John Joseph Sprafka

JOHN J . SPRAFKA To be born mid-ocea n beneat h the star s and stripe s is an interestin g bit in the life story of John J . Sprafka , whose nam e has bee n a par t of Minto' s busines s direc – tory since Jul y 26, 1890. Befor e ocean liner s whiske d passenger s acros s the Atlantic in four days or thereabouts , European s em– barked on a voyag e of many weeks and many ex– perience s on the wind-drive n sailin g vessels , when they traded old world s for new. So it was when John Spraf ka's parent s decide d to become Americans , and lef t thei r home in Poland . The boa t was the Washingto n on which they booked passage . When the Washingto n had been five weeks at sea, the proverbia l stork wearie d of delay , and since no land was yet in sight , lef t his gift . When the in– fant was one month old , the Washingto n furle d sail s in New York harbor . Mr. Sprafka' s boyhood was spen t in Chicag o and his manhood in Perham , Minn. There he marrie d Carolin e France s Januszewsk i who was born in Winona , Minn., Jan. 21, 1866. His firs t mercantil e stor e was in Motley, Minn., and it was at this time Rober t Szczy s becam e associate d with him in business . From Motley he cam e to Minto Jul y 6,1890 . On July 26, he opened a genera l stor e in the Winehol t builcling, where the A. J . Miller residenc e now is. In this venture , known unde r the nam e of J . J . Sprafk a and Co. , Messer s Walt z and Webe r were the silent partners . In 1892 he moved to the Jame s Twame y building. In 1904 he bough t out his partne r and for two year s was sole owner and manage r of the Sprafk a Store . In 1904, Max Warcza k cam e to Minto and bough t the stock of merchandise . Mr. Sprafk a then went into farm– ing in Manitob a and devote d his interest s in Canada . In 1926 he returne d to Minto, and operate d the J . J . Sprafk a Oil Co. with a station on Highwa y 81. In conjunctio n he also owned and operate d the potat o warehous e which he built in 1939. It was on April 29,1939 tha t Mrs . Sprafk a passe d away . Mr. Sprafk a was alderman , city mayor , directo r of the Boar d of Educatio n for many years , and served as a Democrati c committeeman . The son s and daughter s were seven : Caroline , Isabel , Beatric e and Doctor s John and Ray and George , Doctor Grover and Andrew. The second son of the family died in 1916. Mr. Sprafk a died May 2,1952