Early Lutheran Immigration to Wisconsin. 
295 
Farming and stock raising are the chief industries of this country and 
the greater part of the land, about 60 per cent.,* * * § is held by large land 
owners. Stettin is said to be the center of one of the best farming com¬ 
munities in Pomerania.| The Wisconsin settlers were chiefly farm- 
laborers and handicrafts men, and, accordingly, well adapted to pioneer 
life. They bought nearly all of the western half of the town of Mequon, 
where they built log houses and improved the land. Capt. Von Rohr 
had come with them, and during the first year he conducted their services 
until the arrival of Rev. Krause from Buffalo, who was their first pastor; 
immediately on his arrival a log church was built on section 19. In the 
Milwaukee Society services were held in a house built by a fisherman on 
land given him by Byron Kilbourn, near Chestnut street. It was a very 
solid structure, built in true German style of panel work and clay fill¬ 
ing. They had no pastor, but the teacher Luck held services, while Rev. 
Krause came occasionally from Freistadt.J 
In 1843 another large immigation followed from Pomerania, from the 
neighborhood of Stettin and the cities of Kolberg, Treptow and Kamin, 
on the Baltic, and also from Brandenburg, from the country lying be¬ 
tween Ktistrin and Wrietzen on the Oder. Rev. Kindermann acted as 
their leader. He had been directed to the Pomeranian churches by Rev. 
Grabau during the earlier period of the persecution^ Others continued 
to come until 1845. It was the reports of the earlier emigrants, who 
were their friends and acquaintances, that led them to Wisconsin. 
The cause of this emigration also was religious persecution, which had 
not yet ceased, though it was abating. || But there were other causes as 
well. Differences had sprung up in the Lutheran church in Germany 
over the question of church government. The decrees of the synod were 
that in disputed questions of doctrine, the majority of votes should de¬ 
cide. Against this one party protested and claimed that the only ulti¬ 
mate authority was the Scriptures. To this party, which was the weaker, 
Rev. Kindermann belonged. . To avoid unpleasantness, therefore, they 
decided to emigrate with those of like mind. 
This company, too, had formed a common treasury to which the 
wealthier members contributed from 15 to 20 per cent, of their means 
to assist the poor, both in the passage and in purchasing land. It was 
expected that the money would be returned with interest, but in many 
cases this has not been done and the creditors have overlooked it. 
Of this second body of immigrants, altogether about four hundred 
families, some remained in Milwaukee and joined the first comers in the 
* This includes the estates containing 600 morgen (acres) and more. 
t.Brockhaus Conversations-Lexicon, article, ••Pommern.” Also Schonberg’s Handbuch 
der Politischen Oekonomie. Auflage 2, p. 962. 
t Koss, Milwaukee, p. 103. 
§ Life of Grabau, p. 29. 
|| Separate worship was allowed by King William IV, in 1846. 
