- J. Conrad ZIMMERMAN was born in Canton Schaffhausen, Switzerland,
January 18, 1837. He
- came to the United States in 1854, landing in New York on
September 15, 1854, and went directly to Freeport, Illinois,
where he taught a German school one year. In the fall of 1855
he came to New Glarus, and taught the only school in town, for
the next four years. The whole town was included in one school
district. The schoolhouse was the log church of the colonists.
- On October 14,1858, he was married to Mary, the only child
of Peter and Barbara JENNY, of
- New Glarus. Mr. and Mrs. JENNY were early settlers in the
town, coming from Switzerland in 1847. Mr. JENNY brought some
money here and made more after his arrival. He was a hard-working
and prosperous farmer. He died in 1880, and his widow still lives
at the homestead, which is on Section 13, and consists of more
than 200 acres.
- Mr. and Mrs. ZIMMERMAN also reside at the homestead. They
have two sons: Peter, born in
- November 1959, who is married, rents the homestead, and occupies
the former residence of Mr. and Mrs. JENNY; and John, born in
October 1864, who is attending school at Elmhurst Seminary, Illinois.
- In 1859 the subject of this sketch, J. Conrad ZIMMERMAN,
moved to Freeport, Illinois, where
- he taught a German school until 1864. He then returned to
New Glarus and has since resided on Section 13. Mr. ZIMMERMAN
received an academic education in Switzerland, and attended the
State University in 1857. He has served several terms as Chairman
of the town Board of Supervisors, and is one of the prominent
public men of the town and county.
- His elder brother, John ZIMMERMAN, was the pastor of New
Glarus from 1855 to 1859. He is
- now a resident of Burlington, Iowa. Of his four sisters who
came to the United States, Magdalena, wife of Rev. C. F. DOEHRING,
died in Missouri in 1865; Verena is the wife of Rev. A. H. FISMER
of Boeuf Creed, Missouri; Catharine is the wife of C. WEBER of
Toledo, Ohio; and Ursula, the widow of Rev. C. F. DOEHRING, lives
in Monroe, Wisconsin.
-
- Taken from "History of Green County, Wisconsin,"
(c)1884 Union Publishing; p. 1042.
-
- Courtesy of Cathy Kubly.
|