WOEDEHOFF

The Breda Centennial Book, Older Days Renewed, page 121

Conrad Woerdehoff (1800-1870) and his wife Margaretha Wubecke (1821-1893) with their children, William, Aloysius (Louis), Elizabeth, Mary and Herman sailed from Bremen, Germany in April, 1857 and landed in New York on June 5. They journeyed to the Dyersville-New Vienna area where German immigrants had been settled on new farms since the 1840's. Here they were the parents of: Margaret, Bernadine and Anton (twins), Catherine and Henry. Six of their children settled in the Breda area.

Louis married Philomenia Nurre at Petersburg, Iowa, July 1, 1873, and they moved to a farm Northwest of Breda (now the home of Mrs. Zola Damm). They were the parents of eight children: Conrad, Elizabeth (Mrs. Peter Wolterman), Ben, Herman, Louis, Mary Anna (Mrs. Clem Schulte), Mathilda and Louise (Mrs. John Schoo). All are now deceased except Mrs. Louise (Lou) Schoo, who lives in Breda.

The daughters who came to Breda were: Mary, who married Anton Polking in 1875, Elizabeth, who married Jacob Tiefenthaler in 1877, Catherine, who married George Wolterman in 1883, and Margaret who married Peter Wolterman in 1887. They all farmed in the area.

Herman Woerdehoff married Rose Menkel, who was a country school teacher, in April 1880. He bought eighty acres of virgin land in Sac County, built a two room house, and planted his first crops before bringing his bride to their home on the prairie. They were the parents of: Elizabeth (Rauch), Margaret (Sr Vitalis O.S.F.), John, Herman, Joseph, Rose (Sr Vita O.S.F.), Gerhardt, Albert, Charles, Frank, Raymond, Leonard and Norma (Monser).

Submitted by Anita Henning - Lemon Grove, CA