Carroll County IAGenWeb

HISTORY OF CARROLL COUNTY IOWA

A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement

VOLUME II ILLUSTRATED

CHICAGO THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1912

Transcribed by Sharon Elijah October 5, 2020

Hyman Krensky, who is well known as a business man of Carroll and also as an active worker in the Masonic fraternity, is a native of Be Elestock, Russia. He was born April 3, 1862, a son of Abraham and Hannah Krensky. His father was a cloth dealer and ran freight wagons from Be Elestock to Moscow, St. Petersburg and Warsaw. He died in 1882 at the age of sixty-two, his wife having passed away in 1858, being then fifty years of age. There were five children in the family of Mr. and Mrs. Krensky, three of whom are now living, namely: Moses, of Be Elestock; Jessie, the wife of Leaza Goldberg, also of Be Elestock; and Hyman, the subject of this review. The paternal grandfather was Moses Krensky whose wife was Fanny Krensky. He was a cashier for forty years for a man named Zabolodosky, who was very wealthy and was a large dealer in timber. Among the children of Mr. and Mrs. Kensky were Abraham, Zippara, Samuel, Jacob, and Joseph B., the last of whom died when young.

Hyman Krensky was reared in his native town and received his education there. After reaching maturity he became foreman of a tract of timber land for his father until his father died. He then engaged in brick and timber business for himself. In 1883 he was married and five years later, being a man of ambition and courage who believed that larger opportunities awaited honest effort in America than he could expect to find in Russia, came to this country, landing at New York in January, 1888. His financial resources were exceedingly limited and he started at the bottom of the ladder at Bethlehem, Connecticut, as a peddler of tinware, carrying his merchandise upon his back. Later he worked in a hat factory for a dollar a day and then went to Newark, New Jersey, where he found employment in a lead factory. On December 20, 1888, he arrived at Carroll, Iowa and from his place went to Auburn, in Sac county, and peddled for three years in that section. His wife came from Russia with the son Moses, who was then five years old, and they moved to Elm Grove, Calhoun county, and engaged in farming for three years, also for one year in Leake Creek township and four years in Jackson township, in the same county. In 1900, having attained a competency, he sold out and located at Carroll, where he has since successfully engaged as a dealer in hides, furs and scrap iron.

In 1883 Mr. Krensky was united in marriage in Russia to Miss Rebecca Gruzofsky, a daughter of David and GIttel Gruzofsky. Her father came to America in 1893 and his wife arrived about three years later. They are now living in Chicago and keeping a grocery store. There were six children in their family, Charles, Ezra, Rebecca, Lena, Ida and Yenta. Four sons came to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Krensky, Abraham Moses, Jacob Milton, Samuel Harris and Joseph Louis.

Mr. and Mrs. Krensky are sincere believers in the Old Testament and are members of the Hebrew church. Fraternally he is connected with Signet Lodge No. 264, A.F. & A.M., and Copestone Chapter No. 78, R.A.M. His son Moses is also member of the Masonic order and is secretary of the chapter. Politically Mr. Krensky casts his ballot in support of the democratic party. He came to America a poor man, but in addition to his flourishing business is now the owner of a fine residence at Clark and Sixth streets, also of a residence at the corner of Seventh and Court streets and a business house on East Fifth street, having by his industry and good management accumulated a competency. He is enterprising and public-spirited and takes a great interest in the general welfare and advancement of the community, hence he is numbered among the highly respected citizens of Carroll.

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