Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-07-19
HOLLANDERS AT HATLEY.
Colony of Settlers Celebrate the
Fourth at Home of Pastor.


The following is taken from the Mil
waukee Free Press of last Sundays is
sue:
HATLEY, Marathon County Wis.
July l6-Ihe Holland Americans in
Marathon county celebrated the ami
versary OK American independence at
the farnt OF the first settler and leader
of this people the Rev. Vanderkam and
were royalty entertained by the kind
ness of @. ID. Jones, of Wausau.
10 October, 1902, a few Holland resi-
dents of Milwaukee began TO look into
the prospects for farming and settling
upon wild timber lands of central Wis
consin. Under the leadership ofGharles
Deilmann, Peter Suwyn and Ernest Ha-
gems inspected the lands in. eastern
Marathon county in the towns uf Plover
and Easton. They acted in behalf of
their relatives, A. and L. SuwyI..sall liv-
ing at Milwaukee. The trip was made
and they We're we'll pleased with the
lands, timber, etc, and so reported to
their pastor, the Rev. F. Vanderkam.
minister of the Holland Presbyterian
church OF Milwaukee, who next went
and Investigated more closely into the
lie dlSO was DicdScu ana
bought eighty acres of land in section
81 OF Plover, where by the kindness and
help of the German-speaking neighbors
the first house now the residence of Mr..
Vanderkam, was built, and by him the
first tree was cut
The first five buyers were soon fol-
lowed by five others, namely, Peter
Callewaart and Miss Lizzie Callewaart
of Milwaukee; the Rev Van Griethnizen
Oostburg; the Rev. Ldsinga of Sheboy-
gan, Wis, and the Rev Roth, ID. d., of
Cedar Grove.
This was in the winter of 1902 3.
From now on began rapid growth of
the small colony. The Rev Mr.. Van
derkam was asked to preach every
month, and the expense was met by
u. ID. Jones of Wausau. Soon inquiries
came from the different Holland settle
ments in the United States and the
minister was asked to lecture among
them. The result was that during 1902
week after week stream of Holland
landseekers came to Wausau and as
they found the country as represented
to them, bought land. A goodlv num-
Der of these Hollanders are now actual
settlers and more propose to come as
soon as they can get ready. Many OF
them were very poor and often next
to nothing was paid by them as first
payments upon the lands, Some OF
the poorer ones had to be helped in
every way, as many of them did not
know the first thing about clearing
lands. But Mr. Jones was in every
case and in every way real father for
! those people.
| They have a well established Sabbath
school in the English language, preach
ing service in both English and Holland
and their pastor now lives among them
Their number is growing ahd as the
soil on which they settled is excellent
clay loan, the wood upon their lands
pays easily for the price they pay fol
the lands, and these people have q
| bright future before them
On the Fourth ofJuly, with the excep
ton of two families who could moi
come, all were gathered at the farm OF
| the Rev p Vanderkam to celebrate the
anniversary of American independence
and talk over past experience ano
| future prospects. In their quiet way
they had good time. Mr. Jones haG
| provided for refreshments and resolu
tons were adopted thanking him foi
his interest in the colony and help he
had given to the settlers