| Notes |
- Carl Henry Kroeger was born 7-24-1846 in Stockhausen, Westfalen (now Westphalia), Germany, son of Henry Carl Otto and Louisa Charlotte (Helmich) Kroeger. Records at the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Blasheim, Germany, show that Karl Fredrich Ludwig Kroger was born on 7-24-1846 to Karl Otto and Anna Marie Charlotte Helmich and was baptized on 7-25-1846; confirmed 3-24-1861. We know of one brother, Henry Frederick Wilhelm (Fred)
B. 5-26-1859, D. 1-8-1943, and a half-brother William.
In 1867, Carl immigrated to America and settled in North Prairie, Illinois, and worked as a farm hand. North Prairie is located in Washington County whose county seat is Nashville, which is about 50 miles east of St. Louis, MO. North Prairie is south of Hoyleton or about 5 miles east of New Minden which located north of Nashville about 7 miles on Hwy 127 or 3 miles north of Hwy 64 or south on Hwy 177 and named after Minden, Westphalia, Germany, the locale from where the settlers came. The Methodist Church at North Prairie has been torn down but the cemetery remains. I'm not sure about a Lutheran Church at North Prairie.
On 6-18-1873, Carl married Karoline, Luise (Louise), Justine Dueker, daughter of Ernest Henry and Friederieke (Rodekopf) Dueker. Louise was born 4-20-1852 in Minden, Germany. She immigrated to America in 1868 with 3 sisters--Friederieke, Wilhemmia, Anne-Marie, and brother, Henry. Fred Gerling, who traveled with them, later married the daughter Friederieke. Their father, Ernest Henry Dueker, died just prior to setting sail in 1868. For some reason, Friederieke (the mother), and children Maria and William (Kroeger) (who may have been adopted so that he could come to America) didn't get to
come over until the next year (1869). They all lived with Karoline, an older sibling who had come to America earlier and had settled in North Prairie. The Washington County, Illinois, 1870 census lists Louise (age 19) as a servant for the Charles and Louisa Vogt family; they had three children and farmed.
Carl and Louise came to Kansas in 1885 with three of their children (Emma, Emilie, and Louis) in a covered wagon. They first settled 12 miles north of Ellis. Later he bought a homestead 9 miles north of Ellis (3 miles north, 1 east, then 6 north again). Here they built a sod house in a bank northwest of the stone house they later built in 1902 or 1903. The house was still standing in 1991, although on 8-31-1991 the house caught on fire while brush and weeds were being burned in the area, only the rock walls remained standing, and those during the summer of 1992 were completely razed. (It is disheartening to drive by and not see the familiar symbol of our family ties. Another landmark gone forever!) The walls were made of an inside and an outside wall of stone with a dead space between which was filled with rock chips. Grandson, Henry Kroeger said the rock was quarried 2 miles east of the homestead. The farmstead is known as the "Kroeger Farm." They owned a 3/4 section of land. The 80 acres, where the house stands, ran the mile north and south. The other half section laid across the road to the west. The land description is Sec. 1/4 of 22-11-20 Ellis Co. Land records in Hays, KS, lists Chas H. Krueger--Carl Henry Krueger--Chas H. Krueger as owner. The house had 5 rooms upstairs and 5 rooms downstairs and a screened in porch on the north side. They had an orchard to the west of the house. It had apricot, approximately 12, and mulberry trees. Locust trees were west of these. The garden area was to the southwest of the house. Louise would hoe the vegetables and take the bugs off the potatoes, dropping them into a can with kerosene. Later when the grandchildren were older, they were responsible for the upkeep of the garden. The barn was to the north. On both sides of the barn were sheds; cattle were kept in the north one and cars in the south side. They milked 12 or 13 cows. The couple lived here until death came to each of them.
Grandson, Oscar Armbruster, remembered Carl to be a quiet man with a stocky build and of medium height. He had a full beard. In the later years, Carl would sit in his rocker and ask his sons, Lou and Henry (Hank), about the farming, then mull it over quietly. Cataracts caused him to have very, very poor eyesight during his last years. Louise was a tall, thin woman, who wore her hair pulled back into bun. When she became angry, she would not talk for days. Although her daughter-in-law Minnie cooked all the meals, Louise would help with the dishes.
Carl was a farmer and farmed with his sons, Louis (Lou) and Hank. Lou, his wife Minnie, and family lived with them. (Lou's family moved to Ellis in 1941). During one period of time, the house was very crowded, as Caroline Armbruster, Minnie's mother, lived with them also, as did Bill and Oscar Armbruster, Sopie (Emma's daughter), and Hank.
The Kroeger's had a whiskey still and a few local people would come over and get their booze before going out on Saturday night. The still was made out of cream cans with copper tubing soldered onto the lid. The whiskey went through the copper coil line cooled with water into charcoal in a funnel, then into a bottle. Minnie would somehow carmelize sugar to color the liquid. They would also make a good beer in the Summertime.
Their family was one of the first members of St. John's Lutheran congregation, rural Ellis (6 miles north of Ellis), where they were faithful followers and workers.
Carl and Louise celebrated their golden wedding anniversary at their home on the farm June 19, 1923, with the Rev. Pastor Bruegel officiating.
Carl died 11-6-1929 at the age of 83 after being ill for a long time. Church records list cause of death as "influenza and old age" and was buried 11-9-1929. Louise died 7-9-1933 at the age of 81 after having been ill about 2 months, the last 7 weeks being bedridden; she was buried 7-11-1933. Church records list cause of death as "mitral insufficiency." Both are buried at St. John's Lutheran Cemetery, Ellis, KS, which is located to the south of the church. They gravesite is located just inside of the north fence, the first gravesite in the east half.
According to Halberts Company, 3687 Ira Road, Bath, Ohio 44210, "The Documentation for the Kroeger Coat of Arms design can be found in RIETSTAP ARMORIAL GENERAL. Translated the Arms description is: Divided diagonally: red and blue, a silver diagonal band in top three silver vases, 2 and 1." Above the shield and helmet is the Crest which is described as: "Three ostrich plumes gold." The surname Kroeger appears to be occupational in origin, and is believed to be associated with the German's, meaning, "One who was an innkeeper." Prominent variations of Kroeger are Kroger, Krogers, Krager, Kragers, Kroegers, and Krueger.
Carl could neither read nor write English, therefore the farm was a victim of foreclosure. Could this have been the result of unscrupulous actions of a bank taking advantage of this man? Henry L. Kroeger remembers hauling wagonload after wagonload of grain into Ellis, but the farm loan principal was never reduced. It was bought by A. I. Crum, the banker, and is now owned by his son. The land is now rented by Keith and Janice (Kroeger) Hadley (She is the great-granddaughter of Carl & Louise) and farmed together with Jim and Karen (Hadley) Howland (Karen is the great-great granddaughter of Carl & Louise). Other families to live here were: Elzie Shubert and Jim Armetrout.
Henry L. Kroeger (grandson) and his daughter Carole (Kroeger) Hasenkamp (great-granddaughter) began to compile this information early in 1990.
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1846 - 1929 (83 years)