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Anton May (b. 1879) and Emma May (b. 1881) lived their whole lives in the Johnsburg/Spring Grove area. They also shared the same last name - but were not related - at least not until they were married in 1900.
They spent the first years of their married life on a farm at Johnsburg until Anton decided farming wasn’t for him. They moved to Spring Grove in 1907, with two children in tow, Charles, and Hilda. They rented rooms over the Sample Room (Wagner’s saloon), until Anton built a house at 7605 Blivin Street for $2,525. By 1911 two more children arrived, Martin and Frances. Anton was employed at Wieland Dairy for over 20 years.
In 1934 Wieland Dairy moved its operations to Chicago. Many workers moved with the company, but Anton stayed. In 1937, the plant became the “Saux Poultry Company”. At least that’s what the villagers thought until it was raided by the Feds who found an elaborate illegal still in operation.
Only two young men were captured in the raid and taken to Chicago. Anton left town around that time for a while and his descendants often wondered if he might have been involved there. He would have had intricate knowledge of the equipment and the old drainage system from the dairy plant that went to the Nippersink Creek, which was an important feature of the still.
During WWII, meat was scarce and the building became a slaughterhouse where Anton worked as a butcher into the late 1940s or early 1950s.
In the 20s or 30s the May house burned down. Anton was determined never to have to go through that again and replaced it with the brick bungalow that still stands today. His new house was quite the envy of the townspeople who thought it was so modern.
For 51 years Anton was also busy as a village trustee, retiring in 1961! In 1969, a new bridge was being built over the Nippersink Creek. A metal plaque was attached to the old bridge, which was built in 1911, on which the names of the village board members were inscribed, and the only one still living was Anton, who was ninety years old. Anton died in 1970 and Emma died in 1953. They left behind two daughters, two sons, 16 grandchildren and 48 great-grandchildren. The Mays are buried in St. Peter’s Cemetery.
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