Emrich Family History & Genealogy

This story was publised in the Clewiston News paper on July 25,1984.
It was wrote by: Suzie Maybury.

Lounging back in a green,worn vinyl chair & wearing a neatly pressed,pink-faded shirt adorned by a bolo tie made from an old silver dollar.Paul Emrich talks about his 50 years spent in Clewiston as a Junk Collector.
Emrich said he was sent to Clewiston by U.S.Sugar Corp. to work as a blacksmith in 1934,but after three months he was layed off."The old blacksmith said he wanted to come back(to U.S.Sugar)so I guess they had to let him."Emrich said."They said they would let me work as his helper for 17 cents an hour",but I didn't want to,so Paul decided to go into business for himself.
"I went into the junk business.I had a whellbarrow,and I would go get stuff at the garages in town.They would give me a lot because they felt sorry for me,"he said."I would make two trips a day with that wheelbarrow until I finally bought a truck for $20.00."
Emerich said he borrowed $600.00 from the First National Bank of Clewiston using hie truck as collateral."Mr.Elbert Stewart of First Bank didn't even make me sign a paper.Emrich said."He said,'everybody told me you were an honest man.'I never saw that kind of money before.That's pert near two years of work." And with one truck and a payloader Paul became a self-made millionaire as a junk collector.
He said he would get 1,200 tons of iron a year and 100 tons of metal mostly from the sugar company.He would then cut it and ship it to Tampa,Fl.He also sold used car parts from the nearly 200 cars he would collect every year."I used to get them for free.People used to call up and say 'come get this thing out of my yard,and I'd get it and make money off it.'
In 1950, Emrich brought his oldest son into the business as a one-third partner.
"After two years my wife said,"why don't you make him(his son) a half partner,'so I did."
Robert(Sonny)Emrich is now the owner of the business.
Having only two years of education,Paul prides himself as being born with a sharp,business mind.I only went to school for two years."I may not be the smartest man in thw world,but Iwas smart enough to make a little bit of money,"he said.Emrich sold junk for 40 years becoming a self-made millionaire.Now at the age of 83, Paul said he now lives off the intrest."In 1974 I got tired of making money so I quit,"he sais.
Since his retirement,Emrich has taken the opportunity to travel.He has been to 27 countries and 38 states.He said he didn't have the chance to travel with his wife."My wife never did like to travel,"he said.She didn't want to fly,and if you go to Europe you have to fly unless you take a slow boat.So,after she died I made up for lost time."Paul said he goes to all the World's Fairs,and when he has to stay over night he said he sleeps in his car.Evan tho he can afford to stay in the finest hotels,he said he refuses "to pay $85.00 to stay in one of those places."
Paul went to Disney World 25 times,but to Epcot only once."I went to Epcot,but you have to stand in line so long that I didn't like it."he said.
When Emrich isn't travling,he said his favorite pastime is going to Big Time Wrestling on Monday nights in West Palm Beach or Ft.Myers.
"My kids say I have no business on the road,but I like rasslin'so I go anyway."he said.
He keeps in shape by doing a 100 push-ups everday,plus he eats a half grapefruit a day and hasn't had a cold in 20 years.Paul spends three hours a day reading.Although he wasn't formally educated his sister taught him to read.He lives in a small pink painted trailer he bought for &800.00.It is hard to imagine that the owner could be wealthy."I've got $50.00 worth of furniture in it from Goodwill and other places over the years.""I could buy a $40,000.00 home,but I wouldn't enjoy it. Describing the way Emrich lives some people say he's stingy,but for 50 years he has always kept a pocket ful of Silver Dollars which he gave away to people he would meet.All in all he has given away about $20,000.00 worth away,he says.
Being the son of a Preacher,Paul said he lived in a tent and moved from town to town all over the country.At the age of 16,he took a job in a zinc ore mine where he worked 10 hours a day for $2.00.He said when they did explosions to get the zinc the workers were suppose to be out of the mine,but his boss was "too stingy" and instead made the workers hide around the corner.The explossions eventually burst h Emrich's eardrums and he completely lost his hearing by age 35.He wears two earing aids.He worked for the mine for two years and then in a smelter for another two years.His job at the smelter was to make red paint.After the smelter his family moved to Kansas where he worked as a migrant worker in the whear fields."I worked for a dollar an hour and boy at $10.00 for 10 hours of work,we thought we were rich."
When Paul Emrich was 18 he worked in a stockyard to count sheep as they came into the stockyard.I got $4.00 a day for 10 hours of work. After working in the stockyard his family once again moved on and went to Stanbery,Mo. There he worked as a blacksmith for Wabash Railroad for 10 years.That's whwere he meet and married his wife Iva Elma (Jennings).He said times in Stanberry were good until Wabash quit running the trains and laid off 300 people."We were near starvation and people were burning down their homes to collect the insurance."he said.
But Emrich admits being one of the lucky ones.He was offered the job at the Sugar company shortly after being laid off in Stanberry.He and his wife moved to Clewiston,Fl.and raised four children:Ruth,Betty,Mary Ann & Robert.His wife diedin Feb;of 1972.and a year later he retired. Emrich said he makes enough money just living off what he worked so hard to earn."It beats working."he said.I work maybe 10 hours a week--I shine my car,clean house and keep up with my bonds.
*** NOTE: Paul Emrich died on November 23,1993 in Ft.Myers,Fl. and was laidto rest at Ridgelawn Cemetery in Clewiston,Fl.


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