Michael Friedrich Krueger

Krueger Kin and Related Family 1977 2nd edition

Michael Krueger was born June 19, 1800 in Pommern, Prussia and married

Dorothea Rusch there. She was born January 18, 1808 in or near Niederhagen,

( Lubien Dolny ), County Regenwalde, Pommern, Prussia. Niederhagen belonged

to the Evangelical Parish of Obernhagen, now Lubien Gorny, Szczecin, Poland.

Records are not available at Saltlake, at Oberhagen, or at the archives at Szczecin.

Michael and Dorothea raised a large family and we know they were living in

Niederhagen at the time of the emigration. Unsatisfied with the conditions and in particular, conscription into the army until the age of 31, Michael sold his property and brought all his family to America. They left Hamberg on April 2, 1852 on the Brig Julie and arrived in New York on May 25, seven and one-half weeks later. Three of the older children were already married with families- David, Caroline Rusch and Wilhelmina Reinke. Eleven were listed on the passenger list with the parents; namely, Carl B., Christine, Louise,Gottfried, Fritz,

Ernestine, Fredericka. Mathilde, Emilie, Hannah and Therese. Of these Mathilde

has not been acounted for and she could be the child who died on the ship and the mother pretended she was alive so she wouldn't be buried at sea. Theres no way to verify this. They may have stopped briefly in New York, then went onto Buffalo and Milwaukee as that was the common way settlers came to this way. According to the 1911 History of Manitowoc County, Page 316, David Krueger and his brothers settled in 1853 in Maple Grove. They were in the 1855 Wisconsin state census

of Maple Grove. In November of 1856 Rockland Township was formed from part of Maple Grove. Most of the Kruegers lived for at least a while in the area around Reedsville. In 1855 there were four male and six female in the household including the parents. Names were not given, but the corresponds with names of the five daughters and three sons who married after that. It leaves no place for Mathilde. From the 1878 atlas of Manitowoc County, we learned,

that those who settled during the years ranging from 1846-1855, suffered perhapes the greatest privations of all the pioneers. They were a distance from

Manitowoc and Sheboygan, and after the store of provisions which they broght with them were exhusted., they had to rely on the meager pruducts of there diminutive farms. Potatoes were the staple article of food; bread was a luxury and milk was scarce. neighbors were separated by from three to five mile of trackless forest and a journey to town was a task of no insignificant proportions,

and though their wants frequently justified the attemp, the state of their finances interposed an objection.

In 1860 Michael "Krige" had thirty acres of improved land and fifty acres of

unimproved; the value of his farm was $600. the raised 40 bushels of wheat, 30 bushels of rye, 20 bushels of oats, and produced 10 pounds of wool. $100.

worth of livestock included 3 cows, 2 oxen, 5 cattle, 2 sheep and 5 swine.

The situation has improved. By 1870 Michael and Dorothea were living with their son, Christian, and later Christian's son Albert M. Krueger bought the farm, a 120 acres e1/2 of sw 1/4 and nw 1/4 of the se1/4 of section 3 in the town of Rockland,

Township #19, north of range 21 east. Now Gerald Ebert owns some of this land.

When Michael died June 14, 1875, he was buried across the road in the Rockland

Evangelical Cemetery, one and one-half miles southwest of Reedsville on the town road. Michaels stone is broken. Dorothea died April 28, 1883 and her tombstone has a scripture verse from revelation 21; 7.

Wer Uberwindet der wird alles erben. ( he that overcometh shall inherit all things).