- Peter VANDERHEIDEN, farmer of Holland township, Brown county, was born in North Brabant, Holland, February 10, 1849, a son of Derk and Antonet (VanRoy) Vanderheiden. The father of our subject was a farmer, and was twice married, first to Petrone'la Van de Nymelenberg, who bore him seven children, and died November 9, 1847. The father then married, November 30, 1848, Antonet Van Roy, who has bore him six children, viz. : Peter, our subject; George B. ; Mary, deceased; John and Bardine (twins), and Mary (2). In 1850 the parents came to America, landing in New York, thence coming directly to Wisconsin. They settled in Holland township, where the father bought 160 acres of land in the wild woods, from which was carved out the splendid farm where our subject now lives. It would be superfluous to here relate the primitive manner in which the farm was reached and hewed from the wilderness. The courage and the endurance of the pioneer have been depicted a* housand times, and the experience of the Vanderheiden family was that of all others in like circumstances. Suffice it to say that the family prospered, but that it was for a period of thirty years that they lived in the 20 X 30 log cabin that originally occupied the site of their present substantial stone dwelling. Peter Vanderheiden was faithful in aiding his father in developing the homestead, and was alwa)s a hard worker at home, with the exception of a few months during the winters, when he worked for neighbors; but he always brought his earnings home, adding thus to the family store. The father died here February 1 1, 1874, aged fifty-nine years, eleven months and eleven days, deeply mourned by friends and neighbors. Our subject then took possession of the farm, which he has successfully managed to the present time; each heir became the owner of eighty acres. In 1887 our subject married Miss Louise, daughter of John and Mary (Gilsing) Pekel, the family coming to America from Germany in i860. There were nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. Pekel, namely: Lambert, John, William, Mary, George, Kate (deceased in infancy), Louise, Kate (2), and Lena. To our subject and his wife have come four children, viz. : Theodore, born December 7, 1S88; John and Mary, born January 14, 1891; and William, born January 7, 1893. Mr. and Mrs. Vanderheiden are devout members of the Catholic Church; in politics he is a Democrat, and socially he is one of the most respected citizens of the township.
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1849 - 1931 (82 years)
Immigration
