Dumke dives into journey of discovery for historical roots
Paul Dumke, a Medford native who has been living in and traveling to various places around the country with his wife Nancy, recently returned to the city to dig up some information on his familyâs past. Specifically, he was after information regarding his great-grandfather Herman Dumke.
To do so, he sought out the help of Hildegard Kuse of Kuse Farm Museum and Nature Preserve. Kuse possesses a trove of Medford history, both in the form of paper documentation, as well as her own nearly 92 years of first-hand experience. Paul was able to discover much about Herman through the use of Kuseâs information, and also utilized an old college paper written by a distant relative, Jack Hartwig. Between the two, Paul had the rare opportunity to shine some light on his familyâs past.
Herman Dumke was born in Germany, coming to Medford at twenty-one years of age. With his younger brother - also named Paul Dumke [P.D.] - they opened Dumke Bros. Cigar Manufacturing, introducing their cigars to the public in 1890. They used tobacco grown around Madison to produce their cigars, and would use Cuban tobacco for higher-end products. Their signature cigar was referred to as the Crooks cigar, which became a staple for their business and was largely responsible for cementing the Dumkeâs Bros. in Taylor County; they were soon doing business state-wide.
âI didnât really know anything about the business except for that it existed,â said Paul of his ancestorâs business. âItâs amazing that Hildegard has preserved all this information, it really helps people like me who are curious about where and what our families come from.â
Together, the brothers enjoyed prosperous careers spanning over a decade, growing Dumke Bros. side-by-side until P.D. died from complications relating to appendicitis in 1901. Herman continued to expand the business after his brotherâs death, and at one time employed 17 men, a rather large number of workers for a company in the early 20th century. In fact, according to Hartwigâs paper, it was those at Dumke Bros. who formed the very first labor union in Taylor County.
âI certainly didnât know that, but itâs pretty amazing,â Paul commented on the revelation.
By 1911, the automatic cigar roller had begun to take over, driving down the demand for more expensive hand-rolled cigars such as Dumkeâs. The growing popularity of cigarettes over cigars added to market stress, and when combined with cheap, readily available cigars, it culminated in the entire hand-rolled cigar industry faltering, Dumke Bros. included.
Even through the hard times, Herman never shut his factory down and continued its operation, although towards the end he only employed three workers at the factory. Through this, Herman decided to begin a new chapter of his life: politics. In 1914, he was elected treasurer and served for four years. From there, he went on to compete in the mayoral election, winning and serving as Medfordâs mayor from 1918-1922.
Herman continued serving the community of Medford even after retiring from politics, before dying of pneumonia on March 29, 1937. Dumke Bros. Cigar Manufacturing was closed with Hermanâs death, and their cigar brands were sold to a business named the Ruesch Brothers.
Paul Dumkeâs journey of discovery has led him to learn a considerable amount of information regarding his familyâs history, with Kuseâs museum and Hartwigâs old paper enabling him to do so.