Johann Krause, the son of Ferdinand and Catherine Krause, was born on April 11, 1854, on an agricultural estate near the town of Tarutino in the Russian-held, Romanian province of Bessarabia. His family, which was of German descent and which spoke German, had settled there at the invitation of the Empress Catherine. They apparently lived in comfortable circumstances, even following the death of Ferdinand Krause in 1855. Although Johann Krause was the youngest of a large family, he received an excellent education, and he studied at the German University of Borpap. Krause was an excellent student of language, being instructed in Russian, French, Greek, and Latin. He later taught himself English in three months. Krause taught Greek and Latin at the Housen Volksschule until 1874; he then taught Russian and Latin at the Privat Anstalt Akkerman.
After the death of the Russian empress, Krause was sent to the United States to explore possibilities for emigration. With letters of commendation from both institutions with which he had been associated, Krause left Bessarabia for the United States in 1876, there adopting the name John Krause. Krause settled in Yankton, South Dakota, although he apparently advised his family against emigration. Beginning as a bank clerk, he worked his way to ultimately become owner and editor of the Dakota Frei Presse, reportedly one of the most influential newspapers in the state.
In 1884 Krause married Frances Massing, a school teacher in Yankton originally from Madison, Wisconsin. Mrs. Krause died in 1895. In 1909 Krause retired in Madison. Krause was widely known in Madison for his interest in violin making and for his study of foreign languages. He was also the author of a number of unpublished poems, essays, stories, and of the song “Hymn to Wisconsin.” He died on March 30, 1936.
