The Krueger family, originating from Germany, was instrumental in shaping Blue Island, Illinois, in the mid-19th century. Four distinct Krueger families—Frederick, August, Christian Sr., and George—arrived between 1851 and 1853. Christian Sr. (1799–1877) and his wife, Catherine Propper, led the largest branch, with descendants deeply integrated into the community. Notable Krueger family members include Ludwig, an early landowner, and Christian Jr., a prominent civic leader who served in various roles, including village president and school director. The Kruegers’ connections with families such as the Seyfarths and Kochs highlight their lasting influence in Blue Island’s genealogical landscape.
During the early fifties, four families by the name of Krueger came to Blue Island: Frederick Krueger, August Krueger, Christian Krueger, Sr., and George Krueger, who were brothers. Christian Krueger, Sr., and George Krueger hailed from Brandenburg, Germany, as did Frederick, while August came from Hanover. Frederick’s and August’s families were not related to Christian’s and George’s.
Frederick was a veterinary surgeon and lived on Canal Street. August was a stone mason and plasterer and lived on Vermont Street. His children married into the Iglehart, Kirchner, and Neibert families.
Of the Krueger families, Christian Krueger, Sr.’s was by far the largest of the Krueger clan, and there are many of his descendants still in Blue Island.
Ludwig Krueger, with his wife and three daughters; his younger brother, Christian, and his sister, Maria—all children of Christian, Sr.—were the first to arrive in Blue Island. That was August 20, 1851. Ludwig, in Germany, had charge of a large estate, looking after the lands, gardens, and game. He arrived in Blue Island with some capital, and it was only natural that he should immediately make an investment in farmlands. He bought a tract of land lying between Burr Oak and 119th Street and Western Avenue and a point east of the Rock Island suburban right-of-way. Theodore Guenther built the home, and while it was being built, Ludwig lived near Stony Creek. This fact is mentioned because, when in 1872, the land boom hit Blue Island, Ludwig Krueger sold his land, which he had bought at $18 an acre, for $600 an acre.
In the fall of 1851, the father of the Krueger family, Christian Krueger, Sr., and his wife, Catherine Propper (a family still well known in Dolton), arrived with their three daughters. Catherine Propper Krueger lived only a short while after arriving in Blue Island.
Christian Krueger, Sr. (born 1799, died 1877) had six children who survived childhood. Ludwig, already referred to, was the oldest. He had married Wilhelmina Meier (born 1824, died 1900) in Brandenburg. His children were Louis, who married Henrietta Seyfarth, a daughter of John Seyfarth; Minna, who married Henry J. Beer; Louisa, who married Paul Klenk; Anna, who married Gerhardt Koch; Frederika, who married William G. Staffel; Mathilda, who married Henry Bartel; Bertha, who married Carl H. Schmitt, and William, who married Christina Hanson.
Two daughters of Christian, Sr., Elizabeth (born 1825, died 1895) and Frederika (born 1832, died 1888), married two brothers, John and William Sorgenfrei.
John Sorgenfrei’s children are Ada, who married Fred Kallum; Emma, who married Christ Muhs; Minna, who married Fred Schilling; and Albert, Fred, and Louis.
William Sorgenfrei’s children were Bertha, married to Julius Hoffman; Frederika, married to John Kich; Emma, who first married Henry Englehardt and later Fred Denner; Otto, Edmund, William, and Ernst.
Another daughter of Christian, Sr., Maria (born 1827, died 1907), married Frederick Sauerteig. Her daughter, Aurelia, married Fred Ellfeldt; and her son, Albert, is known by the name of Albert Sommers.
Sophia (born 1838, died 1902), the youngest daughter of Christian, Sr., married Ernst Uhlich in 1856. Their children were Clara, married to Rudolph Brand; Elenora, married to Arthur Stockmar; Nathalia, married to Paul Kropf; Emily, married to Edward Doepp; Sophia, married to Louis G. Koch; Helen, married to John Harker; Ernst and Rudolph.
Christian Krueger, Jr., who, with Ludwig and Maria, was the first of the family to arrive in Blue Island, married Catherine Koch in 1856. Their daughter, Louise (born 1860, died 1929), married Herman Seyfarth. Catherine (born 1870, died 1906) married Dr. C. F. Montag. Adelaide married Andrew L. McCord; Minnie married Howard Gilson; Robert married Minnie Karsten; Christian, III, is married to Frances McCord.
George Krueger, the brother of Christian, Sr., came to Blue Island about 1853. His wife was Maria Schwartz, whom he married in Germany. Their children were Louise, married to George W. Hopf; John (born 1829, died 1911), married to Dora Ganzer; Elizabeth, married to William Steinbach; Dorothea, married to Fred Schulz; and Marie, married to John Mueller.
Those who are familiar with Blue Island families appreciate how closely related some of them are. Christian Krueger, Jr.’s marriage to Catherine Koch was only one of several unions of these two families. Catherine Koch’s brother, Gerhardt, married Anna, a daughter of Ludwig Krueger. Henry Bartel, whose mother was Mary Koch, a sister of Catherine, married Mathilda Krueger, another daughter of Ludwig. Louis Koch, son of Gerhardt, married Sophia Uhlich, whose mother was a sister of Christian Krueger.
The Seyfarth and Krueger families also are closely related. Louis Krueger, a son of Ludwig Krueger, married Henrietta Seyfarth, a daughter of John Seyfarth. Louise Krueger, a daughter of Christian, married Herman Seyfarth, a son of William. Elizabeth Krueger, daughter of George, married William Steinbach, whose mother was a sister of Mrs. Anna Seyfarth. Going down to another generation, William Seyfarth, a grandson of William, married Edna Krueger, a granddaughter of Christian.
The Krueger family, with its collateral branches, is probably the largest and best-known of the old families in Blue Island. Christian Krueger, Jr., took an important part in the development of Blue Island. He was judge of the election held August 22, 1872, to form the village of Blue Island. He was collector for the town of Calumet in 1870 and 1871. At the second election, held April 15, 1873, he was elected village trustee and again elected to that position in 1874, 1879, 1880, 1881, and 1883. He was president of the village board from 1880 to 1883. He was school director for fifteen years, town supervisor for two years, and road commissioner for six years. He died in Blue Island on September 25, 1904.
Source
Volp, John H., The first hundred years, 1835-1935: historical review of Blue Island, Illinois, Blue Island, Illinois : John H. Volp, 1938.