Abstract: Four diaries of a farmer-painter who emigrated from Schleswig-Holstein and settled in the Wisconsin communities of New Holstein and Sheboygan. The diaries, which are written in old German script, are supplemented by a complete translation of the first volume (1848-1850) into modern German and English, and by notes on the other three volumes. Although the diaries reveal little about family life, they extensively discuss his journey to Wisconsin via New York City and the Erie Canal, the process of homesteading in the wilderness, economic conditions (especially during the Civil War), and ethnic assimilation and community life. Because Kroehnke was a relatively well-educated man, his diary is also of note for linguists and paleographers.