Henry Rumler
Well-Known Citizen of Atkinson, Illinois
Henry Rumler, a prominent Atkinson resident active in hardware and farm-implement sales, represents another strong Flemish–Catholic line rooted in Henry County. His life connects immigration (Moline → Atkinson), local enterprise, and the Van Landschoot family through marriage into the Bouwhuis household.
Henry Rumler was born in Belgium on April 14, 1854. His parents, Francis and Amelia (Bonne) Rumler, also natives of Belgium, emigrated in 1857 and settled first in Moline, Rock Island County, Illinois. The following year they moved to Atkinson, where Francis found work as a section boss—a shift from farming in the old country.
Francis Rumler died in 1869 and was buried in the Catholic cemetery at Atkinson, where his widow was later laid to rest as well. Nine children were born to the couple, six reported living: Henry; August; Mary (wife of Jacob Broghamer of Cambridge, Illinois); John; Wilhelme (wife of John S. Iman, living in Montana); and Amelia (wife of John Catour of Atkinson).
Henry attended the district schools of Atkinson Township and worked on the family farm until the age of twenty-one. He then rented part of the farm and supplemented farm operations with a corn sheller and threshing machine.
In 1892 Henry Rumler and John S. Novers purchased the established hardware stock of John Johnston and opened a store on State Street in Atkinson. Alongside general hardware—stoves, pumps, and supplies—they sold farm machinery and implements, including windmills and well-known machinery lines of the period. Rumler focused chiefly on the implement business while his partner managed the hardware department.
Although many interests centered on town life, Rumler continued to live on his farm, about one mile west of Atkinson, comprising 160 acres of improved land. His wife owned 80 acres in Cornwall Township in her own right, keeping the family closely tied to agriculture.
On November 15, 1877, Henry Rumler married Wilhelme Bouwhuis, daughter of Anthony and Theresa (Van Landschoot) Bouwhuis, both natives of Holland. This marriage brings the Rumler line directly into the Van Landschoot family network.
Anthony Bouwhuis (born Heerenveen, 1820) emigrated in 1846, first settling in Wisconsin, later moving to Rock Island, Illinois, and in 1865 to Atkinson, where he opened a general store on State Street. He married Theresia Van Landschoot in 1855; she died in 1863. He later remarried Demphinne Hindryckx. His death occurred in July 1907.
Henry and Wilhelme Rumler raised a large family—seventeen children are listed in the source—educated in Atkinson and brought up in the Catholic faith. Rumler did not bind himself strictly to one political party and was valued locally for public service, including highway commissioner and school board member (ten years). He was widely known across Henry County and adjoining counties as a progressive and respected citizen.