H. G. Kruse, an enterprising young business man of Ottawa, possesses the qualifications which insure success in any hue of endeavor, and by the exercise of judicious methods, excellent management and uniform courtesy toward his customers he has won the respect and confidence of the public.
The father of our subject, G. W. Kruse, was a native of Germany, in which country he passed twenty-five years of his life. Then, coming to America in order to obtain the better opportunities for making a livelihood afforded here, he became a loyal citizen of the United States. Soon after his arrival on these hospitable shores he was united in marriage with Miss Annie Gronewald, who died in 1867, and left two sons and two daughters to mourn her loss.
Of these children, H. G. Kruse was born in Macomb, Illinois, August 20, 1867. He attended the common schools of that place and in Kewanee served an apprenticeship at the wheelwright's trade under the guidance of O. F. Kreidler. In 1887 he became the head trimmer for the firm of Gay & Son, carriage manufacturers in Ottawa, Illinois, with which firm he continued for four or five years. He is now the proprietor of the Kruse Manufacturing Company, his plant being situated at the corner of Clinton and Jackson streets, in the central part of Ottawa. The building is a new one, substantial in construction, thirty by sixty feet in dimensions, and with a wing thirty by forty feet, used for a shop. The fourteen years of practical experience which Mr. Kruse has had in his present line of business renders him thoroughly familiar with the demands of the trade and abundantly able to supply his customers with just the kind of vehicle which they desire. He manufactures various kinds of carriages, road wagons and carts, and for style and workmanship, excellence and durability of material, the vehicles turned out from this establishment are rarely surpassed.
Five years ago, August 7, 1894, Mr. Kruse was married to Miss Meta Bruck, whose father, J. Bruck, is an old settler of Ottawa, and for many years was engaged in the tailoring business here. The pleasant home of Mr. and Mrs. Kruse is brightened by the presence of their little daughter, Harriett, their only child. In his political standing Mr. Kruse is affiliated with the Democratic party. He is an exemplary citizen, meeting every responsibility and duty in a manly, straightforward way, and seeking ever to forward the best interests of the community in which he dwells.
Extracted by Norma Hass from Biographical and Genealogical Record of LaSalle County, Illinois published in 1900, volume 1, pages 126-127.
| Lee | DeKalb | Kane |
| Bureau |
 |
Kendall |
| Putnam | Grundy | |
| Marshall | Woodford | Livingston |
