Obit: Kadonsky, John Mrs. (1843 - 1935)

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Surnames: Kadonsky, Schramel, Stoughton

----Source: Abbotsford Tribune (Abbotsford, Clark County, Wis.) 05/02/1935

Kadonsky, Mary (25 Mar. 1843 - 28 Apr. 1935)

Mrs. John Kadonsky, 92, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Frank Stoughton, here Sunday.

Funeral services were held Wednesday at St. Bernard’s Catholic church. A complete obituary will be published next week.

----Source: Abbotsford Tribune (Abbotsford, Clark County, Wis.) 05/09/1935

Mrs. Mary Kadonsky, one of the oldest pioneers in this vicinity, passed away on Sunday, April 28. She was born in Bohemia, March 25, 1843, and was the oldest daughter of Joseph Schramel. At the age of 19 she was united in marriage to John Kadonsky who operated a flour mill near Prague. In 1866 they decided to try their luck in the new world and came to America, landing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Mrs. Kadonsky, who was full of energy and enthusiasm at that time joined her devout husband in the struggle to rear the growing family and build a future home. After 11 years of hard work and thrift, they acquired a cozy home in the form of a cottage on one of the prominent streets of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since their early venture, it was their desire to acquire a home for their family in the form of a piece of farm land with a plain cottage surrounded by a garden with a cow and some chickens and be able to enjoy the big outdoors in the invigorating fresh air and sunshine.

Their ambition was realized when they exchanged their little home in the city for eighty acres of wild land with a small clearing and a log cabin surrounded by virgin forest in the town of Holton, three and one-half miles from Dorchester, Wis. The couple, together with five small children and a few household effects and practically no funds landed in Dorchester in March 1878 to start the development of their newly acquired pioneer home.

Here is where new difficulties arose and a real struggle began, but Mrs. Kadonsky, who was always looking out for others, went at the task of assisting with a determination and a smile. The road from the station to their future home was almost impassible and the trip was made through the woods on foot carrying the small children. Later, a wooden sled or jumper, which would glide over the mud and water drawn by an ox team was used in transporting the heavier materials. The small patch of cleared virgin soil was planted and cared for during the summer and responded with an abundant supply of vegetables and the one favorite cow turned the delicious wild grass into milk for the little folks while the few chickens supplied the necessary eggs. The surrounding forest supplied the necessary fuel for the winter, but there were clothing and other necessities needed and no funds with which to buy them and no means by which *** Note: The remainder of this article was missing.

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