pager went off, you basically dropped everything you were doing, went to the fire department, and got ready to do work.

My dad was uncomfortable leaving us home alone, and he couldn’t drop us off with family, because they were all at the department too! So my brother and I would stay at the fire department. Somebody was always there — not always family, but we spent a lot of time getting to know people that way. We would do our homework, goof around with the volunteers, and fight — I’m fairly certain one of my shoes is still in the drop ceiling of the conference room after I tried to kick my brother. Our family has been volunteering with the department since the late 1800s or early 1900s.

This photo of Grafton firefighters was taken in the early 1900s. In the third row up, fourth from the left is Caroline’s great-great-grandfather William Hilgart, who would later serve as chief, from 1938 to 1961.

Great-great-grandfather William Hilgart up close later in life.

How has your family’s connection to Grafton affected your own life?
It’s affected my life in very strange ways. I almost always see somebody who knows me when I go out — which can be a bit challenging sometimes, with how long Midwestern goodbyes are! But I can’t say it hasn’t benefited me. For example, I left my wallet at a Walgreens once, and it was sent back to my apartment. That address wasn’t on my license or anywhere in my wallet — the person who found it just knew my grandma, and it found its way back home.

Even having my business cards in front of my teller station means people will read my last name and ask, “Are you Drew and Kay’s daughter?” which is usually followed by “How is your brother doing? I know he just got out of the military.” I enjoy listening to stories about how they know my family or how my family has helped them.

One of my favorite connection stories is with one of our customers, Craig. I said that his name sounded very familiar to me, which was not uncommon for him — he works at a funeral home. He read my business card and said, “No way. There is NO WAY.”

I was very confused, and he said, “You’re Drew’s kid.” I said “Yeah?” and his face lit up in the best way. He was friends with my dad in high school and took very good care of my grandpa before he passed. When Craig went on to have his own kids, my grandmother (the wife of the man he took such good care of) was his nurse, and she returned the favor. And if that isn’t enough, Craig runs the funeral home I live next to. I literally see him every day.

And a customer brought you flowers recently — was that connected to your Grafton history?
She brought me flowers because I was announced as Teller of the Year for my district. The first people I told were my parents, and my dad posted on Facebook how proud he was of me, and it brought in a lot of attention. My aunt saw the post, got excited, and showed her co-worker — who happened to be one of my favorite customers. She was so excited for me that she ordered flowers to be delivered to my branch. It was extra special considering that my great-grandmother was born in the house the flower shop now sits in!

Special thanks to district manager and VP Cristen Baumann for suggesting this story.