Henry-Rock Island County IL Archives Biographies.....De Kesel DeKezel Dekazel , "Peter" Petrus Hendricus  May 7, 1880 - September 3, 1963
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/il/ilfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Sandra L. Elkins Juhl sljuhl1234@yahoo.com  May 17, 2012, 3:49 pm

Source: Henry County Genealogical Society - 2000 - History - 264 pages; Page 124
Author: Emily DeKazel Krause DePauw

**BIOGRAPHY:  "PETER DEKAZEL - Peter DeKazel was a fifty eight year resident of 
the Kewanee area, immigrating to America with his family from Holland, the third 
of eleven children born to Bernard and Christine VanDenBossche DeKezel.  He was 
raised in the small village of Waterlandkirche where his parents were farm 
workers and he grew up with a love of the land and an understanding of farming.  
After serving his required military time, he met and married Stephanie Martens 
on April 10, 1902.  Their first son August, was born later that year.  With 
little hope for attaining land for their growing family they decided to emigrate 
to the "New World".  Stephanie's brother, Alexander Martens and his family were 
settled in Kewanee and wrote that they would sponsor them.  Two other family 
groups joined them in their journey; Peter's brother August, his wife Emerantia 
and son Peter; Stephanie's brother Constant and his wife, Nathalia who was 
pregnant.  They sailed from Antwerp on the Red Star Line "S.S. Finland" on March 
4th, 1905 and arrived in New York Harbor on March 15th.  Seeing the Statue of 
Liberty after eleven days at sea was an overwhelming experience that brought 
them all on deck laughing and clapping for joy.  they were processed through 
Ellis Island and boarded a train for Kewanee with total assets of fifteen 
dollars.
They arrived in Kewanee too late in the year to rent a farm and manufacturing 
jobs were scarce, so they signed up as laborers in the oHio sugar beet fields, 
Peter and his family were given train tickets to Ohio.  They were met at the 
depot and driven to the fields in the back of a truck with other laborers.  They 
were given a shanty to live in and shown the acreage which they were 
responsible.  And so, they spent their first summer in America doing almost the 
same work for which they had left Holland.  That fall they returned and set up 
residence in Wethersfield.  Peter acquired a job at the Walworth plant as a 
laborer, but didn't like the confining factory atmosphere, so eventually he 
hiredon at doctor Ryan's farm North of Kewanee where he returned to his first 
love, farming.  He was working there when the round barn was built in 1910.  
Over the years he rented farms to the northwest of Kewanee.  they became 
naturalized citizens in 1918.
He and Stephanie raised five children; August (1902-1983) who married Grace 
Fessler; Mary (1906-1999) who married Gerald Weeks; Emily (1907-) who married 
Harold Krause (1905-1935) and later married Ray DePauw (1910-1997); Francis 
(1913-1990) who married Martha VanDeSampel (1907-1979) and who later married 
Carroll Vetter; and Elsie (1923-) who married Cyril VanDaele (1919-1988) and 
later married Tom Kirley.
Peter and Stephanie retired from farming in 1939 and moved into Kewanee.  Peter 
died on September 3rd, 1963 and Stephanie on November 27, 1971 and are interred 
at Mt. Olivet Cemetery.  They were lifelong members of St. Joseph's Catholic 
Church.  submitted by Emily DeKazel Krause DePauw." 

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/henry/bios/dekeseld1706gbs.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ilfiles/

File size: 3.7 Kb