- JOHN E. VERSTEGEN, a prominent retired citizen of Little Chute, Wisconsi n, who for seventeen years was engaged in the furniture business here, h as also been closely identified with civic affairs of the village and a st rong believer in Democratic principles. He was born in Outagamie county, A ugust 26, 1856, a son of Arnold and Mary (Biemans) Verstegen. Arnold Verst egen was born in Holland in 1820, and at the age of thirty years came to t he United States, settling at Little Chute, where he purchased a farm of w ild land, at $2.50 an acre. This he operated until 1872. In 1862, in compa ny with his brother John, he built a flour mill, and in 1863 the two broth ers, Arnold and John, built the first bridge across the Fox River at th is point, to accommodate their customers across the river from their mill s. Later the bridge was conveyed to the township.The partnership continued until John Verstegen's death in 1870, when Arno ld Verstegen became sole owner of the mills and continued as such until h is death in 1900. His first wife died in 1865, and he was married (secon d) to Katherina Van der Ah, who survives him. By his first marriage, Mr. V erstegen had the following children: Katherine, who, married Martin Coon en and resides in Buchanan township and has ten children; Mary, who was ma rried in 1874 to John Hooyman of Freedom township and has a family of t en children; John E. Verstegen subject of this sketch; Herman J., preside nt of the Bank of Little Chute, who married Christina Whitman, and has a f amily of seven children; and Jane, who married John Van den Weymelenber g, proprietor of a department store at Wrightstown, Wisconsin, and has a f amily of eleven children.To the union of Arnold and Katherina (Von der Ah) Verstegen there were bo rn children as follows: Frank, who is in the hardware business in Little C hute, married Annie Golden and has three children; Dinah, who married Mart in Hartjes, has eight children, and is in business in Little Chute; Nelli e, who married Ed Johnson, a farmer of Deer Creek township, has five child ren; Joseph, in the lumber business in Little Chute, married Annie Van Gru mple, and has five children; Arnold, a farmer of Freedom township, marri ed Rose Daul and has seven children; Peter, a farmer of Freedom townshi p, married Mary Daul and has four children; and Cornelius, a resident of L ittle Chute, married Elsy Honey, 'and has two children.John E. Verstegen received a. public school education, after which he spe nt twenty-three years in the flour mill at Little Chute. In 1893 he open ed the'first furniture store in the village, and continued to conduct it u ntil his retirement, in March, 1909, since which time he has served in t he capacity of village marshal. He was postmaster of the village during Pr esident Cleveland's administration, and has served several terms as assess or, and is a member of the high school board. With his family he attends t he Catholic Church, and he is a. member of the Knights of Columbus, of whi ch he has been trustee for many years, and of the Foresters. IHe was pract ically the organizer of Court 450 which now has a membership of 200 of whi ch he held the three highest offices at different times. He is also a memb er of the Modern Woodmen of America.Mr. Verstegen was married July 20, 1880, to Mary Feldmier, who was bo rn in Menasha., Wisconsin, August 4, 1857, daughter of John and Christi na Feldmier, early residents of Calumet county, and nine children have be en born to this union, as follows: John A., residing in Little Chute; Anni e, who married H. Oudenhoven, a resident of North Dakota; Katie, who marri ed John M. Stier, in the jewelry business at Beloit, Wisconsin; Emma, a cl erk in Geenen's store at Appleton; Aloysius, residing on a farm; and Led a, one of the teachers in the high school at Little Chute; Leona, Edgar -a nd Rosella, all living at home, attending school. Mr. Verstegen is a gre at believer in the value of an education, and has Riven his children the b enefit of attendance at both parochial and high schools.
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1856 - 1937 (80 years)
1860 Census
