Voland Farm


Ozaukee County News Articles


The Voland Farm In Mequon In One Family 105 Years
Extracted from the
The Ozaukee Press
about 1948

Mequon--It's hard to realize, as one looks atthe Voland century farm at the intersection of highway 9 and Wauwatosa road in thetown of Mequon, that this prosperous little farm with its neat gardens, big whitehouse and well kept out-buildings was just a piece of swamp land worth only $80 ahundred years ago.

But that's the truth. The history of the Voland farm has been filled with interestingsidelights from its very start, on January 27, 1843. That year Henry Haendel (helater shortened the name to Hendel) took the 20 acres of land that still make upthe farm from Andrew Geidel in lieu of the $80 in wages Andrew owed him for a year'sfarm work. Since that day 105 years ago the farm has been in Henry's family, althoughcontrary to custom, it was passedon to a daughter rather than a son, and so the namechanged from the Hendel to the Voland farm. It is also interesting to note that thepresent Voland family, that of Emory, is the first to make its entire living fromthe 20 acres of land.

Henry Hendel had come from Germany in 1838, but little is known of him until 1843,when he worked on the Geidel farm. When he received his own land he married EleamoreBear and they built a cabin there. It was hard to make a living on the 20 acres ofswamp, so Eleanore took in sewing. Her speciality was making shrouds for funerals.

In 1861 Henry completed the first section of a permanent house, which is still usedas a part of the Voland home, and enlisted in the Union army to fight the civil war.He left behind his wife and seven children; William, Henry (who is still living),Anton, Pauline (Krause), Emma (Knowle), Maria (Voland) and Charles. Charles was theonly one born in the present home. Henry returned safely from the war and died athome in 1888. His wife died in 1882.

All the boys in the family learned the wagon building trade and moved to Red Wing,Minn. where they set up a factory (which is still in operation making automobileparts), so the family farm went to daughter Maria, who had married Robert Volandin 1871.


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