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Our Kruse family Ancestry

Celebrating the life and history of
William Kruse

Family of William Christoph Kruse and Ottile Doris Pottratz:

Known children: Adaline Kruse
  Theodore Kruse (1873 - )
(Lived in Canada)
   Gustav Kruse (1876 - )
Emalie Kruse (1878 - )
Male Kruse (1880 - )

Family of William Christoph Kruse and Eliese Wilma Kaemper

Children: Elsa Helen Kruse (1887 - 1990)
Alma Dora Kruse (1889 - 1977)
                Fred Herman Kruse (1891 - 1955)
                Louis Henry Kruse (1892 - 1988)
                Paul William Kruse (1894 - 1918) WWI
                Freda A. Kruse (1896 - 1987)
                Peter Rudolph Kruse (1897 - 1966)
                Lesette (Lezetta) Elizabeth Kruse (1898 - 1934)
                Walter Henry William Kruse (1900 - 1991)
                Rose Theresa Kruse (1902 - 1982)
                Helen Marie Kruse (1906 - 1985)

William Christoph Kruse

A narrative mini biography
(As prepared by a descendant of William's daughter Elsa Kruse Althoff)

From 1980 Althoff family tree data, we knew that William had been married once before he married Elsa’s mother Eliese. This data noted that he and his first wife (Ottile) had 9 children, “most of which died of diphtheria in South Dakota.” In these early records, William’s name was stated as “Peter (Bill) William Kruse". Many hours of research for record of Peter William Kruse homesteading or buying land in South Dakota yielded a dead end.

A Breakthrough! Information prepared for the memorial service of Elsa’s younger brother, Walter, stated that he was born in “Pipestone County, MN.” This clue opened a big door for Kruse family history! Pipestone County, Minnesota, has a couple of good internet genealogy resources that you may wish to enjoy yourself: See the listing of internet links at the end of this write-up. The Pipestone County website included a transcription of the 1880 U. S. census. Our man William Kruse was there! With him were listed his first wife, Ottile, and four children. These were Theodore and Gustav, whom we had known about, as well as a two month old son, as yet unnamed, or perhaps the name was illegible. Also listed was a daughter we had not known about, named Emalie. Our 1980 family tree data also mentioned another daughter, Adaline, perhaps born after 1880. All children listed were recorded as being born in Minnesota.

A gap in time, William marries Eliese Kaemper. Elsa Helen Kruse is born on May 18, 1887. Seven more children are born before brother Walter’s birth in Pipestone County on October 6, 1900. Reports state that sometime in 1901, the family moved to Kanabec County, where Mora and the Fred and Elsa Althoff family farm was located. Unfortunately, Kanabec County has very little genealogy information on-line, so little new data is available following the move.

Fortunately, the Pipestone County 1880 census had a few more nuggets to offer. Census records ask the birthplace of each person counted, as well as the birthplace of their father and mother. While it was always known that the family had “German” ancestry, no printed data mentioned where from! So at last we know, William Kruse was born in “Hanover.” His mother and father were both listed as having Hanover as their birthplace as well. Now, all we need is to understand our history of “Germany” in William’s day. Indeed, Hanover was a kingdom at the time of William’s birth and until 1866 when Prussia and Hanover went to war. Some interesting websites about the kingdom of Hanover and the “German Confederation” are noted at the end of this page. After 1866, the lands that had been “Hanoverland” were considered part of Prussia. William would have been 19 years old at the time of this “German civil war” in 1866. Perhaps the unrest before this war, or required military service and continued unrest under the new Prussian authority prompted William to look the United States of America. The Homestead Act of 1862 held out the promise of free land. “The Act, which became law on Jan. 1, 1863, allowed anyone to file for a quarter-section of free land (160 acres). The land was yours at the end of five years if you had built a house on it, dug a well, broken (plowed) 10 acres, fenced a specified amount, and actually lived there.” Type in “homestead act” on-line for more history of this important law. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has a record of a homestead land patent issued for William Kruse on November 14, 1890 for 103.04 acres. You can print out a copy of the actual land patent issued! Check the record for yourself. (Type in "Minnesota/Kruse/William" on the link.) Steps have been taken to order copies of all papers in the "Land Patent" file. (January, 2006) Stay posted for an update on this webpage for news!

It is always a bit disconcerting to research family history and have just a collection of dates and numbers. If you are like me, you want to know what life was like for our ancestors. I’ll quote a bit from the “History” section of the Pipestone County Museum website, mentioned earlier, to give you some flavor of what might have awaited William and his family as they settled this far corner of Minnesota:

· “the area in extreme southwestern Minnesota where grasses on the upland prairie stood taller than the average man.”

· “one of the most beautiful prairie countries in the world...covered with the richest soil, and furnishes an abundance of good water, which flows from a thousand living springs."

· “Back in the early 1870's , Pipestone County was a sparsely populated area, with virtually nothing on the map”

· “A grasshopper plague in 1876 drove some new residents away from the area”

· “by 1878, Pipestone (city of) was a small but thriving trade center.”

· “Less than a mile north of the city of Pipestone lies a pipestone quarry, described in Native American legends as a square-cut jewel lying upon folds of shimmering green velvet. This is an accurate depiction of the red quartzite almost hidden by the vast prairie grasses. Designated a national monument by the United States in 1937, the quarry is as rich in Native American history as it is in the red stone for which it is named.”

· “Indian people would have been regular visitors there, but would have come and gone, pitching tents while they quarried.”

· Check out some photos from the Pipestone History Museum

A Time line:

1847 – Wilhelm (William) Christoph Kruse is born

1858 - (Age 11) Minnesota statehood

1862 – (Age 15) The Homestead Act is passed in the U.S.

1866 – (Age 19) German “civil war”

1873 – (Age 26) First known son, Theodore, born in Minnesota

1876 – (Age 29) Grasshopper plague drives away many settlers

1880 – (Age 33) Census shows first wife, Ottile and 4 children

1887 – (Age 40) Elsa Helen Kruse is born, first of 11 children born to William Kruse and Elisa Kemper

1890 – (Age 43) Homestead land patent issued for 103+ acres

1901 – (Age 54) Move to Kanabec County, Minnesota

Note: While there have been no records found confirming where William lived in South Dakota, there are many family connections that link William to South Dakota, specifically the towns of Ward and Elkton. Link to the Fred and Elsa Althoff extended friends and family page for more information and a photo link.

Internet links KRUSE family researchers may be interested in:

1. Pipestone County, Minnesota Genealogy

   2. Pipestone County Museum/Historical Society website
    3. Some interesting websites about the kingdom of Hanover and the “German Confederation” include:
        Bartleby.com online encyclopedia article: Hanover, former kingdom and province, Germany
        Bartleby.com online encyclopedia article: German Confederation
        Kingdom of Hanover (a personal website)

Might you have any pieces of family history in your closets or attic? Think about what you may have that could yield some new insights into our Kruse or Althoff family history. Please let me know of anything you come up with. Return to home page for contact information. I would love to hear from you!

Prepared by A. Brohmer
Rev. February, 2006