| Biography |
- John Krommenakker, a progressive farmer in Sigel Township, was born in Bro wn County, Wis., Aug. 17, 1869, son of Peter and Mary (Malow) Krommenakke r. The mother was born in Belgium and came to the United States when a you ng girl. The father was a native of Holland; coming to the United Stat es at the age of 24; the latter settled at Wrightstown, in Brown County, W is., and after working for a time on farms near there entered the empl oy of a railway company, in which work he spent ten years. He then boug ht a farm of 40 acres inBrown County, later adding another 40-acre tract, and on this proper ty he remained for 24 years, engaged in farming. In 1899 he came to Wood C ounty; here he purchased the Patrick Conway farm in Rudolph Township, whi ch he operated until his retirement in 1915, then moving to Wisconsin Rapi ds, where both parents died, the mother in June, 1916, and the father in D ecember, the same year. Theywere the parents of 11 children, of whom one, Tressa, is now deceased; tho se living are: John, Nellie, Minnie, Mary, Anna, Elizabeth, Pauline, Georg e, Peter, and Albert. Nellie is now Mrs. Herman Bushman and resides in Car son, Portage County, Wis.; Minnie is Mrs. William Bushman, living in Sher ry Township, Wood County; Mary is the wife of John Holstrom, of Port Edwar ds, Wis.; Anna marriedMichael Hoerl, of Wisconsin Rapids; Elizabeth is Mrs. Theodore Kerste m, of Wisconsin Rapids; Pauline is Mrs. Frank Kerstem; George and Peter li ve in Sherry Township, Wood County; Albert lives in Wisconsin Rapids. Jo hn Krommenakker, after attending school in Brown County and helping on t he farm, spent 11 years in the employ of the Menasha Woodenware Co., worki ng in a sawmill at Menasha,Wis. He then turned to agriculture, and after following this line for fo ur years near Wrightstown, Wis., came to Wood County in 1899 and boug ht 99 acres in Section 11, Sigel Township, on which property only 15 acr es were cleared and there were no buildings except an old log house and ba rn. Under Mr. Krommenakker's ownership a remarkable development of this pr operty had been made; the land that was practically a wilderness when he a cquired it is now one of the most modern farms in this section of the coun try, and solely by his own toil and effort he has built up for himself pro sperity and a most enviable record as an agriculturist, and to posteri ty he will leave a fitting memorial to a well-spent life, a property whi ch will continue to add to the agricultural greatness of the Northwest wh en he has passed to the life beyond. He has erected a 13-room residence a nd a complete set of farm buildings of the most modern type, including a b arn 40 by 110 feet in dimensions, equipped with full basement, running w ater, electric lights from a private plant, patent stanchions, etc. The mo dern methods thus illustrated he has applied throughout all his operation s; his equipment includes a tractor and a motor truck, and his he rd of 42 Holstein cattle is headed by a pure-bred sire. Mr. Krommenakker w as married at Wrightstown, Wis., June 14, 1892, to PaulineTheunis, daughter of August and Johanna (Meulnas) Theunis. Mrs. Krommenakk er's parents were natives of Belgium, and were old settlers in Brown Count y, Wis., where they were engaged in farming for many years. Both are n ow deceased, the mother having passed away in 1877 and the father July 2 7, 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Krommenakker have three children, August, Rosa, a nd Elzear. Rosa is now Mrs. Joseph Walters and lives on a farm in Sherry T ownship. Elzear is employed as a cheesemaker in the Swetz cheese facto ry in Sigel Township. Mr.Krommenakker is a stockholder in the Rudolph Telephone Co.; he was pathmas ter here for one year, and was at one time a member of the school boa rd of his district; he is a member of the Foresters, and is secretary of t he Catholic Church at Vesper, of which the family are members. Besides h is property in Sigel Township, Mr. Krommenakker owns a 40-acre tract in Sh erry Township, which he purchased in
1911.
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1810 - 1858 (48 years)
