Bios of Jacob J. and son, John(b.1857) Kromer, Renville Co., MN ========================================================================= USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find the submitter information or other files for this county. Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Kathryn Kelly ========================================================================= The following excerpt comes from The History of Renville County, Minnesota compiled by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge H. C. Cooper Jr. Company, Chicago, 1916 p. 1229-1230 JACOB J. KROMER, for several years a resident of Renville county, was born in Wurttemberg, Germany, came to America as a young man, and located in Massachusetts.There in a linen mill he met Barbara Mutchler, whom he married. After their marriage they came to Peru, Illinois, where Mr. Kromer opened a meat market. Five years later they came to St. Paul, and from there found their way to Credit River township, Scott county, where he took a homestead of eighty acres in section 28. At the same time, her brother, George Mutchler, took the eighty adjoining. Three years later they secured this eighty acres, and on the 160 acre farm thus obtained, farmed for many years. In the spring of 1887 they came to this county, and took up their home with their sons, Henry and Richard, on a farm in Troy township. Two years later they moved to Olivia and erected a large residence. This they afterward sold and built a smaller place, where they lived until Mrs. Kromer's death, when Mr. Kromer took up his home with his son, Henry, in Norfolk township, where he lived until his death. Mr. and Mrs. Kromer were the parents ten children: Fred, George, Dora, John, Christine, Emma, Carrie, Celia, Henry and Richard. Fred is dead. George is a hardware merchant in Bird Island. Dora is the wife of Herman Fischer of Bird Island. Christine is the wife of William Schmidt, of Bemidji, Minn. Emma is the wife of John Melhouse, of Olivia. Carrie is now Mrs. Felske, of Troy township. Celia is the wife of August Felske, of Hutchinson, Minn. Henry is a farmer of Norfolk township. Richard lives in Thief River Falls. JOHN KROMER, a retired farmer living in Bird Island, was born in Credit River township, Scott county, this state, Aug. 23, 1857, son of Jacob F. and Barbara (Mutchler) Kromer. He received his education in a log school house in his native township, and was reared to agricultural pursuits on the farm. In 1879 he and his brother George came to Renville county and settled on railroad land in section 35, Troy township, securing the south half of the section, and the east half of the northwest quarter. Their father purchased for their brother Fred the eighty acres adjoining. The three brothers lived together and came back and forth from their old home in Scott county. The first season they broke eighty-five acres. The second season they got in a crop and erected a house. In the spring of 1880 Jacob drove up from Scott county with an ox team, a horse team and a cow. In the spring of 1881 he located here permanently. In 1882 each of the brothers worked his own land. In the spring of 1883, Fred moved onto a rented farm of 160 acres in section 26. John, however, continued to live in the house they first built until 1886, and then moved into a house which he erected on his own eighty. In 1890 he moved to Bird Island,purchased a blacksmith shop and a home in 1891, and conducted the shop for several years, his brother George conducting a machine and hardware business. In 1895 Jacob moved onto a farm in Bird Island township, erected a home, barns and outbuildings,and highly developed the place in every way. Then, in the fall of 1899, he moved to Bird Island village once more. At the same time he bought 160 acres in Kingman township, which he operated from his home in the village. In 1903 he moved onto a quarter section adjoining his own quarter in Kingman township, and started to operate in both places. In 1904 he bought the rented farm, thus making him a splendid farm of a whole half section. In the spring of 1911 he moved to his present home in Bird Island. He still owns the farm in Kingman township, and in addition to this he owns a large tract of timber in Wisconsin. Mr. Kromer is a prominent man, has taken a deep interest in the affairs of the community, and has been actively identified with political life in various aspects. Mr. Kromer was married Jan. 6, 1885, to Louisa Werder, and they have eight children: Mabel, Edwin, John, Lillian, Elma, Ruth, Warren, Florence. Edwin is marshal of Bird Island. John is manager of a hardware store in Erickson, North Dakota. He married Minnie Sanden. Lillian is a teacher. Elma, a former teacher, is a nurse in the Northwestern Hospital, Minneapolis. Ruth is a senior in the Bird Island High School. The family faith is that of the Methodist Episcopal church.