General Notes

Notes for LOTTIE KRUGER:
          Story of Lottie Kruger Dilly and John Dilly

Lottie was born to Christian and Noune Kruger in Ostfriesland, Germany.  She came to America with her family in 1855 and settled near Freeport, Illinois.  While living near Forreston, Illinois, Lottie met and married John Dilly.  They farmed in Illinois for a time and then migrated to Iowa with several of the other Kruger families.  One of their children remembers them crossing from Illinois to Iowa.  Fred stood up and shouted "Good-bye Illinois" while Klaus cried.  Lottie and her family first moved near Little Rock and then to the May City area.  The following clipping from the Osceola Centennial paper tells of how Lottie and some of her children nearly drown in the Ocheydan River while making that move.

     The John Dilly family moved from near Hartley to a farm north of May City.  The men had gone earlier with wagons and cattle.  It was dark when Mrs. Dilly and five children riding in a spring wagon came to a place where they had to ford the Ocheydan River south of May City.  They didn't cross the rive at the right place and they almost drowned.  The oldest girl, 14 and a 5-year old boy floated out of the water; one horse was down but the girl got the tugs unhooked and got the horses across.  Mrs. Dilly and the other three children floated down the river a ways in the spring wagon until it came to rest near the bank and they clung to it.  They saw light about a half-mile away and Mrs. Dilly said, 'Lets all holler and the people, The Robinsons, heard them.  Mr. Robinson and son Frank came to their rescue.  Mrs. Dilly, holding the baby, had stood in the icy water so long that when she was going to hand the baby to the men she dropped him in the water.  The boy grabbed him and although all were wet and cold, they suffered no ill effects: Didn't even catch a cold.

The Robinsons were unhitching their horses after a trip to town and heard the calling.  Interesting note:  Young Frank later married daughter, Lottie Dilly.

It was Hannah and her five year old brother who got out of the water while Lottie, with Emma on her lap, sat on the seat while Nona, Lottie and Henry were sitting on the robe behind the back seat as they floated down the swollen river.  It was really answered prayer for such a rescue.

In 1901, they moved to Reading, Minnesota, where they farmed until Henry got married.  This was the last of his help, so John sold out to Henry and bought a little home in Worthington, Minnesota.  John started doing carpenter work.  They once visited their daughter, Lottie in the woods of Wisconsin and while John thought it was wonderful, Lottie thought her children were living out of the world, so they induced them to come to Worthington.  Before the Robertsons could make that move, John died just one year before they were to have celebrated their golden wedding.  Lottie, the daughter and her husband, decided, along with the brother, that Lottie, the mother, should not live alone, so she made her home with the Robertsons until she died.  All the young people remember her for her quick wit, the many childhood stories, her peppy German songs and her marvelous disposition.  She was always the source of many hours of entertainment to all.

    
Children of LOTTIE KRUGER and JOHN DILLY are:
16.  i.   CHRIS3 DILLY, b. 1862.
17.  ii.  JOHNANNA DILLY, b. 1870, Freeport, IL.
     iii. LOUIS DILLY, b. 1873, Freeport, IL; d. Redfield, SD.
18.  iv.  FRED DILLY, b. March 02, 1875, Freeport, IL; d. August 22, 1925, Henning, MN.
19.  v.   CLAUS DILLY, b. 1877, Freeport, IL.
20.  vi.  WILLIAM DILLY, b. February 12, 1879, Freeport, IL; d. September 1969, Worthington, MN.
21.  vii. NONA DILLY, b. 1880, Freeport, IL; d. May 22, 1962, Worthington, MN.
22.  viii.     LOTTIE DILLY, b. November 11, 1882; d. February 28, 1966.
23.  ix.  HENRY DILLY, b. November 08, 1884; d. April 1967.
24.  x.   EMMA DILLY, b. 1886; d. 1937, California.
     xi.  JOHN DILLY, JR, b. July 11, 1907, Freeport, IL; d. May 29, 1942, Henning, MN.

More About JOHN DILLY, JR:
Fact 1: Mail carrier between May City and Ocheyedan