111 
 
 I 
 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD 
 
 OF THE 
 
 C01LJ]>^'riE;S OF" 
 
 Faribault, Martin, Watonwan and Jadson, 
 
 MINNESOTA. 
 
 ■ILLUSTRATEO. 
 
 CHICAGO. 
 THH LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY. 
 
 1895. 
 

 i(o\C\A 
 
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 \ 
 
 i 
 
 
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MEMORIAL RECORD. 
 
 V-— rf ON. DANIEL F. GOODRICH, 
 I^^W deceased, was a native of the State 
 £ , * of Maine, born November 13,1836; 
 he received his education in the 
 common schools and at Waterville Academy 
 and Waterville College, now Colby Univer- 
 sity, where he graduated in 1859. Afterhis 
 graduation he engaged in teaching and in 
 the study of the law, in the latter of which 
 he was directed by Hon. R. Foster, of 
 Waterville, Maine. 
 
 In July, 1862, he enlisted in the military 
 service of the United States, and was ordered 
 South with his regiment. He enlisted as a 
 private, but was rapidly promoted first to 
 Sergeant, then Sergeant Major, Second 
 Lieutenant and First Lieutenant, and for a 
 time commanded the company. He was in 
 the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, 
 North Anna, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Win- 
 chester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, and 
 Petersburg again, and Sailor's Creek. He 
 was in twenty-two battles all told, besides 
 skirmishes. He served until the close of 
 the war. He was a loyal, brave and active 
 soldier. 
 
 After his discharge from the service he 
 
 returned home in 1865, and was admitted to 
 the bar in March, 1866, at Augusta, 
 Maine, and went into practice with Mr. 
 Foster, then of that city, for a short time. 
 In 1867 he came to Minnesota and located 
 in Rice county for some months, engaged in 
 teaching school. Then he came to this 
 county, in 1868, and located at Blue Earth 
 City, where he engaged in the practice of 
 law. Here he resided until the time of his 
 death. He held various minor offices at 
 Blue Earth City, was Justice of the Peace 
 three or four terms, and Deputy Register, 
 as above stated. Mr. Goodrich was elected 
 State Senator in 1877, and attended the 
 session of 1878. He was again elected to 
 the Senate in 1882, for four years, and 
 attended the sessions of 1883 and 1885, and 
 he was again elected in 1886, for four years, 
 and attended the sessions of 1887 and 1889. 
 He was chairman of the Judiciary Committee 
 during the session of 1889. 
 
 Mr. Goodrich was a well read, trust- 
 worthy and conscientious lawyer. After a 
 protracted illness, he died, at Blae Earth 
 City, in September, 1889. He was never 
 married. 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 «^— rf ON. HENRY M. HUNTINGTON, 
 
 [''"X of Winnebago City, is one of the 
 \ W early settlers and large land-owners 
 of Faribault county. 
 
 He is a native of Yates county. New 
 York, born in 1835, and belongs to an old 
 New England family that was founded in 
 Norwich, Connecticut, in 1635. His parents 
 were James and Cynthia Huntington, the 
 former born in Connecticut and the latter 
 in New York State. Henry M. grew to 
 manhood on his father's farm, and received 
 his primary education in the common schools, 
 supplementing it by a few years' attendance 
 at Starkey Seminary. On attaining his 
 majority, he decided to seek a home and 
 fortune in the then young and growing 
 West, and in 1856 visited Iowa and a num- 
 ber of other States, and the following year 
 came to Faribault county. Minnesota, and 
 pre-empted 160 acres of land on section 6, 
 Verona township, and at once began to de- 
 velop and improve the land. He continued 
 thus employed until August, 1862, when he 
 enlisted in Company D, Sixth Regiment of 
 Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and served 
 until the close of the war, participating in 
 all the engagements in which his regiment 
 took part, and being mustered out in Sep- 
 tember, 1865. 
 
 After his return from Southern battle- 
 fields, he resumed his agricultural pursuits 
 and continued his residence here until 1879, 
 when he went back to his native State, and 
 remained until 1892, since which time he 
 has resided in Winnebago City, looking 
 after his landed interests and dealing in 
 real estate. 
 
 Mr. Huntington was formerly Republi- 
 can in politics, but since the close of the 
 civil war he has not favored the trade policy 
 of that party, and has supported the Democ- 
 
 racy. In 1872 he was elected to the State 
 Legislature, serving one term, and has held 
 various local offices. He devotes much 
 time to reading and keeps himself well 
 posted on the public questions of the day. 
 
 aAPTAIN EDWARD F. WADE. 
 real-estate dealer, Fairmont, Min- 
 nesota, is one of the most enter- 
 prising and public-spirited men of 
 the town, and some personal mention of him 
 is appropriate in this work. 
 
 Hon. David \\'ade, the Captain's father, 
 was born in New Jersey in 1S08, son of 
 David Wheeler Wade, who was of English 
 descent. Hon. David \\'ade was married in 
 New Jersey to Miss Joanna Wade, also a 
 native of that State, and they remained there 
 until about 1855 or '66, when they emigrat- 
 ed with their famih' to Rock county, Wis- 
 consin. In the fall of i 862 they moved to 
 Trempealeau county, same State, and there 
 passed the residue of their lives and died. 
 They were the parents of nine children, all 
 of whom grew to maturity. Si.x are now 
 living, namely: William T., of Sumner, 
 Iowa, is married and has two children; Julia 
 E. Dunning, of Primghar, Iowa, has one 
 child; Sarah Y. Meeker, Sumner, Iowa, 
 has two sons; Robert H., Jackson county, 
 Minnesota, is married and has three sons; 
 Stephen O., Trempealeau, Wisconsin, has 
 a wife and a son and daughter; and Ed- 
 ward F. is the immediate subject of this re- 
 view. The names of the deceased are Re- 
 becca P. Winans, Hannah A. Crane and 
 David W. While residents of New Jersey, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wade were members of the 
 Presbyterian Church, but after coming West 
 they united with the Congregational Church, 
 in which the\' remained consistent members 
 
FARIBALL1\ MARTIX, WATOXWAX AXD JACKSON. 
 
 until the time of their death. He was a 
 Deacon in both churches. By trade he was 
 a harnessrnaker. Politically he was a Whig 
 in early life and later was a Republican, al- 
 ways taking an acti\e interest in public af- 
 fairs. He was elected to and served as a 
 member of the New Jersey State Legisla- 
 ture. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was born in 
 Essex county, New Jersey, February 28, 
 1839, and was fifteen years of age at the 
 time he moved with his parents to Wiscon- 
 sin. In his native State and in Wisconsin 
 his education was received. After he be- 
 came a man he went with an emigrant party 
 to Trempealeau county, Wisconsin, and 
 there bought a tract of wild land, settling 
 upon it and devoting his time to its cultiva- 
 tion and improvement. 
 
 Mr. Wade was married in April, i860, 
 to Amelia A. Sherwood, a native of Pennsyl- 
 vania, daughter of A. L. and Philena (Par- 
 sons) Sherwood. She was born December 
 28, 1839, came West with her parents when 
 she was small, and was educated in Wiscon- 
 sin. Her father was a teacher. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Wade are the parents of eleven chil- 
 dren, brief record of whom is as follows: 
 Mary E., wife of Elmore Houghtaling, Fair- 
 mont, has five children; Frank E., who 
 married Georgiana St. John, and has two 
 children, resides in Sheldon, Iowa; Bert C, 
 Ottumwa, Iowa, married Ella Staughton, 
 and they have two children ; David S. , unmar- 
 ried; Dewey W., Winona, Minnesota, is book- 
 keeper for a Dakota grain company; Arthur 
 L. , at home; Carrie A., a teacher; Edith M., 
 a clerk in Fairmont; Minnie T. and Myrtle 
 T. (twins); and Julia I., at home. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. W'ade lived on his 
 farm until August, 1S62, when he enlisted 
 in Company C, Thirtieth Wisconsin Volun- 
 
 teer Infantry, as a private. He was detailed 
 as clerk in the office of the Assistant Pro- 
 vost Marshal General, at Madison, Wiscon- 
 sin, where he remained during the winter of 
 1862-3. The following spring he was de- 
 tailed as clerk in the Headquarter Depart- 
 ment of the Northwest, under General Pope, 
 continuing as such until January, 1865. At 
 that time he received a conditional commis- 
 sion as Second Lieutenant, to raise a com- 
 pany. He went to La Crosse, Wisconsin, 
 raised a company of eighty-eight men, and 
 was made its Captain. This was Company 
 K and was attached to the Forty-si.xth Wis- 
 consin Volunteer Infantry. They went to 
 Athens, Alabama, and were put on patrol 
 duty. In May, 1865, Captain Wade was 
 detailed to serve on a military commission 
 at Huntsville, Alabama, by order of Major 
 General Thomas, and served as such until 
 the last of September, 1S65, when he was 
 mustered out and came home to his family. 
 Before he reached home Captain Wade 
 was elected a County Commissioner of 
 Trempealeau county, and he served as such 
 one year. Then he was elected County 
 Treasurer, which office he filled four years, 
 and after that served one year as Under 
 Sheriff. In 1872 he came to Minnesota 
 and took a homestead claim in Cedar town- 
 ship, Martin county, where he made his 
 home until 1878. That year he moved to 
 Cedarville and opened a general store. In 
 1880 he was elected County Commissioner 
 of Martin county, and served as such two 
 years, being chairman of the Board one 
 year. In the fall of 1881 he was elected 
 Clerk of the District Court, and in the fall 
 of the following year moved to Fairmont, 
 where he has since resided. For nine con- 
 secutive years he filled the office of Clerk of 
 the Court, He has also served in various 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 minor offices: since 1886 has been a Justice 
 of tile Peace; has filled the offices of 
 Assessor and Supervisor, and is now Town 
 Clerk. He has always been deeply inter- 
 ested in educational matters, and for six 
 3-ears served on the School Board of Fair- 
 mont, being a member of the same at the 
 time the present school building was erected. 
 When he was only twenty-one he was Con- 
 stable and Overseer of Highways in Wiscon- 
 sin. At the expiration of his term as Clerk 
 of the Court, Captain Wade gave his 
 attention to the real-estate and insurance 
 business, in which he is still engaged. 
 He is secretary of the Fairmont Build- 
 ing & Loan Association. Politically he is 
 identified with the Republican party, and 
 has always been an active worker in the 
 same. He is a member of Phil Kearney 
 Post, No. 18, G. A. R. , of which he was 
 Commander three years and Adjutant a 
 number of years. He is also identified with 
 the Masonic order, blue lodge and chapter. 
 He is a member of the Church of Christ 
 (Scientist), being Clerk of the same. 
 
 >nr*OHX THOMPSON SWEARINGEN 
 
 m is identified with the official interests 
 A 1 of Martin county, having for more 
 than seven years served as County 
 Register of Deeds. His long continuance 
 in this office certainly indicates fidelity to 
 dutj' and the confidence reposed in him by 
 his fellow citizens. He has resided in Mar- 
 tin county since the age of eight j'ears; 
 hence many of his supporters have known 
 him from boyhood and are familiar with his 
 straightforward upright life which makes him 
 worthy of the honors conferred upon him. 
 Mr. Swearingen is a native of De Witt 
 county, Illinois, born on the 14th of Octo- 
 
 ber, 1854. The name was originally spelled 
 Van Swearingen. Members of the family 
 emigrated from Holland to the New World 
 in Colonial days. The grandfather of our 
 subject, John B. Swearingen, was born in 
 Lewis county, Kentucky, on the 25th of 
 July, 1803, and made farming his life work. 
 In 1828 he removed with his family to 
 Adams county, Ohio, and, after one year, 
 went to Vermillion county, Illinois, casting 
 his lot with its early settlers. His son James, 
 the father of J. T., was born in Lewis 
 county, Kentucky, July 25, 1824, and was 
 a child of only four summers at the time of 
 the removal to the Buckeye State. He was 
 reared amid the wild scenes of frontier life 
 in Illinois and was married in De Witt 
 county, that State, March 19, 1846, to Miss 
 Eliza A. Crum, a daughter of Peter Crum, 
 one of the pioneers of that county. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Swearingen began their domestic 
 life upon a farm, and there the mother 
 passed away on the 26th of March, 1S55, 
 leaving three children, of whom our subject 
 is the youngest. After the death of his first 
 wife, the father was again married, his sec- 
 ond union being with Mariette Freer. The 
 wedding took place November 16, 1862, 
 and they have one daughter, Jessie L. 
 
 Mr. Swearingen, of whom we write, was 
 brought to Minnesota when a child of only 
 two years, the family settling in Blue Earth 
 county in 1857. Four years later they came 
 to Martin count}', and he here attended his 
 first school. In 1862, during the New Ulm 
 massacre, many of the settlers left their 
 homes, and the Swearingen family among 
 the rest. With his father John remained 
 until nineteen 3-ears of age, and during that 
 time spent one year in the printing office of 
 the Fairmont Chain. At the age of nine- 
 teen he went to Dodge county, this State, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 and served a regular three-years apprentice- 
 ship in the office of the Dodge County Re- 
 publican, learning the business in all its 
 details and becoming a proficient workman. 
 Going to Blue Earth City, he was there em- 
 ployed as a printer and as Deputy Post- 
 master, and in 1879 returned to Fairmont. 
 Entering upon a somewhat different line of 
 business he became a salesman in a general 
 store, and was also Deputy Postmaster for a 
 period of two j'ears. In the month of August, 
 1885, he embarked in business for himself, 
 — purchasing the Fairmont News, an inde- 
 pendent paper, of which he was editor and 
 proprietor until August, 1887, when he sold 
 out, having conducted the paper just two 
 years. 
 
 In the month of September of the same 
 year Mr. Swearingen entered upon his offi- 
 cial career, being appointed Register of 
 Deeds for Martin county by the Board of 
 County Commissioners to fill a vacancy 
 caused by the death of J. B. Frazier. So 
 well did he discharge the duties of that office 
 that when his time expired he was nomi- 
 nated by the Republican party for a regular 
 term, and triumphantly elected, not only in 
 that year, but also for four successive terms, 
 — 1888, 1890, 1892 and 1894. He is now 
 serving in the fourth regular term, and only 
 commendatory words are heard concerning 
 his administration of affairs. In a summary 
 of his life we note a strict and unswerving 
 attention to the matter in hand, whether it 
 be business or pleasure, and this has done 
 much toward winning him success. He is 
 also systematic and painstaking, and his 
 fidelity to duty is manifested by the confi- 
 dence and trust reposed in him by his fel- 
 low citizens, who without exception respect 
 and esteem him. 
 
 On the 3d of November, 1880, Mr. 
 
 Swearingen was joined in wedlock with Miss 
 Kate A. Crooker, a native of Minnesota, 
 born June 25, 1858, and a daughter of 
 Simeon F. and Sarah F. Crooker. They 
 have four children, three sons and a daugh- 
 ter, — Lea R. , Ray E. , Nina M. , and Fred H. 
 Since attaining his majority Mr. Swear- 
 ingen has been a stalwart supporter of the 
 principles of the Republican party and does 
 all in his power to promote its growth and 
 insure its success. In connection with the 
 office before mentioned he has served both 
 as City Clerk and Assessor. In his social 
 relations, he is connected with the Odd Fel- 
 lows Society, being a charter member of 
 Fairmont Lodge No. 70, I. O. O. F., in 
 which he has passed most of the chairs, and 
 a member of the Grand Lodge and Grand 
 Encampment of the same fraternity. 
 
 EON. REUBEN MORGAN WARD, 
 deceased. — Martin county has had 
 no more prominent citizen than the 
 gentleman whose name begins 
 this review. He was a leader in business, 
 social, church and political circles, and his 
 name is inseparably connected with the his- 
 tory of this community. He was one of the 
 founders of Fairmont, which owes much of 
 her prosperity, advancement and material 
 progress to him, and the entire county is in- 
 debted to him for her growth and promotion. 
 His friends were as numerous as his acquaint- 
 ances, and they were many; and to them 
 and his family we dedicate this sketch, 
 hoping that we may pay a slight tribute to 
 the memory of him so deser\-ing of honor. 
 
 A native of New York, Mr. Ward was 
 born in Conewango, Cattaraugus county. 
 May 6, 1832; was a son of Luke and Char- 
 lotte (Morgan) Ward, both of whom were 
 
lO 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 natives of the Empire State. The Ward 
 family is probably of Irish and English lin- 
 eage, and the Morgan family were pioneer 
 settlers of Cattaraugus count}-. The father 
 of our subject was a farmer by occupation, 
 and in his family were si.x children — two 
 sons and four daughters — all of whom 
 reached years of maturity. 
 
 I-ieuben M. Ward, the oldest son and 
 third child, was reared in the county of his 
 nativity, upon the old homestead, acquiring 
 his education in the common schools and in 
 the Randolph Academy. Having attained 
 to man's estate he was married, on the 3d of 
 March, 1857, to Miss Mary S. Conroe, who 
 was born in the town of Bryant, Erie county. 
 New York, on the 26th of January, 1837. 
 Her paternal grandparents were natives of 
 Germany, and her father, Solomon Conroe, 
 was a native of the Empire State. Her 
 mother, who bore the maiden name of 
 Nancy Coding, was a native of Connecticut 
 and a daughter of Liscom Coding, who was 
 born in the same State, and in an early day 
 removed to New York, where he carried on 
 agricultural pursuits. Mr. and Mrs. Conroe 
 were married in New York and located on a 
 farm, although he was a mason by trade and 
 was engaged in that business in Fredonia. 
 He died in Cattaraugus county, at the age 
 of seventy-eight; and his wife, who survived 
 him some years, passed away at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-three. In their family 
 were thirteen children, nine of whom grew 
 to man and womanhood, Mrs. Ward being 
 the twelfth child, and the only one who be- 
 came a resident of Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Ward celebrated their 
 marriage in Cattaraugus county and located 
 upon a farm which they made their home 
 for about eight years; in 1864 they sought a 
 home in the West. Severing their business 
 
 connection in New York, they bade adieu to 
 friends and emigrated to Minnesota, settling 
 in Fairmont, Martin county, which at that 
 time was composed of only a few rude shan- 
 ties temporarily erected. The land around 
 was all wild and unimproved, and the county 
 gave little evidence of the growth and ad- 
 vancement which would soon transform it 
 into one of the rich regions and leading coun- 
 ties of the State. Mr. Ward built the first 
 dwelling and store in the place, and was the 
 first permanent merchant of the frontier 
 town, establishing a general merchandise 
 business which constantly grew in volume 
 and importance until the little establishment, 
 suited to the needs of a pioneer region, was 
 one of the largest general stores in the North- 
 west. He formed a partnership with Mr. 
 A. D. Cadwell, which was terminated only 
 by the death of Mr. Ward, after which time 
 Mrs. Ward served as vice-president of the 
 company during the remainder of her life. 
 The business methods followed brought suc- 
 cess. Systematic and careful management, 
 earnest application and unflagging industry, 
 supplemented the small capital which Mr. 
 Ward brought with him to the West, and at 
 length made him one of the substantial citi- 
 zens of the county. For many years he was 
 recognized as the leading business man of 
 Fairmont, — a reputation well deserved. 
 
 With other interests that promoted the 
 welfare of Fairmont Mr. Ward was promi- 
 nently associated. He erected some twenty 
 substantial residences, and did not withhold 
 his support from any enterprise calculated 
 to benefit the community. He was also well 
 known in business circles in Chicago as well 
 as in his adopted countj', and made two 
 trips to that city each year in the interest of 
 his affairs here. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Ward were born four 
 
cyf^u. cy/. :^'. {Jfa-u/. 
 
PARI HAUL T. MART/X, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '5 
 
 children, a son and three daughters, namely: 
 Bertha A., the eldest, born March 20, 1859, 
 became the wife of J. D. Young, of La 
 Crosse, Wisconsin, and they have four chil- 
 dren, Catherine, Mary, Frederick C. and 
 John ^^^ Emma B. , born Jul}- 7, 1862, is 
 the wife of Bert W. Da}-, editor of the 
 Hutchinson Leader, of Hutchinson, Minne- 
 sota, and they have three children, — Leona, 
 Ward and Majel. Beecher H., born De- 
 cember 16, 1867, married Lillian Mills, of 
 Mankato, and with their daughter, Fannie 
 Lenore, they reside in Fairmont, where he 
 is engaged in the lumber business. Dena I., 
 born October 24, 1874, is the wife of D. G. 
 Henneberr}-, who was formerly engaged in 
 the machine business in Fairmont and was 
 also manager of the Martin County Demo- 
 crat and the Martin County Zeitung of Fair- 
 mont, but is now living retired. The family 
 has taken a very important part in public 
 affairs and its representatives hold an envi- 
 able position in social circles. 
 
 Afr. Ward gave his earnest support to 
 the Republican party and stanchly advocated 
 its principles. He served as County Com- 
 missioner, and in November, 1882, was 
 elected to the State Senate, representing 
 the district composed of Jackson and Martin 
 counties. He never sought political pre- 
 ferment, — in fact did not wish office, and 
 with him it was a case of the position seek- 
 ing the man, instead of the more common 
 way of to-day, when the man seeks the 
 office. It is needless to say that he proved 
 a wise legislator and careful consideration 
 and calm judgment influenced his ballot on 
 all questions. 
 
 Mr. Ward affiliated with the Masonic 
 fraternity, and in 1873 was elected as Sec- 
 retary of Chain Lake Lodge, No. 64, A. F. 
 and A. M., in which capacity he served un- 
 
 til the time of his death. In religious belief 
 he was a Congregationalist, — a prominent 
 member and very active worker in thesociety 
 at Fairmont. He united with the church 
 in 1 87 1, became Trustee and Deacon, and 
 in all possible ways aided in the advancement 
 of the cause of Christianity. He made no 
 great pretensions, but all recognized his 
 fidelity to his faith, and honored him there- 
 for. In April, 1891, he went to Chicago on 
 a business trip and died in the Palmer House, 
 of that city, on the 9th of April. This sad 
 event caused the deepest grief throughout 
 the community. He was honored as a busi- 
 ness man, respected as a legislator and loved 
 by family and friends, but no one felt more 
 keenly his loss, besides his wife and children, 
 than the poor and needy, who gave him 
 their deep gratitude for many kind and 
 benevolent acts performed in a quiet, un- 
 ostentatious manner, that called no atten- 
 tion to himself but brought happiness to the 
 recipient. His family still resides in Fair- 
 mont, and the noble lady, who for so many 
 years traveled life's journey by the side of 
 her honored husband, was called to her 
 reward January 27, 1895. 
 
 HLBERT LUKE WARD needs no 
 special introduction to the readers 
 of this volume, but the work would 
 be incomplete without the record of 
 his life. No man in Martin county has been 
 more prominently identified with the com- 
 mercial and political history of the com- 
 munity or has taken a more active part in its 
 upbuilding and progress. His support has 
 ever been cheerfully given to those enter- 
 prrises that tend to public development, and 
 with hardly an exception he has been con- 
 nected with every interest that has pro- 
 
i6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 moted the general welfare. His name is 
 a synonym of honorable business deal- 
 ing, he is always mentioned as one of 
 the invaluable citizens of the State, and on 
 the roll of Martin county's most honored 
 pioneers his name should be found among 
 the foremost. 
 
 Mr. Ward was born in Conewango, Cat- 
 taraugus county. New York, January 14, 
 1843, and is the fifth in a family of six chil- 
 dren, whose parents were Luke and Char- 
 lotte (Morgan) Ward. He was reared in his 
 native town, attended its common schools 
 and was afterward graduated at Randolph 
 Academy, now the Chamberlin Institute, 
 in the class of i860. His mind and incli- 
 nation tended toward the study of jurispru- 
 dence, and in the same year he entered the 
 law office of Hon. C. B. Green, under whom 
 he pursued his studies for two years. 
 
 Mr. Ward was a close student of the 
 signs of the times and had watched with in- 
 terest the attitude of the South prior to and 
 during the early progress of the war of the 
 Rebellion. In 1S62 he enlisted in the Union 
 service, becoming a member of Company B, 
 and was afterward transferred to Company 
 I, of the One Hundred and Twelfth New 
 York Volunteer Infantry, in which he faith- 
 fully served until the spring of 1863, when 
 on account of physical disability he was 
 honorably discharged. 
 
 Mr. Ward then returned to his home in 
 Cattaraugus county, New York, and entered 
 the law office of Judge Henderson, of Ran- 
 dolph, where he pursued his studies for one 
 year, being admitted to the bar in the win- 
 ter of 1863-4. In 1864 he emigrated to 
 Minnesota and homesteaded land on section 
 9, Fairmont township, now within the city 
 limits, on which he has since continued to 
 reside. About six months after his arrival 
 
 he embarked in general merchandising in 
 Fairmont, becoming the pioneer merchant 
 of this now thriving city. The following 
 year his brother Reuben, of whom mention 
 is made elsewhere in this work, came to 
 Fairmont, and was admitted into partner- 
 ship in the mercantile business under the 
 firm name of A. L. & R. M. Ward. This 
 connection continued for three years, when 
 Mr. Ward of this notice sold his interest to 
 A. D. Cadwell, the firm becoming Ward & 
 Cadwell, and the business is still carried on 
 under the name of Ward & Cadwell Com- 
 pany. 
 
 On withdrawing from the mercantile 
 business Mr. Ward devoted his active ener- 
 gies to agricultural pursuits, to the practice 
 of law and to the real-estate business. In 
 1874 he sold out his interest in the law busi- 
 ness to his partner, H. M. Blaisdell, and 
 entered the banking business, establishing 
 the Martin County Bank, and he was elected 
 its president, which position he has filled con- 
 tinuously since in a most acceptable manner. 
 This is one of the conservative and solid 
 financial institutions of the county, and its 
 success is due entirely to the able manage- 
 ment and careful methods of him who has so 
 long been at its head. 
 
 In connection with Mr. Ward's banking 
 business he is the largest landholder in Martin 
 county, his possessions aggregating from six 
 to seven thousand acres. The farm on which 
 he lives comprises 3,000 acres, 800 acres of 
 which lies within the corporation limits of 
 Fairmont, and 1,200 acres of the farm is 
 operated under his personal supervision. He 
 has it well stocked with a large number of 
 horses, 300 head of cattle, and on the other 
 farms he also has about 300 cattle. He was 
 one of the founders of the firm of J. V. Kline 
 & Company, dealers in live stock, and he 
 
FARIBAULT. MART/X, U'ATONWAJV AA'£> JACKSON. 
 
 17 
 
 raises only good grades of animals. Mr. 
 Ward is one of the men who have done 
 much to make farming the honored calling 
 it is to-day, and to do away with the old 
 mistaken idea that the farmers are not the 
 equals of the men of other pursuits and pro- 
 fessions in intelligence and business ability. 
 In 1885 he established what is known as the 
 Ward Machine Company, and in 1886 
 opened branch offices in Welcome and Sher- 
 burne, Martin county, of which he was sole 
 proprietor until 1892, when the business 
 was incorporated. The capital and surplus 
 of the Qompany amounts to $40,000, and he 
 owns all of the stock, save shares to the 
 value of $500. He is the heaviest stock- 
 holder in the Fairmont Elevator Company, 
 is president of the Afartin County Democrat 
 Publishing Company, which publishes the 
 Martin County Democrat and the Martin 
 County Zeitung, and owns all of its stock 
 save $100. He is the president of the Jack- 
 son County State Bank of Lakefield, Minne- 
 sota, capitalized at $25,000, is the president 
 and principal stockholder of the Sherburne 
 State Bank of Sherburne, Minnesota, and a 
 member of the law firm of Ward, Dunn & 
 Ward. The last named company has a 
 large share of the legal practice of this sec- 
 tion of the State, its members being men 
 whose standing in the profession is among 
 the foremost. Our subject is a man of mul- 
 titudinous and varied interests but to the 
 matter in hand he always gives his close and 
 undivided attention, and this characteristic 
 has been an important factor in his excellent 
 success. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Ward was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Charlotte Jennings, a native 
 of New York and a most estimable lady 
 whose culture, refinement and natural graces 
 of character have made her a social favorite 
 
 as well as the light of her husband's home. 
 Their union has been blessed with four 
 children, as follows: May is now the wife 
 of U. J. Piffner, of Fairmont; De Forest, a 
 graduate of the Fairmont High School and 
 of the law department of the University of 
 Minnesota, is now a member of the law firm 
 of Ward, Dunn & Ward; Charlotte and 
 Lydia, who complete the family, are still 
 with their parents. The Ward household 
 is noted for its hospitality, and the members 
 of the family hold a high position in social 
 circles where true worth and intelligence, 
 and not wealth alone, are received as the 
 passports into good society. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Ward has long 
 been a Democrat, and though his life has 
 been devoted to so many business interests 
 he has yet found time to faithfully discharge 
 his duties of citizenship and to serve his fel- 
 low townsmen in a number of offices. He 
 was County Attorney of Martin county for 
 six years, was County Auditor and Register 
 of Deeds, Superintendent of Schools and 
 Postmaster of Fairmont under Presidents 
 Lincoln, Grant and Cleveland, and was one 
 of the Commissioners representing Minne- 
 sota at the World's Fair held in Chicago in 
 1893. 
 
 Above we have given an outline of the 
 career of Mr. Ward, but the details and 
 minor incidents which go to make up much 
 of the real life of an individual have been but 
 slightly touched upon. To the many friends 
 who know him well, mention of the subject 
 would seem almost superfluous, but as this 
 volume will be read and treasured in future 
 generations, we wish to speak of his pleas- 
 ant, genial manner, his strict integrity and 
 his almost blameless life. It is not the men 
 that occupy seats in the council chambers of 
 the nation that have made this great Repub- 
 
i8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 lie. They have borne their part, and an 
 important part, but their labors would have 
 been almost worthless had it not been for 
 the sustaining and supporting influences of 
 the true and loyal citizens at home, who give 
 their time and attention to business and 
 to the building up of the respective com- 
 munities in which they reside. Thus it is 
 that Mr. Ward has played his part in the 
 drama of events that go to make up the na- 
 tion's history. In the affairs of life he has 
 been conservative, but progressive. His 
 laudable ambition has been tempered by 
 sagacity and coolness, his enterprise by a 
 steadying perseverance; and an excellent 
 legal knowledge has guided him in all things. 
 He is free from ostentation and dislikes 
 great display, but it is certainly just to say 
 in his praise that no man has done more for 
 Martin county and its interests than Albert 
 Luke \\'ard. 
 
 ? 
 
 D. STANTON was for many years a 
 leading representative of the agricul- 
 tural interests of Faribault county, 
 and is now living a retired life in 
 Blue Earth City, enjoying the rest which he 
 has so truly earned and richly deserves. It 
 is eminently consistent that he should find 
 representation in this volume, and with 
 pleasure we present to our readers this rec- 
 ord of his life, recognizing the fact that it 
 will prove of interest to many. 
 
 A native of Montgomerj' count}', New 
 York, where he was born on the 1 7th of 
 August, 181 5, Mr. Stanton is descended 
 from stanch old Revolutionary stock, his 
 ancestors having been heroes in the war for 
 independence. The Stanton family was 
 founded in .\mcrica in i'')32 and became 
 quite prominent in the historj- of New En- 
 
 gland. The grandfather of our subject, 
 Nathan Stanton, Sr. , was born in Connecti- 
 cut, December 10, 1749, and served as Or- 
 derly Sergeant of a company of minute-men 
 during the Revolution, and was also at 
 White Plains, New York, with General 
 Washington. When the traitor, Benedict 
 Arnold, after the burning of the town of 
 New London, Connecticut, led his forces 
 across the Thames river, and brought about 
 the infamous massacre at Fort Griswold, 
 Nathan Stanton was Orderly of a company 
 of 300 minute-men, and he escapedby mere 
 accident, three members of the family being 
 victims of said massacre, namely: Captain 
 Amos, Phineas and Daniel. His son, Nathan 
 Stanton, Jr., was born on the 24th of Jul\-, 
 1779, in Stonington, New London county, 
 Connecticut, where he wedded Mary Deni- 
 son, who also was a native of Stonington, 
 and the daughter of Peleg Denison, who 
 came of an old New England family that 
 was founded in the New World in 1632. 
 Their marriage was celebrated June 11, 
 1804, and they became the parents of three 
 children, — two sons and a daughter, all of 
 whom reached maturity, though our subject 
 is now the only survivor. Benjamin F. , 
 who was honored in the granting to him, by 
 Governor James D. Doty, of a commission 
 as Captain of the Wisconsin militia, died in 
 April, 1S92, at the age of eighty years; 
 and Mary, wife of John Blood, of Amster- 
 dam, New York, died at the old homestead 
 in the same room where her birth occurred 
 seventy-four years previous. The parents 
 were married in their native State. He 
 served as Captain of a militia company, and 
 in his political views was an old- line \N'hig. 
 Both he and his wife adhered to the faith of 
 the Presbyterian ("hurrh and lived honor- 
 able, upright lives, leaving to their family an 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 •9 
 
 untarnished name. The father died April 
 4, 1838, at the age of fifty-nine, and the 
 mother was called to eternal rest in Decem- 
 ber, 1 846, when sixty-four years of age. 
 
 In taking up the life record of Mr. Stan- 
 ton we present to our readers the biography 
 of one who is both widely and favorably 
 known throughout Faribault county. His 
 youth was passed on his father's farm, and 
 his education was acquired in the common 
 schools. Within the year following his 
 father's death the old homestead was sold, 
 and in 1840 Mr. Stanton, then a young man 
 of twenty-five years, emigrated to the West. 
 He believed that on the broad prairies of 
 the Mississippi valley he would have better 
 opportunities than in the older and more 
 thickly settled States of the East, and .ac- 
 cordingly took up his residence in the State 
 of Wisconsin. He traveled by the way of 
 the Erie canal to Buffalo, where he boarded 
 the vess3l Great Western, bound for Mil- 
 waukee. Going to White Water he secured 
 near there a tract of 160 acres of Govern- 
 ment land, but in 1846 left that farm and 
 removed to Columbia county, where, as- 
 sociated with his brother, he secured and 
 operated 800 acres of land. There he car- 
 ried on agricultural pursuits for twenty 
 years, and was known as one of the leading 
 and influential citizens of the community, 
 being honored with a number of local offices 
 of trust. 
 
 In the year 1867 Mr. Stanton came to 
 Faribault county, Minnesota, where he pur- 
 chased large tracts of land, including a quar- 
 ter-section which he bought of Archie Mor- 
 ris and which he made his home during the 
 time that he followed farming here. He 
 placed his land under a high state of culti- 
 vation, transforming the wild prairie into 
 rich and fertile fields, and making upon the 
 
 homestead valuable and substantial im- 
 provements, which stood as monuments to 
 the thrift and enterprise of the owner. At 
 length he decided to lay aside business cares, 
 and removed to Blue Earth City, where he 
 has since made his home. He yet owns 240 
 acres of arable land, and the fine farm yields 
 to him a good income. 
 
 In the year 1839 Mr. Stanton was united 
 in marriage with Miss Elizabeth De Graf, a 
 native of Amsterdam, Montgomery county, 
 New York, and a daughter of John De Graf, 
 who was of Holland descent. They became 
 the parents of seven children: Daniel, a 
 resident of Faribault county; Samuel, who 
 is living in Pipestone county, Minnesota; 
 Caroline, wife of B. S. Mills, of \\'inona, 
 Minnesota; Charlotte, wife of C. C. Good- 
 now, of Pipestone county; Harriet, wife of 
 John McCoy, of Faribault county; Mary, 
 who became the wife of James Craig, and 
 died January 10, 1879; and Emma, a 
 teacher in the public schools. The five 
 daughters were all teachers of recognized 
 ability in this and surrounding counties. 
 Two sons went forth in the defence of the 
 Union at the time of the late war, Daniel 
 serving as a member of the Forty-second 
 Wisconsin Regiment, and Samuel as a mem- 
 ber of the Thirty-sixth Regiment. The lat- 
 ter enlisted when onlj- sixteen years of age 
 and served until the close of the war. He 
 was wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor 
 by a ball which struck him in the right foot, 
 but remained at the front until the old flag 
 waved over a conquered South. 
 
 Mr. Stanton lost his first wife in 1863, 
 and in Lowell, Dodge county, Wisconsin, 
 on the 2 2d of September of the same year, he 
 was joined in wedlock with Jane M. Clifford, 
 a native of Berkshire, Tioga county. New 
 York, and a daughter of James and Harriet 
 
20 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 (Walter) Clifford, who removed from Massa- 
 chusetts to New York and thence to Wiscon- 
 sin. The mother died at the age of thirty- 
 four years, after which the father was again 
 married. 
 
 In early life Mr. Stanton was a supporter 
 of the Whig party, but when the Republi- 
 can party sprung into existence he joined its 
 ranks and supported it by his ballot until 
 1892, when he voted the Populist ticket. 
 Both he and his wife hold membership with 
 the Presbyterian Church and contribute 
 liberally to its support. In his business 
 dealings his well directed efforts and indus- 
 try won him the prosperity which now en- 
 ables him to lay aside business cares and 
 live retired, enjoying the fruits of his former 
 toil. His life has been a long and useful 
 one, and he has gained the high regard of 
 many friends, with whom we join in wish- 
 ing that many years may yet elapse ere he 
 shall be called to his fathers. 
 
 m. 
 
 •ashington perry hill.— 
 
 Martin county has no more effi- 
 cient or trustworthy official than 
 this gentleman, who since 1888 
 has served as Sheriff. His frequent re- 
 election is a high testimonial to his fidelity, 
 the people manifesting by their votes their 
 confidence in him, and all speak of his man- 
 agement of the affairs of the office in terms 
 of highest praise. His many friends will 
 receive with interest this record of his life, 
 we feel assured, and therefore gladly give it 
 a place in this volume. 
 
 Mr. Hill was born in Mercer county, 
 Pennsylvania, on the 8th of March, 1849, 
 and is of Scotch and Irish lineage. His pa- 
 ternal grandfather, William Hill, was a na- 
 tive of the North of Ireland, and when a 
 
 young man crossed the Atlantic to America, 
 taking up his residence in the Keystone State. 
 The maternal grandfather, John Cum- 
 mings, was born in Scotland, and also came 
 to the New \\'orld in his younger years. In 
 Pennsylvania was born James Hill, the father 
 of W. P. , and in the usual manner of farmer 
 lads of that day and section, he was reared 
 and educated, following agricultural pursuits 
 throughout his entire life. He married 
 Sarah Cummings, who was born and spent 
 her maidenhood days in Pennsylvania, and 
 in the State of their nativity they resided 
 until 1865, which year witnessed their ar- 
 rival in Martin county, Minnesota. They 
 first located in Fairmont, but afterward went 
 to Burt county, Nebraska, where the mother 
 departed this life, at the age of sixtj'-six 
 years. The father subsequently returned to 
 Fairmont and spent his last days in this 
 place, passing awaj' at the ripe old age of 
 sevent\-four. To Mr. and Mrs. Hill were 
 born a family of nine children, of whom four 
 are yet living, — Summerville, who makes 
 his home in Fairmont; W. P., of this sketch; 
 Hannah M., wife of John Driscoll, of Craig, 
 Nebraska; Lucinda J., wife of Nort Bard- 
 well, a resident of Tekamah, Nebraska. 
 
 Mr. Hill, of this sketch, the third in or- 
 der of birth in the family, wai^ reared in the 
 Keystone State and the public schools af- 
 forded him his educational privileges. He 
 remained at home with his parents until af- 
 ter the breaking out of the late war, when, 
 prompted by patriotic impulses, he responded 
 to the country's call for troops and was as- 
 signed to Company D, Fifty-seventh Penn- 
 sylvania \'olunteer Infantry. He was only 
 fifteen years of age at the time of his enlist- 
 ment, but the Union cause had no more true 
 or loyal defender than the boy who left home 
 and offered his services, and if need be his 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 21 
 
 life, for the preservation of the country. He 
 served until the close of the war and re- 
 ceived an honorable discharge, July 6, 1865, 
 in Washington, District of Columbia. 
 
 In 1864, while in the service, Mr. Hill 
 secured a claim to a quarter section of land 
 in Rolling Green township, a part of which 
 he broke in 1866, locating on it the follow- 
 ing year. Later he sold out and bought a 
 farm in Rutland township. He engaged in 
 farming until 1874, when he left the farm 
 and went to the eastern part of the State, 
 and worked at his trade, of painter, for three - 
 years, and returned to this count}', and has 
 since been a resident of Fairmont. In 1876 
 he sold his farm to the county and it is now 
 used as the county farm. 
 
 Mr. Hill has been twice married. In 
 1878 he was joined in wedlock with Lina 
 Older, a native of New York, and to them 
 was born one child, now deceased. The 
 mother passed away in 1879, and for his 
 second wife our subject chose Miss Mattie 
 Swanson, a native of Rice county, Minne- 
 sota, by whom he has two sons, Edward H. 
 and Clarence R. 
 
 Since attaining his majority, Mr. Hill 
 has been a supporter of the Republican 
 party. Even before he had attained the 
 age when the right of franchise is granted 
 man, he cast his vote for Abraham Lincoln, 
 being at that time in the army, all soldiers 
 being allowed to vote. Of Republican prin- 
 ciples, he is a warm and earnest advocate 
 and does all that he consistently can to pro- 
 mote the interests and insure the success of 
 his party. In the year 1888 he was elected 
 to the office of County Sheriff, and has 
 served in that position continuously since. 
 He was again elected in 1894, so that he 
 will be the incumbent up to 1897. He 
 takes quite an active interest in civic socie- 
 
 ties, and is a member in good standing of 
 several organizations. He belongs to Chain 
 Lake Lodge, No. 64, A. F. & A. M., Fair- 
 mont Chapter, No. 50, R. A. M. , and to 
 Appollo Commandery, No. 12, of Albert 
 Lea, Minnesota. He also holds a member- 
 ship in the Fairmont Lodge, A. O. U. W., 
 and is a comrade in Phil. Kearny Post, G. 
 A. R., in which he has passed all the 
 chairs. 
 
 HNDREW OATHOUD, Huntley, 
 Minnesota, one of the pioneer 
 farmers of Verona township, Fari- 
 bault county, landing here in the 
 year 1863, has been identified with this 
 place ever since; and of his life we make 
 biographical mention as follows: 
 
 Andrew Oathoud was born in New York 
 State July 11, 1826, son of Alexander and 
 Belinda (Sykes) Oathoud, both natives of 
 the Empire State and representatives of 
 families who settled there at an early period 
 in its history. The Oathouds trace their 
 ancestry back to Holland. Some members 
 of the family were in the Revolutionary war, 
 and the father of our subject was a soldier 
 in the war of 1812. In 1852 Ale.xander 
 Oathoud and his family came west to Co- 
 lumbia county, Wisconsin, and settled eigh- 
 teen miles south of Portage, on the old stage 
 road between Portage and Madison. They 
 continued to reside there until 1863, when 
 they came further west and settled in Vero- 
 na township, Faribault county, Minnesota. 
 Here the father took claim to a tract of 
 land, and here he passed the closing years 
 of his life and died at the advanced age of 
 eighty-nine years. His wife lived to a still 
 greater age, she being ninety-two at the 
 time of her death, which occurred in Man- 
 
22 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF 7'HE COUNTIES OF 
 
 kato, Minnesota. This worthy couple were 
 the parents of ten children, \\z. : Augustus, 
 Clarissa, Charlotte, Andrew, Alexander, 
 Caroline, Amos, Addison, Almiram and 
 George. The father was engaged in farm- 
 ing nearly all his life, and for some time also 
 carried on merchandising. In politics, he 
 was first a Whig and afterward a Republi- 
 can. He and his wife belonged to the Bap- 
 tist Church in early life, but later united 
 with the Protestant Methodists. 
 
 The subject of our sketch, Andrew Oat- 
 houd, was reared on a farm in New York and 
 received his education in that State. He 
 was with the rest of the family when they 
 located in Columbia county, Wisconsin, in 
 1852, and came with them in 1863 to his 
 present location. He owns eighty acres of 
 land on section 32, Verona township; has a 
 nice frame residence, good barn, four-acre 
 grove, orchard, and various other improve- 
 ments; and here he is successfulh' carrying 
 on farming operations. 
 
 Mr. Oathoud has been twice married. 
 When he wls twenty-three he wedded, in 
 New York, Miss Rebecca Coats, daughter of 
 Martin and Cyntha Coats. Her parents 
 died in New York. Mrs. Rebecca Oathoud 
 was a most estimable woman fn every re- 
 spect, — a devoted wife and loving mother. 
 She passed away in 1877, leaving a family 
 of seven children, namely: Adelbert, De- 
 loris, Martin, Sarah, Frank, Adason, and 
 George. February 14, 1S82, Mr. Oathoud 
 married Miss Mary Nelson, a native of 
 Chautauqua count}'. New York, and a 
 daughter of George and Sarah (Wakefield) 
 Nelson. Mrs. Nelson was a cousin of e.\- 
 Governor Wakefield of Blue Earth City, 
 Minnesota. Mr. Nelson died in Faribault 
 county, at the age of seventy-six years. Mrs. 
 Oathoud is the youngest of a family of thir- 
 
 teen children, the others being as follows: 
 Jane, Oirilla, George, Victoria, Naomi, 
 John, Albert, Alexander, Sarah, James, 
 Harvey and Georgiann. Two of her brothers, 
 Alexander and Albert, were in the Union 
 army during the late war. By his second 
 marriage Mr. Oathoud has two children, 
 Andrew Morton and Veron Augustus. 
 
 Although nearing the close of his three- 
 score years and ten, Mr. Oathoud shows that 
 Time has dealt gently with him, and appears 
 much 3'ounger than he is. He is a Deacon 
 of the Verona Freewill Baptist Church, and 
 votes with the Republican party. He has 
 served as Township Supervisor and for 
 twelve years has been a member of the School 
 Board. 
 
 @EORGE BARTLEY SWEAR- 
 INGEN, a farmer of section 4, 
 Rolling Green township, Martin 
 county, is a son of I. G. and Lorain 
 (Allen) Swearingen, of Fairmont, this 
 count}'. The mother taught the first school 
 in Martin county. Mr. and Mrs. Swear- 
 ingen were the parents of two children, — 
 George B., our subject; and Lena, widow of 
 Irving Crissinger. 
 
 George B. Swearingen was born in Silver 
 Lake township, Martin county, October 27, 
 1864. He remained on his father's farm 
 until 1887, when he found employment in 
 the office of the Fairmont News. In 1890 
 he located on the farm he now owns, which 
 consists of I I I acres, all under a fine state of 
 cultivation. In his political relations, Mr. 
 Swearingen affihates with the Republican 
 party, and has served as Treasurer of Dis- 
 trict No. 66. Socially, he is a member of 
 the A. O. U. W. 
 
 July 24, 1888, our subject was united in 
 
Ly/(). J2>^l^. Cy//M.i/ky//r/. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 marriage with Miss Lottie M. Canright, 
 born in Martin county Jul}' 24, iS6<S, a 
 daughter of J. E. Canright, of Fairmont. 
 She received her education in this county, 
 and taught school six terms before her mar- 
 riage. Mr. and Mrs. Swearingen have three 
 children, — Warren Alfred, Helen Irene, and 
 an infant daughter. They are members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church of Fair- 
 mont, and Mr. Swearingen is an active 
 worker in the Sunday-school. 
 
 EON. MOSES KIMBALL ARM- 
 STRONG.— It affords us great 
 pleasure to present to our readers 
 the life record of this gentleman, 
 knowing how gladly it will be received and 
 how eagerly perused; yet we enter upon our 
 task with reluctance caused by the fear 
 that we may not do justice to one so deserv- 
 ing of honorable mention. He is a man not 
 of St. James, or even of Minnesota, but a 
 man of the nation, and largely through his 
 efforts the great Northwest, with its vast re- 
 sources and advantages, has been opened 
 up to civilization. With a devotion and 
 self-sacrifice that is seldom equaled, he has 
 given the greater part of his time and ener- 
 gies to a work that has made this region of 
 our county a habitable place, and his labors 
 can never be requited; but we can hold him 
 in grateful remembrance for what he has 
 done and tell to our children the story of his 
 true heroism that they may honor him even 
 though " the place that has known him shall 
 know him no more." 
 
 Moses K. Armstrong was born in Milan, 
 Erie county, Ohio, September 19, 1832, and 
 comes of an old New England family of 
 Scotch-American origin. The grandfather, 
 
 Augustus Armstrong, was born in Connecti- 
 2 
 
 cut and spent his entire life in that State, 
 engaging on a whaling vessel. He lost his 
 life by being dragged overboard into the sea 
 while harpooning a whale. The father of 
 Moses K. also bore the name of Augustus, 
 and he, too, was a native of the Nutmeg 
 State; was reared in Stonington, was a 
 farmer by occupation, and in his early life 
 served as Captain of the militia in northern 
 Ohio. During his pioneer days he settled 
 in Erie county, Ohio, and improved one of 
 the first farms within its borders. He mar- 
 ried Phoebe Higbee, who was born and 
 reared in the same locality as her husband, 
 and like him was of Scotch lineage. They 
 became the parents of five sons and three 
 daughters, and with the exception of one, 
 who died in infancy, all reached j'ears of 
 maturity. The father died at the age of 
 seventy years, and the mother was called to 
 the home beyond in the sixty-seventh year 
 of her age. Thomsa H. Armstrong, one of 
 the sons, has been Lieutenant-Governor of 
 Minnesota, and another son, Augustus, was 
 United States Marshal of the State. 
 
 M. K. Armstrong was educated in Huron 
 Institute and in the Western Reserve Col- 
 lege of Ohio, and held high rank as a math- 
 ematician. When only eighteen years of 
 age, he moved westward and engaged in the 
 land surveys of northern Iowa. From that 
 time up to the present he has been identified 
 with the wonderful development of the 
 Northwest, and his life on the frontier has 
 been such as try men's souls. He neces- 
 sarily became a man of wide influence, but, 
 instead of using his power for self-aggrand- 
 izement or personal advancement, he has 
 practically given his life for others, in after 
 years, with an unselfishness deserving of all 
 commendation. 
 
 After two years spent in Iowa he came to 
 
28 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Minnesota, then a Territory, wild and un- 
 improved, and surveyed much of the land in 
 the southern aud western part of the State. 
 In 1856 he was elected Surveyor of Mower 
 county, and while traveling with chain and 
 compass through pioneer localities he gath- 
 ered material and wrote a history of the 
 community. He was one of the delegates 
 to the first Democratic State convention 
 held in Minnesota, which nominated Gen- 
 eral Sibley as Minnesota's first State Gov- 
 ernor. The first Surveyor-General ap- 
 pointed him as one of his deputies and as- 
 signed to him the survey of Government 
 land in southwestern Minnesota, and in 1858 
 he surveyed into sections the land of the 
 county in which he now makes his home — 
 Watonwan. His friend, D. Bearup, a New 
 York investor, in Watonwan county securi- 
 ties, writing to him concerning this county, 
 said: " But what is a still greater source of 
 gratification is that as a pioneer in Waton- 
 wan county you have watched it and sus- 
 tained it in its tottering infancy and have 
 done much to put it safely and firmly upon 
 its feet. This is an achievement that few 
 men could accomplish, and still fewer would 
 so far divest themselves of selfishness as to 
 accomplish it if they could. Watonwan 
 county is making its material for history. In 
 that history you cannot be a mere incident, 
 but it will have to be very largely based on 
 you to be history at all; and it is a great 
 pleasure to us to believe that the patriotism, 
 generosity and faith which you have devoted 
 to the struggling settlers will be gratefully 
 remembered long after you have left the 
 scene. " 
 
 When Dakota was made a Territory 
 separate from Minnesota, Mr. Armstrong 
 made his way into that unorganized region 
 and surveyed some of the first claims and 
 
 town sites for the new settlers on the land 
 which the Yankton Indians had just ceded 
 to the United States in Southern Dakota. 
 He was a member of the first Territorial 
 Legislature of Dakota on its organization in 
 1 86 1, was re-elected for a second term and 
 became Speaker of the House when Dakota 
 embraced, besides the territory included in 
 North and South Dakota, also the Terri- 
 tories of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. 
 For many years following he was prominent 
 in public life, but whether in office or out 
 he was always laboring for the develop- 
 ment and advancement of the Northwest. 
 The Northern Pacific Railroad, which has 
 become the national highway of this region, 
 was established by a company which num- 
 bered him among the incorporators by act 
 of Congress in 1862. 
 
 During the war Mr. Armstrong was a sup- 
 porter of the Democracy and edited the 
 Dakota Union in the interest of that party. 
 In 1864 he was appointed Clerk of the Su- 
 preme Court of Dakota, and the following 
 year was elected Treasurer of the Territory. 
 He was sent as a Senator to the Legislature, 
 where he served as presiding officer in 1867, 
 and in 1870 he was elected by the Demo- 
 crats of the Territory as a delegate to Con- 
 gress. He gave his first term's salary for 
 the purchase of a printing-press with which 
 was founded the Dakota Herald, the first 
 prominent Democratic newspaper in the 
 Territory, ami to-day the oldest party organ 
 in the State! In 1872 he was again elected 
 to Congress, and in 1 874 was nominated for 
 a third term but declined to become a can- 
 didate. No man has done more effective 
 service for the Northwest in the halls of 
 Congress, and through his labors and devo- 
 tion he forwarded the interests of this sec- 
 tion in a way that has brought material 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, IVATONWAA^ AND yACKSON. 
 
 ip 
 
 prosperity and rapid progress to a region 
 that is now becoming a power in the coun- 
 try. While a member of the Forty-third 
 Congress he secured an appropriation of 
 $33,000 to reimburse the Dakota vohinteers 
 in the Indian war of 1862. The following 
 extract from his speech before the house on 
 that bill is taken from the Congressional 
 Record, and will be read with interest: 
 
 " If there is any class of American citi- 
 zens, Mr. Speaker, who are entitled to the 
 same regard from Congress that is bestowed 
 upon the soldiers who fought the battles of 
 our country, it is the hardy pioneers of the 
 West, who ventured into the wilds defying 
 danger, subduing the plains, establishing vil- 
 lages and planting upon the confines of the 
 public domain the beacon lights of pro- 
 gress and civilization. Rude cabin homes, 
 uncultured lands, bridgeless streams, uncer- 
 tain mails, isolated schools, distant markets 
 and Indian dangers are few of the many 
 troubles encountered by the early pioneers of 
 our great West. And what grand results 
 have they accomplished since the early set- 
 tlement of Dakota! Sir, they have main- 
 tained the outposts of frontier civilization 
 while harassed by Indians in their fields, at 
 their homes and on the highways; they have, 
 by steady and increasing industry overcome 
 their disasters, and are fast becoming a pro- 
 ducing and prosperous people. They have 
 subdued the plains, opened farms and pub- 
 lic thoroughfares, established schools and 
 churches, founded most beautiful villages 
 and organized flourishing counties. They 
 have built railroads and telegraph lines and 
 constructed bridges and steam ferries; they 
 have established depots of trade and induced 
 steamboats of traffic to the navigable rivers 
 of the great Territory. In fact they have 
 converted the wild plains into blossoming 
 
 grain fields and happy homes. ^^'hat peo- 
 ple, I ask. Sir, has done more or deserved 
 better from the hands of Congress.'" 
 
 One of the most important acts in the 
 life of Mr. Armstrong is his negotiation with 
 the Indians in securing the lands belonging 
 to the Sioux tribe. He was fitted for this 
 work by his study of the habits, customs and 
 beliefs of the red men, and knew how to 
 deal advantageously with them. He lived 
 through the attacks which were made on the 
 settlers by the treacherous savage, and his 
 able pen has given to the world a graphic 
 account of those trying times. He acted as 
 recording secretary for the Indian Peace 
 Commission in 1867 and visited every tribe 
 of Sioux Indians on the Missouri river as far 
 north as the Yellowstone country. He was 
 the first man to frame a bill and introduce it 
 in Congress, in 1 87 1 , whereby the Secretary 
 of the Interior should have the authority to 
 treat with the Sioux Indians and purchase 
 from them their rights to the Black Hills 
 country. He knew, no one better, of the 
 vast resources, the mineral wealth, the cli- 
 matic advantages, the fine agricultural dis- 
 tricts of the region over which the Indians 
 had control, and through his instrumentality 
 this valuable and desirable region was finally 
 secured to civilization. 
 
 Up to 1 870 Mr. Armstrong had each year 
 been engaged in tlie United States land sur- 
 veys, and had established most of the merid- 
 ian and standard lines in southern Dakota 
 and on the Red River of the North. While 
 thus engaged he discovered an error in the 
 old international boundary post near Pem- 
 bina, and by its correction added several 
 thousand acres of land to the American do- 
 main, including the Hudson's Bay Trading 
 Post. He was afterward selected to exe- 
 cute for the Government the difficult re-sur- 
 
3° 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 vey of the State boundary of Nebraska near 
 Sioux City, Iowa, where the Missouri river 
 had cut a large island into the State from 
 the Dakota border. In 1875 he took charge 
 of the survey of the Cuthead Indian reserva- 
 tion on the south shore of Devil's lake. 
 
 A paper published in Fort Pierre, the 
 capital of South Dakota, speaks of the 
 recent changing, by the Legislature, of the 
 name of Pyatt county to Armstrong county, 
 in honor of Moses K. Armstrong, and then 
 gives an extended notice concerning his his- 
 tory of Dakota, which we insert entire: 
 " But the work which gives Mr. Armstrong 
 the strongest claim to the esteem and grati- 
 tude of Dakotans is his history of Dakota, 
 published in 1866. One may suppose that 
 Dakota could not have had much history up 
 to that date, but a perusal of Armstrong's 
 book will show that the history of Dakota 
 reaches back to the earlier years of the pres- 
 ent century, when Napoleon sold to the Gov- 
 ernment of the United States the Territory 
 of Louisiana, in which the Dakotas were in- 
 cluded. Lewis and Clarke's expedition in 
 1804 was the beginning of Dakota's history, 
 and starting from that exploration Mr. Arm- 
 strong gleans a valuable harvest of historical 
 material. Bonneville's adventures in 1832 
 also contribute much that is interesting and 
 profitable, particularly concerning the Bad 
 Lands region, all of which Dakota's first 
 historian uses to the best advantage. The 
 book recites the various preliminary as well 
 as the later and successful steps taken to se- 
 cure a cession of the lands to the United 
 States Government preparatory to organiz- 
 ing the Territory, the earliest settlements 
 and the names of the pioneers. It also con- 
 tinues the record up to the time when the 
 political government of the Territory is 
 firmly established, officers appointed and the 
 
 law-making bodies installed. All the diffi- 
 cult historical work of the Territory has been 
 thoroughly performed by the author, and 
 subsequent historians have but to build upon 
 this broad and safe foundation." 
 
 Mr. Armstrong, while in Congress, also 
 received from the Government a charter for 
 the first national bank established in the 
 Territory once embraced within Dakota's 
 boundaries and was afterward made its 
 president, the bank being located at Yank- 
 ton. In 1876 he was appointed by the 
 Governor of Dakota to prepare and deliver 
 at Philadelphia the Centennial address on 
 the resources of the Territory, which after- 
 ward appeared in pamphlet form, having 
 been published by the Lippincott Publishing 
 Company. In 1877 he began to concen- 
 trate his business affairs which before had 
 been scattered over a wide range, and the 
 following year, being appointed railroad 
 land agent, he removed to St. James, where 
 he established what is known as the Old 
 Bank, which has a capital stock of $150,- 
 000, and of which he is sole proprietor 
 and manager. He is now practically retired 
 from public life and is devoting himself to 
 private business interests. Since his arri- 
 val in Watonwan county, however, he has 
 served for two years as County Treasurer — 
 1 88 1-2, and is now serving his eleventh 
 term as City Treasurer. He is one of the 
 largest property owners in Watonwan county, 
 and donated the ground for many of the 
 public buildings which adorn St. James. 
 He is an honored life member of the State 
 Historical Society, and one of Minnesota's 
 charming lakes bears the name of Lake Arm- 
 strong. The domestic relations of Mr. 
 Armstrong have been most pleasant. He 
 was happily married in 1872 to a most esti- 
 mable lady, Martha Bordeno, who was 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1833, and is a 
 daughter of Antoine and Victoria Bordeno, 
 who were of French descent. Friends and 
 neighbors hold them in the highest regard 
 (or their many acts of kind generosity, and 
 the circle of their friends is limited only by 
 the circle of their acquaintance. 
 
 With almost every line of enterprise and 
 industry that tends to development and pro- 
 gress, Mr. Armstrong has been prominently 
 identified. He was instrumental in the 
 establishment of the early railroad system 
 of the Northwest; the aid of Congress in 
 securing the wealth and privileges to a race 
 that could utilize them was advanced by 
 him; and in procuring wise legislation he has 
 played a conspicuous part, and the North- 
 west is truly his debtor. A life well spent, 
 a talent well used, deserves the reward that 
 ever comes to the just and honorable. We 
 cannot better close this review than with 
 words spoken of him by one who has known 
 him long and intimately, John F. Meagher, 
 who is president of the National Citizens' 
 Bank of Mankato, Minnesota. He says, "I 
 glory in the man, who, after a long business 
 career, surrounded by continuous vicissi- 
 tudes and those of the kind that try men's 
 souls, when such a man can stand erect and 
 look all men in the face and say honestly 
 before God, I have done you no wrong. 
 What more could any man do to deserve 
 the crown.' Such I believe your life to be. 
 'Well done, thou good and faithful ser- 
 vant !'" 
 
 aOLONEL J. W. POLLEYS, of 
 Wells, is one of the well-known 
 and prominent men of the place. 
 He was born near Halifax, Nova 
 Scotia, March 11, 1826, a son of Abner 
 
 Polleys, a native of the same place, whose 
 father also was named Abner. Both the 
 father and grandfather mentioned were 
 hotel-men most of their lives. They came of 
 a long line of American ancestors, some of 
 whom are mentioned in Longfellow's poems. 
 Mr. Polleys' mother, Jane, was the daugh- 
 ter of William Dickey, of an old, prominent 
 family of Scotch ancestry. In 1852 the 
 parents of our subject moved to Dodge 
 county, Wisconsin, where they died, on the 
 same day, after a short illness, the father 
 past sixty years of age, and the mother 
 about fifty-one years old. They had seven 
 sons and seven daughters, namely: John, 
 David, William, J. W. (subject of this 
 sketch), Abner, Ephraim, Thomas (a soldier 
 and a member of the Sixth Wisconsin In- 
 fantry in the last war, in which he was 
 killed, in front of Petersburg), Lucy, 
 Johanna, Jemima, Martha, Emma (a 
 teacher), Jane, and a babe, deceased. The 
 parents were reared as Scotch Presbyterians. 
 Colonel Polleys was brought up in Nova 
 Scotia, receiving a good education, which 
 has since been greatly enhanced by travel 
 and experience. In 1847 he settled on the 
 St. Croix river, just within the United States, 
 where he followed lumbering. In 1850 he 
 removed to Portage, Wisconsin, and later 
 to Appleton, same State, on Fox river. May 
 10, 1851, he located on a claim six miles 
 northeast of La Crosse, being a pioneer 
 there. In 1852 he was elected Sheriff of 
 La Crosse county, which then comprised 
 what is now embraced within six counties, 
 those besides the present La Crosse being 
 Monroe, Trempealeau, Jackson, Clark and 
 Buffalo. In the office of Sheriff he served 
 in all about eleven years. His first prisoner 
 he took to State prison all the way by team. 
 Altogether he took J02 men to that institu- 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 tion. Jeremiah Rusk was Sheriff of an ad- 
 joining county, and he and man}" other 
 prominent citizens were friends of Mr. 
 Polleys in those days. 
 
 During the last war Colonel Polleys 
 raised Company D of the Fourteenth Wis- 
 consin Infantry, of which he was elected 
 Captain and subsequentl}-, for gallant con- 
 duct, was promoted to the rank of Major, 
 and finally to that of Lieutenant Colonel of 
 the regiment, which body of energetic 
 patriots made a brilliant record. Breaking 
 camp at Fond du Lac, it was ordered to St. 
 Louis, Missouri, and then to the assistance 
 of the Army of the Tennessee, under Gen- 
 eral Grant, as a part of which army it was 
 engaged in the battles of Shiloh, Corinth, 
 luka, siege of Vicksburg, and was with Gen- 
 eral Rosecrans in his attack on Knoxville. 
 After a furlough it was with General A. J. 
 Smith's command, to assist General Banks 
 on the Red river expedition, was with Gen- 
 eral Sturgis at Guntown, and went up White 
 river after the retreat of Generals Price and 
 Marmaduke, with the intention of capturing 
 the latter. Returning, they proceeded by 
 way of Nashville to Fort Fisher. On one 
 occasion the Colonel received a blister in the 
 back of the neck from the concussion of a 
 ball, and on another a severe wound in the 
 leg from a minie ball. He was also injured 
 in the ribs and sciatic nerves, from which he 
 never recovered. 
 
 After the close of the war he returned to 
 La Crosse, and was again elected Sheriff of 
 that county. In his political principles he 
 was a Democrat, and as a candidate for 
 Sheriff he received 233 majority where 
 Washburn, the Republican candidate for 
 Governor of the State, received a majority 
 of Soo. 
 
 In 1 87 1 he came to Wells, taking charge 
 
 of the Clark-Thompson estate, comprising 
 several thousand acres of land, and this he 
 has been administering for the last twenty- 
 four years, with credit to himself and the 
 best interests of all parties concerned. He 
 has been President of the village of Wells. 
 
 The Colonel was initiated into the mys- 
 tic science of Freemasonry at La Crosse. 
 At the age of twenty-two, at Milton, Maine, 
 he married Margaret Hough, a native of 
 New Brunswick, and they have three chil- 
 dren living, namely: Ada, wife of Emery 
 Ladue, of Wells; Frances, now Mrs. F. A. 
 Watson, who is president of the Wells 
 Bank; and Mona, now Mrs. John E. Green, 
 of Fargo, North Dakota. Mrs. Polleys, the 
 faithful wife and mother, departed this life 
 January 28, 1892. She was an amiable 
 woman, and her loss is keenl}- felt by all 
 who knew her. 
 
 Colonel Polleys is a gentleman of intel- 
 ligence and is broad and progressive in his 
 views, and very affable and companionable. 
 He has seen much of this world, and has 
 had the wisdom to discipline himself with 
 the experiences and opportunities of life, 
 which statement cannot be made concern- 
 ing man}' men. 
 
 >Y*OHN A. ARMSTRONG, proprietor 
 m of the Winnebago City Bank, is a 
 /• ■ native of Washington county. New 
 York, born in 1S34, son of Archibald 
 and Nancy (Donaldson) Armstrong, both 
 natives of the Empire State. 
 
 The branch of the Armstrong famih- of 
 which our subject is a member, was founded 
 in the United States by Archibald Arm- 
 strong, who was born in North Britain, 
 Brunswickshirc, Scotland, September, 1757. 
 In his native country, December 30, 1786, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 33 
 
 he married Alison Purves, and emigrated to 
 America in 1795. Their family consisted 
 of two daughters and three sons, namely: 
 Elizabeth, born May 31, 1791; Margaret, 
 December 28, 1793; John, January 26, 
 1797; Archibald, February 19, 1800; and 
 George, July 14, 1802. The mother of this 
 family died June 2, 1835, aged seventy-five 
 years. Her husband survived her several 
 years, and passed away December 26, 1843, 
 in the eighty-seventh year of his age. 
 
 Archibald Armstrong, the father of the 
 gentleman whose name heads this article, 
 was a farmer by occupation. By his union 
 with Nancy Donaldson, he had a family of 
 nine children, viz. : Jane E. Mack, Archi- 
 bald, Mrs. Alice Robertson, Mrs. Christina 
 McFarland, Mrs. Martha H. Reid, Mrs. 
 Mary Veridge, Mrs. Margaret McCollum, 
 Mrs. Isabel Edie, and John A. With the 
 exception of the last named, all are resi- 
 dents of Washington county, New York. 
 The parents were faithful members of the 
 Presbyterian Church, in which society they 
 wielded an influence for good. The father 
 died in i860, and the mother survived until 
 1887, when she, too, passed away. 
 
 John A. Armstrong was reared on a farm 
 in his native county and received a good 
 common-school education. In early life he 
 engaged to some extent in mercantile busi- 
 ness, and in 1857 came West, locating in 
 the city of Owatonna, Minnesota, where he 
 spent two years engaged in the drug and 
 grocery business. He then returned to the 
 East and was engaged in mercantile business 
 in Washington county. New York, for two 
 years, after which he returned to Owatonna. 
 In the spring of 1861 Mr. Armstrong was in 
 New York city, buying goods for his store 
 in Minnesota, when the first gun was fired 
 on Fort Sumter. After resuming business 
 
 in Owatonna, he continued in that city, do- 
 ing a successful trade until 1868, when he 
 sold out. 
 
 While a resident of Owatonna, Mr. Arm- 
 strong was active in promoting the material 
 advancement and prosperity of the place, 
 and erected a number of fine buildings. He 
 built the block formerly occupied by the 
 First National Bank, also a beautiful resi- 
 dence where Pillsbury Hall now stands. In 
 real estate he dealt somewhat largely, and 
 in his various business ventures was suc- 
 cessful. 
 
 In 1870 he came to Winnebago City, 
 Faribault county, and opened a hardware 
 store, in connection with which he did a 
 banking business. A few years later he 
 sold out the hardware and gave his entire 
 attention to the banking business, and in 
 1877 erected his present neat bank building. 
 This was the first bank established in the 
 place, and the conservative business meth- 
 ods of its proprietor made it one of the solid 
 financial institutions of the county, and 
 won for it a liberal patronage. . Since com- 
 ing to Winnebago City, he has taken an 
 active interest in public improvements, and 
 owns one of the finest residences in the 
 village. He is a trustee of Parker College, 
 and has been its treasurer since it was 
 founded, and is a member of the Presby- 
 terian Church. Public-spirited and gener- 
 ous, he is one of the most enterprising and 
 prominent men in Faribault county, and is 
 widely and favorably known throughout 
 southern Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong was married in 1859 to 
 Miss Carrie Carl, of Washington county, 
 New York. She died in June, 1S74, at 
 Winnebago City, leaving two sons, viz. : 
 James C. , a resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 
 a traveling salesman for the Chicago White 
 
34 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Lead & Oil Company; and George C. , who 
 is accountant and assistant cashier in his 
 father's bank. In December, 1875, Mr. 
 Armstrong married Miss Frances, daughter 
 of C. B. and Ellen (Piatt) Miner, of Winne- 
 bago City. By this union he has one son, 
 J. Archibald, who is the fourth generation 
 in direct descent bearing the name of Archi- 
 bald. 
 
 aHARLES OTIS TRUE is a worthy 
 representative of the agricultural 
 interests of Martin county and 
 now makes his home on section 36, 
 Westford township. He is the youngest 
 child of Simeon S. True, whose sketch 
 appears elsewhere in this volume. His birth 
 occurred July 26, 1838, in Center Harbor, 
 New Hampshire, and he was there reared 
 until eighteen years of age. His early edu- 
 cation, acquired in the common schools, 
 was supplemented by study in Kendall 
 Academy of Manchester, New Hampshire, 
 and at the age of eighteen he started out in 
 life for himself, learning the machinist's 
 trade and building locomotives in the Amos- 
 keag Machine Shops. He applied himself 
 assiduously to his work and soon mastered 
 the business in all its details. 
 
 True to the Union, with patriotic 
 impulses aroused, Mr. True responded to 
 the President's call for volunteers to aid in 
 crushing out the Rebellion, and in 1862 be- 
 came a member of Company I, Twelfth New 
 Hampshire Infantry; but his lungs were 
 affected and he was rejected before he was 
 mustered into the service. He then returned 
 to his home and engaged in the butchering 
 business at Lowell, Massachusetts, until 
 1864. At that time he again enlisted, be- 
 coming a member of Company B, First Bat- 
 
 talion of Massachusetts Cavalry, which was 
 afterward consolidated with four companies 
 from New York and four from Vermont, 
 under the name of the Twenty-sixth New 
 York Cavalry. These troops were en- 
 camped at Reedville, Massachusetts, then 
 sent to guard the Canadian frontier, and 
 afterward guarded the city of Ogdensburg, 
 New York, until the close of the war. They 
 were constantly on the move with the Sev- 
 enth United States Infantry under Colonel 
 Jackson, and Mr. True wore the blue until 
 July 16, 1865, when, hostilities having 
 ceased, he was mustered out. When he 
 entered the service the second time the 
 troops were encamped before the old Con- 
 cord battle-ground of the Revolution. He 
 emulated those honored warriors in his 
 bravery and fidelity to duty and brought no 
 dishonor to the worthy name he bears. 
 
 When the war was over our subject was 
 again engaged in business for a short time in 
 Lowell, Massachusetts, and in 1 868 he came 
 to Martin county, purchasing a farm to 
 which he removed his family the following 
 year, having since made it his home. He 
 here has 240 acres of rich and arable land, 
 upon which he has placed all the improve- 
 ments, and, neat and thrifty in appearance, 
 the farm is one of the best in the neighbor- 
 hood. In connection with general farming 
 Mr. True makes a specialty of stock-raising 
 and keeps on hand only good grades of cat- 
 tle, horses and hogs. 
 
 On the 8th of January, 1861, Mr. True 
 united in marriage with Sarah A. Page, a 
 native of Lowell, Massachusetts, born De- 
 cember 12, 1 84 1, and a daughter of James 
 Y. and Mary A. (Cambridge) Page. Her 
 father was born in Deerfield, New Hamp- 
 shire, in 1 8 16, and was a son of Edward 
 Page, who belonged to an old New England 
 
(^//{va ;//(/('/ (y'/r/f/(^'J 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 37 
 
 family of English origin. Her maternal 
 grandparents, Charles and Anna (Langdell) 
 Cambridge, were natives of Boston, Massa- 
 chusetts, and Mount Vernon, New Hamp- 
 shire, respectively, and the former was an 
 officer in the State militia and served in the 
 war of 1 812. His business was that of steel 
 engraver. Mr. Page died in 1872, and his 
 wife, who was born in 1821, is still surviv- 
 ing. They had but two children — Mrs. 
 True, and Henry J., the latter now a resi- 
 dent of Deerfield, New Hampshire. 
 
 To Afr. and Mrs. True have been born 
 four children: Jay W. , who married Mary 
 E. Bottomly, by whom he has one child, 
 and resides in Mankato, Minnesota; Fred 
 O., Sturdevant P. and Leila H. The chil- 
 dren have all been provided with e.xcellent 
 school privileges. Jay W. and Fred O. 
 were graduated at the State Normal School 
 of Mankato in the class of 1891, and the 
 latter has since completed a course in Man- 
 kato business college. Sturdevant is now 
 attending a business college and Leila is 
 pursuing her studies in the schools of Fari- 
 bault. Thus the children have been well 
 fitted for the practical and responsible duties 
 of life, and in the social circles in which they 
 move they hold a high position. 
 
 Mr. True has been a member of Mechan- 
 ics Lodge, No. II, Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows, at Lowell, Massachusetts, 
 since 1865. 
 
 He is an honored comrade of Phil Kear- 
 ny Post, G. A. R,. and in his political 
 views is a Democrat, having supported that 
 party since attaining his majority. As every 
 loyal American citizen should do, he takes 
 a warm interest in political affairs and keeps 
 himself well informed on the issues of the 
 day. When called to public office he has 
 discharged his duties in a most prompt and 
 
 able manner, winning the confidence and 
 commendation of all concerned. He has 
 been Chairman of the Town Board of Su- 
 pervisors for many years, two months after 
 his arrival in Martin county was elected 
 Justice of the Peace and has filled that po- 
 sition continuously since. By Gen. Grant 
 he was appointed Postmaster of Westford, a 
 position which he filled for nineteen consec- 
 utive years. No man is more faithful to a 
 trust reposed in him or is more deserving 
 the confidence given him or the esteem in 
 which he is held than the subject of this 
 review. His life has been well and worth- 
 ily passed, and in his business dealing he has 
 won the success which now numbers him 
 among the substantial farmers of this section 
 of Minnesota. 
 
 KON. ALEXANDER FIDDES is one 
 of the most favorably known citi- 
 tizens of Jackson county, Minne- 
 sota. Until recently he has en- 
 gaged in the hardware business in the town 
 of Jackson, and was recognized as one of 
 the leading merchants of that place, but now 
 he is living retired, enjoying the rest which 
 is the fitting reward of a long life of useful 
 labor. He has been a conspicious figure in 
 the upbuilding and development of this local- 
 ity, and in the history of the community he 
 well deserves honorable mention. 
 
 A native of Scotland, Mr. Fiddes was 
 born in Campsie, Sterlingshire, March 15, 
 1S40, and his parents, James and Jessie 
 (Nisbit) Fiddes, were natives of the same 
 locality. The son resided in the village of 
 his birtji until si.\teen years of age, attend- 
 ing the public schools and assisting his 
 father in various employments. He then 
 severed home ties and made his way to 
 
38 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Glasgow, since which time he has been en- 
 tirely dependent upon his own resources. 
 He served a five-years apprenticeship to the 
 trade of engineer, and then went to sea as 
 an engineer on a steamship. For four years 
 he cruised among the East India islands, 
 went to India, then to Rangoon in Burmah, 
 and during the war between England and 
 Abyssinia he was engaged in conve3ing 
 troops and dispatches between India and 
 Abyssinia, being in the latter country during 
 the bombardment of Magdala and at the 
 time of the capture of King Theodore. He 
 was for three years chief engineer for the 
 Bombay and Bengal Steamship Company, 
 which sold the vessel on which he was 
 serving to the Persians with the condition 
 attached that Mr. Fiddes was to remain 
 w^ith the ship for six months. On the ex- 
 piration of that period he left the ship at 
 Bagdad on the river Euphrates. He had 
 spent some seven years in a seafaring life, 
 and in going from Bagdad to Bombay, he 
 proceeded thence up the Red Sea to Suez 
 and crossed the desert to Alexandria. Taking 
 ship he then went down the Mediterranean 
 sea, to Marseilles, thence to Paris and 
 London, and on to 'his home in Campsie, 
 Scotland. 
 
 On reaching the place of his nativity 
 Mr. Fiddes learned that two of his brothers 
 had emigrated to Canada, and he, too, de- 
 termining to try his fortune in the New 
 World, crossed the Atlantic to the Eng- 
 lish dominions on this continent. He did 
 not tarry long in Canada, however, and in 
 1869 came to Jackson county, Minnesota. 
 He located in the village of Jackson, then 
 an unpretentious place, and in the fall of 
 he same year another important event in 
 his life also occurred. He was married on 
 the 1 6th of September, the lady of his 
 
 choice being Miss Agnes Hunter, daughter 
 of James and Agnes (Cook) Hunter, natives 
 of Scotland. Mrs. Fiddes was born in 
 Perthshire, Scotland, and by her marriage 
 has become the mother of the following 
 children: Jessie Nisbit, the wife of A. B. 
 Cheadle, cashier of the State Bank; James 
 Hunter, who occupies the position as 
 stenographer and collector for the News- 
 Tribune of Duluth; John Stirling, David 
 Hunter and Alexander Torrance. Their 
 home is a pleasant and comfortable dwell- 
 ing, standing in the suburbs of the town, 
 and the grounds comprise a tract of five 
 acres, and are all well laid out and of attrac- 
 tive appearance. 
 
 On settling in Jackson Mr. Fiddes em- 
 barked in general merchandising in com- 
 pany with his wife's brother, J. W. Hunter, 
 and the partnership continued until the fall 
 of 1S72, when by mutual consent it was dis- 
 solved and Mr. Fiddes opened a hardware 
 establishment, which he carried on until his 
 retirement from active business life a short 
 time since. In his dealings he was ever 
 honorable and upright and had the confi- 
 dence and regard of all with whom he was 
 brought in contact. 
 
 Mr. Fiddes is one of the valued citizens 
 of Jackson county. No man in the com- 
 munity has taken a more prominent place in 
 general matters than has he. He has in- 
 terested himself heartily in all matters per- 
 taining to the building up of his village and 
 of the entire county, and has rendered 
 valuable aid in the affairs of local govern- 
 ment. In the fall of 1S77 he was elected to 
 the State Legislature from his district, and 
 was again chosen for that office in 1884. 
 On both occasions he served his constituents 
 with a fidelity and promptness which won 
 him high commendation. He was elected 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 39 
 
 Treasurer of the School Board in 1871, and 
 with the exception of some two years has 
 held that office continuously since. He 
 was President of the Village Council four 
 years, Postmaster from 1877 to 18S5, and 
 again from 1889 to 1893. Of Republican 
 principles he is a stanch advocate, one of 
 the party leaders in this locality, and at this 
 writing, in the spring of 1895, is a member 
 of the Republican State Central Committee. 
 Mr. Fiddes was made a Mason in Renfrew, 
 Scotland, in June, 1865, in Prince of Wales 
 Lodge, No. 426, and during the ensuing 
 autumn he was elected Junior Warden of 
 the lodge. Shortly after that he left for the 
 East Indies. After coming to America he 
 joined Fairmont Royal Arch Chapter, No. 
 50, at Fairmont, Minnesota. He received 
 the Knight Templar degrees at Mankato, in 
 the Mankato Commandery, No. 4, and in 
 February, 1893, the Shrine degrees, in Os- 
 man Temple, at St. Paul. On the organiza- 
 tion of Good Faith Lodge, No. 90, at Jack- 
 son, he was elected its first Senior Warden. 
 After the first year he was elected its Wor- 
 shipful Master, which office he held for ten 
 years. For two years he was Senior Grand 
 Steward of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota. 
 He has attended the Grand Lodge for more 
 than twenty years. He is also a member 
 of the A. O. U. W. , of Jackson Lodge, No. 
 49, and was its first Past Master. He is a 
 leader, — a leader in political, commercial, 
 social circles, — merit and fidelity winning 
 him this well deserved prominence. He is 
 a gentleman of the highest character, pos- 
 sessed of a wide knowledge of men and the 
 world, and his varied experiences, gained in 
 his travels, has made him a most interest- 
 ing converser. When Mr. Fiddes left home 
 and started out in life for himself he had no 
 capital save that with which nature endowed 
 
 him. He possesses an energetic, determined 
 disposition and resolved to win success, — 
 a resolution which he has carried out. He 
 has now considerable property, including a 
 fine brick store building and an excellent 
 farm of over 400 acres, one and a half miles 
 from the town, and under a high state of 
 cultivation. All this is a monument to his 
 thrift and enterprise, a substantial memorial 
 to a well-spent life. 
 
 >T^OHN KREMER is familiar with pio- 
 Jj neer life in its various phases. He 
 /• 1 has seen the Indians on the frontier; 
 and wild game of all kinds, native 
 in this section in an early day, has found its 
 place upon his table, brought down by his 
 unerring rifle. He has witnessed the trans- 
 formation of the wild lands into beautiful 
 homes and farms, towns and villages have 
 sprung up, and primitive improvements have 
 given place to all those of modern civiliza- 
 tion. In the work of advancement and pro- 
 gress he has ever borne his .part, and for 
 many years was recognized as a leading rep- 
 resentative of the farming interests of Fari- 
 bault county and Blue Earth City. 
 
 Mr. Kremer is now living retired, enjoy- 
 ing a well earned rest. He was born near 
 the beautiful city of Metz in Lorraine, 
 France, November 29, 1842, and is the sixth 
 in order of birth in a family of seven chil- 
 dren, five sons and two daughters, whose par- 
 ents were John and Elizabeth (Gouvion) 
 Kremer. During his early youth he accom- 
 panied his parents on their emigration to 
 America and the greater part of his educa- 
 tion was acquired during the residence of 
 the family in Alden, Erie county. New York. 
 He was eight years of age at the time of the 
 arrival there, and in 1855, with the family. 
 
40 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 he went to Wisconsin. At the af;e of four- 
 teen he found himself in Faribault county 
 and entered upon a life of usefulness. To 
 his father he gave the benefit of his services, 
 and was of great assistance to him until, 
 feeling his country's call the strongest that 
 came to him, he laid aside plow and harrow 
 for the musket and marched forth to the 
 defense of the Union. At Fort Snelling, 
 Minnesota, he enlisted as a member of Com- 
 pany E, Second Minnesota Regiment, join- 
 ing the army on the i 5th of February, 1864. 
 From there the company went to Mankato, 
 Minnesota, where he continued until May, 
 when it was ordered to Fort Ridgely, Min- 
 nesota, and thence sent to do frontier ser- 
 vice. They were detailed in squads over a 
 section of the country, and Mr. Kremer was 
 stationed at Pipe Lake, Minnesota. The 
 members of the company carried mail from 
 Fort Ridgely to Sauk Center, a distance of 
 over a hundred miles. There our subject 
 remained until the i 5th of November of the 
 same year, when the cavalry was relieved 
 by infantry troops, and the regiment with 
 which Mr. Kremer was connected was 
 ordered to Sauk Center, Minnesota, con- 
 tinuing at that place until March, 1865, do- 
 ing general guard duty. At the last men- 
 tioned date the company was ordered to 
 march to Fort Ripley, and two weeks later 
 returned to Fort Ridgely, upon receiving in- 
 formation of the Indian uprising. During 
 the summer Mr. Kremer was detailed to 
 drive a commissary train, and subsequently, 
 in June, 1865, was assigned for guard duty 
 at Fort Ridgely and sent with several head 
 of cattle to Fort Wadsworth. 
 
 This company was formed of si.\ mem- 
 bers of Company E, with several half-breed 
 scouts. In the fall of 1865 the company 
 was ordered to Fort Snelling, where, on the 
 
 22d of November, 1865, he was honorably 
 discharged. His duty was arduous, and had 
 not the excitement of battle to spur him on, 
 but he was ever faithful to his duty and the 
 cause which he had pledged himself to serve. 
 
 Mr. Kremer at once returned to Minne- 
 sota and resumed farming, which he made 
 his life-work, continuing this until he had 
 acquired a sufficient capital to enable him to 
 live retired. 
 
 On the 3d day of November, 1874, Mr. 
 Kremer was united in the holy bonds of 
 matrimony, in Danville, by the Rev. Father 
 Weissler, to Miss Mary Barbara Mosser, 
 daughter of Caspas and Mary (Lavengood) 
 Mosser. Her parents were pioneer settlers 
 of this section of the State, having arrived 
 in Mankato, Minnesota, May 10, 1857, at 
 which time the town contained but three 
 small buildings. An uncle, George Mosser, 
 had previously emigrated to the West and 
 located a claim which adjoins the Kremer 
 farm. In his log cabin lived the parents of 
 Mrs. Kremer and their six daughters until 
 their own log house, 18x24 feet, was 
 erected. Mr. Mosser passed away at the 
 age of fifty-five years, and the mother died 
 January 6, 1885, being laid by the side of 
 her husband in the burying-ground of St. 
 John's Church, where a monument has been 
 erected to their memory. Five children sur- 
 vive them, the eldest of whom is Mrs. Kre- 
 mer; Frances became the wife of Jacob 
 Hosher, a farmer residing in Danville town- 
 ship, and her death occurred on the ist of 
 May, 1886; Josephine is the wife of Joe 
 Hanley, a farmer residing on the old Mosser 
 homestead; Rosa is the wife of Armor Esch- 
 bach, an agriculturist of Washington; Te- 
 ressa is the wife of Edgar Stevenson, a depot 
 agent at Long Prairie, Minnesota; and Lena 
 is the wife of Charley Koonze, a dealer in 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 41 
 
 furniture and machinery in Long Prairie, 
 Minnesota. 
 
 Mrs. Kremer was born in Buffalo, New 
 York, September 2, 1848, and first met her 
 husband in Alden, New York, where hved 
 her grandfather, Joseph Lavengood. Since 
 that time the Mosser and Kremer famihes 
 have usually lived near each other, and our 
 subject now owns the homestead farms of 
 both in this locality. To our subject and 
 his wife have been born six children, four 
 sons and two daughters, and four of the 
 number are yet living: William J., who 
 for several years was in the employ of the 
 Great Northern Railroad Company, is now 
 at home; Helena Rosina, familiarly known 
 to her friends as Lena, attends the public 
 schools of Minnesota Lake and is quite pro- 
 ficient in instrumental music; Martin E. and 
 Charley Ott are at home; Frank O. died at 
 the age of four months; and Ida Theresse 
 died at the age of seven years and two 
 months. Of kind and generous impulses, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kremer gave a home to an 
 adopted son, Andrew Petrock, who became a 
 member of the family at the age of nine and 
 is still living with them, at the age of twenty- 
 four. He is an engineer in the employ of 
 Mr. Apley, and owns a steam thresher, 
 which he operates during harvest season. 
 
 For eleven years Mr. Kremer filled the 
 office of Constable, and no higher testimo- 
 nial of his ability could be given than the fact 
 of his long continuance in office. He cast 
 his first presidential vote for Abraham Lin- 
 coln, and has since been identified with the 
 Democracy. He is a charter member of 
 Minnesota Lake Post, No. TJ, G. A. R., and 
 has served as Senior Vice Commander. The 
 family is connected with the Catholic Church. 
 The life of Mr. Kremer is in many respects 
 well worthy of emulation. In business deal- 
 
 ings he is ever straightforward and honor- 
 able, and in social relations he is a genial, 
 pleasant gentleman of kindly disposition and 
 worthy of the high esteem in which he is 
 held. He has managed his affairs success- 
 fully and by well-directed efforts and perse- 
 verance he has acquired a handsome com- 
 petence, so that he is now living retired in 
 Minnesota Lake, enjoying the fruits of his 
 former toil. 
 
 >^ULIUS KIESTER, a farmer of sec- 
 m tion 20, Rutland township, was born 
 a1 in Prussia, Germany, July 12, 1855, 
 a son of Charles Kiester, born in the 
 same place January 19, 181 8. The latter 
 followed agricultural pursuits in the old 
 country. Julius received his education in 
 Germany and at Janesville, Wisconsin, 
 coming to this country in 1866, and studied 
 telegraphy in the Business College of Janes- 
 ville, and for some time attended the Busi- 
 ness College of Davenport, Iowa. He next 
 spent three years in Pinkerton's detective 
 force, under Allen Pinkerton, in the Ameri- 
 can and European secret service. After his 
 marriage he was employed as section fore- 
 man and assistant road-master on the Chi- 
 cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad for 
 eleven years. Mr. Kiester then sold his 
 farm of eighty-six acres in Proviso township, 
 Cook county, Illinois, for $350 per acre, and 
 in 1890 purchased his place of 345 acres in 
 Rutland township, Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, and he also owns 200 acres of well 
 improved land in Eraser township, and 160 
 acres in Rolling Green township, same 
 county. 
 
 Our subject was married in 1880, to 
 Lena Seegers, born in Proviso, Cook county, 
 Illinois. To this union have been born five 
 
42 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OP THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 children — Eddie, Julius, Minnie, Adolph 
 and Malinda. The family are members of 
 the St. Paul Lutheran Church at Fairmont. 
 Mr. Kiester is actively identified with the 
 Republican party. He was appointed Chair- 
 man of the Board of Supervisors in 1S93; 
 he was elected to the same position in the 
 following year, and has been a member of 
 the School Board of District No. 1 1. 
 
 K^^ S. JACKSON, Postmaster of Fair- 
 I /^ mont, Martin county, was born in 
 M . r New York, September 2, 1S44. In 
 I S45 he located in Wisconsin, and 
 in 1882 came to Fairmont, Martin county, 
 Minnesota, where he was appointed Post- 
 master March 17, 1894. Mr. Jackson spent 
 four years as clerk in the hardware store of 
 Houghtaling & Coults, was with Ward & 
 Cadwell for a time, and served sixteen 
 months as clerk under Postmasters Bullard 
 and A. L. Ward. 
 
 In 1863 our subject enlisted for service 
 in the late war, entering Company D, Thirty- 
 ninth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He 
 is now a member of Phil Cummins Post, 
 G. A. R. , Fairmont, and of the Masonic order. 
 Chain Lake Lodge, No. 64. 
 
 ^^^ EORGE WOHLHETER, secretary 
 ■ G\ =inJ treasurer of the Ward & Cad- 
 
 \^_^ well Company, dealers in general 
 merchandise, Fairmont, Minnesota, 
 is one of the enterprising business men of 
 the town. 
 
 The members of this firm were originally 
 R. M. Ward, now deceased, and A. D. Cad- 
 well. They were among the pioneer mer- 
 chants of Fairmont, began business here 
 long before the days of railroads, and for 
 
 years hauled their goods with teams from 
 St. Paul. From a small beginning the es- 
 tablishment has grown until now it is one of 
 large proportions. The firm has been in- 
 corporated since 1884. Its success is largely 
 due to its efficient secretary and treasurer, 
 and we take pleasure in presenting the fol- 
 lowing sketch of his life in this work. 
 
 George Wohlheter was born near Stras- 
 burg, France, now a province of Germany, 
 the date of his birth being October 8, 1854. 
 His father, Philip Wohlheter, was also a 
 native of that province, and was b}' occupa- 
 tion a farmer. He emigrated to America in 
 1867, and settled in Freeborn county, Min- 
 nesota, being one of its earliest pioneers. 
 He is now eighty-eight years of age, and 
 lives with his youngest daughter, in Martin 
 county. The names of his children are as 
 follows: John, Philip, Fred, Sally, George 
 and Magdalina. 
 
 George was educated in French, German 
 and English. He began life a poor boy and 
 had to work out in order to get the means 
 with which to educate himself. When he 
 was twenty-two he entered the emplo}- of 
 the firm with which he has ever since been 
 connected, beginning as bookkeeper. He 
 is now one of the stockholders of the com- 
 pany and has occupied his present position 
 since its incorporation. In addition to his 
 interest here he owns half of a hardware 
 concern at Albert Lea, Minnesota, the busi- 
 ness there being conducted under the firm 
 name of J. F. Wohlheter & Conipan}-, and 
 he is also vice-president of the Martin 
 County Bank. 
 
 Mr. Wohlheter was married in 1879 to 
 Minnie Peton, a native of Germany, who 
 died April 30, 1893, at the age of thirty- 
 three years, leaving him with four children, — 
 Lucy, Carrie, Sadie and Chester, — who are 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 43 
 
 being educated in both German and En- 
 glish. 
 
 Mr. Wohlheter is a member of the Ma- 
 sonic order, bhie lodge and chapter, of Fair- 
 mont, having served as King in the latter; 
 Apollo Commandery, No. 12, of Albert Lea, 
 in which he has also held official positions; 
 and Osman Temple, Mystic Shrine, St. 
 Paul. He organized the A. O. U. W. of 
 Fairmont and was the first Master Work- 
 man of the same. Politically he is a stanch 
 Republican and an active worker in the 
 ranks of his party. For a number of years 
 he has been a member of the City Council, 
 and he has also served on the School Board. 
 Religiously he is identified with the German 
 Evangelical Church. 
 
 ERCY WOLLASTON, a prominent 
 banker and leading citizen of Fair- 
 
 ^ mont, Minnesota, is one of the 
 
 oldest business men in the town. 
 Of his life and ancestry, we take pleasure in 
 presenting the following sketch: 
 
 The first trace of the name Wollaston 
 was in 1320, and it was then spelled with 
 two s's. Rev. William Charles Wollaston, 
 the father of our subject, was born in Cam- 
 bridge, England, in 1795, son of Rev. 
 Charles Hyde and Sarah (Willett Ottley) 
 Wallaston. Rev. Charles Hyde Wollaston 
 was born in 1772, son of Francis Wollaston, 
 LL. D., born in 1731, and Rector of Chisel- 
 hurst, England. The latter was a son of 
 Francis Wallaston, born at Charter House 
 Square, London, in 1694, son of William, 
 born at the same place in 1659, son of Will- 
 iam, born in 15S9. The last named Will- 
 iam was a son of Henry, born in 1525. 
 Henry was a citizen of London, and to him, 
 
 in 1616, was granted a coat of arms. He 
 was a son of Henry Wollaston of Perton, 
 son of William of Trescott Grange, Staf- 
 fordshire, son of William of Perton. The 
 last named William was probably born 
 in 1450. He was a person of rank in the 
 reign of Henry VHI. The late head of 
 the family was Frederick, Colonel of the 
 Twenty-second Light Dragoons and High 
 Sheriff of the county of Leicestershire. 
 
 The mother of Percy Wollaston was be- 
 fore her marriage Miss Charlotte Jane Faw- 
 cett. She was born in Leeds, England, 
 daughter of Rev. Richard Fawcett, vicar of 
 Leeds. Her marriage occurred at Leeds in 
 1 81 7, and they continued to reside there un- 
 til 1 84 1, when they removed to Norfolk. 
 For twenty-six years Rev. William C. Wol- 
 laston was second master of the grammar 
 school at Leeds. He was rector of East 
 Dereham until his death, in 1872. His wife 
 died in 1S56. They were the parents of five 
 children: Charles Richard, who was in 
 military service, died in India; William Ott- 
 ley James, deceased; Charlotte, wife of Dr. 
 Willliam Locke, Ipswich, Suffolk, England; 
 Drewry Ottley, also a resident of Ipswich; 
 and Percy. 
 
 Percy Wollaston was born in Leeds, En- 
 gland, December 21, 1825, and received 
 his education there. In 1848 he married 
 Miss Catherine Mossop, a native of Cumber- 
 land, England, born in 1826, daughter of 
 Dr. Isaac Mossop. Soon after their mar- 
 riage they sailed for America, landing at 
 New York November 9th, of that year. 
 After spending a few weeks in that city 
 they went to Charleston, South Carolina, 
 and remained there until the following 
 spring, when they returned to New York, 
 and a few weeks later went to Syracuse, New 
 York, and spent a few months in that city, 
 
44 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 and then removed to St. Catherines, Ontario, 
 where for about a year Mr. Wollaston was 
 employed in a flour mill. In 1851 they 
 went back to England. 
 
 From 1 85 5 until 1872 he was connected 
 with a shipping business in Liverpool. In 
 1876 he again came to America, and since 
 that date has been identified with the inter- 
 ests of Fairmont. The year following his 
 arrival here he erected a store on the corner 
 of North avenue and Second street. There 
 were then only five small buildings here. 
 As soon as his building was completed he 
 opened up a stock of general goods, and 
 continued in the mercantile business here 
 till i8gi. In 1882 he established the Mer- 
 chants & Farmers' Bank in Fairmont, of 
 which he is now sole owner, doing a general 
 banking business. Mr. Wollaston was for 
 some years largely interested in farming 
 operations, owning 460 acres of land in 
 Martin county, which he recently sold. 
 
 In connection with Mr. Wollaston's busi- 
 ness career it should further be stated that 
 he was for some years interested in milling. 
 In 1S77 he erected a large flour-mill, oper- 
 ated by a sixty-foot wind wheel, on the site 
 of the present steam flouring-mill, and he 
 ran it from 1877 to 1889, when he sold out. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wollaston are the parents 
 of thirteen children and have a large num- 
 ber of grandchildren, their complete family 
 record being as follows: (i) Catherine 
 Agnes, who was born at St. Catherines, On- 
 tario, is the wife of Cecil Sharpe, who re- 
 sides in Fairmont. Their children arc Em- 
 ily Catherine, Cecil Granville, Constance 
 Irene, Marian Victoria and Dorothy Agnes. 
 (2) William Charles, born in Streatham, 
 England. (3) Charlotte Jane, a native of 
 London, is the wife of Clement Royds. 
 They have eight children, Clement Leopold, 
 
 Lilian Dorothy, Florence Eleanor, Maurice 
 Thalluson, Gladys Mary, Sybil Gertrude, 
 Dulcibella and Noel Bondy. (4) Percy, 
 born in London, married Alice Mary Rams- 
 dale, and they have four children — Kenneth 
 Percy, Alice Margery, Mary Josephine and 
 Phyllis Byam. (5) Margaret Emily, born at 
 Wellington Road, Liverpool, England, is 
 the wife of Henry W. Sinclair, their chil- 
 dren being Agnes Winnifred, Edith Mar- 
 garet, John Archibald, Katharine Elizabeth, 
 Nora Frances and Mary Beatrice. (6) Fran- 
 cis Henrj', born in Liverpool, England, is 
 now a resident of Colorado. (7) George 
 Hyde, born at Wellington Road, Liverpool, 
 married Lilian Maude Ramsdale, and they 
 have five children, Esther Mildred, Charles 
 Hyde, Harriet Lilian, William George 
 Henry and Francis. (8) Richard Fawcett, 
 born at Wellington Road, Liverpool, mar- 
 ried Mabel Ann Ramsdel, and their two 
 children are Eleanor Frances and Arthur 
 Launcelot. (9) and (10) Annie and Henri- 
 etta, twins, born in the parish of Roby, six 
 miles from Liverpool. Henrietta is the wife 
 of John Alfred Sinclair, and has five chil- 
 dren, Harold Percy, Wilfrid, Helen Caro- 
 line, Alfred Theodore and Alice Margaret. 
 (11) Frederick, born in the parish of Roby, 
 is unmarried. (12) Lucy Eleanor, born at 
 Roby, is the wife of A. G. T. Broun, of 
 Sherburne, Minnesota. They have two 
 children, Archibald Campbell and Percy 
 Hamilton, (i 3)Edward Luard, born at Roby, 
 England, is unmarried. All the children were 
 educated in England, and the whole family 
 are members of the Episcopal Church. In- 
 deed, Mr. Wollaston may be termed the 
 father of this church at Fairmont. Their 
 house of worship was erected here in 1876, 
 it being the first church in the town. Since 
 that date he has served as Vestryman. 
 
^ ©/ ^/'ej/ei. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 47 
 
 Politically Mr. Wollaston is affiliated 
 with the Republican party. He was the 
 first President of the village of Fairmont, 
 and at a later date again filled that office. 
 
 •y— ' ON. JACOB ARMEL KIESTER. 
 lf\ The name of this worthy gentle- 
 M. ^ r man is inseparably connected with 
 the hist(3ry of Fairbaiilt county, — 
 with its professional, social and official in- 
 terests, — and the prominent part which he 
 has played in its upbuilding places him 
 among the county's founders. His reputa- 
 tion is not limited by the bounds of county, 
 but throughout the State he is known and 
 honored. 
 
 A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Kiester 
 was born in Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland 
 county, April 29, 1832, and on both the 
 paternal and maternal sides is descended 
 from German ancestry, who braved the 
 dangers of an ocean voyage in the early days 
 and sought a home in the American colonies. 
 The families were established in the eastern 
 part of the Keystone State, whence the 
 paternal grandparents, Conrad and Susanna 
 Kiester, removed to western Pennsylvania 
 in their youth, locating in the then frontier 
 region of Westmoreland county. There was 
 born the father of our subject, David Kies- 
 ter, who was married in 1831 to Miss Lydia 
 Armel, by whorH-he had two children, Jacob 
 A. and Daniel B. The mother died in 1883, 
 at the age of seventy-one years, and the 
 father passed away in 1S88, aged eighty- 
 one. He spent his entire life at Mt. Pleas- 
 ant and there served as Chief l^nrgess and 
 Justice of the Peace. He was a man of fine 
 education and extensive reading, always 
 took a deep interest in political matters, was 
 a prominent and consistent churtdi iiiend>er 
 
 from his youth until his death and was ever 
 highly respected for his unquestioned integ- 
 rity and ability. 
 
 Jacob A. Kiester's early education was 
 acquired in the common schools and by 
 study in the Mt. Pleasant and Dickinson 
 Colleges of Pennsylvania, where he pursued 
 the usual college course, with the exception 
 of a few studies, although he did not gradu- 
 ate. His business training was received 
 under the instruction of his uncle, Jacob 
 Armel, for whom he was named and with 
 whom he became familiar with mercantile 
 business and with bookkeeping, but his 
 tastes were in the direction of a pro- 
 fessional career, and while still in col- 
 lege he commenced the study of law. 
 Removing subsequently to Madison, Indiana, 
 he there continued reading law in the office 
 of Hon. S. C. Stevens, formerly one of the 
 Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of 
 the State, and was admitted to the bar in 
 Madison in 1854. Desiring to thoroughly 
 fit himself for the work, not content with 
 a mediocre career, after his return to the 
 State of his nativity he continued his legal 
 studies. His place of residence was changed 
 in 1857. The t'de of emigration which was 
 steadily drifting Westward carried him on 
 its waves to Minnesota in the spring of that 
 year. He saw that the West, with its rap- 
 idly growing cities, was a good field for the 
 labors of an ambitious young man who had 
 his own way to make in the world, and he 
 cast his lot with Minnesota citizens. He 
 had intended to locate in St. Paul, but the 
 capital removal bill had been passed, remov- 
 ing the capital to St. Peter and he went to 
 that city. The bill, however, proved a fail- 
 ure, and as the prices of real estate in that 
 place were very enormous, he came to the 
 Blue Earth \alh'v. 
 
4S 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Blue Earth City, which is now his home, 
 then consisted of a few log cabins, but was 
 situated in the midst of rich lands which he 
 believed would soon be claimed and trans- 
 formed into one of the most valuable regions 
 of this great State, whose arable prairies are 
 the envy of the world. In this he demon- 
 strated his sagacity and farsightedness, for 
 the anticipated result has come to pass. 
 Blue Earth City has since been his home 
 and with its progress and development he 
 has since been closely identified. He at 
 once opened a law office, being the second 
 attorney in the town, and in April, 1857, he 
 served as the plaintiff's attorne}' in the first 
 lawsuit instituted and tried in the county, 
 winning the case for his client. Soon his 
 worth and ability were recognized by his 
 fellow-citizens, who manifested their confi- 
 dence in him by making him County Sur- 
 veyor, which position he filled two terms. 
 Thus he entered upon an official career 
 which has won him an enviable reputation, 
 a well deserved prominence and the com- 
 mendation of all concerned. A number of 
 the leading roads of the county to-day were 
 laid out by him, and also the boundary lines 
 of many farms, several additions to Blue 
 Earth City and other works pertaining to 
 his office. In the fall of 1857 he was elected 
 Register of Deeds, the most important 
 county office in those days, and after serv- 
 ing for eight consecutive years refused fur- 
 ther honors along that line. In consequence 
 of his incumbency in that office he became 
 also the principal conveyancer for many 
 years in the south half of the county, serv- 
 ing long after he left the office of Register. 
 One of the townships of p-aribault county 
 has been named in his honor. The cause 
 of education has ever received his hearty 
 support, and he was for so"ine time officially 
 
 connected with the schools, — serving for 
 many years as a member of the Board of 
 Education of the Blue Earth City independ- 
 ent school district and acting as President 
 of the board for two 3'ears. 
 
 In the legislative halls of Minnesota Mr. 
 Kiester has represented his district, being 
 elected to the General Assembly in 1865 
 and representing a district comprising a 
 large portion of southwestern Minnesota. 
 Not long after he was appointed County At- 
 torney for Faribault county, but resigned 
 before the expiration of his term. In 1869 
 he was elected Judge of the Probate Court, 
 and was re-elected in 1871, with slight 
 opposition, and thereafter was re-elect- 
 ed for eight terms, by the unanimous 
 vote of the electors, serving in this 
 office for a period of over twenty 
 years. Though so long in office, no appeals 
 were ever taken from his decisions, for their 
 wisdom and justice were always recognized. 
 They were announced after careful and cool 
 deliberation and represented the embodied 
 wisdom attained through years of close, 
 earnest study. Mr. Kiester was elected 
 State Senator in 1890 for four years, and 
 attended the sessions of the Senate in 1891 
 and 1893, his term of office expiring in 1895. 
 His career, whether in local office, in the 
 legislative halls, or in other positions, is 
 without a stain, and naught is said by any 
 against his strict honesty of purpose and high 
 moral worth. 
 
 In 1859 was celebrated the marriage of 
 Judge Kiester and Miss Caroline Billings, 
 daughter of Levi Billings, one of the early 
 settlers of Faribault count}'. To them have 
 been born six children, five of whom are yet 
 living, — Charles C. , May F., Grace L. , 
 Oliver A. and Gertrude. 
 
 Judge Kiester was made a Mason in 1859 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND yACKSON. 
 
 49 
 
 and was Worshipful Master of the Blue 
 Earth City Lodge, No. 57, in 1876 and 
 1877. He was mainly instrumental in se- 
 curing for this lodge the largest Masonic 
 library, and the first in southern Minnesota, 
 — a library of purely Masonic books. In 
 1882 and 1883 he was Deputy District Grand 
 Master and was Grand Orator of the Grand 
 Lodge of Minnesota in 1885; subsequently 
 twice served as Senior Grand Warden, twice 
 as Deputy Grand Master, and in 1889 was 
 placed in the highest office in Masonry in the 
 State, that of Grand Master, and was re- 
 elected for a second term. His being thus 
 honored by his brethren of the fraternity 
 shows his standing among them and the high 
 regard in which he is universally held in their 
 ranks. Mr. Kiester was the first Worthy 
 Chief of the Good Templar Lodge of Blue 
 Earth City, which was organized in i860, 
 being the first temperance society of Fari- 
 bault county, and for several terms held that 
 office. In practice and precept he is a tem- 
 perance man, and religiously he and his 
 family are communicants of the Protestant 
 Episcopal Church, of which he has for some 
 years been lay reader. His political con- 
 nection is with the Republican party, in the 
 organization of which in Faribault county 
 he was the mover in calling the first county 
 and legislative convention in 1857, and 
 which organization continues to this day. 
 He was at one time a member of the Re- 
 publican State Central Committee, and dur- 
 ing the late war he was an earnest supporter 
 of the Union cause. He has always taken 
 an active part in all public enterprises of a 
 local character, and devoted much time and 
 labor to securing the construction of a rail- 
 road to Blue Earth City. 
 
 Judge Kiester has always manifested a 
 deep interest in litcrar}' matters and is a 
 
 diligent reader of the leading magazines of 
 the day and of the standard and classical 
 works of all ages. Since early age he has 
 contributed numerous articles to various 
 newspapers and periodicals, usually under 
 some iioiii dc pliimc. I'or a number of years 
 he has employed his leisure time in writing 
 a complete history of Faribault county, the 
 first volume of which is now finished and 
 will be published at no distant day. Cer- 
 tainly no one is more fitted to compile such 
 a work than he, for he has not only wit- 
 nessed the growth and development of the 
 count}', but has connected himself with all 
 interests and enterprises calculated to ad- 
 vance the general welfare, and in his life 
 record is given a brief but true picture of 
 Faribault county's history. 
 
 He follows fearlessly the dictates of his 
 own conscience and gives to religious, edu- 
 cational and fraternal institutions his hearty 
 support. 
 
 E 
 
 ENRY HARRISON BOXNEY, 
 Treasurer of Martin county, Min- 
 nesota, is a leading citizen of Fair- 
 mont, as well as one of its oldest 
 residents. 
 
 Mr. Bonney's father, Daniel Bonney, 
 was born in the State of New York about 
 the year 1804; and his mother, iicc Harriet 
 Brace, was a native of Hartford, Connecti- 
 cut, and a daughter of a Captain in the war 
 of 1 8 13. They were married in Pennsyl- 
 vania, and spent the rest of their lives on 
 the homestead farm which had been located 
 by Grandfather Brace. The father died in 
 1852, and the mother in September, 1891. 
 The}' were the parents of eight children, 
 three of whom grew to maturity and two of 
 wJKim are now living — Henr}' H. and Will- 
 
50 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 iam, the latter residing at the old home in 
 Pennsylvania. Two of the sons, Wilbert 
 and Henry H., served in the late war. Wil- [ 
 bert was a member of the Eighty-third Penn- 
 sylvania Volunteers, and was killed on the 
 last afternoon of the seven days' battle at 
 Malvern Hill, in July, 1862. Religiously 
 Daniel Bonney was a Universalist, while his 
 wife was a member of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church. 
 
 Henry H. Bonney was born on his 
 father's farm in Pennsylvania, August 23, 
 1842, and there grew to manhood, receiving 
 his education in the district school and in 
 the academy at Waterford, Pennsylvania. 
 He came West to Chatfield, Fillmore county, 
 Minnesota, in August, 1862, making the 
 journey hither by team. On the 17th of 
 December, that same year, he enlisted in 
 Company F, First Minnesota Cavalry, un- 
 der Captain Daniels and Colonel McPhail. 
 During that winter his regiment was quar- 
 tered at Fort Snelling. Afterward they were 
 sent from point to point in Minnesota, and 
 finally, under General Sibley, against the 
 Siou.x Indians, participating in several en- 
 gagements and killing over a hundred red 
 men. Mr. Bonney was injured by a horse 
 falling upon him, and also while in the service 
 he contracted a severe cold, which resulted 
 in inflammatory rheumatism, from the 
 effects of which he has never recovered. 
 His company was one of four that were sent 
 on an expedition to Snake river, and while 
 on that expedition they ran short of provis- 
 ions and came near starving. After their 
 return to Minnesota Mr. Bonney was on 
 guard duty and for two months was mail 
 carrier. In December, 1863, at the expira- 
 tion of his term of enlistment, he was hon- 
 orably discharged. 
 
 Returning to ChatfieKl, Mr. ISoimey was 
 
 married there in January, 1864, to Marcella 
 E. Lowth, a native of Wisconsin, born 
 Februarj- 19, 1845, daughter of John Lowth, 
 one of the early settlers of Wisconsin. In 
 February of the same year he returned 
 with his bride to the old home place in 
 Pennslyvania, and was engaged in farming 
 there until 1868. That year Mr. Bonney 
 again came West, this time to Lowell, W'is. , 
 where he worked at the carpenter's trade a 
 year and a half, after which he came to Mar- 
 tin county, Minnesota, and homesteaded a 
 tract of land three and a half miles north- 
 east of Fairmont, where he settled, devot- 
 ing his time to its cultivation and improve- 
 ment. Three years later came what has 
 since been known as "grasshopper year." 
 He then moved to Grand Meadow and for 
 over a year worked at his trade, and after 
 that returned to his farm. Since 1875 he 
 has been a resident of Fairmont. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bonney have five children 
 — Sarah, Chester H., Wilbert L., Jessie and 
 Rhoda. Sarah is the wife of William Wes- 
 sell, and lives in Chicago, Illinois. All have 
 had good educational advantages, and Wil- 
 bert L. is a graduate of Hamline Universit\'. 
 
 Mr. Bonney is one of the most public- 
 spirited and enterprising men of Fairmont, 
 always taking a deep interest in all that per- 
 tains to her welfare. He helped to organize 
 Fairmont as an independent school district 
 and for six years has been a member of the 
 School Board. Fraternally he is identified 
 with the Chain Lake Lodge, No. 64, Y. &. 
 A. M. , of which he was Tyler for many 
 years; Fairmont Chapter, R. A. M.; Juneau 
 Lodge, I. O. O. F. ; and Phil Kearny Post, 
 No. 18, G. A. R., of which he was Com- 
 mander for two years, and is at present Offi- 
 cer of the Day. Politically Mr. Bonney is 
 a Republican. He has served as Constable 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 of Fairmont township, and is now, as above 
 stated, Treasurer of the county, having been 
 elected to this office in 1892. Recently he 
 has been renominated for the same office by 
 the Republican convention. Few men in 
 Martin county are better known or more 
 highly respected than is Henry H. Bonney. 
 
 @EORGE TANNER, a retired farmer 
 now residing in Fairmont, is num- 
 bered among the honored pioneer 
 settlers of Martin county. From 
 an earl}' day he has not only witnessed the 
 growth of this section of the State, but has 
 aided in its progress and advancement and 
 his name is therefore inseparably connected 
 with its history. He has seen the wild lands 
 transformed into beautiful homes and farms, 
 has seen the growth of towns and villages 
 and has watched the onward march of civil- 
 ization, which has brought in its train all 
 the comforts and evidence of culture, and 
 refinement known to the older-settled East. 
 He is certainly deserving of representation 
 in this volume, and with pleasure we present 
 to our readers this review of his life, know- 
 ing that it will prove of interest to man\', for 
 he is both widely and favorably known. 
 
 Mr. Tanner was born in Morgan county, 
 Ohio, April 2, 1818, and is descended from 
 good old Revolutionary stock. The grand- 
 father, Benjamin Tanner, was a native of 
 England, and when a young man braved the 
 dangers of an ocean voyage in order to found 
 a home in the New World. He landed in 
 Philadelphia, whence he made his way to 
 New Jersey, and when the Colonies at- 
 tempted to throw off the yoke of British 
 tyranny, he aided in the struggle. 
 
 The parents of our subject were John and 
 Ann Tanner, the former ti native of New 
 
 Jersey and the latter of Chester county, 
 Pennsylvania, of Welsh descent. Within 
 his younger years John Tanner removed to 
 Chester county, and there the parents of 
 George Tanner were married and began 
 their domestic life upon a farm, where they 
 made their home about eight years. They 
 then moved westward, settling in Washing- 
 ton count}', of the Keystone State, where 
 upon a farm they lived until 181 3, which 
 year witnessed their arrixal in Muskingum 
 county, Ohio. The last days of their lives 
 were passed upon a farm in Morgan county, 
 Ohio, where each died at the age of seventy- 
 one years. They had long been fellow- 
 travelers on life's journey, and, when sum- 
 moned hence, their remains were interred 
 side by side in the Wolf Creek cemetery in 
 Morgan county. They had so lived as to 
 win the confidence and high regard of all, 
 and their loss was deeply and sincerely 
 mourned. 
 
 John and Ann Tanner were the parents 
 of a family of ten children, — six sons and 
 four daughters, — who grew to maturit}-, but 
 most of them have now passed away. Ben- 
 jamin, Hannah, Lydia, Jacob and John are 
 all deceased; Nancy is the wife of Moses 
 Smith; George is the next younger; Simon 
 is also deceased; Mary Ann is the wife of 
 George Tanner; William is a farmer of 
 Morgan county, Ohio. 
 
 George Tanner of this sketch was reared 
 upon his father's farm in a locality which 
 was then not far removed from a frontier set- 
 tlement, and in later life he went through 
 the experiences of pioneer life. He conned 
 his lessons in a log schoolhousc, which was 
 furnished with rude slab benches and heated 
 by an immense fireplace, taking up nearly 
 the entire end of the room, the smoke 
 1 making its escape through a mud-and-stick 
 
52 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 chimney. In such a building he became 
 famiHar with the common English branches 
 of learning, continuing his studies through 
 the winter months, while during the remain- 
 der of the year he aided in the labors of the 
 fields and farm. Like a dutiful son he gave 
 his father the benefit of his services until 
 tvvent}--one years of age, when he started 
 out in life for himself, beginning to earn his 
 livelihood by work as a farm hand. 
 
 Not long after Mr. Tanner chose a com- 
 panion and helpmeet on life's journey. He 
 was married April 17, 1839, to Miss Ann 
 Powell, and to them was born a son, George, 
 who now resides in St. Paul, Minnesota, a 
 printer and bookbinder of that city. For 
 his second wife, Mr. Tanner chose Miss 
 Catherine Wolf, and the wedding ceremony 
 was performed on the 1st of February, 1842. 
 The lady is a native of Greene county, Penn- 
 sylvania, and with her parents went to Mor- 
 gan county, Ohio, when only a year and a 
 half old. Her father, John Wolf, was born 
 in Greene county, Pennsylvania, was a far- 
 mer by occupation and became one of the 
 early settlers of Morgan county, Ohio. His 
 wife, who bore the maiden name of Mary 
 Caseman, was born in Maryland and there 
 made her home until fifteen years of age. 
 Both the paternal and maternal grandfath- 
 ers of Mrs. Wolf were natives of Germany. 
 She is the eldest an a family of four chil- 
 dren and was reared in Morgan county, not 
 far from the home of him who became her 
 husband. 
 
 After their marriage they first located in 
 Morgan county, where Mr. Tanner carried 
 on general farming until 1864, at which 
 time, accompanied by his family, he came 
 to Minnesota. In Martin county, one mile 
 north of Fairmont, he located a claim and at 
 once began the dcvelojimcnt of his land, 
 
 which at that time was still in its primitive 
 condition. It was not long before the place 
 began to assume a very different appearance: 
 in place of the barren prairie were seen 
 rich and fertile fields, and good buildings 
 erected gave evidence of the thrift and enter- 
 prise of the owner, whose practical and pro- 
 gressive spirit is well known throughout this 
 community. He successfully operated his 
 farm, deriving therefrom a good income, 
 until 1889, when he laid aside all business 
 cares, removed to Fairmont and has since 
 lived retired. He yet owns, however, 400 
 acres of fine land, which he rents. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Tanner have been born 
 four sons and five daughters: Thomas, who 
 died at the age of a year and a half; Mary 
 Ann, now the wife of Dr. J. W. Dill, of 
 Benton, Butler county, Kansas; John, who 
 married Cora Edwards and is now living in 
 Blaine, Washington; Matilda, who died at 
 the age of thirty-four years; Jacob K. , who 
 married Lillian Fowler, of Fairmont, where 
 they reside; Davis W., who wedded Anna 
 Holmes and is located in ^^'ichita, Kansas; 
 Emelius, a practicing physician of F"airmont; 
 Stephen A., of the same city; and Nancy, 
 now the wife of Nelson Pratt, who is living 
 near Spokane, Washington. The children 
 were all provided with good educational 
 privileges which would well fit them for the 
 duties of life, and all have become useful and 
 respected members of society in the com- 
 munities in which they reside. 
 
 Mr. Tanner served for many years as 
 School Director and also served for one 
 term as Justice of the Peace. The first 
 house in Fairmont formerly stood upon the 
 farm of our subject and was hauled from 
 there to the village where it was used as a 
 store. It is still standing — one of the land- 
 marks of pioneer times. A part of Fairmont 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 53 
 
 is located on the claim which Mr. Tanner 
 entered from the Government thirty years 
 ago. He and his wife have been members 
 of the Christian church for many long years 
 and their lives have been in harmony with 
 their profession — earnest, helpful and con- 
 sistent. In Martin county there is none 
 more deserving of high regard than this 
 worthy couple, who in their declining 3'ears 
 are now resting after life's hard labor, en- 
 joying the fruits of their former toil. 
 
 E GRACE MORTIMER KEELER, 
 an early pioneer and prominent 
 farmer of section 34, Fairmont 
 township, Martin county, was born 
 in Bradford county, Pennsylvania, May 29, 
 1842, a son of Newell Keeler, born and 
 reared in the same place. His father, Charles 
 Keeler, a native of Connecticut, was a son 
 of John Keeler, born in 1723, and died in 
 1795- The mother of our subject, iicc Mary 
 Canfield, was born and reared in Susque- 
 hanna county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of 
 Amos Canfield, a native of Connecticut, a 
 farmer by occupation, and a soldier in the 
 Mexican war. Newell and Mary Keeler 
 were married in Susquehanna county in 
 1 840, and located on a farm in Bradford 
 county, Pennsylvania, where they remained 
 about eight years. They then returned to 
 Susquehanna county, where the father died 
 at the age of fifty-seven years, and the 
 mother at the age of sixty-five years. They 
 were the parents of six children, — Horace 
 M., the subject of this sketch; Oscar S., of 
 Pennsylvania; Eunice, wife of Frank Ter- 
 rell; George M., of Washington; Annice 
 Victoria, wife of R. B. Leet, of Fairmont 
 township; and Alice Viola, her twin sister, 
 died in infancy. 
 
 H. M. Keeler remained in his native 
 county until twenty years of age. In 1864 
 he enlisted in the Fifth New York Cavalry, 
 was appointed to the position of Corporal, 
 and took part in the battle of the Wilder- 
 ness, where his regiment fired the first shot, 
 and our subject saw the first man wounded. 
 They were then sent to headquarters at 
 Mulford Station, and the regiment was then 
 detailed as guard to General Sheridan, and 
 afterward participated in the battles of Ash- 
 land Station, White Oak Swamps, Wilson's 
 Raid, Cedar Creek, and many other engage- 
 ments, continuing in the capacity of guard to 
 General Sheridan until the spring of 1865. 
 
 Receiving his discharge early in July, 
 1865, Mr. Keeler returned to Pennsylvania, 
 and went thence to Madison county, New 
 York, where he was engaged in milling nearly 
 a year. He next had charge of an engine in 
 a mill in Oneida county, that State, one year. 
 
 December 18, 1867, Mr. Keeler was 
 united in marriage with Sarah Garlick, who 
 was born in Oneida county. New York, Jan- 
 uary I, 1845, a daughter of Joseph and 
 Catherine (Scoby) Garlick, the former a 
 native of Manchester, England, born in 18 12. 
 He came to America in 1824, when twelve 
 j-ears of age, locating in Oneida county, 
 where he learned and followed the trades of 
 machinist and millwright, and is still living. 
 Catherine Scoby was born in Glasgow, Scot- 
 land, in 1 8 14, and also came to the United 
 States when twelve years old. They were 
 married in Oneida county in 1832, and had 
 six children, namely: George, of Oneida 
 county. New York, Theodore J., of Coffey- 
 ville, Kansas; Adeline F., wife of Harry Lan- 
 ders, of Missouri; Sarah, wife of Mr. Keeler; 
 William, of Oneida county, New York; and 
 Matilda, dccea.sed, who was the wife of A. A. 
 Raymond. Mrs. Keekr was reared in her 
 
54 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 native count}', and received a good educa- 
 tion in the Cleveland and Camden high 
 schools. She began teaching school when 
 fifteen years of age, and taught in all nine 
 terms, or about four years. 
 
 Three months after their marriage, having 
 decided to seek a home in the West, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Keeler came to Martin county, 
 Minnesota, the trip having cost him just one 
 cent a minute from the time they left their 
 Eastern home until their arrival in Fairmont 
 township. The journey from the Mississippi 
 river was made by stage. Mr. Keeler farmed 
 on rented land the first year here, and on 
 the 6th of October, 1868, located on the 
 place he now owns. They first moved into 
 a sod house, only three sides of which were 
 completed when one of the most terrible 
 blizzards known in that locality occurred. 
 His first team was a yoke of oxen, for which 
 he paid $150, and not having a wagon he 
 used a sled both summer and winter the first 
 year. In the spring of 1868 he paid $1.25 
 per bushel for seed wheat, and sold his crop 
 of 135 bushels in the fall for twenty-five 
 cents per bushel, and had to haul it forty- 
 five miles to market. This experiment im- 
 pressed him with the idea that farming in 
 Minnesota was not a rapid way to acquire a 
 fortune. They endured all, if not more, 
 of the hardships than usually fall to the 
 lot of pioneer settlers. During the first 
 three years of their residence in Fairmont 
 township they could scarcely obtain the 
 necessaries of life, having only pure cold 
 water to drink, and were without a light in 
 the evenings. 
 
 Encouraged by the kind words of his 
 estimable wife, and assisted by her ever will- 
 ing haiuis, Mr. Keeler continued the im- 
 provement and cultivation of his new farm, 
 and by rigid economy and untiring industry, 
 
 on the part of both, they succeeded in 
 making for themselves a comfortable and 
 pleasant home, and now have 1 20 acres of 
 good farming land supplied with good resi- 
 dence and outbuildings. In May, 1887, Mr. 
 Keeler sold his farm, and traveled over the 
 North and Southwest in search of a favor- 
 able location, but finding no place equal to 
 Martin county he returned a month later 
 and again purchased his old farm, where the 
 family now resides, enjoying all the com- 
 forts and many of the luxuries of life. 
 
 In all things pertaining to the public 
 good Mr. Keeler takes a lively interest. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Keeler have had six children: 
 Newell, born in 1869, and is at home; 
 Katie, who was born in 1871, and died in 
 1 891, having been married to Alonzo E. 
 Partlow just four weeks before her death; 
 George M., who was born February 15, 
 1872, married Hannah Erricson, and resides 
 in Martin county; Esme, born October 2, 
 1874; Howard, born November 20, 1876, 
 died April 3, 1890; and Grace C, born 
 October 26, 1884. Mr. Keeler supports the 
 Republican party. He has held the position 
 of Assessor longer than any other man in 
 the township, has served as Supervisor many 
 years, and is now a member of the School 
 Board. In 1890 he was appointed Govern- 
 ment Inspector of Boilers for the Sixth Con- 
 gressional District, but declined to accept 
 the position. Socially, he is a member of 
 the G. A. R., Phil Kearny Post, No. 19. 
 
 at 
 
 ILL I AM HENRY SWEAR- 
 IN G E N, of Martin county, 
 Minnesota, was born in De Witt 
 ronntw Illinois, September 11, 
 1S40, a son (if I dim B. and Jane (Brown) 
 Swearingen. William H., the sixth of eleven 
 
/ 
 
 -*l--1J 
 
 yyf^<^. 
 
 c/< 
 
%U. j3^ B. ^fiw/aj/J 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 59 
 
 children, seven sons and four daughters, 
 was reared in his native place until 1857, 
 when he came with his parents to Shelby- 
 ville, Blue Earth county, Minnesota, and in 
 the spring of i 860 to Martin count}', and re- 
 mained with them until August i", 1862. 
 He then enlisted in Company D, Ninth 
 Minnesota \'olunteer Infantry, and took part 
 in the battles of Nashville, Spanish Fort, and 
 many other smaller engagements. While 
 guarding the frontier in Martin county Mr. 
 Swearingen received a sunstroke, which 
 rendered him perfectly unconscious for forty- 
 eight hours, and on account of which he now 
 draws a pension of $72 per month. He 
 afterward served two years in the South, 
 receiving his discharge August 24, 1865. 
 After returning from the army Mr. Swear- 
 ingen resumed agricultural pursuits in Martin 
 county. In i860 he assisted in building the 
 first mill in the county, on his farm in Silver 
 Lake township, and this he and his father 
 conducted for many j'ears. 
 
 October 15, 1865, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Caroline A. Page, born in New 
 Hampshire, December 24, 1847, a daughter 
 of William H. and Dru/ella (Lamphy) Page, 
 natives also of that State. They had two 
 daughters, — Mrs. Swearingen and Emma 
 Larson, of Oregon. Our subject and wife 
 have had nine children: those living are: 
 Ida May, born March 5, 1871, is the wife of 
 Ed. L. Lewis, who is engaged in the jewelry 
 business at South West City, McDonald coun- 
 ty, Mo.; Charles L. , born May 24, 1873, 
 is at home; George W. , born November 26, 
 1876; Lillie, born January 7, 1879; Herbert 
 W., January 9, 1882; Edna Maud, born 
 August 23, 1891. Their eldest two and 
 their eighth child, all died in childhood. In 
 his political relations, Mr. Swearingen affili- 
 ates with the Republican party. Socially, 
 
 he is a member of Phil. Kearny Post, No. 18, 
 at Fairmont, and Mrs. Swearingen is a mem- 
 ber the Phil Kearny Relief Corps, No. 41, of 
 Fairmont. 
 
 E 
 
 ENRY P. CONSTANS, the genial 
 and popular proprietor of the Con- 
 stans House, the leading hotel of 
 Blue Earth City, is one of the 
 leading men of Faribault county, and his 
 name is inseparably connected with its his- 
 tory. He has resided here since the county's 
 organization, and aided in the laying out of 
 the city, which is the seat of justice. From 
 that time he has been identified with its 
 most prominent interests, and probably no 
 man is more familiar to the citizens of the 
 community than our honored and respected 
 subject. 
 
 Mr. Constans is a descendant of one of 
 the old and prominent families of France, 
 which country is the land of his birth. He 
 was born in Deimirigen, department du Pas 
 Rhein, April 29, 1834, and his early years 
 were there passed. His grandparents were 
 Phillip and Catherine (Young) Constans, the 
 former a baker by trade, and also an exten- 
 sive grain-dealer. The father of our subject, 
 George Constans, was a government official, 
 and after the Franco-Prussian war he lived 
 retired until called to the home beyond, dy- 
 ing in I 884, at the age of seventy-one years. 
 His wife, Louise, was a daughter of Henry 
 Junker, who served the government of 
 France as general superintendent of forests, 
 his title being Guard General. This posi- 
 tion he held during the active part of his 
 life, and in his last years he was retired on 
 a pension. Mrs. Constans died about the 
 year 1873. Henry P. is tlie eldest in their 
 family of li\e children, the others being. 
 
6o 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OE THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 George, a resident of Mankato, Minnesota; 
 Ciiristian, who is living in France, where he 
 has served as Captain in the Fourth Regi- 
 ment of Artillery and also as Aide-de-camp 
 to General Maalsharbe; Mrs. Caroline Kunz; 
 and Louise. 
 
 In his parents' home Henr\- P. Constans 
 spent his youthful years and in the public 
 schools of his native land he obtained his 
 education. Hearing of the advantages af- 
 forded young men in the New World he 
 determined to try his fortune beyond the 
 Atlantic, and, at the age of seventeen, em- 
 barked from Havre, France, on the sailing 
 vessel Lexington, which, after forty-seven 
 days spent upon the bosom of the deep, 
 dropped anchor in the harbor of New Or- 
 leans, on the 13th of April, 185 1. The 
 following June he came North to Minne- 
 sota and found employment in St. Paul, 
 where he continued until 1854, at which 
 time he removed to the village of Shakopee, 
 twenty-five miles south of St. Paul, and 
 opened a mercantile establishment, the sec- 
 ond store in the place. This he conducted 
 until early in 1856, when, in company with 
 ex-Governor Wakefield, S. Spencer and 
 Samuel Hibler, he came to Faribault county, 
 which was then unorganized. They came 
 to this place for the purpose of laying out 
 a town, with a view of making it the county 
 seat, and on the 7th of February, 1856, 
 arrived on the beautiful site of Blue Earth 
 City, and within that winter had the county 
 organized. 
 
 With the above named gentlemen, Mr. 
 Constans laid out the town upon a tract of 
 320 acres, part of which was afterward sold 
 to George Kingsley. They built a log house 
 on the town site in which they made their 
 home until the following August, when he 
 erected a two-story hewn log housj, 20 x 40 
 
 feet with an additional 18x24 feet. He 
 therein opened a hotel, conducting it for 
 twelve years, when he built his present 
 commodious hotel. For thirty-nine years 
 he has engaged in business along this line 
 and has made the Constans House one of 
 the most popular hostelries in the State, 
 not only a favorite with the citizens of this 
 community, but wirh the traveling public at 
 large. He puts forth every effort in his 
 power to make the house attractive and 
 homelike, and it is neatly and tastefully fur- 
 nished, well ventilated and arranged, and the 
 the table is always supplied with the delica- 
 cies of the season. In all his labors he has 
 been ably seconded and assisted by his es- 
 timable wife, and the success of the hotel is 
 due in no small degree to her, a fact which 
 Mr. Constans is not slow to recognize or 
 acknowledge. 
 
 The marriage which made Miss Barbara 
 Hebeison Mrs. Constans was celebrated 
 November 4, 1856. The lady came from 
 Carver county, Minnesota, a daughter of 
 Christian and Barbara (Jaberg) Hebeison, 
 natives of Berne, Switzerland. Her father 
 was a manufacturer of medicines and was 
 also engaged to a limited extent in farming. 
 In 1854 the family emigrated to America, 
 landing in New York city, and after six 
 months spent in Ohio removed to Indiana. 
 In 1856 they came to Minnesota, settling on 
 Government land, and later went to Carver 
 county, where the father spent his last days, 
 his death occurring in 1882. His wife died 
 in Switzerland in 1846. They were the par- 
 ents of live children: Christian, deceased; 
 Maggie, now Mrs. Hostetter; Mrs. Constans; 
 John, of Carver City; and Frederick. Mrs. 
 Constans is a lady of culture and refinement 
 and enjojs the high esteem of all with whom 
 she has been brought in contact. By her 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAX AND JACKSON. 
 
 61 
 
 marriage she has become the mother of four 
 sons: Charles \V. , a traveUng salesman, 
 married Elizabeth J. Anderson and they 
 have one son, Victor A. : they reside in Blue 
 Earth City; Henry E. is a druggist of Blue 
 Earth City; George F. is assistant cashier of 
 the City Bank, and his home is in Blue 
 Earth City; he married Eva Z. Ouayle and 
 has two children, George M. and W'illard A. ; 
 Frank E., who is a graduate of Carlton Col- 
 lege, of Northfield, Minnesota, also of Hah- 
 nemann College of Philadelphia and Ward's 
 Hospital, of New York city, is a practicing 
 physician of Brockton, Massachusetts, and 
 married Emily Packard of that place. The 
 children were provided with good educa- 
 tional privileges and thus fitted for the prac- 
 tical and responsible duties of life. 
 
 In settling the new town of Blue Earth 
 City its founders were extremely liberal in 
 holding out inducements to parties to locate 
 here, donating lots to those who would build 
 homes or business houses upon them. They 
 also gave a block for school purposes and 
 another as a site for the court-house. Mr. 
 Constans has always been a leader in all 
 public matters that would be of benefit and 
 improvement to the communit}', and the 
 progress and development, as well as the 
 material prosperity, of the county are due in 
 no small degree to his labors in its behalf. 
 The cause of education has ever found in 
 him a warm friend and earnest supporter, 
 and more than twenty years he served on the 
 School Board, doing effective service for the ; 
 schools of the city, which have been placed 1 
 on a high plane. His influence has been 
 felt in political matters, and he has served 
 as chairman of the county democratic Com- 
 mittee for many years. He was appointed 
 Sheriff of the county on its organi;;ation and 
 filled the office for four years in a most ac- 
 
 ceptable manner, but has since declined all 
 political preferment, save when elected to 
 the first City Council. His loyalty to duty 
 and his faithful citizenship have never been 
 questioned and he well may be called one 
 of the founders of the county, in whose ad- 
 vancement and welfare he feels a just pride. 
 
 Mr. Constans was made a Mason in 1858, 
 in Blue Earth \'alley Lodge, No. 27, at 
 Winnebago City, and was a charter mem- 
 ber of the Blue Earth City Lodge, No. 57, 
 of Blue Earth City. He is a member of 
 the Mount Horeb Chapter, No. 21, R. A. 
 M., at Winnebago City, and he has held of- 
 ficial preferments in the order as I\ing and 
 Scribe of the Chapter, and as Senior Dea- 
 con of the blue lodge. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Constans passed through 
 the hardships and trials of life on the front- 
 ier and have lived to see their own possess- 
 ions increase from a limited capital to a 
 comfortable competence. In addition to his 
 hotel property they have a fine farm of 200 
 acres and some real estate in Blue Earth 
 City and St. Paul. In social, life they are 
 highly respected, and their large circle of 
 warm and admiring friends extends from 
 ocean to ocean. They are faithful and con- 
 sistent members of the Presbyterian Church, 
 in which he is serving as Elder, and their 
 well spent lives are worthy of emulation. 
 
 m. 
 
 ^ILLIAM HUBBARD is a repre- 
 sentative farmer of Martin county 
 living on section 14, Tenhassen 
 township, and with pleasure we 
 present to our readers this record of his life. 
 Biography is one of the most profitable stud- 
 ies to which man can devote his attention. 
 We learn of the means which have been 
 used to win success, of commendable meth- 
 
62 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ods, and have thus laid before us an example 
 which may profitably be followed. The 
 gentleman whose name heads this record is 
 a self-made man, and there is much in his 
 life that might teach others a useful lesson. 
 
 The Hubbard family was probably 
 founded in the Empire State at an early 
 day in the history of this country, though we 
 have but a limited record of the ancestry. 
 The father of our subject, James Hubbard, 
 was a native of Columbia county, New 
 York, and in that State was born the lady 
 whom he married, — Miss Catherine Hamil- 
 ton, — their wedding being celebrated in Ot- 
 sego county. New York. Prior to the war of 
 the Rebellion they moved to Wisconsin, set- 
 tling in Green Lake county, where the 
 mother's death occurred. The father after- 
 ward went to Meeker county, Minnesota, 
 where he made his home until he, too, was 
 called to his final rest. Both Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hubbard were well known people, whose 
 well spent lives won them high regard. In 
 their family were eight children, seven of 
 whom are yet living, and one son, Charles, 
 served in the army during the Civil war. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of W'ill- 
 iam Hubbard we present our readers the 
 record of one of the popular and influential 
 farmers of Martin county. He was born in 
 Columbia county. New York, on the 4th of 
 October, 1827, and the days of his bo3hood 
 and youth were quietly passed in the Em- 
 pire State, where a steadiness of character 
 and self-reliance were developed to aid him 
 in the coming struggles. He continued with 
 his parents till twenty-one years of age, and 
 gave his father the benefit of his labors upon 
 the farm. 
 
 In 1848 occurred one of the most im- 
 portant events in the life of Mr. Hubl)ard, 
 — his marriage to Miss Minerva Clark, a 
 
 native of Otsego county, New York, and a 
 daughter of William and Katie (Truax) 
 Clark, who also were natives of the Empire 
 State, in which they spent their entire lives. 
 Both have now passed away. Their family 
 numbered eleven children, five of whom are 
 yet living. Mrs. Hubbard was born Novem- 
 ber 10, 1829, and the days of her maiden- 
 hood were passed in the county of her birth, 
 its public schools affording her good educa- 
 tional privileges. The union of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hubbard was blessed with a family of ten 
 children, six of whom still survive. John, 
 the eldest, married Eliza Manley and is liv- 
 ing in Tenhassen township, Martin county; 
 Adelbert, married Elizabeth Donaldson and 
 also resides in Tenhassen township; Willie 
 led to the marriage altar Bertha Donaldson 
 and carries on agricultural pursuits in Ten- 
 hassen township; Kate is the wife of James 
 Huntsinger, of Iowa, and thej' have six 
 children; Charles is the next younger; Mag- 
 gie is the wife of H. Wadsworth, a resident 
 of Brown county, Minnesota, ami four chil- 
 dren grace this union. 
 
 Upon their marriage, Mr. Hubbard set- 
 tled upon a wild farm in Wisconsin and cul- 
 tivated the land for a time. In the year in 
 which the homestead law was passed, he be- 
 came a resident of Minnesota, and Martin 
 county thereby gained a valuable citizen. 
 He located upon a farm in Lake Belt town- 
 ship, devoting his mergies to its cultivation 
 until 1867, when he came to his jiresent 
 farm, then a tract of wild land, upon which 
 not a furrow had been turned or an improve- 
 ment made. This region was then sparsely 
 settled, his nearest neighbors being miles 
 distant, and he had to go to market in Win- 
 nebago county. For a time his home was 
 little more than a shanty, but as the years 
 have passed and his financial resources have 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AN' J) JACKSON. 
 
 63 
 
 increased, he has added all the comforts 
 known to civilized life to his pleasant resi- 
 dence, — one of the substantial dwellings. 
 The family passed through man}' hardships 
 and privations, and when Mr. Hubbard went 
 to war the family were left in desperate 
 straits, at one time having only one biscuit 
 to divide between seven children. The loy- 
 al and faithful mother, however, made the 
 best of everything, and though often her 
 heart failed her she bore up for the sake of 
 her children. 
 
 Mr. Hubbard was greatl}- attached to 
 his fainil}', but in 1864 he felt that duty re- 
 quired his services at the front, and in con- 
 sequence he bade adieu to wife and little 
 ones, going to the front. The date of his 
 enlistment was February 20, 1864, and he 
 became a private of Company C, Si.xth 
 Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. He was 
 sent to Helena, Arkansas, where he re- 
 mained for some time doing guard duty, 
 although he suffered much from ill health, 
 resulting from the rigor and hardships of 
 arm_\' life. He afterward went to St. Louis, 
 Missouri, where on the 19th of May, 1865, 
 he was honorably discharged. 
 
 He returned at once to his home, but for 
 some time was unable to W(jrk. He has 
 since lived upon his present fine farm, where 
 he now owns 240 acres of rich land under a 
 high state of cultivation and improved with 
 all modern conveniences. He raises grain 
 of all kinds, also cattle and hogs, and his 
 able management and perseverance have 
 brought him prosperity. He may truly be 
 called a self-made man, for his success has 
 come to him through his own efforts unsup- 
 plemented by financial aid or infiuence. 
 Working his way upward and overcoming 
 the obstaces and difficulties in his path, he 
 has triumphed over discouragement an(f ad- 
 
 verse circumstances; and where many a man 
 would have given up he has pushed his way 
 forward. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Hubbard is a 
 Republican, and warmly advocates the prin- 
 ciples of his party, which he has supported 
 since its organization. He has held a num- 
 ber of township offices, and the duties were 
 discharged with the same fidelity and loyal- 
 ty that he manifested when in the South he 
 defended the old flag which now so proudly 
 floats over the united nation. He holds 
 membership in Estherville Post, G. A. R., 
 of Estherville, Iowa, and has ever been a 
 warm friend of education and of all enter- 
 prises calculated to promote the general wel- 
 fare. 
 
 EON. DAVID PERRY WASGATT, 
 deceased, was for several years 
 a prominent citizen and business 
 man of Winnebago City, Faribault 
 county, Minnesota. 
 
 He was born in the town of Mt. Desert, 
 Hancock county, Maine, April G, 1830, and 
 was the si.xth in a family of twelve children 
 of Asa and Sarah (Gott) Wasgatt, both of 
 whom were natives of the Pine Tree State. 
 Asa Wasgatt was by trade a mason, owned a 
 small farm in Hancock county, and for sev- 
 eral years preached for the Methodist de- 
 nomination, in which church he was a lead- 
 ing member. 
 
 The early life of David P. Wasgatt was 
 spent on his father's farm and in attendance 
 at the public schools, where he acquired a 
 good education for those times. He taught 
 school for a few years, and for two years 
 worked in a ship-yard at Mount Desert. At 
 the age of twenty-two he engaged in mer- 
 
64 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 chandising in his native town, and contin- 
 ued that business successfully for twelve 
 years. For four years he represented his 
 county in the State Legislature, and while 
 there was associated with United States Sen- 
 ator Hale; and for two years wf.s employed 
 by the Prohibitionists as Marshal of his 
 county, to assist in enforcing the Maine liquor 
 law. 
 
 In 1 87 1, accompanied by his wife and 
 three sons, he came to Minnesota, settling 
 at Winnebago City, where he soon after 
 opened a real-estate and loan office, and 
 diligently applied himself to his business 
 interests until his death, which occurred at 
 his home in Winnebago City, September 
 16, 1894. 
 
 Mr. Wasgatt was a man of strongly 
 marked individuality and pleasing presence. 
 He always took a lively interest in public 
 affairs and kept himself well informed on 
 the questions of the day. A man of decided 
 opinions, having the courage of his convic- 
 tions, he as fearlessly opposed wrong as he 
 defended right. He cast his first presiden- 
 tial vote for John C. Fremont, and contin- 
 ued to support the Republican party until 
 after the close of the Civil war; but, being 
 in favor of a tariff for revenue only, he was 
 not in accord with Republican principles, 
 and gave his support to the Democratic 
 party. While a resident of Winnebago 
 City he never sought political preferment, 
 but held the office of justice of the Peace 
 for two terms and always counseled disput- 
 ing parties to settle their differences with- 
 out litigation, and his advice was usually 
 acted upon. He was a friend of education, 
 and for several years a member of the 
 School Board. He was one of the incor- 
 porators of the Winnebago Building & Loan 
 Association, and its success was due in a 
 
 great measure to his business sagacity. He 
 served as president of the association until 
 his death. 
 
 In religious thought, he was broad and 
 liberal, and, although not a member of any 
 visible church, he did much by example to 
 further the cause of true Christianity. For 
 some years he was Superintendent of the 
 Presbyterian Sabbath-school, and a Trustee 
 in that church, contributing liberally to its 
 support. 
 
 At Mount Desert, Maine, May 20, 1855, 
 Mr. Wasgatt married Miss Sophia Winter 
 Richardson, daughter of John and Rhoda 
 W. Richardson, natives of Maine and of Eng- 
 lish descent. This union resulted in the 
 birth of four children, namely: William M., 
 a resident of Winnebago City; Andrew 
 Johnson, assistant Auditor of St. Louis 
 county, Minnesota; Frank Guy, who is con- 
 tinuing his father's business and studying 
 law; and Charlotte Josephine. Mrs. Was- 
 gatt and family are members of the Presby- 
 terian Church, and enjoy the respect and 
 confidence of the communitv. 
 
 * y ^ ON. GEORGE D. McARTHUR, 
 ^"^ president of the Merchants & 
 \ ^ P Farmers' Bank of Blue Earth City, 
 Minnesota, has been prominently 
 identified with Faribault county and with its 
 important interests since 1856. He has been 
 a leading figure in the commercial history 
 of this section of the State and the prosperity 
 and progress of this locality is largely due to 
 his untiring efforts, his sagacity and excel- 
 lent managerial ability. His life has been 
 purely a business one, and he possesses that 
 indomitable perseverance that enables him 
 to carry forwtrd to successful completion 
 whatever he undertakes. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 65 
 
 Mr. McArthur is a native of New York, 
 born in Columbia county on the 2 2d of Au- 
 gust, 1834. The family was founded in 
 America about the time the English took 
 Holland, and for many years the Mc Arthurs 
 have lived in the Empire State. The grand- 
 father, N. McArthur, crossed the Atlantic 
 with the Hoags, the maternal ancestors of 
 our subject. The father, Duncan McAr- 
 thur, was born in New York, in 1799, and 
 there married Anna Hoag, who was born in 
 Putnam count}', New York. Her death oc- 
 curred in 1834. Six children had been born 
 of that union, namely: Caleb, who is living 
 in Faribault county; William N. ; Ward, who 
 died in New York; Jane and Mary, who died 
 in Wisconsin; and George D., of this sketch. 
 After the death of his first wife, Duncan 
 McArthur was again married, his second 
 union being with Catherine Van Dusen, by 
 whom he had four children, — Elizabeth, 
 Cordilla, Martha and Floyd. In the year 
 1849 the family left their New York home 
 and emigrated to Wisconsin, which only the 
 year previous had been admitted to the sister- 
 hood of States. The father purchased a farm 
 in Waukesha county, but was not long per- 
 mitted to enjoy his new home, for the final 
 summons came in 1851. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record lost his mother during his early in- 
 fancy, and was only fifteen years of age 
 when his father died. His youth was spent 
 in attending the common schools, and he also 
 spent two terms in Carrol College, acquiring 
 a practical English education which has been 
 of great value to him in his business career. 
 In 1854 he returned to the State of his na- 
 tivity, and after a year passed there came to 
 Minnesota in 1855, locating in Winona 
 county. The following year he came to 
 Faribault county, first settling on a stock- 
 
 farm in the town of Elmore. It was an un- 
 improved tract of land, but he transformed 
 it into a rich and fertile tract and extensively 
 engaged in stock-raising, doing a large and 
 most profitable business. He possesses ex- 
 cellent executive ability, and his diligence, 
 careful management and close attention to 
 details made him most successful. 
 
 In 1S64 he became identified with the 
 commercial interests of Blue Earth City and 
 for many years was one of its leading gen- 
 eral merchants, doing business as the senior 
 member of the well-known firm of McArthur, 
 Hill & Company. They built up a very ex- 
 tensive trade, securing a liberal patronage 
 by straightforward and honest dealing, court- 
 eous treatment and earnest desire to please 
 their customers. They carried a splendid 
 grade of goods and had but one price for all 
 people, — a course which commanded uni- 
 versal confidence. In 1869, Mr. McArthur 
 embarked in the agricultural-implement 
 business, and again prosperity attended his 
 well directed efforts, he increasing his stock 
 to meet the constantly increasing demand. 
 He also established branch houses in Fair- 
 mont, Winnebago City, Elmore and Wells. 
 On August 7, 1890, in company with An- 
 thony and Alexander Anderson and S. Pfef- 
 fer, he organized the Merchants and Farm- 
 ers' Bank of Blue Earth City, of which he 
 was elected president, and in that capacity 
 he has since served. Although new to the 
 banking business, his administration of 
 affairs has made this one of the solid finan- 
 cial institutions of the county and has added 
 to his high and well deserved reputation as a 
 business man. As his financial resources 
 increased he made careful and judicious in- 
 vestments in real estate and now has some 
 very valuable property. 
 
 Mr. McArthur was married July 17, 1859, 
 
66 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 to Miss Anna S. Drake, a daughter of Will- 
 iam S. Drake and a native of Orange county, 
 New York. They have no children of their 
 own, but out of the kindness of their hearts 
 they have given a home to an adopted son, 
 Guy S. Cliff, who lived with them from the 
 age of three years and who is now engaged 
 in farming in Faribault county. He married 
 Kate Hunter and they are now comfortably 
 situated in life. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mc- 
 Arthur hold membership with the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and are earnest Christian 
 people, generous and benevolent, in whom 
 the poor, needy and distressed find true and 
 faithful friends who give them not only sym- 
 pathy and advice, but also more mate- 
 rial aid. 
 
 Mr. McArthur was made a Mason in St. 
 James Lodge of East Troy, Wisconsin, in 
 1858, and is a charter member of Blue Earth 
 City Lodge, No. 57, A. F. & A. M. He 
 also belongs to the Veteran Lodge. In his 
 political views he is a stalwart Republican 
 and the principles of that party receive his 
 earnest support, although he has never been 
 a politician in the sense of office-seeking. In 
 1858 he was elected to represent his dis- 
 trict in the General Assembly and from that 
 time forward steadily refused to accept office 
 until 1894, when he was elected to the State 
 Senate, in which he is now acceptably serv- 
 ing. It is such men as Mr. McArthur that 
 are needed to form the law and administer 
 the affairs of the nation, — men f)f common 
 sense, broad and liberal views, who are citi- 
 zens and not politicians, and who know and 
 understand what is required for good govern- 
 ment and labor to secure it. As has been 
 said his life has been a purely business one, 
 yet this district has sent no one to its legis- 
 lative halls that has more carefully looked 
 after its interests. Praise is distasteful to 
 
 him and display and ostentation are repug- 
 nant, but it is just to say that no man has 
 been a more important factor in the busi- 
 ness history of Fairbault county or has done 
 more for the best interests of this section of 
 the State. 
 
 eLMORE HOUGHTALING, a hard- 
 ware merchant of Fairmont, Min- 
 nesota, is a son of the late Jere- 
 miah A. Hoiightaling. 
 Jeremiah A. Houghtaling was born in 
 Esopus, Ulster county. New York, Novem- 
 ber 23, 181 5, son of Abram and Sarah 
 (Veile) Houghtaling, both natives of the 
 Empire State. The first twenty-two years 
 of his life were spent in attending school 
 and working on his father's farm. After that 
 he turned his attention to boating on the 
 Hudson river and ere long owned an inter- 
 est in a boat. He continued on the river 
 until 1856, when he removed to Ottawa, 
 Waukesha county, Wisconsin, purchasing a 
 farm near that place and residing upon it 
 for two years. At the end of that time he 
 sold out and moved to Milwaukee, where 
 for a short time he ran a dray line. In 1859 
 he again went to farming, which he con- 
 tinued for eight years, and after that made 
 his home in Milwaukee until 1875, having 
 the management of a coal yard. In 1879 
 he came to Fairmont, Minnesota, and estab- 
 lished himself in the hardware business. 
 Soon afterward Mr. ]. A. Sinclair became 
 an equal partner with him, and in 1881 he 
 sold his interest in the business to Mr. Colby, 
 and during the three years following was 
 engaged in farming. At the end of the three 
 years he returned to Fairmont and bought 
 from Mr. Colby two-tifths of the hardware 
 establishment, and in I'ebruary, 1887, 
 
(//.' X:^/^'. ^/^//r/r/. 
 
FARIBAULT, MAIi77X, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 69 
 
 bought the rest of Mr. Colby's interest, — 
 one-fifth. He continued in the hardware 
 business up to the time of his death, Sep- 
 tember 28, 1890, carrying a large stock of 
 goods and having an extensive trade. His 
 farm, above referred to, is located six miles 
 northwest of Fairmont and comprises 360 
 acres. Mr. Houghtaling was prominent in 
 local affairs wherever he lived, and was a 
 man who was universally respected. He 
 was President of Fairmont three terms, and 
 while a resident of Wisconsin was chair- 
 man of the Township Board, and also served 
 as Assessor. Politically, he was a Democrat. 
 
 He was married in Esopus, New York, 
 December i, 1836, to Miss Catharine El- 
 tinge, daughter of Ruloff and Dina (Eltinge) 
 Eltinge, natives of Ulster county. New York. 
 She was born in that county, April 13, 
 1 8 19, and is now deceased. This worthy 
 couple had a large family of children, 
 namely: Dina, deceased; Abram, who mar- 
 ried Barbara Miffley, resides in Fairmont; 
 Ambrose, deceased; Sarah Jane, deceased; 
 Magdaline, wife of Byron E. St. John, re- 
 sides in Martin count}', Minnesota; Victoria, 
 deceased wife of E. G. Comstock; Kate, 
 deceased; Burns, deceased; Elmore; Lillian; 
 and Richard, deceased. 
 
 From the biography of Jeremiah A. 
 Houghtaling, we turn for a sketch of the life 
 of his son Elmore, with whose name we be- 
 gan this article. 
 
 Elmore Houghtaling was born at Bosco- 
 bel, Wisconsin, June 23, i860. He was 
 educated in the public schools of Milwaukee, 
 and worked for his father, removing with 
 him from place to place, as above recorded, 
 until the latter's death. In 1890 he became 
 a member of the firm of Houghtaling & 
 Coult, dealers in general hardware, and has 
 since been doing a prosperous business in 
 
 this line. They also do a plumbing busi- 
 ness. 
 
 Mr. Houghtaling was married in 1888 to 
 Miss Mary E. Wade, daughter of Captain 
 E. F. Wade and a native of Trempealeau 
 county, Wisconsin, the date of her birth be- 
 ing December 16, i860. They have five 
 children — Elma, J03', Eltinge, Lyn, and an 
 infant. 
 
 Mrs. Houghtaling is a believer in Chris- 
 tian Science. Mr. Houghtaling is a member 
 of the Congregational Church, being a 
 Trustee and an active worker in the same. 
 He is also active in fraternal organizations: 
 is Recording Secretary of Fairmont Lodge, 
 No. 70, L O. O. F. ; a member of the Pil- 
 grim Encampment, No. 32, in which he has 
 passed all the chairs; and is a member of 
 the Modern Woodmen of America. He is 
 a director of the Building and Association of 
 Fairmont, and also a director of the Martin 
 County Bank of Fairmont. Politically, he 
 is a Democrat. 
 
 V ^ Y^ ILLIAM HAMPTON BUDD.— 
 Mm I After having spent a long and 
 \jL^ useful career as a farmer and hav- 
 ing accumulated some means and 
 gained an enviable reputation for honor and 
 integrity, the gentleman whose name we 
 have just given is now living a retired life in 
 Fairmont, Martin county, Minnesota. He 
 is the son of Abraham D. and Margaret F. 
 (Goble) Budd, natives of New Jersey. The 
 place of the nativity of the subject of our 
 sketch is in Roxbury (now Mount Olive) 
 Morris county. New Jersey, where his birth 
 took place March 28, 1829. On the farm 
 where his father was born, and where he 
 died July 31, 1 867, William H. was reared 
 and in the ctMumon schools' he acquired his 
 
70 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 education. On attaining his majority he 
 went to Dodge county, Wisconsin, and for 
 six months engaged in days' labor. In 
 March and April of 1 851 he took a trip 
 through western Wisconsin, to within twenty 
 miles of La Crosse, and there were but three 
 houses on the present site of Sparta. After 
 leaving Reedsburg, on the Little Baraboo 
 river, there were a few houses scattered 
 along for ten miles, and thirty miles beyond, 
 on the Ivickapoo river, was a logging shanty, 
 twenty miles from where the trail struck 
 the Prairie du Chien and Black Falls road. 
 Mr. Budd looked around for a day or two 
 but the country was mostly timber land and 
 he left for Prairie du Chien. Ne.xt he went 
 to Iowa, traveling through some of the north- 
 ern counties of that State, which was mostly- 
 wild prairie with some timber on the streams. 
 There were but few settlers, and the houses 
 were frequently from ten to twenty miles 
 apart and much of the traveling to and fro 
 was done on foot. 
 
 Returning to Dodge county, Wisconsin, 
 in the course of a month and a half, Mr. 
 Budd purchased a farm on which he lived 
 part of the time until 1854. He then came 
 to Minnesota and engaged in carpentering 
 and other w'ork in Mankato, after which he 
 took a trip east and northeast to find some 
 people with teams and stock, who came 
 across the countr}' and should have reached 
 their destination two weeks previous. The 
 country was not surveyed, and the company 
 being lost had to travel over a part of the 
 road twice. It was four or five days before 
 Mr. Budd succeeded in finding them, but 
 at last came up with them about ten miles 
 from Faribault, Rice county. He also 
 worked ill Kasota and St. Peter for some 
 time, being variously employed until Decem- 
 ber II, 1855. He visited Mankato and St. 
 
 Peter when there were but seven houses in 
 the former and one in the latter. At times 
 there were large numbers of Indians en- 
 camped on the bottom lands along the Min- 
 nesota river, sometimes numbering into the 
 thousands, and they often proved a great 
 nuisance to the white settlers. On the i ith 
 of December, 1855, he started for Dodge 
 county, Wisconsin, traveling on foot from 
 Kasota to Winona and La Crosse, Wiscon- 
 sin. The morning of the second day was 
 foggy and about one o'clock it began raining, 
 but after two hours the wind shifted and the 
 rain changed into a driving snow, which was 
 blown before a strong northwest wind, and 
 not only covered his clothes with a sheet of 
 ice but also obliterated the road, and it re- 
 quired skill and a clear headto find the way. 
 He spent the night in Owatonna, and the 
 next day started out again wading through 
 snow from twelve to eighteen inches deep. 
 It was a hard journey. After four days he 
 I reached Winona, and the water was flowing 
 ] along in its regular course, but after two 
 i days, the weather turning so intensely cold, 
 he crossed the river on ice one mile below 
 La Crosse. At the last named place he was 
 forced to remain two days, for the stage 
 company would not take their teams out of 
 the stable, the weather being so bitterly 
 cold. Mr. Budd remainsd at the New En- 
 gland House, kept by a Mr. Robinson, one 
 of John Jacob Astor's men who went across 
 the continent to Astoria on the Columbia 
 river to secure furs. Four days later our 
 subject reached his destination and there re- 
 mained until March, selling the land which 
 he owned there. 
 
 We next find Mr. Budd in Milwaukee, 
 whence he went to Chicago, then by the 
 way of Springfield, Illinois, to St. Louis, 
 Missouri, where he took a steamer for Kan- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAX AND JACKSON. 
 
 71 
 
 sas City. From that place he went to 
 Lawrence, Kansas, which was in the midst 
 of the border warfare of 1856. In the few 
 daj-s which he passed there he had some ex- 
 perience in defending the town from ruf- 
 fians of the slave-State faction. Mr. Budd 
 was a free-State man. He went through 
 to the Delaware Indians' country and had 
 to pass one night with the Indian farmers, 
 after which he proceeded to Leavenworth 
 on the Missouri River, but after a few days 
 he went up the river to St. Joseph, where 
 he joined a company of five that traveled 
 across the country to Council Bluffs, Iowa, 
 to attend a land sale, then went by stage to 
 Dubuque. Six of the party left Council 
 Bluffs in a heavy rain-storm and frequently 
 had to bridge over marshy places along the 
 road. The second day they had to walk 
 part of the way and help lift the coach out 
 of the mud, but Des Moines was at length 
 reached and after a night passed there 
 they proceeded to Iowa City, then the State 
 capital, and after a long and tedious jour- 
 ney reached Dubuque. Mr. Budd went up 
 the Mississippi on a steamer and the river 
 was so high that the house in which he had 
 passed the night in December was in water 
 up to the window sashes. That was one of 
 the greatest overflows of the Mississippi that 
 has ever been known. 
 
 From St. Paul Mr. Budd went by 
 steamer to Mankato and in a few days start- 
 ed for the Winnebago Agency, where he was 
 employed as assistant overseer of the Indian 
 reservation until July i, 1856, when he 
 came to Martin county to assist several fam- 
 ilies in securing locations. He had no team 
 and had to travel the entire distance on foot. 
 This part of Martin county was then a part 
 of Brown county, which was divided in May, 
 '857, b)- the Legislature into nine new coun- 
 
 ties. Mr. Budd here bought a squatter's 
 right to a claim on which was some native 
 timber, for he expected the families before 
 referred to would soon be in need of this 
 for fuel and he did not mistake. He paid 
 $50 for his place and could at that time 
 have secured any claim to the north or west 
 for twenty miles. He also purchased a 
 team and for some time continued to hold 
 his claim, a part of which is now platted 
 within the city limits of Fairmont, and upon 
 the tract is situated his present home. He 
 passed through all the hardships and difficul- 
 ties peculiar to life on the frontier and has 
 borne an important part in the development 
 of this region. In March, 1857, the chief, 
 Inkpaduta, with a band of Indian braves 
 made an attack on the village of Springfield, 
 now Jackson, Minnesota, and not satisfied 
 with their depredations there went to Spirit 
 Lake and Oakoboja, killing eight persons 
 and wounding more at Jackson and about 
 thirty-six at Oakoboja, and capturing four 
 women and girls. Some of the Indians 
 passed through the county and camped near 
 Fairmont, but were prevented from com- 
 mitting any more depredations here by 
 some volunteers from Iowa. Mr. Budd, in 
 company with a few neighbors, fortunately, 
 had gone to Iowa for provisions at that time, 
 or his own home would probably have 
 been attacked. 
 
 This journey into Iowa, made with sev- 
 eral ox teams, was fraught with many hard- 
 ships. They were detained by a snow- 
 storm which lasted sixty hours, and snow 
 fell to the depth of three to five feet. The 
 storm turned to rain, which freezing formed 
 a crust on the snow making it difficult to 
 travel. Places of entertainment were scarce, 
 and at times he was obliged to pay $1 for 
 sleeping on the floor on his own blankets. 
 
72 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 and fifty cents each for feed and shelter for his 
 oxen. Owing to scarcity of hay, they had 
 to take the oxen farther south to find a suit- 
 able place to leave them for a few weeks. 
 When he returned to Iowa for his oxen he 
 was obliged to break the crust on the snow 
 for four miles, to enable the oxen to get to a 
 beaten road where they could travel! 
 
 Mr. Budd now again went to Dodge 
 county, Wisconsin, but after a short time 
 returned to his home in Martin county. In 
 the summer he improved some of his land, 
 and on the 22d of July received information 
 of another Indian attack on the troops on 
 the Indian land, caused by their not having 
 received their pay and supplies from the 
 Government. Mr. Budd, with some of his 
 neighbors, built a fort and prepared to with- 
 stand any attack, and he was elected Lieu- 
 tenant and given charge of the little garri- 
 son. There was much excitement and one 
 man was shot, receiving a flesh wound. 
 After a month passed in the fort, all danger 
 being over, they returned to their farms and 
 homes. 
 
 In December, 1857, the county of Martin 
 was organized and Fairmont nametl as the 
 county seat. By the Governor Mr. Budd 
 was appointed one of the first County Com- 
 missioners, and in October, 1858, he was 
 appointed Postmaster of Fairmont, — a posi- 
 tion which he held until the spring of i860. 
 At that time the village of Fairmont (or a 
 jiortion of it) was surveyed and platted in 
 the vicinity of our subject's farm, and in all 
 these matters he took an active part, assist- 
 ing materially in the development of all pro- 
 jects tending toward the advancement of 
 this locality. He continued in the office of 
 County Commissioner until the spring of 
 i860, when, in the month of June, he went 
 to Rice rountv, working in the ha\' and 
 
 harvest fields, afterward going to Mason 
 county, Illinois, but after a few weeks re- 
 turning to Minnesota, stopping at Chatfield 
 and Winona through the winter and a part 
 of the succeeding summer, employed at the 
 carpenter's trade. In the fall of 1861 he 
 returned to his claim in Martin county and 
 was elected to the office of County Commis- 
 sioner for the Second district, entering upon 
 the duties of that office in January, 1862, 
 and serving until February 20, 1864. He 
 has served as County Clerk and filled other 
 official positions, but again he turned from 
 the affairs of peace to those of war, and in 
 the fall of 1862 and the spring of 1863 acted 
 as scout and guide to the various parties. 
 During the Indian outbreak in September, 
 1862, he helped to organize and joined the 
 Home Guards of Winnebago City, being in 
 the company one month. He was instru- 
 mental in having the State form a line of 
 military posts and garrisons from Fairmont 
 to Madelia and Fort Ridgely and to the 
 north, for protection of the settlers from the 
 red men. 
 
 On the 20th of February, 1864, Mr. 
 Budd enlisted in Company C, Sixth Minnesota 
 Infantry, serving faithfully until August 19, 
 1865, when he was honorably discharged. 
 He participatetl in the battles of Spanish 
 Fort and Fort Blakely, together with num- 
 erous skirmishes and battles of minor im- 
 portance. When the war was over and the 
 country no longer needed his services he re- 
 turned to his farm and his home, and during 
 the years that followed was engaged princi- 
 pally in agricultural pursuits, although he 
 worked to some extent at carpentering. For 
 nearly nine months after his return from the 
 war he was able to perform but little work, 
 his health being broken by disease contracted 
 while in the service. In 1876 he sold a 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 73 
 
 part of his land — 220 acres — to Mr. Percy 
 Wollaston for $20 per acre, but still retains 
 possession of part of it. 
 
 Mr. Budd was married in Martin county, 
 March 31, 1864, to Lydia Jane Swearin^en, 
 daughter of John B. and Jane (Brown) 
 Swearingen, natives of Kentucky and Penn- 
 sylvania, respectively. Mrs. Budd was born 
 in Illinois and first married Z. Allen by 
 whom she had two children, Zelpha and 
 Amy Jane. The former is the wife of D. B. 
 Edwards, and the latter married D. A. Dale 
 and both live near the Budd homestead. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Budd had two daughters, 
 Edith May, wife of Charles Getty, and Amy 
 Jane, and both make their home with their 
 father. In 1893 Mr. Budd was called upon 
 to mourn the loss of his wife, who died on 
 the 22d of August and was buried in Fair- 
 mont cemetery by the side of her parents. 
 They had traveled life's journey together for 
 twenty-nine years, and her loss is deeply 
 mourned. 
 
 Mr. Budd is a member of Phil Kearny 
 Post, No. 18, G. A. R., Department of Min- 
 nesota, of which he has been Chaplain and 
 Quartermaster, serving in the latter posi- 
 tion at the present time. His life has been 
 well and worthily passed, and in addition to 
 the offices which have been mentioned he has 
 served two terms as President of the Village 
 Board, and in the fall of 1866 was again 
 elected County Commissioner, continuing in 
 that office until 1873 as chairman of the 
 board. During 1867, the board had to 
 secure from the Governor a loan of $3,000 
 to assist the needy throughout the county. 
 He has discharged his duties with a prompt- 
 ness and fidelity that has won him high com- 
 mendation, and no more faithful officer 
 could be found. The part which he has 
 played in the history of this State makes him 
 
 worthy of honorable mention in this volume 
 among the honored pioneers and the found- 
 ers of the county. The .story of frontier 
 life is familiar to him not from hearsay but 
 from experience, and in the development 
 and progress of the county he has been an 
 important factor. When the danger of 
 Indian hostilities was imminent, he bravely 
 prepared for the defense of those who were 
 helpless; when the destruction of the Union 
 was threatened he donned the blue and fol- 
 lowed the stars and stripes. When his fel- 
 low-townsmen called him to office he was 
 again true to his duty, and in all the rela- 
 tions of life he has ever been the same hon- 
 orable, upright gentleman that is now known 
 far and wide in southern Minnesota, and is 
 respected alike by 3'oung and old, rich and 
 poor. 
 
 >^OHN H. JOICE.— This is an age of 
 
 m progress, and America is the most 
 A J lively exponent of the age. In the 
 beginning of this century our coun- 
 try was in its infancy, and history shows 
 no parallel for its growth and achievements. 
 No other country has made as great advance- 
 ment in the same period, and though the 
 East was the first in the work the younger 
 and newer West is now not far behind and 
 marching on with strides that will soon 
 bring it abreast with the older section. 
 Each community has its progressive citizens 
 who are aiding in this work, and among 
 those in Faribault county is John H. Joice, 
 the well known banker of Wells. We feel 
 assured that this record will prove of inter- 
 est to many of our readers and gladly give 
 it a place in this volume. 
 
 A native of the town of Pleasant Springs, 
 Dane county, Wisconsin, he was born near 
 
74 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 the city of Stoughton, December i, 1857, 
 and springs from a sturdy family of Norway, 
 " tlie land of the midnight sun." The 
 family to which he belonged was comprised 
 of the six children of Errick T. and Henri- 
 etta (Rissnasj Joice, both of whom were 
 natives of the city of Bergen, Norway. The 
 father was brought up as a cooper and fol- 
 lowed that trade for a number of years in 
 his native land. He was born in 1829, and 
 in 1849 was married, after which he brought 
 his bride to the new world, locating first in 
 the city of Chicago, where he lived for two 
 years, employed as a cooper. He then came 
 to the new State of Wisconsin, journeying 
 overland from Chicago with an o.x team and 
 settling in Dane county, where he lived for 
 some six years, removing then to Monroe 
 county, where he remained seven years. 
 Tiring of farming, he then abandoned agri- 
 cultural pursuits and settled in the city of 
 Stoughton, where he resumed the old trade 
 of coopering, carrying on a shop for fifteen 
 years and doing a profitable business. The 
 year 1 878 he became a resident of Forest 
 City, Iowa, and established a lumber busi- 
 ness which he successfully followed from that 
 time until called to his final rest. He 
 died in January, 1889, at the age of sixty 
 years. He had prospered in his under- 
 takings and had made investments in val- 
 uable farm lands as well as in city prop- 
 erty. He was a man of noble qualities, hon- 
 orable in all dealings and the respect of all 
 who knew him was cheerfully given him. He 
 was public-spirited and took a commendable 
 interest in everything pertaining tp the wel- 
 fare of the community in which he made his 
 home. During his residence in Iowa he was 
 for a time a member of the City Council, 
 and for some years was a member of the 
 School Board, taking a deep interest in the 
 
 cause of education. In politics he was al- 
 ways an ardent Republican, fully believing 
 in the principles of that party. From early 
 life he was imbued with an earnest religious 
 spirit, and after reaching mature years was 
 ordained as a minister of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church, preaching the gospel at vari- 
 ous times and in various places in Wiscon- 
 sin and Iowa, purely as a labor of love, 
 seeking no remuneration for his services. 
 His wife died in May, 1892, at the age of 
 sixty-eight. She belonged to one of the 
 leading and representative families of Nor- 
 way, her brother being at the present time 
 a member of the Parliament of that country. 
 The surviving children of the Joice family 
 are: Margaret, wife of Lewis Larson, of 
 Britt, Iowa; Petra, wife of M. J. Pihl, of 
 Forest City, Iowa; P. M., of Lake Mills, 
 Iowa; and John H., of this sketch. 
 
 Mr. Joice, of whom we write, was edu- 
 cated in Stoughton, Wisconsin, and at Al- 
 bion College, of Albion, that State. At the 
 age of fifteen he began teaching school in 
 the winter season, and continued that work 
 through his collegiate course, which he com- 
 pleted by his graduation at the age of nine- 
 teen. He then entered upon his business 
 career as bookkeeper for the Lumber, Sash 
 & Door Company of Stoughton, remaining 
 with that concern for five years. During 
 that time he was married, — being joined in 
 wedlock October i i, 1880, in Stoughton, to 
 Miss Emily K. Asbjornson, a native of that 
 city. They have now two living children, — 
 Earl H. and Clyde M. 
 
 In 1S82 Mr. Joice removed with his lit- 
 tle family to Forest City, Iowa, where for 
 one year he engaged in the lumber business 
 with his father, and in 1883 he removed to 
 Wausau, Wisconsin, where he purchased an 
 interest in the First National Bank, and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 75 
 
 served as its teller and bookkeeper. For 
 seven years he continued in Wausau, when 
 in the spring of 1 889 he came to Wells, Min- 
 nesota, and under the firm name of Joice, 
 Law & Company established a private bank, 
 which was conducted under the name of the 
 Citizens' Bank. A fine lot was purchased in 
 the center of the city and a first-class bank 
 and office building erected. Mr. Joice was 
 the active manager of the enterprise, which 
 from the start was attended with success. 
 In January, 1892, a re-organization was ef- 
 fected under the name of First National 
 Bank, capitalized for $50,000, with the fol- 
 lowing officers: A. L. Taylor, president; P. 
 M. Joice, vice-president; J. H. Joice, cash- 
 ier; and A. O. Oleson, assistant cashier. 
 This bank is one of the successful and flour- 
 ishing financial institutions of the county, 
 and is doing a constantly increasing busi- 
 ness, conducted on a safe, conservative, yet 
 progressive basis. 
 
 Mr. Joice, of this sketch, is the largest 
 stockholder in the institution, and in con- 
 nection with his interest therein he is vice- 
 president of the Security State Bank of Min- 
 nesota Lake, organized in September, 1894. 
 Since its organization in the spring of 1892, 
 he has been president of the Wells Building 
 & Loan Association, a concern which has 
 not only been a prosperous one but has also 
 been the means of promoting the welfare of 
 the community by enabling people to build 
 homes of their own who could not have 
 done this had they been compelled to 
 advance the ready money out of their own 
 pockets. Of the Farmers' Co-operative As- 
 sociation Mr. Joice is secretary, and he is 
 also secretary of the School Board. He has 
 at heart the best interests of the community, 
 working for the ad\ancement of public en- 
 terprises which are calculated to promote 
 
 the general welfare, and is one of those pro- 
 gressive men to whom the West owes its 
 rapid advancement. 
 
 In politics Mr. Joice is a Republican of 
 pronounced views, and has served as a mem- 
 ber of county and State conventions. He is 
 a leading member of a number of civic so- 
 cieties, holding membership in Walnut 
 Camp, No. i960, Modern Woodmen of 
 America, of which he is Venerable Consul, 
 and is one of the leading promoters of the 
 order in Minnesota. He is one of two dele- 
 gates from this Congressional district ap- 
 pointed to attend the Head Camp, at Madi- 
 son, Wisconsin, in the summer of 1895. 
 He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias 
 fraternity, the Independent Order of Odd 
 Fellows and the Ancient Order of United 
 Workmen. He is known as one of the 
 leading young business men of southern 
 Minnesota, but his prominence is not alone 
 in business circles, for his genial, pleasant 
 manner and his sterling worth have made 
 him a social favorite, and we see in J. H. 
 Joice one of Wells' most popular citizens. 
 
 BKANKLIN SEYMOUR TOOTH- 
 ACKER, a farmer of section 9, 
 Rutland township, is a son of Allen 
 Toothacker, born in New Hamp- 
 shire, in 1 784. His father, Roger Tooth- 
 acker, was a Revolutionary soldier, of Eng- 
 lish descent, and Allen Toothacker was a 
 soldier in the war of 181 2. The mother of 
 our subject, ncc Sallie Sloper, was born in 
 New Hampshire in 1796, a daughter of 
 Joshua Sloper, a native also of that State, 
 of Welsh descent. Allen and Sallie Tooth- 
 acker were married in Vermont, and re- 
 mained there until 1831, when they made a 
 permanent settlement in Pitcairn township. 
 
76 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 St. Lawrence county, New York, the father 
 dying there in 1864, and the mother sur- 
 vived until 1889. They were the parents 
 of nine children, seven sons and two daugh- 
 ters, and three are now living, — Roswell S., 
 of Ottawa county, Michigan; Franklin S. , 
 the subject of this sketch; and James S., of 
 Kent count)-, Michigan. Two of the sons 
 were soldiers in the Civil war, Samuel (de- 
 ceased) and James S. 
 
 Franklin S. Toothacker was born in 
 Vermont, February 16, 1827, but was 
 reared and educated in St. Lawrence county, 
 New York. He began life for himself at 
 the age of twenty-one 3ears. After his 
 marriage he resided on a farm in St. Law- 
 rence county until the spring of 1 860, then 
 spent six years on a farm in Fond du Lac 
 county, Wisconsin, next located on unim- 
 proved land in section 9, Rutland township, 
 Martin county, Minnesota, was driven from 
 there one year afterward by the grasshop- 
 pers, spent one year in Faribault county, 
 and in 1876 located on the farm he now 
 owns, then wild land. His place, consist- 
 ing of 160 acres, is now under a fine state 
 of cultivation. In his political relations 
 Mr. Toothacker was formerly a Republican, 
 but is now identified with the Prohibitioni.sts. 
 
 Our subject was married in 1853 to 
 Nancy Ann Siber, born in Oneida county. 
 New York, July 11, 1837, a daughter of 
 George Henry and Eliza Ann (Ostrander) 
 Siber, natives of the Mohawk Valley, New 
 York, the father born in 1812 and the 
 mother in 181 i. They were married in St. 
 Lawrence county, where they spent the 
 remainder of their lives, the mother dying 
 in 1877, aud the father survived until 1892. 
 They were the parents of thirtcrn cliildren, 
 si.\ now li\'ing, viz. : Aurilla, Nancy Ann, 
 John, William, George and Julia. Three of 
 
 the sons were soldiers in the Civil war, — 
 James (deceased), ^^'illiam and John. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Toothacker have had si.xteen chil- 
 dren, ten now living, namely: Lucia, wife 
 of David Barker, of Rutland township; 
 Horace G., also of this township, married 
 Katie Davis; Carrie M., wife of Sylvester 
 Cooper, one of the Superviscirs of Center 
 Creek township; Abraham L. , married Addie 
 Palmer, and resides in Westford township; 
 Benjamin Franklin, Clerk of Rutland town- 
 ship; Emma F., wife of Emery Sickler, of 
 Eraser township; Nettie Isabel; Pearl Ethel, 
 wife of Christian Hansen, of this township; 
 Laura Estell and Myrtle Ma}'. The family 
 are members of the Christian Church, in 
 which Mr. Toothacker has served as a 
 Trustee. 
 
 (D 
 
 ARTIN SAILOR, a well-known 
 farmer and stock-raiser of Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota, resides 
 on his farm in section 29, Blue 
 Earth City township. He was born in Elk- 
 hart count}', Indiana, June 17, 1835, third 
 in the family of the fifteen children of Jacob 
 and Elizabeth (George) Sailor, his father a 
 native of Monroe county, Ohio, and son of 
 Jacob Sailor. Elizabeth George was a native 
 of Virginia and a daughter of John George. 
 Jacob Sailor and his wife were among the 
 pioneers of Elkhart county, Indiana, and 
 there he passed the greater part of his life, 
 and died, being sixty-eight years of age at 
 the time of his death. His wife survived 
 him until 1894, when she died at the age of 
 eighty-four years. 
 
 On his father's frontier farm Martin Sailor 
 spent the first sixteen years of his life, and 
 from the time he was sixteen until he was 
 twenty he worked out by the month. In the 
 

 
 Q^ 
 
 
 p 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 fall of 1855 he started for Minnesota with a 
 horse team, and after a journey of twenty 
 daj's landed at the home of his uncle, Moses 
 Sailor, mention of whom is made elsewhere 
 in this work. After remaining;- here a few 
 days he went to Nashua, Iowa, to winter. 
 In the spring of 1856 he came back to Min- 
 nesota, arriving the second day of May. 
 Being willing to work, he soon secured em- 
 ployment, and here be it recorded that he 
 helped to build the first house in Blue Earth 
 City. This was the log hotel for H. P. Con- 
 stans. In 1857 the subject of our sketch 
 pre-empted 160 acres of Government land in 
 section 29, Blue Earth Cit}' township, where 
 he has since resided, and by hard work and 
 good management his labors have been 
 crowned with success. He now owns 245 
 acres of tine land near Blue Earth City, 
 where he has been prominently identified 
 with the raising of fine stock. In connec- 
 tion with his farming pursuits he has also 
 practiced veterinary surgery for some years. 
 
 During his early experience in this coun- 
 ty, Mr. Sailor made many trips with o.\ 
 teams to Nashua, Bradford and Elkader, 
 Iowa, for provisions and milling. There 
 were then no roads, and in crossing the 
 streams great difficulty was encountered. He 
 would have to unload his wagon and carry 
 his load across, wading waist deep in the 
 mud and water. This operation would have 
 to be gone through from ten to twenty-five 
 times in making the trip. On his last trip 
 he started with two yoke of oxen and they 
 got stuck in the mud with an empty wagon. 
 From seven to ten days were required in 
 making these trips. 
 
 Mr. Sailor was married February 14, 
 1858, to Miss Phebe Louisa Blancher, a 
 native of Chautaucjua c(junt\'. New York, 
 whocamewest to Iowa in 1857. They have 
 
 two children: Martha Jane, wife of Peter 
 LaDuke, and Oscar Edwin, who married 
 Ella Sulli\an. Besides their own children, 
 they reared a boy and gave him a start in 
 life when he reached his majority. Mrs. 
 Sailor is a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Sailor is an independent 
 in his voting. 
 
 * y ^ OX. MICHAELEZEKIELLEWIS 
 
 I'^^k SHANKS, a prominent attornc}' of 
 J ^ * Fairmont, was born in Berkeley 
 county, Virginia, now West Vir- 
 ginia, October 3, 1835, and descended from 
 good old Revolutionary stock. His grand- 
 father, Joseph Shanks, a native of Ireland, 
 emigrated to America in Colonial times. 
 He served the Colonies during their entire 
 seven-years struggle for independence, and 
 was with Washington at Valley Forge. The 
 father of our subject, Michael Shanks, was 
 born in Pennsylvania, and at the age of six- 
 teen years, accompanied his parents on 
 their removal to Virginia. He married 
 Martha Cleaver, a native of Virginia, and 
 daughter of Beason Cleaver, who was of 
 Scotch and Welsh descent, and a member of 
 the society of Friends. Mr. and Mrs. Shanks 
 began their domestic life in the Old Domin- 
 ion, where he followed the trade of mill- 
 wright for thirty years, removing on the 
 expiration of that period to Ohio, where 
 they spent one year, and then went to 
 Indiana, locating on a farm in Jay county, 
 in 1842. There he jarried on farming dur- 
 ing the remainder of his life, dying when 
 past the age of eighty-ti>'e years. Mrs. 
 Shanks also died in Jay county, Indiana, 
 when in the eighty-third year of her age. 
 
82 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 They had four sons and four daughters, 
 namely: AHce J. G., who grew to woman- 
 hood and mairied, but is deceased; Joseph 
 E. B., who served as a soldier during the 
 Mexican war, and died of cholera at Fort 
 Brown, Texas, while on his way home from 
 the war; Sarah E. died in infancy; John P. 
 C, a prominent lawyer and politician of 
 Portland, Indiana, who served in the State 
 Legislature, and in the United States Con- 
 gress a number of years. He was appointed 
 Colonel at the beginning of the Civil war, 
 raised the Tenth Regiment of Indiana Cav- 
 alry, and served during that struggle, being 
 a member of Fremont's staff while in Mis- 
 souri, and is now living at Portland, Indiana; 
 Martha M. B. became the wife of Billingsly 
 McCoy, a farmer of Jay county, Indiana, 
 who served in the Union army during the 
 Civil war, and died soon after; Lydia H. 
 M. married Enoch Hartley, a farmer of Jay 
 county, Indiana; M. E. L. , of this sketch; 
 and Stephen B. H. became a member of 
 the One Hundredth Indiana \V)lunteer In- 
 fantr}', was wounded at the battles of Chat- 
 tanooga and Lookout Mountain, and now 
 lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. 
 
 Mr. Shanks, of this mention, obtained his 
 primary education in the common schools of 
 Jay county, Indiana, walking a distance of 
 two and a half miles to the little schoolhouse. 
 At the age of seventeen, he went to live 
 with his brother John, and while residing 
 there attended Liber College, near Portland, 
 Indiana, where he took a three-years' scien- 
 tific course, after \\hich he studied law in 
 his brother's office. He was admitted to the 
 bar in 1856, and a few years later came to 
 Minnesota in search of a suitable place in 
 which to practice his chosen profession. In 
 Januar}', 18G0, Mr. Shanks located at Fill- 
 more, Fillmore county, wlieie he engaged in 
 
 practice, continuing until 1866, when he 
 came to Fairmont. 
 
 On his arrival here Martin county was 
 but sparsely settled, and the now prosper- 
 ous city of Fairmont contained less than 
 half a dozen houses. He has not only wit- 
 nessed almost the entire growth and devel- 
 opment of Martin county, but has also been 
 an important factor in its material advance- 
 ment, and with its political history his name 
 is inseparably connected. The first public 
 office to which he was elected in Martin 
 county, was that of Judge of the Probate 
 Court. For seven years he served as County 
 Attorney, and then declined a re-nomina- 
 tion. A stanch supporter of Republican 
 principles, he was elected by that party to 
 the State Legislature, representing the dis- 
 trict then comprising Faribault, Martin, 
 Jackson, Noble and Rock counties, in the 
 session of 1870. In 1879, he was again 
 elected to that office, a representative from 
 the district composed of Martin and Fari- 
 bault counties. While a member of the 
 house he served on the Judiciary and other 
 important committees, and labored earnestly 
 and faithfully to secure wise and beneficial 
 legislation. In 1880, Mr. Shanks was elected 
 County Auditor, and served six consecutive 
 years, when he refused further political 
 honors, and his son, E. B., the present in- 
 cumbent, was chosen as his successor. On 
 retiring from public office Mr. Shanks re- 
 sumed the practice of his profession, which 
 has since occupied his time and attention, 
 and he now enjoys a large and lucrative 
 business. 
 
 On the iith of August, 1859, at New 
 Corydon, Indiana, Mr. Shanks married 
 Martha E. Tyson, a native of Ohio, and 
 daughter of Harper and Charlotte (Jones) 
 Tyson. Mrs. Shanks was reared by an uncle, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WAI^ONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 S3 
 
 her mother having died when she was a child. 
 Her father settled in Fillmore county, this 
 State, in 1S57, where he lived until the time 
 of his death, which occurred in his eighty- 
 eighth year. Her brother. Job R. Tyson, 
 was a member of the Minnesota Mounted 
 Rangers, and died at Fort Snelling, this 
 State, while in the service. Rachel Tyson, 
 a sister of Mrs. Shanks, was attending 
 school at McConnellsville, Ohio, at the time 
 of her death. Mrs. Shanks' father and uncle 
 purchased " Woodlawn " mansion in Vir- 
 ginia, which was built and occupied by 
 George Washington, where they resided for 
 a time, subsequently removing to Philadel- 
 phia, Pennsylvania, where Mrs. Shanks 
 spent the most of her girlhood. She was a 
 student for a time in the saine college which 
 Mr. Shanks attended, and there the acquaint- 
 ance was formed which ultimatelj- resulted 
 in their marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Shanks 
 have a family of si.\ children, viz. : Edgar 
 B., the present County Auditor; John B., a 
 graduate of the University of Michigan at 
 Ann Arbor, is now principal of one of the 
 city schools in Detroit, Michigan; Harper A. 
 lost his hearing at the age of two yeari, was 
 graduated at the Deaf and Dumb Institute 
 of Faribault, Minnesota, is a shoemaker by 
 trade, also a printer, and resides with his 
 parents; Lewis E., who was educated in 
 Hamline University and the Northwestern 
 University at Evanston, Illinois, is serving 
 as Deputy County Auditor; Cora B., who is 
 well educated in music and delights in that 
 science, still brightens the home of her par- 
 ents in Fairmont; and Abbie F., a well edu- 
 cated and accomplished young woman who 
 studied music in the Northwestern University 
 at Evanston, Illinois, is the wife of J. E. 
 James, of Jackson, Minnesota. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. Shanks is a member of 
 
 Chain Lake Lodge, No. 64, A. F. & A. M., 
 in which he filled the office of Worshipful 
 Master a number of years, and of Fairmont 
 Chapter, No. 50, R. A. M., in which he is 
 serving as High Priest. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Shanks are members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in re- 
 ligious and social circles enjoy the confidence 
 and respect of a large number of friends 
 where they have so long made their home. 
 
 *-|r^ E\T NELSON DRAKE, a farmer 
 I r of section 14, Tenhassen township, 
 1^^^ Martin county, is a son of Zepha- 
 niah and Phoebe (Middaugh) Drake. 
 The father was born in Sullivan county, 
 New York, a son of Daniel Drake, a native 
 of the same place. The mother was born 
 in Pike county, Pennsylvania, as was also 
 her father, Levi Middaugh. The parents 
 were married in Pond Eddy, New York, and 
 they then resided on a farm in Pike county, 
 Pennsylvania, until the father's death, in 
 1843. The mother departed- this life in 
 1893. They were the parents of si.\ chil- 
 dren, three now living, — Levi N., the sub- 
 ject of this sketch; William J., of Minnesota; 
 and Maggie J. Buchannan, of New York. 
 
 Levi N. Drake was born in Pond Eddy, 
 New York, August 15, 1832, and remained 
 with his grandmother Drake until twenty- 
 one years of age. In 1854 he removed to 
 Waupaca county, Wisconsin, where he pur- 
 chased and improved a claim. In 1858 he 
 located in Blue Earth county, Minnesota, 
 purchased fifty-five acres of land near Shel- 
 byville, and followed agricultural pursuits 
 there until 1866. In 1863 Mr. Drake began 
 carrying United States mail from Garden 
 City to Tenhassen, three years afterward 
 carried the mail from Blue Earth City to 
 
84 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Spirit Lake, Iowa, next from Tenhassen to 
 Winnebago City, thence from Wells toMan- 
 kato, and in 1886 from Fairmont to Esther- 
 ville, Iowa. During his Government service 
 he experienced many hardships from storms 
 and other trials. In 18C3 Mr. Drake pur- 
 chased his claim in Martin county, and he 
 now owns 572 1-2 acres of well improved 
 land. 
 
 November i, 1861, Mr. Drake enlisted for 
 service in the late war, entering Company 
 I, Fifth Iowa Cavalry. He was sent to 
 Fort Donelson, afterward became sick with 
 measles at St, Louis, rejoining his regi- 
 ment at Fort Henry, was engaged in guard- 
 ing telegraph lines at Camp Lowe, and then, 
 on account of sickness, was sent to a hos- 
 pital eight miles from Corinth, remaining 
 there about four weeks. He received his 
 discharge from Keokuk, Iowa. Mr. Drake 
 is now a member of the G. A. R. , Phil. 
 Kearny Post, No. 18, and has also held 
 offices in the Masonic order. In his politi- 
 cal relations, he acts with the Republican 
 party. He has held the positions of Treas- 
 urer, Constable and Supervisor of Tenhas- 
 sen township, and has been a member of the 
 School Board in District No. 79. 
 
 Mr. Drake was married January i, 1889, 
 to Sophia Basset, born in Canada, March 
 22, 1846, a daughter of Judge Thomas and 
 Harriet (Lawrence) Nichols, natives of 
 England. They came to America when 
 young, were married in Canada, and during 
 the war removed to Chicago, Illinois. They 
 afterward went to Wisconsin, and in 1862 
 came to Minnesota, spending six months in 
 Owatonna, and then located in Pleasant 
 Prairie, Martin county. They now reside in 
 Spokane, Washington. While in Martin 
 county, Mr. Nichols ser\e(l as PiuIkiIi' Judge. 
 They had six children, — Soi)liia, John, 
 
 Thomas, Delia, Amy (deceased) and Hattie. 
 Mrs. Drake is a member of the Seventh-Day 
 
 Advcntists. 
 
 @EORGE WASHINGTON SMITH, 
 a farmer of section 20, Rolling 
 Green township, is a son of Chris- 
 topher C. and Nancy (Letson) 
 Smith. They moved from Vermont to Clin- 
 ton county. New York, thence to Wiscon- 
 sin, and in 1X65 came to Minnesota, stop- 
 ping for a short time in Dodge county. In 
 August, of the same year, they came to 
 Martin county, locating in Nashville town- 
 ship, and their nearest neighbor was two 
 miles distant. Mr. Smith improved his 
 farm and remained there about nine years, 
 when he located on unimproved land in the 
 northwest quarter of section 20, Rolling 
 Green township. Eight years afterward he 
 moved to Washington, where he still resides. 
 Mrs. Smith departed this life in 1 880. They 
 were the parents of seven children, three 
 now living, — George W., Nancy, Lelila 
 Cross and Hattie M. Oakland. By his first 
 marriage to Miss Douglas, Mr. Smith had 
 one daughter, Elsie Chamberlain. 
 
 George W. Smith, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in \'ermont, June 29, 
 1852, and came to Minnesota at the age of 
 thirteen years. From the age of eighteen 
 to twenty-four years he assisted in the sup- 
 port of his parents. In 1 877 he located on 
 the farm he now owns, consisting of 160 
 acres, all under a fine state of cultivation, 
 and he is engaged in general farming. Mr. 
 Smith spent the year of 1890 in Wash- 
 ington. 
 
 January 12, 1876, he was united in mar- 
 riage witii Lillian K. Higgins, a native of 
 I'ond du Lac county, Wisconsin, and a 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 85 
 
 daughter of Proctor ami Juliaette (Willis) 
 Higgins, who has made his home with our 
 subject for the past three years and is now 
 in the eighty-third year of his age. To 
 this union have been born five children, 
 namely: Martin Earl, born June 24, 1879; 
 Charles Irving, born January 9, 1S81; Mabel 
 Clare, November 28, 1882; George Frank- 
 lin, June I, 1885; and Lela Ruby, July 8, 
 1889. The family are members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church at Welcome, 
 in which Mr. Smith holds the position of 
 Trustee, and they are regular in attendance 
 at the Sunday-school. In political matters 
 Mr. Smith afifiliates with the Prohibition 
 party, and has served as Director of School 
 District No. 51. 
 
 *| ^ ON. BASIL SMOUT, a prominent 
 W "% pioneer of Faribault county, re- 
 \ ^ r siding at Wells since 1870, was born 
 in London, England, March 20, 
 1835. His father, M. J. Smout, a tailor by 
 trade, married Ann Ichman. These par- 
 ents, both natives of Albion's isle, brought 
 up to years of maturity five children, — Will- 
 iam, Charles, Basil, Peter and Catharine 
 Margaret. The last mentioned married John 
 Robertson, of Cornwall, Canada West. 
 William died in Madras, India, was a sol- 
 dier in Her Majesty's service, the Forty- 
 third Light Infantry; Peter is now in Ever- 
 ett, Washington; and Catharine resides at 
 Austin, Minnesota; but it is not known where 
 Charles is. 
 
 Mr. Basil Smout, concerning whom this 
 sketch is written, was five years old when 
 his parents emigrated to Canada. His 
 father was a master tailor in the Sixty- 
 seventh Infantry of Her Majesty's service. 
 On emigration to this country the family set- 
 
 tled in Cornwall, Canada West, where they 
 resided for a number of years. Young Basil 
 was educated in the public schools. When 
 si.xteen years of age he went to Oswego, 
 New York, and was employed there as a 
 clerk in a grocery store for a year. Return- 
 ing to Canada, he learned the trade of 
 tinner, in Cornwall; then went to Potsdam, 
 New York, and afterward to Fulton, same 
 State, and landed at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 
 in May, 1855. In August following he went 
 to Prairie du Sac, in that State, where. May 
 31, 1857, he was married. 
 
 During the civil war he enlisted as a pri- 
 vate in Company K, Twenty-third Wiscon- 
 sin Volunteer Infantry, for three years, and, 
 having aided in the enlistment and organiza- 
 tion of the company, he was elected Orderly 
 Sergeant, and served as such for a period of 
 seven months, when he was promoted to 
 the rank of Second Lieutenant. He was 
 with his company through the Vicksburg 
 and Red river campaigns. March 28, 1864, 
 he was detailed and took command of the 
 Pioneer company of the Fourth Division, 
 Thirteenth Army Corps, when with his men 
 he helped to construct the famed Bailey 
 dam on Red river at Alexandria, Louisiana, 
 for which service he with others received the 
 thanks of the United States Congress. He 
 was in fourteen engagements altogether, 
 and was honorably discharged for disability 
 in December, i S64, hax'ing served twenty- 
 eight months. 
 
 Shortly after returning to Prairie du Sac 
 he mo\'e(l to Austin, Minnesota, where he 
 and W. L. Austin engaged in the hardware 
 trade under the firm name of Austin & 
 Smout. In 1870 he moved to Wells, Fari- 
 bault county, where he carried on the hard- 
 ware business for many years; he is now en- 
 gaged in trade in agricultural implements, etc.- 
 
86 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mr. Sinout has always been a Republi- 
 can, having voted for General John C. Fre- 
 mont in 1856, and his capacity (or public 
 service and his integrity have ever been 
 recognized by his fellow citizens, who have 
 kept him in office so far as they could per- 
 suade him to accept. He has twice repre- 
 sented his district in the State Legislature, 
 has held various town offices, and is at pres- 
 ent chairman of the town board. 
 
 For his wife he married Emma L. Aus- 
 tin, who was born in Boscawen, New Hamp- 
 shire, a daughter of William L. and May 
 W. Austin. Mr. and Mrs. Austin were na- 
 tives of Vermont. 
 
 >Y*OHN CLABAUGH, deceased, was 
 m one of the pioneer settlers of Fari- 
 m J bault county, Minnesota, and one of 
 its most highly respected citizens. 
 Some personal mention of his life and family 
 is herewith presented. 
 
 John Clabaugh was born in Bedford 
 county, Pennsylvania, December 2, 1812, 
 and was reared to farm life and educated in 
 the public schools. His parents were James 
 and Elizabeth Clabaugh, both of German 
 descent. After his marriage, which event 
 occurred in 1842, Mr. Clabaugh continued 
 fanning in his native State a short time, 
 from there removing to Crawford county, 
 Ohio, where he rented land four years. At 
 the end of that time he again turned his face 
 westward and took up his abode in Fayette 
 county, Iowa, near West Union. On a 
 rented farm at that place he continued to 
 reside until 1856, when he came to Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota, and settled on 
 section 10, Winnebago City township, pre- 
 empting 160 acres of land and buying eighty 
 acres adjoining his pre-emption claim. To 
 
 the cultivation and improvement of this farm 
 he devoted his energies, was successful in 
 his operations, and at his death, December 
 20, 1889, left to his widow and children a 
 nice propert}'. Mr. Clabaugh was a man of 
 many sterling traits of character, and was 
 honored and respected by all who knew him. 
 Politically he was in early life a Whig, and 
 after the organization of the Republican 
 party he gave his support to it. He was a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 March 10, 1842, Mr. Clabaugh married 
 Miss Mary Jane Jemison, a native of the 
 same county in which he was born, and a 
 daughter of Joseph and Susan (Ritchie) 
 Jemison, both natives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. 
 Clabaugh is still living at the old homestead. 
 They had a family of seven children, all of 
 whom grew to maturit}'. James, the eldest 
 son, enlisted August 17, 1862, in Company 
 D, Ninth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and 
 served nearly two years, participating in all 
 the engagements in which his regiment took 
 part. He was taken prisoner at Guntown, 
 Missouri, and was imprisoned for a time at 
 Mobile, and was then taken to Anderson- 
 ville, where he was incarcerated. He had 
 had a partial sunstroke the day of the bat- 
 tle, and he did not long survive the starva- 
 tion and neglect of that terrible prison life, 
 dying July 17, 1864. He was a young man 
 of noble character, and that he was held in 
 high regard by his comrades is evinced by 
 the fact that they named the G. A. R. post 
 at Winnebago City James Clabaugh, in 
 honor of him. The other members of the 
 family are as follows: Winnie, wife of 
 Thomas White, resides in Spencer, Iowa; 
 Susie, wife of John Nichols, resides on a 
 farm in this township; Cornelia, wife of Ben- 
 jamin F. Pierce, lives in Winnebago City 
 t(>wnshi[\ Mr. Pierce being a carpenter; 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 S? 
 
 Emma is the wife of John Goldsworthy, a 
 stock dealer of Spencer, Iowa; Luther, who 
 died October 8, 1893; and Elgie, wife of 
 Victor Resche, lives at the old Clabaugh 
 homestead. 
 
 m 
 
 ARTIN V. CARPENTER, who 
 has been one of those indomitable 
 men who assisted in the reclaim- 
 ing of Fairbault county from the 
 primitive wilds and who is recognized as one 
 of the representative agriculturists and most 
 honored residents of said county, well merits 
 consideration in the compilation of such a 
 volume as the one at hand. 
 
 A native of Cattaraugus county. New 
 York, Martin V. Carpenter was born on 
 the 7th of August, 1839. The Carpenter 
 family were early settlers of the Empire 
 State, and John Carpenter, the grandfather 
 of our subject, was a soldier in the war of 
 1 81 2, as were also two of his sons. Grand- 
 mother Carpenter was before her marriage 
 a Miss Avery, and she, too, was a native of 
 New York. The most of their lives, how- 
 ever, was passed in Ashtabula county, Ohio, 
 where they died. Their son, John, the 
 father of our subject, was reared in Oneida' 
 county, New York. He married Miss Sally 
 Aniidon, a native of Readsboro, Vermont, 
 and a daughter of Rev. Ezra Amidon, a 
 clergyman in the Reformed Methodist 
 Church. He died at Waupun, Wisconsin. 
 The younger John Carpenter and his wife 
 lived in Cattaraugus county, New York, for 
 over forty years. In 1867 they came to 
 Minnesota, and here passed the closing years 
 of their lives. The mother died at the age 
 of seventy-six years, and the father at eighty- 
 six. He was a Democrat in politics, and 
 while in New York took an active part in 
 
 public affairs. He served efficiently as 
 Sheriff of Cattaraugus county. Fraternally 
 he w-as a Mason, and was buried by the 
 order he loved and of which he was an hon- 
 ored member. He and his wife had seven 
 children, namely: Ruth, who died in Ohio; 
 lantha Darling, of Wisconsin; Avery, who 
 died when young; Sarah Franklin, who died 
 in Dodge county, Minnesota; T. J., a resi- 
 dent of Verona township, Fairbault county; 
 James. Monroe, a member of the One Hun- 
 dred and Fifty-fourth New York Infantry, 
 died at Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Martin 
 v., the immediate subject of this review. 
 Martin V. Carpenter was reared to farm 
 
 , life and was educated in the common schools. 
 
 I He has been identified with Verona town- 
 ship since September 22, 1867, and since that 
 time he has owned his present farm, which 
 was all wild land at the time he assumed 
 possession thereof. He now has 330 acres, 
 well improved, with good house, barn, wind- 
 mill, etc., and everything in fine order. 
 During the past four years he has been a 
 resident of Blue Earth City, where he has 
 an elegant residence, erected at a cost of 
 $3,000, but he returned to the farm in the 
 fall of 1894. 
 
 Mr. Carpenter was married July 4, 1861, 
 to Sylvia Macomber, who was born and 
 reared in Wyoming county. New York, 
 daughter of William H. and Harriet (Bal- 
 com) Macomber, the former a native of On- 
 tario county. New York, and the latter of 
 Williamstown, Massachusetts. Mrs. Macom- 
 ber is a daughter of William and Sally 
 (Laribee)Balcom, and her grandfather Lari- 
 bee was a soldier in the war of the Revolu- 
 tion. William H. Macomber and his wife 
 came to Faribault county, Minnesota, in 
 1868, and here he died in 1890, at the age 
 of seventy-three years. Mrs. Macomber is 
 
ss 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 still a resident t)f the county, hiuing attained 
 her seventy-third year. She is a member of 
 the Baptist Church. Mrs. Carpenter is their 
 only child. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter have three chil- 
 dren living, namely: Mabel, Mina May and 
 Eugene M. They lost one child in infancy; 
 Hattie died at the age of ten years; Ada 
 Belle, wife of Moses Leonard, died in 1S92, 
 at the age of twent3'-tvvo jears; and Erma 
 Myrtle died December 10, 1894, at the age 
 of fourteen years and seven months. The 
 eldest surviving daughter is a popular and 
 successful teacher. 
 
 Fraternally Mr. Carpenter is identified 
 with Blue Earth City Lodge, No. 57, A. F. 
 & A. M., and with Orient Lodge, No. 34, A. 
 O. U. W., of Blue Earth City. Politically he 
 is a Democrat, and while he has never been 
 an office-seeker he has served acceptably as 
 Supervisor and as a member of the School 
 Board. Mrs Carpenter and daughters are 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 eDGAR BEASON SHANKS 
 is well known throughout Martin 
 county and is now serving as County 
 Auditor. He has the honor of 
 being a native of Minnesota, for he was born 
 in Fillmore count}-, July 31, i860. He is 
 the eldest son of Hon. M. E. L. and Martha 
 E. (Tyson) Shanks, and came to Fairmont 
 with his parents when a child of si,x years. 
 Here he began school at the age of nine 
 years and pursued his studies until eighteen 
 years of age, acquiring a good practical 
 knowledge, which has been of much use to 
 him in his business career. Between the 
 ages of sixteen and nineteen years he carried 
 the mail from Blue Earth City to Fairmont, 
 and in this wav earned his first monc\'. He 
 
 afterward spent eight months at work upon 
 the railroad, receiving one dollar per day, 
 and the money he thus earned was used to 
 pa}' his tuition in a business college in St. 
 Paul, at which he was graduated in the spring 
 of 1 88 1 . Realizing the need of a good busi- 
 ness education, he made strenuous efforts to 
 obtain one, and by industry and perseverance 
 accomplished this. 
 
 On his return home Mr. Shanks received 
 the appointment of Deputy County Anditor, 
 in March, -1 88 1, and for five years served in 
 that capacity, discharging his duties in a very 
 prompt and efficient manner, so much so 
 that on the e.xpiration of that period, in 1 886, 
 he was elected to the superior office and has 
 since been County Auditor. When elected 
 he was the youngest man filling such a posi- 
 tion in the State, which certainly was a com- 
 pliment to his ability and indicated his per- 
 sonal popularit}' and the confidence reposed 
 in him. .\t each succeeding election he has 
 been chosen his own successor, and in 1894 
 was again elected, so that when his present 
 term expires he will have served for ten years 
 as County Auditor, while his connection with 
 the office will cover a period of fifteen years 
 — a record of which he may well be proud. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Shanks became a member 
 of Company D, Second Minnesota National 
 Guards, and served as Corporal for a time. 
 He was afterward made First Sergeant, later 
 Color Sergeant, then Second Lieutenant, 
 and, in December, 1894, he was elected to 
 the Captaincy of the company, which position 
 he still retains. His company occupies sec- 
 ond rank in the regiment, and under the able 
 leadership of Captain Shanks it will no doubt 
 win higher honors. Our subject is also serv- 
 ing as a member of the Board of Education, 
 to which position he was first elected in July, 
 1891, his re-election dating July, 1894. In 
 
-^i 
 
 //////V// 
 
FARIBAUL7\ MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 May, 1891, and at each succeeding election, 
 he has been chosen a member of the board of 
 directors of the Fairmont Buildinf( & Loan 
 Association. He affiHates with Fairmont 
 Lod^e, No. 70, I. O. O. F. , in which he has 
 passed all the chairs and was sent as the 
 representative of his lodge to the Grand 
 Lodge in 1892, being at present Captain of 
 the Degree Team. 
 
 On-the 15th of April, 1883, was celebra- 
 ted the marriage of Captain Shanks and Miss 
 Lilly Meteer, who was born near Springfield, 
 Illinois, July 4, 1857, and who, when about 
 ten years of age became a resident of St. 
 Charles, Minnesota, removing thence to 
 Martin county eight years later. To our 
 subject and his wife were born four children, 
 two sons and two daughters, namely: Ivan, 
 Etta, Mabel, and Marc. Wherever Cap- 
 tain Shanks is known he is honored and re- 
 spected, whether in social, political or mili- 
 tary circles and wherever he goes he wins 
 friends. His long continuance in public 
 office, his advancement to the Captaincy of 
 his company and his connection with edu- 
 cational interests show that he has the high 
 regard of all, and therefore we take great 
 pleasure in presenting to our readers this 
 brief record of his life. 
 
 aHARLES S. DUNBAR, who carries 
 on general fanning on section 17, 
 Foster township, Faribault county, 
 claims New York as the State of 
 his nativity, Seneca, Ontario county, as the 
 locality of his birth, and May 16, 1831, as 
 the date. The Dunbar family was founded 
 in America in early Colonial days by mem- 
 bers of the family who emigrated from 
 county Merle, Scotland. The great-grand- 
 father of our subject, Asa Dunbar, was born 
 5 
 
 in Massachusetts, about the year 1730, and 
 was a man of prominence in the community 
 in which he made his home. Of gigantic 
 stature, si.x feet and a half in height, every 
 one knew Asa Dunbar, and his sterling worth 
 commanded the respect of all. The grand- 
 father, Joshua Dunbar, was born in the old 
 historic town of Barnstable, on Cape Cod, 
 in the year 1763, and during the last two 
 years of the Revolutionary war aided the 
 Colonies in their struggle for independence. 
 He was for one year a privateer and the re- 
 mainder of the time a member of the mili- 
 tia. After the war was over he married 
 Lydia Odle, and in 1790 emigrated with his 
 family to New York, settling in the town of 
 Seneca. The journey was made with an ox 
 cart, which contained the household effects 
 as well as the family. Mr. Dunbar entered 
 land and settled in the wilderness, becoming 
 one of the pioneers of that region. He spent 
 his life in clearing away the forest and de- 
 veloping his land, and a fine farm resulted 
 from his labors; and there he and his wife 
 were buried. From a feeling of pride he 
 would receive no pension for his services in 
 the war of the Revolution, but after his 
 death one was granted his widow through- 
 out the remainder of her life. 
 
 Joshua Dunbar, father of our subject, 
 was born on the family homestead in Seneca, 
 New York, on the 28th of October, 1802, 
 and in 1834 removed to Niagara county. 
 New York, settling in the town of Royalton, 
 where he lived until 1846, at which time, 
 accompanied by his family, he emigrated to 
 Rock county, Wisconsin, and lived in Mag- 
 nolia township until 1859. Then he re- 
 moved to Freeborn county, Minnesota, tak- 
 ing up his residence in the town of IJancroft, 
 where he continued for twenty years, and in 
 1S79 he came to I'oster townshi]), Faribault 
 
92 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 county, spending his last days in the home 
 of his son, dying in 1885, at the age of 
 eighty-three years. During his active busi- 
 ness hfe he carried on farming and won sac- 
 cess in his undertakings. He was a man of 
 more than average intelHgence, a great 
 reader who through hfe kept himself well 
 informed on all the questions and events of 
 the day. Broad-minded and progressive, 
 there was nothing little or contracted in his 
 nature, and his many excellencies won him 
 high esteem. In his early manhood he mar- 
 ried Jane Marble, who was born in \'ienna, 
 New York, a daughter of Ephraim Marble, 
 a native of Massachusetts, whose remote 
 anscestors were of English birth. The great- 
 great-grandfather of Mrs. Dunbar, Abraham 
 Marble, emigrated to this country from old 
 Albion and settled in the Massachusetts 
 Colony in the memorable year of 1776, 
 which saw the birth of this nation. 
 
 The onl}" son of Joshua and Jane Dunbar 
 is the gentleman whose name introduces this 
 review. He lived in the county of his na- 
 tivity until two years of age, and was then 
 taken by his parents to Niagara county. New 
 York, where he remained until fifteen years 
 of age, — the time of his arrival in the Missis- 
 sippi valley. From 1846 until 1850 he was 
 a resident of Wisconsin, and in the latter 
 year went to California, attracted by the 
 discover}' of gold on the Pacific slope. Like 
 thousands of others he was thrilled with the 
 thought that he might rapidly acquire a for- 
 tune in the newly discovered Eldorado, but 
 only varying success came to him during 
 the four years in which he engaged in min- 
 ing in the Golden State. Thinking that the 
 opportunities of the East equaled those of 
 that region, he returned to his old home in 
 Wisconsin, was married and settled down to 
 the routine of farm life. 
 
 It was in September, 1854, that Mr. 
 Dunbar led to the marriage altar Miss Ellen 
 Maria Thomas, daughter of Asaph Upham 
 and Mary C. (Flint) Thomas, the former 
 born in New Jersey in 18 12. The mother 
 of Mrs. Dunbar was a sister of the mother 
 of the celebrated Ben Wade. His wife's 
 people were of Connecticut, and her father 
 was one of the heroes of the Revolution, 
 serving as an officer in that ever memorable 
 struggle for independence. His uniform is 
 now in possession of his descendants. To 
 Mr. and Mrs. Dunbar have been born ten 
 children, who are yet living, namely. Edna, 
 wife of W. J. Taylor, of Wells; Thomas Jay, 
 a farmer of Foster township, Fairbault 
 county; Oscar, a painter, of W'ells; Ada 
 Ruth, at home; Nellie, wife of J. C. Stearns, 
 of Wells; Hattie A., wife of L. A. Rice, of 
 South Dakota; Grant, who is now serving 
 as City Marshal of Wells; Mark Asaph, also 
 living in Wells; May Centennial, at home; 
 and Delos Flint, who completes the family. 
 
 Upon his marriage Mr. Dunbar settled 
 in the Badger State, where he continued for 
 four years, when in 1858 he came to Minne- 
 sota, settling in Bancroft township, Free- 
 born county, where he lived for three years. 
 The year 1861 witnessed his arrival in Fari- 
 bault county. He pre-empted 160 acres of 
 Government land on sections 17 and 20, and 
 afterward homesteaded the same, and he was 
 the first settler south of Rice lake. He has 
 since lived on his farm and has transformed 
 the once wild tract of land into rich and fer- 
 tile fields, and many improvements in the 
 way of fences and buildings add to the value 
 and attractive appearance of the place. 
 
 His farm labors were suspended for a 
 time in 1863, when he offered his services to 
 his country and was assigned to Company 
 K, Second Minnesota Cavalry. His duty 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 93 
 
 was on the frontier, fighting the Indians antl 
 building stockades, forts, etc. He wore the 
 blue until May, 1866, when he was honor- 
 ably discharged and returned at once to his 
 home. He has always been deeply inter- 
 ested in the development of this region, re- 
 alizing its vast resources and aiding in bring- 
 ing these forth. He .has been frequently 
 called to public office and has ever dis- 
 charged his duties with a promptness and 
 fidelity that has gained him the confidence 
 of all concerned. Whether on the frontier 
 in Indian warfare, in public office or in pri- 
 vate life, he is true to the trust reposed in 
 him. In 1862 he was chairman of the Town 
 Board of Supervisors of Foster township, 
 was also Town Assessor, and after his re- 
 turn from Government service he was again 
 made chairman of the Town Board, in 1867. 
 The following year he was elected Justice of 
 the Peace, and has since filled that position. 
 No higher testimonial could be given of his 
 efficient service than his long continuance in 
 office, and his just rulings and unbiased 
 judgments are commended by all. In 1875 
 he was elected to the State Legislature and 
 served in what was known as the Centen- 
 nial session. His views are in harmony with 
 the principles of the Republican party, with 
 which he has been connected since its or- 
 ganization. Socially he is connected with 
 Ransom Post, No. 165, G. A. R., and is an 
 honorary member of the Modern Woodmen 
 of America, to which his sons also belong. 
 Mr. Dunbar has been quite active in his 
 attempts to develop the dairy resources of 
 Faribault county, and in the spring of 1894 
 was instrumental in establishing the Foster 
 Co-operative Dairy Association. A cream- 
 cry was built upon his land and the plant is 
 fitted up with the best modern appliances, 
 while from the beginning the enterprise has 
 
 been a pronounced success. There are at 
 present some forty-two stock-holders, and 
 the business is prosecuted on quite an exten- 
 sive scale. Excellent executive ability and 
 managerial power he brought to the under- 
 taking, and the prosperity of the concern has 
 been largely secured through his well- 
 directed efforts. 
 
 aAPTAIN ALEXANDER ANDER- 
 SON, one of the honored veterans 
 of the late war, is now the popular 
 and efficient cashier of the Farm- 
 ers and Merchants' Bank of Blue Earth 
 City, and is one of the representative busi- 
 ness men of the place, having been identified 
 with various enterprises and interests which 
 have added materially to the prosperity and 
 progress of the community. 
 
 Captain Anderson was born in Putnam, 
 Washington county. New York, November 
 28, 1 83 1, and is a son of William and Jean 
 (Best) Anderson, the former a native of En- 
 gland and the latter of Scotland. About the 
 year 1826 they crossed the briny deep to the 
 New World, settling in Washington county 
 where the father cleared and improved a farm 
 of 140 acres. As his financial resources 
 were increased he added to that place from 
 time to time until his landed estate aggre- 
 gated 300 acres. He was an cnter])rising 
 man, and his well directed efforts brought 
 him a prosperity which he richly deserved. 
 Upon the old homestead both he and his es- 
 timable wife sptnit their remaining days, his 
 death occurring at the very advanced age of 
 ninety-three years. In their family were 
 eleven children, and the circle was unbroken 
 until after all had attained to years of ma- 
 i turitv. Four sons and a daughter still sur- 
 
9t 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 vive. The parents were devout Christian 
 people, long holding membership with the 
 United Presbyterian Church, and for many 
 years the father served as one of its Elders. 
 
 Captain Anderson spent the first nine- 
 teen years of his life on the old home place, 
 aiding in the labors of the fields and attend- 
 ing the public schools where he acquired a 
 fair English education. He then started out 
 in life on his own responsibility and his first 
 independent effort was as a clerk in a store 
 in Benson, Rutland county, Vermont, where 
 he remained for two years, during which 
 time he obtained a good knowledge of busi- 
 ness methods. Going thence to Champlain, 
 Clinton county. New York, with his em- 
 ployer, he was again in a store for two years, 
 after w-hich he returned to Benson and em- 
 barked in business for himself, purchasing, 
 in company with his brother, James, the old 
 store in which he had first served as a sales- 
 man. The partnership, which continued for 
 two years, was terminated by the death of 
 the brother, after which our subject was 
 alone in business at Benson for a year. Then 
 removing his stock of goods to Champlain. 
 New York, Captain Anderson was one of its 
 enterprising merchants for three years, at 
 the end of which time he sold out, and in 
 company with his brother, Anthony, pur- 
 chased a saw and grist mill at Putnam, New 
 York, which they operated until nur subject 
 entered the army. 
 
 It was as a private of Company D, One 
 Hundred and Twenty-third New York \'ol- 
 unteer Infantry that he enlisted, and prior to 
 being mustered into the service, he was de- 
 tailed in the recruiting service. On the 14th 
 of August, 1862, after recruiting his com- 
 pany, he was commissioned First Lieutenant. 
 The troops were mustered in at Salem, and 
 after two weeks' drill at that place were 
 
 sent to the front. He continued in active 
 service until the close of the war, participat- 
 ing in some of the most important engage- 
 ments of the long struggle, and wherever 
 duty called he was alwa}s found faitiiful to 
 the old flag and the cause it represented. 
 At Kulp's farm he was hit in the shoulder- 
 blade by a grape shot, but as he was the 
 only officer on duty there he did not leave 
 his post although he suffered severe pain. 
 At Peach Tree Creek he was struck by a 
 spent ball and had to be carried off the field, 
 but soon recovered and was again in active 
 service. His meritorious conduct on the 
 field of battle and his well known loyalty 
 won him promotion to the rank of Captain, 
 and he continued in command of his com- 
 pany until the w-ar was over, when he was 
 honorably discharged. To the brave boys in 
 blue the countr\' owes a debt of gratitude 
 which can never be repaid, but their valorous 
 deeds will live on the pages of history when 
 the veterans are sleeping beneath the sod. 
 In 1865 Captain Anderson returned to 
 the North, and going to New York city 
 accepted a position as salesman in a whole- 
 sale boot and shoe house, \\\i\\ which lie 
 continued his connection three years. Since 
 1868 he has been a resident of Blue Earth 
 City, Minnesota, and one of its most influ- 
 ential citizens. Ere coming to the West he 
 was married, having, in 1857, led to the 
 altar Miss Charlotte Ladd, a native of Ver- 
 mont, and a daughter of P. G. Ladd. Her 
 death occurred in 1861, and on the 19th of 
 March, 1869, he was again married, his sec- 
 ond union being with Miss Elizabeth Easton, 
 a native of Putnam, New York, and a 
 daughter of George and Mary (Ledgerwood) 
 Easton, the former a native of the Empire 
 State and the latter of Scotland. The 
 children of this union, two in number, are 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 95 
 
 Fred W. , who is a clerk in the bank of 
 which his father is cashier, and who mar- 
 ried, July 1 8, 1894, Miss Grace Reynolds, 
 of Putnam, New York, a daughter of Rev. 
 Dr. J. .'\. Reynolds; and Annie E. The Cap- 
 tain and his wife are memljcrs of the Pres- 
 byterian Church and are people of promi- 
 nence in the community, devoted to what- 
 ever tends to promote its moral worth and 
 educational interests. He is identified with 
 Blue Earth City Lodge, No. 57, F. & A. 
 M., and politically he affiliates with the 
 Republican party. 
 
 Upon his arri\al in Blue Earth City, 
 Captain Anderson opened a general mer- 
 chandise store in connection with his brother 
 John, and they successfully carried on that 
 business for five years, when, in 1S73, he 
 sold out and turned his attention to a col- 
 lecting and loan business. From 1875 un- 
 til 1 88 1 he was proprietor of a grocery 
 store, and in the latter year he began opera- 
 tion in the insurance, loan and real-estate 
 business, which he continued until 1890. It 
 was then that he aided in the organization 
 of the Farmers & Merchants' Bank, asso- 
 ciated with G. D. McArthur, S. Pfeffer and 
 Anthony Anderson. On its formation he 
 became its cashier and has since occupied 
 that position, discharging the duties devolv- 
 ing upon him in a most acceptable manner. 
 Owing largely to his earnest efforts it has 
 become one of the solid financial institu- 
 tions of southern Minnesota with a sure and 
 conservative policy and careful management. 
 The Captain possesses indomitable persever- 
 ance and energy and his well directed efforts 
 enable him to carry forward to successful 
 completion whatever he undertakes. His 
 life has been a business one, strictly honor- 
 able and upright, and naught can be said 
 against the dealings of Captain Anderson, 
 
 <V^EV. JOHN NEWTON LONG- 
 I ^r STREET, a farmer of section 32, 
 \ . P I\olling Green township, Martin 
 count\', is a son of Ivichard Long- 
 street, born in New York in 18 16. His 
 father, John Longstreet, was also a native 
 of that State, as was his father, Orrin Long- 
 street. The grandfather moved to Canada 
 at the age of seventy years. The mother of 
 our subject, ncc Nancy Warden, was a na- 
 tive of Nova Scotia, and a daughter of 
 Samuel Warden, born in 181 2. The par- 
 ents of our subject were married in Erin 
 township, near Acton, Ontario, Canada, 
 but afterward located in Wellington Square, 
 Halton county, Ontario, and four years 
 later removed to Norwich Gore, Oxford 
 count}', Ontario, where the father died at 
 the age of si.xty years. The mother now 
 lives in Hawtrey, Canada. 
 
 John N. Longstreet, the eldest of eight 
 children, seven now living, was born in 
 Wellington Square, Canada, August 12, 
 1839. He remained in the Province of On- 
 tario until twenty-five years of age, and 
 then, in 1865, came to the United States, 
 locating in Fillmore county, Minnesota. In 
 1868 he came to Martin county, and ob- 
 tained his present farm from the Land Office 
 then at Winnebago City. He owns 160 
 acres, mostly under culti\'atit)n, and, having 
 killed a native wild elk here in 1873, the 
 place is now called Elk Horn Farm. Mr. 
 Longstreet is a member of the Freewill 
 Baptist Church, but was formerly a " close- 
 communion," and has been engaged in min- 
 isterial work here since 1872. He has also 
 been prominent in Sunday-school wirk, 
 having organized many schools, and has 
 been Superintendent and teacher ever since 
 his boyhood days. He is now teacher of the 
 Bible class at Welcome. In political mat- 
 
96 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ters, Mr. Longstreet is a Prohibitionist, in 
 which he has taken a leading part, having 
 served as a delegate to State, Senatorial and 
 district conventions. At the organization of 
 the township he was the author of its name. 
 Rolling Green. 
 
 In February, i86g, our subject was 
 united in marriage with Serena Rebecca 
 Malone, a native of Vermillion county, In- 
 diana, and a daughter of Thompson and 
 Mary Malone. who lived in Indiana for many 
 years, and where the mother died. The 
 father afterward married, and now resides in 
 southern Kansas. He had seven children, 
 three now living. Mrs. Longstreet was born 
 January i, 1847, and located in Fillmore 
 county, Minnesota, at the age of twelve 
 years. Mr. and Mrs. Longstreet have had 
 five children, — Eda A., wife of George W. 
 Rainy, of Martin county; Ida L. , a successful 
 teacher; Richard Newton; Nancy Olive; and 
 Charles H., who died in infanc}'. 
 
 HLLEN CORY, one of Easton's 
 leading business men and repre- 
 sentative citizens, is a native of St. 
 Lawrence county. New York. He 
 was born July 4, 1845, in a little old frame 
 house i8.\24 feet, which was studded with 
 heavy timbers, while the rafters were hewn 
 out of the neighboring forests by the father, 
 one of the pioneer settlers of that locality. 
 The parents were George W. and Mary 
 E. (Town) Cory. The former was born in 
 Grafton county. New Hampshire, in 1814. 
 The family was founded early in New Eng- 
 land, for his grandfather was also a native 
 of the old Granite State. Early in the pres- 
 ent century George W. Cory removed to St. 
 Lawrence count}-. New York, where he pur- 
 chased land and carried on farming until his 
 
 emigration to Faribault count}-, in the 
 spring of 1866, accompanied by his wife and 
 all but two of his children — Samuel and Lu- 
 cinda, who had previously come to this State. 
 Here Mr. Cory secured a 200-acre farm on 
 section 13, Lura township, and upon it 
 spent the remainder of his life, passing to 
 the spirit world in May, 1889, when in the 
 seventy-fifth year of his age. He was laid 
 to rest in the Lura cemetery and many 
 friends mourned his death. He never sought 
 official distinction, preferring to give his 
 time to business. He was always scrupu- 
 lously honest and e.xact, and his life was one 
 well worthy of emulation. His wife, who 
 was born May 5, 18 14, still survives her hus- 
 band, and makes her home with her daugh- 
 ter, in Minnesota Lake. She is still in pos- 
 session of her mental faculties, her years 
 resting lightly upon her. She and her hon- 
 ored husband were friends to the poor and 
 needy and their lives were fiilled with many 
 good deeds. 
 
 The record of their children is as fol- 
 lows: Lorinda, who died in Louisville, 
 St. Lawrence county. New York, the wife 
 of Robert Smith, who enlisted at Ogdens- 
 burg. New York, in Company G, Si.xticth 
 New York Infantry, served under Joe 
 Hooker, participated in the battle of Look- 
 out Mountain and found a soldier's grave; 
 Samuel, who carried on a furniture store in 
 Winnebago City for a number of years, and 
 is now Superintendent of the water 
 works of that place; he was also a 
 member of Company G, Si.xtieth New 
 York Regiment, enlisting in 1S61, in Ogdens- 
 burg, and serving fcnir years; participated in 
 the battles of Lookout Mountain and Mis- 
 sionary Ridge, and after the war, in 1865, 
 came to Faribault county, where he has 
 since made his home; Lucinda, who is the 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 97 
 
 wife of Jesse Wilson, for the past quarter of 
 a century making her home in the Golden 
 State; Allen, the next younger; Elvira, the 
 wife of George A. Clark, who was one of 
 the early educators of Blue Earth county, 
 where he taught school for several years, 
 and is now living in Mapleton, Minnesota; 
 Harriet, who is the wife of S. A. Bradley, 
 and for more than twenty-five years has 
 lived in southeastern Minnesota, and is now 
 located in Minnesota Lake township, Fari- 
 bault county; Ellen, the wife of Allen Cat- 
 lin. County Commissioner of Martin county, 
 and one of its old-time residents; Louisa, 
 who married Jam.es Wilson; Mr. Wilson is 
 engaged in business in Los Angeles, Cali- 
 fornia; Malvina, the youngest, who died in 
 childhood. 
 
 Allen Cory acquired his literary educa- 
 tion in a log schoolhouse near his home. 
 School was held for about five months 
 during the year, and the remainder of the 
 time he aided in the labors of the farm, but 
 much of his spare time he devoted to study, 
 and in that way, and through contact with 
 the world and through observation, he has 
 made himself a well informed man. On the 
 20th of Februarj', 1865, although not yet of 
 age, he responded to the country's call for 
 troops and enlisted in Company B, one 
 Hundred Ninety-third New York Infantry, 
 under Captain E. C. I-inapp. He continued 
 at the front until after the close of the war, 
 and was honorably discharged at Harper's 
 Ferry January 18, 1866, and mustered out 
 in Albany, New York. 
 
 Returning to his home in the spring of 
 that year, Mr. Cory came to Faribault county 
 and two months later, on attaining his major- 
 ity, he purchased 200 acres of wild prairie 
 land on section 24, Lura township. This 
 once barren tract he m^de to bloom and 
 
 blossom as the rose, and the farm be- 
 came one the most attractive and desir- 
 able in this community. He successfully- 
 carried on general farming and stock-rais- 
 ing until i88g, when he left the old home- 
 stead and removed to Easton, purchasing 
 an interest in the hardware store which 
 is now conducted under the firm name of 
 H. P. Edwards & Company. His pleasant, 
 affable manner and liis well-known veracity 
 have gained him a liberal patronage, and the 
 proprietors of the store are now enjoying a 
 large trade. He is never so busy that he 
 has not time to devote to public interests 
 calculated to promote the moral and intel- 
 lectual welfare of the community and to 
 faithfully discharge his duties of citizenship. 
 On the 5th of April, 1867, Mr. Cory 
 wedded Miss Ella Bradley, a daughter of 
 Andrew and Catherine Bradley, and a native 
 of Ontario, Canada, born July iS, 1846. Her 
 father comes of Irish parentage, while her 
 mother is a native of New York. The}- emi- 
 grated to Watonwan county, Minnesota, in 
 1866, but both have now passed away. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Cory have two children: George 
 A., the eldest, named for his grandfather, 
 was born in Lura township, July 13, 1868, 
 received good educational privileges, and is 
 now the junior member of the firm of H. P. 
 Edwards & Company. He is a practical 
 tinsmith and hardwaie man, and possesses 
 good business ability. He married Rebecca 
 Quimby, one of Faribault county's daugh- 
 ters, and they have two interesting chil- 
 dren, — Ella and Marian M. Minnie W., 
 born January 21, 1872, attended the common 
 schools, and was well educated in both vocal 
 and instrumental nnisic, as washer brother. 
 She is now the wife of Sherman C. Arm- 
 strong, who is engaged in operating the Cory 
 homestead, 
 
98 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mr. Cory has served as a member of the 
 School Board of the Twenty-eighth district 
 and does all in his power to promote the 
 cause of education. In his political views 
 he is a stanch Republican, having supported 
 the men and measures of that party since 
 casting his first presidential vote for Gen. 
 U. S. Grant. He is a charter member of 
 Easton Lodge, No. 197, I. O. O. F., and 
 his son is also connected with the same 
 organization. Reared in the East upon a 
 new farm, supporting the Union cause during 
 the Civil war, carrying on agricultural pur- 
 suits on the western frontier and now devot- 
 ing his energies to merchandising in Easton, 
 — such, in brief, has been the life of Mr. Cory, 
 but this tells nothing of his enterprise, his 
 industry, his perseverance and his earnest 
 efforts to win success, save as we read be- 
 tween the lines; yet his prosperity has been 
 won through his own labors and is the just 
 reward of honest toil. 
 
 K^^ SOLON KING, one of the pros- 
 I /^l perous farmers of Rolling Green 
 \ . P township, Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, dates his birth in Clayton 
 county, Iowa, December 16, 1845. 
 
 Mr. King's father, John E. King, was a 
 native of England and a son of John King. 
 John E. King was married in his native land 
 to Eleanor Harland, who was born in York- 
 shire, and in 1829 they emigrated to Amer- 
 ica and settled first in Sangamon county, 
 Illinois, where they remained until 1845. 
 That year they became pioneers of Clayton 
 county, Iowa. He improved a farm in Clay- 
 ton county and continued his residence on it 
 until 1854, when he came to Minnesota and 
 took up his abode on 160 acres of Govern- 
 ment land in Fillmore county, being one of 
 
 the earliest settlers in the county. There 
 he and his wife passed the residue of their 
 lives and died, her death occurring in 1879 
 and his in 18S5. They were the parents of 
 thirteen children, eight of whom are now 
 living, namely: Mary A., widow of Philo 
 Bradley; Robert H. ; John S. ; Alice J., who 
 married Amos Steere; Sarah E., widow of 
 Francis D. Gilbert; OrphaJ., Mife of Mat- 
 thew King; R. Solon; and Edwin. 
 
 R. Solon King was nine years of age at the 
 time he came with his parents to Minnesota, 
 and in this State he grew to manhood. In 
 January, 1867, he married Lois E. Morrill, 
 a native of Perth county, Ontario, Canada, 
 born January 28, 1846, daughter of John 
 and Bede (Turner) Morrill, natives of New 
 Hampshire and Vermont respectivel}'. About 
 1844 her parents removed to Canada, where 
 they made their home until i860, that year 
 coming to Minnesota and settling on a farm 
 in Fillmore county, where the family re- 
 sided for a number of years. The mother 
 died in i860. In 1865 the father moved to 
 Minnesota Lake, Faribault county, and 
 died in Moore county, Minnesota, August, 
 1882. In their family were eight children, 
 seven of whom reached maturity: William 
 H. ; Sarah J., wife of Johnson Stout; Mrs. 
 King, Benjamin F., Margaret A. Kemore, 
 Mary Graves, and John. Mr. and Mrs. 
 King have si.x children, namely: Fred O., 
 born April 9, i S69, is principal of the high 
 school at Sherburne, Minnesota, and he and 
 his wife, whose maiden name was Lydia O. 
 Whitney, have one child, Morrill; Albert G., 
 born February 12, 1871, is a clerk in the 
 Martin County Bank at Fairmont; Arthur 
 A. , born August 9, 1 873, is engaged in teach- 
 ing; Orpha J., born August 3, 1875; Har- 
 land E., February 3, 1877; and Miles S., 
 October 26, 1879. 
 

 
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 G^h^ue/J (j/ie^ejj 
 
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FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 In 1869 Mr. King settled on his present 
 farm, 240 acres of land, now ail under cul- 
 tivation and fenced with barb wire. At the 
 time he located here this was all wild land, 
 and his home was far removed from any 
 other habitation. Under his efficient man- 
 agement his farm has been inipro\ed and 
 developed into one of the most jn'olific ones 
 in the vicinity. 
 
 Mr. King and his wife are members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a 
 Trustee in the church and an active worker 
 in the Sunday-school. Fraternally, he is 
 identified with the A. O. U. W., at Fair- 
 mont. Politically he is a Republican, and 
 takes an active interest in local affairs. He 
 is now serving his third term as Township 
 Clerk, was chairman of the Board of Super- 
 visors for many years, and has also filled 
 the offices of Township-Treasurer and Town- 
 ship Assessor. He has always taken a deep 
 interest in educational affairs, and for twenty- 
 two years has served his school district in 
 some official capacity. 
 
 Such is a brief sketch of the life of one 
 of Martin county's prosperous farmers and 
 most worthy citizens. 
 
 BKAN'CIS ELWESS, one of the e.\- 
 tensive farmers and stock-raisers, 
 residing on section 14, Silver Lake 
 township, claims England as the 
 country of his nativity. Yorkshire was the 
 place of his birth, and the date June 22, 
 1839. His parents, Francis and Elizabeth 
 (Lindley) Elwess, were natives of Lincoln- 
 shire, England, and the father was a farmer, 
 who followed that occupation throughout 
 his life in pursuit of fortune. His death 
 occurred in his native land, at the age of 
 seventy-eight years, and his wife passed 
 
 away in the same locality at the age of six- 
 ty-nine. 
 
 Our subject was the eighth child in their 
 family and was reared on the old homestead 
 farm until fourteen years of age, when he 
 
 j started out in life for himself. Since that 
 time he has Ijeen dependent upon his own 
 resources, and therefore deserves the com- 
 
 1 mendatory title of a self-made man. He 
 began serving an apprenticeship in a grocery 
 and confectioner's store and worked for six 
 weeks, after which he went to another 
 place and accepted a position as clerk in a 
 grocer\', confectioner)' and high-wines store, 
 being thus employed for two years, in Shef- 
 field. He then returned to his home and for 
 one year engaged in the butchering business 
 and learned that trade in all its details. On 
 the expiration of that period he embarked 
 in business for himself, but after eleven 
 months sold out and began working for his 
 father for fifteen shillings per week. His 
 earl}' life was anything but a period of 
 luxury, and industry has been his most 
 noticeable characteristic through all these 
 years. 
 
 In 1856, before he was eighteen years 
 of age, Mr. Elwess was united in marriage 
 with Miss Sarah R. Fowler, a native of 
 Lincolnshire, England, then sixteen years 
 of age. She is a daughter of George and 
 Sarah Rebecca Fowler, the former born in 
 Lincolnshire, England, and the latter in 
 South Wales. In July of the following year 
 they came to America, landing at Castle 
 Garden, New York city, from the steam- 
 ship Washington City, in which they took 
 passage. Their family numbers three chil- 
 dren, a son and two daughters: William 
 F., manager of the New Home sewing-ma- 
 chine business, of St. Paul, Minnesota; 
 Louisa Elizabeth, wife of G. H. Barber, 
 
104 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OE THE COUXTIES OF 
 
 who also resides in St. Paul; and Annie 
 Lillian, wife of George Ehvess, of Martin 
 county. 
 
 On landing in this country the parents 
 made their way to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 
 thence to Fairwater, Fond du Lac county, 
 that State, where they made a location. 
 Mr. Ehvess worked for his brother as a farm 
 hand for seventy-five cents per day, and 
 afterward entered the employ of Captain 
 Plocker, owner of a large farm, receiving in 
 compensation for his services only $5 per 
 month. Subsetiuently he began keeping 
 house and worked on a farm for Mr. Board- 
 man, contracting to grub twelve acres of 
 land for a yoke of steers. Later he entered 
 the emplo\- of Dr. Egleston on a farm, 
 working for $20 per month in the harvest 
 fields, while his wife received $3 per week 
 for services in the Doctor's home. Thus 
 they labored together and at length suc- 
 ceeded in getting a start in life. Returning 
 to Fairwater they there began keeping 
 house, and Mr. Ehvess worked by the day 
 for fifty cents per day. 
 
 Mr. Ehvess removed from Fond du Lac 
 county, ^^'isconsin, to Minnesota, with a 
 yoke of steers, drawing a borrowed wagon, 
 which contained their few personal effects, 
 the journey occupying two weeks. He 
 located at High Forest, Olmsted county, 
 where he was for a time in the employ of 
 Richard Chatficld. Buying forty acres of 
 Governmen: land, he built a small shanty 
 and began making improvements. Not long 
 after, his little shanty was destroyed by fire, 
 with its contents. Not having the necessary 
 money with which to build again, he ex- 
 changed his land for stock and started with 
 three yoke of oxen, thirty heail of other cattle 
 and one horse, for Martin count}-, arri\ing 
 here August 29, 1861. Securing a home- 
 
 stead on section 14, Silver Lake township, 
 he and his good wife began housekeeping in 
 genuine pioneer st}le, and were among the 
 first settlers in this part of the county. They 
 lived in a dugout the first two winters, and 
 in summer devoted their energies to break- 
 ing, improving and culti\'ating their land. 
 Notwithstanding the numerous losses of his 
 stock by disease, which have been many, and 
 going security for friends, he has been suc- 
 cessful. With the exception of a little finan- 
 cial assistance received on the death of his 
 father, and 960 pounds sterling at his moth- 
 er's death in 1S75, his entire possessions are 
 the fruits of his own untiring industry and 
 good management. He is the owner of 800 
 acres of good land, which is supplied with 
 good buildings, and stock of all kinds, and 
 he is accounted one of the substantial citizens 
 of the community in whicji he makes his 
 home. 
 
 During the late war Mr. Ehvess mani- 
 fested his loyalty to the Government and the 
 Union cause by enlisting, in March, 1864, as 
 a member of Company G, First Minnesota 
 Infantry, in which he served until after the 
 South had laid down its arms and peace was 
 once more restored. He then returned to 
 his famil}- and his farm work, and the story 
 of his labor may be read in the record of his 
 success. On one occasion he laid aside 
 business cares and went to his old home in 
 England, where he spent four months in 
 viewing noted points of interest in that coun- 
 try and in visiting the scenes of his boyhood 
 and renewing the acquaintances of his youth. 
 He exercises his right of franchise in support 
 of the Rt!publican party and its principles, 
 and has served as School Treasurer, hut has 
 never sought public office, preferring to give 
 his time and attention to his business in- 
 terests. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI X, WATONWAX AND JACKSON. 
 
 aHARLES PENNINGTON, a farmer 
 of section 30, Rolliiif; Green town- 
 ship, is a son of Niles and Eliza- 
 beth Pennington, natives of En- 
 gland, the former of Yorkshire and the lat- 
 ter of Norfolkshire. They located in Canada, 
 where they spent the remainder of their 
 lives, the father dying in 1852, and the 
 mother surviving until 1875. They were 
 the parents of four cliildren, — Thomas J., 
 of Ontario, Canada; Henry, of this town- 
 ship; Charles, the subject of this sketch; 
 and Miles Joseph, of Canada. 
 
 Charles Pennington was born in Oxford 
 county, Ontario, Canada, August g, 1S44, 
 where he grew to manhood and received his 
 education. In 1865 he came to the United 
 States, spending the first four j'ears in Fill- 
 more county, Minnesota, and in 1869 lo- 
 cated on the farm he now owns in Martin 
 county, which was then w-ild land. The 
 place consists of 160 acres, eighty acres of 
 which is under cultivation, and he is en- 
 gaged in general farming. In his political 
 relations Mr. Pennington was formerly a Re- 
 publican, but is now a Prohibitionist. He 
 has served as Township Supervisor, Road 
 Overseer and School Director. 
 
 June 2, 1873, he was united in marriage 
 with Mary Rutledge, born in Indiana Feb- 
 ruary II, 1844, a daughter of William and 
 Mary (Ford) Rutledge, natives respectively 
 of Delaware and Ohio. They were pioneer 
 settlers of Allen count}', Indiana, remain- 
 ing there until 1856, then spent nine years 
 in Dodge county, Minnesota, and in 1865 
 settled in Tcnhassen township, Martin coun- 
 ty, the countr\' at that time being compara- 
 tively a wilderness. They now reside in 
 Fairmont. Ten children were born to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Rutledge. Three sons: John, Moses 
 and Aaron served in the Civil war, and the 
 
 last named died from the effects of his ser- 
 vice. Our subject and wife have nine chil- 
 dren, — William Henry, Dorcas Elizabeth, 
 James Albert, Ella May, Phcebe Emma, 
 John Adelbert, Frances Grace, Mary Ann 
 and Ruth Adeen. 
 
 (D 
 
 RS. CHARLES RATH. —To the 
 pioneer ladies as well as to tho 
 sturdy sons, are the development 
 and prosperity of a county due. 
 Their work is different, for while husbands 
 and fathers make farms, the wives and 
 mothers make homes. Each labor supple- 
 ments the other; and who can say which is 
 the more important.' The lady of whom we 
 write has borne her share in the upbuilding 
 of this community, and has aided in bring- 
 ing about an atmosphere of culture and re- 
 finement which makes \\'estern cix'ilization 
 equal to that of the East. 
 
 Mrs. Rath was born in Mockern, Sax- 
 Altenburg, in the province of Prussia, Ger- 
 many, December 20, 1834, and is a daugh- 
 ter of John and Christine Broehl, who had 
 a famil)' of five children, as follows: Gott- 
 friet, who was born August 10, 1822, and 
 died abroad July 5, 1892; Michael, who 
 was born August 8, 1824, and is now an 
 agriculturist of Howard county, Nebraska; 
 Gottlieb, who was born October 2, 1826, 
 and is a resident of Bradshaw, York county, 
 Nebraska; Anna, who was born December 
 22, 1 83 1, became the wife of Gottfriet Tou- 
 bert, and with her husband and two chil- 
 dren crossed the Atlantic, locating in Illi- 
 nois. Her death occurred March 20, 1858, 
 at Pekin, that State; Mrs. Rath is the 
 youngest. The father of this family was 
 born in Sa.x-Altenburg, Germany, in 1800, 
 and devoted his entire life to farming. His 
 
io6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 wife was born in Zenia, a neighboring ham- 
 let, in 1801, and died in her native land 
 January 2, 1849, in the faith of the Luther- 
 an Church, of which she was a consistent 
 member. In 1853 he and several of his 
 children, including Mrs. Rath, set sail from 
 Bremen on a three-masted vessel — the Ern- 
 est Moritz Arndt, which, after seventy-five 
 days on the bosom of the Atlantic, reached 
 the harbor of New Orleans. Two weeks 
 were passed in the Crescent City, and they 
 then went up the Mississippi to St. I^ouis 
 and up the Illinois river to Pekin, Illinois, 
 where the father secured employment in a 
 sawmill. Being taken ill with typhoid fever, 
 that disease terminated his earthly career in 
 August, 1853, and he was laid to rest in the 
 Pekin cemetery. 
 
 Mrs. Rath acquired her education in the 
 common schools of her native land, and was 
 always considered a good scholar. She re- 
 mained at home with her parents during her 
 maidenhood days, and on Palm Sunday of 
 1848 she was confirmed in the Lutheran 
 Church. \\'ith her father she came to 
 America, and on the 19th of October, 1858, 
 she became the wife of Jacob Ziemer, a 
 native of Hessen Darmstadt, Germany, who 
 on emigrating to the New World in 1856 
 settled in Pekin, Illinois, where he was pro- 
 prietor of tonsorial parlors. Their happy 
 married life was of short duration, for the 
 husband was called to the home beyond 
 September 10, 1859. They had one son, 
 Theodore J. , who was born in Pekin, October 
 2, 1859, and is now a popular merchant of 
 Easton, Minnesota, and a member of the 
 firm of Ziemer & Rath Brothers. He also 
 owns 320 acres of fine land in Walnut Lake 
 township, under a high state of cultivation, 
 and is secretary of the Easton Creamery 
 Company, which conducts a creamery owned 
 
 by the mercantile firm. He wedded Miss 
 Hattie James, who was born March 27, 1864, 
 and they have become the parents of four 
 children, three living: Florence May, who 
 spends much of her time with her grand- 
 mother; Celia Viola and Edna Harriett. 
 Their only son, Charles J., who was born in 
 Easton, died in his fifth year. 
 
 On the 27th of October, 1863, the lady 
 whose name heads this record became the 
 wife of Charles Rath, a native of Wittenberg, 
 Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, born Sep- 
 tember 14, 1822. He comes of a long line 
 of German ancestors. His father was a 
 man of prominence in the comnumity in 
 which he lived, and served as Mayor of his 
 village. Charles Rath obtained a good edu- 
 cation, and when a boy served an appren- 
 ticeship to a weaver in his native village. 
 He then went to Copenhagen, where he had 
 better opportunities of following that busi- 
 ness, and there spent six years, when he de- 
 termined to come to America. In the spring 
 of 1852 he sailed from Hamburg to New 
 York, and after a voyage of six weeks made his 
 way across the countr\' to Kentucky, where 
 some of his friends preceded him. After a 
 year passed there he went to California, and 
 in the Sacramento valley entered a claim 
 and began prospecting in the foothills of the 
 Sierra Nevadas. He and his partner were 
 making money there when the reservoirs 
 above them burst and filled their shaft with 
 water. This caused them considerable loss, 
 and Mr. Rath estimated that his net gains 
 for five years were $800. During his resi- 
 dence on the Pacific slope he visited the 
 British domain and Vancouver's island, and 
 later returned to New York by way of the 
 isthmus of Panama, thence to Illinois. 
 Renting a farm for two years, he next gave 
 his attention to agricultural pursuits, and it 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 107 
 
 was during that time that he met and mar- 
 ried the lady who now bears his name. In 
 1 869 they came to Faribault county, and he 
 secured 160 acres of school huid in Lura 
 township. He erected a frame dwelling 
 26x28 feet, bordering the village of Easton, 
 and soon his land was transformed into one 
 of the fine farms of the county. To his 
 possessions he added from time to time until 
 he was the owner of 730 acres — a valuable 
 estate which he left to his family. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Rath became the parents 
 of five children, viz: Mary Ann, who is 
 now the wife of J. L. Herring, a druggist of 
 Easton; Charles J., who was born in Logan 
 county, Illinois, January 10, 1867, attended 
 the common schools and the high school of 
 Mankato, and is now a member of the well- 
 known firm of Ziemer & Rath Brothers, 
 which he helped to establish in September, 
 1890; Frederick W., born in Logan county, 
 Illinois, March 6, 1869, and is also a mem- 
 ber of the firm and is a prominent and pop- 
 ular merchant; Emma G. , born in Faribault 
 county, December 11, 1872, is an accom- 
 plished scholar in instrumental music, and 
 is now the wife of Dr. L. S. O. Lockwood, 
 formerly of Minneapolis, but now a practic- 
 ing physician of Easton: he is a graduate 
 of the Minneapolis Medical College; Edward 
 J., born April 8, 1874, in Faribault county, 
 is the junior member of the above-mentioned 
 mercantile firm, which has the largest estab- 
 lishment in the town. 
 
 Mr. Rath was a member of the Masonic 
 lodge of Wells, and was a leading" member 
 of the Odd Fellows society of Pekin, Illi- 
 nois. His sons Charles J. and Fred W. be- 
 long to Easton Lodge, No. 197, I. O. O. F. , 
 and Charles J. also to Wells Lodge, No. 87, 
 F. & A. M., of Wells, Minnesota, and Fred 
 W. belongs to the Modern Woodmen lodge 
 
 of Easton. He was elected to the State 
 convention of that order, which convened in 
 St. Paul December 27, 1894. Fred W. 
 was an infant when he was brought to this 
 county, and his boyhood days were passed 
 on the frontier farm and attending school. 
 His early education was obtained in the 
 common school, and he graduated in 1888, 
 at the Northwestern Business College at 
 Mankato, Minnesota, at the age of nineteen, 
 after which he was assistant cashier of the 
 Wells Bank. Upon attaining his majority 
 he engaged m the mercantile business at 
 Easton as a member of the firm of Rath 
 Brothers. The brothers are all stanch Re- 
 publicans in their political views. The 
 second son married Miss Ella Guyette, Oc- 
 tober 3, 1894, daughter of Joseph and Flora 
 Guyette, of French descent. The daughter 
 was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, March 
 9, 1865. 
 
 Mr. Rath was a stalwart Republican and 
 took an active interest in everything per- 
 taining to the welfare of the community and 
 its upbuilding. He was a man of many ster- 
 ling qualities, whose honorable upright life 
 won him the confidence and esteem of all. 
 He passed away September 26, 1889, and 
 his death was mourned by many, — by a com- 
 munity that suffered the loss of a valued 
 citizen, by friends who missed his compan- 
 ionship, and by wife and children, who lost a 
 loving husband and tender father. Mrs. 
 Rath is now living in Easton, in a pretty 
 brick building which was erected in 1892 and 
 the lower part of which is occupied by the 
 store owned by her sons. She is most highly 
 esteemed for her man}' excellencies of char- 
 acter, and her many acts of kindness have 
 endeared her to all with whom she has been 
 brought in contact. She well deserves men- 
 tion among those honored pioneer ladies who 
 
loS 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 have long been connected with F"aribault 
 county's history, and with pleasure we pre- 
 sent to our readers this life record. 
 
 ^^^USTAVE SCHNEIDER now re- 
 ■ rT\ sides upon a farm on section 27, 
 ^LB Blue Earth City township, but has 
 been prominently connected with 
 the business interests of the county seat, re- 
 cognized as the leading contractor and builder 
 of Faribault county. Born in the province 
 of Posen, Germany, on the i ith of Novem- 
 ber, 1855, he is a son of John and Wilhel- 
 mina (Meinke) Schneider, who also claimed 
 that province as the place of their nativity. 
 The father was a contractor and carried on 
 operations along that line throughout his 
 entire life. His death occurred in 1867. In 
 the family were six children, namely: Julius, 
 who is now living in Wisconsin; Ferdinand, 
 twin brother of Julius and a resident of 
 Faribault county; Matilda, wife of Carl 
 Krause, still living in the Fatherland; Ed- 
 ward, who is located in Montevideo, Minne- 
 sota; Emma, wife of Carl Keller of Blue 
 Earth City; and Gustave of this sketch. 
 
 The last named spent his youth in assist- 
 ing his father and thus learned the trade 
 which has given him such prominence in 
 the business world of this locality. He re- 
 mained in German}' until nineteen years of 
 age, when, in 1874, he sailed for America, 
 hoping to benefit his iinancial condition in 
 the land where he believed better opportu- 
 nities were afforded ambitious young men, 
 and he has not been disappointed in this 
 hope. Locating first in Appleton, Wiscon- 
 sin, he there engaged in carpentering for 
 two years, after which he crossed the Missis- 
 sippi into Minnesota. Since 1S76 he has 
 been identified with the upbuilding of Fari- 
 
 bault count}-, both in the line of his chosen 
 calling and in other ways. For a time he 
 made his home with Mr. Gartzke, working 
 at carpentering, and when he had actpiired 
 a sufficient capital he purchased his present 
 farm, comprising 160 acres of land on sec- 
 tion 27, Blue Earth City township Here 
 he has since made his home, but his time 
 has been given largely to contracting and he 
 is known as the leading man in his line of 
 business in the locality. His expert work- 
 manship and able management and the 
 fidelity with which he fulfills his part of a 
 contract has won him a most liberal and 
 well deserved patronage, and he has been 
 the architect and builder of the greater num- 
 ber of the fine buildings of Faribault county. 
 He took the contract for the erection of the 
 Baker Block, the Baptist Church, the Brady 
 residence, the German Evangelical Church, 
 all of Blue Earth City; also erected the Ger- 
 man State Bank building and the Barnes 
 Hotel of Wells. Thus on all sides stand 
 monuments to his handiwork, while his 
 many patrons attest the efficiency of his 
 skiil and labor. His own home is a fine resi- 
 dence, — one of the best in his neighborhood. 
 In connection with his other interests he 
 holds stock in the sash and blind factory of 
 Blue Earth City, which was established in 
 1 89 1 and is now on a good paying basis. 
 
 On the 2d of December, 1880, was cel- 
 brated a marriage which united the destinies 
 of Mr. Schneider and Miss Louisa Fenske, 
 and their union has been blessed with six 
 children, namely: Eugenia, Emma, Martin, 
 Mary, Arthur and Albert. With this family 
 also lives the mother of our subject, who 
 became a member of the household on her 
 emigration to America in 1890. 
 
 Socially Mr. Schneider is a member of 
 the Orient Lodge, No. 34, A. O. U. W., 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 109 
 
 and his wife is connected with the Evangel- 
 ical Church. He came to this country with- 
 out means, but resolved to win success if 
 he could accomplish it by energ}' and perse- 
 verance. These have characterized his en- 
 tire career. His diligence and continued 
 application brought him prosperity, and 
 from an obscure workman he became the 
 leading contractor of his adopted county. 
 His example may well serve to encourage 
 others, who like himself, have to start out 
 in life empty-handed, for he has demonstra- 
 ted what can be done by those who are not 
 afraid to work. Through his entire business 
 career he has so conducted himself as to win 
 the confidence and regard of all with whom 
 he has been brought in contact, and with 
 pleasure we present his sketch to our readers. 
 
 Vj'AMES FRANCIS HINES, one of 
 ■ the leading and influential citizens of 
 A 1 Martin county, is now living on a 
 farm in Westford township and is 
 serving as chairman of the Town Board of 
 Supervisors. He is respected and honored 
 throughout the community, and we feel as- 
 sured that the record of his life will prove 
 of interest to many of our readers. A na- 
 tive of the State of Wisconsin, he was born 
 on the 20th of May, 1864, and is of Irish 
 lineage. His parents, John and Mary 
 (Mackey) Hines, were both natives of the 
 Emerald Isle, the former born in county 
 Queens, the latter in county Mayo. When 
 twenty-four years of age the father bade 
 adieu to home and friends and crossed the 
 Atlantic, settling in New Brunswick, where 
 he remained for three jears. In 1837 he 
 came to the United States anil for some 
 years was a resident of Dane county, Wis- 
 consin. Thirty years ago he removed to 
 
 Owatonna, Minnesota, and the following 
 year came to Martin county, settling in 
 Pleasant Prairie township upon a wild farm. 
 He was one of the three tirst men to locate 
 in that township, and there made a perma- 
 nent home, devoting his time and energies 
 to general farming. The once wild and 
 waste prairie was transformed into rich and 
 fertile fields, and good improvements were 
 added to the place. His life was well and 
 worthily passed, and in .April, 1894, he was 
 called to the home beyond. His wife still 
 survives him and has reached the age of 
 seventy- eight years. 
 
 In the famil}' of this worthy couple were 
 ten children, se\'en of whom are yet living, 
 namely: Mrs. Mary Hayden, Edward, 
 Thomas, John, Mrs. Julia Cool, Mrs. Cath- 
 erine Walker and James. One son, Ed- 
 ward, was a soldier in the Civil war. The 
 parents both held membership in the Cath- 
 olic Church. 
 
 During his early childhood Mr. Hines of 
 this sketch was brought by his parents to 
 Martin county and was reared to manhood 
 upon the old home farm, while his educa- 
 tional privileges were those offered b\' the 
 district schools of the neighborhood. When 
 his youthful 3'ears were over, desiring to see 
 more of the country, he made a trip to the 
 West, visiting the Black Hills, Miles City 
 and western Montana, remaining a year and 
 a half. Since his return he has followed 
 farming, and is now the owner of 160 acres 
 of good land, comprising one of the best 
 farms of the county. The owner is a young 
 man possessed of a laudable ambition, un- 
 tiring energy and perseverance, and his life 
 work will undoubtedly be crowned with 
 prosperity. 
 
 In 1888 was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Hines and Minnie A. Murphy. Mrs. 
 
no 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Hiiies was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, 
 August 14, 1864, and is a daughter of John 
 and Catharine (Thornton) Murphy, both of 
 whom were natives of county Cavan, Ire- 
 land. Her father came to America when a 
 youth of fourteen summers and was married 
 in Manchester, New Hampshire. He after- 
 ward removed with his family to Lowell, 
 Massachusetts, where he remained for four 
 years, and then came to Martin county, in 
 May, 1865, settling on a tract of wild land 
 on which not a furrow had been turned or 
 an improvement made. Mr. Murphy died 
 in April, 1893, surviving his wife a very 
 short time, her death having occurred in 
 February of the same year. They were 
 communicants of the Catholic Church and 
 had two children, Mrs. Hines and John. 
 The wife of our subject is a cultured and re- 
 fined lady, was educated in the Mankato 
 Normal School of Mankato, Minnesota, and 
 was a successful teacher prior to her mar- 
 riage. Her father long served as Postmas- 
 ter of Horicon, and in 1894 she was ap- 
 pointed to the same position, which she is 
 now acceptably filling. Mr. and Mrs. Hines 
 are the parents of three interesting children 
 who are the h'ght and life of their home, — 
 Theodore John, Mar\' Lillian and William 
 Harry. 
 
 Mr. Hines exercises his right of franchise 
 in support of the man and measures of the 
 Democracy and takes quite an active inter- 
 est in local politics. He has for some time 
 served as a member of the Town Board of 
 Supervisors and is now chairman of that 
 body. Devoted to the best interests of the 
 community, he discharges iiis duties with a 
 promptness and fidelity that has won him 
 the commendation of all concerned and at- 
 tests his loyalty as a citi;?en. Both he and 
 his wife hold membcrsliii) in the Catholic 
 
 Church and sustain an enviable position in 
 social circles where true worth and intelli- 
 gence are received as the passports into 
 good society. 
 
 eLMEI-i H. FRANIxLIN, a worthy 
 representative of the agricultural 
 interests of Faribault count}', now 
 follows farming and stockraising on 
 section 19, Blue Earth City township, where 
 he owns and operates 228 acres of valuable 
 land, which is under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion and improved with all modern conven- 
 iences and accessories. The rich fields, well 
 tilled, yield to the owner a golden tribute in 
 return for the care and cultivation he bestows 
 upon them, and in addition to general farm- 
 ing he makes a specialty of the breeding of 
 hogs. Thus busily his life is passed, and 
 labor has brought to him its reward. 
 
 Mr. Franklin claims New York as the 
 State of his nativity, for he was born in 
 Cattaraugus county, January 7, 1849, and 
 is the second son of John Franklin. When 
 he was three years of age his parents re- 
 moved to Wisconsin, locating in Columbia 
 count}-, and hence the W'est has been his 
 home during the greater portion of his life. 
 He remained in the Badger State until four- 
 teen years of age, since which time he has 
 resided mostly in Minnesota. His education 
 was obtained in the common schools, and 
 he gave to his father the benefit of his ser- 
 vices upon the home farm until sixteen years 
 of age, when he started out to make his own 
 wa\' in the world. He learned the black- 
 smith's trade, serving a two-years' appren- 
 ticeship, and then worked as a journeyman 
 for four years in Iowa and Kansas City, 
 Missouri, also spending a similar period in 
 the State of Kansas. 
 
^f. j^.' J^'f/mcm. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 "3 
 
 Mr. Franklin then abandoned his trade, 
 and, going to Texas, embarked in the stock 
 business, driving stock to Idaho and then 
 returning to the Lone Star State. He was 
 tiius employed during the succeeding seven 
 years, after which he returned to Jackson 
 county, Minnesota, spending at that time 
 nearly one year in the State. Going to the 
 Black Hills, he next embarked in mining 
 and also engaged in hunting, being one of 
 the first white men to go to that country. 
 It was in the year 1875 that Mr. Franklin 
 went to the Black Hills, and there among 
 the pioneers, living the life of the typical 
 frontiersman, he continued until 1882, when 
 he purchased a part of his present farm in 
 Faribault county. A part of his present 
 landed possessions was also at one time 
 owned by his father. The past twelve years 
 he has here passed, successfully carrying on 
 agricultural pursuits, and he is now num- 
 bered among the well-to-do farmers of the 
 community. 
 
 Mr. Franklin was married on the 6th of 
 September, 1889, to Miss Jennie Scott, one 
 of Wisconsin's daughters. Her father, 
 Hugh Scott, formerly lived in Pilot Grove, 
 Minnesota. Two children have been born 
 to them — Catherine and Ida. 
 
 Mr. Franklin is a member of Blue Earth 
 City Lodge, No. 57, A. F. & A. M., and 
 the Ancient Order of United Workmen. 
 His wife holds membership with the Presby- 
 terian Church. In politics he is an uncom- 
 promising Republican and for three years he 
 served as Marshal of Blue Earth City, dis- 
 charging his duties with a promptness and 
 fidelity which won him the confidence of all 
 concerned. Such in brief is the history of 
 his life, but the details are unwritten, — the 
 story of his early struggles, his interesting 
 and ofttimes thrilling experiences in the un- 
 
 settled West, and the efforts to achieve 
 prosperity which have at length been crowned 
 with success. 
 
 E 
 
 ON. HORACE HENRY OILMAN 
 has been identified with the inter- 
 ests of Winnebago City township, 
 Faribault county, Minnesota, since 
 1S57, and is one of the representative farm- 
 ers and public-spirited citizens of southern 
 Minnesota. 
 
 He is a native of the town of Effingham, 
 New Hampshire, born October 31, 1833, a 
 son of Joshua and Sarah (Warren) Oilman, 
 the former a native of New Hampshire and 
 the latter of Maine. His maternal grand- 
 father. Major James Warren, served in the 
 war of 1812, and was wounded at Lundy's 
 Lane. General Joseph Warren, who was 
 killed at the battle of Bunker Hill, was the 
 great grandfather of our subject's mother. 
 The Warrens were among the very earliest 
 settlers of New England. Joshua Oilman 
 was a tanner and shoemaker, and spent his 
 entire life in New Hampshire; he also served 
 in the war of 1812, for which he received a 
 land warrant for 160 acres. He had six 
 sons and six daughters, all of whom grew to 
 maturity and became heads of families ex- 
 cept two. Their names are as follows: 
 William Warren, residing at Great Falls, 
 New Hampshire; Sarah, wife of John War- 
 ren, Standish, Maine; Lorenzo, who was 
 commissioned Captain in the Union army 
 during the war, and is deceased; Caroline, 
 widow of Ranslea Towle, at Freedom, New 
 Hampshire; Charles, who was wounded in 
 the Civil war and died from the effects of the 
 same; Cynthia, unmarried; Freeman, a rail- 
 road man, who died in 1893; Emeline, wife 
 of Freeman Gowen, lives in Maine; Horace 
 
114 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Henry, whose name appears at the head of 
 this article; Isabella, the deceased wife of 
 Captain John White, of Bangor, Maine; 
 John P. , who was shot througii the lungs at 
 Chancellorsville, and died in consequence; 
 and Victoria, wife of Charles Parsons, re- 
 sides at the old homestead at Effingham, 
 New Hampshire. 
 
 Mr. Oilman, whose name introduces this 
 article, spent his boyhood days upon the 
 farm. The training he received in the com- 
 mon schools was supplemented by two 
 years' attendance at North Parsonsfield 
 Academy, Maine. After leaving the acad- 
 emy he taught school several terms, remain- 
 ing at home until he was of age. In the j 
 spring of 1857 he left the old Granite State 
 for the new and growing West, his intention 
 being to locate in Kansas. That State, how- 
 ever, at that time was having serious trouble, 
 and before arriving so far West he was per- 
 suaded to stop at Fulton, Illinois, where he 
 was employed as a farm hand until October. 
 He then came to Minnesota and pre-empted 
 120 acres of land on section 12, Winnebago 
 City township. He had to go to Chatfield 
 to buy a land warrant of Gilbert & Easton, 
 the distance to that place being about 125 
 miles, and he made the trip on foot, in the | 
 month of March; that was in 1858. The 
 creeks were high and he well remembers 
 having to swim two or three of the swollen 
 streams. 
 
 Returning to Faribault county, he de- 
 voted his energies to the cultivation and im- 
 provement of the land, and he afterwards 
 took up 1 60 acres under the horiiestead law 
 this latter tract being the one upon which 
 he now lives. During all the years that 
 have passed since 1857 Mr. Gilman has not 
 only been a witness to the development of 
 the county, but has also done nobly his 
 
 share toward assisting in its progress. In 
 all public improvements he has taken an act- 
 ive part. He now owns 240 acres of fine 
 farming land, and has a pleasant home, sur- 
 rounded by a grove of twenty-five acres, 
 which he himself planted. 
 
 Mr. Gilman is a man of more than or- 
 dinary intelligence, keeps well posted on the 
 issuea of the day, and is broad and liberal 
 in his views on all subjects. His first presi- 
 dential vote was cast for Fremont, and he 
 has ever since voted with the Republican 
 party, except when he supported Greeley. 
 His principles concerning political freedom 
 he formed when a youth, on account of his 
 associations. Early in life he came in con- 
 tact with the early founders of the ' ' grand 
 old party," his father being an "old-time 
 Free Soiler, " and thus belonging to a class 
 of men rarely found in the '40's. He re- 
 members clearly the thick-set figure of John 
 P. Hale, who often stopped at his father's 
 house when stumping New Hampshire, and 
 loved to hear his grand speeches in defense 
 of free soil. He also recollects well — for he 
 was an eye witness — the mob's attempt to 
 rescue the slave Burns from the United 
 States marshal while confined in the court- 
 house on Courthouse Square in Boston. 
 Every window was broken in, the doors 
 smashed to pieces and the Deputy United 
 States marshal shot dead as he was keeping 
 the mob at ba\-. He participated in the 
 naval celebration of laying the keel of that 
 fine cruiser, the Merrimac, built at Charles- 
 ton Navy Yard by the United States and 
 sailed the old flag in all parts of the known 
 seas; but in an evil hour, at the dawn of the 
 rebellion, was caught, in company with 
 many a gallant ship, in the inhospitable 
 Norfolk Navy Yard, and was burned to the 
 water's edge, scuttled and sunk, in order 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 "5 
 
 to keep it out of rebel hands. The merits of 
 that tine cruiser were so well known to the 
 Southern naval officers that they raised the 
 hull and sheeted it over with railroad iron, 
 in order to use it as a rebel ram in the de- 
 struction of Northern commerce and North- 
 ern cities. For that fine vessel to float the 
 "Stars and Bars" was a great disloyalty. 
 After a feeble attempt to show its former 
 power, sending the Cumberland to the bot- 
 tom of the harbor and stranding the gallant 
 Minnesota, it la}- waste all before it until 
 the little ^fonito^, despised by the once noble 
 Merrimac, sent a solid shot through itsxitals 
 and the once proud >f errimac now lies 'neath 
 the placid waters of the James. 
 
 Mr. Gilman has held various township 
 and county offices, and in 1 877-8 was elected 
 to the State Legislature, and was re-elected 
 in 1878, serving two terms. 
 
 He has been twice married — first, in 
 October, 1880, to Miss Sophia Ouiggle, who 
 died two years later, in August, 1S82, leav- 
 ing one child, William. In 1883 Mr. Gil- 
 man married Johanna Shatz, and they have 
 three children — John, Lorenzo and Horace 
 Henry. 
 
 ^ly-yiLLIAM BAUGHMAN, a farmer 
 ■ ■ I "^ section 22, Rolling Green town- 
 ^J^^_^ ship, Martin county, was born in 
 Athens county, Ohio, Jul)- 22, 
 1850, a son of John and Elizabeth Ann 
 (Jones) Baughman, natives respectively of 
 Pennsylvania and Ohio. They made a per- 
 manent home in Athens county, where the 
 father died in 1878 and the mother still re- 
 sides on the old farm there, aged si.xty- 
 eight years. They were the parents of ten 
 children, all now living. 
 
 \\'il!i:ini Baughman, our subject, was 
 
 reared and educated at his native place. 
 I-'rom 1879 to 1882 he farmed on rented 
 land in Gentry county, Missouri. In 1883 
 he located on his present farm of 320 acres 
 in Martin county, Minnesota, 200 acres of 
 which is under a fine state of cultivation, 
 and he has erected a good residence, barns 
 and made many other improvements. In 
 his political relations Mr. Baughman affiliates 
 with the Republican party, and has held the 
 positions of Supervisor and Treasurer of the 
 school district No. 42. Socially, he is a 
 member of the I. O. O. F. 
 
 Mr. Baughman was married in 1872, to 
 Eliza A. Knowlton, born in Pomeroy, Ohio, 
 July 26, 1854. To this union were born 
 three children, — Elmina, L. Mary and ason. 
 The wife and mother died August 18, 1891, 
 and in the following September the son also 
 departed this life. Mrs. Baughman was a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 HLFREI) CHARLES FREY, the 
 efficient and popular cashier of the 
 Martin County Bank, has the honor 
 of being a native of Minnesota, 
 his birth having occurred in Minneapolis, on 
 the 1st of February, 1872. He is the sec- 
 ond in the family of eight children, three 
 sons and five daughters, — of Rev. Leonard 
 F. and Rosa (Kreeb) Frey. The parents 
 are natives of Germany and came to Amer- 
 ica about 1868. Further mention of them 
 is made on another page of this work. 
 
 A. C. Frey went from his native city to 
 Lewiston, Minnesota, and began his educa- 
 tion in Shakopee, Minnesota, attending the 
 parochial and public schools and afterward 
 pursuing his studies in a parochial school of 
 Stillwater, this State, learning both English 
 and German. At the age of thirteen he 
 
lit 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 entered Martin Luther College, at New Ulm, 
 where he became familiar with the natural 
 sciences, mathematics and ancient and mod- 
 ern languages. From that institution he 
 was graduated in 1891, successfully passing 
 the examination in the above-named studies, 
 also in German, English, Latin, Greek and 
 Hebrew, and receiving his diploma and the 
 degree of Bachelor of Arts. His musical 
 talent was recognized while in school and 
 he acted as leader of a string orchestra and 
 of a brass band from the age of sixteen. 
 
 In the meantime Mr. Frey's parents re- 
 moved to Fairmont, Minnesota, whither he 
 now made his way. They had wished him 
 to study theology and enter the ministry, 
 but on account of a chronic throat trouble 
 he postponed his theological studies, as he 
 supposed for a year, but as his throat diffi- 
 culty grew worse he gave up the idea of 
 ministerial work. During his first year in 
 Fairmont he pursued his studies at home 
 and also taught German and music. In May, 
 1S92, he entered the Martin County Bank 
 as clerk, and his adaptability for the work 
 and his prompt and faithful performance of 
 duty rapidly won him promotion. In 1893 
 he was made assistant cashier and in 1894 
 he was promoted to the position of cashier, 
 in which capacity he is acceptably serving. 
 The popularity of the institution is due in 
 no small degree to the courteous and ever 
 pleasant manner of the cashier. The Martin 
 County Bank was established in 1874 and 
 its present officers are A. L. Ward, presi- 
 dent; George Wohlheter, \ice president; 
 and A. C. Frey, cashier. 
 
 Our subject attends strictly In his busi- 
 ness, paying little attention to politics, but 
 votes with the Republican party. In his 
 habits he is temperate and economical and 
 represents the best class of Fairmont's 
 
 young men. Throughout the county he is 
 favorably known, especially among the Ger- 
 man people. He attends his father's church, 
 — the German Evengelical, — in which he is 
 serving as organist, and is a member of the 
 Public Library Board. The best interests 
 of the community receive his support, and 
 he is recognized as one of the leading and 
 representative citizens of his adopted count}'. 
 
 eD KATZUNG, a prosperous farmer 
 of Prescott township, Faribault 
 county, Minnesota, was born in 
 Hesse Cassel, Germany, January 
 6, 1836, son of Joseph and Margaret (Hoff- 
 man) Katzung, both natives of Germany. 
 He was reared on a farm in his native land, 
 and attended school until he was fourteen. 
 In 1854, in company with his parents and 
 the other members of the family, he set sail 
 from Bremen for America, and after a voy- 
 age of six weeks landed at New York city. 
 From there they directed their course to 
 Rockford, Winnebago county, Illinois, where 
 they made their home on a farm for seven 
 years. The mother died in Winnebago 
 county. The four children composing the 
 Katzung family are as follows: Ed, \'alen- 
 tine, Bernhardt and Elizabeth. Valentine 
 was a Union soldier in the late war and is 
 now a respected citizen of Freeborn county, 
 Minnesota. 
 
 Ed Katzung remained in Illinois until he 
 was twenty-five years of age. He then went 
 to Columbia county, Wisconsin, and in 1863 
 came from there to his present location in 
 Faribault county, making the journey b}' 
 wagon. Here he took claim to 160 acres 
 on section twenty-nine, Prescott township, 
 and secured title to the same under the 
 homestead act. His farm now comprises 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '•7 
 
 320 acres, and is one of the finest in the 
 township. The Httle log shanty that he built 
 when he first located here has long since 
 been replaced by a modern two-story resi- 
 dence, located on a natural building site, 
 and among the other improvements we note 
 a nice barn, granary, machine and wagon 
 house, and a fine grove of three acres. The 
 general appearance of the whole place is in- 
 dicative of thrift and at once stamps the 
 owner as a thoroughgoing farmer. His farm 
 is well stocked with cattle, horses and hogs, 
 and his crops are diversified. 
 
 Mr. Katzung was married March 3, 
 1 86 1, to Miss Anna Dora Lodena Eberlein, 
 daughter of Christopher and Elizabeth Eber- 
 lein, her parents now being residents of this 
 township. They have had nine children, 
 all living except their fifth born, which died 
 in infancy, their names being as follows: 
 Louisa W., of Minneapolis, Minnesota; 
 Amanda, wife of J. C. Lewis, of Minneapolis; 
 Anna K. , wife of R. E. Cummings, Blue 
 Earth City, has two children; and Edwin M., 
 Marguerite Lorenda, Frederick C, George 
 H. and Carl G., at home. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Katzung is an independ- 
 ent. He has served his township two years 
 as Supervisor, and has also rendered efficient 
 service as a member of the School Board. 
 Both he and his wife are members of the 
 Lutheran Church, and are highly esteemed 
 in their community. 
 
 >Y'0HN HARVEY WELCH, of Winne- 
 
 ^ bago City, Minnesota, was born in 
 n 1 Niagara county. New York, March 
 21, 1833, a son of Nathan and Amy 
 (Lake) Welch, natives respectively of New 
 York and Connecticut. The father was ex- 
 tensively engaged in farming during his en- 
 
 tire life, and his death occurred in 1835. 
 His wife survived him forty years, dying in 
 1875. Of their four children, two are now 
 living, — Daniel L. and John H. The grand- 
 father of our subject, William Welch, was 
 a native of Connecticut, of English descent, 
 and the maternal grandfather, Daniel Lake, 
 was a native also of Connecticut. 
 
 John H. Welch, the subject of this 
 sketch, grew to manhood on the home farm, 
 and his common-school education was sup- 
 plemented by a course in the high school of 
 Lockport, New York. On attaining his 
 majority, he came West to Wisconsin, 
 where he spent three years in civil engineer- 
 ing on the Milwaukee & St. Paul and the 
 Milwaukee & Beloit Railroads. In 1857 
 Mr. Welch pre-empted a quarter section of 
 land in Verona township, Faribault county, 
 Minnesota, where he made a number of im- 
 provements, and located there in 1861. In 
 May, of that year, he was appointed by 
 President Lincoln as Register of the United 
 States Land Office at Chatfield, Minnesota, 
 and in the following October the office was 
 moved to Winnebago City, Mr. Welch con- 
 tinuing to fill that position until the fall of 
 1866. From that time until 1887 he was 
 engaged in the hardware business. In 1889 
 he was appointed Postmaster of this city by 
 President Harrison, and acceptably filled the 
 position until May, 1893. He is now largely 
 interested in real estate, having laid out a part 
 of Easton's addition to the village, built a 
 large brick block, and has done much to ad- 
 vance the material interests of the place. Mr. 
 Welch has always taken an active interest in 
 public affairs and has servedas chairman of 
 the Board of Supervisors and as Township 
 Clerk. He was President of the village for 
 a time, and for a number of years was Presi- 
 dent of the village Board of Education. 
 
ii8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mr. Welch has not only witnessed the 
 growth and development of Faribault county 
 from an almost unbroken prairie to the pres- 
 sent prosperous condition, but has been an 
 important factor in bringing about this trans- 
 formation. In every position in life, whether 
 public or private, which he has been called 
 upon to fill, he has been found true to every 
 trust and has faithfully performed every 
 duty. A man of good business ability, su- 
 perior intelligence, strict integrity, and cor- 
 rect habits, he enjo3"S, as he deserves, the 
 confidence and respect of Faribault county's 
 best citizens. He cast his first presidential 
 vote for John C. Fremont, and has ever 
 since been an ardent supporter of the Re- 
 publican party. 
 
 Mr. Welch was married in 1859, to Miss 
 Martha Jane Hazeltine, a native of Madison 
 county, New- York, and a daughter of W'ill- 
 iam and Sarah (Blisset) Hazeltine, natives 
 of England. They came to America before 
 their marriage, and resided at Utica, New 
 York, for several years. Mr. Hazeltine was 
 then engaged in the boot and shoe business 
 in Madison county, same State, for about 
 nineteen years, and they then located on a 
 farm in Dodge county, Wisconsin, where 
 Mr. Hazeltine died September 28, 1878, 
 his wife surviving until January 23, 1884. 
 They had seven children, namely; William 
 B., of Baraboo, Wisconsin; Elizabeth, wife 
 of Albert De Garmo; Mary A., wife of 
 Josiah Andrews, a farmer of Wisconsin; 
 John T. , who was a soldier in the First Wis- 
 consin Cavalry, and died while in service; 
 Martha J., now Mrs. Welch; George S., a 
 farmer of Clark county, Wisconsin; and 
 Burdctt B., of Minneapolis. Mr. and ^frs. 
 Welch have had three children, — Herbert 
 N., who married Nellie E. Jordon, and is a 
 hardware merchant of Pine City, Minnesota; 
 
 Frances A., wife of Dr. Beebe, a dentist of 
 Winnebago City; and Fallie, deceased De- 
 cember 9, 1893, was the wife of Theodore 
 Williams, of Mankato, this State. She left 
 two children, Ruth and Wheaton. Mrs. 
 Welch is a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and is an earnest worker in all 
 church and benevolent enterprises. 
 
 EOWARD HARRISON DUNN, of 
 the firm of \\'ard, Dunn & Ward, 
 is a prominent attorney success- 
 fully engaged in the practice of law 
 in Fairmont, and has in the years of his 
 connection with the business interests of 
 Martin county built up a very large practice, 
 which indicates his ability in the line of his 
 chosen profession. He is possessed of keen 
 perceptive power, is quick to grasp and make 
 use of a point and labors untiringly in his 
 client's interest. 
 
 Mr. Dunn is one of Minnesota's honored 
 sons, of whom the State may well be proud. 
 He was born in Jackson county, October 28, 
 1867, and is a son of James ^^'. Dunn, who 
 was born in Eastport, Maine, and was of 
 English descent. He remained in the Pine 
 Tree State until 1858, when, emigrating 
 Westward, he located in Minnesota. He 
 first took up his residence in (jreeleaf, Meeker 
 county, and in i 867 went to Jackson county, 
 where he spent his remaining days, his death 
 occurring at the age of si.xty years. The 
 mother of our subject, who bore the maiden 
 name of Elizabeth M. Seeley, was a native 
 of St. John, New Brunswick, and there re- 
 mained until the time of her marriage. She 
 was called to the home beyond at the age of 
 fifty-nine jears, and her loss was mourned 
 by many friends, who held her in high es- 
 teem. Her father, James J. Seeley, was 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WAI^ONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 1 19 
 
 born in Enj^laiid, and when a yonng man 
 crossed the Atlantic, settling in New Bruns- 
 wick. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Dunn were the parents of 
 fi\e children, four sons and a daughter, all 
 of whom arc yet living. Helen A. is now 
 the wife of E. F. Logue; Marshall B. is a 
 dealer in agricultural implements in Jackson, 
 Minnesota; Arthur \\'. is a member of the 
 editorial staff of the Associated Press, of 
 Washington, D. C. ; Sherman J. is one of 
 the editors and proprietors of the Jackson 
 Republic, a paper published in Jackson, this 
 State. 
 
 H. H. Dunn, who is the youngest of the 
 family, was reared in the county of his nativ- 
 ity and began his education in the district 
 schools. His primary advantages were sup- 
 plemented by study in the La Crosse Busi- 
 ness College in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 
 1886, and in 1887 he took up the study of 
 law under the direction of T. J. Knox, of 
 Jackson. For five years he remained with 
 that gentleman — for three years as a stu- 
 dent, then as a partner for two years. He 
 was admitted to the bar in 1890, and the 
 partnership was then formed, continuing 
 until 1892. In that year he came to Fair- 
 mont, opened an office and has since engaged 
 in practice in Martin county. His present 
 business connection was formed January i , 
 1895. 
 
 Turning from the public to the private 
 record of Mr. Dunn, we note that on the 3d 
 of October, 1894, was consummated his 
 marriage with Miss Eva Nicholas, daughter 
 of H. B. Nicholas, of Emmetsburg, Iowa. 
 The lady was born in England, and when a 
 maiden of seventeen summers came with her 
 parents to America. The young couple 
 have a pleasant home in Fairmont, and their 
 friends throughout the community are many. 
 
 Mr. Dunn is a supporter of the Republican 
 party and its principles, and is ct)nnected 
 with both the Masonic and Odd Fellows 
 fraternities, holding membership with Des 
 Moines Valley Lodge, No. i 56, L O. O. F. ; 
 the Encampment, of Fairmont, and East 
 Chain Lakes Lodge, No. 64, A. F. & A. M., 
 of Fairmont. Mr. Dunn is yet a young 
 man, but the ability he has already displayed 
 in the practice of his profession argues well 
 for a successful future. He is held in high 
 esteem throughout the county and is recog- 
 nized as a progressive and valued citizen who 
 supports all worthy enterprises calculated 
 to promote the general welfare. 
 
 VV'^R. GEORGE HENRY REED is 
 I I successfully engaged in the prac- 
 /^^_^ ticeof dentistrj' in Fairmont, where 
 he has a well-appointed office, fit- 
 ted up with ever3'thing which is found in a 
 first-class establishment of the kind and 
 which will make his work the more perfect. 
 His skill and ability are recognized by a 
 liberal patronage, such as is usually accorded 
 merit, and he is ranked high in professional 
 circles. 
 
 The Doctor was born in Belmont, Mas- 
 sachusetts, January 22, 1859, and is of Eng- 
 lish descent. His paternal grandfather was 
 a banker of Gardiner, Maine, and a promi- 
 nent and influential citizen of that place. 
 Alonzo Reed, the Doctor's father, was born 
 in Gardiner and became a carriage-maker 
 and blacksmith by trade, owning the smithy 
 which Longfellow made famous in his beau- 
 tiful poem entitled "The Village Black- 
 smith. " He married Adelia White, a daugh- 
 ter of America White, a descendant of the 
 Peregrine White who came to this country 
 in the Mayfiowcr. Mr. and Mrs. Reed 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 were married in the East and lived for some 
 j'ears in Maine and Massachusetts, but are 
 now living retired in Santa Rosa, Califor- 
 nia. They became the parents of five chil- 
 dren, three sons and two daughters, all yet 
 living: Rev. Clarence, a minister of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church; Luella, who 
 is foreman of one of the largest book-bind- 
 ing establishments in Boston, Massachu- 
 setts; Hannah, wife of Arthur Stewart, who is 
 living in Cambridge, Massachusetts; George 
 H. of this sketch; and Walter, who is also 
 living in Cambridge. 
 
 Doctor Reed was reared in the State of 
 his nativity and acquired his literary educa- 
 tion in the schools of Cambridge. He re- 
 mained at home until he began the study of 
 dentistry, which work he took up in 1881, 
 entering the Boston Dental College and pur- 
 suing a two years' course. In the year 
 1883 he arrived in Minnesota, going direct 
 to Cannon Falls, where he at once opened 
 a dental office, continuing to there prosecute 
 his chosen profession for a period of nine 
 years. In 1892 he came to Fairmont, where 
 he has since made his home, and where in 
 professional circles he has won a foremost 
 place. 
 
 While living in Cannon Falls he married 
 Miss Harriett E. Smith, the wedding being 
 celebrated in 1884. The lady is a native of 
 Minnesota and a daughter of Charles Smith, 
 a prominent resident of Cannon Falls, a 
 large stock-farmer, also doing an extensive 
 fire-insurance business. He married Eliza- 
 beth Dodson, a native of England. The 
 Doctor and his estimable wife have an inter- 
 esting family of three children, a son and 
 two daughters, — Walter, Lue and Elizabeth. 
 
 Dr. Reed is a member of the Minnesota 
 State Dental Society and in his social rela- 
 tion affiliates with the Masonic order, be- 
 
 longing to Chain Lakes Lodge, No. 64, A. 
 F. & A. M. ; the Chapter of Fairmont, of 
 which he is Scribe, and also belongs to the 
 Modern Woodmen of America of Fairmont. 
 His ballot supports the men and measures 
 of the Republican party. 
 
 @EORGE MURRAY CHASE, 
 chairman of the Board of Super- 
 visors of Rolling Green township, 
 was born in Seneca county. New 
 York, April 10, 1862, a son of George and 
 Eliza (RobinsonJ Chase, natives also of that 
 State. The father died there in 1862, and 
 the mother now resides in the State of Wash- 
 ington. They were the parents of seven 
 children, five now living — Hattie Ingalls, 
 Charles, Luella Douglas, George M. and 
 Marvin. 
 
 George M. Chase, the subject of this 
 sketch, located in Webster count}', Nebraska, 
 at the age of thirteen \-ears. In 1881 he 
 worked by the month on a farm in Smith 
 count}', Kansas, and in the following year 
 came to Minnesota, where he worked out by 
 the month for several years. In 1886 he 
 purchased his farm of 120 acres, sixty- 
 five acres of which is improved, and he 
 located on this place in 1890. In his polit- 
 ical relations Mr. Chase acts with the Re- 
 publican party. He was elected to the 
 position of Supervisor in the spring of 1893, 
 was appointed chairman of the board in the 
 following spring, and has also served as 
 Pathmaster of his township several terms. 
 Mr. Chase was married in the fall of 
 1885 to Miss Mattie Frisbie, born in Louisa 
 county, Iowa, July 15, 1862, a daughter of 
 Ichabod Frisbie, of Webster county, Nebras- 
 ka. To this union have been born four chil- 
 dren, two now living — Charles LeRov and 
 
(^ ©^.' (^c//c////6^. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 123 
 
 Fannie. Mrs. Chase is a member of the 
 Methodist Church. Mr. Chase is a mem- 
 ber of the I. O. O. F. at Sherburne. 
 
 • HOMAS IvENWORTHY BOT- 
 TOMLEY has for almost a third 
 of a centur}' been connected with 
 the history of Martin county. He 
 has aided in its upbuilding, borne an im- 
 portant part in its development and been 
 associated with its progress and advance- 
 ment. His name, therefore, should find a 
 place on its annals as one of the honored 
 pioneers. 
 
 Afr. Bottomley is a native of England, 
 born eight miles from the city of Manches- 
 ter on the 1st of January, 1832. His par- 
 ents, Robert and Ann (Kenworthy) Bottom- 
 lej% were also natives of England, and in 
 that country the mother died, while the 
 father, having crossed the Atlantic, spent 
 his last days in Martin county. They were 
 the parents of twelve children, our subject 
 being the fourth child and third son. He 
 was reared in the place of his nativity, remain- 
 ing there until twenty-five years of age. He 
 began life for himself in a cotton factory at 
 the early age of ten and a half years and 
 has since been dependent on his own re- 
 sources, so may truly be called a self-made 
 man, and for his success deserves great 
 credit. For eight years he worked for 
 twelve hours per day; thus it will be seen 
 his early years formed a period of labor, in- 
 terspersed with but few idle moments. Ere 
 coining to America his hours of work were 
 decreased to ten and a half per day, he be- 
 ing employed as a weaver and dresser of 
 cotton cloth. 
 
 In 1856, at the age of twenty-five, he 
 determined to try his fortune in America, 
 
 and crossing the Atlantic sought a home in 
 Cass county, Illinois, after which he went 
 to Clark county, Missouri, where he worked 
 by the day and month until 1862, which 
 year witnessed his arrival . in Minnesota. 
 Spending a year in Winona county he then 
 came to Martin county and from that time 
 has been indissolubly connected with its ad- 
 vancement. He first secured a claim of 
 160 acres, the farm on which he 3'et resides, 
 and in company with William Schofield 
 lived in a covered wagon until a little board 
 shanty could be erected. The wild land 
 under the plow and harrow became fertile, 
 and waving fields of grain rewarded his 
 labors, while the once barren tract began to 
 take on the appearance of a highly improved 
 farm and is now one of the valuable prop- 
 erties of the township. He lived alone for 
 some time, not marrying until 1890, when 
 he wedded Jennie Gaskill. Her death oc- 
 curred in July, 1893, and in November fol- 
 lowing he was united in marriage with Mrs. 
 Emma Edson Knode, who was born in Wis- 
 consin and reared in Steele county, Minne- 
 sota. 
 
 Mr. Bottomley is a stalwart Republican, 
 warmly advocating the principles of that 
 party. For sixteen years he has served as 
 Justice of the Peace, the oldest Justice in the 
 township, and has been officially connected 
 with the schools of the neighborhood since 
 aiding in the organization of the school dis- 
 tricts. He was also one of the organizers 
 of Nashville township, for three years 
 served as its Assessor, and is now Town- 
 ship Treasurer, in which capacity he 
 has served for six years. Before his 
 election as Justice he was for four 
 years Constable, and since his arrival 
 in Martin county he has been continuously 
 in office, a fact which indicates his personal 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 jjopularity and the confidence and trust re- 
 posed in him by his fellow townsmen — a 
 trust that has never been betrayed. 
 
 Mr. Bottomley was treasurer of the first 
 Farmers' Stock Company of Faribault, Blue 
 Earth and Martin counties, is now secre- 
 tary of the Nashville Township Stock Com- 
 ]iaiiy, and was one of the orj^anizers and 
 directors of the Nashville Co-operative Store. 
 Whatever tends to benefit the community 
 or to advance the public welfare receives his 
 hearty support and co-operation, and Martin 
 county owes not a little of her prosperity 
 and progress to his untiring efforts in her 
 behalf. He has walked in the path of 
 rectitude and honor, and his example is one 
 well worthy of emulation. He holds mem- 
 bership in the United Brethren Church, is 
 one of its Trustees and has taken a most 
 active part in its work. For many years he 
 has been a teacher in the Sunday-school, 
 and also its treasurer, and his Christianity is 
 that which recognizes the brotherhood of 
 mankind and has a broad sympathy and 
 charity for his fellow man. 
 
 V-7*OHN P. HUMES, M. D., is a lead- 
 m ing physician and surgeon of Winne- 
 /• ■ bago City, and one of the pioneer 
 settlers of I'aribault count}-, Min- 
 nesota. 
 
 He was born in Crawford count}' Penn- 
 sylvania, January i6, 1837, ^"d 'S :i son of 
 John C. and Mary E. (Griffith) Humes, na- 
 tives of Pennsylvania and of Scotch descent. 
 The father was a member of one of the old 
 families of Crawford county, and was exten- 
 sively engaged in farming, continuing his 
 residence in his native State until his death. 
 In politics he was a Democrat, and in re- 
 ligious belief he was a Methodist, in which 
 
 church he held an official position for man\- 
 years. Of the seven children born of his 
 union with Mary E. Griffith, three are liv- 
 ing, namely; James B., a dentist of Cam- 
 bridge, Pennsylvania; Julia A., now Mrs. 
 Win. A. Miller of Prescott township; and 
 John P., whose name heads this article. 
 W^illiam W., who farmed the old homestead, 
 is deceased, besides three others. 
 
 Dr. Humes spent his boyhood days upon 
 the home farm, and in the public school of 
 the neighborhood began his education. At 
 the age of fifteen he entered an academy at 
 Waterford, Pennsylvania, where he was a 
 student one year, after which he was for 
 two terms in a similar institution at Kings- 
 ville, and, later, one year at Meadville 
 Academy; and in the intervals between the 
 terms he engaged in teaching, which profes- 
 sion he followed for a time in the Keystone 
 State, after completing his studies at Mead- 
 ville. In 1856 he came west to Fulton 
 county, Illinois, and there taught school 
 four months. The following year, 1857, he 
 came to Faribault county, Minnesota, and 
 pre-empted a quarter section of land a mile 
 and a half east of the village of Winnebago 
 City, when that now thriving place was a 
 mere hamlet containing only a few small 
 shanties. On this land he lived in true 
 pioneer style for about four years, enduring 
 many of the hardships incident to life on the 
 frontier. For a time he lived in a board 
 shanty, 12 x 14 feet, but in 1859, keeping 
 pace with the progress of the times, he built 
 a frame house of larger dimensions and 
 much more pretentions in appearance, and 
 further improved his farm by breaking about 
 eighty acres of land and fencing the entire 
 tract. In May, 1861, he left the farm and 
 returned to Pennsylvania, where he entered 
 into partnership with his brother, James B., 
 
rA RIB A UL T, MA R TIX, I ( 'A TON \ I yl N A ND J A CKSON. 
 
 '25 
 
 in the manufacture of oil barrels. During 
 this time he devoted all his leisure hours to 
 the study of medicine, in which direction he 
 had been reading for some years. He re- 
 mained in Pennsylvania, carrying on various 
 business enterprises, until August, 1864, 
 when he returned to Winnebago City and 
 entered the office of Dr. Alvin Lockwood, 
 as a medical student. In May, 1866, he be- 
 gan the practice of his profession, and in 
 1867 completed a course at Rush Medical 
 College, Chicago, and immediately after re- 
 sumed his practice in W'innebago City. Not 
 satisfied with his medical attainments, and 
 desiring to become more proficient in the 
 science, in 1873 he attended a course of lec- 
 tures at the College of Physicians and Sur- 
 geons and also at the University of Medi- 
 cine in New York city, after which he again 
 returned to his practice. 
 
 Dr. Humes is essentially a self-made 
 man. Early in life he learned the import- 
 ant lessons of self-reliance, and has always 
 made the most of his opportunities, acquir- 
 ing his literary and professional knowledge 
 through his own unaided efforts. He in- 
 herited a robust constitution that is char- 
 acteristic of his Scotch ancestors, which 
 eminently fitted him for the laborious duties 
 of a country practice. By devoting himself 
 assiduously to the study and practice of 
 medicine and surgery, he has ever kept 
 abreast of the times, and met with a well 
 deserved success. His kindness and gener- 
 osity are proverbial. He drives long dis- 
 tances to visit his poor and needy patients 
 as readily and faithfully as he responds to 
 the call of the rich. He is a member of the 
 Minnesota State Medical Society, and is not 
 only the oldest resident physician of the 
 county, but also one of its most jirominent 
 and respected citizens. 
 
 In all matters pertaining to the public 
 welfare, the Doctor takes a commendable 
 interest; is a trustee of Parker College, hav- 
 ing rendered substantial aid in building that 
 institution, and has contributed toward the 
 building of all the church edifices in the vil- 
 lage. He supports the Republican party, 
 but has never sought political preferment 
 for himself. For one year, however, he 
 served acceptably as Mayor of Winnebago 
 City. In 1865 Dr. Humes was made a 
 Mason in Blue Earth Valley Lodge, No. 27, 
 A. F. & A. M., in which he now fills the 
 office of Treasurer; and took the Chapter 
 degrees in Mt. Horeb Chapter, No. 21, R. 
 A. M., and has been its Treasurer ever since 
 it was chartered. He is also a member of 
 the I. O. O. F. 
 
 During all the years of his residence in 
 Faribault county. Dr. Humes has been in- 
 terested in farming and real-estate trans- 
 actions, and is at present a large land owner. 
 He has accumulated a handsome compe- 
 tency, and his pleasant home in Winnebago 
 City is the abode of refinement and hospi- 
 tality. 
 
 Dr. Humes was married in 1867 to Miss 
 Emma McColley, a native of Ashtabula, 
 Ohio. They have an interesting family of 
 five children, namely: Alice, wife of Clar- 
 ence Baker, a farmer of Winnebago City 
 township; Ella, who is a graduate of the high 
 school and Parker College, is now a success- 
 ful high-school teacher; and Gertie, Edith 
 and James Portus. Mr. Humes and daugh- 
 ters are members of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, to the support of which the Doc- 
 tor contributes liberally. 
 
 Mrs. Humes' parents were Alexander 
 and Polly (Kazey) McColley, both natives of 
 Ohio, of Scotch-Irish descent and farmers 
 by occupation. In 185 1 they left their na- 
 
126 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 tive State, with their family, and took up 
 their abode in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 
 whence, four years later, they removed to 
 Portage, same State, where they engaged in 
 farming. On the breaking out of the Civil 
 war, the sons all enlisted in the Union army, 
 and in 1865 Mr. McColley sold out and re- 
 moved to Faribault county, Minnesota, set- 
 tling on a farm which Dr. Humes entered 
 from the Government in Delevan township, 
 where he passed the residue of his life and 
 died. His wife survived him some years, 
 dying December 16, 1892. Their children 
 are James, George, Electa, Charlotte, Na- 
 thaniel, Emory and Emma, twins, and 
 Elizabeth. All are living except Emory, 
 who died from disease while in the army. 
 
 K^^ OSWELL O. ARMSTRONG, a 
 
 I /^ progressive and enterprising agri- 
 \ , y culturist, makes his home on sec- 
 tion 10, Nashville township, Martin 
 county. He has many friends in this com- 
 munity and on account of his extended ac- 
 quaintance we feel assured that this record 
 of his life will prove of interest to many of 
 our readers. 
 
 A native of Wisconsin, he was born in 
 Waukesha county on the 29th of Novem- 
 ber, 1 86 1, and is a son of John A. and Laura 
 V. (Hollinback) Armstrong, a leading and 
 influential man, now residing in Winnebago 
 City, Minnesota. The parents removed to 
 Martin county when our subject was only 
 two years of age, and here he was reared 
 and educated, the district schools affording 
 him his early educational privileges. He 
 afterward pursued his studies in the schools 
 of Fairmont, and a practical knowledge 
 fitted him for the duties of life. When he 
 was seventeen years of age the family re- 
 
 moved to the farm upon which he now 
 resides and which has since been his home. 
 He now owns a half section of land, rich 
 and arable, and has placed nearly the en- 
 tire amount under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion. He successfully carries on general 
 farming and stock-raising, and his careful 
 supervision is shown in the well tilled fields 
 and the thrifty appearance and the air of 
 neatness which pervades every corner of his 
 cozy home. 
 
 On the 1 2th of November, 1883, Mr. 
 Armstrong led to the marriage altar Miss Ida 
 J. Bursell, one of Minnesota's fair daughters, 
 born in Fillmore county, April 23, 1863. 
 They at once located on the old homestead, 
 and have made it their place of abode con- 
 tinuously since. 
 
 Our subject is a warm advocate of the 
 temperance cause and expresses his princi- 
 ples by his support of the Prohibition party 
 at the polls. In 1890 he served as Census 
 Enumerator of Nashville township, but has 
 never been an aspirant for public office. He 
 holds membership with the Freewill Baptist 
 Church, and his life has been well spent, 
 his honorable, upright course winning him 
 the confidence and high regard of all with 
 whom he has been brought in contact. 
 
 >nr'OSEPH SCHIMEK, one of the e.\- 
 m tensive land owners of Faribault 
 A J county, is a self-made man, whose 
 excellent success in life justly crowns 
 earnest labor and perseverance. He is now 
 living retired on his farm near Blue Earth 
 City, with the interests of which he has 
 long been identified. He was born in Bo- 
 hemia in March, 18 16, and his parents, John 
 and Rosina (Bickner) Schimek, were also 
 born in the same country. There he spent the 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 127 
 
 first fourteen years of his life in his father's 
 home, after which he began serving an ap- 
 prenticeship of three years to the weaver's 
 trade. He was then employed as a weaver 
 in various places, including Hungary, and in 
 that country, in 1 844, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Anna Pahl, a Hungarian by birth. 
 His labors at his trade were continued dur- 
 ing his residence in the Old World, but at 
 length he determined to seek a home beyond 
 the Atlantic. 
 
 It was in 1853 that he took passage on 
 a sailing vessel which, after a voyage of 
 thirteen weeks, dropped anchor in the har- 
 bor of Boston, in the month of February. 
 From the "hub of the universe" he made 
 his way to Illinois, locating in Cedarville, 
 where he was employed as a farm hand for 
 a few months. In the spring of the follow- 
 ing year he removed to Osage, Iowa, and 
 made a claim of Government land, but did 
 not long remain in that neighborhood. He 
 came instead to Minnesota and near Ovva- 
 tonna entered another claim, which he at 
 once began to clear and place under the 
 plow. Much of it was cultivated by him 
 and he operated it for seven years, when he 
 came to the county which has since been 
 his home, — Faribault. Agricultural pur- 
 suits again engrossed his attention; he pur- 
 chasing 160 acres of land, of which a quit- 
 claim of twentj'-six acres had been broken. 
 The further work of development was prose- 
 cuted by him, and in course of time the once 
 wild land was made to bloom and blossom 
 as the rose. As his financial resources were 
 increased he added to his farm from time to 
 time until his landed possessions now aggre- 
 gate 870 acres. In addition to his farming 
 pursuits he built, in 1882, the first steam 
 mill in Blue Earth City, which he operated 
 about si.\ years, when, on the 5th of June, 
 
 1888, the property was destroyed by fire, 
 causing a loss of $13,000. Later he built a 
 brewery in the same city and successfully 
 carried on business along that lin.e until a 
 decade had passed, when he sold out to his 
 son-in-law. 
 
 Si.x children were born to Mr. and Mrs. 
 Schimek, who in order of birth are as fol- 
 lows: Tracy, the eldest, now the wife of 
 Paul Flakenstein, of Blue Earth City; 
 Anna, wife of Michael Taylor, a resident of 
 Merriam Park, near St. Paul; Joseph, who 
 makes his home in Faribault count}-; George, 
 who resides on the old homestead; and John 
 and Paul, who are also residents of Fari- 
 bault county. The mother of this family 
 was called to her final home in March, 1893, 
 and her loss is deeply and sincerely mourned, 
 not only by her family but also by a 
 wide circle of friends and acquaintances. 
 She was a consistent member of the Catho- 
 lic Church, and her life was replete with 
 good deeds. 
 
 In politics Mr. Schimek and his sons are 
 supporters of the Democratic party. Mr. 
 Schimek came to this county in limited cir- 
 cumstances and the early years of his resi- 
 dence here formed a period of hard labor, 
 but he thus secured a start in life and has 
 steadily worked his way upward, overcom- 
 ing the difficulties in his path by indefati- 
 gable labor and surmounting all obstacles 
 which served to impede his progress. As 
 time passed the result of his labor was no- 
 ticeable in his increased possessions, and he 
 is now one of the wealthy citizens of the 
 community in which he has so long made 
 his home. His best work, however, is 
 probably in the line of church work. He 
 was prime mover in organizing the Catholic 
 Church in Blue Earth City, which society 
 met for worship when it had a membership 
 
128 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 of only nine. They built a small frame 
 house of worship and in that services were 
 held for some time, but in i88i it was re- 
 placed by the fine brick structure which now 
 graces the city and of which the Catholic 
 membership may well be proud. Of his 
 means he has always given most liberally 
 for church and benevolent work, and to no 
 man in Faribault county is the success and 
 growth of the church due as to Mr. Schimek. 
 
 •^ERMAN B. FRANKLIN, Auditor 
 ■ ^j\ of Faribault county, Minnesota, is 
 \^^9 a native of the State of New York, 
 born in Cattaraugus county, April 
 4, 1844, oldest son of John and Ann M. 
 (Amadou) Franklin. 
 
 John Franklin was also a native of New 
 York, as was his father, James Franklin, 
 they being representatives of one of the old- 
 est families of the Empire State. James 
 Franklin was a soldier in the war of 1812. 
 His son John was reared, educated and mar- 
 ried in his native State. Mrs. Franklin was 
 born in Vermont, daughter of Bailey Ama- 
 don, who settled in New York when she was 
 a child. In 1853 John Franklin emigrated 
 with his family to Wisconsin and located in 
 Columbia county, where he was engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits for ten years. In 1863 
 he followed the tide of emigration still fur- 
 ther West and settled in Blue Earth town- 
 ship, Faribault county. Here he purchased 
 a partially improved farm and was engaged 
 extensivel}' in farming and stock-raising un- 
 til the time of his death, July 23, 1880. 
 Politically he was first a Whig and afterward 
 a Republican. His family comprises six 
 children, viz.: German B., whose name 
 heads this article; Isabcll M., wife of M. B. 
 Parker, of this county; li. H., of this ct)unt\-; 
 
 T. H., of Montana; Ida M., wife of F. A. 
 Kennard, of St. Paul; and Oscar, who died 
 in childhood. Mrs. Franklin departed this 
 life June 17, 1891, at the age of seventy- 
 two years. 
 
 German B. Franklin was nine years of 
 age when he renio\ed with his parents to 
 Wisconsin, and his youthful days were spent 
 in assisting his father on their frontier farm. 
 While his opportunities for acquiring an edu- 
 cation were limited to three terms in the 
 public school, he by his own energy and 
 perseverance acquired a good practical edu- 
 cation. During the late war he enlisted, in 
 September, 1864, in Company F, First Min- 
 nesota Heavy Artillery, in which he served 
 until the close of the war. He then returned 
 home and secured employment as clerk in a 
 store in Blue Earth City, and later became 
 a partner in the establishment, the firm 
 name being McArthur, Hill & Franklin and 
 continuing as such for five years. At the 
 end of this time he and Mr. McArthur began 
 dealing in farm implements, to which busi- 
 ness they ga\e their attention for three years 
 in Blue Eartli City. Then Mr. Franklin 
 went to Jackson county, this State, where he 
 conducted the same business several years. 
 In 1878 and '79 he served as Auditor of 
 Jackson county. At the expiration of his 
 term there, he returned to Blue Earth City, 
 and for three years was engaged in the fur- 
 niture business, after which he followed 
 farming until he was elected to his present 
 office, in 1892. With such satisfaction and 
 ability has he tilled this office that in 1894 he 
 was nominated l)y acclamation for re-elec- 
 tion, by the Republican party, and was en- 
 dorsed by all parties. 
 
 Mr. Franklin was married September 16, 
 1872, to Miss Sarah E. Drake, a native of 
 New York and a daughter of William S. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 129 
 
 Drake, now a resident of F"arlbault county, 
 Minnesota. Mrs. Franklin was a most 
 amiable woman, a true Christian, and a con- 
 sistent member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. She died July i, 1890, leaving six- 
 children, namely: Clarance, Anna E., 
 Elmer J., Laura G., John D. and Grace E. 
 Mr. Franklin is a member of the King 
 David Lodge, No. 179, F. & A. M., in 
 which he has passed all the chairs, having 
 served as Master of the lodge for six years. 
 He is also a member of the A. O. U. W. , 
 and the G. A. R. His first presidential vote 
 was cast for Lincoln and he has e\'er since 
 been an uncompromising Republican. 
 
 eLI JOHN READER, a farmer of 
 section 28, Westford townsfiip, 
 Martin count}', is a son of George 
 and Maria (Cox) Reader, nati\es of 
 Dorsetshire, England. The mother, who 
 had been previously married, came to Amer- 
 ica in 1850. The father came to this coun- 
 try later, locating in Waukesha county, 
 Wisconsin, spent nine years in Adams county, 
 that State, removed to Illinois, thence to 
 Olmsted county, Minnesota, and in 1870 
 located in section 28, Westford township, 
 Martin county. The parents were married 
 in Wisconsin. Mrs. Reader departed this 
 life in 1S91, and the father now lives with 
 his son. They had two children, —Eli John, 
 the subject of this sketch, and Mary Eliza- 
 beth, deceased. 
 
 E. J. Reader was born in Wisconsin, 
 September 18, 1855. He came to this 
 county with his father, where he now owns 
 120 acres of well improved land. In 1877 
 he was united in marriage with Jane Booth, 
 born in Middlesborough, England, June 19, 
 1857, a daughter of Peter Booth, an early 
 
 pioneer of this township. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Reader have eight children, — Mary Lucy, 
 Annie Maria, Edith Jane, Elizabeth, John 
 William, Susan, Dorothy and George Edwin. 
 The family are members of the Christian 
 Church, in which Mr. Reader has served as 
 Elder, and has been a teacher in the Bible 
 class in the Sunday-school. 
 
 In his political relations, our subject 
 affiliates with the Republican party. He 
 has served as Supervisor of Westford town- 
 ship, as Road Overseer, and until the past 
 year served as Clerk of school district No. 
 74 since its organization. 
 
 >Y»AMES BROWNLEE, a farmer of 
 m section 1, Westford township, is a 
 /• 1 son of John Brownlee, born in the 
 Province of Quebec, Canada, in 
 1 8 19. His father, James Brownlee, was a 
 native of Edinburgh, Scotland, but located 
 in Montreal immediately after his marriage, 
 and his death occurred on a farm- in Hem- 
 mingford township, Huntington county. 
 Province of Quebec, having resided in that 
 place about seventy years. Both he and 
 his son were volunteers in the Canadian 
 Rebellion of 1837. The mother of our 
 subject, Mary A. (Hadley) Brownlee, was a 
 native of Hemmingford township, a daugh- 
 ter of Henry Hadley, a native of England, 
 but located in Canada in an early day, and 
 he improved a farm and died there. He 
 was also a volunteer in the Canadian Rebel- 
 lion. John and Mary Brownlee were mar- 
 ried and resided in Quebec eighteen years. 
 April 15, 1872, they located on an unim- 
 proved farm in section 2, Martin county, 
 Minnesota, where they were among the 
 early pioneers. Mr. Brownlee improved 
 
IJO 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 and resided on that farm until his death, 
 April 15, 1881, and the mother still resides 
 there. They have ten children living, 
 namely: James, John, Henry, Margaret 
 Aldrich, Matthew, Robert R., Elizabeth J. 
 Hindman, William A., Isaac R. and Mary 
 S. Abbott. Mr. and Mrs. Brownlee are 
 members of the United Brethren Church. 
 
 James Brownlee, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in Canada April 22, 1855. 
 He came to this State at the age of seven- 
 teen years, and assisted on the home farm 
 until his marriage, when he located on his 
 farm of 120 acres. In addition to general 
 farming, he and his brother have operated a 
 threshing machine for the past fifteen years. 
 In political matters Mr. Brownlee affiliates 
 with the Republican party. He has served 
 as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of 
 Westford township two years, as Township 
 Clerk ten years. Justice of the Peace thir- 
 teen years. Treasurer of School District No. 
 24, and now holds the position of Notary 
 Public. Socially he is a member of the A. 
 O. U. W. at Fairmont. 
 
 In 1880 Mr. Brownlee was united in 
 marriage with Adaline Hindman, born in 
 Wisconsin July 4, 1857, a daughter of Rev. 
 J. H. and Sarah (Polk) Hindman, natives 
 respectively of Ohio and Indiana. They 
 were among the early pioneers of Wiscon- 
 sin, and in 1864 located in Blue Earth 
 county, Minnesota. Their house was raided 
 by Indians during the second massacre, and 
 Squire Mack, who was working for them, 
 was shot dead. Mr. Hindman now lives in 
 Waterville, Le Sueur county, this State. 
 He is a prominent W(jrker in the United 
 Brethren Church. Mr. and Mrs. Brownlee 
 have si.\ children, — Fred G., Arthur E., 
 Annie S., Harry M., Bessie H. and Florence 
 J. Their eldest child, Clarence Edgar, is 
 
 deceased. Mr. Brownlee is Trustee and 
 Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the 
 United Brethren Church. 
 
 ^"V'AMUEL C. MOORE, a dealer in 
 •^^^^ baled ha\-, and engaged in a general 
 
 h<_y insurance business, at Elmore, 
 Minnesota, is one of the wide- 
 awake, stirring young business men of Fari- 
 bault county. 
 
 In Green Springs township, Seneca 
 county, Ohio, January 26, 1863, Mr. Moore 
 first saw the light of day. He is the eldest 
 of the five children of George D. and Lizzie 
 D. (Myers) Moore; and of the other members 
 of the family we record that John P. was 
 killed in a railroad accident at Lake Crystal, 
 at the age of seventeen years; that Alberta 
 L. , is the wife of Andrew More, of Pilot 
 Grove township, this county; and Winnie V. , 
 who graduated at the Blue Earth high school 
 when she was seventeen, is now a student 
 at McAllister College, St. Paul, being an elo- 
 cutionist of marked ability. George D. 
 Moore, the father, was born in Ohio and 
 lived there until T869, when he came west 
 and settled in Goodhue county, Minnesota. 
 For four years he was engaged in farming 
 on a large scale in that county, and in 1873 
 he came to Pilot Grove township, Faribault 
 county, at first buying 160 acres, and later 
 forty acres more. On this place he and his 
 family resided five years, he being exten- 
 sively engaged in stock-raising, in connec- 
 tion with his farming, and here he set out 
 one of the largest groves ever planted in the 
 county. After living on his farm five years, 
 he moved to Blue Earth City to give his 
 cliiklren a good education, and has continued 
 to reside in town ever since. He is now 
 state agent for the Inter-State Building and 
 
S. J. "^ay^enM. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 ■33 
 
 Loan Association, of Minneapolis, Minne- 
 sota. 
 
 Of Mrs. Moore, be it recorded tiiat she, 
 too, is a native of Ohio. Her parents, Sam- 
 uel and Catharine Myers, were Pennsylvan- 
 ians, and among the early pioneers of Ohio, 
 and died there in old age. The paternal 
 grandfather of our subject, John Moore, was 
 also a native of Penns}lvania. He was one 
 of the first settlers of the Western Reserve, 
 took claim to a tract of Government land 
 there, and was for many years a leading citi- 
 zen of his community, being largely engaged 
 in farming and sawniilling. He is still liv- 
 ing in Ohio, hale and hearty at the age of 
 ninety-eight years, and attends personally to 
 the management of his own affairs. 
 
 Samuel C. Moore started out in life on 
 his own responsibility when he was twenty 
 years of age, having received a high-school 
 education and also taken a thorough course 
 in a business college at St. Paul. For one 
 year he was engaged in the hay business on 
 the farm, then in 1885 he went to Elmore 
 and there increased his operations, handling 
 a large amount of hay aimually. In 1888 
 we find him in St. Paul and Minnesota, where 
 he was employed as clerk and bookkeeper. 
 These occupations, however, not being con- 
 genial to his taste, he returned to Elmore 
 and again began dealing in hay, which he 
 has continued successfully up to the present 
 time. Not long after his return to Elmore 
 he purchased the home farm in Pilot Grove 
 township, which he now owns, keeping upon 
 it three men, while he himself superintends 
 its operations. Here he raises cattle and 
 hogs as well as grain and hay. His hay 
 business has so increased that he now em- 
 ploys no less than twenty-tive men duringthe 
 summer season, and duringthe fall and a part 
 of the winter furnishes employment to six- 
 
 teen men. In 1893 he handled 3,000 tons 
 of hay. During that year he shipped twenty- 
 one car-loads of hay t(j Paris, France, it 
 being loaded on an ocean vessel at Bruns- 
 wick, Georgia. The past year, 1 894, he 
 cut over 1,500 acres of hay, and this year 
 expects to far surpass that. Since 1890 
 Mr. Moore has also been engaged in the in- 
 surance business. He represents some of 
 the leading companies of the country, and 
 in this, as in his other ventures, he is meet- 
 ing with deserved success. In 1894 his 
 premiums were in advance of $5,000. 
 
 Mr. Moore is a member of King David 
 Lodge, No. 179, F. & A. M., of which he 
 is Junior Warden; and he is also identified 
 with the A. O. U. W^ at Elmore, being a 
 charter member. 
 
 HOMAS J. CARPENTER, one of 
 the prominent men of Verona town- 
 ship, Faribault county, Minnesota, 
 dates his arrival here in 1868, and 
 since that time has been identified with the 
 agricultural interests of the county. 
 
 He was born in Cattaraugus county. New 
 York, November r, 1S33. His father and 
 grandfather were both named John Carpen- 
 ter. The latter was born either in Vermont 
 or New York, — it is not known which, — and 
 was a soldier in the war of 1812, as also 
 were two of his sons. He married a Miss 
 Avary, and after living in New York for some 
 years they moved to Ohio, where they spent 
 the rest of their lives and died. Their son 
 John, above alluded to, was born in Onon- 
 daga countv. New York, May 17, 1803, and 
 was reared on a farm in his native State. 
 When he was twenty-one he married Miss 
 Sally Amidon, a native of Readsboro, Ver- 
 mont, and a daughter of Rev. Ezra Amidon, 
 
'34 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 a minister of the Reformed Methodist Church. 
 For forty-one years they made their home 
 in Cattaraugus county, New York, and there ! 
 reared their family. They had seven chil- 
 dren, viz. : Ruth, lantha, Avary, Sarah, 
 Thomas J., James Monroe and Martin V. 
 Avary died at the age of two years. James 
 Monroe was a Union soldier in the late war, 
 and died at Chattanooga, Tennessee, leav- 
 ing a widow and daughter, Emma. He and 
 his brother, Thomas T., married sisters. The ; 
 parents of this family came out to Minne- I 
 sota in 1867, and here passed the residue of ' 
 their lives, the mother dying October 3, 
 1878, and the father April 11, 1889. John 
 Carpenter was a prominent man in his day. 
 While in the East he was for a number of 
 years engaged in the lumber business. He 
 was an active politician, affiliating with the 
 Democratic party, and served as Sheriff of 
 Cattaraugus county, and while serving in 
 this capacity he arrested the first murderer 
 ever taken by an officer in this county, a 
 man named Bohall, who murdered a Mr. 
 and Mrs. Brown. Mr. Carpenter first ar- 
 rested a son-in-law of Mr. Brown, who 
 proved himself innocent, and next he arrested 
 the real murderer, who confessed his crime 
 while being locked into a cell with Mr. Car- 
 penter. He first killed Mr. Brown with an 
 ax, and then Mrs. Brown with a stick, — 
 which latter weapon Mr. Carpenter kept 
 in his possession as a relic for many 
 years. For committing this horrible crime 
 Bohall received only $30, which he hid in 
 the woods, and to this place they repaired 
 together just as it became dark, to recover 
 it. Bohall committed suicide while in prison. 
 For over forty years Afr. John Carpenter 
 was a zealous Mason, was buried by the 
 order, and his funeral was the largest ever 
 held in the county. 
 
 Thomas J. Carpenter was reared in his 
 native county, remaining there until 1868, 
 when he came to Minnesota, and on the 
 broad prairie purchased a tract of wild land, 
 where he has since lived. As the result of 
 his energy and good management, he is now 
 the owner of a fine farm of 270 acres, — one 
 of the best farms in the county. His two- 
 story residence stands on a natural building 
 site and commands a magnificent view of 
 fine farming country. His large barn, other 
 substantial buildings, nice grove and fine 
 stock, all give evidence of the success which 
 has attended the owner. 
 
 Mr. Carpenter was married April 13, 
 1859, to Miss Almira Wilcox, a native of 
 Cattaraugus county. New York, daughter of 
 Hosea and Eliza (Noyes) Wilcox, both na- 
 tives of Vermont, the former a son of James 
 Wilcox and the latter a daughter of James 
 Johnson Noyes. Hosea Wilcox and his wife 
 had ten children, seven of whom reached 
 adult age, namely: James Johnson, Almira 
 Carpenter, Sarah Carpenter, Timothy, 
 Francis, Delia and Etta. The father died 
 in Cattaraugus county at the age of sixty- 
 two years, and the mother is still living 
 there, having attained her seventy-ninth 
 year. Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter have had five 
 children, viz. : Walter, the first born, who 
 died at the age of three years; Pearly, wife 
 of A. A. Johnson, of this township; Ketta, 
 wife of Charles Nichols, of this township; 
 and Etta and Monroe, at home. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter are members of 
 the Methodist Church, and in politics he is 
 Democratic. He has been a Justice of the 
 Peace and a member of the School Board 
 for a number of years. 
 
 Such, in brief, is a sketch of the life of 
 one of \'erona township's well-known and 
 highly-respected citizens. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '35 
 
 Sr-» ORD BYRON TRUE, who curries 
 I I o" general fanning on section 20, 
 ^i^J Center Creek township, Martin 
 county, has the honor of being a 
 native of Minnesota. His birth occurred in 
 Blue Earth county on the 17th of May, 
 1856, and is the eldest son of Lewis F. and 
 Clara H. (Gould) True, highly respected 
 people of this locality. When he was only 
 four years of age he was brought by his par- 
 ents to Martin county and has here since 
 made his home. He was reared amid the 
 wild scenes of the frontier, for during his 
 boyhood this county was a pioneer region. 
 He acquired his education in the common 
 schools, and the first school which he at- 
 tended was held in a building upon his 
 father's farm. He remained at home, as- 
 sisting in the labors of the farm, until he 
 had attained his majority, and the days of 
 his boyhood and youth were quietly passed 
 midst play and work. 
 
 On the 4th of April, 1872, Mr. True was 
 joined in marriage with Miss Emma J. 
 Edwards, daughter of C. M. and Mary J. 
 (Rice) Edwards. The lady was born in 
 Tama county, Iowa, November 18, 1857, 
 and from the age of four years was reared in 
 this State. They began housekeeping in 
 Westford township, Martin county, where 
 they resided for four years, then located on 
 section 8, Center Creek township, where he 
 improved a good farm of 200 acres. He was 
 successfully engaged in its cultivation until 
 1890, when he sold that property and pur- 
 chased his present farm in Center Creek 
 township, — 160 acres of rich and arable 
 land. He carries on general farming and 
 stockraising and keeps on hand good grades 
 of horses, cattle and hogs. The buildings 
 upon his place are substantial structures, 
 the fences are well repaired and an air of 
 
 neatness prevades the place, while the 
 owner is accounted one of the practical and 
 progressive farmers of the county. 
 
 In politics, Mr. True is independent with 
 Prohibition tendencies. He is a strictly 
 temperate man, having used neither intoxi- 
 cants nor tobacco, and therefore by example 
 as well as precept he endeavors to promote 
 the temperance cause. He has never been 
 an aspirant for office, but \\as elected a 
 member of the town Board of Supervisors 
 and Justice of the Peace, serving in the lat- 
 ter position for six \ears, with credit to him- 
 self and satisfaction to all concerned. In his 
 social relations he is connected with Chain 
 Lake Lodge, No. 64, A. F. & A. M. 
 
 The True famil}' numbers, besides our 
 subject and his estimable wife, eight chil- 
 dren, as follows: Addie, Mary, Bertie, Laura, 
 George, David, Effie and Harry. The 
 family is one of prcjminence in the com- 
 munity, its members holding an enviable 
 position in social circles and their home is 
 noted for its hospitalit\'. 
 
 Vj*ACOB LINDER, County Commis- 
 m sioner of Faribault count}', Minne- 
 nk J sota, owns and occupies one of the 
 best farms in Barber township, and 
 has been identified with this place since 
 November 3, 1S66. Like many of Minne- 
 sota's best citizens, Mr. Linder is of German 
 birth. 
 
 He was born in Bavaria, Germany, 
 October 22, 1837, son of Frank Joseph and 
 Barbara (Trunk) Linder, both natives of 
 Bavaria. Frank Joseph Linder was a soldier 
 under Napoleon at Waterloo. He was a 
 member of a large and respected famih', one 
 of his brothers being a carpenter, another a 
 wine dealer, and several of them farmers. 
 
136 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 He and his wife were l)ri)iij;lit up in the 
 CathoHc Church and in that faith reared 
 their familj". They had four sons, namely: 
 George, a resident of St. Louis, Missouri; 
 Frank Joseph, of Bavaria, Germany, 
 Charles, an engineer at Indianapolis, Indi- 
 ana; and Jacob, whose name heads this 
 article. 
 
 Jacob Linder was reared on a farm in 
 his native land, and until he was fourteen 
 attended school. He then sailed from 
 Havre, France, on the ship Riehn for New 
 York, and landed at his destination after a 
 voyage of forty-se\'en days. From New 
 York he came West to Columbia county, 
 Wisconsin, where he worked out by the 
 month on farms for eight years. When he 
 was twenty-two years of age he married 
 and rented a farm, and continued to make 
 his home in Wisconsin until 1866. That 
 year, as above stated, he took up his abode 
 in Minnesota. Here he took claim to 160 
 acres of wild land, built a sod shanty, bought 
 a yoke of oxen, and in this primitive way 
 began life on the frontier; and here for 
 twenty-eight years he has lived and pros- 
 pered. To his original claim he has since 
 added until now he has 283 acres, one of 
 the best farms in the township. A modern, 
 commodious two-story residence has taken 
 the place of the sod house. A large barn, 
 other farm buildings, windmill, ten-acre 
 grove, etc., are among the improvements he 
 has placed here, and these, together with his 
 well-cultivated fields, broad pastures and 
 fine stock, all give evidence of the prosper- 
 ity that has attended his earnest efforts. 
 His herd of Durham cattle are among the 
 best in the township. 
 
 Mr Linder was married in Columbia 
 county, Wisconsin, to Mary A. Damm, also 
 a native of Bavaria, daughter of John W. 
 
 and Thessa (Ackerman) Damm. Her pa- 
 rents died in Columbia county, Wisconsin, 
 and she died December 24, 1891, leaving a 
 family of nine children, namely: Jacob, 
 Jr., Helene M., Mary, Frank Joseph, Caro- 
 line, Barbara, Francis, William T. and 
 Otto G. After the death of his first wife, 
 Mr. Linder married her sister, Margaret 
 Damm, who was born and reared in Colum- 
 bia county, Wisconsin. 
 
 Mr. Linder is Democratic in his political 
 views and is one of the "wheel-horses" of 
 the party in his county. He has served as 
 delegate to county and Congressional con- 
 ventions, was for years chairman of the 
 Board of Supervisors in his township, served 
 eight years as Assessor, and since 1888 has 
 been County Commissioner, filling all these 
 positions with credit to himself and also to 
 his constituents. Personally, Mr. Linder is 
 frank and genial, and is as popular as he is 
 well known. 
 
 BT. MOORE, Count}' Commissioner 
 of Faribault county, was born at 
 Crown Point, Essex county. New 
 York, July 5, 1840, son of John 
 Moore and grandson of William Moore, both 
 natives of New Hampshire. William Moore 
 was a veteran of the war of 181 2 and a son 
 of a Revolutionary soldier. The latter's 
 father was born in the north of Ireland, of 
 Scotch-Irish parents. John Moore was 
 reared in Essex county, New York, and was 
 there married to Miss Luthera Taft, a na- 
 tive of that county and a daughter of Tim- 
 othy Taft, who was born in Vermont. John 
 Moore and wife were the parents of ten 
 children, namely: Franklin T. , Henry, 
 Adalet, Jane, Ellen, Thomas, Ida, Sanford, 
 Harriet, and Edwin. The mother died in 
 
FARinAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 137 
 
 Essex county in 1S73, at the age of fifty- 
 five years; ami the father is now residing at 
 the same place, at the age of seventy-seven. 
 He was a farmer, miller and lumberman, 
 and on his father's farm and in the mill the 
 subject of our sketch spent his boyhood 
 days, and when he grew up he learned the 
 trade of blacksmith. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Moore volunteered for ser- 
 vice in the Union army, enlisting as a mem- 
 ber of Company M, Fifth New York Cav- 
 alry, under Colonel Hammond. He was in 
 the battles of \\^inchester, Cedar Creek, 
 Five Forks, the Wilderness, and in many 
 lesser engagements, and was honorably dis- 
 charged July 25, 1865, coming out of the 
 ranks as Corporal. After his return home 
 from the army, he resumed work at his 
 trade, and continued to reside in New York 
 until 1870. 
 
 In 1870 he came west and took up his 
 abode in Faribault county, Minnesota. That 
 year he bought his present farm, 160 acres, 
 on section nine, Verona township, of B. F. 
 Forbes, one of the prominent and early set- 
 tlers of the county. This farm is well 
 adapted for both grain and stock, is watered 
 by Center creek, and is well improved and 
 under a high state of cultivation. It has a 
 comfortable and attractive cottage, two 
 barns, other farm buildings, good fences, 
 etc. In the milkhouse is a never-failing 
 spring. Mr. Moore makes it a rule to keep 
 the very best grade of stock, and both in his 
 farming and stock-raising he has been uni- 
 formly successful. 
 
 At Crown Point, New York, Jan 5, 
 1864, Mr. Moore married Miss Amelia M. 
 Mclntyre, who was born and reared in 
 Essex county, daughter of Artemus and 
 Louisa (Pond) Mclntyre. Her father, also 
 a native of that county, was of Scotch-Irish 
 
 origin, and died at the age of fifty years. 
 Her mother was born in Medfield. Massa- 
 chusetts, March 8, 18 16, and died at the 
 age of fort\'-six years. Artemus Mclnt>re 
 and his wife had a family of children, as 
 follows: Elizabeth, Simon, Amelia, David, 
 Oliver, Foster, Ann Eliza, Alfred, and El- 
 verton. Mr. and Mrs. Moore have three 
 children, Ellen L. , Irene L. and Ed Earl, — 
 all at home. 
 
 Mr. Moore is a stanch and active Re- 
 publican, has served as Assessor and a mem- 
 ber of the School Board, and in the fall of 
 1894 was elected to his present office, that 
 of County Commissioner. He is a member 
 of the G. A. R. and the I. O. O. F. His 
 frank and genial manner, together with his 
 many sterling traits of character, make him 
 a favorite of all who have come in contact 
 with him, either in a business or a social 
 way. 
 
 >^OSEPH TEUBNER has long been 
 B officially connected with the interests 
 /> 1 of Nashville township, in which com- 
 munity he follows farming and stock- 
 raising. Martin county numbers him among 
 her leading citizens, and especially is he a 
 worthy representati\e of her agricultural 
 interests. 
 
 A native of Austria, he was born on the 
 24th of June, 1839, and spent the first fifteen 
 years of his life in that country, during which 
 time he attended the conmion schools and 
 learned the cabinet-maker's trade. In the 
 year 1854 he determined to seek a home 
 this side the Atlantic. Experience has made 
 him old beyond his years, and his sagacity 
 was manifested by the carrying out of this 
 resolution. He knew that better oii]>ortuni- 
 ties were afforded young men here, anil w ith 
 
'3''^ 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 no capital save a 3'oung man's bright hope 
 of the future, a determination to win suc- 
 cess and a laudable ambition, he took up 
 his residence in Wisconsin in the year before 
 mentioned. He first located in Milwaukee, 
 where he worked at his trade of cabinet- 
 making, also followed carpentering, and in 
 this way he got a start in life. In 1S59 he 
 removed to Berlin, Wisconsin, where he 
 turned his attention to general farming, but 
 after a short time h'is labors in that direction 
 were suspended. 
 
 On the i6thof April, 1861, Mr. Teubner 
 offered his services to his adopted countr}'. 
 He had watched with interest the progress 
 of events which preceded the opening of the 
 late war, and resolved that if the South 
 attempted secession he would strike a blow 
 in defense of the Union. Accordingly, 
 when Fort Sumter w;is fired ujion, he donned 
 the blue, joining Company G, Fifth W'iscon- 
 sin Volunteer Infantry, at Berlin, April 16, 
 1 86 1, — only three days after the first rebel 
 shot was fired. After going into camp at 
 Madison, Wisconsin, he was transferred to 
 Company C, of the same regiment, and 
 served until August, 1S64, in the .\rmy of 
 the Potomac, and Si.xth Army Corps. He 
 was mustered into the State service May 13, 
 and into the United States service July 13. 
 Left for Washington, District of Columbia, 
 July 24; for Fortress Monroe, March 23, 
 1862, and took part in the siege of York- 
 town; was engaged in the following battles: 
 Lee's Mills, April 16, 1862; Williamsburg, 
 May 5; Golden Farm, June 27; Savage 
 Station, June 28; White Oak Swamp, June 
 29; Malvern Hill, Jul}' i ; Cramjiton Gap, 
 September i 5; Antietam, September 17 and 
 18; Fredericksburg, December 12 and 13 
 (all the foregoing in 1862), and also at 
 Fredericksburg again, May 2 and 3 follow- 
 
 ing; Gettysburg, July 2-4; Rappahannock 
 Station, November 7; Wilderness, Novem- 
 ber 26, — the last four in 1863; Wilderness, 
 May 5 and 6 following; Spottsylvania Court 
 House, May 8, 9, 10, 12; Hanover, May 
 28; Cold Harbor, June i and 3, — the last 
 four in 1864; and also during this year he 
 participated in the operations around Peters- 
 burg, and during a part of July, in the bat- 
 tle before \^'ashington, when General Ewell 
 made his famous invasion into Maryland. 
 All the above battles took place in Virginia 
 excepting the one at Antietam, Maryland, 
 and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Teubner left Washington for Madi- 
 son, Wisconsin, July 22, 1864, and was 
 mustered out of service August 4 following. 
 While driving the rebels from Williamsburg 
 in a charge upon them, Afay 5, 1862, he 
 was wounded; and also May 3, 1863, while 
 charging Mary's Heights at Fredericksburg, 
 whers, getting into close quarters within the 
 rebel works, he received a severe injury in 
 the chest; also, June i, 1864, at Cold Har- 
 bor, while charging the rebel works, and in 
 the terrible hand-to-hand struggle that fol- 
 lowed, he received a severe injur}' over the 
 head from a musket blow, .\lways at the 
 post of dut}', he faithfully defended the old 
 flag. His generals were McClellan, Burn- 
 side, Hooker and Meade. 
 
 .■\fter a tvvo-wee1<s sojourn at home Mr. 
 Teubner came to Martin county, Minnesota, 
 and settled upon the farm where he now re- 
 sides, — then a tract of wild land entirely 
 destitute of improvement. He built a board 
 shanty, I2x 14 feet, containing only one 
 room, and also luiilt a little straw stable for 
 the shelter of his few head of stock. Then 
 began the work of improving and develop- 
 ing his lanil. With characteristic energy he 
 took up the work, plo\\e(l and planted the 
 
FAR1];AUL'I\ martin, WATONWAN and JACKSON. 
 
 ■39 
 
 fields, and in course of time abundant har- 
 vests were garnered as the reward of his 
 labors. He now owns 200 acres, and the 
 improvements upon the place stand as 
 monuments to his thrift and enterprise. A 
 beautiful grove of si.\ acres adds to the value 
 and attractive appearance of the place, and 
 good buildings are seen where once stood 
 the rude structures before described. The 
 owner has prospered in his directed efforts, 
 and is now successfully engaged in general 
 farming and stock-raising. 
 
 The lady who now bears the name of 
 Mrs. Teubner was in her maidenhood Miss 
 Elizabeth Sherman. She was born and 
 reared in Vermont and is a daughter of 
 Joseph and Patience (Rising) Sherman, also 
 natives of the Green Mountain State. The 
 union of Mr. and Mrs. Teubner, which was 
 celebrated June 9, 1861, has been blessed 
 with seven children, — one daughter and si.\ 
 sons, — as follows: Florian J., at home; 
 Charles W. , one of the professors in the 
 business college in Winnebago City, Minne- 
 sota; George W., an engineer; Orville M., 
 Wilson E., Windom E., and Florence M., 
 who are still under the parental roof. The 
 mother of these children died September 5, 
 1893. The family holds a high position in 
 the circles of society in which they move. 
 
 Politically Mr. Teubner says he is a 
 " strong Republican." Th° party which was 
 formed to prevent the further extension of 
 slavery and which was really the salvation of 
 the Nation through the war has always 
 found him a stanch advocate, and he does 
 all in his power to promote its growth and 
 insure its success. During nearly his entire 
 residence in Martin county he has served as 
 a member of the town Board of Supervisors, 
 and has also been a member of the School 
 Board, — the cause of education finding him 
 
 a warm friend. He is an honored member 
 of Claybaugh Post, No. 54, G. A. R., of 
 Winnebago City, in which he has served as 
 Quartermaster and Commander, and de- 
 lights to renew his old army acquaintance- 
 ships. Whether on the field of battle, in 
 local offices or as an untitled citizen, Mr. 
 Teubner has ever been found true to the land 
 of his adoption, and no truer American citi- 
 zen resides in Martin county. He needs 
 never have occasion to regret the determina- 
 tion he formed at the early age of fifteen, — 
 seeking a home in the United States; for 
 here he has not only found many warm 
 friends, but has also gained a comfortable 
 home and secured a handsome competence 
 which supplies him with all the comforts of 
 life. 
 
 t>^ EV. C. G. EISENBERG.— The 
 I /"^ German Evangelical Lutheran 
 ^ , P Trinity Congregation at Welcome, 
 Minnesota, was organized in the 
 year 1876, by the Rev. L. M. Reck, a mis- 
 sionary of the Lutheran Synod of Iowa and 
 other States. Nine members signed the 
 constitution at that time, na»iely, Henry 
 and Fred Hulseman, Henry D. Finke, Au- 
 gust Borchardt, Carl Roloff, H. A. Miller, 
 Val. Wohlhuter, St. Schuelein and Chris. 
 Virgens. They built a parsonage, 18x22, 
 on section 36, Fox Lake township, the upper 
 story being used as a place of worship and 
 the first floor as a dwelling for the minister, 
 the Rev. E. O. Giesel. In 1884 this house 
 was moved to the newly laid out town of 
 Welcome, consisting of a post-office and a 
 grain warehouse; and the following year a 
 church building was erected on a lot pre- 
 sented by D. D. Bunn. 
 
 At the time of the dedication of the new 
 
HO 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 church the Rev. C. G. Eisenberg took 
 charge of the congregation, and has held 
 this position to date. The congregation 
 has kept pace with the growth of the popu- 
 lation of the county, as well with member- 
 ship as with the increasing wealth of the 
 members; for to-day the congregation has a 
 very convenient parsonage, built in 1891, 
 besides a spacious, well-equipped school- 
 house, built in 1894. In March, 1895, the 
 church was presented with a large, fine bell, 
 by Fred Wedenkamp, of Millwaukee, \\'is- 
 consin. 
 
 Mr. Eisenberg was born in Hessen- 
 Nassau, Germany, October 21, 1862; came 
 to this country in 1881; graduated at the 
 College of the Synod of Iowa at Mendota, 
 Illinois, in 1884, and came to this county 
 in the fall of 1885. He was married to 
 Miss Mary Gottschalk May 9, 1886, and has 
 now four children. His parochial field com- 
 prehends not only Welcome and neighbor- 
 hood, but also Lake Belt and Galena, where 
 he conducts services ever}' alternate Sunda\', 
 in Stone and Osborn schoolhouses. 
 
 iHOMAS ALLAN was for many 
 years identified with the agriciil- 
 tural interests of Martin count}', 
 but is now living a retired life in 
 Fairmont. He was one of the first set- 
 tlers of this section of the State, locating 
 here when the Indians were frequent visitors 
 in the neighborhood and when the work of 
 progress and civilization was scarcely begun. 
 He has labored long and earnestly through 
 the years wiiich have since come and gone, 
 and now, in the evening of life, he can lay 
 aside all business cares and rest in the en- 
 joyment of a well merited competence. 
 
 The Allan family is of English lineage. 
 The parents of our subject, Joseph and 
 Elizabeth (Sykes) Allan, were both na- 
 tives of Yorkshire, England, and spent their 
 entire lives in the land of their birth. They 
 had a family of seven children who grew to 
 j mature years, of whom three are }'et living, 
 — George, now a resident of McHenry 
 j county, Illinois; Thomas, of this sketch; and 
 Mary E., wife of Peter Booth, who is living 
 in Westford township, Martin county. 
 
 Thomas Allan opened his eyes to the 
 light of day October 30, 1833, in Yorkshire, 
 England, and was reared upon a farm, 
 spending his boyhood days midst play and 
 j work. Determining to seek a home and 
 I fortune beyond the Atlantic, he carried out 
 i this resolution, in 1856, by becoming one of 
 the passengers on a sailing vessel, from 
 which he afterward landed on American soil. 
 He made his way at once to McHenry 
 county, Illinois, where he spent two years, 
 and in 185S he came to Minnesota, taking 
 up his residence upon what is now section 6, 
 Center Creek township, Martin county. His 
 house was the first erected in the township 
 and the entire county was but sparsely set- 
 tled. The prairies were covered with tall 
 wild grasses, the forests were uncut and the 
 whole locality was waiting for the transform- 
 ing influences of sturd\' pioneers who would 
 brave the trials and difficulties of frontier 
 life to secure a home and open up to civiliza- 
 tion a new locality. He settled amid the 
 timber on Elm creek. His nearest neighbor 
 on the east was Eugene Himtington, who 
 lived si.\ miles away; to the west was a set- 
 tlement five miles distant and the nearest 
 market, Mankato, was thirty-five miles dis- 
 tant. 
 
 Mr. Allan built a log cabin, thatched 
 with ha\', and for some time kept bachelor's 
 
^La/'A 
 
 '{>drMf/j ^^m/^mo 
 
 J. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, U'A7^0N\VAN AND JACKSOX. 
 
 hall. He first secured a quarter section of 
 land and after a time obtained a homestead 
 claim of i6o acres, thus becoming owner of 
 an extensive farm. In 1869 he married 
 Lydia A. Sperry Baker, who was born in 
 New York in 1832, daughter of Jeremy 
 Baker, of the liinpire State. Mrs. Allan 
 was one of the early settlers of Blue Earth 
 county and b}' her marriage became the 
 mother of two children, — Maud, now de- 
 ceased, and Ivah. 
 
 The land which Mr. Allan obtained was 
 a barren tract when it came into his posses- 
 sion, but his unceasing efforts soon worked 
 a decided change in its appearance. Early 
 morning found him in the fields, and the 
 plow and reaper were abandoned only when 
 the shades of night falling around him made 
 it no longer possible for him to work; into 
 the furrow was dropped the seed and in 
 course of time the combined labors of man 
 and nature produced rich and abundant 
 harvests. Capable management of his busi- 
 ness interests and close attention to all de- 
 tails, won to Mr. Allan a well deserved 
 prosperity, and he is now living retired. He 
 has met with difficulties, and, like his neigh- 
 bors, had his crops destroyed by the grass- 
 hoppers, but diligence and perseverance at 
 length triumphed over all obstacles and he 
 is now the possessor of a comfortable com- 
 petence. In all his labors he has been ably 
 assisted and seconded by his estimable wife, 
 who has indeed proved to him a helpmeet. 
 The Indians frequently visited his pioneer 
 home. At one time, while he was threshing 
 his grain with a flail, six Indians came to 
 him asking him for straw upon which to 
 sleep. He gave them some and accom- 
 panied them to their camp in the woods, 
 which was the first time he saw full-blooded 
 Indians. His uniform kindness to them 
 
 won their regard, and he had many true 
 friends among the Winnebagoes. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Allan are members 
 of the society of Christian Scientists of Fair 
 mont. The cause of education has ever 
 found in him a warm friend, and he has 
 served as a member of the local School Board. 
 In his political views he has been a stalwart 
 Republican since he became a resident of 
 Martin county, and keeps well informed on 
 the questions of the day, but has never 
 sought or desired political preferment, for 
 his time has been closely taken up with his 
 business interests and the enjoyment of 
 home life. 
 
 >^OSEPHUS COWING, one of the 
 m representative citizens of Martin 
 A I county, was born in Orleans county, 
 New York, August 23, 1834, a son 
 of Dr. John Cowing, a native of Onondaga 
 county, that State. He was prominently 
 engaged in the practice of medicine and 
 surgery until eighty-seven years of age, his 
 practice having extended into Canada and 
 Rochester, New York. He was well known 
 throughout the country. His father. Dr. 
 John Cowing, was born in Vermont, of Eng- 
 glish and Scotch descent, and was a prac- 
 ticing physician in New York. He was a 
 son of Dr. John Cowing, a native of Scot- 
 land, who graduated in a medical college 
 there. He came to America at the age of 
 twenty-eight years, locating in Vermont, 
 where he followed the practice of medicine. 
 He afterward located near Albany, New 
 York. The mother of our subject, iicc Eliz- 
 abeth Burgiss, was born and reared in New 
 York. Her father, Lewis Burgiss, was a 
 teamster from Albany to Buffalo before the 
 
144 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Erie Canal was built, and he afterward lo 
 cated on a farm near Batavia, New York. 
 The mother of Mrs. Cowing, Elizabeth 
 Burgiss, was born near Troy, New York. 
 They lived to the advanced ages of I02 and 
 103 years, the mother dying the day after 
 the father's death, and the funeral was held 
 on the same day, and they were buried in 
 the same grave. John and Elizabeth Cow- 
 ing had seven children, namely: Jerusha, 
 deceased; John, of Pine county, Minnesota; 
 Martha A., deceased; Anna M., deceased; 
 David, of Kansas; Josephus, the subject of 
 this sketch; and George R. , of Kent county, 
 Michigan. 
 
 Mr. Cowing was reared in his native 
 place until nineteen years of age, when he 
 ])urchased and located on i 20 acres of land 
 in Kane count}', Illinois. While there he 
 was employed in cutting ties and railroad 
 timber about one and a half years. He 
 then sold that place and purchased 160 
 acres in Will county, same State, which had 
 been partially improved. His wife died 
 there September 15, 1854, and Mr. Cowing 
 then took his little child and returned to his 
 old home in New York. Lea\ing his daugh- 
 ter there, he came again to Will county, 
 rented his farm, and removed to Cedar 
 Falls, Iowa. He conducted a grocery store 
 there until 1856, when he sold out and pur- 
 chased a farm of 320 acres near the city, 
 but rented his place and remained in Cedar 
 Falls. Mr. Cowing next embarked in the 
 real-estate business. In i 862 he enlisted in 
 Company B, Thirty-First Iowa \'olunteer 
 Infantry; took part in the battles of Vicks- 
 burg, Arkansas Post and many smaller en- 
 gagements, and was slightly wounded in the 
 right shoulder. After the close of the strug- 
 gle, Mr. Cowing returned to Cedar Falls, 
 where he was engaged in the real-estate 
 
 business. He next purchased 200 acres of 
 land one mile north of that city, which was 
 known as the Deacon Ashley farm, and on 
 which he resided about live years. For the 
 following five 3-ears our subject was engaged 
 in the grocery business in Cedar Falls, and 
 since 1S78 has resided on the farm he now 
 owns in Center Creek township, Martin 
 county, Minnesota. For eight years he was 
 engaged in logging and lumbering in Carl- 
 ton county, and during that time cut six 
 million feet of lumber. At one time Mr. 
 Cowing owned 480 acres of land, but has 
 since given to his sons until the place now 
 contains 320 acres. In 1887 he built his 
 present residence and farm buildings. Since 
 1889, in connection with agricultural pur- 
 suits. Mr. Cowing has been engaged in the 
 implement business in Huntley. 
 
 In 1852, at the age of eighteen years, 
 he was united in marriage with Mary Grant, 
 a native of New York. They had one child, 
 Addie, now at' home. December 9, 1855, 
 he married Delsena Smelcer,born and reared 
 in Indiana. She removed with her parents 
 to Benton count}'. Illinois, when eleven 
 years of age, and afterward went to Cedar 
 Falls, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Cowing have 
 eight children, namelj': George R.. a prom- 
 inent farmer of Center Creek township; 
 Henry, of this State; Mary, wife of John H. 
 Round, of Kansas; Alice, deceased; Alta, 
 wife of F. L. \'ance, of Itasca count}', Min- 
 nesota; and Allie, at home. Mr. Cowing 
 is a stanch Rejiublican. and has served three 
 times as Chairman of the Board of Super- 
 visors and as president of the Huntle}' Hard- 
 ware Association. Socially, he is a member 
 of James Clabaugh Post, No. 54, G. A. R. , 
 of Winnebago City; of Blue Earth Valley 
 Lodge, No. 27, A. F. & A. M., at Winne- 
 bago City; of Mount Horeb Chapter, No. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI X, WATOXWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 145 
 
 21, R. A. M., of the same place; of the A. 
 O. U. W. at Cedar Falls, Iowa; and of the 
 Winnebago City Lodge, No. 30, I. O. O. F. 
 
 at 
 
 II.LIAM EBERLEIN, a prosper- 
 ous farmer residing near Blue 
 Earth City, in Prescott township, 
 Faribault county, has been a resi- 
 dent of this county for more than three dec- 
 ades. 
 
 He was born in Columbia county, Wis- 
 consin, October 14, 1853, son of Christo- 
 pher and Elizabeth (Frabel) Eberlein, na- 
 tives of Germany. After their emigration 
 to America, his parents lived for some years 
 in Wisconsin, and from there came to Fari- 
 bault count}', Minnesota, where they still 
 live, both being in the octogenarian ranks. 
 They have lived together as man and wife 
 for nearly sixty years, and sons and daugh- 
 ters have grown up around them, the names 
 of their children being as follows: Lodema, 
 Ferdinand, Ed, George, Minnie, Amanda, 
 Charlie, Albert and William (twins), and 
 Henry and Clara. Three of the sons, Fer- 
 dinand, Ed and George, served in the Union 
 army during the civil war, and Ferdinand 
 and George died of disease while in the ser- 
 vice. 
 
 William Eberlein was eleven years old 
 when he came with his parents to Minnesota, 
 and here he was reared to farm life and 
 received his education in the public schools. 
 He continued a member of the home circle 
 until the time of his marriage, in i<S87, after 
 which he located on his present farm, 240 
 acres, where he has since been engaged in 
 general farming and stock-raising. On this 
 farm are good buildings, including a two- 
 story residence, barn, stable, machine-house, 
 granary, modern windmill, etc., and the 
 
 land is conveniently divided into fields for 
 cultivation and pasture, the whole of it well 
 fenced. A ten-acre grove is not among the_ 
 least of its attractive features. 
 
 Mr. Eberlein was married September 13, 
 1887, to Jennie Nelson, a popular and suc- 
 cessful teacher of Verona township, this 
 county. She was reared and educated in 
 Winnebago City, and is a daughter of 
 George Nelson, a native of Chautauqua 
 county. New York, and one of the earliest 
 pioneers of this county, the date of his ar- 
 rival here being 1858. It was in this house 
 that the election was held which decided 
 that Blue Earth City should be the county 
 seat of Faribault county. He died in 1885 
 and his wife in 1 893. They had six chil- 
 dren, viz. ; Anna, Henry, George, Jennie, 
 Charles and Mamie. All are living except 
 George. Mr. and Mrs. Eberlein have four 
 children — George Lee, Cecil Christopher, 
 Elzade and William. 
 
 Mr. Eberlein has served his fellow-citi- 
 zens as Supervisor and Constable, being 
 elected to these offices by the ■ Democratic 
 party, with which he affiliates. He is a 
 member of Orient Lodge, No. 34, A. O. U. 
 W. Personally, he is of fine physique, is 
 frank and jovial by nature, and by all who 
 know him he is respected and esteemed. 
 
 >^ASPER M. SPENCER, a farmer of 
 m Prescott township, Faribault county, 
 A J was born in Allegany county, New 
 York, May 26, 1830, a son of Abner 
 and Elizabeth (Getchel) Spencer. The 
 father was a native of Otsego county. New 
 York, and was a son of John Spencer, Sr. 
 The mother was also born in New York, nf 
 German descent. In 1844 the family lo- 
 cated near Woodstock, McHenry county, 
 
146 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Illinois, where they were among the early 
 pioneers, and where the father purchased 
 and improved a farm. In 1854 they re- 
 moved to ^^'inona county, Minnesota, where 
 thev were also pioneer settlers. The father 
 afterward took a claim in this county, next 
 resided in South Dakota for a time, and 
 then returned to Faribault county, where 
 he resided with his son Jasper until his 
 death, at the age of eighty-nine years. The 
 mother departed this life in 1845. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Spencer were the parents of eight chil- 
 dren, namely: Jasper, the subject of this 
 sketch; Bryan; Anson was a soldier in the 
 late war, and was confined in a Rebel prison; 
 Daniel served in the First Minnesota Infan- 
 try; Rinalda was a member of the Fifteenth 
 Illinois Infantry; John, Marinda and Zil- 
 pha S. 
 
 Jasper M. Spencer located with his par- 
 ents in the wilds of Illinois at the age of fif- 
 teen years. In 1864 he came to Faribault 
 count}', Minnesota, and located on a home- 
 stead of 160 acres of wild land. The place 
 is now under a fine state of cultivation, and 
 is one of the best improved farms in the 
 county. 
 
 Mr. Spencer has been three times mar- 
 ried. At the age of thirt\- years he was 
 united in marriage with Hannah Peterman, 
 a daughter of John Peterman. To this 
 union were born three children, — Frederick, 
 Ouincy and Rebecca Parker. The latter 
 died at the age of twenty-eight years, leav- 
 ing one child, Mabel Parker. Hannah 
 Spencer died in 1879. The father then 
 married Mrs. Hannora Sulivan, a native of 
 Ireland, and a daughter of Patrick and 
 Bridget (Daily) Sulivan. After her death 
 he married his present wife, Mrs. Sarah 
 Reynolds, a native of Brockton, Massachu- 
 setts, and a daughter of Thomas and Nancy 
 
 (Pike) Reynolds. The father died in 1876, 
 and. the mother survived until 1885. Their 
 son, Oren, was a bugler in the late war, and 
 died from injuries received on the battle- 
 field while trying to save the life of Captain 
 Vetch. Mrs. Sarah Spencer's grandparents 
 were descendants of the Perkins who came 
 over in the Mayflower in 1620. In political 
 matters Mr. Spencer affiliates with the Re- 
 publican part}'. 
 
 HP.RAM HOUGHTALING, of Fair- 
 mont, Minnesota, was born in Eso- 
 pus, Ulster county, New York, 
 June 27, 1840, the second child 
 and eldest son of Jeremiah A. and Catherine 
 (Eltinge) Houghtaling. Abram moved with 
 his father to Wisconsin in 1856, locating in 
 Waukesha county, and later the family re- 
 moved to Boscobel, Grant county, same 
 State, where he learned and followed the 
 carpenter's trade. August 7, 1862, he en- 
 listed as a private in Company C, Twentieth 
 Wisconsin Volunteers. He was sent with 
 an independent division, under General Her- 
 ron, to Springfield, Missouri, and afterward 
 took part in the battle of Prairie Grove, 
 Arkansas, where he was wounded by a niinie 
 ball. It passed through his left leg just 
 below the knee, shattering the bone, and he 
 lay from Sunday, December 7, 1862, until 
 the following Thursday without any atten- 
 tion, when he was placed in the hospital at 
 Fayetteville, Arkansas, until March, 1863, 
 and from that time until October, 1863, he 
 was in a hosjiital at Springfield, Missouri. 
 Then, by way of New Orleans, Mr. Hough- 
 taling joined his regiment, reaching Browns- 
 ville, Texas, in February, 1864, where he 
 was engaged in guard duty until he took 
 part in the siege of Fort Morgan. He next 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '47 
 
 did guard duty at the marine hospital, New 
 Orleans, until May 22, 1865, when he was 
 honorably discharged. Returning home, Mr. 
 Houghtaling followed the carpenter's trade 
 with his father until his marriage, after 
 which he resided at Boscobel, Wisconsin, 
 until April, 1875, and since that time has 
 been an honored citizen of Fairmont, Min- 
 nesota, following the carpenter's trade. 
 
 Mr. Houghtaling was married at Bosco- 
 bel, Wisconsin, August 22, 1867, to Barbara 
 Muffley, a native of Westmoreland county, 
 Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Joseph and 
 Eliza Muffley, who came to Wisconsin about 
 1856. Our subject and wife have five chil- 
 dren, — -Ben, Lena, Archie Guy, Alice and 
 Jay A. The family are members of the 
 Congregational Church, in which Mr. Hough- 
 taling has served as Deacon for many years, 
 and has also been a teacher in the Sunday- 
 school. Socially he has been a member of 
 the I. O. O. F. for twenty-two years, in 
 which he has passed all the chairs, and was 
 a representative to the Grand Lodge at its 
 session in 1894. He is also member of Phil 
 Kearny Post, No. 18, G. A. R. In poli- 
 tical matters, Mr. Houghtaling is identified 
 with the Democratic party. He has been 
 a member of the School Board since its 
 organization as an independent district, and 
 at one time was a candidate for County 
 Auditor. 
 
 >^AMES J. COULTER, a successful 
 A farmer of Prescott township, Fari- 
 /• 1 bault county, was born in Chemung 
 county. New York, June 24, 1833, a 
 son of John and Miranda (Rawson) Coulter, 
 natives respectively of Palmyra and Roches- 
 ter, New York, and of Irish and English 
 descent. The father died in 1838, leaving 
 
 a widow and eight children, two sons and 
 six daughters. One son, William, was a 
 soldier in the civil war, a member of the 
 One-Hundred and Seventh New York In- 
 fantry, and he died in Chemung county, after 
 the close of the struggle, leaving a family. 
 Mrs. Coulter married Ed. McAdams, and 
 they had one daughter. Only two of the 
 family now survive, — our subject and Mary 
 Bently, of Horseheads, New York. 
 
 J. J. Coulter was early inured to farm 
 labor, and at the age of fourteen years he 
 was employed to cook for twent3'-five men 
 in a lumber camp. At the age of twent}'- 
 one years he located in Fond du Lac county, 
 Wisconsin, where he followed agricultural 
 pursuits until 1875, and since that time has 
 resided in Prescott township, Faribault 
 county, Minnesota. Mr. Coulter purchased 
 I 54 acres of land three miles from Winne- 
 bago City, only sixty acres of which was 
 broken, but the farm is now under a fine 
 state of cultivation, and is one of the best 
 in the township. In political m;;tters, he 
 affiliates with the Democratic part}-, and 
 has served as a member of the School Board. 
 
 In Fond du Lac county, \'\'iscon3in, at 
 the age of twenty-five years, Mr. Coulter 
 was united in marriage with Emma C. Allen, 
 a native of Connecticut, and a daughter of 
 John A. and Cordelia (Fern) Allen, who 
 were also natives of that State, and both of 
 whom are now deceased. Our subject and 
 wife had six children, viz.: Marinda, wife of 
 Orren Hazelton, of Racine, Mirmesota; Eu- 
 gene, deceased at the age of four years; 
 Mary, wife of Elbert Miller, of this town- 
 ship; Laura, wife of F. Hines, of Delavan, 
 Minnesota; and \\'illie R. and Relief L. , at 
 home. December 9, 1892, Mr. Coulter 
 suffered the loss of his beloved wife. She 
 was blessed with a simny disposition, having 
 
148 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 always looked on the bright side of life, and 
 saw the silver linings of the dark clouds as 
 they rolled by in times of trouble. She was 
 a member of the Congregational Church in 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 KOUSEMAN BROTHERS, proprie- 
 tors of a livery, sale and feed barn, 
 \\'innebago City, Minnesota, are 
 among the popular and reliable 
 business men of this place. Their establish- 
 ment is located one-half block west of the 
 Doud House, the leading hotel of the city, 
 and added to their desirable location is every 
 convenience for carrying on their business 
 successfully. Their barn, which was known 
 as the Rink building, is 50 x 100 feet in di- 
 mensions, and is well arranged for livery 
 purposes, having a large floor for carriages, 
 plenty of stall room, and a nice office. The 
 Messrs. Houseman take a just pride in their 
 fine driving horses, keep a nice lot of car- 
 riages, buggies, etc. , and are always prepared 
 to furnish careful drivers. 
 
 E. E. Houseman, the senior member of 
 the firm, was born at Lowden, Cedar county, 
 Iowa, June 20, 1867, son of Jacob and 
 Mary (Tevis) Houseman. His grandfather 
 Tevis was a sailor for many years, and died 
 at the advanced age of eighty-eight years. 
 Jacob Houseman was born in Pennsylvania. 
 Before the ci\il war he removed with his 
 family to Iowa, and during the war served 
 three years as a member of Company K, 
 Thirty-fifth Iowa Infantry. He and his 
 wife are now residents of Conrad Grove, 
 Grundy county, Iowa. They had a family 
 of nine children, six of whom are now living, 
 viz.: J. H., J. F., E. E., Mary L., J. T. 
 and Josephine Maude. J. T. is the junior 
 member of the firm of Houseman Brothers. 
 
 Of the parents, we further record that the 
 father is an expert mechanic, having followed 
 the trade of millwright all his life, and that 
 the mother is a member of the Church of 
 God. 
 
 E. E. Houseman was reared in Cedar, 
 Keokuk and Grundy counties, Iowa, and 
 educated in the common schools of the towns 
 in which he lived. His first business ven- 
 ture was as a liveryman in Gladbrook, Tama 
 county, Iowa, where he remained two years. 
 From there he went to Armstrong, Iowa, 
 where he was in the hotel business until he 
 came to Winnebago City, in 1894. 
 
 Mr. Houseman was married at the age 
 of twenty-five years to Miss Artie O. Powell, 
 of Marshalltown, Iowa, daughter of Joseph 
 Powell. 
 
 Politically, he affiliates with the Repub- 
 lican party. 
 
 >^OSIAH SMITH, of Fairmont, is a 
 m son of Aretus H. and Mercy P. (Her- 
 f% 1 rick) Smith. The father was born 
 in Maine December 4, 1801, a son 
 of Josiah Smith, also a native of that State, 
 and of English descent. Two of his sons 
 were soldiers in the war of 18 12. The 
 mother was born in Maine, April 13, 1803, 
 and her father, Joseph Herrick, was also a 
 native of that State, of English descent. 
 Aretus H. Smith and Mercy P. Herrick were 
 married, in Maine, June 14, 1835, and lo- 
 cated in Parkman, Piscataquis county, that 
 State. In 1849 the family settled on un- 
 improved land in Green Lake county, Wis- 
 consin, five years afterward sold that place 
 and moved to a farm on Grand prairie, 
 same county, and in the spring of i860 
 came to Minnesota, locating on a farm one 
 and a half miles west of Blue Earth City, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, Jl\l 7'OJVIVAJV AND yACKSON. 
 
 '49 
 
 Faribault county, and in 1870 removed to 
 Oregon, and in the following year came to 
 Martin county. Mr. Smith died at the home 
 of our subject, August 6, 1874, and Mrs. 
 Smith died at the home of her daughter, in 
 Portland, Oregon, May 15, 1891. They 
 had three children, one of whom died in in- 
 fancy. Their daughter, Sarah P. , is the 
 wife of W. D. Belding, of Portland, Oregon, 
 and they have three children. 
 
 Josiah Smith, the youngest in order of 
 birth, was born in Maine July 30, 1838, and 
 received his education principally in Wis- 
 consin. In October, 1862, he enlisted for 
 service in the late war, entering Company 
 K, First Minnesota Mounted Rangers. They 
 went into camp at Kasota, Minnesota, then 
 joined Sibley against the Indians, chasing 
 them to the Missouri river, went thence to 
 Fort Abercrombie, later to Fort Snelling, 
 and was mustered out of service. Return- 
 ing home in the spring of 1865, he sold his 
 farm in Faribault county and moved to 
 Martin count}', locating on wild land on sec- 
 tion 30, Fairmont township, remaining there 
 five years. Mr. Smith then spent one sum- 
 mer in Oregon, and then resided on a farm 
 on section 31, Fairmont township, until the 
 fall of 1892, since which time he has lived 
 in the city of Fairmont. He still owns 292 
 acres of land. In 1893 he erected a fine 
 city residence. During the first year of his 
 residence here Mr. Smith paid $9 per barrel 
 for salt, $1 1 for a common coat, and $1 for 
 three and a half pounds of sugar. He had 
 to go twenty miles to get his plowshares 
 sharpened, and Mankato was the nearest 
 market; and the few settlers lived principally 
 by trapping. During the summer of 1866 
 Mr. Smith raised no bushels of wheat and 
 320 bushels of oats, and was probably the 
 lirst man to raise wheat in the southern part 
 
 of the county. In 1865 they bought flour, 
 delivered at their house, for $2 per 100 
 pounds, and in 1867, wheat sold at $3 per 
 bushel, and oats brought from $1 to $1.50 
 per bushel at the granarx'. 
 
 December 4, 1861, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Melissa Chute, born in Nova 
 Scotia, April 26, 1842, a daughter of Burton 
 and Harriet (Chute) Chute, natives also of 
 that place. They located in Elgin county, 
 Ontario (then Upper Canada), in 1S42, seven 
 years afterward removed to a farm in Green 
 Lake count}', Wisconsin, and since 1859 
 have resided three miles west of Blue Earth 
 City, Faribault county, Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Smith have three children, 
 viz.: Albert A., at home; Ensley J. married 
 Hattie Whitney, of Rolling Green township; 
 and Winnifred T. , at home. In political 
 matters Mr. Smith is a stanch Republican, 
 and has served as Supervisor of liis town- 
 ship and as School Director. 
 
 @EORGE WIRT, Winnebago City, 
 Minnesota, is one of the substan- 
 tial farmers and highly respected 
 citizens of Faribault county. We 
 take pleasure in presenting in this work the 
 following sketch of his life: 
 
 George Wirt was born in Ba\aria, Ger- 
 many, February 2, 1S37, son of Michael 
 and Christena (Miller) Wirt, both natives of 
 Bavaria. Michael Wirt was by occupation 
 a blacksmith and farmer, and for three years 
 was a soldier in the German army, being 
 connected with the cavalry and the king's 
 body-guard. He was afterward employed 
 as surveyor, and ended his service to his 
 native land as County Commissioner. In 
 1 85 1 he came with his family to America, 
 landing at New York city about the middle 
 
ISO 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 (if Jiiiu', after a voyage of seven weeks, and 
 from tliere going to Richland ccnmty, Ohio, 
 where he settled on a farm near Lexington. 
 There the parents passed the residue of 
 their lives and there died, the father passing 
 awa\' at the age of sixty years and the mother 
 living to the advanced age of ninety-one. 
 Four children comprised their family, — John 
 L., George, Christena and Margaret. John 
 L. still resides in Richland county. The 
 family are Lutherans in their religious beHef. 
 Soon after the arrival of the Wirt family 
 in America, George, following the advice 
 given by Horace Greeley, came West. Near 
 West Union, in Fayette county, Iowa, he 
 worked on a farm and in a brickyard for two 
 years. July 4, 1856, he arrived in Faribault 
 county, Minnesota, and with this county he 
 has since been identified, having participated 
 in all those vicissitudes which marked the 
 life of the early settlers on what was then 
 the frontier. He took part in the Indian 
 war of 1857, and during the civil war he was 
 in the Union service four years and seven 
 months. He enlisted, in October, 1861, in 
 the second company of cavalry that went out 
 from the State of Minnesota. This regi- 
 ment was afterward transferred to the Fifth 
 Iowa Cavalry, which was commanded by 
 Colonel Lowe, who had been one of the 
 regular army's best officers, and by reason 
 of this redoubtable colonel's vigorous efforts 
 in offering to the "Johnnies" in his prox- 
 imity no peace, he gained to his regiment 
 the title of "Colonel Lowe's Bloodhounds." 
 The early part of Mr. Wirt's service was in 
 the South and began with the burning of a 
 very long railroad bridge, near Fort Donel- 
 son, Tennessee. For the purpose of cutting 
 off re-enforcements and retreat of the rebel 
 army during the three days' battle at Fort 
 Donelson of February 10, 11 and 12, 1S62, 
 
 and afterward, the First Union Cavalry went 
 through the rebel line into Corinth, Missis- 
 sippi, which at that time was a very strong 
 and well fortified rebel center, and captured 
 many of the Confederates and several trains 
 loaded with army supplies, and also routed 
 General Beauregard from his commodious 
 headquarters, the Sheminggo House, the 
 finest structure in the cit)'. 
 
 Our subject participated in many import- 
 ant engagements, and later he was with the 
 forces that were sent to suppress the hostile 
 Indians of the North and West. He was 
 honorably discharged, at Fort Snelling, June 
 6, 1866, with the rank of Sergeant. 
 
 Like most of the early-comers to Min- 
 nesota, Mr. Wirt secured a pre-emption 
 claim. To this claim he later secured title 
 under the homstead act, and on this land he 
 still lives, being now the owner of 320 acres. 
 Among the improvements on his farm we 
 find a comfortable frame house, good barn, 
 modern windmill, and ten acres in grove, 
 while everything is kept in first-class order. 
 
 Februarys, 1868, Mr. Wirt married Miss 
 Catherine Carlton, a native of Iroquois 
 county, Illinois, and a daughter of James P. 
 and Rebecca (Walker) Carlton, natives re- 
 spectively of Troy, New York, and New 
 Hampshire. Mr. and Mrs. \\'irt have eight 
 children, namely: Allen J., George J., 
 Clarence D., Fred D., Amanda C, Orpha 
 J., William Henry and Harry M. 
 
 Mr. Wirt utilizes his right of franchise 
 in the support of the Republican party, and 
 fraternally he stands as one of the charter 
 members of James Clabaugh Post, No. 54, 
 G. A. R. , and a member of Blue Earth Val- 
 ley Lodge, No. 27, F. & A. M. He has 
 rendered efficient service as Township Treas- 
 urer, member of the School Board, and Su- 
 pervisor. He is a man who keeps himself 
 
W/^^^f Cyffi^/^^ 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 153 
 
 well posted on the topics of the day, is broad 
 and liberal in his views, and by his frank and 
 jovial nature he ingratiates himself with all 
 who come in contact with him, either in a 
 business or social way. 
 
 ^^TEPHEN TURNER, the genial and 
 •^^^k* popular host of the Park Hotel, 
 
 K^_^ of Wells, Minnesota, has a wide 
 acquaintance not only in this com- 
 munity but also with the traveling public 
 who visit this section of the State, and his 
 friendship is prized most by those who know 
 him best, a fact which indicates sterling 
 qualities of genuine worth. 
 
 Mr. Turner was born in the city of Rich- 
 mond, Virginia, February 14, 1855, ^nd 
 comes of an old Virginian family, his parents 
 having emigrated from Amherst county of 
 the Old Dominion to the Badger State at an 
 early day. He spent his childhood days in 
 his home near the river's bank and attended 
 school until fifteen years of age, when, wish- 
 ing to earn his own livelihood, he sought 
 and obtained employment of W. D. Fox, 
 the affable landlord of the Fo.x House, of 
 Portage. Thus during the greater part of 
 his life he has been connected with the hotel 
 business. Being the possessor of a sunny 
 disposition, he soon won favor with his em- 
 ployer and popularity with the guests of the 
 house, so that he was soon given full charge 
 of the dining department of the hotel, in which 
 capacity he capably served until 1879, when 
 he left home and went to La Crosse, Wis- 
 consin, having obtained a similar position in 
 the large hotel which was conducted there 
 under the name of the Cameron House. He 
 had entire charge of the dining room and 
 everything connected therewith, and during 
 
 the six years of his service there he won ad- 
 ditional friends and again secured the appro- 
 bation and good-will and confidence of his 
 employer. 
 
 In 1885 he embarked in the hotel busi- 
 ness for himself, and purchased, in Wells, 
 Minnesota, the old Wells House. His pre- 
 vious experience stood him in good stead, 
 and his success was assured from the begin- 
 ning. For a period of over eight years 
 Stephen Turner was the manager of that 
 hotel, and it became the favorite stopping 
 place with the public. In 1893 he removed 
 further West, this time locating in Madison, 
 South Dakota, where he leased the Park 
 Hotel, giving to it his personal supervison 
 and attention for a year. He then returned 
 to Wells and erected the Park Hotel at this 
 place, which is to-day one of the best hotels 
 in Southern Minnesota, with accommoda- 
 tions for over half a hundred guests. The 
 house is built in a modern style of archi- 
 tecture and everything is arranged for the 
 greatest convenience and pleasure of its pat- 
 rons from the well lighted and well venti- 
 lated chambers to the comfortable parlors 
 and dining room, where all the luxuries of 
 the season are found. 
 
 On the 14th of July, 1880, Mr. Turner 
 led to the marriage altar Miss Ada E. Chat- 
 wood, the wedding being celebrated in La 
 Crosse, Wisconsin. Her father, William 
 Chatwood, was born in Shropshire, while 
 the mother was a native of Lincolnshire, 
 both in England, and they came to this 
 country many years ago. Mrs. Turner is an 
 intelligent and accomplished lady. She has 
 been of great assistance to her husband and 
 shares in the high esteem which is rendered 
 him. To them has been born one child, 
 Grace Frances, a maiden of twelve summers, 
 who is quite gifted in vocal and instrumental 
 
154 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 music and a thorough student in the EngHsh 
 branches. 
 
 In his political affiliations Mr. Turner is 
 a Republican and stanchly advocates the 
 principles of his party, but has never sought 
 office, preferring to give his time and ener- 
 gies to his business interests. He is a char- 
 ter member of Camp i960, M. W. A., of 
 Wells, and he has served as one of its Trus- 
 tees, while at this writing he is the efficient 
 secretary of the Driving Park Association, 
 being a great lover of fine horses. Few 
 residents of this community have a wider 
 acquaintance and none are more highly re- 
 garded, for his pleasant, courteous and genial 
 manner makes him a great favorite. 
 
 ^rj'OHN EVANS, an honored pioneer 
 m farmer of Lura township, Faribault 
 A 1 county, now living a retired life, has 
 been connected with this locality 
 since the early days when the land was wild 
 and largely in possession of the Government, 
 when the now thriving towns and villages 
 had not yet sprung into existence, when the 
 railroad and telegrajih were unknown here 
 and when the entire country in that section 
 of the State seemed just opened up to civil- 
 isation. In the work of development and 
 cultivation he has ever borne his part, and 
 among the founders of Faribault county he 
 well deserves mention. 
 
 A nati\'e of Wales, he was born in Mont- 
 gomeryshire, October 14, 1832, and is a son 
 of John and Catherine (Jones) Evans. His 
 grandparents emigrated from Ccernarvon- 
 shire, Wales, to Montgomeryshire, early in 
 the last century, and the grandfather, who 
 bore the name of John, served as an excise 
 officer. Both he and his son John were men 
 of prominence in the communities where 
 
 they lived and were honored for their ster- 
 ling worth. To John and Catherine Evans 
 were born three children: Edward, the 
 eldest, died in his native land, in his 
 eighteenth year; our subject is the second; 
 and Mary, the only daughter, became the 
 wife of David Jehu, an auctioneer of Mont- 
 gomeryshire. Her death occurred there at 
 the age of forty-seven years. The mother 
 of this family also passed away in Mont- 
 gomeryshire, after which the father wedded 
 Mary Jones, a native of that shire. They 
 had two children: Samuel, who is still liv- 
 ing in his native county; and Hannah, who 
 died in the eighteenth year of her age. The 
 former has visited this country, crossing the 
 Atlantic and spending about a year with our 
 subject. 
 
 Born in a modest home, John Evans 
 spent the days of his boyhood and youth in 
 a quiet manner, attending the national 
 schools until his thirteenth year, when he 
 entered a general store, in which he was em- 
 ployed for four years, receiving as a com- 
 pensation for his services only his board; but 
 he acquired a good knowledge of business, 
 which has proven of incalculable benefit to 
 him in his later years. He next went to 
 Chester, England, where he engaged as a 
 clerk, and a year later he left that place, 
 and after drifting around aimlessl)' for a 
 time he reached the home of his uncle 
 Samuel in Montgomeryshire. At this period 
 he determined to seek a home in America 
 and cmbarkeil on a three-mast sailing vessel, 
 the Cultivator, which after a voyage of five 
 weeks reached New York, on the ist day of 
 July, and was there amid the celebration of 
 Independence Day. He lingered not, but, 
 by way of Philadelphia, went to Pittsburg, 
 where he had some cousins, who hail pre- 
 ceded him 111 this country some years. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 155 
 
 Mr. Evans was now an American citizen. 
 He secured emplo3-ment in a grocery store 
 in Pittsburg, and obtained a further insight 
 into mercantile affairs. In October, 1854, 
 he made his way to Green Lake county, 
 Wisconsin, then a part of Marquette county, 
 where he arrived in November. There he 
 learned carpentering under John Haynes, a 
 finished workman from London, England, 
 who had emigrated to America in 1S50 and 
 located in the Badger State. With that 
 gentleman our subject continued until the 
 latter's death, which occurred in Lura town- 
 ship, Faribault county, ' Minnesota, in the 
 forty-ninth year of his age. 'He was a well 
 known citizen of this locality, and was the 
 first white man to find a resting place in 
 Lura cemetery. He was a man of noble 
 Christian character, and will be remembered 
 by many old settlers who held him in high 
 regard. The friendship which existed be- 
 tween Mr. Evans and Mr. Haynes was an 
 almost ideal one. For a quarter of a cen- 
 tury they were companions in business and 
 in social life, and as the years passed their 
 mutual confidence and respect increased. 
 They shared pioneer life in Wisconsin to- 
 gether, and in Maj', 1865, they came to- 
 gether to Minnesota. They were accom- 
 panied by Alfred Haynes, a brother of John, 
 and driving two yoke of oxen they at length 
 reached Lura township on the 17th of June, 
 having passed through Portage, New Lisbon 
 and La Crosse, while en route. The Mis- 
 sissippi was crossed at La Crescent, and they 
 passed through St. Charles, Rochester, 
 Owatonna and Wilton. 
 
 On reaching Lura township Mr. Evans 
 secured a claim of 160 acres of Government 
 land, located on section 29, and erected a 
 frame house, 14x16 feet, from lumber 
 which was hauled by oxen from the mill on 
 
 Cobb river. He was assisted in this work 
 by Mr. Haynes, and then the two friends 
 built a log house for the latter on section 
 33, Lura township. They endured the 
 hardships of pioneer life and went through 
 the difficulties which come to frontier set- 
 tlers. 
 
 John Haynes had a family of seven chil- 
 dren, four sons and three daughters, of 
 whom five are still living: Maria wedded 
 Orlando Holmes, better known among his 
 friends as "George." He is a native of 
 New York and resides at Stevens Point, 
 Wisconsin, being employed as engineer on 
 the Wisconsin Central, his division being 
 between Stevens Point and Portage, Wis- 
 consin. William O., born in Green Lake 
 county, Wisconsin, August 13, 1856, has 
 for the past thirty years been a close neigh- 
 bor and a bosom friend of his uncle, the 
 subject of this sketch. He has been quite 
 an important factor in the development of 
 this section of the country and has taken 
 part in man}' enterprises calculated to prove 
 of public benefit to Lura township-. 
 
 He married Emeline Wood, a native of 
 the Badger State, and to them were born 
 three children, — Sadie, Florence and Eme- 
 line. David is a farmer on section 33. Lura 
 township; Sarah is the wife of William 
 Chaffee, who carries on agricultural pur- 
 suits on section 9, Lura township; Joseph, 
 who is engaged in clerking in Delavan, Min- 
 nesota; and those who have passed away 
 are Elizabeth and Edward. 
 
 On the loth of October, 1S58, Mr. 
 Evans married Miss Maria Owens, daughter 
 of William and Elizabeth (Evans) Owens. 
 The lady was born in Liverpool, England, 
 August 29, 1834, and is the youngest of 
 nine children, three sons and six daughters, 
 of whom only two survive, — Mrs. Evans, and 
 
156' 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Margaret, widow of James Beard, who came 
 from Manchester, England, and married 
 Miss Owens in New York in 1838. They 
 had five children, four living: Owen James, 
 a farmer of Prescott township; Harrietta, 
 wife of Griffith M. Jones, of Blue Earth 
 City, Minnesota; Mary, wife of Frederick 
 Dolliver, who is living in northern Iowa; and 
 Anna, wife of Edward Dolliver, who is 
 also living in Iowa. The parents of Mrs. 
 Evans emigrated to America in 1844, 
 locating first in Syracuse, New York, and 
 then removing to Rochester, that State, 
 whence they went to Green Lake county, 
 Wisconsin, in 1848. Mr. Owens erected 
 a frame house in the village of Kingston, and 
 there the father died at the age of seventy- 
 four. His wife came with the family to Min- 
 nesota in 1865. She was a native of Wales, 
 and died in Lura township at the advanced 
 age of eighty-four, her remains being in- 
 terred in Lura cemetery. 
 
 Si.x children have been born to our sub- 
 ject and his wife : William J., the eldest, 
 born October 31, 1859, in Green Lake 
 county, Wisconsin, is now engaged in farm- 
 ing and stock-raising in Lac-qui-parle coun- 
 ty, Minnesota; Edward O., born April 29, 
 1 86 1, in Green Lake county, is now manag- 
 ing the Evans estate, comprising 720 acres 
 of the best farming land in Faribault coun- 
 ty; Samuel, born in Green Lake county, 
 April 12, 1863, owns a farm on section 28, 
 Lura township; Richard E. , born in Lura 
 township, September 23, 1867, is operating 
 a farm of 160 acres on section 32 of the 
 same township; David, born on the old 
 homestead, September i, 1872, makes his 
 home with his parents; Henry, born on the 
 home farm, March 19, 1877, completes the 
 family. Mr. and Mrs. Evans have reared a 
 family of sons of whom thej- may well be 
 
 proud, all having become honorable, up- 
 right and useful citizens. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Evans is a Re- 
 publican. He cast his first Presidential vote 
 for James Buchanan, but has since voted 
 for the men and measures of the Republi- 
 can party. He is a charter member of the 
 lodge of the Ancient Order of United Work- 
 men and also of the Independent Order of 
 Odd Fellows, located in Delavan, Minnesota. 
 In 1879 he returned to the land of his birth 
 and spent five very pleasant months in visit- 
 ing friends and relatives, and in again look- 
 ing upon the scenes among which his youth 
 was passed. He is, however, content with 
 his American home. His once wild claim 
 has been transformed into one of the fine 
 farms of Faribault county. A pretty frame 
 residence is now surrounded by beautiful 
 shade trees, which were planted bj- his own 
 hands, and his possessions have all been ac- 
 quired by his earnest and commendable la- 
 bors. His life has been well spent, honor- 
 able and upright in all things and the worthy 
 pioneer is esteemed by all who know him. 
 
 * » ^ UMPHREY METCALF BLAIS- 
 
 If^ DELL, attorney-at-law, Fairmont, 
 \ , r is a son of Alfred Metcalf Blaisdell, 
 who was born in Orland, Maine, 
 May 12, 1S03. He was a son of Daniel and 
 Anna (Saunders) Blaisdell. Daniel was a 
 son of Moses and Anna (Sanborn) Blaisdell. 
 The father of Moses Blaisdell was born in 
 Glasgow, Scotland, and came to America 
 in 1740, locating in either Massachusetts or 
 New Hampshire. He moved from New- 
 buryport to Amesbury, Massachusetts, where 
 Moses was born. He next located in Pictou, 
 Nova Scotia, and in 1783 removed to Penob- 
 scot valley, now Hancock count}', Maine, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '57 
 
 where his death occurred on Orphan's isle. 
 The mother of our subject, //<■<• Judith How- 
 ard Gray, was born in Sedgwick, Maine, 
 December 22, 1801, of Enghsh descent. 
 She saw old Fort Castine blown up by the 
 Americans to keep it from falling into the 
 hands of the British. Her father, Joab Gray, 
 was born at Sedgwick, Maine, and died there 
 May 12, 1 821; and her mother, whose 
 maiden name was Abigail Willcome, was 
 born at Cape Ann, Massachusetts, and died 
 in Orland, Maine, in May, 1856. 
 
 Alfred M. Blaisdell and Judith H. Gray 
 were married at Sedgwick, Maine, January 
 8, 1824, and located in Orland, Maine, 
 where the former was a seafaring man and 
 later a farmer and lumberman. They after- 
 ward moved to Dedham, Maine, and ne.xt 
 to Otis, that State, where he died February 
 23, 1878, his wife surviving him until Febru- 
 ary 3, 1886. In political matters he was 
 first a Democrat, and afterward, on account 
 of the slavery issue, was identified with the 
 Republican party. He was a member of 
 the Maine Legislature in 1 847, held the office 
 of Justice of the Peace, and served as Post- 
 master of Otis, from 1 86 1 until his death. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Blaisdell had nine children, 
 namely: Harriet Ann, wife of Daniel Con- 
 den, of Dedham, Maine; William Saunders, 
 who died at sea; Elizabeth Saunders, wife 
 of D. S. Winchester, of Holden, Maine; 
 Abigail Gray, who married Lewis Jordan, of 
 Hancock, that State; Charles Osgood, a 
 resident of Otis; Mary Augusta, wife of W. 
 H. Weatherbee, of Bangor; Ricardo Alvonia, 
 wife of Eben Kingman, of Otis; Humphrey 
 Metcalf, the subject of this sketch, and one 
 son who died at the age of nine months. 
 
 H. M. Blaisdell was born at Otis, Maine, 
 September 10, 1841. He remained there 
 until April, 1861, when he enlisted for serv- 
 
 ice in the late war, entering Company H, 
 Second Maine \'olunteer Infantry, as a pri- 
 vate, and his was the first regiment from 
 Maine in Washington, D. C. At the battle 
 of Bull Run, July 21, 1861, Mr. Blaisdell 
 was wounded by a musket ball in the left 
 leg, and lay on the field two weeks, when 
 he was carried by the enemy to Richmond, 
 Virginia. He remained in Libby prison 
 until December, 1861, was then in the rebel 
 prison at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, until March, 
 1862, and from that time until June, 1862, 
 remained in the prison at Salisbury, North 
 Carolina, when he was paroled, and after- 
 ward joined the Army of the Potomac. In 
 November, 1862, he was discharged on ac- 
 count of the wound received at Bull Run. 
 Remaining at his home in Maine until the 
 following July, Mr. Blaisdell enlisted as 
 Sergeant in Company C, First Maine Heavy 
 Artillery, and was on detached duty until 
 the summer of 1864. He next attended the 
 military academy on Chestnut street, Phila- 
 delphia, participated in the defense of Wash- 
 ington, D. C. , against Generals Early and 
 Breckenridge; July 11, 1864, was examined 
 at Washington by the board of which Major 
 General Silas Casey was president, and was • 
 commissioned First Lieutenant in the Twelfth 
 United States Colored Heavy Artillery July 
 23d of the same year. Mr. Blaisdell did 
 duty in Kentucky and Tennessee, and was 
 captured January 8, 1865, at Big Spring, 
 Kentucky, by General Lyon's cavalry; was 
 part of the time in command of Company 
 E, of that regiment, until April 24, 1866, 
 when he was mustered out of service by 
 reason of the reorganization of the army. 
 Four days afterward Lieutenant Blaisdell 
 passed an examination for a commission in 
 the regular army before the board of which 
 Colonel Charles G. Bartlett, U. S. A., was 
 
iss 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 president; but, owing to heart disease con- 
 tracted during his five years' service, he was 
 obliged to rehnquish the idea, and returned 
 to Maine. 
 
 Our subject graduated at East Maine 
 Conference Seminary at Bucksport, that 
 State, and while a student there represented 
 his district in the Maine Legislature in 1868. 
 Up to that time there had been but two Re- 
 publicans in the Legislature from the town 
 of Otis, the first having been the father of 
 our subject, in 1847. ^^i"- Blaisdell next 
 read law with Hon. Eugene Hale, of Ells- 
 worth, Maine, and was admitted to the bar 
 of Hancock county in 18O8. In the follow- 
 ing spring he came to Fairmont, Minnesota, 
 where he has since resided, engaged in the 
 active practice of law. In 1887 he pur- 
 chased the Fairmont News, and published 
 the same until the spring of 1894, when he 
 gave the editorship to his eldest son, Josiah 
 Crosby Blaisdell. The paper has always 
 been independent in political matters, and 
 has one of the best plants of any country 
 paper in the State. Although a Republican, 
 our subject is somewhat inclined to the in- 
 dependents in political affairs. Socially, he 
 has been a member of the Loj-al Legion 
 since its organization in June, 1885, has 
 been a member of the Masonic order since 
 1866, and has served as Commander of Phil 
 Kearny Post, No. 18, G. A. R. , and served 
 on the staffs of Commanders in Chief Fair- 
 child and Rea, of the National G. A. R. 
 
 August 27, 1 87 1, Mr. Blaisdell was 
 united in marriage with Henrietta Hill 
 Crosby, born in De.xter, Maine, February 
 18, 1850, a daughter of Hon. Josiah Crosby, 
 who was born in New Hampshire, Novem- 
 ber 25, 1817, and now resides in Dexter, 
 where he is the second in point of age now 
 in active law practice in the United States. 
 
 He graduated in Bowdoin College in 1835, 
 and, among other prominent positions, 
 served as Lieutenant Governor of Maine in 
 I 868, and for several years in the Legisla- 
 ture of that State, both in the House and 
 Senate. The mother of Mrs. Blaisdell, ncc 
 Mary Bradbury Foss, was born in Maine 
 March 22, 1834, and still resides at her 
 home in Dexter, that State. Mrs. Blaisdell 
 received her education at Dexter, Maine, 
 and at Antioch College, in Yellow Springs, 
 Ohio. Our subject and wife have three 
 sons, — Josiah Crosby, editor of the Fair- 
 mont News; Alfred, and Arthur. 
 
 SIAL B. JOHNSON, retired, a well- 
 known citizen of Blue Earth City, 
 Faribault county, Minnesota, was 
 born in Grafton, New Hampshire, 
 October 22, 1827, third in the family of 
 seven children, of Jesse and Dorothea 
 (Smith) Johnson. His grandfather, Nathan 
 Johnson, was of English descent, and was 
 a member of one of the early New England 
 families. Rial B. spent the first sixteen 
 j-ears of his life on a farm, receiving his ed- 
 ucation in the common schools, and at six- 
 teen entered upon an apprenticeship to the 
 trade of shoemaker. After completing his 
 trade he worked as a journeyman for several 
 years. In 1850 he engaged in business for 
 himself at Rutland, Vermont, and while 
 there accumulated considerable property, at 
 one time owning a good share of the prop- 
 erty on the north side of Center street in 
 that town, near where the Government 
 building now stands. 
 
 In 1856 Mr. Johnson came west to Wis- 
 consin, and located in Berlin, where he 
 carried on business two years, at the end of 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '59 
 
 that time coming to Minnesota, crossing the 
 Mississippi river May 5, 1858, the day Min- 
 nesota was admitted into the Union. He 
 located at Winnebago City and entered 160 
 acres of Government land in the township 
 of Vernon, on section eight. This place he 
 improved, and remained upon it until the 
 Indian outbreak in 1S62. He then moved 
 into the village, and carried on business 
 there four years. In 1866 he was elected 
 on the Republican ticket to the office of 
 Treasurer of Faribault county. This office 
 he filled for twelve years, serving with credit 
 both to himself and his constituency. While 
 Treasurer of the county he compiled a set 
 of abstract books, which have become very 
 valuable. 
 
 When he was elected Treasurer he sold 
 out his interests in Winnebago City and 
 moved to Blue Earth City, where he has 
 since remained. At the expiration of his 
 long term of office, Mr. Johnson turned his 
 attention to the real-estate business, in 
 which he was engaged for ten years, and 
 since then he has been practically retired 
 from active business. In 1879 he was 
 elected to the State Senate, and served four 
 years, being a member of the Court of Im- 
 peachment of Hon. E. St. Julien Cox, Judge 
 of the Ninth Judicial District, in 1882; and 
 he has also held many local offices of prom- 
 inence and trust. 
 
 Mr. Johnson was married, in 1858, to 
 Miss Ellen Davlin, a native of Addison 
 county, Vermont, and a daughter of Lewis 
 Davlin, who came from Ireland to this 
 country and settled in the Green Mountain 
 State, where he married a native of the 
 Emerald Isle. Subsequently Mr. Davlin 
 removed to Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Johnson became the parents of two children: 
 Minnie, wife of S. A. Conklin, of Blue Earth 
 
 City ; and Don C. , a prominent farmer of Blue 
 Earth City township. Mr. and Mrs. Conk- 
 lin have two children, Rial T. and Floyd 
 Ray. Don C. Johnson was born December 
 31, i860, and October 4, 1882, married 
 Miss Minnie Carpenter. Their children are 
 Claud G. and Burnett. He has a fine farm 
 of 245 acres, well improved and in a high 
 state of cultivation. For five years he has 
 served as Supervisor. Mrs. Johnson, the 
 devoted wife of our subject, departed this 
 life September 29, 1889, at the age of fifty- 
 three years. She was most amiable woman, 
 a true Christian, and a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mr. Johnson is identified with the F. & 
 A. M., Blue Earth City Lodge, No. 57, and 
 is also a Royal Arch Mason. 
 
 >T^OHN NEWTON KNUTSON, 
 ■ a druggist of Winnebago City, Fari- 
 A 1 bault county, was born in Nicollet 
 county, Minnesota, August 12. 1865, 
 a son of K. R. and Rhoda Knutson, natives 
 of Norway. They were married in Iowa, 
 and for several years successfully carried on 
 farming in Nicollet county, since which 
 time they have lived retired in St. Peter. 
 
 J. N. Knutson grew to manhcod on his 
 father's farm, and received a good education 
 in the district school and at the high school 
 at St. Peter. On attaining his majority he 
 entered a drug store in that city for the pur- 
 pose of learning the business, and a few 
 years afterward took a regular pharmaceu- 
 tical course at Minneapolis, under the tutor- 
 ship of Dr. Drew, the State Chemist, pass- 
 ing a creditable examination, and receiving 
 his diploma March 4, 1890. In 1888 Mr. 
 Kmitson came to Wiimcbago C'ilv, and on 
 
i6o 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 January i, 1889, opened a drug store, which 
 under his careful and judicious management 
 has steadily increased until he now carries a 
 large stock and has a profitable trade. He 
 is an energetic and enterprising young man 
 and takes a lively interest in all matters 
 pertaining to the public good. He cast his 
 first presidential vote for President Harrison, 
 having since been an ardent Republican, 
 and one of the active workers of the party. 
 In 1893 he served in the village Council, 
 and in 1894 was a representative from this 
 county (Faribault) to the State Republican 
 convention held at St. Paul in July of that 
 year. Mr. Knutson was made a Mason in 
 1893, in Blue Earth Valley Lodge, No. 27, 
 A. F. & A. M., and in 1894 received the 
 Royal Arch degrees in Mount Horeb Chap- 
 ter, No. 21, R. A. M., and is Noble Grand 
 in the I. O. O. F. 
 
 March 6, 1891, our subject was united 
 in marriage with Miss Sarah Delia Moulton, 
 a native of Winnebago City, and eldest 
 daughter of George K. and Susan C. (Cogs- 
 well) Moulton. Mr. and Mrs. Knutson have 
 two children, — Alice May and Harry Moul- 
 ton. 
 
 aHARLES CLARENCE DONALD- 
 SON, M. D., stands in the front 
 rank of the medical fraternity of 
 Martin county and is now enjoying 
 a large and lucrative practice in Fairmont, 
 — a tribute to his skill and ability. Hardly 
 any class of men exercise a greater influence 
 in a community than those belonging to the 
 medical profession, and among those who 
 have made this influence a power for good 
 is the gentleman whose name initiates this 
 review. 
 
 Dr. Donaldson, who is of Scotch descent, 
 
 has the honor of being a native of Minne- 
 sota, his birth having occurred in Rice 
 county, about four miles from Faribault, on 
 the 5th of December, 1858. The family was 
 probably founded in America during early 
 Colonial days. The grandfather, Charles 
 Donaldson, was a native of Pennsylvania, 
 and his son, R. F., the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in the Ligonier valley of the 
 Keystone State. There the days of his boy- 
 hood and youth were passed and in his earlier 
 years he learned the tailor's trade. The 
 year 1856 witnessed his emigration West- 
 ward and saw him located in Rice county, 
 Minnesota, where he took up a claim and 
 also established a general store. In con- 
 nection with his brothers, he built a large, 
 double brick store-building in Dundas, and 
 for a number of years successfully carried 
 on general merchandising, securing a large 
 trade, which yielded to him a good income. 
 In the year 1890 he came to Fairmont, 
 where his last days were passed, and where 
 he passed away at the age of sixty-five years. 
 He wedded Mary J. Stuart, who was born 
 and reared in Ohio and was of Irish lineage. 
 She died at the age of forty years. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Donaldson had a family of eight chil- 
 dren, five sons and three daughters, all of 
 whom are yet living. 
 
 The eldest son and third child of the 
 family is the Doctor, and with pleasure we 
 turn to personal mention of this worth}' citi- 
 zen of Fairmont. He was reared in the 
 county of his nativity and began his educa- 
 tion in the district schools. His early priv- 
 ileges were afterward supplemented by study 
 in Carlton College, in Rice county, and at 
 the age of twenty he went to Pennsylvania, 
 entering the Elder Ridge Academy, from 
 which he was in due time graduated. 
 
 Wishing to enter the medical profession 
 
~^. jj. X2/f^r/a///a/r 
 
FARIBAULT, MART/X, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 163 
 
 and make its practice his life work, he began 
 fitting himself for that calling in Xorthfield, 
 Rice county, in the office and imder the di- 
 rection of Dr. \\'illiam Greaves. At Iowa 
 City he attended medical lectures for one 
 term, and in 1887, after a thorough course 
 of study, he was graduated from the West- 
 ern Reserve University, of Cleveland, Ohio. 
 The degree of M. D. was conferred upon 
 him and he at once located in Goodhue 
 county, Minnesota, where he opened an 
 office. In the autumn of the same year he 
 went to Clark county. South Dakota, where 
 he continued in practice for three years, 
 coming to Fairmont in 1 890, since which 
 time he has made this city his home. He 
 has ever been a close student of his profes- 
 sion and keeps abreast with all the discov- 
 eries and theories connected with the science 
 of medicine, being one of the best-informed 
 practitioners in this section of the State. He 
 had not long been in Fairmont when he 
 began to receive frequent professional calls, 
 and his practice has constantly grown in 
 proportions until now he has a liberal pat- 
 ronage. 
 
 The lady who now bears the name of 
 Mrs. Donaldson was in her maidenhood Miss 
 Sarah Hine. She was born in Indiana 
 county, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of 
 Peter Hine. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Donaldson has been blessed with three inter- 
 esting children: Samuel, Laviniaand Robert. 
 
 The Doctor exercises his right of fran- 
 chise in support of the men and measures of 
 the Republican part}'. Socially he is con- 
 nected with the Odd Fellows Society, the 
 Modern Woodmen of America and the An- 
 cient Order of United Workmen, also the 
 Southern Minnesota Medical Society, and 
 in these various organizations is a valued 
 and honored representative. His entire life 
 
 has been passed in Minnesota, and those 
 who have known him from his early youth 
 are numbered among his warmest friends. 
 
 HMISON JACKSON HODGMAN 
 has been identified with the growth 
 and upbuilding of Martin county 
 since the days cf its infancy, aided 
 in the organization of the township in which 
 he now makes his home, — Pleasant Prairie, 
 — and has not withheld his support and co- 
 operation from any enterprise calculated to 
 promote the general welfare. This volume 
 would be incomplete without the record of 
 his life, and we are glad thus to perpetuate 
 his memory by written record. 
 
 Mr. Hodgman was born in Onondaga 
 county. New York, November 4, 1829, and 
 comes of a family of German and French 
 lineage. His grandfather, Samuel Hodg- 
 man, was one of the pioneer settlers of both 
 Saratoga and Onondaga counties. New York. 
 By trade he was a blacksmith and located 
 on a farm on which the town of East Syra- 
 cuse, New York, was afterward built. He 
 erected the first house in that place and 
 there made his home until his death at the 
 age of forty-seven years. The father of our 
 subject, Daniel Hodgman, was a native of 
 Saratoga, but was reared in Onondaga coun- 
 ty, whither he rcmo\-ed with his parents 
 when a child of four years. Having reached 
 maturity he married Miss Mary Rotnour, a 
 native of New York, born in Montgomery 
 county. Her father, Henry Rotnour, was 
 of Holland descent. Mary Rotnour's mother 
 was a daughter of General John A. E\er- 
 hart. Daniel Hodgman and his wife first 
 located on the old homestead in Onondaga 
 county, and in 1824 removed to Chautauqua 
 county, New York, but after two and a half 
 
,64 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 years passed there they returned to the 
 former county. There the father died, at 
 the age of sixty-four years, in 1861, and the 
 mother passed away at the advanced age of 
 eighty-seven jears. 
 
 In the family of this worthy and esteemed 
 couple were four sons and four daughters: 
 Harrison S., who is Hving in Onondaga 
 county; Jeanette H., who became the wife 
 of Herman C. Finch and had iive children, 
 but her husband and children are all now 
 deceased, Marien S., deceased; A. J., of this 
 notice; Henry, a resident of Laramie City, 
 Wyoming; Christiana E. , wife of Simon 
 Reals, of Onondaga county; Harriet L. , 
 wife of Ward Eaton of Onondaga countj'; 
 and Daniel I , of Idaho. 
 
 A. J. Hodgman spent the days of his 
 childhood and youth in his parents' home, 
 and attended the common schools of the 
 neighborhood, obtaining a fair English edu- 
 cation. His first independent effort in life 
 was as a farm hand, working in that ca- 
 pacity for $7 per month, and afterward 
 ha\ing his wages raised to the munificent 
 sum of $13. He early became familiar with 
 all the duties that fall to the lot of the agri- 
 culturist, and following the occupation to 
 which he was reared he has won a handsome 
 competence in his business dealings through 
 life. 
 
 As a companion and helpmeet on life's 
 journey Mr. Hodgman chose Miss Louisa 
 Walrath, the wedding taking place in 185 i. 
 The lady was born in Montgomery county, 
 New York, and was a daughter of Peter I. 
 Walrath and a descendant of an old Mo- 
 hawk Dutch family. By that union were 
 born eleven children, eight yet li\ing: Will- 
 iam H., of Handy, Martin county, Minne- 
 sota; Lydia A., wife of Robert E. Hill, who 
 resides in Pleasant Prairie township; Lillie, 
 
 wife of J. D. Drake of Center Creek town- 
 ship, Martin county; Jennie, wife of Judson 
 Parks of the same county; Rose, wife of 
 J. T. Tinker of Center Creek township; 
 Inez, wife of Ed Older, who makes his 
 home in Fairmont; Nellie, wife of William 
 Hensler. of Handy, Minnesota; Franklin, 
 at home. The mother of this family died 
 October i, 1872. Mr. Hodgman was again 
 married in 1876, his second union being 
 with Henrietta De Crush, widow of William 
 De Crush. She was born in Ohio, and 
 when about three years old went to Illinois. 
 Three children grace this union, — Minnie 
 D., MaryL. , and Zora May. Mrs. Hodg- 
 man died July 3, 1883, aged thirty-nine 
 years. 
 
 In the year 186 1 Mr. Hodgman emi- 
 grated to the West, settling in Columbia 
 county, Wisconsin, where he engaged in 
 farming for three years, coming then to 
 Martin county, in 1864, and arriving here 
 on the 1 8th of October; and he has since 
 been identified with the history of this com- 
 munity. He secured a homestead, built a 
 sod house with a dirt roof and took up his 
 residence upon the farm, being one of the 
 oldest settlers now living in the township. 
 The land was still in its primitive condition, 
 not a furrow having been turned or an im- 
 provement made upon the place, but with 
 characteristic energy he began its develop- 
 ment and in course of time the wild prairie 
 was made to \ield its wealth and blossom 
 as the rose. His farming operations were 
 interrupted, however, in i 865, by his enlist- 
 ment in the service of his coimtry as a mem- 
 bea of Company H, First Minnesota Heavy 
 Artillei)-. The regiment was stationed at 
 Chattanooga, Tennessee, and he continued 
 with that command until after the cessation 
 of hostilities, when the South, having laid 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 down its arms, he was mustered out at Nash- 
 ville, and received an honorable discharge 
 at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. Throughout 
 his service he held the rank of Corporal. 
 
 Returning at once to his home Mr. 
 Hodgman has since devoted his time and 
 attention to agricultural pursuits. The 
 early da3-s were a period of hardship. The 
 farm yielded small returns, and he had to 
 chop wood and engage in trapping in order 
 to support his family; but as time has passed 
 his untiring labors and his good business 
 ability have brought him prosperity, and he 
 is now an extensive land owner, his posses- 
 sions aggregating 480 acres, all under a 
 high state of cultivation and improved with 
 the conveniences and accessories of a model 
 farm. In connection with general farming 
 he carries on stock-raising, keeping on hand 
 good grades of cattle and hogs. A man of 
 steadfast purpose he carries forward to suc- 
 cessful completion whatever he undertakes, 
 and he certainly deserves great credit for 
 his success in life. He may truly be called 
 a self-made man, and merits all the praise 
 indicated by that term. 
 
 On questions of State and national im- 
 portance, Mr. Hodgman votes with the 
 Democracy, but at local elections, where no 
 political issue is involved, he supports the 
 man whom he believes best qualified, re- 
 gardless of party affiliations. His fellow 
 citizens, appreciating his worth and abilitj', 
 have frequently called him to public office, 
 and in the positions he has filled his prompt 
 and faithful discharge of duty has won him 
 high commendation. He was for three years 
 Town Treasurer, has been side Supervisor 
 and Chairman of the Town Board, and was 
 one of the organizers of the township. He 
 holds his social membershiji in Phil Kearny 
 Post, G. A. K., of Fairmont, and in social 
 
 circles he occupies an enviable position. 
 Martin county has reason to be proud of 
 him for the important part which he has 
 taken in her work, and to him owes a debt 
 of gratitude for his untiring labors in her 
 behalf. 
 
 aMANSIvE is one of the honored 
 pioneers of Faribault county and a 
 practical and progressive farmer 
 who now owns and occupies 425 
 acres of rich and valuable land. His farm 
 is pleasantly located on section 11, Blue 
 Earth City township, and its neat and thrifty 
 appearance well indicate the enterprise and 
 progressive spirit which are so characteristic 
 of the owner. Among the well-known citi- 
 zens of Faribault county none are more de- 
 serving of representation in this volume than 
 the gentleman whose name introduces this 
 review. 
 
 Mr. Manske was born in Padstolide- 
 Posen, on the 25th of December, 1833, and 
 is a son of Ernest and Christina (Smidt) 
 Manske, who were also natives of the same 
 locality, — the mother having been only 
 fifteen years of age at the time of her mar- 
 riage. The father was a miller by trade and 
 carried on that occupation throughout his 
 entire life. He also owned and managed a 
 farm of thirty acres, which was regarded as 
 quite an extensive tract of land in that 
 locality. Ernest Manske was born in 1 801 
 and died in 1840. His children were as fol- 
 lows: August, who is now living in the 
 Fatherland; Adolph; Christian; Ludwig.who 
 came to America in i860 and served in the 
 Union army from 1861 to 1863, during 
 which time he was wounded in the leg, at 
 the battle of Huntsville, his death resulting 
 from this injur}'; and Samuel, who died in 
 
1 66 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 childhood. After the death of her first hus- 
 band Mrs. Manske became the wife of Mr. 
 Seaford and by that union was born one 
 child, Isabel. Mr. Seaford died four years 
 after this marriaf(e and the mother of our 
 subject married a Mr. Guest by whom she 
 had three children: Ernest, Lena and 
 Augusta. 
 
 C. Manske remained at home until nine- 
 teen years of age and then entered the army, 
 serving as a member of the Guards from 
 1853 until 1856. From the time he was 
 sixteen years of age he had a strong desire 
 to come to America, but the laws of his na- 
 tive land enforced his military service. After 
 three years he was granted a year's leave of 
 absence and on the 8th day of May, 1857, 
 in company with an old schoolmate, Christ 
 Metz, he set sail from Bremen on a steamer 
 bound for New York. Neither of the young 
 men could speak a word of English and this 
 occasioned many incidents which at that 
 time were very perplexing and troublesome, 
 but which, in the lapse of years, have be- 
 come amusing. 
 
 On leaving New York, Mr. Manske in- 
 quired the way to Milwaukee, and his com- 
 panion how to reach Wisconsin. The con- 
 sequence was that the former was put on 
 board a boat and the latter was sent by rail, 
 but the next morning they met in Albany, 
 New York, and continued their journey to- 
 gether on the train. On reaching Milwau- 
 kee they began looking for work, but were 
 unsuccessful in their search. I3y this time 
 Mr. Metz was out of money and the capital 
 of Mr. Manske also was nearly exhausted, 
 so that employment as a means of securing 
 further funds was an absolute necessity. 
 Packing their clothing in a little bundle they 
 started out on foot with no destination in 
 view and spent the first night in a freight- 
 
 car which was standing on aside-track. The 
 following morning they again resumed their 
 journey and in the afternoon secured work 
 at ditch-digging, receiving in compensation 
 for their services one dollar per day. Feel- 
 ing encouraged by their success in getting 
 the needed employment, when their task 
 was completed they once more started out 
 and the following night they had to sleep 
 out of doors, but their perseverance was at 
 length rewarded and they secured a position 
 at $10 per month. Subsequently they 
 worked in the harvest fields at $1.50 a day 
 and afterward for $12 per month. 
 
 The following winter the subject of this 
 sketch attended school and in the spring en- 
 gaged in "driving" logs on the Mississippi 
 river. In i860, accompanied by his old 
 companion and countryman, he came to 
 Faribault county, casting his lot with its 
 early settlers. He made the journey on 
 foot, — a distance of 300 miles, — and after 
 he had arrived at his destination entered 
 from the Government t6o acres of land, on 
 which not a furrow had been turned or an 
 improvement made. On this he built a 
 small house and then returned to Wisconsin 
 and made another trip down the Mississippi 
 as far as Dubuque. 
 
 Mr. Manske's next trip took him to Mar- 
 quette county, Wisconsin, where on the 
 loth day of June, 1S61, he was united in 
 marriage with Miss Caroline Celmer, a na- 
 tive of Prussia who came to this country 
 within the same year that her iuisband 
 crossed the Atlantic. In Marquette county 
 Mr. Manske purchased a yoke of oxen, and 
 with his young wife started for their home- 
 stead in Minnesota, but on airi\ing here he 
 found his house, which had been rudely con- 
 structed, blown down. They lived in their 
 wagon-box until an"ther dwelling could be 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 167 
 
 built. Their home was furnished witii fur- 
 niture of Mr. Manske's manufacture and 
 they began their domestic life in true pioneer 
 style, passing through all the privations and 
 hardships incident to a residence on the 
 frontier. In 1862 they and their neighbors 
 were compelled to leave their homes on ac- 
 count of trouble with the Indians, but soon 
 returned. Their first dwelling continued to 
 be their place of abode for seventeen years, 
 and though it was not supplied with the 
 luxuries of many homes, many happy hours 
 were passed there. Mr. Manske has im- 
 proved his land and added to his farm until 
 now within its boundries are comprised 425 
 acres of the best soil of Faribault county, 
 and his labors have transformed it into rich 
 and fertile fields which yield to him a good 
 return for the care and labor he bestows 
 upon them. 
 
 In those early days the pioneer home 
 was brightened by the presence of three 
 children, — Edward; Elizabeth, now the wife 
 of John Franks, a resident of Blue Earth 
 City; and Henry. The parents are faithful 
 and consistent members of the Lutheran 
 Church and are actively interested in its up- 
 building. In his political views Mr. Manske 
 is a Democrat. 
 
 In 1885 he returned to his native land on 
 a visit to his aged mother, who died the fol- 
 lowing year at the age of seventy-three. 
 The trip was a pleasant one and he enjoyed 
 the time spent among the haunts of his 
 youth and in renewing the acquaintances of 
 his childhood, but he does not regret his emi- 
 gration to America, and this community has 
 no more loyal or faithful citizen than he. 
 Success had here attended his efforts and 
 by good management, perseverance and 
 well-directed efforts he has added to his 
 possessions until he is now regarded as one 
 
 of the wealthiest farmers of Faribault coun- 
 ty. As a pioneer he has witnessed much of 
 the growth and development of this region 
 and has aided in its upbuilding and progress, 
 withholding his support from no enterprise 
 calculated to promote the general welfare. 
 
 » _ rf ON. JOHN FRANKLIN DAN- 
 W'^\ lELS, of Fairmont, Martin Conn- 
 ie J' ty, is a son of Levinus L. and Abi- 
 • gail (Spaulding) Daniels, natives of 
 
 New Hampshire. The father was born 
 June 14, 1798, a son of John Daniels, a na- 
 tive of Connecticut. The mother was born 
 December 28, 1801. The were married in 
 New Hampshire, and located in Hartland, 
 Vermont, where they resided many years. 
 They were the parents of eleven children, 
 ten of whom grew to years of maturity, and 
 six are now living, — Norman Curtis; John 
 Franklin; Helen M., wife of Elias R. Stick- 
 ney; George Hamden; Henry Herbert and 
 Joseph Warren. One son, James W., was 
 a soldier in the civil war. Mr. Daniels was 
 a member of the Universalist Church, and 
 his wife was a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 John F. Daniels, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in Hartland, Windsor 
 county, Vermont, August 15, 1827, and was 
 reared to farm life until nineteen years of 
 age. He then began railroad carpentering, 
 which he continued until May 18, 1858, 
 when an accident occurred on the Great 
 Western Railroad of Canada (now a part of 
 the Grand Trunk system), that rendered 
 him totally blind for three years. Two op- 
 erations were performed, one in 1861 and 
 another in 1862, which were partially suc- 
 cessful. Mr. Daniels then began sawing 
 wood and working at whatever else he could 
 
1 68 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 find to do, and in 1866, poor and almost 
 blind, he arrived in Fairmont, Minnesota, 
 where he sawed wood during the winters 
 and dug wells, cisterns, etc., in the summer. 
 October 9, 1878, our subject was united 
 in marriage with Lucy A. Eldred, born in 
 Becket, Massachusetts, January 5, 1830, a 
 daughter of Martin Luther and Lucy (Smith) 
 Blair, natives also of that State, the father 
 born February 11, 1 804, and the mother 
 July 3, 1806. The father was of Scotch- 
 English descent. In 1832 they removed to 
 Rochester, Lorain county, Ohio, where Mr. 
 Blair followed carpentering. Both are now 
 deceased. Si.\ of their thirteen children are 
 now living, namely: Lucy A. ; Sarah A. wife 
 of Henry L. Benedict; Franklin H. ; Luke 
 P. ; Emily A. ; and Mary E. , who married 
 Raymond Stoughton. Mr. and Mrs. Blair 
 were members of the Congregational Church. 
 Mrs. Daniels is a member and active worker 
 in that church, in v^'hich she is President of 
 the Ladies' Aid Society and ex-President of 
 the Missionary Society. 
 
 Mr. Daniels affiliates with the Republi- 
 can party. He served as President of the 
 School Board of Fairmont for a number of 
 years before its organization into an inde- 
 pendent district. He was elected to the 
 State Legislature in 1873. in which he served 
 witli credit one term. Mr. Daniels is now 
 totally blind. 
 
 >T^ OH N WHIPPLE GOULD, D. V. S., 
 M a successful veterinary surgeon and 
 /• 1 real-estate dealer of Fairmont, Min- 
 nesota, is a native of the Green Moun- 
 tain State, his birth having occurred in 
 Orleans county, on the ist of May, 1844. 
 His father, George Gould, was a native of 
 New Hampshire, was of ICnglish descent and 
 
 throughout his entire life followed the occu- 
 pation of farming. His wife, whose maiden 
 name was Mary Daniels, was also of Eng- 
 lish descent and was a native of Vermont. 
 They became the parents of ten children, 
 seven sons and three daughters, all of whom 
 reached adult age. In order of birth they 
 are as follows: George, who is living in 
 Salem, Oregon; Ralph, who died at the age 
 of thirty years; Nathan, who resides in Mill- 
 bank, South Dakota; Samuel, who laid 
 down his life on the altar of this country 
 while in the Union army; John W. , of this 
 sketch; Nathaniel, who died in California at 
 the age of about forty years; Charles, of 
 Kansas; Mrs. Olive Brown, of Brainard, 
 Minnesota: Hannah, deceased; and Alferette, 
 wife of Eli Swetland. 
 
 Under the parental roof Dr. Gould was 
 reared to manhood. The first twelve years 
 of his life were passed in the State of his 
 nativity and in 1856 he accompanied his 
 parents on their removal to Dodge county, 
 \\'isconsin. In 1859 the family went to 
 Goodhue county, Minnesota, where, in 1S61, 
 our subject offered his services to the Gov- 
 ernment, enlisting in Company K, Second 
 Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. He was then 
 only seventeen years of age. He was with 
 his compau}' for onl^' nine mouths, when on 
 account of disability he was discharged. He 
 then returned home, but in 1862 re-enlisted, 
 joining the valiant troops of Company C, 
 Sixth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, in 
 which he served until the close of the war. 
 He participated in some of the most im- 
 portant engagements of the war and con- 
 tinued in the service for a little more than 
 four years. For two years he was in the 
 Indian service in the West, but wherever 
 duty called he was al\va\s found, — a faith- 
 ful defentlcr of the old Hag ami the cause 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 169 
 
 it represented. While engaged in service 
 against the Indians, he was located in Fair- 
 mont in 1863, and at that time he took up 
 a claim in Tenhassen township, Martin 
 county. After the war closed he came to 
 this place, in November, 1865, and located 
 on the land which he had secured two years 
 previous. With characteristic energy he be- 
 gan its development and placed the once 
 barren tract under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion, continuing its improvement until 1881, 
 when he abandoned agricultural pursuits and 
 came to Fairmont, embarking in the real- 
 estate business and also practicing veteri- 
 nary surgery. For fifteen years he success- 
 fully practiced and then, in order to further 
 perfect himself, he went to Chicago and 
 after pursuing a two years' course was grad- 
 uated, in 1892, from the Chicago Veterinary 
 College. He thoroughly understands his 
 business and in the prosecution of his pro- 
 fession has secured a good income, for his 
 ability has won him a liberal patronage. 
 
 In the year 1866 Dr. Gould married Miss 
 Charlotte Babcock, a native of Hillsdale 
 county, Michigan, and they have three 
 children: Dr. James N., the eldest, gradu- 
 ated from the Chicago Veterinary College 
 in the same class with his father, and is now 
 engaged in practice in Worthington, Minne- 
 sota; Clara is the wife of Fred Rouse, a resi- 
 dent farmer of Martin county; and John H. 
 is at home. 
 
 In his social relations the Doctor is con- 
 nected with the Odd Fellows society, hold- 
 ing membership with Fairmont Lodge, No. 
 70, I. O. O. F. , and is also a member of 
 Phil. Kearny Post, No. 18, G. A. R. He 
 votes with the Prohibition party and is a 
 warm friend of the temperance cause. Dur- 
 ing nearly his entire residence in Tenhassen 
 township he served as a member of the town 
 
 Board of Supervisors, and part of the time 
 was chairman. Real estate is the minor 
 branch of his business and yet he has been 
 largely interested in it. He has at one time 
 owned as high as 700 acres of farm land and 
 has handled other valuable property. His 
 business has been ably conducted and his 
 enterprise, diligence and sagacity have made 
 him one of the substantial citizens of the 
 community. 
 
 >T^EHU HAYWORTH, of Fairmont, is 
 m a son of Jehu and Elizabeth (Chan- 
 A 1 dler) Hayworth, natives of V'irginia. 
 They were married in their native 
 State, and shortly afterward located in Ken- 
 tucky and later removed to Vigo county, 
 Indiana, where they were among the early 
 pioneers. The mother departed this life in 
 1835, and the father died two years after- 
 ward. Both grandfathers of our subject 
 were soldiers in the Revolutionary war, and 
 his father, with two bi others, served in the 
 war of 1812. 
 
 Jehu Hayworth, the only one surviving 
 of fifteen children, eight of whom grew to 
 maturity, was born in Vigo county, Indiana, 
 November 22, 1828, and remained there 
 until seventeen years of age, having been 
 obliged to earn his own living after his ninth 
 year. He then spent one year in Green 
 county, Wisconsin, worked one year in De 
 Kalb county, Illinois, worked for $8 per 
 month for two years in Winnebago county, 
 that State, and in 1850 returned to Wiscon- 
 sin. Mr. Hayworth purchased Government 
 land in La Crosse county, which he partially 
 improved and then sold. He also bought 
 and improved another claim in that county. 
 In 1863 he located on wild land in Martin 
 county, Minnesota, which he improved and 
 
170 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 on which he lived for twelve years. He 
 then lived in Elm Creek eight years, since 
 which he has resided in Fairmont. 
 
 In February, 1865, Mr. Hayworth en- 
 listed for service in the late war, entering 
 Company I, Second Minnesota Cavalry, and 
 was engaged in guard duty until November, 
 of the same year, when he was honorably 
 discharged. In 1883 our subject began 
 carrying United States mail over the star 
 route, from Fairmont to Pleasant Prairie, 
 Pixley and East Chain Lakes. His route 
 was afterwards changed from Fairmont to 
 Bancroft, which he retained for one year 
 and three months. In 1891 he again took 
 up that occupation, carrying the mail three 
 times a week. 
 
 In 1849, at Beloit, Wisconsin, Mr. Hay- 
 worth was united in marriage with Amanda 
 F. Segar, born in Berkshire county, Massa- 
 chusetts, April 30, 1832, adaughter of Julius 
 and Abigail (Targee) Segar, natives also of 
 that State. In 1836 they located in Warren 
 county, New York, four years afterward re- 
 moved to Winnebago county, Illinois, in 
 1848 to Marquette county, Wisconsin, thence 
 to La Crosse county, that State, and next to 
 Wabasha county, Minnesota. Mrs. Segar 
 died in 1838, and her husband survived until 
 1887. They were the parents of eight chil- 
 dren, four now living. Of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hayworth's seven children, four are now 
 living,- — Emsley, who married Lovina Jones, 
 and resides in Frazer township, Martin 
 county; George, of Fairmont, married Ellen 
 Stewart; Dudley, of ()uincy, Illinois; and 
 Jehu, who married Anna Hurr, and resides 
 in California. In his social relations Mr. 
 Hayworth is a member of Chain Lake Lodge, 
 No. 64, A. F". & A. M., of Fairmont, in 
 which he has served as Junior Deacon for 
 seven years, and as a member of the G. A. 
 
 R. he has filled some of the offices in his 
 post. Politically he is an active worker in 
 the Republican party, and has held the po- 
 sitions of Supervisor, Constable, Assessor 
 and School Director. 
 
 aAPTAIN HENRY ROBERT 
 WALKER, a farmer of Fari- 
 bault county, was born at Oxford, 
 Maine, March 7, 1830, a son of 
 Clariden Walker, a native of Worcester, 
 Massachusetts. His father and uncle, Will- 
 iam and Abram Walker, were of Scotch 
 parentage, and were soldiers in the Revolu- 
 tionary war. The mother of our subject, 
 ncc Ruth Bisbee, was a native of Maine, 
 and her grandparents were from Plymouth, 
 Massachusetts, of Puritan stock. Her death 
 occurred in 1840, and she left six children, 
 two sons and four daughters. In 1852 the 
 father and children removed to Fond du Lac 
 count}', Wisconsin, and the former died 
 there at the age of seventj'-nine years. He 
 was a farmer and mason by occupation, and 
 was identified with the Democratic party 
 until 1856, when he voted for Fremont. 
 
 Henry R. Walker, the subject of this 
 sketch, was reared at his native place, and 
 for a number of j'cars was engaged at the 
 mason's and shoemaker's trades. At the age 
 of twenty-two years he located in Wiscon- 
 sin, where he worked at his trades and farm- 
 ing, and in 1855 came with Henry Stod- 
 dard to Faribault county, Minnesota. Dur- 
 ing the winter of 1855-6 there were only 
 five white men in the county. At Lincoln's 
 call for 30,000 men, Mr. Walker enlisted 
 in Company D, Ninth Minnesota Infantry, 
 was elected Second Lieutenant of his com- 
 pany, and took part in the battles of Price's 
 Cross Roads, Tupelo, Nashville, etc. He 
 
S:Q'rs4a/. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 173 
 
 afterward received a commission as Captain 
 of his company, and was mustered out of 
 service August 23, 1865. Returning to this 
 county he located on his present farm, where 
 he has 160 acres under a fine state of culti- 
 vation. 
 
 September 7, 1856, Mr. Walker was 
 united in marriage with Adelia Mason, a 
 native of Orleans county. New York, and a 
 daughter of Elliott and Caroline (Duning) 
 Mason, the former a native of Connecticut, 
 and the latter of Fort Ticonderoga, Ver- 
 mont. They located in Fond du Lac coun- 
 ty, Wisconsin, in 1850, and in 1863 came 
 to this county. The father died while on a 
 visit in Newark, New York, and the mother 
 died in Faribault county, in 1878. They 
 had five children, four daughters and one 
 son. Mr. and Mrs. Walker have had six 
 children, namely: Clarendon, married and 
 living on the farm at home; Ada, wife of 
 John E. Snider, of this county; Carrie, wife 
 of Ed Clark, of this township; Alice, wife 
 of Charles Bassett, also of Prescott town- 
 ship; Charles H., of Martin county; and 
 George, who is attending school. In politi- 
 cal matters Mr. Walker affiliates with the 
 Republican party. In 1866 he was ap- 
 pointed Postmaster of this place, and has 
 served as Township Super\isor and Clerk a 
 number of years. 
 
 BR AN KLIN W. CADY is ranked 
 with the leading pioneers and prom- 
 inent and highly respected citi- 
 zens of Faribault county. His beau- 
 tiful rural home in Verona township, near 
 Winnebago Cit}', is the abode of culture and 
 refinement, and is one of the most delightful 
 places in southern Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Cady descended from some of the 
 g 
 
 prominent old Puritan families of Massa- 
 chusetts. He was born in Lake county, 
 Ohio, January 15, 1826, son of William and 
 Louis (Mi.xer) Cady, both natives of the old 
 Bay State. William Cady was born in 
 Springfield, Massachussetts, and was reared 
 on a farm and received a good education. 
 At the age of twenty-five, and unmarried, 
 he sought his fortune in the Western Re- 
 serve, making the journey by wagon to Lake 
 county, Ohio, where he became a pioneer 
 settler. There he was subsequently married 
 to Miss Louis Mi.xer. She was born in Dal- 
 ton, Massachusetts, and when fourteen years 
 of age removed with her parents, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Phineas Mixer, to Ohio. Her mother, 
 whose maiden name was Fobes, descended 
 from a titled family of England. Both the 
 Mixer and Fobes families were among the 
 pioneers of Ohio. In Lake county William 
 Cady and his wife spent their lives and died, 
 he dying at the age of sixty years, and she 
 at seventy-six. By occupation he was a 
 farmer. They had four children, viz. : 
 Augusta R. Colby, of Kansas; Cornelia A. 
 Reed, who died at Austinburg, Ohio; Fran- 
 cis B., who died at St. Louis, Missouri; and 
 Franklin W. 
 
 Franklin W. Cady was reared in Lake 
 county, Ohio, and received his education in 
 the district schools and Grand River Insti- 
 tute. It was his good fortune to study pen- 
 manship under the instructions of Professor 
 P. R. Spencer, author of the Spencerian 
 system. At the age of twenty we find young 
 Cady teaching school and also having a 
 writing class. 
 
 Like his father before him and like many 
 another ambitious young man, he was seized 
 with a spirit of cmigratinn, the boundless 
 West offering many attractions. Accord- 
 ingly, in 1850, we find him on his way to 
 
174 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Wisconsin, Columbia county being liis des- 
 tination. Near Portage, that county, he 
 settled on a tract of wild land, and there im- 
 proved a good farm. In 1859 he was a vic- 
 tim of the Colorado gold " fever," and that 
 year made the trip with an ox team to 
 Pike's Peak, passing through Denver when 
 that now magnificent city contained only a 
 few log cabins. He remained in Colorado, 
 engaged in mining, for eighteen months, at 
 the end of which time he returned to Wis- 
 consin. That was in 1861; and in June of 
 that year he came to his present location - 
 and purchased 160 acres of the place upon 
 which has since been the home farm. To 
 his original purchase he has since added un- 
 til now he has 400 acres, a beautiful tract 
 of land, through which South creek mean- 
 ders. His modern residence, built in 1888, 
 by its furnishings and surroundings gives 
 every evidence of wealth and luxury and of 
 taste and refinement as well; and near by, 
 
 • 
 
 as a relic of pioneer days, still stands the 
 primitive log house of the family, which at 
 the time they settled here was one of the 
 best log houses of the county, and which 
 served as their home for a number of years. 
 Mr. Cady has substantial barns and other 
 farm buildings, and everything about his 
 premises is kept up in the best of order. In 
 connection with his farming operations, he 
 has given considerable attention to stock- 
 raising, making a specialty of Durham cat- 
 tle and Poland-China hogs. 
 
 Mr. Cady was married in Columbia 
 county, Wisconsin, July 20, 1851, to Ellen 
 C. Waterhouse, a popular teacher and a 
 lady of rare accomplishments. She was 
 born in Cattaraugus county. New York, 
 daughter of James and Anna (Wise) Water- 
 house, both natives of Vermont. Her 
 grandfather, William Waterhouse, was also 
 
 a native of the Green Mountain State. 
 Both her parents died in Wisconsin, her 
 mother at the age of sixty-eight years, and 
 her father at ninety-four. The latter was a 
 mason by trade, but was for many years 
 engaged in farming. In politics he was a 
 Republican and in religion a Baptist and an 
 active worker in the church. Mrs. Cady is 
 the youngest of three children, the others 
 being Anna and Milo J. Milo J. was a sol- 
 dier in the Third Wisconsin Infantry, and 
 died at the age of thirty-three years, from 
 the effect of wounds received in the battle 
 of Antietam. He left a widow and two 
 children. Mr. and Mrs. Cady have had 
 four children, as follows: Francis M., de- 
 ceased at the age of four years; Alta, who 
 married Arthur W. Silsbee, was in 1889 left 
 a widow with one child, Nanon E. ; Louisa 
 A. Durkee, who has a family of three chil- 
 dren, —Harold, Victor and Avis Ward; and 
 Bertram L. All have had excellent educa- 
 tional advantages, and, like their parents, 
 have followed the profession of teaching. 
 Mrs. Silsbee taught in the Blue Earth City 
 schools four years, and Mrs. Durkee is now 
 teaching, being well known as a popular 
 and successful educator. Bertram L. has 
 • also been a popular teacher. 
 
 In his political views, Mr. Cady is in 
 harmony with the principles of the Repub- 
 lican party, and has for many years been 
 active in its support. He has served in 
 all the township offices, was County Auditor 
 for two terms, from 1865, and has also 
 served as Superintendent and Examiner of 
 Schools for the township. For more than 
 thirty consecutive years Mr. Cady has been 
 a correspondent for the Department of 
 Agriculture. In every position to which 
 he has been called Mr. Cady has served 
 with the strictest fiilelit}-, reflecting credit 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 175 
 
 both upon himself and those whom he 
 served. Faribault county has few, if any, 
 men who are more worthy of the confidence 
 and esteem of their fellow citizens than 
 Franklin W. Cady. 
 
 K./^ YRON EATON ST. JOHN, pro- 
 l(''^ prietor of a foundry and machine- 
 J^^3 shop at Fairmont, was born near 
 the city of Rock Island, Illinois, 
 July 27, 1S45, and is the second in a family 
 of four children whose parents were E. M. 
 and Matilda (Addison) St. John, the former 
 a native of New York and the latter of New 
 Hampshire. In an early day they left their 
 home in the East and traveling toward the 
 setting sun at length reached Rock Island 
 county, Illinois, where they took up their 
 abode and spent a number of years. Both 
 have now passed away. The father was a 
 farmer by occupation and was of English 
 descent. 
 
 Until eleven years of age Mr. St. John was 
 reared in Pecatonica, Illinois, and then ac- 
 companied the family on their removal to 
 Wisconsin, where he made his home until 
 his removal to Minnesota. In the year 187 1 
 he became a resident of Martin county, and 
 has since been identified with the interests 
 of this locality. He actjuired his education 
 in the common schools and fitted himself 
 for the profession of teaching, which he suc- 
 cessfully followed for twenty terms, in Mar- 
 tin county and in Wisconsin. He was a 
 teacher of recognized ability, and his capable 
 management and able instruction always 
 made his school one of the best in the com- 
 munity where it was located. He has the 
 faculty of easily and readil)- imparting his 
 knowledge to others, could maintain dis- 
 cipline and always roiiimandcd the respect 
 
 of his pupils. In his youth he also learned 
 the trade of carpentering, and possesses con- 
 siderable mechanical genius. 
 
 In the year 1868 Mr. St. John was mar- 
 ried, the lady of his choice being Miss Mag- 
 dalene Houghtaling, a sister of Elmore 
 Houghtaling. Their union has been blessed 
 with eight children, as follows: Victor, 
 Harrj', Byron E. , Nina, Roscoe, Oscar, 
 Clason and Hazel. The family circle yet 
 remains unbroken, the children being still 
 with their parents, and around the happy 
 fireside gathers an interesting familj'. 
 
 Mr. St. John has led a busy and useful 
 life, characterized by industry and persever- 
 ance, and these qualities have brought him 
 a well deserved success. He is now super- 
 intendent of the Electric Light and Water 
 Works of Fairmont, also proprietor of a 
 foundry and machine-shop, in connection 
 with his son Victor. As his financial re- 
 sources have increased he has made judicious 
 investments of his capital in 'his business 
 and otherwise, and therefrom derives a good 
 income. In connection with his other prop- 
 erty he owns 160 acres of land in Frazer 
 township, the same constituting a good farm, 
 which he rents. Indolence is utterly for- 
 eign to his nature and idleness has no part 
 in his composition, and it is not through in- 
 heritance or the combination of fortunute 
 circumstances, but through capable manage- 
 ment and enterprise that he has gained the 
 prosperity which has crowned his efforts. 
 
 Mr. St. John exercises his right of fran- 
 chise in support of the Democracy, and has 
 been honored with a number of local offices 
 of trust. He lived for twenty years in Fra- 
 zer township and one half of that time served 
 as Town Clerk, — a fact which indicates 
 fidelity to duty and also the confidence re- 
 posed in him. In his social rt'lations he is 
 
176 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 a United Workman, holding membership 
 with Fairmont Lodge, A. O. U. \V. , in 
 which he is now serving as Recorder for the 
 third year, and also belongs to the I. O. O. 
 F. , Fairmont Lodge, No. 70. Public- 
 spirited and progressive, he is actively inter- 
 ested in ever\thing pertaining to the wel- 
 fare of the community and its upbuilding, 
 and does all in his power for the best inter- 
 ests of the town and county in which he 
 makes his home. His residence here covers 
 a period of almost a quarter of a century, 
 and his well spent life, honorable and up- 
 right in all things, has won him the high 
 regard of all with whom business or social 
 relations have brought him in contact. 
 
 Vj'OHN EMORY CANRIGHT, a re- 
 
 m tired farmer now living in Fairmont, 
 A 1 has led a busy life and as the result 
 of his industry, perseverance and 
 good business ability he has secured the 
 competence which now enables him to lay 
 aside all care, and rest in the enjoyment of 
 the fruits of his former toil. 
 
 Mr. Canright was born in Ulster county. 
 New York, on the 3d of February, 1833, and 
 is a son of Solomon Canright, al.so a native 
 of the Empire State. He was a tanner and 
 currier by trade and for some time carried 
 on business along that line. His wife was 
 in her maidenhood Permelia Pecor. She 
 was born in \'ermont, near I^akc Champlain, 
 and remained there until twelve years of 
 age, when she went to New York and was 
 married there. Her people were of French 
 descent, while the Canrights are of (ierman 
 lineage. To Mr. and Mrs. Canright were 
 born ten children, all of whom grew to ma- 
 turity and all of whom, with one exception, 
 arc yet living. In the jear 1845 the father 
 
 of our subject, accompanied by his family, 
 removed to Wisconsin and located in the 
 town of Brookfield, Waukesha county, on a 
 place for which he paid $1 50 in addition to 
 the usual price of $ i . 2 5 per acre. He came 
 into possession of iGo acres, which he culti- 
 vated until the fall of 1856, at which time 
 he sold out for $4,900. He then bought for 
 $4,000 a farm in Pewaukee township, same 
 county, upon which he made his home until 
 called to his final rest, in the year i860. His 
 wife departed this life at the advanced age 
 of eighty-five years. 
 
 John E. Canright was their fifth child 
 and fourth son. He spent the first thirteen 
 years of his life in the county of his nativity 
 and then accompanied his parents on their 
 emigration to Wisconsin, where he attended 
 school and aided in the arduous task of open- 
 ing up a new farm. He gave his father the 
 benefit of his service until eighteen years of 
 age and then started out in life for himself, 
 working as a farm hand for $12 per month. 
 He was thus cmplo\'ed for two years, after 
 which he removed to Bureau county, Illinois, 
 where he remained until 1854, when he re- 
 turned to Wisconsin and went to work for his 
 father, with whom he continued until 18157. 
 
 On the 1st of May, 1855, Mr. Canright 
 was joined in wedlock with Miss Delia H. 
 \\'albridge, a native of St. Lawrence coun- 
 ty. New York, born May 26, 1837. Her 
 father. Rev. Orlo J. Walbridge, was for 
 many years a minister in the Wesleyan 
 Methodist Church. He married Maria A. 
 Packard, who was born in New York, her 
 parents being from Vermont. To Mr. and 
 Mrs. Walbridge were born si.\ children, four 
 sons and two daughters. In the autunm of 
 1855 they became residents of Wisconsin, 
 settling in Pewaukee, where they spent their 
 remaining (la>s. The father was called to 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTiy, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 ^Ti 
 
 the home beyond at the age of sixty-two 
 years and the mother departed this Hfe at 
 the age of seventy-seven. Earnest, Chris- 
 tian people, all who knew them held them 
 in high regard and their loss was deeply 
 mourned. Mrs. Canright is a cultured and 
 refined lady, highly educated. She pursued 
 her studies in a select school in New York 
 and afterward engaged in teaching for two 
 terms in the Empire State and one term in 
 Wisconsin. 
 
 The year 1864 witnessed the arrival of 
 Mr. Canright and his family in Minnesota. 
 He settled in Goodhue county, where he 
 rented a farm, but his labors in that direc- 
 tion were interrupted on the 5th of Febru- 
 ary, 1865, by his enlistment in the Union 
 army, as a member of Company I, First 
 Minnesota Heavy Artillery. In March the 
 regiment reached Chattanooga, Tennessee, 
 where it was stationed during the summer, 
 doing guard duty, and on the 12th of Sep- 
 tember, 1865, our subject was mustered out, 
 at Nashville. Immediately he returned to 
 his family and home and in the same year 
 he came to Martin county to seek a location, 
 securing a claim, in Rutland township, to 
 which he removed his family in 1866. Their 
 first home was a log house covered with a 
 dirt roof, but he at once began to improve 
 the place and the fine farm of to-day bears 
 little resemblance to the claim which he se- 
 cured almost thirty years ago. The farm is 
 185 acres in extent and a beautiful grove 
 and fine orchard add to the value and at- 
 tractive appearance of the place. These 
 were set out by him and his labors continued 
 until 1893, when he sold his property to Mr. 
 Kankin and removed to Fairmont, where he 
 is now living retired. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Canright have been 
 born nine children: Dr, Orlo Solomon, of 
 
 East Troy township, Walworth county, 
 Wisconsin; Charles E., a practicing attorney 
 of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Francis M. ; 
 W'innette, who died at the age of thirteen 
 years; Lottie May, wife of George B. Swear- 
 ingen, a farmer of Bowling Green township, 
 Martin county; Alice P., who became the 
 wife of S. \\'. Wheeler, and who is now de- 
 ceased; Delia H. ; Amy M. and Harry, all 
 at home. The children, carefully reared, 
 have all become respected men and women, 
 who occupy positions of usefulness and re- 
 sponsibility in the \arious communities in 
 which they reside. 
 
 For many years Mr. Canright was a sup- 
 porter of the Republican party, but for the 
 past fifteen years has been a supporter of 
 the men and measures of the Prohibition 
 party. His fellow-citizens, appreciating his 
 worth and ability, have frequently called 
 him to public office. For four years he 
 served as County Commissioner, has been 
 Justice of the Peace, and a member of the 
 Town Board of Supervisors, of which he 
 acted as chairman. He has also been offi- 
 cially connected with the schools, and in 
 these various positions he has ever been 
 found true and faithful. No confidence re- 
 posed in him has ever been betrayed, and 
 he has therefore won the esteem of all who 
 know him. Both he and his wife are con- 
 sistent members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and in its work take a deep and 
 abiding interest, while he is serving as 
 Church Trustee. 
 
 ^^y w' 1^- SMITH, editor and proprie- 
 ■ ■ I tor of the Winnebago City Enter- 
 ^J^^J prise, Winnebago City, Minne- 
 sota, was born May 32, 1857, at 
 Princeton, Bureau county, Illinois, and 
 
178 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 comes of good old New England ancestry. 
 His parents, L.L. and Delia (Dwight) Smith, 
 are natives of Massachusetts, the former of 
 Scotch parentage and the latter a descend- 
 ant of the Snows and Dwights of Mayflower 
 fame. 
 
 When Mr. Smith was only two years of 
 age his parents moved from Illinois to New 
 Hartford, Iowa, where they have ever since 
 resided. In the graded school of that town 
 he commenced his education, and completed 
 it, so far as books go, at the Iowa State 
 Agricultural College, Ames, Iowa, being a 
 member of the class of '79. When he was 
 eighteen he commenced teaching, and by 
 this means worked his way through college. 
 He taught in all thirty-six terms, and for a 
 number of years held a high place among 
 the leading educators of Iowa and Minne- 
 sota. He was principal one year each at 
 Aplington and Butler Center, Iowa, Heron 
 Lake and Edgerton, Minnesota, and four 
 years each at Jackson and Adrian, Minne- 
 sota. In 1 88 1 and 1882 he was an institute 
 instructor. Mr. Smith is also a practical 
 surveyor, and while thus engaged in educa- 
 tional work he spent his summer vacations, 
 for several years, in surve3'ing, and for four 
 years was County Surveyor of Nobles coun- 
 ty, Minnesota. 
 
 In 18S9 Mr. Smith commenced the pub- 
 lication of the Lamberton Leader, a weekly 
 sheet, which he continued successfully for 
 three years, after which he closed out his 
 business there and came to Winnebago City. 
 Here in May, 1893, he established the 
 Winnebago City Enterprise, which he has 
 since ably conducted and which is now in a 
 nourishing condition. 
 
 Politically he is a stanch, loyal Repub- 
 lican. He has been delegate to many State 
 conventions both in Iowa and Minnesota, 
 
 I 
 
 and is an earnest and energetic worker in 
 the ranks of his party. 
 
 Mr. Smith is a man of family. He was 
 married at Jackson, Minnesota, March 16, 
 1884, to Miss Marion A. Matteson, a popu- 
 lar and successful teacher of that county, 
 and they have two children, a son and 
 daughter. 
 
 eDWARD EBERLEIN.— One of 
 the thrifty German farmers of Pres- 
 cott township, Faribault county, is 
 found in the subject of this sketch. 
 Mr. Eberlein was born near Hesse, Ger- 
 many, October 27, 1839, son of Christopher 
 and Elizabeth (Frobel) Eberlein, both na- 
 tives of Germany and the father for some 
 time a soldier in the German army. In 
 1853 the Eberlein family sailed from Bremen 
 to New York, being nine weeks on the sea, 
 and from New York came west to Columbia 
 ! county, Wisconsin, settling on a farm near 
 Portage. There the parents lived until 
 1864, when they came to Faribault county, 
 Minnesota. They are now residents of Pres- 
 cott township, and both have passed their 
 eightieth milestone. In their family were 
 seven sons and four daughters. Three of the 
 sons, Ferdinand, George and Edward, served 
 in the late war, the last two djing of disease 
 while in the service. Ferdinand was a mem- 
 ber of Company C, Fifth Minnesota Infan- 
 tr}', and his death occurred near Vicksburg. 
 George was in Company F, Twenty-ninth 
 Wisconsin Infantry. He died in Texas. 
 Edward enlisted in 1862, and as a member 
 of the Mounted Rangers was sent in pursuit 
 of the hostile Indians, going as far west as 
 Camp Atchison, Dakota. In 1863 he was 
 with General Sibley's expedition against the 
 Sioux. He was honorably discharged Noveni- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 179 
 
 ber 28, 1863, and January 24, 1865, he 
 af^ain entered the service, this time becom- 
 ing a member of Company F, First Minne- 
 sota Heavy Artillery, and being stationed 
 near Chattanooga, Tennessee, until the close 
 of the war. September 22, 1865, he was 
 discharged at Nashville, Tennessee, coming 
 out with the rank of Orderly Sergeant. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was reared to 
 farm life, and received a fair education. The 
 year before the war broke out he came to 
 Minnesota and began working by the month 
 for L. W. Brown, in Faribault county. In 
 1866 he homesteaded 160 acres of the land 
 on which he now lives, and to his original 
 claim he has since added until now his farm 
 comprises 320 acres, all choice land, well 
 impro\ed and under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion. He has a good house and barn, the 
 latter being 40 x 64 feet in dimensions; wind- 
 mill for pumping water and grinding feed for 
 stock; and ten acres in grove. 
 
 Mr. Eberlein was married in June, 1866, 
 to Augusta Bohlke, a native of Germany 
 and a daughter of Michael and Eve (Mor- 
 quardt) Bohlke, the family having emigrated 
 to America when Mrs. Eberlein was eighteen 
 years of age. Her father is now deceased, 
 and her mother is a resident of Faribault 
 county. Mr. and Mrs. Eberlein have six 
 children, namely: Emma (wife of C. Weg- 
 ener), Laura P., Walter F., Adolph H., 
 Lena A., and Edward A. Emma and Laura 
 are well known as popular and successful 
 teachers. 
 
 Mr. Eberlein's political views are in 
 harmony with the principles of the Republi- 
 can party, and is a member of Sully Post, 
 No. 10, G. A. R. He has served his fel- 
 low-citizens as Supervisor for several years, 
 and also as Treasurer. As a member of the 
 School Board of district No. 36, in which he 
 
 resides, he has served as Clerk, Director and 
 Treasurer. Reared by Lutheran parents, he 
 still adheres to that faith. 
 
 EENRY RIPPE, a well-known grain 
 dealer of P^airmont, Minnesota, 
 dates his birth in Dubuque, Iowa, 
 September 23, 1853. 
 His father, Henry Rippe, was born in 
 Germany, in 1821, and died in La Crosse, 
 Wisconsin, in 1890. The widowed mother, 
 whose maiden name was Hannah Snelle, 
 and who was likewise a native of Germany, 
 is now seventy years of age and is a resident 
 of Hokah, Minnesota. They had a family 
 of eleven children, six of whom are living, 
 namely: Henry, Mary Hartman, Hannah 
 Lang, E. A., Otto, and Charles. 
 
 The year following his birth the subject 
 of our sketch was taken by his parents from 
 Iowa to Brownsville, Minnesota. At the 
 age of sixteen he left home and secured em- 
 ployment in an elevator at Winona, Min- 
 nesota, where he remained two years. 
 Then he was in the same business at Browns- 
 ville one year and at Dodge Center two 
 years. After this he was successively at 
 Brownsville one year. New Albin, Iowa, one 
 year, and Lansing, Iowa, two years, in the 
 employ of Alexander McMichael, grain 
 dealer. In the fall of 1876 he went to work 
 for W. W. Cargill cS; Company, and contin- 
 ued with this company for a few years, lo- 
 cated at different points in Wisconsin, Min- 
 nesota and Iowa. Then he spent a year 
 and a half in the employ of A. & T. Mc- 
 Michael, at Dubuque, Iowa, in 1880 re- 
 sumed work for W. W. Cargill & Company 
 at La Crosse, Wisconsin, superintending 
 their cleaning elevator for one year, then 
 representing them at Delavan and Grand 
 
I So 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Meadow, Minnesota, and still later acting 
 as their traveling agent, serving in this last 
 named capacity three years. At the end of 
 that time he engaged in business for himself 
 at Grand Meadow. That was in the fall of 
 1885. After carrying on business on his 
 own account for three years, he again en- 
 tered the emplo\- of Cargill & Company, and 
 traveled for them the next three years. In 
 1 89 1 he established himself in business at 
 Fairmont, under the firm name of Rippe 
 Brothers, which association continued until 
 May I, 1894, since which time he has been 
 alone. He deals exclusively in grain and 
 seeds, and is doing an extensive business. 
 At this writing he has representatives at ten 
 points on the South Minnesota Railroad, 
 namely: Grand Meadow, Easton, Winne- 
 bago City, Huntley, Fairmont and Welcome, 
 Minnesota; and Wentworth, Howard, Ros- 
 well and Woonsocket, South Dakota. And 
 at Grand Meadow he also has a cleaning 
 elevator. 
 
 Mr. Rippe was married in 1881 to Kate 
 Walter, a native of Minnesota, and a daugh- 
 ter of Jacob Walter, an early settler of 
 Brownsville. They have four children: 
 Robert, Lucinda, Larena and Katie. Mrs. 
 Rippe is a member of the Episcopal Church. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Rippe is inde- 
 pendent. Fraternally he is identified with 
 the Masonic order at Grand Meadow, Min- 
 nesota. 
 
 ^"V'.VMUEL BACON, a retired mer- 
 •^^^kT chant of Winnebago City, Minne- 
 J\,_3 sota, was born in Livingston coun- 
 ty. New York, in 1832, son of 
 George W. and Jemima (Sparks) Bacon, 
 both of whom were natives of the Green 
 
 Mountain State. Mr. Bacon was reared to 
 farm life and received a fair education in the 
 public schools of his native State. 
 
 In 1849 George W. Bacon and his 
 family came West and settled at Princeton, 
 Green Lake county, Wisconsin, where he 
 engaged in farming, remaining there until 
 1863, when the famil}- removed to Minne- 
 sota, locating on a farm in Nashville town- 
 ship, Martin county, where the parents re- 
 sided until their death. They had a family 
 of two sons and five daughters who grew to 
 maturity, and six of the number are living 
 at this writing (1894). 
 
 Samuel Bacon followed farming a num- 
 ber of years, and made the business a suc- 
 cess. He is still the owner of 300 acres of 
 good land in Martin county. About 1877 
 he gave up farming and engaged in mer- 
 chandising in Nashville, and continued in 
 business at that place until August, 1891, 
 when he sold out. He then came to Winne- 
 bago City and opened a general store, which 
 he conducted with success until March, 
 1894, when he sold out and retired from 
 active business pursuits, and now lives at 
 ease in his pleasant home on H0II3' street. 
 
 Since casting his first presidential vote for 
 Abraham Lincoln, he has been an uncom- 
 promising supporter of the Republican party, 
 but has never been an aspirant for political 
 honors. For several years he served as 
 Postmaster at Nashville, receiving his first 
 appointment from President Grant. 
 
 April 10, 1855, at Ripon, Wisconsin, he 
 married Miss Frances E., daughter of Will- 
 iam and Rebecca (Parsons) Clark, both of 
 whom were natives of the town of Sterling, 
 New York. Mr. and Mrs. Bacon have no 
 children of their own, but ha\e raised a 
 number of orphan children. 
 
 In religious faith they are Free Baptists. 
 
-kJ/M//^^/ Jr////^r . 
 
-^ 
 
 //.ia// '<Jrm/^e. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 1S5 
 
 ^'^TEPHEN SANTEE is the owner 
 •^^^* of one of the finest farms of Martin 
 K^^ county, located on section 30, 
 Fairmont township, and is num- 
 bered among the most inlUieiitial agricul- 
 turists of the community. The record of 
 his life will doubtless prove of interest to 
 many of the readers of this volume, and we 
 take pleasure in giving it a place on these 
 pages. 
 
 The family from which he sprung is of 
 German and French origin. His paternal 
 grandfather, Philemon Santee, was a native 
 of Berks county, Pennsylvania, and there 
 followed the occupation of farming. His 
 son, Simon, the father of our subject, was 
 also born in the Keystone State, and carried 
 on agricultural pursuits throughout the 
 greater part of his life. Having arrived at 
 years of maturity he was joined in wedlock 
 with Mary Hoffecker, a native of Penns}!- 
 vania, as was her father, Jacob Hoffecker, 
 who came of a family of German descent. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Santee spent their entire lives 
 upon a farm in the Keystone State, where the 
 father's death occurred, at the age of sev- 
 enty-one, while the mother passed away at 
 the age of seventy-four. In their family 
 were si.x children, four sons and two daugh- 
 ters, who reached mature age. 
 
 Stephen Santee is the third son and fifth 
 child. He was reared upon his father's 
 farm, and the days of his boyhood and youth 
 were quietly passed, unmarked by event of 
 special importance. When he had become 
 a man he chose a companion and helpmeet 
 on life's journey Miss Susan Uplinger, their 
 wedding being celebrated on Christmas day 
 of 1863. The lady was born in Pennsylva- 
 nia, September 25, 1S46, and is a daughter 
 i)f John Uplinger, a farmer whose birth oc- 
 curred in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania. Her 
 
 grandfather, Henry Uplinger, was born in 
 Berks county, and was of German lineage. 
 Her mother, who bore the maiden name of 
 Elizabeth Wood, and was a native of that 
 State, came of a family of German and 
 English descent, and her father was a na- 
 tive of Philadelphia. Mrs. Santee was the 
 third in order of birth in a family of thirteen 
 children and was reared in the place of her 
 nativity. 
 
 Mr. Santee was a young man of twenty- 
 two years at the time of his marriage, for 
 his birth occurred in Luzerne county, April 
 30, 1 84 1, and now with the responsibilities 
 of a household resting upon him he began 
 life in earnest. He continued his residence 
 in the East until 1867, when he decided to 
 try his fortune in the Mississippi valley, lo- 
 cating in De Kalb county, Illinois, upon a 
 farm of 120 acres which he purchased. To 
 its cultivation he devoted his time and en- 
 ergies, successfully carrying on the business 
 until 1886, when he resumed his westward 
 journey. Coming to Martin count)-, Minne- 
 sota, he purchased the farm upon which he 
 now resides and moved into a little log cabin 
 built by a previous occupant. He has since 
 greatly improved the place by the erection 
 of good buildings, including a pleasant home 
 and substantial barns and other necessary 
 outbuildings. His farm comprises 43 5 acres 
 of valuable land, of which 300 acres is under 
 a high state of cultivation, while the re- 
 mainder is timber and pasture land. The 
 owner devotes his time and attention to gen- 
 eral farming and stock-raising, and his hon- 
 orable dealings and good management have 
 made him very prosperous. The home is 
 beautifullj' located on the west shore of Lake 
 Amber, and with the fertile liclds which sur- 
 round it it is nunibcrctl among the best and 
 most valuable farms of Martin county. 
 
iS6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Santee have been born 
 nine children, namely: Ario B., who form- 
 erly engaged in teaching in Fairmont; 
 Amelia, wife of Kirtland Brown, of Fair- 
 mont, where they both engage in teaching; 
 Simon and Ida (also a teacherj, at home; 
 Mary, who formerly taught school in Fair- 
 mont and is now the wife of Arza Fancher; 
 Clara and Eva, who are teachers of recog- 
 nized ability in Martin county; and John H. 
 and Franklin, who are attending school. 
 The children were all provided with good 
 educational privileges, which they improved 
 and several of them became successful teach- 
 ers. The family is one of prominence in the 
 community, the household is the abode of 
 hospitality and its members rank high in the 
 social circles in which they move. 
 
 On questions of national importance Mr. 
 Santee supports the Republican party, but 
 at local elections, where no political issue is 
 involved and the fitness of the candidate is 
 the only question to be regarded, he votes 
 independently. He has been honored with 
 a number of offices, having served for five 
 years as a member of the town board of 
 Supervisors, as School Treasurer and as 
 Pi;thmaster, discharging his duties with a 
 promptness and fidelity that won him the 
 commendation of all concerned. 
 
 EON. JACOB ALEXANDER LATI- 
 MER, a well-known and highly re- 
 spected citi/en of Fariliault county, 
 Minnesota, may rightly be classed 
 with the self-made men of his county. We 
 take pleasure in presenting the following 
 sketch of his life to the readers of this work. 
 Jacob Alexander Latimer was born in 
 Madison county, Tennessee, April 20, 1827, 
 son of Jonathan and Nanc}' (West) Latimer, 
 
 the former a native of Tennessee and a son 
 of Connecticut parents, and the later born 
 in North Carolina. When he was three 
 years of age his parents removed from Ten- 
 nessee to Sangamon county, Illinois, and 
 three years later to Knox county, same 
 State, where the father and mother passed 
 the residue of their lives and died. Jonathan 
 Latimer was among the pioneer farmers of 
 Illinois, and he was also for some years en- 
 gaged in mercantile business. And while he 
 was occupied in the store, his eldest son, 
 Jacob A., took charge of the farm, having 
 the entire management of it when he was 
 fifteen, and continuing in charge until his 
 marriage, which event occurred in 1850. 
 
 After his marriage Mr. Latimer farmed 
 for a few years, and then turned his atten- 
 tion to the lumber and livery business at 
 Abingdon, Illinois, in which he was engaged 
 for some time. In April, 1857, he came to 
 Minnesota and bought 160 acres on section 
 II, Winnebago City township, Faribault 
 county, where he now lives. Soon after- 
 ward he pre-empted an adjoining 160 acres 
 in the same section, and later bought more 
 land adjoining him until he at one time 
 owned a whole section. He has since 
 divided with his children, and at this writ- 
 ing his farm comprises 230 acres of choice 
 land, all well improved. At the time he 
 located here Mr. Latimer had but little 
 means and for some years he and his family 
 lived in true pioneer style, meeting with 
 many difficulties and enduring not a few pri- 
 vations. His first house, a log cabin, built 
 on the site of his present residence, was 
 roofed with bark and clapboards, while the 
 ground served for the floor and hay for a 
 carpet. 
 
 In early life Mr. Latimer was an Aboli- 
 tionist, and when the Republican party 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 187 
 
 sprang; into existence he allied himself with 
 it and assisted in its local organization. He 
 was a member of the first Republican State 
 Convention in Illinois. He has always been 
 a prohibitionist in principle, and of recent 
 j^ears has been identified with the Prohibi- 
 tion party. At one time he was prominently 
 connected with the Farmers' Alliance. In 
 1858 he was elected to the State Legisla- 
 ture by the Republican party, and in i860 
 was re-elected, but served one term only; 
 and in 1S62 was elected to the Senate, in 
 which honorable bod}' he served one term. 
 Previous to that he filled various local offices. 
 Mr. Latimer is a member of the Presby- 
 terian Church at Amboy, and for many years 
 has been an Elder in the Church. 
 
 He was married February 21, 1850, to 
 Miss Julia Ann Meek, a native of Knox 
 county, Illinois, and a daughter of Daniel 
 and Nancy (Killim) Meek, the former of 
 German and the latter of Swiss descent. 
 Their happy union has resulted in the birth 
 of seven children, six of whom are living, 
 namely: Daniel A., a farmer of Winnebago 
 City township; Nancy, wife of Phenias F. 
 Bornt, a farmer of same township; Mary E., 
 wife of William Sanders, also a farmer of 
 this township; John, of Minneapolis; Frank, 
 who has charge of the home farm; and 
 Edith, wife of Harry Stoner, of Amboy. 
 
 m. 
 
 'ILLIAM ORLANDO BASSETT, 
 a retired farmer now living in 
 Fairmont, is numbered among 
 the honored early settlers of Mar- 
 tin county, his residence here covering a 
 period of nearly a third of a century. He 
 has therefore witnessed the greater part of 
 its development and progress, and has aided 
 in its upbuilding and advancement. The 1 
 
 best interests of the community have ever 
 found in him a friend, and to such men the 
 county owes its present prosperity. 
 
 Mr. Bassett is descended from an old 
 New York family. His grandfather, Isaac 
 Bassett, lived for many years in Cortland, 
 New York, and the father of our subject, 
 William Bassett, claimed Connecticut as 
 the State of his nativity. He was drafted 
 for service in the war of 18 12, but it was 
 difficult for him to go and he sent a substi- 
 tute. He married Samantha Powers, a na- 
 tive of Dutchess county. New York, and a 
 daughter of Peter Powers, a local Methodist 
 preacher. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Bassett was celebrated in the State of their 
 birth, and there the father died November 
 5, 18 16, at the age of twenty-eight years, 
 his birth having occurred January 17, 1787. 
 His wife was born September 2, 1789. 
 After her husband's death she lived with her 
 family in Tompkins county, New York, 
 rearing her children as best she might, al- 
 though her financial resources were some- 
 what limited. Her last days were passed in 
 Middleville, Michigan, at the home of her 
 son, Charles Wesley, and she was called to 
 her final rest when more than sixty years of 
 age. In the family were four children, — 
 George, Charles and Nelson^; all now de- 
 ceased, and William O. , whose name heads 
 this record. 
 
 The last named w-as born October 18, 
 181 5, in Tompkins county, New York, and 
 when he was little more than a year old his 
 father died. He then went to live with his 
 grandfather, Peter Powers, with whom he 
 remained during the greater part of his boy- 
 hood and youth. The common schools of 
 the neighborhood afforded him his educa- 
 tional privileges, and he made his first inde- 
 pendent effort in life at farm work, being 
 
iSS 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 employed as a farm hand for several }-ears. 
 His industry and perse\erance, which have 
 been important factors in his life's success, 
 were early manifested, and he worked 
 long and earnestly to get a start in life. 
 
 On the 1st of January, 1839, Mr. Bas- 
 sett was united in marriage with Miss Ivatie 
 Marie De Coudress, a native of Drydcn, Cort- 
 land county. New York, and a daughter of 
 Christian and Katie (Powers) De Coudress, 
 the former a native of France and the latter 
 of Dutchess county. New York. Their mar- 
 riage was celebrated in the Empire State 
 and they located in Dutchess county, remov- 
 ing thence to Dryden. On leaving the East 
 they became residents of Wisconsin, the date 
 of their emigration being 1851. They set- 
 tled in Port Washington, where both died 
 of cholera. In their family were nine chil- 
 dren, including Mrs. Bassett, who was born 
 March 31, 1818. To our subject and his 
 wife have been born four children, as fol- 
 lows: Ashley M., born July i, 1840, wedded 
 Mary Garner and they ha\e five living chil- 
 dren: William J., who married Katie 
 Personius; Nellie, wife of George Cham- 
 pine, by whom she has two children, 
 Mabel and Sybil; Ila Maud, wife of 
 Chester Personius; Daisy Dean, wife of 
 Leaver Champine, by whom she has 
 two children, Ashley and Madeline; and 
 Solomon C, who married May Palmer. 
 Jerome, the second of the family, is now 
 deceased. Mary lantha, born March 31, 
 1844, is the wife of Walter Person, and their 
 children, four in number, are: Katie, wife of 
 William Beach and the mother of five chil- 
 dren, — May, Carrie, Earl, Burns and Linn; 
 Annie, wife of Frank Rooncy, by whom she 
 has two children, Frank and Tressa; Burns 
 and fcssc, bnlh at home. Jerome, born 
 January 23, 1S47, marrieil Sophia Nichols 
 
 and afterward wedded I. N. Drake; his five 
 children are: Annie, wife of George Clark 
 and themotherof fourchildren, — Georgiana, 
 Harry, Archie and Rosie; George; Freder- 
 ick; and Ada P., who married James Lam- 
 pord, and has a daughter, Miriam Alice. 
 Jessie completes the Bassett family. 
 
 Upon his marriage Mr. Bassett, whose 
 name heads this article, located in New 
 York, removing after a few years to Port 
 Washington, Wisconsin, where he made 
 his home until 1863, which year witnessed 
 his arrival in Martin county. He settled in 
 Tenhassen township and began the develop- 
 ment of a farm, living in true pioneer style. 
 The few settlers of the locality were widely 
 scattered and the people were quite fearful of 
 the Indians about the time of his arrival. 
 He broke his land and transformed the raw 
 prairie into rich and fertile fields, also added 
 many improvements to the place in the way 
 of good buildings and the other accessories 
 of a model farm. He lived on the farm for 
 thirty-one years, successfully conducting 
 and managing his business affairs, and then 
 removed to Fairmont, where he has since 
 lived a retired life, enjoj-ing a well-earned 
 rest and the fruits of his former toil. 
 
 During the late war Mr. Bassett respond- 
 ed to his country's call for troops, thus 
 manifesting his loyalty to the Union and the 
 northern cause. He was assigned to Com- 
 pany F, Sixteenth Wisconsin Infantr}', and 
 at the battle of Shiloh was seriously wound- 
 ed by a gunshot in the right forearm, which 
 disabled him for further duty, and in conse- 
 quence of his physical disability he was hon- 
 orably discharged in Madison, Wisconsin. He 
 is now a member of the Grand Army Post of 
 Fairmont. When the Republican party 
 was formed to prevent the further extension 
 of slavery he joined its ranks and is still one 
 
^FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 189 
 
 of its stalwart supporters. He has served 
 as Supervisor of Tenhassen township, but 
 has never aspired to pubHc office, preferring 
 to give his entire time to his business inter- 
 ests. The cause of education has ever 
 found in him a warm friend, and he gave 
 land on which to build a schoolhouse. The 
 best interests of the conununity have ever 
 received his earnest support and co-opera- 
 tion, and he is widely recognized as a wide- 
 awake, progressive citizen. 
 
 eMORY COKDELO STOWE, 
 president of the Ward & Cadwell 
 Company, Fairmont, Minnesota, is 
 one of the most prominent young 
 business men of the city. 
 
 The Ward & Cadwell Company was 
 formed into a stock company in 1884, the 
 original officers being R. M. Ward, president; 
 A. D. Cadwell, vice-president; and George 
 Wohlheter, secretary and treasurer. The 
 business of the firm is done through a board 
 of three directors, the present board being 
 composed of the following members: George 
 Wohlheter, Mrs. R. M. Ward, J. D. Young 
 (La Crosse, Wisconsin), and E. C. Stowe. 
 They have a capital stock of $50,000 and 
 do a business of about $25,000 annually, 
 their business being exclusively retail. 
 
 Mr. Stowe, the efficient president of this 
 enterprising company, dates his birth in 
 Sycamore, Illinois, September i, 1857. His 
 father, W. H. Stowe, was a native of the 
 Empire State and of English descent. His 
 mother was also a native of New York. Her 
 maiden name was Electa Ward and she was 
 a daughter of Luke Ward. In 1849 W. H. 
 Stowe and his wife moved to Sycamore, 
 Illinois, where they lived for twenty-five 
 years, from there removing t(.) Minnesota and 
 
 locating in Fairmont, where they now live, 
 retired. They have six children living, 
 namely: Harriet Holcomb, Lottie M. Tay- 
 lor, Cyrus, Emory C, I'^red A. and E. L. 
 The mother is a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. 
 
 Emory C. Stowe was educated in the 
 public schools of his native town and at 
 Fairmont. After leaving school he accepted 
 a position as clerk in a general merchandise 
 store in Fairmont, and later entered the 
 employ of the Ward & Cadwell Company, 
 at first as clerk, and for ten years has been 
 connected with this firm. Since 1892 he 
 has been president of the company. 
 
 Mr. Stowe was married i.i 1878 to Miss 
 Cora A. Snow, a native of Jefferson county, 
 Wisconsin, born February 11, 1859, daugh- 
 ter of E. S. Snow. They have two chil- 
 dren, Maurice E., born September 8, 1879, 
 and Lloyd H., born January 15, 1886. 
 
 Mrs. Stowe's father, E. S. Snow, was 
 born in Canandaigua, New York, December 
 12, 1822. He was an educated man and 
 for some years followed the profession of 
 teaching. In 1853 he came West to Jeffer- 
 son county, Wisconsin, and settled on a 
 farm. That same year he was married, in 
 Jefferson county, Wisconsin, to Elizabeth 
 Delight Peck, who was born in Jefferson 
 county. New York, September 2, 183G, 
 daughter of Daniel H. and Marilla (Tousley) 
 Peck. Mr. Peck was born in 1800, and in 
 1840 he moved from New York to Wiscon- 
 sin and settled on a farm in Jefferson county, 
 where he and his wife passed the rest of 
 their lives and died. In 1861 E. S. Snow 
 enlisted in the Twelfth Wisconsin Volun- 
 teers, and was on active duty, with the rank 
 of Sergeant, until January, 1863, when he 
 was discharged on account of disability. He 
 was a member of the G. A. R. Post at He- 
 
190 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OP 
 
 bron, Wisconsin. He died July 6, 1876, 
 leaving a widow and four children, namely: 
 Albert L. , Marilla Billiard, Cora A. Stowe 
 and Ethleen D. Mrs. Stowe came to Fair- 
 mont with her parents in 1868, where she 
 completed her education, and taught school 
 three terms in Martin county. She is a 
 member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 is president of the Sewing Society of the 
 church, and is one of the teachers in the 
 Sunday-school. 
 
 Mr. Stowe is identified with the I. O. O. 
 F. , and has passed all the chairs in both the 
 subordinate lodge and the encampment. 
 Politically, he is a Republican, and is a 
 member of the \illage Council. 
 
 Vy w ^ ALTER DOLLEN, a prominent 
 Mm I farmer of section 3, Silver Lake 
 ^JL^ township, was born near Des 
 Plaines, Cook county, Illinois, 
 August 23, 1854, a son of John Dollen, a 
 native of England. He came to America 
 when a young man, locating in New York, 
 and was there married to Emma Strong, a 
 nati\e also of England. Two \ears after 
 his marriage Mr. Dollen Uicated in North- 
 field township. Cook county, Illinois, but 
 afterward removed to Main township, where 
 he died July 2, 1894. Mrs. Dollen still 
 resides on the old homestead there. They 
 were the parents of ten children, all still 
 living. 
 
 Walter Dollen, the second child and 
 second son, was reared to farm life in Main 
 township. Cook county. At the age of 
 twenty-one years he went to Will county, 
 Illinois, where he followed agricultural pur- 
 suits about three years, returned to Cook 
 county, and in the spring of 1884 came to 
 Martin county, Minnesota. After spending 
 
 four 3'ears in Fairmont township Mr. Dol- 
 len located on the farm he now owns, which 
 consists of a quarter section of land. 
 
 In political matters, he supports the 
 measures of the Republican party. He has 
 served as Assessor of both Fairmont and 
 Silver Lake townships, and has held the 
 position of School Treasurer since his resi- 
 dence in this county. Socially Mr. Dollen 
 is a member of the A. O. U. W., No. 152, 
 of Fairmont. 
 
 March 18, 18S5, in Martin county, our 
 subject was united in marriage with Magda- 
 lena Wohlheter, born in Germany, August 
 12, 1865, a daughter of Phillip and Christian 
 (Atzel) Wohlheter, natives also of that 
 country. They came to America in 1869, 
 spending eight years in Freeborn count}', 
 Minnesota, four years in Fayette county, 
 Iowa, and then came to Martin county. 
 Mrs. Dollen and George were the only chil- 
 dren by Mr. Wohlheter's second marriage. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Dollen have three children, — 
 Lillie M., Emma C. and Julia E. 
 
 at 
 
 ILLIAM VIEBAHN, P.lue Earth 
 City, Minnesota, is one of the 
 prosperous farmers and leading 
 citi/cns of Prescott township, 
 Faribault county. He is what may be 
 called a thoroughly Americanized German. 
 Mr. \'iebahn was born near Cologne, 
 Prussia, September 8, 1830, son of Peter 
 and Wilhelmina (Deitenbach) \'iebahn, both 
 nati\'cs of Prussia, the former a son of 
 Adolph Viebahn and of Holland descent. By 
 trade, Peter Viebahn was a cooper and car- 
 penter, and for three years was a soldier in 
 the Prussian army. He and his wife emi- 
 grated with their family to America, and in 
 Faribault countw Minnesota, both passed 
 
FARIBAULT, MAR-TIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 191 
 
 the closing years of their life and died, he 
 being sixty-five years of age at the time of 
 death, and she seventy. In their family 
 were three sons, one of whom, C. F. Vie- 
 bahn, is one of the leading educators of 
 Wisconsin, at this writing being principal of 
 the schools at Watertown. 
 
 In his native land the subject of our 
 sketch was reared and educated, and for 
 three years worked at the baker's trade. In 
 1850 he sailed from Bremen to New York, at 
 which port he landed after a voyage of nine 
 weeks. From New York he came west to 
 Sauk county, Wisconsin, and there for two 
 years worked at the carpenter's trade and 
 went to school. In 1853 he went to Juneau 
 county, same State, and near Mauston was 
 employed as a farm hand until 1863, when 
 he came to Faribault county, Minnesota. In 
 Prescott township he took claim to 160 acres 
 of land, and settled down to the work of 
 improving a farm. As the years passed by 
 prosperity attended his efforts, and he now 
 has a fine farm, well improved with com- 
 fortable residence, good barns and other 
 buildings and a windmill, and everything 
 about his premises is kept up in first-class 
 order. Besides this farm he owns 280 acres 
 located in Martin county, this State. 
 
 Mr. Viebahn has a wife and si.x children. 
 The children have had good educatit)nal ad- 
 vantages, and his son Ed. is now serving as 
 Township Clerk. The other members of his 
 family are Mrs. J. Shutelworth, Charles, 
 Frank, Frederic and Minnie. Frank and 
 Fred are now in California, and Frederick is 
 attending commercial college. 
 
 When he first came to America, Mr. Vie- 
 bahn was in sympathy with the Free Soil 
 party. In 1856 he voted for John C. Fre- 
 mont, and in 1872 for Horace Greeley. He 
 is now a Populist. He has served his fellow- 
 
 citizens as Township Clerk for a number of 
 years, and for ten years as Assessor. Few 
 men in Prescott township are better known 
 or more highly respected than is William 
 Viebahn. 
 
 at 
 
 ILLIAM MICHAEL HOFFMAN, 
 Postmaster and proprietor of a 
 general store at East Chain 
 Lakes, was born in Frankfort, 
 Germany, December 29, 1835, a son of 
 John and Mary Hoffman, nativ'es also of 
 that country. The father was a distiller by 
 trade, and his death occurred in his native 
 place. The mother died in Kansas, at the 
 age of about ninety years. She was twice 
 married, and by the first union there were 
 four children, namely: Conrad, of Buffalo, 
 New York; Mary, wife of Casper Wagner, 
 also of that city; John, of Kansas; and Will- 
 iam M., the subject of this sketch. By her 
 second marriage she had one daughter, 
 Kate, wife of John Rosa, of Fairmont town- 
 ship, Martin county. 
 
 William M. Hoffman, the youngest 
 child by his mother's first marriage, re- 
 mained in his native place until seventeen 
 years of age, when he came with his mother 
 to America, landing in New York city. 
 They went thence to Buffalo, New York, 
 and William left his mother four years after- 
 ward and located in Rock county, Wiscon- 
 sin, where he farmed on rented land. He 
 next removed to Dane county, Wiscon- 
 sin, purchased a farm and followed agricul- 
 tural pursuits there until 1866, and since 
 that time has been a resident of Martin 
 county. Mr. Hoffman purchased 160 acres 
 of land in Pleasant Prairie township, fi\e 
 acres of which was improved and contained 
 a small frame house. Six months after- 
 
19Z 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ward he bought i6o acres in Fairmont town- 
 ship, which he improved and remained there 
 about four years. Mr. Hoffman now owns 
 440 acres of fine farming land in East Chain 
 Lai<es township, where he is proprietor of a 
 general store. He was also appointed 
 Postmaster under Cleveland's administra- 
 tion and still holds that position. 
 
 In 1854 our subject was united in mar- 
 riage with Kate Murry, a native of Ireland. 
 For his second wife he married, August 13, 
 1882, Josa Lilly, a native of Stephenson 
 county, Illinois, but reared in Ogle county, 
 that State. His parents, J. P. and H. M. 
 (Dawson) Lilly, were natives respectivelj' of 
 Pennsylvania and New York. Mrs. Hoff- 
 man was the fourth of their ten children. 
 Our subject and wife have two daughters — 
 Lillia M. and Ida E. Mr. Hoffman affili- 
 ates with the Democratic party, and has 
 served as Treasurer of the School Board. 
 
 HUGUSTUS AGNEW TAYLOR, 
 of Fairmont, is a son of Asahel and 
 Hannah (Roberts) Taylor, the 
 former a native of Springfield, 
 Massachusetts, and the latter of Bucks coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania. They were married in 
 Tecumseh, Michigan, and afterward moved 
 to Hastings, that State, where the father 
 died. He was a wagonmaker by trade. 
 The mother now resides in Hopedale, Mas- 
 sachusetts. They were the parents of four 
 children, vi/. : Theodore, who was a soldier 
 in Company C, Fifty-seventh New York 
 Volunteer Infantry, and was killed in the 
 battle of the Wilderness; Augustus A., the 
 subject of this sketch; Frank was a soldier 
 in the Si.xty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, 
 and now resides in Philadelphia, that State; 
 
 and Mary, wife of Henry Steere, of Hope- 
 dale, Massachusetts. 
 
 Augustus A. Taylor was born in Tecum- 
 seh, Michigan, February 5, 1847. Septem- 
 ber 14, 1863, he enlisted for service in the 
 late war, entering Company C, Eleventh 
 Michigan Volunteer Cavalry, and was soon 
 afterward appointed to the position of Cor- 
 poral. He took part in the following battles: 
 Pound Gap, Hazel Green, Mount Sterling, 
 Lexington, Georgetown, Cynthiana, Point 
 Burnside,McCormick's Farm, Laurel Mount- 
 ain, in both battles of Bowen's Farm, Salt- 
 ville, Sandy Mountain, Western, Hazel 
 Green, McCormick's Farm, Morristown, 
 Slate Creek, Mt. Sterling, Clinch River, 
 Russellville, Morristown, Cobb's Ford, 
 Bristol, Paperville, Abingdon, Wytheville, 
 Mt. Airy, Marion, Seven Miles Ford, Salt- 
 ville, Jonesboro, Clinch River, Morristown, 
 McCormick's Farm, Mt. Sterling, Hazel 
 Green, Flemingsburg, Boone, Yadkin River, 
 Mt. Airy, Hillsville, Salem, Christiansburg, 
 Jonesboro, Danburg, Slatesville, Salisbury, 
 Morgantown, Swananoa Gap, Henderson- 
 ville, Asheville, Ward's Farm, Cftsar's 
 Head, Pickens\ille and .Anderson Court 
 House. The regiment became so reduced 
 in numbers by battles, sickness, deaths, etc., 
 that they were consolidated with the Eighth 
 Michigan Cavalry, and served as such until 
 the close of the struggle. Mr. Taylor was 
 discharged September 22, 1865, at Jackson, 
 Michigan, as First Sergeant. 
 
 He immediately returned to his home, 
 and soon afterward went to Syce.more, Illi- 
 nois, where he found work in a hotel until 
 1873. He then located on a farm in the 
 corporate limits of Fairmont, which was 
 partially improved, and during the first two 
 years there the grasshoppers destroyed his 
 crops. Mr. Taylor was ne.xt employed by 
 
^c^. 
 
 |>. aeaKe. 
 
FARIBAULT,, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '95 
 
 R. M. Ward one year, spent one year in the 
 lumber yard of Ward & Cadwell, worked in 
 their store two years, and since 1878 has 
 found employment in the store of Wollston 
 & Lounsberry. In 1891, in company with 
 Frank Johnson, Mr. Taylor laid out the 
 Taylor & Johnson Addition to the village of 
 Fairmont, located in section five, in the 
 north part of the village, and comprises 
 forty acres. In his political relations, our 
 subject acts with the Republican party. He 
 has served as Treasurer of Fairmont town- 
 ship twelve years, has been a member of the 
 City Council, a member of the School Board 
 eight years, and was Treasurer of the school 
 district seven years. Socially, he is Past 
 Commander of Phil. Kearny Post, No. 18, 
 G. A. R., has passed through the chairs in 
 the I. O. O. P., and is a member of the 
 A. O. U. W. 
 
 In 1 87 1 Mr. Taylor was united in mar- 
 riage with Lottie M. Stowe, born in 1848, a 
 daughter of W. H. and Electa (Ward) 
 Stowe. To this union have been born five 
 children, namely: Anna E., born Novem- 
 ber 25, 1871; Harriet May, September 26, 
 1873; Erma B., April 18, 1877; Laura A., 
 July 16, 1886; and Harry S., September 27, 
 1888. Mrs. Taylor is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 KON. F. M. PEIRCE, a most promi- 
 nent and influential citizen of 
 southern Minnesota, now living in 
 Winnebago City, dates his resi- 
 dence in Faribault county from May 17, 
 1856, at which time the county was in its 
 infancy and gave little promise of the devel- 
 opment and progress which was to place it 
 among the leading counties in this great 
 
 connnonwealth. He was born in Putne}', 
 10 
 
 Windham county, Vermont, and comes of 
 good old Revolutionary stock. The family 
 is originally of English origin and was 
 founded in America during the early Colo- 
 nial days by ancestors who settled in Massa- 
 chusetts. The paternal grandfather, Eze- 
 kiel Peirce, was for seven years in the Colo- 
 nial army, bravely and valiantly aiding in the 
 struggle to secure American independence. 
 His son and namesake, the father of our 
 subject, was also born in Putney, Vermont, 
 and after he had reached }ears of maturity 
 he wedded Miss Mary Burdett, a native of 
 the same State. They became the parents 
 of six children: Densmore, Ira, Martha, a 
 son who died in infancy, F. M. and Wal- 
 ter. The mother of this family died when 
 our subject was only six years of age, after 
 which the father was again married, his sec- 
 ond union being with Keziah Cudworth, by 
 whom he had one son, Frank B., who 
 served in the late war in Kilpatrick's cav- 
 alry and is now living in De Soto, Missouri. 
 The father came to Minnesota in the fall of 
 1856, and subsequently removed to Ogle 
 county, Illinois, where he died at the ripe 
 old age of eighty-four years, respected by 
 all who knew him. He was a farmer by oc- 
 cupation, and throughout his entire life fol- 
 lowed that pursuit. In early life he sup- 
 ported the Whig party, but after the organ- 
 ization of the Republican party he joined 
 its ranks and ever after fought under its 
 banner. He held membership with the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 The personal history of F. M. Peirce, to 
 which we now turn the reader's attention, 
 will prove of great interest to many of our 
 readers, for he has a wide acquaintance 
 throughout this community and has gained 
 the esteem of all with whom he has been 
 brought in contact. In early youth he at- 
 
196 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 tended the common schools, but his educa- 
 tion obtained in the common-school room 
 forms but a small part of his knowledge, 1 
 which has been greatly supplemented by 
 reading, observation and experience, until 
 he is now a well informed man. He first 
 started out in business as an apprentice to a 
 marble cutter and followed the trade which 
 he learned until 1854, when he came to the 
 West on a prospecting tour, looking over 
 the country with the view of choosing a place 
 of location. At Rock Island he crossed the 
 Mississippi, \\hich at that time was spanned 
 by no bridge in this region, and continued 
 his journey by stage to Cedar Rapids. After 
 about four months he returned East, and in 
 1855, in company with his father and 
 brother, again came to Iowa, and, as above 
 stated, in May, 1856, he came to Minnesota, 
 and took up a claim on the east bank of the 
 Blue Earth river, where he built a log cabin, 
 made a home and began the development 
 of a farm. It was a tract of virgin soil, but 
 he at once began its transformation and in 
 course of time rich fields were yielding to 
 him altundant harvests. After carrying on 
 the farm for several years he removed to 
 Winnebago City, where he opened a general 
 merchandise establishment, and during the 
 succeeding twelve j'ears was identified with 
 the commercial interests of the place. On 
 selling his store, he again went to the farm, 
 comprising 260 acres of valuable land, 
 which he has placed under a high state of 
 cultivation. It is improved with good build- 
 ings, including substantial barns and sheds 
 and a tasteful and comfortable dwelling, 
 which is located on a natural building site 
 and is surrounded by a beautiful grove of 
 forest trees. This is a very valuable place, 
 and in addition to general farming the en- 
 terprising owner also successfully carries on 
 
 stock-raising, making a specialt}' of the 
 breeding of Red Polled cattle. He became 
 an enthusiast on the question of artesian 
 wells and bored the first on Blue Earth 
 river, which supplies his home and barns 
 for stock, and the public for water on the 
 road. 
 
 Mr. Peirce was married in Mankato, 
 Minnesota, Maj- 14, 1 8G6, to Miss Hattie 
 Wetherell, who was born in Windham 
 county, Connecticut, and is a daughter of 
 Marshall and Roxy (Carder) Wetherell, both 
 of whom were natives of Connecticut. The 
 lady was reared and educated in the Nutmeg 
 State and became a popular and successful 
 school teacher, her ability of imparting 
 knowledge to others making her service very 
 desirable. To Mr. and Mrs. Peirce have been 
 born four children, as follows: C. M., who 
 has a position of trust as bookkeeper with 
 the North Dakota Milling Asrociation of 
 Grand Forks, North Dakota; Walcott, at 
 home; Arthur F., a druggist of Chicago, 
 Illinois; and Ella May, the only daughter, 
 now in her fifteenth jear. The sons have 
 been provided with good educational privi- 
 leges and thus fitted for the practical and 
 responsible duties of life. 
 
 Mr. Peirce is a warm and true friend of 
 the cause of education and does all in his 
 power to promote its interests. In politics he 
 was formerly a stalwart Republican and a 
 leader of his party in his locality. He zealously 
 works in its interests, for he believes its 
 principles are calculated to benefit the 
 greater number, and whenever his judgment 
 sanctions anything as right neither fear nor 
 favor can prevent him from upholding his 
 ideas. He has been honored with several 
 offices of trust, for his fellow townsmen 
 recognize his worth and ability. He has 
 filled all the township offices in a manner 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '97 
 
 creditable to himself and with satisfaction to 
 the public, and in 1875 he was called upon 
 to represent his district in the legislature of 
 Minnesota. He and his most estimable wife 
 hold membership in the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, contribute liberally to its sup- 
 port and do all in their power for its upbuild- 
 ing. They are charitable and benevolent 
 people, and their good deeds, quietly and 
 unostentatiously performed, have won them 
 the gratitude and respect of many. Mr. 
 Peirce is a man of broad and liberal views 
 and progressive spirit, firm in his convictions 
 and stanch in support of what he believes to 
 be right. His fidelity and lo\'alty have thus 
 won him universal confiilence, and his genial 
 and friendly manner has made him a popular 
 and valued citizen. His public and private 
 life alike are above reproach and the name 
 of F. M. Peirce deserves an honored place 
 on the pages of Faribault county's history. 
 
 at 
 
 ILLIAM ROBERT LIVINGS- 
 TON, a prominent and progress- 
 ive agriculturist of Martin coun- 
 ty, living on section 20, Silver 
 Lake township, was born in Clarion county, 
 Pennsylvania, September 6, 1834, descend- 
 ing from Scotch ancestry who came to 
 America more than 200 years ago. The 
 grandfather. Dr. Benjamin Livingston, was 
 a native of New York; and the father of our 
 subject, John J. Livingston, was born Oc- 
 tober 19, 1798, in Washington county of 
 the Empire State. He married Maria Rice, 
 a native of Pawlet, Rutland county, Ver- 
 mont, whose father was one of the earliest 
 settlers of the Green Mountain State and 
 belonged to a famil\' that had been founded 
 in America in the early da\s of the Colonies 
 and was of Scotch and I'-nglish origin. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. John J. Livingston were 
 married in Rutland count}' in 1828, and 
 after a few years removed to Schoharie 
 county. New York, thence to Clarion county, 
 Pennsylvania, then known as Venango 
 county. The mother died in that county, 
 after which the father married Elizabeth J. 
 Whitehill. By the first marriage were born 
 four sons and three daughters, three of 
 whom are yet living: Dr. James B., a 
 practicing physician of Mercer county, Penn- 
 sylvania; Mary L., wife of Isaac Lacy, of 
 Warren county, Pennsylvania; William R. ; 
 Hattie E. , of Jamestown, New York. By 
 the second union there was one son. Dr. 
 Afford T. , also of Jamestown. The father 
 of this family was a well educated man of 
 much more than average intelligence. He 
 was a surveyor for many years and also a 
 student of medicine, of Greek, Hebrew, 
 Latin, German and English, all of which 
 languages he taught. He was widely known 
 as a man of prominence throughout north- 
 western Pennsylvania, and his last days were 
 passed in Jamestown, New York, where he 
 died, in August, 1890, at the ad\anced age 
 of ninety-two years. His father passed 
 away at the age of ninety-six. He was a 
 stanch friend of Horace Greeley and was a 
 correspondent for the New York Tribune. 
 In 1850 he took the census of Clarion coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, which at that time had a 
 population of 45,000. He possessed a most 
 amiable disposition, and during the fort_\- 
 years our subject lived with him he never 
 saw his father angry. Mr. Li\ingston was a 
 member of the Presbyterian Church in early 
 life, and afterward joined the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, in which he was an earn- 
 est worker. He belonged to the Sons of 
 Temperance, and was a stalwart friend of 
 the temperance cause. When he was 
 
198 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 eighty-four years of age he walked twenty- 
 five miles, and could do as much work as a 
 man in the prime of life. 
 
 Our subject was reared in the county of 
 his nativity and attended the district schools 
 until twelve years of age, but the greater 
 part of his education has been acquired 
 through his own exertions at home and 
 through reading and observation in later 
 years. At the age of fourteen, in 1849, he 
 began learning the printer's trade in the 
 office of the Clarion Register, a Whig paper, 
 and in 1852 he went to Jamestown, New 
 York, where he was employed on the James- 
 town Journal, edited by Frank Palmer, 
 afterward editor of the Iowa State Journal 
 and the first proprietor of the Inter Ocean 
 of Chicago. He remained in Jamestown 
 working at the printer's and millwright's 
 trades until the fall of 1856, when he came 
 to Minnesota, working as a millwright in two 
 of the largest gristmills in Rochester until 
 the winter of 1857. He was then employed 
 in the same capacity in Houston county, 
 Minnesota, until March, 1858, when he came 
 to Martin county and pre-empted a tract of 
 timber land in Silver Lake township, a tract 
 of 160 acres, constituting the farm which is 
 now his home. He first lived in a block 
 house, known as Fort Britt, until the fall 
 of 1858, when he returned to Clarion coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania, which was his place of. 
 residence until 1861. 
 
 In that \ear Mr. Livingston entered the 
 service of his country as a member of Com- 
 pany E, Pennsylvania Reserves, and was 
 with his regiment for three years and one 
 month, participating in many important en- 
 gagements, including the battle before Rich- 
 mond, South Mountain, Antietam, the sec- 
 ond battle of Bull Run and Fredericksburg, 
 where on the 2d of December he was wounded 
 
 by a ball in the thigh. This kept him from 
 active service for four months, but as soon 
 as possible he rejoined his regiment, being 
 again with his compan}' in June, 1863. They 
 started for Gettysburg, and at Crampton 
 Pass he received a sunstroke, but continued 
 on the march. In May, 1864, he started 
 on the Wilderness campaign, and at Spott- 
 sylvania, on the 8th of May, was again pros- 
 trated by sunstroke; but continued at the 
 front until June, when, on the 17th of that 
 month, he was honorably discharged, at 
 Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He was always 
 found at his post of duty, and the Union 
 cause found in him an able defender. He 
 next hired out to the Governor of the Key- 
 stone State and was sent to Nashville, Ten- 
 nessee, where he remained for a year, re- 
 turning then to Pennsylvania. 
 
 Mr. Livingston was married July 11, 
 1865, to Brittania J. Smith. Her grand- 
 father, Jonathan Smith, was born on the 
 the seashore in Massachusetts, anil was a 
 sailor. Her maternal grandfather, Walter 
 Seaman, was a native of the Mohawk val- 
 ley of New York, descending from Mohawk 
 Dutch ancestry. Mrs. Livingston is a daugh- 
 ter of J. P. and Susan (Seaman) Smith, the 
 former born in Rhode Island, the latter in 
 Warren county, Pennsylvania. Her birth 
 also occurred in Warren county, and she is 
 the eldest of their ten children. She was 
 reared in the count)' of her nativity, and 
 when fifteen years of age began teaching 
 school, which profession she successfully 
 followed for seven years. 
 
 In the fall of 1865 Mr. Livingston took 
 his young wife to La Porte, Indiana, and 
 the following year came to Martin county, 
 locating on the farm where he has since 
 made his home. His first residence was a 
 log cabin, 14 x 14 feet, and eleven people 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '99 
 
 lived in it through one winter. In connec- 
 tion with the cultivation and improvement 
 of his farm he has engaged in building mills, 
 working on the Washburn mills and also 
 aiding in the erection of the cavalry bar- 
 racks at Fort Abe Lincoln, occupied by 
 Custer's cavalry staff from the fall of 1871 
 to 1872. His farm comprises 270 acres of 
 rich land, and all his possessions have been 
 acquired through his own efforts. His life 
 has been a busy and useful one, yet he has 
 foimd time to devote to public duties and 
 faithfully served as Supervisor, Treasurer 
 and Assessor of his township. His political 
 views are in harmony with the principles of 
 the Republican party, and socially he is 
 connected with Phil Kearny Post, No. 18, 
 G. A. R. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Livingston have been 
 born eight children, — Roy R., who is a 
 graduate of the business college of Mankato, 
 Minnesota, and is now living in Fairmont; 
 John J., who graduated from the State Nor- 
 mal School at Mankato, is a member of the 
 United States Army; Guy C., who also 
 graduated at the same institution, in the 
 same class with John J., is now engaged in 
 teaching; Louise G., a nurse in St. Peter's 
 Hospital; James V., who graduated in Man- 
 kato and follows teaching; Robert W. , who 
 is a student in Fairmont; and Nora K., at 
 home. 
 
 "^Y* O H N C. F E N S K E, a prosperous 
 fl farmer and stock-raiser, residing on 
 /• J section 29, Emerald township, Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota, is a native 
 of Germany, and possesses to a marked de- 
 gree that thrift and energy which are so 
 characteristic of his countrymen. 
 
 Mr. Fenske was born in Prussia, Febru- 
 
 ary 21, 1829, son of Joseph and Teresia 
 (Hintz) Fenske, natives of the same province 
 in which he was born. Both parents died 
 in Prussia, — the mother in 1835 and the 
 father in i 847. Their family was composed 
 of four sons and three daughters. In 18.51 
 John and his eldest brother, Andrew, emi- 
 grated to America, making the voyage from 
 Hamburg, via Liverpool, to New York, and 
 being seven weeks on the ocean. From 
 New York they traveled by rail to Albany, 
 thence by boat to Albany and on across the 
 lakes to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At Mil- 
 waukee they hired a team and drove to 
 Princeton, and from there to Neshkoro, on 
 the White river, where our subject was em- 
 ployed by Carl Farnum, at $12 per month. 
 His brother had a family, and he took a 
 homestead claim, upon which he settled and 
 where he lived until 1S63, when he removed 
 to Green Lake county, same State, where 
 he still resides. After remaining with his 
 brother for a short time the subject of our 
 sketch went to Oak Grove and secured em- 
 ployment on a farm, working for a man by 
 the name of Fuller for one j'ear, at a stipu- 
 lated remuneration of $60, accepting for his 
 pay two steers, valued at $40, and the re- 
 mainder of the amount in clothing. He 
 then hired to another man to do farm work 
 at $12 per month. He afterward sold his 
 steers for $45 in gold, and this amount, to- 
 gether with a year's wages, afforded him a 
 start in life. Going to Stevens Point he 
 bought forty acres of timber land for $50, 
 and subsequently sold it for double that 
 price. With his $100 he then bought eighty 
 acres of timber land. 
 
 Mr. Fenske was married April 5, 1856, 
 to Louise Kruger, a native of the same place 
 where he was born, daughter of John G. and 
 Willimena Augusta (Dotzauer) Kruger, the 
 
200 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 date of her birth being 1835. Her father 
 died in 1839, and her mother afterward be- 
 came the wife of John Henning. B}- the 
 first marriage there were two daughters, — 
 Mrs. Fenske, and Rosa, wife of Adam 
 Friday, of this county. By the second 
 marriage there was one child, Carrie, wife 
 of John Friday, of Wisconsin. In March, 
 1843, three years after her marriage to Mr. 
 Henning, the mother died. Mr. Henning 
 afterward married her sister, with whom 
 Mrs. Fenske hved and with whom, in 1852, 
 she came to America. They were fifty-six 
 days in making the voyage from Hamburg 
 to New York, landing in the latter city Sep- 
 tember 2d. From New York they came to 
 Milwaukee, and soon afterward located in 
 the town of Crystal Lake. There Mrs. 
 Fenske worked in a country tavern, at fifty 
 cents per week, until her marriage. 
 
 After their marriage Mr. Fenske and his 
 wife settled down near Green Lake, where 
 for nine months he worked for a farmer, re- 
 ceiving $17 per month wages and the use of 
 a log house in which to live, Mrs. Fenske 
 doing her part by boarding the farm hands. 
 He next effected the purchase of a yoke of 
 oxen, and cultivated the farm of Harrison 
 Applebee, — this being in the year 1857. 
 The next year he worked the farm of Daniel 
 Stoples on shares. He then sold his eighty 
 acres of land for $200, and bought forty 
 acres within one mile of Manchester, Wis- 
 consin, paying $350 for the same and taking 
 up his residence thereon January 16, 1859. 
 He there made his home until September, 
 1866, when he sold it for $950. At that 
 time he bought two horses and a covered 
 wagon and started for Faribault county, 
 Minnesota, reaching his destination October 
 8th. Here he purchased 1 12 acres of land, 
 on which was a log house, 9X ii feet, the 
 
 purchase price being $1,150, and here he 
 made his home for seven years. Then he 
 sold out for $1,600 and purchased 160 acres 
 of partially improved land, for $1, lOO. This 
 farm he still owns and occupies. He has 
 six acres in grove, has his land all fenced, 
 and his farm buildings are among the best 
 in the township. In addition to his home 
 place he owns eighty acres in Rome town- 
 ship. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fenske are the parents of 
 eleven children, namely: Mary, wife of 
 William Oelke; Louise, wife of Gustavus 
 Schneider; Albert; Sarah, wife of Rudolph 
 Gartze; William F. ; Emma Amelia, who 
 died in infancy; Lydia, wife of Fred G. 
 Livenick; Lillie, wife of John F. Zupp; Eva 
 May, wife of Paul Meyer, of Elmore; Joseph 
 S. ; Andrew M. ; and Edward J. 
 
 Mr. Fenske has held the office of Super- 
 visor for many years, and has served as Jus- 
 tice of the Peace and Constable. He and 
 his wife are members of the Evangelical As- 
 sociation, in which he has been a Trustee 
 for twenty-one years and for many j-ears 
 served as Class-leader. He may be truly 
 classed with the self-made men of the coun- 
 ty. By his own honest industry and good 
 management, assisted and encouraged by his 
 worthy companion, he has accumulated a 
 nice propertj^ and is surrounded with all the 
 comforts of life. 
 
 OP. FOSS, a venerable citizen of 
 \'erona township, Faribault county, 
 Minnesota, has been identified with 
 this county since 1866. A sketch 
 of his life will be found of interest to many, 
 and is as follows: 
 
 Mr. Foss comes of an old and highly re- 
 spected New England family. His grand- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 father, Ebcn Foss, was born in Massachu- 
 setts, and was a soldier for seven years in 
 the Revohitionary war, the most of that 
 time servinp; under General Washington. His 
 son John H., the father of O. P., fought in 
 the war of 1812. John H. Foss married 
 Edith Chase, who, like himself, was a native 
 of New Hampshire, and they became the 
 parents of twelve children, six sons and six 
 daughters: James, O. P., Jacob, William, 
 John, Wellington, Caroline, Louisa, Judith, 
 Ann, Sarah (who died in iidanc}) and Sarah 
 (2d). The mother died at the age of sixty 
 years and the father lived to be eighty. He 
 was by trade a blacksmith, was in politics a 
 Jacksonian Democrat, and in religion was a 
 believer in universal salvation. 
 
 O. P. Foss was born at Compton, New 
 Hampshire, April 2, 1817, and was reared 
 on a farm. In his father's shop he learned 
 the trade of blacksmith, and in early life 
 became a proficient mechanic. In 1S49 he 
 came West, through Chicago, and on to 
 W^atertown, Jefferson county, Wisconsin, 
 Chicago at that time being a small town and 
 with little promise of ever becoming the 
 magnificent city it is to-day. He was one 
 of the pioneers of Watertown, and there for 
 ten years carried on the blacksmith and car- 
 riage business. At the end of that time he 
 sold out and engaged in farming in Dane 
 county, Wisconsin, where he remained until 
 1866. In 1866 he disposed of his Wiscon- 
 sin property and came to Faribault county, 
 Minnesota, at first settling near \Vinnebago 
 City, and from that place coming, in 1877, 
 to his present location. Here he bought 
 170 acres of land of a Mr. Williams, and on 
 it has resided since and given his attention to 
 agricultural pursuits. His farm has a com- 
 fi)ital)le cottage home, other good buildings, 
 modern windmill, and three acres in grove. 
 
 At the age of twenty-two Mr. Foss was 
 married to Miss Arvilla M. Bruce, a native 
 of Vermont and a daughter of Dana and 
 Marcia (Royce) Bruce. They became the 
 parents of two sons, Ahnon E. , a newspaper 
 man of Winnebago City, and Herman A., 
 who resides on the home farm. Mrs. Foss 
 was a loving mother and devoted wife and 
 in every respect a most estimable woman. 
 She departed this life in 1891, at the age of 
 seventy-three years, after having shared the 
 joys and sorrows of life with Mr. Foss for 
 over fifty years 
 
 Mr. Foss has been a supporter of the 
 Republican party since it was organized. 
 Years ago, when a young man in the East, 
 he was a member of the militia and received 
 a Captain's commission from Governor Hill 
 of New Hampshire. During the whole of 
 his life he has kept himself well informed on 
 the topics of the day, is a man of generous 
 impulses and genial manner, and has always 
 made many friends wherever his lot has been 
 cast. 
 
 UFFIEL TIBADEAUX, Delavan, 
 
 Minnesota, has been identified 
 with the interests of Faribault 
 county for thirty years, and it is ap- 
 propriate that some personal mention be 
 made of him in this work. A rcsniiic of his 
 life is as follows: 
 
 Tuffiel Tibadeaux was born in Canada, 
 June 15, 1845, son of Oliver and Mary Lou- 
 isa (Seor) Tibadeaux, both natives of Can- 
 ada, the former of French descent. In 1850 
 the Tibadeaux family located in Fond du 
 Lac county, Wisconsin, where the mother 
 died at the age of thirty-live years. The 
 father came to Faribault county, Minnesota, 
 in 1867, and here remained until his death, 
 
203 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 in 1885, at the age of seventy-three years. 
 He was a farmer by occupation, in politics 
 was a Democrat, and in rehgion both he 
 and his wife were Cathohcs. He was a sol- 
 dier in the patriot war in Canada. Their 
 family was composed of five children, 
 mamely: Philemon, Tuffiel, Isadora, Rosa 
 and Joseph. 
 
 The subject of our sketch spent the first 
 si.xteen years of his life on a farm. He then 
 worked some time in the timber regions, 
 making a full hand, and afterward was em- 
 ployed as packer for a surveying party, 
 carrying a pack of 100 pounds on his back, 
 and camping out in the snow. This was in 
 1862, and he went with the party to the ore 
 mines, after which, in 1863, he resumed 
 work in the woods. September 5, 1864, "he 
 enlisted in Company A, Second Wisconsin 
 Cavalry, and was with his regiment until 
 the close of the war, participating in a num- 
 ber of prominent engagements. While near 
 Jackson, Mississippi, he had an attack of 
 pneumonia, and upon his recovery he came, 
 in September, 1865, to his home in the 
 North. That same fall he made the trip 
 with horses and a wagon to Minnesota. 
 Upon his arrival in Faribault county he 
 took a homestead claim on section 25, in 
 Prescott township, and on it he built a 
 house, 14 .\ 16 feet, of elm and boxwood 
 lumber, and out of straw he improvised a 
 stable for his horses. Here he went to work 
 in earnest, and by honest industry and per- 
 severance he has attained a success of which 
 he may justly be proud. He is now the 
 owner of three good farms, including a total 
 of 650 acres of fine land, well improved 
 with good buildings, etc. Since 1891 he has 
 resided on his present farm of 160 acres, lo- 
 cated a mile and a half south of Delavan. 
 Here he has a nice two-story residence, 
 
 good barn, windmill, grove, and everything 
 conveniently arranged, and here he and his 
 family are surrounded with all the comforts 
 of life. 
 
 Mr. Tibadeaux was married September 
 5, 1865, to Miss Rosa D. Guj-ette, a native 
 of Canada, and a daughter of Joseph and 
 Madaline (La Valley) Guyette, of Canada. 
 This happy union resulted in the birth of 
 eleven children, ten of whom are living, viz.: 
 Ellen, Solomon, Tuffiel, Louise, Rosa D., 
 Joseph C, Lovina, Maggie E., Madaline M., 
 Nora, and Michael. The mother of this 
 family died May 15, 1881, and September 
 23, 1883, Mr. Tibadeaux married his pres- 
 ent companion. Her maiden name was 
 Edwige Better and she was born in Franklin 
 county. New York. Her parents, Peter and 
 Mary (Sampson) Better, died in Fond du 
 Lac county, Wisconsin, each at the age of 
 seventy-three years. Mr. Tibadeaux and 
 his present wife have five children — Israel 
 E., Eva Agnes, Anna Belle, Florence E. , 
 and Blanche Malissa 
 
 Politically, Mr. Tibadeaux is a Repub- 
 lican, and has served as Supervisor and a 
 member of the School Board. He is a 
 member of the G. A. R. His frank and 
 genial nature together with his many ster- 
 ling traits of character have won for him a 
 larire circle of friends. 
 
 eDWARD JONES, retired, Winne- 
 bago City, Minnesota, was a pio- 
 neer of Martin county. He is a 
 native of England, born near Man- 
 chester, August 28, 1835, ^"" of Charles 
 and Jane (Fielding) Jones, both natives of 
 England. About 1S41 they emigrated with 
 their family of fi\c children to America, and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 207 
 
 settled six miles west of Racine, Wisconsin, 
 where the father gave his attention to agri- 
 cultural pursuits. Six years later he re- 
 moved to Oshkosh, or near there, where he 
 resided until his death, his wife having died 
 at Racine. They had si.\ children born in 
 this country, making eleven in all, seven of 
 whom are still living. 
 
 Edward Jones grew to manhood on his 
 father's farm, receiving only a limited edu- 
 cation in the common schools. After at- 
 taining his majority he was for two years 
 engaged in the lumber business. Septem- 
 ber 18, 1 86 1, he enlisted in Company K, 
 Eleventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, for 
 a term of three years or during the war. At 
 the end of the three years he was detailed 
 to guard rebel prisoners at New Orleans and 
 go with them to Fort La Fayetle, New 
 York, which duty he faithfully performed. 
 He was honorably discharged at Madison, 
 Wisconsin, in January, 1865. 
 
 September 29, 1 866, at Winchester, 
 Wisconsin, he married Miss Ellen M. John- 
 son, a native of that place, and after his 
 marriage at once came to Minnesota. Upon 
 his arrival here he took a homestead claim 
 on section 22, Nashville township, Martin 
 county, and upon it built a log house and 
 began married life in true pioneer style. He 
 itnproved his farm and made his home upon 
 it until the fall of 1894, when he retired and 
 moved to Winnebago City, leaving the old 
 homestead in charge of his son. As a farmer, 
 Mr. Jones was very successful. To his 
 original claim he added another 160 acres 
 adjoining it, the whole making one of the 
 finest farms in the vicinity. In the early 
 days of his settlement in Martin county he 
 endured many hardships and privations, but 
 by industry, perseverance and careful econ- 
 omy he overcame every obstacle, and is to- 
 
 i 
 
 day enjoying the fruits of his early years of 
 toil. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Jones have si.x children 
 living, namely: Lena, wife of Frederick 
 Lathrop, a farmer of Faribault county; 
 Edith, wife of William Bottomly, a farmer 
 of Nashville, Martin county; Clifford, on the 
 home farm; Sanford and Manford, twins; 
 ■and Ethel, at home. Their first born, Jus- 
 tin, died at the age of five years. 
 
 Mr. Jones is a Republican in politics, 
 and has served in most of the township 
 offices. He is a member of James Clabaugh 
 Post, No. 54, G. A. R., at Winnebago City. 
 
 «-|-» EWIS FELCH TRUE, a lead- 
 I i ing and influential farmer located 
 ^^^j^ on section 5, Center Creek town- 
 ship, is numbered among Martin 
 county's honored pioneers. He has lived 
 within the borders of this county for more 
 than a third of a century and has witnessed 
 its development from the days of its early 
 infancy. He has seen its wild lands trans- 
 formed into beautiful homes and farms, its 
 hamlets grow into thriving towns and vil- 
 lages, has seen the introduction of the tele- 
 graph and railroad, and the hillsides and 
 plains dotted with churches and schools, in- 
 dicating an advanced civilisation. In the 
 work of public improvement he has ever 
 borne his part, and on the annals of Martin 
 county's history his name should occupy an 
 honored place. 
 
 Mr. True was born in Belknap county. 
 New Hampshire, April 2, 1836, and is of 
 English descent on the paternal side and of 
 German lineage on the maternal side. His 
 grandfather True was born in the old Granite 
 State, as was tlic father of our subject, 
 Simeon S. True, whose birth occurred April 
 
2oS 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 i6, 1802. He made fanning his life occu- 
 pation, and in the state of his nativity he 
 married Lucy Sturtevant, who was born in 
 New Hampshire, August 26, 1802. Her 
 father was born in Germany, and became 
 the founder of his family in America. Mr. 
 and Mrs. True located on a farm near the 
 homes of their childhood and there spent 
 the remainder of their lives, the father pass- 
 ing away January i i, 1S45, and the mother 
 in 1889. Their family numbered ten chil- 
 dren, nine of whom reached adult age, 
 while six are yet living, as follows: John 
 N. and David M. are still living in New 
 Hampshire; George W. is deceased; Hosea 
 S. resides in Martin county, Minnesota; 
 Juliett is also deceased; Sarah J. is now 
 Mrs. Carr of New Hampshire; Lewis F. is 
 the next younger; Charles O. is located in 
 Martin county; Gillman S. has also passed 
 away, as has Wesley, the youngest of the 
 family. 
 
 L. F. True was reared in the county of 
 his birth and his early education, obtained 
 in the district schools of the neighborhood, 
 was supplemented by one term's attendance 
 at the high school. \\'hen eighteen years of 
 age he started out to make his own way in 
 the world, going to Manchester, New Hamp- 
 shire, where he learned the machinist's trade, 
 working for two years and eight months, 
 when, on account of failing health, he was 
 obliged to leave the shop and seek an occu- 
 pation less confining, ^^'hile in that city, 
 on the 4th of March, 1854, he married Miss 
 Clara H. Gould, who was born in the State's 
 prison in Concord, New Hampshire, her 
 father being at that time Warden in the 
 prison. When she was about twelve years 
 of age her mother died, and she went to 
 live \\itli her uncle, Amos Pillsbury, a war- 
 den in the .Mbany penitentiary, and during 
 
 the next three years she was in that penal 
 institution, after which she returned to Con- 
 cord. 
 
 After two years of married life in the 
 East Mr. True brought his wife to Minne- 
 sota, going first to Mankato, but after a few 
 days passed there he removed to \''ernon 
 Center, Blue Earth county, where he made 
 a claim of 160 acres. After cultivating that 
 for two years he sold out and came to Mar- 
 tin county among its first settlers. Secur- 
 ing a farm in Westford township he con- 
 ducted it for a short time, but found that it 
 was school land and then obtained a home- 
 stead claim, constituting the farm on which 
 he now lives. He built a small dwelling, 
 12x16 feet, and during its construction he 
 was drafted into the army. Going to 
 Rochester he paid $300 to secure a release, 
 but afterward, when his affairs would per- 
 mit him, he joined Company H, Eleventh 
 Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. This was in 
 1864, and he served until iifter the cessation 
 of hostilities, when he was honorably dis- 
 charged and returned to his home. 
 
 Mr. True has since devoted his time and 
 attention to his farm and has become 
 the owner of a valuable tract of 320 acres. 
 On this is a fifteen-acre grove of his own 
 planting, and its leafy banners arc evidence 
 of his progressive spirit. Many other good 
 improvements have been made on the place, 
 which add to its value and attractive appear- 
 ance, and the home of this worth)- pioneer is 
 one of the best farms of his adopted county. 
 
 Around the fireside once gathered an in- 
 teresting group of ten children, but several 
 have now left the parental roof for homes 
 of their own. The eldest. Lord Byron, is 
 living in Center Creek township, Martin 
 county; Gillman S. is deceased; Ida May is 
 the wife of E. M. Bohall, of Washington; 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 209 
 
 Minnie L. is the wife of Paul Anthonj-, of 
 Rutland township, Martin county; the next 
 two children died in infancy; Edward L. is 
 living in Center Creek township; Wesley 
 S., Jessie B. and Julia are still with their 
 parents. 
 
 Mr. True has long supported the De- 
 mocracy and was one of the first County 
 Commissioners of Martin County, serving 
 in that capacity for about four years. He 
 was Postmaster of Waverly post office, was 
 for four years Assessor, two years Justice of 
 the Peace, also served as Constable and was 
 Clerk of the School Board for the long 
 period of twenty- one years. His public 
 and private life are alike above reproach 
 and his prompt and faithful discharge of his 
 official duties won him high connnendation. 
 In his social relations he is a Mason, belong- 
 ing to Chain Lake Lodge, No. 64, A. F. & 
 A. M., and the Chapter of Fairmont, and is 
 also a member of Phil Kearny Post, G. A. 
 R., of Fairmont. 
 
 >^OHN HENRY SMITH, an honored 
 m pioneer settler and an enterprising 
 A 1 and progressive farmer of Nashville 
 township, Martin county, resid- 
 ing on section 3, was born in Steuben 
 county. New York, on the 2d of De- 
 cember, 1836. His father, R. B. Smith, 
 was also born in the Empire State 
 and came of Holland Dutch ancestors 
 who settled in America at an early day in 
 the history of the country. He married 
 Elizabeth Swartout, who was born in this 
 country, but her father was a native of 
 Scotland and her mother belonged to a 
 Holland Dutch family. The parents were 
 married in New York and there located on a 
 farm which they made their home until i 838, 
 
 i when they emigrated westward. After re- 
 ; siding in Michigan for a time they removed 
 to Illinois, and in the year 1849 came to 
 Wisconsin, which only the previous year 
 had been admitted to the Union. They lo- 
 cated in Marquette county, making their 
 home within its borders until i860, which 
 year witnessed their removal to Brown 
 county, Minnesota. Their next place of 
 abode was Rochester, Minnesota, and sub- 
 sequently went to Amboy, this State, where 
 they still reside. In the family were four 
 children, three sons and a daughter, all of 
 whom are living and married, no death 
 ever having occurred in the family. The 
 eldest is J. H., of this sketch; Alvira is the 
 wife of E. G. Cross, and they ha\e three 
 children who are married and have families. 
 Loren wedded Ella Bornt and has one child; 
 and Loami married Clara Rouse, by whom 
 he has two children. 
 
 Under the parental roof, J. H. Smith 
 remained until eighteen years of age, when 
 his father gave him his time and he started 
 out in life for himself. From early youth 
 he aided in the labors of the field, and was 
 familiar with all the duties of farm life, and 
 during the greater part of his business career 
 he has carried on agricultural pursuits. He 
 accompanied his parents on their removal 
 to Michigan, Illinois and the Badger State, 
 and in Wisconsin was married, December 
 27, 1857, to Miss Candis Amelia Clark, a 
 native of New York. Two children came 
 to grace their home and brighten their pio- 
 neer abode. The elder, Frances, is now 
 the wife of Frank Clay and has three chil- 
 dren, Elna, Chester and Jessie. Loren 
 Adclbert married Dclila Hall, and their 
 children are Lura and Harrold. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Smith began their ilomes- 
 tic life upon a farm in Wisconsin and con- 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 tinned their residence in that State until 
 i860, when they removed to Brown county, 
 Minnesota. The following year they went 
 to Rochester, and in 1863 our subject be- 
 came a farmer of Nashville township, Mar- 
 tin county. He secured from the Govern- 
 ment a tract of wild land, one of the first 
 claims made in the township. The county 
 was but sparsely settled, and seemed just 
 opening up to civilization. There were only 
 eleven voters in the north part of the county, 
 the greater part of the land had never been 
 placed under the plow, many of the now 
 thriving towns and villages had not yet 
 sprung into existence and the county was 
 waiting for the developing powers and or- 
 ganizing forces of such men as our subject. 
 He has ever borne his part in the upbuild- 
 ing of this region and has done much for 
 its advancement and progress. Mr. 
 Smith built upon his farm a shanty 
 made with poles driven into the ground and 
 covered with boards. He has always lived 
 upon his farm with the exception of about 
 five years spent in Amboy engaged in mer- 
 cantile business. As the years passed, wild 
 land was transformed into beautiful homes 
 and farms and pioneer improvements were 
 replaced by substantial buildings in keeping 
 with the improvements of a model farm. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Smith enlisted in Company 
 D, First Minnesota Heavy Artillery, as a 
 private, and served until the South had laid 
 down its arms and peace was once more re- 
 stored. He was always found faithful to 
 the old flag and the cause it represented, 
 and when the war was over he was honor- 
 ably discharged, in 1865. When the I\epub- 
 lican party was formed to prevent the further 
 extension of slavery he joined its ranks and 
 has since fought under its banner. He was 
 serving as a member of the Town Board of 
 
 Supervisors when the township was organ- 
 ized, and at the time of his enlistment in 
 the army. He also served as Justice of the 
 Peace while in Amboy for both the town- 
 ship and city. He took part in the organi- 
 zation of Nashville township and has ever 
 been active in advancing the best interests of 
 town, count}- and State. He has been a 
 member of the Grange and a most promi- 
 nent and consistent member of the Freewill 
 Baptist Church. He aided in the establish- 
 ment of the church, was instrumental in 
 securing the house of worship and had the 
 honor of laying its corner-stone. From the 
 organization of the society he has served as 
 Deacon, and in the Master's vineyard he has 
 been an earnest laborer. His Christianity 
 is of that practical kind that recognizes the 
 brotherhood of mankind, and has a broad 
 charity and warm sympathy for his fellow 
 men. He was also at one time church Trus- 
 tee. The life of Mr. Smith has been well 
 spent and has won him the respect and con- 
 fidence of all. He has also gained, through 
 straightforward, honorable effort, a hand- 
 some competence which now enables him to 
 lay aside all business cares and live retired 
 in the enjoyment of a well earned rest. 
 
 >T^OHN DICKERSON DRAKE, a farm- 
 m er of section 32, Center Creek town- 
 A 1 ship, was born in Indiana, December 
 7, 1852, a son of Kelley and Sarah 
 (Ashby) Drake. The mother is supposed to 
 have been born in Indiana. The father 
 died when our subject was four years old. 
 They were the parents of four children — 
 Jane, wife of J. P. Vantlike, of Iowa; James 
 W., also of that State; John I)., the sub- 
 ject of this sketch; and Elizabeth, deceased. 
 J. D. Drake, the youngest son and third 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 211 
 
 child, was taken by his parents to Benton 
 county, Iowa, at the age of nine months, 
 where he was reared to farm life and at- 
 tended the district schools, also spending 
 one winter in the Irving School. At the 
 age of fifteen years he began life on his own 
 account, coming to Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, where he worked at farm labor for a 
 year and a half, returned to Benton county, 
 in 1876 located on a rented farm in Fair- 
 mont township, Martin county, remaining 
 there six years, spent one year in Faribault 
 county, and in 1882 bought the place where 
 he now resides, consisting of 320 acres, all 
 under a fine state of cultivation. Mr. Drake 
 assisted in the organization, and is presi- 
 dent, of the Center Creek Creamery Associa- 
 tion. He is identified with the Republican 
 party, and has served five years as chairman 
 of the Board of Supervisors, and for a time 
 was a member of the School Board. 
 
 Mr. Drake was married in 1875 to Lil- 
 lian Hodgman, born in Onondaga county, 
 New York, August 30, 1858, a daughter of 
 A. J. and Louisa (Walrath) Hodgman. She 
 was brought by her parents to Martin coun- 
 ty when quite young. Our subject and wife 
 have four children — Alta, Millie, Alvin and 
 Nettie. One son, Amason K., died at the 
 age of twelve years. 
 
 • HOMAS W. JENNESS, who re- 
 sides on a farm in section 17, Win- 
 nebago City township, is one of the 
 first actual settlers of Faiibault 
 county, the date of his arrival here being 
 1856. 
 
 Mr. Jenness is a native of Deerfield, 
 Rockingham county, New Hampshire, born 
 November 25, 1823, son of Joseph and Sal- 
 
 lie (Pearson) Jenness, both of English de- 
 scent. Joseph Jenness was a farmer and 
 spent his entire life in the Granite State. 
 Thomas W. was reared on the farm and ed- 
 ucated in the common schools, his early ed- 
 ucation being largely supplemented by home 
 reading and study. He remained with his 
 parents until he attained his majority, when 
 he accepted a position as clerk in a general 
 store at Manchester, New Hampshire, con- 
 tinuing there about a year, and for a short 
 time . engaged in business on his own ac- 
 count, being occupied in mercantile pursuits 
 until 1855, when he came west to Story 
 count)', Iowa. In 1856 he landed in Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota, and homesteaded 
 160 acres of land in section 35, Winnebago 
 City township. Upon a part of this land 
 the village of Winnebago City has been built. 
 He subsequently sold out to J. C. Easton, 
 and bought land on sections twenty-one and 
 twenty-two, but later sold that property and 
 bought his present farm of iGo acres in sec- 
 tion 17. Here he has built a good house 
 and barn, and, indeed, all the improvements 
 upon this place have been put here by him, 
 and in his farming operations he is making 
 a success. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Jenness enlisted in Com- 
 pany L, Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, 
 and from August 18 until the close of the 
 war was on active duty. He is a man who 
 is well posted on the general topics of the 
 day, is Republican in his political views, 
 and favors all movements for the promotion 
 of the best interests of the community. He 
 has never sought for official honors, and the 
 only office of any kind he ever held was that 
 of Treasurer of his school district. Person- 
 ally, he is frank and genial, and is an in- 
 telligent and interesting conversationalist. 
 He is unmarried. 
 
212 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 at 
 
 'ILLIAM KDWAKD LEPIXE, a 
 farmer of section ii, Rolling 
 Green township, is a son of John 
 and Elizabeth (Pitman) Lepine, 
 natives of England, where they spent their 
 entire lives. The father was a cabinetmaker 
 by trade. W. E., the eleventh of thirteen 
 children, seven sons and six daughters, was 
 born on the ocean on the journey from Lon- 
 don to Sydney, June 9, 1822. He was 
 raised in England, and when six years of 
 age was sent to a boarding school, where he 
 remained for about a year. He went to sea 
 as cabin boy on the ship "Robinson," 
 bound for Quebec and Montreal, having 
 made two trips during that year. In the 
 following year he went from Greenock to 
 New York city. He was about fifteen years 
 of age. Leaving that ship, our subject went 
 to Montreal, where he learned and followed 
 butchering for a few years. Two years af- 
 terward he went to New York, returned to 
 Canada for two years, and later crossed the 
 Rocky mountains with Sir George Simpson \ 
 to Vancouver, remaining there two and a 
 half years. Mr. Lepine was next employed 
 on the steamship Beaver, which was en- 
 gaged in the fur trade between Vancouver 
 and Victoria island, and along the north- 
 western coast, and was made second engi- 
 neer of the ship. He then followed the 
 butcher's trade in Montreal and I^altimore 
 until 1858, from that time until 1875 resided 
 in Ciiicago, and then located on the farm he 
 now owns in Martin county, Minnesota. 
 He now owns 280 acres of well improved 
 land. 
 
 In I 866 Mr. Lepine was united in mar- 
 riage with Addie Wilson, a native of Iowa, 
 of Danish parents. They have had three 
 children, two now living: Elizabeth, wife of 
 Dr. James IJird, of St. James, Minnesota; 
 
 and William, at home. Mr. Lepine sup- 
 ports the Republican party, and has served 
 as Director of school district No. 35 for six 
 years. Socially, he is a member of the 
 I. O. O. F. 
 
 ,>^()BERT VEITCH HES- 
 1/^ SELGRAVE, a retired farmer 
 \ _ P of Winnebago City, was born in 
 Potsdam, St. Lawrence county, 
 New York, September 10, 1834, a son of 
 William and Elizabeth (\'eitch) Hesselgrave. 
 His father was a native of Yorkshire, En- 
 gland, and the mother of Scotland, both 
 coming to America when young, and were 
 married in New York, where Mr. Hessel- 
 grave followed farming the remainder of his 
 life. 
 
 Robert V. remained on the home farm 
 until fifteen years of age, receiving his edu- 
 cation in the district schools. He then en- 
 tered the office of the Potsdam Courier, and 
 served a three-years apprenticeship at the 
 printer's trade. At the expiration of that 
 time he came West to Chicago, and was for 
 two years employed in the office of the 
 Tribune, after which he went to St. Paul, 
 Minnesota, and worked at his trade in the 
 Pioneer Press office for two years. Subse- 
 quently he went to Henderson, Sibley coun- 
 ty, Minnesota, and was for a few years in 
 the employ of Joe Brown, in the office of 
 the Henderson Democrat. 
 
 About 1859 Mr. Hesselgrave determined 
 to turn his attention to agricultural pursuits, 
 and he pre-empted a quarter section of land 
 in the town of Arlington, Sibley county, 
 which he immediately began improving and 
 cultivating, making it in time a fine farm, 
 and that place was his home for about four- 
 teen years. In Fcliniary, 1865, he was ap- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 213 
 
 pointed to the position of Second Lieuten- 
 ant in Company M, First Regiment Minne- 
 sota Heavy Artillery, continuing in service 
 until honorably discharged in November of 
 that year. After his return from the army 
 he resumed his farming operations, which 
 he successfully carried on until 1873, when 
 he sold out and mo\ed to St. Paul, again 
 taking up his trade, and the succeeding four 
 years were spent in the office of the Pioneer 
 Press. In 1877 Mr. Hesselgrave purchased 
 360 acres of land in sections 21 and 22, 
 Verona township, Faribault county, and con- 
 tinued that occupation until November, 
 1894, when he left the farm in charge of his 
 son and moved to Winnebago City, where 
 he is now living a retired life, enjoying the 
 fruits of former toil. 
 
 Mr. Hesselgrave is a man of enterprise 
 and more than ordinary intelligence, is a 
 great reader, and keeps himself well in- 
 formed on the topics of the times. He be- 
 came a voter about the time the Republican 
 party was organized, and has ever since 
 supported the men and measures of that 
 party. He has held most of the local town 
 offices, and was for some years County 
 Commissioner in Sibley county. He is a 
 member of the A. O. U. W. , the I. O. O. 
 1"., and James Clabaugh Post, No. 54, G. 
 A. R., of which he was one of the charter 
 members. 
 
 October 3, 1858, our subject was united 
 in marriage with Miss Amanda, daughter of 
 Abraham and Louisa (Smith) Livingston. 
 Mr. Livingston was of Scotch descent and 
 was born on one of the Thousand Islands in 
 the St. Lawrence river, and Mrs. Livings- 
 ton was born in Franklin county, New York, 
 of English ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Hessel- 
 grave have five daughters and two sons, 
 namely: Ella E., wife of J. H. Sawyer, 
 
 of St. Paul; Emma H., now Mrs. William 
 A. Nichols of Everett, Washington; Frances 
 M., wife of C. C. Ives, of Blue Earth City; 
 William E., who married Miss Ina Hall, 
 and resides on the home farm ; Carrie T. , 
 wife of H. L. Bullis, of Winnebago City; 
 Sherman S., a practicing physician of St. 
 Paul; and Minnie V., at home. 
 
 HLFRED TILTON FRENCH, a 
 farmer of section 36, Waverly 
 township, Martin county, is a son 
 of Columbia and Mary Ann (Tilton) 
 French, natives respectively of Canada and 
 New York. They were married in Ohio, 
 and afterward located in Chatfield, Fillmore 
 county, Minnesota, where the father fol- 
 lowed the carpenter's trade. They next re- 
 moved to Spring Valley, that county, sub- 
 sequently went to Dakota, and then came 
 to Martin county, Minnesota, where the 
 father died in iSgi. The mother departed 
 this life in 1864. They were the parents 
 of nine children, four now living, — Ade- 
 line, Frank and Sarah, in Oregon; and the 
 subject of this sketch. Two of the sons, 
 William and Charles, were soldiers in the 
 late war, the former having died in service, 
 and the latter was killed by Indians near 
 Ft. Ridgely. The father also was a soldier 
 in the late war, a member of the Minnesota 
 \'olunteers. 
 
 Alfred T. French, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born at Chatfield, Minnesota, 
 March 30, 1858. He came to Martin county 
 in 1879, locating on his present farm of 520 
 acres, 1 50 acres of which is under a fine 
 state of cultivation. He is engaged in gen- 
 eral farming and stock-raising, owning 500 
 head of fine wool sheep, 30 head of cattle, 
 16 horses and 40 head of hogs. Politically, 
 
214 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mr. French acts with the Kepubhcan party, 
 and has served as Township Assessor five 
 years, as Constable of Waverly, and as 
 Clerk of the school district No. io6. So- 
 cially, he is a member of the A. O. U. W. 
 In 1882 Mr. French was united in mar- 
 riage with Mary Hackney, born in Canada 
 in 1863, a daughter of William Hackney, 
 now of St. James, Minnesota. To this 
 union have been born four children, — Charles 
 C, Nellie May, Leslie Sylvester and Elmer. 
 Mr. French is a Deacon in the Congrega- 
 tional Church, and has also served as Super- 
 intendent of the Sunday-school. 
 
 aECIL SHARPE, cashier of the 
 Merchants and Farmers' Bank, of 
 Fairmont, Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, is a native of Colsterworth, 
 Lincolnshire, England, born October 4, 1850. 
 His father. Rev. Robert Matthew Sharpe, 
 was born in Kingston, Jamaica, June 4, 1816; 
 and his mother, ncc Emily Pratt, at Paston, 
 Northamptonshire, England, October 14, 
 181 5. The latter was a descendant of very 
 old and somewhat distinguished English 
 families, her genealogy being traced back 
 through a long line of ancestors to Simon 
 Cowper, who was born in 13 10 and was for 
 a time sheriff of London. Robert Cowper 
 was prominent during the reign of Henry 
 v., and John Cowper during that of Henry 
 V'l. William Cowper, who was clerk of the 
 English parliament in 1740, was uncle to 
 William Cowper, the poet, who was born in 
 1 73 1. Major Cowper, son of William and 
 cousin to the poet, married Maria, daughter 
 of Colonel Martin Madan, M. P., and their 
 daughter, Frances Cecelia, became the wife 
 of Rev. Joseph Stephen Pratt, vicar of 
 Peterborough and prebendary. Their son. 
 
 Rev. Joseph Pratt, who was born July 29, 
 1784, was rector of Paston for upwards of 
 fifty years, and the father of Emily Pratt, 
 the mother of the gentleman whose name 
 initiates this review. 
 
 Rev. Robert M. Sharpe and Emily Pratt 
 were married in 1842, at Paston, while he 
 was curate at Hathern, whence he removed 
 to Colsterworth and took charge of that 
 parish. From 1862 until 1865 he had a 
 parish in London, and at the time of his 
 death, which occurred April 16, 1886, he 
 was vicar of Anslow, Staffordshire. His 
 good wife survived him a few years, dying 
 in November, 1893. They were the parents 
 of five children, all of whom reached ma- 
 turity, namely: Frederick Robert, who has 
 held an official position in the India office, 
 London, England, for the past thirty years, 
 married Marian Rowell, and they have one 
 child, Beatrice; Constance Emily and her 
 husband, Captain \\'. H. Cockell, are both 
 deceased, and left one child, Constance; 
 Georgiana Marian, wife of Dr. Poyntz 
 Wright, of Saint Neots, England, has four 
 children, — Ethel, Hubert, Muriel and Eric; 
 Granville, who married Alice Marian Hooper, 
 has one child, Granville Cecil, is a resident 
 of Ware, England; and Cecil, who is the 
 immediate subject of this sketch. 
 
 Cecil Sharpe attended school in London 
 until he was thirteen years of age, and from 
 that time forward for eight years was em- 
 ployed in a bonded warehouse in London. 
 He then returned home and gave his atten- 
 tion to farming. In 1874 he came to Amer- 
 ica, direct to Fairmont, Minnesota, in com- 
 pany with three others, — the four being the 
 first Englishmen to locate in this vicinity. 
 At this writing Mr. Sharpe is the only one of 
 the number who retains a residence here. 
 He located on a tract of wild prairie land, 
 
^fH 
 
 'Mr/J. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 217 
 
 six miles south of Fairmont, and as soon as 
 possible had the soil broken. That win- 
 ter he returned to England, where he re- 
 mained until the following spring, when he 
 once more retraced his way to Minnesota 
 and on his land put in a»crop, utilizing for 
 the same 400 acres. Here misfortune over- 
 took him, his entire crop being swept away 
 by the grasshoppers, leaving nothing in their 
 train but devastation and denuded fields. 
 After this experience our subject devoted his 
 attention for some time to chopping wood 
 in the timber districts and other pursuits. 
 Returning finally to Fairmont, in February, 
 1876, he located land for some of his coun- 
 trjTnen, and personally gave his attention to 
 building. From 18S0 until 1882 he dealt in 
 farming machinery and implements, and in 
 this venture was unsuccessful. He was not 
 discouraged, however, but went to work 
 with a will, and gave his attention to build- 
 ing operations until 1886, in which 3'ear he 
 was offered and accepted the position as 
 cashier of the Merchants and Farmers' 
 Bank, which incumbency he has since filled 
 most efficiently. Since 1874 he has made 
 three visits to England. 
 
 Mr. Sharpe was married in 1880 to 
 Catherine Agnes Wollaston, who was born 
 at Saint Catherines, Ontario, Canada, July 
 31, 1850, eldest daughter of Percy Wollas- 
 ton. They have five children: Emily 
 Catherine, Cecil Granville, Constance Irene, 
 Marian Victoria, and Agnes Dorothy. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Sharpe are members 
 and communicants of the Episcopal Church 
 at Fairmont. Our subject has been Treas- 
 urer of the church since 1880, and is now fill- 
 ing also the office of Jimior Warden. He is 
 a member of the blue lodge and chapter, 
 Free and Accepted Masons, being Treasurer 
 
 of the latter; and he is also identified with 
 11 
 
 the Modern Woodmen of .America. He is 
 serving his second term as Treasurer of the 
 municipality of Fairmont. 
 
 Such, in brief, is a review of the life 
 history of one of the most worthy and most 
 highly respected citizens of Martin county. 
 
 a HANDLER C. BRIGGS, who 
 carries on general farming on sec- 
 tion 23, Jo Daviess township, Fari- 
 bault county, was born in the town 
 of Concord, Erie county, New York, on the 
 20th of July, 1830, and is the youngest in a 
 family of eleven children, whose parents 
 were Ephraim Allen and Sallie (Townsend) 
 Briggs. The grandfather of our subject, 
 Captain Samuel Briggs, was born in Taun- 
 ton, Massachusetts, before the Revolution- 
 ary war. He was a seafaring man and for 
 many years sailed on a New Bedford whal- 
 ing vessel, of which he was Captain. He 
 was very successful in his chosen line of 
 work and was a man highly respected by all 
 who knew him. He was accidentally killed 
 in middle life, leaving a wife who long sur- 
 vived him, her death occurring at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-five years. She bore 
 the maiden name of Ruth Paul. 
 
 Ephraim A. Briggs, the father of our 
 subject, was born in the historic old town of 
 Taunton, Massachusetts, on the loth of 
 March, 1783, and lived in his native State 
 until after the war of 1812. While there 
 he was married, in 1808, to Miss Sallie 
 Townsend, who was born in Franklin 
 county, Massachusetts, on the ist of June, 
 1785, a daughter of Jonathan Townsend, of 
 that State. Mr. P>riggs was a farmer by 
 occupation, and in middle life removed to 
 I New York, settling in the town of Concord, 
 where, for man_\' j-ears, he kept a ta\ern. 
 
2l8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 His old brick tavern was for a long period a 
 landmark in that locality and its f^'enial pro- 
 prietor was known far and near. He lived 
 to a ripe old age and at length passed peace- 
 fully away. In the family of Ephraim and 
 and Sallie Briggs were the following children : 
 Mary, who was born May, 9, 1808, and 
 died in March, 1846; Ephraim, who was 
 born January 8, 1810, and died September 
 II, 1847; Sylvia, who was born August 5, 
 181 1, and died August 26, 1886; Thomas 
 M., who was born March 23, 1813, and 
 died February 11, 1890; Jonathan, who 
 was born February 12, 181 5, and is now 
 living in Wisconsin; Erasmus, who was born 
 August I, 1 818, and died January 4, 1892; 
 Suel, who was born April 7, 1821, and died 
 October 24, 1893; Sallie, who was born 
 March 7, 1823, and now makes her home 
 in Janesville, Minnesota; Cinderella, who 
 was born October 5, 1825, and died July 5, 
 1874; and Christopher, who was born March 
 21, 1828, and resides in Cattaraugus county. 
 New York. 
 
 The youngest member of the famil}- is 
 the gentleman whose name heads this rec- 
 ord, — one of the honored anil highh' es- 
 teemed citizens of Faribault county. He 
 lived in the town of his birth until 1861, at- 
 tending in boyhood the schools of his native 
 State and working on his father's farm. As 
 soon as old enough to handle the plow he 
 began work in the fields and at an early 
 age became familiar with all the duties of 
 farm life. He continued to aid in the work 
 on the old homestead for some time after he 
 attained his majority, but at length left 
 New York for the West, and in the summer 
 of 1 86 1 lived in southern Illinois. He ne.xt 
 went to Wisconsin, locating in La Crosse 
 county, where he remained until 1865, at 
 which time he remoNed to Wauseca, Min- 
 
 nesota, — his place of abode until 1870. His 
 arrival in Faribault county dates from that 
 year. He settled on section 27, Jo Daviess 
 township, and from that time to the present 
 has been one of its leading and representa- 
 tive agriculturists. His land is always under 
 a high state of cultivation, an air of neat- 
 ness and thrift pervades the place, and its 
 thrifty appearance indicates the careful su- 
 pervision of the owner. 
 
 On the 5th of October, 1853, Mr. Briggs 
 was united in marriage with Miss Phcebe 
 Jane Woodward, daughter of Levi and 
 Hannah (Southwickj Woodward, a native 
 of Erie county. New York, and one of a 
 family of eleven children. She died De- 
 cember 20, 1 89 1, leaving two children, Ar- 
 thur Allen and Suel Christopher, the latter 
 now living on the family homestead. Mr. 
 Briggs lived on the old homestead from 1871 
 until 1 89 1, when he built a new residence 
 on a farm which he owned on section 23, 
 Jo Daviess township. He subsequently sold 
 that place, and in i 894 built a fine residence 
 on section 23, also. This is one of the most 
 delightful country homes in Faribault coun- 
 ty, tastefully furnished and supplied with all 
 the comforts of life. On the i8th of July, 
 1894, he was again married, his second union 
 being with Mrs. O. E. W'hite, of Martin 
 county. They are now living at the abo\e 
 mentiiined place, ami the fruits of his former 
 toil afford them the comforts and many of 
 the lu.xuries of life. 
 
 In politics Mr. Briggs has been a stal- 
 wart Republican since the organization of 
 the party, and does all in his power to pro- 
 mote the growth and insure the success of 
 his party. He is a public-spirited and pro- 
 gressive citizen, deeply interested in town 
 and county matters which are calculated to 
 adsance the general welfare. He has served 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 219 
 
 as a member of the Town Board of Super- 
 visors, was its chairman for many years and 
 since resigning that position he has served 
 as Town Treasurer, being the present in- 
 cumbent in that office, the duties of which 
 he discharges with a promptness and fidelity 
 which have won him universal commenda- 
 tion. Some ten years ago he was elected 
 County Commissioner, serving for two 
 years. In all the relations of life he is the 
 same honorable, upright man, that he is in 
 public office, and is true to every trust re- 
 posed in him, whether public or private. 
 He is recognized as one of the strong, re- 
 liable citizens of Faribault county, and has 
 the respect and good will of all. 
 
 HBRAHAM ROBERTS TOWNE, 
 a farmer of section 12, Martin 
 count}', is a son of Elihu and Ann 
 (Roberts) Towne, natives respect- 
 ively of Massachusetts and New York. The 
 mother was a daughter of Abraham Rob- 
 erts. The parents were married in the lat- 
 ter State, and were among the first settlers 
 of St. Lawrence county. In 1839 they re- 
 moved to Ashtabula county, Ohio, where 
 the mother died, at the age of forty-five 
 years, and subsequently the family removed 
 to Wood county, Ohio, where the father 
 died, at the age of eighty-five years. Elihu 
 Towne and wife had twelve children, 
 namely: Huldah, Mary Cary, Horatio (de- 
 ceased), Abraham R. , Caroline, Luther, 
 Jane Johnson, Phoebe Wade, Erastus, Ma- 
 ria Whiting, Alvira Foster, and Philo. 
 
 A. R. Towne, the subject of this sketch, 
 was born in St. Lawrence county. New York, 
 December 6, 18 17, where he was reared and 
 learned the blacksmith's trade. .After his 
 
 marriage he located on a farm there and 
 built a log house, but in i860 came to Minne- 
 sota, spending five years in Goodhue county, 
 and then located in Minnesota Lake town- 
 ship, Faribault county. In 1870 Mr. Towne 
 came to the farm he now owns, consisting 
 of eighty acres, all of which is under a fine 
 state of cultivation. In December, 1863, he 
 enlisted for service in the late war, entering 
 Company D, Brackett's Battalion of Cavalry, 
 and was appointed the company's black- 
 smith. He took part in five battles against 
 the Indians, and was discharged in March, 
 1865. In his political relations, Mr. Towne 
 affiliates with the Republican party, and has 
 held the position of School Director, Justice 
 of the Peace, Assessor, Supervisor, etc. 
 Socially, he is a member of the G. A. R. 
 Post at St. James. 
 
 May 28, 1836, our subject was united in 
 marriage with Jerusha Cory, born in New 
 Hampshire, June 10, 1820, a daughter of 
 Daniel and Millie (Morse) Cory, natives of 
 Massachusetts. They were married in New 
 Hampshire, and in 1836 removed to St. 
 Lawrence county. New York, where they 
 afterward died. Daniel Cory was enrolled 
 in the war of 1812. The grandfathers of 
 Mrs. Towne, Samuel Cory and James Morse, 
 served seven years in the Revolutionary 
 war. They were among the first settlers in 
 New Hampshire. Mrs. Towne has one 
 brother now living, Martin Cory. Our sub- 
 ject and wife have four children, — Millie 
 Ann, widow of David Catlin, of Minnesota 
 Lake township, Faribault county, and has 
 five children; Benjamin A. married Frankie 
 Slocum, and resides in Watonwan county; 
 Mary J., wife of Silas Mills, of this town- 
 ship; and David C, who married Annie 
 Rhodes. Mr. and Mrs. Towne arc believers 
 in Spiritualism. 
 
J20 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 BRANCIS BASSETT has been iden- 
 tified with Faribault county since 
 1866, and, as one of its most 
 prominent citizens, is deserving of 
 more than a passing notice on the pages of 
 this work. The follo\\ ing rcsiinic of his Hfe 
 will be of interest to many: 
 
 Francis Bassett was born in Lewis 
 county, New York, June i, 1821, and is a 
 descendant of English ancestors. Barachiah 
 Bassett, his father, was born on Martha's 
 Vineyard, as also was Nathan Bassett, his 
 grandfather. His mother, whose maiden 
 name was Nancy Butler, was a native of 
 Massachusetts, a member of a prominent 
 Puritan family and was related to the well- 
 known Benjamin F. Butler. Barachiah 
 Bassett was a soldier in the war of 18 12. 
 After his marriage he lived for some years 
 in Lewis county, New York, where he kept a 
 hotel, and from there moved to Jefferson 
 county, same State, where he and his wife 
 passed the rest of their lives, she dying at 
 the age of sixty years and he at eighty. Mr 
 Bassett was a man of prominence in his 
 day. In politics he was first a Whig and 
 later a Republican, and religiously he was a 
 Methodist and an active worker in the 
 church. He and his wife had a family of 
 eleven children, some of whom died in in- 
 fancy, the others growing up to occupy 
 honorable and useful positions in life. 
 
 Their son Francis, with whose name we 
 head this article, spent the fiist si.xteen 
 years of his life in his native count)', and 
 there received a fair education. He learned 
 the trade of tinner when a young man, and 
 worked at his trade for some years. In 
 1846, like many an ambitious young man, 
 he was seized with a desire to "go West," 
 and before the end of that year we find him 
 in Fond du Lac countv, \^'isconsin, located 
 
 on a tract of wild land three miles from 
 Fond du Lac. There he developed a farm 
 and on it continued to reside imtil i866, 
 when he sold out and came to Minnesota. 
 Arrived in Faribault county, he purchased 
 what was known as the Carlton farm. This 
 place he sold a year later. He then bought 
 of Mr. D. Mason the farm on which he has 
 since made his home, located on section 13, 
 Verona township, Winnebago City being 
 his postoffice address, and here he now 
 owns 300 acres of fine land. His two-story 
 residence is located on a natural building 
 site and is surrounded with native forest 
 trees. He has two barns, one 38 x 40 feet, 
 and the other 20 x 40 feet; granary, carriage 
 house, modern windmill, good fences, etc. 
 Indeed, this farm is in many respects a 
 model one. Besides his property here Mr. 
 Bassett owns valuable real estate in Cali- 
 fornia. He has spent two seasons in the 
 sunny climate of the Golden State, — 1887 
 and 1890. 
 
 Mr. Bassett is a man of family. He 
 married Miss Mary Catharine Boyer, a most 
 amiable woman who has shared his joys and 
 sorrows for many years, and to whose assist- 
 ance and cheerful companionship he owes 
 much of the success he has attained in life. 
 She was born in Jefferson county. New 
 York, September 10, 1S25, daughter of 
 Solomon anil Sarah (Fultz) Boyer, both 
 natives of the Empire State. Her father 
 was born in Herkimer county, son of 
 Michael Boyer, of that State, the Boyers 
 being of Holland Dutch origin and early 
 settlers of New York. Mr. antl Mrs. Boyer 
 had four children, — Mrs. Ba.ssett, Diana, 
 Julia A. and Jerome. The parents lived in 
 Minnesota for some years and went from 
 here to Creston, Union county, Iowa, where 
 they died, the father at the age of eighty- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 four and the mother at eighty-six. Mr. 
 Boyer was a veteran of the war of 1812 and 
 the recipient of a pension for services 
 rendered in that war. Both were members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Bassett have five children, namely: 
 Sara, wife of Charles Andreas, of Creston, 
 Iowa; James and Jerome, who reside on 
 fruit ranches in Santa Cruz county, Cali- 
 fornia; Jason, who married Miss Carrie 
 Holliday and resides in this county; and 
 Nancy, wife of William Haliday, of Minne- 
 apolis, Minnesota. All have been well edu- 
 cated, and Mrs. Andreas was before her 
 marriage a successful teacher. 
 
 Both Mr. Bassett and his wife are mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 In politics he is a Republican and has filled 
 several township offices, and he is a mem- 
 ber of the I. O. O. F., Winnebago City 
 Lodge, No. 30. 
 
 EP. EDWARDS needs no special 
 introduction to the readers of this 
 volume, for he is one of the best 
 known merchants of Faribault 
 county. He is numbered among the hon- 
 ored pioneers of Minnesota, and for some 
 years has been prominently identified with 
 the commercial history of Easton, being 
 now at the head of the leading hardware 
 establishment of this place. 
 
 A native of Ashtabula county, Ohio, Mr. 
 Edwards was born on the 6th of December, 
 1846, and is a son of that sterling pioneer, 
 James S. Edwards, who found his way to 
 the Gopher State in the days when travel 
 was by stage coach, and when settlers in 
 this locality wer€ not a few rods but many 
 miles apart. He and his father were both 
 
 born on the eastern coast of Maine, of Eng- 
 lish parentage, and probably descended from 
 Jonathan Edwards. In the primitive days 
 of Ashtabula county, ere a railroad crossed 
 the territory or a telegraph pole had been 
 planted there, James S. Edwards made a 
 home on the soil of the Buckeye State, and, 
 cutting down the stately oak and maple 
 trees, he built in the midst of the forest a 
 cabin home. He had wedded Miss Mary 
 C. Miller and she shared with him in the 
 experiences and hardships of frontier life, 
 and was ever the light of his household. She 
 was born in East Lyme, Connecticut, ^[arch 
 2, 181 2, and was a daughter of Joseph Mil- 
 ler, also a native of the Nutmeg State. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Edwards made their home in Ohio 
 until 1852, when he came to Minnesota. He 
 had learned cabinet-making in his youth, 
 but during the greater part of his life car- 
 ried on agricultural pursuits. When the 
 wild flowsrs showed the advent of spring in 
 the year 1852 he started for the West, and 
 after many days' travel by rail and boat he 
 reached the home of Henry .L. Edwards, 
 his first-born son, who the previous year 
 had come to Minnesota, locating in the 
 Money creek country of Houston county. 
 The father was not exactly pleased with that 
 locality and he settled near Chatfield, where 
 he pre-empted 160 acres of Government 
 land. He then returned to his home in 
 Ohio, and during the SLimmer his son built 
 a house on the claim. The heavy timber 
 was hewn out of the surrounding forest and 
 the lumber was hauled from Winona, — a 
 distance of forty miles. In the fall, accom- 
 panied by his family, James S. Edwards 
 took up his abode in this Slate and again 
 went through the experiences of pioneer life. 
 He carried on farming and stock-raising, and 
 by practicing economy and working early 
 
222 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 and late he soon got a good start, and as 
 the years passed his possessions were in- 
 creased until, in 1869, he was enabled to lay 
 aside all business cares and enjoy a well- 
 earned rest. At length he sold his large 
 farming interests and purchased a home in 
 Chatfield, where he lived until called to the 
 life eternal. Born on the 24th of October, 
 1800, he passed away December 13, 1883, 
 at the ripe old age of eighty-three, respected 
 by all who knew him. 
 
 In business dealings James S. Edwards 
 was scrupulously fair, never swerving from 
 the path of justice and right; as a citizen 
 he was devoted to the best interests of the 
 community in which he made his home and 
 was an important factor in its upbuilding. 
 The excellencies of his character were many 
 and the old settlers and many of the more 
 recent arrivals hold him in loving remem- 
 brance. The lady who in early life became 
 his wife and lung traveled life's journey by 
 his side was ever his faithful companion 
 and helpmeet, and her kindness and 
 charity endeared her to all. She could 
 tell many very interesting stories of pio- 
 neer life, both in Ohio and Minnesota, 
 and could vividly recall the wonderful 
 Christmas day of 1852, when in her little 
 home, 16x24 feet, she threw both windows 
 and doors wide open to admit the balmy 
 air, for nature had bestowed a foretaste of 
 spring upon them as her gift on the day 
 when the Christian world celebrates its 
 great gift by kindly remembrances to those 
 near and dear. Mrs. Edwards passed to the 
 reward prepared for the righteous February 
 4, 1888, and lies beside her husband in 
 Chatfield cemetery. 
 
 The Edwards family numbered twelve 
 children: Caroline became the wife of John 
 C. Way, a farmer of Ashtabula county, 
 
 Ohio, and both have now passed away. 
 Henry L., before mentioned, figured quite 
 prominently in Minnesota's Territorial his- 
 tory, being a Representati\e in the first 
 Legislature. When the guns of Fort Sum- 
 ter awakened the echoes that were heard 
 throughout the country he was living in the 
 South and saw that he would be forced to 
 leave the Southern territory and lose his 
 property or join the Confederate Army. 
 This he did, holding the important position 
 of paymaster with the rank of Major, but 
 his friends and family were in the North 
 and beyond the Mason and Dixon line was 
 the place of his nativity; so, after sixteen 
 months' service, he escaped to the North. 
 On reaching the Union lines he met Captain 
 Plumb, in whom he recognized an old 
 schoolmate, and through his intervention 
 Henry Edwards was passed into the Union 
 lines and returned to the old home in Min- 
 nesota. He then went to Omaha, Ne- 
 braska, where he raised a company of cav- 
 alry for service against the Sioux Indians 
 and was made its Captain. On the close of 
 hostilities he returned to the South, and by 
 way of Indian Territory went to Texas, where 
 he is supposed to have died some years since. 
 Phcebe Jane, deceased, the third of the Ed- 
 wards family, was the wife of the David W. 
 Morse, who was formerly a popular dentist 
 of Chatfield, Minnesota, but is now in Den- 
 ver, Colorado. George W. was reared in 
 Ashtabula county, served his country during 
 the Rebellion and died in Austin, Mower 
 county, Minnesota. Charles A. carries on 
 farming in Ashtabula county. He was for 
 three years in the Union army and was 
 wounded at the battle of Chickamauga. 
 Ezra M., who in 1862-3 ^^'is in the Union 
 army, fighting the Indians on the western 
 frontier, is now connected with the Spring 
 
FARIHAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 223 
 
 Valley Bank of Spring Valley, Minnesota. 
 Mary C. is the wife of Dr. Allen, now of 
 Centerville, Alameda county, California. 
 He is a native of New Hampshire, and dur- 
 ing the Civil War served as a surgeon in the 
 army. The subject of this sketch is the 
 next younger. Edwin A. is a promi- 
 
 nent fruit-grower near Hollister, California. 
 Richard A. has for many years been engaged 
 with the Experimental State Farm Com- 
 pany of Oregon. Lillie R. is the wife of 
 the Rev. Alfred A. Stead, a minister of 
 Michigan. Frank V., the youngest of the 
 family, is a native of this State and is now 
 serving as cashier in the Spring Valley 
 Bank. 
 
 H. P. Edwards, whose name heads this 
 record, while his parents made theirpilgrim- 
 age to Minnesota, made his home with his 
 brother-in-law, John C. Way, in Ashtabula 
 county, and later accompanied that gentle- 
 man on his removal to Olmsted county, 
 this State. Mr. Way afterward returned to 
 Ohio, where he died. The first school- 
 house in Orient was a log building with seats 
 along the wall, and there twenty pupils, in- 
 cluding our subject, were trained in the com- 
 mon English branches by a Miss Brainard. 
 He lived with his father until eighteen years 
 of age, when he responded to the country's 
 call for aid and on the lOth of March en- 
 listed in Company E, First Minnesota In- 
 fantry, from which he received an honora- 
 ble discharge July 14, 1865, for the war had 
 then closed. Upon his return home Mr. 
 Edwards engaged in school-teaching in Fill- 
 more county, and also attended school in 
 Chatfield. In the fall of 1867 he removed 
 to Walnut Lake, Faribault county, and se- 
 cured a clerkship in one of the general stores 
 of that place. Two years later that stock, 
 by purchase, became his property, and he 
 
 entered upon a career as a merchant, which 
 still continues. He successfully carried on 
 the store for two years, and then came, in 
 1 87 1, to Easton, where he opened a general 
 store, which he conducted until 1877. Sell- 
 ing out he for a time engaged in bu\ ing and 
 shipping stock. In 1885 he embarked in the 
 hardware business and is now at the head of 
 the well known firm of H. P. Edwards & 
 Company, proprietors of one of the largest 
 and best conducted establishments of the 
 kind in Faribault county. Their business 
 has steadily increased in volume until it has 
 now assumed extensive proportions and un- 
 der the able management of our subject the 
 firm has secured a well merited prosperity. 
 
 On the 28th of April, 1870, Mr. Edwards 
 was united in marriage with Miss Ophelia 
 L. Tousley, who was born in Jefferson coun- 
 ty. New York, and is a daughter of Hiram 
 Tousley. They have five interesting chil- 
 dren and lost one, Florence M., who died 
 in her fifteenth year. Those who survive 
 are Grace Blanche. Frank T. , Mary M., 
 Harrison P. and Ruth Ophelia. The family 
 occupies an enviable position in social circles 
 where not wealth alone but also true worth 
 and intelligence are received as the passport 
 into good society. Their home is noted for 
 its hospitality and a hearty welcome is ever 
 extended to their many friends. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Edwards is a 
 stanch Republican. He cast his first presi- 
 dential vote for General U. S. Grant and has 
 deposited a ballot for each ]iresidcntial can- 
 didate of his party since. For several years 
 he served as town clerk, but has never cared 
 for official preferment. He holds member- 
 ship in the Methodist Episcopal Church and 
 his well spent life has been in harmony with 
 his profession. His (^hristianit}' is of that 
 practical kind, not shown by protestations 
 
H 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 of goodness, but manifested in honorable 
 business dealings and in a straightforward 
 life in all relations. 
 
 Vj'OHN A. L. SHUTTLEWORTH, 
 
 m who follows farming and stock-rais- 
 /• J ing on sejtion 4, Blue Earth City 
 township, has been identified with the 
 interests of Faribault county since 1865, 
 and has through all these years borne his 
 part in the development and upbuilding of 
 the communit}', — being therefore numbered 
 among its valued citizens. 
 
 He was born in Nottinghamshire, En- 
 gland, November 23, 1836, and comes of 
 an old family of English origin, which for 
 many generations had resided on the "Mer- 
 rie Isle." His parents were William and 
 Ann (Stevenson) Shuttlcworth, the father a 
 stone-mason by trade. In 1844, accom- 
 panied by his family, he sailed on the Lean- 
 der, for the New World, and after five 
 weeks and three days spent upon the briny 
 deep, landed in Quebec. The vessel had 
 weighed anchor at Liverpool with 450 pas- 
 sengers on board and without accident made 
 the voyage in the time mentioned. The 
 Shuttleworth family proceeded at once to 
 Wisconsin, settling on a farm in Milwaukee 
 county, and afterward removed to a farm 
 in Lisbon township, Waushara county, 
 where they resided two years. During 
 much of this time the father worked at 
 his trade in the city of Milwaukee. Remov- 
 ing to Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, they 
 located on a farm in Byron tON\'nship, where 
 the parents spent their remaining days. The 
 mother died there at the age of seventy-six 
 years and the father's death occurred, at the 
 the home of our subject, in 1887, he also 
 having attained the age of seventy-six years. 
 
 No event of special importance marked 
 the bo\hood and jouth of John Shuttle- 
 worth. The first eight years of his life were 
 passed in the land of his nativity, and he 
 then accompanied his parents on their emi- 
 gration to America, and with them made 
 his home until he had attained his majoritj-, 
 giving to his father the benefit of his serv- 
 ices. In the common schools he obtained 
 a good English education, and by reading 
 and studying in later years has become a 
 well-informed man. 
 
 \\'hen he had attained to man's estate 
 he left home and purchased eighty acres of 
 land adjoining his father's farm, and in 
 course of time the once wild land was made 
 to yield to him a good return. He contin- 
 ued its cultixation until June, 1865, when 
 he sold, and came to Faribault county, en- 
 tering a quarter-section of land, in Barber 
 township, which he owned and operated for 
 three years. On the expiration of that 
 period he bought 160 acres of wild land in 
 Blue Earth City township, the same consti- 
 tuting his present farm, and in addition to 
 this he owns another 160-acre tract, four 
 miles from the city of Wells, which he has 
 improved, making it a valuable property. 
 One quarter-section which he bought he 
 gave to his son. 
 
 Mr. Shuttleworth has been twice mar- 
 ried. On the 8th of May, i S60, he was 
 joined in wedlock with Miss Mary Jane 
 Golden, a native of Illinois, born of English 
 parentage, — her father, James Golden, be- 
 ing a native of England. By this union were 
 born two children: Lydia, wife of John W. 
 Squires, of Montana; and ^^'illiam F., a 
 farmer of IMuc Earth City township. The 
 mother of this family was called to the home 
 beyond on August 28, 1 886, and on the i ith 
 of September, 1889, Mr. Shuttleworth led 
 
^\ 12^. -^/fi//y. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 to the marriage altar Miss Emma Viebahn, 
 a native of Juneau county, Wisconsin, 
 daughter of William Viebahn, whose sketch 
 appears elsewhere in this volume. Mrs. 
 Shuttleworth is a most estimable lady, hav- 
 ing many friends, and has resided in this 
 county since five years of age. 
 
 Mr. Shuttleworth affiliates with the An- 
 cient Order of United Workmen, and in his 
 political connections is a Republican. A 
 self-made man, the success of his life is due 
 entirely to his own efforts and has been 
 achieved by diligence, perseverance and 
 careful attention to all the details of busi- 
 ness. He now has a comfortable compe- 
 tence, and his farm is one of the best in the 
 neighborhood, highly cultivated, improved 
 with good buildings and neat and thrifty in 
 appearance. 
 
 OLIVER HAZZARD SPERRY, 
 one of the honored pioneers of Mar- 
 tin county, residing on section 28, 
 Nashville township, has resided in 
 this locality since 1864, or for almost a third 
 of a century. The memory of such men, 
 who are the founders and builders of a county 
 and to whom the county owes its prosperity 
 and progress, should be perpetuated in writ- 
 ten record, that their names maygti down to 
 posterity and that their character may live 
 and be cherished long after the place which 
 once knew them shall know them no more. 
 Mr. Sperry was born in Cortland county, 
 New York, May 2, 1819, and comes of one 
 of the old New England families. His grand- 
 father, Elijah Sperry, a native of Connecti- 
 cut, learned the blacksmith's trade in his 
 jouth, and for forty years worked in one 
 shop. The Sperrys are of W'clsh descent 
 and are noted for longevity. The father of 
 
 our subject, Merrett Sperry, was born in 
 New Haven, Connecticut, and during his 
 youth learned blacksmithing in his father's 
 shop. W^hen a young man he removed to 
 Cortland county. New York, where he mar- 
 ried Polly Blodgett, a native of Massachu- 
 setts, who had gone to that county in her 
 girlhood days, the family settling near 
 Homer, New York. Her father, Paul Blod- 
 gett, was born in the old Bay State, was 
 supposed to be of English lineage and by 
 occupation was a fanner. Upon their mar- 
 riage Mr. and Mrs. Sperry located on a farm 
 in Cortland county, but afterward removed 
 to Cayuga county, where they spent their 
 remaining days. The father died in Auburn 
 at the advanced age of ninety years, and the 
 mother passed away in the si.xty-eighth year 
 of her age. They were the parents of thir- 
 teen children, eleven of whom reached years 
 of maturity, while four are still living, name- 
 ly: Diantha, widow of Edmond Howe and a 
 resident of Belmont, Allegany county. New 
 York; Miles P., who is living near W'ells- 
 ville in the same county; Lovinia, widow of 
 John Harrington and a resident of Bradford, 
 Pennsylvania; and Oliver H., who was the 
 fifth child and fourth son of the famih'. 
 
 Midst play and work his childhood days 
 were passed upon his father's farm, assist- 
 ing in the labors of the fields through the 
 summer months while in the witer season he 
 attended the public schools of the neighbor- 
 hood. To his father he gave the benefit of 
 his services until twenty-five years of age, 
 and during that time became familiar with 
 all the duties of farm life, so that when he 
 took up the work in his own interest he did 
 not lack experience. 
 
 On the isth of May, 1845, Mr. Sperry 
 was united in marriage with Miss Augusta 
 Williams, a native of Homer, Cortland 
 
ziS 
 
 .UEA/OR/AL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 county, New York, born January 4, 1824, 
 and a daughter of Thomas and Ohve (Blod- 
 gett) Wilhams, who were natives of Massa- 
 chusetts. She was the tenth in their family 
 of twelve children, and was reared in the 
 place of her nativity. For a year the par- 
 ents of our subject lived in Troopsville, New 
 York, and then located on a farm near 
 Cayuga Lake, where he passed two years. 
 Three years he was sick, unable to work, 
 and the family thus had a hard time, but 
 all things must have an end, and his illness 
 was no exception to the rule. In 1852 he 
 removed with his family to Allegany county, 
 New York, where he resided until 1858, 
 which year witnessed his removal to Sauk 
 county, Wisconsin. Securing land he there 
 engaged in farming for si.x years, and then 
 came to Minnesota in 1864, making a claim 
 in Nashville township, the farm upon which 
 he now lives. He first secured 160 acres of 
 land and upon it built a shanty of only one 
 room, having what is called a shed, — that 
 is, roof, the boards all ran one way; and 
 there were only two windows. There was 
 not a tree upon the place, and he had to 
 haul his lumber for a distance of twelve 
 miles. He went to mill at Mankato, thirt\- 
 five miles away, and for one week the family 
 lived on potatoes and hulled corn, for he 
 could not get to mill, — the roads being im- 
 passable. In connection with his son he 
 now owns and cultivates 480 acres of rich 
 and arable land. All the improvements on 
 the first quarter section were made by him. 
 He has planted a fine grove of five acres, 
 has good improvements and a pleasant and 
 substantial residence, all of which add to 
 the valuable and attractive appearance of 
 the place. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Sperry have been born 
 five children, who in order of birth are as 
 
 follows: Mary, wife of Andrew Bailey, a 
 resident of California; Frank, who married 
 Rusha Edwards and had two children, Maud 
 and Guy, and after her death wedded Kittie 
 Shaw, who also bore him two children, 
 Ralph and Harrold N. ; Fred, who wedded 
 Mary Brady; Byron, who married Alice 
 Hinton and had two children, Elmo and 
 Elno; and Alice, who became the wife of 
 C. H. Dorothy, and died in 1884, leaving 
 five children, Orrcn, Frank, Edith, George 
 and Cora. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Sperry is a Re- 
 publican and warmly advocates the princi- 
 ples of that party, doing all in his power to 
 promote its growth and insure its success. 
 For twenty-nine years he has served as Post- 
 master of the Sperry post office, which was 
 the first post office established west of the 
 Blue Earth river in Martin county. It was 
 through his instrumentality that it was se- 
 cured, and the office has always been at his 
 house. With the exception of two years he 
 has also served as Assessor of his township 
 since 1866, the oldest Assessor in years of 
 continuous service in the county. It is 
 needless to say that he is true and faithful 
 to his duties, for all who know him arc 
 familiar with his trustworthiness and loyalty 
 to an}- confidence reposed in him. His life 
 is pure and honorable, and he is a strong 
 temperance man who uses neither tobacco 
 or intoxicants. His example is one well 
 worthy of emulation and he will leave his 
 children an untarnished name. 
 
 at 
 
 ALTER JAY RICHARDSON, A. 
 B. , M. D., a leading physician 
 of Fairmont, Martin county, Min- 
 nesota, was born near Rochester, 
 New York, November 17, 1856, descending 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 229 
 
 from very old and prominent New Enj^land 
 families. The Richardson family in this 
 country was founded in early Colonial times 
 by three brothers who emigrated from En- 
 gland and first settled in Massachusetts; one 
 of them afterward went to New Hampshire, 
 and another to the State of Maine. Benja- 
 min Allen Richardson, the great-grandfather 
 of the gentleman whose name heads this no- 
 tice, was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, 
 and was dangerously wounded while board- 
 ing an English man-of-war off New York 
 harbor. He was given up for dead, but sur- 
 vived, and married Miss Abigail Larkin, 
 settled on a farm in Pownal, Maine, where 
 he reared a family. 
 
 Joseph Richardson, the father of Walter 
 Jay, was born in O.xford county, Maine, in 
 1822, a son of Bradbury ;.nd Jennie (Ride- 
 out) Richardson, both of whom were na- 
 tives of the Pine Tree State. The Doctor's 
 mother, ncc Lydia Phelps Reed, is also a 
 native of Oxford county, Maine, born in 
 1826. Her father, Sampson Augustus Reed, 
 a native of that State, was a wealthy cattle- 
 drover and a prominent man in his locality; 
 and her great-grandmother on her father's 
 side, — whose maiden name was Sally Brad- 
 ford, — was a lineal descendant of Governor 
 William Bradford, of Plymouth Colony, who 
 came over in the Mayflower. Joseph Rich- 
 ardson and Miss Lydia Phelps Reed were 
 married in Maine, subsequently moved to 
 Boston, Massachusetts, and later to Roch- 
 ester, New York. He assisted in establish- 
 ing the Rochester Brick cS: Tile Company, 
 and was one of the organizers of the Vacuum 
 Oil Company, being its first president. In 
 1873 he came to Minnesota aiid settled in 
 Glencoe, McLeod count}', where he en- 
 gaged in a general merchandise and grain 
 business, which he continued for several 
 
 years, with good success, but is now living 
 retired. Mr. and Mrs. Richardson brought 
 up a family of children, as follows: Ella, 
 widow of L. A. Pixley of Bird Island, Min- 
 nesota; Dr. \\'. J., of this notice; Lydia, 
 wife of G. R. Crosb}-, of St. Cloud, Minne- 
 sota; Axel J., Bird Island, Minnesota; Lill- 
 ian May, wife of C. M. Tifft, of Glencoe, 
 Minnesota; and Emma D. The parents are 
 both active members of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church and contribute liberally to its 
 support. 
 
 Dr. Richardson was educated at Carlton 
 College, Northfield, Minnesota, and at Am- 
 herst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, 
 graduating at the last named place with the 
 class of 1 88 1 and with the degree of A. B. 
 After completing his classical course at Am- 
 herst, he began the study of medicine at 
 Harvard in 1882, and while there he was a 
 student under the late Dr. Oliver Wendell 
 Holmes. He completed his medical course 
 at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, 
 the medical department of Columbia Uni- 
 versity, New York, where he graduated in 
 1885. Having thoroughly equipped him- 
 self for his chosen profession, he entered 
 upon its practice at Minneapolis, Minne- 
 sota. Afterward he removed to Hutchin- 
 son and from there came to Fairmont, 
 where he has been successful in establishing 
 a good practice; and both as a gentleman 
 and a physician he has gained the confi- 
 dence of the people. 
 
 He was married in 1886 to Miss Sarah 
 Sagar, and has three children living: Ralph 
 J., Marion, and Ruth Ordway. Mrs. Rich- 
 ardson is a native of England, born in 1862, 
 and when very joung came to America. 
 She is a lady of more than ordinary amia- 
 bility and intelligence. She was educated 
 in the high school at Hampstead, New 
 
230 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Hampshire, and Mt. Holv'oke Female Col- 
 lege, Massachusetts. She is a member of 
 the High School Examining Board, an act- 
 ive member of the Congregational Church, 
 and has been president of the Ladies' Aid 
 Society, and is president of the Ladies' 
 Missionary Society. Politically the Doctor 
 is a Republican. Fraternally he is con- 
 nected with both the A. F. &. A. M. and 
 the A. O. U. W., being a Past Master 
 Workman and District Deputy in the latter 
 organisation. He is also a member of the 
 Fairmont Board of United States Pension 
 Examiners. 
 
 * w * EON'ARD LANE resides on section 
 I r 16, Blue Earth Citj- township, 
 I A where he is engaged in general 
 farming and dairying. In 1888 he 
 purchased ninety-nine acres of wild land and 
 at once began to improve and develop it. 
 He now has it under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion, and the well tilled fields indicate to the 
 passer-by his careful supervision. In con- 
 nection with the raising of cereals adapted 
 to this climate he is successfully engaged in 
 the dairy business and for this purpose keeps 
 on hand fifteen cows. The products of his 
 dairy on account of their excellent qualit\' 
 are readily disposed in the market of Blue 
 Earth City and bring the highest price. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write is a 
 native of the Empire State. He was born 
 in Lewis count\'. New York, on the 20th of 
 Decemlier, 1847, ^ son of Samuel and Tur- 
 sey (Cummings) Lane, also -natives of New 
 York. In the East they remained until 1856, 
 at which time they started Westward, locat- 
 ing first in Lorain county, Ohio. Subse- 
 cpicntly the}' removed to Huron comity, that 
 State, and afterward to Erie county, where 
 
 they continued to make their home until 
 1882, which year witnessed their arrival in 
 Minnesota. The mother was called to her 
 final rest in 1890, at the age of seventy- 
 three years, but the father is still living and 
 now makes his home with our subject. Dur- 
 ing the war of the Rebellion, prompted by a 
 spirit of patriotism, he offered his services to 
 the Government and with the Eastern army 
 went to the front, but after eleven months' 
 service he was mustered out on account of 
 physical disability. He has always been 
 faithful to his duties of citizenship and is a 
 highly respected man. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of 
 Leonard Lane we present to our readers the 
 life record of one who is both widely and 
 favorably known in Faribault county. He 
 belongs to a family of eleven children, nine 
 of whom are living at the time of this writ- 
 ing. He was only nine years of age at the 
 time of the removal to the Buckeye State, 
 and made his home in Ohio during his 
 youth, no event of special importance mark- 
 ing his life during that period. He received 
 the training which fitted him for his own 
 business career and became familiar with 
 the English branches of learning in the pub- 
 lic schools. When only sixteen years of age 
 he joined the boys in blue of Company H, 
 Eighty-eighth Ohio Infantry, and during the 
 first year of his service was engaged in guard- 
 ing prisoners at Camp Chase. He was taken 
 with the measles, afterward suffered an at- 
 tack of lung fever, and subsequently had the 
 smallpox, so that he was in the hospital for 
 six months. He continued in the service 
 until the close of the war, when, the coun- 
 tr}- no longer needing his services, he re- 
 ceived an honorable discharge and returned 
 at once to his home. 
 
 The year 1874 witnessed the arri\al of 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 231 
 
 Mr. Lane in Minnesota. He first located in 
 Brown count}-, where he engaged in farming 
 and in railroading for about nine \ears, 
 coming thence to Faribault county. Here 
 he settled upon a rented farm, which he con- 
 tinued to cultivate until 1888, at which time 
 he became owner of his present property. 
 Diligence has characterized his business 
 career and he is a progressive, practical 
 farmer. 
 
 On the 12th of May, 1888, Mr. Lane led 
 to the marriage altar Miss Nettie Werner, a 
 native of La Porte, Indiana, and a daughter 
 of James and Cordelia (Shedd) Werner, the 
 former a native of New York and the latter 
 of Michigan: they met and married in the 
 Hoosier State, and in 1865 came to Minne- 
 sota, where their remaining days were passed, 
 both havmg now departed this life. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Lane now have a bright little 
 daughter, Gladys, in whom they take great 
 delight. 
 
 Since attaining his majority I\fr. Lane 
 has given his support to the Republican 
 party and his duties of citizenship are dis- 
 charged with the same loyalty which prompt- 
 ed him to enter his country's service when 
 the Union was imperiled. His life has been 
 one of quiet business, commanding the re- 
 spect of all. 
 
 ^y^ILLIAM HOSMERWILLSONis 
 
 ■ ■ I ^ prominent and iuHuential citi- 
 mj^^l zen of Martin county and a 
 worthy representative of the agri- 
 cultural interests. He resides on section 
 28, Waverly township, where he owns a 
 valuable farm of 480 acres, which has been 
 his place of abode since 1885. This is one 
 of the most highl}' improved farms of the 
 communitv, with its well tilled liclds, its 
 
 substantial buildings and its modern machin- 
 ery. When he took up his residence here 
 only eighty acres was under cultivation, but 
 now 300 acres yields to the owner a golden 
 tribute in return for the care and cultivation 
 he bestows upon it. 
 
 The life record of Mr. Willson is herewith 
 given. He was born in St. Lawrence coun- 
 ty. New York, on the 2d of October, 1848. 
 The family is of English origin and was 
 founded in America at an early day in the 
 history of the country. His grandfather was 
 Samuel Warner Willson and his father also 
 bore the name of -Samuel Warner Willson. 
 The latter was born in St. Lawrence county, 
 in I 8 19, and after he had arrived at j'ears of 
 maturity he married Miss Lucy O. Hosmer, 
 a native of the same locality, the date of 
 her birth being 1822. Her father, Otis G. 
 Hosmer, was born in the Green Mountain 
 State, became one of the early settlers of 
 New York and served his country in the war 
 of 1812. The parents of our subject began 
 their domestic life in the count)' of their na- 
 tivity and there resided until 1869, when 
 they emigrated westward, their destination 
 being Minnesota. Locating upon a partly 
 improved farm in Minnesota I^ake township, 
 Faribault county, the father devoted his 
 energies to its further cultivation and im- 
 provement until his death, which occurred 
 in the year 1871. His wife still survives 
 him and is now well advanced in years. In 
 the famil}- of this worthy couple were four 
 children, three of whom are living at the 
 time of this writing, in the winter of 1894. 
 They are Edwin D., William H. and Eliza- 
 beth, wife of Edwin O. Shoen. 
 
 Like most of the farmer boys of the Em- 
 pire State at that time, our subject passed 
 the days of his chiUlhoml and \outh li\ing 
 with his parents am! accompanying them on 
 
2.3- 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 their removal to the West. He was mar- 
 ried in the year 1866, the ladj- of his choice 
 beinpf Miss Ellen R. Stearns, a- native of St. 
 Lawrence county. New York, and a daugh- 
 ter of Clark and Mary (Wadsworth) Stearns, 
 both of whom were born in Vermont, but 
 became pioneer settlers of the Empire State. 
 One child graces the union of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Willson, a daughter, Libbie I. , now the 
 wife of Albert Grover of Martin county, by 
 whom she has one child, Mary. 
 
 After residing in Faribault county for 
 two years, the subject of this sketch re- 
 turned with his family to New York, where 
 he resided for seven years. He then again 
 came to Minnesota, settling in Sibley coun- 
 ty, where he was engaged in teaching school 
 until 1883, which year witnessed his re- 
 moval to Mapleton, at which place he en- 
 gaged in hotel-keeping for two years. In 
 1885 he came to Martin county, locating 
 upon the farm which has since been his 
 home. At that time the buildings were 
 somewhat dilapidated, but he has remodeled 
 them and added other substantial im- 
 provements, making his place one of the 
 finest equipped farms in the northern part of 
 the county. He follows general farming, 
 raising the different cereals which are adapt- 
 ed to this climate, and throughout the com- 
 munity he is accounted one of the wide- 
 awake and enterprising agriculturists. 
 
 Mr. Willson, since attaining his majority, 
 has been a supporter of Democratic princi- 
 ples and takes quite an active interest in lo- 
 cal political affairs. His fellcjw townsmen, 
 appreciating his worth and ability, have fre- 
 quently called him to public office, and his 
 duties have ever been discharged with the 
 tulelity of a loyal citizen, devoted to his 
 country's interest. He was County Super- 
 intendent of Schools in Sibley countv, has 
 
 been Town Clerk of Waverly township for 
 the long period of six years, was the candi- 
 date of Martin and W'atonwan counties in the 
 fall of 1894 for the office of State Senator, 
 and in 1888 was nominated for the office of 
 Sheriff: but the strong Republican majority 
 could not be overcome. In his social rela- 
 tions Mr. Willson is a Mason, holding his 
 membership in the blue lodge and chapter 
 of Fairmont, and has been Senior Warden 
 in the former and Treasurer in the latter. 
 In the various walks of life he has ever been 
 found upright and honorable, true to every 
 trust reposed in him, and his public and pri- 
 vate life are alike above reproach. Such in 
 brief is the record of one of Martin county's 
 leadinif farmers. 
 
 at 
 
 ILLIAM OELKE, a prosperous 
 farmer and stock-raiser, of Blue 
 Earth City township, Faribault 
 county, Minnesota, dates his birth 
 in Germany, August 27, 1848, his parents 
 being William and Earnestana (Maenke) 
 Oelke. 
 
 In 1S65 the Oelke family, consisting of 
 father, mother and seven children, emi- 
 grated to America, being seven weeks and 
 three da\s on the ocean ami landing in 
 safety at New York. From that city they 
 came direct to Faribault county, Minnesota, 
 where the father entered 160 acres of Gov- 
 ernment land in section 6, Rome township, 
 after\\ard purchasing forty acres and thus 
 having a fine farm of 200 acres, which, with 
 the help of his sons, he improved, and 
 where he resided the rest of his life. He 
 died in 1886, at the age of sixty-five years. 
 His widow now resides on the old home 
 place. Of their seven children, we make 
 record as follows: William Rudolph, of 
 
FARIBAUIT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 233 
 
 Olmsted county, Minnesota; Leapold, of 
 Rome township, this county; OtteHa, wife 
 of JuHus Block, of Blue Earth City; Matilda, 
 deceased, was the wife of Gustave Rechow, 
 of this county; Emma, wife of William D. 
 Fenske, this county; Emiel, deceased; and 
 Gustave, at the old homestead with his 
 mother. 
 
 William Oelke spent his youthful days 
 in farm work and in attending school. He 
 came to this county with his parents and for 
 two years after their arrival here assisted 
 his father in improving the frontier farm on 
 which they settled. Then he worked out 
 and ran a threshing machine for some years. 
 In 1876 he purchased 160 acres of his pres- 
 ent farm, to which he has added by subse- 
 quent purchase until now he has 293 acres 
 of Faribault county's best soil, well culti- 
 vated and nicely improved. He has four 
 acres planted in trees which serve both as a 
 protection from the severe winds in winter 
 and for shade in the hot summer days. His 
 barn, built in 1886, is 36.\92 feet, and his 
 granary is 1 8 x 30 feet. A windmill fur- 
 nishes power by which feed is ground for 
 his stock. 
 
 Mr. Oelke was married June 5, 1876, to 
 Miss Mary Fenske, a native of Green Lake 
 county, Wisconsin, and a daughter of John 
 C. and Louisia (Kreiger) Fenske. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Oelke are the the parents of seven 
 children, — Walter H., Fred W., Carrie L., 
 Jolm R., Albert E., Lillie E. and Edward L. 
 
 In politics Mr. Oelke is a Republican 
 and has served the public as Supervisor for 
 six years. He is truly a self-made man. 
 By his own industry and good management 
 he has accumulated a fine property' which 
 he uses to the best advantage by surround- 
 ing his family with the comforts as well as 
 the necessaries of life. 
 
 ^"^ FORGE AZRO MOORE, a farmer 
 ■ ^\ of section 22, Eraser township, 
 ^^3 Martin county, is a son of German 
 R. and Elmina (Orcutt) Moore, 
 natives of Vermont, the former born on 
 Lake Champlain. They were married 
 January 10, 1838, near the Canada line, 
 and afterward located in Allegany county. 
 New York. In 1870 they located on the 
 farm now owned by our subject in Martin 
 county, Minnesota, then wild land, but the 
 entire place is now under a fine state of cul- 
 tivation. Mr. Moore departed this life 
 March 26, 1888, at the age of seventy-two 
 years, and the mother survived until April 
 13, 1892, dying at the age of seventy-eight 
 years. They were the parents of nine chil- 
 dren, five now living, — Ulysses, Marilla, 
 Ellen, John and George A. One son, 
 Samuel, was a soldier in the Civil war, and 
 is now deceased. 
 
 George A. Moore, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in Allegany county, New 
 York, July 4, 1857, and was fourteen years 
 of age when he came to Minnesota. He 
 assisted his father on the farm until twenty- 
 one years of age. In 1882 he removed to 
 Miles City, Montana, in 1887 went to 
 Oregon, next roamed over the west for a 
 time, then came to Martin county, Minne- 
 sota. Mr. Moore now owns 1 20 acres of 
 fine farming land. He is independent in 
 his political relations, and has held the 
 positions of Township Assessor and Treas- 
 urer of school district No. 98. 
 
 In 1 890 Mr. Moore was united in mar- 
 riage with Phoebe Adell Leigh, born in New 
 York in i860, a daughter of Reuben Leigh, 
 an early pioneer of Minnesota. He first 
 located on section 26, Eraser township, but 
 afterward removed to Kansas, where he 
 subsequently died. Mr. and Mrs. Moore 
 
23 + 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE C0UN77ES OF 
 
 have three children, — Gu}', Marilla and 
 Stanley. Mrs. Moore is a member of the 
 Baptist Church. 
 
 aHRISTIAN PIRSIG, who carries 
 on general farming on section 34, 
 Blue Earth City township, Fari- 
 bault county, is one of the worthy 
 citizens that the Fatherland has furnished 
 to the Gopher State. He was born in the 
 Province of Posen, on the 30th of Septem- 
 ber, 1847, and is a son of Christian and Ma- 
 ria (Longer) Pirsig, who also were natives 
 of the same land and there spent their entire 
 lives. The father died ere the birth of our 
 subject and the children of that union were 
 two in number. The mother afterward 
 married again and her family, by this union, 
 was increased by the birth of four children. 
 Within the borders of his native prov- 
 ince Christian Pirsig spent the days of his 
 boyhood and youth, and in the common 
 schools of the neighborhood he obtained his 
 education. He continued in Germany until 
 after he had attained his majority, in fact 
 was twenty-seven years of age ere he left 
 the Fatherland to seek home and fortune 
 beyond the briny deep. He sailed in 1875, 
 and on reaching American shores at once 
 continued his journey across the country to 
 Minnesota, where he has since made his 
 home. For two years he lived in Blue 
 Earth City, working at any honest employ- 
 ment that he could secure which would yield 
 him a living. It was in this way he really 
 secured a start in life. At length he rented 
 land and engaged in fanning in his own in- 
 terests, continuing to operate land belong- 
 ing to others luitil 1S82, when with the cap- 
 ital he had ac(iuired through his own efforts 
 iio made the purchase of 160 acres, — a part 
 
 of his present farm. This was wild land 
 which had never been placed under the 
 plow, but with characteristic energy he be- 
 gan its development and soon it was made 
 to yield to him a golden tribute in return for 
 the care and labor he bestowed upon it. He 
 not onl}' improved this, but added to it an 
 adjoining tract of forty acres and also pur- 
 chased 160 acres in Rome township, Fari- 
 bault county. His possessions therefore now 
 aggregate 360 acres, — all the result of his 
 own well-directed and able efforts. Indus- 
 try has been the chief feature in his prosper- 
 ity, but has been well supplemented by per- 
 severance and frugality. His farm has be- 
 come one of the valuable properties in the 
 county and is supplied with all modern con- 
 veniences which are found upon a model 
 farm of the nineteenth century. 
 
 In the year 1S69 was consummated the 
 marriage of Mr. Pirsig and Miss Caroline 
 Earthman, a native of the province of West 
 Preussen, Germany. They have a family 
 of nine children, as follows: Tillie, now 
 the wife of Ferdinand Erdmann, who is liv- 
 ing in Rome township; Charlie, Gustave, 
 Ernest, Albert, Otto, Lena, Ida and Bertha, 
 all of whom are still under the parental 
 roof. They have a pleasant home and Mr. 
 Pirsig is now able to surround his family 
 with many of the comforts and lu.xurics of 
 life. 
 
 In religious belief the members of this 
 famil}' are Lutherans, adhering to the faith 
 which has been that of their ancestors for 
 many generations past. Mr. Pirsig is truly 
 a self-made man and deserves all the credit 
 which that term implies. His worth is 
 widely recognized, for it is such men as he 
 to whom the county owes her progress 
 and advancement, men who arc true to the 
 liutics of citizenship while attending to their 
 

 
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FARIBAULT, MARTI X, W A TON WAX AND JACKSON. 
 
 237 
 
 own interests and thus promoting the gen- 
 eral prosperitj' and placing the county in 
 the front rank among the leading counties 
 
 of this great commonwealtli. 
 
 • HOMAS BLAIR, one of the lead- 
 ing farmers and stock-raisers of 
 Delavan township, Faribault coun- 
 ty, Minnesota, was born in Argyle- 
 shire, near Clyde, Scotland, Octobers, 1825. 
 Mr. Blair spent the first twenty-three 
 years of his life in his native land, and then, 
 in 1848, emigrated to this country, locating 
 first in the State of Maine, in the shipbuild- 
 ing town of Camden. There he served an 
 apprenticeship of three years to the trade of 
 shipcalker. Having mastered his trade, he 
 went to New York city, where he could find 
 employment at remunerative wages during 
 the entire year, and continued there for 
 about six years. In 1856 he joined a colony 
 of New York and Connecticut people seek- 
 ing homes on the wide prairies of southern 
 Minnesota, and, w hile the colony settled in 
 Blue Earth county, Mr. Blair and another 
 of the party struck off to the south into 
 Faribault county and located in Delavan 
 township, which was first named Guthrie, 
 they being the first settlers in that township. 
 Mr. Blair pre-empted a claim on section 
 nine, locating in the woods adjoining the 
 water, with the prairie lying conveniently 
 near, — an ideal place for a home. Here he 
 proceeded to build a log cabin, and as soon 
 as it was done, which was that same year, 
 he took to himself a wife and they went to 
 housekeeping in their frontier home. 
 
 Mr. Blair began life as a pioneer farmer 
 with but little knowledge of the local methods 
 necessary to success, but he had plenty of 
 pluck and energy and a determination to 
 
 12 
 
 succeed. To-day he is the owner of a fine 
 farm of 500 acres, has an elegant brick resi- 
 dence, and has other commodious and sub- 
 stantial buildings upon his land. While he 
 has been successful in his farming opera- 
 tions, he is best known as a breeder of fine 
 stock, and in this way has done much to ad- 
 vance the interests of southern Minnesota. 
 For many years he has given special atten- 
 tion to the breeding of shorthorn cattle, his 
 young stock finding a ready market through- 
 out this region of country. At this writing 
 his herd of shorthorn cattle numbers some 
 seventy head. He is also an extensive 
 breeder of Berkshire hogs. 
 
 Mr. Blair was married in 1856 to Miss 
 Agnes Kirk, a native of New York city, and 
 a daughter of Andrew and Agnes Kirk, of 
 that State, formerly of Newburg. She has 
 shared with him the hardships and priva- 
 tions of their early pioneer life, and together 
 they are enjoying the prosperity which has 
 resulted from their years of earnest and hon- 
 est toil. They have seven children living, 
 namely: John R., a farmer of this township; 
 Thomas D., a farmer of Iowa; Donald L., 
 also of Iowa; Mary, an accomplished and 
 successful teacher; Emma, wife of Frank 
 W. White, of Amboy, Minnesota; Fannie, 
 wife of Thomas J. Jones, of Mankato, Min- 
 nesota; and Lizzie, also of Mankato. 
 
 In his early life here Mr. Blair rendered 
 valued service in several official capacities. 
 In 1858 he was elected a member of the 
 Township Board of Supervisors, and was 
 retained as such for a number of years. 
 Later he was a member of the County 
 Board of Commissioners for several years. 
 The duties of those positions were then ar- 
 duous and often trying, and the offices-were 
 not remunerative. In church matters, earn- 
 est and devoted, Mr. Blair has been for 
 
i38 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OP 
 
 many years an honored Elder of the Presby- 
 terian Church at Winnebago City, and for 
 thirty years he has been an earnest worker 
 in the Sunday-school: always has at least 
 one school, and often two, over which he has 
 officiated as Superintendent. 
 
 k/^ EV. LEONARD FREDERICK 
 I <^ FREY, pastor of the German 
 1 , P Evangelical Church of Fairmont, 
 has the respect of not only the peo- 
 ple of his own church but also of all other 
 denominations. He was born Ma}- 21, 1838, 
 in Boertlingen, Wurtemburg, Germany, 
 where his father Johann Frey, owned an es- 
 tate and for the greater part of his life held 
 the offices of Assessor and Burgomeister. 
 He studied theology in the land of his birth 
 and in September, 1868, he bade adieu to 
 home and friends, sailing for the New 
 World, where he believed was a fruitful 
 field for Christian labor. He came at once 
 to Minnesota, his destination being St. Paul, 
 and his first pastorate was in Minneapolis. 
 Mr. Frey was married the following 
 year to Miss Rosa Kreeb, to whom he had 
 pledged his troth ere leaving the Fatherland, 
 and their union has been blessed with a fam- 
 ily of eight children, three sons and five 
 daughters; but one son, born in Stillwater, 
 died in infancy. 
 
 From Minneapolis Mr. Frey was called to 
 the church in Lewiston, Minnesota, where 
 he remained about two and a half years, 
 when he became the Lutheran pastor at 
 Shakopee, at the same time preaching each 
 alternate Sunday in Stillwater, where his 
 labors were continued for a period of six 
 years. For a few jears subsequent he trav- 
 eled over this State and the Dakotas in the 
 interest of the Minnesota Synod, which had 
 
 just completed the building of its college at 
 New Ulm, Minnesota, and in 1891 he ac- 
 cepted the call extended to him from the 
 church in Fairmont, where he has since re- 
 sided, engaged in his holy calling. In his 
 various charges he has labored with good 
 success and is an untiring worker in the 
 Master's vineyard. The congregation at 
 this place has been increased by thirty fam- 
 ilies since his arrival here, and he has the 
 confidence and love of his parishoners, — a 
 fact which is indicated by his continuance 
 as pastor of the Fairmont church. His life 
 has been one of great usefulness, and during 
 his entire residence in America his field of 
 labor has been Minnesota. 
 
 EENRY AUGUST MILLER, a hard- 
 ware merchant of Welcome, Min- 
 nesota, was born in Prussia, No- 
 vember 30, 1848. 
 Peter Miller, his father, was a farmer in 
 the old country. He emigrated to America 
 in i860, coming via Quebec, his destination 
 being Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Near that 
 city he bought a farm, and on it spent the 
 rest of his life, and died in August, 1888. 
 Of his children, we make record as follows: 
 Minnie, who married Jacob Black, lives at 
 Grafton, Wisconsin; Bertha, wife of Henry 
 Carson, died shortly after her marriage; Otto 
 is married and living on the old home farm 
 in Wisconsin; Emily, wife of Ferdinand 
 Ragenkop, resides at Chippewa Falls, Wis- 
 consin; and Reka, the youngest, who died 
 when young. 
 
 Henry A., the subject of our sketch, 
 began working for wages when he was nine- 
 teen, working in Wisconsin and Michigan. 
 In March, 1879, he came to Martin county, 
 Minnesota, and stopped for a time at Fair- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 239 
 
 mont, at first working for wages and later 
 renting a farm which he cultivated. Still 
 later he homesteaded a tract of land, the 
 southeast quarter of section 26, township 
 103, range 32; and farmed the same until 
 1888, when he let it to a tenant and moved 
 to Welcome. All the improvements upon 
 this place were put here by him. In 1890 
 he sold the property to Chris Tenfe'rt, and in 
 August of that same year he built his fine 
 store room in Welcome. As soon as his 
 building was completed he opened up a new 
 stock of hardware and established himself 
 in his present business, which, under his 
 able management, has continued to prosper. 
 
 Mr. Miller was married, February 28, 
 1 87 1, to Annie I-fulsemann, daughter of 
 Henry Frederick and Mary Lena Hulsemann, 
 and the children of this union are Otto Peter, 
 Frank, Minnie, Annie, Frances and David. 
 The oldest son is employed as clerk in a store 
 in Welcome. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Miller is a Republican; 
 religiously, a member of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 EERMANN CHRISTOPHER 
 BLANCK, Welcome, Minnesota, 
 is one of the prosperous Germans 
 engaged in farming in Fox Lake 
 township, Martin county. 
 
 Mr. Blanck was born in Hanover, Ger- 
 many, August 17, 1846, son of Christopher 
 and Katrina (Cordes) Blanck. His father 
 was born January i, 181 3, and died May 10, 
 1864; his mother, born November 17, 18 19, 
 died April 26, 1856. They lived and died 
 in Germany. The father was a wagon- 
 maker by trade. He was twice married, 
 the children by his first wife being as fol- 
 lows: Katrina Matalina Elizabeth, born 
 
 January 16, 1S44, niarrii'd Henry Juergen 
 Luehr June 3, 1870. They emigrated to 
 America, and now reside on a farm adjoining 
 that of our subject. Their children are: Em- 
 ma Katrina Martilena,born October 17, 1874; 
 Henry Christopher, November 7, 1876; John 
 George, February 15, 1880; Christopher 
 Henry Hermann, February 9, 1884; and 
 Peter William Gerherdt, September 24, 
 1890. Hermann Christopher was the sec- 
 ond born in his father's family. Peter 
 Henry, the third child, was born August 24, 
 
 1854. He emigrated to America, and is now 
 living in Fairmont. His first wife, >tcc Dora 
 Luetchen, bore him two children, Mary and 
 Minnie. By his .second wife, )icc Hannah 
 Luebbenow, he has four children, Hermann, 
 Lydia, Ida and Mary. Anna Katrina, the 
 fourth and youngest child of Christopher 
 Blanck by his first wife, was born April 19, 
 
 1855. She married Henry Bruin, and they 
 lived in Chicago up to the time of her death. 
 She left one child, a son. The second wife 
 of Christopher Blanck was Dorothea Wick- 
 ofT, and their only child, George, is now liv- 
 ing in Fairmont, Minnesota. 
 
 Hermann Christopher Blanck, with whose 
 name we began this sketch, emigrated to 
 America in April, 1867, landing at New 
 York city, and was immediately employed 
 there as gardener by George Hildebrand, re- 
 maining with him fourteen months, receiv- 
 ing $9 the first month and .$12 thereafter, 
 with accommodation. In the meantime he 
 had corresponded with an old friend, John 
 Drewes, who lived in I^'illmore county, Min- 
 nesota, and, at the end of the time above 
 stated, determined to try his fortune further 
 west. Accordingly he landed in Fillmore 
 i county, in the sunnner of 1868, where he se- 
 1 cured work and remained until the spring of 
 i the following \ear, when he came to Martin 
 
240 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 county and located his present place. He 
 at first took a pre-emption on a quarter sec- 
 tion, but fearing he might not have the nec- 
 essary cash to pay upon this, he gave over 
 the south half of it to his brother-in-law, 
 Henry J. Luehr, and retained for himself 
 the north half, on which he had placed his 
 house. This is the north half of the south- 
 west quarter of section 2, Fo.x Lake town- 
 ship. August 23, 1884, he purchased of the 
 railroad company a forty-acre tract, the 
 northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of 
 section 3, same township; and May 2, 1893, 
 he purchased another forty, the southwest 
 quarter of the southeast quarter of section 3, 
 Fo.x Lake township; and now has a fine tract 
 of land, to the cultivation and improvement 
 of which he is devoting his energies. 
 
 Mr. Blanck was married June 11, 1878, 
 to Ottilie Bursack, who was born in Crystal 
 Lake county, Wisconsin, November 14, 
 1852, daughter of William and Henrietta 
 Bursack. The children of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Blanck are George Armo Wilhelm, born 
 April 24, 1 880; Jesse Hermann Arthur, No- 
 vember 2, 1882; and Bruno Lewis Irvin, 
 March 18, 1S86. 
 
 Mr. Blanck was confirmed in the Luth- 
 eran Church, April 15, i860, by Rev. E. H. 
 Halven. He united with the Evangelical 
 Church while living in Fillmore county, 
 March 16, 1869, and still retains his mem- 
 bership in that denomination. 
 
 ^~V*n.AS D. HOBER, of section 29, 
 •^^^T Walnut Lake township (postoffice 
 J\^^3 W'ells), became a resident here in 
 Octob.er, 1864. 
 He was born at Troupsburg, Steuben 
 county, New York, June 5, 1833. His 
 father, Joseph Hoher, was born near Sche- 
 
 nectady, that State, a son of Frederick Hober, 
 who was a soldier in the war of 18 12. His 
 parents were Holland Dutch, of the Mohawk 
 Valley, who spelled their name Hauber. 
 Joseph Hober married Afartha Rogers, a 
 native of New York and a daughter of Jona- 
 than Rogers, who also was a soldier in the 
 war of 181 2, and married Miss Daring; her 
 father was a Revolutionary soldier. Mr. 
 Joseph Hober had nine children, as follows: 
 Frederick, deceased, who was Brigade Sur- 
 geon, with the rank of Major, in the Con- 
 federate army; Silas D., whose name intro- 
 duces this sketch; Salem J., for four years 
 a Union soldier, a member of the Eighty- 
 sixth New York Volunteer Infantry; Jona- 
 than M. ; Martha; Hiram A., for three j-ears 
 in the Union army, also in the Eighty-sixth 
 New York; Darius W. ; Melissa E. ; and 
 Perry Leroy, deceased. Joseph Hober 
 raised a company for Colonel Sickles' 
 brigade, and after being in the army service 
 for a time he was sent back to his home 
 district as a recruiting officer. He was a 
 successful farmer, a public-spirited man, a 
 Jackson Democrat, but one of the first 
 members of the Republican party, and (with 
 his wife) was a member of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church. He died at the age of 
 sixty years, and his widow is still living, 
 now with her daughter, Mrs. Martha Moore, 
 at Canisteo, Steuben county, New York, 
 aged eighty-two years. 
 
 Mr. Hober was brought up on a farm 
 and received his education at the common 
 schools and an academy. At the early age 
 of seventeen years he commenced teaching 
 and continued for nine terms, in the East 
 and in Minnesota. In 1 864 he left New 
 York and stopped at Baraboo, Sauk county, 
 Wisconsin, and in October of that year 
 came to Faribault county and took a home- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 241 
 
 stead, where he now lives and has 160 acres 
 of land comprised in one of the best farms 
 in the township. His dwelling is 16x27 
 feet in dimensions, two stories high, with L 
 16 X 22, and an addition 14 x 18, furnished in 
 good taste, etc. , and the beautiful lawn 
 is graced with ornamental trees, modern 
 windmill, barn and other outbuildings, etc. 
 He is a No. i farmer. 
 
 He was married in Steuben county, New 
 York, January 11, 1863, to Nancy A. Row- 
 ley, a native of Canisteo, same State, where 
 she was brought up. She was a daughter 
 of John S. Rowley, a native of Gorham, 
 New York, and a son of John S. Rowley, 
 Sr. , who was a soldier of the war of 1 8 1 2 ; 
 his widow drew a pension. Mrs. Hober's 
 mother before marriage was Nancy Van 
 Houton, who was born in Wayne county. 
 New York, a daughter of Isaac Van Houton, 
 who was born in New Jersey, of an old and 
 prominent German family of that State. 
 John S. Rowley had thirteen children, — 
 nine daughters and four sons, namely: 
 George T. , James V., Martin V., Emeline, 
 Sylvia J., Mary, Nancy A., Maria, Sarah 
 M., Ambrosia, Olive (deceased), and two 
 others. The father died in 1874, at the 
 age of fifty-nine years. He was a business 
 man, running a saw and grist mill and a 
 blacksmith shop; was one of the first to 
 join the Republican party at its formation, 
 and was a member of the Christian Church. 
 His widow is still living, now aged seventy- 
 seven years. The children were all so 
 reared that they became respected citizens. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hober have three children: 
 h'red C. , who has an excellent farm of 240 
 acres, married Hattie Odette, and has three 
 children, — Clarence Leroy, Florence Lillian, 
 and a babe; Fannie L. , wife of James A. 
 Dixon, of Dunbar township, and has three 
 
 children, — Joseph S., Esther A., and Ethel 
 May; and Leroy, at home. Besides, Mr. 
 Hober has reared a boy, by name John 
 Silas Hober, as an own son. 
 
 Mr. Hober has a line farm of 160 acres. 
 In politics he is a Republican; he has been 
 Supervisor and chairman of the Board of 
 Supervisors, and Assessor for twelve years. 
 He has been delegate to Republican Con- 
 gressional and other conventions, and is a 
 zealous worker for his party. He was in- 
 itiated into Freemasonry in 1856, and is 
 now a member of Lodge 353, at Woodhull, 
 New York. He is an influential citizen. 
 
 >Y* L- HERRING, the popular and 
 fl esteemed druggist of Easton, Minne- 
 A 1 sota, has the honor of being a native 
 of this State. He was born in 
 Houston county, in a log cabin near Cale- 
 donia, October 14, i860, and is a son of 
 William A. and Rebecca E. (Bailey) Her- 
 ring. The family is of German extraction. 
 The great-grandparents of Mr. Herring, 
 natives of Germany, came to this country 
 in an early day, settling in Pennsylvania. 
 The great-grandfather, Lewis Herring, par- 
 ticipated in the Revolutionary war, serving 
 as Captain throughout that long struggle, 
 and died either in 1837 or '8, at the age of 
 eighty-five years. His wife died a few 
 years after. The grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, Lewis Herring, was born December 
 14, 1794, in the State of Pennsylvania, 
 where he engaged in lumbering and agricul- 
 tural pursuits. He volunteered as an 
 infantry private in the war of 18 12, and 
 took part in the battle of Lake Erie. 
 Spending his declining years with his son, 
 William A., he died in Faribault county, 
 in the spring of 1857. He married Eleanor 
 
242 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Armstrong and to them were born the fol- 
 lowing children: Mary Ann, who became 
 the wife of Daniel Cook, and they came to 
 Minnesota in Territorial days, locating in 
 Walnut Lake township. Faribault county; 
 both are now deceased; Sarah, who is the 
 widow of Silas Powell and makes her home 
 in South Dakota; Sophia, who wedded 
 Henry Knox, for many years identified with 
 Houston county; Hannah, the wife of Silas 
 Parsons, a resident of Charles Mix county, 
 South Dakota; Joseph A., who makes his 
 home in Chase count)', Kansas; Louis, who 
 lived in Houston county, was a soldier of 
 the Union army and died May 9, 1865, 
 while returning to his home from the hospi- 
 tal in Nashville, Tennessee, and his remains 
 are interred at the Soldiers' Home ceme- 
 tery in New York; Samuel, who died in 
 Clarion county, Pennsylvania, August 10, 
 1829; George W., who died in the same 
 county September 20, 1833; Daniel, who 
 served in the late war, died in Houston 
 county, Minnesota, November 20, 1 865 ; 
 Nancy Eleanor, who died May 7, 1855. 
 William A., father of our subject, is the next 
 younger; Louisa died in Clarion county, 
 Pennsylvania, July 9, 1841. The mother of 
 this family was born on the Emerald Isle, 
 September 28, 1797, and died in Houston 
 county, Minnesota, August 18, 1862. 
 
 On his emigration in 1855 to the 
 Gopher State William Herring began farm- 
 ing in Houston county, and there on the 
 I ith of March, 1858, he married Miss 
 Elizabeth Bailey, daughter of Jesse and 
 Margaret (Pennebecker) Bailey. She was 
 born in Ohio, February 20, 1836. and 
 accompanied her parents to Minnesota in 
 1851, the family settling in Hiniston county, 
 where her father died; he was a \'irginian 
 by birth. His remains were interred in 
 
 Sheldon cemetery, where by his side was 
 laid his estimable wife. In 1862 William 
 A. Herring came to Lura township, Fari- 
 bault county, and located a homestead on 
 sections 24 and 25. 
 
 Subsequently he returned to Houston 
 county, where he was enrolled as a private 
 of Company K, Eleventh Minnesota Infan- 
 try, August 31, 1864. He entered the serv- 
 ice at Fort Snelling and was honorably 
 discharged at Gallatin, Tennessee, June 26, 
 1865, by order of the War Department at 
 ^^'ashington. 
 
 Upon his return to Houston county he 
 made preparations to take up his residence 
 on the claim in Faribault county, and in 
 August this was done. He hauled the lum- 
 ber a distance of forty miles in order to 
 erect a little home 14x16 feet, and secured 
 what was thought to be a very good home 
 in the primitive days of Minnesota. His 
 means were limited, and the family lived 
 economicalh' and went through the experi- 
 ences of frontier life, but at length the wild 
 claim became one of the best farms in the 
 county and well-tilled fields brought to the 
 owner a handsome income. His death oc- 
 curred June 3, 1879, and he was buried in 
 Lura township, where a monument marks 
 his last resting place. He served for many 
 years on the Town Board of Supervisors, 
 and also acted as its chairman, but never 
 sought political preferment though often 
 solicited by his friends to become a candidate 
 for various offices. He was a stanch Re- 
 publican and cast his first Presidential vote 
 for Abraham Lincoln. His wife, a noble 
 Christian lady, now shares the home of our 
 subject in Easton. His children are Sarah 
 Ellen, burn January 11, 1859, in Houston 
 countw Minnesota, eighteen months after- 
 ward; J. L. , subject of this sketch; Hannah 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 243 
 
 E., born August 12, 1862, in Houston 
 county, and Mr. Parsons; Ulysses Grant, 
 born April 22, 1866, and died July 14, 1882, 
 and is buried by his father's side in Lura 
 cemetery. 
 
 During his earl}' boyhood days J. L. Her- 
 ring became a resident of Faribault county, 
 and the history of its frontier life is there- 
 fore familiar to him. The common schools 
 of the neighborhood afforded him his only 
 educational privileges, yet through experi- 
 ence and observation he has become a well- 
 informed man and does all in his power to 
 promote the intellectual development of the 
 community. 
 
 On the 30th of March, 1886, Mr. Her- 
 ring was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
 A. Rath, daughter of Carl and Sophia 
 (Broehl) Rath, at whose home the wedding 
 was celebrated, the ceremony being per- 
 formed by Justice George Lamby, one of 
 Minnesota's pioneers. Their union has 
 been blessed with four children, a son and 
 three daughters: William E., born March 
 18, 1887; Clara May, born September 20, 
 1888, and died on the 9th of November fol- 
 lowing; Elvira Edna, born December 25, 
 1889; and Grace Levern, born January i, 
 1S92. This is an interesting family, and 
 the children and grandchildren cheer the 
 declining years of Mr. Herring's mother. 
 
 On attaining his majority, he was called 
 to public office, being elected Pathmaster. 
 He afterward served for three years as a 
 member of the Town Board of Supervisors, 
 and in 1893 he was sent as a delegate to the 
 county convention of the Republican party, 
 with which he has affiliated since casting 
 his first presidential vote for James A. Gar- 
 field. Socially he is connected with Easton 
 Lodge, No. 197, I. O. O. F. , and also the 
 society of the Modern Woodmen of Aiuerica 
 
 of the same place. A few years since he 
 left the farm and is now engaged in the drug 
 business in Easton, where he has a well ap- 
 pointed store, supplied with a good stock, 
 and from the public he receives a liberal 
 patronage. He is a public-spirited and pro- 
 gressive man, devoted to the best mterests 
 of the community in which he makes his 
 home, and is numbered among the valued 
 citizens of Faribault county. 
 
 HLFRED MUDGETT WELCOME, 
 a well-known farmer of Martin 
 county, Minnesota, is the gentle- 
 man in honor of whom the town of 
 Welcome was named. He was born at 
 Bangor, Maine, January i, 1842, son of 
 Michael and Phidelia (Spear) Welcome. 
 
 Tradition says that three brothers by the 
 name of Welcome emigrated from Scotland 
 to America and settled in New England. 
 Timothy Welcome, grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, was a jeweler and watchmaker. He was 
 born in Maine, and when well along in 
 years moved to Green Lake county, Wiscon- 
 sin, and later to Waushara county, same 
 State. In 1857 he came to Blue Earth 
 county, Minnesota, and made his home at 
 Garden City, where he died. He married 
 his wife, Mary, in Maine, and their children 
 were Michael, Isaac Gumming, Jacob W. B., 
 Solomon C, Mary and Cyrus. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of our subject, 
 Mr. Spear, died in Maine, at the age of 
 about thirty-five years. His two children 
 were Phidelia and John. 
 
 Michael Welcome was a minister in the 
 First Day Adventist Church. He was born 
 in Maine, on his father's farm, August 12, 
 1 81 7. In 1847 he emigrated westward to 
 Green Lake county, Wisconsin, and pre- 
 
244 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 empted a tract of land, and in 1851 he 
 moved to Waushara county, Wisconsin, 
 where he continued to farm, and also to ad- 
 minister in a clerical capacity to the fol- 
 lowers of his faith, wherever duty called. 
 In June, 1867, he joined a small company 
 and came west to Garden City, Blue Earth 
 county, Minnesota. He bought city property 
 and also a farm near town. In the fall of 
 1876, in response to a call, he moved to 
 Monticello, Minnesota, and took charge of a 
 congregation of First Day Adventists. In 
 March, 1892, he visited his son Frederick 
 at Santa Cruz, California. Mrs. Welcome 
 was at the time sick with erysipelas, and in 
 caring for her he contracted blood poison- 
 ing, from which he died May i, 1892. He 
 was married in 1 840, and he and his wife 
 had children as follows: Alfred Mudgett, the 
 subject of this article; William, a furniture 
 dealer at Hancock, Minnesota; Garaphelia, 
 widow of George W. Oxreider; John C, a 
 farmer of Lincoln county, Kansas; George, 
 who died in infancy; George M., a farmer 
 of this county; Laurie and Florie, twins, the 
 former the wife of E. P. Willington and the 
 latter the wife of G. Bailey; Sarah, wife of 
 Robert Kreis; Frederick, who has charge of 
 the electric-light system of Santa Cruz, Cali- 
 fornia; Mary, wife of Jefferson Clark; and 
 Nellie, wife of Walter Wilder. 
 
 A. M. Welcome remained under the 
 parental roof until the breaking out of the 
 late war. August 21, 1862, he enlisted at 
 Oasis in Company G, Thirteenth Wisconsin 
 \'olunteer Infantry, A. I^. Swain being cap- 
 tain. He saw his first service in Kentucky, 
 and from there was sent to Minnesota to 
 fight Indians. The Indian trouble having 
 been settled, he was ordered back to Louis- 
 ville, and shortly after started for Nashville, 
 but stopped at Bowling Green, and later re- 
 
 turned to Louisville, where he was dis- 
 charged September 20, 1865. In the sum- 
 mer of 1865 he was made orderly of Bar- 
 racks No. I, Louisville. At the close of 
 the war Mr. Welcome returned to his home 
 in Wisconsin, and engaged in teaming for a 
 year or so, and he also ran an express. In 
 1867 and '68 he had charge of his father's 
 farm. 
 
 In the spring of 1869 a company of four 
 set out for Garden City, Minnesota, for the 
 purpose of joining a party at that point to 
 go to California. These four Wisconsin 
 boys were A. M. Welcome, Charles J. 
 Decker, Alva Watterman and Robert Milli- 
 gan. They drove through to Garden City, 
 and upon arriving there found that the Cali- 
 fornia project had been abandoned. Mr. 
 Welcome remained in Garden City two 
 months, and then, in company with Mr. 
 Decker, visited the States of Missouri, Ken- 
 tucky and Tennessee, and returned to 
 Minnesota in the fall, and soon afterward to 
 Wisconsin. But having once seen the 
 broad and fertile prairies of Minnesota, he 
 could not rest away from this State, and 
 accordingly returned to Minnesota, accom- 
 panied by Mr. Decker, landing in Martin 
 county June 4, 1890. Mr. Welcome built a 
 sod house and settled down im the tract of 
 land which he still owns. A filing was not 
 made immediately owing to the fact that it 
 was generally believed the land would go 
 back to the Government from the railroad 
 company. This occurred in due time and 
 the filing was placed in 1871. This tract 
 of land comprises the southwest quarter of 
 section 2, township 102, range 32. To it 
 Mr. Welcome has since added an eighty- 
 acre tract on the soutli, which he secured 
 under the timber-culture act, and now has 
 in one body a fine farm t^f 240 acres. His 
 
1 1 
 
 '^^M 
 
 
 
 ^^^^^ C^igf/Jlaj/. 
 
 Ha^ 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 247 
 
 elegant residence was built in 1883. About 
 three acres of this land are covered with 
 trees, the oldest of which were planted in 
 1873. The past year he had twenty acres 
 in wheat, seventy in oats, and forty-five in 
 corn, and at present his place is stocked 
 with thirty hogs, twelve cattle and eighteen 
 horses. 
 
 Mr. \\'clcoine was married April 4, 1874, 
 to Miss Mina Baum, daughter of John and 
 Mary (Shear) Baum. Mr. and Mrs. Wel- 
 come have two children: Charlie Decker, 
 born September i, 1876, and Earl M., May 
 8, 1882. The older son is now pursuing a 
 business course in the Breck School at Wil- 
 der, Minnesota. 
 
 Politically Mr. Welcome is a stanch Re- 
 publican, and has frequently been honored 
 by his neighbors with township offices. As 
 above stated, the town of Welcome was 
 named for him. It was platted and located 
 on a section owned by his brother-in-law, 
 S. L. Campbell, a railroad attorney. 
 
 @r:ORGE MURRAY, the first set- 
 tler of Rolling Green township, 
 Martin county, Minnesota, is one 
 of the substantial farmers and 
 highly respected citizens of his community. 
 Alexander Murra}-, the father of this 
 gentleman, was born in Scotland, son of 
 John and Nancy Murray, and came with 
 them across the Atlantic in 1803, their set- 
 tlement being in Nova Scotia. There John 
 Murray and his wife passed the residue of 
 their lives and died. Alexander Murray was 
 married, in Nova Scotia, to Merron Camp- 
 bell, a native of the Highlands of Scotland, 
 and a daughter of Duncan Campbell, who 
 came to America in 1822 and made per- 
 
 manent settlement in Nova Scotia. The 
 parents of our subject both passed their 
 lives in the country of their adoption, and 
 died and are buried there, the father's death 
 occurring in 1882, and the mother's in 1889. 
 They were members of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and were among the most highly 
 respected people of their communit)-. In 
 their family were fourteen children, of whom 
 the following named are still living: John, 
 Adam, George, Robert, Janet Berry, Nancy 
 McKay, Margaret Southerland, and Ellen 
 McKenzie. Three of the sons served in the 
 late war, — Duncan, James and George. 
 
 George Murray was born in Nova Scotia, 
 January 24, 1841, and was reared to man- 
 hood there, receiving only a limited educa- 
 tion in the common schools. His father be- 
 fore him was a farmer, and all his life has 
 been spent in agricultural pursuits. In 1862, 
 at the age of twenty-one, Mr. Murray came 
 to Minnesota, and the following year settled 
 on his present farm. This part of the country 
 was then all wild land, and, as above stated, 
 he was the first settler in the' township of 
 Rolling Green. Here he has 380 acres, 300 
 of which are under cultivation, and all the 
 improvements on this farm have been placed 
 here by him. In February of the year fol- 
 lowing his location here, he enlisted as a 
 private in the Union army, and, as a mem- 
 ber of Company K, First Minnesota Heavy 
 Artillery, went to the front. He was sta- 
 tioned at Chattanooga, Tennessee, until Sep- 
 tember, 1865, when he was honorably dis- 
 charged and returned to Minnesota. 
 
 February 28, 1867, Mr. Murray was 
 married to Miss Sarah Jones, daughter of 
 Richard Jones, one of the early settlers of 
 Rolling Green township. They have four 
 children: Catharine Ann, wife of Lovell 
 Whitnev, has two children: Richard A.; 
 
248 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Lavina, a graduate of the Fairmont school; 
 and Gladys I. 
 
 Mr. Murray is a member of the Protest- 
 ant Methodist Church, in which he has 
 served as an official, and he is also identi- 
 fied with the G. A. R., Phil. Kearny Post, 
 No. 18. While his early advantages for 
 schooling were limited, he has always taken 
 an active interest in educational affairs and 
 for over twenty years has been an officer in 
 his school district. Politically he is a Pro- 
 hibitionist. He has served the public as 
 chairman of the Board of Supervisors and 
 has filled the offices of Assessor, Township 
 Treasurer, and Justice of the Peace. 
 
 I 
 
 <>^ F. LATOURELL has for at least 
 l/**^ twelve years been engaged in busi- 
 J^^^J ness in Minnesota Lake, and is one 
 of its leading merchants, now at 
 the head of a well appointed establishment, 
 in which he carries a stock of general mer- 
 chandise. He receives from the public a 
 liberal patronage, for he is honorable and 
 upright in all dealings, is courteous and 
 pleasant in manner and earnestly desires to 
 please his many patrons.. 
 
 Mr. Latourcil was born near Ottawa, On- 
 tario, Canada, on the 5th of November, 
 1845, and is a son of Francis D. and Mary 
 A. (Tusaw) Latourell, — the seventh born in 
 their family of nine children. The father 
 when but three years old lost both his par- 
 ents and was adopted by Sisters of Mercy 
 and reared in Montreal. He learned the 
 trade of mason and later in life engaged in 
 plastering, doing this work on many fine 
 buildings in Ottawa and vicinity, including a 
 church in that city, where the remains of 
 the members of his family rested tempo- 
 rarily. He also followed farming for many 
 
 years, and worked as a mechanic, being an 
 expert along that line. In 1855 he emi- 
 grated to Wisconsin, locating in Green Lake 
 county, and after three years he removed 
 to Blue Earth county, Minnesota, where he 
 secured from the Government a homestead 
 claim of 160 acres on sections 8 and 9, 
 Danville township. He died in December, 
 1882, at the advanced age of seventy-three, 
 honored and esteemed by all who knew him. 
 His wife was also a native of Ontario. Her 
 father received in recognition of some infor- 
 mation of the movements of the French, 
 during the French and Indian war, a tract 
 of land of sixteen acres, situated on a little 
 island, on which Mrs. Latourell was born. 
 When about six years of age she was left 
 an orphan. Reared on Canadian soil, she 
 there met and married in that country 
 Francis Latourell. His death occurred on 
 the old homestead at the age of sixty-seven, 
 and a nice granite shaft marks the last rest- 
 ing place of Mr. and Mrs. Latourell, two of 
 the honored pioneers of Blue Earth county. 
 This worthy couple were the parents of 
 the following children: Charles W., a na- 
 tive of Ontario and a leading citizen of the 
 communit)' in which he made his home, 
 died in the sixty-second year of his age; 
 Julia A., the wife of S. S. Spaulding, an 
 agriculturist, who for three years served the 
 Union as a member of the Thirty-second 
 Wisconsin Infantry; Alexander, in the fall 
 of 1S59, came from Green Lake county, 
 \\'isconsin, to Blue Earth county, Minne- 
 sota, and purchased on section 8, Danville 
 township, a tract of laud adjoining the old 
 homestead. He was a member of Gov- 
 ernor Austin's company of mounted rangers 
 and fought against the Sioux Indians in 
 August, 1862. He has served as Chairman 
 of the Town Board of Supervisors, has been 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 249 
 
 School Trustee for many years, and in his 
 poHtical connections is a Democrat. John 
 Wesley resides on a part of the old home 
 farm, and the place is improved with fine 
 modern buildings and conveniences. He 
 also served in Company B, mounted rangers, 
 against the Siou.x. He is well known 
 throughout the county and is highly es- 
 teemed among men. Angeline is the wife 
 of B. A. Cooper, who follows farming near 
 Fairmont, Martin count}'. He was a mem- 
 ber of Company B, mounted rangers. R. 
 O. , usually called Oscar, is extensively en- 
 gaged in farming near Salem, Oregon. He 
 served under General Sherman in the war 
 of the Rebellion, as a member of the First 
 Minnesota Infantrj-, and was mustered out 
 at Fort Snellingat the close of the struggle. 
 He has been a resident of Salem for the 
 past four years. B. F. , whose name heads 
 this record, is the ne.xt in order of birth. 
 Washington, who is successfully engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits, resides in Danville, 
 where he has extensive real-estate interests, 
 and also owns the finest home in the city. 
 Lucy A. is the wife of a Mr. Pfister, and 
 for some years has carried on a millinery 
 establishment in Salem, Oregon. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of our 
 subject, B. F. Latourell, we present to our 
 readers the record of one of the best known 
 and highly respected citizens of Faribault 
 county. He was a child of only .twelve 
 years when with his parents he removed to 
 the Badger State, and a few years later he 
 accompanied them to Blue Earth county. 
 Reared amid the wild scenes of the frontier, 
 he went through the vicissitudes of pioneer 
 life with its many hardships and trials. He 
 aided in the arduous task of developing the 
 wild land, and his boyhood was a busy one. 
 When he came to this State there was not 
 
 a school in Danville township, and his 
 school life was therefore ended by his 
 removal from Wisconsin. The first school 
 there was a log structure and was erected 
 about 1863. He has, through reading, 
 experience and observation, become a thor- 
 oughly well informed man. He has not 
 only studied the common branches, but has 
 familiarized himself to some extent with the 
 classics, and always keeps himself well 
 informed on the questions of the day, politi- 
 cal and otherwise. Though farming was 
 his pursuit from early boyhood he did not 
 desire to make it a life work. On coming 
 to Minnesota Lake he rented a building 
 from Peter Kremer, almost opposite the 
 present site of Fish Brothers' store, bought 
 out the stock of N. J. Vance and opened a 
 general merchandise store, which he has 
 since conducted most successfully. He has 
 since erected a good store building and now 
 carries a fine line of goods, while his court- 
 eous treatment and earnest endeavor to 
 please his customers has gained him a 
 large share of the public patronage. 
 
 During the late war Mr. Latourell mani- 
 fested his loyalty to the Government by 
 enlisting in Company C, Eleventh Volun- 
 teer Infantry of Minnesota, enrolling his 
 name in the old Clifton House parlor on the 
 29th of August, 1864. He served under 
 Captain Theodore E. Potter, of Garden 
 City, Minnesota, and Colonel Gilfillen. The 
 regiment was largely engaged in detached 
 duty. From Fort Snelling the command 
 was sent to St. Paul, thence by steamer to 
 La Crosse, and by rail to Chicago, whence 
 they were ordered to the front, but were re- 
 called to quell an election uprising. They 
 then went to Louisville, Nashville and Fort 
 Negley, where they were encamped twentv 
 days. The company was ordered to Rich- 
 
250 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 land on guard duty, there remaining from 
 November until the following summer, 
 when they returned to Fort Snelling and 
 were mustered out on the 26th of June, 
 1865. 
 
 On the 14th of October, 1866, Mr. La- 
 tourell was united in marriage with Miss 
 Irene Annis, daughter of Ira and Brilla 
 (Cor\") Annis, who was born in Craftsbury, 
 Orleans county, Vermont, February 28, 
 1 848. She is the fourth in a family of ten 
 children, four sons and six daughters, six of 
 whom are yet living. Richard S. of Maple- 
 ton, Minnesota, is now living retired, but 
 for eight years was engaged in mercantile 
 pursuits in Brainerd, Minnesota. Mrs. La- 
 tourell is the next younger. lone is the 
 wife of C. F. Wallace, who for about three 
 years resided near Chattanooga, Tennessee, 
 but is now located in Lura township, Fari- 
 bault county. Ira D., who owns the old 
 family homestead near Mapleton, has for 
 four years been engaged in merchandising, 
 in the line of hardware, in South Shore, 
 Coddington county. South Dakota. Flora 
 E. is the wife of Albert H. Heath, a farmer 
 of Medford, Minnesota. Sarah M. is the 
 wife of J. H. Quinn, County Attorney of 
 Faribault county, residing in Wells. The 
 father of this family was a native of Vermont 
 and emigrated to W'isconsin early in the 
 '50s with a colony from the Green Mountain 
 State. He came to Minnesota in 1856, 
 settling in Mapleton. He was for some 
 time officially connected with that locality 
 and was a prominent factor in promoting 
 the educational interests. He held member- 
 ship with the Baptist Church, was an earn- 
 est Christian gentleman and contributed lib- 
 erally of his means to church and benevo- 
 lent work. He died October 10, 1882. 
 His wife, a native of Vermont, died on the 
 
 17th of January, 1862, and thus ended a 
 consistent Christian life. They were laid to 
 rest side by side in Mapleton cemetery, where 
 a monument has been erected to their 
 memory. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Latourell have a pretty 
 and commodious home in Minnesota Lake, 
 which is the abode of hospitality. Their 
 family numbers eight children, five sons and 
 three daughters: Luella May, born April 
 17, 1868, in Danville, Blue Earth county, 
 attended the Mankato Normal School, and 
 became a teacher of recognized ability, being 
 employed for six successive terms in one 
 district. She is now the wife of Fred Gil- 
 man, a farmer of Medford township. Ira 
 E., born in Danville, January 16, 1S70, has 
 since 1893 been a member of the firm of 
 Latourell & Son, and is a deservedly popu- 
 lar young business man; Horace Greeley, 
 born in Danville, March 23, 1872, is a 
 student in the law department of the State 
 University of Minnesota, having read law 
 for three years. Richard Albert, born July 
 19, 1874, is now employed in the public 
 librar\' as an artist, and many of his works 
 adorn his parents' home. Willie Leslie, 
 born August 4, 1876, died February 6, 1877. 
 Earl, born September 2, 1878, died April 
 25, 1885. Stella B., born February 5, 
 1880, is now attending school. Myrtle E., 
 born February 14, 1885, completes the 
 family. 
 
 Mr. Latourell was appointed Postmaster, 
 serving during the Harrison administration. 
 He has also been a member of the School 
 Board and takes a deep interest in every- 
 thing tending to promote the moral, social 
 or material welfare of the community. He 
 aided in building the Methodist church of 
 Minnesota Lake, and has liberally helped to 
 maintain it. He is an honored pioneer, was 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 ^51 
 
 a valiant soldier, is a progressive and public- 
 spirited citizen and a straightforward busi- 
 ness man. His long residence in this sec- 
 tion, dating from 1858, has made him famil- 
 iar with almost the entire history of southern 
 Minnesota, and in this volume, devoted to 
 the record of the early settlers and best cit- 
 izens, he well deserves mention. 
 
 *-j-» INNAEUS HARVEY HAND, who 
 I r carries on general farmingon section 
 1 A 29, Silver Lake township, Martin 
 county, was born in New Lebanon, 
 Massachusetts, October 5, 1839, and is a 
 son of Harvey and Martha (Twentymen) 
 Hand. The paternal grandfather, Jesse 
 Hand, was born in New York and was one 
 of the heroes of the Re\-olution who val- 
 iantly fought in the struggle for independ- 
 ence. The father of our subject was born 
 in the Empire State, as was also his wife. 
 Her father was born in England and came 
 to America as an English soldier when this 
 country was endeavoring to throw off the 
 yoke of British tyranny. When the war 
 was over he located in America, and fol- 
 lowed his trade of tailoring as a means of 
 livelihood. In the old Bay State was cele- 
 brated the marriage of the parents of our 
 subject, and after two years' residence there 
 they emigrated to Walworth county, Wis- 
 consin, locating on a farm which was their 
 place of abode throughout their remaining 
 days. The father passed away at the age of 
 seventy-five and the mother's death oc- 
 curred when fifty-three years of age. To 
 them were born six children who grew to 
 years of maturity, namely: L. H. ; Lacon 
 J., who is living in Walworth county; Berna- 
 dottc, a resident of Lyons, Walworth 
 
 county; Eleanor, wife of James Cole; Elery 
 C, who makes his home in Oberlin, Kan- 
 sas; and Arthur W., who is located in 
 Lyons, Wisconsin. 
 
 L. H. Hand was only about a year old 
 when his parents removed to the Badger 
 State, and in Walworth county he was 
 reared and educated, working on the farm 
 through the summer months and attending 
 the public schools of the neighborhood in 
 the winter season. His labors were given 
 to his father until his marriage, which took 
 place in 1866, the lady of his choice being 
 Miss Sarah F. Short, a native of Milwaukee, 
 Wisconsin, born in 1847, and a daughter of 
 Richard and Amelia M. (Barnes) Short, the 
 former a native of Virginia and the latter of 
 New York. She is the second of four chil- 
 dren who grew to years of maturity. Her 
 grandfather, Lewis Barnes, was born in 
 New York, and was a minister of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. He married Louie 
 Page, who was born in New York. Her 
 great-grandmother Barnes lived to the very 
 advanced aged of 1 10 years ! 
 
 Upon his marriage Mr. Hand located in 
 Lyons, Wisconsin, upon a farm which he 
 there purchased, and which he made his 
 home until his arrival in Minnesota in 1878. 
 For two years he worked a farm on shares 
 and then removed to his present farm, — a 
 tract of sixty-four acres in Silver Lake town- 
 ship, which he has placed under a high state 
 of cultivation. He is also agent for the 
 Centennial windmill. Although his farm 
 duties engross the greater part of his time 
 and attention, he never neglects his public 
 duties, and has served in several olificial posi- 
 tions. For fourteen years he has been the 
 efficient Postmaster of Centre Chain, under 
 both Republican and Democratic adminis- 
 trations, has been a member of the Town 
 
252 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Board of Supervisors, was Justice of the 
 Peace and Township Treasurer, and is now 
 Notary Public. 
 
 The home of Mr. and Mrs. Hand has 
 been brightened and blessed with a family of 
 six children, Elery L. , a carpenter by trade; 
 Clarence E. , who is a farmer of Eagle town- 
 ship, Kossuth county, Iowa; Ernest R. ; 
 Franklin, deceased; Hattie M. , and Ellen 
 I., who are still under the parental roof and 
 aid in making the household one of the most 
 hospitable homes in this locality. The 
 members of the family rank high in social 
 circles and their friends throughout the com- 
 munity are many. 
 
 * y ^ ENRY CHRISTOPHER KRUSE, 
 
 1''^^ a highly respected citizen of Wel- 
 
 \ . r come, Minnesota, is local agent for 
 
 Hodges & Hyde, prominent grain 
 
 dealers. A sketch of his life is appropriate 
 
 in this work, and, briefly, is as follows: 
 
 Henrj' Christopher Kruse was born near 
 the city of Humboldt, Germany, August 6, 
 1847, son of John Henry and Mary (Myers) 
 Kruse. His father lived and died in Ger- 
 many, his death occurring in 1882, at the age 
 of sixty-six years. He and his wife had two 
 children, the subject of this sketch and a 
 daughter, Mary, who is the wife of Rinehart 
 Grams, a farmer of Faribault county, Min- 
 nesota. 
 
 Henry C. had the advantage of a com- 
 mon-school education only. At the break- 
 ing out of the Franco-Prussian war, not 
 wishing to participate in that struggle, Mr. 
 Kruse determined to come to America, 
 which he did, landing in New York, Octo- 
 ber 23, 1869. From there he went to New 
 Jersey and immediately secured work on a 
 
 farm. Six months later he came West as 
 far as Chicago, and shortly afterward joined 
 a party of laborers that were sent to \'icks- 
 burg, Mississippi, to work in the marshes of 
 that vicinity. He was there until the spring 
 of 1872, when he came to Freeborn county, 
 Minnesota, he having acquaintances in that 
 county who had emigrated there from Ger- 
 many. From 1872 until 1875 he was em- 
 ployed as a farm hand, and the latter year 
 he married and settled down on a rented 
 farm. Later he bought a quarter section 
 of land, which he sold to Frederick Lempke, 
 and moved to Lakefield, Jackson count}', 
 this State. There he entered the employ 
 of Bonner & Hyde, which firm has since 
 changed to Hodges & Hyde, and he has ever 
 since acted as their local agent, buying 
 grain. From Lakefield he was sent to Rap- 
 idan. Blue Earth county, and in August, 
 1 88 1, was transferred to Welcome, Martin 
 county, where he has since remained. 
 When he felt that he was permanently lo- 
 cated at Welcome he moved his family from 
 Freeborn county to this place, and in 1883 
 he built the residence he has since occupied. 
 Also, soon after his arrival here, he pur- 
 chased a 160-acre tract of land, the south- 
 west quarter of section 26, township 103, 
 range 32; and now has a tenant on his 
 farm. 
 
 Mr. Kruse was married August 10, 1875, 
 to Lauretta Adelia, daughter of George W^ 
 Sanders. She was born March 12, 1857. 
 Their children are as follows: Henry 
 Newell, born August 10, 1877; Orren 
 Adrian, October 17, 1880; Ellen Margaret, 
 February 7, 1882; Ida Joel, November 23, 
 1884; Gertrude May, March 20, 188"; and 
 George Harold, June 2, 1889. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. Kruse is identified with 
 the Masonic order at Fairmont, and A. O. U. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTJX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 2 5.-^ 
 
 W. at Welcome; politically, he is a Repub- 
 lican, and, religiously, he is a believer in the 
 doctrines of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 HNDREW EATON, Postmaster at 
 Wells, has been a resident of this 
 village ever since 1872. He is a 
 native of Windsor, Hartford county, 
 Connecticut, born September 18, 1824, a 
 son of Joshua Eaton, who was a native of 
 Union, Tolland county, same State, where 
 the father of the celebrated Philip D. 
 Armour of Chicago, was born; they were 
 friends and neighbors. Joshua's father, 
 Josiah Eaton, was a Revolutionary soldier 
 under General Putnam, and was at the 
 battles of Bunker Hill and Long Island and 
 served seven years. General Eaton, of 
 Massachusetts, was of the same family. 
 Joshua Eaton was married at Windsor, 
 Connecticut, to Miss Jane Stiles, a daugh- 
 ter of Captain Stiles, who was a soldier in 
 the Revolutionary war and wintered with 
 Washington at Valley Forge. He was a 
 prominent citizen of Windsor. Joshua was 
 in the war of 1812, engaged by the United 
 States Government in hauling supplies from 
 Hartford, Connecticut, to Portland, Maine. 
 In 1 83 1 the Eaton family moved to Stock- 
 bridge, Madison county. New York, by 
 team and wagon. In their family were four 
 sons and four daughters, named as follows: 
 Cornelia; William, a graduate of Hamilton 
 College, of Clinton, New York, became a 
 teacher, and died at Beaufort, South Caro- 
 lina; Asahel Knowlton, also a graduate of 
 Hamilton College and now a chemist in 
 Brooklyn, New York; Andrew and Ann 
 Blackman, of Iowa, twins; Caroline Frost; 
 Samuel Chapin, assayer in the United 
 States mint at New York, and during the 
 
 war a civil engineer for the United States 
 Government; and Emeline, wife of J. K. 
 Jessup, of New York city, employed in the 
 United States mint. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared at 
 Stockbridge, receiving a general education 
 in the public schools and at an academy at 
 Clinton, under Professor Strong. At the 
 age of twenty years he engaged in trade, 
 buying and shipping grain and produce at 
 Oneida, New York. In i860 he went to 
 Woodstock, Canada, where he was engaged 
 in the milling business until 1872, when he 
 came to Faribault county, locating upon a 
 farm in Kiester township. In the autumn 
 of 1873 he moved to Wells, entering the 
 grain trade, which he has now followed here 
 for nearly twenty years. For a time he was 
 also engaged in milling. He was appointed 
 Postmaster of Wells in 1889, under Presi- 
 dent Harrison's administration, and in 1891 
 the office was made a presidential office, when 
 he received his second appointment, having 
 held the office for more than five years at 
 this writing. 
 
 December 5, 1850, is the date of his mar- 
 riage, at Stockbridge, New York, to Sarah 
 F. Wood, daughter of David Wood, an 
 old merchant of that place. Mrs. Eaton 
 was educated at Cazenovia Seminary, New 
 York. Mr. and Mrs. Eaton have live chil- 
 dren, viz. : Frances, a graduate of the musi- 
 cal department of Grinnell College, Iowa, 
 and now a music teacher; Samuel E., a com- 
 mercial traveler and grain buyer, living at 
 Wells; Charles A., also in the grain busi- 
 ness, purchasing and shipping grain, in North 
 Dakota; Clark Stiles, engaged with the 
 Hager Music Company, of Wells; Rose, a 
 student at the State University at Minneap- 
 olis, a member of the graduating class of 
 1895. 
 
254 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mr. Eaton is a Republican, and has been 
 President of the Village Council; is a mem- 
 ber of the Masonic order, and a highly es- 
 teemed gentleman for his fine intellectual, 
 business and social qualities. 
 
 aH. DRAPER, a leading and wide- 
 awake young business man of 
 Wells, now carrying on a drug 
 store, was born in the township of 
 Colon, Michigan, on the 29th of April, 1865, 
 and is a son of Moses R. and Sarah (Hamp- 
 sey) Draper. They had two children, one 
 being Calista, now living with her parents in 
 Michigan. The father also was born on the 
 old homestead in the Peninsular State, 
 where our subject's birth occurred, in 1843. 
 He has made farming his life work, and now 
 carries on agricultural pursuits in Michigan 
 where, with his wife and daughter, he has a 
 pleasant home. The paternal grandfather, 
 Hiram Draper, was born in New Hampshire, 
 in 1808, emigrated to Michigan in an early 
 day, and settled in the southern peninsula, 
 where after an active life he is now spending 
 his declining years in retirement. He has 
 reached the ripe old age of eighty-seven. 
 
 In the first twenty years of his life C. 
 H. Draper was upon the home farm, aiding 
 in the labors of the fields and attending the 
 public schools of the neighborhood. On 
 leaving the high school, and thus complet- 
 ing his literary education, he entered the 
 business college in Kalamazoo, Michigan, 
 at which he was graduated, in the class 
 of 1884. He then spent one year in teach- 
 ing school and in the spring of 1885 he 
 started westward. Chance led him to Wells, 
 and after a short time he went to South Da- 
 kota, where he continued for a year, en- 
 gaged in the drug business. On the expira- 
 
 tion of that period, not being favorably im- 
 pressed with the outlook for Dakota, he re- 
 turned to Wells and purchased a half inter- 
 est in a drug and stationery store, his part- 
 ner being J. M. Nye, the present County 
 Superintendent of Schools of Faribault 
 county. The connection between the two 
 gentlemen continued for four jears, when 
 Mr. Draper bought out his partner's interest, 
 and has since been sole proprietor of the 
 leading drugstore of Wells. He has a well 
 appointed establishment, supplied with 
 everything found in his line, and is now en- 
 joying a fine trade, his patronage having 
 constantly increased from the beginning. 
 
 On the 31st of October, 1889, Mr. 
 Draper led to the marriage altar Miss Julie 
 Hall, a native of Quincy, Michigan, and one 
 of the three children of A. D. and Emogene 
 (Leland) Hall. Her father was born in the 
 Empire State, although his life was mostly 
 passed in Michigan. He subsequently re- 
 moved to Minnesota, became one of the 
 first settlers of Wells after the town was 
 platted, and built the Wells Hotel, one of 
 first buildings of the city. After spending a 
 few years here he removed to Chicago, and 
 soon afterward his wife died. He survived 
 her a few years, and then he, too, was called 
 to the home beyond. He is well remem- 
 bered by many of the pioneer settlers of 
 this locality, and his daughter, Mrs. Draper, 
 has resided in Wells longer than any other 
 lady. Two children grace the union of our 
 subject and his wife, — Dorothj' and Marjorie 
 Draper. 
 
 Socially Mr. Draper affiliates with several 
 secret societies, and in politics he is an in- 
 flexible adherent of the principles of the 
 Republican party. He does all in his power 
 to promote its growth and insure its success, 
 and is a man of firm convictions which he 
 
j^ec^^ae 'O/ (/M-. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WArONWAAr AND JACKSON. 
 
 257 
 
 upholds with all the ardor of an enthusiastic 
 and true nature. He possesses good busi- 
 ness ability and has therefore prospered in 
 his undertakings, and his sterling worth has 
 gained him the confidence and good will of 
 *inany friends. 
 
 y^^ EORGE A. WEIR is the owner of 
 ■ ^g ;i^ fine farm of lOO acres, and his 
 
 \^^^ home is within the village limits of 
 Winnebago Citj'. His residence 
 in Faribault county dates from 1S57, and 
 during the long period of thirty-eight years 
 he has witnessed the growth and develop- 
 ment of this region from a wild tract to one 
 of the prosperous localities of Minnesota. 
 In the work of advancement he has ever 
 borne his part and has long been recognized 
 as one of the valued citizens of the commun- 
 ity. The record of this sterling pioneer is 
 as follows: 
 
 A native of Tennessee, he was born in 
 Robertson county, on the 31st of January, 
 1834, and is a son of William Weir. The 
 family was founded in America by three 
 brothers who emigrated from the north of 
 Ireland (their father having been a native of 
 Scotland) at a day when an ocean voyage 
 was attended with considerable danger, and 
 located on Virginia soil, in the days when 
 the Old Dominion was still a colony under 
 the sway of Great Britian. The grand- 
 father of our subject, a native of Ireland, 
 located in Virginia and from that State 
 removed to South Carolina, and subsequent- 
 ly to Kentucky. The father of George A. 
 was born in South Carolina and was a child 
 of only seven summers when with his parents 
 he went to Georgia. He accompanied them 
 to Kentucky and after reaching the age of 
 maturity went to Tennessee, and in the last 
 
 13 
 
 named State was married to Elizabeth Lat- 
 imer, daughter of Joseph Latimer, a native 
 of Connecticut and a son of Col. Jonathan 
 Latimer, who with seven sons and two 
 daughters emigrated to Tennessee about the 
 year 1788. He was a Colonel in the Revo- 
 lutionary war and had eight sons in the serv- 
 ice at the time. Joseph's wife bore the 
 maiden name of Anne Dobbins, and her 
 birth occurred in North Carolina. Mrs. 
 Weir was born in Tennessee. Throughout 
 his entire life William Weir carried on agri- 
 cultural pursuits and at the age of 58 years, 
 after a useful career, passed to his rest. 
 He was a member of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church, and his strict integrity and ster- 
 ling worth made him one of nature's noble 
 men. His wife survived him for some time 
 and died in Faribault county, Minnesota, at 
 the age of sixty-seven. They had a famil\- 
 of nine children, si.x sons and three daugh- 
 ters, who in order of birth are as follows: 
 James C, Joseph L. , John W. , Hester A. 
 Ballandi, of Winnebago City township; 
 Susan C, wife of George Hart; George A., 
 of this sketch; David T. , Dan P. and \'an- 
 delia, who is now keeping house for our 
 subject. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write was 
 reared to manhood upon a farm, spending his 
 days in the usual manner of farmer lads, work- 
 ing in the fields through the summer, while 
 during the school year he pursued his studies. 
 He is now a man of broad general informa- 
 tion, and of knowledge acquired through ex- 
 perience, reading and observation. In his 
 earlier years he tnade a study of surveying 
 and applied himself until he became quite 
 proficient in that line of work. When a 
 young man of twenty-three years he deter- 
 mined to try his fortune in the West, for he 
 believed better opportunities were afforded 
 
i58 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 young men than in the older and more 
 thickly settled States nearer the Atlantic 
 coast. This led to his emigration to Min- 
 nesota in the year 1857, and he cast his lot 
 with the pioneers of Faribault county. He 
 secured a claim on section 23, Winnebago 
 City township, afterward his present farm, 
 and upon the farm which he developed has 
 since made his home, — one of the old-time 
 and highly respected farmers of the neigh- 
 borhood. With characteristic energy he 
 began to place the barren tract under the 
 plow and prepare for the sowing and reaping 
 of crops, and as earnest and faithful labor is 
 ever rewarded he in course of time reaped 
 his reward in the shape of bounteous harvests 
 of golden grain. Upon the place is now a 
 fine bearing orchard. There are good barns 
 and sheds, a windmill and a tasteful and 
 pleasant residence, which is now within the 
 corporation limits of the village, that has 
 extended its borders until it embraces the 
 farm upon which he settled almost forty 
 years ago. 
 
 Mr. Weir is ever busy, devoted to his 
 farming interests, yet he has found time to 
 faithfully discharge all public duties. For 
 about fourteen years he was County Sur- 
 veyor, his frequent re-election resulting from 
 efficient and faithful service. He was first 
 called to that office in i860, and his prompt- 
 ness and fidelity to duty won him high com- 
 mendation. In politics he was formerly a 
 Democrat, but now by his ballot supports 
 the Prohibition party. He was made a 
 Mason at the age of twenty-two, while still 
 in Tennessee, and is now a member of Blue 
 Earth Valley Lodge, No. 27, F. & A. M. 
 He is broad and liberal in his views, accords 
 to others the privileges of upholding their 
 own ideas, and is strong in support of his 
 own convictions. He is frank and warm- 
 
 hearted, genial and pleasant in manner and 
 honorable in business dealing, and is one of 
 the popular and honored pioneers of Fari- 
 bault county. 
 
 aHARLES PEABODY ANDROSS, 
 a retired farmer, has long been a 
 resident of Martin county, and de- 
 serves mention among her early 
 settlers. His connection with the official 
 interests of the community also entitles him 
 to recognition in this volume, and we take 
 pleasure in presenting his life sketch to our 
 readers. 
 
 A native of Massachusetts, he was born 
 near Boston, — the hub of the universe, — on 
 the 1 2th of August, 1S22. On the paternal 
 side he is Scotch descent. His grandfather 
 Andross was born in Scotland, and when a 
 young man crossed the briny deep to the 
 New World, locating in Orange county, Ver- 
 mont, where Mills D. Andross, the father of 
 our subject, was born and reared. He 
 learned the painter's trade, then went to 
 Boston, where he followed that occupation 
 for some time. His wife, whose maiden 
 name was Elizabeth Peabody, was a native 
 of the Bay State, and a distant relative of 
 Peabody of the noted bank of England. 
 The wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Andross was 
 celebrated in Massachusetts, and there they 
 made their home for an extended period, or 
 until the father's death, which occurred 
 about 1825. The mother later took her 
 family to Orange county, Vermont, where 
 she subsequently became the wife of Noah 
 Newell. The children of the first union 
 were C. P., of this sketch, and William, 
 who is living in Union county, Oregon. 
 
 Mr. Andross, whose name begins this 
 article, was only two and a half years of age 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 259 
 
 at the time of his father's death, at which 
 time he was taken by Dr. Hunking, who 
 gave him a home until he was twenty years 
 of age. The Doctor had only two children, 
 and our subject was permitted to obtain a 
 good common-school education, and received 
 fair and kindly treatment. In the year i 843 
 he emigrated westward, hoping to benefit 
 his financial condition in a country where 
 he had heard better opportunities were 
 afforded than in the older and more thickly 
 settled States of the East. He located in 
 La Porte, Indiana, where for two years he 
 was engaged in clerking in a store, when in 
 1845 he removed to Rock county, Wiscon- 
 sin, where he worked by the month on a 
 farm, also engaged in teaming. 
 
 In Rock county, on the 27th of March, 
 1847, Mr. Andross married Miss Elsie A. 
 Dykeman, a native of Schoharie county, New 
 York, born on the 8th of June, 1830, daugh- 
 ter of Cornelius and Julia (Van Wormen) 
 Dykeman. The}', too, were natives of the 
 Empire State and became early settlers of 
 the Badger State. Mrs. Andross is their 
 youngest daughter and third child, and she 
 has become the mother of eight children, — 
 G. Frank, who is represented elsewhere in 
 this work; Charles, who is supposed to be 
 dead; Julia, wife of T. J. Williams, an ex- 
 tensive farmer of Faribault county, Minne- 
 sota; Mary J., wife of Albert Wise, who car- 
 ries on agricultural pursuits in the same 
 county; John C, who is living in Center 
 Creek township, Martin county: Hattie, wife 
 of Lewis Becker, also of Center Creek town- 
 ship; Gertie, wife of William Wood, of the 
 same township; and Maud, wife of H. A. 
 Winzenburg, a prominent farmer, living on 
 section 20, Center Creek township. 
 
 Upon his marriage Mr. Andross located 
 upon a farm in Rock county, Wisconsin, and 
 
 in 1850 removed to Washington count\-. 
 Minnesota, where he made a claim of 200 
 acres, cultivating it two years. He then sold 
 out and went to Walworth county, Wiscon- 
 sin, where, by purchase, he obtained posses- 
 sion of 120 acres of land, that constituted 
 his farm until after the breaking out of the 
 Civil war, when he disposed of the property 
 in order to enter his country's service. 
 Alarmed by the attitude of the South and 
 fearful for the stability of the Union, he 
 offered his services for its preservation, and 
 in September, 1861, became a member of 
 Company D, Thirteenth Wisconsin Infantry. 
 He enlisted as a private, but was promoted 
 to the rank of Sergeant before the company 
 was organized, in which work he assisted. 
 He served for three j'ears and fifty-si.x days, 
 and then received an honorable discharge at 
 Nashville, Tennessee, in November, 1864. 
 Among the brave boys in blue he was always 
 found, faithful to the old flag and the cause 
 it represented. 
 
 Mr. Andross at once returned to the 
 North and again bought a farm in Walworth 
 county, Wisconsin, which he conducted until 
 1866, when he bought a farm in Martin 
 county, Minnesota, — a tract of 160 acres of 
 land on sections 29 and 32, Center Creek 
 township. About thirty acres had been 
 placed under the plow, and the only im- 
 provements upon the place were a small 
 house 12 X 22 feet and a straw barn. There 
 was not a tree or bush, and the farm did not 
 present the pleasant attractive appearance 
 which to-day characterizes it. The boun- 
 daries ha\e been extended until it comprises 
 200 acres, and the fine improvements which 
 have been added stand as monuments to the 
 thrift and enterprise of the owner. He is 
 now living retired and rents his land, while 
 he is enjoying a well earned rest. 
 
26o 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mr. Andross exercises his right of fran- 
 chise in support of the men and measures of 
 the Republican party, and has been hon- 
 ored with offices of trust. For seven years 
 he served as County Commissioner, elected 
 for three successive terms, was also Town 
 Treasurer and for thirteen years Town As- 
 sessor. He has long been officially con- 
 nected with the schools of the neighborhood, 
 and the cause of education finds in him a 
 stalwart advocate. Socially Mr. Andross is 
 connected with Phil Kearny Post, No. i8, 
 G. A. R. 
 
 HF. HOWARD, editor and proprie- 
 tor of the Wells Advocate, arrived 
 here in 1890. He was born in 
 Lavalle, Sauk county, Wisconsin, 
 August 4, 1 86 1, a son of Harry Howard, 
 who was born in Pennsylvania, in 1831, 
 reared and educated there, and in 1853 
 moved to Lavalle, where he followed farming. 
 In 1865 he removed to Goodhue county, 
 Minnesota; in 1872 to Marshall, this State, 
 where he died, Januarj' 28, 1890; his wife 
 also is deceased. 
 
 Mr. A. F. Howard, one of their four 
 children, was brought up to farm life, receiv- 
 ing a common-school education. At the 
 age of eighteen years he was employed in 
 the printing-office of the Messenger at Mar- 
 shall. Afterward he conducted the Canby 
 (Minnesota) News until 1890, when he came 
 to Wells and purchased the Advocate. 
 
 He was married at Canby, to Miss Lena 
 Michaelson, of that place, and his children 
 are Millie and Ethel. He is a member of 
 Lodge No. 39, A. O. U. W. Mr. Howard 
 is a aealous and efficient worker in the inter- 
 ests of Wells and vicinity, ably conducting 
 
 the Advocate. He knows that the people 
 want news, wit and instruction, and sup- 
 plies what they want. 
 
 ^V^^ ELSON GLEASON, who carries on 
 I \ general farming on section 21, 
 \ \ Nashville township, Martin county, 
 was born in Genesee county (now 
 Wyoming county) New York, September 
 30, 1 8 16, descending from good old Revolu- 
 tionary stock. His grandfather, Moses Glea- 
 son, a native of Connecticut and of Irish de- 
 scent, aided the Colonies in their struggle for 
 independence, and the maternal grandfather 
 was also a soldier in the Revolution, serving 
 for seven years under the immediate com- 
 mand of Washington. He, too, was a na- 
 tive of the Nutmeg State. The parents of 
 our subject, Thomas R. and Martha (Holli- 
 da}') Gleason, were both natives of Con- 
 necticut, and were married on the Holland 
 purchase, where they located and made their 
 home until 1836, when they removed to 
 Kendall county, Illinois, where the father 
 secured a forty-acre farm. His last days 
 were passed in Lapeer county, Michigan, 
 where he died at the advanced age of eighty 
 years. His wife departed this life in Illi- 
 nois, having reached the age of sixty years. 
 Their family numbered fourteen children, 
 thirteen of whom grew up to manhood or 
 womanhood, while four are supposed to be 
 yet living. 
 
 Our subject is the third child and son. 
 He remained under the parental roof until 
 fourteen years of age, when he started out in 
 life for himself, working as a farm hand by 
 the month and paying his father for his time 
 out of his earnings. When a young man of 
 twenty years he left the Empire State and 
 made his way to Clinton county, Michigan, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 261 
 
 where he again worked as a farm hand. He 
 purchased forty acres of land in Eaton coun- 
 ty, Michigan, and retained possession of it 
 for seventeen years before locating upon it. 
 
 On the 14th of February, 1846, Mr. 
 Gleasou was united in marriage with Miss 
 Mary Teman, a native of Dutchess county. 
 New York. She was born March 20, 1821, 
 and is the youngest child of a family of three 
 sons and two daughters, whose parents were 
 William and Maria (Pitcher) Teman, the for- 
 mer a native of Germany and the latter of 
 New York. Soon after his marriage the 
 young couple located on the forty-acre farm 
 before mentioned, and for fourteen years 
 made it their home, removing thence to 
 Illinois, where they resided for three 
 years. On the expiration of that period 
 they came to Martin county, and Mr. Glea- 
 son secured the farm upon which they now 
 live. It was all raw prairie, but he at once 
 began to improve it and made a good home 
 for his family. The pioneer dwelling was 
 blessed with the presence of seven children, 
 three sons and four daughters, namely: Lo- 
 raine, now deceased; Addie, now the wife 
 of John Brady, of Martin county; William, 
 who died at the age of two years; Betsy A., 
 wife of Lester Dann, of Martin county; 
 Thomas R. ; Wilber N. ; Dora, wife of Sam- 
 uel Boler, of Martin county. 
 
 Mr. Gleason is one of the oldest settlers 
 of Martin county and one of the first to 
 make a permanent home in Nashville town- 
 ship. In those days the family, numbering 
 nine members, including Mrs. Gleason's 
 mother, lived in a little sod and board 
 shanty. He now has a well developed farm 
 of eighty acres, and though he passed 
 through all the hardships and difficulties of 
 pioneer life, he overcame the obstacles in his 
 path and worked his way upward to a posi- 
 
 tion among the substantial citizens of the 
 community. In his political views he is a 
 Prohibitionist and an earnest worker for the 
 temperance cause. 
 
 *» ^ ANS GILBERTSON, a lumber 
 1''"^ dealer of Wells, was born in east- 
 \_^r ern Norway on the i 5th of Janu- 
 ary, 1 846, and is one of a family 
 of twelve children, nine of whom are yet 
 living, the others being Ole, who makes his 
 home in Alexandria, Minnesota; Marie, wife 
 of Albert Johnson, of Madison, Wisconsin; 
 Andrew, who is living in Wells; Bertha, wife 
 of George Jurgenson, who is located in Free- 
 born county, Minnesota; Iver, a resident of 
 Fillmore county, Minnesota; and Martin, 
 Laura and Gilbrand, who are living in Nor- 
 way. The parents are still in their native 
 land, and both have reached the age of 
 seventy-eight years. The family is probably 
 noted for longevity, for the grandfather died 
 when past the very advanced age of ninety 
 years. 
 
 When quite young Mr. Gilbertson, of 
 this sketch, began working at the carpenter's 
 trade, and followed it in the land of his birth 
 until twenty years of age, when in 1866 he 
 bade adieu to home and friends and sailed 
 for the ' ' land of the free. " He did not tarry 
 long on the eastern coast, but made his way 
 across the country to Dane county, Wiscon- 
 sin, where, however, he remained but a 
 short time. He then came to Minnesota, 
 locating in Fillmore county, where he con- 
 tinued for a year, at which time he removed 
 to Austin, which was his place of abode for 
 a year and a half. In September, 1869, he 
 became a resident of Wells and has since 
 been identified with its interests. Here he 
 resumed work at his trade which he followed 
 
262 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 successfully for seven years and on all sides 
 s^and evidences of his handiwork. He was 
 the architect and builder of a number of the 
 best residences in this place, also erected 
 the Methodist church and the second school 
 building which was built here. He has seen 
 the growth of Wells from a hamlet contain- 
 ing onh' three shanties, and has been an 
 important factor in its progress, both in the 
 line of his trade and otherwise. In the year 
 1876 he became identiiied with the lumber 
 industry as agent for C. D. Colman and is 
 now successfully devoting his time and at- 
 tention to work along that line. He has 
 managed his affairs in a capable manner and 
 is now one of the substantial business men 
 of Wells. 
 
 On the 15th of June, 1872, Mr. Gilbert- 
 son was united in marriage with Miss P. 
 Ensrud, a natixe of Norway, who came to 
 this country in 1 866 with her father's fam- 
 ily. Ole Ensrud died in Wells in 1893, at 
 the age of seventy-seven years; and his wife, 
 the mother of Mrs. Gilbertson, is now living 
 in Freeborn county, this State. She is the 
 mother of eight children, six of whom are 
 yet living. Both Mr. and Mr. Gilbertson 
 are widely known in this community and 
 have many warm friends who hold them in 
 high esteem for their many excellencies of 
 character, while their true worth and intelli- 
 gence have served them as passports m 
 introducing them into the best society. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Gilbertson is a 
 stalwart Republican, earnestly advocating 
 the principles of his party and in local affairs 
 he is a leader. He has frequently been 
 called to office, having served as a member 
 of the City Council, while for many years 
 he has been promincntlj- connected with the 
 educational interests. He has long served 
 on the School Board, and at this writing is 
 
 its president and largely through his instru- 
 mentality the schools of Wells have been 
 raised to their present high standard. What- 
 ever tends to advance the public welfare or 
 to aid in the work of progress and upbuilding 
 receives his hearty support and co-opera- 
 tion, and Faribault county numbers him 
 among its valued citizens. From boyhood 
 he has been a consistent member of the 
 Lutheran Church, to the support of which 
 he contributes liberally, and it was largely 
 through his instrumentality that the present 
 house of worship in Wells was erected. Mr. 
 Gilbertson came to this country with the 
 hope of bettering his financial condition, and 
 in this hope has not been disappointed, for 
 prosperity has attended his well directed 
 efforts, and, although not a wealthy man, 
 he is the possessor of a comfortable compe- 
 tence. Highl}' esteemed by all who know 
 him, he is a credit both to the land of his 
 birth and the land of his adoption. 
 
 >^OHN MURRAY HINTON. a retired 
 m farmer who has long resided in Mar- 
 A 1 tin county and now makes his home 
 on section 10, Nashville township, is 
 deserving of mention in this volume, and we 
 feel assured that the record of his life will 
 be received with interest by our readers, for 
 he has many friends throughout the com- 
 munity. 
 
 A native of the Keystone State, Mr. 
 Hinton was born in Erie county, on the ist 
 of July, 1836, and is a son of William Hin- 
 ton, a native of South Wales, who came to 
 America in 1801, when about fourteen years 
 of age, with his brothers, Thomas and Grif- 
 fin. They located in Erie county, where 
 he learned the shoemaker's trade, which he 
 followed for some years. He and his brothers 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 263 
 
 all served their adopted country in the war 
 of 1 8 12. He wedded Mary D. Jones, who 
 was born in North Wales in 1808, and when 
 about twenty years of age came to America 
 with her sister Jane Jones, locating first in 
 New York city and removing thence to 
 Erie county, Pennsylvania. They were 
 married in 1832, and in 1844 emigrated to 
 Wisconsin, locating in Waukesha county, 
 which was their place of abode until 1854, 
 at which time they removed to Waushara 
 county. In 1864 they became residents of 
 Brown county, Minnesota, where the father 
 died at the age of seventy-seven years, 
 while the mother passed away when seventy- 
 three years of age. Of their family, number- 
 ing four sons and four daughters, all grew 
 to manhood or womanhood, and were mar- 
 ried, namely: Robert B., of Renville county, 
 Minnesota; John M. ; Ann, who died in 
 1858; Jane, wife of Levi Burch of Nash- 
 ville township; Ellen, wife of Silas Black- 
 man, who is located in Cottonwood county, 
 Minnesota; Henry C, of Nashville town- 
 ship, Martin county; William B., who is 
 living in the same township; and Mary, wife 
 of Philip Jackson, who makes his home in 
 Oregon. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of J. 
 M. Hinton we present to our readers the 
 life record of one who is both widely and 
 favorably known in this community and 
 whose example is well worthy of emulation, 
 a fact which justifies the compilation of such 
 a volume. He was about eight years of 
 age when, with his parents, he went to 
 Wisconsin, and from the age of nine years 
 he has practically made his way in the 
 world unaided. He was cast upon his own 
 resources and therefore deserves great credit 
 for the success which he has achieved. He 
 began working as a farm hand by the 
 
 month, and in consequence his educational 
 privileges were very meager, he attending 
 school for only about si.\ months. At the 
 age of fourteen he began working on the 
 lakes under Captain Truesdell, and was 
 with him on Lake Michigan and on the 
 Lower Fox river for about seven years. He 
 was first employed as fireman, and when he 
 quit the lakes held the rank of second mate. 
 His wages were given to his parents to aid 
 in their support until he had attained his 
 majority. His early career was one of hard 
 labor, in which there were very few idle 
 moments. Even after his marriage he 
 worked for $5 a month and chopped stove 
 wood for $.20 per cord and hauled it three 
 miles. 
 
 On the 2 1 St of August, 1862, Mr. Hin- 
 ton donned the blue and went to the front 
 to aid in the preservation of the Union. He 
 was assigned to Company G, Thirtieth Wis- 
 consin Infantry, in which he served until 
 the 1 8th of January, 1865, when he received 
 an honorable discharge at Fort Snelling, 
 Minnesota, on account of physical disability, 
 and was confined in the hospital for some 
 time. He was engaged in Indian warfare 
 most of the time, and on provost duty and 
 in building forts, and though he took part in 
 none of the noted battles of the war his serv- 
 ice was none the less arduous, — in fact 
 was the more difficult, for the Confederate 
 soldiers practiced the tactics of war known 
 to civilized nations, while the red men em- 
 ployed their own strategic and wily methods. 
 
 Mr. Hinton at once returned to his home 
 in Martin county and has since resided upon 
 the farm which is yet his home. He was mar- 
 ried on the 8th of April, 1858, to Miss Sarah 
 J. Bacon, who was born in Morris township, 
 Livingston county. New York, March 9, 
 1842. Her father, George W- Bacon, was 
 
264 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 born in Vermont and for many years resided 
 in New York, where he was married. He 
 was a carpenter by trade, and in 1851 emi- 
 grated to Green Lake county, \\'isconsin, ! 
 and in 1856 removed to Marquette county, 
 that State. In 1 863 he came to Martin 
 county, Minnesota, and located upon the 
 farm which is now the home of our sub- 
 ject, and on which he spent his last days, | 
 his death occurring when he had reached 
 the ripe old age of eighty-three years. His 
 wife, who bore the maiden name of Jemima 
 Sparks, was born and reared in the Empire 
 State, and died at the home of her daughter 
 at the age of eighty-two. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Bacon had a family of eight children, two 
 sons and six daughters, all of whom reached j 
 mature years except one daughter, Fidelia, 
 who died at the age of five years. Mrs. 
 Hinton is the sixth child of the family, and 
 was a little maiden of seven summers when 
 the family went to Wisconsin, where she 
 was reared and married. From the time | 
 she was married she had to work for her ] 
 own living. Her father was one of the 
 first settlers of Martin county, and both he 
 and his wife were prominent members of the 
 Freewill Baptist Church, as were also the 
 parents of Mr. Hinton. 
 
 To our subject and his wife have been 
 born three children, — two sons and a daugh- 
 ter, viz.: George H., who married Susie 
 Bottomly and follows farming in Nashville 
 township, Martin county; \\'illiam A., who 
 married Miss Minnie Hall and in connection 
 with L. A. Smith is proprietor of a general 
 store and also extensively engaged in farm- 
 ing: is now serving as the efficient Post- 
 master of Nashville Center, and also Town 
 Clerk and Notary Public; Eva is the wife of 
 J. H. Schofield, a leading and influential 
 agriculturist of Martin count\-. 
 
 In his business dealings Mr. Hinton has 
 won a well deserved success. He is saga- 
 cious and farsighted, and by systematic bus- 
 iness methods and well directed efforts he 
 has become one of the substantial citizens 
 of this community and the owner of 240 
 acres of rich land, all of which is under a 
 high state of cultivation and well improved. 
 Laying aside business cares and living a re- 
 tired life, he now rents his farm. His duties 
 of citizenship have never been slighted, and 
 he is actively interested in everything pertain- 
 ing to the welfare of the community and its 
 upbuilding. Inhis political views he is a stanch 
 Republican, a firm believer in the principles of 
 his party, but has never sought office and 
 has never served except as Justice of the 
 Peace, a position \N'hich was forced upon 
 him. In the various walks of life his career 
 would bear the closest investigation and 
 scrutin}', and under the search-light of truth 
 no flaws could be detected. Throughout 
 his entire life he has been a very strict tem- 
 perance man, never tasting anj' intoxicants, 
 and thus by example as well as precept he 
 teaches a temperance lesson. He is an 
 active worker in the Freewill Baptist Church, 
 is chairman of the Church Board, and con- 
 tributes liberally to the support of the 
 gospel. The poor and needy find in him a 
 friend and the distressed receive his hearty 
 sympathy. Thus he makes Christianity a 
 part of his life and not a garment to be 
 donned on the day set apart for worship. 
 
 >nr*AMES HENRY HAND, a farmer of 
 ^ section 26, East Chain township, was 
 /• J born in Clinton county. New York, 
 l'"ebruary 15, I 850, a son of Stephen 
 Hand, a native also of that State, and a 
 farmer by occupation. His father, Stephen 
 
Qe^nah/ j^(?M)/////^. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 267 
 
 Hand, was born in New York, of Dutch de- 
 scent. The mother of our subject, ncc 
 Amanda Ackerson, was a native of Vermont, 
 but was reared in Chnton county. New 
 York. Mr. and Mrs. Hand were the parents 
 of three sons and three daughters, all of 
 whom grew to years of maturity, the youngest 
 son having died at the age of fifteen years. 
 
 James H. Hand, the eldest child in order 
 of birth, remained in his native place until 
 twenty years of age. In 1870 he came to 
 Martin county, Minnesota, where he worked 
 by the month at farm labor, and imma- 
 diatel)' after his marriage he located on the 
 farm he now owns, consisting of 280 acres. 
 In political matters Mr. Hand is a stanch 
 Republican. He is serving his fourth term 
 as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of 
 East Chain township, has been Assessor of 
 his township, and has been a number of 
 years a member of the School Board. 
 
 In May, 1875, Mr. Hand was united in 
 marriage with Emily Cordill, born in Miami 
 county, Indiana, February 2, 1857, a daugh- 
 ter of J. W. and Harriett (Whitman) Cor- 
 dill, natives respectively of Indiana and 
 Ohio. Mrs. Hand, the eldest of their ten 
 children, was reared in Indiana until eight 
 years of age, then removed with her par- 
 ents to Fillmore county, Minnesota, one 
 year afterward to Faribault county, and then 
 came to Martin county. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hand have three children, — Hattie, Perry 
 and Eva. 
 
 *-|-» EONARD GOLDSMITH, a farmer 
 I I of section 18, Rolling Green town- 
 ^l^j ship, was born in Chemung county. 
 New York, July 9, 1835, a son of 
 Brewster and Sarah (Shoemaker) Goldsmith, 
 the former a native of New York, of English 
 
 descent, and the latter of Scotch-Irish de- 
 scent. They spent their entire lives in New 
 York. Leonard, one of nine children, eight 
 now living, remained in his native place 
 until twenty-one years of age. He then 
 went to Indiana, in the following spring re- 
 moved to Iowa, returned to Indiana, and in 
 1858 located on wild land in Faribault 
 county, Minnesota. 
 
 November i, 1861, Mr. Goldsmith en- 
 listed for service in the late war, entering 
 the second company which left Minnesota. 
 They were sent to St. Louis and attached 
 to Curtis' regiment of cavalry, of which our 
 subject was appointed saddler, and they re- 
 mained at Fort Henry after its surrender. 
 Eleven months afterward the company was 
 merged into the Fifth Iowa Cavalry, Com- 
 pany I, took part in the battles of Guy's 
 Gap and Sugar Creek, operated at Forts 
 Hymen and Donelson until May or June, 
 then went to Murfreesboro, under General 
 Crook, and in November, 1864, re-en- 
 listed for service. After a thirty-days' fur- 
 lough he was transferred to Brackett's bat- 
 talion, and served two years and five months 
 on the plains against the Indians, participat- 
 ing in two battles. While in West Ten- 
 nessee Mr. Goldsmith was severely wounded 
 by falling from his horse. He was honor- 
 ably discharged June i, 1S66, having served 
 four years, seven months and one day. 
 
 From the fall of 1S66 until the spring of 
 1869, he was employed in the woods of 
 Wisconsin, and in 1870 located on his farm 
 of 180 acres. Mr. Goldsmith acts with the 
 Republican party, and has held the position 
 of Supervisor of this township. Socially, 
 he is a member of Phil Kearny Post, No. 
 18, G. A. R. , of Fairmont. 
 
 December 24, 1873, our subject was 
 united in marriage with Miss Emma J. Good- 
 
268 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 fellow, born in Onondaga connty, New 
 York, June 15, 1852, a daughter of Ezra 
 and Elizabeth (Launders) Goodfellovv, na- 
 tives of Syracuse, that State. From 1853 
 to 1 862 they resided in Fond du Lac county, 
 Wisconsin, from that time until 18S0 were 
 residents of Martin county, Minnesota, and 
 since that time have resided in Holt county, 
 Nebraska. They have had seven children, 
 three now living. One son, Levi C, died 
 from starvation at Andersonville prison. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Goldsmith also have seven 
 children, namely: Ezra Curtis, Sarah E. 
 (wife of Joseph Ralph), Nora Inez, Millie 
 May, Leonard Guy and Lyman Roy (twins) 
 and Cora Dell. 
 
 @EORGE WASHINGTON GARRI- 
 SON, a farmer of section 3, Pleas- 
 ant Prairie township, was born in 
 Tioga county. New York, January 
 7, 1 83 1, a son of D. C. and Cynthia (Wood) 
 Garrison, natives also of that State. They 
 were married in their native State, and were 
 the parents of eight children, five daughters 
 and three sons. 
 
 G. ^^^ Garrison, the si.xth child of the 
 above family, moved with his parents to 
 Tompkins county. New York, where he was 
 early inured to farm labor, .\fter reaching 
 his n:ajority, about 1857, he located in 
 Marquette county, Wisconsin, where he 
 operated a threshing-machine until i860, 
 then spent a short time in Faribault county, 
 Minnesota, and then returned to Buffalo, 
 New York. In 1863 Mr. Garrison came 
 again to this State, and in the following 
 year purchased a claim in Pleasant Prairie 
 township, where he still resides. May 21, 
 1 893, his house and barns were destroyed 
 hy a cyclone, the former having been only 
 
 just completed. His farm contains 320 
 acres, and he is engaged in general farming 
 and stock-raising. Mr. Garrison is a car- 
 penter by trade, and has erected many of 
 the buildings in Martin county. 
 
 In 1 864 our subject enlisted for service in 
 the late war, entering Company G, Sixt}'- 
 fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and 
 served until the close of the struggle. He 
 affiliates with the Republican party, and has 
 served as a member of the Board of Super- 
 visors. 
 
 Mr. Garrison was married in Buffalo, 
 New York, in 1862, to Ellen Russell, who 
 was born in Washington county. To this 
 union has been born five sons and two 
 daughters, namely: Clinton, Clarence, 
 George, Fredrick, Nellie (wife of Ed 
 Schleninger, of Pleasant Prairie township), 
 Franklin and Emma. 
 
 HLBERT NUTT, a prominent farm- 
 er of section 26, East Chain town- 
 ship, was born in Clinton county, 
 New York, September 9, 1856, the 
 youngest of four children of George and 
 Electa (Ackerson) Nutt, natives also of that 
 State. Albert came with his parents to 
 Martin county, Minnesota, at the age of 
 nine years, and at the age of eighteen years 
 began work for himself. The following year 
 he began farming on rented land in Pleasant 
 Prairie township, Martin county. After his 
 marriage he settled on the place he now 
 owns, then wild land. Mr. Nutt's farm of 
 194 acres is now under a fine state of culti- 
 vation, has also erected a good residence 
 and barns, and is engaged in general farm- 
 ing and stock-raising. 
 
 In 1873 he was united in marriage with 
 Rose Clemmings, born and reared in Illinois, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 269 
 
 and a daughter of Matthew and Lanay 
 Clemmings. Mr. Nutt is a RepubHcan in 
 political matters. 
 
 at 
 
 'ILLIAM FRANKLIN ED- 
 WARDS, a prominent old set- 
 tler and farmer of Fairmont town- 
 ship, Martin county, residing on 
 section 20, was born in Jefferson county, 
 New York, December 14, 1834. The fam- 
 ily is of Welsh origin and was founded in 
 .\merica by the grandfather of our subject. 
 Pierpont Edwards, the father, was born in 
 Jefferson county and became a carpenter 
 and joiner, following that trade for a num- 
 ber of j'ears. He married Miranda Wheeler, 
 a native of Vermont, whose father was born 
 in Scotland. The parents of our subject 
 celebrated their marriage in the county of 
 his nativity, and located there. In 1839 
 they removed to Painesville, Lake county, 
 Ohio, where they made their home for seven 
 years. Removing thence to DeKalb county, 
 Illinois, they located at Paw Paw, where 
 their remaining days were passed, each be- 
 ing called to the home beyond when seven- 
 ty-four jears of age. They were the parents 
 of three sons, all of whom are yet living: 
 Orrin, who is living in La Salle county, Illi- 
 nois; Edward, who makes his home in Par- 
 sons, Kansas; and W. F., who completes 
 the family. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record was a child of only five summers 
 when with his parents he left the Empire 
 State and went to Ohio. At the age of 
 twelve years he became a resident of Illi- 
 nois, and in Paw Paw he attended school, — 
 his privileges, however, being sorrewhat 
 limited. He remained under the parental 
 roof, and to his father gave the benefit of 
 
 his services until he had attained his major- 
 ity, when he started out for himself, fol- 
 lowing the occupation to which he had been 
 reared. 
 
 In 1857 Mr. Edwards was united in 
 marriage, in De Kalb county, Illinois, with 
 Miss Harriett Newton, who was born and 
 spent her maidenhood days in Ottawa, Illi- 
 nois. They began their domestic life upon 
 a farm in the county where the wedding 
 was celebrated, and resided there until 1872, 
 Mr. Edwards successfully cultivating his 
 land and placing it in an excellent condi- 
 tion. At length he decided to try his for- 
 tune beyond the Mississippi and in 1872 
 came to Minnesota, settling in Martin 
 county, where he has since made his home, 
 — one of the progressive and valued citi- 
 zens of the community. He purchased a 
 farm on Silver Lake, comprising 200 acres 
 of good land, which at that time was mostly 
 in its primitive condition. At the time of 
 his purchase a log cabin was the only build- 
 ing upon the farm, and the place bore little 
 resemblance to the present highly cultivated 
 farm which we see to-day with its well tilled 
 fields, substantial buildings, well-kept 
 fences, improved machinery and all the 
 other accessories and improvements found 
 upon a model farm of the nineteenth cen- 
 tur\'. There Mr. Edwards resided until 
 1886, when he sold the property and re- 
 moved to Fairmont, where he has since 
 lived retired. He now owns 132 acres of 
 land, surrounding his home, but expects to 
 sell this property soon. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have been 
 born two children, a son and daughter: 
 Cora, now the wife of John K. Tanner, who 
 is living in Fairmont; Edward, who is en- 
 gaged in the drug business in Fairmont and 
 is also serving as Alderman. 
 
270 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Our subject supports the men and meas- 
 ures of the Democracy and served as Clerk 
 of Lake township for many years, discharg- 
 ing his duties in a capable manner, in no 
 wise betraying the trust reposed in him. 
 He belongs to Chain Lake Lodge, No. 64, 
 A. F. & A. M., and is held in the highest 
 regard in the order and by all who know 
 him, for he possesses many excellencies of 
 character. His life has been well and 
 worthily passed, devoted to his various du- 
 ties, and his close attention to his business 
 interests, his capable management, unflag- 
 ing diligence and his commendable persever- 
 ance have won him a well merited success, 
 which now enables him to live retired, — en- 
 joying the rest which he has truly earned 
 and richly deserves. 
 
 eLI SISSON, an early pioneer, and a 
 prominent farmer of section 28, 
 East Chain township, Martin coun- 
 ty, was born in Erie county, Penn- 
 sylvania, May 24, 1838, a son of Putman 
 Sisson, a native of New York and a farmer 
 by occupation. His father, Aaron Sisson, 
 was of English descent. The mother of our 
 subject was formerly Sally M. Mariman, 
 born and reared in New York, and of Scotch 
 descent. Putman and Sally Sisson were 
 married in New York, and located on a farm 
 in Erie county, Pennsylvania, where the 
 latter died. Mr. Sisson came to Minnesota 
 about 1867, locating on a homestead in East 
 Chain township, Martin county, where his 
 death occurred in 1879. They had eleven 
 children, ten of whom grew to years of 
 maturity. By his second marriage Mr. 
 Sisson had four children. 
 
 Eli Sisson, the subject of this sketch, re- 
 mained at home until twenty-one years of 
 
 age, when he found employment in a saw- 
 mill. He came to Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, in 1868, purchasing a partially im- 
 proved claim in section 7, East Chain town- 
 ship, all of which is now under a fine state 
 of cultivation. When he came here only 
 about nine or ten families resided in the 
 township. 
 
 In 1862 our subject enlisted for service 
 in the late war, entering Company B, 145th 
 Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and took 
 part in the battles of Gettysburg, Fredricks- 
 burg, and many other smaller engagements. 
 He was wounded in the left wrist by a minie 
 ball at the battle of Gettysburg, and, 
 after spending some time in the hospital, was 
 transferred to the Si.xth Regiment, Veteran 
 Reserves, in which he remained until the 
 close of the struggle, receiving his discharge 
 at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1865. 
 
 Mr. Sisson supports the Republican 
 party, and has served as Supervisor many 
 years and as Assessor of East Chain town- 
 ship two years. 
 
 Ky~\ ANIEL WEBSTER WILKINS, a 
 I B prominent farmer of section 6, East 
 /f^^^ Chain Lake township, was born 
 in Columbia county, Wisconsin, 
 December 12, 1855, a son of Alden Wilkins, 
 born in Vermont iu 181 5. When a young 
 man he located in White Water, Wisconsin, 
 and was there married to Mariah Harris, 
 born and reared in Fort Edward, New York. 
 About 1846 Mr. Wilkins located on a farm 
 in Columbia county, Wisconsin, but in 1853 
 sold that place and removed to Columbus, 
 that county, and subsequently returned to 
 White Water. In 186 1 he enlisted in Com- 
 pany I, Thirteenth Wisconsin Volunteer In- 
 fantry, and in 1 864, at the close of his term 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 271 
 
 of service, he re-enlisted in the same com- 
 pany, in which he served until his death, 
 March 3, 1865. He was buried at Hunts- 
 ville, Alabama. Mrs. Wilkins survived until 
 1879, dying at the age of fifty-three years. 
 They were the parents of eight children, 
 namely: Lucy, wife of Henry Flory, of 
 Michigan; Edgar, of Colby, Wisconsin; 
 Eliza, deceased, was the wife of John Root; 
 Emily, wife of Thomas Lowe, of Fairmont 
 township; Alice, wife of Milo Leffingwell, of 
 Fairmont; Daniel W. , the subject of this 
 sketch; Lewis, a painter at Chicago, Illi- 
 nois; and George, engaged in the same oc- 
 cupation in that city. 
 
 Daniel W. Wilkins remained with his 
 parents until twelve years of age, receiving 
 his education in the common schools and at 
 the Columbus high school. He then began 
 work for himself, at farm labor, and spent 
 seven years with one man. For four years 
 after his marriage he resided on a large farm 
 near Janesville, Wisconsin. In 1882 he 
 came to Martin county, Minnesota, locating 
 on his present farm of 220 acres, which now 
 contains all the modern farm improvements. 
 
 In political matters, Mr. Wilkins affil- 
 iates with the Republican party. In 1888 
 he was elected to the position of County 
 Commissioner, but would not accept the sec- 
 ond nomination. He was Chairman of the 
 town Board of Supervisors from 1882 to 
 1888, was Township Assessor three years, 
 and for many years was a rnember of the 
 School Board. 
 
 January 22, 1878, our subject was 
 united in marriage with Florence Westing- 
 house, born in Walworth count}', Wiscon- 
 sin, June II, 1857, a daughter of John and 
 Laura (Potter) Westinghouse, natives of 
 Vermont, but early pioneers of Wisconsin. 
 Mrs. Wilkins is a cousin of the gentleman 
 
 who invented and patented the Westing- 
 house air-brake. She was reared in her na- 
 tive place, receiving her education in the 
 college at Allen's Grove, and taught school 
 three terms. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins have 
 three children, — Tracy, Leola and Glad3's. 
 
 <>^EV. ALEXANDER CLENDEN- 
 I /^ ING, an early pioneer in Martin 
 \ y county, was born in Sheldon town- 
 ship, Franklin county, Vermont, 
 November 24, 1824, a son of John Clenden- 
 ing, a native of Ireland and of Scotch de- 
 scent. He came to America when a young 
 man, locating in Quebec, Canada, for a 
 short time, and afterward removed to Ver- 
 mont. He was a carpenter and farmer by 
 occupation. Mr. Clendening was married 
 in Ireland to Ann McCussick, who was born 
 and reared in that country. Her death oc- 
 curred at the age of forty-eight years. Mr. 
 Clendening lived to the age of seventy 
 years. They were the parents of si.x chil- 
 dren, the subject of this sketch' being the 
 eldest of the family. 
 
 A. Clendening was reared in his native 
 place, where he first attended the common 
 schools, and attended a course of lectures 
 on the sciences given by Prof. Mitchell, of 
 St. Louis, Missouri. After studying law 
 and medicine for a time he began work at 
 the millwright's trade in Indiana. In i860 
 Mr. Clendening went to Canada on a visit, 
 and in the spring of 1861 he located in 
 Jackson county, Minnesota. After the 
 dreadful massacre there he went to Esther- 
 ville, Emmet county, Iowa. In the spring 
 of 1864 came to Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, and in the following fall located on his 
 present farm of i 54 acres. He erected the 
 East Chain mill in 1864. In political mat- 
 
272 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ters Mr. Clendening is independent. At 
 one time he took an active part in polit- 
 ical meetings, having made many stump 
 speeches. He has served as Justice of the 
 Peace, and is now Clerk of his school dis- 
 trict, having assisted in building the school- 
 house located on his farm, and also assisted 
 in the erection of three other schools. 
 
 In November, 1862, Mr. Clendening was 
 united in marriage with Mariah A. Baker, 
 born in Steuben county. New York, July 8, 
 1825, a daughter of Daniel and Eliza (Sly- 
 ter) Baker, natives also of that State, the 
 father of English and the mother of Holland 
 Dutch descent. 
 
 Our subject served as a local minister in 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church about six 
 years. October 10, 1875, he was ordained 
 as an Elder in the Wesleyan Methodist 
 Church of Minnesota, and was actively en- 
 gaged in ministerial work until within a few 
 years past. He was one of the first min- 
 isters in the church, the oldest resident min- 
 ister in Martin county, and one of the oldest 
 Wesleyan ministers in Southern Minnesota. 
 
 K^/~\ ENJAMIN F. FORBES, whose 
 ■ (''^ post-office address is Winnebago 
 J^^_^ City, Minnesota, is one of the early 
 settlers of Faribault county. He 
 was born in Erie county, Pennsylvania, 
 June 28, 1 83 1. His father, B. F. Forbes, 
 Sr. , was a native of Middlebury, Vermont, 
 and his grandfather, Frank Forbes, was 
 born in Massachusetts. The maiden name 
 of our subject's mother was Julia Nims. 
 She was born in Chautauqua county, New 
 York, daughter of Rual Nims. Her grand- 
 father Nims was a soldier in the war of 
 1812. The Forbes family removed from 
 
 Pennsylvania to Ohio, and for some time 
 made their home in Geauga county. Later 
 they located in Racine county, Wisconsin, 
 at Burlington, and in 1857 came to Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota. Here the mother 
 died in 1863. The father survived her un- 
 til 1 88 1, when he passed away, at the age of 
 seventy-seven years. He was a tanner and 
 shoemaker by trade, and led an exemplary 
 Christian life, being a member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. They had eight 
 children,- — B. F. , C. H., Julia, Lotta, 
 Mar}-, Florence, Theodore and Emma. 
 Florence is deceased. 
 
 B. F. Forbes was reared on a farm, and 
 and has been a resident of Minnesota since 
 1857, when he came to Faribault county 
 with the rest of the family. August 17, 
 1862, he enlisted in Company D, Ninth 
 Minnesota Infantry, and went to the front, 
 being with the forces that operated in the 
 West. In May, 1865, he was honorably 
 discharged, with the rank of Corporal, and 
 came home. 
 
 Mr. Forbes settled on his present farm 
 in Verona township in 1880. Here he and 
 his son have 160 acres of fine land, well 
 improved. He has a comfortable cottage 
 home, a barn 46 x 56 feet in dimensions, an 
 orchard and a grove of native trees. From 
 the residence is obtained a fine view of the 
 college and Winnebago City. 
 
 Mr. Forbes married Miss Sophrona 
 Williams, daughter of T. J. Williams, and 
 they have four children, namely: Dudley J.; 
 Charles H., who is in partnership with his 
 father in farming operations: George A., 
 attending college; and Fred E. They lost 
 two children, Edwin and Lucy, who died at 
 the ages of fifteen and sixteen years re- 
 spectively. 
 
 Politically Mr. Forbes is a Prohibitionist, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 m 
 
 and is a man who keeps well posted on the 
 topics of the day. He has served as Town- 
 ship Clerk and Treasurer. 
 
 '^-^OYi'^ BOYCE, a farmer of section 
 m 30, Rutland township, Martin county, 
 /% 1 is a son of Elijah and Betsey (Scott) 
 Boyce, natives of New York, the 
 former born September 13, 1801, and the 
 latter born March 2, 1808. They were 
 married August 5, 1825, and spent the 
 remainder of their lives at Lisbon, St. Law- 
 rence county. New York. The father died 
 October 28, 1853, and the mother May 23, 
 1854. They were the parents of eight chil- 
 dren, — William E. , Eliza (deceased), George, 
 Samuel, Ira, John, Charles and Mary. 
 Three of the sons were soldiers in the Civil 
 war, — Samuel, Charles and John. 
 
 John Boyce, the subject of this sketch, 
 was born at Lisbon, New York, April 3, 
 1840, where he was reared and educated. 
 He was left an orphan in early life, and was 
 obliged to work for his own living. In i860 
 he located in La Crosse county, Wisconsin, 
 and September 6th of the following year 
 enlisted in the First Wisconsin Battery of 
 Light Artillery, was sent to Louisville, 
 thence to Lexington and Cumberland Gap 
 and into East Tennessee, participating in 
 the battle of Tazewell. At Cumberland 
 Gap he was obliged to live on half rations 
 for one month, and owing to lack of pro- 
 visions they were obliged to vacate the 
 place. Mr. Boyce next went to Greenups- 
 burg, Kentucky, and Gallipolis, Ohio; was 
 with General Cox on Kanawha river in 
 November, 1862, thence went to Cincinnati 
 and Memphis, and in December, 1862, was 
 with General Sherman in the attack on 
 Vicksburg. Mr. Boyce also took part in the 
 
 battle of Chickasaw Bluff. He went by 
 steamer to Arkansas Post, where his Battery 
 assisted in capturing 6,000 prisoners and 
 eleven cannon. January 11, 1863, they went 
 thence to Young's Point and camped till 
 March ist; then to Milliken's Bend; then 
 joined Grant's army and marched south to a 
 point opposite of Grand Gulf, and witnessed 
 the battle at that place between the gun- 
 boats and the fort; took part in the battles 
 of Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Cham- 
 pion Hill, Edward's Station, Black River, 
 in the siege of Vicksburg, which lasted 
 forty-seven days, and after the surrender of 
 that place went under Sherman and 
 besieged Jackson, and after the capture of 
 that city returned to Vicksburg, and then 
 went to New Orleans, where he spent 
 two months in a hospital. The battery 
 remained in that city during the winter, then 
 went up the Red river by steamboat as far 
 as Alexandria and crossed the country to 
 join General Banks; then returned to Alex- 
 andria, and, going east to the Mississippi, 
 took part in the battle of Yellow Bayou. 
 They next went to Baton Rouge, on an 
 expedition for a few days, and then returned, 
 took barracks at that place, and later went 
 to New Orleans, and from there to New 
 York by steamship, having in charge about 
 250 prisoners. Mr. Boyce received his dis- 
 charge at Madison, Wisconsin, in October, 
 1864, and in January of the following year 
 came to Martin county, Minnesota, and 
 homesteaded his present farm. This locality 
 was then sparsely settled. His farm now 
 contains about 300 acres, all of which is 
 under a fine state of cultivation. 
 
 Mr. Boyce was married March 10, 
 1868, to Hannah E. Rutherford, born in St. 
 Lawrence county, New York, August 20, 
 1840, a daughter of William and Mary 
 
274 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OP 
 
 (Dawley) Rutherford, natives respectively 
 of Scotland and England. They came to 
 this country when young, and were married 
 in St. Lawrence county, New York, where 
 they improved a new farm. The father was 
 born August 21, 1812, died January 15, 
 1S79. The mother was born August 5, 1818, 
 and died March 24, 1891. They were the 
 parents of ten children, — Hannah E., Mary 
 A., Joseph, Sarah J., William D., Margaret, 
 Thomas, Isabel, Nettie and one who died in 
 infancy. Mrs. Boyce received her educa- 
 tion at Ogdensburg Academy, and afterward 
 taught school si.x terms in St. Lawrence 
 county. Our subject and wife had five chil- 
 dren, namely: Ella May, born January 5, 
 1869, is the wife of George Bullock, clerk 
 of Eraser township; William R. , born June 
 4, 1870, married Lillie Osborn; Irving John, 
 born January 22, 1872; Nettie Belle, born 
 August 21, 1873, died September 19, 1873; 
 and Addie E,, born August 17, 1879. They 
 have all taught school except the youngest. 
 The family are members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church at Fairmont; Irving is now 
 president of the Epworth League, and Will- 
 iam is the present chairman of Rutland. 
 Mr. Boyce affiliates with the Republican 
 party, and has served as Supervisor, Chair- 
 man, Treasurer and Justice of the Peace of 
 his township. In his social relations, he is 
 a member of Phil. Kearny Post, G. A. R. , 
 and Mrs. Boyce is a member of the \\'. R. C. 
 
 BREDERICK ARTHUR BRYANT 
 PATERSON is one of the lead- 
 ing and influential business men, — 
 prominent in commercial circles. 
 He was born in the county of Surrey, En- 
 gland, on the 1st of January, 1853, descend- 
 ing from some of the most illustrious and 
 
 noble houses of his native land. His is of 
 the 25th descent from William, the Con- 
 queror, 20th from Robert Bruce, King of 
 Scotland, 1 5th descent from the Plantage- 
 nets, 1 3th descent from the House of Stuarts, 
 5th from Earl of Kilmarnock Boyd, and 2d 
 from Porterfields of that ilk. The grand- 
 father of our subject, John Floyd Paterson, 
 was a native of England and served as Major 
 General in the East India service, while his 
 father, Captain Frederick Thomas Paterson, 
 was also born in the same country and won 
 his title in the East India war. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record was a matriculated student in King's 
 College, London, — general literature and 
 sciences, — and when his literary education 
 was completed he entered the Internal Reve- 
 nue Department, Somerset House, of his na- 
 tive land, being therein employed for a 
 period of four years. At length he de- 
 termined to seek a home this side the At- 
 lantic, and in 1875 boarded a westward 
 bound steamer, Scythia, of the Cunard line, 
 which carried him safely to American 
 shores. He did not tarry long in the East, 
 but came at once to Minnesota, locating in 
 Fairmont, near where he purchased a farm, 
 continuing its development and improve- 
 ment for a period of eight years. Prefer- 
 ring, however, to give his time and energies 
 to other pursuits, he sought and obtained a 
 position as assistant cashier in the Martin 
 County Bank. After two years spent in that 
 way he was promoted to the cashiership and 
 served in that capacity for seven years with 
 ! credit to himself and satisfaction of all con- 
 cerned. He was a popular and safe bank 
 officer and did much for the prosperity of 
 the institution. In the year 1892 he retired 
 from the bank and embarked in the real-es- 
 tate and insurance business in connection 
 
j3^//. Cr/mu <^/del^// a^/c/ i/h/e. 
 
FARIBAULT, MAIiTIX, UATOXU'AX A\D JACKSON. 
 
 279 
 
 with C. N. Peterson, under the firm name 
 of Peterson & Paterson, and the connection 
 still exists. 
 
 In the }"ear 1873 was celebrated the 
 niarriapje of Mr. Paterson and Miss Marie E. 
 Forde, daughter of Colonel William Forde, 
 a native of Devonshire, England. She is 
 a lady of culture and refinement, highly 
 educated, having completed her studies in a 
 private school, and for eleven years she suc- 
 cessfully engaged in teaching in the public 
 schools of F"airmont. Her ability was 
 widely recognized, as is indicated by her 
 long connection with the schools of this 
 place. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Paterson is a 
 Democrat, and has served as Court Com- 
 missioner and as Justice of the Peace, dis- 
 charging his duties with promptness and 
 fidelity. He is a member of the Odd Fel- 
 lows society, holding his membership in the 
 Fairmont Lodge, No. 70, I. O. O. F. In 
 connection with his other business interests 
 he is Secretary of the Fairmont Elevator 
 Company, President of the Board of Trade, 
 Treasurer of the Fairmont Building and 
 Loan Association, President of the Martin 
 County Agricultural Society, and in 1893 he 
 was made and is still acting as Director of 
 the Martin County State Bank. He is a 
 man of excellent business and executive 
 ability, and his careful management and 
 well directed efforts have not only brought 
 him success but have also won him a promi- 
 nent place in business matters. 
 
 *| ^ ON. EDWIN BERRY, who is now 
 
 w^^ living on a farm on section 32, 
 
 K . r Fraser township, Martin county, 
 
 has been prominently connected 
 
 with the political and religious history of this 
 
 14 
 
 comuiunil} for sonic time and is an impor- 
 tant factor in the upbuilding and develop- 
 ment of this locality. His prominence and 
 influence make him widely known, and we 
 feel assured that many will receive with in- 
 terest this record of his life. 
 
 He comes of an old New England family 
 that was probably founded in this country at 
 an early day in the history of the Colonies. 
 His parents, Alonzo and Annise (Leonard) 
 Berry, were both natives of Vermont, and 
 after their marriage removed to Franklin 
 county, New York, thence to Cattaraugus 
 county of the same State, where their last 
 days were passed. The father was a farmer 
 and followed that occupation throughout his 
 entire life. He served his country as a sol- 
 dier in the war of 18 12. Seven children 
 graced their union, five sons and two daugh- 
 ters, but only three sons are now living, — 
 Alonzo, Edwin and Milo. 
 
 Edwin Berry was born on the 5th of 
 July, 1825, in Cattaraugus county. New 
 York, and was there reared to manhood, the 
 daj's of his boyhood and youth being passed 
 midst play and work like that of most boys. 
 The common schools afforded him his edu- 
 cational privileges, but extensive reading, 
 study and observation have added greatly to 
 his knowledge; and, possessing an observing 
 eye and retentive memory, he has made 
 himself one of the best informed men in this 
 section of Minnesota. 
 
 In 1846 Mr. Berry was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Caroline W. Simmons, who 
 was born in Chenango county. New York, 
 on the 17th of March, 1827, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Samuel and Statira (Simons) Sim- 
 mons, the former a native of Vermont and 
 the latter of Connecticut. Her parents, 
 after some years' residence in New York, re- 
 moved to Jefferson, Wisconsin, where both 
 
28o 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OE THE COUNTIES OP 
 
 the father and mother died. In their family 
 were seven children, three sons and four 
 daughters, of whom one son and the daugh- 
 ters are \et living, namely: Mrs. Elizabeth 
 West, Mrs. Berry, Mrs. Catherine Beach, 
 Mrs. Marion Newton and Joseph L. Two 
 sons of the family served in the Civil war, 
 — the one just named and Rodolphus, now 
 deceased. 
 
 In the year of their riiarriage Mr. Berry 
 removed with his young wife to Wisconsin, 
 settling in Waukesha county, where for 
 twenty-one j'ears he engaged in farming. 
 He was one of the pioneer settlers of that 
 locality, and, as in all communities where he 
 has lived, he took an active and commend- 
 able interest in everything pertaining to its 
 welfare and was recognized as a valued citi- 
 zen. His labors as an agriculturist were in- 
 terrupted in 1864 by his enlistment in the 
 service of his country. In August of that 
 year he joined Company I, Forty-third Wis- 
 consin Volunteer Infantry, and served with 
 the rank of Corporal. After a few months 
 his health failed him, he was sent to the 
 hospital, and in May, 1865, he was honorably 
 discharged. The following year he came to 
 Martin county, Minnesota, and settled on 
 section 34, Fraser township. He prepared 
 himself for the practice of medicine, but feel- 
 ing that the soul and not the body of man 
 was most in need of his ministrations he 
 entered the ministry. He began preaching 
 about 1856, and in 1858 was ordained as a 
 preacher of the Baptist faith by Rev. Rich- 
 ard Carey, Rev. J. E. Davis, Rev. J. G. 
 Hull, and Rev. J. R. Pope. For twenty- 
 seven years he was engaged in active work 
 as a pastor and evangelist, but failing 
 health at length forced him to retire from 
 the active ministry. Since that time he has 
 given his time to agricultural pursuits, — and 
 
 finding the outdoor exercise beneficial. In 
 1^84 he removed to his present farm, where 
 he is now quietly living, — an honored and 
 respected citizen, who has the good will of 
 all with whom he has been brought in 
 contact. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Berry have been born 
 two children, yet living, as follows: Wells, 
 who married Ida Ryder and is living in 
 Fraser township with his wife and adopted 
 daughter, Hattie R. ; Eugene, who also re- 
 sides in Fraser township, and married Annie 
 Roe, and they have four children. The sons 
 were provided with good educational advant- 
 ages and thus were fitted for the practical 
 and responsible duties of life, and are worthy 
 citizens of Martin county. 
 
 Mr. Berry belongs to the Grand Army of 
 the Republic, but has never been connected 
 to any extent with civic societies. In his 
 political views he is a Republican and has 
 been honored with public positions of trust 
 and importance. In 1872 he was nominated 
 and elected on an independent ticket to a 
 seat in the House of Representatives of Min- 
 nesota, and so well and faithfully did he 
 discharge the duties devolving upon him, 
 that he was not only re-elected, but was 
 also chosen lor a third term. He was one 
 of the prominent and influential members of 
 the General Assembly and labored earnestly 
 for the best interests of the district which 
 he represented. At that early day, when the 
 question was but slightly agitated, he intro- 
 duced a bill providing for the extension of 
 suffrage to women and succeeded in having 
 it pass the house; but in the Senate it was 
 defeated. He has strong prohibition prin- 
 ciples, stanchly supporting the temperance 
 cause. His life has been devoted to good 
 works, and while actively engaged in the 
 work of the ministry he never accepted a 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI. \\ WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 a pastorate where he did not double the 
 membership of the church within two years. 
 He has baptized over 400 individuals, and 
 during the twenty-seven years that he was 
 in the pulpit he averaged two sermons each 
 week in addition to the man}- which he de- 
 livered at revival services. He will pass 
 away from this earth, but his work will 
 linger and his memor\' will live in the hearts 
 of many that he has led to the higher and 
 better life, long after he has been called to 
 the home beyond. 
 
 A^ HERMAN H. TAYLOR, the pop- 
 •^^^2r ular young banker of Elmore, Fari- 
 
 h\,^_y bault county, Minnesota, is the 
 only child of George A. and Jane 
 (Vining) Taylor, and was born on his 
 father's farm adjoining the town of Elmore, 
 January 12, 1862. His father, a native of 
 Ohio, emigrated with his parents to Wiscon- 
 sin when he was a boy, and lived there until 
 1 86 1, when he married and came to Minne- 
 sota, settling on section 32 in Elmore 
 township, Faribault county. He is one of 
 the leading men of this part of the county 
 as well as one of its earliest settlers. 
 
 Sherman H. spent his early boj'hood 
 days on the farm, attending the local 
 schools. He was then for five years a stu- 
 dent at Blue Earth City, the family moving 
 there for that purpose. In 1881, having 
 completed a high-school course, and learned 
 telegraphy, he accepted a position in the 
 railroad office at Elmore, as telegraph oper- 
 ator, and remained thus occupied two years. 
 At the end of that time he went to work in 
 a lumber yard, where he was employed un- 
 til 1888. That year the Exchange Bank of 
 Elmore was organized by George A. Taylor, 
 Sherman H. Ta\'lor, Charles H. Carev, and 
 
 Z. Roberts. Mr. Roberts retiring soon af- 
 ter, the bank has since been owned and op- 
 erated by Messrs. Taylor and Charles H. 
 Carey. The firm also does a large business 
 in buying and shipping hay, cattle and hogs: 
 deals in real estate extensively, owning sev- 
 eral fine farms; and conducts a large busi- 
 ness in agricultural implements. The senior 
 Mr. Taylor and Mr. Carey attend to the 
 buying and the other outside work, while 
 the subject of our sketch has full charge of 
 the banking interests. The company is well 
 known as one of the foremost, enterprising 
 business firms of Faribault county. 
 
 September 11, 1883, Sherman H. Tay- 
 lor married Miss Mary M. Bay, a native of 
 Columbia county, Wisconsin, and a daugh- 
 ter of Samuel Wilson Bay and Mary fuf 
 Campbell, both natives of Ohio. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Taylor have two children, Leila B. 
 and Effie M. 
 
 Mr. Taylor is identified with both the 
 F. & A. M. and the A.O. U. W. of Elmore, 
 and at this writing is Master of King David 
 Lodge, No. 179, of the former order. He 
 is a good representative of the able young 
 men of the day .who stand at the front of 
 affairs in Faribault county. 
 
 >^AMES H. OUINN occupies a very 
 M prominent position at the bar of Far- 
 A J bault county and is now serving as 
 the efficient County Attorney, and 
 also engaging in private practice both in 
 Blue Earth City and in Wells, as a member 
 of the firm of Quinn & Putnam. Theirs 
 is an extensive practice and their reputation 
 is second to none in this localit\'. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record is a native of Wisconsin, his birth 
 having occurred in Kilbourn City, Columbia 
 
282 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 county, on the 23d of June, 1857. He is 
 the second son and third child in the fam- 
 ily of Andrew and Hannah (Mountford) 
 Quinn. His father, a native of county 
 Tyrone, Ireland, emigrated to America 
 when a youth of sixteen years, first locating 
 in Ohio, whence he afterward removed to 
 Kilbourn City, following agricultural pur- 
 suits in that locality. There he was mar- 
 ried to Miss Mountford, a native of Eng- 
 land, who was brought to this country dur- 
 ing her girlhood by her parents, William and 
 Eliza Mountford. In 1863 Andrew Quinn 
 and his family removed to Blue Earth coun- 
 ty, Minnesota, where the parents have since 
 resided. Their family numbered ten chil- 
 dren, eight of whom are living. 
 
 The childhood and youth of our subject 
 were passed on his father's farm, where he 
 early became familiar with all the duties 
 and cares which fall to the lot of the agri- 
 culturist, and the common schools afforded 
 him his educational privileges. Not wishing, 
 however, to follow farming throughout his 
 life, he took up the study of law in 1882 in the 
 office of William N. Plywate, at Mapleton, 
 Minnesota, where he remained two years 
 applying himself diligently to the work in 
 hand and gaining a thorough knowledge of 
 the best commentaries and text books. At 
 Mankato, Minnesota, he was admitted to the 
 bar, — the Hon. M. J. Severance being the 
 presiding Judge. Opening an office in Min- 
 nesota Lake, this State, he there began 
 practice and successfully prosecuted his 
 profession for two years. On the expira- 
 tion of that period he removed to Wells, 
 then a small hamlet, and has been identified 
 with its progress and development, promot- 
 ing its interests until it has become the 
 second city in Faribault county. On his 
 arrival here "he formed a partnership with 
 
 Frank E. Putnam, and the connection has 
 since continued with mutual pleasure and 
 profit, the firm having extensive practice 
 throughout the county, with an office lo- 
 cated both in Blue Earth City and Wells. 
 
 In connection with his work at the bar, 
 Mr. Quinn has been identified with other 
 business enterprises, which have not only 
 added to his income but have also aided in 
 the material advancement of the community 
 in which he makes his home. He was one 
 of the organizers, and is one of the 
 directors of the First National Bank 
 of Wells, — the first national bank estab- 
 lished in the county. In 1888 he was nom- 
 inated and elected to the office of County 
 Attorney of Faribault county, and has been 
 three times re-elected, with large majorities. 
 No higher testimonial of his efficiency could 
 be given than the fact of his long continu- 
 ance in office, which also indicates his per- 
 sonal popularity. Politically he is an un- 
 swerving Republican who loyally aids his 
 party in all honorable ways possible, for he 
 believes that the adoption of its principles 
 would promote the best interests of the 
 country. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Quinn was cele- 
 brated on the 19th of September, 1882, the 
 lady of his choice being Miss Sarah M. 
 Annis, a native of Blue Earth county, 
 Minnesota, and a daughter of Ira and Brilla 
 (Corey) Annis, who removed to that county 
 in an early day from Vermont. One child 
 graces this union, Cecil L. ; and the family 
 occupies an enviable position in circles 
 where true worth and intelligence are re- 
 ceived as the passports into good society, 
 while their pleasant home is the abode of 
 hospitality. 
 
 As a lawyer at the bar Mr. Quinn is an 
 able advocate, logical, clear and convincing 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 283 
 
 in argument, and his eloquence is of that 
 kind which convinces, carrj'ing great weight 
 with the jury. His public and private life 
 are alike above reproach, and men of worth 
 recognize him as their equal and oftentimes 
 superior. 
 
 '^Y'OSEPH SPEIER, prominent in public 
 m affairs. in Silver Lake township, Mar- 
 A J tin count}-, and one of its influential 
 citizens, was born in Poland on the 
 4th of March, 1S53, and in his native land 
 spent the days of his boyhood and youth, 
 no event of special importance occurring 
 during that period. At the age of twenty 
 years he bade adieu to friends and home and 
 crossed the broad Atlantic to the New World, 
 landing at New York city. He went direct 
 to La Salle, Illinois, where for twelve years 
 and one month he made his home, being 
 employed there in a zinc furnace. He came 
 to Martin county, Minnesota, in 1885 and 
 located on the farm which has since been his 
 home. Upon it was a little house, 14 x 18 
 feet; eighteen acres had been placed under 
 the plow, and these were all the improve- 
 ments upon the place. In the years which 
 have since passed a great transformation has 
 been wrought. There is now a pleasant and 
 substantial dwelling, good barns and sheds 
 and around these lie fields of waving grain 
 which tell of bounteous harvests. The farm 
 now comprises 360 acres of the rich soil of 
 Minnesota, and this valuable and desirable 
 property has been acquired entirely through 
 the efforts of our subject and the assistance 
 of his estimable wife and children. 
 
 Mr. Speier has been twice married. In 
 La Salle, Illinois, he wedded PaulenaSwick, 
 a native of Poland, who died May 5, 1891. 
 The children born to them, ten in number. 
 
 are Johnnie, Joseph, Frank, Anna, deceased; 
 Tracey, Neto Medista, deceased; Mary, 
 Cassnear, Martha, and Elizabeth, deceased. 
 For his second wife Mr. Speier chose Catha- 
 rine Burgdell, and they have one child, Eva. 
 Our subject exercises his right of fran- 
 chise in support of the Democracy, but hss 
 never been an aspirant for office, although 
 he served as School Treasurer for seven 
 years. In connection with Mr. Gaworski he 
 built the schoolhouse in his district, and has 
 ever been a warm friend of educational in- 
 terests. He holds membership with the 
 Polish Church of East Chain township, in 
 which he is now serving as Treasurer. He 
 aided in building the house of worship, was 
 prominent in the organization of the church 
 and is a prominent and faithful worker in its 
 interests. He came to this country a poor 
 young man without capital save a young 
 man's bright hope of the future and a de- 
 termination to succeed, and has steadily 
 worked his way upward to a position of af- 
 fluence. His success is well deserved, being 
 the reward of honest, industrious effort, and 
 his example should serve to encourage others, 
 who like himself have neither wealth nor in- 
 fluential friends to aid them as they start out 
 in the world for themselves. 
 
 *-j-» E. FOWLER, proprietor of the 
 I I 'bus and transfer business in Win- 
 I \ nebago City and agent for the 
 United States Express Company, 
 is one of the thoroughgoing and reliable 
 men of the city, running baggage wagons 
 and a first-class "bus," and by his prompt 
 and efficient service has won great popu- 
 larity in his line. He is a pioneer here, 
 having been identified with its interests- for 
 
2S4 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 a quarter of a century, — ever since Septem- 
 ber, 1870. 
 
 He was born in Washington county, 
 Vermorrt, July 18, 1842, a son of L. C. and 
 Elsie 'Cady) Fowler, both natives of the 
 Green Mountain State. He was reared on 
 a \'ermont farm and received his education 
 in the public schools of the neighborhood in 
 which he lived. When he was nineteen 
 years of age he came to Waukesha county, 
 Wisconsin, where he was employed for 
 some time in a grain warehouse for John 
 Mile, a native also of Vermont. In 1857 
 the family emigrated to Minnesota and 
 located temporarily at Owatonna. Steele 
 county, where they resided until the spring 
 of 1858; then they removed to Freeborn 
 county, taking a homestead, but, after a 
 year of great privation and suffering there 
 they sold out their claim. Leaving his wife 
 at the homestead, Mr. Fowler had to go a 
 distance of seventy-five miles awa\' from 
 home to find work, which he did, in the 
 harvest-field, and thus, by cradling grain, 
 for the remuneration of two bushels of 
 wheat per day, he earned twenty-two and a 
 half bushels ol wheat. In 1859 he moved 
 to Dodge county, where he cultivated rented 
 farms; in i860 he moved to Winona county 
 and rented a farm at St. Charles for three 
 )'ears, and was there at the time of the be- 
 ginning of the war. Then he moved to 
 Wasioja, Dodge county, and was there a 
 year; then, entering 160 acres at Peddles 
 Grove, in Waseca county, on the Winne- 
 bago reservation, and proceeded to improve 
 the place. (His father also entered a tract 
 adjoining him.) 
 
 In the spring of 1865 he enlisted in 
 Company H, First Minnesota Volunteer In- 
 fantry, was mustered in at Fort Snelling, 
 Minnesota, ordered to Chicagt) at the time 
 
 of President Lincoln's funeral, and attended 
 the memorial services there; next was or- 
 dered to the front at Alexandria, Virginia, 
 where he was taken sick, and was discharged 
 from the hospital June 25, 1865. 
 
 Arriving home on the 4th of July, he 
 resumed agricultural pursuits for a year. 
 He then engaged in driving stage for the 
 Minnesota Stage Company, from \\'aseca to 
 Mankato, with four-horse vehicles, — the out- 
 fit requiring five men and twenty horses. 
 His fellow drivers were Al Long, Billy 
 Maloney, Lon Cale and John Donaldson. 
 He followed this occupation for four }ears. 
 
 In September, i 870. he moved to Win- 
 nebago City, Faribault count}', where he 
 first engaged in business with a one-horse 
 dra\. In June, 1871, he purchased A. R. 
 Davis' "bus," and his business in the trans- 
 fer line increased until he now employs five 
 horses, two busses and a baggage wagon. 
 In March, 1894, he was appointed agent for 
 the United States Express Company, and 
 the business of that office is now attended to 
 by his son, Frank. 
 
 Mr. Fowler has passed through many 
 hardships and suffered man\' privations in- 
 cident to frontier life, but has successfully 
 withstood them all until he is now engaged 
 in a remunerative business, for which he is 
 so well qualified. 
 
 He was married at the age of twenty- 
 two years, Waukesha county, Wisconsin, to 
 Miss Adelia Buck, a lady of marked intelli- 
 gence and of good family, a native of New 
 York and a daughter of Mr. C. Buck. They 
 have had four children, three of whom are 
 living, namel)': Frank W., Fred E., a bar- 
 ber of Wiiuiebago City; and Laura, wife of 
 Ed. Babcock, a grain-dealer in the same 
 town; and George, their first-born, died in 
 his second \'car, of membranous croup. The 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 285 
 
 three children living have had a good edu- 
 cation. 
 
 Politically Mr. Fowler is a Republican, 
 and has served efficiently and acceptably as 
 the first Marshal of the town, holding that 
 office for one year. He is a gentleman of 
 the strictest integrity, genial and accom- 
 modating, making friends of all who make 
 his acquaintance, either in a business or 
 social way. 
 
 HL. TAYLOR, president of the First 
 National Bank of Wells.— The 
 name Taylor, as borne by the fam- 
 ily of which the subject of this 
 sketch is a member, was derived from Tail- 
 lefer, belonging to a Norman ancestor who 
 was a Baron holding an office of trust under 
 William the Conqueror and who partici- 
 pated in the battle of Hastings in 1066. 
 Since that time the ancestors in the male 
 line have been, in succession, William, John, 
 William, John, John, John, Matthew, Ed- 
 ward, T. C. , Lucerne Curtis, the father of 
 our subject. Edward, the first of the family 
 in this country, settled in Middletown, New 
 Jersey, in the latter part of the seventeenth 
 century, namely, in 1692, afterward locating 
 at Garrett's Hill, where his descendants 
 were still occupying a part of the original 
 homestead in 1880. He married Eunice 
 Curtis, was an officer in the war of 18 12, 
 and, being an ardent admirer of good horses, 
 had considerable valuable stock in that line. 
 He died at Gloversville, New York. His son, 
 T. C, born in 1781, died in 1866. John 
 Taylor, great-grandfather, was born at Up- 
 per Freehold, New Jersey, in 1749, and 
 married Chloe Cott, who was born in May, 
 1752. He was a prominent citizen, and for 
 
 nine years was Judge of Saratoga county. 
 The family came into possession of large es- 
 tates in Kent, England, and a hundred 
 years afterward we find John Taylor, of this 
 family, still on the old homestead, in Scho- 
 doshchurch, county Kent, England. 
 
 Lucerne Curtis Taylor, born in Saratoga 
 county, in 181 2, married Hannah Platner, 
 a native of Otsego county. New York, and 
 a daughter of William Platner, of an old and 
 prominent family, pioneers of the Mohawk 
 valley. In 1853 he settled in Rosendale, 
 in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, where 
 he resided until 1857, and he is now one of 
 the honored pioneers of Faribault county, 
 Minnesota, aged eighty-three years. 
 
 Mr. Taylor, the subject of this sketch, 
 was born in Saratoga county. New Y'ork, 
 February 2, 1840. In 1856, in company 
 with a brother, he came to Dunbar town- 
 ship, this count}', as one of the first settlers 
 there, with a span of horses and eight yoke 
 of oxen, entered 800 acres of land, broke 
 160 acres and raised a sod crop of corn. 
 Building a pine shanty, lined, with sawdust, 
 they occupied it for a dwelling. The next 
 season the remainder of the family came out 
 to remain with them. 
 
 Of the children there were eight sons and 
 four daughters, as follows: Eunice, wife of 
 Ezra Stearns, of Eagle Lake, Minnesota; 
 Ed. H., of Kent, Nebraska; he was a soldier 
 in the Second Minnesota Battalion; P. R., 
 of Wells; was a member of the Fourth Min- 
 nesota Infantry; A. L. , (subject); also a mem- 
 ber of the Fourth Minnesota Regiment; 
 Martha A. , who married Judson Taylor, of 
 Wells; A. A., a merchant of Wells, who also 
 was a soldier in the last war; J. W^, en- 
 gaged in the livery business at Kasson, Min- 
 nesota; E. H., of Kent, Nebraska; Ida M., 
 who became the wife of Joy Tellet, of this 
 
2S6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 county; L. C, Jr., in the grain business at 
 Wells; W. J., also in the grain business 
 here; and Hattie J., now Mrs. J. Dunbar, of 
 Foster township. Four of these are teach- 
 ers, — P. R., Eunice, Hattie and Ida M. 
 Their mother died in 1893, at the age of 
 seventy-nine years, a member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, as is also their sur- 
 viving father. 
 
 During the war, October 11, 1861, Mr. 
 A. L. Taylor enlisted in Company F, Minne- 
 sota Infantry, and served four years. After a 
 short camp life at Fort Snelling, this State, 
 the men were ordered to St. Louis, Mis- 
 souri, and thence to the front in the rebell- 
 ious South, and were engaged in the battles 
 of luka. Holly Springs, and Corinth, were 
 two days at Memphis, and then engaged 
 throughout the siege of Mcksburg, were 
 with Sherman in the siege of Atlanta and on 
 to the sea, and thence northward through 
 the Carolinas to Richmond, \'irginia, and to 
 the grand review at Washington. Altogether, 
 Mr. Taylor engaged in thirty-seven battles. 
 On one occasion his cartridge-box was shot 
 from him, his clothing was torn by a ball; 
 but he never received any wound in action. 
 Honorably discharged, he returned to the 
 farm of 480 acres, which he prcjccoded to 
 put into good condition. 
 
 In 1870 he came to Wells, as one of the 
 pioneers here, entering the business of sup- 
 plying the people with meat, and also the 
 livery business. For some time also he was 
 engaged in trade in live stock and land. In 
 1882 he went to Larimore, South Dakota, 
 and spent one season in Antelope \alley, 
 Benson county. North Dakota. There he 
 opened a valuable farm of 640 acres, good 
 land, which ht' still owns. He also has 240 
 acres in Dunbar township. His homestead, 
 comprising a $7,000 house and a grove of 
 
 four acres (with thirty-seven kinds of tim- 
 ber) is the finest in the county. 
 
 On returning from Dakota to Wells, 
 Mr. Taylor engaged extensively in the grain 
 trade, in which he became signally success- 
 ful. He is also an extensive dealer in coal, 
 lumber and all kinds of building material. 
 His grain elevator was erected in 1895, with 
 a capacity of 25,000 bushels. At the organ- 
 ization of the First National Bank of Wells 
 in 1 89 1, he was elected a member of the 
 Board of Directors and the Vice President; 
 was elected President in 1894 and re-elected 
 in 1895. 
 
 He is a i^ealous worker for the Repub- 
 lican party; has been County Commissioner 
 four years, serving with credit and honor; 
 has also been President of the Village 
 Board of Trustees. In his social relations 
 he is a member of Lodge No. 87, F. & A. 
 M., of Lodge No. 39, A. O. U. W., and of 
 Post No. 165, G. A. R. Both himself and 
 wife are members of the Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 In March, 1868, in Wells township, he 
 married Miss Ida M. Thomas, a highly cul- 
 tured ami refined lady, a daughter of A. J. 
 Thomas, who was a pioneer here of 1855, 
 and died in this county. Mr. and Mrs. Tay- 
 lor have two children: Pearl E., now the 
 wife of J. T. Owens, of Wells; and A. L. , 
 attending the high school. 
 
 tV^VRON HERBERT CURTIS, a 
 
 l/**^ farmer ol section 30, Fairmont 
 J^,_J township, Martin county, was born 
 in \'ernon county, Wisconsin, Au- 
 gust 17, 1861, a son of Thomas S. Curtis. 
 The latter was born in \'ermont, December 
 25, 1830, where he remained until seven- 
 teen years of age, and then engaged in the 
 
C^ J/. J2^(^emtr 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 289 
 
 boot and shoe business in Massachusetts. 
 He was married there in December, 1848, 
 to Mar}' Campbell, born in the north of 
 Ireland June 17, 1832. She came to America 
 with her mother at the age of fourteen 
 years, locating first in Boston, Massachusetts, 
 and afterward in Hopkinton, that State, 
 where she died at about the age of eighty 
 years. Her mother died in Ireland. After 
 their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Curtis located 
 in Mendon, Massachusetts, where he was 
 engaged in the boot and shoe business. 
 From there, in 1854, they moved to Vernon 
 county, Wisconsin, and ten years afterward 
 came to Martin county, Minnesota, locating 
 in what is now Rolling Green township, 
 where Mr. Curtis died, at the age of forty-six 
 years. They were the parents of eight chil- 
 dren, nameh : Ida, wife of D. P. Sackett, 
 of Lament, Martin county; Ella, wife of 
 Henry Mills, of Dakota; Florence; Eugenie, 
 deceased; Byron H., the subject of this 
 sketch; Emma, wife of John Berry, of Da- 
 kota; Thomas, deceased; and Augusta, 
 deceased. 
 
 Byron H. Curtis was three years of age 
 when he came to Martin county, and was 
 raised on his father's farm. After his mar- 
 riage he spent five years on the old home- 
 stead in Rolling Green township, and then 
 moved to and purchased a half interest in 
 the store of S. D. Tanner of Fairmont. Si.\ 
 months afterward he sold his interest to his 
 partner and purchased the place where he 
 now resides, consisting of 260 acres, where 
 he is engaged in general farming and stock- 
 raising. In political matters Mr. Curtis 
 sui)ports the Republican party. He was a 
 member of the Board of Township Super- 
 visors in Rolling Green township from his 
 t\vent\-first vcar until he left the township, 
 and was chairman of the board during the 
 
 last three years. In Fairmont township he 
 has served as a member of the Board of 
 Supervisors two years and as Clerk of the 
 School Board. Socially he is a member of 
 the I. O. O. F., Fairmont Lodge, No. 70, 
 and of the Modern Woodmen of America. 
 In September, 1885, Mr. Curtis was 
 united in marriage with Emily Merritt, born 
 in Canada, August 11, 1861, a daughter of 
 John and Martha (Dease) Merritt, natives 
 also of Canada. Mrs. Curtis, the third of 
 their si.x children, came to Martin county, 
 Minnesota, at the age of eleven years. Our 
 subject and wife have two sons,— Thomas 
 Henry and Benjamin John. 
 
 ^y^^ J. KREMER has been longer identi- 
 1 ■ fied with Faribault county than 
 \ ^ almost any of its citizens, and the 
 story of its frontier life is very 
 familiar to him. He gave to the biog- 
 rapher a graphic description of the con- 
 dition of affairs here in pioneer times, 
 and as far as possible we reproduce an 
 account of these facts, knowing that they 
 will prove of interest to many of our 
 readers. He has played an important part 
 in the county development from the days 
 when Indians still visited the settlement, 
 from the time when Minnesota was yet a 
 Territory. 
 
 Mr. Kremer was born in Lorraine, 
 France, near the beautiful city of Metz, 
 January 14, 1834, and is the eldest of seven 
 children, five sons and two daughters, whose 
 parents were John and Elizabeth (Gouvion) 
 Kremer. The others were Catherine, who 
 became the wife of Adolph Brecht, a pioneer 
 of Rice Lake, Dodge county, Wisconsin, 
 who removed to Blue Earth county, Minne- 
 sota, some years ago, and both died there; 
 
390 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 John P., who came to Faribault county in 
 1856 and afterward went to Blue Earth 
 county, was there elected County Treasurer, 
 but after serving for five days his career was 
 ended by death; John, born November 29, 
 1843, for many years resided on the old 
 home farm in Danville township, Faribault 
 county, but for the past years has lived 
 retired in Minnesota Lake, enjoying a rest 
 which he has truly earned; Edward con- 
 tracted an illness on board the ship while 
 the family were coming to America, and 
 died in Alden, Erie county, New York, 
 about a year after their arrival; Peter, born 
 March 7, 1839, is President of the Village 
 Board of Minnesota Lake, also of the Secur- 
 ity State Bank of that place, and is a most 
 prominent and honored citizen; Margaret 
 died in France, at the age of ten years. 
 
 The father of this family, John Kremer, 
 Sr. , was a leading man in political circles in 
 his native land, and many times saw the 
 Emperor Napoleon at the head of his vic- 
 torious armies. He was born at Coume, 
 Canton Boule}', Metz, France, in Novem- 
 ber, 1800, and was laid to rest in the bury- 
 ing-ground of St. John's Church in March, 
 1 88 1, when death ended a long and useful 
 life. The conditions of France in 1850 led 
 to his emigration to America. He sailed on 
 the 30th of April on the three-mast vessel 
 Gallea, and on the voyage some very severe 
 storms were encountered, the terrible waves 
 dashing over the vessel with such force that 
 no man could stand on the deck, but New 
 York harbor was at length reached in safety, 
 and the family made their way to Alden, 
 Erie county, New York, where the father 
 secured fifty-five acres of land, on which 
 stood a frame house. He made many im- 
 provements upon his farm, and in the spring 
 of 1855 sold it at a good profit, preparatory 
 
 to removing to Wisconsin, where he hoped 
 to get a larger farm. The journey was 
 made by rail to Chicago, thence by team to 
 Fond du Lac county, where Mr. Kremer 
 secured 160 acres of partially improved land 
 and a rude log cabin. In June that was 
 replaced with a more substantial log struc- 
 ture, and here the family began life in the 
 West in true pioneer style. Leaving them 
 there engaged in the cultivation of the land 
 and adding the much needed improvements 
 to the place, we will return to our subject 
 and follow his fortunes through the South. 
 In March, 1853, Mr. Kremer, whose 
 name heads this record, left Alden, New 
 York, and made his way to Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 and four miles east of that place secured 
 employment in a road house where he 
 served as clerk, bar-tender and general 
 utility man. After three months he set out 
 across the bay to Marblehead, where he 
 secured employment with his uncle Tobie 
 in a stone quarry, getting out stone for 
 canals. He was later employed at various 
 pursuits until November, 1854, receiving $30 
 per month. He was then sent to Toledo to 
 do some work, but found the cholera raging 
 there in a very malignant form, and after 
 four days returned to Marblehead. He was 
 then sent by his uncle to look after interests 
 in Sault Ste. Marie, but found that the 
 cholera had preceded him there and he 
 returned to Marblehead without delay, 
 intending there to spend the winter, but 
 destiny ordered otherwise. In the quarries 
 he had met a sturd}', honest Scotchman, 
 Davie Jones, and these two young men 
 became part of the crew of the Natchez, a 
 new boat just starting for the city of that 
 name. It left Cincinnati January i, 1855, 
 and on reaching Poddington a cargo of 
 negroes were taken aboard for the Memphis 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 slave market. Here for the first time 
 indeed the two young men, whose fortunes 
 we are now following, realiiied what slavery 
 was, and it was all that Mr. Kremer could 
 do to restrain his more hot-headed friends 
 from trying to prevent the rough handling 
 of slaves at the market building. Fleecy 
 cotton was taken aboard for the New 
 Orleans market, and they saw Southern life 
 in its various phases in those days. From 
 the Crescent City Mr. Kremer came up the 
 river on a packet as deck hand, saw the 
 plantations along the streams and heard the 
 songs of the negroes in the fields, mellowed 
 by distance. He was called upon to take 
 the soundings on that trip and his friend 
 "Davie" was placed on the lookout. Not- 
 withstanding his warnings of shoals ahead 
 the craft ran her prow deep into the sand 
 and for ten hours w^as thus held. On the 
 same \'essel Mr. Kremer afterward made 
 another trip to New Orleans, and that time 
 returned b}' way of the river to Covington, 
 Kentucky, where he visited a cousin, John 
 Gouvin. There were very few points along 
 the Mississippi at that time, below the 
 Ohio, with which he \\as not familiar, and 
 he also made a trip to the Kansas ri\er and 
 the Missouri to Omaha and Council Bluffs. 
 After three months he found himself in 
 St. Louis, and while wandering aimlessly 
 around chanced to meet some of his old 
 friends from the stone quarries, and with 
 one of these he came to Minnesota, then 
 known as the Big Slough country. Cholera 
 broke out on the boat and several died, but 
 our subject escaped the disease and for a 
 time worked at rafting on the river. Not 
 satisfied with this, howe\er, he went to 
 Wabasha, this State, thence on foot to the 
 site of the present town of Plainview, then 
 marked by a single log cabin. He was here 
 
 advised by an old friend, John Walker, to 
 secure a claim, and after doing this he 
 returned to his parents' home in Wisconsin 
 to induce his father to come to Minnesota. 
 The two then went to New York, where the 
 father mortgaged some of his property in 
 order to get money to make the contemplated 
 change. 
 
 N. J. Kremer and his family traveled by 
 way of Chicago to Dunleith, then by water to 
 Hastings, Nebraska, where an ox team prairie 
 schooner were secured, with which they con- 
 tinued on their way. Near the shores of 
 Cobb river lived the honored pioneer 
 Frances Phillips, with whom they remained 
 until their own cabin, on section 17, was 
 built, — a structure 16 x 20 feet. Nick Kre- 
 mer subsequently returned to Olmsted 
 county, only to find that his claim had been 
 taken by another; so in June, 1856, he se- 
 cured the papers for 160 acres of prairie 
 land and also for a timber tract. The 
 Kremer family lived in a log cabin in true 
 pioneer style and passed through the memor- 
 able severe winter of 1856-7. The country 
 around was bleak and barren, and neighbors 
 were miles away, and it seemed a cheerless 
 situation, but with the advent of spring 
 work began in the fields and labor drove 
 away all loneliness. During the Indian 
 outbreak, like the other families, they fled 
 from home, stopping near where now stands 
 the Franklin postoffice, and in numbers 
 sought safety, for they had little to fortify 
 themselves with. While the party were 
 discussing the advisability of the plan of 
 crossing the river for further protection Mrs. 
 Samuel Merrick came with the news that the 
 Indians had returned to their reser\ation, 
 and the settlers gladly went again to their 
 homes, for the danger was now over. On 
 account of the dreaded trouble with the Red 
 
292 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Men the father determined to move near the 
 other settlers, and sent his son Nick to 
 secure a location for him in Blue Earth 
 county. This the latter finally obtained 
 after traveling over many miles of territory, 
 obtaining a location about ten rods from 
 Cobb river in Danville township in May, 
 1857, comprising 160 acres, on which was 
 some fine natural timber. There John Kre- 
 mer made his home until 1870, when he de- 
 termined to spend his declining days in his 
 native land. He again went to France, but 
 Lorraine was then ravaged by the Prussians 
 and he could not bear to see the devastation 
 of his beloved country, so again sailed for 
 America, where were his children. He 
 spent his remaining days in the home of his 
 esteemed son Nick, and died in the faith of 
 the Roman Catholic Church, of which he 
 was long a faithful member. The cemetery 
 in which he now rests was given by him to 
 the church for that purpose. His faithful 
 wife, who shared with him in all life's vicis- 
 situdes and was also a consistent Catholic, 
 preceded him to the home beyond. She 
 was born June 6, 1804, and died March 10, 
 i860. 
 
 Nick Kremer aided in all the labors of 
 the farm and in the arduous task of devel- 
 oping wild land. In December, 1894, he 
 sprained his shoulder, and at this writing 
 has not recovered from the injury. He was 
 one of the first merchants of Minnesota Lake 
 and long a member of the popular firm of 
 Kremer & Apley, hardware merchants and 
 dealers in farm implements, and has carried 
 on a successful business. He brought the 
 three first threshers to Minnesota Lake, — 
 the Massillon, Eclipse and J. L Case. 
 
 On the nth of July, i860, N. J. Kremer 
 married Elizabeth Wagoner, daughter of 
 Anthony and Elizabeth Wagoner, and a 
 
 native of Alsace, France, born Jul}' 22, 1839. 
 Their eight children are as follows: Eliza- 
 beth, born November 29, 1861, died De- 
 cember 9, 1879, and was buried by the side 
 of her grandparents; Peter, born May 16, 
 1864, attended the Northwestern Business 
 College of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and the 
 College of the Sacred Heart of Prairie du 
 Chien, has been for some years a merchant 
 of Minnesota Lake and was formerly in the 
 mail service, running between La Crosse 
 and Woonsocket, South Dakota; Julia, born 
 April 13, 1866, is the wife of Thomas Keo- 
 gan, an attorney of Minnesota Lake; Lena, 
 born November 23, 1868, died April 16, 
 1876; Edward N., born April 22, 1870, 
 operates the old homestead; Ida, born March 
 7, 1873, died February 12, 1885; Martha, 
 born November 27, 1874, died April 30, 
 1875; Rosa, born June 20, 1877, is now a 
 student in St. Mary's Institute of Prairie du 
 Chien, Wisconsin. 
 
 Mr. Kremer was an important factor in 
 the organization of the Town Board of Dan- 
 ville township. Blue Earth county, in 1858 
 was town clerk and served six years as 
 chairman of the Town Board of that town- 
 ship; also served on the Village Board of 
 Minnesota Lake; was treasurer of the 
 school board when the prett}' brick school 
 building was erected. In all offices he has 
 labored earnestly for the welfare of the com- 
 munity. Since casting his first presidential 
 vote for Stephen A. Douglas he has sup- 
 ported the Democracy, and he and his fam- 
 ily belong to the Catholic Church. His life 
 has been a varied one. Born in France, 
 reared in New York, starting out in business 
 in Ohio, witnessing Southern scenes while 
 on the Mississippi and experiencing all the 
 vicissitudes of frontier life in Minnesota, he 
 is now living a quiet life, honored and re- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 293 
 
 spected by all who know him. The nobler 
 qualities of manhood are seen in his nature 
 and many excellencies of character have 
 brought to him many warm friends. 
 
 * y ^ ON. ALLEN SHULTIS, the effi- 
 
 l'^^^ cient Postmaster of Elmore, Fari- 
 
 \ W bault county, Minnesota, was born 
 
 in Columbia county, New York, 
 
 January 20, 1832, son of Adam and Clara 
 
 (Williams) Shultis. He is one of a family 
 
 of ten, eight sons and two daughters. The 
 
 sons are all still living and are scattered in 
 
 different parts of the United States, the 
 
 youngest at this writing being fifty- three 
 
 years of age. 
 
 Adam Shultis was born on the old Shul- 
 tis homestead in Columbia count}'. New 
 York, March 4, 1792, and his father was 
 born and passed his life in that county. 
 The ancestor of the Shultis family in 
 America emigrated from Germany and settled 
 in New York in 1740. Adam followed 
 farming during his active life. In 1842 he 
 moved from his native county to Wisconsin 
 and settled in Waukesha county, where he 
 spent the rest of his life. He was a man of 
 strong individuality, and was successful in 
 life. In his early days he was a stanch 
 adherent of the old Whig party, but later 
 was an enthusiastic Republican. He was 
 a veteran of the war of i8i;2. In Wiscon- 
 sin, in December, 1870, at the age of 
 seventy-eight years, he quietly passed away. 
 Of his wife, whose maiden name was Clara 
 Williams, we record that she was born in 
 Columbia county. New York, in the year 
 1796, and died in 1871. Her people were 
 of English origin and were among the early 
 settlers of this country. 
 
 Allen Shultis was about ten years of age at 
 
 the time his parents moved to Wisconsin, and 
 in that State he remained until 1855, when 
 he started out in life for himself. Coming 
 over into Minnesota, he located in Winona 
 county, on Monej' creek, and made his home 
 there for one year. At the end of that time, 
 not being satisfied with his surroundings, he, 
 in company with Mr. George D. McArthur, 
 came further West and settled in Faribault 
 county, in Elmore township. That was in 
 
 1856. At the time of his settlement here 
 there were but si.K actual settlers in the 
 township, and of this number he is the only 
 one left, the others having died or moved 
 away. He has been actively engaged in 
 farming in Elmore township until two years 
 ago, when he moved into the town of 
 Elmore. He owns 200 acres of land near 
 the village, a portion of his farm having 
 been inclosed within the town site. 
 
 Mr. Shultis was married January 15, 
 
 1857, to Elizabeth McArthur, daughter of 
 Duncan and Catharine (Van Deusen) McAr- 
 thur, she, too, being a native of Columbia 
 county, New York. The McArthurs are of 
 Scotch descent and have been residents of 
 America since before the Revolution. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Shultis have three children, viz. : 
 Mrs. Elliot Mason, of Elmore township; 
 Kate, wife of C. H. Stein, St. Paul, Minne- 
 sota; and Floyd, at this writing a student 
 in the commercial department of Parker 
 College, Winnebago City, Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Shultis has been active in promot- 
 ing the best interests of the county ever 
 since he took up his abode here. He was 
 for many years chairman of the Township 
 Board of Supervisors and was for two terms 
 a member of the County Board. As a 
 Republican, he, served in 1859 and '60 as a 
 member of the Minnesota State Legislature. 
 During the Greeley campaign he joined the 
 
294 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Democratic party, and has ever since sup- 
 ported it. He has three times been the 
 choice of his party as candidate for the Legis- 
 lature. In 1893 he was appointed Postmast- 
 er at Elmore by President Cleveland, and on 
 September of that year took charge of the 
 office. He enjoys the confidence and good 
 will of the people at large, and is recognized 
 as one of the energetic, public-spirited men 
 of the count\'. 
 
 >T^OHN H. VANBUREN, residing on 
 
 ■ a farm in section 24, Elmore town- 
 
 (% J ship, Faribault county, Minnesota, 
 
 is one of the prosperous and highly 
 
 respected men of his vicinity. 
 
 He was born in Schoharie county, New 
 York, April 12, 1830, one of the five chil- 
 dren of Martin and Julia Ann (Neff) Van 
 Buren. His father was born at the Van 
 Buren homestead, seven miles from Canajo- 
 harie. New York, and in 1833 moved seven 
 miles from Fort Plain, Montgomery county. 
 For some years he was a boatman on the 
 Erie canal. He was poor and proud, and 
 for that reason, when President Van Buren 
 went to Fort Plain, hearing of his second 
 cousin and namesake living near, and sent 
 an invitation for the young boatman to visit 
 him, the latter declined to go, and they 
 never met. In 1850 he moved with his 
 family to Princeton, Green Lake county, 
 Wisconsin, and settled on a farm, being one 
 of the pioneers of that region. His subse- 
 quent life was spent there, where he died 
 in 1892, at the age of ninety-two years. 
 His wife, ncc Julia Ann Neff, was born in 
 Port Jackson, now a part of the city of Am- 
 sterdam, New York, in the year 1797, 
 daughter of Timothy Neff. The Nefis orig- 
 inated in England, but for many years were 
 
 residents of New York. She died at the 
 age of eighty-eight years. The paternal 
 grandfather of our subject was Peter Van 
 Buren. His whole life was passed in New 
 York. The \'an Burens trace their ances- 
 try back to the Holland Dutch. 
 
 John H. Van Buren was just merging 
 into young manhood when he went with his 
 parents to Wisconsin, and there he lived 
 for sixteen years, during the last ten of 
 which he owned and operated a farm in 
 Dodge county. In 1866 he sold his Wis- 
 consin farm, and in the spring of that year 
 came to Minnesota and settled in Elmore 
 township. Here he bought a tract of unim- 
 proved land, with a sod shanty on it, in sec- 
 tion 24, the same spot upon which his pres- 
 ent comfortable home is located, and here 
 for many years he endured all the trials and 
 hardships incident to life on the frontier. 
 But notwithstanding the grasshopper scourge 
 and the many other drawbacks with which 
 he had to contend, by his honest industry, 
 his courage and his perseverance he came 
 safely through and is to-day the owner of 
 240 acres of as good land as there is in the 
 State of Minnesota. He raises fine crops of 
 grain, and has for a number of years been 
 extensivelj' engaged in stock raising. Be- 
 sides his home farm, he owns six valuable 
 building lots in the center of Elmore. 
 
 Mr. Van Buren has always taken a com- 
 mendable interest in local affairs. He be- 
 came a member of the Township Board 
 soon after locating here, and served in that 
 capacity ten years. He was elected Town- 
 ship Assessor twenty-two years ago, and for 
 more than two-thirds of the time since then 
 has filled the office, being its incumbent at 
 this writing. He has been a member of the 
 School Board ever since coming here, with 
 the exception of three years when he was a 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND yACKSON. 
 
 295 
 
 member of the building committee, and he 
 served as Clerk of the Board for many years. 
 In politics, he has been a stanch Republican 
 ever since the formation of the party. He 
 is a member of the Masonic order, affiliating 
 with King David Lodge, No. 179, of El- 
 more, since 1888. 
 
 Mr. Van Buren was married February 
 22, 1855, to Hannah Maria White, a native 
 of Erie county, New York, and a daughter 
 of Stephen H. and Cheney (Percy) White, 
 both natives of Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Van Buren have five children living, — four 
 daughters and one son, namely: Martin, at- 
 tending the business college at Mankato; 
 Francis C, the wife of Lepold Oelke, of 
 Rome township; Ada Jane, wife of Lee 
 Dolliver, of Iowa; Jessie, wife of William 
 H. Stubbs, Eagle Grove, Iowa; and Hattie 
 Belle, at home. Annie, the second daugh- 
 ter, became the wife of Curtis Dolliver, of 
 Iowa, and died at the age of twenty-nine 
 years and eight months, leaving a husband 
 and four children. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Van Buren are members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of El- 
 more village. 
 
 <y^ANIEL D. ALTON, who resides 
 I I on section 17, Fairmont township, 
 /^^_^ is one of the prominent and pros- 
 perous farmers of Martin county, 
 who has long been identified with the agri- 
 cultural interests of this section of the State 
 He was born in Jefferson county, New York, 
 February 2, 1843, descended from a hardy 
 family of the Emerald Isle. His grand- 
 father, Lawrence Alton, and his father, 
 Christopher Alton, were both natives of 
 county Limerick, Ireland, and when the 
 latter was twelve years of age he was brought 
 
 by his parents to America, the family locat- 
 ing in Jefferson county, New York. After 
 he had attained to man's estate, he led to 
 the marriage altar Miss Ann Montgomery, 
 who was born in county Antrim, Ireland, 
 and came with her parents to the New 
 World when a young lady of seventeen 
 years. Her father died while on board the 
 ship. The daughter became a resident of 
 Kingston, Canada, and there the parents of 
 our subject were married, removing thence 
 to Jefferson county. New York, where they 
 resided for some years. In 1848 they emi- 
 grated to the new State of Wisconsin, which 
 in that year had been admitted to the Union, 
 and located in Washington county upon a 
 claim which was pre-empted by Mr. Alton. 
 The father died in the Badger State, when 
 about si.Kty-three years of age: the mother's 
 death occurred in Jersey City, New Jersey, 
 in 1862. Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Alton 
 were the parents of five children, four sons 
 and a daughter, all of whom reached years 
 of maturity. Adam is now living in Minne- 
 sota; Elizabeth is deceased; Daniel D. is the 
 next younger; and Michael and Joseph are 
 living in Monroe county, Wisconsin. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record is the third child of the family. He 
 was a little lad of only four summers when 
 brought by his family to the West. For 
 some time afterward he was a resident of 
 the Badger State. He may truly be called 
 a self-made man, for he started out in life 
 for himself at the age of sixteen years, work- 
 ing on farms through the summer months 
 and attending school during the winter 
 seasons. His early life was therefore not a 
 season of ease and lu.xury, but a period of 
 labor, but he developed thereby a self-reli- 
 ance and force of character which have been 
 of incalculable benefit to him in later years. 
 
296 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 In 1 86 1 Mr. Alton responded to the call 
 of President Lincoln for troops to aid in 
 crushing out the Rebellion, and became a 
 member of Company K, Sixth Wisconsin 
 \'olunteer Infantry. He took part in several 
 important battles, including the engage- 
 ments at Beaver Mound, Rappahannock. 
 White Sulphur Springs, Warrington and the 
 second battle of Bull Run. At the last 
 named he was wounded, the ball passing 
 through his right thigh, and on account of 
 the injuries thus sustained he was honorabl}" 
 discharged April 14, 1863. He had always 
 been found at his post of duty and was a 
 valiant and loyal soldier, true to the old flag 
 and the cause it represented. 
 
 Mr. .\lton at once returned to his home 
 in Juneau county, Wisconsin, where he was 
 employed in the lumber woods and at farm- 
 ing until 1864, when he removed to Olm- 
 sted county, Minnesota. The following 
 spring he came to Martin county and secured 
 a homestead claim of 160 acres of land in 
 Tenhassen township, which he at once be- 
 gan to clear and improve. About this time 
 he chose as a companion and helpmeet on 
 life's journey Miss Mary E. Dennett, their 
 marriage being consummated on the 22d of 
 March, 1 866. The lady was born in Alle- 
 gany count}'. New York, November 5, 1846. 
 Her father, Jacob Dennett, was a native of 
 the Empire State, and a son of David Den- 
 nett, and was of English descent. Her 
 mother, who in her maidenhood was Cor- 
 neHa Alvoid, was also a native of New 
 York and a daughter of Captain Alvoid, 
 who was of English descent and served in 
 the Continental army during the Revolution- 
 ary war with the rank of Captain. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Dennett removed to the State of 
 Wisconsin when Mrs. Alton was onlj- about 
 ten years old, and there engaged in farming. 
 
 They located first in Sauk county, and after 
 two years went to Monroe county. The 
 mother died in New York, at the age of six- 
 ty-five years, and the father is now living 
 three miles from Lowell, Massachusetts. 
 They were the parents of five children; Jo- 
 sephine, wife of Liberty Dennett, a lawyer 
 of Portland, Maine; Lafayette, who is em- 
 ployed in the post office of New York city; 
 Mary E. , the wife of our subject; W. Eu- 
 gene, aBaptist minister now living in Rhode 
 Island; and Alonzo G., a practicing physi- 
 cian of fronton, Sauk county, Wisconsin. 
 
 Mrs. Alton was educated in Monroe and 
 Juneau counties, Wisconsin, and is a lady of 
 culture and refinement, who presides with 
 grace over her hospitable home. For seven 
 3'ears she successfully engaged in teaching 
 school, and her ability was widely recog- 
 nized. To Mr. and Mrs. Alton have been 
 born seven children, five sons and two 
 daughters, who in order of birth are as fol- 
 lows: Lorenzo D., now deceased; Carrie 
 C, who is now taking a course as a trained 
 nurse in Battle Creek, Michigan; Alfred D., 
 a teacher; Josephine, who is engaged in 
 teaching in Tenhassen township; Alonzo E., 
 who is a student in Battle Creek College of 
 Battle Creek, Michigan; Herbert D., a stu- 
 dent in the schools of Fairmont; and Lester, 
 1 who completes the family. 
 
 Shortly after his marriage Mr. Alton lo- 
 cated upon a farm in Tenhassen township 
 and began its development, continuing its 
 cultivation for a period of twentj'-eight 
 years. He first moved into a log house, but 
 it was replaced by a substantial frame resi- 
 dence. The boundaries of the farm were 
 extended until it now comprises a half sec- 
 tion of land, — a rich and valuable tract which 
 is now operated by his sons. In 1 893 Mr. 
 .\lton purchased the Hazelmere place, which 
 
^ -^. Siu/a. 
 
FARIBAULT, .MARTI X, W A TON WAX AND JACKSON. 
 
 299 
 
 he now makes his home, living in a beauti- 
 ful dwelling, three stories in height, situated 
 on the bank of the lovely "Hall Lake." 
 The home is supplied with many evidences 
 of the taste and culture of its inmates, and 
 the many friends of the family are always 
 sure to receive a hearty welcome there. 
 The seventy-five acres of the farm adjoins 
 the lake and not only adds to the beauty of 
 the home but also to its pleasure in various 
 ways. 
 
 For many years Mr. Alton was a sup- 
 porter of the Republican party, but has now 
 severed his allegiance to the same. He 
 has served as a member of the Board of Su- 
 pervisors of Tenhassen township, and for the 
 long period of sixteen years was Clerk of 
 School District No. 17. He has also filled 
 other minor offices, and has ever faithfully 
 discharged the trust reposed in him. fn the 
 Seventh Day Adventist Church he holds his 
 religious relations. The life and efforts of 
 Nfr. Alton have been crowned with a high 
 degree of success. He has steadily worked 
 his way upward, overcoming the difficulties 
 and obstacles in his path by determined 
 effort and perseverance, and his good business 
 and executive ability have brought to him a 
 prosperity of which he is well deserving. 
 His name is on the rolls of Martin county's 
 most prominent agriculturists and citizens, 
 and among its representative citizens he well 
 deserves mention. 
 
 X^EORGE SELDEN FOWLER, a 
 ■ ^^ well known farmer and stockraiser 
 \^P residing ou section 32, Westford 
 township, Martin county, was born 
 on the 1 8th of May, 1834, in Northford, 
 Connecticut, descending from good old Rev- 
 olutionary stock. The Fowler family was 
 
 16 
 
 founded in America by three brothers who 
 came from England to this country at an 
 early day in its history. His grandfather, 
 Maltby Fowler, and his father, De Grasse 
 Fowler, were both natives of Connecticut. 
 The latter married Sophronia Austin, who 
 was born in the same State, as was her 
 father, Enos Austin. Her grandfather was 
 one of the heroes of the Revolution. The 
 parents of our subject spent their entire 
 lives in the Nutmeg State. The father died 
 suddenly in 1863, at Hamilton, Fillmore 
 county, Minnesota, while visiting his son at 
 that place, and the mother passed away in 
 1894. In their family were five children, 
 three of whom are yet living, namely: Malt- 
 by, George S. and Herbert E. One son, 
 De Grasse, was a soldier in the Civil war, 
 and his death resulted from the hardships 
 and exposures incident to army life. The 
 father of this family was an inventor and 
 machinist, and he invented the first solid- 
 head pin ever manufactured. His father 
 and all his brothers were also inventors and 
 were the originators of many useful and in- 
 genious articles. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of 
 George S. Fowler, we present to our readers 
 the hfe record of one of Martin county's 
 most prominent and influential citizens. 
 He was reared in Waterbury and Walling- 
 ford, Connecticut, and acquired an excellent 
 education, pursuing liis studies in New Brit- 
 ain in his native State. He then entered 
 his father's factory in Wallingford, where he 
 remained until January, 1857, when he emi- 
 grated westward. Coming to Minnesota, 
 he took up his residence upon his present 
 farm with Holmes F"owler, a sketch of whom 
 appears elsewhere in this work. He now 
 owns here 240 acres of rich and arable land, 
 and his wife has in her possession 143 acres. 
 
%oo 
 
 MEMORIAL HE CORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 The entire amount is cleared and cultivated 
 and well tilled fields yield to the owner a 
 golden tribute in return for the care and 
 cultivation he bestows upon them. The 
 buildings are neat and substantial structures 
 and are well kept up, showing no neglect or 
 carelessness on the part of Mr. Fowler. He 
 devotes his time and attention to general 
 farming and to stock-raising, making a spe- 
 cialty of the breeding of sheep and hogs. 
 
 In 1 86 1 Mr. Fowler wedded Susan E. 
 Booth, a native of Newtown, Connecti- 
 cut, and a daughter of Daniel L. Booth, 
 one of the early settlers of Fillmore county, 
 Minnesota, who located there in 1856. 
 Her parents are both now deceased. She 
 had three brothers who enlisted in the 
 United States regular army and served 
 through the Civil war. One brother, Jus- 
 tin S. , was killed at the battle of Weldon 
 Railroad in 1865; Nathan R. wore the blue 
 throughout the entire conflict; and Daniel 
 T. after serving for some time was honor- 
 ably discharged on account of physi- 
 cal disability. He is now an Episcopal 
 minister of Minnesota. The Booth family 
 is of English origin and was probably es- 
 tablished in America during early colonial 
 days. 
 
 Mrs. Fowler was born November 15, 
 1843, and by her marriage has become the 
 mother of nine children, eight of whom are 
 yet living, as follows: Justin Herbert, at 
 home; Lillian Emma, wife of J. K. Tanner 
 of Fairmont, by whom she has two chil- 
 dren; Edith, wife of Harry St. John and the 
 mother of one child; Edwin, twin brother 
 of Edith; Mary S., George Fred, Grace and 
 William W., who are still under the paren- 
 tal roof. Three of the daughters have suc- 
 cessfully engaged in schoolteaching, and all 
 the children are well educated. Miss Mary 
 
 is proficient in music, while Fred is now 
 a student in the Agricultural College of Min- 
 nesota. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fowler were reared in the 
 faith of the Episcopal Church, but are not 
 now communicants. In his political views 
 he was formerly a Republican, but now sup- 
 ports the Populist party. He has taken 
 quite an active interest in local politics, and 
 has been called upon to fill a number of 
 offices of honor and trust in this commu- 
 nity. He served as County Auditor of Mar- 
 tin county, and for three years served as 
 County Commissioner. He was elected 
 Probate Judge, but refused to qualify for that 
 office. He has been Chairman of the Town- 
 ship Board and is Clerk of the school district. 
 He is a public-spirited and progressive man, 
 who gives his support to every enterprise 
 calculated to prove of public benefit, and is 
 numbered among the valued citizens of his 
 adopted county. He is also one of the pio- 
 neer settlers, and has been an important 
 factor in the upbuilding and advancement 
 of the community; and in the long years of 
 his residence here his life has ever been 
 such as to win him the confidence and es- 
 teem of all with whom he has been brought 
 in contact. 
 
 a 
 
 HARLES H. CAREY is one of the 
 leading citizens of Elmore. The 
 records of the lives of our fore- 
 father's are of interest to the mod- 
 ern citizen not alone for their historical 
 value but also for the inspiration and ex- 
 ample they afford the present generation. 
 Yet we need not look to the past for this, 
 for although surroundings may differ the es- 
 sential conditions of human life are ever the 
 same and a man can learn from the success 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 301 
 
 of others if he will heed the ob\ious lessons 
 contained in their history. Study the life 
 of Mr. Carey and you will see the plans and 
 methods which have been followed by one 
 who has gained prosperity through his own 
 efforts — through enterprise, sagacity and 
 keen perception. 
 
 Mr. Carey is a Western man and pos- 
 S2sses the energetic and alert spirit which 
 characterizes the citizens of the Mississippi 
 valle}'. He was born in Fox Lake, Wis- 
 consin, and is the eldest in a family of 
 five sons, whose parents were Francis E. 
 and Matilda (Jennings) Carey. The grand- 
 parents, Joseph and Elizabeth (Rawdon) 
 Care}', were both natives of Quebec, Can- 
 ada, and descended from French ancestors. 
 The father of our subject was born in Ver- 
 mont, April 16, 1828, and when nine years 
 of age he started out to make his own living, 
 working on a farm until fifteen years of age. 
 He then began to learn the shoemaker's 
 trade in Brandon, Vermont, and success- 
 fully followed that pursuit for fifteen years, 
 carrying on business in Salisbury, Vermont. 
 About this time the Mississippi valley was 
 becoming rapidly settled, emigrants from 
 the East taking advantage of the splendid 
 resources afforded in this section of the 
 country. In 1855 Francis E. Carey re- 
 moved to Wisconsin, settling in Columbia 
 county, where he secured a tract of Govern- 
 ment land, which he cultivated until 1867, 
 at which time he came to Faribault county, 
 Minnesota. In August, 1867, he located on 
 section 6, Blue Earth City township, and 
 has since devoted his time and attention to 
 general farming and stock-raising. He is 
 extensively engaged in the raising of sheep, 
 and his business interests have been so man- 
 aged that he has acquired a most comfort- 
 able competence. His farm, comprising 
 
 320 acres of rich land, is one of the best in 
 the county. 
 
 Francis E. Carey was married November 
 23, 1854, in Salisbury, Vermont, to Ma- 
 tilda N. Jennings, a native of that place 
 and a daughter of Lathrop and Eliza 
 (Thomas) Jennings, the family being of 
 English and Welsh descent. Five sons 
 have been born to perpetuate the family 
 name and bring honor to a family that has 
 ever furnished most highly esteemed citizens 
 of society. The eldest, Charles H., is fol- 
 lowed by Clarence E. , who is now living in 
 Blue Earth City; Walter Scott, who oper- 
 ates the home farm; William F. , a grain 
 buyer of Elmore, Minnesota, and Lathrop 
 M. , a well-known carpenter of the county 
 seat of Faribault county. 
 
 On the 22d of May, 1856, Charles H. 
 Carey was born, and in 1867 he became a 
 resident of Minnesota. The first eleven 
 years of his life were passed in the county 
 of his nativity, and in its public schools he 
 began his education, which, was completed 
 in the schools of Blue Earth City. In 
 May, 1879, an adventurous spirit, a desire 
 to see more of the world, led him to 
 enter upon an independent business career, 
 — for hitherto he had carried on farm- 
 ing with his father, — and he went to 
 California, where he spent a year and a 
 half engaged in prospecting and merchan- 
 dising. In the latter part of 1880 he re- 
 turned home and continued there until 
 1882. at which time he began business for 
 himself, dealing in hay in Blue Earth City. 
 In the following year he built a residence in 
 the village of Elmore, where he has since 
 made his home, and the progress and ma- 
 terial development of that place is very 
 largely due to his efforts. At the time of 
 his arrival here there were but two stores in 
 
30- 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 the village and but few residences. He has 
 since been engaged in bu) ing and putting up 
 hay, and is now doing business on a large 
 scale, his trade having reached extensive 
 proportions. He is also a large stock 
 dealer and has other commercial interests 
 which make him one of the leading business 
 men of his adopted county. About six 
 years ago the Exchange Bank of Elmore 
 was established by George W. Taylor, S. H. 
 Taylor, C. H. Carey and Z. Roberts. The 
 last named gentleman soon retired, and the 
 business has since been conducted by Messrs. 
 Taylor and Carey, — a solid financial institu- 
 tion whose conservative and safe methods 
 inspire confidence and have gained a good 
 volume of business. This company is also 
 engaged in buying stock and shipping hay, 
 and does an extensive business in the sale of 
 agricultural implements. 
 
 On the 24th of January, 1884, was cele- 
 brated the marriage of Mr. Carey and Miss 
 Louise Constans, one of the six children of 
 George and Annie (Rousch) Constans, of 
 St. Paul, Minnesota, which city the lady 
 claims as the place of her nativity. Their 
 home is brightened by the presence of a lit- 
 tle son, Mark Henry. 
 
 In politics Mr. Carey is a Republican of 
 pronounced views, energetic and forceful, 
 and in the counsels of his party his views 
 and opinions are received with consideration 
 and carry weight with them. He has been 
 chosen a member of every county convention 
 since coming to Elmore, and has also been 
 a delegate to Congressional and State con- 
 ventions. In local matters he is deeply in- 
 terested and ever labors for the welfare of 
 his town and county. For several years he 
 has served as Supervisor, and at this writ- 
 ing is President of the village. He was the 
 first man initiated in King David Lodge, No. 
 
 179, F. & A. M., is one of the most promi- 
 nent members of the society, and is now 
 acting as its Secretary. He also belongs to 
 the Ancient Order of United Workmen. 
 Mr. Carey is well known as one of the fore- 
 most among the broad-gauged and able busi- 
 ness men of Faribault county, and is a citi- 
 zen that Faribault county could ill afford to 
 lose. 
 
 x^/^ OBERT G. GILLSON, of Minne- 
 I /^ sota Lake, a resident of Faribault 
 
 \ _ P county for thirty years, is a native 
 of Lincolnshire, England, born 
 November 2, 1852, a son of George and 
 Mary (Gimber) Gillson, and is the third in 
 the family of ten children, as follows: W. 
 G., who was born in Lincolnshire, England, 
 died in the forty-fifth year of his age; Mary 
 E., who married W. H. Billington, is now 
 deceased; Robert G., the next younger; 
 James, born in New York, died in Dodge 
 county, Wisconsin; Phoebe Ann, widow of 
 Louis Goodchild; James Prior, a resident of 
 Walnut Lake township, where he is engaged 
 in farming with his brother Lafayette; 
 Susanna Charlotte, who is the wife of John 
 Scott, of Wells, Minnesota; Lafayette and 
 and Janette, twins: the former is farming on 
 the old homestead, while the latter is the 
 wife of Williard Hunt, a farmer of Walnut 
 Lake township; Bertha Amelia, who is the 
 deceased wife of Joseph Allen, of Wells, 
 Minnesota. 
 
 The father of our subject was a native 
 of Lincolnshire, England, born in 1827. 
 He was the first of the family to come to 
 the United States, and for a time resided in 
 New York, removing thence to Dodge 
 county, Wisconsin. Politically he was a 
 Republican, but never sought or held ottice. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 303 
 
 He lost his life in a sawmill at Beaver 
 Dam, Wisconsin. His widow subsequently 
 removed to Walnut Lake township, Fari- 
 bault county, and on the 6th of March, 
 1895, celebrated her seventy-sixth birthday. 
 
 On the 1 8th of April, 1875, Robert Gill- 
 son was united in marriage with Miss Isa- 
 bella M. Smith, a native of Fulton county, 
 New York, born July 11, 1847. She is the 
 daughter of Christopher and Betsey (Ped- 
 rick) Smith. On her father's side she is of 
 Holland descent, and on her mother's side 
 is of Scotch extraction. Her mother is 
 yet living in Clark county, Wisconsin, and 
 is now in the eighty-seventh year of her age. 
 Her father died at the avanced age of 
 ninety-six years. The wedding of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Gillson was celebrated at Walnut 
 Lake, Rev. Mr. Eldred, a Methodist divine, 
 officiating. After their marriage the young 
 couple moved to Minnesota Lake township, 
 where they remained one year, Mr. Gillson 
 conducting the farm belonging to his uncle 
 John. They then went to Danville town- 
 ship and spent two years, returning to 
 Minnesota Lake township, where they 
 have since resided. Mr. Gillson, in addi- 
 tion to farming, for a period of six years 
 represented the McCormick Machine Com- 
 pany. He was also for a time engaged with 
 J. T. Clark, representing the Grover, Steele 
 & Austin Buggy Company. On the iSth of 
 October, 1 891, he purchased the dray outfit of 
 Oscar Barber, and has since been engaged 
 in that line of business. 
 
 Two children have been born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Gillson: Marvin Edward, born Janu- 
 ary 21, 1878; and Rose Belle, born Novem- 
 ber 7, 1882. 
 
 Wliile residing on the farm of his uncle 
 John, in 1875, Mr. Gillson had two 
 \'aluable gray horses taken from his stable. 
 
 On discovering his loss he applied to Q. J. 
 Adams, then Deputy Sheriff of Faribault 
 county, and in his company started on a 
 search for the thieves and stolen property. 
 After nearly six weeks the Deputy Sheriff, 
 who had covered several thousand miles of 
 territorj', abandoned the search. Through 
 an advertisement in a St. Paul paper Mr. 
 Gillson was led to believe that his horses 
 were in Moorhead, Clay county, this State, 
 near the Red river of the North. He at 
 once went to St. Paul and there found his 
 property, which he secured after a long par- 
 ley with the man who had innocently pur- 
 chased them. The thieves were captured 
 and sentenced to a term of imprisonment in 
 the Minnesota penitentiary. On his home- 
 ward trip, being out late in the evening of 
 the first day, between Moorhead and Breck- 
 enridge, with the horses, he was twice 
 fired upon, presumably by relatives of the 
 thieves, but escaped injury. 
 
 Mr. Gillson is a member of the Ancient 
 Order of United Workmen and also of the 
 Mordern Woodmen. Politically he is a Re- 
 publican, and has served two terms as vil- 
 lage Marshal. His wife is a member of the 
 Methodist Church of Minnesota Lake. 
 
 @EORGE WESLEY OTT, one of 
 the representative farmers and 
 early settlers of Martin county, 
 dates his residence here from 1867, 
 and during the years which have since come 
 and gone he has always lived at his present 
 place of abode in Fairmont township. Mr. 
 Ott is a western man, and his interests have 
 always been identified with the Mississippi 
 valley. He was born in Harrison county, 
 Indiana, on the 12th of May, 1835, and 
 comes of a family of German lineage. His 
 
304 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 grandfather was a native of Kentucky and 
 his father, Ninrod Ott, was a native of the 
 same State. There he spent the days of his 
 boyhood and youth and learned the black- 
 smith's trade, which he followed more or 
 less for some years. He removed from Ken- 
 tucky to Indiana, and after residing for a 
 time in Harrison county went to Menard 
 county, Illinois, locating in Petersburg, 
 where he still resides, at a \ery ad\anced 
 age. His work through life has been black- 
 smithing and farming, and he has led a busy 
 and useful life. His wife, who bore the 
 maiden name of Purlina Gum, was born in 
 Kentucky, and is a daughter of Jehu Gum, 
 a native of the same State and an early set- 
 tler of Indiana. This worthy couple are the 
 parents of eleven children, of whom our sub- 
 ject is the third in order of birth. 
 
 George W. Ott remained in the Hoosier 
 State until sixteen years of age, and then 
 accompanied his parents on their removal to 
 Illinois, where he remained until coming to 
 Minnesota. No event of special importance 
 occurred during his boyhood and youth, 
 which was quietly passed in his parents' 
 home, midst play and work. He was reared 
 to agricultural pursuits and has made that 
 occupation his life work. As before stated 
 he arrived in Minnesota in 1867, and located 
 upon the farm which has since been his place 
 of residence. He raised the first crop ever 
 cultivated upon the farm, and with charac- 
 teristic energy began to transform the wild 
 land into rich and fertile fields. He now 
 owns 230 acres, of which 100 acres is under 
 the plow, the remainder of the land being 
 pasture and meadow. In connection with 
 general farming he carries on stock-raising, 
 and keeps on hand a good grade of cattle, 
 horses and hogs. 
 
 In Menard county, Illinois, Mr. Ott was 
 
 united in marriage with Miss Sarah Haden 
 Parker, who was born in Kentucky, and dur- 
 ing her early girlhood went with her mother 
 to Illinois. To them have been born three 
 children, all sons, — Horatio Seymour, Jesse 
 Monroe and George Henry; and the family 
 circle yet remains unbroken. They have a 
 wide circle of friends and acquaintances 
 throughout the community and the Ott 
 household is the abode of hospitality. 
 
 In political connection Mr. Ott is a 
 Democrat, supporting by his ballot the men 
 and measures of that party, but, though he 
 takes an active interest in political affairs as 
 every true American citizen should do, and 
 keeps well informed on the issues of the 
 day, he has never sought or desired political 
 preferment. In his business dealings he has 
 been very successful. His life has not been 
 passed midst scenes of excitement, but fol- 
 lowing the even tenor of his way he has, 
 by his straightforward dealing and honesty, 
 won the confidence of all with whom busi- 
 ness or social relations have brought him in 
 contact, and has gained a comfortable com- 
 petence, being now numbered among the 
 substantial citizens of the community. 
 
 el). WILLSON, an honored pioneer 
 of Faribault county, and for many 
 years a recognized and prominent 
 factor in the commercial world of 
 this locality, is a resident of Minnesota Lake. 
 He is a native of Louisville, St. Lawrence 
 county, New York, born November 7, 1842, 
 and is a son of Samuel Warner Willson. He 
 too was born in St. Lawrence county, on the 
 old family homestead. His father, for whom 
 he was named, emigrated to that county at 
 an early da)' from New England. The region 
 in which he settled was then primitive in- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 305 
 
 deed, unmarked by few evidences of civiliza- 
 tion, and in the midst of a dense timber belt 
 he erected a log cabin in which he began 
 life in true pioneer stj-le. ^^'ith character- 
 istic energ}' he began felling the trees that 
 the sunlight might fall upon his little home. 
 In that county he was married, and of the 
 union were born six sons and three daughters, 
 including the father of our subject. 
 
 Samuel W. Willson, Jr., devoted much 
 of his life to the carpenter's trade but also 
 found time to till the acres of the old home 
 place. Over a quarter of a century ago, he 
 emigrated from the county of his nativity 
 to Faribault county, Minnesota, settling on 
 section 18, Minnesota Lake township, where 
 he purchased of Samuel Cor}' a quarter sec- 
 tion of land. There he made his home 
 throughout his remaining days, his death 
 occurring January 6, 1871. His remains 
 were interred in Oak Grove cemetery of 
 Danville, Blue Earth county, where a mon- 
 ument has been erected to his memory. In 
 his political views he was a pronounced 
 Democrat. In early life he married Lucy 
 O. Hosmer, who was born in Louisville, 
 New York, July 7, 1822, and to her husband 
 she was a faithful companion and help-mate. 
 She is still living in this county, at the age 
 of seventy-two, and is in possession of all her 
 faculties unimpaired. She holds member- 
 ship in the Universalist Church, and her 
 pure Christian life is well worthy of emula- 
 tion. The eldest child of the family is E. D. , 
 of this sketch, with whom the mother resides. 
 Ira, born April 26, 1 845, died and was buried 
 in Louisville, New York; William H., born 
 October 2, 1848, in Louisville, now resides 
 in Waverly township, Martin county, Min- 
 nesota, and is Postmaster of North Star 
 post office. He was also candidate for the 
 office of State Senator, was chairman of the 
 
 Town Board of Supervisors and is a promi- 
 nent citizen of the community in which he 
 resides. He was also secretary of the Farm- 
 ers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company of 
 Martin county, and was County Superintend- 
 ent of Schools of Sibley county, when a res- 
 ident of Henderson, Minnesota. Elizabeth, 
 the 3'oungest of the family, was born Octo- 
 ber 4, 1850, and is the wife of E. O. Shoen, 
 a carpenter of Goldsfield, Wright county, 
 Iowa. He was born in St. Lawrence 
 county. New York, for some years resided 
 in Minnesota Lake and for four years past 
 has lived at his present place of abode. 
 
 E. D. Willson, the immediate subject of 
 this review, remained with his parents dur- 
 ing his boyhood and youth, accompanied 
 them to the Gopher State and allied his 
 business interests with his father's, supple- 
 menting the latter's labors with his own and 
 working with him for the interests and sup- 
 port of the family. He was married June 
 6, 1865, to Miss Sarah Deuel, a daughter of 
 Cornelius Deuel, of Louisville, New York, 
 where Mrs. Willson was born, October 29, 
 1845. Her mother is still living and has 
 now reached the advanced age of eighty-five 
 years. The children born of the union of 
 our subject and his estimable wife are the 
 following: Ira, who was born September 
 5, 1866, and died August 26, 1867, being 
 laid to rest in the cemetery in Louisville, 
 New York, where sleeps so many of his an- 
 cestors; Lulu C. , who was born in Minne- 
 sota Lake, March 18, 1869, is now the wife 
 of John Sill, an agriculturist, who is now 
 living near Grant's Pass, Oregon, whither he 
 went for the benefit of his health; and 
 Edna, who was born May 20, 1877, and is 
 still under the parental roof. There are also 
 two little grandchildren, Elda and Lloyd 
 Sill, the former now in her seventh year, 
 
3o6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 the latter in his fifth year. They are bright, 
 interesting children, and are now sharing 
 the home of their grandparents, — the light 
 and joy of the household. 
 
 Few men are better or more favorably 
 known than E. D. Willson. He began life 
 at the lowest round of the ladder and has 
 steadily worked his way upward until he 
 has gathered the fruits that can be obtained 
 only by climbing. He long followed farming 
 and his successfully conducted affairs made 
 him one of the leading agriculturists of the 
 community. For many years he also en- 
 gaged in threshing, and in this way added 
 not a little to his income. About six years 
 since he removed to Minnesota Lake and is 
 now a member of the firm of Townsend & 
 Willson, dealers in flour, grain and machin- 
 ery. In connection with his other property 
 he owns the beautiful drug store in Minne- 
 sota Lake, and has several hundred acres of 
 valuable land in Minnesota Lake township. 
 All has been acquired through his own 
 efforts, and demonstrates what can be ac- 
 complished through industry, energy and 
 perseverance. Near his warehouse he has 
 a pretty and comfortable home and his days 
 are now spent in comparative ease. He, 
 however, will never be an idle man, for his 
 nature is too enterprising and energetic. 
 He has served his fellow citizens as a mem- 
 ber of the Town Board of Supervisors, also 
 served as its chairman, but has ne\er been 
 a politician in the sense of office-seeking, 
 preferring to give the greater part of his 
 time and attention to his business interests 
 and the enjoyment of his home. He votes 
 with the Democratic party, but is not 
 an aggressive politician. In the Ancient 
 Order of United Workmen he takes an ac- 
 tive interest and is one of the charter mem- 
 bers of Minnesota Lake Lodge, No. 131. 
 
 He is recognized as one of the most honored 
 pioneers of this section of the State, and 
 his well spent life has gained for him the 
 confidence and good will of all with whom 
 he has been brought in contact. Pleasant 
 and genial in manner, his friends are many 
 and all have for him the highest regard. 
 
 s 
 
 OREN NIELSEN, an influential 
 and respected citizen of Petersburg 
 township, has resided in Jackson 
 county for eleven j-ears. He was 
 born in Denmark October 11, 1833, and is 
 a son of Niels Lauridsen and Mette (Greg- 
 ersen) Nielsen and is the fifth in the family 
 of nine children, as follows: Ingeborg, yet 
 residing in the old country; Laurids, also in 
 his native land; Gregis, who emigrated to 
 America in 1870, located on Manhattan 
 island, where he died. He was a sexton in 
 the famous Greenwood cemetery. Mary 
 died in her native land. Soren is the next 
 younger. Abbelone still makes his home in 
 Denmark. Merton died abroad. Chris- 
 tian, who is one of the substantial business 
 men of Brooklyn, New York, conducts a 
 large carriage manufactory. He has been 
 a resident of the Empire State since 1865. 
 Neils is still living in Denmark. 
 
 The good Christian father of our sub- 
 ject was born in Denmark and devoted his 
 life to agricultural pursuits. He was a 
 members of the Danish Lutheran Church 
 and died in the fifty-second year of his age. 
 His wife died in her native land, in the 
 fifty-seventh year of her age. 
 
 Soren Nielsen was reared on his father's 
 farm and received his education in the com- 
 mon schools in the neighborhood of his 
 birth-place. On the i 8th of October, i 86 1 , 
 he \\as united in marriage with Miss Mette 
 
j^^i'i'iae G?f. -/ja/z/e-i. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 309 
 
 Marine, a native of Denmari<, a daughter of 
 Thue and Carrie (Sorenson) Hansen, born 
 November 15, 1S36. They have had six 
 children, — the first four in Denmark and 
 the others in Brooklyn, New York. Carrie 
 is now the wife of Hans Lauridson, of Lara- 
 mie City, Wyoming. Her first husband 
 was Anders Peter Hansen, who died in. 
 Omaha, Nebraska. Mette Johanne is the 
 wife of Henry Olsen of Jackson. Nils 
 Lauridson is a farmer of Petersburg town- 
 ship. The fourth child, Thue, died in in- 
 fancy and was buried in Greenwood ceme- 
 tery, of Brooklyn, New York. Mathias 
 Adolf resides on the old homestead. Theo- 
 dore died in Brooklyn, New York, and was 
 laid to rest in Greenwood cemetery. 
 
 The father of Mrs. Nielsen, Thue Han- 
 sen, died when seventy-five years of age. 
 Her mother passed away when the daughter 
 was but ten years old. They were both de- 
 vout members of the Danish Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 On the 4th of May, 1873, Mr. Nielsen 
 with his family sailed from Copenhagen, 
 Denmark, and after a voyage of thirty days 
 landed in New York. They came to this 
 country on a steamer of the Inman line, 
 named the New York. Arriving on Manhat- 
 tan island, a brother of our subject met 
 them at Castle Garden and took them to 
 his residence in Brooklyn. Before coming 
 Mr. Nielsen had served an apprenticeship 
 to bricklaying and carpentering, and on his 
 arrival here commenced work at bricklaying, 
 which he followed for about six months and 
 then worked about four months at carpenter- 
 ing. After this he entered the carriage works 
 where his brother was employed as foreman, 
 spending seven years there. After an ill- 
 ness of his wife and indisposition of himself 
 the\- determined to come West with the 
 
 hope of enjoying better health. They first 
 located at Omaha, Nebraska, where they 
 remained about three years engaged in 
 hotel keeping. In 1883, through the in- 
 fluence of Mr. Johnson, Mr. Nielsen deter- 
 mined to purchase a farm in Petersburg 
 township, Jackson county, Minnesota. On 
 this farm, which is located on section 11, 
 he has since resided and made many im- 
 provements. During the eleven years of his 
 residence here he has secured many warm 
 friends and has won the esteem of all with 
 whom he has come in contact. No one 
 ever doubted his integrity and honesty and 
 all the business and representative men of 
 of Jackson know that his word is as good as 
 his bond. 
 
 Politically he is independent, and has 
 served in several local offices. He is a 
 warm friend of the public schools and is 
 ever ready to do all in his power for the ad- 
 vancement of his adopted town and county. 
 The family are members of the Danish 
 Lutheran Church, and Mr. Nielsen is also a 
 member of the Knights of Honor. 
 
 ©EORGE A. BARNES, deceased, 
 settled in Wells in the spring of 
 1 87 1, and from that time until his 
 death was closely identified with 
 her growth and progress. In social and 
 business circles he was prominent, and as a 
 citizen he was most valued. In the history 
 of this section of Minnesota he well deserves 
 honorable mention, and to this family and 
 the many friends he left behind we respect- 
 fully dedicate this record. 
 
 Born in the old town of Newton, now a 
 part of Boston, Massachusetts, on the 17th 
 of January, 1822, he was the youngest in a 
 family of six children whose parents were 
 
3IO 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Andrew and Sarah (Dean) Barnes. The 
 Barnes family is of English origin and was 
 one of the first to locate in Boston. The 
 great-grandfather of our subject was a sea 
 captain and the grandfather and father were 
 prominent merchants in Boston for many 
 years. The latter died when George A. was 
 only six months old. In the public schools 
 of his native city, — the center of learning in 
 this country, — he received a most excellent 
 education, and when his school life was 
 ended he served an apprenticeship at the 
 furrier's trade. In 1842, when twenty years 
 of age, he went to Manchester, New Hamp- 
 shire, and erected a building at the corner 
 of Elm and Hanover streets, and extensively 
 engaged in the manufacture of hats, caps 
 and fur articles, and did a lucrative business 
 in that line for twenty-seven years, in con- 
 nection with which was extensively engaged 
 in the mercantile business. 
 
 On the 30th of August, 1849, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Sarah Jane 
 Stevens, a native of Manchester and daugh- 
 ter of Hibbard and Eliza (Nutt) Stevens, 
 both of whom were born and reared in 
 Manchester, and a part of that beautiful 
 city now stands on the farm which was 
 formerly owned by Mr. Stevens. The 
 Stevens family came from England to 
 America many years prior to the Revolu- 
 tionary war, and the great-grandfather of 
 Mrs. Barnes was a soldier in the French and 
 Indian war. It is very probable that the 
 grandfather was one of the heroes of the Re- 
 volution, for he was a very patriotic man. 
 The Nutt family also came from England in 
 early Colonial days. 
 
 After an era of successful business in the 
 old Granite State, in 1869 Mr. Barnes and 
 his wife bade adieu to their old home in the 
 East and removed to Green Bay, Wisconsin. 
 
 Soon after, however, they took up their 
 residence in Minneapolis, Minnesota, whence 
 they came to Wells in 187 1. At that time 
 this now flourishing city was a small village 
 with little promise of future development, 
 and it is due to the enterprise and energ}' of 
 such men as Mr. Barnes that it is now the 
 second city in the county. He was public- 
 spirited to an eminent degree and always 
 did much in behalf of the national interests 
 and general welfare of his resident com- 
 munity. No interest calculated to promote 
 the general welfare sought his help in vain, 
 and he may truly be numbered among the 
 benefactors of Faribault, his adopted county. 
 
 The business which engaged the atten- 
 tion of Mr. Barnes after coming to Wells 
 was that of insurance, real estate and loans, 
 and in his undertakings he prospered, win- 
 ning as the result of perseverance, resolute 
 purpose, good management and business 
 ability, a handsome competence. He also 
 served the people of this community as Jus- 
 tice of Peace for many years. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Barnes was 
 first an old-line Whig, and upon the organi- 
 zation of the Republican party he joined its 
 ranks and was ever afterward one of its stal- 
 wart supporters. While in New Hamp- 
 shire he was regarded as one of the leaders 
 of the party in the community which was 
 his home, and wielded a great influence in 
 its behalf, but owing to his large business 
 interests could never be induced to accept 
 office. This influence was also felt after his 
 arrival in Minnesota, and he was invariably 
 called upon to preside at all public gather- 
 ings and political meetings, for he under- 
 stood parliamentary law usages and was a 
 dignified and capable presiding officer. So- 
 cially he was a member of Lafayette Lodge, 
 F. & A. M., of Manchester, New Hamp- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 31' 
 
 shire. At the age of seventeen he united with 
 the old Federal Street Baptist Church, of 
 Boston, and ever afterward adhered to that 
 faith. His life was in harmony with his 
 professions, and many acts of kindness and 
 deeds of charity did he perform in a quiet, un- 
 assuming manner, after the example of Him 
 who said, "Let not your right hand know 
 what your left hand doeth." Of large brain 
 and kindly heart, he was interesting and in- 
 structive in conversation, courteous and 
 genial in deportment and a true gentleman 
 at all times. In the various relations of 
 hfe, whether as a citizen, merchant or Chris- 
 tian, was always faithful and true, and on 
 no part of his life was there a mark of 
 wrong or a suspicion of evil doing. For 
 four years prior to his death he was a suf- 
 ferer from paralysis, but bore all with Chris- 
 tian fortitude and at last passed peacefully 
 away, — called to the home prepared for the 
 righteous, — October 21, 1892. 
 
 He died leaving a widow and one son to 
 mourn his loss. The latter, George A. 
 Barnes, is now engaged in the machinery 
 business at Wells, and is the only male 
 representative of one of the oldest Ameri- 
 can families. Mrs. Barnes still resides 
 in Wells and is honored by all who know 
 her. Like her husband, she is a con- 
 sistent member of the Baptist Church, 
 and like him delights in doing good. Her 
 friends are many and have been won by the 
 manv excellencies of her character. 
 
 tV^ ENJAMIN ADAMS, a farmer of 
 |/*=C section 9, Pleasant Prairie town- 
 J^^__^ ship, was born in Oxfordshire, Eng- 
 land, May 12, 1842, a son of 
 George Adams, a native of the same place. 
 He came to America in 1851, locating on a 
 
 farm in Douglas county, Wisconsin, where 
 he remained until his death, at the age of 
 sixty-five years. The mother of our sub- 
 ject, nee Ann Walker, also a native of Eng- 
 land, died in the town of Lowell, Douglas 
 county, at the age of sixty-three years. 
 They were the parents of thirteen children, 
 twelve of whom grew to years of maturity, 
 namely: James, Edward (a soldier in the 
 late war, now deceased), Susan, Benjamin, 
 Thomas (deceased), Alfred, George W. , 
 Annie E., Martha, Sarah, William (who 
 was killed in the army), and Joseph. 
 
 Benjamin Adams, the subject of this 
 sketch, came to America with his parents at 
 the age of nine years, and was reared in 
 Wisconsin. In 1863 he enlisted in Com- 
 pany C, Sixteenth Wisconsin Volunteer In- 
 fantry, and served until the close of the 
 struggle. At the battle of Kingston he nar- 
 rowly escaped death. Receiving his dis- 
 charge at Davenport, Iowa, in the fall of 
 1865, Mr. Adams returned to his home in 
 Wisconsin. In 1863 he purchased the farm 
 he now owns in Martin county, Minnesota, 
 on which he located in 1865, being one of 
 the early pioneers of the township. His 
 first residence was a small log cabin, built 
 in 1866. In an early day he successfully 
 followed trapping, and since then has been 
 engaged in general farming and stock-rais- 
 ing. He now owns 540 acres of good farm- 
 ing land, all in one body, on which he has 
 made all the improvements. In political 
 matters Mr. Adams acts with the Repub- 
 lican party. He has been a member of the 
 Board of Supervisors eleven years and a 
 member of the School Board eight years. 
 
 In 1865, in Wisconsin, our subject was 
 united in marriage with Hannah Nickerson, 
 who was born and reared in New York. To 
 this union have been born thirteen children, 
 
312 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 viz.: Susan, deceased; Laura A., wife of 
 Adelbert Moore, of Martin county; George 
 H., of Dakota; Alpheus, deceased; Will- 
 iam E., at home; Joseph A.; Edsill, de- 
 ceased; Susan; Jennie B. ; Sidney L. ; 
 James A. ; Frederick, and Cora A. 
 
 He. LANE, one of the pioneers of 
 Faribault county, is well-known 
 through this part of Minnesota, 
 the date of his first arrival here 
 being in July, 1857, the day of the memor- 
 able Spirit Lake massacre in Iowa. We 
 take pleasure in presenting the following 
 sketch of his life in this work. 
 
 Mr. Lane was born in Cattaraugus 
 county. New York, April 10, 1832, son of 
 Amos and Lucy (Sanders) Lane, the former 
 a native of New York, and the latter born 
 at the foot of Bald Mountain in Vermont. 
 Amos Lane was a mechanic, a worker in 
 hardwood. He died in Cattaraugus county, 
 New York, at the age of forty-seven years, 
 leaving a widow and eight children, four 
 sons and four daughters, viz. : Augustus C, 
 Harry Cyler, deceased, William, Mehetabel, 
 Amos L. , Sarah, died in Oshkosh, Wiscon- 
 sin, Mandy, Malissa and Caroline. The 
 mother still lives at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at 
 the advanced age of eighty-five years. 
 
 A. C. Lane was reared in his native 
 State, his early life being spent in work on 
 the farm and in the lumber woods. When 
 he was twenty-one he came West to Osh- 
 kosh, Wisconsin, making the jcurney from 
 New York on horseback, via Buffalo, Cleve- 
 land, Chicago and Milwaukee. He assisted 
 in making the first brick that were used in 
 building the wing of the prison at Waupun. 
 He then made a visit to Dodge county, 
 Minnesota, and soon afterward returned 
 
 East, and spent ten months in New York. 
 At the end of that time he came back to 
 Wisconsin and Minnesota. In 1857, as 
 above stated, he arrived in this county, and 
 here he took claim to a tract of land on 
 section 18, Verona township, where he re- 
 sided two years, and then sold out and 
 returned to Waupun, Wisconsin, remaining 
 there two years. In 1 860 he took up his 
 abode in Blue Earth county, and was there 
 in 1863 at the time of the massacre at New 
 Ulm, which horrible affair he witnessed. 
 The year 1863 he spent in Waupun, Wiscon- 
 sin, and in 1864 he settled on his present 
 farm, at first living in a log cabin. His 
 nice farm of 200 acres is now well improved 
 with cottage home, good barn and granary, 
 and a six-acre grove. 
 
 Mr. Lane was married, in i860, to Miss 
 Elizabeth Fairbanks, a native of Cattarau- 
 gus county. New York, daughter of Theo- 
 polis Fairbanks and Susan nee Sykes, both 
 natives of New England, and both deceased, 
 her father passing away at the age of eighty 
 years, and her mother at eighty-two. They 
 had fourteen children, viz. : ApoUos, Frinda, 
 Dorcas, Evaline, James, Wesley, Roseppa, 
 Semando, Elizabeth, Sarah, Elijah, Julia, 
 Mary, and Alfred. Mr. and Mrs. Lane have 
 five children, record of whom is as follows: 
 Minnie, who died at the age of twenty-five 
 years; Sarah, wife of Melvin Foss, of this 
 township, has four children, — James, Stella, 
 Cyril and Cecil, twins; Semando, who mar- 
 ried Cora Hack, and they have one son, 
 Severn D. ; Alton, who married Miss Glee 
 Wise; and Charlie. 
 
 Mr. Lane is an ardent Prohibitionist, 
 and for twenty-five years he and his good 
 wife have been active members of the Prot- 
 estant Methodist Church, he serving as a 
 Class leader twenty years of this time. In 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 313 
 
 1895 they united with the Freewill Baptist. 
 He has also been active and earnest in Sab- 
 bath-school work for many years. This 
 worthy couple have e.xperienced both the 
 hardships and the pleasures of pioneer life, 
 their hospitality has been unbounded, and 
 they are well-known to a large circle of 
 friends, including both the early settlers and 
 those who came later. During their life on 
 this farm they have suffered from wet and 
 drouth and grasshoppers, and while they 
 have had many discouragements they have 
 bravely met and overcome them all, and are 
 now enjoying that peace and prosperity which 
 comes after faithful, honest toil. 
 
 "^Y'^^'IES F. hill, who owwi and oc- 
 Jj cupies a fine farm three miles south- 
 A 1 west of Winnebago City, Minnesota, 
 is one of the respected citizens of 
 Faribault county. He was born in Brad- 
 ford county, Pennsylvania, January 18, 
 1850, son of Felix and Julia Ann (Hoover) 
 Hill, natives of New York. Both his 
 grandfathers, Ira Hill and Cornelius Hoover, 
 were also natives of the Empire State. 
 After their marriage, Felix Hill and his wife 
 settled in Bradford county, Pennsylvania. 
 Some years later they returned to New 
 York, and in 1856 moved out west to Wis- 
 consin, coming via the lakes, and locating 
 on a farm in Green Lake county. There 
 they resided until 1863. That year, bent 
 on securing a home still further west, they 
 came over into Minnesota and located on a 
 tract of wild land in Verona township, Fari- 
 bault county, the journey hither being made 
 with ox teams. Here Felix Hill developed 
 a valuable farm, and on it passed the closing 
 years of his life and died, his death occur- 
 ring in 1887, at the age of sixty-four years. 
 
 His widow still resides at the old home 
 place. He was a man of many sterling 
 characteristics, and was a true pioneer. In 
 politics, he was a Democrat; fraternally, 
 was identified with the I. O. O. F. , No. 30, 
 of Winnebago City. The children com- 
 posing his family are as follows: Ira C. ; 
 Roscoe, South Dakota; James F. ; Sarah 
 E. Park, for some years a popular teacher, 
 is now a resident of Martin county, Minne- 
 sota; Orpha Hall, of this township; Louis 
 A., a farmer of this township; Josephine 
 Colton, of Martin county; W. H. ; and 
 Charles M., on the home farm. 
 
 James F. Hill was thirteen years of age 
 at the time of their removal to Minnesota. 
 Here and in Green Lake county, Wiscon- 
 sin, he received his education in the district 
 schools. In 1877 he purchased his present 
 farm of Charles Ring, it having very few 
 improvements upon it at that time. Here 
 he has lived and prospered for sixteen years. 
 The small frame residence that was here 
 when he took possession, now, serves as a 
 granary, and in its stead is a modern, two- 
 story dwelling, located on a natural building 
 site, and overlooking a broad and beautiful 
 farming region. This house was erected in 
 1892. 
 
 Mr. Hill was married December 11, 
 1878, in Blue Earth City, to Jeannette L. 
 Ring, a native of Clayton county, Iowa, 
 and a daughter of David Ring, a native of 
 Maine, and now a resident of Winnebago 
 City, Minnesota. Her mother, nee Susan 
 Pardee, was born in Michigan. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Ring are the parents of seven children: 
 Mrs. Hill, C. W., George W., Frank, Ethel, 
 Merton, and Nelly. Mr. Hill and his wife 
 have four children, — Howard J., Arthur W., 
 Laurence M. and Mary F. 
 
 Mr. Hill supports the Republican party 
 
3H 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 and has served his fellow citizens as Super- 
 visor of the county and president of the 
 School Board. He is a member of the 
 I. O. O. F. 
 
 fi 
 
 ATRICK CORCORAN, one of the 
 highl}' esteemed citizens of Easton, 
 is now living a retired life, enjoy- 
 ing a rest which he has truly earned 
 and richly deserves. His life has been an 
 industrious one, and his energy, persever- 
 ance and good management have brought to 
 him a comfortable competence. His pretty 
 home in Easton stands as a monument to 
 his labor and is a haven of rest to him in 
 his declining years. 
 
 This gentleman was born and reared 
 on the beautiful isle of Erin. He 
 
 opened his eyes to the light of day Feb- 
 ruary 2, 1826, as the fourth child in a 
 family of twelve born to John and Brid- 
 get (Donnelly) Corcoran. The parents, 
 too, were born there, and the children 
 were all natives 6f that land. James, 
 the eldest, died in New York city when 
 about fifty years of age; Mary became the 
 wife of Frank Fielden, a soldier of the 
 Mexican war, and both have now passed 
 away; Margaret wedded John Sullivan and 
 died in Ulster county. New York; Patrick is 
 the next younger; Peter, who was a soldier 
 of the late war, died in Fond du Lac count}-, 
 Wisconsin; Thomas died in Ulster county, 
 New York; Michael, who has been a thrifty, 
 hard-working man, is now living retired 
 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin; William 
 is a stone-cutter residing in Ulster coun- 
 ty; John died in New York city a few 
 years since; Richard, who was determined 
 to enter the service of his adopted country 
 during the Civil war, was prevented by his 
 
 sweetheart, who went after him and made 
 him return, shortly after which they were 
 married, and she is now his widow, his death 
 having occurred in Ulster county; Mathew, 
 who was a stone-cutter, died in the South; 
 and Frank, who was one of the boys in blue 
 in the war of the Rebellion, fell at the bat- 
 tle of Fair Oaks, Julys, 1862. The father 
 of this family spent his entire life in the land 
 of his nativity, and was both a farmer and 
 mechanic. He was born in county Meath, 
 and died there at the age of sixty years. 
 His wife, who was born in the same 
 county in 1800, left Ireland in 1852 and 
 sailed from Liverpool to New York, accom- 
 panied by her sons, Frank and John. She 
 continued her journey to Ulster county, New 
 York, where her son Patrick was living, and 
 she made her home with her children during 
 her remaining years. She lived part of the 
 time with our subject, who in 1873 went 
 to the East and brought her to his home in 
 Faribault county. Her death occurred at 
 the home of her son Peter in Fond du Lac. 
 Wisconsin, when in the eightieth year of her 
 age. She was a tender and loving mother, 
 and her children will ever hold her in grate- 
 ful remembrance. 
 
 In the land of his birth Patrick Corcoran 
 spent the first nineteen years of his life, and 
 in the public schools obtained his education. 
 He then determined to seek a home in the 
 "land of the free" and embarked on the 
 three-mast sailing vessel Frank Corniac, 
 which in the English Channel had a collis- 
 ion with another vessel and its bows were 
 stove in and it was towed into harbor for 
 repairs. Again weighing anchor, it sailed 
 the Atlantic in six weeks, again reaching 
 New York harbor. Our subject went to the 
 home of his brother James, who had previ- 
 ouslv come to the United States, and se- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 315 
 
 cured work at polishing steel, but after six 
 weeks he went to Ulster county, New York, 
 where he served an apprenticeship to the 
 stone mason's trade. 
 
 It was while there that Mr. Corcoran 
 met and eloped with his employer's daugh- 
 ter, a young lady of sixteen years, and by 
 the parish priest in Chambers street church, 
 New York, Patrick Corcoran and Miss Mary 
 Elizabeth Corcoran were united in the holy 
 bonds of matrimony, the date of this impor- 
 tant event being September 3, 1848. Her 
 father was very indignant, but found that 
 the young couple's happiness depended upon 
 their union, and forgiveness followed. Un- 
 like many elopements, this has resulted in 
 true happiness, and for almost half a cen- 
 tury the worthy pair have traveled life's 
 journey together, their mutual confidence 
 and love increasing as the years have passed, 
 and together they have shared the prosper- 
 ity and adversity, the sorrows and joys, 
 which checker the arena of every one's life. 
 Their home has been blessed with the pres- 
 ence of fourteen children, five sons and nine 
 daughters, as follows: Bridget, born July 
 5, 1849, died in infancy; Margaret, born 
 October 30, 1850, died in her second year; 
 John, born October 30, 1852, died in Fari- 
 bault county, in the twenty-second year of 
 his age; James D., born January 7, 1855, 
 is a grain-buyer of Minnesota Lake; Mary 
 Ann, born August 2, 1857, is the wife of 
 Modus Lutz, a farmer of Barbara township, 
 Faribault county; Ellen, born June 15, 
 1859, is the wife of Joseph Lutz, a cousin 
 of Modus, and a resident of South Dakota; 
 Richard, born July 19, i860, is engaged in 
 teaming in East on; Teressa, born August 2, 
 1862, is the wife of William Terhurne, pro- 
 prietor of a saloon of Easton; William H., 
 born Sebtember 9, 1864, wedded Anna 
 
 Moran, a native of Watertown, Wisconsin, 
 and a graded-school teacher, and they are 
 now living in St. James, Minnesota; Eliza, 
 born January 3, 1867, is the wife of Martin 
 Leary, of Walnut Lake township; Lucy, 
 born December 31, 1868, is the wife of Mer- 
 vil Peterson, of Minnesota Lake; Loretta, 
 born February 28, 1871, is the wife of C. 
 W. Mead, editor of the Tribune of Minne- 
 sota Lake; Alice, born May 19, 1873, died 
 in the eighth year of her age; and one child 
 died in infancy. This is an interesting fam- 
 ily, bringing credit upon their parents, who 
 may be justly, proud of their sons and 
 daughters, now valued citizens of the re- 
 spective communities in which they reside. 
 
 The mother of this family was born in 
 county Meath, Ireland, September 14, 1832, 
 and is a daughter of Patrick and Bridget 
 (Carrolin) Corcoran, who were the parents 
 of ten children, two sons and eight daugh- 
 ters, the tv^'o youngest born in America. In 
 order of birth they are as follows: Margaret; 
 Peter; Jane, deceased; Mrs. Corcoran, of 
 this sketch; Bridget; Ann, a widow; Cath- 
 erine, of New York city; Patrick; Alice and 
 Eliza, both deceased. The father was born 
 in county Meath, Ireland, March 17, 1800, 
 and the mother was born February 12, 
 1804. Mrs. Corcoran, wife of our sub- 
 ject, now has in her possession an old 
 Bible — a family heirloom — which contains 
 a record of her father's family in a line 
 hand-writing equal to that of the most ex- 
 pert penman. He was a man of more than 
 ordinary attainments and his life was well 
 spent. He died in Ulster county, New 
 York, April 11, i860, and his most estim- 
 able wife, who survived him several years, 
 passed away August 12, 1876. 
 
 The year 1 864 witnessed the arrival of 
 Mr. Corcoran and his family in Faribault 
 
3i6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 county. He located in Barbara township, 
 and began farming and stock-raising, which 
 he followed with excellent success for a 
 quarter of a century. As his financial re- 
 sources increased, as the result of his earn- 
 est efforts, he added to his farm until his 
 landed possessions aggregated 520 acres, 
 and he still retains possession of 200 acres. 
 He has disposed of part of his property, wish- 
 ing to live retired, and in 1889 he came to 
 Easton, where he has since made his home. 
 He and his family are members of St. Mary's 
 Catholic Church of Easton, and he is prom- 
 inently identified with the moral and intel- 
 lectual welfare of the community. Reared 
 in the green Isle of Erin, crossing the At- 
 lantic when a young man, securing a start 
 in life at hard labor and after working stead- 
 ily at farming, he is now resting in the 
 evening of life, and by his side is the faithful 
 companion who left father and mother to 
 share his fortunes and his name forty-seven 
 years ago. 
 
 aHARLES ROE is a self-made 
 man who has won success in life 
 through persistent effort, good 
 management and fine business abil- 
 ity. He makes his home on section 24, 
 Nashville township, Martin county, and is 
 accounted one of the leading farmers of the 
 community. Of English birth, he claims 
 Bedfordshire as the place of his nativity, and 
 the date January 19, 1834. He comes of 
 an old family of that country and is a son 
 of Mark Roe, also a native of England and 
 a farmer by occupation, who spent his en- 
 tire life in the land of his birth. His wife, 
 who in her maidenhood was Nancy Barnett, 
 was born in the same place and has also 
 passed away. In their family were eight 
 
 children, seven of whom reached years of 
 maturity, but none, save our subject, be- 
 came residents of America. 
 
 No event of special importance occurred 
 during the childhood and youth of Charles 
 Roe, and he began to earn his livelihood by 
 work as a chore and errand boy. From an 
 early age he has depended upon his own re- 
 sources, and at the age of twenty years he 
 sought home and fortune in America. The 
 accounts which he heard of the privileges 
 and opportunities here afforded young men 
 led to his emigration. He had to borrow 
 the money to pay his passage, and arrived 
 with only two English shillings in his pocket. 
 The vessel in which he sailed dropped an- 
 chor in the harbor of New York, and he 
 made his way to Auburn, in the Empire 
 State, removing thence to Huron county, 
 Ohio, where he remained for several years, 
 but the new and unsettled West attracted 
 him, and the year 1863 witnessed his ar- 
 rival in Minnesota. His first home was in 
 Rice county, which he occupied until 1864, 
 when he came to Nashville township, Mar- 
 tin county, and secured a claim on section 
 24, upon which he built a plank house 16 x 
 24 feet, also adding other improvements as 
 his time and means would allow, until he 
 has transformed the once wild and barren 
 land into one of the finest farms in this sec- 
 tion of the State. He continued its opera- 
 tion until 1886, when he removed to the 
 farm adjoining the one on which he now re- 
 sides. He now owns 420 acres of land, 
 which is divided into fields of convenient 
 size, and the waving grain gives evidence of 
 abundant harvests and tells of the careful 
 supervision of the owner. Farming and 
 stock-raising has been his principal occupa- 
 tion, and he is a worthy representative of 
 the agricultural interests of Martin county. 
 
(y . -0. (&eum?/. 
 
FARIBAULI\ MAKIIW W A l'0.\ W A X A .\ / > 
 
 ( Aso.y 
 
 ;ii9 
 
 Mr. Roe was nianied in i S(i.| in Miss 
 Maiv Ann Kccd wlin was luuii in Kock 
 county, Wisconsin, March 2^. 1X4(1, and is 
 a dauj;chtei" of Freeman W. and Liicina 
 (Cole) Keed. Her parents were both na- 
 tives of New York State. They became pio- 
 neer settlers of Rock count}', and \\ere par- 
 ents of six children, of whom Mrs. Roe is the 
 second in order of birth. Fifteen children 
 formed the family of oin- subject and liis 
 wife, namely: Alice, wife of William 
 Moore, by wlioni she has one child, Leo 
 Russell; Mary, wife of Frank Adams, b\ 
 whom she has one child, Harry; Minnie, at 
 home; Charles and Henr\-, twins; Annabel, 
 wife of Albert Bottomley, Barnett; Edith; 
 Grace; Mable; John; Bertha and Burton, 
 twins, both deceased; I^ucy; and Archie, de- 
 ceased. All were born in Martin county and 
 twelve of the family are yet living. The house- 
 hold is noted for its hospitality and its mem- 
 bers rank high in social circles, their friends 
 throughout the community being many. 
 
 In his political relations Mr. Koe is a I-ie- 
 publican. He cast his first presidential vote 
 f(jr John C. Fremont, on the organisation 
 of the party, and has supported most of the 
 candidates of that party, but for some years 
 has been independent. b"or the long period 
 of twent}' years he has served as a member 
 of the School Board, and has done effective 
 service for the cause of education, lielieving 
 it an important factor in producing good 
 government. His earnest Christian life is 
 worthy the emulation of all, and in the 
 Master's vineyard he has been a faithful 
 laborer. He holds membership with the 
 United Brethren Church, and is Assistant 
 Superintendent of the Sunday-school. He 
 contributes liberally to the support of the 
 church, sparing neither time nor means from 
 the advanceinent of the cause. He has 
 
 10 
 
 walked in tlu' path ol leetililde, and the 
 eonnnuinty in wliirli he has so long resided 
 recogiii/es hiui as one of its hot citi/cns. 
 
 OB. TENNEY, who successfully car- 
 ries on farming on section 13, Lma 
 township, l'"aribault county, is a 
 native of the Empire State. He 
 was born in the town of Ontario, Wayne 
 county. New York, December 9, 1S2S, and 
 is a son of Meshach and Eliza S. (Bush) 
 Tennev, being the second in their family ol 
 si.xteen children. The father was born m 
 the town of Hancock, Hillsboro count). 
 New Hampshire, July 22, 1792, and died at 
 the age of se\'ent\-si\ years. His father, 
 Daniel Tenney, was a soldier in the war of 
 1S12 and departed this life in the old Cranite 
 State. He was a man of inori» than ordinary 
 intelligence, was a very \mc penman, and 
 when in the army his services were recjuired 
 to make a sketch of one of the battles. 
 
 The Tenne\' family is of- i",nglish origin 
 and was founfied in .America in the earl\ part 
 of the sex'enteenth century b\ Thomas 
 Tenney, who was one of <a part\' o| twenty 
 families who crossed the .Atlantic m the 
 autumn nf 1 6:^8, arriving in Salem, .Massa- 
 chusetts, in December. The Tenneys had 
 lived in Ivowlew on the Aorkshire Wolds in 
 the East I-iiding of the county of York, Eng- 
 land. Thomas Tenney first settled in Salem, 
 but spent his declining years at Bradford. 
 Massachusetts, where his death occurred 
 Febrnarx 20, 1699. His son. Deacon John 
 Tcnuew was born December 14, 1640, and 
 died .\|)ril 13, 1722. The lu-xt in the line ol 
 direct descent, Samuel Tenney, was l)orn in 
 P)radford. Massachusetts, November 20,. 
 1667, and jiassed away Febrnar\- .,, 1747- 
 Sannu'l Tennev , of the fourth generation, was 
 
•^20 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 born in Bradford, Massachusetts, now Grove- 
 land, December 17. 1697, and departed this 
 Hfe in Littleton, Massachusetts, in 1777. 
 His son, Samuel, was born in Bradford, May 
 25. 1725, and died in Hancock, New Hamp- 
 shire, February 11, 1795. He was the 
 father of Daniel Tenney, who was born in 
 Littleton, July 7, 1756, and died in Han- 
 cock, March 24, 1S12. The next of the 
 family also bore the name of Daniel, and 
 was born in Marlborough, New Hampshire, 
 March 1 1, 1788, while his death occurred in 
 Juneau, Wisconsin, September 21, 1849. 
 Shadrack Tenney, the second son of Daniel 
 Tenney, of the seventh generation, was born 
 in Marlborough, New Hampshire, April 16, 
 1790, and died in Ontario, Wayne county. 
 New York, December 15, 1868. 
 
 Meshach Tenney, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was reared on a farm and followed 
 agricultural pursuits through much of his life. 
 On his removal to Ontario, New York, he 
 became interested in the iron ore mines and 
 there remained until his removal to Fond du 
 Lac county, Wisconsin, in 1854. He there 
 purchased an eighty-acre tract of land, 
 partly timber and partly prairie, bought a 
 house which he removed to the farm and 
 there he carried on agricultural pursuits 
 until the fall of 1864, when he came to 
 Minnesota. Here his remaining days were 
 passed and in the community he was ac- 
 counted a valued citi/en. 
 
 Meshach was first married in \'ermont, 
 the lady of his choice being Phoebe Crane, 
 of New Hampshire, and to them was born 
 a son, Nathan C. , who went to St. Johns, 
 New Mexico, where he met his death. On 
 a certain occasion there arose .some trouble 
 between the Mexicans and cowboys, and 
 while trying to quell the riot he was killed 
 bv a bullet intended for another, that came 
 
 from the gun of a cowboy firing from the 
 window of an adobe house. He was noted 
 for his braxery and fearlessness and his 
 noble qualities of mind and heart. The sur- 
 viving children born to the parents of our 
 subject are: H. D., who came with his 
 parents to Faribault county in 1864 and is 
 now living in Spring \'alley, Fillmore coun- 
 ty, Minnesota; S. B., a practicing physician 
 of South Dakota; Nancy A., widow of 
 George Booth and a resident of Lane coun- 
 ty, Oregon; Eber J., who is now a preacher 
 of the Mormon faith and resides in Ramah, 
 Valencia county, New Mexico; Avarilla, 
 wife of James Ivers, an honored veteran of 
 the late war, now residing in Baileyville, 
 Nemaha county, Kansas; Ann Augusta, wife 
 of John Goff, a farmer of Mapleton town- 
 ship, Blue Earth county, Minnesota; Sally 
 F. , wife of Horatio Wickes, of Cottonwood 
 county, Minnesota; George, who now owns 
 and operates the Tenney homestead on 
 which his brother Ambrose located ere the 
 family came to the West and on which he 
 and his parents all spent their last days; 
 and Lovina, wife of Nathan F"rakes, who is 
 owner of a large stock ranch of Warner, 
 Lake county, Oregon. 
 
 O. B. Tenney was reared and educated 
 in his native State, and in 1850 first started 
 westward. He made his way to Fond du 
 Lac county, where he had relatives living, 
 among whom was Acy F. Bush, an uncle, — 
 one of the pioneers of Racine county, but 
 %\ho later moved to Fond du Lac county. 
 In the fall of 1850 he returned to \\'ayne 
 county. New York. Mr. Bush had pros- 
 pered in his pioneer home and advised our 
 subject to persuade his father to come to the 
 Badger State. Before doing this the father 
 had contracted to clear fifteen acres of land, 
 and that work was performed by our subject 
 
FARIBAUL'J', MAimW WATiKWVAX AXP J'ACA'SOX. 
 
 fiiul his brothers, H. D. and Ambrose. 
 Throufjh the instrumentality of Mr. ISiish, 
 O. B. Tcnney secured eighty acres of land 
 in Alto township and began to make a farm, 
 transforming the wild land into rich and 
 fertile fields. He erected good buildings 
 and so increased the value of the propertj- 
 that when he was ready to sell in the fall of 
 1864 he secured the price of $3,200. He 
 came at once to Faribault county and pur- 
 chased the farm of Charles Marples, where 
 he now resides. The place to-day is adorned 
 with a beautiful natural gro\'e of twenty-fi\e 
 acres, and on it are two flowing wells, one on 
 the north side of the farm and the other in 
 the milk-house. His pleasant and substan- 
 tial residence was erected in 1884. There 
 are good barns and other impro\ements 
 upon the place, and these are surrounded by 
 fields of waving grain. 
 
 On the 15th of October, 1854, Mr. Ten- 
 ney married Lovicy A. Booth, daughter of 
 Isaiah and Hannah Booth, the \\edding being 
 celebrated in Wajne county. New York. 
 The lady was born May 28, 1836, and be- 
 came the mother of three children: Sylves- 
 ter, who was born December 2, 1855, and 
 died Januar\- 30, 1S56, being interred in 
 Fond du Lac count}-; Ellen Jane, born Ma\' 
 27, 1857, the wife of Edwin Cook, a farmer 
 li\ing four miles west of Wells, Minne- 
 sota; and Mittie T., who was born Oc- 
 tober 7, 1859, and became the wife 
 of Albert Herring, who died December 18, 
 1885, at his home in Walnut Lake town- 
 ship. Their daughter. May, now resides 
 with her grandfather, Mr. Tenney, \\'hile 
 Florence is living with George Herring in 
 Cottonwood count}-, Minnesota; and ime 
 child died in infancy. The mother was mar- 
 ried a second time, being now the wife of J. 
 T. Hammett, a painter, residing in Man- 
 
 kalci, Minnesota. Mr. Tenne}- lost his lirst 
 wife in b'ond du Lac count}', Wisconsin, 
 her death occurring Ma\- 28, 1863. On the 
 2ist of May, 1865, he wedded Dette Ma.\- 
 son, daughter of Austin and Melissa Maxson. 
 She was born in the Badger State, December 
 I 4, 1847, and of this marriage four children 
 were born; Edith May, who was born 
 August 30, 1867, has been a successful 
 school-teacher of Faribault counts' and is 
 now the wife of Arthur Cook, who for the 
 last twehe years has been station agent and 
 operator on the Omaha Railroad and is now 
 serving in that capacity in Mountain Lake, 
 Cottonwood county; Kittie I., born April 
 19, 1874, has also been a school-teacher and 
 is now the wife of Frank Ba.xter, a fanner 
 of Cottonwood count}'; Oliver I)e Estaing, 
 born April 19, 1874, is a well-known and 
 popular }'oung man of Mountain I^ake, 
 where he is serving as assistant in the rail- 
 road office; and Helen Permelia, born Oc- 
 tober 17, 1876, now a school-teacher of 
 Mountain ],ake. Mr. and 'Mrs. Tenney ob- 
 tained a legal separation January 21, 1889, 
 and she has since married John 15rennan. 
 On the 6th of .September, 1890, Mr. Ten- 
 ne}' wedded Mrs. Cordelia A. Bennett, a 
 daughter of Henr}' P. and Hannah (Chase) 
 Brown, born November 25, 1837. in Parish- 
 ville, St. I, awrence county, New\ork. Her 
 father was born in Windsor, N'ermont, in 
 1 8 1 4, and with his ]')arents remi>\e(l to the 
 Empire State. In 1867 he took \\\) his 
 residence in Mankato, this State, but his 
 death occurred in Potsdam, New ^'ork, May 
 19, 1888. He was a thirty-third degree 
 Scottish rite Mason, — one of the highest 
 orders in the United States. His wife, who 
 was born in Windsor, X'ermont, Ma}' (>, 
 1 81 3, went to the Empire State in tlu' 
 same year as her husband. ;iiiil died 
 
.5-«- 
 
 M/:ML>h'/.\/ h'licnni) oi- ■////■: ( orx/y/ss of 
 
 in St. Lawrence county, April 17, 1858. 
 Tlie picseul Mrs. Teniuy i^ llic eldest 
 of si.\ children, one son and live daugh- 
 ters, of whom three are now living. Her 
 brother, Ira, lost his life on board the North 
 .America, December 18, 1863. Her first 
 marriage, to Mr. Bennett, was celebrated in 
 Potsdam, January 29, 1862. Mr. Bennett 
 was born December 7, 1822, and died in 
 Winnebago City, Minnesota, December 27, 
 1885. He also was a thirty-third-degree Scot- 
 tish rite Mason. They became the parents of 
 Hve children, tw(j yet living. Jennie, the 
 elder, was born in Mankato, this State, August 
 9, 1 867, was graduated at the Normal School 
 of that city in 1886, successfully followed 
 teaching for a time, and is now the wife of 
 John Johnston, Jr., of Mapleton, Minnesota. 
 James I. Bennett was born October i, 1869, 
 in Mankato, and is now the one-half owner 
 of the Rocky Flour Mill of that place. He 
 wedded Miss Mamie Nelson, of \\'innebago 
 City. 
 
 -Mr. Tenncy has served on the Town 
 Hoard of Supervisors, and as Appraiser of 
 the school lands. He supported Pierce for 
 the presidency and since the organization of 
 the Republican party has been one of its 
 stalwart advocates. His wife holds mem- 
 bershi|) with the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. These worthy people ha\e man\' 
 friends in Faribault county, and our subject 
 is numbered among the pioneers who laid 
 the foundations for the prosperity and prog- 
 ress of the countw 
 
 a 
 
 HARLES L. COLBY, a very popu- 
 lar druggist of Jackson, Minnesota, 
 claims Denmark as the land of his 
 birth, which occurred on the 23d 
 of March, 1861. He is the son of C. M. 
 
 and Caroline fOstergord) Colby. He emi- 
 grated to .\merica in the twentj-fifth jear 
 of his age, sailing from Copenhagen to Bos- 
 ton on the steamship Capolonia, leaving 
 Copenhagen August 22, and arriving at Bos- 
 ton September II, 1882. He continued his 
 journey westward to Albert Lea, Minnesota, 
 where his uncle, Peter Colby, resided. On 
 his arrival at Albert Lea he engaged with the 
 drug firm of Wedge, Spicer& Jensen. This 
 wasin the spring of 1883, and there he spent a 
 3'ear and a half. Leaving that place, he went 
 to Lanesboro, Minnesota, where he con- 
 tinued in the drug store of Cook & Hawle}-. 
 Here he met and married Miss Mary Blicker, 
 — the wedding ceremonj- being performed 
 at the home of Hans Clausen, on the 15th 
 of August, 1885. Three children ha\-e been 
 born of this union, namely: Martha, born 
 June 3, 1887, in Lanesboro, Fillmore 
 county; Hans, born November 30, 1889, in 
 Jackson; and one child who died in infancy. 
 Mr. Colby came to Jackson in the fall of 
 1886 and shortly after secured a position in 
 the drug store of J. W. Cowing, and after a 
 service of two years and two months bought 
 out his employer. He rented a store-room 
 from Mr. Cowing, in \\hich he carried on 
 the business for one j^ear, and then moved 
 into H. G. Anderson's building, formerly 
 occupied by the Berge Brothers as a general 
 store. He has now one of the largest and 
 neatest drug stores in Jackson county. In 
 addition to the general drug business he 
 carries a fine line of wall paper, stationer}', 
 perfumes, paints, oils, and in fact every 
 article usuallj' found in a store of this kind. 
 He is a thorough business man and a com- 
 petent druggist. With his family Mr. Colby 
 resides in a verj' pretty residence on one of 
 the thoroughfares of Jackson. His wife is 
 an accomplished lady of pleasing address. 
 
^ FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 323 
 
 — a native ot l)rniiiaik. Sin: has excellent 
 ability as an artist, and in her beantiful 
 liunie are some rare specimens of art. Her 
 father was a portrait painter, and Mrs. 
 ("dlhy inherited from him her marked ar- 
 tistic taste. She is also an accomplished 
 vocalist. Mr. Colby has abilit\' as a nnisi- 
 cian, and in his home is an instrument made 
 in Copenhagen and imported by him some 
 years ago. His daughter Martha has de- 
 veloped considerable talent both in vocal 
 and instrumental music. Mr. Colby is 
 a member of Good Faith Lodge, No. 90, 
 F. & A. M. 
 
 ^^^EORGE A. BRADFORD, the effi- 
 ■ ^^ cient and popular Clerk of the 
 ^lM Courts of Watonwan county, now 
 living in Madelia, is a native of 
 Indiana, his birth having occurred in Switz- 
 erland county, on the 28th of June, 1847. 
 He traces his ancestry back in a direct line 
 to Governor I^radford, of Massachusetts, 
 and still farther back to the nobility of Eng- 
 land. The grandfather of our subject, 
 William Bradford, was a native of Massa- 
 chusetts, and in early life came West with 
 his father's family, who settled in Indiana, 
 — one of the first families in Switzerland 
 county. While en route he stopped for one 
 season on the farm of William Henry Har- 
 rison, afterward President of the United 
 States, and there raised a crop of corn. 
 His death occurred in Minnesota, at an ad- 
 \anced age. 
 
 The father, Morris Bradford, was born 
 in Switzerland county, in January, 1823, 
 and was one of the hve children — the only 
 son — of William and Anna (Webster) Brad- 
 iiird. He lived in the State of his nativity 
 until iSf'i", and then came to Minnesota, 
 
 settling in Ri\erdale township, \\ atonwan 
 county, where he secured 160 acres of Go\- 
 ernment land and soon after purchased an- 
 other quarter section. He became one ot 
 the most prominent and influential farmers 
 of this region, sjiending twenty-four years 
 in agricultural pursuits upon the farm which 
 I he then located. He was a public-spirited 
 I num. devoted to whatever was calculated 
 to prove of public benefit, and for some 
 time he served as County Commissioner. 
 He was the first man in this region to engage 
 extensively in the cultivation of corn, and 
 for some years supplied the western part of 
 the county with that cereal. In 1891 he 
 sold his farm, retired from active business 
 life, and is now spending his declining years 
 in the village of Madelia. 
 
 Morris Bradford married Olive Bliss, a 
 native of Herkimer county. New York, and 
 a daughter of Thomas and Anna (Buttlesj 
 Bliss. Her grandfather, Ebenezer Bliss, 
 was a native of Massachusetts, and settleil 
 in the Empire State in early life. Later 
 Thomas removed to Indiana, where he died 
 in 1 8/ 5, at the age of seventy-five years. 
 To Morris and Olive Bradford were born five 
 children: George A., of this review; O. M., 
 a lumber dealerofWeiner, Arkansas; Thomas 
 B., a cattle man who is living in Caspar, 
 Wyoming; Anna, wife of Alphcus liocock, 
 who is li\ing in Riverdale, Minnesota; and 
 M. B., a fanner of Riverdale, Minnesota. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of 
 George A. Bradford, we present to our read- 
 ers the life record of one who is both widely 
 and favorably known in this locality. He 
 spent the first twenty years of his life in the 
 State of his nativity, reared upon a farm, 
 and in the common and high schools of that 
 region he obtained his education. In the 
 vear 1867 ho came with his father's fainiU 
 
3-4 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 t(i this State and spent tlie first \\inter after 
 his ani\al in \\'abasha county, teaching 
 school. In the spring of 1 86S he came 
 to Watonwan count}', locating in Riser- 
 side township, and for six years con- 
 tinued teaching tlirough the winter months, 
 while in the smniner season he engaged in 
 hnin woik He was a capable instructor 
 and won success in that undertaking. In 
 1874 he came to Madelia, where he secured 
 a position as salesman in a general store. 
 The following year he entered the employ of 
 Josiah M. Cheney as clerk, and after a few- 
 years )nnchased an interest in the business 
 with which he was connected from 1S7S until 
 18S2. He then sold out and went to .Mon- 
 tana, but not long after returned to Madelia 
 and re-entered the store, where he continued 
 until 18S7. Ha\ing purchased a fine farm 
 a mile west of Madelia, he operated it for a 
 year and in 1891 he became a member and 
 secretary of the Medelia Mercantile Com- 
 l^any. Thus he de\oted his energies tt) com- 
 mercial jjursuits until 1S94, when he dis- 
 posed of his interest in the concern. 
 
 In December, 1S77, a marriage ceremou) 
 was performed which united the destinies of 
 Mr. Bradford and Miss Flora J. Cheney, 
 one of the four children of Josiah M. and 
 .\ngie (Darling) C'heney. The father is 
 numbered among the pioneers of this section 
 of the State, having located in Blue Earth 
 county in 1856, — when Minnesota was yet a 
 Territory, — and built the first house in 
 Ciarden Cit\-. He died in 1891, at the age 
 of "si.xty-three years. Fi\e children grace 
 the union of our subject and his nmst estim- 
 alijc wife, as follows: ()li\e 1)., Horace 
 and Howard, twins; Zina M. and Everett O. 
 
 Mr. Bradford is \ery familiar with the 
 history of this locality through the past 
 twenty-eight j'ears, and ran relate man\- in- 
 
 teresting incidents concerning it. He took 
 an important part in the capture of the noted 
 Younger Brothers and Charle\- Pitts after 
 the Northfield Bank Robbery, the four des- 
 peradoes being surrounded in a thicket. Mr. 
 Bradford was one of the seven men who 
 volunteered to capture them, a desperate 
 venture considermg the nature of the rob- 
 bers. These men were fired upon by the 
 criminals and in the return fire Pitts was 
 killed and the three brothers were all 
 wounded and captured and imprisoned for 
 life. Bob Younger died in prison, and Jim 
 and Cole are still in the prison in Stillwater. 
 For several \ears Mr. Bradford was sec- 
 retary of the Farmers' Mutual Insurance 
 Company, and was also clerk of Madelia 
 township. In his political \iews he has al- 
 ways been an earnest Republican, strong in 
 his party affiliations, and has frequently 
 served as a delegate to county and other 
 conventions. In the fall of 1894 he was 
 elected to serve as Clerk of the Courts of 
 Watonwan county, term extending for four 
 3ears from Januar\\ 1896, and he was ap- 
 pointed by the court to fill out an unexpiretl 
 term in 1895. ^^^ is true to every trust re- 
 posed in him, whether public or private, is 
 an intelligent and public-spirited man, and 
 his man}' sterling qualities ha\e won him 
 the highest regard of all with whom he has 
 been broujj;ht in contact. 
 
 aH.VKLFS HERMAN CHIPMAX, 
 a farmer of Center Creek town- 
 ship, Martin county, was born in 
 Essex. Chittenden coimt}', \"er- 
 mout, October 11, 1845, '' son of Thomas 
 Chipman, who was born and reared in that 
 State. His father, Thomas Chipman, also 
 a native of Xernmnt, descended from one of 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 325 
 
 three brothers who came from England in 
 an early day- One located in Vermont and 
 another in Connecticut. The mother of 
 our subject, ncc Lucy Nichols, was born in 
 Richmond, \'ermont, July 24, 1821, a 
 daughter of Charles H. Nichols, a native of 
 Harden, Connecticut, and of English de- 
 scent. He died when Mrs. Chipman was 
 ten years of age. Her mother, )icc Rachel 
 Peck, was born in Clarendon, Vermont, of 
 English descent. Thomas and Lucy Chip- 
 man were married in Vermont, and were 
 the parents of two children, — Charles H., 
 the subject of this sketch, and Laura M., 
 wife of Wilford Jodoin, of Vergennes, Ver- 
 mont. 
 
 Charles H. Chipman attended an acad- 
 emy at Essex until nineteen years of age, 
 and in the following year came to Fillmore 
 county, Minnesota, where he farmed on 
 rented land one year. In June, 1866, he 
 purchased a claim in Center Creek town- 
 ship, Martin county, and two years after- 
 ward removed to section 30, same township. 
 His first residence was a sod house, and his 
 farm was wild prairie land. Mr. Chipman 
 now owns eighty acres of well-improved 
 land, having also given his two sons each 
 eighty acres. He was engaged in general 
 farming until 1890, when he became an 
 agent for farm machinery, continuing the 
 same four years. He owns one of the best 
 residences in the village, and two business 
 buildings. Mr. Chipman affiliates with the 
 I^epublican party. He has served as Town- 
 ship Assessor, as a member of the Board of 
 Supervisors, and Clerk of the school district 
 for twelve years. In his social relations he 
 is a member of the Masonic order, Chain 
 Lake Lodge, No. 64, of Fairmont. 
 
 March 20, 1869, Mr. Chipman was united 
 in marriage with Mahala Hill, a nati\e of 
 
 Vermont, and a daughter of Robert Hill, a 
 native also of that State. He removed to 
 Wisconsin in 1857, and in 1866 came to 
 Martin county, where his death occurred, at 
 the age of sixty-three years. Mrs. Chip- 
 man's mother, formerly Polly Parcher, war. 
 born in Vermont, and now resides with her 
 son in Center Creek township. Mrs. Chip- 
 man was six years of age when she went 
 with her parents to Wisconsin, remaining 
 there until fifteen years old, and then came 
 to Martin county. Our subject and wife 
 have had six children, namely: George H., 
 who married Belle Fleming, and resides in 
 Center Creek township ; Guy, also of this 
 township; Cora, Burr, Lucy and Ra}-. 
 
 >Y*OHN HENRY SHERIN is the senior 
 
 m member of the firm of Sherin & 
 
 nt 1 Foss, proprietors and publishers of 
 
 the Press-News, of Winnebago City, 
 
 Minnesota. 
 
 He is a native of Canada, born in Brook- 
 lyn, Whitby township, Ontario, June 20, 
 1850, eldest in the family of four children 
 of Robert and Susan (McCarl) Sherin, both 
 natives of Ontario and both of Scotch-Irish 
 descent. 
 
 When John H. was eight years of age 
 the family emigrated to Fox Lake, Wiscon- 
 sin, where he received a good common- 
 school education. At an early age he com- 
 menced working at the newspaper business, 
 being employed in the Gazette office at Fox 
 Lake for about three years. He then f(.)l- 
 lowed the trade of journeyman printer for 
 several years, working in many of the large 
 cities of the United States. 
 
 In 1873 Mr. Sherin went to Canada to 
 visit his father's family and the scenes of 
 his childhood days, and while there, June 
 
MEMORIAL RE C OKU OE THE COUNTIES OE 
 
 lo. 1S7S. inanifcl Miss \'. Postlewaito, a 
 native of of Colmrg, Ontario, and a dauj^'h- 
 ter of Thomas Postlewaite, and they have 
 two suns, liothborn in Winnebago Citj'. \\z. : 
 Robert, Deceinbn 7, iS~y, and Henry, 
 Howard, June :?9, 1 SS 1 . 
 
 Complying with the re(inest of friends, 
 Mr. S. decided to go into Imsincss in Can- 
 ada, and in .\ngust, i<'^74. founded the 
 News, at Laketield, Peterliorougli coiintj", 
 and continued its publication ft>r two years, 
 and then sold out. Fii i^''i he located at 
 Winneliago Cit\, Mnniesota. and the follow- 
 ing January established the News at this 
 ])lace, issuinj; the tirst nund)er (it the paper 
 on the lyth of that month, and continued 
 it alone for three years. His present part- 
 nei , Mr. Foss, was then owner and ]Hib- 
 lisher of the Press, and in i88j; the\ 
 consolitiated tile two papers, entered into 
 partnership, and ha\e since published a 
 weekly paper under the name of the Press- 
 News. This ji.iper is independent Republi- 
 can in i)olitics, and is devoted to furthering 
 the best interests of the city and count}'. 
 
 Mr. .Sherin is a member of Inith the 
 Masons and the Odd Fellows. 
 
 @ 
 
 :()Kc.K Knn^>.\LL .mofltox. 
 
 deceased, was the jiioneer mer- 
 chant of Winnebago City, and was 
 lor many years one of its most 
 prominent business men. He was born at 
 Hopkinlon, Merrimac county. New Hamp- 
 shiie, 1835. ■' ^"" "^ Caleb and Mary (Mar- 
 den) Moulton. nati\es also of that State. 
 Our subject |)assed the early years of his 
 life witli his parents, receiving a good edu- 
 cation. .\l the age of nineteen he came 
 West to Burlington, Iowa, remaining there 
 but a fi'W months, howexcr, and th(Mi w<Mit 
 
 to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was em- 
 ployed as clerk in a mercantile establish- 
 ment a short time, after which he returned 
 on a \isit to the Cranite State. In the 
 sjjring of 1857 Mr. Moulton came to Winne- 
 bago City, and purchased a small stock of 
 goods, consisting chiefly of groceries and 
 provisions, from Tom Fole\'. As the vil- 
 lage increased in population and the sur- 
 rounding country became settled he in- 
 creased his stock to meet the increasing 
 demands of his mnnerous customers, his 
 ha\ ing been the ijnly store in the place for 
 a number of years. His business increased un- 
 til he kept se\eral clerks almost constantly 
 employed, .\bout 1863 J. H. Welch became 
 a partner in the store, but this connection 
 continued only about two years, when Mr. 
 Welch sold his interest and withdrew from 
 the firm. I'or some year the merchandise 
 had to be haided from St. Paul with teams. 
 Mr. Moidton was very prosperous in his 
 liusiness relations for many years, but, being 
 an exceedingly generous man, of whom it 
 could be truly said, "He was generous to a 
 fault," he gave liberally to the need}' and 
 trusted his goods out indiscriminately, and 
 eventually became a hea\'}' loser. Mr. 
 Moulton continued mercantile pursuits un- 
 til 1874, and afterward entered the Govern- 
 ment ser\'ice as mail agent between Winne- 
 bago Cit}' and La Crosse, Wisconsin, which 
 he continued ft)ur }ears. He also served as 
 Postmaster of the city for many years. His 
 death occurred at his home in Winnebago 
 Cit}', October 9, 18S0, and in his demise 
 the village lost one of its ohlest settlers and 
 most resjiected citi/;ens. 
 
 September 7, 1859, at Heiimkcr. New 
 ll.impshire, Mr. Moulton was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Susan C. Cogswell, a native 
 of that cit}' and a daughter of [onathan and 
 
^^. ^^. <^r/fm. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 y-9 
 
 Susan (Choate) Cogswell, natives of Essex, 
 Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Moulton 
 liad fi\e children, namely: Edward Clin- 
 ton, cashier in the Winnebago City Bank; 
 Sarah Delia, wife of J. X. Knutson, a drug- 
 gist of Winnebago City; Mary Alice, de- 
 ceased; Charles Henry and George Morse. 
 Mrs. Moulton is a member of the Presby- 
 terian Church, and is a woman of manj' 
 e.xcellencies of character. 
 
 ^V^.WID D. BUNN, a well-known 
 I I farmer of Martin county. Minne- 
 /^^J sota, and the father of the town of 
 Welcome, claims Somerset county, 
 Xew jersey, as the place of his nativit\', the 
 date of his birth being February 8, 1823. 
 
 Mr. Bunn's parents. David and Ida (Van 
 Dyke) Bunn descended from Holland Dutch 
 and Scotch-Irish ancestors rcspectivel)'. 
 Martin Bnim, the grandfather of our subject, 
 was, it is supposed, born in Holland. The 
 greater part of his life, however, was spent 
 in Somerset county. New Jersey, where he was 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits. He mar- 
 ried Esther Crater, and their children were: 
 Morris, Conrad, David, William, Esther and 
 Mary. He died about 1850. Politically he 
 was a \Miig, and religiously a Presbyterian. 
 Abraham Van Dyke, the maternal grand- 
 father of Mr. Bunn. was born in Somerset 
 couut\. Xew Jerse\-, and died there in 1S54, 
 at the agt: of eighty years. Grandmother 
 \'an Dyke was before her marriage Miss 
 Sarah Honeyman. Her father was a spy of 
 Washington's in the Revolutionary war. He 
 came to America in the English army, was 
 at the siege and fall of Ouebec, and it was 
 ill his arms that the noted General Wolfe 
 died. During the Revolution he was inti- 
 matelv associated with General \\'ashin'?ton, 
 
 and rendered valuable service to the patriot 
 cause. His children were: Margaret, wife 
 of William Henry; Mary, wife of Matthias 
 Lane; Sarah, John and James. The eldest 
 child of Abraham Van Dyke and his wife 
 was John, who was a prominent jurist and 
 politician, and served as Judge of the Circuit 
 and Supreme Courts of New Jersey, and 
 served four years in the U. S. Congress, 
 
 , being an intimate friend of Abraham Lincoln. 
 He came to Wabasha, Minnesota, in 1868, 
 after which he served one term in the State 
 legislature, and filled out the unexpired term 
 of Judge Waterman, and died about 1877. 
 
 . The other children were: Isaac, Marj , and 
 
 I Ida, the last named being the mother of our 
 subject. Abraham Van Dyke, the great- 
 grandfather of our subject, married Ida 
 Striker, and their children were: Abraham, 
 John, Isaac, Charity, and Elsie. 
 
 Botli the paternal and maternal great- 
 grandfathers of Mr. Bunn were prominent 
 
 ; in Revolutionary affairs, and he has just 
 reason to be proud of his ancestry. He has 
 in his possession a flint-lock rifle that was 
 used b)- his great-grandfather \'an Dyke all 
 
 [ through that struggle. 
 
 David Bunn, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Somerset county, New Jersey, 
 and died in 1822, of dysentery, when he was 
 scarcely twenty-one and before the birth of 
 
 ' his only child, I)a\id I). His widow was 
 born in Hunterdon county. New Jersey, and 
 some time after his death she became the 
 wife of Richard S. Vliet. Her death oc- 
 curred in Somerset count} . 
 
 I)a\id D. Bunn began teaching school 
 
 ; when he was nineteen years of age, and 
 taught four years. After that he was en- 
 gaged in mercantile business at Vliet's Mills, 
 owned by his stepfather, which he continued 
 until Ecbruary. 1853. .\t that time In- came 
 
33° 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 west to Henry, Marshall county, Illinois, 
 where for one year he was engaged in farm- 
 ing. The following year he had charge of 
 the Planters' House in Henry, and at the 
 end of the \ear he left the hotel business and 
 returned to fanning, which he continued in 
 that county until i85c>. Then he sold out 
 and entered the employ of D. C. Hull, a 
 hardware merchant of Henry. Mr. Bunn 
 remained with this house for se\en years, a 
 short portion of that time being on the road. 
 In October, 1868, he removed to \\'abasha, 
 Minnesota, and during his residence there he 
 was engaged in various callings, principally 
 farming; and while there he formed the ac- 
 quaintance of S. L. Campbell, with whom 
 he was afterward so intimately associated in 
 business. In April, 1880, he came to Mar- 
 tin county, Minnesota, and bought the west 
 half of section 31, township 103, range 31. 
 This was purchased of the railroad company 
 at $7 per acre, with a $2 rebate if forty 
 acres of the land was broken within a year. 
 Subsequently he sold this land to the Cramer 
 Bros. In the fall of 18S2 he took charge of 
 S. L. Campbell's interests in Martin county. 
 He has been identified with the property 
 upon which the thriving village of Welcome 
 is built, — situated on section i, township 
 102, range 32. The house which he now 
 occupies was built in the fall of 1884, and 
 the large fine barns have been added from 
 time to time. The timber on this place has 
 grown from seed that was planted in 1884. 
 Mr. Bunn was married October 10, 1849, 
 to Miss Rebecca Schenk Conover, daughter 
 of Garrett and Nancy (Harris) Conover, of 
 Germantown, New Jersey. Their children 
 are Ida and John Van Dyke. The former 
 is the wife of Harry B. Jewell, a hardware 
 dealer of Wabasha, Minnesota, and they 
 lia\c two rliilthcn,- Phitbe and Harr\' H. 
 
 John \ an Dyke Bunn is publisher of tlu' 
 Bunn Director)' at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and 
 surrounding towns. 
 
 Mr. Bunn joined the I. O. O. F. at Ger- 
 mantown, New Jerse}', being one of the 
 charter members of the order in that town. 
 His first presidential vote was cast for Henry 
 Clay, and since the organization of the Re- 
 publican party has supported its men and 
 measures. Mr. Bunn is a man who is highly 
 respected wherever he is known, and his 
 friends are only too willing to honor him 
 with political preferment were it possible to 
 gain his consent; but, while he has filled 
 nearly all the township offices, he will not 
 allow his name to be used for a higher 
 office. 
 
 ^^^EORGE FRANK ANDROSS, a 
 ■ ^^\ retired farmer, was born in Rock 
 ^^^M county, Wisconsin, March 7, 1849, 
 a son of C. P. and Elsie (Dikeman) 
 Andross, natives respectively of Massa- 
 : chusetts and New York. They were mar- 
 j ried in \\'isconsin, where they remained on 
 ; a farm until 1867, and then located in Mar- 
 I tin county, Minnesota. They were among 
 the early pioneers of Center Creek town- 
 ship. 
 
 G. F. Andross, the eldest of eight chil- 
 dren, three sons and five daughters, was 
 reared in Rock and Walworth counties, Wis- 
 consin, attending the district schools, and 
 also spent one jear in the Allen Grove 
 school. He came with his parents to Mar- 
 tin county, Minnesota, in 1867. He pur- 
 chased his farm of 240 acres from the Gov- 
 ernment, located on sections 32 and 33, 
 which is now under a fine state of cultiva- 
 tion. Mr. Andross is now retired fromact- 
 i\c labor. He is identifieil with llic Re- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 33' 
 
 jiublican party, and has ser\-ed in all town- 
 ship offices excepting those of Justice of the 
 Peace and Assessor. He also held the posi- 
 tion of County Commissioner of Martin 
 count}' three years. 
 
 In I S/S Mr. Andross was united in nuir- 
 riaf,'e with Mary Barnes, a native of New 
 Hampshire, but reared in Iowa. To this 
 union has been born three chiKlren, --Car- 
 rie, George and \'erna. 
 
 HLMOX E. FOSS, junior member 
 of the tirm of Sherin & Foss, pub- 
 lishers of the Press-News, of Win- 
 nebago City, Minnesota, was born 
 in Campton village, Grafton county, New 
 Hampshire, October i8, 1842, son of 
 Oliver P. and Arvilla M. (Bruce) Foss, the 
 former a native of New Hampshire and the 
 latter of Royalton, Vermont. They were 
 married in Montpelier, Vermont. Oliver P. 
 Foss in early life learned the blacksmith's 
 trade, at which he worked for several years. 
 In 1849 he came West, bringing his family, 
 locating at Watertown, \\'isconsin, where 
 for some years he carried on the manufac- 
 ture of w'agons and buggies, having at that 
 time the largest manufactory of the kind in 
 the State, and employing about thirty men. 
 In 1866 he removed to Winnebago City, 
 Faribault county, Minnesota, and subse- 
 quently bought land in N'erona township, 
 where he is now engaged in farming, and 
 where his wife died in 1891. 
 
 Almon E. Foss was educated in the public 
 schools of Watertown, Wisconsin, and com- 
 menced learning the printer's trade in that 
 place, in the office of the Watertown Demo- 
 crat. After two years spent in that office, he 
 worked ill various places as- a journej'man 
 
 printer. In 1876 he located at Wells, Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota, and started the 
 Wells Advocate, which he sold out two 
 years later, and in the fall of 1878, in com- 
 pany with W. W. Woodard, purchased the 
 Mankato Free Press, continuing that busi- 
 ness connection and the publishing of that 
 paper for one year. He then sold out and 
 again located at Wells, where he published 
 a paper until the spring of 1884. In the 
 last named year he came to Winnebago 
 City and purchased the Press, which was 
 the oldest newspaper plant in the county. His 
 present partner was then publishing the 
 News. They entered into a partnership, con- 
 solidated the two papers, under the title 
 Press-News, and have since continued its 
 publication, doing therewith a general job 
 printing business. 
 
 October 3, 1883, Mr. Foss married Miss 
 Maggie Shields, a native of the State of 
 New York. Their children a:re Myrtle Ar- 
 villa and Pearl Marcia. Politically, Mr. 
 
 . Foss is a Republican. He is a member of 
 
 \ the A. O. U. W. 
 
 HSA DE ALTON PACKARD, grain 
 dealer, Sherburne, Minnesota, dates 
 his birth in Genesee county, New 
 York, March 20, 1 841. Mr. Pack- 
 ard is descended from Scotch ancestry on 
 his father's side, and from Welsh on his 
 mother's. His paternal grandparents were 
 William and Cynthia Packard. \\'illiani 
 Packard was a soldier in the war of 18 12, 
 jKirticipatcil in the battle of Lundy's Lane, 
 and it is supposed he was killed in that 
 battle, as he was never heard from after- 
 ward. His children were Lewis, the father 
 of our subject; Cjnthia. who married a Mr. 
 
332 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Campbell and li\e(l in New York State, near 
 Buffalo; and Annie, who was the wife of a 
 Mr. Young, and spent her whole life in 
 Genesee county, New York. Lewis Pack- 
 ard was a nati\e of Genesee count\'. New 
 York. He moved his family to Ashtabula 
 county, Ohio, in 1845, and there tilled the 
 soil until 1855, the year of his decease. The 
 year previous to his death, however, he had 
 visited Wisconsin, and purchased a farm in 
 Winnebago county, located near Waukau. 
 In 1856 his widow and children moved to 
 the Wisconsin farm, and there she is still 
 living, having attained the ripe old age of 
 eighty-four years. Her maiden name was 
 Emeline Crane, and her father was a native 
 of Connecticut. She was married to Mr. 
 Packard in 1833. The names of their chil- 
 dren are as follows: Abel Mitchell, James 
 Monroe, Asa De Alton, Sarah, Allen, Jo- 
 sephine, Walter, Emma, Oscar and Frank. 
 All are living e.xcept Allen, and are occupy- 
 ing honorable and useful positions in life. 
 
 Mr. A. D. Packard, whose name heads 
 this article, remained on the farm with his 
 mother until he was twenty-three years of 
 age, having charge of the farming opera- 
 tions during the latter years of his stay 
 there. He then opened a hotel at Waukau, 
 Wisconsin, which he conducted for about 
 seven j'ears, after which he purchased an in- 
 terest in a woolen mill in that town, and 
 disposed of his hotel i)ropertj'. The mill 
 was operated under the firm nann' of K. D. 
 Paris & Company, and Mr. Packard was 
 identified with this industry for about eight 
 years. While rinming his hotel he was also 
 engaged in farming, and after disjiosing of 
 his interest in the mill he again turned his 
 attention to farming, which he continued 
 until his removal to Minnesota. July 6, 
 18S7, Mr. Packard \isited Sherburne, Mar- 
 
 tin county, Minnesota, and shortl}- after- 
 ward purchased a lot on which he erected a 
 flat-house for the purpose of storing grain, 
 with a capacity of 7,000 bushels. In 1889 
 this building was turned into the elevator 
 as it now stands, with a capacity of 25,000 
 bushels, and at this writing an addition is 
 being erected which will increase the capac- 
 ity to 45,000 bushels. A feed mill will also 
 be added. 
 
 A year following Mr. Packard's first 
 \isit to Sherburne, he moved his family to 
 
 I this place, and has since made it his home. 
 He was married May 16, 1863, to Miss 
 Margaret Avery, eldest of the five children 
 
 I of George and Margaret S. E. (Willes) Av- 
 ery, and he and his wife have the following 
 named children: (leorge De Alton, who is at 
 present associated with his father in his ex- 
 tensive business at Sherburne; Lilly Belle, 
 wife of Clark Bagley, of Welcome, Minne- 
 sota, Mr. Bagley now being engaged in the 
 construction of an elevator at that place; 
 and Maggie, wife of Reed Alsworth, a lum- 
 ber dealer of Sherburne. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Packard has always been 
 a Republican. In him- is a fine type of the 
 successful Western man. .Mthough it has 
 been but a few years since he came to Min- 
 nesota, he is now one of the strongest men 
 financialh' in the western part of Martin 
 count)-. While he makes a specialty of the 
 grain business, he does not by any means 
 confine himself to this line, but conducts a 
 large business in agricultural im])lements 
 and machinery, and also deals considerably 
 in cattle and hogs. 
 
 Mr. Packard has but recently passed his 
 fifty-third birthday, is in the prime of life: 
 is highly respected, and, as stated above, is 
 one of the most substantial business men of 
 the count\'. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, U'ATOX II .1 \ A.\/> yAChSOX. 
 
 ?,X\ 
 
 >^AMES W. MORE, Treasurer of 
 m Faribault county, Minnesota, was 
 /• 1 liorn near Glasgow, Scotland, No- 
 vember 28, 1 85 1, son of Andrew R. 
 and Janette (Weir) More, and one of a 
 famil}' o-f seven children, the others being 
 as follows: Robert, a resident of Pilot 
 Grove township, and at this writing County 
 Commissioner; Jessie, wife of Wayne B. 
 Silliman, Blue Earth City, Minnesota; 
 Christina, wife of Daniel McLeod, Pilot 
 Grove township; Andrew R., Blue Earth 
 City; Marion, deceased; and Edward T., 
 engaged in farming and still residing with 
 his parents. 
 
 The Mores belong to the sturdy Scotch 
 race, the family having resided in Scotland 
 as far back as their history can be traced. 
 Andrew R. More emigrated with his family 
 to America in 1850, locating at first in Wis- 
 consin, and in 1858 coming from that State 
 to Minnesota and settling in Pilot Grove 
 township, where he has since resided in the 
 midst of peace and plent}-, the Mores being 
 one of the representative families of this 
 region of countr}'. 
 
 James W. was eight years of age at the 
 time his parents came to Minnesota, and on 
 his father's farm in Pilot Gro\e township he 
 grew to manhood, receiving his education in 
 the district schools, remaining a member of 
 the home circle until he attained his twenty- 
 second year. He then accepted a position 
 as clerk in a drug store at Dela\an, and 
 shortly afterward went to Blue Earth City 
 in the same capacit}'. Later he spent four 
 years at Winnebago City, in company with 
 McDonald & Miller, engaged in buying and 
 shipping grain and stock, doing an extensive 
 business and shipping to the great markets 
 of Milwaukee and Chicago. We ne.xt find 
 liiui engaged in the grocerv !)usiness at Blue 
 
 Earth City, and at the end of two years 
 thus spent at that place he came to what is 
 now the thri\ing town of Elmore. That 
 was in 1881. At that time there were only 
 two buildings in the town, and he erected 
 the first store here. He has since been 
 identified with its interests and has been one 
 of the leading spirits in bringing about the 
 present development of the town. He con- 
 tinued his mercantile business here until 
 January, 1894, when he sold out to Mr. L. 
 L. Olsen. 
 
 Always a stanch Republican, fully be- 
 lieving in the principles represented by that 
 party, he has taken an active part in the 
 politics of Faribault county. For more 
 than ten years he has sersed as Town Treas- 
 urer and also as School Treasurer, and is 
 still filling these offices. At the county con- 
 vention of September, 1894, he was nomi- 
 nated as candidate for County Treasurer, 
 and was elected over the Democratic and in- 
 dependent candidates bj- a very handsome 
 majority. 
 
 Mr. More was married September 6, 
 1882, to Miss Ellen Sharp, daughter of Levi 
 Sharp, and the\' have three children. 
 
 ^^ w ^ ILLIAM FRANCIS BRUNDAGE 
 
 ■ ■ I i^adealer in farm machinery, Sher- 
 mjLyl burnc, Minnesota, and was born 
 in Malta, lUiiiois, July 19, 1864, 
 his parents being Frederick Hungerford and 
 Kate Ann (Townsend) Brundage. 
 
 Francis Brundage, the grandfather of our 
 subject, was probably of French ancestry, 
 although it is not known in what generation 
 the American branch of the family was estab- 
 lished. His children were Charles Jona- 
 than, Frederick Hungerford, Phoebe and 
 Sarah. Joshua Townsend, the maternal 
 
334 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 great-grandfather of Mr. Brundage, was 
 born in New York State. He reared a large 
 famil}', and in 1S37 moved to De Kalb 
 county, Illinois. There he and his two sons, 
 Stephen and Charles, took up claims, they 
 being among the early pioneers of De Kalb 
 county. His son, Stephen, was born in New 
 York State, June 30, 1S07, and died in Illi- 
 nois, in March, 1883. He married Ann 
 Denman, and they had a family of ten 
 children, those who reached maturity being 
 as follows: Amos W. ; Ellen, wife of Luther 
 Jackman; Nancy, wife of Orrin West; Kate 
 Ann, the mother of our subject; William 
 Henr}'; and Hattie E. Mr. Stephen Town- 
 send was radical in his views regarding 
 slavery, and was prominentl)- associated with 
 what was known as the • ' Under-ground 
 Railway," that is, with helping slaves escape 
 to the North. He also served as Captain 
 in the New York State militia. The Town- 
 sends are of English descent. 
 
 Frederick Hungerford Brundage, the 
 father of our subject, was born in Ulster 
 county, New York, November 1, 1835. He 
 came west to Illinois in 1853, and first re- 
 sided in Sycamore, De Kalb county, from 
 there remo\ing to Malta, where he still 
 makes his home. He was married June 5, 
 1863, to Miss Kate Ann Townsend, who was 
 born August 10, 1S42. Their chiklren are 
 William Francis; Ella; Daniel, deceased; 
 Charles Jonathan; Frederick Hungerford, 
 jr. ; .\rcher Merritt; Hattie Rosalie, deceased; 
 Martin Denman; Kat\- Ann; and Alice. 
 
 William F. Brundage attended the com- 
 mon schools of his native town and later at- 
 tended the high school at Sycamore, Illi- 
 nois. He practically began life for himself 
 March 13, 18S1, when he left home and 
 worked for wages on a farm. October 28, 
 1 886, he jiurc-hased of W. T. Hansen, of 
 
 Chicago, the southwest quarter of section 7, 
 township 103 (Elm Creek), range 33, Mar- 
 tin county, Minnesota; and April 19, 1887, 
 he moved west to this farm, which he has 
 since disposed of. Later he bought the 
 northwest quarter of section 18, township 
 102, range 32, and known as the '• old Call " 
 place. In October, 1890, Mr. Brundage 
 was made manager of the Alliance Ware- 
 house Company, and November 25, 1S90, 
 moved to Sherburne, where he has since re- 
 sided. In March, 1891, he was elected 
 secretary of the same companj', and filled 
 this position till December, 1893. In Feb- 
 ruary, 1893, he started his present business, 
 which he has conducted successfully, and to 
 which he is now giving his entire attention. 
 Mr. Brundage was married June 15, 1893, 
 to Miss Francis Alma Reynolds. Socially 
 he is identified with the I. O. O. F. and 
 the M. W. of A. ; and, religiously, is a mem- 
 ber of the Congregational Church. 
 
 >^OHN NORTON SILVERTHOKX, 
 f a retired farmer of Sherburne, Min- 
 A 1 nesota, was born on his father's farm 
 in Erie county, Pennsylvania, Sep- 
 tember 5, 1840, his parents being John and 
 Caroline (Davis) Silverthorn. 
 
 The genealogy of the father's side of the 
 house can not be traced, although it is 
 known that the Silverthorns are of German 
 origin. He descends from a Scotch ances- 
 try on the maternal side. John Silverthorn, 
 the father of our subject, was born in Erie 
 county, Pennsylvania, in 1 800, operated a 
 farm and lived there all his life. His death 
 occurred May 6, 1854. His wife, also a 
 nati\e of Pennsjlvania, was born in April, 
 1807. After the death of her husband she 
 nu)\ed to Lake count \, Ohio, where she 
 
fAJilBAULT, MARTIN, IVATONWAN AND JACKSOX. 
 
 .\r=; 
 
 died, in March, 1859. All the children of 
 Mr. and Mrs. John Silverthorn were born 
 in Erie county, Pennsj-lvania, their names 
 being as follows: Esther, wife of Henry 
 Luther; Myron; Harriet, wife of Charles 
 Strong; Elvira, wife of Julius Beals; Erne- 
 line, wife of Josiah Blair; Synthia, wife of 
 Amander Hale; John Norton, whose name 
 heads this article; Levi; and three that died 
 in infancy, — Helen, Pressley and one un- 
 named. 
 
 John Norton Silverthorn began working 
 for wages when he was fourteen years of 
 age. The public schools of his day were 
 not of the best, and he had little time to 
 give even to such as he had access to. 
 Hence his education was obtained chiefly by 
 his home stud}-. In 1856 he moved to 
 Lake county, Ohio, engaged in farm work, 
 and continued there till 1859, when he 
 removed to Winnebago county, Wisconsin. 
 In April, 1864, he enlisted in Company F, 
 Eighteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, 
 and was immediately sent South. While 
 guarding a railroad bridge on the Atlantic 
 road in Georgia, he was taken prisoner, 
 September, 1864, and sent to Milan. Later 
 he was transferred to Florence, South Caro- 
 lina, where he was paroled and discharged, 
 being sent to the hospital at Milwaukee, and 
 from there returned home. 
 
 In September, 1865, in company with 
 his brother-in-law, Cyrus Weber, he drove 
 through to Martin county, Minnesota, 
 reaching this point October 12, 1865. Mr. 
 Silverthorn located on the north side of 
 Fo.\ Lake, lots i and 2, and the south half 
 of the northwest quarter of section 33,. 
 township 103, range 32, comprising in all 
 163.55 acres. Here he built a small earth 
 house, and two years later a log cabin, 
 the logs being obtained from the forest 
 
 around tlie lake. In 1884 he built the 
 frame house which still stands on the place, 
 being now occupied by his son, who farms 
 the land. In 1 888 Mr. Silverthorn gave up 
 the active management of his farm and 
 moved to Sherburne, where he has since re- 
 sided, and in the fall of 1889 he built his 
 present residence. 
 
 Mr. Silverthorn was married in Winne- 
 bago county, Wisconsin, July 4, 1862, to 
 Miss Permelia Weber. Their children are 
 Cyrus Eugene, born July 19, 1864, and now 
 a resident of Day county. South Dakota, 
 married Emma Ritter, and has two chil- 
 dren. Fay and Norton; Edwin VanCleve, 
 born November 20, 1866, died when he was 
 three months old; Peter Sheridan, born De- 
 cember 29, 1 868, and now living on his 
 father's farm, married Catharine Eiden, and 
 has two children, Clare and Ruth; and Iva 
 Luella, born September 27, 1874, presides 
 over her father's home. Mrs. Silverthorn 
 departed this life November 9, 1893. She 
 had shared with her husband the jnys and 
 sorrows of pioneer life in a Western State, 
 by her timely assistance and cheerful com- 
 panionship was largely instrumental in 
 bringing about their prosperity, and after 
 over thirty years of happ)' married life she 
 passed to her last rest. 
 
 Politically Mr. Silverthorn is a stanch 
 Republican. He has served as a member 
 of the township Board of Trustees, and for 
 the past three years has been a member of 
 the Town Council. 
 
 >^OHN M. GRAHAM, proprietor of 
 m the leading livery business of Blue 
 A J Earth City, Minnesota, is one of the 
 enterprising and public-spirited citi- 
 zens of the town. 
 
xV' 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OE THE COLX/IES OE 
 
 Mr. Graham was born in Janesville, 
 Wisconsin, June 13, 185G, secoml in tlie 
 family of six children of Michael and Mary 
 Graham. For a number of 3'cars the Graham 
 family were resitients of Fort \\'ayne, Indi- 
 ana, and of the State of Wisconsin. \\'hen 
 John was a small boy they removed to 
 Minnesota and located at Mankato, where 
 they lived until the death of the father, in 
 that place, in 1865, at the age of forty-five 
 3'ears. Soon after his death the family 
 moved to a farm owned by them, which 
 had been secured by him under the home- 
 stead law, this farm being located in Jo 
 Daviess township, Faribault county; but, 
 after living on it one year, the children be- 
 ing too young to work, the family moved 
 into Blue Earth Cit\\ which has since been 
 Mr. Graham's home. The mother died at 
 the age of fifty-four years, at the home of 
 her daughter, Mrs. Anna Finn, at Colorado 
 Springs. 
 
 When he \vas fourteen years of age, 
 John M. Graham began learning the trade 
 of harness-maker and served an apprentice- 
 ship of four years. After that, for a few 
 years, he worked at the livery business dur- 
 ing the sunnner and found employment at 
 his trade in different shops during the win- 
 ter. In 1S77, in company with others, he 
 went on an expedition to the Black Hills. 
 That was during the height of the gold 
 fever. Six months, howe\er, were suffi- 
 cient to satisf}- him that mining was not his 
 forte, and he returned to Minnesota. Since 
 1879 Mr. Graham has been proprietor of 
 the leading liverj establishment in Blue 
 Earth City. He keeps about twenty horses 
 and a number of fine vehicles of various 
 kinds, runs a " bus " to all trains coming 
 into the city, and also carries the mail. 
 Separate from this livery business he owns 
 
 I a large feed stable. For years he has been 
 engaged in the purchase ami sale uf line 
 horses, largely for Eastern markets, and he 
 has also dealt successfulh' in real-estate. 
 In his \arious business ventures he has met 
 with uniform success, and is to-daj' ranked 
 with the substantial men of the town. 
 
 Mr. Graham was married June 1 1. 1884, 
 to Kate Gorman, a native of Minnesota 
 and a daughter of Edward K. and Bridget 
 (McCabe) Gorman. Mr. and Mrs. Gorman 
 reside on a farm in Jo Da\iess township, 
 this county. They have a famil\- of nine 
 children, all of adult age. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Graham have three children, namely: Annie, 
 William and George. They reside in the 
 
 I pleasant home on Second street, which he 
 built some four j'ears ago. 
 
 Mr. Graham is a member of the A. O. 
 U. W., Oriental Lodge, No. 39; the K. of 
 P. and the Modern W^oodmen of America. 
 
 ?■ 
 
 'OHN PETER CLEMMENSEN, boot 
 and shoe dealer, Sherburne, Minne- 
 sota, was born in Fuen county, Den- 
 mark, July 13, 1864, son of Nels 
 Peter and Christina fjorkensen) Clemmen- 
 sen. 
 
 When he was nine years of age Mr. 
 Clemmensen emigrated with his parents to 
 .\merica, their location being near West 
 Point, Nebraska. He remained with them 
 until he was fourteen, receiving a fair edu- 
 cation, and then became an ajiprentice in 
 the shoe shop of Charles Jenkle, of West 
 Point, with whom he learned the trade and 
 remained until 1SS3. .\pril 13, 1885, he 
 
 came to Sherburne 
 a cobbler's shop, 
 
 scale 
 
 and 
 
 Minnesota, and opened 
 beginning on a small 
 eradnalK enlargiii" his busi- 
 
^^ailfJon. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 339 
 
 ness until he now has a fine store and car- 
 ries a $2,000 stock. In the summer of 1894 
 lie erected his present large brick store 
 building. 
 
 Mr. Clemmensen was married December 
 22, 1885, to Miss Christina Matson, daugh- 
 ter of Christian and Hannah Matson. Their 
 onl}' child, Christina, was born November 
 25, 188S. 
 
 (D 
 
 RS. HELEN M. HARRISON is 
 a most estimable lady residing in 
 Minnesota Lake. The influence 
 of a woman is often like the deep 
 under current of a mighty stream, — a power 
 strongly felt if not seen. Among the worthy 
 pioneer ladies who quietly but strongly have 
 done so much for southern Minnesota, is the 
 lady whose name introduces this review. In 
 the refining and civili;?ing work she has 
 borne an important part, and on the pages 
 of this history she well deserves mention. 
 She came with her husband to this State, 
 and with him shared in the hardships and 
 privations of pioneer life. 
 
 Alexander R. Harrison was for some 
 time one of the most prominent and best 
 known men of Faribault county. He was 
 born in Rochester, New York, December 
 15, 1829, and was a son of Rev. [ohn and 
 Alice Harrison, the former a minister of the 
 Methodist Church. He crossed the Atlantic 
 from England and located in New York. 
 His wife was of Scotch descent and their 
 marriage was celebrated in the Empire 
 State. In the family were nine children, 
 five sons and four daughters, and the par- 
 ents died in New York some years ago. 
 During his early life Alexander Harrison be- 
 gan learning the carriage-maker's trade and 
 spent some years with his first employer, 
 
 17 
 
 engaged in making the bodies of carriages. 
 When a young man he followed the advice 
 of Horace (ireeley to the youth of this land 
 and started westward. Reaching Geneva, 
 Illinois, he secured work at his trade, and 
 while there, at a ball given by the Odd Fel- 
 lows scjciety, he first met Miss Helen M. 
 Pitney, who was visiting with a party of 
 friends from Aurora. The friendship thus 
 begun ripened into love and in April, 1831, 
 their marriage was celebrated in Geneva, 
 Kane county, Illinois, the ceremony being 
 performed at the hotel by a Scotch minister 
 of the Methodist Church. The lady is a 
 daughter of Owen Davis and Mariette (Lake) 
 Pitney. Her father died when she was. 
 only a year and a half old, and her mother 
 was thus left a widow with four children. 
 The family were then living in Painesville, 
 Ashtabula county, Ohio, and Mrs. 
 Harris()n was six years of age when the 
 mother married John Barker, a native 
 of New York and one of the earlj- school- 
 teachers of Ohio. Removing to Kane coun- 
 ty, Illinois, a farm was purchased and he 
 carried on agrirultin ;il pursuits. The chil- 
 dren of this fannly were Lodrick Pitney, a 
 native of Ohio, who died in Iowa; Charles, 
 who was born in the l)uckeye State and 
 died on the homr farm in Kane: county, 
 Illinois; Louise, who died at the age (jf six- 
 teen; and Mrs. Harrison. The half brother, 
 Ldwaiil I). Barker, was Ixnn in Chicago, 
 Illinois, where the family located in 1836, 
 there spending the winter. It had been the 
 intention to settle at Joliet, Imt an uncle of 
 Mrs. Harrison, Za])hna Lake, who laid out 
 the city of .\urora, Illinois, induced them to 
 settle near his home, where were born two 
 other children, —Joseph and Sylvia Barker. 
 The former served in the late war, then 
 went to the West, but for some years no 
 
34t> 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OP 
 
 news has been received of him. The latter 
 died in Hastings, Minnesota, where the 
 family located at an early day and where 
 Edward Barker laid out an addition to the 
 town. Mrs. Barker, mother of the lady 
 whose name heads this record, died at the 
 home of her daughter in the seventy-third 
 year of her age. She was an intelligent, 
 cultured lady of a happy temperament and 
 all who knew her held her in high esteem. 
 Her husband, Mr. Barker, died in Hastings, 
 Minnesota, at an advanced age. 
 
 In 1853 Mr. Harrison, accompanied by 
 his family, went to California, sailing from 
 New York on the Prometheus of the Vander- 
 bilt line to San Francisco, where he arrived 
 after a journey of thirty-two days. On 
 reaching the Golden State he went into the 
 Sacramento valley to a place then called 
 Hangtown (now Placerville), where he en- 
 gaged in wagon-making and blacksmithing. 
 After about a year he was induced to try 
 mining and purchased, for $700, a claim in 
 a section known as Deadwood, north of 
 Sacramento. It was a beautiful part of the 
 country and he carried on operations there 
 with moderate success, securing a capital of 
 $5,000, which he brought to Minnesota. 
 The year 1857 witnessed his arrival in this 
 State. On the bank of the beautiful Minne- 
 sota Lake, to the northwest, was erected a 
 little frame house, 16. \ 24 feet, a story-and- 
 a-half structure, — quite a fine dwelling in 
 those days. However, the snow sifted 
 through the sides and roof. That building 
 stood until the fall of 1894, when it was 
 torn down. It was one of the landmarks 
 of the region, and in those early frontier 
 days it was noted for its hospitality, the 
 latch-string being always out. 
 
 Mr. Harrison purchased a sawmill on the 
 northeast corner of the lake, and amidst the 
 
 first lumber sawed were boards used in the 
 construction of the kitchen floor of their cab- 
 in. The boiler of this mill was the only part 
 of the machinery under shelter at the time of 
 his purchase, but he soon had a good build- 
 ing, and successfully carried on the business 
 for a number of years. He paid about 
 $2,000 for the property, but on entering the 
 army it was sold for but little more than a 
 tenth of that amount. 
 
 This business Mr. Harrison abandoned on 
 the 26th of February, 1864, at which time 
 he enlisted in Company F, Tenth Minne- 
 sota Infantry, at Rochester, Minnesota. He 
 was wounded at the battle of Norville waged 
 against the forces under General Hood, be- 
 ing shot through the thigh, and also receiv- 
 ing a slight flesh wound in the elbow. He 
 had the first two fingers of his left hand 
 completely shot away, and the remaining 
 fingers were badly injured. They finally 
 withered, and the arm was affected in the 
 same way to the elbow. Mr. Harrison was 
 a brave soldier, never flinching, though shot 
 and shell rained thick around him. He did 
 no leave the front until the wound in the 
 thigh became so serious that he was sent to 
 the hospital. On the same day his cap- 
 tain, George F. White, met his death. 
 
 When his wounds were partially healed 
 Mr. Harrison returned to this home on pa- 
 role, with form bent by disease and suffer- 
 ing, but under the tender care and nursing 
 of his loving wife he improved, and, faithful 
 to his duty, he rejoined his regiment as soon 
 as possible, continuing in the service until 
 honorably discharged at Fort Snelling, after 
 peace had been again restored. Few men 
 who wore the blue representing Minnesota 
 were better known than Alexander Harrison, 
 and the many friends who survive him have 
 named in his honor a Grand Army Post of 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 34' 
 
 Minnesota Lake, which is known as Harri- 
 son Post, No. 71. 
 
 When the town of Minnesota Lake was 
 being laid out inducements were offered to 
 Mr. Harrison to bring his mill to this place, 
 the conditions being that he and William 
 Craig, now of Mankato, were to have ' ' every 
 other lot." The warranty deed is on jecord 
 in Blue Earth county. From that time for- 
 ward he was prominently identified with 
 Minnesota Lake, taking an important part 
 in its development and progress. He with- 
 held his support and co-operation from no 
 worthy enterprise, and was recognized as 
 one of the representative citizens of Fari- 
 bault county. He passed away on the 2ist 
 of June, 1874, and was laid to rest in the 
 new cemetery at Danville, where a monu- 
 ment has been erected to his memory. He 
 was reared in the East, lived for a time on 
 the Pacific slope, and then became identified 
 with the great Mississippi valley. His life 
 was one of vicissitude, marked with many 
 interesting and some thrilling e\ents. He 
 ever lived so as to command the respect and 
 confidence of those whom he knew, and 
 many friends mourned their loss when he 
 was called to the home beyond. His wife 
 still survives him, and is now living in her 
 comfortable and beautiful residence in Min- 
 nesota Lake, which was erected in 1875 ^"^ 
 is supplied with all the comforts of life. 
 She was to her husband a faithful com- 
 panion and helpmeet, and is a true type of 
 the worthy pioneer women who braved the 
 hardships of frontier life to share with hus- 
 bands and fathers the homes of the west, 
 and their work in development, though 
 more quiet, has been none the less import- 
 ant, than that of the sturdy men who trans- 
 formed the land into a rich farm and built 
 thriving towns and villages. 
 
 liOMPSON LABAN RECORDS, 
 
 Justice of the Peace, and dealer in 
 real estate, Sherburne, Minnesota, 
 was born in Shelby county, Indi- 
 ana, October 27, 1843, son of Laban and 
 Elizabeth Ann (Barnett) Records. 
 
 Spencer Records, the grandfather of this 
 gentleman, and his brother Laban emigrated 
 from Wales to the United States when they 
 were young, that being before the Revolu- 
 tion. Both served during the last years of 
 that war, and Spencer attained the rank of 
 Captain while in service. They settled in 
 Virginia. Subsequently Spencer moved 
 west to Kentucky and located at Limestone 
 (now Marysville). It is presumed that his 
 removal to Kentuck}- was for the purpose of 
 locating land warrants obtained for service 
 in the Revolution. Following the tide of 
 emigration of that day, he proceeded north, 
 and located near Chillicothe. Ohio. It 
 may be he was influenced bv the fact that 
 Kentucky was a slave State, and he desired 
 to rear his famih" under the influence of free 
 institutions. He died in Shelb\' county, In- 
 diana, in 1850, aged eighty-eight years. 
 His wife, whose maiden name was Elrod, 
 died there in 1854, at the age of eighty- 
 three years. She was a sister of the mother 
 of Henry Clay. Their children were as fol- 
 lows: Josiah; John; James: Laban; Will- 
 iam; Susan, wife of Tunis Quicks; Matilda, 
 wife of Josiah Hendrickson; Hannah, wife 
 of John Wilson; Lucinda. wife of James 
 Barnett, and Rachel, wife of Milton Nelson. 
 Several of the daughters died when young. 
 Mr. Spencer Records was a man of great 
 vitality and will power. He was of medium 
 height and in the prime of manhood weigh- 
 ed about 160 pounds. At the time of his 
 death he was a member of the Baptist 
 Church. 
 
342 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mr. Barnett, the maternal grandfather 
 of our subject, emigrated from Ireland to 
 this country prior to the Revolutionary 
 war, through which he fought; after the war 
 he settled in Virginia and there married a 
 Miss Self. Their children were Spencer, 
 William, George, John, Thomas, James, 
 Ambrose, Mi'S. Lucy Townsend, and Mrs. 
 Elizabeth Ann Records. One son, name 
 not given, died in infancy. 
 
 Laban Records, the father of our subject, 
 was born in Kentucky, September 6, 1799, 
 and died in Siielby county, Indiana, Febru- 
 ary 2, 1865. He followed agricultural pur- 
 suits all his life. His first wife, whose 
 maiden name was Bailey, died shortly after 
 their marriage, and their only child died 
 when quite young. His second wife, Eliz- 
 abeth Ann, was born August 15, 1806, and 
 died July 1 6, 1 8 59. They were married Febru- 
 ary 24, 1825, and their children are as fol- 
 lows: Elizabeth Ann, born January 26, 
 1826, died August 17, 1846; Lucy, born 
 March 14, 1828, died January 15, 1830; 
 Spencer Columbus, born September 27, 
 1829, is a farmer and teacher of San Pierre, 
 Indiana, he and his wife, nee Nancy Ann 
 Hagerman, having three children living, — 
 Fanny, John and William; John Barnett, 
 born December 22, 1831, died August 24, 
 1853; Hiram Barticy, born September 26, 
 1833, died April 6, 1866; Ambrose Dudley, 
 born August 15, 1835, died August 22, 
 1837; Hannah, born August 3, 1837, has 
 been twice married and is now the widow 
 of a Mr. Stevenson, the children by her 
 first husband (John S. Baker) being two 
 sons and four daughters; Lydia, born Janu- 
 ary 7, 1840, died April 24, 1872; Rachel 
 Ann, born December 27, 1842, died April 
 30, 1867; Thompson Laban, whose name 
 appears at the head f)f this article; and 
 
 Harriet Virginia, born October 28, 1845, 
 died May 9, 1870. Harriet V. was the wife 
 of John H. Burgess, and their only child, 
 Elmer E., died September 28, 1870. For 
 his third wife Mr. Laban Records married a 
 widow, Mrs. Ruth Moore, and their only 
 child died when a year old. 
 
 Mr. T. L. Records was just merging 
 into young manhood when the civil war 
 broke out. August 14, 1862, he enlisted 
 in the Twenty-si.xth Indiana Battery, Light 
 Artillery, Captain Rigby commanding. His 
 first engagement was at the siege of Har- 
 per's Ferry, where he was captured and pa- 
 roled. In February, 1863, he was ex- 
 changed, and joined his battery in Ken- 
 tucky, where he shortly afterward partici- 
 pated in several skirmishes. In August he 
 crossed the mountains and was with Burn- 
 side in the occupation of Eastern Tennes- 
 see. He helped in the defense of Knox- 
 ville during the three-weeks siege of that 
 town by Longstreet. In January, 1864, he 
 visited home on a thirty days' furlough. In 
 March, 1865, he was . assigned to duty with 
 the heavy artillery at Fort Sanders. Later 
 he joined the Light Artillery again, and ac- 
 companied General Stoneman on his expe- 
 dition against Salisbury, North Carolina. 
 That point, however, surrendered before 
 Stoneman's force reached it, owing to the 
 close of the war, and the troops retired to 
 Greenville, Tennessee, thence to Knoxville, 
 and finally to Indianapolis, where Mr. 
 Records was discharged Ju'y 19, 1865. 
 
 The war over, Mr. Records returned to 
 his old home in Shelby county, where he 
 visited until August, 1866. He then came 
 westward to near Mankato, Minnesota, 
 bought the northwest quarter of section six, 
 Leray township, Blue Earth count}', and 
 lived on the farm for one year, and in that 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 343 
 
 neighborhood until July, 1875, occupying 
 himself the most of the time in teaching 
 school. He then came to Martin county 
 and located a homestead — the northwest 
 quarter of section 12, township 102, range 
 '^l, located one mile west of Sherburne. 
 He built on this tract of land, and made 
 his home there until August, 1879. He 
 was absent, however, during the school 
 year beginning in 1877, being engaged in 
 teaching near Mankato. In January, 1880, 
 he moved his family to Sherburne, Minne- 
 sota, and opened a land and law office. 
 Mr. Records served as Justice of the Peace 
 for four years during his residence in Blue 
 Earth county, and it was there that his at- 
 tention was first given to the study of law. 
 He was elected Justice at Sherburne in 
 1 88 1, and has served continuously since 
 that time. 
 
 Mr. Records was married July 13, 1875, 
 to Miss Ida Viroqua Cook. She was a 
 daughter of Frank and Elizabeth (Cornell) 
 Cook; was born in Sandusky, Ohio, Octo- 
 ber 21, 1857, and died August i, 1879. 
 Her father was one of the pioneer settlers 
 of Martin county. The children of this 
 first marriage are: Thompson Frank, born 
 July 3, 1876, is engaged in teaching in this 
 county; Ida Irene, born September 25, 
 1S77, isalso teaching in this county; and 
 Lydia Elizabeth, born July 8, 1879, died 
 September 15, 1879. Mr. Records' present 
 wife was Miss Julia Sanford, daughter of 
 Jacob and Jane Sanford. She was born in 
 the town of Durand, Pepin county, Wiscon- 
 sin, February i, 1862, and they were mar- 
 ried November 16, 1881. Their children 
 are Spencer Ray, born March 15, 1886; 
 Albert Jay, July 17, 1888, and Ruby May, 
 July 8, T890. 
 
 .Mr. Records is a member of Sherburne 
 
 Lodge, No. 182, I. O. O. F., and of the 
 H. H. Edwards Post, No. 135, G. A. R. 
 Politically he is a Republican. From a re- 
 ligious standpoint he believes (as his fore- 
 fathers did) in the tenets of the Freewill 
 Baptist Church. 
 
 y'~Y'DWARD R. GORMAN, a farmer of 
 B I Jo Daviess township, Faribault 
 ^^^ county, is numbered among the 
 early settlers of southern Minnesota, 
 dating his residence here from the month of 
 June, i860. He has therefore witnessed the 
 greater part of its growth and development, 
 has seen its wild lands transformed into 
 beautiful homes and rich farms, while towns 
 and villages have sprung up and are the sites 
 of thriving manufactories and industries. 
 Churches and schools denote an advanced 
 civilization of which the East might be proud, 
 and in all the work of development and prog- 
 ress Mr. Gorman has ever borne his part as 
 far as opportunity offered. 
 
 A native of the Emerald Isle, Mr. Gor- 
 man was born on the 26th of August, i8i>S. 
 and is the son of Roger and Ann (Moran) 
 Gorman, whose family numbered five chil- 
 dren. He spent his childhood and youth in 
 the land of his birth, his days being unmarked 
 by any event of special importance. At the 
 age of twenty-seven, in 1845, he crossed the 
 Atlantic to America, with the hope of more 
 rapid advancement, and in this hope has not 
 been disappointed. He first settled in Provi- 
 dence, Rhode Island, where he remained for 
 five years, then he was five years in Orange 
 county. New York, engaged in carrying on 
 a dairy. That county is noted for its excel- 
 lent dairy products, and Mr. Gorman did 
 not lower the high reputation; but, not en- 
 tirely satisfied with his surroundings, in the 
 
344 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 year 1855, he came to the West. Wiscon- 
 sin attracted him and he cast his lot with 
 the early settlers of Janesville, where for five 
 years he continued to reside, when he crossed 
 the Father of Waters into Minnesota. Thus 
 Faribault county gained one of its best citi- 
 zens, — a man who in his lonjj residence here 
 has ever lived so as to win the respect and 
 confidence of all with whom he has been 
 brought in contact. 
 
 Mr. Gorman first secured 160 acres uf 
 land under the pre-emption act, where he 
 built his home, and later a similar tract 
 under the homestead law. It is hard for 
 those of the present generation to realise that 
 the prosperous and well developed township 
 of Jo Daviess as we to-daj- see it was then, 
 thirty-four years ago, a tract of wild prairie 
 on which li\ed not more than three or four 
 faniilies. To the pioneers is due a debt of 
 gratitude that can scarcely be repaid for what 
 they have done for this communit}-, placing 
 it under tiic sway of civilization and making 
 the wonderful prosperity of the present pos- 
 sible. Not long after his arrival here Mr. 
 Gorman secured another eighty acres of 
 land. In his business undertakings he suc- 
 ceeded from the first, and as his financial 
 resources were increased he made additional 
 purchases of real estate, and for man\ years 
 he also made a specialty of stock-raising as 
 well as large crops of grain. Some years 
 since he ga\e up active life, leaving the 
 work of the farm to his sons. The farm, 
 comprising 240 acres, produced in 1894 
 some 4.000 bushels of wheat, oats, barley 
 and flax, besides a fine crop of corn. He 
 also raises about 100 head of hogs each 
 year, and this adds not a little to his income. 
 
 In June, 1850, Mr. Gorman was united 
 in marriage with Miss Bridget McCabe, a 
 native of Providence, Rhode Island, and 
 
 they had nine children, four sons and five 
 daughters, namely: James, who is now en- 
 gaged in farming in Jo Daviess township; 
 John, who makes his home in Fairmont, 
 I Martin county; Mary Ann; Edward, who is 
 located in Elmore township, Faribault 
 county; Margrett, wife of Moses Hudiman, 
 of Blue Earth City, Minnesota; Thomas, 
 engaged on the home farm; Ellen, wife of 
 James Corcoran; Kate, wife of John M. 
 Graham, of Blue Earth City; and Sarah, 
 wife of Michael Kelley. 
 
 Mr. Gorman is well known throughout 
 this region as one of the substantial, repre- 
 sentative pioneers of Faribault county, and 
 during the thirty-four years of his residence 
 here he has not only been a valued citizen 
 of the community, true to all duties, but has 
 so conducted himself in all the affairs and 
 relations of life that his honorable, upright 
 career, well worthy of emulation, has gained 
 him the high regard of all with whom he has 
 been brought in contact. 
 
 tV^ENNIS M. RODNEY, of Sher- 
 I I burne, Minnesota, was born in She- 
 ^^^J boygan county, Wisconsin, Feb- 
 ruary 1. 1862, son of John and 
 Mary (Rooney) Rooney. Both his paternal 
 and maternal grandfathers were named 
 Dennis Roone) , although his parents were 
 not even distantly related. 
 
 Stephen Roone\-. the maternal great- 
 grandfather of our subject, was born in Ire- 
 land and lived there all his life, engaged in 
 farming. He was twice married, the chil- 
 dren by his first wife being Peter, Mary and 
 Dennis, and those by the second wife, 
 Daniel and Rodger. His son Dennis was 
 born in Ireland, and when sixteen years of 
 age enlisted in the English infantrj- and was 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 345 
 
 sent to the East Indies. He was in the serv- 
 ice for a period of twenty-six years, was in 
 many hard-fought battles, and after retiring 
 from the army received a pension of one 
 shilling per day from the English Govern- 
 ment. He married Mary McConville, and 
 their children were: Mary, the mother 
 of our subject; Stephen, who died when 
 young; Rose, who died in early life; Dennis, 
 a pioneer settler of Martin county, Minnesota; 
 Bridget, widow of Henry Gibson, has had a 
 family of six sons and one daughter. The 
 father of this family died in Ireland. 
 
 John Rooney, the father of Dennis M., 
 was born in county Down, Ireland, June 22, 
 1808, and died in Martin county, Minnesota, 
 April 19, 1888. Shortly after his father's 
 death, in June, 1845, John Rooney, with the 
 other members of his mother's family, emi- 
 grated to Canada and located near Kings- 
 ton. September 17, 1856, he moved to 
 Sheboygan county, Wisconsin, and engaged 
 in farming, and in November, 1867, he 
 moved still further west, to Saratoga, Wi- 
 nona county, Minnesota. The following year 
 he located in Martin county and here made 
 a permanent home, his homestead being 
 the east half of the southwest quarter of sec- 
 tion twenty-two, township 103, and range 
 thirty-two. John and Mary Rooney were 
 married in Ireland, May 15, 1842. She, 
 too, was a native of the Emerald Isle, the 
 date of her birth being April 12, 1825. 
 She continued to occupy the home farm in 
 Martin county for two years after the death 
 of her husband, and in 1890 built her pres- 
 ent residence in Sherburne, where she still 
 resides, with her son. Her children are as 
 follows: Daniel, born June 22, 1844, and 
 died in December, 1850; Patrick, born 
 April 25, 1848, and died in December, 1853; 
 Daniel, born April 27, 1850, and died in 
 
 August, 1855; Mary, born June 9, 1852, is 
 the wife of Henry Billion, an undertaker of 
 Sioux Falls, Iowa, and they have a family 
 of three sons and three daughters; Thomas, 
 born March 9, 1855, married Miss Augusta 
 Summerfeldt, and is living on his mother's 
 farm; Francis, born March 9, 1855, married 
 Miss Anna Parsons, and they have two chil- 
 dren; John, born October 11, 1859, is en- 
 gaged in farming in this county; Dennis M., 
 whose name appears at the head of this ar- 
 ticle; and James, born April 20, 1864, mar- 
 ried Elizabeth Rooney, and lives in Sher- 
 burne. 
 
 Dennis M. Rooney remained on the 
 home farm for some time after his father's 
 death, having charge of its operations. In 
 1892 he bought the interest of J. D. FoUett 
 in the harness business at Sherburne, and, 
 with Daniel Peddie for a partner, conducted 
 business under the firm name of Peddie & 
 Rooney until the spring of 1893. At that 
 time he bought out his partner, and has 
 since continued alone, meeting with pros- 
 perity. 
 
 Mr. Rooney is a member of the I. O. O. 
 F. , and in politics is a Democrat. He 
 served as President of Sherburne in 1894, 
 and is at present a member of the village 
 Council. 
 
 ? 
 
 1838. 
 
 AMES PARKER FARMER, a pio- 
 neer merchant of Sherburne, Minne- 
 sota, was born in Redfield, Oswego 
 county, New York, November 24. 
 
 The Farmers have been residents of 
 America for a number of generations. 
 Samuel Farmer, the grandfather of James 
 P., was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. 
 He married a Miss Bailey, and thev had 
 
346 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OE THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 eight children, tive sons and three daughters. 
 One of these sons, Silas Spaulding Farmer, 
 the father of our subject, was born in Green- 
 field, New Hampshire, September i i, 1803, 
 and moved to Jefferson county. New York, 
 when he was twenty-five years of age. 
 I^ater he moved to Ossvego county, same 
 State, and when James P. was about twelve 
 years of age, he and his family went back to 
 Jefferson county. In 1890 he took up his 
 abode in Michigan, and on the 21st of 
 March of that same \ear his death occurred. 
 He was married in New Hampshire to Miss 
 I^ois White, and a record of their children 
 is as follows: W'illiam M.. born March 18, 
 1831, dieil June 18, 1831; Mary Irene, born 
 April 24, 1833, died February 6, 1888; 
 Reuben White, born August 25, 1835, died 
 [uly 27. 1868; |ames Parker, whose name 
 heads this article; and W^illiam F., born 
 May 6, 1847, died May 19, 1892. Mrs. 
 Farmer was born October 10, 181 i, and 
 died July 14, 1856. 
 
 James P. Farmer remained at home 
 with his parents till the breaking out of the 
 ("i\il war. Responding to his country's 
 call, he enlisted in May, 1861, in Company 
 B, Fifty-ninth New York Volunteer Infan- 
 try. He was actively engaged in the bat- 
 tles of South Mountain. Malvern Hill, Sec- 
 ond Bull Run, and Antietam. At the last 
 named engagement he was wounded in the 
 left hand by a ball, the second finger being 
 carried away. This necessitated his doing 
 hospital service for a time, and in the early 
 part of January, 1863, he received an hon- 
 orable discharge from the service, and re- 
 turned to his New York home. The follow- 
 ing August he enlisted in Comjiany F, First 
 New York Veteran Cavalr)-, ami began 
 service immediately in Maryland and the 
 Shenandoah \ allow .\mong the man\' en- 
 
 j gagements in which he participated before 
 I the close of the war may be mentioned the 
 ' battles of Piedmont and Winchester. He 
 j was finally mustered out of the service at 
 Charleston, West Virginia, and discharged 
 at Rochester, New York, in August, 1865. 
 The war over, Mr. Farmer visited home 
 a short time, and in January, 1866, in com- 
 pany with an old army chum, W. B. Sted- 
 man, set out for the broad and inviting 
 country of the West. Reaching Owatonna, 
 Steele county, Minnesota, they concluded 
 to stop. There Mr. Farmer worked for 
 wages until the following April, and then 
 came to Tenhassen, Martin count}', and, in 
 partnership with W. B. Stedman, opened a 
 small store. Two years later he purchased 
 his partner's interest, and continued mer- 
 chandising here till 1871. The following 
 \ear he moved his business to Owatonna, 
 but returned a year later to Tenhassen, 
 and continued in business at that place until 
 his removal to Sherburne. In November, 
 1879, he opened the first store in Sherburne, 
 on the site he still occupies, his present 
 building being partly composed of the old 
 store building used at Tenhassen. and 
 moved to the Sherburne site. He has since 
 conducted a successful and increasing busi- 
 ness at this stand; from a $600 stock he has 
 enlarged his operations until now he carries 
 nearly $6,000 worth of goods. 
 
 Mr. Farmer was married June 21, 1869, 
 to Miss Celestine M. Bailey, daughter of 
 Henry Bailey, of Jefferson county, New 
 York. Their children are Robert, born 
 May 22, 1871, is now assisting his father in 
 the store; Myrtle, born September 19, 1875; 
 Jessie, born June 24, 1880, died September 
 28, 1883; and Bessie, born December 25, 
 1884. 
 
 ^^'hil(' a resident of Tenh;issen, Mr. 
 
j^^/. j3^ C^". ^^k. 
 
' ^ iH 
 
 i 
 
 ^ ' ■ 
 
 w 
 
 'J 
 
 '^^^'iSH^ ' ■ •* "T Ifllj^S 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 v' 
 
 
 ':^. j^ c* ^^ 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 351 
 
 Fanner served for tea years as its Post- 
 master, and he was the first postmaster of 
 Sherburne, filhng the office until the first 
 election of Cleveland as President. Politic- 
 ally he is a Republican, though not an act- 
 i\e politician. His family attend the Con- 
 gregational Church, and he is one of the 
 principal supporters of that denomination in 
 this section. 
 
 KON. HENRY NICKEY RICE, 
 M. I)., is an honored veteran of 
 the late war and a most promi- 
 nent and influential citizen of 
 Martin county, his home being in Fairmont. 
 He is also proprietor of a beautiful summer 
 resort on his farm, known as the Silver 
 Lake Ranch, which has become very popu- 
 lar and is a delightful retreat. 
 
 Dr. Rice claims Indiana as the State of 
 his nativity, his birth having occurred in 
 Whitley county, on the 2d of September, 
 1843. His grandfather, Abner Rice, was a 
 nati\'e of New York, and the father of our 
 subject, D. B. Rice, was born in Oneida 
 county, New York, September 14, 181 5. 
 In the Empire State he remained until 1840, 
 when he sought a home in Indiana, settling 
 on a farm near Fort Wayne. In that local- 
 ity he married Rosanna Nickey, a native of 
 Pennsjlvania and a daughter of David 
 Nicke)-, who was born in Germany and was 
 the founder of the family in the New World. 
 In 1866 D. B. Rice came to Minnesota, but 
 is now living in Eagle Gro\e, Iowa. He is 
 yet well preserved, of strong constitution and 
 robust health and is a self-made man, who 
 through his own efforts has won success. 
 In his political views he is a stalwart Demo- 
 cral, and has served as County Commis- 
 sioner. In the community where he resides 
 
 he is a prominent citizen and has many 
 warm friends. His wife passed awaj' in 
 1862. Their family numbered eight chil- 
 dren, four sons and four daughters, and 
 four of the number reached mature years, 
 while two are still living, — Henry N., of 
 this sketch and Ezra A., a banker and lead- 
 ing citizen of Luverne, Rock county, Minne- 
 sota. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record was the second child of the family. 
 He obtained his literary education in the 
 common schools and remained at home, 
 giving his father the benefit of his services, 
 until eighteen years of age, when he 
 responded to the president's call for troops 
 to aid in crushing out the rebellion of the 
 South. In the year 1862 he joined Com- 
 pan}- B, Seventy-fourth Indiana Volunteer 
 Infantry, and continued with that command 
 until the close of the war. After the battle 
 of Perryville.he was sent to Ouincy, Illinois, 
 \\here he remained about a year, after 
 which he rejoined his regiment prior to the 
 march of Sherman to the sea, participating 
 in that ever memorable expedition. He 
 was also in many hard-fought battles, but 
 was never seriously wounded, although he 
 was struck in the shoulder at the battle of 
 Lovejoy's Station. Faithfully he followed 
 the old flag until it was planted victoriously 
 in the capital of the Southern Confederacy, 
 after which he received an honorable dis- 
 charge at Washington, D. C, on the 22d of 
 June, 1865. 
 
 Dr. Rice at once returned to his Indiana 
 home and entered a commercial college at 
 Fort Wayne, after which he spent the win- 
 ter in teaching school. In 1866 he came to 
 Minnesota and located on a homestead near 
 East Chain Lakes, which at that time was 
 all wild land, — still in its primitixe condi- 
 
352 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 tion. At length he began the study of 
 medicine with Dr. D. G. Winch, of Blue 
 Earth City, and in 1 872 he entered the 
 Medical College of Keokuk, Iowa, where he 
 continued his studies until fitted for practice. 
 He then located in Fairmont, where he suc- 
 cessfully engaged in the prosecution of his 
 profession until 1886, in which year he was 
 graduated from the Rush Medical College 
 of Chicago. At once he returned to Fair- 
 mont and has since made this city his home, 
 
 Aside from his professional duties. Dr. 
 Rice has been otherwise connected with the 
 business interests of this locality. Opening 
 a drug store he carried on business for 
 twelve years, — one of the leading and pros- 
 perous merchants of the place. He is now 
 the owner of a large stock-farm, known as 
 the Silver Lake Ranch, which comprises 
 370 acres of rich land, delightfully located 
 and beautifully situated on Silver Lake, ten 
 miles south of Fairmont. A part of this 
 farm has been fitted up as a summer resort 
 and is patronized by people who come from 
 all directions to spend the hot summer days 
 in a cool and shaded retreat. Boating, 
 fishing and other pleasures are furnished the 
 guests and every effort put forth for their 
 entertainment. 
 
 Dr. Rice was married in 1866 to Miss 
 Sarah E. Reed, a native of Ohio, who came 
 to the West during her early girlhood. She 
 is a scholarly woman of more than average 
 intelligence and ability, a good speaker and 
 takes a very prominent part in the work of 
 the Woman's Relief Corps. She organized 
 in Fairmont a corps with 100 members, 
 served as president during the first and 
 second terms of its existence and is now its 
 secretary. She is also a leader in the Re- 
 becca Lodge, Order of the Eastern Star, 
 and is a cultivated and refined lady whose 
 
 graces of character win her friends wherever 
 she goes. The family is one of prominence 
 in the community and the Rice household 
 is the abode of hospitality and good cheer. 
 The home has been blessed with six chil- 
 dren, two sons and four daughters, namely: 
 Estella, the eldest, now the wife of F. D. 
 Gould, of Fairmont; Rosa, wife of Ed. J. 
 Edwards, a druggist of Fairmont; Stanley, 
 Genner, Lena and Daisy. 
 
 By his ballot, labors and influence the 
 Doctor supports the Republican party, and 
 has been honored with a number of public 
 positions of trust. In 1876 he was elected 
 to represent his district in the State Legis- 
 lature, and for eight years he served as 
 Mayor of Fairmont, the interests of the city 
 being greatly promoted under his able ad- 
 ministration of affairs. In 1880 he was 
 appointed surgeon of the Chicago, Milwau- 
 kee & St. Paul Railroad and still holds that 
 position; is also Pension Examiner, having 
 served in that capacity since 1888. He is 
 very prominent in Masonic circles, belonging 
 to Apollo Lodge, No. 12, A. F. & A. M., 
 to the commandery and to the Zurah Shrine 
 of Minneapolis. He also holds membership 
 with the Odd Fellows society, and is a 
 valued member of these various organiza- 
 tions. He was a faithful soldier, is a 
 straightforward business man, a trustworthy 
 official, and in all relations of life his course 
 has commanded the high respect of all with 
 whom he has been brought in contact. 
 
 V-— rf ON. A. H. BULLIS, Delavan town- 
 
 I'^^V ship, Faribault county, has for many 
 \ ^ P years been prominently identified 
 with the various interests of south- 
 ern Minnesota. We take pleasure in pre- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 353 
 
 senting the readers of this work the follow- 
 ing resume of his life : 
 
 A. H. Bullis was born in East Otto, 
 Cattaraugus county, New York, February 
 8, 1832, son of Dr. Levi and Sallie (Adams) 
 Bullis, and one of their family of six chil- 
 dren, four of whom are living, the three 
 besides himself being as follows : Cathar- 
 ine, wife of J. J. Scott, East Otto, New 
 York ; Josephine, wife of B. J. Ward, Fre- 
 donia, New York ; and Lewis, of Dodge 
 county, Minnesota. 
 
 Dr. Levi Bullis was born in Factory 
 Point, Vermont, about the year 1796, and 
 in the Green Mountain State passed the 
 first twenty-five years of his life. He was 
 well educated, and when a young man began 
 the study of medicine. After practicing a 
 few years in his native State he removed to 
 New York, where he had a long and suc- 
 cessful professional career. In 1821 he 
 settled in Erie county. New York, and some 
 years later removed to Cattaraugus county, 
 where he passed the rest of his life and 
 where his death occurred, at the age of 
 eighty-six years. His wife, whose maiden 
 name was Sallie Adams, was a native of 
 Massachusetts, her ancestry being a branch 
 of the family of which John and John Ouincy 
 Adams were members, and its history being 
 traced back to the earliest settlement in 
 Massachusetts. Henry Bullis, the Doctor's 
 father, lived and died in the State of Ver- 
 mont. He was the father of a large family. 
 Seven of his sons participated in the battle 
 of Plattsburg, New York, during the war of 
 1812. 
 
 A. H. Bullis remained in the Empire 
 State until he attained his majority. He 
 then started out in life on his own responsi- 
 bility. As early as 1854 he came to Minne- 
 sota and settled in Rice county, there being 
 
 then only twenty settlers in the county. 
 First he was engaged for a short time on 
 the Government survey, subdividing a por- 
 tion of this county. He pre-empted a claim, 
 but did not, however, engage in farming, 
 his attention at first being directed to mer- 
 cantile pursuits. He was the first man to 
 sell goods in Rice county, was in partner- 
 ship with another young man, and was very 
 successful. But the business was not con- 
 genial to his taste and he soon retired from 
 it, and for five years afterward served as 
 County Surveyor of Rice county; later he was 
 largely interested in real-estate transactions; 
 and while living in Rice county he was 
 twice elected to the State Legislature and 
 served efficiently in that honorable body. 
 After coming to Faribault county, he was 
 three )ears in the United States Land Office 
 at Winnebago City, and on coming out of 
 that office he again gave his attention to the 
 real-estate business. 
 
 About twenty-five years ago Mr. Bullis 
 bought his present home in Delavan town- 
 ship. His residence is located on section 
 thirty-one of this township, while the greater 
 part of his farm, comprising in all some 800 
 acres, is situated in Prescott township. 
 This is one of the most delightful rural 
 homes in all the country round, is within 
 easy reach of Winnebago City, and is a 
 model of comfort and convenience. Mr. 
 Bullis has for many years been noted for 
 his interest in improving the breeds of cattle 
 in the county. About the year 1868 he 
 brought the first short-horn cattle that came 
 to this region, and from that time until 1875 
 made a specialty of raising this breed. He 
 then changed to the Hereford stock, bring- 
 ing to his farm the first Hereford cattle that 
 crossed the Mississippi. He is still breed- 
 ing Herefords, with uniform success, now 
 
354 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 having a herd of about lOO head, and is 
 recognized throughout this and adjoining 
 counties as an authority on the science of 
 breeding and raising blooded stock. In ad- 
 dition to his fine cattle he also raises and 
 markets other stock. 
 
 Mr. Bullis was married October 15, 
 1859, to Ellen L. Pierce, a native of Otto, 
 New York, and a daughter of Lewis and 
 Eliza (Smith) Pierce, both natives of the 
 Empire State. Mr. and Mrs. Bullis have 
 three sons, viz. : Otto L. , a successful far- 
 mer of Prescott township; Harry L. , en- 
 gaged in the practice of law in Winnebago 
 City; and Lewis L, attending the State Uni- 
 versity of Minnesota. 
 
 In addition to his other public service, 
 already mentioned, Mr. Bullis has served 
 two terms of three years each as a member 
 of the Covmty Board of Commissioners, and 
 during that time was chairman of the board. 
 He is one of the most public-spirited and 
 generous men of the county. 
 
 IHOMAS \V. HALL is one of the 
 extensive land-owners of Eraser 
 township, Martin county, and is- 
 now its oldest settler. With the 
 history of this section of the State he is 
 familiar, having witnessed the growth and 
 development of the county from the time 
 when it was a frontier settlement, contain- 
 ing few inhabitants, when the greater 
 part of its land was wild and uncultivated 
 and when sites of now thriving towns and 
 villages were unmarked by a single cabin. 
 He has seen the raw prairie transformed into 
 beautiful homes and farms, has aided in the 
 progress and development of the entire com- 
 munity, and in all public works pertaining to 
 
 the welfare of the connnunity he has ever 
 borne his part. 
 
 Mr. Hall claims New Hampshire as the 
 State of his nativity, his birth having oc- 
 curred in Barrington, July 18, 1842. His 
 father, Stasa Hall, was also a native of that 
 place, and the grandfather, Daniel Hall, 
 was a soldier in the war of 1812. The 
 mother of our subject, who was born in the 
 same town, bore the maiden name of Sallie 
 Hayes and was a daughter of Captain John 
 Hayes, who won his title in the second war 
 with England, — the war of 1812. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Stasa Hall spent their entire lives in 
 New Hampshire and became the parents of 
 nine children, seven of whom are living at 
 the time of the compilation of this work, in 
 the winter of 1894-5. John W. , the eldest, 
 resides in the Granite State; Alonzo H. 
 makes his home in Winnebago City, Minne- 
 sota; Thomas W. is the next younger and is 
 followed by Leslie S. ; William H. and Sam- 
 uel H. are citizens of Minneapolis, Minne- 
 sota; and Calista is the wife of I. F. Bick- 
 ford, who is living in Seattle, Washington. 
 In taking up the personal history of 
 Thomas W. Hall we present to our readers 
 the life record of one who is widely and 
 favorably known throughout the county. 
 He spent the first fourteen years of his life 
 in New Hampshire, then went to Virginia, 
 where he remained two years and a half on 
 account of his health. Returning then to 
 the North, he located in Massachusetts, 
 where he began business for himself, learn- 
 ing the shoe-cutter's trade, which he followed 
 until the breaking out of the war of the 
 1 Rebellion. 
 
 I In 1862 Mr. Hall responded to the Pres- 
 I ident's call for troops to aid in crushing out 
 the Rebellion, and, donning the blue, be- 
 came a member of Company I, Eighth 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 355 
 
 Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, for nine 
 months. With the regiment he went to 
 Newbern, North CaroHna, where he re- 
 mained until June, 1863, at which time, 
 with his command, he was transferred to 
 Fortress Monroe, then to Baltimore, doing 
 guard duty. The regiment then joined the 
 Army of the Potomac, chasing the rebels 
 under General R. E. Lee. The term of 
 service expired in June, 1863, but it was not 
 until late in the summer of that year that 
 Mr. Hall and his comrades were mustered 
 out of the service. He at once returned to 
 his home and worked at his trade for a few 
 months, and the succeeding winter was 
 passed in Spring Valley, Minnesota. In the 
 spring of 1864 he came to Martin county 
 and located upon the farm which has since 
 been his place of residence. He first built 
 a rude log cabin and for five years kept 
 bachelor's hall. At the end of that time he 
 hired some one to care for his home, and 
 thus lived until his marriage. 
 
 In 1880 Mr. Hall was joined in wedlock 
 with Miss Martha E. Brand, a native of 
 Wisconsin and a daughter of Benjamin 
 Brand, an early settler of Martin county, 
 now deceased. Five children have been 
 born to them, — Charles E., Frank W., 
 Mabel, Lynn and an infant. In connection 
 with his brother Leslie, Mr. Hall owns and 
 operates 680 acres of land, and each owns 
 eighty acres separately. The greater part 
 of this land is under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion, and the improvements seen thereon 
 were placed there by our subject, and are 
 proofs of his enterprise and his progressive 
 spirit. The farm is now a valuable one, 
 and through his capable management, per- 
 severance and good business ability its 
 owner has become one of the substantial 
 citi;;ens of the community. 
 
 Mr. Hall holds membership with the 
 First Congregational Church of Eraser, is 
 serving as one of its Deacons and takes a 
 very active part in its work and upbuilding. 
 He is also an earnest worker in the Sunday- 
 school and in the Christian Endeavor So- 
 ciety, and in the latter organization is serv- 
 ing on several important committees. His 
 influence is ever exerted for the cause of 
 right and his well spent life is one deserving 
 of emulation. The cause of education also 
 finds in him a warm friend, for he believes it 
 to be an important factor in producing good 
 citizens. Socially he is connected with the 
 Grand Army Post of Fairmont, and in his 
 political connections he is a Republican. 
 He is quite prominent in local politics and 
 has filled several offices of honor and trust, 
 discharging his duties in a prompt and faith- 
 ful manner. He was a member of the town 
 board of Supervisors for a number of years, 
 served as its chairman, has also been Town- 
 ship Clerk and Road Overseer. .-\t one 
 time he was also elected Justice of the 
 Peace, but refused to qualify. Mr. Hall is 
 a wide-awake, progressive citizen, an enter- 
 prising farmer and an honored pioneer, and 
 the history of Martin county would be in- 
 complete without this record of his life. 
 
 at 
 
 ILLIAM S. DRAKE, Sr., one 
 of the well-to-do and highly re- 
 spected farmers of Elmore town- 
 ship, Faribault county, Minne- 
 sota, was born m Orange county, New 
 York, July 27, 181 3, one of the two sons of 
 Nathaniel and Annie (Seward) Drake. Na- 
 thaniel Drake was a native of New Jersey, 
 born near the city of Morristown, and early 
 in life removed from there to Orange 
 rountv, New York, where he lived until the 
 
356 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 outbreak of the war of 1812. He served as 
 a soldier all through that war, and died soon 
 after its close. His widow spent her latter 
 years in Minnesota, dying at the home of 
 Mr. George D. McArthur, at the great age 
 of ninety-nine years and eight months. She 
 was a second cousin of the Hon. William 
 H. Seward, formerly of New York. Jere- 
 miah Drake, the grandfather of our subject, 
 was of English descent and was for many 
 years a resident of Orange county, New 
 York; but little, however, is known of his 
 personal history. 
 
 William S. Drake, Sr. , spent the first 
 thirty-seven years of his life in the Empire 
 State. He there learned the trade of car- 
 riage-maker and worked at it for some 
 time. In January, 1 840, he was married, 
 in New York, to Emeline Thompson, daugh- 
 ter of George Thompson, of Orange county, 
 she being one of a family of five children. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Drake have had children, as 
 follows: Anna, wife of George D. McArthur, 
 of Blue Earth City, Minnesota; Sarah, de- 
 ceased wife of German B. Franklin, Auditor 
 of Faribault county; Elizabeth, wife of 
 James R. Snyder, of Elmore township; and 
 William S., Jr. 
 
 In 1850 Mr. Drake moved with his fam- 
 ily from New York State to Wisconsin, set- 
 tling in Waukesha county, where they lived 
 until 1868, he being engaged in farming 
 during that time. In the year 1868 he 
 came to Minnesota and settled in Elmore 
 township, Faribault county, on a half sec- 
 tion of land purchased of George D. McAr- 
 thur. To this tract he added by subsequent 
 purchase until he now has some 800 acres 
 of splendid farming land, and he is ranked 
 among the wealthiest farmers of this sec- 
 tion of the country. For many years he 
 has made a specialty of raising sheep, his 
 
 flock averaging no less than 500 head; and 
 he also raises a large number of hogs each 
 year. 
 
 Mr. Drake was a Whig in his early life. 
 When the Republican party was organized 
 he gave his support to it and has ever since 
 been an ardent Republican, though never in 
 any sense of the word a politician. 
 
 k/^ OBERT MORE, County Commis- 
 
 I /^r sioner of Faribault county, Minne- 
 
 \ . P sota, is one of the leading farmers 
 
 and stockmen of the county, his 
 
 residence being in Pilot Grove township. 
 
 Mr. More was born July 7, 1839, in 
 Hamilton, Scotland, which was the birth- 
 place of the Mores for many generations, he 
 being the eldest of seven children of Andrew 
 R. and Janette (Weir) More. When he 
 was eleven years of age his parents emi- 
 grated with their family to America, settling 
 first in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, and 
 later in Jefferson county, that State. In 
 1857 they came to Minnesota and took 
 up their abode on a farm in Pilot Grove 
 township, Faribault county, this region of 
 country then being an unbroken prairie and 
 abounding in game. For sixteen winters 
 our subject was engaged in hunting and 
 trapping, a sport in which he took great 
 delight and which afforded him not only 
 pleasure but also profit, the pelts bringing 
 high prices. In all this part of the country 
 he was noted as an expert hunter and 
 trapper, and, while he was unoccupied in 
 this way during the winters, he spent his 
 summers in farm work. He early began to 
 buy and raise cattle for market and in this 
 business has been more or less extensivel}' 
 engaged ever since, his operations extend- 
 ing over a wide territory. For several years 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 357 
 
 past he and his brother Edward have been 
 in partnership in the stock business, buying 
 and selling both cattle and hogs. They 
 annually feed for market about 125 head of 
 steers and no less than 100 hogs, and they 
 farm about 1,300 acres of land, raising 
 large crops of corn, which they feed to their 
 stock. They ship to the Chicago market. 
 After his marriage, which occurred in 1886, 
 Robert More settled on 160 acres of land, 
 the farm he still occupies. For ten years 
 he lived in a log house, he and his wife 
 bearing the hardships incident to life on the 
 frontier. Fortune smiled upon their honest 
 and earnest efforts as the years rolled by, 
 and to-day Mr. More is recognized as one of 
 the substantial, progressive men of Fari- 
 bault county. 
 
 He was married January 27, 1866, to 
 Elizabeth C. Kendall, daughter of Charles 
 and Ann (Aspey) Kendall, natives of Eng- 
 land. Upon their emigration to this coun- 
 try, her parents settled at Gravesend, Kings 
 county, New York, where her birth oc- 
 curred. After a residence of nine years 
 in New York, they came west to Milwaukee, 
 Wisconsin, and in 1864 came from there to 
 Minnesota, settling in Lura township, Fari- 
 bault county, where they still reside. Mr. 
 and Mrs. More have five children, namely: 
 Andrew R. , Jr., a farmer of Pilot Grove 
 township; Charles K., engaged in farming 
 operations with his father; George K. , at- 
 tending commercial school at Des Moines, 
 Iowa; Elwin D., and Clarence, at school. 
 
 Always a public-spirited man, Mr. More 
 has served his township long and well in va- 
 rious capacities, acting as Township As- 
 sessor and later as Township Treasurer, fill- 
 ing both offices a number of years. Yield- 
 ing to the urgent request of his many friends, 
 he in 1886 allowed his name to be used as a 
 
 candidate for County Commissioner, and 
 was duly elected to that office by the Re- 
 publican party, with which he has always 
 affiliated, and since 1886 has been serving 
 efficiently as Commissioner. The magnifi- 
 cent county courthouse has been erected 
 during his term of office, and for the deep 
 interest he took in the matter he is deserving 
 of thanks from the people. 
 
 More might be said of the life of this 
 worthy citizen, but enough has been given 
 to serve as an index to his character, and 
 place him, where he belongs, among the 
 representative men of his day and place. 
 
 @EOKGE J. NUTT is one of the 
 most prosperous and prominent 
 agriculturists of Martin county. 
 He resides on section 32, East 
 Chain township, and has one of the finest 
 farms in this section of the State, — a region 
 noted for its excellent land and splendid 
 farms. He made his start in life with a 
 homestead claim of 120 acres, but his landed 
 possessions now aggregate 800 acres, all 
 fenced and the greater part under a high 
 state of cultivation. Of this 200 acres con- 
 stitutes the place on which he resides, and 
 the remaining 600 lies just across the line 
 in Kossuth county, Iowa. The improve- 
 ments are such as are found on a model 
 farm of the nineteenth century. A pleasant 
 and substantial dwelling is supplemented 
 with barns and outbuildings which are 
 models of convenience, and these are sur- 
 rounded by waving fields of grain and in 
 harvest times the yellow fields tell of 
 just reward for the labors of the owner. In 
 connection with general farming he success- 
 fully carries on stock-raising and keeps on 
 hand a large herd of fine cattle and Poland 
 
358 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 China hogs. His success in life has come 
 to him through close attention to the details 
 of business, systematic management and un- 
 tiring industry. 
 
 It is with pleasure that we present to 
 our readers the life record of so prominent 
 a citizen as the gentleman whose name in- 
 troduces this record. Mr. Nutt was born 
 in Clinton county, New York, January 24, 
 1849, and is a son of George Nutt, a native 
 of the same county. His mother, who bore 
 the maiden name of Electa Ackerson, was a 
 native of the Green Mountain State and a 
 daughter of Daniel Ackerson, who was born 
 in New Jersey and was of German descent 
 and served as a soldier in the war of 1812. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Nutt were born four chil- 
 dren, three sons and a daughter: Alonzo, 
 who is living in Oregon; George J., our sub- 
 ject; Alice, wife of William Nutter, also of 
 Oregon; and Albert, who completes the fam- 
 ily. 
 
 In the Empire State George J. Nutt 
 spent the first sixteen years of his life, 
 during which time he attended the public 
 schools, acquiring a practical English edu- 
 cation. He then came with his parents to 
 Martin county, Minnesota, — the year of 
 their arrival being i 865, — and has since been 
 identified with this region. He began to 
 earn his own livelihood, chopping cord-wood 
 by the day, being thus employed for one 
 winter in Boone county, Iowa, and receiving 
 $.65 per cord for his work. He gave his 
 parents his earnings, for they were in limited 
 circumstances and needed his aid. On 
 attaining his majority he resolved that his 
 labors should benefit himself, for he had now 
 reached the lime when a young man begins 
 to think of providing for his future and of 
 securing a home of his own. By his first 
 purcha.se of land he became the owner of a 
 
 tract of eighty acres in Pleasant Prairie 
 township, Martin county, and upon it raised 
 two crops. Subsequently he sold that prop- 
 erty, and as before stated secured a home- 
 stead of 120 acres. His career has since 
 been an era of prosperity, yet has not been 
 without its obstacles and difficulties, but 
 these he has overcome by persistent effort, 
 and they have seemed to serve but as an im- 
 petus for renewed and more persistent labor. 
 In 1874 a marriage ceremony was per- 
 formed which united the destinies of Mr. 
 Nutt and Miss Ida F. Roberts, who was 
 born and reared in Walworth county, Wis- 
 consin, and is a daughter of Alanson W. 
 and Amarilla (Nimicksj Roberts. Mr. 
 Roberts was born in St. Lawrence county. 
 New York, and Mrs. Roberts is also a native 
 of that State. They were married in the 
 Empire State, and a few years later came 
 West, locating in Walworth county, and 
 engaged in farming, where both are living at 
 this writing. Mr. and Mrs. Nutt located 
 on the farm which is now their home and 
 which has since been their place of abode 
 continuously ; and four children have come 
 to bless their union, two sons and two 
 daughters, \\i. : Cora, born November 7, 
 1875 ; Alfred, born January 5, 1878; Wil- 
 bur, born November 25, 18S1; and Grace, 
 ! born November 2, 1889, completes the fam- 
 ' ily. Their home is the abode of hospitality 
 I and many friends delight to gather there 
 I and share in the good cheer which is always 
 extended them. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Nutt is a Repub- 
 1 lican, but has never been an aspirant for 
 office. Almost his entire life has been 
 passed in Martin county, and those who 
 have known him from boyhood are num- 
 ; bered among his warmest friends, — a fact 
 which indicates a well spent life. 
 
^daim -^/}/e//. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAX AND JACKSON. 
 
 ■jfii 
 
 aHARLES SIEBERT.— Among the 
 intelligent, prosperous and highly 
 esteemed merchants of Wells is the 
 gentleman who forms the subject 
 (jf this re\'iew, and the history of the com- 
 munity would be incomplete without the 
 record of his life. He was born in the 
 province of Brandenburg, near the city of 
 Berlin, German}-, on the 21st of December, 
 1849, and belongs to a family of six chil- 
 dren, whose parents were William and 
 Dorothea (Heuer) Siebert. The grandfather, 
 Jacob Siebert, was born in Lenten, on the 
 Elbe, and was one of the prominent and 
 influential men of his day in the community 
 in which he made his home. He died at 
 the ripe old age of eighty-seven. The 
 father of our subject was born in Len- 
 zen, in the year 18 14, and was in the Go\- 
 ernment postoffice service in his native city 
 during his active business career. He, too, 
 was a leading citizen, taking an active part 
 in public affairs. In 1871, when fifty-seven 
 3'ears of age, he was called from this life and 
 many friends mourned his death. He was 
 a man of much more than average intelli- 
 gence and gave to his children superior edu- 
 cational advantages, thus fitting them for 
 any duties which might come to them in 
 after life. His wife also was born in Lenzen, 
 in 18 I 7, and is now living in the old home 
 where occurred the birth of her children, 
 having reached the advanced age of seventy- 
 seven. Her parents were William and 
 Sophia (Richter) Heuer, and her father car- 
 ried on a large shoemaking establishment, 
 employing a number of men. 
 
 Of t"he family of William and Dorothea 
 Siebert, four are yet living, including Henry, 
 who is now living in Berlin and is employed 
 in the Government service as a telegraph 
 operator; Adolph, who is occupying a very 
 
 18 
 
 important position as assistant in the office 
 of the Government Treasury in Berlin; Wil- 
 helmina, wife of Louis Giesenschlag, of 
 I Lenzen-on-the-Elbe; and Charles, of this 
 record. 
 
 The last named spent the days of his 
 boyhood and youth under the parental roof 
 and attended the common schools of his 
 native city. Later he learned the saddlery 
 trade, which he followed until nineteen 
 years of age. In 1869 he was called to 
 serve the Government as a soldier, and was 
 in the army for three years, or until 1872, 
 being a member of the Si.xth Light Battery 
 of the Third Field Artillery Regiment. He 
 was all through the Franco-Prussian war 
 and did faithful service in his country's 
 cause. In the spring of 1872 the battery 
 was detached from the regiment with which 
 it was first connected, and was then attached 
 to the Fifteenth Field Artillery Regiment, 
 stationed in Metz, Strasburg, and in Alsace- 
 Lorraine. He received his discharge in 
 Metz in 1872, and after two weeks visit 
 with his family he executed his long contem- 
 plated plan of coming to .America. He 
 reached the United States in the month of 
 November and at once made his way to 
 Manteno, Kankakee county, Illinois, where 
 he spent the winter attending school and 
 making himself familiar with the English 
 : language. He desired to make thorough 
 I preparation for a successful business career 
 in America, and recognized th(^ value that 
 this school course would be to him. 
 
 In February, 1873, Mr. Siebert secured 
 a position as salesman in a mercantile estab- 
 lishment in Kankakee, his services being 
 wanted for the German and French trade. 
 After six months spent in that capacity he 
 \ went on a visit of two weeks to Chicago, 
 ■ and while there engaged with the leather 
 
363 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OP 
 
 firm of Blackburn Brothers, first filling the 
 position of shipping and corresponding clerk 
 for three months, when he was promoted 
 to house salesman. So faithful was he and 
 so valuable were his services that after a 
 half year he was again promoted, being put 
 upon the road as a traveling salesman and 
 thus he served for three years, covering the 
 territory comprised in Illinois, Wisconsin, 
 Minnesota and eastern Iowa. In the mean- 
 time he was determined to engage in busi- 
 ness for himself, and in 1877 severed his 
 connection with the firm of Blackburn 
 Brothers, a connection which had been 
 mutually pleasant and profitable. He had 
 already selected Wells, as in his judgment 
 the best point in the West for a location. 
 Here he embarked in general merchandising 
 and has since carried on operations along 
 this line. In order to meet the demands of 
 his constantly increasing trade he enlarged 
 the store which he now occupies, and 
 stocked it with a fine line of goods, such as 
 is found in a first class establishment of the 
 kind. From the beginning his trade has 
 constantly increased in volume and import- 
 ance, and Mr. Siebert is now at the head of 
 the leading general mercantile stores in 
 Wells. To carry on the business he has 
 the service of ten employees, and the pa- 
 trons always receive courteous treatment, 
 and the dealings are always fair and honor- 
 able on the part of the store. 
 
 Mr. Siebert has ever taken a deep and 
 abiding interest in what pertains to the wel- 
 fare of the community and its upbuilding, 
 and it was largely through his instrumen- 
 tality that the German Lutheran Church 
 was established in Wells. His efforts have 
 done much to bring into this locality the 
 large German population which is to-day 
 found here, and they form a class of citizens 
 
 devoted to the country's interests and worthy 
 of all regard. Mr. Siebert is a member of 
 the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Doric 
 Lodge, of Wells; also to Olympia Lodge, 
 No. 477, I. O. O. F., of Chicago; the 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen and the 
 Modern Woodmen of America. Prosperous 
 in a high degree, he is recognized as one of 
 the energetic, broadminded business men of 
 the day. Success comes not alone as a 
 result of taking advantage of opportunities 
 presented, but is also the result of opportuni- 
 ties created. He has both made and used 
 opportunities, taking advantage of everything 
 that would aid him in his career. Thus he 
 has worked his way steadily upward, climbing 
 to heights which can only be reached through 
 earnest application, untiring industry and 
 straightforward, honorable dealing. 
 
 The domestic relations of Mr. Siebert 
 have been most pleasant and he takes great 
 delight in his home. He was happily mar- 
 ried August 6, 1876, in Chicago, to Minnie 
 Helweg, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, 
 and a daughter of Gottlieb and Wilhelmina 
 Helweg, of Chicago. In their family were 
 three children, the brothers being Charles 
 H., a merchant of Fulda, Minnesota, and 
 Frederick, of the same place. The union 
 of Mr. and Mrs. Siebert has been blessed with 
 seven children, — Louisa, Emma, Charles, 
 Minnie, Marie, Dorothea and Leonora, — 
 and the family circle yet remains unbroken 
 by the hand of death, while all are still under 
 the parental roof. 
 
 EON. ANDREW R. MORE, a well- 
 known farmer of Pilot Grove town- 
 ship, Faribault county, Minnesota, 
 was born in the town of Hamilton, 
 near Glasgow, Scotland, June 21, 181 3. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 363 
 
 He was one of a family of twelve children, 
 four of whom are now living, all in old age. 
 Their parents were Robert and Christina 
 (Wilson) More. The father, also a nati\-e 
 of Hamilton, was by trade a weaver of 
 cambric, which trade he followed success- 
 fully through his active life. He died in his 
 native town, at the age of seventy-three 
 years. His wife, Christina, likewise a na- 
 tive of Hamilton, was a daughter of Alex- 
 ander Wilson, a tailor by trade. The 
 grandfather. Thomas More, lived and died 
 in that same place. He wa.s engaged largely 
 in dairying, and lived to the extreme old 
 age of ninety-two years. 
 
 Andrew R. More learned the trade of 
 lace-maker in early life and worked at that 
 trade for a number of years He was also 
 a manufacturer of lace for some time, re- 
 maining in Scotland until 1850. That year 
 he emigrated to America. Upon his arrival 
 in this country he first settled in Waukesha 
 count}-, Wisconsin, and three years later 
 moved to Jefferson county, same State, 
 where he remained five years, trying to 
 learn farming. Not satisfied, however, 
 with his success in Wisconsin, he decided 
 to come further west, and in May, 1858, 
 landed in Pilot Grove township, Faribault 
 county, Minnesota, and located on the spot 
 which has since been his home. Three 
 others, — James and David Ogilvie and Archi- 
 bald Cardie, located in this same neighbor- 
 hood iX the time Mr. More did, and all are 
 still living here. They made the journey 
 hither from Wisconsin in wagons, and after 
 their arrival Mr. More and his family lived 
 in their wagons for several weeks, until they 
 could build a log house. This done, he 
 began breaking the prairie. He took a 
 squatter's claim and later secured title to 
 the same under the homestead act, occupy- 
 
 ing 1 50 acres at fust. Herf he has since 
 lived and prospered, farming and stock-rais- 
 ing on a large scale, and also buying and 
 selling cattle and hogs, and dealing to some 
 extent in real estate. To-day he is ranked 
 with the wealthy men of the county. 
 
 Mr. More was married in his native 
 land, October 1. 1838, to Jeanette Allen 
 Weir, who was one of a familv of eleven 
 children and daughter of James and Jean- 
 ette fReston; Weir. They have six chil- 
 dren, viz. : Robert, County Commissioner, 
 a resident of Pilot Grove township: Jean- 
 ette, wife of Wayne B. Silliman, of Blue 
 Earth City, Minnesota; Christina, wife of 
 Daniel McLeod, Pilot Grove; Andrew, Blue 
 Earth City; James W. . County Treasurer; 
 and Edward, engaged in farming and stock- 
 raising on the home place. 
 
 In township and county affairs Mr. More 
 has always taken an active part. In the 
 fall of the same year in which he located 
 here, when the Township Board was first 
 formed, he was made Township Treasurer 
 and Justice of the Peace, and for many 
 years he served as Chairman of the Board. 
 When he first landed in this country Mr. 
 More gave his support to the Whigs, but 
 has affiliated with the Republican party ever 
 since it was organized. For six years he 
 served as County Commissioner, during 
 three of which he acted as Chairman of the 
 Board. In the convention of 1876 he was 
 nominated for the Legislature, and was 
 afterward elected by a splendid majority. 
 Religiously, Mr. More has been a faithful 
 member of the Presbyterian Church all his 
 life. In the year 1869, when a Presby- 
 terian Church was established in Blue Earth 
 City, he was chosen Elder, being the first 
 Presbyterian Elder in Faribault county, and 
 has held that office continuouslv to the 
 
364 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 present time; and for thirty years he has 
 been the only Postmaster in Pilot Grove. 
 
 Surrounded by children and grandchil- 
 dren and friends without number, living in 
 the midst of peace and plenty, this worthy 
 pioneer and his good wife are spending the 
 evening of happy and useful lives. 
 
 aYRUS WEBER, a respected farm- 
 er of Martin county, residing near 
 Sherburne, was born in ^^'aterloo 
 county, Ontario, Canada, June 9, 
 1833, son of Peter and Catharine (Baer) 
 Weber. 
 
 Both the grandfather and great-grand- 
 father of Mr. Weber were named John 
 Weber. The latter lived and died in Bucks 
 county, Pennsylvania. The family origin- 
 ated in old Bavaria, Germany, and it is 
 more than likely they emigrated to Penn- 
 sylvania about the time of the establishment 
 of the Penn colony there. John Weber, 
 the grandfather of our subject, was also 
 born in Bucks county. In 18 15 he moved 
 from there to Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, 
 and in 1 829 to Canada, where Cyrus was 
 born. This John Weber died in Canada in 
 1845, at the age of sixty-seven years. His 
 wife, whose maiden name was Gayman, 
 died about 1856, aged eighty-five years. 
 Her father was brought to this country by 
 his parents when he was four years old, 
 their emigration being from Switzerland to 
 Bucks county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Gayman 
 was always closely identified with the 
 Quakers, but was himself a Mennonite 
 preacher. He reared a family of seven sons 
 and nine daughters, all of whom had fami- 
 lies of their own. He lived to the advanced 
 age of ninety-six years, and at the time 
 of his death was considered a wealthy man. 
 
 having acquired a large amount of land and 
 having by his own efforts cleared much of 
 it. He was large of stature, and was unusu- 
 ally strong physically. John Gayman, the 
 great-grandfather of C3'rus Weber, when 
 about ninety years of age, had a family re- 
 union, when 305 of his descendants were 
 entertained by him for about a week. The 
 children of Mr. and Mrs. John Weber, 
 grandparents of our subject, were six in 
 number, three sons and three daughters, 
 the sons being Joel, Peter and John. 
 
 Mr. Weber's maternal grandfather, Mar- 
 tin Baer, was born in Lancaster county, 
 Pennsylvania, and descended from German 
 ancestors who had emigrated to this coun- 
 trj' from Switzerland. Martin Baer moved 
 from Lancaster count}' to Kentuck)', but 
 subsequentl}' returned to Penns}lvania and 
 was married there. After his marriage he 
 joined a colony of Mennonites that located 
 in Canada. He died about the year 1845, 
 aged sixt\- years. Of his family, which 
 consisted of fourteen children, ten reached 
 maturity, and of this number three are still 
 living: John Baer, a Mennonite preacher 
 of Canada, and now ninetj' years of age; 
 George Baer, and Mrs. Weber, mother of 
 our subject, living in Le Sueur county, this 
 State. 
 
 Peter Weber, the father of our subject, 
 was born in 18 10, and married in Canada. 
 In January, 1838, he moved his family to 
 Erie county. New York, a few miles east of 
 Buffalo. Here Mr. Weber worked at his 
 trade, that of carpenter and millwright. In 
 the summer of 1 849 he moved to Winne- 
 bago county, Wisconsin, and in 1871 or '2 
 came to Rock county, Minnesota, where he 
 passed the remainder of his days and died, 
 his death occurring in the fall of 1875. His 
 widow resides at Ottawa, Le Sueur county, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 365 
 
 Minnesota. The children of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Peter Wober are: Cyrus, the subject of 
 this article; David, a millwright of Minne- 
 apolis, is married and has a family; Martin, 
 who died in infancy; Leah, who died at the 
 age of five years; Mary Ann, who married 
 .\aron Baer and has a son and daughter, 
 their home being in Rock county, this State; 
 Rachel, who died at the age of five years; 
 Permelia, who married John N. Silver- 
 thorn and died in 1894; George, a farmer 
 of Rock county, is married and has seven 
 children; Andrew, residing on the home 
 farm with his mother; Martin, of Luverne, 
 Minnesota, has a wife and four children; 
 and Ella, wife of a Mr. Allen, of Fergus 
 Falls, Minnesota, has four children. 
 
 Cyrus Weber remained at home and 
 worked with his father at the carpenter and 
 millwright trades until he was twenty years 
 old. Then, having become a proficient 
 workman, he engaged in contracting on his 
 own account, and continued in contract 
 work for the next seven years. 
 
 In September, i860, he enlisted at Ber- 
 lin, Wisconsin, in the Third Wisconsin 
 Battery. He participated in the battles of 
 Crab Orchard, Kentucky, and Stone River, 
 Chickamauga and Mission Ridge. He was 
 final!}' discharged at Madison, Wisconsin, in 
 August, 1865, having served all through the 
 war, and during the whole of his service he 
 was never taken prisoner or wounded, al- 
 though his clothes were pierced with balls. 
 
 In September, 1865, in company with 
 his brother-in-law, J. N. Silverthorn, an- 
 other veteran of the late war, he set out for 
 Minnesota, and after a tedious drive reached 
 Martin county, October 12. Here he at 
 once located a homestead claim, and upon 
 it he has since lived and carried on fanning 
 operations. This place comprises lots 2, 3, 
 
 5 and 6, section 31, township 103, and 
 range 32, and is on the north side of Fox 
 Lake. Some years after securing this tract 
 of land he planted the trees which surround 
 his residence. The house he now occupies 
 was erected in 1888. 
 
 Mr. Weber is a member of the G. A. R. 
 and is a Republican in politics. He has 
 never married, and lives a quiet life on his 
 farm. 
 
 >T^ACOB SANFORD.— This gentleman 
 
 m is one of the respected farmers of 
 
 A 1 Martin county, his home being on 
 
 the southeast quarter, section 5, 
 
 township 102, range 32. 
 
 Mr. Sanford was born in the town of 
 Berne, Albany county. New York, and is of 
 Scotch and English extraction. Caleb San- 
 ford, his grandfather, a native of Connecti- 
 cut, was of Scotch origin, while grandfather 
 Seth Fancher descended from the English. 
 The latter served in the war of 181 2. The 
 children of Caleb Sanford were Appollas, 
 Amos, David, Mrs. Betsey Frohman and 
 Mrs. Shaw. David was the father of our 
 subject. He and his wife, whose maiden 
 name was Nancy Fancher, moved from 
 Berne, New York, to Schoharie county, that 
 State, in 1836. Their children are Caleb, 
 who married Maria Rivenburg, and has a 
 family of three sons and three daughters, is 
 engaged in farming at Catskill, New York ; 
 Jacob, whose name appears at the head of 
 this article ; Chancell, who married Malissa 
 Clough and has one son, is a machinist and 
 lives in Massachusetts ; Cynthia, wife of 
 Stephen Dickinson, a farmer in Iowa, has 
 three daughters and four sons ; Rufus, 
 an engineer of Ann Arbor, Michigan, mar- 
 ried Julia Ludlow and has two children. 
 
366 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Jacob Sanford remained at home with his 
 parents until he was twent}-one years of 
 age. Before attaininj^ his majority he 
 worked for a time in a brick yard and after- 
 ward on a sail boat, turning a portion of his 
 wages over to his father, who was afflicted 
 with lameness. During the Me.xican war 
 the subject of our sketch was emploj'ed in a 
 cotton mill in Chicopee Falls, Massa- 
 chusetts. Shortl}- after beginning work 
 there he determined to join a company that 
 was going to the seat of war. Owing, how- 
 ever, to the fact that his employers required 
 three weeks' notice prior to his quitting 
 work, he was prevented from carrying out 
 his purpose, the company having received 
 its full quota of men and started for the 
 scene of action before he was able to get a 
 release. 
 
 Mr. Sanford remained in .Massachusetts 
 until -April. 1855. when he came west to 
 Beaver Dam, Dodge count), Wisconsin, 
 where he rented and operated a farm for 
 two years. He then moved to German- 
 town, Juneau county, that State, and en- 
 gaged in shingle-making, rafting logs and 
 general work. October 9, 1S58, he mo\ed 
 to Buffalo county, Wisconsin, and rented a 
 farm of eighty acres, which, three years 
 later, he purchased, and to which he soon 
 afterward added fortj' acres, making a fine 
 farm of 120 acres. In March, 1879, Mr. 
 Sanford visited Martin county, Minnesota, 
 and looked carefully over the territory. He 
 determinctl tu locate here, and, placing his 
 family in a wagon, dro\e through. arri\ing 
 on the claim which he now occupies, .\pril 
 25 of the same year. This claim, the loca- 
 tion of which is stated above, was railroad 
 land, and Mr. Sanford paid $8 an acre for 
 it. All the improvements up^on it have been 
 placed here by him. 
 
 Mr. Sanford was married May 13, 185 1, 
 at Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, to Miss 
 Jane Giddings. Mrs. Sanford was born 
 September 8, 1834. Her father, John Gid- 
 dings, a farmer, was born March 24, 17S3, 
 and died in Massachusetts in 1855. Her 
 mother, whose maiden name was Mary 
 Shaw, was born May 4, 1793, and died in 
 October, 1 869. Mr. and Mrs. John Gid- 
 dings had eight daughters and three sons. 
 The children of Mr. and Mrs. Sanford are 
 as follows: Nettie, born June 3, 1853, is the 
 wife of Peter Bennett and has three sons 
 and two daughters; Maria, born December 
 9, 1857, is the wife of DeWitt Madison 
 Reynolds, a furniture dealer of Sherburne, 
 and has one child; Julia, born February 3, 
 1861, is the wife of T. L. Records; Ella, 
 born .August 17, 1863, is the wife of Jo- 
 seph Berg, of Omaha, Nebraska, and has 
 three daughters and two sons; John, born 
 June 26, 1867, is a farmer of Martin county; 
 Albert Welcome, born April 3, 1869, has a 
 half interest in the home farm and is giving 
 his attention to its cultivation; and Otillie, 
 born June 26, 1872, is at present emploj'ed 
 on the Sherburne .Advance. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Sanford is a Republican. 
 Although having nearly reached his "three- 
 score years and ten " he is still an active 
 man. This is owing largely to his temper- 
 ate habits. He is highly respected in his 
 communitj' and is one of the leading citi- 
 zens of Manyaska township. 
 
 fi 
 
 ber 
 
 KEXTISS D. WORTHLEY, one of 
 the substantial farmers of the vicin- 
 ity of Sherburne, Minnesota, was 
 born near Bangor, Maine, Novem- 
 20, 1850, son of Conrad Cokely and 
 
 Esther Ann (Bradbury) Worthlej-. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 367 
 
 But little is known of the ancestry of 
 this gentleman. One of his uncles, William 
 Worthley, was a ship carpenter, and married 
 and lived in Maine. His father, Conrad 
 Cokely Worthley, was born in Maine in 
 October, 1801, and died in De Kalb county, 
 Illinois, September 29, 1877; his mother was 
 born October 11, 1804, and died May 11, 
 1884. They had a family of si.x children, 
 all of whom grew up to occupy honorable 
 and useful positions in life, their names being 
 as follows: Arvida Hefford, Elmira, Arthur, 
 Helen, Albert Holton and Prentiss D. 
 
 When he was five years of age, Prentiss 
 D. Worthley removed with his parents to 
 Michigan City, Indiana, and two years later 
 to Porter county, that State. After a resi- 
 dence of twelve years in Porter county, he 
 went to McHenry county, Illinois, and in 
 the spring of 1870, to De Kalb county, same 
 State, locating in Kingston township. He 
 was the first of the family to take up his 
 abode in De Kalb county. There he farmed 
 140 acres of land, and continued to reside 
 until September, 1885, when he came to 
 Minnesota. At that time he purchased in 
 Martin county the northeast quarter of sec- 
 tion 31, township 102, range 32, and in 1892 
 bought the northwest quarter of section 32, 
 same township and range, and now has a 
 fine farm of 320 acres. He built his hand- 
 some residence shortly after his arrival, and 
 his large barns in 1892. 
 
 Mr. Worthley was married December 10, 
 1878, to Amelia Uplinger, daughter of John 
 and Elizabeth (Wood) Uplinger She was 
 born in Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, April 
 8. 1857, and her parents were also natives 
 of that county. Her father was born No- 
 vember 12, 1 8 19; moved to Kingston, Illi- 
 nois, in 1866, and located on a farm of 240 
 acres near town, where he lived until 1882, 
 
 when he moved into Kingston; and he died 
 there October 6, 1893. Her mother, born 
 June 2, 1823, is still living at Kingston. 
 They were married July 31, 1840, and the 
 names of their children, in order of birth, 
 are: Mary, born May 27, 1843; Jacob, 
 February 17, 1845; Susan, September 25, 
 1846; Charles, April 15, 1848; Sarah, May 
 25, 1850; John, July 15, i852;Elmina, June 
 25, 1854, died January 7, 1880; Amelia, 
 April 18, 1857; Franklin, September 10, 
 1859; Margaret, August 27, 1861 ; Elizabeth, 
 April 17, 1863; Amanda, October 27, 1865; 
 Martha, June 30, 1868. The children of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Worthley are: Ralph, born 
 October 26, 1879; Charlie, April 15, 1886; 
 and Alvin Franklin, April 18, 1894. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Worthley is a Republi- 
 can. Both he and his wife are members of 
 the Lake Belt Congregational Church, atid 
 they are among the most highly respected 
 people of their community. 
 
 (D 
 
 RS. JOHN HENRY TER- 
 H U R N E, who since the pio- 
 neer days has resided in Fari- 
 bault county, was born in the 
 kingdom of Prussia, Germany, September 
 28, 1838, on a farm belonging to her par- 
 ents, William and Adelaide Rauenhorst. 
 They also were natives of Prussia, and in 
 1846 sailed from the Fatherland, reaching 
 New York after a voyage of six weeks upon 
 the bosom of the Atlantic. They did not 
 linger on Manhattan island but went at once 
 to Wisconsin by way of the Hudson river 
 and the Erie canal. The father located in 
 Racine county, in the midst of a dense tim- 
 ber tract, and erected a log cabin and cut 
 down the trees that the sun might shine 
 upon thtj little pioneer home. When the 
 
-,6S 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 wild flowers began to send forth their tiny 
 blossoms in the spring he began to prepare 
 for his first crop, and the plowing and plant- 
 ing resulted in bounteous harvests of golden 
 grain. 
 
 An interesting event in the h\es of these 
 [lioneer people was the marriage of the 
 flaughter of the household, W'ilhelmina, 
 who on the 25th of August, 1857, became 
 wife of John Henry Terhurne. the wedding 
 ceremony being performed by Rev. Father 
 ^^'issbauer, of Burlington, Wisconsin. Mr. 
 Terhurne was born in Prussia, September 
 12, 1830, and in 1852, bidding good-by to 
 friends and country, he sailed for America, 
 locating in Wisconsin, where he became 
 acquainted with and married Miss Rauen- 
 horst. 
 
 The other members of her father's fam- 
 ily are as follows: Henr\' is a farmer of 
 Iowa; Bernard resides on the old famih- 
 homestead in the Badger State; Theodore 
 is a farmer of Barber township, Faribault 
 county; Herman follows agricultural pur- 
 suits in the same township; Mrs. Terhurne 
 is the next younger; and Henrietta, who 
 completed the family, w as born in i S30 
 and died in November, 1 884, her remains 
 being interred in the burying-ground of St. 
 Mar3's church. She was the wife of Bern- 
 ard Stevemer, who resides in Barber town- 
 ship. In the spring of 1857 Mr. Henry 
 Terhurne and his wife removed to Barber 
 township. The latter erected a log house, 
 in which his famih- lived for some time in 
 the primitive style of the frontier. As the 
 family circle was increased their home was 
 enlarged. Mr. Terhurne devoted himself to 
 the cultivation of his land and placed 240 
 acres under a high state of cultivation. 
 After ten years he sold his first purchase and 
 bought 320 acres, on which he resided until 
 
 his removal to Easton in 1873. Previous to 
 this time he conducted a small mercantile 
 establishment at Wissner's Grove, and on 
 coming to Easton Mr. Terhurne and Adam 
 Scheid erected a modern store and opened a 
 fine line of general merchandise. This was 
 the first store of the place, but it soon grew 
 in j)opularity and received a good trade from 
 the smrounding country. Mr. Terhurne did 
 much toward making the new settlers wel- 
 come and in aiding them to secure homes. 
 He was a popular man, highly esteemed for 
 his excellencies of character, and his friends 
 were man\-. 
 
 During the late war he manifested his 
 lovalty to his adopted country by respond- 
 ing to the President's call for troops, and on 
 the 1 I th of November, 1 864, he became a 
 member of Company D, First Regiment of 
 Minnesota Heav\- Artillerj-. He was honor- 
 ably discharged at Nashville, Tennessee, 
 September 27, 1865, and he returned home 
 with the consciousness of duty well done, 
 for he was alwa_\s found at his post, faith- 
 fully defending the old flag and the cause it 
 represented. Public-spirited and progres- 
 sive, he was acti\'ely interested in all that 
 pertained to the welfare of this community 
 and its upbuilding. In business dealing he 
 was strictly honorable and straightforward, 
 and a pleasant, genial manner won him many 
 friends. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Terhurne were born 
 ten children, si.K sons and four daugh- 
 ters: John William, born September 6, 
 1858, has for a number of years con- 
 ducted a saloon in the thriving village 
 of Easton; John Herman, born August 16, 
 i860, is a hardware merchant and grain- 
 buyer of Easton; Anna Maria, born January 
 21, 1862, was married April 11, 1879, in 
 Easton. to Cicorge Smith, an agriculturist of 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 369 
 
 Minnesota Lake township; John Bernhard, 
 born December 2 I, 1.S63, is a farmer of Lac- 
 qui-parle county, Minnesota; Anna Eliza- 
 beth, born September 26, 1866, is the wife 
 of John Pope, of Easton; John George, born 
 March 16, 1S68, is hving in the same place; 
 Maria Sophia, born July 15, 1870, is the 
 wife of Charles Probart, a telegraph line re- 
 pairer, of Perr}-, Iowa; John Henry, born 
 December 23, 1872, and John Theodore, 
 born March 10, 1S76, are at home; Minnie 
 Catherine, born June 5, 1878, died March 
 15, 1892, and was buried in St. Mary's 
 cemetery by the side of her father. She 
 possessed considerable musical abilit\-, had 
 a very good voice and was a member of the. 
 choir of St. Mary's Church. She had a 
 sunny disposition, was loving and consider- 
 ate, and her death proved an irreparable loss 
 to her mother and the other members of the 
 family, also to many of her dear companions. 
 Mr. Terhurne continued his business in- 
 terests in Easton until 1884, and was a 
 prominent and influential citizen of the 
 community. On the 1 8th of December of 
 that year he departed this life, and now lies 
 sleeping in St. Mary's cemetery, — the ground 
 for which was donated by him. His absence 
 is keenly felt by wife and children, and 
 only his likeness looks down from the wall 
 of the pleasant home, which was erected by 
 him and of which he was once the head, the 
 loving counselor and the tender guide. His 
 widow still survives him and is yet living in 
 Easton. Her influence is strongly e.xerted 
 for the best interests of the town, and all 
 who know her love and revere her. She 
 went through the experiences of pioneer life 
 and has played an important part in produc- 
 ing the atmosphere of culture and refine- 
 ment which pervades the pleasant little \il- 
 lagc in which she makes her home. 
 
 HNDREW CARLSON.— In the days 
 when living in Martin county was 
 not a pleasure but a hardship on 
 account of the unsettled condition 
 of the country, this being a frontier 
 locality, Mr. Carlson came to Lake Fre- 
 mont township. He has since been 
 identified with its best interests and is ac- 
 counted a progressive and valued citizen. 
 
 A native of Sweden, — of Scarsboro 
 Land,- — he was born on the 24th of January, 
 1836, and is a son of Carl Anderson, who 
 was born in the same country, in November, 
 1806. Having arrived at years of maturity 
 he married Annie Johnson, who was born 
 January i, 1807. The father never came to 
 America, but died in the land of his birth 
 on the 31st of March, 1861. In the family 
 were the follosving children: Andrew, of this 
 sketch; John, who was born May 3, 1839, 
 and came to America, where he married. 
 His wife died leaving two children, Selma 
 and Frank. He is now engaged in farming 
 in Martin county. Augustus, born Novem- 
 ber, 1843, married Louisa Larson, and is 
 now living in Kansas City, Missouri, his 
 business being railroading. His children 
 are Betsy, Eugenia, Hilda, Theresa, Frank, 
 Walter and Hening. Frederick, who was 
 born in November, 1847, is a cook and is 
 now living in Florida. Fredrica, born 
 March 3, 1850, was married October 26, 
 1873, to Alfred Wenberg, and they had nine 
 children. Julia Luella, the eldest, born 
 July 31, 1875, died October 18, 1877; Mar- 
 tin William, born June 16, 1877, died on 
 the 6th of October following; Joseph Rich- 
 ard, born July 28, 1878; Louisa Lorina, 
 born October 6, 1880, died November 20, 
 1880; Elmer Cleander, born April 3, !882, 
 died on the 24th of May of the same jear; 
 Oscar Leonard, born September 2, 1884, 
 
7,1° 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 died August 2i, 1885; Maud Eugenia, born 
 August 2, 1887; Adolph Fritz, bom Feb- 
 ruary 19, 1890; Ruth Loretta, born Feb- 
 ruary 20, 1892. Mr. Wenberg died Novem- 
 ber 8, 1892, and his widow is now living on 
 a farm. 
 
 The first of this family to come to 
 America was John Carlson, the date of his 
 emigration being 1863, at which time he 
 located in Rockford, Illinois. Two j^ears 
 later the mother with her children, Andrew, 
 Frederick and Fredrica, came to the United 
 States, landing in New York on the 2Sth of 
 June, 1865. They were so unfortunate as 
 to fall into the hands of some sharpers in 
 New York, who robbed them of nearly all 
 their money, and this kept them on the 
 Atlantic coast for three months, as they 
 had not the funds necessary to continue 
 their journey. John then sent them 
 some money and they came on through 
 to Chicago, where they were met by the 
 son already here. They had intended 
 to locate in Iowa, but could find no 
 land there to suit them, and finallj- they 
 came to the Gopher State. Here the 
 mother lived to a ripe old age, and had the 
 satisfaction of seeing her children well set- 
 tled in life. Her death occurred August 4, 
 1893, and was mourned by all who knew 
 her. 
 
 For three years after his arrival in this 
 country Andrew Carlson worked at what- 
 ever he could find to do that would yield him 
 an honest living, and thus he obtained a 
 start in life. In May, 1869, he came to 
 Martin county and located the homestead 
 where ho now lives. He built a sod house 
 and moved his family into it the following 
 September. The title to this tract was re- 
 ceived April 5, 1876, and the farm com- 
 prised 120 acres of land. In 1886 he pur- 
 
 chased forty acres additional, the deed being 
 executed May 25, 1891, and thus he obtained 
 possession of the entire quarter section. 
 February 17, 1889, he purchased eighty 
 acres of land in section 12, and November 
 26, 1890, another eighty acres on section 
 23. Of this tract about si.xty acres is slough 
 land, and 135 acres is under the plow, being 
 very highly cultivated. The owner is suc- 
 cessfully engaged in stock-raising, and now 
 has twenty-eight head of hogs, twenty-four 
 head of cattle and ten horses. In 1890 he 
 erected a large barn, and his outbuildings 
 are models of convenience, splendidly adapted 
 to the use for which they are intended. In 
 the summer of 1893 was erected a fine resi- 
 dence, one of the most pleasant country 
 homes of Martin county, and this he has 
 been enabled to supply with all the neces- 
 saries and many of the luxuries of life. 
 
 On the 27th of December, 1861, Mr. 
 Carlson was joined in wedlock with Miss 
 Carrie Johnson, daughter of John and Ber- 
 tha Johnson and a native of Sweden, born 
 January 4, 1832. By this marriage have 
 been born the following children: Emma 
 Charlotta, who was born August 8, 1862, 
 and died June 18, 1865; Augusta Christina, 
 who was born January 8, 1865, and died on 
 the 8th of June of that year; Emma Char- 
 lotta, who was born November 8, 1866, was 
 married January 24, 1890, to John Freder- 
 ick Nelson, and they are now living in Mar- 
 tin county with their little family. Alma, 
 who was born January 27, 1891, died at the 
 age of three weeks; Oscar Leonard, born 
 February 17, 1892, and Voctor Robert, 
 born October 23, 1894, are with their par- 
 ents. Matilda Josephine, born June 21. 
 1870, was married November 16, 1891, to 
 Henry Dirl, and they are living in Fair- 
 mont, Minnesota. Their children are Es- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 37' 
 
 ther Lena, who was born June 24, 1S92, 
 and Roy Arthur, born March 17, 1894. Ida 
 Sophia, born June i, 1872, and Frank 
 Samuel Edwin, born September 17, 1874, 
 are still with their father. Mrs. Carlson 
 died on the 8th of February, 1895, after a 
 short illness, and her remains were interred 
 in the Swedish cemetery in Lake Fremont 
 township. 
 
 Mr. Carlson is a member of the Lu- 
 theran church, and in his political views is a 
 Republican. ?ie is at present serving as 
 School Director, and has filled all the town- 
 ship offices, discharging his duties with a 
 promptness and fidelity that has won him 
 high commendation. Probably no pioneer 
 settler of Martin county presents a better 
 example of the self-made man than does 
 Mr. Carlson. He had practically nothing 
 when he built his sod house a quarter of a 
 century ago, and to-day he is recognized as 
 one of the most substantial farmers in the 
 county, and his buildings and surroundings 
 are of the best. He has had to contend 
 with difficulties which would have over- 
 powered a man of less resolute purpose and 
 determination, but the obstacles he has en- 
 countered have seemed to serve as an im- 
 petus for renewed effort, and he has labored 
 the more industriously and earnestly. Work- 
 ing his way steadily upward he has achieved 
 the success for which he was striving and is 
 now the possessor of a comfortable compe- 
 tence. 
 
 t^^ANIEL McCARTIN, a venerable 
 I I citizen residing on a farm near 
 /^^J Sherburne, Minnesota, was born in 
 count)- Down, Ireland, December 
 24, 1814, or, about that year, son of John 
 and Mar\' ^O'Harei .McCartin. He is the 
 
 youngest of a large family, the other mem- 
 bers being as follows: Mrs. Catharine 
 Fanning, Hugh, James, Mrs. Mary McCaf- 
 frey, John, Mrs. Rose McGowan, Antony, 
 Patrick and Edward. Mr. McCartin's 
 parents spent their lives and died on the 
 Emerald Isle. Their son John was the first 
 of the family to emigrate to America. He 
 was a baker by trade, and settled in Fort 
 Wayne, Indiana, about the year 1831. 
 Antony, a shoemaker, was the next to emi- 
 grate, his location being Troy, New York, 
 where he died soon after his arrival. 
 
 Daniel McCartin, accompanied by his 
 brother Patrick, landed in New York, in 
 May, 1866. Two years later Patrick went 
 back to Ireland, and died soon after. Dan- 
 iel came west immediately after his arrival 
 in New York, and for two years and a half 
 worked for a man by the name of Oliver 
 Jones, in Fillmore county, Minnesota, re- 
 ceiving $20 per month. At the end of that 
 time he went to Todd county, this State, 
 and located a claim of 160 acres. This 
 land was covered with a growth of small, 
 scrubby timber, and did not altogether 
 please him, but he went back to Fillmore 
 county with the intention of returning to it, 
 and in due time started. On going, he 
 thought to pass through Martin county and 
 visit the Kidds and Rooneys, whom he had 
 known in Ireland; and when he reached 
 Martin county he found much vacant land, 
 and was so well pleased with the country 
 that he determined to abandon his Todd- 
 county claim and locate here. This was in 
 May, 1 87 1. He has lived here ever since, 
 and has never regretted his choice of lo- 
 cation. He selected the southeast quarter 
 of section 22, Fox Lake township, and in 
 time secured title to the same. In 1889, an 
 additional eighty acres lying in section 26, 
 
372 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 and purchased of George Wohlheter, was 
 added to the place. The house in which 
 Mr. McCartin now resides was moved here 
 from Twin Lakes. Of the 240 acres in the 
 farm, 180 are under cultivation, and at pres- 
 ent the place is stocked as follows: 34 hogs, 
 20 cattle and 14 horses. 
 
 Mr. McCartin was first married to Betty 
 Flannagan, the children of this marriage 
 being Edward, John and Daniel. The 
 eldest son, Edward, followed the sea. His 
 vessel touched at Pensacola and other 
 American ports, and the last heard of him 
 was at Gloucester, Massachusetts, where he 
 was engaged in the fisheries. His corres- 
 pondence, which had always been regular, 
 ceased suddenly, and it is supposed he went 
 down off the Massachusetts coast. John, 
 the second son, was born in November, 1854. 
 He is his father's stand-by, and one of the 
 leading farmers of Martin county, he having 
 charge of the home place. Daniel, born in 
 December, 1856, married Annie Doyle, and 
 is now living at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, 
 his children being Mary, Alice, Daniel 
 Henry, Lewis Edward, and Sadie. The two 
 younger sons, John and Daniel, joined their 
 father in America in 1866. Mr. McCartin's 
 second and present wife was Ellen O'Neil, 
 and their children are Mary, Ellen and Cath- 
 arine Ann, all born in Ireland. When Mr. 
 McCartin came to America he left his fam- 
 ily in Ireland; and, the means of communi- 
 cation being not as good in those days as 
 now, he bought tickets and forwarded 
 them to his daughters. The first he sent 
 were never received; so he sent again, and, 
 in the latter part of 1883, his daughters 
 landed safely in Minnesota. Then, in 1885, 
 Mrs. McCartin joined her husband here, and 
 thus the family that had been so long sepa- 
 ratc<l were happily united. In addition to 
 
 the above named children, Mr. McCartin 
 has an adopted son, Frank McCartin, whom 
 he took from the Sister's Home in Minne- 
 sota, the date of his birth being July 17, 
 1882. 
 
 Possibly no settler in this broad State 
 has had a more discouraging experience than 
 has Mr. McCartin. He not only suffered 
 from the four-3'ear plague of grasshoppers, 
 but he also has had losses from fire and 
 cyclone. About the time he got nicely 
 fi.xed, — a large rick of wheat, a barn, stock, 
 etc., — a fire swept over all and left him 
 without anything except his land. This fire 
 was lighted by one Seymore, and, although 
 Mr. McCartin obtained judgment against his 
 property to the amount of his loss, he never 
 succeeded in recovering a cent. He is now, 
 after many privations and hardships, com- 
 fortably well off himself, sees his children in 
 a fair way to prosperity, and is honored and 
 respected by all who know him. That he 
 is held in high esteem is shown by the fact 
 that his neighbors, irrespective of party or 
 church, have given him office in the town, 
 as a member of the Township Board. He 
 is now about eighty years old, is remarka- 
 bly well preserved in body, and his mind is 
 perfectly clear. The wish of his numerous 
 friends is that he may live many years to 
 come. 
 
 >T^OSEPH M. NYE is Superintendent 
 ■ of Schools of Faribault county, and 
 /• J the educational interests of this sec- 
 tion of the State have been greatly 
 advanced through his untiring and capable 
 efforts in their behalf. Well fitted for this 
 responsible position, his fidelity to duty and 
 the confidence reposed in him by his fellow 
 townsmen was demonstrated by his re-elec- 
 
PARIBAULT, martin, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 373 
 
 tion. He makes his home in Wells, which 
 has been his place of residence since 1871. 
 
 A native of the province of Quebec, Can- 
 ada, he was born November 29, 1843, and 
 is a son of David T. R. and Emily B. (Mun- 
 son) Nye. The father was born in St. Al- 
 bans, Vermont, and was a son of Rev. Jon- 
 athan Nye, one of the first ministers of the 
 gospel at St. Albans and a high Mason. In 
 Wareham, New Hampshire, David T. R. 
 Nye was reared and educated, and after at- 
 taining to years of maturity made his home 
 chiefly in Philipsburg, Province of Quebec. 
 He served as Colonel of militia and was a 
 prominent member of the Episcopal Church, 
 in which he held office. After a long and 
 well-spent life he passed away, at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-three, and his wife was 
 called to the home beyond at the age of 
 eighty-one. In their family were four chil- 
 dren, as follows: George T. , who died in 
 Newbern, North Carolina, while in the serv- 
 ice of the Government; Mary, wife of 
 George S. Jones of Philipsburg, Canada; Jo- 
 seph M. , the subject of this review; and 
 Jessie M. , who died at the age of eleven 
 years. 
 
 The gentleman whose name introduces 
 this sketch received an academic education, 
 and at the age of sixteen left home to make 
 his own way in the world. He has since 
 been dependent upon his own resources, so 
 that whatever success has come to him is 
 due to his own efforts. He was first em- 
 ployed as telegraph operator at Berthier, on 
 the St. Lawrence river below Montreal, 
 then went to Rutland, Vermont, and a year 
 later engaged as a military telegraph opera- 
 tor at Washington. He later served in the 
 same capacity at Hilton Head, South Caro- 
 lina, and at Fort Pulaski, Georgia, after 
 which he returned to Montreal and was em- 
 
 ployed by the Grand Trunk Railroad for one 
 year. Mr. Nye, on again coming to the United 
 States, located in New York, where he was 
 employed in the Stock E.xchange for three 
 years, coming thence to the West and tak- 
 ing up his residence in La Crosse, Wiscon- 
 sin, where he was manager of the erection 
 of the telegraph line for the Southern Min- 
 nesota Railroad Company, the line to extend 
 from La Crosse to Winnebago City, Minne- 
 sota. From 1868 to 1871 he held the 
 position of train dispatcher for that division, 
 with headquarters at La Crosse, after which 
 he spent a half year in Winnebago City, two 
 years at Wells and two years at Hokah, in 
 the same capacity. Mr. Nye was much 
 pleased with Wells, and on leaving Hokah 
 returned to this city, where he engaged in 
 the banking business and in merchandising 
 for eighteen months. Subsequently he 
 established a drug store, which he con- 
 ducted from 1879 until 1893, when he sold 
 out. Since the ist of January of the latter 
 year he has served as County Superintend- 
 ent of Schools for Faribault county, and 
 under his able leadership and guidance the 
 standard of the schools has been greatly 
 raised, and the county may well be proud 
 of her educational facilities. 
 
 On the 24th of April, 1871, in Philips- 
 burg, Canada, Mr. Nye was joined in wed- 
 lock with Miss Esther Roberts, an educated 
 and refined lady, a daughter of Chester and 
 Hannah (Russell) Roberts. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Nye have three children: Jessie M. , a highl\- 
 honored teacher in Wells; Charles M., also 
 a successful teacher, and Frank C, who is 
 a student in the high school. 
 j In politics Mr. Nye is now a supporter 
 J of Republicanism. He was first elected to 
 office on the Democratic ticket and after- 
 ward on an independent ticket, by a major- 
 
374 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ity of 346. He has served as Town Clerk, 
 has been a member and president of the 
 Village Council and of the School Board. 
 He holds membership in Lodge No. 87, F. 
 & A. M., in which he is now serving as Sec- 
 retar)-; and also belongs to Lodge No. 39, 
 A. O. U. W. , of which order he is Past 
 Grand Master of the State, while in the 
 Knights of Pythias he is Past Chancellor. 
 
 >^OHN STEPHEN SCHULEIN, a 
 ■ well-known and much respected 
 /• 1 farmer residing near Welcome, Min- 
 nesota, dates his birth in Bavaria, 
 Germany, September 11, 1842. He is a 
 son of George and Barbara (Nasser) Schulein. 
 
 George Schulein, also a native of Ger- 
 many, was born in October, 1 8 1 2. He came 
 to America in 1881 and settled in Freeborn 
 county, Minnesota, where he still lives. The 
 mother of John S. died in April, 1853, aged 
 forty-one years. They had four children, 
 namely: John S., whose name heads this 
 article; Barbara, who married G. Reim, a 
 farmer of Freeborn county, Minnesota; Mar- 
 garet, wife of Christian Virgens, a farmer of 
 Martin county; and Eva, wife of Michael 
 Nasser. After the mother of these children 
 died, Mr. Schulein was married again. He 
 had no children by his second wife, and it 
 was shortly after her death that he came to 
 America. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was the first of 
 the Schulein family to come to the New 
 World. He landed in New York in October, 
 1869, and immediately came west to Free- 
 born count)', Minnesota, where he worked 
 for wages at railroading, farming, and what- 
 ever he could find to do. May 1, 1871, he 
 came to Martin county and located his pres- 
 ent farm, the north half of the northeast 
 
 quarter, section 26, Fox Lake township. 
 Later he took the south half of the same 
 quarter, under the homestead law, and finally 
 secured title to the entire quarter. In May, 
 1888, he bought an additional 120 acres 
 from the railroad company, thus making 280 
 acres all told. Of this tract i 50 acres are 
 under cultivation. The fine grove which 
 surrounds the house and which is an attrac- 
 tive feature of the place, was set out in 1872. 
 Mr. Schulein's farm is stocked as follows: 
 Eighty head of hogs, thirty of cattle, and 
 nine of horses. 
 
 November 14, 1869, Mr. Schulein was 
 married, in Germany, to Mary Barkhard, 
 and they have children as follows: Eva, 
 born November 13, 1870, was married to 
 Herrman Gottschling, November 13, 1894; 
 George, born December 17, 1872; John, 
 born April 18, 1875, is now attending college 
 at Albert Lea; William, born April 3, 1878; 
 Amelia, January 12, 1881; Rosina, January 
 18, 1885; Edwin, February 23, 1889; and 
 Harry, January 8, 1892. 
 
 After years of honest and arduous toil, 
 Mr. Schulein has succeeded in acquiring a 
 competency and in surrounding himself and 
 family with all the comforts of life. He is 
 a member of the Lutheran Church at Wel- 
 come, and he and his family are among the 
 most highly esteemed people of their com- 
 munity. 
 
 eHILIP WOHLHUTER devotes his 
 time and energies to farming on 
 section 24, Fox Lake township, 
 Martin county, where he owns 240 
 acres of valuable land. His fine farm, neat 
 and thrifty in appearance, denotes his care- 
 ful supervision and tells to the passer-by of 
 the busy life of the owner. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, \V A TON WAX AND JACKSON. 
 
 375 
 
 Mr. Wohlhuter was born on the 5th of 
 February, 1856, in Alsace, Germany, and is 
 a son of Valentine and Eva (Wohlhuter) 
 Wohlhuter. The paternal grandfather, 
 Michael Wohlhuter, had a family of six chil- 
 dren, namely: Mae, Lawrence, Valentine, 
 Kate, George and Michael. The father, 
 Valentine Wohlhuter, was born in Germany, 
 November 10, 1823, and after arriving at 
 years of maturity was married, on the lOth 
 of October, 1848, to Miss Eva, daughter of 
 Philip Wohlhuter, who, though of the same 
 name, was not a relative. The latter had 
 a family of six children, — Philip, Lena, 
 Paul, Sarah, Eva and Valentine. The 
 mother was born December 23, 1819, and 
 died on the 2d of January, 1885. Ere the 
 parents left their native land four children 
 were born to them, as follows: Valentine, 
 who was born August 18, 1849, and is now 
 living in Fairmont, Minnesota; Eva, wife of 
 F. Barge, also of Fairmont; Philip; and 
 Frederick, who was born January 18, 1862, 
 and is now living in Kingsboro county, 
 South Dakota, where he is acting as agent 
 for C. L. Coleman, the extensive lumber- 
 man. He married Lily Carrot, and they 
 have two children, Eva and Albert. 
 
 The first of the family to seek a home 
 beyond the Atlantic was the eldest son, who 
 in 1868 sailed for the United States. Re- 
 porting favorably concerning this country, 
 the following year the parents, accompanied 
 by Philip, sailed from Havre, France, reach- 
 ing New York on the 2d of April. They 
 continued their journey across the country 
 to Freeborn county, Minnesota, where the 
 father engaged in farming until 1871. On 
 the 29th of September of that year he ar- 
 rived in Martin county and secured a home- 
 stead, comprising the south half of the 
 northwest quarter of section 24, Fox Lake 
 
 township, where he has since lived, being 
 now an inmate of the home of his son 
 Philip, who in his father's declining years 
 now repays him in part for the care which 
 he received in his youth. 
 
 Philip Wohlhuter was a lad of only ten 
 summers when he sought a home in Amer- 
 ica, and with his parents he lived until after 
 he had reached man's estate. He made his 
 first purchase of land in 1885, becoming 
 owner of eighty acres, — the west half of the 
 northeast quarter of section 24, Fox Lake 
 township. This he at once began to culti- 
 vate and improve, and as his financial re- 
 sources increased he added to the first an- 
 other eighty acres, buying the other in 1890. 
 He is now the owner of 240 acres, of which 
 I 50 acres is broken, and, highly cultivated, 
 yields to the owner a golden tribute in re- 
 turn for the care and cultivation he bestows 
 upon it. There are a beautiful grove of two 
 acres and neat and well-kept buildings, all 
 of which go to make this one of the valuable 
 farms of the neighborhood. In addition to 
 the cultivation of grain he also engages in 
 stock-raising to some extent, and now has 
 eight horses, twenty-seven head of cattle 
 and thirty-six hogs. 
 
 The lady who bears the name and graces 
 the home of Mr. Wohlhuter was in her 
 maidenhood Miss Agnes Gottschling, daugh- 
 ter of August and Christina (Schultz) Gott- 
 schling. She was born October 26, 1873, 
 and the marriage was celebrated November 
 27, 1 89 1. Their children are Arthur Her- 
 mann Philip, born November i, 1892, and 
 Alvina Mary, born February 12, 1894. 
 
 The parents hold membership in the 
 Lutheran church. Mr. Wohlhuter was con- 
 firmed in the church then located at Fox 
 Lake, December 10, 1876, by Rev. Ernst 
 Giesel, and his wife was confirmed in Wei- 
 
37^ 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 come, in the spring of 1889, by Rev. C. G. 
 Eisenberg. In politics he is a stalwart ad- 
 vocate of Republican principles, and uses 
 his influence and support to insure the suc- 
 cess and promote the growth of the party. 
 At this writing, in the spring of 1895, he is 
 serving as a member of the Town Board of 
 Supervisors, and was recently Constable. 
 Although his life has been quietly passed he 
 has lived to merit the esteem of those with 
 whom he is brought in contact, and his 
 friends in the commnnity are many. 
 
 a 
 
 HRISTOPHER LUEDAMAN, a 
 prosperous and respected farmer 
 residing near Welcome, Minne- 
 sota, was born in Hanover, Ger- 
 many, December 31, 1841, son of John and 
 Lena (Jergens) Luedaman. The father was 
 a carpenter by trade and died in Germany 
 in 1845. He was twice married. His first 
 wife was Lena Jergens, who died leaving 
 three children, Henry, Christopher and 
 Peter. The children by his second wife, 
 whose maiden name was Lucretia Beakman, 
 were as follows: Mary, wife of Henr}' 
 Bruins; Lena, deceased, who was the wife 
 of Henry Drewes; Katy, wife of Christo- 
 pher Huelot; and Caroline, who married 
 Henry Berkman, is also deceased. 
 
 Christopher Luedaman left his native 
 land April 4, 1869, and landed in New York 
 on the 17th of that month, from there coming 
 directly we.st to Preston, Fillmore county, 
 Minnesota, where the Drewes family, his 
 cousins, lived. In July of the .same year, 
 in compan\' with Messrs. Hermann Black 
 and Heinrich Drewes, he came to Martin 
 county and located his homestead, — the east 
 half of the southeast quarter, section 10, 
 Fox Lake township. He secured title to 
 
 this tract of land April 21, 1877. In the 
 summer of 1S69 he put up a small house on 
 his claim, and after doing so returned to 
 Fillmore county and worked for wages si.x 
 months. Then he came back to his land 
 in Martin county and has resided on it ever 
 since, devoting his earnest efforts to its cul- 
 tivation and improvement. In 1884 he 
 bought forty acres adjoining it on the north, 
 and now has 120 acres, sixty of which are 
 under cultivation. That same year, 1884, 
 he built his present residence. His grove 
 was set out in 1870. 
 
 Mr. Luedaman was married June 1 5, 
 1879, to Katy Muehler, daughter of Henry 
 and Mary (Drewes) Muehler. She came tc 
 this country when a child, with the Drewes 
 family. Her married life covered only a 
 few years, her untimely death occurring April 
 22, 1884, and she left two children: Mary 
 Lena, born June 25, 1880; and Anna Mary, 
 March 8, 1882. June 27, 1884, Mr. Lueda- 
 man married Mrs. Dora Koukal, widow of 
 John Koukal. Her maiden name was Peter- 
 son, she being a daughter of John and Mary 
 (Womdraw) Peterson. Her marriage to 
 Mr. Koukal occurred in November, 1872, 
 and by him she had two children: Will- 
 iam, born August 7, 1875; and Anna, born 
 March 31, 1877. She and Mr. Luedaman 
 have one child, Sophia Wilhelmina, born 
 April 17, 1885. 
 
 Mr. Luedaman united with the Lutheran 
 Church when cjuite j'oung, and still worships 
 with this denomination. 
 
 EEINRICH DREWES, who is en- 
 gaged in farming near Welcome, 
 Minnesota, is another one of the 
 thrifty German settlers of Martin 
 countv. He was born in Hanover, Ger- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 379 
 
 many, September 7, 1846, a son of John and 
 Mary (Hendricks) Drewes, the other mem- 
 bers of the family being Katrina, deceased 
 wife of Henry Kruse, who left two children, 
 Mary and Peter; and Hermann, who died in 
 Chicago, Illinois. Heinrich and Hermann 
 were the only ones of the family that came 
 to America. 
 
 The subject of our sketch and his friend, 
 Hermann C. Black, a respected citizen of 
 Martin county, were born in the same year, 
 grew up together, and when they reached 
 manhood emigrated to this country in order 
 to avoid serving for a term of years in the 
 German army. Landing in New York, they 
 secured positions as gardeners in that city, 
 and subsequently came west to Minnesota, 
 first locating in Fillmore county and later 
 coming to Martin county. Here they located 
 adjoining homesteads, Mr. Drewes' land 
 being the south half of the northwest quarter 
 of section 2, Fo.\ Lake township. Later he 
 bought an additional eighty acres, and now 
 has 160 acres in one body, and here he is 
 successfully carrying on farming and stock- 
 raising. 
 
 Mr. Drewes was married March 7, 1875, 
 to Caroline Kleimenhagen, daughter of Jacob 
 and Mary (Heimel) Kleimenhagen. Her 
 father was born November 3, 18 16, and died 
 February 22, 1891, and her mother, born 
 November 9, 1824, died March 12, 1871. 
 Mrs. Drewes was their second child, the 
 date of her birth being January 2, 1849. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Drewes have children as fol- 
 lows: Henry Hermann, born Septemer 29, 
 1875; Ida Wilhelmina, October 4, 1876; 
 Lydia Selma, January 24, 1878; William 
 Bernhardt, July i, 1881; Hannah Mary, 
 December 28, 1882; Alvin Ctesar, October 
 
 18, 1884; and Elmore Richard, August 
 
 19, 1 888. 
 
 19 
 
 Mr. Drewes united with the Evangelical 
 Church in Fillmore county, and transferred 
 his membership to Martin county on the 
 erection of a church here. 
 
 ^V^ETER KREMER has probably 
 1 m been the most important factor in 
 ^ the upbuilding of Minnesota Lake, 
 
 an honored pioneer of southern 
 Minnesota and a business man whose enter- 
 prising efforts have largely promoted the 
 material prosperity of this section of the 
 State. A native of France, he was born in 
 Lorraine, not far from the beautiful city of 
 Metz, on the 7th of March, 1839, and ac- 
 quired his education in the common and pa- 
 rochial schools of Alden, Erie county. New 
 York, and in the Catholic Institute in Lan- 
 caster, of the same county. The days of 
 his boyhood and youth were passed in his 
 parents' home, and he became familiar with 
 all the duties of farm life. He followed the 
 fortunes of his father until 1874, at \\hich 
 time he became a resident of Minnesota 
 Lake, which was incorporated in 1872. Mr. 
 Kremer took an active part in the organiza- 
 tion of the town board, and has been identi- 
 fied with all interests calculated to promote 
 the general welfare. 
 
 For many years Mr. Kremer has been 
 engaged in grain dealing, shipping to Mil- 
 waukee and Chicago, and is doing a good 
 business, which is constantly increasing. He 
 was also an extensive dealer in hogs and cat- 
 tle, sending many car-loads to St. Paul and 
 Sioux City, also to Chicago. His business 
 interests have been very capably and suc- 
 cessfully managed, and thereby he has won 
 a handsome competence. In August, 1892, 
 was organized a private bank in Minnesota 
 Lake, and in .August, 1894. upon its re-or- 
 
38o 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ganization, it received its present nameof the 
 Security State Bank. It is capitalized for 
 $10,000, and its present officers are Peter 
 Kremer, president; J. H. Joice, vice presi- 
 dent; and Myron Godding, cashier. It has 
 become one of the safe and substantial con- 
 cerns of the county and is of great conven- 
 ience to the residents of this section as well 
 as a source of income to those interested. 
 
 Mr. Kremer was married on the 6th of 
 November, 1893, to Miss Millie Zabel, a 
 daughter of August and Louise (Klingbeil) 
 Zabel. Mrs. Kremer is a native of Wash- 
 ington county, Wisconsin, and a woman of 
 rare intellectual ability, who accompanied 
 her parents on their removal to Blue Earth 
 county, Minnesota, in 1876. The parents 
 of Mrs. Peter Kremer are now enjoying a 
 much needed rest in retirement in their very 
 pretty home in Danville, Blue Earth county. 
 The father has celebrated his sixty-fourth 
 birthday, while the truly Christian mother 
 has passed her si.xty-secoiid. Herman Za- 
 bel, brother of Mrs. Kremer, manages a 
 large mercantile house in Minnesota Lake, in 
 which Mrs. Kremer and her brother are 
 equally interested. 
 
 In politics Mr. Kremer is a Democrat on 
 questions of national importance, but at 
 local elections, where no issue is involved, 
 he does not consider himself bound by party 
 ties. He has creditably filled \arious posi- 
 tions of honor and trust, and for the past 
 twelve years he has been the popular and 
 efficient President of the Village Board of 
 Minnesota Lake, devoted to its best inter- 
 ests, and his efforts have been very success- 
 ful in promoting its growth and prosperity. 
 He has served for three successive terms as 
 County Commissioner and then nominated 
 his own successor; has been a member of the 
 Town Board of Supervisors; was elected 
 
 Assessor of Danville township in 1861, fill- 
 ing that position for fourteen years, has 
 been Town Marshal for nine years, and in all 
 these various offices has discharged his 
 duties with a promptness and fidelity that 
 has won him the commendation of all con- 
 cerned. The cause of education finds in 
 him a warm friend, and he has done all in 
 his power for its advancement. For some 
 years he has served as School Treasurer, 
 and the high standard of excellence of the 
 schools of this community is largely due to 
 his efforts. 
 
 For many years Mr. Kremer has been 
 one of the most familiar figures on the 
 streets of Minnesota Lake, and is also one 
 of the best known citizens of this locality. 
 He is very popular, for he possesses a whole- 
 souled geniality and worth of character that 
 wins him high esteem. His friends are 
 many, and his home is the abode of hos- 
 pitality. A man of fine physique he stands 
 five feet, eleven and a half inches in height 
 and weighs 220 pounds. 
 
 BRANKLIN L. PARK, an early 
 pioneer and prominent farmer of 
 section 23, Martin countj', was 
 born in Cattaraugus county. New 
 York, April 6, 1842. He removed with his 
 parents to Wisconsin when fourteen years 
 of age, and four years afterward came to 
 Martin county, Minnesota. He remained 
 at home until reaching his majority, assist- 
 ing in clearing and improving the farm. In 
 I 863 he located on the farm he now owns, 
 then wild land, but his place of 203 acres is 
 now under a fine state of cultivation. Mr. 
 Park also owns 160 acres on section 3, same 
 township. He has always been extensively 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 3S. 
 
 engaged in stock-raising^, and still owns 
 about seventy-five head of cattle. 
 
 In I 862 Mr. Park offered his services as 
 a soldier, but was rejected. In 1863, how- 
 ever, he was drafted and paid the bounty of 
 .$300, and immediately after enlisted, be- 
 coming a member of Company A, Eleventh 
 Minnesota \'olunteer Infantrv, serving until 
 the close of the Civil war. He is now a 
 member of Clabaugh Post, G. A. R. , of 
 Winnebago City. 
 
 Mr. Park was first married in 1S70 to 
 Marinda Ayers, a native of Cayuga county, 
 New York. To this union were born five 
 children, viz. : Fred, who married Hattie 
 Wheeler; Minnie, wife of John Willet; 
 Chancey, attending school; Frankie and 
 Allen. Mrs. Park died March 10, 1889. 
 In 1890 our subject was united in marriage 
 with Elizabeth Hill, a native of Chemung 
 county. New York, and a daughter of Feli.x 
 and Julia (Hoover) Hill. Mrs. Park was 
 twelve years of age when she came to Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota. She was first 
 married to William Greenman. In political 
 matters Mr. Park affiliates with the Repub- 
 lican part}-, and has held all the township 
 offices. 
 
 *y ^ ON. JOHN HENRY BURMES- 
 |f\ TER is president of the German 
 \ P American State Bank and one of 
 the leading merchants of Wells. 
 In the trying times which preceded the Rev- 
 olution Patrick Henry said, "The battle is 
 not to the strong alone: it is to the vigilant, 
 the active, the brave." This is ecpially true 
 of him who would win the victory in com- 
 mercial life. Success comes to the "vigi- 
 lant," who watches opportunities and ad- ' 
 vantages; to the " active," who ntili/es the 
 
 opportunities as they are presented; and to 
 the •' brave," — the man who dares to follow 
 honorable, straightforward principles, scorn- 
 ing to employ any underhand measures. 
 Such a man as Mr. Burmester, who has 
 been identified with Faribault county since 
 1 856, ^one of its most honored and highly 
 esteemed citizens. 
 
 He was born in the Province of Han- 
 over, Gern>any, February 8, 1850, and is 
 the only child of Henry (better known as 
 Henry Burmester, Sr.,) and Elizabeth (Mil- 
 ler) Burmester, who were also natives of 
 the same province, where their ancestors 
 had lived for many generations. The father 
 worked as a farm laborer in Germany until 
 the spring of 1856, when, accompanied by 
 his wife and little son, he embarked at Ham- 
 burg on the sailing vessel Deutschland, 
 bound for the New World. .After seven 
 weeks on the ocean anchor was dropped in 
 the harbor of New York, and the familj' 
 went thence to Illinois, locating near Chi- 
 cago, where they resided until the following 
 autumn, when they came to Foster town- 
 ship. Faribault county, Minnesota. The 
 father entered from the Government 160 
 acres of land, for which he had to pay $1.25 
 per acre. This was during President Bu- 
 chanan's administration, when money was 
 scarce. As he had not the ready capital, he 
 was obliged to borrow the money at a high 
 rate of interest, l)ut later was enabled to pay 
 off all indebtedness and to add to the farm 
 eighty acres more. Our subject has also 
 extended its boundaries by the additional 
 purchase of eighty acres, and the old home- 
 stead now comprises 320 acres of rich farm- 
 ing land, which is under a high state of cul- 
 tivation and is improved with all modern 
 accessories and conveniences. Besides his 
 home farm, Mr. Burmester has a landed 
 
3S2 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 estate of about 1,000 acres. The farm is a 
 monuiiient to the thrift and enterprise of the 
 father and son, for it was acquired and im- 
 proved through their earnest efforts. Henry 
 Burmester has been frequently called upon 
 to till public offices of honor and trust, and 
 is numbered among the honored pioneers 
 and valued citizens of the community. In 
 May, 1876, he was called upon to mourn 
 the loss of his wife, and since that time has 
 made his home with his son. In politics 
 he is a thorough Republican, and religitjusly 
 is a consistent member of the Evangelical 
 Association, to which his wife also be- 
 longed. 
 
 John Henry Burmester was a little lad 
 of only si.\ summers when brought b\' his 
 parents to this countrj'. The greater part 
 of his life has therefore been passed in Fari- 
 bault county, and with its development he 
 has been prominently identified. He has 
 seen its wild lands transformed into beauti- 
 ful homes and farms, its hamlets become 
 thriving towns and villages, with manufac- 
 tories and industries and business interests 
 which would do credit to the older cities of 
 the East. In all the work of advancment 
 Mr. Burmester has ever borne his part, and 
 the community owes much to his efforts in 
 its behalf. 
 
 On the 2 1st of June, 1876, was cele- 
 brated his marriage with Miss Bertha Mid- 
 dledoff, daughter of Fred and Dorothea 
 (Miller) Middledoff, and the first white child 
 born in the vicinity of Blue Earth City. 
 Her father died while she was an infant, 
 and her mother afterward marrietl George 
 Middledoff. The young couple, upon their 
 marriage, took up their abode on the old 
 home farm, and Mr. Burmester continued its 
 cultivation with excellent success until 1892, 
 when he abandoned agricultural pursuits to 
 
 enter commercial life, and came to Wells. 
 The previous year he had erected his pres- 
 ent fine brick store building, and on coming 
 here embarked in merchandising under the 
 name of Oehler, Schroeder & Company, 
 which firm carried on the business until the 
 fall of 1894, when it was succeeded by the 
 present firm of Burmester & Miller. They 
 carry a large stock of general merchandise 
 and have a well-appointed store. Their 
 trade comes from the best class of people 
 and they receive a liberal patronage. In 
 connection with this enterprise Mr. Burmes- 
 ter was one of the organizers of the Ger- 
 man American State Bank, was elected its 
 first president, and has since filled that posi- 
 tion most acceptably. Through his able 
 administration it has become one of the 
 substantial monetary concerns of the 
 county, and it pays to the stockholders a 
 good dividend. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Burmester have been 
 born six children: Ernest A.. Amanda Eliz- 
 abeth, Henry George and Helen Bertha. 
 They also lost two, Walter Richard and 
 Emma E., who died in childhood. The 
 parents are active workers and consistent 
 members of the Evangelical Association, 
 and are devoted to all worthy interests 
 which are calculated to promote the social, 
 educational or moral welfare of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 In his political views our subject is a Re- 
 publican who warmly advocates the princi- 
 ples of his party. His worth and ability 
 have frecjuently caused him to be the peo- 
 ple's choice for office, and for ten years he 
 served as Chairman of the Township Board 
 of Supervisors, while in 1879 he was elected 
 to the office of County Commissioner, serv- 
 ing three years. In 1882 he was elected to 
 the State Legislature, being the farmers' 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 3S3 
 
 candidate, and again he was put on their 
 ticket, but at that election suffered defeat. 
 His public duties are faithfully performed, 
 and unselfishly he labors for the best inter- 
 ests of the community and the people he is 
 serving. ^^^hen the Farmers' Warehouse 
 Company was organized in 1887 he was 
 chosen president, and lie has also served as 
 president of the Farmers' Insurance Com- 
 pany and been identified with all movements 
 which would be of advantage to agricultural 
 classes. A splendid success crowns the ef- 
 forts of Mr. Burmester. He is now one of 
 the wealthy men of the county, j'et his pos- 
 sessions have all been obtained through his 
 own diligence, perseverance, and well-man- 
 aged enterprises. In all he has adhered 
 closely to honorable business methods and 
 principles, and the word of Mr. Burmester 
 is known to be as good as his bond. All 
 who know him trust and respect him, and 
 he is certainly worthy of the high regard in 
 which he is held. 
 
 BRANKLIN BARNES, who resides 
 on section 10, Jo Daviess township, 
 Faribault county, is prominently 
 connected not only with the agri- 
 cultural interests of southern Minnesota, 
 but is also a leading representative of the 
 commercial interests. His connection with 
 public affairs has been of benefit to the 
 community in various ways, promoting pub- 
 lic progress and advancing the material 
 development. 
 
 Mr. Barnes was born in the old town of 
 Bovvdoin, Sagadahoc county, Maine, on the 
 /th f)f February, 1843, and descends from 
 one of the old New England families which 
 was founded in America in early Colonial 
 days. The grandfather, John Barnes, was 
 
 born near Harpswell, Maine, in the latter 
 part of the eighteenth century, and served 
 in the war of 18 12. He was joined in wed- 
 lock with Miss Mary Blanchard, who was a 
 native of Woolwich, Maine, and their entire 
 lives were passed in the Pine Tree State. 
 The former was a tanner by trade and fol- 
 lowed that pursuit and farming as a means 
 of livelihood. His career was a useful one, 
 and was terminated by death when he 
 reached the age of seventj'-four years. His 
 wife was called to the home beyond at the 
 age of fifty-two. The father of our subject, 
 Elbridge G. Barnes, was born in Bowdoin, 
 Maine, on the 5th of January, 181 3, and 
 when he arrived at years of maturity he was 
 joined in wedlock with Miss Abigail Hall, 
 who was born in Litchfield, Maine, Novem- 
 ber 8, 1 8 14. Like the Barnes family, the 
 Halls early settled on the coast of Maine 
 and were worthy citizens. Elbridge G. 
 Barnes is still living, and his years rest 
 lightly upon him, he enjoying a hearty old 
 age. His wife passed away many years 
 ago, her death having occured on the 5th of 
 May, 1S45. They were the parents of si.\ 
 children, but only two of the family still sur- 
 vive, — Franklin, of this sketch, and E. L. , 
 a resident farmer of Jo Daviess township, 
 Faribault county. 
 
 The member of the family in whom the 
 readers of this volume are most interested 
 is the gentleman whose name introduces 
 this review, and it gives us pleasure to record 
 the sketch of his life. Under the parental 
 roof he spent the days of his boyhood and 
 youth, and at the age of nineteen he began 
 to earn his own living. His first inilepend- 
 cnt effort in life was as a farmhand, he hav- 
 ing become familiar with that labor by assist- 
 ing his father in the fields of the old home 
 farm. For several years he was thus em- 
 
384 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ployed. At length he decided to try his for- 
 tune in the West, for he believed he might 
 thereby better his financial resources. In 
 1869 he emigrated to Wisconsin, locating 
 on Grand Prairie, Green Lake county, 
 where for two years he made his home. 
 For almost a quarter of a centur}' he has lived 
 in Faribault county, dating his arrival here 
 from 1 87 1, and in the fall of the latter year 
 his father emigrated from the State of Maine, 
 and is still living, with his son. 
 
 In 1 87 1, Mr. Barnes of this sketch, on 
 his arrival here, located on section 10, Jo 
 Daviess township, on a portion of his pres- 
 ent farm. He first purchased eighty acres 
 of land which had been broken but otherwise 
 unimproved. In a log cabin here he began 
 life, and with characteristic energy devoted 
 himself to the further cultivation of his land, 
 which in course of time was transformed 
 into rich and fertile fields that yield to the 
 owner a golden tribute in return for the care 
 and cultivation bestowed upon them. The 
 boundaries of his farm have since been e.\- 
 tended by additional purchase and he is now 
 the owner of 160 acres, besides 160 acres in 
 Martin county, Minnesota. His barns and 
 outbuildings are models of convenience: he 
 has the latest improved machinery and all 
 the accessories and conveniences of a first- 
 class farm of the nineteenth century. He 
 manages his affairs most admirably. To 
 successfully carry on a business one must 
 study and plan, and no detail of the work is 
 unfamilliar to Mr. Barnes, notwithstanding 
 his other extensive interests. This is cer- 
 tainly the cause, in a great degree, of his 
 prosperity. 
 
 In his early life Mr. Barnes learned the 
 carpenter's trade, and for several years he 
 was a builder and contractor for building in 
 this region, following that pursuit until 
 
 1883. He enjoyed an extensive patronage, 
 and the large trade added materially to his 
 income. In the year just mentioned he 
 abandoned his work as contractor in order 
 to engage in the windmill business, which he 
 has followed since in connection with the 
 Elgin Wind Power & Pump Companj', of 
 Elgin, Illinois. It has been thoroughly 
 demonstrated that this is the only windmill 
 able to really stand against the tremendous 
 winds of Minnesota, and in consequence Mr. 
 Barnes has prospered in this undertaking. 
 During the past eleven years he has put up 
 over 400 of these windmills, and the\' are 
 scattered throughout this State and northern 
 Iowa. Mr. Barnes is also interested in 
 one of the thriving mercantile establish- 
 ments in Blue Earth City, and like all the 
 other interests with which he is connected 
 it is enjoying a fine patronage. 
 
 Mr. Barnes has been twice married. He 
 first wedded Miss R. M. Towle, a daughter 
 of Samuel and Martha (Norton) Towle. 
 She was born December 23, 1847, and 
 died on the 31st of December, 1878, leav- 
 ing one son, J. F. Barnes, who is now en- 
 gaged in merchandising in Blue Earth Cit\'. 
 Our subject was again married May n, 
 1879, his second union being with Miss 
 Martha Towle, a sister of his first wife. 
 Her father was born in Maine, November 
 15, 181 3, and was for many years engaged 
 in school-teaching, — an educator of recog- 
 nised abilit}' and prominence. Late in life 
 he moved to \\'isconsin, where he died, at 
 the advanced age of seventy-nine years, 
 September 22, 1892. 
 
 Franklin Barnes is a member of the 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen. A 
 broad-minded, broad-gauged man, there is 
 nothing narrow or mean in his nature. He 
 is possessed of remarkable energy and busi- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 385 
 
 ness ability, and is well known as one of the 
 most successful and profjressive business men 
 of this locality. His sagacity and far-sight- 
 edness enable him to fully understand a situ- 
 ation and enable him to take advantage of a 
 favorable opportunit)- for promoting his own 
 interests and those of the county, which are 
 very dear to him. The present advanced 
 condition of this section of Minnesota is due 
 to such men as Mr. Barnes, who exercises 
 his influence for the best welfare of the 
 community. The men who occupy seats in 
 the legislative halls of the State are promi- 
 nent factors in the conmionwealth, yet their 
 services would avail little were it not for the 
 sustaining and upholding influence of the 
 men who remain at home devoted to the 
 business and material interests of their re- 
 spective communities. They form the bone 
 and sinew of the nation and to them all 
 credit is due. 
 
 ty~\^ ELS PETER CLEMMENSEN, 
 1 I one of the enterprising men and 
 \ y leading farmers of Martin county, 
 Minnesota, is located on the north- 
 west quarter of section 18, township 103, 
 range 32. A sketch of his life is appro- 
 priate here, and is as follows: 
 
 Nels Peter Clemmensen was born in 
 Fuen county, Denmark, May 11, 1840, son 
 of Lois and Martelena (Clemmensen) Clem- 
 mensen. He was reared in his native land 
 and was there married, December 9, 1862, 
 to Christina Jorkensen. April 21, 1873, 
 accompanied by his family, then consisting 
 of wife and five children, Mr. Clemmensen 
 left Denmark, and on the 17th of the fol- 
 lowing month landed at Boston. From 
 there he at once proceeded to West Point, 
 Cumniings county. Nebraska, where he 
 
 rented 160 acres of land from Hans Peter- 
 son, which he farmed two years. He then 
 leased a quarter section of school land and 
 cultivated it till his removal to Martin 
 county, Minnesota, in July, 1883. Im- 
 mediately upon his arrival here he pur- 
 chased the farm on which he now lives of 
 R. M. Ward. This tract was then in its 
 virgin state, not a furrow turned on it. He 
 at once built his house and barn and estab- 
 lished his residence upon the premises. In 
 1885 he began planting trees, and now has 
 a fine grove. He has over a hundred trees 
 of the Russian niulberrj' variety, the only 
 trees of the kind in the county, and they 
 seem well adapted to the climate. In May, 
 1893, Mr. Clemmensen purchased of Valen- 
 tine Wohlhuter 106 acres of land located in 
 Elm Creek township, section 13, range 33, 
 and adjoining his present farm. Of his 
 original quarter section, he now has 130 
 acres in cultivation. His farm is stocked with 
 twenty-seven head of cattle, sixteen hogs 
 and fourteen horses. The past year, 1894, 
 he had the following grain acreage: wheat, 
 10 acres; oats, 30 acres; barley, 10 acres; 
 corn, 32 acres. In addition to this he 
 rented a tract of sixty acres, which was 
 planted in flax. 
 
 Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Clem- 
 mensen, we make record as follows: Jo- 
 hannah Margaret, born February 14, 1863, 
 is now living in Fairmont; John Peter, a 
 boot and shoe dealer of Sherburne; Hans 
 Christian, born March 19, 1867, and died 
 September 25, 1887; Mary, born November 
 12, 1870, died January 24, 1875; Andrew 
 Robert, born March 2, 1871, has recently 
 spent some years in California and is now 
 assisting his father on the home farm ; Ed- 
 win, born in Nebraska, October 5, 1874, 
 died at Sherburne May 29, 1891; Morris, 
 
386 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 born in Nebraska, August 3, 1877, is a 
 member of the home circle. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Clemmensen has been 
 identified with the Republican party ever 
 since he became an American citizen. 
 
 BRANK McCLELLAN CAN- 
 RIGHT, foreman of the Martin 
 County Democrat and a well 
 known citizen of Fairmont, who 
 has spent almost his entire life in Martin 
 county, was born in Waukesha county, Wis- 
 consin, on the 25th of October, 1863, and is 
 a son of J. E. and D. H. (Walbridge) Can- 
 right. When our subject was only two 
 years of age his parents came to Martin 
 county, settling on a farm about three miles 
 from Fairmont, where Frank M. was reared 
 to manhood. As soon as he was old 
 enough to handle the plow he began work 
 in the fields and early became familiar with 
 all the duties of farm life. The district 
 schools of the neighborhood afforded him 
 his early educational privileges, and later he 
 attended the schools of Fairmont. At the 
 age of eighteen years he left the farm, not 
 desiring to carry on agricultural pursuits 
 throughout his entire life, and began learn- 
 ing the printer's trade with Frank A. Day, 
 editor of the Sentinel, of Fairmont, with 
 whom he served three years' apprenticeship, 
 during which time he thoroughly mastered 
 the business, becoming familiar with it in all 
 its details. 
 
 On the expiration of that period Mr. Can- 
 right left his Minnesota home and returned 
 to the State of his nativity, locating in Mil- 
 waukee, where he was employed for two 
 years on the force of the Milwaukee Sentinel, 
 then spent three years in doing job printing. 
 Returning to Fairmont he wa's offered and 
 
 accepted the position of foreman of the Mar- 
 tin County Democrat and has since filled 
 that position with credit to himself and 
 satisfaction to the owners of the estab- 
 lishment. Through his instrumentality the 
 paper has been kept up to a high standard 
 and he de\otes himself untiringly to his 
 work. 
 
 In the year 1889 Mr. Canright was 
 united in marriage with Miss Kattie M. 
 Moran, the wedding taking place in Mil- 
 waukee. The lady was born and spent her 
 maidenhood days in Prairie du Chien, Wis- 
 consin, and attended the schools of White 
 Water. She is a lady of culture and re- 
 finement, highly educated, and has made 
 many friends since her arrival in Fairmont. 
 To our subject and his wife has been born 
 one child, a son, Emory, born in 1891. 
 
 On questions of State and national im- 
 portance Mr. Canright supports the Repub- 
 lican party, but at local elections where no 
 issue is involved he votes for the man whom 
 he thinks best qualified for office, regardless 
 of party affiliations. The best interests of 
 the city are given his hearty co-operation 
 and he is a public-spirited and progressive 
 man, who keeps fully abreast with the times 
 in every particular. In the county where 
 he has so long made his home, he has a 
 wide acquaintance, and as many of his best 
 friends have known him from boyhood, 
 such a fact therefore indicates a well-spent 
 life. 
 
 HLFRED MAXIM, a farmer residing 
 near Sherburne, Minnesota, is a 
 native of W^arren county. New 
 York, his birthplace being ten miles 
 from Lake George, and his parents, Asil 
 and Pollv Maxim. Asil Ma.xim was a native 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, \VaTONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 3S7 
 
 of Connecticut, and a typical Yankee in 
 every sense of the word. He was of Enj,'- 
 lish descent, while his wife traced her an- 
 cestr}' back to Scotland. They had eleven 
 children, Alfred being the youngest; and the 
 others in the following order: Wilson, Den- 
 nis, Nelson, Charles, Samuel, Harvey, Mary, 
 Jane, Almira and Margaret. 
 
 Alfred Maxim began to shift for himself 
 when he was only seven years of age, at 
 that time going to live with Mr. John Ken- 
 yon, for whom he worked for his board. 
 Later he went to Otsego county, New York, 
 and made his home with his sister. Next 
 we find him at Freeport, Steuben county, 
 New York, where he formed the acquaint- 
 ance of Dr. Peter House, a graduate of the 
 State University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, 
 and under his instructions began the study 
 of medicine. Subsequently he attended a 
 course of twelve lectures, given at Freeport, 
 by Professor O'Leary, an eminent jihysician 
 and a graduate of one of the prominent 
 educational institutions of the old country. 
 After this Mr. Maxim practiced medicine in 
 the East for a while, and then began to 
 travel, his restless disposition preventing 
 him from quietly settling down to his pro- 
 fession. 
 
 It was in 1882, September 20, that Mr. 
 Maxim landed in Martin county, Minnesota. 
 He traded 1 20 acres of land in Shawnee 
 county, Wisconsin, for eighty acres in this 
 county, owned by Charles Seymour, this 
 eighty acres being the west half of the north- 
 east quarter of section 28, township 103 (Fox 
 Lcike), range 32. Later he bought an adjoin- 
 ing forty-acre tract of Mrs. Jenkins, this mak- 
 ing 120 acres. In i888 he took a tree claim 
 of eighty acres in section 18, same town- 
 ship and range, about fourteen acres of which 
 are covered with lake water, but which he 
 
 expects in the near future to drain. He 
 has a grove of six acres on his place. And 
 in connectioij with his farming he is also 
 to some extent engaged in stock-raising, at 
 this writing having nine head of horses, 
 seventeen of sheep, and seven of hogs. 
 
 HNDRFW FINDER, —The farming 
 interests of Martin county are well 
 represented bj- the gentleman who 
 forms the subject of this review. 
 He carries on agricultural pursuits in Lake 
 Fremont township, his farm being located on 
 section 24, where he has a desirable and 
 valuable property, conveniently situated. 
 He has 160 acres, on which is a beautiful 
 grove, covering three acres, and the greater 
 part of the land is under a high state of cul- 
 tivation. The fields are well tilled, the im- 
 provements kept in good repair and the com- 
 fortable residence and substantial outbuild- 
 ings are as monuments to his thrift and en- 
 terprise. In addition to general farming 
 Mr. Linder also carries on stock-raising, 
 and has at this writing twehe horses, twen- 
 ty-five head of cattle and thirty head of 
 hogs. The owner is an enterprising and 
 industrious man, and his well-directed ef- 
 forts have brought to him success. 
 
 The life record of Mr. Linder is as fol- 
 lows: He was born in Elfsborg Land, 
 Sweden, February 28, 1829, and is a son of 
 John Peterson and Bertha Johnson. The 
 former was born in 1791 and died in July, 
 1856; and the latter, whose birth occurred 
 in 1793, departed this life in March, 1857. 
 The members of this family are: John, who 
 spent his entire life in Sweden; Marj', the 
 wife of John Hredberg, a resident of Rock- 
 ford, Illinois, and their children are Chris- 
 
.338 
 
 ^[EMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 tina, Clara Sophia, Charles August, who 
 was born September 15, 1859, and is now 
 living with our subject; Lottie and Carrie; 
 the next in the family is Carrie, wife of An- 
 drew Carlson, a prominent and prosperous 
 farmer of Martin count\'. 
 
 With Mr. Carlson, Mr. Linder came to 
 America and located in Andover, Illinois, 
 where he lived for two years. On the ex- 
 piration of that period he removed to Rock- 
 ford, Illinois, where for three years he was 
 employed in the machine shops, but wishing 
 to be his own master and hoping to benefit 
 his financial condition he came to Martin 
 county on the i 5th of May, 1870, and lo- 
 cated his present homestead. He first 
 built a small sod house, which was his home 
 for eight years, when it was replaced by a 
 more commodious and modern residence, — 
 his present comfortable home. He has 
 since given his time and attention to agri- 
 cultural pursuits and his standing in the 
 farming community is well known. 
 
 On the 5th of April, 1861, Mr. Linder 
 led to the marriage altar Miss Johannah 
 Benson, who was born February 8, 1843. 
 The children who grace their union are 
 Selma Charlotta, who was born in Sweden, 
 June 10, 1863; John Alfred, who was born 
 January ", 1865, and died at the age of 
 seven weeks; Johannah Matilda, who was 
 born in Andover, Illinois. November 28, 
 1866, and died in August, 1868; John Al- 
 bert, who was born in Rockford, Illinois, 
 December 25, 1868, and is at home; Frank 
 Oscar, who was born on the homestead in 
 Martin county. May 15, 1871, and is now 
 in school in St. Peter, Minnesota, preparing 
 for the Lutheran ministrj'; Ida Olivia, who 
 was born November 9, 1873; Amanda Eliza- 
 beth, who was born April 6, 1S76; Hannah 
 Matilda, born Ma\ 11, iS-S; Albin William 
 
 Emanuel, born May 26, 1879; and Edwin 
 
 \'ictor Emanuel, born September 29, 1881. 
 Mr. Linder exercises his right of fran- 
 chise in support of the men and measures of 
 the Republican partv, but takes no active 
 interest in political affairs in the way of 
 office-seeking. He is a faithful and consist- 
 ent member of the Lutheran Church and has 
 long served in church offices. It has been 
 said of Mr. Linder that he is a great and 
 good man, — great not in the sense of pub- 
 licity, never rising to the heights of promi- 
 nence where the eyes of the world are turned 
 upon him, but great in the nobler qualities 
 of manhood, in the sympathy that recog- 
 nizes the brotherhood of mankind, and has 
 sj'mpathy for its failings, while his strict 
 adherence to i)rinciple and his adherence to 
 the cause of right excites the admiration of all. 
 
 HUGUST JOHN WENBERG is the 
 efficient Postmaster of Dunnell, 
 and one of the leading farmers of 
 Martin county, residing on section 
 26, Lake Fremont township. Sweden has 
 furnished to this locality a number of its 
 best citizens, — men devoted to the interests 
 of their adopted country, — and chief among 
 these is the gentleman whose name intro- 
 duces this review. 
 
 He was born in Elfsborgs Land, Sweden, 
 on the 22d of October, 1867, and is a son 
 of Andrew and Kajsa Wenberg, the former 
 born in 1830 and the latter in 1828. They 
 arc both still living, their home being in 
 Martin county, where all who know them 
 hold tlu'in in high esteem. They had five 
 children who died in infancy, and those who 
 reached some age were: Alfred, who was 
 born June 25, 1850, and died November 8, 
 1892; Herman, wh<i died in the winter of 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 389 
 
 1874, at the age of nine years; and August 
 John, of this sketch. The first of the fam- 
 ily to come to America was Alfred, who 
 crossed the Atlantic in 1868 and located in 
 Rockford, Illinois. Later he came to Mar- 
 tin county, Minnesota, where he engaged in 
 farming until 1890, when he reino\ed to 
 Sherburne and opened a real-estate office, 
 being interested in that business until his 
 death. In the spring of 1870 the father 
 brought his family to the United States, 
 joined his son Alfred in Chicago and at once 
 proceeded on their way to Martin county, 
 where Mr. Wenberg purchased the home- 
 stead right of Olaf Oberg, the location being 
 on section 26, Lake Fremont township, 
 where he and his wife still make their home. 
 In taking up the personal history of Au- 
 gust John Wenberg, we present to our read- 
 ers the life record of one who is widely and 
 favorably known in this locality. He is a 
 worthy representative of one of the early 
 families of Martin county, his residence here 
 covering a period of half a century. He 
 remained with his parents until his marriage, 
 attending the public schools through the 
 winter months, while in the summer season 
 he aided in the labors of opening up the 
 home farm. He was married May 10, 1889, 
 the lady of his choice being Miss Emma 
 Caroline Peterson, daughter of Charles 
 Gustav and Caroline (Johnson) Peterson. 
 Her father was born July 18, 1838, and died 
 on the 9th of October, 1894. Her mother, 
 who was born February 4, 1830, was twice 
 married. She first wedded Swan Anderson, 
 and the children born of that union are 
 Charles, Sophy and Edward, the last now 
 deceased. The children of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Peterson were: Oscar, born December 19, 
 1864, and died October 23, 1886; Emma 
 Caroline, who was born November 1, 1866, 
 
 and is the honored wife of our subject; and 
 Ida, who died at the age of nine years. 
 Three children grace the union of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Wenberg: Walter Earl, born June 
 26, 1890; Arthur Melvin, born June 24, 
 1892; and Clarence Oscar, born December 
 9, 1893. 
 
 Mr. Wenberg made his first purchase of 
 land September 29, 1886, when he bought 
 
 I of A. H. Anderson eighty acres on section 
 26, Lake Fremont township. Upon the 
 farm was a small house, and Mr. Wenberg 
 rented the property to A. A. Liein. On the 
 I 2th of May, 1889, he and his bride began 
 
 j their domestic life upon the farm and he has 
 since devoted his time and energies to its 
 further cultivation and improvement. In 
 the summer he remodeled the dwelling, 
 making it a comfortable home, and in 1890 
 he built his barn. His farm has been in- 
 creased in extent by other purchases. In 
 1888 he purchased of Edward Lawrence 
 forty acres of land on section 25, Lake Fre- 
 
 ' mont township, and on the 12th of April, 
 1893, he bought of J. O. Gates eighty acres 
 on section 26. On the 6th of July, 1891, 
 he had bought 160 acres of T. W. Hodson, 
 but half of this he afterward sold to A. O. 
 Barrett. Of his farm he now has 140 acres 
 under cultivation, while fifteen acres of 
 slough land is used as pasture and a beauti- 
 ful grove covers seven acres. His stock 
 numbers sixty head of hogs, twenty head of 
 cattle and seven horses. He has a well im- 
 proved farm, neat and thrifty in appear- 
 ance, and through his own efforts he has 
 acquired the property which now numbers 
 him among the well-to-do farmers of his 
 adopted county. He is still a young man, 
 yet has won a success that many his senior 
 nnght well cin'y. 
 
 I'jotli Mr. ami Mrs. W'ciiberjj are mem- 
 
39° 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 bers of the Lutheran Church, contribute lib- ' 
 erall}' to its support and are actively inter- 
 ested in its welfare. His fellow townsmen, 
 appreciatin;^ his worth and ability, have fre- 
 quently called him to public office. In 1890 j 
 he served as census enumerator for the town- I 
 ships of Lake Belt and Fremont, and in 1887 
 he was appointed Postmaster of the Dunnell ' 
 post-office, which has since been in his charge. 
 He is at present serving as clerk of his town- j 
 ship and is also Notary Public. He has 
 lived a quiet, unassuming life, but his years 
 have been well spent, and a large circle of 
 friends and acquaintances testify to their 
 high regard for August John Wenberg. 
 
 5>^ E I^ R Y G U S T J O H N S O N , a 
 
 1 M wealthy and influential farmer of 
 ^ Martin county, whose home is lo- 
 
 cated on section 10, Lake Fre- 
 mont township, is one of the worthy citi- 
 zens to whom the steady growth, progress 
 and development of a county is due. He 
 is true to the duties which come to him, 
 whether of a public or private nature, and 
 thus belongs to that class of men who pro- 
 mote the general welfare and are really the 
 most important factors in a county's pros- 
 perity. Their influence is quietly exerted 
 but strongly felt, like the steady undercur- 
 rent of a stream. 
 
 Mr. Johnson was born in western Swe- 
 den, February 26, 1 844, and is a son of 
 John and Carrie (Swenson) Johnson. The 
 father was born in the fall of i8ig and died 
 in August, 1879, while the mother, whose 
 birth occurred September 19, 1819, was 
 called to the home beyond July 15, 1894. 
 They both passed their last days with our 
 subject, who was their only child that grew 
 to mature years. In the year 1866 the par- 
 
 ents and son left the land of their nativity 
 with the hope of bettering their financial 
 condition in .America, having heard much 
 of the adsantages and privileges here af- 
 forded. The journey across the country 
 was resumed almost immediately after 
 reaching land, and continued until they had 
 reached Rockford, Illinois, on the 1st of 
 May, 1866. 
 
 In the following July Mr. Johnson came 
 to Martin county and located his homestead, 
 but returned and spent the winter in Illinois. 
 Since the spring of 1867 he has continu- 
 ously resided on his farm in Lake Fremont 
 township, though considerable change has 
 been made both in the si^e and appearance 
 of the place. He was joined by his parents 
 in I S69, and to the worthy couple who had 
 cared for him in his young years he ren- 
 dered in return the loving care and attention 
 of a dutiful son. He first secured the north- 
 east quarter of section 10, Lake Fremont 
 township, in 1 888, bought the west half of 
 the northwest quarter of section i i, and in 
 1889 the east half of the southeast quarter 
 of section 3. He also bought of Nels Olson 
 130 acres on section 10 adjoining his origi- 
 nal tract. Of this land he has 1 50 acres 
 under a high state of cultivation, and the 
 owner divides his time between general 
 farming and stock-raising, in which he is 
 equally successful. He now has fifty hogs, 
 fifty head of cattle and twelve horses, and 
 his stock is of good grades. Barns and out- 
 buildings which are models of convenience 
 afford shelter for stock and grain, and the 
 home of the family is a fine modern resi- 
 dence which was erected in 1883, — one of 
 the best dwellings in Lake Fremont town- 
 ship. 
 
 Mr. Johnson has been twice married. 
 C^n the Sth of March, 1S76, he was united 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATOXWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 39' 
 
 <>^ERRY MUNGER, one of the pio- 
 
 § W neer settlers of Martin county, 
 
 \ Minnesota, and now residing with 
 
 his son-in-law, W. T. Harnden, 
 
 was born in Wliiting, Addison county, \'er- 
 
 in marriage with Miss Annie Stenstrom, and 
 their children are as follows: Robert, born 
 July 28, 1877; Charlie, born May 13, 1878; 
 Oscar, born July 10, 1880; Hulda, born 
 August 14, 1S82; Augustus, born June 30, 
 1885. The mother of this family was born 
 in February, 1842, and was called to her 
 final rest on the 7th of June, 1885. After 
 living single for some years Mr. Johnson 
 was again married March 8, 1893, to Mary 
 Seber. One child graces this union, — Julia, 
 born December 23, 1894. Mrs. Johnson 
 was born April 28, 1863, and is the third 
 child of Nels and Nelly Seber. 
 
 Mr. Johnson has been very successful in 
 his undertakings and has worked his way 
 upward to a position of wealth and affluence. 
 His affairs have been managed systematic- 
 ally, and enterprise, perseverance and well 
 directed efforts have crowned his labors 
 with prosperity. He is a man of noble and 
 generous spirit and does not selfishly hoard 
 his wealth, but has given liberally of his 
 means to worthy enterprises and charities. 
 This spirit was demonstrated by a gift of 
 four acres of valuable land for church pur- 
 poses and in numerous other ways. He has 
 served in various township offices, is now 
 Town Treasurer, and in public office and 
 pri\ate life he is true to the trust reposed in 
 him and to the best interests of the commu- 
 nity. His strict adherence to principle and , 
 to his convictions of right and wrong e.xcites I 
 the admiration of all, and in many ways his ' 
 career is well worthy of emulation. 
 
 mont, April 27, 1820, his parents being 
 Augustus and Temperance (Babcock) Mun- 
 ger. The children of Augustus and Tem- 
 perance Munger were as follows: Polly, 
 who was twice married, first, to a Mr. 
 Baker, and second, to Mr. Daniel Pond; 
 Nancy, who married a Mr. Clark; Pyra 
 Fields; Perry; Mercy, wife of Sylvester 
 McAllison; Apollos Henry; Esther, wife of 
 Erastus Hopkins, and three other sons who 
 died when young. Augustus Munger died 
 in 1841, at the age of about fifty years. 
 
 The subject of this sketch emigrated to 
 Rock county, Wisconsin, in July, 1841, and 
 remained there until the fall of 1846, when 
 he moved to Dane county, and in October, 
 1 85 1, to Marquette county. In November, 
 1864, became still further west to Winona 
 county, Minnesota, and in October of the 
 following year he located permanently in 
 Martin county, having the summer before 
 selected his tract of land, the northeast 
 quarter of section 18, township 102, 
 range 32. 
 
 Mr. Munger married Miss Sarah Philena 
 Potter. She was a daughter of Homer and 
 Ruth (Woodruff) Potter; was born in Pitts- 
 ford, Rutland county, Vermont, August 24, 
 1820, and died at Fairmont, Minnesota, 
 May 14, 1882. Following is a brief record 
 of their children: (i) Homer Augustus, 
 born July 10, 1841, married Laura Rising 
 Miller and has five children, — Charlie, Earl, 
 Milton, Perry and Elsie; is general agent for 
 the Northwestern Insurance Company of 
 Milwaukee, his residence being Cedar 
 Rapids, Iowa. (2) George Porter, born 
 August 25, 1844; married Elizabeth Dear- 
 born and has four children, — Elmer, Fred- 
 erick, Roy and Irvine; resides at Byron, 
 Minnesota. (3) Elsie Lurena, wife of W. 
 T. Harnden. (4) Daniel Potter, born Feb- 
 
392 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ruary 25, 1849; married Marina A. White, 
 his children being Alzina. Gertrude and 
 Caliie Mildred; is an invalid and lives in 
 Sherburne, Minnesota. (5) Esther Caro- 
 line, born October 24, 1854; is the wife of 
 Willard F. Richardson, Winnebago City, 
 their children being Frank and I^ulu, the 
 latter deceased. 
 
 During the early days of ^^r. Munger's 
 residence in Martin county he depended al- 
 most exclusively upon the sale of skins for 
 his ready cash. He kept as many as seventy 
 traps set at one time. Muskrats were the 
 most abundant, and sold for from eight to 
 thirty cents, according to the fluctuation of 
 the market. Mink, and sometimes otter 
 and beaver, were also caught. Mr. Munger 
 was in early life a Whig, but now votes the 
 Republican ticket, and for years has been 
 the choice of his party to fill some of the 
 township offices. Indeed, he has been in 
 office almost continuously ever since he took 
 up his abode in Martin county. He is a man 
 of many sterling traits of character, is 
 deeply pious, and is a member of the Bap- 
 tist Church. 
 
 u 
 
 'ELLS THOMAS HARNDEN, a 
 farmer residing near Sherburne, 
 Martin county, Minnesota, was 
 born November i 2, i S43, at Cuba, 
 Illinois, his parents being Joshua Streeter 
 and Esther Maria (White) Harnden. 
 
 Joshua Harnden, the grandfather of our 
 subject, was a native of New York State. 
 He followed agricultural pursuits and also 
 owned and operated a woolen mill. He was 
 a soldier in the war of 1.S12. His family 
 comprised two sons and four daughters. 
 One of these sons, Joshua S. Harnden, the 
 father of Wells T., was born in \\'ashington 
 
 county. New York, and succeeded his father 
 in the proprietorship of the woolen mills. 
 He moved westward to Lake count}-, Illinois, 
 in 1836, and died there in March, 1893, at 
 the advanced age of nearly eighty-six jears. 
 His widow survives hnn. They had ten 
 children, seven sons and three daughters. 
 
 Wells T. Harnden left home in the 
 spring of 1866, and visited Winona county. 
 Minnesota, where he spent the summer in 
 farm work. The following winter he re- 
 turned to Illinois. Early in the spring of 
 1868 he again visited Winona county, and 
 in July of that year came further west to 
 Martin county, where he remained for a 
 short time only, ne.xt going to Winnebago 
 City, where he entered the employ of a Mr. 
 Stoddard, remaining with him during har- 
 vest. After still another trip to Winona 
 county, he returned to Martin county and 
 was employed by Perry Munger, his future 
 father-in-law. November, 1869, Mr. Harn- 
 den took a homestead claim to sixty-three 
 acres of land on the eastern side of Temper- 
 ance Lake, and received title to the same 
 on the third of November, 1876. April 6, 
 1 89 1, he purchased 133 acres adjoining the 
 farm of his brother, Harvey A. Harnden, 
 and this 196 acres constitutes his present 
 farm. His residence was built in the fall 
 of 1890. 
 
 Mr. Harnden was married Jul\' 14, 1870, 
 to Miss Elsie Lurena Munger, born Novem- 
 ber 23, 1847, daughter of Perry and Sarah 
 (Potter) Munger. The children of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Harnden are as follows: Charles 
 Augustus, born January 31, 1873, is now- 
 employed as clerk for B. C. Pingree, at 
 Sherburne, Minnesota; Porter Streeter, l)f)rn 
 May 7, 1877; and Herbert Perry, born Oc- 
 tober C>. iSSi , 
 
 In his i)()litical affiliations, Mr. Harnden 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 393 
 
 is a Republican. For two years he has 
 served as Town Supervisor. He and his 
 family are members of the Congregational 
 Church. 
 
 aHARLES J. DECKER, a farmer 
 residing near Welcome, Minne- 
 sota, was born in Fultonham, 
 Schoharie county. New York, Au- 
 gust II, 1838, son of Reuben and Katy 
 (Wagoner) Decker. 
 
 Daniel Decker, his grandfather, was born 
 in New York State, and died there in 1866, 
 at the age of eighty years. He was a man 
 of fine physique, weighing about 200 pounds; 
 was in politics a Whig and in religion a 
 Presbyterian. He and his wife, whose 
 maiden name was Sarah Van Dyke, had 
 children as follows: Abraham, William, 
 John, Charles, Daniel, Reuben, Mrs. Han- 
 nah Ros.sman, Mrs. Malinda Waldron, Mrs. 
 Eliza Baxter and Mrs. Harriet Taft. Mr. 
 Wagoner, the maternal grandfather of our 
 subject, died when his daughter Katy was 
 quite young. He and his wife, nee Sarah 
 Barnie, had three children, — Phoebe, Katy 
 and Henry. 
 
 Reuben Decker was born in Schoharie 
 county. New York, in 1812. In May, 1855, 
 he moved to Plainfield, Wisconsin, and 
 bought a farm, which he occupied until the 
 time of his death, December 3, 1884. His 
 widow, born in 1810, is still living and now 
 resides in Plainfield, Wisconsin. They were 
 married about the year 1829, and their chil- 
 dren are: Cathaline, deceased wife of 
 Lewis Spawn, a farmer of New York, who 
 moved west to Wisconsin in 1853, where 
 she died leaving three children, — Wesley, 
 DeLoss, and Lola; Cornelia Ann was mar- 
 ried in New York to W. J. Morey and is 
 
 now living in Wisconsin, their children being 
 Melvin, Charles, Edith and Williard; 
 Charles J., whose name heads this article; 
 Harriet Elizabeth, wife of David Sparks, re- 
 sides at Reedsburg, Wisconsin; William 
 Henry, a farmer of Plainfield, Wisconsin, 
 married Violetta Kelley and has two daugh- 
 ters. 
 
 Charles J. Decker remained with his 
 parents rmtil the outbreak of the Civil war. 
 August 21, 1862, he enlisted at Plainfield in 
 Company G, Thirtieth Wisconsin Volunteer 
 Infantry, and at Louisville, Kentucky, Sep- 
 tember 20, 1865, was honorably discharged. 
 He saw practically the same service as did 
 his comrade in arms and life-long companion, 
 A. M. Welcome. These gentlemen enlisted 
 on the same day, in the same company, 
 served together all through the war, and 
 were discharged on the same day. They 
 returned home to Wisconsin at the close of 
 the war; came to Minnesota together, and 
 homesteaded adjoining claims. Mr. Decker 
 took as his homestead claim the southeast 
 quarter of section two, township 102, range 
 32. He also took an additional eighty 
 acres, under the tree-culture act, and now 
 has in one body 240 acres of choice land. 
 His present fine residence was finished in the 
 summer of 1893. 
 
 Mr. Decker was married in December, 
 1878, to Miss Lavina Hepburn, daughter of 
 Orville and Sylvia (Edison) Hepburn. She 
 is the second of a family of eight daughters 
 and two sons, and was born at Royalton, 
 Cuyahoga county, Ohio, August 9, 1857. 
 Her mother died November 6, 1883, and 
 her father is at this writing a resident of 
 Wisconsin. The children of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Charles J. Decker are Alfred Reuben, born 
 June 24, 1880; Arthur Merton, June 3, 
 1882; and Archie Fern, April 15, 1884. 
 
394 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 In politics, Mr. Decker is a stanch Re- 
 publican, and, while not an office-seeker, 
 has filled with great efficiency a number of 
 local offices. Personally, he is a man above 
 the average in si^e, and, although robust in 
 appearance, he has not the best of health, his 
 constitution having been injured during his 
 service in the late war. At this writing his 
 farm is rented, the tenant having full charge 
 of all work, while he himself is practically 
 retired. 
 
 >t'OHN SAMUEL SCHULTZ, a re- 
 ■ tired farmer of Sherburne, Minne- 
 /• 1 sota, was born at Fortress Gibraltar, 
 Europe, June i, 1815, his parents 
 being Rudolph Ernest and Harriet (Maggs) 
 Schultz. 
 
 The Rev. Ernest Rudolph Schultz, grand- 
 father of this gentleman, and his wife, whose 
 maiden name was Juliannc Charlotte Chris- 
 tine Antonette Otto, were both born in Han- 
 over, Germany, and spent their lives there, 
 he being a pastor of the Lutheran Church. 
 Rudolph Ernest Schultz was the eldest of 
 their children, the others being as follows: 
 Frederick, a tutor in the public schools of 
 Germany; George, Lieutenant in the Fifth 
 Battalion, Light Infantry, German army; 
 Charles, a timber merchant in Germany; 
 and Christina, wife of B. Wilhelmine 
 Schultz, of Boitzenburg, Germany. 
 
 Rudolph Ernest Schultz was born at 
 Ronnenburg, Hanover, Germany, Decem- 
 ber 30, 1 78 1, and died at Gibraltar in De- 
 cember, 1829. When twenty-six years of 
 age Mr. Schultz changed his residence from 
 Germany to Gibraltar, and the record says 
 that he " arrived in Gibraltar I^av, June 18, 
 1807, at 4 o'clock, P. M." He ()[iened a 
 small store in the town, ami several years 
 
 afterward was appointed Commissary of the 
 English army at Gibraltar. This position 
 he held till his death. He was married 
 there January 25, 181 2. Mrs. Schultz died 
 July 17, 1829, aged thirty-eight years. 
 Their children were: Dolse, who was born 
 August 25, 1812, and died in infancy; Sarah, 
 born July 20, 1813, who alsodied in infancy; 
 John Samuel, whose name appears at the 
 head of this article; Henry William, who 
 was born July 29, 1817, and is married and 
 has a family, and is engaged in farming in 
 Iowa; and George William, who was born 
 April 23, 1825, was in the emploj' of the 
 Government during the late war, and died 
 in New York. 
 
 [ohn Samuel Schultz is one of the pio- 
 neer settlers of Martin county, Minnesota. 
 He left Gibraltar in July, 1832, landed at 
 Quebec, and from there went to Portland, 
 Maine, where he entered upon an appren- 
 ticeship to the trade of cabinet-maker. He 
 served a year and a half under the instruc- 
 tions of Elias Moss and finished his trade in 
 the establishment of J. Burnett. Then he 
 engaged in business for himself, which he 
 continued during the rest of his residence in 
 Maine. June 11, 1855, he left the Pine Tree 
 State and came West as far as Dodge coun- 
 ty, Wisconsin, wiiere he bought a farm. He 
 resided on this farm until his removal to 
 Union City, Iowa, in March, 1866. May 
 22, 1871, he came to his present claim in 
 Martin county. Here he homesteaded the 
 southeast quarter of section 22, township 
 102, range 32, and shortly afterward sold 
 half of his claim to his son George. 
 
 Mr. Schultz has been twice married. 
 His first wife was Miss Eliza Anna Pratt, 
 daughter of Jesse and Anna Pratt. They 
 were married at New Vineyard, Maine. 
 Mrs. Schultz was born at Rochester, Massa- 
 
0am(/ <^ecH. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 397 
 
 chiisetts, January 19, 1813, and died March 
 13, 1845. The only child of this union is 
 William Henry, born November 21. 1843, 
 and now engaged in farming in this county, 
 his land comprising 120 acres. October 24, 
 1847, Mr. Schultz married for his second 
 wife Miss Mary Killkaney Everett, daughter 
 of William A. and Sarah (Hutchins) Ever- 
 ett. Mrs. Schultz was born February i, 
 1822, in Maine, and is still living. Their 
 children are: Sarah Almina, deceased wife 
 of John R. Hart; George .Alexander, who 
 died in infancy; Ernest Rudolph, who died 
 in infancy; George Samuel, married and has 
 a family; Charles Rudolph, married and has 
 a family, and is engaged in farming in Wis- 
 consin; Harriet Adzilla, wife of Charles W. 
 Grigsby, a farmer of this county, and has 
 seven children; John Ernest and his wife 
 are both deceased, their only child being 
 Hugh; Etta Mary, wife of E. J. Calkins; 
 Esther Eliza, wife of Charles Palmer, has 
 three children; and Ada Isora, wife of 
 Daniel Peddie. 
 
 Mr. Schultz affiliates with the Republi- 
 can party. His first vote was cast for Will- 
 iam Henry Harrison. For a number of 
 years he has filled the office of Treasurer of 
 Manyaska township, proving an efficient, 
 painstaking official. 
 
 * » ^ ON. DAVID SECOR, president of 
 
 1^^^ the Faribault County Bank,Winne- 
 
 \ , r bago City, Minnesota, is a native of 
 
 Putnam county, New York, having 
 
 been born on the 6th of January, 1836, and 
 
 being descended from French Huguenot 
 
 ancestry. 
 
 The Secor family was founded in America 
 
 in early Colonial times, by Ambrose Secor, 
 
 who emigrated from France about 1665 and 
 20 
 
 settled at New Rochelle, New York. Many 
 of his descendants attained to positions of 
 prominence, and some of them were among 
 the founders of historical old Trinity Church, 
 New York city. Isaac Secor, the great- 
 grandfather of the subject of this review, 
 served as a soldier in the war of the Revolu- 
 tion. He married Mary Gedney, and their 
 son, Gedney Secor, the grandfather of 
 David, married Catherine Strang, who was 
 a descendant of Henry L'Estrange, one of 
 the French Huguenots who left France about 
 1665 and went to England. There he re- 
 mained for a few years, as a member of 
 King Charles' staff, and then came to 
 America. The patronymic, originally L'Es- 
 trange, is now written Strang, and by some 
 members of the family Strong. Many mem- 
 bers of the family have occupied prominent 
 positions in the State of New York. Major 
 Henry Strong, a Revolutionary hero, was 
 related to Catherine Strang, the grandmother 
 of Mr. Secor. 
 
 Alson Secor, a son of Gedney and Cath- 
 erine (.Strang) Secor, was born in Putnam 
 county. New York, and died at the age of 
 eighty-two years. He married Sarah C. 
 Knapp, a native of the same county, and a 
 member of an old New England family of 
 English origin. Her oldest brother, David, 
 for whom the subject of this sketch was 
 named, served in the war of 1S12. Alson 
 Secor followed the occupation of farming 
 all his life. He was a prominent and in- 
 fluential citizen of his native county, was 
 one of its Associate Justices, and held 
 various other offices. In politics he was a 
 Democrat, and always took a lively interest 
 in party affairs. He and his wife had eleven 
 children, of whom we offer brief record, as 
 follows: Abbie Jane is the wife of D. W. 
 Lounsbury, of Des Moines, Iowa; John, who 
 
39S 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 was a resident of Brooklyn, New York, died 
 in 1889; Catherine is tlie wife of O. W. 
 Fowler, of West Chester, New York; David; 
 Carrie, now Mrs. Sherman, of Peekskill, 
 New York; Egbert, deceased; Eugene, a 
 banker and real-estate dealer of Forest 
 City, Iowa; Mary E., widow of L. G. 
 Banister, Des Moines, Iowa; Phoebe A., 
 of Peekskill, New York; Leonard H., a 
 farmer near Forest City, Iowa; and Julia, 
 wife of D. Champlin, a hardware merchant 
 of Indianola, Iowa. The mother of this 
 family showed forth in her life many beauti- 
 ful Christian characteristics. She was first 
 a member of the Presbyterian Church, but 
 later in life a Methodist. She died, at 
 Peekskill, New York, in 1 881, at the age of 
 seventy-six years. 
 
 David Secor remained on the farm with 
 his parents until he had attained the age of 
 twenty years, having been enabled to attend 
 the district school during the winter months. 
 In May, 1856, he started out in life for him- 
 self. Coming West to Iowa he spent a 
 short time near Iowa City, and then went 
 to the southern part of Linn county, where 
 he worked for Leonard Hill, at the mason's 
 trade during the summers, and attended 
 Western College during the winter terms, 
 his time being thus occupied until the spring 
 of 1859, when he went to Mason City. On 
 his arrival there his cash capital was repre- 
 sented in a one-dollar bill on a "wild-cat" 
 bank. In the spring of 1 860 he located at 
 Forest City and engaged in contracting and 
 building. The Park Hotel of that place 
 was erected by him. About the year 1868 
 he built the courthouse in Hancock county, 
 Iowa. In 1S61 he was elected County 
 Treasurer and Recorder, and held the two 
 offices until they were separated by act of 
 Legislature. He was thereupon re-elected 
 
 to the office of Treasurer, and was its in- 
 cumbent for six years. In the meantime he 
 bought 140 acres of land near Forest City, 
 and also dealt in real estate. 
 
 Upon the breaking out of the war of the 
 Rebellion Mr. Secor was a stanch supporter 
 of the Union cause. In 1864 he enlisted in 
 Company C, Second Iowa V'olunteer In- 
 fantry. His physical strength, howe'ver, 
 was not equal to his courage and ambition, 
 and, while on the famous ' ' march to the 
 sea" he was taken sick at Macon, Georgia, 
 and was confined to the hospital for some 
 time, his life being there dispaired of. The 
 war over, he was honorably discharged, and 
 he then returned to Iowa, where he resumed 
 the occupation which he had abandoned to 
 take up arms in defence of the Union. 
 
 In 1 87 1 Mr. Secor was elected to the 
 Fourteenth General Assembly to represent 
 the counties of Cerro Gordo, Hancock, 
 Worth, and Winnebago; and in 1873 was 
 elected to represent Kossuth, Hancock, 
 Worth and Winnebago, on both occasions 
 being elected without opposition. In 1874 
 he was elected Register of the State Land 
 Office at Des Moines, and assumed the 
 duties of that position January i, 1875, he- 
 ing re-elected and serving a second term. 
 
 Previous to and during the time he was 
 in the Land Office he studied law, and in 
 1879 was admitted to practice in the State 
 and Federal courts. On leaving the Land 
 Office he returned to Forest City, resumed 
 his real-estate business and engaged in the 
 practice of law. In 18S2 he embarked in the 
 banking business there under the firm name 
 of Secor, Law & Plummer. These gentle- 
 men subsequently organized the First Na- 
 tional Bank, whose stockholders are now 
 Messrs. Plummer, Secor and Hanson. Mr. 
 Secor is also interested in the Buffalo 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 399 
 
 Center State Bank, at Bnffalo Center, Iowa, 
 of which his son, Ellsworth E. , is cashier. 
 
 In i.S86hecame to Minnesota, and in 
 January of the following year organized 
 and established the Faribault County Bank 
 at Winnebago City, erecting within the 
 same year the building which the bank now 
 occupies. Associated with him in this finan- 
 cial enterprise are his brother Eugene; his 
 nephew, Willard Secor, who is cashier; and 
 his son, Stanley S., assistant cashier, and 
 F. N. Ware — all these gentlemen being 
 also interested in the Bank of Amboy. 
 
 Mr. Secor is still carrying on a real- 
 estate business at Forest Cit}', Iowa, his 
 operations there being under the manage- 
 ment of his brother Eugene. While a resi- 
 dent of that place he was for nine years its 
 Postmaster, and for a time served as mayor 
 of the municipality. Since he became 
 identified with \\'innebago City he has been 
 active in promoting the best interests of the 
 place, and a number of local enterprises have 
 felt the influence of his touch. He has 
 served the village as Mayor, is vice-presi- 
 dent of Parker College and a member of its 
 prudential committee and its board of di- 
 rectors. Wherever duty calls he is prompt 
 to act, and his services in both public and 
 private capacities have ever been char- 
 acterized by the strictest fidelity. Socially 
 he is a member of James Clabaugh Post, 
 No. 54, G. A. R., and is its present Com- 
 mander (1895). He is a member of the 
 Congregational Church of Forest City, 
 Iowa. 
 
 Mr. Secor has been thrice married and 
 as many times bereaved by the loss of a lov- 
 ing companion. In 1862 he married Miss 
 Samantha E. Van Curen, and they had 
 three children: Ellsworth E.. cashier of the 
 Buffalo Center State Bank of Buffalo Cen- 
 
 ter, Iowa; Stanley S., assistant cashier of 
 the Faribault County Bank; and Mrs. Myrtle 
 Reagan, of Nashville, Tennessee. His 
 second wife, iicc Jennie Gregg, of Des 
 Moines, Iowa, died without issue. In 1878 
 he married Miss S. Jennie Lyons, a native 
 of Ohio and a daughter of D. W. Lyons, of 
 Winterset, Iowa. She died in November, 
 1 886, leaving two daughters, — Joy and Ruth. 
 
 HLBERT BARDEN, one of the pros- 
 perous farmers of Martin county, 
 Minnesota, residing near Sherburne, 
 dates his birth in Tioga county, 
 New York, July 22, 1844, his parents being 
 Levi and Catharine (Davenport) Barden. 
 
 The Bardens are of English origin. The 
 paternal grandfather of our subject died in 
 New York. He had a large family of chil- 
 dren, among whom were Levi, Zalmon, 
 William and Freelove. The maternal 
 grandfather of Mr. Barden — Grandfather 
 Davenport — was of Dutch descent. He lived 
 to be eighty-nine years of age. His children 
 were David, Mar\', Peggy and Cathrine. 
 
 Levi Barden was born in New York. In 
 that State he was for some years engaged in 
 lumbering, and in 1850 he removed from 
 there to Dodge county, Wisconsin, where 
 he bought a farm, and later entered a 40- 
 acre tract. He died in Dodge county, April 
 I, 1864, aged fift\'-four years. His \\'idow 
 is living with her son-in-law, Charlie Town- 
 send, at Excelsior, Washington, and, 
 although she has recently passed her eighty- 
 first year, she is still active. The children 
 of Levi Barden and his wife are as follows: 
 Jerusha, born in 1834, is the wife of Sidney 
 Griffin, a farmer of this county, and their 
 children are Sarah and Lois; Lucy Ann, 
 born in 1836, became the wife of Merritt 
 
400 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Baiden, and died, leaving three children, 
 Myron, Edgar and Jane; Ruth, born in 
 1838, is the wife of Stephen Coleb}', a 
 farmer of Dodge county, Wisconsin; Will- 
 iam, born in 1840, died at Danville, Vir- 
 ginia, in 1862, while a prisoner of war; Jo- 
 seph, born in 1842, married Catharine Col- 
 lins, and was living in Pine county. Minne- 
 sota, at the time of the great forest fire 
 there in 1894, he and his wife and seven 
 children barely escaping with their lives and 
 their property all being destroyed; Albert, 
 the subject of this article; Theodore, born 
 in 1 846, married Clarissa Boobier and has 
 three children, Effie, Jay and Frank, his 
 home being on a farm in Carl county, Iowa; 
 George Leslie, born in 1848, is married and 
 has three children, and is living on Lake Che- 
 lan, W^ashington, where he is engaged in farm- 
 ing; Marietta, born in 1850, married Horace 
 Clemens and has four sons and six daughters, 
 their home being at Auburn, W'ashington; 
 Nancy, born in 1852, is the wife of George 
 Staples, they, too, having lost all their prop- 
 erty in the forest fires of 1894, in Minnesota; 
 and Minerva, born in 1854, is the wife of 
 Charlie Townsend, a machinist of Excelsior, 
 Washington, their children being Ray and 
 Earl. 
 
 Albert Harden, with whose name we 
 began this sketch, enlisted at Milwaukee, 
 Wisconsin, November 18, 1863, in Company 
 G, First Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and 
 at once went to the front. He was with 
 Sherman on the famous ' ' march to the sea," 
 saw almost continuous active service from 
 the time of his enlistment, and was dis- 
 charged at Louisville, Kentucky, July, 1865. 
 Mr. Barden returned to his old home in 
 Wisconsin when the war was over, and en- 
 gaged in the lumber business there until he 
 came to Martin county, Minnesota, in 1878. 
 
 Previous to his location here his brother, 
 Joseph, had settled in this county, on the 
 northeast quarter of section 26, township 
 102, range 32. Mr. Albert Barden visited 
 him in i 874, and at that time purchased the 
 northwest quarter of section 26, township 
 102, range 32. This tract remained imim- 
 proved until 1878, when he built his present 
 residence and planted two acres in trees, 
 and here he has since made his home and 
 has devoted his attention to agricultural 
 pursuits.. 
 
 Mr. Barden was married October i, 1881, 
 to Mrs. Melvina (Pickett) Orr. She was 
 born in Jefferson county, Wisconsin, May 
 20, 1855, her parents having removed to 
 that place from Clinton county. New York. 
 Her father, Ephraim Pickett, was born 
 October 8, 1832, and died August 5, 1889; 
 her mother, Finandis (Smith) Pickett, was 
 born July 22, 1838, and is still living. Mrs. 
 Barden's first husband was W. M. Orr, and 
 by him she had the following children: 
 Mary, born February 1, 1873; Thomas J., 
 November 9, 1875; William, November 6, 
 1879; and Gladis, August 9, 1880. Her 
 children by Mr. Barden are: Chancey Lee, 
 born March 26, 1883; Chester Albert, March 
 24, 1884; and Bertha Edna, November 
 13, 1891. 
 
 Mr. Barden is one of the substantial 
 farmers of his county, and has the respect 
 and esteem of all who knt)w him. 
 
 (D 
 
 ARTIN FREDERICK MAVES 
 
 devotes his time and energies to 
 
 agricultural pursuits in Manyaska 
 
 I ' ' townshi]!, Martin county, where 
 
 he owns and cultivates 120 acres of the rich 
 
 1 land of Minnesota. The well tilled fields 
 
 1 are enclosed within fences always kept in 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 401 
 
 repair, and the improvements on the place 
 are neat and indicate the careful supervision 
 of the owner. In addition to general farming 
 he is also successfully engaged in stock-rais- 
 ing and now has sixteen head of cattle, twenty- 
 four head of hogs and five horses. A beau- 
 tiful grove of two acres adds to the value 
 and attractive appearance of the place and 
 Mr. Maves is numbered among the leading 
 farmers of the community. 
 
 He was born in Alt Custrenchen, province 
 of Brandenburg, Germany, on the 13th of 
 August, 1838, and is a son of Frederick and 
 Anna (Haase) Maves. The father was born 
 in April, 1805, and spent his entire life in 
 Germany, where he died in August, 1849. 
 He was one of a family which numbered the 
 following members: William, Elizabeth, 
 Bertha, Minnie, Annie and May. The 
 parents of our subject had a family which 
 included the following: William, born Aug- 
 ust 5, 1832, was twice married and died in 
 June, 1872. Anna Louisa, born July 21, 
 1823, became the wife of Henry Moot, a 
 resident of Dodge county, Wisconsin, and 
 her children are Hermann, Martha and 
 Henry; Martin F. is the ne.xt younger; Fred- 
 erick, born March 9, 1842, married Eliza- 
 beth Becker and died in April, 1876, leav- 
 ing a family of three children; Augusta, 
 born December 17, 1847, is the wife of 
 Frederick Richards. 
 
 In the land of his birth Martin F. Maves 
 spent the days of his boyhood and youth, no 
 event of special importance occurring during 
 that period. It was in 1868 that he de- 
 termined to seek a home in the New World, 
 and on the 1st of May he sailed from the 
 shores of the Fatherland. Embarking at 
 Hamburg, after a long and tedious voyage 
 he reached New York, on the 2ist of June, 
 and at once continued his journey across 
 
 the country to Hustisford, Dodge county, 
 Wisconsin, where he had a brother and sis- 
 ter (Mrs. Mott) living, they having come to 
 the United States in 1866. 
 
 Mr. Maves now entered upon his busi- 
 ness career in this country. While in Wis- 
 consin he had learned the mason's trade, 
 which he followed during his residence in 
 the Badger State, and as he was a good 
 workman and always faithfull}' lived up to 
 his contracts, his services were constantl3'in 
 demand, and he was thus not only able to 
 secure a living, but was also enabled to lay 
 up a considerable sum. With the capital 
 thus acquired he bought his present farm in 
 October, 1884, securing it of the real-estate 
 dealer, Mr. Higgins, of Fairmont. To this 
 place he removed the following spring and 
 has since been engaged in general farming 
 on his 120-acre tract of land, all of which is 
 broken save ten acres. 
 
 On the 2d of February, 1859, while still 
 in Germany, Mr. Maves was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Theresa Plato'w, a daughter 
 of Ludwig and Wilhelmina (Brown) Platow. 
 The lady is their eldest child, and was born 
 February 5, 1839. The other members of 
 the family are Antonia, born December 10, 
 1841; Ulricha, born June 27, 1843; Bertha, 
 born May 7, 1845; Ernest, born September 
 29, 1847; Albert, born December 29, 1849, 
 and Johannas, born March 2, 1851. The 
 children born to Mr. and Mrs. Maves are: 
 Frank Hermann, born December 26, 1859, 
 married Anna Brcnning, by whom he has 
 one child, Eddie, and resides at Eagle River, 
 Wisconsin, where he is engaged in the lum- 
 ber business. Minnie, born April 18, 1863, 
 died at the age of four years; Emma, born 
 August II, 1865, died at the age of three 
 years; Ernest Martin, born May 9, 1866, 
 married Annie Tornow and is living in 
 
402 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mapleton, Blue Earth count}', Minne- 
 sota; Anna Elizabeth Augusta, born No- 
 vember 4, 1868, is the wife of Edward 
 King, of Austin, Minnesota, and they 
 have one child. William Albert, born May 
 30, 1870, was confirmed in April, 1883, at 
 Hustisford, Wisconsin, by the Rev. Philip 
 Kohler, and has traveled considerably in the 
 Black Hills of Wyoming and other parts of 
 the West, but is now managing th^ home 
 place in connection with his father. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Maxes are members 
 of the Lutheran Church, the former con- 
 firmed in 1852, and the latter in 1S53. They 
 are among the most worthy German citizens 
 of Martin county, and throughout the com- 
 munity are held in high esteem by a large 
 circle of friends and acquaintances. The 
 life of our subject has been a busy one, in 
 which idleness and indolence have had no 
 part, and his perseverance and earnest 
 labors have brought him a comfortable com- 
 petence. 
 
 m 
 
 ICHAEL KASSULKE, a prosper- 
 our farmer of Martin county, 
 Minnesota (postoffice address. 
 Triumph), is a native of the city 
 of Werben, Prussia, born September 13, 
 1842, his parents being Christian and Anna 
 Ragena (Bradelow) Kassulke. 
 
 Mr. Kassulke is descended from one of 
 the oldest Prussian families. The farm 
 owned by his father was adjacent to the 
 city of Werben, and contained 175 acres of 
 land, all in the highest state of cultivation. 
 This tract of land had remained in the hands 
 of the Kassulke family for 450 years prior to 
 the death of Mrs. Christian Kassulke, mother 
 of our subject. It was the rule in the family 
 to will this tract of land to the son, Michael, 
 
 or Christian. Our subject and his grand- 
 father were named Michael, and his father 
 and great-grandfather, Christian; and thus 
 the genealogy e.xtended back for 450 years, 
 keeping these names in the family. Accord- 
 ing to this custom, our subject should have 
 inherited the old homestead, but his father 
 failed to make this provision in the will, and 
 left everything to his wife. The mother 
 died without leaving a will, so the children 
 agreed to divide the proceeds received from 
 the sale of the farm. Thus passed from the 
 hands of the Kassulke family the old home- 
 stead that had been the birthplace of more 
 than ten generations of the family. 
 
 Christian Kassulke, the father of our 
 subject, was born in 1802, and died Novem- 
 ber 18, 1856. His wife was born in 1803 
 and died October 8, 1863. Their children 
 were as follows: Anna Ragena, wife of 
 Christopher Marquart; Frederick; Anna 
 Maria, wife of Gottlieb Kumbier; Christian; 
 Gottfried; Anna Christina, wife of Christian 
 Neese; Michael and George. All are de- 
 ceased except Michael. George died of 
 fever while serving in the Franco-Prussian 
 war. Gottfried married Christina Balstaedt, 
 and in 1873 came to America, joining his 
 brother, Michael, in Minnesota. He died in 
 Brown county, this State, December i, 
 1892, leaving a widow and one child, 
 Gotthilf. 
 
 Michael Kassulke remained on the home 
 farm until called by his country to serve in 
 the Prussian army in the war against Aus- 
 tria. He was enrolled in the Third Guard 
 Lancers, September 30, 1863, and the prin- 
 ciple battles in which he participated were 
 Zervenehon, Trautenau and Koniggratz. 
 He was honorably discharged from the serv- 
 ice July 31, 1867, and on his return from 
 the army he took charge of his sister Maria's 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 403 
 
 farm, her husband having died, and op- 
 erated it until May, 1868, 
 
 Then he determined to try his fortune 
 in the New World, and accordingly left for 
 America, May 23, 1868, and reached New 
 York city on the 6th of June, following. 
 He came on through to Owatonna, Minne- 
 sota, where he accepted a position as clerk 
 in the mercantile house of Seabolt & Horse- 
 man, and remained with that firm until May, 
 1869. The Duluth excitement was at its 
 height about this time and, Mr. Kassulke, 
 desiring to see what a first-class Western 
 boom town was like, resigned his position 
 and went to Duluth. He remained there 
 only a short time, however, as there were 
 but few Germans in the place. Ne.xt he 
 went to Brown county, Mmnesota, and pur- 
 chased an improved farm of 160 acres, June 
 29, 1869, and moved to it in the fall. He 
 remained there until December 10, 1870, 
 when he disposed of this tract and purchased 
 a quarter section in Mountain Lake town- 
 ship, Cottonwood county, removing to it 
 December i i, 1870. On this farm he con- 
 tinued to reside until August, 1875, when 
 he bought land in Faribault county. His 
 purchase in Faribault county was a quarter 
 section in Prescott township, and he moved 
 to it September 22, 1875. He still owns 
 this tract, and at present has a tenant on it. 
 Next he purchased land in sections i and 2, 
 Elm Creek township, Martin county, 280 
 acres in all, unimproved. His present fine 
 residence was built in 1892, and he has oc- 
 cupied it since March 22d, of that year. 
 There are now about 220 acres broken, and 
 the place is stocked with forty-five hogs, 
 twenty-two cattle, and elewen head of 
 horses. 
 
 Mr. Kassulke was married September 2, 
 1869, to Katrina Fitting, daughter of John 
 
 and Magdalena (Miller) Fitting. Mrs. Kas- 
 sulke was born December i, 1843, in New 
 York city, and is the second in a family of 
 ten. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Kas- 
 sulke are as follows: Anna Ragena, who 
 was born May 21, 1870, died April 28, 
 1872; George Albert, born March 2, 1872; 
 Franz Michael, June 11, 1874; Frederick 
 Christian, August 30, 1882; and Hermann 
 Gottfried, June 15, 1885. 
 
 Mr. Kassulke takes a commendable in- 
 terest in local affairs, and has served as a 
 member of the Township Board since the 
 spring of 1894. 
 
 (D 
 
 OIvGAN MERRITT JENKINS, 
 
 Postmaster, and member of the 
 
 hardware firm of E. J. Calkins & 
 
 Company, Sherburne, Minnesota, 
 
 was born on his father's farm in Steuben 
 
 county. New York, April 18, 1844. 
 
 His ancestors were of Welsh origin, and 
 came to this country at an early period in 
 its history. John Hay dock Jenkins, his 
 father, was born in Vermont, February 11, 
 1800, and died in Calhoun county, Michi- 
 gan, in 1849. He had moved to Michigan 
 when the subject of our sketch was only six 
 weeks old. After his death, his widow con- 
 tinued her residence in Michigan for five 
 years, and then moved to Goodhue county, 
 Minnesota, where she homesteaded a claim, 
 and lived on it four years. She then located 
 in Emmet county, Iowa, where she died, in 
 September, 1876. Her maiden name was 
 Mary Ann Bates, and she was born in 1802. 
 The children of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Jenkins 
 were as follows: Mary; Adolphus, deceased, 
 left a widow and seven children; George, are- 
 tired farmer at Portland, Oregon, has a wife 
 
404 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 and five children; John, deceased; Frank, a 
 farmer of Cowlitz county, Washington, has 
 a wife and four children; Henry, a clerk in 
 the Treasury Department, Washington, 
 District of Columbia, has been twice mar- 
 ried, both wives and the children by his first 
 wife being deceased, the three children by 
 his last wife surviving; Webster, a resident 
 of Portland, Oregon, has a wife and five 
 children; and Morgan Merritt. 
 
 Morgan M. Jenkins remained with his 
 widowed mother until he was twentj-seven 
 years of age, managing the farm a part of 
 this time. He then began a hardware busi- 
 ness at Estherville, Iowa, taking as a partner 
 his brother Henry, and operating under the 
 firm name of Jenkins Brothers. This part- 
 nership continued for two years. He then 
 worked at his trade, that of tinner, at Worth- 
 ington. Nobles county, Minnesota, where he 
 remained two years. In September, 1874, 
 he moved to Fairmont, Martin county, and 
 continued work at his trade two years longer. 
 After that he formed a partnership with O. 
 H. Cole, for the purpose of conducting a 
 hardware business, under the firm name of 
 Cole & Jenkins. In December, 1878, he 
 sold out to his partner, and moved to Sher- 
 burne, where he opened a hardware store. 
 In the fall of 1882 he became a member of 
 the firm of E. J. Calkins & Company, which 
 relationship still continues. 
 
 Mr. Jenkins was married May 22, 1871, 
 to Miss Marcie Conner Howland. Mrs. 
 Jenkins was born October 22, 1848, and 
 comes of Puritan ancestry, the founders of 
 the American branch of her family having 
 come over to this country on board the May- 
 flower. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Jenk- 
 ins are Claudie, born September 20, 1873, 
 died November 1, 1873; Hallett Howland, 
 born October 22, 1875, is now in the em- 
 
 ploy of A. L. Ward & Company, Fairmont; 
 Hope Marcie, born May 9, 1878, is assistant 
 in the post-office; and Ralph, born Decem- 
 ber 25, 1884. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Jenkins is a Democrat. 
 He was appointed Postmaster of Sherburne 
 in April, i886, under Cleveland's first ad- 
 ministration, and served until the appoint- 
 ment of his successor by the Harrison ad- 
 ministration three years later. September 
 23i 1893, he was again made Postmaster, 
 and is still serving efficiently in this position. 
 Mr. Jenkins is identified with the Masonic 
 order, and both he and his family are mem- 
 bers of the Congregational Church. 
 
 5>^^ ICHOLAS EIDEN,a retired farmer 
 I B residing at Sherburne, Minne- 
 \ y sota, was born in Prussia, Febru- 
 ary 13, 1S45, son of John and An- 
 nie (Gaten) Eiden, natives of that country. 
 John Eiden had married and was the 
 father of a large family when the State called 
 upon him to render military service. In 
 his case the exaction was peculiarly hard, 
 owing to the tender age of his children, and 
 for their good he determined to emigrate to 
 America. Accordingly he left the old coun- 
 try in the spring of 1854 and in due time 
 landed at New York city, from there going 
 direct to Dunkirk, New York, where he ex- 
 pected to take boat for Chicago. At Dun- 
 kirk, however, he was taken violently sick, 
 and in a short time died. The widow gath- 
 ered her fatherless children around her, and 
 soon decided to come on west to Wiscon- 
 sin, where she had friends, which she did. 
 She bought forty acres of land in that State, 
 and on it made her home until 1869. That 
 year she moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 405 
 
 and in that city remained until coming to 
 Martin county, where she is still living. Of 
 her children we record that Nicholas is the 
 eldest; the second born died in infancy; 
 Adam, born in March, 1849, is a wagon- 
 maker of Fairmont, Minnesota, and he and 
 his wife, nee Minnie Hagerman, have four 
 sons and one daughter; Peter, born in 1851, 
 is a miller in Northfield, Minnesota, and 
 has been twice married, having three chil- 
 dren by his first wife; and Katy, born in 
 1853, is the wife of Joe Raise, a cigar manu- 
 facturer of La Crosse, and they are the par- 
 ents of a son and two daughters. 
 
 Nicholas Eiden has been a resident of 
 Martin county, Minnesota, since the spring 
 of 1871. At that time he took a home- 
 stead claim of eighty acres, — the north half 
 of the southwest quarter of section 10, 
 township 102 (Jay), range 33. Later he 
 bought the north half of the northeast quar- 
 ter of section 16. Until October, 1892, he 
 made his home on this farm, giving his at- 
 tention to its cultivation and improvement, 
 and then, on account of impaired health, 
 he moved to Sherburne, where he has since 
 resided. 
 
 Mr. Eiden was married October 27, 
 1869, to Miss Mary Bahm. She was born 
 December 18, 1847, daughter of Peter and 
 Helena Bahm, and one of a family of seven 
 children, the others being as follows: Kate, 
 wife of Dommic Deppresse; Peter, Frank, 
 Helena, Henry, Katrina, wife of Adolph 
 Kroth. Mr. and Mrs. Eiden have seven 
 children, viz.: Katie, born March 13, 1871; 
 Anna, March 14, 1873; Peter, May 6, 1875; 
 Henry, May iS, 1877; Frank, July 24, 
 1879; William Adam, March 22, 1884; and 
 Mary Magdalena, July i, 1892. 
 
 Mr. Eiden and his family are memi)ers 
 of the Catholic Church. 
 
 aLEMINSON DICKINSON, a farmer 
 of section 14, Fairmont township, 
 Martin count}-, was born on the 
 Isle of Man, October 19, 1851, a 
 son of William Dickinson, a native of Eng- 
 land. He was a wealth}' wine merchant 
 there. "Clem" received his education in 
 King William College, and remained in his 
 native place until twenty-one years of age, 
 when he came to the United States. After 
 spending a short time in New York city, he 
 located in Northfield, Minnesota, where he 
 worked by the month at farm labor. Since 
 1873 he has resided in Martin county. He 
 purchased his farm of eighty acres from the 
 Government, to which he has since added 
 until he now owns 320 acres, all under a 
 fine state of cultivation. Mr. Dickinson is 
 engaged in general farming and stock-rais- 
 ing. 
 
 November 19, 1873, he was united in 
 marriage with Frances Clague, who was 
 born and reared on the Isle of Man. She 
 came to America alone at the' age of twenty 
 years. Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson have two 
 children, — Agnes Jane and William Freder- 
 ick. In political matters, Mr. Dickinson is 
 a supporter of the Republican party. 
 
 HLBERT DOLLEN, a farmer of 
 section 3, Silver Lake township, 
 was born in Cook county, Illinois, 
 October 28, 1857, a son of John 
 Dollen, a native of England. He came to 
 America when a young man, locating near 
 Des Plaines, Cook count}-, Illinois, where he 
 remained until his death, at the age of sixty- 
 four year.^. He was married in New York, 
 to Emma Strong, a native of England, but 
 also came to America when }oung. She 
 
-lo6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 now resides on the old homestead in Cook 
 county. 
 
 Albert Dollen, the third child and third 
 son of ten children, six sons and four 
 daughters, remained at home until about 
 twenty years of age. In 1884 he came to 
 Martin county, Minnesota, locating on the 
 farm he now owns. The place now con- 
 tains 240 acres, all of which is under a fine 
 state of cultivation and he is engaged in gen- 
 eral farming and stock-raising. Mr. Dollen 
 affiliates with the Republican party, and has 
 served as Chairman of the Board of Super- 
 visors of Silver Lake township three years, 
 as a member of the School Board five years, 
 and School Director five years. 
 
 In 1883, at Stratford, Connecticut, Mr. 
 Dollen united in marriage with Elizabeth 
 Langford, born in Cambridgeshire, England, 
 February 6, 1858, a daughter of Robert and 
 Mary W. (Whetstone) Langford, natives also 
 of England. They were married in their 
 native country, but for the past twenty- 
 eight years have resided in Stratford, Con- 
 necticut. Elizabeth, the fourth of their ten 
 children, five of whom grew to years of ma- 
 turity, came with her parents to America at 
 the age of ten years. Mr. and Mrs. Dollen 
 have had two children, — Robert J., deceased 
 at the age of five years; and Laura J. 
 
 *w ^ ERMAN KEITHAHN, a successful 
 
 iT "\ farmer of Martin county, was born 
 
 \ P in Hanover, Germany, March 20, 
 
 1842, a son of Henry and Sophia 
 
 (Krahm) Keithahn, who were born and died 
 
 in that country. Herman, the fourth child 
 
 and second son of their seven children, was 
 
 reared on a farm in his native place. In 
 
 1870 he came to America, locating on a 
 
 rented farm in La Crosse county, Wisconsin. 
 
 Since 1878 he has resided in Martin county, 
 Minnesota, and on the farm he still owns, 
 which consists of 420 acres. \\'hen he first 
 located on the place onl\- about twent\' 
 acres was improved, and on it was located 
 a small dwelling, 12x12 feet. The farm 
 now contains a good residence, barns and 
 other substantial improvements. 
 
 Mr. Keithahn was married in Germany, 
 in 1867, to Mary Garbers, a native of that 
 country. They have twelve children, viz. : 
 Richard H., born at Hanover, Germany, 
 April 12, 1867, is at home; Henr\' H., born 
 at that place September 8, 1869, resides in 
 the State of Washington; Fred, born in La 
 Crosse county, Wisconsin, September 29, 
 1 87 1, is at home; Mary, also a native of 
 Wisconsin, died there when twelve months 
 old; Minnie, born in La Crosse county, Feb- 
 ruary 22, 1874; Emma, born in that county 
 December 5, 1876; Ida, born in Martin 
 county, Minnesota, November 18, 1878; 
 William, born in this county, July 4, 1880; 
 Clara, deceased at the age of four years; 
 Lydia, born February 10, 1884; Annie, Sep- 
 tember 29, 1886; and Lizzie, February 11, 
 1888. The eldest son, Richard, assists on 
 the home farm, and also conducts a thresh- 
 ing-machine. 
 
 The family are members of the Lutheran 
 Church at Fairmont. Mr. Keithahn is 
 identified with the Democratic party. 
 
 eRASTUS J. CALKINS, a hardware 
 dealer of Sherburne, Minnesota, 
 was born on his father's farm, in 
 the township of Reach, Ontario 
 county. Province of Ontario, then called 
 Upper Canada, his parents being Charles 
 and Mary Ann (Houck) Calkins. 
 
 Andrew Calkins, his grandfather, was of 
 
FAIilBAULr, JMARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 407 
 
 Scotch ancestry, was born in Massachusetts, 
 and when a youn^' man moved to Canada. 
 He dealt extensively in live stock, and found 
 his principal market in Toronto. He mar- 
 ried a Miss Luke, and their children were 
 Amanda, wife of Hiram Squires; Stephen; 
 Nancy, wife of William Stone; Charles, the 
 father of our subject. Andrew Calkins died 
 in April, 1862. 
 
 Ebenezer Houck, the maternal j^rand- 
 father of Mr. Calkins, was born in Pennsyl- 
 vania, served through the Revolutionary 
 war and at the close of the Revolution 
 moved to Canada {'having previously mar- 
 ried in Pennsylvania), and died there. His 
 children were Straight, Mary Ann, Phillip, 
 and a daughter that died when very young. 
 
 Charles Calkins, the father of our sub- 
 ject, was born in Lower Canada, May i, 
 icSi3, and died at Austin, Minnesota, Feb- 
 ruary 9, 1869. In the spring of 1851 he 
 moved to Dodge count}', Wisconsin, his 
 postofifice being Fox Lake. There he bought 
 land and engaged in farming. In tha spring 
 of 1 86 1 he moved to Brovvnsdale, Mower 
 county, Minnesota, and bought land, which 
 he held to the time of his death. He was 
 married March 19, 1835, to Miss Mary Ann 
 Houck, who \\as born in Lower Canada, 
 June 6, 18 1 2, and died in Dak(3ta August 
 26, 1892. The children of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Charles Calkins are as follows: Maria, 
 wife of Jenkins Tyler, of St. James, Minne- 
 sota; Mahlon, a resident of Denver, Colo- 
 rado; Lewis W., of Brownton, Minnesota; 
 Erastus J., whose name appears at the head 
 of this article; Caroline, who died in in- 
 fancy; Laura Jane, of Sherburne, Minne- 
 sota; Hattie Eliza, wife of Oscar P. Empey, 
 proprietor of the Enipey House, Sherburne, 
 Minnesota. 
 
 Erastus J. Calkins, supplemented his 
 
 common-school education by a year's study 
 at Fox Lake Academy, Wisconsin. Before 
 he \\as ([uite twenty-one he joined a party 
 bound for Helena, Montana, accompanied by 
 his brother Mahlon. The party left Austin, 
 Minnesota, May 9, 1866, and consisted o'' 
 twelve men, with six wagons. At Redwood 
 F'alls, Minnesota, it was increased to four 
 teen wagons, and by the time the party 
 reached Big Stone, Minnesota, it numbered 
 eighty-seven wagons, 250 men, fourteen 
 women, and some children. The company 
 was led by Colonel Holmes of Scott county, 
 Minnesota. The route \\'as across Minne- 
 sota and Dakota till the })reser.t site of Bis- 
 marck was reached. The\- then followed up 
 the Missouri river, by way of Fort Benton, 
 over the present site of Great Falls, and 
 finally reached Helena, August 27, 1866. 
 That fall and winter Mr. Calkins spent in 
 prospecting, without making any paying lo- 
 cations. In the spring of 1867 he went to 
 Diamond City, located thirty miles east of 
 Helena, and engaged work in the hydraulic 
 diggings there. He received $6.00 a day, 
 of eight hours, and worked eight-hour turns 
 in the twenty-four hours. He continued at 
 this work for three months, and was then 
 afflicted with a violent attack of inflamma- 
 tory rheumatism, and came very near losing 
 his life. At this time he wrote to his brother 
 Mahlon at Helena, who went to him at 
 once. This brother stayed at Diamond 
 City that winter, became interested in a 
 claim, worked it four years, and took out a 
 large amount of gold. He invested the bulk 
 of his wealth in an adjoining claim, which 
 proved worthless. 
 
 Our subject lay on a bed of sickness for 
 four months, and then began the long, te- 
 dious overland journey to the East, in No- 
 vember, 1867. The following winter was 
 
4o8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 spent at Iron Ridge, Wisconsin, with his 
 parents. In the spring he came to Fox 
 Lake, Wisconsin, and rented a farm, which 
 he worked that summer. He returned to 
 Austin, Minnesota, in the fall of 1868, and 
 entered the employ of the Chicago, Milwau- 
 kee & St. Paul Railroad Company. He be- 
 gan work for them as a watchman, next 
 worked as a brakeman, and a month later 
 as a fireman. After firing a passenger en- 
 gine for six months, he entered the car and 
 repair shops, where he was employed as a 
 mechanic during the remainder of his seven 
 years' service of the company. 
 
 March i, 1875, he severed his connec- 
 tion with the railroad, and, in partnership 
 with his brother, rented the Hill Brothers' 
 farm, of 640 acres, located in Mower county, 
 Minnesota, between the towns of Austin and 
 Brownsdale. Mr. Calkins remained on this 
 place till March i, 1870, and then came to 
 Fairmont, Martin county, Minnesota. He 
 engaged in teaming between Fairmont and 
 Sherburne, and was one of the first men on 
 the site of Sherburne. He gave considera- 
 ble time to hauling ties for the railroad, and 
 he also worked at the carpenter's trade, 
 building a number of houses in Sherburne. 
 In the sprmg of 1881 he began buying cat- 
 tle. June I of that year, having purchased 
 eighty-nine head, he started, in company 
 with several dealers and a large number of 
 cattle, to drive through to the Black Hills, 
 Dakota. They reached their destination 
 July 31. This proved a very profitable 
 venture, and Mr. Calkins returned with the 
 intention of repeating his cattle deal, but 
 found that Messrs. Erickson and Yates de- 
 sired to dispose of their hardware business, 
 and he and Morgan M. Jenkins purchased 
 it. An entry in his salesbook shnws that 
 he took charge of the business November S, 
 
 1 88 1, and that Pat. Cummings, section 
 "boss," made the first purchase, that of a 
 tape line, for sevent\-five cents. At that 
 time the stock of goods was valued at only 
 about $500; now it is worth $3,500. In ad- 
 dition to his other property. Mr. Calkins 
 owns a fine farm in Martin county, which he 
 now has rented. 
 
 He was married January i, 1883, to 
 Miss Etta May Schultz, daughter of John S. 
 and Mary K. (Everettj Schultz. Their only 
 child, Arlo Asa, was born April 16, 1884, 
 and died September 2, 1885. 
 
 Mr. Calkins is a Republican in politics, 
 and was Postmaster under the Harrison ad- 
 ministration. He is a Mason, and both he 
 and his wife are members of the Baptist 
 Church. 
 
 ,>^ANDOLPH BOSTWICK LEFT, 
 1^^ a farmer of Fairmont township, 
 I^P Martin county, was born in Sus- 
 quehanna county, Pennsylvania, 
 June 10, 1852, a son of Calvin L. Leet, 
 a native of the same county; and his 
 father was born in Connecticut and was 
 a soldier in the war of 1S12. Our subject's 
 mother was formerly Arabella Stone, who 
 was born and reared in Pennsylvania. 
 Calvin L. and Arabella Leet were mar- 
 ried in Pennsylvania, and located on a farm 
 in that State, the former dying there at 
 the age of forty-five years, and the mother 
 is still li\ing. They were the parents of 
 six children: Charles, of Winnebago City, 
 Minnesota; Almira, wife of E. L. Woodruf, 
 of Lake Crystal, this State; R. B., of this 
 notice; Susan, wife of Lewis Tibbets, of 
 Chillicothe, Illinois; and James and Frank, 
 deceased. 
 
 R. B. Leet, the tiiird rliild and second 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 409 
 
 son, was reared at his native place, and re- 
 mained at home until twenty-one years of 
 age, when he started out in life for himself. 
 In 1877 he located on unimproved land in 
 Martin county, Minnesota, where he still 
 resides, but his place is now under a fine 
 state of cultivation, and he is engaged in 
 general farming and stock-raising. 
 
 Mr. Leet was married in Susquehanna 
 county, Pennsylvania, January 6, 1875, to 
 Annice Victoria Keeler, who was born in 
 that county September 4, 1857, and is a sis- 
 ter of H. M. Keeler. To this union have 
 been born si,\ children, namely: Ellen V., 
 deceased at the age of ten years; Calvin L. , 
 born February 25, 1879; Mabel, born in 
 1880; Nathan, in 1882; James, in 1884, 
 and Essie, in 1891. All were born on the 
 home farm except the eldest. Mr. Leet 
 supports the Democratic party, and has 
 served as President of Elections and is now 
 a member of the School Board. 
 
 aHARLES EDWIN EVERETT, 
 manager of the Alliance Elevator 
 and Milling Company, Sherburne, 
 Minnesota, was born in New Vine- 
 yard, Franklin county, Maine, June 27, 
 
 1847. 
 
 The early members of the Everett family 
 in this country were sailors, as were also the 
 grandfather and great-grandfather of our 
 subject. The American branch of the fam- 
 ily sprang from three brothers who emigrated 
 from Ireland to this country during its Co- 
 lonial days. Edward Everett, a descendant 
 of one of these brothers, is a third cousin of 
 our subject. 
 
 Josiah Everett, grandfather of Charles 
 E., was born in New Bedford, Massachu- 
 setts, was taken by his parents to Maine at 
 
 an early age, and made his home in that 
 State thereafter. He died about the year 
 1850, at the age of eighty-eight years. Will- 
 iam Everett, the father of our subject, was 
 born in Maine, April 17, 1799, and died at 
 Sherburne, Minnesota, October 10, 1880. 
 He lived in Franklin county, Maine, till the 
 spring of 1864, when he moved to Allamakee 
 county, Iowa. There he farmed until 1870, 
 I when he came to Martin county, Minnesota, 
 residing here until his death, as stated above. 
 His first wife, iicc Mary Hutchins, was born 
 September 4, 1796, and died July 7, 1840. 
 They were married September 20, 1821, 
 and their children were as follows: Mary, 
 born February i, 1822, is the wife of John 
 S. Schultz, a farmer of Martin county, Min- 
 nesota; Diana, born November 3, 1823, is 
 the wife of Lee Elliott, Plattsmouth, Ne- 
 braska; William Sylvester, born September 
 
 23, 1826, married Louisa Thompson, and is 
 engaged in farming in Monona county, Iowa; 
 Francis, born January 9, 1829, married Sa- 
 rah Spencer and is living in ■ Knox county, 
 Nebraska; Charlotte, born May 7, 1831, is 
 the deceased wife of Harry Colby; Josiah, 
 born November 18, 1834, died December 
 
 24, 1866; and David, born June 28, 1840, 
 died the following December. Mr. Ever- 
 ett's second marriage occurred January 24, 
 1 84 1. The lady, Mary Mitchell, was born 
 May 10, 1813, and died March 30, 1875. 
 This second marriage resulted in the birth 
 of two children, namely: James Andrew, 
 born January 16, 1843, is now general agent 
 for the State of Iowa for the Northwest Life 
 Insurance Company, he and his wife, uec 
 Sally Moody, having three children living — 
 Susie May, Hattie Ellen and Roy A. ; and 
 Charles Edwin, whose name heads this 
 article. 
 
 Charles E. Everett came to Martin county, 
 
4IO 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF TJIB COUNTIES OF 
 
 Minnesota, from the parental home in Iowa, 
 in June, 1869, and located on the southwest 
 quarter of section 30, township 102, range 
 32. When the father followed shortlj' after, 
 he took up an adjoining claim. Our subject 
 built on his land that fall, and moved into 
 the house the following May. He lived 
 there and cultivated and improved his farm 
 until the fall of 1885, when he sold out. 
 About that time Mr. Everett discovered that 
 the southeast quarter of section 17, town- 
 ship 102, range 32, was vacant land, and 
 did not belong to the railroad grant, as 
 every one supposed. He immediately moved 
 upon the tract and filed a timber-culture 
 claim, having used his homestead right on 
 his first farm; he is still the owner of this 
 land. He built on it, and resided there 
 until November i 1, 1894, when he moved to 
 Sherburne. It should be noted here that 
 our subject was proprietor of the Fairmont 
 House for sixteen months, dating from the 
 spring of 1886. Barring this short absence 
 from the farm, his time was given exclusively 
 to agricultural pursuits up to his appoint- 
 ment as manager of the Alliance Elevator & 
 Milling Company, in October, 1891, a po.si- 
 tion which he fills with credit to himself and 
 satisfaction to his employers. 
 
 Mr. Everett was married January 12, 
 1869, to Miss Lucretia Norcross Chapman, 
 who was born in Franklin county, Maine, 
 October 24, 1845, fifth in the family of eight 
 children of George and Celia (Spencer) 
 Chapman. Mr. Chapman was born April 
 23, 1808, and died July 12, 1882. Mrs. 
 Chapman was born February 9, 181 7, and 
 passed away December, 1887. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Charles E. Everett have five cliildren, 
 namely: William Henry, born December 
 27, 1869, married Miss Mary Stetrecht, and 
 is living on his father's farm; Myrtle, born 
 
 June 9, 1872, married Alfred Popple, a mill- 
 wright and carpenter of Fairmont, Minne- 
 sota; Charles Eugene, born May 24, 1874, 
 is at this writing a freshman at Parker Col- 
 lege, Winnebago City, Minnesota; Ernest, 
 born March 8, 1877, is assisting his father 
 at the mill and elevator; and Beatrice, born 
 July 16, 1879, is a high-school student at 
 Fairmont, Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Everett is a member of the I. O. O. F". 
 
 OLIVER BENSCHOTER. — The 
 farming interests of Martin county 
 are well represented by this gentle- 
 man who carries on agricultural pur- 
 suits on section 28, Silver Lake township, 
 where he owns and cultivates 160 acres of 
 good land. His farm is under a high state of 
 culture and upon it arc manj- good improve- 
 ments, which have been placed there by the 
 progressive owner. 
 
 Mr. Benschoter is one of the worthy citi- 
 zens that the Empire State has furnished to 
 Minnesota. He was born in the town of 
 Neversink, Sullivan county, October 21, 
 1 816, and is a son of William and Betsey 
 (Gorton) Benschoter. His paternal grand- 
 father, Ora Benschoter, was a native of 
 New York and one of the pioneer settlers of 
 Huron county, Ohio. He came of a family 
 of Low Dutch and Welsh descent. The 
 maternal grandfather. General Gorton, was 
 of English lineage and served his country 
 in the war of 181 2. The parents of our 
 subject were both born in the Empire State, 
 and in 181 7 the father accompanied his par- 
 ents on their removal to Huron count\-, 
 Ohio, now Erie county, where his remain- 
 ing days were passed, his death occurring 
 when he had reached the age of fifty-six 
 years. His wife died at the age of fifty-five. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 411 
 
 Oliver Benschoter was their third child, 
 and was onl}' about a j'ear old when they 
 moved to Erie county, Ohio. With them 
 he remained until they were called to the 
 home beyond, and on the homestead was 
 trained to habits of industry and economy 
 which have been of incalculable benefit to 
 him in his later years. At the age of seven- 
 teen lie began working as a farm hand, re- 
 ceiving $ 1 2 per month in compensation for 
 his services, and thus he obtained his start 
 in life, accumulating thereby the capital 
 which afterward enabled him to purchase 
 land and begin farming for himself. 
 
 Mr. Benschoter was married in the 
 Buckeje State, in 1837, '^ Martha Kemp, 
 a native of Vermont, who went to Erie 
 county with her parents in 1834. She died 
 in Algona, Iowa, in 1859, leaving a family 
 of six children: William M., now of Cali- 
 fornia; Alice, wife of Andrew L. Seely, who 
 is living near Algona, Iowa; Polly, wife of 
 E. N. W'eaver, of the same locality; George, 
 who was a soldier in the late war and died 
 at Little Rock, Arkansas; Eveline, widow 
 of Smith Carlisle and a resident of Whit- 
 more, Iowa; Grant, who is located near Al- 
 gona, Iowa. After the death of his first 
 wife Mr. Benschoter was again married. 
 In December, 1862, he wedded Sarah 
 Crose, a native of Illinois, and to them 
 were born ten children, namely: Frank, 
 who is living in Silver Lake township, Mar- 
 tin county; Ned, who makes his home in 
 the same township; Nellie, wife of G. A. 
 Holman; Jennie, wife of James Ferguson, 
 who resides six miles west of Burton, Iowa; 
 Hubert and Olive, at home; Louisa, de- 
 ceased; James, at home; Mary Blanch, who 
 is in the deaf and dumb school of Faribault; 
 and Susan, who completes the family. 
 
 Upon his first marriage oiu" subject lo- 
 
 cated in Erie county, Ohio, where he made 
 his home until 1856, at which time he re- 
 moved to Kossuth count}', Iowa. Locat- 
 ing on a farm in Plum Creek township, he 
 carried on the work of cultivating and im- 
 proving the place until 1889, when he sold 
 out preparatory to removing to Martin 
 county, Minnesota. Since that time he has 
 resided on the farm which we have pre- 
 viously described, and is recognized as one 
 of the leading farmers of the community. 
 The excellencies of his character and his 
 sterling worth have brought him many warm 
 friends, and he is worthy their high regard. 
 Since the organization of the Republican 
 party he has followed its banner and has 
 cast his ballot for all of its Presidential can- 
 didates from the time of Fremont. While 
 living in Iowa he served as Sheriff of Kos- 
 suth county for three terms of two years 
 each, and held other offices of honor and 
 trust. 
 
 m. 
 
 ILLIAM VIESSELMAN is one 
 of the wide-awake and progres- 
 sive business men of Fairmont, 
 engaged in dealing in real estate 
 and hardware, and also serving as Clerk of 
 the County Courts. Wisconsin has fur- 
 nished to Martin county many of her lead- 
 ing citizens, including our subject, who is a 
 native of the Badger State. He was born 
 in Ozaukee county. May 6, 1850, and is a 
 son of C. H. and Catharine (Meyer) Viessel- 
 man, both of whom were natives of Ger- 
 many. In the Fatherland the former was 
 reared, emigrating to this country about 
 1826, at which time In; went at once to 
 Wisconsin, settling on a farm in Ozaukee. 
 There he carried on agricultural pursuits 
 throughout his remaining days. He died at 
 
412 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 the age of sixty-three years, and his wife 
 departed this life at the age of fifty-eight. 
 They were highly respected people and their 
 loss was deeply felt in the community where 
 they made their home. Of their family of 
 seven children, two died in infancy, but the 
 others all reached adult age. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, who is the 
 fifth child and second son, was reared on 
 the old home farm, and as soon as old 
 enough to handle the plow began work in 
 the fields, aiding in the cultivation of the 
 place during his minority. Good school 
 privileges were afforded him. After attend- 
 ing the common school of the neighborhood 
 he became a student in a business college of 
 Louisville, Kentucky, and, when eighteen 
 years of age, he entered upon his business 
 career as salesman in a store, where he was 
 employed for about four years. It was a 
 wholesale and retail grocery establishment, 
 and after serving as clerk for a time he was 
 promoted to the position of bookkeeper, in 
 which capacity he continued during his con- 
 nection with the company. On leaving 
 that firm he came to Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, where for a year he again gave his 
 attention to the pursuit to which he had 
 been reared, — farming. During the suc- 
 ceeding six years he was engaged in banking 
 and in the dry-goods business, then disposed 
 of his interests in those lines and was again 
 a farmer for two years, near Fairmont. 
 
 In the year 1879 Mr. Viesselman was 
 nominated by the Democracy for the office 
 of County Treasurer of Martin county, and 
 although the usual Republican majority was 
 600, he was triumphantly elected,— a fact 
 which indicates his great personal popularity 
 as well as the confidence reposed in him by 
 his fellow citizens. In 18S1, so well had he 
 discharged the duties devolving upon him, 
 
 he was re-elected and ably served for a sec- 
 ond term. He has also held various other 
 positions, including that of Councilman 
 and Recorder; and his public, as well as his 
 private life, is above reproach. On his re- 
 tirement from the office of County Treas- 
 urer, in 1883, he embarked in the real-estate 
 business, which he has carried on continu- 
 ously since. He is also a member of 
 the firm of Smith Viesselman, hardware 
 merchants, and receives from the public a 
 liberal patronage. In 1890 he was elected 
 Clerk of the Courts for a term of four years, 
 and is the jiresent incumbent, having been 
 re-elected in 1894. Socially he is connected 
 with Fairmont Lodge, No. 152, A. O. U. 
 W. , and the Modern Woodmen of America. 
 On the 8th of July, 1880, was consum- 
 mated the marriage of Mr. Viesselman and 
 Miss Lottie Diehl, a native of Wisconsin, 
 and a daughter of John and Dorothy 
 (Bender) Diehl, who were natives of Ger- 
 many. One son has been born to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Viesselman, Percival W. Their home 
 is in Fairmont, where they have many 
 friends, and in social circles they hold an 
 enviable position. 
 
 HNDREW JACKSON BROWN, a 
 successful farmer of Martin county, 
 was born in Madison county. New 
 York, November 2, 1836, a son of 
 Adolphus Brown, born and reared in Madi- 
 son county. His father, Peleg Brown, was 
 a native of Providence, of Scotch and Eng- 
 lish ancestry. The mother of our subject. 
 nee Harriett Bly, was born in Madison 
 county. New York, a daughter of Asa Bly, 
 born and reared in Boston, Massachusetts, 
 of English descent, and a farmer and hotel- 
 keeper by occupation. The parents of our 
 
/fm. -^/r/////H. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 4'5 
 
 subject were married in Madison county, 
 where they spent the remainder of their 
 lives, the father dying at the age of thirty- 
 four years, and the mother survived until 
 eighty years of age. They had five chil- 
 dren, — Francis and Elvira (deceased), Gay- 
 lord, Andrew J,, and Morris A., of Winne- 
 bago City. 
 
 Andrew J. Brown, the fourth child in 
 order of birth, remained at his native place 
 until nineteen years of age, when he re- 
 moved to Mendota, La Salle county, Illinois, 
 and was employed two years as clerk in a 
 grocery store and express office. He then 
 returned on business to New York, remain- 
 ing there until the spring of 1858; next trav- 
 eled over Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan; 
 in the spring of 1859 located in Illinois, 
 having followed farming in Winnebago coun- 
 ty from 1 860 to 1 86 1, and was then engaged 
 in the same occupation in Boone county. 
 Mr. Brown next followed farming in Jeffer- 
 son county, Wisconsin, until 1862, when he 
 located on a farm in Dodge county, that 
 State, and in the spring of 1 864 came to 
 Martin county, Minnesota. April 23, of 
 that year, he took a homestead, on which, 
 July 12, following, he landed with his family. 
 They lived in a wagon until a log house 
 could be built. Mr. Brown improved and 
 remained on his place until the grasshopper 
 year, when he lost his farm, but continued to 
 reside in the county. In addition to farming, 
 he was also engaged in the well business 
 seven years. 
 
 June 13, 1859, oursubject was united in 
 
 marriage with Julia A. Bump, a native of 
 
 Madison county. New York, and a daughter 
 
 of Admiral Bump. To this union were born 
 
 three sons and three daughters: Francis A., 
 
 of Fairmont; Wilbur G., also of that place; 
 
 Hubert A., a farmer by occupation; Flo}' 
 21 
 
 v., Myra and Lina E. In political matters, 
 Mr. Brown is a stanch Republican, and has 
 served as Clerk of Tenhassen and Lake 
 Belt, was twice elected Justice of the Peace, 
 was elected to the position of Count)' Court 
 Commissioner but declined to serve, and 
 has been one of the Supervisors of Fairmont 
 township; was a leader in the organization of 
 the Grange and was President of that order. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Brown are consistent members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
 enjoy the respect and confidence of the 
 community. 
 
 81 
 
 ILLIAM STAUFFER, a retired 
 farmer, now residing at Winne- 
 bago City, Faribault county, is 
 one of the early pioneers of Min- 
 nesota, the date of his arrival in this county 
 being 1856. 
 
 Mr. Stauffer was born in Chester county, 
 Pennsylvania, April 29, 1826, and is de- 
 scended from Revolutionary ancestors, both 
 his grandfathers having served in the war 
 for independence, and his father in the war 
 of 1 81 2. His parents were Henry and 
 Susan (Binder) Stauffer, natives of Clinton 
 county, Pennsylvania, and both descended 
 from old German families who came to this 
 country in Colonial days. The original 
 founder of the Stauffer family in Pennsyl- 
 vania was a member of the colony that first 
 settled Philadelphia. 
 
 When William Stauffer was a small boy 
 his parents removed with their family to 
 Butler county, Pennsylvania, where the 
 remainder of their lives were passed, and 
 where our subject grew to manhood on his 
 father's farm, receiving a fair education in 
 the common schools of the neighborhood. 
 He remained at home until twenty-five years 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 of age, giving his parents the benefit of his 
 labor. In Januarx', 1S51, he married Miss 
 Ehzabeth L. Miller, a native of Butler 
 county, Pennsylvania, and daughter of 
 Richard and Mary (Christie) Miller, natives 
 of that State. 
 
 In the spring of the same year of his 
 marriage, accompanied by his wife, he 
 started out to seek a home and fortune in 
 the new and growing West. In Fayette 
 county, Iowa, he bought 1 20 acres of school 
 land at $1.50 per acre, and immediately 
 began its improvement. After residing there 
 five years he sold out and came to Faribault 
 county, Minnesota, bringing with him five 
 yoke of oxen, a few necessary implements 
 and supplies to keep his family a few 
 months. June 8, 1856, he settled on 160 
 acres of Government land in section twenty- 
 two, \Mnnebago City township, which he 
 held under a pre-emption claim until the 
 homestead law came into force. At that 
 early day there were but few actual 
 settlers in this part of the county, only 
 five families, or rather, three families and 
 two men who kept bachelors' hall, hav- 
 ing spent the previous winter here. He 
 built a log cabin, roofing it with bark and 
 having the bare earth for floor. That sum- 
 mer he broke several acres of land and com- 
 menced prairie farming with a determination 
 to succeed. They experienced many hard- 
 ships and privations, but heroically met and 
 overcame them all. For a few years their 
 nearest market was Mankato, and for the 
 first flour purchased after their arrival he 
 had to go to Waucoma, Iowa, a distance of 
 140 miles. The journey to Waucoma was 
 made with three yoke of oxen, eighteen 
 days were required to go and come and at 
 night they camped where darkness overtook 
 them. In 1S58 the crops were almost a 
 
 total failure, which, with the hard times 
 then prevailing, made the following winter 
 one of extreme hardship and almost desti- 
 tution with the most of these early settlers; 
 but two years later they were amply repaid 
 by the most abundant crops ever grown in 
 the State. As prosperity attended Mr. 
 Stauffer, he from time to time added to his 
 original purchase until he became the owner 
 of over a section of fine land, the most of 
 which he has disposed of. He now owns a 
 choice farm of 198 acres, three-fourths 
 of a mile from the Chicago & Northwestern 
 Railroad depot, w-hich is well supplied with 
 excellent buildings. For over thirty years 
 Mr. Stauffer followed farming and stock- 
 raising in Winnebago City township, and by 
 industry, perseverance and the assistance of 
 his frugal wife, made it a success and ac- 
 quired a handsome competency. In 1888 
 he bought a residence in Winnebago City, 
 where he now resides, and has since lived 
 retired, enjoying a well-earned rest. 
 
 Mr. Stauffer has not only witnessed the 
 growth and development of the county from 
 one vast, unbroken prairie, but also has 
 faithfullj' performed his part in assisting to 
 develop its natural resources, andeverymeas- 
 ure for the advancement of the public good 
 has received his encouragement. He has 
 supported the principles of the Democratic 
 party, but has never sought or desired office 
 of any kind; is strictly temperate in all his 
 habits; and he and his wife hold member- 
 ship in the Protestant Methodist Church. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stauffer have fourteen 
 children, twelve of whom are living at this 
 writing, namely: Emeline, wife of Thomas 
 Jenkins, of Delevan township, this county; 
 Henry W., who was born February 3, 1857, 
 and was the first white male child born in 
 Faribault county, is now a farmer of .K\\\- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 4'7 
 
 boy; Amelia, wife of Joseph Spaulding, of 
 Oregon; William Marion, a farmer of Nash- 
 ville, Martin county; Elizabeth, wife of Os- 
 car Jenkins, of Delevan township; Amilda, 
 who married James Barnes, a farmer of 
 Winnebago City township; John, a farmer 
 of the same township; Newton; Mary, wife 
 of John Jenkins, of this county; Edith, now 
 Mrs. A. Aldridge of Minneapolis; Alice Zel- 
 la; and Judson. 
 
 Mrs. Stauffer's father died in Pennsyl- 
 vania when she was twelve years of age, 
 and her mother and the other members of 
 the family, with the exception of one 
 daughter, came West with Mrs. Stauffer. 
 Mrs. Miller died at Northfield, at the age of 
 nearly eighty-four years. 
 
 * y ^ OSEA OUIMBY, the leading busi- 
 l*^^ ness mat) of Easton, has been an 
 \ , r eye-witness of, and a prominent 
 factor in, the growth of this pro- 
 gressive village, fn presenting to our read- 
 ers this record of his life we give the his- 
 tory of one of the esteemed and honored 
 pioneers of Faribault county, who by his 
 upright life and genial manner has won the 
 respect and confidence of all with whom 
 business dealings or social relations have 
 brought him in contact. From early child- 
 hood he has lived on the frontier. 
 
 He was born in a primitive home in Wis- 
 consin, his birth occurring in Racine 
 county, February 6, 1844, — four years before 
 the Badger State was admitted to the 
 Union. Milwaukee, then little more than 
 a hamlet, was the market place of the fam- 
 ily, and the father, Wilson Quimby, fre- 
 quently went there as a freighter. In an 
 early day he had come to Wisconsin from 
 
 Massachusetts, accompanied by his wife and 
 two children who were born on New Eng- 
 land soil. One of these has since been called 
 to that "undiscovered country from whose 
 bourne no traveler returns. " Abbie, the 
 second child, is now the widow of Samuel 
 Loomer, and resides in Ripon, Wisconsin. 
 Hosea is the ne.xt of the family; and Louisa, 
 the fourth and youngest child, is the wife of 
 William Chapman, who for many years has 
 been a resident of Minneapolis. 
 
 When Hosea was a child of onl}' three 
 summers the loving mother was called to 
 the home beyond and six years later his 
 father married Miss Julia Ann Quimby, his 
 cousin, the wedding taking place in 1853. 
 Of their three children, one died in infancy, 
 and the others are: Ellen, wife of Fred 
 William, an agriculturist of Benton 
 county, Missouri; and Julia, wife of Charles 
 Spratley, also living in Benton county. 
 Mrs. Julia Quimby died at her home in 
 Green Lake county, Wisconsin, at the age 
 of forty years, and her death was deeply 
 regretted by many friends as well as by her 
 immediate family. In 185S \\'ilson Quimby 
 won a mother for his little ones by his mar- 
 riage to Miss Sarah Wilcox, a native of Can- 
 ada. They afterward moved to Benton 
 county, Missouri, where the father died in 
 March, 1888. He was a lifelong Demo- 
 crat, advocating Jeffersonian principles, and 
 was a man of strong convictions who fear- 
 lessly advocated his views and gave to 
 others the right to do the same. 
 
 Hosea Quimby was reared in the frontier 
 settlement and with the family shared in the 
 experiences of frontier life, thereby de\'elop- 
 ing a self-reliance and force of character 
 which have been of incalculable benefit to 
 him in later years. In 1 847 his father went 
 to Green Lake count) , Wisconsin, and se- 
 
4i8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 cured from the Government a tract of wild 
 land which our subject aided in placing un- 
 der cultivation. The arduous task of devel- 
 oping a new farm thus became familiar to 
 him, and the training developed his physical 
 manhood, giving him a constitution which 
 fitted him for his own farm work in later 
 years. His mental training was somewhat 
 limited. He attended school held in a log 
 house some distance from his home, and 
 later was in a subscription school which con- 
 vened in one department of the log cabin of 
 Philemon Wicks. E.xperience, however, 
 has been his teacher, and in the school of 
 affairs he has gained a practical, useful 
 knowledge. Possessing an observing eye 
 and a retentive memory, he has learned that 
 which has been of much benefit to him in 
 his business career. 
 
 When the North began the struggle to 
 preserve intact the Union which the South 
 seemed determined to destroy, Mr. Quimby 
 enlisted under the stars and stripes, donning 
 the blue at Rochester, Minnesota, Septem- 
 ber 14, 1864, as a member of Company C, 
 Seventh Minnesota Infantry, under Captain 
 Thomas, with whom he served until the 
 cessation of hostilities, when he was honor- 
 ably discharged at Fort Snelling, September 
 16, 1865, returning at once to his home and 
 family. 
 
 On the 27th of March, 1861, Mr. Quimby 
 had wedded Miss Mary Wiser, who was born 
 in the kingdom of Hanover, Germany, May 
 13, 1845, and sailed with her parents from 
 Bremen to Baltimore on a three-mast sailing 
 vessel, which after a voyage of forty-five 
 days upon the broad Atlantic dropped anchor 
 in the harbor for which it started. After a 
 short stay in the "city of monuments, " they 
 continued on their journey westward until 
 reaching Princeton, Wisconsin, traveling to 
 
 Chicago, thence by water to Milwaukee and 
 on by team to their destination, which they 
 reached in the summer of 1854. The father 
 purchased a small farm and gave his entire 
 time to its cultivation and to rearing his 
 family. He was born in 1807, and after a 
 long and useful life passed away at the age 
 of sixty years. The wife of Henry Wiser 
 was born in Hanover, in 1822, and is still 
 living, at the age of seventy-two, her years 
 resting lightly upon her and her mental fac- 
 ulties being still unimpaired. She is a faith- 
 ful member of the Methodist Church, and 
 her earnest Christian life has won for her 
 the love and respect of many friends. 
 
 Mrs. Quimby was but sixteen years of 
 age at the time of her marriage. On the 
 19th of September, 1863, the young wife 
 accompanied her husband to Faribault 
 county and was installed in their new home, 
 a small frame shanty, 12x16 feet, with 
 only a partial floor, made from lumber 
 drawn by oxen from Morristown. The stove- 
 pipe was put through a hole in the roof and 
 the cabin was furnished in primitive style in 
 harmony with their surroundings, but secure 
 in the love of husband and children the wife 
 and mother braved the trials of frontier life 
 and made the little home bright and happy. 
 Ere winter came the house was covered 
 with sod, several feet thick, that the cold 
 might not touch the inmates; and though 
 those were days of labor they were not 
 without enjoyment such as is unknown to 
 city-bred people. At length the pioneer 
 home was replaced by a more modern struc- 
 ture, built of lumber drawn from a sawmill 
 on Minnesota Lake, and standing on section 
 30, Minnesota Lake township. The land 
 was rapidly placed under cultivation and be- 
 came a rich and fertile farm, supplied with 
 modern conveniences and giving evidence 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WAI-ONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 419 
 
 of the care and supervision of a thrifty 
 owner. 
 
 In 1877 Mr. Quimby was called upon to 
 mourn the loss of his wife, who passed away 
 March 19, and was laid to rest in Minne-' 
 sota Lake cemetery, where a marble monu- 
 ment marks her burial >place. She left a 
 family of si.x children, two sons and four 
 daughters, and three of the number are na- 
 tives of this State. Florence, called by her 
 friends, Flora, was born in Green Lake 
 county, Wisconsin, January 8, 1862, and 
 became the wife of Richard Harmer, a far- 
 mer of Claremont, Dodge county, Wiscon- 
 sin. William, a well-known and popular 
 citizen of Easton, where he has a pretty 
 home, was also born in Green Lake county, 
 August 10, 1864, and married Jessie May 
 Probart, who was born December 10, 1863, 
 and by whom he has one child, Jesse H., 
 born February 6, 1888. Rebecca, who was 
 born in Minnesota Lake, May 15, 1866, is 
 the wife of George Cory, a leading young 
 business man of Easton, and the junior 
 member of the firm of H. P. Edwards & 
 Company, hardware merchants. Hattie, 
 born January 27, 1868, is the wife of Hu- 
 bert Mericle, a grain dealer of Easton, rep- 
 resenting the firm of Corgle Brothers, of La 
 Crosse, Wisconsin. Albert, born May 27, 
 1872, was graduated at the Des Moines 
 Business College in the class of 1892, and 
 holds the position of confidential clerk for 
 his father, being possessed of excellent busi- 
 ness ability. Mary, who is generally known 
 as Mamie, was born March 21, 1875, and is 
 now the wife of Fred Probart, an enterpris- 
 ing young farmer of Lura township. 
 
 On the 1 6th of February, 1878, Mr. 
 Quimby wedded Caroline Wiser, twin sister 
 of his first wife and a native of Hanover, 
 Germany. The weddingceremony was per- 
 
 formed by Rev. J. E. Conrad, a Presbyte- 
 rian minister, in the American House in 
 Wells, Minnesota. The lady possesses 
 more than average intelligence and has been 
 a true helpmeet to her husband. They 
 have four bright and interesting little chil- 
 dren, — Charley, born July 22, 1879; Roy, 
 born February 11, 1882; Carrie, born Jan- 
 uary 28, 1885; and Harry, born November 
 29, 1886. The Quimby family resides in a 
 very pretty home in Easton, which was 
 erected in 1887, and where true hospitality 
 abounds. They have resided in the village 
 ever since its organization with the excep- 
 tion of one year spent upon the farm. 
 
 Mr. Quimby has always been promi- 
 nently identified with its interests and up- 
 building, and his name is inseparably con- 
 nected with its history. About four years 
 after its incorporation he embarked in gen- 
 eral merchandising. He erected the second 
 elevator in Easton and about 1885 built 
 another situated immediately in the rear of 
 the Easton house. As a grain dealer he 
 has done a good business, and in this way 
 has added materially to his income. For 
 many years he has dealt in real estate to a 
 greater or less extent, and at one time 
 owned over 4,000 acres of land. He erected 
 a bank building at a cost of a number 
 of thousand dollars, fitted up with all 
 the accessories of a first-class banking 
 establishment, and on the ist of January, 
 1895, the doors of the Easton bank were 
 opened for business. This institution is one 
 which reflects credit upon both the town 
 and the owner. Through the legitimate 
 channels of business Mr. Quimby has 
 sailed his barque to the harbor of success. 
 He possesses that indomitable perseverance 
 and energy which carry forward to success- 
 ful completion whatever he undertakes, and 
 
430 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 in the business world of Faribault county 
 he has been an important factor. His pros- 
 perity comes as the just reward of honest 
 effort, and he is now ranked among the 
 substantial citizens of this community. 
 
 Mr. Quimby has never been a politician 
 in the sense of office-seeking, yet his fellow- 
 townsmen, recognizing his worth and ability, 
 have called him to public office, and for the 
 long period of twenty years he has served 
 as Assessor. He has also been a member 
 of the Town Board of Supervisors, and in 
 Lura township was Town Clerk and Town 
 Treasurer for many years. All the village 
 offices have been filled by him in a most 
 creditable and acceptable manner, and he 
 is now the efficient and honored President 
 of the town of Easton. He has the wel- 
 fare of the town at heart at all times, and 
 all that tends to the advancement of the 
 social, moral, intellectual or commercial 
 welfare of Easton receives his support. 
 For a long period he has been Recorder, 
 and as Justice of the Peace has dealt out 
 punishment or reward with a fair and im- 
 partial hand. He voted for Abraham Lin- 
 coln at Fort Snelling, his first presidential 
 vote, and has since been a warm advocate 
 of Republican principles. He takes some 
 interest in civic societies, belonging to Mc- 
 Cally Post, No. 55, G. A. R., of Delevan; 
 also to Wells Lodge, No. 172, F. & A. M., 
 and to Easton Lodge, No. 197, \. O. O. F. 
 Mr. Quimby is too well known in this local- 
 ity to need words of commendation from 
 the biographer, yet as this volume will be 
 read and treasured by future generations 
 something should be said of his character- 
 istics. In manner he is pleasant, genial and 
 social, therefore has won friends; in business 
 he is ever straightforward and honorable 
 and has therefore retained the friendship of 
 
 those he has met, and won their confidence. 
 An honored pioneer, a valued citizen, an 
 esteemed gentleman, is the subject of this 
 memoir. 
 
 >T^OHN W. SOMERS, a farmer of sec- 
 m tion 34, St. James township, is of 
 /• J sturdy old New England stock. He 
 was born in the old historic town of 
 Newtown, Fairfield county, Connecticut, 
 August 29, 1845, one of the eleven children 
 of I^ufus and Esther (Peck) Somers, only 
 si.\ of whom grew up to years of maturity. 
 
 Mr. Rufus Somers was born in the same 
 town, in the year 1800, the family in this 
 country dating back to Henry Summers, 
 father of Samuel Summers, who was living 
 in what is now Connecticut in 1669, at the 
 time of Samuel's birth. For several gen- 
 erations the families remained in the " Land 
 of Steady Habits," in which State David, 
 the grandfather, and Rufus, the father of 
 our subject, passed their entire lives. Mr. 
 Rufus Somers was a hatter by trade, em- 
 ploying a number of men in his business. 
 He was one of the sturdy, enterprising men 
 of his day. In his political principles he 
 was a Republican, and in religion he was a 
 zealous member of the Congregational 
 Church, in which he was a Deacon, and was 
 a deeply pious man. He was fifty-seven 
 years of age at the time of his death, and 
 his wife died in her eight\-si.\th year. 
 
 John W. Somers was reared in his na- 
 tive town until thirteen years of age, then 
 lived in Huntington for a time; returned to 
 Newtown; later went to Derby, where he 
 learned the trade of machinist, and at the 
 age of twenty-three years, being threatened 
 with lung trouble, he came, in 1868, to 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 421 
 
 Minnesota for his health. After residing in 
 St. Paul for a year he came to Watonwan 
 county, settling in St. James township, on 
 section 28, where he proceed to improve a 
 farm of 160 acres, and where he lived until 
 1889, when he removed to section 34, and 
 in 1 891 he removed to a quarter section on 
 section 34, where he now makes his home, 
 This was new land, and he has made of it a 
 comfortable home, with commodious build- 
 ings, a dairy of twenty cows, etc. For 
 several years he has made a specialty of 
 butter manufacture, finding a good market 
 in St. Paul. 
 
 May 10, 1 88 1, Mr. Somers was married 
 to Miss Mary Iving, who was born near 
 Joliet, Illinois, a daughter of William King 
 and Hannah, nee Overman, who came to 
 this county in 1872. Her mother died in 
 1888, leaving six children, — Mary (Mrs. 
 Somers), Albert, Joseph, Emma, William 
 and Martha. Their father is still living. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Somers have eight children, 
 as follows: Rufus W. , Esther H., David E. , 
 Maggie E., Emma May, Ruth Anna, Fan- 
 nie G. and Mary. 
 
 Mr. Somers has always been a strong 
 Republican. For si.x years he was a mem- 
 ber of the Board of Commissioners of the 
 county, and he has been on the township 
 Board of Supervisors, and for several terms 
 as Township Clerk, which he is at present. 
 He has always been deeply interested in 
 public education, and for a number of years 
 he has been a member of the School Board. 
 In school matters he has been efficient in 
 advancing the educational facilities of his 
 community. As to religion, he is not a 
 member of any church, while Mrs. Somers 
 is a member of the Evangelical Association. 
 He is well known as one of the active, en- 
 terprising public-spirited men of the day. 
 
 ^'^EORGE S. DOBNER, a retired 
 ■ ^\ farmer of Faribault county, and 
 ^^^9 one of its prominent citizens, who 
 for almost twenty years has been 
 identified with the history of this community, 
 claims Germany as the land of his birth. 
 The place was in the kingdom of Bavaria, 
 and the date July 12, 1825. His father, 
 Nicholas Dobner, was a native of the same 
 locality. His mother, who was born in the 
 same neighborhood, died during the infancy 
 of George, and he was then reared by his 
 grandmother Gleissner until he was twelve 
 years old, at which tirrie he was apprenticed 
 to a shoemaker, serving a three-years term. 
 When fifteen years of age he went to the 
 different cities of his native land, where he 
 worked at his trade until he had attained 
 his majority. On the expiration of that 
 period he went to the army, in which he 
 served for six years, when his term of service 
 expired. He held the office of commander 
 of a station and loyally performed his duty. 
 In 1853 Mr. Dobner was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Margaret Schwarz, and in 
 the same year, with his young wife, took 
 passage on a sailing vessel, the Harvest, at 
 Bremen, which after a voyage of six weeks 
 dropped anchor in the harbor of Baltimore. 
 They first went to Wheeling, now West Vir- 
 ginia, where our subject worked at his trade 
 for about five years. In 1857 he came to 
 Minneapolis, making his way to St. Paul 
 and thence to St. Peter, but after a few days 
 he returned to St. Paul, where he spent two 
 weeks. His next location was in what is 
 now Pepin county, Wisconsin, where he 
 purchased a farm of eighty acres of unim- 
 proved land, at once turning his attention 
 to its development and cultivation. He had 
 previously had no experience as an agricul- 
 tiuist, and aftiT two years he sold his prop- 
 
422 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 erty, for the work was very uncongenial to 
 him. Turning his attention to mercantile 
 pursuits, he embarked in general merchan- 
 dising in Pepin, Wisconsin, but after a short 
 time sold out with the intention of returning 
 to his old home in Wheeling. They went, 
 however, only as far as Cleveland, when, 
 his wife expressing a desire to return to Min- 
 nesota, they accordingly sought a home in 
 the city of Rochester. On their next re- 
 moval they went to Owatonna, Minnesota, 
 where Mr. Dobner embarked in the shoe 
 business, which he continued for nine years. 
 Selling out, he then made a journey to his 
 native land, and this time only twelve days 
 were required to cross the ocean. 
 
 Mr. Dobner was accompanied by his 
 wife and they spent six months in visiting 
 the scenes of their childhood and renewing 
 the acquaintances of youth, the trip proving 
 a very pleasant one. The}' then again came 
 to the land of their adoption, and, taking up 
 their residence in Blue Earth City, our sub- 
 ject established a hardware store in company 
 with Otto Kaup, their connection continu- 
 ing for five years, when Mr. Dobner with- 
 drew from the business, living retired for 
 seven years from that time. He now resides 
 in Blue Earth City. He has a farm of 391 
 acres of improved land on section 18, Blue 
 Earth City township, adjoining Blue Earth 
 City. He has placed this under a high sys- 
 tem of cultivation, improving it in the most 
 modern method, and the property is now 
 very valuable. At this writing the land is 
 leased to his son-in-law. 
 
 By his first marriage Mr. Dobner had 
 one child, Maggie, now the wife of Charles 
 Weyer. His wife died June 18, 1881, at 
 the age of sixty-eight years, and in i 892 he 
 was again married, his second union being 
 with Hcnrajede Shultz, a native of Germany. 
 
 Mr. Dobner exercises his right of fran- 
 chise in support of the men and measures of 
 the Democratic party, and while in Wiscon- 
 sin served as Justice of the Peace, but has 
 never been an office-seeker, preferring to 
 give his time and attention wholly to his 
 business interests and the enjoyment of his 
 home. He is a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church, and has lived an honorable, upright 
 life, which has gained for him the high re- 
 gard of all with whom he has been brought 
 in contact. In his business dealings he has 
 been successful, and has acquired a com- 
 fortable competence, which makes it possible 
 for him to lay aside all cares and live retired, 
 enjoying the rest which he has so richly 
 earned and truly deserves. 
 
 @EORGE J. TOWER is one of the 
 leading and influential farmers of 
 Martin county, now residing on 
 section 26, Tenhassen township. 
 His name is inseparably connected with the 
 political history of the community in which 
 he makes his home, and in this volume he 
 well deserves representation. 
 
 Mr. Tower claims New York as the State 
 of his nativity, his birth having occurred in 
 Otsego county on the 19th of December, 
 1824. In that county his father, Jonathan 
 D. Tower, was also born, and his wife, who 
 bore the maiden name of Sallie Jones, was 
 a native of the same State. They were 
 married in New York, and in an early day 
 emigrated westward, casting their lot with 
 the early settlers of Lake county, Illinois. 
 The father died in 1867, and his wife passed 
 away in 1838. Their family numbered nine 
 children, three of whom are yet living, — 
 George J., Mrs. Fidelia Townsend and Gil- 
 bert. After the death of his first wife, Jon- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 ^23 
 
 athan Tower was a second time married, and 
 one child of that union still survives, named 
 Emily. Three sons of the famil}' served in 
 the late war: George J., Wallace, who was 
 killed near Lookout Mountain in one of the 
 hard-fought battles of the w ar, and Emery. 
 
 Although born in Otsego county, our 
 subject was reared in Wyoming county. 
 New York, and its public schools afforded 
 him his educational privileges. At the age 
 of eighteen he began learning the boot and 
 shoe trade, and followed that business for a 
 period of t\vent}'-two years, meeting with 
 good success. 
 
 Mr. Tower has been twice married. On 
 the 25th of May, 1847, he was joined in 
 wedlock with Miss Polly Kingsbury, a native 
 of New York, born in 1829. She died May 
 26, 1864, leaving two children who yet sur- 
 vive, — Clayton and Carlos. On the ist of 
 September, 1866, Mr. Tower led to the 
 marriage altar Mrs. Abbie A. Wickham, a 
 native of Manitowoc county, Wisconsin, 
 and a daughter of Peter and Alice (Dustin) 
 Rowley, who came to Martin county before 
 the war and settled at East Chain; both 
 are now deceased. Mrs. Tower was born 
 March 29, 1837, and first married Nathaniel 
 B. Wickham, who was a soldier of Com- 
 pany B, Twenty-seventh Wisconsin Volun- 
 teer Infantry, serving as a private. He 
 died while in the service, in 1861. To Mr. 
 and Mrs. Wickham were born three chil- 
 dren, viz. : John, the eldest, left home at 
 the age of seventeen years and traveled 
 through the West, working in the mines. 
 He married Rosie Young, by whom he has 
 two children. Perry and Rose, and is now 
 living in the State of Washington; Hannah 
 is the wife of George Graham, and the}' 
 have five children; Lucy is the deceased wife 
 of Alfred Katelv, and was the mother of 
 
 seven children. To Mr. and Mrs. Tower 
 ha\'e been born three children: Ellsworth, 
 who married Mabel Haines and has two 
 children, — Jennie E. and Glen E. ; George 
 and Darius, who are still at home. 
 
 During the late war Mr. Tower responded 
 to the country's call for troops, enlisting in 
 February, 1865, in Company I, One Hun- 
 dred and Forty-seventh Illinois Volunteer In- 
 fantry, in which he served as Corporal. He 
 went to Georgia, where he joined the Army 
 of the Cumberland and he served on detached 
 duty. He continued at the front until 1866, 
 and was then honorably discharged, after 
 which he returned home. His son, Charles 
 E., also served in the Civil war, becoming 
 a musician in the Seventy-first Illinois Vol- 
 unteer Infantry. He was captured at the 
 battle of Chickamauga, taken to Richmond, 
 Virginia, and sent to Andersonville prison, 
 where he died, in August, 1864. 
 
 In 1 868 Mr. Tower arrived in Martin 
 county, where he has since made his home, 
 and the twenty-si.x years which have here 
 been passed have been spent upon the farm 
 which is now his home. For some time he 
 experienced many hardships, but persever- 
 ance and enterprise at length triumphed over 
 obstacles, and he has become one of the 
 prosperous agriculturists of the community. 
 He hauled the lumber for the buildings upon 
 his farm a distance of seventy-five miles. 
 He now owns 160 acres of good land in a 
 high state of cultivation, and the well tilled 
 fields and modern improvements indicate to 
 the passer-by the thrift and enterprise of 
 the owner. Capable business management, 
 dilligent and careful attention to all details 
 have been the factors in his success and 
 have made his example well worthy of 
 emulation. 
 
 Mr. Tower exercises his right of fraii- 
 
434 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 chise in support of the men and measures 
 of the RepubHcan party, and warmly advo- 
 cates its principles. For many years he 
 has held the office of Justice of the Peace, 
 discharging his duties with a promptness 
 and fidelity that has led to his long reten- 
 tion in office. He was also Supervisor for 
 a number of terms, and has for some time 
 been officially connected with the schools 
 of the neighborhood. He has also served 
 one term as County Commissioner, and as 
 School Director for the long period of 
 twenty-two years, while for some time he 
 acted as School Clerk. The course of edu- 
 cation has ever found in him a warm friend, 
 and he used every means at his command 
 to aid in its development. Socially he is 
 connected \\'\\.\\ the Masonic order, and the 
 Grand Army Post, both of Fairmont; and 
 his wife is connected with the Christian 
 Scientist Society of that place. This worthy 
 couple are people of sterling qualities, whose 
 well spent lives and many excellencies of 
 character have gained them the high regard 
 of all with whom thej' have been brought 
 in contact. Their friends are many in the 
 community, and in social circles they hold 
 an enviable position. 
 
 BI^ED WHJ^fAM LINDSLEY, an 
 extensi\e land-owner and promi- 
 nent business man of Jackson, is a 
 native of the Empire State. He was 
 born on the 9th of May, 1853, in Kaaterskill, 
 Greene county, and is a son of Clark and 
 I\uama Matilda (I^cnnett) Lindsley. The 
 family is of English origin and was founded 
 in America by the great-grandfather of our 
 subject. The grandfather was born in this 
 country and served in the war of 1812. In 
 his family were the following children: 
 
 Ephraim, John, Mary, Lucy, Lewis, Adelia 
 and Clark. 
 
 The last named was born in Oswego 
 county. New York, May 22, 1822, and re- 
 moved thence to Greene county. He was 
 married in Bleecker, Fulton county, New 
 York, January 16, 1850, to Miss Bennett, 
 and in 1855 they emigrated westward to 
 Wisconsin, settling in Fond du Lac county 
 on the loth of April, 1855. There the 
 father secured a farm which he operated 
 until May 9, 1869, when he started to Jack- 
 son county, Minnesota. Making the journey 
 by team he did not reach his destination 
 until the lOth of June. He was accom- 
 panied by his wife and seven children, and 
 they also drove sixteen head of cattle. Here 
 the father entered a claim to 160 acres of 
 land on section 24, Middletown township, 
 and at once began to cultivate the wild land, 
 transforming it into rich and fertile fields. 
 He also added to the value and attractive 
 appearance of the place by the many good 
 improvements he put upon it. He continued 
 his farming operations until the i6th of No- 
 vember, 1887, when with his wife he re- 
 moved to Jackson to live retired. Here he 
 enjoyed the rest which he has so truly 
 earned and richly deserved, and among the 
 honored early settlers of the county he is 
 numbered. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Lindsley have been 
 born the following children: Flora Anna, 
 who was born May 19, 1855, married John 
 Ashley, and after his death wedded Eber 
 I'iemlcr; they are now living on a farm 
 near Kushford, Minnesota, and have one 
 child, six years of age; Luna M., who was 
 born December 3, 1856; Almeda Ardelle, 
 born March 19, 1858, is the wife of W. O. 
 P>utterfield, of Jackson, and their children 
 are Howard, Hurton and Fred; Delancey, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 425 
 
 born March 26, i860, died April 30, 1878; 
 Alice A., born March 26, 1861, died Febru- 
 ary 8, 1891; Addie Matilda, born Decem- 
 ber 4, 1864, makes her home with her 
 mother and is successfully engaged in teach- 
 ing school. The father of this family died 
 in Jackson, Minnesota, March 25, 1890, 
 but the mother, who was born in Westerloo, 
 Albany county. New York, October 27, 
 1 8 19, is still living. 
 
 Fred William Lindsley was onlj' three 
 years old when his parents left the State of 
 his nativity. He came with them to Minne- 
 sota in 1869 and remained upon the home 
 farm until the spring of 1879. In the spring 
 of 1877 he began handling agricultural im- 
 plements in Windom and Jackson; and in 
 1879 removed his Windom stock to Jackson, 
 where he permanently established himself 
 in business. In that year he also began 
 dealing in live stock, and to that industry 
 still devotes his energies. He now controls 
 530 acres of land in Jackson county, together 
 with 320 acres in Harrison county, Iowa. 
 He has 610 acres under cultivation and upon 
 the land are five tenants. He also owns 
 fifty acres of land within the corporation 
 limits of Jackson, — a very valuable tract. 
 He has studied closely land values, and his 
 sagacity and discrimination have enabled 
 him to make judicious investments which 
 have brought him rich returns. He also 
 owns eight lots in the Merriampark addition 
 to St. Paul, tvvo lots in Albright's choice ad- 
 dition to Omaha, and other town property. 
 Although the greater part of his time and 
 attention have been given to his landed in- 
 terests, his business ability is not limited to 
 this one line of trade, and in connection with 
 his other enterprises he is now a stockholder 
 in the Farmers' Elevator Company, and 
 was one of the original directors of the State 
 
 Bank of Jackson, and is still connected with 
 that institution in that capacity. 
 
 Mr. Lindsley was married on the 24th 
 of October, 1882, to Laura E. La Rue, 
 daughter of Samuel and Jennie La Rue. 
 Her great-grandfather was the founder of 
 the La Rue family on this side the Atlantic. 
 Her mother, who bore the maiden name of 
 Jennie Dixon, was born in Ireland Novem- 
 ber 17, 1813, and was married on the 29th 
 of February, 1828. The children born of 
 this union are: Robert, born October 4, 
 1833; Susan, born September 24, 1835; 
 Mary Jane, born February 10, 1838; Samuel 
 Francis, born March 21, 1840; Criness, born 
 March 13, 1842; Hannah Rebecca, born 
 April 12, 1844; Benjamin Franklin, born 
 June 29, 1846; Richard Steadman, born 
 March 7, 1849; George Silas, born August 
 21, 185 I ; Laura Ellen, wife of our subject, 
 born September 25, 1855; and Clara, born 
 December 9, 1857. Three children grace 
 the union of Mr. and Mrs. Lindsley: Mattie 
 R. , born March 2, 1884; Leora May, March 
 7, 1886; and Frederick Lawrence, June 
 18, 1889. 
 
 Mr. Lindsley has held a number of town- 
 ship and village offices, — such as member of 
 the Council, member of the Board of Health, 
 etc., and is always interested in what per- 
 tains to the welfare of the community in 
 which he resides and its upbuilding. In the 
 spring of 1881 both he and his wife joined 
 the Presbyterian Church, and to its support 
 they contribute liberally. In his political 
 affiliations Mr. Lindsley is a Republican, 
 and in his social connection is a member of 
 the Ancient Order of United Workmen. His 
 life has been one of most gratifying success, 
 and that he has become so prosperous a 
 citi;;en is due entirely to his own efforts, — to 
 his diligence, energy and good management, 
 
426 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 but most of all to his persistence, which 
 falters not on meeting difficulties but goes 
 steadily on to the goal in view. 
 
 >T^OHN K. GRINOLDS, of section 19, 
 m Walnut Lake township (post office 
 A 1 Easton), is an old settler in this vi- 
 cinity, arriving here as early as 1858 
 He was born in Tioga county, Pennsyl- 
 vania, December 22, 1826, a son of John 
 M. Grinolds, who was a native of Herkimer 
 county. New York. The latter was a son 
 of Matthew Grinolds, who was a native of 
 Rhode Island. John M. was married, in 
 Tioga county, to Miss Sallie Matson, who 
 was born in Herkimer county, a daughter of 
 Eli Matson, a native of Rhode Island and a 
 Revolutionary soldier. They had nine chil- 
 dren, namely: Roxanna, Lucy A., Dorcas 
 M., Polly R., Sarah J., Almira, John R., 
 Matthew and Stephen. The last mentioned 
 was a soldier in the last war, in a Wisconsin 
 regiment, lost his arm by a shell and bled to 
 death twenty days afterward. The family 
 moved to Juneau county, Wisconsin, in 1853, 
 settling near Mauston, when the country 
 was new. The mother died at the age of 
 eighty-four years, and the father aged eighty- 
 eight. By occupation the elder Grinolds 
 was a farmer, and in his politics a Demo- 
 crat. His wife was a member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mr. Grinolds, whose name heads this 
 sketch, was reared on a farm and educated 
 in Tioga county, Pennsylvania, and Steuben 
 county, New York. In 1854 he came West 
 to Muscatine county, Iowa, and a year after- 
 ward went to Juneau county, Wisconsin, 
 and after a residence there two and a half 
 years he came to Freeborn county, Minne- 
 sota, to Albert Lea. In March, 1858, came 
 
 and took a pre-emption and proved up on it 
 as a homestead, — 160 acres, in Faribault 
 county. This place now has long been a 
 fine, well-equipped farm, and diversified 
 crops are raised upon it. The premises are 
 ornamented by a splendid grove of ten acres, 
 one tree in which, planted by Mr. Grinolds, 
 is now nine feet in circumference. He had 
 at one time 280 acres, but as he has sold a 
 portion, there are now only eighty acres. 
 
 In 1 85 1, in Steuben county. New York, 
 Mr. Grinolds married Laura A. Schoonover, 
 a daughter of Richard and Vina (Potter) 
 Schoonover, natives of Herkimer county, 
 that State. These parents had nine chil- 
 dren, as follows: Job, Emeline, Mima Ann, 
 Daniel, Leonard, Laura, Bailey (a soldier 
 of the late war, now living in Lucas county, 
 Iowa), Jennette and Harriet. Mr. Grinolds' 
 living children are: George W., Richard 
 F. , Theodore M., Sarah Maria and Ida A. 
 The deceased are W. H., who died aged five 
 months; and Connie, who died eighteen 
 months old. 
 
 Mr. Grinolds is a Republican, and he has 
 served in nearly all the township offices, giv- 
 ing satisfaction in all. In his religious prin- 
 ciples he is a member of the Baptist Church. 
 
 ,>^ROF. AARON F. SCHMITT, Su- 
 lk M pcrintendent of the Public Schools 
 J of Jackson, Minnesota, and an edu- 
 
 cator of prominence in the State, 
 was born in New Trier, Minnesota, on the 
 1 2th of Februarj', 1870, and is of German 
 descent on both the paternal and maternal 
 side. His ancestors originally came from 
 Stuttgart, German}'. The paternal grand- 
 father. Christian Schmitt, was born in Read- 
 ing, Pennsylvania, in 18 10, and died in 
 Kasson, Minnesota, in 1875. The maternal 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 427 
 
 grandfather, Ulrich C. Lipp, was born in 
 Stuttgart, in 18 18, crossed the Atlantic to 
 America, in 1847, and is \'et living, enjoy- 
 ing good health. 
 
 On the 13th of October, 1836, in Marion, 
 Marion county, Ohio, occurred the birth of 
 John H. Schmitt, the father of the well- 
 known professor of Jackson. Having ar- 
 rived at years of maturity, he was united in 
 marriage with Maria C. Lipp, who was born 
 in Stuttgart, Germany, December 10, 1845, 
 and with her parents came to America in 
 1847. By this union were born the follow- 
 ing children: George W. , who was born at 
 New Ulm, Minnesota, February 22, 1864; 
 Harrison L., born at Waverl)', Iowa, Octo- 
 ber 13, 1866; Mary S., born in St. Charles, 
 Ma}' 5, 1868; Aaron F., whose name heads 
 this sketch; Samuel C., born at New Trier, 
 Minnesota, October 15, 1872; John W. , 
 born in Paynesville, this State, October 12, 
 1875; and Lillian C. , born in Redwood 
 Falls, August 8, 1 88 1. At the age of nine- 
 teen the father of this family became a 
 minister of the gospel, connected with the 
 German Evangelical Church, and his whole 
 life was devoted to that work. He was one 
 of nature's noblemen, and all who knew 
 him held him in the highest regard. His 
 death occurred in Waseca, Minnesota, on 
 the 28th of February, 1889, but the mother 
 is still living and makes her home in 
 Mankato. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record was educated in the State of his 
 nativity, completing his school life in Man- 
 kato, being graduated in the Latin scientific 
 course in the spring of 1 89 1 . He was a most 
 thorough student and mastered his studies 
 in a way that gave him prominence among 
 his classmates. Immediately after his grad- 
 uation he was elected as principal of the 
 
 Franklin school of Mankato, Minnesota, and 
 in the summer of 1892 he was elected Super- 
 intendent of the Public Schools of Jackson, 
 where he has since lived. Through his in- 
 strumentality the Jackson schools have been 
 placed on the list of State high schools. He 
 has raised the standard of excellence and 
 made improvements which are recognized 
 as extremely beneficial. He has been three 
 times honored by the Department of Public 
 Instruction, by appointments as instructor 
 in the teachers' training schools, and, though 
 yet a young man, he has a reputation as an 
 able instructor which many an older teacher 
 might well envy. 
 
 Prof. Schmitt is a member of the Pres- 
 byterian Church of Jackson. The success 
 and happiness of his life was promoted by 
 his marriage to Elizabeth Bangerter, at 
 Mankato, Minnesota, on the 29th of August. 
 1894. 
 
 @EORGE BAXTER is the owner of 
 the beautiful farm of Maple Grove, 
 one of the finest country homes in 
 Faribault county- It is pleasantly 
 and desirably located, and is a most attract- 
 ive place. The owner is numbered among 
 the prominent and progressive agriculturists 
 of this section of the State, and since set- 
 tling here in 1879 has been accounted one 
 of the valued citizens. 
 
 A native of Granville, Bradford county, 
 Peimsylvania, he was born on the 6th of 
 November, 1S45, ^nd is a son of Nathan 
 Baxter, who was born in Bradford county, 
 that State. In the early history of this 
 country his ancestors crossed the Atlantic 
 and located in the Mohawk Valley of New 
 York. The grandfather, Chauncey Baxter, 
 claimed the Empire State as the place of his 
 
42S 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 nativity, and thence removed to Pennsyl- 
 vania, where Nathan Baxter was born and 
 reared. He acquired his education in the 
 pubHc schools, and after he had attained to 
 man's estate he was united in marriage with 
 Miss Amelia Decker, a daughter of George 
 Decker and a native of the Keystone State. 
 For many years the parents of our subject 
 remained in the East, but finally came to 
 Minnesota, locating, in 1888, in Winnebago 
 City, where they now reside, the father at 
 the age of seventy-five years, the mother at 
 the age of seventy. He has laid aside all 
 business cares, and is now enjoying the rest 
 which a long and well spent life has earned. 
 Honored and respected throughout the com- 
 munity, he has many warm friends, and in 
 their high regard his estimable wife also 
 shares. To them was born a family of nine 
 children, namely: Eliza; George; Charles, 
 deceased; Judson, who formerly engaged in 
 teaching but has now passed away; Wilbur; 
 Osbert; Samantha, deceased; Emogene, 
 and Newton. They were all provided with 
 good educational advantages to fit them for 
 the practical and responsible duties of life 
 and the surviving members of the family 
 occupy positions as valued citizens in the 
 various communities in which they make 
 their homes. 
 
 George Baxter was very fortunate in 
 his early surroundings. He did not live in a 
 home supplied with luxuries, but on the 
 contrary was reared to habits of industry 
 and economy, and instilled int(j his mind 
 were lessons of honesty and a love of right 
 that have clung to him through the passing 
 years and made him one of Faribault county's 
 best citizens. The public school afforded 
 training for his mind, and in the farm fields 
 he attained a splendid physical development 
 which gave him health and strength for his 
 
 own business career. In his youth he 
 learned the trade of an engineer and followed 
 that pursuit for many years, in different 
 States. At the age of eighteen he went to 
 Waukesha county, Wisconsin, and after 
 residing for one year in Oconomowoc re- 
 moved to Muskegon, Michigan, where he 
 obtained a desirable position in a sawmill as 
 engineer, being employed there for several 
 years. He then returned to Waukesha 
 county, where he was next engaged in run- 
 ning a steam thresher, and won success in 
 that undertaking, which he continued up to 
 1879, — the year of his arrival in Faribault 
 county. 
 
 In the meantime Mr. Baxter was mar- 
 ried. On the 4th of December, 1872, in 
 Janesville, Rock county, Wisconsin, he led 
 to the marriage altar Miss Etta Kilmer, a 
 lady of superior intelligence, culture and re-^ 
 finement, coming of a good family. She 
 was born in Columbus county. New York, 
 and is a daughter of Peter and Eliza (Snider) 
 Kilmer, both of whom were natives of New 
 York and died there, leaving their little 
 daughter an orphan at the age of five years. 
 She was reared by her uncle, James Kilmer, 
 of Janesville, Wisconsin, where she grew to 
 womanhood and obtained her education. 
 The household is brightened by the presence 
 of a son, George Judson, who was born in 
 Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, September 13, 
 1875, and is now a student in Parker Col- 
 lege, at Winnebago City. The family is one 
 of prominence in the community and its 
 members occupy enviable positions in the 
 circles of society in which they move. 
 
 On his arrival in Miimest)ta Mr. Bax- 
 ter purchased eighty acres of land, investing 
 the capital he had acquired through his 
 own labors in previous years. As his finan- 
 cial resources have increased he has also 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 429 
 
 made other investments in real estate until 
 his landed possessions now aggregate 400 
 acres. He raises cereals adapted to this 
 climate and is also engaged to some extent 
 in stock-raising, keeping on hand a good 
 grade of horses and making a specialty of 
 shorthorn cattle. For twenty-two seasons 
 he has operated a steam thresher and is an 
 expert in that line of business. The many 
 improvements which he has placed upon 
 his property has made it one of the finest 
 farms in this section of the country. The 
 home comprises 320 acres of rich soil, and 
 in addition he has eighty acres of section 1 3, 
 Winnebago township. On the former are 
 all the improvements and accessories of a 
 model farm of the nineteenth century. He 
 has two fine barns, one 32x60 feet, with 
 eighteen-foot posts, and sheds 18x60 feet, 
 and the other 1 8 x 40 feet, also with eigh- 
 teen-foot posts, and both have rock founda- 
 tions. He has used over ten car-loads of 
 rock upon the place in making the farm one 
 of the fine properties of Minnesota. The 
 buildings are models of convenience in their 
 arrangement and are always well repaired 
 and painted. In addition to those men- 
 tioned there are a good granary, wagon and 
 machine sheds, and fences divide the farm 
 into fields of convenient size. A fine wind- 
 mill draws its water from a great depth, 
 and the clear, sparkling liquid is always cold 
 and refreshing in the hot summer days. A 
 tank has been built and pipes run to the 
 house, lawn and garden. Meadow, pasture 
 and fields are all in good shape for the uses 
 to which they are put, and garden and or- 
 chard yield their fruit and vegetables to sup- 
 ply bountifully the table. 
 
 The farm derives its name from a beau- 
 tiful grove of maples which surrounds the 
 home, and of this we nnist now sjjcak. It 
 
 is a large and substantial residence, the 
 main portion being 16x26 feet. There is 
 one L 14x24 feet, and both these are two 
 stories in height. Then there is another 
 wing, one story high, the dimensions of 
 which are 14x22 feet. It is built in a mod- 
 ern style of architecture and is furnished 
 neatl}' and tastefully, is rich but not gaudy. 
 It indicates culture and refinement, and is 
 presided over with grace by the hostess, 
 who always extends a pleasant welcome to 
 j her visitors. 
 
 Mr. Baxter is a frank, warm-hearted 
 man, of jovial and genial disposition, of 
 broad, liberal and progressive views, and as 
 a citizen is devoted to the county's welfare. 
 He belongs to Amboy Lodge, No. 97, I. O. 
 O. F. , and in his political connections he is 
 a stalwart Republican. We take great 
 pleasure in presenting to our readers this 
 record of the life of George Baxter, the 
 popular owner of the Maple Grove Farm. 
 
 HOMAS CRAWFORD, editor of 
 the Lakefield Standard, is a native 
 of Ayrshire among the hills of 
 Scotland, born September 7, 1871, 
 the youngest of twelve children of David and 
 Janet (Hannah) Crawford. The father died 
 in Scotland, in middle life, and the mother 
 is still living, in advanced age. 
 
 In the year 1880, David, the eldest 
 brother, came to this country to settle, and, 
 finding the conditions favorable for success, 
 his brother, Thomas (our subject), in May, 
 1 89 1, also emigrated to the United States, 
 in company with another brother, James, 
 and they at once located in Lakefield. It 
 should be said that Mr. Crawford attended 
 in boyhood the schools of England and Scot- 
 land, pursuing advanced studies at the Col- 
 
430 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 lege of Science and Art, afterward the Tech- 
 nical College, of Glasgow, for five years, and 
 becoming an accomplished analytical chemist. 
 Since coming here he has taken up news- 
 paper work, in company with his brother, 
 John, publishing the Lakefield Standard 
 until January, 1895, since which time 
 Thomas Crawford has had entire charge of 
 the enterprise, which is one of the successful 
 and valued weekly journals of this region. 
 
 While young in years, Mr. Crawford is 
 a gentleman of broad views, possessing un- 
 bounded energy, and is one of the represen- 
 tative young business men of this part of the 
 State. A bright future certainly awaits him. 
 
 3" 
 
 OHN H. ROBBINS, a retired farmer 
 living in Winnebago City, was long 
 connected with the agricultural in- 
 terests of Martin county, and the 
 industry and enterprise which characterized 
 his business career well entitles him to the 
 luxury of rest. 
 
 Mr. Robbins is a native of Upper Can- 
 ada, born in Johnstown district, on the 2 2d 
 of December, 1840. His father, John Rob- 
 bins, was born in Cornwall county, Canada 
 East, of English descent, and married Emily 
 Hastings, a native of Connecticut and a 
 daughter of George W. Hastings, who was 
 a soldier of the war of 181 2 and removed to 
 the British dominion when his daughter was 
 a maiden of eight summers. The parents 
 of our subject remained in Canada until 
 1856, when, by way of the lakes and rail, 
 they went to St. Paul, Minnesota, and 
 thence to Blue Earth county, locating on 
 Willow creek. They resided there until 
 1862, when, affrighted by the Indian massa- 
 cre at New Ulm, they left their place of 
 residence and removed to Clayton count}'. 
 
 Iowa, where they lived until the death of 
 the father, January 22, 1863; he was born 
 November 28, 1802. The mother, whose 
 birth occurred September 10, 18 10, departed 
 this life on the 31st of March, 1878, in Cali- 
 fornia. They were the parents of nine chil- 
 dren, namely: Harriet, William, George, 
 Emily J., Matilda, John H., Teresa, Eleazer 
 and Robert H. During the late war Eleazer 
 responded to the President's call for troops, 
 enlisting in a Minnesota regiment, and died 
 during service. 
 
 In the land of his birth Mr. John H. Rob- 
 bins was reared until the age of si.xteen 
 years, and in its schools received his educa- 
 tion. He then came to the United States, 
 locating in Minnesota, and the following 
 year, in 1857, went overland to California, 
 traveling with an ox team and a company 
 composed of five men. It took them seven 
 months to complete the journey, during 
 which they had several encounters with hos- 
 tile Indians. They passed through Denver, 
 then a hamlet containing only a few log 
 cabins. On reaching the Golden State, 
 Mr. Robbins located in Sonoma county, 
 where he engaged in the live-stock and meat 
 business, also in mining, until 1866. Re- 
 turning East, he made the trip by way of 
 the isthmus and New York city. He 
 then came to Minnesota, locating first in 
 Nashville township, Martin county, upon a 
 tract of wild land, on which a very' little 
 improvement had been made. He became 
 owner of 540 acres, which he put in a state 
 of high cultivation, adding to it also many 
 substantial improvements, as a dwelling, 
 good barns and outbuililings generally and 
 fences, which latter divide the farm into 
 fields of convenient size; also he planted a 
 grove, and the beautiful trees are now a 
 living monument to the progressive spirit of 
 
ciK J/, -^{j^/'^y. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 433 
 
 the owner. In addition to general farming 
 he also carried on stock-raising, keeping on 
 hand good grades of horses and cattle. 
 
 On the 28th of March, 1869, in Nash- 
 ville township, Martin county, was consum- 
 mated the marriage of Mr. Robbins and 
 Miss Melissa Grant, a lady of many excel- 
 lent traits of character. In 1857 the Grant 
 family removed to Wisconsin from New 
 Brunswick, and four years later the}' arrived 
 in Minnesota, coming with ox teams and cov- 
 ered wagons. They occupied a log cabin 
 and underwent all the experiences of pioneer 
 life on the frontier. 
 
 When the Grant family first settled on 
 their farm eight miles west of Winnebago 
 City, there was only one house between the 
 city and their home. Their nearest neigh- 
 bor to the north was ten miles distant, and 
 southward it was difficult to tell how dis- 
 tant the nearest neighbor resided. 
 
 Their crops were destroyed by grasshop- 
 pers and they suffered somewhat from the 
 Indians. The parents, John and Hannah 
 fMiller) Grant, both natives of New Bruns- 
 wick, have now passed to the other world, 
 the mother dying in Nicolet county, Minne- 
 sota, at the age of sixty-two years, and the 
 father in Garden City, this State, seventy- 
 seven years of age. Their children, seven 
 in number, were Howard D., Maria, Wil- 
 lard, Leonard, Melissa, Bertha and Nelson. 
 The first named was a soldier in the late 
 war, a member of the Second Wisconsin 
 Cavalry, and died during service, of measles, 
 at Camp John. The father of these chil- 
 dren strongly favored abolition principles, 
 and when the Republican party was formed 
 to prevent the further extension of slavery 
 he joined its ranks and was one of its stal- 
 wart supporters. 
 
 Mrs. Robbins is a native of New Bruns- 
 22 
 
 wick, and is the mother of seven children, 
 viz.: Sherman A., in California; Fred H., 
 now a student in Parker College, Winne- 
 bago City; Frank H., attending the high 
 school; Jesse N., who died- at the age of 
 seven months; Bert E. ; Guy R. ; and Ar- 
 thur W. 
 
 Mr. Robbins, our subject, holds to the 
 principles of Republicanism, and has served 
 in several local offices, among them that of 
 School Treasurer. His wife holds mem- 
 bership in the Free Methodist Church, and 
 is an active Christian. Mr. Robbins is a 
 typical pioneer, a man of strong physique, 
 and a worth}' citizen of his adopted county. 
 In 1889 he removed his family to Winne- 
 bago City, where he has a good property, 
 and is living retired there, enjoying the 
 fruits of his former toil. 
 
 HOMAS JEFFERSON KNOX.— 
 In the legal profession, which em- 
 braces some of the most brilliant 
 minds of the nation, it is difficult 
 to win a name and a place of prominence. 
 Many aspire to it, but few reach it. In 
 commercial life one may start out on a more 
 advanced plane than others, he may enter 
 into a business already established and carry 
 it still further forward; but not so in the 
 legal profession; one must commence at the 
 very beginning, must plead and win his first 
 case and work his wa\' upward by ability 
 and integrity, gaining his reputation and 
 success by merit. If the victor's laurel is 
 placed upon his brow it is because he has led 
 in the race. People do not place their 
 legal business in unskilled hands. It is the 
 man of power before judge and jury, in 
 whose integrity and ability people have con- 
 fidence, that demands inililic patronage. 
 
434 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Such a man is Thomas J. Knox, who is 
 accounted one of the foremost lawyers in 
 Minnesota. His office is located in Jackson 
 county, but his reputation has extended 
 throughout southwestern Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Knox was born at Covington, Tioga 
 county, Pennsylvania, on the i6th of Feb- 
 ruary, 1846, descending from Revolutionary 
 stock. His grandfather, George Knox, who 
 was born September 27, 1757, was a mem- 
 ber of the Colonial army during the greater 
 part of the struggle for independence. By 
 trade he was a tanner, following that pur- 
 suit after the close of the war until the time 
 of his death. He erected the first tannery 
 built at Covington, Pennsylvania, and owned 
 and operated the same till his death. His 
 wife, Ann Knox, was born November 23, 
 1764, and died June 21, 1808. He survived 
 her for a number of years, passing away 
 March 10, 1834. 
 
 Their children were Thomas, who was 
 born April 28, 1785, and died August 7, 
 1795; Jean, who became the wife of William 
 Kirk; Betsey, who was born October 31, 
 1787, and married James Crownover; James 
 Knox, born December 21, 1789, who, in 
 1845, removed to Oregon, where most of his 
 descendants still reside; Nancy, who was 
 born March 31, 1792, and married Robert 
 Montgomery; Bell, who was born Novem- 
 ber 22, 1794, and married John Bennett, 
 and, after his death, became the wife of 
 John Jenkinson; Hannah, born August 8, 
 1797, and married Jesse Minshall; Ann, 
 who was born September i, 1802, and be- 
 came the wife of William Armstrong; George, 
 the father of our subject; and Samuel Bell, 
 who was born Januar\' 14, 1S08, and died 
 in 1875. 
 
 The maternal grandfather of T. J. Knox, 
 Royal Cole, was also one of the patriots 
 
 who aided in throwing off the yoke of Brit- 
 ish oppression and establishing the new re- 
 public. Again, in the war of 18 12, he 
 went out in defense of his country, and 
 wherever and whenever he was found 
 he was the same loyal, faithful citizen. He 
 made his home in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, 
 and some of his descendants are still resi- 
 dents of that locality. His children were 
 Gideon, who was killed in the war of 1812; 
 Rachel, who married Daniel Odell; Betsey, 
 who first married Moses Johnson, and after 
 his death wedded Erastus Fellows; Deborah, 
 who married Lyman Wetmore; Jerusha, 
 who was born November 25, 1812, and 
 became the wife of Alanson Andrews; Ruth, 
 twin sister of Jerusha and the the mother of 
 T. J. Knox; and Lewis the youngest. 
 
 Hon. George Knox, father of Jackson 
 county's popular attorney, was born Decem- 
 ber 22, 1805, and under his father's in- 
 struction learned the tanner's trade, be- 
 coming an expert workman and following 
 that pursuit during the greater part of his 
 life in the East. In the spring of 1854 he 
 moved with his family to Wisconsin, locat- 
 ing on a farm near Geneva, and from that 
 time forward gave his attention to agricul- 
 tural pursuits. In the autumn of 1855 he 
 became a resident of Fillmore county, Min- 
 nesota, pre-empting a claim in Bristol town- 
 ship and securing the title at the Govern- 
 ment Land Office. He continued his resi- 
 dence there until about the close of the war. 
 Believing then that the "New South" was 
 to be the "coming country," he visited 
 Kirksville, Missouri, but finding conditions 
 there still too unsettled he abandoned his in- 
 tention to locate in the South at that time 
 and returned to his Minnesota home. Pur- 
 chasing a farm in Racine township. Mower 
 county, he passed his remaining years there. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '1 35 
 
 He was a man of marked individuality, fear- 
 less in support of what he believed to be 
 right and to the best interests of the com- 
 munit}' in which he resided; and all local 
 movements for the public welfare found in 
 him a friend. He held a number of public 
 position", Lr.t v.as in no sense an office- 
 seeker. His public offices ranged from that 
 of Justice of the Peace to member of the 
 Legislature, and in all he was equally faith- 
 ful to the duties which devolved upon him, 
 possessing in a marked degree the Jefferson- 
 ian requirements of honesty and capacity. 
 While a resident of the Keystone State he 
 was sent to the Legislature, being elected 
 on the Democratic ticket. A well spent life 
 gained him the high regard of all who knew 
 him, and his death, which occurred Novem- 
 ber II, 1867, was deeply mourned by many 
 friends. 
 
 It is with continued pleasure that we now 
 turn our attention to the personal history of 
 Thomas J. Knox, the direct subject of the 
 brief biographical outline, as he is one of 
 the most prominent and honored lawyers of 
 southern Minnesota. His early school privi- 
 leges were limited, but he was naturally 
 studious and had access to a good library in 
 his father's home, for his parents were peo- 
 ple of cultured and literary tastes. Thus 
 his education was obtained largely under 
 the parental roof, supplemented by a year's 
 attendance at a private academy. In 1868 
 he secured a copy of Blackstone, and undi- 
 rected began reading law, but the following 
 year entered the law office of C. T. Bene- 
 dict, then of Rochester, Minnesota, but 
 now of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The suc- 
 ceeding year he became a student in the 
 law office of Stearns & Start, who have be- 
 come prominent in the affairs of the nation, 
 the former as United States Senator and the 
 
 I 
 
 latter as Chief Justice of the Supreme 
 Court of Minnesota. On the 14th of Octo- 
 ber, 1 87 1, Mr. Knox was admitted to prac- 
 tice before the courts of the State, and on 
 the 1 2th of December, 1876, before the 
 United States Courts. For four months 
 after his admission to the bar he continued 
 with his preceptors, and from them gained 
 some very valuable information concerning 
 the management of legal business. 
 
 Shortly after his admission to the bar he 
 visited southwestern Minnesota with the in- 
 tention of going to Dakota in search of a 
 location, and was caught in the great bliz- 
 zard which swept over the country Novem- 
 ber 12, 1872; and it was impossible to pro- 
 ceed further than Windom, Cottonwood 
 county, Minnesota. That town was then 
 connected with Jackson by a stage route, 
 and Mr. Knox determined to make his way 
 to the latter place and thence return home; 
 but in Jackst)n he met some friends of for- 
 mer years who urged him to remain here. 
 This he finally decided to do, and became a 
 permanent citizen November 17, 1872. 
 
 The years immediately follo\Ving 1872 
 were not favorable to the development of 
 southwestern Minnesota and the young law- 
 yer had a severe struggle to maintain his 
 position during the early years of his prac- 
 tice; but by perseverance and close atten- 
 tion to business he eventually succeeded in 
 building up a large and lucrative clientage. 
 He has been successful in practice, — close 
 application, earnest labor and untiring effort 
 winning him a high reputation. He is 
 gifted by nature with a good delivery, is a 
 fluent and forcible speaker, and his remarks 
 before judge and jury arc argumentati\e, 
 clear, logical and forcible. His quick percep- 
 tion and ready and apt expression are well 
 marked. He has never been associated with 
 
436 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 a partner, but has been the preceptor of 
 several young men who have assisted him in 
 his professional transactions. 
 
 Mr. Kno.x was married September 3, 
 1877, to Miss Jane Cowing, daughter of 
 John and Elizabeth Cowing. She was born 
 August 29, 1856, is a most estimable lady, 
 and is a member of the Presbyterian Church. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kno.v have had the following 
 children: Elizabeth, who was born Septem- 
 ber 23, 1878, and died January 27, 1879; 
 John Cowing, born January 7, 1880; Ruth, 
 born June 6, 1884; and Thomas Start, born 
 September 19, 1888. 
 
 Since becoming a resident of Jackson 
 Mr. Knox has been honored with several 
 political offices. He served as Probate 
 Judge for a short time by appointment, and 
 in December, 1879, was elected Superin- 
 tendent of the Public Schools of Jackson 
 county on an independent ticket, and for 
 two succeeding terms was elected on the 
 Republican ticket. As a Republican candi- 
 date he was elected County Attorney, serv- 
 ing from 1887 to 1 89 1, and in May of the 
 latter year was appointed a member of the 
 State Board of Examiners in Law, to rep- 
 resent the Second Congressional District. 
 In May, 1892, he was reappointed, and is 
 still a member of that commission. Every 
 public trust imposed upon Mr. Knox has 
 been faithfully and ably discharged. 
 
 He is a member of several civic socie- 
 ties, as Dcs Moines Valley Lodge, No. i 56, 
 L O. O. P., and Jackson Lodge, No. 49, 
 A. O. U. W., — being a charter member of 
 both organizations. 
 
 In manner he is pleasant and genial, tak- 
 ing a deep interest in the welfare, progress 
 and upbuilding of the locality where he re- 
 sides, supporting all enterprises intended to 
 uplift humanity. In professional life he is 
 
 energetic and progressive, laboring for his 
 clients conscientiously and with reference to 
 their interests, whether rich or poor. In 
 official life he is devoted to the welfare of 
 the public in all relations, whether of a 
 public or private character; and in his con- 
 duct evervwhere he is a true gentleman. 
 
 ^^ VLVESTER BLAXLEY MILLER, 
 •^^^k* deceased, was born in Greene coun- 
 Y\,_J ty, New York, June 6, 1825, a son 
 of William and Rosanna (Blaxley) 
 Miller, the former a native of Germany, and 
 the latter is supposed to have been born in 
 Connecticut. S. B., the fourth of eight 
 children, seven sons and one daughter, re- 
 mained with his parents until his marriage, 
 when he located on a farm five miles west 
 of Racine, Racine county, Wisconsin, re- 
 maining there eighteen years. He next 
 spent four years in Goodhue county, Minne- 
 sota, and then located in' Martin county. 
 ^\.x. Miller immediately located on the place 
 where his widtnv still resides, which con- 
 tained a small log house built for trappers, 
 and into which they moved. His death oc- 
 curred on the following year, in 1 869. 
 
 Mrs. Jane (Steele) Miller was born in 
 county Antrim, Ireland, March 3, 1S25, and 
 when quite young came with her parents to 
 America, locating fir.st in Canada. Her 
 mother died soon afterward, and she was 
 raised by a familj' in Utica, New York, after- 
 ward removing to .-Mbany county, that State. 
 She was married in Greene county, New 
 York, in 1 844, at the age of twenty years, 
 and is the mother of seven children, namely: 
 Georgeanna, Charles H. and EmmaD., de- 
 ceased; Sarah E., who first married H. M. 
 Gavin, and they had three children, Ida, 
 Gertrude and Ralph; and for her second hus- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI X, W'A'JONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 437 
 
 band she married Daniel Felton, they hav- 
 ing one son, Daniel, Jr.; Havillah B., who 
 married Martha Hackett, and has three 
 children — Alfred, Mondis and Lee; MaryY., 
 deceased; Charles S. married Ennna Grant, 
 a daughter of Eben and Delphine (Vermylia) 
 Grant, and has three children — Lester, Earl 
 and Roy. 
 
 J. WILLIAMS, an enterprising 
 farmer of Verona township, Fari- 
 bault county, was born in Cattarau- 
 gus county, New York, and is a son 
 of Thomas |. and Lydia (Champlain) Will- 
 iams, the former a native of New Hampshire, 
 born November 29, 1801, and the latter of 
 Westmoreland county. New York, born Sep- 
 tember I, 1808. For many years they 
 resided in Cattaraugus county. New York, 
 and in 1851 left their eastern home for 
 Fond du Lac county, . Wisconsin, then a 
 frontier settlement. They lived in Waupun 
 township, until 1866, when they came to 
 Verona township, Faribault county, Minne- 
 sota. Here the father secured a homestead 
 claim of forty acres and subsequently pur- 
 chased i6oacresof land.so that he had a good 
 tract of 200 acres, which he placed under a 
 high state of cultivation, continuing its im- 
 provement until called to his final rest. He 
 passed away at the age of seventy-one, and 
 his wife departed this life at the age of 
 seventy-nine. They had a family of twelve 
 children, eight of whom reached mature years. 
 Sarah died after reaching womanhood, when 
 twenty-eight years of age, and four died in 
 childhood. Sophronia is the wife of B. F. 
 Forbes, who is living in \'erona township, 
 Faribault county; Henry served as a soldier 
 during the late- war as a member of the 
 Third Wisconsin Infantr) for si.\ months, 
 
 then enlisted in the Sixth Minnesota In- 
 fantry and served three years; Mrs. Coralinn 
 Johnson and Mrs. Lucy Cooley follow in 
 the order of birth; R. J., who was a promi- 
 nent minister of the Methodist Protestant 
 Church and a zealous worker in the Master's 
 cause, is now deceased, as is his wife, who 
 passed away in Washington, leaving a 
 daughter, Ruth Williams, who is now attend- 
 ing college in ^^'iImebago City; Hon. A. A. 
 Williams, of Verona township; and Thomas 
 J., of this sketch. The father is a Republi- 
 can and a warm advocate of the principles 
 of that party. He was strongly anti-Mason, 
 and was a resident of Batavia, New York, 
 at the time of the Morgan murder excite- 
 ment, and was well acquainted with Mr. 
 Morgan. He held membership in the Bap- 
 tist Church and lived an honorable upright 
 life. He was Captain of a company in the 
 Two-hundred Thirty-fourth New York In- 
 fantry and was afterward Colonel of the 
 same regiment. He was faithful to every 
 trust reposed in him, whether public or pri- 
 vate, and all who knew him entertained for 
 him the highest regard. 
 
 The gentleman who forms the subject of 
 this review was reared upon a farm, and no 
 event of special importance occurred to 
 break the routine of farm life. The public 
 schools afTorded him his educational privi- 
 leges, and as years have passed he has made 
 the most of his opportunities and privileges. 
 His residence in Minnesota dates from 1866, 
 and upon the western frontier the greater 
 part of his life has been passed, for he was 
 only three years of age when his parents 
 went to Wisconsin in 1851, his birth having 
 occurred October 5, 1848. 
 
 After arriving at man's estate Mr. Will- 
 iams chose as' a companion and helpmeet on 
 life's journe}' Miss Julia Andross, the wed- 
 
438 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ding being celebrated in Martin county, Min- 
 nesota, Februarj- 15, 1877. The lady was 
 born March 12, 1855, and was a successful 
 and popular teacher. She was reared and 
 educated in Martin count>-, and is a daugh- 
 ter of Charles and Elsie (Dykeman) Andross, 
 the latter a native of Schoharie county, New 
 York, while the father claimed New Hamp- 
 shire as the State of his nativity and was a 
 soldier of the late war. In their family were 
 eight children, as follows: Frank, Charles, 
 Julia, Mary, John, Hattie, Gertie and Maud. 
 The Williams household numbers six chil- 
 dren, and the famil}' circle remains unbroken. 
 They are Charles A., born February 22, 
 1878; Anna E., born July 31, 1879; Ada E., 
 born January 21, 1882; Florence, born April 
 8, 1884; Wilber, born January 9, 1886; and 
 Arthur, born September 30, 1891. 
 
 In political views Mr. Williams was 
 formerly a Republican, but is now a stanch 
 advocate of the Prohibition party, which 
 embodies his \iews on the temperance ques- 
 tion, and this he believes to be the question 
 of most vital importance now before the 
 people. He has served as Town Supervisor 
 and as a member of the School Board, but 
 has never been a politician in the sense of 
 office-seeking, though, as every true American 
 citizen should do, he manifests a deep inter- 
 est in political affairs and keeps well in- 
 formed on the issues of the day. He has 
 the best interests of thecommunit3'at heart, 
 and is accounted one of the public-spirited 
 and progressive men of the county. He is 
 a true Christian gentleman, a worker in the 
 cause of the Master and a close student of 
 the Bible. His word is as good as his bond, 
 his integrity is above question and all who 
 know him respect him. There are men, 
 quiet and unostentatious in manner, whose 
 force of character, however, is unconsciously 
 
 exerted, and felt while those who try to be 
 important affect us with their insignificance. 
 To the former class belongs the subject of 
 this record. 
 
 \\'e could not close this sketch without 
 giving at least a brief description of the farm 
 of which he is owner. It comprises 280 
 acres of land in a high state of cultivation, 
 and is divided into fields of convenient size 
 b)- well kept fences. His home is a comfort- 
 able residence, two stories in height, 22 x 32 
 feet, \vith an L 16 x 24 feet a story and a half 
 high, and an addition 12x16 feet. The 
 large barn is 50 x 60 feet, with sixteen-foot 
 posts, and there are good sheds, cribs, a 
 granar\', machine shop and a fine wind- 
 mill, — in fact none of the accessories or 
 conveniences of a model farm are lacking. 
 There is also a beautiful grove of five acres, 
 which adds to the value and attractive ap- 
 pearance of the place, and the Williams 
 homestead is justly ranked among the best 
 farms of Faribault county. 
 
 ,>^ATRICK HENRY ALLEN is one 
 
 I, B of the earliest pioneers of Fari- 
 ^ bault county, and it is appropriate 
 
 that some personal mention be 
 made of him in this work. 
 
 Mr. Allen was born in Essex county. 
 New York, at Fort Ticonderoga, March 30, 
 1835. H's father, Truman Allen, also a 
 native of that county, was born February 
 4, 1803, a son of Joel Allen, who was a sol- 
 dier in the Revolutionary war and who was 
 wounded while in the ranks. They were 
 related to the noted Ethan Allen. Truman 
 Allen married Susan Cook, a native of Essex 
 county and a daughter of Leonard Cook, 
 and some years after their marriage they 
 removed to \\'inncbago county, Illinois, and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 439 
 
 settled near Rockton. Subsequently they 
 came still further west and took up their 
 abode in Buchanan county, Iowa, where 
 Truman Allen died, September, 20, 1877. 
 His wife was born May 10, 1806, and died 
 November 29, 1885. He was a farmer and 
 lumber dealer, was a great Bible student 
 and active member of the Methodist Jipis- 
 copal Church. They had a large family of 
 children, namely: Leonard, Denis, Patrick 
 Henry, George, Jane, Maria, Wealthy, 
 Phoebe, Addie H., Ellen and Lusaine. 
 
 P. H. Allen was reared in his native 
 county, in 1853 came west to Illinois, in 
 1854 to Iowa, and in 1856 came from Inde- 
 pendence, Iowa, to Faribault county, Min- 
 nesota. He came here in company with H. 
 H. Biglowe, who was for many years a 
 prominent citizen of the county and who 
 died in California. Mr. Allen lived near 
 Winnebago City for some years, and since 
 1883 he has resided on his present farm, 
 120 acres in section 15, Verona township. 
 Here he has good farm buildings and is suc- 
 cessfully engaged in general farming and 
 stock-raising. From his home is obtained 
 a fine view of the surrounding country. 
 
 Mr. Allen was married February 5, 1863, 
 in Winnebago City, to Miss Mary Forbes, 
 who was born at Burlington, Wisconsin, and 
 reared at Waupun, that State. She is a 
 daughter of B. F. Forbes, deceased. E.\- 
 tended mention of the Forbes family will be 
 found in the biography of her brother, B. F. 
 Forbes, in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Allen 
 have one child, BurtH., who is engaged in 
 farming and stock-raising with his father. 
 
 Mr. Allen gives his support to the Re- 
 publican party, and some years ago was one 
 of the wheel-horses of the party in Fari- 
 bault county. He was County Sheriff in 
 1864 and '5, filling the office witii credit 
 
 both to himself and his constituents. Of 
 recent years, however, he has not taken 
 an active part in jiolitical matters. Per- 
 sonally, he is frank and jovial, and possesses 
 many of the characteristics of the pioneer. 
 Few men in this part of the county are 
 better known or more highly esteemed than 
 is P. H. Allen. 
 
 Sr-» LOYD W. ALLEN, a carpenter 
 I I and joiner by trade and a contractor 
 ^I^J and builder, residing in the village 
 of Wells, is well known to be a 
 good mechanic and an honorable business 
 man and a competent and reliable builder. 
 
 He is a natix'e of Oswego county. New 
 York, born June 20, 1843, ^ son of Robert 
 R. Allen, who also was a native of that 
 State and of Irish stock, as was also his 
 wife, ncc Catharine Odekirk. Her father's 
 parents were Mohawk Dutch, and she was 
 reared in the Empire State. 
 
 Mr. Allen, the subject of this sketch, was 
 but two years old when the family removed 
 to Wisconsin, settling on Government land 
 at Oakfield, Fond du Lac count}', where 
 they improved the wild land and followed 
 agricultural pursuits. The father died in 
 middle life, at the age of forty-five years, 
 leaving a widow and five children, namely: 
 Sarah, living in Lamartine, Fond du Lac 
 county, Wisconsin; Hugh, who still owns 
 the old homestead in that State; Jerome, 
 who died at the age of thirty-si.x years, from 
 consumption contracted while in the army; 
 Uri, who also was a soldier in a Wisconsin 
 regiment during the late war, where he re- 
 ceived two guushot wounds; and Lloyd W., 
 our subject. Robert R. Allen was a Wis- 
 consin farmer for five years, and was a man- 
 ufacturer (if grindstones in New York State 
 
440 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 before coming to Wisconsin. Politically he 
 was a Whig. 
 
 Mr. Lloyd W. Allen remained on the 
 Wisconsin farm, receiving meanwhile his 
 school education, until the opening of the 
 war. November 19, 1863, he enlisted in 
 Company I, in the Thirty-seventh Wiscon- 
 sin Infantr_\', commanded by Colonel Her- 
 riman, and the company by Captain George 
 A. Beck. (Companies H. and I were made 
 recruits to an old regiment which had been 
 at the front for sometime.) Mr. Allen par- 
 ticipated in engagements at Cold Harbor and 
 Petersburg. Taken sick, he was confined 
 first at the field hospital and then at Alex- 
 andria, Virginia, near Washington, and at 
 length was transferred to the Haddington 
 hospital at Philadelphia. Chronic disease 
 seeming to be fastened upon him, he was 
 honorably discharged from the service in 
 July, 1865; but previously, while in the 
 service, he held for a time a commission for 
 recruiting. During his army life he also 
 lost a toe, by an accident. 
 
 Returning to his Wisconsin home, he 
 never recovered his health, and learned the 
 carpenter's trade. He came to Wells in 
 1878, since which time this has been his 
 home. 
 
 He was married October 29, 1862, in 
 Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, to Miss Lury J. 
 Hall, a lady of a good family and a popular 
 school-teacher, born in Washington county. 
 New York. Her father, Joseph N. Hall, 
 son of Wanton T. Hall, and grandson of 
 Elisha Hall, was a Revolutionary soldier, 
 and her mother's maiden name was Polly 
 Elsworth. She was the daughter of Noah 
 Day, a Revolutionary soldier, and both were 
 natives of New York State. Her mother 
 died April 17, 1892, at the age of seventy- 
 nine years. Mr. and Mrs. Hall had five 
 
 children, viz. : Jacob, Roswell, Albert, Lury 
 J. (Mrs. Allen), and Noah. Mr. Hall came 
 to Wells in 1880. In his political views he 
 is a Democrat, and in religious principles 
 he coincides with the Baptist Church; but 
 his wife was reared a Congregationalist. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Allen ha\e seven children liv- 
 ing, namely: Joseph, Charles, Albert (a 
 teacher of this county); Hugh, Wilbur, 
 Lury and Maud; Frederick died at the age 
 of two years. 
 
 Mr. Allen formerly voted as a Demo- 
 crat, but is now a Republican. He is a 
 member of Ransom Post, No. 165, G. A. 
 R , of which he is at present the Com- 
 mander, and his son, Albert, is also Com- 
 mander of the Post of Sons of Veterans. 
 Mrs. Allen was President of the Relief Corps 
 for the year 1894. Mr. Allen is also a mem- 
 ber of the society of Modern Woodmen of 
 America, and of the Odd Fellows order. 
 
 aHARLES E. WOOD, Postmaster 
 of Tenhassen, is a native of Rox- 
 bur\-, Massachusetts, and a son of 
 John M. and Mary A. (Finch) 
 Wood, natives of Nova Scotia. After mar- 
 riage the parents located at Ro.xbury, Mas- 
 sachusetts, but in 1S56 removed to Rice 
 county, Minnesota, in 1886 located in Man- 
 kato, this State, and in 1889 went to Wash- 
 ington, where the father died in F'ebruary, 
 1 89 1 . The mother still resides there. They 
 had seven children, three now living, — 
 Charles E., William H. and Albert E. 
 Three of the sons served in the Civil war, — 
 Charles E., John E. and William H. John 
 E. died in the service and was buried at 
 Fort Abercrombic. 
 
 Charles IC. Wood, the subject of this 
 sketch, came to Minnesota at the age of 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 441 
 
 fourteen years. In September, 1861, he 
 enlisted for service in the late war. cnterinfj 
 Company B, Third Minnesota \'ohmteer 
 Infantry, as a private. He was engaged in 
 guard duty on the Louisville & Nashville 
 Railroad until the spring of 1S62, when he 
 went to Nashville, serving as a guard for 
 Andrew Johnson, Military Governor of Ten- 
 nessee, and next was engaged in guard duty 
 in Murfreesboro. Then, in July, 1862, the 
 regiment was captured b}' Forrest, but after- 
 ward paroled and sent to Benton Barracks, 
 and next came to Minnesota to fight the In- 
 dians, taking part in the battle of Wood 
 Lake. The regiment next went south to 
 Cairo, Illinois, thence to Columbus and 
 Fort Hymen, Kentucky, took part in the 
 siege of \'icksburg, and in the Little Rock 
 expedition under Steele. Mr. Wood served 
 as -Provost Guard at the latter place. In 
 the spring of 1864 he went to Pine Bluff, 
 Arkansas, next returned home on veteran 
 furlough, then went to Devall's Bluff; Ar- 
 kansas, on detached service, and was dis- 
 charged in September, 1865, having served 
 as Orderly Sergeant one year. Mr. Wood 
 was never absent from his regiment a single 
 day during his four years' service. 
 
 After returning from the army he re- 
 sumed farming, and in 1875 he located on 
 an unimproved farm in Tenhassen township, 
 Martin county, Minnesota. Five years ago 
 he came to the village of Tenhassen. 
 In his political relations Mr. Wood affiliates 
 with the Republican party. He has held 
 the positions of Supervisor, Justice of the 
 Peace five years. Assessor ten years. Census 
 Enumerator in 1890, and since 1890 has 
 served as Postmaster. Socially, he has 
 been a member of the G. A. R. for twenty- 
 four }'ears. 
 
 In June, 1866. Mr. Wood was united in 
 
 marriage with Miss Hattie M. Ayres, a na- 
 tive of Ohio and a daughter of Almon P. 
 Ayres. Her death occurred August 24, 
 1870, at the age of twenty-eight years, leav- 
 ing one daughter. Bertha Mary, wife of A. 
 S. Wiley, of Hamlin, Minnesota. They 
 have two children. In October, 1873, Mr. 
 Wood married Mary E. Graham, born in 
 Wisconsin, September 3, 1856, a daughter 
 of E. B. and Jane (Hoffman) Graham, who 
 reside in Fairmont. 
 
 aK. B .\ X T E R, a grain-buyer of 
 Wells, Minnesota, was born in the 
 town of Ferrisburg, Addison coun- 
 ty, Vermont, on the 15th of July, 
 1 841, and traces his ancestry back in direct 
 line to Dr. Richard Baxter, of England, the 
 eminent divine and author of the celebrated 
 religious v\'ork known as Baxter's "Saints'' 
 Rest. " The paternal grandfather, Elihu B. 
 Baxter, was also a native of the Green 
 Mountain State, and during his active life 
 preached the gospel, continuing the work of 
 the ministry until advanced age caused his 
 retirement. He served as a soldier in the 
 war of 18 I 2, and participated in the battle 
 of Plattsburg. He died in Illinois, when 
 past the age of eighty-five, and his wife, who 
 bore the maiden name of Clara Field, and 
 came of an old New England family, was 
 called to her final rest in 1859. 
 
 Their son, Benjamin S. Baxter, father 
 of C. K., was born in Vermont in 1808, and 
 in early life was educated for the ministry of 
 the Congregational Church. During a long 
 life he preached the gospel, and many were 
 led to walk in the better way through his 
 labors. The first forty years of his life were 
 passed in the State of his nativity, and he 
 then remoNct! to northern New York, where 
 
442 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 he continued until 1855, at which time he 
 came to the West, settHng first in St. Charles, 
 Kane count}', Illinois, where he remained for 
 three years. In 1859 he went to La Crosse 
 count}', Wisconsin, and subsequently re- 
 moved to Juneau county, that State. His 
 ministry in Illinois and Wisconsin was in the 
 cause of the Home Missionary Society, and 
 he preached up to the time of his death, which 
 occurred in Mauston, Wisconsin, in 1878. 
 He had rounded the Psalmist's span of three- 
 score years and ten, and death ended a long 
 and useful career. Many lives were enriched 
 through his influence, and the world is bet- 
 ter for his having lived. His most estimable 
 wife, who in her maidenhood was Sophia 
 Strong, was born in \'ermont, in 1806, and 
 was a daughter of Moses Strong, a native of 
 Scotland, who in early life crossed the briny 
 deep to America and spent his remaining days 
 in Vermont, reaching a ripe old age. Mrs. 
 Baxter died in 1869, at the age of si.xty- 
 three. Nine children were born to Benja- 
 min S. and Sophia (Strong) Baxter, five of 
 whom are yet living, including the gentle- 
 man whose name heads this record. The 
 others are Benjamin F. , who is living in 
 Bangor, W'isconsin; Laura M., wife of 
 Charles Newton, also of Bangor; Eineline 
 K., widow of George Barry, and a resident of 
 Black River Falls, Wisconsin; and Mrs. 
 Mary A. Filkins of Bangor. 
 
 C. K. Baxter was yet quite young when 
 his parents removed to New York, and was 
 a youth of fourteen at the time of his arrival 
 in Illinois. Reared amid the frontier scenes 
 of the West he imbibed much of its pro- 
 gressive and enterprising spirit, which, 
 added to a self-reliance and sturdy persever- 
 ance, has made him a splendid business 
 man. He gained a part of his education 
 during his three years' residence in Illinois 
 
 and completed it in Wisconsin, taking a 
 high-school course. 
 
 He remained with his parents until after 
 the breaking out of the late war, when his 
 patriotic spirit would permit him no longer 
 to remain contentedly at home, and he 
 joined the Union army. In September, 1 86 1 , 
 he donned the blue as a member of First 
 Wisconsin Battery Light Artillery, serving 
 as bugler for more than three years. His 
 command went first to Kentucky, participat- 
 ed in the engagements at Cumberland Ford 
 and Cumberland Gap, where their supplies 
 were cut off, and they were obliged to fight 
 their way through the Rebel lines to the Ohio. 
 They next went on an expedition up the 
 Big Kanawha valley in West \'irginia, and 
 on a raid to drive the Rebels out of the val- 
 ley and destroy the Rebel salt works. 
 Transported thence to Memphis, Tennessee, 
 they then joined Sherman's army in the ex- 
 pedition against Vicksburg, going by way of 
 Chickasaw Bayou. In this they failed. 
 The next expedition in which they 
 were successful was that against Arkansas 
 Post, were they captured the fort and 
 some seven thousand prisoners. The Missis- 
 sippi campaign followed, and the First 
 Wisconsin Battery took part in the battles 
 of Port Gibson, Champion Hills, Black 
 River Bridge and the siege of \'icksburg, in 
 which Mr. Baxter was wounded. Later he 
 participated in the battles of Jackson, the 
 engagements lasting several days and ending 
 in a Rebel defeat. Returning then to 
 Vicksburg the command went thence to 
 New Orleans, and in the following spring 
 went up the Red river to Alexandria, where 
 they were engaged in skirmishing. The 
 First Wisconsin Battery formed a part of 
 the rear guard in the retreat from Alexan- 
 dria to the Mississippi, which was the last 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 443 
 
 active enf:;agement of that campaign. Mr. 
 Baxter was soon discharged, after three 
 years and three months of active service, 
 having passed through many vicissitudes in 
 the field, and suffering untold hardships, the 
 effects of which will remain with him 
 through life. He was mustered out at Mad- 
 ison, Wisconsin, having come from New 
 Orleans to New York with prisoners that 
 had been taken at Mobile. Fidelity to duty 
 characterized his military career, and the 
 Union cause was ably supported by his loyal 
 service. 
 
 Upon his return to civil pursuits Mr. 
 Baxter began grain-buying in Bangor, 
 Wisconsin, and later went to Trempealeau 
 county, where for ten years he carried on 
 farming. On the expiration of that period 
 he removed to the city of La Crosse and 
 worked in a grain elevator for several years. 
 This brought him experience in that line of 
 trade and well fitted him for carrying on 
 operations on his own account along that 
 line. In the autumn cf 1883 he came to 
 Wells, which has since been his place of 
 abode, and here he manages the grain-buy- 
 ing business for the W. W. Cargill Company, 
 of La Crosse. 
 
 Mr. Baxter has been twice married. In 
 1869 he was joined in wedlock with Jane 
 Watson, of Trempealeau county, Wiscon- 
 sin, daughter of David S. Watson. She died 
 February 23, 1885, leaving an adopted 
 daughter, Nellie. He was again married 
 April 4, 1888, to Anna Robinson, a daugh- 
 ter of Nathaniel Robinson and a native of 
 Onondaga county. New York. One child 
 graces their home, named Alma R. Mr. 
 Baxter has always been a Republican of 
 pronounced views since attaining his ma- 
 jority, and is now serving as City Treasurer 
 of Wells. He takes considerable interest in 
 
 civic societies, and for many years has been 
 a leading member of the Masonic fraternity, 
 having been initiated into the mysteries of 
 that order in 1S68. He now belongs to 
 Doric Lodge, No. 87, F. & A. M., of Wells, 
 has filled nearly all its offices and is now 
 serving his second term as Master. He 
 also belongs to the Ancient Order of United 
 Workmen, and is Past Master of the local 
 lodge with which he is connected. A prom- 
 inent and consistent member of the Presby- 
 terian Church, he is now serving as Elder. 
 His life is in harmony with his profession, 
 and he takes a deep interest in church and 
 benevolent work and in everything that 
 tends to promote the welfare of the human 
 race. He is a man of such whole-souled 
 geniality and so much real friendly interest 
 in humanity that he attracts and gains the 
 favorable opinion of all with whom he comes 
 in contact. His public spirit has been 
 many times demonstrated, and his interest 
 in everything that pertains to the growth 
 and welfare of his adopted city is deep and 
 abiding. 
 
 ^V'^AVID SOPER, a farmer residing 
 I I on section 30, Fox I^ake township, 
 /^^^ Martin county, was born in Port 
 Hope, Ontario, Canada, March 2, 
 1854, a son of David P. and Sophia (Sma- 
 dus) Soper. The grandparents of the sub- 
 ject of this notice, Leonard and Mary 
 Soper, were natives of Vermont, and after 
 their marriage mo\ed to Canada, where 
 they passed the remainder of their lives. 
 For twenty-five years Mr. Soper followed 
 the occupation of sailor, his \essel plying be- 
 tween the ports on Lake Ontario. Their 
 family numbered three children, viz.: 
 Eunice; David P., and Hiram. David P. 
 
444 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Soper, father of our subject, was born at 
 Prescott, Ontario, March 17, 18 18, andHke 
 his father followed the occupation of sailor 
 for several years. On the 5th of Septem- 
 ber, 1840, he was married, at Toronto, On- 
 tario, to Sophia Smadus, who was born at 
 Prescott, Ontario, July 20, 1820. Their 
 family was as follows: Eliza Ann, who 
 was born December 3, 1841, and is the wife 
 of Harlan J. Farnsworth, of Fairmont, 
 Minnesota; Philander W. , born December 
 5, 1S43, served as a soldier during the Civil 
 war, in Company D, Second Minnesota 
 Cavalry, and now lives in California ; Leon- 
 ard N., born September 24, 1845, served in 
 the Tenth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, is 
 deceased; Mary, born March 2, 1847, is also 
 deceased; Dorothy A., born August 17, 
 1852, is the wife of Frank A. Trumble, of 
 Fox Lake township, Martin county; David, 
 of this sketch; Franklin L., born August 16, 
 1858, resides in Missouri; and Alfred F. , 
 born April 6, 1866, died in infancy. All 
 the children were born in Port Hope, On- 
 tario, except the two 30ungest, who were 
 born in Fillmore countj', Minnesota. 
 
 In the fall of 1855 Mr. Soper emigrated 
 with his family to Fillmore county, Minne- 
 sota, and turned his attention to farming, 
 remaining there until the spring of 1866, 
 when he moved to Martin county, locating 
 on the northeast quarter of section 6, Man- 
 yaska township. During the Ci\il war he 
 enlisted in the Ninth Iowa \'ahmteer Infan- 
 try, Company H, in which he served for a 
 time. After his return from the army he 
 resumed farming in Martin county. Mrs. 
 Soper died at her home in Manyaska town- 
 ship, July 13. 1870. Early in 1875 Mr. 
 Soper sold out and moved to Winona county, 
 where his death occurred in March of that 
 year. 
 
 I 
 
 Of Mr. Soper's maternal grandparents he 
 knows but little beyond the fact that his 
 grandmother Smadus was twice married. 
 Her first husband's name was Mitchell, by 
 whom she had one child, Elsie. After the 
 death of Mr. Mitchell she married Seth 
 Smadus, and bore him three children, — 
 Sophia, Dorothy and Samuel. 
 
 David Soper, whose name heads this 
 mention, accompanied his father to Winona 
 county, and after the death of the latter 
 returned to Martin county, in 1876. He 
 located a homestead of eighty acres, — the 
 north half of the northeast quarter of sec- 
 tion 32, Fox Lake township, and secured 
 title to this tract January 10, 1885. In 
 1 88 1 he took a tree claim of eighty acres, 
 lot I, section 30, Fox Lake township, and 
 in 1884 and '5 planted his grove. He 
 moved from his homestead to this tree claim 
 in 1890 and still resides on it. 
 
 Mr. Soper was married May 21, 1887, 
 to Esther Elizabeth Trumble. Her father, 
 Harvey W. Trumble, was born April 11, 
 1840; and her mother, Esther A. Trumble. 
 March 21, 1845. They reside on a farm in 
 this county. Their children are: Frank A., 
 born March 5, i 867; Esther Elizabeth, born 
 May 21, 1869; George Samuel, August 12, 
 1871; William Riley, October 14, 1873. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Soper have two children: 
 George Roy, born September 21, 1891 ; and 
 Fred Franklin, September 10, 1894. 
 
 o 
 
 RIN F. SOUTH WICK has been 
 numbered among the prominent 
 and honored citizens of Wells 
 since June, i 870, — a leader in com- 
 mercial circles, in church and temperance 
 work, and a prominent factor in all that 
 ]">ertains to the welfare and advancement of 
 
FAKIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 445 
 
 the community or tends to promote the 
 general welfare. The talents of the suc- 
 cessful business man must be varied. He must 
 possess not only energy, perseverance and 
 determination, but must also have the tact to 
 meet all classes of people and please the 
 various and varied tastes, which are always 
 met in an extensive contact with the public. 
 
 A native of New York, Mr. Southwick 
 was born in Mooers, Clinton county, Oc- 
 tober 13, 1 83 1, and descends from good old 
 Revolutionary stock and from sterling New 
 England ancestry. Lawrence Southwick, 
 the progenitor of the Southwick family in 
 America, came to New England from Lan- 
 cashire, England. The noble character of 
 his wife Cassandra has been portrayed in 
 one of Whittier's most beautiful poems, 
 bearing her name. The grandfather of our 
 subject, David Southwick, was a native of 
 Williamstown, Massachusetts, and after the 
 breaking out of the Revolution joined the 
 Colonial army and aided in the struggle 
 which brought liberty to the most glorious 
 republic upon the face of the globe. He 
 married Betsey Stacy, also a native of the 
 Bay State, and in 1805 moved to Mooers, 
 New York, where he followed agricultural 
 pursuits. 
 
 Orin Southwick, their son, and the father 
 of Orin F., was born in the Green Mountain 
 State and was about sixteen years of age 
 when his parents moved to Clinton county, 
 New York. He received a good education 
 engaged in mercantile pursuits and in the 
 lumber business, in which his operations 
 became extensive and were financially suc- 
 cessful. When this countr\' again entered 
 into war with England, his spirit of patriot- 
 ism was aroused, and he participated in the 
 warofi8i2. His long life was well spent, 
 and he passed away at the advanced age of 
 
 ninety-three years. He was married to 
 Hannah Stone, whose father was one of the 
 five 3'oung men that surve\ed and platted 
 the site where now stands the city of Ot- 
 tawa, Ontario. She was a devoted wife 
 and a much-loved mother, whose Christian 
 character and high moral conceptions of 
 noble womanhood were transmitted to her 
 children. Of their family of twelve children, 
 ten reached years of maturity, namely: Ed- 
 ward; O. P., whose name heads this record; 
 David H., Horatio, William 14., Elbridge; 
 Marion, Titus, Pliny and Flora. 
 
 ^^'e take great pleasure in presenting to 
 our readers the life record of Orin F. South- 
 wick, knowing that it will prove of interest 
 to many, as his circle of friends and ac- 
 quaintances is so extensive in this part of the 
 State. He remained under the parental 
 roof until he had attained his majority and 
 aided in the labors of clearing and improv- 
 ingthe farm. He acquired a good education, 
 his early training in the common schools be- 
 ing supplemented by study in the Champlain 
 Academy and Fort Edward College. For 
 some time afterward he successfully engaged 
 in teaching, following that profession in 
 Mooers and Champlain, and was a member 
 of the first teachers' institute held in Clinton 
 county, New York, also assisted in organiz- 
 ing the first teachers' association in that 
 county, acting as one of the committee on 
 organization. His first speculation, on an 
 extensive scale, was in the purchase of corn 
 by the car-load in Ogdensburg, New York, 
 which he shipped to Centerville. 
 
 On the 9th of May, 1859, Mr. South- 
 wick bade adieu to his home and friends 
 and left his native town for the West. A 
 visit with relatives in Wisconsin was his in- 
 troduction to Western life and customs. 
 Crossing the Mississippi for the first time at 
 
446 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Prairie du Chien, he then went by stage into 
 Iowa and spent a few weeks at Burr Oak. 
 engaging to teach the Burr Oak Institute, 
 the school opening in the following Septem- 
 ber. Within his two weeks' stay there he 
 secured a quantity of provisions and started 
 across the almost untraveled country to 
 Freeborn, Minnesota. This was really the 
 beginning of his mercantile ventures. His 
 only companion on this trip was the team- 
 ster he had hired to transport the provisions. 
 The country was so wild and unsettled they 
 were obliged to camp out nights and prepare 
 their own meals. On the morning of June 
 8th he arrived at Freeborn and was joyfully 
 received by his brother Da\id. In the sum- 
 mer he pre-empted 160 acres of land, enter- 
 ing his claim at the land office in Chatfield, 
 ninety miles distant. He was accompanied 
 by Joel Southvvick, and they went with 
 teams and loaded back with merchandise. 
 For some time he continued thus to deal, 
 and found it a very profitable undertaking. 
 He was joined in his business by his brother 
 David, and thus was formed the firm of 
 Southwick Brothers, which became prom- 
 inently known throughout the southern part 
 of the State. In the latter part of .'\ugust, 
 he returned to Burr Oak, Iowa, to meet his 
 engagement with the institution at that place, 
 and for two years he successfully presided 
 over that school, and it was with reluctance 
 that the trustees accepted his resignation, 
 when he was re-called to Minnesota. Dur- 
 ing the summer of i 860 he was employed by 
 the State Superintendent to conduct the first 
 teachers' institute in Winnesheik county, 
 Iowa. 
 
 In the spring of 1861 the mercantile 
 business in Freeborn demanded his atten- 
 tion, and on the 3d of May he stepped from 
 the stage at that place. The war was then 
 
 in progress and the financial crisis was upon 
 the country. The banks of Illinois and 
 Wisconsin had many of them failed, and 
 bank notes had depreciated forty per cent, 
 but the credit of the Southwick Brothers 
 was unlimited, and they were thus enabled 
 to secure all the goods needed in spite of 
 the monej' market. Business began to im- 
 prove with increased immigration to this 
 place, and money was accumulated which 
 made the firm one of the most reliable and 
 substantial concerns of southern Minnesota. 
 All goods had to be hauled from the Missis- 
 sippi river, a distance of ninety miles, and 
 several teams were employed to take wheat, 
 hides, etc., to Hastings, and to bring back 
 the merchandise. The reservation of the 
 Winnebago Indians was near by, and the 
 Southwick Brothers received much of their 
 trade, exchanging goods for furs and feath- 
 ers. In connection with his other interests 
 Mr. Southwick, of this sketch, who under- 
 stood surveying, spent some time in survey- 
 ing and platting roads and subdividing tim- 
 ber lots. He was also elected and served 
 as County Superintendent of Schools of 
 Freeborn county. 
 
 \\"hen the Southern Minnesota Railroad 
 was built it passed about seven miles south 
 of Freeborn, and in consequence the thriv- 
 ing little city dwindled and died. The firm 
 of Southwick Brothers, on seeing the effect 
 this would have on trade, then erected a 
 large store at Wells and admitted to part- 
 nership two young men, Messrs. Huntle\' 
 and Terhune, opening their new and exten- 
 sive establishment on the 6th of June, 1870. 
 The future seemed bright and business 
 promised good, but in September David 
 Southwick died, leaving the business in 
 Wells and Freeborn under the exclusive 
 management of O. F. Southwick. Not 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 447 
 
 long after the latter gentleman sold to his 
 younger brothers, Titus and Pliny, the Free- 
 born store, and bought out his partners in 
 the Wells store, from which time he carried 
 on operations alone, and in his undertakings 
 met with marked success. The volume of 
 his transactions often reached as high as 
 $40,000 a year. In 1888 he sold out and 
 retired from active commercial life. Since 
 that time he has been engaged in real-es- 
 tate, money-lending and insurance business. 
 He has owned large tracts of rich farming 
 land, carrying on agricultural pursuits on an 
 extensive scale. He assisted in the organi- 
 zation of the First National Bank of \\'ells 
 and the German American Bank. In both 
 institutions he has held office, and at the 
 present time is vice-president of the German 
 American Bank of Wells, Minnesota. 
 
 In August, 1867, Mr. Southwick was 
 united in marriage with Mary E. Benson, a 
 lady of intellectual tastes and artistic pur- 
 suits, daughter of Rev. John Benson, a 
 pioneer minister in Minnesota of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, who preached the 
 first sermon in Minneapolis. He was a zeal- 
 ous and efficient worker in the Lord's vine- 
 yard, and for over fifty years devoted his 
 life to the work of the ministry. He mar- 
 ried Margaret Moore, who still survives her 
 husband and now resides in Minneapolis. 
 She was the daughter of Goff Moore, 
 who served as aide-de-camp to his father, 
 Colonel Moore, who, at the fall of General 
 Warren, at the battle of Bunker Hill, took 
 the command of the Federal forces. Mrs. 
 Benson is one of the few surviving daughters 
 of the Revolution. The Benson family came 
 to the West from Maine, and Mary E. was 
 educated at Hamline University and subse- 
 quently engaged in teaching. Mr. South- 
 wick, always a student, in later life graduated 
 
 in the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific 
 Circle. Both are scholarly people of literary 
 tastes and attainments and have given to 
 their children excellent educational advant- 
 ages. They have four children: Gertrude, 
 who graduated at Hamline University in the 
 class of 1888, and is now the wife of J. F. 
 Kingsland; Cladius, who graduated at the 
 high school at the age of si.xteen and at 
 Hamline University in 1894, is now studying 
 law and attending lectures in Minneapolis at 
 the University of Minnesota; Marie F., who 
 is a promising musician, pursuing a course 
 in that art at Cornell College, Iowa; and O. 
 F., Jr., a boy of twelve years, completes 
 the family. 
 
 In politics Mr. Southwick is a Prohibi- 
 tionist and has served as Mayor of Wells for 
 two terms, the city prospering imder his able 
 administration. He was elected by the tem- 
 perance and moral elsment of the town with 
 which he has ever identified himself. He is 
 one of the most prominent and acti\e mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal' Church, of 
 which he has been a Trustee since its organ- 
 ization. For fifteen consecutive years he 
 has ser\ed as Superintendent of the Sunday- 
 school. 
 
 In every improvement of the public 
 schools he has always been a leader, and 
 has been a member of the School Board for 
 the past fourteen years. Personally, Mr. 
 Southwick is a man of commanding appear- 
 ance. He is intelligent and affable, frank 
 and genial. His name is untarnished by 
 even the slightest reproach to his character, 
 and his business career has been a clean 
 record of honest and fair dealing. Unosten- 
 tatious in his charities, Mr. Southwick has 
 provided food and clothing for many poor 
 families in Faribault county. Moved in 
 compassion toward his unfortunate debtors. 
 
44« 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 many of their obligations he has canceled, 
 and he is now rich in the love and gratitude 
 of the people he has befriended. 
 
 ,>^OBERT WILKINSON, a repre- 
 I /^ sentative farmer of Nashville town- 
 M . r ship and one of the early settlers of 
 Martin county, was born in York- 
 shire, England, on the 27th of April, 1829, 
 and is a son of Robert and Mary (Briggs) 
 Wilkinson, who were also natives of York- 
 shire. In 1834 they crossed the briny deep 
 to the New World, made their way to Mil- 
 waukee, Wisconsin, and settled on a farm 
 in Waukesha county, in 1S37, where the 
 father died, at the age of seventy-four, while 
 his wife departed this life at the age of sev- 
 enty-seven years. Eight of their twelve 
 children grew to years of maturity and still 
 survive. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record is the oldest of the family, and was a 
 child of five summers when with his parents 
 he came to America. He remained at home 
 with his parents until twenty-four years of 
 age, then went to Missouri, where he spent 
 a year, working as a farm hand by the 
 month. Returning then to the Badger 
 State, he was employed by his father 
 for a year, when he removed to Adams 
 county, Wisconsin, and took up land from 
 the Government. There he improved a 
 farm, keeping "bachelor's hall " until his 
 marriage, on the 20th of November, 1855, 
 the lady of his choice being Jerusha E. 
 Steele, who was born in Oneida county. 
 New York, August 19, 1838, a daughter of 
 C. M. Steele, who was born either in Con- 
 necticut or New York. Her mother, whose 
 maiden name was Helen R. Seaton, was a 
 native of England and came to America 
 
 when about twelve j'cars of age. They be- 
 came the parents of nine daughters and 
 three sons, and Mrs. Wilkinson was also the 
 eldest in her family. From the age of 
 twelve she resided in W'isconsin, five years 
 being passed in Dodge county, after which 
 she removed to Adams county, where later 
 she was married. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson located on a 
 farm in Lincoln township, that count}-, 
 which our subject managed until 1864, — 
 the year of his removal to Martin county. 
 Minnesota. Here he obtained a homestead 
 claim, a wild tract of land on which not a 
 furrow had been turned or an improvement 
 made. There were no trees upon the place, 
 and the arduous task of developing and im- 
 proving a new farm has all been performed 
 by the owner. The land was plowed and 
 planted, and he now has 300 acres in a 
 good state of cultivation, while substantial 
 buildings stand as monuments to his thrift 
 and enterprise. He is recognized as one of 
 the prosperous as well as one of the most 
 practical and progressive farmers and stock- 
 raisers of Nashville township. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wilkinson had a family 
 of six children: Charles ^^^, who married 
 Sarah M. Bowler and has seven children; 
 Mary E., wife of Orin \V. Bacon, of Nash- 
 ville township, by whom she has three chil- 
 dren; Ella E., wife of George W. Sprague, 
 of Westford township, Martin county, and 
 the mother of four children; Robert C, 
 at home; Benjamin W., who married Es- 
 tella M. Harris and has two children; and 
 Edward H., who completes the family and 
 aids in the cultivation of the home farm. 
 
 Mr. Wilkinson has long exercised his 
 right of franchise in support of the men 
 and measures of the Republican party, but 
 has never been a politician in the sense 
 

FARIBAULT, MARTI.\\ WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 452 
 
 of office-seeking. He holds membership in 
 the United Brethren Church, has filled sev- 
 eral of its offices, is a liberal contributor to 
 its support and a most active and earnest 
 worker in its interest. 
 
 >^OHN C. PRATT. Probate Judge, 
 m Fairmont, Minnesota, was born in 
 A J Montgomery count}', New York, 
 January 4, 1830, and when he was 
 four years old the family moved to Catta- 
 raugus county. His parents, Darius and 
 Jariet (Morrow) Pratt, were natives, respec- 
 tively, of Massachusetts and Schoharie 
 county. New York. 
 
 Darius Pratt was one of the pioneers of 
 Cattaraugus county. New York, and on his 
 frontier -farm the subject of our sketch was 
 reared, his educational advantages being 
 limited to three months a year in the little 
 log schoolhouse. Young Pratt remained 
 with his parents until he was twenty-one, 
 his time being chiefly occupied in chopping 
 and logging. In 1864 he came West and 
 took up his abode on a tract of new land in 
 Vernon township. Blue Earth county, Min- 
 nesota, where he resided until 1878. He 
 was there during the memorable "Indian 
 scare" of 1864. In 1878 he removed to 
 Martin county and settled on a farm in Rut- 
 land township, and until 1884 devoted his 
 lime and attention to its culti\atioii and im- 
 provement, this tract also being wild when 
 he located upon it. Since 1884 he has re- 
 sided in Fairmont. 
 
 Judge Pratt was married in 1850 to Lu- 
 cinda Cox, a native of Cattaraugus county. 
 New York, born January 31, 1833. She is 
 a daughter of Eli and Sophia (Williams) 
 Co.\. Her father was a native of New York 
 State, and her mother was born in Rutland, 
 
 23 
 
 Vermont, and was a descendant of Roger 
 Williams. 
 
 The Judge and his estimable wife are 
 the parents of the following named children: 
 Leila, wife of Rufus Cornish, has two chil- 
 dren: Emmet, who married Millie De Witt, 
 and has three children, resides in the State 
 of Washington; Seward, who married Lu 
 Bullard, has four children; Nelson, who 
 married Edna Tanner, resides in the State 
 of Washington; Minnie, wife of Barney 
 Ritchie, has three children: Eli, and Mar- 
 shall. 
 
 Fraternally Judge Pratt is identified with 
 the blue lodge, F. & A. M., in which he has 
 served as Junior Warden; and he is also a 
 member of the Modern Woodmen, having 
 an honorary membership in this organiza- 
 tion. At the time he attained his majority 
 his political views were those of the aboli- 
 tionist. Afterward he was a Republican, 
 later a Democrat, and now is an independ- 
 ent. He has all his life taken an active 
 interest in political matters. For a number 
 of years he held the office of Justice of the 
 Peace. In 1 886 he was elected Probate 
 Judge, which office he has filled continu- 
 ously since that date. Recently he was 
 again re-elected, this time by the largest 
 majority he has ever received, and this, too, 
 in a county strongly Republican. He also 
 retains the office of Justice of the Peace. 
 
 * ■ ^ ENRY HOLMES FOWLEK, a 
 1^*^^ retired farmer now living on section 
 \^r .i2, Westford township, Martin 
 county, is one of the honored 
 pioneers of this section of the State, his res- 
 idence here covering a period of thirty- 
 seven consecutive years, dating from 1857. 
 He lived here when Indians were frequent vis- 
 
454 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 itors in the neighborhood, when the few set- 
 tlers were widely scattered, and when wild 
 game, native to this section, was very abun- 
 dant. The story of life on the frontier is one 
 familiar to him, for he has passed through all 
 the hardships and experiences peculiar to 
 pioneer life. Now, in his declining days, 
 he is resting after life's labors in the enjoy- 
 ment of the fruits of his former toil. 
 
 In considering the life of this worthy 
 man, we note first that he is a descendant 
 from an old New England family that was 
 founded in Connecticut during the early his- 
 tory of that colony. His father, Osmer 
 Fowler, was a native of Durham, Middlesex 
 county, that State, as was his mother, who 
 bore the maiden name of Harriet Nettleton. 
 Her father, Lyphus Nettleton, was also 
 born in the Nutmeg State. The parents of 
 our subject were reared, married and spent 
 their entire lives in Durham, Middlesex 
 county. The father's death occurred some 
 ten years ago, but the mother is still living, 
 at the advanced age of ninety years. Their 
 family numbered ten children, — Henry 
 Holmes, Mary, Nelson, Wedsworth and 
 ■Wadsworth, twins, Osmer, Henrietta, Mar- 
 tha, and two now deceased. One of these, 
 Charles, was a soldier in the Mexican war 
 and died in the service. The family was 
 also represented in the war of the Rebellion 
 by four sons who wore the blue, — Weds- 
 worth, Wadsworth, Nelson and Osmer. 
 
 H. H. Fowler was born in Durham. 
 Middlesex county, Connecticut, April 14, 
 1827, and in the place of his nativitx' spent 
 his childhood days. He learned the black- 
 smith's trade-in his youth and followed it to 
 some extent, but was a burnisher of silver- 
 ware for fourteen years. He was the first 
 sihcr liiiniislicr in Meriden, Connecticut, 
 and did a ljockI business alnii'; that line. 
 
 Having arrived at years of maturity, Mr. 
 Fowler chose as a companion and helpmeet 
 on life's journey Adeline Parker, the mar- 
 riage being celebrated on the 2d of Novem- 
 ber, 1852. The lady was born in \\'alling- 
 ford, Connecticut, July 13, 1827, and is a 
 daughter of George and Thankful (Merwin) 
 Parker, the former a native of Connecticut, 
 and the latter of New York. They were 
 married and always lived in Connecticut 
 where the father carried on agricultural 
 pursuits. The grandfather, Asa Parker, 
 also spent his entire life in the same locality. 
 The father of Mrs. Fowler was called to the 
 home beyond in 1844, but her mother long 
 survived him, departing this life in 1882. 
 In their family were eight children, three of 
 whom are j'et living, — Mrs. Fowler, Harriet 
 and George L. One son, James Parker, 
 was a soldier in the Fifteenth Regiment of 
 Connecticut Volunteers during the Civil 
 war, was wounded at the battle of Chancel- 
 lorsville and died of his injuries at Fortress 
 Monroe. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Fowler became the happy 
 parents of seven children, but three have 
 been called from this life. Those still living 
 are Frankie, wife of Solomon Canright; 
 Charles E. , who married Alice Lattimer, 
 and with his wife and two children resides 
 in Winnebago Cit\'; Mary E., wife c)f David 
 Sargent, by whom she has one child, their 
 home being in Westford township; and 
 George, who is the youngest living. One 
 daughter, Abbie, became the wife of Henry 
 H. Blenco, and died leaving one child. 
 
 Mr. I'owler came to the West in 1857 
 and located upon his present farm. He 
 was joined the following year by his wife, 
 who was the lirst woman to locate per- 
 manently in the county, and there were but 
 t\\i) white men besides our subject. His 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 455 
 
 nearest neighbor was sixteen miles distant, 
 and there were man\' Indians in the neigh- 
 borhood, including Sioux and Winnebagoes. 
 At one time he spent the night in Winne- 
 bago City, in a log house twelve feet square, 
 where were entertained thirty people. Mr. 
 Fowler pre-empted his claim, built a log 
 cabin and commenced life on the frontier in 
 true pioneer style. He was Corporal of a 
 company at the time when the settlers had 
 to band themselves together in military or- 
 ganizations for protection against the red 
 men. For thirty-eight years he has lived 
 upon his present farm, but his property to- 
 day bears little resemblance to that which 
 came into his possession so long ago. He 
 now has i6o acres of very valuable land 
 under a high state of cultivation and im- 
 proved with good buildings and all other 
 modern accessories which are found upon 
 a model farm of the nineteenth century. 
 He is now living retired, enjoying a well 
 earned rest, and the competence which he 
 has acquired through his own labors is 
 amply sufficient for all his needs. 
 
 Mr. Fowler is a member of the Masonic 
 fraternity and was formerly connected with 
 the Grange. In his political connections he 
 is a Republican and has been quite promi- 
 nent in the local councils of his party. He 
 has served as Chairman of the Board of Su- 
 pervisors of Westford township and was the 
 first County Commissioner of Martin county. 
 The cause of education has ever found in 
 him a warm friend, and he has done effect- 
 ive service in its interest, especially during 
 his twenty-five years' service as School Di- 
 rector. The daughters have all taught school, 
 and Mary for nine years successfully fol- 
 lowed that profession. In early life he and 
 his wife held membership in the Congre- 
 gational Church, but now hold their mem- 
 
 bership in the Christian Church. Their 
 home has often been used as a place of wor- 
 ship by dififerent denominations, and they 
 have ever been foremost in promoting all 
 good works. Their earnest Christian lives, 
 their loyalty and honor in all things have won 
 them the deepest respect and confidence of 
 all with whom they have been brought in 
 contact, and the history of Martin county 
 would be incomplete without the record of 
 their lives. 
 
 BRANK T. BARBER, proprietor of 
 Barber's Livery, Feed and Sale 
 Barn at Heron Lake, has one of 
 the most popular livery barns in 
 Jackson county, keeping a good line of driv- 
 ing horses, speedy and safe, — both " single " 
 and "double" drivers; also all sorts of 
 vehicles, in the line of buggies, carriages 
 and wagons. Special attention is paid to 
 commercial travelers, and Mr. Barber is at 
 the service of the patronizing public at all 
 seasons of the year; and at night as well as 
 day. He also has careful drivers, well 
 acquainted with the country for many miles 
 in every direction. As a liveryman no more 
 popular one can be found in the State. 
 
 He was born in Saratoga county. New 
 York. July 15, 1870. His father, Mr. C. 
 Barber, was a well known and highly es- 
 teemed citizen of that county. He married 
 Lydia Dodd, who died in i.SKo, leaving 
 three children, viz.: Charles H., of Heron 
 Lake; Frank T. and Harry. 
 
 Mr. Barber, the subject of this sketch, 
 was brought up on the farm and educated in 
 the public schools. Afterward for seven 
 years he was employed by C. D. Sickler, a 
 prominent importer of ant! dealer in blooded 
 stock, — coach anil Norman-Percheron 
 
456 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 horses, Oxford sheep, etc. In 1892 he 
 came to Heron Lake, where he is enjjaged 
 as above described. 
 
 October 31, 1894. is the date of his 
 marriage to MiHie Humiston, a daughter of 
 J. F. Humiston, who is a well-known busi- 
 ness man of this place. He is a member of 
 Philadelphia Lodge, No. 157, I. O. O. F., 
 and Mrs. Barber belongs to the order of 
 Dautrhters of Rebekah. 
 
 ^y^HILLIP H.\RTMAN, a pioneer of 
 1 # 1856, was born in Stark county, 
 ^ Ohio, November 6, (825, a son of 
 
 James and Mary (Egler) Hartman, 
 natives of Pennsylvania. The father was a 
 shoemaker by trade, and when Phillip was a 
 young child his parents moved to Colum- 
 biana county, Ohio, where he grew to man- 
 hood, and learned the shoemaker's trade in 
 his father's shop. He worked for the farm- 
 ers of the neighborhood during the summer 
 months, and attended school in the winter. 
 In the spring of 1853, at the age of twenty- 
 eight years, he left his native State for Rock 
 county, Wisconsin, where he worked on a 
 farm during the summer, and in the follow- 
 ing fall removed to Fayette count}', Iowa. 
 In the summer of 1856 he came to Faribault 
 county, Minnesota, arriving in Winnebago 
 City township on August 3, where he filed a 
 claim under the pre-emption law on sections 
 10 and 15, but at the time of the Indian 
 massacre of 1862 he sold his claim. Mr. 
 Hartman then returned and spent the winter 
 in F'ayette county, Iowa, and in the spring 
 of 1863, on his return to Winnebago City 
 township, he purchased a claim to 160 acres 
 on section 7, and during the first winter here 
 worked a part of the time at his trade, hav- 
 ing made the first pair of boots in this town- 
 
 ship. He is now practically retired from 
 active labor. 
 
 Mr. Hartman has been three times mar- 
 ried, — first January 11,1 849, in Ohio, to Miss 
 Barbara Sanders, and they had one daugh- 
 ter, Mar\', now the wife of Darius Douglas, 
 of Kansas. Mrs. Hartman died June 19, 
 1852, and, in Fayette county, Iowa, our 
 subject was united in marriage with Eliza- 
 beth Catherine Jamison. They had four 
 children, viz.: Joseph J., a farmer of Nash- 
 ville, Martin county, Minnesota; James J., 
 engaged in the same occupation in the same 
 county; Loren E., who farms the old home- 
 stead; and Susie, wife of Edward A. Per- 
 man, of St. Paul. The wife and mother de- 
 parted this life April 3, 1877. December 
 31, 1 88 1, Mr. Hartman married Matilda 
 (Robinsj Hill, a native of Granville county, 
 Ontario, and widow of A. R. Hill. By her 
 former marriage Mrs. Hartman had two 
 daughters: Emily Clarinda, wife of Freder- 
 ich J. Clark, of Rochester, New York; and 
 Trissie A., who died March 18, 1882. The 
 family are members of the United Brethren 
 Church. 
 
 * m ^ ON. JOHN P. BURKE, the present 
 
 l'^^ Representative from his district in 
 
 \ W the Minnesota Legislature and a 
 
 retired merchant of Wells, has had 
 
 an eventful life, and the record of his career 
 
 should prove not <mly of interest but also of 
 
 profit to the public if they will follow the 
 
 obvious lessons it contains. From the age 
 
 of seven he has practically been dependent 
 
 upon his own efforts, and his success is the 
 
 crown of labor. 
 
 Mr. Burke was born in New Jersey, near 
 the city of Trenton, March 18, 1842, and is 
 one of the five children of John and Ann 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 457 
 
 (Fay) Burke. In 1848, accompanied by 
 their children, the parents removed to Wis- 
 consin, which that year was admitted to the 
 Union, and in the spring months located in 
 Jefferson count}-, where in the month of June 
 both parents died very suddenly of t}phoid 
 fever. Thus the family was broken up, the 
 the children being bound out to service. 
 John P. , then only si.\ years of age, went to 
 live with James Rogan, of Watertown, the 
 lighthouse-keeper of Milwaukee, with whom 
 he remained one year; but, not satisfied with 
 the treatment he received, he left Mr. Rogan 
 and started out in life for himself. It was 
 early for a boy to be thus thrown upon his 
 own resources, being a lad of seven sum- 
 mers, but the sorrows and troubles of his 
 young life made him old and self-reliant be- 
 yond his years. He left with only seventy- 
 five cents in his pocket, and in company with 
 another youth, somewhat older than him- 
 self, he went by steamer (as a stowaway) 
 from Milwaukee to the city of Cleveland, 
 Ohio. After passing through many vicissi- 
 tudes and hardships and undergoing trials 
 which would seem entirely too much for the 
 average boy, he finally found a friend in D. 
 A. Odell, of that city, who gave him food 
 and shelter, found him occupation, and, 
 having no sons of his own, took him to his 
 home as his own boy. He was one of those 
 broadminded, benevolent men who recognise 
 the possibilities of good and can see admir- 
 able traits beneath a rough exterior. In 
 every respect he treated young Burke as a 
 son, clothed him, gave the best educational 
 advantages which the city afforded and won 
 the heartfelt gratitude of the young lad who 
 will ever hold in grateful remembrance his 
 benefactor. 
 
 Mr. Burke lived with Mr. Odell until he 
 had attained his majority and then again 
 
 started out for himself, returning to Wis- 
 consin, but after a few months he was taken 
 sick and made his way to Cleveland. In 
 the fall of 1865, during the oil excitement, 
 he went to Titusville, Pennsylvania. He 
 was at Pithole when there was not a house 
 there, but saw spring up a town of 1,000 in- 
 habitants. He engaged in the livery busi- 
 ness, but with the end of the boom his busi- 
 ness had to be suspended, for the place be- 
 came depopulated. He had thus far been 
 in the East and in the great Mississippi val- 
 ley, and now he made his way to the South, 
 locating in New Orleans, where he intended 
 starting in business, but his expectations 
 there, not being realized, after a short sta}' 
 in the Crescent City, he returned to Cleve- 
 land, Ohio. He made the journey by 
 steamer between Evansville and Cairo, and 
 the vessel on which he was a passenger was 
 blown up and then sank, resulting in the 
 death of fourteen persons, but Mr. Burke 
 escaped by being drawn up through a win- 
 dow. Coming out of this disaster in a deso- 
 late condition, he worked his way back to 
 Cleveland, and from that time until 1868 
 was there engaged in the livery business. 
 In 1868 he went to Columbus, Wisconsin, 
 where, for a }'ear, he carried on a meat 
 market, but was not satisfied there. 
 
 In June, 1869, Mr. Burke came to Min- 
 nesota. He met Colonel Thompson, the 
 land-owner and railroad man, and at his 
 request came to Wells, which at that time 
 was just being platted. He began making 
 brick here, but on account of a scarcity of 
 wood for fuel, the venture proved a failure. 
 The Wells Hotel was built that year, and in 
 1869 he accepted a position as its clerk, and 
 a few years afterward he bought the prop- 
 erty, after which he carried on the hotel 
 business for fi\e years, or until 1875, when he 
 
45 5> 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 sold out. His next venture was as a dealer in 
 machinery, and this proved very profitable, 
 he successfull}' carrying on operations along 
 that line until 1892, when he sold out and 
 retired on account of poor health. While 
 out hunting, in 1870, he was accidentally 
 shot, and, as a result, from that time the 
 right arm was useless. This greatly incapa- 
 citated him from labor, but nevertheless he 
 won a success which many an able-bodied 
 man could not achieve. 
 
 Mr. Burke was married June 25, 1876, 
 to Alice E. Andrews, daughter of Robert 
 Andrews. In his social relations Mr. Burke 
 is connected with Doric Lodge, No. 87, F. 
 & A. M., has been a member of the frater- 
 nity twenty years, and is Past Master of the 
 Lodge. He also belongs to Winnebago 
 Chapter and is a member of Albert Lea Com- 
 mandery. He belongs to Thompson Lodge, 
 Knights of Pythias, of Wells, and to the 
 Odd Fellows society, in which he has taken 
 all the degrees, having at one time been a 
 member of the Grand Lodge. With the 
 Order of Modern Woodmen he is also affil- 
 iated, and in these various societies he has 
 the respect and confidence of all. 
 
 In politics Mr. Burke has always been a 
 Republican and a stalwart advocate of the 
 party principles, doing all in his power to 
 promote the growth and insure the success 
 of his party. In the Congressional con- 
 vention of 1 894 he was nominated for the 
 position of Representative, and was elected 
 to the Legislature by a handsome majority, 
 although opposed by a strong Democratic 
 nominee who also was the nominee of both 
 the Prohibition and Populist parties. He is 
 now serving with ability and fidelity, and in 
 the General Assembly, as well as in the 
 community where he resides, his sterling 
 worth is recogni/ed. He served as the first 
 
 Town Clerk of Wells, was also Justice of 
 the Peace, and has therefore been insepara- 
 bly connected with municipal affairs. We 
 marvel at the career of such a man as Mr. 
 Burke, but prosperit}' has come to him as 
 the result of intrinsic worth, earnest applica- 
 tion, de\otion to his works and straightfor- 
 ward, honorable dealing. Hardships and 
 trials have been his lot; disaster has visited 
 him; but over all obstacles he has triumphed, 
 and " all is well." 
 
 ^^AMUEL LORING is numbered 
 •^^^k* among the early settlers of Martin 
 Y\^J county, and has witnessed the 
 greater part of its growth and 
 de\elopment, while in the work of upbuild- 
 ing and impro\ement he has ever borne his 
 part. The record of his life is as follows: 
 
 Mr. Loring was born in York county, 
 Maine, on the 21st of Januarj-, 1841, and 
 on the paternal side is of English descent. 
 His father. Rev. Joseph Loring, was born 
 in Maine, in 180;;, and devoted his life to 
 the work of the Congregational ministry. 
 For long years he continued his labors and 
 passed to the reward prepared for the right- 
 eous at the advanced age of eight\-seven 
 years and ten months. He married Susan 
 K. Hancock, a native of New Hampshire, 
 where her people had settled at a very early 
 day. Her father, John Hancock, was born 
 in the old Granite State, and was also of 
 English descent. To Mr. and Mrs. Loring 
 were born ten children, five sons and five 
 daughters, seven of whom reached years of 
 maturity. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record was the second of the family. He 
 was reared in tlie Pine Tree State until 
 twenty-foiu' years of age and acquired his 
 
FAIilBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 459 
 
 education in both the common and private 
 schools. At length he determined to try 
 his fortune in the West, and, bidding good- 
 bye to home and friends in Maine, he came 
 to Martin count}', Minnesota, in 1865. In 
 this locality he secured a farm, the same on 
 which he now resides, and for six years he 
 kept bachelor's hall. He then sought a 
 companion and helpmeet on life's journey, 
 and on the 25th of November, icSji, he was 
 united in marriage with Angie Tuttle, a native 
 of Winnebago countj', Wisconsin, born May 
 II, 1852. Her parents were Milo and Mary 
 A. (HoUis) Tuttle, the former a native of 
 New York and the latter of \'ermont. Emi- 
 grating westward they cast their lots with 
 the early settlers of Winnebago county. In 
 their family were eight children, the sixth 
 in order of birth being Mrs. Loring, who 
 was reared and educated in the place of her 
 nativity and became a successful school- 
 teacher. She was thus employed in Win- 
 nebago county, and for five terms taught in 
 Martin county. She is a most estimable 
 lady, cultured and refined, and is a leader 
 in the circle of society in which she moves. 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Loring have been born 
 six children: Minnie, who died at the age 
 of seven months; Addie, Arthur, Bell, Anna 
 and Ray. 
 
 Mr. Loring is now the owner of 240 
 acres of land, which he has placed under a 
 high state of cultivation. The improve- 
 ments which he has placed upon it are many 
 and valuable, adding also to the attractive 
 appearance of the place. He carries on 
 general farming, stock-raising and dairy 
 farming, and is doing a good business, his 
 capable management and well directed en- 
 terprise bringing him a success of which he is 
 highly deserving. His life has been a busy 
 and useful one. yet he has found time to 
 
 faithfully discharge his duties of citizenship. 
 Since Abraham Lincoln upheld the banner 
 of Republicanism, he has been one of the 
 members of the party and is a stanch advo- 
 cate of its principles. He has been hon- 
 ored with most of the township offices, in- 
 cluding that of chairman of the Town Board 
 of Supervisors. He was for two years Jus- 
 tice of the Peace, and for many years has 
 served as Town Treasurer. He has also 
 acted as School Clerk and Treasurer, and 
 bis fidelity to duty is broadly recognized. 
 Socially he is connected with the Masonic 
 fraternity, his membership being with Chain 
 Lake Lodge, No. 64, A. F. & A. M. 
 
 ISAAC NEWTON STONE, who is 
 successfully and extensively engaged 
 in farming in Martin county, claims 
 New York as the State of his nativ- 
 ity, his birth having occurred in Lewis 
 count)- on the 29th of May, 1835. The 
 Stones were farming people, and the family 
 was probably established in the United 
 States by emigrants from Canada. The 
 parents of our subject were Curtis and Alida 
 (Vannorman) Stone. The maternal grand- 
 father, John Vannorman, died during the 
 earh' childhood of I. N. Stone, at the very 
 advanced age of ninety years. He belonged 
 to an old Mohawk Dutch famil\-, and 
 throughout his life carried on agricultural 
 pursuits. His children were William, An- 
 drew, Isaac, Mrs. Stone, and Betsy, wife of 
 Nicholis Rosell. 
 
 The family of the paternal grandparents 
 of our subject numbered three sons, of 
 whom we have the following record: Seth 
 and Basell, who carried on farming in the 
 town of ^^^^tson, Lewis county. New "S'ork, 
 
460 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 and W'^illiam, who lived for a time in Ley- 
 den township, that count}-, but later re- 
 moved to Iowa. The third brother, Curtis 
 Stone, passed the greater part of his life in 
 Lewis county, and to farming devoted his 
 time and energies, living a quiet, unassum- 
 ing but honorable life. He was twice mar- 
 ried, and the children by his first wife were 
 as follows: Aaron, Herman, James, Jason, 
 Curtis, Betsey, Olive and Henry, the last 
 mentioned of whom died at the age of 
 twentj-eight years. Herman and Jason 
 both became residents of Ohio and are now 
 deceased. The children of the second mar- 
 riage are Maria, now the wife of Henry 
 Woodcock, a farmer residing in Cherokee 
 county, Iowa; Isaac Newton, of this re- 
 view; Emeline, widow of John Seckner and 
 a resident of Cherokee county, Iowa; Cath- 
 erine, wife of James Farr, deceased, also a 
 resident of Cherokee county; and Clinton, 
 who carries on farming in Otsego county. 
 New York. 
 
 In the East Mr. Stone was reared to 
 manhood and the common schools of his 
 native county afforded him his educational 
 privileges, but he believed the new and 
 more rapidly growing West furnished better 
 opportunities to ambitious young men who 
 had their own way to make in the world; 
 and accordingly he severed all relations 
 with his native State and removed to Wis- 
 consin. This was in 1856, and he took up 
 his residence in Dodge county, purchasing 
 160 acres of land on section 8, Colmers 
 township, which he at once began to clear 
 and improve. To its further development 
 he gave his time until 1866, when, with a 
 company numbering nine families, he drove 
 to Martin C(Mnity, Minnesota. He sold his 
 farm in Wisconsin and reached his destina- 
 tion on the 1st of [une, since which time he 
 
 has been prominently identified with the 
 agricultural interests of this locality. 
 
 Ere leaving the Badger State he took 
 one of the most important steps in his life. 
 On the 5th of May he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Sarah Ann Smith, and two 
 days later they started on their wedding 
 journey, which consisted of the before-men- 
 tioned trip to Martin county. The lady is a 
 daughter of Frederick and Elizabeth (Young) 
 Smith, and her brothers are George Pitt- 
 man and John Osborn. Her father was twice 
 married, and her mother was three times 
 married. Mrs. Stone was born on the 31st 
 of January, 1844, and by her marriage be- 
 came the mother of the following children : 
 Eolah Drucilla, the eldest, was born July i, 
 1868, and is now the wife of David Shields, 
 a blacksmith of Des Moines, Iowa, by whom 
 she has two children: Frederick Curtis, 
 born July 28, 1872, married Carrie Chafy 
 and now devotes his time to agricultural 
 pursuits; Eveline Elizabeth, born April 2, 
 1870, died on the 3d of June, 1871; Forest 
 Newton, born August 28, 1876, is at home; 
 Clyde Clinton, born April 11, 1881, com- 
 pletes the family. 
 
 On coming to Martin county Mr. Stone 
 purchased a quarter section of land in Rut- 
 land township. He has since made addi- 
 tional purchases, and at this writing is the 
 owner of 400 acres, 320 acres lying in Rut- 
 land township, the remaining eighty acres in 
 Center Creek township. He operates the 
 entire amount himself and the greater part, 
 under a high state of cultivation, is now 
 vielding to him a golden tribute in return 
 for the care and labor he bestows upon it. 
 The buildings are such as are found on a 
 model farm of the nineteenth century, and 
 in addition he owns some good property in 
 Grenada, including two store buildings and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 46. 
 
 a dwelling. In 1861 he enlisted in Com- 
 pany B, Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 
 for the three-months service, and was dis- 
 charged July 25, 1861. 
 
 In his political views he is a Republican. 
 He has held the office of Supervisor in 
 Rutland township for about twenty years 
 and has served as Postmaster at Rutland 
 from December 15, 1874, for fifteen years. 
 Socially he is a member of the Odd Fellows 
 lodge of Fairmont. In all the relations of 
 life Mr. Stone is ever honorable and upright, 
 true to the trust reposed in him. and withal 
 a courteous gentleman. He has been the 
 architect of hisiown fortunes and hasbuilded 
 wisely and well, rearing a structure that 
 indicates diligence and perse\erance, enter- 
 prise and energ}'. He is known throughout 
 Martin county as one of its leading agricul- 
 turists and is a valued citizen. 
 
 O. ALLEN, now living on section 
 9, Winnebago township, is num- 
 bered among the pioneer settlers of 
 Faribault county. Few indeed 
 have longer resided within its borders, his 
 jesidence dating from 1856 and therefore 
 covering a period of nearly forty years. He 
 has seen it in the days of its infanc}', when 
 the greater part of the land was still in pos- 
 session of the Government, when the set- 
 tlers were few and far between, when the 
 sites of now thriving towns and villages were 
 unmarked perhaps with even a single dwell- 
 ing. In the work of development and prog- 
 ress he has ever borne his part, shirking no 
 duty and cheerfully giving his support to all 
 interests calculated to promote the general 
 welfare. He has seen the wild prairies 
 transformed into beautiful homes and farms, 
 
 and dotted here and there with churches 
 and schools, showing an advanced civiliza- 
 tion. Settlements have grown into thriv- 
 ing towns \\ith industries and enterprises, 
 all indicating a progressive spirit until Fari- 
 bault county now takes a foremost place in 
 the State. 
 
 The honored pioneer whose name heads 
 this record was born in Java, Wyoming 
 county. New York, on the 24th of January, 
 1832, descending from an old New England 
 family. His paternal grandfather, Judah 
 Allen, was born in \'ermont. served as a 
 soldier in the war of 18 12 and married a 
 Miss Brown, who also was born in the 
 Green Mountain State. Among their chil- 
 dren was Abram Allen, father of our sub- 
 ject, and the place of his nativity is in Rut- 
 land county, Vermont. He was reared 
 there, and after he had attained to years of 
 maturity he wedded Miss Mahala Eastman, 
 who was born in New York and engaged in 
 teaching school in Attica, that State, where 
 among her pupils was Millard Fillmore, 
 afterward President of the United States. 
 Her father, Dr. Tilton Eastman, also claimed 
 Vermont as the State of his nativity and was 
 a soldier of the war of 1812, participating in 
 the battle of Buffalo, New York. The par- 
 ents of our subject were married in New 
 York, and in 1837 removed to Canada, where 
 they resided for si.xteen years In 1853 
 they removed to Chickasaw county, Iowa, 
 settling on a farm on the bank of Cedar 
 river, and there they made their home dur- 
 ing their remaining days. The mother died 
 in the Hawkeye State, and the father died 
 while visiting our subject in Minnesota at 
 the age of sixty-four. Throughout his en- 
 tire life he followed the occupation of farm- 
 ing. In his political views he was a Demo- 
 crat, and in religious belief was a Baptist. 
 
462 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 It is to such men as the {gentleman 
 wliose name heads this review that a county 
 owes its welfare and prosperit}', men who in 
 the legitimate channels of business follow 
 their chosen calling, true to the best man- 
 hood and to their duties of citizenship. T. 
 O. Allen was reared in Canada from the age 
 of five years, and obtained his educational 
 training in its public schools. At the age of 
 twenty-one he became a resident of Iowa, 
 and the following year came to Minnesota, 
 locating in Steele county, where he made his 
 home for one year. In 1856 he settled in 
 Blue Earth county, where he secured a 
 claim on section 27, Shelby townshi"p, com- 
 prising 160 acres of land that had never 
 been placed under the plow, being still in 
 its primitive condition. He began its de- 
 velopment, and in course of time it became 
 a well-cultivated tract. Removing to the 
 village of Shelby, Mr. Allen was identified 
 with its business interests for a number of 
 years. He built a hotel and store, also 
 erected a sawmill and extensively carried on 
 operations along that line for ten years. He 
 then crossed the river and located upon a 
 farm which he cultivated and improved for 
 seven years, at the end of which time he 
 traded that property for the Woodland 
 Mills, which he operated for three years. 
 He then again traded his property, and by 
 the transaction became the owner of the 
 farm which is now his place of abode. His 
 home is a pleasant residence, and in the 
 rear of the house stands good barns and 
 sheds for the shelter of grain and stock. 
 The fields are green with cereals adapted to 
 this climate, while in addition to general 
 farming the owner is successfully engaged in 
 stock-raising, making a specialty of the 
 breeding of Norman horses and a tine grade 
 of cattle. An air of neatness and thrift per- 
 
 vades this place and indicates the careful 
 supervision of a progressive owner. In 1891 
 he purchased a half interest in a mill in con- 
 nection with T. L. Roger, a practical and 
 successful miller. The mill was rebuilt, 
 supplied with the latest roller process, and 
 has a capacity of fifty barrels of flour per 
 day. The industry is now on a paying 
 basis and adds materially to the income of 
 the owner. 
 
 In 1855, in Chickasaw county, Iowa, 
 was celebrated a marriage which united the 
 destinies of Mr. Allen and Miss Rhoba Fay, 
 a native of Wyoming county. New York, 
 and a daughter of Silas Fay. Their union 
 is blessed with the following children: Silas; 
 Kate Curtis; Charles, at home; Merritt, who 
 is living in Faribault county; and Harrj', 
 who is still with his parents. They also lost 
 four children: Alice, who died in infancy; 
 Hattie, who died in 1892, at the age of 
 thirty years; Orlo, who died at the' age of 
 thirteen; and William, who died at the age of 
 twenty-four. The mother of this family has 
 also departed this life, ha\ing been called to 
 her final rest on the 9th of January, 1888. 
 The children were all provided with good 
 advantages, and Silas, Hattie and Merritt 
 all engaged in school-teaching, while Kate 
 was an accomplished teacher of music. 
 
 Mr. Allen e.xercises his right of fran- 
 chise in support of Republican principles, 
 and is connected with the Masonic lodge of 
 Winnebago City. By reading and observa- 
 tion he has become a well-informed man, 
 and is devoted to the best interests of the 
 community in which he has made his home. 
 His many excellencies of character are in- 
 dicated by the high regard in which he is 
 held by all who know him. In his business 
 relations he has ever been upright and hon- 
 orable, and his sagacity, farsightedness and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WAI^ONVVAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 463 
 
 capable management hdve brouf;ht him a 
 just reward for his labors in the shape of a 
 handsome competence. 
 
 '• * EWIS A. HILL, one of the repre- 
 I I sentative farmers of Verona town- 
 I ^ ship, Faribault county, Minnesota, 
 dates his birth in Green Lake coun- 
 ty, Wisconsin, September 8, 1858. His 
 father, Felix Hill, a native of New York, 
 was for man\- years an honored citizen of 
 Faribault county. He died in 1887. The 
 mother, who before her marriage was Miss 
 Julia Ann Hoover, was also a native of the 
 Empire State. She is still living at the old 
 home place in Verona township. They had 
 a family of eight children, namely: Ira C. , 
 of Bossko, South Dakota; James F. ; Libby 
 Parks, of Martin county, Minnesota; Orpha 
 Hall, wife of E. G. Hall, of Verona town- 
 ship; Lewis A., whose name heads this arti- 
 cle; Josephine Colton, of Martin county; 
 William Henry, of Huntley, Minnesota; and 
 Charles M., of Mankato, Minnesota. 
 
 Lewis A. Hill was reared on his father's 
 farm in \'erona township. Early in life he 
 had instilled into him those principles of 
 honesty, industry and perseverance which 
 have formed the foundation of his success. 
 His education was limited to the district 
 schools of his vicinit}'. In 1884 he bought 
 eighty acres of land on section 16, two years 
 later purchased an additional eighty, then 
 all unimproved, and he now has one of the 
 best farms in Verona township. Among the 
 improvements on his place we mention his 
 comfortable cottage home, nice barn and 
 other farm buildings, modern windmill, good 
 fences, six-acre grove, etc. ; and he also 
 keeps a good grade of horses, cattle and hogs. 
 Mr. Hill was married in 1SS2, to Miss 
 
 Laura A.McCall, a teacher of Martin county, 
 and a daughter of Martin and Florence Mc- 
 Call. She died in July, 1890, leaving four 
 children, — Edna M., Gracie, Martin J. and 
 Laura Hope. Mrs. Laura Hill was a most 
 estimable woman, educated and refined, and 
 a true Christian. She was a member of the 
 Freewill Baptist Church. In March, 1893, 
 Mr. Hill married Miss Lura Fancher, daugh- 
 ter of A. N. Fancher, of Martin county. 
 They have one child, Fenton. 
 
 Mr. Hill is a man of the highest integ- 
 rity, and his influence is ever directed to- 
 ward the advancement of good morals, edu- 
 cation, temperance and religion. He acts 
 with the Prohibition party, is a member of 
 the I. O. O. F. and A. O. U. W., and both 
 he and his wife belong to the Freewill 
 Baptist Church and are active Sabbath- 
 school workers. 
 
 (D 
 
 ANUEL BEARDSLEY HUTCH- 
 INSON ranks among the fore- 
 most merchants of Jackson, Min- 
 nesota. The enterprising busi- 
 ness interests are the elements of the ad- 
 vance of a community, — the cause of its 
 prosperity; and the men who control these 
 interests therefore deserve all credit for the 
 advancement, progress and prosperity of the 
 section with which they are connected. Mr. 
 Hutchinson is engaged in the clothing busi- 
 ness and has a well conducted establishment, 
 which receives a liberal patronage from the 
 citizens of Jackson and the surrounding 
 country. 
 
 The life record of this worthy gentle- 
 man is as follows: A native of New York, 
 he was born in Malone on the 7th of Ma) , 
 1849, and is a son of Jchiel lieardsley and 
 Maria fFinncv) Hutchinson. The famil\- is 
 
464 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 of English lineage and was founded in 
 America by the great-great-grandfather of 
 our subject. The great-grandfather, David 
 Hutchinson, was born in the United States, 
 and the grandfather, Daniel Hutchinson, 
 was a native of New Hampshire. By occu- 
 pation he was a farmer and in early life he 
 removed to Essex county. New York, where 
 he followed that calling. There he married 
 Matilda Beardsley and to them were born 
 the following children: Daniel, Jehiel, Moses, 
 Cyrus, Matilda, Keziah and Sabra. The 
 father of this family served in the war 
 of 181 2. Manuel Beardsley married the 
 daughter of the grandmother of our sub- 
 ject, who was the first white child born on 
 Au Sable river. New York, and was of 
 Welsh descent. 
 
 The father of our subject, J. B. Hutch- 
 inson, was born in Esse.x county. New York, 
 on the 14th of August, 18 19, and at the 
 age of twenty-one married Maria Finney, 
 daughter of Neuman Finney, who was born 
 in Vermont and removed thence to Frank- 
 lin county. New York. There he married 
 Betsey De^^'itt, and throughout his remain- 
 ing da}s carried on farming in that locality. 
 To this worthy couple were born the follow- 
 ing children: George, Maria, Philena, Eliza 
 and William. The father of thisfamih' was 
 also one of the defenders of the country in 
 the war of 181 2. Mrs. Hutchinson was 
 born in Franklin county. New York, on the 
 14th of May, 181 8, and was a most esti- 
 mable lady devoted to her family and their 
 welfare. In his early manhood Mr. J. B. 
 Hutchinson erected a sawmill in Essex 
 county. New York, but subsequently turned 
 his attention to the tilling of the soil. In 
 1856 he left his home in the East, and with 
 his family emigrated to Minnesota, settling 
 in I'illmore county, pre-empting in Bloom- 
 
 field township 160 acres of land. It 
 was a wild tract, on which not a furrow 
 had been turned or an improvement made, 
 but with characteristic energy he began its 
 development and soon had a fine farm in a 
 high state of cultivation. In 1883 he re- 
 moved to Osborn count\\ Kansas, where he 
 made his home until 1891, when he came 
 to Jackson, — his present place of abode. 
 On the I 8th of March of that .year he was 
 called upon to mourn the loss of his wife, 
 who had ever been to him a faithful com- 
 panion and helpmeet. Their family num- 
 bered three children, viz.: Newman, who 
 was born April S, 1S47. made farming his 
 life work and died in Kansas in 1890; Man- 
 uel B. , the next younger; and Cyrus, who 
 completes the family, was born April 4, 
 1852, and is a stockman living near Castle 
 Rock, Colorado. 
 
 Mr. Hutchinson, the popular clothier of 
 Jackson, spent the first seven years of his 
 life in the State of his nativity and then 
 accompanied his parents on their removal to 
 Minnesota, where he passed the remainder 
 of his minority in a manner not unlike that 
 of other farmer lads. To his father he gave 
 the benefit of his services until twenty-two 
 years of age, when he started out on his 
 first independent effort. He began farming 
 and stock-raising on his own account and 
 continued that pursuit until 1884. On the 
 loth of September, 1887, he came to Jack- 
 son and formed a partnership with J. S. 
 Lee of Spring Valley in the clothing busi- 
 ness. In 1888 he bought out Mr. Lee's in- 
 terest and largely increased the stock to 
 meet the growing demand. In 1890 he 
 admitted George Burnhani to a partnership 
 in the business, and in 1892 the new firm 
 erected a fine brick store building which 
 they now occupy. The business is con- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 465 
 
 ducted under the style of Hutchinson & 
 Biirnham, and the estabhshment is called 
 the Boston Store. They deal in clothing, 
 gents' furnishing goods, boots and shoes, 
 and carry a hne and fashionable stock. 
 From the beginning their trade has con- 
 stantly increased, and they now do a large 
 business, while among the leading merchants 
 of the city they are numbered. 
 
 On the 25th of December, 1873, Mr. 
 Hutchinson was united in marriage with 
 Miss Alice Jane Griffin, daughter of D. B. 
 and Minerva Griffin. She was born February 
 27, 1854, and is a cultured lady who pre- 
 sides with grace over her pleasant home 
 and makes it noted for its hospitality. Mr. 
 Hutchinson finds time to faithfully discharge 
 his duties of citizenship and has served his 
 fellow townsmen as Mayor of Jackson and 
 in other public capacities, where his deep 
 and abiding interest in the public welfare 
 was manifest by his faithful performance of 
 duty. He votes with the Republican party 
 and socially is connected with the Inde- 
 pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the Ma- 
 sonic order, being now Secretary of Good 
 Faith Lodge, No. 90, in Jackson, of the 
 latter society. 
 
 aHRISTIAX J. WEBER, a farmer 
 of Faribault county, was born at 
 Kirchberg, dukedom of Bruns- 
 wick, Germany, February 2, 1843, 
 a son of Henry and Hannah (Schnacker) 
 Weber. The father, also a native of Ger- 
 many, followed the tailor's trade the most 
 of his life. 
 
 In 1850 the family came to the United 
 States, sailing from Bremen to New Orleans, 
 having been twelve weeks on the sea, and 
 
 then went by boat to Evansville, Indiana. 
 In 1852 they removed to Fayette county, 
 Iowa, and in 18 56 located in Emerald town- 
 ship, Faribault county, Minnesota. The 
 father died here, at the age of si.xty-six 
 years, and the mother three years later, at 
 the same age. They were the parents of 
 eight children: Christian J.; Henry C. ; 
 Fred; Louisa; William; Minnie; Christiana, 
 and Theodore. 
 
 Christian J., the subject of this sketch, 
 started out in life for himself in 1859, at the 
 age of fourteen years, going first to St. Louis, 
 Missouri, and afterward to Evansville, In- 
 diana, where he remained until the opening 
 of the late war. He then enlisted in the 
 Forty-second Indiana Infantry, and took 
 part in the battles of Lookout Mountain, 
 Perryville, Nashville, Donelson, Atlanta and 
 Goldsboro. He was discharged, in Louis- 
 ville, Kentucky, as Second Lieutenant. 
 
 After returning from the war Mr. Weber 
 resided in Louisville, Kentucky, until 1871, 
 and was there married to Miss Katie Loch- 
 ner May 18, 1871, and removed within the 
 same year to his present homestead, in Fari- 
 bault county, — on his farm of 120 acres. 
 Here his wife died, on the 24th of March, 
 1880, leaving two children: Susan, born 
 May 30, 1872; and Herman, born May i, 
 1878. Mr. Weber was married to his pres- 
 ent wife, ncc Augusta Klingbeil, April 19, 
 1S82, whose daughter, Emma, was born 
 October 11, 1881. The offspring of this 
 second marriage has been eight children, 
 namely: Lena A., born October 21, 1883; 
 George F. , born August 23, 1885, Esther 
 A., born November 23, 1886; Silas, born 
 February 17, 1888; Ervin, born November 
 24, 1889; Harry, born December 21, 1890; 
 Florence Ida, born March 15, 1893; and 
 Edna May, born July 11, 1894. 
 
466 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mr. Weber votes with the Democratic 
 party, and has served as Supervisor of his 
 township. 
 
 at 
 
 'ILLIAM B. PALMER is one of 
 the enterprising and progressive 
 young business men of Winne- 
 bago, and is connected with a 
 leading industry of the county, being the 
 senior member of the firm of Pahner & 
 Rolhns, proprietors of the ^^'i^nebago City 
 Foundry. They make a speciaU}' of repair- 
 ing engines, boilers, farm machinery, etc., 
 and deal in engines and separators, and 
 keep a good stock of pumps, gas pipe and 
 fittings and machinists' supplies. They oc- 
 cupy a building 50 x i 50 feet, and the enter- 
 prise was established in 1891. They do all 
 kinds of moulding in iron and brass, employ 
 experienced moulders and machinists, and 
 the work turned out from each department 
 is tirst-class. The business has constantly 
 increased in importance and volume, and 
 the sales amount to $5,000 annually. 
 
 Mr. Palmer is a Western man. He was 
 born in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, Au- 
 gust 3, 1865, and is a son of Thomas J. 
 Palmer, a native of England, who, when a 
 voung man, came to America, the date of 
 his emigration being 1842. He located in 
 the Badger State, then a Territory, and 
 wedded Mary E. Gray, a native of Vermont. 
 They became the parents of three children, 
 William B., Alice F. and Mark C. The last 
 two are now in \^'aukesha county, Wiscon- 
 sin. The father is a farmer and fine-stock 
 raiser, and is a successful business man. 
 His wife is a cultured, refined lady. 
 
 We now take up the personal history of 
 ^^'illiam B. Palmer, the popular and leading 
 )oung foundryman of Winnebago Cit\'. He 
 
 was reared upon a farm, and early became 
 familiar with the duties of farm life in all 
 departments. His early education, ac- 
 quired in the district schools, was supple- 
 mented by study in Carroll College of Wau- 
 kesha, Wisconsin, and he thereby acquired 
 a good practical knowledge, which has been 
 of much benefit to him in his business career. 
 He came to ^^'innebago City in 1887, and 
 has since been identified with all the inter- 
 ests of the place that are calculated to prove 
 of public benefit. 
 
 On the 25th of December, 1891, in Fari- 
 bault county, Mr. Palmer led to the mar- 
 riage altar Miss Rose Poole, who had previ- 
 ously been a teacher in the public schools 
 of this locality, and her ability was widely 
 recognized. She is a daughter of S. A. 
 Poole, a prominent citizen of this county, 
 who came here from New York in 1859 and 
 cast in his lot with the pioneer settlers. 
 His father, Zenus Poole, was a native of 
 Massachusetts. The former was reared in 
 Geauga county, Ohio, and married Eliza- 
 beth Cornell, a native of Lake county, Ohio, 
 and a daughter of Chauncey Cornell, of 
 Connecticut. Their union was blessed with 
 a family of four sons and one daughter, 
 namely: Chaunce}', Mrs. Palmer, Z. A., of 
 South Dakota, Merton and Harr)- W. One 
 son graces the union of our subject and his 
 estimal)le wife, Anson P. , who was born on 
 the 3d of June, 1893. ^'^s. Palmer, edu- 
 cated at the Mankato Normal School, is a 
 cultured and educated lady who presides 
 with grace over their pleasant home, and 
 Mr. Palmer ably seconds her efforts in mak- 
 ing their residence the abode of hospitality, 
 and all who know her esteem her highly. 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Palmer are members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal church. 
 
 Since attaining his majority Mr. Palnier 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 467 
 
 has supported the men and measures of the 
 RepubHcan party. His upright life has won 
 him universal confidence, and his sterling 
 worth has gained him the respect of all. 
 He is pleasant and genial in manner and 
 very popular in business and social circles. 
 His business ability is of a high order, and 
 he ably manages the concern with which he 
 is connected until it has become a paying 
 in\estment and one of the leading industries 
 of W'iimebago City. 
 
 B 
 
 REDERICK JENNINGS, an hon- 
 ored veteran of the late war and a 
 loyal citizen in times of peace, is 
 now residing on section i, Jo 
 Daviess township, Faribault county, where 
 he is successfully engaged in general farm- 
 ing and stock-raising. Throughout his com- 
 munity he has a wide acquaintance, who 
 esteem him highly, and we therefore feel 
 assured that the record of his life will prove 
 of interest to many of our readers. 
 
 Numbered among the native sons of the 
 Green Mountain State, he was born in Addi- 
 son county, Vermont, July 5, 1845, and on 
 the paternal side is of English descent, 
 while on the maternal side he is of Welsh 
 lineage. His father, Lothrop Jennings, 
 was born in northern Vermont about 1806, 
 and in early life worked in a saw-mill, being 
 employed along that line some years. He 
 also followed farming for a part of the time 
 among the rocks and hills of his native 
 State. There he was united in marriage 
 with Miss Eliza Thomas, a native of Salis- 
 bury, Vermont, who.se family for some gen- 
 erations had lived in New England. Five 
 children were born of this union, as follows: 
 Matilda, wife of Francis Carey, a leading 
 farmer of Blue Earth City township, Fari- 
 
 bault county, Minnesota; Austin, who is 
 also living in that township; Adeliza, wife 
 of Jacob Jackson, a resident of Blue Earth 
 City; Jefferson, who is located in Tulare 
 C(junty, California; and Frederick, whose 
 name introduces this review. Lothrop Jen- 
 nings continued his residence in \'ermont 
 until 1854, when he came to Wisconsin, 
 locating in Columbia county, where he re- 
 mained until 1869, which year witnessed his 
 arrival in Faribault county. He settled in 
 Jo Daviess township with his son Freder- 
 ick, and here he spent the last years of his 
 life. His pilgrimage on earth was ended in 
 1886, and after a long and useful life of 
 cightv years passed peacefully away. 
 
 Frederick Jennings lived in the State 
 of his nativity until ten years of age; 
 and then accompanied his parents on 
 their emigration westward. He lived in 
 Wisconsin until twenty-two years of age 
 and was reared amid the wild scenes 
 the frontier, becoming familiar with the ar- 
 duous task of developing a new farm and 
 also undergoing the hardships of pioneer 
 life. He began his education in the com- 
 mon schools of the East and afterward at- 
 tended I'iipon College in Green Lake county, 
 Wisconsin. Work and study, however, 
 were put aside in February, i 864, for he felt 
 that the country needed his services and 
 offered his aid to the Government, enlisting 
 as a member of Company H, Thirty-sixth 
 Wisconsin Infantry. He went then to 
 Washingjton and saw his first active service 
 at Spottsylvania. He afterward participat- 
 ed in the battles of North Ann river, Cold 
 Harbor, the Wilderness and the siege at 
 Petersburg, and at the last named place was 
 wounded, on the i8th of June, 1864. He 
 was then taken to Harewood Hospital at 
 Washington, where he remained for five 
 
468 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 months. As soon as his health permitted 
 he hastened to rejoin his regiment before 
 Petersburg, and was with the command un- 
 til the cessation of hostilities. When the 
 preservation of the Union was an assured 
 fact, with the victorious army he went to 
 Washington and participated in the Grand 
 Review, where "wave after wave of bayo- 
 net-crested blue" passed by the stand on 
 which stood the president to see the brave 
 troops who had been the nation's salvation 
 in the time of her most deadl)' peril. 
 
 Mr. Jennings received an honorable dis- 
 charge at Madison, July i6, 1865, an J at 
 once returned to his Wisconsin home. In 
 1867 he came to Minnesota and purchased 
 the farm on which he now resides. Re- 
 turning to the Badger State he continued 
 there until the spring of 1869, when he 
 made a permanent location in Faribault 
 county. 
 
 On the 1 8th of January, 1870, Mr. Jen- 
 nings led to the marriage altar Miss Amelia 
 Kelley, daughter of J. W. Kelley and a na- 
 tive of New York, where for many genera- 
 tions her people had resided. In their pleas- 
 ant and happy home are three children, — 
 two sons and a daughter: Herbert L. , Ma- 
 bel C. and Arthur G. 
 
 When Mr. Jennings first came to Fari- 
 bault county he purchased eighty acres of 
 land, and with characteristic energy he be- 
 gan placing it under the plow, transforming 
 the once wild tract into rich and fertile 
 fields, which in the simimer time resembled 
 the billowy green sea. As his financial re- 
 sources have increased he has extended the 
 boundaries of his farm until he now has a 
 valuable property of 240 acres, and in addi- 
 tion to the raising of grain he also carries on 
 stock-raising and is doing an extensive busi- 
 ness along that line. He devotes himself 
 
 untiringly to this work, yet finds time to aid 
 in the upbuilding of the county and the pro- 
 motion of its best interests, having its wel- 
 fare at heart. He has served his township 
 as Supervisor, and for one term was chair- 
 man of the Board. He is a pronounced Re- 
 publican in his political views and fearless in 
 the advocacy of his principles, yet accords 
 to others the equal right of opinion and of 
 advancing their views. Socially he is con- 
 nected with Sully Post, No. 10, G. A. R., 
 is a member of the Ancient Order of United 
 Workmen, and is also a zealous member of 
 the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Jennings is one 
 of the representative men of his adopted 
 county, as highly respected as he is widely 
 known. He was a valiant soldier, a capa- 
 ble officer, a straightforward business man, 
 and above all a gentleman in the truest and 
 best sense of that term. 
 
 ^^^TEPHEN DECATUR ROBERTS. 
 •^^^k* a veterinary surgeon and proprietor 
 
 y^^J of a livery and feed stable at Win- 
 nebago City, was born in Pilot 
 Grove township, Hancock county, Illinois, 
 March 22, 1852, a son of A. D. and Eliza 
 (Huckins) Roberts, natives respectively of 
 Vermont and New Hampshire. They lo- 
 cated in Minnesota in 1856, where the father 
 followed farming. In 1875 he engaged in 
 the same vocation in Blue Earth county, 
 and afterward removed to South Dakota, 
 where they spent the remainder of their 
 lives. They were the parents of eight chil- 
 dren, seven of whom are now living. 
 
 S. D. Roberts, the subject of this sketch, 
 was reared to farm life, which has been his 
 chief occupation until recently, and he yet 
 owns 160 acres of land in Winnebago City 
 township, I'^aribault county. He has al- 
 
if> 
 
 '/n ^s/rM(?6i/en . 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 47' 
 
 ways shown a fondness for horses, having 
 made the horse and his diseases almost a 
 Hfe-long study, and for the past ten years has 
 devoted much time to the practice of veteri- 
 nary surgery. He is regarded as skillful 
 in diagnosing and treating the diseases of 
 horses, and enjoys a lucrative practice. In 
 1890 Mr. Roberts located in Winnebago 
 City, where he has a pleasant home. 
 
 October 30, 1878, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Martha Hill, a daughter of 
 Samuel and Eli;^a Hill. To this union have 
 been born three children, — Inez Florence, 
 Zada Lenora and Merrill Deloss. Mr. 
 Roberts supports the Republican party, and 
 is a member of the I. O. O. F., Winnebago 
 City Lodge, No. 30, and of the Modern 
 Woodmen of America. Both he and his 
 wife are members of the Methodist Episco- 
 pal Church. 
 
 >^OHN SCHROOTEN, who follows 
 M farming on section 34, Waverly 
 A 1 township, Martin county, is a West- 
 ern-born man, and has spent his en- 
 tire life in the Mississippi valley. He was 
 born on the 9th of April, 1850, in Dodge 
 county, Wisconsin, and is of German de- 
 scent, his father having been a native of 
 Rheinhausen, Prussia, born in 1822. His 
 mother, who in her maidenhood was Eliza- 
 beth Behrens, was born in the same local- 
 ity, in 1827. Their marriage was celebrated 
 in Prussia in 1848, and in the same year they 
 started for the New World, crossing the 
 briny deep in a sailing vessel. They became 
 pioneer settlers of Dodge county, Wiscon- 
 sin, and the father secured an unimproved 
 tract of land which he cleared and culti- 
 vated until he had transformed it into rich 
 
 and fertile fields, although at the time of 
 
 2-1 
 
 his purchase it was covered with a heavy 
 growth of timber. In i860 he removed 
 with his . family to Fond du Lac county, 
 Wisconsin, and again settled upon a new 
 farm, which he made his home throughout 
 his remaining da3s. He was a typical pio- 
 neer, and possessed those sterling qualities 
 which won him the high regard of all with 
 whom he was brought in contact. His death 
 occurred in 1892, and his wife, who sur- 
 vived him about two years, passed away in 
 1894. 
 
 The family of Henry and Elizabeth 
 Schrooten numbered fourteen children, nine 
 of whom grew to maturit)', while eight are 
 yet living, namely: John, of this sketch, 
 Herman, Henry, Arnold, Gertrude, Eliza- 
 beth, Peter and Jacob. One sister, Annie, 
 became the wife of Conrad Herbel, and died 
 leaving two children. 
 
 Upon his father's farm John Schrooten 
 was reared to manhood, remaining with his 
 parents until thirty-si.x years o,f age. He 
 lived amid the wild scenes of the frontier, 
 and with the family shared in the experi- 
 ences and hardships peculiar to pioneer life. 
 He obtained his education in a log school- 
 house seated with rude benches and heated 
 by an immense fireplace, the smoke issuing 
 up through a mud-and-stick chimney. Al- 
 though the advantages could not compare 
 favorably with those afforded to-day, yet he 
 there laid the foundation for a useful, prac- 
 tical knowledge, which he has gained in the 
 school of experience. 
 
 In the year 1S86 Mr. Schrooten was 
 united in marriage with Miss Bertha Voss, a 
 native of New York city, born on the 22d of 
 March, 1856, and removing to Martin county 
 they located on the farm which is now their 
 home. Their union has been blessed with 
 four children, but two of the number are 
 
472 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 now deceased. Those who still survive are 
 Henry and Gertrude. 
 
 For ten years before leaving the Badger 
 State our subject was engaged in the opera- 
 tion of a cheese factory on his father's farm, 
 and the enterprise proved a profitable one, 
 yielding him a good income. Since his 
 arrival in Minnesota he has devoted his 
 energies exclusively to agricultural pursuits, 
 and is now the owner of 280 acres of arable 
 land, all of which has been placed under the 
 plow with the exception of a twenty-acre 
 tract. He has built upon the place a sub- 
 stantial and comfortable residence and also 
 barns and other buildings, that are models 
 of neatness and convenience. The pleasant 
 home is surrounded by green fields of grain, 
 and the passer by reads, in the neat appear- 
 ance of everything, the story of the owner's 
 careful supervision. In connection with his 
 other interests he is a director in the Farm- 
 ers' Elevator Company of Fairmont. 
 
 Mr. Schrooten is a member of the Ger- 
 man Evangelical Church and is president of 
 Freedom Congregation of Eraser township. 
 Socially he afifiliates with the Modern Wood- 
 men lodge of Fairmont. He e.xercises his 
 right of franchise in support of the men and 
 measures of the Democrac}-, and has held a 
 number of local offices. He is now Treas- 
 urer of school district No. 54, of Waverly, 
 is chairman of the town Board of Supervis- 
 ors, a position which he has filled for six 
 years, and the same office he filled when in 
 Wisconsin. In 1892 he was elected County 
 Connnissioner of Martin county, and in the 
 spring of 1894 he was elected as chairman 
 of the County Board, in which position he is 
 now serving with credit to himself and satis- 
 faction to his constituents. He is ever true 
 to a trust reposed in him, whether public or 
 pri\atc, and whether upon the farm or in 
 
 office he is the same honorable, straightfor- 
 ward man that has won by his well spent 
 life the esteem of the entire community. 
 
 ^y^AVID GRICE is one of the first 
 I I settlers of Easton and has been 
 /^^_^ prominently connected with its 
 business interests from the estab- 
 lishment of the town. The prosperity and 
 progress of this place is largely due to his 
 efforts in its behalf, and therefore the record 
 of Easton would be incomplete without 
 mention of Mr. Grice. 
 
 He was born in Montgomeryshire, En- 
 gland, on the 27th of September, 1845, 
 and is the second in a family of eight chil- 
 dren, seven sons and a daughter. Those 
 still living are as follows: Joseph, who is 
 still living in Montgornerj'shire, where he is 
 engaged in business as a stone-masoii; Da- 
 vid, of this sketch: John, who emigrated to 
 America some years since and is now en- 
 gaged in harness-making in Winnipeg, Can- 
 ada; and Mary, wife of \\'illiam White, who 
 is still living in Montgomeryshire. The 
 father of this family was born in Wales, and 
 came from ancestors who for many gener- 
 ations had lived in that country. His 
 father, Joseph Grice, was also a native of 
 that country, and was engaged in wood- 
 work, making spokes with a lathe which at 
 that period of Welsh history was the only 
 way of finishing spokes for the market. His 
 death occurred when about sixty years of 
 age, and his wife, also a native of Wales, 
 reached an advanced age. The father of 
 David Grice removed in an early part of the 
 present century to Montgomeryshire, En- 
 gland, and, having learned the milling trade 
 in his youth, operated a gristmill there for 
 some time. He, too, never crossed the 
 
FARIBAULT, MA I? TIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 473 
 
 water, and departed this life at the age of 
 seventy. He married Margaret Ellis, who 
 was born in Wales and died in the seventy- 
 sixth year of her age. 
 
 The common schools afforded David 
 Grice his educational privileges, and at the 
 age of nineteen he was apprenticed to the 
 wagon-maker's trade, which he has made 
 his life work. He was employed in Shrop- 
 shire, England, as a journeyman for eight 
 years, and in the spring of 1870 he crossed 
 the briny deep to the New World. With 
 the hope of bettering his financial condition 
 he resolved on this emigration, and, bidding 
 adieu to friends and native land, he sailed 
 from Liverpool on the City of Dublin, which 
 nine days later dropped anchor in the har- 
 bor of New York. At once he came to the 
 west by rail, stopping first at Prairie du 
 Chien, Wisconsin, then crossing the Mis- 
 sissippi into Iowa and continuing his journey 
 to St. Charles, Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Grice began life in this State as an 
 employe of Park & Tolbert, proprietors of 
 one of the oldest established manufactories 
 in Minnesota, but after three months he re- 
 moved to Owatonna, where he secured work 
 with George Pratt, a wagon manufacturer. 
 For about a year he continued there, after 
 which he secured a position with Henry 
 Bragg, of the same place, who was his em- 
 ployer for eight months. He embarked in 
 business for himself in wagon-making and 
 also did the wood-work on all the plows 
 manufactured by Mike Quiggle, an old pio- 
 neer of this State. A few years later we 
 find Mr. Grice in Sioux City, Iowa, where 
 he carried on wagon-making three months, 
 then removed to Mankato, Minnesota, but 
 after three months passed there he came to 
 Easton. He dates his arrival here from 
 October, 1873, at which time he erected a 
 
 dwelling-house and wagon-shop on the site 
 of J. L. Herring's drug store. This was the 
 first building of the town. Mr. Terhurne 
 about the same time built a store, and on 
 the farm formerly owned by W. Z. Haight 
 was erected a two-stor}' frame house, the 
 lower floor of which was used as a boarding 
 house. It was occupied by a Mr. Claraner 
 and his partner, and was always open to the 
 public for a hotel and restaurant. In that 
 place our subject found shelter until his own 
 home was ready to receive his family, — 
 which was on the 9th of December, 1873. 
 On the 22d of February, 1872, Mr. 
 Grice led to the marriage altar Miss Mar- 
 garet Fitzpatrick, the ceremony being per- 
 formed in Waseca county by the Very 
 Rev. Father Beaumont, of St. Mary's 
 Catholic Church. The lady was born in 
 Augusta, Maine, February 11, 1845, and is 
 a daughter of John and Catherine (Kehoej 
 Fitzpatrick; the family is of Irish lineage, 
 both parents being natives of county Wex- 
 ford, Ireland. The former very frequently 
 crossed the Atlantic, and his last dajs were 
 spent in the home of his son Michael, where 
 he died in his eighty-sixth year. His wife 
 died at her home in Easton, at the age of 
 sixty-four, and was laid to rest in the bury- 
 ing ground of St. Mary's Church. She held 
 membership in the Catholic Church, and 
 was a sincere Christian woman. In their 
 family were eight children, three sons and 
 five daughters: Sarah, wife of James Irwin, 
 a farmer of Otisco, Minnesota; Thomas, a 
 resident farmer of Day county, this State; 
 Mrs. Grice; Mary, who resides with her 
 sister in Easton, — she being the widow of 
 William Dunn, who was born in the north 
 of Ireland, March 31, 1S24, and died in 
 Waseca county, Minnesota, in March, 
 18S4; Elizabeth is the wife of Robert Ouig- 
 
474 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 gle, an agriculturist of Kent, Minnesota; 
 Michael, a farmer of Barbara township, 
 Faribault county; Rose, who was born in 
 Jefferson county and died there at the age 
 of seven years; and William J., who died in 
 infancy. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Grice have had si.\ chil- 
 dren: Joseph H., born February 25, 1874, 
 was born in the first building erected in 
 Easton and is now serving an apprenticeship 
 to the painter's trade. John, born May 30, 
 1874, is now engaged with his father; Eliz- 
 abeth, bornJanuar3'20, 1878, died in infancy; 
 Margaret, born August 31, 1880, Catherine, 
 born June 27, 1882, and Sarah, born Sep- 
 tember 20, 1884, are still under the parental 
 roof. The parents and children hold mem- 
 bership in the Catholic Church of Easton, 
 and throughout the community they are 
 widely and favorably known. Since casting 
 his first presidential vote for General U. S. 
 Grant, Mr. Grice has been a warm sup- 
 porter of Republican principles, but has 
 never been an office-seeker, preferring to 
 give his entire time and attention to his 
 business interests. He is now carrying on 
 his wagon manufactory and receives from 
 the public a liberal patronage, which he 
 well deserves. He came to this country 
 with a hope of bettering his financial condi- 
 tion, and his hope has been realized; and 
 he has not only secured a competence, but 
 has also won a home and gained many warm 
 friends. 
 
 mi 
 
 'ILLIAM B. RIPLEY, one of the 
 e.\tensive landowners of Fari- 
 bault count)', living on section 8, 
 Verona township, is a native of 
 the Empire State, his Inrth having occurred 
 in .Mcxanilria, Jefferson county, April 2, 
 
 1847, and descends from an old Massa- 
 chusetts family of Scotch origin. His father, 
 Daniel Ripley, was horn in Windsor, Berk- 
 shire county, of the old Bay State, and mar- 
 ried Cynthia Bassett, who was born in Low- 
 ville, New York, a daughter of Barachiah 
 Bassett, who was born on Martha's Vineyard, 
 Massachusetts, and traces his ancestry back 
 to an early day when members of the family, 
 of French birth, located on that island. They 
 were connected by marriage with the May- 
 hews and Nortons, and many of the family 
 bore those as Christian names. 
 
 The father of our subject was twice mar- 
 ried, and by his first union had four children, 
 while the only child of the second marriage 
 is our subject. The parents resided in their 
 Eastern home until 1849, when by wa}' of 
 the lakes they came to Wisconsin, locating 
 in Taycheedah, Fond du Lac county, among 
 its early settlers. From there they came to 
 Faribault county, and the father died in 
 Winnebago City, at the age of eighty-seven 
 3'ears. In his political views he was a Re- 
 publican and for many years he served as 
 Justice of the Peace, a most able and faith- 
 ful officer, administering the affairs of the 
 office with strict impartiality and winning 
 the commendation of all concerned by his 
 fidelity to duty. With the Baptist Church 
 he held membership and served as Deacon. 
 His wife still survives him, and is now living 
 in Wiimebago City, at the ripe old age of 
 seventy-nine, respected by all who know her. 
 
 From the age of three years our subject 
 was reared upon a Wisconsin farm, aiding 
 in the labors of the fields through the sum- 
 mer months while in the winter season he 
 pursued his studies in the common schools 
 of the neighborhood. When a youth of 
 seventeen, in February, 1865, he enlisted in 
 Company D, Forty-fifth Wisconsin Infantry. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 475 
 
 He was stationed at Nashville, where he did 
 guard dut}- until honorably discharged at the 
 close of the war. 
 
 Since 1 883 Mr. Ripley has been a resident 
 of Faribault county, and is numbered among 
 the leading and influential agriculturists. 
 He first purchased ninety acres of the farm 
 of B. K. Whitney, and to this has added 
 from time to time until he now has 460 
 acres of rich land which is in a high state of 
 cultivation and well improved. There are 
 good pasture, meadow and plow land, and 
 the well-tilled fields yield to the owner a 
 golden tribute in return for the care and 
 labor he bestows upon them. He has a 
 pleasant residence, substantial barn, good 
 cribs and sheds and a windmill. All the 
 improvements are as monuments to his thrift 
 and enterprise and indicate his progressive 
 and practical spirit. 
 
 On the 16th of August, 1868, Mr. Rip- 
 ley was united in marriage with Miss Alice 
 Mitchell, the wedding being celebrated in 
 Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin. She was 
 educated at Gouverneur Wesleyan Semi- 
 nary, at Gouverneur, St. Lawrence county, 
 New York, and is a lady of culture and re- 
 finement. A cousin of our subject, she was 
 born in the same house where his birth oc- 
 curred, in Alexandria, New York. Her 
 parents were Oscar F. and Elizabeth (Bas- 
 sett) Mitchell, both now deceased. Eight 
 children came to bless the home of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Ripley, namely: Oscar Louis, John 
 G., Winnifred, Bessie A., Frank M., Nelly 
 B., Georgia Augusta and Rose Alice. The 
 older sons belong to the Sons of Veterans, 
 at Winnebago. 
 
 By his ballot Mr. Ripley supports the 
 men and measures of the Republican party, 
 and serves on the School Board. He holds 
 membership in Clabaugh Post, No. 54, G. 
 
 A. R., and also belongs to Winnebago City 
 Lodge, No. 30, I. O. O. F. , and Blue 
 Earth Valley Lodge, No. 27, F. & A. M. 
 The same loj'alty that prompted his service 
 as a Union soldier during the late war 
 has characterized his entire life. He is true 
 to every trust reposed in him, whether pub- 
 lic or private, and his well spent life and 
 jovial genial manner have won him a large 
 circle of warm and admiring friends. We 
 feel assured that many will receive with in- 
 terest this record of his life and therefore 
 gladly give it a place in this volume. 
 
 IRA CLYNICK, a general farmer and 
 stock-raiser, residing on section 33, 
 Nasliville township, Martin county, 
 is a native of New Brunswick, born 
 September 10, 1831, and comes of a family 
 of English origin. His father, John Clyn- 
 ick, was born in England, and when a young 
 man sailed for New Brunswick, where he 
 followed the carpenter's trade. In that 
 country he married Ann Miller, who was 
 born in New Brunswick and is of German 
 descent. His death occurred there at the 
 age of forty-three, and his wife passed away 
 at the age of seventy-five years and si.\ 
 months. . In their family were eight chil- 
 dren, five sons and three daughters, si.\ of 
 whom reached years of maturit}', while four 
 are still living, namely: George, who re- 
 sides on the old homestead in New Bruns- 
 wick ; Lydia A., wife of Rev. E. B. Gray, a 
 minister of the Freewill Baptist Church of 
 that country ; Maria, wife of Thomas Or- 
 chard of the same country ; and our subject. 
 The last named was the third child and 
 son of the eight children, and was reared in 
 the land of his birth, where he f)btained a 
 fair English education in the common 
 
476 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 schools. He continued at home until twen- 
 ty-six years of age, and for some time was 
 engaged in the lumber business. In the 
 year 1858 he removed to the United States, 
 settling in Winnebago county, Wisconsin, 
 and in 1861 he came to Martin county, Min- 
 nesota, where he has since made his home. 
 He at once secured a claim in Nashville 
 township, and in 1862 raised the first crop 
 in the township. For two years he culti- 
 vated his new farm, then returned to the 
 East, where he spent two years. 
 
 On the isth of June, 1866, was cele- 
 brated the marriage of Mr. Clynick and Miss 
 Ann Ingraham, who was born and reared in 
 New Brunswick, and is a daughter of Man- 
 uel and Naomi (Moore) Ingraham, who were 
 natives of the same country. She is the 
 fifth in order of birth in their family of 
 twelve children. With his bride Mr. Clyn- 
 ick returned to his Minnesota farm, upon 
 which he has lived continuously since 1866. 
 Their home has been blessed with six chil- 
 dren, three daughters and three sons, — Ida, 
 Gilford, Odber, Bertha, George and Jennie. 
 The family circle yet remains unbroken by 
 the hand of death, and all fill their places 
 by the hearthstone save Gilford, now a 
 young man, who has started out in life for 
 himself. 
 
 Devoting his time and energies to agri- 
 cultural pursuits, Mr. Clynick has passed the 
 years of his life, and has accumulated a 
 handsome property, his real-estate posses- 
 sions aggregating 480 acres of the rich land 
 of Minnesota. His is one of the line farms 
 for which Martin county is noted, it being 
 improved with all modern conveniences and 
 accessories, with a substantial residence, 
 neat barns, etc. The enterprising owner 
 carries on both general farming and stock- 
 raising, and his successful management and 
 
 systematic business methods have gained 
 him prospcrit}'. 
 
 Mr. Clynick is a strong temperance man, 
 and b}' his ballot supports the party which 
 embodies his ideas on that question, — the 
 Prohibition. In 1862 he was elected Sheriff 
 of Martin county, and he served as a mem- 
 ber of the town Board of Supervisors, dis- 
 charging his duties in a capable manner. 
 He is a member of the Freewill Baptist 
 Church, and his sterling worth and strict in- 
 tegrity have won him high regard. 
 
 H 
 
 fan 
 
 A. JOHNSON, proprietor of Or- 
 chard Hill farm, is one of the 
 prominent young farmers of Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota. This 
 comprises 640 acres, nameh', three- 
 quarters of section 33, and parts of sections 
 29. 30, 31 and 32, Verona township, and is 
 one of the most valuable and attractive 
 places in the county. Here Mr. Johnson 
 was born and reared, and here he has ever 
 since resided, the date of his birth being 
 October 13, i860. 
 
 Mr. Johnson's father, Rufus Johnson, 
 landed in Verona township, July 23, 1858, 
 and is ranked with the leading pioneers of 
 the county. He was born in Erie county. 
 New York, October 8, 1834, son of Elihu 
 Johnson, born in Genesee county. New 
 York, in 1800. The latter was a son of 
 Colonel Charles Johnson, an officer in the 
 war of 1 81 2, having charge of men at Buf- 
 falo. Colonel Johnson's father was a Revo- 
 lutionary soldier under General Washington, 
 and during the Revolution he forded the 
 Delaware river in the winter and took a 
 heavy cold, from the effects of which he 
 died. He left a widow and four children, 
 their home at that time being near Wy- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 477 
 
 oming, New York. The widow was informed 
 by a friendly Indian of the intended mas- 
 sacre at Wyoming, and she went on foot to 
 Burlington, Vermont, taking her children 
 with her, carrying the babe in her arms, i 
 Elihu Johnson was reared from his third 
 year at Boston, Erie county, New York, 
 and when he grew up married his cousin, 
 Anna Chaffee, whose mother was one of the 
 four children above alluded to. He and his 
 wife had a famil}' of eight, namely: Cyrus, 
 Amelia, Eli, Olive, Helen, I'iufus, Henry 
 and Ann. She died at the age of fifty-six 
 years, and he lived to be eighty-three, both 
 passing away in Erie county. New York. In 
 politics, he was an Abolitionist and Repub- 
 lican, and in religion a Freewill -Baptist. 
 
 Rufus Johnson, the father of our subject, 
 was reared in Erie county, New York, and 
 when he was seventeen years old began 
 teaching school. He was educated at 
 Springville Academy, and at Jackson Col- 
 lege, Michigan. In 1856 we find him in 
 Waupun township, Fond du Lac county, 
 Wisconsin, where he followed the profession 
 of teaching and where he was also engaged 
 in farming. From there, in 1858, he came 
 to Faribault county, Minnesota, making the 
 journey with three yoke of o.xen. That was 
 the wettest season on record for this part of 
 the country. He waded sloughs waist deep 
 before he reached his destination. Arrived 
 here, he took claim to a tract of land on 
 section 33, and for some time lived in a log 
 cabin, 14x18 feet. As the years passed by 
 and he was prospered in his undertakings, 
 he made valuable improvements upon his 
 land, expending no less than $5,000 in 
 buildings. In 1871 he went to California, 
 and for two years made his home in Santa 
 Clara county, returning in 1873 to his farm 
 in Minnesota. In 1887 he again sought a 
 
 change of climate, and for eighteen months 
 sojourned in Washington, but the attrac- 
 tions of Minnesota were sufficient to induce 
 him to return, and here he has since resided. 
 Rufus Johnson was married at Waupun, 
 Wisconsin, when he was twenty-three years 
 of age, to Coralinn Williams, a native of 
 Cattaraugus county. New York, and a 
 daughter of T. J. and Lydia (Champlainj 
 Williams. Her parents died in Faribault 
 county, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson 
 became the parents of five children, as fol- 
 lows: Anna, wife of M. L. Houger, of 
 Martin county, Minnesota; A. A., whose 
 name heads this article; Ralph W. , of 
 Verona, this county; Horace A., a college 
 student; and George Morton. 
 
 A. A. Johnson, who has succeeded to 
 the ownership of this beautiful rural home 
 and fine farm, known as Orchard Hill, is 
 intelligently carrying on his farming opera- 
 tions and is largely interested in the raising 
 of fine stock, making a specialty of short- 
 horn cattle and Poland-China hogs. On 
 this farm is a grove of nineteen acres, one 
 of the finest groves in the county, and in 
 the orchard are no less than a thousand 
 trees. There are two sets of buildings on 
 the place, the ones on the west being occu- 
 pied by our subject. Mr. Johnson was for 
 some time engaged in teaching, but now 
 gives his whole time and attention to his 
 farm. He was married November 21, 1883, 
 to Miss Pearlie E. Carpenter, daughter of 
 Thomas J. Carpenter, of this county, and they 
 have four children: Marion Ray, Emory 
 Lloyd, Glennis Ertel, and Evan Elliot. 
 
 Mr. Johnson has served as Assessor, 
 Supervisor, and Clerk of his school district. 
 Like his father, he is identified with the 
 Prohibition party, and is a member of the 
 Freewill Baptist church. 
 
4/3 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 aHARLES W. MEAD is the senior 
 partner of the firm of Mead & Mc- 
 Pherson, editors and proprietors of 
 the Minnesota Lake Tribune. This 
 paper was established September 5, 1894, 
 and is the outcome of a kodak pubhcation 
 started by Frank Taplin, May 23, 1894. 
 Mr. Mead, in June of that year, bought an 
 interest in this pubhcation and continued 
 with Mr. TapUn until about the ist of 
 August, when he became sole proprietor. 
 The office was first located in what was 
 known as the old Lake House. 
 
 The subject of this sketch is a native of 
 Sioux Rapids, Iowa, born November 7, 
 1869, and is a son of William W. and Hes- 
 ter Elmira (Twiford) Mead, being the sec- 
 ond in the family of seven children, four 
 girls and three boys. William Wallace 
 Mead, the father of our subject, is of Penn- 
 sylvania Dutch origin, who when a boy was 
 apprenticed to the trade of plasterer, but 
 after working at it for a time learned the 
 trade of carpenter and joiner. These call- 
 ings he followed until 1876. When the Chi- 
 cago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Rail- 
 road was building an extension, in 1876, 
 from Worthington, Minnesota, to Sioux 
 Falls, South Dakota, he entered into con- 
 tract with the company to board the em- 
 ployes, and as the work progressed moved his 
 quarters that he might better accommodate 
 them. Later he opened a large hotel at 
 Beaver Creek, Rock county, Minnesota, 
 known as the Beaver House, which he car- 
 ried on for about three years. Subsequently 
 he resided in Round Lake, Jackson county, 
 Minnesota, where he was Postmaster during 
 a period of six years. While in this place 
 he dealt extensively in cattle, and was one 
 of the largest dealers in the county. He 
 conducted a large cattle range and received 
 
 and herded cattle for many dealers through- 
 out that great section of country. Remov- 
 ing from Jackson county, he went to Iowa 
 and spent some years there, returning to 
 Minnesota and locating in Mankato, Blue 
 Earth count}', where he worked at his trade. 
 In 1887 he went farther west and engaged 
 in prospecting in and about Seattle and Ta- 
 coina, ^^'ashington. With a part\- of three 
 or four companions he located several asbes- 
 I tos mines, but being too far from railroad 
 1 communications they were subsequently 
 abandoned. In the spring of 1894, accom- 
 panied by his wife, he set out for Kitch- 
 ikin, in the Territory of Alaska. Only one 
 other white man made a home there among 
 the native Indians, while Mrs. Mead consti- 
 tuted the white "population" of women. 
 Too far from civilization, and owing to the 
 extreme cold of this section, they determined 
 to return to the States, and once more located 
 in Seattle. 
 
 On November i, 1861, Mr. Mead en- 
 listed in Company B, Brackett's Battalion 
 of Cavalry, re-enlisted January i, 1864, and 
 June I. 1866, was honorably discharged at 
 Fort Snelling. Since the organization of 
 the Republican party he has supported its 
 nominees, though never being an active 
 politician. He is a member of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic, and is now in the 
 fifty-fifth year of his age. 
 
 Charles W. Mead, the subject of this 
 sketch, commenced to learn the printer's 
 trade in the office of the Aurelia Sentinel, 
 in Aurelia, Cherokee county, Iowa. He 
 also learned the trade of barber, and for 
 several years followed that profession. He 
 has also made a reputation as a ball-player. 
 On the 19th of July, 1891, he married Miss 
 Lauretta (better known to her friends as 
 Etta) Corcoran, a daughter of Patrick and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 479 
 
 Mary Corcoran, pioneers of Faribault county. 
 The wedding was celebrated at the parson- 
 age of the Catholic Church at Blue Earth 
 City by Father Hughes. One child has been 
 born of this union, Elmira Marie, born De- 
 cember 28, 1892. 
 
 D. K. McPherson, the junior partner of 
 the Tribune, is a native of Cape Breton, in 
 the Dominion of Canada, born June 11, 
 1870, and is a son of Kenneth and Christina 
 (McKinnon) McPherson. Fifty jears ago 
 the grandparents emigrated to Cape Breton. 
 He lost his father when a babe, and his 
 mother wedded a second time. When but 
 twelve years of age he began a career for 
 himself, going to Massachusetts, where he 
 found employment with a farmer in the town 
 of Lincoln. From here he emigrated to 
 New Hampshire, where he spent about four 
 years, going thence to Portland, Maine. In 
 the spring of 1890 he graduated at the Port- 
 land Business College, since which time he 
 has visited many of the New England States, 
 and in the year of 1892-3 took a course in 
 the Northern Indiana Normal College. En- 
 gaging in the theatrical profession, he found 
 his way to Minnesota Lake, where he formed 
 his present partnership. 
 
 fft' 
 
 'ILLIAM SCHROEDER, a resi- 
 dent of Petersburg, Jackson coun- 
 ty, residing on a farm of 200 
 acres, on section 27, is a native 
 of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, born 
 March 16, 1840, He is a son of John and 
 Dothea fWaggoner) Schroeder. He was 
 confirmed in Uphal by Rev. Starck in 185 1, 
 and is the youngest of five children, only 
 one other yet living, Charlie, who emigrated 
 to America, and located in Cook county, 
 
 Illinois. He is fourteen years older than 
 our subject. One sister died in Chicago. 
 His father died at about the age of seventj- 
 two years, in the evening of one day, and 
 the mother passed away the follo\\ing morn- 
 ing! 
 
 William attended the common schools 
 of his native land and was apprenticed to 
 the trade of tailor, serving three years. In 
 December, 1863, he sailed for America on 
 the Humboldt, which had about 450 passen- 
 gers. They were seventy days on the voy- 
 age, arriving at New York on the 12th of 
 Januar\-, 1864. From there he went to 
 Philadelphia and thence to Pittsburg, Cleve- 
 land and Chicago. It required eight days 
 to make the journey. On his arrival in the 
 last named city he sought and secured em- 
 ployment with a farmer near by While a 
 resident of Cook county he married Marie 
 Mau, of Mecklenburg, Germany, who died 
 in the 20th year of her age. Three children 
 were born to them, one now living,- — Caro- 
 line, wife of Charles Mayer, a pioneer of 
 Petersburg township, Mr. Schroeder sub- 
 sequently married Miss Dorothea Koeppe, 
 of Sa.xony, Germany. She died in the 
 thirty-fourth year of her age. Seven cliil- 
 dren were born of this marriage, three of 
 whom are now living: Mary, wife of Eman- 
 uel Ullrich, a farmer of Petersburg township; 
 Sophia, wife of Frank Ullrich, also of Peters- 
 burg township; Anna, residing at home. On 
 the 14th of January, 1890, Mr. Schroeder was 
 again married, taking as his wife Miss Marie 
 Mayer, daughter of Henry and Marie Luet- 
 sche. She was born October 23, 1848, and 
 came to this countr)' in May, 1878. By this 
 union were born five children, three of whom 
 survive and reside at h()me,"-^^'illiam, 
 Charles and Henrw 
 
 The farm on which Mr Schroeder now 
 
480 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE CO UN TIES OF 
 
 lives was purchased in 1884, the dwelling 
 erected in 1886. The farm is one of the 
 best improved in Petersburg township. 
 Politically Mr. Schroeder is a Republican, 
 and while a citizen of Illinois cast his vote 
 for Abraham Lincoln for President. For 
 the past four jears he has been Township 
 Treasurer and has held other local offices, 
 discharging his duties with promptness and 
 fidelity. He is a member of the Lutheran 
 Church of his township. Coming to the 
 county without a dollar and being $700 in 
 debt, by industry and economy he has paid 
 off every dollar of indebtedness and is now 
 in comfortable circumstances, enjoying the 
 esteem of all who know him. 
 
 ^~V* A. BRADLEY, a representative of 
 •^^^k* one of the early families of Fari- 
 
 h\^y bault county, now living on sec- 
 tion 18, Minnesota Lake township, 
 was born in Morrisburg, Dundas count}-, 
 Canada West, on the ist of November, 
 1849, and with his parents removed to 
 New York. After some years' residence in 
 the Empire State the father sought a home 
 in the West and became one of the honored 
 pioneers of Watonwan county. His death 
 occurred in Antrim, Watonwan county, 
 Minnesota, in the si.xty-fifth year of his age, 
 and the loss the community thus sustained 
 was deeply felt by many friends. His wife 
 was a noble Christian woman and a consist- 
 ent member of the Methodist Church. She 
 became the mother of nineteen children, and 
 the subject of this record was the fifteenth 
 in order of birth. Of the ten sons and 
 nine daughters, six sons and seven daugh- 
 ters are yet living. They are Jemima, 
 widow of Henry La Point, and a resident of 
 Morrisburg, Canada; David, who carries on 
 
 farming at that place; Catherine, wife of 
 William Hackney, who was for some years 
 a farmer of Antrim township and is now 
 living in St. James, Minnesota; Christopher, 
 a farmer residing near Madrid, St. Law- 
 rence county, New York; James, who is 
 living with Samuel Cory, at Winnebago 
 City, Minnesota, Sarah, wife of Alonzo 
 Lowrej', deceased, and a resident of Dres- 
 den, Kansas; Sidney, a minister of the Free 
 Methodist Church; Jane, wife of Samuel 
 Cory, of Winnebago City; Gordon E., who 
 carries on farming in St. Lawrence count}'. 
 New York; Ella, wife of Allen Cory, a hard- 
 ware merchant of Easton, Minnesota; Mar\', 
 wife of Freeman Peets, a farmer of Waton- 
 wan county and the owner of a fine home 
 in Winnebago City; S. A. of this sketch; 
 and Permelia, wife of George W. Dodge, a 
 cattle drover of Watonwan county. 
 
 S. A. Bradley spent the early years of his 
 life upon his father's farm in the place of his 
 nativity, and when nine \ears of age accom- 
 panied his parents on their removal to St. 
 Lawrence county. New York. He subse- 
 quently secured a farm in that locality and 
 began farming for himself in America. He 
 accompanied his father on his removal to 
 Minnesota, and after his arrival in the West 
 aided in the grading of the Milwaukee road 
 south of Owatonna and also worked in the 
 lumber regions of that locality. His father 
 left Owatonna in a one-horse wagon, travel- 
 ing in that way to Shelbyvillc, Blue Earth 
 county. There S. A. Bradley spent the 
 summer working in a brick-yard and after- 
 ward remained for one year in the employ 
 of Tilton Allen, a farmer residing near Shcl- 
 byville. He arrived in Faribault count}- in 
 October, 1871, and went at once to Lura 
 I township, where he rented a part of the 
 farm belonging to George W. Cory. He 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 4S> 
 
 disposed of his crop at Delavan, receivinf^ 
 $1.25 per bushel for his wheat, and with 
 the capital thus acquired he purchased from 
 the Government eighty acres of land on sec- 
 tion 12, Lura township. He later traded 
 that property to Samuel Cory for eipjhty 
 acres on section 18, ^fi^nesota Lake town- 
 ship. A small frame house and straw 
 stable were- the only improvements upon the 
 place, but with characteristic energy he be- 
 gan its development, and in course of time 
 the land was placed under the plow, crops 
 were planted and abundant harvests gath- 
 ered. There is a natural grove of forest 
 trees around his home, and he has other 
 timber upon his place which adds to its 
 beauty as well as value. He has made 
 many excellent improvements, added good 
 buildings, and has supplied the place with 
 all the accessories of a model farm of the 
 nineteenth century. 
 
 On the 1st of November, 1871, Mr. 
 Bradley was united in marriage with Miss 
 Harriet Cory, daughter of George W. and 
 Mary E. Cory and the eighth in a family of 
 twelve children. She was born February 26, 
 I 849, and has become the mother of two chil- 
 dren, — Louise, who was born November 13, 
 1876; and Hattie Jane, born April 17, 1880. 
 The older daughter is now engaged in teach- 
 ing school. She attended Winnebago Col- 
 lege for two years, and possesses consider- 
 able musical talent. Hattie is also a student 
 in the same school, and the daughters are 
 young ladies of ability, an honor to their 
 parents. The mother of Mrs. Bradley now 
 makes her home with her daughter. She 
 is a charming old lady, an interesting mem- 
 ber of the household. She was born May 
 17, 1814, and in 1895, within one week, de- 
 signed and finished a very pretty pieced 
 quilt. Her hair is white with the snows of 
 
 many winters, but her smile is warm and 
 her earnest Christian life is a source of in- 
 spiration and encouragement. 
 
 Mr. I-Jradle}' has never been an office- 
 seeker, but has frequently been called upon 
 to serve on the Village Board and in other 
 public offices, the duties of which he has 
 ever discharged in a most creditable man- 
 ner. He has long been a supporter of the 
 Republican part}', and has alwajs been a 
 stanch advocate of temperance principles. 
 The family attend the Free Methodist 
 Church. Mr. Bradley is a public-spirited 
 and progressive citizen, devoted to whatever 
 is calculated to prove of public benefit, and 
 all who know him respect him for his sterling 
 worth. 
 
 @A. ALBERTUS, a capitalist liv- 
 ing in Jackson, Minnesota, is a 
 most illustrious example of a self- 
 made man. With a laudable am- 
 bition he has grasped eagerly every oppor- 
 tunity for raising himself to the level of the 
 high standard which he set up, and his reso- 
 lute purpose and commendable diligence 
 have attained the goal of his hopes. 
 
 The enterprising spirit of the West dom- 
 inates his nature. He is a Western man and 
 claims Wisconsin as the State of his nativ- 
 ity, his birth having occurred in Sauk coun- 
 ty on the 3d of March, 1858. His par- 
 ents were G. F. and Mary E. (Bartlett) Al- 
 bert us, and his mother died when he was 
 only two years old. His father was born in 
 Saxony on Christmas day of 1828, and was 
 the third in a family of four children, three 
 sons and a daughter. At the age of seven- 
 teen he crossed the briny deep to America, 
 settling in Sauk county, Wisconsin, where 
 he began farming. He subsequently was 
 
^S2 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 elected and served as County Treasurer of 
 that county. Removing to Owatonna, Min- 
 nesota, he embarked in general merchandis- 
 ing, which he successfully conducted for 
 twenty-two years. He then disposed of his 
 store and is now living retired, having ac- 
 cumulated a capital of $i 50,000. 
 
 G. A. Albertus was brought by his father 
 to Minnesota on the i ith of May, 1865, and 
 in his youth learned the harness-maker's 
 trade. In August, 1880, he embarked in 
 business for himself along that line, and 
 personal!)- conducted the same for three 
 years, when he placed his shop in the hands 
 of a manager who conducted it until 1892, 
 when Mr. Albertus disposed of it to Ray- 
 mond Bartosch. 
 
 On the 1st of April 18S3, Mr. Albertus 
 formed a connection with W. H. Hansen, 
 the noted land dealer of Chicago, with whom 
 he has since remained. He accepted the 
 agency for that gentleman in this part of 
 the country, and has made his life a telling 
 success, making a handsome fortune for 
 himself and his employer until he is now 
 recognized as one of the strongest men 
 financially in Jackson county. He deals 
 largely in lands on his own account, and 
 does not confine himself to local buying, but 
 also makes purchases in various parts of the 
 country and also deals to some extent in 
 city property. In traveling and through his 
 connection with Mr. Hansen he became 
 familiar with land values, and is enabled to 
 estimate very accurately the probable rise 
 in realty. Thus he has made wise and judic- 
 ious investments which have brought to him 
 a most e.xcellent return. Steadily has 
 he increased his capital until now he is 
 numbered among the wealthiest citizens in 
 this section of the State. His business in- 
 terests have brought him a wide acquaint- 
 
 ance and his friends are many. His success 
 seems most marvelous, but has come to him 
 not as the result of fortunate circumstances 
 but as a reward for farsighted dealings, ex- 
 ecutive ability and discrimination. His ex- 
 ample is encouraging, — demonstrating to 
 what prosperity one may attain in the land 
 of the free where caste and classes hamper 
 not genius and talent. 
 
 On the 7th of September, 1876. Mr. 
 Albertus was united in marriage with Miss 
 Alzina Martin, daughter of Robert and Eli- 
 za Martin, and to them have been born 
 three children, namely: Mabel E., born 
 September 23, 1877; Lloyd, who was born 
 in March, 1881, and died in September; 
 1884; and Floyd, born August 7, 1887. 
 
 In his political faith Mr. Albertus is a 
 Democrat, and socially he is connected with 
 Good Faith Lodge, No. 90, F. & A. M., and 
 with the Modern Woodmen of .\merica. 
 
 EARVEY H. CATLIN, who resides 
 in Lura township, is a representa- 
 tive of one of the honored pioneer 
 families of Faribault county, and 
 almost his entire life has been passed in this 
 localit\-. He was born in Louisville, St. 
 Lawrence county, New York, February 18, 
 1853, and is a son of David and Louise 
 (Chittenton) Catlin. They had two chil- 
 dren, — Allen, now a highly respected farmer 
 of Waverly township, Martin county, and 
 our subject, who is the younger. The 
 mother died during his infancy and he was 
 then taken care of by his great-aunt, Mrs. 
 Betsy Bran\in, a most estimable and worthy 
 lady, with whom Mr. and Mrs. Catlin were 
 living when the latter was called from life. 
 David Catlin was one of the honored pio- 
 neers of Faribault county and deserves ex- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 483 
 
 tended mention in this volume. He was 
 born June 12, 1831, in a log cabin in St. 
 Lawrence count}', New York, and attended 
 the common schools of the neighborhood, 
 but the knowledge there gained was largely 
 supplemented by the information acquired 
 through travel and intercourse with his fel- 
 low-men and through business dealings. 
 He was a man of more than average intelli- 
 gence and always made the best of his op- 
 portunities. After the death of his first 
 wife he was again married, on the i 5th of 
 December, 1854, the lady of his choice be- 
 ing Miss Millie A. Town, daughter of Abra- 
 ham and Jerusha (Cory) Town, both of 
 English lineage. Her father was born in 
 St. Lawrence county, New York, and is 
 now living in Martin county, Minnesota, 
 while the mother claimed New Hampshire 
 as the State of her nativity. Mrs. Catlin 
 was born in the village of Louisville, St. 
 Lawrence county, February 24, 1827, and 
 proved to the subject of this sketch a true 
 mother, giving him the love and care that 
 she bestowed upon her own children, and 
 the most pleasant relations ever have ex- 
 isted between them. She makes her home 
 in Minnesota Lake, where she has recently 
 erected a beautiful home. To the second 
 marriage of David Catlin were born five 
 children. Abrani, the eldest, is the popular 
 landlord of the recently erected Hotel An- 
 derson at Mountain Lake, Cottonwood 
 county, Minnesota; Jerusha Ann is the wife 
 of Lyman B. Probart, a popular young 
 agriculturist, residing on section 1 1 , Lura 
 township, and a son of T. J. Probart; Mary 
 E., is the wife of James R. Reynolds, 
 who resides on the old homestead, on 
 section 18, Minnesota Lake township, 
 Faribault county; William, born August 
 I, 1866, resides in Easton, engaged 
 
 in the furniture business; Hattie May, born 
 December 10, 1868, resides with her sister 
 and mother on the Lyman Probart farm, 
 and is the youngest of the family. 
 
 In 1854 David Catlin, of Scotch ances- 
 try, in company with George Cory, followed 
 Horace Greeley's advice to the youth of 
 America and came to the West. One of the 
 large railroads was then being extended to 
 Chicago and these two gentlemen, who 
 were bosom friends and the closest com- 
 panions for many years, went to that city 
 and were engaged on the construction of 
 trestle work for that road. They afterward 
 secured employment in a sawmill near 
 Springfield, Illinois, and together they re- 
 mained, sharing with each other the joys 
 and sorrows of life. The winter of 1854 
 was passed in Illinois, and the following 
 spring they set sail from New York for the 
 Golden State, where they arrived after a 
 stormy passage of several weeks. In the 
 Sacramento valley of California, these two 
 stalwart pioneers did some prospecting and 
 spent four years in the timber belt, engag- 
 ing in work in a sawmill which was located 
 in one of the primitive regions of the then 
 new State. Mr. Catlin managed to save 
 part of his earnings, and with his little capi- 
 tal he returned home by way of the isthmus 
 of Panama and New York. In i860 he 
 came again to the West, locating first in 
 Goodhue county, Minnesota, where he se- 
 cured a claim, built a log cabin and carried 
 on agricultural pursuits for four j'ears. In 
 1864 he came to Faribault county and on 
 section 18, Minnesota township, erected a 
 primitive board house. The claim which he 
 obtained comprised 160 acres of land and 
 he at once began the labor of opening up a 
 new farm and made his place one of the best 
 in the "neighborhood. His landed posses- 
 
484 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 sions increased as the years went by, he 
 becoming the owner of a wooded estate of 
 160 acres in Danville township. Blue Earth 
 county, Minnesota, while the boundaries of 
 the old homestead were extended until it 
 comprised 400 acres of desirable land, to 
 the improvement of which he gave so much 
 of his undivided attention. The place be- 
 came a veritable garden spot, rich in its well- 
 tilled fields of golden grain, which yielded 
 to the owner a handsome income. By his 
 side lived his old-time friend and valued 
 companion, Mr. Cory, and their pleasant 
 associations were almost ideal in character. 
 David Catlin always took an active part 
 in the development of his adopted county 
 and in all matters pertaining to her advance- 
 ment and welfare, and his name is therefore 
 indissolubly connected with her history. He 
 never sought public office, but his fellow 
 townsmen recognized his worth and ability, 
 and several times called him to places of 
 honor and trust. He served as Count}' Com- 
 missioner from his district, was many times 
 chairman of the Town Board of Supervisors, 
 and was officially connected with the schools 
 of which he was a warm and faithful friend, 
 — doing much for the cause of eiiucation in 
 this neighborhood. He was a man of fine 
 physique, weighing about 260 pounds, and 
 was by nature well fitted for the e.xperiences 
 of pioneer life. A few years prior to his de- 
 mise he was stricken with cancer, and though 
 the best medical aid was summoned it proved 
 of no avail. He was at last forced to suc- 
 cumb to the dread disease, and when death 
 called him to the life eternal his remains 
 were interred in Oak Grove cemeterj', where 
 a beautiful marble monument has been 
 erected to his memory. The loss was not 
 alone a severe one to his devoted wife and 
 lo\ing children, but was felt throughout the 
 
 entire community by all who had known him 
 and had held him in high esteem for his 
 many sterling qualities and admirable char- 
 acteristics. He left to his family an un- 
 tarnished name, and surely the world is bet- 
 ter for his having lived. 
 
 Har\ey H. Catlin has been an eye wit- 
 ness of almost the entire growth and devel- 
 opment of Faribault county. He has been 
 a resident of this State since the early age 
 of eight years, at which time he located in 
 Goodhue county and has resided within the 
 borders of Faribault county since the age of 
 twelve. He attended the subscription schools 
 of the former, which were often held in the 
 homes of the neighborhood, and after com- 
 ing to this county he again took up his 
 studies, his first teacher here being Miss 
 Williams. He attended at intervals until 
 about twenty-two years of age, but at best 
 his privileges were meager for the schools 
 could not then cope with those of the East, 
 and, too, his services were needed upon the 
 home farm, which he aided in opening for 
 cultivation. He shared with the family in 
 the e.xperiences of frontier life, and can tell 
 the story of Minnesota's pioneers from actual 
 experience. 
 
 On the 3d of July, 1879, Mr. Catlin was 
 joined in wedlock with Minnie A. Shoen, 
 daughter of Ashley H. and Martha C. (Cole) 
 Shoen. Her father was born in \'ermont, 
 in 1802, and in the early part of this cen- 
 turv removed to St. Lawrence county. New 
 York. His wife, a native of the Green 
 Mountain State, died in St. Lawrence county 
 when Mrs. Catlin was only about five years 
 of age. Her children are Edwin O., who is 
 engaged in the lumber business in Goldfield, 
 Wright county, Iowa; Ashley J., who was 
 born May 6, 1850, and owns a valuable half- 
 section of land in Hamlin county, South 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 4S5 
 
 Dakota, where he has resided since 1881; 
 Martha, wife of Oliver B. Barrett, a farmer 
 of Waddington, St. Lawrence county. New 
 York; Samuel S., who carries on farming in 
 St. Lawrence county, near Canton; and 
 Mrs. Catlin. The last named was born in 
 Waddington, just mentioned, March 30, 
 i860, and obtained her education in the 
 common schools. Seven interesting chil- 
 dren grace the union of our subject and his 
 wife: Bertha M., born July 7, 1880; Elmer 
 A., born July 25, 1882; David Allen, born 
 September 23, 1884; Oliver B., born Octo- 
 ber 3, 1886; Claud H., born November 24, 
 1889; Altie May, born October 31, 1891; 
 and Inez Jerusha, who was born February 
 18, 1894. 
 
 Mr. Catlin is now the owner of a highly 
 cultivated and well improved farm of 240 
 acres, and his possessions have largely been 
 acquired through his own unaided efforts. 
 His pioneer home has been replaced by a 
 pretty dwelling, 14x22 feet, with an L 
 17 .\ 20 feet, and is two stories in height. In 
 connection with his farming operations Mr. 
 Catlin has also engaged in drilling wells for 
 some years, and dug one well at St. James, 
 Minnesota, which was 218 feet deep. He 
 is a capable and energetic man, possessed 
 of good business and executive ability, and 
 his well directed efforts have made him one 
 of the substantial citizens of the community. 
 He has preferred giving his entire attention 
 to farming and stock-raising, and has there- 
 fore had not time to seek public office, nor 
 has he cared for official preferment. He is 
 a stalwart supporter of Republican princi- 
 ples, but never aggressive, and in his social 
 relations he is connected with the United 
 Workmen Lodge of Minnesota Lake. In 
 business dealings he is straightforward and 
 honorable, and he possesses a noble, out- 
 
 spoken nature, that is true to his convictions 
 and cannot be swerved by fear or favor. 
 All who know him hold him in the highest 
 regard, and in this history he well deserves 
 honorable mention. 
 
 >^OHN K. JOHNSON, one of the hon- 
 ■ ored pioneers of Jackson county, and 
 /•I a representative of one of the pio- 
 neer families of Racine county, Wis- 
 consin, is a native of Norway, born Febru- 
 ary 15, 1835, and is the first born in a 
 family of nine children, five of whom are 
 yet living: J. K., the subject of this review; 
 Halvor, who resides on the old homestead 
 in the town of Waterford, Racine county, 
 Wisconsin; Anna, wife of August Garnats, 
 also a resident of the town of Waterford; 
 Ole, a farmer in Norman county, Minne- 
 sota; Charley, a farmer in the town of Nor- 
 way, Racine county, Wisconsin. 
 
 Knute Johnson, the father of this fam- 
 ily, was born in the parish of Sauland, Nor- 
 way, devoted many years of his life to agri- 
 cultural pursuits, and when still a young 
 man married Bergitta Halvorson, a native 
 of Norway. After residing in their native 
 land for about seven years longer, the young 
 couple set sail for the United States, in the 
 spring of 1841, and after a voyage of seventy 
 days landed in New York, from which place 
 they continued their journey to Wisconsin 
 by way of river, canal and lake, landing in 
 Milwaukee, in August, 1841. From that 
 place, which was then but a small village, 
 they continued west and south to Racine 
 county, where the parents spent their re- 
 maining days. They erected a ]iriniitive 
 log cabin in which they lived for some years, 
 then replaced it by a fine building, and Mr. 
 
4S6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 and Mrs. Johnson were enabled to take life 
 more comfortably. He died in his eighty- 
 third year, while his wife survived him, dy- 
 ing in May, 1890, in her eighty-second year. 
 John K. Johnson, the subject of this 
 sketch, was but six years of age when he 
 came to this country. It was some years 
 before the first schoolhouse was erected in 
 his neighborhood, in which he obtained but 
 a few months' schooling. By reading, ob- 
 servation and travel he has acquired a great 
 knowledge of men and things, and is now 
 one of the best informed men in his section 
 of the country. He recalls with much kind- 
 ness, Miss Bagley, his first instructress in 
 the English language. Remaining on his 
 father's farm until attaining his majority, he 
 bade good-bye to home and set out for the 
 Territory of ^^innesota, crossing the Missis- 
 sippi at Prairie du Chien. He arrived in 
 Fillmore count}', Minnesota, in 1856, two 
 years before the admission of the State 
 into the Union. In the township of Rush- 
 ford he secured i6o acres of wild land, on 
 which he built a log house. In i860 he 
 removed to Houston township, Houston 
 county, where he worked at different jobs, 
 mostly farming. While a resident of this 
 county, on April 6, 1S61, he married Miss 
 Susan Swenson, a daughter of Andrew 
 Swenson and a native of Sweden, born May 
 8, 1844. She was but nine years of age 
 when her parents emigrated to America. 
 They first resided in Chicago, and after a 
 year emigrated to Houston county, Minne- 
 sota. Like her husband she is the first born 
 of a family of seven children, of whom six 
 are now living, namely: Mrs. Johnson; 
 Louis, who is engaged in farming on the old 
 homestead in Houston county; Elida, who 
 married J. F. Russell, of La Crosse, Wis- 
 consin; Josephine, wife of Mahlon Farmin; 
 
 Emma, who wedded Charles Anderson, of 
 Kingsbury county, South Dakota; and An- 
 drew, who resides on the old homestead. 
 
 On the 7th of November, 1S62, Mr. 
 Johnson enlisted as a member of Company 
 G, First Minnesota Regiment of Mounted 
 Rangers, under the command of Captain Jo- 
 seph Anderson of St. Paul. The company 
 was sent out against the Chippewa Indians 
 and did guard duty on the St. Croix river 
 during the severe winter months of 1862-3. 
 Being ordered to Fort Snelling in the spring 
 of 1863, they were sent through Dakota with 
 General Sibley's expedition to the Missouri 
 river, against the Sioux Indians. Many 
 hardships were experienced by himself and 
 comrades during this period of arduous serv- 
 ice. He was honorably discharged and 
 mustered out at Fort Snelling November 23, 
 1863. 
 
 Shortly after his return home he removed 
 to the town of Blackhammer, Houston 
 county, purchasing there an eighty-acre tract, 
 on which he lived until 1866, when he en- 
 gaged in mercantile pursuits in Newburg, 
 Fillmore county. One morning he found 
 most of his stock in trade missing, thieves 
 having plundered his store. Eight months' 
 experience in this line of business was suf- 
 ficient for him, and he again took up agri- 
 cultural pursuits. In 1868 he located a 
 claim in what is now known as Wisconsin 
 township, Jackson county. He was present 
 at the organization of this township, and to- 
 day is its efficient chairman. Here he 
 erected, from logs secured along the Des 
 Moines river, a comfortable cabin, into 
 which he removed his family. He marketed 
 his first crop in Milford, Dickinson county, 
 a distance of thirty-five miles. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of 
 twelve children, viz.: John C, born in 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 4S9 
 
 Houston county, February 13, 1862, is en- 
 gaged in farming in Wisconsin townsiiip, 
 Jackson county; Clara Josephine, born in 
 Biackhammer, Houston county, November 
 19, 1864, is now the wife of Emil Anderson, 
 who for the past thirteen years has been a 
 resident of Kingsbury county. South Dakota; 
 Betsey Caroline, born in Fillmore county, 
 April 30, 1866, is the wife of Arthur Halvor- 
 son, and the}' make their home in Washing- 
 ton county, Idaho; Knute Julius, born in 
 Houston county, May 14, 1868, resides with 
 his parents; Martin C, born in Jackson 
 county, July 7, 1870, died July 21, 1894; 
 William Edward, born July 7, 1872, died 
 January 20, 1876, in Freeborn county, Min- 
 nesota; Franklin J., born in Jackson county, 
 July 14, 1874, is at home; William E., born 
 January 13, 1877, in Freeborn county, is 
 also at home; Harvey O., born December 
 1 1, 1879, is serving an apprenticeship in the 
 office of the Jackson Republic; Arthur C, 
 born November 10, 1882; Walter L. , born 
 August 20, 1885; and Alice Susan, born 
 January 16, 1888, are still with their 
 parents. The family reside in a very com- 
 modious and prett}' residence on section 34, 
 Wisconsin township. The farm is well im- 
 proved and well adapted to all the products 
 of this locality. 
 
 Politically Mr. Johnson has been an un- 
 faltering and life-long Republican and cast 
 his first presidential vote for Abraham I^in- 
 coln. As has been stated, he is the present 
 chairman of the Township Board, and has 
 held other official positions in the township. 
 He has always been a friend of the public- 
 school system, and has stood solidly for good 
 schools and good teachers. He is a mem- 
 ber of the John A. Meyer Post, No. 60, G. 
 A. R., and was a charter member of Wads- 
 worth Post, No. 28. He and his famih' are 
 
 26 
 
 members of the First Presbyterian Church 
 of Jackson, but were formerly members of 
 the Norwegian Lutheran Church. 
 
 aHARLES ANTHONY, one of the 
 most wealthy and influential farm- 
 ers of Martin county, Minnesota, 
 was born in Cayuga county, New 
 York, November 17, 183S, descending from 
 one of the early New England families that 
 was founded in America by John Anthony, 
 who was born in England in 1607 and sailed 
 from Hempstead in the ship Hercules, April 
 16, 1634, bound for Portsmouth, Rhode 
 Island, which point he made his permanent 
 home. His death occurred there July 28, 
 1675. He married Susanna Potter, and the 
 next in line of direct descent was their son, 
 Abraham Anthony. He wedded Alice 
 Woodell and died October 10, 1727. On 
 the 31st of October, 1675, was born to them 
 a son, whom they named William and who 
 was called to his final rest September 9, 
 1747. He had married Mary Coggeshall, 
 and their son William was born October 26, 
 1709. For his wife he chose Alice Eddy, 
 and their son David was the ne.xt in direct 
 descent. He was born May 6, 1747, and 
 died November 29, 1831. His wife bore 
 the maiden name of Judith Hicks, and to 
 them was born, in Berkshire county, Massa- 
 chusetts, February 3, 1770, Humphrey An- 
 thony, who became the grandfather of our 
 subject. He, too, lived to an advanced 
 age, passing away May 15, 1866. He was 
 united in marriage with Hannah Lapham, 
 and their son John was the father of the 
 gentleman whose name heads this sketch. 
 Born in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, 
 j August 27, 1800, he departed this life July 
 ' 13, 1882. The family, as will be seen, has 
 
490 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF 7 HE COUNTIES OF 
 
 long been identified with New England and 
 in various walks of life its members have ob- 
 tained prominence. Susan B. Anthony, the 
 famous lecturer, is a niece of John Anthony. 
 
 The mother of our subject bore the 
 maiden name of Elizabeth ^^'adsworth, and 
 she also was a native of Berkshire county, 
 Massachusetts, her birth having occurred 
 November 4, 1806, and her life's labors were 
 ended April 23, 1892. Her father, Joseph 
 Wadsworth, was a son of David Wadsworth, 
 and the grandfather also bore tlie name of 
 David Wadsworth. The last named was 
 the son of Recompense Wadsworth, and 
 grandson of Ebenezer and a great-grandson 
 of Samuel Wadsworth, and the last men- 
 tioned was a son of Christopher Wadsworth, 
 the founder of the family in America. 
 
 The parents of our subject were married 
 in Auburn, New York, and soon removed to 
 Massachusetts, but subsequently returned to 
 the Empire State. In 1852 they emigrated 
 westward, taking up their residence in 
 \Miiteside county, Illinois, where they spent 
 their remaining days. They were the par- 
 ents of seven children, five of whom are 
 living at this writing, namely: Joseph, Sam- 
 uel, Charles, Joshua and Humphrey. 
 
 Charles Anthony, whose name heads 
 this article, spent the first fourteen years of 
 his life in the State of his nativity, and was 
 educated in Albany Academy. He then 
 accompanied his parents on their removal 
 to Illinois, W'here he assisted his father in 
 the development and cultivation of his farm. 
 When he had attained his majority he had 
 about $2 1 in money, and with this capital 
 started out in life for himself, giving his 
 attention to fanning and stock-raising, which 
 occupation he has since followed. He re- 
 mained in Illinois until 1876, — the year of 
 his removal to Minnesota, — wiien he took 
 
 up his abode in Dodge county, and made 
 his home there for three years. Since 1879 
 he has resided on his present farm, which 
 now consists of 560 acres of valuable land 
 on section 34, Eraser township. At the 
 time he settled here this was all wild land, 
 but it is now well improved and in a high 
 state of cultivation, being regarded as one 
 of the most desirable farms in the county. 
 Mr. Anthony was married at Adrian, 
 Michigan, February 12, 1863, to Theodosia 
 Mehitable Robinson. The lady was born 
 si.x miles from Seneca Falls, New York, 
 March 31, 1841, and is a daughter of Mor- 
 gan Lewis and Amanda Melvina (Daball) 
 Robinson. Her father was a son of Giles 
 Robinson and a grandson of Elisha and 
 Sarah (Sanford) Robinson. The family 
 traces its ancestry back to Rev. John Rob- 
 inson, who was born in 1576 and lived in 
 Norwich, England. He was a Puritan pas- 
 tor in Nottingham county, in 1606, a year 
 later removed thence to Amsterdam and 
 in 161 o to Leyden, w'here he died, March 
 I, 1625. About the year 1629 his widow 
 and two sons, Isaac and John, came over 
 to the Plymouth Colony, the former locat- 
 ing in Scituate, Massachusetts, and the lat- 
 ter near Cape Ann. The mother of Mrs. 
 Anthony was born in Groton, Connecticut, 
 April 13, 1806, and died August 24, 1883, 
 at Adrian, Michigan. She was married to 
 Morgan Lewis Robinson in Auburn, New 
 York, August 13, 1826, and they had five 
 sons and two daughters, the honored wife of 
 Mr. Anthon\- being the joungest of their 
 family. Patty Miner, the grandmother of 
 Mrs. Anthony, was born December 7, 1781, 
 and died November 10, 1852. On the 2d 
 of June, 1 80 1, she became the wife of John 
 Miner Daball, and they had a daughter, 
 Amanda Melvina. Richard Miner, father of 
 
FAKIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 491 
 
 Patty Daball, was born September 10, 1753, 
 and died March 19, 1847. He married Cath- 
 erine Holman, January 11, 1876. Nathan 
 Miner, great-grandfather of Mrs. Anthony, 
 was born July 16, 1721, and March 7, 1751, 
 married Sarah Smith. His father, Samuel 
 Miner, was born December 21, 1694, and 
 married EHzabeth Brown, December 3, 17 19. 
 Elnathan Miner, father of Samuel, married 
 Rebecca Baldwin, March 21, 1694. He was 
 a son of Menaseth Miner, who was born in 
 New London, Connecticut, in 1647, and 
 married Lydia Moore, September 26, 1670. 
 Thomas Miner, father of Menaseth, was the 
 second son of Clement Miner and was born 
 in Cherra Magna, Somerset county, Eng- 
 land, April 20, 1608. He came to America 
 in 1630 in the ship Arabella in company with 
 his relative. Governor John Winthrop. He 
 married Grace Palmer, April 20, 1633, and 
 his son, Menaseth, was the seventh child. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Anthon}' have an interest- 
 ing family of five children, namely: Fannie, 
 born January 23, 1864; Julie, born January 
 3, 1869; Bertha, born September 11, 1873; 
 Charles D., born February i, 1877; and 
 Sarah, born November 25, 1884. The 
 family have a very pleasant home on their 
 farm in Martin county and are numbered 
 among the leading and highly esteemed citi- 
 zens of the community. In his business 
 career, Mr. Anthony has been very success- 
 ful, and his property has all been acquired 
 through his own efforts, perseverance, in- 
 dustry and good management. 
 
 f^^ EORGE C. COOLEY, who is en- 
 ■ \j\ gaged in merchandising in Heron 
 ^^^^ Lake, Minnesota, was born in the 
 town of Potsdam, New York, on 
 the 28th of October, 1850, and traces his 
 
 ancestry back to the earliest history of Mas- 
 sachusetts. He springs from a family whose 
 members have always been sturdy, indus- 
 trious and honorable people, and these ster- 
 ling traits of character have been inherited 
 by Mr. Cooley. His original American an- 
 cestor sailed for the New World with the 
 historic band of Pilgrims who landed from 
 the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock. He was a 
 carpenter by trade and brought with him a 
 kit of tools, a portion of which are now in 
 possession of the gentleman whose name 
 heads this review. The Cooley farm in 
 Massachusetts, which was obtained from the 
 Indians at an early day, remained in pos- 
 session of the family until 1865, when it was 
 deeded to the town near which it was situat- 
 ed for the benefit of the poor. The grand- 
 father, Azariah Cooley, was born on the old 
 homestead near Enfield, Massachusetts, in 
 the year 1798, and when a young man emi- 
 grated to the wilderness of northern New 
 York. This was in 1822. He located in 
 the midst of a dense timber tract and 
 opened up a farm, performing the arduous 
 task of transforming this into rich and fertile 
 fields. He was one of the earliest settlers 
 of that region and for several years was ob- 
 liged to carry flour upon his back for a dis- 
 tance of nine miles. He devoted his entire 
 life to the work of the farm and there died 
 in October, 1865. 
 
 George R. Cooley, father of our subject, 
 was a native of Norfolk, St. Lawrence 
 county. New York, born in a little log cabin 
 on the 7th of December, 1824. He lived 
 in his native State until 1863, when with his 
 family he removed to the West, locating in 
 Fillmore county, Minnesota, where for many 
 years he carried on agricultural pursuits. 
 He married Faimy Chapcll, who was born 
 near the city of E.\eter, in Devonshire, ling- 
 
492 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 land, in 1828. With her father's family she 
 crossed the ocean to Montreal, Canada, in 
 1 83 1, and subsequently they went to St. 
 Lawrence county, New York, where she was 
 married. Her death occurred in Fillmore 
 county, this State, on the 26th of January, 
 1866, when she was only thirty-eight years 
 of age. After the death of his wife Mr. 
 Cooley kept his family together for a num- 
 ber of years, but finally he retired from act- 
 ive biisiness, in 1887, and is now living with 
 his son Sherman in Kansas. The family of 
 Mr. and Mrs. George R. Cooley numbered 
 eight children, four of whom are yet living, 
 as follows: James E., a resident of Roches- 
 ter, Minnesota; Ida A., wife of E. G. Mc- 
 Elroy, of Prescott, Wisconsin; Sherman 
 Grant, a resident of Linn, Kansas; and 
 George C. , of Heron Lake. 
 
 The last named and the one in whom 
 the readers of this volume feel the deepest 
 interest, lived for thirteen years in the Em- 
 pire State, and then accompanied his par- 
 ents on their emigration westward to Min- 
 nesota. He aided in opening up the new 
 farm in Fillmore county, and continued his 
 labors in the fields until he had attained his 
 majority, when he started out in life for 
 himself. His first independent effort was 
 at teaching school, which he followed for 
 two years, when, in the fall of 1872, he be- 
 came connected with the lumber business, 
 taking charge of the lumber-yard of Mr. Col- 
 man, in Whalen, Minnesota. There he 
 continued for eight years, and on the expira- 
 tion of that period he became station agent 
 and operator for the Milwaukee Railroad 
 Company at the same place. In that capac- 
 ity he continued for two years, when he 
 accepted a similar position in Delavan, re- 
 maining there for two years. His next 
 venture was in the dru" business in Winne- 
 
 bago, and in the fall of 1884 he came to 
 Heron Lake, where he opened a drug and 
 general merchandise store. He has since 
 carried on operations along this line and is 
 recognized as one of the energetic and lead- 
 ing business men of Jackson county. He 
 has a good store, in his dealings is strictly 
 honorable and straightforward, and as he 
 earnestly desires to please his customers he 
 has won a liberal patronage. 
 
 On the 1st of July, 1874, Mr. Cooley led 
 to the marriage altar Miss Hortense Dike- 
 man, a native of Ohio, who died July 14, 
 1 88 1, leaving one daughter, Daisy H. Cool- 
 ey, now the wife of Frank Humiston, of 
 Heron Lake. Mr. Cooley was again mar- 
 ried September 7,1882, his second union 
 being with Sabrina Jane Ward, daughter of 
 Alfred and Amanda (Bigelow) Ward, the 
 father of English birth, while the mother 
 belongs to the Bigelow family, one of the 
 earliest families of Vermont. Four children 
 have been given Mr. and Mrs. Cooley, — 
 Guy C, Grover W. , May Maud and Fan- 
 nie A. 
 
 Mr. Coolej- has always been an active 
 and enthusiastic member of the Democratic 
 party, and during the first administration of 
 President Cleveland served as Postmaster of 
 Heron Lake for three years. He has served 
 as a member of the Village Council, and at 
 writing is serving as Justice of the Peace. 
 For twenty-four years he has been an in- 
 terested and influential member of the 
 Masonic fraternity, and was one of the 
 charter members of Columbian Lodge, 
 No. 210, F. & A. M. He also belongs to. 
 the Ancient Order of United Workmen, to 
 the Modern Woodmen and to the Knights of 
 Pythias. 
 
 His public and private life are alike 
 above reproach, and his sterling worth and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 493 
 
 strict integrity have gained him the confi- 
 dence and respect of all with whom he has 
 been brought in contact. He has the best 
 characteristics of his Puritan ancestors, 
 without their narrowness and rigidity of 
 principle, and his friends in the community- 
 are legion. 
 
 >^OHN WILLIAM MUIR, who is 
 
 ^ conducting a successful liverj' busi- 
 A 1 ness in Jackson, is a young man of 
 excellent business and executive abil- 
 ity. He was born on the ist of March, 
 1867, on a farm near St. Mary's, in western 
 Canada. His parents, Robert Crawford 
 and Mary (McClain) Muir, came to Jackson 
 county on the i 5th of October of the same 
 year, and located upon a farm. Thus our 
 subject has spent the greater part of his life 
 in this community. His life in early days 
 was similar to that of most farmer boys, his 
 time being passed in the fields through the 
 summer months, while in the winter season 
 he attended the common schools. 
 
 In 1885 Mr. Muir left home and began 
 learning the carpenter's trade, working for 
 John Davies, and continued in that employ 
 for three years. Later, in connection with 
 H. S. Schloot, he took a contract for build- 
 ing residences in Sioux City, and in the fall 
 of 1887 he accepted the position of foreman 
 of a bridge gang on the Illinois Central Rail- 
 road, working in that way from July until 
 November. His expert workmanship was 
 readily acknowledged, — a fact shown by 
 his position with the railroad company when 
 only twenty years of age. Returning then 
 to Jackson county Mr. Muir continued to 
 follow his trade for a year, after which he 
 embarked in the livery business. It was in 
 January, 1889, that he bought out the livery 
 
 barn of E. L. Brayton, and also the omni- 
 bus and dray line of Jackson Brayton, since 
 which time he has followed both pursuits. 
 His rigs are modern in style, his horses good 
 stock, and as he earnestly desires and labors 
 to please his customers he has secured a 
 liberal jiatronage, which is constantly in- 
 creasing. 
 
 On the 14th iif November, 1889, Mr. 
 Muir was united in marriage with Miss Lena 
 Arp, daughter of Claus Arp. She was born 
 on the 13th of January, 1867, the third 
 child in her father's family. Their union 
 has been blessed with a family of three chil- 
 dren: Grace Arpa, born December 19, 1890; 
 Maud Augusta, born March 28, 1891; and 
 John William, born on the 29th of Septem- 
 ber, 1892. Socially, Mr. Muir is connected 
 with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, 
 and is a charter member of Maple Grove 
 Lodge, No. 1069, M. W. A. In his polit- 
 ical views he is a stalwart Republican, sup- 
 porting that party since attaining his ma- 
 jority. In the community • he is widely 
 known, is a popular, genial gentleman, and 
 all who are acquainted with him recognize 
 his sterling worth and give him their high 
 regard. 
 
 In this connection we wish to make fur- 
 ther mention of Robert Crawford Muir, 
 father of our subject and one of the honored 
 early settlers of Jackson county, who for 
 twenty-eight years has been connected with 
 its agricultural interests. He was born in 
 Canada West, April 2, 1839, and is of Scotch 
 lineage. His grandfather, who was born in 
 Scotland and engaged in business there as a 
 shepherd and stone-mason, and emigrated to 
 the New World, locating in Canada, where 
 he died, at the advanced age of eighty-six 
 years. The father, Thomas Muir, was born 
 in Scotland, August 8, 1803, and became a 
 
494 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 resident of Canada in 1820, when seventeen 
 years of age. With the exception of two 
 Nears passed in New York and Connecticut, 
 he was ever afterward a resident of Canada, 
 and there his Hfe was ended on the ist of 
 January, 1 892. He married Elizabeth Horn, 
 who was born in Scotland April 3, 1808, 
 and died in March, 1878. Their children 
 are Thomas, Joseph, Thomas, \\'illiam, 
 Alex, Andrew, Miron, Robert, Elizabeth, 
 Mary, John, Samuel, George, and two who 
 died in infancy unnamed. 
 
 In the land of his birth Robert C. Muir 
 was reared and educated, and was united in 
 marriage there with Mary McLean, daugh- 
 ter of John and Jeanette (McDougal) Mc- 
 Lean. Their wedding was celebrated on 
 the 23d of December, 1864, and by their 
 union were born thirteen children: Eliza- 
 beth, who was born in Canada, October 15, 
 1865; John, who is mentioned above; Will- 
 iam, born June 19, 1869; Jeanette, born 
 September 30, 1871; Robert, born March 
 23, 1872; Mary Ann, born July 24, 1873; 
 Minnie, born April 9, 1875; Alex, born May 
 10, 1876; James, born June 16, 1878; 
 Maggie, born March 21, 1880; Katie, born 
 March 21, 1882; Gale, born March 22, 1884; 
 and Gracie, who was born January 24, 1887, 
 and died February 10, 1889. 
 
 Mr. Muir remained in Canada until Oc- 
 tober, 1867, when he determined to try his 
 fortune in America, and came to Jackson 
 county, Minnesota. On the ist of May, 
 1868, he settled on section 22, Middletown 
 township, living in a log house for twenty- 
 five years and five months. He then erected 1 
 his present residence, a comfortable and 
 substantial dwelling. He has since given 
 his time to the development of his land, 
 transforming the wild prairie into rich and 
 fertile fields and making many improve- 
 
 ments, which have added to the value and 
 attractive appearance of the place. He is 
 accounted one of the leading and represent- 
 ative farmers of the communit}-, and is a 
 wide-awake and progressive citizen. In his 
 political views he is a stalwart Republican, 
 and in religious belief is a Presbyterian. 
 
 ^"^AMUEL CORY, who occupies the 
 •^^^hT position of superintendent of the 
 
 ps^_y water works of ^^'innebago City, is 
 one of the early settlers of Fari- 
 bault county and a veteran of the late war, 
 who valiantly served his countr}', true to the 
 old flag and the cause it represented. He 
 displays the same loyalt}- in all the relations 
 of life, whether of a public or private char- 
 acter, and has therefore gained the confi- 
 dence and good-will of all with whom busi- 
 ness or social affairs have brought him in 
 contact. 
 
 Mr. Cor}- is a native of the Empire State, 
 born in St. Lawrence county. May 25, 184 1, 
 and is of Welsh lineage, descending from a 
 family that dates its arrival in America in 
 Colonial days. The grandfather of our sub- 
 ject, Daniel Corj', was born in Massachu- 
 setts, and the father, George W. Cory, was 
 a natise of New Hampshire. He was joined 
 in wedlock with Mary E. Towne, who was 
 born in Plattsburg, New York, and came of 
 an old family of that State. The parents 
 of Samuel resided in New York until 1865 
 and then came to Minnesota, locating in 
 Lura township, Faribault county. In pur- 
 suit of fortune the father followed farming 
 and was a well known agriculturist of this 
 section of the State. He was born in 18 14 
 and died in this county in 1887, at the age 
 of seventy-three years. His political sup- 
 port was given to the Republican part\'. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 495 
 
 His wife still survives him, and at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty years is living in Min- 
 nesota Lake. Their family numbered ten 
 children, two sons and eight daughters: Lo- 
 rinda, who died in 1863; Samuel, Lucinda, 
 Allen, Elvira, Harriet, Ellen, Louise, Maria 
 M., now deceased, and one who died in in- 
 fancy. 
 
 In the count}- of his nativity Mr. Cory 
 spent the days of his boyhood and youth, 
 reared in the manner of farmer lads of that 
 locality. After the breaking out of the late 
 war he offered his services to the Govern- 
 ment to aid in crushing out the Rebellion 
 which threatened the destruction of the na- 
 tion. It was in September, 1861, that he 
 became a member of Company G, Sixtieth 
 New York Infantry, commanded by Captain 
 Smith and Colonel Goodrige. He served 
 until the close of the war and was in many 
 of the most important battles of the struggle, 
 including the engagements at Antietam, Bull 
 Run, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Lookout 
 Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Ringgold, Re- 
 saca, and Dallas. At the last named he was 
 severely wounded by a minie ball in both 
 thighs, and also received a flesh wound, 
 while his coat and hat were also shot through. 
 He was sent to the hospital at Kingston, 
 Georgia, where he remained for three 
 months, then was at Nashville for a time, 
 after which he was sent to Madison, Indiana, 
 where he was granted a thirty-days fur- 
 lough and returned to his home. Not able 
 to rejoin his regiment at the end of that time 
 his leave of absence was extended to sixty 
 days. He then again went to the front but 
 refused to re-enter the hospital, though still 
 suffering from his wound and was sent to 
 Governor's Island, New York, from where, 
 on a ship with 1,100 others, he started for 
 his regiment. While eii route he succeeded 
 
 in extracting the ball which had caused all 
 his trouble, and the piece of lead he still 
 has in his possession. At Goldsboro he re- 
 joined his command and was afterward in 
 the battles of Raleigh, was present at the 
 capture of General Johnston's forces, thence 
 went to Richmond and on to Washington, 
 where he participated in the Grand Review, 
 — the most brilliant military pageant ever 
 seen on this continent. 
 
 Mr. Cory was honorably discharged at 
 or near Alexandria, Virginia, and then re- 
 turned to his home in the P2mpire State, 
 but after a short time he came to the West, 
 journeying to Minnesota Lake, near where 
 he secured a claim of 160 acres. For two 
 years he cultivated this farm, then went to 
 California, but his stay on the Pacific slope 
 was of short duration. On again coming to 
 Minnesota he settled in Watonwan county, 
 where he lived for a year, when he came to 
 Lura township, Faribault count}', securing a 
 farm of 300 acres. That was subsequently 
 sold and by purchase he became the owner 
 of a tract of 160 acres in W'innebago City 
 township, which tract he has under a high 
 state of cultivation. He never lived on the 
 land purchased in Winnebago City town- 
 ship, but moved from Lura township five 
 years ago to Winnebago City, where he has 
 a good property and a position that he is 
 filling in a creditable and acceptable manner. 
 
 Mr. Cory was first married in St. Law- 
 rence county, New York, to Paulina Nichols, 
 who died in 1861. The only child of that 
 marriage died in infancy. In Minnesota 
 Lake was consummated the marriage of 
 Mr. Cory and Adelaide Hudson, who died 
 in Sacramento, California, leaving two 
 daughters: Paulina, who formerly was a 
 successful teacher and is now the wife of 
 John Lindall; and Mary, who is living in 
 
496 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 California. In 1871 Mr. Cory was joined 
 in wedlock with Mrs. Jane Short, who by 
 her former marriage had two sons, Charles 
 and Alvah. The children of her second 
 union are Abram, a graduate of the com- 
 mercial college of Des Moines, Iowa, and 
 Martin. 
 
 Mr. Cory holds membership in Clabaugh 
 Post, No. 54, G. A. R., and has served 
 both as Junior and Senior Vice Commander. 
 He also belongs to the Masonic fraternity 
 and is a leading member and a Deacon in 
 the Freewill Baptist church. He adheres 
 to the Republican party, which he has sup- 
 ported since casting his first vote. He was 
 then in the hospital and voted for Reuben 
 Fenton for Governor of New York, nine- 
 tenths of the men in the hospital being of 
 the same political faith. He is a man whose 
 word is as good as his bond, whose integrity 
 is above question, whose life has ever been 
 honorable and upright, and who is justly 
 deserving of the high regard in which he is 
 held by his many friends. 
 
 aB. WESTON, a prominent citizen 
 of Walnut Lake township (post- 
 office Wells), was a soldier in the 
 last war, but he first came to this 
 county in 1862. 
 
 He was born at Mount Tabor, Rutland 
 county, Vermont, June 28, 1835. His 
 father, Daniel B. Weston, was born at 
 Winchendon, Massachusetts, of an old Mas- 
 sachusetts family that was of English origin. 
 Daniel B. married Ruth Jackson, a native 
 of Wallingford, Vermont, a daughter of 
 John Jackson, also of the Bay State. Some 
 of her forefathers were participants in the 
 Revolutionary war. The parents of our 
 subject resided in N'ermont, and in 1X58 
 
 emigrated to Howard county, Iowa, locating 
 there as pioneers, where the father died, at 
 the age of sixty-five years, and the mother 
 died some time subsequently. They had 
 nine children, viz.: Ephraim, Sophia, 
 Charles B., Dora, Catharine, Nettie, Liz- 
 zie (wife of Jeff. Clark and both are now 
 deceased), and George, deceased. B}' a 
 former marriage to Catharine Taj'lor, the 
 senior Weston had three children, — Sophia, 
 Park and William. He was a farmer by 
 occupation, in politics a Republican and in 
 religion a Baptist. 
 
 Mr. Weston, whose name introduces 
 this sketch, was reared upon a Vermont 
 farm and educated in the public schools. In 
 1858 he married and came West, first loca- 
 ting in Howard county, Iowa. For his wife 
 he wedded Charlotte L. Richardson, a suc- 
 cessful school-teacher, born at Plymouth, 
 Vermont, October 4, 1833. Her father, 
 Jonathan Richaidson, also a native of the 
 Green Mountain State, was Captain of the 
 home militia in Vermont. His father was 
 Johnson Richardson, whose father, James 
 Richardson, was a Revolutionary soldier, 
 losing a leg by blood-poisoning resulting 
 from a wound received at the battle of 
 Bunker Hill. Mrs. Weston's mother, be- 
 fore marriage Ruhama Bishop, was born at 
 Shrewsbury, Vermont, a daughter of Rob- 
 ert Bishop, a native of the same town and a 
 Revolutionary soldier. Mrs. Weston's par- 
 ents came to Howard county, Iowa, in 
 1859, and in 1862 to Faribault county, and 
 here, in Walnut Lake township, Mrs. Bishop 
 lived until her death, at the age of sixty- 
 eight years ; her husband died at the age of 
 seventy-eight years. They had two chil- 
 dren : Bowman, who in the last war was a 
 member of the Board of Trade Regiment of 
 Chicago, iti which city he died in 1877. He 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 497 
 
 married Emily Paul and had three children: 
 Volnej' B., F. P. (deceased), and Mary E. 
 The other child of Mr. and Mrs. Richardson 
 was Charlotte L., now Mrs. Weston. 
 
 Mr. Weston came to Faribault county 
 in 1862, locating upon a homestead of 160 
 acres. He now has 480 acres of land, con- 
 stituting one of the best farms in the county. 
 When he first arrived here there were but 
 nine voters in the three townships. During 
 the Indian massacre of Minnesota they had 
 to live on one griddle-cake a day and what 
 game they could get. All the gristmills 
 were in the hands of the Government to 
 grind grain for the soldiers. In November, 
 1864, he enlisted in the First Minnesota 
 Heavy Artillery, in Company D, comprising 
 140 men, with nine guns. They were in 
 sight of the battle of Nashville, but most of 
 the time they were stationed at Chattanooga, 
 Tennessee. Honorably discharged in Octo- 
 ber, 1865, Mr. Weston returned home. 
 
 He has three children: Mary R., who 
 was a successful teacher for twenty-three 
 terms, and now the wife of Lewis Heitzeg, 
 of Kiester township, and has one daughter, 
 Charlotte E. ; Marcus R., who married Cora 
 Taylor; and Bowman, who married Claudia 
 Dames and has one child, Paul B. Mr. 
 Weston's nephews, Harry and Charlie 
 Clark, have a good home here with the fam- 
 ily. Mr. and Mrs. Weston have one 
 adopted daughter, Maggie Lewis by name, 
 but was always known familiarly by the 
 name of Minnie Weston. She married 
 Wesley Harper and they have two children, 
 Raymond and Mabel. They are living in 
 Missouri and are doing well. 
 
 Mr. Weston is a Republican, has been 
 Supervisor, and member of the School 
 Board twenty-five years. In religious rela- 
 tions both Mr. Weston and his wife are 
 
 members of the Baptist Church, and have 
 been efficient workers in the Sunday-school. 
 They are kind and intelligent people. 
 
 t>^ H. WALKER, a well-known farm- 
 
 I ^T er and contractor and builder, Ve- 
 
 \ . P rona township, Faribault county, 
 
 Minnesota, has been identified with 
 
 this vicinity for fifteen years and is one of 
 
 its leading citizens. 
 
 Mr. Walker was born in Jersey City, 
 near New York, February 22, 1849. His 
 father, Thomas Walker, was a native of the 
 north of Ireland and a son of Scotch-Irish 
 parents; was reared a Presbyterian, and was 
 by trade a brick mason, nearly the whole of 
 his life being spent in work at his trade. 
 When a young man he emigrated to America, 
 and in New York was married to Rebecca 
 Johnston, a daughter of Scotch parents. 
 In 1853 he moved with his family to Hori- 
 con, Wisconsin, and while there met with 
 an accident which finally caused his death. 
 His widow lived to the advanced age of 
 eighty-three years. Their family was com- 
 posed of four children, the subject of our 
 sketch being the only one now living. The 
 others were Mary Hayes, Elizabeth Ross, 
 and John Walker. Mrs. Ross left one child, 
 now Jay Ross Walker, who now resides 
 with his uncle, R. H. Walker. 
 
 At the time the Walker family removed 
 to Wisconsin, the subject of our sketch was 
 five years of age, and in that State he was 
 reared, received a fair education, and learned 
 the carpenter's trade. He came to Minne 
 sota in 1880 and purchased his present farm 
 of 160 acres of James Fairbanks. This 
 place is now well improved with good resi- 
 dence and barn, fine grove, model orchard, 
 windmill, etc., and everything conveniently 
 
49« 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 arranged for carrying on farming operations 
 successfully; and in addition to operating 
 his farm, he is also doing considerable busi- 
 ness in contracting and building. 
 
 Mr. Walker has been twice married. His 
 first wife was Katty, daughter of Robert Ob- 
 ren. In 1886 he married Miss Mary E. 
 Coombs, of Delavan, Minnesota, and they 
 have four children, namely: Elizabeth Ann, 
 Lucretia May, Thomas Harrison and Robert 
 Thurston. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Walker is a Republican. 
 Fraternally, he is identified with the I. O. 
 O. P., and A. O. U. W. at Winnebago City. 
 
 >^URGEN SCHWAGER, a farmer of 
 f section 8, Sioux \'alley township 
 (• / fpostoffice Sioux Valley), is one of 
 the intelligent, enterprising and suc- 
 cessful German-American citizens of this 
 section of the countrj-, residing here since 
 the autumn of 1883. 
 
 He was born in Holstein, Germany, Au- 
 gust 16, 1849, a son of Claus Schwager, a 
 native of the same province, and Anna, nee 
 Messer, also a native of Holstein. Young 
 Jurgen was educated in the public schools 
 of his native land and learned the trade of 
 shoemaking, in which he afterward was en- 
 gaged for some time. In i 867 he bade fare- 
 well to the little German home across the 
 Rhine and emigrated to America, sailing 
 from Hamburg to New York, and being 
 fourteen days on the voyage. He first 
 came to Davenport, Iowa, where he stopped 
 with his elder brother Tinmi. His father 
 died in Iowa, in 1S90, at the age of seventy- 
 four years, and his mother at the age of 
 fifty-seven. There were three children: 
 Timm, now in Cedar county, that State; 
 Jurgen, of this sketch; and Clirist, of Mar- 
 
 tin county, Minnesota. The senior Schwager 
 was a farmer by occupation, in politics a 
 Democrat and in religion a Lutheran. 
 
 Mr. Jurgen Schwager, who is the im- 
 mediate subject of this sketch, was eighteen 
 years of age when he came to Iowa. He 
 lived in Scott county until 1883, then pur- 
 chased eighty acres of unimproved land here 
 in Jackson count}', Minnesota, entered agri- 
 cultural pursuits and prospered. At length 
 he bought forty acres more, and later still 
 another forty acres, so that he now has 160 
 acres of good land, in a good arable condi- 
 tion. It is situated on the northeast (]uar- 
 ter of section 8. On the place is a comfort- 
 able house, 20 X 24 feet, one and a half 
 stories high, and there is also a good equip- 
 ment of farm buildings, etc. Mr. Schwager 
 is a stockholder in the creamery association, 
 of which he is secretary, being a competent 
 official, for to him is due, in a great meas- 
 ure, the success of the business of the associ- 
 ation. He keeps a dairy of sixteen cows. 
 
 December 30, 1875, he married Anna 
 Wiebener, who has been an intelligent and 
 efficient help in the affairs of the life of her 
 husband, " looking well to the household." 
 She was born in Holstein, Germany, and 
 brought up there, and was eighteen years of 
 age when she came to Scott county, Iowa. 
 Her parents were Ehler and Margaretha 
 (Franzen) Wiebener. Her father died in 
 1875, at the age of fifty years; and her 
 mother is living with her. They had three 
 children, viz. : John, in Cedar county, 
 Iowa; Louisa, in Martin county; and Anna 
 Schwager. Mr. Schwager, of this sketch, 
 has six children, namely: Emma, Louise, 
 George, Amanda, Willie and Harry, besides 
 one deceased, Bernhardt, the fifth child, who 
 died when he was fourteen months of age. 
 
 Mr. Schwager is a leading Democrat in 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 499 
 
 his community, has been Assessor for five 
 years, and Clerk for the same length of 
 time, serving in both capacities with credit 
 and honor. He is in the prime of life, liberal 
 in his feelings and cordial in his manner. 
 
 aHRISTOPHER KUNSMAN, a 
 prosperous farmer residing on sec- 
 tion 14, La Crosse township, Jack- 
 son county (postoffice Heron Lake), 
 is a native of the Old World, born April 9, 
 1830, a son of Christopher and Catharine 
 (Stone) Kunsman, both also natives of Eu- 
 rope. He was a babe when the family emi- 
 grated to America, settling in Northampton 
 county, Pennsylvania, on the Delaware 
 ri\'er, where the father died, at the age of 
 fifty-two years; the mother departed this 
 life at the age of forty-five years. The senior 
 Kunsman, a farmer by occupation, was 
 twice married. By the first wife there were 
 three children, and by his second nine. 
 Three of the sons were soldiers in the last 
 war, namely: Christopher (our subject), 
 Samuel and Henry. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 sketch was reared on a farm and received a 
 liberal education. In 1856 he went to Jack- 
 son county, Wisconsin, and resided at Black 
 River Falls and Price's Hill, employed some 
 at farming, but mostly at lumbering in the 
 pine woods and in driving logs on the Black 
 and Mississippi rivers. 
 
 September 22, 1864, he enlisted in the 
 First Wisconsin Cavalry and participated in 
 engagements in Kentuck}', Tennessee and 
 Alabama, and was honorably discharged at 
 Nashville. 
 
 Upon returning to Wisconsin he again 
 engaged in the lumber business, but this 
 time on his own account. In 1871 he came 
 
 to Minnesota, with a wagon and horse team, 
 and located upon a homestead of 160 acres, 
 in La Crosse township, Jackson county, 
 where he now lives. His first dwelling here 
 was a frame building, 14x16 feet, now used 
 as a granary and storehouse for tools. In 
 1892 he erected a modern structure, 16 x 24 
 feet in dimensions, with an L i6x2i, upon 
 a commanding situation where an inviting 
 scenery is presented from all directions. 
 The farm and farm buildings are all in good 
 proportions and condition. There are a 
 grove of three acres, an orchard, etc. 
 
 March 15, 1874, at Black River Falls, 
 Mr. Kunsman married Miss Ellen McCalluni, 
 an accomplished lady of considerable edu- 
 cation, born at Rockford, Illinois, and was 
 four years of age when her people removed 
 to Black River Falls, where she was reared 
 and educated. Her father, David McCal- 
 lum, a native of Scotland, born April 12, 
 1 800, was twenty years of age when he 
 came to this country, settling in New York, 
 where he married Emeline Gaffin, who was 
 born in Canada, near Niagara Falls. He 
 was a carpenter by trade, but a lumberman 
 most of his life, in Wisconsin and Illinois. 
 In his religion he was a Methodist, and was 
 a Steward of the church for fifteen years. 
 He died at Black River Falls, at the age of 
 seventy-three years; his surviving wife now 
 resides at Grand Forks, North Dakota, aged 
 eighty-five years. In their family were six 
 children, namely: James, who died when 
 a boy; Alva, who, as a soldier in the last 
 war, was a member of Company G, Sixth 
 Wisconsin Infantry, and died in 1883; John, 
 who also as a soldier in the same war, was 
 a member of Company G, Tenth Wisconsin 
 Infantry, was in the army three j'ears and 
 three months, and now lives in Jackson 
 county, Wisconsin; Anna Taft, Ellen Kuns- 
 
^oo 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 man, and Nancy, deceased. Mr. Kunsman 
 has four sons, viz. : Charles A., aged twenty 
 years; David B., seventeen years; Henry 
 W. , thirteen; and Harry J., nine. 
 
 Mr. Kunsman, in his pohtical principles, 
 is a Democrat, and he is a member of B. F. 
 Sweet Post, G. A. R. , No. 149. Mrs. Kuns- 
 man is a member of the Relief Corps, of 
 which she was for several years Secretary, 
 and is now Junior Vice President. In re- 
 lijjious belief the family are Methodists. 
 
 ^^OLOMON CANRIGHT, afarmerof 
 •^^^kT section 26, Martin county, is a son 
 
 p\^_y of Solomon and Pamelia (Reacor) 
 Canright, the former born in Ulster 
 county. New York, in 1800, and the latter 
 in Vermont in 1806. They were married 
 in New York, and in 1846 located on an un- 
 improved farm in Waukesha county, Wis- 
 consin. In 1854 they sold that place and 
 purchased another in the same county. Mr. 
 Canright died in i860, and his wife died in 
 1892. They were the parents of ten chil- 
 dren, nine now living: Charles S., Franklin, 
 John E., Francis A., Solomon, Nancy, Par- 
 melia M., Irene R., and Emily. The latter 
 is the wife of Jerome Canright. Three of 
 the sons served in the Civil war, — John E., 
 Francis A. and Solomon. 
 
 Solomon Canright, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in Ulster county. New 
 York, January 11, 1842, and was four years 
 of age when he moved with his father to 
 Wisconsin. August 23, 1862, he enlisted 
 for service in the late war, entering Company 
 A, Twenty-eighth Wisconsin Volunteer In- 
 fantry. He participated in the battle of Hel- 
 ena, in the capture of Little Rock, in an ex- 
 pedition from Pine Bluff, and in the battles of 
 New Orleans, Mobile and Spanish Fort. He 
 
 then remained in Texas until his discharge, 
 in September, 1864, having never been off 
 duty but once during his three-years service. 
 Mr. Canright then remained at home until 
 1868, when he came to Minnesota and 
 taught school several winters. In the spring 
 of 1868 he located on his farm of 200 acres, 
 then prairie land, but the place is now under 
 a tine state of cultivation. 
 
 In 1 88 1 Mr. Canright was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Frances A. Fowler, born in 
 Hartford, Connecticut. September i 3, 1853, 
 a daughter of Holmes and Adeline (Parker) 
 Fowler, natives also of that State. In 1857 
 they located in Westford township, Martin 
 county, Minnesota, where they still reside. 
 Mrs. Canright received her education in the 
 district schools of this county, and was en- 
 gaged in teaching twelve years. Our sub- 
 ject and wife have one son, Charles Holmes, 
 born June 7, 1883. In his political rela- 
 tions, Mr. Canright acts with the Republican 
 party. He has held the position of Town- 
 ship Clerk for ten years, Director of School 
 District No. i 5, and has always taken an ac- 
 tive interest in school work. 
 
 eR. COOK, a prominent farmer 
 near Wells, and a resident here 
 since 1866, was born in Pennsyl- 
 vania, October 28, 1852, a son of 
 Daniel Cook, deceased, who was a promi- 
 nent pioneer of this community, arriving 
 here in 1866. The latter was a son of John 
 Cook, a native of Pennsylvania and of an 
 old Pennsylvania family. He was married 
 in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, April 24, 
 1838, to Mary A. Herring, who was born in 
 Venango county, Pennsylvania, September 
 10, 1818, a daughter of Lewis Herring, also 
 a native of the Keystone State. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 50 ' 
 
 Daniel Cook moved with his family to 
 Clarion county, that State, in 1843, and in 
 1855 came to Houston county, Minnesota, 
 where they arrived with only one $5 gold 
 piece and a chest of tools, he being a car- 
 penter. Subsequently he moved to Fill- 
 more county, this State, and in 1866 came 
 to Faribault county. Arriving here he took 
 a homestead claim, where the subject of 
 this sketch now lives, and resided here until 
 his death, April 17, 1891. His wife de- 
 parted this life April 7, 1891 ; they had been 
 married fifty-three years. Of the eight 
 children whom they brought up four are 
 still living, namely: William H., who was a 
 member of the Tenth Minnesota Infantry 
 during the war of the Rebellion and is now 
 a resident of Kansas; I. W. M., a prominent 
 citizen of Walnut Lake township; Sarah 
 Jane Hamlin, of Elliott, Montgomery coun- 
 ty, Iowa; and E.R ., who is the immediate 
 subject of this notice. The four deceased 
 were Susanna, Daniel, Nancy Ellen, a babe 
 unnamed, and Margaret, also an infant. 
 The parents were active and zealous mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 Mr. Cook was a Republican, and had held 
 office in Fillmore county, this State, and 
 also in this township. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 sketch was a lad of fourteen years when the 
 family arrived here, and he grew up on a 
 farm, according to the style of thirty years 
 ago. He helped his father improve the 
 place, and was trained meanwhile to the 
 principles of industry and virtue generally. 
 He now has a farm of 200 acres, which is 
 one of the best in the township. It is sit- 
 uated four miles from Wells. His residence, 
 farm buildings and grove are of good qual- 
 ity and neat appearance. He is a thrifty 
 farmer. 
 
 December 14, 1875, he married Ella J. 
 Tenney, a daughter and the eldest child of 
 O. B. Tenney, of Lura township. Her 
 people came here in 1865. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Cook have seven children, namely: Orin B., 
 Vernon J., Jennie B., Floyd E., Nellie V., 
 Sherman R. and Leroy. 
 
 Mr. Cook is a Republican, and he has 
 been a member of the School Board. He 
 is a popular and highly respected citizen. 
 The family attend the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. 
 
 IRA RUSSELL, deceased, was a res- 
 ident near Wells from 1876 to the 
 time of his death in 1888. He was 
 born at Bartlett, New Hampshire, 
 January 13, 1804, a son of Thomas Rus- 
 sell, who was born at Andover, Massachu- 
 setts, and grandson of Thomas Russell, who 
 was born on the sea while his parents, 
 Scotch, were on their way to the United 
 States of America. As he grew up he 
 learned the trade of miller in his native vil- 
 lage. In 1852, alter his marriage, he moved 
 to Lemont, Cook county, Illinois, near Chi- 
 cago, where Mrs. Russell soon afterward 
 died, of Asiatic cholera. 
 
 In i860 he came to Freeborn county, 
 Minnesota, where he was among the early 
 settlers, opened a farm on new land, and 
 followed agricultural pursuits there until 
 1876, when he came to Faribault county, 
 purchasing the place, of 160 acres, where 
 his surviving (second) wife now resides. He 
 made a valuable farm, built a large frame 
 house upon a good building site, planted a 
 fine orchard, etc. 
 
 He was married, at the age of twenty- 
 seven years, to Betsey B. Deering, and had 
 nine children, namely: Ira Olcott, who was 
 
502 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUMTJES OF 
 
 a member of Company F, Fourth Minne- 
 sota Infantry, was wounded in the first bat- 
 tle, re-enlisted in the Veteran Reserve 
 Corps, became First Sergeant, and lived 
 after the war until the year 1885, when he 
 died in St. Paul, this State. The other 
 children by that marriage were: Annie R. 
 Kelsey, Ruth Cleveland, Huldah Colvin, 
 C. R. Derby, Walter S. (who was a mem- 
 ber of Company C, Fifth Minnesota Infan- 
 try), and Charles Otis, a member of the 
 same company and a veteran, besides two 
 deceased. Mr. Russell's second marriage 
 was to Eunice J. Lee, who still survives. 
 She was born in Chautauqua county, New 
 York, near Lake Erie, a daughter of Ste- 
 phen Lee, who was a native of Connecticut 
 and a soldier of the war of 1 8 1 2. Her mother 
 before marriage was Martha A. Bailey, 
 also a native of the "Land of Steady Hab- 
 its." This familj' moved in 1842 to Cook 
 county, Illinois, being pioneers there. The 
 father died in 1846, at the age of fifty-six 
 years, leaving nine children: Jane, Zeruiah, 
 Rebecca, Martha, Harriet, Ellen, Eunice 
 J. (Mrs. Russell), George W. (who was a 
 soldier in the late war, in Company F, 
 Tenth Minnesota Infantry), and William D. 
 (also a soldier, a member of Company G., 
 Forty-second Illinois Infantry, and killed at 
 Chickamauga). The mother of these chil- 
 dren died at the residence of Mrs. Russell, 
 at the age of eighty-five years, a member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church and a good 
 Christian woman. By the second marriage 
 there were six children, viz.: Eunice A., 
 who became the wife of George W. Dewey, 
 of Granite Falls, Minnesota; Winfield S., 
 of Todd county, this State; Bessie J., who 
 married Silas Crandall, of Otter Tail county; 
 Edwin T. , born in 1861, in Alden township, 
 Freeborn county, and now residing upon 
 
 the old farm with his mother, was married in 
 1890 to Nettie May Dickens, and has three 
 children, — Clara A., George T. and Joel A. ; 
 George L., of Walnut Lake township; and 
 Amzi O., of this county, near Wells. 
 
 Mr. Ira Russell, the subject of this 
 sketch, died October 22, 1888, in his eighty- 
 fifth year, a good citizen and an affectionate 
 husband and father. Mrs. Russell was as- 
 sistant Postmistress of Buckeye post office 
 in Freeborn county, having charge of the 
 office during the late war. She has many 
 warm and true friends among a wide circle 
 of acquaintances, and all her children have 
 been well trained and educated. 
 
 >T^OHN BALDWIN, the efficient and 
 m popular Register of Deeds of Jack- 
 A 1 son county has filled this office for 
 three successive terms, — a fact which 
 indicates fidelity to duty and the confidence 
 and trust reposed in him by his fellow citi- 
 zens. He is a man of sterling worth, and 
 with pleasure we present to our readers this 
 record of his life, knowing that it will be re- 
 ceived with interest b\' many. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin claims Canada as the land 
 of his nativity, for he was born in Waterloo, 
 in the province of Ontario, December 30, 
 1844. His parents were William and Mary 
 (Schlichter) Baldwin, and the family is of 
 Irish lineage. The paternal grandfather 
 was a native of the Emerald Isle and in early 
 manhood bade adieu to home and friends, 
 preparatory to emigrating to the New World. 
 He took up his residence in New York, 
 where the father of our subject was born and 
 subsequently removed to Canada. Mrs. 
 Baldwin's people were originally Pennsyl- 
 vania Dutch, but she was born in Canada 
 and departed this life in Dubuque, Iowa, in 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATOXUAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 503 
 
 March, 1885, at the age of sixty-nine years. 
 In 1846 William Baldwin left Canada and 
 moved to Sa;:;inaw City, Michigan, where he 
 made his home for six years, going in 1853 
 to Dubuque county, Iowa, where his life's 
 labors were ended, his death occurring in 
 i860. His family numbered the following 
 children: Isaac Waltingham, who died Feb- 
 ruary 12, 1895; Samuel and Jacob, deceased; 
 Carrie, wife of N. J. Leyten; John William; 
 Elizabeth, wife of John Loes; Charles, Jared 
 and Stephen. The surviving members of 
 the family are all living in the United States. 
 John Baldwin started out in life for him- 
 self at the age of sixteen years and has since 
 been dependent upon his own resources, so 
 that whatever success he has achieved in life 
 is due entirely to his own efforts. At the 
 age of eighteen he secured a clerkship in the 
 store of J. W^ Dillrance, of Canton, Iowa, 
 with whom he continued for seven years, — 
 a most trusted and faithful employee. He 
 afterward served as foreman in a railroad 
 camp of the Northwestern Railroad Com- 
 pany, working under Carmichael & Brooks, 
 the well-known contractors. He was con- 
 nected with railroad work for three years 
 altogether, after which became to Minnesota, 
 locating in Stewartville, Olmsted county, 
 in 1874. He engaged in contracting along 
 various lines, but mostly in clearing land. 
 His arrival in Jackson county was in March, 
 1879, at which time he purchased eighty 
 acres of land in Minnesota township on sec- 
 tion 25. He then devoted his attention and 
 energies to the cultivation and improvement 
 of his farm, making his home with Mr. Gillis, 
 whose farm adjoined his own. He was quite 
 successful in his agricultural pursuits and his 
 well developed land yielded to him a good 
 income. 
 
 Mr. Baldwin has tilled several public 
 
 offices and has done effective service for the 
 community while serving as County Com- 
 missioner. In the spring of 1886 he was 
 appointed to that position, and the following 
 fall was elected as the County Commissioner 
 from the iirst district. In the fall of 1888 
 he was elected Register of Deeds of Jack- 
 son county and removed to the county seat, 
 where he has since lived. In 1890 he was 
 re-elected, again in 1892, and for the fourth 
 time was the people's choice for that office 
 in 1894. No higher testimonial of his fidel- 
 ity could be given than the fact of his re- 
 election, and for six years he has tilled the 
 office with credit to himself and satisfaction 
 to his constituents. In his political affilia- 
 tions he is a Democrat and warmly advo- 
 cates his party's principles. In his social 
 relations he is a Mason, belonging to Good 
 Faith Lodge, No. 90, F. & A. M. He was 
 initiated into the mysteries of the order in 
 Dubuque county, Iowa, in 1868, becoming 
 a member of Cascade Lodge, and on com- 
 ing to Jackson county he joined the lodge 
 with which he is now connected and of 
 which he has been Treasurer for three 
 years. He is also a member of Des Moines 
 Valley Lodge, No. 56, I. O. O. F., and the 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen, — a pop- 
 ular and honored member of all these socie- 
 ties. During his residence in Minnesota he 
 has ever lived so as to merit the high re- 
 gard in which he is held, and his friends 
 have been won by a straight-forward, hon- 
 orable life. 
 
 HUGUST JULIUS RIGENHAGEN, 
 whose postoffice address is Monroe, 
 Minnesota, is one of the prosperous 
 German farmers of Martin county. 
 He was born in Christophswakie, near Gust 
 
504 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 and Lansberg, in the province of Branden- 
 burg, Germany, July 31, 1843, his parents 
 being Godfrey and Carohne (Simpson) Rig- 
 enhagen. His father was born in 1807 and 
 died in 1887; and his mother died in the 
 fall of 1882, at the age of eighty years. The 
 children of that worthy couple were seven 
 in number, namely: Wilhelm, born in 
 1834, married Johannah Seabort, and has 
 one child, Minnie; Caroline, born in 1837, 
 died at the age of six years; Ferdinand, 
 born in 1840, married Paulina Tando and 
 reared a family of fourteen children, his 
 death occurring in Germany in 1885; Augus- 
 tus Julius, whose name heads this article; 
 Robert, born in 1846, died in Germany at 
 the age of thirty-eight years, leaving a widow 
 and two children; Gustaa, born in 1849, 
 died at the age of twenty years; and Frantz, 
 born in 1852, is married and has a family of 
 five children, 
 
 Mr. Rigenhagen was induced to emigrate 
 to America by his brother-in-law, Peter 
 Nessen, who had established his home in the 
 United States and who was then on a visit 
 to Germany. It was in April, 1876, that 
 our subject landed in New York with his 
 family, and from there at once proceeded to 
 Clinton county, Iowa. There he worked 
 for wages for about four years, after which 
 he rented a farm of 1 30 acres and lived on 
 it until March, 1885, when he came to Mar- 
 tin county, Minnesota. The first year of 
 his residence in Martin count}- Mr. Rigen- 
 hagen rented an eighty-acre tract of Albert 
 Castle, and in 1886 bought of Christopher 
 Peterson, of Fairmont, eighty-acres, the 
 west half of the northwest quarter of sec- 
 tion 36, township 104, range 32, and at 
 once mo\cd upon this farm. In the spring 
 of 1 89 1 he built his present residence and 
 the following year erected his barn. In 
 
 1892 he also bought the southwest quarter 
 of section 26, same township and range, and 
 now has 240 acres, all of which has been 
 broken. Four acres have been planted for 
 a grove. At this writing the place is stocked 
 with sixty-eight hogs, eighteen cattle, and 
 eleven horses. 
 
 Mr. Rigenhagen was married May 21, 
 1869, to Mari Christine, daughter of Edwin 
 and Mary (Meekleson) Nesser, and born in 
 Weiboll Wedsted Sogn in Schleswig. Her 
 parents are both deceased, her father pass- 
 ing away, in 1892, at the age of eighty 
 years; her mother, in 1862, at the age of 
 fifty-three years. A record of Edwin Nes- 
 sen's children is as follows: Jergen, born 
 February i, 1842; Peter, August i, 1S43; 
 Mary Christina, October 16, 1845; and 
 Christopher Frederick, July 7, 1850. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Rigenhagen have had seven chil- 
 dren, namely: Mary, born July 16, 1869, 
 died January 12, 1892; Edwin, born August 
 3, 1 87 1 ; Johannah Caroline, August 2, 1874; 
 Godfrey, September 18. 1876; Anna Kat- 
 rina, May 23, 1879; Wilhelmina, June 8, 
 1883; and Dorothea, May 23, 1890. 
 
 Mr. Rigenhagen votes with the Republi- 
 can party. He has served as School 
 Director of District No. 88 for four years, 
 and is still filling that position. 
 
 HUGUST CORNELIUS GROTH, 
 one of the Americanized German 
 farmers of Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, was born in Holstein, Ger- 
 many, October 26. 1833. He is a son 
 of John Frederick and Anna Dorothea 
 (Clausen) Groth, both natives of Germany; 
 the former, born in 1803, died at Chicago, 
 in March, 1866, and the latter, born Octo- 
 ber 1, 1804, died at Chicago, February 3, 
 
c/ 
 
 ///////. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 507 
 
 1892. They had a family as follows: 
 Johann, who emi,£;rated to America in 1850, 
 died of cholera in Chicago, September 17, 
 1867; August Cornelius; John, who went to 
 Australia some years ago and all traces of 
 him have been lost; Riemer, who died at 
 the age of fourteen years; Heinrich, who 
 came to America in 1863, is now engaged in 
 mining in Los Angeles, California, and 
 George, a resident of Chicago, married the 
 widow of his brother Johann, and they have 
 two children. 
 
 August C. Groth bade adieu to his native 
 land May 28, 1864, and landed at New 
 York on the fourteenth of the following 
 month. He at once proceeded to Chicago, 
 where his brother lived, and there engaged 
 in work at his trade, that of blacksmith, in 
 the Gates Machine Shops. At Christmas 
 he severed his connection with that com- 
 pany, and entered the employ of Heinrich 
 Binder, with whom he remained two 
 months. March 6, 1865, he opened his 
 own blacksmith shop at No. 799 South 
 Halstead street, Chicago, and continued in 
 l)usiness there for a period of fifteen years. 
 At the end of that time he rented a hay 
 farm of 380 acres near Chicago, and con- 
 ducted it until his coming to Minnesota. It 
 was in 1883 that he purchased his present 
 farm of \V. T. Hansen. This purchase 
 comprises the northeast quarter of section 
 35, township 104 (Galena), range 32, Mar- 
 tin county. On the third of April, 1884, he 
 moved here, and has since continued to re- 
 side on this farm. On the night of January 
 I, 1887, his house took fire and burned 
 down, the supposed cause of the fire being 
 a defective flue. This disaster caused a total 
 loss, but immediately afterward he erected 
 his present residence. Recently, in the fall 
 of 1894, he added forty acres to his original 
 
 26 
 
 purchase, — the southwest quarter of the 
 southeast quarter of section 26, same town- 
 ship and range; and of this 200 acres he has 
 about 130 broken. His farm is stocked 
 with twenty-seven head of hogs, twenty of 
 cattle and nine of horses. Four and a half 
 acres of the land are covered with timber. 
 
 Mr. Groth was married November 14, 
 1858, to Anna Katrina Hellms, who was 
 born May 12, 1834, daughter of Peter and 
 Anna Dorothea (Johansen) Hellms. Her 
 father died in i860, at the age of eighty 
 years; her mother in February, 1892, aged 
 eighty-si.x years. Iq their family were the 
 following named children: Martha, An- 
 drew, Anna Katrina, Buoy, and Sophia. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Groth have a family as fol- 
 lows: Dorothea, born March 31, 1859, is 
 the wife of August Rath and lives in Chi- 
 cago; John Peter, born April 15, 1862, is 
 engaged in farming in this county, he and 
 his wife, iicc Miss Mary Stusse, having four 
 children, — George, Theodore, Katrina, and 
 August; August George, born' January 9, 
 1864; Henry, born July 22, 1870; Burn- 
 hardt, born August 7, 1872, died July, 1873; 
 Sophia, born April 14, 1874; Annie Mary, 
 born September 17, 1876; and Martha Au- 
 gusta Christina, born February i, 1878. 
 
 Mr. Groth is in harmony with the prin- 
 ciples advocated by the Republican party, 
 and is a member of the Lutheran church. 
 
 EON. ANDREW C L A R K S O N 
 DUNN, the first actual settler of 
 Winnebago City, and the pioneer 
 lawyer of Faribault county, Min- 
 nesota, was born in New York city. Octo- 
 ber 9, 1834. 
 
 He is a son of Natiianiel Dunn, who 
 was for forty years an eminent educator, being 
 
5o8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 the first principal of the Wilbraham Acad- 
 emy of Massachusetts, and for many years 
 Professor of Chemistry in Rutger Female 
 Collefje in New York city. The Dunns arc 
 an old Maine family, and of Scotch descent. 
 The maiden name of our subject's mother 
 was Charlotte Tillinghast, the family being 
 prominent in Rhode Island, to which State 
 they came from England about 1642. She 
 was a woman of rare literary attainments, 
 and, like her husband, was an eminent 
 teacher. He died in 1889, at the ripe old 
 age of eighty-nine years. She died early 
 in life, the date of her death being 1838. 
 In their family were three children, two of 
 whom are now living, — Mary, now Mrs. 
 Rushmore, of New York city, and An- 
 drew C. 
 
 Mr. Dunn was educated by his father, 
 and commenced reading law at an early age, 
 under the instructions of Edward Sanford, 
 Esq., and also Judge Campbell, of New 
 York city, and for some time taught school 
 at Fordham, New York. In April, 1854, 
 he came to Minnesota, and was admitted to 
 the bar in the autumn of that year, at a 
 term of Territorial Supreme Court held at 
 St. Paul. He practiced his profession for a 
 few months at Sauk Rapids, and then lo- 
 cated in St. Paul, where he was in practice 
 for nearly two years. 
 
 He was one of the original proprietors 
 of Winnebago City, locating the land on 
 which the village is built, in 1856, at the 
 United States Land Office at Chatfield, 
 Minnesota, and building the first house on 
 the site. He assisted in the organization of 
 the county into townships, under an ap- 
 pointment from Governor Sibley. At the 
 time the village was laid out there were not 
 a hundred people in Faribault county, and 
 there was but one house between this place 
 
 and Albert Lea, a distance of forty miles. 
 Strolling Indians of the Sioux and Winne- 
 bago tribes were mnch more numerous than 
 white men. The nearest post office was at 
 Mankato. thirty miles to the north, and 
 directly west the nearest post office was on 
 the Pacific coast. Provisions were hauled 
 from Independence, Iowa, a distance of 140 
 miles. Mr. Dunn also helped lay out the 
 village of Sauk Rapids, in 1854, and as- 
 sisted in surveying the site of the present 
 prosperous city of St. Cloud. 
 
 He was Secretary of the first State Sen- 
 ate, which convened on the 2d of Septem- 
 ber, 1857, and which finally adjourned Au- 
 gust 12, 1858, having in the interim a rest of 
 a few weeks. This position brought him in 
 contact with the leading men of the State 
 at that period, and he is well posted as to 
 the status of Minnesota's statesmen of that 
 time. He was Chief Clerk of the House of 
 Representatives in 1864-5-6, and was one 
 of the Clerks in the House in the old Terri- 
 torial days. In 1880 he was elected to rep- 
 resent Faribault county in the lower house of 
 the Legislature, and served in the sessions 
 of 1 88 1 and 1882, the most notable in the 
 history of the State, made so by the final 
 settlement of the $5,ooo,ooo-railroad-bond 
 question, and the impeachment of Judge E. 
 St. Julian Co.\, in which famous trial Mr. 
 Dunn was one of the managers on the part 
 of the House of Representatives. He has 
 also held various local offices, having been 
 County Attorney for two or three terms, 
 and has done much valuable work as a 
 member of the local School Board. 
 
 In politics, Mr. Dunn was a Democrat 
 in early life, a war Democrat while the civil 
 strife reigned in the South, and since then 
 has acted with the Republican party, and is 
 one of its most able supporters in the State. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 509 
 
 Althoujijh he still, as in time past, takes an 
 active interest in public affairs, and occupies 
 a high place in the councils of his party, he 
 can hardly be called, in the common accept- 
 ance of that word, a politician. Possessing, 
 as he does, ample ability and patriotism for 
 true statesmanship, he is ioo honest, out- 
 spoken and independent, and lacks that ob- 
 sequiousness which brings success to the 
 mere politician. He is a member of the 
 Masonic fraternity, having attained the de- 
 gree of Knight Templar, and is a member 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which 
 society he has been Superintendent of the 
 Sabbath-school for nearly a quarter of a 
 century. 
 
 Mr. Dunn has gradually built up an exten- 
 sive law practice, and has long stood at the 
 head of the Faribault county bar. Not only 
 this, but his practice in recent years has 
 brought him in contact with the most learned 
 members of the profession in the State, and 
 he is acknowledged and recognized as one of 
 the leading lawyers of Minnesota. Thorough- 
 ly learned in law, always a student as well 
 as a practitioner, with not only a quick but 
 also a comprehensive mind, earnest in his 
 convictions, able in his assertions of them, 
 and devoted to the interests intrusted in his 
 keeping, he has few superiors as an able ad- 
 vocate and thorough lawyer. In speaking, 
 he is ready, forcible and graceful, not only 
 entertaining his hearers but also impressing 
 upon them his convictions. His legal busi- 
 ness is extensive and lucrative, and a con- 
 siderable portion of his attention, profession- 
 ally, is taken up with railroad work. Besides 
 attending to his large legal business, he finds 
 time for rest and recreation in superintend- 
 ing the cultivation of his farm near the vil- 
 lage, where he is somewhat extensively en- 
 gaged in raising grain and stock. 
 
 January i, 1859, Mr. Dunn married Miss 
 Diana Jane Smith, a native of Mount Ver- 
 non, Knox county, Ohio, and daughter of 
 Colonel B. F. Smith, of Blue Earth county, 
 Minnesota. Only three of their seven chil- 
 dren are now living, viz.: Mary Tillinghast, 
 wife of Prof. F. A. Molyneaux, now of Cali- 
 fornia; Alice Hope and Andrew Paul. 
 
 •y— ^ ENRY CONRAD, who is one of the 
 wf "% best known and most highly honored 
 \ . " farmers of Faribault county, Min- 
 nesota, retains his residence on sec- 
 tion 9, Kiester township, and he enjoys the 
 distinction of being a pioneer of the county, 
 having been the first settler in the township 
 mentioned. 
 
 Mr. Conrad is a native of the grand old 
 Empire State, being a lineal descendant of 
 Holland Dutch ancestors, who in the infancy 
 of our republic came across the water and 
 settled in the fertile Mohawk valley, which 
 they made to "blossom as the rose." It 
 was there that for generations his ancestors 
 lived and died. Our subject was born in 
 Oswego county, on the 4th of October, 
 1829, being one of the six children granted 
 to the union of Frederick and Matilda 
 (Meyers) Conrad. Five of the children are 
 now living, namely :George, who is also a res- 
 ident of Kiester township; Catharine, wife of 
 Ezra Oliphant, of Kiester township; Eliza, 
 wife of Mr. Scriber, of New York State; 
 Henry, the immediate subject of this review; 
 and Elias, who is a resident of Wells, this 
 county. 
 
 The father, Frederick Conrad, was a 
 native of Canada, although, save for a brief 
 period during his infancy, his life was spent 
 in the State of New York, - principally in 
 
5IO 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Oswego, Onondaga and Madison counties, in 
 the last-named of which his death occurred. 
 He had attained the venerable age of eighty 
 years, having survived his wife, who died at 
 the age of fifty. 
 
 Henry Conrad remained a resident of 
 his native State until he had attained the 
 age of twenty-five years, when he started 
 out in life for himself, first devoting himself 
 assiduously to acquiring the trade of carpen- 
 ter and builder. In 1854 he went to Chi- 
 cago, where for a year he was engaged in 
 bridge work. Later on he settled in Brown 
 county, Wisconsin, being employed at his 
 trade there for the period of about one year, 
 and from that time, — with the exception of 
 several visits to his old home in New York 
 State, — he continued to live in Wisconsin up 
 to the year 1866. In the spring of that year 
 he came to Minnesota in search of a place 
 where he might make his home and settle 
 down for life. He finally secured land in 
 Kiester township, whose soil as yet had 
 never been furrowed by the plowshare, 
 and here took up his abode, there loeing no 
 other settler for miles around. He built a 
 small frame house and started in to subdue 
 the wild prairie. Successful in his endeav- 
 ors from the first, he added from time to 
 time to the original tract of 160 acres which 
 he had purchased from the Government, un- 
 til he is the owner now of 560 acres of mag- 
 nificent farming land, with buildings which 
 are models of comfort and convenience. 
 He has on his place a windmill for grinding 
 grain, barns which will accommodate fully 
 seventy-five head of stock, and all the equip- 
 ments and accessories necessary for the suc- 
 cessful operation of a large and well improved 
 farm. Surrounding the home buildings is 
 a fine grove of si.xteen acres, and the entire 
 property bears a marked and perpetual evi- 
 
 dence of the abilit}' and energy of its owner, 
 being also a credit to the county in which it 
 is located. 
 
 In his political affiliations Mr. Conrad 
 has beeh a stanch supporter of the Repub- 
 lican party since the time of its organiza- 
 tion. He has not allowed his private in- 
 terests and affairs to hedge in his field of 
 endeavor, but has taken active part in fur- 
 thering the substantial advancement of the 
 county of which he is an honored resident. 
 Always alive to the interests of his town- 
 ship, he has been called upon to serve in 
 positions of public trust. In 1867 he be- 
 came one of the Supervisors of Seelej' and 
 Kiester townships, serving in that capacity 
 for a number of years, and after Kiester 
 township was set of? by itself he served as 
 its Supervisor for several terms, — until 
 about ten years ago, when he felt that the 
 burden and responsibility should rest upon 
 younger shoulders, and consequently retired 
 from active participation in public affairs. 
 
 When the nation was plunged into the 
 desperate fratricidal conflict, the late war of 
 the Rebellion, our subject was one of those 
 who took up arms and went forth in defense 
 of his country. He enlisted as a member 
 of Company F, Third Wisconsin Cavalry, 
 and saw active field service for a period of 
 two years. He received his discharge at 
 Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in October, 
 1865. 
 
 On the 15th of December, 1854, Mr. 
 Conrad was united in marriage at Chitte- 
 nango, Madison county. New York, to Miss 
 Sophia Cooley. They have eight children 
 living, namely: Jerome H., of Wells, this 
 county; Fred G. , of the village of Kiester; 
 Laura E., wife of H. E. Ringer, of Lake 
 Mills, Iowa; Willard, of Kiester; Webster, 
 of Seeley township; Edgar A. and Curtis 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 R. , of Kiester; and Delbert N., at home. 
 For the past quarter of a century Mr. and 
 Mrs. Conrad have been consistent members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with 
 whose interests they have actively identified 
 themselves. 
 
 aHARLES B. ROUSE, of section 
 14, Hunter township (postoffice 
 Lakefieldj, is one of the well known 
 citizens of the county. He is a 
 native of Rensselaer county. New York, 
 born March 14, 1830, a son of Jonathan 
 Rouse, Jr., who was born at Pottstown, 
 New York, and was a teamster for the 
 United States Government in the war of 
 1812, hauling supplies for the troops. His 
 father, Jonathan Rouse, Sr. , was of Holland 
 Dutch stock, and was a soldier in the Revo- 
 lutionary war. The maiden name of the 
 mother of Charles B. Rouse was Candace 
 l>utler. Before marriage she was a popular 
 teacher in the State of Massachusetts. She 
 was born near f^owell, Massachusetts, a 
 daughter of Jonathan Butler, who was a na- 
 tive of that State of Irish parentage, and 
 was of a prominent family of Massachusetts. 
 Jonathan Butler was killed in the woods, 
 when his daughter, Mrs. Rouse, was a young 
 girl, and she was brought up by Oliver Ed- 
 gerton. Jonathan Rouse and Miss Candace 
 Butler were married December 8, 18 19, by 
 I^ev. Jonathan Grant, of Massachusetts, and 
 had eight children. The father died June 
 30, 1856, at the age of seventy-two years, 
 at East Albany, New York. By occupa- 
 tion he was a farmer, and in politics a 
 Whig. His wife died in 1878, at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-si.\ years. She was at 
 first a Presbyterian and later a member of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mr. Charles B. Rouse was brought up on 
 a New York farm, receiving a common- 
 school education. At the age of twenty- 
 three years he went to Connecticut, where 
 for a year he was in the employ of Seth 
 Thomas, the famous clock man, at Thomas- 
 town. He then came West to Wisconsin, 
 and a short time afterward, in 1855, to Fill- 
 more county, Minnesota. He spent one 
 season on the Mississippi river, then was in 
 Illinois for a time, and on the plains for a 
 season. 
 
 June 26, 1861, early during the war pe- 
 riod, he enlisted in the Second Minnesota 
 Infantry for three years, and participated in 
 the battles of Perryville, Chickamauga, Mis- 
 sionary Ridge and Kenesaw mountain; was 
 wounded three times, — once in the side, at 
 Chickamauga; once on the head; at Mission- 
 ary Ridge a ball struck below the elbow, 
 which he still carries. June 26, 1864, pre- 
 cisely at the termination of the period for 
 which he had enlisted, he was honorably 
 discharged. 
 
 Returning to Fillmore county he re- 
 mained there a short time, and then came 
 to Martin county, where he lived five years. 
 Next he moved to Faribault county, this 
 State, locating near Winnebago City, on the 
 farm of Hon. A. H. Bullis, until 1879, when 
 he came to Jackson count}-, settling first on 
 the Minor farm, and in September, 1882, 
 he located upon his present place, three 
 miles and a half south of town, where he 
 now has eighty acres of land, a residence 
 13x22 feet in dimensions, one and a half 
 stories high, with an L 12 x 14 feet, a full 
 equipment of outbuildings and a good grove 
 of seven acres. He and his sons are en- 
 gaged in stock-raising, having some Here- 
 ford cattle and other stock. 
 
 August 30, 1865, he was united in mar- 
 
AfEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 riage with Miss Margaret Orr, daughter of 
 Robert Orr, a native of Ohio, and of Scotch 
 ancestry. The latter married Ann John- 
 ston, a native of Scotland. Afrs. Rouse 
 was five years of age when her parents emi- 
 grated to this country, settling at Wabash, 
 Indiana. Two jears later they moved to 
 Fillmore county, Nfinnesota, locating in Pilot 
 Mound township, and later removed to Fari- 
 bault county, settling near Winnebago City, 
 where the father died, in December, 1881. 
 Mrs. Rouse's mother lives at La Crosse, 
 Wisconsin, now aged eighty-one years. In 
 that family were three sons and six daugh- 
 ters. Three of the daughters are highly 
 esteemed school-teachers. In the family of 
 Charles B. Rouse, our subject, were eight 
 children, seven of whom are living, namely: 
 William H. and Willma H., twins; Heman 
 H., Maud E., Elizabeth L., Nellie R., 
 Charles O. and Earl R. W^illma H. has 
 been a popular teacher for a number of 
 years in this county, and is now a mission- 
 ary in China, under the auspices of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church; Maud E. died 
 at the age of two years; and Elizabeth is a 
 successful teacher in this county. 
 
 Mr. Rouse is a Republican, has been 
 Township Clerk, member of the School 
 Board for a number of years; Township 
 Treasurer, and is a member of John A. 
 Myers Post, No. 60, G. A. R., at Jackson. 
 The family are very highly esteemed through- 
 out the community. 
 
 at 
 
 183: 
 
 ILLIAM BROWN, deceased, one 
 
 of the pioneers of Faribault, 
 
 county, Minnesota, was born in 
 
 Lincolnshire, England, in June, 
 
 and was reared to farm life, receiving 
 
 only a limited education. After attaining 
 his majority he emigrated to America and 
 for a short time sojourned in Michigan and 
 Illinois. In 1858, in company with Mr. 
 Thomas Allen, he came to Minnesota and 
 took up his abode on Elm creek in Nash- 
 ville township, Martin county, where he re- 
 nifdned a {&\\ years. From there he came 
 to Faribault county and homesteaded 160 
 acres in sections 8 and 9, and commenced 
 to improve and cultivate his land. Subse- 
 quently he bought sixty acres more, making 
 in all 220 acres. 
 
 In December, 1863, he enlisted in Com- 
 panj' H, Second Minnesota Cavalry, and 
 served during the Indian troubles until April 
 28, 1866, when he was honorably discharged. 
 Returning to his claim, he resumed farming 
 and continued thus occupied until the time 
 of his death, March 4, 1881. He was pros- 
 pered in his farming operations, and what- 
 ever of success he achieved in life came 
 through his own industry, as he started out 
 when a young man with no capital save his 
 willing hand and strong arm. Politically, 
 he endorsed the Republican party, but in 
 no sense of the word was he a politician. 
 
 Mr. Brown was married December 3, 
 1866, to Miss Ann Bottomley, a native of 
 England and a daughter of Robert and Ann 
 (Ken worthy) Bottomley. She was born 
 near Manchester, in 1843, and her father 
 and mother were both natives of that part 
 of England. In their family were ten chil- 
 dren, six of whom reached adult age, viz. : 
 Mary, James, Thomas K., Seth, William 
 and Ann. The father was a cloth dresser. 
 During the Civil war in America many 
 of the factories in and around Manches- 
 ter closed or worked on short time, and, 
 labor being scarce, and wages low, the Bot- 
 tomley family drifted to America. Thomas 
 
FARIBAUL7\ MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 51.3 
 
 K. came first and settled in Missouri, but on 
 account of his sympathy with the Union 
 cause he was obliged to leave there on short 
 notice. He then came to Minnesota, and 
 in Martin county he and his brother Seth 
 still reside, both being well-known and highly 
 respected citizens. Mrs. Bottomley, the 
 mother, died in England, but the father 
 came to America, and his death occurred in 
 Minnesota in 1864. Mrs. Brown came to 
 this countr\- in 1863, and for two years and 
 a half worked in a woolen factory in Massa- 
 chusettes, as a weaver, she having learned 
 that trade at Staley Bridge, near Manches- 
 ter, in a cotton factory. In May, 1866, 
 she came west to keep house for her broth- 
 ers, William and Thomas, in Martin county. 
 After her marriage to Mr. Brown, as above 
 recorded, they settled on the farm where she 
 and her family now live. They became the 
 parents of si.\ children, viz.: George W., 
 now of Kansas; Mary R. , a teacher; and 
 Thomas, Estella, Allen and Alice, at home. 
 
 On the death of Mr. Brown, Mrs. Brown 
 was left with her children to care for and 
 with the farm somewhat encumbered, as the 
 sixty acres had been bought with borrowed 
 money. The task of rearing and educating 
 her family and of superintending the cultiva- 
 tion of the large farm was no small imder- 
 taking, but this she has accomplished; and 
 not only this, but she has also paid off all 
 the indebtedness and erected the nice resi- 
 dence she and her family occupy, as well as 
 having built barns and made other improve- 
 ments. She is a woman of more than or- 
 dinary intelligence, is well posted on the 
 questions of the day, and in her wide circle 
 of warm friends she is highly appreciated 
 for her many amiable and noble qualities. 
 
 The famil}' are meiiibers of the United 
 Brethren Church. 
 
 HOMAS ROBINSON, who is well 
 known throughout Martin, Fari- 
 bault and Blue Earth counties, has 
 been identified with southern Min- 
 nesota since 1863. A brief sketch of his life 
 is as follows: 
 
 Thomas Robinson was born in Jefferson 
 count}', Pennsjlvania, January 14, 1S47, son 
 of Joseph Robinson, a native of Perrj' coun- 
 ty, Pennsylvania. The latter's father, also 
 named Joseph, was of Irish parentage. The 
 younger Joseph Robinson was reared and 
 educated in his native State, and was there 
 married to Jane McCaulley, a native of Blair 
 count}', Pennsylvania, and a daughter of 
 William and Mary McCaulley. In 1857 he 
 came west with his family, making the 
 journey by steamboat down the Ohio river, 
 then up the Mississippi to Hastings, Minne- 
 sota, and from there by team to Northfield, 
 Rice county, this State, where he settled on 
 a tract of wild land and where he remained 
 until the fall of 1862. At that time he re- 
 moved his family to Faribault county and 
 took a homestead claim on section 6 in 
 Winnebago City township. Here he made 
 his home until his death, which occurred 
 shortly afterward, in 1864, at the age of 
 fifty-four years. His wife's death preceded 
 his, she being forty-two at the time of her 
 decease. They had a large family of chil- 
 dren, of whom we make record as follows: 
 Margaret Hoover; Elizabeth; William, de- 
 ceased; Andrew; John; Thomas, whose 
 name heads this article; George, a resident 
 of Lake Crystal, Minnesota; Elihu, of Cali- 
 fornia; B. F. , a farmer of Faribault county; 
 Joseph, of Elliott, Iowa; and A. B., a mer- 
 chant of Nashville, Martin county, Minne- 
 sota. Three of the sons, — William, Andrew 
 and John, — were in the Union army. The 
 father was engaged in agricultural pursuits 
 
5H 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OE THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 all his life; in politics, was first a Whig and 
 later a Republican, and in religion was a 
 Baptist. 
 
 Thomas Robinson spent the first ten 
 years of his life in Penns3-Ivania, and at the I 
 time his father removed to Faribault county \ 
 he was fifteen. After their father's death, 
 he and his sister Elizabeth took charge of 
 the younger children, three of the older 
 brothers, as above stated, being in the army. 
 In 1877 Mr. Robinson settled on the farm 
 he still owns and occupies. This farm com- 
 prises sixty acres; is well improved with 
 comfortable cottage, barn and other farm 
 buildings, and five-acre grove; and is located 
 in Blue Earth county. 
 
 Mr. Robinson was married January 29, 
 1880, to Ella Burrows, a native of Goodhue 
 county, Minnesota, and a daughter of Henry 
 and Abigail (Babcock) Burrows, of Martin ! 
 county, this State. She is one of a family \ 
 of three children, the others being Carrie, 
 a music teacher of California, and L. G. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have six children, 
 viz.: Theron L. , Clarence Elmer, Lee W. , 
 Carrie Belle, Chauncy and Hope. Both he 
 and his wife are members of the Christian i 
 Church, and in politics he is a Prohibitionist, i 
 
 «V^ F. ROBINSON, one of the pros- 
 Ic^ perous farmers of Winnebago City 
 J^^J township, Faribault county, Min- 
 nesota, post-office address Nash- 
 ville Center, is a representative of one of 
 the pioneer families of this county. He was ' 
 born in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania, son 
 of Joseph and Jane (McCaulley) Robinson, 
 both now deceased. When quite small he 
 came to Minnesota with his parents, first 
 locating in Rice county and a few jears later 
 coming to Faribault county. Here his 
 
 father took a homestead claim, and on this 
 farm Mr. B. F. Robinson still resides, hav- 
 ing added to it until it now comprises 245 
 acres, one of the best farms in Winnebago 
 Cit)' township. He has a story-and-a-half 
 residence, a barn that is 40x46 feet in 
 dimensions, and has a fine grove of eight 
 acres, everything about the premises giving 
 evidence of thrift and prosperit\\ 
 
 Mr. Robinson was married at the age of 
 twenty-three years to Miss A. J. Lathrop, 
 daughter of D. Z. Lathrop, and they have 
 four children, — Hugh, Martha, Mark and 
 Burr. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. Robinson is identified 
 with the I. O. O. F., No. 97, and politically 
 he is a Republican. He is a man in the 
 prime of life, is frank and genial, and has 
 hosts of friends. 
 
 HBSALON ERDAHL, an honored 
 citizen of Faribault county, is prom- 
 inently connected with its political 
 history and is now acceptably filling 
 the office of Register of Deeds. As he is so 
 widel)' and favorabl)' known in this com- 
 munity we feel assured that this record of 
 his life will prove of interest to manj' of our 
 readers. 
 
 A native of Norway, he was born near 
 Bergen on the 18th of December, 1858, and 
 is a son of Andrew Absalonson and Carry 
 (Nelson) Erdahl, who also were born in the 
 same locality. The father followed agricul- 
 tural pursuits and engaged in dealing in live 
 stock during his residence in his native land. 
 April 27, 1 86 1, he bade adieu to his old 
 home, and, accompanied by his family, emi- 
 grated to America, landing in Quebec, 
 Canada, whence he made his way to Wis- 
 consin, settling in Dane county on or about 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATOiVVVAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 5'5 
 
 July 25th, same year, where he engaged in 
 farming and other work. He there made his 
 home until 1864, at which time he came to 
 Faribault county, where he has since made 
 his home, devoting his time and energies to 
 the cultivation of his farm and to the raising 
 of a good grade of stock. In the family were 
 four children, — Absalon, Nels, Eli, who died 
 in infancy, and Andrew. 
 
 Mr. Erdahl, whose name heads this 
 record, was a child of only three summers 
 when brought by his parents to the New 
 World and was a lad of but six years when 
 he came to Minnesota. Here he has since 
 resided and has witnessed the greater part of 
 the growth and development of Faribault 
 county. He became familiar with the com- 
 mon branches of learning in the public 
 schools, and under the parental roof he con- 
 tinued until he had attained his majority. 
 At that time he assumed the management of 
 the home farm and his administration brought 
 about an excellent state of affairs. The land 
 was well cultivated, good improvements 
 were made and the neat and thrifty appear- 
 ance of the place indicated the careful super- 
 vision of the manager. 
 
 Mr. Erdahl was called from the farm to 
 public ofifice in 1890, when he was elected 
 County Register of Deeds for a two-years 
 term, and so well did he discharge the duties 
 of the office that he was re-elected not only 
 for a second but also for a third term, which 
 will continue up to 1896. He has also served 
 as Town Clerk of the town of Emerald from 
 1882 to 1890, and Justice of the Peace from 
 1885 to 1889. On May 21, 1890, he was 
 appointed Census Enumerator by Herbert 
 J. Miller, Supervisor of Census for First 
 District of Minnesota, for the enumeration 
 district No. 79, comprising township 102, 
 range 26, town of Emerald. In these \ari- 
 
 ous positions he has discharged the duties 
 devolved upon him with credit to himself 
 and satisfaction to his constituents. 
 
 On the 29th of June, 1884, Mr. Erdahl 
 wedded Samuline Gudahl, a native of Nor- 
 way, who came to this country in 1880 with 
 her parents, Colben and Sigrid Gudahl. By 
 their union have been born seven children: 
 Anders, Carl, Carr}-, who died in infancy, 
 Albert, Selmer, Clara Emelia and Leonard. 
 
 In his social relations Mr. Erdahl is a 
 member of the Modern Woodmen of America, 
 and in his political views he is a Republican. 
 Both he and his wife hold membership in 
 the Lutheran Church, and are highly re- 
 spected citizens of this community whose 
 friends are many. Having been a resident 
 of Faribault county for thirty years, Mr. 
 Erdahl has been an eye witness of most of 
 its growth and progress, and has every taken 
 a commendable interest in its upbuilding, 
 sustaining his part as a valued citizen. 
 
 m 
 
 OSES SAILOR, a retired farmer, 
 was the first white man who 
 came to Faribault county to set- 
 tle, and has lived on the same 
 tract of land for about forty }'ears. 
 
 He was born in Monroe county, Ohio, 
 October 2, 1808, when that country was al- 
 most a wilderness, his parents, Jacob and 
 Ester (Crow) Sailor, being among the pio- 
 neers of Ohio. His grandfather, John 
 Sailor, came from Germany to this country 
 before the Revolutionary war and settled in 
 Pennsylvania, subsequently moving to Vir- 
 ginia, where he died. Jacob Sailor was a 
 soldier in the war of 181 2. Moses spent 
 his youth in assisting to clear and improve a 
 heavily timbered farm in Ohio, and resided 
 with his parents in 1832, when he sought a 
 
5i6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OE J HE COUNTIES OF 
 
 more western home and took up his abode 
 in Elkhart county, Indiana, settling in the 
 woods and again beginning the task of clear- 
 ing a farm. In this undertaking he succeeded 
 and he continued to reside there until 1854 
 That year he once more turned his face to- 
 ward the setting sun. Arri\ed at Nashua, 
 Iowa, he left his family there, while he 
 started out on foot to find a desirable loca- 
 tion, and, after walking over a hundred 
 miles, he finally decided upon Faribault 
 county. He here filed his claim, then went 
 back to Iowa for his family, and in April, 
 1855, they made permanent settlement in 
 this county. 
 
 Mr. Sailor was married in 1832, to Miss 
 Mary Miller, a native of Monroe county, 
 Ohio, and a daughter of Jacob and Bettie 
 (Martin) Miller. This union resulted in the 
 birth of ten children, nine of whom lived 
 to be grown, and eight survive, namely: 
 Rebecca, wife of Jesse Faulkner, of Blue 
 Earth county, Minnesota; Abel, a farmer of 
 Faribault county; Jacob, also a farmer of 
 this county ; Ester, wife of Alexander John- 
 son, of Colorado; Amanda, wife of Samuel 
 Sailor, of this county; Daniel, of this county; 
 William, a resident of Colorado; Ro.xana, 
 deceased, was the wife of Levi Billings; and 
 Manuel, of Faribault county. The mother 
 of these children died in Elkhart county, 
 Indiana, in 1849. February 5, 1869, Mr. 
 Sailor married Mrs. Nancy Faulkner, widow 
 of John Faulkner, by whom she had three 
 children, the only one now living being 
 Mary, wife of Philip Miller. Mrs. Sailor's 
 maiden name was Morris, and she is a na- 
 tive of Monroe county, Ohio. 
 
 When Mr. Sailor came to Faribault 
 county its only inhabitants were Indians 
 and wild aniiuals, and for some time his 
 nearest market was Cedar Falls, Iowa, the 
 
 trips to that place being made with ox 
 teams and the time required to go and come 
 being from six to ten days. Now, at the 
 age of eighty-seven years, Mr. Sailor retains 
 to a remarkable degree the mental and phys- 
 ical vigor of his youth. He has by his 
 honorable and upright dealing with his fel- 
 low men won their confidence and esteem, 
 and few men in the county have a wider 
 circle of friends, both among the old and 
 the young, than has this venerable pioneer. 
 He has seen the county grow up from a 
 wilderness to one of the most thickly popu- 
 lated and prosperous counties in the State. 
 He has always been a stanch Democrat, and 
 for eight years served as County Commis- 
 sioner. At this writing his descendants 
 number over a hundred. 
 
 "^VACOB SAILOR, a farmer and stock- 
 M raiser, section 29, Blue Earth City 
 A 1 township, Faribault county, Minne- 
 sota, is the second son and third 
 child of the venerable Moses Sailor, of whom 
 prominent mention is made in this volume. 
 He was born in Elkhart county, Indiana, 
 April 14, 1836, and was reared on his 
 father's frontier farm in that State. In 1854 
 he came west with his parents to Iowa, and 
 in 1855 to Faribault county, Minnesota. 
 He assisted his father in opening up the new 
 farm upon which they located, and remained 
 at home until he attained his majority. Then 
 he worked out and obtained money with 
 which to pre-empt 160 acres of Government 
 land where he now resides. To this tract 
 he subsequently added until now his farm 
 comprises 225 acres, which he has under a 
 high state of cultivation and well improved 
 with good buildings and various conven- 
 iences. Indeed the improvements on his 
 
FARIBAULT, MAR TIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 5 '7 
 
 eUGENE RUCKER, Clerk of the 
 Courts of Jackson county and a 
 popular and highly respected citi- 
 zen of the county seat, was born in 
 Pleasant Grove, Olmsted county, Minnesota, 
 and is a son of Robert Henry and Sarah Ann 
 (Honeston) Rucker. The grandfather, Jona- 
 than Patterson Rucker, was born in Rock- 
 bridge county, Virginia, in i8o<S, and died 
 March 22, 1872. At the age of twenty-five 
 he left the Old Dominion and located in 
 Richland county, Ohio, where he remained 
 
 farm are among the best in the county. His 
 barn 1538x65 feet; granary, 16x32 feet; 
 and his windmill is used both for pumping 
 water and for grinding feed for stock. 
 
 Mr. Sailor was first married June 11, 
 1858, to Miss Sarah Schidiler, a native of 
 Athens county, Ohio, and a dauglier of 
 Joshua Schidiler, who was born in Indiana. 
 She died Ma}' 18, 1871, leaving a family of 
 four children, namely: Hattie, who became 
 the wife of J. B. Maginnis, and died leaving 
 two children, Clemmen and Sidne\'; Clem- 
 ent, a resident of Montana; Clinton, who 
 married Stella Woolery and has two chil- 
 dren, Howard and Madge; and Prudence, 
 wife of Fred Jackson, has one child, Anna. 
 April 23. 1875, Mr. Sailor married Amelia 
 Behre, a native of Wisconsin and a daughter 
 of William Behre, who came to this country 
 from Prussia and is now a resident of Blue 
 Earth City township. By his present wife 
 Mr. Sailor has two children, — Charlotta and 
 Maynard. 
 
 He is truly a self-made man, having by 
 his own industry and good management ac- 
 cumulated a nice property. Politically, he 
 is a Democrat. Mrs. Sailor is a member of 
 the Baptist church. 
 
 until 1848, then moved to Indiana and re- 
 mained there until 1854, when he came to 
 Minnesota, becoming one of the earliest set- 
 tlers of Olmsted count}-. He pre-empted a 
 tract of wild land, three and a half miles 
 northeast of Pleasant Grove, and began 
 the development of a farm which he made 
 one of the valuable properties of this region. 
 He married Antoinette Cawthon, and they 
 had the following children: Mar}', wife of 
 John B. Adamson; Robert Henry, father of 
 our subject; Susan, wife of Robert Tait; 
 Thadeus; Martha Jane, wife of Joseph Tait; 
 Virginia, who died at the age of twenty-Hvc 
 years; Samuel and William. The great- 
 grandfather of Eugene Rucker was born in 
 Virginia, while his father was a native of 
 Germany and became the founder of the 
 family in America. On the maternal side 
 the subject of our sketch is of Irish lineage. 
 The grandfather, Thomas Hueston, was a 
 native of the Emerald Isle, born in county 
 Derry, in the north of Ireland, and crossing 
 the Atlantic to this country when a boy 
 settled in New York, near Alban\', and was 
 there married to Helen McKune, a native of 
 county Down, north Ireland. Directly after 
 his marriage he removed to Ontario, Canada, 
 where he remained until 1857, when he 
 came to Pleasant Grove, Minnesota, and 
 there died in 1883. 
 
 ^^^^en Eugene Rucker was a child of 
 three years he went to live with his paternal 
 grandfather, with whom he continued until 
 his tenth year. He then returned to the 
 home of his father, who had secured a claim 
 on section 22, Hunter township, Jackson 
 county. In 1872 his father married Mrs. 
 Carrie (Allbaugh) Malanthy, who by her 
 former marriage had a daughter, Cora, now 
 the wife of Christ l^urmistcrof Heron Lake, 
 Minnesota. By his first marriage Mr. 
 
5i8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Rucker became the father of three children, 
 namely: Jonathan P., who was born De- 
 cember 25, 1859, and is now in the employ 
 of the United States Express Company at 
 Omaha, Nebraska; Levi, who was born De- 
 cember 20, i860, and is now engaged in 
 farming near Oakland, Iowa; and Eugene, 
 who was born April 19, 1862. By the sec- 
 ond marriage the following children have 
 been born: William Henry, Effie May, An- 
 toinette, Belle and Jay. 
 
 We now turn our attention to the per- 
 sonal history of Eugene Rucker, who is well 
 deserving of mention in this \oIume. He 
 remained with his father until the spring of 
 1873, when the father removed to Potta- 
 wattamie county, Iowa, where he purchased 
 land and carried on farming until 1884, when 
 he sold out his farm and stock and returned 
 to Minnesota. Before selling his farm, how- 
 ever, he offered to give Engene a deed to 80 
 acres of the farm, together with a team, 
 harness and wagon and farm implements 
 sufficient to work the land, providing he 
 (Eugene) would settle down on the farm 
 and care for the balance of the homestead. 
 But Eugene, ha\'ing his mind made up to go 
 to school, told his father that if, instead of 
 the farm, he would give him $1,000 in cash, 
 it would be far more acceptable, although 
 what the father offered would have been 
 equivalent to more than twice that amoimt. 
 The father, after entering many protests, 
 at last very reluctantly consented, and Eu- 
 gene at once entered the Western Normal 
 College, of Shenandoah, Iowa, at which in- 
 stitution he afterward graduated with the 
 scientific class of 1886. 
 
 He had arranged to enter upon the study 
 of law in the University of Michigan, at Ann 
 Arbor, but not having sufficient means to 
 carry him through the course, he concluded 
 
 to go west and take up Government land, 
 prove up on it, sell, and with the proceeds 
 take the much-coveted law course. 
 
 In Bo.x Butte county, Nebraska, he took 
 a pre-emption and timber claim, proved up 
 on the former and sold the right to the lat- 
 ter. In the meantime he had married, so 
 again found it impossible to enter law school. 
 
 Not liking the climate of northwestern 
 Nebraska, he mo\ed to Mankato, Minne- 
 sota, in November, 1887, where his father 
 then lived. Having been balked in his law 
 course, Mr. Rucker finally concluded to 
 teach school; so, after visiting with his 
 father a month, he came to Jackson county, 
 and that winter and spring taught the school 
 in District No. 26, Christiana township. 
 
 Mr. Rucker now entered upon a success- 
 ful career in connection with schools. He 
 was given the principalship of the Breck 
 School in Wilder, Jackson county, in the 
 fall of 1888. That institution then had ac- 
 commodations for fifty pupils, with an at- 
 tendance of only thirty-six. The following 
 year, in September, 1889, he reorganised 
 the institution, secured a corps of six capa- 
 ble teachers, and arranged for scientific, 
 normal, preparatory and business courses. 
 That year the attendance was increased to 
 200, and during the last year of his connec- 
 tion with the school the membership was 
 250, and nine teachers had charge of the 
 \arious departments. Mr. Rucker remained 
 in charge of the school until July, 1894. 
 In the fall of that year he was elected clerk 
 of the District Court on the Republican 
 ticket for a term of four \ears, and is now 
 discharging the duties of that office in a 
 most creditable and satisfactory manner. 
 
 On the 26th of October, 1886, was cele- 
 brated the marriage of Mr. Rucker and Miss 
 Lizzie Delaney Bailey, who was the fourth 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 5'9 
 
 in a family of eight children, whose parents 
 were Ira L. and Virginia Bailey. Mrs. 
 Rucker was born March 28, 1864, and by 
 her marriage has become the mother of four 
 children, three yet living, — Muriel Virginia, 
 born January[]6, 1888; Mildred Antoinette, 
 born June 20, 1889; and Mahlon Bailey, 
 born December 20, 1891. Eugenia, born 
 May 21, 1893, died on the twenty-first of 
 September following. 
 
 On the 4th of May, 1 893, occurred a 
 most serious and deplorable accident in the 
 home of this interesting family. A servant 
 girl was frying out lard which caught on 
 fire. Mrs. Rucker ran into the kitchen, 
 hurriedly secured a pail of water which she 
 poured upon the flames, but in so doing was 
 badly burned about the face and neck. 
 Medical aid was at once summoned and 
 ever}' effort put forth to relieve her dis- 
 tress. For a time it was thought that her 
 eyes were uninjured, but later they began to 
 trouble her greatly. Her husband then 
 took her to St. Luke's hospital in St. Paul, 
 Minnesota, that she might have the care of 
 the best specialists, and for thirteen weeks 
 she was under the care of the best medical 
 skill that could be secured, but all to no 
 avail, and the once bright eyes which 
 beamed with love and kindness upon her 
 little fiimil}' lost the power of again looking 
 upon their faces ! It was a sad blow to 
 them all. Mrs. Rucker had been of great 
 assistance to her husband in his school 
 duties, but could now no longer aid him. 
 This led him in part to abandon the school 
 work and enter upon official life. He was 
 also prompted by another motive. He is a 
 very ambitious man, and, constantly wish- 
 ing to improve, he thought this might be a 
 step toward preparing him for the legal pro- 
 fession which he some da}' hopes to enter. 
 
 He will never be content with mediocrity, 
 and, should he take up the practice of law, 
 we predict for him a successful and brilliant 
 career, knowing his persevering and ener- 
 getic nature. 
 
 Mr. Rucker is a member of Windom 
 Lodge, No. loS, I. O. O. F., and of the 
 Camp of Modern Woodmen of America, in 
 Jackson. He is also an active and consist- 
 ent member of the Episcopal Church, and 
 superintendent of a large Sunday-school in 
 Jackson. His life has been well spent, and the 
 highest regard of many friends is given him. 
 
 VALENTINE WOHLHUTER, of 
 Fairmont, Minnesota, is the land 
 agent and local representative of 
 W. T. Hansen, the extensive real- 
 estate dealer of Chicago. His marked busi- 
 ness ability has given him high standing with 
 this firm, and his dealings have brought him 
 a wide acquaintance throughout this part of 
 Minnesota, while his sterling worth has won 
 him the confidence and regard of all with 
 whom he has been brought in contact. 
 
 Mr. Wohlhuter is a representati\e of a 
 large and prominent family of Minnesota, 
 several members of whom are mentioned 
 elsewhere in this volume. He was born in 
 Alsace, France, on the i8th of August, 
 1849, and is a son of \'alentine and Eva 
 (Wohlhuter) Wohlhuter. The paternal grand- 
 father, Michael Wohlhuter, had a family of 
 six children, namely: Mae, Lawrence, Val- 
 entine, Kate, George and Michael. The 
 father, Valentine Wohlhuter, was born in 
 Germany, on the loth of November, 1823, 
 and was married October 10, 184S, to Miss 
 Eva, daughter of Philip Wohlhuter, who 
 though of the same name was not a relative. 
 She was one of a family of six children, as 
 
520 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 follows: Philip, Lena, Paul, Sarah, Eva and 
 Valentine. The mother of our subject was 
 born on the 23d of December, 1819, and 
 died on the 2d of January, 1885. The par- 
 ents were married in the land of their birth, 
 and before emigrating to America they had 
 four children, the eldest being Valentine, 
 whose name heads this article; the rest were 
 Eva, wife of A. F. Barg; Philip; and Fred- 
 erick, who was born January 18, 1862, and 
 is now living in Kingsbury county, South 
 Dakota, where he is acting as agent for C. 
 L. Coleman, the extensive lumberman. He 
 married Lily Carrot and they have two chil- 
 dren, Eva and Albert. 
 
 The highly esteemed citizen to whose 
 personal history we now direct the attention 
 of our readers was the first of the family to 
 come to America. He spent the first nine- 
 teen years of his life in Alsace, then, bidding 
 adieu to home and friends, he made his way 
 to Havre, France, where he embarked on a 
 westward bound steamer, which weighed 
 anchor on the 14th of July, 1868, and 
 reached New York harbor fifteen days later. 
 He did not tarry long in the eastern metrop- 
 olis, but crossed the continent to Fayette 
 cormty, Iowa, where he worked for wages 
 on a farm until the spring of 1870. It was 
 then that he took up his residence in Min- 
 nesota, settling first in Freeborn county. 
 Resolving that his labors sliould more directly 
 benefit himself, he rented and operated a 
 farm for a year. 
 
 Mr. Wohlhuter has been a resident of 
 Martin county since the 20th of Maj, 1871. 
 Soon after his arrival he located a home- 
 stead on section 24, Fox Lake township, 
 and in a short time returned to Freeborn 
 county to harvest the crop which he had 
 previously planted. In the autumn he was 
 again in Martin county and made a perma- 
 
 nent location. He still owns the homestead 
 which he at first secured, and to its cultiva- 
 tion devoted his entire time and energies 
 until March 21, 18S4, when he was intrusted 
 with the care of the extensive interests of 
 W. T. Hansen & Company, of Chicago, 
 having charge of the Martin county territory. 
 He then removed to Fairmont, where he re- 
 sided until the ist of November, 1885, when 
 he established headquarters in Sherburne. 
 In December, 1893, however, he returned 
 to the county seat, opened an office in the 
 bank building and remained there until the 
 1st of April, 1894, when he removed to his 
 present location. He has handled, in the 
 interest of the firm which he now represents, 
 177,000 acres of land. He has made a 
 close study of land values, is quick to see 
 and take advantage of favorable opportuni- 
 ties for buying and selling, and his services 
 have therefore been mutually profitable to 
 the company with which he is connected 
 and himself. His business and executive 
 ability is of a high order, and his sagacity 
 and farsightedness have brought success, 
 while his honorable dealings has gained him 
 universal confidence. 
 
 On the 23d of March, 1882, Mr. Wohl- 
 huter was united in marriage to Miss Mary 
 Helen Follett, daughter of Edwin R. and 
 Olive K. Follett. They are now the par- 
 ents of three living children, and they lost 
 their first born, Edwin Valentine, who was 
 born May 1 i, 1883, and died November 14, 
 1884. Those who are still with their parents 
 are Olive Eva, born July 29, 1884; Jessie 
 Helen, born November 29, 1885; and Edna 
 Grace, born August 31, 1890. 
 
 With the Masonic fraternity Mr. Wohlhu- 
 ter holds membership relations. He is a pro- 
 gressive citizen, public-spirited in an eminent 
 degree and has always done much in behalf 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 of the national interests and general welfare 
 of his community. Whatever tends to ben- 
 efit town and county receives his hearty 
 support and co-operation, and the coni- 
 munit}' recognizes him as a citizen that it 
 could ill afford to lose. In manner he is 
 pleasant and genial, always courteous and 
 affable, and withal a true gentleman in the 
 best sense of that term. 
 
 ^V^ UDOLPH JAGODZINSKE, Wel- 
 
 I ^r come, Minnesota, is one of the 
 ^ _ P thrifty Germans who has acquired 
 a nice property and comfortable 
 home in Martin county. 
 
 He was born in Margouin, Posen, Ger- 
 many, April 8, 1S50, son of Martin and 
 Henrietta (Dumke) Jagodzinske. In 1868 
 Martin Jagodzinske emigrated with his fam- 
 ily to America, settled in Green Lake 
 county, Wisconsin, where he worked at his 
 trade, that of shoemaker, for several years, 
 and from there removed to Fond du Lac, 
 Wisconsin. At Fond du Lac he served as 
 watchman, emploj'ed by a Mr. Meyers, oc- 
 cupying this position until his death. He 
 was born November 2, 18 19, and died No- 
 vember 16, 1874, and was about fifty-five 
 years of age at the time he died. His first 
 wife, nee Henrietta Dumke, was born Feb- 
 ruary I, 1820, and died during the last part 
 of September, 1853, when her son and only 
 child, Rudolph, was three years old. Janu- 
 ary 18, 1854, he married, for his second 
 wife, Amalia Frederick, who was born Oc- 
 tober 2, 1832, and is still living. By this 
 marriage there were the following children: 
 Ferdinand, Matilda, Flora, William, Hattie, 
 Louis and Minnie. 
 
 Rudolph Jagodzinske came with the fam- 
 ily to this country, and almost immediately 
 
 after his arrival here he started out in life 
 on his own responsibility. For three years 
 he worked for James Densmore, of Green 
 Lake county, Wisconsin. It was the father's 
 wish that his son should learn the trade of 
 shoemaker, but knowing in what poverty 
 his people had always been kept by follow- 
 ing this calling, our subject brought all his 
 influence to bear on his father, and finally 
 induced him to give up the trade and go to 
 Fond du Lac, as stated above. Young Ru- 
 dolph was robust and exceptionally strong, 
 and hence took to farm work. In June, 
 1 87 1, became to Minnesota and in Fari- 
 bault county worked at whatever he could 
 get to do. He also visited Martin county, 
 in September of that year, in company with 
 his future father-in-law, Friedrich Wilhelm 
 Bursack. Mr. Bursack located a quarter 
 section in Fraser township, and Mr. Jagod- 
 zinske located an eighty-acre tract, the 
 south half of the southwest quarter of sec- 
 tion 24, Fo.x Lake township. After this 
 they returned to Wisconsin, and during the 
 same fall of 1871 the entire family drove 
 through to their new homes, our subject 
 having in the meantime married Miss Paul- 
 ina Bursack. The little house to which he 
 took his bride is now used as a poultry 
 house, his present fine residence having been 
 built in 1887. He built his barn in i8yi. 
 In 1879 he bought an additional eighty 
 acres of the railroad company, — the north 
 half of the northwest quarter of section 25, 
 Fox Lake township; and in 1885 he bought 
 still another eighty, — the south half of the 
 southeast quarter of section 24, Fox Lake 
 township. He again added to his posses- 
 sions in the fall of 1894, by purchasing the 
 southeast quarter of section 15, Fox Lake 
 township. With the exception of one acre, 
 which he gave to the Evangelical Church in 
 
522 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 1891, he still owns all this land, 200 acres 
 being under cultivation, three and a half 
 acres in woodland, and the rest used as haj' 
 and pasture land. The stock on his farm 
 at this writing consists of sixty hogs, fifty 
 cattle and ten horses. 
 
 Mr. Jagodzinske was married September 
 28, 1 87 1, to Paulina Bursack, who was 
 born in Wisconsin, March 15, 1852, the sec- 
 ond of the seven children of William and 
 Henriette (Plath) Bursack. Mr. Bursack 
 was born in Posen, Germany, March 6, 
 1823, and died May 18, 1885. Mrs. Car- 
 oline Henriette (Plath) Bursack was born 
 October 31, 1826, in Posen, Germany, and 
 died September 20, 1864, in Green Lake 
 county, Wisconsin. Mr. Bursack emigrated 
 to America in 1851, settled in Wisconsin, 
 and lived there until his removal to Martin 
 county, where he died. 
 
 The children of Mr. and Mrs. Jagodzin- 
 ske are as follows: Emma Adelia Alvina, 
 born June 17, 1872, was married to George 
 Kushmann, December 12, 1894, and is living 
 on a farm in Jackson county, Minnesota; 
 Rosa Henrietta, born July 5, 1874, was 
 married September 9, 1894, to John Galles, 
 a farmer of Martin county; Amelia Hen- 
 rietta, born March 22, 1876; Julius Ferdi- 
 nand, born February 25, 1S78; Luella Viola, 
 born September 9, 1880, died June 11, 1882; 
 Aaron Benjamin, born August 11, 1882; 
 George Benjamin Harrison, born December 
 23, 1888, died April 12, 1892; and Frederick 
 William Herrman, born September 20, 1890. 
 
 Mr. Jagodzinske is a man of excellent 
 judgment and business ability. For fourteen 
 consecutive years he has served as Appraiser, 
 and is generally regarded as the best officer 
 in this capacity the township has ever had. 
 He and his family are members of the Evan- 
 gelical church. 
 
 *y ^ B. HERBRANDSON came to 
 |f^ Jackson county in 1869, and is the 
 \ , r present Chairman of the Board of 
 Supervisors of Petersburg town- 
 ship. He is a native of Norway, born March 
 22, 1844, and a son of Benson and Barabra 
 (Tulletson) Herbrandson, who were the par- 
 ents of seven children, five of whom are now 
 living: H. B., the subject; Tulleflf, a farmer 
 residing in Dickinson county, Iowa; Lars, 
 still residing in the old country; Ingree, wife 
 of Ole Munn; and Jacob, now living in Dick- 
 inson county, Iowa. An uncle, Evan Her- 
 brandson, also came to this country and has 
 been a resident of Petersburg township, 
 Jackson county, for more than thirty j'ears. 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record acquired his education in the com- 
 mon schools of his native land, was con- 
 firmed in the Norwegian Lutheran Church 
 and was reared on the old home farm. In 
 April, 1867, he bade adieu to home and 
 friends, for he had resolved to try his fortune 
 in America, and sailed from Bergen on a 
 three-masted sailing vessel, — the Claus Hef- 
 tie, — which after forty days spent on the 
 bosom of the Atlantic dropped anchor in the 
 harbor of Quebec. From that place Mr. 
 Herbrandson made his wa}' to Mitchell 
 county, Iowa, where he began work as a 
 farm hand and spent two years. 
 
 While in that county he was united in 
 marriage with Miss Barabra Torsen, who 
 was born in Norway on the 2 2d of February, 
 1844. She had come to America on the 
 same vessel with her future husband, whom 
 she had known in the old country, and their 
 wedding was celebrated May 20, 1869, in 
 the Norwegian Lutheran Church, by Rev. 
 C. Clausen. The young couple soon came 
 to Minnesota and Mr. Herbrandson secured 
 from the Government 160 acres of wild land 
 
^i>fMaJ 
 
 /^i^/ 
 
 7/M. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 525 
 
 situated on section 22, Petersburg township, 
 Jackson county. He secured timber along 
 the bank of the Des Moines river with which 
 he erected a little log cabin, and through 
 a hole in the roof the stove-pipe was put, 
 the smoke thus finding egress. For eight 
 years the family lived in that primitive home, 
 and it was then replaced by the present 
 comfortable residence. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Herbrandson have been 
 born eleven children, four sons and seven 
 daughters, namely: Ben, who was born Oc- 
 tober 9, 1870, and died at the age of eleven 
 months; Betsey, wife of Anton Johnson, a 
 farmer of Emmet county, Iowa; Bertha, wife 
 of Albert Gilberson, who is living in Peters- 
 burg township; Ben, who died in childhood; 
 Isabel, who is at home with her parents; 
 Mary, who died at the age of eleven months; 
 Mary, who died at the age of nine months; 
 Isabel, at home; Ben, Julia and Henry, who 
 are still with their parents. The children 
 have received good educational privileges, 
 and Mr. Herbrandson has always been a 
 warm friend and supporter of the public 
 schools. 
 
 The fellow townsmen of our subject, ap- 
 preciating his worth and ability, have fre- 
 quently called him to public office. He has 
 served as Town Treasurer for six years, and 
 for six years was officially connected with the 
 schools of the neighborhood; he has been a 
 member of the Board of Supervisors of his 
 township for about five terms, and is now 
 serving his second term as Chairman. In 
 all these offices he has ever been found true 
 and faithful, discharging his duties with 
 promptness and fidelity, reflecting credit 
 upon himself and bringing satisfaction to his 
 constituents. He has always been a stal- 
 wart supporter of the Republican party 
 since casting his first Presidential vote for 
 
 27 
 
 General Grant and delights in the triumph 
 of his party. He and his family are mem- 
 bers of the Lutheran Church. They are 
 well known throughout this community, 
 holding a high position in social circles, and 
 Petersburg township has no more valuable 
 or highly esteemed citizen than H. B. Her- 
 brandson. 
 
 HOMAS VELTUM.— Men engage 
 in business with various results, 
 some being successful, others not, 
 but in a close study of the lives of 
 those who have achieved that for which they 
 were striving we have found that the goal 
 was reached through persevering effort, un- 
 tiring industry and systematic methods. 
 Such has been the case with the gentleman 
 whose name heads this record, now one of 
 the most conspicuous figures in commercial 
 circles in St. James, Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Veltum is a native of ■ Lemington, 
 England, born June 5, 1844. His parents, 
 Samuel and Maria (Lyons) Veltum, were also 
 natives of the same locality, and the father 
 was a stone-mason by trade. In the year 
 1847 he left his home in England, crossed 
 the Atlantic to America and took up his 
 residence in Dodge county, Wisconsin, 
 where he secured land from the Government. 
 After two j'ears he sent for his family, who 
 joined him in his new home, and there he 
 carried on agricultural pursuits until life's 
 labors were ended. He reached the tradi- 
 tional age of man, — three-score years and 
 ten, — and his death was mourned by many 
 friends, for his excellencies of character 
 i gained him high regard. His wife still sur- 
 I vives him and is now living in Mankato, 
 ' Minnesota, with her ilaughter, Mrs. Sarah 
 
526 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Curtis. In their family were nine children, 
 six of whom are yet living. 
 
 Thomas Veltum, the seventh in ortier of 
 birlh, was a child of about six summers 
 when the family came to the New World. 
 He was reared on the old home farm in 
 Dodge county, Wisconsin, attended the 
 common schools of the neighborhood, and 
 at the age of eighteen left the parental roof, 
 starting out in life for himself with a cash 
 capital of $12. He first operated a farm on 
 shares for a year, then learned the stone 
 mason's trade in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, 
 at which he worked until the autumn of 
 1867. On the 20th of June, 1868, he em- 
 barked in the grocery and crockery business 
 in connection with E. J. Hankey at Trem- 
 pealeau, Wisconsin, and the partnership 
 was continued until 1873, when Mr. Veltum 
 bought out Mr. Hankey, and for two years 
 was alone in business. In 1874 the old 
 partnership was resumed, and the firm of 
 Veltum & Hanke}' opened a general store in 
 Trempealeau. On the second dissolution of 
 this firm the stock was divided and our sub- 
 ject brought his goods to St. James, where 
 he opened a general mercantile establish- 
 ment. He erected a one-story frame build- 
 ing, 24 X 50 feet, and, as his trade increased, 
 until his quarters were too small, he after- 
 ward enlarged the building by adding four- 
 teen feet to the length of the store. 
 
 The career of Mr. Veltum has been a 
 prosperous one in St. James, and within a 
 very short period he was recognized as one of 
 the leading merchants of Watonwan county. 
 During the second year his sales were in- 
 creased to the extent of $10,000 over the 
 first year, and his business constantl}' grew 
 until he sold out to D. C. Byre, in 1881. 
 The following year he opened a hardware 
 store, and in 1885 he again purchased his 
 
 old general store, conducting the two estab- 
 lishments, one on either side of the street, 
 until the spring of 1888, when he sold the 
 latter to Frank Schoffman, and about the 
 same time also disposed of the hardware 
 store to F. E. \'eltum and R. B. Hall. 
 Again he became interested in the hardware 
 business by buying out Mr. Hall, and the 
 concern was conducted under the firm name 
 of Veltum & Veltum until January 13, 1894, 
 when our subject sold out to Marion Clark, 
 of Barrington, Illinois. Mr. Veltum's abil- 
 ity is not limited to one line of trade or 
 interest. In 1892 he was elected president of 
 the First National Bank of St. James, which 
 is capitalized, and the success of this flour- 
 ishing institution is largely due to his efforts. 
 In 1890 he erected what is known as the 
 Veltum Block, a two-story brick block with 
 double front, 47 .\ 90 feet. He was instru- 
 mental in organizing the company which built 
 the Grand Opera House Block, and was also 
 an important factor in causing the erection 
 of the Peck & Gibbs Block. He has owned 
 considerable real estate and has largely 
 aided in the upbuilding and improvement of 
 the city by selling town lots on the partial 
 payment plan. When he began business in 
 St. James the people were generally in 
 straightened circumstances, having had a 
 succession of failures of crops through the 
 grasshopper plague that had infested the 
 country for about eight years. He did a 
 large credit business, kindly supplying 
 goods to all in need, and patiently waiting 
 until their financial condition was sufficiently 
 improved to enable them to pay, and in 
 this way contributed much toward assisting 
 in the improvement and development of 
 county and town, and enabling the people 
 to regain a sound financial footing. He has 
 probably done as much for the city as any 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 527 
 
 one residing within its border, withholding 
 his support and co-operation from no enter- 
 prise calculated to prove of bublic benefit. 
 
 In the year 1S70 Mr. Veltuni was united 
 in marriage with Miss Duley E. McCune, a 
 native of Dodge county, Wisconsin, and 
 daughter of Thomas McCune. Three chil- 
 dren bless this union, — Eddie C, who is 
 now attending the Northwestern University 
 of Evanston, Illinois; Ray, aged ten; and 
 L. D., aged eight years, both at home. 
 The home of this family is one of the finest 
 in St. James, — a beautiful residence which 
 was erected at a cost, including grounds, of 
 about $10,000. It is built in a modern 
 style of architecture, is tastefully and richly 
 furnished and the home is the abode of 
 hospitality. 
 
 In politics Mr. Veltum is a stalwart 
 Republican, unswerving in his allegiance to 
 the principles of his party. He has been 
 twice elected Mayor of the city, and his 
 capable administration of affairs promoted 
 the welfare of St. James and also the work 
 of city improvement. He is a man of un- 
 common talent. He is animated by a 
 sincere and lofty purpose to make the most 
 of his opportunities, and while he has 
 labored to build up his own fortunes he 
 has not been unmindful of others, and has 
 labored no less earnestly for whatever tends 
 to advance the interests of his adopted cit}-, 
 county and State. 
 
 HA. SKINNER, who carries on gen- 
 eral farming on section 7, Foster 
 township, Faribault county, was 
 born in Crystal Lake, McHenr}- 
 county, Illinois, on the iith of July, 1852, 
 and is son of Daniel E. and Anna L. 
 (Swan) Skinner. The father was born in 
 
 the town of East Bolton, Connecticut, 
 where his early life was passed. His par- 
 ents died when he was only two years of 
 age and for some years he lived with the 
 family of the late Judge Hendee, of Connec- 
 ticut. Subsequently he learned the trade 
 of butcher, and when twenty-six years of 
 age emigrated westward, locating first in 
 Chicago, where he remained for eighteen 
 months. He then purchased a farm near 
 Crystal Lake, Illinois, and managed it for a 
 time, when he sold out and removed to Alla- 
 makee county, Iowa, where he made his 
 home for thirteen years. His next place of 
 residence was in Winnebago count}', Iowa, 
 where he still lives, at the age of sixty- 
 eight. His years rest lightly upon him, and 
 a well-spent life has brought to him a com- 
 fortable competence and the esteem of all 
 with whom he has come in contact. For a 
 long time past he has been a member of the 
 Congregational Church, and in its upbuild- 
 ing and advancement takes an active interest. 
 In early life he was an earnest adherent of 
 the Whig party, but on its dissolution be- 
 came a Republican of pronounced views. 
 Mrs. Skinner is a native of Wetherstield, 
 Connecticut, and a daughter of John and 
 Loretta (Phelpsj Swan, the father being a 
 representative of one of the pioneer families 
 of the Nutmeg State. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Skinner have a family of 
 six children, all of whom arc living, as fol- 
 lows: A. A., of this article; Egbert D., who 
 is living in Echo, North Dakota; J. T. , a 
 practicing physician of Terrace, Polk county, 
 Minnesota; Charlotte E., wife of J. E. How- 
 ard, a resident of Buffalo Center, Minnesota; 
 W. E., who is located in Elmore, Minne- 
 sota; and Maggie, wife of Peter Larson, of 
 Britt, Iowa. 
 
 A. A. Skinner is well known thmughout 
 
528 
 
 Memorial record of the counties of 
 
 Faribault county as one of the progressive 
 and public-spirited fanners of Foster town- 
 ship. His early life was largely passed in 
 Iowa. At the age of fifteen he began learn- 
 ing the printer's trade, at which he worked 
 for about four years, when his adventurous 
 spirit and a desire to benefit his health 
 prompted him to take a trip to the Black 
 Hills and the plains of the West. He spent 
 nearly three years in Dakota and Nebraska, 
 teaching school in the latter State during 
 the winter months, while in the summer 
 months he engaged in hunting, finding in 
 this out-door life the tonic which he needed 
 for his impaired health. This change in his 
 life proved very beneficial, and the ex- 
 perience was a very interesting one, being 
 so dissimilar to the quiet career of a farmer 
 and printer which he had previously fol- 
 lowed. 
 
 In 1878 Mr. Skinner first came to Fari- 
 bault county, spending three years within 
 what were its borders at that time, after 
 which he located in Terrace, Minnesota, 
 where he opened a drug store, carr\ing on 
 operation in that line of trade for eight 
 years. He had a well equipped establish- 
 ment and enjoyed a good trade. Returning 
 then to Foster township he has since en- 
 gaged in farming and his highly cultivated 
 fields and well improved place indicate to 
 the passer-by the careful supervision of the 
 owner. 
 
 The home is the abode of a happy fam- 
 ily. On the 14th of July, 1881, Mr. Skin- 
 nes was united in marriage with Miss Ida 
 May McKinster, daughter of Dewey and 
 Eliza (Pepper) McKinster, who were early 
 settlers of this locality, having located on 
 the farm which is now the the home of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Skinner in 1862 and residing there 
 until 1883, when the father retired from 
 
 active business life. He now makes his 
 home in the city of Wells, — one of the hon- 
 ored and respected citizens of Faribault 
 county. In his family were eight children, 
 and Mrs. Skinner was born in Minnesota. 
 Our subject and his wife have a family of 
 eight children, — Anna E., Theresa B., 
 Osyth E., Harry Earl, Durain Dewey, Pearl, 
 Edward, and an infant. 
 
 Social, educational and moral interests 
 are befriended by Mr. Skinner, who takes 
 an active part in promoting every enterprise 
 which is calculated to prove of public bene- 
 fit. He has for several years served as 
 Township Clerk and also as Clerk of the 
 school district in which he lives. In poli- 
 tics he is an inflexible adherent of Repub- 
 lican principles and does all in his power 
 to insure the success and promote the 
 growth of his party. In connection with 
 his business interests he is also serving as 
 secretary of the W. H. Ketzeback Milling 
 Company of Wells, one of the most suc- 
 cessful and flourishing business enterprises 
 of southern Minnesota. 
 
 Q' 
 
 HARLES ADDISON LOTT, a 
 
 farmer of section i, Rolling Green 
 township, Martin county, is a son 
 of John J. and Caroline (Rose) 
 Lott, natives of Canada. They were mar- 
 ried and resided in their native place until 
 the father's death, and in 1870 the mother 
 and children came to the United States. 
 She then made her home with our subject 
 until her death, in 1889. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Lott had five children, — Augusta Johnston, 
 Laura C. James (deceased), William F.. 
 Charles A. and Albert. 
 
 Charles A. Lott, the subject of this 
 sketch, was born in Sidney township, Has- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 529 
 
 tings county, Ontario, March 27, 1850, and 
 remained there until his father's death. He 
 then cared for his mother until her death. 
 In 1870 he came to Minnesota, locating on 
 a homestead in Fraser township, Martin 
 county, but afterward sold that plj-ce. In 
 1883 he came to his farm of 200 acres, then 
 only partially improved, but the entire 
 place is now under a fine state of cultiva- 
 tion. Mr. Lott supports the Republican 
 party, has held many of the township offices, 
 and is one of the representative citizens of 
 his locality. 
 
 January i, 1877, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Mattie Edwards, a native of 
 Illinois, and a daughter of J. B. Edwards, 
 a merchant of Winnebago City. To this union 
 have been born seven children, namely: 
 Edith, Roy, Ethel, Harry, Herbert, Ray 
 and Kent. Mrs. Lott is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church at Fairmont. 
 
 HLFRED ROBERT VOSS is one of 
 the most extensive land owners of 
 Minnesota. He makes his home in 
 St. James, and probably has more 
 acres within the border of Watonwan coun- 
 ty than any other man. Mr. Voss is a na- 
 tive of Illinois, his birth having occurred in 
 Chicago on the 28th of February, 1861. 
 His father, Henry Voss, w^as a native of 
 Germany, and on emigrating to this country 
 settled in Chicago. This was about 1852, 
 when the Garden City was then just becom- 
 ing a commercial center of prominence and 
 attracting the attention of enterprising men 
 of the East. He there worked at his trade 
 of wagon-making for a time, after which he 
 removed to Elgin, Illinois, where his remain- 
 ing days were passed. He was called to 
 the home beyond in 1876, at the age of sev- 
 
 enty years, and his death was mourned by 
 many friends. The mother of our subject 
 who bore the maiden name of Regina Rein- 
 ecker, was also born in Germany, and is 
 now living in Elgin. By her marriage she 
 became the mother of five children, — three 
 sons and two daughters. 
 
 Our subject, the youngest son and third 
 child, was about two years of age at the 
 time of the removal of the family to Elgin. 
 At the age of eleven he was sent to 
 School in Richmond, Illinois, and after- 
 ward attended Elgin Academy. He then 
 entered upon a course of study in the 
 University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, at 
 which he was graduated in 1883, in the 
 law department. He ?lso attended an 
 eclectic course in the literary department, 
 and then turned his attention to a business 
 career. He began surveying in the West 
 with the United States Land Surveyor, and 
 in this way he became familiar with the loca- 
 tion and value of land. In 1884 he returned 
 to Elgin, where he succeeded in interesting 
 parties in Watonwan county land and made 
 quite extensive investments for them. In 
 this business he was engaged until 1889, 
 within which time he located about 80,000 
 acres. In 1889-90 he opened up for culti- 
 vation about 10,000 acres of land in Waton- 
 wan county. He is now farming, under his 
 personal supervision and through his ten- 
 ants, 13,000 acres, all in Watonwan count}', 
 and in 1894 raised 52,000 bushels of wheat. 
 He is the most extensive farmer in this part 
 of the State, and in connection with the 
 raising of cereals adapted to this climate he 
 is also engaged in stock-raising on a large 
 scale, keeping on hand many head of cattle, 
 horses and sheep. 
 
 Mr. Voss, although a comparatively re- 
 cent arrival in this community, may well be 
 
530 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 numbered among the founders of the coun- 
 ty. He has opened up to cultivation a 
 greater territory than any other man of the 
 community, and prior to 1 890 he induced 
 I 50 famihes to come to Watonwan county, 
 and all are now living upon farms here. 
 Thus has he aided in the growth and up- 
 building of this section and in promoting 
 the general prosperit\'. He carries his pro- 
 gressive views into politics, and at local 
 elections votes for men of practical business 
 ideas, who are capable of managing the af- 
 fairs of the town and county on business 
 principles. 
 
 The pleasant home of Mr. Voss is pre- 
 sided over by a lady of grace and culture. 
 In 1893, in Nashville, Tennessee, he mar- 
 ried Miss Alice Kieson, a native of Jeffer- 
 son county, Wisconsin, and a daughter of 
 Frederick Kieson. Their home is bright- 
 ened by the presence of a little daughter 
 born in 1894. 
 
 HLLEN CATLIN is one of the most 
 extensive land owners of Martin 
 county. He resides on section 2, 
 Waverl}' township, and belongs to 
 that class of farmers to whom a community 
 owes the greater part of its prosperity and 
 progress. A valued citizen, ever interested 
 in the welfare of the community, he is de- 
 serving of honorable mention in this volume. 
 Mr. Catlin claims New York as the State 
 of his nativity, his birth having occurred in 
 St. Lawrence county on the 19th of De- 
 cember, 1850. His parents, David and 
 Louisa (Chittenden) Catlin, were also na- 
 tives of the same county, the father born in 
 1830. Their marriage was celebrated there 
 and in the same locality the mother died, in 
 1S53, leaving two children, — Allen, whose 
 
 name heads this record, and Harvey, who is 
 living in Faribault county, Minnesota. The 
 father was again married, his second union 
 being with Miss Millie Town, daughter of 
 A. R. Town, of Waverly township, Martin 
 county. Their family numbered five chil- 
 dren, viz. : .\bram, Jerusha, Mary, William 
 and Hattie. On leaving the East the father 
 crossed the continent, becoming a resident 
 of California, but after four years, in i860, 
 he came to Minnesota, settling in Goodhue, 
 whence he went to Faribault county in 
 1864. He secured a homestead in Minne- 
 sota Lake township, and developed there- 
 from a good farm, upon which his widow is 
 still living. His death occurred in July, 
 1892, and was mourned by many friends, for 
 all who knew him respected him for his 
 sterling worth and strict integrity. 
 
 Allen Catlin was only three years of age 
 at the time of his mother's death, and was 
 then reared by his great aunt, Betsy Bran- 
 yon, now deceased. He attended the com- 
 mon district schools and was reared upon a 
 farm, his childhood days being quietly passed 
 midst play and work. He was a lad of nine 
 summers at the time of his arrival in Minne- 
 sota, which has since been his place of resi- 
 dence, and in the upbuilding of Martin 
 county and in the promotion of her leading 
 enterprises he has been an important factor. 
 
 In 1872 he led to the marriage altar Miss 
 Ellen Cory, who was born in St. Lawrence 
 county, New York, March 25, 185 1, in the 
 same township as her husband. The lady 
 is a daughter of George W. and Mary E. 
 (Town) Cory, the former a native of New 
 Hampshire and the latter of Clinton county. 
 New York. They were married and lived 
 for thirty jears in St. Lawrence county, 
 after which, in 1866, they emigrated west- 
 ward to this State, casting their lot with the 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 531 
 
 settlers of Lura township, Faribault county. 
 Locating upon a new farm, on which not a 
 furrow had been turned or an improvement 
 made, he began the development of his 
 land, and in course of time where once was 
 bare prairie appeared waving fields of grain. 
 After a long and useful life he passed away, 
 on the 6th of May, i 889, at the ripe old age 
 of seventy-five. His widow still survives 
 him and has now reached her eightieth year. 
 They have seven children now living, 
 namely: Samuel, Lucinda, Allen, Alvira, 
 Harriet, Ellen and Louisa. Two of the sons 
 were " boys in blue" during the Civil war. 
 Samuel served for three years in the Si.xtieth 
 New York Volunteer Infantry and Allen was 
 also numbered among the defenders of the 
 Union. 
 
 Upon their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Cat- 
 lin located upon the farm which has since 
 been their home. It was a tract of wild 
 land and the rude shanty upon it costing not 
 more than $25; but he at once began to add 
 substantial improvements, and now good 
 buildings for the shelter of his grain and 
 stock, and a pleasant residence stand as 
 monuments to the thrift and diligence of the 
 owner. Indolence and idleness are utterly 
 foreign to his nature, and as the result of 
 his earnest and continued labors he has been 
 blessed with prosperity. As his financial 
 resources increased he has added to his 
 landed possession from time to time until 
 his realty now aggregates 2, 500 acres of fine 
 farming land. He cultivates 400 acres of 
 this himself, for though he has now become 
 a wealthy man he considers it no excuse 
 for idleness, and each day finds him engaged 
 in some work that will add to the fertility of 
 his land, to the value of his farm, or to its 
 attractive appearance. 
 
 In his busy life Mr. Catlin has never 
 
 neglected his duties as a citizen and has ably 
 served his fellow townsmen in a number of 
 local offices. He has been Township Super- 
 visor, is now Town Treasurer, a position 
 which he has filled for about twelve years, 
 and for four years he served as County Com- 
 missioner, his term expiring in 1892. Pub- 
 lic confidence and private trust have never 
 been betrajed by him, but, true and lo3al 
 in all things, he is recognized throughout 
 the county as one of its best citizens. He 
 votes with the Republican party. 
 
 The home of Mr. and Mrs. Catlin has 
 been blessed with five children, one son and 
 four daughters, — Harvey George, Cora 
 Ellen, Millie Louisa, Pearl Iva, and Leona 
 Belle. They were all provided with good 
 educational privileges, and their home train- 
 ing has been such as to make them useful 
 and respected members of society. The par- 
 ents attend the Methodist Church and in 
 social circles hold an enviable position, while 
 in the community their friends are many. 
 
 >^OSEPH SAMUEL ALDRITT, a car- 
 
 m riage and wagon manufacturer of St. 
 /• 1 James, was born in Staffordshire, 
 England, November 3, 1832, a son 
 of Joseph and Ann (Gee) Aldritt, who were 
 born and reared in that country. The father 
 was a butcher b}' trade. They came to 
 America in 1853, locating in Kane county, 
 Illinois, but in 1854 the father purchased 
 and located on Government land in Carver 
 county, Minnesota, where he remained until 
 his death, at the age of seventy years. The 
 mother survived until eighty-four years of 
 age. 
 
 J. S. Aldritt, the eldest of their seven 
 children, came to America previous to the 
 arrival of his parents. He had learned the 
 
532 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 trade of carriage-making in the old country, 
 at the age of fifteen years, and after locating 
 in Minnesota he followed that occupation 
 in Carver county about three years. From 
 that time until 1 864 he follewed his trade in 
 St. Paul, was next engaged in business in 
 Shakopee, this State, until 1870, and since 
 that time has been an honored resident of 
 St. James, Watonwan countw Mr. Aldritt 
 immediately opened a carriage and black- 
 smith's shop in the town, which he has since 
 conducted with success. 
 
 In his political relations, he votes with 
 the Republican party. Socially, he has 
 been a member of Libanus Lodge, No. 96, 
 A. F. & A. M., for twenty-three years, in 
 which he has passed all the chairs. Re- 
 ligiously, he is a Deacon and an active 
 worker in theTirst Baptist Church. 
 
 Mr. Aldritt was first married in Carver 
 county, Minnesota, to Harriet Seamans, and 
 to that union was born one child, now de- 
 ceased. His second marriage occurred in 
 Shakopee, to Frances L. Dorward, a native 
 of New York, who came West with her par- 
 ents when young. Mr. and Mrs. Aldritt 
 have four living children: Minnie, wife of 
 George W. Price, of St. James; Arthur, en- 
 gaged in business with his' father; Mable 
 and Conway. 
 
 at 
 
 'INFIELD SCOTT CROWLEY, 
 Chairman of the Board of County 
 Conunissioners of Watonwan 
 county, Minnesota, was born 
 near Elgin, Kane county, Illinois, April 27, 
 1847. His father, Jerry Crowley, was a 
 native of Ireland, but came with his parents 
 to New York city when a child, and was 
 reared in the Eastern States. He was a 
 contractor on the Erie canal, and while thus 
 
 employed suffered the loss of an arm. In 
 1 846 Mr. Crowley located on a farm in Kane 
 county, Illinois, and in 1865 he bought a 
 large farm in that county. His death oc- 
 curred at the age of eighty-one years. He 
 was an active Republican, and during his 
 residence in the Eastern States he took a 
 prominent part in political matters. He 
 served as Township Collector of Dundee, 
 Illinois, many years ago. The mother of 
 our subject, Hannah Sinnett, was born near 
 the Mohawk river, of Dutch descent. She 
 now resides in Chicago, aged seventy-one 
 years. 
 
 W. S. Crowley, the eldest of their seven 
 children, five sons and two daughters, all 
 still living, was reared and educated in his 
 native place. After his marriage he located 
 on rented land in Kane county, in 1871 
 located on a farm in Crawford county, Iowa, 
 from 1874 to 1879 followed the butter and 
 cheese business in McHenry county, Illi- 
 nois, was ne.xt engaged in the milk business 
 in Chicago until 1890, and then embarked 
 in the real-estate business in St. James, 
 Minnesota. Mr. Crowley followed that oc- 
 cupation many years before coming to this 
 city, in which he is still engaged. He owns 
 275 acres of land in St. James township, 
 three miles west of the city of St. James, 
 and also $5,000 worth of cit}' property. In 
 political matters, Mr. Crowley votes with 
 the Republican partj', and since 1892 has 
 served as chairman of the Board of County 
 Commissioners and was President of the vil- 
 lage in 1892. Socially, he is a member of 
 Libanus Lodge, No. 96, A. F. & A. M., of 
 St. James, and of the M. W. of A. of this 
 city. 
 
 In 1868, in McHenrj' county, Illinois, 
 our subject was united in marriage with 
 Alice Grimlew a native of New York, but 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 533 
 
 came West when young, and was reared in 
 McHenry count}-. To this union have been 
 born two children, — Charles, day clerk at 
 Hotel Gibbs, St. James; and Flossie. 
 
 * m ^ ON. SUMNER CALVIN CLARK. 
 If^^ one of the representative citizens of 
 \ , r ^t. James, was born in Walpole, 
 Cheshire county. New Hampshire, 
 November 6, iSiS. His father, Richard 
 Clark, was born in Alstead, that State, in 
 1786, descending from the old stock which 
 came to America on the Mayflower. He 
 was reared in his native place, and was a 
 blacksmith by trade, but during the last few 
 years of his life he followed agricultural pur- 
 suits. His father, Nathaniel Clark, was 
 born in America and was a farmer bj- occu- 
 pation. The mother of our subject, )ice 
 Sally Thornton, was born in Acworth, New 
 Hampshire, in 1783, a daughter of Stephen 
 Thornton, also a native of that place, and of 
 English descent. Richard and Sally Clark 
 were married December 24, 1809, and lo- 
 cated in Walpole, New Hampshire. In 1828 
 they removed to Rutland county, Vermont, 
 where both subsequently died, the mother 
 in 1842, and the father in 1858. They were 
 the parents of eight children, seven of whom 
 grew to years of maturity, namely: Corena 
 F. , Horace S., Richard H. and Harvey T. , 
 deceased; S. C, the subject of this sketch; 
 Sarah J., wife of William White, of North 
 Bennington, Vermont; and Stephen, of 
 Warehouse Point, Connecticut. 
 
 S. C. Clark, the sixth child and fifth son, 
 went with his parents to Rutland county, 
 Vermont, in 1828, where he was reared to 
 manhood. He spent two years in the 
 Black River Academy of Windsor county, 
 that State, and then, at the age of twenty 
 
 years, he began teaching school, continuing 
 that occupation until thirty-six years of age, 
 having taught his last schot)l at Dover, 
 Windham county. During that time Mr. 
 Clark also taught vocal music in the school, 
 and during the summer months he followed 
 the carpenter's trade. In the spring of 1848 
 he removed to West Dover; from 1855 to 
 1857 he had charge of a steam sawmill at 
 Sunderland, Bennington county; was next 
 engaged at the carpenter's trade in Gar- 
 den City, Blue Earth county, Minne- 
 sota; and in 1865 he embarked in the 
 drug business in company with his son, 
 M. M. Clark, in that city. Leaving the 
 business in charge of his son, Mr. Clark 
 came to St. James in 1870, where he 
 erected the first building, and shipped the 
 first freight over the railroad to this city. 
 He was also the first man to engage in any 
 business here, he having opened a real- 
 estate office. 
 
 Mr. Clark was admitted to the bar in 
 March, 1873, and immediately engaged in 
 the practice of law. He was appointed 
 Justice of the Peace in Vermont before 
 reaching his twenty-second year, and, includ- 
 ing his service in Watonwan county, has 
 held that position forty-four years. While 
 in Blue Earth county he was elected County 
 Surveyor in the fall of 1858, from i860 to 
 1863 served as chairman of the Board of 
 County Commissioners, and held the posi- 
 tions of Assessor, Constable, Town Clerk, 
 etc. His first office in Watonwan county 
 was that of County Surveyor, and on the 
 day he had held that position fifty years he 
 resigned, but was obliged to serve two years 
 longer. In the fall of 1S74 Mr. Clark was 
 elected Probate Judge of Watonwan county, 
 and was re-elected to the office in 1878. He 
 is a stanch Republican in political matters. 
 
534 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 In social relations, he is a member of the 
 Masonic order, and has filled all the offices 
 in his lodge. 
 
 January 2, 1842, Mr. Clark was united 
 in marriage with Mary Ann White, born in 
 Alstead, New Hampshire, September 17, 
 1824, a daughter of Samuel and Abigail 
 (Marshall) White. To this union have been 
 born four children, namel}': Merrill M., 
 who married Lavina Fall, and they have one 
 child living, Louie; Abbie E., wife of Erie 
 B. Evans, and their three children are Mary 
 S., George W. and Clark; Lillie M., widow 
 of C. A. Chapman, and she has two chil- 
 dren living, Severence and Lawrence H. ; 
 and Rosie A. , deceased at the age of two 
 months. 
 
 ai 
 
 'ILLIAM WESLEY GIBBS.— In 
 the front rank of the business cir- 
 cles of Watonwan county stands 
 this gentleman, and probabl}' no 
 man of late years has been more prominently 
 identified with the upbuilding of St. James 
 than he. His interests have added to the 
 material prosperity of the city, and his ef- 
 forts have promoted the general welfare. 
 One so well and favorably known is well de- 
 serving of mention in this volume, and with 
 pleasure we present the record of his life to 
 our readers. 
 
 A native of \'erm()nt, he was born in 
 Pittsfield, Rutland county, on the 22d of 
 May, 1 84 1, and traces his ancestry back to 
 one of three brothers who sailed from 
 England on the Mayflower and with the 
 Puritans landed at Plymouth Rock. One 
 brother went to Pennsjlvania, another to 
 New York, and from the third, who re- 
 mained in the old I^.ay State, W. W. Gibbs 
 has descended. The grandfather of our sub- 
 
 ject, Seth Gibbs, was born in Massachu- 
 setts, and served as a private during the war 
 of 181 2. His son, S. W. Gibbs, was born 
 in Barnard. Windsor county, Vermont, in 
 1 8 16, and in early life carried on farming. 
 Later he became proprietor of a hotel in 
 Norwich, Vermont, and there spent his re- 
 maining days, his death occurring August 5, 
 1865. In his political views he was first a 
 Freesoiler and afterward a Republican. His 
 wife, who bore the maiden name of Levina 
 W. Holland, was born in Pittsfield, Ver- 
 mont, January 4, 18 16, and was a daughter 
 of I^euben Holland, a native of Massachu- 
 setts and a farmer by occupation. He 
 served in the war of 1 8 1 2 and was of English 
 and Scotch descent. Mrs. Gibbs was burned 
 to death at her home in St. James, January 
 23, 1891. In the family were three chil- 
 dren, viz.: W. W. , whose name heads this 
 sketch; Major M. D., who won his title 
 during his service in the war of the Rebel- 
 lion; and E. A., who now conducts the Ho- 
 tel Gibbs of St. James. 
 
 The eldest son was reared in the place 
 of his nativity and began his education in 
 the common schools of that place, gradu- 
 ating later at the Springfield Wesleyan Sem- 
 inary in 1 86 1. He then began teaching in 
 Windsor county, and in 1862, in company 
 with his father, he bought a hotel. In 1865 
 his father died, and W. W\ Gibbs took the 
 entire charge of the business, being ap- 
 pointed administrator of his father's estate. 
 He has been identified with the hotel l)usi- 
 ness for much of the time since his seven- 
 teenth year, when he secured a position as 
 hotel clerk. In the spring of 1868 he sold 
 the hotel property in Norwich, Vermont, 
 and began shipping stock to Boston, being 
 at that time located in West Lebanon, New 
 Hampshire. He carried on the business in 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI X, WATOXWAX AXD JACKSON. 
 
 535 
 
 connection with his uncle living at that 
 place, and their operations were very suc- 
 cessful. 
 
 On the 19th of Januarj', 1870, was con- 
 summated the marriage of Mr. Gibbs and 
 Linnie Sargent, of Pittsford, \'ermont, 
 daughter of Junia and Harriet (Spencer) 
 Sargent. Her father was also a native of 
 the Green Mountain State and made farm- 
 ing his life work. Mrs. Gibbs is a twin sis- 
 ter of Mrs. P. P. Gibbs of Siou.x Citj-, Iowa. 
 Two sons have been born to our subject and 
 his wife, namely: W. \\'., who was born 
 in Peterborough, New Hampshire, Maj^ 11, 
 1873; and C. J., born in Bellows Falls, 
 \'ermont, November 6, 1874. Both are 
 still at home and are young men of sterling 
 worth. 
 
 In 1872 Mr. Gibbs sold out his stock 
 business and removed to Peterborough, New 
 Hampshire, where he purchased the hotel, 
 — the Union House, — which he conducted 
 for two years. He then sold out and re- 
 moved to Bellows Falls, Vermont. In the 
 spring of 1876 he came to the West to look 
 over the country, and at that time spent a 
 few days in St. James. He then returned 
 to his old home and brought his family to 
 Minnesota, stopping in Mankato. On the 
 1st of December, 1876, he purchased furni- 
 ture of the railroad company for the old St. 
 James Hotel, which he leased for three years 
 with option to buy on the expiration of that 
 period. This he did, becoming the owner 
 in 1879. That hotel contained twenty-one 
 rooms, but, not finding it large enough to 
 entertain his many guests, in the spring of 
 1880 Mr. Gibbs rebuilt the house and added 
 to it fifteen new rooms. In 1890 he built 
 the fine Gibbs block, containing the Hotel 
 Gibbs, a three-story structure, with sexenty- 
 five rooms, heated by steam and lighted b)- 
 
 gas and electricity. It is in every respect a 
 first-class hotel, supplied with all modern 
 conveniences, well ventilated and supplied 
 with all that can add to the comfort and 
 convenience of the guests. Mr. Gibbs car- 
 ried on the hotel under his persona! super- 
 vision until the spring of 1891, when he 
 rented it to his brother, E. A. Gibbs, the 
 present proprietor. 
 
 Mr. Gibbs was the first railroad land 
 agent in St. James. He came to this town 
 when it contained a population of only 240, 
 has been prominent in its upbuilding, and is 
 now extensively engaged in real-estate deal- 
 ing. He first took up a half section of land 
 in 1878 and has converted this into the 
 noted Rosendale Stock Farm, adjoining the 
 town on the southeast. He also owns sev- 
 eral other farms, his possessions aggregating 
 1,650 acres. He built in the city a ver}' fine 
 brick business block, and when his son, W. 
 W., attained his twenty-first year the father 
 gave this block to him as a birthday gift. 
 He is also a member of the St. James Opera 
 House Company, which, in 189 1-2 erected 
 a fine opera house. He is one of the 
 directors of the First National Bank, and all 
 the business interests with which he is con- 
 nected are carried forward to successful 
 completion largely through his own well- 
 directed efforts, perseverance, energy and 
 resolute purpose. On the Rosendale Stock 
 Farm he is raising some very fine stock. In 
 1884 he introduced into the county the first 
 Holstein cattle, shipping the same from a 
 stock farm in Elgin, Illinois. He raised the 
 noted horse Mayor Linn, which had a repu- 
 tation all over the West and was at last 
 sold to a Boston gentleman. He now owns 
 a half-sister of that horse, Junia, a pacer, 
 with a trial record of 2:1 8. These horses 
 were raised on the Rosendale Stock Farm. 
 
536 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mr. Gibbs is now making a specialty of the 
 breeding of fine hogs, and also raises cattle 
 for dairy purposes. In company with Mr. 
 E. S. Gibbs he takes contracts for building 
 separator creameries and in furnishing sup- 
 plies for dairies. 
 
 In all his undertakings Mr. Gibbs has 
 been very successful and has managed his 
 affairs with an ability and care that has met 
 its reward in a handsome competence. His 
 life is an example of what can be accom- 
 plished through enterprise and diligence, 
 and though he has met with some reverses 
 and difficulties these have seemed to serve 
 him but as an impetus for renewed effort. 
 
 In his social relations Mr. Gibbs is a 
 Mason, belonging to Libanus Lodge, No 
 96, F. & A. M., and to Concordia Chapter, 
 No. 25. In his political views he is a stal- 
 wart Republican, and has served several 
 terms as a member of the Village Board, 
 has been officially connected with the schools 
 and is now a member of the School Board. 
 He comes of a race of sturdy New En- 
 glanders who prize loyalty and fidelity, and 
 all who know him recognize his sterling 
 worth and honor him for his upright life. 
 
 HE. ARMSTRONG, the possessor 
 of one of Martin county's finest 
 farms, claims Wisconsin as the 
 State of his nativity, his birth hav- 
 ing occurred in Waukesha county on the 
 13th of January, 1848. He is the youngest 
 child in the family of nine children, whose 
 parents are John and Elizabeth (Gray) Arm- 
 strong, both natives of the Empire State, 
 where the days of their childhood were 
 passed. Our subject began to earn his liv- 
 ing by working as a farm hand when seven- 
 
 teen years of age, and not only maintained 
 himself but also supported his widowed 
 mother until she was called to the life eter- 
 nal. She died October 18, 1876, at the age 
 of sixty-four years. 
 
 No event of special importance occurred 
 during the boyhood and youth of our sub- 
 ject. He had few privileges, and his career 
 has been one of unremitting labor, but now 
 he is in comfortable circumstances, gaining 
 a competence which will supply his declin- 
 ing years with ccmforts. As a companion 
 and helpmeet on life's journey he chose 
 Miss Florence E. McMillen, their wedding 
 being celebrated on the 2d of July, 1874. 
 The lady was born in Wayne county, Ohio, 
 October 28, 1854, and is a daughter of 
 James and Maria (McClure) McMillen. Her 
 father died when she was quite young, and 
 her mother, a native of Pennsylvania, passed 
 away during the early girlhood of Mrs. Arm- 
 strong, so that she was thus left an orphan. 
 She was then adopted by an aunt in Wis- 
 consin, and employed as clerk nine years 
 previous to and four years after marriage, 
 by her adopted father. For thirteen years 
 they made their home in that place, then 
 came to Martin county, Minnesota, settling 
 on the farm where they yet reside. 
 
 This was in the early days of Nashville 
 township, and Mr. Armstrong plowed from 
 the 26th of June until the following Septem- 
 ber without seeing more than one man go 
 by with a horse. Opening up a new farm 
 was an arduous task, but he persevered and 
 is now the owner of 285 acres of valuable 
 land, comprising one of the best farms of 
 the county. It is under a high state of cul- 
 tivation and has many good improvements, 
 which are the work of the enterprising 
 owner. A pleasant residence is supple- 
 mented by substantial barns, and these are 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 537 
 
 surrounded by well-tilled fields. In addi- 
 tion to general farming he carries on stock- 
 raising, and keeps on hand a fine grade oi 
 cattle, horses and hogs. He is assisted in 
 his labors by his two sons, Ralph K. and 
 Walter B. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong devotes the greater part 
 of his attention to his private business, and 
 has won a well-merited success, yet has 
 found time to faithfully discharge his duties 
 of citizenship. He has several times been 
 elected a member of the Town Board of 
 Supervisors, and the duties of his office were 
 satisfactorily performed, and condemned by 
 none. He votes with the Republican party, 
 with which he has affiliated since attaining 
 his majority. His religious faith is that of 
 the Freewill Baptist Church, and he is now 
 serving as Church Trustee, and is a most 
 active worker in the cause of Christianity. 
 He comes of a family proud of its good 
 name, and upon it he has brought no dis- 
 honor. 
 
 '^j'OHN CHRISTIANSEN HOLDEN. 
 
 ■ a prosperous farmer and worthy citi- 
 A ■ zen of Galena township, Martin 
 county, Minnesota, was born in the 
 parish of Holden Bratsberg Amt, Norway, 
 May 30, 1839, his parents being Christian 
 Johannesen and Carry Anderson. Further 
 mention of the family history will be found 
 in the biography of Andrew Christiansen 
 Holden in this work. 
 
 In June, 1871, accompanied by his 
 mother, brothers and sister, the subject of 
 our sketch emigrated to America. Early in 
 the following year they took up their abode 
 in Martin county, Minnesota. They came by 
 rail to Winnebago City, that being then the 
 
 terminus of the railroad, and from there, in 
 April, 1872, they walked through a blind- 
 ing snow-storm to Fairmont. The family 
 had always worked together, and upon their 
 arrival in Galena township they continued 
 as before, all living together for several 
 years. John C. took claim to the north- 
 west quarter section 8, township 104, range 
 32, and in 1878 built his present residence. 
 There is now on this place a fine grove of 
 twelve acres, which was set out by him. Feb- 
 ruary 15, 1887, he purchased the southwest 
 quarter of the southwest quarter, and later 
 northwest quarter of southwest quarter of 
 section 8, same township and range, mak- 
 ing 240 acres in one body, 1 10 acres of 
 which he has under cultivation. He is also 
 engaged in stock-raising, at this writing hav- 
 ing seventy-six hogs, sixteen cattle and five 
 horses. 
 
 Mr. Holden was married July 31, 1883, 
 at St. James, by the Rev. A. L. Lobben, 
 the bride being Miss Carry Olson. Mrs. 
 Holden was born June 15, i860, her par- 
 ents being Ole Johannesen and Anne Chris- 
 tensen. Of their children we make record 
 as follows: Christian Frederick, born May 
 4, 1884; Nellie Cristina, September 25, 
 1885; Otto, January 5, 1887; Anna Matilda, 
 May 24, 1888; Alvilda Martha, December 
 16, 1889; John, July 16, 1892; and Jens 
 Christian, April 20, 1894. 
 
 Mr. Holden is ranked with the pioneer 
 settlers of the western part of the county. 
 He has bravely overcome the many trials 
 and difficulties incident to life on the frontier, 
 and in addition to the ordinary hardships of 
 such a life, the Holden family have met 
 serious losses by prairie fires. Mr. Holden 
 is held in the highest esteem by his neigh- 
 bors, and has served in almost everj' capac- 
 ity as a township officer. 
 
538 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF TJIE COUNTIES OF 
 
 <V^EDER SYVERSON, a prosperous 
 E m farmer of Galena township, Martin 
 J count}', Minnesota, dates his birth 
 
 in Norway, February lo, 1849. He 
 is a son of Syver and Mary (Jacobson) Sy- 
 verson, and was the fifth born in a family of 
 five sons and two daughters, — Hans, Syver, 
 Iver, Ragnil, Peder, Ingeborg and Ole. Ail 
 came to America except Hans. Iver was 
 the first of the family to emigrate to this 
 countr}-, the date of his coming being in 
 1869, and his settlement was in Iowa, 
 where he still resides. Peder left his native 
 land on the 14th of April, 1870, landed in 
 New York after a voyage of three weeks, 
 and immediately came West and joined his 
 brother in Mitchell county, Iowa, where he 
 worked for wages on a farm until hi.s coming 
 to Minnesota. 
 
 It was in June, 1873, that the subject 
 of our sketch came to his present location in 
 Martin county, Minnesota, and took claim 
 to a tract of land under the homestead law, 
 this land comprising the north half of the 
 northwest quarter of section 14, township 
 104, and range 32; and in 1889 he pur- 
 chased the north half of the southeast 
 quarter of section 15, same township and 
 range. His farm is all under cultivation 
 and is nicely improved. His residence was 
 built in 1878, and his barn in 1893. At 
 this writing the place is stocked with 
 twenty-five hogs, eleven head of cattle 
 and seven horses; and both in his general 
 farming and stock-raising Mr. Syverson is 
 meeting with success. 
 
 He was married March 23, 1S74, to 
 Marit Jenson, born September 16, 1855, the 
 daughter of Ole and Berit (Iverson) Jenson, 
 the names of her brothers and sisters being 
 as follows: John, Elsie, I\er, Andrina, An- 
 ton, Matilda and Paulina. Mrs. Syverson 
 
 and her brother John and sister Elsie were 
 born in Norway, and the others in America. 
 Paulina died when young. The children of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Syverson are as follows: Sy- 
 ver Olaus, born December 12, 1874, died 
 June 26, 1875; Bertha Maria, born July 5, 
 1876, died June 25, 1879; Syver Olaus, 
 born September 11, 1878; Edward Bern- 
 hardt, December 11, 1880; Emma Maria, 
 August 3, 1883; Henry Oscar, July 25, 
 1887; Johann Gerhardt, January 11, 1889; 
 and Otto Emil, February 5, 1892. 
 
 Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Syverson are 
 identified with the Lutheran Church. He 
 was confirmed in Norway, the i8th of Oc- 
 tober, 1863, by the Rev. Eric Salmer, and 
 the date of her confirmation was May 2, 
 1870, the Rev. C. L. Clauson officiating. 
 
 ,>^ R. JAMES M. SMITH, a promi- 
 I I nent physician and surgeon of St. 
 J ^^ M James, was born in Macoupin 
 county, Illinois, December 31, 
 1857, a son of A. M. and Martha (Under- 
 wood) Smith, natives of East Tennessee, 
 and of English and German descent. The 
 latter departed this life in 1864, at the age 
 of thirty years. James M., the second of 
 five children, remained at home with his 
 father until eighteen jears of age, after 
 which he spent three years in the State Uni- 
 versity of Iowa, at Iowa City, and in 1886 
 graduated at the College of Physicians and 
 Suigeons at Des Moines. After following 
 the practice of his profession for two years 
 in Easton, Minnesota, Dr. Smith entered 
 the Rush Medical College of Chicago and 
 was graduated from that institution in 1888. 
 He next practiced one year at Minnesota 
 Lake, and since that time has been one of 
 the leading physicians and surgeons of St. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 539 
 
 James. His practice extends over Waton- 
 wan, Cottonwood, Brown, Blue Earth and 
 Faribault counties. In his social relations. 
 Dr. Smith is a member of the M. W. of A. 
 
 BB. LOOMIS, a highly esteemed 
 farmer of Walnut Lake township, 
 residing on section 29 (postoffice 
 Wells), is one of the pioneers of 
 the county, arriving here in 1872. 
 
 He was born in Steuben county. New 
 York, October 8, 1 842. His father, Jeduthan 
 Looniis, also a native of that State, and of 
 an old Connecticut family, married Phoebe 
 Stiles, also a native of Steuben county, and 
 they had fifteen children, of whom ten grew 
 to years of maturity. 
 
 Mr. Loomis, whose name introduces this 
 brief sketch, was reared to farm life in his 
 native county, where he was trained to the 
 principles of industry and integrity. His 
 school education has been well supplemented 
 with lessons drawn from practical experience 
 and observation. He also was employed at 
 heavy labor in the woods and in sawmills 
 for some time. At length he made two trips 
 to the West, going to Kansas, Iowa and 
 Minnesota, and finally decided to locate in 
 Faribault county, where he had relatives and 
 acquaintances living. He purchased a 160- 
 acre tract of rich land from Ephraim Weston, 
 who secured the same as a homestead from 
 the Government. This place he has im- 
 proved until he has made of it a fine home. 
 The residence, erected on the Southern plan, 
 twenty rods from the road, is 16 x 24, with 
 Ls 12x20 and 12 X 12, and the extensive 
 lawn is graced by trees, etc., and has a 
 modern windmill, barn and other outbuild- 
 ings required by a first-class farm. He also 
 owns another good farm, 160 acres, near 
 
 Owatonna, in Steele county, also three and 
 a half acres within the limits of Owatonna. 
 There is a well of soft water on section 29. 
 
 He was married October 22, 1874, at 
 Blue Earth City, to Annie Hyndes, a lady 
 of intelligence and of a good family, a native 
 of Ogle county, Illinois. When she was 
 three years of age her parents removed with 
 their familj' to Geneva, in Freeborn county, 
 Minnesota. Her father, Thomas Hyndes, a 
 native of Vermont, died in 1873, leaving six 
 children, as follows: Annie Loomis (wife 
 of the subject of this sketch), John, Thomas, 
 Mary Jane, Harriet and Isabelle. The 
 mother of these children is still living in 
 Steele county, now aged sixty years. 
 
 Mr. Loomis has three children, namely: 
 Edward S., nineteen years of age and en- 
 gaged in the drug business in Wells; Minnie 
 Blanche, ten years of age; and Florence 
 May, three years old. 
 
 Mr. Loomis is a Republican in his poli- 
 tical views. He has been Supervisor of his 
 township. Township Treasurer and member 
 of the School Board for a number of years. 
 He is a popular officer as well as a highly 
 esteemed gentleman in all his ways. Mrs. 
 Loomis is a member of the Baptist Church 
 and an efficient worker in the Sunday-school. 
 
 '^Y'^^^ES grays, a farmer of section 
 m II, Winnebago City township, was 
 A J born in Trumbull county, Ohio, July 
 30, 1 83 1, a son of Alexander and 
 Eliza (Vanderbilt) Grays. The father was 
 a native of Scotland, and originally the 
 name was McRay, but was changed to 
 Grays. He came to this country when a 
 boy and served in the war of 1S12. The 
 mother was born in Penns\'lvania, of Hol- 
 land Dutch descent. James was reared to 
 
540 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 farm life until fourteen years of age, receiv- 
 ing his education in the public schools and 
 in an academy at Deerfield, Ohio. After 
 leaving home he was employed on the old 
 Ohio Canal, and while thus engaged was 
 associated with the late President Garfield, 
 following that occupation during the sum- 
 mers and attending school in the winters. 
 He was afterward employed for two years 
 as clerk in a mercantile store at Deerfield, 
 for the following five years conducted a 
 store at Poygan, Winnebago county, Wis- 
 consin, spent four years at Reed's Corners, 
 Fond du Lac county, and in 1861 came to 
 Minnesota. In the spring of 1862 Mr. 
 Crays located in Winnebago City township, 
 purchasing his present farm of 1 80 acres on 
 section 11, and has made many valuable 
 improvements on his place. 
 
 In political matters, he acts with the 
 Republican party, and has filled a number 
 of township offices, having served as chair- 
 man of the Board of Supervisors, as Coun- 
 ty Commissioner, and has been a member of 
 the School Board for many years. Relig- 
 iously, he is a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 Mr. Crays was married December 28, 
 1 85 1, to Miss Adelia M. Everitt, a native of 
 Ohio, and a daughter of Jacob and Eunice 
 (Lane) Everitt, natives respectively of New 
 Jersey and Connecticut. The father was a 
 shoemaker by trade, and his death occurred 
 in Ohio in 1891, when he was aged eighty- 
 five years. His widow is still living, aged 
 eighty-four years. Mr. and Mrs. Crays 
 have had five children, four now living, 
 namely: Edmond W. , a farmer of Winne- 
 bago City township, who married, in 1884, 
 Miss Elvira Knap, of Minneapolis, this 
 State; Emogene, wife of L. K. Carson, also 
 of this township; Jessie L., wife of William 
 
 L. Hopkins, of Baltimore, Maryland: and 
 Walter Scott, a farmer of this township, who 
 married, in 1888, Miss Lucy Her, of the 
 State of Washington. 
 
 >-T» G. HELLEN, D. V. S.. is suc- 
 f cessfully engaged in the practice of 
 A J veterinary surgery in Heron Lake, 
 Minnesota. He has spent the 
 greater part of his life in the West, but 
 claims Pennsylvania as the State of his na- 
 tivity, his birth having occurred in Latrobe, 
 Westmoreland county, on the 23d of Feb- 
 ruary, 1858. He is one of the seven chil- 
 dren of Norvill Harwood and Malinda 
 (George) Hellen, and si.\ of the number are 
 now living, as follows: B. H., who is a real- 
 estate dealer of Chicago, Illinois; J. G., of 
 this sketch; Belle, wife of W. F. Smith, of 
 Webster City, Iowa; C. D., editor of the 
 Webster City Tribune, of Webster City; W. 
 H., who is now in the lecture field; William 
 N., a newspaper reporter; and H. M., who 
 died in boyhood. 
 
 The father of this family is a native of 
 Maryland, born in 182 1. During his early 
 youth he went to Philadelphia, where he 
 became a clerk in a clothing store, and con- 
 tinued there until thirty years of age. The 
 gold e.xcitemcnt was then at its height, con- 
 sequent upon the discoveries in California, 
 and, like thousands of others, Mr. Hellen 
 went to the famed El Dorado, hoping rap- 
 idly to acquire wealth there. After two 
 years of successful mining he determined to 
 seek a home again in the East, and in 1853 
 again reached the Keystone State. There 
 he was married, and in the spring of 1856 
 he came to the West with his little family. 
 He purchased 2,100 acres of land in Ham- 
 ilton county, Iowa, located thereon, and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 543 
 
 has since owned that property, which has 
 become a valuable tract. He transformed 
 much of it into rich and fertile fields, and 
 continued farming until 1S74, when he re- 
 moved to Webster City, Iowa, where he 
 has since made his home. For many years 
 he has been actively and extensively in- 
 terested in real-estate dealings, and is a 
 very large landowner, having valuable town 
 property and farming lands which yield him 
 a good income and make him numbered 
 among the wealthy citizens of the commun- 
 ity in which he now resides. He is to-day 
 an energetic, enterprising man of seventy- 
 four, alive to the best interests of the town 
 and county and well informed on matters of 
 general interest and on all current events. 
 In politics he is a stalwart Republican, un- 
 faltering in support of the party principles, 
 and his sons give their allegiance to the 
 same organization. His life is one of 
 marked success, and he furnishes to his chil- 
 dren an excellent example of thrift, enter- 
 prise and business ability. 
 
 Dr. Hellen spent his early life in Hamil- j 
 ton county, Iowa, and when sixteen years 
 of age entered the schools of Webster City, 
 where he acquired a good education that 
 fitted him for the practical and responsible 
 duties of life. At the age of twenty-two he 
 entered upon his business career as a livery- 
 man of Webster City, but in the spring of 
 1 88 1 went to Silver Cliff, Colorado. He 
 did not tarry long, however, in that State, 
 but returned to his old home, then went to 
 Chicago for the purpose of studying veteri- 
 nary surgery. On completing a thorough 
 course he at once entered upon active prac- 
 tice, and in his undertakings hoS prospered. 
 He was located in Streator, Illinois, and 
 later in Pecatonica, that State, then went 
 to Rockford, same State, whence he re- 
 
 28 
 
 moved in 1888 to Minneapolis, where he 
 practiced for three years. In 1891 he 
 came to Huron Lake, where he has since 
 made his home, and from the beginning his 
 skill and ability in the line of his chosen 
 calling has brought him a large business. 
 He takes advantage of every opportunity to 
 further perfect himself in his work, and his 
 progressive spirit is thus manifest. 
 
 The Doctor was married October 29, 
 1 880, to Bertha Thompson, daughter of 
 Abram Thompson, of Pecatonica, Illinois, 
 and to them were born four children, three 
 of whom are now living: Charles W. , Ellen 
 and Malvina. November 25, 1889, Dr. 
 Hellen was again married, his second union 
 being with Miss Belle Parks of Monroe, Wis- 
 consin, daughter of J. K. and Jennie (Love- 
 land) Parks, who were Wisconsin people. 
 One child graces this marriage, Norvill Har- 
 wood. 
 
 The home of Dr. and Mrs. Hellen is one 
 of the finest residences in Heron Lake and 
 was erected by the Doctor, ^a monument 
 to his enterprise and industry. It is taste- 
 fully furnished and its hospitable doors are 
 ever open for the reception of their many 
 friends. The Doctor has also built a large 
 barn for professional purposes. In politics 
 he is a stalwart advocate of the Republican 
 party, one of its leaders in this community. 
 
 Sr— ^ ON. FRANK A. DAY, of Fair- 
 1^^^ mont, was born in Green county, 
 l^P \\'isconsin, in 1854. and removed 
 to Fairmont, Martin county, Min- 
 nesota, in the month of June, 1874, at 
 which time he formed a partnershi]) with 
 Colonel C. H. Bullard and established the 
 Martin County Sentinel, of which paper he 
 has since been editor. 
 
544 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 In 1878 he was nominated and elected 
 to the lower house of the Minnesota Legis- 
 lature and has three times been elected to 
 the State Senate to represent the Sixth 
 District. He was a delegate at large from 
 Minnesota to the Republican National Con- 
 \ention in 1892, and was an ardent sup- 
 porter of Benjamin Harrison. On January 
 24, 1895, a vacancy occurred in the office 
 of Lieutenant Governor, b}' reason of Lieu- 
 tenant Governor Clough succeeding to the 
 office of Governor. Mr. Day was chosen 
 to fill this place by the State Senate, on the 
 first ballot, b}' a vote of 36 to 13. 
 
 Mr. Day is married and has three chil- 
 dren. 
 
 81 
 
 'ILLIAM DUNN.— There are men 
 in all communities whose influ- 
 ence is felt rather than seen, 
 whose li\es and characters, like 
 the deep under currents of a might}' stream, 
 have deeper and weightier effects in model- 
 ing their surroundings and in shaping the 
 course of events than those who in outward 
 appiearance may have an important showing 
 in the affairs of a community. Among the 
 quiet earnest men w'hose depth of character 
 and strict adherence to principle excite the 
 admiration of those with whom they are 
 brought in contact is, William Dunn, and 
 this work would be incomplete without at 
 least brief notice of this well known citizen 
 of Pilot Grove township, Faribault county. 
 He was born in Ireland, March 25, 1848, 
 and is numbered in the family of nine chil- 
 dren who were born of the union of Thomas 
 and Ellen (Keenan) Dunn, the others being 
 Mary, now the wife of Timothy Daly, who 
 is living in Pleasant Prairie, Minnesota; Kate 
 and Jennie, who reside in Pilot Grove town- 
 
 ship with their brother William; Daniel, 
 who makes his home in St. Paul, Minne- 
 sota; Ella, wife of William Mackey, of St. 
 Paul; Thomas and Alice, twins, the former 
 li\ing in Pipestone county, this State, and 
 the latter in St. Paul; and Lizzie, who is 
 also living in the last named city. The 
 father of this family was for many years en- 
 gaged in mercantile pursuits on the Emerald 
 Isle, and his father was a cloth manufacturer 
 for years, — the family being well-to-do peo- 
 ple for some generations in the land of their 
 nativity. 
 
 In the year 1852 Thomas Dunn, accom- 
 panied by wife and children, crossed the At- 
 lantic to the New World and took up his 
 residence in the wilds of Marquette county, 
 Wisconsin, locating on Indian lands. The 
 family lived for twelve years in that State, 
 the father and sons carrying on farming; and 
 in the spring of 1865 they came to Minne- 
 sota, settling on a farm on section 22, Pilot 
 Grove township, Paribault county, which 
 spot became the family homestead. There 
 William Dunn passed the greater part of 
 his declining years, but in 1890 went to St. 
 Paul and made his home with his son Daniel 
 until called to the life eternal in the spring 
 of 1893. He had reached the ripe old age 
 of eighty-nine, and death ended a long and 
 useful career, which commanded the respect 
 of all with whom he met. His wife also 
 I died in St. Paul, and many friends mourned 
 the loss of this estimable lady. 
 
 William Dunn was onl)' four jears of 
 age when his parents left the green Isle of 
 Erin, and was a youth of seventeen when 
 the family came to this State. His home 
 has since been in Pilot Grove township, and 
 he lived on the home farm with his parents 
 until thirty-five years of age, when he be- 
 gan farming in his own interests. Bj' pur- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 545 
 
 chase he became the owner of 200 acres of 
 rich land on section 22, — the southeast 
 quarter of the section, — and here he carried 
 on agriciihiiral pursuits and to some extent 
 has engaged in stock-raising, He is a man 
 of enterprise and energy, and few idle mo- 
 ments are known in his busy life. He de- 
 votes himself untiringly to the work in hand, 
 and s^'stematic and careful business methods 
 have brought to him a success which he 
 justly merits. 
 
 On the 15th of April, 1885, was cele- 
 brated a marriage which united the destinies 
 of Mr. Dunn and Miss Kate Dojle, a daugh- 
 ter of Peter and Ann Doyle. The lady is a 
 native of the neighboring State of Wiscon- 
 sin, and one of a family of six children. 
 Her parents are still living and are now resi- 
 dents of Martin county, this State. In 
 1894 Mr. Dunn was called upon to mourn 
 the loss of his wife, who was called to her 
 final rest in the spring of that year. She 
 possessed many e.xcellencies of character, 
 was a loving and devoted wife and mother, 
 and a firm true friend. Her death is there- 
 fore deeply mourned by many others outside 
 her own household, which is now desolate. 
 Her two children, Peter and Blanche, still 
 survive her. 
 
 The Democracy finds in Mr. Dunn a 
 stalwart supporter, he having been identi- 
 fied with that party since becoming a citizen 
 with the right of franchise. In township 
 matters he always takes a deep interest, and 
 in the development and progress of the 
 county. He served for several years as 
 Township Clerk, later was Assessor, and at 
 the present time is chairman of the Town 
 Board of Supervisors. His worth and abil- 
 ity have called him to ofifice, and he effi- 
 ciently serves his constituents in all the 
 positions of trust in which he is {)laced. He 
 
 is known as one of the representative, level- 
 headed young men of the day, always in the 
 front rank of any enterprise which needs 
 the attention of the best class of citizens, 
 and to such interests he gives his earnest 
 support and co-operation. 
 
 ,>^ERRIN M. MARSTON is one of the 
 
 II U prosperous and progressive farmers 
 
 J of Delavan township, Faribault 
 
 county, Minnesota. Of his life and 
 
 ancestr)-, we make record as follows: 
 
 Perrin M. Marston was born in the prov- 
 ince of Quebec, Canada, June 30, 1855, the 
 youngest son of the seven children of Samuel 
 and Sarah (Willey) Marston. Samuel Mar- 
 ston was born September 30, 1800, in the 
 historic town of Bridgewater, New Hamp- 
 shire, and when he was a small boy removed 
 with his parents to the province of Quebec, 
 where they lived for man\' years. He was 
 a miller by trade but took up farming as an 
 occupation when became West. In 1856 
 he located in Iowa, where he remained three 
 years, and then in 1859 came to Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota, settling first in 
 Verona township. In the spring of 1862 he 
 took claim to 160 acres of Government land 
 on section 17, Delavan township, and on it 
 built a board shanty and began the work of 
 developing a farm. On this farm the rest of 
 his life was spent, and here he died January 
 20, 1876, at the age of seventy-six years. 
 Mr. Marston was an active, energetic man, 
 and one of the representative, public-spirited 
 men of his day and place. Grandfather 
 Marston was a native of New Hampshire. 
 He was well along in years at the time of 
 his remo\al to Canada, and there he died in 
 extreme old age. The Marstons originated 
 in England, were represented in the Massa- 
 
546 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 chusetts Bay Colony in its earliest history, 
 and for years were prominent and leading 
 citi;?ens of New Hampshire. 
 
 Perrin M. Marston was a year old at the 
 time his parents retnrned to the United 
 States, and from his fourth year he has been 
 a resident of Faribault county. He was 
 educated in the common schools of this 
 county, and since arri\ing at man's estate 
 has been engaged in farming upon the land 
 his father located in Delavan township. 
 Here he has a fine farm of 240 acres, well 
 improved with good buildings, etc., and is 
 ranked with the leading young farmers of 
 his vicinity. He gives his attention to rais- 
 ing both grain and stock, now having about 
 twenty head of cattle and a large number 
 of hogs. 
 
 Mr. Marston was married April 4, 1877, 
 to Miss Eliza Robbins, a native of Jefferson 
 county, Wisconsin, and one of the family of 
 six children of John and Nancy Maria (Smed- 
 ley) Robbins, her parents being natives of 
 New York State. Mr. and Mrs. Marston 
 have six children living, — Curtis Sidney, 
 Pearl Roscoe, Marj- Ivuth, Lida Myrtle, 
 Harold Frost andZella B. Curtis S. is now 
 attending Parker College. 
 
 Mr. Marston and his wife are earnest 
 members of the Free Baptist Church of 
 Winnebago City. In politics, he is an 
 ardent Republican. 
 
 ^^^ A. FAIRFIELD, of Heron Lake, 
 ■ G\ Jackson county, Minnesota, was 
 \^^^ born in Dayton, Michigan, October 
 y, I1S59. At an early age he 
 learned the printer's trade at South Bend, 
 Indiana, and was for a time city editor of the 
 Daily Register at that place. In 1878 he 
 came West locating first at Dubuque, and 
 
 afterward, in 1879, went to Elkader, Iowa, 
 where, until 1893, he was interested in the 
 publication of the Elkader Register. Dur- 
 ing the year 1893 he was one of the pro- 
 prietors of the Daily Star, at Dixon, Illinois. 
 In 1894 he purchased the News at Heron 
 Lake, which he now publishes. 
 
 He was married in 1891, to Miss Grace 
 A. Ely, of Elkader, Iowa, and to them four 
 children have been born, — Charles B. , Eva 
 G., Ord A., and Marion, — all of whom are 
 living. 
 
 *w ^ P. SIMPSON, a farmer of section 
 |f^ 8, Eraser township, is a son of 
 J . * Robert and Isabel (Vance) Simp- 
 son, natives of Nova Scotia. They 
 remained there until about 1854, and then 
 moved to Maine, both dying in Portland, 
 that State, the mother at the age of sevent}' 
 years and the father at the age of seventy- 
 five years. They were the parents of seven 
 children, two now living, — Daniel and H. P. 
 The latter was born in Nova Scotia in 
 1 83 1, where he was raised to farm life. At 
 the age of sixteen years he left there for 
 the State of Maine, and left after working 
 on farms a few years in the vicinity of Port- 
 land and Boston, and then was employed in 
 a tannery in Portland three years, during 
 which time he was married. He afterward 
 spent about twelve years in Portage county, 
 Wisconsin. In 1865 he enlisted for service 
 in the late war, entering Company B, 
 Forty-sixth Wisconsin Volunteers, was sent 
 to Athens, Alabama, and received his dis- 
 charge in October of the same year. In 
 1866 Mr. Simpson came to Minnesota, 
 locating on the farm he now owns, which 
 consists of 240 acres. At that time there 
 were but three houses in Eraser township. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 547 
 
 and they were the second settlers here. For 
 their first residence they dug a hole in the 
 ground, to which they added three logs, and 
 for a time lived without a floor. 
 
 In 1855 Mr. Simpson was united in 
 marriage with Rachel Densmore, born in 
 Nova Scotia in 1828, a daughter of William 
 and Annie (Antny) Densmore, the former a 
 native of Nova Scotia. They lived and 
 died in Nova Scotia. Our subject and wife 
 had two children. The eldest, Isabel, was 
 formerly a school-teacher, and is now the 
 wife of John Watson, of this township. 
 They have four children, — Noble, Iva, Bessie 
 and Vance. Sarah Ann married Frank 
 Thompson, of Galena township, Martin 
 county, and they also have four children, — 
 Ila, Lila, Hugh and Ashley. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Simpson also adopted and raised a boy, 
 Willie. In his political views, our subject 
 is a stanch Republican, and has served as 
 Postmaster here at May for eight years, re- 
 ceiving his commission in 1869. This place 
 is half way between Winnebago City and 
 Jackson, and the stage changed teams and 
 the driver and passengers took dinner at his 
 house. Mr. Simpson also held various 
 offices in Hope Grange, P. of H., during 
 the existence of that order here. 
 
 at 
 
 'ILLIAM CLARK ALVORD, a 
 
 highly respected farmer of Sher- 
 burne, Minnesota, was born Oc- 
 tober 2, 1838, at Hamilton, Madi- 
 son county, New York, his parents being 
 Daniel B. and Sarah Sweet (Holmes) Al- 
 vord. 
 
 Five brothers by the name of Alvord 
 emigrated to this country from England 
 prior to the Revolutionary war, and one of 
 these brothers was the great-great-grand- 
 
 father of William C. Daniel B. Alvord, 
 the father of our subject, was born in Con- 
 necticut, May 6, 1807, and moved with 
 his parents to New York, when he was quite 
 young. In the fall of 1 848 he came West to 
 Green county, Wisconsin, where he re- 
 mained one year and whence he removed to 
 Winnebago county, Illinois. In 1850 he 
 located in Clinton county, Iowa, where he 
 made his home until 1856. June 27, 1856, 
 he came to Minnesota and pmchased Gov- 
 ernment land in Olmsted county, where he 
 carried on farming operations until the sum- 
 mer of 1867. At that time he removed to 
 Martin county and located the place upon 
 which his son William C. now lives. This 
 farm is the northwest quarter of section 3, 
 township loi, range 32. Here the father 
 passed the closing years of his life and died, 
 the date of his death being March 4, 1890. 
 He built a portion of the house now occu- 
 pied by his son, and planted the grove in 
 1869. His wife was born June 14, 1817, 
 and is still living with her children. 
 
 William C. Alvord began life for him- 
 self when he was twenty years of age, re- 
 maining a member of the home circle, how- 
 ever, until the removal of the family to Mar- 
 tin county, Minnesota, in 1867. He con- 
 tinued to reside in the eastern part of the 
 State, engaged in teaming, until 1869. 
 That year he came to Martin county and 
 took a homestead claim — the southwest 
 quarter of section 2, township loi, range 
 32. This tract is still owned by him. In 
 1875 he came to the place where he now 
 lives and which had been homesteaded by 
 his father, this tract also now being owned 
 by him, the two farms comprising 297 
 acres. He has about eight acres in wood- 
 land and 250 acres under cultivation, and 
 at this writing his land is stocked with eleven 
 
548 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 head of cattle, nine horses, and about sixty 
 sheep. 
 
 Mr. Alvord was married February 28, 
 1870, to Miss Mary Hdhnes, and their chil- 
 dren are as follows: Nettie Addie, born 
 February 10, 1872; Julia Octavia, July 14, 
 1874; Helen May, May i, 1877; Pearl, July 
 6, 1879; Luther, July 8, 1881; Marion, Feb- 
 ruary 17, 1885; and \\'illiametta, March 16, 
 1889. 
 
 Mr. Alvord has served two years as Su- 
 pervisor of the town. He is a Republican 
 in politics, and in religion a member of the 
 Congregational Church. 
 
 k/^ E^'• J E. CONRAD was one of 
 
 I /^T the pioneer ministers of Faribault 
 l_^P count}'. His grandfather, Peter 
 Conrad, emigrated from Prussia to 
 America in the year 1760, settling in Penn- 
 sylvania, where he remained until the year 
 1776, when he removed to North Carolina. 
 His son Rudolph married Mary Shell, by 
 whom he had five children. The third son, 
 Peter, married a Miss Sarah Aberneth}' in 
 1 8 10, whose ancestors originally came from 
 Scotland. There were born to these, while 
 in Lincoln county. North Carolina, four 
 children, — David, Elizabeth, Jacob and 
 Clarissa. In 1820 Peter Conrad removed 
 to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where two 
 more children were born, — George and 
 Mary. In 1823 he finally settled in Perry 
 county, Missouri, where he resided until the 
 day of his death, which occurred in 1843. 
 His wife died in 1847. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was of this 
 family, born in North Carolina, April 7,1814. 
 He lived with his parents on the farm in 
 Missouri until he was twcnt\-two. In 1830 ' 
 
 he was converted, and some 3'ears afterward 
 felt called to the ministrj-. Educational 
 advantages were not readily accessible in 
 those days, especially to a young man with- 
 out means. High schools such as those of 
 the present time were almost unheard of. 
 In November, 1826, at the age of twenty- 
 two, taking all his earthly possessions with 
 him on his horse, he started for Mission In- 
 stitute, founded by Dr. Nelson near Ouincy, 
 Illinois, a distance of 250 miles from his 
 home, intending to prepare for the foreign 
 mission work. This institute was a manual- 
 labor school where students by economy 
 and diligence supported themselves while 
 obtaining an education. Here he remained 
 nine jears, supporting himself by his own 
 work. 
 
 In 1845 he was licensed to preach by the 
 Schuyler Presbytery, of Illinois. In Sep- 
 tember of the same year he went to Lane 
 Seminary, where he spent one year, taking 
 the middle-year course and the lectures of 
 the two other years, meanwhile supporting 
 himself by assisting the steward of the board- 
 ing hall. 
 
 In June of the following year he returned 
 to Ouincy, where he was married to Therina 
 Jane Brockway, and in November of the 
 same year he accepted a call to preach 
 to the First Presbyterian Church of War- 
 saw, Indiana, where he remained nine years. 
 Here there were born three children, two of 
 whom died in infanc}'. In 1853 his wife 
 died, leaving him with an infant son of 
 eighteen months. The following year he 
 was married to Miss Margaret Slagle, of 
 Shiloh, Indiana. 
 
 In the spring of 1856, with a babe of si.x 
 months and the son by his first wife, he 
 came to Minnesota, by the only means of 
 overland transportation of those days, the 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 549 
 
 emigrant wagon. The first summer was 
 spent in the vicinity of Rochester, where he 
 often preached, assisting in the organization 
 of the first Presbyterian Church of Winona, 
 and during this time he preached the first 
 sermon ever delivered in La Crescent, under 
 an oak tree. On the 14th of November 
 he reached the place now known as old 
 Mapleton, in Blue Earth county, taking a 
 claim on Lura lake, in the present town of 
 Sterling, where he retained his principal 
 residence until 1890. He was employed by 
 the American Home Missionary Society, at 
 a salary of $200. to preach in Mapleton and 
 \icinity. In August, 1857, he organized 
 the first Congregational Church of Sterling. 
 In addition to his duties as a minister of 
 the gospel, as he possessed the only horse 
 team in the community, he carried the mail 
 and brought in provisions to the inipo\erished 
 colony. He supplied the Sterling Congre- 
 gational Church for six years. During the 
 same period he organized the churches of 
 Winnebago City and also of Blue Earth 
 City. The church at Winnebago was first 
 organized as a Congregational Church, in 
 1858, but afterward, at the earnest solicita- 
 tion of the people, it was reorganized as a 
 Presbyterian Church. The organization of 
 the First Presbyterian Church of Blue Earth 
 City was effected in April, 1859. During 
 the six years he was the sole supply of the 
 three churches. In 1870 he organized the 
 church then known as fhe Pleasant Ridge 
 Presbyterian Church, but now known as the 
 Amboy Presbyterian Church, and was its 
 only pastor for twenty-one years. At three 
 different times he left his residence on the 
 farm in order to be near his parishioners 
 and better push the work of the respective 
 churches, twice moving to Blue Earth City, 
 and once to Wells. During the period 
 
 passed over he preached at many other 
 points and organized other churches. 
 
 But this sketch would be incomplete 
 without some word of recognition of her 
 who stood so faithfully encouraging him in 
 all his work and enduring with cheerful- 
 ness the deprivations and hardships of the 
 pioneer life, and by her \er3' presence mak- 
 ing the home attracti\e to those who knew 
 her best. Four children were born in Min- 
 nesota, making six in all, three sons and 
 three daughters. Of these the oldest son, 
 George Arthur, is living on a part of the old 
 homestead in Blue Earth count}-, Minnesota. 
 The second son, Arcturus Z.,is pastor of the 
 Old South Congregational Church, of Wor- 
 cester, Massachusetts. The third and 
 youngest son, William O., is pastor of the 
 Presbyterian Church of Blue Earth Cit}', 
 Minnesota. The oldest daughter, Eleanor 
 E. , was married to a physician. Dr. T. B. 
 Francis, and is living in Edgerton, Minne- 
 sota. The second was married to a railroad 
 conductor, Mr. F. C. Wells; and removed 
 to Oregon, where she died, in 1890, leaving 
 two infant daughters. The third was mar- 
 ried to a Congregationalist minister. Rev. 
 A. H. Sedgwick, and is residing in Nashua, 
 Iowa. The two sons now preaching both 
 worked on the farm until they were twenty, 
 then worked their way through college and 
 seminary. A. Z. graduated at Carleton 
 College, in the class of 1882, and at Union 
 Theological Seminary in 1885. He then 
 became the pastor of the Ainslie Street Pres- 
 byterian Church, of Brooklyn, where he re- 
 mained for five years. W. O. took his aca- 
 demical course at Carleton, of this State, 
 and the first two years of his collegiate 
 course, taking the remainder in Amherst 
 College, Massachusetts, graduating in 1887. 
 His seminary course was taken at Union 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Seminary, New York, at which he gradu- 
 ated, in 1890, coming directly to Blue Earth 
 City, where he has since resided. The 
 mother died in the fall of 1882, ha\'ing fin- 
 ished the work which God gave her to do. 
 
 Since 1890 Rev. J. E. Conrad has made 
 his home with his youngest son, in Blue 
 Earth City, being now in his eighty-first 
 year, and until very recently preaching with 
 unabated vigor, whenever opportunity of- 
 fered, without unusual fatigue. He was a 
 charter member of the first Presbytery of 
 the State, also of the first Synod, and almost 
 the only one that is left. While enjoying the 
 the friendship and fellowship of those who 
 esteem him both for what he has been and 
 is, and while enjojing the blessings of a vig- 
 orous old age, he is looking heavenward, 
 with even greater joy, in the faith in which 
 he has lived, and declares, " I am simply 
 waiting my summons to go hence." 
 
 ^^ W. SHOEN, who has long resided 
 v^^^kT in Faribault county, is one of the 
 
 f\^_y worthy citizens that the Empire 
 State has furnished to Minnesota. 
 He was born in Louisville, St. Lawrence 
 county. New York, on the 23d of March, 
 1 83 1, and is a son of Shephard T. and Phi- 
 linda (Wells) Shoen. The father was born 
 in Lower Canada, and as a boy accompanied 
 his parents, William and Sallie (Shephard) 
 Shoen, to St. Lav\rence county. The father 
 built a log cabin on what is known as 
 Stacey's island, in the St. Lawrence river. 
 His home was in the midst of a dense timber 
 belt; in fact from the surrounding fore.st he 
 secured the logs and lumber for his primitive 
 residence. During the war with England 
 he was drafted into the British service and 
 took part in some field dut\', but soon his 
 
 sympathies were enlisted on behalf of this 
 country and it was not long after this that 
 he sought a home in the United States. 
 Here he turned his attention to farming, — 
 a pursuit which he followed until called to 
 his final rest. 
 
 Shephard T. Shoen was thus reared amid 
 a frontier settlement, and after he had 
 attained to manhood he purchased a small 
 farm adjoining the old home. He afterward 
 went to Canada and was employed in the 
 lumber regions and in rafting on the river 
 for a time, but the greater part of his life 
 was devoted to agricultural pursuits. He 
 died at the old home in St. Lawrence county, 
 in the eighty-third year of his age, and his 
 wife is still living in Louisville. Although 
 she has reached the age of eightj-three her 
 jears rest lightly upon her and she retains 
 possession of her faculties almost unimpaired. 
 
 Their family numbered three sons and 
 two daughters, of whom S. W. is the eldest. 
 The others are Clarissa, widow of Franklin 
 Sutton and a resident of Louisville, New York; 
 George, who carries on farming in St. Law- 
 rence county; Elijah, who operates a part of 
 the old homestead; and Lucy, wife of Orin 
 Strait, a carpenter and builder of Louisville, 
 New York. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record spent his youth upon the home farm 
 and received the benefits of a common-school 
 education. When he was twenty-five years 
 of age occurred one of the most important 
 events of his life, — his marriage to Miss 
 Mar}- A. Duel, a native of Louisville and a 
 sister of Mrs. E. D. Willson, of Minnesota 
 Lake. The wedding ceremony was per- 
 formed in a hotel in Potsdam, New York, 
 by a Universalist minister, January 6, 1866. 
 The lady was born on the r 5th of March, 
 1837, and is a daughter of Cornelius and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, U'ATONirAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 55' 
 
 Sarah (Henry) Deuel. In their family were 
 five sons and seven daughters, namely: 
 Emily, wife of Thomas McGee, a farmer 
 of St. Lawrence county; Ruth, wife of 
 James H. Mcjurrj-, deceased, who was a 
 farmer of St. Lawrence count}-, and died in 
 Wright county, Iowa; Lovina, who died in 
 St. Lawrence county: Mary, wife of our 
 subject; a twin brother of Mary, who died 
 in infancy; Jane, wife of Thomas Hodge, an 
 agriculturist of St. Lawrence county; ^^'ill- 
 iam, who was killed by lightning while liv- 
 ing in Deuel, South Dakota; Horace, who 
 died in Louisville, at the age of eleven 
 years; Sarah, wife of E. D. Willson, of Min- 
 nesota Lake; Calvin, a farmer of Glencoe, 
 Minnesota; Vila, who died at the age of six 
 years; and Ira, who is engaged in the bank- 
 ing business in Goldfield, Wright county, 
 Iowa, and with him lives the mother of this 
 family. The father devoted his life to 
 farming, and his death occurred when he 
 had reached the allotted age of three-score 
 years and ten. His wife is still enjoying 
 good health, and on the 4th of March cele- 
 brated her eighty-fifth birthday. 
 
 The winter of 1868 Mr. Shoen spent in 
 the West, working in the timber belt of 
 Eau Claire county. In the spring he con- 
 tinued his journey to Faribault county, and 
 on section 12, Lura township, secured 
 eighty acres of Government land, to which 
 he removed his family the following Oc- 
 tober. Hauling lumber from W^aseca he 
 erected a frontier home, I4.\20 feet, and 
 nine feet in height, with a roof and floor of 
 bassvvood. He has since carried on farm- 
 ing. In the course of time he had his land 
 under the plow, and abundant harvests were 
 garnered. Fine improvements were added 
 from time to time, and the farm is now one 
 of the valuable properties of the township. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Shoen have been born 
 the following children: Silas is engaged in 
 farming on section 17, Lura township, Fari- 
 bault county, where he operates 100 acres 
 of land; Horace is a farmer of Cottonwood 
 count}', Minnesota, who has now rented his 
 farm and resides at home; Gerald carries on 
 agricultural pursuits in Watonwan county, 
 Minnesota; George owns a farm on sections 
 9 and 10, Lura township, and is the popu- 
 lar liverymen of East on; he was married 
 October 31, 1887, to Miss Henrietta Lang, 
 daughter of Edward and Martha (Eyar) 
 Lang, and a native of Lura township, born 
 November 22, 1868; their three children 
 are Edward G., born April 15, 1889; Earl 
 Eugene, born January 18,1 892 ; and Ellis S. , 
 January 28, 1893. The other members of 
 the family of S. W. Shoen are: William, who 
 resides on the northwest quarter of section 
 12, Lura township; Philanda, deceased wife 
 of Samuel James, who was a farmer of the 
 town of Mapleton, and their children, Alta 
 May and Allie G., have lived with their 
 grandparents since the mother's death; 
 Mary L. is still at home with her parents, 
 who since 1891 have resided in a pleasant 
 home in Minnesota Lake. 
 
 Mr. Shoen is now enjoying the rest 
 which he has so truly earned and richly de- 
 serves. His life has been a busy one, and 
 his labors brought to him a comfortable 
 competence which now supplies him with 
 all the comforts of life and many of its lux- 
 uries. Since casting his first presidential 
 vote for James l^uchanan he has been a 
 supporter of the Democracy, but has never 
 been an aspirant for official honors. His 
 duties of citizenship are conscientiously per- 
 formed, and in all the relations of life, 
 whether public or private, he is ever true and 
 honorable. 
 
552 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 K^^ EV. LUDWIG MACK.— The office 
 I /"^ of one who holds clerical orders is 
 \ . P one which imposes f(reater obliga- 
 tions and a more perfect self-abne- 
 gation than that of an)' other profession; 
 there must be a consecration of one's life, 
 and he must never turn aside from those mani- 
 fold duties which put to severe test the facul- 
 ties of both mind and heart. He who essaj's 
 to enter upon this divine calling with the in- 
 tention of being an acceptable worker in the 
 vineyard must needs have a character of 
 strength and innate nobleness, for otherwise 
 ignominious failure will result. The public 
 is not slow to recognize the success attained 
 by a pastoral incumbent, but it seldom goes 
 below a superficial estimate of the causes 
 and means which have insured this success. 
 One who has thus sown the seed and has in 
 due time garnered the grateful harvest has 
 not done this save at great sacrifice of gelf 
 and when actuated by the highest motives. 
 Therefore in touching upon the career 
 of the subject of this brief review we can 
 feel a reverential regard for him and for the 
 good he has wrought, for there must come, 
 as the details are mentioned, an inkling of 
 the true worth which has sought its highest 
 duty in true humility of spirit. 
 
 Ludwig Mack was born near Heidelberg, 
 in the grand duchy of Baden, Germany, in 
 the year i8 — , receiving his education in that 
 famous city and in England, where he spent 
 three years in preparing himself for his life 
 work as a clergyman of the German Evan- 
 gelical Church. 
 
 He came to America in 1883, locating 
 in Minnesota, and being installed as pastor 
 of Saint John's Church, located on Sixteenth 
 avenue. North Minneapolis. This charge 
 he retained for four and one-half years, go- 
 ing thence to Oak Grove, Pierce county, 
 
 Wisconsin, where he assumed the pastorate 
 of Saint John's Church, over \\hich he pre- 
 sided until 1892, in May of which year he 
 took charge of Saint John's Church at Fair- 
 mont, Minnesota, where he has since re- 
 mained and where his earnest efforts have 
 been rewarded in the upbuilding of the work 
 in his parish and in advancing the cause 
 of the Master. This church was organized 
 
 in 1889, by the Rev. Kurtz, who was 
 
 succeeded b}' Rev. L. Schymperlin, the 
 charter members of the church having been 
 George Wohllhuter, Frederick Welchlin, 
 Henrj- Anderman, Paul Ivosbab, Henrj' 
 Schafer, Henry Wilken, William Wotter, 
 Leonard Riegel and George Rossmeier. The 
 immediate predecessor of our subject was 
 the Rev. A. Santner, who had charge of the 
 church for over two years. In addition to 
 Saint John's Mr. Mack also had pastoral 
 charge of the church organization in Eraser 
 township until November i, 1894. The 
 church has now fifty-eight members, and its 
 affairs have been duly prospered in both a 
 spiritual and temporal way. The Sunday- 
 school has an enrollment of fifty scholars. 
 During six months of the year the pastor 
 devotes four days in each week to teaching 
 and preparing children for confirmation. 
 
 (D 
 
 ICHAEL GARRY, County Com- 
 missioner of Martin count}', and 
 a farmer of section 14, Pleasant 
 Prairie township, was born in 
 county Meath, Ireland, twenty miles from 
 Dublin, September 26, 1833, and remained 
 in his native place until sixteen jears of age. 
 He then came to the United States, spend- 
 ing fifteen years in Boston, Massachusetts, 
 purchased a place and spent one year east 
 of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and then sold 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI X, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 .■>.-),i 
 
 that farm and came to Martin count}', Min- 
 nesota. In September, 1867, he purchased 
 the farm he now owns, consisting of eighty 
 acres of wild land, the only improvements 
 on the place being a one-room house. Mr. 
 Garry has added to his original purchase 
 until he now owns 240 acres, all of which 
 is under a fine state of cultivation. The 
 famil)' have never been away from the place 
 one night during their entire residence here! 
 
 Mr. Garry was married in Boston, Jan- 
 uary 12, 1 86 1, to Mary F"aley, a native of 
 Ireland, but she came to America at the age 
 of twelve years and located in Boston. To 
 this union have been added ten children, 
 namely: Thomas, born in Boston, is now 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits in Faribault 
 county; Patrick and Andrew, also natives 
 of Massachusetts; Annie, wife of James Mc- 
 Nary, of Pleasant Prairie township; and 
 Maggie, Mary, Michael, John, Ellen and 
 Katie, born on the home farm. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Garry is connected with 
 the Democratic party. He was elected 
 County Commissioner in 1886, re-elected in 
 1892, and still holds that position. He is 
 also chairman of the Board of Supervisors, 
 Postmaster of Pleasant Prairie, and was 
 Town Treasurer many years. 
 
 aC. MELVILL, a retired fanner of 
 St. James, Alinnesota, was born in 
 India, February 25, 1863, a son of 
 Richard G. Melvill, of the Indian 
 Civil Service, a native of England, and 
 grandson of Canon Melvill, of St. Paul's 
 Cathedral, London, England. 
 
 When our subject was three years of 
 age he was sent to his grandfather. General 
 Van Cortland, C. B.. in England, to receive 
 an English education in due time. He was 
 
 sent for three years to H. Evans, a mechan- 
 ical engineer of London, graduated at 
 Queen's College, Gal\va\', Ireland, in 18S0, 
 and then completed the course in civil engi- 
 neering, at the Royal Indian Engineering 
 College, Cooper's Hill, England. 
 
 Coming to America in 1884 Mr. Melvill 
 immediately located in St. James, Waton- 
 wan county, Minnesota, purchasing 280 
 acres of land in South Branch township, 
 but afterward sold that place and bought 
 two farms in the northern part of the county. 
 Again selling his farms he purchased the 
 place where he now lives, consisting of 478 
 acres, which joins the village of St. James, 
 and most of the farm is platted in small 
 tracts. Mr. Melvill filled a vacancy as 
 County Surveyor, and was elected to that 
 office in 1890, in which he served two years. 
 
 April 24, 1894, our subject was united 
 in marriage with the daughter of Ch. 
 Miether, Esq., London, England, Miss 
 Antonia, who was an artist studying under 
 W. P. Frith, Royal Academician. She is 
 a native of Germany, but for sixteen years 
 resided with her parents in London, En- 
 gland. Mr. and Mrs. Melvill's daughter. 
 Viola, was born on the ist of February, 
 1895. 
 
 In political matters Mr. Melvill acts with 
 the Democratic party. 
 
 * m ^ ENRY A RHODES, a practical 
 1^*^^ and progressive farmer of Heron 
 \^r Lake township, Jackson county, 
 Minnesota, is a native of Pennsyl- 
 vania, born in Indiana county, on the 20th 
 of November, 1 864, the youngest of a fam- 
 ily of nine children, seven of whom were 
 boys. Those that still survive arc Isa M., 
 a farmer in Indiana county; Peter F. , pas- 
 
554 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OE THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 senger conductor on the Baltimore & Ohio 
 Railroad, residing at Bissell, Allegheny 
 county, Pennsylvania; Melissa (Rhodes) Con- 
 dron, home, Indiana county, Pennsylvania; 
 Jennie A., and H. A., the subject of our 
 sketch. 
 
 The parents were Lewis and Matilda 
 (Bremizer) Rhodes, both natives of the Key- 
 stone State. The father was born on the 
 25th of Januars', 1816, was by occupation a 
 farmer, and followed that pursuit throughout 
 his entire business career, and died in the 
 State of his birth at the ripe old age of sev- 
 enty-three years. 
 
 He was a consistent and devoted mem- 
 ber of the Lutheran Church and whatever 
 tended to advance the cause of Christianity 
 received his support and co-operation. The 
 mother was a devoted member of the Bap- 
 tist Church, and died at the comparatively 
 early age of forty-three jears. 
 
 We would now call attention to the per- 
 sonal history of Henry A. Rhodes, a well- 
 known and influential citizen, who in the 
 history of his adopted county well deserves 
 mention. During his boyhood he aided his 
 father on the home farm, early becoming 
 familiar with its duties. In the winter he 
 pursued his studies in the schools of the 
 neighborhood, and in the spring would re- 
 sume work in the fields. In the spring 1884 
 he began the study of telegraphy, and in 
 August of that year went to Chicago, Illi- 
 nois, where he was employed as assistant in a 
 Western Union office for a few weeks, and 
 was then given charge of an office and fol- 
 lowed that pusuit for several months. The 
 19th of November, 1885, witnessed the 
 arrival of Mr. Rhodes in Jackson county, 
 which has since been his home. He pur- 
 chased 160 acres of wild prairi(-' laud, and 
 in the following spring began the work of 
 
 subduing the tract which had heretofore 
 been a stranger to improvement. As a result 
 of his earnest and untiring labors he has now 
 a fine farm with good buildings, which stand 
 as monuments to his labor and thrift. 
 
 The home is a comfortable dwelling, the 
 large barn is a model of convenience, and 
 the granary and other outbuildings add to the 
 value and substantial appearance of the place. 
 The water used on the farm is supplied by a 
 deep tubular well, a windmill furnishing the 
 motive power for pumping. 
 
 In connection with his other pursuits Mr. 
 Rhodes makes a specialty of the breeding 
 and raising of Poland-China swine, and has 
 one of the best herds of that noted breed to 
 be found in Jackson or adjoining counties. 
 He has devoted much time and money to 
 the improvement of his herd, and the result 
 attained is very gratifying. 
 
 On the [5th of Jatmary, 1891, he was 
 married to Miss Mary Gove, who was born, 
 reared and educated in Clinton county, 
 Iowa, after which she took up the work of 
 teaching. Two children grace the union of 
 our subject and his wife, both daughters, 
 Janet A. and Gretta M. 
 
 In his political principles Mr. Rhodes is 
 in sympathy with the People's party. He 
 has been honored with several local offices 
 of trust; has served his towmship as chair- 
 man of the Board of Supervisors, and at 
 this writing is Justice of the Peace and 
 Town Clerk, filling those offices in a faithful 
 manner, which is recognized by the com- 
 mendation of all concerned. He is a Neigh- 
 bor in Camp No. 1970, M. W. A. 
 
 He possesses the enterprising progressive 
 spirit so characteristic of the West, and, al- 
 though a young man, is regarded as one of 
 the leading men of the community. 
 
 Mary (Gove) Rhodes was, as before 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI X, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 555 
 
 stated, born in Clinton county Iowa, the 
 (late of her birth being the 3d of January, 
 1867. Her parents were Benjamin F. and 
 Angehne (Jonesj Gove. Her father was 
 born in Deering, New Hampshire, on the 
 14th of March, 1826, and moved to De Witt, 
 Clinton county, Iowa, in 1851. He was a 
 prominent citizen and much respected by all 
 who enjoyed his acquaintance. He was by 
 occupation a farmer and followed that pur- 
 suit until the time of his death, January 
 I, 1895. ^"^i' mother was born in Clarion 
 county, Pennsylvania, and moved to Clin- 
 ton county, Iowa, with her parents when 
 twelve years old, where she still resides. 
 She was the daughter of John and Lucinda 
 (Fulton) Jones. She is a consistent mem- 
 ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 There were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gove 
 five sons and four daughters, of whom all 
 the sons and two daughters survive, The 
 children are Charles W. and Benjamin W. , 
 of Windom, Minnesota; Mrs. Rhodes, the 
 wife the subject of our sketch; Edwin J., 
 Albert S., James H. and Martha L., — resid- 
 ing at home in Clinton county, Iowa. 
 
 >t'ACOB BACHTLEis one of Faribault 
 
 m county's most honored pioneers. J. 
 /> 1 G. Holland has said that the history 
 of a country is best told in the lives of 
 its people, and in recording the life of Mr. 
 Bachtle we certainly give much of the his- 
 tory of this locality. He has figured prom- 
 inently in its development and progress and 
 is a worthy representative of its agricultural 
 interests. He was born in Wurtemburg, 
 Germany, February 8, 1835, and comes of 
 a family of upright men and Christian 
 women, numbered among the best people of 
 the communities in which they lived. The 
 
 paternal grandfather, John Conrad Bachtle, 
 born November 22, 1741, was a baker by 
 trade and served in the capacity of Judge. 
 He was married March 3, 1772, to Anna 
 Maria Barho, who was born May 21, 1748. 
 Their lives were well spent and the latter 
 passed away December 2, 1782, while the 
 former died on the 26th of March, 181 5. 
 
 Jacob Bachtle, father of our subject, was 
 also born in Wurtemburg, in 1793, and he, 
 too, followed the baker's trade the greater 
 part of his life, although he carried on farm- 
 ing to a limited extent. For three years he 
 was in the army serving under Napoleon 
 from 1 8 12 to 181 5. He always lived in the 
 land of his nativity and his life was such as 
 to command the respect and confidence of 
 all with whom he was brought in contact. 
 He was a Christian, — a member of the 
 Lutheran Church,— and he left to his family 
 a good name, when called to the home be- 
 yond on the 20th of January, 1853. His 
 wife, who bore the maiden name of Christine 
 Burck, was also a native of Wurtemburg, 
 born December 8, 1796, and their marriage 
 was celebrated October 3, 1822. Herright- 
 eous life was ended February 21, 1859, and 
 her remains were interred by the side of him 
 who for so many years had been her husband 
 and to whom she had ever been a faithful 
 helpmeet. The Lutheran Church found in 
 her a consistent member, and Christianity 
 was exemplified in her character. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Bachtle were born five 
 children. Christine, the eldest, born March 
 24, 1823, is the widow of William Coats 
 and is still living in Wurtemburg. Johanna, 
 born November 11, 1831, became the wife 
 of Louis Kroemer, of Wurtemburg, and died 
 January 2, 1861. Jacob is the third of the 
 family. Caroline, born July 5, 1837, died 
 in her native land October 18, 1861. Chris- 
 
556 
 
 MEMOIUAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OE 
 
 tian, born in the same country, November 
 2 1 , 1839, served for three years as a German 
 soldier. He followed farming in Germany, 
 and in May, 1883, crossed the Atlantic to 
 America, settling on the Barren Stowe farm 
 on section 34, Lura township, Faribault 
 count}'. He married Frederica Rath in 
 18G7 and died September 17, 1894, his re- 
 mains being interred in the "city of the 
 dead" on section 21, I^ura township. 
 
 Mr. Bachtle of this sketch was reared 
 in his father's home and acquired a good 
 education in his native tongue, which has 
 also been greatly supplemented by the ex- 
 perience and information gained in contact 
 with the world and in familiaritj' with its 
 affairs. He was confirmed in the Lutheran 
 Church in the land of his nativity and re- 
 mained under the parental roof until reach- 
 ing his majority, when he determined to 
 seek a home in the New World. Severing 
 the ties which bound him to "the little Ger- 
 man home across the sea," he bade adieu to 
 kindred and friends and on the 6th of No- 
 vember, 1856. sailed from the Fatherland 
 for London and four days later found him- 
 self aboard the Victoria, a three-mast En- 
 glish sailing vessel boimd for New York. 
 The journey consumed forty-nine da}s, dur- 
 ing which the ship was tossed by wind and 
 waves and suffered considerable damage, 
 including the destruction of the mainmast. 
 There were 160 passengers on board, but at 
 length the ^'ictoria with its precious freight 
 reached the harbor. Mr. Bachtle remained 
 in New York city for four months, employed 
 in a sugar refinery, and as a remuner- 
 ation received $50 for the three first 
 months and $75 for the last month of his 
 labor there. Going to Genesee county. New 
 York, he secured work as a farm hand in 
 Stafford township and while there first be- 
 
 came familiar with the English language, of 
 which he is now a master. For four years 
 he continued his farm labors and then again 
 occurred a change in his residence. 
 
 In the meantime, however, Mr. Bachtle 
 was united in marriage with Miss Adelia 
 O'Leary, a native of county Cork, Ireland. 
 On the 6th of April, 1861, in the town of 
 Leroy, he led the young lady before Father 
 Miller, who pronounced them man and wife. 
 She was born January 9, 1833, and is a 
 daughter of John and Margaret (Noonan) 
 O'Leary. Her mother died when Mrs. 
 Bachtle was in her eleventh year. Her 
 uncle, Thomas Noonan, early in the century 
 had sought a home on American soil, and 
 in New York city had wedded an American 
 lad}'. Several sons were born to them, 
 after which they returned to the Emerald 
 Isle, and later they again came to the 
 United States, this time bringing with them 
 the gentleman's niece, Adelia O'Leary. 
 They sailed on the three-masted vessel. 
 Jack Robinson, and such severe storms 
 were encountered that the passengers were 
 afraid that they should never again see land; 
 but after five weeks' sailing anchor was 
 dropped in the harbor of New York. As 
 soon as old enough Miss O'Leary began 
 earning her livelihood as a domestic, and en- 
 tered the employ of a hotel man, with whom 
 she went to Batavia, New York. Later she 
 went to the home of Judge Oscar Brown, 
 a leading citizen of Genesee county, and 
 was living there when our subject met and 
 wooed her. 
 
 Three months after the wedding they 
 started out for Waukesha county, Wiscon- 
 sin, locating near North Prairie in October, 
 1861. There Mr. Bachtle secured one acre 
 of land and engaged in farming for others, 
 continuing his labors until June, 1864, when 
 
FAItlBAULT, MARllN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 557 
 
 they started for Minnesota in a "prairie 
 schooner" with their two children, — Jacob 
 Wasemus, who was born P'ebruary 14, 1862; 
 and John August, born March 25, 1864. 
 In their wagon, drawn by oxen, was some 
 bedding and an old-fashioned cook-stove, 
 they passed through White Water, 
 Madison, Milton and Prairie du Chien, 
 were ferried across the river to Mc- 
 Gregor, Iowa, and continued on their 
 journey to Faribault county, Minnesota, 
 where Mr. Bachtle secured a quarter 
 section of Government land on section 22, 
 Lura township. He brought logs from Cobb 
 river in Blue Earth county, a distance of 
 more than sixteen miles, and with these 
 erected a little cabin 16x20 feet. The 
 boards for the flooring were brought from 
 Vernon Center, and the shingles from Min- 
 neapolis, and a primitive structure was 
 built which was the home of our worthy 
 pioneers for some time and was the shelter 
 of many men now distinguished in Fari- 
 bault county. The amiable hostess always 
 had a cheerful welcome for the weary or be- 
 lated traveler, and the latch-string of that 
 hospitable home was always out. There 
 the citizens of the locality often met to dis- 
 cuss plans for the upbuilding of the town- 
 ship and for the advancement of its welfare, 
 and on Sunday the parish rider would speak 
 there the cheering words of the gospel. 
 Many were the hardships and difficulties of 
 frontier life to be endured, but Mr. and 
 Mrs. Bachtle made the best of their oppor- 
 tunities and lived contentedly in their far 
 western home, — happy in the love of the 
 family growing up around them. When 
 they located on the claim there was not a 
 stick of timber or stone there that could be 
 advantageously used, no building upon the 
 place or well to suppl}- water; but after a 
 
 time a good well was dug, furnishing an 
 ample supply of nature's beverage, and the 
 once barren prairie was transformed into 
 rich and fertile fields, the waving grain 
 amply repaying with a golden tribute the 
 care and labor which the owner had ex- 
 pended. The pioneer dwelling also has been 
 replaced by a pleasant frame residence, which 
 was erected in 1881; but now, living retired 
 in their comfortable home in Mapleton, the 
 worthy pioneer people recall many happy 
 days spent in the log cabin. The first load 
 of wheat which Mr. Bachtle took to market 
 was drawn by four oxen to Faribault, where 
 he sold it for forty-five cents per bushel, 
 securing with the money many comforts to 
 take home to his waiting family. 
 
 While caring for the farm Mr. and Mrs. 
 Bachtle also gave their care to the rearing of 
 their family, who do credit to them. The 
 children, seven in number, are as follows: 
 Christopher, who was born January 31, 
 1866, in Lura township, Faribault count}', 
 died June 28, 1893, and lies buried in the lit- 
 tle cemetery opposite the old farm; Jennie, 
 born August 31, 1868, is the wife of Samuel 
 Evans, a popular young farmer living on 
 section 28, Lura township; Carrie A., born 
 April 6, 1870, began school-teaching at the 
 early age of fourteen years, but afterward 
 left that work in order to further pursue her 
 the studies in the Mankato Normal School, 
 at which she was graduated in the class of 
 1 89 1. She has been a successful teacher in 
 Lura township and in Easton, and is now 
 employed in that capacity in Prescott, Wis- 
 consin; she takes great pleasure in her work 
 and is a most able instructor; Marie A., 
 born October 16, 1872, also taught school 
 for a time, but is now engaged in the mil- 
 linery business, making her home with her 
 parents; George H., born June 13, 1873, 
 
558 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 died August 30, 1879, and was also laid to 
 rest in Lura cemetery; John A., is a wide- 
 awake and enterprising young farmer who 
 now operates the homestead; February 5, 
 1 89 1, he married Effie L. Probert; Jacob 
 O., died July 30, 1889, and was laid to 
 rest by the side of the other deceased mem- 
 bers of the family. 
 
 Mr. Bachtle votes independently of party 
 ties, holding himself free to support the 
 man whom he thinks best qualified for office 
 regardless of party affiliations. He has 
 neither sought nor desired political prefer- 
 ment, yet has been called to public office, 
 and during the greater part of his residence 
 in Faribault county he has served as School 
 Treasurer in a most acceptable manner. 
 For several terms he has been a member of 
 the Town Board of Supervisors, and when- 
 ever called to office he has discharged his 
 duties with a promptness and fidelity that 
 has won him universal commendation. His 
 first presidential vote was cast for Abra- 
 ham Lincoln, the martyr president. In his 
 social relations Mr. Bachtle is connected 
 with i:)elavan Lodge, No. 117, I. (). O. F., 
 of which he is a charter member. 
 
 We have now given the outlines of one 
 of the worthy citi/cns of h'aribault county. 
 Many interesting incidents of his career 
 space forbids us to mention, but enough has 
 has been said to indicate his strong charac- 
 teristics and the controlling influences of 
 his life. In his young manhood he deter- 
 mined to try his fortune in America and 
 came to this country with a resolution to 
 succeed, a resolution he has carried out 
 with a determination and steadfastness well 
 worthy of emulation. His ]irosperity has 
 come to him through no outside aid, but 
 through unremitting toil, good business abil- 
 it}' and capable management. He met ob- 
 
 stacles and encountered difficulties, but 
 these seemed but to serve as an impetus to 
 renewed and more concentrated effort, and 
 in the end he came out victorious. The 
 hardships of the frontier he shared uncom- 
 plainingly, and for his declining years he 
 has a handsome competence, the fruit of 
 former toil. 
 
 *y— ^ ENRY DIEDRICH FINKE, a well- 
 
 I^^W known farmer residing near Wel- 
 
 \ , r come, Minnesota, dates his birth 
 
 in Hanover, Germany, August 13, 
 
 I 84 1, his parents being Frederick John and 
 
 Margaret (Logeman) Finke. 
 
 Frederick John Finke was born and 
 passed all his life in Hano\er, Germany. He 
 was a farmer by occupation, and died in 
 April, 1866, at the age of about sixty years. 
 His wife died in 1869. Of their family we 
 make record as follows: Christian, born in 
 1839, is married and has several children; 
 Henry D., the subject of this article; Will- 
 iam, a resident of this county; and August, 
 also engaged in farming in Martin county. 
 Henry D. and William came to America to- 
 gether in 1867, and since 1868 have occu- 
 pied adjoining farms. They married sisters, 
 the Misses Hulsemann, on the same day, and 
 both have large families. Further mention 
 of their settlement here will be found in the 
 sketch of Mr. D. H. Hulsemann. 
 
 Henry D. Finke was married February 
 20, 1870, to Mi.ss Mary Hulsemann, and 
 their family record reads as follows: Fritz 
 Henry Dicdrich, born December 9, 1871; 
 Hannah Lena Margareta, September 7, 1873; 
 Ennna Hannah Uora, January 18, 1876; 
 Henry William Frederick, April 16, 1878; 
 Edward Christian Frederick, October 22, 
 1879; Rosa Aima, October 8, 1882; and 
 
^2i^(^//f=^ O? ^. -^?f'm/mmn. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, IVATOXllAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 5^" 
 
 Mary Minnie, September 8, 1887. Hannah 
 Lena Margareta was married November 9, 
 1894, to D. E. Diekman, and they are living 
 on a farm in Lake Belt township, this county. 
 Mr. Finke is a Democrat in politics, and 
 is a member of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 ISAAC GEORGE SWEARINGEN, 
 an early pioneer and retired farmer 
 of Martin county, was born in De- 
 Witt county, Illinois, July 2, 1838, 
 a son of John B. Swearingen, who was 
 born, reared and married in Kentucky. His 
 father, Daniel Swearingen, was born in 
 Pennsylvania in 1772, of Welsh descent. 
 The first of the Swearingen family in Amer- 
 ica located in Maryland in 1692. Daniel 
 Swearingen moved to Lewis county, Ken- 
 tuck}', where his children were born. The 
 mother of our subject, ncc Jane Brown, was 
 born and reared in Pennsylvania, a daugh- 
 ter of William Brown, of Irish descent. 
 John B. and Jane Swearingen were married 
 in Lewis county, Kentucky, in 1S03, moved 
 to Adams county, Ohio, in 1828, thence to 
 Vermilion county, Illinois, in the following 
 year, next to Champaign county, that State, 
 and in 1838 to DeWitt county, where he 
 remained for twenty-four years. Mr. 
 Swearingen served as Justice of the Peace 
 of that county fifteen years. In 1857 he lo- 
 cated in Blue Earth county, Minnesota, 
 where he operated a mill three years. In 
 i860 he came to Martin county, Minnesota, 
 where he built and conducted a water-mill 
 on Silver lake ten ysars, the first mill in the 
 county. His death occurred in his eighty- 
 fourth year. He was an active worker in 
 the Republican party. Mrs. Swearingen 
 survived until eighty-nine years of age. 
 They were the parents of eleven children, 
 
 29 
 
 namely: James, of Fairmont; Elizabeth, de- 
 ceased; Sarah, deceased; Samuel, of Cali- 
 fornia; Daniel, of Missouri; Abram, of 
 Perry, Iowa; Lydia, deceased, was the wife 
 of William H. Budd; Isaac George, our sub- 
 ject; William, of Fairmont township; Re- 
 becca, wife of Robert Tyler, of Fairmont; 
 and David, a miller of this place. 
 
 Isaac George Swearingen remained in his 
 native place until nineteen years of age. 
 He came with his parents to Minne- 
 sota in 1857, and after his marriage 
 located on a homestead in Blue Earth 
 county. On this place he built a small 
 board cabin I4.\i6, which was destroyed 
 by a cyclone, after which he built a log 
 cabin 16x16 feet. In i860 he sold that 
 farm and purchased land in Rutland town- 
 ship, Martin county, built a log cabin i6.\ 18 
 feet, and remained there until the opening of 
 the Civil war. He enlisted in Company C, 
 Si.xth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, took 
 part in the battle of Fort Blakely and other 
 small engagements, and served until the 
 close of the struggle. After returning from 
 the army Mr. Swearingen remained on his 
 farm in Martin county until 1890, and since 
 that time has resided in Fairmont. 
 
 March 21, 1858, Mr. Swearingen was 
 united in marriage with Lorain Allen, born 
 in Wyoming county, New York, June 28, 
 1840, a daughter of Russell Allen, a native 
 of Vermont and a farmer by occupation. 
 He located in New York when a young man, 
 where he was married, and in 1857 removed 
 to Blue Earth county, Minnesota. In 1866 
 he came to Martin county, and lived with 
 our subject twelve years. His death oc- 
 curred in West Union, Iowa, in his eighty- 
 third year. Mrs. Swearingen's mother, iitc 
 Eliza Hutchinson, was born and reared in 
 New York, and died there at the age of 
 
562 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 thirty-five years. They had four children, — 
 Zoeth, of St. Louis, Missouri; Jane E., 
 deceased; Amy M., wife ofAbramT. Swear- 
 ingen, of Perry, Iowa; and Lorain, wife of 
 our subject. The last named came with her 
 father to Blue Earth county, j\finnesota, 
 in 1857, and was just seventeen years old 
 the day she arrived on Blue Earth river. 
 She taught the first school in Martin county, 
 in the first house built in the village of Fair- 
 mont, the same being a primitive structure, 
 only twelve feet square. Her next school 
 in this county was near Huntley, in a board 
 shanty, the roof slanting one waj'. She 
 then taught in a log schoolhouse in Fair- 
 mont. Mr. and Mrs. Swearingen have two 
 children. The son, George B., was born in 
 Silver Lake township, Martin county, in 
 October, 1863. He married Lottie ^f. Can- 
 right, a daughter of J. E. and Delia fWal- 
 bridge) Canright, and to this union have 
 been born two children, Warren G. and 
 Hettie Helen. The daughter, Lena May, 
 was born in Rutland township, Martin 
 county, September 8, 1872. She married 
 Irving Crissinger, and they have two chil- 
 dren, Olive L. , and Irva May. The family 
 are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. Mr. Swearingen affiliates with the 
 Republican party, and has served as a mem- 
 ber of the Board of Supervisors. He is a 
 member of Phil. Kearny Post, G. A. R. 
 
 m. 
 
 *ILLIAM FINKE has resided on 
 his farm near Welcome, Martin 
 county, Minnesota, since 1868, 
 and is therefore ranked with the 
 early settlers as well as the representative 
 farmers of the community. 
 
 Mr. Finke was born in Hanover, Ger- 
 many, March 6, 1844. Reference to his 
 
 ancestry is made in the biography of his 
 brother, Henry D. Finke, in this work. 
 
 February 20, 1870, William Finke mar- 
 ried Aliss Minnie Hulsemann, daughter of 
 a German who emigrated to this country 
 with his family and settled near Milwaukee, 
 Wisconsin, whence he came to Minnesota. 
 Mrs. Finke was a most estimable woman, 
 and after an active and useful life passed 
 to her reward above, April 28, 1894. A 
 record of their children is as follows: Lena 
 Margaret, born December 22, 1871, is the 
 wife of Albert Pilz, a farmer of this county, 
 their children being Charles and Hulda; 
 Lydia Anna Mary, born March i, 1873, is 
 the wife of Louis Schaeffer, a farmer of 
 this county, and their only child is Freder- 
 ick; ne.xt came one that died in infancy; 
 Dora Minnie Sophia, born December 13, 
 1875; William Frederick Diedrich, May 31, 
 1878; Edith Mary, April 30, 1880; Ernest 
 Diedrich Henry, August 12, 1882; Aaron 
 August Frederick, December 24, 1884; 
 Minnie Ann Margaret, May 9, 1887; Alwin 
 Henry Frit/, October 3, 1889; and Oscar 
 Fritz, October 24, 1891. 
 
 >^AMES C. MOTT, a well-known citi- 
 m zen of La Crosse township, residing 
 A 1 on section 22 (postoffice Heron Lake), 
 was born in Indiana county, Penn- 
 sylvania, February 11, 1850. His father, 
 V. G. Mott, deceased, was born March 28, 
 1827, in Susquehanna county, that State, 
 reared on a farm and in his youth learned 
 the trade cf carpenter, which he followed 
 for some time, in Penns}l\ania, Missouri 
 and Minnesota; was married September 15, 
 1847, to Martha Gastin, a native of Jeffer- 
 son count}', Pennsylvania, and a daughter 
 I of Stephen Gastin, who was a native 
 
PARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 563 
 
 of New Jersey and a soldier in the war of 
 18 12, married Fannie Thompson, and both 
 of them finally died in the old Keystone 
 State. Mr. V. G. Mott moved to Keytes- 
 ville, Chariton county, Missouri, in 1857, 
 where he was employed at his trade and 
 agricultural pursuits. During the great war 
 of the rebellion he connected himself with 
 the Tenth Missouri Cavalry, in the service 
 of the United States, and was in the army 
 a year. 
 
 In 1864 he came to Madelia, Watonwan 
 county, Minnesota, where he lived until 
 1873, when he came to La Crosse town- 
 ship, Jackson county, locating upon a claim 
 of wild Government land, of which he made 
 one of the most valuable farms in the town- 
 ship, having also upon it a magnificent 
 grove of ten acres; residence and farm build- 
 ings e.xcellenl. Mr. Mott was an intelligent 
 farmer. He had live children, as follows: 
 Horace D., who died at the age of nine 
 years; James C, the subject of this sketch; 
 John and Maria, deceased; and Mary E. 
 Bennett, of Worthington, Minnesota. Mr. 
 Mott was a Republican, Town Assessor two 
 years, a member of B. F. Sweet Post, G. 
 A. K., and of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church. He enjoyed the confidence and 
 respect of all who knew him, was a kind 
 husband and father, a good citizen, and his 
 death was felt as a great loss to the com- 
 munity. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was a lad of 
 fourteen years when he came to Madelia. 
 He received the most of his education in 
 Missouri, and after coming to this State he 
 attended school one winter. On starting 
 out in life he took at first a timber claim, 
 which, however, he subsequently sold, and 
 he purchased the farm of 160 acres where 
 he now resides. It is a fine farm, every- 
 
 thing upon it being in good shape. The 
 dwelling is 20.\24 and two stories high; 
 barn, 42x48; and there are a granary and 
 other good outbuildings, a fine grove, etc. 
 
 In 1878 he was united in marriage with 
 Miss Mary E. Dixon, and by that union had 
 two children, — Gertie and Ina. For his 
 present wife he married, in 1886, Miss Liz- 
 zie Hudson, a daughter of Henry Hudson, 
 who was an old settler of Madelia and who 
 married Elizabeth Peel. Mr. James C. 
 Mott, our subject, has one son, — Lee Ben- 
 nett. Mr. Mott is a Republican in his views 
 of national questions, has been Township 
 Clerk, Supervisor, and Clerk and Treasurer 
 for some years of the School Board. He 
 is also a member of Philadelphia Lodge, No. 
 157, I. O. O. F. , of Lodge No. 1256 of the 
 Modern Woodmen, and of Lodge No. 93 
 of the A. O. U. W. 
 and influential citizen 
 
 He is an intelligent 
 
 >^ A. WELKER, of section 3. Walnut 
 
 m Lake township, and residing near 
 
 f% J Wells, has been a citizen here since 
 
 1877, and is now president of the 
 
 Board of Supervisors. 
 
 He was born in Fillmore county, this 
 State, September 3, 1859, a son of S. F. 
 Welker, deceased, who was one of the 
 well known citizens of this township, born 
 in Columbiana county, Ohio. The Wel- 
 kers are of an old Pennsylvania family 
 of " Pennsylvania Dutch " ancestry, noted 
 for their industry, economy and virtuous 
 life generally. Mr. S. F. Welker mar- 
 led Catharine Graham, a native of Ohio 
 and a daughter of James Graham, who 
 was a soldier in the war of 1812. Mr. Wel- 
 ker was one of the first settlers in Fillmore 
 count}', arriving there with his faniil}' in 
 
564 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 1S77, settling on section 3, Walnut Lake 
 township, where he opened and improved a 
 valuable farm. In his political principles 
 he was a Democrat, and he was an honored 
 and useful citizen. His surviving wife re- 
 mains on the old homestead. They had 
 five children, viz.: J. A., Abiah, Malinda 
 Ann, Amy and Ray. 
 
 Mr. J. A. Welker, whose name is at the 
 head of this sketch, was brought up on the 
 farm in Fillmore county, trained in the 
 habits of industry and virtue. Coming to 
 this county in 1877, with the famil}', he 
 helped his father in the improvement and 
 cultivation of the new place. In 1886 he 
 settled upon his present farm, which com- 
 prises 160 acres of rich land, four miles 
 from Wells. His beautiful residence is of 
 the cottage style, and the farm buildings are 
 neat and convenient. Besides the usual 
 buildings he has a modern windmill and a 
 fine sixteen-horse-power steel mill for grind- 
 ing feed for the domestic animals and for 
 threshing grain. He is a scientific farmer. 
 
 He was married December 20, 1883, to 
 Miss Erma Ward, a native of Hancock 
 county, Iowa, and the daughter and young- 
 est child of Jacob Ward, one of the early 
 settlers of that Cfmnty. For his wife he 
 married Emily Aldrich, and he was finally 
 killed in a cj'clone. Mr. Welker, of this 
 sketch, has three children: Edna May, Eva 
 Catharine and George Raj\ 
 
 Mr. Welker is a Republican in his polit- 
 ical principles, but in local elections he votes 
 for the best man, as do most intelligent citi- 
 zens. He is Clerk of the School Board, 
 and has been president of the Board of 
 Supervisors. In his social relations he is a 
 member of Lodge No. 39, A. O. U. W. 
 He has a good physique and is frank and 
 pleasant in his manner. 
 
 '^j'OHN S LAMPHIER, a prominent 
 M citizen of Walnut Lake township 
 A 1 (postoffice Wells), w-as a pioneer 
 here, having located in this county 
 as early as October, 1863, upon a home- 
 stead claim. 
 
 He was born in Steuben county, New 
 York, February 7, 1834. His father was 
 Samuel Lamphier, also a native of that 
 count\% married Mary Ann Sharp, a native 
 of the same county and a daughter of Rob- 
 ert Sharp, a soldier of the war of 18 12. 
 Samuel Lamphier had ten children, namely: 
 Am}', Sarah, John Sharp, Andrew, Louisa, 
 Jane, Phebe, Olive, Helen, Samuel. The 
 mother of these children died at the age of 
 seventy-one years, and their father at the 
 agevof seventy-six, — both members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. He was a 
 farmer by occupation, and in politics a Whig 
 and Republican. 
 
 Mr. John S. Lamphier, whose name in- 
 troduces this sketch, was reared in Steuben 
 county, New York, upon a farm, receiving 
 his education in the common schools; for 
 some years he was also employed in a saw- 
 mill as engineer. On his birthday, at the 
 age of twenty-three jears, he married Maria 
 Loomis, a native also of that county and a 
 daughter of Jeduthan Loomis, who was born 
 in Connecticut, a son of Elisha Loomis, also 
 a native of that State. Mrs. Lamphier's 
 mother's maiden name was Phebe Stiles, 
 and she too was born in Steuben county, a 
 daughter of Jotham T. Stiles, whose father, 
 Timothy Stiles, was a soldier in the Revo- 
 lutionary war. Jeduthan and Phebe Loomis 
 had fourteen children, of whom ten grew up 
 to years of maturity, as follows: Maria A., 
 Warren, William, Francis Burton, Elisha, 
 Mercy A., Mary A., Eunice, Ella, Forsterand 
 Anna. Their father died June 13, 1877, in 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 565 
 
 Faribault county; their mother is still living, 
 now aged eighty years. 
 
 In 1863 Mr. Lamphier came to Allamakee 
 county, low a, locating at Postville. In Oc- 
 tober of that year he took a homestead 
 where he now lives, at first occupying a 
 shanty 14x14 feet, which he now uses as a 
 carriage shed. In the early da}-, however, 
 it was made a hospitable home for many peo- 
 ple; as many as fifteen persons have slept 
 in it at one time. At present Mr. Lamphier 
 has a good residence, i6.\24, two stories 
 high, with L 14x20, one story, and out- 
 buildings in keeping with the character of a 
 thrifty farmer. His farm comprises 100 
 acres. In pioneer times he had to go sev- 
 enty-five miles to market, namely, to Mitch- 
 ell, with an ox team, taking a week for the 
 trip and sleeping under the wagon. 
 
 His children are: Elmer J., Emmit B., 
 Cora Edith, besides two deceased, — Inez 
 Adell, a bright, intelligent young lady of a 
 good education, great amiabilitj' and well 
 qualified to engage in the teachers' profes- 
 sion, which she intended soon to do, who 
 died at the age of twenty-one years; her loss 
 to the family and community was sad in- 
 deed. The other child deceased was Ella 
 E., who died at the age of two years. 
 
 Mr. Lamphier, in his politics, is a Re- 
 publican, and he has been Supervisor and a 
 member of the School Board. Both him- 
 self and wife are members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, ornaments of their pro- 
 fession. 
 
 '^j* C. BYRNES, Mayor of the village 
 
 ^ of Wells, has been a resident of this 
 
 A ■ place since August, 1888. He is a 
 
 native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 
 
 born April 4, 1854. 
 
 His father, Nicholas Byrnes, of a good 
 Irish family, emigrated to the United States 
 at the age of eighteen or twenty years, first 
 locating in New York and afterward in Phil- 
 adelphia. Being a gentleman of consider- 
 able education and clerical ability, he was 
 employed as a clerk in a wholesale house for 
 a time; next for a while he was employed in 
 iron works at Pittsburg; and then he came 
 to Minnesota, settling in Houston county, 
 where he remained until the spring of 1S77, 
 moving to Ramsey, Mower county, Minne- 
 sota, where he operated a large farm until 
 1884; moving from there to lona, Murray 
 county, Minnesota, he purchased a large 
 farm, and has been successfully engaged in ag- 
 ricultural pursuits since. His age is now 
 seventy-four years. In Philadelphia he was 
 married to Miss Bridget Flynn, a highly es- 
 teemed lady, who also is a native of Ireland. 
 Mr. Nicholas Byrnes and wife had nine sons 
 and two daughters. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, the third 
 born, was brought up in Philadelphia and in 
 Fillmore and Houston counties, Minnesota, 
 receiving his edu.;ation in the common 
 schools and learning the practical lessons of 
 life from business experience. For fourteen 
 years he was with Boner, Wheeler & Hyde, 
 grain-dealers, at Ramsey, this State; then 
 was at Colman, Moody county. South Da- 
 kota, until he came to Wells, in 1888. His 
 elevator here, built in 1894, has a capacity 
 of 16,000 bushels, and is a substantial and 
 modern one, well adapted for its purpose. 
 
 In public matters Mr. Byrnes is one of 
 the wheel-horses of the Democratic party in 
 his community. He was elected Mayor in 
 the spring of 1894, and is a popular officer, 
 making a good record. He is a member of 
 the A. O. U. W. Lodge, No. 39. 
 
 In June, 1890, he married Miss Mary L. 
 
S66 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OE THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Morrison, of a good family, the daughter of 
 Michael and Ellen (Daaly) Morrison. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Byrnes have three children, namely: 
 William Joseph, Charles Stewart and Electa 
 May. 
 
 Personally, Mr. Byrnes is large and well 
 proportioned, being about six feet high and 
 weighing 215 pounds, is frank and genial in 
 manner, and is a popular business man. 
 
 :r 
 
 M. G. PRICE, a prominent lumber 
 dealer of St. James, is a native of 
 Canada, born in Ontario on the 9th 
 of November, 1835. The family is 
 of Welsh origin, the great-grandfather being 
 a native of Wales and the founder of the 
 family on this side the Atlantic, — making a 
 location in New Jersey. The grandfather, 
 Thomas Price, was born in Newark, New Jer- 
 sey, and removed to Ontario, Canada, where 
 in 1805 occurred the birth of Peter Price, 
 father of the gentleman whose name intro- 
 duces this review. He w'as a farmer by oc- 
 cupation and in his early years he married 
 Miss Mary Jane Gillespie, also a native of 
 the same locality. Her father, William 
 Gillespie, was born in Pennsylvania and was 
 of Scotch, Irish and English descent. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Price were married in the land of 
 their nativity, settled upon a farm and on 
 that old homestead are still living, the father 
 having reached the advanced age of ninety 
 years, while the mother is now eighty-two 
 years of age. This worthy couple are the 
 parents of seven children. 
 
 |. M. G. Price, the second son and sec- 
 ond child, had educational advantages of 
 the common schools, which he attended 
 until si.xtecn years of age. He then began 
 to earn his own livelihood by ck^rking in a 
 general store, but still continued to make 
 
 his home with his parents until eighteen 
 years of age. Resolving to see more of the 
 world, and, if possible, benefit his financial 
 condition by trying his fortune elsewhere, 
 he made his way to Eox Lake, Wisconsin, 
 where he clerked in a general store for about 
 a }ear. Going to Beaver Dam, he was there 
 employed in a similar capacity until 1857, 
 when he went to the East and as a further 
 preparation for successful business career at- 
 tended school in Franklin, New York, for two 
 vears. On the expiration of that period, he 
 again went to Canada, spending the succeed- 
 ing year in his old home. In 1855 he was 
 again numbered among the residents of 
 Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and in partnership 
 with N. F. Griswold he established a gen- 
 eral store at Fall River, that State, carrying 
 on the same for two years. In 1 860 we again 
 find him in Beaver Dam, and in 1862 he went 
 to Danville, Wisconsin, where he engaged 
 in clerking for two years. The year 1865 
 witnessed his removal to Columbus, Wis- 
 consin, where he again engaged in business 
 in his own interest, joining the firm of Bas- 
 sett & Davies, general merchants. The style 
 of the firm was then changed to Bassett, 
 Davies & Price, and continued for ten 3'ears, 
 when he sold out. Becoming a resident of 
 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, his next venture was 
 in the wholesale tea business, which he 
 carried on for two years; then went to 
 Columbus, in the same State, and engaged 
 in the lumber business, under the firm name 
 of Price & Henderson. This firm continued 
 operations for three years, when the death 
 of Mr. Henderson terminated the partner- 
 ship, and in 1881 Mr. Price arrived in Min- 
 nesota. He continued the lumber business 
 in Norcoss, Grant county until the fall of 
 1887, and bj' his next removal St. James 
 gained one of its most valued citizens. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 567 
 
 On coming to St. James Mr. Price again 
 established himself in the lumber business, 
 which he has followed continuously since. 
 He has a good yard, keeps on hand a stock 
 which will please his patrons, and thus he 
 has built up a large trade, and by his honor- 
 able dealings has gained the confidence and 
 good will of all with whom he has been 
 brought in contact. He is a wide-awake, 
 euterprising man, and the success which has 
 come to him is the just reward of his labors. 
 
 In 1855 was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Price and Miss Frances A. Eggleston, a 
 native of Waukesha county, Wisconsin, 
 daughter of Thomas and Deborah (Austin) 
 Eggleston. Her parents were born, reared 
 and married in England, and on emigrating 
 to America took up their residence in the 
 Badger State among its early settlers. They 
 were in Milwaukee when that now thriving 
 and populous city contained only a few 
 houses, and when much of the land now 
 comprised within the borders of the State 
 was still in possession of the Government. 
 Mrs. Price is the fifth in order of birth in 
 their family of seven children. Her brothers 
 were born in England, and the sisters were 
 born in America. To Mr. and Mrs. Price 
 have been born two sons: the elder, George 
 W. , was born in Columbus, Wisconsin, Au- 
 gust 30, 1870, and m-arried Miss Minnie Al- 
 drett, daughter of J. S. Aldrett; and Harry 
 E., who was born in Columbus, June 22, 
 1879, and is now attending school. 
 
 In connection with his other business in- 
 terests Mr. Price is a director of the First 
 National Bank and aided in organizing that 
 institution. His time is thus largely occu- 
 pied, yet he never slights his duties of citi- 
 zenship, and is ever ready to aid in enter- 
 prises that are calculated to prove of public 
 benefit. Socially he is connected with Lib- 
 
 anus Lodge, No. 96, F. & A. M. , and is a 
 leading and influential member of the Pres- 
 b\terian Church, in which he is now serving 
 as Elder. Many men have attained success 
 in business and will continue to do so, but 
 in the rush and hurry of commercial life 
 they often neglect the holier duties that de- 
 volve upon each individual. Not so with 
 Mr. Price. Though he is prominent in busi- 
 ness and has won a well deserved success; 
 he also labors earnestly in the Master's 
 vineyard and his example is well worthy of 
 emulation. 
 
 ^^^ R. BURSELL is one of the lead- 
 ■ ^^ ing business men of Elmore, Min- 
 \^^ nesota, and as such is entitled to 
 more than a passing notice on the 
 pages of this work. 
 
 Mr. Bursell dates his birth in the town 
 of Beachridge, Canada, March 16, 1846, 
 he being one of the seven children of Gor- 
 wood and Mary (Henderson) Bursell, and 
 the others as follows: Hannah, wife of Will- 
 iam Rice, South Dakota; Susan, who died 
 at the age of nineteen years; W. J., a 
 preacher and real-estate dealer, Minneapo- 
 lis, Minnesota; Thomas, Fillmore county, 
 Minnesota; Catharine, wife of James C. 
 Rice, Fillmore county; Mary, wife of George 
 D. Sims, Howard, Kansas; and Henry, who 
 died in childhood. Gorwood Bursell, the 
 father, was born in England, in 1808, and 
 when twenty-two years of age crossed the 
 Atlantic and settled in Canada, where he 
 continued to reside until 1856. He was a 
 blacksmith by trade, and was engaged in 
 farming also during the years he spent in 
 Canada. In 1856 he removed to Minnesota 
 and settled in Fillmore county, where he 
 passed the rest of his life, and where he 
 
568 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 died in 1878, at the age of sixty-eight years. 
 He commenced preaching when a boy in 
 England, and was a local preacher up to 
 the time of his death. A man of strong 
 individuality, and deeply pious, he exerted 
 an influence for good in whatever community 
 he resided. His wife was a native of Glas- 
 gow, Scotland, and a daughter of William 
 Henderson, the Hendersons having emi- 
 grated to Canada in 1830. Her father died 
 there at an advanced age. Mrs. Bursell 
 passed away in Fillmore county, Minnesota, 
 in 1878, at the age of fifty-nine years. The 
 paternal grandfather of our subject, James 
 Bursell, came from his native land, En- 
 gland, to America, in 1830, bringing with 
 him his family and settling in Canada. He 
 died there in 1854, at about the age of 
 eighty years. 
 
 Gorwood R. Bursell, whose name heads 
 this article, was ten years of age at the time 
 his parents left Canada and settled in Fill- 
 more county, Minnesota, and in that county 
 he lived for a number of years. In Septem- 
 ber, 1868, he married Imogene L. Walker, 
 daughter of George and Betsey \N'alker. 
 She was born in New York, one of a family 
 of five children, four of whom ara still liv- 
 ing. Her brother, Alfonso R., is a resident 
 of Devil's Lake, North Dakota, and her 
 sisters both reside in Iowa, Lucinda being 
 the wife of O. V. Eckert, and Estelle the 
 wife of W. W. Robinson. Her father was 
 born in New York and was a carpenter by 
 trade, but followed farming the most of his 
 active life. He came west to Iowa with 
 his family in 1854, and there passed the 
 residue of his life, dying in 1889, at the age 
 of about seventy-three years. His wife 
 was born in England and came to this coun- 
 try with her parents, their settlement being 
 in New York. She died in June, 1891. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Bursell have five children liv- 
 ing, four sons and one daughter, namely: 
 Olive May, Mrs. Bert Bedell, of Elmore, 
 Minnesota; Frank E., employed as book- 
 keeper for his father; Myron E., manager of 
 a flour exchange at Bancroft, Iowa; and 
 George G. and Clinton B., attending school. 
 
 Mr. Bursell came to Elmore in the fall 
 of 1885, and has since been identified with 
 the business interests of this place. He 
 built the first elevator in the town, and in 
 connection with his grain business he also 
 deals in agricultural implements, since 1892 
 having for his partner Mr. P. G. Kleinfelter. 
 In 1893 they purchased a mill, which they 
 have since owned aud operated, it having 
 been built by a company in 1890, and hav- 
 ing a capacity of seventy-five barrels per ^ 
 day. Mr. Bursell takes a deep interest in 
 the growth and development of his town 
 and county and always gives his support to 
 every measure he believes intended for the 
 welfare of the people. For two years he 
 has served as a member of the Town Board. 
 In politics, he is a Prohibitionist; fratern- 
 ally, a member of Elmore Lodge, A. O. U. 
 W. ; and religiously, is actively identified 
 with the Methodist Episcopal Church, being 
 a Class-leader. 
 
 Such, in brief, is a sketch of the life of 
 one of Faribault county's worthy citizens. 
 
 m. 
 
 ILLIAM PETER, a farmer on 
 section -26, Weimar township, 
 was born in Germany, April 25, 
 1849, one of the six children of 
 August and Christina Peter. The father 
 also was born in Germany, in 181 6, where 
 he grew up, was married, and lived until 
 middle life, when, in 1 8 54, he came to this 
 country with his wife and children, settling 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 569 
 
 in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, where 
 he was one of the pioneers, being in the 
 wilderness, ahnost surrounded by Indians. 
 There the family lived until 1S71, when 
 they removed to Minnesota, locating in 
 Jackson county, in Weimar township, 
 among the earliest settlers in this region. 
 He and his two sons each took up a quarter 
 section of Government land adjoining. His 
 subsequent life was passed here, where he 
 died, at the age of si.xty-three years. 
 
 While living in Wisconsin he enlisted in 
 the Thirty-seventh Regiment, Wisconsin 
 \'olunteers, Company E, and in front of 
 Petersburg, \'irginia, was wounded in a 
 three days' fight, suffering the amputation 
 of a leg on the field. He was taken to a 
 hospital in Washington and afterward to 
 another at Madison, Wisconsin, in both of 
 which together he was a patient for more 
 than a jear. He was discharged from the 
 army at the latter place in June, 1865. His 
 wife died at the age of forty-five years. 
 
 William Peter, the subject of this 
 sketch, attended in boyhood the schools of 
 Wisconsin, and in 1864, at the age of fif- 
 teen years, being filled with the war spirit, 
 he went to Madison to enlist; but being re- 
 fused on account of youth, he went to Louis- 
 ville, Kentucky, and on to Nashville, Ten- 
 nessee, where he took service as laborer 
 and teamster for the army; was at and 
 about Chattanooga during the greater part 
 of his six months of service. He then re- 
 turned home, and in the spring of 1865, al- 
 though not yet eighteen, enlisted in the reg- 
 ular army, in which he served, at numerous 
 points, for three years more, being dis- 
 charged from the service June 5, 1869, at 
 Fort Garland, Colorado. 
 
 Returning to his native State, he in the 
 fail of that year came to Minnesota, and 
 
 being favorably impressed with this region 
 took up three claims of 160 acreseach, — one 
 for his father, the others for his brother 
 August and himself. Settling upon his 
 claim, he has since made his home there. 
 
 March 2, 1875, he was married to Kat- 
 rina Dobereiner, the daughter of Christopher 
 and Margaret Dobereiner, who had six chil- 
 dren, all still living, the others being: Bar- 
 bara, now Mrs. Michael Wildfire, of Fulda, 
 Murray county, Minnesota; Anna, the wife 
 of Mr. Peterson, of Chicago; Lawrence and 
 John, of Fulda; and Johanna, now Mrs. 
 John Leebens, also of Fulda. All the mem- 
 bers of this family were natives of Germany, 
 emigrating to this countrj' in 1869 and set- 
 tling in Chicago, and a year afterward 
 coming to Minnesota and settling in Weimar 
 township on the same section with the Peter 
 family. The father died May 3, 1893, 
 sevent}'-two years of age, and the mother is 
 still living at Fulda with her children, and is 
 seventy-two years old. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Peter have eight children, — 
 Katie A., Minnie J., Johnnie H., Etta F. , 
 Bertha A., Willie M., Edward L. and Wal- 
 ter C, — all living at home on the farm. 
 
 Mr. Peter has always been one of the 
 enterprising men of this region. The present 
 family residence, built on the homestead in 
 1893, is one of the pleasant commodious and 
 modern style of houses, surrounded by a fine 
 grove of five acres. 
 
 His fine farm of 240 acres is known as 
 the Lone Tree Farm from the solitary elm 
 which stands upon the homestead near the 
 residence, which latter is beautiful located 
 upon the shore of Heron lake. 
 
 In politics Mr. Peter has ever been a 
 Republican, ahva\'S deeply interested in the 
 measures of the party, though not a politi- 
 cian. He has served his town as Constable 
 
57° 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COCA TIES OF 
 
 and Supervisor at different times, and was 
 for several years Director of the School 
 Board, of which he is now a member, greatly 
 interested in educational matters. Mr. Peter 
 is also an intelligent member of the A. O. 
 U. W., Heron Lake Lodge, and also a mem- 
 ber of the order of Modern Woodmen. 
 
 HNDKEW CHRISTIANSEN HOL- 
 DEN, one of the Americanized 
 Norwegians who is successfully en- 
 gaged in farming in Galena town- 
 ship, Martin county, Minnesota, was born 
 in Norway, May 29, 1842, son of Christian 
 Johannesen and Carry (Anderson) Holden. 
 Christian J. Holden was born in that coun- 
 try, May 10, 1 8 10, next to the oldest of a 
 family of seven children, and was married 
 January 15, 1839, to Carry Anderson, whose 
 birth occurred November 19, 1 8 1 3, she being 
 the eldest of a family of eight. He died Au- 
 gust 22, 1868, and she is still living, making 
 her home with her son Andrew C. Of their 
 children we make record as follows: John 
 Christianson, mention of whom i? made else- 
 where in this work; Andrew Christiansen, 
 whose name appears at the head of this 
 article; Nels, who was born October 2, 
 1845, and was drowned while rafting logs 
 in Wisconsin, July 17, 1871; Christian 
 Frederick, born November 24, 1848, is a 
 resident of Helena, Montana; Gunild Maria, 
 born September i. 1851, is the wife of Jens 
 C. Dahl, of St. Hilaire, Polk county, Minne- 
 sota, and they have six children; Andreas, 
 born August 16, 1854, is conducting a nur- 
 sery at Crookston, Minnesota; GuUik, born 
 January 21, 1857, is engaged in farming in 
 North Dakota; and Carl Christianson, born 
 May 20, 1 86 1, resides with his brother, the 
 subject of this sketch. 
 
 Andrew C. Holden was the first of the 
 family to emigrate to America. He left his 
 native land May 20, 1869, and arrived in 
 New York on the 19th of June. From New 
 York he came west to Portage, Wisconsin, 
 and engaged in farm work. In 1870 we 
 find him in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, 
 and the following May he went from there 
 to Cerro Gordo county, Iowa, where he 
 was employed on the construction of a new 
 I railroad. In the summer of that year he 
 worked in the harvest field in Mitchell coun- 
 ty, Iowa, and the following winter returned 
 to Wisconsin, where he was emploj'ed in the 
 lumber woods. April 20, 1872, he came to 
 Martin county, Minnesota, locating on the 
 northeast quarter of section 8, township 
 104 (Galena), range 32, with the intention 
 of pre-empting it; but later gave up the 
 north half to his brother Frederick, and held 
 the south half. Still later he added the 
 north half of the southeast quarter, same 
 section, and now has 160 acres in one body. 
 He built his present residence in 1873, and 
 has made other improvements on his land. 
 ! At this writing he has about 100 acres of it 
 broken, and two acres planted in grove. 
 The place is stocked with four head of 
 horses, nine cattle and fourteen hogs. 
 
 As stated above, our subject was the 
 first of the Holden family to arrive in 
 America. He was joined by his brother 
 Frederick in 1870, and in June, 1871, the 
 mother and rest of the children came too. 
 Andrew C. and John came in advance of 
 the others to Minnesota, and, after locating 
 the land above described, sent for the rest 
 of the family. 
 
 Mr. Holden was married December 31, 
 1890, to Thora Olson, daughter of Ole and 
 Malline Olson. Mrs. Holden was born July 
 7, 1867. They have three children: Chris- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, U'ATOXWAN AXD JACKSON. 
 
 571 
 
 tian Frederick, born September 15, 1891; 
 Otto Marinius, June 4, 1893; and Carry, 
 born March 8, 1895. 
 
 Mr. Holden has bravely endured the 
 hardships and difficulties of pioneer life, is 
 highly respected in his neighborhood, and 
 takes a commendable interest in local af- 
 fairs. He has served as Chairman of the 
 Board of Supervisors, and is a member of 
 the Lutheran Church, having been con- 
 firmed in October, 1S57, by the Kcv. Carl 
 Wilhelin Buck, in the parish of Holden 
 Bratsberg Amt, Norway. 
 
 %^/^ UUOLPH NEUENSCH WANDER 
 I ^T is one of the prosperous and re- 
 \ _ y spected farmers of Waveriy town- 
 ship, Martin county, and has iden- 
 tified himself thoroughly with the interests 
 of the section and of the country which he 
 has adopted as his home. 
 
 The place of his nativity was in the 
 famed and picturesque canton of Berne, 
 Switzerland, where he was born, on the 
 last day of the last month of the year 1851, 
 being the son of John and Margaret (Roser) 
 Neuenschwander. The father, who is now 
 deceased, passed his entire life in his native 
 land, where he was engaged in farming. 
 He was one of five brothers, the others be- 
 ing Jacob, Peter, Samuel and Christian. 
 John and Margaret Neuenschwander became 
 the parents of seven children, of whom we 
 make brief mention as follows: Elizabeth, 
 who became the wife of Samuel b'uhr, died 
 in her native land; Margaret, who married 
 Samuel Fuhr (not related to her sister's 
 husband), and they are residents of Switzer- 
 land, being identified with agricultural pur- 
 suits; Susan, who is the wife of John Bitzer, 
 a farmer of Switzerland; Rudolph, the sub- 
 
 ject of this sketch: Magdalena, unmarried 
 and a resident of Chicago; Rosena, the wife 
 of Frederick Finger, a farmer residing near 
 Mount Eaton, Ohio, both having come from 
 
 I Switzerland prior to their marriage: they 
 arc the parents of nine children; and Jacob, 
 who died at the age of thirty years. 
 
 I Mr. Neuenschwander was educated in 
 his native land, beginning attendance at 
 school at the age of eight years. His first 
 teacher was Samuel Feller, and for one 
 year he was a pupil of Rev. Mr. Hopp, by 
 whom he was ordained in the Evangelical 
 Church. He attended school until he was 
 fourteen years old, and the four succeeding 
 years were spent at home on his father's 
 farm, after which he spent four weeks under 
 military training, and another year at home. 
 At the age of nineteen he went to learn the 
 wagon-maker's trade, under the guidance of 
 Chris Baumgardner, serving an apprentice- 
 ship of two years; then went to canton 
 Wallace, and worked at this trade one sum- 
 mer, and the succeeding two years were 
 spent in the same way at canton Watt and 
 Eagle, was a member of a mechanics' so- 
 ciety or institute, and served as its treasurer 
 for one year. We next find him at canton 
 Gamf, where he spent only four weeks, and 
 the same length of time at Morsay, after 
 which he returned to the old homestead, 
 then in possession of his sister, and remained 
 one winter. 
 
 On leaving his native land for America 
 he was accompanied by his sister Rosena, a 
 Mrs. Meyer, and three others. After ar- 
 riving at New York they proceeded to Chi- 
 cago, remaining there but a few days, when 
 he engaged as a farm hand on Burr Oak 
 farm, at $1 a day, and remained there a 
 year, during a part of which time he was 
 afflicted with fever and ague. After spend- 
 
572 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF TJIE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ing a month in Chicago he next took passage 
 on a sailing vessel to Fort River, Michigan, 
 where for the summer he was fireman in 
 a sawmill, at $35 a month. Thence he 
 went to Green Bay and Milwaukee, Wiscon- 
 sin, and back to Chicago. He and his 
 brother Jacob engaged to mine coal in Indi- 
 ana; but, not liking the job, he remained 
 there but a few hours. Next he was em- 
 ployed on a railroad, at $1.60 a day, in that 
 State, where Jacob remained until his death. 
 Returning to Chicago, he went thence to 
 southern Michigan and cut cord-wood one 
 winter. Again he returned to Chicago and 
 in company with five other men went on a 
 sailing vessel to Escanaba, Michigan, and on 
 to Menominee, same State, on foot, being 
 three days and two nights without food or 
 shelter! At Menominee Mr. Neucnschwan- 
 der was employed in a sawmill one year, 
 at $15 a month. Next he went to Fond du 
 Lac county, Wisconsin, and back to Chi- 
 cago, and the two following years worked 
 on a farm in Cook county, for Mr. Cox, at 
 $180 a year, and then six years for Mr. 
 Stusse, at $200 a year. In 1884 he came 
 with him to Minnesota, and built a house for 
 him, in which he kept ' bach " until he was 
 married, which was about a year after com- 
 ing here. He then took up his abode on 
 his present farm, which comjirises the south- 
 west quarter of section 32, \\'avurly town- 
 ship, and to the cultivation and improve- 
 ment of this he has since devoted his atten- 
 tion. He erected a good residence upon 
 this place during his first year there, and 
 now the entire farm is one which bears evi- 
 dence of thrift and painstaking care. In ad- 
 dition to general farming he has a good line of 
 live stock, including horses, two mules, cat- 
 tle, hogs and sheep. One thousand and 
 sixty acres of the farm arc under cultivation 
 
 by the plow, and four acres are occupied by 
 a fine grove. 
 
 July 7, 1885, Mr. Neuenschwander and 
 Matilda Rosskopf were united in marriage. 
 She was born February i, 1865, the daugh- 
 ter of Anton and Elizabeth (Haysmith ) Ross- 
 kopf. They are the parents of five children, 
 namely: Louie Rudolph, born November 
 29, 1886; Frederick, born September i, 
 1888; Charlie, February 3, 1890; Frank, 
 February 19, 1892; and Albert, November 
 9, 1894. 
 
 Though not an active worker in the field 
 of politics, Mr. Neuenschwander gives his 
 support to the Republican party, in whose 
 doctrines he believes are represented the 
 best policies calculated to insure the peace 
 and prosperity of the nation. 
 
 aHARLES SNYDER is one of the 
 representative farmers of Rutland 
 township, Martin county, and has 
 the honor of being a veteran of the 
 late war of the Rebellion, in which he did 
 active and valiant service. Amid the pic- 
 turesque scenes of Switzerland our subject 
 passed his youthful days, having been born 
 there on the 19th of August, 1835, in the 
 canton of Berne, where is located the cap- 
 ital city of the little republic. His parents 
 were John and . Mary (Itten) Snyder, the 
 former of whom was a son of Nicholas Sny- 
 der, who was engaged in farming, in his na- 
 tive land, and who died in March, 1847, at 
 the age of sixty-six years. He married Mar- 
 garet Wolf, and their children were three in 
 in number, namely: John, father of our 
 subject; Nicholas and Jacob. Two children 
 died in infancy. John Itten, the maternal 
 grandfather of oiu' subject, died in 1835, 
 aged seventy-five years, his widow passing 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 573 
 
 away two years later. The maiJen name of 
 the latter was Mary Itten, and she became 
 the mother of eight childruii, namely: 
 Mary, the mother of the subject of this re- 
 view; Susan, John, Jacob, Abram, Chris- 
 tian, Daniel, and Rudolph. Our subject's 
 father was born in March, 1805, and his 
 death occurred July 12, 1880. He was a 
 farmer, and he came to America in 1857 to 
 join his sons, Jacob, Charles and Christian, 
 the first of whom had come hither in 1852, 
 and the other two in 1856, locating in Riga, 
 Monroe county. New York, where the father 
 died. The mother of our subject was born 
 in March, 1804, and accompanied her hus- 
 band to America. She died December 26, 
 1871, in the State of New York. They were 
 the parents of eight children, of whom we 
 make brief record as follows: Mary; John; 
 Nicholas, deceased; Jacob; Charles, subject 
 of this sketch; Christian; Daniel, deceased; 
 and Nicholas, the second of this name. 
 
 Our subject and his brother. Christian, 
 sailed from Havre, France, on the ist of 
 April, 1856, arriving at the port of New 
 York, on May 5th.- They went to M(jnroe 
 county, New York, and there for fourteen 
 years our subject was engaged in farm work. 
 May 25, 1871, witnessed his arrival in Mar- 
 tin county, Minnesota, where he purchased 
 the homestead right of James Dickinson, 
 the same comprising 160 acres, on section 
 28, Rutland township. At the time when 
 he came into possession the only domicile 
 on the place was a rude shanty, but within 
 the .same year Mr. Snyder completed the 
 erection of his present convenient house. 
 As fortune has smiled upon his energetic 
 efforts our subject has added to the acreage 
 of his possessions, until he now has 400 
 acres, of which all but lOO acres is under 
 cultivation. In carrying on the work of 
 
 the line farm Mr. Snyder is assisted by his 
 sons, and is not compelled to resort to hired 
 labor. 
 
 Mr. Snyder was married April 9, 1868, 
 to Magdalena Oberly, the daughter of Ul- 
 rich and Magdalena (Buhlerj Oberly, the 
 date of her birth having been January 27, 
 1837. Of their children we give the follow- 
 ing data: George Henry was born April 10, 
 1869; Frederick Carl, born March 28, 1871; 
 and Mary Magdalena, born March 3, 1874. 
 
 Politically Mr. Synder is a Republican, 
 and when he first came to Rutland town- 
 ship he served as Constable, being subse- 
 quently the incumbent as Township Super- 
 visor, and now and for the last ten years 
 has held the office of Assessor, besides sev- 
 eral minor trusts. Both he and his wife 
 are zealous members of Rev. F. L. Frey's 
 church, at Fairmont. 
 
 In conclusion we will give a few details 
 concerning our subject's military career, 
 which was one characterized bj' much pa- 
 triotic spirit and faithful service. In Au- 
 gust, 1862, he enlisted as a member of 
 Company G, One Hundred and Fortieth 
 New York Volunteer Infantr}-, with which 
 he remained until his discharge, at Roches- 
 ter, New York, on the 3d of June, 1865, 
 having been Corporal of his company and 
 having been mustered out as such. He was 
 an active participant in seventeen engage- 
 ments, and among this number were some 
 of the most fiercely contested battles of the 
 entire war, — prominent on the list being the 
 battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, 
 Gettj-sburg (three days), battle of the Wil- 
 derness, Bowling Green, Sjiottsylvania, Pe- 
 tersburg and Appomattox. He was present 
 at the surrender in the last named place. 
 At Five Forks he received a flesh wound in 
 the right arm, but was confined to the hos- 
 
574 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 pital only one night. He was never made 
 a prisoner, but his health became greatly 
 impaired by reason of the exposures and 
 hardships incident to his long service. He 
 is now a member of the Grand Army of the | 
 Republic. 
 
 EERMAN ORLEMANN. an enter- 
 prising and successful business man 
 of Wells, claims Rheinhessen, 
 Germany, as the land of his birth, 
 and the date of that event is November 24, 
 1857. He was one of the five children of 
 Jacob and Adelaide Orlemann, and the 
 others are all yet living in the Fatherland. 
 Jacob Orlemann was a wide-awake, pro- 
 gressive business man, who for many years 
 engaged in the lumber and coal trade, there- 
 by becoming a prosperous citizen. He died 
 in 1888, at the age of fifty-eight years, but 
 his wife is still living, at the old home. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 article was educated in the schools of his 
 native town and remained at home until en- 
 tering the German army, in which he served 
 for three years, in accordance with the laws 
 of his native land. When he left the serv- 
 ice he determined to seek a home in Amer- 
 ica, — the "land of the free," — hoping 
 thereby to benefit his financial condition. 
 Accordingly, in F'ebruary, 1 882, he em- 
 barked on a westward bound steamer, and 
 when he had reached this country he located 
 in Brooklyn, New York, where he remained 
 for six months. He then removed to St. 
 Paul. Minnesota, where he entered a com- 
 mission house in the capacity of clerk, con- 
 tinuing to act in that capacity for a year, 
 when in the spring of 1883 he came to 
 Wells, in the employ of Colonel Thompson, 
 
 having engaged to develop a grape garden. 
 He had become thoroughly familiar with the 
 culture of grapes in his native land, and was 
 therefore well fitted for this work, to which 
 he devoted his energies for a year. He then 
 secured a position as clerk in the Wells 
 House, where he remained for two years, 
 when he obtained a clerkship in the local 
 railroad office, remaining there until 1889. 
 
 In that year Mr. Orlemann embarked in 
 business for himself, establishing a restau- 
 rant and saloon, which he has since con- 
 ducted, meeting with good success in his 
 undertakings. He now owns a fine busi- 
 ness block situated on the main street of the 
 town and is enjoying a large trade, which 
 has constantly increased from the beginning. 
 In addition to his store he also has a fine 
 residence property. 
 
 On the 1 2th of October, 1881, Mr. Orle- 
 mann was united in marriage with Miss Mary 
 Benz, also a native of Rheinhessen, Ger- 
 many, and a daughter of Jacob Benz, who 
 had four children. Her uncle, George Benz, 
 is one of the most prominent business men 
 of St. Paul. Six children grace the union 
 of our subject and his estimable wife. — four 
 sons and two daughters, namely: Anna 
 Elizabeth, born April 22, 1883; Herman 
 Friedrich, April 16, 1884; George Franklin. 
 July 26, 1886; Frederick William, March 
 17, 1888; Maria Adelaide, September 24, 
 1893; and Otto Edwin, January 3, 1895. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Orlemann was 
 formerly a Democrat, but is now a stalwart 
 supporter of the men and measures of the 
 Republican party. He, however, never 
 seeks office, preferring to give his time and 
 attention to his business interests, which he 
 ably manages and conducts. He has a large 
 amount of that very necessary (juality, com- 
 mon sense, and this, combined with perse- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 575 
 
 verance and industry, has made him one 
 of the substantial business men of the com- 
 munity. 
 
 HUGUST F. KOBS. of the firni of 
 Evans, Kobs & Hacklander, grain- 
 buyers. Blue Earth City, Minne- 
 sota, is one of the substantial men 
 of Faribault county. He was born in Ger- 
 many, October 2, 1828, and is the only one 
 now living of the family of si.\ children of 
 John and Rosa (Semple) Kobs. His par- 
 ents both spent their lives in the old coun- 
 try, the mother passing away at the age of 
 fifty years, and the father at seventy-two. 
 
 The subject of our sketch left his native 
 land in 1853 and settled in Marquette (now 
 Green Lake) county, Wisconsin. January 
 II, 1856, he married Ernestina Teskey, a 
 native of Germany and one of the nine chil- 
 dren of John and Rosa Teskey. About two 
 years later he moved to Rice (now Waseca) 
 county, Minnesota, and settled in the town 
 of Wilton, which was at that time the 
 county seat. 
 
 In May, 1857, Mr. Kobs came to Fari- 
 bault county and took claim to a quarter 
 section of land in Blue Earth township, on 
 sections 12 and 13, secured under the pre- 
 emption act. The following jear, 1858, he 
 built a log cabin on his place and moved his 
 family into it, which for nine years con- 
 tinued to be their home, and during that 
 time his family was increased by five chil- 
 dren, namely: William, now residing in 
 North Dakota; Frederick, a merchant of 
 Blue Earth City; Amilie, clerking for her 
 brother; Tina, wife of Mr. II. B. Durkey; 
 Emma became the wife of Daniel Hill and 
 died in 1891. Mrs. Kobs died in 1867, 
 leaving her husband with five little children, 
 
 when the times, too, were particularly hard, 
 and this bereavement was a specially hard 
 blow upon the artlicted husband. During 
 the same year he married Miss Herette 
 Hager, and by the latter marriage there 
 have been two children, namely: August and 
 Sam, both living at home. After thirteen 
 years of happy married life this wife also 
 died, very suddenly. Whereupon Mr. Kobs 
 rented his farm for five years to his eldest 
 son, William, and some time after that he 
 sold it. 
 
 From the foregoing it will be seen that 
 Mr. Kobs is one of the earliest settlers of 
 this region. To the breaking of the prairie 
 and the de\elo]iment of his farm he devoted 
 his energies, and ere long he purchased an 
 adjoining eighty acres. August 30, 1881, 
 he moved to Blue Earth City, where he had 
 already built a fine residence and where he 
 has since that time made his home. After 
 living in town about a year he eagaged in 
 the live-stock business, buying cattle and 
 hogs, at first in company with John Smith, 
 and later in partnership with Frank Temple, 
 with whom he was associated for about five 
 years. Subsequently he bought an interest 
 in the grain firm of Sly, Davis & Evans, 
 Mr. Hacklander becoming a member at the 
 same time, and the new hrm being styled 
 Evans, Kobs & Hacklander. They deal in 
 wheat, oats, barley, Hax, and also in coal, 
 wood, lime, cement, etc., and are doing a 
 prosperous and increasing business. 
 
 In 1888 Mr. Kobs tried his luck for the 
 third time in married life. After having 
 lived single for about seven years, he mar- 
 ried Mrs. A. G. Leick, a sister of his first 
 wife and at that time a resident of Owa- 
 tonna, Steele county, Minnesota. 
 
 In his political principles Mr. Kobs is a 
 stanch and active Republican. 
 
576 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 @EORGE ERBES, a farmer of sec- 
 tion 24, Weimar township, and 
 one of the present County Commis- 
 sioners, was born in Fond du Lac 
 county, Wisconsin, February 27, 1859, one 
 of the six children of George and Pliillipina 
 Erbcs. Four of these children are now liv- 
 ing, viz. : William, a farmer of Rost town- 
 ship; Phillipina, now the wife of H. Ru- 
 dolph Piet/, of Cottonwood county, Minne- 
 sota; Elizabeth, in California; and George, 
 whose name heads this biographical record. 
 The senior Erbes was born in Hesse- 
 Cassel, Germany, where he passed his early 
 life. Soon after marriage he emigrated to 
 America, settling in Wisconsin, where he re- 
 sided until the breaking out of the war. He 
 then enlisted in the Fourteenth Wisconsin 
 Volunteer Infantry and served until taken 
 sicf< of fever and sent North to a hospital. He 
 never recovered, dying a little over a year 
 after enlisting, at the age of forty years. 
 His wife died at fifty years of age. 
 
 The gentleman whose name introduces 
 this sketch lived in his native State until 
 twelve years of age, when he came to Jack- 
 son county, Minnesota, settling in Weimar 
 township and his mother taking a claim of 
 120 acres. She continued to reside upon 
 the farm with her children until her death, 
 when each of the children started out in the 
 world for himself. George, at that time 
 twenty-one years of age, remained on the 
 homestead, which had been bequeathed to 
 him by will; and here his life thus far has 
 been spent. Successful as a farmer, Mr. 
 Erbes has since added to his acreage until 
 he now owns a fine farm of 220 acres. 
 
 He was married May 16, 1880, to Paul- 
 ina Pietz, one of the ten children of 1". W. 
 Pietz and Louisa Pietz, of I )el.ifiel(l town- 
 ship. The seven children of this family still 
 
 living are: Otilla, now the wife of Albert 
 Hohenstein, of Lakefield; Alvina, who mar- 
 ried Daniel Kolender and lives in Heron 
 Lake township; Paulina, who is married to 
 George Erbes; H. R., who lives in Rose 
 Hill township, Cottonwood county, the 
 ne.Nt in order of bii'th; Mollie, now Mrs. 
 John Uobereiner, of Fulda, Murray county, 
 this State; F. W., residing on the home- 
 stead in Delafield township; and Ludwig 
 (French form, Louisj, who resides in Cot- 
 tonwood county. The parents are both liv- 
 ing. The father was a soldier of the last 
 war, serving throughout to its close with 
 credit. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Erbes have seven children, 
 — Louisa P. (at school at Lakefield), 
 George R., John William, Lillie, Alvina, 
 Lydia and Esther, — all at their parental 
 home. 
 
 In politics Mr. Erbes has always acted 
 with the Republican party. Public-spirited 
 and progressive, he, when twenty-one years 
 of age, was made Road Overseer, which of- 
 fice he held for seven years, until elected 
 Assessor, in which position he served for six 
 years, that is, until 1892, when he was 
 elected County Commissioner, to serve for 
 a term cf four years. In this responsible 
 office he is doing himself great credit. He 
 is also Township Treasurer, and has been 
 for two years, and School District Treasurer, 
 which ofBce he has now held for three years. 
 He is well known as one of the representa- 
 tive yoiuig men of the county. 
 
 S 
 
 ber 
 
 i:VER MARINUS SERKLAND, 
 Register of Deeds of Watonwan 
 c(>unt\, was born in Lenionweir, 
 |uneau county, Wisconsin, Septem- 
 5, 186G. His father, Peter P. Serkland, 
 
(g. ^. ^^///^/ 
 
FARIBAULT, MAirnX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 579 
 
 was born near the village of Sken, Norway, 
 and came to America in 1S65, locating in 
 Wisconsin. Three years afterward he re- 
 moved to Watonwan county, Minnesota, 
 where he was among the early pioneers, and 
 he still resides in the county. The mother 
 of our subject, formerly Helen Segurdson, 
 was also a native of Norway, and is still 
 living. 
 
 S. M. Serkland, the third of their si.\ 
 children, was brought to Watonwan county 
 when about a year and a half old, where he 
 attended the district schools, and also spent 
 some time in the Minneapolis public schools. 
 At the age of twenty-one years he began 
 work for himself, as weigh-master for W. 
 P. Rempel, continuing that occupation three 
 years. For the following two years Mr. 
 Serkland was employed by M. K. Armstrong 
 in the "Old Bank" of St. James, and he 
 ne.\t held the position of cashier of the bank 
 for two years. Since 1894 he has served as 
 Register of Deeds of Watonwan county, 
 having been elected to the position by the 
 Republican party. 
 
 May 8, 1891, Mr. Serkland was united 
 in marriage with Christine Bratrud, born 
 and reared in Fillmore county, Minnesota, 
 and a daughter of Thor and Kjersti (Peter- 
 son) Bratrud. To this union has been born 
 one son, Reuben Willard. In his social re- 
 lations, Mr. Serkland is a member of the 
 A. O. U. W. , St. James Lodge, No. 64. 
 
 OKRIN CALVIN GOULD, a coal 
 and wood dealer of Fairmont, was 
 born in Kennebec count}-. Maine, 
 November 14, 1838, a son of Cal- 
 vin Gould, who was born in that State in 
 1812, being a farmer and miller b)' occupa- 
 tion. His father, Simeon Gould, was born 
 
 30 
 
 in Maine or New Hampshire. The family 
 in this country is descended from three 
 brothers who came from England, locating 
 in Massachusetts. The mother of our sub- 
 ject, iicc Elizabeth Lancaster, was born in 
 either Maine or New Hampshire in 1808, 
 and was supposed to be of English descent. 
 The parents were married in Maine, and 
 located on the old Lancaster homestead, re- 
 maining there until 1854, from that time 
 until 1865 resided on a farm near Beaver 
 Dam, Wisconsin, and then came to Martin 
 county, Minnesota, locating on a farm in 
 Lake Belt township. The father died there 
 in 1865, and the mother departed this life 
 in Wisconsin in 1877. They were the par- 
 ents of two sons and one daughter, namely: 
 Mary E., wife of Caleb Perry, of Beaver 
 Dam. Wisconsin; Orrin C, the subject of 
 this sketch; and Lloyd .V., a carpenter, of 
 Los Angeles, California. 
 
 Orrin C. Gould was sixteen years of age 
 when he moved with his parents to Wiscon- 
 sin, and remained there until coming to 
 Martin county, Minnesota, in 1S65. He 
 farmed in Lake Belt township until 1874, 
 when he came to Fairmont and engaged in 
 draying and farming. He subsequently em- 
 barked in the coal and wood business, in 
 which he is still engaged, but still owns forty 
 acres of land in the village of Fairmont and 
 eighty acres in Fairmont township. In 
 political matters, Mr. Gould is a stanch Re- 
 publican. 
 
 May 4, i86j. in Wisconsin, he was 
 united in marriage with Georgeanna M. 
 Wocxlworth, born in New York, a daughter 
 of Joel and Adeline (Rich) Woodworth, the 
 former a native of Mexico, New York, and 
 a carpenter by trade. Mrs. Gould was the 
 fifth of their eight children. Our subject 
 and wife ha\o had seven chikiren: I-'rank D., 
 
580 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 married Estella Rice, and is engaged in the 
 clothing business in Fairmont; Fred C, a 
 farmer of Fairmont township, married Hat- 
 tie Everett; Charles C, died at the age of 
 sixteen years; Orrie A., a teacher at New 
 Richmond; Claud G., at home; and Percy, 
 deceased. One child died in infancy. 
 
 I 
 
 ^y^^ lEDERICH HENRY HULSE- 
 I I MANN, of Welcome, Minnesota, 
 
 /f^^J and one of the representative 
 farmers of Martin county, was 
 born in Hanover, Germany, September 25, 
 1854, his parents being Henrj' Frederick 
 and Mary Lena (Tunis) Hulsemann. His 
 grandfather, Diederich Henry Hulsemann, 
 a farmer, emigrated to America, and died 
 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He and his wife, 
 whose maiden name was Adeline Kielbeck, 
 had children as follows: Henry Frederick, 
 Anna, Riche, Dorothea, Mary, Adeline, 
 Frederick Henry and Minnie. The mater- 
 nal grandfather of our subject, Frederick 
 Tunis, died in Hanover, Germany, May i, 
 1854, aged si.\ty-four years. Grandmother 
 Tunis was before her marriage Miss Mary 
 Brower. Their children were Sophia, Fred- 
 erick, Mary, Lena, Henry and Dorothea. 
 
 Henry Frederick Hulsemann, the father of 
 our subject, was born in Hanover, CJermany, 
 June 10, 1832, and died in the city of Wel- 
 come, in Martin county, Minnesota, June 
 23. 1893. He began life on his own respon- 
 sibility when he was twenty years of age, 
 being employed as overseer of a game pre- 
 serve, and also engaged in farming. In 
 June, 1866, he emigrated to America, Mil- 
 waukee being his objective point, which 
 place he reached on the fourth of Jul\. It 
 was through the influence of John Luhring, 
 an old friend and neighbor who had come to 
 
 America, and who was then on a visit to 
 Germany, that Mr. Hulsemann was induced 
 to emigrate, and upon his arrival to Milwau- 
 kee he took charge of Mr. Luhring's farm 
 near that city. He continued there in the 
 capacity of foreman until his removal to 
 Martin county, in April, 18G8. In the 
 meantime, his brother, Frederick Henry, 
 and the Messrs. William and Henry Finke 
 had joined him, and the four came together 
 to Martin county. They determined to 
 settle on section 12, township 102, range 
 32, and that each should take a quarter; 
 but here a difficulty arose. The northeast 
 quarter was the best of the four, and they 
 all wanted it. Finally it was determined to 
 draw^ lots for the quarters, which they did, 
 the result being that the desirable quarter 
 fell to Henry Frederick Hul.semann. His 
 brother got the northwest (juarter, and the 
 southeast and southwest quarters fell to 
 Henry and William Finke, respectively. 
 These original settlers lived in a simple 
 manner during those early days. They 
 built what the settlers called a frame build- 
 ing with a ground floor, and occupied it 
 until their finances justified a more preten- 
 tious structure. The present house on the 
 place, which is now occupied by our subject, 
 was built in 1891. The grove was set out 
 in 1870. Henrj' Frederick Hulsenuinn and 
 his wife had a family as follows: Anna, wife 
 of Henry Miller; Diederich Henr\', whose 
 name heads this article; Herman, who died 
 at the age of six years; Lena, who married 
 Henry Wetenkainp, of W^elcome, Minne- 
 sota; and Henry, a resident of Welcome. 
 
 D. H. Hulsemann, while a comparatively 
 young man, is still one of the oldest settlers 
 in this part of Martin county, having resided 
 here since his boyhood. He remained with 
 his parents until he homesteadcd on lOo 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 58" 
 
 acres, the southwest quarter of section 35, 
 township 103, range 32. This was railroad 
 land, and he took it largely for the purpose 
 of making a test case, it being one of the 
 first cases of the kind. He stood the com- 
 pany suit and secured title to the land. 
 Later he sold it to George Anderman. In 
 June, 1888, in partnership with his father, 
 our subject opened a general merchandise 
 store in Welcome, under the name of Hulsc- 
 manii & Son. This business was conducted 
 until shortly after the death of the father, 
 when Mr. Hulsemann closed out the stock 
 and returned to the homestead farm, where 
 he has since resided. During their residence 
 in Welcome, the father served as Postmaster 
 under Cleveland's administration, and- the 
 son under Harrison's. 
 
 Mr. Hulsemann was married May 3, 1 891 , 
 to I^ouisa Sievcrt, daughter of Charles and 
 .Minnie fKoasch) Sievert. Their only child, 
 liiiiily Frances, was born February 22, 
 1S92. 
 
 Politicall}-, Mr. Hulsemann is a Repub- 
 lican, and, fraternally, he is identified with 
 the Masonic order. 
 
 Of his ancestry, we further record that 
 his remote ancestors were among the most 
 aristocratic families of Austria. The pro- 
 genitor of his branch of the family, — his 
 great-great-grandfather, — incurred the en- 
 mity of the crown and all his property was 
 lost to his heirs. A provision, however, was 
 made, alk)wing a pension to any member of 
 this branch of the family that should over be 
 in want and make application for it. As far 
 as our subject knows no member of the fam- 
 ily has ever profited by this provision. The 
 inherited independence of spirit would pre- 
 vent them from doing so, although the in- 
 convenience of poverty might be great. 
 
 Among the commissioners sent to Amer- 
 
 ica to adjust the difficulties between Great 
 Britain and her colonies and Cuba in Revo- 
 lutionary times, was a Mr. Hulsemann, Aus- 
 tria's representative, and an offspring from 
 the younger brother, the great-grandfather 
 of our subject, under Taylor and Fillmore 
 in 1851. 
 
 t >^'"\ H. WADE claims New Jersey as 
 I /^ the State of his nativity, his birth 
 \ _ y having occurred there on the 13th 
 of May, 1830. He is one of a 
 family of nine children, si.x of whom are yet 
 living, namely: William T. , who makes his 
 home in West Union, Iowa; Sarah, wife of 
 James C. Meeker, deceased, of Iowa; Stephen 
 T. , who is located in Trempealeau, Wiscon- 
 sin; Julia, wife of John B. Dunning, of Iowa; 
 Edward, who is living in Fairmont, Minne- 
 sota; and R. H., of this sketch. The par- 
 ents were David and Johanna (Wade) W^ade. 
 The father was born in New Jersey, about 
 the year 18 17, and within the borders of the 
 State spent fifty-four years, after which he 
 removed with his family to the West, taking 
 up his residence in old Johnstown, Rock 
 county, Wisconsin. His later years were 
 passed in the Badger State, where his death 
 occurred at the advanced age of eighty-four 
 years. During his active life he was ever 
 regarded as one of the foremost men of the 
 community in which his lot was cast, an in- 
 fluential and prominent citizen who for 
 many years served his native State in the 
 Legislature. Throughout his life he was a 
 consistent member of the Congregational 
 Church, one of nature's noble wien, whose 
 excellencies of character form an example 
 well worthy to be followed. The ancestors 
 of the Wade family can be traced directly 
 back in this country for more than 250 
 
5S2 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORJJ OF THE COUNTIES OE 
 
 years. — to the early settlement of the New 
 England colonies, and the family was nobly 
 represented in the Revolutionary war by 
 heroes who aided in achieving their country's 
 independence. 
 
 Mr. Wade has no recollection of his 
 paternal grandmother, but of his mother's 
 mother he has some interesting reminiscences. 
 For example, when the British troops passed 
 through Connecticut burning churches, etc., 
 she, then twelve years old, concealed herself 
 with other children in a straw pile until the 
 redcoats had all passed. This "straw," as 
 it were, is evidence of the American loyalty 
 of her parents, who must have held the 
 Tories to be exceedingly dangerous to the 
 welfare of the people. 
 
 K. H. Wade was a youth of sixteen years 
 when he started out in life for himself, being 
 first employed as a farm hand, in which 
 capacity he labored for several years. Later 
 he learned the carpenter's trade and followed 
 that pursuit in Newark, New Jerse\', for a 
 long period, being a good workman and able 
 to command fair wages for his services. 
 
 As a companion and helpmeet on life's 
 journey Mr. Wade chose Miss Hannah 
 Parker, the nuptials being celebrated on the 
 29th of October, 1859. The lady is a daugh- 
 ter of Ruel and Emily (Hatch) Parker, who 
 had a family of thirteen children, all born 
 in the State of Vermont. The family came 
 to the West many years ago, locating at 
 Newport, near St. Paul, Minnesota, where 
 the father died at the age of eighty years, 
 while the mother's death occurred when she 
 had reached tlic ad winced age of ninety- 
 two years. 
 
 Mr. Wade first came to Minnesota in 
 1856 and took up his residence in Hastings, 
 where he continued for two years, during 
 which time he engaged in carpentering. He 
 
 then went to Newport, where he met the 
 lady who later became his wife, and in that 
 place he resided until 1859, the year of his 
 removal to Scott county, Minnesota, where 
 for four years he lived in the timber. The 
 pursuits of civil life were interrupted by 
 military duty on the ist of March, 1864, 
 when he responded to the country's call for 
 troops and joined the Third Minnesota Bat- 
 tery at Fort Snelling. He did duty at vari- 
 ous points in the Northwest until the 27th 
 of I-^ebruary, 1866. when he was honorably 
 discharged. Returning at once to his home 
 he resumed work at his trade, which he con- 
 tinued to follow until the spring of 1S72. 
 when he came to Jackson county and took 
 up a homestead claim of 160 acres on sec- 
 tion 24, Kimball township. Later he se- 
 cured a tree claim, and is now the owner of 
 320 acres of valuable land, all in one body. 
 He and his family were almost alone upon 
 the prairie for some time, there being but 
 few settlers in the neighborhood, and those 
 were widely scattered. During the four 
 years at which Mr. Wade followed carpen- 
 tering after coming to Jackson county, his 
 estimable wife, who has indeed proved a 
 helpmeet to him, remained at the little 
 prairie home alone with her children, in 
 order to hold the tree claim. Many trials 
 and hardships were borne there, but the 
 family now enjoy the fruits of her unselfish 
 labors. The pioneer women deserve honor- 
 able mention no less than their husbands, 
 and the part which they have taken in the 
 development of frontier regions is no less 
 important. The family of Mr. and Mrs. 
 Wade numbers three children: Charles H., 
 who is engaged in the manufacture of 
 wagons in Renville, Minnesota; William H.. 
 who is living on the tree claim; and [-"rank 
 H., who is still with his parents. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 583 
 
 Mr. Wade is well-known as one of the 
 broad-minded and public-spirited men of the 
 day. Ever interested in the development 
 of this region, he has been active in promot- 
 ing: its best interests, and gives his hearty 
 support to all enterprises which are calcu- 
 lated to promote the general welfare. In 
 1875 he was elected Justice of the Peace, 
 and with the e.xception of two jears has 
 since hlled that position, a most capable of- 
 ficer, who metes out justice in a truly prac- 
 tical style, unbiased by fear or favor. He 
 was for several years Chairman of the Board 
 of Supervisors, and has also served his town- 
 ship as Treasurer and Assessor. In politics 
 he has been a Republican since the organi- 
 zation of that party, and always an earnest 
 advocate of its principles. He enjoys the 
 honor of being the present Commander of 
 John A. Miles Post, No. 60, G. A. R., of 
 Jackson, of which he has been an active 
 worker for several years. 
 
 HUGUST PETER, of Wilder vil- 
 lage, Jackson county, is one of the 
 two sons living of the late August 
 Peter, and was born in Prussia, 
 June 18, 1852. 
 
 His father, a native of Germany, was a 
 farmer and trader in early life, in the old 
 country, and emigrated to America in middle 
 life with his family, settling in Taycheedah, 
 Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin. After re- 
 maining there fifteen years, employed in the 
 pineries, he was engaged for three years in the 
 copper mines of Michigan; then he was in 
 Chicago a year, employed as an engineer. 
 In March, 1864, he enlisted in the army for 
 the Union, in Company E, Thirty-seventh 
 Michigan XOIuntcors. This regiment was 
 immediately ordered to tiiu front, where 
 
 Mr. Peter was wounded, before Peters- 
 burg, suffering the amputation of a leg in a 
 field hospital. He was then taken to a hos- 
 pital at Washington, District of Columbia, 
 where he remained an invalid for nearly a 
 year, when he was discharged, in June, 
 
 1865. He went to his home in Taycheedah, 
 where he remained for six years, when he 
 emigrated to Jackson county, Minnesota, 
 and took up his homestead, where he spent 
 the remainder of his life on the farm, and 
 where he died, December 29, 1879. His 
 wife had departed this life previously, in 
 
 1 866, at the age of forty-five years. 
 
 Mr. Peter, the immediate subject of this 
 biogra]ihy, directly after the death of his 
 mother, lived with his father and brother 
 Martin for about fourteen years, the three 
 keeping "bach" together, until the death 
 of the father. 
 
 March 20, 1 880, the subject of this 
 sketch married Matilda Steinke, who was 
 one of the four children of Mitchell and 
 Henrietta Steinke, the other three being: 
 Amelia, now Mrs. Herman Neimuth, living 
 in Nebr.-iska; Louisa, the widow of Charles 
 Meyer, residing in Oshkosh, Wisconsin; and 
 Minnie, the widow of Charles Georges, of 
 Zittau, Wisconsin. Mr. Steinke was a na- 
 tive of Prussia, and Mrs. Steinke was born 
 on the Rhine. The family came to this 
 country in 1857, settling in Oshkosh, Wis- 
 consin, and later located on Wolf river, 
 where Mr. Steinke died, in 1 871, at fifty- 
 four years of age; his wife died at the age of 
 forty-two. Mr. and Mrs. Peter have four 
 daughters: Elsie Phillopinc Pauline, Rosena 
 Alwine, Pauline Mathilde and Henriettie 
 Maria, — all living at their parental home. 
 
 Although comparatively a young man 
 still, Mr. Peter was one of the early settlers 
 of Weimar township. As early as 1871 he 
 
5S4 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 pre-empted a quarter of section 14, which he 
 now owns, and he also is the owner of the 
 quarter section located by his father. In 
 1892, when lack of health compelled him to 
 abandon the active life required by a larf^e 
 farm, he changed his residence to Wil- 
 der village, that the children mif,dit have 
 the benefit of the schools of that place; 
 and there they have since lived. 
 
 Mr. Peter is justly regarded as one of 
 the public-spirited, substantial men of Jack- 
 son county. 
 
 BREDKI'lICK MILLER, proprietor 
 of the best-appointed meat market 
 in Blue Earth City, is one of the 
 representative citizens of Faribault 
 county, and is an honored veteran of the 
 late war, who fought on southern battle- 
 fields in defense of the old flag and ably sup- 
 ported the Union cause. His sterling worth 
 makes him deserving of honorable mention 
 among the leading men of this section of 
 the State, and with pleasure we present to 
 our readers this record of his life, knowing 
 that it will prove of interest to man}'. 
 
 A native of Prussia, Mr. Miller was born 
 April 13, 1837, and is one of the four chil- 
 dren of William and Dorothy (Lipke) 
 Miller. His father was a wagon-maker, 
 and followed that trade throughout his entire 
 life, doing for years an e.xtensive business 
 and employing several journej'men. He 
 was an active, enterprising man who led a 
 useful life and passed away at the compara- 
 tively early age of forty years. 
 
 F. W. Miller spent the first fourteen 
 years of his life in the country of his birth 
 and then came with his mother and her chil- 
 dren to America, the famil)- locating in Ed- 
 
 wards county, Illinois, where they lived 
 until 1878. Our subject practically started 
 out in life for himself at the early age of 
 fifteen, and has since been dependent upon 
 his own resources, so that whatever success 
 he has achieved in life is due entirely to his 
 own industry and praiseworthy efforts. He 
 worked as a farm hand until nineteen j-ears 
 of age. then began learning the carpenter's 
 trade, which he successfully followed for a 
 number of years. 
 
 In December, 1859, when twenty-two 
 years of age, he was married. Miss Maria 
 Hedrick becoming his wife. The lady is a 
 native of Edwards county, Illinois, and a 
 daughter of Adam Hedrick. Her parents 
 were natives of North Carolina and had a 
 family of ten children. The remote an- 
 cestry were natives of Germany who emi- 
 grated to the United States and settled in 
 North Carolina at an early day. Mr. Hed- 
 rick was a blacksmith and carpenter and 
 quite an expert with mechanical tools. He 
 was one of the pioneer farmers of southern 
 Illinois, and bore his part in the develop- 
 ment of the community in which he made 
 his home. He was a broadminded, public- 
 spirited man and commanded the respect 
 and confidence of all who knew him. He 
 died in middle life, in Illinois, and his wife, 
 who still survives him, has reached the age 
 of sixty years. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have 
 one child, by name Emily. 
 
 In April, 1862, Mr. Miller entered the 
 service of his Country in defense of the 
 Union, joining the "boys in blue" of Com- 
 pany E, Sixty-third Illinois Infantry. The 
 regimznt was mustered in at Cairo, Illinois, 
 and went to Jackson, Tennessee, en route 
 for Corinth, but reached the latter city too 
 late for the battle. They were then sent 
 inti) middle Tennessee and Mississippi after 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 5S5 
 
 General Price, but were unable to overtake 
 him. Subsequently the regiment went to 
 Memphis and to Vicksburg, and while in the 
 latter city Mr. Miller was detailed to act in 
 the hospital service from the spring to the 
 fall of 1S65. Mr. Miller then went to Chat- 
 tanooga and with Sherman on the cele- 
 brated march to the sea. At the time of 
 starting on that march he was detailed as a 
 private Orderly to General John A. Logan, 
 remaining with him for more than six 
 months. He was in Washington at the 
 time of Lincoln's assas.sination. The regi- 
 ment started out 1,000 strong and returned 
 with only 500, many of these being new re- 
 cruits. Nearly one-third of the original num- 
 ber were killed or wounded, and the suffer- 
 ing among those brave boys was terrible. 
 Mr. Miller was mustered out at Goldsboro, 
 North Carolina, in April, 1865, after serving 
 three years, in which he was ever found 
 faithful to his duty, whether arduous or light. 
 Mr. Miller at once returned to his home 
 in Illinois and again engaged in the pursuits 
 of peace, working at carpentering and farm- 
 ing. In the year 1878 he came to Minne- 
 sota, settling in Blue Earth City, where he 
 first worked at his trade. In December of 
 that year he embarked in the butchering 
 business in connection with his brother, 
 William Miller, and has carried on opera- 
 tions along that line up to the present time. 
 In 1880 he bought out his partner and car- 
 ried on the business alone during the next 
 twelve years. In 1892 he admitted his 
 brother to a partnership and their connec- 
 tion has since continued. In July of that 
 year they opened their new shop, which was 
 erected to meet the requirements of their 
 flourishing trade. This building in all its 
 appointments would seem to be a model of 
 neatness and convenience and is a credit to 
 
 the city. The proprietors are men of good 
 business and executive ability, straightfor- 
 ward and honorable in all dealings, and 
 their courteous treatment of their customers, 
 and earnest desire to please has won for 
 them a liberal patronage, "which is steadily 
 increasing. 
 
 Mr. Miller is a member of Sully Post, 
 No. 10, G. A. R., and in his political con- 
 nections is a Republican, unflinching in sup- 
 port of the party principles. He is a man 
 true to his convictions, who would support 
 an honest belief with the same loyalty that 
 he displayed when on southern battle fields 
 he followed the old flag to victory. He is 
 deeply interested in church matters, and is 
 a consistent member of the Freewill Bap- 
 tist Church, giving liberally of his time and 
 means to aid in its upbuilding and advance- 
 ment. He is recognized as one of the re- 
 liable, substantial citizens of Blue Earth 
 City and has a wide circle of friends in the 
 community. 
 
 @E()RGE ALLEN RAYMOND, a 
 well-known farmer residing near 
 Sherburne, Minnesota, is a native 
 of McHenry county, Illinois, born 
 January 19, 185 1, son of Alonzo and Parna 
 (Johnson) Raymond. 
 
 The Raynonds are of German descent, 
 and the family in America was first estab- 
 lished in St. Lawrence county. New York. 
 George Johnson, the maternal grandfather 
 of our subject, was born probably in New 
 York State, and he and his wife reared five 
 daughters and three sons, of whom Mrs. 
 Raymond was the eldest. Alonzo Raymond 
 and his family removed from Illinois to Rork 
 county, Wisconsin, in 1862, and later came 
 
SS6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 from there to Minnesota, and took a home- 
 stead claim in Martin county. 
 
 George A. began worlcing for wages 
 when he was sixteen years of age, and in 
 1870 he bought his father's right to the 
 claim above alluded to, and finally secured 
 title to the same. This place contains 120 
 acres, and is the east half of the northeast 
 quarter, and the northeast quarter of the 
 southeast quarter of section 6, township 
 101 (Lake Belt), range 32. Mr. Raymond's 
 second purchase of land was an eighty-acre 
 tract, — the north half of the northwest 
 quarter, section 5, same township and range. 
 In 1890 he purchased another eighty, 
 namely, the south half of the northwest 
 quarter of section 5, same township and 
 range, altogether making 2S0 acres, about 
 200 acres of which are now under cultiva- 
 tion: eleven acres are in grove; and the 
 farm at this writing is stocked with seventy 
 hogs, thirty cattle and nine horses. 
 
 Mr. Raymond was married, April 16, 
 
 1874, to Miss Mary Philena, daughter of 
 James and Philena (Runyon) Weed, her na- 
 tive State being New York, and the date of 
 her birth September 7, 185S. Their chil- 
 dren areas follows: Mar\- J., born May 31, 
 
 1875, died September 19, 1875; Roland 
 Rodney, born June 22, 1876; Rosamond 
 Virginia, December 27, 1877; Mabel, born 
 April 13, 1879, died July 29, 1879; Stephen 
 Eugene, born October 15, 1880; Ethel Bar- 
 bara, August 3, 1883; James Byrd, January 
 3, 1885; Ralph Harold, January 31. 1887; 
 Leo Benjamin, born March 11. 1889, died 
 March 29, 1889; George Washington, born 
 February 22, 1890; Ruth Inez, May 14, 
 1892; and Parna Philena, born December 
 14, 1893, died p-ebruary 16, 1894. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Raymond allies himself 
 with the Republican party. 
 
 •y— * A. BROCKMANN, Chairman of 
 ■'"^V the Board of Supervisors of Sioux 
 \ P \'alley township (postoflfice Sioux 
 Nalleyj, is a prominent business 
 man. Like man\' of the leading men of 
 Jackson county, he is a German-American, 
 of good German blood. He has been a res- 
 ident here since 1888. 
 
 He was born in Holstein, German}-, 
 April 18, 1847, a son of Glaus Brockmann, 
 who was a good, industrious and honest 
 German farmer in the Fatherland. The 
 mother of the subject of this sketch, whose 
 name before marriage was Abal Stewart, 
 was born and raised in Holstein, Germany. 
 They had six children, viz. : Hans, Henry, 
 Julius, Theodore, Glaus and Adolph. The 
 mother of these children died at the age of 
 fifty-nine years; both the parents were 
 Lutherans. 
 
 .Mr. Brockmann, our subject, was brought 
 up on the little German farm of his native 
 home, receiving a good education in the 
 public schools. At the age of sixteen years 
 he commenced to learn the trade of carpen- 
 ter, which he followed for six years, famil- 
 iarizing himself with all the details of the 
 business as only Germans do. When nine- 
 teen years of age he bade farewell to home 
 and friends, all particularly dear to him, and 
 emigrated to a foreign land, a land of 
 strangers. He sailed from Hamburg to 
 New York, being twenty-four days on the 
 voyage. First locating at Davenport, Iowa, 
 he followed his trade there till 1873, then 
 engaged in farming in Tama county, same 
 State, eighteen months, where he also was 
 a carpenter, and in 1 888 he settled here in 
 Sioux Valley township, on 400 acres of wild 
 land, but ol as good land as any m the 
 county. Here he is developing a fine farm. 
 House 16 X 28 feet in dimensions, one and a 
 
FA'ilBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 5«7 
 
 half stories high, and barn 24 x 4R, with an 
 addition 14. \ 48 feet, and all the premises 
 are in good condition and well stocked, hav- 
 ing eighty head of cattle and a large num- 
 ber of horses and hogs. He is a successful 
 stock farmer. In 1893 he became a mem- 
 ber of the creamery company. 
 
 In 1872, in Tama county, Iowa, he was 
 united in marriage with Johanna Ernestine 
 Keichmann, a native of Germany, and a 
 daughter of Rudolph Reichmann, a native of 
 Germany. Mr. Brockmann has nine chil- 
 dren, namely: Louise Emelia, Ella Fran- 
 cisca, Adolph Gustavus, Anna Agnes, Clara 
 Antonettie, Edna Belle, Lillie Orebelle, 
 Cora Louella and Hattie Lorena. 
 
 Mr. Brockmann has been rhairmau of 
 the Board of Supervisors for two years, and 
 is one of the best officers in the county and 
 a man of good judgment and sunny disposi- 
 tion. In 1870 he joined the Otld Fellows 
 at Tama City. 
 
 ^"^ EORGE HUY FEEMIRE, a prom- 
 ■ ^^\ incnt farmer of section 32, Werner 
 ^^^9 township (postoffice Heron Lake), 
 has been a resident of this county 
 ever since 1874, and of this State ever since 
 1855. 
 
 He was born in Schoharie cnunty, New 
 York, September 12, 1822, a son of Abram 
 Feemire, of old Dutch stock, famous for 
 their industry, honesty and morality, whose 
 housewives also have ever been noted for 
 their skill and economy. The maiden name 
 of the mother of the subject of this sketch 
 was Maria Bouck, and she was a native of 
 the same county and a daughter of Law- 
 rence Bouck, an early settler of Schoharie 
 county and of the same sturdy race. Mr. 
 Abram F"eemire had seven sons and four 
 
 daughters, namely: Lawrence B., Nicholas, 
 Elizabeth, Julia Ann, Uorotha. Charity, 
 George Henrj', John, who was a soldier in 
 the last war and now lives at Albany, New 
 York, William, Philip and David. Their 
 father died at the age of si.xty years and 
 their mother at the age of eighty. Mr. Fee- 
 mire was a farmer by occupation and in 
 politics a Whig and Republican. In relig- 
 ion he was a member of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 Mr. George H. Feemire, whose name 
 introduces this brief sketch, was reared to 
 the industrious habits of farm life, receiving 
 some education in the public schools. At 
 the early age of twenty years he took a con- 
 tract for building a railroad fence on the 
 New York & Erie Railroad. Later he went 
 to a point near Oberlin, Lorain county, 
 Ohio, where he lived until 1855, when he 
 came to Fillmore county, Minnesota, set- 
 tling near Preston upon a homestead of 160 
 acres. After residing there eight years he 
 moved to Winneshiek count}-, Iowa, pur- 
 chased a claim and resided upon it until 
 1874. The period of his residence there 
 was characterized by raids of grasshoppers. 
 He purchased seed wheat at $1.25 a bushel, 
 sowed 100 bushels and raised forty bushels; 
 paid seventy-five cents a bushel for oats and 
 succeeded in raising but a few bushels. In- 
 deed, the voracious grasshoppers tried to 
 eat up the house and get at the grain in the 
 granary. 
 
 Considering the drawbacks he has expe- 
 rienced, Mr. Feemire may be considered to 
 have done well, as he now has about 600 
 acres of good land, a fine residence costing 
 $1,400, a barn 43x60 feet, etc. Every- 
 thing about the premises and the farm is in 
 good shape. lie also keeps fifteen to twenty 
 cows, thirteen horses, etc. 
 
;S8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 At the age of eighteen years Mr. Feemire 
 was married to Miss E. Burst, and b}' that 
 marriage had two children, namely: Lor- 
 zero and Delmira. Mrs. Feemire died, and 
 subsequently Mr. Feemire was united in 
 marriage with Miss Susan M. Pease, a 
 daughter of Elijah Pease, who was a son of 
 Elijah Pease, Sr. By the last marriage 
 there have been fi%-e children, viz. : Georgi- 
 ana, Willie, Preston, Hatty and Albert E. 
 Hatty, deceased, was a successful and pop- 
 ular teacher here, and was greatlj- esteemed 
 by all who knew her; her death was the 
 occasion of great sorrow throughout a large 
 communitj'. Albert E., born in Winne- 
 shiek county, Iowa, was reared here in Min- 
 nesota, and July 3, 1893, was united in 
 marrriage with Miss Edith Fray. Mrs. Fee- 
 mire, their mother, is a member of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, whose relig- 
 ious services are attended by the family. 
 
 ^~^\^ M- GRAHAM, a popular young 
 ■ ^\ agriculturist, residing on section 
 \^M II, Walnut Lake township, Fari- 
 bault county, is a nati\'e son of the 
 State in which he now retains his field of 
 operations, having been born in Canton 
 township, Fillmore county, Minnesota, on 
 the 20th of January, 1856. His parents 
 were James M. and Susan (Willford) Gra- 
 ham, and he was the youngest of their eight 
 children, — five boys and three girls, — of 
 whom we make brief record as follows: 
 
 Catherine is the widow of S. F. Welker, 
 who devoted many years of his life to agri- 
 cultural pursuits. An early comer into Fill- 
 more county, he ultimately removed thence 
 to Walnut Lake township, Faribault county, 
 where he purchased a fnu' farm, on scrtion 
 3, and where he passed the remainder of his 
 
 days. On this place his widow, a noble 
 woman, still maintains her home. 
 
 George W. is now a resident of Woon- 
 socket, Sanborn county. South Dakota. He 
 gave his services to his country during the 
 ' late war of the Rebellion, having been a 
 '■ member of Company E, Seventh regiment, 
 Minnesota \'olunteer Infantr\-. He lost his 
 right leg while in the service. For a period 
 of sixteen years he held the preferment as 
 Postmaster of Rushford, Fillmore county, 
 and was one of the well-known and honored 
 citizens of that section. 
 
 C. W., the third in order of birth, also 
 bore arms in defense of the Union, having 
 been a member of Compan}' B, First Minne- 
 sota Heavy Artillery. He resides at Paw 
 Paw, Van Buren county, Michigan, where 
 he is engaged in agricultural pursuits. 
 
 Margaret A., wife of W. R. Haskins, re- 
 sides on section 10, Walnut Lake township, 
 where her husband has been extensively 
 engaged in farming for many years. He is 
 a man who enjoys a distinctive popularit}' 
 in the community, and the home has always 
 been known for its hospitality. 
 
 John W. has been a resident of Walnut 
 Lake township since 1891, having purchased 
 a farm on section 14. 
 
 Elmer Y. resides in the town of Luverne, 
 the coimty seat of Rock county. 
 
 Edna is the wife of C. W. Eastman, a 
 ! successful farmer of Newburg township, Fill- 
 more county. The eighth child in the fam- 
 ily was G. M., the immediate subject of this 
 ! review. 
 
 1 The father, James M. Graham, was a 
 ; native of Madison county, Ohio, where h 
 was born on the 19th of December, 1816. 
 Reared under the sturdy discipline of the 
 f:irm, ho devoted the greater portion of his 
 life to agricultural pursuits, being thoroughly 
 
FARIBALLT, MARTIX, W ATCKWVAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 iSg 
 
 familiar with the multifarious details per- 
 taining to this important branch of industry, 
 and bringing to bear a strong intelligence in 
 directing his efforts. He knew Territorial 
 Ohio in the early days, before the railniads 
 had entered the confines of the now great 
 and prosperous State, and in his thirty-eight 
 years of residence there he witnessed the 
 various stages of growth and development 
 in both lines of agriculture and commerce. 
 On his twenty-first birthday he led the lady 
 of his choice, Miss Susan Willford, to the 
 marriage altar. This most estimable woman 
 shared with him the joys and sorrows inci- 
 dent to a pioneer life, and when, in 1854, 
 he decided to win a home in the Territory 
 of Minnesota, she was true to the duties of 
 wife and helpmeet, and taking her seat be- 
 side him set forth with their horse-team on 
 the long and wear}' journey to the wilds of 
 Minnesota, never complaining of the hard- 
 ships of travel, but meeting, with that un- 
 daunted courage so typical of the pioneer 
 mothers, all reverses with fortitude and pa- 
 tience. She was soon installed as mistress of 
 the little log cabin erected on section 12, in 
 Canton township, Fillmore county, and the 
 days that followed, while filled with "cease- 
 less toil and endeavor," were not without 
 their recompense of health and happiness. 
 
 Having received the benefits of a com- 
 mon-school education, and having subse- 
 quently been a close student and observer, 
 the father of our subject became a man of 
 much prominence in the pioneer community, 
 where his advice and counsel were held in 
 the highest estimation. It was then but the 
 natural result that he should in time be 
 called upon to serve in j)ositions of public 
 trust, and he held various township and 
 county offices, discharging his duties with 
 much discrimination and efficiency. He was 
 
 also chosen as a Representative in the Ter- 
 ritorial Legislature. Though a poor man at 
 the time of his arrival in Minnesota, he was 
 enabled, through industry and business 
 sagacit}-, to accumulate a competency, 
 which, however, he lived to enjoy only a 
 few years, being called to the life eternal on 
 the 31st of March, 1866. The noble woman 
 who had been his devoted companion and 
 who had rejoiced in the success which had 
 attended his efforts, has also seen her chil- 
 dren mature into manhood and wotnanhood, 
 and has felt that her life has had its power 
 for good as her sons have in turn stepped 
 into positions of honor and trust and her 
 daughters have united their life destinies to 
 honest and industrious men. For a num- 
 ber (jf years past she has made her home 
 with her daughter, Mrs. C. W. Eastman, 
 and on the 4th day of April, 1895, she cele- 
 brated her eighty-first birthday anniversary. 
 Her children and children's children accord 
 to her a filial homage and reverence. She 
 died April 8, 1895. 
 
 Upon the death of James M. Graham 
 the estate was divided among the several 
 heirs, and our worthy subject retained the 
 tract upon which stood the old homestead, 
 where his entire life had been practically 
 spent, he having been the only one of the 
 children born in Minnesota. Reared on the 
 farm he early became inured to the health- 
 ful pursuits of the husbandman, and his pre- 
 liminary education was that afforded by the 
 public schools. He put his knowledge to 
 practical test by teaching district school for 
 five winters. He became a careful and sys- 
 tematic student, loving study for its own 
 sake, and this has been of great assistance 
 to him in shaping his career and in gaining 
 him recognition as a man f>f broad views and 
 much intelicctualitv. Mr. t.r.iham resided 
 
59° 
 
 MliMORlAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 on the old home farm until his removal to 
 Walnut Lake township, Faribault county, 
 March 20, 1S90. He had held various posi- 
 tions of trust in his native township, and at 
 the time of his removal resigned the office as 
 a member of the Board of County Commis- 
 sioners. Since taking up his residence in 
 Walnut Lake township he has made many 
 valuable impro\ements upon his farm, and 
 has grown firmly into the respect and esteem 
 of the community. He has filled the office 
 of Township Clerk for a third term, and is 
 the present incumbent as Clerk of his school 
 district. It is needless to say that he is 
 greatly interested in maintaining an effective 
 school system, for in the line of privileges 
 thus accorded he recognizes the nucleus of 
 the further growth and stable prosperity of 
 the nation. 
 
 Politicall}- our subject lends an active 
 support to the Republican party, his first 
 presidential vote having been cast for the 
 martyred president, James A. Garfield. In 
 his fraternal affiliations he is identified with 
 the Ancient Order of United Workmen, re- 
 taining a membership in Wells Lodge, No. 
 39, of Wells, and being its present and 
 efficient Master \\'orkinan. 
 
 On the 6th day of March, i S79, were 
 celebrated the nuptials of Mr. Graham and 
 Miss Carrie Dibble, daughter of Orrin and 
 Mary (Johnson) Dibble, who were pioneers 
 of Fillmore county, Minnesota, but who are 
 now residents of Clark township, Faribault 
 county. Orrin Dibble is a native of Esse.x 
 county, New York, where he was born on 
 the 17th of February, 1833, his wife having 
 been born October 24, 1840, being likewise 
 a native of the old Empire State. Mrs. 
 Graham was born in Newburg, Fillmore 
 county, Minnesota, on St. Valentine's day, 
 i860, being the eldest of nine children. Of 
 
 her brothers and sisters we enter a brief 
 record, as follows: Julia A. is the wife of 
 Edgar Babcock, who is a merchant at Am- 
 herst, Minnesota, and who has served as 
 Postmaster of that place for the past four- 
 teen years, being also the present incumbent 
 as Township Clerk; Allie A. is the wife of 
 George Griffiths, who conducts a popular 
 barber shop in the city of Wells, this county; 
 Norman is a farmer at Amherst; Charles is 
 a resident of Wells; Hattie A. is at the pa- 
 rental home; Lewis is a resident of Am- 
 herst; and Nora Belle and James A. are 
 still under the parental roof. 
 
 Our subject and his estimable wife are 
 the parents of five interesting children, 
 namely: Warren W., born January 8, 1880; 
 Homer M., born August 20, 1881; Grace, 
 born September 19, 1883; Mary M., born 
 December 2, 1887; and Gladys, born Sep- 
 tember 27, 1891. 
 
 Though only a resident of Faribault 
 county for five years past, Mr. Graham has 
 won the confidence and esteem that is ever 
 accorded to men of sterling character, and 
 it is with unmistakable regret that his na- 
 tive county resigned its claims to one of its 
 most valued citizens. His success in the 
 agricultural field is revealed in the appear- 
 ance of his well-kept acres and in the fine 
 buildings which adorn the same Mr. and 
 Mrs. Graham are devoted members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, in whose work 
 they take an active interest, contributing a 
 due quota to its sustenance. 
 
 *'m ^ I RAM CLARK, a pioneer settler of 
 
 l'^^ Lake IV-lt township, Martin county, 
 
 \ W was born in Schenectady township, 
 
 Schenectady countj'. New Y'ork, on 
 
 the 25th of May, 1834, and is a son of 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 59' 
 
 William Peter and Catharine (Truax) Clark, 
 the former a native of Now York, born Sep- 
 tember 1 1, 1782. His death occurred March 
 II, 1837. The mother was born in the 
 Empire State March 25, 1790, and died in 
 Albany on the 25th of April, 1859. After 
 the father's death she removed with her 
 family from Schenectady county. New York, 
 to Otsego county. The children were: 
 Mathew, born May 9, 1809, and died Janu- 
 ary 25, 1836; Mary Magdalene, who was 
 born September i, iSio, and died February 
 25, 1812; Margaret, born April 6, 1S12, 
 was married October 31, 1833, to Hiram 
 Washburn; Catherine Waterman, born F"eb- 
 ruary 7, 18 14, is now deceased; John was 
 born January 7, 1816; Amy Ann, now Mrs. 
 Sprague, was born October 20, 1817; Mrs. 
 Matilda Wilke was born June 10, 18 19; 
 Isaac, born February 14, 1821; William, 
 who was born November 20, 1822, and died 
 August 21, 1824; William, the second of 
 that name, was born September 15, 1823, 
 and is now deceased; Mrs. Eveline Blair, 
 born September 15, 1S21; Mrs. Minerva 
 Hubbard, born in 1829; and Hiram, who 
 completes the family. 
 
 The last named accompanied his mother 
 on her removal to Otsego county, New York, 
 and resided there until seventeen years of 
 age, when he removed to Albany, where he 
 continued for a few years, following the car- 
 penter's trade. In the autumn of 1861 he 
 came to the West, locating in Green Lake 
 county, Wisconsin, where he rented land 
 and engaged in farming. In the spring of 
 1863 he went to Winona county, Minnesota, 
 and after a summer passed there went in 
 the fall to Martin county, settling upon the 
 farm which has since been his home. He 
 secured a homestead of 160 acres and with 
 characteristic energj' began its deveiopnunt 
 
 and cultivation, for it was then a tract of 
 wild land on which not a furrow had been 
 tnrned or an iminovement made. His la- 
 bors here were interrupted by his service in 
 the army. While residing in Wisconsin he 
 hail endeavored to enter the army, but the 
 company that was then being organized was 
 never completed. On the 20th of February, 
 1 864, he was enrolled among the ' ' boys in 
 blue" of Company C, Si.xth Minnesota Vol- 
 unteer Infantry, and for the first four months 
 did service in helping to suppress the Indian 
 uprisings on the frontier. He was then sent 
 to the South and served until the close of 
 the war in Arkansas, after which he wasdis- 
 charged from the service at Prairie du Chien, 
 Wisconsin, on the loth of May, 1865. 
 
 Mr. Clark at once returned to his home 
 and family. Ho had married on the 23d 
 of August, 1857, in Albany, New York, 
 Miss Catherine Rosamond Blood, daughter 
 of John and Sarah fValens) Blood, both of 
 whom were natives of England. Mrs. 
 Clark was born in Albany, New York, March 
 10, 1837. and was the fourth in a family of 
 eight childron. The union of our subject 
 and his most estimable wife has been blessed 
 with a family of eleven children, as follows: 
 Ida Elizabeth, born May 4, 1859, and 
 now the wife of Bert McAilwain, who is a 
 farmer of Tenhassen township, Martin 
 county, and their children are Ernest Bert, 
 Grace May Rosamond, Eva Lillian, Ray 
 Hiram, Earl Lewis, and Linda Fay Pearl; 
 Effie May, born October 17, 1861, died 
 December 12, 1863; George Washington, 
 born April 30, 1863, married .\imee Bassett, 
 and is farming in Lake Bolt township, Mar- 
 tin county; Georgian May, Harry Lloyd, 
 
 i Archie Jerome and Catherine Rosamond are 
 the children; William Henry Harrison, born 
 
 ; April 13, 18O6, carries the mail between 
 
592 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF TJ/E COUNTIES OF 
 
 Fairmont and Estherville, Iowa, and makes 
 his home with his parents; Samuel Edgar, 
 born June 17, 1868, is at home; Simeon Mat- 
 thew, born March 22, 1870, is farming in 
 Martin county. The younger members of 
 the family are Effie Ermena Maj', born Sep- 
 tember 9, 1 871; Chester Levi, born April 
 28, 1873; Hiram Alfred, born April lo, 
 1875; Arthur Wesley, born April 22, 1877; 
 and Frederick Ir\in, born February 20, 1S81. 
 Upon his return from the war Mr. Clark 
 at once resumed farming and has .since given 
 his attention almost exclusively to agricul- 
 tural pursuits. He now owns 160 acres of 
 land situated on sections 24 and 25, Lake Belt 
 township, together with eighty acres which 
 he bought of Valentine Wohlhiter, in 1892, 
 and another forty acres which he purchased 
 of W. P. Smith. Thus he has 280 acres, 
 all in one body. Of this, twenty-five acres 
 is slough land and is used for pasture; seven- 
 teen acres is covered by water, forming a 
 beautiful lake, and there is also an eight- 
 acre grove which was planted by Mr. Clark 
 and stands as a living monument to his en- 
 terprise and progressive spirit. The place 
 is well stocked, he having at present forty- 
 five head of cattle, si.xty head of hogs, forty- 
 one sheep and fourteen horses. There are 
 good barns and outbuildings for the care of 
 the stock and shelter of the grain, the latest 
 improved machinery lightens the labor of the 
 farm, and in 1890 a comfortable residence 
 was erected, and the jileasant home is the 
 abode of hospitality. Mr. Clark never held 
 any office except that of School Clerk, pre- 
 ferring to give his time and attention en- 
 tirely to his business interests. His life 
 has been purely a business one. Ho has 
 made the best of his opportunities, trusting 
 not to fate or fortune, but to his own in- 
 dustry and energy to win him tlu' success 
 
 which he coveted. His faith was there- 
 fore placed in some things substantial, 
 and therefore not disappointed; and he is 
 now the possessor of a competence which 
 not only supplies him with the necessaries 
 of life, but also with many of its luxuries. 
 
 * | ^ ENRY A. KING, dealer in agricul- 
 ■^^\ tural implements and plumbers' 
 \ , W supplies in Blue Earth City, has 
 been prominently identified with the 
 business interests of Faribault count}' since 
 1884. He is a native of Wisconsin, his 
 birth having occurred in Creen Lake county, 
 August 20, 1867. His parents, Chri-stopher 
 and Louisa (Matz) King, were both natives 
 of Germany and came to this country when 
 children, settling with their respective fam- 
 ilies among the pioneers of the Badger State. 
 There they were married, and in order to 
 support his family Mr. King engaged in mer- 
 chandising. At the time of the late war he 
 responded to the President's call for troops 
 and faithfully served the Union. To this 
 worthy couple were born the following chil- 
 dren: Henry A. ; Charles J.; Bertha, wife 
 of Henry Swingdorf of Faribault county; 
 and Mary, wife of John Hoffman, of Blue 
 Earth City. The father of this family died 
 in 1872, at the age of thirty years, leaving 
 his widow with limited means and with a 
 family of small children to support. She 
 subsequently married Samuel Corenke, and 
 by their union were born five children, four 
 of whom are yet living. The mother was 
 called to her final rest in 1882. 
 
 Mr. King of this sketch remained upon 
 the home farm and attended the common 
 district schools of the neighborhood until 
 fifteen years of age, when he started out in 
 life for himself, and since that time has been 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 593 
 
 dependent entirely upon his own efforts. 
 He at first spent his time in hunting and 
 trapping, and in the spring of i<S84 he went 
 to Ashland, but being stricken with inHaniina- 
 tory riicuinatisni he was unable to work for 
 some time and returned home. 
 
 In the following July he came to Blue 
 Earth City, working in the harvest fields 
 for some time, then engaging in well-dig- 
 ging, which pursuit he followed for about 
 four years, also working at the carpenter's 
 trade. The ne.xt enterprise which engrossed 
 his attention was the pump and machinery 
 business, and in this line of trade he has 
 since continued, meeting with good success. 
 He has a well appointed establishment, one 
 of the best of the kind in this sccticjn of the 
 State, and is now enjoying a large and con- 
 stantly increasing trade. In addition to his 
 other interests, he owns, in connection with 
 his brother, a livery stable. 
 
 On the 26th of September, 1893, was 
 celebrated the marriage of Mr. King and 
 Miss Nannie McLaughlin, a native of Wis- 
 consin and a daughter of Owen McLaughlin. 
 They have one child, Harold. The lady is 
 a member of the Catholic Church. Our 
 subject belongs to the Modern Woodmen of 
 America, the Ancient Order of United Work- 
 men, and in his political connections is a 
 Republican. A young man of excellent busi- 
 ness and executive ability, he is meeting 
 with a well deserved success and is now 
 ranked among the leailing merchants of his 
 adopted city. 
 
 eHAYWOKTH, a farmer of section 
 18, Fraser townshij), Martin county, 
 was born in Illinois, December 13, 
 i850,the eldest son of Jehu Haj- 
 worth, an<l his parents moved t(j Wisconsin 
 
 when he was one year old. Our subject lived 
 in Wisconsin until thirteen years of age, and 
 then, September 20, 1863, came with his 
 father to Martin county, Minnesota. He be- 
 gan work for himself at the age of twenty 
 years, being employed by A. L. Bixby ; at the 
 age of twenty-one he was in his father's em- 
 ploy, and when twenty-two he was emploj'ed 
 by Hon. M. H. Lamb, <jf Alma City, this 
 State, and then farmed on rented land in 
 Martin county. After his marriage Mr. Hay- 
 worth resided in Rolling Creen township until 
 1880, and then came to the farm he now 
 owns, consisting of 200 acres, about half of 
 which is cultivated. 
 
 .March 12, 1874, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Lovina E. Jones, born in Morgan 
 county, Ohio, July 12, 1854. a daughter of 
 Richard and Catherine (Swoapej Jones. 
 The mother is now deceased. To this union 
 have been born five children, — Lillian Daisy, 
 Earl Emsley, Sarah Mary, Catherine .\manda 
 and Werley Jones. 
 
 Mr. Hayvvorth is independent in his polit- 
 ical views. He has served as Chairman of 
 the Board of Supervisors of Fraser town- 
 ship, and has been twice elected Clerk of 
 Rolling Green township. Socially, he is 
 a member of the Modern \\'()odmcn of 
 America. 
 
 HUGUST LUDWIG SCHUELER. 
 a respected citizen of Lake Belt 
 township, Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, was born in Pommern, Ger- 
 many, August 24, 1829, next to the eldest 
 in a family of five children, the others be- 
 ing Charles. Wilhelm, Gottlieb and Henri- 
 etta. He is the oidy one of the family who 
 came to America, and it was in June, 1873, 
 that he landed here. Coming directly west 
 
594 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 to Monee, Will county, Illinois, he settled 
 down there and worked for wages for six 
 years. In 1879, in company with his son, 
 August, he rented a farm in Will county, 
 and continued to reside on it until 1885. 
 April I, 1885, he accompanied this son to 
 Martin county, Minnesota, and he made his 
 home on the place where August Schueler 
 now resides, until 1889. In 1888 he bought 
 the farm on which he has since lived, it be- 
 ing the northwest quarter of the northeast 
 quarter of section 24, township lOi, range 32. 
 Mr. Schueler was married in November, 
 1852, to Maria Wilhelmina Strey, daughter 
 of Johann and Carolina (Kotterman) Strey. 
 She was born February 9, 1823, the eldest 
 of a family of six children, her brothers and 
 sisters being Charles, Johann, Heinrich, Au- 
 gust and Caroline; and of these all have 
 passed away except August and Caroline. 
 Her father died when she was fourteen years 
 of age. Mr. and Mrs. Schueler have five 
 children living, namely: Hertha, Ida Ma- 
 tilda Adeline, August Albert, Hermann 
 Heinrich and Mary Wilhelmina. Four of 
 their children, — Johannah. Carl, Charles 
 and Gustave, died young. 
 
 HUGUST ALBERT SCHUELER. 
 — Germany has furnished to Mar- 
 tin county many of her leading 
 citi;!ens, prominent in public affairs 
 and in ever)thing pertaining to the welfare 
 of the community. Among this worthy 
 class is the gentleman whose name intro- 
 duces this record. He was born in Pom- 
 mern, Germany, on the 9th of Jul\-, 1856, 
 and is a son of August Ludwig and Wilhel- 
 mina (Strey) Schueler. With his parents 
 he came to America, and under the parental 
 roof he was reared to manhood. When he 
 
 started out in life for himself he took up 
 farming and secured 266 acres of land of 
 Henry Hellman in Will county, Illinois. 
 March i , i 879. This he operated until his 
 removal to Martin county. On the i 5th of 
 May, 1885, he purchased his present farm of 
 Charles Soles, and locating upon the place 
 has since carried on agricultural pursuits in 
 a manner that has brought him prosperity. 
 
 On the 4th of February, 1881, an 
 important event in the life of Mr. Schue- 
 ler occurred, — his marriage to Emma 
 Carrie Schlemme, daughter of Fredrich 
 and Fredericka fEbert) Schlemme, and the 
 second in a family of four children, the 
 other members of the family being Fred, 
 Bertha and Matilda, all of whom were born 
 in Chicago. Her father died on the ist of 
 November, 1879, at the age of fifty-five 
 years, and her mother, who was born July 
 30, 1838, was called to the home beyond 
 on the 30th of October, 1892, having sur- 
 vived her husband about thirteen years. 
 Mrs. Schueler first opened her eyes to the 
 sight of day February 15, 1865, and by her 
 marriage has become the mother of five 
 children: Lena Louisa Hermina, born No- 
 vember 17, 1886; Fredrich William Her- 
 niami, September II, 1889; Emma Mary 
 Bertha, October 19, 1891; August Fredrich 
 William, April 1. 1893; and Frieda Mary 
 Minnie, February 1, 1895. 
 
 The Schueler household is noted for its 
 hospitality and for the warm cheer which is 
 ever given tn tlu' friends of the famil)', and 
 the representatives of this home hold a 
 high position in the social circle in which 
 they move. Both our subject and his wife 
 arc members of the Lutiieran Church. The 
 former was confirmed in Germanj- in the 
 autumn of 1870 by the Rev. Kamiengiszer, 
 and the latter in Chicago, April 14, 1878, by 
 
. Q'a/zlu//. 
 
FARIBAULT, MAR'/'IX, W A TON WAX A\n JACKSON. 
 
 597 
 
 tlie Kev. August Wagner. They give lib- 
 L-rally of their means to aid in church work 
 and tlio'r Hves are in harmony with their 
 professions. 
 
 When Mr. Schuoler tirst bouglit land in 
 Martin county he became the owner of a 
 tract of 133 acres on section 23, Lake Belt 
 tDwnship, and in November, 1892, he pur- 
 chased of J. J. Steiter another tract adjoin- 
 ing that owned by his brother Herman. He 
 now has 233 acres, ail in one body, and of 
 this 200 acres is broken, and when planted 
 with cereals adapted to this climate gener- 
 ally yields to him abundant harvests. Upon 
 the place is a beautiful grove of four acres, 
 and its leafy banners as they wave in the 
 breeze tell of the thrift and enterprise of the 
 owner who has obtained this valuable prop- 
 erty entirely through his own efforts. When 
 he first came to this farm the only improve- 
 ments upon the place were a small dwelling 
 and a corn-crib, but his labors have worked 
 a transformation. In 1S86 he greatly en- 
 larged and remodeled his home, and in 
 1892 built one of the substantial barns in the 
 neighborhood. This furnished ample shel- 
 ter for his stock in winter and for his grain. 
 He always keeps on hand a good grade of 
 stock, and now has nineteen head of cattle, 
 fifty head of hogs and seven horses. He is 
 accounted one of the practical and pro- 
 gressive farmers of the county and is an in- 
 dustrious, energetic man. 
 
 ,y^.\NIEL ZEBULON LATHKOP, 
 
 I I '^ well-known and highly respected 
 /^^^ farmer residing in sertion iS, Win- 
 nebago ("ity township, I'aribault 
 ctjnnty, Minnesota, dates his liirtii in Tol- 
 land count}', Connecticut, April y, I1S36. 
 His parents, Kelse\' and Flora (Cobb) La- 
 
 31 
 
 throp. were both natives of Connecticut, 
 and on his father's farm 'in that State he 
 was reared, receiving his education in the 
 public schools. At the age of fifteen he left 
 home, and for some years following was va- 
 riously employed, for a time being in a per- 
 cussion-cap factory. The last two years of 
 his stay in Connecticut he worked in a rub- 
 ber factory in Colchester. 
 
 In the spring of 1855 he came West to 
 Rice county, Minnesota, and located near 
 Faribault, where he pre-empted some land 
 and engaged in farming, residing there until 
 1862, when he removed to his present farm. 
 He had taken a homestead claim to 160 
 acres here in 1861. Upon locating here he 
 devoted his energies to the improvement 
 and cultivation of this place, and his earnest 
 efforts have been crowned with success. 
 He now has one of the finest and most at- 
 tractive homes in the township. His resi- 
 dence, standing on a natural elevation, is 
 surrounded by a handsome grove of soft 
 maple and Cottonwood trees, ' with a few 
 evergreens, all planted by himself. His 
 good barns and other buildings and fences, 
 and, in short, the general appearance of the 
 place, are all indicative of the prosperity 
 which has attended the owner. At the 
 time Mr. Lathrop settled here he had many 
 difficulties and obstacles to meet and over- 
 come, but he was ecjual to every emergency. 
 He had to go as far as Dundas to null, a 
 distance of about 1 20 miles, the trip occu- 
 pying several days with an ox team. His 
 nearest market was Mankato. During the 
 Indian troubles of 1862, Mr. Lathrop, in 
 roinpan\' with his neighbors, left his home 
 with his family, during the winters of 1862 
 and 1863, but returned to their farms in the 
 spring and he left his family; and for the 
 most of the time for two years his business 
 
598 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 was broken up, he having to be away hunt- 
 ing the savages. 
 
 November 26, 1854, Mr. Lathrop was 
 married, at Colchester, Connecticut, to Miss 
 Lucy M. Pierce, daughter of James I. and 
 Sophia (Beach) Pierce, both natives of that 
 State. They have five children, namely: 
 Alida, wife of Dudley Forbes, of Edgerton, 
 Minnesota; Alma, wife of Benjamin F. Rob- 
 inson, a farmer of this township; Arthur, a 
 mechanic of Amboy; Fred, a farmer of this 
 township; and Frank, who is at home. 
 
 Mr. Lathrop casts his vote and influence 
 with the Republican party, but has never 
 been a politician. He is a member of the 
 United Brethren Church. 
 
 SI 
 
 In political matters, Mr. Schwingler indorses 
 the Democratic party. He has served as a 
 member of the Village Board, as Supervisor 
 of Rivcrdale township four years, and as 
 Township Assessor one year. 
 
 William SCHWIN'GLER, man- 
 ager of the Farmers' Elevator 
 Company of St. James, was born 
 in Scott county, Minnesota, June 
 0, 1859, a son of Anton and Sibilla (Esser) 
 Schwingler. William came to Watonwan 
 county when twelve years of age, and his 
 education was received principally by ])racti- 
 cal e.xperience. He remained at home until 
 twenty-seven years of age, assisting his 
 father on the farm, and from that time until 
 1890 he resided on a farm in Riverdale town- 
 ship. The Farmers' Elevator Company 
 was then organized, and Mr. Schwingler was 
 elected its manager. The company own 
 property to the amount of $10,000, and do 
 a business of $100,000 per year. 
 
 November 24, 1886, he was united in 
 marriage with Mary Wirtz, the first white 
 chilli born in I'fiverdale township, Watonwan 
 county, and a daughter of Mathias and 
 Catherine (Doin) Wirtz, the first settlers of 
 Riverdale township. Mr. and Mrs. Schwing- 
 ler have twochildren,— Alexander and Clara. 
 
 >t'OHN DAVIS, Delavan, Minnesota, 
 m is one of the prominent citizens of 
 A 1 Faribault county, and is a veteran of 
 the late war. He has been identi- 
 fied with Prescott township since 1872. 
 
 Mr. Davis was born at Grafton Harbor, 
 Ontario, in 1846, son of John Davis. The 
 elder John Davis was born and reared in Eng- 
 land, when a young man came to America, 
 and in Canada was married to Miss Margaret 
 Wilson. The latter's father was a Scotchman 
 and her mother, Evans by maiden name, 
 was of \\'elsh origin. John Davis, Sr. , was 
 for a number of years engaged in teaching 
 school, and was also interested in fisheries. 
 He was a man of the highest integrity of 
 character, and was a member of the Church 
 of England. He died leaving a widow and 
 six children, four sons and two daughters. 
 Two of the sons were in the civil war, and 
 one of tliLiii, Ikin\-, a member of the United 
 States regulars, Si.xteenth Infantry, died at 
 Nashville, Tennessee. The mother, after 
 remaining a widow for some time, became 
 the wife of John Dill. She died in Prescott 
 township, this county, at the age of seventy- 
 four \ears. 
 
 The subject of our sketch was reared 
 from his eighth }ear in Fond du Lac county, 
 Wisconsin, and was there at the time the 
 civil war came on. In August, i86t, in re- 
 sponse to President Lincoln's call for "300,- 
 000 more," he enlisted in Companj' C, Sev- 
 enteenth Wisconsin Infantry, and went to 
 the front. A description of all the engage- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 599 
 
 merits in which he participated would cover 
 a greater part of the history of the war, 
 which, of course cannot be entered into in 
 the brief space allotted here. Suffice it to 
 say that he was in many of the most im- 
 portant battles of the South, ever acting the 
 part of a brave and true soldier, and that he 
 was with the victorious army and partici- 
 pated in the grand review at Washington, 
 after which he was honorably discharged, 
 July 27, 1865, and returned home. He en- 
 tered as a private and came cut as a Cor- 
 poral. During his service he was twice 
 wounded, first by a shell and afterward by 
 a minie ball. His army life, however, did 
 not end with the war. September 18, 1865, 
 he enlisted in Company A, Thirty-seventh 
 United States regulars, Third Battalion, 
 and was stationed successively at Fort- 
 Wayne, Michigan; Newport, Kentucky; 
 Little Rock, Arkansas; Leavenworth, Kan- 
 sas; and was in battle'with the Indians in 
 Kansas, Nebraska, and New Mexico. He 
 was discharged September 18, 1868, as First 
 Sergeant. 
 
 Since his return from the army Mr. Davis 
 has given his attention to agricultural pur- 
 suits. In 1870 he bought eighty acres of 
 his present farm, and to his original pm- 
 chase has since added until now he has a fine 
 tract of land 240 acres in extent. On this 
 place are good buildings and other improve- 
 ments. 
 
 Mr. Davis was married in December, 
 1 87 1, to Lucinda Harding, an accomplished 
 lady, and for some years a teacher, she be- 
 ing a daughter of Lieutenant E. and Almira 
 (Grovcr) Harding. Mrs. Davis was born in 
 Rockland, Maine. They have ten children, 
 viz.: Susan E., a professional nurse of 
 New Richmond, Wisconsin; Minnie A., 
 Charles N., Fanny ICmma, Jnim Henry, 
 
 Bertha Irene, Francis M., George Grover, 
 Henry W., and Eben Ed. 
 
 Mr. Davis votes with the Kebublican 
 party, takes a commendable interest in pub- 
 lic affairs, and has served as Supervisor and 
 member of the School Board. He belongs 
 to the G. A. R. at Delavan. Mrs. Davis is 
 a member of the Baptist Church. 
 
 H 
 
 ARON JOHNSON, an intelligent 
 and highly respected farmer resid- 
 ing on section 14, Lake Belt town- 
 ship, Martin county, deserves men- 
 tion in this volume, for he is accounted one 
 of the leading agriculturists of the commun- 
 ity in whicli he makes his home, and with 
 pleasure we present this record to our read- 
 ers, knowing that it will be received with in- 
 terest by many, for he has a large circle of 
 friends and acquaintances throughout the 
 county. 
 
 Mr. Johnson is a native of Sweden, born 
 on the 2d of April, 1850.- His parents, 
 Claus and- Mary Johnson, were natives of 
 the .same country, and in April, 1854, they 
 sailed from Gutenberg to the New World. 
 On reaching American shores they contin- 
 ued their journey across the country to 
 Rockford, Illinois, where the father followed 
 his trade, — that of milling. On this journey 
 they were accompanied by their three eldest 
 children. Of these Betsey was born August 
 16, 1847, and married Lewis Lindstrom, by 
 whom she had four children, — Amanda, 
 William. Aleda and Hiddah. Her second 
 husband, John Lindholm, is also deceased. 
 There was one child by that union, — Charles. 
 Mrs. Lindholm is now living in Rockford, 
 Illinois. Aaron is the next in order of birth; 
 and Frank, who was born in September, 
 1853, (lied in Au-iisl. iSS|. Tiie three 
 
6oo 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 younger children of the family were born in 
 Rockford, Illinois, and are Christina, who 
 died in childhood; Ida, who was born in 
 1856, became the wife of Charles Olson, a 
 veterinary surgeon of Chicago, Illinois, and 
 died in April, 1890. They had four chil- 
 dren, but Addie is the only one now living. 
 Oscar, the youngest of the Johnson family, 
 was born in April, 1862, and is now married 
 and resides in Rockford, Illinois. 
 
 Aaron Johnson was a child of four sum- 
 mers when with his parents he crossed the 
 briny deep, and much of his youth was 
 passed in Rockford, Illinois. At the age of 
 sixteen he entered the employ of Oliver 
 Crandall, of that city, for the purpose of 
 learning the cooper's trade, and after com- 
 pleting his term of apprenticeship he fol- 
 lowed the business in Rockford until his re- 
 moval to Minnesota. It was in June, 1879, 
 that he first became a resident of the Gopher 
 State, locating in Sherburne, where he em- 
 barked in business as a member of the firm 
 of Erickson & Johnson. The following De- 
 cember he sold his interest in their hard- 
 ware store and removed to Jordan, Scott 
 county, Minnesota, where he worked as a 
 cooper in the employ of Nicholas Lee, a 
 miller, making barrels mostly. In the fall 
 of 1880 he removed to his farm, which he 
 had previously purchased, and made it his 
 home until May, 1883, at which time he 
 went to Minneapolis and took stock in the 
 North Star Barrel Company, which concern 
 was engaged in supplying barrels to the dif- 
 ferent milling companies throughout the 
 State. The business was quite profitable, 
 but on the 28th of February, 1889, Mr. 
 Johnson sold his interest therein and re- 
 turned to his farm. 
 
 On the 2d of December, 1879, Mr. John- 
 son made his first purchase of real estate. 
 
 buying of C. E. Wenzel a tract of land on 
 section 14, Lake Belt township. He also 
 secured another tract, under the timber law, 
 and now has 160 acres, of which seventy 
 acres is under cultivation, the fields, rich 
 and well tilled, yielding to the owner good 
 returns for the care he bestows upon them. 
 In connection with general farming he also 
 carries on stock-raising, and now has twelve 
 hogs, nine head of cattle and five horses. 
 
 He is a man of perseverance and deter- 
 mination, and a steadfast adherence to the 
 work in hand has won him a well deserved 
 prosperity. He carries forward to success- 
 ful completion whatever he undertakes, and 
 though his business career has not been free 
 from all obstacles and difficulties, he has 
 steadily overcome these and achieved the 
 result for which he was striving. 
 
 On the 2d of March, 1872, an important 
 event in the life of Mr. Johnson occurred, ^ — 
 his marriage to Miss Christina Johnson, 
 daughter of John and Mary (Swanson) Lar- 
 son. She was born August 13, 1851, and 
 is the eldest in a family which numbers four 
 children. One child graces the union of our 
 subject and his wife, Huldah Amelia, born 
 April 4, 1891. 
 
 Mr. Johnson is actively interested in 
 everything pertaining to the welfare of the 
 community and its upbuilding. 
 
 m. 
 
 ILLIAM WESLEY HEADLEY, 
 Lake Belt, Minnesota, has been 
 identified with the farming in- 
 terests of Martin county, for a 
 quarter of a century. The following facts 
 in regard to his life and anceStry have been 
 gleaned for publication in this work: 
 
 William Wesley Headley was born in 
 Saybrook, Ashtabula county, Ohio, October 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 6oi 
 
 24, 1839, son of Daniel and Ann (Richards) 
 Headiey. The Headieys are English peo- 
 ple. Grandmother Susannah (Gotobed) 
 Headiey married the maternal grandfather 
 of our subject, William Richards, she being 
 his second wife and seventy-five years old 
 at the time of her marriage. She died in 
 the winter of i860, at the age of ninety-five 
 years. William Richards died shortly after 
 their arrival in America, which was soon 
 after their marriage in 183 1. His first wife 
 was ii€€ Betsey Redhead, and their children 
 were as follows: John Henry, who died in 
 Philadelphia; Ann, the mother of our sub- 
 ject; Mary, wife of Hugh Redhead, died in 
 Winnebago City, Minnesota, January 8, 
 1877, leaving two children, Richard and 
 Henry; and Betsey, wife of George Darby, 
 died, leaving one child, George. 
 
 Daniel Headiey, the father of William 
 W., was born in Lincolnshire, England, May 
 5, 1800. He had a brother John and sister 
 Elizabeth. The former was a farmer in 
 Ashtabula count}', Ohio, and he and his wife 
 reared three children, — John, Elizabeth and 
 Ann. The sister, Elizabeth, married a Mr. 
 Broughton, in England. After his death 
 she started to America with her only child, 
 Susan, and died while making the ocean 
 voyage. This daughter was the wife of a 
 Mr. Moden, and she and her husband came 
 on to Ohio, stopped for a time with her 
 uncle I^aniel, and later settled in Illinois. 
 While Daniel Headiey remained in the old 
 country he was employed on the estate of a 
 wealthy family. He arrived in New York city 
 with his wife and children, July 4, 1838. He 
 had expected to meet his wife's brother at 
 Now York, but, on account of a miscarried 
 letter, was disappointed, changed his plans 
 and accompanied some friends to Ash- 
 tabula county, Ohio. There he worked 
 
 for wages for some time, and then bought 
 land. Subsequently he sold out and moved 
 to Green Lake county, Wisconsin, in June, 
 1856, and bought a farm of 120 acres. In 
 September, 1872, he moved to Martin 
 county, Minnesota, and purchased the home- 
 stead right of Charles Holden. This tract 
 of 160 acres is located as follows: South half 
 of the southeast quarter, southeast quarter 
 of the southwest quarter, and the northwest 
 quarter of the southeast quarter, section 6, 
 Lake Belt township, range 32. Mr. Headiey 
 died suddenly, March 30, 1875. near Fair- 
 mont, Minnesota, while on a visit to his 
 daughter Mary, and after his death his 
 widow secured title to the land on which 
 they had settled. Daniel Headiey and 
 his wife were married October 22, 1825, 
 in Lincolnshire, England, and a brief record 
 of their children reads as follows: (i) 
 Mary Ann, who was born August 26, 1827, 
 and died October 24, 1827. (2) Emma, 
 born May 22, 1829, died July 9, 1873. 
 She was married, April 8, 1848, to George 
 Masters, a farmer, and they lived in Green 
 Lake county, Wisconsin, and later in Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota. To them were 
 born a family of seven children. (3) Daniel, 
 born August 9, 1831, died April 13, 1875. 
 He was married April 13, 1854, to Susan 
 Morton, and at the time of his death their 
 home was in Webster county, Iowa. They 
 had five children. (4) Eliza, born August 
 18, 1833; married Ezekiel Goodall, Feb- 
 ruary 19, 1855, and is living at Barnum, 
 Minnesota, their family consisting of four 
 children. (5) Frederick, born April 11, 
 1836; married Catharine Morton, December 
 25, 1857. He is a merchant in Granada, 
 Martin county, Nfinnesota. His children 
 are Adelaide and Orville. The former was 
 married November ly, 1884, to Watson 
 
6o2 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 David Miller, and they, too, are living in 
 Martin county. The five mentioned above 
 were born in England, and the following in 
 Ohio: (6) W'illiam Wesley, the subject of 
 this article. (7) Henry John, born Sep- 
 tember 17, 1841, died October 5, 1887. He 
 married Mary Emerett Cable, a sister of 
 William's wife, February 17, 1867, and they 
 live on a quarter section of land adjoining 
 the farm of our subject. Their children 
 are Jessie Mary, wife of George Woolcutt, 
 and Everett Clarence, who married Sadie 
 Jennings, both living on farms in this count)'. 
 (8) Mary Ann, born April 2, 1844; married 
 Alfred H. Weed, of Winnebago City, their 
 children being Hattie, wife of W. H. Hill, 
 and Cora, wife of Fred Grinnell. (9) Har- 
 riet Matilda, born April 8, 1846; married 
 Alfred Masters, and has three children, Mrs. 
 Florence Williams, Viola and Elmer. Mr. 
 Masters is deceased, and she is now resid- 
 ing with her eldest daughter in St. Paul, 
 Minnesota. And (10) Charles Wesley, born 
 September 20, 1848, is now president of 
 the Windsor Institute, located at Monte- 
 video, Minnesota. He married Sarah Sher- 
 man, and their children are Leal Aubrey, 
 Lou Sherman, Clean Chester and Charles 
 Herald. 
 
 William W. Headley received his edu- 
 cation in private schools and in an academy 
 at Saybrook, Ohio. He also attended a 
 writing school, conducted by Piatt R. Spen- 
 cer, founder of the Spencerian system of 
 penmanship. He accompanied his parents 
 on their removal to Green Lake county, 
 Wisconsin, and when he was eighteen went 
 to the village of Manchester and learned the 
 cobbler's trade, and ran a shop for three 
 years. He next learned the trade of har- 
 ness-maker at Markcsan, Wisconsin, where 
 he resided for one year. October 20, 1 868, 
 
 he moved to Garden City, Blue Earth 
 county, Minnesota, and opened a harness 
 shop. November 1 8, 1 869, he came to his 
 present place of residence in Martin county, 
 and has lived here ever since. His farm 
 comprises the southeast quarter of section 
 18, township lOi, range 32. He has a 
 nice grove, which was started in 1870. 
 Ninety acres of his land are under cultiva- 
 tion, and the stock on his farm numbers 24 
 hogs, 10 cattle, and 8 horses. 
 
 Mr. Headley was married June 8, 1865, at 
 Markesan, Wisconsin, to Deborah Amanda 
 Cable, daughter of Egbert J. and Nancy 
 (Burdick) Cable. Mr. Cable was born Au- 
 gust 30, 1818, and his wife July 20, 1819; 
 both are still living at Markesan. Jonathan 
 Cable, the paternal grandfather of Mrs. Head- 
 ley, was born and died in Otsego county, 
 New York. Grandmother Cable's maiden 
 name was Sally Boardman. Their children 
 were Rhoda, Polly, Marvin, and Egbert J. 
 Mrs. Headley's maternal grandfather was 
 Abram Burdick, a native of Dutchess county, 
 New York. He died in Wisconsin, Septem- 
 ber, 1876, at the age of ninetj'-three years. 
 His wife's maiden name was DeborahFennor, 
 and the names of their children are Reed, 
 Shadrach, Amanda, Asa, Urana, Samuel, 
 Nancy, and Mary. The Burdicks were of 
 English descent. Following are the names 
 of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Egbert J. 
 Cable: Deborah Amanda, born August 27, 
 1844; Sally Sarcpta, wife of Truman Derby, 
 has five children; Mary Emerett, wife of 
 Henry J. Headley, above referred to; Lucy 
 Jerusha, wife of Robert R. Williams, of Hor- 
 ton, Kansas, has two sons; Ellen Nancy, 
 deceased; Elberta Josephine, deceased; Mel- 
 vin Henry is married, has a family of five 
 children, ami lives in Wisconsin; Everett 
 Egbert is married and living in Wisconsin; 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTJX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 603 
 
 Evelyn Nancy, wife of Griffith Owens, Ran- 
 dolph, Wisconsin, has three chiltiren. Tlie 
 last two named are twins. A record of the 
 children of Mr. and Mrs. \Villiani W. Head- 
 ley is as follows: Adclla May, born April 
 8, 1866, died March 3, 1867; Alice Ardell, 
 born December 20, 1 8G7, is a jirofcssional 
 nurse in Minneapolis; Sheridan \\'eslcy, born 
 March i. 1870, married Cornelia Jennings, 
 October 14, 1891, and is farming in Lake 
 Belt township, Martin countx', their only 
 child being Grace Ardell; Nancy Tryphoso, 
 born May 12, 1876; Anna Tryphcna, twin of 
 Nancy Tryphoso; and Charles Aubrey, born 
 March 12, 1879. The twins arc attending 
 Parker College in Winnebago City. 
 
 Mr. Headley has served as Chairman of 
 the Township Board and also as Township 
 Assessor, and is now a Supervisor and mem- 
 ber of the School Board. He was the first 
 Postmaster of Lake Belt; received his com- 
 mission in September, 1883, and served in 
 this capacity till October, 1887. Politically, 
 he is a Republican. 
 
 VVOHN HENRY HILGENDORF, who 
 
 m manages extensive farming interests 
 A 1 in Martin county, was born on terri- 
 tory tliat now lies within the corjior- 
 ation limits of the city of Chicago, on the 
 22d of October, 1858, and is a son of Fred- 
 crick and Sophie (Lang) Hilgcndorf. The 
 father was born in Mecklenburg, Germany, 
 December 21, 1822, and was one of a fam- 
 ily of three children. His sister never came 
 to America, and it was some years after 
 Frederick's arrival ere his brother Henry 
 crossed the Atlantic to the "land of the 
 free. " He located in Chicago, where he 
 ma<lc his home until after the great (ire of 
 
 that city, when he was called to his final 
 rest. He married, and his children were 
 Frederick, John, Charles, Louisa and Dora, 
 — all yet living with the exception of Louisa. 
 It was in the year 1852 that Frederick Hil- 
 gcndorf emigrated to the United States and 
 becan)e the founder of his branch of the 
 family in the New World. He located in 
 the village of Chicago, Illinois, — as it was 
 then — and worked at whatever he could 
 find to do that would yield him an honest 
 living. He rented land near the town and 
 sold his products in the markets of that 
 place. In 1869 he purchased an eighty- 
 acre tract of land, comprising the west half 
 of the southwest quarter of section 10, Worth 
 township. Cook county, and later he added 
 an adjoining forty acres, thus making 120 
 \ acres of valuable land which adjoined the 
 corporation limits of Chicago and is now 
 within the city boundaries, owned and oper- 
 ated by his son William. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Hilgendorf now make their home in Oak 
 Lawn, one of Chicago's beautiful suburbs. 
 The marriage of this worthy couple was cele- 
 brated in Germany about three years before 
 the emigration to America, the lady's birth 
 having occurred in that country June 20, 
 1 829. To them have been born the follow- 
 ing children: Sophie, born October 15, 
 1850, became the wife of John Sncikle, and 
 to them was born a daughter, Mary. Her 
 present husband, William Huth, is a ma- 
 son by trade and a resident of Chicago; 
 their children are Amelia, John, Emma 
 and Albert; our subject is the second in 
 order of birth; Jo.seph, born August 18, 
 1 86 1, married .\nnie Kaston and is farm- 
 ing the northwest quarter of section 17, 
 Wavcrly township, Martin county; their 
 famil\' numbers four children, — I<la, Henry, 
 Martha and .\niil. Lena became the \\ife 
 
6o4 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 of Frank Dubberman and died in February, 
 1883, at the age of twenty-one years, leav- 
 ing one child, Herman; Henry, born March 
 15, 1863, is a well-known citizen of Martin 
 county; William, born December 16, 1864, 
 married Lena Manna and is now operating 
 the old homestead; they had two children, 
 John and August, the latter now deceased; 
 Minnie, born May 6, .1868, was married 
 February 15, 1888, to William Brandt and 
 with their children. Augusta and Otto, they 
 reside in Illinois; Hermann, born October 
 29, 1 87 1, is living with his brother William 
 on the old home farm. 
 
 John Henry Hilgendorf attended both 
 public and private schools in Chicago, and 
 by a good education was well fitted for the 
 practical duties of life. In 1885 his father 
 purchased a tract of land on section 18, 
 Waverly township, Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, of Messrs. Bullard & Peterson, of Fair- 
 mont. Up to this time our subject had re- 
 mained at home, but now he came to the 
 Gopher State to look after this land, arriv- 
 ing at his destination on the 2d of Septem- 
 ber. The farm comprises 190 acres of land, 
 of which forty-three acres is covered by a 
 beautiful lake. At once Mr. Hilgendorf 
 began to improve the place with fine build- 
 ings, and soon all the modern equipments 
 of a first-class farm were there seen. In 
 June, 1 89 1, he purchased another eighty- 
 acre tract, the west half of the northeast 
 quarter of section 20. and in the autuni of 
 1892 he bought the northeast quarter of 
 section 7 of the same township. Of this 
 property of 430 acres, 300 acres has been 
 placed under the plow and a beautiful grove 
 of three acres has been planted and casts 
 its grateful shade over the lawn and home, 
 protecting it from tiie hot summer sun. The 
 farm is now in a state of high cultivation. 
 
 and in addition to its improvement Mr. 
 Hilgendorf now devotes part of his time to 
 stock-raising, having on hand forty head of 
 hogs, fourteen head of cattle and si.x horses. 
 He devotes himself to his business interests, 
 and close attention to all details, systematic 
 methods and careful management, has made 
 him one of the substantial farmers of the 
 community. 
 
 On the loth of September, 1885, Mr. 
 Hilgendorf %\as united in marriage with Miss 
 Minnie Krueger, a daughter of Frederick 
 and Mary (Wagner) Krueger. Her father 
 was born December 25, 1830, and is num- 
 bered among the prominent farmers of Ga- 
 lena township, Martin county. Her mother 
 was a daughter of Fritz and Mary (Pruit) 
 Wagner, and was born September 18, 1844. 
 Mrs. Hilgendorf is the second in a family of 
 nine children, and her birth occurred Octo- 
 ber 15, 1866. Four children grace the 
 union of our subject and his wife: Emma, 
 born August 14, 1886; Elizabeth, born 
 March 12, 1888; Frederick, born January 
 12, 1890; and Augusta, born May 4, 1892; 
 and Clara, born February i. 1895. The 
 parents are both members of the Lutheran 
 Church and active workers in its interests. 
 The former was confirmed in Chicago, 
 March 24, 1872, by the Rev. August Wag- 
 ner, and the latter April 4, 1880, by the 
 Rev. William Boerner. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Hilgendorf is 
 a Republican and has served as Treasurer 
 of the School Board and as Supervisor of 
 the township. He is ever true to the best 
 interests of the community, and the neigh- 
 borhood finds in him one of its valued citi- 
 zens. From time innnemorial it has been 
 the custom to extol in story and in song the 
 valor of those who light on battle fields, but 
 it has been left to civilized nations to com- 
 
FARINAUI.T, MAirriX, \V A TON WAX AND JACKSON. 
 
 6oi 
 
 memorate the deeds of the heroes of blood- 
 less battles — of the man who bravelj' takes 
 up life's tasks and conscientiously performs 
 his duties looking for no other reward than 
 the approval of the Higher Power and of 
 his own conscience. To sucli men all honor 
 is due. though the world may not know of 
 their struggles and triumph. Glail indeed 
 we are to give the record of such a hero in 
 recording the sketch of John H(mu\- Ifil- 
 gendorf. 
 
 >^OSEPH HILGENDOKF, a farmer 
 m ofW'averly township, Martin county, 
 /• J was born at Oak I^awn, IlliniMS, .Au- 
 gust iS, 1 86 1, a son of Frederick 
 Hilgondorf. Joseph left home at the age of 
 eighteen years, after which he worked for 
 wages for a time, and for years farmed on 
 rented land. His father purcha.sed the 
 northwest quarter of .section 17, Waverly 
 to\vnship. Martin county, Minnesota, and 
 our subject bought tiie east half of the 
 northeast quarter of section 18, in 1891, 
 and he now farms both places. Mr. Ilil- 
 gendorf is one of the young and progressive 
 farmers of Martin county. He came with 
 his brothers from Illinois to this county to 
 obtain a broader field for the jiursuit of 
 their calling in life, — that of farming. Dur- 
 ing the past winter Mr. Hilgendorf and his 
 wife visited relatives and friends in their 
 former home in Illinois, where they spent 
 many pleasant weeks. 
 
 Our subject was married \\W\\ u, 1S85, 
 at Summit. Cook countj', Illinois, by Rev. 
 \\'. Hoholen, to Annie Kasten, a daughter 
 of Fred and Wilhelmina Kasten. The 
 father, born November 13, 1833, died .Au- 
 gust 5, 1894; and the imillur, li<)iu .\pril 
 
 19, 1837, still resides in Chicago. The 
 parents came to America May i, 1880, and 
 they had ten children, namely: Annie, born 
 April 26, 1862; Albert, born .August 28, 
 1863, is a carpenter in Chicago; Robert, 
 born .Ai)ril 19, 1868. resides in that city with 
 his mother; Bertha, born March 17, 1869, 
 married .August Harms, a farmer near Chi- 
 cago; and si.\ deceased in infancy. The chil- 
 dren born to Joseph and Annie Hilgendorf 
 are as follows: William John Henry, born 
 February 20, 18SC. died .April 1 S. of the same 
 year; Ida Hermiiia Marie, born February 
 15, 18S7; Fredrick Johann Martin, born 
 April 28, 1888, died September 13, follow- 
 ing; Henry Emil Hermann, born Septem- 
 ber 8. 1889; Martha Augusta Wilhelmina, 
 June 9, 1892; and Emil William Henry, 
 November 7, 1893. Mr. Hilgendorf was 
 confirmed in the Lutheran Church in Chi- 
 cago, March 29, 1874, by Rev. August 
 Wagner. Mrs. Hilgendorf was confirmed 
 at Lindcnburg, April 9. 1876, by Rev. Theo- 
 dore .Abel. 
 
 el.lSKIDCE LINCOLN BARNES. 
 one of the ]irosperous farmers and 
 worthy citizens of Jo Da\iess town- 
 slii|), Faribault county, Minnesota, 
 forms the subject of this article. 
 
 Mr. Barnes was born in Bowdoin, Maine, 
 March 4, 1852, one of a family of six chil- 
 dren of Elbridge G. Barnes. He and his 
 brother, Franklin P.. also of this township, 
 are the only ones of the family now living. 
 When Elbridge L. was three years of age, 
 his parents moved with their family to 
 Litchfield. Maine, and a short time later to 
 (jardner, same State, where the f;ither en- 
 gaged in mercantile pursuits. In 1858, re- 
 
6o6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 tiring from mercantile life, he settled on a 
 farm in Franklin county, Maine, and con- 
 tinued to reside there until i<S7i, when he 
 sold out and came to Minnesota, taking up 
 his abode in Jo Daviess township, Faribault 
 county. 
 
 Elbridge L. Barnes was nineteen at the 
 time he came with his parents to Minne- 
 sota, the greater part of his life w\> to that 
 time having been spent in farm work and 
 attendance at school. November 3, 1877, 
 he married Miss Lillian C. Carlton, daugh- 
 ter of James P. and Rebecca (Walker) Carl- 
 ton. In the Carlton family were twelve 
 children, she being one of the five who are 
 still living. Her parents were both natives 
 of New England, her father born in Haven, 
 New Hampshire. They came west to Min- 
 nesota in 1 86 1 and settled in Prescott town- 
 ship, Faribault county, where they are still 
 living, her father at the age of eighty-two 
 years and her mother at eighty. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Barnes have had four children, three 
 of whom are living, — Edwin Leroy, Aressa 
 Louise and Lura Cedora. 
 
 For one year after his marriage Mr. 
 Barnes lived in Martin county, this State, 
 and then four years in Wadena county. At 
 the end of that time he came back to Jo 
 Daviess township. That was in 1882, and 
 here he has since resided. In 1887 he 
 bought the farm on which he now lives, the 
 southeast quarter of section 15, at the time 
 of purchase being wild prairie without a build- 
 ing on it. To its cultivation and improve- 
 ment he at once devoted his energies, the 
 result being that to-day he has one of the 
 best 160-acre farms to be found in this re- 
 gion of country. This land cost him $8 per 
 acre, and it is now valued at many times 
 that amount. 
 
 Mr. Barnes takes a connnundable inter- 
 
 est in local affairs, and is now serving as 
 Roadmaster of his district. Fraternally, he 
 is a member of the A. O. U. W., Orient 
 Lodge, No. 34, of Blue Earth City. 
 
 >Y*UDGE CHARLES COOLEY, a 
 
 M prominent attorney at Madelia, Wa- 
 m 1 tonwan county, was born in Havre 
 de Grace, Harford county, Maryland, 
 November 24, 1848. His father, Daniel M. 
 Cooley, was born in the same place, in 1790, 
 and was a farmer and .soldier by occupation. 
 During the war of 1 8 1 2 he served as Quar- 
 termaster and Major of his regiment, having 
 entered the armj- at the age of twenty-two 
 years and took part in the entire struggle. 
 His death occurred at the age of seventy- 
 seven years. His father. Captain Cooley, 
 also born near Havre de Grace, Maryland, 
 was a farmer and surveyor, and a prominent 
 land and slave-owner. He served as a Cap- 
 tain in the Revolutionary war, under Wash- 
 ington, with whom he was well acquainted. 
 He died when comparatively a young man. 
 Captain Cooley was the father of fifteen chil- 
 dren, — two daughters and thirteen sons, — 
 man\' of whom became prominent in Mary- 
 land. One son. Dr. Lawson Cooley, early 
 in life became a resident of St. Louis. Mis- 
 souri, where he practiced his profession, 
 with marked success, for many years, and 
 was very largely interested in real estate and 
 mining transactions, being the first to de- 
 velop the iron mines of Missouri. 
 
 In a very early time in the history of the 
 West he started to Wisconsin on a pony, 
 which died soon afterward, leaving him to 
 make the journey on foot, which lie did in 
 the face of many difficulties and dangers. 
 He was obliged to stop a part t)f the time 
 with the Indians, and one night was enter- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AN/) JACKSON. 
 
 607 
 
 tained by the noted Chief Keokuk. During 
 the last few days of his journey he subsisted 
 on parched corn. He met, by appointment, 
 seven men from old Fort Dearborn, — now 
 Chicago, — at the present site of Milwaukee, 
 and was the first man to use a seine in lake 
 ^[ichi^:;an, and pre-empted 1,200 acres of 
 land where the city of Milwaukee now stands. 
 Leaving the land in charge of the men above 
 mentioned, who were in his employ, he re- 
 turned to his home in St. Louis. As he 
 never heard from any of the men afterward, 
 and believed they were murdered by the In- 
 dians, he never secured title to the land. 
 Some years later he died, in St. I^ouis, leav- 
 ing a large estate. 
 
 The mother of our subject, formerly 
 Harriet Wiles, was born in Havre dc Grace, 
 Maryland, in 18 14, of English and Irish de- 
 scent. She is still living, aged eighty 3'ears. 
 Daniel M. and Harriet Cooley were the par- 
 ents of nine sons, eight of whom grew to 
 manhood and six are still living, , namely: 
 William L., an attorney of Maryland; Am- 
 brose, engaged in agricultural pursuits in 
 that State; Daniel M., a railroad contractor; 
 Charles, the subject of this sketch; Lawson, 
 of Maryland; and George W. , a United 
 States mail agent. The deceased sons are: 
 Dr. John H., who died at the age of thirty- 
 one years; James A., who served as Judge 
 of Knox countj', Nebraska, from November, 
 1883, to June I, 1891, and died at the age 
 of forty-three years; and Edward, who de- 
 ceased in infancy. 
 
 Charles Cooley, the seventh son in the 
 above family, attended the connnon schools 
 of his native place, and afterward graduated 
 at the Newark Academy, in Delaware. His 
 brother James, who graduated at the same 
 time, delivered the valedictDry, and Charles 
 delivered the salutatory. The principal of 
 
 the academy was Edward D. Porter, after- 
 ward professor of the University of Miime- 
 sota and now professor of the Missouri Uni- 
 versity. In 1869 our subject began the 
 study of law, under the prcceptorship of H. 
 W. Archer, of Bel Air, Maryland, after 
 which he attended the Maryland University, 
 near Washington, one year; again studied 
 law in the office of Mr. Archer, and was ad- 
 mitted to the bar, in 1872, at Bel Air. In 
 the spring of 1S73 Mr. Cooley came to 
 Yankton, South Dakota, where he tried the 
 first case in the district court. In a short 
 time afterward he moved to Bon Homme, 
 that Territory, remaining there until 1876, 
 and during that time served as Sheriff of 
 that county, as District Deputy Clerk and 
 County .Attorney. In 1876 Mr. Cooley 
 located at Niobrara, Nebraska, and was 
 elected to the position of County Judge in 
 the following year; but in 1S83 he resigned, 
 in favor of his brother, James A., who held 
 the office till iSgr. Since 1883 our subject 
 has followed the practice of law in Madelia, 
 Minnesota, and for eight years has served as 
 Village Recorder. In political matters he 
 is a stanch Democrat. Socially, he is a 
 member of the I. O. O. F., Lodge No. i 16. 
 Judge Cooley was married in September, 
 1874, to Jennie Goddard, a native of Mon- 
 r<je, \\'isconsin, and a daughter of Alfred 
 and Jane C. (Chamberland) Goddard. Her 
 father was a pioneer settler of Monroe, 
 where he was for many years engaged in 
 merchandising. In 1 849 he left the busi- 
 ness in charge of his partner and crossed 
 the plains to California, where he spent two 
 years in mining, and then returned to Mon- 
 roe and resumed the mercantile business. 
 He purchased goods from General Grant, 
 with whom he spent many ]ileasant eve- 
 nings. Mrs. Cooley's grandfather. Colonel 
 
6o8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Chamberland. was a Colonel in a Pennsyl- 
 vania regiment during the war of 1812. Her 
 paternal grandfather was a Methodist min- 
 ister of Rutland, Wisconsin. Our subject 
 and wife have had four children: Jennie 
 May, born January 27, 1876, in Bon 
 Homme, Territory of Dakota: Charles R., 
 born November 9, 1877; Julia March 26, 
 1881; and Margaret, July 15, 1882, — the 
 last three being born in Niobrara, Nebraska. 
 
 eLl'.KIDGE GERRY HALL, 
 Huntley, Minnesota, is one of the 
 representative farmers, and lead- 
 ing citizens of \'erona township, 
 Faribault county, and has been identified 
 with the interests of this county since 1872. 
 
 Mr. Hall was born in Caledonia county, 
 Vermont, July 7, 1842. His father, Sam- 
 uel F. Hall, was a native of Connecticut and 
 the son of a Revolutionary soldier. The 
 Halls are of English origin and were among 
 the early settlers of Connecticut. The 
 maiden name of our subject's mother was 
 Calista Houghton. She was born in Cale- 
 donia county, Vermont, daughter of Abner 
 Houghton, who was a member of the 
 titled English family of Sir Ralph Hough- 
 ton, of Houghton Tower, England. Sam- 
 uel F. Hall and his wife lived for some 
 time in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but re- 
 turned to Vermont, and, in the Green 
 Mountain State, Mr. Hall died, leaving his 
 widow with two children, namely: Sylvester 
 H., now a pr<jminent citizen of Verona town- 
 ship; and Eibridge G., who, at the time of 
 his father's death, was only thirteen months 
 old. The mother subsequently became the 
 wife of David Goss. She died at St. Johns- 
 bury, N'ermfmt, at the ;igf of tifty-li\e years. 
 
 Eibridge G. Hall was reared to farm 
 
 life in his native State. For about ten 
 years he made his home with his uncle, 
 Harley M. Hall, a prominent dealer in line 
 sheep. August 25, 1862, the subject of our 
 sketch resjionded to Lincoln's call for " 300,- 
 000 more," and as a member of Company 
 H, T\velfth Vermont Regiment, went to the 
 front. He participated in many prominent 
 engagements, among which was the battle 
 of Gettysburg, and was honorably discharged 
 at Burlington, Vermont, July 14, 1863, 
 coming out of the service without injury 
 save some slight flesh wounds. 
 
 In 1S64 Mr. Hall went to Boston, Mas- 
 sachusetts, and engaged in the hotel busi- 
 ness, remaining there si.\ months. Then he 
 went to California, and in the Golden State 
 spent si.\ years, his time being divided be- 
 tween mining and the hotel business. He 
 returned to \'ermont in 1870, a year later 
 went to Colorado, visiting Georgetown and 
 Pike's I'L-ak, and there, as in California, 
 giving his attention to mining and hotel 
 business, and in 1872 came from Colorado 
 to Minnesota. Here he has since been 
 engaged in farming. Since 1884 he has 
 resided on his present farm of 240 acres in 
 Verona townshij). His land is well watered 
 by Center creek, and is adapted for general 
 farming and stock-raising. For some time 
 he has given special attention to the raising 
 of cattle and hogs. He has a large barn 
 54x60 feet in dimensions, a comfortable 
 frame residence, grove of seven acres, and 
 other valuable improvements iiiioii his land. 
 
 Mr. Hall was married February 13, 18S4, 
 to Orpha C. Hill, an educated and refined 
 lady and for some years a popular and suc- 
 cessful teacher. She was born in New 
 York, came west to Wisconsin with her 
 parents when she was two years old, and 
 since her ninth year has been a resident of 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONW A.\ AND JACKSON. 
 
 609 
 
 Minnesota. Her parents are Felix and 
 Julia (Hoover) Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Hall 
 have four children, namely: Leland Elbridge, 
 Ralph Houghton, l-'rank Uerfjan, and Flor- 
 ence Rosalie. 
 
 Mr. Hall is a supporter of the Republi- 
 can party, and a member of the I. O. O. F. 
 He is a man of broad and proj.jressive views, 
 frank and genial manner, and is as popular 
 as he is well known. 
 
 aH. PARK.— In the work of develop- 
 ing, improving and opening up to 
 civilization the county of Faribault, 
 Minnesota, this gentleman has 
 borne an important part. He has seen the 
 wild lands transformed into beautiful homes 
 and farms, and towns and villages spring up. 
 At the time of his arrival at Minnesota Lake 
 there were only four or five houses, and 
 where Wells is now it was then a bleak 
 prairie. In all the work of progress and 
 improvement he has borne his part, and 
 among the honored pioneers he well deserves 
 mention. 
 
 Mr. Park is a native of Windham county, 
 Vermont, born November 2, 1830, descend- 
 ing from sturdy New England stock. The 
 great-grandfather was the founder of the 
 family in America, and the grandfather, 
 Robert Park, was born in Connecticut. He 
 served in the Colonial army during the war 
 of the Revolution and was quite a large 
 slave-holder, receiving that property as a 
 part of his inheritance from his father's es- 
 tate. He gave these slaves their freedom 
 by their enlisting in the Revolutionary war. 
 The parents of our subject, Robert and 
 Hannah fFaulkner) Park, were bcjth natives 
 of Vermont, and the mother of the latter 
 was Ixirn in Acton, Massachusetts. The 
 
 great-grandmother Rice was a native of 
 
 Scotland. In the family of Robert and 
 Hannah Park were thirteen children, si.x 
 sons and seven daughters, of whom five are 
 still living. Elzina, the widow of S. O. 
 Davis, resides in Lake county, South Da- 
 kota; C. B., of this sketch, is the next 
 younger; Azriah P., who was formerly as- 
 sociated with our subject in business and 
 is now in professional circles in Wells, Min- 
 nesota; Abigail is now keeping house for her 
 brother; and Hezekiah A. is a business man 
 of Wells. Miss Abigail Park, who is now 
 keeping house for her brother C. B., has re- 
 sided in Minnesota since 18G7 aiid is a very 
 intelligent lad}' and entertaining conversa- 
 tionalist. She attended the common-schools 
 of her native county, — Windham county, 
 Vermont, — and greatly through her own 
 efforts fitted herself for teaching. She first 
 taught in the Grafton school of that county, 
 and after our subject came to the West she 
 with their mother followed him and became 
 one of the successful teachers of Dane coun- 
 ty, Wisconsin. She taught the first school 
 of Wells, and for three terms taught in 
 Minnesota Lake and eleven terms at Wilton, 
 making thirty-nine terms in ail. She pos- 
 sessed most excellent ability for that pro- 
 fession, having a happy faculty of imparting 
 readily and clearly to others the knowledge 
 she had acquired. Among her former pupils 
 are men now prominent in business and pro- 
 fessional circles who were greatly aided dur- 
 ing their earlier years by her instruction and 
 wise counsel. She now jiresides with grace 
 over the beautiful and pleasant home of C. 
 B. Park, and in this community her friends 
 are many. Their mother kept house for C. 
 B. till the time of her death, wliich occurred 
 November 3, 1875. Mr. Park's grand- 
 mother, Anna (Gibson) Park, was a native 
 
6io 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF TJIE COUNTIES OF 
 
 of England, and emigrated to this country 
 with her parents when six years of age. 
 
 C. B. Park attended the common schools 
 near his childhood's home, and through his 
 intercourse with men and affairs he has be- 
 come a man of more than average ability. 
 He was sixteen years of age at the time of 
 his father's death and the work of the farm 
 then devolved upon him. He faithfully dis- 
 charged his duties and gained an experience 
 that has been of much benefit to him. On 
 leaving the old home in the Green ^foun- 
 tain State he made his waj- westward, set- 
 tling in Dane county, Wisconsin, where his 
 brother had located the previous year. He 
 purchased eighty acres of land near the 
 Wisconsin river and resided there from 1856 
 until i860, when he removed to Sauk coun- 
 ty, that State. In 1865, with a horse and 
 buggy, he drove to his present home place, 
 coming by way of Prairie du Chien and Al- 
 bert Lea along the Cobb river to Minnesota 
 Lake, arriving May 22, 1865. He obtained 
 a homestead of [43 acres, securing the 
 papers for the same at the land office at 
 Winnebago City. The following year he 
 established a hardware store at Minnesota 
 Lake, and three jears later engaged in the 
 same business at Wells, with his brothers 
 Edmond and H. A., where the}- built the 
 first hardware store of that town. The 
 land wiiich he secured was entirely wild and 
 unimproved, but to-day it is a valuable 
 property, adorned with beautiful groves, 
 fitted up with good buildings and supplied 
 with clear sparkling water, all of wliich 
 makes this a very fine farm. 
 
 In 1867 Mr. Park was instrumental in 
 organizing the Independent Order of Good 
 Tcmph.rs and has served as deputy and 
 Worthy Chief. He has long been a promi- 
 nent and untiring worker in the field of tem- 
 
 perance, and all enterprises or interests cal- 
 culated to advance education and morality 
 
 I receive his support. He cast his first presi- 
 dential vote for ^^'infield Scott, and has 
 since been a supporter of the Republican 
 party and its principles. He has never 
 sought office, preferring to give his time 
 exclusively to his business affairs, but he 
 served for two years as Town Treasurer and 
 
 I has also filled school offices. He and his 
 sister hold membership in the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, and throughout the com- 
 munity in which they reside they are both 
 
 I widely and favorably known. 
 
 n 
 
 LLIAM GILLSON, an esteemed 
 [lionecr of Lake township, Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota, is a 
 native of Huntingdonshire, born 
 November 20, 1838, and is a son of William 
 and Phoebe (Coe) Gillson, and the second 
 in a family of seven boys, five of whom have 
 settled in the United States. George, who 
 located in tlie State of New York, afterward 
 moved to Dodge county, Wisconsin, set- 
 tling on the Crawfish river near Beaver 
 Dam. Here, in a sawmill, in 1863, he lost 
 his life. His widow and nine children sub- 
 scfjuently located a homestead on section i. 
 Walnut Lake township, where she still re- 
 sides with her sons, James and Lafayette. 
 Butler Gillson emigrated to America in 1865 
 and located on Minnesota Lake, where he 
 made his home with his brother John. He 
 subsequently took up a homestead on sec- 
 tion 16. 
 
 The subject of our sketch set sail on the 
 4th of March, 1 874, from Liverpool, with 
 Capt. I'reeman on the Silas Wright, a three- 
 masted sailing vessel on her first voyage with 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 611 
 
 about 400 passengers. After a stormy pas- 
 sage of forty-two days she cast anchor in 
 New York bay. In the company of John and 
 Tliomas Gillson the three brothers continued 
 their journey to Chicago, by wsy of the 
 New York Central & Hudson River Railroad. 
 On his arrival in Chicago William Gillson 
 found himself without money, but borrowed 
 some from his brother George, who, three 
 years previously, had come to this country 
 and settled near Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. 
 On securing the money he pursued his 
 journey to Beaver Dam, where, during 
 the winter following, he cut ties for a 
 railroad that was being built from that 
 place to Columbus. Subsequently with his 
 brother Robert he conditionally purchased 
 eighty acres of timber land, from which he 
 cut cord-wood, selling the same in Beaver 
 Dam for $1 per cord. This farm he traded 
 to an Iowa man for some land in that State, 
 but never saw the Iowa farm. While a 
 resident of Dodge county he was sadly im- 
 posed upon by sharpers and his money was 
 taken from him. In 1861, in company 
 with two brothers and a Mr. Pease and Mr. 
 Baker, he came to Faribault county, Min- 
 nesota, where he secured 160 acres on sec- 
 tions 2 and 10, Minnesota Lake township. 
 There was not a stick of timber on the claim 
 or a stone that could be utilized for any 
 practical purpose. On this claim he erected 
 a small frame shanty 12 x 16, the timber of 
 which came from Cobb river. This shanty 
 still stands, atul was located in the middle of 
 section 10, where Mr. Gillson resided until 
 1876, when he traded farms with N. J. 
 Kremer, wiio lived on section 36, where he 
 has since made his home. Soon after his 
 arrival he engaged in carrying the mail from 
 Minnesota Lake to Mankatu, and was in 
 this umiiloMMcnt about three years. There 
 
 was but one bridge between the two places, 
 and that was partly under water the greater 
 part of the year. 
 
 On removing to section 36 Mr. Gillson 
 built a very comfortable residence, which 
 has since been his place of abode. The 
 first j'ears of his residence in Minnesota 
 were particularly hard. There were no 
 home markets and he was compelled to haul 
 his grain many miles to find a place to sell. 
 In 1863 he hauled wheat with oxen to Hast- 
 ings, Minnesota, making five trips during 
 the season; in 1868 he made several trips to 
 Faribault, Rice county. On one occasion 
 he took fifty-si.\ bushels to St. Paul, expect- 
 ing to get a good price, probably $1.50 per 
 bushel; on his arrival, however, he received 
 only $.50! 
 
 On the I 5th of May, 1850, Mr. GilLson 
 was united in marriage with Miss Charlotte 
 Taylor, a native of Lincolnshire, England, 
 born in 1828. Five children came of this 
 union: George, born in Huntingdonshire, 
 England, is now a resident o.f Wells; Will- 
 iam Henr}', born in Allonsbury, \\'^eston, 
 Huntingdonshire, is also a resident of Wells; 
 Joseph, born in the same locality, died in 
 Dodge county, Wisconsin, a short time 
 after their arrival in America; Joseph, I)orn 
 in Dodge county, died in childhood, in Min- 
 nesota Lake township; Fannie N., who 
 married Calvin McNeal, a farmer of Clark 
 township, Faribault county, died in 1884. 
 Mr. Gillson was the first Pathmaster of 
 I three towns — Lura, Dimbar and Minnesota 
 Lake. He has never sought office and has 
 preferred to devote his time to agricultural 
 pursuits. He has been on the School 
 Board, and is a good friend of the public 
 schools. He brought the lumber from 
 Hastings and I'aribatilt for the erection of 
 the first schoolhouse in Minnesota Lake 
 
6l2 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 township. Politically he is a Republican, 
 and cast his first presidential vote for Abra- 
 ham Lincoln. He is a member of the 
 Methodist Church, but was reared in the 
 Church of Enghmd, his father being a Clerk 
 of the church in the village of Buckworth, 
 Huntingdonshire, for over forty years. His 
 mother likewise was a good Christian 
 woman and worker in the Sunday-school. 
 She died in i<S77. 
 
 Mr. Gillscjn was a conspicuous figure in 
 the Indian troubles in 1862. In his declin- 
 ing years he has laid by a competence, and 
 is still the owner of his valuable farm, which 
 yields to him a good income. No man in 
 the community is more widely known or en- 
 joys more the respect of his fellow towns- 
 men. 
 
 aHARLES WINZER, owner of the 
 Lone Tree Lodge anil first settler 
 of Weimar township, Jackson coun- 
 ty, was born in the State of Sa.xe- 
 Weimar, Germany, June 14, 1845, he having 
 been one of eight children of Christopher 
 and Maria B. (Hoffman) Win/er. Seven of 
 these children are living, the others besides 
 the subject of this sketch being the following: 
 Matilda, now Mrs. Herman Zippe, of Chi- 
 cago; Wilhelniina, the wife oi John C. V. 
 Boerner, of Buergel, Germany; .\melia, who 
 is married to Frederick E. Haupt, of Ollen- 
 dorf, Germany; Louise, the widow of (ieorge 
 C. Hecker, of Erfurt, Germany; Jacob Ernst 
 and Carl R., both of Nieiler/innneru, Ger- 
 many. The parents spent their lives in their 
 native country, where Mr. Winzer died, at 
 fifty-six years of age, and his w ife at the age 
 of seventy-three. 
 
 Charles Win/er, the subject of this 
 sketch, attended in boyinMnl ilie schools of 
 
 I his native land, and at seventeen years of 
 age came to this country, by himself. Upon 
 arriving at New York, after spending two 
 days in the cit}-, he enlisted in the One 
 Hundred and Seventy-third Regiment of 
 New "\'()rk N'ohmteer Infantry, in ('umpany 
 K. The regiment was transferred from New 
 York city to New Orleans, where they first 
 served under General Butler, and was later 
 transferred to Baton Rouge, taking part in 
 the Baton Rfjuge expedition and in several 
 
 ; engagements in Louisiana. During the sec- 
 ond day of their engagement at Port Hudson 
 Mr. Winzer was wounded and taken to the 
 hospital at Baton Rouge, where he remained 
 for nine months. Upon partial recovery he 
 was trausferreff to llic In\alid Corps, and 
 
 I later became a member of the celebrated 
 Twenty- second Regiment Veteran Reserve 
 Corps Band, with whom he served out the 
 remainder of his term. He was honorably 
 discharged at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio, 
 on November 2, 1865. 
 
 After leaving the service he removed to 
 Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, when, on May 20, 
 1866, he was married to Miss Ida M. Peter, 
 who also was a native of Germany, and a 
 daughter of Carl and Julietta (Brandes) Peter. 
 After remaining a short time in Wisconsin, 
 Mr. and Mrs. Winzer removed to Chicago, 
 where he engaged in the grocery business. 
 After continuing in that city until 1S69, not 
 being satisfied with the business conditions 
 there, he made a tour through Missouri, 
 Kansas, etc., and to Dulutli, Minnesota, 
 helping as carpenter to build u|) Duhith. 
 There were three houses here when he came 
 and about 200 when he left Dulutli. In the 
 fall of that year (1869), he came to Jackson, 
 this Stale, and settled on the east shore of 
 Heron lake, on section 26, taking up a 
 quarter section of Governuuuit land where 
 
Qi". ^a^. ^G^^/^Jar/f. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 6>5 
 
 he now lives, and known as Lone Tree 
 Lodf^e. Tliis name came from a f^igantic 
 solitary elm which stands near the home- 
 stead, a landmark for miles around. 
 
 Mr. Winzer, being the first settler in that 
 region, very naturally gave to the township 
 which was to be his future home the name 
 of his native State of Weimar. Meeting 
 with good success in business, he from time 
 to time added to his property here until the 
 land now owned in the family comprises 
 about 840 acres. As an instance of the en- 
 terprise and foresight of Mr. W'in/cr, it may 
 be said that during the tr}ing grasshopper 
 times he made a trip through the Southern 
 States, including Te.xas, in order to learn 
 whether there might be other more promis- 
 ing locations in which to settle, the result of 
 the trip being his return to Jackson county 
 fully satisfied that no better location could 
 be found, subsequent events fully justifying 
 his judgment. 
 
 In general politics he is well grounded in 
 the principles of the Republican party. In 
 local matters he has always been recognized 
 as one of the broad-minded men of this region. 
 For years he acted as Justice of the Peace, 
 and as member of the Hoard of Supervisors, 
 of which he has been chairman; also he has 
 been Town Clerk, etc. He is a member of 
 the Grand Army Post at Heron Lake, also 
 of Philadeli)hia Lodge, I. O. O. P., and of 
 the A. O. U. W. During the season of en- 
 tertainment Mr. and Mrs. Winzer entertain 
 friends from different points of the country, 
 many o\ the noted men of the Twin Cities 
 enjoying the hos]3italities of the "Lodge." 
 The children in their family are five in num- 
 ber, named as follows: Charles A. (the 
 first child born in the townshi])), Ernest K, , 
 Minnie, Daisy and Lena, — all of whom are 
 living ;it liomi-. 
 
 3id 
 
 at 
 
 II.LIAM H. KiiTZEBACK stands 
 ill the frjremost ranks of the busi- 
 ness men of Wells, where he is 
 extensively engaged in milling. 
 He is also cashier and manager of the Gre- 
 man .American State Bank, and with the 
 commercial interests of this locality his 
 name is inseparably connected. He pos- 
 sesses the true Western spirit, — the enter- 
 prise and energy which have placed the 
 West on a par with the older East. 
 
 Mr. Kctzeback was born in Shefferd, 
 province of Quebec, Canada, October 17, 
 I S3 5, and descends frf)m English and Hf)l- 
 lanfl ancestry. The paternal grandfather, 
 John Ketzeback, was bf)rn in Holland, and 
 during his boyhood came to this country with 
 his father's family, settling in the Mohawk 
 valley of the Empire State, where they were 
 numbered among the pioneers. When a 
 young man the grandfather went with a 
 colony to Canada, and, like the others, was 
 given 200 acres of land, the condition being 
 that he should locate upon it. He spent the 
 remainder of hisdajson that farm, his death 
 
 j occurring when he was about 100 years 
 
 \ of age. 
 
 ^ The father of our subject, Henry Ketze- 
 
 ! back, was the second in a family of nine 
 children, and was born in Canada, where 
 he lived until iiiicldir life. lie then came to 
 the United States, settling in Freej)ort, 
 Illinois, where he lived- for three \ears. re- 
 moving at the expiration <if that period to 
 Minnesota. He settled in Winona county, 
 taking up land from the Government, which 
 he continued to cultivate and improve for a 
 nundier of years. In 1861 he returned to 
 Canada, but after the clo.se of the Civil war 
 he again came to Minnesota, settling in 
 Medo township, Blue Earth county, where 
 
 I his iiniiK- \\:is throughout his remaining 
 
6i6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUXTIES OF 
 
 dnys. The family was noted for longevity, 
 and he died at the aj^e of eighty years. In 
 early life he had married Polly Biirnham, a 
 native of New Durham, New Hampshire, 
 and one of the nine children of John Burn- 
 ham, Sr. , also a native of the old Granite 
 State, where his entire life was passed. 
 He, too, was a centenarian at the time 
 of his death. His father, John Burn- 
 ham, Sr. , was born in Maine, and in early 
 years emigrated to New Hampshire. He 
 traced his ancestry in direct line back to 
 John Biirnham, the founder of the family in 
 America, who crossed the Atlantic from 
 England and settled in Maine long before 
 the Revolution. Mrs. Ketzeback died about 
 the year 1863. In her family were nine 
 children, si.\ of whom are yet living. 
 
 One of this number is the gentleman 
 whose name introduces this review, and we 
 now take up his personal history. He spent 
 his boyhood in his native land, and when 
 si.\ years of age was injured by a falling log, 
 which maimed him fur life. To some extent, 
 however, he recovered and throughout his 
 life has always been a very active and ener- 
 getic man. At the age of seventeen he 
 came to this country with his family and 
 lived in Illinois until twenty years of age, 
 when he became a resident of Winona 
 county, Minnesota, entering there a (juarter 
 section of land in Utica township. He gave 
 to Utica township its name, and was serv- 
 ing as judge of election when the State 
 organization was effected. His land he 
 continued to cultivate and improve until 
 1865, when he sold out and bought a farm 
 in Olmsted county. 
 
 Mr. Ketzeback was married in the city 
 of Winona, in 1862, to Phiiena Skillings, 
 daughter of William Skillings and a native 
 of Maine. Her grandfather was William 
 
 Skillings and his father was the owner of 
 a large part of the land on which the city of 
 Portland, Maine, now stands and which he 
 leased for ninety-nine years, the lease expir- 
 ing in 1894. Mrs. Ketzeback died in 1867, 
 leaving two children: Edith, who died in 
 childhood; and Eva, now the wife of Myron 
 Godding, the cashier of the Security State 
 Bank of Minnesota Lake. After the death 
 of his wife Mr. Ketzeback sold his farm and 
 for two years was unsettled. In January, 
 1869, he was again married, his second 
 union being with Amelia Ackerman. daugh- 
 ter of Captain Ackerman, who was born in 
 New York and for many years was master 
 of sailing vessels on the lakes. His chil- 
 dren were eight in number, and five children, 
 all still living, have been born to our worthy 
 subject and his estimable wife, namely: Cora, 
 wife of C. B. Hall, of Wells; Winnefred, 
 
 ! wife of Charles Todd, also of Wells; Archie, 
 Ray and Grace, who yet make their home 
 under the parental rf)of and are now attend- 
 ing school. 
 
 Upon his marriage in 1869 Mr. Ketze- 
 back settled in Ottawa, Le Sueur county, 
 
 \ Minnesota, where for three years he engaged 
 in the hardware business. He then sold 
 
 j out and turned his attention to farming, 
 owning a tract of land of 440 acres in Blue 
 
 I Earth county, which he cultivated and im- 
 
 I proved for three years, after which his occu- 
 pation was again changed, he buying a grist- 
 mill in Alma, where he carried on the mill- 
 ing business until October, 1885. At that 
 time he disposed of his .-Mma property and 
 came to Wells, making a permanent loca- 
 tion here. In connection with a partner he 
 purchased a mill property which had been 
 idle for eight years, remodeled it, put in the 
 latest improved machinery, and began the 
 manufacture of flour, turning out from 50 to 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 r-,,-7 
 
 125 barrels of flour per day. The business 
 rapidly and constantly increased, and facili- 
 ties were enlarged to meet the demand, 
 until the mill now has a capacitv of 250 
 barrels per day. In 1891 the firtn built an 
 elevator, one of the largest west of La 
 Crosse, which, together with the elevator 
 attached to the mill, gives a capacity of 80,- 
 000 bushels. In 1893, in connection with 
 Joseph Starkey, Mr. Ket/eback purchased a 
 mill at Mapleton with a capacity of 1 50 bar- 
 rels, and in addition to this he anticipates 
 building two more elevators in the summer 
 of 1895. To carry on this vast volume of 
 business it requires the services of twenty- 
 two men, and the pay-roll of the firm re- 
 quires $1,400 per month. Mr. Ketzeback's 
 success is probably due in a large measure 
 to his familiarity with the business in all its 
 details, a fact which makes him a most able 
 and careful manager. He is also a man of 
 systematic methods, painstaking and e.xact, 
 but never overbearing, and he has the con- 
 fidence and respect of all his workmen, 
 many of whom have long been in his em- 
 ploy. His laudable ambition is tempered 
 by conservatism, his progressive spirit is 
 guided by almost unerring judgment in busi- 
 ness affairs, and in consequence he has won 
 a success that has numbered him among the 
 wealthy citizens of his adopted county. As 
 a convenience to his other business, in the 
 fall of 1893 he organised the German Ameri- 
 can State Bank, in which he is nt)w serving 
 as cashier and manager, and from its incijii- 
 ency the establishment has proved a profit- 
 able venture. 
 
 The foundation of William Ket^eback's 
 career was laid in his boyhood days. His 
 father was a devout Christian, whose social 
 and business character was above reproach, 
 and during his children's early years it was 
 
 his custom to gather his family around the 
 altar in prayer. He instilled into their minds 
 lessons of truth and uprightness which have 
 never been forgotten and have proved the 
 guiding power of their lives. The mother, 
 too, left her influence for good upon the 
 family circle. She was a well-educated 
 lady, and for some time managed the busi- 
 ness affairs until turning them over to the 
 care of her son William, who at that time 
 was fifteen years of age. Thus while quite 
 joung he became familiar with business 
 principles and business men. Unlike many 
 men of extensive business interests, Mr. 
 Ketzeback finds time for religious work, and 
 is a member of the Presbyterian church. He 
 contributes liberally to the support of the 
 church, and is a very charitable and benev- 
 olent man. Suffering always arouses his 
 sympathy, which finds expression in sub- 
 stantial aid. This was largely shown in his 
 munificent gifts to the cyclone sufferers of 
 this vicinit}', and at this writing he is gath- 
 ering material for a car-load of clothing and 
 other much needed supplies for the sufferers 
 of Nebraska. He does not give ostenta- 
 tiously, but more after the spirit of the les- 
 son which says, "Let not your left hand 
 know what your right hand doeth." He is 
 accounted one of the enterprising, forcible 
 men of the day, e.xerting a marked influence 
 in the development of the community. 
 
 ffi.\KTi^■ L. HOUGEK, a farmer 
 of section 24, Center Creek town- 
 ship, Martin county, was born in 
 Dodge county, Wisconsin, Feb-' 
 ruary 24. 1851, a son of Hert and Bertha 
 (Tennesoiij Houger, natives of Norway. 
 They were married in their native country, 
 and came to America in 1S4S. They came 
 
6i8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 direct to Dodge county, Wisconsin, where 
 Mr. Houger purchased Goverinnont hind. 
 They came to Minnesota in the fall of 1865, 
 and January 3, 1866, located on a home- 
 stead in Center Creek township, Martin 
 county, which he improved. His death oc- 
 curred at the age of seventy years. Mrs. 
 Houger departed this life in Martin county, 
 at the age of seventy-one years. They were 
 the parents of four children: Thorne T. , 
 born in Norway in 1847, lived in this county 
 until 1890, since which time he has been a 
 resident of California; Matilda, born in 
 Dodge count}', Wisconsin, in 1849, is the 
 wife of A. A. Williams, a prominent farmer 
 and grain dealer of Faribault county; Mar- 
 tin L. , the subject of this sketch; and Gus- 
 tave H. ; born in Dodge count}', in 1853, is 
 engatred in agricultural pursuits in Chippewa 
 county, Minnesota. 
 
 Martin L. Houger came with his parents 
 to Martin county, Minnesota, at the age of 
 fifteen years, in 1 8G6, and remained at 
 home until twenty-one years of age. He 
 then worked by the month at farm labor un- 
 til he had saved $1,200, with which he pur- 
 chased the place he now owns. He now 
 has 320 acres of well improved land, where 
 he built a good two-story residence, at a 
 cost of $1,600, has erected good barns, the 
 largest being loox 160 feet, and made 
 many other substantial improvements. At 
 one time Mr. Houger made a specialty of 
 raising good stock. 
 
 January i, 1879, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Anna C. Johnson, born in Verona 
 townshi]), Faribault county, Minnesota, in 
 1858, a daughter of Rufus and Coralinn 
 (Williams) Johnson, early pioneers of this 
 county. They now nuike their home with 
 the subject of this sketch. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Houger have five children; Bertha, born in 
 
 1880; Emma, in 1883; Rufus, in 1886; 
 Royal, in 1891; and John Bidwell in 1894. 
 The family are members of the Freewill 
 Baptist Church, in which Mr. Houger has 
 served as Deacon and Trustee. He is a 
 prominent and active worker in the Prohibi- 
 tion party, and has served as Chairman of 
 the Board of Supervisors and in other posi- 
 tions of trust. 
 
 K^^ ALPH F. DRAKE.— The history of 
 I /«s^ our Ivevolutionary forefathers fur- 
 \ _ P nishes a source of inspiration and 
 help, but the records of the citizens 
 of to-day contains much that is none the 
 less profitable and beneficial if we would 
 luLil the obvi(nis lessons therein contained. 
 Although surroundings may differ the essen- 
 tial conditions of human life are ever the 
 same, and the enterprise and industry of the 
 business man of to-day is as well worthy of 
 emulation as the perseverance and resolu- 
 tion of him who lived in Cok)nial days. The 
 life of Mr. Drake perhaps would be consid- 
 ered an uneventful one, yet it is not without 
 its points of interest, as is that of every hon- 
 est man who has done his duty to his coun- 
 tr}', his neighbor and himself. 
 
 He has the distinction of being the first 
 white child born in Freeborn county, Min- 
 nesota, the date of that event being July 30, 
 1856. His father, James Martin Drake, 
 was born in Massachusetts in 1812, and re- 
 sided there until the spring of 185C, when 
 he came to the West and settled in Free- 
 born county, Minnesota, where he remained 
 for seven years, when he came to Faribault 
 county. Here he entered from the Govern- 
 ment a claim of 160 acres on section 22, Fos- 
 ter township. He was also one of the earlier 
 settlers of this section of the Slate and devel- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 Cti() 
 
 oped the wild tract of land into one of the 
 finest farms in the county. Upon the home- 
 stead he spent his remaininf:; days, and there 
 departed this life on the 30th of June. 1876, 
 at the age of sixty-eiRht years. While in 
 the East he had engaj^ed in merchandising, 
 but after coming to Minnesota took up agri- 
 cultural pursuits and became one of the lead- 
 ing and influential farmers of the community 
 in which he made his home. He was always 
 public-spirited and aided in the advancement 
 of those interests which were calculated to 
 promote the general welfare and add to the 
 to the general prosperity. For many years 
 he served as Clerk of Foster township, and 
 was also Justice of the Peace. In politics 
 he was a stanch Republican through a long 
 term of years. In early life he was an earn- 
 est member of the Congregational Church, 
 and while living in the West was actively 
 associated with the Presbyterian Church, 
 taking a deep interest in the cause of Chris- 
 tianity, and doing all in his power for its 
 promotion. Ere leaving his native State he 
 married Sarah Nutting, who died a number 
 of years before him, on the 8th of October, 
 1883, at the age of sixty-four years. Both 
 the Drake and Nutting families resided in 
 New England for many generations. 
 
 The parents of our subject had a family 
 that numbered nine children, eight of whom 
 are yet living, as follows: Francis E., a 
 Methodist minister, now living in the State 
 of Washington; Walter H., also a Method- 
 ist minister in Washington; Sarah N., wife 
 of George Hopp, a resident of Martin cotmty, 
 Minnesota; Helen S., wife of Angus Mr- 
 Giness, of Washington; Ruth N., wife of C. 
 A. Weeks, of Albert Lea, Minnesota; John 
 H. ; Jesse F. , a resident of Fort Dodge, 
 Iowa, and Ralph F., who completes the 
 family. 
 
 The last named is the subject of this re- 
 view. His early life was spent on the old 
 faniil}- homestead in Foster township, and 
 he was reared amid the wild scenes of the 
 frontier, for this locality was then almost on 
 the western bnuiidary of civilization. lie 
 aided in the labors of the farm as soon as 
 he was old enough to handle the plow and 
 continued to gi\e his father the benefit of 
 his .services until eighteen years of age, when 
 he began earning his own living by working 
 for others. Throughout his entire life he 
 has carried on agricultural pursuits, and to- 
 da\- is the owner of a tine farm of 200 acres, 
 which he has under a high state of cultiva- 
 tion, raising the various cereals which are 
 adapted to this climate. He also keeps on 
 hand twenty cows for dairy purposes, and 
 is one of the projectors of the Foster Co- 
 operative Dairy Association, of which he is 
 the secretary. The association has now 
 passed the experimental stage and is on a 
 safe, financial basis, proving a splendid in- 
 vestment and )'ielding to the stockholders an 
 excellent dividend. Mr. Drake has excellent 
 ability as a manager and his close attention 
 to all the details of his business, combined 
 with energy and enterprise, have made him 
 one of the most successful farmers of Fari- 
 bault county. 
 
 On the 29th of .Xjiril, 1873, was cele- 
 brated the marriage of Mr. Drake and Miss 
 Emma L. Goetz, a native of Wisconsin and 
 a daughter of F. M. Goetz, who had a large 
 family of children. Mr. and Mrs. Drake 
 have three children, Corena A., Ernest 
 Lloyd and Luella Lydia. The eldest is now 
 a student in the Presbyterian College in .\1- 
 bert Lea, Minnesota. The family is one t)f 
 note in this locality, and the members of 
 the hou.schold occupy enviable i>ositions in 
 the social circles in whicii i1k\ move. In 
 
620 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE CObWTlES OF 
 
 politics Mr. Drake is an inflexible supporter 
 of the Republican party, and socially is con- 
 nected with the Ancient Order of United 
 Workmen, belonfifing to the lodge in Wells. 
 
 VOI.NEY W. TULLOCK. one of 
 the representative citizens of Jack- 
 son county, was born near Rock- 
 ford, Winnebago count)", Illinois, 
 December 2 1, 1856, a son of George Tul- 
 lock, a shoemaker by trade, who was born, 
 reared and educated in Scotland, and was a 
 member of a family noted for its industry 
 and honesty. At the age of twenty-five 
 years he removed to Chicago, then a small 
 place, and went thence to Rockford, where 
 he followed his trade for a time. He mar- 
 ried Mary Ann Milne, a native also of Scot- 
 land, who came to the United States at the 
 age of twenty years. They had nine chil- 
 dren, si.N of whom are now living: Maggie, 
 William, Emma, Alonzo, V'olney W. and 
 George. The deceased children were: Alex- 
 ander, Albert and Orlando. The mother 
 departed this life in October, 1890, aged 
 seventy-eight years. The father still re- 
 sides near Rockford, also aged seventy-eight 
 years. He was one of the early pioneers of 
 the county, and in an early day he hauled 
 wheat bo Chicago, a distance of 100 miles. 
 In political matters he was formerly a Re- 
 publican, but now endorses the People's 
 part\-. 
 
 \'. W. Tullock, the subject of this sketch, 
 was early inured to farm labor. At the age 
 of twenty-six years he purchased eighty acres 
 of land in Illinois, but in 1886 he exchanged 
 that farm for his present place in Jackson 
 count)-. Minnesota. He is a member of the 
 Rej)ul)lican party, and has served as a mem- 
 ber of the School Board. 
 
 December 19, 1879, at Rockford, Illi- 
 nois, he was united in marriage with Mary 
 
 Florence Eames, a native of \\'heaton, Du- 
 
 I 
 
 Page county, Illinois, but reared and edu- 
 '•' cated in Michigan. Her father, Phineas 
 Eames, was a native of Maine, who moved to 
 Illinois when a young man, and was married 
 there to Matilda Emerson, who was born in 
 Lombard, DuPage county. Her father was 
 one of the early pioneers of that locality. 
 Phineas'Eames and wife had ten children, 
 j six of whom died in childhood in Wheaton. 
 The mother, a son and a daughter died in 
 the great fire of October, 1871, and the 
 father died at Lombard, Illinois, in 1872, 
 from injuries received in that fire. Mrs. 
 Tullock is the only one of her father's fam- 
 ily now living. One sister, Nettie, died in 
 California, in 1891, at the age of thirty-two 
 years. Mr. and Mrs. Tullock have four 
 children, namely: Warren Milne, born 
 December 21, 1883; George Albert, born 
 May 27, 1886; Clark, August 6, 1888; and 
 Ella May, April 12, 1891. 
 
 H1;R.\M BUTTERFIELD, a farmer 
 of section 29, Prescott township, 
 I'aribanlt county, was born near 
 Toronto, Canada, March 2, 1844, a 
 son of Daniel and Lucinda (Fuller) Butter- 
 field, natives respectively of New York and 
 Connecticut, and were both members of old 
 and prominent families. They located in 
 Macomb county, Michigan, and afterward 
 removed to Lapeer county, that State, 
 where the father still resides, aged eighty- 
 four years. He is a farmer and carpenter 
 by trade. The mother departed this life at 
 the age of eighty-four years. They were 
 the parents of six children, three sons and 
 three daughters, all now living. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 621 
 
 Abram Butterfield, the younfjest in order 
 of birth, and the only one in this State, en- 
 listed for service in the late war Aufjiist 27, 
 1862, in the Fifth Michij^an Cavalry, Com- 
 pany D, under Colonel Copeland and later un- 
 der Colonel Alfjcr. The regiment made a brill- 
 iant and gallant record, and participated in 
 the battles of Gettysburg and the Wilder- 
 ness, in General Kilpatrick's raid on Rich- 
 mond, in General Sheridan's raid, in the 
 Shenandoah \'alley campaign, ami in many 
 other engagements of the Army o{ the Po- 
 tomac. Mr. Butterfield was twice wounded, 
 at Gettysburg and Trevilian Station. After 
 returning from the army he followed farm- 
 ing in Lapeer county, Michigan, until i S74, 
 when he located on his present farm, then 
 unimproved land. He now owns 160 acres 
 of good farming laud, where he has made 
 man\- improvements. 
 
 Mr. Butterfield was married in Michi- 
 gan, March 4, 1874, to Sarah Ensign, a 
 native of Macomb county, that State, and 
 a daughter of R. E. and Jane (Hotham) 
 Ensign, the former a native of New York 
 and the latter of English parentage. Her 
 death occurred at the age of thirty-three 
 years, leaving three children, one son and 
 two daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Butterfield 
 also have three children, — Harley W., Ma- 
 bel L. and Orwell C. Politirallx', our 
 subject indorses the Republican party, and 
 socially, is a member of the G. A. R. and 
 A. O. U. \V. 
 
 aHAREES W. THAYER, a well-to- 
 do and highly respected farmer of 
 Barber township, Faribault county, 
 Minnesota, has been indentified 
 with this place since 1869. A brief review 
 of his life gives the following facts: 
 
 Charles W'. Thayer was born in Jeffer- 
 son county, \Visconsin, November 23, 1845, 
 son of Captain Manley and Orrisa (Thayerj 
 Thayer, both natives of Lewis county, New 
 York. His father was Captain of militia in 
 the Empire State. Some time after their 
 marriage the Captain and his wife came 
 West and settled in Jefferson county, Wis- 
 consin, near Lake Mills, where they spent 
 the remainder of their lives and died, her 
 death occurring at the age of forty-seven, 
 and his at eighty-seven. They had a family 
 of eight children, five daughters and three 
 sons, namely: Clarissa, Julia, .Andrew, 
 Sophrona, Lydia, Eli, Charles, and Jennie. 
 
 His father being a farmer, Charles was 
 reared to farm life, and in the common 
 schools of his native State received a fair 
 education. When the Civil war broke out 
 he was a boy in his 'teens, but before its 
 close he volunteered his service in defense of 
 the Union, enlisting in September, 1864, in 
 the First Wisconsin Heavy Artillery, and was 
 stationed near Washington, District of Co- 
 lumbia. The war over, he' was honorably 
 discharged and returned to his home m Wis- 
 consin. He continued to reside in Wiscon- 
 sin until 1869, when he came to Minnesota 
 and settled on eighty acres of land in Barber 
 township, Faribault county. Here he built 
 a rude shanty and began life in true pioneer 
 style, and here as the years passed by pros- 
 perity attended his efforts. He has increased 
 his landed estate to 400 acres. The small 
 house he at first occupied is now used as a 
 wood-shed, and his present commodious 
 residence, built in 1S91, at a cost of $2,600, 
 is a most delightful home, comjilete in all 
 its equipments. He also has a large barn, 
 windmill and other improvements, and 
 among tiie attractive features of his place is 
 a fine grove of seven acres. For a number 
 
62 2 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 of years Mr. Thayer has operated a thresher 
 during the threshing seasons, and is one of 
 the best known and most popular men in 
 this line of business in the State of Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Thayer was married April 15, 1867, 
 to ^fiss Sarah McCort. who was born in St. 
 I^awrence county. New York, daughter of 
 Michael and Elizabeth (Fisher; McCort, the 
 former a native of the north of Ireland and 
 the latter of Scotland. Mrs. Thayer spent 
 the first si.xteen years of her life in New 
 York, and then came West with her parents 
 to Wisconsin. Her father lived to the ad- 
 vanced age of ninety-three years; her mother 
 died at the age of seventy-five. They had 
 twelve children, five sons and seven daugh- 
 ters. Three of the sons, John, Peter and 
 George, were soldiers in the late war. 
 George participated in sixteen battles, was 
 in prison nine months, and after the war re- 
 turned to Wisconsin, where he now lives, a 
 respected citizen of Jefferson county. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Thayer have four children, viz.: 
 Jennie, wife of Charles L. Smith; Manley, 
 attending college at Mankato, Minnesota; 
 and Blanche and Nelly, at home. Mrs. 
 Smith is an expert musician. 
 
 In his political views Mr. Thayer har- 
 monizes with the Republican party. He has 
 served as Supervisor. Fraternally, he is 
 identified with the G. A. K. and the A. O. 
 U. W. He is in the prime of life, is frank 
 and genial in his intercourse with his fellow 
 men, and is as highly respected as he is well- 
 known. 
 
 >Y»OHN HENRY F K Ii: 1) R I C H 
 i POPPE, residing in Lake Belt 
 /• 1 township, is numbered among Mar- 
 tin C(junty's exemplary farmers. He 
 was born in Hanover, Germany, February 
 
 10, 1847, and is a representative of one of 
 the old families of that country. His father, 
 Christopher Poppe, was born on the 15th 
 of June, 18 1 5, and is the fourth in a family 
 of six children, the other members of the 
 family being Frederick, William, Henry, 
 William and Mary Ann. He is the only 
 one that found a home in America, and he 
 is now living in Fullersburg, DuPage county, 
 Illinois. He wedded Mary Cook, daughter 
 of Frederick Cook, who visited this country, 
 but afterward returned to the Fatherland, 
 where his last 'days were passed. Of his 
 family, numbering three daughters, Mrs. 
 Poppe was the eldest. The others were 
 Dorothea and Wilhelmina. The former be- 
 came the wife of Frederick Volker and died 
 in Germany, leaving two children, Louisa 
 and Soi)hie. The latter wedded Chris 
 Thelie and departed this life at her home in 
 Proviso, Illinois, also leaving two children, 
 Henry and Sophie. Her husband after- 
 ward married Margareta Lowrence. 
 
 Christopher Poppe, father of our subject, 
 bade adieu to friends and native land in 
 1868 and joined his two oldest sons, who 
 some years previous had come to the United 
 States and were living in Proviso, Illinois. 
 There Mr. Poppe purchased property and 
 has since resided, one of the highh' respected 
 citizens of that community. In 1881 he 
 was called upon to mourn the loss of his 
 wife, who passed away on the 3d of April, 
 1880. The members of their family are as 
 follows: Henry Frederick William, born 
 July 4, 1844, now living near Elgin, Illi- 
 nois, learned both the trades of mason and 
 butcher. He was joined in wedlock with 
 Mary Glaser and had one child, Henry, who 
 died in infancy. John Henry Frederick is 
 the second of the family. Charlie, who 
 makes his home uith his father, married 
 
J'ARlIiAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 623 
 
 Lena Meyer and they have two children, — 
 Bernhardt and an infant daughter. Louisa 
 Ann, born June 15, 1S62, was married I'eb- 
 ruary 1 5, 1890, to Charles Dolasky, of Pull- 
 tiian, Illinois, where he is employed by the 
 Pullman Palace Car Company. Their son 
 bears the name of Edward. Herman, who 
 completes the family, was born in July, 
 1864, and is a mechanic now livinf( in San 
 Francisco. 
 
 At the age of fifteen Mr. Pop])e started 
 out in life for himself and was employed 
 much of the time as a waiter in a hotel. 
 At the ajje of nineteen he started out to try 
 his fortune in America, having heard of the 
 superior advantages and privileges which the 
 New World afforded to youn^ men. Ac- 
 companied by his brother Henr}' he sailed 
 from Bremen on the 4th of May, 1866, and 
 on the 17th of the same month landed at 
 New York, where he first set foot on Ameri- 
 can soil. They made their way across the 
 country to Proviso, Illinois, where they had 
 an uncle living, and there our subject began 
 working for wages as a farm hand. In the fall 
 of 1 877 he rented a farm of O. J. Stowe, upon 
 which he lived until the spring of 1886. On 
 the iSth of June, 1884, he purchased of W. 
 H. Hansen the farm on which he now re- 
 sides, and on the 5th of March, 1886, he 
 came to Martin county, where he has since 
 made his home. He rented a farm belong- 
 ing to Aron Johnson and continued its ctd- 
 tivation until March 15, 1889, when he re- 
 moved upon his own farm. In the mean- 
 time he had erected a number of buildings 
 of a substantial kind, and he now has 160 
 acres of valuable land, of which 125 acres 
 is broken and yields to the owner a golden 
 tribute in return f<jr the care and cultivation 
 he bestows upon it. A two-acre grove adds 
 to the beauty and value of the place, and 
 
 on the farm are forty head of hogs, fifteen 
 head of cattle, and four horses. 
 
 The lady who shares the name and for- 
 tunes of Mr. Poppe was in her maidenhood 
 Wilhelmina Christina Meyer, and, on the 
 3d of January, 1870, she gave her hand in 
 marriage to the gentleman whose name 
 heads this review. She was born January 
 3, 1855, and is a daughter of Ludwig and 
 Dora (Kemannj Meyer. Her father was 
 born June 5, 1820, and died September 8, 
 
 1880. She lost her mother when only four 
 years old, and her brother, the only other 
 child of the faniih', William by name, who 
 was born July 30, 1S53, died September 12, 
 1883. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Poppe 
 are as follows: Friderich Christopher Lud- 
 ovic Carl, who was born August 7, 1877, 
 and was confirmed March 26, 1893, at 
 Welcome, Minnesota, by Rev. C. G. Eisen- 
 berg; Edward Carl George Friderich, born 
 May 29, 1879, died August 11, 1880; Rosa 
 Louisa Sophia Frederica Maria, born Feb- 
 ruary. 15, 1881, and confirmed April 17, 
 1895, at Welcome, by the same minister; 
 Emil William Henry, born March 25, 1882: 
 Lewis Carl Hermann, born September 11, 
 1883; Carl Diedrick William, born Septem- 
 ber 8, 1885; Hermann George Heinrich, 
 born February 7, 1888; Anna May Lena 
 Margaret, born March 9, 1890; Heinrich 
 Gottfred, born March 26, 1891; Edward 
 Diedrich, born November 21, 1893. Of 
 the Lutheran Church, the parents are worthy 
 members. The father was confirmed at 
 Rodewato, Hanover, Germany, in March, 
 
 1 88 1, by the Reverend Kandelhart; and the 
 mother, at Proviso, Illinois, April 5, 1868, 
 by the Rev. I). M. Zuger. 
 
 Mr. Poppe is truly a self-made man and 
 all who know him honor him for his uj)right 
 career. He has been a hero in the blood- 
 
624 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 less battles waged with poverty, hardship, 
 and almost insurmountable obstacles, and has 
 come out conqueror in the strife. His hope 
 of bettering his financial condition in Amer- 
 ica has been realized, and he needs never 
 regret the step which he took in 1 866, when 
 he left the Fatherland and came to the New 
 World, for it has furnished him a pleasant 
 home, a comfortable competence and many 
 warm friends. 
 
 ftl 
 
 K. II.XSKIN, a prominent farmer 
 near \\'ells, has been a resident 
 here ever since 1866. He was 
 born on the south bank of the 
 , at Murrayxille, West \'irginia, 
 1838, a son of Riley Haskin, a 
 
 Ohio river 
 August 26, 
 
 native of Canada and a son of James Haskin, 
 who was an Englishman that fled from Can- 
 ada to the United States in Revolutionary 
 times to avoid persecution by the Tories. 
 He was reared on the east shores of Lake 
 Erie, in New York State. His father, 
 James, died in the State of New York. 
 
 Mr. Riley Haskin went to Ohio when a 
 young man, and at Rome, Geauga county, 
 Ohio, married Christina Sloat, a native of 
 Ashtabula county, that State, and of Ger- 
 man ancestry. A short time after his mar- 
 riage he went to Murrayville, Virginia. By 
 trade he was a ship carpenter. In 1855, 
 when the subject of this sketch was a boy, 
 the family came to this State, by way of the 
 Ohio and Mississippi rivers, laruiing at 
 l^rowns\i!le, this State. Proceeding to Fill- 
 more county, the father took a claim; but 
 subsequently he went to Boulder City, Col- 
 orado, where he now resides, aged eighty- 
 three years; his wife is eighty-two years old, 
 and they have been married lifty-five years. 
 They had nine children, as follows: Alfred, 
 
 who was a soldier in the Sixth Minnesota 
 Infantry in the late war, and died in Te.xas; 
 W. R. , who is the immediate subject of this 
 biography; Sarah J.; Hester Ann; James 
 Monroe, who also was in the last war, a 
 member of Company K, Fourth Minnesota 
 Infantry, and died in the service; Silas is 
 now a resident of North Park, Colorado; 
 Clinton, who died in Missouri; Ella and Ad- 
 die. Mr. Riley Haskin is a Republican, and 
 both himself and his wife are members of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mr. W. R. Haskin was brnught up on a 
 pioneer farm in Fillmore county, this State, 
 receiving a common-school education. Dur- 
 ing the war, August 12, 1861, he enlisted 
 in Company K, Second Minnesota Infantry. 
 After a brief sojourn at Fort Snelliiig the 
 men were ordered to Washington, District 
 of Columbia, but at Pittsburg, on their way, 
 they were ordered back to Louisville, Ken- 
 tucky, and toward the front, and subse- 
 quently engaged in the battle of Mill Springs, 
 that State. They were within hearing of 
 the battle of Shiloh, and on the next day 
 after that battle they aided in the burial of 
 the dead on that battle-field and care of the 
 wounded. At the battle of Chickamauga, 
 September 20, 1864, he was captured, and 
 was held for six days, with no food. He 
 and two others escaped, but at the foot of 
 Lookout mountain he was recaptured and 
 taken to the headquarters of Generals Beau- 
 regard and Biickner; and thence he was 
 conveyed on to Ringgold, Georgia, and to 
 Atlanta, where he was confined in a bull- 
 pen for five days, and was then taken to 
 Libby prison, where he was confined for two 
 months. Next he was taken to Danville, 
 \'irginia, where he was kept in a tobacco 
 shed and warehou.se, and then taken to An- 
 dersonville and kept there from April to 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON, 
 
 62: 
 
 September, suffering the indescribable hor- 
 rors of that awful place; but he kept up his 
 spirits, making rings and selling them to the 
 guards. From Andersonville he was trans- 
 ferred to Charleston, South Carolina, and 
 then to Florence stockade, where, February 
 28, 1865, he was exchanged and taken to 
 Wilmington by ship and thence to Annapo- 
 lis, Maryland. .'\t one time he was laid out 
 as dead among the corpses, but the men in 
 charge, discovering that life was cjbservable 
 in him, took him to a hospital. At that 
 time he weighed onl}' one hundred pounds. 
 Thus Mr. Haskin has had an unusual amount 
 of experience in rebel prisons. He was 
 granted a furlough home, but he never re- 
 covered sufficiently to return to army life. 
 He was honorably discharged here in Min- 
 nesota, by a special order from the Adjutant 
 of the State at St. Paul, June 14, 1865. 
 
 October 10, 1866, he married, came to 
 Faribault county and took a homestead of 
 240 acres, which is now a very valuable 
 farm. Here he has a good dwelling, sur- 
 rounded by a grove of six acres and sub- 
 stantial farm buildings. 
 
 For his wife he married Miss Margaret 
 Graham, a native of Hancock county, Ohio, 
 and a daughter of James M. Graham, also a 
 native of that State, and Susan Willford, 
 also a native of the Buckeye State. She 
 died April 8, 1895, at the age of eighty-one 
 years. The father died at the age of fifty 
 years. They came to Minnesota in 1854. 
 They had eight children, — Catharine, George 
 W. (a soldier in the late war), Campbell 
 (also in the last war, in the heavy artillery), 
 Margaret, John W., Elmer, Edna and 
 Granville. Mr. Haskin, the subject of this 
 sketch, has had eleven children, namely: 
 Granville Monroe, who married Laura Har- 
 per, Ida M. . who married Peter Bierie, and 
 
 died December 27, 1893, leaving two sons, 
 — Ru.ssell B. and Orley Peter, who arc now 
 living with their grandparents. The others 
 are Orley C, Silas M., Aldebert E., Ady 
 Amy, John W., William S.. Edy Lee, Guy 
 Kiley and Ethel \'. 
 
 Mr. Haskin is a Republican. He has 
 been Supervisor, Assessor, Township Clerk, 
 member of the School Board, and is now 
 Justice of the Peace. Both he and his wife 
 are members of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, in which religious body he is Stew- 
 ard and Sunday-school Superintendent. He 
 is also a member of Ransom Post, No. \(i^, 
 G. A. R., and of the A. O. U. \V. 
 
 \,/^ l'\ • GIDEON A. BL'RGESS, A. 
 |/«^ M., B. D., President of Parker 
 £ . P College, Winnebago City, Minne- 
 sota, son of Albert Williams and 
 Mary B. (Williams) Burgess, was born in 
 Providence, Rhode Island, May 29, 1854. 
 He was descended through both parents 
 from Roger Williams, and by paternal de- 
 scent from Rev. Samuel Winsor, father and 
 son, who held the pastorate of the First 
 Bajitist Church, Providence. 1732-71. For 
 three generations of his father's family his an- 
 cestors have been prominent in politics, 
 being several times elected to both houses of 
 the Rhode Island Legislature. His father's 
 cousin is Hon. Capt. Nelson W. Aldrich, 
 LL. D., of the United States Senate. 
 
 He graduated at the Providence high 
 school in 1874, Brown University in 187S, 
 and at Cobb Divinity School, Lcwiston, 
 Maine, in 1881. He preached at several 
 places in Maine, and at Lawrence, Massa- 
 chusetts, was ordained in 1S82, and held 
 a pastorate of six years at Grecinille, Kluxle 
 Island, where he married Miss Emma \. 
 
626 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Steere. He became' pastor at Minneapolis, 
 Minnesota, January i, 1889, and eighteen 
 months later was elected President of Parker 
 College. In college he had marked ability 
 in the mathematics and in the sciences. He 
 is recognized as an able speaker and en- 
 thusiastic instructor, and a talented business 
 manager and director. The college has 
 had marked success under his presidency. 
 He has held man\' important positions of 
 usefulness and honcjr under his denomina- 
 tion, and is one the two authors of the Free 
 Baptist Cyclopedia. 
 
 The Free Baptist denomination, through 
 its representative assemblies and committees, 
 co-operating with the citizens of ^^'in^ebago 
 City, founded Parker College. In October, 
 18S6, at Marion, Ohio, the Twenty-si.xth 
 General Conference of North America au- 
 thorized the Western Association to "accept 
 the aid of the citizens of Winnebago City 
 and proceed at once to plant a college in 
 the new West." Accordingly the Western 
 Association at Waterloo, Iowa, in February, 
 1887, instructed its trustees to take action. 
 The college was incorporated in May, 1887, 
 with power to hold property and to confer 
 the usual educational degrees. The forty 
 acres of campus and the thirty acres of Col- 
 lege Addition was the gift of Winnebago 
 City. Of the $20,000 used in the erection 
 of College Hall, $12,000 was the donation 
 of the citizens. The fine brick building, with 
 capacious, well lighted rooms, was dedicated 
 in September, 1888, and the college began 
 its noble work amid enthusiasm and cheers. 
 Over one hundred were in its halls during 
 the first year. In May, 1891, the endow- 
 ment of the theological chair by the gather- 
 ing of $15,000 met Mr. L. I). Parker's con- 
 ditions, and the college received from that 
 worthy patron as endowment real estate and 
 
 money to the value of $40,000. Several 
 thousand dollars in notes and money have 
 also been received toward the endowment 
 of the trustee's chair. 
 
 Parker College is located in Winnebago 
 City, Faribault county, Minnesota, a thriv- 
 ing town of 1,500 inhabitants, without 
 saloons, and with good church privileges, at 
 the junction of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. 
 Paul and the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis 
 & Omaha railways, insuring easy access from 
 every direction. The city of Winnebago is 
 near the State line of Minnesota and Iowa, 
 and is about i 50 miles each from Wisconsin 
 and South Dakota. Within the radius of 
 one hundred miles there is no similar institu- 
 tion of learning, while the population is very 
 largely American, with large families of sons 
 and daughters requiring education. 
 
 The wealth of the people is rapidly in- 
 creasing, and the unsurpassed fertility of soil 
 and healthfulness of climate contribute to 
 the prosperity of the new institution. .\t a 
 reasonable price it grants excellent facilities 
 for commercial, normal, high-school, scien- 
 tific and classical education. A large fac- 
 ulty of trained professors (each an expert), 
 conduct thorough college branches, giving 
 special attention to morals and religious 
 culture. 
 
 ^~V*OLOMON MARTIN HOLMFS. 
 •^^^kT one of the pioneers of Lake Belt 
 
 hs^_y township, Martin count}', Minne- 
 sota, was born in Exeter, Otsego 
 county, New York, September 27, 1822, his 
 parents being Isaac and Abigail (Galusha) 
 Holmes. 
 
 Isaac Holmes, the grandfather of our 
 subject, was born in Massachusetts, and died 
 in New York State in 1842, at the age of 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 627 
 
 ninety-six years. He was a fanner by occu- 
 pation, and was twice married, the father of 
 Solomon M. bcinfj by his first wife. Daniel 
 Galusha, the maternal grandfather of Mr. 
 Holmes, was born and died in Massachusetts. 
 He and his wife had six children: Abigail, 
 Daniel, and four others whose names are 
 not now recalled. Isaac Hoiiues, the father 
 of our subject, was born in Williamstown, 
 Massachusetts, February 12, 1781. He 
 had three brothers, Clark, Seth and \\'esley, 
 and three sisters. He was a tanner by trade, 
 but followed the occupation of a farmer the 
 greater portion of his life. When a young 
 man he went to Otsego county, New York, 
 and in 1S26 moved from there to Oneida 
 county, where he purchased 117 acres of 
 land. He died there December 17, 1852. 
 The mother of our subject was born in Will- 
 iamstown, Massachusetts, September 19, 
 1780, and died in Oneida county, New York, 
 June 6, 1838. She and Mr. Holmes were 
 married June 7, 1804, and a record of their 
 children reads as follows: Phcebe, deceased, 
 was the wife of Isaac Keetl, and had a fam- 
 il}' of thirteen children; Harriet, deceased, 
 was the wife of Emorj' Cole, a farmer of 
 Otsego county, New York; -Vnna Maria, 
 deceased, was the first wife of Emory Cole, 
 and left one child, Clark; Betsey is the wife 
 of James Mercer, of Cattaraugus county, 
 New York, and has seven children; Clark, 
 deccasetl, was the father of three children; 
 Liza Ann, wife of A. Barnard, Rochester, 
 New York, is deceased; Sarah is mentioned 
 elsewhere in this work, in the biography of 
 W. C. Alvord; Laura, deceased, was the 
 wife of George Mugridge; Isaac Sylvester is 
 married, has two children, and is living in 
 Oswego county, New York; Solomon Mar- 
 tin, whose name appears at the head of 
 this article; and Deloss, who died while 
 
 in the service of his country during the late 
 war. 
 
 Solomon M. Holmes spent three years 
 in the West before locating here pierma- 
 nently. In July, 1854, he located land in 
 Dodge county, Wisconsin, and remained 
 there until 1859. In May of that year he 
 came to Olmsted county, Minnesota, where 
 he made his home until July, 1864, and at 
 that time came to his present farm in Mar- 
 tin county. This place is located as fol- 
 lows: lots 3 and 4, and the south half of the 
 northeast (luarter of section 3, township 
 lOi, range 32, comprising about 160 acres, 
 105 of which are broken. His present resi- 
 dence was built in 1 889; and we here state^ 
 that about half of this farm is now owned 
 by Mr. Holmes' son, Pliny. 
 
 Mr. Holmes was first married March 1 5, 
 1849, to Rachel Hester Turck, daughter of 
 Charles and Magdalena Turck. Mrs. 
 Holmes was born November i, 1832, and 
 died April 19, 1861. She was the mother 
 of the following children: Mary Louisa, wife 
 of W. C. Alvord; Isaac Charles, liorn March 
 12, 1851, is engaged in farming in Umatilla 
 county, Oregon, he and his wife, iitc Mary 
 Paris, having five children; Lnos Martin, 
 born July 27, 1852, died September 17, 
 1869; Julia Ann, born April 14, 1854, mar- 
 rieil Sylvester Spaulding, and is living in 
 New York State; William Henry, born April 
 20, 1856, is engaged in farming in this town- 
 ship, he and his wife, ncc Annjennette Stall- 
 cop, having one child,- -Mary; and Sarah 
 Maria, born August 25, 1859, is the wife of 
 John C. Somers, a farmer of Northfield, 
 Miimesota, their children being Amy, Fred- 
 erick and Herbert. March 26, 1863, Mr. 
 Holmes married Miss Susan Jane Clark, 
 daughter of Matthew and Samantha (Her- 
 rington) Clark. She was born in Collins, 
 
62S 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Erie county, New York, April lo, 1829, 
 next to the youngest in a family of nine. 
 Following; are the children of this second 
 marriage: Pliny Clark, born January 27, 
 1 864, has already been referred to as the 
 owner of a portion of the home farm, where 
 he is engaged in agricultural pursuits; Al- 
 bert Sylvester, born June 4, 1865. is farm- 
 inji in Martin county; Minnie Belle, born 
 October 22, 1866, is the wife of Frank 
 Zehrn, a farmer of this county, they being 
 the parents of six children; George James, 
 born July 7, 1869; and Edwin Eugene, 
 born April 9, 1871. 
 
 QRS CHARLOTTE McDonald, 
 who is living on section 12, Kim- 
 ball township, is one of the most 
 highly esteemed ladies of Jack- 
 son county, and in this volume, devoted to the 
 leading citizens of the county, she well de- 
 serves mention. She was born on Prince 
 Edward's Island on the 25th of July, 1833, 
 and is a daughter of John and Catherine 
 (Clark) Williams. Her father was born in 
 the same locality, in the year 17S9, and his 
 wife's birth also occurred there in the year 
 1799. During the greater part of his life 
 he followed the trade of carpenter and 
 builder. When Mrs. McDonald was a child 
 of four years the family removed to Canada, 
 locating near the city of Toronto, where 
 they remained for eight years, going, on the 
 expiration of that period, to the borders of 
 Lake Huron in western Canada. That was 
 their place of residence until 1850, when 
 they crossed the line into Grant county, 
 Wisconsin, where the parents spent their 
 remaining days, the father pa.ssing away 
 there at the age of sixty-nine, while the 
 mother survived until the advanced age of 
 
 eighty-one. For many years they were both 
 active members of the Methodist Church, 
 and early instilled into the minds of their 
 children lessons (jf truth and honor which 
 ha\e ne\er been forgotten but have borne 
 rich fruit as the years have passed. In the 
 various communities in which they resided, 
 the parents were always numbered among 
 the most highly respected people. 
 
 Ten children were born to that worthy 
 couple, of whom five are yet living, as fol- 
 lows: David W'illiams, who is now resid- 
 ing in Grant county, W'isconsin; Michael, 
 who is located in Tuscola county, Michigan; 
 Elizabeth, wife of Eleazer Southworth, a 
 resident of Thetford, Canada; Barbara, wife 
 of D. M. Woodman, of Sioux City. Iowa; 
 and Charlotte, now Mrs. McDonald. The 
 Williams family is of Scotch origin, and the 
 grandfather, a native of Scotland, emigrated 
 to Prince Edward's Island, where he died at 
 
 I a ripe old age. 
 
 The lady whose name begins this article 
 spent her girlhood days in her parents' 
 home, where she learned domestic manners 
 and became familiar with the duties of a 
 home. She gave her hand in marriage first 
 to Asa De Hart, the wedding being cele- 
 brated in Wisconsin, in 1853. He died a 
 
 ; few years later, leaving two children: Irene, 
 
 [ now the wife of W. F. W'ade, a resident of 
 Kimball township, Jackson county; and 
 
 I Asa De Hart, who makes his home in the 
 Badger State. Mrs. De Hart was again 
 married January 5, i860, in Cassville, Wis- 
 
 j consin, when she became the wife of Abner 
 McDonald of that place, a native of Penn- 
 sylvania, born in the year 1827. He too 
 was of Scotch lineage, the family having 
 been founded in America by ancestors who 
 crossed the Atlantic from Scotland in early 
 Colonial days and located in the Keystone 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI.\\ WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 629 
 
 State. Abner McDonald was a (aiinci by 
 occupation and was numbered among the 
 substantial and representative citizens of 
 Fenniinore, where the jjreater part of his 
 life was passed and where he died in 1874, 
 mourned by a large circle of friends as well 
 by his immediate family. He left four chil- 
 dren: Eugene, by a former marriage, who 
 still resides in Fennimore; Frank, who now 
 carries on agricultural pursuits in Kimball 
 township; Ida, wife of R. C. Showalter, a 
 resident of Lancaster, Wisconsin; and 
 Charles, who is living at home with his 
 mother and manages for her the home farm. 
 He is an enterprising young man and his 
 duties are faithfully discharged. 
 
 .\fter the death of her husband Mrs. Mc- 
 Donald continued to reside in Wisconsin 
 until 1885, when she purchased the farm 
 upon which she now resides, a tract of 160 
 acres, to which she removed with her chil- 
 dren. Soon after coming here she erected 
 a commodious and pleasant residence, sup- 
 ])lieti with modern conveniences, and its fine 
 appearance is both a credit to the owner 
 and the community. A fine barn was soon 
 after added to the other improvements on 
 the place, and the farm is now one of the 
 most valuable and ilesirable country places 
 in Kimball to\\iishi]i. Mrs. McDonald is a 
 lady of culture, who has reared a family of 
 children that do honor to her, and in her 
 adopted county she has many warm 
 friends. 
 
 BRANK A. WILLCOX, who resides 
 on section 16, Winnebago town- 
 ship, I'aribault county, Minnesota, 
 is ranked with the successful farm- 
 ers and substantial citizens of his commun- 
 ity. A brief sketch of his life is as follows: 
 
 I'rank .\. Willco.^ was born in W}oming 
 county. New York, March 3t, 1851, son of 
 J. H. and Nancy (Capwell) Willco.x, the for- 
 mer a native of Rhode Island and the latter 
 of New York. His mother died in Wyom- 
 ing county, New York, at the age of twenty- 
 four years, and his father was afterward 
 married again. When Frank A. was seven 
 years of age the family moved west to 
 Juneau county, Wisconsin, where they 
 were living at the time the Civil war came 
 on. The father left his family, composed of 
 wife and three children, — Frank A., Nancy 
 and Jennie May, — and entered the service of 
 his country, going out as a member of a 
 heavy artillery. He died while in the army. 
 
 In Juneau county, Wisconsin, the subject 
 of our sketch was reared, recei\'ing his edu- 
 cation in the common schools. He went to 
 Sauk county from there, and in 1875 came 
 from Wisconsin to Faribault county, Minne- 
 sota. Here he bought eighty acres of land 
 on the Blue Earth river, to which he has ad- 
 ded by subsequent purchase, until he is now 
 the owner of 280 acres, one of the best farms 
 in the county. It is well-watered by this 
 river, and is therefore adapted for both stock 
 and grain purposes; has good fences and farm 
 buildings, and everything conveniently ar- 
 ranged for successfully carrying on agricul- 
 tural pursuits in the most approved man- 
 ner. He has one of the best barns in the 
 township, it being 26 .\ 58 feet, with a shed 
 on three sides, eighteen feet in width. He 
 also has a house for his farm machinery, 
 24.\44 feet; and two hog houses, one I4.\44 
 feet, and the other 20 .\ 24 feet. His old 
 residence, occupied until recently, on a nat- 
 ural building site, has just been moved away 
 and a new dwelling is in process of erection 
 on the same site. This is 26 .\ 16 feet in di- 
 mensions, with kitclun and woodshed i6,\28 
 
630 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 feet, — all to cost between $1, 500 and $2,000. 
 The furnishing of Mr. Willcox's residence 
 gives evidence of culture and refinement. 
 
 Mr. \\'illco.\ married Miss Martha Latti- 
 mer, a daughter of F. James and Carrie 
 (Moulton) Lattimer, natives of Canada, who 
 came to this county in 1865. Mr. Lattimer 
 also was a soldier in the late war, enlisting 
 in the Eleventh Minnesota \'olunteers, 
 Company F, of which he was a member 
 when the war closed. Politically he is a 
 Republican. Mr. and Mrs. Wilco.x ha\e 
 four children, namely: Lulu B., Hugh E. , 
 Jay E. and Delia E. In his political views 
 Mr. Willcox is in harmony with the princi- 
 ples advocated by the Republican party. 
 
 *» ^ .ALI^ECK K. RUE is now serving 
 l'^^ as County Commissioner of Jack- 
 M. . r son county, and is a prominent 
 factor in her official and agricul- 
 tural history. He is now successfully en- 
 gaged in farming on section 30, Hunter 
 township, and also devotes considerable at- 
 tention to stock-raising. 
 
 He was born in Norway on the 21st of 
 June, 1847, and is a son of K. H. and 
 Becky Rue. The father emigrated to this 
 country in 1856, accompanied by his family, 
 and took up his residence in Iowa, where he 
 lived tmtil i 869, when he removed to Lyon 
 county, Iowa. There he continued until 
 1884, the year of his arrival in Jackson 
 county, where he is now living, at the age 
 of seventy-six years, his birth having oc- 
 curred in 1 8 19. His wife also survives and 
 the companion of his earlier manhood also 
 is with him in his declining years. Their 
 family numbered eight children, seven of 
 whom are yet living, namely: Julia, wife of 
 Martin Hanson, who is now living in L)un 
 
 county, Iowa; Mattie, wife of Alfred Bedient; 
 Gilbert, who makes his home in Rost town- 
 ship, Jackson county; Halvor, a resident of 
 Minneapolis; Albert, who also makes his 
 home in Rost township; and Lizzie, wife of 
 George Wallace, of Rockford. Iowa. 
 
 Under the parental roof H. K. Rue re- 
 mained until eighteen years of age, and then 
 started out in life to earn his living and pro- 
 vide for his own maintenance thereafter. 
 He engaged in breaking land and also fol- 
 lowed grain-threshing for some six years. 
 When twenty-four jears of age he removed 
 from Iowa to Minnesota, locating on section 
 30, Hunter township, Jackson county, where 
 he secured 1 60 acres of wild land, not a furrow 
 having been turned or an improvement 
 made. He possesses an unlimited supply of 
 energy and determination, and from the be- 
 ginning success has attended his efforts. As 
 his financial resources have increased he has 
 extended the boundaries of his farm, which 
 now comprises 420 acres of fine land, lying 
 convenient to the homestead. It is the visi- 
 ble result of honest, earnest toil, and makes 
 him numbered among the most substantial 
 farmers of Jackson county. From time to 
 time he has added improvements in the 
 shape of substantial buildings, including a 
 comnKjdious and tasteful residence as well 
 as large barns and other necessary outbuild- 
 ings, which are models of convenience. 
 The owner successfully carries on general 
 farming and has also for some time engaged 
 extensively in raising sheep for the market. 
 His efforts have been crowned with pros- 
 perity and his well-managed business inter- 
 ests have brought him a property which is 
 one of the best in the county. 
 
 On the 1 8th of November, 1870, Mr. 
 Rue was united in marriage with Miss Isabel 
 Smabey, a native of Iowa and a daughter of 
 
J. s:Qf}M/^ 
 
 V. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 633 
 
 Howel Smabe}', whose family numbered 
 five children, four of whom yet survive, as 
 follows: Nfary, now the wife of Nels Erick- 
 son, of Clay county, Minnesota; Lena, wife 
 of Gilbert Rue, an agriculturist of Kost 
 township, Jackson county; Olaf, who is liv- 
 ing on the Pacific coast; and Mrs. Rue. The 
 father of this family died in middle life, but 
 the mother is still living. Ten children have 
 been born to Mr. and Mrs. I\ue and the 
 family circle yet remains unbroken by the 
 hand of death, the children being all under 
 the parental roof. They are Hiram C, 
 Benton O. , LoringW. , Aimer B., Eda May, 
 Milo, Lottie, Wilmer, ^fable and the baby. 
 The eldest is now engaged in teaching 
 school. 
 
 Mr. Halleck has been cjuite a prominent 
 factor in public affairs in the community in 
 which he makes his home and is a public- 
 spirited and progressive citizen who has al- 
 ways done much for the general welfare. 
 He served as township Treasurer from 1871 
 until 1874, and during two years of that time 
 was also Assessor. He is now and has been 
 for the past five years chairman of the town 
 Board of Supervisors, and for si.x jears has 
 been County Commissioner of Jackson 
 county, discharging the duties of these vari- 
 ous positions in a most satisfactory manner 
 and reflecting credit upon both himself and 
 constituents. He is a broad-mincU'ij, pro- 
 gressive man, whose sterling (pinlities arc 
 appreciated by his neighbors and friends 
 throughout Jackson county, who repose in 
 him the utmost confidence. This trust has 
 never been betrayed, and he is certainly a 
 man devoted to the best interests of the com- 
 munity, helpful in many ways. I'or many 
 years he was an advocate of the Republican 
 party, but in recent years has allied himself 
 
 with the People's party in which he is a lo- 
 ss 
 
 cal leader, being now chairman of its county 
 central committee. For the past sixteen 
 years he has acted as the Postmaster of Orr 
 post-office. In the various relations of life, 
 whether as a farmer, as official, as friend or 
 citizen, he has always been faithful and true, 
 and upon his life work there is no mark of 
 wrong or suspicion of evil doing. 
 
 >Y'idge josl\h f. winship, 
 
 m judge of the Probate Court of Fari- 
 A J bault county, is now serving his sec- 
 outi term in that office. His fitness 
 and fidelity are so manifest that he receives 
 the praise of all interested. His rulings are 
 always wise and just, — the result of clear, 
 logical thought and deliberate reasoning, 
 and his official duties have but served to 
 connect him the more closelj- with a county 
 that already owes to him much of her prog- 
 ress. He has resided here since 1865, 
 and in the years which have come and gone 
 he has labored for the best interests of the 
 couiniunity. 
 
 Judge Winship is a native of the old 
 Granite State, his birth having occurred in 
 Mason, Hillsboro county, September 29, 
 1839. He is the only child of Josiah and 
 Sarah (Hunt) Winship, natives of Massa- 
 chusetts, the former born in old Cambridge, 
 the latter in Templeton. The paternal 
 grandfather of our subject, Josiah Winship, 
 was of English descent and a representative 
 of one of the old Puritan families. His son 
 and namesake was a farmer by occupation 
 and the owner of a large landed estate in 
 New England. A man of more than ordin- 
 ary ability, iiis worth was recognized b\' his 
 fellow citizens, who frequentlj' called him 
 to public positions of honor and trust. He 
 represented his count}' in the General 
 
634 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Assemby and was a leading and influential 
 citizen, his last days being passed in New 
 Hampshire. Tlie lady who bore the natne 
 of Mrs. W'inship and became the mother 
 of the Judge, was a daughter of Nehemiah 
 Hunt, who was of English lineage and 
 belonged to one of the old families of the 
 Bay State. She attained the advanced age 
 of ninety-three years, dying at the oKi resi- 
 dence of the Judge with whom she had so 
 long made her home. 
 
 In the town where Judge Winship first 
 opened his eyes to the light of day, his child- 
 hood days were passed, and in the district 
 schools he conned his lessons until fourteen 
 years of age. At that time he went with 
 an uncle to southern Illinois, where he re- 
 mained two years. On the expiration of 
 that period he returned to his old home and 
 for a time attended select school; but after 
 two years we again find him in the West, 
 this time remaining three years and com- 
 pleting his literary education in an academy 
 at Platteville, Wisconsin. At the breaking 
 out of the Civil war we find him once more 
 in his New England home, offering his serv- 
 ices in defense of the Union. Upon exam- 
 ination, however, he was rejected on ac- 
 count of disability, and for a time he en- 
 gaged as clerk in a mercantile establishment 
 at New Ipswich, being thus employed until 
 1865. 
 
 As before stated, Judge \\'inship became 
 a resident of Faribault county in that year, 
 settling in Winnebago City, which, though 
 it bore the mure important name, was yet a 
 small village. Embarking in the mercan- 
 tile business, he successfully. carried on oper- 
 ations along that line for eight years, after 
 which he sold out. Not long after, how- 
 ever, he once more opened a mercantile 
 store and conducted the same for two years. 
 
 His management of this institution and his 
 fair and honest dealing and earnest desire to 
 please his customers won iiiiii a liberal 
 patronage. He also acted as agent for the 
 American PZ.xpress Company for many years. 
 The Judge has been married twice. He 
 first wedded Miss Alice M. McKinstry, a 
 daughter of Paul and Harriet (Lillie) Mc- 
 Kinstry and a native of Bethel, \'ermont. 
 They had two children, namely: Fred W. , 
 who is now living in Duluth, Minnesota; 
 and Pauline A. The mother departed this 
 life October 13. 1870, and in November, 
 1872, Mr. Winship was again married, his 
 second union being with Miss Ellen M. Mc- 
 Kinstry; a sister of his first wife. This 
 union has been blessed with two children: 
 Carl, who died in infancy; and Louis C. 
 
 Judge Winship is a member of the Meth- 
 odist Episcopal Church, in which he has 
 held the office of Trustee since the organiza- 
 tion of a congregation in \\'innebago Cit\'. 
 He has been connected with the Masonic 
 order ever since 1862, at which time he was 
 initiated into its mysteries in Bethel Lodge, 
 New Hampshire. His membership is now 
 with Blue Earth X'alley Lodge, No. 27, 
 F. & A. M. 
 
 In politics he is an uncompromising Re- 
 publican, who supports the party without 
 fear or favor, upholding its principles because 
 he believes that they will promote the best 
 interests of the country. During President 
 Grant's first administration he was appointed 
 Postmaster of Winnebago City, thus serving 
 for a period of twelve years. He was also 
 Town Treasurer for a number of years, an<l 
 in 1892, without solicitation on his part, he 
 receiveil the nomination, by the Republican 
 convention, for the office of Probate Judge, 
 and was elected by a large majority, which 
 indicates both his great personal popularity 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 635 
 
 and the belief of the public in his ability and 
 tidelity. His administration of the affairs 
 of the ofifice showed that this confidence was 
 not misplaced, and he discharged his duties 
 so efficiently and acceptably that in 1894 he 
 was nominated by acclamation, and was re- 
 elected without opposition, being now the 
 incumbent in the Probate Judgeship. 
 
 Judge Winship has that free and easy 
 manner that makes him a favorite with all 
 classes, — one of the most popular men in 
 Faribault county; yet when the occasion de- 
 mands it he has all the dignity that is usually 
 witnessed in the reserved and reticent. His 
 genialty never descends to levity, but always 
 commands the respect of those with whom 
 he has had dealings of any kind. 
 
 when thirteen years of age, and he is one of 
 the original members of the church at Wel- 
 come. 
 
 November 6, 1876, in Freeborn county, 
 by Kev. B. Y. Coffin, Mr. Schrotberger was 
 united in marriage with Thressa Flagle, a 
 native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They have 
 had five children, — Bertha, born October 
 6, 1877, died in the spring of 1878; Will- 
 iam, born December i, 1878; Annie, April 
 15, 1880; Ella, January 2C, 1882; and 
 Frank, March 30, 1SS5. 
 
 £">^ IMON SCHROTBERGER, a farm- 
 •^^^k* er of Fox Lake township, was 
 p^^^j horn in Ansbach. Germany, Febru- 
 ary 18, 1839, a son of Simon and 
 Dorothea (Harrmerj Schrotberger. The 
 mother died many years ago. The father 
 was born about 1817, was twice married, 
 and his death occurred in January, 1 894. 
 By his first marriage he had four children, 
 namely: Stephen, f)f German}-; Margar- 
 etta, at home; Stephen Johannes; and An- 
 nie, who came to America in 1889, was after- 
 ward married and now resides in St. Paul. 
 Simon Schrotberger came to America 
 with J. Stephan Schenline, and they located 
 in Freeborn county, Minnesota, where our 
 subject homesteaded eighty acres in section 
 24, F"ox Lake township. He erected his 
 residence in 1889, and has added 120 acres 
 to his original purchase. In political mat- 
 ters, Mr. Schrotberger affiliates witii the 
 Republican party. He was confirmed in the 
 Lutheran Church in Gerniany on Easter, 
 
 a LINT ELLSWORTH is one of the 
 self-made men of Minnesota and 
 the success which has come to him 
 is the just reward of iiis own labors. 
 He IS now vice president of the First 
 National Bank of St. James, and also presi- 
 dent of the Village Board. 
 
 He was born in Salem, Maine, on the 
 27th of May, 1848, and is the only son 
 of Charles D. and Hannah (Clark) Ells- 
 WDitli, who also were natives of the Pine 
 Tree State. On the mother's side the an- 
 cestry can be traced back in direct line 
 to the Clarks who came to this country 
 on the Mayflower and settled witli the Puri- 
 tans in the Massaciiusetts colon)'. 
 
 When the subject of this record was 
 a child of live suiiuiurs he was taken by his 
 parents to Green county, Wisconsin, where 
 the father died when he was seven years of 
 age: the mother passed away two years la- 
 ter. He then went to live with his uncle. 
 Isaac Clark, in Trempealeau county, Wis- 
 consin, and with him continued until six- 
 teen years of age, at which time, roused by 
 a spirit of patriotism, he offered his services 
 to the Government. This was in the year 
 1864. He donned the blue and was as- 
 
636 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OE 
 
 signed to Companj' K, Forty-sixth Wiscon- 
 sin Infantry, which was attached to the 
 Army of the Cumberland and with wliirh lie 
 continued until after the cessation of liostil- 
 ities. He was honorably discharf,'ed in No- 
 vember. 1865, and then at once returned to 
 the Badger State and entered a school in 
 Milwaukee. 
 
 On the 2 1st of June, 1866, Mr. Ells- 
 worth became a resident of Minnesota. He 
 nuulc his first home in Winona, where he 
 engaged in clerking in the general mercan- 
 tile establishment of N. H. Wood & Com- 
 pany, continuing in the emplo)' of that firm 
 for two )'ears. He then spent about a year 
 in looking over the countrj' in search of 
 a favorable location, and in 1869 he secured 
 a claim in Watonwan county, — a wild tract 
 of land in Butterfield township, on which he 
 located in the spring of 1870. After two 
 years devoted to agricultural pursuits he 
 sought and obtained a position as fireman 
 with the St. Paul and Sioux City Railroad, 
 and after four years he was placed in charge 
 of an engine, since which time he has 
 served in that capacity, there being but two 
 who are his senior in jcars of continuous 
 service on that line. I'"(jr about eight years 
 he has been in charge of the switch engine 
 in the jards. 
 
 Various other interests and enterprises 
 have engrossed the time and attention of 
 Mr. lillswortli. In iSSi he ]iurchased an 
 interest in the tlrug business of C. K. Bacon, 
 the connection continuing for three years, 
 when Mr. Ellsworth sold out to Mr. Bacon. 
 Ill 18S6 the former became manager of 
 the railroad eating-house in St. James, 
 which he managed for two years, never sus- 
 pending, however, his work as an engineer. 
 In i8yi, in connection with others, he or- 
 gaiii/cd the iMist State I'ank (jf St. James, 
 
 and served as its vice president until 1892, 
 when it was merged into the First National 
 Bank of which he was made vice president. 
 Mr. Ellsworth is the owner of a fine farm of 
 160 acres in Nelson township, which he 
 rents, has a half interest in a tract of 320 
 acres in Rosendale township, Watonwan 
 county, and handles considerable realty and 
 owns a number of business houses in St. 
 James. Alert, watchful of op])ortunities for 
 legitimate advancement, he has worked his 
 way steadily upward, and his perseverance 
 and energy have brought him a handsome 
 competence. 
 
 St. James numbers him among her most 
 valued and progressive citizens and has hon- 
 ored him with seseral public offices. In 
 1 88 1 he was elected President of the village; 
 in 1 890 was again called to that office, serv- 
 ing for two years; was a third time elected 
 in 1893, and again in 1894. He has at 
 heart the best interests of the cominnnity 
 and is unselfishly devoted to whatever will 
 promote her welfare. For about five years 
 he has served on the School Board, and the 
 cause of education finds in him a warm 
 friend. He is generous with his means for 
 the general good, and St. James owes not a 
 little of her prosperity and ])rt)gress to his 
 untiring efforts in her behalf. Socially he 
 is connected with St. James Lodge, No. 96, 
 A. F. cS: A. M., with the Brotherhood of 
 Locomotive Engineers, Division No. 516, 
 of St. Paul, and John A. Logan Post, No. 
 64, G. A. K., of St. James. 
 
 The lady who bears the name of Mrs. 
 Ellsworth was in her maidenhood Louise 
 Manning. She was born in Canada, is a 
 daughter of Nelson Manning and became 
 the wife of our subject in 1877. Two chil- 
 dren have been born of this marriage, I^'rank 
 F. ami Stanle\' 1'. Mr. and Mrs. Ellsworth 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 ^'37 
 
 are people of prominence in this community 
 and their many excellent characteristics 
 have gained them the hij,'h regard of an ex- 
 tended circle of friends and aniuaiiitances. 
 
 '^j'OHX HENRY PEYMANN, an old 
 
 m and honored resident of the county, 
 A 1 was born in Hanover, Germany, 
 March 28, 1833, a son of Phillip and 
 Maggie (Bargmann) Peymann. The father 
 was twice married, and to the first union 
 were born two children, — Henry and Mag- 
 gie. Our subject came to America in the 
 spring of 1889, locating first in Cook county, 
 Illinois, where his sous were employed. He 
 subsequentlj- came with his son Fred to Fair- 
 mont, Minnesota, and the latter purchased 
 land in Fraser township. In May, 1889, 
 their home was destroyed in a prairie fire, 
 and since then Mr. Peymann has resided 
 with his son Henry. 
 
 September 22, 1864, he was united in 
 marriage with Katrina Elizabeth Brugge- 
 mann, a daughter of P'red and Dorothea 
 (Weuthaimj Bniggemann. The father de- 
 parted this life in 1S91, aged seventy-one 
 years, and the mother, born May 28, 182 1, 
 died in June, 1882. They had two chil- 
 dren, — Elizabeth, born June 8, 1841; and 
 Maggie, born September 14, 1846, married 
 Diedrich Hoper, in Germany, and they have 
 had three children, Dora, Maggie and Annie 
 (deceased). The children born to our sub- 
 ject and wife are: Fredrick, a farmer of 
 this county, was born m Germany, July 
 26, 1865; Henry Lewis Albert, born in 
 Hanover, Germany, June i, 1869; Deid- 
 rich, born P'ebruary 28, 1871, <iied when six 
 months old; and Dorothea, born March 14, 
 1874, married John Schult/. 
 
 Henry Peymann left Bremen, Germany, 
 
 August 8, 1884, and landed in New York 
 city. He immediately joined his brother 
 Frederick in Cook county, Illinois, where 
 he worked for wages five years. March 20, 
 1889, he came to Martin county, Minne- 
 sota, where he farmed on rented land one 
 year, and then purchased of Fred Muehlen 
 the north quarter of section 24, Fraser 
 townshij). March 15, 1892, he exchanged 
 farms with \\. E. St. John, and Mr. Pey- 
 mann now owns the north quarter of sec- 
 tion 14, which he has well stocked with 
 horses, cattle and hogs. He is an intelli- 
 gent farruL-r and an exemplary citizen. 
 
 k/^ UDOLPH STUSSE.— A man who, 
 I /"^ coming as a stranger in a strange 
 \ ^ y land, without any adventitious 
 aid sa\e that furnished \>\ strong 
 heart and willing hands, attains to success 
 in life, is certainly deserving of honor and a 
 place in such a volume as this at hand. 
 The subject of this review is one who has 
 thus proved his power to accomplish de- 
 sired ends and to attain to a measure of suc- 
 cess in life, and this without sacrificing his 
 high sense of honor, or his regard for the 
 rights and feelings of others. He stands to- 
 day as one of the extensive and influential 
 farmers of Martin county, and as such is 
 entitled to consideration in this work. 
 
 A native of the brave little republic of 
 Switzerland, Mr. Stusse was born in the 
 canton of Glarus, on the iSth day of De- 
 cember, 1838, the son of Thomas and Cath- 
 arine (Zucful) Stusse, the latter of whom 
 was the daughter of Rudolph Zuoful. The 
 father of our subject died in September, 
 1847, aged about forty years; the mother 
 passed away in May, 1863, aged fifty-six. 
 They were the parents of the following chil- 
 
6^8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 dren: Thomas, who has never left his na- i 
 tiveland; Barbara, who died young; Anna, 
 Kathrina, Agatha, Barbara (2d), Mary, 
 Henry, and Rudolph, our subject. Henry 
 came to America in 1859, remaining for a i 
 time, after which he returned to Switzer- 
 land for a visit. He came again to the 
 United States in 1863, remaining here until 
 the time of his death, which occurred in 
 Philadelphia. 
 
 March 25, 1865, our subject embarked 
 at Havre, France, and set sail for America, 
 landing at New York, whence he proceeded 
 to Cincinnati, Ohio, being emploj-ed on 
 farms in the vicinity of that city for one 
 year, after which he returned to New York 
 with the intention of joining the King boys, 
 old acquaintances, and going to California. 
 He, however, lost the address of his friends, 
 and consequently abandoned the trip to the 
 Golden Gate. He next went to Cook 
 county, Illinois, where he was engaged in 
 farm work, later managing for five years a 
 farm which he rented there. In the fall of 
 1883 Mr. Stusse had made a prospecting 
 trip through parts of Minnesota, and in 
 March, 1 884, he came to Martin county and 
 took possession of a farm which he had pur- 
 chased, — the place comprising a tract of 200 
 acres on section 6, Fraser township. In 
 1886 he effected the additional purchase of 
 the south half of section i , Fo.x Lake town- 
 ship, and he now owns a total of 520 acres, 
 of which 280 acres are under cultivation and 
 ten acres in grove. His substantial and 
 commodious residence was erected in 1892. 
 The fine farm is well kept, and in every par- 
 ticular shows the discriminating care which 
 has been given to its cultivation and im- 
 provement. 
 
 In his political relations Mr. Stusse sup- 
 ports the Democratic party anil the princi- 
 
 ples by it advocated, and he has manifested 
 much interest in public affairs of a local 
 nature, lending his influence to furthering 
 the growth and prosperity of the county. 
 He has served as Treasurer of the School 
 Board for eight years, and is a man much 
 esteemed in the community. 
 
 On the 19th of May, 1867, Mr. Stusse 
 took unto himself a wife, in the person of 
 Miss Magdalen Staley, who was born in 
 Switzerland, November 16, 1846, coming to 
 America with her parents, Nicholas and 
 Barbara (Herren) Staley. Our subject and 
 his wife are the parents of ten children, 
 namely: Louis, born September 8, 1868; 
 Maria, born November 24, 1869, is the wife 
 of John Grote; John, born September 23, 
 1 871; Herman, January 19, 1874; Katie, 
 October 4, 1878; Louisa, August 14, 1880; 
 Rudolph, February 22, 1882; Frank, April 
 26, 1888; Albert, August 6, 1891; and 
 Christian, September 10, 1893. 
 
 HLBERT KREJCI, of Minnesota 
 Lake, was born in Bohemia, Octo- 
 ber 20, 1842, a son of Anton and 
 Catherine (Mraz) Krejci, — their 
 only child. He attended the common school 
 until his parents decided to emigrate to 
 America. Having but little means, they 
 were obliged to stop on their way to Ham- 
 burg and .seek employment in order to earn 
 the means for proceeding on their journey. 
 Leaving Hamburg in a three-mast sailing 
 vessel, on which were 800 passengers, they 
 were forty-tive days on the sea, encounter- 
 ing some severe storms which created con- 
 siderable fright. 
 
 Landing at Quebec, the father found it 
 necessary to seek employment there, as he 
 had not means to come farther West. His 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATOX WAX AX/) yACKSOiV. 
 
 639 
 
 trade was that of stone mason. Three weeks 1 
 later the family proceeded to Prescott, and 
 six weeks still later they went on h\ water to 
 Hamilton, from which point they crossed the 
 bay to Detriot, and came thence on to Chi- 
 cago; arriving with only $3 in money, but a 
 good supply of resolution and hope. After 
 passing a winter in that city they went on to 
 Rochester, Wisconsin, at which place the 
 father, as he was unable to secure work at his 
 trade, engaged in general farm work for four 
 months, in order to provide for his wife and 
 son, and from that time on he found work 
 as a stone mason until winter. During the 
 spring of 1856 he removed to Dubuque, 
 Iowa, where he continued in mason work 
 until failing health compelled him to seek a 
 home elsewhere, after a four-months' resi- 
 dence there. Coming to Minnesota, they 
 resided in Winona until the autumn of 1859, 
 when the father pre-empted eighty acres of 
 land from 'the Government about eighteen 
 miles south of that city. 
 
 During the residence of the family in 
 Winona, Albert, our subject, attended the 
 public schools and became familiar with the 
 English language. He can now speak four 
 different languages and finds this ability of 
 consijerable advantage to him, as he has 
 dealings with people of various nationalities. 
 
 In the spring of 1866 Mr. Anton Krejci 
 sold his farm and removed to Faribault 
 county, where he jiurchased a quarter of 
 section 23, township 104, range 25, — land 
 upon which no improvement whatever had 
 been made. He at once began the devel- 
 opment of a farm and continued to cultivate 
 it until called from all labor to the state of 
 eternal rest, at the age of seventy-nine 
 years, and his remains lie buried in Danville 
 cemetery. His wife had died some years 
 previously, at the age of forty-seven. He 
 
 had added to his first purchase another 
 tract, of forty acres of rich land, and the 
 farm tiius increased was inherited b)' Mr. 
 .Albert Krejci. r>Mt to this Mr. Krejci has 
 added 160 acres more, and besides has pur- 
 chased 240 acres south of Wells. 
 
 But he has met with some severe losses, 
 by fire and storm. May 3, 1870, lightning 
 struck his granary, setting it on fire, causing 
 ;i loss of grain and machinery' to the extent 
 of about $1,000. In 1890 he lost all his 
 stables by fire, the loss aggregating $500, 
 and June 13, 1892, all the buildings upon 
 his premises were swept away by a cyclone, 
 entailing a loss of about $5,000. When this 
 storm came up it made the sky as dark as 
 night. None of the men or older boys were 
 at home, to assist in protecting the wife and 
 six helpless children and the school-teacher, 
 who chanced to be there at the time. Un- 
 dertaking to run into the cellar they found 
 it so dark that they could not see each other; 
 the windows began to rattle; and the eldest 
 daughter seized four of the children and 
 started for the cellar door. It was a trap- 
 door back of the stairs leading to the upper 
 part of the house. Mrs. Krejci was follow- 
 ing with a six-year-old girl, also the school- 
 teacher. On reaching out to take the knob 
 of the pantry door, the pantry was swept 
 away from the main building, and the wind 
 drew Mrs. Krejci and the child and the 
 teacher out of the house altogether, and 
 threw them across a pile of stone about 
 twenty-five feet distant. After the storm 
 was over Mrs. Krejci at first could not think 
 where she was, seeming to herself to be miles 
 away from home. The teacher was ijing 
 unconscious at the foot of the pile of rocks, 
 bleeding from the mouth. The eldest daugh- 
 ter came from the wreck, which had been 
 blown sixteen feet from the foundation, and 
 
640 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 said to her mother, "We are all safe," when 
 Mrs. Krejci began to realize where she was. 
 The house was all torn to pieces excepting 
 the west and north sides. During the fol- 
 lowing night a neighbor conveyed the suffer- 
 ers to his house and cared for them; but 
 Mrs. Krejci was so severelj- injured that she 
 will never get over the effects. The teacher, 
 though seriously injured, full\- recovered. 
 Mr. Krejci now has in his office a picture of 
 the desolation and ruin wrought by that the 
 severest cyclone that ever swept over this 
 part of the State. 
 
 Undaunted, Mr. Krejci set bravely to 
 work to repair the ravages inflicted upon 
 him and recover his former standing. He 
 has recently erected a comfortable residence 
 and a good barn, and has extended his busi- 
 ness interests until he is now one of the lead- 
 ing men in commercial circles, owning a 
 number of the buildings in the town. He is 
 a dealer in agricultural implements. 
 
 He has been Justice of the Peace, and 
 for twelve years he was Assessor. Politically 
 he is a Democrat; is a member of the A. O. 
 U. W. , being a charter member of the lodge 
 at Minnesota Lake, and he also belongs to 
 the Knights of Pythias. For almost forty 
 years he has resided in Faribault county, 
 where he has always been known as a friend 
 to the educational, moral and material in- 
 terests of the place. In religion he is a 
 Catholic. 
 
 December 5, 186S, Mr. Krejci married 
 Miss Theresa Litchnegger, daughter of Jo- 
 seph and Mary Litchnegger, a lady born in 
 Austria July 2, 1852. Mr. and Mrs. Krejci 
 have had the following children: Lena, 
 now the wife of Charles Stephan, a farmer 
 of Dunbar, Faribault county; Joscpli, who 
 is now pursuing a course in the business col- 
 lege of Mankato, Minnesota; Catherine, 
 
 wife of Louis Kline, the popular baker of 
 Minnesota Lake; Mary, Albert, Tracy and 
 Anton, — all at home; and Frank, who died 
 in infancy. Joseph is an expert with the 
 rifle, by which he has killed the many fine 
 birds which, mounted, now adorn the home 
 and office of his father. 
 
 >^OHX WILLIAM SHEAFFEK, who 
 m is engaged in the grain business 
 /• 1 at Winnebago City, Faribault coun- 
 ty, Minnesota, as manager of the 
 Farmers' W'arehouse Company, is one of 
 the representative business men of the city. 
 He is a native of the Buckeye State, 
 born in Scioto county, April i", 1849, the 
 only child of Samuel and Mary (Wait) 
 Sheaffer, both natives of Pennsylvania. In 
 1850, Samuel Sheaffer, attracted by the 
 discovery of gold in California, went to 
 that State, where he died the following year. 
 After the death of her husband, Mrs. 
 Sheaffer took her young son and went 
 to live with her father Isaac Wait, who 
 was then a resident of Scioto county, Ohio. 
 When the subject of this notice was a boy 
 of five years his grandfather came West 
 with his famih' and settled in Rice county, 
 Minnesota, where he engaged in farming. 
 
 John W. Sheaffer remained with his 
 grandfather until he was seventeen years of 
 age, being reared to farm life and becoming 
 familiar with all the duties pertaining to 
 agricultural pursuits. His boyhood was 
 passed much in the same manner as other 
 farmer lads, midst work and play and in at- 
 tendance at the public school during the 
 winter months, where he acquired only 
 a limited education. At the age of seven- 
 teen he began life for himself by working as 
 a farm hand, and carefully saving his 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI. \\ WATOXWAX ASP JACKSOX. 
 
 64 I 
 
 earnings. In 1870 he married Miss Mina 
 Hartman, who also is a native of Ohio, 
 daughter of Phihp and Elizabeth Hartman. 
 Her family came West to Iowa when Mrs. 
 Sheaffer was only two years of age, 
 and three years later settled in Faribault 
 count}', Minnesota, where she grew to 
 womanhood. Mr. and Mrs. Sheaffer com- 
 menced their married life on 160 acres 
 of land on section i, Nashville township, 
 Martin county, which his mother had pre- 
 empted under the homestead law of 1863. 
 He continued farming and stock-raising 
 there, with good success, uutii 1S90, when 
 he rented his farm and entered the employ 
 of the above named company. Two years 
 later he moved his fainil\' to the city and 
 into the handsome residence which he had 
 erected on Holly street. 
 
 Mr. Sheaffer's life thus far has been char- 
 acterized b}- industry, perserverance and 
 correct habits. As a business man he is 
 painstaking and reliable, and his long serv- 
 ice with this company is an evidence of 
 his integrity. In all matters pertaining to 
 the public good, Mr. Sheaffer takes a com- 
 mendable interest and lends his support. 
 Politically, he is a Republican, but not an 
 office-seeker. He has, however, three 
 times served as Chairman of the Board of 
 Supervisors in Nashville township, and for a 
 number of years served as School Director. 
 Socially, he is a member of the M. W. A., 
 and with his family belongs to the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Sheaffer have a family of 
 four children, namely: Mary Althea, John 
 Rutherford, Maud I., and Harry S., — all at 
 home and having the benefit of good educa- 
 tional advantages. 
 
 In 1863 Mrs. Sheaffer, tlie iiu'tlur tif 
 this gentleman, married Mr. Sylvester 
 
 Woodman, a farmer of Shelby township. 
 Blue Earth county, Minnesota, and is now 
 (1894) living in Pleasant Mound township, 
 that county. 
 
 V|— rf ANS OLSON, vice-president of the 
 w^"^ Citizens' Bank of St. James, was 
 \^r born in Sandfiard, Norway, Sep- 
 " tembcr 18, 1S48, the fifth of eight 
 
 children born to M. O. Olson, who still re- 
 sides in Norway, aged eighty years. Hans 
 was reared in his native jilace. In 1868 he 
 came to Winona, Minnesota, and in Octo- 
 ber, of the same year, he located in Waton- 
 wan county. In the winter of 1869 he set- 
 tled on a farm in St. James township, 
 of wiiich he was the first resident, and re- 
 mained there until 1 894, extensively en- 
 gaged in general farming and stock-raising, 
 also in trade in agricultural implements, and 
 coal and wood. Mr. Olson then removed to 
 the village of St. James. From 1872 to 1877 
 he was also engaged in the butchering busi- 
 ness in this city. In the spring of 1894, in 
 company with F. H. Hangen and H. M. 
 Serkhuul, Mr. Olson organized the Citizens' 
 Bank, with a capital stock of $50,000, of 
 whicii our subject is vice-president. In 
 addition to his farm property he also owns 
 two fine brick blocks, one 25x90 feet, on 
 First avenue, and one on the north side, 
 45 X 80 feet. He has also three farms, one 
 of 145 acres, one of 240, and one of 120 
 acres. 
 
 Mr. Olson was married in Norway, in 
 1868. to Ellen Huffland. They have had 
 six children, namely: Olo H., who married 
 Jennie Johnson; Dora, wife of Andrew Ask; 
 Eewis, deci.ised; Lewis, deceased; Eddie, 
 at home; and Oscar, deceased. 
 
 In political matters Mr. 01si.ii votes 
 
642 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 with the Republican party, and has held 
 many of the offices of his township, and also 
 served as a member of the Board of County 
 Commissioners for six years. He is an 
 active worker in the Lutheran Church, in 
 which he has held the office of Trustee for 
 many j'ears. He has also belonged to the 
 United Workmen for over sixteen years and 
 is one of the charter members of Lodge No. 
 64, in which he has been Financier for four 
 years and Guide for two years. Mr. Olson 
 is the oldest resident of St. James township, 
 and is one of its leading citizens. 
 
 >rr*ACOB VALLXTINK KLEIN, a 
 m stock-dealer of Welcome, was born 
 /% 1 in Du Page county, Illinois, July 27, 
 1863, a son of Frederick and Car- 
 oline (Kleinj Klein; although of the same 
 name, they were not related. The father 
 was born in Alsace, Germany, July 12, 1820, 
 and the mother was born May 22, 1823. 
 They came to America in June, 185 1, locat- 
 ing in Du Page county, where they now own 
 a half section of land in Downer's Grove ' 
 township. They are the parents of the fol- 
 lowing children: Frederick, born March 9, 
 1855, is a farmer in Du Page county; George 
 John, born August 20, 1858, is engaged in 
 the same occupation in the same count}'; 
 Jacob \'., the subject of this sketch; Car- 
 oline, born November 15, 1868, married 
 George Lehmann, clerk for Ward, Caldwell 
 & Company, of Fairmont. 
 
 Jacob Valentine Klein began life on his 
 own account at the age of twenty-one years, 
 and rented land of his father for the follow- 
 ing five years. He removed from Downer's 
 Grove to Martin county, Minnesota, in Oc- 
 tober, 1888, and was engaged in farming 
 until he removed to Welcome. Ho has pur- 
 
 chased land from time to time until he now 
 owns a farm of 640 acres, all in a fine state 
 of cultivation and well stocked. He re- 
 mained on that place until October, 1894, 
 when he removed to Welcome, and, in com- 
 pany with George Goetz, embarked in the 
 stock business, under the firm name of J. \'. 
 Klein & Company. He also has three acres 
 in Welcome, on which are a barn completed 
 and a residence in process of construction. 
 March i, 1S94, Mr. Klein also took the 
 agency of the Ward Machine Company, of 
 Fairmont. He is one of the most progress- 
 ive young men in Martin county. His farm, 
 now occupied by a tenant, is provided with 
 the finest buildings, all erected under his 
 immediate supervision. 
 
 Mr. Klein was married April 26, 1887, to 
 Margaret Seibert, born August 11, 1868, 
 the eldest of nine children of Michael and 
 Mary (Janzer) Seibert. Our subject and 
 wife have four children, — Mary, born May 
 17, 1889; Arthur, .April 12, 1891; George 
 Frederick, February 13, 1893; and an infant 
 son, Ervin Franklin, February 26, 1895. 
 Mr. Klein is a member of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 HUGUST FERDINAND BARG. a 
 farmer of Martin county, was born 
 in Hanover, Germany, December 
 10, 1846, a son of Johann Cord 
 and Elsie Maria (Reikemeyer) Barg. Grand- 
 father Barg was twice married. To the 
 first union were born two children, and by 
 his second marriage he had four children, — 
 William, Ludwig, John and one daughter. 
 Johann Cord Barg was born .April 16, 1808, 
 and died April i, 1871. He also was twice 
 married. His first wife was, before mar- 
 riage, Elsie Maria Reikemeyer, and they had 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 M3 
 
 the following children: Henry, deceased in 
 Holland in 1887; Lewis, the first of the 
 faiiiil}' to emigrate to America, is a farmer 
 of Martin county, Minnesota; William, de- 
 ceased in Germany at the age of thirty 
 years; Louisa married M. Schevenker, and 
 both are now deceased; and August Ferdi- 
 nand, the subject of this sketch. The eld- 
 est son. Henry, was overseer in a large dis- 
 tiller)- in Germany. He married a lady in 
 Holland, and their living children are: John. 
 Jacob, Petrolia and Mary. For his second 
 marriage Johann Barg married W'ilhelmina, 
 a sister of his first wife, and they had five 
 children, namely: Caroline, born November 
 i::, 1849, married Henry Lcdebur. a farmer 
 of Fraser township, Martin county; Sophia, 
 born August 9. 1854, was married in this 
 country to Charles Tiess, a farmer of Fill- 
 more county, Minnesota, and she died May 
 II, 1881; Minnie, born in 1853, married 
 Henry Sudbring, and resides in Germany; 
 Catherine, born in 1855, is deceased; and 
 Mary, born in 1857, died at the age of fif- 
 teen years. 
 
 .\ugust Ferdinand Barg, the subject of 
 this sketch, sailed from Bremen for Amer- 
 ica April 15. 1 87 1, landing at New York 
 May I, following. He came direct to Fair- 
 mont, Minnesota, where he worked for 
 wages two years, and in the fall of 1873 he 
 purchased a farm in section 10, I*'airmont 
 township, and lived with his brother. After 
 having his crop destroyed by grasshoppers 
 four different times, he sold that place and 
 spent five months in Kentucky, then trav- 
 eled through Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, and 
 in the fall of i 877 returned to Martin county, 
 Minnesota. In the following year Mr. Barg 
 purchased land on section 15, Fraser town- 
 ship, where he resided until coming to Fair- 
 mont, February 28, 1894. He has pur- 
 
 chased two acres of land within the city 
 limits of Fairmont, on which he erected a 
 fine, large residence in 1S94. In iiolitical 
 matters Mr. Barg is independent, and in 
 1888 he was elected County Commissioner 
 for two years. 
 
 May I, 1878, at Fairmont, he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Eva W'ohl- 
 huiiter, born December 22, 1852. They 
 have had the following children: Lewis Phil- 
 lip, born .\iigust 20, 1879; Elsie, born De- 
 cember 20, 1880, died in December, 1885; 
 Ferdinand, born September 15, 1887, died 
 in December, 1885; Edward, born January 
 30, 1889, died in December, 1890, — the 
 above three having died of diphtheria in the 
 same week; bVed anil Ella, twins, born July 
 13, I 886; and Mar\- I^llen, born September 
 13, 1892. 
 
 <>^KOF. C. A. BOSTON, a well-known 
 1 m and popular County Superintend- 
 M ent of Schools of Watonwan county, 
 
 Minnesota, was born on a farm in 
 Avon, Franklin conntj-, Maine, on the 20th 
 of September, 1846, and during his early 
 boyhood attended the common district 
 schools for eight weeks through the summer 
 months and also during the winter season. 
 After the age of twelve his services were 
 needed for farm work through the summer 
 months and he had opportunity to pursue 
 his studies only in the winter season, contin- 
 uing thus until sixteen years of age. In the 
 meantime he had saved about $7 from his 
 earnings, obtained by doing odd jobs, and 
 he now secured permission from his father 
 j to go to the \illagc and attend a select 
 school there known as the High School. He 
 
 worked on a farm near by on Saturdays and 
 
 1 
 
 : in the morning and evening, and thus man- 
 
6j4 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 aged to pay his board, buy books and pay 
 his tuition for two months. He was ambi- 
 tious to learn, for he reahzed the \alue of 
 an education and made the most of liis 
 opportunities. 
 
 Not long after tiiis Frtjfessor Boston en- 
 tered upon the work which he has followed 
 during the greater part of his life, — school 
 
 teachinr 
 
 He taufrht his first school in the 
 
 town of Freeman, during the winter of 
 1863-4. He was then only seventeen years 
 of age and the school was a large one, com- 
 posed of pupils of all ages and grades, but 
 he successfully conducted it and the directors 
 were so well pleased that the\- added to his 
 term an extra month and increased his wages 
 to $18, he having received only $15 for each 
 of the three previous months. His own school 
 life, however, was not over, and he entered 
 the Normal School at Fannington in Sep- 
 tember, 1864, at which time the first normal 
 school in the State was opened. Occasion- 
 ally he was obliged to leave school and teach 
 for a term in order to secure the necessary 
 funds to meet his expenses, thus being three 
 years in completing a two j-ears' course. He 
 was graduated in June, 1867, and soon 
 afterward came to Minnesota. 
 
 Professor Boston had been engaged to 
 teach in Goodhue county, where he taught 
 during the winter of 1867-8. During the 
 fall of 1 868 he was selected by Prof. George 
 .Nf. Gage, president of the Mankato Normd 
 of Mankato, Minnesota (his former teacher 
 in the Maine Normal), to take charge of the 
 model department of that school. At the 
 end of one jear he resigned that position to 
 take up the study of Latin, which he con- 
 tinued under the instruction of a private 
 teacher. During this time he pre-empted 
 land near St. James or near the site of the 
 city, for the place was llicii a thing of the 
 
 future. The railroad was then completed 
 to Mankato. In true pioneer style he spent 
 the two succeeding years upon his claim. 
 In 1 870 he was appointed by the County 
 Commissioner to the position of County 
 Superintendent of Schools of Watonwan 
 county, the salary being then only $100 a 
 year, while the schools in the county num- 
 bered only nine. During the winters of 
 1870, 1871, 1872, 1873, he taught in Good- 
 hue county, and was also engaged b)' the 
 State Superintendent of Public Instruction 
 to assist in conducting institutes and teach- 
 ers' training schools in various parts of the 
 State. He also taught in Wabasha county, 
 and for two years was principal of the Gales- 
 ville Graded School of Wisconsin. 
 
 On the expiration of that period Prof. 
 Boston took up a different line of work, en- 
 gaging with an historical publishing com- 
 pany and for two years traveled in Ohio, 
 Kentucky and Maine, being assigned to a 
 position on the historical corps. Tiring of 
 this, he resumed teaching again in 1884, as 
 principal of the schools of St. James, and 
 continued in charge for two years with credit 
 to himself and a satisfaction to all con- 
 cerned. In 1890 he was elected County 
 Superintendent of Schools, running as an 
 independent candidate and winning only at 
 the end of a legal contest, but his faithful- 
 ness and ability were soon recognized after 
 he entered upon his duties, and in 1892 he 
 was re-elected over two opposing candi- 
 dates. In 1894 he was nominated by the 
 Republican party and endorsed by the other 
 parties, and with one exception received the 
 largest number of votes cast for any candi- 
 date on the county ticket at that election. 
 It did not take long for the people to recog- 
 nize his special fitness for the position, and 
 their confidence is demonstrated by his three 
 
FARIBMLT, MARJ/X, MAl'ONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 645 
 
 elections, each time by an increased major- 
 ity. In his political views Mr. Boston is a 
 Prohibitionist and cast one of the first tliree 
 votes for that party in St. James. 
 
 The cause of temperance finds in Pro- 
 fessor Boston a most stalwart advocate, and 
 for ten years he has served as Chief Templar 
 of the Independent Order of Good Tem- 
 plars. Whatever is calculated to uplift 
 luiiiianity and make the world better receives 
 his support. He is a consistent and faithful 
 member of the Presbyterian Church, in 
 which he is now serving as Elder, and in the 
 Sunday-school he has been Superintendent 
 for about ten years. He ranks among the 
 leading educators of the State and is a broail- 
 minded, charitable man. whom to know is 
 to respect. 
 
 In 1875 was celebrated the marriage of 
 Prof. Boston and Miss Electa W. Bi.xby, a 
 classmate in the Normal School. They have 
 one daughter, Ada 1)., who is now teaching. 
 
 aHARLES HENRY ELETCHER is 
 one of Martin county's representa- 
 tive agriculturists and resides on 
 section 10. W'tstford township. 
 He was reared as a farmer and throughout 
 his entire life has devoted himself to the 
 work of tilling the S(jil. He was born Eeb- 
 ruary 9, 1834, in \\'eymouth township, 
 Medina county, Ohio, and is a son of Hiram 
 and Meletta (Garnet) Fletcher, both of 
 whom were natives of New York. Their 
 marriage took place in the Buckeye State, 
 whither Mr. Fletcher removed at the' age of 
 eighteen years. About 1835 he removed to 
 Michigan and spent the next ten years of 
 his life in that State and Indiana, after which 
 he returned to Medina county, Ohio. In 
 
 the year 1855 he removed to Wisconsin, 
 locating on Rock prairie, near Milton Junc- 
 tion, where .he made his home for three 
 years. His last days were passed in She- 
 bo}gan county, and his wife also died there. 
 While living in Ohio they lost two children, 
 and had eight living at the time of the 
 breaking out of the late war. Two sons 
 fought in that memorable struggle between 
 the North and South for the preservation of 
 the Union on one hand, for its destruction 
 on the other. Lewis D. died in front of 
 Vicksburg, and Robert served until the close 
 of the war. Five of the family are still 
 living, namely: Robert. C. H., Mills. Lillie 
 and Laura. 
 
 In the usual manner of farmer lads the 
 subject of this sketch was reared, and in his 
 younger j'ears he learned the trade of carpen- 
 ter. He remained with his parents till about 
 thirty years of age, securing for them a 
 home for their old age. His dutifulness 
 thus manifested has characterized his entire 
 life; no trust reposed in him has ever been 
 betrayed, but, true to every duty, the loy- 
 alty of his nature has brought him the un- 
 limited confidence and highest regard of all 
 with whom he has been brought in contact. 
 
 On the iSth of January, 1864, Mr. 
 Fletcher married Sarah E. Chambers, a 
 native o{ Canada and one of the six surviv- 
 ing children of Edward L. and Cynthia A. 
 (West) Chambers, both of whom were born 
 in Canada. In that country they were mar- 
 ried and resided for forty years, removing 
 thence to Wisconsin, locating in Sheboygan 
 county. About twenty-five years ago he 
 came to Martin county, settling in Westford 
 township. The mother died in Blue Earth 
 county, in 1884, and the father is still liv- 
 ing, at the advanced age of eighty years. 
 Their livingchildren are John, Mrs. Fletcher, 
 
646 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 George E., Jennie Blake, Henry and Mrs. 
 Helen Pigman. 
 
 The year 1866 witnessed the arrival of 
 Mr. Fletcher in Martin county, and he has 
 since li\ed upon the farm which is now his 
 home. At the time of taking his homestead 
 it was all wild land, — an unbroken prairie, 
 bearing little resemblance to the highly cul- 
 tivated farm which now returns him boun- 
 teous harvests for the labors he bestows upon 
 it. He had but little means when he came 
 here twenty-eight years ago, but time 
 and his labors changed this state of affairs 
 and his enterprise and industry have brought 
 fiim a well-deserved prosperity. He now 
 owns 400 acres of highly cultivated land and 
 his well improved farm is one of the best in 
 the county. Although business interests 
 have largely occupied his time and atten- 
 tion, his duties of citizenship have in no 
 wise been neglected, he having ever been 
 found ready to aid in every enterprise which 
 is calculated to prove of public benefit or to 
 promote the general welfare. He votes 
 with the Republican party, and his fellow 
 citizens, appreciating his worth and ability, 
 have frequently elected him to office. He 
 has twice served as Supervisor cjf his town- 
 ship, has filled the office of Justice of the 
 Peace and is now Clerk of School District 
 No. T] . The cause of education has ever 
 found in him a warm frieiul, and he does 
 much to advance its interests. 
 
 The home of Mr. and Mrs. I'letcher has 
 been blessed with foin- children, but one of 
 the number, Willie L. , died on the nth of 
 May, 1 891, at the age of twenty-si.\ years. 
 I'-lmer, Fred and lidith are still with their 
 parents; and V'erna, an aik)pte(l daughter, 
 now finds with them a pleasant home. 
 
 Our subject and his most estimable wife 
 liuld membership with the Freewill Baptist 
 
 Church, and their earnest Christian lives are 
 in harmony with their professions. The 
 poor and iiee<l\' find in them friends, the sor- 
 rowing receive their heartfelt sympathy, and 
 to the bright and happy they add their own 
 full measure of cheer. During their long 
 residence in Martin county, they have won 
 the highest regard of all with whom they 
 have been brought in contact, and their 
 friends are many. In the early days of 
 their residence there, they went through all 
 the experiences and hardship incident to life 
 on the frontier and arduous labors devolved 
 upon them. They had no capital to go on, 
 and frequently the supplies of their house- 
 hold became quite limited. Mr. Fletcher 
 has carried fifty pounds of flour upon his 
 back from Shelby to his home, wading 
 waist-deep in mud and water! He worked 
 hard in the fields, and his wife labored no 
 less hard to make the little pioneer home 
 comfortable and attractive, proving to her 
 husband a true helpmeet. In their declin- 
 ing years not only the consciousness of well 
 doing is theirs, but prosperity has also come 
 to them. -- the just reward of honest toil. 
 
 ^^^ ARRET HARRIS, a farmer of sec- 
 ■ ^^ tion 28, Waverly township, was 
 \^^f born ill St. Lawrence county. New 
 York, April 28, 1S50, a son of 
 Daniel and Christiana M. (Long) Harris. 
 The father was born in Middlesex, Vermont, 
 July 30, 1806, a son of Samuel and Lucy 
 Wakefield Harris, natives of Long Island, 
 New York. The latter located in St. Law- 
 rence county, that State, in 1807, and 
 erected the first house in Lawrence town- 
 ship. The mother of our subject was born 
 in Portsmouth, Massachusetts, December 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI.V, WATONIVAA'' AiVD JACKSON. 
 
 647 
 
 30, 1818, a daughter of Jonathan and Sub- 
 mit Smead Long, the former born near Al- 
 bany, New York, and the latter in Salisbury, 
 Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Harris were 
 married in St. Lawrence county. New York, 
 and remained there until death, the mother 
 dying October 15, 1S91, and the father No- 
 vember 24, 1893. They had three children, 
 viz. : Fannie, deceased, who was the wife 
 of Luther Day; Mary G., the present wife 
 of Luther Day, and they reside on the old 
 homestead in St. Lawrence county. New 
 York; and Garret, the subject of this sketch. 
 
 The latter remained on the home farm 
 until twenty-two years of age, receiving an 
 academic education at Lawrenceville, New 
 York. In 1S72 he came to Martin county, 
 Minnesota, and four years later homesteaded 
 his farm of 440 acres, all of which is in a 
 good state of cultivation. Mr. Harris allies 
 himself with the Democratic party. He 
 has served as Supervisor of Waverly town- 
 ship six years, as Director of School District 
 No. 54, and Road Oxcrseer. Socially, he 
 is a member of the Masonic order at F'air- 
 mont. 
 
 In 1879 Mr. Harris was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Blanche E. Francis, born in 
 Dane county, Wisconsin, June 11, 1856, a 
 daughter of Theodore D. and Helen M. (No- 
 bles) Francis, both now deceased. They 
 were among the pioneers of Dane county. 
 Five of their children, four sons and one 
 daughter, are still living. Mrs. Harris re- 
 ceived her education at the Mankato State 
 Normal, graduating in the class of 1877, 
 and she afterward taught five terms. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Harris have five children. — Helen 
 M., born July 15, 1882; Theodore D., July 
 29, 1883; Paul A., December 10, 1884; 
 Francis G., February 4, 1889; and Fannie 
 L. , January 5, 1892. 
 
 Vj'OHN ROSTOMILY. Chairman of 
 
 ■ the Hoard of Supervisors of La 
 /• J Crosse township, residing on section 
 4 (post-office Heron Lake), and born 
 in the pro\ince of Mahren, Austria, Novem- 
 ber S, 1862, a son of John Rostomily, Sr., 
 a wealthy farmer of that township, who also 
 is a native of that country and is now sev- 
 enty-five years of age, owning over 700 
 acres of land, well stocked with horses and 
 cattle. He married Josephine Valentine, 
 also a native of Austria, and came to Amer- 
 ica in 1S73, sailing from ISrcmen io Balti- 
 more and being on the sea twenty-one days. 
 He had ten children, — John, Josephine, 
 Amelia, Joseph, Frank, Stephen, Peter, 
 Anna, Richard and Carl. 
 
 John, who was eleven years old when he 
 was brought to this countr\- by his parents, 
 being the eldest son, assisted his father in 
 the improvement and cultivation of the 
 farm, receiving his education partly in his 
 native country and partly here. He is a 
 fine penman, thus indicatingthat in business 
 and public affairs he would be a very care- 
 ful man. At the age of twenty-six years he 
 settled upon his present farm, where he now 
 owns 220 acres, with a dwelling 14x22, 
 one and a half stories high, with an L 1 2 x 
 14 feet; also a good barn and other out- 
 buildings. 
 
 October 16, 1888, is the date of his 
 marriage to Anna Haberman, who also is a 
 native of Austria, but reared and educated 
 in this township. She is a daughter of Jo- 
 seph and X'ictorine Etzler Haberman, na- 
 tives also of Austria, who came to this coun- 
 try in 1874, settling in La Crosse township. 
 They had ten children, namely: Anna. 
 Frank, Amelia, Adelaid, Etnil, .-\ugust, Ce- 
 celia, Albert, Ida and Herman. The chil- 
 dren in the family of the subject of this 
 
64S 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 sketch are Otto \V., Henry G. and Anna 
 Augusta. 
 
 Mr. Rost(jiiiily has always voted the 
 Democratic ticket, and takes an active part 
 in politics in his community. He has been 
 Supervisor and chairman of the board for 
 five years. He was a good officer, and has 
 ever been a popular citi/eii, frank and 
 genial. 
 
 HDONIRAM JUDSON FROST, a 
 prominent farmer of Delafield town- 
 ship, Jackson county, was born in 
 in Waldo county. Maine, in 1836, 
 a son of Emery and Abigail fPiUsbury) 
 Frost, natives also of that State. On the 
 paternal side man\- of the descendants were 
 soldiers in the Revolutionary war and the 
 war of 1812. The mother descended from 
 an old Massachusetts family. Emery and 
 Abigail Frost had eight children,— Maria, 
 A. J., W. \\'. , Evaline, George, Emery and 
 two deceased. The father died when our 
 subject was nine years old. He was a farm- 
 er by occupation, was identified with the 
 Whig party, and was a member of the Bap- 
 tist Church. The mother and children 
 located in Omro, Wisconsin, in 1846. She 
 was married there to S. W. Jones, and they 
 had two children, — Adaline and Edith. The 
 mother departed this life at the age of sixty- 
 nine years. 
 
 Adoniram J. Frost, the subject <if tiiis 
 sketch, loiateil in Wisconsin when ten 
 years of age, and was reared there to farm 
 life. October 4, 1 861, he enlisted for service 
 in the late war, entering the Eighteenth Wis- 
 consin Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Al- 
 burn and Captain Joe Roberts, and was hon- 
 orabl)' discharged December 2, 1862. He 
 
 was taken prisoner at Pittsburg Landing, and 
 was held in Macon, Georgia, and in other 
 Southern prisons. After his discharge, he 
 spent some time in the Mount Pleasant Hos- 
 pital, at Washington, District of Columbia. 
 Mr. Frost then returned to Winnebago 
 county, Wisconsin, from 1865 to 1869 re- 
 sided at Pilot Mound, Fillmore county, Min- 
 nesota, and in the latter year, with his wife 
 and a few household goods, he came with 
 ox teams to Jackson county. He immedi- 
 ately erected a cabin, made of logs and sod, 
 but the latchstring always hung out, and all 
 were made welcome to the humble board of 
 the honored pioneer. Mr. Frost now owns 
 400 acres of the best land in the county, 
 where he has a good residence, and all 
 other necessarj" farm improvements. 
 
 October 24, 1867, at Pilot Mound, Fill- 
 more county, Minnesota, by E. D. Ham- 
 mer, now a State Senator, he was united in 
 marriage with Jane McKeown, a native of 
 Canada who was reared and educated in 
 Illinois. Her parents, James and Jane 
 (Higgins) McKeown, were born in Ireland, 
 but were reared in Canada. They were 
 the parents of seven children, — Elizabeth, 
 Jane, Maria, Ann, John, William and George. 
 The mother died in Fillmore county, Minne- 
 sota, at the age of se\enty-nine years, and 
 the father is still living, aged -seventy-two 
 years. He is a farmer by occupation, is a 
 prominent worker in the Republican party, 
 and is a member of the Presbyterian Church. 
 I Mr. and Mrs. Frost have had six children, 
 j viz. : Emery, a successful teacher of this 
 ! county; Edgar, also a popular teacher; 
 Walter, Bertie, Guy, Benjamin, Eva, de- 
 ceased at the age of two and a half years; 
 and George, wim died at the age of eleven 
 months. 
 
 In his political relations, Mr. Frost acts 
 
-# ^-/J. 
 
 a///^j . 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 65, 
 
 with the Republican party, and he has held 
 the office of Justice of the Peace. Relig- 
 iously, he is a member of the Baptist Church. 
 
 >^OHN BERIAH BARNES, a farmer of 
 
 m section 27, Center Creek township, 
 A J Martin county, was born in Franklin 
 county. New York, January 8, 1829, 
 a son of Charles H. Barnes, also a native of 
 that county. His father, John Barnes, was 
 a native of Connecticut, but was among the 
 early pioneers of New York, and was a 
 farmer by occupation. He was of English 
 descent. The mother of our subject was 
 formerly Salley Hoyet, a native of Franklin 
 county, New York, and of English descent. 
 She was one of twelve daughters. Charles 
 H. and Salley Barnes were the parents of 
 eight children, si.\ sons and two daughters. 
 J. B. Barnes, the second child and sec- 
 ond son in the above family, remained in 
 his native place until 1857, when he located 
 twenty miles west of McGregor, Clayton 
 county, Iowa, from 1861 until 1865 resided 
 in Mower county, Minnesota, and then pur- 
 chased the claim where he now lives in 
 Martin county. He first erected a slab 
 shantj', and immediately began the improve- 
 ment of the place. Mr. Barnes now owns 
 320 acres of the best land in Center Creek 
 township. In political matters, he affiliates 
 with the Republican party. He iias served 
 as Justice of the Peace, as Chairman of 
 the School Board, and is now Township 
 Treasurer. 
 
 Mr. Barnes was married in 1853, to 
 Electa Lee, daughter of Russell and Amanda 
 (Doud) Lee, and a native of Franklin county. 
 New York. The have four children, namely: 
 Mary, wife of G. F. Andross; Alice A., wife 
 of H. M. Park, of Center Creek township, 
 
 84 
 
 Martin county; Jennie, wife of O. E. Park, 
 a prominent farmer of this locality; and 
 George H., also of Center Creek township, 
 married Ida Mapson. The family are mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 C^ M- RICHARDS, a prominent 
 •^^^^ farmer of Jackson county, was born 
 
 \\,^_J i" Wayne county, Ohio, February 
 14, 1851, a son of Israel and Eliza 
 (Scott) Richards, natives also of that State. 
 The mother was a daughter of Robert Scott. 
 Soon after their marriage Israel Richards and 
 wife moved to Defiance county, Ohio, where 
 the former died at the age of si.\ty-two years. 
 He was a farmer by occupation, was promi- 
 nently identified with the Republican party, 
 and was a member of the Presbyterian 
 Church. The mother still resides in De- 
 fiance county. They were the parents of 
 seven children, namely: \\'inrield S., Will- 
 iam S., S. M., Israel, Akin M., Mattie and 
 Elliot H. 
 
 S. M. Richards, the subject of this sketch, 
 was reared on an old Ohio farm. He lived 
 in Defiance county until 1881, and then 
 spent four years in Ford C(3unty, Illinois, 
 engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1885 
 he came to Jackson county, Minnesota, 
 where he now has a large and well improved 
 farm. In his political relations. Mr. Rich- 
 ards allies himself with the Republic.m party, 
 and he has served as Justice of the Peace 
 and as Treasurer of the School Board. 
 
 January i, 1875, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Ella Lower, who was born, reared 
 and educated in Ohio, a daughter of John 
 and Catherine (Crites) Lower, natives also 
 of that State. The father is engaged in the 
 drug business. They have three children, — 
 Ella, Gilbert and Belle. .Mr. and Mrs. 
 
652 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Richards have two children, — Orton Reed, 
 born October 13, 1875; ^"d Arthur Penn, 
 born October 13, 1880. Mrs. Richards is 
 a member of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, and is an active worker in the Sun- 
 day-school. 
 
 ^>^™\ K. JONES is numbered anions tlie 
 I f^ native sons of Jackson county, Min- 
 \ _ y nesotn, and is a representative of 
 one of the early families of the lo- 
 cality. His father, John J. Jones, is num- 
 bered among the pioneer settlers of this re- 
 gion and is yet an honored and respected 
 citizen, making his home in Heron Lake. 
 
 R. R. Jones was reared at his parental 
 home, — the days of his boyhood and 
 youth being quietly passed, unmarked by 
 any event of special importance. He ac- 
 quired his education in the public schools of 
 the county and has always been interested 
 in educational matters. He was an apt 
 scholar, taking great interest in his studies, 
 and since he has arrived at man's estate he 
 has devoted his time and energies to teach- 
 ing. He has the happy faculty of impart- 
 ing readily and clearly to others the knowl- 
 edge he has acquired, and is most success- 
 ful in his chosen field of labor. He was 
 educated in both the German and English 
 languages and was cjuite proficient in the 
 latter, for he is of German lineage, 
 
 The community in which Mr. Jones 
 lives owes much to him for what he has 
 done in behalf of the schools. Their e.xcel- 
 Icnce may be largely attributed to his earn- 
 est labors, for he does all in his power to 
 advance the cause of education. It is said 
 that any man may win success in life if he 
 will but follow the calling for which nature 
 iiitfuded him. If success is a criterion we 
 
 can safely say that nature intended Mr. 
 Jones for a school-teacher. 
 
 He is also recognizejj as a valued citi- 
 zen of the community, and his fellow towns- 
 men, recognizing his worth and ability, 
 have frequently called him to public office, 
 he having served in nearly every official po- 
 sition in the township. He is progressive 
 and public spirited, and the best interests of 
 the community ever find in him a friend. He 
 has spent his entire life in Jackson county, 
 and with his little family still resides in La 
 Crosse township. 
 
 <>^ ERNH.\RD BIERI, one of the hon- 
 l^*^^ ored and representative business 
 J^^J men (if Wells, Minnesota, has for 
 some years been connected with 
 this city, and its commercial interests have 
 been largely advanced through his efforts. 
 He is now the senior member of the firm of 
 Bieri & Gohde, dealers in agricultural imple- 
 ments, and is secretary of the Clark Star 
 Creamery Company, which operates one of 
 the leading industries of the city. His wide- 
 awake and progressive spirit and his enter- 
 prise and industry go to make up a citizen 
 that would be an important addition to any 
 community, and it is with pleasure that we 
 present the recf)rd of his life to the readers 
 of this volume. 
 
 A native of Switzerland, he was born in 
 Brienz, on the 4th of October, 1858, and is 
 the eldest in a family of seven children, 
 whose parents were Bernhard and Margaret 
 (Amacher) Bieri. In his young years the 
 father learned the baker's trade, and. as 
 soon as possible, opened a small bakery of 
 his own, which he conducted with considera- 
 ble success, enlarging his facilities to meet 
 the growing demand. He has also branched 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, U'ATONWAX A A/) JACKSON. 
 
 653 
 
 out along other lines of trade, and to-day is 
 the owner of a large mercantile establish- 
 ment, while in the neighborhood where he re- 
 sides he is numbered among the substantial 
 citizens. He has reached the age of fifty- 
 nine, but is still actively engaged in the 
 management of his business affairs. His 
 estimable wife, who has shared with him 
 in the sorrows and joys of life and now re- 
 joices in his successes, has also reached the 
 age of fifty-nine. It has been their en- 
 deavor to provide their children with good 
 educational privileges and thus fit them for 
 life's duties, and as they have mastered the 
 branches taught in the common school they 
 have placed before them the means of ob- 
 taining a higher education. The children 
 are Bernhard, whose name heads this 
 record; Peter, who has made a special study 
 of dairying, is now a successful business 
 man of Buffalo Center, Iowa, where he con- 
 ducts the Buffalo Center Creamer)-, ami has 
 also leased and is conducting another large 
 plant known as the Lincoln Creamery; Mar- 
 garet is the wife of G. H. Stcinhauer, a 
 substantial farmer of Foster township, Fari- 
 bault county; Elizabeth became the wife of 
 John Fischer, and died at the age of twen- 
 ty-three years; P'rederick came to this coun- 
 try and located first in Bremer county, 
 Iowa, after which he removed to Faribault 
 county, Minnesota, where for five years he 
 followed agricultural pursuits, nnich of the 
 time being on the farm of his brother Bern- 
 hard; he then returned to the Fatherland, 
 where he is still living; Anna still resides 
 with her parents; and Gottlieb, the young- 
 est, is also an inmate of the parental home. 
 BerTihard Bieri received a college edu- 
 cation and then engaged in teaching for one 
 year, after which he was called into military 
 service, remaining in the army fur six 
 
 months. \\'hen very young his father had 
 apprenticed him to the mercantile business 
 under his immediate supervision, hence his 
 educational, business and military training 
 combined to fit him for almost any work in 
 life. On leaving the army he determined 
 to try his fortune in the New World, and on 
 the 8th of May, 1880, bade adieu to home 
 and friends and sailed for the United States 
 fr<iin Havre, France, the steamer bound for 
 New York. On the ist of June he reached 
 La Crosse, Wisconsin, with a cash capital 
 of only $20, but possessed a resolute pur- 
 pose to make the best of life and to win suc- 
 cess if honest labor and persistence could ac- 
 complish it. He soon secured work as a 
 farm hand, in which capacity he served for 
 six months, when he came to Menominee, 
 Wisconsin, obtaining there a position as 
 scaler for the firm of Knapp, Stout & Com- 
 pany, with whom he continued until 1884. 
 That year witnessed his arrival in Faribault 
 county, Minnesota. He obtained a position 
 on the farm of Clark W. Thompson, and 
 remained there until 1S91, when he pur- 
 chased 280 acres of land on section 25, 
 Walnut Lake township, and on section 30, 
 Clark township. It will thus be seen that 
 his dream of gaining a competence was no 
 longer a vision, but was becoming a reality. 
 Shortly after this Mr. Bieri began oper- 
 ating a creamery in the town of Clark, about 
 three miles south of Wells, which was in- 
 corporated under the name of the Clark Star 
 Creamery Company, the first successful sep- 
 arator creamery in Faribault county. The 
 officers of the company are Henry Brandt, 
 president; John Niebuhr, treasurer: and Bern- 
 hard Bieri, secretary. Mr. Bieri manages 
 the creamery, wiiich is one of the paying in- 
 dustries of the locality, and in addition to 
 this ami hi^ farm he is the owner of the ag- 
 
654 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ricultiiral implement store in Wells, situated 
 on Second street, in connection with H. C. 
 Gohde. They have a large warehouse, 
 erected in the spring of 1895, 24x62 feet, 
 with an addition 24X 12 feet, and twelve- 
 foot posts. 
 
 On the 4th of July, 1881, Mr. Bieri was 
 united in marriage with Miss Anna Eliza 
 Schild, a companion of his boyhood and a 
 most estimable lady. She was born in the 
 same village as her husband, December 15, 
 1858, and the wedding took place in Me- 
 nominee, Wisconsin. They have seven chil- 
 dren: Maggie, who was born in Menomi- 
 nee; John, Elsie, Anna, Bernhard, Clara 
 and Frederick are all at home with their 
 parents. The family circle is still intact, 
 unbroken by the hand of death, and through- 
 out the community these worthy jieople are 
 highly esteemed. 
 
 Mr. Bieri has held nearly every office 
 within the gift of the people of his township, 
 been officially connected with the schools, 
 has been side Supervisor and Chairman of 
 the Board, and also Assessor of the town- 
 ship. He is not an aggressive politician but 
 espouses the principles of the Republican 
 party and has voted for all State and 
 national candidates on that ticket since cast- 
 ing his first presidential vote for James G. 
 Blaine in 1 884. Socially he is a member of 
 the Ancient Order of United Workmen and 
 of Doric Lodge, No. 87, F. & A. M. Tiie 
 members of the family are connected with 
 the German Keformed Church. 
 
 Coming to this country a poor man, de- 
 pendent entirel}- upon his own resources, 
 Mr. Bieri has steadily worked his way up- 
 ward, overcoming the difficulties and obsta- 
 cles in his path, and now a handsome com- 
 petence rewards his labors. It is astonish- 
 ing to witness how men of foreign birth come 
 
 to this country and take on the customs of 
 the New World, adapting themselves to 
 their altered surroundings, and with what 
 quickness they take advantages of oppor- 
 tunities, using all honorable means for ad- 
 vancement. This Mr. Bieri has done, and 
 the county may well be proud to number 
 him among her citizens. 
 
 OWEN STAPP, one of the represen- 
 tative old settlers of Watonwan 
 county, locating here in 1870, was 
 born in Jefferson county, Indiana, 
 September 18, 1844, a son of J. D. Stapp, a 
 native of Kentucky and a son of Eli Stapp, 
 a native also of that State and for many 
 years a slaveholder. The family is of Ger- 
 man origin. Eli died in Indiana, at an ad- 
 vanced age. J. D., the father, was a 
 miller, in both saw and grist mills, and with 
 both water and steam power. He is now 
 living in Somerset, Nebraska, seventy-five 
 years of age; his wife died in Indiana in 
 1869. 
 
 Owen is the eldest of the five children 
 of his parents, the others being R. E. , Susan 
 Henshaw, Fannie Styles, S. T. , and Carrie, 
 who died at the age of fifteen years. He was 
 brought up on a farm and at milling, both 
 in a saw and a gristmill, receiving some edu- 
 cation in the public schools. In 1868 he 
 moved to Ripley county, that State, and in 
 1 870 to St. James township, Watonwan 
 county, this State, taking the claim which 
 he now owns. 
 
 At the age of twenty-five years he mar- 
 ried, in Ripley county, Indiana, Miss Maria 
 Brandon, a native of Switzerland county, 
 Indiana, and a daughter of William and 
 Mary (Swcougen) Brandon; both her parents 
 passed their lives in Indiana, having had 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 655 
 
 seventeen children, — John, Berklc)-, Millie, 
 Susan, Van Ness (a soldier in the late war), 
 Joseph, Polly, Priscilla, Maria. Novcy, Mary 
 J., Joanna, Amos, Ebenezer, \\'illiam H., 
 and two who died young. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Stapp have had seven chil- 
 dren, namely: Minnie Frances, who grew 
 up and became a successful teacher and died 
 at the age o{ twenty-five years; Mary Allie, 
 who became the wife of Albert Forsyth of 
 this county; Leonora, Alonzo, deceased, 
 \'on Alfred, Milton H., and Ida Pearl. 
 
 With reference to political matters, Mr. 
 Stapp is a Republican. He has been Asses- 
 sor, Town Clerk and member of the School 
 Board for over twenty years. Mrs. Stapp is 
 a member of the Baptist Church, as are also 
 the three children. 
 
 ^y'^ ANIEL ARMSTRONG, one uf the 
 I I early settlers of Easton and Fari- 
 J^^J bault county, Minnesota, was born 
 in Troy township, Crawford county, 
 Pennsylvania, August 27, 1842. He is the 
 youngest of the three daughters and two 
 sons of Daniel and Anna (Fadden) Arm- 
 strong, a brief record of his brothers and 
 sisters being as follows: Andrew Jackson 
 Armstrong, the eldest of the family, is one 
 of the pioneers of Mimiesota, and is now 
 living retired at Delavan, this cotmty, where 
 he recently erected a modern home. Mary 
 Jane is the widow of Mr. E. Piatt and resides 
 in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania. Louise 
 Ann married Louis Diilinger, a gardener of 
 Titusville, Pennsylvania. Elizabeth is the 
 wife of Charles Stafford, New Wilmington, 
 Pennsylvania, his trade being that of a stone- 
 mason and brick-layer. The parents were 
 members of the Methodist Church and were 
 
 devoted Christians. Both have long since 
 passed away. 
 
 Daniel .Armstrong spent the first si.\ 
 years of his life on his father's farm. He 
 then went to live witli the family of Mr. 
 George Higgins, with whom he remained 
 until he was fourteen, and while there at- 
 tended school in a log schoolhouse that was 
 twi) miles away. He afterward lived with 
 relatives and was variously employed in dif- 
 ferent places. In the meantime his mother 
 married again, and he worked for his step- 
 father, Thomas McGarvey. Afterward he 
 worked at the blacksmith's trade a short 
 time, and from that turned his attention to 
 carpentering. Still later he was engaged in 
 sawmilling, and in that venture lost all he 
 had, the mill being washed away by the 
 high waters. Next he carried on farming, 
 all this time remaining in Pennsylvania. 
 Finally he engaged in the oil business, and 
 in the interest of an oil company made a 
 trip to Chicago. He was personally ac- 
 quainted with '-Coal Oil Johnney," John 
 Steele. Afterward he worked at the trade 
 of carpenter in Chicago, and then for two 
 years had charge of an engine house at Des 
 Plaines, Illinois. From there in the spring 
 of 1878 he came to Minnesota, landing at 
 Mankato on the 8th of April. He has been 
 engaged in farming in Faribault county ever 
 since, with the exception of two years when 
 he was a resident of Easton. 
 
 Mr. .Armstrong was married in 1863 to 
 Miss Margaret Keer, who was born in Clar- 
 ion county, Pennsylvania, in 1843, daughter 
 of George Keer. She died in 1865, leaving 
 two children, viz: Elizabella Elizabeth, 
 who died at the age of seven years, and 
 Anna Maria, wife of Albert Ault, a farmer 
 of Clarion ( ouiit y, Pennsylvania. June 25, 
 1 1871, Mr. .\rmstrong married Miss Mary A, 
 
656 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Costello, daughter of James and Dora 
 (Turner) Costello. She was born in Des 
 Plaines, Cook county, Illinois, May 5, 1855, 
 her parents having emigrated to that place 
 from the Emerald Isle in 1854. Mr. Cos- 
 tello took an active part in the construc- 
 tion of the Wisconsin di\ision of the North- 
 western railroad. Her brother, W. M. Cos- 
 tello, has been conductor on this road for 
 many years, his residence being in Des 
 Plaines. Her father and mother died 
 there some years ago. Mr. Armstrong 
 and his present wife have had three sons 
 and three daughters, five of whom are 
 living, namely: John, born March 17, 
 1872, and residing in Easton, this county; 
 Mary Ann, born May 4, 1875, and now 
 the wife of J. Leaky, a farmer- of Lura 
 township, this county; Dora Ellen, born 
 June 25, 1877; William J., December 
 14, 1880; and Martha Margaret, June 20, 
 1894. The daughters are all musicians, 
 William J. being also an accomplished vio- 
 linist. One child, named William, died in 
 infancy, in 1874. 
 
 Mr. Armstrong takes a commendable in- 
 terest in local affairs, and has served on the 
 township board as Trustee for many years. 
 At one time he was elected a Justice of the 
 Peace, but failed to qualify. He cast his 
 first presidential vote for Lincoln, and has 
 allied himself with the Republican party 
 ever since. 
 
 •y— ^ EXRY OLE FREDERICK OL- 
 ^"\ SAN, who for the past year has 
 \ , * been conducting a saloon in Jack- 
 son, is a native of Denmark, born 
 April 15, 185S, and is a son of Nels and 
 Louisa Ol.san. He is third in a family of 
 si.\ children: Fredericka, who died at the 
 
 age of eighteen years; Alita, who still resides 
 with her parents in Denmark; Henry O. F., 
 of this sketch; Birgette, who died at the age 
 of twenty years; Louis, now assisting his 
 brother in the saloon, and who was for some 
 years with the Pinkerton Detective Agency; 
 and Carl, who died at the age of twenty 
 years. The father of his family, Nels Ol- 
 san, was born August 24, 18 19. in Den- 
 mark. When still in his 'teens he spent 
 three years in the piano factory of Hornug 
 & Miller, the famous Danish piano-makers. 
 For a period of sixteen years he was in the 
 Danish cavalry and served in the war of 
 1848. After the conclusion of hostilities he 
 was decorated by the king with the Cross of 
 the Legion of Honor. In the military and 
 police departments of his government he 
 served fifty long years, at the expiration of 
 which time he was retired on a pension. 
 His career has certainly been an honorable 
 one, and several times he was honored by 
 his sovereign. He is now in the seventy- 
 sixth year of his age and is well preserved 
 and in possession of all his mental faculties. 
 The good Christian mother of this family 
 was born in Schleswig-Holstein, October 24, 
 1 82 1, has now reached her seventy-fourth 
 year and is a well preserved lady. She is a 
 devout member of the Danish Lutheran 
 Church, in which she has always borne an 
 honorable part. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was reared in 
 his native town and received a good com- 
 mon-school education. He was apprenticed 
 in a hardware store, where he spent five 
 years, then took a course in book-keeping, * 
 after which he kept a set of books for about 
 three years. At the age of twenty-two he 
 bailc farewell to home and native land and 
 set sail from Hremen to New York, on the 
 White Star line steamer Baltic, arriving at 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 657 
 
 New York after a voyage 01 two weeks. He 
 continued his journey west to Omaha, Ne- 
 braska, where he arrived on the 1 5th of 
 March, 1879. Securing work from the Union 
 Pacific Railroad, he remained with that com- 
 pany for about a year and a half, then re- 
 turned to Omaha and secured employment 
 from Soren Nielsen. There he became ac- 
 quainted with and wedded Migs Meta Niel- 
 sen, daughter of his employer. The wed- 
 ding took place at the home of the bride De- 
 cember 4, 1 88 1. When Mr. Nielsen emi- 
 grated to Jackson county, Minnesota, in 
 1884 Mr. Olsan accompanied him. Here 
 he has since resided. To Mr. and Mrs. Ol- 
 san five children have been born: Louise, 
 born June 9, 18S3, in Omaha, Nebraska; 
 Meta, who died in childhood; Carl, born in 
 Jackson September, 1885; Meta; and Aiida, 
 born May 30, 1892. 
 
 Politically Mr. Olsan is a Democrat and 
 is an active worker in the party. He has 
 served as delegate to several State and 
 county conventions, but has never sought 
 public office. He is a member of Good 
 Faith Lodge, No. 90, F. & A. M. The 
 family are members of the Danish Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 EERMANN HEINRICH SCHUE- 
 LER. — Germany has furnished to 
 .Martin county many of its leading 
 agriculturists, men who have aided 
 in the development and progress of this 
 region and demonstrated their loyalty to 
 their adopted countrj' by faitlifully discharg- 
 ing their duties of citizenship. Among this 
 class is the gentleman whose name heads 
 this review, and the record of his life will 
 doubtless prove of interest to many of our 
 readers and ma)' serve to encourage others 
 who have the same difficulties to meet in 
 
 life, demonstrating to them that success 
 may be achieved by those who strive dili- 
 gently for it. 
 
 Mr. Schueler was born in Pommern, 
 (icrnian}-, December 8, 1858, and is a son 
 of August Ludwig and Wilhelmina (Strey) 
 Schueler, who were natives of the same 
 land. With his parents he came to America, 
 and under the parental roof he remained 
 until twenty- four years of age. Ere this 
 time, however, he began working for others, 
 and his wages went to his father to aid in 
 support of the family. He was married 
 February 27, 1883, in Monce, Will county, 
 Illinois, to Miss Bertha Roeglin, the wed- 
 ding ceremony being performed by the Rev. 
 Heinrich Stahlin. Her parents. William 
 and Caroline (Poelin) Roeglin, never left 
 Germany, spending their entire lives in that 
 country. The father died in the fall of 
 1888, at the age of seventy-two j'cars, and 
 the mother departed this life in the spring 
 of 1871. Mrs. Schueler was born May 12, 
 1859, and was the third in a family of seven 
 children. She came to America November 
 II, 1 88 1, accompanied by her cousin, 
 Amelia Roeglin. The other children of the 
 family were Amelia, August, Carl, Alvina, 
 Ernestina and William. The last named 
 served his full time in the arm\- and came 
 to America in Jime, 1891. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Schueler were born 
 two children, — Emma, born June 15, 1SS4; 
 and Minnie, who was born May 13, 1889, 
 and died September 7, 1892. The parents 
 have a wide acquaintance throughout this 
 coniniunitx and the excellencies of their 
 character have gained for them the esteem 
 of many friends. 
 
 Upon his marriage Mr. Schueler began 
 farming in his own interest, renting eighty 
 acres of land in Will county, Illinois, of 
 
65? 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Peter Conrad. On that farm the young i 
 couple began tlieir domestic life, and he 
 continued to cultivate that property until 
 the 27th of February, 1886, when he came 
 to Martin county. He rented a quarter 
 section of land of Sohjnion King, on section I 
 13, Lake Belt township, and on section 18, 
 Tenhassen township. The latter he leased 
 for five years, and when he purchased land 
 he leased it to his brother. On the 29th of 
 October, 1888, he bought his present farm 
 of George Mochel. It was improved with 
 the present residence and a granary, but the 
 other buildings have been erected by him. 
 He takes great delight in making his farm 
 one of the best in the neighborhood, and 
 has succeeded in this undertaking, having 
 now a valuable and desirable property, 
 pleasantly and conveniently located. In 
 1892 he built a fine large barn, keeps the 
 latest improved machinery, and well kept 
 fences divide the place into fields of conven- 
 ient size. His stock numbers eighteen head 
 of cattle, fifty-four head of hogs and nine 
 horses. The farm comprises 160 acres on 
 section 14, Lake Belt township, and he 
 located thereon March 10, 1889. He also 
 bought eighty acres adjoining his first pur- 
 chase, and of the 240 acres, 170 acres is 
 under a high state of cultivation, while 
 twenty acres is covered with a lake, and 
 there is also a grove of two acres. His life 
 work has been farming and .stock-raising, 
 and he has done well along this line. In 
 not the least degree is indolence found in 
 his composition; on the other hand enter- 
 prise is numbered among his chief charac- 
 teristics, and perseverance well supplements 
 this. He has a worthy ambition tempered 
 by a safe conservatism, and through the 
 legitimate channels of business he has guided 
 his bark to success. 
 
 * y ^ ERMANN GUSTAV FRANK 
 
 l'^"\ SCHMIDT, a representative 
 \ W farmer of Lake Belt township, 
 Martin county, is the owner of 240 
 acres of land, of which 120 acres is under 
 the plow and yields to the owner a golden 
 tribute in return for the care and cultivation 
 which he bestows upon it. The record of 
 his life is as follows: 
 
 A native of Pommern, Germany, he was 
 born on the 6th of January, 1854, and is a 
 son of Lewis and Amelia (Buholtz) Schmidt. 
 The father of our subject was born in Ger- 
 many on the 24th of August, 1 82 1, and is 
 now living with his son Hermann. His wife 
 died February 7, 1868, at the age of forty- 
 three years. The children of their marriage 
 were: Minnie, who was born November 10, 
 1847, became the wife of William Zeck, a 
 farmer of Kit Carson county, Colorado, and 
 to them have been born five children, — Her- 
 mann, Charles, Frederick, Lena and Anna. 
 Augusta, born August 12, 185 1, is now the wife 
 of Frank Panlang, an agriculturist of Texas, 
 and their children are August and Rineholdt. 
 Hermann follows in the order of birth. 
 Matilda, born June i, i860, is the wife of 
 Martin Wenger, a painter by trade, residing 
 in Kansas, and they have five children. 
 
 In the land of his nativity Mr. Schmidt, 
 whose name introduces this record, spent 
 the first nineteen years of his life, and its 
 public schools afforded him his educational 
 privileges. With his father, brothers and 
 sisters, he left the old country May 28, 1873, 
 on a steamer bound for America. Several 
 years previous William Zeck, the husband of 
 his sister, Minnie, had crossed the Atlantic 
 and located in Kankakee, Illinois, whitherthe 
 family went, and there our subject remained 
 until his removal to Minnesota. He earned 
 his li\ing b\' working as a farm hanil, and 
 
Ja///M ^^(QCi2//-'^//r//, 
 
FAIilBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 66i 
 
 hopinfj to better his fiiijincial condition he 
 came to the State which is now the place of 
 his abode. On the ist of April, 1885, he 
 reached Martin county and located on a farm 
 in Jay township, owned by Moses Detrinne. 
 Soon afterward he purchased the west half 
 of the southwest quarter of section 13, Lake 
 Belt township, of Albert Kateh', and moved 
 to that farm in the fall. He at first lived in 
 a small house, but in 1888 it was replaced 
 by his present commodious and comfortable 
 residence. In 1891 he purchased the south- 
 west quarter of the same section of E. F. 
 Earl, and therefore is the owner of three ad- 
 joining eighty-acre tracts. On his farm is a 
 grove of three acres; good fences, sub- 
 stantial buildings, the latest improved ma- 
 chinery, and well tilled fields represent his 
 careful supervision and his progressive spirit, 
 which is in no way behind the times. The 
 place is stocked with nineteen head of cat- 
 tle, thirty-five hogs and six horses. 
 
 The lady who now bears the name of 
 Mrs. Schmidt was in her maidenhood Ida 
 Matilda Adeline Schueler. She was born 
 February 4, 1854, and the marriage was 
 celebrated March' 4, 1875. The children 
 born of this union are: Minnie Augusta 
 Matilda, who was born December 29, 1876, 
 was confirmed at Welcome, Minnesota, 
 March 30, 1890, by the Rev. C. G. Eisen- 
 berg; Helena May, born September I3, 
 1878, was confirmed in Welcome by the 
 same minister, April 10, 1892; Mary Ann, 
 born September 6, 1880; Otto Albert, born 
 October 23, 1882; Hermann Gustav, born 
 June 15, 1884; Matilda Bertha, born June 
 24, 1886; Martha Emma, wh<i was liorn 
 September 11, 1888, died June 14, 1892; 
 J-ena Amelia, born June 5, 1890; Augusta 
 Lena, born April 5, 1893. Tlie parents of 
 this family are also faithful and consistent 
 
 members of the Lutheran Church, Mr. 
 Schmidt having been confirmed April 12, 
 1868, at Soltnetz, Germany, by the Rev. 
 Konnengiszer. In the years of his residence 
 in Martin county he has always lived so as 
 to win the confidence and respect of all with 
 whom he has been brought in contact, yet 
 he makes no pretensions, ami it is probably 
 [ his plain and unassuming manner that has 
 gained him the esteem of his man}- friends. 
 
 EON. J.VMr:S McHENCH, of Fair- 
 mont, Minnesota, was born in 
 Schoharie county. New York, 
 March 10, 1824, of Scotch lineage. 
 His grandfather, John McHench, who was 
 the first of the family to come to America, 
 ; emigrated from Scotland in the latter part 
 of the eighteenth century, and fought for 
 American independence during the seven 
 years' struggle with Great Britain. His 
 father, William McHench, was born in 
 Massachusetts, and later moved to New 
 York State, where he married Anna Fergu- 
 son, a native of Otsego county. They set- 
 tled in Schoharie county, and had nine chil- 
 dren, si.\ of whom grew up to the age of 
 maturity, and four of the number are now 
 living, viz. : James, the subject of this sketch ; 
 William, a physician of Brighton, Michigan: 
 Andrew.of Fargo, North Dakota; and Emma, 
 wife of Dr. D. M. Leonard, now residing at 
 the old McHench homestead in New York. 
 Like her husband, Mrs. McHench was of 
 Scotch descent. Both parents were mem- 
 bers of the Christian Church. Mr. Mc- 
 Hench was first a Whig anil afterwanl a Ke- 
 l>ublican, and was prominently identified with 
 local affairs, for years serving as Overseer of 
 the Poor, and also (illing other town offices. 
 He saw service in the war of 1812, and 
 
66z 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 commanded a coinpaii}' of infantry on Lon;^ 
 Island. He was a man of sterling character 
 and was a leader in whatever community he 
 resided, and his memory is revered by all 
 who knew him. 
 
 Mr. Mr. McHcnch, whose name introduces 
 this brief sketch, availed himself of the lim- 
 ited public-school advantages that his coun- 
 try home afforded. He began teaching at 
 an early age, and for fifteen consecutive 
 winters followed this calling, residing during 
 this time in his native county. In 1856 he 
 moved West, to Plainview, Wabasha county, 
 Minnesota, where he located a Government 
 claim, built a small shanty thereon and later 
 secured a title to the place. He gradually 
 added to this property until his farming in- 
 terests in this locality became extensive. 
 
 Mr. McHench moved to Martin county, 
 this State, m 1879, and, purchasing a large 
 tract of land in Manyaska township, engaged 
 in farming and stock-raising on a large scale. 
 He personally superintended this business 
 until his election as County Treasurer four 
 years later, when he removed to Fairmont, 
 which place he has since made his perma- 
 nent residence. 
 
 He was married, in 1889, to Miss Nellie 
 E., daughter of Reuben G. and Susanna B. 
 Daniels, of Waterloo, Indiana, her parents 
 being pioneer settlers of that locality. They 
 have two adopted children, — Gladys and 
 Willie. Both Mr. and Mrs. McHench are 
 members of the Congregational Church of 
 Fairmont. Mr. McHench is a member of 
 the board of trustees, while his wife takes 
 an active part in the Sabbath-school work 
 of the church. 
 
 Fraternally, Mr. McHench is a member 
 of the Masonic order. While a resident of 
 Plainview he was made a Mason, in Illus- 
 trious Lodge, No. 63, A. F. and .\. M., in 
 
 which he filled the office of Worshipful Mas- 
 ter for some years; received his chapter de- 
 grees in Halcyon Chapter, No. 12, R. A. 
 M., of Rochester. At present he is a mem- 
 ber of Chain Lake Lodge, No. 64, A. V . 
 & A. M., in which he is serving as Wor- 
 shipful Master; of Fairmont Chapter, No. 
 50, R. A. M. ; and of Apollo Commandery, 
 No. 12, K. T. 
 
 Like his father, Mr. McHench began his 
 political career as a ^^'hig, but joined the 
 Republican party on its organization, and 
 has ever since been an active and stanch 
 supporter of its principles. His first public 
 office was that of Superintendent of Schools 
 in his native county. While a resident of 
 Wabasha county he was a Justice of the 
 Peace, a Town Supervisor, and in 1887-8 
 served in the State Senate from that local- 
 ity. In the f;dl of 1883 he was elected 
 Treasurer of Martin county, entered upon 
 the duties of the office the following Janu- 
 ary, and served in that capacity for nine 
 consecutive years. He has been a member 
 of the State Agricultural Association for the 
 past sixteen years, and has served as vice- 
 president and as a member of the executive 
 board. At this writing he is a member of 
 the Capitol Commission, receiving his ap- 
 pointment from Governor Nelson. He is 
 one of the directors of the County Agricul- 
 tural Association. 
 
 Of the early pioneers who are prominent 
 in the history of Minnesota, none more de- 
 serve mention than the subject of this 
 sketch. Descending from rugged Scotch 
 ancestry, he was eminently fitted to endure 
 the hardships incident to frontier life. He 
 came to the State while it was yet a Terri- 
 tory, and has since been prominently iden- 
 tilied with the formation of its political in- 
 stitutions. That his career lias been sue- 
 
J^ARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 663 
 
 cessful his many friends heartilj- testify. 
 Having attained the usual age of man, — 
 " three-score years and ten " — over forty of 
 whicli have been passed in pioneer life, Mr. 
 McHench is now H\ing in comparative re- 
 tirement, surrounded by his family and re- 
 spected by all who know him. 
 
 QARCALI GAWORSKI is recog- 
 nized as the most prominent 
 farmer of Silver Lake township, 
 Martin county, — a leading and 
 influential citizen, well deserving of rep- 
 resentation in the history of his adopted 
 country. 
 
 He was born in Poland, Germany, Janu- 
 ary 14, 1855, and spent the first seventeen 
 years of his life in the land of his nativity, 
 during which time he learned the butcher's 
 trade. In the year 1872 he sailed for the 
 New World. He was in limited circum- 
 stances and saw no bright prospect of win- 
 ning a home and competence in his own 
 country, so determined to try his fortune 
 beyond the broad Atlantic. Landing in 
 New York he remained in that city for three 
 months, working as a gardner. He then 
 made his way to Chicago in July, 1872, 
 where he began working at his trade. As 
 soon as possible he began business for him- 
 self. Managing to save $72 he opened a 
 shop of his own and during the five years in 
 which he carried on operations along that 
 line he made $10,000. This demonstrated 
 his excellent business ability, his sagacity 
 and careful management, and tells of untir- 
 ing, persistent efforts. To a slight extent 
 he engaged in speculation, but that venture 
 proved nnprfifitable antl he lost about 
 $4,000. 
 
 With a capital of $6,000, however, he 
 
 came to Martin county and invested his 
 earnings in real estate. In 1884 he pur- 
 chased 520 acres of wild prairie land on sec- 
 tion 9, Silver Lake tcnvnship, and began the 
 development of a farm. He erected a house 
 and barn and made many other substantial 
 improvements, adding all the accesso- 
 ries and conveniences of a model farm. 
 He broke the prairie, divided a part 
 of his land into pastures and continued 
 the work of developing and cultivating 
 his land until 18S9, when he returned 
 to Chicago, spending one year in the Gar- 
 den City. Returning to Martin county in 
 1890, he purchased 240 acres of land on 
 section 25, Silver Lake township, situated 
 on the bank of the beautiful East Chain 
 Lake and has here since made his home. 
 He has built good barns, secured good wells, 
 and has one of the fine farms of Martin 
 county. He raises a tine grade of stock, 
 making a specialty of horses, and has one of 
 the best stock farms in this section of the 
 State. A fine forest of walnut and oak 
 timber is seen on this property, the place is 
 well-watered, and the pleasant residence 
 is located on the bank of East Chain Lakes, 
 commanding a beautiful view of the sur- 
 rounding country. 
 
 The lady who now bears the name of 
 Mrs. Gaworski and shares with him in the 
 joys and sorrows of life, bore the maiden 
 name of Anna Neido. She, too, is a native 
 of Poland, and came to America, when only 
 about a year old, with her parents, who lo- 
 cated in Chicago, where her girlhood days 
 were passed. The marriage of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Gaworski was celebrated in that city 
 November 18, 1877, and six children grace 
 their union, one son ami five daughters, 
 Frances, Paul, Katie, Julia, Mary and Bar- 
 bara. 
 
664 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Mr. Gaworski is a public-spirited and 
 progressive citizen and manifests a com- 
 mendable interest in everything pertaining 
 to the welfare of the community and its up- 
 building. He was instrumental in securing 
 the erection of the school-house in district 
 No. 88, and his hearty support and co-op- 
 eration are given to whatever is calculated 
 to promote the general welfare. In politics 
 he is a Democrat and in 1893 was elected 
 one of the Supervisors of Silver Lake town- 
 ship, in which position he is still serving. 
 He was also Township Clerk for three j'ears. 
 Mr. Gaworski is a well-informed man and 
 can fluently speak the German, English, 
 Polish and Bohemian languages. His worth 
 and ability are widely recognized and his 
 many excellencies and character have gained 
 him high regard. He is a self-made man 
 in the truest sense of that oft misused term, 
 and for his success in life deserves great 
 credit. 
 
 SEV. FKIEDKICH WILHELM 
 DABEKKOW, pastor of the Ga- 
 lena Inimanuel's Church, was born 
 in the Province of Pomerania, 
 Prussia, Germany, June 29, 1868, a son of 
 Christian and Wilhclmina (Daberkow) 
 Daberkow. Althdugh they were of the 
 same name, they were not related to each 
 other. The father, born March 7, 1840, 
 came to America in April, 1879, locating on 
 a farm in Cuming county, Nebraska, where 
 he still resides. The mother was born Oc- 
 tober 10, 1829. Christian and Wilhclmina 
 Daberkow had eight children, namely: 
 Eriedrich W. , the subject of this sketch; 
 Christian Eriedricii, born March iS, 1870, 
 died in October, 1887; Gustav Albert, born 
 April 2O, 1872, was married February 21, 
 
 1895, to Caroline Borgelt, and they reside 
 on a farm in Nebraska; Emilie P., born 
 February 7, 1875, died in Germany Febru- 
 ary 28, 1877; August Hermann, born Au- 
 gust II, 1877, is at home; Matilda Char- 
 lotte, born June 22, 1880, died August 13, 
 of the same year; ^^'ilhelm Ernest, born 
 August 17, 1883; and Marie Elizabeth, De- 
 cember 29, 1885. 
 
 Rev. Eriedrich W. Daberkow left home 
 for Springfield, Illinois, in 1883, where he 
 began a theological course, receiving his di- 
 ploma in the spring of 1890. In 1888 he 
 assisted Rev. A. Holins in Washington 
 county, Nebraska, in the following year as- 
 sisted Rev. A. Schupman in Allen county, 
 Indiana, and came to this county August 27, 
 1890. Mr. Daberkow preached his first 
 sermon in an unfinished church, having 
 been installed by Rev. Hermann Dahlke. 
 For two years he also had charge of the 
 Frazier Zion and Rutland St. Jacobi 
 Churches, now presided over by Rev. Paul 
 Beck, and he made his home with F. 
 Mueller. In addition to the church where 
 he lives. Rev. Daberkow now has charge of 
 the Cedar St. Paul Church. 
 
 August 10, 1890, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Miss Helena Hoelmer, born Sep- 
 teirlber 29, 1869, a daughter of Henry and 
 Anna (Saathoff) Hoelmer. To this union 
 has been added one daughter, Dorothea 
 Anna Wilhclmina, born in this county No- 
 vember 9, 1894. 
 
 ? 
 
 .\MES FINDLAY, Clerk of Weimar 
 township, Jackson county, was born 
 at Montrose, about thirty miles 
 liortheast of Dundee. Scotland, De- 
 cember 29, 1856, a son of George and Anne 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 665 
 
 (Alexander) Findlay, natives also of that 
 place. His mother died when James was 
 fifteen years old, leaving three children: 
 James, Isabella, of Australia, and Margaret 
 Jane, deceased at the age of eighteen years. 
 The father was a blacksmith by trade, and 
 was a fine workman in iron and steel. The 
 family were members of the Presbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 James Findlay was reared in his native 
 place, a town of 14,000 inhabitants, and 
 attended school from the age of five to thir- 
 teen years. He then followed the machinist's 
 trade eight years at Montrose. At the age 
 of twenty-one years he bade farewell to his 
 native land and came to the United States, 
 first finding employment with the E. P. 
 Allis Manufacturing Company at Milwaukee, 
 Wisconsin, where he remained two years. 
 Mr. Findlay next went to Minneapolis, Min- 
 nesota, in the employ of the Milwaukee 
 Railroad Cijmpany two years, and then with 
 the Omaha Railroad at St. Paul for eight 
 years, and in 1890 he purchased his present 
 farm in Jackson county, Minnesota, then 
 known as the Larud farm. The place con- 
 sists of seventy acres, and joins the town of 
 Heron Lake on the north. In addition to 
 his agricultural pursuits, he also follows the 
 machinist's trade. 
 
 Mr. Findlay was married May 22, 1884, 
 at Watertown, Wisconsin, to Laura E. Hay- 
 hurst, born, reared and educated in that 
 city, and a daughter of John and Elizabeth 
 (Sykes) Hayhurst. They were natives of 
 Yorkshire, England, were married in Brad- 
 ford, that country, and came to Wisconsin 
 in 1854. They were the parents of five 
 children, namely: Margaret, who married 
 Charles Johnson, the first white child born 
 in Watertown, Wisconsin; John, who was a 
 soldier in the Twenty-ninth Wisconsin Infan- 
 
 try during the late war; Sarah A. ; Alexander; 
 Taylor, a prominent business man of Water- 
 loo, Wisconsin; and Laura E. Findlay. 
 The father died at Watertown in 1879, and 
 the mother departed this life at the home of 
 Mrs. Findlay in 1893. In his social rela- 
 tions, Mr. Findlay is a member of the A. F. 
 and A. M., Columbia Lodge, No. 210, and 
 of the A. O. U. W. Lodge, No. 93. Politic- 
 ally, he allies himself with the Republican 
 party, and has held the position of Justice 
 of the Peace and is the present Township 
 Clerk. 
 
 Sf— ^ OSEA S. TRUE is one of those 
 I'^^m honored and respected pioneers 
 \ ^ r who in the upbuilding and devel- 
 opment of Martin county have 
 been important factors. The study of bio- 
 graphy is one of the most profitable to 
 which man can turn his attention, for it 
 teaches us not theoretical methods of busi- 
 ness and plans for achieving success, but 
 shows us practical paths that have been fol- 
 lowed by those who have reached the much 
 desired goal, and not the ideal but the real 
 is put before us for our emulation. The 
 life record of the subject of this sketch 
 should prove both entertaining and bene- 
 ficial to him who peruses it, and w ith pleas- 
 ure we present it to our reaiiers. 
 
 The True family from \\hich he is de- 
 scended is of English origin and was founded 
 in New England in the early Colonial days. 
 His father, Simeon S. True, was a native 
 of New Hampshire, and after arriving at 
 years of maturity he married Miss Lucy S. 
 Sturdevant, who was born in the same State 
 and was of Dutch lineage. Her father, 
 Hosea Sturdevant, was a soldier in the Rev- 
 
666 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF 7 HE COUNTIES OF 
 
 olution and valiantly aided the Colonies in 
 their struggle for independence. When a 
 young man he secured a tract of land in the 
 old Granite State. Burning the wood on 
 the place, he made from the ashes "salt " 
 (potash) and sold the latter article to pay 
 for his farm. Mr. and Mrs. Simeon True 
 spent their entire lives in New Hampshire, 
 and were highly respected citizens in the 
 community which was their home. With 
 the Methodist Church they held their relig- 
 ious connection. In their family were ten 
 children, si.\ of whom are yet living, namely: 
 David M., John N., Hosea S. , Sarah A., 
 Lewis F. and Charles O. This family was 
 well represented in the Union army by four 
 brothers who fought for the stars and stripes 
 and the cause they represented. They were 
 Lewis F. , Charles O., George H. and Sim- 
 eon W. , the last named dying in the service 
 from exposure. 
 
 Hosea S. True, the fourth child, was 
 born on the 17th of September, 1828, in 
 Center Harbor township, Belknap county. 
 New Hampshire. He obtained a common- 
 school education, and at the age of eighteen 
 years left home to try his fortune on the 
 broad prairies of the West. With a sur- 
 veying party he made his way to Dubuque, 
 Iowa, and in 1854 made a trip through 
 southern counties of Minnesota. He en- 
 gaged in trading with the Indians for a time 
 and then went to Illinois, where he spent 
 one year. In 1856 he became a permanent 
 resident of this State, locating in Blue 
 Earth countj' upon a wild tract of land, not 
 a furrow having been turned or an improve- 
 ment made ui)on the i)Iace. With charac- 
 teristic energy he began its development 
 and successfully carried on agricultural pur- 
 suits there until 18C3, when he came to the 
 farm which is his present home and which 
 
 has since been continually his place of abode. 
 He is now the owner of 280 acres of land, 
 all under the most modern system of culti- 
 vation, and the farm is one of the most val- 
 uable properties in this section of the State. 
 The well tilled fields surround a substantial 
 residence, good barns and other necessary 
 outbuildings, and the neat and thrifty ap- 
 pearance of the farm attests to the passer- 
 by the careful supervision of the owner, who 
 throughout the neighborhood is known as a 
 practical and progressive farmer. 
 
 An important event in the life of Mr. 
 True occurred in 1861 when was celebrated 
 his marriage with Mary Murphy, a native 
 of Ireland, born in 1837, and a daughter of 
 James Murphy, one of the early settlers of 
 Blue Earth county, Minnesota. Their union 
 was blessed with a family of si.\ children, 
 but one has been called from life. Those 
 still living are .Archie H., Charles M., 
 Thomas Norman, David E. and Gerald D. 
 The mother departed this life on the 7th of 
 July, 1894, a consistent member of the 
 Catholic Church, and held in the highest re- 
 gard by all who knew her for her excellent 
 qualities. Together Mr. and Mrs. True 
 have traveled life's journey for about a third 
 of a century, and he sorely misses her who 
 was so long his faithful companion and help- 
 meet, while the children mourn the loss of a 
 devoted mother. 
 
 Mr. True has ever borne his part in the 
 development of the county and is a loyal 
 citizen. He is a warm friend of the cause 
 of education and has done much good serv- 
 ice for the schools, especially while serving 
 as Treasurer of the school district, which 
 office he is filling at the present time. The 
 children have ever been provided with, good 
 school privileges, thus fitting them for the 
 practical and responsible duties of life; and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 667 
 
 two of the sons, Archie and Norman, have 
 successful!}' engaged in school-teaching. 
 Our subject is warmly interested in local 
 politics and votes with the Democratic 
 party. He is now Assessor of his township, 
 a position which he has acceptably filled for 
 twenty years, has also been township Su- 
 pervisor and was appointed Sheriff of the 
 county. 
 
 Through all the e.xperiences and strug- 
 gles of pioneer life Mr. True has piassed. 
 He resided in Minnesota during the Indian 
 troubles and when the grasshoppers caused 
 such devastation to the crops, but he has 
 lived a frugal, industrious life, and now in 
 his declining years he possesses a compe- 
 tence which not only supplies him with the 
 comforts of life but also many of its 
 lu.xuries. The name of this worthy gentle- 
 man is an inde.x to his character: he is 
 "true" in all things, and no man in the 
 community is held in higher regard or is 
 more deserving of the esteem and confidence 
 of his friends than Hosea S. True. 
 
 KON. O. H. HOWK, a retired 
 farmer, now living in St. fames, 
 Minnesota, is a native of Chris- 
 tiania, Norway, born on the 7th of 
 February, 1837, the third son of Hans O. 
 and Anna (Larson) Howe. In the place of 
 his nativity he was reared upon a farm, be- 
 coming familiar with all the duties that 
 devolve upon an agriculturist. The public 
 schools gave him his educational advance- 
 ment, and he remained at home until six- 
 teen years of age, when he bade adieu to 
 friends and native land and sailed for 
 America. This was in 1855. He did not 
 tarry in the East but made his way at once 
 to Milwaukee, where, during the succeeding 
 
 winter he attended school. He then went 
 into the lumber woods, where he was em- 
 ployed for ten years, working in sawmills 
 and on the river. 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Howe responded to the call 
 of his adopted country for troops and joined 
 the Union army. He was assigned to Com- 
 pany B, Forty-ninth Wisconsin Infantry, 
 and served with that commantl until the 
 close of the war, in southern .Missouri and 
 Arkansas. He was in a number of skirm- 
 ishes, and after the cessation of hostilities 
 he was honorably discharged, at Benton 
 Barracks, Missouri, in 1865. His native 
 land furnished a number of soldiers during 
 that war and their loyalty and fidelity were 
 widely recognized. Upon the close of the 
 war Mr. Howe returned to Mauston, Wis- 
 consin, where he engaged in business until 
 1866, when he crossed the Mississippi river 
 into Minnesota. He came to Watonwan 
 county and took up a homestead claim in 
 Long Lake township, which he at once be- 
 gan to improve. He was one of a party 
 that numbered six families, and they were 
 the only settlers in that township. In 
 course of time Mr. Howe had much of his 
 land under cultivation, and the once wild 
 prairie was transformed into rich and fertile 
 fields. Buildings were erected and all the 
 accessories and conveniences of a model 
 farm of the nineteenth century were added. 
 Thus his place became one of the valuable 
 farms of the community, and in return for 
 the care and cultivation he bestowed upon 
 it it yielded to him a golden tribute. As his 
 financial resources increased he made other 
 purcha.ses of farm lands until he owns at 
 this writing 600 acres, which he now rents. 
 He continued active farming until 1S89, 
 when he determined to lay aside all business 
 cares. Accordingly he left llic farm and 
 
663 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 removed to St. James, where he is now rest- 
 ing in the enjoyment of the fruits of his 
 former toil. 
 
 In the year 1S71 Mr. Howe was united 
 in marriage with a most estimable lady, — 
 Miss Bertha Wolner, a native of Norway. 
 Their union has been blessed with a family 
 of eleven children, but only four of this num- 
 ber are now living, as follows: Otto M., 
 who is living in St. James; Hilda C, now 
 attending school; Ludwig and Elmer, who 
 are still with their parents. The family is 
 one of prominence in this locality and its 
 members have many warm friends. 
 
 The political support of Mr. Howe is 
 given to the men and measures of the Re- 
 publican party, and its principles he zeal- 
 ously and ably advocates. He has frequently 
 been called upon to serve in public office 
 and for eight years served as chairman of 
 the I^oard of Supervisors, discharging his 
 duties with promptness and fidelity, — a fact 
 which is evidenced by his long continued 
 service. He aided in organizing Long Lake 
 township, has filled most of its offices, and 
 for some time was Justice of the Peace. In 
 1873 he was elected to serve in the General 
 Assembly as Senator from the Thirty-eighth 
 Senatorial district, comprising Watonwan. 
 Martin and Cottonwood counties. The 
 winter following he was elected Sergeant- 
 at-Arms for the House of Representatives. 
 He is a member of John K. Logan Post, 
 No. 64, G. A. R. , of St. James, is now 
 Senior Vice Commander, and has filled 
 other offices in that post. He holds mem- 
 bership in the Lutheran Church, and is ac- 
 tively interested in everything pertaining to 
 the welfare of the roininiiiiity and its up- 
 building. His public and private life alike 
 are above reproach, and all who know him 
 esteem him for the many excellencies of his 
 
 character. It was a fortunate day for him 
 when he came to America, and also a for- 
 tunate day for Watonwan county when he 
 was numbered among its citizens. 
 
 HOMAS ERICKSON, a prominent 
 farmer residing on section 8, East 
 Chain township, Martin county, 
 where he owns and superintends 
 200 acres of valuable land, is a native of 
 Norway, his birth having occurred in that 
 beautiful country known as the "Land of 
 the Midnight Sun," on the 13th of May, 
 1832. His childhood and youth were passed 
 there unmarked by any event of special im- 
 portance. At length he determined to seek 
 a home this side of the Atlantic, for he 
 believed that better opportunities were 
 afforded here than in the old countries and 
 hoped to better his financial condition. Bid- 
 ding adieu to home and friends, he sailed for 
 America in 1868. 
 
 Mr. Erickson made his first location in 
 P'illmore county, Minnesota, spending a few 
 months in that place. The following year 
 he became a resident of Martin county, where 
 he has since made his home. I'or twenty- 
 six years he has lived on the farm which is 
 now his place of residence. At the time of 
 his ]iurchase it was a tract of wild laml, not 
 a furrow having been turned or an improve- 
 ment made thereon, but with characteristic 
 energy he began its development and has 
 made it a valuable place. Where was once 
 barren prairie are now seen richly cultivated 
 fields, giving evidence of gtjod harvests. 
 Substantial buildings have been erected 
 which stand as monuments to the thrift and 
 enterprise of the owner, well kept fences 
 divide the place into fields of convenient 
 size, and trees, which have been planted by 
 
C&^ (^. -^^///M). 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATOXWAX AXD JACKSON. 
 
 r.;, 
 
 Mr. Erickson, cast their grateful shade over 
 the premises. 
 
 In 1 869 was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Krirkson and Miss Fredericka Anderson, 
 who was born in Norway on the 23d of 
 October, 1S29, and has been to him a faith- 
 ful companion and helpmeet. 
 
 In his political views, Mr. Erickson is a 
 Republican, but finds no time for public 
 office, preferring to give his entire attention 
 to his business interests, in which he has 
 met with a high degree of success. He now 
 carries on general farming and stock-raising. 
 His life has been a busy and useful one, and 
 his industry and good management are mani- 
 fest in his desirable possessions. He came 
 to this country without capital, and all that 
 he has to-day has been acquired through his 
 own efforts, — the reward of honest toil. He 
 may trulj' be called a self-made man, and in 
 the history of his adopted countv well 
 deserves representation. 
 
 BK1:i:M.\X \. SUL'IRES is one of 
 the honored pioneers of Faribault 
 county , whose residence here, dating 
 from May, 1S58, covers a period of 
 thirty-se\cn consecutive years, in which he 
 has borne an active part in the work of pub- 
 lic improvement, aiding materialh- in every- 
 thing tending to promote the general welfare. 
 A valued and progressive citizen, his willing 
 co-operation is withheld from no worthy en- 
 terjirise or interests. His business is that of 
 farming and stock-raising, and he is now the 
 possessor of 360 acres of valuable land, 
 which is the reward of earnest labor. 
 
 The life record of Mr. Squires will cer- 
 tainly prove of interest to man)' of out reail- 
 ers, for no man is more widely or favorably 
 
 36 
 
 known in this locality. He was born in 
 Washington county. New York, November 
 21, 1829, descending from English ancestry, 
 the family having been founded in America 
 during early Colonial days. The Squires 
 people have always been noted for loyalty 
 and were true to the mother country until 
 its unjust oppressions caused the withdrawal 
 of the allegiance of all just and noble men. 
 The new country, ihcn established, received 
 the hearty support of our subject's ancestors, 
 and the record which they made is one 
 of which he is justly proud. His grand- 
 father, Samuel Squires, who was born in 
 Connecticut, September 24, 1749, joined the 
 forces under General \\'ashington, as did six 
 of his brothers, and the cause of independ- 
 ence {(jund in them able champions.. He 
 was married March 10, 1870, to Annie Bates, 
 who was born June 21, 1751. and they be- 
 came the parents of four children,— two sons 
 and two daughters. When the Revolution 
 came to an end and England no longer had 
 dominion over the Colonies — now free and 
 independent States — Mr. Squires removed 
 with his famil}' to Washington county. New 
 York, then a frontier settlement, and in the 
 midst of the forest hewed out a farm, on 
 which he and his worthy w ife sjient their re- 
 maining days, passing away an advanced age. 
 |ohn S. Squires, father of our subject, 
 was born in the Empire State, on the 26th of 
 September, 1793, and was reared on the old 
 home farm, but later engaged in the lumber 
 business. On the 19th of Se|)tenibi'r, 1819, 
 was consmnmated his marriage to Elsie Hop- 
 kins, who was born December 2 1 , 1 798, 
 and was a daughter of Martin Hopkins, who 
 came of an old New England family and 
 was one of the early settlers of the Empire 
 State. Thirteen ehildron graced the union 
 of Ml. and .Mrs. Scjuiies, live of whom 
 
672 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTTES OF 
 
 reached mature years, while three of the 
 family still abide. Those who have passed 
 away after reaching majority were Ji>lin \\". 
 and Charles. The others were Annie, wife 
 of George H. Taylor, of New York; Sarah 
 J., wife of George W. Tilford, also of New 
 York; and the gentleman whose name initi- 
 ates this review. The parents were mem- 
 bers of the Baptist Church and were hon- 
 ored and respected by all who knew them. 
 The father died March 6, 1835. and the 
 mother afterward became the wife of Asa 
 Green. She crossed the dark river to the 
 eternal shore, June 20, 1881, at the ad- 
 vanced age of eighty-three years. 
 
 Quietly, midst play and work, the bo\- 
 hood days of Freeman A. Squires were 
 passed. He became familiar with the pleas- 
 ures and also the labors of farm life, and in 
 the subscription schools he conned his les- 
 sons. When the Mexican war broke out he 
 was only sixteen years of age, but with the 
 blood of Revolutionary forefathers Howingin 
 his veins, the patriotic youth coukl not re- 
 main at home, and went to the front in de- 
 fense of the old flag. Enlisting in the 
 spring of 1847, in Company A, Tenth New 
 York Infantry, he went to the land of Mon- 
 tezuma and participated in the engagements 
 of his regiment until the fall of 1S4S, when 
 he was honorably discharged. 
 
 Returning to his native county. Mr. 
 Siiuires embarked in the business of ship- 
 ping produce to New York city, which he 
 followed until the spring of 1855. Desiring 
 to try his fortune on the broad acres of 
 the West, he made his way to Rock county, 
 Wisconsin, where he resided, engaged in 
 farming, until Ma\-, 185S. .\t that time 
 Faribault county gained one of its most val- 
 uable citizens by his arrival here. He made 
 the journey in a co\ ered wagon and in three 
 
 weeks and two days reached his destination. 
 He here entered 160 acres from the Govern- 
 ment, first imder the pre-enijition and after- 
 ward under the homestead act. His means 
 were quite limited, he being the possessor of 
 only a few household goods, three yoke of 
 oxen and two cows. With characteristic 
 energy he began to clear his land and make 
 a home. They lived in their wagon for 
 four weeks, until a cabin could be built. 
 Their tirst home was only 14 x 18 feet, but 
 many happy hours were passed there, and 
 thougli hardships and trials were to be met 
 that life was not without its pleasures. Now 
 the little house has given way to a modern 
 and substantial residence, and in the rear of 
 this are good barns and other necessary 
 buildings wiiich arc models of convenience 
 and afford ample shelter for his fine stock. 
 Indolence and idleness are utterl}' foreign to 
 his nature and his diligence and well-di- 
 rected efforts have been crowned with suc- 
 cess. As his financial resources have in- 
 creased he has added to his farm until now 
 360 acres is included w itliin its boundaries. 
 He has gained a wide reputation as a 
 breeder of hK)oded horses and cattle. For 
 many years he dealt in short-horn cattle, and 
 in 1884 he introduced Swiss cattle into this 
 country, purchasing four head, three of 
 which were im[)ortcd, and he now has a 
 fine herd of thirty head and sells from three 
 to ten head each 3 ear, for which he receives 
 from $100 to $400. He also raises Morgan 
 horses, which in years past have been a 
 good source of revenue. In 1893 he took 
 his herd of Swiss cattle to the World's Fair 
 in Chicago, having taken them direct from 
 the pasture, and was awarded ten prizes. 
 
 In the years of labor and toil and in the 
 days -of prosperity, by the side of Mr. 
 Squires has walked a faithful companion and 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIM, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 ^^TS 
 
 helpmeet whom he calls by the cherished 
 name of wife. On the 13th of March, 1851, 
 he wedded Miss Cornelia Becker, a native 
 of New York, born March 4, 1 834, a daughter 
 of John W. and Louisa 'Gage) Becker. Her 
 grandfather, John 1'. Becker, was a native 
 of New York, and his father, John P. 
 Becker, Sr. , came from Holland in tlie early 
 settlement of the Empire State, where he 
 was a large slave-owner. The mother of 
 Mrs. Squires was a daughter of Asa Gage. 
 She died when Mrs. Scjuires was only three 
 years old, leaving three daughters: Mary, 
 deceased wife of John Coon; Susan A., wife 
 of George S. Miles; and Cornelia, wife of 
 our subject. Mr. and Mrs. Squires have 
 one son, John W. , born January 29, 1852, 
 now residing in Big Sandy, Montana. He 
 was married June i i, 1878, to Lydia Shut- 
 tleworth, and they have four chi'dren, Free- 
 man A., Alma M., Arthur F. and Grace 
 Montana. 
 
 Mr. Squires left home and family in 
 1861, for he felt that his country needed his 
 services, and when duty c.dls he is never 
 slow to answer. He enlisted in defense of 
 the Union which his ancestors had fought 
 to establish, joining the second company of 
 cavalry that went from Minnesota. This 
 was in the month of October. The regi- 
 ment was joined to Brackett's battalion, 
 and with that command he i)articipated in 
 many hard- fought battles, including the 
 hotl\ contested engagements at Fort Don- 
 elson and Shiloh (where the battalion was 
 attached to the telegraph corps), Murfree- 
 boro and Guy's Gap. At the first named 
 he was taken prisoner, but was soon after 
 paroled and continued with his company 
 until failing health made field service longer 
 impossible f(jr him, and he was honor- 
 ably discharged at Murfreesboro, in July, 
 
 1S63. It was impossible for him t(j re- 
 main at home contentedly when his coun- 
 try needed the aid of all her loyal sons, 
 and when he had sufficiently recovered 
 health and strength, he re-enlisted, in Janu- 
 ary, 1865, was commissioned as First Lieu- 
 tenant, and was with tho Minnesota Heavy 
 Artillery until the close of the war. He 
 was always found at his post of duty, 
 faithfully performing any task allotted to 
 him, and valiantly defending the old flag 
 which now floats so proudly over the united 
 nation. 
 
 Since his return Mr. Squires has given 
 his time and attention to agricultural pur- 
 suits and his diligence and perseverance 
 have won prosperity. His success is also 
 due in no small degree to the assistance and 
 encouragement of his noble wife, who has 
 shared with him in the hardships and priva- 
 tions of frontier life, cared for and man- 
 aged the domestic affairs in his absence from 
 home during the war and ever been a wise 
 counselor in his undertaking's. Both hold 
 membership in the Presbyterian Church, and 
 Mr. Squires affiliates with the Masonic fra- 
 ternity, the Ancient Order of United \\'ork- 
 men and the Grand .\rniy of the Republic. 
 When the Republican party was formed to 
 prevent the further extension of slavery, he 
 joined its ranks and has since been one of 
 its stalwart and earnest supporters. He has 
 never sought office, but is always faithful 
 to his duties of citizenship, manifesting the 
 same lojalty that characterized his career 
 when in Southern battle-fields he followed 
 the stars and stripes. Honorable and up- 
 right in all things, true to his convictions 
 and steadfast of purpose, his well-spent life 
 has gained for him the high regard of all 
 with whom business or social relations of 
 life have brought him in contact. 
 
674 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 >^>(^EORGE KRUMWIEDE, Monroe. 
 ■ rT\ Minnesota, was born on his fatlier's 
 ^L^m farm near Blue Island (city). Illi- 
 nois, November 2, 1S69, son of 
 Frederick and Dorothea f Bottles) Krum- 
 wiede. 
 
 Frederick Krumwiede, as the name in- 
 dicates, is of German origin. He was born 
 in Germany, February 17, 1826, and when 
 a young man emigrated to America, landing 
 here in 1854. He was married soon after- 
 ward, and in this land of the free began to 
 make for himself a home, his only capital 
 being his strong arm and his determination 
 to succeed. .\t first he worked in a lime- 
 kiln and at whatever he could find to do, 
 his home for some time being in Chicago. 
 Then he bought a farm of 1 24 acres near 
 Blue Island, Illinois, and there he reared his 
 family and spent the greater part of his life. 
 In the spring of 1890 he disposed of his farm 
 and moved into the city of Blue Island, 
 where he still lives. The children of Fred- 
 erick and Dorothea Krumwiede are Mary, 
 Henry, William, August and George. Henry 
 and .\ugust are given biographical mention 
 elsewhere in this work. Mary was born in 
 February, 1855; is the wife of Gottleib 
 Schaar, secretary of the Central Building & 
 Loan Association, of Chicago, and has one 
 ciiild, Louisa M. William, born in 1859. is 
 engaged in farmint; " near Blue Island, Illi- 
 nois; has been twice married and has two 
 children living, — Frederick by his first wife, 
 and William by his present companion. 
 
 George is the youngest of the family. 
 The time of his first arri\al in Minnesota 
 was in the spring of 1 89 1 , when he came on a 
 visit to his brother Henry. Up to that time 
 he had worked on the farm for his fatlier. 
 He then began working for his brother and 
 continued with him until tlic following July, 
 
 when he joined the threshing crew of Lewis 
 Stuezze, and was thus employed until De- 
 cember. December 8, 1891, he returned 
 to Illinois, and the following spring came 
 back to Minnesota. He worked for August 
 Peterson a short time, then made his hon)e 
 with his brother Henry until fall, and in the 
 fall again took up threshing for an occupa- 
 tion. September 21, 1892, he bought of 
 G. W. Osborn the northeast quarter of sec- 
 tion twenty-si.\. township 104 (Galena), 
 range thirty-two. Two moriths subsequent 
 to this purchase Mr. Krumwiede married, 
 and took his wife to reside temporarily with 
 the family of his brother August. He first 
 built a small granary on his farm, and as 
 soon as it was completed he and his bride 
 moved into it and began housekeeping. 
 Then he erected his present fine residence 
 and barn. It was not long before he bought 
 of C. J. Carlson the northwest quart;er of 
 section twenty-six, adjoining his original 
 purchase. At this writing he has about 1 50 
 acres of his land under cultivation, has two 
 acres in grove and two acres and a h.ilf in 
 orchard, and his stock consists of seven head 
 of horses antl seven of cattle. 
 
 Mr. Krumwiede was married November 
 4, 1892, to Emma Katrina Luehr, daughter 
 of Henry J. and Martalena (Black) Luehr. 
 Henry J. Luehr was born in Hanover, Ger- 
 many, .Manli S, 1846, son of Henry Christo- 
 ! pher (born February 24, 1803; died March 
 [ 18, 1869) and Catharine Margareta, inc 
 I Gaivis (born February 17, 1804; died De- 
 j cember 20, 1868) Luehr. .Mr. and Mrs. 
 ' Henry J. Luehr were married June 3, 1870, 
 I and their family comj>rise five children, 
 ; Mrs. Krumwiede, born October 17, 1872, 
 being the eldest. The children of Mr. and 
 Mrs. George Krumwiede are Sizilie Marte- 
 lena Sophia, born September 15, i893,tjied 
 
FARIHAl'LT. MAiril.W WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 '''75 
 
 November 1 5, 1893; and Frederick William 
 George, born November 18, 1894. 
 
 Both he and his wife are members of 
 the Lutheran Church. He was confinned 
 in April, 1883, and she in April, 1886. 
 
 * » ^ ENRY KKUMWIEDE, a prospcr- 
 
 1*^^^ ous farmer near ^fonroe, Minne- 
 
 \ ^ P sota, is a native of Chicago, born 
 
 Jul\-3, 1857, son of Frederick and 
 
 Dorothea (Bottles) Kruinwiede. Further 
 
 mention of the familj- history will he found 
 
 in the biography of George Krumwicdc, in 
 
 this work. 
 
 Henry was the first of the Ivrumwiedes 
 to locate in Minnesota. In 1883 he bought 
 the southeast quarter of section 35, Galena 
 township, range 32, in Martin county. It 
 was not, however, until March 27, 1885, 
 that he permanently located here. This 
 purchase contains only 152 acres, the rest 
 of the quarter being in the lake. In 1 887 
 Mr. Krumwiede purchased an adjoining tract 
 of land, comprising fifty-nine acres, and now 
 has in one body over 200 acres, 1 50 of 
 which have been broken. Four and a half 
 acres are in grove and two acres and a half 
 in orchard. The farm is stocked with sixty 
 hogs, fifteen cattle, and eight horses, and 
 both in farming and stock-raising Mr. Krum- 
 wiede is meeting with success. In addition 
 to the property described, he has a lot in 
 Welcome and two acres of choice land ad- 
 joining the town. 
 
 Mr. Krumwiede was married May 5, 
 1878, to Miss Mary Bruhur, who was born 
 December 27, 1859, and is the only child of 
 August and Wilhelmina (Tesno) Bruhur. 
 Her father was born November 29, 1 831, 
 and her mother, January 10, 1833; both 
 are still living. The children of Mr. and 
 
 Mrs. Krumwiede are as follows: William 
 Charles, born January 9, 1879; August 
 Frederick, July i, 1881; Frederick Johann, 
 May 1 I, 1883; John Henry, April 23, 1885; 
 Edwin George, April 18, 1887; Henry Wal- 
 ter. July 4, 1889; Dorothea Emma, July 8, 
 1891 ; and Hermann August, March 7, 1893. 
 He and his wife are members of the Lu- 
 theran Church. 
 
 In iSSjMr. Krumwiede met with a seri- 
 (jus accident which resulted in the loss of 
 his right eye. While unhitching a team of 
 horses, the line was suddenly jerked and 
 struck him in the eye, entirely destroying 
 the sigiit. The other eye, however, was un- 
 injured, and he seemingly gets along better 
 than some men do \\ith both optics unim- 
 paired. 
 
 B 
 
 RANK SCHOFFMAN, a live-stock 
 dealer of St. James, was born in 
 the neighboring State of Wisconsin, 
 the place of his birth being Ozau- 
 kee county, the date November 11, 1847. 
 His father, Joseph Schoffman, was a native 
 of France, and in the year 1846 he emigrated 
 to the New World, taking up his residence 
 in Wisconsin. • He secured a track of wild 
 land, which he soon placed under the plow 
 and transformed into rich and fertile fields, 
 which yielded to the owner a golden tribute. 
 His last days were passed in Faribault county, 
 Minnesota, where his death occurred when 
 he had reached the age of seventy-five. He 
 had wedded Mary Freiburgcr, a native of 
 France, who died in Wisconsin in iS;S, at 
 the age of fifty-two. 
 
 Frank SchoiTman is the youngest in their 
 family of ten children. He was reared in 
 the State of his nativity until eleven years 
 of age, when his mother died and he went 
 
676 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OT THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 from the old home with his brother, Joseph, 
 to Steele county, Minnesota, in the spring 
 of 1859. The next fall he emigrated to 
 Calhoun county, Illinois, and in 1864 he 
 returned to Ozaukee county, Wisconsin. He 
 then went to Mankato, Minnesota, where 
 he secured a position as clerk in a general 
 mercantile establishment, being there em- 
 ployed until 1868. That jear witnessed his 
 removal to Faribault county, where he em- 
 barked in business for himself in general 
 merchandising, carrying on operations along 
 that line for a year and a half at Minnesota 
 Lake. In 1870 he emigrated to Colorado, 
 settling in Douglas county, where he worked 
 on a ranch, caring for the stock for a year. 
 In 1871 he returned to Minnesota Lake, 
 where he engaged in buying stock for a year 
 and a half, when he changed his business, 
 opening a saloon in Easton. This was in 
 1873, and again he was in business for a I 
 year and a half. In 1875 we once more | 
 find him in Minnesota Lake, where he j 
 opened a hotel and successfully conducted 
 the same until 1878, when he sold out. His 
 next venture was as a stock-shipper, buying 
 and shipping live stock until i88i. From j 
 that time until September, 1887, he carried 
 on general merchandising at Minnesota Lake, 
 and on selling he removed to Mankato, where 
 he continued for five months. ! 
 
 On the 2d of February, 1888, Mr. 1 
 Schoffman came to St. James and bought a 
 general store of Thomas \'eltum, which he , 
 conducted until selling out on the ist of | 
 February, 1893. He ikav devotes his time 
 and energies to the live-stock business ex- 
 clusively. In October, 1885, he began 
 dealing in live stock, shipping to the Chicago, 
 St. Paul and Souix City markets. This has 
 been a profitable venture, and, ably con- 
 ilurted, has yielded him a good income. He 
 
 loans money and owns considerable real es- 
 tate, including town property and a farm in 
 St. James township. Watonwan county, of 
 eighty acres, and 160 acres of South Branch 
 township. 
 
 In 1875 was celebrated a marriage which 
 united the destinies of Mr. Schoffman and 
 Miss Mary Lenart/, a native of Dubuque, 
 Iowa. A\'hen a little child of two summers 
 she was brought to Blue Earth count)-, 
 Minnesota, by her parents, and has since 
 lived in this State. Five children now 
 grace their union, as follows; William F. , 
 George A., Rowland [., Sada May and 
 Rosa K. 
 
 Mr. Schoffman exercises his right of 
 franchise in support of the men and meas- 
 ures of the Democrac}', and has several 
 times been called to public office by his 
 fellow citizens who recognize his worth and 
 abilit}'. He is now a member of the \'illage 
 Council, was Treasurer of Minnesota Lake 
 for a period of six years, and has been town 
 Treasurer for two years. In the discharge 
 of his public duties he has shown that the 
 confidence and trust reposed in him has not 
 been misplaced, and his fidelity is demon- 
 strated by his frequent re-election. He has 
 always lived in the \\'est, and possesses the 
 enterprising, progressive spirit which domi- 
 nates this section of the country, and in this 
 section of Minnesota he has been an impor- 
 tant factor in promoting beneficent public 
 enterprises. 
 
 >nr»USEPH E. COUPEK. physician and 
 f surgeon. Blue Earth City, Minne- 
 /• 1 sota, is the only representative of 
 the Homeopathic school at this place. 
 He is a native of Minnesota, born in Da- 
 kota county, September i, 1857, son of J. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 677 
 
 C. Couper, who was bom in St. Lawrence 
 county. New York, liis grandfather Couper 
 having emigrated from England to this coun- 
 try and settled in St. Lawrence count)-, New 
 York, about the year 1820. J. C. Couper 
 was reared and educated in his native coun- 
 ty and was there married to Harriet John- 
 son, also a native of St. Lawrence county. 
 Her father, William Joiinson, came from 
 l-'ngland and settled there at the same time 
 the Couper family did. After his marriage, 
 and in the year 1855, J. C. Couper came to 
 Minnesota and took a pre-emption claim of 
 Government land in Dakota county, which 
 he improved, and while there assisted in lay- 
 ing out the old town of Lewiston. He took 
 great interest in public affairs and was 
 largely instrumental in developing the new 
 county. He served his constituency in the 
 Legislature two terms, and at the breaking 
 out of the Civil war he was one of the first 
 to offer his services in defense of his coun- 
 tr\'. He enlisted in Company F, Lighth 
 Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and served 
 with Sibley's expedition against the Indians, 
 then went South and participated in many 
 hard-fought battles, being finalh' mustered 
 out at Washington. During his service he re- 
 ceived a severe wound in the shoulder. The 
 war over, he returned to Minnesota and a 
 short time afterward sold his farm in Dakota 
 county and purchased one near Northficld, 
 Rice county, which he conducted for a time. 
 Later he bought a flouring mill and ran the 
 same until about 1 884, when he engaged in 
 the mercantile business at Northfield, in 
 company with his sons. He and his wife 
 have si.N children, namely: Joseph E., 
 whose name heads this article; Charles Sum- 
 ner, who is engaged in business with his 
 father; Fennemorc J., also in business with 
 his father; Eva. a teacher in the jiublic i 
 
 schools at Northfield; George B., a mechani- 
 cal engineer of Minneapolis; and Hattie, at 
 home. Mr. and Mrs. Couper are niembers 
 (jf the Congregational Church, and he is a 
 prominent nicnil)erof the Grand .Vrmy of the 
 Republic. Politically he is a Republican, 
 and has always taken an active part in pub- 
 lic affairs, being well known as a campaign 
 speaker. 
 
 Dr. Joseph E. Couper recei\ed his early 
 education in the public schools and for five 
 years was a student at Carlton College. 
 After completing his literary course he en- 
 tered the office of Dr. Henry Hutchinson, 
 of St. Paul, under whose instructions he 
 pursued the stud\- of medicine for a time. 
 The winter of 1878-9 he spent at Hahne- 
 mann Medical College, Philadelphia, and the 
 two years following he attended the St. 
 Louis Homeopathic Medical College, gradu- 
 ating at the latter institution. He then took 
 a post-graduate course at Hahnemann Medi- 
 cal College, Philadelphia. In 1881 he be- 
 gan the practice of his profession at Du- 
 luth, Minnesota, and from there came to 
 his present location, opening his office at 
 Blue Earth City on the 3d of January, 1882. 
 Here for twelve years he has enjoyed a 
 highly successful and lucrative practice. 
 His home in Blue Earth City is one of the 
 finest in the place, and he has accumulated 
 a large landed estate, comprising 810 acres 
 of I'aribault county's best soil, all of which 
 is under a high state of cultivation. 
 
 Dr. Couper was married June 25, 1884, 
 to Miss Emma Pffefer, a native of Minne- 
 sota and a daughter of S. Pffefer, of Blue 
 Earth City. They have one child, Hellen. 
 
 Both tlie Doctor and his wife are mem- 
 bers of the Presbyterian Church. In poli- 
 tics he is a Republican, and, fraternally, he 
 is identified with the following organiza- 
 
67S 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OE 
 
 tions: Blue Earth City Lodge, No 57, F. & 
 A. M. ; Blue Earth Citj- Lodge, No. 39, K. 
 of P; Sons of Veterans; and Modern Wood- 
 men. 
 
 @EOKGE A. JORDAN, a farmer of 
 .section 2, Pleasant Prairie town- 
 ship, was born in \\'indham county, 
 Connecticut, May 12, 1830, a son 
 of Benjamin Jordan, who was born and 
 reared in Rhode Island, and was a farmer 
 by occupation. His father, William Jor- 
 dan, was supposed to have been born in 
 England, was a soldier in the Rc\olutionary 
 war, and was a prominent land-owner in 
 Rhode Island. The mother of our subject, 
 lice Frances Howe, was born and reared in 
 Connecticut, a daughter of Isaac Howe, of 
 English descent. He had one son in the 
 war of 181 2. Benjamin and Frances Jor- 
 dan were married and located in Connecti- 
 cut, where the former died in 1877, and the 
 latter in 1876. They were the parents of 
 nine children, eight of whom grew to years 
 of maturity. 
 
 George A. Jordan, the second child and 
 eldest son, remained in his native State un- 
 til thirty years of age. At the age of twenty- 
 one years he began work for himself, and 
 for twelve years was employed by B. A. 
 Corbin, at the shoemaker's trade. In 1861 
 he located on a farm in La Salle county, 
 Illinois, and five years afterward came to 
 Martin county, Minnesota. Mr. Jordan lo- 
 cated on a farm in Pleasant Prairie town- 
 ship, which he improved, and seven years 
 afterward traded the same for the farm he 
 now owns. .\l)OMt twenty-five acres t)f the 
 place had been cultivated, anil on it was 
 located a small log house and a straw stable. 
 At one time Mr. Jordan owned 400 acres, 
 
 but has given land to his sons until he now 
 has only 185 acres. 
 
 September 28, 1851, he was united in 
 marriage with Georgianna W^etherell, born 
 in Connecticut, December 9, 1832, a daugh- 
 ter of William L. and Mary (McFarland) 
 Wetherell, natives respectively of Connecti- 
 cut and Massachusetts. They were the 
 parents of six sons and six daughters, of 
 whom Mrs. Jordan w as the seventh child in 
 order of birth. Our subject and wife have 
 had eight children, namely: Alice, wife of 
 Albert Nash, of Joe Daviess township, Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota; Leslie A., of Cen- 
 ter Creek township, Martin county, married 
 Kate Lusemore; Mary E., wife of E. C. 
 Cammerers, engaged in railroad work in 
 Blue Earth City; Hattic, who graduated in 
 the school at Valparaiso, Indiana, taught 
 school at the age of sixteen years, also 
 worked in Portland, Oregon, and is now the 
 wife of R. B. Oak, of Chicago, Illinois; 
 Leonard W., assisting on the home farm; 
 Fredrick R., of Fairmont, Minnesota; and 
 Helen R. , wife of W. M. Ware, of Winne- 
 bago City. Leonard W. is a member of 
 the I. O. O. F., No. 159, of Blue Earth 
 City, and of the Rebekah Lodge, No. 19. of 
 Fairmont. In his political relations, Mr. 
 Jordan affiliates with the Democratic party, 
 and has held the position of Justice of the 
 Peace. Mr. and Mrs. Jordan are members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and 
 highly respected in the community where 
 they reside. 
 
 >nr'()IIN HI■;.\K^■ DIEDRICH STEL- 
 m TER. one of the representative 
 /• J farmers of Lake Belt township, Mar- 
 tin count)', claims Germany as the 
 land of his birth, which occurred in Suligen, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAX AND JACKSON. 
 
 679 
 
 Hanover, on the 2 1st of October, 1864. 
 His father, John Anton Stelter, was born 
 May 5, 1838, and <hcil at 1 1 o'clock, A. M., 
 April 24, 1867, and was biiriod 011 the 29th 
 of April. Such is the record made by the 
 resiilnr authorities and held b\' our subject. 
 Tiie mother, who.-ie maiden name was Mar- 
 garet Dickman, was married after the death 
 of her first husband to William Bushman 
 and died about 1869. Upon her death Mr. 
 Bushman married Marjjarct, an aunt of our 
 subject. His death occurred some time since, 
 but she is still livinf( and makes her home 
 in Hanover, Germany. Katrina. a sister of 
 our subject's father, married Hcnr\- Hans- 
 lope. 
 
 The gentleman whose name licads this 
 record was left an orphan at the early age 
 of five years and lived with his stepfather 
 until he had attained the age of fourteen, 
 when he began working as a farm hand for 
 wages. He has since been dependent upon 
 his own resources, so that whatever success 
 he has achieved in life is the reward of his 
 own labors. He may well be called a self- 
 made man, for he is the architect of his 
 own fortunes and has builded wisely and 
 well. When a young man of si.xteen years 
 he determined to try his fortune in .\merica, 
 believing that he would thereby benclit his 
 financial condition, fur he thought better 
 opportunities were here offered young men 
 than in the older countries, which were of 
 course more thickly populated. Accordingly 
 he bade adieu to friends and Fatherland, 
 and on the 2d of October, 18S0, sailed for 
 American shores. When he had reached 
 this country he made his way to Du Page 
 county, Illinois, where his uncle, Henry 
 Dickman, was living, and when that gentle- 
 man removed to Martin county, Minnesota, 
 in September, 1884, Mr. Stelter accom- 
 
 panied him. He now- worked for various 
 farmers until March, 1889, when he rented 
 179 acres of land belonging to Solomon 
 King, and began farming in his own interest. 
 This land had been rented to Herman Schue- 
 ler and was sublet to our subject. On the 
 1 8th of July. 1891. he made his first pur- 
 chase of land, securing the same with capi- 
 tal which he had earned after coming to 
 this country. 
 
 He became the owner of 199 acres, 
 bought of W. P. Smith, situated on the 
 northwest (]tiarter and the southwest quarter 
 of the northeast quarter of section 25, town- 
 ship 101, range ;2. On the 27th of March, 
 1893, he bought the additional acre of 
 William Hubbard, and now has five com- 
 plete ■•forties." Of this farm 125 acres 
 has been placed under the plow and the 
 rich and fertile fields yield to the owner a 
 golden tribute in return for the care and 
 cultivation he bestows upon tnem. Upon 
 the place he has a beautiful grove of four 
 acres, and the place is well improved with 
 substantial buildings, good machinery and 
 all the other accessories of a model farm of 
 the nineteenth century. In connection with 
 general farming, he now devotes considera- 
 ble attention to stock-raising, and now keeps 
 on hand twenty head of cattle, thirty-four 
 hogs and eight horses. 
 
 On the 8th of March, 1889, Mr. Stelter 
 was united in marriage with Miss Mary \\'il- 
 helmina Schueler, daughter of A. L. 
 Schnelcr. She was born on the 25th of 
 Januarv, 1867, anti 1>\ their marriage have 
 been born the following children: Mary Lena 
 Margaret, who was born December 21, 
 1889; Heinrich August William, born Feb- 
 uary 11, 1891; Herman I'redrick Dietrich, 
 
 I born May 1. 1892; and William Hermami 
 
 I Charles, born October 27, 1894. 
 
68o 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Stelter are members 
 o( the Trinity EvangeHcal Lutheran Church. 
 The former was confirmed in (iermany, in 
 the spring of 1SS9, b\' the Rev. Schranun, 
 and the latter was confirmed in Will count}-, 
 Illinois, April 11, 1880, by the Kev. Henry 
 Stahlin. They are consistent and faithful 
 members, wh(jse well spent lives have won 
 them the high regard of all with whom they 
 have been brought in contact. Their circle 
 of acquaintances is large and their friends 
 are manj-. Mr. Stelter came to this coun- 
 try empty-handed, his capital being a young 
 man's bright hope of the future and a deter- 
 mination to succeed. He had nian\' diffi- 
 culties to overcome, many obstacles to sur- 
 mount, but he accomplished the hard task 
 and gathered together a handsome property 
 which is as a monument to his thrift and en- 
 terprise. He has no occasion to regret his 
 emigration to .\merica, and thereby Martin 
 county gained a valuable citizen. 
 
 <>^.\TRICK CAFFEY. decea.sed, was 
 II m one of the grand old men who be- 
 M came identified with the history of 
 
 Minnesota in its primitive da}s. It 
 was in i S63 that he turned his face west- 
 ward from the Badger State and took up his 
 abode in Faribault county, not far from the 
 scenes of the Indian troubles of the i)revious 
 year. Here, in this region faxorcd bv Na- 
 ture, he vied with his neighbors in making 
 his acres the most desirable in the c<iunty. 
 Patrick Caffey was born in county Kings, 
 Ireland, in 1828, and was reared on a farm. 
 His father died when Patrick was seven 
 years oUi, and not long afterward his mother 
 became the wife of John Garkin. Her sec- 
 ond marriage resulted in liie birth <>f two 
 daughters, Ellen and Catherine, who areniar- 
 
 ! ried and have happy homes in Providence, 
 Rhode Island. Both Wx. and Mrs. Garkin 
 died and are buried on the Emerald Isle. 
 
 In early life Patrick was inured to hard 
 work on his parents' farm, and a short time 
 before attaining his majority he sailed from 
 Liver})ool for America, landing at New York 
 after a \oyage of forty-nine days. P'roin 
 New York he went to Boston, Massachusetts. 
 There he met and married Miss Ann Kelly, 
 a native of county W'estmeath, Ireland, who 
 was born in 1827 and who came to this 
 country when she was fifteen years of age 
 with her brother James. James Kelly is 
 now one of the prosperous farmers of \Val- 
 
 I nut Lake townshij), I'aribault county, Min- 
 
 I nesota. A short time after their marriage 
 the\' went to Providence, Rhode Island, 
 where Mr. Caffey was employed for about 
 si.\ years in the manufacturing establishment 
 of Thurston & Green. In 1854 he came 
 
 j west to Wisconsin, selecting Dodge county 
 
 I as his place of location, and there, in the 
 
 I midst of the forest, erecting his log cabin 
 and establishing his home. He cleared 
 awa\ the tiuiber and soon in its stead, as the 
 result of his lionest toil, were found fields 
 of golden grain. I'or nine years he made 
 his home in Dodge county, and from there, 
 as above stated, came to .Minnesota. His 
 first winter here found him safely houseii 
 in a k)g cabin in Barbara ti)wnshi}i. where 
 he purchased 160 acres of unimproved land; 
 
 j anil on this pro]>ert\- he passed the resi- 
 due of his life and died, being fifty-nine 
 
 I years of age at the time of his death. 
 
 ' His remains were interred in the bury- 
 ing ground belonging to St. Mary's Church, 
 and beside them rest all that is mortal 
 of his loving and devoted wifi'. They 
 
 I were the parents of ten children, three 
 daughters and seven sons, the survivors being 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATOyWAiY AND JACKSON. 
 
 68 1 
 
 as follows: James, the popular and efficient 
 railroad conductor on the Southrrn Mitiue- 
 sota Division of the ("hicajjo, Milwaukee & 
 St. Paul Railroad; j. F. . a merchant of 
 Easton, Faribault count}', married Miss 
 Jennie Cusick, dauf,'hter of Frank and Mary 
 (Mullen) Cusick, Mrs. Cusick heing one of 
 the first white women in the county; Mary 
 is the wife of William Stevemer, who for 
 twenty years has been the popular landlord 
 of the Easton House, the first hotel and one 
 of the first buildings in the town; William, 
 engaged in the saloon business in Easton. 
 William Caffey was born \u Dodge count\', 
 Wisconsin, October i 5, i860, and was reared 
 to farm life, his education being received in 
 the primitive schools of Barbara township. 
 Since October, 1S9J. he lias been iu busi- 
 ness in Easton. No\ ember i, 1892, lie was 
 married in St. Mary's Church, Kev. Father 
 Hughes officiating, to Miss .\lice Cusick, a 
 sister of his brother's wife. They have one 
 child, Francis Patrick, named in honor of 
 his grandfathers. Thomas, the next son of 
 Patrick Caffe_v, is a ])rominent stock-dealer 
 of Easton, being junior member of the firm 
 of Cusick & Caffey, whose principal shipping 
 points are St. Paul and Sioux City. Eliza- 
 beth resides with her sister, Mrs. Stevemer, 
 in Easton. The other four children died in 
 infancy in Rhode Island. 
 
 The sons of this worthy pioneer, Patrick 
 Caffey, like him, have been stanch advocates 
 of Jeffersonian Democracy, and, like their 
 mother, profess Catholicism. 
 
 ER.M.AN FR.WKFLRT, a promi- 
 
 nent farmer of section 
 
 I'air- 
 
 15 
 
 t^r uiont township, Martin county, 
 
 was born in Oberhausen, on the 
 
 Rhine, Germany, October 8, 1842, a son of 
 
 August Frankfurt, a native of the same 
 place and a saloon-keeper and grocery mer- 
 chant. His death occurred there, at the 
 age of eighty years. He married Minerva 
 Bergfield, a native of the same place, and 
 she died there, at the age of eighty-two 
 years. The\- were the parents of seven 
 children, all of wiiom grew to years of ma- 
 turitv. 
 
 Herman I'laiikfiirt, tiie youngest child 
 in the order of birth, was reared in his 
 native place, and remained with his father 
 until twelve years of age. He then worked 
 iu a zinc rollini; mill for eighteen j'ears and 
 six months. In 1S72 he came to America, 
 locating first in St. Louis, Missouri, where 
 he wcjrked b_\' the month in a zinc factory, 
 and was next employed in the zinc rolling 
 mill of Madison & Hageler, the oldest in 
 the State, remaining with them twelve and 
 a half years. He was the first workman in 
 the mill, and made as high as $140 per 
 month, also receiving a premium. In 1885 
 Mr. Frankfurt located on the farm where 
 he now resides, then uniiiipro\ed land, and 
 his first residence consisted of one small 
 room, i6x iC feet, which he had built. He 
 now owns one of the be.st residences in the 
 county. His farm consists of 240 acres, 
 all in a fine state of cultivation, and in 
 addition to general farming he is extensively 
 engaged in stock-raising, owning f<jrty head 
 of hogs, twenty-one head of cattle, and 
 other stock in proportion. 
 
 Mr. Frankfurt was marrieil first in Ger- 
 many, to Catherine Louge, and at her death 
 she left one daughter, Mary, the wife of 
 |ohn Madden, of .\naconda, Montana. De- 
 cember 22, 1S72, Mr. Frald^fm■t was united 
 in marriage with Caroline Holby, born in 
 Texas, July 10, 1853, a daughter of John 
 and Lizzie (Alsenc) Holby, natives of Ger- 
 
682 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COLWrJES OF 
 
 many. Mrs. Frankfurt is their only chilti. 
 and was reared in Texas imtii ten \ears of 
 age, when she came with iier parents to La 
 Salle county, tllinois. ^tr. and Mrs. Frank- 
 furt have eight sons, — Julius, Eugene. Her- 
 man, Ottis, August, Eddie, Arthur and 
 Rubin. Mr. Frankfurt acts with the Re- 
 publican party, and is a member of the Ger- 
 man Evangelical Church. 
 
 >j'OSEPH PATCHIX is one of the 
 J early settlers of Martin county and 
 /• 1 has not only witnessed the greater 
 part of its progress and advancement 
 lint has also materially aided in its develop- 
 ment and upbuilding. He is recognized as 
 one of the leading citizens of the community 
 and well deserves mention among the hon- 
 ored pioneers. 
 
 The place of his birth is in Geauga 
 county, Ohio, the date October 28, 1839, 
 and the record of his life is as follows: He 
 is descended from Scotch ancestry, the fam- 
 ily having been founded in America by three 
 brothers who braved the dangers of an 
 ocean voyage in an early day in order to 
 secure homes in the New World. His grand- 
 father, Elzer Patchin, was probabK' a na- 
 tive of Connecticut and was a soldier of the 
 Revolution, aiding in that long struggle 
 which the Colonies made to throw off the 
 yoke of British tyranny. The father of our 
 subject, George Patchin, was born in Con- 
 necticut in 1806, was reared in Ohio and 
 followed the occupation of a farmer. He 
 married Sophronia Xash, a native of Ohio 
 and a daughter of Joseph Nash, who was 
 born in the East. The wedding of Mr. 
 Patchin and Miss Nash was celebrated in the 
 Buckeye State, ami there they made their 
 home until 1845, when they became .resi- 
 
 dents of Wisconsin, which at that time had 
 not joined the sisterhood of States. Locat- 
 ing in Dane count}', the father secured land 
 from the CioNernmcnt and later engaged in 
 farming in Rock count)- until his life's labors 
 were ended, and he passed to his final rest. 
 He had reached the ripe old age of seventy- 
 si.\ and a long and useful life was ended. 
 The mother was called to the home beyond 
 in 1S51 while living in Dane county. Their 
 family luiinbered si.N children, five sons and 
 a daughter, as follows: William Wallace, 
 of Wisconsin; C\rus E. , who was a soldier 
 of the late war and is now living in Nash- 
 ville township, Martin county; Emeline, de- 
 ceased; Joseph; David, who died in the 
 late war while aiding in the defense of the 
 Union; and Horatio, who also laid down 
 his life on the altar of his country. 
 
 The gentleman whose name introduces 
 this sketch is the fourth in the family and 
 was a child of si.\ summers when with his 
 parents he went to the Territory of Wiscon- 
 sin. Here he was reared amid the wild 
 scenes of the frontier and shared in the 
 trials and hardships of pioneer life. 
 
 To his father he gave the benefit of his 
 services until twenty years of age, when he 
 started out in life for himself, and the occu- 
 pation to which he was reared he has made 
 his life work. He rented a farm, and, de- 
 siring to become the owner t)f laiul, he re- 
 moved to Minnesota, in 1863, and secureii 
 a claim on section 17, Nashville township. 
 He began its iknelopincnl. but the following 
 year he abandoned his farm, for the blood of 
 his revolutionary ancestors was stirred in 
 his veins and his patriotic spirit aroused. 
 He enlisted in 186435 a member of Com- 
 pany C, Second Minnesota Cavalry, and 
 was engaged in the Indian service, in which 
 he continued until the close of the war. He 
 
FARIBAUI.'1\ MARTI. \\ WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 6S3 
 
 was honorably discharged in December, 
 1865, and then returned to Martin connty 
 to engage in civil pursuits. 
 
 In 1 866 was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Patchin and Miss Margaret T. Slauson, 
 the festivities taking place in Rock connty, 
 Wisconsin. The lady is a native of Orange 
 county, Xew York, born April 28, 1839, 
 and is a daughter of Reuben and Rachel 
 (Halleck) Slauson, the former a natixc of 
 Connecticut and the latter of Xew York. 
 They were the parents of ten children, all 
 of whom grew to adult age, Mrs. Patchin 
 being the fifth child and a maiden of seven 
 summers when her parents emigrated to 
 Rock county, Wisconsin. 
 
 In 1867 our subject located on the farm 
 where he now resides and which has been 
 his place of abode continuously since. His 
 first home was a sod and plank house, but 
 many improvements have been added in the 
 years that have come and gone and there is 
 now a substantial residence and all the other 
 accessories and conveniences of a model 
 farm of the nineteenth century. He has 
 320 acres of rich land all under a high state 
 of cultivation and successfully carries on 
 general farming and stock-raising. 
 
 Mr. Patchin votes with the Prohibition 
 party and is a warm advocate of temper- 
 ance principles. He has served as a mem- 
 ber of the town Hoard of Supervisors but 
 has ne\er been an asjiirant for the honors or 
 om(jluments of public office. Socially, he 
 affiliates with Clabaugh Post, No. 54, G. 
 A. R., of Winnebago City, and is the same 
 loyal citizen to-day that he was when he 
 entered his country's service in her hour of 
 j)eril. One of the most active and consist- 
 ent members of the Freewill Raptist Church, 
 he is now serving in the capacity cf Deacon 
 and Treasurer, and is also a member of the 
 
 Board of Trustees. A Christian life, in 
 many respects well worthy of emulation, 
 has gained for him the confidence and 
 esteem of all with wlinm he has been brought 
 in contact. 
 
 Vy w ^ I). FORSYTH, proprietor of the 
 Mm I City Hotel, of St. James, was 
 ^J^^ born in Black River Falls. Jack- 
 son county, Wisconsin, August 
 16, 1 85 1. His father, W. F Forsyth, was 
 born and reared in Canada, and was a 
 farmer by occupation. His father was a 
 native of Canada and of English descent. 
 The mother of our subject was formerly 
 Belora Gaffeir, also born in Canada and of 
 English descent. 
 
 W. D. Forsyth, the youngest of thirteen 
 children, was reared in his native place and 
 remained at home until twenty-one years of 
 age. He tlien began work in the lumber 
 woods and on the river. In 1873 he came 
 to St. James, Watonwan county, Minne- 
 sota, and was engaged in farming and deal- 
 ing in horses until 1S89. For the follow- 
 ing four years Mr. Forsyth followed i7ier- 
 chandising in this city, in company with 
 George Forsyth, and, in connection with 
 that business, they also conducted a livery 
 stable. In the spring of 1894 our subject 
 purchased the City Hotel, but is still en- 
 gaged in the livery business. He also owns 
 a farm of 280 acres in Nelson township, and 
 eighty acres one mile from St. James. 
 
 In political matters Mr. Forsyth advo- 
 cates the principles of the Republican party, 
 and has served as Chairman of the Board 
 of Supervisors of Nelson township two years. 
 Socially, he is a member of the A. O. U. 
 W., St. James Lodge, Xo. 64, and of the 
 I. O. O. F. of this citv. 
 
684 
 
 MEMORIAL HE CORD OF THE COCWT/ES OF 
 
 Our subject was married, in 1872, to 
 Jennie Croute. a native of Jackson county, 
 Wisconsin. They iiave had four children, — 
 Maud C. , Hazel and Jessie (twins), and 
 Dennis i'deceased at the age of four weeks'i. 
 
 EXUTE MIKKELSEX is one of the 
 grand old pioneers of Lura town- 
 siiip, Faribault countj', who erected 
 a log cabin on the prairie when he 
 could look across the countrj- for miles with- 
 out a single settlement to intercept the line 
 of vision. Many of the now thriving towns 
 and villages of the county had not then 
 sprung into existence, much of the land was 
 still in the possession of the Government 
 and the work of civilization and ]irogress 
 seemed scarcely begun. All was wild and 
 bleak and gave little promise of the ra])id 
 development that was soon to transform the 
 county into t>ne of the best in this great 
 commonwealth. A debt of gratitude is due 
 the pioneers which will never be repaid, but 
 we can hold them in grateful rcinenibrancc 
 and by written record perpetuate their names 
 and give to posteritj' the st(jry of their lives. 
 Prominently deserving mention among these 
 honored men is the gentleman whose name 
 heads this record. 
 
 Mr. Mikkelsen was horn in Xcirway, in 
 October, 1823, and is a son of Michael and 
 Martha (Andrews) Mikkelsen, whose family 
 numbered seven children. Only two of these 
 now survive, Knute and Carrie, the latter a 
 resident of Janesville, Wisconsin. The par- 
 ents, with four of their children, emigrated 
 to America in 1850, sailing from Scotlaiullo 
 New York, where the)' arrived after a voy- 
 age of forty -four dajs on board the Xor- 
 wegian vessel, Foretten, a three-mast ship. 
 During the trip they encountered a severe 
 
 storm, which carried away the middle top- 
 mast. On reaching the United States thej' 
 continued their journey by way of the Hud- 
 son river to Albau}-, where they boarded a 
 canal boat for Bufflao. They passed through 
 the city of Kochester, New York, on the 
 4th of Jul}-, and, knowing nothing of the 
 celebration of our national independence day, 
 the travelers were badly frightened by the 
 cannonading and the firing of musketry, 
 thinking their lives endangered. On reaching 
 Buffalo they boarded a steamer for Milwau- 
 kee, and from that place went by team to a 
 farm near Lisbon, Wisconsin. The father 
 died, in Dane county, only a few days after 
 reaching the Badger State, of cholera, from 
 which dread disease the youngest son also 
 died. Another son, Andrew, was thought 
 to be dead for a short time but life was not 
 e.xtinct and he survived for live jears, pass- 
 ing away in Waseca. After the death of 
 her first husband the mother became the 
 wife of John Holverson, and both died in 
 Clifton, Monroe count}', Wisconsin. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write was 
 reared in the land of his birth, his boyh<K)d 
 and youth being quietly passed, and when 
 he had arrived at the years of maturity he 
 chose as a companion and helpmeet on life's 
 journey Miss Caroline Erickson, daughter 
 of luick Olde Olderson. The wedding was 
 celebrated June 30, 1848, ere their emigra- 
 tion to America. The lady was born March 
 12, 1822, in Kt)ilkroin, Norway, and is the 
 eldest of ten children, of whom four daugh- 
 ters antl a son are yet living, but Mrs. Mik- 
 kelsen is the only one in America. Her 
 parents both died in Norway, the father in 
 his eightieth year, while the mother passed 
 away at the advanced age of ninety-two. 
 
 In 1852 our subject and his wife came 
 with the Mikkelsen family to the Xew World 
 
FAPJBALLT, .)JAR77.\. U.\7CXUAX AXD JACh'SOX. 
 
 68=; 
 
 and on reaching Lisbon. Wisconsin, he jnir- 
 ciiased an acre of land. Afterward lie bor- 
 rowed $100, for wliicli he paid an interest 
 of $35. and with this lie secured two forty- 
 acre tracts. His prosperity began with his 
 life in America, yet. it did not come to him 
 without much hard labor. He lived in the 
 locality known as Norwegian Gap for si.\ 
 years, and then came, in 1S64, to Minne- 
 sota. With two yoke of o.xen and two 
 wagons he made the journey, passing through 
 the towns of Minnesota Lake and Walnut 
 Lake and coming to Lura township, where 
 he secured a claim of 160 acres. As this 
 was Government land, it was entirely un- 
 improved, not a furrow having been turned 
 or an improvement made upon it. A little 
 log cabin was erected, 14 .\ 16 feet, near the 
 site of his present fine home, and through 
 the roof ran the stove-pipe, for no chimney 
 was built on that primitive home. \'o tim- 
 ber was upon the place, but now a beautiful 
 grove surroimds the residence and its grate- 
 ful shade is appreciated through the hot 
 summer months when (jld Sol's rays would 
 else be almost iniendurablc. The usual 
 hardships and experiences of frontier life 
 came to Mr. and Mrs. Mikkelsen, but thev 
 made the best of everything, cheering and 
 sustaining one another, and many happy 
 days were seen in the cabin home. At 
 length that primitive structure gave place to 
 the modern residence which we see to-dav 
 and which was erected in 1884. Near it is 
 a tine windmill, which draws its waters from 
 a well to the depth of 1 50 feet. Good 
 barns and other outbuildings ])ro\ide for the 
 care and shelter of grain and stock, and the 
 Mikkelsen place is regarded, and justly so, 
 as one of the finest farms of Lura township. 
 The owner after a busy hfe is now living re- 
 tired, enjoying the fruits of his former toil. 
 
 and no one is intire deserving the lu.xury of 
 rest than he. 
 
 Tlu- family which Mr. and Mrs. Mikkel- 
 sen have reared are an honor to them, a 
 fact which indicates loving care and guid- 
 ance. Four sons and two daughteis grace 
 their imion, and we give brief mention of 
 them as follows: ^fichael is now a practic- 
 ing phjsician of the thriving city of Wells, 
 which, at the time of his father's arrival 
 here, contained only one log cabin, as a 
 nucleus of the present town. The Doctor 
 is a graduate ef the Keokuk Medical Col- 
 lege, also of the Chicago Medical College, 
 and is now doing a good business. Ole has 
 a fine home in Delavau, Minnesota, where 
 he is engaged in dealing in agricultural im- 
 plements. Hilger is the wife of Alexander 
 Lasterwood, who follows farming near jack- 
 son Lake, Faribault county. Erick, born 
 in March, 1857, died in 1867, and was laid 
 to rest in Lura cemetery. Martha, a gradu- 
 ate of the Mankato Normal school, was em- 
 ployed as a teacher in Mankato for two 
 years, taught for three years in Marshall, 
 this State, and in the Probart district school 
 for three terms. She was very successful 
 in the line of her chosen work, and is now 
 employed as a teacher in the high school in 
 Seattle, Washington. For nearly fifteen 
 \ears she has followed this profession, pur- 
 suing her studies to some extent in the mean- 
 time, and her abilities are widely recog- 
 nized, ^xnute A., the youngest child, and 
 his- father's namesake, is a grain-buyer of 
 Delevan, Faribault coimty. The children 
 have all become useful men and women who 
 bring credit to the worthy name they bear. 
 
 Mr. Mikkelsen cast his first presidential 
 vote for James Buchanan, and since the in- 
 ception of the Republican party has never 
 failed to cast a ballot for the national nomi- 
 
686 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 nees of that organization. He and his fam- 
 ily are faithful ineinbers of the Norwegian 
 Lutheran Church. They have in their 
 home an old Norwegian Bible which was 
 printed in 1751 and has been in possession 
 of the family for over a century, — a cher- 
 ished heirloom. Mrs. Mikkelsen is a well- 
 preserved lady of seventj-two years and 
 through forty-seven years has been a faith- 
 ful companion and helpmeet to her husband, 
 sharing with him in the joj'S and sorrows of 
 life, its adversity and prosperity. .Ml who 
 know her hold her in high regard for tlie 
 many excellencies of her character, to which 
 we are glad here to pay tribute. The hon- 
 ored pioneer whose name begins this record 
 needs no word of praise to commend him to 
 the people of Faribault county, for all know 
 of his honorable, upright life. He has un- 
 dergone no thrilling experiences, but has 
 lived ([uietly and unassumingly, performing 
 each task as it came to him in a conscien- 
 tious and loyal manner. His earnest toil, 
 his perseverance and his good management 
 have brought him prosperity, the just re- 
 ward of earnest effort. He has aided in the 
 development of his adopted county, has 
 watched its progress and growth, and has 
 withheld his support from no interest calcu- 
 lated to prove of universal benefit. His 
 name is untarnished, his record clear, and in 
 future generations his descendants may jioint 
 with pride to their .American progenitor. 
 
 K.\1\I- KNABE came to Jackson 
 county in 1882 and located in Pe- 
 tersburg towTisliij). He is a native 
 o[ Schwartze, Balkenheim, Sax- 
 ony, born February 16, 1845, and is a son 
 of Anton and Concordia (Koch) Knabe, and 
 is the eldest of five children. His mother 
 
 was twice married, her first husband being 
 a Mr. Loertz, by whom she has two living 
 children,- -Bertha, who married Christian 
 Meyer, a resident of Watonwan county, 
 Minnesota; and Henry, a fanner of Will 
 county, Illinois. Of the five children of the 
 second marriage only two survive, — our 
 subject and Adelaide, wife of Fred Grube, 
 of Will county, Illinois. The mother re- 
 sides with her daugfster Bertha in Waton- 
 wan county. The father of our subject died 
 in Eagle Lake, Washington township. Will 
 county, at the age of forty-four years. The 
 mother is now in the eighty-lifth jear of 
 her age. 
 
 In 1853 the family left Bremen for New 
 York and were forty-nine days on the voy- 
 age, coming o\er on a three-masted sailing 
 vessel, the Hermann. On their arrival at 
 New York they proceeded at once to Chi- 
 cago, and from that city moved to Crete, 
 Illinois, where they rented and worked a 
 small farm. Our subject received a good 
 common-school education and was con- 
 firmed in the Lutheran Church. On the 
 14th of No\ember, 1872, he married Do- 
 rothea Sturm, a native of Hanover, Ger- 
 many, born December 25, 1856. She ac- 
 companied her parents to Illinois and located 
 in Eagle Lake, Will county, where her 
 father died, at the age of sixty-two, and 
 where her mother yet resides. There were 
 nine children of this famil\': Christian, born 
 ; "September 14, 1874, in Washington, Will 
 j county; Adelaide, better known as Ida, born 
 [.iiiuary 26, 1877. in Washington, Illinois; 
 Karl, born I'ebruary 27, 1879, in Will 
 , county; Hem)', born October 5, 18S1, in 
 I Will county; Emil, born in Petersburg, 
 Jackson county, Minnesota, January 31, 
 1884; Frederick, born March 13, 1886; 
 . Anna, born February 28, 1889; John, born 
 
^/^f//r///?. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 689 
 
 March 8, 1891; Dorothea, born November 
 29, 1894. 
 
 In 1882 Mr. Knabe removed with his 
 family to Jackson county and first purchased 
 120 acres in ^^'ashington township, where 
 he resided about eleven years, then sold and 
 purchased 160 acres of Andrew Peters, on 
 section 8, Petersburg township. 
 
 Politicallj' Mr. Knabe is a Republican, 
 but in 1872 voted the liberal ticket, on 
 which Horace Greeley ran for president. 
 He has served one year on the Board of Su- 
 pervisors and has held other minor offices. 
 He is a man well-respected and enjoys the 
 confidence and esteem of all who know him. 
 
 ^^rj»ASHINGTON ZACHARIAH 
 Mm I HAIGHT, a manufacturer and 
 mjL^ leading citizen of \\'inncbago 
 City, Faribault county, Minne- 
 sota, was born in Jefferson countj-, Pennsyl- 
 vania, March 25, 1839, son of Nelson and 
 Harriet N. (McCabe) Haight. 
 
 The Haight family is of English origin, 
 and was founded in this country by three 
 brothers who came in the early Colonial 
 times. As they were all preachers, it is 
 safe to infer that thej" left their native land 
 on account of religious persecutions. The 
 grandfather of the gentleman whose name 
 heads this notice was Benjamin Haight, 
 who served as a soldier in the war of 
 181 2. For several years he was a resident 
 of Delaware county. New York, where he 
 married Phoebe Ruff, a native of the Em- 
 pire State and of Scotch descent. He was 
 a man of considerable prominence, being 
 identified with public affairs. About 1837 he 
 removed with his family to Jefferson county, 
 PennsvKania, where he and his wife spent 
 
 30 
 
 the remainder of their lives, dying when 
 well advanced in years. 
 
 The ancestry of Mrs. Harriet N. Haight 
 is as follows: Steven McCabe and Marj-, )tcc 
 Smith, Irish, were the parents of Samuel 
 McCabe, who was born October 26, 1777, 
 at Bethlehem, Hunterdon county. New 
 Jersej'. September 23, 1801, he married 
 Melicent Boice, who was born November 5, 
 1783, in Schaghticoke, Rensselaer county, 
 New York, a daughter of Johoida Boice and 
 Melicent, iicf Keeler, from German}-; and 
 Mr. Samuel McCabe was the father of Har- 
 riet N., who was born April 12, 1817, in 
 Coeymans, Delaware county. New York, 
 the seventh in a family of eleven. Samuel 
 McCabe was a man of considerable promi- 
 nence, owning a sawmill and tannery and 
 taking great interest in public affairs. He 
 and his wife were consistent members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 Nelson Haight was born in Dutchess 
 county. New York, August 2, 1808, and mar- 
 ried Harriet N. McCabe, of. Irish-German 
 parents, February 12, 1834. About three 
 years later they removed to Jefferson county. 
 Pennsylvania, where Mr. Haight was engaged 
 in tlu' lumber business for some years. In 
 1853 he came to Minnesota, locating at 
 Caledonia, Houston county, on 160 acres 
 of Government land. Mr. Haight built a log 
 house and made other imiirovements, and 
 resided there until 1 864, when he moved 
 to Faribault comity, settling in Lura town- 
 I ship, on a homestead of 160 acres. He made 
 1 substantial improvements, and continued to 
 occupy that place until within a few months 
 j of his death, when he made his home with 
 I his son, the subject of this sketch. Both he 
 and his good wife were consistent, faithful 
 members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 in wliich he was a Class-leader and Steward 
 
dyo 
 
 Memorial record of the counties of 
 
 for many years. His death occurred in 1 88 1 , 
 and his wife survived him ten years, dying 
 April 8, 1891. Of their family of twelve chil- 
 dren, eight are living, viz.: Mary E. , wife 
 of Roswell Deming, of Winnebago City; 
 Melicent, wife of Thohias Kirkman, of Jeffer- 
 son county, Pennsylvania; \V. Z. , the subject 
 of this sketch; Louisa, who married A. J. 
 Armstrong of Delavan township, Faribault 
 count)'; Laura V., wife of Lorenzo Tabor, a 
 farmer of Martin county; Marquis de La 
 Fayette, of Colorado; Caroline M., widow 
 of Charles Brown, and residing at Easton, 
 Faribault county; and Jeanette, wife of Ole 
 Lindahl, of Winnebago City. 
 
 Washington Z. Haight was reared on a 
 farm and received a good education at the 
 common school. He first left his home at 
 the age of twenty-five years, after having 
 had for several years the management of 
 the home place, and engaged in the agri- 
 cultural implement business atMankatoand 
 Wells, this State, and soon afterward pat- 
 ented a peat machine. After remaining in 
 Wells for three years, manufacturing large 
 quantities of peat, and selling several of liis 
 machines, his next business venture was 
 that of boring wells at Easton. Realizing 
 the necessity of having better tools for this 
 important industrj', he again set his invent- 
 ive genius to work, and in 1876 he in- 
 vented and patented a complete well-boring 
 machine, and commenced its manufacture 
 and sale at Easton. The increasing de- 
 mand for this product made it imperative 
 that he should have better facilities for 
 mainifacturing and shipping, and in 1878 
 he removed his entire plant to Winnebago 
 City, where he purchased seven lots on 
 Main and Mill streets and erected his pres- 
 ent commodious shops and office. This in- 
 dustry now givescniplnyiiifut 1 1.1 :il unit fifteen 
 
 men, and is the most important manufactur- 
 ing business in the county. He has been 
 obliged to give up his various agencies for 
 the implements made by other companies, 
 and now devotes his entire attention to the 
 manufacture of the many different appliances 
 used in boring and drilling wells. His mar- 
 ket covers many States and extends westward 
 to the Pacific coast. He has built up a profit- 
 able and constantly increasing business, and 
 is ranked among the substantial business 
 men of the place. 
 
 Since coming to Winnebago City Mr. 
 Haight has taken an active interest in all 
 matters of a public nature, and has assisted 
 materially in developing the present finan- 
 cial prosperity of his chosen town. In edu- 
 cational matters also he has ever taken a 
 commendable part; has served as a member 
 of the Board of Directors of the public 
 schools, and is a member of the executive 
 board of Parker College. He is a member 
 of the Building and Loan Association; presi- 
 dent of the Farmers' Warehouse Company; 
 of the Winnebago City ISrick & Tile Com- 
 pany, and at present is president of the 
 Southern Minnesota Telephone E.xchange; 
 is a member of the Driving Park and Live- 
 stock Company, and a stockholder in the 
 four latter companies, holding an official 
 position on the executive board nf each. In 
 political matters he is a supporter of the 
 Republican j^art)', in social relations is a 
 member of the I. O. O. F., and in religion 
 both himself and wife are members of the 
 Methodist Episcojial Church, of which he is 
 ■ a Steward. 
 
 December 3, 1S65, Mr. Haight married 
 Miss Clarissa A. Woodard, of Caledonia, 
 Minnesota. Her father, Sheldon \N^oodard, 
 was born in 1 S 1 5, in the State of New York, 
 and emigrated to X'ciiaugo count}', Pcnii- 
 
FA^iinAVI.l\ MAR 77 X. ]VATONlVAX AAV) yACASOX. 
 
 fig I 
 
 sylvaiiia, in 1843, where he married Eliza- 
 beth Foster, in 1844, and had three chil- 
 dren in Pennsylvania: Clarissa A., already 
 mentioned, born March 22, 1846; Ang;cline 
 P. ; and Sylvester, deceased. Mr. \\'ood- 
 ard moved to Minnesota, Houston county, 
 in 1857, where Hiram was born. The oc- 
 cupation which Mr. W'oodard followed 
 during life was farming. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Haight have had seven children, five of 
 whom are now li\ing, namclv: Milo M. ; War- 
 ren \V. . Hiram H., Eddie E. and Forest E. 
 Delia A; and Alta M. are deceased. 
 
 "^ J* B. HILL has longer resided in Min- 
 m nesota Lake, his present place of 
 <• ■ abode, than any other of its citizens, 
 and is one of the honored pioneers of 
 Faribault county. He is now living retired, 
 enjoying a well earned rest, and it is with 
 pleasure that we present to our readers this 
 record of his career. His name is insepar- 
 ably connected with the hist(3ry of the com- 
 munity, and the work of development and 
 progress was materially forwarded by his 
 earnest efforts. 
 
 Mr. Hill was born in Smithboro, Tioga 
 county. New York, July 7, 1824, in a home 
 on the bank of the famed Susquehanna 
 river. His parents were Ira G. and Sarah 
 (Murray) Hill and belongs to one of the 
 early families of the Empire State. His 
 father was born in Orange county. New 
 York, August 10, 1800, and his parents were 
 John and Susan (Mcintosh) Hill, the former 
 of Welsh descent and the latter of Scotch 
 lineage. The grandfather of our subject 
 reared his family in Orange county, and 
 there Ira G. lived until 182.V when he re- 
 moved to Tioga C(junty, becdniing one of 
 
 its leading and inlluential citizens, taking an 
 active and commendable interest in every- 
 thing that pertained to the welfare of 
 the commimity. He supported Andrew 
 Jackson for the presidency, afterward joined 
 the Whig party and was an untiring worker 
 in the campaign for ■ ' Tippecanoe and Tyler, 
 too." On the inception of the Republican 
 party he joined its ranks and never failed to 
 cast his ballot for its presidential nominees. 
 At the election of i 888 he was one of three 
 who had voted for ^^'illiam Henry Harrison, 
 and now went to the polls at Waverly to cast 
 a ballot for the illustrious grandson of the Tip- 
 pecanoe hero, Benjamin Harrison. Throw- 
 ing up his hat with all his old-time ardor, he 
 souted, "Tippecanoe and his grandson, 
 too." He died in March, 1890, and was laid 
 j to rest in the town cemetery. 
 I The mother of our subject was born in 
 I Orange county. New York, March 3, 1800, 
 ! and died in Chemung county. New York, 
 i January 21, 1854. She was a true Chris- 
 I tian woman, adhering to the Methodist 
 1 faith. To Mr. and Mrs. Hill were born 
 '. eight children, and with the exception of 
 two all were natives of Tioga county. New 
 York. Felix, born Jiil\ 15, 1823, died in 
 Verona township, l-'aribault county, in 1886, 
 having there resided since 1863. He of- 
 fered his services to the Government during 
 the late war, but was rejected on account 
 of physical disability. The family, how- 
 ever, was well represented in the struggle, 
 there being three sons, three sons-in-law 
 I and a grandson of Ira Hill in the I'nion 
 army. J. B. is the second son in order of 
 birth in the family. Susan, born August 
 2 1, 1826, became the wife of William 
 I Hoover, of \'ivian, Waseca county, Minne- 
 sota, and died at the age of lifty-four years, 
 while Mr. lloo\er is now liviuL' retiri'd in 
 
692 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF TJIE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Waseca; Mary Jane became the wife of R. 
 D. Squires, and for some years they carried 
 on a hotel in Black River Fails, Wisconsin; 
 Amy L. , born March 8, 1830, died May 4, 
 1832; Julia, born January 13, 1832, married 
 J. C. Squires, a brother of her sister's hus- 
 band, and they became early residents of 
 Waushara county, Wisconsin, but after 
 some years returned to Tioga county, New 
 York, where the lady died, at the age of 
 fifty-one j'ears. Charles M., born August 
 25, 1835, in Chemung county. New York, 
 participated in the battle of the Wilderness, 
 where he lost his left leg by the bursting of 
 a shell. He became a resident of Faribault 
 county in 1872, but in 1878 returned to 
 Waverly, New York, where he is now liv- 
 ing. Clarissa, born November 29, 1839, in 
 Ridgebury, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, 
 died September 13, 1840, and was buried 
 there. 
 
 Reared on the home farm until sixteen 
 years of age, he then began to learn the 
 shoemaker's trade, serving a four years' 
 apprenticeship, during which time he lived 
 with his employer, and received as compen- 
 sation for his services his board and the 
 privilege of attending school for the three 
 months of the winter season. On the ex- 
 piration of that term he began working in 
 Wellsburg, New York, where for some time 
 his wages were $13 a month, but at the 
 close of a two years' service he was given $1 
 per day. He then made further preparation 
 for life's journey. 
 
 It was at this time, on the 20th of Au- 
 gust, 1 846, that he wedded Myanda Stevens, 
 the ceremony being performed by Rev. C. 
 C. Carr, a Presbyterian minister, who re- 
 sided at Horseheads, Chemung county, six 
 miles from the city of Elmira, New York. 
 After forty-two years had passed this worthy 
 
 couple returned to the old town in which 
 1 the wedding took place and found the vener- 
 j able pastor stationed at Ridgebury, Penn- 
 I sylvania. A cousin of our subject, E. F. 
 Hanlon, and Mar)- Jane Squires, of Black 
 River Falls, who had witnessed the cere- 
 mony, affixed their signatures for a second 
 reading of this document. Mrs. Hill is a 
 native of Ridgebury, born Deceml)er 16, 
 1828, a daughter of Eliel and Catherine 
 (Smith) Stevens. Her father was born in 
 New Jersey, August 4, 1784. ;ind her mother 
 was born in the same year in the same place. 
 At an early age thej- were both left orphans 
 and on the 28th of June, 1806, they were 
 married by Rev. Pentecost Sweet, who had 
 also baptized them, baptized several of their 
 children, married several of them and at 
 last laid the parents to rest when life's pil- 
 grimage was over. The father died May i, 
 1854, and the mother passed away July 17, 
 , 1854. Their family numbered five sons and 
 six daughters, — Mary, Eliza, Anna, Naomi, 
 Permelia, .\my, William, Norman, lacob, 
 Myanda and Jacob C. We herewith give a 
 brief record of the surviving members of the 
 family: Anna, wife of Jasper Roberts, a 
 resident of Ridgebury; she was born at 
 Horseheads, Chenmng county, January 29, 
 1801; William, born December 25, 1816, 
 is a farmer of Clienniiig county; J. C, born 
 June 3, 1826, followed farming for a time 
 but now carries on agricultural pursuits, his 
 home being in Ridgebury. Mrs. Hill is the 
 fourth and youngest of tiic Ii\ ing children. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hill began their domestic 
 life in Wellsburg, New ^■ork. where they 
 continued for about two and a lialf \ears, 
 then went to Athens, that State, living for 
 a year at the junction of the Susquehanna 
 and Chemung rivers. In the spring of 1S50 
 he sought a home in Wisconsin. Leaving 
 
FARJBAULT, MARTIN, IIA'JOA'IFAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 693 
 
 Chemung, he went to Elmira, New York, 
 thence to Jefferson City, by lake to Geneva, 
 on the New York Central Railroad to Hiiffalo 
 and by lake to Detroit. He made his way 
 to the home of his uncle living about twenty- 
 five miles from Detroit, but after a week 
 went to Milwaukee, where he formed an 
 acquaintance with a Mr. Petit, who was 
 conducting a grocers' at Fond du Lac, Wis- 
 consin, and was at that time securing a 
 stock of goods for his store. Mr. Hill then 
 went to that place, where he hired a team 
 and started on a prospecting tour through 
 the then new State. He visited Rosendale, 
 Kipon, Dartford and several other places, 
 and at length purchased eighty acres of land 
 near Princeton, \\'isconsin. This he after- 
 ward sold, at a profit, and removed to an- 
 other point, where he worked at black- 
 smithing and in running an engine at the 
 Beckwith sawmill, in the winter of 1854-5. 
 While living there Mr. Hill served as one of 
 the Supervisors of the town and was also 
 Justice of the Peace two terms. He also 
 joined the Odd Fellows society there, hav- 
 ing first become a member of that fraternity 
 in the year 1848, in Smithfield, New York. 
 After seven jears' residence in the 
 Badger State Mr. Hill sold his property, 
 amounting to $1,700, and came to Minne- 
 sota, reaching Waseca county on the 3d of 
 July, 1857, a year before the admission of 
 the State into the Union. He secured a de- 
 sirable location on the Cobb river, thus ob- 
 taining timber, water and rich farming 
 land, and afterward platted eighty acres and 
 a similar tract belonging to S. L. Daggct, 
 being associated in this work with Bucll 
 Welch, Isaac Price and E. A. Smith, and a 
 nice map of this propertj' was gotten u|> by 
 Mr. Smith, a cop)' of which was still in 
 the possession of our subject. His farm was 
 
 located on sections 30 and 3 1 , Vivian town- 
 ship, and he owned the first horse, cow and 
 sheep in that section. His wife was the 
 only lady living in the localit}- at the time, 
 and thus one may gain an idea of the un- 
 settled and wild condition of the country. 
 In Waseca county Mr. Hill was soon recog- 
 nized as a leading and influential citizen, 
 was called to all the offices in his township 
 and also was elected a member of the 
 County Board of Supervisors. He was also 
 once a candidate for the office of Sheriff and 
 was officially connected with the schools, 
 being a warm friend and stalwart supporter 
 of the cause of education. 
 
 Mr. Hill's peaceful labors were inter- 
 rupted on the 26th of l~ebruary, i S64, by 
 his enlistmenl in Companj- F, Tenth Wis- 
 consin Infantry, serving until honorably dis- 
 charged at Fort Snelling, August 19, 1865, 
 after the cessation of hostilites. He was 
 appointed by Henry A. Swift, Governor of 
 Minnesota, as First Lieutenant of the Twen- 
 tieth Regiment of the State militia, his ap- 
 pointment bearing date August 15, 1863. 
 
 To Mr. and Mrs. Hill have been born 
 two children: Viola S. , born January 10, 
 1 85 1, is the wife of R. W. Gale, who for 
 three years was engaged in buying grain for 
 Corgle Brothers of L;i Crosse, Wisconsin, 
 but now makes his ht)me in Minneapolis, 
 where for thirteen years he has lived. My- 
 ron \'., the only son, was born May 15, 
 1855, and is an enterprising business man of 
 Minnesota Lake. He served as Postmaster 
 during President Arthur's administration, is 
 a graduate of the Chicago \'eterinary Col- 
 lege and is now practicing his profession. 
 He wedded Miss Mattie Dwyer, a native of 
 Oneida county. New ^'(>rk. Her father, 
 George Dwyer, on coming to Minnesota, Ic)- 
 ratcd in Houston coiinlv. and is now living 
 
694 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 in Whalen, p-illmore count)'. Four children | 
 have been born to Myron Hill and his wife, 
 — Eva Anna, Archie, \'ard and Bern, but 
 the second and fourth are now deceased. 
 
 J. B. Hill and his sons are both members of 
 the Masonic fraternit)', the former belonging 
 to Josephus Lodge, No. 128, F. & A. M. 
 He is also connected with Harrison Post, \ 
 No. 'J'], G. A. R. In his carl)' life he was a 
 warm advocate of \\'illiain Henry Harrison, 
 although not yet a voter, and Henry Clay 
 was his idol as a statesman. He cast his 
 first presidential vote for Taylor, and on the 
 organization of the Republican party he 
 joined its ranks and has since been one of 
 its stalwart supporters, voting for every 
 presidential candidate except when Horace 
 Greeley was a candidate. 
 
 Few men are better known in this sec- 
 tion of the State, and none are more deserv- 
 ing the high regard in which he is held. A 
 valiant soldier, an honored pioneer and a 
 progressive citizen, he well deserves repre- 
 sentation in this volume. He came to Min- 
 nesota in the early days when much of the 
 State was still undeveloped, and in the work 
 of progress and advancement he has borne 
 an important part. He can relate many in- 
 teresting incidents of frontier life and among 
 the early settlers he is widely known. His 
 life has been well spent, his career is a 
 straightforward, ii[>right one, and tiiroughout 
 the community he is iidd in the highest 
 esteem. His was the first home in Minne- 
 sota Lake, the dwelling being a small frame 
 structure, unplastered, which was moved 
 from his farm to the site of the village. This 
 was replaced in 1887 with a commodious, 
 pleasant and modern residence, and there 
 Mr. Hill and his most estimable wife are 
 spending their declining \ears surrounded 
 1)\' manv friends. 
 
 *» ^ ENRY C. GOHDE, a member of 
 l''^\ the firm of Bieri & Gohde, dealers 
 \ , r in agricultural implements in Wells, 
 is one of the worthy citizens whom 
 the I'atherland has furnished to Faribault 
 county. He was born in Hanover, on the 
 6th of February, 1843, and is the eldest in 
 a family of five children, two sons and three 
 daughters, the others being Sophia, who is 
 happily married and lives in Germany; 
 Frederick, who resides near the village of 
 his nativitj', where he is conducting a flour- 
 mill, having followed that business for many 
 years; Diedrich, who is also engaged in 
 milling, not far from the f)ld home; land 
 Catherine, who is married and lives in the 
 land of her birth. The father of this fam- 
 ily was an honorable and honored gentle- 
 man, antl had many friends in the com- 
 munity where he made his home, but 
 
 " All that live must die, 
 Pa.s.sing- throiig^h nature to eternity," 
 
 and the father was called to the home be- 
 yond this life at the age of sixty-eight years. 
 His wife, who shared with him in the joys 
 and sorrows of life, and was indeed a com- 
 panion and helpmeet to him, was laid to rest 
 near by. Both were faithful members of 
 the German Methodist Church. 
 
 Henry C. Gohde acquired his education 
 in his native tongue, attending the common 
 schools. At the age of twenty-four, at- 
 tracted by the advantages and opportunities 
 which report said the New World furnished 
 to young men, he emigrated to America, 
 embarking at Havre, and arriving at New 
 York twelve days later. Six days subse- 
 quent he had reached Faribault count)', 
 Minnesota, and during the first year after 
 his iirrival engaged in general work. He 
 then went io Freeborn, this State, where he 
 secured work in a tlour-niiil. and while serv- 
 
I'AIiinAUL'J\ MARTJS, WATOAWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 695 
 
 ing there the mill was destroyed by fire. 
 Thus thrown out of employment, he was 
 sent to the branch mill in Fillmore, where 
 he continued until it also was destroyed in 
 a severe wind storm. Heing a good work- 
 man, however, Mr. Gohde had no trouble 
 in securing work, and came to Wells in the 
 employ of Beecher Brothers, with whom he 
 continued for four years, engaged in milling. 
 Shortly after this he bought a mill in Fill- 
 more county, which he successfully con- 
 ducted for more than a year, when he sold 
 to Benedict Johnson and returned to Fari- 
 bault county. He is one of the best-known 
 millers of southeastern Minnesota, and for a 
 time carried on a mill in Easton, conduct- 
 ing the first one ever built there. He ran a 
 mill in different points in Faribault county, 
 also in Fillmore and Freeborn counties. On 
 selling his mill in Easton to Hosea Ouimby 
 he again came to Wells and bought and car- 
 ried on a feed mill for several years. Energy 
 and enterprise, good business ability and 
 careful, capable management have brought 
 him a high degree of success. After selling 
 his mill to Benedict Johnson, he purchased 
 200 acres of land. He has owned many 
 hundred acres of land in different parts of 
 Faribault countj', and is still the possessor of 
 some valuable farm property. His time 
 and attention in business hours are given to 
 his store, and the firm of Bieri & Gohde is 
 prospering, receiving from the public a good 
 trade, which is constantly increasing. The}' 
 have a large and well-appointed establish- 
 ment, carrying everything needed upon a 
 farm in the way of machinery and tools. 
 
 On tne 3d of January, 1S76, Mr. Gohde 
 wedded Miss Louisa Weden, a daughter of 
 John Weden, and a descendant of a German 
 family; she was born in O/aukee county, 
 Wisconsin, September 1, 1858. Her father 
 
 died at the home of Peter Peterson, of Mil- 
 waukee, his son-in-law, while the mother 
 died in Ozaukee county. Mr. and Mrs. 
 Gohde have two children, — Frederick, born 
 January 3, 18 -•, and Henry, born Decem- 
 ber 20. 1884. 
 
 Since casting his first presidential vote 
 for General U. S. Grant, Mr. Gohde has 
 supported the men and measures of the Re- 
 publican party, but has never been a poli- 
 tician in the sense of office-seeking, although 
 in Wells he has been called upon to serve 
 in the City Council, and while residing in 
 Rice Lake was a member of the Board of 
 Supervisors. Socially he is connected with 
 the Ancient Order of United Workmen, be- 
 longing to the lodge in Wells. He is a 
 charitable and benevolent man, a friend to 
 the poor and needy, and possesses many 
 excellencies of character which have won 
 him the high regard of all with whom he 
 has been brought in contact. The home of 
 Mr. and Mrs. Gohde is noted for its hospi- 
 tality, and they delight in' gathering their 
 many friends about their fireside, where all 
 are m.ade welcome. 
 
 MOTHY J. PROBORT, one of the 
 honored pioneers of Faribault 
 county and also a worthy represent- 
 ative of a prominent pioneer fam- 
 ily of Wisconsin, has for many years been 
 identified with the growth and upbuilding of 
 this locality, and has been an important 
 factor in its progress. He has aided in 
 transforming the wild land into rich and fer- 
 tile fields and has given his willing support 
 to all enterprises calculated to promote the 
 general welfare. From no interest calcu- 
 lated to prove of public bent-lit does he with- 
 hold his co-npiration, and he is widely rec- 
 
696 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ognized as one of the valued citizens of his 
 adopted count)'. 
 
 Mr. Probort is a native of New York, 
 born in Lero}-, Genesee county, March 7, 
 1837, and conies of a famil}- of English 
 origin. His father, John Probort, was born 
 in Herefordshire, England, October 20, 
 1780, and after he had arrived at years of 
 maturity was united in marriage with Miss 
 Esther Meredith. Their marriage was blessed 
 with four children, two sons and two daugh- 
 ters, but only one is now living. Margaret 
 died in Ionia county, Michigan; John, one 
 of the early settlers of that State, is still en- 
 gaged in farming in Ionia county; Thomas 
 died in the same county, as did the young- 
 est of the family, Mary, who was the wife 
 of Michael Meisser, also now deceased. The 
 mother of this family passed away in Here- 
 fordshire. About 1 82 1 John wedded Mrs. 
 Allie E. Westover, who had one child that 
 was born April 5, 18 17. This lady was 
 born June 24, 1794, and died June, 1873, at 
 the home of J. B. Ketchum in Rochester, 
 Minnesota, where she was laid to rest. 
 
 After lca\ing his native land and cross- 
 ing the Atlantic to .\mcrira, the father of 
 our subject was again married, his second 
 union being with Mrs. Sallic (Scott) Westover, 
 and to them were born eight children, a brief 
 record of whom is herewith given : Sally Ma- 
 ria, born March i, 1823. is now living in Fond 
 du Lac, Wisconsin, the widow of Lyman 
 Bishop, who was a harness-maker of that city 
 in the early days of its history. Luther M., 
 born April 16, 1825, is a harness-maker by 
 trade, but is now living a retired life. In 
 18C4 he became a resident of St. Charles 
 township, Winona county, Minnesota, and 
 carried on harness-making there for a num- 
 ber of years. About two years since he re- 
 moved to Seattle, Washington, where he 
 
 now makes his home with his daughter, 
 Lula. Simeon T., born October 15, 1827, 
 became a resident of Wisconsin in its Terri- 
 torial days, going there with the Banisters 
 in 1846. He died not long after in Dodge 
 count)'. Seth S., born November 30, 1829. 
 came with our subject to Faribault county 
 and shared with him mthe trials and hard- 
 ships of life on the frontier. He was the 
 first school clerk of his district, which at 
 that time also comprised the town of Lura, 
 and served as Supervisor of Lura township. 
 He died of congestion of the lungs and liver 
 at the home of his brother, " Tim," January 
 15, 1875. Edward L., born March 8. 1832, 
 was for many years a well-known figure of 
 St. Paul, prominently connected with the 
 history of that community in early days. 
 He was a stage-driver for some time, did- 
 much to locate homes and people and was 
 familiar with nearly every family and with 
 every phase of civilization of the county at 
 that time. When last heard from he was in 
 the Tin Tick mining district of Utah, en- 
 gaged in agricultural pursuits. Permelia 
 Lucinda, born July 8, 1834, became the 
 w'ife of N. H. Clemens and died in Lockport, 
 New York, in 1853, while on the way from 
 Wisconsin to Syracuse, New York. Her 
 husband has been connected with Dodge 
 county, Minnesota, from the early '50s, and 
 has ever borne his part in the upbuilding of 
 the community. Timothy James, of this 
 sketch, is the next younger. Esther Loretty, 
 born October 3, 1840, is the wife of I. B. 
 Catchum, a carpenter who has made his 
 home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, since 1867. 
 John Probort, the father of this family, 
 followed stock-raising in the land of his na- 
 tivity, but in Now York carried on general 
 farming. In the year 1846 he emigrated to 
 Dodge county, Wisconsin. He cast in his 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI X, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 697 
 
 lot with its early settlers, and be^an life in 
 the West in true pioneer style. He erected 
 a log cabin and began to clear away the 
 dense forest trees that the bright sunlight 
 might shine down upon the little home. 
 This was indeed a frontier region; there were 
 no highways, and the route to Milwaukee 
 and Chicago was marked h\ blazed trees; 
 Indians still visited the neighborhood, and 
 wild game of all kinds, native to this place, 
 abounded and furnished man}- a meal to the 
 .settlers, when otherwise the larder would 
 have been but scantily supplied. Mr. Pro- 
 bort continued the work of clearing and de- 
 veloping his land, and aided in the labors of 
 progress and civilization for about seven 
 years, when he was called from the rude 
 home on the frontier to the home beyond 
 this life, where all labor is over and the 
 weary are at rest. 
 
 The stricken widow, with the assistance 
 of her noble and dutiful son, Timothy 
 James, continued the work which had been 
 so well begun and carried on b)- the husband 
 and father. The farm, comprising eighty 
 acres, became the property of Seth and our 
 subject, and in i860 the brothers sold out 
 and, with their mother, went to Fond du 
 Lac, Wisconsin, then a small hamlet, while 
 the cotnitry round was just opening up to 
 civilization. There the gentleman whose 
 name heads this record spent the spring and 
 sunmier months at general work, in the au- 
 tumn was employed in the harvest fields, 
 and in the winter season was employed in a 
 sawmill. He also visited historic Sheboy- 
 gan with a view of carrying mail through 
 the forest belt into Juneau count)- and points 
 in Dodge county. In 1862 he started for 
 Minnesota, leaving his home in the Badger 
 State on the 27th of May with two yoke of 
 splendid oxen and a covered wagon, reach- 
 
 ing Owatonna on the loth of June, accom- 
 panied by his wife and two children, — Pcr- 
 melia, then four years old, and Lyman, 
 aged two months; also his brother Seth. In 
 Crane Creek, Steele county, he left his wife 
 and children and started out in search of a 
 favorable location. He made his way to 
 Faribault county and was so well plea.sed 
 with the land in this locality and with the 
 future prospects that he made a claim, se- 
 curing 160 acres of land on section 1 1, Lura 
 township. It was a barren tract on which 
 was not a stone or stick in the waj' of im- 
 provement, l)Ut Mr. Probort was familiar 
 with frontier life, and past experiences well- 
 fitted him for a career on Minnesota prairies. 
 The settlers made their way to neighboring 
 forests to secure firewood and went long dis- 
 tances to market and mill. 
 
 Our subject dates his arrival here from 
 June 13, 1862. Upon the southwest quar- 
 ter of section 1 1 he planted four poles, and 
 upon these, turned upside down, he placed 
 his wagon-bed, and this structure, supple- 
 mented by some temporary siding, was the 
 home of the family until the time of the Indian 
 scare about the middle of August. At that 
 time they left the dangerous neighborhood 
 and removed four miles northeast of 
 Owatonna, where Mr. Probort rented a farm, 
 operating it through the following season. In 
 November, 1863, he returned to his deserted 
 farm and erected a frame dwelling i6.x iS 
 feet, with an L 12 x 18 feet, hauling the lum- 
 ber for the purpose from Hastings and from 
 Waseca, a journey of twelve days with 
 oxen from the former place. Only those 
 who ha\-i' lived in an unsettled region can 
 know (if the trials which come to the pio- 
 neer and the dilTicullies and obstacles to be 
 surmounted; yet such a life is not without 
 its pleasures and a hospitalitj- and friendli- 
 
698 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 ness is found unknown to the population of 
 the crowded cities. 
 
 One of the most important events in the 
 life of Mr. Probort occurred on the loth of 
 September, 1857, when was celebrated his 
 marriage to Miss Martha Hodge, the cere- 
 mony being performed by Justice Kibble, of 
 Horicon, Wisconsin. This estimable and 
 highly esteemed lady is a daughter of Alfred 
 and Elizabeth (Chapman) Hodge, and a 
 native of Oceana county, Michigan, born 
 March 14, 1841. She is the 3'oungest and 
 only survivor of five children, the others hav- 
 ing died when quite young, in this county. 
 Her father was born in Middlesex county, 
 Connecticut, March 18, 1790, and valiantly 
 aided his country in the second war with 
 England, — the war of 1812. He was twice 
 married. On the 25th of April, 181 1, he 
 wedded Sarah Strafton, who was born in 
 Worcester county, Connecticut, December 
 31, 1790, and died in the Territor}' of Miclii- 
 gan, October 12, 1826. By that union 
 were born eleven children. The mother of 
 Mrs. Probort was born April 2, 1801, and 
 her death occurred at WauiMin, Wisconsin, 
 in the fall of 1863. 
 
 Though living upon a wild prairie, some 
 distance from friends and neighbors, the 
 home of our subject and his wife was 
 nevertheless made bright and happy by the 
 presence of a family of three sons and four 
 daughters: Permclia Eucinda, the eldest, 
 was born in the village of Theresa, Dodge 
 county, Wisconsin. June 10, 1858, and died 
 in the thirty-first year of her age; she was 
 the wife of A. D. Catlin, who is now con- 
 ducting a new hotel in Mountain Lake, 
 Minnesota. The second child, born in 
 Theresa, died in her infancj'. Lynum 
 Piishop wedded Miss Jerusha Catlin and has 
 three interesting children, — Flossie, Hazel 
 
 and Annie May. Jessie May was born in 
 Lura township, December 10, 1863, and is 
 the wife of William H. Quimby, of Easton, 
 Minnesota. Charles Edward, born April 25, 
 1866, is a lineman of Perry county, Iowa, 
 having a division from Council Bluffs. 
 Freddie Leslie, born Jul\' ib. 1868, follows 
 farming on section 1 1, Lura township; Efifie 
 Lyda, born July 12, 1870, is the wife of 
 John Bachelle, who carries on agricultural 
 pursuits on section 22, Lura township. 
 
 The pretty home in which Mr. and Mrs. 
 Probort now reside was erected in 1890, 
 and is a pleasant and commodious structure 
 now supplied \\ith not only tiie necessaries 
 of life but also with many of its luxuries. It 
 is the abode of hospitality, and the many 
 friends of the family are always sure to re- 
 ceive a there hearty welcome. The farm com- 
 prises 288 acres of rich land, which is now 
 well cultivated and bears little resemblance 
 to the new tract which he secured some 
 thirty years ago. AH the improvements 
 upon the farm were placed there by the en- 
 terprising owner and stand as monuments 
 to his j)ractical and progressive spirit and 
 his well-spent life. His duties of citizen- 
 ship have always been faithfully performed, 
 and true to the trust reposed in hini he is 
 ever found. By his ballot he supports the 
 Republican part}', and by his fellow towns- 
 men he has been called to several official 
 positions, having served for several terms as 
 chairman of the Town Board of Super\isors, 
 and in several school offices, in which he has 
 been enabled to do effective service for the 
 cause of education, of which he is a warm 
 friend. Socially he is connected with 
 Easton Lodge, Xo. 57, I. O. O. F. The 
 lives of many men have been replete with 
 more eNiiting and dramatic inciilfnts than 
 that of Mr. Probnrt, but in Faribault comity 
 
FAIiJUALLT, MARTIS, WATOyUAX A AD JACKSON. 
 
 699 
 
 there is no citizen who has done more for 
 the county accordinfj to his opportunities or 
 is more deserving the high esteem in which 
 he is uni\ersall\- held. 
 
 aw. APLKY. who is engaged in 
 business in Mitmesota Lai<e as a 
 dealer in hardware and general 
 farm machinery, has since 1S75 
 been devoted to and connected with the 
 best interests of this community. He is a 
 native of Highland county, Ohio, born Oc- 
 tober 10, 1844, and is a son of Loraine and 
 Mary (Elgin) Aplej'. The father was born 
 in Litchfield, Connecticut, in 1810, and is 
 of French descent, the family having been 
 founded by French ancestors who settled in 
 Connecticut in the eighteenth century. For 
 some years he was a jeweler and engraver. 
 He resided in Hillsboro, Ohio, for a quarter 
 of a century and there departed this life, at 
 the age of forty-five years. Though ne\er 
 seeking political preferment, he was called 
 to the office of Probate Judge of Highland 
 county and served with abilitj- and faith- 
 fulness. In politics he was an old-line Whig. 
 His wife was born in Winchester, \'irginia, 
 in iSi 5, and when ver_\- young lost her par- 
 ents. She then went to live with relatives 
 who later emigrated to Ohio. Her death 
 occurred in Hillsboro, in 1868. By her 
 marriage she became the mother of three 
 children: Amanda, now the wife of John 
 Creed, a resident of Omaha, Nebraska; C. 
 W. , of this sketch; and Mary F., who is 
 living with her sister in Omaha. 
 
 In the public schools of Hillsboro, Ohio, 
 C. W. Apley began his education, which was 
 completed with a three-years coursi' in the 
 Hillslxjro Academy. At the I'arly age of 
 seventeen he responded tu the ccjuntry'scall 
 
 for troops, enlisting in Company U, Si.xtieth 
 Regiment of Ohio Volunteers. On the 
 8th of .\ugust, 1862, he donned the blue 
 
 I and w ith his command went to the front, 
 participating in the battle of Cross Keys in 
 the Shenandoah valley with Stonewall Jack- 
 son's troops and was mustered out August 
 
 I 26, 1863, from the Little York Hospital in 
 Pennsylvania, where he had been con- 
 fined b}' illness. \\'hen he had recov- 
 ered his health he was chosen as Second 
 
 \ Lieutenant and general recruiting officer of 
 the Fifth district of Ohio to raise the One 
 Hundred and Seventy-fifth Ohio regiment, 
 and was p^romoted in September, 1864, to 
 the First Lieutenancy ami acted as ()uarter- 
 master until December. From Camp Den- 
 nison he went with his command to Colum- 
 bia, Tennessee, and participated in the 
 battle of Franklin, where the regiment of 
 800 entered battle but came out with only 
 150. The company to which Mr. Apley 
 was attached marched forth with sixty-four 
 members and came out with thirty-one. 
 He was also in the battle of Nashville, Ten- 
 nessee, and after the engagement was made 
 Captain of Company D, One Hundred and 
 Sevent\-fifth Ohio \'olunteer Infantry, thus 
 serving until honorably discharged at Camp 
 Dennison, Ohio, on the loth of July, 1865. 
 When the war was over Mr. Apley went 
 to Cincinnati, where for about five years he 
 was employed as a salesman in a wholesale 
 clothing house. He then went u[ion the 
 road as traveling salesman for the firm of 
 Ackerman, W\lder & I'reeman, and was in 
 southern Ohio and southern Indiana for five 
 years, winning success in that undertaking. 
 In the fall of 1870 he went to Texas. His 
 lu-altli failing he reluiiicd lo La Crosse, Wis- 
 consin, and seemed employment at scaling 
 logs. He also spent one winter in the 
 
?oo 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 pineries of Wisconsin, and in July, 1873, 
 went to Albert Lea, Minnesota, where he 
 engaged in teaching school, continuing there 
 for about two years. In the winter of 
 1873-4 'le taught school at Kice Lake, Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota. In June, 1875, 
 he came to Minnesota Lake and with its in- 
 terests has since been identified. He first 
 began selling machinery for the firm of P. 
 T. Scotland, of Albert Lea, and was their '■ 
 traveling salesman through the summer. In 
 the winter of 1S75-6 he was employed as ' 
 the teacher in the school at this place, which ' 
 numbered forty-five pupils, and was held in 
 the property now occupied by Frank Scheldt, 
 nearly opposite the Catholic church. 
 
 In the spring of 1876 Mr. Apley formed 
 a partnership with X. J. Kremer, which con- | 
 tinued until 1884, when Mr. Kremer retired. 
 That firm secured the Buckeye, and a few ; 
 years later the Massillon thresher, and Mr. 
 Kremer brought the first thresher into Fari- 
 bault county. In the winter of 1887-8 Mr. 
 Apley again taught the village school, which 
 at that time had but one department and a 
 membership of sixty-eight pupils. For many 
 years he has served on the school board and 
 no man has done more for the advancement 
 of the cause of education in this locality, he 
 working to secure good schools and good 
 teachers; for he believes education to be one 
 of the important conditions in producing 
 good government. Since 1885 he has been 
 engaged in the hardware business and in 
 handling general farm machinery. In 1890 
 his present commodious store building was 
 erected and is fitted out with a first-class stock 
 of hardware and general farm machinery, — 
 this being one of the best establishments of 
 the kind in Faribault county. 
 
 Ill his political views Mr. Apley is a 
 liberal Republican, having usually supported 
 
 that part}' since attaining his majority. He 
 has never sought political preferment for 
 himself and has been officially connected 
 onl\ with the schools. Socially he is a 
 charter member of Minnesota Lake Lodge, 
 No. 131, A. O. U. W., and for the first 
 fourteen months of its e.xistence served as 
 Master \\'orkman, while for the past three 
 years he has been Deput}' Grand Master. 
 He was the first Commander of A. R. Har- 
 rison Post, No. "/"J, G. A. K., which organi- 
 zation was named by him, and he is now 
 serving as Adjutant. 
 
 On the 29th of December, 1885. Mr. 
 Aplej- was joined in wedlock, in Woon- 
 socket. South Dakota, with Miss Mary E. 
 Co.\, daughter of W. F. and Mary (Hard- 
 ing) Co.\. This lady was born in Delavan 
 township, Faribault county, March 5, 1865. 
 Early in the '60s her parents emigrated to 
 Minnesota from New Castle, Maine, and 
 located in Delavan township. The grand- 
 parents, John Daniel and Mary Cox, were 
 both born on the coast of Maine and the 
 I former studied for the ministry and preached 
 I in the Methodist Church for many years. 
 He died in the Pine Tree State, in the sixty- 
 fifth year of his age. and his wife there 
 ' passed away when little past the age of 
 I forty. The great-grandfather. Daniel Cox, 
 Sr. , was a native of England, and, crossing 
 the ocean, founded the family in America. 
 The father of Mrs. Apley, Frank Cox, emi- 
 grated westward in 1 862 and purchased 
 
 from the Government 160 acres of land 
 
 I 
 
 about two miles south of the village of Dela- 
 van. Here he lived until 18S5. when he re- 
 moved to Woonsocket. South Dakota. He 
 was born on the 4th of March, 1844, and 
 his wife was born in Maine, October 10, 
 ' 1S47. Tlicy became the parents of seven 
 children, four sons and three daughters, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 namely: Mrs. Apley; Nellie, wife of E. Sef- 
 fens, a school-teacher in Adrian, Nobles 
 county, Minnesota; Charles, a farmer of 
 Woonsocket, South Dakota; Ida and Ma- 
 bel, at home; Wilbur and F"rank, who are 
 still under the parental roof. The ma- 
 ternal grandfather of Mrs. Apley, Josiah 
 Harding, also emigrated to this country 
 from England. He was a vessel owner and 
 after determining to make his home in 
 America, engaged in fishing on the coast. 
 He was born in 1794 and died in the eighty- 
 sixth year of his age. His wife, who bore 
 the maiden name of Liicinda Rider, was born 
 in England in June, 1800, and lived to cele- 
 brate her seventy-fourth birthday. 
 
 Three children grace the union of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Apley. Mary Beryl, born Novem- 
 ber II, kSS6; Charles Wilbur, born June i, 
 1889; and Loraine, born F"ebruary 11, 
 1 891. This is an interesting family, well 
 known throughout the community in which 
 they reside. Their home is pleasant!)' 
 located just two blocks from the store, and 
 is a pretty residence, neatly and tastefully 
 furnished and supplied with the comforts of 
 life. The place was erected in 1889. Mr. 
 Apley is a good and great man,- great in 
 what is known as the nobler qualities of 
 manhood, and possesses a depth of charac- 
 ter and strict adherence to principle that e.\- 
 cites the admiration of all. He is also great 
 in his devotion to public interests, in pro- 
 moting enterprises which add to the material 
 prosperity and enhance the general welfare. 
 
 E 
 
 ENRY C. SHUFELT. residing on 
 a farm in section 18, Winnebago 
 City township, Fariljault county, is 
 one of the representative pioneers 
 
 of southern Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Shufelt was born in Vermont, No- 
 vember 10, 1 83 I, son of George and Alvira 
 (Gloverj Shufelt, who were of Holland de- 
 scent. About 1854 his parents left the 
 Green Nfountain State and took up their 
 abode in Winnebago county. Wisconsin, 
 where they passed the residue of their lives 
 and died. Henry C. was reared on a farm 
 in his native State and received his educa- 
 tion in the common schools of the neighbor- 
 hood in which he lived. After his marriage, 
 which event occurred in 1852, he settled 
 down on a farm in \'crmont, and continued 
 to reside there for two years. He then 
 sought a home in the West. For si.\ years 
 he was engaged in farming in Winnebago 
 county, Wisconsin, and at the end of that 
 time came from there to Minnesota, first 
 settling in Rice county, and two \ears later 
 coming to Faribault county and locating 
 upon the land he still owns and occupies. 
 He secured title to this farm under the 
 homestead act; and here for thirty-five 
 years he has lived and prospered. He now 
 has a beautiful home, shaded l\v trees of 
 his own planting, his farm is well improved 
 with good barns, fences, grove, etc., and an 
 air of general thrift prevails. 
 
 August 28, 1852, at Enosburg, \'ermont. 
 Mr. Shufelt married Miss Alice Joynt, a na- 
 tive of ctjunty Limerick, Ireland. She came 
 to America when twelve years of age, in 
 company with an aunt, and afterward was 
 joined by her mother and sisters. For some 
 years she lived with an uncle and aunt in 
 New Jersey, where she received a fair edu- 
 cation. Mr. and Mrs. Shufelt have hail 
 five children, only one of whom, William 
 Henry, is living. He was married July i, 
 1892, to Miss Delia Bartholomew, a native 
 of Marquette county, Wisconsin, and a 
 daughter of Dexter and Ellen (Jones) Bar- 
 
703 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 tholomew, the former a native of Jefferson 
 county, New York, and the latter of Wales. 
 Some j'ears ago her parents settled in Blue 
 Earth county, Minnesota, and there, No- 
 vember 26, 1893, her father died. Her 
 mother is still a resident of that county. 
 
 Politically, Mr. H. C. Shufcit has been 
 a Repul)lican since the organization of that 
 party. He has held the office of Super- 
 visor in his township and has also filled 
 other local offices. December 14, 1863, he 
 enlisted in Company H, Second Minnesota 
 Cavalry, and served during the Indian 
 troubles, being on duty until November 20, 
 1865, when he was discharged on account 
 of disability. He is a member of James 
 Clabaugh Post, No. 54, G. A. R. 
 
 During the Indian troubles, while her 
 husband was absent from home, Mrs. Shu- 
 felt and her nine-year-old son remained 
 alone, and were here at the time the Root 
 family were massacred by the Indians, 
 seven miles north of her shanty. Man}' 
 were the hardships and trials she endured 
 in the early years of their residence on the 
 frontier, but she proved herself equal to 
 every emergency. For the past fourteen 
 years she has been an invalid, and the same 
 courage and Christian fortitude that sus- 
 tained her in early life now help her to bear 
 up under affliction. She is a member of 
 the Methodist h2piscopal Church. 
 
 K./"^ <^ ■ MONTCOMERY. a farmer of 
 I I section 17, Martin county, is a son 
 /^^_^ <if Da\i(] and Mary fCarleton) 
 Montgomery, natives of New 
 Hampshire. They were married in that 
 State in 1854, afterward spent nine years in 
 \'erniont, in 1864 located in Racine county. 
 
 Wisconsin, and in 1881 removed to Wel- 
 come, Minnesota. Mr. Montgomery fol- 
 lowed agricultural pursuits, also served as 
 Survej'or of Racine county, and at Wel- 
 come was a merchant, coal dealer and Post- 
 master. His death occurred March 9, 1894, 
 his wife having died in June, i S93. They were 
 the parents of seven children, six ol whom 
 grew to years of maturity, namely: Hattie 
 Martin, of Allison, Iowa; C. T., of Wel- 
 come, this State; D. C, the subject of this 
 sketch; Ellen Sawyer, also of that city; 
 Mary Hill, a resident of Mankato, Minne- 
 sota; and Alice Boulette, of Pine I.sland, this 
 State. He took an active interest in local 
 affairs, having served as Selectman in New 
 England, and as Superintendent of Schools 
 in New Hampshire. 
 
 D. C. Montgomery was born in White- 
 field, Coos county. New Hampshire, Janu- 
 ary 26, 1853. At the age of nineteen years 
 he went to the pineries of Northern Michi- 
 gan, remaining there four years; ne.xt, in 
 company with hfs brother, C. T., rented 
 his father's farm, and in the fall of 1880 he 
 and his brother purchased a farm in Martin 
 county, Minnesota. Mr. Montgomery lo- 
 cated on his land in the following fall, and 
 now owns 160 acres, all under cultivation. 
 In his political relations he affiliates with 
 the Republican partw and has served as 
 Supervisor of Eraser township twojears, as 
 Road Overseer several jears, and as Treas- 
 urer of school district No. 14. 
 
 In 1881 Mr. Montgomery was united in 
 marriage with Elizabeth Bannister, born in 
 Racine county, Wisconsin, February 27, 
 18C4, a daughter of Barney Bannister, an 
 early pioneer of that county, having resided 
 there from young manhood until death. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Montgomery have five children,— 
 I^oswell, Charles, Elsie, David and I'annie. 
 
PARJBAULT, martin, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 Sr— rf ENRY EBERLEIN, proprietor of 
 •^^V the Fair \'ie\v Stock Farm of Far- 
 \ , r iljanlt count)', is a pleasant, genial 
 gentleman who has a host of 
 friends throughout this community, and we 
 therefore feel assured that this record of his 
 life will prove of interest to many of our 
 readers. A native of Germany, he was born 
 on the 22d of April, 1856, and is a son of 
 Christopher and Elizabeth (Froberl) Eber- 
 lein, leading and influential German people 
 of Blue Earth City township. They were 
 reared and married in Germanj', and there 
 were born to them the following children: 
 Lotta Kotzung; Ferdinand, who was a sol- 
 dier in the late war and is now deceased; 
 Ed, who also "wore the blue" during the 
 Rebellion; George, who entered the army 
 and laid down his life on the altar of his 
 country; Minnie, Amanda, Charles, William 
 Albert, Henry, Clara, and two who died in 
 Germany. The parents of this family have 
 traveled life's journey together as man and 
 wife for si.xty years, a record seldom equaled; 
 and as the years have passed they have 
 shared with each other in the joys and sor- 
 rows that checker lifes pathway and their 
 mutual love and confidence have increased. 
 Henry Eberlcin spent the first eight 
 years of his life in the land of his nativity, 
 and then accompanied his parents on their 
 emigration to America. He was reared 
 upon a farm and earl)' became familiar with 
 all the duties of farm life, working in the 
 fields from an early age. The public schools 
 afforded him his educational privileges, and 
 he acquired a good practical knowledge 
 which has been of much benefit to him in 
 his business career. He was married at the 
 age of twenty-six years, on the ist of June, 
 1883, the lady of his choice being Miss 
 Emma Kestner, also a native of Germanv, 
 
 and a daughter of August and Caroline 
 (Grabel) Kestner, who are residents of Lit- 
 tle Falls, ^^innesota. Their family num- 
 bered the following: Ernest, I^ob, Emma, 
 Gusta, Tracy and Lena. The union of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Eberlein has been blessed with a 
 family of three children, — Minnie Tracy, 
 l£arl Henry and Emma Caroline Elizabeth. 
 Upon his marriage our subject located 
 upon the farm belonging to his brother, Will- 
 iam, and made his home there for several 
 years, or until 1887, when by purchase he 
 secured a farm of his own. This has since 
 been his place of residence. The place com- 
 prises 240 acres of good land, and upon it 
 are many fine improvements. The home is 
 a comfortable and substantial dwelling, 
 i6.\24 feet, with an L 14x24 feet and a 
 story and a half in height. There is a beau- 
 tiful grove of six acres which adds to the 
 value and attractive appearance of the place. 
 Ample barns and outbuildings, which are 
 I models of convenience, provide shelter for 
 the stock. One barn is 34 x 36 feet, another 
 40x44 feet, and he also has a livery barn in 
 I Blue Earth City. He is a breeder of and 
 I dealer in thoroughbred Norman horses and 
 Shorthorn cattle, and has some of the finest 
 stock in Faribault county. The l^'air View 
 Stock Farm has gained a high reputation 
 justly deserved, and the owner deserves great 
 credit for the acquirement of this jiropert)', 
 for all has been obtained through his own 
 unaided efforts. 
 I Mr. Eberlein is a Democrat, and by his 
 I ballot upholds the principles of that party, 
 but has neither time nor inclination for 
 [>ul>lic office. He possesses a jovial disposi- 
 tion and sunny temperament, which wins 
 him friends, and throughout the county he 
 has an extended acquaintance. Almost his 
 entire life has been passed in Minnesota, and 
 
704 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF 'JJIE COUNTIES OE 
 
 he takes a deep interest and commendable 
 pride in the progress and prosperity of his 
 adopted county. 
 
 2t 
 
 I!. SILLIMAX. a retired farmer 
 and prominent resident of Blue 
 Earth City, Minnesota, claims 
 Ohio as the State of his nativity, 
 having been born in Trumbull county, De- 
 cember 27, 1834. His father, Cornelius 
 Silliman, was a native of Orange county, 
 Vermont, where he was born in the year 
 1800, and his grandfather, David Silliman, 
 was also born in the Green Mountain State, 
 and was one of the heroes of the Revolution, 
 valiantly bearing arms in defense of the 
 cause of independence. In 18 18 Cornelius 
 Silliman emigrated to Ohio, locating in 
 Trumbull county, where for some years he 
 was engaged in mercantile business. He 
 afterward secured a tract of land, heavily 
 timbered, and began the improvement of a 
 farm, making it one of the valuable and 
 attractive places of the communitj'. He 
 served as Postmaster of Hartford, Ohio, for 
 many years, discharging his duties with 
 promptness and fidelity. In early life his 
 political views were in harmony with the 
 principles of the Whig party, and when the 
 Republican party sprung into existence, as 
 representing the body of those opposed to 
 the further encroachments of slaverj', he 
 joined its ranks and ever afterward fought 
 under its banner. He aided in effecting the 
 organization of the party in a local way and 
 was thoroughly informed on all political 
 questions. 
 
 Cornelius Silliman was thrice married. 
 He first wedded Cordelia Bushncll, daughter 
 of Colonel William Kushnell, one of Tnini- 
 bull countj's honored pioneers. She dird 
 
 leaving an only child, Cordelia, who became 
 the wife of George Quiggle, but who is now 
 deceased. After the death of his first wife 
 Mr. Silliman eventually consummated a 
 second marriage, this union being with Ju- 
 lia Cone, daughter of Calvin Cone, another 
 one of the early residents of the Western Re- 
 serve. This marriage was blessed with si.x 
 children, all of whom reached \'ears of ma- 
 turity. Three of the number still abide, 
 namely: Frank, who resides in Union 
 City, Pennsylvania; W. B., whose name in- 
 itiates this review; and Calvin, who is a 
 resident of Blue Earth City. Those deceased 
 are: Mary, who was the wife of N. S. 
 Pratt, of Trumbull county, Ohio; Hattie, 
 who died in Trumbull county, at the age of 
 twenty years; and Ester B., who was the 
 wife of Henry J. Neal and who died in Far- 
 ibault county, Minnesota, January 20, 1889. 
 
 In 1854 Mr. Silliman removed with his 
 family to Wisconsin, where he passed the 
 residue of his life. The mother was not 
 long permitted to enjoy her new home, 
 being called to the life eternal on the 10th 
 of September, 1855. In September, i860, 
 Mr. Silliman was united in marriage to Mrs. 
 Dianthia B. Wcstbrook, of New York 
 State, and of this union was born one child, 
 Mary A., who makes her home with our 
 subject. Mr. Silliman passed away August 
 6, 1886, and his widow also is now deceased. 
 Both were honorable and upright in their 
 daily walk in life, and to them was not 
 denied the esteem and confidence so justly 
 their due. 
 
 In taking up the personal history of the 
 subject of this sketch we present to our 
 readers the life record of one who is both 
 widely and favorably known in Faribault 
 county and who is numbered among her val- 
 ued and representative citizens. His youth- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAX A.\D JACKSON. 
 
 705 
 
 fill days were passed in assisting; his father on 
 the home farm, and lie early became famihar 
 with the labors of the field and with thf 
 duties of all other departments of farm work. 
 His education was acquired at Hartford in 
 his native State, where he had the pleasure 
 of receiving instruction under Professor F. 
 V. Hayden, — prominent in the early geo- 
 logical surveys of the Territories, and the 
 one whose reports in connection with the 
 famous Yellowstone region led to the setting 
 apart by Congress of the famous Yellow- 
 stone National Park, — and also under Pro- 
 fessor John Lynch. Believing that the West 
 offered the best opportunities to j-oung men 
 who wished to make their own way in the 
 world and to win prosperity, he emigrated 
 to the new State of Wisconsin, in 1853, set- 
 tling in Marquette (now Green Lake) county, 
 where he purchased a partially improved 
 farm, devoting his time and energies to its 
 cultivation until his remoxal to Minnesota. 
 Devotion to the business in hand, close at- 
 tention to all details, and careful manage- 
 ment have been instrumental in winning him 
 success and have been characteristic of liis 
 entire business career. 
 
 The year 1858 witnessed the arrival of 
 Mr. Sillinian in Minnesota. In company 
 with Henry J. Neal he walked from I^a 
 Crosse, Wisconsin, to Blue Earth City, a 
 distance of 175 miles, making the journey 
 in seven days. The}' had engaged seats in 
 the stage, but that vehicle did not overtake 
 them, nature's method of traveling being 
 in that instance more expeditions than that 
 jirovided by man's ingenuity. Kntcring 
 from the Government 160 acres of land in 
 Jo Daviess township, Faribault county, he 
 began the improvement of a farm and soon 
 waving fields of grain were seen where once 
 
 was grassv prairie. 
 37 
 
 On the 6th of January, i860, was cele- 
 brated a marriage which united the destinies 
 of Mr. Sillimaii and Miss Jennett More, 
 daughter of Andrew K. More. Their home 
 has been made happy by the presence of 
 six children, five of whom are yet living, 
 namely: Willard, who married Viola Ander- 
 son, and is living on the old homestead; 
 Charles, who wedded Mary Dolliver, and 
 follows farming in Pilot Grove township; 
 and Frank, Jessie A. and Mamie, who are 
 still under the parental roof. The home is 
 noted for its hospitalit}', and the members 
 of the family hold an enviable position in 
 circles where true worth and intelligence are 
 received as the passports into good society. 
 
 Mr. Silliman's farming operations were 
 interrupted on the 21st of October, 1862, 
 by his enlistment in his country's service as 
 a member of Company B. I'irst Minnesota 
 Mounted Rangers. During the first winter 
 the company was stationed at St. Peters 
 and Fort Kidgely, and in the .spring of 1863 
 accompanied General Sibley on his expi- 
 dition against tlie Indians in the North- 
 west. In February, 1S65, he became a 
 member of Conqiany I', First Minnesota 
 Heavy ArtilKry, and during the remainder 
 of the war was stationed at Chattanooga, 
 Tennessee, being mustered out of the serv- 
 ice September 27, 1865. Although not a 
 participant in the more notable battles of 
 war, his service on the frontier was none 
 the less arduous, and though it was a serv- 
 ice that did not win the boys in blue 
 therein concerned the renown that came to 
 those who fought farther east, they are none 
 the less worthy of the.deep gratitude of the 
 nation. 
 
 Returning to his home Mr. Silliman sold 
 his farm in Jo Daviess township, and pur- 
 chased 180 acres of unimproved land in 
 
yo6 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Pilot Grove township, and this he soon 
 placed under a high state of cultivation, 
 adding thereto from time to time until he 
 now has a valuable tract of 400 acres of 
 Minnesota's rich land. In connection with 
 general farming he was for ten years engaged 
 in dealing in baled hay, corn and oats, ship- 
 ping to the pineries. In all his business 
 enterprises he is honorable and straight- 
 forward, and the word of Mr. Silliman is as 
 good as his bond, which everyone knows is 
 as good as gold. 
 
 Our subject is identified with the Masonic 
 fraternity, retaining a membership in Blue 
 Earth City Lodge, No. 57. A. F. & A. M.. | 
 and in his political views he is a Republican. 
 His wife holds membership with the Pres- 
 byterian Church. In 1888 Mr. Silliman ; 
 was elected to the office of Clerk of the • 
 Courts, which position he held for four 
 years, winning the commendation and con- 
 fidence of all concerned bj' reason of his 
 faithful discharge of duties. When railed to 
 public life he removed to Blue Earth City, 
 where he has since made his home. His life 
 has been well spent, and though his career 
 has not been replete with thrilling or dramatic 
 incidents he has so lived as to merit the 
 high r(.').;ar(l which has been acctjrded him. 
 He now "takes life easily," enjoying a well 
 earned rest, and being recognized as a pleas- 
 ant genial gentleman whose friends through- 
 out the community are many. 
 
 SI 
 
 *!LLIAM HENRY DAHLE, who 
 is engaged in farming near Mon- 
 roe, Minnesota, was born in the 
 Province of Hanover, Germany, 
 
 August 10, 1858, son of Henry and Mary 
 
 Dorothea f^Lippmannj Dahle. 
 
 Mr. Dahle's paternal grandfather, Henry 
 Dahle, was born, passed his life and died in 
 Germany, as also did his maternal grand- 
 father, Conrad Lippman. The latter was a 
 tanner b\- trade. Henry Dahle, the father 
 of William H., was born in Germany, March 
 I, 1826, and died at Palatine, Cook county, 
 Illinois, October 23, 1880. He emigrated 
 to America with his family in 1873, arriving 
 at Chicago on the twenty-fourth of Decem- 
 ber. Mrs. Dahle is still a resident of Illi- 
 nois. She was born in Germany, June 14, 
 1825, one of a family of three, the others 
 being August and Elizabeth. August is 
 deceased. A record of Henry and Mary- 
 Dorothea Dahle's children is as follows: 
 Henry August, born Aprils, 1852, is mar- 
 ried and living on the home place in Illinois: 
 William Henry, whose name heads this 
 article; Mary, born March 7. 1864, was mar- 
 ried January i, 1885, to Charles Johannas, 
 of Chicago, and they have two sons and two 
 daughters. Besides the above named chil- 
 dren, there were four that died when young. 
 
 William Henry Dahle remained on the 
 home farm in Illinois until he was twenty- 
 five years of age. He then rented a farm 
 in Cook county that State, of Miles Church, 
 which he occupied until 1885. That year 
 he rented land ^^{ Dick Bozeman. located 
 twenty-si.\ miles west of Chicago, and made 
 his home on it until his removal to Martin 
 county, Minnesota. In the summer of 1885 
 he purchased his present farm of W. T. 
 Hansen, and moved to it in October, 1888. 
 This is the southwest (juarter of section 
 twenty-three, township 104, range thirty- 
 two, and has all been brought under cultiva- 
 tion by Mr. Dahle. At the time of purchase 
 it was entirely without improvement. He 
 has set out a three-acre grove and made 
 various other improvements, and at this 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN . WATOXWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 writing his farm is stocked with five horses, 
 fifteen cattle and sixty-five ho{^s. 
 
 Mr. Dahle was married No\eiiiber 13, 
 1883, to Dorothea Anna, daughter of Will- 
 iam and Sophia (Hermann) Hahn. Her 
 father died December 12, 1870, at the age 
 of forty-five years. Her mother is now the 
 wife of Henry Schult/, a fanner of this 
 county. Mrs. Dahle was born January 20, 
 1861. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Will- 
 iam H. Dahle are as follows: The first born 
 died in infancy; Dorothea Anna Henrietta, 
 born October 25, 1885; Carolina Mary Ger- 
 trude, August 5, 1887; Erue Louisa, May 
 25, 1889; August William, January I 2, 1S91; 
 and Henry George, June 30, 1893. 
 
 He and his wife are consistent members 
 of the Lutheran Church. He was confirmed 
 in .•\pril, 1872, and she, March 29, 1874, at 
 Schaumburg. Illinois, by the Kcv. Henry 
 Smith. Politically, Mr. Dahle is a Re- 
 publican. 
 
 K./^^ K- C. K. J. KF.LLAM, a pliysi- 
 I I cian of Heron Lake, is one of the 
 ^^,_^ prominent and well known citi- 
 zens of the county, locating here 
 in 1879. 
 
 He was born near Fort Gibson, Indian 
 Territory. August 16, 1837. His father, Kcv. 
 C. R. Kellam, was a Baptist missionary, lo- 
 cated there to preach the gospel to the In- 
 dians. He was born in 1807, in the State 
 of Vermont, a son of Charles Kellam, a na- 
 tive of Wales and a Revolutionary officer. 
 Rev. C. R. Kellam was educated in Hamil- 
 ton College, and after entering the ministry 
 he was sent West by the executive board. 
 He married Elizabeth Pierson, a native of 
 Harvard, Massachusetts, and a daughter of 
 Isaac Pierson, of an old Massachusetts fam- 
 
 ily, who died in 1879. She was well edu- 
 cated for missionary work, and finally died 
 at the birth of the subject of this sketch, 
 who is the only child by this marriage. His 
 father afterward married Susan Carter and 
 had one son, E. P. Kellam, now a merchant 
 in Wilder. After the death of his wife the 
 father settled at Charleston, Franklin 
 county, .\rkansas, which town was named 
 for him. 
 
 Dr. Kellam was reared and educated at 
 Arkansas College, at Fayetteville; com- 
 menced the study of medicine under the 
 snpervision of a prominent physician there, 
 and in 1859 went to St. John's, Vermont. 
 
 At the breaking out of the war, as early 
 as the 19th of April, 1861, he enlisted in 
 the Third Vermont Infantry, Company C, 
 and served until October 6, 1862, partici- 
 pating in the battles of \irginiaand siege of 
 Yorktown under General McClellan. After 
 his discharge he returned to Vermont, and 
 in 1863 entered Company H, Ninth Ver- 
 mont Infantry, and served with that regi- 
 ment eight months, and was promoted to 
 the position of hospital steward at the 
 United States port hospitals. 
 
 In November, 1865, he entered Harvard 
 C'ollege and graduated in a class of twelve, 
 in 1 868. He then practiced at Waterford, 
 Vermont, for three years, next at Haverhill, 
 New Hampshire, three years, at Lynn. 
 Massachu.setts, until 1876, St. Charles, 
 Minnesota, three years, and finally, in 1879, 
 he came to Heron Lake. He and his son 
 now have a large drugstore, 22x90 feet, 
 where they carry the largest stock of drugs 
 in the county. He is one of the most suc- 
 cessful physicians in this part of the State. 
 
 He was married at the age of nineteen 
 years, at Charleston,. ■Xrkansas, to Sarah Car- 
 ter a native of the Green Mountain State, 
 
7o8 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUMTJES OF 
 
 and daughter of Jeremiah Carter, who was 
 killed by rebels at Charleston. The Doctor 
 has had the following named children: W. 
 J., of Heron Lake; H. B., of Lynn, Massa- 
 chusetts; and A. C, of the same city. Mrs. 
 Kellam died in 1873, and in 1874 the Doc- 
 tor married Emily Noyes, and by that mar- 
 riage had one daughter, Alice, now residing 
 at St. Paul. Subsequently Dr. Kellam was 
 united in marriage with Mary C. Schermer- 
 horn, a native of Albany, New York, and by 
 this marriage there have been seven chil- 
 dren, namely: A. B. , A. S., Maud. \V. 
 H., Clara W., Herbert K. and Ruth. 
 
 Dr. Kellam is a leading and influential 
 Republican. Was a candidate for the Legis- 
 lature in 1894, and succeeded in reducing 
 the Democratic majority of 925 to about 
 300. He has been often a delegate to 
 county and Congressional conventions, and 
 he has been Justice of the Peace thirteen 
 years. He is a member of B. F. Sweet 
 Post, G. A. R., No. 147, of which he was 
 the first Commander; is also a Mason, Odd 
 Fellow, member of I^odge 2 10, F. & A. M., 
 
 ■75. 
 
 and of Philadelphia Lodge, N' 
 O. O. F. 
 
 The Doctor is a studious and patient 
 man, an independent thinker and a faithful 
 officer and citizen. 
 
 ,>^K. MITCHELL .MIKKELSEN, 
 I I M. D., who is engaged in the prac- 
 /^^J tice of medicine and surgery, in 
 Wells, Minnesota, was born in 
 Dane county, Wisconsin, on the 27th of 
 July, 1850, and is the eldest in a family of 
 six children, four sons and two daughters, 
 whose parents were Knute and Caroline 
 (Erickson) Mikkelsen. He attended the 
 connnon schools of that localitj' until four- 
 
 teen years of age, and then accompanied 
 his parents on their removal to Faribault 
 county, Minnesota, the father securing from 
 the Government a tract of 160 acres on sec- 
 tion 28, Lnra township. It was all wild 
 land on which not a furrow had been turned 
 or an improvement made, but in course of 
 time it was transformed into fields of rich 
 fertility. The Doctor had attended the 
 Claggett school, almost opposite his home, 
 and during the summer months aided in the 
 labors of the home farm, giving to his father 
 the benefit of his services until twenty-two 
 years of age He is very familiar with the 
 experiences of frontier life and has shared in 
 the hardships and privations of the pioneer. 
 At length, when a young man of twenty- 
 two, he determined to seek a home in South 
 Dakota, and there in 1872 laid claim to 160 
 acres of land, just across the river from the 
 Indian reservation. The little cabin was quite 
 fort-like in appearance, and on several occa- 
 sions he had visits from the Indians that 
 were not altogether of a friendly nature. He 
 frequently visited the reservation, for there 
 had sprung up quite a warm friendship be- 
 tween himself and the Indian agent, J. C. 
 Currier, whcj offered him the position as 
 herder of the Texas cattle which was owned 
 by the agency. It was while employed in 
 that capacity on the plains of the West that 
 he was enabled to earn and save enough 
 money to prosecute his studies for the medi- 
 cal profession. He first entered the oiTice 
 of Dr. Winch, of Blue Earth City, Minne- 
 I sota, with whom he read medicine for a 
 period of two years. He then entered the 
 College of Physicians and Surgeons of Keo- 
 kuk, Iowa, and was graduated there with 
 j the class of 1877. Wishing to further per- 
 ; feet himself in his chosen life work, he next 
 became a student in the College of Ph) si- 
 
FARinALI.l\ MARTI.\\ WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 709 
 
 cians and Surgeons of Chicago, and was 
 graduated with the class of 1884. He has 
 ever been a close and thorough student of 
 his profession, and, though not in college, I 
 keeps himself abreast with the latest dis- 
 coveries and theories connected with the 
 science of medicine. f-fis skill and ability 
 are indicated by the large practice which he 
 now enjoys and which has come to him as 
 a reward of merit. 
 
 On the 22d of October, 1879, Mr. Mik- 
 kelscn was united in marriage with >fiss 
 Ella Heffroii, a native of the Badger State 
 and a daughter of X. L. and Anna Heffron. 
 She was born in Columbia, Wisconsin, Au- \ 
 gust 24, 1859, and died in 18903! her home 
 in Delavan. Two children were born to 
 that union, but the dauj.;hter, who was the 
 elder, died in infancy. The son, Willie B., 
 was born November 26, 1882, and is still | 
 with his father. The Doctor was again 
 married, his second union being with ^fiss 
 Mary Perizo de Runo, a lady of French ex- 
 traction, who was born in Fond du Lac 
 county, Wisconsin, a daughter of liruno and 
 Mary (De Lair) Perizo de Runo. There is 
 also one child by the second marriage, L. 
 M., who was born in Wells, April 2, 1894. 
 
 The Doctor removed to Wells in June, 
 1 89 1, and now has a commodious and well 
 appointed office o\er the drug store con- 
 ducted by C. L. Drajier. His pleasant 
 home is located on the corner of Fourth and 
 B streets. On the death of Dr. Daniel 
 Straw, the practice of that popular physi- 
 cian was largely given to Dr. Mikkelsen, 
 who is now doing a most excellent business. 
 He is serving as local surgeon for the Chicago, 
 Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company 
 at Wells, and is pension examiner for this 
 locality. In politics, he is a Republican, 
 and socially, is a Ma.son in good standing, 
 
 belonging to Winnebago City Lodge, F. & 
 A. M., and the commandery of Albert Lea. 
 He also belongs to the Modern Woodmen 
 of the World and the A. O. U. W. 
 
 aw. .'XRCH, a well known railroad 
 train man residing at Eagle Grove, 
 Iowa, is a popular and efficient 
 employe. 
 Me was born in Randolph, Wisconsin, 
 in 1 86 1, a son of Dr. C. W. Arch, who was 
 a prominent and successful physician and 
 for a time surgeon in the German army in 
 the Franco-Prussian war, and who married 
 Susan Schender. Both parents were Ger- 
 mans, and are ntnv deceased. 
 
 Mr. Arch was reared and educated in the 
 public schools of ^^'isconsin, and early en- 
 gaged in railroad service. He married 
 Sarah Grinolds, and has seven children, 
 namelj'. Maud Luella, Mabel Gertrude, 
 William Riley, Ida Elmira, Cecil Lamont, 
 Laura May and George Elbert. An account 
 of Mrs. Arch's father, John Grinolds, is 
 given on another page of this work. 
 
 aARROLL E. FORD, a prominent 
 farmer on section 22, Walnut Lake 
 township (postoffice Wells), has 
 been a resident here ever since 1 864. 
 He was born at Greenfield, Massa- 
 chusetts, August 1 1, .1850, a son of Whitman 
 S. Ford, a well-known and honorable settler 
 here, who was born in Massachusetts, a son 
 of Samuel Ford, also a native of the Bay 
 State. Whitman S. Ford came West with 
 his family in 1853, first locating at Lee 
 Center, Illinois, and a year afterward in 
 Fillmore county, Miimesota, where he lived 
 until 1864, when he came to Faribault 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 county and took a homestead claim where 
 the subject of this sketch now resides. 
 He continued to follow agricultural pursuits 
 there until i8<Si, when he sold the place to 
 his son, Carroll E., and went to Richland 
 county, North Dakota, in the I\ed river 
 valle\\ He had six children, namely: Ella, 
 deceased; Everett, a soldier in the last war, 
 a member of the Second Minnesota Ca\alry, 
 and now residing at Eagle Lake. Minnesota; 
 Frank, living in South Dakota; Carroll E. , 
 the subject of this notice; Willie, May and 
 Thornton. The last mentioned has two 
 children living. In his political views the 
 elder Ford is a Republican. 
 
 Mr. Ford, whose name heads this sketch, 
 was reared on a pioneer Minnesota farm, 
 receiving his education in the schools charac- 
 teristic of the period. He has a taste for 
 reading and a talent for critical observation. 
 He was fourteen years of age when he came 
 with his parents to this county. He now 
 has a fine farm of 200 acres, with good 
 buildings, windmill, etc. 
 
 November 19, 1879, is the date of his 
 marriage to Miss Nellie R. White, daughter 
 of W. W. White, of Owatonna, Minnesota. 
 Her mother, whose maiden name was Fannie 
 F. Tophaiii, was born in Oneida county, 
 New York. Mr. and Mrs. White have had 
 three children, viz. : Nellie, William and 
 one who died when a babe. Mr. White, who 
 came to this county in 1862, lived in Blue 
 Earth City eighteen years, was County Au- 
 ditor here eighteen years and one month, 
 being one of the most popular officers that 
 Faribault county has ever had,— a man of 
 abilitj- and good judgment, capable and 
 honest, and having a host of friends. 
 
 Mr. Ford has had four children, namely: 
 Dell W.. Thornton \V. (deceased), Fred P. 
 and Fannie M. 
 
 Mr. Ford is a Republican in his political 
 principles and a zealous and efficient worker 
 for his part)-, having often been a delegate 
 to its county and Congressional conventions. 
 He was a member of the School Board for 
 fifteen years. Clerk of the Board for a time, 
 and Treasurer. He is a gentleman of broad 
 antl intelligent views, active in educational 
 matters and every good work. He is a 
 member of the A. O. U. W. , while Mrs. 
 Ford in her religious connections, is a mem- 
 ber of the Baptist Church. 
 
 at 
 
 ILLIAM A. FUNK.— In the polit- 
 ical history of Jackson county 
 this gentleman has borne a con- 
 spicuous part and Republican- 
 ism has been greatly advanced through his 
 efforts. His entire life having been passed 
 in the West, he possesses the enterprise 
 and progressive disposition which charac- 
 terize this section of the countr\ , and the 
 community therefore numbers him among 
 its valued citizens. 
 
 On the 25th of February, 1854, in La 
 Salle county, Illinois, Mr. Funk was born, 
 his parents occupying a farm near that local- 
 ty. He lived on the homestead until fif- 
 teen jears of age, aiding in the cultivation 
 and improvement of the fields, and then 
 started out to make his own way in the 
 world unaided. He had no capital, but 
 was resolute of purpose and possessed a 
 strong determination which has colored his 
 entire career and has been an important 
 factor in bringing him success. He first 
 secured emplo) nient as a farm hand, and, 
 after spending the season in the fields until 
 after crops had been gathered in the late 
 autumn, he entered the common schools of 
 the neighborhood to acquire such education 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI \\ WATONWA.V AXD JACKSON. 
 
 711 
 
 as might there be obtained. An observing 
 eje, retentive memory ami keen powers of 
 discrimination have added largely to his 
 fund of knowledge, and reading has made 
 him a well informed man. Later he began 
 school-teaching and for a while he alter- 
 nated his time between teaching and attend- 
 ing school. In the year 1873 he took up 
 the study of law, and after his admission to 
 the bar by the Supreme Court of Illinois 
 September 25, 1875, he formed a partner- 
 ship with his eldest brother. J. H. Funk, 
 for the practice of law in Odell, Illinois. In j 
 the spring of 1879 he removed to Streator, 
 Illinois, where he continued the prosecution ; 
 of his profession until coming to Lakefield, 1 
 Minnesota, his present home. 
 
 In October of that year Mr. Funk led to 
 the marriage altar Miss Nellie Douglass, and 
 three children, with the parents, now consti- 
 tute the family: William D., Nettie M. and 
 Leslie A. In March, 18S7, they came to 
 Lakefield and are well-known members of 
 this community, worthy of the high regard 
 in which they are hekl. 
 
 While living in Streator Mr. Funk be- 
 came recognized as a leader in political 
 affairs and for several years was chairman 
 of the Republican central committee. He 
 there served as a member of the City Coun- 
 cil, but held no other office, nor was he a 
 candidate for one. After coming to Jack- 
 son county, his abilities as a speaker and 
 his excellent knowledge concerning the 
 political issues of the day again won him 
 prominence in the ranks of the Republican 
 party, and in 1890 he was honored by an 
 election to the ofhce of County Attorney of 
 Jackson county. So ably did he fill the 
 office that on the e.xpiration of his two 
 years' term he was re-elected and again was 
 cho-sen in 1894, and is serving at the present 
 
 time. Like all who engage actively in poli- 
 tics he has many political enemies, and 
 though they made a strong stand against 
 him he won the third election, a fact which 
 indicates his fidelity to duty and indicates 
 his personal popularity. He is and for some 
 \ears has been a member of the executive 
 committee of the State Republican League. 
 He has an extensive acquaintance among 
 the political leaders of the State and in their 
 ranks occupies a prominent position. 
 
 In his social connections Mr. Funk is an 
 Odd Fellow of high degree, being a mem- 
 ber of the Grand Lodge both in Minnesota 
 and Illinois, and is honored throughout the 
 fraternity. In religious belief he is a Pres- 
 byterian, and in the church in Lakefield is 
 an earnest and consistent worker, while of 
 the Sunday-school he has served as Super- 
 intendent for a number of years. His politi- 
 cal record is without a blemish, his business 
 life untarnished, and upon his private career 
 is no suspicion of wrong. He has lived so 
 as to command the respect of all with whom 
 he has been brought in contact, and the 
 friends of Mr. Funk are many. He is a 
 man of engaging personality, of fine per- 
 sonal appearance, and his frank, open coun- 
 tenance is the index of his character. 
 
 '^j'OHN T. POWELL, one of the suc- 
 m cessful and enterprising agriculturists 
 
 /» 1 of Jackson county, has since 1884 re- 
 sided upon his present farm, which 
 
 is situated on the banks of the beautiful 
 
 Lake Heron on section i 2, Lake Heron town- 
 ! shi]i This is a valuable tract of rich land 
 ; and the well tilled fields yield to the owner 
 
 a golden tribute in return for the care and 
 i cultivation he bestows upon them. He has 
 ' improved the place with good buildings, and 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF TJIE COUNTIES OF 
 
 in appearance the place is neat and thrifty, 
 indicating tiie careful supervision of the 
 owner. He has one of the finest windmills 
 in the count)- for grinding and pumping and 
 thereb}' fresh water is always supplied for 
 the stock. In addition to general farming 
 Mr. Powell is successfully engaged in stock- 
 raising, making a specialty of cattle, horses 
 and hogs of good grades. The commodious 
 home stands in the midst of a beautiful grove 
 of eight acres, and the thick foliage is both 
 ornamental and suggestive of rest and recre- 
 ation, and everything about the farm has 
 the appearance of being well-cared for, and 
 the owner of this desirable property is re- 
 garded as one of the leading agriculturists 
 of the communit}-. 
 
 In far-off England Mr. Powell was born, 
 his birth having occurred in Dorsetshire, on 
 the 4th of March, 1851. His parents were 
 James and Susan Ann (Paul) Powell, and in 
 their family were eleven children. During 
 his active business life the father followed 
 farming, but is no\\- li\iiig retired, at the 
 advanced age of eighty-three, his home 
 being still in old Albion. His wife was called 
 to her final rest in 1894, at the age of 
 seventy-eight. 
 
 John T. Powell remained in the land of 
 his nativity until after he had arrived at 
 man's estate, and the common schools 
 afforded him his educational privileges. At 
 length he determined to seek a home beyond 
 the Atlantic, hoping thereby to benefit his 
 financial condition, and in this hope he has 
 not been disappointed. He landed at Quebec 
 and thence made his way to Chicago, where 
 for some time he was employed as a coach- 
 man, after which he took up other lines of 
 work. He opened up a grocery store and 
 enjoyed a large and lucrative trade for several 
 years. In 1884 he purchased his present 
 
 farm of William Wiley. It was then but a 
 partially improved tract, and on it stood a 
 log cabin. In 1887 he removed his family 
 to his Minnesota home and has since devoted 
 his time and energies to farming and stock- 
 raising, with splendid success. 
 
 Mr. Powell was married in Chicago, in 
 1876, the lad\' of his choice being Miss 
 Martha Holverson, who was born and edu- 
 cated in Norway. Her father died in that 
 countr\', and her mother is now living in 
 Jackson county at a ripe old age. The 
 union of Mr. and Mrs. Powell has been 
 blessed with one daughter, Lillie Florence, 
 an interesting young lady of si.xteen. The 
 family has made many friends during their 
 residence here and are all worthy of the 
 high regard in which they are held by all 
 who know them. Mr. Powell has always 
 voted with the Democracy and is a stalwart 
 advocate of its principles, but has never 
 sought or desired the honors or emoluments 
 of public office, preferring to give all his 
 attention to his business and to the enjo)'- 
 ments of the pleasures of home. 
 
 AKL WILHELM KLEINE, who 
 owns and occupies a farm near 
 
 ^^^^ Sherburne, Minnesota, was born 
 .\ugust 6, i860, on his father's 
 farm in Cook county, Illinois. 
 
 Carl Kleine, his father, was a native of 
 Saxony, Germany. He came to America in 
 1854, and bought i 10 acres of land in Cook 
 county, Illinois, and there passed the resi- 
 due of his life and died, his death occurring 
 May 6, 1872, at the age forty-seven years. 
 Of his brother and sisters, we record that 
 Augusta has been thrice married, now being 
 the wife of a Mr. Simon; Hertha married a 
 Mr. Baker; Reka married .\ugust Heida- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI. \\ WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 man; Frederick, and a sister who remained 
 ill Germany. All are deceased except Au- 
 gusta. The mother of our subject, whose : 
 maiden name was Caroline Shonneinan, was 
 born in Hesseii, Germany, November 24, 
 1S50, and was brought to America by her 
 parents when she was nine \ears of age. , 
 They settled in Illinois, near the home of ' 
 the Kleine family, and it was there that 
 she and Carl Kleine met and were subse- 
 quently married. They became the parents 
 of the following named children: Carl W'il- 
 helm, whose name heads this article; Au- 
 gust, born June 29. 1S62, is engaged in 
 farming, in Illiuois, he and his wife, ;/<<■ So- 
 phia Lizyberg, having one child, Edwin; 
 Rega, born July 26, 1864, is the wife of 
 Charles Chelseth, overseer of the Elgin Con- 
 densing Milk Factory, Elgin, Illinois, their 
 children being Roy, Amelia, Elmer, and an 
 infant son; Bertha, born April 27, 1S66, is 
 the wife of William Lizyberg, an Illinois 
 farmer, their children being \\'ally, Martin, 
 and Clarence; Minnie Sophia, born March 
 27, 1869; Frederick, born July 4, 1871, is 
 living with the subject of this sketch; and 
 Amelia, born October 6, 1873. Miss Min- | 
 nie S. and Miss Amelia have positions in \ 
 the Condensing Factory at Elgin. Some 
 time after the death of Mr, Kleine Mrs. 
 Kleine became the wife of Julius W'eckworth. 
 and they have had two children: Caroline, 
 born April 20, 1877; and Matilda, born 
 February 3, 1879, died April 18, 1888. Mr. 
 and Mrs. Weckworth reside on the farm Mr. j 
 Kleine purchased when he first landed in 
 Illinois. 
 
 Carl W". Kleine began working for wages i 
 when he was fifteen years of age, princi- 
 pally farm work, and was employed by the 
 }ear for a period of seven years. He first 
 arrived in Martin county, Minnesota, Jul)' 
 
 24, 1884, being then on a visit to Mr. Lewis 
 Boehne, who afterward became his father- 
 in-law. Deciding upon a permanent loca- 
 tion ill Martin county, he went back to Illi- 
 nois and a short time later came again to 
 Minnesota and purchased his |iresent farm 
 of 1). I. Dcnney. This land was then 
 partly improved. It consists of lOO acres, 
 lots I and 2, township loi (Lake Belt), 
 range thirty-two. Of this land se\enty-tive 
 acres are broken, and one acre is planted in 
 grove. The place is stocked with twent)- 
 se\en lR)gs, eleven cattle, thirty sheep, and 
 six horses. 
 
 Mr. Kleine was married September iS, 
 1884, to Charlotta Hannah Boehne, who 
 was born Ma\- 7, 1866, daughter of Lewis 
 Boehni'. They have four children: Bertha 
 Hannah, born June 17, 1885; Slatilda Han- 
 nah, December 3, 1888; and Carl Edward 
 Lewis and Frederick August Lewis, twins, 
 born Sej)tember 16, 1894. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Kleine are members 
 of the Evangelical Lutheran. Chunh. He 
 was confirmed April 18, 1875, at Hanover, 
 Illinois, by the Rev. Mr. Boeher, and her 
 confirmation took place at Ontario, Illinois, 
 April 6. 1879, the Rev. Mr. Lambrecht 
 officiatinjr. 
 
 a ALBERT JONES, the manager 
 of extensive farming interests in 
 Galena township, Martin county, 
 Minnesota, was born in southeast- 
 ern Sweden on the 31st of Januaiy, 1867, 
 and is a son of Carl and Hannah (Johnson) 
 Jones. In the family were the following 
 children: Richard, who was the first to emi- 
 grate to America, the date of his arrival 
 being the spring of 1 866. He first settled 
 in Rockfiiid, Illinois, and on the i8th of 
 
7'4 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COLXJIES OF 
 
 September, 1894, married Annie Carlson. 
 He is now engaged in farming in Galena 
 township, Martin county; C. Albert is the 
 second in the order of birth; Ranius, born 
 March 11, 1S72; Tillie, born December 19, 
 1875; Elof, born June 24, 187S; Axel, bom 
 Maj- 29. 1882; Oscar, born September 16, 
 1886; and Alma, born July 7, r888. The 
 father of this family, accompanied by his 
 son Ranius, joined the eldest son in Kock- 
 ford, Illinois, in 1887, and in 1890 brought 
 to this country his family. He has since 
 made his home in Rockford, and now owns 
 a three-fourths interest in the Rockford 
 Snuff Company, one of the largest concerns 
 of the kind in the countrj'. In 1891 he pur- 
 chased a tract of land, and in March of the 
 same year his sons came to Minnesota to 
 take charge of this property. 
 
 In 1890 C. Albert Jones caim^ with his 
 mother and brothers to America. He was 
 reared in the land of his nativity and its 
 public schools afforded him his educational 
 privileges. He first went to Rockford, and 
 when his father purchased land in Minne- 
 sota he came to Martin county, and has 
 since lived in Galena township. He and 
 his older brother now have charge of 1,060 
 acres of land, all in the western part of 
 Galena township, and of this 830 acres is 
 under cultivation. The place is neat and 
 thrifty in appearance, the fields arc well 
 tilled, the improvements kept in good re- 
 pair. In connection with general farming 
 the brothers also carry on stock-raising and 
 have sixty head of cattle, sixty-four hogs 
 and twenty-nine horses, all of good grades. 
 The Jones farm is one of the most extensive 
 anJ valuable in Martin county an<l its pres- 
 ent rich and well improved roudition speaks 
 well for its managers. 
 
 Mr. Jones, whose name introduces this 
 
 review, holds membership in the Lutheran 
 Church, and takes some interest in civic 
 societies, being a member of the Independ- 
 ent Order of Odd Fellows, also of the Camp 
 of Modern Woodmen of Minnesota. 
 
 He is a j'oung man of excellent business 
 ability and possesses the best characteristics 
 of the race to which he belongs, being per- 
 severing and very industrious. His resolute 
 purpose and steady application is crowning 
 his undertakings with success, and his 
 straightforward dealing and well known in- 
 tegrit\' have won him the confidence and 
 good wishes of all with whom he has had 
 business or social connections. 
 
 B 
 
 KEDERICK G. MILLER, who has 
 been most prominently concerned 
 in the agricultural de\elopment of 
 Faribault county, Minnesota, and 
 who is recognized as one of the influential 
 and honored residents of the section, is now 
 maintaining his home in the thriving little 
 city of Wells, though he still retains a su- 
 pervision of his extensive farming interests. 
 Mr. Miller is a native of the province of 
 Hanover, Germany, the date of his birth 
 having been October 27, 1836. He was 
 the youngest of the five children of Henry 
 Rudolph Miller and his wife, Lena {iicc 
 Meyer) Miller. The other children were 
 Lizzie, who became the wife of Henry Bur- 
 mestcr, and he is now deceased; Henry, a 
 resident of Foster township, this county; 
 John, of Emerald township; and Dora, wife 
 of George Middledorf, of Emerald township. 
 Henry R. Miller, father of our subject, 
 was a native of Hanover, Germany, where 
 he was born about the year 1795. In early 
 life he was in the military service for some 
 four years, and in this connection he had 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX. UATOiVWAX AXD JACKSOiV. 
 
 I '3 
 
 the honor of serving^ under Wellinjifton at | 
 the battle of Waterloo. By trade he was a 
 carpenter, and to this line of work he gave : 
 his attention durinji; the greater portion of i 
 his long and active life, having been very ' 
 successful in his efforts. In the year 1855, 
 in company with his entire family, he emi- 
 grated to America, settling first in Cook 
 county, Illinois, where the)- remained for 
 one year, after which they came to Minne- 
 sota and took up their abode on a tract of 
 160 acres on section 17, Foster township, 
 Faribault county, where was established 
 the family home. The land was secured 
 from the Government, and Mr. Miller and 
 his family were well known as being among 
 the earliest settlers of this region, and from 
 those early pioneer days they have nobly 
 borne their part in the development of this 
 section of the State from the condition of a 
 wilderness into what is recognized as being 
 one of the finest farming regions to be found 
 in the Union. Mr. Miller spent the re- 
 mainder of his life h:;re, and under his direc- 
 tion many of the earliest residences in his 
 neighborhood were erected, for he long con- 
 tinued to put his knowledge of carpentry 
 and Iniilding to practical use. He was a 
 consistent member of the church, was one 
 of the steadfast, reliable men of the day, 
 and his memory is held in the highest vene- 
 ration in the community where he labored 
 so long and so faithfully. He passed away 
 in the year 1S79, at the age of eighty-four 
 years, the death of his wife also occurring 
 within the same year, at the age of seventy- 
 two years. 
 
 Frederick G. Miller, the subject of this 
 review, was about eighteen years of age at 
 the time the family emigrated to .America. 
 As time passed l)y the older children went 
 forth to make homes of their own, and 
 
 upon him devolved the duty of remaining 
 on the old homestead to care for his hon- 
 ored parents during their declining years, — 
 a dut\- which he discharged with the most 
 grateful filial solicitude. 
 
 From early life Mr. Miller has been a 
 farmer by occupation, and his efforts in the 
 line have been so carefully and correctlj' 
 directed that he has been uniformly success- 
 ful in his undertakings. He is well known 
 as one of the enterprising and level-headed 
 men of the section in which he has lived 
 and to whose advancement he has so largely 
 contributed. Realizing, somewhat, the 
 magnificent future in store for Faribault 
 county, he has added, from time to time, to 
 the acreage of the old homestead, until to- 
 day he figures as the owner of about 1,000 
 acres of fine, arable farming land, nearly all 
 of which is located in this county. Upon 
 the homestead, in Foster township, he has 
 erected a substantial and commodious brick 
 residence of effective architectural design, 
 the same being recognized as one of the 
 most attractive rural homes in the county. 
 He also built a stock barn 86x42 feet in 
 dimensions, with elab(jrate stone founda- 
 tions, the basement being arranged for the 
 accommodation of from seventy-five to one 
 hundred head of stock. The farmstead, 
 with its well ordered improvements, stands 
 in perpetual credit to the enterprise of its 
 proprietor and as an acquisition to the county 
 which claims him as a citizen. Mr. Miller 
 has been extensively engaged in the raising 
 of live-stock for many years, raising from 
 seventy-five to one hundred head each year. 
 
 In his political adherency our subject is 
 actively in line as a supporter of the Repub- 
 lican part) , and in township nuitters he has 
 always maintained a progressive and public- 
 spirited attitude. For nearly a full decade 
 
7.6 
 
 MEMORJAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 he served as Township Treasurer, and he 
 has always manifested a lively interest in 
 ever)' movement whose object was the ad- 
 vancement of the welfare and prosperity of 
 the county. In October, 1892, Mr. Miller 
 retired from active life as a farmer, and 
 since that time has made his home in the 
 village of Wells, where he is enabled to 
 enjoy with his family the fruits of his years 
 of labor and skillful management. Since 
 taking up his residence in Wells he has 
 taken an active interest in its development 
 and advancement in the line of mercantile 
 enterprises. He is a member of the firm of 
 J. H. Burmester & Company, who conduct 
 a flourishing business in the line of general 
 merchandise, and who are recognized as one 
 of the reliable firms here conducting a mer- 
 cantile trade. 
 
 In February, 1874, Mr. Miller was united 
 in marriage to Miss Mary Siebel, a native of 
 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and one of nine 
 children born to William Siebel. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Miller are the parents of five children, 
 all of whom arc yet members of the home 
 circle, their names being as follows: Lydia, 
 Clara, Selina, Nina and Henry William. 
 
 K^"^ II- DKISCOLL is one of the en- 
 
 Ik W li-'rin-ising and successful farmers 
 M "f jo Da\'iess township, Faribault 
 
 county, Minnesota. 
 He was born in the town of Fainted 
 Post, Steuben county, New York, March 
 17, 1 841, son of Timothy and Margaret 
 (Downey) Driscoll. He is one of a family 
 of ten children, two (jf whom arc deceased, 
 his brothers and sisters living being as fol- 
 lows: John, a resident of Appleton, Wis- 
 consin; Dennis, of Nebraska; Jerry, of La 
 Crosse, Wisconsin; James, of Wisconsin; 
 
 Ellen, wife of Daniel Harrington, La Crosse, 
 Wisconsin; Hannah, wife of John Scan- 
 Ian, of Waupaca county, Wisconsin; and 
 Honoria. Timothy Driscoll was born in 
 the old country, as was also his wife, and 
 soon after their marriage they came to 
 America and settled in New York State. He 
 was a farmer, and while in New York was 
 also employed for some time in canal and 
 railroad work. About 1857 he moved to 
 
 Wisconsin and settled in Columbus, Colum- 
 
 i 
 
 bia count}', and some time afterward took 
 up his abode in La Crosse, where his latter 
 years were spent. He died there at the age 
 of seventy-eight years, his wife dying at 
 about the same age. 
 
 P. H. Driscoll spent uuich of his early 
 life in Wisconsin. In the spring of 1 86 1 he 
 enlisteil in Comi)an\- A, Twenty-first regi- 
 ment of Indiana Infantry, and was sworn in 
 at Indianapolis, July 23. He then went 
 East with his command, and from Balti- 
 more was sent by water to Ship Island, be- 
 low New Orleans. Later he was sent from 
 there to Baton Rouge. His regiment was 
 in the battle of Baton Rouge and was so 
 cut up in that engagement that it was 
 never reorganized. Mr. Driscoll remained 
 there until the fall of 1863, when he re- 
 turned North and was honorably discharged 
 at Indianapolis. 
 
 Soon after his return from the army he 
 married Miss Catharine Farrington, daugh- 
 ter of Bernard Farrington. They have 
 four children, — John, Frank, Bernard and 
 George. 
 
 In the spring of 1877 Mr. Driscoll came 
 to Minnesota and settled in Jo Daviess 
 township, Faribault county, and has since 
 been engaged in farming here. The first 
 spring he rented what is known as the 
 Briggs farm, and that same spring he 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 7"7 
 
 bought the Webster farm, 160 acres, in 
 Ehnorc and Pilot (jrove township, but 
 tliis farm he lost through the grasshop- 
 per scourge, although at the time he came 
 to Minnesota he had $2,800. In the fall of 
 1878 he purchased the farm on which he 
 has since lived, 240 acres in section 22, Jo 
 Daviess township, and here he has been 
 prospered in his undertakings, his attention 
 being given to general farming and stock- 
 raising. His fine residence was built in 1 889 
 and 1 89 1, and he and his family are sur- 
 rounded with all the comforts of life. 
 
 ^y^ATRICK GUCKEEN, a pioneer 
 E m farmer residing on section 17, Jo 
 E Daviess township, Faribault county, 
 
 is a native of the Emerald Isle, his 
 birth having occurred in that country in 
 1836. His father, Patrick Guckeen, died in 
 Ireland at the age of fifty years, after which 
 the mother with her family crossed the 
 Atlantic to the New World, settling in 
 Hristol, Rhode Island. Thus our subject 
 became an American citizen. At the age 
 of fourteen he began to earn his own living 
 by working in a cotton mill, and for his 
 services he at first received only the meager 
 sum of $4 per month. He remained in the 
 mills for about si.x jears, or until twenty 
 years of age, and became quite familiar with 
 the business of manufacturing cotton cloth. 
 In the spring of 1855 Mr. Guckeen emi- 
 grated westward, hoping thereby to better 
 his financial condition, and took up his resi- 
 dence in Wisconsin, near Janesville. After 
 spending about five years in that locality he 
 came to Faribault county, settling in Jo 
 Daviess township, June 17, 1861, on the 
 farm which has since been his home. He 
 laid claim to a quarter section of land and 
 
 built a little rude shanty, in which he lived 
 in true pioneer stj'le, sharing in the hard- 
 ships and difficulties that come to those who 
 make homes on the frontier. The history 
 of such a life is well known to him. He has 
 performed the arduous task of developing 
 wild land and of transforming an uncultivated 
 tract into rich and fertile fields, but his work 
 has been so vigorously prosecuted that he 
 not only improved his original claim but 
 added to that a vast tract which he has 
 placed under cultivation. As his financial 
 rescources increased he made judicious in- 
 vestments in real estate and is now the 
 owner of 900 acres of the rich land of Fari- 
 bault county. In 1 894 he raised over i r,6oo 
 bushels of small grain, — wheat oats and 
 flax, besides several thousand bushels of 
 corn, and although now he is in affluent cir- 
 cumstances he does not lay aside business 
 cares, but labors with almost the untiring 
 diligence of his former years. 
 
 In 1859 was celebrated the marriage of 
 Mr. Guckeen and Miss Margaret, daughter 
 of John and Bridget (Gorham^ Inglcsby. 
 Her mother came to this country and settled 
 in Wisconsin many years ago, her ileath oc- 
 curring in that State in 1874. The father 
 died on the green Isle of Erin. .Mr. and 
 Mrs. Guckeen have had a fine family of 
 eleven children, as follows: John, who aids 
 in the operation of the home farm; Mary 
 Ann, at home; Thomas, who is operating a 
 quarter section of land which was given him 
 by his father; Edward, who is also working 
 for himself; Margaret and Henry, at home; 
 Peter, who is engaged in merchandising 
 in Blue Earth City; Sarah, Agnes, George 
 and Josie, who are under the parental roof. 
 The family is one of prominence in the com- 
 munity and the home is noted for its hospi- 
 tality, the latchstring alwaxs hanging out. 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF TJIE COUNTIES OF 
 
 The members of the household hold an en- 
 viable position ill the circles of societ}' in 
 which the)' move and their friends in the 
 county are many. 
 
 The career of Mr. Guckeen is a marked 
 illustration of what energy and perseverance, 
 joined to common sense and capable man- 
 agement, can accomplish. Thirty-three 
 years ago he came to Faribault county in 
 very limited circumstances, but has steadily 
 worked his way upward, overcoming the dif- 
 ficulties and obstacles in his path until now 
 he is numbered among the wealthy farmers 
 of the community, — possessed of broad 
 acres which yield to him a handsome income 
 and supply him not only with the necessaries 
 of life but also with many of its luxuries. 
 In the work of developing the county he has 
 borne an important part, having given his 
 support to all worthy enterprises which he 
 believed were calculated to prove of public 
 benefit or would advance the general 
 welfare. 
 
 81 
 
 ■A. K.AJEWSKI, Blue Earth City, 
 .Minnesota, is a native of Ger- 
 many. He was born in the prov- 
 ince of Posen. Prussia, Novem- 
 ber 25, 1847, the eldest of the five children 
 of Frederick W'ilhelm and Mary (\oske) 
 Rajewski. His parents passed their lives 
 and died in Prussia. The father was a 
 wagon-maker by trade, which he followed 
 through life. He died of Asiatic cholera 
 during its epidemic in Prussia in 1866, the 
 disease having been taken there !))■ the 
 Austrian soldiers, and the mortalit)' being 
 terrible. He was fifty-two years of age at 
 the time of death. The mother died in 
 1869, at the age of fifty-four. 
 
 In 1867, the year following his father's 
 
 death, W. A. Rajewski entered the Ger- 
 man armj', becoming a member of the Fift\- 
 fourth regiment of infantry. He served in this 
 regiment until i86y. It was soon after his 
 return home that his mother died, and in 
 that same year, December 25, he was mar- 
 ried to Henrietta Paschke, a native of West 
 Prussia. After he had been at home si.\ 
 months, he was again ordered to enter the 
 service of his countrj', and in 1870 he join- 
 ed his old regiment. While on duty in 
 France he was taken sick, and sent back to 
 Germany. As soon as he recovered he 
 joined the Forty-ninth regiment, and served 
 in it until 1872, when he was honorably 
 discharged in Dijon, France, having served 
 all through the Franco-Prussian war. 
 
 After his discharge from military service, 
 Mr. Rajewski returned home and subse- 
 quently accepted the position of inspector 
 on a large estate, having some i 50 people 
 under him. This responsible position he 
 occupied until 1875, faithfully performing 
 his duty and giving entire satisfaction to his 
 chief, and in 1875 he resigned and came to 
 .■\merica. His coming to this country was 
 in order that his wife might be near her 
 people, who had already emigrated. They 
 came to Minnesota and first settled in Blue 
 Earth township, Faribault county. Soon 
 afterward Mr. Rajewski rented a farm in 
 Verona township, where he lived for several 
 years, and later took a farm in Elmore town- 
 ship, where they made their home a few 
 years. His wife having been an invalid for 
 some eight years, he was obliged on account 
 of her ill-health to give up farm life and ac- 
 cordingly m!>ved into Blue Earth City, 
 where he followed the trade he had learned 
 in his youth — wagon-making. He worked 
 at this trade successfully for seven years, 
 when, owing to his own ill-health, he was 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 7 '9 
 
 obliged to retire, and sold out his business. 
 He still makes his home in Hlue Earth City. 
 After being a patient sufferer for many 
 years, Mrs. Kajcwski dopartod this lift-, 
 March 4, i 886, leaving a husband and three 
 sons to mourn their loss, the sons being 
 Otto, Herman and Ma.x. 
 
 enWARD D. EVANS, of the firm 
 of Evans, Kobs & Hacklander, 
 ;^'rain-buyers. Blue Earth City, 
 Minnesota, is one of the substantial 
 business men of Faribault county. 
 
 Mr. Evans was born in Portage county, 
 Ohio, February 20, 1836, son of Da\itl and 
 Fannie Evans, and one of a family of 
 eight children, five of whom are living 
 namely: William, who resides at the old 
 homestead, in Ohio; Mrs. D. D. Thomas, 
 Dodge county, Wisconsin; Mrs. David Mor- 
 gan, living near Akron, Ohio; Sarah, of 
 Portage county, Ohio; and Edward D. 
 David Evans, the father, wasliorn in South 
 Wales, about the year 1804, and when quite 
 young came to .America and settled in Port- 
 age county, Ohio, where he spent the resi- 
 due of his life. He was one of the pioneers 
 of the Western Reserve, was an energetic 
 and public-spirited man, and during the 
 whole of his active life was engaged in farm- 
 ing. He died in 1879 at the age of seven- 
 ty-five years. 
 
 Edward D. Evans passed his first fifteen 
 years in the quietude of farm life in his na- 
 tive county. He then began practically 
 to do for himself; and at that time, 1851, 
 he went to the home of his sister in Dodge 
 county, Wisconsin, and there attended 
 school and clerked in a store. Thus he 
 spent over two years, going to school in 
 winter and clerking in sunnner, and at the 
 
 end of that time returned to Ohio. The 
 following two years he was a high-school 
 student at Newton Falls. .After that he 
 went again to Wisconsin, where he contin- 
 ued t(j reside for a number of years, em- 
 ployed in a general store at Fox Lake. 
 
 Mr. Evans was married at Fox Lake, 
 Wisconsin, in November, 1866, to Miss 
 Jeanette McConnell, a native of New York 
 State, and a daughter of Scotch parents. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Evans have two daughters, — 
 Emma F. , wife of Fred Cununings, a: 
 farmer of Blue Earth City township, Fari- 
 
 [ bault county, and Anna Ma\\ at home. 
 
 In the sunnner of 1868 .Mr. Evans came 
 to Minnesota, looking for a desirable loca- 
 tion, his trip resulting in the purchase of a 
 cjuartcr section of land in Jo Daviess town- 
 ship, l""aribault county, it at that time being 
 unbroken prairie. He moved his family to 
 
 I this place and li\ed on it one year. It was 
 not his intention, however, to make farming 
 his life occupation, the land being purchased 
 more as an investment, and at the end of the 
 year he moved to Blue Earth City and en- 
 gaged in mercantile pursuits. I'or about six 
 years he was in partnership with Mr. Will- 
 iam Dustin in the general merchandise busi- 
 ness, at the end of that time buying the in- 
 terest of his partner, and for 'iwo. years 
 longer continuing alone. He was then over- 
 taken by misfortune, his store being swept 
 
 ' away by fire. This disaster was followed by 
 the grasshopper scourge, the two crippling 
 him financially. F'arming and stock-raising 
 then claimed his attention for a time, and he 
 made a speciality of buying, feeding and 
 selling stock. He erected a fine store build- 
 
 i ing on Main street, to rent, and later an- 
 other for the same purpose, thus making 
 
 I a profitable investment for himself and also 
 aiding in the development of the city. In 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OP 
 
 1887, under the tirin name of Sly & Evans, 
 he engaged in the grain business, he being 
 the active manager. Mr. Sly subsequently 
 disposed of his interest and the firm name 
 became Evans, Kobs & Hacklander, con- 
 tinuing as such up to the present time. The 
 company has two elevators, one under the 
 direction of Mr. Hacklander, who handles 
 wheat and barley, the other being used for 
 oats and ilax. At the latter Mr. Evans has 
 his office, with general management of the 
 entire business. They handle a large amount 
 of grain annually, the business showing a 
 steady gain from year to year, and they [ 
 also deal in stucco, lime, cement, and fuel, 1 
 handling about 2,000 tons of coal yearly. | 
 
 Mr. Evans cast his first presidential vote 
 for Abraham Lincoln, and has ever since 
 affliliated with the Republican party. In 
 local affairs he takes an active part. He 
 was at one time Treasurer of Blue Earth 
 City, has since been President of the City 
 Council, and at this writing is a member of 
 the Council. 
 
 "^Y'.-X.MES G. prior, a prominent young 
 m farmer of Brush Creek township, 
 /• 1 Faribault county. Minnesota, was 
 born on the farm on whicii he now 
 resides. May 21, 1870, only son of James 
 S. and I'annie M. (Forbes) Prior. 
 
 James S. Prior was an Englishman, born 
 in 1 8 14, and lived in England until 1858. 
 That year he emigrated to this country and 
 came direct to Minnesota and settled on 
 section 33, Faribault county, he being the 
 second settler in this viciuitj-. At that 
 time this land all belonged to the Govern- 
 ment. Mr. Prior pre-empted a quarter sec- 
 tion, a part being prairie and the rest river- 
 bottom land partly covered with timber. 
 
 He set about the work of developing his 
 pro])erty, and his honest industry was re- 
 warded with success from the first. From 
 time to time he was enabled to purchase 
 adjoining land and ere long he became the 
 owner of a splendid farm of 407 acres, and 
 for a number of years he successfully carried 
 on both general farming and stock-raising. 
 Of a public-spirited and generous nature, he 
 was always deeply in earnest to further the 
 interests of his town and county. For years 
 he acted as Township Treasurer. He died 
 in the \-ear 1887. His widow, Mrs. Fannie 
 M. Prior, is still living on the home farm 
 with her son. 
 
 James G. Prior has spent his whole life 
 at his native place. In boyhood he attended 
 the schools of this vicinity, and since be- 
 coming a man has given his attention to the 
 operation of their large farm. He is well 
 known as one of the enterprising and able 
 young farmers in this part of the county. 
 He was married. November 12, 1890, to 
 Veleria G. Ackerman, who was born at 
 Rice Lake, Faribault county. She is one 
 of the se\'en children of Abram and Ahriira 
 Ackerman. 
 
 Sr-» EWIS JORGINSON has been 
 I I prominently connected with the 
 1 \ official and commercial interests of 
 Wells and is now doing an exten- 
 sive business as a dealer in hay. He was 
 born on the sea-coast in southern Norway, 
 on the 1 2th of November, 1849, 3"^ '^ <i 
 son of Jorgin and Mary (Knudson) Oleson. 
 The father was born in Norway, in 1807, 
 and in his early years learned the black- 
 smith's and carpenter's trades, following 
 those pursuits, and also farming, as a means 
 of livelihood throughout his entire business 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 :i\ 
 
 career. He successfully managed his affairs 
 ami won a prosperitj' which was well de- 
 served. His death occurred in 1864, when 
 he had reached the age of fifty-eight years. 
 His wife, who was born in 1809, is now liv- 
 ing with her oldest son in N'orwa\', and 
 though she is now eighty-five years of age 
 she is splendidly preserved hoth mentally 
 and physically, her many years resting 
 lightly upon her. In the famil}' of this 
 worthy couple were seven children, five 
 sons and two daughters, and si.\ of the num- 
 ber are yet living. 
 
 Lewis Jorginson is the only one who 
 ever came to America. In early life he re- 
 ceived the benefits of a good education and m 
 I 864 went into the office of an iron foundry, 
 where he occupied a good position for one 
 of his years, having charge of several men. 
 He there continued for five years, — a trusted 
 and faithful employee. In the spring of 
 1 87 1 he sailed for the New World. Bid- 
 ding adieu to home and friends he crossed 
 the broad Atlantic to \ew York and thence 
 made his wa\' to Chicago and on to Milwau- 
 kee and to Houston, Minnesota, where he 
 secured employment in a grocery store. He 
 there continued only a short time, after 
 which he was employed on the Southern 
 Minnesota Railroad, being conneiti'il with 
 that line for nine years. After seven months 
 he was given charge of a gang of men en- 
 gaged in construction work. In 1880 he 
 came to Wells, purchased a projjcrty and 
 began operations as a hotel-keeper, as pro- 
 prietor of the City Hotel. Six years he 
 catered to the public, and in 1886 ho sold 
 out and changed his place of residence. 
 He removed to [ackson, Minnesota, where 
 for seventeen months he carried on business, 
 after which he went to .\ustin, Minnesota, 
 purchased real estate and embarked in the 
 
 38 
 
 dry-goods business. After losing $4,000 in 
 the enterprise he returned to W'ells and em- 
 barked in the livery business, which he 
 carried (ju until 1893. He still owns the 
 barn, and also stores in which a butchering 
 trade and a millinery business are carried 
 on. In 1894 he began dealing in hay in 
 compan}' with .August Beiderman, and they 
 have two large warehouses for storing hay, 
 in Wells, also two in Madison, South Da- 
 kota. This enterprise has proved a profit- 
 able line and business has constantly in- 
 creased, the tirm now enjojing a very libera! 
 patronage. In his business career Mr. Jor- 
 ginson has met reverses and has had many 
 difficulties to o\ercome, but he possesses the 
 perseverance and industry characteristic of 
 his race and has presseci on when many an- 
 other man of resolute purpose would have 
 faltered and probably failed. His success is 
 the reward of his own exertions and is 
 therefore well deserved. 
 
 On the 3d of December, 1878, Mr. Jorgin- 
 son was united in the holy bonds of matri- 
 mony with Miss Charlotte A. Johnson, a na- 
 tive of Sweden. They now ha\e two inter- 
 esting (iiilihen, I'lorence and Mamie, both 
 at hoint'. 
 
 In pnlitics Mr. l(ii;;ins()n is a Deniorrat 
 and is warmly interestt'd in the growtii and 
 success of his party. In 1880 he became 
 a member of the Conunon Council and at 
 that time served for three years. In 1889 
 he was again elected to that office, serving 
 for two terms during which he was promi- 
 nent in promoting all enterprises of benefit 
 to the city. In 1892 he receive<l the nomi- 
 nation for County Sheriff, but his wife not 
 wishing to change her place of residence, as 
 would have been necessary if he had been 
 elected, he resigned the nomination in favor 
 o( Oliver Ddlan. He was appointed Deputy 
 
722 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OE 
 
 Sheriff and served for two years, as he could 
 fill that position without removing to the 
 county seat. He has proved a capable 
 official, discharging his duties with ])ronipt- 
 ness and fidelity, and his public and private 
 life are alike above reproach. He came to 
 this country with the hope of bettering his 
 financial condition and in this hope has not 
 been disappointed. He has become possess- 
 ed of a comfortable competence, has won 
 many warm friends, secured a pleasant home 
 and has been honored by his fellow-towns- 
 men who hold him in high regard. 
 
 '^t'OHN L. hart, one of the represent- 
 m ative farmers of Delavan township, 
 A 1 Faribault count}', Minnesota, was born 
 in the town of Avon, Hartford county, 
 Connecticut, September 2, 1832. He is one 
 of the family of seven children of Luther \V. 
 and Almira (Gillette) Hart, the others being 
 George, a farmer of this township; Susan, 
 deceased wife of S. B. Miller; Betsey, wife 
 of Xoah Miller, West Farmington, Ohio; 
 Esther, wife of Erastus Miller, also of West 
 Farmington; Amos, deceased; and Ann, de- 
 ceased wife of Seth Bishop. Luther W. 
 Hart, the father, was born in Connecticut 
 about the year 1798, and lived in his native 
 State until 1835, when he settled at West 
 Farmington, Ohio. In early life he was a 
 canal boatman, but after his removal to Ohio 
 he turned his attention to farming, which oc- 
 cupation he followed during the rest of his 
 active life. His old age, after the death of 
 his wife, was spent with his son in Minnesota, 
 where he died in 1879, at the age of eighty- 
 one years. 
 
 John L. Hart was three years old at the 
 time his parents moved to the Western Re- 
 serve. He remained in Ohio until he was 
 
 sixteen, when he returned to Connecticut, 
 and for several years thereafter was employed 
 in a shop in Collinsville. In the year 1856 
 he came west to Minnesota and took claim to 
 160 acres of land in Delavan township, Fari- 
 bault county, securing it under the pre- 
 emption act, and remained here until the 
 opening of the Civil war. He then re- 
 tured to Connecticut, and in Julj', 1862, en- 
 listed in Company E, Si.xteenth Connecticut 
 Infantry, and with his command went to the 
 front. At Antietam his regiment suffered 
 great loss, being practically cut to pieces. 
 Afterward he participated in numerous prom- 
 inent engagements, and at Plymouth, North 
 Carolina, was taken prisoner, with the rest 
 of his regiment. While they were on their 
 way to Andersonville Mr. Hart escaped from 
 the guards, swam the Roanoke river, and 
 later got on board one of the vessels of 
 the fleet and was transferred to Roanoke 
 Island. He was on duty there until his reg- 
 iment was exchanged some six months later, 
 after hanng suffered the horrors of Ander- 
 sonville prison during that time. After that 
 he was with the forces that recaptured Ply- 
 mouth, spent some six months at Newbern, 
 and went from there to Yorktown. where he 
 was mustered out in July, 1865. At Hart- 
 ford, Connecticut, his regiment was paid off 
 and discharged. Mr. Hart came out of the 
 war without serious injury, although he was 
 repeatedly exposed to the hottest fire, several 
 times being hit 1)\' biiJiots. but never seri- 
 ously woundeil. 
 
 The war over, he returnetl to Minnesota 
 and resumed farming, which has occupied 
 his time and attention ever since. He is one 
 of the earliest pioneers of this region, being 
 one of a colony of half a dozen settlers that 
 located here together; and he has not only 
 been a witness to the development of this 
 
FARIBACI.T, MARTIX, W A TON WAX AXD JACKSOX. 
 
 part of the country during the past four dec- 
 ades, but also has done his part toward 
 bringing about this growth and development. 
 He is now the owner of a fine farm of 240 
 acres and carries on both i,'eneral fanning 
 and stock-raising. 
 
 Mr. Hart was married February 10, 1865, 
 to Mary P. Reynolds, a native of Sherwood, 
 Michigan, daughter of Jesse and Sarah 
 (Hicks) Reynolds. They have nine children 
 living, namely: Fred L. , of Minneapolis; 
 Frank E., a druggist of Granada, Minne- 
 sota; Charles A., of Winnebago City; J. B. 
 and Jessie L. , attending Parker College; 
 Louis A. , in the Winnebago City high school ; 
 and Eugene J., Harry H., and Etta J., at 
 home. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Hart is a stanch Repub- 
 lican. He is public-spirited and enterprising, 
 takes an active interest in public affairs, and 
 is now serving his third term as a member of 
 the Township Board of Supervisors. He is 
 identilied with MrCollcy Post. No. 55, G. A. 
 R., of Delavan. 
 
 o 
 
 G. HENNEBERG, manager of 
 the Martin Coimty Democrat and 
 
 the Martin Coimty , was 
 
 born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jan- 
 uary 17, 1862. the second son and youngest 
 child of Gottfried and Elizabeth (Wagner) 
 Henneberg, natives of Germany. On com- 
 ing to America they located in St. Paul, 
 Minnesota, where the father was a con- 
 tractor for many years, but is now retired 
 and resides in Newport, near that city. 
 
 D. G. Henneberg, our subject, was 
 •reared and educated in his native city. At 
 the age of fourteen 3cars he found employ- 
 ment as clerk in a furniture store two years, 
 spent nine years as office boy in a wholesale 
 
 grocery store, was ne.xt employed as book- 
 keeper three years; in June, 1887, went to 
 Port Arthur, Canada, and was employed as 
 bookkeeper for a mine and manager of a 
 store one year; in June, 1888, came to Fair- 
 mont, Minnesota, and was engaged as book- 
 keeper for Mr. Ward in the Martin County 
 Bank, and is now Secretary of the Ward 
 Machine Company and manager of the two 
 periodicals at Fairmont. 
 
 In January, i<S93, Mr. Henneberg was 
 united in marriage with Dena I., a daughter 
 of Hon. K. M. and MaryS. (Conroe) Ward. 
 In his social relations, our subject affiliates 
 with the Masonic Order, Chain Lake Lodge, 
 No. 64, and Fairmont Chapter, No. 50, 
 and of the Independent Order of Foresters 
 of Illinois. Politically, he is identified with 
 the Democratic part\. 
 
 IS A I A H W H IT E I S, a prominent 
 farmer of sections 6 and 7, Walnut 
 Lake township (post-office Easton), 
 has been a resident tlnTe ever since 
 July. 1871. 
 
 He was l>orn in Hardin county, Ohio, 
 February 9, 1846. His fatlur. Jeremiah 
 Whiteis, was born in American waters, 
 I while his parents, who were Welsh, were 
 crossing the ocean to this country, in the 
 year 1801. The family settled in Pcmisyl- 
 \ania and resided tliere for nine years, and 
 then removed to Ohio. In the latter State, 
 at the age of twenty-two years, our subject 
 married Arabella M. Robinson, and in 1848 
 they moved to Wisconsin, settling in Sauk 
 county upon a farm, which they proceeded 
 » to improve. He also worked at his trade, 
 as builder and contractor, until 1864, when 
 he sold his iarm and moved to Iowa, locat- 
 ing in Ellington township, Hancock county. 
 
IH 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OE 
 
 on a farm. In the fall of 1866 he sold this 
 farm also and settled upon a farm in Texas 
 county, Missouri, where he died, in 1869, at 
 the age of sixty-eight years. In politics he 
 was a stanch Democrat. He always took 
 an active part in the public welfare, as well 
 as in being a friend to the poor and needy, 
 and in every practicable way was promi- 
 nently identified with the upbuilding of the 
 best interests of the county in which he re- 
 sided. At the age of twenty-two years he 
 married Miss Arabella Robinson, who was 
 born in Vermont, of American parentage, 
 and died in Hancock county, Iowa, at the 
 age of seventy-three years. She was always 
 a devoted Christian of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal faith until her death. Their thirteen 
 children were: Roswell R,. who was a 
 soldier in the last War, in an Iowa regiment; 
 Harvey J. ; George M. ; Nancy A. ; Elminia 
 M. ; Isaac P. , who also was in the war, in 
 the Fourth Minnesota Infantry; Joseph M.; 
 Isaiah, who is the immediate subject of this 
 biographical notice; Ellora M., and Robert 
 L. , besides three who deceased in childhood. 
 Mr. Isaiah Whiteis was reared on a farm 
 in Sauk county, Wisconsin, receiving a good 
 common-school education. In Iowa he was 
 engaged in ruiming a threshing-machine 
 until 1866, when, with his wife, he moved 
 to Eau Claire, \\'isconsin, where he ran a 
 sawmill and meat market. Finally he came 
 to his place in Faribault county, Minnesota, 
 in 1 87 1, with his family, traveling with 
 horses and a wagon. On arrival here he 
 first purchased eighty acres of land, upon 
 which was a shanty 12 x 16 feet in dimen- 
 sions. Since then he has prospered as a 
 farmer, and has correspondingly been en- 
 abled to erect commodious farm structures 
 and equip a beautiful home. His present 
 residence is 24 x 26 feet in ground area, twr 
 
 stories high and with a cellar of the full si;je 
 of the house, while the barn is 36x60 feet, 
 with a stone basement; and the premises 
 generallj' are adorned by a good windmill 
 and other buildings, trees, etc. He keeps a 
 stock of shorthorn cattle of good quality, and 
 Poland-China hogs. 
 
 December 4, 1865, is the date of his 
 marriage, at Mason City, Iowa, to Melissa 
 Ward, a native of Sullivan county. New 
 York, and of a good family. She has been 
 a great help to her husband amid the toils 
 and adversities of life. Her parents mo\ed, 
 when she was eight years old, to Illinois, 
 locating first at Sycamore, Kane county, 
 and afterward to Ellington township, Han- 
 cock county, Iowa, where her father, Jacob 
 Ward, was one of the first settlers. Mr. 
 Ward was closely identified with the up- 
 building and best interests of the county, 
 was for a number of years a leading mem- 
 ber of the county Board of Supervisors, and 
 also held the office of County Treasurer for 
 a number of years. In politics he was a 
 stanch Republican and always took an 
 active interest in the public welfare, and was 
 ever a friend to the poor and needy. He 
 was killed, at the age of sixty-two years, by 
 a cyclone, in which his fine farm buildings 
 were all torn to pieces. He had twelve 
 children, vi^. : Elizabeth; Alfred, who was 
 a soldier in the war of the Rebellion; Reu- 
 ben; Melissa, who is now the wife of Mr. 
 Whiteis, our subject; Phoebe Jane; Stephen, 
 also a soldier in the last war; Mary Adeline; 
 Sylvester, Jacob, John, Sarah and Emma. 
 Mrs. Ward died when Mrs. Whiteis was 
 twelve years of age. Mr. and Mrs. Whiteis 
 have had ten children, namely: Mary L., 
 John L. , Marion A., Millie A., Ada E., 
 Jacob I.. Leslie J. and Dwight J., living, 
 and Cassius, Carl and Clarence H., de- 
 
FARIJiAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 725 
 
 ceased in infancy. The three daughters 
 have all been successful and highly esteemed 
 teachers: Ada E. is now teaching in Minne- 
 nesota Lake township, and the two older 
 daughters are now married. 
 
 Mr. W'hiteis is a Republican in politics 
 and always a strong advocate of its princi- 
 ples. He has been a member of the School 
 Board for a number of years. Both himself 
 and wife are members of the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, in whicli religious body 
 he holds the office of Steward. 
 
 HGUST KRUMVIEDE, of Monroe. 
 Nfartin county, was born on his 
 father's farm near the city of Blue 
 Island, Illinois, about seventeen 
 miles southwest of Chicago, May 24, 1866, 
 son of Frederick and Dorothea (Bottles) 
 Krumviede. He remained on the home 
 place until March 3, 1889, when he rented 
 forty acres three miles west of Blue Island. 
 The next fall, in company with his brother- 
 in-law, he rented 320 acres of land at Oak 
 Lawn, in the same county, eight miles south 
 of Chicago, and on that place made his home 
 for two and a half years. Then, in 1892, 
 he came to Minnesota, locating in Martin 
 county, in a section of the country that may 
 well be considered the "beauty of the 
 West." Two weeks afterward his wife and 
 children came also. He had spent half a 
 year, in 1885, with his brother Henry, at 
 which time he determined to finally make 
 this country his permanent home. Still be- 
 fore that, in 1883, Mr. Frederick Krum- 
 viede had purchased the northwest cjuarter 
 of section 20, township 104, range 31. In 
 1892 buildings were erected on this land 
 and other improvements made, ant! ever 
 since April of that year this has been the 
 
 ! residence of the subject of this sketch. He 
 now has the farm under cultivation, with 
 
 I two acres in grass and one and a half in 
 apple orchard. His live stock consists of 
 twenty hogs, twelve head of cattle and 
 
 i seven horses 
 
 Mr. Krumviede was married March 23, 
 1889, at Blue Island, Illinois, to Minnie Mary 
 
 I Schultz, a native of Germany and a daugh- 
 ter of August and Minnie (Helvish) Schultz. 
 Her father was three years in the German 
 army, and afterward, in 1866-7, ^^'^^ in the 
 war a year, and finally died, in his native 
 land, November 14, 1874, at the age of 
 forty-two years. Her mother, who was 
 born March 21, 1836, came with her chil- 
 dren to America, arriving April i, 1884, and 
 is now living with them at Blue Island, 
 where they have f)ne acre of land, with 
 buildings upon it. After her first husband's 
 death Mrs. Schultz married Ludwig Nomte, 
 who is now in the employ of Warre Brothers. 
 The names, dates of birth, etc., of Mrs. 
 Schultz's children are as follows: Ernest, 
 born September 14, 1S48, died in Maj', 
 1894, leaving a widow and two children; 
 Paulina Wilhelmina Carolina, born Febru- 
 ary 7, 1862, is the wife of Charles Sige and 
 lives in Blue Island; Augusta Wilhelmina 
 Johana, born February 12, 1866, is the wife 
 of Frederick Schenruck at Blue Island; 
 Minnie Mary, now Mrs. Krumviede, born 
 March 5, 1868; August Lewis, born June 
 22, 1870, married Sophia Bowers and is liv- 
 ing in Illinois; and Alvina Betse}-, born 
 April I, 1874, is the wife of Hermann Mil- 
 ler, a Government employe at Blue Island. 
 The birth-place of the above named chil- 
 dren is West Prussia, Germany. The chil- 
 dren of Mr. and Mrs. Agust Kruniviode are: 
 George Amil Alfred, born February 14, 1S90; 
 Helena Sophia Louisa, September 2, 1892; 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF TJIE COUNTIES OF 
 
 Louis Henry Gustav, March 27, 1893; and 
 Agust Frederick Johan, Februar)' 25, 1895. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kruinviede are members 
 of the Lutheran Church. 
 
 * y ^ EKMAN FLAM ME, a prosperous 
 l^^^V and prominent farmer of Waverly 
 jL.r township, Jackson county, was 
 born July 20, 1841, in Alsace, 
 Germany, a son of William and Annie 
 (Grotstollen) Flamme. His ^grandfather, 
 Fritz Flamme, was a shoemaker by trade 
 in Germany, and his children were William, 
 Mary (who married A. Cooks), John, Ger- 
 hard and Grotstollen; but his wife by a 
 former husband had hatlWilliam, Gerhard, 
 Annie and Herman. William Flamme was 
 born October 2, 1815, and died January 27, 
 1876, in Highland, Wisconsin, where he 
 was finally killed by an accident; a team of 
 horses started suddenly forward with the 
 wagon in which he was standing, throwing 
 him over backward and breaking his neck! 
 He was a musician in the old country, and 
 emigrated to America, arriving April i, 1868, 
 with his family, locating in Richland county, 
 Wisconsin. His wife, born July 18, 181 5, died 
 January 25. 18S1, of dropsy, in Richland 
 county. Their children were: (i)Hernian, 
 the subject of this sketch. (2j Sabilla, born 
 in March, 1843, married William Hetbleck 
 and is now living in Redlands, California, 
 where they have an orange orchard. Their 
 children are John, Sophia, William, Katie 
 and Annie. (3) Annie, born January 16, 
 1 844, married Charles Keefer, a farmer of 
 Richland county, Wisconsin, and they have 
 two children, — William and Annie. (4) 
 Frederick William, born March 6, 1847, 
 and died in |anuary, 1894. He was a 
 blacksmith in Sauk count)', that State, mar- 
 
 ried Margaret Bamex and had three sons 
 and two daughters. (5) William, born Janu- 
 ary I, 1850, is now a hardware merchant in 
 Berlin, Nebraska. For his first wife he 
 married Emma Sigrist, and their children 
 were Oscar and Henrj', deceased, and three 
 who are still living. (6) Agnes, born 
 March 16, 1853, married Jared Hillman, 
 who is in business with William Flamme, 
 just mentioned. (7) Maria, born July 19, 
 1859, married Fritz Prucke in Martin coun- 
 t}', Minnesota, and has seven children. 
 
 Mr. Herman Flamme, whose name heads 
 this sketch, sailed from Rotterdam, in 
 March, 1868, and landed in New York, and 
 located in Wisconsin, as already stated. At 
 the age of twenty-nine years he rented his 
 father's place for two }ears, and then 
 moved to Jasper county, Iowa, where he 
 again rented a farm and also worked for 
 wages a year and a half, when he moved 
 back to the old place in Wisconsin, which 
 he this time purchased. In April, 1S85, he 
 came to Martin count}-, Minnesota, bought 
 land and built a residence upon it. This 
 place now comprises eighty acres, being 
 half of the southwest quarter of section 31, 
 Waverly township. All the improvements 
 now on the place he has made there himself. 
 In 1892 he purchased the east half of the 
 southwest quarter of section 2 1 , and he now 
 has 130 acres broken. His live stock con- 
 sists of four horses, besides some cattle and 
 hogs. Being enterprising and ambitious, he 
 is bound to win and make a success of life. 
 
 November 18, 1871, he married Susanna 
 Seyferth, a daughter of John Elias and 
 Maria Theresa Seyferth, and born January 
 7, 1849. She died May 15, 1891. By this 
 marriage were the following children: Will- 
 iam, born September 16, 1872, and died 
 June 15, 1894; Hermann, born February 17, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 727 
 
 1874; Charlie, December 2, 1877; Henry, 
 December 7, 1879; Annie, February, 23, 
 1882; August, January i, 1884; George, 
 December 17, 1886: Susanna Sabelia, Jnlj' 
 26, 1 889. For his present wife Mr. Fiamme 
 married, June 29, 1894, Mrs. Annie Kiem, 
 daughter of Andreas and Kabrina Mueller. 
 By her former husband, George Kiem, she 
 had four children, — Susannah, John, Edwin 
 and Lena, — who are living with the subject 
 of this sketch. 
 
 '^j'OSEPH B. PRICE, a farmer of sec- 
 m tion 12, Weimar township, was born 
 A 1 in Carroll county, Ohio, February 27, 
 1836, one of the ten children of Chris- 
 topher and Elizabeth (Geiger) Price. His 
 father also was a native of the Buckeye State, 
 born in the year 1791, was a soldier in the 
 war of 1 81 2, and passed his entire life in his 
 native State. He was a skilled mechanic, a 
 plasterer by trade and a successful man in 
 business. He died in 1857, at the age of 
 sixty-six years. His wife was a native of 
 Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, a 
 daughter of Peter Geiger, who was a farmer 
 and speculator of prominence in that State. 
 During the war of the Revolution he fur- 
 nished the Continental army with provisions 
 and other necessities. Mrs. Price died in 
 1858. The grandfather, Thomas Price, was 
 born in Maryland in 1769, and removed in 
 early life to Ohio, crossing the Ohio river 
 where Cincinnati now stands, the only build- 
 ing there at the time being a log fort. 
 
 Being a broad-minded, aggressive man, 
 Mr. Price started a colony at Leesville, Car- 
 roll county, Ohio, where he was a pioneer. 
 Subsequently he started another colony in 
 that State. He was a civil engineer and 
 surveyor by profession and a remarkably 
 
 active man. An instance of his wonderful 
 powers preserved to old age is shown in his 
 walking twenty-five miles in one day when 
 more than eighty-six years of age ! He died 
 at New Philadelphia, Ohio, at the age of 
 eighty-nine years. 
 
 The gentleman whose name introduces 
 this sketch lived in his native State until 
 twenty-one years of age, at which time he 
 started out in lift for himself. First he fol- 
 lowed his trade as" plasterer at Taylorsville, 
 Illinois, for two years. In 1859 he went to 
 Colorado to enter the business of mining. 
 Stopping at Central City, he took several 
 very fine mining claims; but, his venture not 
 resulting satisfactorily, he returned East and 
 settled in Indiana, where he remained until 
 1865, when he moved again to Illinois and 
 resided there till 1871 ; then he came to Min- 
 nesota and located in the township of Wei- 
 mar, Jackson county, where he pre-empted 
 1 20 acres on section 12, to which he has since 
 added 160 acres; and his landed estate now 
 aggregates 280 acres of fine farm land. He 
 has always worked at his trade of plasterer, 
 employing several men much of the time, in 
 carrying out his contracts. In this line he 
 has been uniformly succesful, year by year, 
 carrying on his own business. 
 
 May 29, 1865, he was married to Miss 
 Mary A. Seabring, a native of Springville, 
 Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Price have four chil- 
 dren: Lizzie A., who was the Republican 
 candidate for County Superintendent of 
 Schools in 1894; Walter S. , teacher in 
 North Dakota; Alice Carey, and Arthur, at 
 school. 
 
 Deep!}' interested in education, Mr. 
 Price has been for many years Clerk of the 
 School Board; and he may justly feel proud 
 of having been able to give each of his chil- 
 dren the benefits of a liberal education. 
 
728 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 In his political principles he has e\er 
 been an uncompromising Republican, strong 
 in his adherence to the measures of his 
 party. He is a prominent member of Win- 
 dom Lodge, No. 83, A. O. U. W., and is 
 one of the intelligent and progressive men 
 of the day who keep in touch with the de- 
 velopments of the age. 
 
 @T. JUV'LAND, a highly respected 
 farmer occupying section 12, Wei- 
 mar t(jvvnship, is the chairman o' 
 the township board of Supervisors. 
 He was born in Norway, March 11, 1850, 
 one of five children of Tliomas Jansen and 
 Susana Gjermundson. The other children 
 were: Thomas, now residing at Heron 
 Lake, Minnesota; Jacob, in Minneapolis, 
 this State; Ole, at Slayton; and Grunhild, 
 who married a Mr. Foss, died in 1S88, leav- 
 ing a daughter, named Josephine and now 
 twelve years of age and living with her uncle, 
 G. T. Juvland. The familjcame to America 
 in the year 1867, in a sailing vessel, landing 
 at Quebec, from which point they came on 
 to Red Wing, this State, where they re- 
 mained until 1870; they then removed to 
 Jackson county, settling in Weimar town- 
 ship, where the head of the family pre- 
 empted a claim of 160 acres on section 12. 
 They were thus the earliest settlers in this 
 region. Two years afterward the father died 
 at the age of fifty-eight years. His wife, 
 surviving, is enjoying an active and useful 
 old age with her son, G. T. , her loving and 
 devoted son. 
 
 Mr. Juvland, whose name begins this 
 biographical outline, as soon as he became 
 of age, took a claim of ifio acres, the entire 
 farm of which it was a part comprising 240 
 acres of line land, and here he resides in the 
 
 enjoyment of a peaceful home. In 1893 he 
 erected a fine barn for the better accom- 
 modation of his live stock, and during the 
 following year built a fine large and com- 
 modious residence, upon high ground, where 
 one can command and extended view of the 
 surrounding country; the view, indeed, is 
 exceptionally beautiful. The magnificent 
 premises of Mr. Juvland stand as a monu- 
 ment of his enterprise and thrift. 
 
 He is recognized as one of the enterpris- 
 ing and progressive men of the day. Always 
 deeplj' interested in local affairs and in the 
 welfare of his community, he was appointed 
 the first Constable after the township was 
 organized, and he served in that capacity 
 for several years. In the spring of 1S89 he 
 was elected chairman of the township board 
 of Supervisors, and from that time to the 
 present he has discharged the duties of that 
 position with credit to himself and to the 
 satisfaction of the people. He has always 
 been known as one of the stanch Republi- 
 cans of that section of the county, actively 
 working for the advancement of the princi- 
 ples of that party. In religion he has through 
 life been an active member of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 ,>^ATHAN D. SATTERLEE, M. D., 
 I A ^ successful physician and surgeon 
 \ f of Winnebago City, is not only one 
 of the pioneer medical practioners 
 of Faribault county but of the Northwest as 
 well. He was born in Montgoirery count}', 
 New York, near the town of Amsterdam, on 
 the 5th of April, 1822, and belongs to a fam- 
 ily that can trace its ancestry back to the time 
 when William the Conqueror became Eng- 
 land's king. Its representatives crossed the 
 ocean to America during early Colonial da\s 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTI. \\ MATONWAX AND JACKSON. 
 
 V-0 
 
 and located in Connecticut. The grandfather 
 of the Doctor. John Sattcrlee, was born in 
 Connecticut in 1732, and wlien the Colonies 
 attempted to throw off the yoke of British 
 oppression he joined in the strug>;le and 
 served under \\'ashington for some time. 
 He was valiant and true, and his braxcrj- 
 and meritorious conduct won him promotion 
 to office. His occupation was farming and 
 he carried on agricultural pursuits through- 
 out his entire life. His religious belief iden- 
 tified him with the the Baptist Church. He 
 married Hannah Hjde, daughter of Jehu 
 Hyde, and his death occurred in Washing- 
 ton county. New York, while his wife de- 
 parted this life in Nunda, Livingston county, 
 same State. 
 
 The Doctor's father, Nathan I.. Satter- 
 lee, was born and reared in Rhode Island, 
 and having attained to years of maturity 
 was married in Warren count)-, of the Em- 
 pire State, to Miss Lucy Mallory, who was 
 born in Rutland county, Vermont, and was 
 a daughter of Peter Mallory, a native of the 
 same State, and a granddaughter of David 
 Nfallory, whose birth occurred in Wales. 
 The mother of Mrs. Satterlee bore the 
 maiden name of Ann Dunham, a native of 
 Dumfries-shire, Scotland, and a member of 
 a prominent and well-to-do famil}-. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Satterlee continued their residence in 
 New York until 1848 and then started for 
 the West, locating in Dodge county, Wis- 
 consin. That was the year in which the 
 State was admitted to the Union. They 
 lived there until their remaining days 
 and were highly respected people 
 of the community. The father was a 
 Whig in his political views and afterward 
 became a Republican. His religious faith 
 was tlial of the Baptist Chunli and he was 
 ever true to his convictions of right and 
 
 ! wrong. His death occurred when he was in 
 his seventy- second year, and his wife died 
 at the age of sixt)'-si.\. Thus two worthy 
 ])eople were called to their reward and a 
 deep loss was sustained by their many 
 friends They had twelve cliildren, who 
 were named Sylvester, Emily, .'\melia, Allen, 
 Peter, Clarissa, Nathan D., Joseph, Mel- 
 vina, Armuda, Sarah and Ransom. Three 
 of the sons were soldiers in the late war, — 
 Peter. Joseph and Ransom, and, like their 
 
 ■ Revolutionary grandsire, they were true to 
 the cause for which they fought whether on 
 the field of battle or in monotonous routine 
 duty. Peter also had five sons who wore 
 the blue and followed tlie old Hag. 
 
 The early youth of Dr. Satterlee was 
 (juietly passed, unmarked with events of 
 special importance. The public schools 
 afforded him his educational privileges and 
 he lived in the Empire State until after he 
 had attained to years of maturity. When 
 the time came to make choice of a busi- 
 ness which he should wish to make his life 
 work, he decided upon a professional life 
 and took up the study of medicine under 
 the instruction of Dr. Turner, a prominent 
 physician of New York, witli wlujui he con- 
 tinued his reading for four jears, gaining a 
 superior knowledge of the science, which 
 was not entirel}' theoretical, for he often 
 aided his preceptor in his practice. He 
 opened an office of his own in Lewis county. 
 New York, here he continued his practice 
 for two years, after which he found a field 
 of labor and usefulness in the West, be- 
 coming a resident of Columbia county, Wis- 
 consin. He was one of the early physicians 
 of that locality, and his skill and ability 
 soon won recognition in a liberal ])atr()nage. 
 In 1S74 he removed to La Crosse. Wiscon- 
 sin, and four years later he came to Winne 
 
/.>>- 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COLWTIES OF 
 
 bago City, Minnesota. Opening an office 
 at this place, he soon built up a good busi- 
 ness among the best class of people and 
 ministered to the ills of suffering humanity 
 for five years. On the expiration of that 
 period he returned to La Crosse, having 
 sold out his business in the Gopher State, 
 but after a time he again came to his old 
 home in Winnebago City. He is probably 
 the oldest physician in years of continuous 
 practice in the State, having been a mem- 
 ber of the medical fraternity for fifty-two 
 years, during which time he has never en- 
 gaged in other business enterprises to the 
 exclusion of his chosen life work. 
 
 In 1855, in Columbia, New York, Dr. 
 Satterlee was united in marriage with Miss 
 Amelia Mosier, a native of New York and 
 a daughter of D. Eli and Sarah (Newbcrg) 
 Mosier, natives of Connecticut. By this 
 union were born two children, — Rebecca, 
 now the wife of Charles Holden, who is liv- 
 ing in Amboy, Minnesota; and Amelia F., 
 one of the most accomplished and proficient 
 teachers of music in the State. In 1861 
 the Doctor was called upon to mourn the 
 loss of his wife, who died on the 30th of 
 July. Some time after he was again mar- 
 ried, his second union being with Mrs. Sarah 
 M. Wilco.x, who was born in O.vford, New 
 York, and is a daughter of Asa and Betsy 
 fBarr) Wells, who were natives of Massa- 
 chusetts and died in W'isconsin. Mrs. Sat- 
 terlee is a cultured lady and her moral worth, 
 her kindness and her devoted life have won 
 her the warm friendship of many. 
 
 In his political views the Doctor is and 
 long has been a stalwart Republican. He 
 is a man of fine physique, six feet in height 
 and weighing 225 pounds. For more than 
 half a century he has devoted his life to the 
 medical profession and his labors in this 
 
 calling have been prompted by a kind spirit 
 which sympathizes with the suffering as 
 much as by a desire to gain a remuneration. 
 In the sick room he has a pleasant, genial 
 bearing which is of itself a tonic, and this 
 has had much to do with his success. He 
 is now well advanced in life, yet he still 
 practices to a limited extent, for many are 
 loath to give uj) their old family ph}sician 
 whom they have learned to trust, respect 
 and honor. 
 
 HI). .\LLEN, editor and proprietor 
 of the Jackson Republican and one 
 of the progressive citizens of the 
 county, was born in the State of 
 New York, and during his boyhood days was 
 taken by his parents to Illinois. There was 
 a large family of children, and it was often 
 difficult to provide for them, for the father 
 was in limited circumstances, and in frontier 
 settlements it was not easy to obtain the 
 comforts of life. Thus while still a boy Mr. 
 Allen started out in life for himself to earn 
 his living and S]icnt a number of years in 
 boating on the Mississippi river. He there 
 met the lowest classes of society, and such 
 a life had no attraction for him, so as soon 
 as possible he secured other employment, 
 and his next service took him to the lumber 
 woods of \\'iscontin. His school privileges 
 were necessarily extremely limited, but he 
 wished to improve, made the most of his 
 opportunities and by observation he gained 
 much valuable information. He possesses 
 a retentive memory and in the school of 
 experience learned lessons that have been 
 of incalculable benefit to him in his later 
 career. 
 
 After the breaking out of the war of 
 the Rebellion Mr. Allen resolved to strike 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, ]\ ATONWAy AX J) JACKSON. 
 
 10' 
 
 a blow in defense of the Union, and be- 
 came a Mieiiiber of a Wisconsin rcfjiinent, 
 in which he served until after the cessation 
 of hostilities. He was ever found at his 
 post of dut}-, faithful to the banner which 
 he followed and the cause it represented. 
 On the close of the struggle he received an 
 honorable discharge and returned at once 
 to the North. 
 
 Mr. Allen now located in Iowa, and 
 later came to Minnesota. In r882 he was 
 married and removed to Dakota, where he 
 engaged in merchandising. Siibsequenth' 
 he entered the employ of a railroad com- 
 pany in the capacity of station agent, and 
 on leaving that work engaged in banking in 
 Winifred, North Dakota, his wife acting as 
 cashier. He was later associated with a 
 bank in W'entvvorth, Wisconsin, Mrs. Allen 
 again acting as cashier, and in 1886 he 
 came to Jackson, shortly after purchasing 
 the Jackson Republican, of which he has 
 since been editor and proprietor. This 
 paper is above the average of its class of 
 publications, and its merits commend it to a 
 liberal patronage; it is well edited, ably 
 managed and is a bright, interesting sheet, 
 deserving the success which has come to it. 
 
 The lady who now bears the name of 
 Mrs. Allen is deserving of more than pass- 
 ing mention, for she has been to her hus- 
 band a true helpmeet and is a lady respected 
 for the man)' excellencies of her character. 
 Mrs. \'an Orman Allen was born in Sharon, 
 Ohio, in 1846, and in February, 1865, be- 
 came the wife of Clark Baldwin. Immedi- 
 ately after their marriage they came to 
 Jackson, Minnesota, being numbered among 
 the honored pioneer settlers of this locality. 
 Mr. Baldwin's health failing she accompa- 
 nied him to Te.xas, thinking that the change 
 might prcne beneficial; but it proved other- 
 
 wise. He gradually grew worse, and they 
 started to return to their old Minnesota 
 home. At length they reached some friends 
 in Kansas, where two days later Mr. Bald- 
 win passed from this life. The lady re- 
 turned to Jackson in 1879, and in 1882, as 
 before stated, became the wife of A. B. 
 Allen. She is a cultured, refined lady, of 
 good educational and fine executive ability, 
 and is an invaluable assistant to her husband 
 in his work. She is also prominent in 
 society affairs, has served as president of 
 the Woman's Relief Corps and is at present 
 District Deputy Grand Master of the Order 
 of Rebekah. In her home she is a most 
 capable hostess, presiding with grace, and 
 has the happy faculty of placing her guests 
 at ea.se. 
 
 Mr. Allen recently issued a souvenir edi- 
 tion of the Republican, celebrating the 
 twent\- fifth anniversary of the founding of 
 that paper. It is a very fine edition, — a 
 credit to the town and the publisher. Man's 
 success is not measured by the heights to 
 which he climbs but by the distance between 
 his starting point and the altitude that he 
 has reached. At the lowest round of the 
 ladder Mr. Allen began the ascent, but 
 steadily and persistently has he worked his 
 way upward until he now has secured the 
 fruits of earnest, honest labor and the re- 
 spect of all. 
 
 •y— ^ ENRV HOHENSTEIN, who stands 
 
 1^^^ as one of the most prosperous ag- 
 
 M. . r riciiltiirists of Delaficld township, 
 
 Jackson county, Minnesota, and 
 
 who is known and honored throughout the 
 
 entire section, is one whose career exenipli- 
 
 ! fits the value which the hardj', honest atid 
 
 frugal German type has had in insuring the 
 
732 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OE THE COUNTIES OE 
 
 development and stable prosperity of our 
 nation, and a recognition of such a man is 
 surely demanded in a work of this nature. 
 
 Our subject was born in Prussia on the 
 loth of February, 1853, the son of Ferdi- 
 nand and Charlotte (Kanej Hohenstein, and 
 one of the three children j'et living, — the 
 others being Bertha, now the wife of Fred 
 Ebert, of Heron Lake township, this 
 county, and Albert Hohenstein, of Lake- 
 field, same coimty. 
 
 The father, Ferdinand Hohenstien, was 
 born in Prussia in the year 18 18, his early 
 life having been passed in his native country, 
 where he was married. In the year 1859 he 
 emigrated with his family to America, land- 
 ing in this country almost penniless, but in 
 no wise disheartened, since he had an abid- 
 ing faith in his power to accomplish and in 
 the possibilities afforded in the new land, 
 for a poor man. The family first settled in 
 the town of Bloomfield, Wisconsin, where 
 they were among the pioneer residents. 
 They remained in Wisconsin until 1870, 
 when they removed to Minnesota, settling 
 in Delafield township, Jackson county, 
 where the father took up a homestead claim 
 of eighty acres, on section 32. Here he and 
 his wife have since continued to reside, but 
 have retired from active life and are passing 
 their declining years in peace and content- 
 ment in the home of their son, our subject, 
 to whom they transferred the homestead 
 some years since. Each is seventy-.sevcn 
 years of age and both are active and in ex- 
 ceptional health. 
 
 Henry Hohenstein, the innnediate sub- 
 ject of this review, was six years of age 
 when the family emigrated to this country, 
 and during his entire life he has been con- 
 cerned with agricultural pursuits. Soon 
 after attaining his majority he started out in 
 
 life for himself, and being possessed of 
 energy and enforced with a goodly endow- 
 ment of courage and endurance he was from 
 the first successful. To-day he owns a fine 
 farm of 420 acres, all but eighty of which He 
 adjacent to the original homestead, being situ- 
 ated in Delafield township and the adjoining 
 township of Heron Lake. He is recognised 
 as one of the successful and influential men 
 of this section and is held in the highest es- 
 teem and confidence. The familj' residence, 
 which is conspicuous as one of the most at- 
 tractive in this part of the county, both as 
 to architectural design and eligibilit}' of loca- 
 tion, was erected in 1888 and stands in evi- 
 dence of the taste and enterprise of the 
 owner and as an ornament to the township. 
 
 Mr. Hohenstein lends an active support 
 to the Republican party and its principles, 
 and in local affairs of public nature he has 
 always maintained a progressive attitude 
 and has given his support to all measures 
 looking to the advancement of the higher 
 interests of the township. He has never 
 sought political preferment, but such is his 
 standing in the community that for the past 
 ten years he has been retained as a mem- 
 ber of the Board of Supervisors of his 
 county as a representative of his township. 
 In his religious associations he has long been 
 an active and zealous member of the Lu- 
 theran Church. 
 
 Reverting in brief to the domestic feature 
 of Mr. Hohcnstein"s career, we find that on 
 the 1 6th of July, 1876, he was united in 
 marriage to Miss Charlotte Rayburne, who 
 is also a native of Germany. They have 
 had seven children, namely: Ida, wife of 
 Herman Burmester, of Heron Lake town- 
 ship; and Hetty, Alma, Henry, Li/zie, Artie 
 and \VaU>-r, all of whom yet remain beneath 
 the parental roof- tree. 
 
PARIBAVLT, MARTI. \\ WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 M^ 
 
 >^OHN WILLIAM FREDRICK 
 m SCHULTZ, a farmer of Martin 
 A 1 county, was born in Prussia, Ger- 
 many, August 1 8, 1S36, a son of 
 John and Frederica (Schuette) Schultz. 
 The parents came to America in 1843, 
 locating in Niagara county. New York, four- 
 teen miles east of Buffalo, where they re- 
 mained until 1S66. In November, of that 
 year, the father died, at the home of our 
 subject, at the age of seventy-five years. 
 The mother, born in 1806, died in 1881. 
 They were the parents of six children, 
 namely: Charles, Louisa, Fredrica (wife 
 of Charles X'isenz), John \V. F. , William 
 and Henry. All are now deceased but our 
 subject and Fredrica. Henry died in the 
 South during the late war. 
 
 John W. F. Schultz came on foot to 
 Washington county, Minnesota, in May, 
 1862, where he purchased eighty acres of 
 land, and remained there until 1874. He 
 then located on 220 acres of land in Harri- 
 son township, Kandiyohi county, this State, 
 and May i". 1892, he purchased his farm of 
 440 acres in Martin county, 240 acres of 
 which is under a good state of cultivation. 
 Mr. Schultz is engaged in general farming 
 and stock-raising, owning at the present 
 time eleven horses, twenty-seven cattle and 
 thirteen hogs. 
 
 June 17, 1861, our subject was united 
 in marriage with Louisa Fagel, born Febru- 
 ary 16, 1836, a daughter of Christian and 
 Louisa (Schultz) Pagel. To this union have 
 been born the following children: Henry, 
 born October 16, 1861, died April 20, 1892: 
 William August, born April 7, 1864, is en- 
 gaged in farming; Christina, born March 3, 
 1 866, married Gustave Roggow; John W., 
 born April 14, 1868, was married November 
 29, 1894. to Bertha Dorothea Peymann; 
 
 August Charles William, born April 29, 1S70, 
 is at home; Charles Frederick, born Decem- 
 ber 19, 1872; Edward Paul, horn January 
 10, 1875, died Januarj' 7, 1877; Lewis Will- 
 iam, born Jiii\ 8, 1877; Annie May Amelia, 
 December 11, 1880; and Edward Andrew 
 Orro, April 9, 1884. Mr. Schultz acts with 
 the Democratic party, and is a member of 
 Rev. Beck's church in Eraser townshi|>. 
 
 m. 
 
 *ILLIAM CLAUDIUS PORT- 
 M.\NX, M. D., who is success- 
 fully engaged in the practice of 
 medicine in Jackson, Minnesota, 
 is a worthy representative of that profession 
 whose importance to humanity is second to 
 that of no other calling to which men devote 
 abilities or energies. A native of Switzer- 
 land, he was born in canton Soluthurn on 
 the 7th of June, 1858, and is a son of \'ictor 
 and Ann Maria (Hugo) Portmann. The 
 grandfather was of English and French de- 
 scent, was a civil engineer by profession and 
 served as a soldier under Louis Xl\'. The 
 Doctor's father was an only child and was 
 born in the land of the Alps in 1S18. A 
 railroad builder and civil engineer he was in 
 the employ of the Swiss government for 
 some time and was a man of considerable 
 ability and force of character. In the latter 
 part of 1865 he was sent to this country to 
 bu)' railroad iron for a German company, 
 and in 1867 he again visited the United 
 States. He made a permanent location here 
 on the 29th of April, 1869, at which time he 
 landed in New York. He was attracted by 
 the privileges and advantages of the New 
 i Wiirld and resolved to try his fortune on 
 this side of the Atlantic. Locating in Ohio, 
 I he was employed in the survey of the Tus- 
 ' carawas \'alley Railroad, and his death oc- 
 
734 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 curred in Canton, Ohio, July 2, 1874. he 
 having attained the age of fifty-six years. 
 
 The children of Victor Portmann were 
 all born in Switzerland and all became res- 
 idents of this country. Emil Odo died at 
 Canton, Ohio; Victoria is the wife of Au- 
 gust Newman, a resident of Fort Wayne, 
 Indiana; Elise is the wife of K. Hug; Albert 
 is a hardware and tin merchant of Massillon, 
 Ohio; Lena is the wife of Julius Hug, who 
 is located in Nevada, Ohio; Anna is the wife 
 of John Snyder, a resident of Canton, Ohio; 
 the Doctor is the next younger; Walter Jacob 
 is a machinist of Canton, Ohio; Rosa is the 
 wife of William M. Finke, of Canton, Ohio; 
 and Ceasar Augustus is a druggist of Jackson, 
 Minnesota. 
 
 This family remained together until 1883. 
 William Claudius Portmann was a lad of 
 eleven years when with his father he came 
 to America. The family settled in Canton. 
 Ohio, and he acquired his literary education 
 in its common schools, after which he took 
 up the study of medicine with his brother. 
 He pursued a course of lectures in the West- 
 ern Reserve College of Cleveland, entering 
 that institution in 1879 and taking a three 
 jears' course. He then joined his brother 
 in a partnershiji for the practice of his 
 chosen profession, which he continued in 
 Canton until the fall of 1883, which year 
 witnessed his removal to Mandan, North 
 Dakota. About two years and a half wen 
 passed in that place, after which he came to 
 Jackson, Minnesota, and since May 25, 1886, 
 this place has been his home. He at once 
 opened an office here and from the begin- 
 ning has enjoyed a liberal patronage from 
 among the best class of people, who recog- 
 nize his skill and ability. He is a close stu- 
 dent of his profession and neglects no op- 
 portunity to further perfect himself in his 
 
 chosen calling, keeping abreast with all the 
 new theories and discoveries and putting 
 into use all his judgment sanctions. 
 
 The Doctor was happily married on the 
 13th of September, 1883, in Canton, Ohio, 
 to Miss Emma Elizabeth Ball, the estima- 
 ble daughter of Colonel Ephraim (Babb) 
 Ball. Her mother belonged to one of the 
 old Pennsylvania Dutch families and her 
 father to one of the best families of Virginia, 
 which was founded in the Old Dominion by 
 English ancestors. To Dr. and Mrs. Port- 
 mann have been born three children, — Urs 
 Victor, who was born in Jackson, January 
 20, 1887; Milton Claudius, born October 
 20, 1889; and Arthur Ball, born December 
 4, 1890. In social circles the parents oc- 
 cupy an enviable position and throughout 
 the comnumity have many warm friends. 
 
 The Doctor is a charter member of the 
 Odd Fellows' Society of Jackson, and is an 
 honored member of the Ancient Order of 
 United Workmen. In 1887 he was ap- 
 pointed Coroner of the county and has since 
 filled that position. In all the relations of 
 life he is found true and faithful, is a valued 
 citizen and an able physician, and his hon- 
 orable career has gained him the highest 
 
 regard. 
 
 E 
 
 IS now 
 
 ON. JAMES WILSON HUNTER, 
 whose name is inseparably con- 
 nected with the official and com- 
 mercial history of Jackson county, 
 successfully engaged in business as 
 one of the representative merchants of the 
 city of Jackson. A native of Scotland, he 
 was born on the i6th of August, 1837, in 
 Stanley. Perthshire, and is a son of James 
 and Agnes (Cook) Hunter. His father never 
 left Scotland, but died there about thirty 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 735 
 
 jears ago, at the age of sixtj'-foiir. In the 
 family were the following children: John 
 Cook, now a real-eslate dealer of Duluth, 
 Minnesota; James Wilson; David, who died 
 in Jackson in 1869; Agnes, wife of Alex 
 Fiddes, of Jackson; and Grace, wife of Will- 
 iam Henderson, of Waseca, Minnesota. The 
 eldest son was the first of the family to seek 
 a home in the United States. He sailed 
 from Scotland in 1853 and first took up his 
 residence upon a farm near Kalamazoo, 
 Michigan. He then removeil to Hastings, 
 this State, and later to Wilton, thence to 
 Duluth, where he is now living. Ere leav- 
 ing the land of his birth he was married and 
 has a family of two sons and four daughters. 
 The next to cross the briny deep was 
 Mr. Hunter, whose name heads this article. 
 The years of his boyhood were passed under 
 the parental roof, and at the age of eighteen 
 he bade adieu to home and friends and sailed 
 for New York, where he arrived in the fall 
 of 1855. He then visited his brother, near 
 Kalamazoo, Michigan, and in that city began 
 work as a salesman for the firm of Walters, 
 Bassett & Bates. He continued with them 
 for three months, then went to Dubuque, 
 Iowa, where he secured a clerkship with M. 
 J. K. Treat, with whom he continued for 
 three years, when his employer failed. He 
 then spent a short time in travel and later 
 purchased a general merchandise store in 
 Wilton which had been established by his 
 brother and which he subsequently re-sold 
 to his brother. In i S58 he returned to Scot- 
 land and on again crossing the Atlantic 
 brought with him his mother, his brother 
 and two sisters, his father having died in the 
 meantime. He now located in Waseca, 
 Minnesota, where he built a store and in 
 partnership with his brother again entered 
 the mercantile field. For two years he car- 
 
 ried on a store in Estherville, Iowa, in con- 
 nection with Alex McKay under the firm 
 name of Hunter & McKay. In February, 
 1868, he brought his family to Jackson and 
 in connection with his brother began busi- 
 ness here under the firm st}le of Hunter 
 Brothers, this connection continuing until 
 the death of David Hunter. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write had 
 intended 10 return to the East in 1868, but 
 while en route he stopped at Jackson to see 
 the town and concluded to make it his 
 future home. He bought a stock of general 
 merchandise of Thomas White and in that 
 building carried on the business for some 
 time. He became sole proprietor in 1873 
 and successfully managed and conducted 
 the establishment, making it one of the 
 leading stores of the place. In the fall of 
 1893 he moved into his present store build- 
 ing which had just been erected, and there 
 carries on a good trade, enjoying a liberal 
 patronage which has constantly increased 
 from the beginning. He is also interested 
 in the Jackson Farmers' Elevator Company, 
 of which he was secretary until January. 
 1894. 
 
 On the 19th of August, 1870, was cele- 
 brated the marriage of Mr. Hunter and Miss 
 Bessie Ross. The lady was born Septem- 
 ber 1 6. 1847, and is a daughter of Alex and 
 Isabella (Graham) Ross, natives of Scot- 
 land. Three children have come to bless 
 their home, — Isabella Graham, born June 
 17, 1874; William Dixon, born January 1. 
 1S79; and .Agnes Grace, born February 9, 
 1 88 1 . Their home is a pleasant one, noted 
 for its hospitality, and the parents hold an 
 enviable position in social circles. 
 
 Mr. Hunter is a member of the Ancient 
 Order of United Workmen, and in his polit- 
 ical connections is a Republican. In 1870 
 
736 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COLW'TJES OF 
 
 he was elected Treasurer of Jackson, and so 
 faithfully did he serve that on the expiration 
 of his first term he was again piaceil in that 
 position. He has represented his district 
 in the State Legislature, being elected from 
 the district comprising Jackson, Faribault, 
 Martin, Nobles, Rock, Cottonwood and 
 Pipestone counties. He and his family 
 hold membership in the Presbyterian Church. 
 In public uflice he has labored for the wel- 
 fare of the communit} ; in church relations 
 he is consistent and true; in business he is 
 honorable and upright; in the home and 
 among friends he is a pleasant genial gentle- 
 man who deserves the high regard in which 
 he is universallv held. 
 
 >^.\COB MUELLER, a farmer of Fo.\ 
 m Lake township, Martin county, was 
 A 1 horn in Unterowishoini, Baden, Ger- 
 many, October 20, 1853, a son of 
 John Christoph and Eli^abetha (Oberst) 
 Mueller. The father was one of three chil- 
 dren, — John Christoph, Elizabetha Glass 
 and Caroline Deckinger. Grandfather Carl 1 
 Oberst died when our subject was very < 
 young, aged about sixty-six years, having 
 been a farmer by occupation. His children 
 were as follows: Carl (deceased), Christiana i 
 Deuchler, Jacob Christian, Elizabetha, | 
 Magdalena Deuchler and John. John ! 
 Christoph, father of our subject, was born 
 November 14, 1827, and now resides in 
 Kane county, Illinois, having emigrated to 
 America in the fall of 1890. He was a j 
 farmer in the old country. The mother of 1 
 our subject was born September 16, 1830, 
 and is still living. They were married in 
 the fall of 1848, and have had five children, 
 namely: John Carl, born June 26, 1849, I 
 and a farmer by occupation, was first tnar- 
 
 ried to Christiana Feil, one son, John, hav- 
 ing been born to that union, and by his sec- 
 ond wife, Catliarina Feil, he had nine chil- 
 dren: Christian Fredrick, born April 14, 
 1 85 I, was a baker by trade, was married to 
 Eli^abetha Deuchler, and his death occurred 
 in the spring of 1893; Jacob, the subject of 
 this sketch; Elizabeth, born March 7, 1857, 
 married Charles Brecht, and shortly after- 
 ward, in June, 1882, came to America, lo- 
 cating in Webster county, Nebraska, and 
 their children are Emil, William, Otto, 
 Lewis and Clara; and Louisa, born Decem- 
 ber 23, 1870, married .August Beisel, of 
 Chicago, Illinois. 
 
 Jacob Mueller, the first of the family to 
 come to America, left Bremen July 24, 
 1879, and, after landing at New York, joined 
 an acquaintance in Elgin, Illinois, where he 
 remained about two years. He next spent 
 one year in Dundee, that State, returned to 
 Elgin for two years, and December 4, 1885, 
 he came to Martin county, Minnesota. He 
 spent the first winter here in Fairmont, and 
 in the following spring rented land of James 
 Morgan, in section 22, Fox Lake township. 
 In July, 1890, Mr. Mueller purchased his 
 present place of lioten Clark, which con- 
 sists of 160 acres in section 14, Fox Lake 
 township, and ninety acres is under a fine 
 state of cultivation. He moved on the place 
 October 20, 1891. 
 
 March 5, 1882, at Dundee, Kane county, 
 Illinois, Mr. Mueller was united in marriage 
 with Christiana Oberst, a daughter of 
 Michael and Magdalena (Geckler) Oberst. 
 The father was born in I'litcrowisheim, 
 Baden, August 4, 1825, came to America in 
 1865, locating in Kane count)', Illinois, and 
 his death occurred October 27, 1893. The 
 mother, born in Unterowisheiin, Baden, Au- 
 gust 24, 1825, still resides in Illinois. They 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 were the parents of three children: John, 
 deceased in NS72, at tlic age or sixteen 
 years; Adam, born in 1 8C0, married Reka 
 Peano, and resides in Kane county; Chris- 
 tiana, born March i, 1S63. Our subject 
 and wife have two children: John Jacob, 
 born July 17, 1883; and Louisa Christiana, 
 An{,fust 28, 1884. Mr. Mueller was con- 
 tinned in Germany, March 29, 1S6S, by Rev. 
 Sevin, and is now a member of the Evan- 
 gelical Church in Fraser township. 
 
 HUGUST JACOB FREDERICK 
 RETTKE.— The subject of this 
 review is a typical representative 
 of the sturdy sons of Germany who 
 have played so important a part in the sub- I 
 stantial prop;ress of the United States, to I 
 which they have added an element which 
 has represented the most sterling integrity, ' 
 an indomitable perseverance, and a high re- 
 gard for the institutions and laws of the 
 country which has afforded a home and an 
 opportunity to rise in tliL world. Mr. Rettke | 
 was born in Kirgkow, district of Louenburg, 
 Pommern, Germany, on the 29th of Octo- 
 ber, 1849, being the son of Frederick and 
 Henrietta (Pitsch) Rettke. 
 
 Frederick Rettke was born April 8, 1 824, 
 and in his native laiui was idcntitied with the 
 agricultural industrj- for a long term of years. 
 He set sail from Bremen in 1S72 and came 
 to America, where he joined his son August, 
 our subject, of Saint Louis. His marriage 
 to Henrietta Pitsch occurred in June, 
 1849, the date her birth having been June 
 6, 1825. She accompanied him to the New 
 World, in 1872, and here she passed the 
 residue of her life, her death occurring Au- 
 gust 27, 1886. Of their children four are 
 
 yet living, the record of the entire number 
 39 
 
 being as follows: August, subject of this 
 sketch; John, deceased; Ernestina, deceased; 
 Charles; Pauline; Ferdinand, deceased; two 
 who died in early childhood; and Henry. 
 
 August J. F. Rettke left his native land 
 when a young man of twenty years, setting 
 sail from Bremen on the 17th of June, 
 1869, and landing at Baltimore in due 
 course of time, disembarking .\ugust 4th. 
 During the first eight months after his ar- 
 rival here he was employed on a farm in 
 Maryland, after which he passed one year 
 at Detroit, Michigan, going thence to Saint 
 Louis, Missouri, where he was occupied as 
 a general laborer for one year. He then 
 began to learn the trade of brick-mason, 
 and, becoming an expert workman, he be- 
 gan contracting in the line on his own re- 
 sponsibility, being thus occupied from the 
 year 1880 up to May 19, 1894, which was 
 the date of his arrival in Martin county, 
 Minnesota. He had effected the purchase 
 of his present fine farm in September, 1893, 
 and here he at once took up his abode, giv- 
 ing himself energetically to its cultivation 
 and improvement. His farm comprises the 
 southwest quarter of the southeast quarter 
 of section 20, and one-half of the northeast 
 quarter of section 29, i)esides lots 3 and 4 
 of that section, in Rutland township, the 
 entire area of the tract being 185 acres. 
 The farm has a good house and barn, and 
 other buildings have been erected by our 
 subject since taking possession of the place. 
 There are 120 acres under cultivation, and 
 the place has a line grove covering four 
 acres. 
 
 December 21, 1877, Mr. Rettke was 
 united in marriage to Miss Christina Kitep- 
 per, who was born November 8, 1857, the 
 daughter of Henry and Christina (Rather) 
 KUtpper. Mr. and Mrs. Rettke are the 
 
73f^ 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 parents of seven children, whose names, 
 with respective dates of birth, are here 
 given: August, born January 15, 1878; 
 Emma, May 7, 1880; Otto, September 16, 
 1882; Hulda, June 21, 1885; Luki, Novem- 
 ber 7, 1888; Matilda, March 20, 1891; and 
 Olinda, February 27, 1894. 
 
 Our subject and wife arc members of 
 the German Evangelical Church, being iden- 
 tified with the congregation of which the 
 Rev. F. L. Frey is pastor, in Fairmont. In 
 his political belief our subject is a stanch 
 Republican. 
 
 aHARLES HENRY SANDON.— 
 Prominent in professional circles 
 of Jackson county stands the gen- 
 tleman whose name introduces this 
 record. For many years he was connected 
 with the agricultural interests of the county 
 and was one of the leading and influential 
 farmers. The day when the farming class 
 was considered inferior to the commercial 
 and professional man has long since passed, 
 and their power is felt like the strong and 
 steady undercurrent of a mighty stream, 
 often unseen but felt and obeyed. In what- 
 ever calling, however. Judge Sandon is 
 found he will always prove a valued citi;;en. 
 He was born in Northampton, England, 
 on the 7th of October, 1844, and is a son of 
 Thomas and Eliza (Goodwin) Sandon, 
 wealthy people of England. In the spring 
 of 1 844 the father emigrated to .America, 
 landing in New York, and thenco made his j 
 way to Dane county, Wisconsin, where he 
 pre-empted a tract of land in Burke town- 
 ship. He was accompanied on the emigra- 
 tion by his wife antl six children. He con- 
 tinued farming on his original claim through- 
 out his remaining da)s and passed awa\' at 
 
 his Wisconsin home in June, 1863, at the 
 age of sixty-nine years. His wife continued 
 to live on the old homestead for two years, 
 then went to Ontario, Wisconsin, where she 
 died, in 1867, at the age of sixty-eight. 
 This worthy couple were the parents of the 
 following children: Samuel Thomas, who 
 carries on farming in Dane county; Robert, 
 a retired merchant and real-estate dealer 
 living in Madison, Wisconsin; William, an 
 agriculturist (jf Ontario, Wisconsin; Sarah 
 Ann, who became the wife of P. C. Chap- 
 man, and is now the widow of Hermann Sat- 
 terlee, a resident of Chicago; Harriet, de- 
 ceased wife of B. R. Ellis; Charles Henry; 
 and Elbert \\''ashington, a merchant, who is 
 also operating a sawmill and fiourmiil in 
 Ontario, Wisconsin. 
 
 Mr. Sandon, whose name heads this 
 sketch, was brought to America by his par- 
 ents during his infancy and was reared on 
 the old home farm in Dane county, and con- 
 tinned with his father until after the break- 
 ing out of the Civil war. In September, 
 1 861, in Ripon, Wisconsin, he offered his 
 services to the Government, joining Com- 
 pany G, First Wisconsin Cavalry, in which 
 he served for three years, being then honor- 
 ably discharged in November, 1864. He par- 
 ticipated in a number of important engage- 
 ments, including the battles of Chicka- 
 inauga, Dalton, Kenesaw Mountain and At- 
 lanta, and during his term was always found 
 at his post of duty, — faithful to the old Hag 
 and the cause it represented. 
 
 Afttr his return home he attended school 
 for a year, and then began farming in his 
 own interest. In September, 18C6, he 
 crossed the Mississippi into Minnesota and 
 took up his residence in Jackson county, 
 purchasing 200 acres of land on section 29, 
 Wisconsin township. In the spring of 1867 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 IV) 
 
 he brought his family hither and began life 
 in earnest. He adiled to his first pur- 
 chase another tract of forty acres and 
 placed the greater part of it under a high 
 state of cultivation. He met with some 
 reverses, for grasshoppers destroyed four 
 crops and at another time a crop was 
 partly demolished by hail; yet he overcame 
 these difficulties by persistant effort and his 
 perseverance and diligence have secured for 
 him a comfortable competence. He con- 
 tinued his farming operations until the 
 winter of 1891, when he came to Jackson 
 and has since made his home in this city. 
 
 On the 28th of November, 1 865, was con- 
 summated the marriage of Mr. Sandon and 
 Miss Sarah Jane Fields, daughter of Will- 
 iam Alonzo and Mary Ann ili^dsel) Fields. 
 The lady was born September 12, 1847, and 
 by her marriage has become the mother of 
 an interesting family of children, namely: 
 Joseph Elbert, who was born December 22, 
 1867, and died December 5, 1888; Harriet 
 Ethel, who was born June 8, 1870, and 
 died January 2, 1889; Viola Antoinette, 
 who was born April 27, 1873, and is now 
 teachingschool in Jackson county ; E. Stella 
 Agnes, born September 18, 1875; Nettie 
 Frances, who was born NoveinbiM" 4, 1878; 
 Harry Heman, born February 6, 1 88 1 ; 
 Samuel E., born December 24, 18S4; Will- 
 iam Alonzo. born March 30, 1887; and Rob- 
 ert Cassius, born .\ugust 8, 1888. Tiie 
 Sandon household is the abode of hospital- 
 ity and its members rank high in the social 
 circles in which they move. 
 
 Mr. Sandon holds membershiji in the 
 Ancient Order of United Workmen, the 
 Independent Order of Odd Fellows and John 
 A. Myers Post, No. 60. G. A. R. He is the 
 same loyal citi/en in times of peace as when 
 in the days of war he followed the stars an<l 
 
 stripes which now float triumphantly over the 
 united nation. In the autumn of 1889 he 
 was elected Probate Judge on the Republi- 
 can ticket, was re-elected in 1891 and 
 again in 1893, so that he is yet serving. 
 Only merit wins re-election and therefore 
 we could give no higher testimonial of his 
 ability and fidelity. He was the first 
 Assessor of Wisconsin township, was its 
 clerk for si.xteen years and has filled all other 
 township offices, called to public life by his 
 fellow-townsmen who repose in him the 
 utmost conlitience, — a confidence that has 
 never been betrayed. 
 
 @EORGE H. DONBARG, a prosper- 
 ous merchant of the \'illage of 
 Wells, Minnesota, is a native of 
 the neighboring State of Wiscon- 
 sin, his birth having occurred in the city of 
 Racine on the 24th of March, 1852. He is 
 the only child of (jeorge A. and Ruth A. 
 (Thomas) Donbarg, both natives of New 
 York. The father was born in the year 
 1827, and on attaining his majority started 
 out in life for himself. Hj' trade he was a 
 carpenter and for several years followed that 
 occupation in Kaciiie, whence he later re- 
 moved to Columbia county, Wisconsin, 
 where his remaining days were passed, his 
 death occurring in 1863. Like her husband, 
 Mrs. Donbarg was born in the Empire State, 
 and was a daughter of Jacob and Koxanna 
 Thomas. 
 
 The gentleman whose name introduces 
 this record was a lad of only eleven sum- 
 mers at the time of bis father's death, and 
 shortly after removed with the family to 
 Portage, Wisconsin, where the succeeding 
 four \'ears of his life were passed. He sub- 
 secpiently learned the jeweler's trade, which 
 
740 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 he lias since successfully followed, and to- 
 day he is the leading jewelry merchant in 
 Wells. He was a young man of twenty- 
 four years when he came to Minnesota and 
 located in this town, which he believed 
 offered a fine opportunity for the develop- 
 ment of his particular line of business. In 
 this view he was r.ot mistaken. The town 
 had not long since sprung into e.xistence, 
 becoming a flourishing young village, and in 
 1876 it gained a wide-awake and enterpris- 
 ing young business man in the person of Mr. 
 Donbarg, who established a jewelry store, 
 which he has since conducted. He has a 
 complete stock of goods, carefully selected, 
 and is now enjoying a good trade. He has 
 also for some years been the owner of the 
 leading livery barn in the town, and has 
 owned some exceptionally fine horses, of 
 which he is very fond. 
 
 On the 24th of March, 1877, Mr. Don- 
 barg was united in marriage with Miss Mamie 
 Barnes, a native of New Hampshire, who 
 at an early age was left an orphan and was 
 reared by Mr. and Mrs. George A. Barnes. 
 They now have two children, — Mamie and 
 Daisy, — who are still at their parental home. 
 Mr. Donbarg is a pleasant, genial gentle- 
 man, a fa\orite with all classes of people, 
 and is numbered among the most progressive 
 and enterprising citizens of the county in 
 which he now makes his home. 
 
 '^Y'OHN DIEHL, one of the prosperous 
 ^ and popular agriculturists of Frascr 
 A 1 township, Martin county, Minnesota, 
 is a native of Prussia, Germany, 
 where he was born on the 6th day of June, 
 1822, the son of George and Louisa (Wcrtz) 
 Diehl. The father died in 1859, but the 
 mother lived to attain the venerable age of 
 
 eighty years, her demise occurring in 1892. 
 They were the parents of two children, 
 Frederick and John, the latter being the im- 
 mediate subject of this review. 
 
 John Diehl left his native land in April, 
 1854, and on reaching America made his 
 way at once to Scranton, Pennsylvania, 
 where he was employed in the mines during 
 one winter. After this he devoted his at- 
 tention to work at his trade, that of stone- 
 mason. From Pennsylvania he went to 
 Cedarburg, Ozaukee county, Wisconsin, 
 where he worked at his trade until the fall 
 of 1 868, when he came to Martin county, 
 Minnesota, and here commenced operations 
 in an agricultural line by working the farm of 
 his son-in-law, Mr. Viesselman, on section 
 4, Fairmont towMiship. In 1870 he took 
 possession of his present fine farm, which 
 comprises the northwest quarter of section 
 24, Fraser township, ninety acres of the 
 tract being under cultivation. The place 
 has substantial improvements in the way of 
 buildings, and, in addition to completing 
 these important evidences of thrift and pros- 
 perity, our subject has also a fine grove of 
 si.x and one-half acres, the trees of which 
 were set out by himself. 
 
 The marriage of Mr. Diehl was consum- 
 mated .March 5, 1846, when he joined heart 
 and hand with Dora Bender, who was born 
 October 8, 1825, the daughter of Conrad 
 and Henrietta (Emerich) Bender, natives of 
 Germany. She was the second of their 
 three children, the others being Elizabeth 
 and Henry. Our subject and his estimable 
 wife became the parents of nine children, 
 namely: Frederick, born .\ugust 29, 1847; 
 Elizabeth, born September 22, 1849; Kate, 
 March 14, 1851; Minnie, Decembers, 1854; 
 Lotta, May 1, 1856; Adolph, August 29, 
 1859; Mary, June 6, 1862; Henry, .\pril 26, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 7P 
 
 1865; and Ida, who was born January 4, 
 1869, and died at the age of two years. 
 
 Mr. Diehl is a member of the German 
 E\angehcal Church and is identified with 
 the organization presided over by Rev. F. L. 
 Frey, at Fairmont. In his poHtical adher- 
 ency he lends his support to the Democratic 
 party and its principles. A man of vener- 
 able age, he has so lived as to gain the good 
 will and esteem of the people among whom 
 he has made his abiding place for so many 
 years, and his entire career has been marked 
 by scrupulous integrit\- and honor. 
 
 *| ^ i:XRV WETENKAMP. a farmer 
 »'^\ of Martin county, was born in 
 M. . r ^^'asanstadt, Germany, May 22, 
 1828, a son of Ludwig and Maria 
 (Kerhoff) Wetenkamp. Ludwig \N'eten- 
 kamp was one of five children, \\z. : Albert, 
 Henr\', Christian, William and Margarita. 
 He was twice married, and to the first union 
 were born two children: Maria, deceased 
 when young; and Henry, the subject of this 
 sketch. The wife and mother died when 
 the latter was only one year old, and the 
 the father afterward married again and had 
 one child, Frederick, born in 1836, married 
 Maria Kipke, and is a farmer in the old 
 country. 
 
 Henry Wetcnkaiiii\ our subject, was 
 engaged in farming in his native country 
 until I 880, having owned 200 acres of land. 
 He subsequently rented his farm and opened 
 a resort saloon, and also served as agent for 
 the North German Lloyd Steamship Com- 
 pan}'. Leaving Bremen, October 23, 1878, 
 he landed in Baltimore, November 8, fol- 
 lowing, after which he farmed on rented 
 land near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one year, 
 and then, March 18, 1879, came to Martin 
 
 county, Minnesota. He purchased a farm 
 in section 36, Fo.x Lake township, built a 
 residence there the same year, and remained 
 on that ]ilace until 1S90, since which time 
 he has resided in Welcome. Since Sep- 
 tember 8, 1893, he has been interested with 
 his son in a saloon in this city. 
 
 Mr. Wetenkamp was first married to 
 Christiana Strongmami, a daughter of Fred- 
 erick and Maria (V'ichmann) Strongmann. 
 One child was born by that marriage, Fred- 
 erick, in Germany, in December, 1853, and 
 is now superintendent of the county poor 
 farm in Milwaukee. He married Agnes 
 Rose, and they have one child, Mary. 
 March 20, 1857, Mr. Wetenkamp was united 
 in marriage with Annie Hulsemann, who 
 was born November 21, 1834. They have 
 had the following children: Dicdrich Henry, 
 born October 20, 1857, was proprietor of a 
 saloon at Amboy, Blue Earth county, mar- 
 ried ILrnestina Sachrom, and died in July, 
 1894; Anna Maria, born June 17, 1859, 
 died on the following day; Henry Frederick, 
 born July 22, i860, married Lena Hulse- 
 mann, and is engaged in the saloon business 
 with his father; Dorothea Lucy Adeline, 
 born October 1, 1862, died May 26, 1863; 
 John Christopher, born November 28, 1864, 
 married Hannah Rothkamp and is a butcher 
 in Milwaukee; August Hermann, born Jan- 
 uary 28, 1867, is engaged in the same occu- 
 pation in Welcome, was married November 
 16, 1893, to .\ugusta Schacht, and they 
 have one child, Walter, born February 26, 
 1894; Herman Frederick, born June 2, 
 1869, died November 7, of the same year; 
 William Henry, born Drcember 15, 1870, 
 is working with his brother Christopher in 
 Milwaukee, was married to Enuna Ziemann, 
 and they have two children, Christopher and 
 Otto; Anna Maria, born September 21, 
 
MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 1873, is at home; and Augusta Maria, born 
 June 29, 1876, married William Wolford, 
 who was formerl)- a teacher but is now en- 
 gaged in farming near Sherburne, and they 
 have one son, Henry. The children were 
 all baptized in the Church of Schniolforden, 
 Germany, by Rev. Purckel. Mr. Weten- 
 kamp was confirmed in the Lutheran Church 
 in Germany when fourteen years old. He 
 is a Republican in his political views. 
 
 >^OHX HENRY BKOUT, a farmer 
 J of Martin county, was born in Han- 
 /» 1 over, Germany, September 9, 1838, 
 ^"^ a son of Ernest and Sophia fSchrader) 
 Brodt. Grandfather Brodt had the follow- 
 ing children; William, Ernest, Sophia and 
 Margarita. The latter's son came to 
 America in 1853, but his residence is now 
 unknown. Ernest Brodt, born December 
 5, 1805, died in December, 1862, having 
 been a life-long farmer in the old country. 
 The mother of our subject, born in Febru- 
 ary, 1 807, came to America in 1 876, and 
 died at the home of her daughter ^fary, in 
 September, 1880. They were the parents 
 of the following children: Frederick, born 
 in September, 1833, died in September, 
 1847; Sophia, born June 3, 1835, married 
 Henry Frank, and died in September, 1863; 
 John Henry, the subject of this sketch; 
 Hermann, born June 24, 1841. died in Ger- 
 many in July, 1856; Philip, born in Decem- 
 ber, 1843, died in January, 1846; Mary, 
 born August 15, 1847, married Henry 
 Plenge, and they are now engaged in agri- 
 cultural pursuits in LaCrosse county, Wis- 
 consin. Their children are; Minnie, Emma, 
 William, Carl, Lewis and Alfred. 
 
 John Henry Brodt sailed from Bremen 
 December 3, 1866, and, after landing at 
 
 New York, came direct to La Crosse county, 
 Wisconsin, where he worked for wages six 
 months. He next farmed on 160 acres of 
 rented land for seven years, after which, in 
 1S74, he purchased 160 acres in Berry 
 townshij), and remained on that place until 
 coming to Martin county, Minnesota, Octo- 
 ber 9, 1879. During the first five years in 
 this county Mr. Brodt rented the farm of 
 William Viesselman, in section 2, Rolling 
 Green township, and then purchased the 
 land he now owns, on which he erected a 
 residence in April, 1883. He did not locate 
 permanently on the place until 1884, and his 
 present residence was built in 1893. In 
 October, 1890, he purchased the farm of F. 
 Bruggerman, consisting of 260 acres, and 
 his son, Henry F. , now farms a part of that 
 place. 
 
 Mr. Brodt was married in Germany No- 
 vember 25, 1864, to Minnie Krusmann, who 
 was born November 6, 1842, a daughter of 
 Henry and Sophia (Lussing) Krusmann. To 
 this union have been born the following chil- 
 dren; Mary Sophia, born September 3, 
 1865, died September 27, 1866; Henry 
 William, born June 29, 18C7, the first of 
 the family born in America, died January 
 29, 1869; Henry Charlie, born April 3, 
 1869, was married February 23, 1893, to 
 Sophia Barg, and they have one child, 
 Chester; Lewis William, born August 21, 
 1 87 1, is at home; Carl Henry, born June 12, 
 1873; Elizabeth Lottie, born May u, 1875, 
 was married April 7, 1893, to George Plum- 
 off, and they have one son, Lewis; Minnie 
 Dora, born December 3, 1877, is at home; 
 Hermann W., born November 14, 1880; and 
 one deceased in infanc\'. 
 
 In political matters, Mr. Brodt affiliates 
 with the Democratic party. He is a mem- 
 ber of Rc\-. F. L. Frey's church. 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 743 
 
 HSA GLEASON, a farmer of Fari- 
 bault county, was born in Cayuga 
 county, New York, February 23, 
 1 8 16, a son of Adonijah Gieason, a 
 native of Connecticut and a soldier in the 
 war of 1 81 2. The mother, itcc Cynthia 
 Bell, was a native of Vermont and a daugh- 
 ter of James Bell, who served as a Revolu- 
 tionary soldier three years and six months. 
 In 1823 Adonijah Gieason and wife moved 
 to Ripley county, Indiana, where they were 
 among the early pioneers, and in 1857 they 
 located in Winona county, Minnesota, both 
 dying there at the age of eighty-five years, 
 the tTiother in July and the father in the 
 following October, 1865. They had been 
 married sixty-two years, and had twelve 
 children, eleven of whom grew to years of 
 maturity, namely: Parson, Justus, Bath- 
 sheba, Adonijah, Cynthia, Phoebe, Ira, New- 
 bur)-, Asa, \\'illiain H. and Elisha. In poli- 
 tical matters, the father was first a Whig 
 and afterward a Republican. He was a 
 local Baptist minister, and was a zealous 
 worker in the Master's cause on the frontier. 
 Asa Gieason, the subject of this sketch, 
 was reared on the frontier, and learned and 
 followed the cooper's trade in early life. In 
 1852 he moved to Rock county, Wisconsin, 
 where he remained two years, spent the fol- 
 lowing two years in Moultrie county, Illi- 
 nois, in 1856 located in Winona county, 
 Minnesota, and in 1864 came to Faribault 
 county. He purchased 160 acres of good 
 land, on which he has made many im- 
 provements. 
 
 Mr. Gieason was married at the age of 
 twenty-one years, in Ripley county, Indiana, 
 to Sarah Knotts, a native of \'irginia, and 
 they had four children, two now living. 
 Cynthia was married at the age of twenty 
 years to Anson Spencer, a native of New 
 
 York. During the late war he enlisted in 
 the Ninth Minnesota Infantry, Company K, 
 was taken prisoner at Mill Springs, Kentucky, 
 and remained in the Rebel prisons of Ander- 
 sonville and Salisbury until his death at the 
 age of twenty-eight years. He left two 
 children, Erma and Chester. Mrs. Spencer 
 has a good farm of 160 acres just east of her 
 father's place. The other surviving child of 
 our subject, Mar\', is the wife of Andrew 
 J(jhnson. of Windom, Minnesota, and an ex- 
 soldier of the late war. The deceased chil- 
 dren are William Thomas and Asa Samuel, 
 the former dying in infancy, and the latter 
 died at the age of nine years. Mrs. Gieason 
 died ten years after her marriage. Our sub- 
 ject afterward inarried Elizabeth King, a 
 daughter of Sidney King, of Kentucky. She 
 departed this life at Moline Illinois, 1851. 
 In political matters, Mr. Gieason connects 
 himself with the Republican party, and has 
 served as Township Supervisor and as a 
 member of the School Board. 
 
 ai 
 
 ILLIAM ERNEST VETTER, a 
 farmer of \\'averly township, 
 Martin county, was born in Bres- 
 lau, Prussia, Germany, January 
 
 18, 1848, a son of Gotlieb and Anna (Hoff- 
 mann) Vetter. Gotlieb was born September 
 
 19, 1817, and was one of three children, — 
 Gotlieb, Carl and Johaimah. He came to 
 America May i, 1S67, and joined his son, 
 the subject of this sketch, in Clinton county, 
 Iowa. He was a blacksmith in the old 
 country. His death occurred October ig, 
 1884. The mother of our subject, born 
 January 10, 1822, died in Germany, Octo- 
 ber II, 1856. Gotlieb and Anna Vetter 
 were married October 22, 1843, and had 
 the following children: Robert, born May 2, 
 
744 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 1 844, was killed at Nashville, Tennessee, 
 December 16. 1864, while a soldier in the 
 late war; Gotlieb, born February 5, 1846, 
 died when only twenty -four days old; Will- 
 iam Ernest, our subject; Anna, born April 
 21, 1849, died July 4, of the same year; 
 Paulina, born June 5, 1850, died June 24. 
 following; Mary, born May 3, 1852, died 
 August 25, of the same year; Adam, born 
 November 27, 1853, is deceased; Henrietta, 
 born February 8, 1855, married John Koe- 
 nig. of this count)'; and Leberecht, born 
 October 11, 1856, died when four da3s old. 
 
 William Ernest \'etter emigrated to 
 America December i, 1864. His brother 
 Robert came to this country the year pre- 
 vious, and was then in the army. William 
 spent the first winter here engaged in chop- 
 ping wood in Henry county, Illinois, and in 
 the spring of 1865 went to Clinton count}', 
 Iowa, where he worked for wages five jears. 
 September 13, 1870. he enlisted in the 
 United States army, at Davenport, that 
 State, was sent to Ft. Leavenworch barracks, 
 served in Indian Territorj-, Kansas. Texas, 
 New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana 
 and Dakota, and was discharged at the close 
 of his five years' service. Returning to 
 Clinton county, Mr. Vetter worked for 
 wages a year and a half, and then farmed 
 on rented land until he came to Martin 
 county, Minnesota, in January. 1S85. He 
 rented land here for about two years, and 
 in the fall of 1888 purchased the farm he 
 now owns, of J. L. Higgins, located in sec- 
 tion 30, Waverly township. He now owns 
 1 60 acres of good land, i 50 acres of which 
 is under a fine state of cultivation. 
 
 Mr. Vetter was married February 1 3, 
 1S77, to Miss Adeline Miller, born .\pril 18, 
 1859, a daughter of Frcdcritk and Dorothea 
 (Koch^ Miller They had the following 
 
 children: William Frederick, born January 
 24, 1878; Henry August, February 6, 1880; 
 Adelina, November 23, 1883; Frederick 
 John. May 23, 1887; Henry Reinhardt, born 
 February 23, 1889, died April 25, follow- 
 ing; and Minnie, born July 25, 1891. The 
 wife and mother departed this life Septem- 
 ber 20, 1891. May 15, 1892, Mr. Vetter was 
 united in marriage with Miss Bertha Caro- 
 line Meier, born March 13, 1867, a daugh- 
 ter of Christian and Bertha (Latz) Meier. 
 They have had two children: Matilda, born 
 March 27, 1893, died June 16, following; 
 and John, born June 27, 1894, died Jan- 
 uary 19, of the following year. Mr. Vetter 
 was confirmed in the Lutheran Church at 
 Schroet/, Germany, October 6, 1861, by 
 Rev. Fisher. In political matters, he affil- 
 iates with the Democratic party, and is now 
 serving as Clerk of his school district and as 
 Justice of the Peace. 
 
 EEXRV WEISEMANN, a farmer of 
 I'raser township, Martin county, 
 was born in Will county, Illinois, 
 April 2, 1858, a son of Ernest and 
 Mary (Gieske) Weisemann. The father was 
 born in Germany, July 24, 1S23, and is now 
 living in Sherburne. The mother was born 
 February 15, 1822. They were married in 
 Germany and came to America in 1856, locat- 
 ing in Will county, Illinois. In March, 1884, 
 they came to Martin county, Minnesota, and, 
 in company with his father, our subject pur- 
 chased the south half of the north quarter and 
 the north half of the south quarter of section 
 18, Frascr township, and both families 
 moved on the farm. About 1890 Henry 
 Weisemann purchased the north half of the 
 north quarter of section 18, thus making a 
 quarter section in one body. In 1894 lie 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 745 
 
 sold eif;hty acres of his land, but still owns 
 240 acres, iSo acres of which is under a line 
 system of cultivation and contains all the 
 necessary farm improvements. 
 
 Mr. Weisemann was married N'ovi'mher 
 21, 187S, to Louisa Mackobcn, born Janu- 
 ary 21, 1 861, a daughter of .August and 
 Sophie (Hoislier) Mackeben. They have 
 had seven children, namely: Mary, born 
 January 19, 1S82: I'Vederick, March 4, 
 1884; Henry, January 6, 1886; William, 
 August 2, 1887; Ernest, October 20, 1889; 
 Lydia, March 21, 1892; and Louie, I'ebru- 
 ary 14, r894. 
 
 In political matters, Mr. Weisemann 
 allies himself with the Democratic party. 
 
 EKNKY THIEBOALDT, County 
 Commissioner of Jackson county, 
 was born in Holstein, Germany, 
 December i, 1849, a son of Hans 
 Henry and Catherine Mehs) Thieboaldt, 
 natives also of that place. .After coming to 
 the United States, the family located at 
 Davenport, Iowa, where the father died 
 when Henry was ten years old. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Thieboaldt had four children, — Cecelia, 
 Hcnr\-, and Emma, and Hans, deceased. 
 After the father's death, the mother again 
 married, and to that union was born one 
 daughter, Laura Amelia, now deceased. 
 The family were members of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 Henry Thieboaldt, our subject, was reared 
 in Scott county, Iowa, and received a 
 good education in both the German and 
 English languages. In 1882 he purchased 
 wild land in Siou.x \'alley township, Jackson 
 county, Minnesota, which is now one of the 
 most valuable farms in the township, con- 
 sisting of 268 acres. In his political rela- 
 
 tions, Mr. Thieboaldt has been iilentitied 
 with the Democratic part)' for many years. 
 He has served as Township Supervisor, as 
 Township Clerk four years, as Justice of the 
 Peace, Assessor, and as a member of the 
 School Board. 
 
 Our subject was married in Scott county, 
 Iowa, to Miss Abelle Puck, a native of Hol- 
 stein, Germany, but she was reared and 
 educated in this countrj-. Bj' this union 
 there were eight children, seven now living, 
 vi/. : John, aged twenty-two years; Willie, 
 nineteen years; Amanda, si.xteen years; 
 Emma, twelve years; Amelia, eight years; 
 Laura, si.\ jears; and Huldah, four years. 
 The third child, Arvil, died at the age of 
 eighteen months. The wife and mother de- 
 parted this life December 24, 1893. She 
 had been a kind wife and indulgent mc)ther, 
 and was loved by all who knew her. 
 
 (D 
 
 ILL.VKD WESLEY WILTSE, a 
 pioneer settler and well known 
 farmer residing in Lake Belt 
 township, Martin count)', was 
 born in Leon, Cattaraugus county. New 
 York, May 15, 1826, and is of Holland 
 Dutch and English descent. His paternal 
 grandfather, Andrew Wiltsc, was born in 
 Saratoga county. New York, and was de- 
 scended from Holland Dutch ancestors, who 
 located in the Colonies in an early day. He 
 was three times married and reared a large 
 family. The maternal great-grandfather of 
 our subject was born in England, and was 
 the founder of his famil)' in the New World. 
 Ednnmd Wiltse, father of our subject, was 
 also a nati\'e of the Empire State, where he 
 married Serena Holmes. In the year 1844 he 
 emigrated westward with his family, locat- 
 ing in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, before 
 
746 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE C OCX TIES OF 
 
 that State was admitted to the Union. He 
 afterward went to Dodge county, where his 
 death occurred, in June, 1861. he having 
 attained the age of sixty-three years. His 
 wife, who was born in 1800, was called to 
 the home bejond the grave in 1853. In the 
 family of this worthy couple were the fol- 
 lowing children: \\'illard Wesley, whose 
 name heads this review; Merritt Hulbrook, 
 who was born in September, 1827, and is 
 now farming in Nebraska. He married 
 Miss Mary Herrick and they have five chil- 
 dren. Mary Jane, now deceased, became 
 the wife of Isaac Nichols and had one child, 
 Edmund. Lavantia, deceased, became the 
 wife of William Hart and they had one 
 daughter, Dora. Edward has also pas.sed 
 away. Esther Triphena, deceased, after 
 the death of her older sister married Will- 
 iam Hart, and they had two children, Will- 
 iam and Elmer. After the death of his first 
 wife, the father of this family married La- 
 vantia Runyon Holmes. He was one of 
 the pioneer settlers of Wisconsin, and was 
 a man highly esteemed for the many excel- 
 lencies of his character. 
 
 Willard W. Wiltsc spent the first eight- 
 een 3ears of his life in the State of his na- 
 tivity, and the days of his boyhood and 
 youth were unmarked by any event of .spe- 
 cial importance. He then accompanied his 
 father on his removal to the Territory of 
 Wisconsin and lived amid the wild scenes of 
 the frontier, becoming familiar with the 
 experiences of pioneer life. There were 
 many hardships and trials to be borne, yet 
 such a life was not entirely without its 
 pleasures, and a sociability and spirit of 
 helpfulness existed that is scarcely known 
 at the present time, especially in the more 
 populous regions. lie contimicd a resident 
 of Dodge county, Wisconsin, until 1864, 
 
 when, on the i ith of July, he sought a home 
 in Martin county. He had previously visited 
 this locality, coming hither in May, at which 
 time he secured a homestead. He built for 
 himself a home, into which he moved on 
 the 20th of September. While away from 
 home, on the first of June, 1865, this house 
 was destroyed by fire, and everything in it was 
 burned, including some very valuable papers 
 concerning the family history. With charac- 
 teristic energy he began erecting another 
 dwelling, putting up a substantia] log house, 
 which was his place of abode until the com- 
 pletion of his present commodious and com- 
 fortable home, in the autum of 1870. In 
 the meantime he had given his attention 
 partly to another pursuit than that to which 
 he had been reared and which has practi- 
 cally been his life work. In October, 1868, 
 he removed to Jackson, where he was em- 
 ployed as head sawyer by David Cardwell. 
 In the fall of 1870 he returned to his farm 
 and has continuously devoted his energies to 
 its cultivation and further improvement. 
 His home is located on section 21, Lake 
 Belt township, and comprises 1 54 acres, 
 which are well tilled. 
 
 On the 4th of December, 1854. Mr. 
 Wiltse was joined in wedlock with Mary 
 Jane Cardwell, daughter of Hugh and Aba- 
 ' gail (Benson) Cardwell, and the youngest in a 
 family of six children, the date of her birth 
 I being February 8, 1835, and the place Ben- 
 ' nington county, Vermont. The children 
 born to Mr. and Mrs. Wiltse are Edwin 
 ] John, a prosperous farmer of Martin county, 
 I who is represented elsewhere in this volume; 
 ' Alonzo, who was born October 23, 1859, mar- 
 ried Cora Titus and has one child, W' illie El- 
 I mer, who was born June 22, 1888, and is now 
 ' living with onr subject, for his mother died 
 November 9, 1893; Elmer Willard, born 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAX AX/) JACKS OX. 
 
 747 
 
 February 28. 1864, riiarricd Ina Stella Per- 
 soneiis and their cliildren are Guy Elmer 
 and Mary \'ivian. Mr. and Mrs. W'iltse, 
 out of the {TQodness of their hearts, have 
 adopted a daughter, Lena Christina Jorgin- 
 son, who was born November 3, 1879, and 
 finds with thcni a j)lcasant honu' and tender 
 care. All who know this worth}- couple 
 recognize their innate goodness, and their 
 many excellent characteristics have won 
 them the confidence and esteem oi all. They 
 have long resided in Martin county and 
 among the honored pioneer settlers well 
 deserve mention. 
 
 eDWlN JOHN WILTSE, Post- 
 master ami farmer of Lake Belt, 
 Minnesota, and an intelligent and 
 highly respected citizen, is a West- 
 ern man, having spent his entire life in the 
 Mississippi valley. He was born in Dodge 
 county, Wisconsin, on the 4th of June, 1856, 
 and is a son of Willard Wesley and Mary 
 Jane (Cardwell) Wiltse. The ancestrj- of 
 the famil}' is given in connection with the 
 sketch of \y. \y. Wiltse on another page of 
 this work. In the usual manner of farmer 
 lads our subject was reared, aiding in the 
 labors of the fields through the summer 
 months, while in the winter season he at- 
 tended the district schools of the neighbor- 
 hood, thus obtaining a fair education. He 
 remained at home until 1885, with the 
 exception of three years, which was passed 
 in the neighborhood of Owatonna, Steele 
 county, in the employ of different farmers. 
 He began earning his own livelihood by 
 work as a farm hand and throughout his 
 entire life has carriid on agricultural pur- 
 suits. 
 
 Mr. Wiltse purchased his present farm 
 
 on the 18th of March, 1878, the property 
 formerly belonging to William Cardwell and 
 being partially improved. It is located on 
 section 20. Lake Belt township, and is a 
 rich and arable tract susceptible of high 
 cultivation. He began building his rcsi- 
 (Ilmicc on the iilh of June, 1S85, and took 
 up his abode therein on the I7tli of July fol- 
 lowing. On the I oth of October, 1888, he 
 purchased the southeast quarter of the 
 southeast quarter of section 17. Lake Belt 
 township, and of his land 100 acres has 
 been broken, while five and a half acres has 
 been planted in beautiful trees and three 
 acres is a slough. The fields are well tilled 
 and the farm is neat and thrifty in appear- 
 ance, improved with good buildings and sup- 
 plied with other modern accessories. The 
 place is stocked with twenty-nine head of 
 cattle, forty- four head of hogs and six 
 horses. Mr. Wiltse is regarded as one of 
 the leading and successful farmers of the 
 county, managing his affairs with good bus- 
 iness abilit}', and by his well directed efforts 
 securing for himself a comfortable com- 
 petence. 
 
 On the 31st of March, 1885, Mr. Wiltse 
 was united in marriage with Miss Lillian 
 Emma Champine, who was born on the 15th 
 of April, 1862. They began their domestic 
 life on the farm which has since been their 
 residence, and their home has been blessed 
 with two children, a son and daughter. — 
 Wilbur Willard, born January 24, 1887; and 
 Millie, born March 15, 1893. 
 
 Mr. Wiltse took charge of the Lake Belt 
 post-office October 22, 1888, and has since 
 administered its affairs. He has served as a 
 member of the tt)wnship board of Super- 
 visors, and ill his political connections is a 
 Republican, having bi'cn identified with that 
 party since attaining his majorit}'. He is 
 
74S 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COLWTIES OF 
 
 ever true to his duties of citizenship, and ' 
 the best interests of the coinmunity in which 
 he makes his home receive his earnest sup- 
 port. Throuf^hout the neigliborhood he has 
 a wide acquaintance, and his genial, friendly 
 manner has made him a popular and well- 
 liked man. I 
 
 a.\PTAIN EBEX HAKDIXG, a suc- 
 cessful farmer of Faribault county, 
 Minnesota, was born in Lincoln 
 county, Maine, December 28, US30, 
 a son of Captain Josiah and Luella (Mer- 
 rick) Harding, natives also of Maine, the 
 former of English descent and the lat- 
 ter a member of a prominent family of 
 that State. The mother died in i S87 at the 
 age of seventy-seven years. The father was 
 a sailor on salt water all his life, was an offi- 
 cer of his ship, and his death occurred in 
 Maine when he was aged eight}-eight years. 
 Captain Harding and wife were the parents 
 of twelve children, four sons and eight daugh- 
 ters, and three of the sons were soldiers in 
 the late war. Cyrus E. died in the service 
 of his country, and William H. was a mem- 
 ber of a Maine regiment, and now resides in 
 California. 
 
 Eben Harding, the subject of this sketch, 
 spent much of his time with his father on the 
 water during his l)f)yhood days. Eater in 
 life he was captain of a packet which did a 
 profitable business on the sea, and was also 
 in the wholesale and retail fishing trade for 
 a number of years. In April, 1861, Mr. 
 Harding enlisted for service in the late war, 
 entering the Fourth Maine Infantry, under 
 General McClellaii, and took part in the 
 first and second battles of Bull Run. He 
 was afterward appointed Second Lieutenant 
 of Company B, took part in seventeen bat- 
 
 tles, and was five times wounded. May 2, 
 1863. at Chancellorsville, he was severely 
 wounded in the foot b\- a minie ball, for 
 which he now receives a pension. Receiv- 
 ing his discharge in the same year, Mr. 
 Harding came \\'est to Minnesota and pur- 
 chased unimproved land, but his farm is 
 now one of the best in the township. 
 
 In Ma)', 1850, he was united in mar- 
 riage with Elmira Cover, a native of \'er- 
 mont. To that union were born seven chil- 
 dren: Lucinda (a successful teacher), Harry 
 Nelson, Edwin, Emany, Ida W'allis, and two 
 deceased, — Minnie, at the age of three years, 
 and a baby bo}'. The wife and mother died 
 in 18S7, having been a member of the Free- 
 will Baptist Church. In May, 1892, Mr. 
 Harding married Emma .Stedson, who was 
 born, reared, and educated in Lorain county, 
 Ohio, -a daughter of William R. and Hul- 
 dah (Montgomery) Stedson. The father, a 
 native of Massachusetts, died in 1878, and 
 the mother departed this life when Mrs. 
 Harding was a child. In his political rela- 
 tions, Mr. Harding is connected \\\\.\\ the 
 Republican party, and socially is a member 
 of the G. A. R., McGulley's Post, No. 55, 
 of which he has served as Commander for 
 two \ears. 
 
 ^V'^ICNXIS ROONEV, a well-known 
 I I farmer residing near Sherburne, 
 ^^^ Minnesota, is a native of county 
 Down, Ireland, born March 30, 
 1829. For his family histor)', the reader is 
 referred to the sketch of Dennis M. Rooney, 
 in this work. 
 
 Diiinis Rooney was in Wisconsin at the 
 time the Civil war broke out, and November 
 6, 1861, he enlisted in Company E, Seven- 
 teenth Wisconsin \'olunteer Infantry. He 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 749 
 
 participated in the battles of Corinth and 
 \'icksburg, and was with Sherman on his 
 march to the sea; continued in active service 
 until January, 1865, when ho was honorably 
 discharged in South Carolina. 
 
 The war over he returned to his home in 
 Wisconsin, where he remained until Novem- 
 ber, 1867, when he came to Minnesota, first 
 stopping in Winona county, and in March 
 of the following year coming to Martin 
 county and locating on his present farm, 
 the southeast quarter of section twenty-four, 
 township 103, range thirty-three. The first 
 half of this quarter he homesteaded and the 
 other half he secured under the timber- 
 culture claim. 
 
 Mr. Rooney v\-as married in April, 1865, 
 to Annie, daughter of John and Bridget 
 (Carbray) Rooney, and a native of county 
 Sligo, Ireland. The children of Mr. and 
 Mrs. Rooney are as follows: (i) Mary, 
 born February 11, 1866, and died Decem- 
 ber 25, 1893. She was the wife of Henry 
 Alcocks, a carpenter of Welcome, this coun- 
 ty, and she left two little girls, Agnes Stella 
 and Anna May, who have been taken to 
 rear by their grandfather Rooney. (2) Katie, 
 born August 22, 1867. (3) Daniel John, 
 born May, 1868, died in infancy. (4) Ellen, 
 born June 12, 1869, died June 30, 1892. (5) 
 Sarah Jane, born January 6, 1871, is at- 
 tending school at Sherburne. (6) Agnes 
 Josejihine, born December 24, 1873, died 
 December 18, 1893. (7) Francis Henry, 
 born in September, 1875. (8) Thomas, 
 born May 8, 1877. (9) Dennis, born June 
 12, 1879. fio) Delia Ann, born January 
 31, 1881, and (11) James, born January 
 31, 1 88 1, died December 28, 1893. 
 
 Mr. Rooney is one of the oldest settlers 
 in this section of the county, and is as highly 
 respected as he is well-known. He still 
 
 occupies the original house he built on his 
 claim. During his long residence here he 
 has always been public-spirited and gener- 
 ous, and has done his part toward advanc- 
 ing the interests of the community in which 
 he lives. 
 
 >rr'OHN ASCHEMAX, a farmer ..f Far- 
 ■ ibault county, was born in the prov- 
 A J ince of Prussia, Germany, January i, 
 1828, a son of John G. and Mary 
 (Bruner) Ascheman. The father was drafted 
 for service in the German war, but obtained 
 a substitute. The mother was born in Ger- 
 many and died when our subject was 
 eighteen months of age, leaving six children. 
 When John had attained the age of three 
 years he was fully orphaned, by the death 
 of his father, after which he was taken in 
 charge by his paternal uncle, at whose home 
 he was reared. He attended school until 
 fourteen years of age, after which he worked 
 at farm labor for his uncle until the time 
 when he attained his majority. 
 
 Two years later he determined to try his 
 fortune in the New World, and accordingly 
 set sail for Rotterdam, via Eiverpool, for 
 Ouebec, and was thirty-two days on tiie sea. 
 The winter after arriving in this country he 
 spent in the pine woods of Michigan and 
 continued thus engaged Uix five years. 
 
 In 1858 Mr. Ascheman came to Fari- 
 bault county, Minnesota, where he took up 
 a claim of Government land, but three years 
 later he returned East as far as Wisconsin, 
 and for three years was engaged in working 
 in the pineries of that State and Michigan. 
 Coming again to Faribault county, he pur- 
 chased his present farm of 2 i 3 acres, where 
 he has a good residence and many other 
 improvements. 
 
750 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COL'XT/ES OP 
 
 In 1864 Mr. Ascheman enlisted for 
 service in the late war of the Kehellion, 
 entering Company C, Eleventh Minnesot;i 
 Infantry, which was subsequently stationed 
 in turn at Nashville, Richland Station and 
 Gallatin, Tennessee. At the close of the 
 struf;gle he was honorably discharged, at St. 
 Paul, Minnesota. 
 
 At the age of thirty-five years our sub- 
 ject was united in marriage to Mary Powley, 
 a native of Fond du Lac county, Wiscon- 
 sin, and a daughter of John Powley. To 
 this union four children have been born, 
 namely: John, who owns and operates a 
 good farm in this township; Jo., aged 
 twenty-two years, is at home, as is also 
 William, who is now (1895) eighteen years 
 of age; the daughter, Maggie, died at the 
 age of twenty-one years. The wife and 
 mother departed this life in 18.S8. 
 
 In political matters Mr. Ascheman lends 
 his support to the Democratic party and its 
 principles, and religiously he is a member of 
 the Catholic Church. 
 
 HN'TON ROSSKOPF.— Among the 
 many prominent iiidi\i(hials of 
 German birth or extraction who 
 have lent such effective aid in devel- 
 oping the agricultural resources of Martin 
 county, Minnesota, and who have so lived as 
 to gain the esteem and confidence of men, 
 the subject whose life is now under review 
 must be accorded place, being recognized as 
 one of the representative agricult mists of 
 this section. 
 
 A native of Bavaria, Germany, .\Ir. Koss- 
 kopf was born on the 1 3th of June, 1834, 
 the son of Anton and Walberg (Schreiber), 
 Rosskopf. His paternal grandfather, Saxver 
 
 Rosskopf, was three times married, be- 
 coming the father of four sons by the first 
 union (the youngest of these being the father 
 of our subject), of three daughters by the 
 second marriage, and of one son by the 
 third. Saxver Rosskopf was a farmer by 
 occupation, and he died in 1847, aged about 
 sixty \ears. The mother of our subject was 
 the j'oungest of three children, — one boy and 
 two girls, — her father having been engaged 
 in the manufacture of nails by hand, in Ger- 
 many. The father of our subject was born 
 in 1800, and was a prosperous farmer, own- 
 ing his own land, in Germany, where he 
 died at the age of forty-six years. The 
 mother was born in 1807, and she lived to 
 attain the advanced age of seventy-two 
 jears, her death occurring at Milwaukee. 
 Wisconsin, at the home of her daughter, 
 Mary. She was the mother of three chil- 
 dren: Anton is the subject of this sketch; 
 Mary, born in 1837, is the wife of John 
 Reichertger, who is a Cfjoper by trade, being 
 a resident of Milwaukee, Wisconsin: they 
 are the parents of six children; Walberg, 
 the younger sister of our subject, was born 
 in 1840, and is the wife of Frank Anders, a 
 baker at Mankato. Minnesota, their children 
 being six in number. 
 
 After the death of his father our subject 
 assumed chartre of the old home farm in Ger- 
 many, devoting his entire attention to its cul- 
 tivation until the time when the little family 
 determined to seek a new home in America. 
 In company with his mother and two sisters 
 he set sail from Bremen, on the 26th of June, 
 1850, landing in New York on the 26th of 
 August. They came by rail to Chicago, 
 and thence by boat to Milwaukee. From 
 the latter city they proceeded overland to 
 Washington county. Wisconsin, where they 
 purchased sixty acres of land, in .\ddison 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, W A TON WAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 75' 
 
 township, the place being a timber tract 
 anil entirely unreclaimed. To the improve- 
 ment anil cultivation of this farm our sub- 
 ject devoted himself until October 20, 1865, 
 when he came to Minnesota, locating at 
 Owatonna, Steele county, where he worked 
 at the carpenter's trade until 1869, which 
 year witnessed his arrival in Martin county. 
 On March 6, of the year mentioned, he 
 came to his present farm, the purchase of 
 which he had effected the previous year, 
 and for a time he was installed in the home 
 of George Hopp. His original purchase 
 comprised the north half of the northeast 
 quarter and the north half of the northwest 
 quarter of section 6, Fraser township, but 
 he has since added to the area of his pos- 
 session here until he now has 710 acres, 
 lying in Fraser, Waverly and Galena town- 
 ships; when he came to this county to reside 
 he brought with him $215 in cash and thir- 
 teen head of stock, and in this equipment 
 was represented the nucleus of his present 
 prosperity. His home place, in Fraser 
 township, is the headquarters from which 
 he directs the cultivation of his wide- 
 spreading acres, 330 of which are broken. 
 His e.xcellent and attractive farm resi- 
 dence was erected in 1891, and the com- 
 modious barn was completed in the same 
 year. Among other improvements Mr. 
 Kosskopf has planted a fine grove of 
 tvventy-six acres. In addition to general 
 farming he devotes considerable attention 
 to stock-raising, having at the time of this 
 writing si.xteen horses, twenty-eight head of 
 cattle, thirty hogs and a flock of 400 sheep. 
 An ardent supporter of the principles 
 and policies advocated by the Republican 
 party, Mr. Rosskopf has been called upon 
 to serve his township as Supervisor,- — a po- 
 sition which he held for three years. In their 
 
 religious adhcrency both he and his wife are 
 identiiied with the Lutheran Church. 
 
 The marriage of our subject to Hannah 
 Beistl was solemnized August 18, 1856, and 
 her death occurred June 16, 1858, at the un- 
 timely age of twenty-three years. She left 
 one child, Mary, who was born August 3, 
 1857, and who is now the wife of Dr. Her- 
 man Lucas, a resident of I-'airfax, this State. 
 They have had five children, — Rosa, Her- 
 man, Albert, and two others who died in 
 early childhood. The second marriage of Mr. 
 Rosskopf occurred January 7, 1861, when 
 he wedded Elizabeth Heuschmit. daughter 
 of Joseph and Agatha (Mueller) Heuschmit, 
 who came to America, in 1852, with their 
 four children, — Frank, Alowis, .Anton and 
 Elizabeth. The father died of cholera in 
 the succeeding year, being at the time a 
 resident of Dodge county, Wisconsin. He 
 died in the prime of life, being only fifty-one 
 years of age. The mother passed away in 
 1868, at the age of seventy-three years. 
 Mrs. Rosskopf was born May 30, 1857. By 
 her marriage to our subject she is the mother 
 of the following-named children: Matilda, 
 wife of Kudoliili Neueiischwander, to whom 
 indi\i<lu;il reference is made on another page 
 of this volume; Clara, born April 13, 1870, 
 is the wife of Christopher Marr, who is en- 
 gaged in farming in this county; Adolph, 
 born January 23, 1872; and Jo.seph, born 
 March 1, 1874. All are still at the pa- 
 rental home, as is also Elizabeth, who was 
 born March 18, 1876. 
 
 m. 
 
 1LLI.\M IMAMIIOI'F is num- 
 bered among the more recent ar- 
 rivals in Martin countv. but is 
 recognized as one of the repre- 
 sentative and influential agriculturists. Ger- 
 
752 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 A 
 
 many has furnished many worthy citizens to 
 this section (jf the State, but none are more 
 deserving of mention in this \olLinie than the 
 gentleman whose name introduces this 
 review. 
 
 On the /til of March, i S44, he was born 
 in Hanover, German}'. His father, Fred- 
 ericl< Phimhoff, was one of a family of five 
 children, four sons and a daughter, and 
 was born December 25, 1807. His wife 
 died in 1854, when about forty years of age. 
 He survived her almost forty years and was 
 called to his final rest on the i6th of De- 
 cember, 1893. They had five children: 
 Henry, the eldest, born November 10, 1832, 
 married Mrs. Louisa (Zeggel) Hartung, who 
 by her first marriage became the mother of 
 five children, — Amelia, Charles, Emma, 
 Bertha, deceased, and Hcnr}-. The only 
 child of the second marriage, Liz/ie, has 
 also passed away. Dorathea, born in 1834, 
 was married and died in Germany. Fred- 
 erick, born in 1838, married Lena Sumner 
 and died June 17. 1894, leaving the follow- 
 ing children : George, Frederick, .\nna, 
 Louie and Eddie. Sophia, born in 1854, is 
 the wife of Henry Kosenburg and is now 
 living in Martin county. Willia<n completes 
 the family. I'rcderick was the first to come 
 to this country, sailing from the Fatherland 
 in 1 8G6. He made his first location in 
 Cook county, Illinois, and resided there 
 until his removal to Martin county in 1885, 
 at which time he purchased a farm, — con- 
 tinuing its cultivation until his life labors 
 were ended. 
 
 In May, 186S, Mr. Plunihoff of this 
 sketch, accompanied by his brother Henrj' 
 and his father, left Bremen, and after a voy- 
 age across the briny deep lauded at New 
 York, whence he made his way to Cook 
 countv, Illinois. After two weeks, however, 
 
 he went to Missouri with a railroad crew 
 and there worked for two and a half years, 
 when he returned to Cook count}', there 
 spending the succeeding sixteen years of his 
 life. On the 17th of October, 1886, he 
 reached Martin county and has since been 
 identified with its farming interests. He 
 purchased land from the railroad, — 320 
 
 j acres on section 19, Eraser township, — -and 
 added to this until he had 447 acres. Upon 
 the place he built a good barn and residence, 
 and prosperity attended his path until June 
 
 1 13, 1892. On that day a cyclone swept 
 over the country, the roof was carried off 
 both barn and house and other damage 
 done so that new buildings had to be erected. 
 He now has a pretty and comfortable resi- 
 dence and haiiis and outbuildings which in 
 arrangements are models of convenience. 
 
 ; All the improvements on the farm have been 
 placed there by the present owner and are 
 indications of his enterprise and j)rogressive 
 spirit. Mr. Plumhoff sold forty acres of his 
 land to his brother-in-law, (". H. Hartung, 
 but still retains possession of 407 acres, and 
 
 \ 200 acres are comprised within well-tilled 
 fields. There is a tract of three acres of 
 
 j timber upon the place, and the farm is well 
 stocked with eleven horses, fort}' head of 
 cattle and a like number of litigs. 
 
 On the 2 1 St of May, 1877, was cele- 
 brated the marriage of Mr. Plumhoff and 
 Miss Amelia Hartimg, who was born No\em- 
 ber 19, i860, in Illinois, and is a daughter 
 of Henr}' and Louisa (Zegdel) Hartung. 
 Ilcr father died Jul}' 29, I 871, at the age of 
 thirty-seven, and the mother, who was born 
 April 18, 1839, died November 20, 1891. 
 They have but two children: William John, 
 
 j who was born December i i, 1879, and was 
 
 ' confirmed at Welcome, March 18, 1894, 
 by Rev. E. G. Eisenberg; and Bertha, 
 
FARIBAULT, MARJIX. W A TON WAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 born September 6, 1882. The i)areiits liold 
 membership in "the Lutheran Church, Mr. 
 Plumhoff being confirmed in Germany, on 
 Easter day, when fourteen ^ears of age, and 
 his wife at Pk:m Grove. Illinois, March 29, 
 I 874, by Rev. Richard Kreager. 
 
 He is a self-made man, who from an 
 early ago has been dependent upon his own 
 resources. He possesses the best character- 
 istics of his race, an untiring industry and 
 perseverance; and that he has prospered fol- 
 lows as the result of steady application and 
 enterprise. His success, which is so well 
 merited, numbers him among the substantial 
 farmers of the count\-. 
 
 >nr* W ROLLINS, of the f:rm of Palmer 
 J & Rollins, proprietors of the Win- 
 /• J ncbago City Foundry and Machine 
 Shops, Winnebago City, Minnesota, 
 is one of the enterprising and progressive 
 business men of the place. 
 
 Mr. Rollins was born in Lowell, .Massa- 
 chusetts, March 29, 1857, son of Eliphet 
 and Adaline (Newton) Rollins, both natives 
 of Maine and both of English origin, their 
 respective families being prominent in the 
 Pine Tree State. The Newtons were 
 among the leading citizens of Augusta, 
 where Mrs. Rollins was born. In 1857, 
 soon after the birth of the subject of our 
 sketch, his parents came West to Houston 
 county, Minnesota, and settled near Spring 
 Grove, where the father engaged in farming, 
 being among the early pioneers of that 
 vicinity. Some years later he went to the 
 far West, and died. The mother died in 
 Faribault county, at the age of si.xty-live 
 years. The names of their ten children are 
 as follows: Eliphet, Florence E. , Joseph 
 
 40 
 
 v., Ethan, Rufus, Flora, Lydia, Kenland, 
 Putnam and Adelia. 
 
 J. V. Rollins spent his early boyhood 
 days on his father's frontier farm, and re- 
 ceived his education in the public schools. 
 When he was fifteen he began working on 
 the river and in the woods, rafting and haul- 
 ing logs. A few years later he entered the 
 employ of Aultmore & Taylor, of Canton, 
 Ohio, and as their expert machinist trav- 
 eled throughout Minnesota and the Dakotas. 
 He continued on the road until 1887, when 
 he accepted a position in the establishment 
 of Eggabroad & Company, Winnebago City, 
 where he remained three years. At the end 
 of that time he and Mr. Palmer formed 
 their present association, and have been do- 
 ing a prosperous business ever since. 
 
 Mr. Rollins was married November 28. 
 1888, and has four children, — John Ethan, 
 Joseph, Mary and Helen. 
 
 Personally. Mr. Rollins is a man of fine 
 physique. He measures six feet and four 
 inches and weighs two hundred pounds. Of 
 a frank and genial nature, he makes friends 
 wherever he goes, and is as popular as he is 
 well known. Politically, he is independent 
 in his views, and votes for the man rather 
 than the partv. 
 
 /^~^ R- NEWMAN, in charge of the 
 I rT\ railroad office at St. James, was 
 \^^f born in St. Louis, Missouri, De- 
 cember 25, 185S. His father. Dr. 
 L. W. Newman, was born, reared and 
 educated at Norwich, England. He subse- 
 quently became an honored resident of St. 
 Louis, where he followed the practice of 
 meilicine many years. The mother of our 
 subject, lit! Julia Ripley, was born and 
 
?54 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OE 
 
 reared in New York. She departed this 
 Hfe at the age of forty-three years. They 
 were the parents of two sons: G. R. , the 
 subject of this sketch; and WiUiam E., who 
 died at the age of two years. 
 
 G. R. Newman remained in his native 
 place until twenty years old, attending the 
 public schools, and also spent some time in 
 McKendree College of Illinois. From 1 878 to 
 1880 he was engaged in the mercantile busi- 
 ness in Polk county, Oregon; followed the 
 same occupation at New Douglas, Illinois, 
 two years; next removed to Watertown, 
 South Dakota, and found employment on 
 the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, and 
 in 1890 engaged in work on the Chicago, St. 
 Paul & Omaha road, working on both roads 
 for about six months. Since that time Mr. 
 Newman has had charge of the station at 
 St. James. 
 
 At Lebanon, Illinois, in 1880, he was 
 united in marriage with Clara Amos, a 
 native of St. Clair, that State, and a daugh- 
 ter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Knapp) Amos, 
 of English descent. To this union has been 
 born one son, Cecil R. 
 
 In his social relations, Mr. Newman is a 
 member of the Masonic Order, Lodge No. 
 96, and of Chapter No. 2, of South Dakota. 
 He also affiliates with the I. O. O. P., 
 Lodge No. 38, of South Dakota, and of the 
 K. of P. of St. James. In political matters 
 he is a stanch Republican. 
 
 ai 
 
 'ILLIAM DUSTIN, for many years 
 an honored citizen of Faribault 
 county, Minnesota, but since 
 1882 residing in Nebraska, was 
 born in Topsham, Vermont, June 29, 1826, 
 the eleventh of thirteen children. Mr. 
 
 Dustin's genealogical record, now in his 
 possession, — including the record of Han- 
 nah Dustin's parents, Michael Emerson and 
 Hannah Webster, and their family,— reaches 
 back nearly 250 years. William's parents 
 were John K. Dustin and his wife, Sally K. , 
 ncc Thompson. His father was born in 
 Atkinson, New Hampshire, near old historic 
 Haverhill, Massachusetts, in the history of 
 which the first mention is made of the Dus- 
 tin family. In that old town lived Thomas 
 and Hannah Dustin, William's ancestors of 
 the sixth generation preceding him. 
 
 Mrs. Hannah Dustin, above named, and 
 her nurse were captured by the Indians in 
 March, 1697, and taken to an island in the 
 Merrimac river, where they camped for the 
 night. As soon as the Indians were asleep, 
 Mrs. Dustin and her nurse and a boy, who 
 was also a captive, quietly arose and killed 
 all the Indians but one, — eleven in all, — 
 scalped the savages and then took their 
 canoes, and escaped down the river to their 
 homes! But few more daring and success- 
 ful exploits are related in the history of the 
 old Indian wars than this. 
 
 Mr. Dustin obtained his education in the 
 common schools of his native town, and 
 taught a few terms of school, during the 
 winter season, but assisted his father and 
 older brothers on the farm during the sum- 
 mers until the spring of 1847, when he left 
 home for "greener fields," or a more agree- 
 able life, — a mistake, which, he says, has 
 been made by many other farmers' boys as 
 well as himself. Those were the old stage- 
 coach days. The Northern Railroad, from 
 Boston, Massachusetts, had then only reached 
 Franklin, New Hampshire. He says that 
 if the grandmothers in that day had been 
 told that the steam cars would in no very 
 distant time be running over the mountains 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIX, WATOAWAX AXl) JACKSOX. 
 
 r55 
 
 of Vermont they would have claimed that 
 their informants were proper subjects for the 
 lunatic asylum. Mr. Dustin reached Bos- 
 ton the second day after leaving home and 
 found employment with Messrs. Tenne\' 
 Brotiiers. wholesale dealers in silks, rib- 
 bons, laces, etc. , and here he remained ten 
 years, and it was here during these years he 
 received a thorough conmiercial education, 
 which prepared him for the principal busi- 
 ness of his subsequent life. 
 
 He was married July 31, 1854, to Miss 
 Abby Gay, of East Corinth. Maine. They 
 have had four children, all of whom art- 
 now living: William O. and Lewis G., 
 who residf at Elmore. Minnesota; Minnie 
 B., now Mrs. Beaver, who resides at Falls 
 City, Nebraska; and Miss Fannie D.. resid- 
 ing at Dustin, in the latter State. Mrs. 
 Dustin has, during her whole life, taken an 
 earnest and intelligent interest in the cause 
 of education and in all religious, philan- 
 thropic and reformatory societies and enter- 
 prises wherever she has lived. 
 
 In the spring of 1857 Mr. Dustin, acting 
 upon Greeley's famous advice, "Go West, 
 young man, go West," came West by rail- 
 road, via Detroit and Chicago, to Dunleith. 
 on the Mississippi river. There were no 
 railroads then west of that river. Thence 
 they journeyed by steamboat and stage 
 coach to Burns, a small town, seventeen 
 miles east of La Crosse, Wisconsin, where 
 his brother. M. A. Dustin. resided, engaged 
 in the mercantile business. Here they re- 
 mained a year. 
 
 In the spring of 1858. the subject of this 
 sketch joined an o.\ train for Minnesota, and 
 after a good many hardships and adventures, 
 sufficiently interesting to be worthy of rec- 
 ord, they finally reached Faribault county, 
 where Mr. Dustin locatefi on land, near 
 
 Winnebago City; and here he remained en- 
 gaged in farming until 1862. 
 
 Mr. Dustin was elected County Treas- 
 urer of Faribault county in the fall of 1861, 
 and in March, 1862, removed to Blue 
 Earth City, the county seat, and assumed 
 the duties of his office. He was re-elected 
 to the same office in 1863. for a second 
 term, which he served. 
 
 As to his military record, during the war. 
 he says it was not very extensive. At the 
 time of the Indian outbreak in 1862, he en- 
 listed in Captain Wakefield's company of 
 thirty-day men, organized to protect the 
 village and country, and he assisted in 
 building Fort Blue Earth. He was ap- 
 pointed Postmaster at Blue Earth City in 
 1863 and held the oflice until 1865. In the 
 fall of 1863, in company with Wesley Hill, 
 and subsequently with other partners, he 
 engaged in the mercantile business at Blue 
 Earth City until the spring of 1882. when 
 he removed to Nebraska, where he had 
 established a branch store a year' previous. 
 Mr. Dustin has always been deemed a reli- 
 able and strictly honorable merchant. On 
 his removal to Nebraska, he founded the 
 village of Dustin. situated in Holt county, 
 and here he has continued to reside until 
 the present time, engaged in merchandising, 
 but having also business interests at Oak- 
 dale, Nebraska, and at Morrill, Kansas. He 
 was appointed Postmaster at Dustin in 1882, 
 and held the office until 1888. 
 
 Being well known wherever he has re- 
 sided to be a man of integrity and well in- 
 formed as to the public interests, he has filled 
 besides the offices above mentioned many mi- 
 nor offices, both in Minnesota and Nebraska. 
 He was for some years a memberof tlie Board 
 of Education of Blue Earth City School Dis- 
 trict, and was chairman of the Board of Town- 
 
756 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OE 
 
 ship Supervisors of Blue Earth City town- 
 ship for many years, but he has never enter- 
 tained any special ambition for public office. 
 Mr. Dustin allied himself with the Repub- 
 lican party at its birth and has voted for 
 nearly all its presidential candidates, from 
 Fremont to Harrison. He is a member of 
 the Congregational Church, and is always 
 ready to take an active part in all public, 
 moral and social movements which he be- 
 lieves to be for the public welfare, and con- 
 tributes liberally to every good cause. Few 
 men are held in higher esteem for their 
 sterling integrity and unselfish patriotism, 
 and their devotion to social and moral im- 
 provements of the community in which they 
 lived, and none, to an equal extent, carried 
 away with them the hearty good wishes and 
 warm friendship of all who knew them, than 
 has William Dustin from ever}' community 
 in which he has lived. 
 
 WiLLiAN Otis Dustin, of Elmore, Far- 
 ibault county, Minnesota, is a son of Will- 
 iam and Abby Dustin, formerly of Minne- 
 sota, but now residents of Nebraska. He 
 was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, June 
 19, 1856, and came with his parents to Min- 
 nesota in 1858. He received his education 
 in the graded schools of Blue Earth City, 
 which he attended until nineteen years 
 of age; he was in and about his father's 
 store in Blue Earth City from his child- 
 hood, and there learned those correct 
 habits of business taught him by his 
 father, and there acquired that intimate 
 knowledge of every phase of Western 
 store-keeping that formed the guarantees of 
 his future success in that business. He 
 commenced a small business on his own ac- 
 count and managed it well when only a boy 
 twelve years old. When a little over 
 twenty years of age he associated himself 
 
 with John Emerson, and they proceeded to 
 make up a stock of goods, and, loading sev- 
 eral ox teams, started for the Black Hills of 
 Dakota, and were forty-three days on the 
 journey. Locating at Rapid City, they 
 opened up a general store. W^illiam re- 
 mained there, assisting in the business until 
 October, when he returned to Blue Earth 
 City for the winter. He sold his interest in 
 this store the next summer to Mr. Emerson. 
 On his return to Blue Earth City he took up 
 the study of dentistry, under Dr. Hawes, 
 of this place, for several years. 
 
 He was married February 19, 1879, to 
 Miss Loretta E. Nichols, of Blue Earth 
 City. They have not been favored with 
 any children. In 1880, accompanied by 
 his wife, he went to Sycamore, Illinois, and 
 pursued his studies in dentistry, under the 
 direction of Dr. O. H. Smith, D. D. S. 
 Then he returned to Blue Earth City and 
 practiced his profession for some time, when, 
 soon after the starting up of the new village 
 of Elmore, in Faribault county, he felt a 
 longing to engage again in the business of 
 merchandising, and he concluded to open a 
 general store, in a small way, in that vil- 
 lage. He had not a large stock of goods, 
 nor had he much capital; and the project, 
 in some respects, was quite a venture; but 
 he understood his business. He opened his 
 store in 1882, in a room 16 x 26 feet in size, 
 but, his business growing, he soon had to 
 have an addition to the building. 
 
 We have here an illustration of what can 
 be done by a self-reliant young man of in- 
 dustry, energy and good habits, and worthy 
 of the public patronage, because of his fair 
 dealing. Notwithstanding competition, Mr. 
 Dustin's business increased so much that 
 new accommodations had to be provided, 
 and in the spring of 1885 he erected quite a 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 757 
 
 large building, to which additions have since 
 been made until now his store presents a 
 front of 1 08 feet, and is 80 feet in depth and 
 two stories in height. His store for some 
 years could properly be designated a depart- 
 ment store. He has aimed to supply all the 
 wants of his customers in the way of mer- 
 chandise, and keeps in stock any and all 
 kinds of goods that money will bu)'. It is 
 said by those who are qualified to judge that 
 Mr. Dustin is one of the most competent 
 buyers of merchandise in the Northwest. 
 He knows just what and where and when to 
 buy and what he requires for his trade. He is 
 a cash purchaser, and as well-known in busi- 
 ness circles as any merchant in Minnesota. 
 It is an old saying that goods well bought 
 are already half sold. He has also given 
 some attention to real-estate investments, 
 and has become the owner of many dwell- 
 ing-houses in Elmore, and many broad acres 
 of farming lands in the surrounding country. 
 Mr. Dustin was made a Mason in Blue 
 Earth City Lodge. No. 57, Minnesota, and 
 is now a Royal Arch Mason and Knight 
 Templar, and has received the thirty-second 
 degree in the Ancient Accepted Scottish Kite, 
 and is also a member of the Order of the Mys- 
 tic Shrine, and he and his wife are members 
 of the Order of the Eastern Star, and Mrs. 
 Dustin is also a member of Zahrah Ladies' 
 Auxiliary of the Shrine. He takes a great in- 
 terest in Masonry and has attended many of 
 the national convocations of the various 
 branches of the order for some years. He 
 is also a member of the Sons of the Amer- 
 ican Revolution. In politics he has always 
 been a Republican, and was Postmaster at 
 Elmore during President Harrison's admin- 
 istration, but he is not a public-office seeker. 
 He takes an active interest in all public and 
 business enterprises of the community, and 
 
 gives a helping hand when necessary, and is 
 never so well suited as when he sees public 
 and private improvements and business 
 under successful conditions. J. A. K. 
 
 eDWIN BEAMAN KENDALL was 
 born at Belfast, Maine, February 
 26, 1820, attended the common 
 school of his native place and 
 became, largely through unassisted study, 
 an excellent scholar. When a young man 
 he was employed as a cabinet-maker and 
 fancy-molder at Baltimore, Maryland, and 
 in 1S46 went to Philadelphia, where he was 
 united in marriage with Miss Almira Hard- 
 ing, a native of the Pine Tree State, born at 
 Vinal Haven, August 14, 1823. For a num- 
 ber of years he was employed as book- 
 keeper and overseer in the Utica Steam 
 Cotton Mills, of Utica, New York. 
 
 In 1 8 57 he came to Faribault county, 
 Minnesota, and homesteaded 160 acres of 
 land on section 26, Winnebago City town- 
 ship, where he was joined the following year 
 by his wife and family. He immediately 
 began clearing and improving his land, and 
 afterward bought eighty acres on section 7 
 in the township of Barber. He was an 
 honorable and industrious man, acquired a 
 good property and at his death left his 
 family in good circumstances. Although 
 not a politician, he supported the Republican 
 party, and was for many years a member of 
 the Masonic order. He died suddenly at his 
 home, December 23, 1881. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Kendall had four children, 
 namely: Edwin Franklin, born at Fall 
 River, Massachusetts, April i , 1 S49, and 
 now engaged in mining and lumbering in 
 Canada; Henry Edgar, born at Utica, New 
 York, June 3, 1852, deceased in childhood 
 
75S 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 December 23 following; Lucy Dora, born 
 at Winnebago City, January 2, 1861, mar- 
 ried Dr. Seaman, and after his death 
 became the wife of M. O. Tibbits, a banker 
 of Everett, Washington; and Mary Delia, 
 born September 2, 1864, is the wife of C. F. 
 Doty, who conducts the home farm. 
 
 Mr. Kendall's father lived to be eighty- 
 seven years of age, and his mother 102 
 years, 4 months and 5 days! Their home 
 was at Belfast, Maine, where they brought 
 up a large family of children, thirteen in 
 number, of whom the subject of the fore- 
 going sketch was the youngest. 
 
 <V^ KLXO POPPITZ is one of the lead- 
 I f^L ing and influential citizens of Heron 
 J^^_J Lake, prominent in the business 
 and political history of the place 
 and a progressive and public-spirited man 
 who is active!}- interested in all enterprises 
 which are calculated to promote the general 
 welfare. He is the president of the Heron 
 Lake Bank, one of the leading moneyed in- 
 stitutions of the county, and is serving as 
 Postmaster, with credit to himself and satis- 
 faction to his constituents. 
 
 Mr. Poppit/ has sjient the greater part 
 of his life in Minnesota and hasalwa\s lived 
 in the West. He was born in Wisconsin on 
 the lOth of February, 1857, and comes of 
 German ancestry of great intellectual worth. 
 His father, Ernest Poppit/. was born in 
 Sa.xony, Germany, and during the greater 
 part of his life has followed farming, being 
 now one of the successful agriculturists of 
 Augusta, Carter county, Minnesota. That 
 town was named in honor of his wife, 
 Augusta Poppitz. In the family were nine 
 children, — ^si.x sons and three daughters. The 
 father is a Democrat in his political views 
 
 and in his religious belief is a Lutheran, 
 rearing his family in that faith. His success 
 in life is the reward of his own exertions 
 and from a humble position he has worked 
 his way upward to one of affluence. 
 
 The gentleman whose name heads this 
 record was a small boy when his parents re- 
 moved to Carter county, and in the usual 
 manner of farmer lads of that neighborhood 
 he was reared to manhood, lessons of in- 
 dustry and honesty being instilled into his 
 mind 1)\' his worthy parents, — lessons which 
 he has never forgotten and which have 
 colored his after life, making him one of the 
 trusted and prosperous business men of his 
 adopted State. He acquired a good education 
 in the public schools and in the St. Paul Busi- 
 ness College. His first purchase of land made 
 him owner of a tract of 160 acres, upon 
 which he located and began its improvement. 
 It was at this time that the grasshoppers 
 were such a pest in the West, destroying 
 nearly all the crops, and though he suffered 
 from this misfortune and underwent other 
 haniships he stuck to his work until he se- 
 cured the ileed to his farm. Later he sold 
 this land. Other business interests have 
 occupied his time and claimed his energies. 
 IK- worked on tlu- railroad for ten months 
 as a section hand for the Milwaukee road, 
 after which he engaged in buying grain for 
 two years. Coming to Heron Lake he was 
 engaged in business for three and a half 
 years, when he turned his attention to the 
 business of loaning money and buying notes, 
 which proved a profitable source of income 
 and demonstrated his ability in financial 
 matters. In the spring of 1 893 he was 
 elected president of the Heron Lake Bank 
 and has since served in that capacity. 
 Under his able administration the bank has 
 become one of the leading financial institii- 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 759 
 
 tions of the county, having the support and 
 confidence of the public in an extensive 
 degree. 
 
 In Nobles county, Minnesota, when twen- 
 ty-three years of age, Mr. Poppitz was united 
 in marriage to Miss Antonia Berrean, of 
 Carver county, this State, and their union 
 was blessed with two children, but Ed died 
 at the age of six years. The other son, 
 Ernest, now fourteen years of age, is still 
 with his parents. 
 
 In his political affiliations Mr. Poppitz is 
 a Democrat, warmly advocating the princi- 
 ples of his party. He is now filling the 
 position of Postmaster of Heron Lake and 
 his fidelity to duty is seen in the well- 
 ordered office, where affairs are managed 
 to please the public. Socially he is con- 
 nected with the Independent Order of Odd 
 Fellows and with the Ancient Order of United 
 Workmen. In manner he is pleasant and 
 genial, social and affable, and is very favor- 
 ably regarded by all classes of people. He 
 is an intelligent and enterprising citizen, 
 whose success in business is justly deserved, 
 for it has come to him through energy, in- 
 dustry and perseverance, supplemented by 
 keen discrimination and clear judgment. 
 
 «-|-» EONARD L. WILCOX is one of 
 
 I I the prominent citizens and well-to- 
 
 I ^ do farmers of Faribault county, 
 
 Minnesota, his post-office address 
 
 being Winnebago City. 
 
 Mr. Wilcox dates his birth in Chitten- 
 den county, Vermont, March i6, 1819. He 
 is descended from a family who have long 
 been residents of this country, the Wilcox 
 family having been established in America 
 by three brothers of that name who came 
 here from England and settled in Rhode 
 
 Island. Joseph Wilcox, the grandfather of 
 our subject, was born in Rhode Island, and 
 was one of the pioneer settlers of Harris- 
 burg, Vermont. He was a veteran of the 
 Revolution. His son, John, the father of 
 Leonard L. , was born in Vermont, and 
 was a soldier in the war of 1812. He mar- 
 ried Althea Spaulding, a native of Harris- 
 burg and a daughter of Josiah Spaulding, 
 who was born in Connecticut. John and 
 Althea Wilcox had thirteen children, namely: 
 Leonard L. , Lewis, Hannah, Laura, Electa, 
 Sophia, Hiram, Alfred, Daniel, Henry, 
 Louisa, Mary and Cyrus. The mother died 
 at the age of seventy-five years, and the 
 father was eighty at the time he passed 
 away. He was a farmer by occupation, 
 and in politics was first a Democrat and 
 afterward an Abolitionist. The mother was 
 a member of the Methodist Church. 
 
 Leonard L. Wilcox was reared in his na- 
 tive county, received a fair education, and 
 for some time was successfully engaged in 
 teaching school. In 1849 he. came west to 
 Green Lake county, Wisconsin, and after 
 spending one winter there went to Waushara 
 county, same State, where he made his 
 home for sixteen years. From Wisconsin 
 he came to Blue Earth county, Minnesota, 
 where he improved a farm, and where he 
 resided until 1878, at that time locating in 
 Martin county. In 18S1 he came to his 
 present location in Winnebago City town- 
 ship, Faribault county. Here he has 210 
 acres of fine farming land, well improved 
 with comfortable residence, large barn, etc., 
 and here he is successfully carrying on agri- 
 cultural pursuits. 
 
 At the age of twenty-four, Mr. Wilcox 
 married Miss Susanna Southard, a native of 
 Bridgeport, Vermont, and a daughter of 
 josiah and Clarissa (Lincoln) Southard. 
 
760 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 She died in 1878, leaving five children, viz. : 
 Eugene: Eliza, deceased, who was a suc- 
 cessful teacher: Ida, a teacher; Albert, de- 
 ceased: and Irvinj,'. December 14, 1881. 
 Mr. Wilco.x married Mrs. Jessie Franklin, 
 who was born in Quebec, Canada, daughter 
 of George and Jane (George) Marshall, im- 
 migrants to Canada from Cornwall. Eng- 
 land. Her first husband, Edmond Franklin, 
 was born in Canada, son , of Nathaniel and 
 Jane Franklin, and died February 28, 1876. 
 By him she had five children. Lottie, the 
 first born, is deceased. The others are 
 Coral W.. Grace A., Alice and Edmond. 
 Miss Grace and Miss Alice arc popular and 
 successful teachers. The only child of Mr. 
 Wilcox's second marriage is named Jessie. 
 Mrs. Wilco.x is a Methodist and an active 
 worker in the church and Sabbath-school, 
 she being Superintendent of the Sabbath- 
 school and two of her daughters teachers 
 in the same. 
 
 Politically, Mr. Wilcox is a Republican. 
 He has served as Justice of the Peace and 
 also as Supervisor. 
 
 aHKISTOPHEK TEUFEKT, a 
 farmer of Fox Lake township. Mar- 
 tin county, Minnesota, was born 
 .\prii 8. I 85 I, in Prussia, Germany, 
 and is the son of Charles and Sophia (Ber- 
 ger) Teufcrt. His paternal grandfather was 
 a manufacturer of wooden shoes. The 
 father died in October, 1878, at the age of 
 fifty-three years, and the mother's death oc- 
 curred in November, 1893, when she had 
 attained the age of seventy-eight. In their 
 family were the following children: Mary, 
 wife of Adolph Jedeke, deceased, who is liv- 
 ing in Illinois. Her children are Millie, Char- 
 
 lie, Christopher, Hermann, Emma, Lizzie, 
 Edwin, William, and John, who is deceased. 
 The next of the family is John, who is mar- 
 ried and lives in Pennsvlvania. Caroline 
 married .August Kennett, a resident of Pal- 
 atine, Illinois, where he follows carpenter- 
 ing, and she is engaged in the millinery busi- 
 ness. Their children are Bertha and Emma. 
 William, a gardener of Niles Centre. Illinois, 
 married Dora Rush, and has eight children. 
 Our subject is the next younger. Dora is 
 the wife of John Hinz, of Cook count)', 
 Illinois, a farmer, and their children are 
 Lena. Berta. William, Edwin. Emma, 
 Louisa, Alma, and John, who is deceased. 
 
 The parents of this family came with 
 their children to America in i860, and on 
 the I St of August of that year located on a 
 farm in Illinois, renting the land in Jeffer- 
 son township, Cook countj\ where the 
 father made his home until his death. Our 
 subject left home and began teaming at the 
 age of twenty-six and soon rented a farm, 
 which he operated in his own interest until 
 his removal to Minnesota. In Martin 
 county he rented a farm of H. A. Miller, 
 March 17, 1887, and lived on the place for 
 one year. During the succeeding four 
 years he rented a farm of John Cooper, and 
 in June, 1891, purchased the Miller farm, 
 upon which he moved the following year. 
 He has 160 acres of land, of which 100 
 acres is in a high state of cultivation, while 
 six acres is planted in the grove. 
 
 Mr. Teufert was married in Illinois, 
 .March 7, 1878, to Sophia Krueger. daugh- 
 ter of Henry and Eleanor fKnulke) Krueger. 
 Her father, who was born October 31, 1830, 
 died in September, 1S55. Her mother, 
 born in October, 1833, is now living in Pal- 
 atine, Illinois. The)" both came to Amer- 
 ica in 1844. Their family embraces the 
 
FARIBAULT, MARTIN, WATONWAN AND JACKSON. 
 
 76, 
 
 children here named: Lewis, Mary. Sophie. 
 Henry, and Dora, deceased. 
 
 Mrs. Teufert was burn Ma} 1, 1859, 
 and by her marriage lias become the mother 
 of seven children. Dora, who was born 
 September 24, 1879, and was confirmed at 
 Welcome, by Rev. E. C. Eisenberjj, March 
 18. 1894; August, born October 4. 1880; 
 Christopher, who was born July 24. 18S3, 
 and (lied January 31, 1884; Charlie, born 
 November 23. 1884; Emma, born July 24. 
 1887; Frank, born September 10. 1891; 
 and Bertha, born February 15. 1894. The 
 parents are both members of the Lutheran 
 Church. 
 
 ^"->^EOKGE RUSSELL MOORE, 
 ■ ^T\ capitalist and the president of the 
 \^M State Bank of Jackson, is prob- 
 ably the best known citizen of Jack- 
 son county. This work would be incom- 
 plete without the record of his life, and the 
 history is one of interest, showing what can 
 be accomplished by determined effort and 
 business abilit\-. The measure of man's 
 success is not only the heights he has 
 reached but the level from which he has 
 risen. Mr. Moore began at the lowest 
 round of the ladder of prosperity, but he 
 steadily worked his way upward, overcom- 
 ing all difhculties and obstacles in his path 
 imtil he now stands on an eminence that 
 commands the respect and admiration of all. 
 He comes of sturdy New England an- 
 cestors and good old Revolutionary stock. 
 The family are Scotch-Iri.sh and the great- 
 grandfather, Samuel Mf)ore, rame to this 
 country with a cargo of salt from county 
 Antrim. Ireland, in early Colonial days and 
 took up his residence in X'ermont. The 
 grandfather. Daniel Moore, was born in 
 
 Caledonia county, that State, followed farm- 
 ing throughout his entire life and died in 
 1855, at the age of eighty-nine years. He 
 married Susanna Morrison, and her mater- 
 nal grandfather, John Moore, was a Colonel 
 in the Revolutionary war. At the breaking 
 out of that memorable struggle, he at once 
 entered the service, took part in the battle 
 of Lexington and remained with the army 
 until independence was achieved. 
 
 Mr. Moore's great-grandfather, on his 
 mother's side, Abijah Smith, also served in 
 the same battle. Living at Lexington at 
 the time, he ate his breakfast at his own 
 home before starting. When his good wife 
 urged him to eat heartily, he remarked that 
 she did not want him killed with an empty 
 stomach! He served his country until the 
 close of the war and came home safely. 
 
 Mr. Moore's father, Samuel Moore, was 
 born in the Green Mountain State, also car- 
 ried on agricultural pursuits as a means of 
 livelihood, and on the 22d of Februar}, 
 1 84 1, was united in marriage with Abagail 
 Wyman, Eight children grace this union, and 
 a brief record of them is here given: Josiah 
 Hardy, the eldest, now engaged in farming in 
 Hart township, Winona county, Minnesota; 
 Henry Albert, living on the old Vermont 
 homestead of 107 acres, which was pur- 
 chase by his father; Catherine, who became 
 the wife of Frank E. Sanderson and died in 
 1883; Nfartha. wife of B. H. Johnson, a 
 druggist of Burr Oaks, Kansas; Ella Mary, 
 who makes her home with her brother, 
 George, the ne.xt of the famih-; Judson 
 Sanuiel. who died at his home in La Crosse, 
 Wisconsin, in iS83:and Lyman Abijah, the 
 youngest of the family, engaged in the 
 commission and brokerage business in St. 
 Paul, Minnesota. 
 
 Mr. Moore, whose name introduces this 
 
763 
 
 MEMORIAL RECORD OF THE COUNTIES OF 
 
 sketch, was born in Barnet township, Cale- 
 donia county, Vermont, March 16, 1849, 
 and acquired his education in the pubhc 
 schools of his native State. He left the 
 East in July, 1867, and went to the home 
 of his uncle George J. Bean, in Fond du Lac 
 county, Wisconsin, aiding him in agricul- 
 tural labors until the following spring. In 
 May, 1868, he selected a farm on section 
 20, Wisconsin township, Jackson county, 
 and his uncle then came to this place and 
 paid for the land. This place Mr. Moore farm- 
 ed for three years, when he secured a farm of 
 his own by locating a homestead on section 
 26, Enterprise township. This was in 1871, 
 and during the next few j'ears he worked at 
 various employments which would yield him 
 an honest !i\ing. In the spring of 1875 he 
 entered the county treasurer's office, where 
 he worked in various capacities for a time, 
 then served for one year as Deputy 
 Treasurer. In the fall of 1878 he was 
 elected Clerk of the County Court and filled 
 that position for eight consecutive years, 
 with credit to himself and satisfaction to all 
 concerned. 
 
 During this time Mr. Moore acted as finan- 
 cial agent for various concerns and individu- 
 als and developed a remarkable ability in 
 this line. On his retirement from official 
 life he established a private bank in Jackson 
 and finally merged this into the State Bank 
 of Jackson, which was incorporated in May, 
 
 1890, with a paid up capital of $25,000. 
 The original stockholders were George R. 
 Moore, Paul Berge, T. J. Kno.x, J. W. 
 Cowing, M. B. Hutchinson, G. A. Albertus, 
 A. H. Strong, F. W. Lindsley and Alexan- 
 der Fiddes. The first three named served 
 as president, vice-president and attorney, 
 respectively, while A. B. Cheadle acted as 
 cashier and O. B. Olson as assistant cashier. 
 The bank first occupied the old frame struc- 
 ture located on the site of the present fine 
 building, into which they moved in the fall 
 of 1893. It is an elegant brick structure, 
 the best business block in Jackson, and was 
 erected specially for the purpose for which 
 it is now used. Mr. Moore has continued 
 to serve as president of the institution, 
 which has become one of the leading finan- 
 cial concerns in this section of the State, 
 and its success is largely due to the conserva- 
 tive yet progressive business methods of 
 him who is at its head. 
 
 Mr. Moore has one child, George M., 
 who is now five years of age. Mr. Moore and 
 wife occupy a very pleasant and commodious 
 residence in Jackson, the abode of hospitality, 
 and their friends are legion. He is a self- 
 made man in the truest and best sense of 
 that oft-misused term and through his busi- 
 ness career has adhered to principles of 
 honesty and integrity that have made him 
 one of the most honored and respected of 
 men. 
 
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 
 
 Adams, Benj 311 
 
 Albertus, G. A 481 
 
 Aldritt. J. S 531 
 
 Allan, Thomas 140 
 
 Allen, A. B 730 
 
 Allen. T. O 461 
 
 Allen, L. W 439 
 
 Allen. P. H 438 
 
 Alton, Daniel D 295 
 
 Alvonl.W. C 547 
 
 Anderson. A 93 
 
 Andross, C. P 258 
 
 Andross. G, F . 330 
 
 Anthony, Charles 489 
 
 Apley, C. W 699 
 
 Arch. O. W 709 
 
 Aruistronc. A. E 536 
 
 Armstrong, Daniel 655 
 
 Armstrongs, J. A 32 
 
 Armstrong, M. K 27 
 
 Armstrong, R. O 126 
 
 Ascheinan, John 749 
 
 B 
 
 Bachtle, Jacob 555 
 
 Bacon. Samuel 180 
 
 Baldwin, John 502 
 
 Barber, Frank T 455 
 
 Barden, Albert 399 
 
 Barg, A. F 642 
 
 Barnes, E. L 605 
 
 Barnes, Franklin 383 
 
 Barnes, J, B 651 
 
 Barnes, George A 309 
 
 Bassett. P'r.nncis 220 
 
 Bassett, W. O 187 
 
 Baugliman, Wm 115 
 
 Baxter, C. K 441 
 
 Baxter, George 427 
 
 Benschoter, () 410 
 
 Berry. Edwin 279 
 
 Bieri. Bcrnhard 652 
 
 Blair. Tliomas 237 
 
 Blaisdell, H. M 1.56 
 
 Blaiick, Hermann C 239 
 
 Bonncv, H. H 49 
 
 Boston, C. A 643 
 
 Bottomlev, T. K 123 
 
 Boyce. John 273 
 
 Bradford, G. A 323 
 
 Bradley, S. A 480 
 
 Briggs, C. C 217 
 
 Brockman. H. A 586 
 
 Brodt, John H 742 
 
 Brown, A. J 412 
 
 Brown . Wm 512 
 
 Brownlee, James 129 
 
 Brundage, W. F 333 
 
 Budd, \V. H 69 
 
 Bullis. A, H 352 
 
 Bunn, D. D 329 
 
 Burgess, G. A 625 
 
 Burke, John P 456 
 
 Burmester. J. H 381 
 
 Bursell, G. R 567 
 
 Butterfield. A 620 
 
 Byrnes, J. C 565 
 
 C 
 
 Cady, F. W 173 
 
 Caffey, Patrick 680 
 
 Calkins, E.J 406 
 
 Carey, C. H 300 
 
 Carlson, Andrew 369 
 
 Canright, F. M 386 
 
 Canright, J. K 176 
 
 Canright, S 500 
 
 Catlin, Allen 530 
 
 Catlin. H, H 482 
 
 Carpenter, M. V 87 
 
 Carpenter, T. J 133 
 
 Chase, George M 120 
 
 Chipman,C. H 324 
 
 Clabaiigh, John 86 
 
 Clark, Hiram 590 
 
 Clark. S. C 533 
 
 Cleminensen, J. P 336 
 
 Clemmensen, N. P 385 
 
 Clendening, A 271 
 
 Clvnick, Ira 475 
 
 Colby, Charles L 322 
 
 Conrad Henry 509 
 
 Conrad, J. K 548 
 
 Constans, H. P 59 
 
 Cook, E. R ."^00 
 
 Cooley, Charles 606 
 
 Cooley, G. C 491 
 
 Corcoran, P 314 
 
 Cory, Allen % 
 
 Cory, Samuel 494 
 
 Coulter, J. J 147 
 
 Couper, J. E 676 
 
 Cowing. Josephus 143 
 
 Crawford, Thomas 429 
 
 Crays, James 539 
 
 Crowley, W. S 532 
 
 Curtis, B. H 286 
 
 D 
 
 Daberkow. F. W 664 
 
 Dahle, Wm. H 706 
 
 Daniels, J, F 167 
 
 Day, F. A 543 
 
 Davis, John 598 
 
 Decker, C. J 393 
 
 Dickinson. C 405 
 
 Diehl. John 740 
 
 Dobner, George S 421 
 
 Dollen, Albert 405 
 
 Dollen. Walter 190 
 
 Donaldson, C. C 160 
 
 Donbarg, G. H 739 
 
 Drake, L. N 83 
 
 Drake, J. D 210 
 
 Drake, R. F 618 
 
 Drake, Wm. S., Sr 3.55 
 
 Draper, C. H 254 
 
 Drewes, Heinrich 376 
 
 Driscoll, H. H 716 
 
 Dunbar, C. S 91 
 
 Dunn, A. C 507 
 
 Dunn. H. H 118 
 
 Dunn, Wm 544 
 
 Dustin, William 754 
 
 Dustin. W. O 756 
 
 E 
 
 Eaton, Andrew 253 
 
 Eberlein. Edward 178 
 
 Eberlein, Henry 703 
 
 Eberlein, William 145 
 
 Edwards, H. P 221 
 
 Ed wards. W. F 269 
 
 Eiden, Nicholas 404 
 
 Eiscnbcrg, C. G 139 
 
 Ellsworth, C 635 
 
764 
 
 CONTEXTS. 
 
 Ehvess, Francis 103 
 
 Erbes, George 576 
 
 Erdalil, Absalon 514 
 
 Ericksoii, T 668 
 
 Evans, E. D 719 
 
 Evans, John 154 
 
 Everett, C. E 409 
 
 F 
 
 Fairfield, G. A 546 
 
 Farmer, J. P 345 
 
 Feeinire, G. H 587 
 
 Fenske, John C 199 
 
 Fiddes, Alexander 37 
 
 Findlav. James 664 
 
 Finke.H. D 558 
 
 Finke. William 562 
 
 Flamme, Herman 726 
 
 Fletcher, C. H ^645 
 
 Forbes, B. F 272 
 
 Ford, C. E 709 
 
 Forsyth. W. D 683 
 
 Foss, A. E 331 
 
 Foss, O. P 200 
 
 Fowler, Geor^fe S 299 
 
 Fowler, H. H !.'.4S3 
 
 Fowler, L,. E 283 
 
 Frankfurt. H 681 
 
 Franklin, E. H no 
 
 Franklin, G. B 128 
 
 French, A. T 213 
 
 Frey, A. C ;.U5 
 
 Frey, L. F 238 
 
 Frost, A. J 648 
 
 Funk, \V. A 710 
 
 G 
 
 Garrison, G. VV 268 
 
 Garry. Michael 552 
 
 Gaworski. M 663 
 
 Gibbs. WW 534 
 
 Gilbertson, H 261 
 
 Gillson. R. G 302 
 
 Gillson, Wra 610 
 
 Gilman, H. H 113 
 
 Gleason, Asa 743 
 
 Gleason, Nelson 260 
 
 Gohde, Hen ry C 694 
 
 Goldsmith. L 267 
 
 Goodrich. D. F 5 
 
 Gorman. E.R 343 
 
 Gould, J. W 168 
 
 Gould, O. C .';79 
 
 Graham, G. M 588 
 
 Graham, J. M 335 
 
 Grice. David 472 
 
 Grinolds. J. R 426 
 
 (Jroth, A. C 504 
 
 (Juckeen. Patrick 717 
 
 H 
 
 Haifht, W. Z ....689 
 
 Hull, E. G 608 
 
 Hall. Thomas W 354 
 
 Hand, J. H 264 
 
 Hand, L. H 251 
 
 Harding^. Kben 748 
 
 Harnden, W. T 392 
 
 Harris, Garrett 646 
 
 Harrison, Helen M 339 
 
 Hart. John L 722 
 
 Hartman, Phillip 456 
 
 H.iskin, W. R 624 
 
 Hay worth. E .i93 
 
 Hay worth. Jehu 169 
 
 Headlev. Wm. W 600 
 
 Hellen.' J. (J 540 
 
 Henneberg. D. G 723 
 
 Herbraudson. H. B 522 
 
 Herring, J. L 241 
 
 Hesselg-rave, R. V 212 
 
 Hill. J. B 691 
 
 Hill. James F 313 
 
 Hill, L. A 463 
 
 Hill. W. P 20 
 
 Hilgendorf. J. H 603 
 
 Hilgendorf . Joseph 605 
 
 Hines, James F 109 
 
 Hinton. J. M 262 
 
 Hober, S. D 240 
 
 Hodgman, A. J 163 
 
 Hoffman, Wm. M 191 
 
 Hohenstein, H 731 
 
 Holden, A. C 570 
 
 HoUlen, J. C 537 
 
 Holmes. S. M 626 
 
 Houger, M. L 617 
 
 Houghtaling, A 146 
 
 Houghtaling. E 66 
 
 Hou.seman Brothers 148 
 
 Howard. A. F 260 
 
 Howe, O. H 667 
 
 Hubbard. Wm 61 
 
 Hul.semnn, D. H 580 
 
 Humes, J. P 124 
 
 Hunter, J. W 734 
 
 Huntington, H. M 6 
 
 Hutchin.son, M. B 463 
 
 J 
 
 Jackson, R. S 42 
 
 Jagodzinske, R. . . 521 
 
 Jenkins, M. M 403 
 
 Jenness, T. W 211 
 
 Jennings, Fred 467 
 
 Johnson, A. A 476 
 
 John.son, Aaron 599 
 
 Johnson, J. K 485 
 
 Johnson, P. G 390 
 
 Johnson. R. B 1.S8 
 
 Joice, Joh n H 73 
 
 Jones, C. A 713 
 
 Jones, Edward 202 
 
 Jones, R. R 6.';2 
 
 Jordan, G. A 678 
 
 Jorginson, L 720 
 
 Juvland, G. T 728 
 
 K 
 
 Kassulke. M 402 
 
 Katzung, Ed 116 
 
 Keeler, H. M 53 
 
 Keithahn, H 406 
 
 Kellam, C. R. J 707 
 
 Kendall. E. B 757 
 
 Ketzeback, W. H 615 
 
 Kiester, J. A 47 
 
 Kiester, Julius 41 
 
 King, H. A 592 
 
 King, R. S 98 
 
 Klein, J. V 642 
 
 Kleine, C. W 712 
 
 Knabe, Karl 686 
 
 Knox. T. J 4.33 
 
 Knutson. J. N 159 
 
 Kobs, A. F 575 
 
 Krejci, Albert 638 
 
 Kremer, John 39 
 
 Kremer, N. J 289 
 
 Kremer, Peter 379 
 
 Krumviede, Agust 725 
 
 Krumwiede, George 674 
 
 Krumwiede, Henry 675 
 
 Kruse, H. C 252 
 
 Kunsman, C 499 
 
 L 
 
 Lamphier, J. S 564 
 
 Lane, A. C 312 
 
 Lane, Leonard 230 
 
 Lathrop, D. Z 597 
 
 Latimer, J. A 186 
 
 Latourell, B. F 248 
 
 Leet, R. B 408 
 
 Lepine, W. E 212 
 
 Linder, Andrew 387 
 
 Linder, Jacob 135 
 
 Lindsley, F. W 424 
 
 Livingston, W. R 197 
 
 Longstreet. J.N 95 
 
 Loomis, F. B 539 
 
 Loring, Samuel 458 
 
 Lott, C. A 528 
 
 Luedaman, C 376 
 
 M 
 
 Mack. Ludwig 552 
 
 Manske, C 165 
 
 Marston, P. M 545 
 
 Maxim. Alfred 386 
 
 McArthur, G. D 64 
 
 McCartin, Daniel 371 
 
 McDonald, Charlotte 628 
 
 McHench, James 661 
 
 Maves, M. F 400 
 
 Mead, Charles W 478 
 
 Melvill, C. C 553 
 
 Mikkelsen, M 708 
 
 Mikkelsen, K 684 
 
 Miller, F. G 714 
 
 Miller, Frederick 584 
 
 Miller, H. A 238 
 
 Miller, S. B 436 
 
 Montgomery. D. C 702 
 
 Moore, F. T 136 
 
 Moore, G. A 233 
 
 Moore. Geo. R 761 
 
C0N7-EXTS. 
 
 765 
 
 Moore, S. C 130 
 
 More, A. R 362 
 
 More, J. W 333 
 
 More, Robert 3S6 
 
 Mott, J. C 562 
 
 Moulton, G. K 326 
 
 Mueller, Jacob 736 
 
 Muir, J. W 493 
 
 Mung-er, Perry 391 
 
 Murray, Georg-e 247 
 
 N 
 
 Neuenschwander, R 571 
 
 Newman, G. R 753 
 
 Nielsen, Soren 306 
 
 Nutt, Albert 268 
 
 Nutt, G. J 357 
 
 Nye, J, M 372 
 
 O 
 
 Oathoud, A 21 
 
 Oelke, William 232 
 
 Olsan, H. O. F 656 
 
 Olson, Hans 641 
 
 Orlemann, H 574 
 
 Ott, G. W 303 
 
 P 
 
 Packard, A. D 331 
 
 Palmer, W. B 466 
 
 Park, C. B 609 
 
 Park, F. L 380 
 
 Patchin, Joseph 682 
 
 Paterson, F. A. B 274 
 
 Peirce, F. M 195 
 
 Penning-ton, C 105 
 
 Peter, Aiifjust SH3 
 
 Peter, William 568 
 
 Peymann, J. H 637 
 
 Pirsiff, Christian 234 
 
 Plumhoff, Wm 751 
 
 Polleys, J. W 31 
 
 Poppe, J. H. F 622 
 
 Poppitz, B 758 
 
 Porttiiann, Wm. C 733 
 
 Powell, J. T 711 
 
 Pratt, John C 453 
 
 Price, J. B 727 
 
 Price, J. M. G 566 
 
 Prior, J. G 720 
 
 Probort.T. J 695 
 
 Q 
 
 Quimby, Hosea 417 
 
 Quinn, J. H 281 
 
 R 
 
 Rajewski, W. A 718 
 
 Rath, Mrs. Charles 105 
 
 Raymond, G. A 585 
 
 Reader, E. J 120 
 
 Records, T. L, 341 
 
 Reed, G. H 119 
 
 Rettke, J. F 737 
 
 Rhodes, H. A 553 
 
 Rice, H. N 351 
 
 Richards, S. M 651 
 
 Richardson, W. J 228 
 
 Rigenhaffen, A. J 503 
 
 Ripley, W. B 474 
 
 Rippe, Henry 179 
 
 Robbins, J. H 430 
 
 Roberts, S. D 468 
 
 Robinson, B. F 514 
 
 Robinson, T 513 
 
 Roe, Charles 316 
 
 Rollins, J. V 753 
 
 Roonev, Dennis 748 
 
 Rooney, D. M 344 
 
 Rosskopf, A 750 
 
 Rostomily, J 647 
 
 Rouse, C. B 511 
 
 Rucker, Eug'ene 517 
 
 Rue, H. K 630 
 
 Russell, Ira 501 
 
 S 
 
 Sailor, Jacob 516 
 
 Sailor, Martin 76 
 
 Sailor, Moses 515 
 
 SandoH. C. H 738 
 
 San ford, Jacob 365 
 
 Santee, Stephen 185 
 
 Satterlee, N. D 728 
 
 Schimek, Joseph 126 
 
 Schmidt, H. G. F 658 
 
 Schmitt, A. F 426 
 
 Schneider, G 108 
 
 Schoffman. F 675 
 
 Schroeder, William 479 
 
 Schrooten, John 471 
 
 Schrotbergcr, S 635 
 
 Schueler, A. A 504 
 
 Schueler, A. L 593 
 
 Schueler, H. H 657 
 
 Schulein, J. S •. . .374 
 
 Schultz, J. W. F 733 
 
 Schultz, J. S 394 
 
 Schwag^er, Jurjren 498 
 
 Schwinfi-ler, Wm 598 
 
 Secor, David 397 
 
 Serkhuid, S. M 576 
 
 Shanks, E. B 88 
 
 Shanks, M. E. L 81 
 
 Sharpe, Cecil 214 
 
 Sheaflfer, J. W 640 
 
 Sherin, J. H 325 
 
 Shoen, S. W 550 
 
 Shufclt, H. C 701 
 
 Shultis, Allen 293 
 
 Shuttleworth, J. A. L 224 
 
 Siebert, Charles 361 
 
 Silliman. W. B 704 
 
 Silverthorn, J. N 334 
 
 Simpson, H. P 546 
 
 Sisson. Eli 270 
 
 Skinner, A. A 527 
 
 Smith, O. W 84 
 
 Smith, J. H 209 
 
 Smith, J. M 538 
 
 Smith, Josiah 148 
 
 Smith, W. D 177 
 
 Smout, Basil 85 
 
 Snyder, Charles 572 
 
 Somcrs, John W 420 
 
 Soper, David..! 443 
 
 Southwick, O. F 444 
 
 Speier, Joseph 283 
 
 Spencer, J. M 145 
 
 Sperry,0. H 227 
 
 Squires, F. A 671 
 
 Stanton, J. D 18 
 
 Stapp, Owen 654 
 
 Staufter, Wm 415 
 
 Stelter, J. H. D 678 
 
 St. John, B. E 175 
 
 Stone, I. N 459 
 
 Stowe, E. C 189 
 
 Stusse, Rudolph 637 
 
 Sweariuijen, G. B 22 
 
 Swearing-en, I. G 561 
 
 Swearing-en, J. T 8 
 
 Swearing-en, W. H 54 
 
 Syverson, Peder 538 
 
 T 
 
 Tanner. George 51 
 
 Taylor, A. A 192 
 
 Taylor, A. L 285 
 
 Taylor, S. H 281 
 
 Tenney, O. B 319 
 
 Terhurne, Mrs. J. H 367 
 
 Teubner, Joseph 137 
 
 Teufert, C 760 
 
 Thayer, C. W 621 
 
 Thieboaldt, Henry 745 
 
 Tibadeau.x, T 201 
 
 Toothacher,' F. S 75 
 
 Tower, G. J 422 
 
 Towne, A. R 219 
 
 True, H. S 665 
 
 True, C. 34 
 
 True, L. F 207 
 
 True. L. B 135 
 
 TuUock, V. W 620 
 
 Turner, Stephen 153 
 
 \' 
 
 Van BuroM, J. H 294 
 
 Vcltum, Thomas 525 
 
 Vetter. W. E 743 
 
 Viebuhn, William 190 
 
 Viesselman, Wni 411 
 
 Voss, A. R 529 
 
 W 
 
 Wade, Edward F 6 
 
 Wade, R. H S«l 
 
 Walker. H. R 170 
 
 Walker, R. H 497 
 
 Ward, A. L, IS 
 
 Ward. R. M 9 
 
 Wasgatt. D. P 63 
 
 Weber, C.J 465 
 
 Weber, Cyrus 364 
 
 Weir, Georg-c A 257 
 
766 
 
 CO.y TENTS. 
 
 Weisemann, H 744 
 
 Welch, J. H 117 
 
 Welcome. A. M 243 
 
 Welker, J. A 563 
 
 Wen berg, August J 388 
 
 Weston, C. B 4% 
 
 Wetenkanip, H 741 
 
 Whiteis, Isaiah 723 
 
 Wilcox, Leonard L 759 
 
 Wilkins. D. W 270 
 
 Wilkinson, R 448 
 
 Willcox, F. A 629 
 
 Williams, T. J 437 
 
 Willson, E. D 304 
 
 Willson, Wm. H 231 
 
 Wiltse, E. J 747 
 
 Wiltse, W. W 745 
 
 Winship, J. F 633 
 
 Winzer, Charles 612 
 
 Wirt, George 149 
 
 Wohlheter. George 42 
 
 Wohlhuter, P 374 
 
 Wohlhuter, V 519 
 
 Wollaston, P 43 
 
 Wood, C. E 440 
 
 Worthley, P. D 366 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Anthony, Charles 488 
 
 Armstrong, M. K 24 
 
 Armstrong, Mrs. M. K 25 
 
 Barnes, George A 308 
 
 Barnes J. B 650 
 
 Berry, Edwin 278 
 
 Berry, Mrs. Edwin 278 
 
 Blair, Thomas 236 
 
 Bottomley , T. K 122 
 
 Briggs, C. C 216 
 
 Budd, W. H 68 
 
 Bunn, D. D 328 
 
 Cadv, F. W 172 
 
 Carpenter, T. J 132 
 
 i Constans, H. P 56 
 
 ! Constans, Mrs. H. P 57 
 
 Cowing, Jo.sephus 142 
 
 Day, Frank A 542 
 
 Dunbar, C. S 90 
 
 Dunn, Andrew C 506 
 
 Elwess, Francis 100 
 
 Blwess, Mrs. Sarah R 101 
 
 Fiddes, Alexander 36 
 
 Fowler, George S 298 
 
 Goodrich. D. F 4 
 
 Gould. O. C 578 
 
 Gilman, H. H 112 
 
 Goldsmith, Leonard 266 
 
 Haight. W. Z 688 
 
 Harrison, A. R 338 
 
 Hodgman, A. J 162 
 
 Ketzeback, W. H 614 
 
 Kiester, J. A 46 
 
 Kremer, N.J 288 
 
 Kremer. Peter 378 
 
 Knox, T. J 432 
 
 Lathrop, D. Z S% 
 
 McHench, James 660 
 
 "Murray, George 246 
 
 Peirce, F. M 194 
 
 Pratt. J. C 452 
 
 Pratt. Mrs. Lucinda 452 
 
 Rice, H. N 348 
 
 Rice, Mrs. H. N 349 
 
 Santee, Stephen 182 
 
 Santee, Mrs. Susau 183 
 
 Schrooten. John 470 
 
 Secor, David 3% 
 
 Shanks, M. E. L 80 
 
 Shanks, Mrs. M. E. L 80 
 
 Siebert, Charles 360 
 
 Sperry, O. H 22f> 
 
 Squires. F. A 670 
 
 Stauffer. William 414 
 
 Swearingen. I. G 558 
 
 Swearingen, Mrs. I. G 559 
 
 Tennev, O. B 318 
 
 True. Lewis F 204 
 
 True. Mrs. Lewis F 20S 
 
 Turner. Stephen 1S2 
 
 Veltum, Thomas 524 
 
 Ward, A. L 12 
 
 Ward, Mrs. A. L 13 
 
 Weir, George A 256 
 
 Winship, J. F 632 
 
 3ox^'/^ 
 
 ^3.