The Proctor Wall

John Lebo, Sr., Austria/Hungary
John Lebo, Sr. came to the U.S. from the Black Forest region of Austria/Hungary, married and had 2 children.  He worked for the VT Marble Co. in the company’s deepest quarry in Florence as an operator of the channeling machine, which was used to remove the marble from the quarry. At one time in the 1950s he and his son, John were stranded with a group of men in that same quarry. They were all safely rescued. 

Rudolf H. Hollmann, Germany
Rudolf H. Hollmann was born in Bremen, Germany in 1903. He immigrated to the U.S. to start a new life with his family and settled in Vermont, eventually going to work for the VT Marble Co. both in the Rutland location and in Proctor, where he worked as a sawyer and marble finisher. Rudolf was disabled in 1969 after being struck in the head by a piece of marble, which fractured his skull and forced his retirement. 

John Baron, Poland
John Baron emigrated from Poland, where his parents owned a farm, arriving in the U.S. around 1910.  He moved to Proctor where he had relatives, married and had seven children. They lived in a company duplex housing unit on Willow Street, which neighborhood was referred to as “The League of Nations” due to the broad diversity of the residents. John worked for the VT Marble Co. where he operated a huge machine called a Rubbing Bed with one other man. The machine utilized special sand and water to bring the slabs down to the proper size. 

Fritz Gollstrom, Sweden
Fritz Gollstrom immigrated to the U.S. in 1914 when he was 19 years old. He initially moved to Chicago where he joined the U.S. Army. After serving for 2 years he came to VT to Work for the VT Marble Co. wherein he held numerous position, and actually participated in the project of “The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier”. He eventually became a Boxer at the company’s Center Rutland Location. 

Axel Anderson, Norway
Axel Ingvald Anderson was born in Kristiania, Norway in August of the year 1900. He came to the U.S. in 1923 to go to work for the VT Marble Co. as a Planer and Draftsman and he also worked in the quarries. When the Company went on strike in the 1930s the workers became so violent that Axel’s wife, Imogene actually hid their 3 sons under a bed.  

Antonio Manganelli, Italy
Antonio was born and raised in the town of Santa Paolina, Province of Avellino, Italy. He immigrated to America on Jan 15, 1898 and worked as a stonecutter, sculptor, and mosaic maker. Antonio and his wife, Giovanna had four sons and three daughters. He had little formal education but was very accomplished. He was a shoemaker, carpenter, wine-maker, sculptor and gardener extraordinaire; having two huge gardens in Proctor- one at his home on Garden Street and the other on the west side of town. He and his wife were extremely self-sufficient and never complained. They lived their lives with enormous pride and dignity.

Axel Sarcka, Finland
Axel (originally Albinus Saarinen) was born in Korpilahti, Finland in 1861. The Russians, who dominated Finland at the time, wanted to conscript him into the Russian army. His father had disappeared after being forced into the Russian Army, and Axel was determined not to suffer the same fate. He obtained a passport under an assumed name (Sarkka) and came to Proctor in 1893 where he had friends. Two year later he had saved enough money to send for his wife, Louise (originally Lovisa Saltbacka) and their four children. Eventually there were 10 children - Ellen, Wayne, Earle, Louise, Elma, Ann, Alma, Jack, Andrew and Theodore. Axel played the guitar and sang, and loved to garden. Ellen later married Waldemar Sirjane (see notes).

The entire family worked for the Vermont Marble Company in one capacity or another. The family was enterprising, and picked berries, gardened and fished to help feed the large family. Axel operated a drill on the quarry floor for $1 a day, where chips were thrown up by the machine. He lost one eye and eventually became almost blind. The children's work became crucial to the family's survival. Wayne, the eldest boy, started part time work in the quarry at age 8. At 13 he began to work full time, starting as a gofer, and with the encouragement of the Italian sculptors, eventually became a sculptor in the Monument Department.

Several boys were excellent athletes. The Proctor family helped them get an education, arranging for two of the boys to go to West Point, and two of the girls to go to nursing school. Louise died in 1928, and Axel in ---------. They are buried in the Proctor cemetery.

Wayne and his wife, Elizabeth, founded Spring Lake Ranch, a residential therapeutic community, in Cuttingsville in 1932. His autobiography, a copy of which is in the Proctor Library, describes their early life in Proctor and working for the VMC. 

Andrew Macek, Czechoslovakia
Andrew Macek left his young wife and newborn daughter to travel from Kokava, Czechoslovakia to Bremen, Germany and boarded the ship, Kronprinzessin Cecilie in June of 1911, one of 1,074 third-class passengers. He arrived at New York’s Ellis Island on June 20, 1911 and made his way to Proctor to meet his brother and go to work for the VT Marble Co.. He was quickly put to work in the Hollister quarry where he worked until an injury forced him to stop working in the 1950s.  His wife, Julia and daughter Susannah arrived in February of 1921. They set up house on the Hollister Quarry Road and raised 5 more children there until their move to Proctor in the 1940s.  Andrew and Julia happily lived out their lives in Proctor.

Arvid E. Johnson, Sweden
Arvid Emmanuel Johnson was born in Ekebyorna, Sweden on March 11, 1880.  He traveled to America on the SS Commonwealth (Canopic) and arrived in Boston Harbor on Dec. 29, 1902. He settled in Center Rutland and began working for the VT Marble Co. soon after. Arvid married Anna Josefina Johnson. They bought a house from the VMC for ten dollars and consideration on 1/30/42. There they raised 10 children and the house still remains in the Johnson family. Professor Leonard A. Johnson currently resides there.  Arvid worked for the VMC his entire life as a hand-polisher in Center Rutland and Proctor. He worked on the Lincoln Memorial and the Radio City Music Hall. Arvid’s uncle, John Levine was an authority on domestic marble.  He and Senator Proctor traveled all over the country for the VMC. In 1935 the workers went on strike but Arvid could not afford to stop working because of his large family. A large group of men came down the hill and stoned Arvid’s home, breaking windows.  His wife and children hid in the basement.

Waldemar Sirjane, Finland
Waldemar Sirjane (originally Heikki Valdemar Syrjanen) was born in Artjarvella, Finland in 1881. He came to Proctor in his late teens, probably to escape induction into the Russian army. He worked for the Vermont Marble Company as a stonecutter and polisher.

He married Axel and Louise Sarcka's eldest child, Ellen (originally Elli Saarinen), with whom he had four children, Francis, Reinold, Hester and Emily. Waldemar was an avid fisherman and hunter.

Waldemar took the family fishing on weekends, where they would get together with other Finnish families and enjoy themselves. He loved to sing and dance.

After Axel and Louise Sarcka died, the Sirjanes moved into the Sarcka home on South Street. Waldemar and Ellen eventually moved to New York City where their daughters lived. Waldemar died in 1945, and Ellen in 1955. They are buried in the Proctor cemetery.

The Sirjane children moved away except for Reinold (Ray), who worked at Spring Lake Ranch in Cuttingsville, VT for the greater part of his life. He married and had five children, Chris, Sarah, David, Jeff and Julie, most of whom live in Vermont. Francis had one child, Rhys, who lives in Alabama.

John Peter Lind, Sweden
John Peter Lind was born in Skagern, Sweden on November 17, 1885.

He came to the United States in the early 1900’s where he met Anna Lundstrom, also from Sweden. They married on October 25, 1911 in the Center Rutland Swedish Congregational Church, raised seven children: Lawrence Henry (1912), Robert Godfrey (1915), Ruth Kristine (1917), Elmer Theodore (1919), John Henry (1923), William David (1926) and Doris Virginia (1930), while he worked for the Vermont Marble Company for his entire working career.

John Peter worked primarily in Center Rutland, Vermont at the Vermont Marble Company shop, where he operated machinery that polished marble. He also traveled for many years to locations around the United States to install finished marble, including many government buildings in Washington, D.C.

During his long career at Vermont Marble, John Peter and Anna also operated a small diary farm on Bump Road in Clarendon until he retired in the mid 1950s and moved to Phoenix, Arizona. John Peter died on September 24, 1958 at the Proctor Hospital. He was 73 years old. Many of the children, grandchildren, and great grand children of John Peter and Anna Lind continue to live in the Clarendon, Proctor and Rutland area.

 

Otto V. Gustafson, Sweden
Otto Vilhelm Gustafson was born in Tidaholm, Sweden on November 24, 1884.

Otto came to the United States on March 5, 1902 through Ellis Island in New York City. Otto married Anna Bernardina Spargren, who had emigrated from Sandhem, Sweden. They were married in Whitehall, New York on November 17, 1906 and settled in Proctor, Vermont where they raised their family of four children: Joseph Valdemar (1907), Bertel William (1909), Margaret Eleanor (1913) and Dorothy Maria (1920).

Otto worked in Proctor at the Vermont Marble Company shop, where he polished marble and operated the overhead cranes. His brother, Oscar, had also moved from his family’s home in Sweden to Proctor, Vermont to work for the Vermont Marble Company. Later in life; Otto was a custodian for the Vermont Marble Company office building. He enjoyed gardening and he cared for the beautiful tulip beds at the main office building. After he retired, Otto and Anna continued to live in Proctor until he died on May 18, 1958 at the age of 74.

Some of the children, grand children and great grand children of Otto and Anna Gustafson continue to live in the Proctor and Rutland area. Family members travelled to Tidaholm, Sweden in 2004 to visit the Gustafson family homestead and farm, which had been in the family from the mid 1800’s until 1995.

 

Oscar A. Gustafson, Sweden
Oscar Arvid Gustafson was born in Tidaholm, Sweden to Klara Larsdotter and Gustaf Andersson on April 22, 1879. As one of nine siblings, Oscar left Sweden seeking a better life in the United States.

Arriving at Ellis Island in New York, not speaking the language and with little resources, it is assumed that Oscar connected with businessmen from the Proctor Marble Company who not only offered work but also travel to Proctor, Vermont. Thus, in the early 1900's he began his life in this country and his life long career working, alongside his brother Otto, for the Vermont Marble Company in Proctor, Vermont.

It is believed that Oscar soon returned to Sweden to marry Jenny Lundgren bringing her to Proctor where they would spend the remainder of their life together, raising three children: Oscar Ivar (1906), Alice Linnea (1908), and Fletcher Eric (1923). They were hardworking and frugal people and in 1908, they purchased their home at 24 Gibbs Street, Proctor for under $2000. They never owned an automobile or a credit card and they paid for everything with cash. At one time Oscar worked both for the Proctor Marble Company and as a Travel Agent selling tickets for passage to Sweden from his home.

They became proud Americans who never forgot family left in Sweden. They corresponded regularly with that family, frequently sending money to help where needed. The Proctor Marble Company gave them an opportunity in this country and they were forever grateful for all that they received from the Marble Company and the Proctor family. Oscar passed away on August 30, 1958 at the age of 79.

John Alfred Johnson, Sweden
John Alfred Johnson was born April 18, 1854 in Sodermanland, Sweden.

In April 1893 he arrived in Proctor to work in the mill for the Vermont Marble Company. He was a charter member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

John was married to Hilma Charlotta Lindholm, and had nine children: Annie, Bernhard, Judith, Hilmer, Herbert, Inez, Gertrude, Edith and Bertha. He died on March 27, 1922.

Three more generations of the Johnson family went on to work in the marble industry. John's son, Herbert was also employed by the Vermont Marble Co., attaining the position of Chief Marble Expert. His son, Herbert Johnson, Jr. (Hoby), worked as a marble setter and later as a Foreman in the shop. In 1981, Hoby and Oliver Danforth purchased a portion of the Vermont Marble Company’s Novelty Dept. and started Marble Gifts, Inc.. Today, the business is known as Johnson Marble and Granite, Inc. located in Proctor and is owned and operated by Herbert Johnson, III.

John Edwin Jacobson, Sweden
John Edwin Jacobson was born in Karlstad, Sweden in 1872.

As a young man, he came to work in the Vermont Marble Company mill.

He met and married Edla Sophia Svenson and had three children: Axel, Anna and Hilmer. John contracted tuberculosis and spent several years in the Pittsford Sanitarium. He died in 1914 at the age of 42.

John's daughter, Anna, married Herbert Johnson, son of John Alfred Johnson.

Louis Alexander King, Canada
Louis A. King was a Vermont Marble Company employee, formerly from Canada. When his son, Louis D. King was in Proctor High School, he was asked by his Mom to bring his Dad some sandwiches down to him at the shop where he was working overtime.

To young Louis’ amazement he found his father doing the lettering on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s monument which is now located at FDR’s resting place in Hyde Park, NY. Louis A. King also did the lettering on hundreds and hundreds of monuments of World War II soldiers.

Swan Olaf Mattsson, Sweden
Swan Olaf Mattsson was born in Karlsham, Sweden in 1900. He was a seaman on a Danish freighter along with Eric Anderson. They both jumped ship when it came to port in New York City in 1924. The Vermont Marble Company had representatives there at the docks and both men ended up going to work in Proctor, VT. He became a U.S. Citizen in 1941. Swan Mattsson and Eric Anderson raised their families and lived out their lives in Proctor.

Carl S. Hector, Sweden
Carl was born in Motala, Sweden in 1872. He came to the United States on the ship St. Louis in 1900. He worked for the Vermont Marble Company in their Center Rutland shops as a rubbing bed operator. In 1903 he married Albertina Carlson. She was also born in Sweden in 1865 and came to the United States on the ship City of New York in 1892. They had four children, Elsie, Albert, Edward and Paul all of whom worked in the marble industry. Carl died in 1966 and his wife Albertina died in 1941.

Oscar L. Johnson, Sweden
Oscar was born in Vargarda, Sweden on December 1, 1881. He was a machinist who immigrated to Proctor around 1900. For most of his working years he was superintendent of the large Vermont Marble Company machine shop in Proctor. In 1904 he married Hilda Oscarson who had immigrated to Proctor in 1902 from Motala, Sweden. Three of their children, George, Alice and Paul worked for the Vermont Marble Company, George as Superintendent of Construction and Maintenance, Alice as a Secretary, and Paul as an Accountant.

Antoni Tatarinowicz, Belarus
Antoni moved to this country around 1910. He came from Belarus which at that time was a part of Poland. Belarus was also a part of Russia at one time. He met and married his wife Mary and together they raised seven children. Antoni worked hard as a Boxer in the Building Shed at the Vermont Marble Company for many years. A few of his children went on to work for the company also. He retired at the age of 70 and loved spending his time walking around town and visiting his relatives who also came to town to work for the Vermont Marble Company.

Boleslaw Tatarinowicz, Belarus
Boleslaw came to this country after World War II as a D.P. (displaced person). Instead of going to fight in the war he was sent to Germany to work for a farmer whose own sons had gone off to war. After the war was over a group of men were gathered together as D.P.‘s. They could try to go back home or to hopefully get a chance to come to America. Luckily they were able to travel to New York with a group of farmers and other businessmen. Boleslaw was chosen to go to Minnesota to work on a farm where he was required to stay for six months. When that time was up he moved to Proctor to live with his Uncle Stanislaw and Aunt Anna. Very soon he was hired by the Vermont Marble Company to work on the Rubbing Bed. He worked
hard at his job until his retirement at the age of 65. He liked to go fishing and drive his car and he was able to drive and take care of himself until he died at the age of 90.

Stanislaw Tatarinowicz, Belarus
Stanislaw came to this country to work for the Vermont Marble Company. After a few years and after saving a little money he was able to bring his wife, Anna here. He worked hard at the shop and she in her garden. He had many friends and relatives to visit after he retired from the company at the age of 65.

John Gallus, Sr., Slovakia
John and his wife, Julia came to this country in the early 1900’s. They settled in Proctor and raised four sons. Their home country was called Czechoslovakia at that time which later was changed to the Czech Republic and Slovakia as it is known today. John worked for the Vermont Marble Company as did all of his sons over the years. He worked hard at the company holding many different positions until his retirement at the age of 65.

Ivan Illinski, Czechoslovakia
Ivan Illinski was born on October 18, 1881 in Chornij Potok, Czechoslovakia. He emigrated from Fiume, Italy on the S.S. Aurania and arrived at Ellis Island, NY on March 8, 1904. Ivan began employment with the Vermont Marble Company in 1904 at the Double Road Quarry as a quarryman and blacksmith. He was transferred to Sutherland Falls and then to the Exterior Finishing Shop in 1929 and was a crane operator until his retirement in 1946. Ivan married Mary Evancha on May 24, 1906 in Proctor. She emigrated from Chornij Potok, Czechoslovakia in 1906. They had nine children: Ivan Jr., Maria, George, Sophie, John, Mary, Charles, Ann and Helen. Ivan and Mary lived at The Boarding House on East Street and on Patch Street before purchasing their Patch Street home in Proctor in September of 1942. Ivan passed away in February of 1952 and Mary in January of 1969.

Cesare Augusto Ratti, Italy
Cesare Ratti, the well-known sculptor who carved the first six scenes of the Last Supper. The first one carved can be seen in St. Mary's Church in Whitehall, New York. After his death, later carvings of the Last Supper were carved by Attilio (Lando) Bardi. Mr. Ratti studied at the School of Sculptors in Carrara, Italy, and came to Proctor in 1888. He arrived in Castle Garden, the port of entry before Ellis Island, and his passage cost $35.00.

In 1973 Gino Ratti (one of Cesare Ratti’s eight children) wrote this family resume starting with his departure from Italy. Gino at three years of age and his brother Corrado, four years old, made the trip from Italy with their grandmother. Gino wrote that possibly there was keen competition of the steamship lines because when they left the boat they were able to keep the wool blankets that were supplied them on the boat, (possibly it was cheaper to buy new blankets rather than have the used ones cleaned).

The oldest son of Mr. Ratti, Corrado by name, left school and went back to Italy to the Italian School of Sculptoring. He returned to the United States and was a sculptor in Proctor, Chicago and Washington. Another son, Amerigo, continued in the marble business and set up shop in Seattle.

The Vermont Marble Company helped many marble cutters to set up monument shops in various parts of the country. Gino also mentions that his father was very ingenious. As the Fourth of July was a glorious event in the life of us Americans, Mr. Ratti made fireworks, of which the so-called "Sky Rockets" were his best. On later research I found that Italians were very proficient in this field of pyrotechnics and that most fireworks factories had predominantly Italian employees.

(Our Italian Heritage”, by Bruno C. Baccei, a speech prepared for a talk at the Proctor Historical Society on May 6, 1976 provided Cesare’s Ratti’s biographical sketch).

Karl L. Berg, Norway
Karl L. Berg was born in Larvick, Norway and came to Montreal, Canada on a fishing ship. After hearing about work in Vermont, he left his ship and found his way to Proctor, Vermont, where he was hired to work for the Vermont Marble Co. He soon adopted the American way of spelling his name to Carl.

He had knowledge of how to rig the sails on the fishing ship and so could rig the cables on the cranes to handle the marble pieces. He was very proud to be with the crew that erected the Unknown Soldier’s monument. He also helped to put up the Vermont Marble Exhibit in the Vermont Building, at the Big “E” exposition in Springfield, MA. In 1911 he married Anilla Tillberg. They had four sons—Robert, Walter, Hjalmar, and Allen—and a daughter, Bertha. Walter was the only one to work for Vermont Marble Co. for a short time.

Carl worked on a machine called a “rubbing bed”. He was employed by the Marble Co. for 42 years and passed away at the age of 62.

John Dahlin, Sweden
John Dahlin was born in Varmland, Sweden on March 3, 1887. He and his wife Anna (Torpfeldt), who was expecting their first child, set sail on the ship "Frederick VIII on March 19, 1915 arriving at Ellis Island in New York on March 31, 1915. They settled in Proctor and John began working at the Vermont Marble Company. He was a hand polisher and also operated machinery that polished the marble. He spent his entire working career there. They raised nine children in Proctor; Alice, Lillie, Leonard, Gunhild, Clarence, Harold, Blanche, Helen and Gladys. John died on February 22, 1964 at the Proctor Hospital at the age of 77. John and Anna's only surviving child, Gladys and almost all of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren still live in Proctor and the Rutland area.

Oscar Gollstrom, Sweden
Oscar "Fritz" Gollstrom was born in Proctor, VT of Swedish immigrants. He started working at the VT Marble Company in 1946 after serving in the Army during WWII. He followed in his father Frittz Gollstrom and grandfather Gustav Melen's footsteps as an employee of the VT Marble Company. His brother Bob also worked there. For several years Oscar worked as a marble setter on cemetery mausoleums and building facades around the United States. He later worked in the shops in Proctor until his retirement in 1987.

Bengt August Anderson, Sweden
Bengt August Anderson was born in Vinberg, Sweden on February 17, 1857. He traveled to the United States on the ship "Erin" departing from Liverpool, England and arriving in the Port of New York on October 4, 1881. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1882. He married Olivia Bernadina Anderson of Falkenburg, Sweden on May 23, 1882 in Hammondsville, NY. They settled in Proctor and were Charter Members of St. Paul Ev. Lutheran Church. They had four children, Alfred (1885), Selma (1890), Jennie (1894), and Carl (1898).

Bengt began his work for the VT Marble Company in West Rutland moving blocks of marble from the quarry to the finishing shop on a sled pulled by a team of horses and moved up to be a shop foreman before his retirement. Bengt Anderson died on April 14, 1940 in Proctor. His youngest son, Carl was employed by the VT Marble Company as a draftsman and Carl's wife, Agnes and daughters Helen and Evelyn also worked for the company.

Tamante Ambrosini, Italy
Tamante Ambrosini was born in Carrara, Italy on January 20, 1878. His father and mother were Joseph and Erestine Perini Ambrosini. He was a graduate of the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts (Academia Della Bella Arte) in Carrara, Italy. Around 1900 as a young man of 22 years he came to the United States and stayed with an uncle and his wife in Proctor, VT. He began working on marble at the VT Marble Company. He made several trips back and forth to Carrara and there married a young lady named Ida Pellicia and they settled back in Proctor, VT. Just before the start of WWII they took a trip back to Carrara to visit Ida's family. Tamante just made it back to Proctor alone before the war broke out in 1918. In 1919 the dreadful Spanish Flu broke out around the world and Ida was one of it's victims, dying at the age of 37. Their six children were stuck in Carrara until the end of WWI. Later Tamante returned to Italy to pick up his children. In 1921 while in Italy he married Matilda Zapponi and they all returned to Proctor. The six children of Tamante and Ida were as follow: Enes, T. Serse, Lydia, Dino, Derno, and Socrates. Tamante and his second wife Matilda had one child, a daughter Clivia.

Tamante worked for about 35 years for the VT Marble Company. He was an extraordinary carver and sculptor. He carved many different types of marble items but eagles were his forte'. Many of his beautiful eagle statues are now adorning federal buildings in Washington, D.C.

Dino J. Ambrosini, Italy
Dino Ambrosini was born in Proctor, VT on Sept. 11, 1907. As a young man he worked as a marble sculptor in Massachusetts. After returning home to Rutland, VT he began working for the VT Marble Co. as a super skilled carver and sculptor. He passed away in Rutland on March 15, 2008. He lived to be 100 years and six months old.

Derno A. Ambrosini, Italy
Derno A. Ambrosini was born in Rutland, VT on July 11, 1910. He started working for the VT Marble Co. as a young man, doing lettering and carving. At times he was sent by the Company to different states with other employees to finish details of carvings and sculptures. Derno retired at 62 years old in 1972. He married Jean Pennisi of the Bronx, NY. They had one child, a daughter Marie. Marie was married to Joseph Gawet. Derno passed away in Rutland, VT on June 30, 1999.

Bruno Mayer, Italy
Bruno Mayer was born January 21, 1906 in Dont di Zoldo, Italy, a small village in the Dolomite Mountains. He arrived on the La Savoie at Ellis Island on June 1, 1907 with his family. They settled in Center Rutland, VT. Prior to the family's arrival Bruno's father, Guiseppe had visited the U.S. several times and was employed by the VT Marble Company. The family initially lived on Ripley Road which was located accross the road from the Center Rutland shop.

As a young man Bruno was trained at the VT Marble Company to follow blueprints and to cut and carve marble. He worked for 47 years and retired in January 1971. During these years he worked primarily in the Center Rutland finishing shop whith short stints in Proctor. During this time he was selected to work on an on-site special lettering project at the University of Illinois. He was very much ware of the properties of various marble. He always spoke in glowing terms of the density and beauty of Verde Antique.

Bruno was a very respected and well-known hunter and fisherman in Rutland and surrounding areas. He always had beagles for rabbit hunting. He married Agnes Olson on Sept. 10, 1934. They lived on Crampton Avenue and later on Watkins Avenue in the Pine Hill section of Rutland. They had two daughters, Jean born in 1935 and Marie born in 1938. Bruno passed away after a long and happy life on Nov. 22, 1992.

Romie L. Loso, Canada
Romie L. Loso, also spelled Lauzon as he was of French Canadian descent was born on April 26, 1906, the son of Antoine And Rosalba (Hevy) Loso. His father Antoine and his five brothers had a total of 273 years of service with the VT Marble Co. Romie's first job with the VT Marble Co. was as a messenger. He hand-carried mail and notes and messages to all of the shops and work sites. He then applied for and got a job as a Checker at the building shed. A few years later he was made Foreman and after the retirement of his supervisor was made Superintendent of the Exterior Building Shop which was also known as the Building Shed. He taught himself drafting and to read blueprints and he was able to figure the cubic feet in a block of marble in his head, just by looking at it. One of the many jobs he guided through the shop and was the proudest of was the Jefferson Memeorial. When the marble arrived in Washington, DC it did not fit. It was too big. Romie received a frantic call from the architect of the capitol asking what to do because it did not fit. Romie told him to pack it in ice which they did and the marble fit as it was supposed to.

Romie had 50 years of service to the VT Marble Co. where he earned the respect of all of his associates and management. He was very troubled upon hearing of the closing of the Co. and was visibly sad and forlorn. He died on Christmas Day in 1986.

Alexander Nemeth, Hungary
Alexander Nemeth was born July 4, 1890. He started working for Vermont Marble Co soon after arriving here from Hungary in 1917 at the age of 27. He worked there until 1955.

An expert at matching marble and master of marble artistry. he designed and helped place the beautiful marble alter at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Rutland Vt, Not to mention the beatuiful walls in the marble exhibit as well as many marble buildings offices and homes all over the United States.

He had a unique artistry in designing and making fine carved marble books with pages that looked real enough to turn. he made beautiful marble candle holders, bookends and tables that are still to this day enjoyed by family.

Alexander love of marble and his craft was passed on to his son Dezso. Alexander died on October 31, 1956.

Dezso Gabor Nemeth, Hungary
Dezso Nemeth was born April 10, 1928. The love of marble was passed to Dezso from his father Alexander. In 1944 Dezso at the age of 16 working along the side of his father began working for the Vermont Marble Co.

He worked his way from the bottom of the marble industry to becoming General Plant Manager of the Vermont marble Co and Danby Marble Quarries.

Not only did he follow in the footsteps of his father in the mastery of matching and placing marble but an expert in his own right in marble grades and textures. From picking out large blocks of stone from quarries, knowing what would be perfect piece, how the stone would be cut designed and polished. A leader in manipubarting blue prints to set the finished marble product. He worked for the Vermont Marble Company until 1982.

He loved to make marble lamps and tables at home, Dezso lived his love of marble every day at his home. Dezso died August 28 2011.

The West Rutland Wall

Adam Sitek, Poland
Adam Sitek came to the U.S. from Poland in the early 1900s.  He met and married a Polish woman from West Rutland named Helen, and lived in the house on the corner of Pleasant and Anderson St. in West Rutland.  Together they had 7 children; Mary, Mike, Anthony, Emily, Leokadia, Bernadette and Theresa.  Adam was employed by the VT Marble Co. as a quarry worker.  From his home he was able to walk to the quarry at the end of Anderson St..  The home stayed in the Sitek family for many years and was sold in 2004.  His son, Anthony continued in the marble business, and was employed by Green Mountain Marble. 

Mike Lengol, Czechoslovakia
Mike Lengol was born in Volosko (Podhorne), Czechslovakia on October 31, 1901. He sailed from Antwerp, Belgium on the vessel S.S. Montreal, arriving in Quebec, P.Q. on April 26, 1927. His first employment was in the wheat fields of Winnipeg. He then worked and resided primarily in Montreal. In February of 1929 Mike entered the United States and briefly worked in the ore mines at A. Witherbee, Sherman & Co. in Mineville, NY. Mike began his employment with the Vermont Marble Company on May 20, 1930 first at the Florence Mill then at the New Mill and Clement Mill. He became a U.S. Citizen on September 1, 1944. From 1937 to April 1971 Mike worked at Mill 19 and 20 in West Rutland where he worked as a marble sawyer. Mike married Sophie Illinski of Proctor On June 2, 1934 and they lived in Center Rutland. They purchased their home on Barrett Hill in Center Rutland in October of 1937 and raised two children, George (1935) and Ruth (1936). Mike passed away in April of 1971 and Sophie in July of 1996.

William Godek, Poland
William Godek started working at the Center Rutland Mill in 1913 as a Marble Polisher until the strike in 1935. He returned to work in Center Rutland after the war until his retirement in 1957.

Joseph Pokrywka, Poland
Joseph Pokrywka was born in the U.S. in 1915 of Polish immigrants. He was the oldest son of Karl and Anna (Ptak) Pokrywka. They settled in Rutland, VT and had a total of 7 children. He attended Rutland schools and after graduating from Rutland High School went to work for the VT Marble Company. He married Genevieve Glodzik in 1943 and during WWII they moved to Connecticut where Joseph worked in factories making equipment and machinery for the U.S. war effort. Joseph, his wife, and baby daughter Sally moved back to VT at the end of the war and he resumed working for the VT Marble Company. They lived in West Rutland the rest of their lives. He was a self-taught carpenter working all of his life on their home there.

At the VT Marble Company Joseph was a skilled artisan working in the novelty department making specialty marble items. He retired from the company after 42 years. A picture of Joseph at work making a marble lamp was used in one of the VT Marble Company's brochures.

Marion A. Broza, Poland
Marion A. Broza, nicknamed "Blanc" (white), then Blonch, then Blonchie was brought into the marble trade by his father, Bill Broza. Somehow Marion became a table-top polisher though not without many frustrating days at the Center Rutland shop. Though the other workers were friendly, many becoming his best friends, part of the initiation process was learning by trial and error how to deal with each variety of marble, some being relatively easy to polish and others being extremely difficult. Black and gold marble in particular caused Marion many headaches because it required a certain kind of abrasive and an extra amount of time to get it just right. Toward the end of his career with VT Marble he had a ten second cameo appearance in the film about the marble industry that was show at the Visitor Center in Proctor.

Theodore P. Giebutowski, Poland
Theodore Giebutowski worked for the Green Mountain Marble Co. in West Rutland from the late 1940's or early 1950's until his death in 1969 at about the same time that the successor company, Georgia Marble closed the facility. He was a machinist, primarily operating a machine that shaped marble into cornices for buildings. He also occasionally turned marble vases and sandblasted names on headstones for veteran's cemetaries. He was proud to have worked on various building parts for the Government Center in Albany, NY. He came to the U.S. from Poland as an infant accompanied only by his mother who soon after arriving married Paul Jaskot. He attended St. Peter's School in Rutland along with his siblings. Ted was a member of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church community and was an active member of the Holy Name Society. He was married to Genevieve Kamuda.

Joseph (Jozef) Kamuda, Poland
Joseph (Jozef) Kamuda was a quarry worker for the VT Marble Company. He arrived in the U.S. from Rozniaty, Poland (Austria) in 1912 at the age of 26 and moved to West Rutland where he lived in company housing. His wife, Anna Dziekan and an infant son died in the 1918-1919 plague when their daughter Genevieve was 4 years old. He remarried to Anna Kagan. He worked for the VT Marble Company until his retirement. He participated after work hours in the building of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church and other civic buildings. Their daughter Genevieve married Theodore Giebutowski and the Kamudas and Giebutowskis lived as an extended family until the Kamudas passed away.

Karol Gil, Poland
Karol Gil worked in the Center Rutland Mill sawing big blocks of marble until the Mill closed and he was transferred to the West Rutland Mill. He worked for 47 years for the VT Marble Company. Karol also went by the name of Charles Gill. He lived in Center Rutland all of his life until he passed away in 1957 at the age of 78.

John P. Firliet, Austria/Poland
John P. Firliet (1883-1941) was born in Borek, Poland and was a marble worker who emigrated to the United States aboard the Kaiser Wilhelm, sailing from Hamburg, Germany and arriving in New York City on Sept. 17, 1907 with his young wife, Mary Kowalska Firliet (1888-1954). John and Mary settled in West Rutland, VT. Together they raised 4 sons and 4 daughters. John worked for VT Marble all of his life grading marble for its many uses until his death in 1941. Two brothers also joined him in the States, however one brother whose name we do not know, returned to Poland after a short time. The other brother frank was killed in a quarry in West Rutland.

Frank Firliet, Austrai/Poland
Frank Firliet (1891-1913) followed his brother to the United States to work in the quarries of West Rutland in 1911. He met an untimely death in the Mullin Quarry in West Rutland at the age of 22. He was working in the company of other men at the time of the accident. Several holes has been put into the marble and they had been loading for blasting and set off, the men in the gang going to a place of shelter to await the firing. It could not be learned whether Firliet had misjudged the number of blasts thinking they had all gone off or had come out of his place of shelter to make an inspection, but as he was near the blasts the last one fired and a large piece of stone struck him just over his heart and it is probable that his death was instantaneous.

Joseph Nienaltowski, Poland
Joseph Nienaltowski worked for Green Mountain Marble Co. as a machinist in West Rutland until his death on Christmas Day, 1924. His death followed an accident where he was crushed between marble slabs while working in the quarry. He was born in Poland in 1879 and came to the U.S. as a young man. He married Leocadia Niekraszewski and had three sons. He second wife was Florentina Radzisewski and they had two daughters.

Stanley J. Kramarz, Poland
Stanley John Kramarz worked for the Green Mountain Marble Company in West Rutland finishing monuments by smoothing the marble with a rubbing bath machine. This required standing in cold water, which adversely affected his health. After suffering from chronic bronchitis and asthma for five years, he finally left his job under doctor’s orders. He died six months later at the age of 53. Born in Rzeszów, Poland in 1888, he was 17 when he arrived in the United States and 23 when he made his way to West Rutland. There he married twice, having two daughters with his first wife, and a daughter and two sons with his second wife, Mary Kubas. Three of his daughters went on to raise families in the Rutland area, and one of his granddaughters became the Town Manager of West Rutland.