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/ 

HISTORY 


OF 


STEELE  AND  WA^ECi^  COUpTIES, 


MINNESOTA. 


An  Album  of  History  and  Biography, 

EMBRACiNe    Sketches  op  the  Villages,   Citles  and    Townships  ;    Educational,   Civil,    Military    and 

Political   History;   Portraits  of  Prominent  Citizens,   and   Biographies 

OF  Old    Settlers   and    Repkesentative    Men. 


HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA, 

Embr.acing  an  Account  op  Early  ExpjiOpAjTipfjs,  Org.anjzation,  a  Review  of  its  Political 
History,  Together  with  an.  Account  of.  the,  Inv-an,  fkr-y^hB^K  of  1862. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


CHICAGO : 
UJSriON    PUBLISHING    COMPANY, 

'  1887. 


'01 

1jI()(".kaphy  is  thk  Only  True  Histoky." — Kniersuii. 


UU.VOHUK    &     HENNEUEKKY, 

Printers   and   Binders, 

Chicago. 


«<]  PREFACE.  I> 

R^-,  5  , c?,  (fi^ }- .  2.; 

iN  the  compilation  of  this  vohime  it  has  been  tlie  aim  of  the  publishers  to  prepare  a  local  history,  com- 
prising in  a  single  volume  of  convenient  form,  a  varied  fund  of  information,  not  only  of  Interest  to  the 
present,  but  for  preservation  for  coming  generations,  from  which  future  searchers  for  historic  data 
may  draw  without  the  tedium  incurred  in  the  preparation  of  this.     We  have  gathered  together  a  vast 
mass  of  historic  facts,  and  interwoven  them  with  individual  sketches  of  those  who  have  been  identi- 
fied with  the  development  of  the  various  localities.     That  our  work  is  wholly  errorless,  or  that 
nothing  of  interest  has  been  omitted,  is  more  than  we  dare  to  hope,  and  more  than  is  reasonable  to 
expect,  but  we  have  spared  neither  pains  nor  expense  in  our  efforts  to  have  the  work  as  near  perfect 
as  it  is  possible  for  such  a  work  to  be  made.     The  manuscript  of  the  historical  portions  was  care- 
fully submitted  to  committees  of  prominent  old  settlers  who  were  requested  to  make  all  changes  or  additions 
necessary  for    a  complete  and    correct    work.     The  certificates  of  these  gentlemen    will   be  found   on  pages 
IV    and   V.     As  to  the  biographical   department,  equal  care  was  bestowed.     The  biographical  sketches  were 
carefully  submitted  to  those  whom  they  concerned  and  the  parties  were  asked  to  revise  and  correct  the  statements 
and  data.     In  closing  our  labors,  we  have  the  gratifying  consciousness  of  having  useii  our  utmost  endeavors  in 
securing  reliable  data,  and  feel  no  hesitancy  in  submitting  the  result  to  an  intelligent  public.     The  impartial  critic, 
to  whom  only  we  look  for  comment,  will,  in  passing  judgment  upon  its  merits,  be  governed  by  a  knowledge  of  the 
manifold  duties  attending  the  prosecution  of  the  undertaking. 

There  is  always  more  or  less  difficulty,  even  in  a  historical  work,  in  selecting  those  things  which  will  interest 
the  greatest  number  of  readers.  Individual  tastes  differ  so  widely,  that  that  which  may  be  of  absorbing  interest  to 
one.  has  no  attractions  for  another.  Some  are  interested  only  in  that  which  concerns  themselves,  and  do  not  care 
to  read  of  even  the  most  thrilling  adventures  in  which  they  were  not  participants.  Such  persons  are  apt  to  con- 
clude that  what  they  are  not  interested  in  is  of  no  value  and  its  preservation  in  history  a  useless  expense.  In  the 
settlement  of  a  new  county,  or  a  new  township,  no  one  person  is  entitled  to  all  the  credit  for  what  has  been  accom- 
■  plished,  but  every  individual  is  a  part  of  the  great  whole,  and  all  are  directly  or  indirectly  connected  with  each  step 
of  progress.  For  this  reason  it  is  always  a  very  difficult— if  not  an  impossible— task  to  measure  and  express  the  exact 
meed  of  praise  or  commendation  due  to  the  individual,  and  we  have,  therefore,  stated  the  facts,  with  "naught  set 
down  in  malice  or  in  praise." 

In  conclusion,  we  desire  to  express  our  sincere  thanks  to  county,  township  and  village  officials  for  their  uniform 
kindness  to  us  in  our  tedious  labors  ;  and  we  must  also  express  our  indebtedness  to  the  Press,  the  Pioneers  and 
the  Citizens  generally,  who  have  extended  more  than  ordinary  courtesy  and  assistance  to  our  employes. 

That  our  efforts  may  prove  satisfactory,  and  this  volume  receive  a  welcome  commensurate  with  the  care  and 
labor  bestowed  upon  its  preparation,  is  the  earnest  desire  of  the  compilers. 

UNION  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 


Certificates  from  Old  Settlers  in  Steele  County. 


Following  will  be  found  copies  of  the  certificates  from  the  various  committees  of  old  settlers,  who  revised, 
corrected  and  approved  the  manuscript  of  the  History  of  Steele  County,  viz: 

Revision  of  General  Csuntt  Chapters. 

We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  general  committee  selected  to  revise  and  correct  the  general  chapters  of 
the  History  of  Steele  County,  compiled  by  the  Union  Publishing  Company,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  manuscript 
was  duly  submitted  to  us,  and  further  that  we  revised  and  corrected  the  same,  making  all  the  changes  and  addi- 
tions we  deemed  necessary;  and,  as  corrected,  we  hereby  approve  of  the  same  as  being  correct  and  complete  to  the 
best  of  our  judgment  and  recollection. 


[Signed. 


Nathaniel  Winship, 
Amos  Coggswei.i., 

W.   R.  KiNTON, 

E.  M.  Morehouse,  M.  D., 
D.  Lindersmith, 
Orlando  Johnson, 

Oeneral  Cmiimittee. 


Revision  op  City  and  Township  Chapters. 


We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  various  committees  selected  to  revise  and  correct  the  history  of  [our 
respective  city  or]  township,  for  the  Union  Publishing  Company's  History  of  Steele  County,  do  hereby  certify 
that  the  manuscript  of  [our  respective  city,  village  or]  township  history  was  duly  submitted  to  us,  and  further 
that  we  revised  and  corrected  the  same,  making  all  the  changes  and  additions  we  deemed  necessary;  and,  as  cor- 
rected, we  hereby  approve  of  the  same  as  being  correct  and  complete  to  the  best  of  our  judgment  and  recollection. 


[Signed.] 


A.  Wilson, 
Paul  Williams, 
Lewmon  G.  Reed, 

Merton  TmDiuMp. 
A.  W.  Adams, 
W.  W.  Arnold, 
John  Virtue, 

Clinton  Falls  Township. 
John  O.  Wcamett, 
John  H.  Wilker, 

MeritUn  Tmenship. 
William  Ellis, 
John  Adair, 

Havanmi  Township. 

S.  M.  Kinney, 

Lemond  Township. 

Philo  Sawyer, 

T.  K.  Brown, 

Berlin  Township. 

J.  W.  Smith, 
Wm.  Coolby, 

Summit  Township. 

Charles  Adsit, 
John  Bixby, 

Aurora  Township. 


W.    W.  WiLKINS, 

G.  O.  Hankerson, 
S.  M.  Freem.\n, 

Medford  Tawnship. 

James  F.  Brady, 
Christian  Reineke, 

Deerfleld  Township. 

Alson  Selleck, 
G.  W.  Morfokd, 

Owatonna  Township. 

W.  R.  Kin  YON, 

A.  N.  Stoughton, 

N.  Winship, 

Mrs.  E.  p.  Winship, 

Owatonnii  City. 

Jesse  Healey, 
Dexter  Smith, 
Levi  Bailey, 

So7nerset  TownsJiip. 

Thomas  Peeney, 
Charles  E.  Hancock, 

Blooming  Prairie. 


CERTIFICATES  FROM  OLD  SETTLERS  IN  WASECA  COUNTY. 


In  this  connection  we  publish  the  certificates  from  the  various  committees  of  old  settlers  who  revised,  cor- 
rected and  approved  the  manuscript  of  the  History  of  Waseca  County,  viz: 

Kevision  op  General  County  Chapters. 

We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  general  committee  selected  to  revise  and  correct  the  general  chapters  of 
the  History  of  Waseca  County,  compiled  by  the  Union  Publishing  Company,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  manuscript 
was  duly  submitted  to  us,  and  further  that  we  revised  and  corrected  the  same,  making  all  the  changes  and  addi- 
tions we  deemed  necessary;  and,  as  corrected,  we  hereby  approve  of  the  same  as  being  correct  and  complete  to 
the  best  of  our  judgment  and  recollection. 

[Signed.] 

H.  P.  Norton, 
James  E.  Child, 
g.  r.  buckman, 
H.  K.  Stearns, 

Oenerai  Committee. 

Revision  of  City  and  Township  Chapters. 


We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  various  committees  selected  to  revise  and  correct  the  history  of  [our 
respective  city  or]  township  for  the  History  of  Waseca  County  compiled  by  the  Union  Publishing  Company,  do 
hereby  certify  that  the  manuscript  of  [our  respective  city  or]  township  was  duly  submitted  to  us,  and  further  that 
we  revised  and  corrected  the  same,  making  all  the  changes  and  additions  we  deemed  necessary  ;  and,  as  corrected, 
we  hereby  approve  of  the  same  as  being  complete  and  correct  to  the  best  of  our  recollection  and  Judgment. 


[Signed.] 


William  H.  H.  Jackson, 
Christian  Remund, 

Blooming  Grove  Township. 

H.  P.  Chamberlain, 
David  Wood, 

Iosco  Township. 

M.  McGONAGLE, 

D.  A.  Erwin, 

St.  Mary  Township. 

M.  H.  Lamb, 
William  Burke, 

Alton  Tow7iship. 

F.  D.  Seaman, 
George  Hopeld, 

Freedom  Tow  nsh  ip . 

H.  K.  Stearns, 
A.  J.  Newgard, 
Christoph  Wagner, 
C.  A.  Wagner, 
M.  Murphy, 
H.  H.  Corson, 

JVew  Richland  Village. 


Ira  C.  Trowbridge, 
P.  C.  Bailey, 

Waseca,  City. 
E.  G.  Wood, 
O.  Powell, 

Woodmlle  Township. 
William  Brisbane, 
M.  F.  Connor, 

Wilton  Township. 
Omer  H.  Sutlipf, 

Byron  Township. 
Anthony  Sampson, 
E.  E.  Verplank, 

Neto  Richland  Township. 
J.  B.  Hill, 
William  H.  H.\rmon, 

Vivian  Township. 

J.  W.  HOSMER, 

W.  G.  Allyn, 
James  Cummins, 

Jantsville. 
E.  B.  Stearns, 
J.  S.  Abell, 

Otisco  Totcnship. 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS  OF  STEELE  COUNTY. 


CHAPTER    I. 

PA«E 

Introductory 17 

CHAPTER    11. 

Location,  TopoouApnY  and  GEoLcxiV 19 

Location 19 

Topography 19 

Geology 19 

CHAPTER    in. 

Early  Days 31 

Early  Settlement 21 

First  Events 22 

Disadvantages 22 

Stage  and  Mail  Routes 23 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Organization,  County  Lines,  County  Name 25 

CHAPTER    V. 

County  Government 29 

Board  of  Commissioners 29 

Board  of  Supervisors 31 

Commissioners  again 32 

From  1855  to  1887 35 

CHAPTER    VI. 

Creation  of  Townships 


36 


CHAPTER    VII. 


Various  Ofkicial  Matters 39 

First  Instruments  Recorded 39 

Increase  of  Population 39 

Values  in  1861 40 

Values  from  1861  to  1886 40 

Present  Values 40 

Crop  Statistics 41 

Educat  ional  Matters 41 

Early  Marriage  Licenses 41 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

National  and  State  Representation 43 

Congressional 43 

Legislative 47 

CHAPTER    IX. 

County  Officials 55 

Register  of  Deeds 55 

County  Treasurer 57 

County  Auditor 58 

Sheriff 59 

Superintendent 61 

Judge  of  Probate 61 

Clerk  of  Court 62 

County  Attorney 63 

Surveyor 63 

Coroner 65 

Court  Commissioner 65 


CHAPTER  X. 


Politicai 

Abstract  of  Vote  1855-87. 


66 
66 


CHAPTER   XI. 

Courts  .\nd  Cases 80 

Interesting  Trials 80 

District  Judges 93 

Bar  of  Steele  County 93 

CHAPTER  XII. 

The  Press 103 

Watchman  and  Register 105 

Medford  Valley  Argus 105 

Oveatonna  Journal 105 

News  Letter 106 

Owatonna  Representative 106 

Owatonna  Register 106 

Owatonna  Democrat 106 

Vidette 106 

Owatonna  Plaindealer 106 

Republican  Journal 106 

Owatonna  Jovirnal 106 

Journal  and  Herald 108 

People's  Press 109 

Our  Pastime HI 

Weekly  Review 112 

Morning  Star 112 

Daily  Herald 112 

Steele  County  Herald 112 

Other  Publications 112 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Railroads 113 

Railway  Agitation 113 

Railway  Building 114 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  War 116 

Its  Causes 116 

Steele  County  in  the  War 120 

List  of  Soldiers 124 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Reminiscences 127 

By  A.  B.  Cornell 127 

By  G.  W.  Green 130 

Polities  in  1857 135 

County  Matters  in  1860 136 

Crops 138 

Whiskey  in  the  Gutter 138 

Vigilance  Committee 138 

From  Article  in  1874 138 

Stage  Business 142 

The  Abbotts 142 

By  Rev.  Wm.  Thomson i 143 

By  C.  B.  Pettie 399 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Historical  Events 148 

Chronology 148 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  City  ok  Owatonna 177 

Location ^'^^ 

The  Beginning 178 

Business  men  in  1868 182 


TABLK    i)F    CONTENTS    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


Business  Development 183 

Banking 186 

Manufacturing 189 

Packing  Company 195 

Hotels 195 

Present  Business 201 

City  Government 302 

Fire  Department 208 

Schools 210 

Postofflce 210 

Free  and  Accepted  Masons 210 

Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 217 

Grand  Army  of  tlie  Republic 323 

Other  Organizations 335 

Religious  Matters 337 

First  Events 340 

Business  Men  and  Retired  Citizens 340 

CHAPTER  XVni. 

PiLLSBURY  Academy 268 

State  Public  School 274 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Meuton  Township 280 

CHAPTER   XX. 

Medford  Township 293 

Medford  Village 303 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Clinton  Falls  Township 310 

Clinton  Falls  Village 311 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
Debrfield  Township 321 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Meriden  Township 337 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Owatonna  Township 334 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Havanna  Township 343 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Aurora  Township 349 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
SOiMEKSET  Township 358 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Le.mond  Township 369 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Berlin  Township 379 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

Summit  Township 385 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Blooming  Prairie  Township 390 

Blooming  Prairie  Village 401 


\ 


y 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


PAGE 

Abbott,  A.  J 316 

Abbott,  Ezra 142 

Abbott,  J.  H 143 

Abernethy,  0 359 

Adair,  John 344 

Adsit.  Charles 350 

Adair,  Dr.  .1.  H 301 

Adams,  D.  C 361 

Adams,  A.  "W 313 

Ahrens,  Fred 347 

Albertu.s,  G.  F 343 

Albro,  F.  D 198 

Alexander,  M.  S 253 

Allen,  William 393 

Andrews,  Thomas 338 

Andrews,  Robert 339 

Anderson,  Andrew 346 

Annett,  Thomas 375 

Armstrone,   A 48 

Arnold,  W.   W 314 

Austin,  J.  S 261 

Baily,  John 308 

Bailey,  Levi 360 

Backus,  J.  D 339 

Backus,  J.  C 359 

Barncard,  J.  Z 253 

Barney,  John 307 

Bauter,  F.  JI 353 

Bartsch,  John 198 

Beaumont,  R 340 

Bennett,  Dr.  L.  L 188 

Belina,  Anton   264 


PAGE 

Belina,  Joseph 341 

Bixby,  L 64 

Bixby,    John 350 

Bixby,  J.  S 350 

Bion,  L 192 

Bigelow,  Dr.  E.  E 200 

Birkett,  Henry 343 

Bissell,  W.  P 306 

Bingham,  H.  D 381 

Bliss,   Philo  363 

Blythe,  John 390 

Blythe,  Eliza  J 390 

Boll,  Fridolin 353 

Bower,  Charles 355 

Boynton,   D 300 

Bosshard,  G 331 

Brooks,  E.  W 191 

Brown,  Rev.  J.  N 336 

Brennan,  P 261 

Bry.son,  Andrew 261 

Brady,  J.  .F 333 

Bragg,  A.  S 370 

Bray,  Thomas 393 

Bray,  Agnes 393 

Bryant,  E.  C 376 

Brown,  C.   V 380 

Brown,  Thom.as 380 

Buffum,  Hon.  G.  W 53 

Burke.  J.  C 59 

Burlingame,  Hon.  J.  M 96 

Burdick,  0.  W 191 

Buxton,  J.  E 250 

Burdick.  W.  H 254 


page 

Busho,  Julius 324 

Bucklin,  J.  K 325 

Burch,  Maj.  J.  W 363 

Cansdell,  J.  A ,58 

Caward,  G.  W 353 

Carlton,  Dexter 385 

Carter,  George 315 

Carter,  John  T 315 

Ca.ssidy,  H.  J 353 

Chadwick,  M.  B 100 

Chesley,  G.  W 346 

Chapin,  R.  H 

Chapin,  B.  P 348 

Cheeseraan,  Richard 318 

Cheeseman,  Heurv 318 

Christenson,  H.   N 347 

Chambers.  John 357 

Chambers,  G.  L  345 

Chambers,  Theo 383 

Cheeney,  N 379 

Clark,  George 2.52 

Clark.  A.  B 394 

Colquhoun,  Hon.  A. .    394 

Coolev.  William .385 

Cotter,  J.  A 63 

Cotter,  James 346 

Cottier,  John 251 

Coggswell,  Hon.  Amos     96 

Conner,  J.  W 243 

Cook,  Hon.  B.  S 245 

Cory,  J.  S 300 

Coggins,  Ed 387 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS   f)F    STEELE   COUNTY. 


PAGE 

Colling,  W.  K 294 

Crocker,  J.  B 51 

Crocker,  E.   B 51 

Crawhuck  Bros 356 

Crandall,  Hon.  C.  S 240 

Curtis,  G.  H 353 

Davis,  Hon.  P.  B 51 

Davidson,  William 246 

Dalley,  M.  A 94 

Danforth,  G.  W 55 

Darby,  Benj.  E Ill 

Darmody,  Edward 386 

Deutschmann,  Frederick 251 

Deininger,  R 256 

Degner,  G.  W 340 

Degner,  P.  E 364 

Deeg,  John 195 

Dies,  A 396 

Donaldson,  Hon.  N.  M 93 

Drebert,  P.  T 108 

Drum.  W.  P 62 

Dunnell,  Hon.  M.   IT 44 

Dunton,  H.  A 396 

Dunton,  John 396 

Dutton,  N.  L 397 

Dugan,  James 397 

Dugan,   Michael 408 

Dynes,  W.  A 253 

Easton,  Hon.  E 51 

Eastman,  D.  T 298 

Eastman,  0 317 

Edson,  O.  E 189 

Eggleston,  W.  A 285 

Eisert,  Rudolph 323 

Elton,  Ole 198 

Ellis,  William 344 

Ellis,  W.  J 344 

Ellis,  W.  R 382 

Ellickson,  E.  A 377 

Engbard,  Conrad 345 

Engel,  W.  G 198 

Erdmann,  Andrew 346 

Erdman,  Mrs.   Anna 346 

Pallon,  Patrick 396 

PalloD,  Michael 396 

Pedder,  Thee 267 

Pehmer,  William 324 

Feeney,  Thomas 404 

Pinch,  Dr.  W.W 57 

Pinch,  J.  M 315 

Pinch,  Hon.  H.   A 381 

Finch,  Cyrus 316L 

Finch,  Pyler  D 316  1 

Forsythe,  G.  L 251 

Fredenburg,  Hon.  M.  A 259 

Francis,  W.  P 305 

Freeman,  S.  M 306 

Freeman,  C 308 

Frazer,  T.  H 342 

Gabriel,  George 352 

yfQanser,  P. 192 

■^"Gausewitz,  Wm 252 

Gault,  Alex 308 

Gallea,  William 317 

Gardner,  C.  W 379 

Gillman,  H.  C 399 

Gillman,  S 306 

Gibson,  William 299 

Gillett,  J.  W 356 

Glaeser,  Jacob 264 

Gordon,  Joseph 379 


PAGE 

Gould,  L.  B 372 

Goolsby,  William 386 

Greely ,  Orrin 191 

Green,  Hon.  G.  W 93 

Greene,  S.  S 254 

Griffin,  T.  H 317 

Grandprey,  Joseph 329 

Grunz,  August 332 

Gross,  Gilbert 361 

Gross,  Cscar 361 

Graif,  John  J 363 

Gutterson,  A.  C 188 

Guthrie,  M 403 

Hazen.  Hon.  L 62 

Harwood,  A.  A 95 

Hadley,  C.  W 100 

Hastings,  Hon.  II.  M 189 

Harrington,  Dr.  J.  L 201 

Hatch,  Dr.  T.  L 200 

Hanson,  N.  W 251 

Hansen,  A.  M 291 

Hammel,  J.  N 254 

Hankerson,  G.  0 297 

Hayes,  William 298 

Hamilton,  John 300 

Hartle,  Henry 347 

Harris,  Jacob  J 362 

Halm,  Elias 365 

Hastings,  G.  W 372 

Hayes,  Scott  387 

Hancock,  C.  E 395 

Heath,  Isaac 298 

llealey,  Jesse 360 

Hemingway,  A 387 

Hickman,  Hon.  A.  C 99 

Hill,  W.  H 356 

Howe,  Hon.  T.J 191 

Holmes,  H.  A 192 

Holden,  J.  D 255 

Holden,  G.  D 255 

Hosfield,  G.  B 303 

Hodg.son,  H 334 

Hoffman,  August 325 

House,  Lysander 327 

House,  David 328 

Hobbins,  W.  P 330 

Hunkins,  D.  C 351 

Hunter,  George 38'1 

Ingerson,  A 64 

Ingersoll,  A,  D 101 

lugraham.  Prof.  J.  I- 373 

Inman,  L.  L 348 

lunker,  William 342 

Jensen,  George 403 

Johnson.  Hon.  H.  H 100 

.Johnson,  R.  H 100 

Johnson,  Orlando 305 

.Tohnson ,  Smith 305 

Johnson,  Agrim 344 

Johnson,  Christian 354 

Johnson,  Nels 397 

Johnson,  Dr.  J.  P 407 

.Tones,A.  R 339 

.Jones,  O.  M 345 

.Jones,  W.  M   345 

Jones.  Isaac 346 

Katz,  A.  J 3.-)0 

Ivaplan,  J.  W 339 

Kaplan,  Joseph 339 

Kabage.  Julius 364 

Kelley,  J.  N  63 


PAGE 

Kenyon,  Dr.  Thomas 363 

Kenyon,  T.  E 386 

Keenan,  M.  J 408 

Kinney,  S.  M 370 

Kinyon,  Hon.  W.  R 187 

Kinyon.  C.  J 187 

Kinyon,  G.  R 187 

Kinyon.  G.  W 341 

King,  Corydon 351 

Klein,  Rev.  P.  W 339 

Knobloch,  Adolph 241 

Knickerbocker,  W.  R 366 

Knowlton,  C.  R 370 

Knudson,  Nels 375 

Kruckerberg,  Fred 351 

Kubat,  Joseph 267 

Kubat  Samuel 340 

Ku jawa.  Thomas 331 

Kuckenbecker,  Edward 367 

Lane,  John 385 

Lane,  Dexter 388 

Lane.  Capt.  L.  H 289 

Laughlin,  J.  H 290 

Lamson,  H 323 

Lamson,  Henry  H 333 

Langerher,  Henry 344 

Larson,  Villars. .'. 367 

Larson.  Lars 375 

Lewis,  H.  J .56 

Lee,  Orrin 308 

Lenuon,  J.  G 403 

Lieb,  W.  C 353 

Lilly,  Mrs.  Margretta 322 

Lindersmith,  David 314 

Lindersmith,  Orlando 315 

Luce,  H.  F 255 

Lynch,  P  289 

Mallinger,  Peter 262 

Martin,  W.  E 386 

Maw.  Henry 387 

Maw,  Henry,  Jr 388 

Markson,  Hans 347 

Mayo,  Asaph 405 

McLaughlin,  Hon.  C.  N 190 

McAndrews,  M.  A 198 

McDonald,  R.  A 385 

McDonald.  Alex 299 

McKinlay,  D.  A 300 

McVicker,  C.  W 332 

McCrady.  Peter 353 

McNitt,  Sylvester - .  257 

McDaniels,  J.  H 395 

McDaniels,   Frank 395 

McLoud.  Jonas  G 353 

Melvin,  B.  F 57 

Meek,  Bazil 61 

Medd,  Dr.  T.  R 254 

Merrill,  Prof.  G.  A 279 

Merrill,  G.  L 291 

Mitchell,  A.  M 64 

Mitchell,  George  263 

Miner,  W.  H 299 

Morehouse,  Dr.  E.  JI 199 

Morford,  G.  W 339 

Morford.  J.  W 57 

Morris,  Walter 56 

Moore,  Z.  B 58 

Moore,  H.  R.,.Jr 242 

Mork,  William 251 

Moon,  G.  C 307 

Morley,  J,  R 342 

Morton,  Thomas 407 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  OF  STEELE  COUNTY. 


PAGE 

Morton,  Edwaril 404 

Montgomery,  W.  H 263 

Murray,  Hon.  Hugh 60 

Mussman,  Fred 344 

Murphy,  Oscar 371 

/   Muller   Henry 376 

•-•  Murray,  Rev.  D.  L 406 

Naylor,  Edward 381 

Newsalt,  Jacob 250 

Nelson,  Fred 398 

Northup,  B.  M 392 

Nordeen,  P.  J 95 

Ogle.  Rev.  .J.  C 231 

Olson,  Peter 376 

Olson,  Hans 376 

Olson,  Ole 383 

Olson,  Anton 404 

Oppliger,  J.  A 241 

Ost,  Fred 365 

Oulton,  George 63 

Park,  J.  W 55 

Patterson,  S.  H 60 

Parrott,  George 341 

Peterson,  Soren 58 

Peterson,  Christian 353 

Peterson,  Lars 353 

Peterson,  Peter  (Owatonna). . . .  364 

Peterson,  C.  (Somerset) 365 

Peterson,  Peter 398 

Pettie,  C.  B  344 

Pettie,  Hon.  G.  C 353 

Peachey,  G.  W 198 

Pettit,  W.  F ,59 

Piper,  E.  W 345 

Piper,  D.  S 307 

Pichner,  John 339 

Pitcher,  Hiram 379 

Pollock,  O.  W 63 

Pratt,  Hon.  M.  B 308 

Pratt,  William  A 363 

Purfeest,  Herman 386 

Quiggle,  M.  S 350 

Radke,  Carl 331 

Reed,  Levrmon  G 381 

Reineke,  Chri.sl  ian 333 

Reynolds.  R.  II 380 

Reineke,  Conrad 331 

Reiter.  Lewis 331 

Richter,  E.  W 100 

Ribstein,  F 290 

Ring,  Samuel 398 

Ring,  Eugene 398 

Ring,  Joseph 398 

Ribibe,  Henry 376 

Rossbach.  Dr.  G.  .\ 300 

Roberts,  Dr.  D.  H 300 

Rosebrock,  Hon.  H.  H 351 

Rosskopf ,  Fred 256 


PAGE 

Rosenau,  Herman 330 

Ross,  Amos 372 

Rulliffson,  H.  W 51 

Ryan   M 364 

Ryan,  John 387 

Sanborn,  David 57 

Sanborn,  John 293 

Sawyer,  D.  P  388 

Sawyer,  J.  A 100 

Sawyer,  W.  F 101 

Sawyer,  Philo 380 

Sander,  H.  P.  G 363 

Sanders,  E.  B 341 

Sannemann,  William 367 

Sahler,  W.  J 343 

Schuman.  F.  G 191 

Schoen,  Charles 195 

Schafer,  Hon.  N.  J 195 

Scholljegerdes,  John 377 

Searl,  Dr.  A.  C 354 

Seely,  N.  G 333 

Selleck,  Alson 336 

Sette,Fred 365 

Sheldon,  C.  E 190 

Sheldon,  T.  R 383 

Shaw,  G.  W 354 

Shea,  John 349 

Shea,  William 379 

Simpson,  Adam 190 

Sloan,  Hon.  J.  M 53 

Sloan,  George  E 56 

Smith,  S.  B'. 55 

Smith,  C,  P 356 

Smith,  Edward 388 

Smith.  J.  B 381 

Smith,  William 377 

Smith,  Dexter 361 

Smith,  J.  W  (Summit) 386 

Smith,  James  W 397 

Smith,  A.  P 398 

Smith,  T.  C 398 

Soper,  J.  A 108 

Solnce,  Rev.  J.  M 338 

Soukup.  J.  H 343 

Sperry,  W.  A 99 

Sperry,  D.  W 246 

Spinney.  Rev.  W.  A 234 

Stockwell.  Thomas 383 

Stendel,  Hcnrv 333 

Stange,  Fred 366 

Storer,  Gardner 367 

Stevens.  lion.  F.  J 47 

Stoughton,  A.  N 59 

Strong,  G.  W 392 

Synskov,  P.  J 348 

Taylor,  E.  P 286 

Tennis,  A.  C 387v, 

Thompson,  Thos 58 

Thomson,  Rev.  William 143 

Thomp.son,  Andrew 345 

Thom,  Francis 340 


Thorn,  R.  C  340 

Thomas,  Rev.  O.  A 311 

Thon,  John 241 

Thon,  J.  P 241 

Thorn,  James 95 

Theimer,  Emil 264 

Thamert,  F.  L 348 

Thim.sen,  P.  P 396 

Titus,  Anson 341 

Town,  A 263 

Travis,  J.  N 360 

Trowe,  F.  J 380 

Tryon,  (; 197 

Trotman,  William 408 

Tuttle,  P.  J 291 

Turk,  John  L 364 

Twiford,  Dr.  W.  H 48 

Twiford,  E.  M  246 

Tyler,  Ezra 56 

Virtue,  John 316 

Von  Ruden,  Joseph 346 

Warner,  C.  F 343 ' 

Washburn,  Rev.  R 363 

Wagner,  William 346 

Warren,  Stewart 300 

Wardwell,  H.  E 357 

Wacker.  Henry 347 

Webb.  Merritt 399 

White,  Hon.  Milo 46 

AVheaton,  Willard 60 

Wheelock,  Hon.  L.  L 98 

Whitman,  M.  D 366 

Willsey,  W.  H 189 

Winship,  N 197 

Win.ship,  J.  E 357 

Wilson,  A 383 

Wilson,  Charles 282 

Wilson,  W.  H 288 

Williams,  Thomas  290 

Wilkins,  Hon.  W.  W 297 

Wilker,  John  H 328 

Williams,  Hon.  S.  B     341 

Wiggins,  W.  A 341 

Widrick,  John 346 

Wiudoni,  Hon.  Wni 43 

Wilkinson,  Hon.  M.  S 43 

Wilson,  Hon.  Thomas 46 

Williamson,  S.  C 60 

Woodman,  L.  C 258 

Wright,  A.  L 304 

Wuamett,  John  0 328 

Yarchow,  H.  C 362 

Yearly,  S.  M 95 

Young,  Julius 343 

Young,  John 287 

Yust,  Christian 325 

Zamboni,  C 255 

Zwiener,  H.  L 407 

Zwiener,  A.  J 397 


PORTRAITS, 


PAdE 

Birkett,  Hon.   Iknrv 175 

Blythe.  John .' 391 

Bray.  Thomas 409 

Buffum,  Hon.  George  W 67 

Burlingame,  Hon.  J.  .M 85 

Busho,  Julius 319 


Chesley,  G.  W 193 

Dunnell,  Hon.  M.  II 49 

Ganser,  P 365 

Harris,  Jacob  J 355 

Kinyon,  Hon.  W.  R 157 


PMiB 

Morehouse,  Hon.  E.  M 139 

Ogle,  Rev.  J.  C 329 

Thom,  Francis 337 

Wheelock,  Hon.  L.  L 131 

Wilkins,  Hon.  W.  W 301 

Woodman,  L.  C 211 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  OF  WASECA  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Introduction 415 

CHAPTER  n. 

Geoguaphy,  Topography  and  Geolooy 417 

Location 417 

Topography 417 

Geology 418 

Resources 419 

CHAPTER  III. 

Early  Settlement 430 

Claim  Jumping 426 

Hard  Times 439 

Historical  Items 430 

Origin  of  County's  Name 431 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Reminiscenses  and  Incidents 433 

By  James  E.  Child 432 

By  William  Brisbane 435 

Thrashing  bv  Moonlight 437 

Bloody  Tragedy. 437 

First  Sad  Misfortune 438 

Great  Snow  Storm 439 

CHAPTER  V. 

County  Government 441 

Commissioners'  Proceedings 441 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Political 450 

Official  Vote 453 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Other  Opficial  Matters 467 

Population 467 

Subdivisions  of  the  County 467 

Town  Plats 467 

Matrimonial 468 

Registry  of  Deeds 470 

Auditor's  Report  470 

Treasurer's  Report 470 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

State  and  County  Representation 471 

Congressional 471 

Legislative 471 

County  Auditor 483 

Register  of  Deeds 484 

County  Treasurer 486 

Clerk  of  Court 488 

Sheriff 489 

Judge  of  Probate 489 

County  Attorney 491 

County  Surveyor , 491 

CHAPTER  IX. 

County  Seat  Contests  and  County  Buildings..  493 

CHAPTER  X. 

JoURNALIS.M 496 

Home  Views 496 

Waseca  Home  Views 496 

Waseca  Courier 496 

Wilton  Weekly  News 496 

Waseca  News 497 

Minnesota  Radical 497 

Waseca  Radical 498 

Wilton  Courant 498 

Lantern 501 

Independent 501 


page 

Record  501 

Janesville  Argus 501 

Waseca  Leader 503 

Waseca  Herald 503 

Chronicle 504 

Town  Talk 504 

New  Richland  Review 504 

North  Star 505 

New  Year 505 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Bench  and  Bar 506 

Important  Trials 506 

District  Courts 507 

Attorneys 508 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Educ.\tional 512 

County  Superintendents 513 

The  Development 514 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Agriculture  and  Agricultural  Societies 515 

Anti-Horsethief  Association ' 520 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Waseca  County  in  the  War .533 

Roster 522 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Indian  Massacre .525 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Wilton  Township 543 

Wilton  Village  550 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

St.  Mary  Township ."tSS 

St.  Mary  Village 562 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Iosco  Township 564 

Empire  Village 575 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

Blooming  Grove  Township 577 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Otisco  Township 592 

Villages 599 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

Janesville  Township 605 

Janesville  Village 616 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

Woodville  Township 634 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

New  Richland  Township 634 

New  Richland  Vill.\ge  046 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Vivian  Township  658 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Byron  Township 666 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Alton  Township 673 

Alma  City 6^3 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS    OF    WASEOA    COUNTY. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Freedom  Township 


PAGE 

689 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

CiTv  OF  Waseca 701 

The  Beginning 701 

Earl}'  Business 702 

Business  Development 703 

Physicians 709 

Hotels 710 


PAGE 

Banlss 713 

Postofiice 713 

Other  Business  Interests  and  Business  Men ....  714 

Flouring  Mill 719 

Municipal 725 

Schools 72.") 

Religious 121}' 

Fire  Department 729 

Societies 730 

Maplewood  Parli 733 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


I'.VGE 

Abell,  Hon.  John  S 477 

Abbott,  W.  D .511 

Allen,  H.  B .i48 

Allyn,  W.  G 606 

Anderson,  Ole .595 

Anderson,  John .596 

Anderson,  Albert .597 

Anderson,  Nels  J 638 

Anderson,  Olave 641 

Andrews,  J.  D .597 

Armstrong,  W.  D 718 

Arentsen,  George  L 705 

Atwood,  E.  M .549 

Aughenbaugh,  Jolin  W 730 

Ayers,  Richard 667 

Barrett,  Luther 423 

Bailey,  Hon.  Philo  C 476 

Bailv,  John .555 

Baker,  W.  S 486 

Ballard,  Daniel  T 558 

Ballard,  Isaac 559 

Ballard,  Henry  S 573 

Bathke,  Au£;ust 573 

Bahr,  John^L 588 

Bauman,  C 603 

Baldwin,  Herman 664 

Baldwin,  Milo 686 

Bell,  A 433 

Behne.  Henry 587 

Beisner,  Louis 591 

Benson,  John 636 

Berg,  Andrew  N 637 

Beyer,  Charles 664 

Beavins,  William 667 

Beavins,  David 667 

Bennett,  Edward 733 

Beierwaltcr,  John 734 

Bird,  Abraham 433 

Bird,  Josepli 433 

Blivens,  J.  M "434 

Bommengen,  Ole  0 640 

Bokke,  Ole  S 6.51 

Bowe,  Patrick  A 707 

Bronson,  O.  H 505 

Brisbane,  Hon.  William 473 

Bradish,  John 508 

Britton,  R.  L.  11 618 

Brossard,  Francis 585 

Breilein,  Andrew 638 

Bromaghin,  Franklin 693 

Brubaker,  Jacob 733 

Brubaker,  George  E 733 

Breen,  Nicholas  J 707 


PACE 

Buckman,  George  R 487 

Burnett,  William 614 

Buker,  Henry 633 

Bumgerten,  Peter 671 

Burke,  William 677 

Bush,  A.  G 708 

Burns,  P 547 

Canfield,  J.  A 489 

Carmody,  John 510 

Cahill,  Thomas 610 

Carlton,  E.  K 637 

Casey,  M 674 

Campion,  CM 674 

Chandler,  Hon.  J.  0 477 

Child,  Simeon  P 423 

Child,  Hon.  James  E 503 

Chamberlain,  H.  P 565 

Chase,  Luther 689 

Chase,  Henry 618 

Christenson,  Nels 635 

Christiansen,  J.  E 637 

Christianson.  S.  E 655 

Christie,  Rev.  A 728 

Clark,  H.  A 674 

Claghorn,  J.  L 731 

Collester,  M.  D.  L 510 

Collester,  E.  B 511 

Conner,  jM.  F 546 

Conner,  E.  R 578 

Coddington,  David 567 

Cor.sou,  H.  H 653 

Concanon,  Lawrence  W 671 

Converse,  Ilcurv 694 

Comstock,  Abncr  E 699 

Comee,  George  W 717 

Connelly.  Thomas 706 

Collins.  Maurice  S 711 

Craig.  Dr.  R.  0 479 

Crawford,  J.  W 484 

Crawford,  W.  H 610 

Cronkhitc,  Edgar 483 

Cunningham,  John 606 

Cunningham.  Charles 696 

Curran,  John 631 

Curvan,  James 631 

Cummins,  James 618 

Cummings,  Harvey 670 

Dahle,  Jens  T 586 

Davis,  Jeremy 666 

Davis,  Daniel  C 666 

Davis,  John 693 

Davis,  Mrs.  Maria 693 

Davidson,  Joseph 619 


PAGE 

Davidson,  W 690 

Day,  W.  W 618 

Devereaux,  M.  L ...  674 

De  Graff,  Col.  Andrew 678 

De  Graff,  Charles  A 681 

Dedrick,  Charles 695 

Dinneen,  John 671 

Dodge,  Hon.  D.  J   478 

Doran,  John 548 

Dunn,  George  T 549 

Dunn,  J.  T 600 

Dunn,  James  M 629 

Dunn,  Andrew  L 631 

Dun  woody ,  E.  E 653 

Dunham,  George  W 676 

Dwyer,  Mrs.  Honora 664 

Dye,  J.  B 513 

Enos,  P.  Brink 509 

Enright,  P.  M 631 

Ericksen,  Knut  581 

Erwin,  D.  A 560 

Everett,  William 719 

Farrington,  S.  A 547 

FarleyT  Patrick 560 

Farrell,  Peter .567 

Farrell,  Patrick 638 

Faught,  G.  W 614 

Field,  Frank 685 

Field,  John 691 

Fiske,  E.  W 705 

Flvnn,  Thomas 703 

Franklin  S.  W 636 

Garland,  Nathaniel 489 

Gallagher,  Michael 561 

Gage,  Lorin  A 632 

Gates,  Emerson 676 

Gates,  Warren 684 

Gatzman,  .loseph 706 

Gerlicher,  H.  J 714 

Geraghty,  Roger 561 

Geary,  John  E 696 

Gove,  Dr.  M.  S 551 

Gorman,  Anthony .556 

Gorman.  Charles 560 

Gosper,  E.H 618 

Gordon.  J.  M 620 

Grant,  W.  L 711 

Gray,  William  M 578 

Gray,  William  H 630 

Gregory,  Bernard 423 

Grams,  Gottlieb 611 

Green,  William  M 628 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


PAGE 

Graham,  John  L 691 

Graham,  Arthur 691 

Graham,  Clarence  E 498 

Grapp,  A 703 

Gustafson,  Charles 604 

Gutfleisch,  Charles 617 

Guyer  Anthony 708 

Hayden,  James  B 488 

Hammel,  Terence 676 

Hanes,  Aaron 565 

Hand,  James 580 

Hackett,  Mrs.  Margaret 581 

Hackett,  John 581 

Hanson,  Knud 598 

Hanson,  Otto 601 

Hanson,  H.  J 636 

Hansen,  C 724 

Hagen,  Ole  0 635 

Hagen.  Knudt  0 640 

Hawkes,  Samuel 707 

Harmon,  W.  H 659 

Hanks,  Rodnev 663 

Healey,  Hugh' 568 

Henry,  John  A 501 

Henderson,  Andrew  J 660 

Helms,  M.  H 718 

Hill,  J.  B 658 

Hills,  Elijah 673 

Howell,  Jonathan 433 

Hogan,  J 435 

Hogan,  Andrew 683 

Holstein,  Alfred 605 

Hodgkins.  Samuel 699 

Hosmer,  J.  W . .  609 

Hover,  C 613 

Hover.  William 632 

Holt,  P.  A 651 

Hope,  Garret 668 

Hopkins,  M.  S 678 

Hopkins,  H.  M 678 

Hofeld,  George 684 

Hunt,  J.  F 637 

Hunt.  Dr.  M.  V 709 

Hutchinson,  Dr.  A.  31 710 

Hydorn,  Sanford 693 

Ide,  John  C 483 

Irwin,  James 601 

Jackson,  Thomas  B 583 

Jackson.  W.  H.  H .583 

Jacobs,  Nicholas 718 

Jamison.  A.  P 713 

Jahn,  Rev.  J.  C ,587 

Jenkins,  John 433 

Jenkins,  David 433 

Jewison,  William 614 

Jennison.  A.  W 619 

Johnson,  Michael 423 

Johnson.  Alexander ,509 

Johnson,  George 563 

Johnson,  Carl  (Blooming  Grove)  583 

Johnson,  Moses ,596 

John-son,  Gustaf 601 

Johnson.  Nels  648 

Johnson,  Charles  B 650 

Johnson,  Ole 660 

Johnson,  Carl  (Vivian) 060 

Jolmson,  Elling 705 

Johnson,  John  W 706 

Johnston.  C.  W 557 

Johnston,  Mrs.  Jane  C 557 

Jordan,  John 556 


PAGE 

Jones,  James  E 573 

Kanne,  Fred.  F 566 

Kaiser,  August 574 

Keeley,  M.  B 489 

Kenehan,  Patrick .545 

Kennedy,  Thomas 633 

Kittredge,  Fred 704 

Kittredge,  W.  T 509 

Kinder.  W.  R 510 

Knutsen.  Gullick .581 

Knutson,  Ole 424 

Knudson,  Ole  C 635 

Knauss,  C.  W 588 

Krassin,  Gottlieb,  Sr  423 

Krassin,  Martin 423 

Krassin,  John  F 423 

Krassin,  Johan  G 555 

Krassin,  August  C 489 

Kruger,  August  F 486 

Kruger,  Julius  A.  R 642 

Koester.  Christian .570 

Koffstad,  N.  C 635 

Kugath,  William 601 

Kyes,  Lucius 637 

Lamb,  Hon.  Morris  H 475 

Lamb,  Morris 673 

La  Dow.  George 509 

Larson,  Johnny 602 

Larsen,  M.  A 649 

Lajord,  Thomas  639 

Laudert,  Martin 655 

Lauder.  William 655 

Lewis,  B.  S ,510 

Lee,  William ,565 

Leslie,  Samuel 600 

Leavitt,  N.  J 630 

Lewer,  Henry  F 633 

Lincoln,  Noah ,545 

Lincoln,  Charles  F 546 

Long,  Seth   W 489 

Loveland.  H.  S 557 

Lockwood,  Charles 675 

Lundquist.  Fred 603 

Lund,  Torkel 640 

Lyng,  Isaiic  667 

Mackey,  Jeremiah 699 

Mantie,  Joseph 556 

Martin,  Floyd 613 

Mandigo,  Daniel  N 700 

Markham,  Patrick 677 

McDougal,  Hugh .593 

McDougal,  Robert .593 

McKune,  Capt.  Lewis 472 

McKune,  Fred 579 

McGovern,  Hon.  Peter 475 

McKenna.  Charles 488 

Mo  Gonagle,  Jlichael. 556 

McCarthy,  Dennis 562 

McWade,  John 570 

McGrath,  Christie 667 

McLoughlin,  T.  F 702 

McLoughlin,  Dennis 713 

Mcintosh.  Dr 710 

:Mellby,  Rev.  O.  A 640 

Mertens,  Christopher 687 

Mittelsteadt,  William 559 

Min.ske,  John 566 

Minges,  Hon.  .Tosepli 475 

Miller,  Martin ■ 568 

Minor,  Samuel  A 569 

Miner,  F.  H 617 


PAGE 

Mosher,  H.  A 486 

Moen,  Iver  A 687 

Mosher,  Weston 585 

Murphy,  John  Fiskc 503 

Murphy,  William .546 

Murphy.  James  C 619 

Murphy,  Patrick  J 619 

Murphy,  Alichael 648 

Milller,  Martin 568 

Mueller,  Rev.  A 696 

"Idycue,  Aiken 663 

Nelson,  R 549 

Nelson,  Andrew   583 

Nelson,  John ,597 

Nelson,  N.  M 641 

Nettleton,  E.  F 683 

Newgard,  A.  J 646 

Newman.  Mary . .  574 

Nordmier.  Ernest 591 

Norton,  H.  P 485 

Norton,  C.  0 546 

Obriue,  Peter 673 

O'Grady,  A.  J 511 

Oien  John 694 

Oien,  OleO 699 

Oleson.  Burgiff ,593 

O'Neil.  Rev.  P.  J 631 

Osgood,  Luke  B 434 

Orcutt,  William 687 

Paulson,  Hans 559 

Papke,  Julius 561 

Parvin,  Benaiah 669 

Partridge.  Zalmon  JI 670 

Parker,  Chancey 724 

Peck,  Henry. . ." 567 

Peterson,  John .596 

Peterson,  Mrs.  Louisa 603 

Peterson,  John  P 603 

Peter.son,  Lars 604 

Peter.son.  John 638 

Phelps.  S.  8 557 

Philbrook,  William 667 

Philbrook,  Mrs.  Sarah 667 

Pierce,  M.  R 717 

Pierce,  D 734 

Pierce,  Jacob  W 667 

Plath,  JIartin 569 

Plummer,  Moses 598 

Powell.  Obediah 624 

Prechel.  Gottlieb 433 

Prechel.Pred 433 

Priebe,  August 557 

Preston,  S.  H 704 

Purcell,  Philip 569 

Quirk,  James .510 

Qverne,  Paul  0 638 

Reibeling,  George  H.,  Sr 557 

Reed.  .lohn .566 

Remund,  Christian 577 

Remund,  Samuel 579 

Remund,  Albert .580 

Reinhardt,  William .583 

Reinhardt,  .Justus .583 

Rekkc,  O.   K 639 

Rotegard,  Cari 642 

Remington,  C.  W 685 

Remington,  Dr.  C.  1 686 

Reichei.  Robert 710 

Rice,  E.   A 484 

Rice,  J.  S 486 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  OF  WASECA  COUNTT. 


PAGE 

Root,  James  A 548 

Roddle,  William 549 

Robbins,  H.  0 600 

Robbins,  Asa 601 

Rollins,  Samuel  S 693 

Ryan,  Hon.  Michael  W 483 

Sawin,  Hon.  O.  U 703 

San  Galli,  Charles 485 

Sampson,  Hon.  Anthony   476 

SaufEerer,  Hon.  John  L 474 

Savage,  Thomas 613 

Scoville,  Harry 691 

Scott,  Christopher 423 

Schwenke,  Henrj' 641 

Schlosser,  B.  H 654 

Schuette,  Julius  586 

Seaman,  Fletcher  D 689 

Seymour,  Patrick 678 

Sheldon,  Myron  S 56S 

Shephard,  S.  P 613 

Singenstrue,  Henry ....   : 587 

Slattery,  James 574 

Smith,  Simeon 434 

Smith,  Alfred  C 627 

Smith,  Hon.  Warren 473 

Smith,  J.  B 733 

Spoonburg,  John 603 

Spoonburg,  Mrs.  Christine 602 

Sparks,  D.  B 655 

Stewart,   J.I 486 

Strong,  N.  E 488 

Stearns,  E.  B 594 

Stearns,  H.  K 647 

.  Steinhaus,  Edward 654 

\,'    Sutter,  Christian 588 


PAGE 

Sutlief,  Asa  G 430 

Sutlief ,  Byron  G 543 

Sutliff,  Omer  H 668 

Sunde,  Paul  0 650 

Swift,  H.  S 702 

Swift,   Kyes ,580 

Swift,  P.  H 509 

Swann,  J.  R 649 

Swensou,  S 484 

Sybilrud,  E.  C  641 

Talmadge,  W 612 

Thompson,  William 683 

Tolin,  John  A 603 

Toner,  Richard 567 

Trowbridge,  Ira  C 731 

Turnacliff,  Jackson 546 

Turnacliff,  Ferdinand .547 

Vaughan,  James  A 683 

Verplank.  E.  E 639 

Vickere,  Isaac 633 

Ward,  Hon.  W.  G ". ..  480 

Walter,  Ludwig 570 

Warner,  Joseph 613 

Watkins,  Henry 627 

Watkins,  George  W 732 

Wager,  William 673 

Wagner,  Hon.  Christoph 478 

Welch,  Buel .551 

Wendland,  August 574 

Weed,  Edwin  S 597 

Weed,  C.  S 667 

Weed,  Jesse  R 669 

Weed,  Benjamin  F 654 


PAGE 

West,  Ichabod 659 

Wentworth,  W.  C 711 

White,  Hon.  J.  C 476 

Wliite,  George  T 487 

Whipple,  D.  L 489 

Wheeler,  Whitney 563 

Wheeler,  John  A 660 

Williams,  Hon.  S.  B 477 

Willis,  S.  J 488 

Willis,  Spencer  J 567 

Willis,  A 613 

Willis,  Edward 612 

Wightman,  J.  H 637 

Wilson,  Mrs.  Calistii  J   669 

Wilkins,  John  J 691 

Witts,  Nelson 692 

Wilkinson,  John 693 

Woodbury,  A.  J 551 

Worden,  John .556 

Wood,  David 564 

Wood,  Roger  B 599 

Wood,  Eri  G 637 

Wood,  Luman  S 638 

Wood,  George  H 631 

Wolf,  E.  J 586 

Wubschall,  Fred 423 

Wyman,  S.  P 723 

Young,  Hon.  William  C 490 

Young,  W.  E 510 

Young,  Joseph  D  639 

Young,  D.  P 685 

Young,  Dr.  H.  J 709 

Youngberg,  John 603 

Zell,  Fred 604 


PORTRAITS. 


PAGE 

Brisbane,  Hon.  William 463 

Buckman,  G.  R 715 

Child,  Hon.  James  E 499 

Cronkhite,  Edgar 481 

De  Graff.  C.  A 517 


PAGE 

Dunn,  James  M 625 

Everett,  William 535 

Lamb,  Hon.  M.  H 679 

McKune,  Capt.  Lewis 445 


PAGE 

Phelps,  S.  S 553 

Plummer,  Moses 589 

Smith.  Hon.  Warren 427 

Ward,  Hon.  W.  G 697 


HISTORY  OF  THE  STATE  OF   MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE 

Location,  Topogkapfiy  and  General  Remarks..  737 

Location 737 

Resources 737 

Topography 737 

Railroads 738 

Population  Statistics 738 

CHAPTER  IL 

History  from  1060  to  1887 739 

Early  Explorations 739 

During  Seventeenth  Century 740 

During  Eighteenth  Century - 743 

During  Nineteenth  Century 743 

( )rganization  as  a  Territory 745 

( )rganizatiou  as  a  State 745 

Chronological  Events 745 

CHAPTER  HL 

The  Indian  Massacre 747 


IIAGE 

Indian  Tribes 747 

Causes  that  Led  to  the  Outbreak 748 

Maj.  Galbraith's  Views 749 

Blood  Shed 751 

Battles 753 

Surrender  of  Indians 752 

Release  of  Captives 752 

Execution  of  Thirty-eight  Indians 752 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Territorial  and  State  Officers 753 

Officers  in  Territorial  Times 753 

Various  State  Officers 754 

Judiciary 755 

CHAPTER  V. 

Representation  in  Congress  and  Creation  of 

Counties 755 

Senators 75G 

Representatives .' .  756 

Creation  of  Counties 757 


«*- 


1^ 


HISTORY  OF  STEELE  COUNTY. 


HISTORY 


OF 


STEELE  COUNTY,  MINNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  I. 


INTEODUCTORY. 


S  tlie  changes  of  half  a  century 
are  contemplated,  one  can  scarce- 
ly comprehend  or  realize  that 
the  wonderful  results  of  Time's 
marvel-working  hand  are  the 
achievements  of  a  period  so 
brief  as  to  be  within  the  re- 
membrance of  the  present  gen- 
eration. 

Let  us  turn  back,  as  it  were, 
the  leaves  of  Time's  great  book  to  but 
a  little  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century 
ago,  and  the  stranger  would  have  gazed 
upon  a  landscape  of  wondrous  beauty, 
selected  by  Indians  as  a  camping-ground, 
with  that  singular  appreciation  of  the  beau- 
tiful which  nature  has  made  an  instinct 
in  the  savage.  These  vast  and  rolling 
prairies  and  woodlands  were  as  green 
then  as  now ;  the  prairie  flowers  bloomed  as 
thickly  and  diffused  their  fragrance  as  boun- 
tifull}'.  "We  are  in  the  haunt  of  the  red 
man,  with  scarcely  a  trace  of  civilization, 
while  the  freedom  of  bird  and  beast  reigns 
supreme.  But,  to-day,  what  a  contrast ! 
Then,  all  was  as  nature  had  formed  it,  with 
its  variegated  hues  of  vegetation  ;  in  winter 
a  dreary,  snow-mantled  desert ;  in  summer  a 

2 


perfect  paradise  of  flowers.  Now,  all  traces 
of  the  primitive  are  obliterated  ;  in  place  of 
the  tall  prairie  grass  and  tangled  under- 
brush, one  beholds  the  I'ich  waving  fields  of 
golden  grain.  In  place  of  the  dusky  war- 
rior's rude  cabins  are  the  substantial  and 
often  elegant  dwellings  of  the  thrifty  farm- 
ers ;  and  the  "  iron  horse,"  swifter  than  the 
nimble  deer,  treads  the  pathwaj^  so  recently 
the  trail  of  the  red  man.  Then  a  sickle  of 
fire  annually  cut  away  the  wild  herbage,  and 
drove  to  its  death  the  stag ;  now  it  is  the 
home  of  the  cereals,  and  nourishes  on  its 
broad  bosom  thousands  of  tons  of  the  staple 
products  of  the  great  North  Star  State. 
Then  the  storm  drove  the  wolf  and  stag  to 
their  hiding-place ;  now  the  blast  drives  the 
herd  of  the  husbandman  to  comfortable 
shelter.     The  transformation  is  complete. 

In  this  volume  it  will  be  the  aim  of  the 
historian  to  record  tlie  progress  of  Steele 
County  from  its  earliest  settlement  to  the 
present  time ;  to  show  the  changes  that  have 
from  time  to  time  been  made  and  how  tliey 
were  brought  about,  and  to  record  the  life 
work  of  individuals  who  have  been  instru- 
mental in  effecting  the  change.  It  will  thus 
be  seen  to  embrace  events  which  some  may 


18 


HISTOET   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


think  insignificant.  "Great  events  find 
ready  record,"  saj's  a  well-known  writer, 
"  but  minor  doings  are  often  neglected,  until 
they  become  so  obscured  by  the  dust  of  time 
as  to  be  forever  clouded."  Yet  from  such 
humble  origin  may  spring  the  mightiest 
results.  The  history  of  men's  lives  is  often 
incomplete  through  the  negligence  of  those 
whose  duty  it  was  to  record  the  dates  of 
births,  or  deaths,  or  happenings  which  have 
eventually  proven  epochs  in  the  world's 
progress.  History  is  sometimes  narrowly 
regarded  but  the  doings  of  rulers,  who  have 
the  world  for  their  theater  of  operations, 
and  the  fate  of  empires  for  their  subjects. 
Such  grave  performances  are,  of  necessity, 
remembered,  but  they  are  no  more,  in  them- 
selves, worthy  of  preservation  than  are  the 
simpler  deeds  of  heroism  which  pioneers  so 
modestly  participated  in.  Yet  when  the 
careful  student  seeks  for  the  moving  forces 
which  made  thrones  tremble,  he  is  too  often 
rewarded  but  meagerly.  The  people  are 
seldom  recorded  in  history'.  In  rare  excep- 
tions may  be  found  a  clearer  ray  of  light  on 
humble  undertakings,  but  they  serve  only  to 
show  the  other  failures  stronger  by  con- 
trast. The  Pilgrim  Fathers  who  survived 
the  shock  of  the  first  rude  winter  are 
recorded  in  the  sparse  annals  of  New 
England,  and  their  descendants  revei't  with 
pride  to  those  heroic  ancestors.    But  the  fifty 


pilgrims  who  died  during  that  bleak  season 
are  never  spoken  of  bj'  name,  though  they 
are  none  the  less  worthy  of  undying  rever- 
had  some  one  more  thought- 


ence. 


Again, 


ful  than  the  rest  among  John  Winthrop's 
band,  which  two  and  a  half  centuries  ago  set 
deep  the  seeds  of  civilization  on  the  rough 
shores  of  Massachusetts,  left  a  I'ecord  of 
events  then  transpiring,  how  invaluable 
would  that  book  now  be  to  those  who  might 
prepare  a  great  work  on  Boston's  history. 
This  same  fact  is  true  of  every  old  settled 
countr3^  The  early  pioneers  and  those  who 
took  part  in  the  development  during  the 
first  quarter  of  a  centur}'  of  the  history  of 
every  county  are  generally  lost  to  the 
knowledge  of  those  who  come  later,  and  as 
time  goes  on  it  soon  becomes  impossible  to 
obtain  reliable  information  concei-ning  them. 
Realizing  this  fact,  this  work  has  been 
compiled.  Thousands  of  facts  are  herein 
recorded,  and  individual  sketches  of  hun- 
dreds of  citizens,  living  and  dead,  are  here 
placed  in  an  enduring  form.  These  men 
and  women  are,  or  have  been,  actors  in  the 
drama  of  the  settlement  and  development  of 
Steele  County.  By  inserting  these  sketches, 
in  addition  to  other  matter,  is  preserved  not 
only  the  recital  of  historic  fact,  but  a  sub- 
current  of  individual  deeds  runs  through  all, 
giving  a  realism  to  the  narrative  which  could 
be  imparted  in  no  other  way. 


CHAPTER  II. 


LOCATION,  TOPOGEAPHY  AND  GEOLOGY. 


N  no  portion  of  the  great  State  of 
Minnesota  is  Steele  County  sur- 
passed for  its  beautiful  scenery: 
its  rolling  prairies  interspersed 
and  diversified  with  natural  and 
domestic  groves ;  its  meandering 
streams  and  its  carpet  of  flowers 
and  verdure.  It  lies  in  the  southern  or 
soutlieastern  part  of  the  State,  having  for 
its  boundaries  Rice  County  on  the  north. 
Dodge  on  the  east,  Freeborn  on  the  south 
and  Waseca  on  the  west.  As  an  agricultural 
and  stock-raising  region,  Steele  is  also  hard 
to  excel.  The  soil  is  very  productive  —  a 
rich,  dark  loam,  well  adapted  to  all  cereals 
common  to  this  latitude.  It  is  also  well 
suited  to  the  production  of  tame  and  in- 
digenous grasses,  and  stock-raising,  both 
native  and  blooded,  attracts  the  general  at- 
tention of  the  intelligent  class  of  farmers 
that  have  settled  here.  The  surface  between 
the  streams  is  a  gently  rolling  prairie,  inter- 
spersed by  "  oak  openings  "  in  various  por- 
tions of  the  county. 

The  county  is  well  watered,  not  only  by 
numerous  streams,  but  also  by  springs, 
brooks  and  lakes.  Straight  is  the  largest 
and  most  important  of  the  streams.  It  rises 
in  Freeboi-n  County  and  flows  northward 
through  Steele  County,  and  on  until  it  joins 
the  Canon  River.  Numerous  smaller  streams 
flow  into  and  swell  the  Straight  River  in 
Steele  County,  the  most  important  of  which 
are  Maple,  Turtle  and  Crane  Creeks.  At 
several  points  in  this  countj^  the  Straight 
River  furnishes  valuable  water-powers  which 
have   been    successfully   improved.      These 


streams  are  all  lined  with  a  moderate  growth 


of  natural  timber,  whicli  is  heavy  and  dense 
in  the  northern  part  of  the  county,  tliere 
being  sufficient  to  supply  the  inhabitants  of 
Steele  County  with  fuel  and  fencing  for  half 
a  century  to  come. 

GEOLOGICAL    FOEIIATION. 

The  geological  formation  here  is  about  the 
same  as  characterizes  the  balance  of  this  im- 
mediate portion  of  the  State.  The  follow- 
ing extracts  from  Prof.  N.  H.  Winchell's 
(State  geologist)  report  of  the  geological  and 
natural  history  survej'  of  Steele  County, 
made  in  1870,  comprise  all  that  has  been 
published  officially  in  relation  to  this  subject : 

"The  heaviness  of  the  drift  over  this 
county  effectually  covers  all  the  rock.  The 
slight  fall  of  the  river  enables  it  to  uncover 
but  little  thus  covered  up.  The  only  expos- 
ure of  rock  in  this  county  is  in  Clinton  Fall 
Township.  The  rock  is  Trenton  limestone, 
and  is  first  met  on  section  33.  It  is  in  the 
bed  and  on  the  low  banks  of  the  Straight 
River.  The  exposure,  at  the  time  visited, 
extended  only  about  four  feet  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  water.  The  rock  is  in  horizontal 
layers  twenty-six  inches  thick.  It  is  blue  on 
fresh  fracture,  yellow  when  weathered,  com- 
pact, sparry  and  contains  many  minute  frag- 
ments of  blue  shale,  like  the  corresponding 
rock  at  Minneapolis.  On  section  28  of  the 
same  township  the  rock  is  in  thicker  layers. 
The  following  section  was  seen  in  one  place, 
beginning  above  : 

" '  2  feet  loam. 

"  '  2  feet  blue  clay  and  limestone  in  thin 
layers. 

'"4  feet  —  to  water's  surface  —  compact 
blue  limestone,  in  tliin  layers.' 


as) 


20 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


"  Near  by  was  another  section  as  follows : 

"-'  2i  feet  black  and  red  loam. 

" '  2  feet  hard  yellow  clay. 

" '  7  feet  blue  stone  in  layers  2  to  5  inches 
thick,  extending  to  surface  of  water.' 

"  Below  this  there  is  no  more  rock  until 
the  county  line  is  passed.  At  "Wolcott  Mills, 
about  li  miles  in  Eice  County,  blue  Trenton 
limestone  has  been  quarried  in  the  bed  of 
the  river. 

"  No  fossils  were  found  in  the  rock.  This 
stone  is  used  for  flagging  and  other  purposes 
at  Owatonna,  and  is  considered  a  good 
stone. 

"  Some  evidence  of  the  existence  of  a  cre- 
taceous area  in  the  State  was  found.  On  the 
southeast  quarter  of  section  26  of  Deerfield, 
on  the  farm  of  Aug.  Hoffman,  coal  has 
been  found  in  sinking  a  well.  Dr.  G.  A. 
Rossback  tells  the  writer  that  they  went 
through  25  feet  of  black-blue  clay,  in  the 
under  part  of  which  were  fragments  of  coal. 
After  that  they  passed  through  gravel,  in 
which  also  were  coal  fragments.  At  the 
depth  of  63  or  64  feet  rock  was  struck ;  the 
drill  showed  it  to  be  black  slate  with  pieces 
of  coal  imbedded  in  it.  Although  no  speci- 
mens of  the  coal  were  seen  by  the  writer, 
the  descrijition  given  would  answer  for  cre- 
taceous lignite.  When  the  matter  is  further 
explored  all  doulit  as  to  the  geological  hori- 
zon of  the  rock  will  be  cleared  up.  Mean 
time  the  evidence  from  the  geology  of  ad- 
joining counties,  as  well  as  the  nature  of  the 
rock  itself,  justifies  us  in  calling  the  rock 
cretaceous. 


"The  drift  is  here,  as  already  mentioned, 
very  heavy.  Sections  of  it  were  seen  at 
several  places.  A  gravel  knoll,  cut  through 
at  Owatonna,  showed  one  foot  of  black  loam 
on  the  top,  then  four  feet  of  yellow,  sandy 
clay,  then  seven  feet  of  assorted  sand  and 
gravel.  Other  sections  along  the  railroads 
showed  essentiall}'^  the  same  arrangement. 
Among  the  gravel-pebbles  fragments  of  ar- 
gillite  were  common." 

The  Owatonna  mineral  springs  should  be 
mentioned.  They  ai'e  nine  in  number,  and 
are  located  about  one  and  one-half  miles 
northeast  of  the  cit3^  They  lie  along  Maple 
Creek,  at  the  base  of  a  low,  clave}'  bluff.  Of 
the  five  seen  by  the  writer,  four  deposited 
iron.  The  water  of  the  fifth  had  a  decidedly 
bluish  tint.  Fountain  Spring  was  put  down 
twenty-two  feet  and  now  flows  out  freely, 
raising  the  water  about  five  feet  above  the 
surface.  The  others  are  natural  springs. 
They  are  all  undoubtedly  due  to  the  clay  floor 
underlying  the  loose  materials  of  the  drift. 
The  taste  of  the  water  is  mineral.  The 
analysis  of  the  water,  published  by  the  Owa- 
tonna Mineral  Springs  Company,  is  ap- 
pended : 

In  one  gallon,  or  231  cubic  inches,  there  are  : 

Chloride  of  Sodium 1680  grains. 

Sulphate  of  Sodium 2856      " 

Bicarbonate  of  Sodium 1.8592      " 

Bicarbonate  of  Calcium 13.1992      " 

Bicarbonate  of  Magnesium 5.2920      " 

Bicarbonate  of  Protoxide  of  Iron     .6160      " 

Alumina 2800 

Silica 1.1200      " 

Organic  Matter a  trace. 

Total 22.8200  grains. 


CHAPTER  III. 


EAELY   DAYS. 


O  the  readers  of  local  history,  the 
chapter  pertaining  to  the  early 
settlement  of  a  country  is  of  gen- 
eral interest ;  especially  is  this  the 
case  with  pioneers  themselves, 
those  who  have  witnessed  the 
changes  that  have  been  made, 
who  have  seen  a  trackless  wilder- 
ness transformed  into  a  beautiful 
country,  and  tilled  with  an  enter- 
prising, happy  people.  He  here 
roads,  slowly  and  critically,  every  word,  re- 
calling memories  of  the  past,  which  for  a  gen- 
eration have  been  buried  among  a  host  of  rec- 
ollections, which  now  arise  before  him  like  a 
dream.  His  old  associations,  the  deeds,  the 
trials  and  battles  against  hunger  and  cold, 
while  the  settlers  were  few  and  far  between, 
and  wolves  howled  about  the  little  log  cabin, 
sending  a  chill  to  his  heart,  and  the  wind  driv- 
ing the  sifting  snow  through  the  crevices  — 
all  now  arise  vividly  before  him.  Often  is  it 
with  pleasure  he  can  recall  these  recollections, 
viewing  with  satisfaction  the  thought  that 
he  has  lived  to  see  a  thrifty  and  wealthy  land, 
dotted  with  schoolhouses  and  churches,  vil- 
lages and  cities. 

But  again  it  will  be  with  sadness  that  the 
past  is  recalled,  as  thoughts  spring  up  of  the 
dark  and  painful  side  of  early  days.  How  a 
wife,  whose  virtues,  bravery  and  simplicity 
will  always  be  remembered,  or  a  child,  prat- 
tling in  innocence,  being  called  from  earth  to 
the  eternal  home,  was  laid  away  under  the 
cruel  sod,  in  solemn  quietude,  by  the  rougli 
but  tender  hands  of  hardy  pioneers.  Time 
had  partially  allayed  the  sting,  but  the  wound 
is  now    uncovered   by  the   allusion   to  days 


gone  by,  and  the  cases  are  not  a  few,  where  a 
tear  of  bitter  sadness  wiU  course  down  the 
cheek  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  those  who 
have  departed. 

Notwithstanding  the  many  disadvantages 
and  even  sorrows  attendant  upon  the  first 
steps  of  civilization,  the  adversities  to  be  en- 
countered, the  pioneers  led  a  happy  life.  The 
absence  of  the  aristocratic  and  domineerine: 
power  of  wealth  and  position  must  have 
been  a  source  of  comfort  and  satisfaction. 
Merit  alone  insured  equality,  and  this  could 
not  be  suppressed  by  traditions.  The  brother- 
hood of  man  was  illustrated  in  a  sincere  and 
practical  waj'^,  and  hospitality  was  not  con- 
sidered so  much  a  Christian  trait  as  a  duty 
to  humanity. 

EAELY    SETTLERS    AND    FIRST    EVENTS. 

The  first  claims  in  Steele  County  were 
made  in  the  summer  of  1853  by  A.  L.  Wright, 
Chauncey  Lull,  Smith  and  Orlando  Johnson 
and  L.  M.  Howard,  who  staked  off  claims, 
and  some  members  of  the  party  began  im- 
provements that  fall.  All  these  selected  land 
in  what  has  since  become  Medford  Township. 
Late  that  fall  A.  L.  Wright  and  Chauncey 
Lull  erected  the  first  cabin  in  the  county. 
These  two  were  the  only  parties  who  spent 
the  following  winter  of  l«53-i  here.  This 
was  the  extent  of  the  settlement  made  in 
1853. 

In  1854  a  number  came,  among  them  be- 
ing W.  W.  Wilkins,  William  Allen,  John  San- 
born, William  K.  Colling,  Edwin  Drake,  Or- 
lando Bartholomew,  David  Sanborn,  A.  W. 
and  F.  F.  Adams,  W.  W.  Arnold,  F.  W.  Fisk, 
James  Huginan,  A.  B.  Cornell,  W.  F.  Pettit, 
G.  W.  Green,  J.  W.  Park  and  8.  B.  Smith. 


31 


22 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


In  1855-6  many  others  came  and  all  parts 
of  the  county  received  settlers.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  partial  list  of  the  pioneers : 

David  Lindersmitli,  Nelson  Morehouse, 
Dr.  E.  M.  Morehouse,  James  and  Sandford 
Hayes,  Mr.  Crehore,  P.  P.  Carlton,  John 
Odell,  James  Cole,  N.  Winship,  J.  H.  and 
Ezra  Abbott,  C.  and  J.  Ellison,  J.  W.  Mor- 
ford,  A.  Phelps,  James  Connell,  M.  A.  Dailej', 
L.  B.  Town,  B.  L.  Arnold,  Eev.  A.  Town, 
Obed  Gains,  P.  Sanford,  Basil  Meek,  J.  Wil- 
son, John  Wilcox,  Edward  McCartney,  Mr. 
Hobaugh,  Ezra  Crandall,  F.  J.  Stevens,  A. 
M.  Fitzsimmons,  C.  II.  Walker,  W.  F.  Drum, 
Thomas  Thompson,  E.  W.  Levi,  and  Albert 
Bailey,  Mr.  Savins,  Dr.  Thomas  Kenyon,  T. 
J.  Clark,  O.  A.  Barnes,  Dexter  Smith,  E. 
Lagro,  David  Burns,  O.  Fisher,  II.  Catlin, 
John  Catlin,  Charles  R.  Knowlton,  Warren 
Fisher,  J.  E.  Hughes,  Manna  Case,  Chas. 
McCarty,  William  Burns,  WiUiam  Close, 
Robert  Adair,  George  Dennis,  Newton  Park- 
er, D.  C.  Tiffany,  Samuel  Thompson,  Sand- 
ford  Kinnej^,  E.  Teed,  Samuel  Hastings, 
William  Manson,  G.  W.  Knapp,  John  Ben- 
nett, R.  Heath,  Capt.  John  Ball,  A.  B.  Clark, 
G.  AV.  Grimshaw,  Charles  Adsit,  Amos  Coggs- 
well,  S.  A.  Sargent,  Harvey  Eastman,  Oscar 
King,  Mr.  P.  Erham,  William  Shea,  C.  V. 
Brown,  Iliram  Pitcher,  Levi  Chase,  Thos. 
McCormick,  Robt.  Reynolds,  H.  S.  Howen, 
Enfin  Enfinson,  J.  Gordon,  D.  T.  Gordon, 
M.  Warren,  Mr.  Winchell,  F.  B.  Davis,  C. 
W.  Curtis,  L.  E.  Thompson,  Mr.  Magoon, 
David  Bayley,  Thomas  Bray,  John  Blythe, 
Levi  Annis,  J.  J.  Brackett,  Ira  Foster. 

Mr.  L.  M.  Howard,  who  had  settled  in  the 
town  of  Medford,  commenced  breaking 
pi'airie  in  September,  1853,  which  was  the 
first  plowing  done  in  the  county.  Mr.  John 
Sanborn,  who  came  in  the  spring  of  1854, 
brought  his  familj'  witli  liim,  and  located  in 
the  southern  part  of  the  town.  Mrs.  Sanborn 
is  said  to  be  the  first  woman  to  locate  in 
Steele  County. 

In  1855  Messrs.  Abbott  Brothers  built  a 
steam  sawmill,   and    in  1856  another  saw- 


mill was  erected  by  Messrs.  Melvin,  Rideout 
&  Hall.  The  first  school  in  the  county  was 
taught  on  the  present  site  of  Owatonna  by 
Miss  Helen  Holbrook  in  1855. 

In  May,  185i,  William  T.  Pettit  and  A.  B. 
Cornell  located  on  the  present  site  of  Owa- 
tonna. Mr.  Cornell  made  a  claim  on  the  east 
and  Mr.  Pettit  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 
The  first  dwelling  at  this  point  was  built  of 
poles,  with  prairie  grass  for  a  roof,  by  Mr. 
Cornell.  In  the  commencement  of  the  early 
settlement,  nearly  all  buildings  were  of  logs, 
and  of  such  Mr.  N.  Winship  built  a  hotel  in 
1855.  In  the  summer  of  the  same  year,  Mr. 
Pettit  built  the  first  frame  house,  paying 
$107  per  thousand  for  a  part  of  the  pine 
lumber,  which  he  bought  at  Red  Wing.  In 
the  spring  of  1856,  Ezra  Abbott  built  a  steam 
sawmill,  and  in  the  fall  Mr.  N.  Morehouse 
built  a  saw-mill  on  the  water-power  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  river.  These  mills  added 
very  materially  to  the  growth  and  interests 
of  the  new  settlement. 

In  the  various  township  and  city  liistories 
the  early  settlement  is  carried  to  a  later  day. 
The  names  of  many  other  early  settlers 
might  be  given  here,  but  thej^  are  omitted 
to  avoid  repetition. 

In  those  early  days  the  struggle  was  a 
hand-to-hand  conflict  with  stern  necessity 
and  the  disadvantages  that  must  be  met 
before  the  means  of  subsistence  and  the 
necessaries  of  life  could  be  supjilied  from  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil.  Many  a  time  was  the 
meal  to  furnish  the  family  with  bread  man- 
ufactured in  a  coffee-mill,  and  oftener  still 
was  the  wheat  or  corn  boiled  and  eaten  with- 
out grinding  in  any  manner.  Adventures 
were  but  few  of  a  startling  nature. 

Before  any  post  routes  were  established 
in  this  section,  it  was  only  occasionally  that 
the  people  received  any  mail  matter,  and 
when  they  did  it  was  generally  through  the 
kindness  of  some  of  the  settlers  who  would 
go  to  Faribault,  which  was  the  nearest  post- 
office,  and  bring  the  bundle  for  all  the  set- 
tlers.    A.  B.  Cornell  was  often  the  messen- 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


23 


ger,  and  at  such  times  as  the  river  was 
swollen  so  that  teams  could  not  ford  it,  he 
used  to  swim  across  and  go  on  foot  to  pro- 
cure the  mail,  and  on  returning,  when  he 
reached  the  river  he  would  tie  the  letters 
and  papers  in  a  bundle  and  attaching  a  stone 
thereto  would  throw  the  bundle  across  and 
then  swim  across  and  deliver  the  mail  to 
those  to  whom  it  was  directed.  The  news 
in  those  times  was  fully  appreciated  by  all 
who  were  so  fortunate  as  to  have  letters 
from  friends. 

The  first  celebration  of  independence  in 
Steele  County  was  held  at  Owatonna,  on  the 
4th  of  July,  1S56.  The  grounds  used  were 
near  the  present  site  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  Some  arrangement  had  been  made 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  N.  Winship  to  get  up  a 
dinner,  and  it  was  served  at  Morford's  old 
building,  a  temporary  one  which  had  been 
erected.  A  rich  feast  was  the  result.  After 
they  got  the  crowd  together  it  was  found 
that  there  was  no  music,  and  not  an  instru- 
ment in  town  that  anyone  could  play ;  so 
David  Lindersmith's  fife  was  sent  for,  and 
he  took  the  place  of  a  brass  band  and  led  the 
crowd  while  they  marched  in  procession 
through  the  few  streets  in  the  village.  Judge 
Donaldson  acted  as  marshal  of  the  day.  H. 
M.  Sheetz,  the  orator  of  the  day,  read  the 
declaration  and  delivered  an  address.  An 
enjoyable  time  was  had.  The  attendance 
numbered  about  150  persons  from  the  village 
and  surrounding  country. 

The  second  celebration  was  held  in  1857. 
It  was  a  genuine  basket-picnic  affair.  F.  J. 
Stevens,  of  Meriden  Township,  was  the  ora- 
tor of  the  day. 

In  1859  another  enjoyable  celebration  was 
held  at  Owatonna  on  the  4th  of  July.  It 
was  a  picnic  gathering.  The  intention  was 
to  hold  it  out  of  dooi's,  but  the  weather 
turned  out  so  cold  that  it  was  adjourned  to 
J.  W.  Morford's  building,  now  occupied  by 
Rosebrook's  store,  which  was  just  being  fin- 
ished. Overcoats  and  winter  clothing  were 
very  comfortable,  and  Hakes  of  snow  even 


fell.  The  orators  were  Hon.  "W.  R.  Kinyon, 
Elder  Cady  and  Mr.  and  Mi-s.  H.  M.  Sheetz. 
Quite  a  discussion  was  had  over  the  free-soil 
or  abolition  question. 

STAGE    AND   MAIL    KOUTES. 

During  the  winter  of  1854-5  Congress,  for 
the  purpose  of  aiding  in  the  establishment  of 
western  mail  routes,  granted  for  that  pur- 
pose one  section  of  land  for  every  twenty 
miles  of  route  operated,  under  certain  con- 
ditions. Of  course  the  stage  companies  at 
once  prepared  to  take  advantage  of  this,  and 
stations  were  established  on  these  sections — • 
twenty  miles  apart.  The  first  stage  run 
through  Owatonna  was  from  St.  Paul  south. 
This  was  late  in  1855.  Owatonna  was  the 
terminus  for  a  time.  A  postoifice  had  been 
established  at  Medford,  but  the  mail  sacks 
were  not  opened  at  Owatonna  until  later. 

In  the  winter  of  1855-6,  or  late  in  the  fall 
of  1855,  as  is  claimed  by  some  of  the  old  set- 
tlers, stages  commenced  running  west  from 
Winona  carrying  mail  on  west  to  St.  Peter. 
The  first  mail  bag  that  went  to  the  latter 
place  contained  one  letter  —  of  greeting 
from  the  postmaster  at  Winona  to  the  one 
at  St.  Peter.  Stages  were  not  really  put  on 
for  passenger  travel  until  1856,  and  after 
that  they  were  run  regularly.  The  manager 
was  a  man  named  Lord,  who  lived  in 
Winona  and  who,  as  a  rule,  drove  the  stage 
himself.  The  route  extended  from  Winona 
west,  through  Owatonna  and  other  points  to 
Travel's  des  Sioux  or  St.  Peter.  The  first 
stage  arrived  here  from  the  east,  during  the 
last  week  in  September,  1855. 

A  station  was  located  on  section  6,  near 
the  northwest  corner  of  Owatonna  Town- 
ship. Stageg  were  run  weekly  to  St.  Peter 
and  return  to  Winona. 

In  1856  M.  O.  Walker,  succeeding  Lord, 
became  proprietor  of  the  stage  line,  and  his 
name  became  a  familiar  one  in  almost  eveiy 
settlement  in  the  northwest.  This  stage 
line  continued  in  operation  until  the  railroad 
reached  Owatonna  in  1866,  and  then  moved 
westward,  followed  closely  by  the  lines  of 


24 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


railway.  "Walker  at  one  period,  in  1857-8, 
became  badly  involved  in  debt.  He  owned 
many  different  lines  ol'  stages,  and,  as  the 
financial  crash,  which  came  at  about  this 
time,  checked  travel,  many  of  these  lines  did 
not  pay  expenses.  Often  the  agents  or 
drivers  were  unable  to  pay  bills  for  repairs 
and  keeping  contracted  along  the  route,  and 
it  seems  several  of  this  character  were  run 
up  in  Owatonna.  Finally  papers  were  got 
out  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  sheriff, 
who  was  instructed  to  attach  Walker's 
horses  as  they  drove  through,  and  this  pro- 
cedure was  repeated  many  times,  the  sheriff 
often  having  from  ten  to  fifteen  of  Walker's 
horses  in  his  charge.  Yet  it  was  sometimes  a 
difficult  matter  to  attach  the  teams.  The 
stages  carried  United  States  mail,  and  so  long 
as  a  mail-sack  remained  in  the  wagon,  the 
sheriff  dare  not  attach  the  team  for  fear  of  vio- 
lating the  United  States  statutes  in  detaining 
the  mails  or  obstructing  the  route.  Ordinaril}' 
the  sheriff  would  stand  behind  the  corner  of 
the  house,  and  as  soon  as  the  sack  was  car- 
ried into  the  postoffice  he  would  walk  out 
and  claim  the  team.  The  carriers  got  so  they 
would  watch  for  this  and  would  get  a  sack 
on  just  as  soon  as  one  was  taken  off.  Walker 
wbuld  invariably  pay  his  bills  after  a  short 
delay,  and  then  matters  would  move  on 
smoothly  until  the  next  creditor  would  swear 
out  an  attachment.  In  1859  Nichols  & 
Wheeler  became  proprietors  of  the  stage 
line.  Thej'  continued  it  for  about  four  years, 
when  it  was  purchased  by  Burbank  &  Co. 
who  operated  it  until  the  railroad  came 
in  1866.  A  north  and  south  stage  line 
was  also  put  in  operation  at  an  early  day. 


With  the  beginning  of  1856  stages  arrived 
regularly  on  this  line,  which  was  then  oper- 
ated by  Brackett  &  Co.  Williamson  tfe  Cot- 
ter succeeded  them  and  operated  the  line 
until  the  railroad  was  built  through.  Philo 
Finch,  of  Clinton  Falls,  was  one  of  the 
drivers  on  this  route  for  Williamson  &  Cotter. 
They  also  had  a  station  every  twenty  miles, 
located  on  the  lands  which  they  claimed  un- 
der the  grant.  They  located  a  town  called 
Oak  Glen  in  Steele  County,  on  section  1,  in 
what  is  now  Blooming  Prairie  Township, 
and  laid  plans  for  the  erection  of  a  city. 
This  line  continued  in  active  operation  until 
the  railway  was  put  through  in  1866-7. 
The  proposed  city  never  succeeded  in  getting 
a  fair  start,  and  when  the  railroad  reached 
this  locality  the  village  of  Blooming  Prairie 
was  laid  out  on  section  25,  in  the  same 
township,  and  Oak  Glen  became  a  thing 
of  the  past. 

In  1856  a  mail  route  was  established  from 
Owatonna  to  Geneva,  and  E.  C.  Stacy  was 
the  first  to  operate  it.  Nathaniel  Winsiiip 
next  got  the  contract  and  continued  to  run 
it  for  four  years.  The  mail  was  carried 
sometimes  with  a  buggy,  again  on  horseback 
and  frequently  on  foot.  Hugh  Murray  is 
I'emembered  as  having  footed  it  across  the 
country  with  the  mail  on  his  back. 

As  early  as  1857  a  mail  route  was  estab- 
lished from  Red  Wing  to  Blue  Earth  City, 
and  Philo  Hawes  became  the  carrier.  Part 
of  the  time  he  was  in  company  with  a  part- 
ner under  the  firm  name  of  Cotter  c% 
Hawes.  This  was  continued  until  about  tlie 
time  the  railroads  were  completed  to  this 
point. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


ORGANIZATION,  COUNTY  LINES,  AND  COLTNTY  NAME. 


ORGANIZATION. 


TEELE    COUNTY    was    created 

1  February  20,   1856,  at  the  sixth 

session   of   the  territorial  legisla- 

:Sy  ture,  which  was  held  in  St.  Paul. 

;//    Ji  Up  to  that  time  the  territory  now 

(->  ^  comprising-  it,  together  with  many 

other   counties   in    southern    and 

southeastern  Minnesota,  formed  a 

part     of     Rice    County.      When 

Steele  was  set  off  as  a  county  it 

was  provided  that  it  should  remain 

f  attached  to  Rice  for  civil  and  judi- 
cial purposes.  The  territory  it  then 
embraced  included  all  of  the  pres- 
ent county  of  Waseca  together  with  the  two 
western  tier  of  townships  in  Steele.  The 
eastern  tiers  of  townships  of  Steele,  as  now 
formed,  was  then  a  part  of  Dodge  County. 
The  new  county  was  named  "  Steele "  in 
honor  of  Franklin  Steele,  of  St.  Anthony,  a 
government  contractor  and  a  man  of  prom- 
inence in  early  days,  who  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  State  politics,  and  made  a  large  for- 
tune early  in  the  history  of  the  State. 
•  The  settlement  in  the  territory  from  which 
Steele  was  created  was  only  fairly  com- 
menced at  that  time,  as  wiU  be  seen  by  read- 
ing other  chapters  in  this  volume.  A  few 
settlers  had  gathered  about  Medford,  a  few 
at  Owatonna,  and  a  scattering  settler  here 
and  there  throughout  the  balance  of  the 
county  comprised  its  population  at  that 
time.  During  the  early  part  of  the  year 
1855,  a  great  many  additions  were  made  to 
the  various  settlements.     In  the  meantime 


the  Abbotts  —  Ezra  and  John  H.  —  had  be- 
come interested  here  and  in  connection  with 
A.  B.  Cornell  and  Wm.  F.  Pettit  were  lay- 
ing the  foundation  for  the  future  city  of 
Owatonna.  In  the  summer  the  plans  for 
county  organization  were  matured  very 
quietly  and  in  secret  by  the  town  proprie- 
tors of  Owatonna,  and  parties  went  to  St. 
Paul  to  see  the  territorial  governor,  Willis 
A.  Gorman.  A.  B.  Cornell  was  the  prime 
mover  in  the  matter.  No  petition  was  got 
up,  nor  were  the  settlers  generally  cognizant 
of  the  proposed  attempt  at  organization,  or 
they  would  undouljtedly  have  insisted  upon 
having  a  hand  in  the  matter,  and  having 
something  to  say  as  to  who  should  be  count}' 
officers.  Cornell,  together  with  a  few  others, 
got  'Squire  Pierce  to  accompany  them,  and, 
when  in  the  presence  of  the  governor,  Mr. 
Cornell  asked  that  the  county  be  organized, 
and  presented  a  list  of  gentlemen  for  officers. 
The  governor,  a  frank,  whole-souled  fellow, 
thought  this  was  the  desire  of  the  citizens 
here  and  acceded.  'Squire  Pierce  until  then 
had  no  knowledge  of  the  scheme,  but  he  said 
he  could  not  go  back  upon  Cornell  at  that 
time,  so  he  kept  quiet  and  the  governor  took 
him  for  one  of  the  schemers.  Afterward, 
some  of  the  citizens  here,  meeting  Gorman 
at  Faribault,  took  him  to  task  for  his  actions, 
and  the  governor  was  very  wrathy,  but  it 
was  too  late  —  Steele  was  organized  and  he 
could  not  disorganize  it.  The  result  of  this 
visit  was  the  appointment  of  S.  B.  Smith,  F. 
Intrram  and  F.  W.  Fisk  as  commissioners  to 


25 


2ti 


HISTOKT   OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


organize  Steele  Countv.  Several  of  the 
county  offices  were  filled  by  appointment  at 
the  same  time,  although  it  has  been  impos- 
sible to  find  records  which  give  a  full  list. 
The  old  settlers  nearly  all  agree,  however, 
that  Charles  Ellison  was  appointed  register 
of  deeds ;  Simeon  Case,  prosecuting  attor- 
ney; Smith  Johnson,  judge  of  probate ;  J.  H. 
Catlin,  clerk  of  court,  and  Wm.  F.  Pettit, 
sheriff. 

This  all  took  place  in  the  summer  of  1855. 
The  same  fall,  on  the  9th  of  October,  a  gen- 
eral election  was  held  for  State  officers,  only 
one  county  officer  being  elected  —  WiUiam 
F.  Pettit,  sheriff.  At  this  election  everyone 
voted  —  whether  they  had  been  here  one 
month  or  six  —  and  there  were  about  117 
votes  polled  in  the  county.  It  is  impossible  at 
this  time  to  learn  why  only  one  county  offi- 
cer (sheriff)  should  have  been  elected,  and 
some  of  the  oldest  and  best-posted  of  the  old 
settlers  claim  that  it  is  a  mistake  ;  others  that 
it  was  merely  a  joke,  yet  as  the  records 
show  it,  this  was  the  first  election  ever  held 
in  the  county.  The  polling  place  at  Owa- 
touna  was  in  the  old  log  schoolhouse,  or 
rather,  a  temporary  structure  of  logs  and 
brush,  which  stood  near  where  the  second 
ward  school-building  is  now  located.  Dr. 
E.  M.  Morehouse  was  one  of  the  clerks  of 
this  election,  and  D.  B.  Selleck  one  of  the 
judges.  At  that  time  there  was  a  good  deal 
of  rivalry  between  Owatonna  and  Medford, 
as  each  wanted  to  make  as  good  a  showing. 
as  possible.  At  this  election  Smith  Johnson, 
Dr.  Finch  and  Isaac  Sanborn  came  to  Owa- 
tonna to  watch  the  polls  and  prevent  fraud, 
and  they  soon  began  challenging  votes.  At 
this,  Cornell  and  Pettit  got  them  aside  and 
while  they  were  arguing,  the  word  went  out 
to  the  boys  to  file  in  and  vote.  One  party 
who  attended  claims  that  there  were  fifty- 
three  illegal  votes  polled  inside  of  thirty 
minutes.  The  difficulty  between  the  two  lo- 
calities was  not  jiarticularly  relating  to  the 
county-seat  but  more  of  a  local  jealousy  or 
rivahy  to  get  the  start  in  a   business   sense. 


It  cited  that  when  the  Owatonna  peo- 
ple were  endeavoring  to  get  a  postoffice  it 
was  blocked  by  the  Medford  postmaster, 
Smith  Johnson,  Sr.,  refusing  to  sign  the 
petition.  The  law  in  those  daj's  required 
that  a  petition  for  a  postoffice  must  be 
signed  by  the  nearest  postmaster.  Medford 
had  secured  the  establishment  of  a  post- 
office  first,  and  for  a  long  time  Mr.  Johnson 
refused  to  sign  the  Owatonna  petition. 

Whether  all  of  the  county  officers  a])point- 
ed  by  the  governor  in  the  summer  of  1855 
qualified  or  not,  is  impossible  to  say,  yet  it 
is  known  that  many  of  them  did.  In  July, 
1856,  the  following  is  a  list  of  the  county 
officers  who  were  serving,  although  how 
some  of  them  came  to  hold  the  offices  cannot 
be  told.  The  list  is  taken  from  a  copy  of 
the  Watchman  and  Register,  dated  July  29, 
1856. 

County  commissioners :  Samuel  B.  Smith, 
"William  Allen  and  Melmer  P.  Ide. 

Register  of  deeds,  Charles  EUison. 

Sherifl',  William  F.  Pettit. 

Treasurer,  David  Sanborn. 

Surveyor,  John  W.  Park. 

Clerk  of  court,  F.  Wilbur  Fisk. 

District  attorney,  John  M.  Blivin. 

Judge  of  probate,  Franklin  B.  Davis. 

Assessors :  David  Lindersmith,  Charles 
Thompson  and  Luke  Osgood. 

Supervisor  of  roads,  David    Lindersmith. 

Justices  of  the  peace :  Addison  Phelps 
and  Seymour  Howe  for  Owatonna  precinct ; 
Sylvester  McNitt  for  Franklin ;  Smith 
Johnson,  Sr.,  for  Medford ;  Simeon  Smith 
for  Swavesey  ;  and  Curtis  Hatch  and  J.  A. 
Bassett  for  Empire. 

Official  matters  moved  along  smoothly 
during  this  year,  1855-6.  It  appears  that 
all  deeds  and  official  instruments  were  still 
being  recorded  in  Rice  County  for  some 
reason,  and  Steele  County  books  were  not 
opened  for  the  reception  of  these  instru- 
ments until  in  the  autumn  of  1856. 

Late  in  the  summer  of  1856  a  convention 
was  held  at  Owatonna  for  the  nomination 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


27 


of  officers,  and  a  heated  campaign  followed, 
in  which  all  hands  throughout  what  is  now 
Steele  and  Waseca  Counties  took  an  active 
part.  The  county-seat  question  was  not  the 
leading  issue,  as  has  been  stated  in  several 
previously  published  histories,  but  it  was 
more  particularly  over  the  question  as  to 
who  should  be  leaders  ;  as  one  old  settler 
puts  it,  it  was  "  Cornell  "  or  "anti-Cornell." 
Cornell  was  certainly  quite  an  apt  hand  to 
stir  up  animosities  and  strife.  He  was 
active  and  energetic,  unsparing  to  a  foe, 
and  was  for  "  Cornell,  first,  last  and  all  the 
time."  This  convention  was  called  a  "  Peo- 
ple's Convention,"  and  was  not  particularly 
partisan,  or  in  favor  of  any  exclusive  polit- 
ical party.  In  fact,  creeds  were  hard  to  dis- 
tinguish in  those  days.  Cornell  was  nomi- 
nated for  the  legislature,  and  was  defeated 
at  the  polls  by  Kev.  O.  A.  Thomas.  James 
Connell  was  nominated  for  register  of  deeds, 
but  Charles  Ellison  came  out  as  an  independ- 
ent candidate  and  got  Connell  to  withdi'aw. 
Park  defeated  Ellison  a,t  the  polls.  David 
Lindersmith  was  nominated  for  sheriff ; 
David  Sanborn  for  treasurer;  J.  Bradish,  of 
the  present  Waseca  County,  for  attorney  ; 
H.  W.  Peck,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
town  of  Empire  in  what  is  now  in  Waseca 
County,  for  surveyor ;  J.  M.  Bhvin,  of 
Swavesey  Township  for  coroner ;  and  Ezra 
Abbott  for  superintendent  of  schools.  No 
convention  was  held  to  put  an  anti-Cornell 
ticket  in  the  field,  but  the  leading  "  anties  " 
got  togethei",  and  opposing  candidates  were 
announced  for  all  of  the  offices,  and  in  some 
cases  half  a  dozen  for  each.  G.  W.  Green 
led  the  opposition  in  what  is  now  Steele 
County,  while  Lewis  McCune  and  James  E. 
Child,  in  what  is  now  Waseca  County,  took 
an  active  part  in  opposing  Cornell  in  the 
west  end.  Child  was  an  able  man,  and 
directed  his  work  chiefly  against  Cornell  for 
representative  and  Ellison  for  register  of 
deeds.  The  latter  was  something  of  a 
chameleon  as  to  his  political  faith  and  a 
little  inclined  to  chang-e  with  whomever  he 


was  talking  with.     Mr.  Child  wrote  a  i)oem 
relating  to   this,  in   which  was  the  foUow- 


Mr.  Ellison,  Esquire, 
You  ought  to  look  higher 

Than  to  think  of  registering  deeds. 
The  people  up  here 
Feel  desperately  queer 

To  know  your  political  creed." 

The  vote  was  badly  spht  up  as  will  be 
seen  by  the  official  vote  published  in  another 
chapter.  A.  B.  Cornell  and  J.  H.  Abbott, 
in  the  meantime  —  in  July,  1856, —  had  estab- 
lished a  paper  at  Owatonna,  under  the  name 
of  the  Watchman  and  Register  and  this  took 
an  active  part  in  the  campaign. 

On  the  lith  of  October,  1856.  the  election 
came  off.  It  was  the  first  election  of  county 
officers.  The  offices  were  all  fiUed  as  fol- 
lows :  Register  of  deeds,  John  W.  Park ; 
sheriff,  David  Lindersmith  ;  treasurer,  David 
Sanborn ;  judge  of  probate,  Bazil  Meek ; 
district  attorney,  Geo.  W.  Green ;  surveyor, 
H.  W.  Peck ;  coroner,  Thomas  Kenyon ; 
auditor,  Z.  B.  Moore ;  superintendent  of 
schools,  Ezra  Abbott ;  for  assessors  Geo.  O. 
Hankerson,  P.  Sanford,  P.  Healey,  James  E. 
Child,  L.  B.  Town  and  John  A.  Ileadley  all 
received  vote§ ;  county  commissioners,  David 
Smith,  N.  Winship  and  William  Allen. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1855,  the  board  of 
commissioners  met  for  the  first  time  and  the 
organization  of  Steel  County  was  perfected, 
the  county -seat  being  located  at  Owatonna. 
Since  that  time  the  official  history  of  the 
county  has  been  uneventful.  The  various 
offices  have  almost  without  a  single  excep- 
tion always  been  filled  by  capable  and  honest 
men,  and  the  thread  of  history  runs  smoothl}' 
and  without  interi-uption  down  to  the  present 
day.  Elsewhere  in  this  volume  we  trace  all 
the  prominent  acts  of  the  various  gentlemen 
who  have  filled  the  offices,  together  with  a 
full  history  of  the  Ijoard  of  count}'  commis- 
sioners, witji  their  acts  and  a  list  of  members 
in  the  various  years  since  the  county  was 
organized. 


28 


HISTOEY    OK    STEELE    COUNTY. 


COUNTY  LINES. 

Even  before  the  organization  of  Steele 
Colinty  it  became  apparent  to  the  settlers  at 
Owatonna  that  the  boundaries  of  the  county 
were  arranged  disadvantageous  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  embryo  city.  The  county,  when 
first  created,  embraced  twenty  congressional 
townships — i.  e.,  all  of  Waseca  County  and 
the  eight  western  townships  of  the  present 
county  of  Steele.  This  arrangement  left 
Owatonna  in  the  northeast  corner  of  the 
county,  three  miles  from  the  east  and  seven 
from  the  north  line  of  the  county.  It  Avas 
evident  that  this  was  not  the  point  to  be 
readily  chosen  as  the  county-seat,  and  it 
would  be  difficult,  as  years  went  by  and  set- 
tlement increased,  to  keep  the  county-seat  at 
a  point  so  far  from  the  geographical  center 
of  tiie  county.  Even  then  there  were  other 
points  springing  up  at  various  places,  and 
were  becoming  active  rivals  for  county-seat 
honors.  "Wilton  had  a  splendid  location  and 
John  C.  Ide  was  already  ]iutting  up  a  hotel 
and  sawmill  and  attracting  considei'able  at- 
tention toward  that  point.  A  village  called 
Meriden,  in  the  present  township  of  that 
name,  was  much  nearer  the  geographical 
center  of  the  county  than  Owatonna,  and  a 
number  of  capable  men  had  located  there 
and  were  actively  advancing  the  interests  of 


that  location.  Beside  these  a  number  of 
other  points  were  springing  up  which  con- 
stantly menaced  the  future  of  Owatonna's 
county-seat  interests.  After  the  county  was 
organized,  in  August,  1855,  and  from  that  time 
through  the  following  months  the  matter 
was  occasionally  discussed  and  finally  a  plan 
was  matured  which  proved  a  success  in  set- 
tling the  matter  favorably  to  Owatonna's  in- 
terests. It  was  to  have  one  tier  of  town- 
ships set  off  from  Dodge  County  and  attached 
to  Steele;  and  then  to  detach  the  western 
half  of  Steele  County  and  organize  that  as 
Waseca  County.  This  suited  Mantonville, 
as  they  had  been  located  too  far  east,  and  it 
gave  Wilton  a  chance  to  become  the  county- 
seat  of  Waseca  County.  In  February,  1856, 
an  act  was  passed  by  the  legislature  making 
the  desired  change,  and  townships  105,  106, 
107  and  108,  range  19,  became  a  part  of 
Steele  County.  On  the  27th  of  February, 
1857,  an  act  was  passed  by  the  legislature 
creating  AVaseca  County,  and  located  the 
county-seat  of  the  new  county  at  Wilton. 
This  arranged  the  lines  as  they  remain  at  the 
present  time,  and  ended  all  trouble  as  to 
county  lines,  settling  a  matter  which  up  to 
that  time  had  been  an  absorbing  topic  for 
the  citizens  in  the  territory  affected. 


CHAPTER  V. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  COUNTY'S  GOVEENMENT. 


IIE  first  meeting  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  appointed 
by  the  -governor  was  held  on 
the  1st  day  of  August,  1855,  at 
the  house  of  A.  B.  Cornell,  on  the 
present  site  of  Owatonna.  The 
opening  sentence  of  the  record  is 
as  follows :  "Agreeable  to  direc- 
tion from  the  Governor  of  the 
territory  of  Minnesota,  the  board 
met  at  the  house  of  A.  B.  Cor- 
nell, and,  after  taking  the  oath, 
proceeded  to  organize  the  county 
by  appointing  S.  B.  Smith  chair- 
man of  the  board.  The  first 
work  of  the  board  was  to  divide  the  county 
into  townships,  or  precincts,  as  they  were 
then  called  —  three  in  number  —  which  they 
named  Owatonna,  Swavesey  and  Le  Seuer, 
only  the  first  named  of  which  embraced  ter- 
ritory now  included  in  Steele  Countj^,  the 
other  two  embracing  the  territory'  now  form- 
ing Waseca  County.  It  was  also  ordered 
that  the  seat  of  justice  of  Steele  County  be 
located  at  Owatonna,  on  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  section  9,  township  107,  range  20. 
The  board  at  that  time  consisted  of  S.  B. 
Smith,  chairman ,  F.  Ingram  and  F.  W. 
Fisk,  although  the  last  named  does  not 
appear  to  have  attended  this  meeting.  From 
the  record  this  appears  to  have  been  all  that 
was  accomplished  at  the  first  meeting. 
Charles  Ellison  was  clerk  of  the  board,  and 
A.  B.  Cornell,  deputy.  On  the  25th  of 
August,  1855,  a  special  meeting  of  the  board 
was  held,  at  which  Medford  Township  was 
set  off  from  Owatonna,  and  its  organization 
was  authorized. 

The  first  count}'  roads  to  be  acted  upon 


were  considered  on  the  17th  of  October, 
1855.  They  were  as  follows:  "One  from 
Owatonna  to  the  county  line  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Drake's";  one  from  the  east 
county  line  in  the  direction  of  Mankato, 
and  "one  fi'om  Owatonna  to  the  county  line 
near  Ralph  Stout's."  Sylvester  McNitt  and 
Henry  A.  Catlin  were  ap])ointed  to  view 
and  report  on  the  last  mentioned  road, 
"with  the  understanding  that  they  were 
to  make  no  charge  to  the  county  for 
such  services."  At  this  same  meeting  the 
vote  of  Steele  County  (election  on  October  9, 
1855)  was  canvassed,  the  canvassers  being 
Addison  Phelps  and  J.  Jenkins,  justices  of 
the  peace,  and  Charles  Ellison,  clerk  of  the 
board  of  county  commissionei's. 

At  the  next  meeting,  on  the  10th  of 
November,  1855,  the  newl3'-elected  board  of 
count}^  commissioners  held  their  first  meeting. 
The  board  was  composed  of  S.  B.  Smith, 
chairman,  F.  "W.  Fisk  and  John  II.  Abbott. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  1856,  the  county  was 
divided  into  assessors'  districts,  and  a  short 
time  later  Benjamin  L.  Arnold,  James  E. 
Child  and  Wilbur  Fisk  were  ai)pointed 
county  assessors. 

In  April,  of  the  same  year,  the  finances  of 
the  county  were  clearly  shown  by  the  fol- 
lowing statement :  "An  order  was  jiresented 
to  the  board  by  John  W.  Park,  for  services 
as  road  viewer  and  county  surveyor,  to  the 
amount  of  $29.  The  condition  of  the 
finances  of  the  county  is  as  follows :  County 
in  delt,  $29:' 

At  this  same  meeting  Franklin  Township 
was  organized,  and  several  changes  made  in 
the  townships  lying  in  what  is  now  Waseca 
County. 


29 


30 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


In  April,  1856,  the  first  list  of  grand  and 
petit  jurors  was  drawn  by  the  board  of 
county  commissioners,  as  follows  : 

Orand  Jurors:  Joseph  Smith,  Andrew 
I.  Bell,  A.  B.  Cornell,  Michael  Johnson, 
Curtis  Hatch,  Hiram  Jenkins,  Samuel  Drake, 
Samuel  F.  Wyman,  M.  P.  Ide,  Samuel  M. 
Freeman,  Orlando  Bartholomew,  John  San- 
born, Alfred  M.  U.  Sanborn,  C.  "W.  Curtis, 

A.  L.  Wright,  Wm.  W.  Arnold,  Avery  "W. 
Adams,  Geo.  W.  Patridge,  Lewis  Howard, 
Smith  Johnson,  Sr.,  David  Lindersmith, 
Seymour  Howe,  B.  L.  Arnold,  P.  Carlton, 
W".  W.  Finch,  A.  Selleck,  Dexter  Carlton, 
Ealph  Kenyon,  John  H.  Abbott,  Geo.  W. 
Drew,  Henry  A.  Catlin,  Bazil  Meek,  Sr., 
Abram  Fitzsimmons,  Sylvester  McNitt,  N. 
Winship,  Eev.  Thomas,  Mr.  Adair,  Sr., 
Lorenzo  Muckey,  John  Jenkins,  S.  M.  Case, 
John  W.  Park," A.  Phelps,  Wm.  Allen,  F.  B. 
Davis,  Luther  Huntley,  Eev.  A.  Town,  Wm. 
W.  Eobinson,  Wm.  Burns,  W.  E.  Fisk,  James 
E.  Child. 

Petit  Jurors :  G.  O.  Hankerson,  Benj.  A. 
Freeman,  W.  K.  Colling,  Henry  C.  Gilman, 
Francis  S.  Adams,  Philip  Smith,  D.  B.  Kim- 
ball, Ealph  Stout,  Mr.  Lane,  Mr.  Strong, 
Smith  Johnson,  Jr.,  Wallace  W.  Wilkins, 
Levi  J.  Morehouse,  Nelson  Morehouse,  Eli 
M.  Morehouse,  P.  Sanford,  E.   S.  Hays,  D. 

B.  Selleck,  L.  F.  Case,  Phillip  Miller,  John 
Duckering,  M.  I.  Prisbj^,  L.  B.  Town,  John 
W.  Catlin,  Welcom  Curtis,  Ilenrick  Eum- 
hose,  Hiram  Eobinson,  Hobart  Hutchinson, 
Chas.  Ellison,  Eobt.  McDoiigall,  I.  N.  Kelly, 
Jos.  W.  Bui'ch,  Hiram  Greenwold,  F.  New- 
land,  T.  Dennis,  L.  Town,  Joel  Wilson,  I.  M. 
Sanborn,  Geo.  W.  Squires,  Benjamin  Scott, 
S.  Thompson,  Clinton  Simmons,  Emmons 
Eeed,  Daniel  Poole,  John  Truesdale,  Wm. 
Knapp,  Moses  Eivard,  Francis  Judd,  Fletcher 
Dubois,  Mr.  Miller,  Mr.  Adams,  Wm. 
McCarty,  W.  K.  Colling,  John  Wilcox,  G. 
G.  Files,  Mr.  Keys,  T.  Johnson,  David 
Jenkins,  Frederick  Shaw,  James  McNitt, 
Ashley  Harris,  Thos.  G.  Meek,  Jeptha  Town, 
James  Overstreet,  John  Moon,  Joseph  Wag- 


ner, L.  E.  Thompson,  F.  W.  Bliss,  Asa  B. 
SutliflF,  Bazil  Meek,  Jr.,  Abram  Barnhard, 
John  Hortop,  Jr. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  1850,  a  meeting  of 
the  board  was  held  at  the  store  of  Adolphus 
Town,  in  Owatonna,  and  the  record  shows 
the  names  of  S.  B.  Smith,  chairman,  William 
Allen  and  Melmer  P.  Ide  as  composing  it. 
David  Lindersmith,  Levi  Thompson  and  L. 
B.  Osgood  were  appointed  to  assess  the 
county.*  It  was  also  ordered  that  the  county 
officers  should  hold  their  offices  open  at  the 
countj'-seat,  and  that  the  board  would  pro- 
vide a  place  in  the  store  of  Park  &  Smith 
for  the  county  treasurer. 

For  the  year  1857  the  members  of  the 
board  of  commissioners  consisted  of  Nathan- 
iel Winship,  of  Owatonna,  chairman ;  Wm. 
Allen,  of  Medford,  and  David  Smith.  At 
their  first  meeting,  in  1857,  this  board 
resolved  that  the  offices  of  clerk  of  court  and 
county  treasurer  should  be  held  at  the  office 
of  John  W.  Park,  and  that  the  sheriff's 
office  should  be  kept  at  his  house. 

The  finances  of  the  county  are  again 
shown  up  at  the  January  meeting  of  the 
board  in  1857,  when  the  following  sentence 
appears  on  the  records:  ^'■Finances  of  the 
county  —  in  debt." 

The  second  drawing  of  jurors  occurred 
at  the  April  session,  1857,  when  the  list  was 
made  up  as  follows  : 

Grand  Jurors :  John  A.  Hadley,  Frank- 
lin B.  Davis,  Chas.  W.  Curtis,  Henry  Magird, 
J.  A.  Goodwin,  E.  G.  Sturgiss,  Wallace  W. 
Wilkin,  John  H.  Abbott,  B.  L.  Arnold, 
Joel.  Wilson,  N.  Breidenstein,  Thomas 
Thomson,  Eobt.  Adair,  Dexter  Carlton,  AVm. 

F.  Pettit,  Alson  Selleck,  E.  A.  Page,  Luke 
Colburn,  Eobt.  McDonald,  W.  H.  Chamber- 
lain, H.  C.  Gilman,  L.  H.  Lane,  W.  G. 
Allen,  Nelson  Skivring,  A.  B.  Thompson, 
Addison  Phelps,  Ezra  Abbott,  C.  B.  Pettie, 

G.  W.  Grimshaw,  Smith  Johnson,  John  D. 


*  This  assessment  all  fell  through  as  illegal,  from  the  fact 
that  (inly  one  of  them,  David  Lindersmith,  made  his  report 
within  the  time  allowed  by  law.—  Editor. 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE    COUNTT. 


31 


Sanborn,  Luke  B.  Osgood,  John  H.  Wheeler, 
Luther  Huntley. 

Petit  Jurors :  James  W.  Adams,  John  Q. 
Swanger,  John  A.  Pierce,  Charles  Mc- 
Carty,  D.  A.  Kimball,  Lorenzo  Muckey,  Geo. 
O.  PLankerson,  Elijah  Brown,  B.  A.  Freeman, 
Wm.  Kunalls,  Samuel  Eing,  L.  F.  Case, 
Hugh  Burns,  L.  B.  Towns,  John  Moon, 
Christopher  Dickinson,  Jonathan  Howell, 
L.  P.  Stowell,  C.  L.  Lowell,  Thos.  J.  Kerr, 
Hugh  McDougall,  Wra.  Wells,  W.W.  Hank- 
erson,  Ralph  E.  Stout,  Geo.  Strong,  Jas. 
Overstreet,  James  Shipley,  Hiram  Greenud, 
P.  P.  Carlton,  John  Wilcox,  E.  Eklred, 
Simeon  Case,  G.  G.  Tiles,  Lucius  Town,  Wm. 
Webster,  Edward  Fay,  John  B.  Douglas, 
Frederick  Roljerts.  Chas.  Green,  Isaac  C. 
Pierce,  John  Oliver,  Francis  F.  Adams, 
Samuel  Morrison,  Avery  W.  Adams,  Alfred 
H.  Sanborn,  Ashley  Harris,  Chas.  McHenry, 
Asa  Carpenter,  A.  L.  Wright,  Orlando  Bar- 
tholomew, G.  H.  Partridge,  Thos.  Huntley, 
Simeon  Smith,  E.  K.  Carlton,  Wm.  Donel- 
son,  A.  L  Bell,  P.  Q.  Horton,  A.  R.  Wilson, 
Wm.  J.  Moon,  Geo.  Leorang,  Patrick 
Healey,  John  Adair,  H.  W.  Hutchinson, 
A.  P.  Peterson,  Marcus  Seymour,  D.  B.  Sel- 
leck,  Sylvester  Mcxsitt,  Christopher  Hayes. 

In  Juty,  1857,  from  the  records  it  ap])ears 
that  the  board  was  composed  of  N.  Winship, 
chairman ;  William  Allen,  of  Medford,  and 
A.  A.  Woodward,  of  Somerset.  In  October 
William  Allen  resigned. 

In  October  of  the  same  year,  Geo.  W. 
Green  resigned  the  office  of  district  attor- 
ney, and  Sylvanus  Yearly  was  appointed. 

In  January,  1858,  the  board  for  the  en- 
suing year  met  and  organized  by  the  elec- 
tion of  Nathaniel  Winship,  of  Owatonna, 
chairman.  The  other  members  were  Hiram 
Pitcher,  of  Berlin,  and  Lorenzo  Muckey,  of 
Medford. 

On  the  5th  of  June,  1858,  John  W.  Park 
resigned  the  office  of  register  of  deeds  and 
M.  A.  Dailey  was  appointed  his  successor. 

On  the  same  date  David  Sanborn,  the 
county  treasurer,  made  a  statement  of  the 


financial  condition   of  the  county    for  the 
j^ear,  as  follows  : 

Total  amount  received $1,364  10 

Total  paid  out $705  74 

Balance  on  liand 598  36 

$1,364  10 

The  outstanding  indebtedness  of  the 
county,  January  6,  1858,  was  $2,129.69. 

April  6,  1858,  the  county  was  rearranged 
as  to  townships.  This  matter  receives  atten- 
tion in  another  chapter. 

During  the  winter  of  1857-8,  the  system 
of  county  government  was  changed,  the  leg- 
islature having  abolished  the  board  of  countj^ 
commissioners  and  created  the  board  of  su- 
pervisors. Under  this  new  system  the  board 
consisted  of  one  member  from  each  organ- 
ized township —  the  chairman  of  each  of 
the  township  boards.  The  first  meeting 
under  the  new  law  was  held  on  the  14th  of 
September,  1858.  The  following  were  the 
members  from  the  various  townships  in 
the  county : 

Medford Franklin  B.  Davis 

Clinton  Falls Geo.  W.  Green 

Deerfield Joliu  H.  Morse 

Owatonna Wm.  F.  Pettit 

Lafayette Amos  Norton 

Merideu AValter   Stcbbins 

Union  Prairie Levi  E.  Thompson 

Aurora  S'meou  Osborn,  Jr. 

Somerset T.  C.  Minthorn 

Lemond Samuel  M.  Hastings 

Summit Hiram  Fredenburgh 

Berlin Charles  Brown 

Geo.  W.  Green  was  elected  chairman  of 
the  board  and  M.  A.  Dailey,  clerk. 

At  this  session  of  the  board  the  names 
of  Lafayette  and  Union  Prairie  Town- 
ships were  changed  to  Freeman  and  Orion, 
respectivel}''. 

The  law  creating  the  office  of  county 
auditor  had  gone  into  effect,  and  in  October, 
1858,  A.  McKinney  had  been  elected  to  fill 
it,  but  there  arose  some  question  as  to  the 
legality  of  the  election,  M.  A.  Dailey  con. 
testing,  and  on  February  9, 1859,  the  contest 
was  decided   by   the   board    choosing    Mr. 


32 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


Dailey,  who  was  at  tliat  time  acting  as  clerk 
of  the  board,  or  auditor. 

The  second  annual  session  of  the  board  of 
supervisors  began  on  the  13th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1859,  when  an  organization  was 
effected  by  the  election  of  George  "W.  Green 
to  the  chair.  The  following  comprise  a  list 
of  the  members : 

Owatonna,  George  B.  Hall ;  Medford,  F. 
B.  Davis  ;  Deerfield,  J.  H.  Morse ;  Meridgn? 
F.  J.  Stevens ;  Aurora,  GeorgeW .  Grimshaw ; 
Summit,  H.  Fredenburgh ;  Clinton  Falls, 
George  AV".  Green  ;  Orion,  L.  E.  Thompson  ; 
Dover,  S.  H.  Patterson  ;  Somerset,  Thomas 
Thompson  ;  Lemond,  S.  M.  Hastings  ;  Berlin, 
I.  W.  Crosby. 

In  October.  1850,  the  board  of  equaliza- 
tion arranged  the  assessment  of  the  coimty. 
The  real  estate  in  the  various  townships  was 
assessed  as  follows : 

Assessed 
Townships.  No.  of       Value 

Acres,     per  Acre. 

Medford 9,036  .$4.07 

Owatonna 18,875  3.50 

Clinton  Falls 8,307  2.95 

Dover 11,655  3.59 

Orion 13,013  2.63 

Meriden 16,828  2.80 

Somerset 11.901  1.87 

Summit 6,.534  1.98 

Berlin ' 7,892  1.98 

Aurora 15,933  1.95 

Deerfield 12,345  1.99 

Lemond 10,105  1.96 

14,1919 

On  the  6th  of  February,  1860,  Frank  L. 
Melvin,  who  had  in  the  meantime  been 
elected  count}'  auditor,  resigned,  and  the 
boaixl  appointed  M.  A.  Dailey  to  fill  the 
vacancy. 

In  the  winter  of  1859-60  the  legislature 
again  changed  the  system  of  county  govern- 
ment, abolishing  the  board  of  supervisors 
and  re-establishing  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners, which  was  to  consist  of  thi'ee 
members,  or  five  when  the  population  of 
the  county  should  warrant  it.  The  first 
meeting  under  the  change  was  held  on  the 
17th  of  May,  1860,  when  H.  Fredenburgh 


and  F.  J.  Stevens  were  present  as  members. 
Mr.  Fredenburgh  was  elected  chairman. 

In  June,  1860,  the  county  was  divided 
into  commissioners' districts,  as  follows:  No. 
1  included  Medford,  Deerfield,  CJinton  Falls 
and  Orion.  Xo.  2  included  Owatonna,  Mer- 
iden and  Dover.  No.  3,  Aurora,  Somerset, 
Lemond,  Oak  Glen,  Summit  and  Berlin. 
The  board  for  1860  was  composed  of  H. 
Fredenburgh,  of  Summit,  chairman ;  L.  E. 
Thompson,  of  Orion,  and  F.  J.  Stevens,  of 
Meriden. 

In  1861  the  members  of  the  board  were 
N.  Winship,  of  Owatonna,  chairman ;  George 
C.  Pettie,  of  Aurora ;  and  W.  P.  Francis,  of 
Medford. 

When  the  board  met  for  the  first  time  in 
1862,  Alex.  Chambers,  of  Owatonna,  was 
chosen  chairman.  The  associate  members 
were  H.  Fredenburgh,  of  Summit,  and  Ben- 
jamin F.  Melvin,  of  Medford.  At  the  Jan- 
uary session  in  this  year  the  name  of  Orion 
Township  was  changed,  first  to  Lyon  and 
then  to  Merton.  In  the  spring  of  1862  the 
educational  system  was  changed,  and  the 
county  was  divided  into  districts  for  the 
supervision  of  the  schools.  In  September, 
1862,  the  board  of  commissioners  appointed 
a  school  superintendent  for  each  of  these  dis- 
tricts, as  follows:  first  district,  E.  G.  Lin- 
coln ;  second  district,  Harvey  Chapin ;  third 
district,  Dwight  Gordon. 

For  1863  the  en  personnel  of  the  board  was 
the  same  as  during  the  previous  year.  On 
the  5th  of  November,  1863,  W.  Morris  re- 
signed the  offices  of  county  auditor  and 
register  of  deeds.  The  board  appointed  A. 
N.  Stoughton  county  auditor ;  and  Charles 
S.  Crandall,  register  of  deeds. 

In  186-1  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
met  for  their  first  session  on  the  first  Mon- 
day in  January,  and  organized  by  re-electing 
Alex.  Chambers  chairman.  The  other  two 
members  were  H.  Fredenburgh  and  B.  F. 
Melvin.  Mr.  Melvin  resigned  January  18, 
and  F.  B.  Davis  was  appointed  to  fill  the 
vacancy.     An  act  was  approved  March  3, 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


33 


1864:,  changing  the  school  system  again,  and 
in  accordance  with  this  the  board  appointed 

A.  A.  Harwood  superintendent  of  schools  for 
the  entire  county  and  fixed  the  salary  at 
$200  per  year. 

When  the  board  met  in  Januarj',  1865,  it 
was  composed  of  Alex.  Chambers,  of  Owa- 
tonna,  chairman ;  A.  J.  Abl)ott,  of  Medford, 
and  II.  Fredenburgh,  of  Summit.  Mr.  Ab- 
bott resigned  in  January  of  the  same  jj^ear 
and  Henry  Maw,  of  Merton,  was  appointed 
to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  Ma}',  1865,  S.  H. 
Patterson  resigned  the  office  of  sheriff  and 
"William  Scriby  was  appointed  by  the  board 
to  act  until  the  general  election  following. 

In  1866  the  following  gentlemen  com- 
prised the  board  :  Alex.  Chambers,  of  Owa- 
tonna,  chairman ;  H.  Fredenburgh,  of  Sum- 
mit,   and  O.  Bartholomew,  of  Medford. 

The  board  for  1867  was  as  follows :  H. 
Fredenburgh,  of  Summit,  chairman ;  O. 
Bartholomew,  o  Medford,  and  George  B. 
Hall,  of  Owatonna.  Among  the  first  mat- 
ters acted  upon  by  this  board  was  to  set  off 
and  authorize  the  organization  of  Oak  Glen 
(now  Blooming  Prairie)  Township. 

In  1868  the  board  was  composed  of  George 

B.  Hall,  of  Owatonna,  chairman ;  O.  Barthol- 
omew, of  Medford;  and  D.  T.  Gordon,  of 
Berlin.  In  January  of  this  year  F.  J.  Ste- 
vens was  appointed  county  superintendent  of 
schools,  and  in  September  he  was  reappointed 
for  the  year  commencing  January  1, 1869. 

In  1869  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
consisted  of  George  B.  Hall,  of  Owatonna, 
chairman ;  D.  T.  Gordon,  of  Beriin ;  and  L. 
H.  Lane,  of  Merton  Township.  In  January, 
1869,  the  record  states  tliat  M.  J.  Toiler  re- 
signed the  office  of  sheriff  and  Ferdinand 
Borchert  was  appointed.  It  appears  that 
Borchert  had  been  elected  sheriff  as  Franli 
Borchert  instead  of  Ferdinand,  and  to  cover 
any  possible  technical  difficulty  Mr.  Toher, 
his  predecessor,  resigned  arid  the  board  then 
appointed  Mr.  Borchert. 

During  this  year — 1869  —  the  boai'd  was 
increased  to  five  instead  of  tliree  members. 


The  board  redistricted  the  county  on  the  10th 
of  September,  1869. 

In  1870  the  board  was  composed  of  George 
B.  Hall,  chairman  ;  D.  T.  Gordon,  of  Berlin ; 
L.  H.  Lane,  of  Merton ;  G.  W.  Buffum  of  Clin- 
ton Falls ;  and  Fi-ank  Chambers,  of  Havana. 
On  the  11th  of  March  of  this  year  it  was  de- 
cided to  submit  to  the  voters  of  the  county 
the  question  of  issuing  county  bonds  to  the 
amount  of  $10,000  for  the  purpose  of  erect- 
ing a  county  jail. 

In  1871  the  board  organized  by  the  elec- 
tion of  L.  H.  Lane,  of  Merton,  chairman ;  the 
other  members  were  George  B.  Hall,  of 
Owatonna ;  G.  W.  Buffum,  of  Clinton  Falls ; 
Hugh  Murraj',  of  Lemond ;  and  Frank  Cham- 
bers, of  Havana.  On  the  8th  of  June,  this 
3'ear,  Charles  Dinijes  resigned  the  office  of 
county  surveyor  and  tlie  board  appointed 
James  M.  Finch  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

For  the  year  1872  the  board  was  made  up 
of  the  following  named  :  G.  W.  Buft'um,  of 
Clinton  Falls,  chairman ;  George  B.  Hall,  of 
Owatonna ;  Hugh  Murray,  of  Lemond ;  G.  0. 
Hankerson,  of  Medford ;  and  Henry  H. 
Mitchell,  of  Aurora. 

In  1873,  when  the  board  first  met,  it  was 
composed  of  the  following  members :  George 
B.  Hall,  of  Owatonna,  chairman ;  George  O. 
Hankerson,  of  Medford ;  Hugh  Murray,  of 
Lemond ;  H.  H.  Mitchell,  of  Aurora ;  and  G. 
W.  Buffum,  of  Clinton  Falls.  On  the  23d 
of  June,  1873,  H.  H.  Mitchell  resigned  and 
E.  Stapleton,  of  Aurora,  was  appointed  to  fill 
the  vacancy.  It  appears  that  at  about  this 
time  the  name  of  Oak  Glen  Township  was 
changed  to  Blooming  Prairie,  although  no 
entry  of  the  change  seems  to  have  been  made 
on  the  records. 

In  1874  the  boai-d  met  for  the  first  time 
on  the  6th  of  January,  being  composed  of 
the  following  members :  G.  W.  Buffum,  of 
Clinton  Falls,  chairman ;  G.  B.  Hall,  of 
Owatonna ;  Hugh  Murray,  of  Lemond  ;  G.  O. 
Hankerson,  of  Medford ;  and  H.  A.  Gleason, 
of  Blooming  Prairie. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1875,  the  board 


34 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


organized  with  the  following  membership  : 
Geo.  B.  Hall,  of  Owatonna.  chairman ;  A. 
B..  Clark,  of  Blooming  Prairie;  J.  A. 
Oppliger,  of  Owatonna ;  John  H.  Morse,  of 
Deerfield ;  and  Hugh  Murray,  of  Lemond. 
On  the  6th  of  January  Hugh  Murray  pre- 
sented his  resignation,  and  J.  O  Waumett,  of 
Meriden,  was  appointed  by  a  board,  which, 
according  to  law,  consisted  of  the  county 
auditor,  judge  of  probate  and  register  of 
deeds. 

January  4,  1876,  at  the  regular  annual 
meeting,  Geo.  B.  Hall,  of  Owatonna,  was 
elected  chairman,  the  associate  members 
being  A.  B.  Clark,  of  Blooming  Prairie ; 
John  H.  Morse,  of  Deerfield  ;  E.  L.  Scoville, 
of  Meriden ;  and  John  Q.  Ellis,  of  Owatonna. 
January  6,  Eev.  George  C.  Tanner  was 
appointed  county  superintendent  of  schools 
for  the  ensuing  year. 

The  following  were  the  members  of  the 
board  for  the  year  1877  :  George  B.  Hall, 
chairman  ;  A.  B.  Clark,  of  Blooming  Prairie ; 
J.  O.  Waumett,  of  Meriden  ;  John  H.  Morse, 
of  Deerfield ;  and  John  Q.  Ellis,  of  Owatonna. 
In  March  of  this  year  it  was  again  decided 
to  submit  to  the  voters  the  question  of  issuing 
$10,000  bondsof  the  county  for  the  purpose 
of  erecting  a  jail,  as  the  project  had  been 
unsuccessful  before.  This  time  the  matter 
was  accomplished,  and  at  the  next  meeting, 
on  June  25,  the  chairman  of  the  board  was 
authorized  to  issue  bonds  of  the  county  in 
that  amount.  This  loan  was  negotiated 
through  Dr.  McCutcheon,  of  Faribault.  The 
bonds  were  to  bear  interest  at  the  rate  of 
9  per  cent  and  were  payable  in  one  and  two 
years. 

On  New  Year's  day,  the  board  met  in 
annual  session  for  1878.  At  this  time  it  was 
composed  of  John  Q.  Ellis,  of  Owatonna, 
chairman ;  Geo.  B.  Hall,  of  Owatonna ;  John 
O.  Waumett,  of  Meriden  ;  W.  P.  Francis, 
of  Medford ;  and  Andrew  Erdmann,  of 
Havana. 

In  1879  the  board  consisted  of  John  Q. 
Ellis,  of  Owatonna,  chairman ;  W.  P.  Francis, 


of  Medford ;  A.  Erdmann,  of  Havana  ;  J. 
O.  Waumett,  of  Meriden  ;  a)id  E.  Donaldson, 
of  Owatonna. 

In  1880  the  following  were  members  of 
the  board  of  commissioners :  J.  Q.  Ellis,  chair- 
man ;  Andreas  Erdmann,  of  Havana ;  W. 
P.  Francis,  of  Medford ;  E.  Donaldson,  of 
Owatonna ;  and  Oscar  Murphy,  of  Lemond. 
In  March,  1880,  a  committee,  consisting  of 
Commissioners  Erdmann,  Francis  and  Mur- 
phy, was  appointed  to  view  sites  and  report 
on  the  advisability  of  the  county's  purchas- 
ing a  poor  farm.  This,  however,  did  not 
seem  to  aid  in  arriving  at  a  conclusion,  for 
in  January,  1881,  Commissioners  Murphj"^ 
and  Eggleston  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  look  into  the  same  matter. 

The  following  were  members  of  the  board 
in  1881 :  J.  Q.  Ellis,  of  Owatonna,  chair- 
man ;  Oscar  Murphy,  of  Lemond ;  Edward 
Donaldson,  of  Owatonna ;  Jesse  Healej^  of 
Somerset ;  and  W.  A.  Eggleston,  of  Merton. 
In  July  of  this  year  the  county  Avas  re- 
divided  into  commissioners'  districts,  as  fol- 
lows: First  district  to  embrace  Meriden,  Le- 
mond, Berlin  and  Summit ;  second  district, 
Havana,  Somerset,  Aurora  and  Blooming 
Prairie;  third  district,  Deerfield,  Medford, 
Merton  and  Chnton  Falls;  fourth  district, 
Owatonna  Township  and  second  ward  of 
the  city ;  fifth  district,  first,  third  and  fourth 
wards  of  the  citJ^  Commissioner  Donaldson 
presented  a  minority  report  opposing  this 
change  in  commissioners'  districts,  in  which 
he  stated  "  that  the  only  apparent  advantage 
gained  was  a  political  one." 

The  board  for  1882,  which  convened  in  an- 
nual session  on  January  3,  was  composed 
of  John  Q.  Ellis,  of  Owatonna,  chairman ; 
Oscar  Murphy,  of  Lemond ;  W.  A.  Eggle- 
ston, of  Merton  ;  Jesse  Healey,  of  Somerset ; 
and  H.  Schmidt,  of  Owatonna.  Early  in 
February  Mr.  Ellis  died  and  Elias  Scannel 
was  appointed  fcommissioner  to  fill  the  va- 
cancy. On  February  15  Oscar  Murphy  was 
elected  chairman  for  the  balance  of  the  year. 

During  the  year  1883  the  following  gen- 


HISTOEY    OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


35 


tlemen  made  up  the  board  of  commissioners  : 
Oscar  Murphy,  "of  Lemond,  chairman ;  Jesse 
Healey,  of  Somerset ;  W.  A.  Eggleston,  of 
Merton ;  H.  Schmidt,  of  Owatonna ;  and 
Elias  Scannel,  of  Owatonna. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1S84,  the  board 
again  met  in  annual  session,  being  then  com- 
posed of  the  following  members :  Oscar 
Murphy,  of  Lemond,  chairman  ;  E.  Scannel, 
of  Owatonna;  H.  Schmidt,  of  Owatonna; 
Jesse  Healej',  of  Somerset;  and  C.  M.  Finch, 
of  Clinton  Falls.  At  this  time  the  board 
decided  to  submit  to  the  voters  of  the 
county  the  question  of  issuing  bonds  of 
Steele  County  in  the  sum  of  $35,000  for 
the  purpose  of  erecting  a  court  house. 
It  was  to  be  submitted  at  the  next  general 
election.  In  Januarj',  1884,  the  county  cor- 
oner removed  from  the  county  and  the  Ijoard 
appointed  Dr.  J.  L.  Harrington  to  fill  the 
vacancy  so  caused. 

In  January,  1885,  Oscar  Murphy,  of  Le_ 
mond,  was  again  elected  chairman,  his  asso. 
elates  being  Jesse  Healey,  of   Somerset ;  C. 


M.  Finch,  of  Clinton  Falls ;  G.  W.  Kinyon, 
of  Owatonna  Township ;  and  L.  L.  Bennett, 
of  Owatonna  city. 

The  board  of  commissioners  for  1886  was 
composed  of  Oscar  Mui'phy,  of  Lemond, 
chairman  ;  Jesse  Ileale}',  of  Somerset;  C.  M. 
Finch,  of  Clinton  Falls ;  G.  "W.  Kinyon,  of 
Owatonna  Township  ;  and  L.  L.  Bennett,  of 
Owatonna  city. 

For  the  present  year —  1887  —  the  follow- 
ing gentlemen  comprise  the  county  board  : 
Herman  Schmidt,  of  Owatonna,  chairman ; 
John  Virtue,  of  Clinton  Falls ;  II.  L.  Zwie- 
ner,  of  Blooming  Prairie ;  Theo.  Chambers, 
of  Berlin  ;  and  G.  W.  Kinyon,  of  Owatonna 
Township.  In  January,  1887,  Eev.  G.  C. 
Tanner  resigned  the  office  of  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  and  J.  D.  Brown  was  ap- 
pointed. 

This  completes  the  history  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners,  and  gives  a  full  and 
complete  list  of  the  members,  interwoven 
with  a  brief  mention  of  their  most  interest- 
ing actions. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


CEEATION  AND  OKGANIZATION  OF  TOWNSHIPS. 


HEN  Steele  County  was  organized 
in  August,  1855,  as  has  alread}^ 
been  stated,  it  embraced  all  of  the 
territory  now  forming  Waseca 
County,  and  the  two  western  tiers 
of  townships  now  included  in 
Steele.  On  the  first  day  of  Aug- 
ust, 1855,  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  met  for  the  first 
etim,  and  their  first  work  was  to 
divide  the  county  into  townships,  or  pre- 
cincts, as  they  were  then  called.*  The  terri- 
tory which  now  comprises  Waseca  County 
was  divided  into  two  townships  —  Swave- 
sey  and  LeSeuer  —  and  the  later  changes 
of  boundaries  of  these  are  given  at  length 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Only  one  town- 
ship was  created  in  what  is  now  Steele 
County.  This  was  named  Owatonna.  It 
embraced  all  of  the  county  as  it  was  then 
formed,  or  all  of  the  present  county  except 
the  east  tier  of  townships  —  Merton,  Havana, 
Aurora  and  Blooming  Prairie,  which  then 
formed  a  part  of  Dodge  County.  In  Owa- 
tonna Township  it  was  ordered  that  the  first 
township  meeting  should  be  held  at  the 
schoolhouse  in  Owatonna,  and  Dexter  Carl- 
ton, Obed  Gaines  and  Leonard  F.  Case  were 
ajipointed  judges  of  the  fii'st  election. 

On  the  25th  of  August,  1855,  Medford 
Township  was  created,  comprising  the  ter- 
ritory now  included  in  the  townships  of 
Medford,  Clinton  Falls  and  Deerfield  (town 
108,  ranges  20  and  21),  which  liad  been 
included  up  to  that  time  in  Owatonna  Town- 


*[A11  throus-h  the  early  records  these  civil  subdivisions 
were  termed  precincts,  but  we  shall  liere  refer  to  them  as 
townships,  the  name  having-  boon  changed  by  an  act  of  the 
lejfislature.— Editor.] 


ship.  The  first  meeting  was  to  be  held  at 
the  house  of  William  Colling,  "  on  the  west 
side  of  the  road  leading  to  Owatonna,"  and 
F.  F.  Adams,  William  Allen  and  Orlando 
Bartholomew  were  appointed  judges  of  the 
first  election. 

In  this  shape  the  county  remained  until 
the  meeting  of  the  board  on  the  7th  of  April, 
1856,  when,  in  addition  to  several  changes 
being  made  in  the  territory  now  comprising 
Waseca  County,  Franklin  Townshi])  was  cre- 
ated, embracing  township  108,  range  19,  and 
the  east  half  of  township  108,  range  20  — 
thus  taking  eighteen  sections  from  Medford 
Township.  It  was  also  orilered  that  Owa- 
tonna Township  should  comprise  all  of  the 
county  south  to  "the  township  line  between 
townships  107  and  108 — the  south  three- 
fourths  of  the  county.  Officers  were  ap- 
pointed as  follows :  Owatonna  Township, 
Hiram  Robinson,  constable,  and  Philo  San- 
ford,  Parker  Carlton  and  Luther  Iluntly, 
judges  of  election.  Franklin  Township,  S\'l- 
vester  McNitt,  justice  of  the  peace  ;  F.  New- 
land,  constable ;  William  Allen  and  G.  O. 
Hankerson,  judges  of  election — first  election 
to  be  held  at  the  house  of  Sylvester  McNitt. 
In  Medford  Township,  Eev.  O.  A.  Thomas, 
Isaac  Sanborn  and  Smitli  Johnson  were 
selected  as  judges  of  the  first  election,  which 
it  was  provided  should  be  held  at  the  house 
of  William  W.  Finch. 

Thus  the  county  remained  for  about  one 
year,  or  until  April  B,  1857,  when  a  general 
rearrangement  was  made  and  every  con- 
gressional or  government  township  in  the 
county  was  set  off  and  given  a  name  as  a 
civil  township.  In  the  meantime,  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1856,  the  eastern  tier  of  townships 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


37 


(range  19)  had  been  set  off  from  Dodge  and 
annexed  to  Steele  ;  and,  on  the  27th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1857,  the  legislature  passed  an  act 
creating  "Waseca  County  of  the  west  half  of 
what  tlien  formed  Steele  County.  These 
changes  arranged  county  lines  as  they  are  at 
the  present  time.  The  following  is  a  list  of 
the  townships  created  at  that  time,  and  the 
officers  appointed  to  attend  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  each. 

Owatonna  embraced  township  107,  range 
20.  Geo.  W.  Green,  P.  P.  Carlton  and 
James  F.  Hall  were  made  judges  of  election, 
and  J.  W.  Burch  and  Hiram  Eobinson,  con- 
stables. 

Medford  was  organized  of  township  108, 
range  20.  W.  W.  Wilkins,  Smith  Johnson, 
Jr.,  and  W.  W.  Finch  were  appointed  judges 
of  election ;  Charles  Jones,  constable,  and 
Orlando  Bartholomew,  supervisor  of  roads. 
The  house  of  Smith  Jolinson,  at  Medford, 
was  designated  as  the  place  for  holding  the 
first  election. 

Union  Prairie  embraced  township  108, 
range  19.  John  Colburn,  C.  W.  Curtis  and 
M.  J.  Kimball  were  appointed  judges  of  elec- 
tion ;  C.  W.  Curtis,  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
John  A.  Pierce,  road  supervisor.  The  first 
town  meeting  was  ordered  held  at  the  house 
of  C.W.  Curtis. 

Somerset  was  comprised  of  township  106, 
range  20.  The  house  of  Thomas  Kenyon 
was  designated  as  the  place  for  holding  the 
first  township  meeting,  and  T.  C.  S.  Minthorn, 
Orlando  Lebarr,  and  T.  J.  Clark  were  ap- 
pointed judges  of  the  first  election. 

Meriden  embraced  township  107,  range  21, 
as  at  the  present  day.  Ashley  C.  Harris,  E. 
Ash  and  H.  S.  Clement  were  appointed  judges 
of  election;  William  Webster  and  M.  T.  C. 
Flowers  to  some  office  not  mentioned  in  the 
records;  Daniel  Poole  and  J.  L.  Greene,  con- 
stables; William  Webster,  Christopher  Walk- 
er and  Asiiley  C.  Harris,  road  supervisors. 
The  house  of  William  Webster  was  selected 
as  the  place  for  holding  the  first  election. 

Deerfield  was   formed   of   township   108, 


range  21.  Washington  Morse's  house  was 
designated  as  the  place  for  holding  the  first 
township  election.  The  officers  appointed 
were  as  follows :  D.  H.  McQuestion,  Isaac 
Coe  and  Washington  Morse,  judges  of  elec- 
tion; Washington  Morse  and  Charles  Burch, 
justices  of  the  peace ;  Elias  F.  Hobough  and 
Benjamin  Gypson,  constables,  and  D.  H. 
McQuestion,  road  supervisor. 

Township  107,  range  19,  now  known  as 
Havana,  was  then  given  the  name  of  Lafay- 
ette. Eobert  Adair,  Charles  McCarty  and 
George  Dennis  were  appointed  judges  of 
election ;  Elisha  Eldred  and  Newton  Parker, 
justices  of  the  peace;  W.  Hammond  and 
Hugh  Burns,  constables,  and  James  M.  Soper, 
road  supervisor. 

Aurora  embraced  township  106,  range  19. 
Amos  Coggswell,  George  W.  Grimshaw  and 
Stephen  Sargeant  were  appointed  judges  of 
election,  and  George  W.  Grimshaw,  road 
supervisor.  The  house  of  A.  B.  Clark  was 
selected  as  the  place  for  holding  the  first 
township  election. 

Berlin  was  organized  embracing  township 

105,  range  21.  M.  Warren,  Charles  Brown 
and  Ashbell  Ingerson  were  ap]3ointed  judges 
of  election ;  M.  B.  Winchell,  constable,  and 
Lewis  B.  Tilden,  road  supervisor.  The 
house  of  Hiram  Pitcher  was  designated  as 
the  place  for  holding  the  first  election. 

Summit  embraced  township  105,  range  20. 
The  place  for  holding  the  first  election  was 
designated  as  the  house  of  George  W.  Kna])p. 
Thomas  Bennett,  George  W.  Kuapp  and 
John  Aldrich  were  appointed  judges  of  elec- 
tion ;  George  W.  Knapp,  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  Thomas  Bennett,  road  supervisor. 

Lemond  Township  was  formed  of  township 

106,  range  21.  William  Parcher,  Sandford 
Kinney  and  C.  B.  Coon  were  appointed 
judges  of  the  first  election ;  William  Parcher, 
justice  of  the  peace ;  Jerome  B.  Coon,  consta- 
ble, and  E.  D.  Teed,  road  supervisor.  Twi- 
ford  Mills  was  the  place  designated  for  hold 
ing  the  first  election. 

Township  105,  range  19,  was  set  off  at  this 


38 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


time  as  Oak  Glen,  but  this  was  not  organized 
until  some  time  later. 

It  seems  as  though  this  division  of  town- 
ships was,  from  some  cause,  incomplete  or  ille- 
gal, for  in  April,  1858,  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  again  took  up  the  matter. 
The  record  states  that  "  an  act  of  the  legis- 
lature, directing  the  division  of  counties  into 
townships,  and  for  the  purpose  of  township 
organization,  having  been  brought  to  the 
notice  of  the  board,  it  is  ordered  that  Steele 
County  be  reorganized  into  townships."  By 
their  action  at  that  time  Oak  Glen  Township 
was  attached  to  Aurora,  and  Medford  Town- 
ship was  divided  by  the  organization  of  the 
south  half  of  township  108,  range  20,  under 
the  name  of  Clinton  Falls,  leaving  both 
Medfoi-d  and  Clinton  Falls  'Townships  as 
they  remain  to-day.  This,  it  was  stated  "  was 
in  accordance  with  the  unanimous  request  of 
the  legal  voters  of  Clinton  Falls  by  petition, 
verified  by  the  affidavit  of  Geo.  W.  Green." 
Aside  from  these  alterations,  the  townships 
remained  as  they  had  been  previously  set 
off. 

In  September,  1858,  the  name  of  Lafay- 
ette Township  was  changed  to  Freeman. 
At  the  same  time  the  State  auditor  notified 
the  boai'd  of  county  commissioners  that  the 
name  of  Berlin  should  be  changed,  as  there 
was  another  township  of  that  name  in  the 
State ;  but  the  board  answered  that  it  was 
the  unanimous  wish  of  the  citizens  to  retain 
that  name  on  account  of  having  a  postoffice 
of  the  same  name,  and  it  was  therefore 
allowed  to  stand.  On  the  11th  of  the 
same  month  the  name  of  Union  Prairie 
Township  was  changed  to  Orion  in  accord- 
ance with  the  vote  of  the  citizens. 


On  the  13th  of  October,  1858,  the  name 
of  Freeman  Township  was  changed  to 
Dover,  as  there  was  already  a  township  of 
that  name  in  the  State. 

No  further  change  in  the  townships  took 
place  until  January,  1862,  when  the  name 
of  Orion  was  changed  to  Lyon,  and  almost 
immediately  again  changed  to  Merton  which 
it  still  bears. 

In  March,  18G7,  authority  was  given  for 
the  organization  of  Oak  Glen,  which  had 
been  connected  with  Aurora. 

In  1869  the  name  of  Dover  Township  was 
changed  to  Havana,  under  which  name  it 
has  since  remained. 

In  January,  1873,  the  name  of  township 
105,  range  19,  was  changed  from  Oak  Glen 
to  Blooming  Prairie. 

This  completes  the  history  of  the  changes 
of  boundaries  of  the  townships  in  Steele 
County.  In  the  various  townsliij)  histories 
will  be  found  the  detailed  history  of  their 
organization.  All  these  changes  have  finally 
brought  the  townships  of  the  county  to  the 
shape  in  which  we  now  find  them.  The  fol- 
lowing table  will  show  the  territory  em- 
braced by  the  various  townships,  summing 
up  the  changes  traced  above : 

Merton,  township  108,  range  19. 

Medford,  north  half  of  township  108,  range  20. 

Clinton  Falls,  south  half  of  township  108,  range  20. 

Deerfield,  township  108,  range  21. 

Meriden,  township  107,  range  21. 

Owatonna,  township  107,  range  30. 

Ilavanna,  township  107,  range  19. 

Aurora,  township  100,  range  19. 

Somerset,  township  106,  range  20. 

Lemond,  township  106,  range  21. 

Berlin,  township  lO."),  range  21. 

Summit,  township  105,  range  20. 

Blooming  Prairie,  township  105,  range  19. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


OTIIEE  OFFICIAL  MATTEES. 


yiEST    INSTRUMENTS   RECORDED. 


HEN  the  settlement  of  Steele 
County  commenced,  the  territory 
now  comprising  it  formed  a  part 
of  Kice  County,  and  all  deeds, 
mortgages  and  other  official  doc- 
uments were  taken  to  Faribault 
for  record.  This  was  continued 
for  some  time  after  Steele  was 
really  organized.  In  1856,  how- 
ever, D.  Shaw,  under  authoritj' 
of  the  board  of  count}'  commis- 
sioners of  Steele  County,  made  a 
transcript  of  all  papers  relating  to  this  county 
which  had  been  filed  in  Eice,  and  they  were 
put  on  record  in  Steele  County. 

The  first  mortgage  that  appears  in  the 
Steele  County  records  bears  the  date  of  March 
18,  1856.  It  runs  from  Charles  Jones  to 
Benjamin  B.  Eichards,  and  for  a  considera- 
tion of  $56  covers  the  west  half  of  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  10  and  the  northwest 
quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  1 5, 
township  108,  range  20.  The  witnesses  were 
G.  W.  Curtis  and  Thomas  E.  Bennett. 

The  first  deed  upon  the  record  books  of 
the  county  is  dated  January  10,  1856.  In 
consideration  of  $70,  Lucius  Lewis  deeds  to 
D.  B.  Selleck  the  northeast  quarter  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  2,  township  107, 
range  20. 

POPULATION. 

The  first  census  in  which  Steele  County' 
figured  was  that  of  1857,  according  to  which 
the  total  population  of  the  county  was  2,598, 
made  up  of  1,981  born  in  the  United  States 


and  617  foreigners. 


The  following  are  some 


of  the  items  given  in  the  census  returns: 
males,  1,496;  females,  1,102;  farmers,  716; 
mei-chants  and  mechanics,  108.  The  various 
townships  were  populated  as  follows : 

Owatonna 614 

Medf ord 440 

Union  Prairie  (Merton) 336 

Lafayette  (Havana) 232 

Somerset 307 

Meriden 193 

Berlin 193 

Deertield 192 

Aurora 138 

Lemond 96 

Summit 45 

Oali  Glen  (Blooming  Prairie) 22 

Total 3,598 

The  census  of  1860  gave  Steele  County  a 
population  of  2,863,  of  which  2,256  were  na- 
tive born  and  607  foreign. 

In  1865,  according  to  the  school  census, 
the  county  had  a  total  population  of  4,932 
persons. 

In  1870  the  total  population  had  grown  to 
8,271.  Of  this  number  6,088  were  born  in 
the  United  States,  and  2,183  in  foreign  coun- 
tries. 

The  school  census  was  again  taken  in  1875. 
At  that  time  the  county  had  10,739  inhabit- 
ants. 

The  United  States  census  of  1880  gave 
Steele  a  total  population  of  12,460.  Of  this 
number  8,576  were  native  born ;  and  3,884 
foreign  born  ;  32  were  colored  ]5eople.  The 
population  of  the  various  townships  was  as 
follows : 

Aurora 600 

Berlin 683 


39 


40 


lllSTOK'i-    OK    BTP'.KLK    COUNTY. 


IJIooiiiing  I'laiiii! 563 

Blooming  I'laiiic  Village 338 

Clintou  Falls 503 

Decrficld 858 

Havana 851 

Lemond 648 

Mcdford 761 

Meriden 800 

Merlon 750 

Owatonna  City 3,161 

Owatonna  Township 584 

Somerset 811 

Summit • 530 


Total 12,400 

The  school  census,  taken  in  1885,  gave 
the  county  a  total  population  of  12,733. 
There  were  2,251  families :  (5,277  males,  and 
G,441  females.  The  total  was  divided  among 
the  various  townslii])s  as  follows: 

Aurora 727 

Berlin 707 

Blooming  I'rairie 626 

Blooming  Pruirie  Village 366 

Clinton  Falls 477 

Deerficld 863 

Havana 865 

Lemond  O'JS 

Mcdford 087 

Meriden 833 

Merton 670 

Owatonna,City  3,280 

Owatonna  Township  550 

Somerset 833 

Summit 551 


Total. 


12,733 


KEAI.  AND  I'K 


KSONAI.  VALUES  IN  1861. 


In  1861   the  real  and  personal  property 
assessment  was  as  follows : 


ACHKS. 

Owatonna 21,467 

Dover 14,836 

Aurora 19,335 

Orion 17,919 

Somerset 15,314 

Clinton 10,215 

Decrfield 15,943 

Lemond 11,700 

Summit 8,700 

Berlin 10,108 

Mcdford  17,080 

Meriden 19,749 


TOTAL   VALUATION, 
IlKAI.  AND  ri'.HSONAI. 

$124,083.85 
43,252.00 
33,431.80 
53,433.05 
30,03.5.50 
35,303.00 
33,825.00 
27,213.00 
1 7,100.00 
26,184.50 
52,744.00 
59,412.50 


VALUES  FROM  1861  TO  1886. 

As  a  matter  of  interest,  and  to  show  the 
growth  of  assessed  values  of  personal  prop- 
erty in  the  county,  the  following  statistics 
are  presented  of  the  amount  of  personal 
])i'(jperty  returned  each  year  for  the  past 
twenty -six  years : 

1861 $  82,666 

1803 

1804 

1805 

1806 

1867 

1868 

1809 

1870 

1871  

1872 


115,103 

230,944 

283,706 

387,230 

522,463 

598,204 

560,817 

5.54,869 

551,770 

566,967 

1873 589,246 


1874 $  703,005 

1875 1,001,133 

1876 1,043,155 

1877 1,001,103 

1878 1,056,254 

1879 987,039 

1880 903,027 

1881 1,014.383 

1882 1,000,271 

1883 1,170,900 

1884 1,134,661 

1885 1,117,530 


Total 183,165   $536,769.38 


1886 1,118,534 

PRESENT   VALUES. 

The  total  assessed  value  of  real  and  per- 
sonal jiroperty  in  Steele  County,  in  1886, 
was  $4,590,332. 

The  ])ersonal  ]iro]>erty  assessment  was 
$1,118,534.  This  amount  was  divided  anujng 
the  various  townships  and  villages  of  the 
county  as  follows : 

Blooming  Prairie  Village $  51,923 

Blooming  Prairie 46,504 

Summit  33,546 

Berlin 53,365 

Aurora 48,420 

Somerset    65,199 

Lemond 49,732 

Havana 53.003 

Owatona 40,256 

Owatonna  City 405,436 

Meriden 61,043 

Merton 50,604 

Mcdford 57,613 

Clinton  Falls 33,997 

Deertield  58,204 

The  real-estate  assessment  for  1886  gave 
Steele  County  a  total  assessed  value  of 
$3,477,798,  as  fixed  by  the  board  of  ecjuali- 
zation.  This  included  the  value  of  improve- 
ments, but  not  of  personal  ]iropei-ty.  The 
average  assessed  value  of  lands,  exclusive  of 
improvements,  was  fixed  at  $9.34  per  acre. 
The  total  number  of  acres  assessed,  exclusive 


HISTOKY    OK    STKKLK   COUNTY. 


41 


of  town  lots,  was  267,512,  of  which  amount 
109,151  acres  were  improved,  and  153,4:86 
were  unimproved. 

In  1886  the  average  rate  of  taxation 
throughout  Steele  ^County  was  ISIb  mills 
on  the  dollar.  The  total  taxes  levied  tluit 
year  was  |63,000.1S.  Of  this  amount  $5,- 
948.89  was  for  State  purposes  and  the 
balance  for  county,  school,  city  and  town- 
ship. 

CROPS. 

The  following  statement,  showing  the 
crops  sown  and  raised  in  Steele  County  in 
1886,  will  give  a  very  clear  idea  of  the  diver- 
sity with  which  agriculture  is  pursued  here : 

ACHEAQE.  VIELD.        ^%]^'l^^l 

Wheat 58,118  733,746  13 

Oats 15,163  487,896  33 

Corn 10,930  300,110  28 

Barley 3,337  55,771  25 

Ilye 19  233  13 

Buckwheat 33  325  10 

Potatoes 359  57,133  33 

Beans 9  207  23 

Sugar-cane 36  2,984  114 

Cultivated  Ilay 4,091  7,481  tons 

Flax '. 96  1,300  13 

Other  Products 170 


Total 88,435 

Wild  Hay..  30,8.50  tons.         Tobacco....         273  lbs. 

Timothy...         527  bushs.         Wool 17,183    " 

Clover."....        852     "  Butter  ....  379,875    " 

Apples 533     "  Cheese 159,184    " 

Honey 73,011    " 

In  1886  the  acreage  sown  to  the  various 
crops  was  as  follows  : 


Oats 15,9.57 

Barley 3,919 

Buckwheat 41 

Flax 300 


acreage    cultivated    in    18S6  was 


Wheat .53,993 

Corn. 11,886 

Rye 39 

Potatoes 589 

Total 
90,625  aicres. 

EDUCATIONAL. 

The  first  school  district  in  the  county  — 
or  No.  1  —  was  set  off  on  the  7th  of  April, 
1856.  It  embraced  sections  3,  4,  5,  8,  9,  10, 
15,  16  and  17,  townsliip  107,  range  20.  Dis- 
tricts Nos.  2  and  3  were  created  at  the  same 
time,  the  former  being  located  in  township 
107,  range  20,  and  the  latter  being  located  in 


township  108,  ranges  19  and  20.  Up  to 
February,  1857,  there  had  been  thirteen 
school  districts  organized.  In  1886  thei'e 
were  eighty-three  organized  school  districts 
in  the  county. 

The  first  school  in  the  county  was  taught 
on  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  Owatonna 
in  the  summer  of  1855,  by  Miss  Helen  IIol- 
brook. 

As  this  volume  goes  to  press  County 
Supt.  Brown  has  just  completed  his 
report  showing  the  condition  of  schools  in 
1886.  According  to  it  there  were  3,701 
cliildren  of  school  age  in  the  county,  includ- 
ing Owatonna.  Outside  of  Owatonna  there 
were  3,601  entitled  to  apportionment  and 
144  not  entitled  to  apportionment.  The 
number  enrolled  between  the  ages  of  five 
and  eight  years  was  795 ;  between  the  ages 
of  eight  and  sixteen,  2,484 ;  and  between  the 
ages  of  sixteen  and  twenty -one,  427.  The 
number  between  the  ages  of  eight  and  six- 
teen that  attend  school  sixty  days,  or  a  term 
of  tliree  months,  was  1,781.  Six  new  school- 
houses  were  built  during  the  year,  valued  at 
$2,545.  The  teachers  employed  during  the 
winter  term  were  twenty-eight  males  and 
fifty -three  females ;  during  the  summer  term, 
six  males  and  sixty-six  females.  The  value 
of  school  buildings  was  estimated  at  $35,050, 
and  of  furniture  at  $3,193.  None  of  these 
statistics  include  the  Owatonna  schools. 
There  were  fourteen  female  teachers  in  the 
city  schools.  The  Owatonna  school  build- 
ings were  valued  at  $40,000  and  tlic  fur- 
niture at  $2,500. 

EARLY    MARRIAGE  LICENSE  RECORD. 

The  first  marriage  that  appears  on  tJie 
record  books  of  this  county  was  s(jlemnized 
on  the  10th  of  November,  1856,  more 
tlian  thirty  years  ago.  The  parties  were 
Smith  Johnson,  Jr.,  and  Sabrina  Wilkins. 
The  marriage  ceremony  was  i)erformed  by 
Rev.  O.  A.  Thomas.  Mr.  Johnson  is  still  a 
prominent  resident  of  Steele  County,  living 
at  Medford.  There  are  many  amusing  anec- 
dotes connected   with  some  of   the  earlier 


42 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


weddings,  most  of  which  find  their  proper 
places  in  the  various  township  histories. 
How  the  rustic,  blushing  bride  left  the 
kitchen,  unbuckled  her  apron,  and  throwing 
on  her  sunbonnet,  climbed  into  the  lumber 
wagon  and  started  off  with  John,  who  had 
his  pants  in  his  boots  and  overalls  on,  for 
their  wedding  tour,  to  hunt  up  the  "  squire  " 
and  get  "jined."  An  incident  is  called  to 
mind  which  is  unlocated  and  cannot  properly 
be  placed  in  any  of  the  townships.  It  is  said 
on  one  occasion,  way  back  in  the  '50's,  a 
country  couple  made  their  way  to  one  of  the 
villages  in  the  county,  in  quest  of  some  one 
who  was  authorized  to  tie  the  hymeneal 
knot.  They  went  to  a  young  storekeeper, 
who,  in  the  way  of  a  joke,  referred  them  to 
the  postmaster,  stating  that  the  government 
authorized  him  to  officiate  on  such  occasions. 
When  the  postmaster  was  seen  he  disclaimed 
any  knowledge  of  such  authority,  and  said 
that  he  had  only  been  in  the  government 
employ  for  a  short  time  and  was  not  yet 
"  quite  up  to  snuff,"  but  if  the  merchant  said 
he  could  he  supposed  it  was  so.  Accordingly 
the  couple  were  ranged  u])  in  front  of  the 
postmaster,  wlio,  in  the  most  approved  style 
impressed  them  with  the  solemnity  of  the 
occasion,  warned  thism  to  "  let  no  man  put 
asunder  what  he  had  joined,"  and  in  closing 
pi'onounced  them  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  etc.,  accord- 
ing to  the  postal  laws  of  the  United  States. 
"And  you  may  go  in  peace ;  only  one  dollar 
apiece,  please." 

It  would  doubtless  be  of  interest  to  many 
to  give  the  record  of  marriages  for  the  first 


ten  years  of  the  county's  existence,  but  they 
are  too  numerous  ;  therefore,  we  give  only 
the  first  two  years,  as  taken  from  the  record 
in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  court. 

Benjamin  A.  Freeman  and  Sarah  Ring,  by 
Rev.  O.  A.  Thomas,  November,  1856. 

William  Williamson  and  Lucretia  Finch, 
by  Rev.  O.  A.  Thomas,  December,  1856. 

Geo.  H.  Robbins  and  Abigail  Presby,  by 
Addison  Phelps,  justice  of  the  peace,  Novem- 
ber, 1856. 

Friday  Wupshal  and  Julia  Grehring,  by 
Addison  Phelps,  justice  of  the  peace,  Decem- 
ber, 1856. 

Hiram  Robinson  and  Harriet  Town,  by  A. 
Town,  evangelist,  in  1857. 

Jacob  Yonker  and  Mina  Mundt,  April, 
1857. 

John  G.  Truesdell  and  Elvira  Watrous, 
December,  1857. 

Chas.  M.  Williamson  and  Mary  V.  Morri- 
son, November,  in  1857. 

Peter  Joliannsen  and  Ann  Schimek,  Jan- 
uary, 1858. 

John  H.  Force  and  Martha  Howe,  Janu- 
ary, 1858. 

Emory  M.  Geatchell  and  Sarah  O.  Run- 
nels, February,  1858. 

John  Moon  and  Margaret  Meek  in  Feb- 
ruary. 

Loren  B.  Town  and  Naomi  L.  Stoughton 
in  April. 

Charles  B.  Baker  and  Louisa  M.  Lane  in 
April. 

Franklin  Hickok  and  Elizabeth  McCaslin 
in  May,  1858. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


NATIONAL  AND  STATE  REPEESENTATION. 


C0NGBES9I0NAL. 


XTIL  Minnesota  became  a  State 
it  had  only  one  representative  in 
tlie  halls  of  Congress  —  a  territo- 


p^l  rial  deleo-ate  who  was  allowed  to 


speak  but  not  vote.  The  jfirst  ter- 
ritorial delegate  from  Minnesota 
was  Henry  H.  Sibley,  who  served 
from  January  15, 1849,  to  Decem- 
ber 5,  1S53.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Henry  M.  Rice,  who  served 
until  December  7,  1857.  W.  W. 
Kingsbury  was  elected  to  succeed 
Eice,  and  served  until  December 
6,  1858.  On  the  23d  of  February, 
1857,  the  United  States  Senate 
passed  an  act  authorizing  the  jieople  of  Min- 
nesota to  form  a  constitution  preparatory  to 
their  admission  to  the  Union.  In  accordance 
with  the  provisions  of  this  enabling  act  a 
constitutional  convention  was  held  on  July 
13,  1857,  at  the  territorial  capital.  On  the 
13th  of  October,  1857,  an  election  was  held, 
when  the  constitution  was  adopted  and  a  full 
list  of  State  officers  was  elected.  Three 
congressmen  were  also  elected  at  this  time 
—  George  L.  Becker,  W.  W.  Phelps  and  J. 
M.  Cavanaugh  —  but  it  was  afterward  found 
that  Minnesota  was  only  entitled  to  two 
congressmen,  and  the  matter  was  amicably 
adjusted  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  first- 
named,  Mr.  Becker.  By  this  election  Messrs. 
Phelps  and  Cavanaugh  became  the  first 
members  of  Congress  from  the  State  of 
Minnesota. 

In  the  winter  of    1857-8   the  legislature 
divided  the  State  into  two  congressional  dis- 


tricts, the  southern  part  becoming  the  first 
district  and  the  northern  part  the  second 
congressional  district — -Steele  County  be- 
coming, therefore,  a  part  of  the  first  district. 
At  the  election  held  in  the  fall  of  1859,  Will- 
iam Windom  was  elected  congressman  from 
the  first  district,  his  opponent  being  C. 
Graham,  a  Democrat.  Tlie  vote,  including 
the  whole  State,  stood :  Windom,  21,016 ; 
Graham,  17,417  ;  majority,  3,599. 

William  Windom  was  a  native  of  Ohio, 
born  in  Belmont  County,  May  10,  1827.  He 
studied  law,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1850, 
and  in  1853  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney 
for  Knox  County.  In  1854  he  came  to  Min- 
nesota and  settled  at  Winona,  which  city 
has  since  been  his  home.  In  1859  he  was 
elected  to  Congress  as  stated  and  was  re- 
elected in  the  years  1860,  1862,  1864  and 
1866.  Since  his  service  in  the  lower  House 
of  Congress,  he  has  twice  been  elected  to 
the  United  States  Senate,  and  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  the  United  States  Treasury  by 
President  Garfield  in  1881. 

In  the  fall  of  1868,  M.  S.  Wilkinson  was 
elected  congressman  from  the  first  district 
to  succeed  Mr.  Windom,  and  served  two 
years.  Mr.  Wilkinson  was  a  lawyer  who 
was  then  living  at  Mankato,  who  had  been 
very  jirominent  in  all  public  matters.  He 
was  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  the  State, 
having  located  here  in  1847,  and  had  repre- 
sented Minnesota  for  one  term  in  the  United 
States  Senate  —  elected  December  15,  1859, 
and  serving  until  1865.  After  his  term  of 
office  as  congressman  expired,  he  served  one 


43 


44 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


term  in  the  State  Senate  from  Blue  Earth 
County.  Subsequently  he  removed  to  Wells, 
in  Faribault  County,  where  he  still  lives. 

Hon.  Mark  II.  Bunnell,  of  Owatonna,  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  AVilkinson  as  congressman  from 
the  first  district,  and  served  for  twelve  con- 
secutive years.  Mr.  Bunnell  has  for  years 
been  an  honored  citizen  of  Steele  County 
and  we  herewith  present  a  biographical 
sketch  of  his  life : 

Hon.  Mark  Hill  Bunnell  is  a  son  of  Sam- 
uel Bunnell,  a  farmer,  and  Achsah  Hill,  and 
was  born  in  Buxton,  Me.,  on  the  2d  of 
July,  1823.  His  great-great-grandfather 
came  from  Scotland,  while  the  HiUs  were  of 
English  descent.  Mark  H.  spent  his  minoritj^ 
upon  his  father's  farm,  attending  the  district 
school  and  different  academies  during  such 
seasons  of  the  year  as  were  least  pressed 
with  work,  finishing  his  studies  preparatory 
for  college  under  private  tuition,  and  secur- 
ing with  his  own  hands,  the  means  for  his 
entire  education  after  leaving  the  district 
school.  He  was  graduated  from  Waterville 
College,  now  Colby  University,  in  1849,  and 
for  two  years  was  principal  of  Norway  Lib- 
eral Institute,  and  then  for  three  years  of 
Hebron  Academy,  both  in  his  native  State. 
The  latter  was  a  school  of  high  grade,  in  which 
especial  attention  was  given  to  the  classics 
and  the  preparation  of  young  men  for  col- 
lege. Buring  the  three  years  that  Mr.  Bun- 
nell was  at  its  head  he  thus  fitted  forty  or 
fifty  students  and  sent  them  to  different  col 
leges  and  universities  in  New  England. 
Among  tliese  were  Hon.  Eugene  Hale,  now 
United  States  senator  from  Maine ;  Hon. 
John  B.  Long,  afterward  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor of  Massachusetts,  now  a  member  of 
Congress ;  Rev.  G.  M.  P.  King,  B.  B.,  now 
president  of  Wayland  Seminary,  in  Washing- 
ton, and  a  dozen  other  men  of  high  standing- 
in  the  professions. 

In  1854  Mr.  Bunnell  was  a  member  of  the 
Lower  House  of  the  Legislature,  and  of  the 
Up|)er  House  in  the  following  year.  In  1855, 
1857,  1858  and   1859  he  was  State  superin- 


tendent of  common  schools,  in  Maine,  being 
appointed  by  Gov.  Anson  P.  Morrill  and 
reappointed  by  Gov.  Hannibal  Hamlin. 
Wiiile  Mr.  Bunnell  was  teaching  in  the  acad- 
emies already  mentioned,  he  devoted  his 
leisure  time  to  the  study  of  law,  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1856,  practiced  some 
that  year  and  in  1860  opened  a  law  office  at 
Portland.  In  March  of  the  following  year, 
one  month  before  the  Civil  War  commenced, 
he  was  appointed  United  States  consul  to 
Vera  Cruz,  Mexico,  and  before  entering  upon 
his  duties  he  asked  a  four  months'  delay  in 
order  that  he  might  aid  in  raising  the  Fifth 
Regiment,  Maine  volunteers,  of  which  he  was 
chosen  colonel.  He  reached  Washington 
with  his  regiment  in  season  to  participate  in 
the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  In  October 
following,  at  the  request  of  Secretary 
Seward,  he  entered  upon  his  duties  at  Vera 
Cruz,  which  had  become  an  outlying  rebel 
city  through  which  munitions  of  war  were 
passing  for  Confederate  use.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  was  instrumental  in  detaining  fifteen 
thousand  stand  of  arms  bound  for  Texas. 
For  services  of  this  kind,  rendered  while 
there,  he  received  a  letter  of  thanks  from 
Hon.  William  H.  Seward,  Secretary  of  State. 
Buring  part  of  the  time  that  he  was  at  Vera 
Cruz,  the  Mexicans  were  resisting  the 
Spanish,  French  and  English  alliance  against 
Mexico,  and  when  the  governor  of  the  State 
of  Vera  Cruz  I'etired  from  the  city  to  join 
the  Mexican  forces,  he  placed  the  keys  of  the 
government  of  the  city  in  the  hands  of  Con- 
sul Bunnell,  he  being  the  senior  officer 
among  the  friendly  powers.  In  1862  Col. 
Bunnell  resigned  the  office  of  consul,  I'eturned 
to  Maine  and  aided  the  governor  in  recruit- 
ing men  and  in  the  organization  of  the  State 
militia,  practicing  his  profession  at  the  same 
time.  In  1864  he  was  tendered  the  secre- 
taryship of  the  newly-formed  territory  of 
Montana,  but  declined  to  accept  it.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1865,  we  find  him  located  at  Winona, 
and  since  that  date  he  has  l)een  a  citizen  of 
Minnesota,  having  removed  to  Owatonna  in 


HISTOEY   OF    STEELE    COtlNTT. 


45 


June,  1867.  He  was  a  membei"  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  in  1867,  and  at  the  close 
of  the  session  was  appointed  (on  the  2d  of 
April,  1867)  State  Superintendent  of  Pubhc 
Instruction  —  an  oflBce  whic  hhe  held  for  three 
and  one-third  years,  and  the  duties  of  which 
he  performed  with  faitlifulness  and  ability, 
giving  a  fresh  impetus  to  the  cause  of  edu- 
cation in  the  "  North  Star  State."  He 
resigned  the  office  of  superintendent  to  take 
his  place  in  Congress,  to  which  he  had  been 
elected  in  the  autumn  of  1870.  He  was 
re-elected  in  1872, 1874, 1876, 1878  and  1880, 
serving  six  consecutive  terms  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  —  an  honor  never  before  con- 
ferred by  the  people*  of  Minnesota.  His 
renomination  the  fourth  time  —  an  act  done 
by  acclamation  —  was  a  subject  of  warm  con- 
gratulation and  much  rejoicing  on  the  part 
of  his  Republican  friends  all  over  the  country. 
The  press  was  made  especially  happy  by  the 
graceful  act.  The  "Washington  National 
Republican^  published  where  the  untiring 
labors  of  Congressman  Dunnell  were  wit- 
nessed, thus  spoke  in  August,  1878,  of  his 
renomination : 

"We  have  already  announced  the  renom- 
ination of  Hon.  Mark  H.  Dunnell  for  Con- 
gress in  the  first  district  of  Minnesota.  In 
this  his  constituents  have  honored  them- 
selves, and  at  the  same  time  have  given 
proper  recognition  to  valuable  public  service 
characterized  by  marked  ability.  This  nom- 
ination is  made  more  significant  by  the  fact 
that  it  was  unanimously  bestowed.  Mr.  Dun- 
nell, during  the  period  of  years  he  has  held  a 
seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  has  dis- 
tinguished his  legislative  career  by  abilities  of 
a  high  order,  both  as  a  worker  and  debater. 
By  a  life  of  purity  at  the  national  capital 
and  an  unflae-ging  devotion  to  the  interests 
of  his  constituents  and  the  country  at  large, 
he  has  won  for  himself  a  high  degree  of  con- 
fidence and  respect.  His  election  is  assured, 
and  his  return  to  Congress  will  be  hailed  with 
satisfaction  by  all  who  know  Inm.  He  is  a 
stalwart  Republican." 


During  the  twelve  years  which  Mr.  Dun- 
nell spent  in  Congress  he  served  upon  the 
following  committees  of  the  house :  Public 
lands,  education  and  labor,  claims,  com- 
merce, Mississippi  levees,  expenditures  in 
State  department,  four  years  upon  the  com- 
mittee on  ways  and  means,  and  was  also  a 
member  of  the  special  committee  to  investi- 
gate the  presidential  election  of  1S76  in  the 
State  of  Florida.  IS'o  representative  from 
Minnesota  served  his  constituents  with  more 
fidelity,  nor  has  any  representative  attained 
more  prominence  and  influence  in  the  House 
than  Mr.  Dunnell. 

In  the  XLlIId  Congress  an  attack  was 
made  upon  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  and 
Congressman  Dunnell  made  a  speech  in 
which  he  gallantly  defended  that  republic 
from  what  he  regarded  as  an  unwai'ranted 
assault.  His  speech  was  widely  quoted, 
printed  in  full  in  all  the  Mexican  journals, 
and  he  was  made  an  honorary  member  of 
the  Society  of  Geography  and  Statistics,  the 
highest  society  of  the  kind  in  that  reiuiblic, 
and  hence  the  highest  honor  it  was  capable 
of  bestowing.  On  the  organization  of  the 
Forty-seventh  Congress,  Mr.  Dunnell  was 
urged  for  the  speakership  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  and  had  the  support  of  the 
Republican  caucus.  His  fitness  for  the  place 
was  conceded,  but  his  views  on  the  tariff 
given  in  the  XLVIth  Congress,  in  favor 
of  reduction,  were  used  against  him  and  he 
was  defeated.  In  1868  Mr.  Dunnell  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  LL.D.  from  Shurtliflf 
Colles'e,  one  of  the  oldest  institutions  of 
learning  in  Illinois. 

He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Republican 
party  from  its  inception,  and  in  1856  was  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Convention  which 
nominated  Gen.  John  C.  Fremont.  His  la- 
bors in  behalf  of  the  party  in  the  past  have 
been  earnest  and  unceasing,  and  in  Congress 
he  made  a  record  in  which  his  constituents 
as  well  as  himself  could  take  a  just  pride. 
As  a  speaker,  both  on  the  "stump"  and  in 
Congress,  he  was  eif ecti  ve  and  popular,  and 


46 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


he  has  repeatedly  spoken  in-  Maine,  JSTew 
Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania, 
Virginia,  New  York,  Connecticut,  Illinois, 
Wisconsin  and  Minnesota. 

The  cause  of  education  has  had  no  warmer 
friend  in  the  ^reat  Northwest  than  Mr. 
Dunnell.  For  ten  years  while  a  citizen  of 
Maine  he  was  a  trustee  of  the  Waterville 
College.  And  since  his  residence  here,  no 
educational  movement  has  been  made  that 
has  not  received  his  hearty  support  and 
encouragement.  Of  the  Pillsbury  Academy, 
since  its  inception,  he  has  been  a  member 
of  the  board  of  trustees,  and  in  1877, 1883-4 
and  1884-5  was  president  of  the  board.  He 
was  married  to  Sarah  A.  Parrington,  Novem- 
ber 20,  1850.  Five  children  were  born  to 
them:  "Warren  B.,  Nellie  A.,  Fanny,  Mark 
B.  and  Alice  Maud.  Nellie  became  the  wife 
of  Prof.  C.  "W.  Hall ;  she  died  in  Germany  in 
Februar^'^,  1876.  Alice  M.  died  in  Owatonna 
in  July,  1873,  being  nearly  five  years  of  age. 
Warren  B.,  an  architect,  resides  in  Minne- 
apolis. Fanny  is  now  the  wife  of  H.  R.  Moore, 
Jr.,  and  Mark  B.  is  a  graduate  of-  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pochester,  N.  Y.,  taught  one  year  at 
Faribault,  and  is  now  a  student  at  the  Law 
School  of  Columbia  College  in  New  York 
City. 

In  1882  Milo  White,  of  Chatfield,  was 
elected  to  Congress  from  the  first  district. 
He  was  an  old  settler  at  Chatfield,  and  had 
been  prominent  in  local  politics  for  many 
years,  serving  his  district  in  the  State  senate 
for  several  terms,  and  taking  an  active  part 
upon  the  Republican  side,  in  political  mat- 
ters generally.  He  was  re-elected  to  Con- 
gress in  1884,  serving  four  years.  Mr.  White 
had  been  raised  at  and  followed  the  mercan- 
tile business  at  which  he  had  amassed  a 
comfortable  fortune.  In  1886  he  made  a 
hard  fight  for  renomination  but  was  defeated 
by  Hon.  John  A.  Lovely,  an  able  lawyer  of 
Freeborn  Count}^. 

At  the  polls  Mr.  Lovely  was  defeated  by 
Judge  Thomas  Wilson,  of  Winona,  the  Dem- 
ocratic nominee  —  the  first  Democrat  elected 


from  this  district  since  1859.  Mr.  Wilson  is 
an  earh'  settler  in  Winona  Count3%  where  he 
has  practiced  law  for  nearh'  a  third  of  a 
century.  He  has  served  upon  the  district 
and  supreme  benches  of  the  State,  repre- 
sented Winona  County  in  both  branches  of 
the  legislature  and  in  man\'  \vays  has  taken 
a  prominent  part  in  State  and  local  matters. 
As  a  lawyer  he  ranks  among  the  ablest  in 
the  Northwest. 

The  first  district  as  it  is  now  constituted 
is  composed  of  the  counties  of  Winona,  01m- 
stead,  Steele,  Wabasha,  Houston,  Fillmore, 
Mower,  Dodge  and  Freeborn. 

REPRESENTATION    IN    TERRITORIAL     AND     STATE 
LEGISLATURES. 

Steele  County  was  created  on  the  20th  of 
February,  1855,  by  the  sixth  territorial 
legislature.  At  the  same  session  the  "ap- 
])ortionment  of  1855 "  was  made,  and  ac- 
cording to  this  the  territorial  council  was 
composed  of  fifteen  and  the  House  of  thirtj'- 
eight  members.  Steele  County  became  at 
once  a  part  of  the  tenth  council  district 
which  was  composed  of  the  counties  of  Steele, 
LeSueur,  Faribault,  Blue  Earth,  Brown, 
Nicollet,  Sibley,  Pierce  and  Renville.  This 
district  was  entitled  to  elect  one  councilor 
and  three  representatives. 

The  Vllth  Legislature  convened  Jan- 
uary 2,  and  adjourned  March  1,  1856.  The 
tenth  district  was  represented  in  the  coun- 
cil by  Charles  E.  Flandrau,  and  in  the  House 
by  George  A.  McLeod,  Parsons  K.  Johnson 
and  Aurelius  F.  de  LaVergne.  Neither  of 
these  parties  were  residents  of  Steele  County. 

The  Vlllth  Legislature  convened  January 
7  and  adjourned  March  7, 1857,  and  an  extra 
session  was  held  during  the  summer.  P.  P. 
Humphrey  represented  the  tenth  district  in 
the  council  and  O.  A.  Thomas,  Joseph  R. 
Brown  and  Francis  Baasen  in  the  House. 
This  was  the  last  session  of  the  territorial 
legislature,  as  the  territory  became  a  State 
by  the  adoption  of  a  constitution  and  elec- 
tion of  State  officers  on  the  13th  of  October, 
1857.     Mr.   Brown,  above   mentioned,  lived 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   CO0NTT. 


4Y 


in  the  Minnesota  Vallej'  and  liad  been  Indian 
agent  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr.  Baasen 
belonged  in  New  Ulm.  Mr.  Thomas  was  a 
resident  of  Steele  County'  who  is  mentioned 
elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

The  1st  State  Legislature  assembled  on 
the  2d  of  December,  1S57,  and  finally  ad- 
journed August  12,  1858,  having  held  a  spe- 
cial session.  In  the  meantime  the  constitu- 
tion had  reapportioned  the  State,  and  Steele 
and  Waseca  Counties  (the  latter  had  just 
been  created)  were  associated  together  as  the 
fifteenth  senatorial  district,  whicli  was  en- 
titled to  one  senator  and  four  representa- 
tives. According  to  this  apportionment  the 
Senate  had  thirty-seven  and  the  House  eighty 
members.  At  the  first  session  of  the  State 
legislature  the  fifteenth  disti-ict  was  repre- 
sented in  the  Senate  by  Lewis  L.  McCune,  of 
"Waseca  County,  and  in  the  House  by  Hiram 
M.  Sheetz,  George  C.  Pettie  and  Smith  John- 
son. All  of  the  representatives  in  the  House, 
during  this  session,  were  residents  of  Steele 
County.  Mr.  Sheetz  was  the  publisher  of  a 
paper  at  Owatonna.  He  had  come  here  at 
an  early  day  and  remained  until  the  time  of 
his  death.  George  C.  Pettie  was  a  resident 
of  Aurora,  and  Smith  Johnson,  of  Medford 
Township.     Both  are  mentioned  elsewhere. 

No  session  was  held  in  the  winter  of 
1858-9,  mainly  owing  to  the  protracted  ses- 
sion of  1857-8,  which  was  believed  to  render 
unnecessary  another  one  following  so  soon. 

The  lid  Legislature  assembled  Decem- 
ber 7, 1859,  and  adjourned  March  12,  1860. 
William  F.  Pettit  had  succeeded  Mr.  Mc- 
Cune in  the  Senate  from  the  fifteenth  and 
in  the  House  were  Amos  Coggswell  and  G. 
W.  Green  from  Steele  County  and  G.  T. 
White  and  J .  I.  Stewart  from  Waseca  County. 
Amos  Coggswell,  of  Steele  County,  was 
elected  speaker  of  the  House.  At  this  ses- 
sion of  the  legislature  the  apportionment  of 
1860  was  made,  and  the  number  of  members 
was  cut  down  to  twenty-one  senators  and 
forty-two  representatives.  In  accordance 
with  thi§  apportionment  Steele,  Waseca  and 


Freeborn  Counties  were  throVn  together  in 
forming  the  sixteenth  district,  which  was 
entitled  to  one  senator  and  two  representa- 
tives. WiUiam  F.  Pettit,  the  senator  from 
Steele  County,  was  one  of  tlie  founders  of 
the  city  of  Owatonna.  Amos  Coggswell 
and  G.  W.  Green  in  the  House  were  both 
lawyers  from  Steele  County,  and  were  both 
prominent  and  able  men.  It  js  said  that 
Steele  County  has  never,  either  before  or 
since,  sent  a  more  able  and  influential  dele- 
gation than  it  had  in  the  lid  Legislature. 
All  of  these  parties  are  mentioned  at  length 
elsewhere. 

The  Hid  Legislature  convened  January  8, 
and  adjourned  March  8, 1861.  George  Wat- 
son represented  the  sixteenth  district  in  the 
Senate,  and  William  F.  Pettit,  of  Steele 
County,  and  James  E.  Child,  of  Waseca 
County,  were  in  the  House. 

The  IVth  Legislature  assembled  Jan- 
uary 7,  and  adjourned  March  7,  1862.  The 
sixteenth  district  was  represented  at  this 
session  by  A.  B.  Webber,  of  Freeborn  County, 
in  the  Senate ;  and  P.  C.  Bailey  and  H.  C. 
Magoon  in  the  House.  Mr.  Bailey  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Waseca.  II.  C.  Magoon  was  an  early 
settler  in  Merton  Township,  Steele  County. 

The  Vth  Legislature  convened  on  the  6th 
of  January,  and  adjourned  on  the  6th  of 
March,  1863.  M.  A.  Dailey,  of  Owatonna, 
was  the  senator,  and  Asa  Walker,  of  Free- 
born County,  and  Philo  Woodrufl',  of  Waseca 
County,  were  the  representatives  from  the 
sixteenth  district.  Mr.  Dailey  is  mentioned 
at  length  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

The  Vlth  Llegislature  met  on  the  5th  of 
January  and  adjourned  on  the  4th  of  March, 
1864.  The  sixteenth  district  at  that  session 
was  represented  by  F.  J.  Stevens,  of  Steele 
County,  in  the  Senate,  and  by  Philo  Wood- 
ruff, of  Waseca  Count}',  and  John  L.  Gibbs, 
of  Freeborn  County,  in  the  House. 

F.  J.  Stevens,  the  senator  at  that  time,  was 
an  early  settler  in  Meriden  Township,  Steele 
County,  havmg  come  from  Massachusetts. 
He  remained  here  for  a  number  of  years  and 


48 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


then  returned  to  his  original  home  in  the 
New  England  States.  He  held  a  number  of 
offices  at  different  times  while  here  and  was 
a  prominent  man  in  earl}'  affairs. 

The  Vllth  Legislature  assembled  Jan- 
uary 3,  and  adjourned  March  3,  18C5.  B.  A. 
Lowell,  of  Waseca  County,  had  succeeded 
Mr.  Stevens  as  senator  from  the  sixteenth 
district,  and  in  the  House  were  J.  B.  Crooker. 
of  Steele  County,  and  John  L.  Gibbs,  of 
Freeborn  County.  J.  L.  Gibbs,  who  was  in 
the  House  at  that  time,  has  since  become  a 
jirominent  figure  in  State  politics  and  is  now 
one  of  the  State  railroad  commissioners. 

The  Vlllth  Legislature  convened  January 
2,  and  adjourned  March  2,  186G.  The  six- 
teenth district  was  served  in  both  Senate  and 
House  by  the  same  representatives  as  in  the 
seventh,  except  tliat  John  L.  Gibbs  had 
been  succeeded  in  the  House  by  Augustus 
Armstrong.  By  this  legislature  the  re- 
apportionment of  1866  was  mat.e,  increas- 
ing the  number  of  senators  to  twenty-two, 
and  representatives  to  forty-seven.  The 
sixteenth  disti'ict  remained  the  same  as 
before,  and  was  given,  three  instead  of  two 
representatives  in  the  House,  one  for  each 
county. 

The  IXth  Legislature  convened  January  8, 
and  adjourned  March  8,  1867.  At  this  ses- 
sion Augustus  Armstrong  represented  the 
sixteenth  district  in  the  Senate.  The  repre- 
sentatives were  Dr.  W.  H.  Twiford,  of 
Steele  County,  and  William  Brisbane,  and 
James  E.  Smith,  of  Waseca  County.  Au- 
gustus Armstrong,  the  senator  during  this 
session,  was  from  Freeborn  County,  and  was 
an  able  man.  He  afterward  held  the  office 
of  United  States  marshal  for  four  years. 

Willis  H.  Twiford  was  born  May  12, 1821, 
in  Fayette  County,  Ohio.  His  mother  died 
when  he  was  seven  years  old,  leaving  ten 
children  who  were  scattered,  his  father, 
Clement  Twiford,  being  poor.  Young  Wil- 
lis at  nine  years  old  was  sent  to  Marysville, 
Ohio,  and  placed  in  the  family  of  Silvester 
Phelps,  where  he  had  the  advantage  of  the 


common  schools  of  that  day,  remaining  there 
three  years ;  became  quite  efficient  in  spell- 
ing, reading,  writing,  English  grammar  and 
geography.  At  twelve  years  of  age  he  was 
sent  to  West  Canaan  in  Madison  County, 
Ohio,  for  the  purpose  of  learning  the  wagon- 
maker's  trade  with  his  brother,  T.  B.  Twi- 
ford, but  only  remained  with  him  about  a 
year  when  he  went  to  Pickaway  County, 
Ohio ;  attended  school  the  following  winter 
and  in  the  spring  of  1835  went  to  living  with 
Smith  B.  Horsey,  near  Westfall.  Here  he 
remained  until  the  fall  of  1S38,  working  on 
the  farm.  At  this  time  his  father  married 
Mrs.  Hanna  Beach,  of  Madison  County, 
Ohio,  when  he  was  oi'dered  liome,  where  he 
ver}'  reluctantly  went,  having  tlie  usual 
prejudice  against  a  step-mother.  But  this 
prejudice  soon  gave  way  to  the  most  jii'o- 
found  respect  and  filial  affection  and  he  now 
looks  on  that  two  or  three  years  of  home  in- 
fluence as  the  awakening  period  to  a  higher 
plane  of  life.  From  1838  until  1811  lie 
worked  on  the  farm,  attended  school  and 
taught  in  winter.  In  1842  he  entered  the 
office  of  Dr.  J.  Sidney  Skinner,  of  West 
Canaan,  Ohio,  and  studied  medicine,  gradu- 
ating at  the  Starling  Medical  College  of 
Columbus,  Ohio.  In  1845  he  began  tlie 
practice  of  medicine  in  Pleasant  Valley  (now 
Plain  City),  Ohio.  April  29,  1846,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Nancy  li.,  daughter  of  Jeremiah 
Dominy,  Esq.,  of  Madison  County,  Ohio. 
He  remained  in  Pleasant  Valley  until  1853, 
when  he  removed  to  Union  City,  Ind.,  and 
was  there  actively  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession  until  the  War  of  the  Kebel- 
lion,  when  in  May,  1861,  he  was  commis- 
sioned surgeon  of  the  Twenty-seventh  liegi- 
ment  Indiana  Volunteers.  He  was  engaged  in 
all  the  prominent  battles  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  Becoming  distinguished  as  a  sur- 
geon he  was  early  in  the  war  appointed  chief 
operator  of  the  First  Division,  Twelfth  Army 
Corps.  In  1863  the  Eleventh  and  Twelfth 
Army  Corps  were  consolidated  and  formed 
tlie  Twentieth,  commanded  by  Gen.  Joseph 


/^^an^  A^Sl. 


U^CtA^lJ^ 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


51 


Hooker.  Surgeon  Twiford  was  appointed 
surgeon-in-chief  of  First  Division  on  the  staff 
of  Gen.  Wilhams.  He  was  about  this  time 
severely  injured  by  a  fall  and  was  granted 
leave  of  absence  and  in  July  reluctantly  re- 
signed. About  1st  September,  1864,  he 
came  with  his  family  to  Minnesota,  settling 
on  a  farm  in  Somerset,  Steele  County,  and 
remained  until  1873  when  he  removed  to 
Geneva,  Freeborn  County,  where  he  now  re- 
sides, actively  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  being  a  member  of  the  State 
Medical  Society^ and  also  of  the  American 
Medical  Association.  The  doctor  often  speaks 
of  his  step-mother's  influence  as  shaping 
whatever  there  is  exemplary  in  his  whole  life. 

Tlie  Xth  Legislature  assembled  January 
7,  and  adjourned  March  6,  1868.  Mr.  Arm- 
strong was  still  in  the  Senate.  In  the  House 
the  sixteenth  district  was  represented  by 
William  E.  Kinyon,  of  Steele  County  ;  J.  E. 
Smith,  of  Freeborn,  and  George  A.  LaDow, 
of  Waseca  County. 

The  Xlth  Legislature  convened  January 
5,  and  adjourned  March  5,  1869.  The 
sixteenth  district  was  represented  by  J.  B. 
Crooker,  of  Steele  County,  in  the  Senate, 
and  in  the  House  by  E.  Easton,  of  Havana 
Township,  Steele  County ;  W.  Smith,  of 
Waseca  County,  and  Augustus  Armstrong, 
of  Freeborn  County.  J.  B.  Crooker,  the 
senator  from  Steele  in  the  Xlth  Legisla- 
ture, figures  prominently  in  the  early  history 
of  Owatonna.  He  was  originally  from 
central  New  York,  but  came  here  from  Cal- 
ifornia in  1856,  and  located  in  the  county- 
seat.  His  brother,  E.  B.  Crooker,  came  at 
about  the  same  time.  They  had  been  en- 
gaged in  mining  in  the  West  and  had  been 
very  successful,  as  they  were  well  off  as  to 
world's  goods  when  they  came.  They 
bought  an  interest  in  what  is  known  as  the 
"  five  hundred  acre  "  tract  of  land,  and,  after 
the  Coburn  failure  in  the  winter  of  1858-9, 
they  engaged  in  the  general  merchandise 
business.  They  remained  in  this  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  were  then  for  a  time  en- 


gaged in  the  lumber  trade,  and  finally  re- 
moved to  Minneapolis,  where  they  soon 
failed  and  went  through  bankruptcy. 
E.  B.  Crooker  is  now  running  a  dray  line 
there,  while  J.  B.  is  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
ness. Both  were  active,  energetic,  wide-a- 
wake men ;  industrious  and  enterprising 
and,  while  unsuccessful  in  the  end  through 
careless  business  methods,  yet  they  were 
prominent  factors  in  the  early  development 
of  Steele  County. 

Mr.  Easton,  the  representative  from 
Steele  County  in  this  session,  is  still  a  resi- 
dent of  Owatonna. 

The  Xllth  Legislature  convened  January 
■i,  and  adjourned  March  ■!,  1870.  J.  B. 
Crooker,  of  Steele  County,  still  represented 
the  district  in  the  Senate.  In  the  House  the 
district  was  served  by  H.  W.  EuUiffson,  of 
Steele  County;  W.  C.  Young,  of  Waseca 
County,  and  A.  C.  Wedge,  of  Freeborn 
County.  Mr.  EuUiffson  was  an  early  settler 
in  Summit  Township,  where  he  had  a  large 
farm.  He  finally  removed  to  the  western 
part  of  the  State,  where  he  still  lives. 

The  Xlllth  Legislature  assembled  Jan- 
uary 8,  and  adjourned  March  3,  1871.  W. 
C.  Y^oung,  of  Waseca  County,  had  succeeded 
J.  B.  Crooker  as  senator  from  the  sixteenth 
district,  and  in  the  House  were  F.  B.  Davis, 
of  Steele  County ;  William  Brisbane,  of 
Waseca  County,  and  A.  C.  Wedge,  of  Free- 
born County.  This  legislature  made  a 
reapportionment  of  the  legislative  districts 
in  the  State,  which  increased  the  number 
of  senators  to  forty-one,  and  the  number 
of  representatives  to  106.  According  to 
this  apportionment  Steele  County  alone 
became  entitled  to  one  senator  and  two  rep- 
resentatives. The  county  was  divided  into 
two  representative  districts,  as  follows : 
No.  1  embraced  the  town  and  city  of 
Owatonna,  and  the  townships  of  Medford, 
Clinton  Falls  and  Merton.  No.  2  embraced 
all  the  balance  of  the  county.  F.  B.  Davis, 
the  senator  during  this  session,  was  an  old 
settler  in  the  northern  part  of  the  county, 


52 


HISTORY    OF    STKELE   COUNTY. 


who  afterward  located  in  Meriden  Township. 
He  left  the  count}'  a  number  of  years  ago. 

The  XlVth  Legislature  assembled  Jan- 
uary 2,  and  adjourned  March  1, 1872.  Amos 
Coggswell  repi'esented  Steele  County,  or  the 
twelfth  district,  in  the  Senate.  The  county's 
representatives  in  the  House  were  W.  W. 
Wilkins  and  F.  B.  Davis.  Messrs.  Coggs- 
well and  Wilkins  are  still  honored  residents 
of  the  count\\ 

The  XVth  Legislature  convened  on  the 
7th  of  January,  and  adjourned  on  the  7th  of 
March,  1873.  Amos  Coggswell  again  repre- 
sented Steele  County  in  the  Senate.  W.  W. 
Wilkins  and  A.  Colquhoun  were  the  repre- 
sentatives in  the  House. 

The  XVIth  Legislature  assembled  Janu- 
ary 6,  and  adjourned  March  6,  1874.  Amos 
Coggswell  was  again  in  the  Senate  from 
Steele  County.  In  the  House  were  C.  S. 
Crandall  and  J.  M.  Sloan.  These  gentlemen 
are  still  living  in  the  countv,  except  J.  M. 
Sloan,  who  was  an  old  settler  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  the  county,  where  he  died  several 
years  ago. 

The  XVIIth  Legislature  assembled  Jan- 
uai'y  5,  and  adjourned  March  5,  1875. 
Steele  County  was  represented  in  the  Senate 
by  Amos  Coggswell,  and  in  the  House  b}' 
W.  R.  Kmyon  and  Hugh  Murray.  Mr. 
Kinyon  was  elected  speaker  of  the  House. 

The  XVIITth  Legislature  assembled  Jan- 
uary 4,  and  adjourned  ]\Larch  3,  1876.  At 
this  session  L.  L.  Wheelock  succeeded  Mr. 
Coggswell  as  senator  from  Steele  County. 
In  the  House  the  delegation  from  Steele 
County  was  the  same  as  in  the  seventeenth. 
Mr.  Kinyon  was  again  honored  b}'  being 
chosen  speaker  of  the  House. 

The  XlXth  Legislature  convened  Janu- 
ary 2,  and  adjourned  March  2,  1877.  L.  L. 
Wheelock  still  represented  Steele  County  in 
the  Senate.  In  the  House  the  county  was 
represented  by  G-eorge  W.  Buffum  and  Wal- 
ter Muir.  Senator  Wheelock  and  Represent- 
ative Buffum  are  noticed  at  length  else- 
where.    Mr.  Muir  was  a  resident  of  Berlin 


Township,  where  he  remained  until  a  few 
3'ears  ago. 

The  XXth  Legislature  assembled  Janu- 
ary 8,  and  adjourned  March  8,  1878.  At 
this  time  Steele  County  was  represented  in 
the  Senate  by  Dr.  E.  M.  Morehouse,  of  Owa- 
tonna,  and  in  the  House  by  G.  W.  Buffum 
and  Walter  Muir. 

The  XXIst  Legislature  convened  Jan- 
uary 7,  and  adjoui'ned  March  7,  1879.  W. 
W.  Wilkins  had  succeeded  Dr.  Morehouse  as 
senator  from  Steele  Countj'.  In  the  House 
the  countv  was  represented  by  H.  H.  Rose- 
brock  and  H.  M.  Hastings. 

The  XXIInd  Legislature  convened  in 
regular  session  January  4,  and  adjourned 
March  4,  1881.  An  extra  session  was  held 
during  the  same  year.  W.  W.  Wilkins  was 
still  senator  from  Steele  County.  In  the 
House  the  representatives  were  H.  H.  Rose- 
brock  and  A.  Colquhoun. 

This  legislature  made  the  apportionment 
of  1881.  It  fixed  the  number  of  senators  at 
forty-seven,  and  of  representatives  at  103. 
In  accordance  with  this  apportionment  Steele 
County  retained  its  old  district  number  — 
twelve ;  but  it  was  only  to  be  entitled  to  one 
senator  and  one  representative.  After  this 
time  sessions  were  held  biennially  instead  of 
annually. 

The  XXIIIrd  Legislature  assembled  Jan- 
uary 2,  and  adjourned  March  2,  1883.  A. 
C.  Hickman,  of  Owatonna,  had  succeeded 
Mr.  Wilkins  as  senator.  In  the  House  Steele 
County  was  represented  by  H.  A.  Finch. 

The  XXIVth  Legislature  convened  Jan- 
uary 6,  and  adjourned  March  6,  1885.  A. 
C.  Hickman,  of  Owatonna,  again  represented 
Steele  County  in  the  Senate.  James  M.  Bur- 
lingame  was  the  representative  of  Steele 
County  in  the  House. 

The  XXVth  Legislature  convened  in 
January  and  adjourned  in  March,  1887. 
Charles  S.  Crandall,  the  present  senator 
from  Steele  County,  represented  the  twelfth 
district  in  the  Senate.  In  the  House  G.  W. 
Buffum   represented    the  county   and    still 


niSTOEY   OF   STEELE   COHNTT. 


53 


holds  the  office  of  representative.  A  biog- 
raphy of  Senator  Crandall  is  presented  in 
connection  with  the  history  of  the  city  of 
Owatonna.  We  herewith  append  a  biograph- 
ical sketch  of  the  representative  in  the  Lower 
House. 

Hon.  George  "W.  Buff  ura  was  born  in  Rich- 
mond, Cheshire  County,  N.  H.,  June  3,  1834, 
where  he  spent  his  earlier  years,  receiving 
the  schooling  accessible  in  those  days.  In 
1848  he  removed  with  his  parents,  settling  in 
Sheboygan  County,  Wis.  There  he  remained, 
attending  school  and  farming,  until  shortly 
after  the  war  broke  out  in  1861,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  I,  First  Wisconsin  Infan- 
try (Jolm  C.  Starkweather,  colonel),  as  a  pri- 
vate soldier.  The  regiment  went  to  Louisville, 
Ky.,  and  reported  to  Gen.  W.  T.  Sherman, 
becoming  a  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land. Later  they  were  assigned  to  the  Four- 
teenth Army  Corps  under  Gen.  Thomas. 
They  remained  at  Louisville  until  the  follow- 
ing February,  when  a  move  to  Mumfordsville 
was  made,  and  in  that  locality  in  their 
various  skirmishes  they  saw  their  first  fight- 
ing. The  balance  of  the  winter  was  spent  at 
that  point  and  then  they  were  marched  on 
to  Bowling  Green,  which  was  evacuated  by 
Gen.  Buckner,  Avho  was  in  charge  of  the 
rebel  forces.  Gen.  BueU  had  succeeded  W. 
T.  Sherman  in  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland.  The  latter  armj^  pro- 
ceeded to  Nashville  and  from  there  on 
through  Tennessee  and  into  Alabama,  guard- 
ing railroads,  skirmishing  and  driving  the 
Confederates  under  Bragg  before  them. 
Thus  the  major  part  of  the  summer  was 
spent,  until  in  September,  when  Bragg, 
whom  they  had  been  pushing,  made  a  flank 
move  and  returned  toward  Louisville.  Upon 
this  turn  of  affairs  our  army  also  "faced 
about "  and  marched  back  to  the  city  of 
Louisville,  where  they  were  heavily  rein- 
forced and  reorganized.  As  soon  as  the  new 
troops  could  be  assigned  and  the  reorgani- 
zation perfected,  they  started  in  pursuit  of 
Bragg,    meeting    him    at    Perryville,  Ky., 


October  8,  1862,  where  a  severe  engagement 
took  place.  The  First  Wisconsin  was  in 
Maj.-Gen.  McCook's  Corps,  Col.  Stark- 
weather of  this  regiment  commanding  the 
brigade.  The  regiment  went  into  the  fight 
with  about  400  men,  and  of  this  number  56 
were  killed  outright  and  over  100  wounded. 
The  battle  was  a  very  severe  one,  and  the 
losses  on  both  sides  were  very  heav3^  The 
losses  were  given  in  the  army  records  as 
bemg:  Union,  916  killed,  2,943  wounded 
and  489  missing;  Confederate,  2,500  killed 
wounded  and  missing.  Bragg  retreated.  The 
First  Wisconsin  continued  under  the  same 
division  and  brigade  commanders,  but  Gen. 
W.  S.  Rosecrans  succeeded  Buell  in  command 
of  the  army,  and  on  the  31st  of  December, 
1862,  began  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro',  or 
Stone  River,  Tenn.,  the  most  important  battle 
of  the  winter  of  1862-3.  The  fighting  con- 
tinued for  three  daj's,  when  the  enemy  evac- 
uated. The  losses  on  both  sides  were  again 
very  heavy,  but  the  casualties  in  the  First 
Wisconsin  were  not  quite  so  heavj^  as  at 
Perryville.  The  forces,  after  this,  remained 
at  Murfreesboro'  until  the  following  June 
(1863),  when  orders  came'  from  Washington 
to  break  camp  and  move  on  the  enemy, 
which  was  immediately  carried  into  execu- 
tion. They  kept  continually  on  the  march, 
skirmishing  and  pressing  the  Confederates 
back  until  the  19th  of  September,  1863,  when 
there  occurred  one  of  the  most  noted  battles 
of  the  war,  at  Chickamauga,  Ga.  The 
First  Wisconsin  occupied  the  most  perilous 
position  and  took  a  most  active  part  in  this, 
as  they  were  at  the  head  of  the  infantry 
forces,  their  colonel  (Starkweather)  being 
wounded,  and  their  losses  were  very  heavy. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch,  Mr.  Buffum,  in 
the  meantime  had  become  first  lieutenant  of 
Company  I,  and  here  assumed  command,  as 
the  captain  was  killed  on  the  first  fire.  The 
Union  forces  were  defeated  at  this  battle 
and  retreated  to  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  where 
the  army  was  reorganized  by  Gen.  Grant. 
On  the  second  day  of  the  battle,  however, 


54 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


between  sundown  and  dark,  Mr.  Buffum, 
together  with  about  half  of  both  his  company 
and  regiment,  were  taken  prisoners  of  war 
and  removed  to  Libby  prison  at  Richmond, 
where  they  were  kept  for  about  eight 
months.  From  there  they  were  taken  to 
Danville  and  after  a  few  days  to  Macon> 
Ga.  There  they  were  kept  until  the  last 
of  July,  when  600  officers,  including  Mr. 
Buffum,  were  taken  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  and 
held  as  a  safeguard,  to  be  sacrificed  in  retal- 
iation for  anv  serious  damage  that  miffht 
accrue  to  the  city  if  bombarded  by  the 
Union  forces.  They  were  kept  there  until 
some  time  in  October,  when  the  yellow  fever 
broke  out  among  the  prisoners  and  they 
were  removed  to  Columbia,  S.  C,  where  Mr. 
Buffum  was  exchanged  on  the  10th  of 
December,  1864.  He  was  finally  mustered 
out  as  captain,  December  19,  1864,  his  regi- 
ment in  the  meantime  having  been  dis- 
charged. He  at  once  returned  to  his  Wis- 
consin home  in  Sheboygan  County  for  the 
first  time  since  his  enlistment. 

On  the  1st  of  the  following  January, 
1865,  Mr.  Buffum  was  married  to  Miss 
Ellen  E.  Putnam,  a  native  of  Maine,  born 
June  19,  1844.  In  May,  1865,  he  made  his 
first  trip  to  Minnesota  and  purchased  his 
present  farm  in  Owatonna  and  Clinton  Falls 
Townships,  Steele  County,  removing  to 
Owatonna  in  the  following  June,  and  has 
since  made  this  county  his  home.  From  the 
time  of  his  settlem  ent  here,  nearly  twenty 
three  years  ago,  Mr.  Buffum  took  a  prom- 


inent part  in  public  matters.  He  was  elected 
a  member  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners in  1869,  and  served  until  1875,  acting 
as  chairman  of  that  body  a  portion  of  the 
time.  In  1876  he  was  elected  representative 
from  Steele  County  in  the  Lower  House  of  the 
legislature,  and  was  re-elected  in  1877,  serv- 
ing through  the  XlXth  and  XXth  Legisla- 
tures. In  the  fall  of  1886  he  was  again  elected 
i"e])resentative  for  tlie  two  years'  tenn,  and 
holds  that  office  at  the  present  writing.  In 
the  last  session  he  was  among  the  most 
active  and  influential  members,  and  ably 
represented  his  constituents  in  a  session 
which  was  among  the  most  important  held 
in  the  history  of  the  State.  He  was  a  prom- 
inent candidate  for  the  speakership  at  the 
opening  of  the  session  and,  although  unsuc- 
cessful in  that  respect,  his  influence  and 
ability  were  recognized  in  the  formation  of 
committees,  he  being  placed  upon  a  number 
of  the  most  important,  and  made  chairman 
of  the  committee  on  temperance.  Mr.  Buf- 
fum has  been  identified  with  the  Republican 
party  since  its  organization;  he  is  clear- 
headed and  an  able  parliamentarian,  a  care- 
ful business  man ;  he  has  accumulated  a 
comfortable  fortune.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  G.  A.  R.  and  Knights  Templar 
matters,  being  a  member  of  both  organiza- 
tions at  Owatonna.  He  has  one  son,  Frank 
P.,  born  October  1,  1866,  who  graduated 
June,  1886,  from  Pillsbury  Academy,  Owa- 
tonna, and  is  now  taking  a  medical  course  at 
Rush  College,  Chicago,  111. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


COUNTY  OFFICIALS. 


N  this  connection  we  take  up  the 
history  of  all  the  county  oflBces. 
Biographies  of  many  of  the  offi- 
cials appear  in  other  chapters  of 
this  work,  and  of  such  we  make 
but  brief  mention  here.  The  his- 
torian has  endeavored  to  obtain  a 
biographical  sketch  of  each  official, 
but  in  a  great  many  cases  this  has 
been  imjiossible,  and,  in  fact,  in 
some  instances  but  very  little  information 
as  to  the  parties  could  be  got,  as  many  of 
them  have  been  gone  from  the  county  for 
years,  and  have  been  lost  to  the  memories  of 
the  old  settlers  who  are  still  accessible  to 
the  writer. 

REGISTER    OF    DEPJDS. 

Charles  Ellison  was  the  first  register  of 
deeds  for  Steele  County.  He  was  appointed 
by  the  governor  in  tlie  summer  of  1856,  and 
served  until  January  1,  1857.  He  opened 
the  records  of  the  county,  in  the  absence  of 
record  books,  upon  a  couple  of  sheets  of  fools- 
cap paper.  Ellison  came  here  from  Iowa  early 
in  the  spring  of  1855,  and  took  a  claim  south- 
east of  Owatonna,  which  has  since  fell  into 
John  Chambers'  possession  after  a  number 
of  changes.  Ellison  remained  about  for 
several  years  improving  his  claim  a  little, 
and  finally  went  to  Somerset,  where  in  com- 
pany with  others  he  was  interested  in  the 
project  of  starting  a  village.  A  few  years 
later  he  left  the  county. 

John  W.  Park  succeeded  Mr.  Ellison  as 
register  of  deeds,  being  elected  in  October. 
1856.  Park  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  but 
came  here  from  "Waukesha  County,  Wis., 
in  the  fall  of  1854,  accompanying  W.  W. 
Wilkins,  S.  B.  Smith,  and  Curtis  Ilaseltine. 


Park  and  Smith  settled  on  a  claim  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  present  city  plat,  where 
they  lived  together  and  began  improvements. 
The  others  of  the  original  party  are  men- 
tioned at  length  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
In  the  spring  of  1855,  Smith  and  Park 
started  a  store  at  Owatonna,  the  first  in  the 
city,  and  continued  to  run  it  until  the  fall  of 
1856,  Avhen  they  sold  it  to  Elder  Town. 
Smith  continued  to  farm  until  1857,  when 
he  went  back  to  Waukesha,  where  he  stiU 
lives.  Park  held  a  number  of  offices  while 
here,  being  county  surveyor,  register  of  deeds 
and  deputy  postmaster  at  the  same  time. 
After  selling  their  mercantile  business.  Park 
attended  to  his  few  official  duties  for  a 
couple  of  years  and  then  returned  to 
Waukesha  Count}'',  Wis.  It  should  be 
mentioned  that  in  the  spring  of  1856,  both 
Smith  and  Park  had  returned  to  Wisconsin 
and  married  sisters  there.  Both  were  clear- 
headed, sound  business  men,  and  were  prom- 
inent in  public  affairs,  generally,  while  they 
lived  here. 

In  the  fall  of  1857  George  W.  Danforth 
was  elected  register  of  deeds  and  served  for 
one  year.  Mr.  Danforth  had  only  been  here 
a  short  time  before  the  election,  having  come 
from  Indiana.  He  worked  for  a  time  for 
Elder  Town  in  his  store.  After  remaining 
here  a  short  time  he  returned  to  Indiana. 

Marvin  A.  Dailey  was  the  next  register  of 
deeds.  He  was  first  elected  in  October, 
1858,  and  re-elected  in  1860,  serving  until 
January  1,  1863.  Dailey  was  originally 
from  New  York.  He  settled  at  Owatonna 
in  1856,  and  took  quite  a  prominent  part  in 
politics  and  public  matters,  holding  many 
important  offices  of  trust  during  his  residence 


55 


56 


HISTOEY   OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


here.  He  continued  to  live  at  Owatonna 
until  a  few  yeiii's  ago,  when  he  removed  to 
Minneapolis,  where  he  is  now  in  the  employ 
of  the  Minneapolis  &  St.  Louis  E.  R.  Com- 
pany. After  Mr.  Dailej^'s  term  of  office  as 
register,  the  offices  of  register  of  deeds  and 
county  auditor  were  consolidated  and  E.  J. 
Crandall  held  the  position. 

"Walter  Morris  succeeded  Mr.  Crandall. 
He  was  elected  in  November,  1S62,  and  served 
nearly  two  years.  The  offices  of  auditor  and 
register  were  together  at  this  time.  Mr. 
Morris  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  Rice 
County,  and  Morristown  in  that  county  was 
named  in  honor  of  his  family,  where  they 
had  settled  in  April,  1855.  Mr.  Morris  was 
born  in  Ohio  on  the  12th  of  January,  1S33. 
In  1846  his  parents  removed  to  Indiana,  and 
in  1853  to  St.  Paul,  thence  to  Hastings,  until 
1854,  when  they  settled  in  Faribault,  where 
Walter  Morris  was  one  of  the  jJi'oprietors 
selling  his  interest  to  John  W.  North.  An 
event  of  his  life  which  he  related  to  the 
writer  happened  in  1854,  when  he  assisted 
Alexander  Faribault  in  getting  five  hundred 
Indians  across  the  Redwood  to  receive  their 
pay.  "While  on  their  way  thither  the  Indi- 
ans obtained  liquor,  got  drunk  and  made 
numerovis  threats,  but  were  finally  sobered 
down  and  reached  their  destination  in  safety. 
After  leaving  Mankato  they  traveled  two 
days  and  a  half  with  nothing  to  eat  and 
when,  finding  a  skunk,  which  made  them  a 
meal,  they  thought  themselves  fortunate. 
In  1861  Mr.  Morris  settled  at  Owatonna,  and 
served  as  register  of  deeds  and  also  county 
auditor  as  stated.  In  1863  he  resigned  and 
the  following  spring  made  a  trip  to  Colorado, 
engaged  in  farming  and  remained  two  years; 
but  as  the  grasshoppers  harvested  both  crops 
he  removed  to  Mason,  Mo.  In  1870,  he 
settled  in  St.  Louis,  and  1875  returned  to 
Morristown,  Rice  Count}',  and  engaged  in 
mercantile  business. 

In  November,  1864,  Charles  S.  Crandall 
was  elected  register  of  deeds  to  succeed  Mr. 
Morris,  and  two  years  later  he  was  re-elected. 


serving  four  years.  Mr.  Crandall  is  still  an 
honored  resident  of  Steele  County.  A  sketch 
of  his  life  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

In  November,  1868,  H.  J.  Lewis  was  elect- 
ed register  of  deeds,  and  was  twice  re-elected 
servmg  until  the  1st  of  January,  1875.  Mr. 
Lewis  came  to  Steele  County  at  an  early  day, 
and  settled  near  Crane  Creek.  He  enlisted 
early  during  the  war,  serving  in  a  "Wisconsin 
regiment,  and  attained  a  high  rank  before 
being  mustered  out.  After  his  discharge  he 
came  to  Steele  County,  and  in  1868,  as 
stated,  was  elected  register  of  deeds,  and 
served  six  years.  Toward  the  last  of  his 
official  term  his  health  failed,  and  after  a 
while  he  went  to  "Wisconsin,  where  his  death 
occurred  a  few  years  ago. 

By  the  election  in  November,  1874,  Ezra 
Tyler  succeeded  Mr.  Lewis  as  register  of 
deeds.  In  1876,  1878,  1880,  1882  and  1884 
Mr.  Tyler  was  re-elected,  serving  in  all  twelve 
years.  He  was  a  young  man  when  he  settled 
in  Steele  County,  which  was  before  the  war. 
He  followed  different  occupations  for  busi- 
ness until  the  war  broke  out,  when  lie 
enlisted  and  went  into  service.  After  the 
close  of  the  Rebellion  he  was,  for  a  time, 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Owatonna,  associated  with  a  brother.  "When 
elected,  his  official  duties  occupied  his  atten- 
tion. In  the  spring  of  1887,  shortly  after 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  he 
removed  to  Uuluth,  where  he  is  engaged  in 
the  compilation  of  a  set  of  abstracts. 

George  E.  Sloan,  the  present  register  of 
deeds,  was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1886.  Mr. 
Sloan  was  born  in  Alburgh,  Grand  Isle 
County,  "V^t.,  in  1844.  "When  six  years 
of  age  he  went  to  St.  Lawrence  County, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  until  1868, 
when  he  came  to  Minnesota.  He  enlisted  in 
August,  1862,  in  Company  I,  One  Hundred 
and  Fort^'-second  New  York  Volunteer 
Infantry.  In  June,  1865,  he  was  discharged. 
He  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Fisher, 
and  was  wounded  in  the  face  and  neck 
at  Drury's  Bluff.     After  coming  to  Minne- 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


57 


seta  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Havana 
Township.  In  1SS2  he  removed  to  Summit, 
where  lie  remained  until  elected  register 
of  deeds  in  1886.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
James  A.  Goodwin  Post  No.  81,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Eepublic.  Mr.  Sloan  was  mar- 
ried in  April,  1872,  to  Miss  Lucy  Koberts,  a 
native  of  New  York  State.  They  have  had 
seven  children :  William  (deceased),  George, 
Nellie,  Frank,  Margaret,  Effie  and  Etta 
(twins.) 

COUNTY   TREASURER. 

David  Sanborn,  the  first  treasurer  of  Steele 
County,  was  appointed  by  the  governor  in 
1855  and  elected  at  the  October  election  in 

1856.  He  was  born  in  Sanbornton,  N. 
H.,  on  the  27th  of  July,  1809.  For  many 
years  he  followed  the  trade  of  a  mason 
and  builder,  erectmg  several  large  blocks  in 
Lowell,  Mass.  In  1853,  he  came  west  and 
the  following  year  settled  in  Steele  County, 
remaining  here  until  the  time  of  his  death 
which  occurred  April  6,  1885.  Two  daugh- 
ters and  one  son  survived  him :  B.  C.  San- 
born, editor  of  the  MadeUa  Times  ;  Mrs.  D. 
C.  Hunkins  and  Mrs.  F.  C.  Webb. 

It  seems  that  Mr.  Sanborn  only  served  un- 
til January  1,  1858,  as  county  treasurer,  and, 
in  fact,  during  that  time  there  were  scarcely 
any  oflBcial  duties  to  perform.     In  October, 

1857,  J.  W.  Morford  was  elected  treasurer, 
and  in  1858  and  1859  he  was  re-elected. 
Mr.  Morford  was  originally  from  Wayne 
County,  N.  Y.,  but  came  to  Owatonna 
in  1856  from  Wisconsin,  where  his  people 
had  settled  at  an  early  daj'.  He  and  John 
Odell  came  together  and  the  two  were 
eng-ao-ed  in  the  mercantile  business.  Mr. 
Morford,  from  the  first,  took  a  promi- 
nent part  in  all  public  matters,  and  this 
characterized  his  life  all  through  the  many 
years  that  he  lived  in  Steele  County.  Fle 
put  up  the  building  now  occupied  by  Rose- 
brock's  furniture  store,  which  was  the  first 
public  hall  in  Owatonna,  and  he  is  still  inter- 
ested in  property  here,  owning  the  building 
now  occupied  by  Katz's  clothing  house,  as 


well  as  other  real  estate.  Mr.  Morford 
remained  in  Owatonna  until  a  few  years 
ago,  when  he  removed  to  Watertown,  Dak., 
where  he  still  lives.  He  made  many  friends 
here,  and  deserved  them;  strictly  honest, 
whether  in  prosperity  or  adversity ;  his  word 
was  as  binding  upon  him  as  his  bond.  He 
was  a  leading  Mason,  and  when  the  order 
here  was  in  its  infancy,  he  fitted  up  his  hall 
for  a  lodge-room.  In  all  public  affairs  and 
enterprises  Mr.  Morford  was  always  ready 
and  willing  to  do  his  full  share. 

On  the  8th  of  October,  1861,  Dr.  W.  W. 
Finch  was  elected  county  treasurer  to  suc- 
ceed Mr.  Morford,  and  served  two  years.  At 
that  time  the  only  safe  in  Steele  County  was 
owned  by  W.  R.  Kinyon,  who  was  then  prac- 
ticing law  at  Owatonna,  and  Mr.  Kinyon 
became  deputy  treasurer  and  the  books  and 
funds  were  kept  at  his  office.  Dr.  Finch  was 
originally  from  Vermont.  He  came  west  at 
an  early  day  and  settled  in  Clinton  Falls, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  had  been 
a  practicing  physician  before  coming  to 
Steele  County,  and  during  his  entire  resi- 
dence here  he  attended  calls,  and  took  care 
of  a  practice  which  his  neighbors  forced  upon 
him.  He  remained  in  the  county  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  after  the  expiration  of  his  term 
of  office  as  treasurer,  and  finally  removed 
to  Santa  Barbara,  Cal.,  where  he  died  a 
few  years  ago.  He  had  accumulated  a  com- 
fortable fortune  before  leaving  Steele  Count}'. 
Dr.  Finch  was  a  man  of  a  good  deal  of  both 
natural  and  acquired  ability ;  a  man  who 
was  esteemed  and  respected,  and  justly,  by 
all  wlio  knew  him. 

B.  F.  Melvin  was  elected  treasurer  in 
1863,  and  was  re-elected  in  1865,  1867,  1869 
and  1871,  serving  ten  years.  Mr.  Melvin 
was  a  native  of  the  State  of  Maine,  but  had 
come  west  at  an  early  day,  settling  in  Med- 
ford  Township,  Steele  County.  Some  time 
after  his  election  to  the  office  he  removed  to 
Owatonna  and  made  that  his  home  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  a  few 
His  wife  died  here  during  the 


58 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


summer  of  1887,  and  one  son,  Frank,  is  still 
a  resident  of  the  city.  Mr.  Melvin  was  an 
efficient  officer  and  held  the  respect  of  all. 

Thomas  Thompson  succeeded  Mr.  Melvin 
as  treasurer.  He  held  the  office  for  two 
terms  —  from  January  1,  1874,  until  Jan- 
uary 1, 1878.  Mr.  Thompson  was  originally 
from  Ohio.  He  came  to  Steele  County 
at  an  early  day  and  settled  upon  a  farm 
southeast  of  Owatonna.  When  the  war 
broke  out  he  enlisted  and  went  into  service 
in  a  cavalry  brigade.  After  his  discharge 
he  returned  to  his  Steele  County  farm,  and 
a  few  years  later  was  elected  county  treas- 
urer. He  again  returned  to  his  farm  upon 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  and  a 
year  or  two  later  removed  to  Dakota  Terri- 
tory, where  he  died  a  few  years  ago.  His 
remains,  together  with  those  of  a  deceased 
daughter,  were  brought  back  here  for  burial ; 
but  his  family  still  live  in  Dakota. 

In  1877  John  A.  Cansdell  was  elected 
treasurer  and  in  1879  and  1881  he  was 
re-elected,  serving  until  January  1,  1884. 
Mr.  Cansdell  came  to  Steele  County  before 
the  war  and  settled  upon  a  farm  near  Kice 
Lake.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  enlisted, 
and  during  his  service  lost  one  leg.  He 
returned  to  Steele  County  and  moved  to 
Owatonna,  where  for  several  years  he  ran  a 
Grange  general  merchandise  store.  In  this 
he  was  not  successful  and  came  out  of  it 
somewhat  involved.  Then  he  was  elected 
to  office,  and  a  short  time  after  the  expira- 
tion of  his  tliird  term  he  removed  to  Minne- 
apolis, where  he  still  lives. 

Soren  Peterson,  the  present  county  treas- 
urer, succeeded  Mr.  Cansdell.  He  was 
elected  in  1883  and  re-elected  in  1886.  Mr. 
Peterson  was  born  in  Denmark  in  1847.  He 
came  to  America  in  1869  and  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  settling  in  Blooming- 
Prairie,  where  he  lived  until  elected  county 
treasurer.  Mr.  Peterson  was  married  in 
1869  to  Miss  Kirsten  Davidson.  Tlieir  chil- 
dren's names  are :  Mary,  Hans,  Willie  C, 
Carl  L.,  Anna,  Emma  and  Hansine.  Mr.  and 


Mrs.  Peterson  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

COUNTY    AUDITOR. 

When  Steele  County  was  organized,  in 
1855,  the  office  of  county  auditor  had  not 
yet  been  created,  and  the  duties  were  per- 
formed by  an  officer  termed  the.  clerk  of  the 
board  of  county  commissioners,  who  was 
appointed  by  the  board.  Charles  Ellison 
was  the  first  to  fill  this  office,  being  appointed 
by  the  board  at  their  first  session,  in  August, 
1855. 

In  October,  1856,  Z.  B.  Moore  Avas  elected 
to  the  office  of  auditor  and  apparently  held 
it  for  two  years,  whether  he  performed  the 
duties  or  not.  Not  much  is  remembered  of 
Moore  except  that  he  was  a  smart  and  active 
young  man  who  came  here  at  a  very  early 
day  and  remained  about  Owatonna  for  a 
few  years.  He  then  went,  it  is  thought,  to 
California,  and  has  been  lost  trace  of. 

There  appears  to  have  been  some  dispute 
or  difficulty  regarding  this  office  during  the 
winter  of  1858-9.  The  election  records  show 
that  A.  McKinney  was  elected  to  the  office 
in  October,  1858,  but  M.  A.  Dailey  contested, 
claiming  that  the  election,  at  that  time,  of 
this  officer  was  vested  in  the  board  of  county 
commissioners.  Mr.  Dailey  had  succeeded 
Mr.  Ellison  as  clerk  of  the  board,  which  was 
really  the  same  as  county  auditor,  and  the 
result  of  the  matter  was,  that  in  February, 

1859,  the  board  settled  the  matter  by  for- 
mally electing  Mr.  Dailey. 

In  October,  1859,  Frank  L.  Melvin  was 
elected   county    auditor,   but   in   February, 

1860,  he  resigned  and   Mr.  Dailey  was  re- 
appointed. 

E.  J.  Crandall  was  elected  county  auditor 
to  succeed  Mr.  Dailey,  in  November,  1860, 
and  the  office  was  shortly  afterward  merged 
with  tliat  of  register  of  deeds. 

Succeeding  Mr.  Crandall  in  1862,  Walter 
Morris  was  elected  county  auditor  and  regis- 
ter of  deeds,  and  held  the  offices  jointly  until 
the  5th  of  November,  1863,  when  he  resigned 
and  C.  S.  Crandall  became  register  of  deeds, 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


59 


and  A.  N.  Stougliton  became  county  auditor 
by  appointment  of  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners. 

A.  N.  Stoughton  was  elected  m  Novem- 
ber, 1864,  and  re-elected  in  1866,  1868  and 
1870,  and  after  the  expiration  of  his  term, 
he  served  as  deputy  auditor  for  about  six 
years.  Alvin  IST.  Stoughton  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Owatonna.  He  was  born  in 
"Weathersfield,  Vt.,  in  1814;  cam%  to  Ohio 
in  1819  with  his  parents,  and  in  1856 
came  to  Steele  County.  He  was  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  until  1864.  In  1865 
he  was  appointed  auditor  and  was  elected 
four  successive  terms  as  stated.  In  1885  he 
was  elected  city  justice  and  again  in  1886; 
in  the  spring  of  1887  was  elected  city 
treasurer.  He  has  twice  been  mayor  of  the 
city,  having  been  the  second  one  elected. 
Mr.  Stoughton  was  married  in  November, 
1837,  to  Miss  Dorothy  "Wright,  who  died  in 
1842.  He  was  again  married  in  1846  to  Mrs. 
Mary  J.  Wadsworth,  a  native  of  Connecticut. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stoughton  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church. 

In  November,  1872,  L.  S.  Padgham  was 
elected  county  auditor;  in  1874 and  1876  was 
re-elected  and  served  until  January  1,  1879. 

M.  B.  Chadwick  succeeded  Mr.  Padgham. 
He  was  elected  first  in  the  fall  of  1878,  and 
being  three  times  re-elected  served  until  Jan- 
uary 1,  1887. 

John  C.  Burke,  the  present  county  auditor, 
was  elected  in  October,  1886.  Mr.  Burke  is 
a  pleasant,  affable  gentleman,  rapid  and 
accurate  in  the  transaction  of  business,  and 
has  a  most  thorough  and  complete  knowledge 
of  his  office  and  the  vast  mass  of  documents 
of  which  it  is  the  repository.  Mr.  Burke  is 
a  native  of  Pittsfield,  Berkshire  County, 
Mass.,  where  he  was  born  June  10,  1860. 
When  only  five  years  of  age  his  parents 
moved  west  and  located  in  Meriden  Town- 
ship, Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  John  C. 
lived  until  elected  county  auditor  in  1886. 
Mr.  Burke  is  a  Democrat  in  political  faith, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 


SHEKIFF. 

William  F.  Pettit  was  the  first  sheriff  of 
Steele  County.  He  was  appointed  by  Gov. 
Gorman  at  the  time  the  county  was  organ- 
ized, in  the  summer  of  1855.  For  some 
reason  the  record  shows  that  Mr.  Pettit  was 
elected  in  October,  1855,  although  it  does 
not  appear  that  any  other  county  officer  was 
voted  for  at  that  time.  Mr.  Pettit's  settle- 
ment, and  the  fact  that  he  became  one  of 
the  town  proprietors  of  Owatonna,  is  detailed 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  He  first  came 
here  in  the  fall  of  1854  and  took  a  claim, 
upon  which  he  settled  during  the  following 
3'ear,  and  began  improvements.  In  the  fall 
of  1855  he  erected  the  first  frame  house  upon 
the  present  site  of  the  city.  He  remained 
in  Steele  County  until  after  the  war,  and 
finally  removed  to  California,  where  he  died 
a  number  of  years  ago.  A  few  years  previous 
to  his  leaving  Steele  County  he  bought  a 
farm  noithwest  of  the  city  a  short  distance, 
and  lived  upon  it  until  he  left.  The  major 
part  of  his  time,  however,  during  his  residence 
here  was  devoted  to  real-estate  and  town-site 
interests.  He  was  also  for  a  time  interested 
in  a  dry  goods  store  and  a  sa\vmill.  He 
represented  Steele  County  in  the  State  Sen- 
ate one  term,  and  stood  well  among  his 
colleagues  during  one  of  the  most  important 
sessions  held  in  early  days.  A  man  of 
remarkable  force  of  character,  generous  to  a 
fault,  and  always  willing  to  do  his  full  share 
in  building  up  the  town  and  country.  Of 
course  being  a  town  proprietor  these  enter- 
prises all  tended  to  directly  benefit  him  and 
his  interests,  yet  the  fact  that  he  always  took 
his  part  of  the  work  and  expense  should  be 
set  down  to  his  credit.  Energetic  and  active, 
he  was  a  prominent  man  in  early  days,  and 
his  name  is  indissolubly  connected  with  the 
early  development  of  Steele  County,  and  its 
history  as  an  organization. 

David  Lindersmith  succeeded  Mr.  Pettit  as 
sheriff,  and  was  the  first  to  fill  the  office  under 
a  legal  election.  He  was  chosen  at  the  October 
election  in  1856  and  served  for  two  years. 


60 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


W.  H.  Willsey  succeeded  Mr.  Lindersmith 
as  sheriff  of  Steele  County-  Being  elected 
in  October,  1858,  he  served  from  January  1, 
1859,  until  January  1,  1861.  Mr.  Willsey 
has  been  a  prominent  citizen  of  Steele 
County  for  nearlj'  a  third  of  a  centurj',  and 
is  still  an  honored  resident.  A  history  of 
his  life  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

In  November,  1860,  S.  C.  Williamson  was 
elected  to  succeed  Mr.  Willsey  as  sheriff. 
He  was  elected  for  a  term  of  two  years,  but 
it  appears  did  not  serve  out  the  full  term. 
Mr.  Williamson  came  from  Malone,  N.  Y., 
and  must  have  settled  in  Steele  County 
as  early  as  1855  or  1856,  locating  first  in 
Clinton  Falls  Township.  Later  he  removed 
to  Ovvatonna  and  while  there  operated  a 
stage  line  and  was  also  interested  in  the 
livery  business  with  a  partner  under  the  firm 
name  of  Williamson  &  Cotter,  the  last  named 
being  a  brother  of  the  present  clerk  of  court 
of  Steele  County.  After  a  residence  of  a  few 
years  in  this  county  Mr.  Williamson  disposed 
of  his  interests  here  and  returned  to  New 
Yoi'k  State. 

Seth  H.  Patterson  was  elected  sheriff  in 
November,  1862.  In  1864  he  was  re-elected, 
but  in  May,  1865,  he  resigned.  He  came  to 
the  county  at  an  early  day  and  located  upon 
a  piece  of  land  east  of  the  city,  where  he  en 
gaged  in  farming.  After  remaining  in  the 
county  for  a  number  of  years,  being  inter- 
ested in  various  enterprises,  he  finally  sold 
out  and  left  the  county. 

Upon  the  resignation  by  Mr.  Patterson  of 
the  office  of  sheriff  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners, in  May,  1865,  appointed  William 
Scrib}'  to  fill  the  vacancy,  and  he  served  un- 
til the  following  general  election  in  Novem- 
ber. Scriby  was  an  Englishman  who  settled 
in  Steele  County  during  the  latter  part  of 
the  war,  locating  upon  a  farm  in  Havana 
Township.  He  remained  there  until  after 
the  war  when  he  sold  to  Gordon  Watson  and 
left  the  county. 

At  the  next  election  in  November,  1865, 
Willard  Wheaton   was  elected  sheriff  and 


served  out  the  unexpired  term.  Mr.  Whea- 
ton was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and  an  old 
settler  in  Steele  County,  having  located  at 
Owatonna  in  1855.  Some  time  after  his  term 
expired,  he  left  the  county,  having  lost  his 
first  wife  here,  and  was  married  again,  this 
time  to  a  Rice  County  lady.  A  few  years 
later  returned  to  Owatonna  temporarily  and 
met  his  death  while  here.  It  was  caused  by 
a  runaway.  His  remains  were  interred  here. 
A  daughter  of  his  —  now  Mrs.  Merrill  Odell 
—  is  still  a  resident  of  Steele  County. 

In  November,  186G,  Michael  J.  Toher  was 
elected  sheriff  and  at  that  time  served  one 
term. 

The  records  show  that  in  November,  1868, 
Frank  Borchert  was  elected  sheriff.  AVhen 
Mr.  Borchert  came  to  file  his  bond  it  ap 
peared  that  his  name  was  Ferdinand  Bor- 
chert, and  the  board  refused  to  accept  it.  So 
to  cover  any  possible  technical  difficulty  M. 
J.  Toher,  his  predecessor,  resigned  the  office, 
and  the  board  proceeded  to  appoint  Ferdi- 
nand Borchert  sheriff  of  Steele  County.  He 
served  one  year. 

Succeeding  Mr.  Borchert  in  November, 
1869,  Michael  J.  Toher  was  again  chosen  to  fill 
the  office.  He  was  re-elected  in  1871  and 
1873,  serving  until  January  1,  1876. 

In  November,  1875,  Clark  Chambers  was 
elected  sheriff.  As  he  was  re-elected  in  1877, 
1879  and  1881,  he  served  for  eight  consecu- 
tive years.  Mr.  Chambers  is  still  a  promi- 
nent resident  of  Owatonna. 

The  present  sheriff,  Hugh  Murray,  is  one  of 
the  most  generally  po]nilar  men  in  the 
county.  He  was  elected  in  1883,  and  re- 
elected in  1886.  Mr.  Murray  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Vt.,  in  1837.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  years  lie  came  west,  remain- 
ing in  Pennsylvania  a  short  time,  thence 
to  LaSalle  County,  111.,  where  he  remained 
a  year.  He  came  to  Steele  County  in  1858, 
locating  in  Lemond  Township,  where  he  now 
owns  ov^er  a  thousand  acres  of  land.  In  1871 
Mr.  Murray  was  elected  county  commissioner, 
which  position  he  held  until  1876.     In  1875, 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


61 


he  was  elected  to  the  Lower  House  of  the 
legislature,  where  he  served  two  terras.  He 
is  a  member  of  Blue  Lodge,  No.  33,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  at  Owatonna.  Mr.  Murray  was 
married  in  1861  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hast- 
ings, a  native  of  New  York ;  Carrie  and 
Wyatt  are  the  names  of  their  only  living 
children. 

COUNTY     SUPERINTENDENT. 

The  first  county  superintendent  of  schools 
for  Steele  County  was  Ezra  Abbott,  who  was 
elected  in  October,  1856.  Mr.  Abbott  is 
noticed  at  length  elsewhere.  The  educa- 
tional system  underwent  many  radical 
changes  in  early  days,  although  when  Mr. 
Abbott  was  elected  the  system  was  very 
similar  to  that  of  the  present  day.  After 
the  election  of  1856,  we  do  not  find  any 
record  of  the  election  or  appointment  of  a 
superintendent  until  18G2.  In  the  spring  of 
this  year  the  system  was  changed  and  the 
county  was  divided  into  districts  for  the 
supervision  of  schools.  In  September  of  the 
same  year  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
appointed  a  school  superintendent  for  each 
of  these  districts  as  follows :  First  district, 
R.  G.  Lincoln ;  second  district,  Harvey  Cha- 
pin  ;  third  district,  Dwight  Gordon. 

In  a  short  time  another  change  was  made 
in  the  educational  system  b}' an  act  approved 
on  the  3d  of  March,  1864,  and  in  accordance 
with  this  the  board  of  commissioners  ap- 
pointed A.  A.  Harwood  superintendent  of 
schools  for  the  entire  county  and  fixed  the 
salary  of  that  officer  at  $200  per  year.  Mr. 
Harwood  is  noticed  at  length  elsewhere. 

Hon.  A.  C.  Hickman  succeeded  Mr.  Har- 
wood as  superintendent. 

F.  J.  Stevens  succeeded  Mr.  Hickman,  and 
served  for  several  years. 

O.  A.  Tiffany  was  the  next  superintendent 
of  schools. 

Succeeding  him,  Eev.  G.  C.  Tanner  was 
appointed  and  held  the  office  until  January, 
1887,  when  he  resigned. 

J.  D.  Brown  was  appointed  to  succeed  Mr. 
Tanner  and  is  the  present  incumbent. 


JUDGE   OF    PROBATE. 

The  first  judge  of  probate  of  Steele 
County  was  Smith  Johnson,  Sr.,  who  was 
appointed  by  the  governor  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1855. 

Franklin  B.  Davis  succeeded  Mr.  Johnson 
and  served  a  portion  of  one  year. 

Bazil  Meek  succeeded  Mr.  Davis  as  judge 
of  probate.  He  was  elected  in  October, 
1856,  and  re-elected  in  1857.  Mr.  Meek  came 
here  in  the  spring  of  1S55  from  Jo  Daviess 
County,  111.,  bringing  his  family,  and 
located  upon  a  claim  just  west  of  the  present 
business  ])ortion  of  the  city,  but  within  the 
city  limits.  He  remained  there  engaged  at 
farming  for  several  years  and  then  left  the 
county. 

In  November,  1860,  R.  G.  Lincoln  was 
elected  judge  of  probate,  and  in  1864  he  was 
re-elected.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  an  early  settler 
at  Medford,  where  he  had  been  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business.  He  was  an  intelli- 
gent and  capable  business  man,  and  was 
closely  identified  with  the  early  history  of 
the  northern  part  of  the  county.  He  re- 
mained at  Medford  until  the  time  of  his 
death. 

J.  J.  Aiken  succeeded  Mr.  Lincoln,  and 
served  a  portion  of  one  term. 

In  November,  1866,  A.  A.  Harwood  was 
elected  judge  of  probate,  and  served  two 
years. 

Hon.  A.  C.  Hickman  was  the  next  judge 
of  probate,  by  virtue  of  the  November  elec- 
tion, in  1868,  and  two  years  later  was  re- 
elected. A  biographical  sketch  of  Mr. 
Hickman  is  presented  elsewhere.  He  is  still 
a  resident  of  Owatonna,  and  is  to-day  and 
has  been  for  years  one  of  the  most  able  and 
prominent  lawyers  in  this  part  of  the  State. 

In  November,  1872,  Hon.  L.  L.  "Wheelock 
was  chosen  judge  of  probate,  and  being  re- 
elected in  1874  served  three  years,  resigning 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term.  Judge 
Wheelock  is  also  one  of  the  leading  members 
of  the  bar  of  southern  Minnesota.  Having 
for  twenty  years  been  identified  with  polit- 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


ical  and  legal  matters,  he  is  widely  known 
throughout  the  State.  A  histor}^  of  his  life 
is  presented  in  connection  with  the  history 
of  Steele  County's  bar. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  Judge  Wheelock 
the  governor  appointed  Judge  Amos  Coggs- 
well  to  this  office,  and  he  served  out  the 
balance  of  the  term.  Mr.  Coggswell  has 
been  among  the  most  prominent  lawyers  in 
the  State,  and  a  biograjihy  of  him  appears 
elsewhere. 

Hon.  Lorenzo  Hazen  succeeded  Judge 
Coggswell  by  the  election  in  November,  1876. 
InnSTS,  ISSO,  1882,  188-1  and  1886  he  has 
been  re-elected,  and  is  the  present  incum- 
bent. He  has  had  the  support  of  both  polit- 
ical parties.  Mr.  Hazen  was  born  in  Copen- 
hagen, Lewis  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1817.  "When 
twenty-six  years  old  he  went  to  "Wisconsin 
and  engaged  in  farming.  Three  years  later 
he  removed  to  Fond  du  Lac,  where  he  re- 
mained for  ten  years.  He  then  removed  to 
Eipon,  "Wis.,  where  he  remained  for  eleven 
years  and  then  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
locating  at  Medford,  where  he  engaged  in 
carpentering  and  conveyancing.  In  1877 
he  came  to  Owatonna,  having  been  elected 
judge  of  jjrobate.  Mr.  Hazen  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  at  Fond  du  Lac,  in  1844, 
and  held  the  office  for  ten  years.  In  1846 
he  was  a  member  of  the  first  constitutional 
convention  of  "Wisconsin,  at  Madison.  He 
was  also  elected  justice  of  the  peace  at  Eipon. 
and  held  that  office  there  for  ten  years. 
Mr.  Hazen  has  held  various  offices  of  trust 
since  he  came  here,  and  has  been  prominent 
in  all  public  affairs.  He  was  married,  in 
1843,  to  Miss  Mar}^  Moore,  a  native  of  New 
York.  Mary  H.,  now  wife  of  E.  T.  Howard, 
of  Red  "Wing,  is  the  name  of  their  only  child. 
Mr.  Hazen  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  about 
1869,  but  has  never  engaged  iu  tlie  practice 
of  the  legal  profession  to  any  extent. 

CLEEK  OF  CODET. 

The  first  clerk  of  court  of  Steele  County 
was  J.  H.  Catlin,   who   was  appointed   by 


Gov.  Gorman,  in  1855.  It  does  not  appear 
from  record,  however,  that  he  ever  performed 
a  single  official  act. 

F.  "Wilbur  Fisk  was  the  second  clerk  of 
court,  serving  by  appointment.  He  held  the 
office  during  the  greater  part  of  1856. 

George  Oulton  was  the  first  clerk  of  court 
to  hold  the  office  by  virtue  of  an  election. 
He  was  chosen  in  October,  1857,  and  appar- 
ently held  the  office  for  two  years.  Oulton 
was  a  native  of  Vermont,  who  came  here 
as  early  as  1855,  locating  at  Owatonna, 
and  working  at  whatever  he  could  find 
to  do.  He  was  a  smart,  active  fellow, 
what  would  be  termed  a  society  man 
with  no  bad  habits  or  vices.  After  a 
year  or  two  he  was  engaged  most  of  the 
time  in  assisting  M.  A.  Dailey.  About 
the  time  the  war  broke  out,  or  possibly  a 
short  time  before,  he  left  here  and  finally 
brought  up  in  California,  where  he  made  a 
fortune  in  different  enterprises,  more  partic- 
ularly, it  is  thought,  in  tlie  wholesale  liquor 
trade.  He  became  one  of  the  most  power- 
ful and  influential  men  in  the  State,  was 
connected  with  the  Union  Pacific  Kailroad 
at  one  time,  served  in  various  official  capaci- 
ties, rode  in  his  special  palace  car,  and  at  one 
time  not  more  than  a  decade  past  was  con- 
sidered as  powerful  and  influential  as  any 
man  in  California.  It  may  truthfully  be 
said  that  he  made  as  complete  a  success  of 
life  as  anj'  man  who  has  ever  gone  from 
Steele  County. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  1859,  "W.  F.Drum 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  clerk  of  court 
and  served  one  term.  Mr.  Drum  was  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  State,  and  a  graduate  of 
the  West  Point  military  school.  He  came 
west  at  an  early  day  and  settled  upon  a  farm 
in  Meriden  Township.  He  remained  in 
Steele  County  only  a  few  years  and  then 
went  to  Washington,  where  he  secui'ed  an 
appointment  in  the  regular  army  and  has 
been  in  the  service  ever  since.  He  was  an 
educated  and  intelligent  man,  and  was  quite 
prominent  in  public  affairs  during  early  days. 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


63 


John  N.  Kelley  succeeded  Mr.  Drum  by 
the  electiou  in  October,  1861,  and  served 
four  years.  Kelley  was  also  a  New  York 
man.  He  came  here  in  July,  1855,  and 
located  at  the  county -seat.  He  was  an  act- 
ive and  capable  j'oung  man,  single  at  the 
time  —  although  he  afterward  married  —  and 
was  well  known  in  early  days.  He  was  post- 
master at  Owatonna  for  several  years,  and 
for  a  time  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the 
Eureka  hotel.  About  the  close  of  the  war 
he  got  a  position  as  messenger  with  an  ex- 
press company  and  moved  out  of  Steele 
County.  He  is  still  in  the  express  business 
and  now  lives  at  St.  Paul. 

In  November,  1865,  Anson  M.  Kinyon  was 
elected  and  served  one  term,  which  was  then 
four  years. 

I.  W.  Burch  succeeded  Mr.  Kinyon.  He 
was  elected  in  November,  1869,  and  was  re- 
elected in  1873  and  1877,  serving  twelve 
years. 

James  A.  Cotter,  the  present  efficient  and 
accommodating  clerk  of  court,  was  elected 
in  November,  1881,  and  was  re-elected 
in  1886.  Mr.  Cotter  was  born  in  the 
town  of  Richmond,  Walworth  County,  Wis., 
in  1819.  When  he  was  nine  years  of 
age  his  parents  moved  to  Juneau  County, 
where  they  resided  until  the  fall  of  1861, 
when  the}'  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
locating  in  the  town  of  Havana,  where 
James  A.  received  his  education,  also  attend- 
ing the  high  school  at  Owatonna.  He  was 
employed  in  the  grocery  store  of  T.  H.  Kelly 
as  salesman  for  eight  years.  In  the  fall  of 
1881  he  was  elected  clerk  of  court  on  the 
Democratic  ticket  and  was  re-elected  in  1886 
with  653  majority. 

Mr.  Cotter  was  married  in  September,  1875, 
to  Miss  Miranda  J.  Jones,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Jay  and  Laura  A.  are  the  names 
of  their  two  children.  Mr.  Cotter  was  a 
member  of  the  boai'd  of  education  from  1880 
to  1886. 

COUNTY    ATTORNEY. 

The  followino-  is  a  list  of   the  gentlemen 


who  have  occupied  the  position  of  prosecut- 
ing attorney  for  Steele  County,  as  shown  by 
the  recoi'ds.  Nearly  all  of  these  gentlemen 
receive  extended  notice  in  other  chapters,  so 
that  it  is  unnecessary  to  refer  to  their  his- 
tory here,  further  than  to  give  the  date  of 
the  election  of  each : 

Simeon  Case  was  the  first  county  attorney. 
He  was  not  a  lawyer,  but  was  appointed  by 
the  governor  in  1855,  not  so  much  for  the 
duties  to  be  performed  —  for  there  was  noth- 
ing to  do  then  —  as  for  the  mere  purpose  of 
filling  the  office. 

George  W.  Green  (district  attorney),  1856. 

0.  F.  Perkins  (district  attorney),  1857. 

S.  M.  Yearly  (county  attorney),  1858, 
1860  and  1862. 

A.  A.  Harwood,  1864. 

J.  B.  Searles,  1866, 1868,1870. 

J.  M.  Burlingame,  1872,  1874,  1876, 1878, 
1880. 

W.  F.  Sawyer,  1882,  1884. 

W.  A.  Sperry,  1886. 

SURVEYOR. 

John  W.  Park  was  the  first  surveyor  of 
Steele  County,  appointed  by  the  territorial 
governor,  in  1855.  A  number  of  the  early 
settlers  also  claim  that  Mr.  Park  was  elected 
to  the  office  in  the  fall  of  1856 ;  but  the  rec- 
ords state  that  H.  W.  Peck  was  elected  sur- 
veyor at  that  time.  It  is  certain,  however, 
that  Park  was  the  first,  as  he  served  as  such 
all  through  1856,  and  attended  to  most  of 
the  work  during  the  following  year. 

In  October,  1857,  O.  W.  Pollock  was  elected 
surveyor  and  appears  to  have  served  one 
year.  Pollock  was  a  young  Pennsylvanian 
who  came  to  Steele  County  in  1856,  and 
located  at  Owatonna.  He  was  a  civil  en- 
gineer, and  followed  surveying  for  an  occu- 
pation. He  remained  for  a  number  of  years, 
when  he  left.  An  incident  is  related  of 
Pollock's  election  which  is  worthy  of  a 
place  here.  Pollock  ran  as  a  Eepublican 
candidate  and  Luther  Bixby,  a  Democrat, 
was  his  opponent.  Mr.  Bixby  contested  the 
election  and  it  was  carried  to  the  Supreme 


64 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


Oourt,  Avhere  Judge  Flandrau  decided  that 
Pollock  had  not  been  here  long-  enough  to 
gain  a  residence.  By  the  time  the  decision 
was  rendered  he  had  been  here  the  time 
fixed  b}'  law  and  the  board  at  once  appointed 
Mr.  Pollock  to  the  oflBce. 

A.  Ingerson  succeeded  Mr.  Pollock,  be- 
ing elected  in  the  fall  of  1858,  and  re- 
elected in  1859.  Mr.  Ingerson  was  an  early 
settler  in  Berlin  Township,  where  he  had 
located  upon  a  farm.  After  a  few  years  he 
secured  an  ap])ointment  to  a  government 
clerkship  in  Washington  and  moved  there. 
He  now  resides  in  Hennepin  County,  Minn. 

S.  B.  Beach  was  the  next  surveyor  of 
Steele  County.  He  was  elected  in  Novem- 
ber, 1860,  and  served  one  ^^ear. 

In  October,  1861,  J.  M.  Finch  was  elected 
and  served  a  like  j^eriod.  Mr.  Finch  was  a 
native  of  New  York.  He  had  located  at 
Clinton  Falls  at  an  early  day,  where  he  had 
engaged  in  farming,  and  remained  there 
until  the  time  of  his  death.  Several  of  his 
sons  are  still  residents  of  the  county.  Mr. 
Finch  was  prominent  among  the  old  settlers, 
belonging  to  a  family  that  were  closely 
identified  with  all  public  matters  in  early 
days.  His  death  was  regretted  and  mourned 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. 

John  H.  Abbott  succeeded  J.  M.  Finch  as 
surveyor.  He  was  elected  in  November, 
1862,  and  served  the  full  term  of  two  years. 

Luther  Bixby  came  next,  by  virtue  of  the 
election  in  November,  1864.  Mr.  Bixby  was 
a  native  of  Vermont.  He  came  west  at  an 
early  day  and  located  in  the  village  of  Owa- 
tonna.  Being  a  surveyor  he  followed  that  oc- 
cupation at  first,  and  after  a  few  years,  opened 
a  drug  store.  "While  engaged  at  this  he  dis- 
covered and  began  the  manufacture  of  a  pat- 
ent medicine  called  "  Bixby's  Death  to  Pain," 
and  toward  the  latter  part  of  his  mercantile 
career  here  he  purchased  a  newspaper.  After 
selling  out  his  store  he  removed  to  Minneap- 
olis, and  began  the  publication  of  the  Tem- 
percmce  lieview,  at  the  same  time  manufact- 


uring and  placing  his  medicine  upon  the 
market.  He  has  since  sold  both  these  inter- 
ests, and  now  lives  near  Chicago. 

Succeeding  Mr.  Bixby,  in  1866,  J.  M. 
Finch  was  again  elected  to  the  office,  and 
held  it  for  two  years. 

M.  E.  Billings  was  elected  in  the  fall  of 
1868,  serving  the  same  length  of  time. 

By  the  election  in  November,  1870,  Charles 
Dennijes  became  survej'^or.  Mr.  Dennijes  is 
still  a  resident  of  Owatonna. 

B.  S.  Wheeler  was  the  next  surveyor.  He 
was  elected  in  the  fall  of  1871  and  re-elected 
in  1873,  1875  and  1879.  Mr.  Wheeler  was 
an  early  settler  in  the  town  of  Summit, 
where  he  had  been  engaged  in  farming.  He 
remained  there  until  a  few  years  ago,  ^vhen 
he  removed  to  southeastern  Dakota  where 
he  still  lives. 

In  the  fall  of  1881  John  H.  Abbott  was 
again  elected  surveyor. 

A.  M.  Mitchell,  the  present  surveyor,  suc- 
ceeded Abbott.  He  was  elected  in  Novem- 
ber, 1883,  and  re-elected  in  1SS6.  Mr.  Mitch- 
ell is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  November 
25,  1836.  At  the  age  of  t'venty -three  he 
left  home  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world 
and  engaged  at  carpenter  work  for  a  few 
years.  He  then  spent  one  year  in  Nebraska, 
and  then  settled  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  where 
he  followed  his  trade  for  some  time.  On  the 
3d  of  April,  1863,  he  came  to  Steele  County 
and  located  on  section  36,  but  about  a  year 
later  removed  to  section  34,  Aurora  Town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  lived,  carrying  on 
general  farming  and  stock  raising.  On  the 
31st  of  October,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany D,  First  Minnesota  Heavy  Artillery, 
under  Capt.  Reeves,  and  was  discharged 
at  Fort  Snelling,  September  27,  1865.  Mr. 
Mitchell  was  married  to  a  Miss  Margaret 
Walker,  a  native  of  Burlington,  Iowa,  born 
March  9, 1841,  and  they  have  seven  children 
as  follows  :  John  B.,  born  January  5, 1861 ; 
Charles  H.,  born  August  22,  1862 ;  Ettie  M., 
born  September  9,  1866;  Dora  J.,  born 
December  20,  1867  ;  Minne  S.,  born  Novem- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


65 


ber  9,  1870;  Delbert  M.,  born  December  9, 
1873,  and  Alice  M.,  born  October  1-t,  1883. 
John  and  Charles  are  both  graduates  of  the 
Pillsbury  Academy  at  Owatonna.  Mr.  Mitch- 
ell is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  since  his 
residence  here  has  held  various  offices  of 
trust,  including  those  of  town  clerk,  town 
supervisor,  school  director  and  others. 

COUNTY    COEONEK. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  various  gen- 
tlemen who  have  been  elected  to  the  office  of 
coroner  of  Steele  County,  together  with  the 
date  of  election  of  each  as  shown  by  the  rec- 
ords.   Many  of  those  named  never  qualified : 

Thomas  Kenj'^on,  1856-8. 

Anton  Shimek,  1860. 

Thomas  Kenyon,  1861. 

G.  Watson,  1862-4. 


John  Austin,  1866. 

J.  G.  Gilchrist,  1868-70. 

L.  L.  Bennett,  1871-3. 

H.  S.  Hill,  1877. 

L.  L.  Bennett,  1879. 

Dr.  H.  S.  Hill,  1881. 

Dr.  E.  E.  Aukes,  1883. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Harrington,  1884. 

C.  Peterson,  1886. 

COURT   COMMISSIONER. 

The  following-named  have  held  this  office 
by  election  : 
'  P.  J.  Nordeen,  1860. 
E.  G.  Lincoln,  1861-4. 
A.  A.  Harwood,  1866. 
J.  M.  Burlingame,  1869. 
M.  B.  Chad  wick,  1872. 
L.  Hazen,  1881-6. 


CHAPTER 


POLITICAL. 


HE  political  history  of  Steele 
County  is  more  fully  and  more 
authentically  shown  by  giving  the 
vote  of  the  county  during  the 
various  years,  than  in  anj'  other 
manner.  The  county  has  been 
Kepublican  by  large  majorities 
on  national  and  State  issues  ever 
since  its  organization ;  yet  in  local 
affairs  it  has  varied  considerably 
and  many  Democratic  candidates 
have,  tlirough  their  personal  popularity, 
been  elected  to  county  offices  over  Republican 
"  standard  bearers."  As  a  rule,  the  Republi- 
cans hold  a  convention  and  nominate  a 
"  straight  ticket,"  and  the  opposition  concen- 
trate all  their  force  upon  an  "  Independent" 
or  "  People's  "  ticket.  In  this  connection  is 
presented  an  abstract  of  the  vote  at  every 
genera]  election  held  in  Steele  County,  as  far 
as  could  be  ascertained  from  the  records  in 
the  court  house,  and  files  of  the  newspapers. 
The  first  election  was  held  in  October,  1855, 
and  resulted  as  follows : 

Election,   October  9,  1855. 
Delegate  to  Congress. 

W.  R.  Marshall,  Democrat 38—  34 

David  Olmsted 4 

Henry  M.  Rice 2 

Councilor. 

P.  P.  Ilumplirey 106—  95 

Chas.  E.  Flandrau 11 

Legislative  Assembly. 

A.B.Cornell 83—    2 

G.  A.  McLeod 81 

Sheriff. 

Wm.  P.  Pcttit 84—  56 

Benj.  A.  Freeman 28 

Election,  October  H-,  1856. 

Register  of  Deeds. 

John  W.  Park 201—  23 

Charles  Ellison 178 


Sheriff. 

David  Lindersmith 191 —    4 

Joseph  W.  Burch 187 

Treasurer. 

David  Sanborn •  379—379 

Judge  of  Probate. 

Bazil  Meek 199—  23 

W.  W.  Robinson 177 

Bazil  Meek 7 

District  Attorney. 

George  W.  Green 199—  25 

.TohnBradish 174 

County  Surveyor. 

H.  W.  Peck 259—  63 

James  M.  Finch 97 

James  W.  Finch 18 

C.  M.  Merrick 13 

James  Finch 5 

Coroner. 

Thos.  Kenyon 196—  28 

J.  M.  Blevin 168 

W.  W.  Finch 23 

Auditor. 

Z.  B.  Moore 180—    3 

C.  W.  Curtis 177 

W.  W.  Finch 1 

School  Superintendent. 

Ezra  Abbot 184—    1 

W.  W.  Finch 183 

County  Assessors. 

Geo.  O.  Hankerson 201 

P.  Sanford 181 

P.  Healy 181 

James  E.  Child 180 

Lorin  B.  Town 180 

John  A.  Hadley 180 

Geo.  A.  Child 19 

T.  B.  Town 19 

County  Commissioners. 

David  Smith 233 

N.  Winship 201 

Wm.  Allen 201 

M.J.Kendall 181 

Addison  Phelps 181 

Wm.  PI.  Chamberlain 138 

H.  Chamberlain 4 

Election,  October  IS,  1857. 
Adopting  State  Constitution. 

For 613—544 

Against 69 


66 


,       /^J^-^^e^C^^^^^'^-f^^-^ 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


69 


Governor. 

Alex.  Ramsey,  Republican 49.5 — 303 

Henry  H.  Sibley,  Democrat 193 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

John  C.  Ide,  Republican 491—301 

William  Holcombe,  Democrat 190 

Secretary  of  State. 

L.  K.  Stannard 494—300 

Francis  Baasen 194 

State  Treasurer. 

Prank  Mantor . .  493—297 

George  Armstrong 19.5 

State  Auditor. 

A.  P.  Lane 493—300 

Wm.  F.  Dunbar 193 

Attorney  General. 

George  Nourse 493—299 

Chas.  H.  Berry 194 

Congressmen. 

M.  S.  Wilkinson,  Republican  493 

Henry  A.  Swift,  Republican 493 

Cyrus  Aldrich,  Republican 493 

Geo.  L.  Becker,  Democrat 194 

W.  W.  Phelps,  Democrat 194 

J.  M.  Cavanaugh,  Democrat 193 

District  Judge. 

N.  M.  Donaldson 493—298 

Henry  C.  Lowell 194 

District  Attorney. 

O.  F.  Perkins 489—296 

Frank  Wainer 193 

John  Moon 3 

Clerk  of  District  Court. 

George  Oulton 471—279 

Marvin  A.  Dailey 193 

Chas.  L.  Lowell 10 

State  Senator. 

Lems  McKune 428—174 

Wm.  Pettit 254 

Scattering 3 

Representatives. 

Geo.  L.  Leonard 492 

H.  M.  Sheetz 486 

George  C.  Pettie 485 

Smith  Johnson. . .    , 470 

Edwin  Drake 300 

W.  W.  Robinson 193 

D.  S.  Bellis 193 

Henry  W.  Peck 193 

A.  B.  Cornell 2 

W.  W.  Finch 2 

Geo.  W.  Green 1 

Judge  of  Probate. 

Bazil  Meek 413—392 

Addison  Phelps 20 

Jacob  Myers 12 

Scattering 3 

Delegate  to  Congress. 

Chas.  McClure,  Republican 435—385 

W.  W.  Kingsburry,  Democrat 150 

5 


County  Commissioners. 

Lorenzo  Muckey 434 

Hiram  Pitcher 413 

John  A.  Hadley 152 

Henry  M.  Bill 173 

County  Treasurer. 

Joseph  W.  Morford 436—286 

John  N.  Kelly 150 

County  Surveyor. 

O.  W.  Pollock 399—228 

Luther  Bixby,  3d 171 

Register  of  Deeds. 

George  W.  Danforth 573—573 

M.  A.  Dailey 1 

Road  Commissioners. 

Seth  H.  Patterson 438 

Zachariah  Scribner 430 

E.  Le  Gro 161 

John  D.  Sanborn 155 

Assessors. 

A.  B.  Clark 445 

W.  B.  Evans 440 

F.  J.  Stevens 440 

Daniel  Harmon 1 53 

John  Oliver 153 

Geo.  B.  Thompson 151 

Election,  October  12, 1858. 
State  Senator. 

William  F.  Pettit,  Democrat 387—115 

Lewis  McKune,  Republican 272 

Representatives. 

H.  M.  Sheetz 472 

A.  A.  Woodward 388 

Geo.  W.   Green 386 

B.  M.  Morrill 380 

O.T.Jones 300 

Buel  Welsh 345 

Alexander  Johnson 358 

James  Banie 271 

Register  of  Deeds. 

Marvin  A.  Dailey 370—  98 

A.  B.  Cornell 373 

Judge  of  Probate. 

R.  G.  Lincoln 450—349 

Charles  V.  Brown 301 

Prosecuting  Attorney. 

S.  M.  Yearley 336—149 

Patrick  Cudmore 177 

Edwin  Drake 118 

Sheriff. 

W.  H.  Willsey 410—174 

John  Oliver 336 

Coroner. 

Thomas  Kenyon 397—119 

E.  Y.  Hunewell 178 

County  Auditor. 

A.  McKinney 343—226 

George  Lincoln 117 


70 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


Surveyor. 

A.  Ingerson 177 

County  Treasurer. 
J,  W.  Morford 301 

Election,  October  W,  1859. 

Governor. 

Alexander  Ramsey,  Republican 440 — 262 

George  L.  Becker,  Democrat 178 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Ignatius  Donnelly 441—263 

S.  B.  Lowry 178 

Secretary  of  State. 

.T.  H.  Baker 445—266 

Francis  Baasen 179 

State  Treasurer. 

C.  T.  Scheffer 448—271 

Samuel  Abbe 177 

Attorney  General. 

Gordon  E.  Cole 446—268 

John  B.  Brisbin 178 

Congressmen. 

Cyrus  Aldrich,  Republican 447 

William  Wiudom,  Republican 449 

Christopher  Graham,  Democrat 175 

James  M.  Cavauaugh,  Democrat 176 

Representatives. 

Amos  Coggswell 454 

Geo.  W.  Green 437 

Jesse  I.  Stewart 440 

George  T.  White 439 

W.  R.  Kinyon 175 

John  Powers 168 

W.  H.  Wyman 172 

W.  W.  Cowles 170 

County  Treasurer. 

J.  W.  Morford 451—286 

H.  M.  Bills 165 

Clerk  of  Court. 

W.  F.  Drum 458—296 

John  N.  Kelly 162 

County  Auditor. 

FrankL.  Melvin 431—266 

Charles  V.  Brown 165 

Surveyor. 

Ashbel  Ingerson 426—234 

James  M.  Finch 192 

Mection,  November  6,  1860. 

President. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  Republican 523 — 366 

S.  A.  Douglas,  Democrat 157 

J.  C.  Breckenridge,  Democrat 8 

State  Auditor. 

Charles  McIIrath  : 513—356 

Herman  Trott 157 

Josiah  S.  Weiser 8 

Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 

A.  J.  VanVorhos 512—3.55 

Jacob  J.  Noah 157 

William  B.  Leach 8 


Congressmen. 

Cyrus  Aldrich,  Republican 512 

William  Windom,  Republican 513 

John  M.  Gilman,  Democrat 158 

James  George,  Democrat 157 

James  W.  Taylor 8 

A.  J.  Edgerton 8 

Register  of  Deeds. 

M.A.Dailey 261—    8 

A.  B.  Cornell 253 

W.  R.  Kinyon 158 

County  Auditor. 

E.  J.  Crandall 478—318 

James  M.  Finch 160 

Sheriff. 

S.  C.  Williamson 475—299 

L.  E.  Rawson 176 

David  W.  Cook 27 

Judge  of  Probate. 

R.  G.  Lincoln 480—307 

Darius  Cook 173 

County  Attorney. 

S.  M.  Yearly 509—349 

John  H.  Morse 160 

Court  Commissioner. 

P.  J.  Nordeen 311—119 

L.  F.  Babcock 192 

Ileury  M.  Bill 164 

Surveyor. 

S.  B.  Beach 512—344 

James  M.  Finch 168 

Coroner. 
Anton  Schimek 482—299 

D.  G.  Fowle 183 

Scattering 3 

Election,  Octoher  8,  1861. 

For  Governor. 

Alexander  Ramsey,  Republican 353 — 280 

E.  O.  Hamlin,  Democrat 73 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Ignatius  Donnelly,  Republican 363 — 305 

Thomas  Cowan,  Democrat 58 

Secretary  of  State. 

James  H.  Baker,  Republican 360 — 295 

Daniel  Buck,  Democrat 65 

M.  A.  Dailey 1 

State  Treasurer. 

Charles  Scheffer 363—299 

C.  P.  Fisher 64 

Attorney  General. 

Gordon  E.  Cole 362-299 

William  H.  Peckham 63 

State  Senator. 

A.  B.  Webber 252—  69 

E.  C.  Stacey 183 

Representatives. 

H.  C.  Magoon 212 

A.  B.  Cornell 178 

P.  C.  Bailey 356 

J.  I.  Stewart 167 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


71 


County  Treasurer. 

W.  W.  Pinch 309—303 

Geo.  C.  Pettie 106 

Clerk  of  Court. 

John  N.  Kelley 233—  30 

Smith  Stowers 203 

William  Davidson 1 

Court  Commissioner. 

R.  G.  Lincoln 384—382 

Scattering 2 

Surveyor. 

J.  M.  Finch 166—166 

Coroner. 

Thomas  Kenyon 347—103 

Anton  Shultz 144 

A.  B.  Cornell 1 

Election,  November  Jf,  1862. 
Conirressmau. 

William  Windom,  Republican 331—268 

A.  G.  Chatfield,  Democrat 63 

State  Senator. 

M.  A.  Dailey 387—351 

N.  Winship 36 

Scattering 4 

Representatives. 

Philo  Woodruff 337—    2 

Asa  Walker 335 

Register  of  Deeds. 

W.  Morris 337—330 

Scattering 7 

County  Surveyor. 

John  H.  Abbott 319—316 

Scattering 3 

County  Attorney. 
S.  M.  Yearly 305—303 

Scattering 2 

Coroner. 
G.  Watson 339—329 

Sheriff. 
S.  H.  Patterson 238—238 

Election,  November  3,  18G3. 

Governor. 

Stephen  Miller,  Republican 418—337 

Henry  Wells,  Democrat 81 

Secretary  of  State. 

David  Blakely,  Republican 415—331 

Amos  Coggswell,  Democrat 84 

Attorney  General. 

Gordon  E.  Cole,  Republican 413—330 

W.  H.  Grant,  Democrat 83 

Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 

George  F.  Potter,  Republican 412—330 

J.  Mainser,  Democrat 82 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Charles  D.  Sherwood,  Republican 396—314 

J.  S.  Norris,  Democrat 83 

C.  D.  Sherman 21 

State  Treasurer. 

Charles  Scheffer,  Republican 413—331 

J.  Estebrook,  Democrat 82 


Auditor  of  State. 

Charles  Mcllrath,  Republican 405—326 

J.  H.  McKinney,  Democrat 79 

State  Senator. 

F.  J.  Stevens 398—338 

Amos  Coggswell 70 

Lewis  Howard 5 

Representatives. 

Philo  Woodruff 397 

J.  L.  Gibbs 396 

William  Brisbin 5 

County  Treasurer. 

B.  F.  Melvin 374—330 

G.  B.Hall 44 

Election,  November  8,  1864- 
President. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  Republican 636 — 437 

George  B.  McClellan,  Democrat 309 

Congressman. 

William  Windom,  Republican 639 — 430 

H.  W.  Lambcrton,  Democrat 309 

Chief  Justice  Supreme  Court. 

Thomas  Wilson,  Republican 637 — 428 

A.  G.  Chatfield,  Democrat 309 

Associate  Justices. 

S.  J.  R.  McMillan,  Republican 634 

John  M.  Berry,  Repubhcan 635 

Eli  T.  Wilder,  Democrat 309 

E.  O.  Hamlin,  Democrat 309 

District  Judge. 

N.  M.  Donaldson,  Republican 569—315 

Geo.  W.  Batchelder,  Democrat 354 

State  Senator. 

B.  A.  Lowell 581—391 

Wm.  Brisbane 190 

Representatives. 

J.  L.  Gibbs 577 

J.  B.  Crooker ,535 

N.  Winship 367 

A.  Armstrong 196 

Scattering 10 

Probate  Judge. 

R.  G.  Lincoln 602—432 

James  M.  Finch 170 

Sheriff. 

Seth  H.  Patterson 597—385 

Hugh  Murray 212 

County  Auditor. 

A.  N.  Stoughton 598—395 

O.  Bartholomew 203 

Register  of  Deeds. 
S.  Crandall 544—377 


C 

J.  N.  Kelly 267 

Surveyor. 

L.  Bixby 305—205 

County  Attorney. 

A.  A.  Harwood 581—357 

S.  M.  Yearly 234 

Court  Commissioner. 
R.  G.  Lincoln 589—589 


r. 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


Coroner. 

G.  Watson 598-390 

J.  H.  Morse 208 

Election,  November  7,  1865. 

Governor. 

Wm.  R.  Marshall,  Republican 531—403 

H.  M.  Rice,  Democrat 118 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Thomas  H.  Armstrong 530 — 121 

Charles  W.  Nash 109 

Secretary  of  State. 

H.  C.  Rogers 531—423 

John  R.  Jones 108 

Treasurer  of  State. 

Charles  SchefEer 531—433 

Frank  Henderstadt 108 

Attorney  General. 

William  Colville 530—423 

William  Lochren 108 

Constitutional  Amendment  to  Section  1,  Article  "VII. 

For 393-238 

Against 154 

Representatives. 

A.  Armstrong 353 —  70 

J.  B.  Crooker 283 

Adolphus  Town 134 

Sheriff. 

W.  Wheaton 536—526 

County  Treasurer. 

Benjamin  F.  Melvin 529—529 

Clerk  of  Court. 
Anson  M.  Kinyon 519—519 

Election,  Novemher  6,  1886. 

Congressman. 

W.  Windom,  Republican 779—311 

Richard  A.  Jones,  Democrat 468 

State  Auditor. 

Charles  Mcllrath 785—319 

Nelse  E.  Nelson 466 

Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 

Sherwood  Hough 787—321 

Dennis  Cavanaugh 466 

State  Senator. 

A.  Armstrong 789 — 788 

Scattering 1 

Representative. 

W.  H.  Twiford 745—243 

A.  C.  Flanders 503 

Scattering 1 

County  Auditor. 

A.  N.  Stoughton 763—390 

Jacob  Newsalt 473 

Sheriff. 

Michael  J.  Toher 480—  24 

Richard  Miles  .  .• 456 

M.  E.  Billings 306 

Scattering 2 

Judge  of  Probate. 
A.  A.  Harwood 709—190 


A.  Pettie 519 

Scattering 3 

Court  Commissioner. 

A.  A.  Harwood 743—380 

Patrick  Cudmore 463 

Register  of  Deeds. 

C.  S.  Crandall 711—173 

L.  M.  Howard 538 

Surveyor. 

James  M.  Finch 1123-1131 

Scattering 3 

County  Attorney. 

J.  B.  Searies 768—396 

Amos  Coggswell 473 

Coroner. 

John  Austin 454—  37 

J.  C.  Messenger 417 

Scattering 3 

Election,  November  5,  1867. 

Governor. 

William  R.  Marshall,  Republican 996—426 

Charles  E.  Flandrau,  Democrat 570 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Thomas  Armstrong,  Republican 997 — 437 

A.  K.  Maynard,  Democrat 570 

Secretary  of  State. 

Henry  C.  Rogers 1029—503 

Amos  Coggswell 526 

State  Treasurer. 

Emil  Munich 995^60 

John  Friedrichs 535 

A.  G.  Chatfleld 35 

Attorney  General. 
F.  R.  E.  Cornell 995—458 

A.  G.  Chatfield  537 

John  Freidrichs 35 

Representatives. 

W.  R.  Kinyon 925—319 

Alex .  Chambers 600 

R.  Drake 1 

Proposition  to  Issue  County  Bonds  for  Building  Jail. 

Against 403—132 

For 331 

Proposed  Adjustment  of  Railroad  Bonds. 

Against  Adjustment 1525-1517 

For  Adjustment 8 

County  Treasurer. 

B.  F.  Melvin 952—353 

Charies  Schoen 599 

Election,  Novemher  3,  1868. 
President. 

U.  S.  Grant,  Republican 1137—624 

H.  Seymour,  Democrat 503 

Congressman. 

M.  S.  Wilkinson,  Republican 1131—635 

Geo.  W.  Batchelder,  Democrat 506 

County  Auditor. 
A.  N.  Stoughton 1048—476 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


73 


Jacob  Newsalt 572 

Scattering 1 

Sheriff. 

Frank  Borchert 867—104. 

M.  J.  Toher 763 

Scattering 2 

Register  of  Deeds. 

H.  J.  Lewis 1036^442 

A.  Horstmann 594 

Scattering 1 

County  Attorney. 

J.  B.  Searles 1110—584 

Amos  Coggswell 526 

Surveyor. 

M.  E.  Billings 928—373 

Luther  Bixby 655 

Judge  of  Probate. 

A.  C.  Hickman 1083—532 

H.  H.  Johnson 551 

Coroner. 

J.  G.  Gilchrist 1091—581 

L.  L.  Bennett 510 

State  Senator. 

J.  B.  Crooker 953—280 

M.  F.  Lowth 673 

Election,  November  ^,  1869. 

Governor. 

Horace  Austin,  Republican 637 — 276 

Geo.  L.  Otis,  Democrat 361 

Daniel  Cobb,  Prohibitionist 75 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

William  H.  Yale 644—283 

J.  A.  Wiswell 361 

John  H.  Stevens 70 

Secretary  of  State. 

Hans  Mattson 640—379 

T.  G.  Fladeland 361 

James  E.  Child 69 

State  Auditor. 

Charles  Mcllrath 639—277 

L.  A.  Evans 362 

J.  A.  Randolph 70 

State  Treasurer. 

Emil  Munch 642—282 

Casper  Baberich 360 

Rob.  Stewart 72 

Attorney  General. 

F.  R.  E.  Cornell 641—281 

Seagrave  Smith 360 

J.  Ham  Davidson 71 

Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 

Sherwood  Hough 643—389 

W.  T.  Bonniwell 354 

Chief  Justice  of  Supreme  Court. 

C.  G.  Ripley 633—372 

C.  E.  Flandrau 360 

E.  O.  Hamlin 69 


County  Treasurer. 

B.  F.  Melvin 1033-1029 

Scattering 4 

Sheriff. 

M.  J.  Toher 543—  38 

S.  H.  Stowers 515 

Scattering 7 

Clerk  of  Court. 
I.  W.  Burch 1060-1060 

Court  Commissioner. 

J.  M.  Burlingame 691—324 

Amos  Coggswell 367 

Representative. 
H.  W.  Ruliffson 669—382 

L.  C.  Woodman 387 

Special  Election,  May  31,  1870. 

Payment  of  Railroad  Bonds  in  Lands. 

Yes 775—714 

No 61 

Election,  November  8,  1870. 

Congressman. 

Mark  H.  Dunnell,  Republican 809—503 

C.  F.  Buck,  Democrat 307 

Scattering 6 

County  Auditor. 

A.  N.  Stoughton 844—529 

Benj.  F.  Wheeler 315 

Register  of  Deeds. 

H.  J.  Lewis 836—512 

A.  C.  Flanders 324 

County  Attorney. 

J.  B.  Searles 774—433 

Amos  Coggswell 341 

Surveyor. 

Charles  Dennijes 811 — 463 

L.  Bixby 348 

Judge  of  Probate. 

A.  C.  Hickman 676—185 

H.  H.  Johnson 491 

Coroner. 
J.  G.  Gilchrist 825-379 

E.  M.  Morehouse 346 

State  Senator. 

W.  C.  Young 788—424 

James  F.  Jones 364 

Representative. 

F.  B.  Davis    753—353 

N.  Winship 399 

Election,  November  7,  1871. 
Governor. 

Horace  Austin,  Republican 1195 — 701 

Winthrop  Young,  Democrat  494 

Samuel  Mayall 15 

Lieutenant  Governor. 
William  H.  Yale  1175—651 

D.  L.  Buell 534 


74 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


William  A.  Bentley 14 

Secretary  of  State. 

S.  P.  Jennison 1161—634 

Erick  N.  Falk 537 

J.  Guilford 14 

State  Treasurer. 

William  Seeger 1174—652 

Barney  Vosberg 522 

W.  L.  Mintzer 15 

Attorney  General. 

F.  R.  E.  Cornell 1117—548 

J.  L.  McDonald 569 

N.  F.  Sargent 14 

Associate  Justices  of  Supreme  Court. 

S.  J.  R.  McMillan 1175 

John  M.  Berry 1175 

Daniel  Buck 522 

William  Mitchell 521 

E.  O.  Hamlin 14 

A.  P.Jewell 14 

County  Treasurer. 

B.  F.  Melvin 909—144 

Sandford  Kinney 765 

Sheriff. 

M.  J.  Toher 909—138 

8.  H.  Stowers    771 

County  Surveyor. 

B.  S.  Wheeler 1240-1217 

J.  M.  Finch 23 

Scattering 9 

Coroner. 

L.  L.  Bennett 909—134 

Solomon  Blood 775 

State  Senator. 
Amos  Coggswell 953—333 

C.  S.  Crandall 719 

Representatives. 

W.  W.  Wilkins 660 

Geo.  W.  Green 204 

F.  B.  Davis 453 

W.  H.  Twiford 341 

Election,  November,  1872. 
President. 

U.  S.  Grant,  Republican 1033—406 

Horace   Greeley,  Democrat  and  Liberal  Re- 
publican       627 

Member  of  Congress. 

Mark  H.  Dunnell,  Republican 1042—416 

M.  S.  Wilkinson,  Democrat 626 

Auditor  of  State.  * 

O.  P.  Whitcomb 876—336 

Albert  Scheffer 540 


*  Note.— In  the  vote  for  State  auditor,  the  townships  of 
Meriden,  Deerfleld  and  Clinton  are  not  reported.  The  vote 
of  Clinton  is  also  omitted  from  vote  on  clerk  of  Supreme 
Court. 


Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 

Sherwood  Hough 993—375 

James  George 618 

Register  of  Deeds. 

H.  J.  Lewis 768—  86 

Charles  Dennijes 683 

M.  A.  Dailey 233 

Judge  of  Probate. 

L.  L.  Wheelock 995—318 

H.  H.  Johnson 677 

County  Auditor. 

L.  Padgham 765—164 

Edward  Donaldson 601 

A.  N.  Stoughton 308 

Court  Commissioner. 
M.  B.Chadwick 991—991 

Coimty  Attorney. 

J.  M.  Burlingame 991—314 

Amos  Coggswell 677 

Representative — First  District. 

W.  W.  Wilkins 495—143 

G.  W.  Knapp 353 

Representative  —  Second  District. 

A.  Colquhon 418—120 

Hugh  Murray 298 

Election,  Noveinber  If.,  1873. 
Governor. 

C.  K.  Davis,  Republican 774—205 

Ara  Barton,  Democrat 569 

Samuel  Mayall,  Prohibitionist 58 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

A.  Barto 726—  58 

E.  Ayr 668 

Secretary  of  State. 

S.  P.  Jennison 738—  68 

John  H.  Stevens 670 

State  Treasurer. 

Mons  Grinager 763 — 179 

E.  W.  Dike 584 

L  N.  Sater 59 

Attorney  General. 

Geo.  P.  Wilson 802—200 

Wm.  P.  Clough 602 

County  Treasurer. 

Thomas  Thompson 705—  25 

A.  N.  Stoughton 680 

Sheriff. 

M.J.  Toher 784—190 

David  Whipple 594 

Surveyor. 

B.  S.  Wheeler 1353-1349 

Scattering 3 

Clerk  of  Court. 
I.  W.  Burch 1407-1407 

Coroner. 
L.  L.  Bennett 720—104 


HISTORY    OF   ST 

T.  L.  Hatch 616 

E.  P.  Gould 60 

Scattering 4 

State  Senator. 

Amos  Coggswell 784—169 

J.  M.  Burlingame 615 

Scattering 2 

Representative  —  First  District. 

C.  S.  Crandall 376—  33 

N.  M.  Donaldson 843 

Scattering 5 

Representative  —  Second  District. 

J.  M.  Sloan 446—253 

F.  J.  Stevens 194 

Scattering 3 

Election,  Novemher  5,  187 Hf,. 
Chief  Justice  Supreme  Court. 

S.  J.  R.  McMillan,  Republican 1063—430 

.Wescott  Wilkin,  Democrat 633 

Associate  Jastice  Supreme  Court. 

Judge  Cornell 1057—428 

Wm.  Lochren 628 

Congressman. 

M.  H.  Donnell 960—271 

F.  H.  Waite 889 

County  Auditor. 

L.  Padgham 1375—859 

J.  P.  Jackson 416 

Register  of  Deeds. 

Ezra  Tyler 911—145 

M.  A.  Dailey 766 

County  Attorney. 

J.  M.  Burlingame 1006—331 

Amos  Coggswell 675 

Judge  of  Probate. 

L.  L.  Wheelock 1128—571 

J.  A.  Cotter 557 

Representative —  First  District. 

W.  R.  Kinyon 605—308 

L.  H.  Lane 297 

Representative  —  Second  District. 

Hugh  Murray 436—103 

E.  L.  Scoville 333 

Election,  Novemher,  1875. 

Governor. 

J.  S.  Pillsbury ,  Republican 874^330 

D.  L.  Buell,  Democrat 637 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

J.  B.  Wakefield 879—286 

E.  W.  Durant 593 

Secretary  of  State. 

J.  S.  Irgens 898—318 

A.  Bierman 580 


EELE    COUNTY.  75 

State  Auditor. 

O.  P.  Whitcomb 894—313 

P.  H.  Rahilly 581 

State  Treasurer. 

William  Pfaender 888—312 

A.  Scheffer 576 

Attorney  General. 

Gen.  Wilson 891—316 

R.  A.  Jones 575 

Railroad  Commissioner. 

W.  R.  Marshall 885—391 

W.  T.  Bonniwell 594 

Chief  Justice  Supreme  Court. 

James  A.  GilflUan 895—311 

L.  Emmett 584 

Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 

S.  H.  Nichols 889—300 

A.  A.  McLeod 589 

County  Treasurer. 

Thomas  Thompson 1011—579 

A.  Knobloch 433 

Sheriff. 

Clark  Chambers 1009—514 

M.  J.  Toher 495 

State  Senator. 

L.  L.  Wheelock 857—196 

Amos  Coggswell 661 

Representative  —  Second  District. 

Hugh  Murray 434—181 

Dexter  Smith 259 

Representative  —  First  District. 

W.  R.  Kinyon 519—311 

L.  C.  Woodman 308 

Election,  November,  1876. 
President. 

R.  B.  Hayes,  Republican 1581—623 

S.  J.  Tilden,  Democrat 958 

Congressman. 

M.  H.  Dunnell,  Republican 1523—573 

E.  G.  Stacy,  Democrat 950 

Representative  —  First  District. 

G.  W.  Buffum 685—111 

E.  M.  Morehouse 574 

Representative  —  Second  District. 

Walter  Muir 667—  65 

Hugh  Murray 603 

County  Auditor. 

L.  Padgham 1630-696 

Gustav  Siebold 934 

Register  of  Deeds. 

Ezra  Tyler 1573-619 

John  Shea 953 

Judge  of  Probate  Court. 

L.  Hazen 1391-354 

Amos  Coggswell 1137 


76 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


J.  M.  Burllngame. 
D.  B.  Johnson  . 


County  Attorney. 


J.  O.  Waumett. 
E.  L.  Scoville. 


County  Commissioner. 


For 

Against . 

No 

Yes 


Election,  June,  1877. 
Bonds  to  Build  Jail. 

Paying  Railroad  Bonds. 


1574—614 
960 

339—143 
196 


Election,  Wovemier,  1877. 
Governor. 

J.  S.  Pillsbury,  Republican 

W.  L.  Banning,  Democrat 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

J.  B.  Wakefield,  Republican 

A.  A.  Ames,  Democrat 

Secretary  of  State. 


941- 

-330 

631 

401- 

1153 

348 

J.  S.  Irgens 

A.  T.  Lindholm. 

J.  F.  Meagher  . . 
Wm.  Pfaender. . 


State  Treasurer. 


Gen.  Wilson. 
J.  R.  Jones  . . 


Attorney  General. 


W.  R.  Marshall. 
H.W.  Hill. 


Railroad  Commissioner. 


John  A.  Cansdell 
John  Bichner. 


County  Treasurer. 


I.  W.  Burch. 
J.  L.  Cass  . . . 


Clerk  of  Court. 


Coroner. 

H.  S.  Hill 

L.  L.  Bennett 

Sheriff. 

Clark  Chambers 

P.  Brennan 

State  Senator. 

E .  M .  Morehouse 

A.  C.  Hickman 

Representative. 

G.  W.  Buffum 

W.  F.  Sawyer 

Representative  —  Second  District. 


W.  Muir  . 

Cord  King 

Commissioner  —  Second  District. 
A.  Erdman 

G.  W.  Kinyon 


1004—176 

828 

1004—165 
839 

1010—173 
838 

815—570 
245 

1009—172 
837 

996—153 

844 

1031—188 
833 

1041—198 

843 

1003—146 

857 

987—  96 
891 

1087—302 

785 

536—  37 
499 

433—    3 
419 

307—177 
130 


Commissioner  —  Third  District. 

W.  P.  Francis 309—  35 

A.  B.  Libby 184 

Election,  November,  1878. 
Auditor  of  State. 

0.  P.  Whitcomb,  Republican 1381—463 

M.  Black,   Democrat 919 

Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

John  M.  Berry 1470—612 

AVm.  Mitchell 858 

Clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court. 

Samuel  H.  Nichols 1378—558 

Dillon  O'Brien 920 

Member  of  Congress  —  First  District. 

M.  H.  Dunnell,  Republican 1405—560 

William  Meighen,  Democrat 845 

Judge  of  District  Court  —  Fifth  District. 

Samuel   Lord 1473—574 

Lafayette  Emmett 898 

County  Auditor. 

M.  B.  Chadwick 1394—291 

Ale.x.  Graham 1003 

Register  of  Deeds. 

E.  A.  Tyler 1393—452 

Charles  Dinnijes 941 

Judge  of  Probate. 

L.  Hazen 136.5—426 

J.  S.  Austin 939 

County  Attorney. 

J.  M.  Burlingame 1309—376 

D.  B.  Johnson 1033 

Court  Commissioner. 

L.  Hazen 1319—414 

J.  S.  Austin 905 

Senator  —  Twelfth  District. 

W.  W.  Wilkins 1189—  91 

E.  M.  Morehouse 1098 

Representative. 

H.  M.  Hastings 532—  50 

W.  W.  Day 482 

Election,  Novemher,  1879. 
Governor. 

J.  S.  Pillsbury,  Republican 117.5—409 

Ednuind  Rice,  Democrat 776 

W.  AV.  Satteriee,  Prohibitionist 131 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Charles  A.  Oilman,  Republican 1148 — 408 

E.  P.  Barnum,  Democrat 740 

B.  S.  Williams,   Prohibitionist 182 

Secretary  of  State. 

Fred  Von  Baumbach 1217—476 

Feli.x  A.  Borer 721 

1.  C.  Stearns 127 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


77 


State  Treasurer. 

Clias.  Kittelson 1301—  476 

Lyman  E.  Cowdrey 746 

J.  M.  Duram 126 

Attorney  General. 

Chas.  M.  Start 1209—  469 

P.  M.  Babcock 740 

A.  W.  Bangs 128 

Railroad  Commissioner. 

"Wm.  R.  Marshall 1209—  407 

W.  M.  Colvill 739 

Chas.  Griswold 126 

County  Treasurer. 

John  A.  Cansdell 1209—  441 

H.  Schmidt 758 

Geo.  Mitchell 109 

County  Sheriff. 

Clark  Chambers 1443- 


935 


A.  B.  Clark... 
J.  W.  Landon. 


507 
23 


Surveyor. 

B.  S.  Wheeler 2063—2063 

County  Coroner. 

L.  L.  Bennett 1205—  454 

E.  M.  Morehouse 751 

D.  H.  Roberts 121 

County  Superintendent. 

G.  C.  Tanner 1013—  38 

Jos.  A.  Sawyer 975 

E.H.Sibley '  77 

Election,  November,  1880. 
For  President. 

James  A.  Garfield,  Republican 1643 —  698 

W.  S.  Hancock,  Democrat 944 

Neal  Dow,  Prohibitionist 60 

Member  Congress. 

M.  H.  Dunnell,  Republican 1544—  696 

Henry  R.  Wells,  Democrat 848 

W.  G.  Ward,  Republican 184 

D.  H.  Roberts,  Prohibitionist 58 

Representative — North  District. 

H.  H.  Rosebrock 845—  471 

John  Virtue 374 

Representative — South  District. 

A.  Colquhon  784—  300 

Cord  King 484 

County  Auditor. 

M.  B.  Chadwick 1640—  699 

C.  Yust 941 

Register  of  Deeds. 

E.  A.  Tyler 1645—  707 

N.  Winship 938 

County  Attorney. 

J.  M.  Burlingame 1596—  G30 

Amos  Coggswell . .  976 

Probate  Judge. 

L.  Hazen 1793—1792 


Election,  Novemhcr  8,  1881. 
Governor. 

Lucius  F.  Hubbard,  Republican 

R.  W.  Johnson,  Democrat 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Chas.  A.  GUman,  Republican 

E.  P.  Barnum,  Democrat 

State  Auditor. 
W.  W.  Braden 

R.  Lehmicke 

Secretary  of  State. 

Fred  von  Baumbach 

A.  J.  Lamberton 

State  Treasurer. 

Charles  Kittelson 

John  F.  Russell 

Attorney  General. 


W.  J.  Hahn  . 

G.  N.  Ba.xter 

Supreme  Court  Justices. 

Wm.  Mitchell 

Greenleaf  Clark 

D.  A.  Dickenson 

Chas.  E.  Vanderburg 

Clerk  of  Court. 

J.  A.  Cotter 

1.  W.  Burch ., 

Sheriff. 

Clark  Chambers 

Hugh  Murray 

County  Treasurer. 

John  A.  Cansdell 

Joseph  Birchner 

Court  Commissioner. 

L.  Hazen 

Jonas  Austin 


County  Superintendent. 


1064—438 
626 

1124—432 
692 

1139—439 
693 

1139—436 
693 

1139—436 
693 

1138—444 
694 

1834 
692 

1834 
1148 

947—  93 
854 

1004—219 

785 

1138—508 
630 

1169—519 
650 


Geo.  C.  Tanner 1793 


Dr.  H.  S.  Hill  . . . 
Dr.  E.  E.  Aukes  , 


Coroner. 


County  Surveyor. 


1025—252 
773 


John  H.  Abbott 1140 

Election,  November  7,  1882. 
Congressman. 

Milo  White,  Republican 1199—148 

A.  Biermann,  Democrat 1051 

Supreme  Court  Justice. 
James  Gilfillan .' 3366 


A.  C.  Hickman. . . 
E.  M.  Morehouse. 


State  Senator. 


H.  A.  Finch  , 
M.  Guthrie. .. 


Representative. 


119.5—137 
1068 

119.5—135 
1060 


78 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


County  Auditor. 

M.  B.  Chadwick 1279—  308 

L.  Ellington 971 

Register  of  Deeds. 

E.  A.  Tyler 1267—  273 

A.  F.  Byrne 994 

County  Attorney. 

W.  F.  Sawyer 1281—  305 

Amos  Cogg.swell 976 

Judge  of  Probate. 

L.  Hazen 2265 

Bond  Act. 

For 1026 

Against 16 

Election,  November  6,  18S3. 
Governor. 

Lucius  F.  Hubbard,  Republican 1161—  211 

Adolph  Biermann,  Democrat 950 

Chas.  E.  Holt,  Prohibitionist 86 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

C.  A.  Oilman 1223—  325 

R.  L.  Frazee 898 

C.  B.  Shove 75 

Secretary  of  State. 

F.  von  Baumbach 1205—312 

J.  J.  Green 893 

Prof.  E.G.  Paine 78 

State  Treasurer. 

C.  Kittelson 1233—  339 

John  Ludwig 894 

C.  M.  Anderson 78 

Attorney  General. 

W.  J.  Hahn 1238—  345 

J.  W.  Willis 893 

Francis  Cadwell 78 

Railroad  Commissioner. 

James  H.  Baker 1239—  345 

A.  T.  Lindholm 894 

S.  Meeker 76 

County  Treasurer. 

Soren  Peterson 1264—  348 

H.  Schmidt ,  916 

Sheriff. 

Hugh  Murray 1113—    56 

J.  Z.  Barucard.   1057 

Surveyor. 

A.M.  Mitchell 1286—1286 

Coroner. 

Dr.  H.  S.  Hill 1241—  321 

Dr.  E.  E.  Aukes 920 

Superintendent  of  Schools. 

G.  C.  Tanner 1859—1859 


No.. 
Yes. 


Amendment  to  Constitution. 


967—    14 
653 


Election,  November,  188^.. 
President. 

James  G .  Blaine,  Republican 1273—267 

Grover  Cleveland,  Democrat 1006 

J .  P .  St .  John,  Prohibitionist 49 

Justice  of  Supreme  Court. 
John  M.  Berry 2311 

Congressman . 

Milo  White,  Republican 1184—  84 

A.  Biermann,  Democrat 1100 

C .  A.  Bierce,  Prohibitionist 51 

Representative. 

J.  M.  Burlingame 1247—145 

P.  Brennan 1092 

County  Auditor. 
M.  B.  Chadwick 1313—291 

D.  E.  Austin 1022 

Register  of  Deeds. 

E.  A.  Tyler 1286—275 

C.  Yust 1011 

County  Attorney . 
W.  F.  Sawyer 1317 

Probate  Judge. 
L.  Hazen 2351 


Court  Commissioner. 


L.  Hazen. 


2340 


Coroner. 

Dr.  Harrington 1278—213 

Dr.  Morehouse 1066 

Court  House  Bonds. 

No 1017—226 

Yes 791 

This  year  there  occurred  a  tie  for  the  office  of  com- 
missioner from  the  fourth  district,  the  candidates, 
G.  W.  Kinyon  and  E.  Scannel,  each  receiving  183 
votes.     Upon  drawing  lots  Mr.  Kinyon  was  successful. 


Election,  November,  1886. 
Governor. 

A.  R.  McGill,  Republican 

A.  A.  Ames,  Democrat 

James  E.  Child,  Prohibitionist 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

A.  E.  Rice 

John  Frank 

J.  P.  Pinkham 

Secretary  of  State. 


Hans  Mattson. 
Luth  Jaeger. . 
C.  A.  Bierce. . 


W.  W.   Braden . 
Gust.  A.  Lundberg. 
H.  W.  Allen 


State  Auditor. 


1339—    49 
1290 
115 

1396—  153 
1244 
166 

1401—  109 
1233 
120 

1395—  155 
1340 
120 


State  Treasurer. 


Joseph  Bobleter 1401—  163 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


79 


H.  Poehler 1238 

P.  J.  Kniss 130 

Attorney  General. 

M.  E.  Clapp 1400—  160 

John  N.  Ives 1240 

W.  M.  Hatch 130 

Clerk  Supreme  Court. 

J.  D.  Jones 1403—  163 

T.  O'Leary 1239 

C.  A.  Fosness 144 

Member  of  Congress. 

Thos.  Wilson,  Democrat 135.5—    97 

John  A.  Lovely,  Republican 1258 

Dr.  D.  H.  Roberts,  Prohibitionist 129 

Judge  — Fifth  District. 
T.  S.  Buckham 1360—1360 

County  Auditor. 

J.C.Burke 1354—    61 

M.  B.  Chadwick 1393 

D.  McKinlay 95 

County  Treasurer. 

S.  Peterson 1439—  336 

Albert  Kasper 1203 

Geo.  Mitchell 108 

Register  of  Deeds. 

G.  E.   Sloan 1455—  373 

John  Kearney 1182 

B.  Chapin 93 

Sheriff. 

Hugh   Murray 1617—  572 

Oscar  Murphy 1045 

J.  W.  Landon 86 

County  Attorney. 

W.  A.   Sperry 1391—  117 

Amos  Coggswell 1274 

Judge  of  Probate. 

L.  Hazen 2639—2639 

Court  Commissioner. 
L.  Hazen 3639—2639 


County  Surveyor. 
A.  M.  Mitchell 2690—2690 

Coroner. 

C.  Peterson 1344—    48 

J.  H.  Adair 1296 

Clerk  District  Court. 

J.  A.  Cotter 1653—  680 

A.  M.  Kinyon 972 

Superintendent  Schools. 
G.  C.  Tanner 1607—  252 

D.  A.  McKinley 1355 

F.  D.  Sheldon 93 

State  Senator. 
C.  S.  Crandall 1322—  109 

E.  M.  Morehouse 1263 

A.  H.  Mudeking 89 

Representative. 

G.  W.  Buffum 1446—  181 

M.  Guthrie 1365 

Dexter  Smith 104 

Coimty  Commissioners. 

Theo.  Chambers,  Republican 303 —    53 

W.  P.  Hobblns,  Democrat 351 

C.  R.  Knowlton,  Prohibitionist 19 

H.  L.  Zwiener,  Republican 853 —    14 

O.  O.  Prestegaard,  Democrat 339 

F.  K.  Hickok,  Prohibitionist 16 

John  Virtue 366—    24 

W.  Rosenthall 242 

S.  Morrison 22 


G.  W".  Kinyon 205- 

Jas.  Morton 193 

E.H.Sibley 19 


12 


H.Schmidt 229—    35 

L.  L.  Bennett 194 

O.  M.  Hammond 23 


CHAPTER  XI. 


THE  COUKTS  —  CASES  —  DISTRICT  JUDGES  AND  THE  BAR 
OF  STEELE  COUNTY. 


;N  this  chapter  we  have  grouped 
together  all  that  we  could  learn 
regarding  courts,  cases  and  the 
pi  bar  of  Steele  County.  There  are 
probably  other  cases  that  would 
be  of  interest;  but  as  all  of  the 
details  must  be  gleaned  from  the 
memories  of  the  old  settlers,  there 
is  much  conflict,  and  a  number 
have  had  to  be  omitted,  because  it  has  been 
impossible  to  write  a  version  of  them  upon 
which  all  could  agree.  Another  class  of  cases 
which  had  to  be  omitted  were  those  where 
the  parties  who  were  interested,  or  their 
near  friends,  were  still  living  in  the  county, 
and  the  publication  of  details  might  give 
pain  and  cause  dispute,  for  no  lawsuit  was 
ever  tried  that  did  not  have  two  sides ;  else, 
as  Dickens  says,  in  Bardell  vs.  Pickwick, 
"why  this  suit?" 

The  first  trial  of  interest  in  the  county 
occurred  at  Owatonna,  in  the  fall  of  1855, 
before  Addison  Phelps,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed a  justice  of  the  peace  by  the  terri- 
torial governor.  It  appears  that  several 
parties  had  taken  a  claim  jointly  somewhere 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Wilton,  in  Waseca 
County  (then  a  portion  of  Steele),  and  had 
put  up  a  claim  shanty.  Several  contesting 
claimants  invaded  the  premises,  pulled  down 
the  shanty  and  jumped  the  claim.  The  first 
parties  had  the  "invaders"  arrested,  and 
four  or  five  of  them  were  brought  to  Owa- 
tonna as  prisoners  for  trial.  At  that  time 
there  were  no  available  lawyers  here,  al- 
though A.  B.  Cornell  was  on  hand  to  prose- 
cute them.     The  defendants  could  find  no 


lawyer,  and  were  feeling  pretty  blue.  They, 
together  with  about  twenty  witnesses,  were 
taken  up  to  the  Winship  House  for  supper. 
When  the  evening  stage  came  in,  a  man 
alighted  and  took  supper  at  the  hotel.  He 
overheard  their  talk  regarding  the  case,  and 
feeling  that  they  were  being  abused  he  an- 
nounced himself  as  Attorney  Onstine,  one 
of  the  ablest  lawyers  in  the  northern  part  of 
Iowa,  and  undertook  their  defense.  When 
the  case  was  called  for  trial  he  was  on  hand, 
and  a  legal  combat  of  two  days'  duration 
ensued,  resulting  in  the  acquittal  of  the 
prisoners,  who  had  shown  that  they  had  the 
best  title  to  the  claim. 

The  first  offense  committed  in  the  county 
against  "  the  peace  and  dignity  of  the  United 
States,"  as  criminal  offenses  were  designated 
in  territorial  times,  was  upon  the  part  of 
John  Duckering.  He  had  struck  a  little  fel- 
low, or  dwarf,  called  Napoleon  Boneparte, 
cutting  him  pretty  badly,  and  Boneparte 
had  Duckering  arrested,  and  fined  a  small 
amount. 

In  August  of  1857,  a  party  of  roughs, 
or,  as  the  old  settlers  termed  them,  "  border 
ruffians,"  attempted  to  "paint  the  embryo 
city  of  Owatonna  red,"  as  the  expression  of 
later  daj's  goes.  Two  men  named  BuU,  a 
man  named  Orr,  and  a  Mr.  Squires  got  to 
drinking  pretty  heavily,  and  got  into  a  row, 
after  which  they  procured  knives  and  pistols 
and  began  a  reign  of  terror  in  cleaning  out 
the  town,  marching  uj)  and  down  the  streets. 
Nearly  all  of  the  citizens  fled  for  their  lives. 
The  sheriff,David  Lindersmith,  had  been  very 
ill,  so  there  was  no  peace  officer  at  hand  ;  but 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


81 


after  consultcation  Slierifif  Lindersmitli  was 
sent  for  and  got  up  from  a  sick-bed  to  quell 
the  disturbance.  Upon  arriving  at  town,  he 
found  the  four  hnddled  together  near  Elder 
Town's  store  on  Bridge  street.  For  a  few 
minutes  they  resisted  arrest  and  one  of  them 
nearly  killed  a  bystander  with  a  rock  which 
he  drew  from  his  breast  pocket.  When  they 
were  secured  the  sheriff  took  them  to  a  hotel 
and  placed  them  under  a  guard,  while  he,  suf- 
fering a  temporary  relapse,  gave  up  and  went 
to  sleep.  At  about  daylight  the  guards  were 
changed  and  for  a  few  minutes  they  were  left 
alone  with  the  sick  sheriff,  taking  advantage 
of  which  they  all  escaped.  Parties  started 
at  once  in  pursuit  and  succeeded  in  captur- 
ing two,  while  a  third  returned  and  gave 
himself  up.  The  sheriff  was  now  determined 
to  see  that  they  did  not  escape  again.  The 
nearest  lockup  was  in  St.  Paul,  so  a  log-chain 
was  procured  and  the  prisoners  were  all  pad- 
locked together,  while  a  guard  of  two  men 
with  pistols  and  clubs  were  placed  over  them. 
Either  S.  M.  Yearly  or  G.  W.  Green  prose- 
cuted the  case,  while  the  prisoners  got  a 
Faribault  lawyer,  H.  C.  Lowell,  to  defend 
them.  An  interesting  trial  followed.  The 
Faribault  man  was  an  able  lawyer.  In  his 
argument,  he  played  upon  the  symjjathies  of 
the  jury,  referred  feelingly  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  sheriff  had  chained  the  poor  men, 
and  said  a  sheriff  who  would  be  guilty  of  so 
maltreating-  human  being-s  ought  to  be  sent 
to  jail  for  life,  etc.  As  the  sheriff  told  the 
historian,  it  changed  the  whole  course  of 
public  sentiment.  Whereas  two  hours  before 
the  citizens  favored  hanging  the  ruffians, 
they  then  wanted  to  lynch  the  sheriff.  The 
result  of  the  trial  was  the  acquittal  of  all 
the  prisoners. 

In  October,  1857,  a  case  came  before  the 
district  court  which  excited  a  great  deal  of 
interest  and  merriment  in  the  young  settle- 
ment. It  was  entitled  Jacob  Yonker  vs. 
William  ami  Dorotha  Mundt.  The  record 
shows  S.  M.  Yearly  an  attorney  for  the 
plaintiff  and  G.  W.  Green  as  attorney  for 


the  defendants.  It  appears  that  during  the 
spring  and  summer  of  1857,  Jacob  Yonker, 
the  plaintiff,  and  Minnie  Mundt,  a  daughter 
of  the  defendants,  had  been  working  at 
Winship's  hotel,  and  a  short  time  before  the 
commencement  of  this  action  they  had  taken 
a  notion  to  get  married.  Thus  far  all  was 
legal  and  right  enough.  But  it  seems  that 
Minnie  was  not  of  age  yet,  being  only  seven- 
teen, and  they  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to 
go  through  the  formality  of  getting  a  license. 
They  therefore  went  before  Elder  Town,  who, 
after  asking  them  the  usual  questions,  i)i'o- 
nounced  them  man  and  wife.  For  a  few 
days  everything  moved  along  smoothly 
enough ;  but  when  the  bride's  parents 
learned  of  it,  they  commanded  Minnie  to 
come  home,  as  she  had  married  without  their 
consent;  and  she,  being  a  dutiful  child, 
obeyed,  leaving  the  bridegroom  alone  in  his 
misery.  Yonker  took  on  terribly  for  a  while, 
and  finally,  after  getting  legal  advice,  swore 
out  papers  for  the  arrest  of  his  parents-in- 
law  for  "abducting"  his  wife.  They  were 
brought  up  by  the  sheriff,  and  when  they 
saw  the  turn  things  had  taken  they  wanted 
to  settle  it,  and  Mr.  Mundt  offered  to  pay 
Yonker  what  damage  it  had  been  to  him. 
Yonker  immediately  responded :  "  I  don'd 
vant  your  money ;  I  vant  my  Minnie ! "  In 
this  way  the  matter  was  finallj^  settled, 
Yonker  paying  costs  and  getting  "  his 
Minnie,"  while  the  old  folks  went  their  way 
in  peace ;  and  the  young  people  resumed 
their  happy  relations  as  bride  and  groom. 

Along  in  1857  and  1858  there  was  consid- 
erable litigation  growing  from  claim  matters. 
An  amusing  incident  is  related  in  relation  to 
this,  which,  barring  names,  is  about  as  fol- 
lows :  It  seems  that  a  shanty  had  disappeared 
from  one  of  the  settler's  claims ;  and,  from 
conclusive  evidence,  it  was  apparent  that  it 
had  been  stolen.  A  search  warrant  was  got 
out  and  placed  in  the  sheriff's  hands,  which 
directed  him  to  ''  seize  certain  hasswood  Inm- 
her,''  and  arrest  tlie  party  or  parties  found  in 
possession  of  the  samer    The  officer  went  to 


82 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COITNTT. 


the  place  where  the  shantj  had  stood  and 
there  found  the  tracks  of  the  \vagon  which 
the  stolen  lumber  had  been  loaded  upon. 
Following  the  track  in  a  circuitous  route  it 
finally  brought  up  at  a  little  cabin,  in  front 
of  which  was  a  nice  pile  of  shanty  lumber. 
The  sheriff  congratulated  himself,  as  the 
whole  matter  was  so  plain  as  to  leave  no 
chance  for  mistake.  Upon  examination, 
however,  the  lumber  proved  to  be  elm  and 
popple,  and,  under  the  warrant,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  seize  it.  The  officer,  therefore,  drove 
off  and  left  tlie  thief  in  possession. 

All  through  the  early  records  there  appear 
references  to  a  case  in  which  Nathaniel 
Squires,  David  Lindersmith,  the  State  of 
Minnesota,  et  al.,  are  mixed  ujj  as  plaintiffs 
and  defendants.  While  there  is  nothing 
connected  with  the  case  or  the  matters 
involved  to  make  it  of  more  than  ordinary 
interest,  yet  there  is  scarcely  an  old  settler 
in  the  county  who  will  not  be  interested  in 
an  account  of  it,  as  it  was  so  badly  mixed  at 
the  time  it  was  tried  that  scarcely  anyone 
fully  understood  the  details  from  which  the 
suit  grew.  In  the  early  part  of  1857 
Nathaniel  Squires  and  Henry  Corrigan  got 
into  a  difficulty  in  Owatonna  and  began  to 
fight  it  out.  Squires  got  Corrigan  down  and 
was  punishing  him,  when  the  sheriff,  David 
Lindersmith,  came  upon  the  ground,  and 
took  them  before  Justice  Shaw  to  see  what 
should  be  done  to  preserve  peace.  Corrigan 
made  complaint  against  Squires  and  the 
latter  was  fined  $15.  Corrigan  was  dis- 
charged, as  Squires  refused  to  make  any  com- 
plaint. Squires  had  no  money  to  pay  the 
fine,  but  they  let  him  go.  Thus  the  matter 
remained  for  some  time,  as  Squires  had  no 
property  attachable.  Finally  Squires  bought 
a  couple  of  cows  and  an  attachment  was  got 
out  and  placed  in  Sheriff  Lindersmith's 
hands  for  execution.  He  seized  one  cow  and 
took  her  home  with  him,  intending  to  have 
a  sale  at  once.  Squires  claimed  the  action 
of  the  sheriff  was  illegal,  and  that  the  cow 
was  exempt  from  execution.     He  gave  bond 


and  replevied  the  animal,  and  the  case  was 
taken  before  Justice  Se3'mour  Howe,  who 
lived  south  of  Owatonna,  to  try  title.  S.  M. 
Yearly  appeared  as  Squires'  attorney  and 
Judge  Green  defended  Lindersmith.  After 
a  jury  trial  a  verdict  for  Lindersmith  was 
returned,  and  he  at  once  secured  possession 
of  the  cow  and  took  her  to  his  home.  One 
Sunday,  the  28th  of  June,  1857,  Squires 
came  and  stole  the  cow,  taking  her  to  his 
son's,  on  Maple  Creek,  where  she  was 
butchered  immediately.  The  sheriff  got 
several  others  and  started  in  jjursuit,  arriv- 
ing at  the  "  scene  of  slaughter"  just  as  the 
beef  was  being  hung  up ;  but  as  the  other 
parties  fought,  they  finall}^  returned  without 
the  beef.  Warrants  were  sworn  out  for 
Geo.  Squires,  Joseph  Wagner  and  Philander 
Atwater  for  resisting  an  officer.  They  were 
brought  to  trial  July  1,  1857,  and  were  dis- 
charged by  the  justice  on  the  ground  that 
the  warrant  did  not  agree  with  the  com- 
plaint. They  afterward  delivered  up  the 
beef  and  the  sheriff  sold  it.  At  the  same 
time  a  warrant  was  issued  for  Nathaniel 
Squires,  on  account  of  stealing  the  cow.  He 
was  arrested  and  had  a  preliminary  exami- 
nation on  June  30,  1857,  when  he  was  bound 
over  to  appear  in  District  Court.  A  few 
weeks  later  Squires  sued  Lindersmith  for  the 
price  of  the  cow,  and  upon  a  change  of  venue 
the  case  was  taken  to  Squire  Tiffany,  in 
Havana  Township,  for  trial.  A  jury  trial 
was  had  and  a  disagreement  followed.  A 
new  trial  was  set  and  then  an  adjournment 
was  asked.  This  was  in  April,  1S58.  The 
law  fixed  thirty  days  as  the  length  of  time 
an  adjournment  could  be  had  upon  consent 
of  parties.  Judge  Green,  attorney  for  Linder- 
smith, suggested  that  the  trial  be  set  for  the 
second  Monday  in  June,  about  sixty  days  dis- 
tant, and  upon  the  others  consenting,  the  jus- 
tice entered  it  upon  the  docket  and  adjourned 
court.  S.  M.  Yearly,  attorney  for  Squires, 
discovered  the  error  almost  at  once,  but 
Green  had  taken  his  client  and  marched 
right  off.     They  had  got  about  twenty  rods 


BISTORT    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


83 


when  the  justice  called  to  them,  but  they 
replied  that  June  suited  them,  and  moved 
right  on.  The  justice  interlined  the  record 
and  changed  "June"  to  "  May."  When  the 
second  Monday  in  May  came,  Squires  and  his 
attorney  appeared,  and  as  no  one  was  present 
to  defend,  the^'  got  judgment.  In  June,  the 
defendant  appeared  with  Amos  Coggswell 
and  G.  "W.  Green  as  his  attorneys,  and 
demanded  judgment  but  the  justice  told 
them  that  the  matter  was  all  settled,  so  they 
left.  An  execution  was  got  out  on  Squires' 
judgment  a  short  time  later,  and  was  placed 
in  the  hands  of  the  coroner,  Thomas  Kenyon. 
He  refused  to  execute  it  unless  an  indemnify- 
ing bond  was  given ;  the  same  thing  occurred 
with  Mr.  WiUsey,  when  he  became  sheriff, 
and  as  no  bond  was  furnished  the  matter 
was  finally  dropped. 

The  case  of  State  of  Minnesota  vs.  L.  C. 
Gate  came  up  for  trial  at  the  July  term  of 
court  in  1859,  and  was  the  first  "  whisky 
case"  taken  to  district  court  in  Steele 
County.  Amos  Coggswell  defended  Gate. 
It  appears  that  Gate  had  been  keeping  a 
saloon  in  a  building  near  where  the  More- 
house Opera  House  block  is  now  located, 
and  was  indicted  for  selling  liquor  without 
a  license.  At  the  first  trial  he  was  found 
guilty,  but  his  attorney,  Mr.  Coggswell,  made 
a  motion  for  a  new  trial,  and  a  few  days 
before  the  second  trial  took  place,  the  de- 
fendant was  taken  sick  with  the  typhoid 
fever  and  died. 

In  the  summer  of  1859,  the  Mankato  town- 
site  cases  were  tried  here  upon  a  change  of 
venue.  Hundreds  of  them  were  docketed ; 
but  test  cases  were  made  of  the  different 
classes,  so  that  all  were  not  tried  that  were 
placed  upon  the  docket.  Some  of  the  ablest 
lawyers  in  the  State  appeared  in  these  cases, 
and  they  evoked  great  interest  throughout 
the  entire  State  at  the  time,  as  the  title  to 
about  all  of  the  city  of  Llankato  depended 
upon  the  decision.  The  gist  of  these  suits, 
as  near  as  we  have  been  able  to  learn,  was 
as    follows :     The    original    proprietors  of 


the  city  of  Mankato  had  laid  out  a  town, 
had  commenced  building,  and  property  was 
advancing  in  value.  Early  in  the  '50's,  sev- 
eral parties,  among  Avhom  are  remembered 
Messrs.  Brandson,  Moreland  and  Cole,  or- 
ganized themselves  into  a  new  company  and 
jumped  the  claims  of  the  old  proprietors  and 
the  squatters  holding  under  them,  on  the 
ground  that  the  original  claimants  had  taken 
possession  before  the  Indian  title  was  ex- 
tinguished. The  decision  was  in  favor  of  the 
old  proprietors,  or  the  squatters.  Some  of 
these  old  cases,  however,  are  in  court  yet. 

The  criminal  case  of  the  State  of  Minne- 
sota vs.  Henry  Kreigler,  which  was  tried  here 
in  December,  1860,  was  the  first  murder  trial 
ever  had  in  Steele  County.  The  case  was 
brought  here  upon  a  change  of  venue  from 
Freeborn  County,  where  the  defendant  had 
killed  Nelson  Boughton,  of  Oakvale,  that 
county.  I.  W.  Perry  and  Gordon  E.  Cole  ap- 
peared for  the  State  and  A.  Armstrong, 
Perkins  &  Perkins  and  W.  K.  Kinyon  ap- 
peared for  the  defendant.  After  a  lengthy 
and  interesting  trial,  a  jury  returned  a  verdict 
against  the  prisoner  of  "  murder  in  the  first 
degree,"  and  the  court  sentenced  him  to  be 
hung.  He  was  taken  to  Albert  Lea  where 
the  sentence  was  executed.  This  was  the 
first  case  of  hanging  in  southern  Minnesota, 
and  the  writer  believes  the  onlj^  one  that  has 
occurred  in  the  history  of  this  part  of  the 
State  under  sentence  of  a  court.  Many 
thought  then,  and  still  believe,  that  the  de- 
fendant in  this  case  was  insane.  Kreigler 
was  a  German  and  could  speak  but  little 
English,  but  his  actions  throughout  the  trial 
indicated  plainly  that  he  was  either  crazy  or 
half-witted,  or  was  feigning  very  naturally. 
He  would  dance,  in  his  chains,  all  the  way 
from  the  jail  to  the  court  house,  and  in  a 
dozen  other  ways  his  actions  were  those  of 
insanity. 

The  case  of  State  of  Minnesota  vs.  Eliza  J. 
Brown  appears  on  the  criminal  calendar  of 
the  April  term  of  court  in  18(52.  It  was  a 
case  of  considerable  interest  in  those  days 


84 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


and  raised  quite  an  excitement.  It  seems 
that  Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Brown  had  located  upon 
a  iarm  in  Merton  To\vnship  and  was  en- 
gaged in  working  it.  She  had  several  chil- 
dren, among  whom  was  a  daughter;  and 
she  employed  a  hired  man  to  help  run  the 
place.  As  time  ran  along  Mrs.  Brown  got 
suspicious  of  the  fellow's  attentions  to  her 
daughter,  and  finally  determined  to  kill  him. 
So  one  day,  on  the  pretense  of  having  re- 
pairs made,  she  got  him  into  the  cistern,  and 
then  opened  hostilities.  She  threw  fiat-irons, 
shovels,  stones  and  everything  she  could  lift 
in  upon  him,  and  tried  to  brain  him  with 
clubs  and  pitchforks.  The  cistern,  however, 
was  boarded  up  so  that  he  could  partially 
get  out  of  her  reach.  When  he  would  thus 
take  refuge,  she  would  pour  hot  water  in 
upon  him,  and  drive  him  out  and  then  resort 
to  her  clubs  and  flat-irons.  When  he  would 
jump  and  catch  the  top  to  lift  himself  out, 
she  had  the  ax  handy  and  would  chop  at  his 
hands.  Luckily,  some  one  happened  along 
before  she  had  killed  him,  and  got  the  fellow 
out.  The  cistern  was  a  sight  after  the  bat- 
tle, filled  with  her  implements  of  warfare. 
A  warrant  was  sworn  out  and  Mrs.  Brown 
was  arrested.  She  secured  H.  C.  Lowell, 
of  Faribault,  as  attorney  to  defend  her, 
while  G.  W.  Green  and  S.  M.  Yearly  ap- 
peared for  the  State.  She  waived  examin- 
ation and  the  case  came  up  for  trial  in  April, 
1862,  in  District  Court,  before  Judge  Donald- 
son. A  large  number  of  witnesses  were 
present  from  the  Merton  neighborhood,  and 
a  good  deal  of  feeling  was  worked  up  over 
the  case.  The  theory  of  the  defense  was 
that  the  mother  was  justified  and  it  seems 
that  they  supported  it  well,  for  the  trial  re- 
sulted in  a  verdict  of  acquittal.  The  case 
was  severely  contested.  The  injured  man 
was  laid  up  for  nearly  a  year  with  his 
wounds. 

The  case  of  State  of  Minnesota  vs.  John 
Ryan,  which  was  tried  at  the  spring  term  of 
district  court  in  1868,  was  one  of  the  most 
important  murder  trials  in  the  history  of  the 


county.  The  defendant  had  killed  Thomas 
Dorsey,  the  details  of  the  tragedy  being 
about  as  follows :  Eyan  had  been  here 
through  1866-7,  working  on  the  raih-oad,  and 
when  the  railroad  was  built  west  to  Waseca, 
he  went  with  the  construction  party.  On 
the  ith-of  July,  1807,  a  celebration  was  held 
at  Owatonna,  and  Ryan,  with  others,  came 
back  to  attend.  In  a  saloon  he  met  Thomas 
Dorsey  and  invited  him  to  drink,  but  Dorsey 
refused,  upon  which  a  quarrel  ensued.  Ryan 
would  not  let  the  matter  drop,  but  followed 
Dorsey  out,  determined  to  fight.  Later  Dor- 
sey hid  in  a  lumber-yard,  and  Ryan,  learnmg 
of  his  whereabouts,  procured  a  knife  and 
hunted  him  out.  In  the  struggle  that  en- 
sued Ryan  stabbed  Dorsey  several  times,  in- 
flicting wounds  from  which  the  latter  soon 
died.  Ryan  was  tried,  found  guilty,  and  on 
the  22d  of  April,  1868,  was  sentenced  to  be 
hung.  The  scafl'olding  was  nearly  completed, 
when  the  governor  commuted  his  sentence 
to  imprisonment  for  life.  Ryan  was  a  vi- 
cious, ill-tempered  and  dangerous  man,  and, 
even  in  prison,  was  not  allowed  to  mingle 
with  the  other  convicts.  He  finally  lost  his 
reason,  and  on  April  2,  1883,  he  was  par- 
doned by  Gov.  Hubbard  and  released. 

At  the  April  term  in  1868  an  interesting 
case  was  tried,  entitled  State  vs.  Joseph 
Young.  Young  was  a  farmer,  living  on 
section  36,  in  Owatonna  Township.  It  seems 
that  a  couple  of  young  men  from  Owatonna 
were  driving  past  his  place,  after  having 
been  chicken-hunting  in  Aurora  Township, 
when  Young's  dog  ran  out  and  followed, 
barking  and  annoying  them.  They  either 
killed,  or  seriously  shot,  the  dog,  and  Young, 
who  was  plowing  in  the  field  near  by,  ran 
wp  to  the  buggy  and  pulled  one  of  the  young 
men  out,  at  the  same  time  stabbing  him. 
Young  was  found  guilty  and  fined  $150  and 
costs.  Amos  Coggswell  defended,  and  J.  B. 
Searles  prosecuted. 

The  case  of  State  of  Minnesota  vs.  Will- 
iam Sterling,  which  was  tried  in  April,  1869, 
was  of  considerable  interest.     It  was  prose- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


87 


cuted  by  Gordon  E.  Cole  and  J.  B.  Searles, 
and  Gov.  Gorman  and  Amos  Coggswell  were 
attorneys  for  the  defendant.  A  short  time 
previous  to  the  time  when  this  case  was 
tried,  Dr.  Duvall,  a  faith  doctor,  or  one  that 
professed  to  cure  by  "  laying  on  of  hands," 
had  located  at  Owatonna,  and  was  stopping 
with  William  Sterling,  who  was  then  in  the 
lumber  business.  After  a  few  weeks  of 
courtship  he  was  married  to  Mr.  Sterling's 
sister-in-law.  Some  of  the  boj's  about  town 
decided  to  charivari  the  newly-married  cou- 
ple, and  they  repaired  to  the  house  of 
William  Sterling,  where  the  pair  were  stop- 
ping, with  a  full  orchestra  of  horse-fiddles, 
tin-pans,  etc.  The  concert  had  progressed 
but  a  few  minutes,  when  Mr.  Sterling  stepped 
to  the  window  with  a  gun  in  his  hand  and 
fired  into  the  midst  of  the  serenading  party, 
seriously  wounding  John  Heisch,  one  of  the 
Ijoys.  Sterling  was  indicted  by  the  grand 
jury,  tried,  found  guilty  and  fined  a  small 
amount.  The  doctor  was  also  indicted,  but 
was  acquitted  upon  triaL  The  injured  man 
recovered,  and  is  still  a  resident  of  Owa- 
tonna. The  doctor  afterward  removed  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  poisoned  his  wife,  was 
tried,  found  guiltj^  and  sentenced  to  the 
penitentiary  for  life. 

The  case  of  State  of  Minnesota  vs.  John 
Murray,  for  the  murder  of  Mr.  Hickey,  was 
tried  in  April,  1870,  and  attracted  wide  at- 
tention. Murray  had  come  to  Owatonna  as 
a  railroad  hand  in  1866,  and  early  in  the 
spring  of  1870  was  living  in  Owatonna, 
a  short  distance  from  Hickey's  place.  Their 
families  became  involved  in  a  quarrel,  and 
the  men  took  it  up.  One  day  they  met  over 
a  pup|)le-pole  fenpe,  which  bounded  Hickey's 
lot,  and  after  some  words  Murra}'  seized  a 
pole  from  the  fence  and  dealt  Hickey  a  blow 
over  the  head  which  caused  his  death.  Mur- 
ray was  placed  in  jail,  and  when  arraigned 
in  district  court  plead  "not  guilty."  The 
case  was  prosecuted  by  J.  B.  Searles, 
county  attorney,  assisted  by  Att'y-Gen.  Cor- 
nell.    The  defendant  was  ably  represented 


by  Amos  Coggswell.  The  trial  resulted  in 
a  verdict  of  guilty,  and  the  defendant  was 
sentenced  to  six  years  in  the  penitentiary. 
After  serving  about  three  years,  however, 
he  was  pardoned  by  the  governor. 

The  case  of  State  of  Minnesota  vs.  Samuel 
E.  Henry  was  the  most  important  trial  dur- 
ing the  December  term,  1874.  Henry  had 
committed  rape  upon  a  young  girl  at  Bloom- 
ing Prairie.  Amos  Coggswell  and  J.  M. 
Burlingame  appeared  for  the  State,  and  L. 
L.  Wheelock  and  an  attorney  from  Decorah, 
Iowa,  defended  the  man.  After  an  inter- 
esting trial  he  was  convicted  and  sentenced 
to  twenty  j'ears  in  the  penitentiary.  He 
served  about  six  years  of  his  sentence  when 
he  was  pardoned  by  the  governor. 

The  State  of  Minnesota  vs.  M.  Keefe  was 
a  criminal  case  called  for  the  June  term, 
1875.  The  defendant  had  got  into  a  row 
with  a  Norwegian  named  Oleson  at  Bloom- 
ing Prairie,  during  which  he  cut  him  up 
pretty  badly.  J.  M.  Burlingame  prosecuted 
and  Amos  Coggswell  defended.  The  pris- 
oner was  found  guilty  and  fined  $500. 

In  June,  1876,  John  Linhardt  was  brought 
before  Judge  Donaldson  on  the  charge  of 
forgery.  It  appears  that  he  had  forged  the 
name  of  J.  A.  Oppliger  to  an  order  for  $50 
on  the  First  National  Bank  and  passed  the 
same.  He  was  arrested  at  Rochester,  brought 
back  and  held  until  the  grand  jury,  which 
was  m  session  at  the  time,  indicted  him, 
and  he  plead  guilty  and  was  sentenced 
to  two  years  in  the  penitentiary.  He 
returned  all  of  the  money  except  $10.25, 
having  been  arrested  on  the  same  day  that 
he  committed  the  crime.  He  was  tried, 
convicted  and  sentenced  within  forty-eight 
hours  after  he  passed  the  order. 

A  serious  stabbing  aflfray  occurred  in  the 
town  of  Somerset,  in  June,  1877,  the  cir- 
cumstances of  which  as  related  by  one  side 
were  as  follows :  Frank  Herdina,  father, 
two  sons  and  another  man,  left  town  on  that 
day,  just  enough  imbued  with  whisky  to 
make  them  very  quarrelsome  and  easily  irri- 


88 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTT. 


tated.  W.  K.  Knickerbocker,  wife,  child 
and  a  man  named  Barker  soon  followed  them, 
and  when  about  five  miles  south,  Mr.  Knick- 
erbocker drove  by  the  Herdinas,  who  had 
two  teams  partly  loaded  with  lumber.  Mr. 
K.  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  by  them 
when  they  gave  chase,  galloping  their  horses 
to  catch  up.  Soon  Mr.  Knickerbocker's  little 
boy's  hat  blew  oif  and  Mr.  Barker  jumped 
out  to  get  it.  The  Herdinas  at  this  juncture 
came  up  and  jiounced  onto  Barker,  and  with 
large,  two-bladed  pocket-knives,  the}'  cut  a 
gash  to  the  bone,  about  eight  inches  long,  in 
the  calf  of  the  right  leg ;  they  tried  to  cut 
him  in  the  left  breast  and  would  no  doubt 
have  pierced  his  heart,  had  it  not  been  for  a 
large  pocketbook  in  his  inside  vest  pocket, 
which  was  cut  through  several  times,  the 
points  of  the  blades  entering  the  flesh.  Mr. 
Knickerbocker,  who  was  a  strong  man,  see- 
ing these  barbarous  actions,  went  to  the 
i^escue  and  knocked  two  of  the  assailants 
senseless,  when  the  other  two  pounced  on 
his  back,  cutting  him  severely  and  driving 
the  knife  into  his  shoulder  up  to  the  hilt,  and 
breaking  off  the  point  in  the  shoulder.  With 
a  powerful  exertion  Mr.  Knickerbocker  freed 
himself  and  grabbing  Barker  threw  him  into 
the  wagon  and  jumping  in  himself  drove 
rapidly  away.  He  soon  came  to  Justice 
Pike's  residence  and  Mr.  Knickerbocker 
fainted  upon  getting  out.  Mr.  Pike  immedi- 
ately ordered  the  arrest  of  the  offenders,  and 
in  company  with  Oscar  Gross  succeeded  in 
capturing  the  three  Herdinas  and  delivered 
them  to  the  sheriff  the  same  night.  Consta- 
ble Tiffany  went  out  the  next  morning 
and  captured  the  fourth  man.  Mr.  Knicker- 
bocker was  cut  in  the  arm  beside  the  shoul- 
der gash.  Mr.  Barker,  who  was  only  twenty 
years  old,  was  cut  thirteen  times,  and  for 
some  time  his  recovery  was  doubtful.  The 
prisoners  were  arraigned  before  Judge  Don- 
aUlson  and  bound  over  in  the  sum  of  $500 
each  to  appear  at  the  December  term  of 
court,  in  1877.  When  the  case  was  called 
for  trial  a  number  of  important  additional 


facts  were  developed.  From  the  evidence  it 
appeared  that  the  two  parties  had  had  some 
trouble  before  leaving  the  city,  and  Bailey, 
one  of  the  Knickerbocker  party  had  "  pulled 
his  coat"  and  dared  the  others  to  fight  him. 
Also,  that  Barker  had  thrown  a  stone 
knocking  the  old  man  Herdina  down  before 
the  trouble  I'eally  commenced,  and  that  the 
Bohemians  had  responded,  knocking  Mr. 
Knickerbocker  down.  Barker  was  forced 
backward  into  a  ditch,  falling  and  pulling 
Herdina  Avith  him.  Herdina's  son  tried  to 
use  the  knife  on  Barker,  cutting  him  as  well 
as  his  own  father  quite  severely.  The  jury 
was  made  up  wholl}'  of  Americans,  not  a 
a  Bohemian  being  allowed  to  sit  upon  it. 
They  returned  a  verdict  of  guilty  in  each 
case  and  the  prisoners  were  sentenced  as  fol- 
lows: Kroulik  to  one  year  in  the  county 
jail ;  Frank  Herdina,  Sr.,  to  one  year  in  the 
penitentiary ;  Frank  Herdina,  Jr.,  two  years 
in  the  penitentiary,  and  Adolph  Herdina  to 
four  years  in  the  penitentiary.  The  case  was 
prosecuted  by  J.  M.  Burlingame  and  de- 
fended by  Amos  Coggswell. 

After  sentence  was  rendered  in  the  Her- 
dina matter,  the  case  of  Frank  Herdina, 
Sr.,  was  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court  on 
appeal,  and  a  stay  of  judgment  granted  to 
await  decision.  In  the  higher  court  the  case 
was  ably  contested,  and  finally'  ended  in  the 
sentence  of  District  Court  being  sustained. 
The  syllabus  of  the  decision  was  as  follows : 

"  State  of  Minnesota,  respondent,  vs.  Frank 
Herdina,  Sr.,  et.  al.,  appellants.  A  par- 
ent has  no  right  to  protect  his  child  in  the 
commission  of  a  crime.  To  convict  of 
an  assault  with  a  dangerous  weapon,  with 
intent  to  do  great  bodily  harm,  one  who 
comes  to  the  assistance  of  the  person  holding 
the  weapon,  it  is  not  necessary  that  he 
should  have  aided  in  the  previous  arming 
of  such  person. 

"  Evidence  merely  that  the  defendant  was 
drunk  when  he  joined  one  in  committing  an 
assault,  without  any  evidence  of  the  condi- 
tion of  his  mind,  or  that  he  was  too  drunk 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


89 


to  reason  or  know  right  from  wrong,  will 
not  require  a  charge  to  the  jury  that  if 
defendant  was  so  drunk  that  he  did  not 
know  what  he  was  doing,  they  should  find 
for  the  defendant.     Order  aifirmed." 

Shortly  after  the  commencement  of  the 
criminal  cases  William  F.  Barkei-  began  a 
civil  action  against  Frank  Herdina,  Sr., 
et.  al.,  for  $1,500  damages.  A  verdict  for 
$750  was  returned  against  Frank  Herdina, 
Sr.,  and  Adolph  Herdina.-  In  the  actions 
against  Frank  Herdina,  Jr.,  and  John 
Kroulik,  verdicts  for  the  defendants  were 
rendered. 

Mr.  Knickerbocker  began  similar  civil 
suits  in  which  damages  were  laid  at  $1,000. 
Verdicts  were  rendered  for  plaintiff  in  the  sum 
of  $675  against  Frank  Herdina,  Sr.,  Frank 
Herdina,  Jr,  and  Adolph  Herdina,  and  for  the 
defendant  in  the  case  against  John  Kroulik. 

In  June,  1878,  the  criminal  calendar  con- 
tained a  case  entitled  State  of  Minnesota  vs. 
Claude  Van  Alstyne,  the  grand  jury  having 
indicted  him  during  the  latter  part  of  May. 
When  the  case  was  called  the  defendant  put 
in  a  plea  of  "  not  guilty,"  and  Judge  Amos 
Cogo'swell  and  Hon.  L.  L.  Wheelock  were 
appointed  to  conduct  the  defense,  while 
Judge  A.  C.  Hickman  assisted  the  county 
attorney,  J.  M.  Burlingame,  in  the  prosecu- 
tion. The  trial  was  one  of  great  interest, 
and  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  important 
in  the  history  of  the  county.  Claude  Van 
Alstyne  was  a  young  man  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  a  native  of  Belvidere,  111.,  but 
had  lived  for  a  number  of  years  in  But- 
ler, Bates  County,  Mo.  He  came  from 
there  to  Minnesota.  A  short  time  before 
the  crime  was  committed  he  came  from 
Eochester  and  began  working  for  Isaac  Tur- 
telot,  at  Owatonna,  taking  out  ice  from 
Straight  River.  On  the  15th  of  February, 
1878,  he,  together  with  Phocion  Turtelot,  a 
son  of  his  employer,  Lewis  Arnold,  L. 
Stevens,  F.  Davis  and  James  Atchison  were 
at  work  upon  the  ice.  Phocion  Turtelot,  it 
appears,   assumed  a  sort  of  general  charge 


of  the  work,  and  coming  up  to  where  Van 
Alstyne  was  at  work  they  got  into  a  quarrel, 
in  which  the  defendant  struck  Phocion  with 
an  ice-hook,  killing  him.  There  were  two 
sides  to  the  quarrel,  as  is  usual  in  these  sad 
tragedies,  and  we  here  give  as  near  as  possi- 
ble both  sides :  The  witnesses  for  the  pros- 
ecution all  agreed  upon  about  the  following 
state  of  facts  :  "Defendant  was  hooking  on 
the  grappling  hooks  for  the  horse  to  pull  out 
the  ice.  Phocion  went  to  breaking  the  ice, 
and  Van  Alstyne  told  him  to  stop.  Phocion 
said,  '  I  won't  do  it.'  Defendant  said,  '  If 
you  break  it,  you  can  draw  it  up  yourself.' 

Phocion   replied   that,   'bj'  ,  he  would 

break  it,'  and  told  him  :  '  It's  none  of  your 
business ;  who  is  boss  here  ? '  Defend- 
ant said, '  It  don't  make  a bit  of  difference. 

I  am  running  this  part  of  the  business  myself.' 
Phocion  again  replied  that  he  would  break 
it.  Defendant  stepped  up  toward  him  and 
pushed  him,  and  Phocion  jumped  back  on  a 
cake  of  floating  ice,  then  back  to  the  bank, 
and  seizing  a  bar  says  to  the  defendant :  '  I'll 
beat  your  life  or  brains  out.'  Some  of  the 
other  workmen  put  in  a  few  words  at  about 
this  time.  But  a  second  later  and  Van 
Alstyne  struck  Phocion  on  the  head  with  the 
ice-hook.  He  then  pulled  out  the  hook. 
Phocion  got  up  after  a  few  minutes,  made 
his  way  to  the  wagon  and  was  taken  home. 
He  died  from  the  effects  of  the  blow,  on  the 
22d  of  February,  1878."  Some  of  the  wit- 
nesses for  the  State  claimed  that  Van 
Alstyne  struck  two  blows.  The  blow  fract- 
ured the  skull  the  hook  having  penetrated 
the  skull  about  two  inches,  from  which  the 
brains  slowly  oozed. 

The  theory  advanced  by  the  defense  was 
that  the  act  was  justifiable  under  the  circum- 
stances. The  substance  of  the  evidence  in- 
troduced by  the  defense  is  clearly  shown  in 
the  testimony  of  Claude  Van  Alstyne,  the 
defendant.  Condensed,  it  was  about  as  fol- 
lows :  "  I  was  not  acquainted  with  Turtelot 
before  I  came  here.  I  went  to  work  for  hnn 
the  day  after  I  got  here,  on  the  ice.     On  the 


90 


HISTOEY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


day  mentioned  there  were  there  beside  my- 
self, Atchison,  Davis,  Stevens  and  Arnold. 
Tm-telot  was  there  about  one  hour.  I  did 
not  see  him  leave.  He  set  me  to  hitching  on 
the  grapples  to  haul  ice  onto  the  platform. 
He  had  me  at  that  about  nine  days.  He 
said  that  morning,  I  was  to  keep  at  that 
work,  as  no  other  man  he  could  get  could  do 
the  work  I  did  on  that  platform.  When 
Phocion  was  breaking  the  ice,  I  said : 
'  Don't  break  that  ice !  If  you  do  you 
will  have  to  draw  it  up  yourself.'  I 
had  the  grapples  in  my  left  hand  and  the 
pick  I  always   carried  in   my   right.      He 

said:  '  It's  none  of  your business ! 

I'll  do  as  I  please;  the  ice  don't  belong  to  you.' 
I  had  no  idea  or  intention  of  striking  him. 
I  pushed  him  with  my  hand  so  that  he  lost 
his  balance.    He  turned  right  around  and  said : 

'  I'll  smash  the ■-  life  out  of  you !' 

When  he  raised  the  bar,  I  said:  '  Don't  you 
strike  me  with  that  bar  !'  and  I  backed  up 
as  far  as  I  could  get.  I  told  him  three  or 
four  times  not  to  strike  me,  and  he  struck 
at  me  with  it.  I  dodged  or  it  would  have 
hit  my  head ;  instead  it  hit  my  arm.  He 
had  the  bar  raised  to  strike  me  again,  and  I 
struck  him  with  the  pick.  I  meant  to  strike 
him  with  the  stick.  I  didn't  notice  how  I 
struck  him.  My  object  was  to  strike  him 
and  then  get  away  from  him.  I  did  it  to 
defend  myself.  That  was  all  the  object  1 
had.  He  fell  on  his  knees  and  then  fell  over 
on  his  right  elbow.  As  he  fell  I  let  go  the 
pick  handle  and  stepped  back.  Then  I  saw 
it  was  in  his  head,  and  I  took  hold  of  it  and 
raised  it  out  of  his  head.  Then  I  took  it  and 
the  bar  and  laid  them  on  the  ice,  I  guess  ten 
or  fifteen  feet  away.  I  think  I  stood  and 
looked  at  him  till  he  got  up— as  much  as  a 
minute.  Then  I  stepped  over  to  Davis  and 
Atchison;  I  was  pretty  badly  excited  at  that 
time."  Tlie  judge  here  asked  the  question: 
"  Couldn't  you  have  got  out  of  there  as  fast 
as  Phocion  could? "  to  which  the  defendant 
replied;  "  Not  with(jut  turning  my  back  on 
him,  and  he  would  luive  struck  me  behind." 


In  Judge  Lord's  charge  to  the  jury,  among 
many  other  important  and  interesting  points 
of  law  set  forth,  were  the  following :  "  .  .  . 
There  is  no  dispute  but  that  the  defendant 
struck  Turtelot  with  this  instrument,  a  blow 
upon  the  head,  on  the  15th  of  February, 
1878,  and  that  blow  resulted  in  his  death. 
The  first  question  is :  Whether  that  blow 
was  criminal  or  not  ?  It  is  claimed  on  the 
part  of  the  defendant  that  he  was  justified 
in  striking  that  blow.  Now  a  party  has  a 
right  to  defend  himself,  and  he  has  a  right 
to  use  such  a  degree  of  force  as  may  be  nec- 
essary to  defend  himself,  and  if  a  felonious 
assault  is  made  upon  him  he  has  a  right,  if 
necessary  in  protecting  himself,  to  take  the 
life  of  his  assailant ;  but  he  has  no  right 
unless  it  is  necessary.  This  right  of  self- 
defense  is  limited  to  the  necessity.  It  is  the 
duty  of  the  party  assailed  to  get  away  if  he 
can.  The  mere  circumstances  of  an  assault 
being  made  upon  him  does  not  justify  his 
assaulting  the  other  party  if  he  can  get  away. 
Now,  in  considering  whether  this  killing 
was  necessary,  in  order  to  defend  himself, 
look  at  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  the 
situation  of  the  parties,  and  their  relative 
ability  to  defend  themselves  from  assault; 
and  consider  whether,  in  fact,  this  blow  was 
given  in  self-defense,  or  whether  it  was 
given  for  the  purpose  of  killing,  or  for  the  pur- 
pose of  a  lesser  assault  than  that ;  whether 
it  was  not  rather  an  attack  upon  Turtelot 
than  an  act  of  self-defense.  You  will  find 
from  the  general  circumstances  whether  this 
defendant  was  in  any  real  danger  of  injury 
if  he  had  stepped  away  and  let  Turtelot 
alone  ;  and  then,  further,  whether  it  was  nec- 
essary to  strike  such  a  bloAV  as  he  did, 
supposing  Turtelot  was  coming  at  him  with 
that  bar  and  he  standing  there  defending 
himself.  ..." 

The  jury  returned  a  verdict  of  guilty  of 
manslaughter  in  the  second  degree  after  a 
short  absence  from  the  court-room,  and  the 
prisoner  was  sentenced  to  the  State  peniten- 
tiary for  life.      He  remained  in  prison  until 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


91 


the  spring  of  1884,  when  he  was  pardoned 
by  the  governor. 

An  interesting  case  was  tried  at  the 
December  term  of  court,  1881.  It  was  enti- 
tled, Joseph  Kaplan  vs.  C,  M.  &  St.  P.  E. 
R.  Co.  It  was  an  action  brought  to  recover 
$5,000  damages  for  the  killing  of  the  plain- 
tiff's little  seven-year-old  daughter  by  the 
defendants'  train  in  June,  1881.  Judge  A. 
C.  Hickman  appeared  for  the  plaintiff,  and 
Gordon  E.  Cole  for  the  defendants.  A 
struck  jury  was  empaneled,  who  brought  in 
a  verdict  for  the  defendants. 

On  Friday  night,  September  12,  1884,  just 
about  the  time  the  Barrett  circus,  which  had 
just  given  a  performance,  was  breaking  up, 
John  Blair,  a  special  policeman,  arrested  a 
woman  supposed  to  belong  to  the  circus.  He 
started  up  Cedar  street  and  when  near  Pot- 
ter's lumber  yard  a  man  ran  against  him,  and 
turned  to  ask  why  Blair  had  run  into  him. 
Blair  replied  that  he  did  not,  when  they  had 
some  words  and  the  man  struck  Blair  on  the 
side  of  the  head  with  a  heavy  club.  The 
blow  felled  Blair  and  the  miscreant  disap- 
peared in  the  darkness.  Blair  was  helped 
home  and  died  the  following  morning. 
Sheriff  Murray,  in  company  with  one  of  the 
parties  who  saw  the  blow  struck,  followed 
the  circus  to  Rochester  on  the  13th,  for  the 
purpose  of  looking  over  the  employes  of  the 
show  for  the  murderer.  They  soon  found 
him  in  the  person  of  James  Jacobs,  and  he 
Avas  arrested  and  brought  to  Owatonna  the 
same  evening. 

The  case  of  State  against  James  Jacobs 
came  to  trial  at  the  January  term  of  court, 
1885,  Judge  Thomas  S.  Buckham,  pi-esid- 
ing.  The  State  was  represented  by  W.  F. 
Saw3'er,  county  attorney,  and  the  defense  by 
Judge  Amos  Coggswell.  After  a  number  of 
challenges,  the  following  jury  was  selected 
to  try  the  case :  Lewis  Burns,  of  Berlin  ;  T. 
T.  Nelson,  of  Havana ;  H.  Wentworth, 
Henry  Ribbe,  D.  W.  Hines,  of  Aurora;  M. 
Guthrie,  of  Blooming  Brairie  ;  W.  J.  Ellis, 
of    Havana;    Frank  McCauley     and   Cord 


King,  of  Aurora ;  Frank  Carlton,  of  Merton  ; 
John  Lippert,  of  Meriden ;  and  L.  C.  Peters, 
of  Berlin. 

The  following  account  of  the  trial,  taken 
from  one  of  the  city  papers,  goes  sufficiently 
into  detail,  and  is  given  in  full :  "  James 
Jacobs,  the  prisoner,  was  then  brought  into 
court.  The  first  witness  called  on  part  of 
State  was  C.  C.  Garvey,  of  Minneapolis,  who 
saw  the  blow  struck,  and  who  heard  quarrel 
between  John  L.  Blair  and  James  Jacobs. 
The  next  witness  was  Edward  Austin,  of 
Owatonna,  who  repeated  the  story  of  the 
murder.  Dr.  L.  L.  Bennett  was  next  called, 
he  having  had  the  custody  of  the  weapon 
(the  heavy  stick)  with  which  Policeman  ' 
Blair  was  struck.  Mr.  Andrew  Meehan,  of 
Owatonna,  was  called  and  testified  to  what 
he  saw  and  heard.  Mr.  A.  McCumber, 
of  "Winona  County,  was  next  sworn.  He 
testified  that  he  attended  the  concert  after 
the  circus  was  out.  After  the  concert  he 
went  over  to  see  the  circus  men  load  their 
wagons  on  the  train.  While  there,  he  saw  a 
gathering  on  or  near  sidewalk  between  rail- 
road tracks  on  opposite  side  of  street.  He 
ran  over  to  within  about  fifteen  feet.  He 
saw  Jacobs  with  a  club  in  his  hand  and 
Policeman  Blair  raise  and  jjoint  his  pistol  at 

him  twice;   heard  prisoner  say,  ' 

you !  put  up  that  pistol  or  I'll  kill  you.'  The 
prisoner  had  just  drawn  club  from  under  his 
arm  or  coat.  Jacobs  then  turned  and  blew 
a  whistle  he  took  from  his  pocket,  when 
those  loading  the  wagons  dropped  work  and 
ran  over  toward  Jacobs.  Blair  put  his  hand 
back  in  coat  pocket  with  pistol,  and  turned 
and  began  to  walk  south,  when  the  prisoner 
took  a  few  steps  forward,  probably  fifteen  or 
twenty  feet,  and  struck  Blair  on  side  of  head, 
holding  club  in  both  hands,  knocking  him 
into  the  ditch,  where  he  fell.  He  got  up  in 
about  a  minute  and  began  to  reel  across  the 
street,  when  two  men  took  him  off.  The 
witness,  Garvey,  testified  that  he  saw  girl  get 
up  and  run  out  of  circus  and  taking  prisoner 
by  the  arm  walked  off  with  him.     Also  saw 


92 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


Saw   big 


Blair  come  and  take  her  away, 
man  at  crossing,  with  club  under  his  arm, 
brush  against  Policeman  Blair.  Prisoner 
swore  and  told  Blair  that  he  had  run  into 
him  once  too  often.  Some  one  shouted, 
'arrest  man  with  club,'  after  which  Mr. 
Garvey's  testimony  agreed  substantially 
with  Mr.  McCumber's.  This  was  the  sub- 
stance of  the  evidence  introduced  by  the 
State. 

The  defense  introduced  a  number  of  depo- 
sitions, taken  in  "Warsaw,  Ind.,  showing  the 
good  character,  steady  habits  and  worth  of 
James  Jacobs  when  he  worked  there  a  num- 
ber of  years  ago.  A  number  of  depositions 
were  also  read  taken  before  a  justice  of  the 
peace  in  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.  These  certified 
to  his  good  character  during  the  winters 
when  he  worked  around  there,  he  having 
been  away  traveling  with  some  circus  each 
summer.  The  defense  had  a  railway  con- 
ductor sworn,  who  testified  that  he  saw 
Jacobs  at  his  work  as  usual  about  fifteen 
minutes  after  the  concert  was  concluded. 
The  prisoner  also  testified  in  his  own  behalf, 
denying  that  he  went  off  with  the  girl,  also 
stating  that  he  never  saw  her  until  he  saw 
her  in  jail.  He  stated  that  Blair  pulled  a 
revolver  and  threatened  to  shoot  him ;  and 
that  Blair  had  his  revolver  leveled  when  the 
prisoner  sti'uck  him.  Attorney  Sawyer  made 
an  able  plea  to  the  jury  on  behalf  of  the 
State,  endeavoring  to  convince  them  that  the 
prisoner  was  guilty  of  willful,  premeditated 
murder  as  charged  in  the  indictment.  Judge 
Coggswell,  on  the  part  of  the  defense,  made 
a  strong  and  convincing  argument,  review- 
ing every  phase  of  the  case.  The  jury  after 
an  absence  of  a  few  hours  brought  in  a  ver- 
dict of  "guilty  of  manslaughter  in  the  fourth 
degree."  The  judge  sentenced  him  to  State 
penitentiary  for  the  term  of  four  years,  the 
longest  period  provided  by  law  for  that 
degree  of  crime.  This  verdict  gave  a  good 
deal  of  dissatisfaction,  as  it  was  felt  that  the 
prisoner  had  not  I'eceived  the  punishment  he 
deserved.     The  night  he  was  brought  back 


from  Rochester,  feeling  ran  high  and  he 
narrowly  escaped  lynching.  A  large  crowd 
had  assembled  at  the  depot  to  meet  the  train 
that  was  to  bring  the  prisoner  in,  and  the 
desire  for  lynching  seemed  almost  unani- 
mous. II.  M.  Hastings,  seeing  the  danger, 
telegi'aphed  the  sheriff,  Hugh  Murray,  who 
had  charge  of  the  prisoner,  and  it  was 
arranged  to  stop  the  train  out  of  town  and 
convey  the  prisoner  secretly  to  the  jail. 
Later  the  crowd  assembled  at  the  jail,  crying 
"  hang  him  !  hang  him  ! ''  but  Sheriff  Murray 
made  a  timely  and  appropriate  speech,  cool- 
ing them  down  and  warning  them  against 
attempting  to  take  the  law  in  their  own 
hands,  and  the  gathering  finally  dispersed. 
Great  credit  is  due  to  Mr.  Murray  and  Mr. 
Hastings  for  their  management  of  the  affair. 
At  the  June  term,  1S85,  was  tried  the  case 
of  State  of  Minnesota  vs.  William  A^an 
Kuden,  one  of  the  most  important  murder 
trials  in  the  history  of  Steele  County.  The 
details  connected  with  the  tragedy  from 
which  the  case  grew  are  susceptible  of  many 
various  and  conflicting  versions,  the  friends 
of  the  deceased  man,  John  Lehman,  as  well 
as  the  friends  of  Van  Kuden,  claiming  that 
the  fault  was  wholly  upon  the  part  of  the 
other.  However  that  may  be,  we  here 
give  the  facts  as  they  were  related 
without  coloring.  It  appears  that  near 
the  line  separating  Steele  and  Dodge 
Counties,  neax'ly  due  east  from  Owatonna, 
there  lived  until  the  time  of  this  tragedy, 
two  neighbors — William  Van  Ruden  and 
John  Lehman  —  the  former  in  Steele  and 
the  latter  in  Dodge  County.  For  some 
time  there  had  been  bad  blood  between  the 
two  men,  and  many  wordy  conflicts  had 
taken  \AAce.  On  the  25th  of  May,  1S85, 
Van  Ruden  left  home  to  attend  to  some  busi- 
ness and  (luring  his  absence  Lehman,  armed 
with  a  gun,  went  over  to  Van  Ruden's  farm. 
On  this  point  there  arose  an  important  ques- 
tion on  the  trial,  the  prosecution  claiming 
that  his  errand  was  only  to  drive  off  chickens 
or  something  of  that  kind,  with  no  evil  or 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


93 


malicious  intent,  while  the  defense  claimed 
that  he  went  to  commit  murder.  It  is  stated 
that  Lehman  shot  the  gun  several  times,  and 
when  remonstrated  with  by  Mrs.  Van  Euden 
he  abused  •  her,  calling  vile  names.  After 
that  he  would  lie  down  in  the  bushes  for  a 
time ;  then  get  up  and  walk  around,  and 
finally,  chose  a  spot  in  the  brush  just  across 
the  county  line,  on  his  own  farm,  and  there 
laid  down.  In  a  short  time  Van  Ruden  came 
home  and  his  wife  related  what  had  taken 
place.  Thereupon  he  took  down  his  gun 
and,  after  seeing  where  Lehman  lay,  he 
started  for  the  place  accompanied  by  his 
wife.  As  they  neared  the  spot  Lehman 
arose  with  his  gun  in  his  hand,  and  at  the 
same  instant  Van  Ruden  fired,  killi-ng  Leh- 
man almost  instantly.  Van  Euden  was  ar- 
rested, indicted  and  tried  in  June,  1885.  He 
was  defended  by  Hon.  A.  C.  Hickman  and 
Hon.  Amos  Coggswell.  The  prosecution 
was  ably  represented  by  W.  F.  Sawyer,  Esq., 
and  an  earnest  and  able  fight  was  made  in 
the  courts.  The  only  witnesses  to  the 
tragedy  were  the  prisoner  and  his  wife.  The 
theory  of  the  defense  was  that  the  killing 
was  done  in  self-defense,  and  an  important 
item  of  the  evidence  was  found  in  the  fact 
that  the  gun  carried  by  the  deceased  when 
found  was  cocked  and  read}'^  for  shooting. 
The  jury  found  Van  Euden  guilty,  and  the 
court  sentenced  him  to  five  years  in  the 
penitentiary,  which  sentence  he  is  now  serv- 
ing. 

DISTEIOT   jm)GES. 

When  the  territory  of  Minnesota  became 
a  State,  Steele  County  became  a  part  of  the 
fifth  judicial  district  which  then  embraced 
the  counties  of  Steele,  Dakota,  Goodhue, 
Scott,  Eice,  "Waseca,  Dodge,  Mower  and 
Freeborn.  Hon.  N.  M.  Donaldson,  of  Owa- 
tonna,  was  the  first  judge  of  this  district. 
He  was  first  elected  in  October,  1857,  and 
was  re-elected  in  1864,  serving  until  the  31st 
of  December,  1871. 

Nicholas  M.  Donaldson  during  his  life  was 
one  of  the  most  prominent  men  in  the  State. 


He  was  born  at  Cambridge,  Washington 
County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  12th  of  November, 
1809,  his  father  a  native  of  the  north  of 
Ireland,  his  mother  of  Scotland.  Nicholas 
M.  lived  on  a  farm  until  eighteen,  when 
he  became  a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Argyle, 
in  his  native  county,  finishing  meantime  his 
education  at  the  Salem  Academy.  After  this 
he  taught  school  several  winters  and  farmed 
during  the  summer.  In  1840  he  moved  to 
Hayesville,  Eichland  County,  Ohio,  taught 
school  two  years,  read  law  at  the  same  time 
with  Thomas  W.  Bartley,  since  a  supreme 
judge  of  Ohio,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  the  autumn  of  1843.  Mr.  Donaldson 
opened  an  office  in  Mansfield,  the  county-seat 
of  Eichland  County,  and  when  the  county 
was  divided  in  1846  he  removed  to  London- 
ville  and  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney 
of  his  county.  In  1849,  he  pushed  westward 
to  Waupun,  Wis.,  and  during  his  residence 
there  was  chairman  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors and  a  member  of  the  legislature  from 
1851  to  1855.  In  1856  he  settled  in  Owa- 
tonna,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1857  was  elected 
judge  of  the  fifth  district,  and  served  fourteen 
years.  His  death  occurred  at  Owatonna 
early  in  February,  1879. 

Samuel  Lord  was  elected  judge  in  October, 
1871,  and  served  from  January  1,  1872,  until 
February  21,  1880. 

Thomas  S.  Buckham,  of  Faribault,  suc- 
ceeded Judge  Lord,  by  appointment  of  the 
governor,  on  the  21st  of  February,  1880, 
and  is  the  present  judge. 

The  fifth  judicial  district  now  embraces 
Steele,  Waseca,  Dodge  and  Eice  Counties. 
The  times  fixed  for  holding  court  are  as  fol- 
lows :  Owatonna,  in  June  and  December ; 
Mantorville,  in  March  and  October;  Fari- 
bault, in  May  and  November;  Waseca,  in 
March  and  October. 

THE  BAE  OF  STEELE  COUNTY. 

G.  W.  Green  was  undoubtedly  the  first 
lawyer  to  locate  within  the  limits  of  Steele 
County.     He  came  here  from  Wisconsin  in 


94 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


1854  and  made  some  investments  near  Owa- 
tonna,  or  on  the  town  plat.  A  few  years 
later  he  located  at  Clinton  Falls,  where,  in 
1857,  he  bought  the  Clinton  Mills.  At  tliat 
time  he  was  a  man  of  thirty-five  years,  per- 
haps, and  a  healthy,  fully-developed  man, 
mentally  as  well  as  physically.  In  "Wiscon- 
sin he  had  been  active  in  public  affairs  as 
well  as  private  enterprises,  and  there  ob- 
tained his  right  to  the  title  of  "Judge" 
through  holding  the  office  of  county  judge 
for  a  number  of  years  in  Dodge  County  in 
that  State.  "When  he  bought  the  mill  he 
took  hold  of  the  work  himself,  and  attended 
to  law  business,  politics  and  official  duties 
between  times.  He  was  a  man  of  much 
more  than  ordinary  ability,  and  took  a  very 
prominent  part  here  in  early  days  —  repre- 
senting Steele  Countj'  in  the  Lower  House  of 
the  Legislature,  and  otherwise  taking  a  lead- 
ing part  in  political  and  official  matters.  In 
1857  he  was  a  prominent  candidate  for  the 
nomination  for  district  judge,  but  was  de- 
feated by  Judge  Donaldson.  As  a  lawyer, 
he  was  among  the  ablest  in  this  portion  of 
the  State,  well  read  in  law,  of  good  argu- 
mentative powers,  and  withal  a  practical 
man.  It  is  remembered  of  him  that  he  had 
the  faculty  of  getting  his  cases  well  in  hand 
and  his  witnesses  and  evidence  marshalled 
in  the  most  perfect  manner.  He  was  one  of 
the  most  influential  members  of  the  legis- 
lature in  which  he  served,  originating  and 
drafting  the  bill  embracing  the  civil  organi- 
zation and  government  of  townships,  and 
the  supervisor  system.  At  that  time  rail- 
road matters  occupied  a  good  deal  of  atten- 
tion, and,  in  fact,  that  was  among  the  most 
important  sessions  of  the  legislature  in  the 
history  of  the  State.  Steele  County  was 
represented  in  the  House  by  Judge  Amos 
Coggswell  and  Judge  Green,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful whether  there  was  a  stronger  delegation 
in  the  legislature.  Mr.  Coggswell  was  made 
Speaker  of  the  House.  The  Transit  —  or  the 
present  "Winona  &  St.  Peter  Railroad  —  was 
then  before  the  legislature  on   account  of 


land  grant  and  route  matters.  There  was 
active  work  being  done  in  behalf  of  the  in- 
terested points  to  decide  whether  the  Tran- 
sit should  cross  the  north  and  south  road  at 
Aurora,  Owatonna  or  Clinton  Falls.  Judee 
Green  opposed  Owatonna  so  activelj^  that 
when  the  succeeding  election  came  he  was 
defeated..  Judge  Gi'een  remained  in  Steele 
County  until  about  1880,  when  he  removed 
to  California,  and  he  now  lives  in  Salinas, 
that  State.  He  accumulated  considerable 
property  while  in  Steele  County,  and  since 
his  residence  in  California  he  has  not  been 
actively  engaged  in  an_v  business.  In  an- 
other chapter  will  be  found  a  very  interest- 
ing article  from  Judge  Green's  pen. 

Amos  Coggswell  located  here  in  1856  and 
at  once  took  his  place  as  one  of  the  leading 
attorneys  in  this  part  of  the  State.  He  and 
Judge  Green  were  the  principal  court  or 
trial  lawyers  in  the  county  during  those 
early  days. 

M.  A.  Dailey  located  at  Owatonna  in  1856, 
He  was  originally  from  Washington  County, 
N.  Y.,  a  man  nearly  forty  years  old  at  the 
time  he  came  here.  It  is  thought  that  he 
had  never  practiced  law  before  settling  here, 
but  he  was  a  careful  and  i-apid  businessman, 
and  an  expert  accountant,  and  it  was  not 
long  befere  he  was  elected  to  public  office, 
and  he  soon  held  nearly  all  of  the  county 
offices.  He  then  commenced  his  law  prac- 
tice, and  a  great  deal  of  business  came  to 
him  through  the  various  offices  which  he 
held.  His  practice  was  almost  wholly  con- 
fined to  office  work,  foreclosing  mortgages, 
making  out  papers,  and  attending  to  tax 
matters,  and  it  was  seldom  that  he  went  into 
court  with  a.  case  unless  before  a  justice  of 
the  peace.  He  made  money  in  those  da^^s 
but  did  not  seem  to  accumulate  much.  Times 
were  hard,  particularly  from  1858  until  early 
during  the  war.  One  time  during  this 
period,  while  Dailey  and  "W.  11.  Kinyon 
(who  in  tlie  meantime  had  begun  practice 
here)  were  talking,  Mr.  Kinyon  remarked 
that  he  was  afraid  they  would  finally  starve 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


95 


him  out,  when  Mr.  Dailey  replied  that  he 
was  making  $3,000  a  year.  This  was  an 
enormous  salary  for  this  country  in  early 
times,  and  we  mention  the  incident  to  show 
the  extent  of  Dailey's  business  at  that  time. 
In  the  fall  of  1862  Mr.  Dailey  was  elected 
to  the  Senate,  and  in  the  following  spring 
he  resigned,  secured  an  appointment  as 
quartermaster  in  some  regiment  and  went 
into  the  service.  After  the  close  of  the  war 
he  retui'ned  and  tried  to  pick  up  his  former 
business.  Other  lawyers,  however,  had 
located  here  who  were  better  posted  in  law, 
and  more  active  in  working  up  business, 
while  the  county  offices  had  passed  into  the 
hands  of  other  men,  and  in  every  way  the 
renewed  activity  and  general  state  of  affairs 
made  it  impossible  for  Dailey  to  regain  his 
former  standing,  either  officially  or  in  the 
law  business.  After  a  few  years  he  secured 
an  appointment  in  the  jiostal  service,  and 
finally  removed  to  Minneapolis,  where  he 
now  lives,  engaged  at  clerical  work  in  a  rail- 
road office. 

S.  M.  Yearly  located  here  in  1S56,  coming 
originally  from  the  New  England  States. 
He  settled  upon  a  claim  southeast  of  Owa- 
tonna,  put  up  a  frame  house  and  went  to 
farming  in  a  light  way,  at  the  same  time 
attending  to  a  limited  law  practice.  He 
held  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney  of  the 
county  for  some  time  during  his  residence 
here,  and  was  quite  an  active  politician, 
always  being  on  hand  at  conventions  and 
public  meetings.  After  the  close  of  the  war 
he  removed  to  the  western  part  of  the  State, 
where  he  still  lives.  Yearly  was  very  quick- 
tempered and  scarcely  ever  tried  a  suit  with- 
out getting  half  crazy  with  anger.  He  has 
been  known  to  get  so  mad  during  the  trial 
of  a  case,  as  to  take  up  his  books  and  quit 
the  court-room  in  high  dudgeon,  leaving  the 
other  lawyer  to  try  the  case  alone. 

W.  R.  Kinyon  settled  at  Owatonna  in 
1858  and  at  once  began  practice.  He  is  still 
a  resident  of  Owatonna,  being  now  president 
of  the  First  National  Bank,  having  given  up 


the  active  practice  of  law.  Mr.  Kinyon  has 
a  number  of  times  represented  the  county  in 
the  legislature  and  has  twice  been  honored 
by  being  chosen  speaker  of  the  House. 
Almost  every  enterprise  or  action  of  a  pub- 
lic nature  that  has  affected  Steele  county 
during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  has  felt 
his  influence  and  received  his  support. 

P.  J.  Nordeen  was  the  next  lawyer.  He  was 
a  Norwegian,  who,  it  is  thought,  came  here 
from  Wisconsin  in  the  spring  of  1859,  locating 
at  Owatonna  and  opening  a  law  office.  He 
bought  a  lot  and  commenced  to  build,  at  the 
same  time  attending  to  his  law  practice. 
He  did  not  succeed  in  working  up  much 
business  and  after  trying  it  for  a  few  years 
he  left.  He  was  a  young  man,  but  had  been 
admitted  to  the  bar  and  engaged  in  practice 
before  coming  here.  During  his  residence 
in  Steele  County  he  held  the  office  of  court 
commissioner  for  one  term. 

In  1861  the  bar  of  Steele  County  was 
increased  by  the  arrival  of  James  Thorn, 
from  Juneau,  Wis.  He  had  been  clerk  of 
court  there  and  been  admitted  to  the  bar. 
He  opened  an  office  here  and  began  prac- 
tice, but  did  not  gain  much  business,  and 
after  several  years  he  removed  to  south- 
eastern Nebraska,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
abstract  business  and  became  quite  promi- 
nent. He  was  of  a  roving,  unsettled  disposi- 
tion and  never  accumulated  much.  While 
here  he  did  not  take  a  very  prominent  part 
in  affairs,  and  only  made  a  bare  living,  if  that. 

A.  A.  Harwood  located  here  sometime 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  war,  or  about 
the  time  Thorn  left.  He  was  a  man  of  about 
thirty  years  of  age  at  that  time  and  had 
been  practicing  law  in  Wisconsin.  He 
brought  his  family  with  him,  bought  a  home 
and  opened  a  law  office.  He  had  a  good 
deal  of  push  and  energy,  and  was  not  back- 
ward in  advancing  his  own  interests.  He 
became  quite  prominent  here,  holding  vari- 
ous county  offices,  and  was  a  prominent  can- 
didate for  the  office  of  State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction,  to  succeed  Mark  H. 


96 


,1 ' 


,.>' 


^ 


)        .0^"'' 


HISTOET   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


V 


r 


Bunnell  when  the  hitter  was  elected  to  Con- 
gress. After  a  residence  here  of  about  four- 
teen 3'ears  llarwood  removed  to  Austin, 
where  he  engaged  m  the  publication  of  a 
newspaper  and  was  ]iostinaster  for  a  number 
of  years.  Finally  he  secured  an  appoint- 
ment to  a  government  clerkship  and  removed 
to  Washington,  where  his  wife  still  lives. 
He  died  several  years  ago. 

These  were  the  lawyers  of  early  days. 
Since  that  time'  a  great  many  have  come  and 
gone.  Some  only  to  remain  a  short  time, 
others  who  became  in  a  measure  prominent. 
It  is  sufficient,  however,  to  merely  give,  in 
this  connection,  the  personal  history  of  each 
of  the  gentlemen  who  compose 

THE  BAK  OF  TO-DAY. 

The  present  bar  of  Steele  County  com- 
prises a  number  of  gentlemen  of  State  re^iu- 
tation,  and,  as  a  whole,  a  more  genial  and 
intellectual  lot  of  men  could  scarcely  be 
found  in  any  county  of  the  State.  The  fol- 
io \ving  is  a  list  of  the  present  members  of 
the  Steele  County  bar : 

Hon.  Amos  Coggswell,  Hon.  J.  M.  Bur- 
lingame,  Hon.  L.  L.  Wheelock,  Hon.  A.  C. 
Hickman,  W.  A.  Sperry,  C.  "W.  Hadley, 
Hon.  L.  Hazen,  M.  B.  Chad  wick,  Hon.  H.  H. 
Johnson,  H.  E.  Johnson,  E.  W.  Richter,  W. 
F.  and  J.  A.  Sawyer,  all  of  Owatonna,  and 
A.  D.  Ingersoll,  of  Blooming  Prairie. 

Hon.  Amos  Coggswell  was  born  in  Bos- 
cawen,  N.  H.,  September  29,  1825.  His 
early  education  was  received  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  county.  When  sixteen 
years  old  he  went  to  Gilmanton  Academy, 
where  he  attended  three  years,  after  which 
he  entered  the  law  office  of  Hon.  Franklin 
Pierce,  at  Concord.  Three  years  latei*  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  came  west  to 
McHenry  County,  111.,  where  he  began  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  In  1853  he  was 
given  an  appointment  in  the  general  Land 
Office  at  Washington.  In  August,  185(i,  he 
came  to  Steele  Count}'.  In  1857  was  chosen 
to  act  as  a  member  of  the  constitutional  con- 


vention. In  1860  was  elected  to  a  seat  in 
the  House  of  Representatives  and  was  made 
speaker.  From  1872  to  1875,  inclusive,  was 
in  the  State  Senate,  and  then  for  one  j'ear 
was  probate  judge  of  Steele  County.  Mr. 
Coggswell  was  married  in  1818  to  Miss  Har- 
riet I.  Clark,  who  died  in  1869.  He  was 
again  married  in  1873  to  Mrs.  Lucinda  Dun- 
ning, who  died  eighteen  months  later.  He 
Avas  once  more  united  in  matrimony  in  1879 
to  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Allen,  a  native  of  New 
York.  Ileman  C,  Helen,  wife  of  James 
Riley,  of  Watertown,  D.  T.,  and  Abbie  are 
the  names  of  his  children,  all  of  whom  are 
by  his  first  wife.  Mr.  Coggswell  is  a  Mason, 
being  a  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge  and 
Chapter  at  Owatonna.  He  is  an  easy  and 
effective  speaker  and  an  able  lawyer.  For 
over  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  has  been 
upon  one  side  or  the  other  of  nearly  every 
important  civil  or  criminal  case  tried  in  Steele 
County,  and,  as  a  criminal  lawyer,  his  reputa- 
tion extends  throughout  the  State. 

The  following  sketch  of  Hon.  J.  M.  Bur- 
lingame  appeared  in  the  /St.  Paul  Globe  in 
January,  1885,  among  other  sketches  of  mem- 
bers of  the  legislature  of  Minnesota  of  that 
year: 

"James  M.  Burlingame,  of  the  twelfth 
district,  was  born  in  Sterling,  Windham 
County,  Conn.,  and  is  forty-six  years  old. 
He  was  a  student  at  Plainfield  Academy, 
Connecticut ;  afterward  prepared  for  admis- 
sion to  the  scientific  course  of  Michigan  Uni- 
versity, at  Monroe,  Mich.,  under  Edwin 
Willett  —  a  graduate  of  the  university  and 
since  member  of  Congress  —  and  for  admis- 
sion to  the  classical  course  of  the  university 
at  Ann  Arbor,  under  Prof.  Abbot,  now 
at  the  head  of  the  agricultural  department 
of  the  university  located  at  Lansing.  He 
completed  the  law  course  of  the  Michigan 
University,  graduating  with  the  first  class 
that  took  the  full  two  years'  course  in  March, 
1861,  and  was  at  that  time  admitted  to  the 
l)ar  of  Michigan.  He  went  immediately 
from  there  to  Albany,  N.  Y. ;  taught  Latin 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


97 


and  mathematics  in  the  Albany  Female  Sem- 
inary two  years,  occupying  a  portion  of  each 
day  in  the  law  office  of  McHarg  &  Burlin- 
game ;  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fifty-seventh  Eegiment  New  York  Volun- 
teers in  186i  (having  been  rejected  on  a 
former  enlistment  in  1861  on  account  of  fee- 
ble health) ;  was  assigned  to  service  in  the 
Second  Battalion  located  in  New  York  har- 
bor ;  visited  the  armies  of  Thomas,  Sherman 
and  Grant  in  chai'ge  of  recruits ;  served  till 
the  close  of  the  war,  then  returned  to  Albany 
and  went  to  Illinois  and  remained  one  year ; 
was  editor  of  the  Decatur  Tribune  in  1866. 
He  came  to  Owatonna  in  April,  1867;  was 
city  attorney  of  Owatonna  nine  years,  and 
county  attorney  of  Steele  County  from 
December  1,  1872,  to  January  1,  1883 ;  was 
married  to  Marie  Louise  Grant,  of  Lexington, 
Ky.,  in  1866." 

The  following  account  of  Mr.  Burlingame's 
services  in  the  legislature  of  Minnesota  is 
taken  from  the  Owatonna  Journal. 

In  November,  ISSl,  he  was  elected  to  the 
legislature  and  served  on  the  Judiciary, 
Railroad  and  Education  committees.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  latter  committee  and 
the  attorney  of  the  Railroad  Committee,  in 
which  position  he  formulated  the  railroad 
law  which  is  now  upon  our  statute  books  and 
which  has  been  of  almost  incalculable  value 
to  the  State.  Although  new  to  legislative 
duties,  it  being  his  first  experience  in  a  leg- 
islative body,  Mr.  Bui'lingame  commenced 
his  labors  at  once  as  will  be  seen  by  the  fol- 
lowing extract  from  the  reports  of  proceed- 
ings in  the  House  : 

"  The  first  bill  to  come  before  the  House 
in  Committee  of  the  "Whole  was  Mr.  Burlin- 
game's, providing  for  a  vote  on  a  constitu- 
tional convention."  This  bill  in  Mr.  B.'s 
custody  passed  the  House  without  a  dissent- 
ing vote. 

The  State  Public  School  Bill  was  another 
measure  in  wliich  Mr.  Burlingame  took  a 
deep  interest,  and,  as  chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee on  Education,  hastened  it  back  to  the 


House,  having  combined  Mr.  Leneau's  bill 
and  his  own  and  recommended  it  for  passage, 
when  under  the  joint  custody  of  Mr.  Leneau 
and  himself  its  passage  was  secured  without 
a  dissenting  vote. 

Of  the  part  he  took  in  railroad  legislation 
the  St.  Paul  papers  commented  as  follows : 

"  Mr.  Burlingame  has  figured  prominently 
thus  far  in  such  debate  as  has  been  drawn 
out  on  the  Railroad  Bill.  He  won  the  confi- 
dence of  the  Railroad  Committee  by  present- 
ing the  bill  which  most  nearly  met  the 
approval  of  the  committee,  and  to  him  has 
since  fallen  the  task  of  formulating  as  nearly 
as  possible  the  ideas  of  a  majority  of  the 
committee.  In  the  explanations  and  such 
other  debate  as  he  has  been  drawn  into,  he 
has  shown  readiness,  clear-headedness  and 
facilit}'  of  statement.  He  talks  like  a  law- 
yer, works  like  a  business  man,  and  is  on 
good  terms  with  everybody  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact.  He  will  probably  have 
much  to  say  in  the  railroad  debate  on  Tues- 
day."— St.  Paul  Pioneer  Press. 

"  The  feature  of  the  day  has  been  the 
House  special  order,  set  for  11  o'clock,  con- 
sideration of  the  Railroad  Bill. 

"  Mr.  Burlingame  made  an  extended  and 
strong  speech  in  its  favor,  from  the  com- 
mittee on  railroads.  Mr.  Burlingame  was 
followed  with  marked  attention,  especially 
in  view  of  the  fact  that,  as  the  judicial  mem- 
ber of  the  committee,  he  has  been  relied 
upon  to  guard  the  legal  points.  Marked 
applause  greeted  Mr.  Burlingame  at  the  con- 
clusion of  his  speech." — St.   Paul  Dispatch. 

"  Mr.  Burlingame's  work  upon  the  Railroad 
Committee  was  particularly  important  and 
laborious,  from  the  fact  of  his  being  the  only 
lawyer  upon  it.  In  consequence  the  delicate 
work  devolved  upon  him  of  passing  upon 
various  legal  points  involved  in  the  measures 
considered,  more  especially  the  committee's 
own  bill,  the  general  arrangement  of  which 
he  had  also  to  supervise.  It  will  thus  be  seen 
that  Mr.  Burlingame's  first  legislative  exper- 
ience has   been  very  far   removed   from   a 


98 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


holiday  season.  .  .  .  Being  as  he  is  in  the 
very  pi-ime  of  life,  with  a  jnind  already  well 
stored  with  useful  and  professional  knowl- 
eilge,  industry  and  commendable  ambition, 
and  full  of  bodily  vigor,  Mr.  Burlingame 
should  and  probably  will  be  heard  [from  in 
more  important  positions  than  he  has  yet 
occupied." — St.  Paid  Glohe. 

"  Kepresentative  Burlingame,  of  Steele 
County,  a  lawyer  of  very  great  ability,  has 
made  himself  very  popular  with  his  co-work- 
ers by  his  well-expressed  and  sensible  views 
on  various  subjects,  more  especially  on  rail- 
road legislation,  in  which  he  has  taken  a 
leading  hand  as  a  member  of  the  Eailroad 
Committee.  It  was  he  who  drafted  the  well- 
known  Eailroad  Bill  which  created  so  much 
agitation  but  finally  went  through." — St. 
Paul  Dispatch. 

During  the  session  of  the  legislature  Mr. 
Burlingame  obtained  a  large  acquaintance- 
ship and  became  one  of  the  most  popular  mem- 
bers of  the  House.  His  friends  were  very  anx- 
ious that  he  should  be  selected  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  railroad  commission,  but  that  was 
impracticable.  During  the  past  eighteen 
years  he  has  been  a  faithful  worker  in  the 
ranks  of  the  Kepublican  party  in  this  State. 
He  has  never  faltered  or  hesitated  in  givino- 
his  time  and  labor  to  secure  the  success  of 
the  party.  During  his  long  services  as 
county  attorney,  he  succeeded  in  suppress- 
ing a  lawless  element  and  worked  a  reform 
which  has  proven  thorough  and  lasting. 
His  labors  to  procure  proper  railroad  legis- 
lation by  the  last  legislature  show  the 
depth  of  his  sympathies  for  the  laboring 
masses,  be  they  farmers,  merchants  or  me- 
chanics. 

Mr.  Burlingame's  father,?.  M.  Burlingame, 
and  uncle,  James  Burlingame,  were  both  min- 
isters of  the  Christian  Church,  the  latter  for 
more  than  fifty  years.  The  names  of  his  an- 
cestors, so  far  as  he  can  now  recall  them, 
were  Peter  Montgomery,  Peter,  Nathan 
Thomas,  Joshua  Roger.  His  grandmother, 
wife  of  Peter,  was  Elizabeth  Montgomery',  a 


relative  of  Richard  Montgomery,  a  general 
in  the  Revolutionary  War.  His  grandfather 
also  served  in  the  same  war,  and  prior  to  the 
age  of  railroads  he  was  the  contractor  and 
builder  of  the  Providence  and  Hartford  turn- 
pike. Mr.  Burlingame's  mother  was  Harriet 
Dean,  daughter  of  Christopher  and  Lydia 
Dean,  of  Windham  County,  Conn.  Mr. 
Burlingame  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  the  law  at  Owatonna  and  at  Austin, 
and  is  also  attorney  for  the  Business  Men's 
Association  of  Minnesota,  and  the  Boards  of 
Trade  Union  of  Northfield  and  other  cities, 
for  whom  he  has  several  cases  j^ending 
before  the  State  and  Interstate  Commerce 
commissions.  He  has  five  children  living, 
James  Montgomery,  Ernst  Marshall,  Robert 
Morrison,  Ruth  and  Harold  Grant.  Two 
have  gone  before,  Carroll  Dean  and  Marie 
Louise.  Mrs.  Burlingame  is  a  relative  of  the 
Marshalls  and  Morrisons  of  Virginia  and 
Iventuckjr,  and  of  the  Grants  of  Kentucky 
and  Ohio.  Thus  the  old  family  names  of 
both  branches  recur  in  the  names  of  the 
children. 

Prominent  among  the  men  who  have  taken 
an  active  part  in  developing  the  resources 
and  in  advancing  the  interests  of  Owatonna 
and  of  the  State,  is  Hon.  Lewis  L.  Wheelock. 
He  is  a  son  of  Lewis  L.  Wheelock,  Sr., 
and  Mary  Howe  Wheelock,  and  Avas  born  at 
Mannsville,  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.,  on 
November  12,  1839.  At  the  early  age  of 
ten  years  our  subject  was  left  an  orphan,  and 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  State,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty 
he  was  employed  as  a  teacher  in  the  Mace- 
don  Academy,  in  Waj'^ne  Count}',  N.  Y., 
serving  in  that  capacity  until  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  War.  In  1S62,  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixtieth 
New  York  Volunteers  ;  was  mustered  in  as 
fii'st  lieutenant  of  Company  B.  He  was 
subsequently  promoted  to  captain  of  Com- 
pany C,  of  the  same  regiment,  ami  served  a 
trifle  over  three  years.     At   the   battle  of 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


99 


Opequon,  near  Winchester,  September  19, 
1864-,  he  was  wounded  in  the  right  arm, 
below  the  elbow,  and  was  laid  up  for  a 
month.  His  regiment  was  mustered  out 
at  Savannah,  Ga.,  in  November,  1SG5.  The 
colonel  of  this  regiment  was  Charles  C. 
Dwight,  of  Auburn,  now  on  the  Supreme 
bench  of  that  State.  Capt.  Wheelock  read 
law  with  Mr.  Dwight,  came  to  Owatonna  in 
1866,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1867. 
Subsequently  he  went  to  Georgia,  and  was 
connected  with  the  Freedmen's  Bureau  for 
some  months.  He  returned  north  in  1868, 
attended  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  Albany 
Law  School,  and  then  opened  an  office  at 
Owatonna.  Since  residing  at  Owatonna  he 
has  been  city  attorney  and  judge  of  probate. 
In  1876-7  was  in  the  State  Senate.  During 
both  sessions  was  chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Education,  and  also  served  on  Eailroad 
and  Judiciary  committees.  He  is  the  pres- 
ent postmaster  of  Owatonna,  is  a  Knight 
Templar,  and  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church.  On  July  25,  1871,  Mr. 
Wheelock  was  married  to  Miss  Adaline 
Burch,  of  Hillsdale,  Mich.  Following  are 
the  names  of  their  children :  Mary  A.  (de- 
ceased), Lewis  B.  (deceased),  Arthur  B.,  Lo- 
renzo D.,  Addie  C,  Minnie  and  Paul,  twins. 
In  1887  he  was  elected  department  com- 
mander for  Minnesota  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  which  position  he  holds  at  this 
writing.  Mr.  Wheelock,  during  his  service 
in  the  State  Senate,  became  one  of  the  most 
influential  and  prominent  members  of  that 
body,  being  an  able  speaker  and  parliament- 
arian. His  many  years'  residence  here, 
together  with  the  various  public  offices 
which  he  has  held,  and  the  prominent  part 
he  has  taken  in  public  and  pohtical  matters, 
have  made  him  well-known  throughout  the 
State. 

No  western  State  can  boast  of  an  abler 
bar  than  Minnesota.  Prominent  among  those 
men  who  have  here  reached  the  higher  walks 
of  the  profession,  and  have  done  much  to 
build  up  the  fame  of  the  State,  is  Hon.  Adam 

L»ve. 


C.  Hickman,  of  Owatonna.  He  was  born  in 
Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  in  1837.  His 
early  life  was  spent  on  a  farm  in  that  county. 
On  reaching  the  proper  age  he  entered  Al- 
legheny College  at  Meadville,  Pa.,  and  grad- 
uated from  that  institution  in  1862.  He 
then  began  the  study  of  law  and  in  1863 
graduated  from  the  Ohio  State  and  Union 
Law  College  at  Cleveland.  After  practicing  a 
year  at  Akron,  Ohio,  he  came  west,  locating 
in  Owatonna.  In  1866  he  was  elected  super- 
intendent of  public  schools  of  Steele  County, 
and  served  two  years  in  that  capacity. 
From  1869  to  1873  he  was  judge  of  the  pro- 
bate Court.  In  the  fall  of  1882  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate,  and  represented  this  dis- 
trict in  that  body  until  January,  1887.  Mr. 
Hickman  is  a  Mason,  being  a  member  of 
Blue  Lodge  No.  33  and  also  of  the  Chapter 
and  Commandery.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  On  Novem- 
ber 9,  1875,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Ella  B.  Peck,  a  native  of  New  York. 
Judge  Hickman  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  ap- 
pearance. He  is  among  the  best  known  law- 
yers of  this  jmrt  of  the  State ;  a  clear  and 
forcible  speaker,  ready  in  debate,  careful  in 
details  and  has  justly  earned  the  high  reputa- 
tion he  has  attained. 

Wesley  A.  Sperry,  county  attorney,  was 
born  in  Oakland  County,  Mich.,  in  1847.  He 
spent  his  early  life  in  his  native  county.  In 
1873  he  graduated  from  the  Ann  Arbor  Law 
School,  and  the  following  year  he  began  the 
practice  of  law  at  Mantorville,  Minn.  In 
ten  days  after  his  ai'rival  there  he  was  ap- 
pointed county  attorney  and  was  elected  to 
that  position  two  subsequent  terms.  He 
came  to  Owatonna  again  in  the  fall  of  1879 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  Judge  L.  L. 
Wheelock.  In  the  fall  of  1886  he  was  elect- 
ed county  attorney  of  Steele  County.  Mr. 
Sperry  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  was  married  on 
Christmas  Day,  1878,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Steele, 
a  native  of  New  York  State.     Clara  L.  is 


100 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COTJNTT. 


the  name  of  their  only  child.  Mr.  Sperry  is 
one  of  the  best  read  lawyers  in  the  county. 
He  is  an  eifective  advocate,  and  the  firm  of 
Wheelock  &  Sperry  have  an  extensive  prac- 
tice. 

Charles  W.  Hadley,  attorney-at-law,  was 
born  in  Grafton  County,  N.  H.,  in  1844.  In 
1850  his  father  moved  with  his  famih'  to 
Rockton,  111.,  thence  to  Maquoketa,  Iowa. 
Here  Mr.  Hadley  took  an  academical  course, 
and  later  entered  Cornell  College  at  IVFt. 
Vernon.  In  1801  he  left  school  and  enlisted 
in  Company  H,  Fourteenth  Iowa  Volunteer 
Infantry.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  Shiloh, 
and  was  paroled  the  following  September. 
He  was  discharged  in  June,  1863.  He  came 
to  Owatonna  in  1870,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1874,  and  has  practiced  here  since  that 
time.  He  was  married  June  17,  1874,  to 
Miss  Lillie  C.  Adams.  Albert  W.  is  the 
name  of  their  only  child.  Mr.  Hadley  is 
adjutant  of  James  A.  Goodwin  Post  No. 
81,  Grand  Army  of  the  Eepublic. 

Miles  B.  Chadwick,  of  the  firm  of  Hick- 
man &  Chadwick,  was  born  near  Franklin, 
Venango  County,  Pa.,  in  1843.  He  attended 
Allegheny  College,  at  Meadville,  and  grad- 
uated from  that  institution  with  honors  in 
1867,  and  then  went  to  Cleveland,  where  he 
graduated  from  the  Ohio  State  and  Union 
Law  School  in  1869.  He  came  to  Owatonna 
in  1870,  and  was  associated  with  Mr.  Hick- 
man until  1878,  when  he  was  elected  county 
auditor,  a  position  he  held  for  four  terms. 
He  was  married  in  1872  to  Miss  Helen  S. 
Laird,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Chad- 
wick is  a  prominent  Mason.  He  was  elected 
clerk  of  the  State  Legislature  in  1874-5,  and 
has  held  many  other  positions  of  trust  and 
importance. 

Col.  Harvey  H.  Johnson,  attorney,  was 
born  in  Rutland,  Vt.,  in  1808.  He  studied 
law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  there. 
Later  he  located  in  Akron,  Ohio,  where  lie 
was  mayor  and  postmaster  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  moved  from  there  to  Asliland  in 
1846,  and  while  residing  there  represented  his 


district  in  the  XXXIIId  Congress.  He  came 
to  Minnesota  in  1855,  and  was  for  some  time 
connected  with  the  Winona  &  St.  Peter  Rail- 
road Co.  His  son,  Robert  H.  Johnson,  was 
born  in  Akron,  Ohio,  in  1846.  Pie  enlisted 
in  Company  I,  Eleventh  Minnesota  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  served  one  year  in  defense  of 
his  country.  He  came  to  Owatonna  in  18()5, 
and  was  for  some  time  engaged  in  tlie  lum- 
ber business.  Later  he  went  into  the  boot 
and  shoe  trade,  and  is  now  in  the  insui-unce 
business.  He  was  elected  city  marshal  in 
1886.  He  was  married  in  1871  to  Miss  Ida 
Morley,  a  native  of  New  York  State. 
Calista  A.,  Harvey  M.,  Ralph  S.  and  Robert 
are  their  children's  names.  Mr.  Johnson  is 
a  member  of  James  A.  Goodwin  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  No.  81. 

Edward  W.  Richter,  attorney-at-law,  was 
born  near  Berlin,  Waushara  County,  Wis.,  in 
1851.  When  he  was  two  years  old  his  parents 
moved  to  Ripon,  Wis.,  where  Mr.  Richter 
received  his  education  at  Ripon  College.  He 
came  to  Dodge  County  in  1869,  and  in  1876 
went  to  Rochester,  where  he  studied  law  two 
years  with  Start  &  Gove.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  Owatonna  in  1881,  after  which 
he  became  a  partner  of  Judge  Amos  Coggs- 
well.  After  some  eighteen  months  this  busi- 
ness relationship  was  dissolved,  and  Mr. 
Richter  engaged  in  practice  alone.  He  was 
chosen  city  attorney  in  1883  and  held  the 
position  for  about  three  years.  He  is  now 
doing  an  extensive  real  estate  and  loan  busi- 
ness in  connection  with  his  legal  practice. 
Mr.  Richter  was  married  in  October,  1881,  to 
Miss  O'Connor,  a  native  of  Massachusetts. 
Edward  M.,  Mary  and  Jean  Paul  are  their 
children's  names.  Our  subject  is  a  member 
of  the  Catholic  Church. 

J.  A.  Sawyer,  of  the  law  firm  of  Sawyer 
&  Sawyer,  was  born  in  Merrimac  County, 
N.  H.,  in  1846.  When  eight  years,  his  old 
father's  family  came  west  to  Illinois  and  to 
Minnesota  in  1856.  Our  subject  received  his 
education  at  Northfield,  where  he  graduated 
in  1877.    He  afterward  studied  law  and  was 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


101 


admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  spring  of  1880. 
The  firm  of  Sawyer  &  Sawj'er  also  have  an 
office  at  Waseca  and  do  an  extensive  legal 
business.  Mr.  Sawyer's  father,  Joseph  Saw- 
yer, died  in  the  fall  of  1886,  aged  nearly 
eighty-five  j'ears.  Our  subject  was  married 
in  1882  to  Miss  E.  N.  Abbott,  a  native  of 
New  Hampshire.  The  names  of  their  chil- 
dren are  Abbott  "W.  and  Carleton  J. 

W.  F.  Saw3^er,  junior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Sawyer  &  Sawyer,  was  born  in  Merrimac 
County,  New  Hampshire,  October  26, 1850. 
He  received  his  education  at  Carlton  College 
in  Northfield.  He  was  married  November  7, 
1883,  to  Miss  Ella  P.  Coffman,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  been  blessed 
with  two  children,  Leon  G.  and  Alice  B.  Mr. 
Sawyer  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  Steele  County  in  December,  1876. 


A.  D.  IngersoU,  attorney,  of  Blooming 
Prairie,  is  a  native  of  Dodge  County,  Wis., 
born  November  8,  1852.  His  parents  were 
A.  and  Mary  (McNamara)  IngersoU.  They, 
in  company  with  A.  D.,  came  to  Blooming 
Prairie  in  October,  1878.  The  father  lived 
in  the  village  until  the  time  of  his  death  in 
1882.  Mrs.  IngersoU  is  still  living  there. 
A.  D.  began  to  read  law  with  E.  Hooker,  of 
Waupun,  Wis.,  in  Novembei^  1876,  and  re- 
mained with  him  until  October,  1878,  when 
he  came  west  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  June,  1877,  at  Port  Washington,  Wis. 
Since  his  arrival  in  Minnesota  he  has  devoted 
his  attention  entirelj^  to  his  profession.  He 
was  married  June  19,  1880,  to  Miss  Eunice 
T.  Bowker.  Their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  two  children  —  Marion,  aged  four: 
Chester,  aged  one  year. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


THE  PRESS. 


riETlE  is  no  instrumentality,  not 
even  excepting  the  pulpit  and  the 
bar,  which  exerts  such  an  influence 
tF^;^'  u])on  society  as  the  press  of  the 
and.  It  is  the  Archimedian  lever 
that  moves  the  world.  The  tal- 
ented minister  of  the  Gospel  on 
the  Sabbath  day  preaches  to  a  lew 
hundred  people;  on  the  following 
morning  his  thoughts  are  repro- 
duced more  than  a  thousandfold,  and  are 
read  and  discussed  throughout  the  lengtli 
and  breadth  of  the  land.  The  attorney  at 
the  bar,  in  thrilling  tones,  pleads  for  or 
against  the  criminal  arraigned  for  trial,  often 
causing  the  jury  to  bring  in  a  verdict  against 
the  law  and  the  testimony  in  the  case.  His 
words  are  reproduced  in  every  daily  that  is 
reached  by  the  telegraphic  wire,  and  liis 
arguments  are  caJmly  weighed  by  unpreju- 
diced men  and  accepted  for  what  they  are 
worth.  The  politician  takes  the  stand  and 
addresses  a  handful  of  men  upon  the  political 
questions  of  the  day ;  his  speech  is  reported, 
and  read  by  a  thousand  men  for  every  one 
that  heard  the  address.  Suddenly  the  waters 
of  one  of  our  mighty  rivers  rise,  overflowing 
the  land  for  miles  and  miles,  rendering 
thousands  of  people  homeless,  and  without 
means  to  secure  their  daily  bread.  The  news 
is  flashed  over  the  wire,  taken  up  by  the 
press,  and  known  and  read  of  all  men.  No 
time  is  lost  in  sending  to  their  relief ;  the 
press  has  made  known  their  wants,  and  thej^ 
are  instantly  supplied.  "Chicago  is  on  fire! 
Two  hundi'ed  millions'  worth  of  property 
destroyed  !  Fifty  thousand  people  rendered 
homeless!"     Such  is  the  dread  intelligence 


proclaimed  by  the  press.  Food  and  clothing 
are  hastily  gathered,  trains  are  chartered, 
and  the  immediate  wants  of  the  sufferers  are 
in  a  measure  relieved. 

The  power  for  good  or  evil,  of  the  press, 
is  to-day  unlimited.  The  shortcomings  of 
the  politician  are  made  known  through  its 
columns ;  the  dark  deeds  of  the  wicked  are 
exposed,  and  each  fear  it  alike.  The  con- 
trolling influence  of  a  nation,  state  or  county 
is  its  press ;  and  the  press  of  Steele  County 
is  no  exception  to  the  rule. 

Tlie  local  press  is  justly  considered  among 
the  most  important  institutions  of  every 
city,  town  and  village.  The  people  of  every 
community  regard  their  particular  news- 
paper or  newspapers  as  of  peculiar  value, 
and  this  not  mereh^  on  account  of  the  fact 
already  alluded  to,  but  because  these  papers 
are  the  repositories  wherein  are  stored  the 
facts  and  the  events,  the  deeds  and  the  say- 
ings, the  undertakings  and  the  achievements 
that  go  to  make  up  final  history.  One  by 
one  these  things  are  gathered  and  placed  in 
type ;  one  by  one  the  papers  are  issued  ;  one 
by  one  these  papers  are  gathered  together 
and  bound,  and  another  volume  of  local, 
general  and  individual  history  is  laid  away 
imperishable.  The  volumes  thus  collected 
are  sifted  by  the  historian,  and  the  book  for 
the  library  is  ready.  The  people  of  each  city 
or  town  naturally  have  a  pride  in  tlieir  home 
paper.  The  local  press,  as  a  rule,  reflects 
the  business  enterprise  of  a  place.  Judging 
from  this  standard,  the  enterprise  of  the 
citizens  of  Steele  County  is  indeed  commend- 
able. Its  papers  are  well  filled  each  week 
with  advertisements  of  home  merchants  and 


103 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


105 


of  its  business  enterprises.  No  p;i])er  can 
exist  without  these  advertisements,  and  no 
community  can  flourfsh  that  does  not  use 
the  advertising  cohimns  of  its  local  press. 
Each  must  sustain  the  other. 

THE    WATCHMAN    AND    REGISTER. 

The  first  paper  started  in  the  county  was 
under  the  above  title.  It  was  established 
at  Owatonna,  in  July,  1856,  by  J.  H.  Abbott 
and  A.  B.  Cornell,  who  purchased  press,  type 
and  fixtures  of  Maj.  W.  A.  Hotchkiss,  at  that 
time  editor  and  publisher  of  the  Northwest- 
ern Democrat,  at  St.  Anthony.  Mr.  Cornell 
acted  as  editor  and  business  manager  for  a 
time,  when  the  services  of  H.  M.  Sheetz,  an 
experienced  newspaper  man,  were  secured  as 
editor.  Sometime  in  1857  the  word  Watcli- 
ma/)i  was  dropjjed  from  the  name,  and  the 
Oioatonna  Register  was  published  until  some 
time  in  the  winter  of  1857-8,  with  Abbott 
&  Cornell  and  W.  F.  Pettit  as  proprietors, 
and  11.  M.  Sheetz  as  editor,  and  then  it  was 
discontinued.  It  had  been  a  useful  means 
of  advertising  the  localit}^  and  did  its  full 
share  in  molding  the  public  mind.  The 
only  copy  of  the  early  issues  of  the  Watch- 
man and  Register  still  in  existence,  we 
believe,  is  one  which  Dr.  E.  M.  Morehouse 
has  preserved.  It  is  no.  2,  vol.  I,  and  bears 
date  of  July  29,  1856.  The  proprietors 
are  given  as  J.  H.  Abbott  and  A.  B.  Cornell, 
while  the  names  of  A.  B.  Cornell  and  C.  T. 
Smeed  appear  as  editors.  The  paper  is  a 
seven-column  folio,  neatly  printed  and  ably 
edited,  and  supports  the  "  Democratic-Kepub- 
lican  ticket,"  headed  by  John  C.  Fremont  for 
President,  and  William  L.  Dayton  for  Vice- 
President.  The  local  advertisers  in  this  issue 
were : 

A.  B.  Cornell,  attorney-at-law  and  real- 
estate  agent ;  A.  Town,  general  merchan- 
dise store;  F.  "Wilbur  Fisk,  of  Franklin, 
land  agent;  Sylvester  McNitt,  justice  of 
the  peace ;  John  W.  Park,  surveyor ;  N. 
Winship,  hotel ;  Philo  Sanford,  hotel ;  E. 
M.  Morehouse,  physician ;  Joel  Wilson,  black- 
r 


smith;  Moses  Eivard,  shoemaker;  and 
Charles  Ellison,  register  of  deeds. 

All  through  this  paper  the  name  of  the 
county -seat  is  spelled  "  Owatonia." 

In  another  chapter  we  give  a  number  of 
extracts  from  this  pai)er. 

THE  MEDFOKD  VALLEY  ARGUS 

Was  the  second  journal  to  lay  claim  to  public 
favor  as  a  "  retailer  of  the  doings  and  say- 
ings"-of  Steele  County.  It  was  published 
at  Medford,  dating  its  first  appearance  about 
the  middle  of  August,  1858,  and  was  under 
the  control  of  Messrs.  Francis  &  Sulley.  It 
was  printed  with  the  same  material  which 
had  been  used  in  the  publication  of  the 
Register,  the  material  having  been  purchased 
of  the  company  by  William  F.  Pettit,  and 
by  him  sold  to  Mr.  Bartholomew,  of  Med- 
ford. Messrs.  Francis  &  Sulley  leased  it 
of  Mr.  Bartholomew.  Mr.  Sulley  soon  sold 
his  interest  to  Mr.  J.  R.  Lucas,  and  the  pub- 
lication was  continued  for  a  short  time,  when 
the  enterprise  was  abandoned,  and  the 
material  was  rented  to  H.  M.  Sheetz,  who 
removed  it  back  to  Owatonna. 

THE    OWATONNA   JOURNAL. 

This  paper  was  started  by  H.  M.  Sheetz, 
with  the  material  which  he  had  secured  at 
Medford,  and  made  its  appearance  shortly 
after  the  demise  of  the  Argxts.  It  was  a 
seven-column  sheet,  neatly  printed  and  ably 
edited,  and  was  received  with  marked  favor 
by  its  patrons.  It  was  Eepublican  in  poli- 
tics and  the  earnest  and  devoted  advocate  of 
all  reforms.  In  October,  1859,  Mr.  Sheetz 
died,  and  the  Jotirnal  was  carried  on  by  his 
widow  for  some  time  thereafter.  Hon.  Will- 
iam F.  Pettit,  at  that  time  State  senator 
from  Steele  County,  had  started  a  project  to 
allow  Mrs.  Sheetz,  who  was  a  woman  of  con- 
siderable literary  ability,  to  retain  the  olfice 
as  a  mark  of  esteem  from  the  public,  whom 
her  husband  had  so  faithfully  served,  and 
had  already  received  $150  from  his  fellow 
members  of  the  Senate  to  aid  in  carrying  out 


106 


ni  STORY  OF  STEELE  COUNTY. 


tliis  benevolent  project.  But  upon  returning 
home  he  found  that  the  oiRce  had  been  sold 
to  A.  B.  Cornell,  which  at  once  put  a  stop  to 
the  publication  of  the  Journal. 

THE   NEWS    LETTER. 

Shortly  after  the  suspension  of  the  Jour- 
nal, the  News  Letter  was  established  by  A. 
B.  Cornell.  He  kept  up  the  enterprise  until 
1862,  when  he  took  a  sutler's  position  in  the 
army,  and  Mrs.  Cornell  continued  the  publi- 
cation of  a  small  sheet  some  three  or  four 
columns  in  width  until  1863,  when  Dr.  Kelly, 
editor  of  the  Plaindealer,  which  in  the 
meantime  had  been  started,  purchased  the 
job  office  and  the  good-will  of  the  News  Let- 
ter, and  its  publication  was  discontinued. 

THE    OWATONNA   EEPKESENTATIVE. 

In  the  summer  of  1860  Messrs.  William  F. 
Pettit  and  John  H.  Abbott  assisted  J.  "W". 
Crawford  in  the  purchase  of  an  office  in  Man- 
torville.  Dodge  County,  and  the  jjublication 
of  the  Owatonna  Representative  was  com- 
menced. It  was  an  eight-column  sheet  and 
was  very  ably  conducted  and  well  printed, 
reflecting  much  credit  upon  the  enterprise  of 
the  citizens  who  sustained  it,  as  well  as  those 
who  conducted  it.  It  was  continued  for 
about  eighteen  months,  when  Mr.  Crawford 
entered  the  army,  and  Messrs.  Pettit  and 
Abbott  sold  the  material  to  James  E.  Child, 
of  Wilton,  Waseca  County. 

THE    OWATONNA    REGISTER 

Was  started  by  A.  B.  Cornell  soon  after  his 
return  from  the  army.  It  was  published 
in  an  independent,  neutral  manner,  conse- 
quently meeting  with  poor  success,  yet  it 
continued  to  drag  out  an  existence  for  some 
little  time,  when  it  succumbed  from  want  of 
proper  sustenance,  and  publication  was  dis- 
continued. 

THE    OWATONNA    DEMOCRAT. 

This  was  a  newspaper  aspirant  for  public 
favor,  started  with  Capt.  J.  D.  Wood  as 
editor  and  proprietor.     It  was  received  with 


considerable  enthusiasm  by  the  Democracy, 
as  it  was  a  purel}^  Democratic  ])aper;  j'et  it 
did  not  receive  sufficient  support  to  meet  the 
necessary  expenditures,  and  after  trying  the 
experiment  for  about  a  year  it  was  discon- 
tinued. 

THE     VIDETTE. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  J.  A.  Spellman 
started  a  pajier  called  the  Vidette.  It  was  a 
seven-column  folio,  and  Independent  Kepub- 
lican  in  politics.  It  was  continued  only  for 
a  short  time,  when  it  was  mei'ged  with  the 
Journal,  Mr.  Spellman  becoming  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  that  paper. 

THE   OWATONNA    REGISTER. 

In  1867  another  Democratic  paper  was 
started,  which  was  called  the  Choatonna 
Register,  under  the  control  of  Mr.  C.  F. 
George.  He  continued  its  publication  at  a 
pecuniaiy  loss  for  about  one  year,  wheji  the 
office  was  removed  to  Faribault. 

THE    OWATONNA    PLAINDEALER. 

In  April,  1863,  Dr.  L.  H.  Kelley  com- 
menced the  publication  of  a  paper  called  the 
Owatonna  Plaindealer.  The  town  was  then 
growing  rapidly,  the  business  kept  increasing 
until  the  Plaindealer  became  one  of  the  best 
paying  offices  in  this  part  of  the  State.  It 
was  started  as  a  seven-column  paper,  but  in 
the  spring  of  1866  was  enlarged  to  an  eight- 
column  folio.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
the  office  was  purchased  by  Tappan,  Higbee 
&  Hathaway.  The  new  firm  shortly  after- 
ward commenced  the  publication  of  the 

REPUBLICAN   JOURNAL, 

and  in  a  few  weeks  the  firm  became  Iligbee, 
Spellman  &  Bickham,  and  the  name  of  the 
paper  became 

THE    OWATONNA    JOURNAL, 

although  tlie  policy  and  politics  of  the 
paper  remained  the  same —  Republican.  Mr. 
Bickham  was  then  a  Democrat  and  for  a 
time  part  of  the  paper  was  given  to  Dem- 
ocracy. 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


107 


The  files  of  the  Otoatonna  Journal  com- 
mence with  the  issue  of  January  13,  1876 ;  at 
least  we  have  been  unable  to  find  any  copies 
of  prior  issues.  At  that  time  the  paper  was 
running  as  an  eight-column  folio.  The  pro- 
prietors at  that  time  were  Crandall  &  Bick- 
ham  —  C.  S.  Crandall,  W.  H.  Bickham  —  and 
Thursday  was  the  day  of  issue.  It  was  very 
neatly  gotten  up  and  well  filled  with  local 
and  general  news,  as  well  as  having  a  good 
run  of  local  advertising.  During  the  same 
winter  Mr.  Crandall,  one  of  the  firm,  was 
appointed  postmaster,  and  that  partially 
severed  his  former  intimate  connection  with 
the  management  of  the  Journal.  The  issue 
of  October  19, 1876,  was  the  last  bearing  the 
names  of  Crandall  &  Bickham  as  editors,  for 
F.  T.  Di'ebert  purchased  it  and  assumed 
charge  with  the  following  issue. 

In  parting  with  the  Journal  Mr.  Crandall 
severed  his  connection  by  saying :  "  With 
this  issue  of  i\\e  Journal  ni}'  connection  with 
it  ceases.  During  a  period  of  nine  years  my 
relations  with  this  paper  have*  given  me  a 
weekly  medium  of  communication  with  the 
people  of  this  county."  His  political  tend- 
encies were  evidently  not  difl'erent  from 
what  we  find  them  to-day,  for  he  says :  "  I 
cannot  view  the  effort  to  place  the  control  of 
the  destinies  of  this  country  in  the  hands  of 
the  South  with  any  other  feeling  than  of  the 
profoundest  anxiety  for  our  country.  Look- 
ing over  that  country  to  which  the  scepter 
would  be  given  by  such  an  act,  I  see  a  total- 
ly different  people,  a  different  civilization, 
morally  and  intellectually,  and  following 
such  a  change,  I  see  nothing  but  a  downward 
tendency  in  the  future.  Whatever  may  be 
your  party  preference  here  at  home,  let  no 
man  deceive  you  into  the  belief  that  the  path 
to  reform  leads  to  the  late  Southern  Confed- 
eracy." 

With  the  issue  on  the  26th  of  October, 
1876,  the  name  of  F.  T.  Drebert  appears  at 
the  head  of  the  columns  as  editor  and  pro- 
prietor. The  policy  of  the  paper  was  not 
changed,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  following  ex- 


tract from  Mr.  Drebert's  salutatory  presented 
in  his  first  issue. 

"  ...  There  will  be  no  change  in  the 
political  course  of  the  Journal.  I  cast  my 
first  vote  for  the  first  Eepublican  candidate 
for  the  presidency  and  have  since]  been 
steadfast  in  the  faith.  To  the  end  of  my 
life  I  shall  remain  loyal  to  the  principles  of 
freedom,  progress  and  nationality.  If  the 
relations  existing  between  myself  and  the 
Republican  party  are  ever  severed,  that  party 
must  abandon  its  cardinal  doctrines,  an  event 
I  cannot  conceive  as  likely  to  occur,  so  long 
as  its  ranks  are  composed  of  the  truest  pa- 
triots of  the  land,  and  its  destinies  directed 
by  the  wisest  and  most  conscientious  of  our 
citizens.  As  a  local  paper  the  Journal  will 
labor  earnestly  to  advance  the  best  interests 
of  Owatonna,  Steele  County  and  Minnesota. 
I  have  come  to  stay  to  identify  myself  with 
the  citizens  of  the  city,  county  and  State,  and 
become  one  of  them.  Their  interests  wiU  be 
my  interests,  and  in  being  true  to  them  I 
shall  also  be  true  to  myself.     ...     " 

Since  that  time  Mr.  Di'ebert  has  retained 
his  connection  with  the  paper.  At  the  time 
he  came,  the  office  was  kept  in  what  was 
known  as  the  Dresser  building  on  the  east 
side  of  Main  street.  It  remained  there  until 
the  building  which  the  office  now  occupies 
was  completed,  when  it  was  moved  to  its 
present  finely-finished  apartments  in  what  is 
commonly  called  the  Temple  Block.  One 
incident  in  the  history  of  the  Journal  was  its 
connection  with  the  failure  of  L.  Bixby's 
Review.  Mr.  Bixby  had  rented  the  material 
of  that  oifice  to  A.  H.  Lewis,  and  in  1879  he 
made  arrangements  with  Mr.  Drebert  to  turn 
over  the  subscription  in  the  manner  of  a  con- 
solidation of  the  two,  the  publication  of  the 
Review  to  cease,  and,  according  to  the  ar- 
rangement, while  he  did  not  become  a  partner 
in  the  publication,  he  was  to  get  a  percentage 
on  the  job  work  and  advertising.  By  consent 
of  Mr.  Drebert  he  moved  a  lot  of  paper  and 
stock  into  the  Journal  rooms  for  storage 
purposes.     As  soon  as  Mr.  Bixby  learned  of 


108 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COTNTT. 


this  he  got  out  a  writ  of  replevin  and  secured 
possession  of  the  material,  making  Mr.  Dre- 
bert  a  co-defendant.  When  the  suit  was 
settled  Mr.  Bixby  started  a  paper  called  The 
liemeAo,  having  copied  the'  subscription  list. 
This  paper  was  afterward  removed  to  Min- 
neapolis and  became  the  Temperance  Review. 
On  the  12th  of  February,  1886,  the  Jour- 
nal was  consolidated  with  the  Herald,  which 
had  been  established  by  the  Soper  Brothers, 
and  the  name  of  the  paper  became  the 

JOURNAL  AND  HERALD. 

Under  this  arrangement  the  firm  name 
became  Drebert  &  Soper  brothers  —  en  j>er- 
sonncl,  F.  T.  Drebert,  J.  A.  and  W.  B.  So])er. 
W.  B.  Soper  retired  from  the  firm  in  October, 
188(5,  leaving  the  management  in  the  same 
hands  as  we  still  find  it  —  Drebert  &  Soper 
—  F.  T.  Drebert  and  J.  A.  Soper.  The  Jour- 
nal and  Herald  office  is  undoubtedly  one  of 
the  finest  and  most  extensively  equipped 
offices  in  the  State,  outside  of  Minneapolis  and 
St.  Paul,  and  is  a  credit  to  Owatonna.  It  is 
furnished  with  a  newspaper  cylinder  press,  a 
Babcock  pony  cylinder  with  steam  power 
attached,  and  three  other  presses  for  general 
work ;  its  assortment  of  poster,  jobbing  and 
news  type  is  very  extensive,  and  in  fact  the 
oflice  has  capacity  for  any  class  of  work. 
The  paper  has  attained  a  wide  circulation, 
not  only  locally,  but  in  a  general  sense,  and 
as  an  exponent  of  Kepublican  doctrines  its 
influence  in  the  party  and  with  the  people  is 
not  surpassed  by  any  journal  in  this  portion 
of  the  State. 

F.  T.  Drebert,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Drebert  &  Soper,  proprietors  of  the  Jour- 
nal and  Herald,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Md., 
March  7,  1831.  "While  in  his  infancy  his 
parents  removed  to  ConnersviUe,  Ind.  In 
18-40,  his  mother  having  died,  his  father 
returned  to  Baltimore.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  attended  the  public  schools  of  that 
city,  having  his  studies  interrupted  by  going 
two  voyages  to  sea  with  his  father,-  who  was 
master  of  a  merchant  vessel.     After  return- 


ing from  these  voyages  Mr.  Drebert  resumed 
his  place  in  school,  in  a  short  time  entering 
the  high  school,  an  institution  of  the  charac- 
ter of  many  of  our  western  colleges.  Leav- 
ing school  he  went  into  the  book  and  job 
printing  oflice  of  Joseph  Bobinson  to  learn 
the  trade.  From  1800  to  1868  he  was  en- 
gaged in  editorial  work  on  the  ConnersviUe 
(Ind.)  Times,  except  two  short  intermissions, 
during  the  first  of  which  he  taught  school 
and  read  law  in  Judge  J.  M.  Wilson's  office, 
and  during  the  second  was  engaged  in  pub- 
lishing the  Liberty  Herald,  located  in  the  ad- 
joining county  of  Union.  In  1868  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  the  Liberty  Herald, 
which,  in  a  few  months,  he  sold  to  his  part- 
ner, and  in  1869  purchased  the  Eushville 
(Ind.)  Liejmbllcan.  He  sold  the  office  in  1876 
and  came  to  Owatonna.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  ConnersviUe,  Ind.,  Mr.  Drebert  was 
married  to  Mary  A.  Harrison,  of  that  j^lace. 
They  have  been  blessed  with  six  children,  all 
of  whom  are  living  as  follows :  Caroline, 
Oliver  M.,  Mary  E.,  Alexander  F.,  Eleanor 
and  Belle.  Mr.  Drebert,  through  his  many 
years'  experience,  has  become  a  thorough 
newspaper  man,  thoroughly  mastering  his 
profession.  He  is  a  versatile,  pungent  writer 
and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest  edito- 
rial writers  in  the  State. 

J.  A.  Soper,  of  the  firm  of  Drebert  & 
Soper,  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Kew  York, 
born  in  1858.  While  he  was  yet  a  child  his 
parents  moved  west  and  located  in  Clinton 
Falls  Township,  Steele  County.  After  a  few 
years  they  removed  to  Owatonna,  where 
they  still  live.  J.  A.  Soper  was  married  in 
November,  1883,  to  Lillie  M.  Cooper,  a 
daughter  of  John  Cooper,  of  Faribault.  One 
child  has  blessed  their  union,  Bonnie  Eveline, 
born  August  25,  1887.  Mr.  Soper,  while 
still  at  home,  learned  telegraphing  and  for 
several  j'ears  followed  that  business,  he  and 
his  brother  for  some  time  having  charge  of 
the  Owatonna  office.  J.  A.  Soper  began  the 
printing  business  with  a  little  "  Novelty  Job 
Press,"  which  he  "set  up"  in  his  father's 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


109 


store  and  turned  out  light  work.  His  various 
newspaper  ventux'es  receive  extended  notice 
elsewhere.  He  is  a  thorough  newspaper 
man,  and  has  the  reputation  of  being  among 
the  most  tasty  job  printers  in  this  part  of  the 
State. 

THE   people's    press. 

The  first  issue  of  this  paper  made  its 
appearance  on  Wednesday,  the  2d  of  Sep- 
tember, 1874,  as  an  eight-column  folio.  It 
was  estabhshed  by  B.  E.  Darby  and  N.  E. 
Lemen,  under  the  firm  name  of  Darby  & 
Lemen.  The  first  issue  of  the  paper  pre- 
sented a  neat  appeai'ance,  well  filled  with 
local  as  well  as  general  news.  The  local 
advertisers  in  the  first  issue  were  the  fol- 
lowing: Attorneys,  Coggswell  &  Johnson, 
Johnson  &_  Burlingame,  L.  P.  McClarren ; 
phj'sician,  S.  Blood ;  dentists,  Cole  &  Medd  ; 
tailor,  Jolm  Cottier ;  groceries,  P.  O.  Maly ; 
cigars,  C.  Bartsch  &  Co. ;  barbers,  Valentine 
&  Lidington  ;  meat  markets,  J.  A.  Oppliger 
and  Pepper  &  Montgomery  ;  hotels,  Parcher 
&  Br^'ant  and  William  Engel ;  real  estate. 
Dr.  E.  W.  Johnson ;  furniture,  H.  H.  Rose- 
brock  ;  wagon  shop,  Charles  Schoen ;  brew- 
ery, Lewis  Bion ;  hardware,  A.  Butsch ; 
liver}^,  G.  B.  Twiss  ;  lumber,  A.  G.  Murray  ; 
hardware,  S.  B.  Hunkins ;  boots  and  shoes, 
A.  Butsch  ;  drugs,  Z.  Handerson  ;  hardware, 
Requa  &  Furbers;  books,  Brown  &  Spell- 
man  ;  drugs,  Harsha  &  Donaldson ;  jewelry, 
Julius  F.  Young  &  Co. ;  general  merchandise, 
J.  W.  Morford  ;  mercliandise,  G.  F.  Albertus 
musical  instruments,  J.  B.  Lambert ;  liquors, 
H.  Hall. 

The  campaign  jireceding  the  October 
election  of  1874  was  at  its  height.  Mark  H. 
Dunnell,  of  Owatonna,  had  been  nominated 
by  the  Republicans  for  Congress  and  Judge 
Franklin  H.  Waite,  of  Mankato,  had  been 
made  the  Democratic  nominee.  The  People^ s 
Press  at  once  commenced  political  action,  op- 
posing Mr.  Dunnell  and  favoring  Waite.  In 
an  advertisement  on  the  fourth  page  of  the 
first  issue  it  is  stated  that  the  People's  Press, 
"  the  anti-monopoly  paper  of  Steele  County, 


is  independent  of  rings  or  cliques,  and  a  true 
representative  of  the  farmers  and  working- 
men.  The  Press  is  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  those  who  make  an  honest  living,  and 
opposed  to  all  monopolies  whereby  a  tax- 
ridden  people  are  still  further  oppressed. 

"  '  He  who  would  grow  both  rich  and  wise, 
Should  either  read  or  advertise.'  " 

The  motto  of  the  Press  was :  "  Justice' 
Liberty  and  Union ;  Independent  of  party 
and  party  cliques." 

As  the  editors  in  the  first  issue  present  an 
able  "  salutatory,"  we  herewith  give  some  of 
the  most  pointed  paragraphs,  as  they  outline 
the  future  policy  of  the  paper : 

"Though  the  people  of  Steele  County 
have  already  one  paper,  we  believe  there  is 
ample  room  for  anotlier.  Our  people  may 
now  be  considered  to  be  a  reading  people. 
The  benefits  arising  from  our  excellent  sys- 
tem of  free  education  are  patent  to  every 
observer  and  the  demand  for  additional  read- 
ing matter  is  continually  increasing.  Con- 
vinced of  this  fact,  we  offer  no  apology  for 
issuing  a  weekly  journal  to  supply  a  deside- 
ratum, the  want  of  which  has  been  long  felt. 

"  Upon  presenting  this,  the  initial  number 
of  the  People's  Press  to  the  public,  we  have 
but  few  promises  to  make,  leaving  our  fut- 
ure acts  to  speak  for  themselves,  believing 
that  they  will  be  more  potential  than  many 
promises  and  platforms  of  words  upon  words. 

"  The  Press  is  not  to  be  an  effort  of  to-day 
to  aid  in  a  political  campaign  or  advance  a 
tem]3orary  interest,  but  our  best  efforts  will 
be  put  forth  to  place  it  upon  a  sure  founda- 
tion, a  journal  for  to-day,  to-morrow  and  the 
future,  a  means  to  earn  us  a  livelihood,  while 
doing  its  duty. 

"  The  Press  will  be  emphatically  inde- 
pendent in  the  broadest  construction  of  the 
term,  free  and  untrammeled  in  all  things  — 
free  from  any  political,  money  or  society 
power ;  wearing  no  collar,  but  striking  for 
the  right  wherever  it  ma\'  be  found,  and 
probing  the  festering  sores  of  corruption, 
whether  in  the  petty  places  of  authority  or 


110 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


when  concealed  by  the  ermine  or  gilding 
and  trappings  of  power  and  place.  Against 
monopolies  the  Press  will  wage  war,  and  is 
in  full  sympathy  with  the  efforts  of  the  pro- 
ducing classes  against  the  mighty  powers 
whose  baneful  shadows  are  cast  over  the 
struggling  tiller  of  the  soil,  the  mechanic 
and  the  laborer  of  whatever  degree.  The 
organized  movement  of  labor  against  those 
who  would  oppress  it  will  be  earnestly 
advocated  and  encouraged. 

"  Our  design  is  to  make  the  Press  truly 
the  people's  pajier,  devoted  to  general  litera- 
ture, the  news  of  the  day,  editorial  opinions, 
correspondence,  a  vehicle  for  the  expression 
of  our  readers'  oijinions  and  criticisms,  and 
particularly  a  faithful  and  entertaining  chron- 
icler of  local  events.  Home  will  be  our  first 
consideration  always.  And  while  faithfully 
guarding  the  interests  of  Owatonna,  we  will 
conscientiously  endeavor  to  fiu-ther  the  inter- 
ests of  the  entire  county,  not  being  warped 
by  sectional  lines,  neither  preferring  the  shop 
and  store  before  the  farm.  In  short,  we 
intend  to  build  up  a  paper  of  an  immense 
cii'culation  and  one  of  which  every  subscrib- 
er may  be  proud.  No  slang  or  immorality 
will  enter  either  our  reading  or  advertising- 
columns,  and  the  paper  will  be  one  all  can 
properly  take  into  the  family  circle.  In  con- 
clusion, we  only  ask  for  the  support  that  our 
efforts  shall  seem  to  deserve,  hoping  that  our 
labors  and  your  encouragement  will  result 
in  our  common  good,  and  make  the  Press  a 
worthy  champion  of  the  right. 

"  Darby  &  Lemen." 

Although  the  name  of  Mr.  Lemen  appears 
as  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Press,  he  was 
not  an  active  partner,  and  on  the  16th  of 
September,  187i,  his  name  was  dropped  from 
tlie  head  of  the  columns  and  that  of  B.  E. 
Darby  ap23eared  as  sole  editor  and  proprie- 
tor. Mr.  Lemen  had  been  running  a  paper 
at  Kasson,  Dodge  County,  and  when  the 
Peopli^s  Press  was  established  he  sold  Mr. 
Darby  the  material  with  which  the  Press 
office  was  then  furnished,  and  agreed  to  get 


out  the  first  issue.  In  this,  however,  he 
failed,  as  Mr.  Darby  arrived  before  that  time, 
and  the  first  number  of  the  Press  made  its 
appearance  through  his  exertions.  Mr.  Le- 
men never  moved  to  Owatonna. 

Mr.  Darby  continued  the  publication  of 
the  paper  alone  until  January  6,  1874,  when 
L.  C.  Martin  became  associated  with  him  as 
partner,  under  the  firm  name  of  Darby  & 
Martin.  Mr.  Martin  came  here  from  Prairie 
du  Chien,  Wis.,  and  worked  as  a  printer  for 
Mr.  Darby  during  his  first  year's  residence 
here.  In  March,  1876,  the  day  of  publica- 
tion was  changed  from  Wednesday  to  Satur- 
day. On  the  9th  of  March,  1878,  Mr. 
Darby  bought  out  his  partner's  interest,  and 
the  firm  of  Darby  &  Martin  was  dissolved, 
Mr.  Darby  again  assuming  full  ownership. 
Shortly  after  severing  his  connection  with 
the  Press,  Mr.  Martin  returned  to  Wisconsin 
and  engaged  in  the  publication  of  a  Green- 
back journal  in  the  southwestern  part  of  that 
State.  In  this,  however,  he  (mly  remained  a 
short  time.  He  is  now  in  Florida.  When 
he  first  came  to  Steele  Count}^  he  was  a 
j^oung  man,  possibly  twenty  years  of  age, 
and  single.  Some  time  after  selling  out 
here  he  returned  and  was  married  to  a 
daughter  of  O.  S.  Crandall. 

October  4,  1878,  the  day  of  publication 
was  again  changed,  this  time  to  Frida3^  On 
the  26th  of  October  the  Press  was  enlarged 
and  the  form  changed  to  a  six-column  quarto. 
When  the  paper  was  started  the  office  occu- 
pied rooms  in  the  Bixby  building,  on  Bridge 
street,  where  Thon  Bros,  are  now.  A 
}'ear  later  it  was  moved  to  H.  R.  Moore's 
brick  block,  which  was  then  occupied  by 
Seaiies'  liardware  store.  In  April,  1880,  the 
Press  office  was  removed  to  its  present  quar- 
ters in  Lord's  block,  on  the  east  side  of  Cedar 
street. 

On  the  26th  of  June,  ISSo,  the  People^s 
Press  absorbed  a  paper  which  had  been  pub- 
lislied  for  some  time  previous  at  Blooming 
Prairie,  under  the  name  of  the  Tribune. 
Under    the    arrangement  made,  the    Press 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


Ill 


filled  out  the  Tribune's  subscription  and 
advertising  contracts,  and  started  a  Bloom- 
ing Prairie  department. 

The  People^ s  Press  has  always  steadfastly 
held  to  the  Democratic  faith  in  political  mat- 
ters, yet  it  is  a  local  paper  in  every  sense. 
It  has  always  taken  a  most  active  part  in 
all  matters  tending  to  benefit  either  city  or 
county.  One  feature  connected  with  the 
way  the  paper  is  conducted  is  worthy  of 
mention.  The  whole  of  every  issue,  except 
that  part  relating  to  general  news,  termed 
"patents,"  is  devoted  to  local  news,  and, 
except  during  political  campaigns,  the  space, 
instead  of  being  devoted  to  editorials  on  for- 
eign subjects,  is  filled  with  town  and  county 
matters.  This  fact  has  given  this  paper  an 
especially  large  circulation  throughout  the 
county.  The  Press  has  never  missed  an  is- 
sue since  the  first  number  made  its  appear- 
ance. AU  official  matters  have  always  been 
published,  whether  the  Press  was  the  official 
paper  of  the  county  or  not ;  yet  it  has  been 
the  official  paper  several  years  in  its  history. 
That  matter,  of  course,  has  always  been  ar- 
ranged according  to  the  political  complexion 
of  tlie  board  of  county  commissioners.  The 
Press  wields  a  powerful  influence,  and  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest  and  most 
active  exponents  of  Democratic  ideas  in  the 
State. 

The  office  of  this  paper  is  well  equipped 
for  book  and  general  job  printing.  Im- 
proved cylinder  presses,  steam-power  and 
other  first-class  machinery,  and  an  excellent 
selection  of  the  latest  styles  of  plain  and 
fancy  job  type  enable  them  to  turn  out  al- 
most any  class  of  work  in  good,  workman- 
like manner.  They  also  do  a  good  class  of 
book-binding. 

Benjamin  E.  Darby,  editor  and  proprietor 
of  the  People's  Press,  Owatonna,  Minn.,  was 
born  February  18,  1848,  at  St.  Eleanors, 
Prince  Edward  Island.  At  the  age  of  two 
years  his  parents  removed  with  him  to  their 
farm  in  Abram's  Village,  Egmont  Bay.  Here 
he  lived  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  at- 


tending the  district  school  and  doing  much 
hard  work.  He  evinced  good  mathematical 
ability  and  had  acquired  an  excellent  knowl- 
edge of  the  French  language,  when  he  en- 
tered the  grammar  school  at  the  county -seat, 
remaining  there  two  years,  studying  alge- 
bra, Latin,  Greek,  geometry,  land-surveying 
and  navigation.  He  afterward  attended  and 
graduated  from  the  normal  school  in  Char- 
lottetown  and  the  Prince  of  Wales  College 
in  the  same  city.  He  followed  the  profes- 
sion of  teacher  in  that  province  until  Aug- 
ust, 1871,  when  he  came  to  Minnesota.    In 

1871  and  1872  he  was  principal  of  the  public 
school  at  Zumbrota,  Goodhue  County;   in 

1872  and  1873,  principal  of  the  public  school 
at  Pine  Island,  in  the  same  county,  and  in 

1873  and  1874  principal  of  the  public  school 
at  Kasson,  Dodge  County.  He  was  married 
in  August,  187-4,  to  Annie  K.  Barnard.  They 
have  been  blessed  with  four  children,  as  fol- 
lows :  George  F.,  born  May  22,  1875 ;  Harry 
B.,  born  October  15,  1876;  Benjamin  E.  (de- 
ceased), born  March  28,  1880  (died  when 
fifteen  months  old),  and  Fannie  A.,  born 
November  22,  1883.  The  People's  Press 
has  grown  steadily  in  circulation  and  influ- 
ence under  Mr.  Darby's  management,  and 
has  been  a  financial  success.  He  is  a  thor- 
ough master  of  the  business  in  all  its  details, 
being  a  good  job  printer  as  well  as  an  inter- 
esting and  forcible  writer.  Mr.  Darby  has 
been  secretary  of  the  Owatonna  fire  de- 
partment for  a  number  of  years,  and  was 
again  re-elected  in  the  spring  of  1887  with- 
out opposition.     He  is  a  Master  Mason. 

OUB  PASTIME. 

A  weekly  paper  bearing  this  title  was 
established  at  Owatonna,  in  1875,  by  the 
Soper  Brothers  — J.  A.  and  W.  B.  Soper. 
It  was  a  four-column  folio,  neatly  printed 
and  well  edited,  the  subscription  price  being 
fi  f  ty  cents  per  year.  The  paper  was  continued, 
being  in  the  meantime  enlarged  to  double 
the  size  ixnder  which  it  was  started,  for  about 
one  year,  when  the  name  was  changed  to 


112 


HISTOKY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


THE  WEEKLY  KEVIEW, 

and  under  this  name  it  flourished  for  some- 
thing like  another  j^ear.  During  the  time 
A.  H.  Lewis  became  associated  with  the 
Soper  Brothers,  and  the  firm  name  became 
Soper  Brothers  &  Lewis.  This  arrangement 
only  continued  for  about  six  months,  when 
the  Review  was  sold  to  Luther  Bixby.  Lewis' 
connection  with  the  paper  assumed  a  variety 
of  characters,  in  turn  being  that  of  a  partner, 
a  lessor,  editor  on  salary,  and  finally  ter- 
minated. After  this,  for  a  time,  Mr.  Bixby 
employed  S.  C.  Harris  as  editor  and  event- 
ually the  paper  was  moved  to  Minneapolis, 
and  became  the  Tempercmce  Review. 

THE  MOKNING  STAR. 

This  was  the  name  of  a  small  daily  started 
at  Owatonna,  in  January,  1876,  by  Hanson 
&  Howe,  two  energetic  young  men.  It  was 
only  continued  for  a  very  short  time. 

DAILY  HERALD. 

This  paper  was  started  by  the  Soper  Broth- 
ers in  1879,  with  S.  C.  Harris  as  editor.  It 
was  a  small  paper,  a  four-column  folio,  and 
was  issued  daily  for  about  three  or  four 
HTonths,  when  it  was  changed  to  a  weekly, 
and  became 

THE  STEELE  COUNTY  HEEALD. 

The  jiaper  was  enlarged  to  a  four-column 
quarto.  The  first  issue  of  this  paper  bore 
the  date  of  April  6,  1880.  About  a  year 
later  it  was  enlarged  to  a  five-column  quarto. 
Soper  Brothers  continued  the  publication  of 
the  Herald  until  tlie  12th  of  February,  1886, 
when  it  was  consolidated  with  F.  T.  Dre- 
bert's  pajier,  the  Journal,  and  the  name  of 
the  paper  became  the  Journal  and  Herald, 


with  Drebert  &  Soper  Brothers  as  pro]n'ietors. 
A  history  of  this  paper  has  already  been 
given.  At  the  time  of  the  consolidation  the 
Herald  ofiice  was  equipped  with  an  excellent 
outfit  of  presses,  steam  engine,  type,  machin- 
ery and  fixtures. 

OTHER   PUBLICATIONS. 

In  1868,  W.  H.  Mitchell  compiled  and 
])ublished  a  work  entitled  "  Geographical 
and  Statistical  History  of  Steele  County."  It 
was  got  out  in  pamphlet  form,  bound  in 
paper,  and  contained  about  one  hundred 
pages.  It  was  a  work  of  considerable  merit, 
showing  great  research  in  its  statistical  and 
historical  departments,  and  was  the  means  of 
preserving  much  historical  data  that  would 
otherwise  have  been  inaccessible. 

In  1874,  A.  T.  Andreas,  of  Chicago,  111., 
published  a  complete  atlas  of  Minnesota, 
which  contains  not  only  a  map  of  Steele,  but 
also  a  concise  and  well-written  historical 
sketch  of  the  county.  The  work,  in  the  ex- 
tent of  its  details,  and  the  mass  of  historical, 
statistical  and  geographical  information  it 
contains,  is  one  which  will  become  more  and 
more  valuable  as  years  go  by ;  and,  while 
some  of  its  patrons  were  dissatisfied  at  the 
time  it  was  published,  yet  in  later  years  its 
true  worth  is  coming  to  be  fully  realized. 
The  price  charged  for  the  atlas  was  $15 
per  copy. 

In  1879.  Warner  &  Foote,  of  Minneapolis, 
published  a  wall  map  of  Steele  County, 
which  was  very  complete,  showing  the  size 
and  ownership  of  farms,  location  of  roads, 
dwellings,  schools,  churches,  etc.  The  work 
was  sold  for  $12  per  copy,  and  its  com- 
pilation involved  a  great  deal  of  time,  care 
and  expense. 


-^^>^'^^^^^;:^0$^4:^^^^^i<^^ 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


EAILROADS. 


HE  Vllth  Territorial  Legislature 
granted 


a  charter  which  was 
approved  on  the  1st  of  March, 
1856,  for  a  railroad  from  the 
Iowa  State  line,  near  where  the 
Ked  Cedar  crosses  it,  and  tlience 
up  the  Cedar  Valley,  along  the 
Straight  Eiver  Valley,  and 
through  the  "  big  woods,"  to 
Minneapolis,  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  miles.  The  summer 
previous,  1855,  had  witnessed  a  heavy  in- 
crease in  the  population  of  Steele  County- 
Eailroad  agitation  had  already  begun  in 
earnest;  all  who  were  interested  here  took 
an  active  part  in  working  the  matter  up.  It 
was  evident  that  a  railroad  from  St.  Paul 
south,  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  must  go  far  back  into  the  interior  in 
order  to  avoid  the  deep  ravines  and  high 
ridges  formed  by  the  Zumbro  and  Root 
rivers ;  that  in  the  interior  were  the  Can. 
non  and  Straight  rivers  flowing  north,  the 
latter  interlocking  with  the  Cedar  River 
flowing  south,  and  that,  manifestly  in  the 
valley  of  these  streams  there  was  not  only  a 
leading  railroad  route,  but  fine  timber,  ex- 
cellent water-power  and  a  good  agricultural 
district.  Owatonna  also  lay  in  a  direct  line 
from  Winona  to  the  south  bend  of  the  Min- 
nesota River,  which  route  had  already  — 
even  at  that  early  day  —  been  looked  out, 
and  a  charter  granted  to  the  Transit  Com- 
pany. 

•  Railroads,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  to 
have,  and  strenuous  efforts  were  made  to 
put  the  scheme  in  operation.  Parties  went 
to  St.   Paul  to  attend  the  session   of   the 


Vllth  Territorial  Legislature,  and  the  char- 
ter above  mentioned  was  granted,  and 
the  Minneapolis  &  Cedar  Valley  Rail- 
road was  incorporated.  Section  1  of  the 
bill  provided  that  "Franklin  Steele,  Isaac 
Atwater,  D.  M.  Hanson,  James  F.  Brad- 
ley, Ezra  Abbott,  R.  P.  Russell,  A.  M. 
Fridley,  H.  H.  Sibley,  John  W.  North, 
James  Shields,  Alex.  Faribault,  John  C.  Ide, 
Charles  Jewett,  F.  W.  Fisk,  Benjamin  L. 
Arnold,  "William  F.  Pettit,  John  H.  Abbott, 
A.  B.  Cornell,  A.  Town,  A.  B.  Vaugn,  H. 
O.  Billings,  Orlando  Wilder,  and  such  other 
j)ersons  as  may  become  associated  with 
them,"  were  created  "  a  body  corporate,  by 
the  name  of  the  Minneapolis  &  Cedar  Valley 
Railroad  Company."  Section  4  appointed 
Henry  H.  Sibley,  at  Mendota,  Franklin 
Steele,  at  Minneapolis,  James  Shields,  at 
Faribault,  WiUiam  F.  Pettit,  at  Owatonna, 
and  A.  B.  Vaugn,  at  Austin,  commissioners 
to  open  books  and  receive  subscriptions  to 
the  capital  stock  of  the  company.  The 
charter  also  provided  that  when  $50,000  of 
stock  should  be  subscribed  tlie  commission- 
ers should  meet  at  Faribault  for  the  purpose 
of  apportioning  the  stock  among  the  sub- 
scribers, and  also  call  a  meeting  of  the  stock- 
holders to  choose  directors.  This,  according 
to  the  act,  was  to  be  done  preA'ious  to  tlie 
1st  of  March,  1857.  The  commissioners  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  stock  subscriptions  to 
the  amount  of  $200,000.  Owatonna,  Fari- 
bault and  Northliekl  were  most  active  in 
raising  this  amount  of  stock,  which  was  gen- 
erally referred  to  as  the  "  Owatonna  straw 
stock,"  the  general  citizen  having  little  or  no 
faith  in  the  success  of  the  enterprise.     The 


U3 


lu 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


first  meeting  of  the  stockholders  was  held 
at  Mendota  in  February,  1857,  at  which 
time  the  following  named  directors  were 
elected :  Ezra  Abbott,  of  St.  Anthony ; 
Franklin  Steele,  of  Fort  Snelling;  II.  H. 
Sibley,  of  Mendota  ;  J.  W.  North,  of  North- 
field  ;  James  Shields,  of  Faribault ;  William 
F.  Pettit,  of  Owatonna,  and  A.  B.  Vaugn, 
of  Austin  ;  Ezi'a  Abbott,  treasurer  ;  Frank- 
lin Steele,  seci-etary,  and  J.  H.  Abbott, 
chief  engineer.  In  June  Mr.  Abbott  and  L. 
Kellett  commenced  surveying  the  route,  and 
by  the  close  of  September  the  location  was 
made  and  the  estimates  for  construction 
completed.  In  May,  at  the  extra  session  of 
the  legislature,  that  body  made  to  this  road 
a  munificent  grant  of  lands,  according  to 
the  act  of  Congress  of  that  year,  which  was 
much  more  liberal  than  that  heretofore 
granted  to  any  State  or  territory.  But  the 
great  financial  panic  of  1857  followed,  and 
men  of  reputed  wealth,  who  had  thought 
themselves  wealthy,  were  reduced  from  af- 
fluence to  poverty,  and  in  this  western  coun- 
try the  pressure  was  very  severe.  In  1858 
all  the  companies  in  the  State  did  a  large 
amount  of  grading  and  other  work  on  the 
lines  of  roads,  stimulated  thereto  by  the  ac- 
tion of  the  legislature  in  passing  the  "  five 
million  loan  bill  "  and  its  ratification  by  the 
people.  Of  the  110  miles  of  the  Cedar  Val- 
ley Railroad  to  the  State  line,  seventy-two 
were  graded  and  a  large  number  on  the  other 
portions  of  the  road. 

When  the  $5,000,000  loan  bill  was  passed 
it  was  provided  that  the  road-beds  of  the 
railroads  so  aided  should  be  morteae'ed. 
When  the  financial  crash  came  these  mort- 
gages were  foi-eclosed,  and  later  the  grant 
to  the  Cedar  Valley  Company  was  given 
to  the  Minnesota  Central  Company,  and 
that  of  the  Transit  Company  was  given 
to  the  Winona  &  St.  Peter  Railroad  Com- 
pany. In  relation  to  the  bonds,  an  act 
was  passed  making  them  a  basis  upon 
which  the  banks  could  issue  currency,  and 
this  was  carried  out  at  nearly  all  points  in 


this  part  of  the  State.  At  Owatonna  a  bank 
issued  circulating  notes  based  u]ion  these 
bonds,  and  as  they  continued  to  depreciate 
in  value,  until  they  were  utterly  worthless, 
of  course  the  bank  failed.  Hundreds  of  mer- 
chants and  business  men  were  ruined,  and  in 
every  way  it  proved  not  only  a  disgraceful 
but  a  ver}^  disastrous  transaction. 

In  the  fall  of  1860  the  election  contest  was 
an  exciting  one,  the  main  question  at  issue 
being  the  location  of  the  Transit  Railroad, 
now  the  Winona  &  St.  Peter  Division  of 
the  Northwestern  Railway.  The  legislature 
was  to  fix  the  location.  Hon.  William  F. 
Pettit  was  the  candidate  for  representative 
who  favored  Owatonna,  and  Hon.  G.  W. 
Green  favored  a  point  farther  north.  Mr. 
Pettit  was  elected  by  a  handsome  majorit}^ 
and  at  the  following  session  of  the  legisla- 
ture the  land  grants  were  disposed  of  to 
solid  companies,  upon  condition  that  a  cer- 
tain number  of  miles  should  be  completed 
and  cars  running  thereon  each  year,  under 
penalty  of  forfeiture  of  the  whole  grant  to 
the  State.  But  the  Rebellion  breaking  out 
that  spi'ing,  work  was  delayed  on  all  the 
roads.  In  1862  an  act  of  Congress  was 
secured  to  facilitate  the  construction  of  the 
Minnesota  &  Cedar  Valley  Railroad.  Work 
was  I'esumed  in  1863  and  1864 ;  and  in 
1865  the  Cedar  Valley  road  was  put  in  oper- 
ation as  far  as  Faribault ;  and  the  Winona 
&  St.  Peter  as  far  as  Kasson,  about  sixtj'- 
five  miles  west  of  Winona.  In  August,  1866, 
both  roads  were  completed  to  Owatonna 
and  the  struggle  and  anxiety  of  the  jieo- 
ple  received  their  legitimate  reward  in  the 
improved  business  and  increased  value  of 
property.  The  Minneapolis  &  Cedar  Val- 
ley Railwaj^  afterward  became  the  Minnesota 
Railway,  and  was  finally  absorbed  in  the 
great  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Rail- 
way system.  In  the  same  way  the  Transit 
Company's  road  had  become  a  part  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern.  Both  now  belong  to 
great  railway  systems — the  leading  thorough- 
fares of  freight  and  travel  of  the  West. 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


115 


These  —  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern,  and 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  rail- 
ways—  comprise  all  the  lines  of  railway  that 
have  as  yet  been  built  through  Steele 
County.  However,  at  the  present  writing 
there  is  prospects  that  the  Duluth,  Eed  "Wing 
&  Southern  Railroad  will  be  constructed 
through  the  county  at  an  early  day.  The 
company  demanded  a  bonus  of  $40,000  in 
bonds  from  the  county  and  the  matter  was 
finally  submitted  to  the  voters  at  a  spe- 
cial  election    held    on    the   30tli  of  June, 

1887,  at  which  the  proposition  was  carried 
in  favor  of  bonding  by  a  majority  of  412. 
The  proposition  for  the  issuance  of  the  bonds 
states  the  plan  and  route  of  the  proposed 
road  so  clearly  that  we  give  it  in  full,  viz. : 

"  In  consideration  of  the  issuance  and  do- 
nation thereto  of  the  said  bonds,  the  said 
railroad  company  will  construct,  complete 
and  put  into  operation  its  line  of  railroad  as 
follows : 

"  From  Albert  Lea,  in  the  county  of  Free- 
born, State  of  Minnesota,  through  the  said 
county  of  Steele  and  Owatonna,  the  county- 
seat  of  said  county,  to  the  city  of  Red  Wing, 
Minn.,   within  two   years  from  January  1, 

1888,  and  from  said  city  of  Red  Wing  to 
Duluth,  Superior  or  Ashland,  on  Lake  Su- 
perior, within  three  years  from  January  1, 
1888,  and  further  agree  that  said  road  shall 
not  be  owned  or  operated  by  any  through 
line  running  to  Chicago  or  Milwaukee  and 
will,  in  consideration  of  said  bonds,  at  the 
election  of  said  county  commissioners  of  said 
Steele  County,  issue  to  it  such  number  of  the 
shares  of  its  capital  stock  as  will  at  par 
value  of  such  stock  correspond  with  the 
principal  sum  of  said  bonds. 

"In  case  the  said  railroad  company,  its 
successors  or  assigns,  shall  fail  to  complete 
the  said  portions  of  the  said  railroad  in  the 
time  herein  provided,  it  shall  forfeit  and  lose 
all  right  to  have  and  obtain  all  that  portion 
of  the  said  bonds  to  be  donated  on  account 
of  the  portion  or  portions  of  the  said  rail- 
roads so  failed  to  be  completed. 


"  The  said  bonds  shall  be  delivered  to  the 
said  railroad  company,  its  successors  or 
assigns,  as  follows : 

"When  said  railroad  shall  be  completed 
and  the  cars  running  through  from  either 
Red  Wing  or  Albert  Lea  to  tlae  city  of  Owa- 
tonna in  said  Steele  County,  one-third  (^)  of 
said  bonds ;  when  the  road  is  completed 
from  Red  Wing  to  Albert  Lea  through  the 
said  city  of  Owatonna,  one-third  (-^)  of  said 
bonds,  and  when  the  connection  with  Lake 
Superior  is  completed  the  remaining  one- 
third  (^)  of  said  bonds  shall  be  delivered. 

"  In  order  to  insure  the  faithful  jjerform- 
ance  by  both  the  said  county  of  Steele  and 
the  said  railroad  company,  of  the  foregoing 
conditions  in  respect  to  the  issuance  of  the 
said  bonds,  the  said  bonds  shall  within  thirty 
(30)  days  after  the  canvass  of  the  vote  au- 
thorizing the  issuance  of  the  same  be  duly 
executed  by  the  said  county  commissioners 
and  be  placed  in  escrow  in  the  hands  of  the 
cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  St. 
Paul,  Minn.,  to  be  delivered  to  the  said  rail- 
road company,  its  successors  or  assigns,  as 
herein  provided  and  not  otherwise ;  and  the 
certificate  of  stock  to  be  exchanged  thereof, 
shall  be  placed  with  the  same  depositary  at 
the  same  time. 

"  But,  in  case  the  said  railroad  company 
shall  fail  to  acquire  the  right  to  have  de- 
livered to  it  any  portion  or  the  whole  of  the 
said  bonds,  by  failure  to  build  and  put  into 
operation  the  said  portions  of  the  said  rail- 
road in  the  time  aforesaid,  in  such  case  all 
such  portions  of  the  said  bonds  as  the  said 
company  shall  have  so  failed  to  perfect  its 
right  to  have  delivered  to  it,  shall,  upon  the 
demand  of  the  said  county  commissioners  or 
their  successors  be  surrendered  to  the  said 
county  commissioners  or  their  successors  for 
cancellation. 

"Dated  June  3d,  A.  D.  1887. 

"  DcLUTH,  Red  Wing  &  Southern  Rail- 
road Company.  By  F.  W.  IIoyt, 

"Attest,  Edgar  R.  Mills,         President. 
"  Secretary." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE   WAE— ITS  CAUSES. 


STEELE   COTTNTY    IN   THE    WAR. 


ROM  the  commencement  of  gov- 
ernment there  have  been  two  an- 
tagonistic principles  contending 
for  mastery:  slavery  and  freedom; 
sometimes  smoldering  and  even 
invisible ;  but  the  seeds  were  there, 
and  ever  and  anon  would  burst 
into  flames,  carrying  destruction, 
death  and  desolation  with  them.  A 
rei^etition  of  the  great  conflict 
which  for  ages  has  agitated  our 
globe  —  the  conflict  between  aristocratic 
usurpation  and  popular  rights.  History  is 
crowded  with  descriptions  and  scenes  of  this 
irrepressible  conflict.  Two  thousand  years 
ago,  when  the  aristocracy  of  Eome  was 
headed  by  Cneius  Pompej^,  Julius  Caesar, 
esi)ousing  the  cause  of  the  people,  unfurled 
the  banner  of  equal  rights,  and  striding 
through  oceans  of  blood  which  tossed  their 
surges  over  every  portion  of  the  habitable 
globe,  overthrew  the  aristocratic  common- 
wealth and  reared  over  the  ruins  the  imperial 
commonwealth.  Again,  on  the  field  of  Phar- 
salia,  the  aristocratic  banner  was  trailed  in 
the  dust,  and  democracy,  although  exceed- 
ingly imperfect,  became  victor.  It  was  ar- 
istocracy trying  to  keep  its  heel  on  the 
head  of  democracy  which  had  deluged  the 
Roman  empire  in  blood.  But  the  nobles 
regained  foothold,  and,  regardless  of  these 
lessons,  renewed  their  oppression.  Again 
they  commenced  sowing  the  seed  which  must 
surely  bring  forth  terrible  fruit.  Over  two 
hundred  years  ago  the  aristocracy  of  France, 


housed  in  magnificent  palaces,  mounted  on 
war  horses,  with  pampered  men-at-arms 
ready  to  ride  rough-shod  on  every  embass- 
age of  violence,  trampled  upon  the  sufl'ering 
serfs  until  humanity  could  no  longer  endure 
it.  The  masses  of  the  people  were  deprived 
of  every  privilege,  save  that  of  toiling  for 
their  masters.  The  aristocracy  so  deprived 
the  people,  whose  wives  and  daughters, 
through  their  brutality,  were  forced  to  go  to 
the  field  bareheaded  and  barefooted,  and 
be  yoked  to  the  plow  with  the  donkey,  that 
they  never  dreamed  that  the  wretched  boors 
would  dare  even  to  look  in  defiance  towards 
the  massive  and  stately  castles,  whose  noble- 
men proudly  strode  along  the  battlements 
in  measureless  contempt  for  the  helpless 
peasantry  below.  But  the  pent-up  vials  of 
vengeance  of  ages  at  last  burst  forth.  These 
boors,  these  jacks,  rose,  and  like  maddened 
hyenas  rusiied  upon  their  foes.  Inibruted 
men,  who  for  ages  had  been  subjected  to  the 
most  outrageous  wrongs,  rose  by  millions 
against  their  oppressors,  and  wreaked  upon 
them  every  atrocit}'^  which  fiend-like  ingenu- 
ity could  devise.  All  the  brutal  and  demon 
passions  of  human  nature  held  high  carnival, 
and  it  can  truly  be  said  France  ran  red  with 
blood.  But  at  length  disciplined  valor  pre- 
vailed. After  one-half  of  the  peasantry  of 
France  had  perished,  the  knighted  noblemen, 
the  aristocrats,  resumed  their  sway,  and  their 
hellish  bondage,  worse  than  slavery,  was 
again  placed  upon  the  people.  Tliis  war  of 
the  jacks,   or,   as  it  is  called    in    history. 


U6 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


117 


Jacquekie,  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  and 
warning  events  of  the  past,  and  yet  it  was 
all  unheeded.  The  oppression  went  on,  grow- 
ing more  and  more  outrageous ;  the  people 
were  kept  ignorant  that  they  might  not 
know  of  the  wrongs  ;  poor,  that  they  might 
not  resent  them.  That  the  lords  might  live 
in  castles  and  be  clothed  in  jjurple,  and  fare 
sumptuously,  the  people  were  doomed  to 
hovels,  rags  and  black  bread.  The  peasant 
must  not  place  the  bit  of  dough  in  the  ashes 
by  his  fireside;  he  was  compelled  to  have  it 
baked  at  the  bakery  of  his  lord,  and  there 
pay  heavy  toll.  He  dare  not  scrape  together 
the  few  crumbs  of  salt  from  the  rocks  of  the 
ocean  shore ;  he  must  buy  every  particle  from 
his  lord  at  an  exorbitant  price.  "  Servants, 
obey  your  masters ! "  was  interpreted  to 
apply  to  all  save  of  noble  birth,  and  religion 
was  converted  into  a  method  for  subjecting 
the  masses.  Bibles  were  not  allowed  to  be 
read  by  these  "  boors,"  lest  they  learn  what 
the  Saviour  really  taught,  and  a  peasant 
detected  with  one  in  his  hand  was  deemed 
as  guilty  as  if  caught  with  the  tools  of 
a  burglar  or  the  dies  of  a  counterfeiter. 
As  associates  for  lords  —  the  idea  would 
have  been  considered  contrary  to  nature  or 
reason.  Thus  Louis  XV.,  surrounded  by 
courtesans,  debauchees  and  the  whoredom  of 
his  castle,  once  said :  "I  can  give  money  to 
Voltaire,  Montesqueu,  Fontenelle,  but  I  can- 
not dme  and  smjj  with  these  people."  If  the 
peasant,  with  his  wife  and  child  toiling  in  the 
field,  in  the  cultivation  of  a  few  acres  of 
land,  managed  to  raise  $640  worth  of  crops 
during  the  year,  $600  of  it  went  to  the  king, 
the  lord  and  the  church,  while  the  remain- 
ing $40  was  left  to  clothe  and  feed  the 
emaciated  family.  Thos.  Jefferson,  in  the  year 
1785,  wrote  from  Paris  to  a  friend  in  Phila- 
delphia :  "  Of  twenty  millions  of  people 
supposed  to  be  in  France,  I  am  of  the  opin- 
ion that  there  are  nineteen  millions  more 
wretched,  more  accursed  in  every  circum- 
stance of  human  existence,  than  the  most 
conspicuously   wretched    individual    in   the 


whole  United  States."  It  was  this  state  of 
affairs  which  brought  on  the  war  of  the 
French  Revolution,  inaugurating  the  most 
terrific  of  all  time's  battles.  Such  combats 
earth  never  saw  before,  probably  will  never 
see  again.  Two  worlds,  as  it  were,  came 
clashing  together.  Twenty  millions  of  peo- 
ple trampled  in  the  mire,  rose  ghastly  and 
frenzied,  and  the  flames  of  feudal  castles  and 
the  shrieks  of  haughty  oppressors  appalled 
the  world.  All  the  combined  aristocracy  of 
Europe  were  on  the  other  side  to  crush  the 
demand  of  the  people  for  the  equality  of 
man.  Russia,  Prussia,  Sweden,  Austria, 
England,  Spain- — all  the  kings  rallied  their 
armies  to  the  assistance  of  France  in  subdu- 
ing the  oppressed  masses  who,  believing  they 
were  right,  marched  heroically  to  the  victo- 
ries of  Marengo,  "Wagram  and  Austerlitz. 
But  in  the  final  victories  of  the  despots,  aris- 
tocratic privilege  again  triumphed  in  Europe. 
In  the  meantime  a  similar  though  less  bloody 
and  terrific  battle  had  taken  place  in  Eng- 
land ;  the  same  ever  rising  conflict  between 
the  united  courtiers  and  cavaliers  under 
Charles  I.  and  the  Puritans  under  Cromwell. 
With  prayer,  fasting  and  hj^mn,  the  com- 
mon people,  who  had  for  ages  been  under  the 
yoke  of  servitude,  took  to  arms  in  defense  of 
their  riglits,  and  many  cavaliers  bit  the  dust 
through  their  sturdy  blows.  But  Charles  II. 
returned  to  the  throne,  and  again  aristocracy 
triumphed.  The  oppressed  were  our  Puri- 
tan fathers ;  again  they  were  trodden  under 
foot.  Then  it  was  that  the  heroic  resolution 
was  adopted  to  cross  the  ocean  three  thou- 
sand miles,  and  there  in  exile  establish  and 
found  a  republic  where  all  men  in  the  eye  of 
the  law  should  be  equal.  The  result  is  too 
well  known  to  need  rehearsal ;  how  they 
fought  their  way  through  all  the  dangers  of 
the  savage  new  world  and  succeeded  in  the 
object;  how  the  aristocracy  of  England 
made  the  desperate  effort  to  again  bring  the 
yoke  to  bear;  to  tax  us  without  allowing  us 
to  be  represented  in  parliament;  to  place  the 
appointment  to  all  important  offices  in  the 


118 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


hands  of  the  king,  who  would  send  over  the 
sons  of  EnglaiuFs  noblemen  to  be  our  gov- 
ernors and  our  judges,  and  who  would  fill  all 
the  posts  of  wealth,  dignity  and  power  with 
the  children  of  the  lords.  Hence,  the  War  of 
the  Eevolution.  We,  the  people,  conquered, 
and  established  our  government  independent 
of  all  the  world,  placing  as  corner-stone  of 
the  edifice,  that  "  all  men  are  born  free  and 
equal,  and  are  alike  entitled  to  life,  liberty 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness." 

Then  coming  down,  the  great  conflict 
of  America,  the  Rebellion,  it  was  a  con- 
tinuance of  that  irrepressible  conflict  Avhich 
has  shaken  the  world  to  its  uttermost  depths 
for  ages.  It  was  based  upon  slaver^',  that 
which  has  caused  the  shedding  of  oceans  of 
blood,  and  making  millions  of  widows  and 
orphans.  The  constitution  under  which  we 
are  bound  together  is,  in  its  spirit  and  legit- 
imate utterance,  doubtless  one  of  the  most 
noble  documents  ever  produced  by  the  mind 
of  man,  and  even  now,  when  the  advance- 
ment of  a  century  has  dawned  upon  its  use, 
not  a  paragraph  requires  changing  to  make 
it  true  to  humanity.  But  yet  ingloriously 
and  guiltily  we  consent  to  use  one  phrase 
susceptible  of  a  double  meaning — "  held  to 
labor."  So  small  and  apparently  so  insig- 
nificant were  the  seeds  sown,  from  ^Vhich 
such  a  harvest  of  misery  has  been  reaped. 
In  the  North  these  honest  words  meant  a 
hired  man  or  an  apprentice.  In  the  South 
they  were  taken  to  mean  slavery,  the  degra- 
dation and  feudal  bondage  of  a  race.  A 
privileged  class  assumed  that  the  constitu- 
tion recognized  it,  and  the  right  of  property 
in  human  beings.  This  class  endeavored  to 
strengthen  and  extend  their  aristocratic  in- 
stitution, which  was  dooming  ever-increas- 
ing millions  to  life-long  servitude  and  degra- 
dation. All  wealth  was  rapidly  accumulat- 
ing in  the  hands  of  these  few,  who  owned 
their  fellow-man  as  property.  The  poor 
whites,  unable  to  buy  slaves,  and  considering 
labor  which  was  performed  by  them  degrad- 
ing, were  rapidly  sinking  into  a  state  of 


frightful  miserJ^  The  sparse  population 
which  slaver}'  allowed,  excluded  churches, 
schools  and  villages.  Immense  ^plantations 
of  thousands  of  acres,  tilled  by  as  many 
slaves  driven  to  work  by  overseers,  con- 
signed the  whole  land  to  apparent  solitude. 
The  region  of  the  southern  country  general- 
ly presented  an  asjoect  of  desolation  which 
Christendom  nowhere  else  could  parallel. 
The  slaveholders,  acting  as  one  man,  claimed 
the  right  of  extending  this  over  all  the  free 
territory  of  the  United  States.  Free  labor 
and  slave  labor  cannot  exist  together.  The 
admission  of  slavery  effectually  excluded 
free  men  from  them.  It  was  impossible  for 
those  men  cherishing  the  sentiment  of  repub- 
lican equality,  to  settle  there  with  the  priv- 
ileged class  who  were  to  own  vast  realms 
and  live  in  luxury  upon  the  unpaid  labor  of 
the  masses.  It  was  on  this  jioint  that  the 
conflict  in  its  fierceness  commenced.  From 
the  year  1790  the  strife  grew  hotter  and 
hotter  every  year.  The  questions  arising 
kept  Congress,  both  the  Senate  and  House, 
in  one  incessant  scene  of  warfare.  There 
could  be  no  peace  in  the  land  until  this 
aristocratic  element  was  efiFectually  banished. 
The  Hon.  Mr.  Iverson,  of  Georgia,  speak- 
ing of  antagonism  of  the  two  systems,  aris- 
tocracy and  freedom,  said,  in  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States,  on  December  5,  1S60  : 
"  Sir,  disguise  the  fact  as  you  will,  there 
is  enmity  between  the  northern  and  south- 
ern people  which  is  deep  and  enduring,  and 
you  can  never  eradicate  it,  never.  Look  at 
the  spectacle  exhibited  on  this  floor.  How 
is  it  'I  There  are  the  northern  senators  on  that 
side ;  here  are  the  southern  senators  on  this 
side.  You  sit  upon  your  side  silent  and 
gloomy.  We  sit  upon  our  side  with  knit 
brows  and  proten tons  scowls.  Here  are  two 
hostile  bodies  on  this  floor,  and  it  is  but  a 
type  of  the  feeling  which  exists  between  the 
two  sections.  We  are  enemies  as  much  as  if 
we  were  hostile  States.  We  have  not  lived 
in  peace.  We  are  not  now  living  in  peace. 
It  is  not  expected  that  we  shall  ever  live  in 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


119 


peace."  Hon.  Mr.  Mason,  of  Virginia,  in 
continuation  of  the  same  debate,  said  :  "  Tliis 
is  a  war  of  sentiment  and  opinion,  b}^  one 
form  of  society  against  another  form  of 
society."  The  remarks  of  Hon.  Garrett 
Davis,  a  senator  from  Kentucky,  are  to  the 
point :  "  The  cotton  Stj^tes,  by  their  slave 
labor,  have  become  wealthy,  and  many  of 
their  planters  have  princely  revenues,  from 
$50,000  to  §100,000  per  year.  This  wealth 
has  begot  a  pride,  and  insolence,  and  ambi- 
tion, and  these  points  of  southern  character 
have  been  displayed  most  insultingly  in  the 
halls  of  Congress.  As  a  class,  the  wealthy 
cotton-growers  are  insolent,  they  are  proud, 
they  are  domineering,  they  are  ambitious. 
They  have  monopolized  the  government  in 
its  honors  for  forty  or  fifty  years  with  few 
interruptions.  When  they  saw  the  scepter 
about  to  depai't  from  them,  in  the  election 
of  Lincoln,  sooner  than  give  up  office  and  the 
spoils  of  office,  in  their  mad  and  wicked 
ambition  thej^  determined  to  disrupt  the  old 
confederation  and  erect  a  new  one,  wherein 
they  would  have  undisputed  power." 

Thus  the  feeling 
stronger.  One  incessant  cry  became,  "  Ab- 
jure 3'our  democratic  constitution,  which 
favors  equal  rights  to  all  men,  and  give  us 
in  its  place  an  aristocratic  constitution,  which 
will  secure  the  rights  of  a  privileged  class." 
They  insisted  that  the  domestic  slave  trade 
should  be  nurtured,  and  the  foreign  slave 
trade  opened,  saying,  in  the  coarse  and  vul- 
gar language  of  one  of  the  most  earnest 
advocates  of  slavery  :  "  The  North  can  im- 
port jackasses  from  Malta,  let  the  South, 
then,  import  niggers  from  Africa." 

The  reply  of  the  overwhelming  majority 
of  the  people  of  the  United  States  was  de- 
cisive. Lincoln  was  elected  and  inaugurated 
despite  the  conspiracy  to  prevent  it.  Volumes 
could  be  and  have  been  written  upon  these 
actions,  but  they  are  well  known.  "We  will 
merely  mention  the  most  prominent  features 
transpiring,  until  the  havoc  of  war  actually 
set  in. 


continued    growmg 


On  the  7th  of  November,  1860,  it  was 
known  that  Abraham  Lincoln  was  elected 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  was  to 
enter  upon  his  duties  on  the  fourth  day  of 
the  following  March.  In  the  meantime  the 
executive  government  was  virtually  in  the 
hands  of  the  slave  power.  James  Buchanan, 
the  President,  had  been  elected  to  the  office 
openly  pledged  to  pursue  the  general  policy 
the  slave-holders  enjoyed.  The  cabinet  were 
all  slave-holders  and  slave-masters.  The 
United  States  Navy  was  scattered  all  over 
the  face  of  the  earth,  leaving  only  two  vessels 
for  the  defense  of  the  countrj^ ;  the  treasury 
was  left  barren  ;  the  army  was  so  scattered 
in  remote  fortresses  in  the  far  "West  as  to 
leave  all  the  forts,  where  they  would  be 
needed,  defenseless ;  the  United  States  arse- 
nals were  emptied,  the  Secretary  of  War 
sending  their  guns  to  the  slave  States,  where 
bands  of  rebels  were  organized  and  drilling, 
prepared  to  receive  them.  One  hundred  and 
fifteen  thousand  arms,  of  the  most  approved 
pattern,  were  transferred  from  Springfield, 
Mass.,  and  from  Watervliet,  N.  Y.,  together 
with  a  vast  amount  of  cannon,  mortar,  balls, 
powder  and  shells  were  also  forwarded  to 
rebels  in  the  slave  States. 

On  the  18th  of  February,  1801,  the  inau- 
guration of  Jefferson  Davis,  as  President  of 
the  Southern  Confederacy,  took  place  at 
Montgomery,  Ala.  Four  days  later  the  col- 
lector of  customs,  appointed  by  the  Con- 
federate government  in  Charleston,  S. 
C,  issued  a  manifesto  that  all  vessels, 
from  any  State  out  of  the  Confederacy, 
would  be  treated  as  foreign  vessels,  and  sub- 
ject to  the  port  dues  and  other  charges 
established  by  the  laws  of  the  Confederate 
States.  Thus,  by  a  stroke  of  the  pen,  the 
immense  commerce  of  the  Northern  States 
was  declared  to  be  foreign  commerce, 
beneath  the  guns  of  the  forts  which  the 
United  States  had  reared,  at  an  expense  of 
millions  of  dollars.  Already  a  number  of 
States  had  passed  the  ordinance  of  secession. 
On    the    4th    of    March,    18G1,     Abraham 


120 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTT. 


Lincoln  was  inaugurated  President,  and 
assumed  official  duties.  At  half-past  four 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  12t]i  of  April, 
1861,  the  rebels  opened  fire  upon  Fort 
Sumter,  and,  after  enduring  terrific  bom- 
bardment from  all  sides,  the  heroic  defend- 
ers abandoned  it  and  were  conveyed  to  New 
York-.  Fort  Sumter  was  the  Bunker  HiU 
of  the  Civil  War.  In  both  cases  a  proud 
aristocracy  were  determined  to  subject  this 
country  to  its  sway.  In  both  cases  the 
defeat  was  a  glorious  victory.  On  the  next 
Monday,  April  15,  President  Lincoln  issued 
a  call  for  three  months'  service  of  75,000 
volunteers.  The  effect  was  electrical. 
Within  fifteen  days  it  is  estimated  that 
350,000  men  offered  themselves  in  defense 
of  our  national  flag.  Thus  the  Civil  War  had 
burst  upon  the  United  States  with  almost 
the  suddenness  of  the  meteor's  glare.  It  was, 
however,  but  like  the  eruption  of  the  volcano 
whose  pent-up  fires  had  for  ages  been  gather- 
ing strength  for  final  explosion.  The  con- 
spirators had  for  years  been  busy  preparing 
for  the  conflict.  In  the  rebel  convention, 
which  met  in  South  Carolina  to  consumate 
the  conspiracy,  Mr.  Inglis  said  :  "  Most  of 
us  have  had  this  subject  under  consideration 
for  the  last  twenty  years."  Mr.  Keitt  said  : 
"I  have  been  engaged  in  this  movement 
ever  since  I  entered  political  life."  Mr. 
Rhett  said  :  "  It  is  nothing  produced  by  Mr. 
Lincoln's  election,  or  the  non-execution  of 
the  fugitive  slave  law.  It  is  a  matter 
which  has  been  gathering  for  thirty  j^ears." 
But  more  need  not  be  said ;  the  result  is 
too  well  Ivnown.  Call  followed  call  in  quick 
succession ;  the  number  reached  the  total  of 
3,339,748. 
The  calls  were  as  follows : 

April  15,  1861,  for  three  months 75,000 

May  4,  18G1,  for  five  j'ears 64,748 

July,  1861,  for  three  years 500,000 

July  18,  1863,  for  three  years 300,000 

August  4,  1863,   for  nine  months 300,000 

Juue,  1803,  for  three  years  300,000 

October  17,  1863,  for  three  years 300,000 

February  18,  1864,  for  three  years 500,000 


July  10,  1864,  for  three  years 300,000 

July  16, 1864,  for  one,  two  and  three  years 500,000 

December  31,  1864,  for  three  years 300,000 

Total,  3,339,748 

STEELE    COUNTY    IN    THE    WAH. 

Looking  at  Steele  County  to-day,  we  can 
scarcely  realize  that  when  the  war  broke 
upon  the  country,  arraying  more  than  a 
milhon  of  men  in  arms,  and  which  made  our 
ship  of  State  reel  and  stagger  as  if  smitten 
by  tlmnderbolts  and  dashed  upon  rocks,  that 
Steele  county  was  but  "  six  years  old  "  ;  and 
Minnesota  as  a  State  of  the  American  Union 
was  yet  but  three  years  old.  But,  notwith- 
standing its  own  resources  had  not  been 
subjugated  to  man's  use,  veiy  material  aid 
was  promptly  offered  in  subduing  the  rebell- 
ious States.  The  feeling  through  Minnesota 
was  universal  that  the  Union  must  be  pre- 
served, and  the  sights  and  sounds  that  were 
so  noticeable  in  every  village  and  hamlet, 
north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line,  were  du- 
plicated liere.  The  celerity  with  which  men 
abandoned  the  pursuits  of  peace  to  take  up 
those  of  war  was  most  marvelous.  Tlie 
population  of  Steele  County  in  1860  was 
2,863,  and  this  had  grown  but  little  when  the 
enlistments  began.  Alex.  Ramsey,  of  St. 
Paul,  happened  to  be  in  Washington  at  the 
time  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon,  and  was 
with  the  President  when  the  first  call  for 
75,000  three  months'  volunteers  was  issued. 
He  at  once  telegraplied  the  State  adjutant- 
general  to  call  for  troops.  In  this  way  the 
news  of  the  firing  on  Sumter  and  the  call 
for  men  became  known  at  the  new  set- 
tlement in  Steele  County  at  about  the  same 
time.  Lewis  McKune,  a  talented  man 
from  Waseca  County,  was  the  first  to 
raise  troops  here.  He  came,  and  after  talk- 
ing the  matter  over  a  little,  a  meeting  was 
held  in  Morford's  Hall,  at  which  he  and 
others  made  speeches,  and  enlistments  began. 
Several  enlisted  for  three  months  the  same 
night,  among  whom  were  Dwight  Morford, 
Anton  Schimek,  Andrew  CoUyer,  M.  R.  Pat- 
ten, Alvin  Phelps,  Edward  Philli])s,  Oscar 


(:^^xvx4  c^C(^^^ 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


123 


Gross,  Henry  Borchert,  George  Crooker  and 
possibly  a  few  others.  A  company  was 
raised  in  Steele  and  Kice  counties,  of  which 
Lewis  McKune  was  elected  captain.  The 
boys  marched  to  Faribault  with  David  Lin- 
dersmith  playing  the  fife  and  Elder  Thomson 
the  drum,  and  were  finally  mustered  in  as 
a  part  of  the  First  Minnesota  Eegiment,  of 
which  Willis  A.  Gorman  was  colonel.  Many 
of  the  early  volunteers  were  killed  at  the 
first  battle  of  Bull  Run. 

After  this,  meetings  were  held  very  often 
and  enlistments  continued  throughout  the 
war.  There  were  but  few  Copperheads  in 
Steele  County,  and  when  one  did  occasionally 
make  himself  known  he  was  promptly  sub- 
dued, or  given  twenty-four  hours  to  leave. 

OFFICIALLY. 

Officially  Steele  County  nobly  did  its  part, 
and  in  addition  to  the  bounties  voted  by  tlie 
county  board,  nearly  every  township  in  the 
county  promptly  voted  aid.  August  4, 1862, 
the  President's  call  was  issued  for  three  hun- 
dred thousand  men.  The  first  action  of  the 
board  was  in  reference  to  this  call.  The 
meeting  of  the  board  was  held  August  12, 
1862,  Alex  Chambers  and  B.  F.  Melvin  being 
present.  It  was  ordered  by  the  board  that 
the  sum  of  $50  be  appropriated  for  each  vol- 
unteer who  enlisted,  the  amount  to  be  paid 
in  installments,  as  follows  :  Married  men  to 
receive  10  per  cent  of  whole  amount  in 
three  months ;  10  per  cent  to  be  paid  at  end 
of  each  month  in  service  until  said  amount 
was  fully  paid.  Single  men  to  receive  50 
per  cent  of  whole  amount  at  the  end  of  six 
months  ;  balance  at  the  end  of  first  year  in 
service. 

However,  on  the  2d  of  September,  1862, 
the  board  met  again  and  changed  the  terms 
of  payment  from  the  plan  involved  in  their 
2)revious  resolution.  The  members  attend- 
ing at  this  meeting  were  Alex.  Chambers, 
B.  F.  Melvin  and  H.  Fredenburgh.  The 
terms  of  payment  of  bounties  fixed  at  this 
meeting  were  as  follows :     Ten  per  cent  to 


be  paid  at  end  of  each  month.  The  county 
treasurer  was  directed  to  call  upon  the  sub- 
scribers to  the  bounty  fund,  in  order  to  meet 
the  installments  when  due. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  board,  Janu- 
ary 9, 1863,  all  members  were  present :  Alex. 
Chambers,  B.  F.  Melvin  and  H.  Fredenburgh. 
The  county  treasurer  stated  to  the  board 
that  there  was  no  money  in  the  treasury  to 
pay  the  monthly  installments  to  the  volun- 
teers of  Steele  County,  who  were  entitled  to 
bounty-money  due  them.  The  county  au- 
ditor was  therefore  directed  that  upon  pres- 
entation of  the  treasurer's  order  by  any 
volunteer,  stating  the  amount  due  him  upon 
his  monthly  installment,  to  issue  county 
scrip,  bearing  10  per  cent  interest,  to  said 
volunteer  for  the  amount  of  the  order. 

On  the  eighth  day  of  April,  1863,  a  spe- 
cial meeting  of  the  board  was  held  for  the 
purpose  of  dividing  the  county  into  districts 
for  the  election  of  officers  for  military  pur- 
poses, each  district  to  elect  one  captain,  one 
first  and  one  second  lieutenant.  The  dis- 
tricts were  arranged  as  follows : 

First  District  —  Aurora  and  Dover;  the 
election  to  be  held  at  the  residence  of  A.  B. 
Clark. 

Second  District  —  Somerset  and  Summit; 
election  to  be  held  at  schoolhouse,  near 
"  Bill's  house." 

Third  District  —  Berlin  and  Lemond ;  elec- 
tion to  be  held  at  residence  of  J.  "W.  Crosby. 

Fourth  District  —  Owatonna ;  election  to 
be  held  at  "  schoolhouse." 

Fifth  District  —  Merton ;  election  to  be 
held  at  "  town-meeting  place." 

Sixth  District  —  Clinton  Falls  and  Med- 
ford ;  election  to  be  held  at  residence  of 
David  Sanborn. 

Seventh  District — Meriden  and  Deerfield ; 
place  of  election  to  be  at  "schoolhouse,  near 
John  O.  Waumett's.'' 

On  the  19th  of  December,  1863,  a  resolu- 
tion was  passed,  stating  that  a  majority  of 
the  taxpayers  wished  that  the  bounty  to 
volunteers  be  raised  to  $100.     B.  F.  Melvin 


124 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


was  therefore  appointed  to  see  at  what  terms 
and  from  whom  the  county  could  secure  a 
loan  suflBcient  to  pay  the  claims  of  the  vol- 
unteers. In  Januarj^,  1864,  Mr.  Melvin  re- 
ported that  Dr.  McCutchen,  of  Faribault,  had 
agreed  to  take  $3,000  of  the  bonds  at  par ; 
but  stated  that  "  he  was  informed  by  the 
doctor's  attorney  that  the  commissioners 
had  no  legal  right  to  issue  such  bonds." 

On  the  13th  of  January,  1874,  Alex. 
Chambers  was  chosen  to  negotiate  the 
"  bounty  orders "  so  called,  antl  if  it  was 
found  that  they  were  illegal  the  legislature 
was  to  be  asked  to  authorize  the  issue  of 
$6,000  bonds  for  payment  of  bounties,  and 
each  volunteer  who  should  enlist  and  be 
accepted,  and  accredited  to  Steele  County, 
should  receive  $100  as  soon  as  money  could 
be  secured.  In  accordance  with  this  on  the 
12th  of  February,  1864,  an  act  was  passed 
by  the  legislature,  authorizing  the  issuance 
of  $6,000  in  bonds,  drawing  12  per  cent 
interest,  one-half  to  be  paid  at  expiration  of 
two  years,  balance  in  three  years.  Alex. 
Chambers  was  appointed  to  negotiate  the 
loan  and  it  was  provided  that  the  volun- 
teers should  be  paid  their  bounties  in  the  order 
in  which  they  enlisted  until  the  money 
should  all  be  paid  out.  It  was  to  be  paid 
to  new  recruits  or  new  volunteers,  not  to 
veterans  that  should  re-enlist. 

THE  LIST  OF  SOLDIEES. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the 
soldiers  who  enlisted  from  Steele  County, 
as  shown  by  the  records  in  the  adjutant- 
general's  office : 

AURORA. 

Annis,  Levi  Fling,  George  A. 

Berg,  Jacob  Snj'der,  William  J. 

Bixby,  J.  S.  McDaniels,  E.  C. 

Curtis,  George  H.  Thimson,  Nils  P. 

Lopping,  Henry  Roberts,  John  L. 

Green,  William  Johnson,  William  J. 

Myers,  Felix  Howe,  Samuel 

Morin,  Patrick  Dickenson,  Chris. 

Morin,  Dennis  Olmsted,  Samuel  B. 


Pettie,  David  Roberts,  James  L. 

Pettie,  C.  B.  Weed,  Clark 

Pettie,  G.  C.  Siverson,  Ilalleck 

Cook,  Albert  T.  Richards,  Alonzo 

Danchy,  Arthur  H. 

BERLIN. 

Chase,  Levi  Pitcher,  Eli  F. 

Chase,  Dudley  Reese,  Isaac 

Chase,  Timothy  Grow,  Francis 

Hanson,  William  Roberts,  Eugene  W. 

Willson,  William 


DOVER — 

Chambers,  Frank 
Curtis,  Manly  M. 
DuboiSj  James  L. 
Emeiy,  George  W. 
Jones,  Anthony 
Jones,  Anthony  W 
Jones,  Isaac  W. 
Patterson,  Martin 
Strothara,  J.  E. 
Tiffany,  Oscar 
Warfield,  John  M. 
Willis,  John 


(now  Havana). 

Webster,  Joseph   R. 
Bunns,  W.  H. 
Elliott,  Gilbert  W. 
McCaslin,  John 
Bailey,  Richard  S. 
Bloomer,  Henry 
Minthorne,  Henry  F. 
Hart,  Allen 
Anderson,  John 
Hudson,  Charles 
Jones,  Charles 
Giles,  S.  F. 


CLINTON    FALLS. 


Baker,  Ozias  B. 
Barnhard,  William 
Barnhard,  James 
Bortley,  John  H. 
Cressey,  R.  W. 
Curtis,  Thomas 
Green,  George  W. 
Hunt,  Andrew  M. 
Hays,  Sanford  E. 


Morrison,  William  E. 
McNitt,   Truman  E. 
Parsons,  Henry 
Sanboi'n,  B.  C. 
Williamson,  D.  W. 
Ritchie,  Joseph 
Mclntire,  Sanford  H. 
Morrison,  Samuel 
Warner,  Martin 


DEERFIELD. 

Condon,  Patrick  Winchell,  Demster  L. 

Gypson,  Benjamin  Williams,  Charles  H. 

Hodgson,  William  Carter,  Henry  G. 

Lilly,  Samuel  Arnold,  William  W. 

Morse,  Henry  N.  Houston,   Cyrus    M. 

Rosenthal,  William  Parker,  Newton 

Star,  William  Fleury,  Joseph 

LEMOND. 

Beach,  Samuel  B.  Tatro,  Joseph 

Bragg,  Aaron  S.  Tatro,  John 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


125 


Huston,  Thomas 
Johnson,  Nelson 
Kinney,  JSTewcombe 
Kinney,  Stillm.in 
Tasker,  Daniel 


Gould,  Samuel 
Bragg,  Henry  W. 
Davis,  Edward 
Gibbons,  James 
Sorenson,  Ingbert. 


MEDFOED. 


Barne}',  John  L. 
Bliss,  Calvin  G. 
Bissell,  Warren  P. 
Davis,  John  L. 
Davis,  Thomas  E. 
Drake,  Kichard  M. 
Eastman,  Adoniram 
Francis,  Albert  B. 
Fowler,  Francis  W. 
Fowler,  Loren 
Freeman,  Samuel  M. 
Guile,  Samuel  M. 
Haskill,  Augustus 
Heath,  Isaac  P. 
Heath,  John  A. 
Jeffrey,  Charles 
Kendig,  George 
King,  John  H. 
Stoddard,  James  S. 
McClure,  Nelson 


Lincoln,  August  A. 
Moore,  Ambrose 
McCrory,  William 
McKinney,  Albert 
Melvin,  F.  L. 
Miller,  M.  D.  L. 
Pike,  Elias  G. 
Pomeroy,  Charles 
Pasco,  William 
Ring,  Eugene  P. 
Shaw,  Jotham 
Strong,  M.  L. 
Sawyer,  George  B. 
Thurston,  H.  N. 
Thurston,  George  H. 
Wentworth,  John  W. 
Wheeler,  W.  W. 
Wilkins,  W.  W. 
Howard,  Lewis  M. 
Hoit,  Moses 


Wilkins,  William  W.     DeReenier,  James  H. 


MEEIDEN. 


Bradley,  Henry 
Bradley,  William 
Fitzsimraons,  Charles 
Fitzsimmons,  Lewis 
Green,  L.  J. 
Tuthill,  William  S. 
Williams,  Byron  J. 
Mosher,  Asa 
Baker,  Samuel  W. 
Cooney,  Thomas 
Ritchie,  Henry 
McNitt,  James  R. 
Teed,  John  A. 
Kern,  James  W. 


Ross,  Cornelius  F. 
Carr,  Francis  H. 
McCabe,  William 
Bradley,  James 
Jordon,  Anthony  J. 
Tuthill,  John  D." 
House,  Charles  S. 
Hawes,  Philo 
Anderson,  John  L. 
Kidney,  William  H. 
Middaugh,  V.  V. 
Harris,  William  A. 
Lewis,  Jacob 
Smith,  Adelbert 


Burns,  Alvin 
Baker,  Charles  B. 
Carpenter,  Joseph 
Curtis,  Samuel  J. 
Condin,  Patrick 
Carpenter,  Thomas 
Eastman,  A.  R. 
Flake,  Levi 
Henry,  Michael  W. 
Henry,  Miles 
Irvin,  Frederick  J. 
Jones,  Henry  B. 
Jones,  Oliver  T. 
Kendall,  Frank  L. 
Lane,  John 
McAndrews,  Michael 
Pennick,  Wilmot  H. 
Thorn,  Robert 


McAndrews,  Patrick 
Norton,  Sewell  P. 
Nay  lor,  George 
Naylor,  James 
Reed,  Andrew  W. 
Thompson,  Franklin 
Taylor,  Emmons  P. 
Williams,  Theodore 
Willey,  Geo.  H. 
Welch,  Melvin  H. 
MoUey,  Lawrence  W. 
Barnard,  Warren 
Dodge,  Daniel,  Jr. 
Casler,  Smith 
Curtis,  John  W. 
Curtis,  Henry  L. 
O'Toole,  Terrence 
Collin,  Thomas  J. 


OWATONA. 


Adams,  James  H, 
Barnes,  James  J. 


MERTON. 

Mosher,  Norman 
Martin,  Willard  E. 


Ambler,  R.  C. 
Arnold,  E.  M. 
Boll,  Fredolin 
Burr,  John  D. 
Barnett,  P.  D. 
Barnej^  Michael 
Burns,  Hugh 
Babcock,  L.  F. 
Burr,  Murdock  P. 
Case,  M.  B. 
Crooker,  Geo.  W. 
Colyer,  Andrew  H. 
Coverdale,  D.  L. 
Carter,  J.  T. 
Crawford,  J.  W. 
Crandall,  O.  S. 
Case,  Simeon 
Carlton,  Dexter 
Conwell,  F.  A. 
Lindersmith,  Oliver 
La  Gro,  Ebenezer 
Morford,  S.  D. 
Moessner,  C.  F. 
Mills,  Geo.  M. 
Morford,  Joel  G. 
JMoore,  Orlando  S. 
Minthorne,  T.  C.  S. 


Ernst,  A.  W. 
Elliott,  Jeremiah 
Fillmore,  E.  D. 
Fletcher,  Harvey 
Flinn,  J.  N.  H. 
Foster,  Norman  T. 
Gordon,  Walter 
Goodwin,  Jas.  A. 
Grear,  John 
Hall,  James  F. 
Hooker,  J.  B. 
Hadley,  J.  A. 
Hess,  Jacob  W. 
Haynes,  Asa  S. 
Hartz,  William 
Hammond,  Chas.  F. 
Kelley,  Thomas 
Kerrott,  E.  M. 
Livingston,  Frank 
Pasco,  Richard  A. 
Presley,  William 
RusseU,  W.  H. 
Rideout,  Andrew  J. 
Sawyer,  Jas.  T. 
Schimek,  Austin  E. 
Sherman,  W.  H. 
Stowers,  Smith  H. 


126 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


Miles,  Richard  ■ 
Morris,  John 
Northrop,  E.  W. 
Nichols,  Jacob 
Norman,  John  B. 
Odell,  Geo.  W. 
Phillips,  E.  P. 
Phelps,  Alvin 
Patten,  M.  R. 
Phelps,  Addison 
Parsons,  Fred 
Phillips,  Horace  H. 
Yearley,  Zeus  S. 
Thompson,  Thomas 
Brigham,  Henry  D. 
Epla,  Samuel  S. 
Howard,  C.  E» 
Bettig,  Samuel,  Jr. 
Crocker,  Geo.  W. 
Coon,  John  D. 
Harsh,  Hiram 
Hulett,  Ebon 
Robinson,  Hiram 
Thenig,  Geo.  W. 
Vail,  Allen  S. 
Young,  Joseph 
Lipsey,  John  F. 
Rock,  John  M. 
Sweatt,  Methia 
Walrod,  Jacob  W. 
Wickham,  John  C. 
Young,  John 
Buck,  Edwin  P. 
Andrews,  Theodorus  J. 


Scott,  Wm.  B. 
Thom,  George 
Towle,  Daniel  G. 
Thompson,  H.  R. 
Thomas,  James  S. 
Town,  Julius  A. 
Wheaton,  Willard 
Wood,  Alanson  B. 
Winschell,  Nathaniel 
Webster,  William 
Winched,  Wm.  B. 
Ware,  Marcus 
Bradley,  William 
Lindersmith,  O. 
Peebles,  Jacob 
Siars,  Benjamin 
Tasker,  Daniel  L. 
Tiffany,  Oscar 
Tyler,  Ezra  A. 
Ameigh,  Erin  H. 
Brooks,  George  W. 
Clark,  Wm.  H. 
Giles,  Charles 
Jones,  Charles  A. 
Jepson,  John 
Lyons,  Wm.  B. 
Marshall,  D.  P. 
Hopkins,  Geo.  N. 
Chase,  Russell 
Middaugh,  Solomon 
Sherpy,  James  M. 
Chambers,  George 
Ramsey,  Nathaniel 
Wilcox,  John 


Euny,  Joseph 
Hickok,  Frankhn  K. 
McPelt,  Michael 
Morrison,  Daniel  R. 
Pitch,  Wesley  W. 


Wddrich,  John 
Slocum,  Melvin  B. 
Reece,  Isaac 
Peggs,  Joseph  E.  E. 
Gardner,  Charles  W. 


Stevens,  Lafayett. 


SUMMIT. 


Fredenburg,  Jeremiah 
Farrell,  John 
Smith,  James 
Winched,  George 
Wheeler,  Benj.  S. 
Benedict,  Harvey,  Jr. 
Davis,  Hanson  B. 
Fredenburg,  Alvin 
Colanhour,  Archibard 


Austin,  Freborn  L. 
Heath,  Roswell  F. 
Smith,  David  V. 
Scram,  Wm.  T. 
Barrett,  Isaac  S. 
Ellis,  Mortimer  R. 
Loomis,  Daniel  A. 
Work,  Adolphus  C. 
Warner,  John  M. 


SOMERSET. 


Borchert,  Henry 
Borchert,  Ferdinand 
Card.  Wm.  N. 
Curtis,  Chas.  C. 
Gross,  Oscar 
Thompson,  Arza  B. 
Breidenstein,  Wm.  N. 
James,  Thos.  G. 
Lunn,  Joiin 
Buckner,  Joseph 
Bailey,  Albert 
Ellison,  Chas. 
Gross,  Gilbert 
Kenyon,  Thomas  E. 
Hanson,  Wm.  W. 

Walcott, 


Mitchell,  George 
Maynard,  David  L. 
Sekora,  Frank 
King,  James  S. 
Smith,  James  B. 
Sawyer,  Philo 
Steele,  Charles  A. 
Onficleson,  Ole 
Powers,  Byrum 
Pitcher,  Henry  A. 
Carvey,  Stephen 
Johnson,  Herman 
Knowlton,  Chas.  R. 
Howe,  Lafayette 
Anderson,  Silas 
Theodore. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


EEMINISCENCES  OF  INTEREST. 


N  this  chapter  we  present  a  num- 
ber of  reminiscences  that  have, 
through  various  means,  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  historian.  Many 
of  the  articles  will  be  found 
extremely  interesting  and  all 
contain  historical  data  which 
make  them  well  worthy  of  preservation. 

RECOLLECTIONS. 

By  A.  B.  Cornell. 

Ever  will  myself  and  family  remember 
the  many  pleasant  days  spent  in  what  is  now 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  of  Minnesota, 
and  never  can  be  forgotten  our  first  thoughts 
on  beholding  the  charming  nook,  now 
changed  into  a  mart  of  enterprise  by  the 
hand  of  man. 

Oft  does  our  memory  linger  as  we  live 
over  the  first  days  of  our  introduction  to  the 
unsettled  portion  of  the  then  territory  of 
Minnesota,  and  perhaps  a  simple  sketch  of 
events  passing  at  that  time  may  be  readable. 

'Twas  early  in  the  year  1854  that  four 
famihes,  incited  by  the  reports  received,  left 
Sparta,  in  Monroe  County,  Wis.,  to  try  the 
realities  of  a  border  life  among  the  Sioux 
Indians. 

Their  names  were  Geo.  F.  Pettit,  wife  and 
three  children ;  W.  F.  Pettit,  wife  and  child ; 
Wilbur  Fisk  and  Avife,  and  the  writer  with 
his  wife  and  two  little  girls  of  less  than  three 
years  of  age. 

The  first  two  named  parties  were  possessed 
of  some  means ;  the  last  t\vo  were  compara- 
tively poor,  but  they  had  all  a  reasonable 
share  of  pluck,  and  left  Wisconsin  with  a 
determination  to  hew  out  a  home  in  the  far 


Northwest.  The  trip  thither  was  overland, 
the  only  traveled  route  being  via  Black 
River  Falls,  Eau  Claire,  Menominee,  Hudson, 
or  St.  Croix,  to  St.  Paul,  from  whence  we 
were  intending  to  make  for  the  headwaters 
of  Cannon  River,  over  what  was  then  a  seem- 
ingly boundless  prairie.  The  journe}',  though 
not  without  interest  or  excitement,  was  one 
of  great  fatigue,  especially  for  the  wives  and 
little  ones,  but  was  happily  accomplished 
without  special  accident  till  we  approached  a 
small  creek,  a  short  distance  north  of  where 
now  is  located  the  flourishing  city  of  North- 
field.  On  arriving  at  that  creek  we  had 
camped  for  the  night  on  the  bank  of  the 
Vermillion,  had  partaken  of  a  supper  of  fish 
from  the  limpid  waters  thereof.  When,  ere 
we  retired,  the  heavy  clouds  in  the  west 
betokened  a  storm,  and  the  distant  rolling 
thunder  did  not  impart  special  music  to  our 
ears.  Before  morning  the  storm  swept  along, 
one  continued  peal  of  thunder,  incessant 
flashes  of  lightning  and  a  perfect  deluge  of 
water.  In  a  few  moments  the  whole  prairie 
seemed  a  vast  pond ;  but  as  the  day  broke 
the  clouds  cleared  away,  and  the  original 
party,  reinforced  by  several  other  teams, 
among  whom  a  Mr.  Alexander,  who  subse- 
quently settled  near  Northfleld,  started  out 
for  the  "land  of  promise."  Passing  to  the 
west  of  a  towering  obelisk  on  the  open  prairie 

—  a  sort  of  landmark  for  the  early  settlers 

—  we  came  to  a  vast  expanse  of  water  which 
forbid  further  progress.  Skirting  down,  the 
stream  we  found  a  trail  where  evident  cross- 
ings had  been  made  previous  to  the  storm, 
and,  observing  signs  of  a  camp  on  the  other 
side,  we  too  camped  for  the  night. 


127 


128 


HISTOEY   OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


In  the  morning,  the  stream  having  very 
much  abated,  some  of  the  party  waded  to 
the  bank  of  the  stream,  which  was  not  of 
great  width,  and  on  inquiring  found  the 
campers  there  to  consist  of  a  young  French- 
man and  his  Matilda  Jane,  who  had  started 
a  day  or  two  previous  from  what  was  then 
known  as  Faribault's  Trading  Post,  now 
the  city  of  Faribault,  bound  to  Mendota, 
sixty  miles  away,  to  secure  the  services  of  a 
priest  to  join  in  wedlock  two  loving  hearts. 
The  storm  coming  on  they  were  blockaded 
—  could  neither  proceed  nor  return  —  and 
not  having  provided  themselves  with  any 
lunch,  as  might  naturalh^  be  supposed  they 
were  hungry.  Still  the  delicacy  of  the  situ- 
ation made  them  rather  reticent  in  applying 
for  relief.  Our  party  having  taken  in  the 
situation,  fully  believing  that  loving  hearts 
even,  could  not  subsist  on  bliss  alone,  took 
speedy  measures  to  convey,  on  the  cranium 
of  an  expert  swimmer,  some  edibles  to  the 
other  bank  of  the  stream,  where  the  swain, 
wading  out,  met  the  messenger,  but  not  being 
arrayed  in  appropriate  bridal  array  was  com- 
pelled to  decline  an  introduction  to  the 
soon-to-be  bride.  The  next  day  the  water 
had  so  fallen  that  rafts  were  put  in  requi- 
sition, the  imrty  taken  across,  a  hurried  din- 
ner eaten,  and  the  blushing,  happy  pair 
started  j)riest-ward  (a  new  word,  but  will  be 
understood),  bound  for  a  blessing  or  ratifica- 
tion of  their  promises  to  each  other. 

Here,  in  ferrying  our  party  over,  by  some 
slip  or  carelessness,  the  raft  capsized,  carry- 
ing with  it  a  wagon  and  its  entire  contents, 
but  by  good  luck  no  lives  were  lost,  though 
we  were  delayed  for  a  couple  of  days  in  fish- 
ing from  the  bottom  of  the  stream  the 
various  articles  therein  submerged. 

Passing  on  we  came  to  Cannon  River,  near 
where  Water  ford  was  afterward  located, 
where  was  the  first  semblance  of  settlement 
after  leaving  St.  Paul,  and  finding  the  water 
so  high  it  was  decided  to  make  a  permanent 
camp,  and  like  the  Israelites  of  old  send  out 
spies    to   view  the    land.      "While    making- 


arrangements.  Col.  Ide,  who  had  located  a 
few  days  previous  just  east  of  Faribault, 
came  into  camp,  his  mission  being  to  attend 
the  Masonic  celebration  of  St.  John's  day  at 
St.  Paul,  he  being  a  Master  Mason. 

We  speak  of  him  more  particularly  because 
he  was  afterward  a  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture from  Rice  County,  a  candidate  for  lieu- 
tenant governor  on  the  first  organization  of 
the  Republican  part^^  of  the  State  —  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Wilton,  Waseca  County, 
a  man  universally  beloved  —  and  who  some 
years  since  passed  away. 

When  matters  were  properly  arranged, 
the  Pettits,  Fisk,  and  the  writer,  together 
with  several  young  men,  started  on  a  tour  of 
exploration  —  passing  up  and  around  Cannon 
Lakes — toward  the  source  of  the  stream 
to  the  lakes  near  Waterville,  thence  south 
and  east  to  Clear  Lake,  thence  northeast, 
through  what  then  seemed  almost  inter- 
minable marshes,  to  the  vicinity  of  Deer- 
field,  from  there  to  where  Medford  is 
now  located,  where  was  found  a  pio- 
neer. Smith  Johnson  by  name,  where  we 
halted  for  a  day  or  two.  In  this  vicinity 
three  families,  Sanborn,  Collins  and  Johnson, 
who  were  probably  the  first  families  settling 
in  what  is  now  Steele  Count\^,  but  was  then 
embodied  in  Rice  County,  taking  in  what  is 
now  Rice,  Steele,  Waseca,  Freeborn,  Mower, 
Dodge  and  the  greater  part  of  Olmsted  and 
Fillmore  counties.  The  only  place  at  which 
an  election  was  held  in  all  that  tract  of 
country,  in  1854,  was  Faribault,  at  which 
time  the  assembly  district  was  composed  of 
Hennepin,  Dakota  and  Rice  counties,  and 
II.  H.  Siblej-,  afterward  governor,  was 
elected  representative,  the  entire  vote  being 
about  three  hundred.  Rice  County  contribut- 
ing the  total  number  of  twenty -eight,  — all  for 
Sibley. 

After  partaking  of  the  hospitalities  of  set- 
tlers Mr.  Geo.  F.  Pettit  and  several  of  the 
young  men,  to  whom  the  mosquitoes  paid 
particular  attention,  decided  to  return,  while 
Mr.  Fisk  and  one  or  two  others  went  through 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


129 


the  timber  to  East  Prairie,  Mr.  W.  F.  Pettit 
and  tlie  writer  following  up  the  river  to 
where  Owatonna  now  stands,  Mr.  Pettit  lay- 
ing claim  to  320  acres  northwest  of  the 
point  whei'e  Maple  Creek  forms  its  junction 
with  Straight  River,  the  writer  laying  claim 
to  what  is  now  included  in  the  southern  part 
of  the  city,  but,  as  no  lines  were  then  sur- 
veyed, a  portion  of  said  land  or  claim  after- 
ward proved  to  be  on  the  school  section. 

Here,  far  away  from  any  settlement,  in  the 
midst  of  and  surrounded  by  Indians,  Mrs. 
Cornell  and  her  two  little  girls  commenced 
the  making  of  a  home  ;  the  shade  of  a  tree 
just  above  a  spring  which  was  dug  in  the 
hill-side  being  the  kitchen,  and  some  crutches 
with  poles  and  brushes  overhead,  covered 
with  hay,  about  nine  feet  by  ten  in  size,  be- 
ing parlor,  sitting  and  bedroom.  The  first 
day  of  July,  1854,  is  a  day  long  to  be  re- 
membered ;  the  first  white  woman  beheld 
your  now  prosperous  city,  and  until  the 
twenty-second  day  of  September  was  the 
sole  female  inhabitant.  No  roads  trav- 
ersed the  country  in  any  direction ;  no 
trails  except  one  crossing  the  river  nearly 
a  mile  north  at  the  jjoint  of  timber, 
then  over  the  hill  to  the  coast,  near  where 
the  public  school  building  was  afterward 
erected  ;  but  we  did  not  lack  for  company. 
The  natives,  the  noble  Sioux,  were  constant 
visitants,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  but 
were  viewed  with  a  great  apprehension  at 
the  time.  The  nearest  postofiice  was  St. 
Paul,  eighty  miles  away ;  neither  was  there  a 
store  nor  a  chance  to  get  a  box  of  matches 
nearer  than  the  capital.  North  of  us  the 
nearest  settler  was  distant  seven  miles ;  east, 
forty -five  miles,  where  the  city  of  Rochester 
now  stands ;  south,  forty  miles,  and  west,  Man- 
kato,  fifty  miles,  with  neither  roads  nor 
bridges  nor  trails  except  those  made  by  the 
Indians. 

In  the  fall  a  postofiice  was  established  at 
Faribault,  which  made  us  feel  we  had  every- 
thing at  our  very  door  as  we  could,  by  walk- 
ing a  journey  of   eighteen  miles,  send  to  St« 


Paul  for  anything  we  might  want,  and  it  took 
only  two  weeks  to  get  it. 

The  writer  and  family.  Judge  Green  and 
family,  Messrs.  Park,  Smith  and  Williams, 
single  men,  and  a  family  by  the  name  of 
Scott  were  the  only  parties  who  spent  the 
winter  of  1854-5,  though  in  the  early  spring 
Messrs.  Phelps,  Carlton,  Town,  Sanford,  Ar- 
nold, Lindersmith,  Meek,  Odell,  settled  near 
by.  A  school  was  established.  Mr.  N.  Win- 
ship  located  -in  early  part  of  summer  and 
erected  the  first  public-house  in  the  county. 
It  was  built  of  logs  subsequently  enlai'ged, 
and  has  been  kept  by  the  same  gentleman 
for  about  thirty  years.  Messrs.  Smith  and 
Park  opened  a  store,  a  postofiice  was  estab- 
lished, roads  opened  and  the  town  laid  off. 
The  legislature  of  1855  laid  off  SteeleCounty, 
and  it  was  organized  by  Gov.  Gorman, 
Samuel  F.  Smith,  F.  W.  Fisk  and  Francis 
Ingraham,  commissioners ;  Smith  Johnson, 
probate  judge;  Charles  Ellison,  register  of 
deeds ;  W.  F.  Pettit,  sheriff ;  Simeon  Case, 
county  attorney ;  J.  H.  Catlin,  clerk. 

The  first  school  was  taught  by  Miss  Helen 
Holbrook  in  the  summer  of  1855,  the  accom- 
modations being  inexpensive,  a  mere  bower 
of  brush,  while  occasionally  Eev.  Mr.  Town 
did  the  spiritual  part  of  the  settlement,  in 
the  way  of  preaching.  The  county -seat  was 
established,  and  Owatonna  took  a  start  as  a 
town  of  note. 

In  1856  the  Watchman  and  Register  was 
started  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Abbott  and  the  writer. 
Mr.  Ezra  Abbott  erected  a  steam  sawmiU ;  a 
neat  log  schoolhouse  was  built,  a  drug  store 
was  opened  by  Dr.  D.  S.  Harsha,  J.  W. 
Morford  opened  a  shoe  store,  subsequently 
putting  in  dry  goods  and  groceries,  and 
through  the  untiring  energy  of  its  citizens, 
arrangements  were  so  made  as  to  secure  both 
the  Transit  and  Minnesota  Central  railroads, 
thus  making  it  one  of  the  best  towns  in  south- 
ern Minnesota. 

The  name  is  Sioux,  and  the  proper  pronun- 
ciation is  "  TFbotanna,"  spelled  Owatonna,  and 
signifies  straight.  There  were  many  incidents 


130 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


that  took  place  dui-ing  the  early  settlement, 
many  of  which  were  amusing.  The  early 
settlers  were  all  industrious  and  enterprising, 
but  were  generally  poor,  ready  always  to  ex- 
tend a  helping  hand,  not  addicted  to  vices, 
the  consequence  being  that  taxes  have  been 
measurably  low.  We  look  upon  Steele  as 
one  of  the  best  counties  of  the  State,  and  to- 
day, were  it  not  for  the  long  winters,  we  would 
prefer  Minnesota  to  any  Western  State. 

"eaely  days" 
By  Eon.  G.  W.  Green. 
About  the  year  1854  I  left  Beaver  Dam, 
Wis.,  in  company  with  Messrs.  Hollings- 
worth,  Bradley  and  Boomer,  for  the  purpose 
of  seeing  some  portion  of  southeastern  Min- 
nesota, with  an  idea  of  settling  there.  Ar- 
riving at  La  Crosse  we  purchased  material 
for  cam2)ing  and  ferried  across  the  Mississip])i 
River.  One  log  house  nearly  finished  greeted 
us  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  opposite  La 
Crosse.  This  was  all  there  was  of  La  Cres- 
cent. The  next  house,  twenty-four  miles 
distant,  was  occupied  by  a  Thompsonian 
phj'sician,  by  name  of  Bently,  who  had  con- 
cluded to  mix  claim-taking  and  rudimen- 
tary farming  with  his  profession.  Six  miles 
further  on,  where  now  is  St.  Charles,  was 
one  more  log  house  occupied  as  a  tavern  by 
one  Springer.  There  was  a  slight,  newly- 
made  wagon  track  extending  about  ten 
miles  further  on,  where  a  young  man  and 
his  wife,  by  name  of  Potter,  had  taken  a 
claim  and  were  building  a  small  house.  One 
story  of  this  house  was  finished  and  the 
chamber  floor  laid  of  loose  boards,  without 
any  roof.  They  asked  us  to  stay  with  them 
over  night ;  we  did  so.  In  the  night  it 
rained  hard  and  we  got  thoroughly  soaked. 
After  breakfast  the  next  morning  we  started 
on  without  any  track  and  no  guide  but  our 
pocket  compass.  About  noon  of  this  day 
we  came  up  with  Mr.  A.  G.  Sutliff,  who  was 
moving  with  his  family  from  Dodge  Count}^ 
Wis.,  to  a  point  about  eight  miles  northwest 
of  Travers  des  Sioux  (a  missionary  post  near 
where  St.  Peter  now  is),  so  named  because 


it  was  at  this  place  that  the  Sioux  Indians 
forded  the  river. 

Mr.  Sutliff  was  a  noted  pioneer  of  Wis- 
consin. On  the  occasion  of  a  previous  trip 
the  spring  before,  he  had  made  a  claim  at 
the  point  whither  he  was  now  wending  his 
way,  but  by  a  different  route.  So  he  knew 
but  little  more  than  we  did  as  to  the  most 
feasible  route  to  his  destination.  Mr.  IIoll- 
ingsworth  was  Sutliff's  father-in-law.  We 
very  willingly  accepted  their  kind  invitation 
to  keep  in  company  with  them  to  their  new 
claim.  Mr.  Suthff  had  with  him  a  large 
herd  of  cattle  and  sheep.  We  crossed  the 
Ashland  prairie  near  the  head  of  the  Straight 
and  Zumbro  rivers  and  near  the  Oak  Glen 
lakes.  AVithin  one  mile  of  Straight  Kiver 
we  camped  for  dinner.  After  dinner  Mr. 
Sutliff  wanted  me  to  go  with  him  and  look 
for  a  suitable  place  to  cross  the  river.  We 
went  to  the  river,  and,  finding  no  desirable 
crossing,  concluded  to  cross  further  up  near 
what  seemed,  by  the  appearance  of  the 
timber,  to  be  a  very  considerable  bend  in 
the  river,  apparently  some  five  or  six  miles 
away.  It  was  agreed  that  Sutliff  should  go 
back  and  guide  the  teams,  while  I  should 
cross  the  river  and  travel  up  to  the  proposed 
crossing.  Without  thinking  much  about  the 
company,  I  went  slowl}'  on,  until  I  came  to 
the  place  where  Dr.  Kenyon  subsequently 
lived.  I  could  see  or  hear  nothing  of  the 
company,  not  even,  a  cow-bell,  several  of 
which  I  knew  were  in  use  on  the  cattle.  I 
tried  as  well  as  I  could  to  find  their  where- 
abouts. Although  but  a  short  distance  be- 
low the  proposed  crossing,  I  could  not  find 
any  trace  of  them  before  it  was  dark.  As 
fate  would  have  it,  I  had  neither  coat  nor 
blanket,  jack-knife  nor  matches,  ax  nor 
hatchet.  Tired  and  hungry  I  laid  myself  un- 
der a  tree  to  rest,  and  was  very  soon  asleep. 
With  no  breakfast  I  renewed  my  search  for 
the  companj',  going  on  up  the  river  to  a 
point  where  a  Mr.  Bennett  afterward  made 
his  claim,  but  found  no  signs.  I  then  con- 
cluded to  follow  down  the  river  as  long  as 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


131 


my  strength  lasted,  unless  I  found  something 
more  desirable.  Before  proceeding,  however, 
I  pulled  off  a  boot  and,  with  the  head  of  a 
pin,  wrote  upon  a  smooth  part  of  the  boot-leg 
my  name  thus :  G.  W.  Green,  Beaver  Dam, 
Wis.,  not  knowing  but  some  one  would  find 
my  bones  and  boots,  and  thereby  my  friends 
in  Wisconsin  might  hear  from  me.  I  had  a 
little  matter  of  $700  in  my  pockets  which, 
in  case  I  should  be  lost,  this  act  might  be 
the  means  of  my  family  getting.  I  had 
no  other  way  of  writing.  After  this 
preparation  for  the  worst  that  might  befall 
me,  I  started  down  the  river,  traveling 
slowly  until  nearly  sun-down,  when  I  found 
the  trail  where  they  had  crossed  the  river, 
not  over  a  half  mile  above  where  I  had 
left  Sutliff.  With  new  courage  I  started 
on  this  trail.  I  followed  it  a  short  dis- 
tance without  any  trouble ;  darkness  com- 
ing on,  the  trail  became  invisible  and  I 
lost  it.  In  hunting  for  it,  I  stumbled 
and  fell,  and  my  weariness  and  exhaus- 
tion were  such  that  I  did  not  feel  dis- 
posed to  rise  for  some  time.  I  unconsciously 
fell  asleep  ;  when  I  awoke  the  sun  was  high 
up  and  shining  brightly.  Ke-invigorated  by 
my  sound  and  restful  sleeji  I  soon  found  the 
trail  and  following  it  slowly  a  short  time,  I 
observed  two  men  approaching  me.  They 
were  of  our  company.  Looking  up  towards 
the  timber  about  three  miles  from  where 
they  had  crossed  the  river,  I  saw  the  wagons 
and  remainder  of  the  company.  They  had 
camped  there  early  in  the  afternoon  expect- 
ing that  I  would  see  and  come  to  them. 
When  night  came  and  I  did  not  appear,  they 
built  a  large  fire  and  kept  it  going  all  night, 
hoping  thereby  to  attract  my  attention. 

The  next  day  they  spent  on  horseback 
looking  for  me.  When  I  arrived  in  camp, 
they  represented  to  me  that  my  eyes  were 
staring,  and  my  lips  and  tongue  swollen. 
Mrs.  Sutliff  prepared  me  something  to  eat, 
but  I  had  no  appetite  and  could  eat  nothing, 
instead  thereof  calling  for  a  cup  of  sour  milk 
which  I  drank  with  relish.     I  took  but  verv 


little  nourishment,  except  sour  milk,  the  rest 
of  the  day.  My  appetite  slowly  returning 
the  next  day,  I  ate  sparingly,  but  it  was  some 
three  or  four  days  before  I  could  take  an 
ordinary  meal. 

From  here  we  proceeded  to  Beaver  Lake, 
crossing  its  outlet  Avhere  the  road  now  runs ; 
here  we  saw  an  Indian,  and  tried  to  get  some 
idea  from  him  what  course  to  take  to  reach 
the  Minnesota  River,  but  failed  to  secure  any 
correct  information.  Crossing  some  of  the 
rivulets  that  unite  to  form  the  Le  Sueur  River, 
we  forded  the  main  Le  Sueur  near  where  St. 
Mary's  was  afterward  built.  We  wandered 
on  we  knew  not  where,  and  struck  Minnesota 
Lake.  Here  we  stayed  two  days  and  looked 
for  signs..  At  last,  about  three  miles  west 
of  the  lake,  we  found  a  freshly-made  Indian 
trail  going  southwest.  We  concluded  that 
the  Indians  had  gone  on  a  hunting  expedition 
and  that  they  had  congregated  at  the  Min- 
nesota River,  starting  eti  masse  from  there. 
Not  knowing  anything  better  to  do,  we  took 
this  trail  back  and  struck  tlie  river  at  Man- 
kato,  July  L  Mankato  then  consisted  of  one 
family  who  kept  a  log  boarding-house,  and 
one  man  who  ])resided  over  a  saloon  made  of 
small  poles.  No  other  evidence  of  civiliza- 
tion met  our  gaze.  From  here  we  proceeded 
to  Mr.  Sutliff's  claim,  remaining  with  him  a 
day.  We  then  followed  the  trail  down  the 
Minnesota  River  to  St.  Paul,  which  was  at 
this  time  but  little  more  than  an  Indian 
trading-post,  not  as  large  as  St.  Anthony. 
And  Minneapolis  had  not  yet  been  spoken 
of.  Here  we  boarded  the  steamer  for  La 
Crosse,  from  which  point  we  took  our  way 
homeward  by  our  own  conveyance. 

At  the  time  of  this  hasty  and  imperfect 
observation  of  this  part  of  southeast  Minne- 
sota, the  prairies  were  covered  with  luxuri- 
ant grasses  from  three  and  a  half  to  four 
feet  high,  over  which  deer  and  elk  i-oved  at 
will,  several  large  herds  coming  within  our 
view. 

After  leaving  Potter's  house,  ten  miles 
from  Springer's,  we  saw  no  house  until  our 


132 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   Ct)UNTY. 


arrival  at  Mankato.  I  think  there  were  two 
or  three  shanties  or  at  near  Le  Sueur.  At 
Belle  Plaine  there  was  one  house  occupied 
by  Indian  traders,  and  Judge  Chatfield,  then 
late  of  Racine,  "Wis.,  was  building  a  small 
log  house,  preparatory  to  moving  his  family 
there.  We  found  several  township  lines  re- 
cently run ;  one  especially  prominent  in  my 
recollection  was  the  corner  post  at  the  south- 
east corner  of  township  107  north,  of  range 
20  east,  being  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
city  of  Owatonna,  whether  I  have  the  num- 
bers right  or  not. 

I  made  no  definite  location  on  this  trip, 
but  thought  1  would  return  to  Wisconsin  and 
move  with  my  familj^  into  the  vicinity  of 
Straight  or  Le  Sueur  River,  then  making  my 
location.  Accordingly  on  the  12th  of  August, 
1854,  I  started  with  my  family  and  mova- 
bles, upon  ox  wagons,  drawn  by  seven  pairs 
of  oxen,  wagons  all  lightly  loaded,  but  too 
heavy  for  the  trip,  as  I  afterward  found. 
By  driving  slowly  and  carefully,  and  leaving 
on  the  way  about  one-third  of  our  load,  we 
got  through  all  right.  With  our  train  I  had 
about  eighty  cows  and  young  cattle,  besides 
three  wagons  belonging  to  other  parties. 
Eleven  men  accompanied  me  to  help  me 
through  and  assist  in  cutting  hay  for  the 
stock,  also  to  put  up  necessary  buildings, 
etc.,  on  our  arrival.  But  it  was  agreed  that 
they  need  stay  no  longer  than  two  weeks 
after  I  had  made  my  location. 

While  crossing  the  Ashland  prairie,  we 
met  Mr.  Sutliff  returning  with  his  teams  and 
wagons  to  Wisconsin  for  winter  supplies. 
He  had  sold  his  claim  near  Travers  de  Sioux 
and  returned  to  Le  Sueur  River,  locating 
about  six  miles  south  of  Wilton.  He,  being 
anxious  that  we  should  all  locate  near  him, 
concluded  to  return  with  us  and  sliow  us 
lands  in  his  vicinity.  Arriving  at  Straight 
River  at  the  point  where  Owatonna  is  located, 
we  found  that  stream  booming,  eight  feet 
deep.  We  could  go  no  further  with  all  our 
luggage.  Tents  were  pitched,  cattle  herded, 
counsel  solicited.    Here  we  found  A.  B.  Cor- 


nell and  family  located  on  the  bank  of  the 
river  in  a  pole  house  covered  with  hay, 
near  the  bridge  on  Bridge  street.  Mr.  Cor- 
nell seemed  glad  to  see  us  and  did  not  fail 
to  respond  freely  to  our  request  for  counsel. 
He  showed  me  the  ground  north  of  town  on 
which  I  finally  located.  But  as  we  all 
desired  to  locate  together,  and  the  rest 
could  not  satisfy  themselves  near,  it  was 
decided  to  leave  the  women  and  children 
with  a  couple  of  men  as  guard  for  them  and 
to  watch  the  stock,  while  the  rest  of  the 
company  should  move  on  to  Le  Sueur  River 
and  reconnoiter.  The  next  day  we  crossed 
the  river  with  three  wagons,  four  yoke  of 
oxen,  and  one  cow.  The  men  camped  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river  that  night ;  I  went 
back  to  the  tent  and  stayed  with  my  family. 
It  rained  a  large  portion  of  the  night.  In  the 
morning  we  started,  bearing  southwest.  We 
struck  the  Big  Slough  near  where  the  road 
to  Lemond  now  crosses  it,  and  spent  until 
the  next  day  noon  trying  to  cross,  but  all  in 
vain.  We  then  made  our  way  to  the  river, 
where  we  found  that,  by  mowing  some  grass 
to  cover  the  outlet  to  the  slough,  we  could 
cross.  Still  it  rained  by  spells,  and  there  was 
a  well-defined  stream  in  every  ravine.  We 
went  on  to  Beaver  Lake  and  struck  our  old 
trail  made  on  the  first  trip.  In  crossing 
one  of  the  head  rivulets  of  Le  Sueur  River, 
now  a  foaming  torrent,  the  front  end- 
board  of  one  wagon-box  went  out  and  sev- 
eral articles  went  down.  A  broad-ax  was 
lost,  so  we  called  this  stream  "  Broad- Ax  " 
Creek.  In  fording  another  rivulet  one  of 
the  men,  with  boots  as  high  as  his  knees, 
stood  upon  the  back  end-board  of  a  wagon- 
box,  holding  onto  the  top  of  the  wagon- 
cover,  so  this  was  called  "Big  Boot"  Creek. 
We  looked  around  the  prairies  and  timbers 
between  Wilton  and  Sutliff's  claim.  We  aU 
liked  the  country  and  concluded  to  make 
claims  there.  I  requested  the  men  to  go 
and  make  their  claims,  then  I  would  make 
mine,  which  was  done.  Still  it  raine<l ;  the 
men  got  wet  and  cold  and  finally  homesick. 


HI8T0EY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


133 


or  sick  of  their  country.  They  said  it  would 
all  overflow  every  wet  spell,  and,  should 
they  settle  there,  no  one  else  would  venture 
so  far  from  civilization  for  the  next  hundred 
years,  and  for  the  rest  of  their  natural  lives 
and  those  of  their  families,  they  would  be 
there  without  bridges  or  other  improvements, 
except  such  as  they  could  improvise  among 
themselves.  So  we  all  went  back  to  Straight 
Eiver  and,  on  the  20th  of  September,  I 
staked  out  my  claim,  the  south  line  of  which 
extended  a  short  distance  nortli  of  the 
present  Owatonna  Railway  depots.  My 
men  went  to  work  cutting  hay  (no  mowers 
and  horse-rakes  then).  Two  weeks  had 
expired  ;  our  hay  was  cut  and  stacked  ;  our 
log  house  laid  up  and  covered  with  shake- 
roof  ;  no  gables,  no  chinking,  no  flooi's,  doors 
or  windows.  I  could  not  persuade  the  men 
to  stay  another  day.  They  said  there  would 
be  no  other  person  settling  in  there  for  the 
next  fifty  years,  and  that  if  I  wintered  they 
knew  I  would  return  to  Wisconsin  in  the 
spring.  So  they  started  on  their  return  trip. 
Here  I  was  left  with  an  invalid  wife  and 
three  small  children,  no  stables  for  the  stock, 
no  house  suitable  for  cold  weather,  and 
apparently  no  help  attainable.  It  seemed 
more  than  I  could  do  to  make  things  endur- 
able for  winter,  but  the  next  day  a  wagon- 
load  of  ten  men  made  their  appearance,  and 
I  got  what  help  I  needed  from  then  on.  Mr. 
Cornell  had  a  log  house  commenced  on  the 
bank  of  the  river,  near  where  Mr.  Albertus' 
house  now  stands.  It  was  laid  up  about  four 
or  five  logs  higli.  He  fixed  the  back  part 
and  moved  into  it  the  fore  part  of  winter. 
The  upright  part  was  completed  the  next 
spring  and  opened  as  a  hotel.  We  moved 
into  our  house  the  latter  part  of  October, 
having  got  the  gables  up  and  the  spaces 
between  the  logs  chinked  and  mudded  on  the 
outside. 

About  the  1st  of  November  I  found  a  com- 
pany of  movers,  consisting  of  twenty-two 
men,  women  and  children,  camping  on  the 
prairie  between  Owatonna  and  Crane  Creek. 


The  wind  was  cold  and  fresh  from  the  north- 
west, with  every  appearance  of  a  storm.  I 
offered  them  one-half  of  my  house  for  a  few 
days  until  they  could  do  better.  They  ac- 
cepted. In  the  latter  part  of  November, 
during  a  severe  windstorm,  accompanied 
with  snow,  hail  and  rain,  a  company  of 
twelve  surveyors  drove  up  to  my  door. 
They  had  been  engaged  in  dividing  town- 
sliips  into  sections.  They  were  hunting  for 
shelter  from  the  storm.  I  assured  them 
they  had  come  to  exactly  the  right  place ; 
that  I  had  plenty  of  room  for  shelter.  (My 
company  of  twenty-two  had  not  yet  left.) 
They  observed  the  crowd  of  men,  women 
and  children  around,  and  remarked  that, 
judging  by  appearances,  our  house  must  be 
already  pretty  well  filled.  I  told  them  that 
only  the  lower  part  of  the  house  was  occu- 
pied, and  that,  although  there  was  no  cham- 
ber floor,  they  could  take  their  axes  and  cut 
poles  sufficient  to  lay  across  the  beams,  upon 
which  they  could  place  hay  to  spread  their 
blankets  on. 

This  problem  being  solved,  they  desired 
to  know  what  could  be  done  with  the  teams, 
which  needed  shelter  equally  with  the  men. 
I  pointed  out  to  them  a  large  stack  of  hay 
near  the  house,  which  was  fenced  with  a 
hio'h,  strono;  oak  fence.  I  told  them  thev 
could  turn  the  horses  in  there  around  that 
stack,  and  pitch  off  enough  hay  to  make 
them  comfortable.  After  some  further  in- 
quiries they  concluded  to  accept  my  offer, 
and  went  to  work'  accordingly. 

The  next  morning  they  departed  for  Aus- 
tin, well  satisfied  with  their  entertainment. 
My  company  of  twenty-two  remained  with 
me  till  spring,  and,  as  there  was  not  space 
sufficient  to  make  beds  for  all  at  once,  they 
took  turns  in  sleeping,  whether  by  night  or 
da3',  while  the  rest  sang  songs,  told  stories, 
etc.  Some  of  them  went  to  Le  Sueur  River, 
some  located  near  Owatonna,  and  some  re- 
turned to  Wisconsin. 

In  March,  1855,  Dr.  W.  W.  Finch,  an 
eminent  physician  of  Essex  County,  N.  Y"., 


13-4 


HISTOKY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY, 


settled   at  Clinton  Falls.      On   the   6th   of 
April  my  son,  George  K.  Green,  was  born. 
Dr.  Finch   attending,   who   went  from  my 
house  to  that  of  A.  W.  Adams,  when  his 
son,  Frank,  was  born.     These  two  were  the 
first  white  children  born  in  Steele  County. 
The  spring  and  summer  of  1855  proved  to 
be  an  important  era  in  the  history  of  Owa- 
tonna.     There  was  no  town  there  yet,  but 
Cornell  had  been  reinforced  in  the  persons 
of  W.  F.  Petitt,  Ezra  and  John  H.  Abbott, 
Squire  Phelps  and  others.     There  were  no 
roads  through    Steele,  Waseca    or    Dodge 
counties ;  only  miserable  trails.    Mr.  Cornell, 
with    his    reinforcement,  displayed   indom- 
itable   energy  and  tact   in    converting  the 
tracks  toward  Mantorville  and  Austin  into 
passable  roads.     Then  he  and  others  started 
out  as  missionaries  to  enlighten  the  various 
emigrant  trains  searching  for  claims  in  Min- 
nesota, through  the  counties  of  Dodge  and 
Mower,  and  convincing  them  beyond  doubt 
that  Steele  County  was  the  equal,  if  not  the 
superior,  of  any  other  section  of  the  State, 
and  that  Owatonna  was  the  center  around 
which  the  world  revolved — the  "  open  ses- 
ame" to   prosperity   and    wealth.     Cornell 
even  went  as  far  as  La  Crescent,  opposite  La 
Crosse,  and  later  into  Sparta,  "Wis.,  instruct- 
ing the  emigrants  in  search  of  new  homes  in 
regard  to  the  Eldorado,  meaning  Owatonna, 
Minn.     As  a  consequence  of  his  labors  and 
that  of  others  having  the  same  interest,  the 
town  site  of  Owatonna  was  covered  with  em- 
igrant   wagons,  men,  women  and   children 
flocking  in  from  every  direction.     A  large 
corps  of  energetic  young  men  were  engaged 
in  gratuitously  showing  such  emigrants  as 
desired  new  homes  where  they  could  make 
the  most  advantageous  claims.     Very  many 
settled  in  the  county  that  year,  and  many 
located  in  Owatonna,  and  thus  the  success  of 
the  enterprise  was  assured. 

In  the  spring  of  1857  I  sold  out  at  Owa- 
tonna and  went  to  Clinton  Falls,  whei'e  I 
engaged  in  the  building  of  the  Clinton  mills. 
These  mills  became  the  place   for  custom- 


grinding  flour  and  feed  for  a  large  portion 
of  Dodge,  Mower,  Freeborn,  Waseca,  Blue 
Earth,  Faribault  and  Steele  counties,  and  a 
portion  of  the  south  part  of  Kice  County. 
After  the  advent  of  railroads  better  mills 
were  erected  all  over  the  country,  with  mod- 
ern machinery  and  model  millers,  and  better 
flour  was  obtained  from  these  than  could  be 
made  by  any  of  the  pioneer  custom-mills. 
The  old  mills  were  not  generally  located 
favorably  or  conveniently  for  the  new  and 
improved  order  of  things  that  came  after 
the  building  of  the  railroads. 

I  liked  Minnesota,  and  especially  Steele 
County  ;  the  people  were  mostly  born  and 
reared  in  the  same  latitude  with  me.  Their 
habits  and  modes  of  thinking  were  similar 
to  mine,  and  although  radical  difl'erences 
at  times  existed,  which  were  combated  with 
energy  on  both  sides,  yet  I  liked  the  people 
and  thought  to  spend  the  rest  of  my  days 
with  them.  But  in  December,  1879,  I  took 
a  violent  cold  which  fastened  itself  upon  me 
for  all  winter  and  until  the  latter  part 
of  summer,  when  I  seemed  to  get  well,  or 
nearly  so.  But  the  next  winter,  while  I  did 
not  take  cold  in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of 
that  term,  yet,  when  the  cold  weather  came 
I  had  asthma,  which  I  did  not  recover  from 
even  by  keeping  myself  almost  constantly 
in-doors.  The  malady  increased  all  winter, 
so  I  could  not  sleep  well  nights,  and  even 
through  the  ensuing  summer  there  was  no 
visible  improvement  in  my  condition. 

In  the  fall  I  became  worse,  and  it  was  ev- 
ident to  me  that  I  could  not  stand  another  Min- 
nesota winter.  So  on  the  twenty-fourth  day 
of  October,  1881, 1  started  with  my  family  for 
California.  In  a  few  months  after  my  arri- 
val I  entirely  recovered  from  asthma,  and 
have  not  felt  a  touch  of  it  since. 

Salinas,  Cal.,  August,  1887. 
FROM   THE    WATCHMAN    AND    REGISTER,  1856. 

As  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  old  settlers 
we  here  present  a  number  of  extracts  from 
a  copy  of  the  Waichman  and  Iie(jider  of 
July  29,  1856,  which  has  been  preserved  by 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


135 


Dr.  E.  M.  Morehouse.     It  is  a  copy  of  the 
second  issue  of  the  paper : 

A.  B.  Cornell  advertises  as  "  attorney  and 
counselor-at-law,  notary  public  and  general 
land  agent,  Owatonia,  M.  T.  Being  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  whole  country  and  its  best 
locations,  he  feels  assured  that  he  can  satisfy 
aU  who  may  favor  him  witli  their  business." 
He  states  that  he  will  enter  land  on  time  for 
occupants,  and  that  he  has  village  property 
in  Owatonia,  Mantorville,  Austin,  Wilton 
and  Empire. 

Adolphus  Town  advertises  a  "  lot  of  books 
many  of  a  religious  character,  for  sale 
cheap." 

The  following  article  in  regard  to  Owa- 
tonia is  also  found  in  this  issue : 

"  Owatonia  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of 
Straight  Eiver,  on  a  beautiful  table-land  some 
thirty  feet  above  the  bed  of  tlie  stream,  and 
is  eighteen  miles  from  its  junction  with 
Cannon  River.  To  the  north  and  south  are 
heavy  bodies  of  timber,  while  westward  it  is 
generally  prairie,  interspersed  with  beauti- 
ful groves  ;  clear  running  streams  and  gush- 
ing springs  abound. 

"  But  two  years  since,  the  first  settlement 
was  made,  at  which  time  no  one  lived  nearer 
than  five  miles  on  a  direct  line  north,  and  in 
any  other  direction  nearly  forty.  In  Octo. 
ber  succeeding  the  settlement,  the  first  sur- 
veys were  made  in  the  vicinity,  since  which 
time  the  country  has  been  rapidly  filling  up. 

"  The  town  or  village  was  laid  off  as  such 
last  November,  and  has  gone  ahead  beyond 
all  calculation.  It  is  a  point  well  worthy  the 
attention  of  all  desiring  to  invest  in  town 
property,  and  the  country  around  cannot  fail 
to  suit  the  most  particular. 

"  Our  settlers  are  all  industrious  and  enter- 
prising, being  mostly  from  the  Eastern  States; 
good  schools  are  already  established,  and  the 
Word  of  God  is  publicly  proclaimed  by 
preachers  of  the  different  denominations 
every  Sabbath. 

"  No  intoxicating  drink  has  been  sold,  and 
it  is  the  determination  of  all  to  Iceep  the 


curse  away.  This  place  is  tlie  count3'-seat  of 
Steele  County,  and,  being  on  the  direct  route 
from  La  Crosse  and  Winona  to  St.  Peter  city, 
Travers  des  Sioux  and  Mankato,  and  from 
Dubuque  by  way  of  Cedar  River  to  St.  Paul, 
Minneapolis,  and  St.  Anthony,  make  it  a 
prominent  center, —  roads  connecting  it  with 
all  the  surrounding  country —  in  fact,  the 
future  prospect  stands  unrivaled." 

POLITICS   IN   1857. 

In  an  issue  of  the  Owatonna  Register,  dated 
November  13,  1857,  we  find  an  article  upon 
the  jjolitical  situation  which  will  be  found  of 
much  interest.  A.  Brown  was  acting  as  edi- 
tor of  the  paper.  It  is  headed  "  Results," 
and  is  as  follows  : 

"  Election  is  now  over,  and  as  the  smoke 
of  the  conflict  recedes  in  the  distance  we  are 
enabled  to  trace  out  upon  the  background 
the  result,  and  deduce  conclusions  therefrom. 

"  The  contest  was  a  very  close  one,  throw- 
ing aside  the  floating  vote  that  must  neces- 
sarily be  polled  under  the  regulations  of  the 
schedule  and  ten-day  system  of  residence. 
Including  the  Indians  and  half-breeds,  who 
exercised  the  right  of  the  elective  franchise, 
the  full  vote  of  the  territory  is  a  moiety  over 
forty  thousand. 

"  The  entire  Democratic  State  and  Terri- 
torial ticket  with  the  exception  of  governor 
is  elected  by  a  small  majority,  and  both 
branches  of  the  legislature  are  in  the  hands 
of  the  Democrats,  thus  securing  the  election 
of  two  United  States  senators,  pro-slavery. 
The  Republicans  have  elected  their  governor 
by  a  majority  of  at  least  five  or  six  hundred 
throwing  out  the  fraudulent  returns  from 
Pembina,  Cottonwood  and  Redwood  coun- 
ties, Mille  Lac,  Brown  and  other  frontier 
towns,  precincts  and  fabulous  localities  that 
have  no  tangible  existence,  except  upon 
lithographs,  which  have  all  been  returned 
with  enormous  votes  for  Sibley.  For  in- 
stance :  Cass,  Pembina  and  Todd  report 
seven  hundred  votes  for  Sibley,  and  Ramsey 
blank.     Now  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that  east 


136 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


of  the  Red  Eiver  of  the  North,  within  the 
proposed  boundaries  of  the  State,  not  over 
fifty  votes  could  have  been  polled ;  and  in 
the  counties  of  Cass  and  Todd,  that  never  in 
the  aggregate  polled  over  sixty  votes,  and 
now  only  claim  to  have  given  Sibley  ninety 
votes,  it  is  plain  the  balance  of  seven  hundred 
must  have  come  from  Pembina. 

"Again,  the  counties  of  Rock,  Cottonwood, 
Martin  and  Murray,  whose  existence  to  the 
pul^lic,  prior  to  this,  has  been  a  myth,  are  re- 
jwrted  to  have  given  219  majority  for  Sibley, 
Ramsey  getting  but  two  votes.  The  unor- 
ganized count}^  of  Renville  casts  119  votes 
—  more  than  there  are  inhabitants  in  the 
county,  including  men,  women,  children  and 
red-skins;  and  111  of  those  are  for  Sibley. 
Here  is  where  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  the  Dred 
Scott  decision,  and  Buchanan  &  Co.  were  so 
unanimously  endorsed,  as  the  Pioneer  vaunt- 
ingly  boasts. 

"We  might  add  McLeod  and  a  host  of 
other  border  localities,  inhabited  principally 
by  a  few  half-breeds  and  savages,  where  ma- 
jorities were  ground  out  for  Sibley  and  the 
'  balance '  on  the  Barstow  pi'inciple.  By 
these  nefarious  means  and  spurious  returns, 
Sibley  leads  Ramsey  290  majority.  And 
take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  these 
bogus  returns  have  been  laying  in  the  secre- 
tar3''s  office  for  the  last  two  or  three  weeks, 
unannounced,  while  their  contents  were 
bruited  upon  the  street  corners,  the  conclu- 
sion is  iri-esistible  that  they  were  kept  back 
till  different  sections  could  be  heard  from,  in 
order  to  see  how  many  extra  votes  were  nec- 
essary to  elect  Sibley. 

"These  are  a  portion  of  the  frauds  that 
have  been  forced  upon  the  intelligent  people 
of  Minnesota.  The  record  is  too  diso-usting 
and  bare-faced  to  pursue  further.  We  do 
not  wish  to  indulge  in  harsh  language  or 
undue  invective.  We  appeal  to  all  honest 
Democrats  for  the  truth  and  candor  of  our 
statements.  The  mass  of  the  Democratic 
party  will  not  sanction  this  high-handed 
outrage,   but  their  leadei's   will.     Gorman, 


Brown  &  Co.  willed,  and  it  was  performed. 
And  the}"  will  stand  by  it  now  —  mark  that. 
They  have  luxuriated  on  the  public  teat  too 
long  to  think  of  surrendering  it  now. 

"  The  seats  of  a  few  members  of  the  legis- 
lature will  be  contested,  but  not  so  as  to 
change  the  result.  Ramsey  will,  undoubt- 
edly, contest  the  seat  for  governor ;  then 
comes  the  tug-of-war.  If,  in  the  teeth  of 
the  mass  of  corruption,  ballot-box  stuffing, 
and  wholesale  fraud  which  have  been  perpe- 
trated, the  courts  shall  disregard  the  cry  for 
justice,  then,  indeed,  have  we  fallen  upon 
evil  times.  Should  this  be  the  case,  the 
Democratic  party  will  go  speediljf  to  the 
wall.  The  mark  of  Cain  will  rest  heavily 
upon  its  forehead.  Its  doom  will  be  sealed, 
and  its  own  history  will  ring,  trumpet- 
tongued,  its  own  condemnation.  The  Re- 
publicans have  come  out  of  this  campaign 
with  clean  hands.  They  have  the  proud 
consciousness  of  knowing  there  is  no  stigma 
attached  to  an  honorable  defeat.  Their 
escutcheon  is  untarnished  by  political  dis- 
honor and  their  future  is  bright  and  hope- 
ful."' 

COUNTY    MATTEKS    IN    1860. 

The  following  is  an  editorial  from  the  pen 
of  A.  B.  Cornell,  which  appeared  in  the 
News  Letter,  in  its  issue  of  July  17,  1860. 
The  article  is  presented  just  as  it  appeared  in 
the  columns  of  the  paper  mentioned,  except 
that  names  of  parties  are  omitted,  as  it 
would  be  unfair  to  give  them  without  giving 
a  chance  for  an  answer  to  the  insinuations. 
In  the  main,  however,  the  article  gives  a 
fair  idea  of  the  general  feeling  in  the  county 
at  that  time : 

"  OuK  County  Affairs  :  —  In  our  last  issue, 
in  calling  attention  to  the  indebtedness  of 
Steele  County,  we  inadvertentlj'^  omitted  to 
place  in  the  catalogue  the  sum  of  $1,300,  or 
thereabouts,  that  is  due  to  the  State,  on  State 
tax  of  1858,  as  we  are  informed  by  Mr. 
Morford,  the  county  treasurer.  In  this  con- 
nection it  may  be  proper  to  state  that  there 
are  assets  in  the  hands  of  the  county  in  the 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


137 


shape  of  returned  lands  to  pa}'  quite  a  pro- 
portion of  the  indebtedness  mentioned,  but 
which  is  not  at  ^^resent  applicable  to  liquidate 
our  debts ;  and  the  question  naturallj^  arises 
as  to  where  we  are  drifting.  "We  have  been 
told  by  some  gentlemen  that  the  assets  here- 
tofore mentioned  were  sufficient  to  cancel 
all  our  debts  ;  and  that  the  time  of  redemp- 
tion being  soon  out,  we  shall  then  be  pre- 
pared to  pay  ever}''  one.  We  think  that  is 
rather  poor  consolation  to  our  hard-working 
citizens,  and  that  they  will  hardly  appreciate 
it,  knowing  full  well  that  most  ot  them  have 
jjaid  extraordinary  high  taxes  for  the  last 
three  years,  with  but  little  prospect  of  there 
being  a  change  for  the  better,  under  the 
present  administration  of  afifairs.  Our 
county  orders  are  already  hawked  about  our 
streets  at  25  per  cent  discount.  Some  of 
our  county  officers  are  buying  them  up  of 
our  own  citizens  at  even  a  much  lower 
figure,  paying  them  into  our  already  de- 
pleted treasury  for  taxes,  and  pocketing 
the  profits  arising  from  the  trade ;  but 
they  are  only  acting  as  agents  of  other 
parties  who  live  at  distance,  so,  of  course, 
it's  all  right. 

"  One  person  says  to  us  that  the  action  of 
the  county  board,  in  not  levying  a  State  tax, 
was  a  daring  assumption  of  power  not  war- 
ranted by  the  constitution,  revolutionary  in 
its  character,  and  derogatory  to  the  interests 
of  some  of  our  citizens.  Well,  suppose  we 
admit  it ;  does  that  prove  that  it  was  not 
intended  as  a  measure  of  relief  to  those  of 
our  citizens  who  had  parted  with  their  all  to 
sustain  their  families  during  the  trying  times 
of  a  year  or  two  since,  save,  perchance,  it 
might  be  the  last  cow,  on  which  they  depended 
for  living  necessary'  to  their  little  ones,  and 
which  last  dependence  would  be  liable  to  be 
sold  to  pay  their  taxes  to  carry  on  the  gov- 
ernment and  help  to  make  aristocrats  of 
some  who  were  once  our  associates  ?  Verily, 
that  Steele  County  Board  are  an  ungrateful 
lot  of  scamps,  and  'Judge  Green  is  the 
worst  of  the  lot,  for  he  knew  hctter.''     Poor 


man  !  That  sin  of  knowledge  outyht  to  be 
repented  of,  and  that  right  speedily. 

"Another  thing  of  some  moment  to  the 
taxpayers  is  the  high  prices  paid  some  of 
our  officials  for  their  services,  though  it  is 
rather  a  hard  matter  for  outsiders  to  find  out 
what  services  were  rendered  by  said  officials, 
as  the  accounts  are  so  indefinite.  Yet  occa- 
sionally we  do  find  out  something  that  is  par- 
ticularly definite.  Here  are  four  items  of  ac- 
count taken  from  the  report  of  September 
13,1859: 

Copying  assessment  rolls $  87.01 

Same, — rent,  services  and  disbursemcuts 167.50 

"      attendance  on  session  of  the  board .    ...  21.00 

"     on  com.  to  settle  with  sheriff 6.00 

Making  an  aggregate  of $281. .51 

audited  at  one  session  of  the  board,  being 
over  one-sixth  of  the  annual  tax  of  the  whole 
county  for  county  purposes.  Now  as  to 
these  items,  we  are  free  to  state  we  cannot 
see  the  justice  of  allowing  the  sum  of  $87 
for  copying  assessment  rolls.  A  mere  ordi- 
nary penman  can  do  it  easily  in  twelve 
days,  and  we  have  no  doubt  but  plenty  of 
individuals  could  be  found  that  would  do  it 
by  the  job  for  $25,  and  make  fair  wages  at 
that.  Again  we  cannot  see  the  justice  of 
allowing  our  assessors  but  $1  per  day  for 
making  the  assessment  —  traveling  through 
the  storm  and  wading  marshes  to  obtain  it, 
and  allowing  a  mere  copyist  from  $7  to  $12 
per  day  to  sit  in  a  comfortable  office  and  use 
his  pen.  The  third  and  fourth  items  are 
specific,  and  embody  nearly  or  quite  all  the 
services  of  '  clerk  of  the  board,'  and  we 
would  like  very  much  to  know  the  character 
of  the  services  mentioned  in  the  second  item, 
as  well  as  the  amount  of  rent,  and  a  specific 
statement  touching  the  disbursements  therein 
mentioned.  Was  it  for  express  charges  on 
that  splendid  lot  of  hooks  and  stationery 
purchased  in  Chicago,  with  the  price  of 
those  nice  $5  gold  pens  reckoned  in  '\  The 
people  who  foot  the  bills  are  anxious  to 
know  about  these  little  things,  for  thej'  are 
large  in  the  aggregate." 


138 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


CBOPS. 

The  principal  agricultural  products  of  the 
county  are  the  same  to-day  as  in  earl}' 
times,  except  that  during  later  years  flax 
has  taken  a  more  prominent  place  than 
formerly.  The  most  important  items  are 
wheat,  oats  and  corn,  the  first  named  being 
the  great  staple.  The  following  figures  will 
serve  to  show  the  yield  of  these  products  for 
several  years  in  an  early  period  in  the 
county's  history : 


YEAR. 

WHEAT. 

OATS. 

CORN. 

Bush's. 

Av.  per 
acre. 

17.30 
13.04 
14.35 
18.21 
19.60 

Bush's. 

Av.  per 
acre. 

39.87 
39.22 
38.08 
33.86 

Bush's. 

A\.  per 
acre. 

1869 

1870 

1871 

1872 

1873 

3.59,293 
384,098 
3:«,.560 
.553,855 
750,000j 

236,833 
317,233 
193,638 
380,006 

70,479 
93,697 
143,34«i 
151,573 

37..52 
25.95 
34.90 
35.39 

During  these  years  however,  other  grain 
crops  —  barley,  rye  and  buckwheat  —  were 
cultivated  to  considerable  extent.  Potatoes 
and  other  root  crops  gave  abundant  yields. 

WHISKEY    RUNNING    IN   THE    GUTTER. 

In  1857  Sherwood  &  Squires  traded  some 
property  which  they  owned  for  a  stock  of 
licfuors,  intending  to  start  a  saloon.  They 
had  already  hauled  in  one  load  of  the  stuff 
and,  as  their  building  was  not  ready  to  store 
it  inside,  it  was  stored  in  a  little  wooden 
building  near  the  Winship  House  for  the 
night.  During  the  evening  some  of  the 
village  boys  got  together  and  decided  to 
destroy  the  outfit.  They  crawled  up  to  the 
barrels  and  bored  holes  through  each  cask, 
letting  the  liquor  run  out  upon  the  ground. 
Quite  a  fuss  was  raised  over  the  affair,  but 
it  finally  blew  over  and  none  of  the  perpe- 
trators were  ever  discovered.  A.  IST.  Stough- 
ton,  who  is  still  an  honored  resident  of  the 
city,  was  arrested  at  the  instance  of  Squires, 
and  taken  before  Squire  Tiffany,  of  Havana. 
When  the  case  was  called  it  was  demanded 
that  Squires  give  bonds  for  tlie  costs,  which 
he  was  unable  to  do,  and  the  matter  was 
finally  dropped.  Mr.  Stoughton,  of  course, 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter,  but  the 


affair  was  quite  an  interesting  joke  to  the 
old  settlers. 

THE    OLD    VIGILANCE    COMMITTEE. 

In  August,  1857,  a  number  of  the  citizens 
of  Owatonna  held  a  meeting  and  formed  a 
vigilance  committee,  for  the  purpose  of  pre- 
serving peace,  protecting  property,  pun- 
ishing offenders  and  cleaning  out  saloons. 
There  were  probably  twenty  or  thirty  in  the 
organization.  The  first  thing  they  proposed 
doing  was  to  mob  a  certain  saloon  and 
throw  out  the  liquors,  but  then  the  question 
arose,  Who  was  to  lead  the  van?  Uncle  Dave 
Lindersmith  was  the  sheriff  at  that  time ;  so 
they  went  to  him  and  proposed  that  he  take 
charge  of  the  campaign  which  they  intended 
to  inaugurate.  He  replied  that  he  supposed 
he  was  an  officer  elected  to  preserve  the 
peace  and  it  did  not  comjjort  with  the  dig- 
nity of  his  office  to  lead  a  mob  upon  a  busi- 
ness which  was  carried  on  under  the  sanction 
of  the  law.  However,  he  added,  that  if  such 
a  thing  should  occur  at  any  specified  time, 
he  would  be  obliged  to  attend  to  business  in 
a7iothei'  part  of  the  county  while  the  cam- 
paign was  going  on. 

THE    EARLY    SETTLEMENT   OF    STEELE. 

The  following  sketch  of  the  early  settle- 
ment of  Steele  County  was  published  in  A. 
T.  Andreas'  Historical  Atlas  of  Minnesota 
(1874),  and  may  be  of  interest  for  future  ref- 
erence and  preservation.  There  are  sev- 
eral mistakes  in  the  article,  as  will  be 
noticed  by  the  reader,  but  we  present  it 
verbatim : 

"  Edward  McCartney  settled  in  the  town 
of  Deerfield  in  May,  1855.  The  first  birth  in 
the  town  was  a  daughter  in  the  family  of 
Mr.  Hobaugh,  and  the  first  death  that  of 
Miss  Austin.  The  first  marriage  took  place 
on  the  16th  of  June,  1859.  Win.  B.  Evans 
and  Miss  Frederica  C.  Williams  were  the 
happy  couple.  The  first  school  was  taught 
by  Miss  Elizabeth  Hodgson  in  the  summer 
of  1857. 

"  A.  M.  Fitzsiramons  settled  in  the  town  of  • 


{p^  /^ ,  ^fh^^i^^^e^/L^-i^.^^/^^cS  ^ 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


141 


Meriden  in  June,  1855.  The  first  birth  was 
in  the  family  of  C.  II.  Wilker,  in  1856. 

"  The  first  marriage  was  that  of  W.  F. 
Dunn  to  Miss  Roxie  Henshaw,  which  took 
place  in  September,  1856,  at  Mr.  Austin 
Vinton's,  Kev.  H.  Chapin  performing  the 
ceremon}'.  In  the  absence  of  horses,  the 
bridal  part\'  were  conveyed  in  farm  wagons 
drawn  by  oxen.  The  first  death  was  that  of 
Mr.  Simmons,  in  1858.  Miss  Leroy  taught 
the  first  school  in  the  summer  of  1858. 

"  Thomas  Thomson  made  the  first  claim  in 
the  town  of  Somerset,  in  November,  1855. 
The  following  Ma}',  three  brothers,  Levi,  E. 
W.  and  Albert  Bailey,  and  Mr.  Savins  came 
and  built  shanties.  Others  soon  came, 
among  whom  were  Dr.  Thos.  Kenyon,  T.  J. 
Clark,  O.  A.  Barnes,  Dexter  Smith,  E. 
Lagro,  D.  Barnes,  O.  Fisher,  H.  and  J.  Cat- 
lin,  C.  R.  Knowlton,  W.  Fisher  and  J.  E. 
Hughes.  The  first  death  was  that  of  Mr.  M. 
Case,  in  Juty,  1856. 

"Mi's.  T.  J.  Clark  gave  birth  to  a  daughter 
in  the  summer  of  1856,  which  was  the  first 
child  born  in  the  town.  The  first  marriage 
was  that  of  Alexander  Hissam  to  Miss 
Rachel  Bill,  in  1858.  Miss  Phebe  Kenyon 
taught  the  first  school. 

"Charles  McCarty,  Wm.  Burns,  Wm.  Close 
and  Robert  Adair  were  the  first  to  settle  in 
the  town  of  Havana,  in  1855.  George  Den- 
nis, N.  Parker  and  D.  C.  Tiffany  came  in  the 
following  j'ear.  The  first  birth  was  a  child  in 
the  family  of  Robert  Adair,  in  1855.  The 
first  death  was  that  of  Mrs.  Newton  Parker, 
in  November,  1856,  Rev.  M.  Wetzel  officiat- 
ing. Miss  Elizabeth  McCaslin  taught  the 
first  school  in  the  summer  of  1857,  and  in 
the  following  fall  was  married  to  Frank 
Ilickok,  having  the  honor  of  being  the  first 
teacher  and  bride  in  the  town. 

"In  the  springof  1856,  Samuel  Thompson, 
S.  Keeney  and  E.  Teed  settled  in  the  town 
of  Lemond.  Samuel  M.  Hastings  came  in 
the  following  summer.  The  first  marriage 
was  that  of  Daniel  Tuscan  to  Miss  Cornelia 
Davis,  and   tlie  first  birtli  occurred   in   the 


family  of  Mr.  Hughs.  The  first  death  was 
that  of  Mr.  Wm.  Manson,  in  1860.  The 
first  school  was  taught  in  the  winter  of 
1858-9,  by  Stillman  Kinney. 

"  G.  W.  Knapp  and  family  located  in  the 
town  of  Summit  in  June,  1856.  Their  first 
habitation  was  a  tent,  cooking  and  work 
generally  being  done  in  the  open  air.  The 
first  birth  was  in  the  family  of  Roswell 
Heath,  in  1857,  and  the  first  marriage  that 
of  Benj.  Wheeler  and  Miss  Delia  Fredin- 
burg,  in  December,  1858. 

"  Col.  J.  Ball,  A.  B.  Clark,  G.  W.  Grimshaw 
and  Charles  Adsit,  in  June  of  1856,  made 
claims  in  the  town  of  Aurora.  Amos  Coggs- 
well,  S.  A.  Sargent,  H.  Eastman,  Oscar  King 
and  Mr.  Perham  were  the  next  to  locate  in 
the  town.  The  first  birth  was  in  the  family 
of  Amos  Coggswell,  March  6,  1857,  and  the 
first  marriage  was  that  of  Joseph  Branning 
and  Miss  Laura  Pettie.  The  first  death  was 
that  of  Steven  A.  Sargent,  in  1856  ;  Rev..H. 
Chapin  conducted  the  funeral  services.  Miss 
Jane  Arnold  taught  the  first  school. 

"In  Jul}^  1856,  William  Shea,  C.  V.  Brown, 
Hiram  Pitcher,  Levi  Chase,  Thomas  McCor- 
mick,  Robert  Rej'uolds,  H.  S.  Howen,  Enfin 
Enfinson,  Joseph  and  D.  T.  Gordon,  Marshall 
Warren  and  Mr.  Winchell  settled  in  the  town 
of  Berlin.  ~  The  first  plowing  was  done  by 
Levi  Chase.  The  first  birth  was  in  the  fam- 
ily of  C.  V.  Brown.  Mr.  Joseph  Gordon 
died  in  December,  1859,  which  was  the  first 
death  in  the  town.  The  fii'st  marriage  was 
that  of  J.  O.  Culver  and  Miss  Jane  Gordon,  in 
1857.  The  ceremony  was  performed  by 
Hiram  Pitcher,  a  justice  of  the  peace.  This 
being  the  first  time  the  justice  had  performed 
the  ceremony,  he  varied  a  little  from  the 
usual  form,  and  the  groom  was  made  to 
promise  to  obey  the  bride,  instead  of  the 
bride  obeying  the  groom.  D.  T.  Gordon 
taugjit  the  first  school  in  the  winter  of  1857-8. 
C.  W.  Curtis  and  L.  E.  Thompson  settled  in 
the  town  of  Merton  in  1856 ;  soon  after 
Messrs.  Magoon  and  Naylor  came.  The  first 
death  Avas  that  of  a  child  of  Oscar  Searls. 


142 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


David  Bagley,  Thomas  Bray,  Levi  Annis,  J. 
J.  Bracket  and  Ira  Foster  settled  in  Bloom- 
ing Prairie  in  1857.  The  first  birth  was 
James  Bray,  son  of  Thomas  Bray,  in  1859. 
The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Ira  Foster  and 
a  widow  by  the  name  of  Scott,  in  1800.  Miss 
Hatty  Layton  taught  the  first  school  in  1861. 
"Blooming  Prairie  (formerly  Oak  Glen)  was 
not  organized  until  1867,  having  been  for- 
merly attached  to  the  town  of  Aurora.  Tlie 
organization  of  theotlier  towns  was  eff'ected 
in  1858." 

STAGE    BUSINESS. 

The  following  item  appears  in  the  issue  of 
the  Owatonna  Plaindealer,  September  22, 
1864: 

"  Burbank  &  Co.  have  decided  to  put  on  the 
road  between  this  place  and  Rochester,  next 
Monday,  two  daily  lines  of  stages  each  way, 
owing  to  the  great  increase  of  travel.  Last 
Monday  afternoon  there  were  twenty-seven 
persons  desii'ing  passage  east.  Nineteen  got 
on  one  coach  and  the  rest  hired  a  livery,  but 
this  is  not  an  unusual  occurrence.  The  com- 
pany have  the  best  of  accommodations  on 
the  road  for  the  convenience  of  the  traveling 
public." 

RECOLLECTIONS    OF   THE    ABBOTTS. 

The  Abbotts  —  Ezra  and  John  H.  —  who 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  early  history  of 
the  town  and  county,  were  natives  of  New 
Hampshire.  Ezra  came  west,  first  settling 
at  Batavia,  111.,  in  1854,  although  for  some 
time  he  had  been  living  in  Virginia.  At 
Batavia  he  and  his  wife  were  engaged  as 
teachers  in  an  academy.  John  H.  started 
west  in  May  or  June,  1855,  and  at  Batavia, 
111.,  he  joined  his  brother  Ezra,  and  from 
there  they  came  together  first  to  St.  Paul, 
which  was  then  the  territorial  capital  and  by 
far  the  largest  city  in  the  territory,  and  a 
few  days  later  to  St.  Anthony.  They  next 
visited  a  number  of  localities  in  search  of  a 
suitable  site.  Ezra  had  in  view  the  location 
of  a  model  stock  farm,  while  John  H.,  who 
had  been  largely  engaged  in  railroad  Avork, 


had  in  view  a  town  site,  where  it  would  be 
possiljle  to  build  a  railroad  center  and  a  me- 
tropolis. After  a  time  they  visited  Faribault 
and  there  learned  of  the  Owatonna  settlement 
and  town-site.  Faribault  at  that  time  was 
having  quite  a  boom.  J.  W.  North  had  al- 
ready located  at  the  present  site  of  North- 
field,  and  was  making  preparations  for  build- 
ing a  city.  There  was  onh^  one  building  on 
the  site  at  that  time,  however,  and  the  dam 
across  the  river  was  just  being  built.  At 
Faribault  they  found  a  village  of  several 
hundred  inhabitants,  a  mixture  of  French, 
Indians  and  Americans.  Gen.  Shields,  after- 
ward United  States  senator,  was  then  in  the 
"big  woods"  starting  his  village  —  Shields- 
ville.  Alex.  Faribault,  the  old  Indian  trader, 
was  the  leading  spirit  of  the  settlement,  sur- 
rounded b\^  his  usual  coterie  of  Indians,  guns 
and  dogs.  Gen.  Levi  Nutting  was  also  there, 
and  had  started  to  build  a  hotel.  Many 
others  were  already  engaged  in  building  a 
city  there,  but  those  mentioned  have  become 
familiar  names  in  Minnesota  history.  While 
in  the  vicinity  of  Faribault  they  ran  across 
one  of  the  Pettit  families,  and  through  that 
means  were  tlirected  toward  Steele  County. 
On  their  way  up  the  river  they  passed  the 
sites  of  both  Medford  and  Clinton  Falls.  At 
the  first  they  saw  Smith  Johnson,  who  in- 
formed them  of  the  brilliant  prospect  they 
had  for  building  a  town.  At  Clinton  they 
saw  Deacon  Finch,  who  was  plowing  near 
the  trail,  and  he  explained  to  them  how 
nature  had  planned  Clinton  for  a  metropolis, 
with  its  water  power,  abundance  of  stone, 
etc. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  site  of  Owatonna  at 
about  noon  one  day  late  in  June  or  early  in 
Jul}',  1855,  they  went  to  the  little  log  cabin 
just  north  of  where  Mr.  Albertus'  present 
dwelling  stands.  They  found  here  A.  B. 
Cornell  and  wife,  W.  F.  Pettit,  Eev.  Mr. 
Thomas,  and  several  boardei's.  After  din- 
ner they  looked  over  the  table-land  and 
town-site  generally.  Pettit's  claim  extended 
a  mile  east  and  west.  Bridge  street  being  at 


HISTOET   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


143 


he  south  line  of  it.  Cornell  then  "  claimed  " 
eighty  acres  south  of  this  line,  having  sold 
some  which  he  had  held  previously.  Park 
&  Smith  also  had  a  claim,  and  Addison 
Phelps  held  one  still  south  of  Cornell's. 
Mr.  Morehouse  was  living  in  a  cabin  not  far 
from  the  river,  near  the  present  site  of  the 
mill.  John  Deckering,  agent  for  Judge 
Green,  was  living  near  Maple  Creek.  The 
judge  had  claimed  four  forties  of  land  in 
sections  3,  4,  9  and  10,  in  what  is  now 
Owatonna  Township.  Obediah  Gains,  who 
with  his  son  had  claimed  320  acres  of  land, 
was  here.  This  claim  was  directly  east  of 
tlie  Pettit  and  Cornell  claims.  Elder  Town 
was  also  here  as  the  advance  agent  for  a 
little  colony,  and  was  looking  up  claims. 
Charles  Ellison  was  also  among  the  settlers, 
having  a  claim  two  miles  south  of  Owatonna, 
but  was  stopping  at  Cornell's.  D.  Linder- 
smith  was  living  in  a  log  cabin  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river.  A  man  named  Pi-esley 
was  living  ih  the  woods  north  of  town.  In 
addition  to  these  there  were  a  number  of 
j-^oung  men,  who  might  more  properly  per- 
haps be  termed  transients.  The  only  crop 
growing  was  some  sod  corn  and  water- 
melons which  Pettit  had  ^^lanted.  Pettit 
was  anxious  to  go  to  Texas  and  wanted  to 
sell,  yet  held  his  claim  at  quite  a  high  figure 
—  $1,300  or  $1,400.  There  were  scarcely 
any  improvements,  and  in  this  condition 
this  price  seemed  high ;  yet  there  were 
many  considerations  which  led  them  to 
finally  accept  the  proposition,  and  as  a  mat- 
ter of  interest  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  in 
this  connection  to  refer  briefly  to  them. 
Up  to  this  time  Ezra  Abbott  and  his  brother 
had  been  undecided  where  to  locate.  In  a 
measure  their  objects  were  different,  yet  of 
course  botli  desired  a  location  that  had  some 
promise  for  the  future. 

During  the  winter  of  1854-5  a  charter  had 
been  obtained  and  organization  effected  of  a 
company  proposing  the  construction  of  a 
railroad  from  Winona  westward  to  St.  Peter. 
Tliis  was  called  the  "Transit."     Movements 


were  also  already  on  foot,  although  very 
incomplete  and  indefinite,  with  a  view  to 
building  a  road  from  Minneapolis  or  St. 
Anthony  south  to  Iowa.  Owatonna  seemed 
to  be  a  natural  crossing  for  these  two  lines. 
This  was  one  important  point  in  favor  of  the 
town.  Another  w'as  its  location,  which  was 
magnificent.  But  there  were  drawbacks. 
At  that  day  to  locate  and  attempt  to  build 
a  town  at  a  point  where  there  was  no  hope 
of  securing  a  county-seat  was  discouraging 
business.  During  the  session  of  the  territo- 
rial legislature,  in  the  winter  of  1854-5, 
Steele  County  had  been  created  and  set  off 
from  Rice  County.  It  embraced  twenty 
congressional  townships  —  all  of  the  present 
county  of  "Waseca  and  the  two  western  tiers 
of  Steele  Countj^'s  present  townships.  It 
will  thus  be  seen  that  Owatonna  was  virtu- 
ally in  the  northeast  corner  of  the  county  as 
then  bounded.  This,  of  course,  must  be 
changed  or  the  county-seat  would  undoubt- 
edly be  finally  located  farther  west.  How- 
ever, after  looking  over  the  ground 
thoroughly,  the  Abbotts  decided  to  accept 
Pettit's  offer,  which  they  did,  and  thereupon 
became  part  owners  of  the  town-site.  John 
H.  is  still  a  resident  of  the  city.  Ezra  lived 
there  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  on  the  16th  of  August,  1876.  Both 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  early  develop- 
ment of  the  city,  and  their  names  must 
always  be  indissolubly  connected  with  the 
early  history  of  the  county. 

KEMINISOENCE    AND   BIOGRAPHY. 

By  Rev.  William  Tlwmson. 

I  was  born  at  Taneytown,  Frederick  (now 
Carroll)  County,  Md.,  on  the  twenty -ninth  day 
of  April,  1812.  At  the  age  of  about  sixteen 
3'ears  I  went  to  the  city  of  New  York  to 
learn  the  trade  of  house-building  with  my 
uncle,  Samuel  Thomson,  who  was  at  that 
time  a  master-builder.  I  served  an  appren- 
ticeship of  over  five  years  at  that  business, 
and  became  a  fair  mechanic  in  that  line,  at 
the   same   time   acquiring  a   knowledge   of 


144 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


architectural  drawing,  etc.  In  the  meantime 
I  .was  converted  and  felt  a  strong  desire  to 
become  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  but  circum- 
stances not  being  favorable  to  such  a  course 
of  preparation  as  was  necessary  at  that  time, 
I  deferred  that  work  until  later  in  life. 

I  served  my  apprenticeship  faithfully  and 
when  becommg  twenty-one  years  of  age  I 
left  New  York  and  returned  to  my  native 
town  in  Maryland,  and  on  the  nineteenth  day 
of  June,  1834,  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  E.  Peck.  Subsequently  I  took  a 
private  course  of  theological  studies  under 
the  supervision  of  Kev.  William  Adams 
"Wadsworth,  a  Lutheran  minister,  at  Canton, 
Stark  County,  Ohio.  After  completing  my 
course  of  study,  made  application  to  the  East 
Oliio  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  for  exam- 
ination, was  examined  before  open  synod, 
and  admitted  as  a  candidate  for  ordination, 
and  at  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  same 
body,  held  at  Bethlehem,  Ohio,  I  was 
solemnly  ordained  by  laying  on  the  hands  of 
the  presbytery.  On  the  seventh  day  of  Octo- 
ber, 1845,  after  being  set  apart  to  the  duties 
of  the  active  ministry  of  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  I  served  congregations  in 
Stark  and  Columbiana  counties,  in  Ohio, 
then  at  Eostraver,  Pa. ;  retured  to  Ohio  in 
the  spring  of  1846  and  served  four  congre- 
gations for  ten  consecutive  years. 

About  April  1,  1855,  in  company  with  a 
portion  of  my  Ohio  charge,  and  my  family 
consisting  of  myself  and  wife  and  Joseph 
Hugh,  Mary  E.,  Hamilton  K.,  Luther  M., 
Cornelia  Jane  and  Louiza  Ellen,  we  took 
steamboat  at  Wellsville,  Ohio,  for  the  then 
territory  of  Minnesota.  After  a  tedious 
journey  of  about  sixteen  days  we  landed  at 
Hastings  at  midnight,  several  of  our  number 
being  very  sick.  I  can  never  forget  our  first 
night's  experience  in  Minnesota.  We  were 
hurriedly  set  ashore  on  the  bare  ground,  but 
by  ])lacing  some  bedding  and  arranging  our 
pack-boxes  around,  formed  a  temporary  shel- 
ter by  placing  four  of  our  number,  one  at 
each  corner,  to  hold  a  bed-quilt  over  the  sick 


to  keep  off  the  falling  rain.  And  so  we  stood 
for  about  one  hour  trying  to  get  the  hotel- 
keeper  to  take  us  in,  but  as  he  was  not  will- 
ing to  receive  our  sick  we  resolved  to  spend 
the  night  in  watching  them.  Whilst  we 
were  thus  engaged  a  Mr.  Baily,  who  kept 
a  kind  of  variety  store  (the  only  one  in  the 
village),  came  to  us  and  spoke  kindly,  and 
offered  us  the  free  use  of  his  building,  telling 
us  to  make  ourselves  as  comfortable  as  we 
could.  We  gladly  carried  our  sick  into  his 
store-room,  and  there,  on  that  sad  night,  and 
on  the  floor  of  Mr.  Baily's  store,  Miss  Lucetta 
Jane  Barrick  died  in  about  one  hour  after 
she  was  taken  in  ;  her  sister,  Mrs.  James  An- 
derson, died  in  a  few  days  after,  and  both 
were  buried  side  by  side  near  the  then  vd- 
lage,  now  city,  of  Hastings,  and  my  first 
ministerial  services  in  Minnesota  were  to  jier- 
form  the  funeral  obsequies  of  those  two 
members  of  my  Ohio  congregation. 

Leaving  my  wife  in  charge  of  four  very 
sickchildren,  incorapan}' with  Mr.  Anderson, 
I  started  for  the  interior  of  this  to  us  new 
country,  settled  first  near  Cannon  City  in 
Rice  County,  remaining  there  only  one  year 
for  various  reasons.  Myself,  William  N. 
Breidenstien  (a  son-in-law),  my  eldest  son, 
Joseph,  and  Mr.  Elias  Hahn,  in  the  early 
part  of  April,  1856,  made  a  journej'  on  foot, 
seeking  a  better  locality'.  Our  objective 
point  was  Wilton,  in  Waseca  County. 
Crossing  Straight  Eiver  at  Faribault  we 
followed  the  course  of  said  stream  on  both 
sides,  crossing  twice  after  leaving  Faribault ; 
we  reached  Owatonna  sometime  in  the  month 
of  AprU.  Crossing  Maple  Creek  we  ap- 
pi-oached  the  village  on  the  east  side.  On 
the  hill  we  found  a  man,  whose  name  I  have 
forgotten,  who  kept  a  small  store ;  we  inquired 
for  "Owatonna."  "Why,"  said  he,  "this  is 
it."  "  Is  this  all  of  it  f  we  asked.  "  Oh,  no," 
said  he,  "  over  the  hill  there  you  will  find  the 
rest  of  it."  So  on  we  went,  and  found  the 
rest  of  "  Owatonna,"  consisting  of  a  few 
houses  scattered  over  a  most  beautiful  site 
for  a  town.     Winship  House  had  just  been 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


I.t5 


built,  then  a  log  hotel  a  little  down  the  river, 
kept  by  a  Mr.  Sanborn,  a  schoolhouse,  a 
smith-shop,  and  one  or  two  small  stores, 
was  about  all  of  Owatonna  at  that  time. 
We  crossed  Straight  River  on  a  farm  wagon 
driven  by  Mr.  Thomas  Meek.  The  banks 
were  overflowed  so  as  to  cover  the  very  poor 
basswood  bridge,  but  Mr.  Meek  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  bearings,  and  so  con- 
veyed us  safely  over.  "We  stopped  that  night 
with  Mr.  David  Lindersmith,  who  subse- 
quently informed  me  of  the  southeast  quarter 
section  20,  town  107,  range  20.  I  moved 
with  my  family  onto  this  claim  early  in  May, 
1856,  and  have  resided  on  it  ever  since,  with 
the  exception  of  two  years'  residence  in  the 
city  of  Minneapolis,  having  rented  the  farm 
to  my  son-in-law,  G.  B.  White.  To  return 
to  our  trip  to  Waseca  County,  I  will  state 
that  we  looked  the  country  over  carefullj', 
passing  over  some  beautiful  prairie  land. 
At  last  we  reached  Le  Seur  River  at  the 
fording.  Seeing  a  man  on  the  opposite  side 
with  an  ox-team  we  called  to  him,  and  he 
kindly  drove  across  and  took  us  to  the  other 
side.  We  remember  the  gentleman's  name 
was  John  Kelly.  We  asked  for  the  town. 
"  Right  here,"  said  Mr.  Kelly.  He  conducted 
us  to  a  log  house  just  being  built,  where  we 
meti  Mr.  A.  B.  Cornell,  of  Owatonna,  hewing 
logs  to  build  a  house.  He  said  "  Wilton  was 
to  beat  Owatonna."  We  couldn't  see  it  in 
that  light.  As  it  was  drawing  towards  night 
and  no  houses  in  view  we  inquired  for  lodg- 
ing. "  Just  follow  me,"  said  Mr.  Kelly,  "  and  I 
will  take  you  to  the  '  Central  Hotel.' "  Ac- 
cordingly we  obeyed  orders,  and  taking  us 
down  the  slope  to  the  front  of  the  "  Central," 
we  found  a  rude  structure  composed  partly 
of  pine  boards,  set  perpendicularly,  nailed  to 
a  pole  laid  over  the  entrance,  to  a  kind  of 
cave  in  the  hill,  probably  15x20  feet.  The 
host,  a  Mr.  Jenkins,  treated  us  kindly,  and 
his  charges  were  quite  moderate.  We  then 
took  leave  of  our  kind  liost  and  his  excellent 
wife,  and  took  a  good  look  at  the  surround- 
ing country.     It  was  a  grand  sight.     As  far 


as  eye  could  see  it  was  one  vast  ocean  of 
waving  grass,  not  green,  but  having  passed 
the  winter,  it  was  changed  to  a  beautiful 
brown,  showing  that  it  must  be  a  very  good 
grazing  ground  for  the  large  herds  of  fine 
cattle  that  were  being  daily  driven  into  this 
beautiful  land,  which  had  lain  so  many  cen- 
turies only  as  a  hunting  ground  for  the 
aborigines,  or  a  pasturage  for  the  buffalo 
and  other  wild  animals. 

Subsequent  circumstances  proved  that  Mr. 
Cornell  was  entirely  wrong  in  his  estimate 
of  the  future  greatness  of  the  contemplated 
"  City  of  Wilton."  Thus  after  looking  all  over 
the  country  in  and  around  Wilton,  we  felt  a 
desire  to  return  by  the  way  we  came,  to  the 
then  village  of  Owatonna,  and  eventually  all 
settled  as  near  as  we  could  to  the  jjromising 
city  of  Owatonna,  Mr.  Hahn  claiming  in 
the  town  of  Somerset,  and  Breidenstein  on 
Straight  River,  cornering  with  me  on  the 
section  line.  Mr.  Hahn  still  resides  on  his 
land  on  Turtle  Creek,  about  five  miles  from 
Owatonna.  Breidenstein  lives  with  his  fam- 
ily near  Boice  Citj',  I.  Ter.,  thus,  instead  of 
being  near  each  other,  as  we  intended,  we 
are  scattered  far  and  wide.  Having  traded 
my  pre-emption  right  in  Rice  County,  we 
-went  to  work  in  good  earnest  on  the  new 
claim ;  of  course  much  of  my  own  time  was 
occupied  in  my  ministerial  duties,  and  not  be- 
ing a  practical  farmer,  and  being  entirely  igno- 
rant of  the  mode  of  farming  in  this  climate, 
we  labored  under  great  disadvantages  in 
many  respects ;  nevertheless,  the  second  sea- 
son we  put  out  some  tw^enty-five  acres  of 
wheat,  corn  and  rye ;  crops  looked  quite 
promising-  until  within  a  few  days  of  har- 
vesting, when  suddenly  a  terrible  hail-storm 
destroyed  all  our  hopes,  and  a  general  panic 
ensued ;  many  left  for  other  parts,  but  a  few 
remained  and  by  mutual  sympathy  and  kind- 
ness, no  one  starved  to  death.  But  those 
were  the  dark  days  in  the  life  of  early  pio- 
neers of  this  country,  when 

"Men  looked  in  each  other's  eyes. 
To  read  their  chance  of  death  or  life." 


146 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


It  would  perhaps  be  too  tedious  and 
uninteresting  to  recount  many  of  the  ex- 
periences through  which  we  have  passed ; 
I  will  only  give  two  of  the  most  im- 
portant of  my  personal  adventures.  In 
the  fall  of  1857,  I  started  one  day  for  my 
appointment  at  East  PrairieviUe,  and  as  I 
had  several  times  noticed  a  road  at  tlie  cross- 
ing of  a  small  creek  a  short  distance  below 
Medford,  diverging  a  very  little  to  the  left,  run- 
ning as  I  thought  very  nearly  parallel  with  the 
road  I  had  before  taken,  and  thinking  it 
would  lead  me  out  to  the  open  prairie,  a 
little  lower  down  the  river,  and  bring  me 
nearer  to  a  point  I  wished  to  reach,  I  pur- 
sued it  but  a  short  distance  Avhen  I  found  it 
to  bear  too  much  to  the  left.  I  then  con- 
cluded to  cross  the  V,  formed  by  the  two 
roads ;  after  walking  for  a  long  time  I  came 
to  a  small  stream  emanating  from  a  spring. 
I  stooped  down  and  took  a  drink;  on 
rising  again,  I  lost  my  bearings,  and  in  at- 
tempting to  make  a  straiglit  line  from  the 
spring,  I  only  circled  round  to  the  same 
place;  this  I  did  the  third  time.  I  then  found 
a  line  of  blazed  trees  made  by  the  surveyors 
and  by  watching  those  marks,  I  found  my 
way  out  to  the  road  I  was  in  search  of.  For- 
tunately I  found  a  Mr.  Close  in  his  winter 
quarters,  and  as  it  was  then  about  10  o'clock 
at  night,  he  very  kindlj'  gave  me  my  supper 
and  lodging,  and  on  the  morrow  I  reached 
my  destination  in  good  time.  At  another 
time  I  left  home  in  a  snow-storm,  and  in  try- 
ing to  make  my  way  to  a  Mr.  Coperth waits', 
where  I  intended  to  stay  over  night,  night 
overtook  me,  and  having  neither  roads  nor 
fences  to  guide  me,  and  a  fearful  snow-storm 
in  full  force,  I  missed  my  way  and  went  too 
far  eastward.  I  took,  as  I  thought  a  straight 
course  to  the  gentleman's  house,  and  after 
walking  for  about  two  hours,  I  came  to  a  de- 
serted claim  shanty,  but  there  was  neither 
door  nor  window,  and  tiie  snow  had  drifted  m 
and  filled  it  nearly  full ;  I  had  matches,  but 
no  fuel  of  an}'  kind,  so  I  could  not  build 
a  fire.    I  now  fully  realized  my  perilous  con- 


dition ;  I  was  really  lost.  To  anyone  who 
has  not  had  the  same  experience,  words  fail 
to  give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  sensation  ;  I 
never  had  the  same  routine  to  go  through, 
that  I  had  in  the  timber,  to-wit :  I  made 
three  tangents  to  get  to  the  same  forlorn 
shanty  ;  finally'  I  took  great  care  to  keep  the 
wind  directly  on  my  back,  and  by  that 
means  got  away  from  the  shanty  I  had  vis- 
ited so  often. 

I  was  perfectlj'calra,  and  deliberatel}'  con- 
cluded that  in  order  to  keep  from  freezing 
I  would  be  compelled  to  continue  walking 
slowly  until  dayhght  should  reveal  my 
whereabouts,  for  I  had  not  the  least  idea  of 
the  points  of  the  comjiass.  After  about  two 
hours'  walking,  fortunately  I  saw  a  stovepipe 
from  which  smoke  was  wafting  upward.  I 
hastened  up  and  was  very  kindly  entertained 
by  the  gentleman  of  the  house,  whose  name 
I  have  forgotten;   next  morning — Sunday 

—  found  me  just  six  miles  too  far  east,  but 
after  a  good  breakfast,  without  charge,  I 
made  my  way  to  Cannon  City  in  good  time. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  at  this  time  I 
had  no  horse  and  was  compelled  to  travel 
on  foot,  preaching  at  the  following  points : 
Cannon  City,  East  PrairieviUe,  Brush  Creek, 

—  occasionally  Faribault  and  Morristown. 
I  met  the  above  appointments  generally 
promptly  and  in  good  time.  The  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society  gave  me  the  first  year  $100 
and  from  the  other  sources  I  received  in 
all  about  $60 ;  organized  the  first  English 
Lutheran  congregation  (that  I  knew  of  at 
the  time)  in  the  house  of  Hon.  J.  C.  Ide,  at 
East  PrairieviUe,  in  the  month  of  June,  1855. 
I  believe  I  preached  the  first  funeral  sermon 
in  the  Ide  settlement  at  the  house  of  a  Mr. 
Pratt,  it  being  on  the  death  of  a  lady  in 
some  way  related  to  Mr.  Pratt.  A  Meth- 
odist minister,  a  young  man  whose  name  I 
forget,  was  present  at  the  funeral  service, 
but  did  not  make  himself  known  until  after 
the  services  closed.  I  believe  I  was  the  first 
Lutlieran  minister  ofiiciating  in  the  English 
language   exclusively,   in   the   Territory   of 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


147 


Minnesota.  If  there  were  any  other  I  never 
heard  of  him.  Through  the  courtesy  of  Coh 
Ida,  who  was  a  visitor  to  the  territorial 
legislature  in  1855,  I  had  my  credentials 
filed  in  the  office  of  a  Mr.  Noah,  at  Mendota, 
and  afterwards  at  Owatonna.  My  creden- 
tials were  filed  on  page  1  of  credentials,  so  I 
must  have  been  among  the  first  in  that  line. 
Hoping  to  be  excused  for  this  digression  to 
Rice  County,  I  will  now  proceed  more  particu- 
larly to  call  up  facts  and  incidents  that  have 
occurred  since  our  settlement  at  Owatonna. 
By  disposing  of  my  preemption  right  in 
Rice  County  I  received  in  exchange  an  ox- 
team,  farm  wagon,  one  cow  and  calf  and  $75 
in  cash.  With  this  outfit  we  took  possession 
of  the  southeast  quarter,  section  20,  town 
107,  range  20.  There  were  no  improvements 
on  the  claim,  so  we  erected  what  in  that  day 
was  called  a  claim-shanty.  As  this  term  is 
generally  understood  I  need  not  particularize. 
We  occupied  it  comfortably,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, and  enjoyed  good  health  and 
spirits  for  two  or  three  years,  until  we  were 
able  to  put  up  a  frame  house,  which  sub- 
sequently was  destroyed  by  fire. 

My  congregation  at  Prairieville  became 
quite  discouraged  by  the  intense  cold  of  the 
winter  of  1855-6,  and  left  for  other  jiarts. 
I  had  no  nucleus  foi-  a  Lutheran  Church  in 
Owatonna,  but  by  invitation  of  the  Con- 
gregational, Presbyterian  and  Methodist 
churches,  I  preached  frequently  for  each  of 
them,  mostly,  however,  in  Mr.  A.  N.  Stough- 
ton's  hall,  where  in  the  absence  of  their  pas- 
tor. Rev.  Thomas,  by  request,  I  admitted 
several  members  to  their  church  and  admin- 
istered the  holy  communion.  Tiie  East  Ohio 
Synod,  to  which  I  belonged,  always  has  been 
in  favor  of  Christian  union,  consequently  im- 
bibing this  principle  of  unity  from  the  s3'nod 
to  which  I  belonged,  I  have  had  no  difficulty 
in  fraternizing  with  all  orthodox  denomi- 
nations of  Christians,  so  far  as  they  would 
permit  me  to  worship  God  with  them ;  have* 
always  been  treated  kindly  and  frequently 
preached  for  all  of  them.     Eeing  without  a 


regular  charge,  my  ministerial  labors  have 
been  those  of  a  traveling  missionarj^  and  in 
this  capacity  I  visited  and  preached  at  the 
following  places  with  more  or  less  regularity 
from  1858  to  the  present  time,  1887 :  Cannon 
City,  East  Prairieville,  Faribault,  Brush 
Creek,  Morristown,  Kenney's  hall  and  school- 
house.  Dodge  City,  Norway,  Dodge  County  ; 
Eyota,  Olmstead  County  ;  Washington,  Fill- 
more County  ;  Dorrance's  and  Beardsley's, 
Rice  County ;  Berlin,  Hastings'  schoolhouse, 
and  Fitzsimmon's  schoolhouse,  also  at  Ha- 
vana and  Tiffany's  schoolhouse ;  meantime  I 
preached  several  funeral  sei-mons.  In  the 
spring  of  1858  or  1859  a  family  by  the  name 
of  Simmons  came  from  Wisconsin  and 
bought  a  claim  of  a  Mr.  Woods,  and  whilst 
temporarily  located  with  Mr.  Hiram  Green- 
wood, making  preparations  to  build  a  house 
on  his  land,  he  and  his  wife  were  killed  by 
one  stroke  of  lightning.  I  preached  a  short 
funeral  sermon  at  the  house,  after  which 
they  were  buried  in  one  grave  on  the  claim 
he  had  just  purchased.  The  ensuing  spring 
a  Mr.  Clinton  Simons,  a  few  miles  west  of 
us,  was  also  killed  by  lighting,  and  I  was 
called  upon  to  preach  his  funeral  sermon. 
Since  the  country  has  been  broken  and  cul- 
tivated, there  have  been  but  few  deaths  by 
lightning.  A  Mr.  Munson,  I  believe,  was 
the  first  person  to  die  in  the  town  of  Lemond. 
I  also  preached  his  funeral  sermon.  Our 
first  school  was  taught  in  a  slab  shanty  by 
Miss  Emaline  Hall,  with  about  twenty-five 
scholars.  We  now  have  a  very  good  frame 
schooll:ouse,  at  present  taught  by  Miss 
Stowers,  but  by  removal  of  several  families 
of  children  out  of  the  district,  there  is  but 
an  average  attendance  of  about  fifteen.  On 
the  7th  of  September,  1858,  our  twin  sons  — 
Ezra  and  Samuel  —  were  born.  I  am  not 
certain,  but  think  they  were  the  first  pair  of 
twins  born  in  the  township.  We  have  had 
three  very  severe  and  destructive  hail-storms, 
but  at  the  same  time  have  lived  and  enjoyed 
good  health.  Owatonna  has  grown  from  a 
village   to  a  very  thriving  inland  city,    of 


148 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


probably  four  tiiousand  inhabitants,  having 
two  banks  of  issue,  many  very  good  dwell- 
ing houses,  quite  a  number  of  dr}'  goods 
stores,  groceries,  several  hotels,  also  two  or 
three  drug  stores,  and  alas,  that  we  must 
state  it  to  the  shame  and  disgrace  of  our 
otherwise  pleasant  city,  twelve  liquor  saloons, 
at  a  license  of  $500.  There  are  to  counter- 
balance these  several  Christian  churches,  as 
the  Catholic,  Congregational,  Presbyterian, 
Methodist  Episcopal,  English  and  German, 
one  Lutheran  exclusively  German,  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  and  one  Baptist.     I  am  now  in  my 


seventy-sixth  year,  and  preach  every  two 
weeks  at  Eyota,  Olmstead  County,  Minn. 
My  famil}"  at  present  consists  of  myself,  wife 
and  our  twin  sons.  We  are  better  than  ever 
satisfied  and  pleased  with  Minnesota.  We 
have  had  but  one  death  in  the  family  for 
over  thirty  years  —  an  aged  aunt  to  my  wife 
who  died  in  her  ninetj'-first  year,  and  now 
lies  in  our  Oakwood  Cemetery  in  peace.  We 
are  contented  and  happy,  and  will  not  leave 
our  present  abode  until  a  higher  power  calls 
us  hence  to  a  better  land  beyond  the  river. 
WiLLiAJi  Thomson. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


IIISTOEICAL  EVENTS  CHRONOLOGICALLY  AREANGED. 


'E  have  here  grouped  together 
all  the  statements,  events  of  im- 
portance, deaths  of  prominent 
persons,  accidents,  or  crimes, 
which  would  be  of  interest, 
commencing  with  1853,  and 
closing  with  June,  1887,  when 
this  manuscript  went  to  press. 
it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  this 
chapter  includes  ever3'thing  of 
interest  which  has  occurred  during 
the  years  named,  as  many  of  the 
most  important  events  receive 
attention  in  other  chapters ;  but 
it  embraces  hundreds  of  interest- 
ing items  which  could  not  properly  be  placed 
in  other  departments. 

Prior  to  1874,  the  fact  that  the  tiles  of 
county  papers  have  not  been  preserved, 
leaves  Steele  County  without  reliable  rec- 
ords of  local  happenings,  therefore  the 
events  given  for  those  years  are  mainly 
based  upon  the  statements  of  the  old  settlers. 
1853. 
The  first  settlement,  within  the  limits  now 
comprising  Steele  County,  was  effected  dar- 


ing the  summer   of  this  year,  in  Medford 
Township. 

The  first  cabin  in  the  county  was  erected 
by  A.  L.  Wright  and  Chauncey  Lull. 

1854. 
During  the  summer,  the  first  settlement 
on  the  present  site  of  Owatonna  City  was 
effected  by  A.  B.  Cornell  and  William  F. 
Pettit.  The  first  building  on  the  site  of  the 
city  was  erected  this  year. 

1855. 

Steele  County  was  created  by  the  territo- 
rial legislature   on   the   20th   of  February. 

August  1,  the  organization  of  the  county 
was  effected,  and  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners, appointed  by  Gov.  Gorman,  held 
their  first  meeting. 

October  9,  the  first  election  was  held.  It 
was  for  State  officers,  with  but  one  excep- 
tion. W.  F.  Pettit  was  elected  sheriff.  He 
was  the  first  county  officer  elected. 

1856. 
The  first  election  for  county  officers   oc- 
curred   in    October,   when   a  full   set   was 
chosen. 


HISTORY    f)F    fiTEEI.K    COUNTY. 


149 


In  July,  the  Watchman,  and  Register,  the 
first  newspaper  in  Steele  County,  was  estab- 
lished at  Owatonna,  by  J.  H.  Abbott  and 
A.  B.  Cornell. 

April  1,  the  county  was  in  debt  $29. 

The  winter  of  1856-7  was  a  very  severe 
one.  Snow  was  very  deep  and  a  crust  be- 
tween one  and  two  inches  in  thickness  formed 
upon  it,  which  made  travel  almost  impos- 
sible, as  it  would  scarcely  hold  a  man.  A 
horse  would  break  through  and  cut  his  limbs, 
so  that,  except  on  the  well-broken  roads, 
which  were  very  few,  travel  was  completely 
blocked.  Deer  were  plenty  that  winter,  but 
were  nearly  all  killed  off  before  the  spring 
thaw  came.  On  account  of  the  snow  they 
could  be  overtaken  easily,  and  hundreds  were 
slaughtered  with  clubs. 

1857. 

A  severe  hail-storm  passed  through  the 
county  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  which  was 
very  destructive  to  crops.  Hailstones  of 
"fabulous  size"  fell.  It  is  stated  that  they 
made  indentations  in  the  earth  which  could 
be  noticed  for  three  or  four  years  afterward. 
It  was  during  this  storm  that  hailstones 
broke  right  through  the  roof  of  a  hotel  in 
Mantorville,  Dodge  County. 

On  the  27th  of  February,  Waseca  County 
was  taken  from  Steele  County;  a  tier  of 
townships  had  previously  been  detached 
from  Dodge  and  annexed  to  Steele,  leaving 
the  boundaries  of  the  county  as  they  are 
to-day. 

This  was  the  year  of  the  great  financial 
panic.  The  following  year  its  effect  was  felt 
here ;  yet  it  did  not  affect  times  in  Steele 
County  very  much.  As  one  old  settler  ex- 
presses it :  "  Times  were  already  as  hard  as 
they  could  be  made." 

1858. 

During  the  summer  the  hail  cut  the  grain 
badly  in  Steele  County,  and  seed  wheat 
brought  over  $1  per  bushel  in  Owatonna. 

This  year  was  known  as  "Johnny-cake 
year"  in  Steele  County.    Scarcely  any  pro- 


visions were  in  the  country,  and  nobody  was 
able  to  buy,  anyway.  Most  of  the  settlers 
lived  upon  corn  bread ;  many  were  reduced 
to  bran  bread,  while  not  a  few  got  along  on 
bare  potatoes  without  salt  or  meat. 

January  6,  the  county  was  in  debt 
$2,129.69. 

During  this  year  the  system  of  county 
government  was  changed.  The  board  of 
county  commissioners  was  abolished  and  a 
board  of  supervisors  was  created  to  succeed 
it.  The  board  of  supervisors  was  composed 
of  one  member  from  each  organized  town- 
ship in  the  county. 

1859. 

Prices  were  very  low  this  year.  Wheat 
was  hauled  to  Hastings  and  Red  Wing,  and 
there  only  brought  thirty-five  and  forty  cents 
per  bushel  part  of  the  year.  The  money  was 
of  such  character,  everyone  exacted  gold  and 
silver.  Paper  money  was  worthless,  as  so 
many  of  the  banks  which  were  authorized  to 
issue  a  circulating  medium  had  failed.  These 
were  the  days  of  "  wild-cat  currency." 

The  system  of  county  government  was 
again  changed  this  yeai",  reverting  power  to 
the  board  of  county  commissioners. 

A  good  crop  of  wheat  was  raised  this  year, 
the  average  yield  per  acre  being  as  high 
as  any  ever  produced  in  the  history  of 
the  county.  It  is  tliought  that  wheat  aver- 
aged at  least  twenty-five  bushels  per  acre 
throughout  all  this  portion  of  the  State. 

1860. 

The  United  States  census  taken  this  year, 
gave  Steele  County  a  population  of  2,863. 
Of  this  number  2,256  were  native  born 
Americans ;  and  607  were  of  foreign  birth. 

At  the  presidential  election  this  year,  688 
votes  were  polled,  divided  among  political 
parties  as  follows :  523  for  Abraham  Lincoln, 
Republican ;  157  for  Stephen  A.  Douglas, 
Democrat;  and  8  for  J.  C.  Breckinridge, 
Democrat. 

Another  good  crop  was  raised  this  year 
with  an  increased  acreage  under  cultivation. 


150 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


In  the  fall  of  1860  an  agricultural  society 
was  organized  with  a  membership  of  about 
forty,  and  a  count}^  fair  was  held. 

1861. 

April  12,  Fort  Sumter.  S.  C.  was  bom- 
barded by  Gen.  Beauregard,  and  the  "War  of 
the  Rebellion  began.  Its  effect  was  soon 
felt  in  Steele  Countj'^  and  enlistments  began 
almost  immediately. 

Prices  grew  better  with  tiiis  year  and 
toward  fall,  wheat  was  bringing  a  good  price. 

Crops  were  good  all  through  the  war, 
but  the  difficult}'  was  in  taking  care  of  them, 
owing  to  the  absence  of  a  great  majority  of 
the  male  iniuxbitants.  This  was  the  case  in 
1863  and  1864,  particularly. 

1862. 

A  great  many  of  the  able-bodied  residents 
of  Steele  Count}'^  enlisted  during  this  year, 
and  went  South  for  service. 

Prices  continued  to  grow  better  and  in 
fact  continued  to  advance  while  the  war 
lasted,  although  in  Steele  County  a  very 
light  acreage  was  cultivated. 

1863. 

The  war  for  the  Union  was  still  in  prog- 
ress. It  is  said  that  the  settlement  and 
development  of  Steele  County  was  entirely 
at  a  standstill.  The  county  was  half  de- 
populated. 

1864. 

This  was  another  presidential  election 
year.  Eight  hundred  and  forty-five  was 
the  total  number  of  votes  jjoiled  in  Steele 
County.  Abraham  Lincoln,  Republican,  re- 
ceived 636,  and  Geo.  B.  McClellan,  Demo- 
crat, received  209. 

1865. 

April  9,  Gen.  Lee,  the  Confederate,  sur- 
rendered to  Gen.  Grant  at  Appomatox 
Court  House,  Va.,  virtual h'  the  closing  act 
of  the  war. 

April  14,  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of 
the  United  States,  was  assassinated. 


1866. 

This  3'ear  marked  a  new  era  in  Steele 
Count^^'s  history.  Two  hues  of  railway 
were  completed,  and  trains  were  running 
into  Owatonna  in  August. 

New  settlers  began  to  arrive,  and  Owa- 
tonna grew  wonderfully. 

The  water  was  very  high  in  Straight 
River  this  year,  and  overflowed  considera- 
ble land  in  the  vicinity  of  Owatonna. 

1867. 

The  settlement  of  the  county  was  largely 
increased  during  this  and  the  few  years 
immediately  following. 

In  Mitchell's  Statistical  History  of  Steele 
County,  the  following  crop  statement  ap- 
pears :  "  The  j'ear  1867,  though  considered 
by  all  as  one  of  the  poorest  seasons  ever 
known  in  Minnesota,  marked  the  jiroducts 
of  the  soil  in  Steele  County  as  follows: 
Wheat,  average  yield  per  acre,  15-|-  bushels ; 
oats,  34  bushels ;  corn,  38  bushels ;  potatoes, 
110  bushels." 

1868. 

Another  presidential  election.  There 
were  1,640  votes  polled  in  Steele  County 
for  the  various  electors.  U.  S.  Grant, 
Republican,  received  1,137;  and  Horatio 
Seymour,  Democrat,  503. 

1869. 

During  this  year  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  was  increased  from  three  to 
five  members. 

Crops  raised  this  year  were  as  follows : 

Wheat,   359,293    bushels,    averaging    17.30 

bushels    per    acre ;    oats,    236,833    bushels, 

averaging   39.87    bushels    per    acre;    corn, 

70,479  bushels,  averaging  27.52  bushels  per 

acre. 

1870. 

The  United  States  census  was  again  taken 
this  j'ear.  It  gave  Steele  County  a  total 
population  of  8,271;  of  which  number  6,088 
were  American  born,  and  2,183  were  of  for- 
eign birth. 

Crop   yield :     Wheat,   284,098   bushels,— 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    CODNTY. 


151 


average,  13.04  bushels  per  acre ;  oats,  217,223 
bushels, —  average,  29.22  per  acre ;  corn,  93,- 
697  bushels, —  average,  25.95  bushels  per  acre. 

1871. 
During  this  year  there  were  335,560  bush- 
els of  wheat  raised  in  the  county  —  an  aver- 
age of  14.25  bushels  per  acre ;  192,638  bushels 
of  oats  were  threshed  —  an  average  of  28.08 
bushels  per  acre;  143,346  bushels  of  corn 
were  gathered  —  34.90  bushels  per  acre. 

1872. 

The  presidential  election  occurred  again 
this  year.  There  were  1,660  votes  polled  in 
Steele  County  for  presidential  electors,  of 
which  number  1,033  were  for  U.  S.  Grant, 
Republican ;  and  627  for  Horace  Greele}', 
Democrat  and  Liberal  Eepublican. 

Stock  raising  and  dairying  had  already 
begun  to  receive  considerable  attention  in 
Steele  County.  The  number  of  pounds 
of  butter  produced  in  1872  was  275,024, 
and  of  cheese  138,479,  the  latter  being  at 
that  time  nearly  three  times  that  of  any 
other  count}^  in  the  State.  There  were  then 
no  less  than  six  cheese  factories  in  successful 
operation  in  the  county. 

The  crop  j'ield  this  year  was  as  follows : 
"Wheat,  552,855  bushels,  average  18.21  bushels 
per  acre;  oats,  280,006  bushels,  average  33.86 
per  acre;  corn,  151,573  bushels,  average  35.39 
per  acre. 

1873. 

During  this  year  another  great  financial 
panic  occurred.  Property  values  decreased 
to  almost  nothing.  Money  became  very 
scarce  and  times  extremely  hard. 

The  estimated  population  of  Steele  County 
taking  the  number  of  school  children  as  a 
basis  was  9,171. 

The  school  statistics  for  that  3'ear  were  as 
follows :  Number  of  districts  in  the  county, 
70 ;  total  expenditure  for  building,  teachers' 
wages,  etc.,  was  $^21,081.43 ;  number  of 
schoolhouses,  70 ;  value,  $45,321.  Of  the 
$21,081.43  expended,  $12,595.78  was  paid  to 
teachers. 


During  this  year  there  were  750,000  bush- 
els of  wheat  raised  in  Steele  County  —  an 
average  of  19.60  bushels  per  acre.*   • 

1874. 

The  following  item  appears  in  the  first  is- 
sue of  the  Peoples  Press,  September  2, 1874  : 
"J.  W.  Morford,  Esq.,  informs  us  that  he 
raised  on  his  farm,  near  the  city,  from  sixt}'- 
one  acres,  1,700  bushels  of  the  best  wheat. 
Who  can  beat  it  'i " 

Dr.  Morehouse  at  that  time  was  erecting 
his  opera  house,  of  which  the  Press,  in  the 
same  issue,  said :  "  The  public  hall  of  Dr. 
Morehouse  in  this  city,  now  in  course  of  con- 
struction, will  be  one  of  which  our  citizens 
have  good  reason  to  be  proud.  It  is  large, 
extending  from  Bridge  to  Main  street." 

In  the  fli'st  issue  of  the  People^s  Press, 
September  2, 1874,  is  found  a  lengthy  account 
of  a  people's  convention  — or  as  it  is  entitled, 
The  Democratic,  Liberal  Eepublican  County 
Convention  —  held  to  nominate  candidates 
for  the  various  county  offices.  The  follow- 
ing are  the  names  of  the  gentlemen  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  proceedings,  as  it  may  be  of 
interest  to  refer  to  in  coming  years :  Hon. 
H.  H.  Johnson  was  elected  chairman  and 
R.  M.  Drake,  secretary.  Delegates  were  ap- 
pointed to  attend  the  congressional  conven- 
tion and  were  instructed  to  use  every  honor- 
able means  to  secure  the  nomination  of  Amos. 
Coggswell.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the 
delegates  who  attended  the  county  conven- 
tion :  Merton  —  Dexter  Lane,  T.  J.  Conlin, 
M.  A.  McAndrews  and  E.  Smith ;  Medford 
—  D.  C.  Hunkins,  N.  Parker,  E.  M.  Drake, 
S.  Freeman  and  John  Karney ;  Aurora  — 
Oscar  King,  Phenix  Meyers,  E.  Stapleton, 
Amos  Coggswell,  Eeuben  Austin  and  Peter 
McCrady  ;  Lemond  —  H.  M.  Hastings,  Hugh 
Murray,  Gill  Eussell  and  William  Gamble ; 
Owatonna  City  —  H.  H.  Johnson,  G.  H.  Cole, 


♦From  1873  until  this  MSS.  went  to  press  we  havehad  news- 
paper files  to  refer  to,  so  that  we  are  able  to  give  a  more  de- 
tailed account  of  the  matters  and  events  transpiring.  We  isive 
all  items  that  may  be  of  interest,  referring  to  the  tiles  of  the 
Paiitle's  Pi-ess  and  the  Journal  and  Herald  as  authority  for  all 
statements.—  Editor. 


152 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   OODNTY. 


J.  "W.  Morford,  James  Patch,  Julius  Young, 
George  B.  Hall,  S.  M.  Hastings,  J.  B.  Soper, 
J.  W.  Hall,  P.  Brennen,  E.  W.  Johnson,  L. 
Bion,  G.  F.  Albertus,  M.  A.  Dailey,  Howard 
Johnson,  J.  Oppliger,  M.  L.  Deviny,  E.  Burk, 
H.  W.  Pratt,  Herman  Smith,  Gilbert  Potter, 
E.  Tilden  and  Timothy  Hennessy ;  Havana 
— J.  S.  Cass,  Andrew  Cass,  James  Cotter  and 
J.  S.  Austin.  A  few  weeks  later  the  follow- 
ing ticket  was  put  into  the  field :  County 
auditor,  J.  P.  Jackson  ;  register  of  deeds,  M. 
A.  Dailey ;  probate  judge,  James  Cotter ; 
count}'  attorney,  Amos  Coggswell;  county 
commissioners,  A.  B.  Clark  and  Geo.  O.  Han- 
kerson ;  representatives,  L.  H.  Lane  and 
Hugh  Murray. 

The  Republican  county  convention  for 
1874  was  held  at  Owatonna  on  October  10. 
Geo.  W.  Green,  of  Clinton  Falls,  was  elected 
chairman  and  C.  C.  Cornell,  secretary.  The 
list  of  delegates  has  not  been  preserved  in 
the  newspaper  files  from  which  this  report  is 
taken.  Among  those  present,  however,  were 
Geo.  W.  Green,  C.  C.  Cornell,  E.  Dart,  H. 
EuUiffson,  W.  W.  Wilkins,  Moses  Norton,  T. 
H.  Kelley,  L.  Mucky  and  W.  Sherman.  W. 
E.  Kinyon,  of  Owatonna,  was  nominated  for 
representative.  The  following  county  ticket 
was  placed  in  nomination  :  L.  S.  Padgham, 
auditor ;  E.  A.  Tyler,  register  of  deeds ;  L.  L. 
"Wheelock,  probate  judge;  J.  M.  Burlingame, 
■  county  attorney. 

The  People's  Press,  on  the  9th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1874,  contained  the  following  item: 
"  Of  the  many  things  worthy  of  comment  is 
the  enterprise  shown  by  Messrs.  Chambers 
and  Mitchell  in  the  erection  of  the  fine  build- 
ing that  occupies  the  corner  of  Cedar  and 
Vine  streets.  It  is  an  honor  to  Owatonna,  and 
speaks  highly  for  some  of  its  business  men." 

"  Three  fights  have  of  late  enlivened  the 
usual  quiet  of  our  city.  No  lives  lost." — 
Press,  September  3, 187 If.. 

Speaking  of  the  condition  of  business  in 
Owatonna,  the  same  issue  of  the  Press  con- 
tains the  following :  "  One  of  the  surest  in- 
dications of  business  is  to  see  every  house 


and  storeroom  in  a  town  occupied.  Conced- 
ing such  to  be  the  truth,  we  freely  admit  that 
Owatonna  is  equal  to  any  city  of  like  size  in 
the  State.  Vacant  rooms  are  scarcer  than 
divines  who  support  Theodore  Tilton." 

Under  the  head  of  "  Our  Debut,"  the 
Press  further  says,  in  speaking  of  the  ad- 
vantages here  found :  ""We  consider  the  lit- 
erary field  in  which  we  are  about  to  labor  as 
extensive  and  as  fertile  as  any  in  Minnesota. 
We  beheve  Owatonna  is  destined,  enjoying 
as  it  does  excellent  railway  communication, 
situated  in  the  midst  of  the  most  fertile 
country  in  the  world,  and  containing  only 
one  weekly  newspaper  and  more  than  3,500 
inhabitants,  to  offer  an  excellent  opportunity 
for  the  establishment  of  a  lively  journal." 

MARKET   REPORT,    SEPTEJfBER  9,  1874. 

Wheat per  bu.       $0  75 

Oats "  40 

Corn  in  ear "  50 

Potatoes "  50 

Onions "  75 

Tomatoes "  1.00 

Beef  Steali per  tb.  10  to  13 

Pork     •■     ••  10 

Mutton  Chops "  13 

Butter "         30  to  30 

Chickens each  35 

Eggs per  doz.  13 

"  The  names  of  the  teachers  in  the  public 
schools  of  Owatonna  are  as  follows :  Super- 
intendent, C.  W.  Hall ;  high  school,  Miss 
Henrietta  FeUows;  teachers,  Miss  A.  M. 
Hathaway,  A.  A.  Crandall,  Miss  M.  E.  Bear, 
Miss  L.  Prindle,  Julia  A.  Clark,  Ida  G.  War- 
ren, Mar\'  E.  Blood  and  Mary  E.  Mellen." — 
People^ s  Press,  Septe7)iber  9,  187 J/-. 

"  Never  in  the  history  of  Steele  County 
have  our  farmers  been  so  far  advanced  at 
the  season  of  their  plowing  as  now." — 
Press,  Octuher  U,  187 1^. 

In  October  Eric  Ericson  was  found  dead 
about  four  miles  south  of  Owatonna.  He 
had  left  town  at  about  4  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon  for  home.  The  wagon-box  was 
found  upset  and  he  lying  dead  on  his  face. 
It  was  supposed  his  cattle  (lie  was  driving 
oxen)  had  run  away  with  him. 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


153 


October  30,  a  Jiremau  uaiuedMaitiii  Upper 
fell  from  the  engine  on  a  "Winona  &  St.  Peter 
Railroad  express  train  into  a  bridge  about 
one  mile  west  of  Owatonna.  Having  been 
missed,  the  train  was  stopped  and  he  was 
found  hanging  on  to  the  bridge  ties.  He 
was  terribly  bruised,  but  recovered. 

The  issue  of  the  People^ s  Press,  November 
4,  contains  the  following  "Lost  Notice": 
"  Lost  —  A  pocket-book  containing  a  one-cent 
stamp.  Value  of  the  pocket-book,  five  cents. 
Anyone  returning  the  same  will  be  suitably 
rewarded. — Fi'ed  Woodward.''^ 

In  December,  1874,  the  freight  rates  from 
Chicago  to  Owatonna,  per  hundred  pounds, 
were  as  follows  :  1st  class,  $1.10  ;  2d  class, 
$1.00  ;  3d  class,  75c.;  4th  class,  55c. 

During  the  latter  part  of  1874  and  the 
year  1875,  the  citizens  were  treated  to  an 
old-fashioned  newspaper  war.  The  writers 
on  both  sides  were  able  men,  and  they  cut 
and  slashed  with  their  pens,  shedding  oceans 
of  ink.  A  few  samples  of  the  courtesies  ex- 
changed are  here  given  for  the  amusement 
of  the  reader : 

The  Journal  of  January  13,  remarked: 
"  The  Bridge  street  sheet  is  the  Despatch, 
and  nothing  else.  To  be  sure,  one  side  is 
dated  here  and  besmeared  with  blackness, 
but  it  is  of  no  interest  to  anybody,  and  is  a 
disgrace  to  a  city  like  this." 

On  January  20  the  Peoples  Press  retorts  : 
"  The  fact  is,  the  Press  gives  eight  columns 
more  reading  matter,  weeldy,  than  the 
Snorter,  and  as  the  Snorter  has  had  a  mo- 
nopoly of  the  printing,  and  oppressed  and 
slandered  the  people  for  so  long,  it  thinks 
it  has  a  perfect  right  to  do  it.  Besides,  it 
has  two  pages,  at  least,  which  the  people 
can  read  with  no  difficulty,  which  is  better 
than  to  have  four  pages,  as  the  Snorter  has, 
that  look  like  a  hog  which  has  just  crawled 
out  of  a  mud  puddle." 

In  another  column  one  of  the  papers  state 
that  they  are  in  one  respect  like 

"  The  mule  that  stood  on  the  steamboat  deck, 
The  land  he  would  not  tread, 


When  a  very  small  man,  exceedingly  frail, 
Attempted  to  give  it  a  gentle  twist  of  the  tail. 
When,  to  the  bystanders'  very  great  amaze, 
He  flew,  as  a  hurricane,  before  their  gaze. 
Into  the  foamy  waves." 

1875. 

Late  in  February,  the  schoolhouse  in  dis- 
trict No.  51,  Summit  Township,  was  burned 
to  the  ground.  In  speaking  of  the  matter, 
one  of  the  local  papers  stated  "  that  the 
ashes  of  an  armful  of  burned  hay  was  found 
among  the  debris,  and  it  is  supposed  to  have 
been  set  afire.  An  unsuccessful  attempt 
was  made  some  time  ago  to  divide  the  dis- 
trict, and  it  is  supposed  some  of  the  unsuc- 
cessful ones  took  this  manner  of  revenge." 
A  number  of  school  books  and  the  school 
furniture  were  destroyed.     No  insurance. 

In  the  issue  of  the  Press,  March  17,  there 
appeared  the  following  article :  "  I  came  to 
Owatonna  a  few  days  ago  on  business,  and 
was  obliged  to  stay  a  day  or  two  on  account 
of  the  irregularity  of  the  trains.  At  the  sta- 
tion I  met  a  pretended  friend,  who  robbed 
me  of  a  part  of  the  contents  of  my  pocket- 
book.  In  the  evening  I  was  met  by  an  offi- 
cer and  ill-used  and  joked  about  having  a 
place  to  keep  me  securely  all  night.  I  give 
said  officer  notice  that  the  next  time  he  will 
know  what  he  meets  me  for. — T.  Farley,  of 
Milwaukee." 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1875,  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  springs  northeast  of  Owa- 
tonna possessed  medicinal  qualities,  and  a 
reporter  for  the  Chicago  Times  visited  them 
for  investigation,  and  news  matter.  Shortly 
afterward  an  article  headed  "A  New  Sara- 
toga "  appeared  in  that  journal  as  follows : 

"  For  the  benefit  of  such  of  our  readers  as 
are  not  yet  acquainted  with  the  geography 
of  Minnesota,  I  will  premise  my  remarks  by 
stating  that  Owatonna  is  a  thriving  town  of 
about  3,000  inhabitants,  the  county  seat  of 
Steele  County,  situated  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Straight  Eiver,  at  the  crossing  of  the 
Winona  &  St.  Peter,  and  the  Iowa  &  Min- 
nesota division  of  the  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 


154 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


railroads,  sevent}'  miles  south  of  St.  Paul 
and  ninety-one  west  of  "Winona.  Happening 
to  be  detained  liere,  I  found  the  citizens 
greatly  excited  by  the  recent  discovery  of 
several  mineral  springs  m  a  line  natural 
grove  near  the  town.  Having  received  an 
invitation  from  Gen.  Beers,  the  discoverer 
of  the  springs,  to  visit  the  future  Saratoga 
of  tlie  West,  I  started,  in  company  with  him 
and  two  other  prominent  citizens  behind  a 
fine  team,  and  thorougly  enjoyed  the  ride  of 
little  more  than  a  mile,  in  such  an  atmos- 
phere as  Minnesota  alone  can  boast,  a  fault- 
less blue  sky  and  brilliant  sunshine  which 
made  the  particles  of  fine  snow  thrown  up 
by  our  horses'  heels  glitter  like  diamonds. 
On  i-eaching  the  grove  in  which  the  springs 
are  situated,  a  winding  track  of  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  brought  us  to  the  first 
spring,  which  bubbled  clear  as  crj'stal  from 
the  bank  above  a  little  creek  formed  by  the 
overflow  of  this  and  other  neighboring 
spring.  I  was  struck  at  the  first  glance  by 
the  rust-like  coating  of  the  pebbles  and 
twigs  over  which  its  water  flowed,  indicating 
the  presence  of  iron  in  considerable  quan- 
tities, while  bubbles  of  carbonic  acid  gas, 
rushing  continually  to  the  surface,  converted 
the  little  basin  formed  by  the  spring  into  a 
natural  soda  fountain.  On  tasting  of  the 
water  I  found  it  rather  pleasant  than  other- 
wise to  the  palate,  and  although  the  flavor 
of  iron  was  very  predominant,  it  lacked  the 
abominable  combination  of  horrors  inherent 
in  some  mineral  springs,  which  renders  it 
necessary  to  acquire  a  taste  for  them  befoi'e 
it  is  possible  to  swallow  even  a  single  glass  of 
the  water  without  experiencing  an  inward 
qualm.  This,  on  the  contrary,  was  piquant 
and  refreshing.  I  was  informed  by  a  farmer 
living  in  the  neighborhood  that  he  had  used 
the  water  for  some  time,  both  for  drinking 
and  culinary  purposes,  and  that  both  himself 
and  wife  liad  derived  great  benefit  from  it. 
It  has  also  been  used  by  several  citizens  of 
Owatonna  who  have  been  troubled  by  dys- 
pepsia and  kidney  complaint,  all  of  whom 


testify  to  a  rapid  improvement  in  their 
systems.  There  are,  within  the  space  of 
three  or  four  acres,  some  seven  or  eight 
springs,  all  somewhat  similar  in  character, 
except  that  some  of  tliem  appear  to  have 
rather  stronger  alkaline  properties  than 
others,  and  one  is  so  strongly  impregnated 
with  sulphur  that  it  is  apparent,  not  only  to 
the  taste,  but  to  the  olfactory  organs  at  sev- 
eral feet  distant.  The  waters  have  not  yet 
been  submitted  to  chemical  analysis,  but 
that  will  be  done  shortly,  and  the  mineral 
properties  fully  ascertained.  Whether  they 
fully  justified  the  anticipations  formed  of 
their  healing  qualities  or  not,  the  visiting 
pleasure  seeker  or  invalid  will  be  amply  re- 
warded for  the  fatigue  of  a  journey  by  the 
beauty  of  the  surroundings.  The  springs 
are  situated  in  an  amphitheater,  shut  in  by 
surrounding  hills,  the  surface  of  which  is 
broken  by  ravines  running  in  every  direction. 

A  short  time  after  the  publication  of  the 
above,  a  mineral  spring  company  was  organ- 
ized at  Owatonna,  for  the  purpose  of  improv- 
ing the  "plant,"  with  a  capital  of  $10,000. 
They  secured  qualitative  analysis  of  the  water 
from  Pi'of.  Sharpers,  State  Assayer  and 
Chemist  of  Massachusetts.  He  pronounced 
it  as  closely  resembling  the  Bethesda  spring, 
at  Waukesha,  Wis.,  and  found  it  to  contain 
bicarbonates  of  lime  and  magnesia,  sul- 
phate of  lime,  chlorides  of  soda,  potassa, 
silica,  alumina,  and  carbonates  of  iron.  In 
April,  1875,  Prof.  Bodie,  of  Milwaukee,  pro- 
nounced the  water  of  the  springs  superior  to 
the  famous  Bethesda  spring  of  Wisconsin. 

At  about  this  time  the  grasshoppers  were 
devastating  the  western  part  of  the  State, 
although  Steele  County  had  so  far  been  free 
from  trouble  on  that  score.  The  Press, 
however,  on  March  31,  1875,  contained  the 
following  item :  "  Considerable  curiosity,  if 
not  a  little  excitement,  was  caused  yesterday 
by  a  man  from  Crane  Creek,  bringing  in  a  lot 
of  J'oung  grasshoppers,  supposed  to  be  the 
species  that  have  been  devastating  the  fron- 
tier.    But    persons  who  saw  those  on  the 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


155 


frontier  readily  distinguished  them  from 
these.  So  our  citizens  need  not  be  at  all 
alarmed." 

On  the  5th  of  May  the  cooper  shop  belong- 
ing to  J.  D.  Holden,  in  Owatonna,  was 
burned  to  the  ground.  Total  loss,  $1,500 ; 
insurance,  $500. 

On  Sunday,  May  30,  1875,  a  sad  accident 
occurred  a  few  miles  south  of  Owatonna,  on 
Straight  Kiver,  by  which  John  Windro,  of 
Somerset  Township,  lost  his  life.  It  seems 
that  a  Bohemian,  named  Antone  Slazek, 
started  out  hunting  and  went  to  the  house  of 
the  deceased,  who  was  of  the  same  nation- 
ality. After  fooling  with  the  gun  in  the 
house  for  some  time,  he  placed  a  cap  upon 
it  and  pointed  the  muzzle  toward  "Windro, 
saying :  "  I  will  shoot  you."  Windro 
dodged,  and  in  taking  down  the  gun  it 
was  accidentally  discharged,  killing  Windro 
almost  instantly.  Slazek  was  arrested  by 
Sheriff  Toher,  but  the  grand  jury,  after  ex- 
amining the  facts  and  evidence  bearing  on 
the  case,  decided  that  the  shooting  was 
accidental  and  the  j^risoner  was  discharged. 

As  to  the  truth  of  the  following  account 
of  a  matrimonial  purchase,  the  historian  is 
unable  to  vouch.  The  article  was  clipped 
from  the  Aitsiin  Begister,  of  1875.  It  is  as 
follows :  "  Two  Norwegians  living  at  Nor- 
wegian  Lake,  near  the  line  of  Steele  and 
Freeborn  Counties,  became  enamored  of  the 
same  lady,  and  each  had  urged  his  suit  with 
respective  fervency.  One  of  the  suitors 
lived  in  Steele  and  the  other  in  Freeborn 
County.  The  lady  had  no  especial  choice, 
the  suitor  to  visit  her  last  always  thought  he 
got  the  best  of  it,  as  he  always  thought  she 
would  never  '  go  back '  on  him.  So  to  des- 
ignate these  lovers  we  will  caU  them  Steele 
and  Freeborn.  As  Steele  lived  the  farthest 
away  from  his  affectionate  Dulcinea,  Free- 
born rather  had  the  inside  track,  and  he 
accordingly  took  the  girl  home  with  him  for 
a  visit.  The  old  gentleman  was  rather 
favorable  toward  Steele,  and  thought  Free- 
born ought  to  have  a  little  more  respect  for 


the  feelings  of  Steele,  so  he  di-opped  a  letter 
to  Steele,  informing  him  how  things  were 
going  on,  and  told  him  he  thought  it  would 
be  necessary  for  him  to  make  a  pilgrimage 
that  way  soon  in  order  to  keep  up  with  his 
rival,  who  was  making  sad  havoc  with  the 
affections  of  his  intended.  Steele  was  a 
big-tisted  fellow,  and  when  he  received  that 
letter  he  couldn't  contain  himself,  and 
accordingly  started  down  to  see  about  it. 
Freeborn,  hearing  of  his  coming,  called  in 
his  friends  and  stationed  a  guard  around  his 
cabin,  and  swore  by  all  above  the  sea  and 
under  the  earth  he  would  wade  in  blood  to  his 
knees  but  what  he  would  have  the  girl.  Steele 
went  to  the  cabin  of  Freeborn  under  a  flag 
of  truce,  and  there  met  his  green-eyed  rival 
face  to  face,  and  but  for  the  friends  of  both 
l^arties,  would  have  clawed  each  other  beauti- 
fully. In  order  to  'compromise'  matters, 
Steele  offered  to  take  $100  for  his  interest  in 
the  girl,  but  Freeborn  couldn't  see  it;  then  he 
offered  to  give  $100  to  Freeborn,  which  was 
refused  he  raised  the  offer  to  $125,  then  to 
$150,  and  upon  being  again  refused,  took  a 
friend  aside  for  counsel,  and  it  was  finally 
agreed  to  offer  $160  for  the  girl  and  not 
another  red.  Freeborn  said  he  would  take  it. 
Steele  gave  his  note  for  the  amount,  and  the 
father  of  the  girl  signed  it.  The  young  lad}''  — 
the  prize  for  which  they  were  contending — 
stood  by  a  silent  listener,  all  this  time  ready 
to  go  with  either  party.  She  is  about  eighteen 
years  of  age,  speaks  English,  and  for  the  life 
of  her  can't  tell  which  of  these  gentlemen 
she  likes  best.  It  is  said  that  the  old  gent 
and  Steele  afterward  repudiated  the  note, 
claiming  they  had  not  got  value  received. 
The  parties  were  afterward  married  at  the 
Norwegian  Church,  in  Steele  County." 

The  wet  weather  during  the  summer  sea- 
son of  1875  proved  disastrous  to  crops  in 
Steele  as  well  as  in  the  balance  of  the  State. 

On  the  llrth  of  November  the  old  pioneer 
log  residence  of  Elder  Town  was  destroyed 
by  fire ;  loss,  $500. 

The  Peoj)le's  Preff:,  in  its  issue  of  Decern- 


156 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


ber  22,  1875,  contains  the  following,  under 
the  head  of  a  "Eow  in  Havana:"  "John 
Johnson,  a  son  of  '  California '  Johnson,  of 
Havana,  was  married  to  a  Miss  Christo- 
pherson,  on  the  13th,  at  which  time  a  gal- 
lon of  alcohol  was  diluted,  and  after  several 
of  them  had  imbibed  freely,  old  '  California ' 
got  on  his  ear,  then  took  a  gun  down,  and 
striking  it  on  the  floor,  broke  the  stock,  and 
it  was  then  taken  away  from  him  and  dis- 
charged. '  California '  then  followed  Amon 
Christopherson  out  of  the  house,  and  with- 
out any  cause  or  provocation,  drew  a  knife 
and  struck  him  in  the  cheek.  The  knife 
went  through  the  cheek,  struck  and  broke  a 
piece  out  of  a  tooth,  cut  a  gash  across  the 
tongue,  and  cut  the  opposite  tooth  badly. 
Johnson  evidently  intended  to  kill  Christo- 
pherson by  stabbing  liim  in  the  neck,  but 
missed  his  mark.  A  warrant  was  issued, 
but  by  the  time  the  officer  had  reached 
Havana,  Johnson  had  fled  —  it  is  thought 
to  Colorado."  Mr.  Johnson  afterward 
returned,  reformed  and  became  a  respected 

citizen. 

1876. 

''The  house  of  Anuis  Krat,  on  section  11, 
Aurora  Township,  neighbor  of  Cord  King, 
was  destroj'ed  by  fire  a  few  days  ago.  The 
inhabitants  narrowly  escaped  with  their 
lives."— P«>/>Ze'.s  Press,  Jan.  26,  1876. 

The  following  sensational  article  appeared 
in  the  Peoples  Press,  in  its  issue  of  April  29, 
1876.  It  appears  in  connection  with  the 
Aurora  news,  tlie  correspondent  signing 
himself  "H.:"  "In  order  to  tell  my  story 
and  that  it  may  be  understood,  I  must  go 
back  to  1856.  Among  the  firet  settlers  of 
Aurora  was  a  man  named  Sargent,  whose 
character  was  unspotted.  He  lost  his  wife, 
and  lived  until  about  four  3'ears  ago,  when 
he  was  taken  sick,  and  though  he  had  the 
best  of  care  by  kind  friends,  he  died  of  old 
age.  He  was  buried  near  A.  B.  Clark's. 
He  had  no  relatives  here  and  folks  had 
about  forgotten  him,  until  last  fall  it  was 
said  h»  could  be  seen  on  certain  nights  in 


the  grove  south  of  A.  B.  Clark's.  I  found 
out  what  kind  of  nights  he  was  to  be  seen, 
and  being  sometiiing  of  a  skeptic,  I  deter- 
mined to  see  for  myself.  So,  I  started,  one 
of  those  foggy  nights,  and  had  gotten  about 
half  way  through  the  grove,  and  heboid ! 
there  he  stood,  cane  in  hand.  I  was  startled 
at  first,  but  put  on  a  bold  face  and  advanced 
to  meet  him.  Now,  I  had  heard  in  my 
younger  days  that  when  the  dead  returned 
to  earth  they  had  something  they  wished  to 
say,  so  I  stepped  up  and  said :  '  Uncle  Sar- 
gent, what  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?'  He 
raised  his  cane  and  his  face  was  illuminated 
with  a  heavenly  smile,  and  he  said :  '  Vote 
the  Democratic  ticket ! ' — H." 

In  May,  a  band  of  four  three-card-monte 
men,  who  had  been  operating  in  and  about 
Owatonna,  were  captured.  On  the  r7th 
of  that  month  they  had  swindled  J.  Bower, 
of  Brown  County,  out  of  $42,  and  he  had 
put  the  officers  on  their  track.  The  mar- 
shal took  after  them  and  found  two  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  old  Owatonna  House.  They 
ran  down  Bridge  street,  followed  by  a  large 
crowd,  to  the  river,  jumped  in  and  endeav- 
ored to  cross,  but  the  river  was  very  high 
and  they  were  caught  by  men  in  a  boat. 
Two  more  were  afterward  caught  and  locked 
up.  When  arraigned  they  gave  their 
names  as  G.  H.  Richardson  alias  Top  Ro- 
gers, John  Manning  and  Edward  Burke. 
They  were  sentenced  to  jail  for  sixty  days. 

On  February  20 ,  1876,  the  house  of 
J.  Clark,  of  Somerset  Township,  was  totally 
destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  occupied  by  Wal- 
ter and  William  Kenyon.     Loss,  $700. 

In  May,  1876,  four  head  of  cattle  belong- 
ing to  J.  S.  Bixby,  of  Aurora  Township, 
were  killed  by  lightning. 

May  16 ,  the  stable  and  granary  belong- 
ing to  George  Naylor,  in  Merton  Township, 
were  struck  by  lightning  and  burned,  in- 
cluding contents,  consisting  of  a  span  of 
horses,  three  cows,  a  calf,  five  hundred  bush- 
els of  wheat  and  one  hundred  bushels  of  oats. 
When  Mr.  Naylor  discovered  the  fire,  he  sent 


-^A  /w^  A^^y?^^7p>~p^ 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


159 


his  little  girl  to  a  neighbor,  Mr.  Feastons', 
for  help,  but  on  arriving  there  a  large  dog, 
jumped  upon  her  and  bit  and  tore  her  in  a 
dreadful  manner.  For  several  days  the  life 
of  the  little  girl  was  despaired  of,  but  she 
finally  recovered. 

June  20,  Christian  Schuelke,  a  German 
in  the  employ  of  H.  D.  Lewis,  in  the 
northern  part  of  Meriden  Township,  was 
struck  by  lightning  and  instantly  killed. 
He  was  thirty  years  old  and  left  one  child- 
On  examination  it  was  found  that  the  light" 
ning  had  struck  him  in  the  breast  and 
]>assed  through  the  body  and  out  at  the  boots. 

Early  in  July,  Abidan  Eessler,  a  boy  of 
fourteen,  was  drowned  in  Straight  River,  at 
Clinton. 

Tuesday  morning,  September  12 ,  Mrs.  John 
Bi'adshaw,  living  on  the  south  line  of  the 
town  of  Owatonna,  met  with  a  serious  acci. 
dent.  Her  son  had  a  large  horse-pistol  and 
pointed  it  at  her;  she  thinking  it  was  not 
loaded  did  not  notice,  when  the  boy  some, 
how  discharged.the  pistol  and  the  contents 
struck  along  the  left  side  of  her  neck  and 
head.  One  shot  pierced  her  left  eye  near 
the  center,  and  another  the  corner  of  the 
right  eye.  Dr.  Blood,  was  called,  and  after 
examination  thought  that  she  would  lose  the 
sight  of  her  left  eye.  The  wounds  were 
very  painful. 

The  People^s  Pi'ess,  of  September  30, 
contained  the  following  in  relation  to  grass- 
hoppers :  "Reports  from  the  western  part  of 
the  county  are  to  the  effect  that  grasshop- 
pers are  laying  eggs,  and  that  the  eggs  al- 
ready laid  are  in  good  condition.  Small 
numbers  have  already  hatched,  but  not 
enough  to  amount  to  anything.  They  are 
mostly  in  the  towns  of  Lemond  and  Berlin. 
We  have  them,  and  there  is  no  use  worrying 
about  it ;  all  we  can  do  is  to  accept  them, 
plow  as  usual  this  fall,  plant  next  spring,  and 
if  the  grasshoppers  hatch  in  any  gi'eat  num- 
bers, as  they  probably'  will,  all  that  can  be 
done  is  to  fight  them  as  potato  bugs  in  former 
years.     Every  farmer  in  the  county  should 

10 


take  precaution  and  not  burn  a  load  of  sti-aw, 
as  the  article  can  be  made  very  useful  in  their 
destruction." 

The  following  account  of  a  sad  accident  ap- 
])eared  in  the  issue  of  the  People s  Press,  dated 
Octol)er  14:  "Last  night  Charles  Dailey,  while 
taking  down  his  gun,  by  accident  nearly 
fatally  shot  his  sister  Maggie.  The  gun  was 
loaded,  and  as  he  took  it  down  the  hammer 
was  pulled  back,  and  falling  on  the  cap  dis- 
charged the  load.  The  charge  struck  his 
sister  Maggie  (who  was  in  range  with  the 
muzzle  of  the  gun),  between  the  neck  and 
shoulder,  passing  obliquely  downward,  cut- 
ting out  part  of  the  collar  bone.  The  main 
artery  beneath  the  collar  bone  was  un- 
touched." 

One  of  Blooming  Prairie's  earliest  settlers, 
Thos.  Bray,  died  November  6,  1876,  aged 
fifty  years.  He  had  been  a  universally  kind 
man,  and  was  esteemed  by  all  who  knew 
him. 

At  the  presidential  election  this  year,  there 
were  2,539  votes  polled  in  Steele  County,  of 
which  R.  B.  Hayes,  Republican,  received, 
1,581 ;  and  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  Democrat,  958. 

1877. 

Monday  evening,  January  9,  the  alarm  of 
fire  was  sounded  at  Owatonna,  and  a  crowd 
rushed  to  the  Central  Block,  to  find  that  the 
roof  of  the  rear  of  Melvin  &  Fox's  building  was 
in  flames.  All  the  stores  in  the  city  being  shut 
up  at  8  o'clock,  this  was  also  closed,  and  no 
one  there.  The  front  door  was  soon  forced 
open  and  the  crowd  took  a  lot  of  clothing 
out,  but  the  fire  being  under  the  roof  and 
under  good  headway  when  discovered,  they 
were  soon  driven  out.  The  building  joining 
immediately  on  the  west,  occupied  by  Dow- 
nie  Bros.,  was  also  soon  in  flames,  as  the  wind 
came  from  the  southeast  and  blew  the  flames 
directly  against  it.  When  it  was  seen  that 
this  building  must  also  burn,  the  crowd 
rushed  in  and  carried  out  goods  until  kept 
out  by  the  heat.  The  building  occupied  by 
Melvin  &  Fox  was  owned  by  the  Hon.  Lewis 


160 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


L.  Wheelock,  and  valued  at  $1,000 ;  insured 
for  $G00.  The  building  occupied  by  Downie 
•Bros,  was  owned  by  E.  Scannell,  and  was 
valued  at  $1,400,  and  insured  for  $800. 
Melvin  &  Fox  had  their  stock  insured  for 
$2,500.  The  stock  of  Downie  Bros,  was  in- 
sured for  $3,000 ;  loss,  $-4,500. 

"It  is  said  that  a  pretty  school  ma'am, 
teaching  in  Steele  County,  to  prevent 
scholars  from  being  tardy,  ado])ted  the  plan 
of  kissing  the  first  scholar  who  made  his 
appearance  at  the  schoolhouse.  All  went 
well  for  a  few  days,  when  the  nineteen-year- 
oldboys,  anxious  to  participate  in  this  fun, 
actually  got  to  roosting  on  the  fence  all 
night,  in  order  to  be  at  the  school  first  in  the 
morning." — Peopled  Press,  January^!,  1877. 

Accident  —  Wednesday,  February  21. — 
While  down  in  a  well,  Mr.  D.  B.  Potter  met 
with  an  accident  which  came  very  nearly 
proving  fatal.  Over  two  hundred  pounds  of 
dirt  and  i-ock  fell  a  distance  of  twenty  feet, 
striking  him  on  the  shoulders  and  back. 
Good  care  brought  him  on  the  street  again, 
though  somewhat  lame  and  sore. 

Mrs.  Mary  H.  McAndrews  died  at  the 
residence  of  Henry  McAndrews,  in  Merton 
Townshij),  on  March  24,  aged  seventy-six 
years.  She  was  born  in  County  Mayo,  Ire- 
Land,  in  1801. 

Francis  C.  McAndrews  died  in  Deer 
Lodge,  Mont.,  January  25,  1877,  of  con- 
sumption. He  was  one  of  the  old  settlers  of 
Steele  Count}',  having  gone  to  Montana  for 
his  health. 

The  funeral  of  Mrs.  Wm.  Pepper,  which 
took  place  Sunday,  April  25,  was  very 
largely  attended.  The  Odd  Fellows  of  both 
lodges  in  Owatonna  turned  out  and  honored 
the  memory  of  their  dear,  departed  sister. 
The  funeral  services  were  held  at  the  Univer- 
salist  Church,  which  could  not  accommodate 
the  people  that  attended.  ]\Irs.  Pepper  was 
greatly  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her,  and 
left  a  large  circle  of  mourning  friends. 

"A  Ghost  Story. — One  night  as  two  men 
were  returning  to  their  homes  in  Aurora,  in 


a  sleigh,  having  previously  imbibed  a  little. 
The  nigiit  was  clear,  and  the  sleighing  all 
that  could  be  desired.  While  driving  along 
in  good  spirits,  they  were  accosted  by  several 
figures,  apparently  human,  dressed  in  white, 
who  kept  pace  with  the  sleigh  on  either  side 
of  the  road.  The  young  men  were  some- 
what alarmed.  All  the  ghost  and  goblin 
stories  which  they  had  ever  heard  now 
danced  before  their  minds.  One  of  the 
figures  made  a  motion  as  if  wishing  to  speak. 
The  young  men,  too  terrified  to  disobey, 
stopped  and  listened,  when  in  a  deep-toned, 
unearthly  voice,  the   phantom   said  :    "  Get 

YOUR  CLOTHES  MADE  BY  JoHN  CoTTIER." 

Mrs.  J.  W.  Morford  died  at  Owatonna  on 
the  14th  of  May,  1877.  Mrs.  Morford  was 
born  in  Luzerne  Count}^  Pa.,  March  24, 
1827.  She  was  married  October  9,  1849,  to 
J.  W.  Morford,  and  in  1856  moved  to  this 
county  with  her  husband,  thus  being  among 
the  earliest  settlers.  The  following  incident 
of  her  life  in  the  pioneer  times  of  this  coun- 
try will  be  read  with  interest,  and  give  an 
idea  of  some  of  the  trials  endured:  "Mr. 
Morford's  claim  was  about  three  miles  east 
of  town.  He  lived  on  his  claim,  yet  attended 
to  his  business  in  town,  generally  going 
home  each  night,  when  not  detained  too  late 
by  his  business.  Whenever  he  was  detained 
in  town,  Mrs.  Morford  would  spend  the 
night  at  Mr.  Odell's.  On  one  of  these  oc- 
casions, in  November,  1856,  Mrs.  Morford, 
having  waited  until  somewhat  late  for  his 
return,  started  for  Mr.  Odell's.  After  walk- 
ing, as  she  thought,  far  enough  to  reach  the 
house,  she  looked  about  her  but  could  not 
see  the  shanty.  After  wandering  about 
some  time,  she  concluded  she  was  lost.  She 
did  not  despond,  for  she  knew  daylight 
would  set  her  right,  and,  coming  to  a  thicket, 
she  wrapped  her  shawl  around  her  and  laid 
down  to  sleep.  Next  morning  she  awoke 
and  started  for  home.  Seeing  a  shanty  she 
stopped  to  inquire  her  whereabouts.  No 
one  answering  her  knocks,  she  went  in. 
Things  looked  strangely  familiar  to  her,  and 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


161 


upon  closer  scrutiny  found  it  was  her  own 
home.  She  had  become  so  completely  be- 
wildered tliat  slie  did  not  recognize  it  until 
she  saw  the  familiar  furniture. 

Robert  Adair,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
in  Havana  Township,  died  June  7,  of  par- 
alysis.    He  was  seventy-one  years  of  age. 

The  Press,  in  its  issue  of  June  9,  contains 
the  following  article  in  relation  to  the  de- 
vastation of  the  grasshoppers : 

"  Last  Saturday  and  Sunday  the  hoppers 
had  hatched  out  so  plentifully  in  the  towns 
of  Meriden,  Lemond  and  Berlin,  in  this 
county,  that  the  inhabitants  lost  no  time  in 
coming  to  town  to  secure  tar  and  "dozers." 
Almost  every  farmer  in  the  infested  dis- 
trict had  a  machine  and  were  successfully 
fighting  them.  But  little  damage  has  been 
done,  and,  by  the  use  of  dozers,  the  crops 
were  kept  in  good  condition." 

A  serious  stabbing  affray  occurred  in  the 
town  of  Somerset  on  the  31st  of  June,  in 
which  W.  R.  Knickerbocker  and  a  man 
named  Barker  were  badly  cut  by  Frank 
Herdina  and  several  other  Bohemians.  As 
the  matter  was  afterward  carried  into  court, 
a  full  account  of  the  fracas  is  given  in  Chap- 
ter XI. 

The  Journal  and  Herald,  in  speaking  of 
the  grasshoppers  in  August,  said  :  "  We  ex- 
pect we  shall  not  chronicle  the  departure  of 
the  hoppers  until  winter.  Almost  every 
pleasant,  warm  day,  when  the  wind  is  from 
the  northwest,  they  can  be  seen  in  large 
numbei's,  sjoino:  southeast.  None  alight,  and 
none  fly  if  the  wind  is  from  any  other  direc- 
tion. Where  they  go  is  a  mystery.  It  is 
reported  that  a  swarm  lit  down  in  Oakland 
County,  Mich.,  and  another  swarm  in  the 
northern  part  of  New  York  and  Vermont,  in 
both  places  devouring  ever^ything." 

On  Thursday,  September  27,  a  destructive 
fire  occurred  at  Blooming  Prairie.  The 
losses  were  as  follows  :  The  elevator  of  Pratt 
&  Robinson,  $3,500;  insured  for  $2,800. 
Wheat  in  the  same,  2,S00  bushels;  1,800 
bushels  belonging  to  farmers,  of  which  Ole 


Hie  had  1,100  bushels,  insured  for  full  value. 
The  warehouse  of  C.  Whitton,  valued  at 
$300,  containing  (500  bushels  of  wheat,  1,000 
bushels  of  oats  and  800  bushels  of  barley. 

In  November  Charles  R.  Pate,  a  traveling 
agent  for  the  Atlantic  Weekly,  committed 
suicide  at  the  Arnold  House,  Owatonna,  by 
cutting  his  throat  from  ear  to  ear  with  a 
razor.     Ill  health  was  the  cause  assigned. 

On  the  5th  of  December,  1877,  Benjamin 
Arnold,  an  old  and  respected  citizen  of  Owa- 
tonna, committed  suicide  by  shooting  himself 
in  the  head.  Four  pistol  balls  had  pene- 
trated the  brain.  "  Tired  of  living,"  was 
the  cause  assigned.  He  was  one  of  the 
oldest  settlers,  having  located  in  Steele 
County  in  1855  with  his  wife,  who  died  in 
1876.  The  Arnold  House  was  at  one  time 
his  property  and  still  bears  his  name. 

On  the  22d  of  January,  Peter  Ganser's 
brewery,  at  Owatonna,  was  burned  to  the 
ground.  The  loss  was  estimated  at  $20,000, 
on  which  there  was  an  insurance  of  $6,000. 
It  was  supposed  that  the  fire  originated  in 
the  dry  kiln. 

January  28,  another  disastrous  fire  oc- 
curred in  Owatonna,  by  which  Julius  F. 
Young's  jewelry  store  was  totally  destroyed. 
But  little  of  the  stock  was  saved.  On  stock, 
furniture  and  building  there  was  an  insur- 
ance of  $7,000. 

On  the  12th  of  February,  1878,  a  serious 
shooting  afl'ray  occurred  at  Owatonna, 
through  which  Thomas  Langon  lost  his  life. 
It  seems  that  Langon,  in  company  with  sev- 
eral others,  had  been  on  a  spree  during  the 
evening,  and  the  city  marshal,  S.  Stowers, 
attempted  to  arrest  one  of  them,  when  Lan- 
gon kicked  the  marshal  in  the  face  and 
chest,  and  ran.  Stowers  started  in  pursuit, 
and  after  ordering  Langon  to  halt  several 
times,  fired  three  shots  which  took  effect, 
and  he  died  several  days  later.  A  coroner's 
jury  was  convened,  composed  of  W.  A. 
Dynes,  Charles  Schoen,  George  B.  Hall, 
James  Thompson,  T.  H.  Kelly  and  H.  Harts- 
horn, which  rendered   a  verdict  in   accord- 


162 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


ance  with  the  above  facts  and  exonerated 
Stowers. 

On  the  15th  of  February,  Phocion  Turte- 
lot  was  murdered  at  Owatonna  by  Claud 
V-an  Alstyne,  while  they  were  engaged  in  get- 
tiner  out  ice  on  the  Straight  River.  Van 
Alstyne  was  tried,  convicted  and  sentenced 
to  State's  prison  for  life.     See  Chapter  XI. 

A  meeting  of  the  old  settlers  of  Steele 
County  was  held  on  the  13th  of  July,  1878, 
at  Morehouse's  opera  hall,  Owatonna,  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  an  old  settlers'  associa- 
tion for  Steele  County.  On  motion  of  Dex- 
ter Smith,  David  Lindersraith  was  elected 
chairman,  and  J.  W.  Morford,  secretary.  It 
was  resolved  that  the  chairman  appoint  one 
or  more  from  each  township  to  draft  a  con- 
stitution and  by-laws  to  govern  the  organiza- 
tion. After  tliis,  on  motion  of  John  Shea, 
the  meeting  was  adjourned  to  September  14, 
but  nothing  further  appears  to  have  been 
done. 

At  about  4  o'clock,  Tuesday  afternoon, 
September  10,  a  fire  broke  out  in  Paddock 
&  Bickford's  foundry  at  Owatonna,  destroy- 
ing the  building  and  most  of  tlie  contents. 
Tiie  stock  and  building  were  valued  at  $'d,- 
200  and  insured  for  $600. 

On  Wednesday  evening,  September  11, 
Fred  AnJialdt,  a  German,  in  Meriden,  com- 
mitted suicide  by  shooting  himself. 

On  Wednesday,  September  18,  a  son  of 
Mr.  E.  Norton  disappeared.  He  was  ulti- 
mately found  drowned  in  about  half  a  tub  of 
water.  The  little  fellow  was  suj)posed  to 
have  been  leaning  over  the  side,  playing  in 
the  water,  when,  losing  his  balance,  he  fell 
in  and  it  I'esulted  fatally. 

Meriden  station,  on  Tuesday  night,  Sept- 
ember 24,  was  the  scene  of  a  robbery.  An 
unknown  man  entered  the  Ijar-room  of  P.  G. 
Rosenau's  saloon  and  called  for  a  glass  of 
beer,  which  was  given  him.  At  this  time  a 
masked  man  stepped  in,  supposed  to  be  a 
confeilerate,  holding  out  a  large  jjistol,  which 
lie  pointed  directly  at  the  bartender,  and  the 
two  men  soon  transferred  the  contents  of  the 


money  drawer  to  their  pockets  and  took  to 
their  heels. 

On  Wednesday  morning,  October  23,  a 
shooting  affray  took  place  at  the  residence 
of  Samuel  Finley.  It  appears  that  E.  A. 
Wilder,  a  son  of  Finley 's  wife  by  a  former 
husband,  entered  the  room  of  Mr.  Finley, 
and,  on  being  ordered  out,  pulled  out  a 
loaded  pistol  and  discharged  two  shots  at 
the  old  man,  one  grazing  the  top  of  his  head, 
cutting  a  furrow  an  inch  long,  the  other 
taking  effect  in  his  right  cheekbone,  and 
l)assing  through  his  ear,  causing  a  bad 
wound.  He  also  discharged  a  third  shot  at 
John  P.  Finley,  who  came  to  the  assistance 
of  his  grandfather  and  who  lived  with  him. 
The  young  man  was  arrested.  The  People's 
Press,  in  speaking  of  the  affair,  said :  "After 
getting  sureties  and  having  the  appeal  papers 
ready,  in  the  case  of  E.  A.  Wilder,  those  in 
charge  of  the  matter  finally  concluded  to  let 
him  sta}'  in  jail  six  months  rather  than  carry 
his  case  to  the  supreme  court  or  pay  his 
fine." 

On  Sunday,  December  15,Willard  Wheaton 
was  killed.  While  driving  along  the  mineral 
springs  road  where  it  passes  under  the  rail- 
road track,  his  hoi-se  became  frightened, 
throwing  him  out  upon  his  head  on  the 
frozen  gi'ound,  so  affecting  his  spinal  cord 
as  to  paralyze  his  whole  body,  causing  his 
death. 

Crops  were  very  poor  in  Steele  County 
in  the  year  1878,  therefore  money  was  scarce 
in  1879. 

In  the  fall  of  1878  several  highway  rob- 
beries Avere  committed  in  and  about  Owa- 
tonna, the  victims  being  but  little  worse  off, 
financially,  yet  put  to  considerable  trouble 
in  the  way  of  holding  up  hands,  etc.  The  rob- 
bers being  too  lazy  to  get  into  a  man's  wagon 
to  search  him,  would  make  him  get  out,  in 
this  way  saving  their  strength  for  future  use 
should  they  be  compelled  to  run.  Some  of 
the  victims  are  mentioned  as  follows :  Orrin 
Searle  of  $4  cash,  watch  and  gold  chain; 
C.  B.  Wilkinson  of  $5  ;  Mr.  McMillan  of  $2. 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


163 


Alois  Kishavery  was  killed  in  Summit 
Township,  Wednesday,  December  5,  while 
attempting  to  jump  out  of  a  wagon  when 
the  team  was  running  away. 

George  Robinson,  aged  seventy-two  years, 
died  December  16,  of  cancer.  He  was  a  man 
highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him,  and 
his  death  caused  a  feelino-  of  general  sadness 
throughout  the  community. 

Statistics  of  Steele  County  for  the  year 
ending  December  31,  18T8,  show  405  births 
and  156  deaths,  an  increase  of  249  over  the 
previous  vear. 

1879. 

Dr.  J.  J.  Aikin,  of  Owatonna,  died  Jan- 
uary 4,  1879,  of  paralysis.  Aged  sixtj^-four 
years. 

About  two  o'clock  Sunday  morning,  Jan- 
uary 17,  a  lire  broke  out  in  G.  W.  Chesley's 
art  gallery,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  entire 
roof  was  in  flames.  The  room  underneath 
was  then  occupied  by  Skinner  &  Jewett, 
grocery  and  boot  and  shoe  dealers,  and  in 
trying  to  remove  the  stock  from  the  store 
about  half  a  dozen  men  were  caught  by  the 
burning  ceiling  falling  in  upon  them.  All 
escaped,  however,  but  one  had  his  hands 
badly  crushed  and  burned.  The  building  of 
Mr.  Chesley  was  valued  at  $4,000;  insurance, 
$2,200.  The  stock  of  Messrs.  Skinner  & 
Jewett  was  valued  at  about  $2,000  ;  insured 
for  $1,500. 

John  Wamous,  an  aged  Bohemian,  met 
with  a  fatal  accident  Saturday,  January  18, 
while  going  home  with  a  load  of  bran  from 
Owatonna.  It  is  supjDosed  that  in  going 
down  the  hill  south  of  town,  beyond  the 
Catholic  burying  ground,  he  lost  his  balance 
and  fell  head-foremost  from  the  load,  killing 
him  by  dislocating  his  neck,  and  breaking  in 
his  skull. 

Mr.  John  Barney  died  very  suddenly  of 
apoplexy  Friday  morning,  January  31. 

At  12:30  o'clock  Sunday,  February  8,  a  fire 
broke  out  in  Hammond's  building,  on  west 
side  of  North  Cedar  street,  burning  off  the 
roof    and    the    front  of    the    upper    story. 


Total  amount  of  insurance  on  building  and 
stock  was  $1,000  ;   damage  about  $800. 

Sunday,  February  16,  1879,  a  fire  broke 
out  in  the  rear  of  E.  M.  Morehouse's  store 
building  on  Broadway,  then  occupied  by  a 
grocery  firm  —  Sykora  &  Kaplan. 

On  Thursday  morning,  March  13,  1879, 
Mr.  Henry  Keans  had  his  left  arm  broken 
while  digging  a  well.  It  appears  that  a  hard 
piece  of  blue  clay  cleaved  loose  about  thirty 
feet  above  him,  and  in  falling  struck  his 
arm,  causing  the  fracture. 

The  house  of  J.  C.  Backus,  of  Owatonna, 
was  burned  March  14,  destroying  nearly  all 
the  furniture.  The  building  was  valued  at 
$2,000,  insured  for  $1,500  ;  also  $400  on  fur- 
niture and  $100  on  wearing  apparel. 

Died  of  pneumonia,  March  24,  Mrs.  Ann 
Elizabeth  Bixb3%  eldest  daughter  of  John 
and  Christina  Eichler,  aged  thirty-three 
years,  five  months  and  twenty-seven  days. 
The  deceased  was  born  at  Lafayette,  Onon- 
daga County,  N.  Y.,  and  came  to  Wisconsin 
with  her  parents  in  1856.  She  experienced 
religion  in  her  thirteenth  year,  being  con- 
verted in  a  play-bouse  where  the  school  girls 
were  accustomed  to  hold  prayer-meetings. 
She  afterward  removed  with  her  family  to 
Freeborn  County,  Minn.,  in  1861.  She  was 
married  to  Mr.  J.  S.  Bixby  November  29, 
1866. 

H.  Reidell  died  April  8,  1879,  aged  sixty- 
five  years  and  twenty-seven  days.  Mr. 
Reidell  was  born  in  Vermont  and  came  to 
this  State  in  the  fall  of  1855.  In  1875  he 
came  to  Owatonna,  where  he  lived  until  the 
time  of  his  death. 

Saturday,  April  5,  Rev.  Mr.  Graves, 
Congregational  minister  at  Medford,  in  step- 
ping on  the  train  while  in  motion,  fell 
between  the  cars.  One  of  his  feet  was  run 
over  and  crushed  so  badly  as  to  require 
immediate  amputation. 

Saturday,  April  5,  R.  S.  Hatley,  of  Ha- 
vana, had  the  misfortune  of  having  his 
house  burned,  saving  nothing  to  speak  of. 
The  house  was  valued  at  $500  ;  no  insurance. 


164 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


.April  13,  1879,  Mr.  Arad  Jones,  of  Ha- 
vana, died  of  consumption,  aged  seventy- 
four  years.  The  deceased  was  a  very  old 
settler  of  Steele  County  t>nd  esteemed  by  all 
who  knew  him. 

Saturday,  April  30,  S.  G.  Lund,  lumber 
dealer  in  Owatonna,  had  his  safe  blown 
open  and  the  few  doUars  in  silver  which  it 
contained  was  taken.  The  burglars  effected 
an  entrance  by  the  window  on  the  north- 
west corner,  and  on  leaving,  left  a  sledge,  a 
number  of  wedges,  two  bits  and  several  cold 
chisels. 

Mrs.  Katie  Siebold,  wife  of  Mr.  F.  G.  Sie- 
bold,  died  on  the  9th  of  June,  1879,  aged 
thirty-six  years  and  nine  months.  She  was 
universally  beloved  and  respected. 

Early  in  June  Dellie  Quiggle,  a  child  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  S.  or  L.  J.  Quiggle,  of  Owa- 
tonna, was  drowned  in  Straiglit  Kiver. 

On  the  10th  of  June  burglars  effected  an 
entrance  into  the  residence  of  L.  Bion,  in 
Owatonna,  and  carried  off  $180  worth  of 
cash  and  jewelry.  One  of  the  burglars  was 
afterward  shot  and  killed,  by  an  officer  at 
Rochester,  Minn.  Part  of  the  stolen  goods 
were  found  on  his  person. 

Samuel  M.  Finley  died  of  old  age  at  Owa- 
tonna on  the  30th  of  May,  1879,  aged  eighty- 
eight  j^ears. 

On  Saturday,  May  31, 1879,  over  86,600  of 
the  taxes  of  1878  were  taken  in  at  the  court 
house. 

In  June  a  disastrous  storm  passed  over  the 
northeastern  part  of  Steele  County,  doing 
considerable  damage  to  buildings  in  Merton 
Township.  Among  those  who  suffered  loss 
were :  P.  Malone,  Edward  Bartley,  Mike  and 
Mark  Henry,  P.  J.  Tuttle,  John  Lane,  P.  R. 
Stout,  and  Dexter  Carlton. 

A  severe  hail-storm  passed  over  Steele 
County  on  the  2d  of  July.  Especially  did 
the  farmers  in  Meriden  Township  suffer. 
Among  others  who  lost  heavily  through  de- 
struction of  grain  were  G.  Mudeking,  G.  F. 
Albertus,  Chris.  Schulke,  J.  P.  Jackson,  John 
O.  Wuamett,  Darius  Cook,  William  Presby, 


Mr.  Birkle,  Archibald  Warren,  E.  L.  Scoville, 
P.  Schuster,  T.  W.  Irving,  G.  W.  Buffura,  C. 
H.  Church,  G.  W.  Knapp,  and  John  Q. 
Ellis.  It  was  stated  that  fully  10  per  cent 
of  the  crops  throughout  the  county  was  de- 
stroyed. 

On  July  4,  1879,  the  barn  of  Mr.  Henry 
Moffatt,  about  two  miles  north  of  Owatonna, 
was  destroyed  by  fire ;  loss,  $200. 

On  Tuestlay  evening,  July  8,  1879,  a  terri- 
ble hail-storm  passed  through  the  township 
of  Berlin,  Steele  County,  cutting  a  swath 
over  two  miles  wide,  beginning  at  section 
18  and  ending  on  36.  The  following  are  the 
names  of  the  farmers  whose  crops  were 
wholly  destroyed :  Lewis  Burns,  D.  Gordon, 
Dwight  Gordon,  E.  Kinney,  P.  Dunnigan, 
Thomas  Brown,  James  McCormack,  William 
Lonergan,  John  Lonergan,  Thomas  Loner- 
gan,  A.  Anderson,  J.  Johnson,  L.  Peterson, 
H.  Bradley,  H.  O.  and  Ole  Thompson,  Iver 
Oleson  and  John  McGillicudy.  The  follow- 
ing is  a  list  of  the  farmers  whose  crops  were 
partly  destroyed:  Thomas  McCormack,  A. 
Quitbar,  P.  McGillicudy,  M.  McFarland,  J. 
M.  Sloan,  J.  Wolaski,  H.  G.  Cusick,  G.  W. 
Giddings,  Edward  and  Benjamin  Wheeler, 
H.  W.  Rulliffson,  J.  Bohm,  and  B.Kingsley. 
The  loss  to  the  town  of  Berlin  caused  by  this 
storm  w^as  estimated  at  $20,000. 

Joseph  Hoffman,  Sr..  aged  seventy  years 
and  five  months,  died  in  Owatonna  July  28, 
1879.     Mr.  Hoffman  came  to  Steele  County 

in  1858. 

Mr.  Daniel  Gross,  aged  seventy-eight 
years,  died  October  18,  of  old  age.  Mr. 
Gross  had  been  long  and  favorably  known 
in  the  vicinity  of  Owatonna. 

In  Owatonna,  on  Thursday  evening,  Oc- 
tober 30, 1879,  Vinzenz  Nowotne  was  robbed 
by  John  Stransky  of  $8.45.  Stransky  was 
arrested. 

Andrew  Oppliger,  of  Owatonna,  died  at 
the  residence  of  his  son,  J.  A.  Oppliger,  on 
Thursday  evening,  November  6,  of  apoplexy, 
aged  sixty-nine  years. 

In  December,  1879,  a  board  of  trade  was 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


165 


organized  in  Owatonna.  The  following  offi- 
cers were  elected :  W.  R.  Kinyon,  president ; 
E.  Donaldson,  vice-president ;  A.  Knobloch, 
second  vice-president ;  W.  A.  Dynes,  secre- 
tary;  "William  Leary,  treasurer;  directors: 
John  Shea,  Charles  Schoen,  C.  N.  Mc- 
Laughlin, M.  A.  Fredenburg,  C.  H.  Eandall, 
Edward  Downie,  E.  Ray  Fenno ;  committee 
on  by-laws:  E.  Ray  Fenno,  H.  H.  Luers 
and  F.  T.  Drebert. 

A  fatal  accident.— On  Friday,  December 
2,  Joseph  Ripkathen,  a  resident  of  Havana, 
was  killed.  While  on  his  way  to  Owatonna 
his  team  became  frightened,  running  on  to 
some  plowed  ground,  throwing  him  off  the 
sleigh,  fracturing  his  skull  and  killing  him 
instantly. 

Mrs.  Jemima  Hartle,  of  Havana,  died  De- 
cember 12.  She  had  been  a  resident  of 
Steele  County  about  nine  years,  and  left  a 
large  circle  of  friends. 

1880. 

The  United  States  census  of  this  year  gave 
Steele  County  a  total  population  of  12,460. 
The  number  of  American  born  residents  of 
the  county  was  8,576  and  foreign  3,88-4. 

Steele  County's  total  vote  at  the  presiden- 
tial election,  held  in  November  of  this  year, 
was  2,646,  divided  as  follows:  James  A. 
Garfield,  Republican,  1,642  ;  W.  S.  Hancock, 
Democrat,  944 ;   Neal  Dow,  Prohibition,  60. 

Mary  Jane  Yust,  aged  thirty -three  years, 
died  inDeerfield  Township,  Sunday,  January 
18.     She  was  the  wife  of  C.  Yust. 

March  26,  George  Ca ward's  barn  at  Owa- 
tonna burned  with  all  its  contents.  One 
team  valued  at  $500,  and  three  other  horses 
were  burned.  Loss  about  $2,000 ;  no  insur- 
ance. 

John  P.  Johnson,  of  Owatonna  Township, 
died  of  consumption,  Wednesday,  April  21. 
Mr.  Johnson  had  always  been  a  good  citizen 
and  had  the  highest'respect  of  all  who  knew 
him. 

The  house  of  Henry  Brasen,  of  Meriden, 
was  burned  May  29.    The  house  was  known 


as  the  Farmers'  Home.  The  building  was 
valued  at  $1,500,  insured  for  $800  ;  furniture 
at  $500,  insured  for  $200. 

On  Thursday  night,  June  12,  M.  L.  Dev- 
ing,  of  Meriden,  had  his  barn  struck  by 
lightning  and  burned  to  the  ground.  It  was 
valued  at  $1,000,  and  insured  for  $500. 

Joseph  Chambers,  of  Owatonna,  died  Sep- 
tember 10,  aged  sixty-one  years,  three  months 
and  ten  days.  Mr.  Chambers  was  born 
in  Argyle,  Washington  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
had  come  to  Steele  County  in  1864.  He  was 
a  man  highly  respected  by  all  who  knew 

him. 

On  Tuesday,  October  13,  a  plank,  to  which 
was  attached  a  pulley,  hoisting  a  mortar 
cask,  broke  from  its  fastening  on  the  top  of 
Mr.  Moore's  brick  block,  then  in  course  of 
construction,  and  fell,  striking  Hans  Erick- 
son  on  the  head,  crushing  his  skull,  thus 
causing  his  death. 

On  Monday,  November  1,  five  prisoners 
made  their  escape  from  the  Steele  County 
jail.  They  sawed  themselves  out  of  the  iron 
cage,  then  pulled  out  one  of  the  window 
casings,  and  dug  enough  brick  out  below  to 
let  themselves  out.  Sheriff  Chambers  im- 
mediately offered  $25  for  their  arrest. 

1881. 

On  Friday,  March  18,  a  fire  broke  out  in 
John  Lawler's  house  near  the  depot,  destroy- 
ing the  house  and  contents.  The  occupants 
merely  escaped  with  their  lives.  No  insur- 
ance on  building. 

Died,  on  Thursday  morning,  March  26, 
Mrs.  A.  P.  Riggs,  aged  forty -five  years.  The 
deceased  was  born  in  Cattaraugus  County, 
N.  Y.,  November  7,  1836,  and  came  to  Owa- 
tonna in  1868,  where  she  had   lived  until 

death. 

Mrs.  Hannah  Moulton,  aged  eighty-six 
years  and  six  months,  died  in  Owatonna, 
April  27,  having  been  an  invalid  for  five 
years.  She  was  born  in  New  Bedford,  Mass., 
in  1794. 

Dr.  Edward  Wallace  Johnson  was  born  m 


166 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


Vermont,  on  the  5th  of  May,  1813.  He 
graduated  at  Willoughby  Medical  College, 
Ohio,  and  subsequently  entered  u])on  an 
extensive  and  lucrative  practice,  and  was  so 
successful  in  his  chosen  profession  that  he 
accumulated  a  handsome  competency.  In 
1881  he  retired  from  active  practice  and 
located  in  Owatonna,  where  he  remained  un- 
til the  time  of  his  death. 

Hon.  Francis  Coo-gswell,  father  of  Judge 
Amos  Coggswell,  died  at  Goodwin,  I).  T., 
October  22,  1881.  He  was  born  at  Dover, 
N.H.,  April  6,  1790,  being  over  ninety -one 
years  old  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
a  graduate  of  Dartmouth  College,  and  was 
in  the  defense  at  Portsmouth  in  the  War 
of  1812.  After  the  war  he  studied  law,  was 
admitted,  and  practiced  at  the  Merrimack 
Count}'  bar  for  thirty  years,  ranking  high 
as  an  able  advocate  and  criminal  lawyer. 
He  came  west  in  1868,  and  lived  with  his 
sons,  Amos  and  G.  W.  Coggswell,  both  well 
known.  His  remains  were  brought  from 
Dakota  and  placed  for  their  last  long  rest 
beside  those  of  his  wife,  in  Aurora  cemetery'. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  1881,  the  resi- 
dence of  Mr.  M.  J.  Mooney,  in  Merton 
Township,  was  destroyed  by  tire.  Loss, 
$800 ;   insurance,  $500. 

1882. 

Mrs.  John  Cottier  died  at  Owatonna,  Jan- 
uary 16,  of  heart  disease.  She  was  born  in 
Mansfield,  Cattaraugus  County,  N.  T.,  April 
1,  1826,  her  maiden  name  being  Anna  Grif- 
fin. She  married  Mr.  Cottier  at  EUicott- 
ville  in  the  same  county,  September  15, 
18i8,  and  they  had  seven  children,  all 
of  whom  were  alive  at  the  time  of  her 
death.  She  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew 
her,  for  her  many  virtues. 

John  Q.  Ellis  died  of  cancer,  February  3. 
He  was  born  at  Sumner,  Me.,  JSToveraber  13, 
1824,  and  came  to  Sparta,  Wis.,  in  1856, 
Avhere  he  lived  until  coming  to  Steele 
County,  in  March,  1867.  At  the  time  of  his 
death   he  was   chairman   of    the   board   of 


county  commissioners,  wihch  position  he  had 
occupied  for  several  years.  He  was  a  man 
of  good  abilities,  careful,  painstaking  and 
efficient  in  all  his  official  duties,  and  his  death 
was  mourned  sincerely,  by  not  only  his 
family  but  a  very  large  circle  of  intimate 
friends. 

Early  in  February,  1882,  the  schoolhouse 
in  District  JSTo.  13,  Aurora  Township  —  near 
Stapleton's  —  was  burned  to  the  ground. 

On  the  11th  of  March,  1882,  the  house  of 
John  Pavek,  Jr.,  located  a  short  distance 
southeast  of  Owatonna,  took  fire  and  burned 
to  the  ground.  The  family  had  difficulty 
in  saving  their  lives.  The  building  and  furni- 
ture were  a  total  loss.  The  value  of  building 
and  furniture  was  about  $1,000 ;  insured 
for  $400. 

In  February,  1882,  a  stock  company  was 
organized  at  Owatonna  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  a  tow  and  twine  factory.  The 
following  parties  were  first  to  subscribe 
stock :  B.  S.  Cook,  Neal  Graham,  W.  E. 
Kinyon,  A.  Keynolds,  L.  L.  Bennett,  M.  J. 
Toher,  W.  A.  Dynes,  J.  E.  Buxton,  Whee- 
lock  &  Sperry,  A.  C.  Hickman,  N.  C.  Lar- 
son and  B.  E.  Darby.  The  organization  of 
the  companj'  was  effected  on  the  11th  of 
March,  1882,  when  $20,000  of  stock  had 
been  subscribed.  The  name  adopted  was 
the  "  Owatonna  Twine  and  Oil  Company." 
The  following  gentlemen  were  duly  elected 
directors  for  the  ensuing  year :  W.  R.  Kin- 
yon, L.  L.  Bennett,  B.  S.  Cook,  L.  Lord  and 
W.  A.  Dynes.  A.  Reynolds  was  engaged  as 
superintendent,  at  $1,200  per  year.  Quite 
an  active  effort  was  made  to  secure  the 
cooperation  of  the  farmers,  but  it  was  un- 
successful. In  April,  of  the  same  year,  a 
meeting  of  the  stockholders  was  held,  at 
which  the  directors  made  a  full  report,  in 
which  they  stated  :  "  We  have  earnestly 
and  faithfully  tried  to  induce  our  farmers  to 
sow  sufficient  fiax  to  warrant  us  in  the  erec- 
tion of  buildings,  purchase  of  machinery, 
etc.,  in  order  to  conlmence  the  manufactur- 
ing of  twine  this  season,  but  find  it  impossi- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


167 


ble  to  do  so.  In  view  of  this  state  of  facts 
we  do  not  feel  warranted  in  making  tlie 
necessary  expenditure  tliis  season.  We  can 
suspend  furtlier  operations  for  tlie  present, 
dispose  of  flax  seed  on  hand  at  a  trifling 
expense  to  the  stockholders,  continue  our 
organization  and  be  fully  prepared  to  resume 
operations  next  year,  jirovided  we  can  get 
the  flax  grown.  We  therefore  respectfully 
recommend  and  advise  that  further  opera- 
tions be  suspended  for  the  present ;  that  the 
secretary  and  treasurer  be  instructed  to  dis- 
pose of  the  seed,  etc.,  belonging  to  the 
company,  pay  all  obligations  and  return  pro 
rata  to  the  stockholders  the  balance  of  the 
money  that  has  been  paid  in.  Our  largest 
stockholder  and  superintendent,  Mr.  A. 
Eeynolds,  advises  this  course,  and  has  can- 
celled his  engagement  with  the  company, 
which  was  made  for  one  year  at  a  salary  of 
$1,200  per  year."  This  report  is  signed  by 
"W.  E.  Kinyon,  L.  L.  Bennett,  B.  S.  Cook, 
Lewis  Lord  and  W.  A.  Dynes,  directors."  It 
was  further  explained  that  they  had  only 
been  able  to  make  contracts  with  farmers 
for  raising  thirty-five  acres  of  flax,  and  that 
the  mill  would  require  at  least  eight  hundred 
acres.  They  had  conditional  promises  of 
farmers  to  sow  109  acres  more. 

On  Tuesday  morning,  April  3,  1882,  the 
graded  school-building  at  Owatonna  was  to- 
tally destroyed  by  fire,  together  with  all  fur- 
niture and  contents.     The  building  was  in- 
sured for  15,000. 

Late  in  March,  1882,  Mrs.  Eaedel,  a  resi- 
dent of  Deerfield  Township,  committed  sui- 
cide by  hanging.  She  had  been  sick  nearly 
all  winter  and  her  mind  was  partiallj'  de- 
ranged, so  that  it  was  necessary  to  keep  the 
house  locked,  for  fear  she  would  run  off  in 
the  night  and  freeze  to  death.  She  was  fifty 
years  old. 

E.  B.  Newhall  died  of  consumption,  March 
31,  1882.  He  had  contracted  rheumatism  in 
the  army,  and  it  affected  him  until  the  time 
of  his  death.     He  was  fifty-nine  years  old. 

Mrs.  W.  H.  Ilolden  died  of  heart  disease  in 


Owatonna    on   April   9,   1882,  aged  thirty 
years. 

April  15,  1882,  a  fire  occurred  in  Lemond 
Township,  which  destroyed  the  dwelling- 
house  owned  by  H.  E.  Johnson,  which  was 
occupied  by  Mrs.  Eease. 

Mrs.  Eliza  S.  Burns,  an  early  pioneer,  died 
at  Somerset,  on  Thursday,  April  23,  1882. 
Mrs.  Burns  was  born  in  Stephentown,  Mass., 
January  7, 1817,  and  was  married  to  William 
Burns  in  Italy,  Yates  County,  N.  Y.,  March 
23,  18-10.  They  came  to  Minnesota  in  1856 
and  settled  in  what  is  now  Havana  Town- 
ship, being  among  the  very  first  settlers. 
She  was  a  generous,  kind-hearted  lady,  a 
characteristic  pioneer,  and  beloved  by  all 
who  knew  her. 

On  the  18th  of  April,  W.  S.  Melvin,  a  for- 
mer prominent  resident  of  Owatonna,  met 
with  an  accident  at  Brookings,  D.  T.,  which 
resulted  in  his  death.  It  ajipears  that  he  had 
stai'ted  to  cross  a  railway  track  obliquely, 
when  an  engine  —  coming  swiftly  from  the 
direction  toward  which  his  back  was  turned 
—  struck  him.  He  was  thrown  half  as  high 
as  the  locomotive  smoke-stack  and  fell  on  the 
side  of  the  engine,  rolling  off  on  the  ground 
seventy  feet  from  where  he  was  struck.  After 
the  accident  he  lay  in  an  unconscious  condi- 
tion for  thirty-six  hours,  when  he  died.  The 
remains  were  brought  back  to  Owatonna  and 
buried,  with  Masonic  honors.  At  the  time 
of  his  death  he  was  thirty-five  years  old, 
having  been  born  in  Hallowell.  Me.,  in  1846. 

Cornelius  Moran  died  of  cancer  at  his 
home  in  Lemond  Township,  on  April  27, 
1882,  aged  fifty-nine  years.  He  was  a 
man  respected  by  all  who  knew  him,  and  a 
valuable  citizen.  He  came  from  New  York 
State  to  Wisconsin  at  an  early  day,  and  in 
1857  moved  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  set- 
tling first  in  Meriden  Township,  but  later 
moved  to  Laniond,  wliere  he  lived  until  his 
death. 

Dr.  Thomas  Kenyon  died  at  his  residence 
in  Somerset  on  the  17th  of  April,  1882, 
aged  sixty-nine  years.     He  was  an  old  set- 


168 


HISTOKY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


tier  and  for  many  years  had  taken  a  promi- 
nent part  in  all  public  and  political  matters. 

John  M.  Sloan  died  at  his  home  in  Berlin 
Township,  on  the  30th  of  April,  1S82,  aged 
fifty-eight  years  and  eight  months.  He 
was  a  man  of  many  friends  and  stood  high 
as  a  neiglibor  and  a  friend. 

August  Sayler  died  on  the  16th  of  May, 
aged  sixty-four  years,  universally  respected, 
a  hard-working  man  and  a  good  citizen. 

June  3,  1882,  a  fire  occurred  in  Merton 
Township,  by  which  James  Clark  lost  a 
barn  and  granary,  together  with  several 
hundred  bushels  of  wheat  and  oats,  several 
tons  of  hay,  two  sets  of  harness,  and  other 
farming  tools.  Loss  about  $700,  al)out  half 
of  the  amount  being  covered  by  insurance. 

A  few  days  later,  the  house  of  M.  J. 
Toher,  on  his  farm  three  miles  south  of 
Owatonna,  was  burned.  Loss,  $-±00 ;  no 
insurance. 

William  Shea  died  at  the  home  of  his  son, 
P.  Shea,  in  Berlin  Township,  on  June  12, 
1882,  of  old  age.  He  was  born  at  Dingle, 
County  Kerry,  Ireland,  in  1775,  making 
him  one  hundred  and  seven  years  old.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  beyond  doubt 
the  oldest  man  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
possibly  in  the  United  States.  He  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Steele  County, 
having  been  a  resident  of  Berlin  Township 
for  twenty -seven  years.  He  was  a  good 
citizen  and  highly  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

Mrs.  Dolly  Kinyon  died  of  old  age  at  the 
reridence  of  her  son,  C.  J.  Kinyon,  on  the 
17th  of  June,  1882.  She  was  seventy-two 
years  of  age. 

Herschel  Titfany,  aged  seven  years,  a  son 
of  Oscar  Tiffany,  was  drowned  in  the 
Straight  River  on  June  15,  1882. 

On  the  23d  of  June,  1882,  a  sad  accident 
occurred  on  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railway  in  Aurora  Townsiiip.  A  stone 
culvert  had  been  washed  out,  and  the  en- 
gine, tender  and  three  cars  containing  stock, 
emigrant    movables,  baled  hay  and   grain. 


were  piled  in  a  heap.  Mr.  Musser,  the  en- 
gineer, was  instantly  killed,  having  got  his 
legs  jammed  between  the  engine  and  the 
tender,  and  Dr.  Hawkins,  of  Blooming 
Prairie,  was  obliged  to  cut  off  his  feet,  be- 
tween the  ankle  and  knee,  before  he  could 
be  taken  out.  Seventy  head  of  cattle  and 
forty  hogs  were  killed. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  1882,  the  county 
jail  at  Owatonna  was  broken  open  and  four 
prisoners  escaped.  They  were  all  (except 
one  crazy  man)  in  one  cell,  and  succeeded  in 
sawing  or  cutting  a  hole  in  the  iron  cage, 
througli  which  they  crawled,  and  soon  dug 
a  hole  through  the  brick  wall  and  disap- 
]>eared.  They  were  all  from  Dodge  County. 
Three  of  them  were  awaiting  trial  for  hav- 
ing robbed  a  man  on  a  train  near  Dodge 
Center,  and,  after  robbing  him,  threw  him  out 
of  a  box  car.  Tlie  names  of  the  parties  who 
escaped  were  David  Collins,  alias  James 
Prescott,  Thomas  Barrett,  Michael  Smith 
and  John  Snyder. 

Byron  C.  Holmes  died  at  his  home  in 
Owatonna  Township,  November  25,  1882, 
aged  thirty-two  years.  He  was  a  well-to-do 
farmer,  respected  by  all.  He  left  a  wife 
and  four  cliildren. 

1883. 

Henry  Borchert  died  at  Owatonna  on 
January  3,  1883.  He  had  for  several  years 
previous  to  his  death  been  living  on  the 
Clark  farm,  in  Aurora  Township,  where  he 
had  been  chairman  of  the  townshi})  board 
and  had  taken  a  prominent  part  in  local 
matters.  He  was  among  the  early  settlers 
of  the  county,  having  settled  here  with  his 
father  in  1858.  He  was  forty-four  3'ears 
old  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

David  "Wells  died  at  Owatonna  on  the 
same  day,  aged  nearly  fifty-five  years.  He 
was  a  man  universally  respected. 

Robert  Crosby,  one  of  the  sut)stantial  farm- 
ers of  Meriden  Townsiiip,  died  at  his  resi- 
dence on  the  8th  of  February,  aged  seventy- 
hree  years  and  ten  months.     He  had  been  a 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


169 


great  sufferer  for  ten  months  previous  to  his 
death  from  a  cancer  to  which  he  finally  suc- 
cumbed. 

Philip  Jacob  lunker  died  on  the  2d  of 
March,  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  He 
was  born  February  9,  1833,  in  Eisighofen, 
District  Nastetlen,  Prussia.  He  came  to 
America  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  and 
came  to  Minnesota  from  Wisconsin  in  May, 
1867.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  the 
president  of  the  Deerfield  Farmers'  Mutual 
Fire  Insurance  Company,  and  was  univer- 
sally esteemed  by  all  who  had  the  pleasure 
of  his  acquaintance.  He  was  buried  with 
Masonic  honors. 

A  disastrou  s  storm  s  wept  over  Steele  County 
on  Saturday  morning,  July  21,  1883,  the 
damage  resulting  from  which  was  estimated 
at  $20,000,  although  no  lives  were  lost.  The 
morning  was  sultry  and  very  oppressive ;  an 
easterly  storm  set  in  and  everybody  expected 
a  rainy  time.  At  about  11  o'clock  the  heav- 
ens north  and  west  grew  ominously  dark, 
and  shortly  afterward  the  storm  burst  upon 
the  city.  Trees  were  bent  almost  double 
and  broken  off  like  pipe  stems.  The  elevator 
and  roundhouse  on  the  C,  M.  &  St.  P.  rail- 
road were  partially  unroofed.  A.  Simpson's 
wind  flouring-niill  was  ground  to  kindling 
wood.  A  large  new  building,  size  72x140, 
on  the  State  Fair  grounds,  was  flattened  to 
the  ground,  and  the  grand  amphitheater  was 
blown  down  and  broken  up  badly.  The 
damage  to  the  State  fair  grounds  was  fully 
$2,000;  on  Simpson's  flouring-mill,  about 
$6,000.  The  old  Turtelott  ice  house  was 
blown  down  and  Potter's  stock  barn  was 
unroofed.  The  north  end  of  the  Main  street 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  moved  east 
four  inches.  Probably,  two  hundred  chim- 
neys in  various  parts  of  the  city  were  de- 
molished. The  porches  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Nickerson  House  were  badly  Avrecked, 
and  the  roof  of  the  upper  one  carried  off. 
At  Meriden  Station  the  C4erman  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  blown  down,  a  part 
of    the    steam    flouring-mill    unroofed  and 


the  depot  moved  half  a  foot.  The  house 
and  barn  of  "William  Abbe  were  blown  down, 
loss  about  $2,000.  Frank  Chambers'  barn  in 
Havana  blew  down,  killing  four  of  the  five 
horses  it  contained.  William  Gowdie's  new 
barn  was  blown  down.  The  east  end  of 
George  Chambers'  barn  was  unroofed.  Byron 
Holmes'  barn,  about  three  miles  southeast 
of  town,  was  demolished.  T.  H.  Frazer's 
granary  was  destroyed.  Levi  Morehouse's 
barn  was  partially  unroofed  and  Thomas 
Irving's  barn  blown  down.  Besides  these 
were  many  smaller  losses  scattered  over  the 
north  half  of  the  county.  But  the  most 
serious  calamity  was  the  effect  of  the  storm 
upon  the  passenger  train  on  the  Winona  & 
St.  Peter  Railroad,  then  due  at  Owatonna  at 
ll:-48.  Whilst  nearing  town  at  full  speed, 
the  coaches  were  caught  in  the  clutches  of 
the  wind  and  whirled  almost  over  and  over. 
The  baggage  car  turned  a  double  somerset 
and  landed  right  side  up.  The  rear  car  was 
well  filled  with  jiassengers  and  was  hurled 
over  and  dashed  against  a  stout  wire  post- 
fence.  It  is  almost  miraculous  that  none 
were  killed,  although  quite  a  number  sus- 
tained severe  injuries. 

On  the  30th  of  July,  Frederick  Punge,  of 
Havana,  was  run  over  by  his  heavy  lumber 
wagon,  on  which  there  was  a  load  of  lumber, 
and  soon  died  from  the  effects  of  his  in- 
juries. It  appears  that  he  had  got  off  the 
load  to  fix  something  when  the  team  made  a 
sudden  start,  throwing  him  down,  and  the 
wheels  passed  over  his  body. 

People's  Press,  August  17,  1883:  "Steele 
County  never  had  better  harvest  weather 
than  the  past  week  afforded.  The  crops  are 
remarkably  fine  and  the  farmers  are  jubilant." 

Mrs.  Harriet  Knowlton,  wife  of  C.  R. 
Knowlton,  died  of  paralysis  at  their  home  in 
Lemond  Township,  September  1.  She  was 
fifty-seven  years  of  age." 

On  Sunday,  the  8th  of  September,  1883, 
the  house  of  Mrs.  Smith,  in  Owatonna,  was 
entered  by  burglars,  and  the  inmates  robbed 
of  about  $150  in  cash  and  jewelry.    No  clues 


170 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


The  death  of  Cyrus  J.  Heynolds  occurred 
on  the  29th  of  September.  He  was  born 
in  "  Madrid,  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y., 
March  15,  1830.  He  removetl  to  Minnesota 
in  1862  and  from  that  time  until  his  deatli 
he  spent  most  of  the  time  in  Owatonna.  He 
was  widely  and  favorably  known  as  a  man 
of  integrity  and  an  upright  citizen. 

G.  G.  Oppliger  died  at  his  residence  in 
Owatonna  on  Wednesdaj%  October  10.  He 
was  a  man  whom  all  respected,  a  careful 
business  man,  and  his  death  was  a  loss  to 
the  community. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1883,  the  Bryant 
house,  about  three  miles  southwest  of  Owa- 
tonna, was  destroyed,  together  with  all  its 
contents,  by  fire;  insurance,  $600. 

It  was  stated  on  good  authority  that  the 
average  j'ield  of  the  southern  half  of  Steele 
County  in  1883  was  :  Wheat,  sixteen  bushels 
per  acre;  oats,  fifty-five  to  sixty. 

"William  Goudie,  of  Havana,  died  on  the 
20th  of  October.  He  was  born  in  A^^rshire, 
Scotland,  August  12,  1824.  When  seven- 
teen years  old,  he  commenced  his  apprentice- 
ship at  the  carpenter  and  joiner  trade.  At 
twenty-two  he  married,  and  five  years  lat- 
er, in  1851,  he  removed  to  America,  locat- 
ing at  Waukesha,  Wis.,  where  he  remained 
eight  years,  then  removing  to  Vernon, 
in  the  same  State.  In  1861  he  came  to 
Minnesota,  locating  in  the  township  where 
he  died. 

William  Jones,  a  highly  respected  resident 
of  Havana  Township,  died  on  the  23d  of 
October,  1883,  of  consumption. 

Matthew  P.  Hough  died  October  23, 1883. 
He  was  born  in  New  York  State  in  1795, 
and  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.  He 
was  the  father  of  B.  S.  Hough. 

The  blacksmith  shop  and  residence  of  F. 
A.  Stebbins,  at  Meriden,  were  entirely  de- 
stroyed by  tire  on  the  23d  of  October. 
Loss,  about  $1,000  ;  insurance,  $550. 

Robert  C.  McClintock  died  at  Owatonna 
on  the  Ith  of  November,  1883,  aged  fifty-six 
years. 


MAUKET   REPORT,    NOVEMBER  1,  1883. 

Wheat,  No.  2 |0  80 

Wheat,  No.  3 75 

Oats 35    to    30 

Corn  50    to    65 

Barley 50 

Potatoes 20    to    35 

Beans 2  50 

Butter 30 

Cheese 14 

Eggs  per  doz 30 

Hogs,  dressed,  per  hundred 4  50  to  5  00 

Hogs,  live,  per  hundred 3  50  to  3  00 

Wood,  drj',  soft,  per  cord 3  50 

Wood,  dry,  hard,  per  cord 5  00  to  5  50 

Wood,  green,  soft,  per  cord 3  50 

Wood,  green,  hard,  per  cord 4  00 

Cattle  on  foot,  per  hundred 2  50  to  3  00 

Hay,  per  ton 5  00 

Flour,  straight,  per  hundred 3  00 

Flour,  patent,  per  hundred 3  50 

Wool,  unwashed 18 

Wool,  fleece  washed 34 

Wool,  tub  washed 37 

A  serious  accident  occurred  early  in  De- 
cember, at  Owatonna,  by  which  Fred.  L. 
Burdick  nearh'  lost  his  life.  A  runaway 
team  was  the  cause. 

December  19  Charles  Early's  house,  just 
north  of  Owatonna,  was  burned  to  the 
ground. 

A  destructive  fire  occurred  at  Medford  on 
the  20tli  of  December,  1883,  destroying  five 
stores  and  a  doctor's  office.  The  losses  were 
as  follows :  Capt.  Heath,  building  and  pool 
table  ;  loss,  $1,000  ;  G.  H.  Butler,  stock,  loss, 
$550 ;  insurance,  $400  ;  A.  P.  Bryant,  drug 
store,  loss,  $800 ;  insurance,  $600 ;  J.  F. 
Curtis,  drug  store,  loss,  $1,500 ;  insurance, 
$1,000;  O.  Lee's  meat  market,  barber  shop, 
doctor's  office,  store  and  hall,  loss,  $2,800  ; 
insurance,  $1,350.  John  Bailey's  loss  was 
about  $1,000  on  store.  This  was  the  only 
fire  that  had  occurred  at  IVIedford  for  over 
twent}''  years,  except  the  burning  of  the 
flouring-mill. 

1884. 

January  5,  1884,  Dr.  Morehouse's  building 
at  Owatonna,  occupied  by  Bennett's  butter 
depot,  was  destro^'ed  by  fire.  Loss  about 
$900. 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COTJNTT. 


171 


On  the  18th  of  the  same  month  another 
fire  occurred  at  Owatonna,  which  destroyed 
several  buildings.  The  losses  were  as  follows : 
P.  Mallinger,  saloon,  residence,  stock,  etc., 
loss  $2,000;  insurance,  $800.  Ole  Hanson, 
owner  of  what  was  known  as  the  Thompson 
building,  loss  $1,000;  insurance,  $700;  James 
Thompson,  loss  on  stock  $500 ;  insurance, 
$1,100,  loss  on  household  goods,  $100. 

Elisha  Smith  died  of  consuniption  at 
Blooming  Prairie,  January,  25,  1884.  He 
was  born  in  Vermont  in  1809.  He  settled 
in  Bloomington,  Minn.,  in  May,  1855,  and  in 
1870  settled  at  Blooming  Prairie. 

John  Warren  died  at  Owatonna  in  Febru- 
ary, 1884:,  of  pneumonia. 

On  Saturday,  February  IC,  1884,  "William 
Davis  died  of  cancer.  He  came  to  this  coun- 
ty manj^  years  ago  and  was  one  of  the  pio- 
neers in  Meriden  Township,  where  he  had 
lived  for  some  twenty-five  years.  In  1882 
he  sold  the  old  homestead  and  moved  into 
Lemond  Township,  where  he  died. 

Patrick  Collins,  another  of  the  pioneers  of 
Meriden  Township,  died  February  5,  1884. 

Nathan  Sage  died  at  the  residence  of  his 
son-in-law,  Alanson  Holmes,  in  the  town  of 
Meriden,  February  23,  1884.  Mr.  Sage  was 
born  in  New  Berlin,  Chenango  County, 
N.  Y.,  October  11,  1800.  He  had  been  a 
resident  of  Steele  County  for  about  ten 
years,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and  was  well 
and  favorably  known. 

A  fatal  accident  occurred  on  the  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  Railroad  on  March  7,  1884, 
at  Owatonna.  A  brakeman  named  Elmer 
Tooke  fell  under  the  wheels  of  a  car  he  was 
coupling  and  was  horribly  mangled.  His 
left  leg  and  arm  were  so  badly  crushed  that 
the  bones  were  broken  into  short  pieces.  He 
was  taken  to  the  Nickerson  House,  where  he 
died  the  following  morning.  He  was  twenty- 
three  years  old,  and  his  relatives  lived  at 
Zumbrota,  Minn. 

Ambrose  Benjamin  Tiffany  died  of  old 
age  at  the  residence  of  his  son,  Oscar  Tiff- 
any, in  Owatonna,  March  31,  1884.   He  was 


born  in  Massachusetts,  January  31, 1811.  He 
moved  with  his  parents  to  Cicero,  N.  Y., 
where  he  lived  thirty-four  years,  removing 
to  Wisconsin  at  an  early  day.  He  came 
from  Wisconsin  to  Rice  Lake,  Minn.,  in  1855, 
where  he  kept  hotel  for  a  number  of  years 
and  prospered.  He  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers there,  and  on  his  arrival  found  about 
three  hundred  Indians  camped  on  its  shore. 

April  2, 1884,  burglars  effected  an  entrance 
into  the  residence  of  P.  Mallinger,  at  Owa- 
tonna, and  stole  $68  in  money.  Several 
other  houses  were  broken  into  the  same 
night. 

Thomas  Foster  died  at  his  residence  in 
Medford,  on  the  7th  of  April,  1884,  aged 
sixty-eight  years.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  in  that  neighborhood,  a  good  citizen 
and  respected  by  all. 

J.  H.  McDaniels  died  on  the  2d  of  April, 
1884,  at  his  home  in  Blooming  Prairie  Town- 
ship, of  paralysis.  He  was  about  sixty  years 
old. 

Dr.  R.  W.  Middaugh  died  among  his  rela- 
tives at  Waupun,  Wis.,  May  9,  at  the  ripe 
old  age  of  seventy-eight  years.  He  was  well 
known  in  Steele  County. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  the  dwelling  house  of 
William  Siewert,  in  Deerfield  Township,  was 
destroyed  by  fire.  He  had  a  light  insurance 
upon  the  property. 

Napoleon  Seai'l  died  at  his  residence  in 
Owatonna,  June  10,  1884.  lie  was  born  at 
Whitehall,  N.  Y.,  June  8,  1823,  and  lived 
in  New  York  State  until  1860,  when  he 
removed  from  Cattaraugus  County,  N.  Y.,to 
Owatonna.  He  was  burietl  witli  Oild  Fel- 
lows' honors. 

August  MoUenhauer  died  at  his  home  in 
Somerset  Township  on  the  21st  of  June,  1884, 
aged  sixty-two  years. 

On  the  28th  of  July,  1884,  (Manser's  brew- 
ery at  Owatonna  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
The  loss  was  estimated  at  between  $15,000 
and  $16,000 ;  insurance,  $7,000. 

SejJtember  3,  1884,  Cornelius  Hanson  was 
killed  by  lightning  while  plowing  in  Lemond 


172 


BISTORT    OF    STEELE    CODNTT. 


Township.  The  team  was  killed  and  the 
man's  clothing  was  almost  entirely  burned 
off  his  back.  Three  stacks  of  grain  which 
stood  near  by,  were  also  struck  and  burned 
to  the  ground. 

On  Friday  night,  September  12,  1881,  at 
Owatonna,  James  Jacobs  struck  Policeman, 
John  Blair  with  a  club,  from  the  effects  of 
which  he  died  the  following  day.  Jacobs  was 
tried,  convicted  and  sentenced  to  four  years 
in  the  penitentiary.     (See  chapter  XL) 

Rev.  T.  Ware  died  at  his  residence  in 
Owatonna  on  the  16th  of  September,  1881-, 
of  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  He  was  fifty- 
eight  years  old,  and  had  been  a  resident 
of  Minnesota  since  1861. 

Martin  L.  Blair  died  at  his  residence  in 
Owatonna,  October  9,  1884:.  He  was  born 
in  Massachusetts,  February  11,  1801.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity  and 
Avas  buried  by  them. 

Rev.  N.  Olson,  pastor  of  the  Norwegian 
Church  in  Owatonna,  died  October  15, 1881. 
He  was  seventy  years  of  age. 

A  fatal  accident  occurred  on  the  13th  of 
November,  1881.  Ciiris.  Behne,  of  Aurora, 
was  run  over  and  fatally  injured,  dying  fr-om 
the  effects  a  few  days  later.  It  appears  that 
Mr.  Behne  had  been  plowing  and,  having 
attached  his  team  to  the  lumber  wagon, 
started  home  for  dinner,  when  his  team, 
becoming  frightened,  ran  away,  throwing 
him  off,  and  the  wheels  passed  over  his  body 
with  the  above  result. 

George  Hart  died  at  the  residence  of  his 
son,  William  Hart,  in  Havana  Township, 
on  the  18th  of  December,  1884.  He  was 
eighty-seven  years  old.  Mr.  Hart  was  born 
in  Queen's  County,  Ireland.  He  had  been  a 
resident  of  Steele  County  for  almost  eight- 
een years.. 

December  21, 1884,  Gilljert  II.  Russell  died 
at  his  home,  in  Lemond  Township,  after  a 
painful  illness.  He  was  fiftj^  years  of 
age. 

In  November  of  this  year,  another  pres- 
idential election  occurred  ;  2,328  votes  were 


polled  in  Steele  County,  as  foUows :  James 
6.  Blaine,  Republican,  received  1,273  ;  Grover 
Cleveland,  Democrat,  1,006;  J.  P.  St.  John, 
Prohibition,  49. 

1885. 

H.  J.  Robinson  died  at  his  home  in  Owa- 
tonna, January  4,  aged  forty -one  years.  He 
had  lived  in  Lemond  Township  until  about 
one  year  before  his  death.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

In  January,  the  cheese  factory  at  Dodge 
City,  Steele  County,  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

On  the  25th  of  the  same  month  the  farm- 
house of  C.  F.  Ellis,  in  Aurora  Township,  was 
destroyed  by  fire  Neils  Ray  and  family, 
who  occupied  the  house,  narrowly  escaped 
with  their  lives,  and  Mr.  Ray  was  seriously 
burned. 

S.  E.  Preiser,  of  the  firm  of  Oppliger  & 
Preiser,  died  of  typhoid  fever  at  Owatonna, 
January  30.  He  was  born  in  Germany, 
January  1,  1859;  was  liberally  educated,  a 
fine  accountant,  and  a  good  business  man. 

On  the  11th  of  February,  a  fatal  accident 
occurred  at  Owatonna.  John  Labare  was 
caught  by  his  left  arm  on  a  belt  which  was 
revolvine:  on  a  horizontal  shaft  in  the  machine 
shop  of  Howe  &  Co.,  and  received  injuries 
from  which  he  died  in  about  one  hour. 

George  Parsons  died  in  Clinton  Township, 
February  14,  1885,  aged  seventy-nine  3'ears. 
He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county. 

Samuel  M.  Ring  died  in  Medford,  Minn., 
February  18,  1885.  He  was  born  in  Salis- 
bury, Mass.,  February  28,  1806.  In  1831  he 
married  Lois  W.  Pike,  who  with  four  sons 
and  three  daughters  were  alive  at  the  time 
of  his  death- — one  son  and  one  daughter  be- 
ing dead.  About  the  year  1845,  Mr.  Ring 
removed  with  his  family  to  Chelsea,  Me., 
where  he  resided  until  1856,  when  he  came 
to  ]\Iedford,  and  made  a  home  upon  the  farm 
where  he  died. 

J.  S.  Hamblin,  of  Havana  Township,  died 
on  the  11th  of  March,  1885,  of  heart  disease. 
Mr.  Hamblin  was  born  in  Addison  County, 
Vt.,  and  was  sixty-eight  years  old  at  the  time 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   CODNTT. 


173 


of  his  death.      He  had  been  a  resident  of 
Steele  County  for  about  seventeen  years. 

On  the  13th  of  May,  1885,  a  terrible  calam- 
ity befell  Henrj'-  Lewison,  who  then  lived 
one  mile  north  of  Aurora  station.  His 
house  was  burned  down  about  midnight  and 
the  following  children  were  burned  to  death  : 
Hans,  aged  seventeen  years ;  Lewis,  aged 
fifteen;  Barbara,  aged  nine;  Berent,  aged 
seven,  and  Samuel,  aged  four.  It  appears 
that  they  were  all  sleeping  up  stairs,  and 
hearing  a  noise  and  crackling  of  flames  be- 
low, Mr.  Lewison  and  wife,  hired  man  and 
the  boy  aged  ten  years  went  down  carrying 
the  baby.  Mrs.  Lewison  was  burned  on  the 
face  and  hands,  but  not  seriously.  When 
they  got  down  they  found  the  kitchen  part 
entirely  burned  down,  and  the  stairs  by 
which  they  escaped  were  immediately  en- 
veloped in  flames.  Their  household  goods 
were  all  burned.  There  was  no  insurance 
on  the  property. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1885,  Mrs.  J.  J. 
Guthrie,  wife  of  the  station  agent  at  Auro- 
ra, gave  birth  to  three  living  children  —  all 
girls.  The  first  child  weighed  7|  pounds, 
the  other  two  each  li  pounds  respectively, 
their  aggregate  weight  being  22f  pounds. 
Prior  to  their  birth  Mrs.  Guthrie  weighed 
155  pounds,  after  their  birth  95  pounds. 
Lnmediately  after  the  birth  of  the  last  child 
the  mother  went  into  a  condition  of  pro- 
found colla])se,  from  the  sudden  removal  of 
so  great  a  bulk  from  the  abdomen  and  con- 
sequent diminution  in  the  blood  pressure. 
This  tendenc}^  to  collapse  continued  for  four- 
teen hours,  and  it  was  only  by  constant  and 
continued  attention  that  death  was  averted. 
At  the  present  time  these  three  little  girls 
are  all  in  a  thriving  condition.  Their  respect- 
ive names  are  Mary  Kegina,  Catherine 
Derina  and  Winnefred  Lavina  Guthrie.  Dr. 
T.  L.  Hatch,  of  Owatonna,  was  the  attend- 
ing physician.  He  also  attended  Mrs.  Wenzel 
Boucker,  at  Blooming  Prairie,  on  the  20th  of 
October,  1878,  when  she  gave  birth  to  three 
boys,  weigliing  about  three  pounds  apiece. 


On  the  4th  of  July,  1885,  three  boys  were 
drowned  in  the  Straight  River  at  Owatonna. 
The  boys'  names  were :  Milton  Rhodes, 
adopted  son  of  Lysander  House ;  Albert 
Lutgens,  son  of  Henry  Lutgens,  of  Meriden, 
and  Edward  Erickson. 

Early  in  Jul}',  1885,  John  Statler,  a 
twelve-year-old  son  of  Nicholas  Statler,  of 
Deerfield,  was  killed  b}'  lightning. 

R.  A.  Stoughton  died  of  consumption  at 
his  home  in  Owatonna,  September  19,  1885. 
His  death  was  mourned  by  a  large  circle, 
and  the  community  lost  an  upright  and 
honoi'able  citizen. 

On  the  1st  of  October,  1885,  an  accident 
occurred  about  a  mile  northeast  of  Owa- 
tonna, by  which  John  Larson  lost  his  life. 
He  fell  from  a  wagon  and  received  injuries 
from  which  he  died. 

S.  M.  Hastings  died  of  old  age  at  the  resi- 
dence of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  S.  H.  Stowers, 
on  the  17th  of  October,  1885.  He  had  been 
in  feeble  health  for  several  years. 

John  Fritze,  of  Havana  Township,  died 
on  the  2oth  of  October,  1885,  of  heart  dis- 
ease. He  was  sixty-seven  years  old,  and 
the  father  of  a  large  family. 

MARKET  HEroRT,  isio\t:eber  1,  1885. 

Wheat,   per  bushel $  71 

Oats,  per  bushel 20 

Corn,  per  bushel 3.5 

Barley,  per  bushel 30     to  40 

Potatoes,  per  bushel 35     to  30 

Beans,  per  bushel 1  00  to  1  25 

Butter,  per  pound 15 

Cheese,  per  pound 12^ 

Eggs,  per  doz 17 

Hogs,  dressed,  per  hundred 4  00 

Hogs,  live,  per  hundred 3  00 

Wood,  dry,  soft,  per  cord 3  50  to  4  00 

Wood,  hard,  oer  cord 4  75  to  5  50 

Wood,  green,  soft,  per  cord 3  50  to  4  00 

Wood,  green,  hard,  per  cord 2  75  to  3  00 

Cattle,  on  foot,  per  hundred 3  00 

Hay,  per  ton 5  00 

Flour,  straight,  per  hundred 2  40 

Flour,  patent,  per  hundred 2  80 

Sheep,  per  pound 03     to02K 

Wool,  unwashed 12     to  15 

Wool,  tleece  washed 18     to  18 

Wool,  tub  washed 20     to  30 


174 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


Andrew  Erdraann  died  at  his  home  in 
Havana  Township,  on  the  5th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1885,  after  an  iUness  extending  over  a 
period  of  two  years.  Mr.  Erdmann  was  born 
at  Strocewo,  Posen,  Prussia,  May  12,  1837. 
He  attended  school  from  the  age  of  six  to 
fourteen  ;  was  then  a  farm  laborer  for  about 
four  3^ears,  after  which  he  came  to  Beaver 
Dam,  Wis.,  in  1855.  When  the  Civil  War 
broke  out  he  enlisted  on  the  Union  side,  but 
was  soon  afterward  discharged  for  failing 
health,  and  later  came  to  Steele  County.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners for  several  years. 

Natlian  K.  Hill  died  of  heart  disease  at 
the  residence  of  his  son,  J.  H.  Hill,  in  Ha- 
vana Townsliij),  on  the  lOth  of  November, 
1885.  He  was  born  in  Westbrook,  Conn., 
July  28,  1814,  and  came  to  Steele  County 
in  1874. 

1886. 

On  Thursdaj',  February  4,  Mr.  Joseph 
Waurin,  of  Merton,  committed  suicide  by 
hanging  himself.  Mr.  Waurin  had  been 
more  or  less  troubled  with  dyspepsia  for 
about  eight  years,  and  it  is  thought  he  took 
this  means  of  ending  his  misery.  He  was  a 
man  in  good  circumstances  and  iiighly  re- 
spected. 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Hill  died  February  12, 1886. 
Mrs.  Hill  was  born  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  October  11,  1811.  She  was  mar- 
ried in  1839  to  Mr.  Wm.  Hill,  wiio  survives 
her. 

,0n  Thursday,  July  8, 1886,  a  terrible  acci- 
dent took  place  in  Medford  Township.  It 
ap])ears  that  Mr.  P.  J.  Webber  was  mowing 
grass,  and  his  two  little  children  followed 
him  for  awhile,  but  finally  disappeared.  Mr. 
Webber  inferred  that  thej^  had  gone  home, 
but  instead  of  that  they  were  in  tiie  tall  grass. 
Pie  drove  along,  not  knowing  that  they  were 
in  so  close  proximity,  and  as  little  Eva,  a 
a  four-year-old  girl,  stood  in  the  way  of  the 
siclvle,  both  of  her  feet  were  cut  off. 

In  Lemond,  Saturday,  March  20,  1886,  Mr. 
August  Jerger  died  at  his  residence,  aged 


sixty-three  years.     Mr.  Jerger  was  a  man 
highh^  respected  bj'  all. 

Died  in  Owatonna,  on  Sunday,  August  29, 
1886,  Mr.  J.  B.  Jensen,  aged  sixty  years.  He 
had  formerly  lived  in  Meriden  Township. 

On  Friday  morning,  September  3,  1886, 
Mrs.  liuth  Ann  Partridge,  aged  about  sixtj'- 
five  years,  died  at  the  residence  of  her  son- 
in-law,  Mr.  Kobert  Lennon. 

Died  of  old  age,  at  his  home,  in  Meriden, 
on  Friday,  September  17,  1886,  Hon.  H.  D. 
Lewis,  aged  eightj'-five  years,  six  months  and 
two  days. 

Joseph  Sawyer  died  of  old  age  on  Septem- 
ber 20,  1886,  at  tlie  home  of  his  son,  J.  A. 
Sawyer,  in  Owatonna,  aged  eighty-four  years 
seven  months  and  eighteen  days.  The  de- 
ceased was  born  February  21,  1802,  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  was  one  of  the  oldest 
men  in  Steele  County.  He  settled  in  Steele 
County  early  in  the  summer  of  1856,  and 
through  all  these  years  had  held  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  friends  and 
acquaintances. 

Mr.  Dennis  Dugan  died  in  Owatonna, 
Friday,  October  15,1886,  of  old  age.  Mr. 
Dugan  was  an  old  settler  in  Steele  County, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  ninety 
years  old. 

J.  D.  Holden,  of  Owatonna,  died  on  Thurs- 
day, November  IS,  1886.  Mr.  Hoklen 
was  born  in  New  Hampshire  and  was  near 
fifty-eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  lie  came  to  Owatonna  in  1859  and 
had  always  taken  a  prominent  part  in  public 
matters.  He  was  an  estimable  citizen  and 
liis  death  was  sincerely  regretted  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends. 

On  December  26,  1886,  Thomas  Lee 
stabbed  and  severely  wounded  John  Buttle- 
son  in  the  thigh.  His  face  was  also  badly 
cut.     Lee  was  arrested. 

On  Saturday,  December  26,  1886,  Mrs. 
Ellen  Casidy,  aged  twenty-one  j^ears,  died 
at  her  residence  in  Summit  Township. 

The  Owatonna  Packing  House  was  built 
in  1886. 


/^^^-^it/ > 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


177 


1887. 

Z.  Henderson  died  at  his  home  in  Thojnas- 
town,  Wadena  County,  Minn.,  January  12, 
1887,  aged  seventy-three  years,  two  months 
and  nineteen  days.  The  deceased  was  born 
in  Massachusetts,  October  24, 1883.  During 
his  younger  days  he  Hved  in  the  East,  and  a 
portion  of  the  time  in  Ohio.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  March,  18il,  to  Miss  Carohne  Myr- 
rick.  In  1863  he  was  a  member  of  the  lower 
branch  of  the  Vth  Legislature  from  Roch- 
ester, Minn.  Later  he  moved  to  Steele 
County  and  lived  there  until  1877,  when  he 
moved  to  Wadena  County,  Minn. 

M.  A.  Fredenburg  died  on  Tuesday, 
March  29,  1887,  of  malignant  erysipelas, 
aged  sixty  years.  He  was  born  in  Schoha- 
rie County,  N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1826,  settled  in 
Owatonna  in  1874,  and  a  few  years  later  be- 
came maj^or  of  the  city.  Mr.  Fredenburg  was 
one  of  those  quiet,  self-possessed,  irreproacha- 
ble men  who  always  win  the  respect  of  all. 


A  fatal  accident  occurred  in  Owatonna 
Tuesday  evening,  April  19,  1887.  Mr. 
Kuchenbecker,  of  Meriden,  in  company 
with  Reuben  Grubich  and  Geo  Karth,  were 
starting  home,  and  when  between  Soper's 
wheat  warehouse  and  H.  M.  Hastings  & 
Co.'s  flouring-mill,  the  tongue  dropped 
down,  frightening  the  team,  which  ran 
away,  upsetting  the  wagon.  Reuben  Gru- 
bick  was  killed;  the  others  were  seriously 
injured  but  net  fatally. 

In  June  the  corner-stone  of  the  State 
school  was  laid  at  Owatonna,  the  ceremo- 
nies being  attended  by  a  large  concourse  of 
people,  including  many  of  the  most  promi- 
nent men  of  the  State. 

Early  in  October  the  elevator  of  the  Wi- 
nona Mill  Company  at  Owatonna,  together 
with  a  large  amount  of  grain,  was  destroyed 
by  fire.  It  was  said  to  have  been  the  largest 
elevator  on  the  Northwestern  Railroad  west 
of  Winona. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


THE  CITY   OF  OWATONNA. 


N  the  banks  of  Straight  River,  a 
little  over  three  miles  north  of 
the  geographical  center  of  Steele 
County,  is  located  the  city  of 
Owatonna.  Its  location  is  among 
the  most  beautiful,  and  its  sur- 
roundings among  the  most  pleas- 
ant of  any  of  Minnesota's  mau}^ 
beautiful  cities.  Nature  seeming- 
ly designed  this  spot  for  the  site 
of  a  city,  with  the  broad  table-land  adjoining 
the  clear,  sparkling  stream,  and  bounded  by 
the  range  of  hills  on  each  side.  The  change 
from  the  primitive  to  the  developed  state  has 
been  constant  and  rapid,  as  it  has  been  but 
a  third  of  a  century  since  the  idea  of  build- 
ing a  city  here  was  first  conceived;  but 
u 


it  has  been  one  continual  change  from  the 
moment  of  its  origin,  until  Owatonna  of  to- 
day stands  forth,  one  of  the  brightest  in  the 
diadem  of  "  Minnesota  Cities."  To  those  who 
have  watched  its  progress  from  its  earliest 
origin  until  the  present  time,  the  accom- 
plished results  of  bygone  years  seem  like  an 
Herculean  task,  and  there  is  much  that  can- 
not fail  to  be  of  interest  to  those  who  have 
been  connected  and  identified  with  the  city 
in  all  the  various  changes  that  have  occurred 
from  year  to  year. 

Endowed  with  many  natural  advantages, 
aided  by  the  strong  arm  of  an  enterprising 
husbandry,  Steele  County  has  assumed  a 
position  among  the  best  and  wealthier  of  her 
sister  counties  throughout  the  State;   and 


178 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


Owatonna,  as  the  first  town  within  her 
boundaries,  has  kept  jiace  with  the  improve- 
ment and  advancement  of  the  country  by 
which  it  is  surrounded.  The  city  is  well  laid 
out.  There  are  many  substantial  brick  blocks 
to  be  seen  upon  the  business  thoroughfares, 
and  a  stroll  through  the  city  discloses  many 
handsome  and  costly  dwellings.  An  abund- 
ance of  shade  trees  adoi-n  the  streets,  which 
in  summer  add  greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the 
place.  The  location  is  exceedingly  healthy, 
the  inhabitants  are  an  educated  and  intel- 
ligent class,  and  society  is  of  the  most  refined 
and  desirable  character. 

No  locality  could  present  more  favorable 
opportunities  for  the  employment  of  capital 
in  industrial  or  manufacturing  enterprises. 
Situated  at  the  junction  of  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  and  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  railways  —  two  of  the  most 
important  thoroughfares  of  the  country  —  it 
is  possessed  of  the  most  desirable  shipping 
facilities. 

At  the  present  writing  the  city  has  a  pop- 
ulation of  about  3,500.  The  name  grew  from 
an  Indian  word,  "  Wootcmna,^'  signifying, 
straight.  The  latter  name  had  already  been 
applied  to  the  river  when  the  first  settlement 
was  made  here,  the  river  being  given  the 
English,  and  the  city  the  Indian  title,  both, 
however,  meaning  the  same. 

THE    BEGINNING. 

The  first  settlement  on  the  present  site  of 
the  city  of  Owatonna  was  made  by  William 
F.  Pettit  and  A.  B.  Cornell  in  the  summer 
of  1854.  About  the  middle  of  May,  of  that 
year,  William  F.  Pettit,  George  F.  Pettit, 
A.  B.  Cornell  and  F.  Wilbur  Fisk  left  Spar- 
ta, Wis.,  for  a  visit  to  the  far-famed  prairies 
of  Minnesota.  George  F.  Pettit  had  been  at 
Faribault  some  time  previous,  and  made  such 
a  glowing  report  of  the  country  that  those 
who  had  families  took  them  along,  deter- 
mined to  make  their  homes  on  the  sunset  side 
of  the  Mississippi.  Seven  wagon-loads  of  peo- 
ple,   furniture,    supplies,  etc.,  set    out,  and 


were  four  weeks  in  reaching  Faribault — a 
long  journey,  attended  with  toil,  discomfort 
and  fatigue,  and  one  that  none  but  strong 
brave  hearts  would  undertake  and  success- 
fully accomplish.  George  F.  Pettit  settled 
at  Faribault,  F.  W.  Fisk  on  East  Pi'airie, 
and  William  F.  Pettit  and  A.  B.  Cornell 
located  on  the  present  site  of  the  city  of 
Owatonna.  Mr.  Cornell  made  his  claim  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river  and  Mr.  Pettit  on 
the  west.  Cornell  built  a  somewhat  prim- 
itive dwelling,  which  was  constructed  of 
poles  covered  with  prairie  grass,  but  it  was 
sufficient  to  protect  them  from  the  storm 
and  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun,  and  they 
were  all  contented  to  wait  patiently  till 
a  more  commodious  house  could  be  erected. 
This  was  the  first  residence  and  the  first 
building  erected  within  what  is  now  the  city 
limits.  Mr.  Cornell  soon  commenced  putting 
up  a  log  house,  just  north  of  where  the 
bridge  now  stands,  and  had  the  logs  raised 
ready  to  put  up  on  the  roof,  when  he  sold 
his  claim  to  Mr.  Pettit,  who  had,  in  the 
meantime,  disposed  of  his  own  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river  to  a  Mr.  Crehore.  Some 
time  in  August,  Mr.  Pettit  had  contracted 
with  Mr.  Cornell  to  build  a  house  for  him, 
similar  to  the  one  he  was  building  for  him- 
self, but  when  he  purchased  Cornell's  claim 
the  contract  was  annulled  and  another  made 
that  he  could  finish  the  one. already  com- 
menced. We  give  the  contract  in  full,  as  it 
is  probably  the  first  ever  made  in  the  coun- 
ty.    It  is  as  follows  : 

"It  is  hereby  agreed  by  and  between  W. 
F.  Pettit  and  A.  B.  Cornell,  that  A.  B.  Cor- 
nell shall,  previous  to  the  twentieth  day  of 
October  next,  build  for  said  Pettit  a  log 
dwelling  house  on  the  foundation  said  Pettit 
has  already  commenced ;  saitl  house  to  be  22 
feet  long  and  18  feet  wide ;  puncheon  floor 
below,  two  doors  and  five  windows,  shingled 
roof,  logs  hewn  inside  up  to  beams  and  mud- 
ded  on  the  outside ;  also,  a  cellar  14x18 
feet,  dug  so  as  to  be  6  feet  from  bottom  to 
sleepei's ;    said  house  to  be  one  and  a  half 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COTTNTT. 


179 


stories  high  and  put  up  similar  to  said  Cor- 
nell's, and  the  said  Pettit  is  to  furnish  all 
nails,  glass,  sash  putty  and  lumber  for  doors 
and  the  upper  floor  so  as  not  to  delay  said 
job  and  to  pay  for  said  building  $75. 

"W.F.  Pettit, 

"  A.  B,  COENELL." 

"August  3,  1854." 

These  movements  gave  a  material  start  to 
the  growth  of  the  embryo  city.  The  first 
track  made  across  the  prairies  is  the  pioneer 
of  civilization,  and  the  forerunner  generally 
of  a  crowd  of  immigration,  and  this  was  no 
exception  to  the  general  rule.  .  Otliers  fol- 
lowed the  lead  of  Messrs.  Pettit  and  Cornell 
and  several  houses  were  built  that  fall  (1851). 
lion.  G.  "W.  Green,  of  Beaver  Dam,  Wis., 
commenced  the  erection  of  a  house  which 
was  raised  on  the  2d  of  October,  all  the  set- 
tlers in  the  vicinity  assisting.  Interesting 
articles,  Avritten  by  both  Judge  Green  and 
A.  B.  Cornell,  and  giving  a  detailed  account 
of  the  experiences  of  each  will  be  found  in 
Chapter  XV.  In  the  winter  following,  of 
1854-5,  J.  W.  Park  and  S.  B.  Smith  erected 
a  log  cabin  near  where  the  railroad  tracks 
are  now  located. 

These  were  dreary,  lonesome  days  to  the 
settlers ;  far  from  friends,  marts  and  posts  of 
trade,  with  no  one  save  themselves  to  com- 
mune with,  their  lives  must,  indeed,  have  been 
"  hermit-like."  Sometimes,  too,  a  little  fear  of 
what  the  Indians  might  do,  crept  into  their 
minds  to  disturb  their  tranquillity,  j'et  the 
Indians  were  at  peace  with  the  whites,  and 
at  that  time  considered  them  their  best 
friends.  But  at  times  circumstances  would 
occur  to  arouse  the  suspicions  of  the  people 
to  a  high  pitch.  The  following  instance  of 
this  was  related  to  the  historian  :  The  first 
year  of  the  settlement  (1854)  all  the  provi- 
sions and  supplies  of  all  kinds  were  brought 
from  St.  Paul,  and  at  one  time  Mr.  Cornell 
went  with  his  team  to  that  town  to  bring  a 
load  of  provisions,  etc.,  and  was  absent  about 
a  week,  leaving  Mrs.  Cornell  with  only  her 
children  and  a  boy  to  keep  her  company. 


During  his  absence  a  party  of  Indians,  a 
hundred  or  more,  encamped  for  a  time  near 
Mr.  Cornell's  shantj'.  Yet  they  were  very 
respectful  and  civil  to  the  white  lady,  and  did 
not  venture  into  her  house.  One  evening  they 
gathered  material  and  lighted  huge  bonfires 
a  little  back  of  the  shanty,  and  commenced 
an  Indian  dance  with  all  its  wild  accompani- 
ments of  songs  and  shouts,  making  night 
hideous  with  their  antics  and  bowlings.  Just 
at  this  time  Mr.  Cornell,  with  his  load 
reached  the  hill  about  two  miles  north  of  the 
town,  and,  as  he  gained  the  summit,  he  saw 
the  flames  of  the  fires,  and  the  dusky  red- 
skins dancing  in  the  lurid  glare  of  light. 
His  wife  and  children !  Had  they  become 
victims  to  the  savage  thirst  for  blood  ?  The 
thought  came  crashing  through  his  brain 
with  the  rapidity  of  lightning.  He  did  not 
stop  long  to  gaze,  but,  unhitching  his  team, 
he  stripped  the  harness  from  the  fleetest 
horse,  and  mounting  him,  rode  at  the  top  of 
his  speed,  resolved  to  know  the  worst  and 
save  his  loved  ones  or  perish  with  them. 
Eeaching  the  ford,  his  ej'es  were  made  glad 
at  seeing  his  wife  on  the  opposite  bank 
awaiting  his  return,  who  assured  him  that  all 
were  well  and  glad  to  see  him  return  as  safe 
as  they  were.  Thankful  that  he  was  the 
only  one  victimized,  Mr.  Cornell  returned 
and  got  his  load  of  provisions. 

When  spring  opened,  in  1855,  the  settle- 
ment continued  rapidly.  During  the  spring 
and  early  summer  the  following  named  all 
came,  many  accompanied  by  their  families : 
Addison  Phelps,  Nelson  Morehouse,  B.  L. 
Arnold,  Joel  Wilson,  Dexter  Carlton,  Parker 
Carlton,  Alson  Selleck,  IST.  Winship,  John 
Wilcox,  two  Schimeks,  David  Lindersmith, 
Leonard  and  Simeon  Case,  Bazil  Meek,  Obed 
Gaines,  Miner  Prisby,  Adolphus  Town,  Philo 
Sanford,  Charles  Ellison,  John  H.  and  Ezra 
Abbott,  C.  G.  Hayes,  John  Moon  and  Mr. 
Ward.  Possibly  there  were  a  few  others. 
All  of  these  parties  settled  within  a  radius 
of  a  mile  or  two  of  the  present  center  of  the 
city.     Many  at  once  erected  cabins,  while 


ISO 


HISTORY   OP   STEELE   COUNTY. 


others  selected  claims  and  returned  for  their 
families.  The  only  sign  of  business  here 
w-as  at  the  residence  of  A.  B.  Cornell,  where 
the  traveling  public  was  fed  and  lodged. 
Early  in  May  of  this  year  (1855)  Smith  & 
Park  began  keeping  a  few  groceries  and  pro- 
visions at  their  cabin  near  the  present  railway 
depots.  About  the  first  of  July,  N.  Winship 
commenced  hauling  logs  for  his  hotel.  They 
iiKjved  into  it  on  the  -tth  of  August,  and  it 
was  opened  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
traveling  public.  Tliis  was  the  first  hotel 
erected  here,  and,  in  fact,  was  the  first  build- 
ing upon  what  was  tiien  the  village  plat.  In 
later  years,  however,  the  plat  has  extended 
so  as  to  take  in  the  site  of  Cornell's  first 
cabin.  In  September,  1855,  John  Sweat  put 
up  a  little  cabin  and  opened  a  blacksmitli 
shop  near  where  Deeg's  wagon  shop  now 
stands.  Later  he  sold  to  Joel  Wilson,  and  left. 
In  October,  1855,  J.  W.  Park  and  S.  B.  Smith 
erected  a  log  house  just  north  of  the  Win- 
ship  House,  on  Oak  street,  and  filled  it  with 
a  stock  of  goods  which  proved  of  great  con- 
venience to  the  pioneers.  Quite  a  number 
of  young  men  came  this  year,  who  only  re- 
mained a  short  time. 

In  the  summer  of  1855  Mr.  Pettit  sold  his 
claim  to  John  11.  Abbott,  and  soon  afterward 
bought  an  undivided  half  of  Mr.  Cornell's 
claim  lying  immediately  south  of  the  one 
just  sold.  All  hands  at  once  went  to  work 
to  buikl  up  a  first-class  town.  Koads  and 
bridges,  for  the  purpose  of  communication 
with  other  sections  of  the  country,  were  the 
first  things  to  be  attended  to,  and  with  will- 
ino-  hearts  and  stout  hands  they  went  to 
work  and  opened  up  the  roads,  bridged  the 
sluices  and  water  courses,  and  soon  had  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  at  least  an 
important  thoroughfare  was  opened  through 
their  town.  Mr.  Cornell,  with  true  western 
energy  and  perseverance,  built  a  bridge 
across  the  Straight  Rivei-  and  travel  was 
seemingly  nearly  constant.  Not  unfre- 
quently  were  there  from  twenty  to  tliirty  or 
forty  emigrant  teams  in  the  streets  at  the 


same  time.  Business  flourished.  Every  set- 
tler whose  house  was  large  enough  to  accom- 
modate more  than  his  own  family  had  aU  the 
spare  room  occupied  with  strangers  and  those 
seeking  homes.  Cornell,  also,  made  several 
extended  trips  in  advertising  this  local- 
ity. A  village  was  platted,  streets  and  lots 
marked  out  and  speculation  in  city  property 
was  very  active.  In  the  autumn  of  1855  the 
county  was  organized  and  Owatonna  was 
made  the  county-seat.  A  postoifice  was 
opened  this  fall ;  mail  routes  were  estab- 
lislied  and  stages  were  shortly  afterward  put 
on.  In  September  Mr.  Cornell  and  John  H. 
Abbott  laid  out  the  town  site,  comprising 
about  120  acres  — about  sixt}'  acres  on  each 
of  their  claims.  In  November  they  went  to 
Winona  and  preempted  the  land,  and  on  the 
26tii  of  December,  1855,  filed  the  town  plats 
in  tlie  office  of  Charles  Ellison,  register  of 
deeds.  A  very  I'espectable  log  schoolhouse 
was  also  built  this  fall,  thougii  the  first 
school  had  already  been  taught.  The  old 
log  schoolhouse  performed  a  somewhat  im- 
portant ])art  in  the  early  history  of  the 
place.  Schools  were  held  in  it  during  all 
school  terms ;  each  of  the  denominations 
used  it  in  turn  as  a  house  of  worship.  All 
the  political  meetings  and  elections  were 
held  there ;  singing  schools,  lyceums  and 
prayer-meetings  occupied  the  evenings,  so 
that  it  was  kept  in  almost  constant  use  until 
it  was  removed  and  torn  down.  The  town 
projjrietoi's  donated  about  fort}'  lots  to  tliose 
who  would  erect  substantial  and  useful  build- 
ings. During  this  summer  (1855).  Mr.  Pettit 
l)ui]t  the  first  frame  house  in  the  county,  on 
the  hill  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city.  He 
was  obliged  to  haul  part  of  the  i)ine  lumber 
from  Bed  Wing,  with  which  to  complete  the 
house,  which  cost  $107  per  thousand,  and  the 
roof  boards,  procured  at  Faribault,  cost  $60 
per  thousand.  Such  were  the  disadvantages 
under  which  the  pioneers  had  to  labor. 

With  1856  came  renewed  activity  in  a  busi- 
ness waj'  as  well  as  in  emigi-ation,  and  the 
little  settlement  on  Straight  River  increased 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE  COUNTY. 


181 


rapidly.  The  winter  had  been  a  severe  one, 
but  had  not  depressed  the  spirits  of  the  col- 
onists. In  April  of  this  year  Messrs.  Pettit, 
Abbott  and  Cornell  bought  of  Park  &  Smith 
five  hundred  acres  of  land  lying  on  the  north 
side  of  the  town  for  $8,000.  This  was  after- 
ward known  as  the  "  Five  Hundred  Acre 
Tract."  Early  this  year  B.  L.  Arnold  put  up 
the  Eureka  House,  the  first  frame  hotel 
erected  in  the  county.  Philo  Sanford  during 
the  same  summer  and  fall  put  up  what  was 
then  called  the  American  House  —  now  the 
Central.  Elder  Town,  who  had  bought  out 
Smith  &  Park,  erected  a  small  building  on 
Bridge  street  —  nearly  opposite  Hunnewill's 
hardware  store  —  and  moved  his  goods  into 
it.  Nathaniel  "Winship  built  an  addition  to 
his  hotel.  John  Dingman  came  and  put  up 
a  building  near  where  Rosebrock's  furniture 
store  is  now  located,  and  J.  W.  Morford,  who 
arrived  at  about  the  same  time,  opened  a 
stock  of  goods  in  it.  A  hardware  stock  was 
established  by  a  couple  of  young  men  who, 
after  a  few  weeks,  sold  to  E.  Y.  Ilunnewill. 
Business  took  long  strides  forward.  In  July 
of  this  year  J.  W.  Morford  and  John  Odell 
opened  a  store  on  Bridge  street,  and  some- 
what later  in  the  season  Dr.  Harsha  and 
Judge  Donaldson  a  drug  and  general  provi- 
sion store.  Potwin  &  Stoughton  —  A.  N. 
Stoughton  and  Geo.  Potwin  —  opened  busi- 
ness on  Main  street,  in  a  building  which  stood 
where  the  jail  now  is  located.  J.  B.  Crooker 
came  this  year  and  a  few  years  later  opened 
a  general  store.  Among  those  who  came 
were  M.  A.  Dailey,  H.  M.  Sheetz,  Willard 
Wheaton,  Harvej''  Beardsley,  Joseph  Web- 
ster, James  Moore,  George  Oulton,  Eev.  II. 
Chapin,  D.  Potwin,  the  Odells  and  others. 

During  this  year  (1856)  Town  &  Buroh 
(Loren  Town  and  J.  W.  Burch)  were  engaged 
in  the  general  merchandise  trade.  In  the 
following  year  Mr.  Burch  sold  his  intei'est  to 
A.  Town,  who  afterwai'd  secured  the  whole 
business  and  finally  closed  out  the  stock. 

In  the  spring  of  the  same  year  (1856)  Ezra 
Abbott,  J.  W.  Park  and  S.  B.  Smith  brought 


a  steam  sawmill  from  Walcott,  where  it  had 
been  in  operation  for  a  year  or  so,  and  this 
was  set  up  just  north  of  the  bridge  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river.  Building  operations 
were  greatly  accelerated.  The  common  lum- 
ber for  most  of  the  new  buildings  was  manu- 
factured by  it.  This  mill  was  in  operation 
here  for  about  three  years,  Mr.  Abbott  in  the 
meantime  having  purchased  his  partners'  in- 
terests, and  it  was  then  sold  and  removed  to 
Faribault. 

In  the  fall  of  1856  Nelson  Morehouse 
erected  a  building  and  put  a  sawmill  into 
operation  on  the  water-power  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river.  He  operated  this  for  a 
munber  of  years,  and  it  was  finally  remodeled 
into  a  flouring-mill.  A  live  western  news- 
paper was  established  in  1856  that  did  much 
toward  making  known  to  the  outside  world 
Steele  County's  advantages.  During  the 
same  summer  Melbourne  Burr  opened  a  cab- 
inet shop  in  a  building  near  where  the  Epis- 
copal Church  is  now  located. 

In  1857  the  growth  was  not  so  rapid  as  it 
had  been  the  preceding  year ;  consideralile 
railway  agitation  was  had,  although  not 
more  than  had  been  the  case  in  1856.  Dur- 
ing this  year  (1S57)  G.  W.  True  and  Mr. 
Potwin  brought  a  sawmill  here  from  Mount 
Vernon,  Ohio,  a  bonus  being  raised  to  secure 
it.  The  mill  came  in  the  name  of  True, 
although  Pettit  and  Abbott  were  interested 
in  it.  It  was  set  up  just  west  of  the  Win- 
ship  House.  Machinery  for  a  gristmill  was 
also  brought  here,  although  this  was  never 
set  up.  The  sawmill  was  run  for  several 
years  and  it  was  finally  removed  to  Morris- 
town. 

In  1857,  the  first  millinery  store  was 
started  by  Mrs.  Lambert,  in  a  building 
where  the  Brooks  bakery  is  now  located. 
Mrs.  Magoon  also  started  a  millinery  estab- 
lishment at  an  early  day. 

N.  Squires  established  a  meat-market  this 
year.  William  Wadsworth  started  a  jewelry 
store  on  Main  street  where  the  jail  is  now 
located.     The  Sherwood  brothers  opened  a 


182 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


saloon.  Mr.  Coburn  started  a  general  store, 
trusted  the  railway  contractors  and  it  soon 
ended  in  bankruptcy'. 

In  1858  and  1859  the  financial  depression 
which  had  commenced  with  1857  was  se- 
verely felt  here.  Business  development  was 
at  a  standstill.  Money  was  very  close ;  pa- 
per money  was  almost  worthless  and  every- 
one demanded  gold  or  silver.  The  bank 
issue,  based  upon  railway  securities,  also 
hurt  this  country  sadly,  and  it  is  a  trutli- 
ful  saying  that  a  hatfull  of  $100  bills  of 
such  currency  would  scarcely  buy  a  meal  of 
victuals. 

J.  B.  Crooker  established  a  general  store 
in  1859  and  among  other  business  interests 
which  in  early  days  clustered  here  should 
be  mentioned :  Tlie  tailor  shop  started  b}' 
Dresser  &  Goodwin  in  a  building  nearly 
opposite  Hunnewill's  hardware  store ;  the 
general  store  started  at  an  early  day  by 
Bascom  Bros,  in  a  building  near  where 
Greeley's  pump  factory  is  now  located. 

The  same  state  of  affairs,  financially,  con- 
tinued through  1860  and  1861,  while  in  the 
latter  year,  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
made  matters  still  worse.  A  great  many  of 
the  able-bodied  young  and  middle-aged  men 
left  during  "  '61 "  and  went  into  the  service. 

In  1862  business  began  to  pick  up  a  little. 
The  Indian  massacre  drove  many  from  their 
homes  west  of  here,  and  Owatonna,  being 
upon  a  main  thoroughfare  and  the  first  feas- 
ible stopping  point,  again  became  a  scene  of 
activit}'.  The  soldiers  going  through,  and 
the  fleeing  settlers,  besides  the  fact  that  the 
soldiers  in  the  army  began  to  receive  their 
pa}'  at  about  this  time,  made  money  matters 
easier,  and  its  effect  was  soon  felt  in  the 
channels  of  business. 

From  1863  to  1867  the  city  grew  rapidly, 
and  many  substantial  improvements  were 
made.  Two  lines  of  railway  reached  the 
city  in  1866,  as  is  detailed  elsewhere  in  this 
volume,  and  this  added  new  life  to  the 
growth,  although,  to  a  great  extent,  the  im- 
]ietus  to  business  development  given  by  rail- 


way connections  had  been  anticipated,and  the 
growth  caused  by  it  really  began  in  tlie  sum- 
mer of  1 865.  From  that  time  until  1S67-S  many 
fine  business  buildings  were  erected,  among 
them  being  Dresser's  block,  Kinyon's  build- 
ing, Kelly  block,  Abbott  block,  Wadworth's 
building,  Crooker's  (now  H.  R.  Moore's)  res- 
idence ;  Crooker,  Kelly,  Bixby  and  Dr. 
Morehouse  erected  the  row  of  bricks  on  the 
south  side  of  Bridge  street.  Dr.  Harsha  the 
First  National  Bank  building,  Odell  &  Pott's 
building,  "Wadworth  put  up  a  brick  build- 
ing, Ilunnewill  a  hardware  store,  and  Soule 
erected  the  north  sixty  feet  of  the  H.  R. 
Moore  &  Co.  block.  The  Arnold  and  Park 
hotels,  Howe's  foundry  and  machine  shops, 
and  other  buildings  erected  and  enterprises 
inaugurated. 

The  business  boom  of  these  years  was  al- 
most without  parallel  in  the  history  of  Min- 
nesota. The  population  of  the  city  more 
than  doubled,  increasing  from  a  village  of 
six  or  seven  hundred  to  a  city  of  two  thou- 
sand durmg  the  years  1866  and  1867. 
Since  that  time  the  growth  has  been  more 
gradual,  but  of  a  permanent  and  beneficial 
character.  At  the  present  writing  the  city 
has  a  population  of  at  least  3,500. 

BUSINESS    MEN    IN    1868. 

As  a  matter  worthy  of  preservation  we 
here  present  a  full  business  directory  of 
Owatonna  in  1868  : 

Attorneys  —  Amos  Coggswell,  A.  A.  Har- 
wood,  Searles  &  Hickman,  Delos  Higbee, 
Kinyon  &  "Wheelock,  M.  A.  Dailey,  J.  J. 
Aiken,  N.  M.  Donaldson  (judge). 

Agricultural  Implements  —  Lowth,  Howe 
&  Co.,  Allen  &  Dearborn,  Fisk  &  Medal,  G. 
W.  Payne,  J.  E.  Buxton,  "Wm.  Scruby. 

Boots  and  Shoes  —  Chase  Bros.,  Lord 
Bros.  &  Co.,  Cooper  Bros.,  Morford,  Willsey 
&  Co.,  G.  F.  Albertus,  J.  Lonergan,  Frank 
Yaneck,  J.  E.  Griggs. 

Books  and  Stationery  —  C.  E.  Seaton. 

Bankers  —  Easton  &  Kinyon,  S.  Mills,  Jr., 
&Co. 


HISTOBT    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


183 


Barbers  —  Jerry  Pope,  J.  A.  Pierce,  Louis 
Teabean. 

Bakeries  —  Mrs.  J.  G.  Cochran,  George 
Chapman,  M.  J.  "White. 

Blaclcsmiths — F.  H.  Cooper,  M.  S.  Quig- 
gle,  P.  Scliuster,  C.  Hanson,  Hiram  Cart- 
wright,  Sherman, King. 

Brewery  —  Mace  &  Co. 

Clothing  —  J.  G.  A.  Denerline,  Friend  & 
JSTewsalt,  G.  F.  Albertus,  Soule  Bros.,  Arm- 
strong &  Cottrell,  J.  E.  Griggs,  Marble  & 
Co.,  Lord  Bros.  &  Co.,  Cooper  Bros. 

Cooper  Shop  —  Peter  Hanson. 

Dry  Goods  —  Lord  Bros.  &  Co..  Cooper 
Bros.,  Arnston  &  Connell,  Morford,  Will- 
sey  &  Co.,  Armstrong  &  Cottrell,  Siebold  & 
Hortsman,  Soule  Bros.,  L.  Andrews,  G.  F. 
Albertus,  Jo.  "Wilson. 

Dentists  —  G.  H.  Cole,  Miss  Kellogg. 

Drugs  —  Harsha  &  Donaldson,  L.  Bixby, 
Bennett  &  Hubbard. 

Eating  Houses  —  Eailroad  Eating  House, 
C.  F.  McNamara,  Mitchell  Bros.,  Hiram 
Cartwright,  Mrs.  Cochrane,  W.  C.  Bosworth, 
George  Chapman,  M.  Lont. 

Earthenware  Factory  —  C.  C.  Cornell. 

Express  OflBces — Merchants'  Union  and 
American. 

Furniture — J.  F.  Hanna,  H.  &  J.  Hickox, 
Chas.  Schoen. 

Flour  and  Feed  Stores — Farmer  Brothers, 
KeUy  &  Tyler,  Marble  &  Co.,  J.  P.  Eequa, 
T.  J.  Clark,  Arntson  &  Connelly,  Newton  & 
Gross. 

Foundry  and  Machine  Shops  —  Lowth, 
Howe  &  Co. 

Groceries  —  Kelly  &  Tyler,  S.  S.  Eussell, 
Soule  Brothers,  G.  F.  Albertus,  Joos  &  Boll, 
L.  Andrews,  Siebold  &  Hortsman,  Morford, 
Willsey  &  Co.,  Armstrong  &  Cottrell,  Arn- 
ston &  Connelly,  Cooper  Bros.,  T.  J.  Clark, 
"William  Cleator,  J.  Chambers,  H.  Cart- 
wright. 

Hardware — Cottrell  &  Hunkins,  J.  E.  Bux- 
ton, Thomas  &  White,  E.  Y.  Hunnewill. 

Harness  Shops  —  O.  M.  Hammond,  O.  A. 
Albee,  A.  Bm-ch. 


Hotels  —  "Winship  House,  Barker's  Ex- 
change, National  Hotel,  American  House, 
Arnold  House,  Scandinavian  Hotel,  Steele 
Center  House,  Tilden  House,  Owatonna 
House. 

Hoopskirt  Factory  —  "W.  Holt. 

Jewelry  —  Ezra  Abbott,  J.  F.  Young,  J. 
Hough. 

Lumber  Dealers  —  Crocker  Bros.  &  Lam- 
areaux,  S.  B.  "Washburn,  Backus  Bros.,  Ster- 
ling &  Searles,  Dean  &  Co. 

Livery  Stables  —  Twiss  &  Christie,  C.  W. 
Hastings. 

MiUinery —  Mrs.  L.  H.  Kelly,  Mrs.  Magoon, 
Mrs.  White,  Mrs.  W.  Holt,  Mrs.  M.  J. 
Myrick. 

Meat  Markets  —  J.  A.  Oppliger  &  Co., 
Kowietz  &  Eiedon,  Truax  &  Savage. 

Physicians  and  Surgeons  —  E.  M.  More- 
house, L.  H.  Kelly,  Dr.  Blood,  L.  L.  Bennett, 
D.  Bodle,  D.  S.  Harsha,  J.  G.  Gilchrist  and 
W.  A.  Ware. 

Photographers  —  G.  W.  Chesley,  Mrs.  J. 
P.  Briggs,  A.  F.  Simons. 

Painters  —  Hall,  Beors  &  Co. 

Planing-mill  —  Lamonte  Gilbert. 

Eeal  Estate  Dealers  —  W.  H.  Kelley,  B.  F. 
Melvin,  John  H.  Abbott,  Ezra  Abbott, 
Searles  &  Hickman,  Kinyon  &  Wheelock. 

Tailors  —  John  Cottier,  J.  G.  A.  Dener- 
line, Christopher  Fahriess,  D.  B.  Marble  & 
Co. 

Telegraph  Offices^  A.  H.  Lee,  operator  at 
C,  M.  &  St.  P.  depot ;  G.  H.  Merrill,  at  W. 
&  St.  P.  depot. 

Wagon  Shops — P.  Schuster,  Sherman  & 


Brown, 


Brown, 


Kint 


BUSINESS   DEVELOPMENT. 


Owatonna's  history  in  a  mercantile  point 
of  view  began  in  the  spring  of  1855,  when 
Smith  &  Park  opened  their  little  stock  of 
general  goods  in  their  log  cabin,  which  had 
been  erected  for  a  residence.  In  the  fall  of 
the  same  year  they  put  up  a  log  cabin  on  the 
corner  of  Oak  and  Main  streets,  north  of  the 
Winship  House,  and  moved  their  store  into 


184 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


this.  The  stock  was  very  small  but  was 
all  that  the  trade  demanded  in  those  daj^s. 
The  firm  remained  in  business  about  a  year 
when  they  sold  to  Elder  Adolphus  Town. 
Mr.  Town  conducted  the  business  in  the 
same  building  for  a  time  and  then  erected  a 
building  on  Bridge  street,  near  where  Gree- 
ley's pump  factory  now  stands.  He  con- 
tinued the  business  for  a  time,  when  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  J.  W.  Burch  and  L.  B. 
Town.  Later  Elder  Town  again  became 
proprietor  and  finally  closed  out  the  stock. 

In  1856  J.  W.  Morford  and  John  Odell 
started  a  store,  stocking  it  with  a  full  line  of 
groceries,  boots  and  shoes.  In  1858  Mr. 
Morford  bought  out  Mr.  Odell's  interest  and 
ran  the  business  himself  until  the  spring  of 
1859,  when  W.  H.  Willsey  bought  in.  Im- 
mediately' after  this  they  added  dry  goods 
and  notions,  making  it  a  general  store.  This 
firm  remained  in  business  thirteen  years. 
Mr.  Morford  then  bought  out  Mr.  Willsey's 
interest  and  ran  the  store  with  the  same  line 
for  some  time,  but  finally  made  it  an  exclu- 
sive boot  and  shoe  store.  In  1883  he  closed 
out  part  of  this  stock  and  removed  the  bal- 
ance to  Watertown,  Dak.  There,  it  is  stated, 
he  traded  it  for  a  farm. 

It  a]ipears  that  the  first  hardware  store  was 
started  in  1856,  by  two  young  men  whose 
names  have  been  forgotten.  The  building 
occupied  was  about  16x24  feet  in  size,  and  is 
stiU  on  the  ground  where  it  was  built.  The 
young  men  remained  in  business  about  four 
weeks,  when  the}'  sold  stock  and  building  to 
Hunnewill  &  A.rmstrong  —  E.  Y.  Hunnewill 
and  William  Armstrong.  These  gentlemen 
remained  in  business  together  for  about  five 
years,  when  they  divided  their  stock,  each 
taking  half.  Mr.  Hunnewill  remained  at  the 
old  stand  for  about  eighteen  j-ears ;  during 
this  time,  however,  he  made  several  addi- 
tions to  the  building,  as  the  trade  demanded, 
and  then  put  up  the  brick  which  he  now 
occupies.  William  Armstrong  erected  a 
building  on  Main  street  and  remained  in 
business   about   four    years,    then    sold    to 


George  CottreU,  who  was  succeeded  bj' 
Hunkins  &  Cottrell,  the  latter  being  a  brother 
of  George.  They  were  succeeded  by  Searles 
&  Dynes ;  later  Mr.  Dynes  sold  to  his  part- 
ner. Mr.  Searles  remained  in  business  until 
his  death,  May  24,  1885,  which  was  the  re- 
sult of  an  accident.  While  handling  barbed 
wire  a  large  roU  fell  upon  him,  inflicting 
fatal  injuries.  Parrot  &  Smith  succeeded 
D.  O.  Searles  after  his  death  and  are  the 
present  proprietors.  In  1866  G.  F.  White 
started  a  hardware  store,  but  only  remained 
in  business  about  two  years,  when  he  closed 
out  his  stock  and  went  to  California.  The 
next  was  started  by  A.  Knobloch  and  N.  C. 
Larson  in  1874.  The  same  year  they  erected 
the  building  now  occupied  by  Mr.  Knobloch. 
In  1878  they  divided  their  stock,  Mr.  Knob- 
loch remaining  in  the  building,  where  his 
store  is  still  located.  Mr.  Larson  then  bought 
the  building  he  now  occupies,  and  is  still  in 
trade.  In  March.  1879,  Thon  Brothers  came 
here  from  Chicago  and  put  in  a  full  line  of 
hardware  in  building  near  Julius  Young's 
jewelry  store,  and  are  still  in  business.  The 
building  now  occupied  by  Crandall  &  Nelson 
as  a  hardware  store  was  built  by  W.  H. 
Kelley  in  1880.  Shortly  after  this  Mr. 
Crandall  purchased  it.  P.  Bliss  then  occu- 
pied it  as  a  book  store  and  the  postoffice  was 
also  in  same  building  until  April,  1884.  Mr. 
Bliss  remained  until  Se])tember  of  the  same 
year.  Immediately  after  Mr.  Bliss  vacated 
the  building  Crandall  &  Nelson  moved  their 
stock  of  hardware  into  it  from  the  building 
just  north  of  Mork's  boot  and  shoe  store, 
where  they  had  been  doing  business  for 
about  two  years. 

The  first  drug  store  in  Owatonna  was 
started  by  Dr.  D.  S.  Harsha  and  Judge  Don- 
aldson in  1856.  The  store  was  stocked  with 
a  full  line  of  drugs  and  was  called  the  "  Steele 
County  drug  store."  In  1866  Dr.  Harsha 
erected  the  brick  building  now  occupied  by 
the  First  National  Bank,  and  into  this  moved 
the  stock  of  drugs.  Mr.  Harsha  remained 
in  the  drus:  business  until  his  death,  which 


HISTORY    OF    STKELE    COUNTY. 


185 


occurred  in  1880,  after  which  the  entire  stock 
was  closed  out.  During  this  time  Edward 
Donaldson  was  also  a  partner  a  portion  of 
the  time. 

In  1856  Melbourne  Burr  started  a  furni- 
ture store  in  a  building  near  where  the  jail 
now  stands.  lie  remained  in  business  a 
number  of  years,  when  he  sold  to  J.  F. 
Hanna.  He  remained  in  business  until  about 
1870,  then  closed  out  his  stock,  and  began 
farming.  James  Hickox  in  1865  also  started 
a  furniture  store  occupying  a  building 
on  North  Cedar  street.  In  1871-2  he 
partly  closed  out  his  stock,  and  removed 
the  balance  to  Eochester.  The  next  was 
started  by  Charles  Schoen  in  about  1866,  on 
the  corner  of  Bridge  and  Oak  streets.  He 
sold  his  stock  to  F.  Kruschke,  who  con- 
tinued in  business  until  1870,  when  he  sold 
to  H.  M.  Brown.  In  1877  Mr.  Brown  sold 
to  Albert  Hafeman  who  is  still  in  busi- 
ness. In  1869  H.  H.  Rosebrock  opened  a 
stock  of  furniture  in  a  building  near  where 
Julius  Young's  jewelry  store  now  stands. 
He  remained  in  this  building  about  two  and 
one-half  years,  when  he  purchased  of  J.  W. 
Morford  the  building  which  he  now  occupies. 
S.  B.  Hunkins  in  about  1873  opened  a  line  of 
furniture  in  the  second  story  of  the  building 
occupied  by  H.  R.  Moore,  Jr.,  &  Co.  One 
year  later  he  closed  out  his  stock  to  H. 
M.  Brown  and  H.  H.  Rosebrock.  A  furni- 
ture store  was  started  by  P.  S.  Westburg  in 
1874.  In  1876  he  sold  to  Ole  Ecker  who,  in 
1877,  sold  to  J.  A.  Cansdell.  About  one 
year  later,  Cansdell  sold  to  Mr.  Nickerson. 
D.  C.  Adams  afterward  purchased  the  stock 
and  remained  in  business  until  1882,  when 
he  sold  to  Fuller  &  Green.  Fuller  afterward 
bought  Green's  interest  and  in  a  short  time 
sold  it  to  Mr.  Graraps.  Fuller  &  Gramps 
remained  in  business  until  the  winter  of 
1886-7,  when  they  failed.  In  1879  S.  Deutsch- 
mann  started  a  second-hand  furniture  store 
and  remained  in  this  line  about  two  years, 
when  a  new  and  complete  stock  was  put 
in.      These  changes   in   this   line  of  trade 


leave  the  furniture  business  at  this  writing 
in  the  hands  of  H.  H.  Rosebrock,  A.  A.  Hafe- 
man and  S.  Deutsclimann. 

In  1860  a  book  store  was  started  by  Will- 
iam Seaton.  He  had  run  it  but  a  short  time 
when  D.  D.  F.  Brown  bought  an  interest. 
Later  Mr.  Farmer  purchased  Seaton's  inter- 
est and  Mr.  Spelman  afterward  bought  out 
Mr.  Brown's,  leaving  the  firm  Spelman  & 
Farmer.  In  1877  Mr.  Farmer  sold  to  P. 
Bliss,  and  the  firm  of  Spelman  &  Bliss  re- 
mained in  business  together  until  1884, 
when  Philo  Bliss  bought  Mr.  Spelman's 
interest  and  continued  until  tlie  summer  of 
1887,  when  the  stock  was  purchased  by 
Anson  M.  Kinyon,  who  still  conducts  the 
business. 

The  first  jewelry  store  was  started  by 
William  Wadworth.  In  about  the  year 
1864  another  was  established  by  Burr  & 
McClure  (Richard  Burr  and  Henry  McClure). 
The  building  occupied  was  near  the  present 
postoffice  building  on  Bridge  street.  These 
gentlemen  remained  in  business  together 
until  1866,  when  they  dissolved  partnership, 
Mr.  McClure  remaining  in  trade.  Shortly 
after  this  Mr.  McClure  moved  his  stock  of 
goods  into  a  building  on  the  corner  of  Cen- 
tral and  Broadway,  where  he  remained  in 
business  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
October,  1866.  Ezra  Abbott  then  bought 
the  stock  and  in  a  short  time  took  in  a  jjart- 
ner,  Mr.  Richmond.  Two  years  later  Mi'. 
Richmond  retired  from  business,  and  the 
firm  became  Abbott  &  Son.  Later  they 
sold  to  Henry  Birkett,  the  jiresent  proprietor. 
A  few  years  later  Mr.  Abbott's  son,  Ed- 
mund Abbott,  again  started  in  the  jewelry 
trade  and  remained  in  business  until  1885, 
when  he  removed  his  stock  to  Minneapolis. 
In  1867  Julius  Young  started  a  jewelry 
store  in  a  building  where  now  stands  the 
Farmers'  National  Bank.  At  this  time  he 
had  but  very  little,  if  any,  stock,  simply 
doing  repairing.  He  remained  in  this  build- 
ing about  six  months,  then  moved  into  J. 
Newsalt's    clothing   store  under  the   Opera 


186 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


House.  Here  he  put  in  a  small  line  of 
jewelry.  In  ISfiS  he  moved  his  stock  into 
a  5Vooden  building  on  Bridge  street  and  en- 
larged his  stock,  remaining  there  about  one 
year,  when  he  bought  a  one-story  brick, 
which  stood  on  the  site  of  his  present  build- 
ing. Shortly  after  purchasing  this  he  en- 
larged it  and  arranged  a  fine  store.  In  1878 
this  building  burned  with  all  of  the  fur- 
niture. A  short  time  before  the  fire  Mr. 
Young  had  let  a  $2,000  policy  run  out.  The 
insurance  he  held  was  for  $5,000 ;  loss 
$11,000,  leaving  amount  not  covered  by 
insurance,  $6,000.  Shortly  after  the  fire 
Mr.  Young  began  the  large  brick  which  he 
now  occupies,  completing  it  in  the  fall  of 
1878.  In  1876  C.  F.  Warner  established  a 
jewelry  store.  He  is  still  in  business,  carrying 
a  large  line  of  jewehy  and  sportsmen's  goods. 
It  is  stated  that  the  first  exclusive  boot 
and  shoe  store  was  started  by  Chase  Bros.  & 
Co.  in  1866.  This  firm  remained  in  business 
until  1869.  R.  H.  Johnson  bought  them  out 
and  remained  in  business  until  the  spring  of 
1873,  then  closed  out  the  entire  stock,  and  is 
now  city  marshal.  The  next  was  started  by 
Gottfried  Doufner  in  1869.  In  188-t  he  sold 
to  Mr.  Butsch,  who  is  still  in  business.  In 
1868  Wm.  Mork  came  to  Owatonna  from 
Chicago  and  worked  for  Chase  Bros.  &  Co. 
and  li.  H.  Johnson  until  1872,  when  he  estab- 
lished a  boot  and  shoe  store,  occupying  a 
building  which  stood  on  the  site  of  his  present 
store.  The  structure  he  now  occupies  was 
erected  in  1880.  In  1876  Weber  &  Son  came 
here  from  Sauk  Center  and  started  a  boot 
and  shoe  business.  They  occuj)ied  the  Hig- 
bie  building  until  1879,  when  the}^  erected 
the  two-story  brick  which  they  now  occupy. 

BANKING. 

The  first  banlc  in  Owatonna  was  estab- 
lished on  the  1st  of  January,  1859,  by  a  man 
who  came  here  from  St.  Paul,  whose  name 
has  been  forgotten.  It  was  opened  in  M.  A, 
Dailey's  office,  a  building  which  stood  where 
Kelly's  store  is  now  located.     It  was  estab- 


lished for  the  purpose  of  issuing  a  currency 
based  upon  the  railroad  bonds.  After  a  few 
months  the  railway  securities  becoming  more 
and  more  worthless,  the  banker  packed  up 
his  few  "traps'"  and  left.  He  had  brought 
a  little  iron  safe  here,  the  first  brought  into 
the  county,  and  upon  his  leaving  Dailey  kept 
it  for  office  rent.  W.  R.  Kinyon  afterward 
jjurchased  and  moved  it  into  a  little  building 
just  west  of  where  the  First  National  Bank 
now  stands.  The  safe  was  afterward  removed 
to  Waseca,  when  Mr.  Kinyon  established  a 
bank  at  that  place,  where  it  was  blown  open 
and  robbed  of  $3,000. 

During  the  year  1866  another  bank  was 
established  by  J.  C.  Easton  and  W.  R.  Kin- 
yon. Even  before  that  time  Mr.  Kinyon  had 
been  doing  a  light  banking  business,  but  in 
that  year  the  partnership  was  formed,  and 
June  1,  they  opened  their  books  for  regular 
banking  business.  During  the  same  summer 
they  completed  the  brick  building  just  west 
of  the  First  National  Bank,  which  is  now 
used  for  a  milliner^^  store,  and  in  this  build- 
ing the  firm  of  Easton  ifc  Kinyon  continued 
business  for  about  five  years,  when  they  or- 
ganized the  First  National  Bank  with  a  caj)- 
ital  stock  of  $50,000.  The  stockholders  at 
that  time  were  W.  R.  Kinyon,  J.  C.  Easton, 
J.  W.  Morford,  E.  Y.  Ilunnewill,  Otis  Lord 
and  Lewis  Lord.  In  1874  the  capital  stock 
was  increased  to  $75,000,  and  in  1876  reduced 
to  $60,000,  the  present  capital.  The  present 
stockholders  are  W.  R.  Kinyon,  J.  C.  Easton, 

E.  Y.  Ilunnewill,  Otis  Lord,  Lewis  Lord,  G. 

F.  Albertus,  C.  J.  Kinyon,  Geo.  R.  Kinyon, 
R.  H.  Chapin,  II.  M.  Hastings,  Mrs.  A.  L. 
Higbie,  Mrs.  James  Cooper,  Mrs.  N.  M.  Don- 
aldson and  daughters,  Mrs.  M.  S.  Ilarsha  and 
W.  H.  Kelly.  The  present  officers  are  as 
follows :  W.  R.  Kinyon,  president ;  C.  J. 
Kinyon,  vice-president;  Geo.  R.  Kinyon, 
cashier ;  directors,  W.  R.  Kinyon,  E.  Y. 
Ilunnewill,  Otis  Lord,  G.  F.  Albertus,  Lewis 
Lord,  W.  H.  Kelly  and  C.  J.  Kinyon.  The 
building  now  occupied  by  the  bank  was  re- 
fitted and  occupied  b}^  the  bank  in  1882. 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


187 


Hon.  William  Eiley  Kinyon,  president  of 
the  First  National  bank,  is  a  son  of  Samuel 
and  Dolly  (Wheelock)  Kinyon,  dating  his 
birth  at  Ellisburg,  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y., 
on  the  3d  of  February,  1833.  He  comes  from 
an  early  Rhode  Island  family.  His  grand- 
father, Joshua  Kinyon,  was  in  the  War  of 
1812-15.  The  Wheelocks  are  traced  back 
to  Vermont;  hence,  his  ancestors  on  both 
sides  are  New  Englanders.  Samuel  Kinyon 
was  a  farmer,  d\'ing  when  William  was  sev- 
enteen years  old.  The  latter  had  to  work 
hard  in  his  youth,  being  part  of  the  time  in 
a  dairy.  He  had  a  strong  thirst  for  knowl- 
edge, and  gave  to  books  every  hour  of  time 
at  his  command.  He  supplemented  a  few 
terms  at  the  Union  Academy,  Belleville, 
with  much  hard  study  in  private,  with 
almost  every  conceivable  disadvantage,  and 
yet,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  (1854),  entered 
the  junior  class  of  Union  College,  Schenec- 
tady, N.  y.,  graduating  in  course  and  deliv- 
ering the  valedictory  of  the  Adelphic  society. 
The  two  winters  before  entering  college, 
and  the  winter  before  graduating,  he  taught 
school,  following  the  college  curriculum  all 
the  time  and  keeping  up  with  his  class. 
Soon  after  closing  his  studies,  Mr.  Kinyon 
came  as  far  west  as  Juneau,  Wis.,  where  he 
taught  a  graded  school  one  year,  and  subse- 
quently spent  seven  or  eight  months  in  the 
office  of  the  clerk  of  the  court,  reading  law 
all  the  time  he  was  at  Juneau.  He  was 
there  admitted  to  the  bar  in  the  spring  of 
1858;  came  thence  directly  to  Owatonna; 
was  here  admitted  to  practice  and  continued 
it  until  1870.  In  1866,  in  company  with 
Jason  C.  Easton,  he  opened  a  private  bank, 
which  has  since  become  the  First  National 
Bank,  as  stated.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Minnesota  Eepresentatives  in 
1868 ;  chief  clerk  of  the  House  in  1869  and 
1870,  and  again  member  and  also  speaker  in 
1875  and  1876,  the  XVIIth  and  XVIIIth  leg- 
islatures. Mr.  Kinyon  was  originally  a  Doug- 
las Democrat,  voting  for  the  Little  Giant  in 
1860,  and  the  Republican  ticket  since  the  old 


flag  was  dishonored  by  rebel  hands  at  Fort 
Sumter.  He  is  an  active  worker  in  Masonic 
circles,  being  member  of  the  Blue  Lodge, 
Chapter  and  Commandery.  Mrs.  Kinyon 
was  Miss  Mettie  Gillett,  of  Juneau,  Wis.,  a 
native  of  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  their  union 
taking  place  on  the  31st  of  December,  1857. 
They  have  one  son,  George  R.,  mentioned 
elsewhere.  The  family  attend  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  of  which  Mr.  Kinyon  is  a 
liberal  supporter.  The  life  and  character  of 
Mr.  Kinyon  need  no  eulogy  from  the  pen  of 
a  biographer.  His  career  has  ever  been  free 
from  disreputable  methods.  His  name  has 
been  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  his  county 
and  State  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
yet  has  passed  through  the  gauntlet  of 
political  strife  without  a  stain. 

Charles  J.  Kinyon,  vice-president  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  was  born  in  Ellisburg, 
Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.,  in  18'48.  His  early 
life  was  spent  on  a  farm.  When  twenty-one 
years  of  age  he  entered  Hungerf  ord  Collegiate 
Institute,  at  Adams,  N.  Y.,  and  graduated 
from  the  business  department.  He  came 
west  in  1871,  and  in  the  fall  of  1872  he  en- 
tered the  First  National  Bank  as  clerk,  and 
in  1875  was  made  cashier.  He  acted  in  that 
capacity  until  1883,  when  he  was  made  vice- 
president.  Mr.  Kinyon  was  married  in  Sep- 
tember, 187-1,  to  Miss  Charlotte  E.  Ward  well, 
a  native  of  New  York  State.  Fayette  C, 
Ward  W.  and  Edna  A.  are  the  names  of 
their  children.  Mr.  Kinyon  was  city  treas- 
urer from  1883  to  1886. 

George  R.  Kinyon,  cashier  of  the  First 
National  Bank,  was  born  in  Owatonna,  Minn., 
May  31,  1861,  his  parents  being  W.  R.  and 
Mettie  G.  Kinyon.  George  R.'s  earlier  edu- 
cation was  obtained  in  the  common  schools 
of  the  city,  and  when  the  Minnesota  Academy 
was  opened  he  entered  that  institution,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  first  class,  graduating 
in  June,  1880.  The  same  spring  he  was  ap- 
pointed teller  of  the  First  National  Bank,  in 
1881  assistant  cashier,  and  in  1882  cashier, 
which  position  he  now  holds.     He  was  mar- 


188 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


ried  April  24,  1883,  to  Miss  Alice  Hall,  of 
Owatonna. 

is.  Mills,  Jr.,  &  Co.  also  established  a  bank 
in  1866.  They  opened  in  a  little  wooden 
building  which  stood  where  A.  M.  Kinyon's 
book  store  is  now  located,  and  the  same  fall 
tliey  moved  into  the  south  end  of  H.  E. 
Moore  &  Co.'s  store  building.  A  year  or  so 
later  they  removed  to  the  building  now  oc- 
cupied by  the  Fai-mers'  National  Bank.  S. 
Mills,  Jr.,  &  Co.  remained  in  business  until 
1871  or  1872,  when  they  failed. 

Soon  after  the  failure  of  S.  Mills,  Jr.,  &  Co., 
the  building  occupied  by  them  passed  under 
the  control  of  the  Farmers'  National  Bank, 
and  was  partially  rebuilt  in  1872.  In  1873 
the  Farmers'  National  Bank  commenced 
business,  with  capital  stock,  $50,000.  The 
stockholders  were:  W.  H.  Burdick,  A.  C. 
Hickman,  C.  W.  Plastings,  W.  H.  Sherman, 
A.  C.  Gutterson,  E.  H.  S.  Dart,  Hiram 
Backus,  A.  C.  Dodge,  W.  H.  Willsey,  J.  G.  A. 
Denerline,  A.  L.  Higbie,  D.  Higbie,  T.  B. 
Lawrence,  J.  C.  Backus,  L.  L.  Bennett  and 
Amos  Coggswell.  In  1878  their  capital  stock 
was  increased  to  .$60,000,  and  in  1881  to 
$75,000.  The  present  stockholders  are  :  A.  B. 
Wood,  J.  B.  Soper,  L.  L.  Bennett,  J.  C. 
Backus,  W.  11.  Willsey,  D.  Freeman,  M.  W. 
Cooper,  A.  Backus,  C.  F.  Backus,  P.  Bald- 
win, A.  C.  Gutterson,  E.  H.  S.  Dart,  Neil 
Graham,  D.  Higbie,  A.  L.  Higbie,  E.  C. 
Holden,  Jesse  Healey,  D.  D.  Fenno,  W.  H. 
Kelly,  T.  B.  Lawrence,  Lillian  M.  Harlow, 
F.  L.  Murray,  H.  Birkett,  Sarah  II.  Abbott, 
A.  C.  Searl,  N.  P.  Jefferson,  S.  McNitt,  O. 
Lindersmith  and  T.  R.  Medd.  The  present 
officers  are :  L.  L.  Bennett,  president ;  W.  H. 
Willsey,  vice-president ;  A.  C.  Gutterson, 
cashier;  C.  F.  Backus,  assistant  cashier.  The 
present  directors  are :  L.  L.  Bennett,  W.  H. 
Willsey,  W.  H.  Kelly,  Neil  Graham,  C.  F. 
Backus,  J.  C.  Backus  and  D.  Higbie. 

Leonard  L.  Bennett,  M.  D.,  president  of 
the  Farmers'  National  Bank,  was  born  in 
Will  County,  111.,  in  1839.  He  received  his 
earl}'  education  at  Wauconda,  111.,  taking  an 


academic  course.  He  then  studied  medicine 
with  his  brother  at  Richmond,  111.,  and  grad- 
uated from  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago, 
in  1862.  In  1861  he  came  to  Owatonna  and 
pursued  the  practice  of  his  profession.  Later 
he  became  connected  with  the  Farmers'  Na- 
tional Bank,  of  which  he  is  president,  and 
retired  from  the  practice  of  medicine.  On 
the  21th  of  May,  1864,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Arabella  F.  Brown,  a  native  of  New 
York  State.  Carl  K.  and  Guy  B.  are  the 
names  of  their  children.  Dr.  Bennett  is  a 
Mason  ;  a  prominent  member  of  the  Univer- 
salist  Church.  He  has  taken  an  active  part 
toward  building  up  city  and  county;  is  a 
man  of  the  strictest  integrity ;  liberal,  enter- 
prising, and  widely  and  favorably  known. 
He  has  been  county  commissioner,  besides 
holding  various  other  offices  of  importance. 

A  biographical  sketch  of  W.  H.  Willsey, 
the  vice-president  of  the  bank,  appears  else- 
where. 

Prof.  A.  C.  Gutterson,  cashier  of  the 
Farmers'  National  Bank,  was  born  in  Wind- 
sor County,  Vt.,  March  10,  1830.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  about  twenty-one 
years  of  age  when  he  began  life  for  himself. 
He  had  received  thorough  schooling  in  music, 
and  that  was  his  first  avocation.  Two  years 
later  he  engaged  in  the  general  mercantile 
trade,  following  that  for  three  or  four  years. 
In  1858  he  came  west  and  located  at  Mazo 
Manie,  Wis.  Eighteen  months  later  he 
returned  to  his  native  town,  and  remained 
there  two  years,  after  which  he  again  came 
west  to  Wisconsin,  locating  in  Black  Earth. 
In  1866  he  came  to  Owatonna,  and  for 
about  five  years  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Lord  Bros.  &  Co.,  after  which,  for  several 
years,  he  followed  his  profession,  music.  In 
1873  he  became  connected  with  the  Farmers' 
National  Bank,  of  which  he  is  cashier.  In 
1873  he  organized  the  Beethoven  Musical 
Association  at  Owatonna,  and  in  1883  the 
orchestra,  being  director  in  each.  Both  of 
these  organizations  are  a  credit  to  the  city, 
being  well  drilled,  and  composed  of  compe- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COCNTY. 


189 


tent  musicians ;  they  handle  the  very  best 
grades  of  music.  As  will  be  seen  from  read- 
ing the  cliapter  relating  to  Pillsbury  Acad- 
emy, Mr.  Gutterson  has  for  years  held  the 
professoi'ship  of  music  in  that  institution. 
Prof.  Gutterson  was  married  in  February, 
1855,  to  Miss  Nancy  Stickney. 

MANUFACTUEING  INDUSTEIES. 

Manufacturing  industries  are  the  most 
important  of  Owatonna's  business  interests. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  the  principal  man- 
ufactories now  in  operation  :  Hastings,  Will- 
se\'  &Edson,  flouring-mill ;  A.  Simpson,  flour- 
ing-mill ;  McLaughlin,  Sheldon  &  Co.,  manu- 
facturei's  Diamond  Feedmill ;  T.  J.  Howe  & 
Co.,  and  C.  W.  Burdic,  foundry  and  machine 
shops ;  Schunian  &  Fenner,  and  C.  M.  Lo- 
rence,  cigar  manufacturers;  Orrin  Greely, 
pump  factory  ;  Owatonna  Creamery,  Henry 
A.  Holmes,  su])erintendent ;  P.  Ganser's 
brewery  ;  L.  Bion's  brewery,  and  the  wagon 
and  carriage  factories  of  Charles  Schoen  and 
John  Deeg. 

Hon.  Hector  M.  Hastings,  of  the  firm  of 
H.  M.  Hastings  &  Co.,  millers,  was  born  in 
Horse  Heads,  Chemung  County,  N.  Y.,  in 
1835.  His  father,  Samuel  M.  Hastings,  came 
with  his  family  to  Kendall  County,  111.,  in 
1847.  Hector  M.  came  to  Minnesota  in  1855 
on  a  prospecting  tour,  and  in  1856  he  located 
in  Le  Sueur  County,  where  he  remained 
until  1863,  then  moved  to  Steele  County, 
locating  on  section  14,  Lemond  Township, 
where  he  now  owns  a  tract  of  2,300  acres. 
He  participated  in  the  Indian  wars  of  1862 
and  witnessed  the  hanging  of  the  thirty- 
eight  Sioux  Indians  at  Mankato.  He  was 
married  on  April  2,  1853,  to  Miss  Mai-y  A. 
Eoberts,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  George 
W.,  Ida  and  Fannie  are  the  names  of  the 
children  born  to  them.  Mr.  Hastings  has 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  all  public 
matters,  and  all  enterprises  calculated  to 
build  up  city  or  county  have  always  had 
his  hearty  support.  The  enterprise  of 
which  he  is  the  head   is  among  the  most 


important  manufacturing  industries  of  the 
county. 

William  H.  "Willsey,  of  the  milling  firm 
of  II.  M.  Hastings  &  Co.,  was  born  in  Scho- 
harie County,  N.  Y.,  in  1832.  He  came 
west  to  Walworth  County,  Wis.,  in  1848, 
and  was  engaged  in  various  pursuits  until 
1851,  when  he  went  to  St.  Paul  and  on 
reaching  that  village  found  Little  Crow's 
band  encamped  on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 
During  the  winter  of  1851-2  he  worked  in  a 
sawmill  and  for  five  subsequent  years  he 
was  engaged  in  the  logging  business,  first  on 
Rum  Piver  two  years,  then  three  years  on 
the  St.  Croix  and  tributaries.  He  then  came 
to  Owatonna  and  was  elected  sherifl'  in 
1858.  After  acting  in  that  capacity  for  two 
3'ears,  he  embai'ked  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness being  of  the  firm  of  Morford  &  Willsey. 
In  1885  he  became  one  of  the  firm  of  H.  M. 
Hastings  &  Co.  Mr.  Willsey  is  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Farmers'  National  Bank.  He 
was  married  January  1,  1863,  to  Emily  V. 
Phelps,  a  native  of  Ohio.  Maud  is  the 
name  of  their  only  child.  He  is  a  Ma- 
son, and  Mrs.  Willsey  is  a  member  of  the 
Universalist  Church.  Mr.  Willsey's  name  ap- 
pears very  frequently  through  the  pages  of 
this  volume.  For  nearly  thirty  years  he  has 
been  intimately  connected  with  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  city  and  count}^  and 
his  name  is  indissolubly  connected  with 
their  history. 

O.  E.  Edson,  of  the  firm  of  II.  M.  Hast- 
ings (fc  Co.,  came  to  Owatonna  in  June,  1885, 
and  bought  a  third  interest  in  the  mills  and 
since  that  time  has  had  charge  of  them. 
Mr.  Edson  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
April  7,  1842.  His  parents  wei'e  Ilii'am  S. 
and  Mary  (Van  Dusen)  Edson,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  New  York,  but  who 
at  an  early  day  removed  to  Pennsylvania 
where  O.  E.  was  born.  In  1855  they  went 
to  Illinois,  where  Mr.  Edson,  Sr.,  died  in  1856. 
Later  Mrs.  Edson  married  again  and  in 
1876  went  to  Washington  Territory,  where 
she  now  lives.     O.  E.  Edson  remained  with 


190 


HISTORY    OP   STEELE   COUNTY. 


his  parents  until  twelve  years  old,  when  he 
■went  to  Chicago  to  attend  school,  working 
out  of  school  hours  for  his  board  and  clothes 
for  three  years.  When  fifteen  years  old  he 
went  to  McHenry  County,  111  ,  and  served 
three  years  at  the  miller's  trade.  When  eigh- 
teen he  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  follow- 
ed mining  for  a  year.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in 
Company  B  of  First  Colorado  Infantry,  and 
served  in  the  western  army  for  four  and  a 
half  years,  receiving  his  discharge  at  Fort 
Leavenworth,  Kan.,  in  the  fall  of  1865. 
From  there  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  was  in 
a  mill  there  for  a  year ;  then  went  to  Wiscon- 
sin and  in  1867  married  Miss  Martha  E.  Smith, 
of  Black  Biver  Falls.  From  there  he  ^vent 
to  Eau  Claire  and  took  charge  of  a  flouring- 
mill  for  three  years.  He  was  next  located 
at  Osseo,  where  he  had  charge  of  a  mill  for 
five  years.  From  there  going  to  Minneap- 
olis, he  was  engaged  in  the  milling  busi- 
ness until  April,  1884,  when  he  removed 
to  Faribault.  His  next  move  was  to  Owa- 
tonna  in  1885.  He  is  a  thorough  master  of 
the  milling  business  in  all  its  details. 

Adam  Simpson,  one  of  the  enterprising 
millers  of  Owatonna,  was  born  in  Ontario, 
Canada,  in  1844.  He  came  to  Owatonna  in 
1870,  and  rented  a  windmill,  which  he  ran 
for  a  number  of  years.  In  1878  he  bought 
the  water-mill  west  of  the  cit}',  which  he  still 
conducts.  This  mill  has  a  capacity  of  150 
barrels  per  day,  and  is  doing  a  flourishing 
business.  Mr.  Simpson  was  married  in  1870 
to  Miss  Emma  L.  Wheelock.  They  have 
seven  children.  Mr.  Simpson  is  a  member 
of  the  Christadelphian  Church.  He  is  a  man 
who  stands  high  among  the  many  substan- 
tial business  men  of  the  city. 

C.  N.  McLaughlin,  of  the  firm  of  Mc- 
Laughlin, Sheldon  &  Co.,  manufacturers  of 
the  Diamond  feedmill,  was  born  in  Andierst, 
Ohio,  in  1853  ;  a  year  later  the  family  moved 
to  Fox  Lake,  Wis.  His  father  was  a  rail- 
road contractor,  and  built  a  part  of  the 
Milwaukee  road,  in  Wisconsin.  Our  subject 
went  to  New  York  State  with  his  father  in 


1869,  and  was  there  engaged  in  the  construc- 
tion of  railroads  for  some  time.  He  came  to 
Minnesota  in  1874,  locating  at  Plainview, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  farm  machinery 
business.  He  came  to  Owatonna  in  1877, 
and  in  1881  embarked  in  the  manufacturing 
business.  He  was  married  December  16, 
1876,  to  Miss  Minnie  S.  Melendy,  a  native  of 
Orange  County,  Vt.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren. Mr.  McLaughlin  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  and  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  a  number  of  societies,  including  the 
United  Workmen  and  Legion  of  Honor. 
The  firm,  of  which  he  is  the  head,  does  a  large 
business,  and  is  among  the  most  substantial 
business  houses  in  tlie  city.  Mr.  McLaugh- 
lin has  been  mayor  of  the  city,  and  in  many 
other  ways  been  a  prominent  citizen. 

C.  E.  Sheldon,  of  McLaughlin,  Sheldon  & 
Co.,  is  a  native  of  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  born 
in  1854.  His  parents  were  Elisha  S.  and 
Camilla  (Crofts)  Sheldon.  Mr.  Sheldon  re- 
mained in  Jersey  City  until  ten  years  of  age, 
when  with  his  father  (his  mother  having 
died  some  time  previous),  he  went  to  Bed 
Wing,  Minn.  In  1876,  in  company  with  a 
partner,  opened  a  jewelry,  book  and  station- 
ery store,  remaining  in  that  for  about  two 
years,  when  he  sold  his  interest  in  the  book 
and  stationery  department  to  his  partner,  and 
continued  the  jewelry  business  alone  until 
1882,  and  during  this  time  Mr.  Sheldon  was 
interested  in  the  farm  machinery  business. 
In  1882  the  firm  of  McLaughlin,  Sheldon  & 
Co.  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  manufact- 
uring the  Diamond  feedmills,  with  head- 
quarters at  Bed  Wing.  In  1883  the  whole 
business  was  moved  to  Owatonna,  and  Mr. 
Sheldon  came  here  to  devote  all  his  time  to 
the  manufacturing  of  the  mills.  Mr.  Sheldon 
was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Carrie  Brooks, 
of  Red  Wing.  They  now  have  three  chil- 
dren :  Harrriet  P.,  AV alter  B.  and  Chas.  D. 
Mr.  Sheldon  is  a  man  of  remarkable  force  of 
character  and  energy,  and  as  a  citizen  and 
business  man  holds  the  respect  and  confidence 
of  all. 


HISTOET    OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


191 


E.  W.  Brooks,  of  McLaughlin,  Sheldon  & 
Co.,  is  a  resident  of  Red  Wing,  Minn.,  having 
lived  there  for  the  past  t\vent3'-five  years. 
At  present  he  is  general  agent  for  the  Piano 
Harvester  Company,  and  previous  to  his 
connection  with  tliat  company  had  charge 
of  the  McCormick  Machine  Company's  in- 
terests, in  Eed  "Wing,  for  sixteen  successive 
years. 

The  first  foundry  in  Owatonna  was  estab- 
lislied  in  1865,  by  T.  J.  Howe  and  M.  F. 
Lowth.  They  continued  the  business  until 
1873,  when  Mr.  Lowth  sold  half  his  inter- 
est to  H.  N.  Labare,  and  the  firm  became 
Lowth,  Howe  &  Labare.  In  1878,  Mr. 
Howe  bought  the  quarter  interest  held  by 
Mr.  Lowth,  and  the  firm  became  T.  J.  Howe 
&  Co.,  as  it  still  remains. 

Thomas  J.  Howe,  of  the  firm  of  T.  J. 
Howe  &  Co.,  manufacturers  of  broadcast 
seeders,  was  born  in  Lewis  Count}',  'N.  Y., 
January  15,  1827.  When  he  was  four  years 
old  his  father's  family  moved  to  Black  Biv- 
er,  N.  Y.,  where  our  subject  learned  the 
machinist  trade.  In  1854  he  came  west  to 
Beaver  Dam,  Wis.,  and  in  1865  came 
to  Owatonna.  Here  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Michael  F.  Lowth,  in  manufactur- 
ing seeders.  He  was  elected  mayor  in  1873, 
and  served  three  terms,  and  was  alder- 
man from  the  third  ward  from  1868  to  1872. 
In  1877  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  and  served  two  years,  and 
again,  in  1884,  was  made  president  of  the 
board,  holding  until  1886.  Mr.  Howe  is  a 
member  of  Blue  Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  at 
Owatonna,  and  also  of  the  Chapter  and 
Commandery.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Universalist  Church.  He  was  married  May 
6,  1861,  to  Miss  Sarah  M.  Chapman,  a  native 
of  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.  Jesse  B.  and 
Harry  C.  ai'e  their  children's  names,  both 
living  at  home.  Mr.  Howe  is  one  of  the 
patentees  of  the  "Light-Running  Owatonna 
Force  Feed  Broadcast  Seeder,"  upon  which 
some  seven  different  jiatents  have  been  is- 
sued.    He  has  been  active  in  all  enterprises 


beneficial  to  the  city,  and  has  been,  and  is, 
among  the  most  prominent  business  men  of 
the  city. 

C.  W.  Burdic,  proprietor  of  City  Iron 
Works,  was  born  in  Rockville,  Tolland 
County,  Conn.,  in  1835.  He  learned  the 
machinist  trade  and  went  to  Hartford, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  diffei-ent  gun 
works  in  that  city  for  some  years.  Mr. 
Burdic's  first  wife  was  Mary  E.  Hill, 
daughter  Capt.  John  E.  Hill,  of  Mystic, 
Conn.  She  died  in  1864,  and  he  was  again 
married  in  1866  to  Miss  Cevila  V.  Moon. 
Ella  L.  (wife  of  George  N".  Tapley,  of  St. 
Paul)  is  an  onl}'  daughter  by  his  first  wife. 
Mr.  Burdic  is  an  enthusiastic  Mason,  being 
a  member  of  Blue  Lodge  and  Chapter. 

F.  G.  Schuman,  of  the  firm  of  Schuman 
&  Fenner,  tobacconists,  was  born  in  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.,  in  1859.  He  learned  cigar- 
making  in  that  city,  and  was  in  the  employ 
of  Gelz  &  Co.  He  came  to  Owatonna  in 
1880,  where  he  worked  for  Mr.  Lorence  for 
six  years;  then  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Mr.  Fenner,  and  they  are  now  doing 
a  flourishing  business  on  the  south  side  of 
Bridge  street. 

Prominent  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of 
Steele  County  is  Orrin  Greely,  proprietor  of 
the  Owatonna  pump  factory.  His  father, 
Ephi'iam  Greely,  and  his  mother,  Sally 
(Clark)  Greely,  were  natives  of  New  Hamp- 
shire. His  ancestry  on  both  sides  is  Ameri- 
can as  far  back  as  can  be  traced.  Our  sub- 
ject was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y., 
in  1824 ;  when  eighteen  years  of  age  the  fam- 
ily' came  west  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  from 
there  to  Racine,  Wis.,  where  the  father  died. 
May  28,  1846.  Orrin  remained  at  home 
until  that  time,  and  then  moved  to  Waupun, 
Wis.,  following  the  same  business  as  his 
fatlier,  a  millwright.  Two  years  later  he  set- 
tled at  Kingston,  Wis.,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  for  two  years. 
In  1852  he  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  for 
'  aljout  one  year  worked  for  the  Cleveland, 
Columbus,  Cincinnati  &  Lakeshore  Railroad 


192 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


Company.     After  this,  a  number  of  years 
were  spent  in  various  portions  of  Wisconsin 
and  Illinois,  including  six  months  s])ent  in 
erecting   windmills  on  the  Illinois  Central 
railway,  south  of  Chicago,  and  three  years 
in  the  mercantile  business  in  "Waupun.     On 
the    30th    of    October,    1857,    Mr.    Greely 
arrived  at  Owatonna,  and  during  the  first 
fourteen  years  of  his  residence  he  was  en- 
gaged in  mill  work  and  carpentering.     Since 
that  time  he  has  been  manufacturing  the 
Owatonna  Star  Pump,  and  dealing  in  iron 
pipes,   fittings,  brass  goods,  fanning   mills, 
etc.     Mr.  Greely  was  married   in  1846  to 
Sarah  A.  Speer,  who  died  the  following  year. 
In  181:9  he  was  married  to  Emily  T.  McMul- 
len  who  died  in  May,  1854,  of  consumption. 
In  June,  1856,  he  was  again  united  in  matri- 
mony, wedding  Sarah  A.  McMullen.     Their 
children  are  as  follows :     Harmon  F.,  Eddy 
H.  and  Frank  L.     The  first  by  the  second 
wife,  and  the  last  two  by  his  present  wife. 
Mr.  Greely  is  one  of  Owatonna's  most  enter- 
prising citizens.      He   has   been   connected 
with  the   Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for 
twenty-seven  years. 

Henry  A.  Holmes,  superintendent  of  the 
Owatonna  creamery,  was  born  in  Clinton 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1828.  He  came  west  to 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1852 ;  he  remained  there 
but  a  short  time,  after  which  he  went  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  remained  fourteen  years, 
engaged  principally  as  salesman  in  different 
retail  stores  of  that  city.  He  came  west  to 
West  Union,  Iowa,  and  resided  there  eight 
years.  While  there  he  started  the  first 
creamery  conducted  on  the  gathered  cream 
plan  that  was  opened  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  Subsequently  he  came  to  Minnesota, 
locating  in  Chatfield,  having  charge  of  the 
Chatfield  and  St.  Charles  creameries.  By 
excellent  management  he  brought  those  en- 
terprises up  to  a  paying  and  thrifty  condi- 
tion. He  came  to  Owatonna  in  the  spring 
of  1887,  and  now  has  charge  of  the  Farming- 
ton,  Eedwood  Falls,  Marshall  and  Owa- 
tonna creameries.      His  skill    and    energy 


have  already  been  manifested,  and  the  pros- 
perity of  these  creameries  is  now  an  assured 
fact.  He  was  married  in  1850  to  Adeline  A. 
Dow,  a  native  of  Vermont.  Benjamin  H., 
the  only  child,  resides  at  Spring  Valley.  Mr. 
Holmes  is  a  Mason,  being  a  member  of  the 
Blue  Lodge  Chapter  and  Commandery. 

P.  Ganser,  proprietor  of  Ganser's  brewery, 
came  to  Owatonna  in  1865,  and  bought  out 
the  brewery  of  Knobloch  &  Manhaim.     Mr. 
Ganser  conducted  this  until  1878,  when  it 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  the  loss  to  Mr.  Gan- 
ser being   about  $12,000.     He    then,    witli 
characteristic  enterprise,  rebuilt,  and  in  1884 
it   was  again   burned    to  the  ground.     Mr. 
Ganser  then  erected  his  present  commodious 
building,  and   is   now  doing  a  business  of 
between   3,500  and  -1,000   barrels  per  year, 
having  an  extensive  shipping  trade,  as  well 
as  supplying  the  home  market,  and  using 
about  11,000  bushels  of  grain  per  year.     In 
1879  Mr.  Ganser,  in  company  with  Jacob 
Glaeser,  erected  the  Germania  haU  and  bil- 
liard rooms,  and  put  in  one  of  the  finest 
retail   liquor   stores  in   the   Northwest.     In 
July,  1887,  Mr.  Ganser  sold  his  interest  in 
that  establishment,   and    now    devotes  his 
whole  time  to   his  extensive  brewing  busi- 
ness.    During  the  present  season  he  has  put 
in  improvements  to  the  amount  of   $2,5U0. 
Mr.  Ganser  is  a  native  of  Prussia,  born  in 
1836.     He  remained  in  his  native   country 
until  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to 
America  and  located  in  Wisconsin,  where  he 
lived  for  a  time  and  then  went  to  California. 
In   1863  he   returned  to  Wisconsin   and  in 
1865   came   to   Owatonna,   as    stated.     Mr. 
Ganser  has  extensive  business  interests  here, 
employs   a  number  of  men,   and   is   rated 
among   the  most  substantial  and  solid  cit- 
izens of  the  county.     Enterprises,  of  what- 
ever nature,  which  tend  to  benefit  city  or 
county,  have  always  received   his  support, 
and  in  many  ways  has  he  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  the  affairs  of  the  city. 

Louis  Bion,  proprietor  of  the  Owatonna 
brewery,  was  born  in  Bavaria  in  1845.     He 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


195 


came  to  America  in  1864  and  worked  for 
six  months  in  Milwaukee.  He  came  to 
Winona  in  September  of  the  same  year,  and 
for  six  years  was  foreman  in  C.  C.  Peck's 
brewery  in  that  city.  He  came  to  Owa- 
tonna  in  1870  and  purchased  the  brewer}' on 
Bridge  street,  which  he  has  since  operated. 
He  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss  Katie 
Schrofer  and  they  have  three  cliildren.  Mr. 
Bion  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  is  also  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Worlcmen. 

Charles  Schoen,  manufacturer  of  wagons 
and  carriages,  was  born  in  Prussia  in  1828. 
In  18-1-7  he  came  to  America,  locating  in 
New  York  City  for  one  year.  He  then  came 
west  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where  he  engaged 
in  carriage-making,  having  learned  his  trade 
in  Prussia.  After  remaining  there  for  some 
time,  he  removed  to  Madison,  then  to  Pres- 
cott.  Wis.,  finally  coming  to  Owatonna, 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  in  1862,  where  he 
opened  one  of  the  first  carriage  shops  in  the 
city.  Mr.  Schoen  was  married  in  1859  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Myers,  a  native  of  Germany. 
They  have  nine  children,  Phillip,  Anna, 
Katy,  Henry,  Clementina,  Louisa,  Lorens, 
John  and  Frank.  Mr.  Schoen  is  a  Democrat 
and  also  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
His  establishment  does  an  extensive  business. 

John  Deeg,  manixfacturer  of  wagons  and 
carriages,  was  born  in  Germany  in  the  year 
1843.  In  1868  he  came  to  America,  loca- 
ting in  Owatonna,  Steele  County,  Minn., 
where  he  was  engaged  for  one  year  in  the 
carpentering  trade.  He  then  embarked  in 
his  present  business.  Mr.  Deeg  was  married 
in  1874  to  Minnie  Staulke.  They  have  six 
children :  Lena,  Leonard,  John,  Minnie,  Ella 
and  Alvin.  Mr.  Deeg  belongs  to  the  Goethe 
Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  also  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 

OWATONNA    PACKING    COMPANY. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  important  of  Owa- 
tonna's  business  interests.  The  company  was 
incorporated  on  the  2d  of  November,  1885, 
with  a  paid-up  capital  of  $25,000.     They  at 

13 


once  erected  a  two-story  brick  building,  86x 
142  feet  in  size,  which  was  completed  in  1886. 
The  present  officers  of  the  company  are  as 
follows:  K  J.  Schafer,  president;  J.  M. 
Schafer,  vice-president ;  L.  L. 'Bennett,  treas- 
urer ;  B.  E.  Darby,  secretary,  and  N.  J.  Scha- 
fer, L.  L.  Bennett,  Neil  Graham,  J.  M.  Schafer, 
Henry  Birkett,  J.  C.  Backus  and  William 
Mork,  directors.  These  were  also  the  first 
officers  of  the  corporation,  except  that  Hen- 
ry Birkett  was  the  first  vice-president.  The 
company  have  the  capacity  for  handling  and 
dressing  five  thousand  hogs  per  day ;  and 
during  last  season  employed  fifty -three  hands. 
They  have  a  branch  house  at  Duluth,  where 
most  of  their  goods  are  sold ;  a  considerable 
amount,  however,  is  shipped  to  Dakota. 

Hon.  Nicholas  J.  Schafer,  president  and 
general  manager  of  the  Owatonna  Packing 
Company,  was  born  in  Darien,  Genesee 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1854.  When  ten  years 
old,  his  father,  Phillip  Schafer,  moved  with 
his  family  to  Freeborn  County,  Minn.  N.  J. 
Schafer  went  to  Dakota  in  1867,  locating  at 
Big  Stone  City;  from  there  he  moved  to 
Millbank,  where  he  held  the  office  of  council- 
man and  was  otherwise  prominent  in  local 
affaii'S.  He  was  elected  to  the  territorial 
legislature  in  1881,  from  Grant  County,  and 
still  owns  large  interests  in  Dakota.  He 
came  to  Owatonna  in  1886,  and  was  made 
president  of  the  packing  company.  In  ma- 
sonry, Mr.  Schafer  is  Master  of  the  Blue 
Lodge,  High  Priest  of  the  Chapter  and  Senior 
Warden  of  the  Commandery.  He  was  mar- 
ried September  5, 1882,  to  Miss  Louisa  Knob- 
loch.  They  have  one  girl —  Gertrude  Louisa. 

HOTELS. 

The  first  hotel  in  Owatonna  was  the  Win- 
ship  House,  which  was  opened  by  N.  Winship 
in  1855,  on  the  site  which  it  still  occupies. 
The  building  then  was  a  log  cabin,  22x16 
feet  in  size,  and  from  the  travel  which  passed 
through  here  this  little  hostelry  became  one 
of  the  best  known  landmarks  of  southern 
Minnesota  in  early  times.      In  1856  an  addi- 


196 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


tion,  12x22  feet  in  size,  was  erected  and  vari- 
ous changes  and  additions  have  since  been 
made.     Mr.  Winship  is  still  proprietor. 

Late  in  1855  another  hotel  was  opened  in 
A.  B.  Corneirs'  log  cabin,  by  Philo  Sanford. 
It  was  located  on  the  bank  of  the  river  near 
where  G.  F.  Albertus'  residence  now  stands. 
In  1857  Mr.  Sanford  erected  what  was  then 
known  as  the  American  House,  now  called 
the  Central  House,  which  stands  just  west 
of  the  Morehouse  block,  on  Broad  way.  After 
a  year  or  two  A.  Town  purchased  the  prop- 
erty, and  it  has  since  changed  hands  a  num- 
ber of  times.  M.  A.  McAndrews  is  the 
present  proprietor  of  the  hotel. 

In  1857,  B.  L.  Arnold  erected  what  was 
known  as  the  Eureka  House,  located  where 
John  Shea's  clothing  store  now  stands.  Mr. 
Arnold  ran  this  for  about  five  years,  then 
rented  it  to  D.  W.  Walbridge  and  finally,  in 
1864,  sold  to  David  Barker,  who  rebuilt  and 
rearranged  the  house,  building  a  new  front, 
and  the  place  became  known  as  "  Barker's 
Exchange."  Three  or  four  years  later  he 
sold  to  J.  Oppliger,  who  conducted  a  meat- 
market  there  for  about  one  year  and  then 
sold  to  Parcher  &  Bryant,  and  tJiey  fitted  it 
aeain  as  a  hotel.  Two  years  later  Parcher 
bought  his  partner's  interest,  and  a  few 
months  afterward,  John  Shea  became  a  part- 
ner. Finall3%  the  whole  thing  was  rented  to 
Parcher  for  five  years,  and  two  years  later 
he  sub-let  to  a  Mr.  Brown.  He  was  followed 
by  Charles  Hastings,  who  conducted  it  until 
August  1,  1882,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
C.  Tryon.  Shortly  afterward  Mr.  Shea, 
who  in  the  meantime  had  become  owner  of 
the  property,  sold  it  to  William  H.  Kelly, 
and  its  use  as  a  hotel  was  discontinued. 

The  Owatonna  House  was  built  and 
opened  during  the  war  by  George  Leick. 
Several  years  later  it  was  purchased  by 
Mr.  Engel,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he 
was  succeeded  by  his  son,  William  Engel, 
the  present  proprietor. 

The  Scandinavian  House  was  Iniilt  in  1866 
by  John  M.  Joos.     For  a  number  of  years  it 


was  rented,  and  finally  came  into  the  posses- 
sion of  Olo  Elton,  the  present  proprietor. 

In  1866  John  Bartsch  erected  and  opened 
the  German  hotel,  near  the  depots.  He  ran 
it  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  November,  1881,  and  since  that  time  his 
widow  has  conducted  the  business. 

The  Arnold  House  was  erected  in  1866  by 
B.  L.  Arnold.  Mr.  Arnold  sold  to  Charles 
Hastings,  who  conducted  it  until  1882,  when 
the  property  was  purchased  by  C.  Tryon, 
the  present  proprietor.  The  hotel  is  a  three- 
story  frajne  structure,  well  furnished  and 
conveniently  arranged.  Mr.  Tryon  has  built 
up  the  trade  of  the  house  until  it  is  now  one 
of  the  best  paying  hotels  in  this  part  of  the 
State. 

In  186G  Peter  Lem  started  a  Scandinavian 
hotel  in  the  building  now  occupied  as  an 
office  by  Dr.  Rossbach.  It  was  only  run  as 
a  hotel  for  a  short  time. 

The  Tremont  House  was  built  in  1867  by 
Mr.  Cory.  He  sold  to  John  Parcher  and 
later  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  J.  Oppliger. 
In  1876  W.  Nickerson  purchased  the  ])rop- 
erty,  and  his  son  Charles  is  the  present  pro- 
prietor. 

In  18G8  O.  H.  Wensell  and  Oliver  Nelson 
erected  and  opened  a  house  called  the  City 
Hotel.  In  1869  it  was  purchased  by  E.  B. 
Crooker,  and  in  1870  he  sold  to  Appleton 
Hale.  In  1875  James  and  George  Peachey 
bought  the  property  and  the  name  was 
changed  to  the  Peachey  House.  George 
Peachey,  the  present  proprietor,  bought  the 
house  in  1880. 

The  American  House  was  built  in  1875  by 
James  Connell.  The  property  has  changed 
hands  several  times.  L.  Robinson  is  the 
present  projirietor. 

In  1880  Dr.  E.  M.  Morehou.se  erected  a 
three-story  brick  building,  which  was  openetl 
as  the  Commercial  Hotel  in  1884  by  Elmer 
E.  Cane.  Various  parties  have  conducted  it 
since  that  time.  O.  E.  Ed  son  is  the  present 
jjroprietor. 

Church's  hotel  was  built  and  opened  by 


HISTORY    OF    STKFJ.E   COUNTY. 


197 


John  Church  in  1885.     F.   I).   Albro  is  the 
present  proprietor. 

In  the  summer  of  1887,  Dr.  E.  M.  More- 
house began  the  erection  of  a  magnificent 
briclv  block,  just  north  of  the  postoffice, 
which  is  to  be  opened  as  the  Merchants'  Hotel 
and  it  is  fast  nearing  completion  as  this  vol- 
ume goes  to  press.  The  building  in  size  is 
one  hundred  feet  front  by  eighty  feet  deep, 
four  stories  high,  constructed  of  brick  of  Dr. 
Morehouse's  own  manufacture.  Almost  the 
entire  front  will  be  filled  with  plate  glass, 
while  massive  iron  pillars  are  used  as  sup- 
porters, and  tiling  will  be  used  for  office  and 
hall  floors.  The  house  will  be  elegantly  fur- 
nished and  contain  over  a  hundred  sleeping 
rooms.  The  house  will  be  equipped  with 
steam-heating  apparatus,  fire  escapes,  eleva- 
tor and  all  modern  improvements.  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  four  stairways  will  open  on  the 
street.  When  completed  it  will  have  cost 
$50,000  or  more  and  will  be  the  finest  hotel 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  State. 

In  connection  with  this  article  we  present 
biographical  sketches  of  a  number  of  the  lead- 
ing hotel  men  of  the  city. 

Nathaniel  Winship,  the  pioneer  hotel  man 
of  Steele  County,  and  present  proprietor  of 
the  Winship  House,  was  born  in  Weston, 
Windsor  County,  Vt.,  July  9,  1822,  his  an. 
cestors  being  Americans  as  far  back  as  can 
now  be  traced.  His  parents  were  John  A. 
and  Amjr  (Walker)  Winship.  Nathaniel  at 
an  early  day  settled  in  Milwaukee  County, 
Wis.,  and  in  1855  came  to  Steele  County,  as 
has  been  stated  heretofore.  He  was  married 
October  9,  1851,  to  Miss  Emily  P.  MouJton, 
a  native  of  Vermont.  Her  people  were  Eng- 
lish, her  mother  being  a  Tabor,  a  prominent 
family  in  the  New  England  States  in  early 
times.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winship  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  Church  and  hold  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  They 
have  the  following  children  —  Henry  M.  and 
Ernest  T.,  of  Tracy,  Minn. ;  John  E.,  proprie- 
tor of  a  job  printing  oflice  in  Owatonna ; 
Alice  E.   and   Frank    R.      Mrs.    Winship's 


mother  came  here  in  1858  and  resided  here 
until  her  death,  which  occurred  April  17, 
1881. 

When  Mr.  Winship  and  family  first  ar- 
rived here  they  lived  for  a  time  in  a  little 
shanty  located  where  the  brewery  now 
stands.  Mrs.  Winship  states  that  many 
times  when  feeding  her  domestic  animals, 
the  gophers  would  come  up  and  eat  with 
them.  Another  time  a  rattlesnake  came 
into  the  house  and  laid  by  the  stove  while 
the  family  were  at  dinner.  A  common  sally 
was  as  to  "  whose  floor  should  be  kept  the 
cleanest."  Many  families  were  then  living 
in  little  log  cabins  with  no  floor  save  "  Mother 
Earth." 

Cyrus  Tryon,  proprietor  of  the  Arnold 
House,  is  a  native  of  Cumberland,  Me.,  born 
in  the  year  1831.  He  came  West  in  1853 
and,  having  learned  the  business  of  locomo- 
tive engineer,  and  followed  it  in  the  East, 
followed  that  business  in  the  West  until  he 
had  completed  his  twenty -eighth  year  on  the 
road.  He  ran  the  first  train  into  Madison, 
Wis.,  and  for  years  was  identified  with  what 
has  since  become  the  great  Milwaukee  rail- 
way system.  From  railroading  he  entered 
the  hotel  business,  conducting  leading  hotels 
at  both  Prairie  du  Chien  and  Richland  Cen- 
ter, in  Wisconsin.  In  1882  he  came  to 
Owatonna,  and  purchased  the  Arnold  House 
which  he  still  owns  and  conducts.  In  1854 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Emily  Lawrence, 
whose  father  was  a  cousin  of  the  famous 
Abbott  Lawrence.  She  is  also  a  native  of 
the  State  of  Maine.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tryon 
have  four  children,  as  follows  :  William  E.,  a 
practicing  physician  of  Minneapolis  ;  Frank 
v.,  proprietor  of  the  Tryon  Hotel,  Austin, 
Minn.;  Lillian  M.,now  Mrs.  R.  O.,  Philpot, 
of  Owatonna ;  and  George  W.,  a  graduate 
of  Pillsbury  Academy.  Mr.  Tryon  thor- 
oughl}^  understands  the  hotel  business  and 
has  built  up  a  lai'ge  and  increasing  custom, 
while  Mrs.  Tryon,  besides  being  an  accom- 
plished musician,  is  an  afl'able  and  courteous 
lady    who,    as  ^  a  hostess,  has    done    much 


198 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


toward  gainin<;-  for  the   Arnold  House  the 
reputation  which  it  sustains. 

Francis  D.  Albro,  proprietor  of  the  Church 
hotel,  was  born  in  Kent  County,  town  of 
Coventry,  R.  I.  When  he  was  ten  years 
old  his  fathers  family  moved  to  Scotland, 
Conn.,  thence  to  Norwich,  where  he  learned 
the  machinist  trade.  He  was  married  in 
1856  to  Miss  Esther  C.  Arnold.  In  1862 
he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Twenty -first 
Connecticut  Volunteers.  He  was  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  and  was  dis- 
charged. His  wife  died  in  1870,  and  he  was 
again  married  in  1871  to  Mrs.  Abbie  C.  Fitch. 
He  came  to  Owatonna  in  18S6,  purchased  the 
Church  hotel,  and  is  its  present  proprietor. 
Mr.  Church  had  two  children  by  his  first 
wife  —  Isadore  E.  and  Susan  H.  —  both  of 
whom  are  living.  By  his  second  wife  he  has 
had  three  children :  Frank  E.,  born  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1871;  Herbert  E.,  born  May  2,  187U, 
and  Cressey  A.,  born  April  23,  1873.  Mr 
Albro  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sedgwick  Post  (Norwich,  Conn.) 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  With  his  wife 
he  belongs  to  the  Congregational  Church. 

Michael  A.  McAndrews,  proprietor  of  the 
Central  House,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1815. 
He  came  to  America  when  two  yeai-s  old, 
with  his  parents,  locating  in  Lake  County, 
111.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  In  1857 
he,  with  his  father,  Francis  McAndrews, 
came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  in 
Merton  Township,  llis  father  died  in  June, 
1872.  His  mother  died  in  1878.  Our  sub- 
ject enlisted.  August  23,  1862,  in  a  company, 
and  went  to  Winnebago  Agency  in  August, 
1862.  In  January,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Bat- 
tery L,  First  Minnesota  Heavy  Artillery,  and 
was  in  service  until  September,  bemg,  most 
of  the  time,  in  Chattanooga.  He  came  to 
Owatonna  in  ISSl,  and  in  the  spring  of  1887 
took  possession  of  Centra!  House.  Mr.  Mc- 
Andrews was  married  in  December,  1872,  to 
Mary  A.  Hand,  a  native  of  Iowa.  They 
have  four  children :  Abbie  A.,  Willie  H., 
Frank  J.  and  John  H.     They  are  members 


of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  Mr.  McAndrews 
belongs  to  the  Grand  Armj'  of  the  Republic. 

Ole  Elton,  proprietor  of  the  Scandinavian 
House,  was  born  in  Norway  in  1812.  In 
1866  he  came  to  America,  locating  in  Wa- 
seca, Minn.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  mer- 
chandise business  for  two  years.  In  1876  he 
came  to  Owatonna,  where  he  has  since  re- 
sided. Mr.  Elton  was  married  in  1S62  to 
Miss  Mary  Larsen,  who  died  in  1872.  He 
was  again  married  in  1871,  to  Lefia  Larsen. 
Agnes,  born  in  Norway,  October  2,  1861, 
Olof,  born  in  Norway,  June  6, 1866,  Andrew, 
born  in  Waseca  County,  April  1,  1868,  and 
Carrie,  born  in  Waseca  City,  November  5, 
1875,  are  the  names  of  their  children. 

William  G.  Engel,  proprietor  of  the  Owa- 
tonna House,  was  born  near  Milwaukee, 
AVis.,  in  1858.  In  1867  he  came  to  Owa- 
tonna. His  father.  William  L.  Engel,  worked 
one  year  in  a  brewery  and  then  bought  the 
Owatonna  House,  which  he  conducted  until 
the  time  of  his  death,  in  December,  1872. 
William  G.  has  been  running  the  house  since 
his  father's  death. 

John  Bartsch,  deceased,  former  proprietor 
of  the  German  hotel,  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many. He  came  to  America  in  1851  and 
located  in  Dodge  County,  Wis.,  where  for 
twelve  years  he  was  employed  in  an  iron 
foundry.  In  1866  he  came  to  Owatonna  and 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  erecting  the 
house  referred  to.  He  continued  to  conduct 
it  until  his  death,  which  occurred  November 
27,  1881.  He  had  been  married  many  years 
previous,  and  had  four  children :  Charles, 
Hattie,  AVilliam  and  Gusta.  Charles  now 
lives  in  Dakota  and  Hattie  in  Minneapolis. 
William  and  Gusta  stiU  live  at  home.  The 
business  is  carried  on  by  the  widow  and 
William. 

William  Bartsch  was  born  in  Wisconsin 
on  the  17th  of  December,  1863.  He  is  a  sin- 
gle man,  of  good  business  qualities,  and  a 
Democrat  in  politics. 

G.  W.  Peachey,  proprietor  of  the  Peachej' 
House,  was  born  in   Dodge  County,  Wis., 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


199 


in  1853.  His  father,  James  Peach}^,  brought 
his  family  to  Dodge  County,  Minn.,  where 
he  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Ellington 
Township.  Geo.  W.  Peachy  came  to 
Owatonna  in  1876,  purchased  the  City  Hotel 
and  has  conducted  it  under  the  name  of  the 
Peachey  House  since  that  time.  He  was 
married  in  187S  to  Miss  Lillie  Cole.  He  is  a 
member  of  Lodge  No.  14,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  FeUows. 

THE    MEDICAL    PEOFESSION. 

The  first  physician  to  locate  in  what  is 
now  the  city  of  Owatonna  was  Dr.  E.  M. 
Morehouse,  who  is  still  a  leading  physician 
of  the  city.  During  the  third  of  a  century 
that  has  glided  by  since  the  city  was  laid  out, 
the  number  of  physicians  that  have  come  and 
gone  have  been  legion.  At  the  present  writing 
(1887)  the  medical  profession  is  well  rep- 
resented at  Owatonna  by  the  following 
named  phj^sicians,  viz.:  Drs.  E.  M.  Morehouse, 
Edward  E.  Bigelow,  J.  L.  Harrington,  J.  H. 
Adair,  G.  A.  Eossbach,  T.  L.  Hatch,  D.  H. 
Eoberts  and  W.  A.  Ware. 

Eli  Martin  Morehouse,  M.  D.,  pioneer 
physician  of  Owatonna,  was  born  at  Warren, 
Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  March  2,  1835, 
his  parents  being  ISTelson  and  Sarah  Johnson 
Morehouse.  His  father.  Nelson  Morehouse 
vi^as  a  mill-owner,  and  his  grandfather,  Eli 
Morehouse,  participated  in  the  second  war 
with  England.  Eli  M.  received  an  academic 
education  in  WaiTen  ;  commenced  reading 
medicine  when  a  mere  lad,  his  preceptor  be- 
ing the  celebrated  Dr.  William  Paine,  pro- 
fessor of  the  theory  and  practice  of  medicine, 
in  the  University  of  Medicine  and  Surgery, 
at  Philadelphia.  At  seventeen  he  had  grad- 
uated in  medicine  and  at  eighteen  com- 
menced practicing  at  Warren,  at  seventeen 
having  received  his  diploma  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Medicine  and  Sui-gery,  at  Phila- 
delphia. In  1853  Dr.  Morehouse  crossed 
the  Mississippi  River  and  engaged  in  practice 
at  Indepentlence,  Buchanan  County,  Iowa. 
Early   in  1855  he  came  to   Minnesota  and 


became  the  first  and  only  physician  at  Owa- 
tonna, then,  since  that  time  he  has  been  in 
practice  here  constantly,  with  the  exception 
of  a  short  time  about  the  close  of  the  war, 
when,  in  1864,  in   order  to  have  a    respite 
from  severe  labor,  he  took  a  trip  to  Montana 
and  other  Territories,   coupling  a  mild  form 
of  gold  fever  with  a   taste   for   adventure. 
He   was  absent  for  two  years,    in  practice 
part  of  this  time   at  Virginia   City,    Mon. 
After  this  trip  he  again  resumed   his  large 
practice  here   and  has    since    continued    it. 
In  May,  1871,  he  led  off  in  the  formation  of 
the  Minnesota  State  Eclectic  Medical  Soci- 
ety, of  which  he   was    the  first    president, 
and  at  the  present  writing  again  holds  that 
office.     He  is  also  a  member  of  the  National 
Eclectic  Medical  Association,   having  years 
ago  received  diplomas  from  the  New  York 
and   Cincinnati    Eclectic  Medical    Colleges. 
In  early  days,  as  at  the  present  writing,  the 
Doctor  was  among  the  best  known  men  in 
this  part  of  the  State.     There  were  no  rail 
roads  for  j^ears  after  he  began  practice  here, 
and  his  ride  extended   from  thirty  to  fifty 
miles  in  every  direction,  while  the  absence 
of  roads  and  bridges,  and  the  trackless  prai- 
ries form  the  basis  for  enough  incidents  of 
danger  and  hardships  to  fill  a  volume.     This 
brought  him  in  contact  with  a  vast    range 
of    country,    and    formed    the    foundation 
for    the    extended   and    lucrative    practice 
which    he     has    enjoyed    ever   since.     He 
was  chosen  a  member  of  the  State  Senate 
in    1877,   and  in    the  session   of    the    fol- 
lowing  year  was   upon   seven  committees, 
including  those  of  public  lands,  Indian  af- 
fairs,   State    university    and    library.       In 
early  days  he   was  a  Republican,  but  since 
the  war  has  been  a  Democrat.     He  has  held 
many  other  public  offices  of    trust  and  has 
been  offered  many  times  the  nomination  of 
his  party  for  others,  but  as  a  rule  he  has  de- 
clined.    The  Doctor  belongs  to  the  Camp  in 
Odd  Fellowship,  and  is  a  Knight  Templar 
among  the  Masons.     Since  locating  in  Owa- 
tonna no   man   has  been  more  active  and 


200 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


liberal  in  advancing  the  interests  of  the 
city.  In  1867  he  built  the  Morehouse 
block  or  Opera  House ;  later  the  Merchants' 
hotel  and  other  important  buildings,  and 
now  has  nearly  completed  a  four-story  brick 
block  opposite  the  postoffice,  which  will  be 
the  finest  and  largest  building  in  the  city. 
A  full  description  of  it  is  given  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  He  also  owns  hundreds  of 
acres  of  improved  and  unimproved  land. 
All  matters  tending  to  benefit  the  city  or 
county  have  always  received  his  hearty  en- 
couragement—  both  with  his  influence  and 
in  a  financial  way. 

George  A.  Rossbach,  M.D.,  has  practiced  in 
Owatonna  since  1871.  He  was  born  m 
Moyenmoutier,  France,  in  1813.  Graduating 
from  the  Strasburg  Medical  College  in  1833, 
he  went  with  a  regiment  of  French  troops 
to  Africa  in  the  capacity  of  surgeon.  He 
came  to  America  in  1851,  locating  in  Sauk 
County,  Wis.  In  1861  he  was  made  surgeon 
of  the  Third  Wisconsin  .Cavalry,  serving  a 
year  and  a  half  with  the  troops  and  two 
years  at  a  hospital  at  Fort  Scott,  Kan.  He 
came  to  Owatonna  in  1871.  He  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  being  a  member  of  Goethe  Lodge. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  skillful  surgeons  in 
the  State. 

D.  H.  Roberts,  M.  D.,  homeopathic  phy- 
sician, was  born  near  Richmond,  Wayne 
County,  Ind.,  in  1824.  He  received  his 
medical  education  principally  in  Indian- 
apolis. After  practicing  a  short  time  he 
accepted  a  chair  of  natural  science  in  the 
Whitewater  College,  and  later  he  was  made 
superintendent  of  the  Farmers'  Institute 
near  Lafayette.  Subsequentlj^  he  located  in 
Pendleton,  Ind.,  where  he  resumed  practice. 
In  1869  he  came  to  Minnesota  and  located 
in  Plainview.  In  1872  he  removed  to  Owa- 
tonna and  has  since  been  doing  a  lucrative 
business.  The  doctor  is  a  Mason  and  also 
an  Odd  Fellow.  He  was  married  in  1S4S  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  P.  Austin,  a  native  of  Phil- 
adelphia. 

Edward  E.  Bigelow,  M.  D.,  was  born  in 


Akron,  Ohio,  in  1841,  where  he  spent  his 
early  life.  In  18.50  removed  witli  his  fath- 
ead's family  to  Lake  Mills,  Jefferson  County, 
Wis.,  where  he  received  an  academical 
education  and  then  began  the  study  of 
medicine  and  surgery,  which  was  interrupted 
by  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  He  enlisted  in 
Gen.  Fremont's  body-guard,  at  Milwaukee, 
1861,  but  was  rejected  on  account  of  being 
unfit  for  cavalry  service.  He  re-enlisted  in 
1862  and  was  appointed  sergeant  of  Company 
D,  Twenty-ninth  Wisconsin  Volunteers,  and 
was  discharged,  on  account  of  disability,  in 
1863.  He  pursued  the  study  of  his  pro- 
fession in  the  office  of  his  preceptor  till  the 
fall  of  1865,  when  he  entered  the  medical 
college  of  the  University  of  Michigan. 
Having  received  the  degrees  of  doctors  of 
medicine  and  surgery,  in  March,  1867,  he 
immediately  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his 
profession  at  Milan,  Mich.  In  1873  removed 
to  Manchester.  On  July  5,  1877,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella  A.  Eeles, 
of  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  and  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  removed  to  Owatonna,  ]\Iinn., 
and  is  now  very  actively  engaged  in  his 
chosen  profession,  having  a  large  and  in- 
creasing practice.  The  doctor  is  a  member 
of  the  Minnesota  State  Medical  Association 
and  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 
In  Masonry  he  is  a  member  of  the  Blue 
Lodge,  Owatonna  Royal  Arch  Chapter  No. 
15,  and  of  Cyrene  Commandery  No.  9  of 
Owatonna.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a 
member  and  surgeon  of  James  A.  Goodwin 
Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  No.  81. 
The  doctor  and  Mrs.  Bigelow  have  two  little 
girls  —  Edna  Louisa,  born  December  17, 
1879,  and  Marian  E.,  born  August  13,  1884. 
Theodore  L.  Hatch,  M.  D.,  of  Owatonna, 
was  born  in  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  the  20th 
of  January,  1848.  When  he  was  two  years  old 
his  parents  removed  with  him  to  Washing- 
ton County,  Wis.,  where  they  resided  till  he 
was  six  years  of  age,  when  they  moved  to 
Plainville,  Adams  County,  Wis.  Dr.  Hatch 
received  a  good  common  school  education 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


201 


and  at  the  age  of  twenty  engaged  in  the 
avocation  of  teaching.  In  the  spring  of 
1867  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine 
at  Neillsville,  Wis.,  and  took  his  medical 
degree  at  the  University  of  Michigan  on  the 
29th  of  March,  1871.  In  the  final  examin- 
ation for  the  degree  of  doctor  of  medicine 
he  stood  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  anatomy 
and  physiology,  and  obstetrics  and  gynae- 
cology. He  practised  at  Neillsville,  Wis., 
during  the  summer  of  1871,  coming  to  Steele 
County  in  October  of  that  year.  During 
the  winter  of  1871-2  he  taught  school  at 
Aurora  station,  engaging  in  practice  outside 
of  school  hours.  In  the  spring  of  1872  he 
moved  to  Blooming  Prairie  and  practiced 
medicine,  engaging  also  with  his  brother  in 
the  drug  business.  In  May,  ISSO,  he  became 
a  resident  of  Owatonna,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  He  is  at  present  county  physician 
of  Steele  County,  this  being  the  fourth  term 
he  has  held  that  position. 

J.  L.  Harrington,  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Wind- 
ham County,  Vt.,  in  1810.  From  the  age  of 
nineteen  to  twentj'-two,  he  studied  medicine 
and  taught  school  alternately.  He  gradu- 
ated in  medicine  June  3,  1862,  from  the 
University  of  Vermont,  and  soon  commenced 
to  practice  at  Weston.  In  1861  he  enlisted 
in  Compan}'  I,  Fourth  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  subsequently  promoted  to  assistant 
surgeon  in  the  First  Vermont  Heavy  Artil- 
lery. In  1866  he  went  to  Halifax  and 
resumed  his  practice,  remaining  there  until 
1881.  During  his  residence  there  he  was  a 
member  of  the  State  constitutional  conven- 
tion in  1872.  In  1878  was  elected  to  the 
legislature,  and  was  chairman  of  the  State 
board  of  supervisors  of  the  insane  in  1879 
and  1880.  In  1881,  on  account  of  failing- 
health,  he  came  west  and  located  in  Owa- 
tonna. On  February  2, 1867,  he  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Catharine  Tenney,  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire.  William  E.  is  the  name  of  their 
only  son.  Mrs.  S.  E.  Nelson,  of  Owatonna, 
is  a  daughter  of  Mrs.  Harrington  bj^  her 
former  marriage.     Dr.  Harrington  is  a  skill- 


ful surgeon  and  a  splendid  physician,  and 
has  a  lucrative  practice. 

J.  II.  Adaii",  M.  D.,  was  born  in  Havana 
Township,  Steele  County,  in  1858,  his  people 
being  the  first  settlers  in  that  locality.  Dr. 
Adair  received  his  early  education  at  Owa- 
tonna, and  later  took  a  course  at  Carleton 
College,  JSTorthfield.  In  1880  he  went  to 
Chicago,  entered  Rush  Medical  College  and 
graduated  from  that  institution  in  1883.  He 
began  to  practice  at  Winnebago  City,  Minn., 
but  a  year  later  came  to  Owatonna,  where 
he  is  now  practicing.  September  15,  1887, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  L.  Davidson, 
daughter  of  William  Davidson,  of  Owatonna. 

PRESENT    BUSINESS. 

At  the  present  writing  (August,  1887)  the 
general  business  of  Owatonna,  in  the  various 
lines  of  trade,  is  represented  by  the  following- 
named  gentlemen  and  firms : 

General  Merchandise  —  G.  F.  Albertus,  J. 
Oppliger  &  Co.,  A.  Kasper,  Soukup  Bros., 
Nelson  &  Jefts,  J.  C.  Jahreiss,  Petrich  & 
Speckeen,  M.  Leary,  T.  H.  Kelly  &  Co.  and 
W.  Holt. 

Exclusive  Dry  Goods  —  H.  E.  Moore,  Ji-., 
&  Co.  and  J.  L.  Saxton. 

Groceries  —  Twiford  &  Sperr}',  E.  Downie 
&  Co.,  A.  Mudeking,  Wm.  Davidson,  E.  W. 
Piper,  E.  W.  Clarke,  Stowers  &  Jeiferson,  E. 
F.  Eequa. 

Clothing — John  Shea,  H.  Katz  &  Co.  and 
J.  Schulein. 

Hardware  —  E.  Y.  Hunnewill,  Thon  Bros., 
Crandall  &  Nelson,  Parrott  &  Smith,  A. 
Knobloch  and  N.  C.  Larson. 

Drugs  —  F.  M.  Banter,  Wm.  Gauswitz  & 
Co.,  C.  Peterson  and  Luers  ife  Luers. 

Boots  and  Shoes  —  AVilliam  Mork,  Nichols 
&  Hall,  Weber  &  Son  and  J.  A.  Butsch. 

Jewelry  —  Henrjr  Birkett,  Julius  F.  Young 
and  C.  F.  Warner. 

Lumber  —  Laird,  Norton  &  Co.  (George 
Clark,  manager),  J.  Z.  Barncard  &  Co.  and 
Wisconsin  Lumber  Company  (Mclndoe  Alex- 
ander, manager). 


202 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COCNTY. 


Saloons  • —  Emil  Theimer.  J.  Glaeser,  Chas. 
Kenmoth,  Joseph  Hoflfman,  T.  Fedder,  Bion 
&  Hoffman,  W.  Watowa,  Joseph  Kubat,  M. 
Kyan,  Mrs.  Bartsch,  Anton  Belina  and 
Thompson  &  Wightman. 

Flour  and  Feed  — J.  W.  Gillett.  Nearly 
all  of  the  grocery  stores  also  handle  flour 
and  feed. 

Marble  Works — Webb  &  Hemingway, 
Byrne  &  McDonald  and  A.  Meyer. 

Agricultural  Implements  —  Buxton  & 
Jones,  McLaughlin  &  Larson,  R.  H.  Chapin, 
M.  S.  Quiggle,  Crandall  &  Nelson,  Virtue  & 
Co.  and  Hotchkiss  &  Co. 

Pump  Factor}^  —  Orrin  Greeley. 

Diamond  Feedmill  Manufacturers  —  Mc- 
Laughlin, Sheldon  &  Co. 

Blacksmith  Shops  —  Brown  &  McEostie, 
Homer  Wardwill,  C.  Zannetti,  Ben.  Meix- 
ner,  E.  Deininger,  H.  Cartright,  C.  Hanson, 
M.  S.  Quiggle  and  C.  F.  Smith. 

Wagon  Shops  —  C.  Schoen,  Ben  Meixner, 
John  Deeg,  E.  Deininger  and  H.  Cartright. 

Liverjr  —  Fred  Eosskopf  and  E.  H.  Chapin. 

Confectionery  —  Chas.  Chenoweth,  W. 
Dennis. 

Bakeries  —  C.  Chenoweth  and  Mr.  Brooks. 

Harness  Shops  —  H.  F.  Luce  &  Son,  0. 
Butsch,  Meyer  Brothers,  C.  Bowers  and  O. 
M.  ILimmond. 

Shoemakers  —  J.  Lee,  O.  Searle,  J.  E. 
McLeod  and  J.  Bartosch. 

Merchant  Tailors  —  John  Cottier,  N.  W. 
Hanson  and  D.  Banks. 

Barbers  —  Jerry  Pope,  Parker  Brothers, 
Boggs  &  Essex,  N.  G.  Frisco  and  Andrew 
Sanderline. 

Books  and  Stationery — A.  M.  Kinyon. 
Several  drug  stores  also  handle  a  light  stock 
of  this  line  of  goods. 

Grain  —  Pratt  &  Co.,  Soper  &  Son,  J.  S. 
Austin. 

Photographers  —  G.  W.  Chesley  and  H. 
Midler. 

Dentists  —  Doctors  Medd,  Searle  and 
Stearns. 

Eeal  Estate  —  B.  S.  Cook. 


Meat  Markets — Owatonna  Packing  Com- 
pany, Charles  Meschke,  Gus  Sckwanke, 
Boice  &  Forsyth  and  John  Stranski  &  Co. 

CITY    GOVERNMENT. 

In  this  connection  we  pi-esent  a  complete 
list  of  the  officers  who  have  managed  the 
various  departments  of  the  city  government 
from  the  incorporation  of  the  city  in  1865, 
to  the  present  time,  inclusive  : 

OFFICERS,  1S05-6. 

Mayor,  G.  B.  Hall ;  recorder,  A.  M.  Kin- 
yon ;  assessor,  J.  W.  Dresser ;  treasurer,  J. 

B.  Hooker ;  city  marshal,  W.  Wheaton  ;  city 
justice,  A.N.  Stoughton ;  city  attorney,  J.  B. 
Searles ;  city  surveyor,  L.  Bixby ;  official 
paper,  Plaindealer. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  W.  H.  Willsey, 
W.  E.  Kin3'on  ;  justice,  A.  Chambers ;  street 
commissioner,  S.  N.  Sargent;  constable, 
James  Connell. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  A.  Oppliger, 
J.  B.  Crooker;  justice,  I.  P.  Eequa;  street 
commissioner,  A.  Odell;  constable,  Wm. 
Curtis.  • 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  W.  Scruby,  J. 
Donaldson ;  justice,  Philo  Bliss ;  street  com- 
missioner, M.  H.  Franklin ;  constable,  J.  B. 
Hooker. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  D.  S.  Har- 
sha,  C.  L.  Tappan ;  first  ward,  Seth  Hotch- 
kiss ;  second  ward,  A.  Town  ;  third  ward,  D. 
W.  Burch. 

OFFICERS,  1866-7. 

Mayor,  A.  N.  Stoughton ;  recorders,  A.  M. 
Kinyon,  C.  S.  Crandall ;  assessor,  J.  Cham- 
bers; treasurer,  G.  B.  Hall;  street  commis- 
sioner, S.  N.  Sargent;  city  marshal,  W. 
Wheaton  ;  cit}'  justice,  C.  C.  Cornell ;  city 
attorney,  J.  B.  Searles;  city  surveyor,  L. 
Bixby  ;  official  paper,  Plaindealer. 

First   IT  a/r/.— Aldermen,  W.  H.   Willsey,   -, 
W.  E.  Kinyon  ;  constable,  James  Connell ; 
justice,  A.  Chambers. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  Newsalt,  II. 

C.  Eld  red  ;  justice,  I.  P.  Eequa ;  constable, 
William  Curtis. 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    CODNTV. 


203 


Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  William  Scruby, 
H.  J.  Lewis,  J.  A.  Oppliger ;  justice,  Philo 
Bliss  ;  constables,  C.  G.  Smith,  H.  A.  Tiffany. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  D.  S. 
Harsha,  C.  L.  Tappan ;  first  ward,  Seth 
Hotchkiss;  second  ward,  A.  Town;  third 
ward,  D.  W.  Burch. 

OFFICERS,    1867-8. 

Mayor,  S.  B.  "Washburn ;  recorder,  Isaac 
"W.  Burch ;  assessor,  L.  E.  Kawson ;  treas- 
urer, G.  B.  Hall;  street  commissioners,  H. 
J.  Lewis,  C.  L.  Gardner;  cit}^  marshal,  M. 
J.  Toher  ;  city  justice,  H.  H.  Johnson  ;  city 
attorney,  J.  B.  Searles ;  city  surveyor,  J.  H. 
Abbott ;  official  paper,  Joitrnal. 

First  Wai'd. — Aldermen,  W.  R.  Kinyon, 
Clarke  Chambers,  W.  H.  Willsey ;  constable, 
Levi  Frank  ;  justice,  Addison  Phelps. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  H.  C.  Eldred, 
N.  "Winship,  J.  Donaldson  ;  constable,  none ; 
justice,  H.  A.  Beers. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  A.  Oppliger, 
J.  Donaldson,  J.  S.  Fuller;  constable,  I.  W. 
Hanks;  justice,  M.  F.  Lowth. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  D.  S. 
Harsha,  S.  S.  Eussell ;  first  ward,  S.  Hotch- 
kiss, I.  J.  Fuller ;  second  ward,  A.  Town  ; 
third  ward,  D.  W.  Burch. 

OFFICERS,    1868-9. 

Mayor,  J.  W.  Morford ;  recorder,  Isaac 
W.  Burch ;  assessor,  E.  Scannel ;  treasurer, 
S.  Hotchkiss ;  street  commissioner,  A. 
Phelps;  city  marshal,  I.  W.  Hanks;  city 
justice,  H.  H.  Johnson ;  city  attorney,  J.  B. 
Searles ;  city  surveyor,  J.  li.  Abbott ;  offi- 
cial paper.  Journal. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  C.  Chambers,  J. 

A.  Armstrong,  Chas.   Dennijes ;  constables, 
none  ;  justice,  Wm.  Dean. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  N.  Winship,  D. 

B.  Marble ;    constable,  J.  B.  Hooker ;    jus- 
tice, H.  A.  Beers. 

Third  Wa7'd. — Aldermen,  T.  J.  Howe,  K. 
D.  Chase ;  justice,  Wm.  Davidson ;  consta- 
ble, I.  W.  Hanks. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  S.  S.  Rus- 


sell, S.  B.  Washburne ;  first  ward,  I.  J.  Ful- 
ler ;  second  ward,  P.  S.  Smith,  John  Odell ; 
third  ward,  Wm.  Davidson. 

OFFICERS,  1869-70. 

Mayor,  A.  N.  Stoughton ;  recorder,  Isaac 
W.  Burch ;  assessor,  E.  Scannel ;  treasurer, 
J.  Chambers ;  street  commissioner,  M.  J. 
Toher;  city  marshal,  I.  W.  Hanks;  city  jus- 
tice, H.  A.  Beers ;  city  attorney,  J.  B. 
Searles ;  city  surveyor,  J.  H.  Abbott ;  offi- 
cial paper,  Journal. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  A.  Armstrong, 
Lewis  Lord  ;  constable,  James  Cornell ;  jus- 
tice, T.  G.  Patch. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  D.  B.  Marble, 
L.  E.  Rawson ;  justice,  L.  B.  Town ;  consta- 
ble, H.  A.  Tiffany. 

TJdrd  Ward. — Aldermen,  K.  D.  Chase, 
T.  J.  Howe,  H.  Backus;  constable,  I.  W. 
Hanks ;  justice,  Philo  Bhss. 

Board  of  Education.  —  At  large,  G.  B. 
Hall,  M.  F.  Lowth  ;  first  ward,  B.  F.  Melvin ; 
second  ward,  John  Odell,  D.  S.  Harsha; 
third  ward,  D.  W.  Burch. 

.  OFFICERS,  1870-71. 

Mayor,  H.  II.  Johnson ;  recorder,  Isaac 
Burch ;  assessor,  Seth  Hotchkiss ;  treasurer, 
J.  Chambers ;  street  commissioner,  L.  Gil- 
bert ;  city  marshal,  I.  W.  Hanks ;  city  jus- 
tice, H.  A.  Beers;  city  attorney,  J.  B. 
Searles ;  city  surveyor,  J.  H.  Abbott ;  offi- 
cial paper.  Journal. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  A.  Armstrong, 
R.  C.  Olin,  Lewis  Lord;  constable,  James 
Cornell;  justice,  T.  G.  Patch. 

Second  Ward. — -Aldermen,  D.  B.  Marble, 
L.  E.  Rawson  ;  constable,  E.  R.  Fenno ;  jus- 
tice, Samuel  Collins. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  T.  J.  Howe, 
H.  Backus ;  justice,  Philo  Bliss ;  constable,  I. 
W.  Hanks. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  G.  B. 
Hall,  G.  C.  Tanner:  first  ward,  Charles  S. 
Crandall ;  second  ward,  D.  S.  Harsha ;  third 
ward,  D.  W.  Burch. 


Si()4 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


OFFICERS,  1871-2. 

Mayor,  R.  C.  Olin ;  recorder,  Isaac  "W. 
Burch  ;  assessor,  Seth  Hotchkiss ;  treasurer, 
J.  "Chambers;  street  commissioner,  James 
Cotter ;  city  marshal,  I.  W.  Hanks ;  city 
justice,  H.  H.  Johnson  ;  city  attorney,  Lewis 
L.  Wheelock ;  city  surveyor,  J.  H.  Abbott ; 
official  paper.  Journal. 

First  IFa^Y/.— Aldermen,  E.  C.  Olin,  T.  W. 
Irving,  W.  H.  Sherman ;  constable,  James 
Connell ;  justice,  T.  G.  Patch. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  D.  B.  Marble, 
E.  A.  Tyler ;  justice,  M.  L.  Blair ;  constable, 
R.  G.  Chittenden. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  H.  Backus,  J.  E. 
Buxton ;  justice,  J.  S.  Austin ;  constable, 
O.  G.  Evenson. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  G.  C. 
Tanner,  Lewis  L.  Wheelock;  first  ward, 
Charles  S.  Crantlall ;  second  ward,  E.  H.  S. 
Dartt ;  third  ward,  D.  W.  Burch. 

OFFICERS,  1872-3. 

Mayors,  "W.  II.  Kelly,  J.  A.  Oppliger; 
recorder,  Isaac  "W.  Burch;  assessor,  Seth 
Hotchkiss ;  treasurer,  Joseph  Chambers ; 
street  commissioner,  S.  J.  Loomis ;  city  mar- 
shal, D.  Whipple;  city  justice,  H.H.Johnson; 
city  attornej',  J.  M.  Burlingame ;  city  sur- 
veyor, B.  S.  Wheeler ;  official  paper,  Journal. 
First  Ward. — Aldermen,  T.  W.  Irving, 
W.  H.  Sherman,  W.  II.  Willsey ;  justice,  T. 
G.  Patch  ;  constable,  James  Connell. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  E.  A.  Tyler, 
A.  C.  Dodge ;  justice,  C.  C.  Cornell ;  con- 
stable, D.  Whipple. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  H.Backus,  J.  E. 
Buxton ;  justice,  J.  S.  Austin ;  constable,  A. 
E.  Simons. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  Lewis  L. 
Wheelock,  G.  C.  Tanner;  first  ward,  Chas. 
S.  Crandall ;  second  ward,  E.  H.  S.  Dartt ; 
third  ward,  D.  W.  Burch. 

OFFICERS,  1873-^. 
Maj'or,    T.  J.  Howe ;   recorder,  Isaac  W. 
Burch ;    assessor,    D.  W.  Burch ;    treasurer, 
Joseph  Chambers ;  street  commissioner,  S.  J. 


Loomis ;  city  marshal,  E.  L.  Paddock ;  city 
justice,  T.  G.  Patch  ;  city  attorney,  J.  M. 
Burlingame ;  city  surveyor,  B.  S.  Wheeler ; 
official  pa])er,  Journal. 

First  Ward. —  Aldermen,  T.  W.  Irving, 
Seth  Hotchkiss ;  justice,  H.  H.  Johnson ; 
constable,  Theo.  Dean. 

Second  Ward. —  Aldermen,  A.  C.  Dodge, 
Titus  Case ;  justice,  C.  C.  Cornell ;  consta- 
ble, E.  R.  Fenno. 

Third  Ward. —  Aldermen,  H.  Backus,  J. 
E.  Buxton ;  justice,  Wm.  Davidson  ;  consta- 
ble, H.  A.  Tiffany. 

Board  of  Education.  —  At  large,  G.  C. 
Tanner,  John  A.  Spelman ;  first  ward,  A. 
N.  Stoughton  ;  second  ward,  E.  H.  S.  Dartt ; 
third  ward,  D.  W.  Burch. 

OFFICERS,  187-1—5. 

Mayor,  T.  J.  Howe;  recorder,  Isaac  W. 
Burch  ;  assessor,  Seth  Hotchkiss ;  treasurer, 
Joseph  Chamljers ;  street  commissioner,  P. 
Brennan ;  city  marshal,  S.  H.  Stowers ;  city 
justices,  T.  G.  Patch,  N^.  M.  Donaldson ; 
city  attorney,  J.  M.  Burlingame ;  city  sur- 
veyor, J.  II.  Abbott ;  official  paper.  Journal. 

First  Ward. —  Aldermen,  Seth  Hotchkiss, 
Clarke  Chambers  ;  justice,  H.  H.  Johnson ; 
constable,  P.  R.  Pike. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  Titus  Case,  N. 
M.  Donaldson  :  justice,  Isaac  Howe ;  consta- 
ble, G.  F.  Doolittle. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen  J.  E.  Buxton, 
Geo.  Wilson ;  justice,  Wm.  Davidson ;  con- 
stable, H.  A.  Tiffany. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  G.  C. 
Tanner,  John  A.  Spelman;  first  ward,  A.  N. 
Stoughton ;  second  ward,  E.  H.  S.  Dartt ; 
third  ward,  II.  W.  Pratt. 

OFFICERS,  1875-6. 

Mayor,  T.  J.  Howe ;  recorder,  Isaac  W. 
Burcii;  assessor,  Seth  Hotchkiss;  treasur- 
er, J.  Chambers ;  street  commissioner,  P. 
Brennan ;  city  marshal,  S.  H.  Stowers ;  city 
justice,  N.  M.  Donaldson ;  city  attorney,  J. 
M.  Burlingame ;  cit}'  surve3'Oi',  J.  H.  Abbott ; 
official  paper,  Journal. 


HISTORY    OJ"    STEELE    COUNTY. 


205 


First  Ward.  —  Aldermen,  Clarke  Cham- 
bers, A.  Knobloch ;  justice,  il.  H.  Johnson  ; 
constable,  S.  H.  Stowers. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  N.  M.  Donald- 
son, E.  Donaldson;  justices,  Isaac  Howe, 
H.  A.  Beers ;  constable,  Wm.  Furman. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  E.  Buxton, 
Geo.  Wilson  ;  justice,  Wm.  Davidson ;  con- 
stable, H.  A.  Tiflfany. 

Board  of  Education.  ■ —  At  large,  G.  C. 
Tanner,  J.  C.  Ellis;  first  ward,  A.  N. 
Stoughton ;  second  ward,  E.  H.  S.  Dartt ; 
third  ward,  H.  W.  Pratt. 

OFFICERS,  1876-7. 

Mayor,  N.  M.  Donaldson ;  recorder,  Isaac 
W.  Burch ;  assessor,  L.  E.  Eawson,  treasurer, 
J.  Chambers  ;  street  commissioner,  P.  Bren- 
nan,  city  marshal,  J.  B.  Putney;  city  justice, 
N.  M.  Donaldson ;  city  attorney,  J.  M.  Burlin- 
game ;  city  surveyor,  J.  H.  Abbott ;  oiBcial 
paper.  People's  Press. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  A.  Knobloch, 
J.  E.  Fox  ;  justice,  H.  H.  Johnson  ;  constable, 
George  Van  Dusen. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  E.  Donaldson, 
J.  C.  Ellis ;  justice,  H.  A.  Beers ;  constable, 
Wm.  Furman. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  E.  Easton,  Jas. 
Thompson ;  justice,  Wm.  Davidson ;  consta- 
ble, H.  A.  Tifi^any. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  H.  W. 
Pratt,  J.  C.  Ellis ;  first  ward,  W.  A.  Dynes, 
E.  H.  Chapin  ;  second  ward,  E.  H.  S.  Dartt ; 
third  ward,  C.  G.  Earley. 

OB'FICEKS,    1877-8. 

Mayor,  M.  A.  Fredenburg ;  recorder,  Isaac 
W.  Burch;  assessor,  E.  Easton;  treasurer, 
Joseph  Chambers ;  street  commissioner,  P. 
Brennan ;  city  marshal,  S.  II.  Stowers  ;  city 
justice,  N.  M.  Donaldson ;  city  attorney,  J. 
M.  Burlingame ;  city  surveyor,  J.  H.  Abbott ; 
official  paper.  Review. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  E.  Fox,  A. 
Knobloch ;  justice,  II.  F.  Luce ;  constable, 
none. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  E.  Donaldson, 


J.  C.  Ellis ;  justice,  H.  A.  Beers ;  constable, 
E.  M.  Arnold. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  James  Thomp- 
son, C.  H.  Eandall;  justice,  E.  C.  Culver; 
constable,  H.  A.  Tiffany. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  J.  C.  Ellis, 
J.  E.  Truesdell ;  first  ward,  G.  C.  Tanner ; 
second  ward,  W.  A.  Dynes;  third  ward,  T. 
J.  Howe. 

OFFICERS,    1878-9. 

Mayor,  M.  A.  Fredenburg ;  recorder,  I.  W. 
Burch ;  assessor,  E.  Easton ;  treasurer,  Joseph 
Chambers  ;  street  commissioner,  J.  C.  Ault ; 
city  marshal,  S.  H.  Stowers ;  city  justice,  N. 
M.  Donaldson ;  city  attorney,  J.  M.  Burlin- 
game ;  city  surveyor,  J.  H.  Abbott ;  official 
paper,  Oicatonna  Journal. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  A.  Knobloch,  A. 
C.  Gutterson  ;  justice,  H.  F.  Luce ;  constable, 
S,  H.  Stowers. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  E.  Donaldson, 
C.  W.  Hadley  ;  justice,  H.  A.  Beers  ;  consta- 
ble, W.  C.  Hadley. 

Third  TT'flr^^.— Aldermen,  C.  H.  Eandall, 
J.  C.  Backus,  J.  D.  Holden ;  justice,  E.  C. 
Culver ;  constable,  H.  A.  Tiffany. 

Board  of  Educatiori.  —  At  large,  J.  S. 
Woodard,  Lewis  Lord  ;  first  ward,  G.  C. 
Tanner  ;  second  ward,  W.  A.  Dynes ;  third 
ward,  T.  J.  Howe. 

OFFICERS,   1879-80. 

Mayor,  J.  C.  Ellis ;  recorder,  I.  W.  Burch  ; 
assessor,  E.  Easton  ;  treasurer,  Joseph  Cham- 
bers; street  commissioner,  J.  C.  Ault;  city 
marshal,  D.  Whipple ;  city  justice,  C.  C.  Cor- 
nell ;  city  attorney,  J.  M.  Burlingame ;  city 
surveyor,  J.  H.  Abbott ;  official  paper,  Owa- 
tonna  Joivrnal. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  Lorin  Andrews, 
A.  C.  Gutterson;  justice,  H.  F.  Luce;  con- 
stable, W.  C.  Hadley. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  E.  Buxton, 
G.  W.  Eockwood;  justice,  A.  B.  Barrett; 
constable,  D.  W.  Williamson. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  C.  Backus, 
G.  F.  Albertus;  justice,  E.  B.  Newliall ;  con- 
stable, Geo.  W.  Peachey. 


206 


HISTORY    OK    STEELE    COUNTY. 


Fourth  Ward. — Aldermen,  H.  Schmidt,  E. 
M.  Morehouse  ;  justice,  none  ;  constable,  S. 
H.  Stowers. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  J.  C.  Ellis, 
James  Cotter,  J.  E.  Truesdell ;  first  ward, 
L.  L.  Wheelock  ;  second  ward,  W.  A.  Dynes ; 
third  ward,  T.  J.  Howe  ;  fourth  ward,  Chas. 
Dennijes. 

OFFICERS,   1880-1. 

Mayor,  J.  C.  Ellis ;  recorder,  Charles  Daw- 
son ;  assessor,  E.  Easton ;  treasurer,  Joseph 
Chambers  ;  street  commissioner,  J.  C.  Ault ; 
city  marshal,  D.  "Whipple  ;  city  justice,  C.  C. 
Cornell ;  city  attorney,  L.  L.  "Wheelock ;  city 
surveyor,  J.  H.  Abbott ;  official  paper,  Owa- 
tonna  Journal. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  Lorin  Andrews, 
A.  C.  Gutterson ;  justice,  H.  F.  Luce  ;  con- 
stable, W.  C.  Hadley. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  E.  Buxton, 
Henry  Birkett ;  justice,  A.  B.  Barrett ;  con- 
stable, H.  A.  Tiffany. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  Gr.  F.  Albertus, 
E.  M.  Morehouse ;  justice,  R.  B.  Newhall ; 
constable,  Geo.  "W.  Peachey. 

Fourth  Ward.  —  Aldermen,  Herman 
Schmidt,  John  Plamrael ;  justice,  H.  A.  Beers ; 
constable,  A.  Hafemann. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  James 
Cotter,  A.  C.  Hickman ;  first  ward,  L.  L. 
"Wheelock ;  second  wartl,  "W.  A.  Dynes ;  third 
ward,  T.  J.  Howe;  fourth  ward,  Chas.  Den- 
nijes. 

OFFICERS,   1881-2. 

Mayor,  B.  S.  Cook ;  recorder,  Charles  Daw- 
son ;  assessor,  E.  Easton  ;  treasurer,  R.  B. 
Newhall ;  street  commissioner,  J.  C.  Ault ; 
city  marshal,  I.  U.  Jones ;  city  justice,  H.  A. 
Beers;  city  attorney,  H.  E.  Johnson;  city 
surveyor,  J.  H.  Abbott ;  official  paper.  Peo- 
ple's Press. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  A.  C.  Gutterson, 
J.  E.  Truesdell ;  justice,  H.  F.  Luce ;  consta- 
ble, W.  G.  Hadley. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  Heniy  Birkett, 
E.  Scannel ;  justice,  A.  B.  Barrett ;  constable, 
H.  A.  Tiffany. 


Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  G.  F.  Albertus, 
E.  M.  Morehouse ;  justice,  R.  B.  Newhall ; 
Constable,  J.  C.  Johnson. 

Fourth  Ward. — Aldermen,  John  Ilammel, 
H.  Schmidt ;  justice,  H.  A.  Beers ;  constable, 
O.  Tiffany. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  A.  C. 
Hickman,  James  Cotter;  first  ward,  L.  L. 
Wheelock;  second  ward,  W.  A.  Dynes;  third 
ward,  A.  Simpson;  fourth  ward,  Chas.  Den- 
nijes. 

OFFICERS,  1882-3. 

Mayor,  B.  S.  Cook ;  recorder,  C.  E.  Luce ; 
assessor,  E.  Easton  ;  treasurer,  H.  H.  Luers  ; 
street  commissioner,  J.  C.  Ault ;  city  mar- 
shal, I.  U.  Jones;  city  justice,  H.  A.  Beers; 
city  attorney,  H.  E.  Johnson  ;  city  surveyor, 
J.  H.  Abbott ;  official  paper,  Steele  County 
Hercdd. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  E.  Truesdell, 
John  Chambers ;  justice,  H.  F.  Luce  ;  con- 
stable, W.  C.  Hadley. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  E.  Scannel,  S. 
S.  Green ;  justice,  M.  A.  Fredenburg ;  con- 
stable, H.  A.  Tiffany. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  E.  M.  More- 
house, G.  F.  Albertus ;  justice,  none ;  con- 
stable, Ignatius  Kremer. 

Fourth  Ward. — Aldermen,  Peter  Ganser, 
Herman  Schmidt ;  justice,  H.  A.  Beers ;  con- 
stable, O.  Tiffany. 

Boao'd  of  Education. — At  large,  James 
Cotter,  A.  C.  Hickman ;  first  ward,  L.  L. 
AYheelock  ;  second  ward,  "W.  A.  D3'nes ;  third 
ward,  A.  Simpson  ;  fourth  ward,  E.  Y.  Hune- 
will. 

OFFICERS,  1883- J:. 

Mayor,  H.  Birkett ;  recorder,  C.  E.  Luce ; 
assessor,  E.  Easton  ;  treasurer,  C.  J.  Kin\'on; 
street  commissioner,  J.  C.  Ault ;  city  mar- 
shal, John  Thorson ;  city  justice,  M.  A.  Fre- 
denburg; city  attorney,  E.  "W.  Richter;  city 
surveyor,  J.  H.  Abbott ;  official  paper,  Oiva- 
tonna  Journal. 

First  Wa/rd. — Aldermen,  John  Chambers, 
J.  E.  Truesdell ;  justice,  H.  F.  Luce ;  con- 
stable, R.  H.  Johnson. 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


207 


Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  S.  S.  Green,  J. 
C.  Ellis,  II.  H.  Luers ;  justice,  M.  A.  Freden- 
burg;  constable,  W.  H.  Shoemaker. 

Third  Ward — Aldermen,  G.  F.  Albertus, 
Frank  Stimson,  J.  D.  Holden ;  justice,  J.  D. 
Holden ;  constable,  Ignatius  Kremer. 

Fourth  Ward. — Aldermen,  Peter  Ganser, 
Herman  Schmidt;  justice,  H.  A.  Beers;  con- 
stable, O.  Tiffany. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  A.  C. 
Hickman,  James  Cotter;  first  ward,  L.  L. 
Wheelock ;  second  ward,  W.  A.  Dynes ;  third 
ward,  A.  Simpson;  fourth  ward,  E.  Y.  Hune- 
"will. 

OFFICEES,  1884-5. 

Mayor,  John  Shea ;  recorder,  C.  E.  Luce ; 
assessor,  E.  Easton  ;  treasurer,  C.  J.  Kinyon ; 
street  commissioner,  J.  C.  Ault ;  city  marshal, 
R.White;  city  justice,  M.  A.  Fredenburg; 
city  attorney,  E.  W.  Kichter ;  city  surveyor, 
J.  H.  Abbott ;  official  paper.  People's  Press. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  J.  E.  Truesdell, 
M.  J.  Toher ;  justice,  H.  F.  Luce ;  constable, 
R.  H.  Johnson. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  S.  S.  Green,  J. 
Z.  Barncard ;  justice,  O.  Abernethy ;  con- 
stable, W.  H.  Shoemaker. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  E.  M.  More- 
house, J.  Glaeser;  justice,  O.  M.  Hammond; 
constable,  Ignatius  Kremer. 

Fourth  Ward. — ^Aldermen,  Peter  Ganser, 
Herman  Schmidt ;  justice,  H.  A.  Beers  ;  con- 
stable, O.  Tiffany. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  J.  A. 
Cotter,  T.  J.  Howe ;  first  ward,  W.  A.  Sperry ; 
second  ward,  W.  A.  Dynes ;  third  ward,  Lewis 
Lord  ;  fourth  ward,  E.  Y.  Hunewill. 

OFFICERS,  1885-6. 

Mayor,  C.  N.  McLaughlin  ;  recorder,  C.  E. 
Luce ;  assessor,  E.  Easton ;  treasurer,  C.  J. 
Kinyon ;  street  commissioner,  J.  C.  Ault ; 
city  marshal,  P.  White;  city  justice,  A.  N. 
Stoughton  ;  city  attorney,  E.  W.  Pichter ; 
city  surveyor,  A.  M  Mitchell ;  official  paper, 
People's  Press. 

First  Ward. — Aldermen,  M.  J.  Toher,  N. 


C.  Larson;  justice,  H.  F.  Luce;  constable, 
P.  H.  Johnson. 

Second  Ward. — Aldermen,  S.  S.  Green, 
J.  Z.  Barncard ;  justice,  M.  A.  Fredenburg ; 
constable,  H.  P.  Thompson. 

Third  Ward. — Aldermen,  E.  M.  More- 
house, E.  W.  Piper;  justice,  William  David- 
son ;  constable,  Ignatius  Kremer. 

Fourth  Ward. — Aldermen,  Peter  Ganser, 
Charles  Schoen ;  justice,  C.  C.  Cornell ;  con- 
stable, Herman  Lee. 

Board  of  Education. — At  large,  George 
E.  Peck,  T.  J.  Howe;  first  ward,  W.  A. 
Sperry ;  second  ward,  W.  A.  Dynes ;  third 
ward,  Lewis  Lord  ;  fourth  ward,  E.  Y.  Hune- 
will. 

OFFICERS,  1886-7. 

Mayor,  T.  H.  Kelly  ;  recorder,  C.  E.  Luce ; 
assessor,  E.  Easton  ;  treasurer,  G.  D.  Holden  ; 
street  commissioner,  J.  C.  Ault ;  city  marshal, 
P.  H.  Johnson ;  city  justice,  A.  N.  Stoughton  ; 
city  attorney,  J.  M.  Burlingame;  city  sur- 
veyor, A.  M.  Mitchell ;  official  jjaper,  Journal 
and  Herald. 

First  Ward.  —  Aldermen,  N.  C.  Larson,  C. 
W.  Hadley ;  justice,  II.  F.  Luce ;  constable, 
P.  II.  Johnson. 

Second  Ward.  —  Aldermen,  Henry  Birkett, 
James  Brown ;  justice,  M.  A.  Fredenburg ; 
constable,  H.  P.  Thompson. 

Third  Ward.  —  Aldermen,  E.  W.  Piper, 
Dr.  E.  M.  Morehouse ;  justice,  William  Da- 
vidson ;  constable,  Ignatius  Kremer.    • 

Fourth  Ward.  —  Aldermen,  Peter  Ganser, 
Charles  Schoen;  justice,  A.  Moncrieff;  con- 
stable, George  Putney. 

Board  of  Education.  —  At  large,  T.  J. 
Howe,  G.  E.  Peck ;  first  ward,  W.  A. 
Sperry;  second  ward,  W.  A.  Dynes;  third 
ward,  L.  Lord ;  fourth  ward,  E.  Y.  Hune- 
will. 

OFFICERS    FOR    188 7-8. 

Mayor,  M.  B.  Pratt ;  recorder,  C.  E.  Luce ; 
assessor,  J.  S.  Austin ;  treasurer,  A.  N. 
Stoughton ;  street  commissioner,  John  Quinn  ; 
city  marshal,  P.  H.  Johnson ;  city  justice, 
J.   Newsalt;    city   attorney,   Amos   Coggs- 


20S 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


well;  city  surve^'or,  A.  M.  Mitchell;  official 
paper,  People's  Press. 

First  Ward.  —  Aldermen,  C.  W.  Hadley, 
N.'C.  Larson;  justice,  H.  F.  Luce;  constable 
E.  H.  Johnson. 

Second  Ward.  —  Aldermen,  Henry  Birkett. 
James  Brown;  justice,  M.  A.  FredenV)urg* ; 
constable,  H.  A.  Tiffany. 

Third  Fa^'t?.  —  Aldermen,  Dr.  E.  M. 
Morehouse,  G.  F.  Albertus ;  justice,  J.  H. 
Soukup ;  constable,  John  Ganser. 

Fourtli  Ward.  —  Aldermen,  Peter  Ganser, 
Joseph  Hoffman;  justice,  A.  Moncrief;  con- 
stable, IL  Lee. 

Board  of  Fhication.  —  At  large,  T.  J. 
Howe,  H.  Schmidt ;  first  ward,  W.  A. 
Sperry ;  second  ward,  W.  A.  Dynes ;  third 
ward,  H.  Cartwright ;  fourth  ward,  E.  Y. 
Hunewill. 

Hon.  Merritt  B.  Pratt,  present  mayor  of 
Owatonna,  was  born  in  Chautauqua  County, 
N.  Y.,  in  1835.  He  came  to  Minnesota  in 
18.56,  locating  at  Mantorville.  At  that  place 
the  Mantor  brothers  had  just  platted  the 
village,  and  Mr.  Pratt's  father  purchased  a 
third  interest  and  became  one  of  the  town 
proprietors.  Twelve  years  later  our  subject 
moved  to  Blue  Earth  City,  where  he  was 
for  a  number  of  years  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business.  During  his  residence  there 
he  served  one  term  as  sheriff  of  Faribault 
County,  and  was  otherwise  prominent  in 
political  and  public  affairs.  In  1881  he  came 
to  Owatonna  and  embarked  in  the  grain 
business  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  H.  W. 
Pratt  &  Co.,  whose  principal  office  is  in 
Minneapolis. 

He  was  elected  mayor  in  the  spring  of 
1887  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  Mr.  Pratt 
was  married  in  1802  to  Mrs.  Gertrude  F. 
Miles,  a  native  of  New  York  State. 

riEE    DEPARTMENT. 

The  earliest  records  relating  to  the  fire 
department  begin  with  a  meeting  held  on 


*  Mr.  Fvedenburg  died  shortly  after  his  re-election  to  this 
office.— Editor. 


the  4th  of  May,  1879.  The  i-ecords  do  not 
give  a  list  of  members  present,  but  a  list  of 
those  absent  is  placed  upon  the  roll,  and  as 
a  matter  of  interest  we  give  the  list,  which 
was  as  follows : 

N.  C.  Larson,  E.  L.  Muckey,  S.  K.  Nelson, 
W.  H.  Montgomery,  Daniel  S.  Stewart,  G. 
F.  Albertus,  E.  H.  Johnson,  L.  Andrews,  A. 
Knobloch,  C.  W.  Hastings,  S.  W.  Farmer, 
James  Brown,  J.  E.  Buxton,  A.  C.  Gutter- 
son,  D.  G.  Currier,  E.  Lilley,  C.  H.  Eandall, 
W.  A.  Dynes,  D.  C.  Adams,  H.  Birkett, 
Frank  Murray,  S.  Downie  and  J.  Easton. 
The  records  are  signed  by  F.  T.  Drebert,  as 
secretary.  The  name  of  the  organization 
then  was  "The  Spring  City  Fire  Depart- 
ment." 

In  June,  1879,  the  following  officers  were 
elected :  P.  Winsor,  foreman,  "VV.  W.  Hub- 
bard, first  assistant ;  D.  S.  Stewart,  sec- 
ond assistant ;  D.  G.  Currier,  third  assist- 
ant foreman ;  F.T.  Drebert,  secretary,  and  C. 
J.  Kinyon,  treasurer.  C.  "VV.  Hadley  at  that 
time  was  chief  engineer.  During  the  same 
summer  a  new  hook  and  ladder  truck  was 
added  to  the  fire  apparatus  and  a  fourth 
section  was  organized  to  handle  it. 

In  June,  1880,  the  following  officers  were 
elected :  P.  W.  "Winsor,  foreman ;  G.  L. 
Foi'syth,  assistant  foi'eman,  section  No.  1 ; 
David  Stewart,  assistant  foreman  section  No. 
2;  John  Shea,  assistant  foreman  Hook  and 
Ladder  section ;  J.  W.  Morford,  assistant 
foreman  Sack  section;  B.  E.  Darby,  chair- 
man ;  E.  "W.  Green,  secretary ;  C.  J.  Kin- 
yon, treasurer;  Edward  Donaldson  and 
John  Shea,  trustees.  At  this  meeting  the 
record  shows  that  there  had  arisen  some 
dissatisfaction  regarding  the  payment  of 
fines  and  dues,  and  shortly  afterward  the 
organization  was  abandoned.  In  fact  this 
was  the  last  meeting  of  which  there  is  any 
record. 

On  the  2d  of  August,  1882,  a-  meeting 
was  called  by  S.  S.  Green,  who  had  been 
appointed  chief  engineer,  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing   the    "Owatonna    Fire    Depart- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


209 


ment."  It  was  attended  hj^  John  McMichael, 
E.  D.  Middaugh,  G.  L.  Forsyth,  Eobert 
White,  E.  M.  Twiford,  W.  Dennis,  P.  Han- 
son, James  Brown,  J.  Z.  Barncard,  A.  G. 
Meyer,  James  Tliompson,  C.  J.  Kinyon,  H. 
H.  Luers;  J.  M.  Schafer,  G.  W.  Elhott,  B.  E. 
Darby,  J.  F.  Young  and  N.  C.  Larson.  An 
organization  was  effected  by  the  election  of 
the  following  ofHcers.  J.  Z.  Barncard,  chair- 
man ;  H.  H.  Luers,  secretary ;  N.  C.  Larson, 
treasurer;  Eobert  White,  first  assistant  en- 
gineer; G.  L.  Forsyth,  second  assistant  en- 
gineer; C.  J.  Kinyon.  third  assistant  engineer. 
S.  S.  Green  was  chief  engineer.  A  commit- 
tee consisting  of  S.  S.  Green,  E.  White,  H. 
H.  Luers,  C.  J.  Kinyon  and  G.  L.  Forsyth 
was  appointed  to  draft  by-laws,  which  they 
did.  Since  that  time  the  following  have  held 
the  various  offices: 

Elected  May  2,  1883  — J.  Z.  Barncard, 
chairman ;  B.  E.  Darby,  secretary ;  N.  C. 
Larson,  treasurer;  E.  White,  first  assistant 
engineer;  G.  L.  Forsyth,  second  assistant 
engineer;  C.  J.  Kinyon,  third  assistant  en- 
gineer.    S.  S.  Green  was  still  chief  engineer. 

Elected  May  7,  1881  — C.  E.  Luce,  chair- 
man; B.  E.  Darby,  secretary;  N.  C.  Larson, 
treasurer ;  E.  White,  first  assistant  engineer ; 
G.  L.  Forsyth,  second  assistant  engineer ;  C. 
J.  Kinyon,  third  assistant  engineer ;  C.  M. 
Lorence,  foreman  water  carts;  E.  M.  Twi- 
ford, foreman  force  pumps;  S.  S.  Green, 
chief  engineer. 

Elected  May  4,  1885  — S.  S.  Green,  chief 
engineer ;  C.  E.  Luce,  chairman ;  B.  E.  Dar- 
by, secretary ;  N.  C.  Larson,  treasui'er ;  E. 
M.  Twiford,  first  assistant  engineer;  G.  L. 
Forsyth,  second  assistant  engineer ;  C.  J. 
Kinyon,  third  assistant  engineer ;  C.  E.  Luce, 
foreman  of  hose  cart  and  force  pumps. 

Elected  April  12,  1888  —  S.  S.  Green  was 
re-elected  chief  engineer,  but  declined,  and 
E.  M.  Twiford  was  chosen  to  succeed  him. 
Mr.  Green  had  held  this  responsible  position 
since  the  reorganization  of  the  department, 
filling  it  with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfac- 
tion  to  the  entire  city.     Eesolutions  were 


drawn  and  adopted  by  the  department 
thanking  him  sincerely  for  his  past  services 
and  regretting  his  decision  to  decline.  The 
officers  elected  at  that  time  were :  E.  M. 
Twiford,  chief  engineer;  L.  Peterson,  first 
assistant;  C.  S.  Austin,  second  assistant; 
W.  J.  Thompson,  third  assistant;  Paul  Mur- 
phy, fourth  assistant;  C.  E.  Luce,  ciiairman  ; 

B.  E.  Darby,  secretary;  C.  J.  Kinyon,  treas- 
urer; Fred  Cottier,  property-man. 

Elected  April  i,  1887  — E.  M.  Twiford, 
chief  engineer;  L.  Peterson,  first  assistant; 

C.  S.  Austin,  second  assistant ;  W.  J. 
Thompson,  third  assistant ;  C.  E.  Luce 
fourth  assistant ;  C.  E.  Luce,  chairman  ;  B. 

E.  Darby,  secretary;  C.  J.  Kinyon,  treas- 
urer.    These  are  the  present  officers. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  gentlemen 
who  formed  the  various  sections  of  the  de- 
partment, September  16,  1887: 

E.  M.  Twiford,  chief  engineer. 

Engine  No.  1. —  L.  Peterson,  first  assist 
ant  engineer ;  B.  E.  Darby,  L.  C.  Berg,  Fred- 
Cottier,  Egbert  A.  Brown,  JSTels  Easmusson, 

F.  H.  Coon,  J.  H.  Soukup,  S.  S.  Green,  Hans 
Eobertson,  James  Eobertson,  Helga  Helge- 
son. 

Engine  No.  2. —  C.  S.  Austin,  second 
assistant  engineer ;  Jolin  Thorsen,  J.  P. 
Thon,  E.  H.  Johnson,  W.  Morgan,  E.  G. 
Nelson,  John  Knight,  Louis  Haramel,  Eobt. 
Davidson,  Ole  Thorsen. 

Hook  and  ladder  truck. —  W.  J.Thomp- 
son, third  assistant  engineer;  John  Diviny, 
C.  J.  Kinyon,  Wyatt  Murray,  John  Sher- 
bino,  B.  McClintock,  J.  D.  Slonaker,  A. 
Moncrieff,  W.  D.  Snyder,  Eugene  Kelly,  Mor- 
ris Cusick. 

Horse  cart  and  force  jiumps. —  C.  E.  Luce, 
fourth  assistant  engineer ;  Fred  Scliuman, 
C.  E.  L.  Greenwood,  Philip  Schoen,  Max 
Hartwig,  Louis  Fenner,  Perry  Eolfe,  Andrew 
Hendricks,  Elias  Eeese. 

The  department  is  equipped  with  Cham- 
pion Chemical  Extinguishers  Nos.  1  and  2. 
Tliey  have  a  hook  and  ladder  truck  with 
the  usual  outfit  of  ladders,  pails,  hooks,  etc. 


210 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


The\'  also  bave  a  hose  cart  with  about  six 
hundred  feet  of  hose  arranged  to  attach  to 
the  city  force  pumps,  of  which  there  are  four, 
located  as  follows :  One  on  corner  of  Bridge 
and  Oak  streets ;  one  at  city  park ;  one  on 
corner  of  Eose  and  Cedar  streets  and  one  on 
Vine  street,  fifty  feet  west  of  Cedar.  The 
members  of  the  depai'traent  are  fitted  with 
neat  uniforms. 

PUBLIC    SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  taught  in  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  as  well  as  Owatonna,  was  opened 
in  July,  1855,  by  Miss  Helen  Ilolbrook. 
Park,  Smith  and  A.  B.  Cornell  had  driven 
four  posts  in  the  ground  and  partiallj'  cov- 
ered them  with  boughs ;  and  in  this  primitive 
structure  the  school  was  begun.  Among 
the  scholars  who  attended  were  Emily  (now 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Willsey)  and  Anetta  Phelps, 
daughters  of  Addison  Phelps,  one  daughter 
of  A.  B.  Cornell  and  a  couple  of  B.  L. 
Arnold's  children. 

At  the  present  writing  there  are  three 
public  school  buildings  in  the  city  ;  the  high 
school  and  the  first  ami  second  wards.  Two 
of  the  buildings  are  costly  structures.  The 
schools  are  well  graded  and  have  been 
among  the  best  managed  schools  in  the 
State.  There  is  not  a  city  of  the  same  size 
in  Minnesota,  where  public  schools  are  rated 
so  high,  or  educational  facilities  and  priv- 
ileges so  excellent  as  in  Owatonna,  and  the 
citizens  justly  feel  proud  of  their  educational 
institutions. 

rOSTOFFICE. 

The  Owatonna  postoffice  was  established 
in  1855,  with  S.  B.  Smith  as  postmaster.  Up 
to  that  time  the  name  of  the  town  had  been 
spelled  "  Owatonia,"  but  at  this  time  the 
"  i "  was  changed  to  an  "  n,"  and  the  orthog- 
raphy became  the  same  as  it  is  to-daj^  M. 
A.  Daih^  was  tiie  second  postmaster,  and 
he  was  succeeded  in  turn  by  John  N.  Kelley, 
William  "Wadsworth  and  Twiford  E.  Hughes. 
On  the  7th  of  April,  1870,  E.  Easton  took 
possession  of  the  oftice  and  remained  until 


January  8,  1876,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
Charles  S.  Crandall.  Mr.  Crandall  held  the 
office  until  April  10,  1881,  when  he  was  re- 
lieved by  Lewis  L.  "Wheelock,  the  present  in- 
cumbent. 

This  office  was  made  a  money-order  office 
in  August,  18C6.  The  first  three  money  or- 
ders were  purchased  by  Twiford  E.  Hughes, 
Alverson  &  Graham  and  Dr.  A.  S.  Mygatt. 
Up  to  August  1, 1886,  there  had  been  a  total 
of  43,367  money  orders  issued. 

FREE   AND    ACCEPTED    MASONS. 

Star  in  the  East  Lodge,  No.  33. —  The  first 
meeting  of  this  lodge,  while  working  under 
dispensation,  was  held  on  the  Ifith  of  Decem- 
ber, 1859,  with  J.  C.  Whipple,  R.  W.  G.  J.  W. 
of  Faribault  Lodge  No.  9,  presiding.  John 
Kelso  acted  as  secretary.  The  first  stated 
communication  held  under  dispensation  was 
on  the  23d  of  January,  1860.  The  first  of- 
ficers elected  were  as  follows :  J.  C.  Whip- 
ple, W.  M.;  E.  M.  Morehouse,  S.  W.;  Joel 
Wilson,  J.  W.;  Nelson  Morehouse,  Treas.; 
John  Kelso,  Secy.;  Thomas  Thompson,  S.  D., 
and  David  Lindersraith,  I.  D. 

When  the  move  was  first  agitated  it  was 
found  that  there  were  not  enough  Masons  at 
and  about  Owatonna  to  form  a  quorum,  and 
finally  several  citizens  went  to  Wilton,  and 
others  to  Faribault,  where  they  joined  the 
order,  and  enough  members  were  thus  se- 
cured. AVhile  the  lodge  was  working  under 
dispensation,  it  does  not  appear  that  any  per- 
manent set  of  officers  was  elected,  but  the 
records  show  that  the  following  named  acted 
as  W.  M.  during  that  time :  J.  C.  Whipple, 
S.  C.  Williamson,  E.  M.  Morehouse,  J.  W. 
Morford,  W.  H.  Willsey  and  W.  R.  Kinyon. 

A  chaiter  was  granted  to  the  lodge  on  the 
24th  of  October,  1860,  naming  the  following 
as  officers  :  S.  C.  Williamson,  AV.  M.;  Dr.  E. 
M.  Morehouse,  S.  W.,  and  Joel  Wilson,  J.  W. 

Since  that  time  the  following  have  been  the 
elected  officers  during  the  various  years : 

Elected,  October  29,  I860,  for  1861:  W. 
R.  Kinyon,  W.  M.;  E.  M.  Morehouse,  S.  W.; 


-***Wv 


i 


"^x  x^ ,  ^//  ^u^/^>^^^n 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


213 


W.  II.  Willsey,  J.  W.;  J.  W.  Morford,  Treas.; 
John  Kelso,  Secy. 

For  1862  — E.  M.  Morehouse,  W.  M.;  W. 
H.  Willsey,  S.  W.;  L.  B.  Tanner,  J.  W.;  J.  W. 
Morford,  Treas.;  J.  N.  Kelly,  Secy. 

1863  — W.  K.  Kinyon,  W.  M.;  J.  W.  Mor- 
ford, S.  W.;  J.  N.  Kelly,  J.  W.;  E.  M.  More- 
house, Treas.;  W.  II.  Wadsworth,  Secy. 

1864  — J.  W.  Morford,  W.  M.;  Joel  AVil- 
son,  S.  W.;  W.  II.  Willsey,  J.  W.;  W.  R. 
Kinyon,  Treas.;  W.  II.  Wadsworth,  Secy. 

1865  — J.  W.  Morford,  W.  M.;  W.  R.  Kin- 
yon, S.  W.;  W.  II.  Willsey,  J.  W.;  Jacob  Op- 
pliger.  Secy. 

1866- J.  W.  Morford,  W.  M.;  Wm.  II. 
Kelly,  S.  W.;  H.  C.  Eldred,  J.  W.;  J.  A.  Op- 
pliger,  Treas.;  J.  Newsalt,  Secy. 

1867  — J.  W.  Morford,  W.  M.;  II.  J. 
Lewis,  S.  W.;  A.  B.  Webber,  J.  W.;  Addi- 
son Phelps,  Treas.;  S.  II.  Stowers,  Secy. 

1868— J.  W.  Morford,  W.  M. ;  II.  J.  Lewis, 
S.  W. ;  E.  Scannel,  J.  W. ;  A.  M.  Kinyon, 
Treas. ;  J.  A.  Robey,  Secy. 

1869  — H.  J.  Lewis,  W.  M. ;  J.  A.  Robey, 
S.  W. ;  L.  S.  Padgham,  J.  W. ;  James  Mor- 
ton, Treas. ;  A.  M.  Kinyon,  Secy. 

1870  — J.  W.  Morford,  W.  M. ;  J.  A.  Ro- 
bey, S.  W. ;  L.  S.  Padgham,  J.  W. ;  R.  C. 
Olin,  Treas. ;  A.  C.  Hickman,  Secy. 

1871- J.  W.  Morford,  W.  M. ;  A.  C.  Hick- 
man, S.  W. ;  Hiram  Backus,  J.  W. ;  R.  C. 
Olin,  Treas. ;  J.  W.  Hall,  Secy. 

1872— A.  C.  Hickman,  W.  M. ;  II.  Backus, 
S.  W. ;  L.  L.  Wheelock,  J.  W. ;  H.  II.  Rose- 
brock,  Treas. ;  T.  G.  Patch,  Secy. 

1873  — J.  W.  Morford,  W.'  M. ;  J.  D. 
Ilolden,  S.  W. ;  D.  Whipple,  J.  W. ;  II.  II. 
Rosebrock,  Treas. ;  M.  L.  Strong,  Secy. 

1871— J.  D.  Holden,  W.  M. ;  A.  C.  Hick- 
man, S.  W. ;  H.  n.  Rosebrock,  J.  W. ;  G.  F. 
Albertus,  Treas. ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  Secy. 

187.5  — J.  D.  Ilolden,  W.  M. ;  A.  C.  Dodge, 
S.  W. ;  A.  C.  Gutterson,  J.  W. ;  G.  F.  Al- 
bertus, Treas. ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  Secy. 

1876  — A.  C.  Dodge,  W.  M. ;  M.  B.  Chad- 
wick,  S.  W. ;  N.  C.  Larson,  J.  W. ;  G.  F. 
Albertus,  Treas. ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  Secy. 

13 


1877  — A.  C.  Dodge,  W.  M. ;  M.  B.  Chad- 
wick,  S.  W. ;  W.  S.  Melvin,  J.  W. ;  G.  F. 
Albertus,  Treas. ;  H.  H.  Luers,  Secy. 

1878  — J.  D.  Holden,  W.  M. ;  M.  B.  Chad- 
wick,  S.  W.;  J.  M.  Burlingame,  J.  W. ;  L.  L. 
Bennett,  Treas. ;  H.  H.  Luers,  Secy. 

1879— J.  M.  Burlingame,  W.  M. ;  C.  H. 
Randall,  S.  W. ;  George  D.  Ilolden,  J.  W. ; 
L.  L.  Bennett,  Treas. ;  H.  H.  Luers,  Secy. 

1880  — L.  L.  Wheelock,  W.  M. ;  H.  H. 
Rosebrock,  S.  W. ;  II.  Birkett,  J.  W. ;  L.  L. 
Bennett,  Treas. ;  H.  H.  Luers,  Secy. 

1881  — J.  D.  Holden,  W.  M.;  I.'u.  Jones, 
S.  W. ;  N.  C.  Larson,  J.  W. ;  L.  L.  Bennett, 
Treas. ;  II.  H.  Luers,  Secy. 

1882— J.  D.  Holden,  W.M. ;  M.  B.  Chad- 
wick,  S.  W. ;  H.  S.  Hill,  J.  W. ;  L.  L.  Ben- 
nett, Treas. ;  H.  H.  Luers,  Secy. 

1883  — M.  B.  Chadwick,  W.  M. ;  H.  S. 
Hill,  S.  W.  ;  I.  H.  DeWolf,  J.  W. ;  L.  L. 
Bennett,  Treas. ;  H.  II.  Luers,  Secy. 

1884— M.  B.  Chadwick,  W.  M. ;  H.  S. 
Hill,  S.  W. ;  J.  Z.  Barncard,  J.  W. ;  L.  L. 
Bennett,  Treas.  ;  II.  H.  Luers,  Secy. 

1885  — Henry  Birkett,  W.  M. ;  N.  C.  Lar- 
son, S.  W. ;  C.  W.  Bardic,  J.  W. ;  L.  L.  Ben- 
nett, Treas.  ;  H.  II.  Luers,  Secy. 

1886  — N.  J.  Schafer,  W.  M. ;  N".  C.  Lar- 
son, S.  W. ;  D.  Moody,  J.  W.  ;  L.  L.  Ben- 
nett, Treas. ;  M.  B.  Chadwick,  Secy. 

1887  — K  J.  Schafer,  W.  M.  ;  C.  W.  Bur- 
die,  S.  W. ;  D.  Downie,  J.  W. ;  M.  B.  Chad- 
wick, Secy. ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  Treas. ;  II.  II. 
Luers,  S.  D.  ;  N.  C.  Larson,  J.  D. ;  L.  An- 
derson, S.  S. ;  H.  II.  Rosebrock,  J.  S.  ;  G. 
AV.  Shaw,  T. 

This  lodge  now  has  over  one  hundred 
members.  In  early  days  the  meetings  were 
held  in  Morford's  Hall,  but  in  1874  they 
moved  into  the  present  Masonic  Hall  over  the 
Farmers'  National  Bank.  The  rooms  are 
finely  furnished,  and  the  lodge  owns  hand- 
some and  appropriate  regalia.  Regular 
meetings  are  held  on  the  evenings  of  the 
second  and  fourth  Wednesdays  in  each 
month. 

Owatonna  Royal  Arch —  Chapter  No.  15. 


214 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   CODNTl'. 


—On  the  28th  of  September,  186C,  C.  W. 
Nash,  Grand  High  Priest  of  Eoyal  Arch 
Masons  forMinnesota,  granted  a  dispensation 
to  W.  R.  Kinyon,  M.  F.  Lowth,  L.  II.  Kelly, 
T.  Ci.  Patch,  J.  W.  Morford,  H.  J.  Lewis,  I. 
F.  Wliite,  K  Hubbard  and  R.  M.  Dunberry 
to  establish  a  Chapter  of  Royal  Arch  ]Ma- 
sons  in  Ovvatonna,  and  appointed  M.  F. 
Lowth,  H.  P.;  W.  R.  Kinyon,  King; 
and  L.  H.  Kelly,  Scribe.  The  companions 
met  for  the  first  time  in  Masonic  Plall  on  Oc- 
tober 15,  1860,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting 
organization,  and  the  High  Priest  appoint- 
ed the  following  officers :  E.  R.  Lathrop,  C; 
J.  W.  Morford,  C.  II.;  II.  J.  Lewis,  P. 
S.;  J.  F.  White,  Treas. ;  T.  G.  Patch, 
Secy. ;  Charles  Case,  G.  M.  3d  Vail ;  N.  Hub- 
bard, G.  M.  2d  Vail ;  E.  M.  Hawley,  G.  M.  1st 
Vail ;  and  R.  M.  Dunberry,  S.  The  code  of 
by-laws  was  prepared  by  W.  R.  Kinyon,  J. 
W.  Morford  and  T.  G.  Patch.  The  first 
regular  convocation  was  held  on  the  evening 
of  November  2,  1866,  at  which  time  the  first 
permanent  officers  were  appointed.  They 
were  the  same  as  those  already  given, except 
that  E.  R.  Lathrop  was  made  C.  H.,  and  J. 
W.  Morford  R.  A.  C.  The  charter  was 
granted  on  October  22, 186Y,  and  the  follow- 
ing were  nominated  and  duly  installed  as 
officers  :  M.  F.  Lowth,  M.  E.  II.  P. ;  W.  R. 
Kinyon,  E.  K. ;  L.  H.  Kelly,  E.  S. ;  H.  J. 
Lewis,  P.  S. ;  J.  W.  Morford,  R.  A.  C. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  who 
have  been  elected  during  the  various  years 
since  that  time : 

December  20,  1867— W.  R.  Kinyon,  M. 
E.  II.  P. ;  M.  F.  Lowth,  E.  K. ;  L.  11.  Kelly, 
E.  S. ;  J.  W.  Morford,  C.  H. ;  II.  J.  Lewis, 
P.  S.;  A.  M.  Kinyon,  R.  A.  C. ;  W.  F. 
Pettit,  Treas. ;  A.  b".  Webber,  Secy. 

For  1870  — A.  B.  Webber,  M.  E.  H.  P.; 
W.  II.  Willsey,  E.  K. ;  S.  B.  Washburn,  E. 
S. ;  W.  T.  Kittridge,  C.  H. ;  II.  J.  Lewis, 
P.  S. ;  J.  W.  Morford,  R.  A.  C. ;  W.  R. 
Kinyon,  Treas. ;  T.  G.  Patch,  Secy. 

1871— W.  R.  Kinyon,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  W. 
H.  Willsey,  K. ;   S.    B.   Washburn,   S. ;  J. 


W.  Morford,  C.  II.;  H.J.  Lewis,  P.  S. ; 
H.  Backus,  R.  A.  C. ;  E.  M.  Morehouse, 
Treas. ;  T.  G.  Patch,  Secy. 

1872  — W.  R.  Kinyon,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  W. 
H.  Willsey,  K. ;  L.  S.  Padgham,  S.;  J. 
W.  Morford,  C.  H. ;  II.  Backus,  P.  S. ; 
Thomas  W.  Irving,  R.  A.  C. ;  Thomas  J. 
Howe,  Treas. ;  T.  G.  Patch,  Secy. 

1873  — L.  L.  Wheelock,  M.  E.  H.  P. ;  J. 
W.  Morford,  E.  S. ;  W.  II.  Willsey,  K. ; 
A.  C.  Dodge,  C.  II.;  T.  W.  Irving,  R.  A. 
C. ;  E.  M.  Morehouse,  Treas. ;  T.  G.  Patch, 
Secy. 

1S74— W.  R.  Kinyon,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  W. 
H.  Willsey,  E.  K. ;  A.  C.  Hickman,  S. ; 
A.  C.  Dodge,  C.  II. ;  II.  Backus,  P.  S. ;  T. 
W.  Irving,  R.  A.  C. ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  Treas. ; 
T.  G.  Patch,  Secy. 

1875- W.  R.  Kinyon,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  L.  L. 
Wheelock,  E.  K. ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  E.  S.; 
J.  W.  Morford,  C.  II. ;  A.  C.  Dodge,  P.  S. ; 
S.  II.  Stowers,  R.  A.  C. ;  II.  II.  Rosebrock. 
Treas. ;  M.  L.  Strong,  Secy. 

1S76  — J.  W.  Morford,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  M. 
F.  Lowth,  E.  K. ;  J.  A.  Opphger,  E.  S. ;  S. 
II.  Stowers,  C.  H. ;  A.  C.  Dodge,  P.  S. ;  T. 
W.  Irving,  R.  A.  C. ;  II.  H.  Rosebrock, 
Treas. ;  M.  L.  Strong,  Secy. 

1877  — J.  D.  Ilolden,  M.  E.  H.  P. ;  J.  M. 
Burlingame,  E.  K. ;  N.  C.  Larson,  E.  S. ;  S. 
H.  Stowers,  C.  H. ;  J.  R.  Fox,  P.  S. ;  H.  H. 
Rosebrock,  R.  H.  C. ;  W.  H.  Willsey,  Treas. ; 
M.  L.  Strong,  Secy. 

1878  — J.  M.  Burlingame,  M.  E.  H.P.;  H. 
H.  Rosebrock,  E.  K. ;  A.  Graham,  E.  S. ;  L. 
L.  Bennett,  C.  H. ;  J.  D.  Ilolden,  P.  S. ;  H. 
Birkett,  R.  A.  C. ;  W.  II.  Willsey,  Treas. ;  M. 
L.  Strong,  Sec'y. 

1879  —  J.  W.  Morford,  M.  E.  II.  P. ;  N.  C. 
Larson,  E.  K. ;  J.  M.  Burlingame,  E.  S. ;  II. 
Birkett,  C.  II. ;  J.  D.  Ilolden,  P.  S. ;  H.  II. 
Rosebrock,  R.  A.  C. ;  W.  R.  Kinyon,  Treas. ; 
M.  L.  Strong,  Secy. 

1880  — W.  R.  Kinyon.  M.  E.  H.  P.  ;  L.  L. 
Wheelock,  K. ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  S. ;  H. 
H.  Rosebrock,  C.  H. ;  J.  D.  Holden,  P.  S. ; 
E.  Downie,  Secy. ;   G.  F.  Albertus,  Treas. ; 


I 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


215 


J.  W.  Morford,  E.   A.  C.  ;   G.  W.  Shaw, 
Sent. 

1881  — H.  Birkett,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  J.  D. 
Iloklen,  E.  K. ;  G.  F.  Albertus,  E.  S.  ;  IL 
II.  Eosebrock,  C  II.  ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  P.  S. ; 
]Sr.  C.  Larson,  E.  A.  C.  ;  W.  E.  Kinyon, 
Treas. ;  T.  J.  Howe,  Sec3^ 

1882  — L.  L.  Bennett,  M.  E.  H.  P. ;  T.  J. 
Howe,  E.  K. ;  G.  F.  Albertus,  E.  S.  ;  W.  E. 
Kinyon,  Treas. ;  H.  H.  Luers,  Secy. ;  H.  H. 
Eosebrock,  C.  II. ;  J.  D.  Ilolden,  "p.  S.  ;  J. 
W.  Morford,  E.  A.  C. 

1883  — J.  D.  Hoklen,  M.  E.  H.  P. ;  T.  J. 
Howe,  E.  K. ;  H.  II.  Eosebrock,  E.  S. ;  J.  Z. 
Barncard,  C.  II. ;  II.  Birkett,  P.  S. ;  J.  W. 
Morford,  E.  A.  C. ;  W.  E.  Kinyon,  Treas.  ; 
II.  II.  Luers,  Sec'y. 

1884  — J.  D.  Iloklen,  M.  E.  H.  P.;  II.  H. 
Eosebrock,  E.  K. ;  H.  S.  Hill,  E.  S. ;  J.  Z. 
Barncard,  C.  II. ;  II.  Birkett,  P.  S. ;  N.  C. 
Larson,  E.  A.  C. ;  W.  E.  Kinyon,  Treas.  ; 
II.  H.  Luers,  Secy. 

1885  —  L.  L.  Bennett,  M.  E.  H.  P. ;  J.  Z. 
Barncard,  E.  K. ;  T.  J.  Howe,  E.  S. ;  N.  C. 
Larson,  C.  II.;  J.  D.  Ilolden,  P.  S. ;  H. 
Birkett,  E.  A.  C. ;  W.  E.  Kinyon,  Treas. ; 
II.  H.  Luers,  Secy. 

1886  — J.  Z.  Barncard,  M.  E.  H.  P. ;  N.  J. 
Schafer,  E.  K. ;  N.  C.  Larson,  E.  S. ;  D.  S. 
Coverdale,  C.  H. ;  H.  H.  Eosebrock,  P.  S. ; 
E.  E.  Bigelow,  E.  A.  C. ;  L.  L.  Bennett, 
Treas. ;  H.  H.  Luers,  Secy. 

1887— N.  J.  Schafer,  M.  E.  IL  P. ;  T.  J. 
Howe,  K. ;  II.  H.  Eosebrock,  S. ;  E.  E.  Bige- 
low, C.  H.;  C.  W.  Burdic,  P.  S.;  H.  IL 
Luers,  E.  A.  C. ;  G.  F.  Albertus,  Treas.  ;  J. 
W.  Connor,  Secy. ;  G.  W.  Shaw,  Sent. ;  C. 
W.  Burdic,  1st  Vail. 

Cyrejie  Commandery,  No.  9,  Knights  Tem- 
plar.— The  Knights  Templar,  in  Masonry,  is 
one  step  higher  than  the  Chapter.  Any 
member  of  the  Chapter  in  good  standing  is 
eligible  to  membership  in  the  Commandery. 
On  the  17tli  of  February,  1874,  a  dispensa- 
tion was  granted  by  II.  L.  Carver,  of  St. 
Paul,  Grand  Commander  of  Minnesota,  au- 
thorizing the  organization  of  Cyrene  Com- 


mandery, and,  accordingly,  the  first  meeting 
was  held  on  the  19th  of  the  same  month,  at 
Masonic  Hall,  in  Owatonna,  at  which  an 
organization  was  effected  by  the  election  of 
the  following  named  as  first  officers :  C.  H. 
Hathaway,  E.  C. ;  J.  W.  Morford,  G. ;  Smith 
H.  Stowers,  C.  G. ;  H.  Backus,  P. ;  H.  E. 
Moore,  Jr.,  S.  W. ;  Thomas  W.  Irving,  J.  W. ; 
Hiram  J.  Lewis,  Treas. ;  T.  G.  Patch,  Eec. ; 
and  H.  H.  Eosebrock,  W.  This  list  also 
comprises  all  of  the  charter  members.  The 
Commandery  grew  rapidly  from  the  start. 
During  the  year  1874  the  following  Masons 
became  Sir  Knights  of  this-Commandery,  in 
the  order  named :  W.  E.  Kinyon,  W.  H. 
Kelly,  E.  M.  Morehouse,  A.  C.  Dodge,  J.  A. 
Oppliger,  M.  L.  Strong,  Thos.  J.  Howe,  A. 
C.  Hickman,  L.  L.  Wheelock,  C.  W.  Gard- 
ner, L.  S.  Padgham,  G.  F.  Albertus,  W.  H. 
Willse_y,  and  T.  H.  Frazer. 

In  1875  J.  W.  Hall,  N.  C.  Larson  and 
Henry  Birkett  joined,  and  since  then  the 
membership  has  continually  increased,  un- 
til in  August,  1887,  it  numbered  sixty -two 
knights  in  good  standing.  This  includes 
twenty  members  who  are  residents  of  Wa- 
seca and  vicinity.  Neai'ly  all  the  balance 
are  citizens  of  Steele  County.  Conclaves 
have  always  been  held  in  the  Masonic  Hall, 
where  the  Commandery  owns  the  full  com- 
plement of  furniture  and  paraphernalia.  The 
knights  all  own  tasty  and  handsome  regalia, 
many  of  which  are  rich  and  costly.  Con- 
claves are  regularly  held  on  the  evenings 
of  the  second  and  fourth  Mondays  in  each 
month.  The  Cyrene  Commandery  has  al- 
ways been  prominent  in  State  Masonic 
circles.  It  has  furnished  two  Eight  Eminent 
Grand  Commanders  of  Minnesota :  Henry 
Birkett,  who  served  two  years,  and  E.  L. 
McCormick,  who  held  the  office  one  year; 
and  in  June,  1886,  the  session  of  the  Grand 
Commandery  of  Minnesota  was  held  at 
Owatonna,  attended  by  the  most  prominent 
knights  in  the  State.  The  Commandery  has 
at  different  times  taken  special  train  excur- 
sions to  various  portions  of  the  State,  includ- 


216 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


ing  Minneapolis,  Faribault,  Ked  Wing, 
Waterville,  and  Stillwater,  at  which  enjoy- 
able times  were  had.  The  Comraandery 
now  includes  nearly  all  of  the  leading  and 
wealthy  business  men  of  Owatonna,  al- 
though its  membership  has  suffered  some- 
what from  removal  of  members,  and  a  few 
deaths  have  also  occurred  within  the  lodge. 
The  last  meeting  under  dispensation  was 
held  on  the  22d  of  June,  1874.  The  charter 
was  p-ranted  on  the  17th  of  Februarv,  1871:. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list,  as  far  as 
the  records  show,  of  the  various  officers  wlio 
have  served  the  commandery  in  each  year, 
fi'om  its  organization  to  the  present  time : 

Installed,  June  1874. — C.  H.  Hathaway, 

E.  C. ;  J.  W.  Morford,  G. ;  L.  L.  Wheelock, 
P. ;  A.  C.  Dodge,  S.  W. ;  T.  W.  Irving,  J. 
W. ;  E.  M.  Morehouse,  T. ;  T.  G.  Patch,  E. ; 
J.  A.  Oppliger,  St.  B. ;  W.  H.  Willsey,  S.  B. ; 
H.  H.  Eosebrock,  W. ;  L.  S.  Padgham,  1st 
G. ;  Thomas  J.  Howe,  2d  G. ;  H.  Backus, 
3d  G.,  and  G.  F.  Albertus.  Sen. 

Installed,  April  12,  1875.— C.  H.  Hatha- 
way, E.  C;  J.  W.  Morford,  G. ;  S.  H. 
Stowers,  E.  G. ;  L.  L.  Wheelock,  P. ;  A.  C. 
Dodge,  S.  W. ;  T.  W.  Irving,  J.  W. ;  E.  M. 
Morehouse,  J. ;  M.  L.  Strong,  E. ;  J.  A. 
Oppliger,  St.  B. ;  W.  H.  Willsey,  S.  B. ;  H. 
H.  Eosebrock,  W. ;  L.  S.  Padgham,  Capt.  G. ; 
G.  F.  Albertus,  2d  G. ;  H.  Backus,  3d  G. 

Installed,  April  24,  1876.— C.  H.  Hatha- 
way, E.  C.  ;  J.  W.  Morford,  G. ;  M.  L. 
Strong,  C.  G. ;  L.  L.  Wheelock,  P. ;  T.  W. 
Irving,  S.  W. ;   II.  H.  Eosebrock,  J.  W. ;   G. 

F.  Albertus,  T. ;  S.  II.  Stowers,  E. ;  J.  A. 
Oppliger,  St.  B. ;  W.  H.  Willsey,  S.  B. ;  H. 
Birkett,  W. ;  A.  C.  Dodge,  1st  G. ;  T.  J. 
Howe,  2d  G. ;  H.  Backus,  3d  G.,  and  J.  W. 
Hall,  Sen. 

Installed,  March  26, 1877.— W.  E.  Kinyon, 
E.  C. ;  T.  W.  Irving,  G. ;  M.  L.  Strong,  C 
G. ;  L.  L.  Wheelock,  P. ;  J.  W.  Morford,  S 
W. ;  H.  Birkett,  J.  W. ;  G.  F.  Albertus,  T. 
S.  H.  Stowers,  E. ;  J.  A.  Oppliger,  St.  B. 
W.  H.  Willsey,  S.  B. ;  H.  li.  Eosebrock,  W. ; 
J.  W.  Hall,  Sen. 


Installed,  April  8,  1878. — W.  E.  Kinyon, 

E.  C. ;  E.  L.  McCormack,  G. ;  M.  L.  Strong, 
C.  G. ;  L.  L.  Wheelock,  P. ;  H.  Birkett,  S. 
W. ;  T.  W.  Irving,  J.  W. ;  G.  F.  Albertus, 
T. ;  S.  H.  Stowers,  E. ;  J.  A.  Oppliger,  St. 
B. ;  W.  H.  Willsey,  S.  B. ;  H.  H.  Eosebrock, 
W. ;  G.  F.  Albertus,  Sen. 

Installed,  April  14,  1879.— E.  L.  McCor- 
mack, E.  C;  T.  W.  Irving,  G. ;  M.  L. 
Strong,  C.  G. ;  L.  L.  Wheelock,  P. ;  W.  H. 
Willsey,  S.  W. ;  J.  W.  Morford,  J.  W. ;  G. 

F.  Albertus,  T. ;  S.  H.  Stowers,  E. ;  J.  A. 
Oppliger,  St.  B. ;  W.  H.  Willsey,  S.  B. ;  H.  H. 
Eosebrock,  W. ;  G.  W.  Shaw,  Sen. 

Installed,  March  30, 1880.— E.  L.  McCor- 
mack, E.  C. ;  H.  Birkett,  G. ;  T.  W.  Irving, 
C.  G ;  L.  L.  Wheelock,  P. ;  G.  E.  Buckman, 
S.  W. ;  W.  II.  Willsey,  J.  W. ;  G.  F.  Al- 
bertus, T. ;  W.  II.  Maes,  E. ;  J.  A.  Oppliger, 
St.  B.;  H.  II.  Eosebrock,  S.  B. ;  S.  G.  Lund, 
W. ;  T.  J.  Howe,  1st  G. ;  N.  C  Larson,  2d 
G. ;  J.  W.  Morford,  3d  G. ;  G.  W.  Shaw, 
Sen. 

Installed,  April  25, 1881.- Henry  Birkett, 
E.  C. ;  A.  C.  Hickman,  G. ;  T.  W.  Irving,  C. 
G. ;  L.  L.  Wheelock,  P. ;  Henry  E.  Strong, 
S.  W. ;  W.  C.  Thayer,  J.  W. ;  G.  F.  Alljertus, 
T. ;  W.  H.  Maes,  E. ;  Clarke  Chambers,  St. 
B. ;  T.  J.  Howe,  S.  B. ;  N.  C.  Larson,  W. ; 

G.  W.  Shaw,  Sen. 

Installed,  April  8, 1882.— H.  Birkett,  E.  C. ; 
L.  L.  Wheelock,  G. ;  G.  E.  Buckman,  C.  G. ; 
A.  C.  Hickman,  P. ;  W.  C.  Thayer,  S.  W. ; 
W.  II.  Maes,  J.  W. ;  G.  F.  Albertus,  T. ;  J. 
W.  Morford,  E. ;  T.  J.  Howe,  Sw.  B. ;  N. 
C.  Larson,  W. ;  E.  E.  Bigelow,  1st  G. ;  H.  H. 
Eosebrock,  2d  G. ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  3d  G. ;  G. 
W.  Shaw,  Sen. 

Installed  March  26,  1883  — L.  L.  Whee- 
lock, E.  G. ;  G.  E.  Buckman,  C.  G. ;  G.  C. 
Tanner,  P. ;  W.  H.  Maes,  J.  W. ;  G.  F.  Alber- 
tus, T. ;  W.  II.  Donaldson,  E. ;  T.  J.  Howe, 
Sw.  B. ;  N.  C.  Larson,  W. ;  G.  W.  Shaw, 
Sen. 

Chosen  March  24,  1884  — L.  L.  Wheelock, 
E.  C. ;  G.  E.  Buckman,  G. ;  L.  L.  Bennett, 
C.  G. ;  G.  C.  Tanner,  P. ;  J.  D.  Holden,  S.  W. ; 


HISTOKY   OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


21Y 


N.  C.  Larson,  J.  W. ;  G.  F.  Albertus,  T. ;  T. 
J.  Howe,  K. ;  W.  H.  Willsey,  St.  B. ;  J.  Z. 
Barncard,  S.  B. ;  H.  H.  Kosebrock,  W. ;  E. 
E.  Bigelow,  1st  G. ;  J.  M.  Diment,  2d  G. ;  J. 
J.  McDonald,  3d  G. ;  G.  W.  Shaw,  Sen. 

Chosen  March  23,  1884  — James  M.  Di- 
ment, E.  C. ;  D.  S.  Cunnnings,  G. ;  Frank 
Grant,  C.  G. ;  G.  C.  Tanner,  P.;  J.  D.  Hol- 
den,  S.  W. ;  IST.  C.  Larson,  J.  W.  ;  G.  F.  Al- 
bertus, T. ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  K. ;  E.  E.  Bigelow, 
Std.  B. ;  W.  H.  Willsey,  S.  B. ;  H.  H.  Rose- 
brock,  W. ;  D.  S.  Coverdale,  1st  G. ;  G.  W. 
Shaw,  Sen. 

Chosen  April  12, 1886 — James  M.  Diment, 

E.  C. ;  D.  S.  Cummings,  G. ;  F.  F.  Grant,  C. 
G. ;  G.  C.  Tanner,  P. ;  N.  C.  Larson,  S.  W. ; 
K  J.  Schafer,  J.  W. ;  W.  H.  Willsey,  T. ; 
L.  L.  Bennett,  E. ;  D.  S.  Coverdale,  St.  B.  ; 
T.  J.  Howe,  S.  B. ;  E.  E.  Bigelow,  W. ;  G. 
W.  Shaw,  Sen. 

Chosen  March  28, 1887 — Present  officers: 

F.  F.  Grant,  E.  C. ;  G.  R.  Buckman,  G. ;  N. 
C.  Larson,  C.  G. ;  L.  L.  Wheelock,  P. ;  N.  J. 
Schafer,  S.  W. ;  J.  E.  Truesdell,  J.  W. ;  H. 
H.  Rosebrock,  Treas. ;  T.  J.  Howe,  R. ;  J. 
A.  Oppliger,  St.  B. ;  G.  F.  Albertus,  S.  B. ; 
J.  W.  Conner,  W. ;  L.  L.  Bennett,  1st  G. ; 
J.  Z.  Barncard,  2d  G. ;  J.  M.  Diment,  3d 
G. ;  and  G.  W.  Shaw,  Sen. 

INDEPENDENT   ORDER   OF    ODD    FELLOWS. 

Star  of  the  West  Lodge,  No  llf.. — On  the 
9th  of  August,  1864,  J.  ISTewsalt,  then  a 
member  of  Prairie  Lodge  No.  7,  Winona, 
Minn.,  accompanied  by  E.  K.  Smith,  P.  J. 
Smith  and  R.  C.  Ambler,  went  to  Rochester, 
where  his  companions  were  initiated  by 
Rochester  Lodge  No.  13,  and  received  all  the 
degrees  appertaining  to  a  subordinate  lodge 
of  Odd  Fellows.  Through  the  kindness  of 
the  Rochester  lodge  the  regular  fees  were 
refunded,  with  which  a  charter  was  jjrocured 
December  28,  1864,  and  Star  of  the  West 
Lodge  No.  14, 1.  O.  O.  F.,  was  duly  instituted 
by  M.  W.G.  M.,  C.  D.  Strong,  assisted  by  P. 

G.  M.,  O.  J.  Noble.  The  charter  members 
were  J.  Newsalt,  Wm.  Hamburg,  E.  K.  Smith, 
P.  J,  Smith,  Eben  Durham  and  W.  H.  Twi- 


ford.  The  first  officers  elected  and  installed 
were  J.  Newsalt,  N.  G. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  V. 
G. ;  W.  H.  Twiford,  Secy. ;  and  William 
Hamburg,  Treas.  On  the  evening  of  the 
organization  of  the  lodge  D.  B.  Marble,  A. 
C.  Hickman,  and  James  Lee  were  admitted 
by  card,  and  L.  Bixby,  G.  W.  Shaw  and  R. 
Joos  by  initiation.  During  the  first  term  of 
six  months  three  members  were  admitted 
by  card  and  twelve  by  initiation.  The  of- 
ficers elected  and  installed  for  the  second 
term,  commencing  July  1,  1865,  were  E.  K. 
Smith,  N.  G. ;  L.  Bixby,  V.  G. ;  A.  C.  Hick- 
man, Secy. ;  D.  B.  Marble,  Treas.  ;and  J.  New- 
salt,  D.  D.  G.  M.  During  the  second  term, 
two  were  admitted  by  card  and  six  by  initia- 
tion. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  who 
have  served  the  lodge  from  1865  until  the 
present  time.  The  date  given  refers  to  the 
commencement  of  the  term : 

January  1,  1866— L.  Bixby,  N.  G. ;  D.  B. 
Marble,  V.  G. ;  A.  S.  Mygatt,  Secy. ;  G.  W. 
Shaw,  Treas.  During  this  term  five  mem- 
bers were  admitted  by  initiation. 

July  1,  1866  — D.  B.  Marble,  N.  G. ;  G. 
W.  Shaw,  V.  G. ;  P.  J.  Smith,  Secy. ;  Wm. 
Pepper,  Treas. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  D.  D.  G.  M. 
Four  members  were  admitted  by  card,  and 
four  by  initiation. 

January  1,1867  — L.  Bixby,  N.G.;  P.  T. 
Smith,  V.  G. ;  G.  H.  Tyrrell,  Secy. ;  P. 
McRostie,  Treas.  During  this  term  five 
were  admitted  by  initiation  and  one  by 
card. 

July  1,  1867  — G.  W.  Shaw,  N.  G. ;  Wm. 
Scruby,  V.  G. ;  J.  J.  Thomas,  Secy. ;  R.  T. 
Smith,  Treas. ;  L.  Bixby,  D.  D.  G.  M.  Dur- 
ing the  term  J.  J.  Thomas  resigned,  and  C. 
S.  Crandall  was  elected  secretary  to  fill  the 
vacancy.  Eight  members  were  initiated  and 
one  admitted  as  an  Ancient  Odd  Fellow. 

January  1, 1S68.—  G.  II.  Tyrrell,  N.  G. ;  W. 
H.  Reynolds,  V.  G. ;  C.  S.  Crandall,  Secy. ; 
Alson  Selleck,  Treas.  During  the  early 
part  of  the  term  G.  H.  Tyrrell  resigned  the 
office  of  N.  G.,  and  L.  Bixby  was  elected  to 


218 


HISTOKY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


fill  the  office.  Three  members  were  admit- 
ted by  initiation  and  two  bj^  card. 

July,  1868  — William  Reynolds,  N.  G.; 
William  Pepper,  V.  G. ;  J.  W.  Daniels,  R.  S. ; 
W.  H.  Sherman,  Treas. 

January,  1869  —  William  Pepper,  N.  G. ; 
A.  S.  Mygatt,  V.  G. ;  John  Middaugh,  R.  S. ; 
Sydney  Smith,  Per.  Sec. ;  A.  P.  Requa  (re- 
signed), E.  B.  Crooker,  Treas. 

July,  1 869  —  A.  S.  Mygatt,  N.  G. ;  C.  S. 
Crandall,  V.  G. ;  E.  T.  Smith,  R.  S. ;  George 
Mitchell,  Treas. 

January,  1870  — C.  S.  Crandall,  K  G. ;  J. 
D.  Mitchell,  V.  G. ;  A.  A.  Harwood,  R.  S. ;  L. 
Bixby,  Per.  Sec. ;  H.  M.  Brown,  Treas. 

July,  1870  —J.  D.  Mitchell,  N.  G. ;  George 
Mitchell.  Y.  G. ;  H.  N.  Brown,  R.  S. ;  J.  C. 
Backus,  Treas. 

January,  1871  — George  Mitchell,  N.  G. ; 
J.  C.  Backus,  V.  G. ;  J.  Newsalt,  R.  S. ; 
William  Pepper,  Treas. 

July,  1871  —  J.  C.  Backus,  N.  G. ;  Geo.  A. 
Black,  V.  G.  ;  E.  K.  Smith,  R.  S. ;  George 
Mitchell,  Treas. 

January,  1872  —George  A.  Black,  N.  G. ; 
John  Cottier,  V.  G. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  R.  S. ; 
A.  C.  Hickman,  Treas. 

July,  1872  —  John  Cottier,  N.  G. ;  James 
K.  Price,  V.  G. ;  William  Reynolds,  R.  S. ; 
D.  Lawson,  Treas. 

January,  1873  — J.  K.  Price,  N.  G.;  D. 
Lawson,  V.  G. ;  A.  S.  Mygatt,  R.  S. ;  G.  W. 
Shaw,  Treas. 

July,  1873  — D.  Lawson,  JST.  G. ;  J.  P. 
Requa,  V.  G. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  R.  S. ;  G.  W. 
Shaw,  Treas.  ;  H.  F.  Luce,  Treas. 

January,  1874  —  P.  McRostie,  N.  G. ;  N. 
Searl,  V.  G. ;  A.  L.  Harding,  R.  S. ;  PL  F. 
Luce,  Per.  Sec. ;  George  Mitchell,  Treas. 

July,  1874  —  George  Mitchell,  N.  G. ;  A. 
L.  Harding,  V.  G. ;  E.  M.  Arnold,  R.  S. ;  E. 
K.  Smith,  Treas. 

January,  1875  —  A.  L.  Harding,  N.  G. ; 
H.  F.  Luce,  V.  G. ;  G.  Peterson,  R.  S. ;  W.  H. 
Reynolds  Per.  Secy. ;    H.  M.  Pepper,  Treas. 

July,  1875—  H.F.  Luce,  N.  G. ;  R.  Lilly, 
V.  G. ;  G.  Peterson,  R.  S. 


January,  1876  —  R.  Lilly,  N.  G. ;  G.  Peter- 
son, V.  G. ;  W.  A.  Dynes.'p.  S.;  H.  F.  Luce, 
Treas. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  P.  S. 

July,  1876  — C.  W.  Burdick,  K  G. ;  W. 
A.  Dynes,  V.  G. ;  E.  C.  Kinny,  R.  S. ;  John 
Mitchell,  Treas. 

January,  1877  —  John  Cottier,  N.  G. ; 
George  Shaw,  V.  G. ;  R.  Lilly,  R.  S. ;  T.  R. 
Medd,  P.  S. 

July,  1877  — W.  A.  Dynes,  N.  G. ;  E.  C. 
Kinney,  V.  G. ;  W.  L.  Winslow,  R.  S.;  J.  D. 
Mitchell,  Treas. 

January,  1878  —  E.  C.  Kinney,  N.  G. ;  T. 
R.  Medd,  Y.  G. ;  F.  C.  Webb,  R.  S.;  H.  F. 
Luce,  P.  S. 

July,  1878  —  T.  R.  Medd,  N.  G. ;  E.  R. 
Fenno,  Y.  G. ;  R.  L.  Muckey,  R.  S. ;  T.  C. 
Webb,  Treas. 

January,  1879  — E.  R.  Fenno,  N.  G. ;  W. 
L.  Winslow,  Y.  G. ;  R.  L.  Muckey,  R.  S. ;  R. 
Lilly,  P.  S. ;  Geo.  W.  Shaw,  Treas. 

July,  1879  —  W.  L.  Winslow,  N.  G. ;  0. 
E.  Parker,  Y.  G. ;  R.  LiUy,  R.  S. ;  E.  K. 
Smith,  P.  S. ;  Geo.  W.  Shaw,  Treas. 

January,  1880  —  Geo.  W.  Shaw,  N.  G. ; 
H.  F.  Luce,  Y.  G. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  R.  S. ;  G. 
W.  Peterson,  P.  S. ;  W.  H.  Reynolds,  Treas. 

July,  1880  — John  Cottier,  N.  G.;  Frank 
Webb,  Y.  G.  ;  H.  F.  Luce,  R.  S. ;  E.  R. 
Fenno,  Treas. 

January,  1881  —  F.  C.  Webb,  N.  G. ;  W. 
Hughes,  V.  G. ;  W.  A.  Dynes,  R.  S.;  A. 
Simpson,  P.  S. ;  E.  R.  Fenno,  Treas. 

July,  1881  — T.  R.  Medd,  K  G.;  A.  Simp- 
son, V.  G. ;  Geo.  H.  Peterson,  R.  S. ;  O.  S. 
Boice,  P.  S. ;  F.  C.  Webb,  Treas. 

January,  1882  —  A.  Simpson,  N.  G. ;  O. 
S.  Boice,  Y.  G. ;  Geo.  Parrott,  R.  S. ;  F.  C. 
AYebb,  P.  S. ;  E.  R.  Fenno,  Treas. 

July,  1882  —  O.  S.  Boice,  N.  G. ;  Geo.  Par- 
rott, Y.  G. ;  J.  W.  McKinny,  R.  S. ;  John 
Cottier,  Treas. 

Junuary,  1883  — Geo.  Parrott,  N.  G. ;  J. 
H.  Hehvig,  Y.  G. ;  J.  W.  McKinny,  R.  S. ; 
G.  W.  Peachy,  P.  S. ;  A.  Simpson,  Treas. 

July,  1883  —  F.  C.  Webb,  N.  G. ;  J.  H. 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


219 


Helwig,  y.  G. ;  E.  Fuller,  R.  S. ;  O.  S.  Boice, 
Treas. 

Januaiy,  1884— J.  II.  Hehvig,  N.  G. ;  E. 
Fuller,  V.  G. ;  G.  H.  Peterson,  K.  S.  ;  H.  F. 
Luce,  P.  S. ;  John  Cottier,  Treas. 

July,  1881— E.  Fuller,  K  G. ;  George 
Peachy,  V.  G.  ;  F.  C.  Webb,  II.  S. ;  Mr. 
Andrews,  Treas. 

January,  1885  —  George  Peachy,  N.  G. ; 
James  Brown,  V.  G. ;  F.  C.  Webb,  E.  S. ; 
George  Parrott,  P.  S. ;  John  Cottier,  Treas. 

July,  1885  — James  Brown,  N.  G. ;  J.  II. 
Dewart,  V.  G. ;  F.  C.  Webb,  E.  S. ;  John 
Cottier,  Treas. 

January,  1886  —  H.  F.  Luce,  N.  G. ;  John 
A.  Shaw,  Y.  G. ;  F.  C.  Webb,  E.  S. ;  T.  J. 
Gillam,  See}'. ;  John  Cottier,  Treas. 

July,  1886— H.  F.  Luce,  N.  G. ;  J.  A. 
Shaw,  V.  G. ;  F.  C.  Webb,  E.  S. ;  John  Cot- 
tier, Treas. 

January,  1887— John  A.  Shaw,  N.  G. ;  E. 
H.  S.  Dart,  V.  G. ;  F.  C.  Webb,  E.  S  ; 
George  Parrott,  P.  S. ;   John  Cottier,  Treas. 

July,  1887— Mr.  Wright,  N.  G. ;  W.  F. 
Barker,  V.  G. ;  F.  C.  Webb,  E.  S. ;  John 
Cottier,  Treas. ;  George  W.  Shaw,  Warden  ; 
Geo.  H.  Peterson,  E.  S.  N.  G. ;  J.  H.  Hel- 
wig, L.  S.  N.  G. ;  Mr.  McGillan,  I.  G.,  and 
Cliap.  Eev.  J.  C.  Ogle. 

The  lodge  now  has  Mty-Uve  members  in 
good  standing.  Its  financial  condition  is  ex- 
cellent, as  it  has  money  in  the  treasury,  be- 
sides considerable  loaned  out.  The  first  meet- 
ings of  the  lodge  were  held  in  Morford's 
hall,  which  is  now  occupied  by  Eosebrock's 
furniture  store.  A  short  time  later,  a  room 
over  what  is  now  Mr.  Holt's  general  store 
was  used,  and  a  couple  of  years  later  they 
occupied  a  room  adjoining  that  one.  Afier 
four  or  five  years,  a  third  story  was  added 
to  the  building  which  they  now  occupy,  and 
for  a  consideration  of '  $1,100  they  secured  a 
ninety -nine-year  lease  of  it.  The  money  was 
raised  by  the  organization  of  a  stock  com- 
pan}'  and  the  issuance  of  certificates.  It  is 
all  paid,  and  the  lodge  is  out  of  debt.  The 
lodge-room  is  appropriatety  furnished,  and 


they  possess  a  full  outfit  of  neat  and  tasty 
regalias. 

Goethe  lodge,  JVo.  38,  I.  0.  0.  i^.— This 
lodge  was  organized  at  Owatonna,  April  25, 
1873,  by  Grand  Master  E.  K.  Smith,  of  Owa- 
tonna, assisted  by  Eobert  Smith,  Y.  G.  M. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  those  present : 
Past  Grands  J.  Newsalt,  William  Pepper, 
A.  S.  Mygatt,  W.  H.  Eeynolds,  G.  A.  Black, 
and  Brothers  L.  Bion,  A.  Butsch,  G.  Sie- 
bold,  J.  Deeg  and  A.  Hafemann.  At  that 
time  there  were  initiated  John  Ilammel,  F. 
Mudeking  and  J.  II.  Ilartwig.  The  first  of- 
ficers were  elected  at  the  same  meeting,  as 
follows :  J.  Newsalt,  N.  G. ;  L.  Bion,  Y.  G. ; 
Eichard  Joos,  P.  S. ;  G.  Siebolt,  Secy. ;  A. 
Butsch,  Treas. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  who 
have  served  this  lodge  since  its  organization, 
as  shown  by  the  record  of  elections : 

Elected  June  30,  1873  — J.  Newsalt,  N. 
G. ;  L.  Bion,  Y.  G. ;  G.  Siebold,  E.  Secy. ; 
Eichard  Joos,  P.  S. ;  A.  Butsch,  Treas. 

December  31,  1873  — Louis  Bion,  N.  G. ; 
Adam  Butsch,  Y.  G. ;  John  Deeg,  E.  S. ;  J. 
Newsalt,  P.  S. ;  J.  Newsalt,  Treas. 

June  30,  1874  — A.  Butsch,  N.  G.;  John 
Deeg,  Y.  G. ;  John  Hammel,  E.  S. ;  J.  New- 
salt,  P.  S. ;  Albert  Hafemann,  Treas. 

December  31,  1871  — John  Deeg,  N.  G. ; 
Albert  Hafemann,  Y.  G. ;  John  Hammel,  E. 
S. ;  J.  Newsalt,  P.  S. ;  Fred  Mudeking,  Treas. 

June  30, 1875  — A.  Hafemann, N.  G. ;  John 
Hammel,  Y.  G. ;  L.  Bion,  E.  S. ;  Jacob  New- 
salt,  P.  S. ;  John  A.  Butsch,  Treas. 

December  31, 1875  —  John  Hammel,  N.  G. ; 
F.  Mudeking,  Y.  G. ;  J.  Newsalt,  E.  S. ;  E. 
Deininger,  P.  S. ;  Theo.  Fedder,  Treas. 

June  30,  1876  —  F.  Mudeking,  N.  G. ; 
Theo.  Fedder,  Y.  G. ;  Gustav  Siebold,  E.  S. ; 
E.  Deininger,  P.  S. ;  John  Deeg,  Treas. 

December  30,  1876  —  L.  Bion,  N.  G.  ;  G. 
Siebold,  Y.  G. ;  John  Hammel,  E.  S. ;  E. 
Deiningei',  P.  S. ;  Geo.  A.  Eossbach,  Treas. 

June  30,  1877—  G.  Siebold,  N.  G. ;  Theo. 
Fedder,  Y.  G. ;  J.  Newsalt,  E.  S. ;  E.  Deinin- 
ger, P.  S. ;  L.  Bion,  Treas. 


220 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


December  31,  1877  — L.  Bion,  N.  G.  ;  R. 
Deininger,  V.  G. ;  AVilliara  Scheele,  E.  S. ; 
John  Deeg,  P.  S. ;  John  Hammel,  Treas. 

June  30,  1878  — L.  Bion,  K  G. ;  Robt. 
Deininger,  V.  G. ;  J.  Newsalt,  R.  S. ;  John 
Deeg,  P.  S. ;  Geo.  A.  Rossbach,  Treas. 

December  31,  1878  —  R.  Deininger,  N.  G. ; 
W.  H.  Scheele,  V.  G. ;  John  Hammel,  R.  S. ; 
John  Deeg,  P.  S. ;  G.  A.  Rossbach,  Treas. 

June  30,  1879  —  G.  A.  Rossljach,  N.  G. ; 
Charles  Lorence,  V.  G. ;  John  Hammel,  R. 
S. ;  John  Deeg,  P.  S. ;  L.  Bion,  Treas. 

December  31, 1879  —Emil  Theimer, N.  G. ; 
John  Butsch,  V.  G. ;  John  Hammel,  R.  S. ; 
John  Deeg,  P.  S. ;  Robt.  Deininger,  Treas. 

June  30,  1880  —  John  Butsch,  N.  G. ; 
Charles  Lorence,  V.  G.  ;  L.  Bion,  R.  S. ;  John 
Deeg,  P.  S. ;  R.  Deininger,  Treas. 

December  31, 1880  —  C.  M.  Lorence,  N.  G. ; 
C.  F.  Hummer,  Y.  G. ;  E.  Theimer,  R.  S. ;  J. 
Ganser,  P.  S. ;  R.  Deininger,  Treas. 

June  30,  1881  —  W.  Scheele,  IST.  G. ;  J. 
Ganser,  V.  G. ;  E.  Theimer,  R.  S. ;  Jacob 
Thon,  P.  S. ;  R.  Deininger,  Treas. 

December  31,  1881  —  J.  P.  Ganser,  K  G.  ; 
Jacob  Thon,  V.  G. ;  Louis  Bion,  R.  S. ;  Louis 
Bion,  P.  S. ;  R.  Deininger,  Treas. 

June  30,  1882  — Louis  Bion,  K  G. ;  A. 
Schlesinger,  V.  G.  ;  E.  E.  Aukes,  R.  S. ;  E. 
E.  Aukes,  P.  S. ;  R.  Deininger,  Treas. 

December  31,  1882- John  Deeg,  N.  G.; 
E.  E.  Aukes,  V.  G. ;  John  Hammel,  R.  S. ; 
John  Hammel,  P.  S. ;  Robt.  Deininger,  Treas. 

June  30,  1883  — E.  E.  Aukes,  N.  G. ;  Jacob 
Thon,  V.  G.;  John  Hammel,  R.  S. ;  John 
Hammel,  P.  S. ;  L.  Bion,  Treas. 

December  31,  1883— Robt.  Deininger,  N. 
G. ;  Charles  "Wiese,  V.  G. ;  John  Hammel, 
R.  S. ;  John  Hammel,  P.  S. ;  Theo.  Fedder, 
Treas. 

June  30,  1884  — A.  Schlesinger,  K  G. ; 
Charle}'  Wiese,  Y.  G. ;  John  Hammel,  R. 
S. ;  John  Hammel,  P.  S. ;  Theo.  Fedder, 
Treas. 

December  31,  1881  — Charles  Wiese,  N. 
G. ;  Henry  Sanders,  V.  G. ;  John  Hammel, 
R.  S.  and  P.  S. ;  Theo.  Fedder,  Treas. 


June  30,  1885— Henry  Sanders,  N.  G. ; 
Charles  Moldenhauer,  V.  G. ;  John  P.  Ganser, 
R.  S. ;  Theo.  Fedder,  Treas. 

December  31, 1885  —  Charles  Moldenhauer, 
N.  G. ;  J.  P.  Thon,  V.  G. ;  J.  P.  Ganser,  R. 
S. ;  Theo.  Fedder,  Treas. 

June  30, 1886  — Jacob  Thon,  N.  G.;  Gustav 
Schwandlce,  V.  G. ;  John  Hammel,  R.  S.  and 
P.  S. ;  Theo.  Fedder,  Treas. 

December  31,  1886 — Gustav  A.  Schwan- 
dke,  N.  G. ;  AV illiam  Wichlow,  V.  G. ;  John 
Hammel,  R.  S.  and  P.  S.;  Theo.  Fedder, 
Treas. 

June  30,  1887  — William  Wichlow,  N.  G. ; 
John  Thon,  V.  G. ;  John  Hammel,  R.  S.  and 
P.  S. ;  Theo.  Fedder,  Treas. ;  John  Degg, 
Conductor ;  F.  Schuman,  Warden ;  Robert 
Deininger,  R.  S.  of  N.  G. ;  Matt  Bion,  L.  S. 
of  N.  G. ;  Henry  Sanders,  I.  G. ;  William 
Scheele,  O.  G. 

The  lodge  held  meetwigs  at  first  in  the  hall 
of  Star  of  the  West  Lodge.  Afterward  they 
used  Adam  Butsch's  building,  on  Main  street. 
In  1879  they  moved  in  the  present  lodge 
room,  in  the  Morehouse  block,  on  Broadway. 
The  room  is  nicely  furnished,  they  own  neat 
regalia,  and  have  money  on  interest.  They 
now  (June,  1887)  have  fifty-two  members  in 
good  standing,  of  which  number  the  follow- 
ing are  Past-Grands:  J.  Newsalt,  L.  Bion, 
John  Deeg,  John  Hammel,  F.  Mudeking,  R. 
Deininger,  Theo.  Fedder,  J.  A.  Butsch,  Emil 
Theimer,  Charles  Lorence,  William  Scheele, 
A.  Graffmlieller,  John  Ganser,  E.  E.  Aukes, 
Charles  Wiese,  Llenry  Sander  and  J.  Thon. 
This  lodge  has  furnished  officers  of  the  Grand 
Lodge  of  the  State  on  two  occasions:  J.  New- 
salt,  Grand  Master,  and  Emil  Theimer,  Grand 
Herald. 

Behecca. — During  the  first  term  of  Star 
of  the  West  Lodge  in  1805,  a  Rebecca  organ- 
ization was  formed  in  which  all  scarlet  degree 
members  were  entitled  to  membershij),  also 
the  wives  of  scarlet  degree  members.  The 
object  of  this  degree  was  for  the  especial 
benefit  of  the  wives  of  members.  The  or- 
ganization was  maintained  on  account  of  the 


HISTOET    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


221 


beneficial  social  features  which  it  embraced, 
until  several  years  ago,  when  it  was  aband- 
oned. 

Central  Encampment,  Mo.  J/.,  I.  0.  0.  F 
—  On  the  afternoon  of  March  31,  1869,  C. 
A.  Strong,  D.  D.  G.  S. ;  C.  C.  Comee,  G.  M., 
and  theP's  from  the  Rochester  and  Star  of 
the  West  Lodges  met  in  the  hall  of  the  Star 
of  the  West  Lodge,  Owatonna,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  organizing  an  encampment,  a  dispen- 
sation having  already  been  granted.  The 
following  were  the  first  members:  C.  C. 
Comee,  D.  B.  Marble,  Luther  Bixby,  E.  K. 
Smith,  J.  W.  Daniels,  A.  S.  Mygatt,  Wm. 
Reynolds  and  William  Pepper.  In  addition 
to  this  list,  the  following  named  became 
members,  either  at  the  first  or  second  meet- 
ing :  E.  B.  Crooker,  J.  W.  Dresser,  C.  W. 
Hastings,  John  Middaugh,  H.  M.  Brown,  C. 
S.  Crandall  and  A.  C.  Hickman. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  who 
have  been  chosen  at  the  various  elections 
held  since  the  encampment  was  organized : 

Elected  March  31,  1869:  C.  C.  Comee,  C. 
P. ;  D.  B.  Marble,  H.  P. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  S. 
W. ;  J.  W.  Daniels,  J.  W. ;  A.  S.  Mygatt,  S. ; 
W.  H.  Reynolds,  Treas. 

June  16,  1869  — L.  Bixby,  C.  P.;  E.  K. 
Smith,  II.  P. ;  A.  C.  Hickman,  S.  W. ;  John 
Middaugh,  J.  W. ;  J.  C.  Backus,  Secy. ;  H. 
M.  Brown,  Treas. 

December  15,  1869— E.  K.  Smith,  C.  P. ; 
A.  C.  Hickman,  II.  P.;  J.  C.  Backus,  S. 
W. ;  John  Middaugh,  S. ;  W.  M.  Reynolds, 
J.  W. ;  H.  M.  Brown,  Treas. 

August  3, 1870— E.  K.  Smith,  C.  P. ;  J.  C. 
Backus,  H.  P. ;  O.  M.  Hammond.  S.  W. ;  C. 
S.  Crandall,  J.  W. ;  E.  T.  Smith,  S. ;  II.  M. 
Brown,  Treas. 

January  4,  1871 — A.  C.  Hickman,  C.  P.; 
O.  M.  Hammond,  H.  P. ;  Wm.  Pepper,  S. 
W. ;  H.  M.  Brown,  J.  W. ;  E.  B.  Crooker, 
S. ;  W.  II.  Reynolds,  Treas. 

July  5,  1871—0.  M.  Hammond,  C.  P. ;  J. 
C.  Backus,  II.  P. ;  E.  T.  Smith,  S.  W. ;  D. 
Lawson,  J.  W. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  S. ;  A.  C. 
Hickman,  Treas. 


January  3,  1872— J.  C.  Backus,  C.  P. ;  E. 
T.  Smith,"  H.  P. ;  W.  H.  Reynolds,  S.  W. ;  J. 
Newsalt,  J.  W. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  S. ;  A.  C. 
Hickman,  Treas. 

June  19,  1872— L.  Bixley,  C.  P. ;  D.  Law- 
son,  H.  P.  ;  J.  Newsalt,  S.  W.  ;  George  A 
Black,  J.  W. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  S.  ;  O.  M.  Ham- 
mond, T. . 

January  1,  1873- D.  Lawson,  C.  P. ;   W 
H.  Reynolds,  11.  P. ;  Geo.  A.  Black,  S.  W. 
J.  C.  Backus,  J.  W. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  S. ;  J.  Iv 
Rice,  T. 

June  18,  1873— W.  H.  Reynolds,  C.  P. 
G.  A.  Black,  II.  P. ;  A.  S.  Mygatt,  S.  W. 
D.  Lawson,  J.  W. ;  E.  K.  Sm'ith,  S. ;  E.  K 
Smith,  T. 

December,  1873  — W.  H.  Reynolds,  C.  P. 
Wm.  Pepper,  H.  P. ;  J.  Newsalt,  S.  W. ;  G 
F.  Doolittle,  J.  W.;  L.  Bixby,  S. ;  J.  C 
Backus,  T. 

June  17,1874:  — Wdliam  Pepper,  C.  P. ;  J 
Newsalt,  H.  P. ;  G.  F.  Doolittle,  S.  W. ;  H, 
F.  Luce,  J.  W. ;  A.  L.  Harding,  S. ;  G.  W 
Shaw,  T. 

December  16,  1874  — J.  Newsalt,  C.  P. 
A.  L.  Harding,  H.  P.;  L.  Bion,  S.  W. ;   W, 
H.  Reynolds,  T. ;  C.  P.  Lilly,  S. 

June  16,  1875  — A.  L.  Harding,  C.  P. ;  G 

F.  Doolittle,  H.  P. ;   H.  F.  Luce,  S.  W. ;   R 
Lilly,  S. ;  G.  W.  Shaw,  T. ;  D.  Lawson,  J.  W 

December  15, 1875  —  A.  L.  Harding,  C.  P. 
H.  F.  Luce,  II.  P. ;    R.  Lilly,  S.  W.  ;   E.  K 
Smith,  J.  W. ;   G.  II.   Peterson,  S. ;    G.  W, 
Shaw,  T. 

June  2, 1876  —  H.  F.  Luce,  C.  P. ;  R.  Lilly, 
H.  P. ;  G.  W.  Shaw,  S.  W. ;  John  Cottier, 
J.  W. ;  G.  II.  Peterson,  S. ;  J.  Newsalt,  T. 

December  20,  1876  — R.  Lilly,  C.  P. ;  P. 
McRostie,II.  P.;  W.  A.  Dynes,  S.W.;  John 
Cottier,  J.  W. ;  John  Hammel,  T. ;  E.  K. 
Smith,  S. 

June  20,  1877  — P.  McRostie,  C.  P.;  W. 
A.  Dynes,  II.  P.;  G.  W.  Shaw,  S.  W. ;  W. 
H.  Reynolds,  J.  W. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  S. ;  John 
Hammel,  T. 

December  19,  1877  —  AV.  A.  Dynes,  C.  P. ; 

G.  W.  Shaw,  H.  P. ;  John  Cottier,  S.  W. ;  R. 


222 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


Lilly,  J.  ^y. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  S. ;  John  Ilam- 
mel,  T. 

June  19, 1878—  G.  W.  Shaw,  C.  P. ;  John 
Coftier,  H.  P. ;  John  Ilammel,  S.  W. ;  W.  H 
Eeynolds,  J.  W. ;  G.  H.  Peterson,  S. ;  W.  A 
Dynes,  T. 

December  27,  1878  —  John  Cottier,  C.  P. 
John  Hammel,  11.  P. ;  G.  H.  Peterson,  S.  W. 
E.  K.  Smith,  S. ;  G.  W.  Shaw,  T. ;  W.  A 
Dynes,  J.  "W. 

June  18,  1879— John  Ilammel,  C.  P. ;  G 
H.  Peterson,  H.  P. ;  E.  C.  Kinney,  S.  W. 
W.  H.  Reynolds,  J.  W. ;  G.  W.  Shaw,  T. ; 

E.  K.  Smith,  S. 

December  17,  1879  —  Geo.  H.  Peterson, 
C.  P. ;  E.  C.  Kinney,  H.  P. ;  P.  McDonald, 
S.  W. ;  W.  II.  Reynolds,  J.  W. ;  E.  K.  Smith, 
S. ;  G.  W.  Shaw,  T. 

August  4,  1880  — John  Cottier,  C.  P. ;  II. 

F.  Luce,  11.  P. ;  A.  Simpson,  S.  "W. ;  John 
Ilammel,  J.  W. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  S. ;  G.  W. 
Shaw,  T. 

Januarys,  1881  —  J.  Newsalt,  C.  P.;  L. 
Bion,  11.  P. ;  A.  Simpson,  S.  W. ;  G.  H. 
Peterson,  J.  W. ;  E.  K.  Smith,  S. ;  John 
Plammel,  T. 

January  3,  1882  — L.  Bion,  C.  P.;  John 
Cottier,  H.  P. ;  J.  H.  Helwig,  S.  W. ;  H.  F. 
Luce,  J.  W. ;  G.  H.  Peterson,  S.;  John 
Hammel,  T. 

December  20,  1882  — John  Cottier,  C.  P. 
J.  H.  Helwig,  H.  P. ;  John  Hammel,  S.  W. 
W.  H.  Reynolds,  J.  W. ;  G.  H.  Peterson,  S 

December  5,  1883  — G.  W.  Shaw,  C.  W. 
J.  H.  Helwig,  H.  P. ;  W.  H.  Reynolds,  J 
W. ;  G.  H.  Peterson,  S. ;  H.  F.  Luce,  T. 

December  17,  1881  — G.  W.  Shaw,  C.  P. 
J.  H.  Helwig,  H.  P. ;  John  Hammel,  S.  W. 
W.  H.  Reynolds,  J.  W. ;  G.  II.  Peterson,  S. 
H.  F.  Luce,  T. 

December  16, 1885  —  J.  II.  Helwig,  C.  P. 
John  Cottier,  II.  P. ;  E.  Theimer,  S.  W. ;  R 
Deininger,  J.  W. ;  G.  H.  Peterson,  S. 

December  15,  1886  —  (present  officers)  — 
Emil  Theimer,  C.  P. ;  F.  C.  Webb,  H.  P. ; 
R.  Deininger,  S.  W. ;  J.  A.  Shaw,  J.  W. ;  G. 
H.  Peterson,  S.;  H.  F.  Luce,  T. ;  F.  G.  Shu- 


man,  P.  S. ;  H.  Sanders,  O.  S. ;  J.  JSTewsalt, 
G. ;  John  Helwig,  1st  W. ;  John  Cottier,  2d 
W. ;  II.  F.  Luce,  3d  W. ;  G.  W.  Shaw,  4th 
W. ;  John  Cottier,  George  H.  Peterson  and 
George  W.  Shaw,  trustees. 

The  Encampment  meetings  since  its  organ- 
ization have  always  been  held  in  the  Star  of 
the  West  Lodge  rooms,  where  the}"  own 
the  necessarjr  furniture  and  paraphernalia, 
together  with  handsome  regalia.  The  en- 
campment is  in  good  condition  tinancialty, 
and  has  been  from  the  start.  This  order  is 
in  Odd  Fellowship  one  step  higher  than  the 
Subordinate  Lodges  ;  and  any  "third  degree 
Odd  Fellow '"  in  good  standing  is  eligible  to 
membership  in  the  camp. 

GE.\ND    ARMY    OF    THE    EEPrBLIC. 

This  organization  is  not  an  ancient  one, 
being  the  outgrowth  of  the  civil  war.  Every 
soldier  who  was  honorably  discharged  from 
service  is  eligible  to  membership.  The  ob- 
jects of  the  organization  are  to  preserve  and 
strengthen  the  fraternal  feelings  which  bound 
soldiers  together  upon  the  field  and  in  camp, 
and  to  perpetuate  the  memory  and  history  of 
the  beloved  dead.  Also  to  assist,  in  their 
declining  \"ears,  such  former  comrades  in 
arms  as,  from  wounds  and  hardships,  might 
need  help  and  protection ;  and  to  care  for  the 
widows  and  orphans  of  those  who  fell.  It  is 
non-political,  and  no  discussion  of  partisan 
questions  is  allowed  at  their  meetings.  As  a 
matter  of  interest  we  give  a  list  of  the  present 
officers  of  the  G.  A.  R.  of  the  department  of 
Minnesota,  as  the  Commander  is  a  citizen  of 
Owatonna.  They  are  as  follows:  L.  L. 
Wheelock,  of  Owatonna,  department  com- 
mander; E.  R.  Jefferson,  of  Duluth,  senior 
vice-commander ;  J.  H.  Ege,  of  ilinneapohs, 
junior  vice-commander;  D.  P.  Kennedy,  of 
Litchfield,  medical  director ;  W.  E.  Stanley, 
of  Austin,  chaplain. 

James  A.  Goodwin  Post,  JVo.  SI — Was 
organized  at  Owatonna  on  the  21st  of  March, 
1884,  the  first  meeting  being  held  at  the 
Knights  of  Honor  hall,  on  the  evening  of 
that  date.     R.  A.  Becker,  senior  vice  dep't 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


223 


com.,  and  Comrades  Zeigbaum,  Leibold  and 
Waffle  came  down  from  St.  Paul  and 
assisted  in  effecting  an  organization.  There 
were  thirty-six  charter  members,  as  follows : 
L.  L.  AVheelock,  J.  W.  Burch,  John  Helwig, 
E.  A.  Tyler,  W.  A.  Dynes,  C.  W.  Hadley, 
Oscar  Gross,  Frank  L.  Melvin,  L.  L.  Inman, 
J.  Z.  Barncard,  S.  N.  Lund,  J.  L.  Harrington, 
W.  W.  Day,  George  E.  Sloan,  David  Curtis, 
John  R3'an,  Oscar  Murphy,  R.  H.  Eeynolds, 
A.  Hemingway,  E.  P.  Norton,  F.  M.  Banter, 
Eli  I.  Williamson,  C.  M.  Williamson,  William 
Gamble,  C.  W.  Wilkinson,  J.  D.  Backus,  J. 
E.  Teed,  D.  W.  Williamson,  W.  H.  Twiford, 
E.  E.  Bigelow,  D.  O.  Searle,  H.  J.  Robinson, 
J.  Fredenburg,  Horace  Smith,  J.  D.  Holden, 
and    Orlando    Lindersmith. 

The  first  officers  were  elected  at  the  first 
meeting,  and  served  until  the  following 
annual  election,  on  the  second  Tuesday  in 
Januarj\     The  officers  have  been  as  follows : 

Elected  March  21,  1884  — L.  L.  Wheelock, 
P.  C. ;  E.  A.  Tyler,  S.  V.  C ;  D.  O.  Searle, 
J.  V.  C. ;  J.  H.  Helwig,  A. ;  W.  A.  Dynes, 
Q.  M. ;  J.  L.  Harrington,  S. ;  J.  Newton 
Brown,  C. ;  J.  Z.  Barncard,  O.  D. ;  E.  P. 
Norton,  O.  G. ;  C.  B.  Wilkinson,  S. ;  J.  D. 
Holden,  Q.  M.  S. 

Elected  January,  1885  —  L.  L.  Wheelock, 
P.  C. ;  E.  A.  Tyler,  S.  V.  C. ;  W.  W.  Day, 
J.  V.  C. ;  J.  Z.  Barncard,  O.  D. ;  J.  H. 
Helwig,  Adj. ;  E.  I.  Williamson,  Chap. ;  E. 
P.  Norton,  O.  G. ;  J.  L.  Harrington,  Sur. ; 
S.  B.  Wilkinson,  S.  M. ;  W.  A.  Dynes,  Q. 
M. ;  J.  D.  Holden,  Q.  M.  S. 

Elected  January,  1886  — E.  A.  Tyler,  P. 
C. ;  F.  M.  Banter,  S.  V.  C. ;  W.  W.  Day,  J. 
V.  C.  ;E.  E.  Bigelow,  Sur. ;  C.  B.  Wilkinson, 
O.  D.  ;  D.  W.  Williamson,  O.  G. ;  E.  I.  Will- 
iamson, C. ;  T.  W.  Hanks,  Q.  M.  ;  D.  S.  Cov- 
erdale,  Q.  M.  S. ;  J.  H.  Helwig,  Adj. ;  C.  W. 
Hadley,  S.  M. 

Elected  Januar}^  1887  —  J.  Z.  Barncard, 
P.  C. ;  George  E.  Sloan,  S.  V.  C. ;  F.  C.  Berg, 
J.  Y.  C. ;  E.  E.  Bigelow,  Sur. ;  Chas.  Gid- 
dings,  O.  D. ;  C.  B.  Wilkinson,  C. ;  F.  M. 
Bauter,  Q.  M. ;  E.  P.  Norton,  O.  G. ;  J.  W 


Burch,  Adj.;  C.  H.  Sterns,  S.  M.;  W.  A. 
Dynes,  Q.  M.  S. 

Meetings  were  held  in  the  Knights  of 
Honor  hall  on  Cedar  street  until  August, 
1887,  when  they  removed  to  their  j^resent 
quarters  —  G.  A.  R.  hall  —  over  the  post- 
office.  The  rooms  are  comfortable  and  well 
furnished  and  arranged.  They  hold  a  five- 
years'  lease.  The  financial  condition  of  the 
post  is  excellent.  Socially  and  officially 
matters  have  run  very  smoothly  in  the  post 
since  its  organization ;  the  best  of  feeling 
has  and  does  exist  between  all  the  comrades, 
and  no  petty  strife,  jealousies  or  trouble  of 
any  kind  has  ever  occurred  to  mar  the  fra- 
ternal feeling  of  the  members,  and  for 
smooth  sailing  and  competent,  careful  man- 
agement, the  James  A.  Goodwin  Post  has 
made  a  record  w^hich  is  known  throughout 
the  State. 

The  meml)ership  of  the  post  increased 
very  rapidljr  from  the  start,  and  now  its  roll 
contains  the  names  of  136  members.  The 
following  is  a  descriptive  list  of  the  mem- 
bers as  shown  by  the  books  in  August,  1887, 
giving  the  name  of  the  member,  rank  at 
time  of  discharge  from  the  army,  his  com- 
pany and  regiment  and  date  of  discharge, 
viz  : 

L.  L.  Wheelock,  ciiptaia,  C,  160th  N.  Y.,  Nov.,  1865. 

J.  W.  Burch,  major,  44th  Ind.,  1865. 

H.  R.  Thompson,  private,  E,  4th  Minn.,  .Jan.,  1865. 

Jchn  Helwig.  private,  C,  35th  Iowa,  May,  1865. 

E.  A.  Tyler,  lieutenant,  E.,  1st  Minn.,  March,  1865. 

W.  A.  Dynes,  com.  ser.,  72d  cav.,  March,  18G6. 

L.  C.  Berg,  musician,  K,  28tli  Wis.,  Aug.,  1865. 

C.  W.  Hadley,  corporal,  H,  14th  Iowa,  March,  1863. 

Oscar  Gross,  private,  G,  1st  oMinn.,  Sept.,  1861. 

Harvey  Fletcher,  wagoner,  E,  4th  Minn.,  .July,  1865. 

C.  O.  Easton,  private,  D,  33d  Wis.,  Jan.,  1865. 
Frank  L.  Melvin,  private.  A,  10th  Jlinn.,  Aug.,  1865. 
L.  L.  Inman,  sergeant,  F,  l.st  Wis.  cav.,  April,  1865. 
J.  Z.  Barncard,  lieutenant.,  B,  2d  Minn.,  Jan.,  1864. 
Theo.  Chambers,  private,  F,  95th  111.,  Aug.,  1865. 

S.  N.  Lund,  private.  A,  3d  Wis.,  July,  1864. 

J.  L.  Harrington,  asst.  sur.,  4th  Vermont,  Aug.,  1865. 

D.  F.  Betchen,  private.  Board  of  Trade  bat.,  Chi- 
cago, Jan.,  1865. 

W.  W.  Day,  private,  D,  lOlh  Wis.,  Dec,  1864. 
George  E.  Sloan,  private,  I,  142d  N.  Y.,  Jan.,  1865. 
David  Curtis,  private,  K,  3d  Wis.,  July,  1865. 


224 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


John  Ryan,  private,  F,  4tli  Minn.,  Dec,  1804. 
Oscar  Murphy,  .sergeant,  D,  3d  Wis.  cav.,  Feb.,  ISGo. 
Julius  F.  Young,  musician,  A,  30th  Wis.,  July,  1865. 
M.  A.  McAudrews,  corporal  Hat.  L,  jNIian. 
L.  H.  Lane,  captain,  I,  33d  Ohio,  July,  1865. 
R.  H.  Reynolds,  corporal,  E,  10th  Minn.,  Aug.,  1865. 
A.  Hemingway,  corporal,  B,  32d  Wis.,  June,  1865. 
E.  P.  Norton,  private,  D,  9th  Maine,  Aug.,  1865. 
P.  M.  Bauter,  private,  E,  11th  Mich.,  April,  1863. 
W.  C.  McGowan,  private,  I,  142d  N.  Y.,  April,  1864. 
E.  I.  Williamson,  sergeant,  G,  3d  Minn,   cav.,  Dec, 
1865. 
Oscar  Tiffany,  sergeant,  E,  4th  Minn.,  July,  1865. 
G.  W.  Buffum,  captain,  I,  1st  Wis.,  Dec,  1865. 
C.  M.  Williamson,  private,  E,  1st  Minn.,  May,  1865. 
William  Gamble,  private,  D,  9th  Wis.,  Oct.,  1865. 

C.  B.  Wilkinson,  captain.  A,  3d  Minn.,  Aug.,  1865. 
J.  D.  Backus,  private,  D,  123d  N.  Y.,  Jan.,  1865. 
J.  Teed,  musician.  A,  10th  Minn.,  Aug.,  1865. 

D.  W.  Williamson,  corporal,  F,  3d  Minn.,  Sept.,  1865. 
W.  H.  Twiford,  surgeon,  37th  Ind.,  July,  1864. 

E.  E.  Bigelow,  sergeant,  D,  29lh  Wis.,  1863. 

W.  H.  Ilolden,  private,  E,  128th  N.  Y.,  Jan.,  1865. 

Edward  Kingsbury,  private,  F,  33d  Wis.,  May,  1863. 

Samuel  Ellis,  private.  A,  95th  111.,  Aug.,  1865. 

Andrew  Meehan,  private,  C,  1st  Minn,  heavy  art., 
June,  1865. 

James  Hannah,  private,  B,  10th  Minn.,  July,  1865. 

J.  D.  Carter,  private,  K,  3d  Minn.,  Sept.,  1864. 

Jason  Bemis,  corporal,  F,  3d  Ohio  cav.,  Sept.,  18G4. 

D.  H.  Sutton,  private,  G,  17th  HI.  cav.,  Jan.,  1866. 

D.  R,  Pike,  musician,  K,  137th  N.  Y.,  July,  1865. 

Wm.  Rosenthal],  private,  I,  4th  Minn.,  Jan.,  1865. 

S.  M.  Kinney,  private.  A,  10th  Minn.,  May,  1865. 

P.  Leibold,  private,  D,  8th  Minn.,  July,  1865. 

Jos.  B.  Tudor,  private,  F,  7th  Mo.    cav.,  Nov.,  1865. 

G.  Gross,  private,  C,  3d  Minn,  cav.,  Nov.,  1865. 

Edw.  Davis,  private,  C,  3d  Minn,  cav.,  Nov.,  1865. 

J.  M.  Buriingame,  private,  B,  127th  N.  Y.,  May,  1865. 

Fred.  Boll,  private,  G,  1st  Minn.,  May,  1865. 

Jos.  Cobb,  private,  H,  4th  Minn.,  June,  1865. 

Thos.  Coney,  private,  C,  3d  Minn,  cav.,  Nov.,  1865. 

T.  H.  Kelley, 

John  Lippert,  private,  E,  45th  Wis.,  July,  1865. 

D.  S.  Coverdale,  captain,  K,  3d  Minn.,  Aug.,  1865. 

C.  Batzel,  private,  E,  1st  Minn.,  July,  1865. 

Ed.  Garrett,  corporal,  B,  10th  Minn.,  Aug.,  1865. 

Geo.  Naylor,  private,  H,  3d  Minn.,  Nov.,  1864. 

W.  E.  Martin,  private,  A,  10th  Minn.,  July,  1865. 

T.  C.  Kenyon,  private,  C,  3d  Minn,  cav.,  Nov.,  1865. 

John  Reash,  private,  B,  1st  Minn,  heavy  art..  June, 
1865. 

0.  V.  Musser,  private,  H,  38th  Wis.,  Jan.,  1865. 

Andrew  Fischer,  lieutenant  I,  143d  N.  Y.,  June,  1865. 

Henry  Walter,  private,  K,  1st  Minn,  heavy  art.,  Sept., 
1865. 


A.  S.  Bragg,  corporal,  I,  4th  Minn.,  Jan.,  1865. 

Godfried  Boshard,  private,  D,  9th  Wis.,  Dec,  1864. 

R.  H.  Johnson,  private,  I,  11th  Minn.,  July,  1865. 

Hugh  Bradley,  private,  F,  7th  Minn.,  Aug..  1865. 

Warren  S..  Reynolds,  private,  48th  Ohio  bat.,  July, 
1865. 

J.  L.  Roberts,  private,  53d  111.,  Sept.,  1863. 

AV.  A.  Hinchley,  private,  C,  16th  Wis.,  July,  1865. 

S.  N.  Ilarter,  private,  F,  18th  Wis.,  Jan.,  1865. 

H.  Ward  well,  private,  K,  33d  Wis.,  July,  1865. 

F.  C.  Berg,  private,  A,  28th  Wis.,  Aug.,  1865. 

H.  A.  Finch,  sergeant,  G,  16th  Wis.,  July,  1865. 

Henry  Rand,  private,  B,  32d  Wis.,  June,  1865. 

J.  N.  Morrison,  corporal,  G.  2d  Minn,  cav.,  Dec. ,1865. 

T.  Hennessey;  private.  I,  49tli  Wis.,  Nov.,  1865. 

T.  W.  Hanks,  bugler,  3d  Minn,  light  ar.,  Feb.,  1866. 

Nis  Nelson,  private,  E,  l.st  Col.  cav.,  Nov.,  1865. 

C.  H.  Randall,  private,  F,  37th  Wis  ,  May,  1865. 

Martin  Halley,  private,  C,  134th  N.  Y.,  Jan.,  1865. 

John  Blythe,private,C,lst  Minn.  heav.  art.. June,  1865. 

J.  C.  Hemingway,  private,  I,  1st  Minn.,  Jul}',  1865. 

Geo.  H.  Curtis,  private.  A,  10th  Minn.,  August,  1865. 

W.  G.  Mason,  private,  I,  2d  Jlinn.,  Sept.,  1864. 

N.  P.  Thimsen,  private,  K,  2d  Minn,  cav..  May,  1865, 

W.  H.  Burns,  private,  C,  3d  Minn,  cav.,  Nov.,  1865. 

J.  S.  Bixby,  private,  A,  10th  Minn.,  Aug.,  1865. 

C.  B.  Pettie,  private.  A,  10th  Minn.,  June,  1865. 

S.  R.  Anderson,  private,  H,  1st  Minn,  heavy  art., 
Sept.,  1865. 

S.  B.  Hough,  private,  G,  9th  111.  Cav. 

S.  11.  Stowers,  lieutenant.  A,  10th  Minn.,  ]\Iay,  1865. 

A.  A.  Famsworth,  private,  G,  17th  111.  Cav.,  Jan., 
1865. 

H.  Rosenau,  private,  L,  1st  Minn.  heav.  art.,  Sept., 
1865. 

E.  Austin,  private,  3d  Wis.  cav.,  May,  1865. 
Mark  H.  Dunnell,  colonel,  5th  Maine,  Aug.,  1861. 
A.  W.  Reed,  private,  A.  10th  Minn.,  October,  1864. 
Cha.s.  Vose,  private,  F,  9th  Wis.,  Dec,  1864. 

F.  Zwiencr,  private,  E,  20th  Wis.,  Jan.,  1865. 

C.  ri.  Sterns,  corporal,  1st  Iowa  bat.,  Sept.,  1863. 
Mcrton  Stanchoff,  three  years. 

George  Gliechman,  private,  B,  26th  Wis.,  Jiuie,  1865. 
Chas.    D.  Giddings,   quartermaster,    Ship   Ouachta, 
January,  1865. 

D.  Fuller,  private,  B,  34th  N.  Y.  bat.,  Jan.,  1865. 
A.  M.  Kinyon,  private,  K,  29th  Wis.,  1863. 
James  Brown,  farrier,  D,  11th  N.  Y.  cav. 

James  Oleson,  private;  K,  8th  Wis.,  Sept.,  1865. 

L.  O.  Gaylord,  private.  A,  1st  Minn,  art.,  June,  1865. 

Ezra  Town,  private,  E,  4th  Jlinn.,  July,  186.5. 

Newton  Parker,  private,  E,  1st  Minn..  July,  1865. 

Aug.  Kreger,  private,  E,  27th  Wis.,  Aug.,  1865. 

P.  Mallinger,  lieutenant,  F,  9lh  Wis. 

A.  W.  Jones,  private,  A,  10th  Minn.,  Aug.,  1865. 

L.  P.  Hall,  private,  G,  3d  Minn.,  Nov.,  1804. 

A.  Colquhon,  private,  D,  11th  Minn.,  June,  1865. 

Fred  Yanke,  private,  G,  43d  Wis.,  Feb. 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


225 


OTHER    ORGANIZATIONS. 

Owatonna  Tunimrein.  — This  society  was 
organized  Jul}'  3,  1883,  the  first  meeting 
being  held  at  Butsch's  hall.  It  was  organized 
for  gymnastic  purposes,  and  at  the  start  had 
fifteen  members.  The  first  officers  elected 
were  as  follows  :  J.  Newsalt,  president  ;  C. 
Butsch,  vice-president ;  J.  Glaeser,  secretary  ; 
Theo.  Fedder,  corresponding  secretary;  J. 
A.  Butsch,  treasurer ;  J.  P.  and  John  Thon, 
teachers.  ' 

The  following  named  have  filled  the  various 
offices  since  the  society  was  organized  :  J. 
JSTewsalt,  R.  Deininger,  J.  Newsalt  and  Theo. 
Fedder,  presidents ;  C.  Butsch,  John  Deeg, 
Peter  Ganser,  F.  Rosebrock,  John  Thon,  H. 
Sanders  and  F.  Hagedorn,  vice-presidents ; 
J.  Glaeser,  Theo.  Fedder,  J.  Hammel,  Jr., 
Peter  Ganser,  J.  P.  Thon,  H.  Sanders,  John 
Hammel  and  J.  P.  Thon,  secretaries ;  J.  A. 
Butsch  and  R.  Deininger,  treasurers ;  J.  P. 
Thon,  John  Thon,  F.  Schuman,  C.  Butsch, 
R.  Bartosch,  George  Newsalt  and  L.  Ham- 
mel, teachers. 

The  present  officers  of  the  society  were 
elected  December  27, 1886,  and  are  as  follows : 
Theo.  Fedder,  president;  F.  Hagedorn,  vice- 
president  ;  J.  P.  Thon,  secretaiy ;  John 
Hammel,  corresponding  secretaiy  ;  R.  Dein- 
inger, treasurer ;  John  Thon  and  L.  Hammel, 
teachers  ;  H.  Rosebrock,  warden. 

The  society  now  has  thirty-eight  members. 
Meetings  are  held  once  each  week  in  Twiss' 
building,  on  Broadway,  but  gymnastic  or 
turning  exercises  are  had  every  Tuesday  and 
Friday  evenings. 

G.  S.  P.  S.  —  Society  of  Minnesota,  Lodge 
No.  G7,  Bohemian  Slovanik  Benevolent 
society.  This  lodge  works  under  the  auspi- 
ces of  the  supreme  lodge,  which  was  institu- 
ted at  St.  Louis  in  1854 ;  and  under  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  the  State  of  Minnesota. 
The  society  at  Owatonna  is  named  Lodge 
No.  67,  Bohemian  Slovanik  Benevolent  So- 
ciety of  Minnesota.  This  lodge  was  instituted 
on  the  15th  of  January,  1881,  by  authority 
of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State.     It  has 


for  its  objects  friendship,  benevolence  and 
charity.  The  weelcly  sick  benefits  are  fixed 
at  $3  for  each  week  of  sickness,  and  at  the 
death  of  a  member  the  sum  of  $1,000  is  paid 
to  his  heirs.  The  charter  members  of  this 
lodge  were :  Anton  Zajic,  Joseph  Arsen, 
Vac.  Kovar,  L.  L.  Marek,  Joseph  Cepelak, 
Frank  Sejkora,  Eduard  Bros,  and  Joseph  F. 
Racek.  The  terms  of  membership  are  from 
$5  to  $15.  The  principal  officers  elected  are 
president,  vice-president,  secretary,  treas- 
urer, financier  and  three  trustees.  The  trus- 
tees are  elected  every  two  years,  the  other 
officers  annually.  Meetings  are  held  month- 
ly. The  annual  dues  are  $5  per  year  for 
each  member.  On  the  16th  of  July,  1885, 
the  society  was  incorporated,  Avith  Joseph  H. 
H.  Soukup,  president,  and  Frank  Kovar,  secre- 
tary. The  present  officers  are  as  follows : 
Joseph  "W".  Kaplan,  embassador;  Alois  L. 
Simon,  president ;  John  Dusek,  vice-presi- 
dent ;  Joseph  H.  Soukup,  secretary ;  Frank 
Horak,  financier;  John  Pichner,  treasurer; 
Joseph  Kubat,  guide ;  John  Svir,  outside 
guide;  Joseph  F.  Vavrin,  inside  guide. 
The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the 
present  members  of  the  societj^  here:  Joseph 
W.  Kaplan,  Joseph  H.  Soukup,  John  Dusek, 
A.  L.  Simon,  Frank  Horak,  John  Pichner, 
Joseph  Kubat,  Joseph  Vavrin,  John  Svir, 
Anton  Pirkl,  L.  L.  Marek.  Anton  Belina, 
Anton  Kasper,  Joseph  Tamshe,  K.  C. 
Tanishe,  John  Slavik,  Frank  Eipka,  V. 
Mares,  Joseph  Krejci,  Felix  Svekla,  V. 
Pichner,  V.  Kovar,  A.  Kovar,  F.  Simon, 
Fr.  Kovar,  V.  Suchanek,  V.  Jirousek, 
Al.  Kasper,  John  R.  Soukup,  V.  Martinek, 
Joseph  Martinek.  The  lodge  started  here 
with  but  very  few  members  and  has  had  a 
steady  growth,  now  numbering  thirty-one 
members  in  good  standing,  and  its  prospects 
for  the  future  are  bright.  In  all  there  are 
7,378  members  of  the  society  of  C.  S.  P.  S. 

GOOD   TEMPLARS. 

The  first  organization  of  this  order  was 
inaugurated  here  in  1856.  Among  the  mem- 
bers of  this  organization  were  the  following : 


226 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


^ 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  M.  Sheetz,  Levi  Morehouse 
and  sister,  Mr.  Burr,  Geo.  Oulton,  Mrs.  Loren 
Town  and  others. 

Owatonna  Lodge,  JSfo.  31,  I.  O.  of  G.  T.— 
Was  organized  on  the  12th  of  October,  1805, 
by  Eev.  Eeuben  Gregg,  District  Deputy  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  State.  There  were 
seventeen  cliarter  members,  as  follows :  H. 
C.  Eldred,  E.  Durham,  L.  S.  Padgham,  Frank 
Dickinson,  James  D.  Beers,  T.  E.  Huglies, 
J.  H.  Donaldson,  II.  M.  Brown,  D.  D.  F. 
Brown,  Daniel  Thom,  J.  "W.  Smith,  Albert 
A.  Crandall,  Mrs.  Mar}'  Durham,  Mrs.  L.  A. 
Eldred,  Miss  L.  J.  Kellogg,  Miss  Mary  Blair 
and  J.  E.  Busii.  The  following  list  of  officers 
were  chosen  for  the  first  quarter :  L.  S. 
Padgham,  W.  C.  T. ;  Miss  L.  J.  Kellogg, 
W.  V.  T. ;  Frank  Dickinson,  W.  S. ;  J.  H. 
Donaldson,  W.  F.  S. ;  Miss  Mary  Blair,  "W. 
F.  S.  During  the  first  quarter  there  were 
six  initiated  and  a  clearance  card  granted  to 
one,  leaving  twenty-two  members.  The 
second  quarter  increased  the  number  of 
members  to  fifty-four,  and  during  the  third 
quarter  ten  more  were  added.  At  the  close 
of  the  year  the  number  had  increased  to  one 
hundred  and  eight.  Each  quarter  added  to 
the  list  of  members,  until  at  the  close  of  the 
second  year  there  were  one  hundred  and 
thirty  members  in  good  standing.  This 
kept  on  increasing,  until  at  the  close  of  the 
third  quarter  of  the  third  year,  April  30, 
18CS,  there  stood  upon  the  rolls  the  names 
of  two  hundred  and  forty-nine  members  in 
good  standing. 

A  number  of  changes  have  taken  place  in 
this  society.  An  organization  is  still  main- 
tained, however.  The  present  officers  were 
elected  on  the  evening  of  August  1,  1887, 
and  are  as  follows  :  Rev.  J.  C.  Ogle,  C.  T. ; 
Mrs.  A.  M.  Kelly,  V.  T. ;  J.  W.  Ptowland, 
R.  S. ;  Miss  Annie  Kelly,  A.  S. ;  Pt.  G. 
Nelson,  F.  S. ;  Mrs.  L.  A.  Morehouse, 
treasurer ;  P.  J.  Rolfe,  marshal ;  Mrs.  P.  J. 
Ptolfe,  D.  M. ;  F.  II.  Coon,  S. ;  Miss  Susie 
Gates,  I.  G. ;  0.  B.  McClintock,  P.  C.  T. 

Musical. —  The   Owatonna    Cornet  Band 


was  organized  in  1875.  The  members  and 
musicians  at  that  time  were  as  follows :  W. 
H.  Ilolden,  leader ;  P.  McDonald,  L.  Mosher, 
G.  D.  Ilolden,  J.  E.  Winship,  John  Seaman, 
E.  T.  Winship,  W.  B.  Soper,  G.  F.  Doolittle, 
John  Blair  and  L.  C.  Berg.  Several  changes 
have  taken  place  in  the  band  since  1875,  but 
the  organization  has  been  maintained,  and 
the  band  now  ranks  among  the  best  in  the 
State.  At  the  present  writing  the  organiza- 
tion is  made  up  of  the  following  musicians : 
W.  H.  Holden,  G.  D.  Holden,  Miss  Mabel 
Holden,  Henry  Huber,  C.  L.  Buxton,  J.  T. 
Holden,  E.  E.  Butsch,  J.  D.  Slonaker,  W.  B. 
Soper,  E.  F.  Requa,  John  Huber,  L.  C.  Berg 
and  J.  E.  Winship. 

In  1883,  Prof.  A.  C.  Gutterson  organized 
an  orchestra  at  Owatonna,  which  has  become 
one  of  the  finest  in  the  state.  The  present 
members  of  the  organization  are  as  follows : 
Prof.  A.  C.  Gutterson,  director  ;  J.  E.  Engel, 
Emil  Theimer,  Ed.  Burch,  William  Pope, 
Daniel  Slonaker,  George  Ilolden,  W.  H. 
Ilolden,  J.  E.  Winship  and  John  Iluber. 

In  1873  Prof.  Gutterson  organized  the 
Beethoven  Association,  an  organization  which 
is  still  maintained  under  his  directorshiji. 

Business  MenHs  Association  of  the  State  of 
Mlniiesota. —  Owatonna  being  the  residence 
of  the  secretary  of  this  association,  it  may,  in 
a  measure,  be  considered  its  headquarters ; 
and  the  association,  while  of  but  recent  or- 
ganization, has  attracted  such  wide  notice, 
comment  and  commendation,  it  is  well  wor- 
thy a  brief  history  in  this  connection. 

In  the  spring  of  1887,  in  pursuance  of  a  res- 
olution adopted  by  the  board  of  trade  of  Fari- 
bault, a  call,  or  invitation,  was  extended  to  the 
various  boards  of  trades  and  citizens  of  the 
State,  to  gend  delegates  to  a  convention  of 
business  men  to  be  held  in  the  city  of  Fari- 
bault on  the  12th  and  13th  of  April,  1887. 

The  object  of  this  convention  was  stated 
as  being  the  consideration  of  the  inter-state 
commerce  law,  and  to  take  action  to  secure 
to  the  people  of  the  whole  State  all  the 
benefits  which   it   was  believed   would  fol- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


227 


low  a  strict  and  honest  enforcnient  of  the 
law,  as  well  also  to  consider  any  other  mat- 
ters affecting  the  business  interests  of  the 
State.  This  call  was  signed  by  John  B. 
Parshall,  president,  and  E.  H.  Loyhed,  sec- 
retary of  the  Faribault  Board  of   Trade. 

In  accordance  with  this  call,  about  fifty 
delegates  met  and  organized  by  the  election 
of  Senator  E.  M.  Pope,  of  Mankato,  as  chair- 
man, and  E.  H.  Loyhed,  of  Faribault,  as 
secretary.  The  delegates  composed  the  most 
influential  and  prominent  business  men  from 
twenty  of  the  principal  points  in  this  portion 
of  the  State.  After  a  discussion  of  various 
matters  affecting  business  interests,  a  perma- 
nent organization  of  tlie  Business  Men's  As- 
sociation was  effected  by  the  election  of  the 
following  named  officers  :  Hon.  E.  M.  Pope, 
of  Mankato,  president ;  W.  P.  Colburn,  of 
Albert  Lea,  and  J.  F.  JSTorrish,  of  tfastings, 
vice-presidents ;  Hon.  J.  M.  Burlingame,  of 
Owatonna,  secretary ;  P.  C.  Bailey,  of  Was- 
eca, treasurer ;  W.  P.  Sargent,  of  Albert  Lea, 
J.  R.  Parshall,  of  Faribault,  J.  H.  Mullen,  of 
Wabasha,  E.  O.  Hall,  of  Austin,  C.  P.  Car- 
penter, of  Farmington,  O.  F.  .Perkins,  of 
Northfield,  and  C.  A.  Erickson,  of  Red  Wing, 
executive  committee. 

The  first  annual  meeting  of  the  association 
was  held  in  Mankato  on  the  Ytli  of  June, 
1887,  at  which  time  tlie  first  officers  were 
unanimously  reelected.  It  was  largely  at- 
tended by  business  men  from  all  parts  of  the 
State,  and  the  organization  has  already  at- 
tained an  influence  which  is  bound  to  prove 
beneficial  to  business,  and  all  shipping  in- 
terests. It  has  already  called  numerous  ir- 
regularities and  matters  requiring  investiga- 
tion to  the  attention  of  the  railway  commis- 
sioners, and  several  important  cases  are  now 
pending  under  the  management  of  Hon.  J. 
M.  Burlingame,  attorney  for  the  association. 

Insurance  Societies.  —  Owatonna  also  has 
a  number  of  societies  devoted  to  social,  fra- 
ternal and  benevolent  objects,  with  a  princi- 
pal view  to  issuing  insurance  policies  upon 
the  lives  of  its  members.     Among  these  are 


the  Knights  of  Honor,  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  and  Star  Council  of  the 
American  Legion  of  Honor. 

The  Star  Council  of  the  American  Legion 
of  Honor  was  organized  with  thirty-four 
charter  members  at  Owatonna,  April  10, 
1880,  and  an  organization  has  since  been 
maintained.  It  now  has  a  membership  of 
thirt^'-eiglit  in  good  standing.  Two  losses 
have  occurred  here  by  deaths  of  A.  J.  Sny- 
der and  J.  D.  H olden. 

EELIGIOUS    MATTERS. 

Preshyterian  CImrch  of  Owatonna.  —  The 
first  services  of  this  denomination  were  held 
at  Owatonna  m  the  winter  of  1855-6  by  Rev. 
Harvey  Chapin,  who  located  here  in  Febru- 
ary, 1856,  dividing  his  laboi's,  however,  be- 
tween this  and  several  other  villages,  and 
organizing  churches  at  Dodge  City,  East 
Prairieville  and  Ashland.  On  the  13th  of 
September,  1857,  he  organized  the  Presby- 
terian Church  with  the  following  as  the  first 
members :  Mrs.  Judge  Donaldson,  Mrs. 
Jane  Chapin,  Mrs.  Jane  McCaslin,  Mrs. 
Elisabeth  Ashton  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Robert 
Adair.  They  were  joined  by  William  David- 
son and  wife  and  a  few  others  witliin  a  year 
afterward.  For  several  years  Mr.  Chapin 
preached  in  the  old  log  schoolhouse,  until  1863, 
when,  principally  through  his  own  influence 
and  indefatigable  labors,  a  church  was  com- 
menced, he  and  AVilliam  Davidson  hauling 
the  logs  for  timbers,  and  in  1864  it  was  com- 
pleted. In  this  small  but  neat  church  Mr. 
Chapin  continued  to  preach  until  tlie  spring 
of  1865,  when  he  removed  to  Tipton,  Mo. 
In  that  place  his  ministerial  labors  were 
brought  to  a  sudden  and  mournful  close. 
His  house  caught  fire,  and,  in  an  effort,  as 
was  supposed,  to  save  important  papers,  he 
perished  in  the  flames.  Mr.  Chapin  was 
succeeded  in  Owatonna  by  Rev.  II.  W.  Nel- 
son. In  the  fall  of  1865  Rev.  I.  Faries,  who 
had  come  to  Minnesota  in  search  of  health, 
became  a  temporary  su])p]y,  but  in  May,  1867, 
his  faihng  health  deprived  the  church  of 
ministrations  which  had  been  eminently  use- 


228 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


ful.  On  the  22cl  of  July,  1867,  Kev.  K.  II. 
Cunningham  accepted  an  invitation  from  the 
church  and  continued  his  labors  here  for  one 
year,  when'he  accepted  a  call  to  Eush ford. 
Since  that  time  the  following  have  served  as 
pastors  of  this  church  in  the  order  named  : 
Eeverends  W.  S.  Wilson,  J.  J.  Ward,  James 
McCauley,  O.  Thatcher,  William  Pelan, 
James  McGowan  and  Kobert  A.  Ander- 
son. Eev.  Anderson  is  the  present  pastor. 
He  came  here  from  Eedwood  Falls,  Minn., 
in  December,  1885,  and  has  many  warm 
friends.     He  is  an  effective  preacher, 

Servrces  were  first  held  in  the  old  log 
schoolhouse,  and  then  for  one  season,  in 
Morford's  hall.  After  this  a  frame  school- 
house,  which  stood  where  the  first  ward 
school  building  is  now  located,  was  used 
until  1864,  when  the  church  edifice  was  com- 
pleted. It  was  a  frame  building,  which  still 
stands  just  west  of  the  Arnold  House.  This 
building  served  as  a  house  of  woiship  until 
1877,  when  the  present  church  was  built  at 
a  cost  of  $3,000.  The  old  building  was  sold 
to  J.  G.  A.  Dennerline,  and  was  used  for 
some  time  by  the  German  Eeform  denomin- 
ation. The  present  Presbyterian  Church  is 
neatly  furnished  and  cushioned  throughout ; 
and  the  society  is  in  thriving  condition,  being 
free  from  debt.  The  church  was  organized 
legally,  with  corporate  powers,  in  1859,  the 
certificate  of  organization  being  filed  May 
27,  1859.  The  trustees  elected  at  that  time 
were  D.  S.  Harsha,  W.  F.  Drum,  Eobert 
Adair,  W.  F.  Pettit  and  William  Davidson. 
The  present  trustees  were  elected  in  May, 
1887,  ami  are  as  follows :  li.  Birkett,  presi- 
dent ;  C.  E.  Sheldon,  vice-president ;  J.  M. 
Burlingame,  clerk;  G.  E.  Kinyon,  treasurer ; 
D.  Downie  and  Dr.  J.  H.  Adair. 

During  the  first  few  years  after  this  church 
was  organized  a  Union  Sunday-school  was 
maintained  by  all  the  denominations,  alter- 
nating in  furnishing  the  superintendent  and 
officers.  At  an  early  day,  however,  a  Pres- 
byterian Sunday-school  was  organized,  which 
is  still  in  thriving  condition.     The  present 


officei's  are :  C.  E.  Sheldon,  superintendent ; 
William  Davidson,  assistant,  and  Miss  Kate 
Donaldson,  secretary  and  treasurer. 

The  Method tst  Episcopal  Church  of  Owa- 
tonna  was  organized  in  October,  1856,  with 
the  following  persons  as  members  :  William 
B.  Norman,  Sarah  J.  Norman,  Amelia  Oli- 
ver, James  M.  and  Emily  Soper.  On  the 
7th  of  August  previous  to  this  Eev.  Solo- 
mon Wetzel  had  been  appointed  by  the 
Methodist  Ejiiscopal  Conference  to  take 
charge  of  the  Owatonna  circuit,  which  at 
that  time  had  just  been  organized.  Mr. 
Wetzel  was  a  man  of  untiring  energy  and 
perseverance,  and  finding,  as  was  usually 
the  case  with  the  jjioneer  churches,  that  the 
amount  to  bo  received  from  his  charges 
would  not  be  suffiicient  for  his  pro])er  sup- 
port, he  labored  with  his  hands  to  su])ply 
the  tempoi'al  needs  of  himself  and  family, 
and  with  tlie  active  energies  of  his  brain  to 
meet  the  spii'itual  demands  of  his  congrega- 
tion. The  meetings  were  first  held  in  the 
schoolhouse,  the  Methodists  and  other  de- 
nominations alternating  with  each  other  in 
the  use  of  the  house.  At  the  next  session 
of  the  conference,  Eev.  A.  Mattison  was 
appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  interests  of 
the  church  on  this  circuit.  Services  were 
held  for  a  time  in  the  old  log  schoolhouse, 
and  afterward  in  a  ])ortion  of  A.  N.  Stough- 
ton's  dwelling.  StiU  later,  their  place  of 
worship  was  a  store  building,  located  on 
Broadway.  The  church  prospered  materi- 
ally under  the  labors  of  Mr.  Mattison,  and 
many  members  were  added  to  it,  not  only 
to  the  class  at  Owatonna,  but  also  to  the 
other  points  under  his  charge.  John  Odell 
was  the  first  class-leader  of  the  church  in 
Owatonna.  In  1859  Eev.  John  Eogers  was 
appointed  to  the  pastorate  of  the  cliurch, 
and  tlie  meetings  were  held  first  in  the 
schoolliouse,  afterward  in  Morford's  hall. 
In  1860  Eev.  Eobert  Hoover  became  pastor, 
and  was  succeeded  in  turn  by  Eev.  Mr.  Corn- 
well,  who  remained  something  less  than  a 
year,  when  he  was  appointed  chaplain  of 


-^, 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


231 


one  of  the  Minnesota  regiments  and  went 
into  the  service.  This  left  the  church  with- 
out a  pastor  during  the  remainder  of  the 
conference  year.  In  1862  Eev.  J.  H.  Eich- 
ardson  was  appointed  pastor,  and  remained 
two  years,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
T.  McChiry,  who  also  remained  two  years. 
After  this  Owatonna  became  a  station,  and 
Rev.  E.  R.  Lathro^J  was  selected  for  the  pas- 
torate charge.  Succeeding  Mr.  Lathrop,  the 
following  have  served  as  pastor  in  the  order 
named:  Revs.  S.  F.  Sterritt,  C.  Hover,  R. 
"Washburn,  J.  W.  Martin,  A.  B.  Bishop,  H. 
G.  Bilbie,  M.  S.  Kaufman,  J.  Whisler,  J.  H. 
Dewart,  G.  R.  Hair  and  J.  C.  Ogle.  At 
various  times  meetings  had  been  held  in 
the  schoolhouse,  Morford's  hall,  the  Baptist 
Church  and  Dresser's  hall.  In  the  summer 
of  1867  a  neat  chapel  26x56  feet  in  dimen- 
sions was  erected  on  lots  owned  by  the  soci- 
ety, on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Elm  streets. 
Its  cost  was  about  two  thousand  dollars.  It 
was  dedicated  September  8,  1867.  A  par- 
sonage was  completed  at  about  the  same 
time,  since  exchanged  for  another  piece  of 
property. 

The  "  Little  Brown  Church,"  as  many  of 
the  older  members  call  the  old  building,  was 
used  as  a  place  of  worship  until  the  present 
handsome  church  building  was  completed  in 
November,  1878.  Rev.  M.  S.  Kaufman  was 
pastor  at  the  time  the  building  was  erectedj 
and  much  of  the  success  was  due  to  his  untir- 
ing efforts.  No  less,  however,  is  due  to  the 
building  committee,  which  was  composed  of 
Hon.  A.  C.  Hickman,  George  E.  Peck,  J.  Q. 
Ellis  and  S.  W.  Farmer.  The  corner-stone  of 
the  building  was  laid  August  30,  and  it 
was  dedicated  December  1, 1878,  by  Chaplain 
C.  C.  McCabe,  D.  D.  The  edifice  is  18x100 
feet  in  size,  including  a  lecture  room  25x55, 
handsomel}'  furnished,  and  is  among  the 
finest  church  buildings  in  Minnesota.  Its  cost 
was  about  $6,000. 

The  first  M.  E.  Sunday-school  was  organ- 
ized in  the  spring  of  1865  with  the  following  ■ 
officers:     A.   C.  Hickman,   superintendent; 


u 


/  ^ 


John  Odell,  assistant ;  C.  F.  Andrews,  secre- 
tary :  Orin  Greeley,  librarian ;  William  T. 
Pettit,  treasurer.  The  organization  has  been 
maintained  ever  since,  and  the  Sunday-school 
is  now  well  attended  and  in  good  condition. 
During  all  the  years  that  have  glided  by, 
since  the  organization  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  it  has  constantly  gained  in  member- 
ship, and  it  is  now  among  the  best  attended 
churches  in  the  city.  The  present  officers  of 
the  organization  are  as  follows  :  Trustees — 
Geo.  E.  Peck,  president ;  W.  A.  Sperry,  sec- 
retary; A.  C.  Hickman,  treasurer;  J.  W. 
Doolittle,  Dr.  E.  E.  Bigelow,  Dr.  J.  L.  Har- 
rington, O.  E.  Edson  and  John  Thompson. 
Stewards— C.  H.  Webb,  H.  N.  Labare,  C.  H. 
Gordon,  C.  B.  Wilkinson,  S.  W.  Farmer,  John 
Cottier,  F.  M.  Bauter,  John  Nichols,  A.  W. 
Rankin,  W.  A.  Sperry,  Prof.  Merrill  and  S. 
N.  Lund. 

Rev.  Joseph  C.  Ogle-,  pastor  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  of  Owatonna,  was 
born  July  21,  1830,  in  Canton,  Stark  Coun- 
ty, Ohio.  His  ancestors  came  from  England 
and  settled  in  Maryland  and  Virginia,  where 
many  of  their  descendants  stiU  reside.  Mr. 
Ogle's  parents,  William  and  Mary  Ogle, 
cam6  to  Ohio  in  1820  and  located  in  Canton. 
They  had  three  children :  the  eldest  being 
Carrie,  the  second  George,  and  the  third, 
and  youngest  Joseph  C,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch.  When  he  was  two  j'ears  of  age  his 
father  died,  and  his  mother  died  when  he 
was  seven,  the  parents  being  both  buried  in 
the  old  cemetery  at  Canton,  Ohio.  When 
Joseph  C.  was  ten  years  of  age,  he  was 
brought  by  friends  to  Columbiana  County, 
Ohio,  and  placed  in  the  home  of  Benjamin 
McKai-ns,  where  he  lived  on  a  farm  till  he 
was  seventeen  years  of  age,  working  on  the 
farm  in  summer  and  going  to  school  in  the 
winter.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  with  seventy 
cents  in  his  pocket  and  clothed  in  a  summer 
suit  of  home-made  linen,  he  started  out  to 
make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  Having 
up  to  this  age  received  a  limited  common- 
school  education,  yet  enough  to  give  him  a 


Vl\aty 


A.CL/Y 


\ 


232 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTT. 


thirst  for  gi-eater  attainments,  liis  great 
desire  was  to  secure  a  good  education.  After 
leaving  Mr.  McKarn's  he  attended  the  com- 
mon school  two  winters.  He  taught  his 
first  school,  a  term  of  five  months,  in  the 
winter  of  1849-50,  in  Columbiana  County. 
For  this  he  received  $12  per  month  and 
"  boarded  round. "  After  this  he  attended  for 
two  years  an  academy  in  Wellsville,  Ohio, 
taught  by  Eev.  Campbell ;  he  also  attended 
two  summers  the  academy  at  Poland, 
Mahoning  County,  Ohio,  of  which  Dr. 
McMasters  was  principal ;  and  finally  taking 
a  classical  and  scientific  course  and  graduat- 
ing from  Jefferson  College,  then  located  at 
Cannonsburg,  Pa.,  and  an  educational  insti- 
tution of  high  rank.  Being  poor  and  having 
to  depend  upon  himself,  he  often  found  it  a 
hard  struggle  to  find  means  to  prosecute  his 
studies;  hence  he  was  often  comjielled  to 
alternate  between  teaching  and  attending 
school, — often  teaching  a  term  of  school 
and  then  attending  school  a  term.  During 
two  winters  he  taught  and  also  kept  up  his 
studies  with  his  class.  Mr.  Ogle  may  be  said 
to  be  a  self-made  man.  Many  of  his  prepar- 
atory studies  were  conquered  by  him  with- 
out a  teacher,  with  many  of  the  great  prob- 
lems of  life  to  grapple  alone,  which  accounts 
for  much  of  his  independence  of  thought 
and  speech  as  a  public  speaker.  During  the 
years  when  he  was  pursuing  his  education, 
he  taught  several  terms  of  school  in  the 
country  and  towns.  He  was  for  two  yeai's 
principal  of  the  graded  schools  in  Manches- 
ter, Adams  County,  Ohio ;  and  after  he  left 
college  he  was  two  years  principal  of  the 
graded  schools  in  East  Liverpool,  Ohio.  On 
the  25tli  of  October,  1859,  he  married  Miss 
Annie  C.  Mast,  of  East  Liverpool,  Ohio,  who 
was  at  the  time  a  teacher  in  the  grammar 
department  of  the  graded  schools  of  that 
city,  a  position  which  she  had  successfully 
filled  for  eight  years.  By  this  union  they 
have  liad  five  children,  all  of  whom  are  now 
(1887)  living :  John  B.,  George  A.,  Charles 
S.,    Carrie  E.,    and   Howard  E.      In  1860 


Mr.  Ogle  was  licensed  to  preach  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  to  which  profession  he 
has  devoted  his  life.  In  Ohio  he  served  pas- 
torates in  Cambridge.  Zanesville,  Penns- 
ville,  Steubenville  and  Tiffin.  In  the  fall  of 
1875  he  with  his  family  removed  to  Minne- 
sota and  settled  at  Worthington,  Nobles 
County,  where  he  at  once  became  pastor  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  serving  the  first  year 
as  a  supply.  In  the  fall  of  1876  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Minnesota  Annual  Confer- 
ence. He  remained  in  Worthington  six 
years  being  pastor  of  the  church  three  years. 
During  two  years  while  there  he  was 
l)rinci})al  of  the  Worthington  Seminary. 
This  school  was  under  tlie  care  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  had  a  successful  and 
prosperous  career  until  the  building  was  con- 
sumed by  fire  in  1878.  During  the  six  years 
he  spent  in  Worthington  he  served  five  years 
as  county  superintendent  of  schools,  ])art  of 
this  time  being  pastor  of  tlie  cliurch,  prin- 
cipal of  the  seminary,  and  county  superin- 
tendent at  the  same  time.  He  was  first 
appointed  by  the  county  commissioners  to 
fill  a  vacancy,  and  afterward  was  elected 
twice  by  the  people.  During  his  residence 
there  he  was  also  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Worthington  Journal  for  two  years.  Since 
he  came  to  Minnesota  he  has  served  pastor- 
ates in  Worthington,  Winnebago  City,  Man- 
kato,  and  now  (1887)  is  filling  a  very  pleas- 
ant pastorate  with  the  Methodist  Cliurch  in 
Owatonna,  to  which  charge  he  was  appointed 
in  the  fall  of  1886.  Mr.  Ogle  has  achieved 
the  reputation  of  being  among  the  most 
forcible  and  eloquent  pulpit  orators  of  his 
church  in  the  State.  He  is  a  thoroughly' 
educated  man,  of  extensive  reading,  and  has 
a  fine  command  of  language.  A  portrait  of 
Mr.  Ogle  will  be  found  in  another  depart- 
ment of  this  work,  //c  d'te^cC  tJiU^  3.  /s^/. 

First  Baptist  Church  of  Owatonna. — The 
Baptist  Church  of  Owatonna  was  organized 
June  27,  1857,  with  the  following  members, 
who  were  admitted  upon  letters  from  other 
churches  to  which  they  had  previously  be- 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


233 


longed :  Adolphus  Town,  Ann  Town,  Albert 
D.  Low,  N.  O.  Low,  J.  M.  Finch,  R.  J.  Tous- 
ley  and  Wm.  H.  Woods.  Sometime  in  the 
fall  L.  B.  Town,  Daniel  Burch  and  S.  W. 
Breese  were  also  admitted  by  letter.  The 
first  Baptist  meeting  held  in  Owatonna,  or 
Steele  County,  was  on  a  Sabbath  about  the 
last  of  April,  1856,  at  the  residence  of  A.  B. 
Cornell,  about  fifteen  persons  being  present, 
and  Rev.  A.  Town  preached  the  sermon. 
Meetings  were  held  in  the  little  log  scliool- 
house.  In  the  autumn  of  1857  Elder  Knapp, 
one  of  the  noted  evangelists  of  that  period, 
came  to  visit  a  daughter  then  residing  here, 
and  being  invited,  willingly  consented  to  go 
into  the  little  log  schoolhouse,  and  there 
preached  some  of  his  wonderful  sermons, 
with  such  power  that  many  believed  and 
were  added  to  the  church.  In  the  winter  of 
1858  the  pastors  of  the  dilTerent  churches 
(Elder  Town  at  that  time  being  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church)  decided  to  unite  in  union 
meetings,  and  a  large  number  were  con- 
verted. The  services  were  held  in  the  only 
public  building  in  those  early  times — the 
little  log  schoolhouse,  1(3x26  feet  in  size  ;  but 
many  were  the  earnest  hearts  that  gathered 
there  from  day  to  day,  and  week  to  week. 
On  the  11th  of  September,  1858,  the  churches 
of  Ashland,  Wasioji  and  Faribault  met  with 
the  Owatonna  church,  and  organized  the 
Minnesota  Central  Baptist  Association, 
which  reported  at  that  time  120  members. 
In  1859  Elder  Town  resigned  the  pastorate, 
and  Elder  Edgar  Cady,  of  Lake  City,  was 
chosen  to  supply  the  place.  He  was  fol- 
lowed in  1860  by  Rev.  A.  D.  Low,  who  act- 
ed as  pastor  until  February,  1861,  when  in 
consequence  of  a  difference  of  opinion  among 
the  members,  a  vote  was  taken  in  one  of  the 
church  meetings  to  disband  the  organization, 
and  a  portion  of  the  members  left  and  ef- 
fected another  church  organization.  Those 
who  remained  chose  Elder  Town  as  their 
pastor,  and  regular  meetings  were  held  until 
October,  1863.  In  the  meantime  in  1858 
preliminary  steps   had   been   taken  toward 


building  a  church,  and  during  this  church 
difficulty  it  had  been  left  untouched.  Early 
in  the  "sixties,"  however,  while  Elder  Town 
was  pastor  of  the  "  First  Church,"  the  build- 
ing was  completed,  and  on  the  13th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1863,  was  dedicated  ;  the  dedicatory 
sermon  being  preached  by  Rev.  D.  S.  Dean 
of  Illinois.  Mr.  Dean  accepted  a  call  to  tlie 
pastorate  of  the  church,  and  remained  until 
April,  1865,  when  by  mutual  agreement  the 
two  churches  united. 

On  January  31, 1863,  through  the  diffei'- 
ences  of  opinion  wliich  had  arisen,  the  pres- 
ent Baptist  Church  of  Owatonna  was  organ- 
ized with  fifteen  members,  nearly  all  who 
had  taken  their  letters  from  the  old  organiza- 
tion placing  them  here,  and  tliis  organization 
was  recognized  as  the  "Baptist  Church  of 
Owatonna"  by  the  council  of  the  Minnesota 
Central  Baptist  Association,  held  at  Wasioji, 
February  3,  1863.  The  society  met  once  in 
two  weeks  for  worship,  being  supplied  by 
Rev.  J.  F.  Wilcox.  October  12,  1863,  this 
church  was  first  represented  at  the  State 
convention,  the  delegates  being  G.  W.  Shaw 
and  E.  K.  Smith.  On  the  8th  of  April,  1865, 
the  two  Baptist  churches  were  consolidated 
with  a  united  membership  of  sixty-four,  and 
they  took  the  name  of  "  The  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Owatonna."  For  a  time  the 
pulpit  was  supplied  alternately  by  Revs. 
J.  F.  Wilcox  and  D.  S.  Dean.  The  former, 
however,  continued  as  regular  pastor  of  the 
church  until  June,  1866,  when  his  labors 
closed,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  A.  L. 
Cole.  After  the  union  of  the  two  bodies, 
the  building  which  had  been  erected  under 
Elder  Town's  direction  had  been  purchased 
by  the  church,  and  used  as  a  place  of 
worship.  In  the  autumn  of  1866  it  was 
sold  to  the  school  district  for  |1,250,  the  use 
of  it  for  one  year  being  reserved.  In  the 
fall  a  new  church  building  was  erected,  size 
32x58  feet,  with  tower,  in  which  was  hung  a 
1,000-pound  bell.  It  was  dedicated  on  the 
22d  of  December,  1867,  Rev.  Mr.  Parker, 
from  Austin,  preaching  the  dedicatory  ser- 


234 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


nion.      The  cost   of  the   building   was  8-I-,- 
152.64,   which    had  all   been  provided   for, 
leaving  the  church  free  from  debt.     The  fol- 
lowing   winter    will    long  be  remembered 
as    a   time     of    religious     revival.      There 
were     forty-three     baptisms,     and     many 
more  united  with  the  church  by  conversion 
and  letter.     Rev.  Cole   resigned    in    April, 
1S69,   and   Rev.  E.   H.   Cressey    succeeded 
him,  remaining  thirteen  months.   On  the  1st 
of  February,  1871,  Eev.  H.  H.  Beach  came 
from  Winona,  and  after  serving  a  year  and 
a  half  he  also  resigned.     Eev.  E.  P.  Dye  suc- 
ceeded  him   as    pastor   and  remained   until 
June  28,  1874.     Among  the  events  recorded 
about  this  time  is  found  the  following  inter- 
esting item  :  "  June,  1873. — A  deed  was  pre- 
sented to  tiie  trustees  by  Sister  Reiggs  (now 
deceased),  on    behalf   of   the   ladies   of    the 
church,  of  a  lot  for  a  parsonage.     On  motion 
a  vote  of  thanks  was  extended  to  Mother 
Hunkins  for   her  untiring  zeal  and  her  effort 
in  helping  to  pay  for  the  lot."     In  1878  the 
lot  was  sold,  and  the  proceeds  used  toward 
paying  for  the  present  parsonage,  bought  at 
that  time.  The  ladies  have  cheerfully  helped 
to  bear  the  burden.    A  sewing  society  estab- 
lished about  this  time  is  still  faithfully  at- 
tended, the  proceeds  from  which  have  been  no 
little  help    financially.     Eev.  W.  W.  Whit- 
comb  accepted  a  call  to  the  pastorate  Septem. 
ber  20,  1874,  and  remained  for  three  years. 
The  Minnesota  Academy  was  located  here 
during  his  pastorate,  and  he  was  untiring  in 
his  efforts  to  attain  that  end.     Eev.  C.  H.  De 
Wolfe  succeeded  him  in  February,  1878,  and 
after  a  service  of  nearly  five  years  was,  on 
account  of  ill  health,  compelled  to  resign  Oc- 
tober 25,  1882.     The  church  remained  with- 
out a  pastor  until  April  26,  1883,  when  Eev. 
J.  H.  Thompson  accepted  a  call  to  the  place, 
remaining  about  fifteen  months.     After  his 
resignation  they  were  again  without  a  pastor 
until  the  autumn  of   1884,  when  Eev.  W.  A. 
Spinney  accejited  a  call  from   this   church, 
and  is  still  here  doing  effective  work.     He  is 
a  talented   and   educated   gentleman,  thor- 


oughly imbued  with  the  importance  of  his 
calling  and  faithful  to  his  work.  During  the 
summer  of  1885  material  improvements  were 
made  on  the  church  properties  in  the  way  of 
])apering  and  painting,  and  a  vestry,  16x26 
feet  in  size,  was  added,  so  that  to-day  the 
church  is  spacious,  and  being  well  furnislied 
abundantly  fills  the  purpose  for  which  it  was 
built. 

The  present  officers  of  the  Baptist  Church 
are  as  follows :  D.  C.  Adams,  J.  Holland, 
and  S.  S.  Greene,  trustees;  L.  C.  Woodman, 
J.  L.  Ingraham  and  J.  Holland,  deacons ; 
Philo  Bliss,  treasurer  and  clerk. 

Rev.  W.  A.  Spinney  is  a  native  of  Nova 
Scotia,  born  June  12,  1852.  When  a  child, 
his  parents  moved  to  Boston,  Mass.,  where 
they  died  soon  after,  leaving  their  son  AV.  A. 
to  fight  the  stern  realities  of  life  alone.  At 
the  age  of  sixteen  he  became  a  clerk  in  a 
wholesale  and  retail  produce  store,  and,  when 
nineteen,  became  a  partner.  Soon  after,  he 
entered  AVorcester  Acadeni}',  and  went  to 
Colgate  Academy  of  Hamilton,  N.  Y.  After 
eraduatinff  there  he  entered  Madison  Uni- 
versify.  Graduating  in  1877,  he  then  entered 
Newton  Theological  Seminary  and  graduated 
in  1880.  In  the  fall  of  1879  he  was  called 
to  a  church  in  Massachusetts,  and  preached 
there  Sundays  while  attending  studies,  until 
he  graduated.  He  was  ordained  in  March, 
1880.  Mr.  Spinney  remained  with  the 
church  referred  to  until  October,  1882,  when 
he  was  called  to  Duluth,  Minn.,  and  remained 
there  until  1884,  when  he  came  to  Owatonna. 
Mr.  Spinney  was  married  in  June,  1880. 

First  Congregational  Church. —  September 
26th,  1857,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  resi- 
dence of  Alvin  N.  Stoughton,  at  wliich  it  was 
voted  to  organize  a  Congregational  Church, 
to  be  called  the  "First  Congregational  Church 
of  Owatonna."  The  proposed  organization 
was  effected  October  23,  1857.  The  Fari- 
bault and  Clinton  churches  were  invited  to 
sit  upon  the  council,  and  Eev.  Ozro  A. 
Thomas,  of  Clinton,  and  Eev.  J.  C.  Strong, 
of  Bradford,  Iowa,  assisted  in  the  public  ser- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


235 


vice  of  formation  and  recognition.  Rev.  O. 
A.  Thomas  preached  the  sermon.  The  fol- 
fowing  persons,  bringing  letters  from  other 
evangelical  churches,  became  members  of  the 
new  church:  Alvin  N.  Stoughton,  LydiaH. 
Hall,  George  W.  Danforth,  Emeline  Hall, 
Mary  J.  Stoughton,  George  W.  Hall,  Mel- 
bourne C.  Burr,  Charles  A.  Strong,  Naomi 
L.  Stoughton,  Enior^'  O.  Walden,  Wait 
Stoughton,  Jesse  B.  Gaylord. 

The  movement  Avhich  resulted  in  the  new 
church  organization  was  emphatically  a  pio- 
neer movement.  The  church  held  its  ser- 
vices, at  first,  at  the  residence  of  A.  N. 
Stoughton,  in  a  wing  of  his  house  built  for 
the  use  of  the  church ;  subsequently  it  wor- 
sliiped  in  Morford's  hall,  and  afterward  in 
the  district  schoolhouse  until  the  present  ed- 
ifice was  erected. 

Rev.  Ozro  A.  Thomas  was  the  first  minis- 
ter of  the  new  society.  He  began  his  labors 
with  the  church  in  the  spring  of  1858,  and 
continued  them  until  the  fall  of  1863.  Dur- 
ing the  period  of  his  ministry  he  resided  at 
Clinton,  and  ministered  on  alternate  Sab- 
batlis  to  the  Clinton  and  Owatonnachurcbes. 
He  preached  also  both  at  Somerset  and  at  Mer- 
iden  once  a  month.  Notwithstanding  this 
division  of  his  labors  among  these  different 
fields,  and  the  fact  of  his  non-residence  at 
Owatonna,  the  church  had  a  good  measure 
of  prosperity  while  under  the  charge  of  Mr. 
Thomas,  and  received  frequent  accessions 
both  by  letter  and  by  profession. 

The  first  deacon  of  the  church  was  Alvin 
N.  Stoughton,  who  was  chosen  to  his  office 
February  25,  1858.  May  8,  1860,  a  second 
deacon  was  added,  and  the  choice  fell 
upon  Fi'ancis  Thom.  The  first  clerk  was 
Cliarles  A.  Strong.  The  first  trustees  were 
Alvin  N.  Stoughton,  AVait  Stoughton,  and 
Richard  Miles,  chosen  May  8,  1858. 

In  the  spring  of  1864  Rev.  Charles  L.  Tap- 
]ian  became  the  mmister,  and  continued  to 
hold  that  office  till  the  spring  of  1866.  Dur- 
ing this  time  Mr.  Tappan  preached  regularly 


at  Somerset  also,  where  sevei'al  members  of 
the  church  resided. 

In  the  spring  of  1865  a  Sabbath-school, 
with  Dr.  L.  H.  Kelly  as  superintendent,  was 
organized  under  the  immediate  charge  of  the 
church.  There  had  been,  previous  to  this 
time,  a  union  Sabbath-school  of  the  four  re- 
ligious denominations  of  the  place.  Baptist, 
Congregationalist,  Methodist  and  Presbyte- 
rian. The  new  school  flourished  and  became 
the  nursery  of  the  cliurch.  The  church  has 
been  largely  recruited  from  it,  and  many  of 
its  members  have  been  trained  to  habits  of 
Christian  activity  by  work  performed  in  the 
Sabbath-school  as  teachers.  The  school  has 
a  present  average  attendance  of  160,  a,nd  is 
under  the  superintendency  of  Hon.  Lewis  L. 
Wheelock. 

In  August,  1866,  Rev.  Leverett  S.  Griggs 
began  to  labor  with  the  church  as  its  minis- 
ter. His  ministry  was  peculiarly  blessed  of 
God,  and  the  period  was  marked  both  by  the 
temporal  and  spiritual  prosperity  of  the 
church.  Two  considerable  revivals  occurred' 
during  Mr.  Griggs'  ministry. 

In  the  spring  of  1867  the  society  began  to 
build  a  new  house  of  worsliip.  During  a 
part  of  the  time  in  which  this  building  was 
in  process  of  erection  the  Methodist  society 
very  kindly  extended  an  invitation  to  this 
church  to  worship  with  them,  and  union  ser- 
vices of  the  two  denominations  were  held  in 
the  Methodist  house  of  worsiii]).  The  new 
church  edifice  was  completed  in  the  spring 
of  1869.  It  was  dedicated  Sabbath,  October 
17,  1869,  during  the  meeting  of  the  Gen- 
eral Congregational  Conference  of  Minnesota. 
The  sermon  was  preaclied  by  Rev.  Charles 
Seccombe,  of  Northfield.  The  dedicatory 
prayer  was  offered  b\'  Rev.  D.  B.  Coe.  Early 
in  1869  Rev.  L.  S.  Griggs  was  compelled  by 
ill  health  to  close  his  connection  witli  the  so- 
ciety for  which  he  had  labored  so  faithfully 
and  so  successfully.  In  September,  1869, 
Mr.  Charles  C.  Cragin  was  engaged  to  labor 
with  the  church  as  its  minister.  February 
16,  1870,   he    was  ordained  to  the   gospel 


2:)n 


HISTOKT   OF    STP^KLE    COUNTY. 


ministry  and  installed  as  pastor  of  the 
cliui'ch,  which  position  he  still  occupies. 

From  this  society  three  colonies  have  al- 
ready gone  forth  to  plant  other  churches. 
The  church  at  Somerset  was  organized  No- 
vember 18,  186(),  with  eight  members  from 
the  church  at  Owatonna.  January  1, 1868, 
Waseca  called  for  five  members  to  assist  in 
the  organization  of  its  new  Congregational 
Church.  July  13,  1869,  Merton  made  a 
still  larger  demand,  and  thirteen  were  dis- 
missed to  form  a  new  church  in  that  place. 
It  is  rare  to  see  a  church  less  than  thirteen 
years  old  the  mother  of  three  churches. 

Kev.  Mr.  Ci-agin  served  as  pastor  until  Sep- 
tember, 1869,  when  Rev.  JST.  H.  Bell  was  in- 
stalled and  I'emained  until  September,  1873. 
Eev.  O.  Dickerson  commenced  his  pastorate 
in  July,  1874,  and  served  until  October,  1876. 
In  November,  1876,  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
D.  A.  Morehouse,  who  remained  imtil  June, 
1881.  Rev.  J.  N.  Brown,  the  present  pas- 
tor, succeeded  Mr.  Morehouse,  being  installed 
November  1,  1881.  The  present  deacons 
of  the  church  are  as  follows  :  Francis  Thom, 
Hon.  Lewis  L.  Wheelock,  A.  N.  Stoughton, 
J.  W.  Burch,  and  J.  E.  Truesdell.  The 
church  now  has  a  resident  membership  of  200. 

Rev.  Justus  Newton  Brown,  pastor  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  was  born' in  Huron 
County,  Ohio,  in  184-1.  In  1862  he  enlisted 
in  Company  D,  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
First  Ohio  Regiment,  and  spent  three  years 
in  the  service,  after  which  he  returned  to  his 
native  county.  In  1867  he  graduated  from 
01)erlin  College,  and  in  1871  from  the  Ober- 
lin  Theological  Seminary.  He  then  for  two 
years  edited  the  Lorain  County  JVews,  at 
Oberlin.  In  1876 — having  in  the  meantime 
taught  school  several  terms — he  graduated 
from  the  Andover  Theological  Seminary, 
and  since  that  time  has  been  a  minister  of 
the  gospel ;  entering  upon  his  duties  as  such 
at  Wilton,  New  Hampshire  ;  thence  to  Char- 
lotte, Mich.,  from  which  place  he  came  to 
Owatonna.  Mr  Bi-own  was  married  in  1867 
to  Miss  Ilattie  A.  Sparhawk,  a  native  of 


Ohio.  The  names  of  their  children  are 
Carleton  F.,  and  Wilton  G.  Mr.  Brown  is 
an  able  preacher  and  is  justly  popular. 

Episcopai — St.  Paul's  Parish. — The  first 
Episcopal  services  in  Owatonna  were  held 
early  in  the  summer  of  1858,  by  Rev.  J. 
Lloyd  Breck,  D.D.,  and  the  Rev.  D.  P.  San- 
ford.  Services  were  kept  up  every  other 
Sunday  by  the  latter  of  these  clergymen 
until  the  following  spring,  when,  after  a 
short  interruption,  they  were  continued  by 
Rev.  Solon  W.  Manney,  D.D.  At  that  time 
there  was  no  church  edifice  in  the  village. 
The  first  services  were  held  in  the  office  of 
Maj.  M.  A.  Dailey,  on  Mill  street ;  subse- 
quently services  were  held  in  the  wing  of  A. 
N.  Stoughton's  residence ;  afterward  in  the 
schoolhouse,  and  still  later  in  Morford's  hall. 
St.  Paul's  Parish  was  organized  on  the  I9th 
of  August,  1860,  when  David  Potwin  and 
John  Crozier  were  chosen  wardens  ;  and  N. 
M.  Donaldson,  S.  M.  Yearly,  John  Odell, 
W.  A.  Ware,  W.  H.  Kelly  andM.  A.  Dailey, 
vestrymen.  Services  continued  to  be  carried 
on  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Manney,  and  other  clergy- 
men of  the  Bishop  Seabury  Mission,  estab- 
lished at  Faribault,  as  this  had,  from  the 
first,  been  considered  a  station  of  the  Fari- 
bault Mission.  Dr.  Manney  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  George  C.  Tanner  for  a  short  time, 
when  the  work  was  placed  under  the  charge 
of  the  Rev.  S.  S.  Burleson.  He  resigned  in 
the  fall  of  1864,  and  Rev.  J.  A.  Babcock,  of 
New  York,  removed  here  and  took  charge 
of  the  parish.  In  the  fall  of  1866  the  parish 
again  became  vacant,  and  services  Avere  dis- 
continued for  the  winter,  excepting  the  occa- 
sional visitations  of  the  bishop.  In  March, 
1867,  Rev.  George  C.  Tanner  resumed  ser- 
vices, and  in  June  removed  his  family  to 
Owatonna.  He  remained  in  charge  of  the 
parish  until  December  31,  1886. 

During  the  rectorship  of  Rev.  Mr.  Bab- 
cock services  were  held  every  other  Sunday 
in  the  Presbyterian  house  of  worship.  At 
that  time  there  was  but  a  small  number  of 
communicants,    the    church    families    with 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


237 


communicants  being  limited  to  about  a  half 
dozen.  The  only  church  property  was  the 
lot  on  Avhich  the  present  church  stands. 
Soon  after  Mr.  Tanner  removed  to  Owa- 
tonna  the  work  of  erecting  a  place  of  worship 
was  begun.  Three  hundred  dollars  was 
subscribed  bj^  the  people  of  Owatonna; 
friends  in  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis  con- 
tributed $300  more,  and  with  this  sum  the 
erection  of  the  chapel,  now  used  for  a  Guild 
room,  was  begun,  and  during  the  summer 
completed  by  the  contributions  of  friends 
in  Owatonna  and  abroad,  and  especially  by 
the  untiring  efforts  of  the  ladies  of  the  parish. 
The  cost  of  the  building  and  furnishing  was 
about  $1,400.  The  lot  had  been  purchased 
by  the  Bishop  Seabury  Mission  several  years 
before  at  a  cost  of  $25.  The  chapel  was 
consecrated  on  Friday,  November  15, 1867, 
by  the  Et.  Rev.  II.  B.  Whipple,  D.  D.,  Bishop 
of  the  Diocese  of  Minnesota,  a  large  number 
of  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  being  present.  The 
2)ipe-organ  at  the  present  time  in  use  was  ]mr- 
chased  in  the  year  1869  through  the  efforts  of 
J.  G.  Gilchrist,  M.  D.,  senior  warden  of  the 
parish  and  organist,  to  whose  interest  in  the 
music  very  much  of  the  success  of  the  effort 
to  keep  up  the  service  was  due.  In  the  year 
1883  it  was  decided  to  undertake  the  erection 
of  a  new  church.  A  subscription  paper  was 
stai'ted  and  a  building  committee  appointed 
by  the  vestry,  consisting  of  Messrs.  E.  Y. 
Hunnewill,  G.  W.  Chesley  and  B.  F.  Welch. 
The  subscriptions  were  mainly  secured  by 
the  rector. 

In  the  fall  the  foundation  was  laid,  and 
the  following  summer  completed,  and  the 
building  was  used  for  the  first  time  for  divine 
service  in  October,  18S4.  The  church  whicli 
had  been  built  with  so  much  interest  was  to 
have  been  opened  on  Tuesday,  October  7, 
and  a  large  number  of  clergy  had  been 
invited  to  participate  in  the  services ;  but  the 
sudden  news  of  the  murder  of  the  daughter 
of  the  rector  and  her  family  in  Nebraska 
postponed  the  matter  indefinitely. 

The  entire  cost  of  the  building  and  furnish- 


ing is  not  far  from  $5,000.  A  considerable 
part  of  the  cost  was  raised  by  Mr.  Tanner 
as  the  gift  of  personal  friends.  The  con- 
secration of  the  church  took  place  in  August, 
1885,  by  the  bishop  of  the  diocese,  a  num- 
ber of  the  clergy  of  the  diocese  being  present 
and  assisting.  Many  beautiful  memorials 
have  been  placed  in  the  church,  the  gift  of 
members  of  the  parish  and  citizens  in  Owa- 
tonna. The  church  has  also  several  memorial 
gifts  of  great  beauty  from  Spencer  A. 
Perceval,  Esq.,  of  England.  Many  sub- 
stantial contributions  are  from  persons  who 
have  been  members  of  the  parish  who  have 
removed  to  other  places. 

During  the  twenty  years  of  Mr.  Tanner's 
rectorship  there  have  been  209  baptisms  and 
124  confirmations.  The  number  of  com- 
municants in  1867  did  not  exceed  ten.  The 
present  number  is  about  one  hundred.  A 
large  number  of  families  and  members  have 
come  and  gone  since  the  parish  was  organized. 
One  hundred  and  sixty-nine  funerals  have 
taken  place  in  connection  with  the  parish, 
and  112  marriages  been  solemnized. 

Rev.  R.  E.  Metcalf  succeeded  Mr.  Tanner, 
assuming  charge  early  in  1887.  The  present 
official  board  of  the  church  is  composed  of 
G.  W.  Chesley  and  B.  F.  Welch,  wardens, 
and  J.  A.  Soper,  clerk.  A  thriving  Sunday- 
school  is  maintained,  of  which  Rev.  Mr. 
Metcalf  is  superintendent ;  B.  E.  Darley, 
assistant ;  Miss  Nellie  Chesley,  treasurer ; 
and  Miss  Carrie  Petersen,  secretary. 

Ihiiversalist  Society.  —  In  November,  1866, 
Rev.  S.  Wakefield,  then  pastor  of  the  Univer- 
salist  Society  in  Rochester,  visited  Owatonna, 
and  preached  the  first  Universalist  sermon  in 
the  countv.  On  the  20th  of  April,  1867,  a 
society  Avas  organized  at  a  meeting  held  in 
Dresser's  hall.  The  first  members  were  :  S. 
B.  Washburn,  A,  B.  Webber,  Mrs.  F.  C. 
Webber,  H.  J.  Lewis,  Mrs.  D.  B.  Lewis,  L.  L. 
Bennett  and  wife,  Kelsey  Chase,  Mrs.  Bell 
Chase,  Louis  Lord,  Sarah  Philips,  Nathan 
and  Mrs.  L.  O.  Hubbard,  T.  J.  and  Isaac 
Howe,  O.  H.  Porter,  Rev.  S.  and  Ella  Wake- 


238 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


field,  John  M.  and  Mrs.  Hannah  Houghton, 
T.  J.  Clark,  Alonzo  Brown,  Miss  D.  Squires, 
William  Pepper,  A.  C.  Gutterson,  C.  C.  Cor- 
nell, Setli  Hotchkiss,  T.  C.  S.  Minthorn  and 
Gordon  Watson.  In  March,  1868,  Eev.  S. 
Wakefield  became  pastor.  Succeeding  him 
the  following  named  have  acted  as  pastor  of 
this  society,  although  at  times  there  has  been 
no  pastor  in  charge  :  Eevs.  E.  W.  Pierce, 
H.  B.  Butler,  Mr.  Spafl'ord,  L.  J.  Dinsmore. 
The  last  named  left  in  1885,  since  which  time 
the  church  has  been  without  a  pastor,  al- 
though the  organization  has  been  maintained. 
The  present  officers  are  as  follows :  T.  J. 
Howe,  D.  H.  Eoberts  and  L.  Lord,  trustees  ; 
W.  A.  Dynes,  treasurer  and  collector  ;  L.  L. 
Bennett,  clerk  ;  A.  C.  Gutterson,  moderator. 

Services  were  held  in  the  early  days  of  the 
organization  in  the  schoolhouse  in  what  was 
then  the  third  (now  second)  ward.  A  few 
years  later  a  church  edifice  was  erected  at  a 
cost  of  $2,500.  This  building  is  still  in  use 
although  in  1887  it  was  refitted  and  rebuilt 
at  a  cost  of  from  $500  to  $700. 

A  Sunday-school  was  organized  at  about  the 
time  the  society  was,  and  this  has  since  been 
maintained.  Prof.  A.  C.  Gutterson  was  su]). 
erintendent  of  this  for  about  fourteen  years. 
The  present  officers  are  as  follows :  L.  L. 
Bennett,  superintendent;  Mrs.  Ida  Slade, 
assistant ;  E.  C.  Helwig,  secretary  and  treas- 
urer. The  school  is  well  attended.  The 
society  is  in  good  condition  financially,  being 
wholly  out  of  debt. 

Roman  Catholic — Church  of  the  Sacred 
Heart. — It  is  claimed  that  tlie  first  Catholics 
in  Steele  County  were  Thomas  and  John  Ber. 
gan,  Michael  Barney,  Joseph  Kiesel,  James 
McLaughlin  and  James  Lonergan.  Rev. 
Fatlier  Keller  was  the  first  priest  to  hold  ser_ 
vices  in  the  county  witli  any  degree  of  reg- 
ularity. At  that  time  lie  lived  at  Faribault, 
and  had  charge  of  the  mission  south  of  that 
point  to  the  State  line.  At  first  services  were 
held  in  private  iiouscs,  then  in  Dresser's  and 
Butsch's  halls  until  a  church  edifice  was 
erected.     In   1867  a  church  committee  was 


organized  to  take  steps  for  the  erection  of  a 
building.  It  was  composed  of  M.  J.  Toher, 
president  and  treasurer;  James  Lonergan, 
Joseph  Kaplan  and  Charles  Schoen,  of  Owa- 
tonna,  and  AVilliam  Leary,  of  Merton.  The 
building  was  ready  for  occupancy  on  Christ- 
mas day,  1868.  It  was  42x75  feet  in  size, 
and  cost,  exclusive  of  lot,  $2,600,  and  is  still 
in  use.  Three  or  fourj^ears  later  a  parsonage 
was  erected  upon  the  same  lot,  which  cost  $1,- 
200.  Father  Keller  continued  to  come  here  for 
a  number  of  years,  when  hewas  followed  by 
Father  Schave,  who  came  here  from  Hastings, 
and  became  the  first  resident  priest.  Succeed- 
ing him  came  thefollowing  named  in  the  order 
mentioned:  Eevs.  Father  Hurley,  Father 
Wiesler,  Father  Pi-ybil,  Father  Ealeigh,  Fa- 
ther Joy,  and  finally  the  present  priest.  Fa- 
ther J.  M.  Solnce.  The  present  priest  also 
has  charge  of  parishes  at  Claremont  and  So- 
merset. Tlie  Church  of  the  Sacred  Heart  is 
in  excellent  financial  condition,  being  entire- 
ly free  from  debt,  with  nearly  $1,000  in  the 
church  treasury.  The  society  has  a  large 
membership,  which  extends  over  the  major 
portion  of  the  county,  and  in  every  way  it  is 
in  a  thriving  condition. 

Eev.  J.  M.  Solnce,  ]mstor  of  this  church, 
was  born  at  Smlednik,  Carniola,  Austria, 
June  7,  1861.  He  completed  his  theological 
studies  at  the  Provincial  Seminary  of  St. 
Francis  of  Sales,  at  St.  Francis,  AVisconsin, 
and  took  charge  of  this  parish  on  the  2d  of 
September,  1885.  Father  Solnce  is  a  genial 
and  talented  gentleman,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  popular  priests  in  this  part  of  the  State. 

School  of  the  Sinter.^  of  St.  Francis  of  SaUs. 
— In  connection  with  the  history  of  the  Ca- 
tholic Church  should  be  mentioned  the  edu- 
cational institution  which  is  located  just 
north  of  their  church  edifice.  This  school 
was  established  a  Owatonna  in  1S76,  and  the 
same  year  a  three-story  brick  building,  with 
a  stone  basement,  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
$8,500,  upon  a  lot  which  was  donated  to  the 
order  by  the  Church  of  the  Sacred  Heart. 
The  general  management  of  the  school  is 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


239 


vested  in  the  Order  of  Sisters,  the  general 
headquarters  of  which  are  at  Joliet,  111. ;  but 
they  have  also  State  headquarters  at  Ro- 
chester. The  building  is  divided  into  school- 
rooms, furnished  with  first-class  school  ap- 
paratus. The  school  is  maintained  by  tui- 
tion. The  course  of  study  here  embraces  all 
the  ordinary  branches,  with  the  addition  of 
music,  drawing,  painting,  needlework  and 
languages.  To  these,  if  desired,  religious 
instruction  is  added.  No  teachers  are  placed 
here  except  those  educated  by  the  order  and 
in  their  institutions,  and  they  are  especially 
fitted  for,  and  educated  in,  the  branches 
which  they  teach. 

St.  John  Congregation — German  Evangeli- 
cal Lutheran  Church. — About  1870  services 
of  this  denomination  were  held  in  private 
houses,  and  an  organization  was  effected. 
Kev.  Emmil  came  here  occasionallv  from 
Meriden  and  preached.  The  first  regular 
pastor  was  Rev.  Hauser,  who  came  here  in 
1876,  and  remained  about  one  year.  Rev. 
Wetzel  succeeded  him,  and  during  his  pas- 
torate in  1878  a  neat  church  edifice  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  about  $2,000.  After  his 
removal  the  pulpit  was  vacant  for  a  time, 
after  which  Rev.  Schaaf,  from  Aurora,  filled 
the  pulpit  until  1880.  .  Rev.  Carl  Mende  was 
the  next  pastor,  and  remained  until  1883, 
when  Rev.  Schaaf  again  occupied  the  pulpit 
for  a  short  time.  These  pastors  all  belonged 
to  the  Synod  of  Missouri,  but  at  this  time 
controversies  arose  which  resulted  in  this 
congregation  withdrawing  from  that  synod 
and  becoming  connected  with  the  Synod  of 
Iowa.  Under  this  state  of  affairs  Rev.  F. 
"W.  Klein  was  the  first  pastor,  preaching  his 
first  sermon  here  on  the  1st  of  March,  1881r. 
He  is  the  present  pastor.  This  circuit  in- 
cludes congregations  in  Somerset,  Lemond 
and  Deerfield  townships,  Ijesides  the  city. 
There  are  now  46  families  belonging  to  this 
congregration,  besides  many  supporters  who 
could  not  be  termed  reguhir  members.  The 
present  trustees  are  William  Kottke,  Wra. 
Bubholz,   E.   Rosine    and    August     Pitzke. 


Every  winter  the  church  maintains  a  day- 
school  for  six  months. 

Rev.  F.  W.  Klein,  pastor  of  this  church, 
came  to  Owatonna  in  March,  1884,  and  has 
been  in  charge  of  the  church  since.  He  is 
a  native  of  Limburge,  German}^,  born 
August  10,  1856.  His  parents  were  Leopold 
and  Helena  Klein.  When  ten  years  of  age 
he  went  to  Wiesbaden  and  attended  school 
there  seven  years,  and  from  there  to  Erlan- 
gen  Universitj',  graduating  when  twenty 
years  of  age.  After  that  he  went  into  the 
regular  Prussian  army,  and  after  serving  his 
year  became  assistant  pastor  at  Therlen- 
hofen  for  three  years.  When  through  there 
he  came  to  America  and  located  at  Mt.  Ver- 
non, Black  Hawk  County,  Iowa,  remaining 
there  some  eighteen  montiis,  when  he  came 
to  Owatonna,  where  he  now  resides.  Mr. 
Klein  was  married  June  27,  1883,  to  Miss 
Louise  Anna  Fredrick  Severin,  of  Cedar 
Falls,  Iowa. 

German  Methodist  Episcojyal  Church. — • 
The  German  Methodist  Church  was  organ- 
ized in  1875,  with  the  following  members, 
including  their  families :  August  Mollen- 
hauer,  C.  F.  Mathwig,  August  Meirke, 
August  Soehler,  Carl  Sette,  William  Mundt, 
Mr.  Kellar,  William  Mogler,  John  EUeson, 
Gustaf  Buche  and  W.  Wocker.  At  that 
time  this  circuit  included  Deerfield,  Bloom- 
ing Grove,  Owatonna,  Somerset,  Meriden 
and  Aurora.  Rev.  H.  Schnitker  was  preacher 
in  charge,  but  Rev.  Jacob  Kellar  served  this 
portion  of  the  circuit.  Rev.  Henry  Roth 
was  then  presiding  elder.  Succeeding 
Revs.  Kellar  and  Schnitker,  Rev.  F.  W. 
Buchholz  took  charge  of  the  circuit  and 
remained  one  3'ear,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  E.  A.  Borchardt,  who  remained  a 
like  period.  In  the  meantime  the  circuit 
had  been  divided  and  the  Owatonna  branch 
included  Owatonna,  Somerset,  Aurora  and 
Meriden.  Rev.  H.  E.  Young  was  the  next 
pastor,  serving  two  years  —  until  1882,  when 
he  was  followed  by  Rev.  F.  R.  Hogrefe. 
After  two   years   of  service,  he   was   sue- 


240 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


ceeded  by  Eev.  H.  F.  Lange,  who  also 
remained  two  years.  The  present  pastor, 
Rev.  C.  A.  Borchardt,  succeeded  Rev.  Lange, 
and  is  doing  effective  work.  The  present 
trustees  are  C.  F.  Mathwig,  W.  M.  Soehler, 
H.  Mundt,  A.  Mierke,  C.  Sette,  F.  R.  Emke 
and  R.  Petrich.  The  organization  has  pros- 
pered, is  out  of  debt,  and  now  has  a  member- 
ship of  over  fifty.  Part  of  each  year  the 
church  maintains  a  day-school — when  it 
does  not  conflict  with  the  public  schools.  A 
Sunday-school  was  organized  when  the 
church  started,  that  is  still  maintained. 
When  the  church  was  first  organized  servi- 
ces were  held  in  the  school-house.  In  1877 
a  neat  church  building  was  erected  which 
now  serves  as  a  place  of  worship. 

The  Seventh- Day  Adventists. — An  organiza 
tion  of  this  denomination  was  effected  at 
Owatonna  in  the  fall  of  1SS6.  The  first 
l>astors  were  Revs.  Scram  and  Gregory, 
and  the  latter  remained  during  the  winter 
following  its  organization.  There  is  now  no 
resident  pastor,  althougii  Rev.  Dimmick,  of 
Medford,  occasionally  fills  the  pulpit  for  the 
society.  A  Sunday-school  was  organized  at 
the  same  time  as  the  church.  The  society 
here  now  has  about  fifty  members.  They 
own  a  church  building  which  was  purchased 
from  the  Scandinavian  Lutheran  Society. 

FIRST  EVENTS. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  what  is  now 
Owatonna  was  George  K.,  a  son  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  G.  W.  Green,  which  occurred  on  the 
6th  of  April,  1855.  Dr.  W.  W.  Finch  at- 
tended, and  went  from  Judge  Green's  house 
to  that  of  A.  W.  Adams  in  Clinton  Falls 
Township,  where  Frank,  a  son  of  A.  "W. 
Adams,  was  born.  These  two  were  the  first 
children  born  in  Steele  County. 

The  first  death  at  Owatonna  occurred  in 
August,  or  Se])tember,  1855,  and  was  a  child 
of  Miner  Prisby.  The  remains  were  buried 
in  the  woods  north  of  town. 

The  first  marriage  of  residents  took  place 
at  Faribault  in  the  summer  of  1855,  the  con- 
tracting parties  being  JoJin  Wilcox  and  Clara 


Brooks,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by 
Elder  Town.  The  event  was  heartily  cel- 
ebrated by  the  pioneers,  especiall}'  the  young 
people. 

The  first  building  erected  upon  the  origi- 
nal town  plat  was  the  Winship  House,  built 
in  July,  1855. 

The  first  building  put  up  within  what  now 
constitutes  the  incorporate  limits  was  A.  B. 
Cornell's  log  cabin. 

The  first  store  was  opened  Ijy  S.  B.  Smith 
and  J.  W.  Park  in  the  spring  of  1855. 

The  first  blacksmith  shop  was  started  by 
John  Sweat. 

The  first  frame  building  was  W.  F.  Pettit's 
residence. 

The  first  brick  building  was  erected  by 
William  Wadsworth  in  1863.  It  was  built 
for  a  store,  but  is  now  used  as  an  engine- 
house. 

PROMINENT    BUSINESS    MEN    AND    RETIRED 
CITIZENS. 

In  this  connection  we  present  biographical 
sketches  of  all  the  most  prominent  citi- 
zens of  Owatonna  who  have  not  received 
extended  notice  heretofore.  It  will  be 
remembered  that  many  of  the  leading  citi- 
zens have  already  been  mentioned  at  length 
in  connection  with  the  bar,  medical,  official 
and  various  other  departments  of  this  work. 
These  sketches  are  placed  here  miscellan- 
eously, as  the}^  come  to  the  writer's  hand, 
and  if  the  reader  desires  to  find  any  particu- 
lar biography,  we  would  respectfully  refer 
to  the  index. 

The  men  who  take  an  active  part  in  pub- 
lic affairs  and  still  retain  the  universal  regard 
of  their  fellow-citizens,  without  regard  to 
party  lines  or  prejudices,  are  very  few. 
Among  that  fortunate  few  belongs  the  name 
of  Hon.  Charles  S.  Crandall.  His  infancy 
and  early  youth  were  spent  among  the  rug- 
ged hills  of  the  Buckeye  State,  where  he  was 
born  in  1840.  He  came  to  Steele  County 
in  1857  and  for  three  years  was  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1861  he  was  appointed  deputy 
auditor  and   register  of  deeds.     Later  on, 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


241 


owing  to  the  resignation  of  the  incumbent, 
he  was  appointed  to  fill  tlie  position  and 
was  elected  two  successive  terms.  In  1874 
he  was  elected  to  the  Lower  House  of  the 
Legislature,  and  in  1S86  was  elected  to  the 
Senate.  As  editor  of  the  Owatonna  Jour- 
nal Mr.  Crandall  spent  eight  j^ears  of  his 
life  in  journalism,  and  iiis  career  in  news- 
paper work  was  ever  characterized  by  fear- 
lessness and  unswerving  devotion  to  party 
and  principle.  He  was  postmaster  for  eight 
years,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  that  office 
faithfully  and  well.  In  1882  he  engaged  in 
the  hardware  business,  being  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Crandall  &  Nelson. 
For  a  number  of  years  he  has  been  an  Odd 
Fellow.  In  1864  Mr.  Crandall  was  united 
in  matrimony  with  Miss  Marietta  E.  Allen, 
a  native  of  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.  Mary.  E. 
and  Georgia  C.  are  the  names  of  their  chil- 
dren. 

Adolph  Knobloch,  hardware  merchant,  was 
born  in  Germany  in  1831.  He  came  to 
America  in  1847,  and  resided  two  years 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio.  At  the  end  of  this 
time  he  came  west  to  Sheboygan,  Wis.  In 
1853  he  returned  to  Europe  and  was  absent 
six  months.  In  1854  he  returned  to  America, 
went  to  New  Orleans,  thence  to  St.  Louis,  and 
later  he  started  a  brewery  at  Hannibal,  Mo. 
In  1855  he  came  to  St.  Paul,  and  afterward 
removed  to  Brownsville,  Minn.,  where 
he  established  a  brewery  —  the  first  at  that 
place  or  in  the  southern  part  of  the  State. 
March  22,  1858,  this  establishment  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  and  he  then  spent  three 
years  at  Prescott,  Wis.  In  1861  he  came  to 
Owatonna  and  put  up  the  first  brewery 
erected  in  the  city.  In  1874  he  embarked  in 
the  hardware  business,  in  which  he  is  still  en- 
gaged. Mr.  Knobloch  is  a  Mason,  an  Odd 
Fellow,  a  member  of  the  Legion  of  Honor, 
and  attends  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He 
M'as  married  in  March,  1857,  to  Sophia  Myer, 
a  native  of  German}'.  Lorens  H.,  Adolph 
and  Louisa  are  their  children's  names. 

George  Parrott,  of  the  firm  of  Parrott  & 


Smith,  hardware  dealers,  was  born  in 
Schoharie  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1852.  His  father 
William  Parrott  kept  hotel  at  Schoharie  Court- 
house for  twenty-five  years,  and  the  leading- 
hotel  there  still  bears  his  name.  He  died  in 
1884.  A  brother  of  our  subject,  Hon.  Matt. 
Parrott,  of  Waterloo,  Iowa,  is  State  Senator 
from  his  own  district.  Our  subject  learned  the 
tinner  trade  in  his  native  State  and  came  west 
in  1879.  He  worked  for  some  time  for  D. 
O.  Searle,  and  at  his  death  the  firm  of  Parrott 
&  Smith  bought  the  stock.  He  was  married 
in  1881  to  Miss  Mary  Cole,  a  native  of 
Owatonna.  Alfred  C.  is  their  only  child. 
Mr.  Parrott  is  an  Odd  Fellow. 

John  Thon,  of  the  firm  of  Thon  Bros.,  hard- 
ware dealers,  was  born  in  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
in  1859.  He  learned  the  potter  trade 
when  thirteen  years  old,  and  worked  in  dif- 
ferent western  cities.  He  came  to  Owatonna 
in  1883,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother  in  the  hardware  business.  Jacob  P. 
Thon,  senior  member  of  the  firm,  was  born 
in  New  York  City  in  1857,  and  came  with  his 
parents  to  Milwaukee  in  1859.  He  learned 
the  tinner  trade  at  Milwaukee,  and  came  to 
Owatonna  in  1879.  He  was  married  in  1884 
to  Miss  Louise  Hammel.  Alvin  R.  is  their 
only  child.  The  Thon  brothers  are  Odd  Fel- 
lows, being  members  of  Goethe  Lodge,  and 
also  are  members  of  the  Owatonna  Turn- 
verein. 

Jacob  A.  Oppliger,  dealer  in  general  irier- 
chandise,  was  born  in  Switzerland  in  1834. 
He  came  to  America  in  1853,  locating  in 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  being  engaged  in  the  butch- 
ering trade.  He  came  west  to  Bufl'alo 
County,  Wis.,  thence  to  Galena,  III.,  thence 
to  St  Paul,  where  he  remained  one  year  and 
a  half,  when  he  returned  to  Buff'alo  County, 
Wis.,  and  remained  one  winter.  In  1858 
he  came  to  Faribault,  and  opened  a  meat 
market.  He  came  to  Owatonna  in  the  spring 
of  1861,  and  engaged  in  buying  stock  and 
running  a  meat  market.  Mr.  Oppliger  was 
elected  alderman  several  terms,  and  in  1873 
was  elected  and  served  one  term  as   mayor. 


242 


HISTOKY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


He  is  a  Mason,  being  a  member  of  the  Blue 
Lodge  Chapter  and  Commandery  of  Owaton- 
na.  Mr.  Oppliger  was  married  in  1859  to 
Mis's  Mary  Schultz,  who  died  in  1864.  In 
1867  Mr.  Oppliger  married  Malvine  Bur- 
chert.  There  are  seven  children :  Hattie  and 
William  F.,  by  the  first  wife,  and  Adolph  G. 
Malvine,  Edward,  Emil  and  Ella  by  the  sec- 
ond. 

G.  F.  Albertus,  dealer  in  dry  goods,  was 
born  in  Saxony  in  1828.  He  came  to 
America  in  1812,  locating  in  Sauk  County, 
Wis.  He  was  subsequently  elected  county 
treasurer,  which  position  he  held  two  years. 
He  was  also  elected  and  served  as  county 
commissioner  and  justice  of  the  peace.  He 
came  to  Owatonna  in  1866.  Mr.  Albertus 
was  married  in  1810  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Bart- 
lett,  who  died  in  1862.  In  1864  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  E.  W.  Iloefer.  Louise  A.,  wife 
of  John  Kohr,  of  Montevideo,  John  11.,  Mary 
E.,  wife  of  Frank  Hollensworth,  of  St.  Paul, 
and  Gustavus  A.,  are  the  children  by  his 
first  wife ;  and  Minnie  L.,  Kate  E.,  Arthur  11., 
Lucy  M.,  George  F.  (deceased),  Charles,  and 
Frank  G.,  are  the  names  of  the  children  by 
his  second.  Mr.  Albertus  is  among  the  best 
known  citizens  of  the  county.  He  has  large 
property  interests,  and  has  in  man}^  ways 
been  prominently  identified  with  the  growth 
and  development  of  the  city. 

The  dry  goods  house  H.  E.  Moore  Jr.  & 
Co.  was  established  in  Owatonna  by  H.  R. 
Moore,  Jr.,  in  1870,  who  came  at  that  time 
to  close  out  the  remains  of  a  large  stock 
which  the  firm  had  had  in  Beloit,  "Wis. 
Previous  to  their  coming  here  he  had  been 
to  St.  Paul,  trying  to  close  out  with  the 
intention  of  giving  u]i  business.  Mr.  Moore, 
however,  liking  the  business  jirospects  of  this 
city,  bought  their  present  building  and  put 
in  a  stock  of  goods,  rebuilding  and  otherwise 
improving  in  1880.  In  1883  the  firm  estab- 
lished a  branch  store  at  Fergus  Falls,  which 
ran  very  successfully.  It  was  finally  closed 
out,  however,  and  Mr.  Moore,  wishing  to 
retire  from  active  business,  formed  the  pres- 


ent firm,  which  consists  of  H.  P.  Moore,  Jr., 
John  H.  Ilelwig  and  James  W.  Connor, 
under  the  firm  name  of  H.  R.  Moore  Jr.  & 
Co.,  the  business  being  under  the  control  of 
Messrs.  Ilelwig  and  Connor.  J.  AV.  Connor, 
junior  member  of  the  firm,  came  to  Owa- 
tonna in  the  year  1869,  and  attended  school 
until  1877,  when  he  graduated  from  the  high 
school.  The  same  spring  went  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  remained  for  some  eight 
months.  He  then  returned  to  Owatonna, 
and  entered  the  store  of  H.  R.  Moore  Jr. 
as  a  clerk ;  in  1886  he  was  taken  in  as 
partner. 

Joseph  H.  Soukup,  of  the  firm  of  Soukup 
Bros.,  dealers  in  general  merchandise,  was 
born  in  Bohemia  in  1857.  In  1867  the  family 
came  to  America,  locating  in  Chicago.  A 
year  later  they  came  to  Hennepin  Count}', 
Minn.,  and  settled  upon  a  farm  near  Minne- 
tonka.  Our  subject  went  to  Waverly  and 
was  there  engaged  in  the  hardware  business 
for  a  short  time.  He  came  to  Owatonna 
in  1884.  He  was  married  in  the  same  year 
to  Miss  Anna  Watowa.  Mr.  Soukup  is  a 
member  of  the  C.  S.  P.  S.,  a  society  of  which  a 
history'  is  presented  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Hon.  Henr}'  Birkett,  ex-mayor  of  the  city 
of  Owatonna,  is  a  native  of  Ottawa,  Canada, 
born  July  4,  1848.  His  parents  were  Miles 
and  Elizabath  [(Wren)  Birkett,  natives  of 
England,  who  settled  in  Canada  in  1838. 
Ilis  father.  Miles,  was  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  and  remained  in  Canada 
until  his  death  m  1848.  His  mother  died  at 
Ottawa  in  1886.  Miles  Birkett  and  wife  had 
a  family  of  six  sons  and  four  daughters,  six 
of  whom  are  now  living,  as  follows:  Will- 
iam, now  a  resident  of  Ottawa;  Miles,  a 
resident  of  Providence,  K.  I. ;  Mrs.  Maiy 
Rogers,  of  Ottawa,  Canada;  Thomas,  of  Ot- 
tawa, Canada ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fenton,  of 
Ottawa,  Canada,  and  Henry,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Henry  received  a  common  school 
education,  and  when  fourteen  years  of  age 
attended  the  grammar  school  at  Ottawa, 
Canada,  for  one  year.      He  then  served  an 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


243 


apprenticeship  extending  over  a  period  of  five 
years  and  two  weeks  with  Young  &  Radford, 
in  learning  the  watchmaker's  and  jeweler's 
trade,  after  which  he  remained  for  one  year 
as  a  journeyman.      In  ISTO  he  took  a  trip  to 
New    York,   where  he  spent  the  summer, 
woi'king  at  his  ti-ade,  and  tlien  returned  to 
Canada,  only,  however,  to  remain  one  month, 
and  then  started  for  the  west.     Stopping  for 
a  short  time  in  Minneapolis  he  made  his  way 
to  Chicago,  111.,    where   he    worked   at  his 
trade  for  C.  A.  Morse  for  two  months.      On 
the    2d   of  November,    1870,   he   came    to 
Owatonna  and  began  working  at  his  trade 
for   E.    Abbott   &   Co.,  remaining   for   two 
years.      In   1872   he   retui'ned    to   Ottawa, 
Canada,  and  in  company  with  J.  J.  Iladford 
opened  a  jewelry  store  there,  remaining  one 
year.     Selling  out  his  interests  there  he  re- 
turned to  Owatonna  in  the  fall  of  1873,  pur- 
chased the  stock  of  E.  Abbott   &  Co.,  and 
has  since  continued   in  this  line,  now  con- 
ducting a  well  stocked  jewehy  store  on  the 
corner    of    Center    street    and    Broadway, 
Owatonna.     Mi*.  Birkett  served  as  mayor  in 
1883-4:,  and  was  alderman  from  second  ward 
for  ten  years,  and  president  of  tiie  board  in 
1886.     He  stands  high  in  the  Masonic  order, 
being  a  member  of  Star  of  the  East  Lodge, 
No.  33 ;   Royal  Arch  chapter  No.  15  ;  and 
Cyrene  Commandary  No.  y  Knights  Temp- 
lar.    He  has  held  all  the  official  positions  in 
these  lodges,  with  credit  to  himself  and  lionor 
to  its  members.  He  has  also  served  in  the  high 
Masonic  office  of  Right  Eminent  Grand  Com- 
mander of  the  Grand  Commandary  of  Knights 
Templar  of  Minnesota,  —  the  highest  honor 
within  the  gift  of  the  Knights  Templar  in  the 
State.     Mr.  Birkett  was  married  January  14, 
1875,   to  Claudia  M.    Abbott,   daughter  of 
Ezra  Abbott,  and  they  have  three  children 
now   living  :  Harry  E.,  Ethel   S.  and  Miles 
W.     In  politics  Mr.  Birkett  is  a  Republican. 
He  has  in  many  ways  been  identified  with 
Owatonna's  growth   and  development ;  has 
taken  a  prominent  part  in  all  public  matters 
affecting  the  city's   welfare,  and  is  to-day 


among  the  most  prominent  and  influential  of 
Owatonna's  business  men. 

C.  F.  Warner,  jeweler,  is  a  native  of 
Dane  County,  Wis.,  born  in  1854.  Ilis  par- 
ents were  Franklin  and  Juliette  Edwards 
Warner,  both  natives  of  New  York,  who  had 
settled  in  Columbia  Co.,  Wis.,  in  an  early 
day.  They  later  moved  to  Dane  County,  and 
in  1865  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where 
Mrs.  Warner  died  in  1867.  Mr.  Warner 
Sr.  moved  to  Dakota  in  1880,  and  still  lives 
there.  C.  F.  Warner  remained  with  his 
parents  until  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he 
went  to  Osage,  Iowa,  where  he  spent  a  year 
working  at  the  jeweler's  trade,  having  spent 
two  years  at  it  before  leaving  home.  From 
Osage  he  came  to  Owatonna,  and  in  1876  he 
established  the  jewelry  store  which  he  still 
conducts.  In  1885  he  added  a  full  line  of 
sportsmen's  goods,  including  guns,  rifles  and 
ammunition;  and,  in  1SS7,  addeil  the  Stand- 
ard sewing  machines  and  fixtures  to  his 
stock.  He  now  handles  a  large  stock,  and 
does  an  extensive  business.  Mr.  Warner 
was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Mary  Cusick, 
of  Berlin  Township,  Steele  County.  They 
have  two  living  children,  Ada  and  Annie, 
and  a  third  child  died  when  a  little  over  two 
years  of  age. 

Julius  Young  was  born  February  28, 
1845,  in  Baden,  Germany.  His  father  was 
a  captain  in  the  regular  army.  When,  in 
1847,  the  legislative  body  of  that  state  adopt- 
ed a  Democratic  form  of  govei'nment  and 
deposed  their  autocratic  Grand  Duke,  his 
father  stood  by  the  people  and  with  Hecker, 
Bleuker,  Sigel,  Blind,  and  later,  Carl  Schurz 
and  others,  defended  the  state  to  the  last, 
losing  his  life  in  1849  in  the  liattles  against 
the  allied  Prussian  and  monarchial  forces. 
In  the  years  of  reaction  that  followed,  his 
mother  came  to  London,  and  there  in  the 
refugee  families  of  Carl  Blind  and  Prof. 
Hinkel,  met  Carl  Schurz's  father,  and  was 
induced  by  him  to  come  to  America.  In 
April,  1859,  being  reared  by  his  grand- 
mother,  Julius  went  to   Stillwater,   Minn., 


244 


HISTOKT    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


where  liis  mother  had  emigrated  and  re- 
married, and  there  was  ajiprenticed  to 
"Wm.  lUingsworth,  of  St.  Paul,  a  noted 
watch  and  clock  maker,  finishing  his  time  in 
May,  1862.  An  enemy  to  slavery,  in  any 
form,  he  wanted  to  enlist  in  one  of  the 
Minnesota  regiments,  but  being  only  seven- 
teen years  old  could  not  get  permission  of 
his  parents,  and  had  to  resort  to  deceit  in 
going  to  Madison,  Wis.,  working  there  for  a 
jeweler  at  $40  per  month.  There  lie  enlisted 
in  the  Twentieth  Regiment  Wisconsin  Vol- 
unteers, and  being  condemned  to  carry  a 
drum  discarded  it  and  soon  became  assistant 
hospital  steward  of  the  regiment,  and  later, 
eager  to  carry  a  gun,  currier  to  Gen.  Her- 
ron,  commanding  a  division  in  southwest 
Missouri  and  Arkansas.  After  being  in  sev- 
eral skirmishes  against  Mai'maduke,  he  was 
in  the  battle  of  Prairie  Grove,  Ark.,  Decem- 
ber 7,  1802,  where  they  lost  full}^  one-third 
of  the  command,  and  where  he  received  a 
severe  injur}'  the  niglit  following,  by  Ijeing 
unhorsed.  In  January,  1863,  he  was  in  the 
capture  of  Yan  Buren,  Ark.,  the  next  day 
the  capture  of  Fort  Smith ;  in  February, 
when  Marmaduke  made  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  capture  Springfield,  Mo.,  in  their 
raid  they  intercepted  him  and  almost  annihi- 
lated his  command.  In  May,  1863,  they 
went  to  Vicksburg,  and  being  sent  to  report 
their  arrival  to  the  commander  of  the 
Thirteenth  Army  Corps  to  which  they  were 
attached,  Mr.  Young  got  into  the  battle  of 
Champion  Hill ;  returning  to  Young's  Point, 
crossed  the  Mississippi  Eiver  under  heavy 
fire  of  the  Yicksburg  left  wing,  and  stormed 
the  heights  of  Warrington,  and  later  took 
Fort  Hill,  just  outside  the  main  defense.  He 
was  in  the  siege  of  Yicksburg  until  the 
capitulation  on  the  4th  of  July,  1863.  The 
same  month  was  in  the  capture  of  Yazoo 
City  ;  got  into  a  part  of  the  Red  River 
expedition ;  was  captured  with  the  Nineteenth 
and  Twenty-sixth  Indiana  at  Morganza,  La., 
and  confined  in  the  stockade  at  Tjdei',  Tex.; 
escaped  the  third  week,  making  his  way  to 


Fort  Smitli,  Ark.,  with  others,  and  got  to 
his  command  in  time  to  go  with  the  Gen. 
Banks'  Rio  Grande  expedition  ;  in  November 
of  the  same  year,  in  crossing  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  he  was  on  the  "Thomas  Scott," 
encountered  a  heavy  storm,  the  expedition 
losing  two  transport  steamers  and  eighteen 
schooners  with  supplies.  The  flag  ship, 
the  "Thomas  Scott,"  an  armed  transport,  lost 
the  use  of  the  rudder  for  nearly  eight  hours; 
twenty  four  men,  including  three  sailors, 
were  washed  overboard,  and  six  guns  were 
cut  loose  to  lighten  the  vessel.  Reaching 
Brasos  Santiago  Island,  they  surprised  the 
pickets  by  wading  through  the  water  at 
low  tide,  and,  effecting  a  landing  on  the  main 
land,  pressed  on  and  took  Brownsville,  and 
later  Corpus  Cliristi,  Tex.  From  Browns- 
ville Mr.  Young  made  trips  to  Monterey  and 
Tampico,  Mex.,  to  the  American  consuls. 
Receiving  leave  of  absence  for  sixty  days, 
he  got  on  the  ill-fated  river  steamei-,  "  W.  R. 
Arthur,"  which  at  Columbia  Bend,  below 
Memphis,  was  so  badly  riddled  by  two 
batteries  while  passing  the  bend.  In  August, 
1864,  he  was  on  the  Mobile  Bay  expedition, 
being  sent  to  the  flagship.  He  passed  Forts 
Morgan  and  Gaines  on  the  "Hartford,"  and 
got  into  the  terrific  naval  fight,  after 
passing,  with  the  rebel  rams,  Morgan  and 
Selma,  which  were  captured  ;  saw  the  mon- 
itor, "Tecumseh,"  sink  with  122  souls,  not 
twent}'  _yards  distant,  and  the  burning  of  the 
war  sloop,  "  Tennessee,"  and  heard  the  quick 
and  decisive  commands  of  Commodore  Far- 
ragut,  lashed  to  the  rigging  above  him  ;  in 
the  taking  of  Fort  Gaines ;  in  the  landing 
of  our  troops  under  fire  at  Mobile  point ;  the 
siege  of  Fort  Morgan ;  the  capture  of  Pass 
Magula;  and  in  March,  1865,  in  the  siege 
and  storming  of  Spanish  Fort  and  sub 
sequent  capture  of  Mobile,  Ala.  Mr.  Young 
had  a  narrow  escape  at  the  explosion  of  the 
magazine  at  Mobile,  Ala.  He  served  three 
years  and  fifty-five  days,  until  July,  1865, 
coming  to  Madison,  Wis.  He  was  employed 
by  Mr.   Burr,  of  Burr  &  McClure,  jewelers 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


245 


of  Owatonna,  and  remained  with  them  from 
August,  1865,  to  June,  1866,  when  the  firm 
dissolved  partnership.  He  took  a  situation 
at  St.  Peter,  and  on  learning  of  the  death  of 
his  former  employer,  came  in  December, 
1866,  to  permanently  locate  in  Owatonna, 
opening  a  shop  in  an  old  frame  building  on 
the  corner  now  occupied  by  the  Farmers'  Nat- 
ional Bank.  Later  he  moved  to  J.  New- 
salt's  store  under  the  Opera  House.  In  1869 
he  bought  a  one-story  brick  building  on 
Bridge  street,  accumulating  a  large  range  of 
custom  and  fine  stock.  July  31,  1882,  he 
was  married  to  a  daughter  of  C.  Dinnijes, 
and  has  had  children,  two  boys  and  two 
girls;  only  the  latter  are  now  living,  one 
twelve  years  and  one  two  years  old.  In 
1878  he  lost  his  building  with  most  of  the 
stock  and  tools  by  fire,  losing  more  than 
$6,000  over  insurance.  He  rebuilt  on  a  larger 
scale,  planned  and  executed  under  his  own 
supervision  the  building  he  now  occupies. 
Young's  block,  on  Bridge  street.  In  build, 
ing  on  a  large  scale  and  restocking,  buying 
nearl}^  everything  new,  and  particularly 
the  selling  at  auction  of  a  competitor's  stock 
during  part  of  the  holiday  season,  1879? 
forced  him  to  make  an  assignment  in  favor 
of  his  creditors.  However,  he  again  got 
control  of  his  business  in  August,  1880,  and 
since  then  he  has  not  only  done  the  principal 
repair  work,  but  has  enlarged  his  store  to 
22x100  feet,  adding  increased  accommoda- 
tions every  year,  until  now  he  has  a  finely 
arranged  store,  second  to  none  in  Minnesota. 
He  carries  a  large  assortment  of  watches, 
clocks,  jewelry,  including  diamonds,  optical 
goods,  silverware,  china  and  fancy  goods  of 
various  descriptions.  Besides  being  the  old- 
est watchmaker  and  jeweler,  he  is  the  pio- 
neer sewing-machine  dealer,  carrying  since 
1868  the  best  machines;  and  since  1882 
pianos  and  organs  of  "leading  makers,  and 
also  small  musical  goods  and  material. 

Hon.  Benjamin  S.  Cook,  ex-mayor,  real 
estate  dealer  and  loan  broker,  was  born 
in  Center  County,  Pa.,  in   1833.    When  he 


was  still  a  child  his  parents  moved  to 
the  western  jiart  of  the  State.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  entered  a  mercantile 
establishment  at  Conneautville  as  clerk.  In 
1854  he  embarked  in  business  for  himself 
in  the  same  town.  In  the  winter  of  1855 
he  organized  a  party  of  five,  of  which  he 
was  the  junior  member,  for  the  purpose 
of  making  a  prospecting  tour  through  the 
west.  They  arrived  in  Minnesota  in  June, 
1856,  and  located  the  town  site  of  Concord, 
in  Dodge  County.  He  is  now  the  only  sur- 
vi\nng  member  of  the  party.  In  1860  he 
went  to  Mantorville  and  engaged  in  the  drug 
and  grocery  business.  In  the  spring  of  1873 
he  removed  to  St.  Paul,  when  he  was  made 
superintendent  of  the  St.  Paul  Street  Rail- 
way Company.  He  acted  in  that  capacity 
until  1875,  and  in  1876  he  came  to  Owatonna. 
Mr.  Cook  was  married  in  October,  1855,  to 
Miss  Isabella  Groger,  a  native  of  Hew  'i^ork 
State.  Mrs.  L.  H.  Knobloch,  now  of  St.  Paul, 
is  their  onl}'  child.  Our  subject  was  elected 
mayor  of  Owatonna  in  1881,  and  held  that 
office  two  terms.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  democratic  state  central  committee,  or 
congressional  committee,  almost  continuous- 
ly since  he  has  been  in  the  State,  and  was  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Democratic  Conven- 
tion at  Chicago  in  1881:  that  nominated  Gro- 
ver  Cleveland.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Cook  has 
been  present  at  every  Territorial  or  State 
Democratic  convention  as  a  delegate  (save 
two),  since  1857,  and  while  active  as  a  party 
political  manager  has  never  sought  office  for 
himself.  Since  his  residence  here  he  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  all  public  matters, 
and  is  among  the  most  prominent  business 
men  in  this  part  of  tlie  State. 

Edward  W.  Piper,  grocer,  was  born  in 
Monroe  County,  Ohio,  in  1825.  His  father's 
given  name  was  Lewis,  and  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Rogers.  His  people  came 
to  Elgin,  111.,  in  1836,  coming  the  entire  dis- 
tance by  team.  Shortly  afterward  they 
went  to  Mount  Morris,  where  Mr.  Piper  Sr. 
was  engaged  in  wagon-making.  Lewis  Piper 


246 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


died  in  Ogle  Count}',  111.,  aged  eighty-three. 
Our  subject  came  to  Ijaraboo,Wis.  ,in  lSil,and 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  city.  In 
ISfifi  he  came  to  Owatonna.  and  for  thirteen 
years  was  engaged  in  the  grain  business.  In 
1879  he  embarked  in  the  grocery  business. 
He  was  married  March  8,  1857,  to  Miss  Cor- 
nelia Hill,  a  native  of  New  York  State.  Ella, 
now  the  wife  of  Clinton  Dunning,  of  Wis- 
consin, Ada  I.,  deceased,  Edward  A.,  de- 
ceased, and  Arthur  W. ,  who  is  engaged  in 
his  father's  store,  are  their  children's  names. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pi))er  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Mr.  Piper  was 
a  member  of  the  city  council  in  1885-6,  and 
has  otherwise  taken  an  active  and  prominent 
part  in  local  affairs. 

Eri  M.  Twiford,  of  the  firm  of  Twiford  & 
Sperry,  was  born  near  Columbus,  in  Wa^'ne 
County,  Ohio,  in  1852.  When  two  and  a 
half  years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Indiana 
where  they  remained  till  the  fall  of  1861-, 
when  Eri  M.,  in  company  with  his  father. 
Dr.  William  II.  Twiford,  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.  In  1879  he  came  to  Owaton- 
na and  worked  for  the  Diamond  Mill  Com- 
pany. He  then  formed  a  partnership  with 
W.  A.  Dynes  in  the  hardware  business,  and 
later  engaged  in  the  meat  and  provision 
trade.  In  188i  he  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business,  and  the  firm  is  now  doing  a  thriv- 
ing trade.  In  1881  Mr.  Twiford  married 
Miss  Anna  Howard,  a  native  of  Minnesota. 
They  have  two  children,  Edna  and  Guy. 
Mr.  Twiford  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Vet- 
erans ;  is  fii'st  lieutenant  of  company  E,  3d 
Regiment,  State  Militia,  and  is  chief  en- 
gineer of  the  city  fire  department.  An  ex- 
tended biography  of  Mr.  Twiford's  father, 
Dr.  W,  H.  Twiford,  is  presented  in  chapter 
VIII. 

David  W.  Sperrj',  grocer,  of  the  firm  of 
Twiford  &  Sperry,  was  born  in  Chautauqua 
County,  N.  Y.,  October  31, 1838.  Forty-five 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  that  county. 
He  learned  the  tinner's  trade  at  an  early 
age,  and  was  for  many  years  engaged  in  the 


hardware  business.  He  came  to  Owatonna 
in  1884  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
fanning-mills.  In  1885  he  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  in  company  with  Mr.  Twi- 
ford. He  was  married  January  6,  1863, 
to  Miss  Roxie  O.  Lazell.  Albert  L.  and 
Rosa  Bell  are  the  names  of  their  children. 

William  Davidson,  grocer,  was  born  in 
Northumberlandshire,  England,  in  1828.  He 
came  to  America  in  1831,  locating  in  Canada 
West,  He  was  married  in  1856  to  Miss 
Ellen  Hunter,  a  native  of  Canada.  The 
names  of  the  children  born  to  them  are 
Robert  M.,  William  H.,  Isabella  J.  and  Mary 
L.  Mr.  Davidson  came  to  Steele  County  in 
1856,  and  to  Owatonna  in  1858.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  the  retail  grocery  business.  He 
is  a  prominent  member  and  oificer  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  has  in  many  ways 
been  intimately  connected  Avith  the  history 
of  both  city  and  county. 

G.  W.  Chesley,  whose  porti'ait  will  be 
found  on  another  page,  is  the  pioneer  photog- 
rapher of  Steele  County.  Mr.  Chesley  was 
born  in  Waterbury,  Washington  County,  Vt., 
July  19,  1829,  and  remained  there  attending 
school  most  of  the  time,  until  seventeen  years 
of  age.  His  father  was  Enoch  Chesley,  and 
his  mother  Desire  (Ayers)  Chesley,  the  form- 
er of  English,  the  latter  of  Scotch,  descent. 
The  father  died  when  G.  W.  was  seven  years 
of  age,  and  the  mother  in  1862,  at  Water- 
bury.  G.  W.  Chesley  began  life  for  himself 
when  seventeen,  going  to  Geneva,  N.  Y., 
where  he  entered  the  gallery  of  a  Frenchman 
to  learn  the  old-time  daguerreotype  business. 
That  was  before  the  time  of  photography, 
when  pictures  were  mounted  on  coi)per  or 
silver  plate.  He  continued  in  that  business 
for  one  year,  and  then,  in  1853,  canie  west, 
accompanied  by  a  younger  brother,  who  had 
learned  the  business  at  the  same  time.  They 
located  at  Watertown,  Wis.,  and  fitted  up  a 
gallery  with  a  chemical  and  apparatus  sales- 
room in  connection,  remaining  there  four 
years.  In  the  meantime  G.  W.  had  bought 
his  brother's  interest,  and  in  1857  he  sold 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


249 


the  establishment  and  removed  to  Monmouth, 
111.,  where  he  again  opened  a  gallery.  After 
about  one  year,  being  afflicted  with  ague,  he 
sold  out,  and  for  nearly  two  yeai's  gave  up 
business  and  traveled  extensively  through  dif- 
ferent parts  of  tlie  Northwest  to  regain  his 
health.  In  the  fall  of  ISflO,  he  came  to  Owa- 
tonna  and  established  the  lirst  gallery  in 
either  Steele  or  Waseca  counties,  since  which 
time  this  has  been  Ills  home.  Shortly  after  the 
war  broke  out  he  arranged  a  photographic 
outfit  and  accompanied  the  army  through 
the  South,  taking  photogra]3hs  of  various  bat- 
tle-fields, regiments  and  companies.  When 
the  war  closed,  in  the  spring  of  1865,  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Steele  County,  and  lias 
since  carried  on  an  extensive  business  at  his 
photograph  gallery.  In  1879  he  erected  the 
fine  brick  block  of  which  he  now  occupies  the 
second  story,  while  J.  L.  Saxton's  dry  goods 
house  occupies  the  first  fioor.  Mr.  Chesley 
was  married  March  22,  1856,  to  Miss  Ellen 
E.  George,  a  native  of  Vermont.  They  have 
three  children, :  George  L.,  Walter  A.  and 
Elouisa.  In  1885  Mr.  Chesley  erected  a 
building  and  fitted  up  a  photograph  gallery 
at  Pipestone  City,  Minn.,  which  his  eldest 
son,  George  L.,  now  conducts.  Mr.  Chesley's 
gallery  at  Owatonna  now  turns  out  some  of 
the  finest  and  most  artistic  photograph  and 
cabinet  work  that  can  be  obtained  anywhere 
in  the  State.  Nearlv  all  of  the  engravings  in 
the  Steele  County  department  of  this  volume, 
were  made  from  photos  taken  in  his  estab- 
lishment. 

Hon.  John  Shea,  ex-mayor  and  popular 
clothing  merchant  of  Owatonna,  is  a  self- 
made  man,  and  a  true  type  of  the  western 
pioneer,  standing  six  feet  high  and  weighing 
225  pounds.  He  is  always  pleasant,  jolly 
and  agreeable,  and  one  of  the  most  generally' 
popular  men  in  the  county.  He  takes  great 
interest  in  any  enterprise  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  interests  of  the  city,  and  has  in 
manjr  ways  taken  an  active  part  in  public 
matters.  Mr.  Shea  was  born  in  Joliet,  Will 
County,  IlL,  in  1839.     When  six  months  old 

15 


his  parents  removed  to  Hartland,  McHenry 
County,  111.,  then  on  the  frontier,  and  there 
John  was  raised  with  an  abundance  of  hard 
work,  but  with  very  poor  facilities  for  school- 
ing. He  had  the  misfortune  of  losing  his 
mother  at  the  age  of  ten  years,  but  with  the 
assistance  of  his  eldest  sister,  his  father  was 
able  to  keep  the  family' — consisting  of  three 
boys  and  three  girls — together  until  they 
were  young  men  and  women.  In  1856  his 
father  sold  out,  and  witli  his  family  removed 
to  Berlin  Township,  Steele  County,  Minn, 
and  located  on  a  farm.  After  spending  two 
winters  there,  John,  being  of  an  adventurous 
disposition,  concluded  to  find  a  warmer  cli- 
mate to  winter  in,  and  therefore  managed 
to  spend  his  winters  in  the  South,  and  return 
each  summer  to  help  his  father.  When  the 
Indian  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  in  the  First 
Minnesota  Mounted  Eangers,  and  partici- 
pated in  all  the  battles  and  incidents  of  the 
expedition,  until  there  were  no  hostile  Indians 
left  in  the  State.  He  was  mustered  out  with 
the  regiment,  went  home  and  helped  his 
folks  until  the  spring  ol  1866,  when  he  was 
taken  with  the  -'gold  fever,"  which  was  then 


raging  throughout  the  West. 


Rigging   up 


an  ox-team,  with  a  good  supply  of  provisions, 
he  joined  Col.  Holmes  and  other  parties  at 
the  foot  of  the  "  Kotas,"  where  they  organ- 
ized in  order  to  protect  themselves  from  the 
Indians,  and  Mr  .Shea  was  elected  captain,  a 
position  which  he  filled  competently,  as  lie 
was  experienced  in  organizing  against  the 
redskins.  The  party  was  ninety-two  days 
in  reaching  Helena,  Mont.,  where  they  dis- 
banded. Mr.  Shea  being  a  "  tenderfoot," 
encountered  many  adversities,  but  beins' 
possessed  of  sta^^ing  qualities,  he  finally  dis- 
covered a  mine,  from  which  he  made  a 
"stake."  After  spending  eight  years  in  the 
mines  of  Montano  and  Idaho,  in  1874  he 
returned  to  the  "  States"  to  visit  his  folks; 
but  upon  reaching  Steele  County,  the  country 
had  so  developed,  and  l^ecome  so  attractive, 
he  concluded  to  remain  a  few  years. 
He  bought  a  half  interest  in  the  Parcher 


250 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


1 


House,  at  Owatonna,  and,  after  running  it 
for  six  months,  bought  the  whole  of  the 
pi'operty,  and  rented  it  for  five  years.  Then, 
being  at  hberty  to  trj^  some  other  business, 
the  first  thing  to  present  itself  was  a  stock 
of  bankrupt  clothing  brought  in  from  Beloit, 
"Wis,,  valued  at  $15,000,  He  bought  the 
stock  and  took  W.  L.  Winslow  in  as  a  part- 
ner. This  firm  continued  for  three  years, 
when  Mr.  Siiea  bought  his  partner's  interest, 
and  has  since  continued  the  business,  liaving 
become  one  of  the  leading  clothing  men  of 
the  State.  ]\Ir.  Shea  was  married  in  1879 
to  Miss  Kate  Deviny,  who  added  to  his  hap- 
piness the  comforts  of  a  home.  They  have 
a  famih'  of  two  boys  and  two  girls.  Mr. 
Shea  was  elected  maj'or  in  1874,  and  served 
one  term.  When  the  reader  visits  Owatonna 
it  will  be  to  liis  interest  to  call  and  make  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  Shea,  as  he  is  awake  to 
the  wants  of  the  human  family,  and  takes 
great  delight  in  selling  them  clothing,  cheap. 

A.  J.  Katz,  of  the  clothing  firm  of  Katz 
&  Co.,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1866.  He 
came  to  Baltimore  ip  1881,  where  he  clerked 
for  his  uncle  in  a  dry  goods  establishment 
for  a  year  and  a  half;  thence  to  Washington, 
D.  C,  where  he  remained  six  months,  and 
in  1883  went  to  Davenport,  Iowa.  In  Jan- 
uary, 1887,  he  came  to  Minnesota,  and  in 
company  with  H.  Katz,  of  Chicago,  pur- 
chased the  stock  of  A.  Apple.  By  square 
dealing,  and  selling  an  excellent  class  of 
goods  at  the  lowest  living  profits  the  firm 
have  built  up  a  large  and  increasing  tratie. 
They  are  very  reliable  men  to  deal  with. 

Michael  S.  Quiggle,  dealer  in  farm  ma- 
chinery, was  Ijorn  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio, 
in  183-1-,  and  in  1843  went  to  Green  Lake 
County,  Wis.  He  learned  the  blacksmith 
trade  with  his  father.  In  1857  he  came  to 
Minnesota,  locating  in  Waseca  County,  and 
came  to  Owatonna  in  1858.  He  was  married 
in  1861  to  Miss  Lucinda  J.  Hammond.  Lillie 
L.  and  Ettie  M.  are  their  children's  names. 
Mr.  Quiggle  does  an  extensive  business  in 
his  line. 


John  E.  Buxton,  dealer  in  farm  machinery, 
and  member  of  the  Minnesota  Transfer 
Implement  Company,  was  born  in  St.  Law- 
rence, August  5,  1823.  His  parents  moved 
to  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  when  he  was 
twelve  years  old,  and  there  his  father  died 
in  1843.  In  1844  he  moved  to  Columbus, 
Wis.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  wagons,  carriages  and  plows.  In 
1864  he  came  Avest  to  Winona,  and  three 
months  later  to  Owatonna,  where  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in  the  machinery  and 
liardware  trade.  He  was  married  in  July, 
1848,  to  Miss  Eunice  T.  Ingrahani,  a  native 
of  New  York,  who  died  on  March  30, 
1877,  of  ajioplexy.  Mr.  Buxton  has  for 
years  been  closely  identified  with  the  business 
interests  of  the  city,  and  is  to-day  among  the 
most  prominent  and  widely  known  citizens 
of  the  county. 

Rufus  H.  Cliapin,  dealer  in  farm  machinery, 
was  born  in  Solon,  Cortland  Count}',  N.  Y., 
in  1826.  In  1870  he  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming  for  four 
years.  Mr.  Chapin  was  married  in  1849  to 
Miss  Abigail  S.  Putnam,  a  native  of  Truxton, 
Cortlanil  County,  N.  Y.  They  have  three 
children:  Byron  P.,  Mary  L.  and  Frank  H., 
the  two  latter  residing  at  present  in  Dakota. 
Mr.  Chapin  has  been  a  member  of  tiie  Bap- 
tist Church  since  1855,  and  is  one  of  the 
leading  business  men  of  the  city. 

Jacob  Newsalt,  city  justice,  was  born  in 
Prussia  in  March,  1838.  When  ten  years 
of  age  he  came  to  New  York  Cit\',  where  he 
remained  until  seventeen,  when  he  came 
west  to  La  Crosse,  Wis.  In  1864  he  came  to 
Owatonna  and  embarked  in  the  mercantile 
business.  In  1878  he  sold  out  and  engaged 
in  the  real-estate  business,  which  he  still  con- 
tinues in  connection  with  loans  and  insur- 
ance. Mr.  Newsalt  is  an  Odd  Fellow  ;  in 
1881  was  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge 
of  Minnesota,  and  in  1887  was  elected  Grand 
Representative  to  the  Sovereign  Grand 
Lodge.  He  is  also  a  Mason,  and  is  Master 
of  Owatonna  Lodge,  No.  26,  Ancient  Order 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


251 


of  United  Workingmen.  On  June  2i,  1866, 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Josephine  Kubat,  a 
native  of  Austria.  George,  Annie  L.,  Mabel 
M.,  Jessie  F.  and  Gracie  A.,  are  their  chil- 
dren's names.  Mr.  Newsalt  is  the  present 
city  justice,  and  has  made  one  of  the  best 
judicial  officers  the  city  of  Owatonna  has 
ever  had. 

Hon.  Herman  H.  Eosebrock,  dealer  in  fur- 
niture, carpets  and  undertaking  goods,  was 
born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  November  10, 
1838.  In  18.58  he  came  to  America,  locating 
in  Brookl^'n,  N.  Y.,  where  he  clerked  in  a 
grocery  store.  He  then  came  to  Indianap- 
olis, where  he  was  engaged  in  the  grocery 
business  for  six  years.  He  attended  the 
Agricultural  College  at  Ebstorf  for  some 
time.  In  1865  he  came  to  Owatonna,  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  and  engaged  in  the  butcher- 
ing business  for  one  year,  after  which,  in 
1869,  he  embarked  in  the  furniture  business, 
and  now  carries  on  an  extensive  business  at 
his  store  on  Bridge  street.  Mr.  Eosebrock 
was  married  in  1864  to  Miss  A.  Dinnijes,  a 
native  of  Prussia.  Carl  is  the  name  of  their 
only  child.  Mr.  Eosebrock  is  a  member  of 
Blue  Lodge  Chapter  and  Commandery  in 
the  Masons,  and  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Commandery.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Lower  House  of  Legislature,  serving  two 
terms,  from  1879  to  1882,  and  made  a  cred- 
itable and  satisfactory  record. 

Frederick  Deutschraann,  furniture  dealer 
on  Bridge  street,  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1825.  He  came  to  America  in  1S54,  locat- 
ing in  Chicago,  where  he  remained  a  short 
time.  He  then  moved  to  Davenport,  Iowa, 
then  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  engaged  in  mak- 
ing show-cases  for  two  years.  In  1860  he 
returned  to  Davenport,  where  he  remained 
till  1879,  when  he  removed  to  Colorado, 
locating  in  Denver.  In  1880  he  came  to 
Steele  County,  where  he  has  since  lived.  Mr. 
Deutschmann  was  married  in  November, 
1878,  to  Susana  Letrig,  a  native  of  Germany. 
They  have  three  children :  Lilly,  Ada  and 
George. 


"William  Mork,  dealer  in  boots  and  shoes, 
was  born  in  Denmark  in  1844.  He  came  to 
America  in  1866,  and  imtil  1869  resided  in 
Chicago.  He  then  came  to  Owatonna  and 
worked  as  a  journeyman  until  1871,  when  he 
embarked  in  business  for  himself.  In  1880 
he  erected  the  building  which  he  now  occu- 
pies and  where  he  is  doing  a  flourishing  busi- 
ness. He  was  marrieil  in  1871  to  Miss  Cor- 
nilia  Oleson.  The  fruits  of  this  union  are 
the  following  named  children:  Annie,  Lily, 
William  and  Ella.  Mr.  Mork  is  a  Mason  and 
also  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

George  L.  Forsythe,  of  the  firm  of  Boice  & 
Forsythe,  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  County, 
N.  Y.,  in  1849.  He  came  west  to  Steele 
County  in  1877  and  formed  a  partnership 
with  Mr.  Boice  in  the  meat-market  business. 
He  was  married  on  February  22,  1873,  to 
Miss  Delcina  Boice,  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  who  died  December  6,  1883.  Mr. 
Forsythe  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  His  firm  do  a  thriving  business, 
and  is  rated  among  the  substantial  business 
firms  of  the  city. 

John  Cottier,  merchant  tailor,  was  born 
on  the  Isle  of  Man  in  1826.  He  learned 
tailoring  in  his  native  home  and  came  to 
America  when  twenty-two  years  of  age, 
locating  in  Cattaraugus  County,  N.  Y.  In 
July,  1865,  he  came  to  Owatonna  and  opened 
a  tailor  shop,  which  for  a  number  of  years 
was  the  only  one  in  the  village.  He  is  now 
doing  an  extensive  business.  Mr.  Cottier  is 
one  of  the  leading  Odd  Fellows  of  the  city 
and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  was  married  in  September,  1848, 
to  Miss  Ann  Griffin,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  State.  Their  children's  names  are 
Elizabeth  A.,  James  B.,  Lilly  V.,  Joseph  P., 
Ellen  S.,  Frederick  G.  and  Eugene  C.  His 
wife  died  in  1882,  and  he  was  again  married 
in  February,  1884,  to  Mary  Millner,  a  native 
of  New  York,  born  in  1834.  They  \v'ere 
married  in  Baraboo,  Wis. 

N.  W.  Hanson  was  born  in  Denmark 
May  5,  1855 ;  he   lived  there  until  twenty 


252 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


years  of  age,  then  went  to  Norway  and 
Swetlen  and  worked  at  the  tailor's  trade  for 
two  }'ears.  He  returned  to  Copenhagen  and 
there  learned  the  cutter  s  trade,  after  which 
he  went  to  Wadsoe,  Norway,  to  take  charge 
of  a  tailoring  establishment.  Tliere  he 
remained  a  3^ ear  and  a  half;  then  returned 
liome,  and  six  months  later  returned  again 
to  Wadsoe.  Here  he  was  married  May  5, 
18S1,  he  being  twenty-six  years  of  age  on 
this  day.  Eight  days  later  he  and  his  wife 
started  for  America  and  landed  in  Philadel- 
piiia  June  25,  1881.  From  there  they  went 
to  Rochester,  Minn.,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  for  about  three  years,  then  came  to 
Owatonna  and  started  tlie  tailoring  estab- 
lishment whicli  he  still  runs.  The}'  have 
had  born  to  them  three  children  :  Engebor 
Marie,  Ivnute  Kare  and  Agnes  Begito. 

Fridolin  Coll,  dealer  in  millinery  goods, 
was  born  in  Germany  in  1838.  His  parents 
came  to  America  with  him  in  18-18,  stopping 
in  New  York  City  for  a  time  ;  thence  to  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  and  later  to  Indiana.  They  came 
to  Minnesota  in  1855,  locating  at  Chatfield 
for  a  year.  In  1856  he  removed  to  Faribault, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1861  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany G  First  Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantrj'. 
With  his  company  he  participated  in  the 
battles  of  Winchester,  Yorktown,  Bolivar 
Heights,  Ciiancellorville,  under  Hooker ; 
Bristow  Station,  Fair  Oaks,  Gettysburg  and 
Antietam,  the  seven  days'  fight  in  falling 
back  from  Richmond,  and  also  Malvern  Hill, 
Virginia,  and  was  discharged  on  the  19th  of 
May,  186-):.  He  was  married  in  September 
of  the  same  year  to  Miss  Margaret  J.  Deiahl. 
The  names  of  the  chiklren  born  to  them  are 
Albert  T.,  Emma  L.  and  Fridolin  W.  Mr. 
Boll  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  all  matters  of  a  public  nature. 

Frank  M.  Bauter,  druggist,  was  born  in 
Steuben  County,  N.  Y.,  in  18-ti;  but  his 
fatlier  moved  with  the  family  to  St.  Joseph 
County,  Mich.,  in  an  early  day.  Our  sub- 
ject enlisted  in  1861  in  Company  E,  Eleventh 


Michigan  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served 
twenty  months  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion. 
During  the  battle  of  Stone  River  he  was 
wounded  in  the  right  arm,  which  was  sub- 
sequently amputated.  In  1871  he  graduated 
from  the  State  Nornial  School  at  Ypsilanti, 
Mich.,  after  which  he  taught  school  for  a 
number  of  years.  He  first  began  the  drug 
business  at  Lawrence,  Mich.,  and  in  1880 
came  to  Owatonna.  He  was  married  in  1873 
to  Miss  Cornelia  E.  Rowe,  a  native  of  Iowa. 
Their  children's  names  are  Winnefred,  Helen 
and  Marion  Francis. 

Christian  Peterson,  druggist,  was  born  in 
Denmark  in  1857,  and  came  to  America  in 
1872.  He  resided  three  years  in  New  Jersey, 
when  he  moved  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  thence 
to  Clinton,  la.  He  entered  the  commercial 
department  of  the  Ann  Arbor  University, 
also  attended  medical  college  one  term  there; 
then  went  to  Detroit,  and  from  there  to 
Rochester,  Minn.,  where  he  remained  two 
years  and  a  half  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness. He  then  was  located  in  Blooming 
Prairie  for  three  years,  and  in  1884  settled 
in  Owatonna,  where  he  is  still  in  business, 
carrying  a  large  stock  of  drugs.  He  was 
married  in  1883  to  Miss  Anna  M.  Johnson. 
Alvin  C.  and  Ella  J.  are  their  children's  names. 
Mr.  Peterson  was  chosen  county  coroner  in 
January,  1886,  and  stiU  holds  the  office  ;  also 
has  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  in 
the  third  ward  for  one  year. 

William  Gausewitz  came  to  Owatonna 
October  18,  1884,  and  bought  the  drug  busi- 
ness of  Mr.  Stoughton,  and  has  since  that 
time  been  engaged  in  the  drug  business  here. 
Mr.  Gausewitz  is  a  native  of  Reedsville,  Wis. 
His  parents  are  Carl  and  Amelia  Gausewitz, 
natives  of  Germany,  who  are  now  living  in 
Milwaukee,  Wis.  William  remained  with  his 
parents  until  thirteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
learned  the  drug  business  and  has  since  been 
engaged  in  his  profession. 

George  Clark,  superintendent  of  Laird, 
Norton  &  Co.'s  lumber  yards,  was  born  in 
Bradford  County,  Penn.,   in    1848.    He  was 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


253 


engaged  in  various  pursuits  until  1872,  when  he 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business.  He  went  to 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  was  in  the  employ  of 
Shaw  &  Co.  until  1885,  when  he  came  to 
Owatonna.  lie  was  married  in  1879  to  Miss 
Lucy  A.  Kiehle,  sister  to  the  State  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction  of  Minnesota. 
Their  children's  names  are  Walter  and  Mil- 
dred. 

Mclndoe  S.  Alexander,  of  the  lumber  firm  of 
Alexander  Bros.,  was  born  in  Portage  County, 
Wis.,  in  1855.  His  father,  John  Alexandei', 
resides  near  Wausau,  Wis.,  and  furnishes  for 
the  Alexander  Stewart  Lumlier  Company. 
Our  subject  came  to  Owatonna  in  1883,  where 
he  in  company  with  his  brother  carries  on  a 
branch  yard  for  that  company.  He  was 
married  in  March,  1887,  to  Miss  Carrie  A. 
Murray. 

Jacob  Z.  Barncard,  lumber  dealer,  was 
born  in  Franklin  County,  Pa.,  in  1842.  In 
1843  his  parents  moved  with  their  family  to 
Greencastle,  Ohio,  residing  there  three  years ; 
thence  to  Decatur,  Ind.,  where  they  remained 
ten  years.  Our  subject  came  to  Rochester, 
Minn.,  in  June,  1855,  where  he  remained  until 
1867.  In  18(51  he  enlisted  in  company  B, 
Second  Minnesota  A'olunteer  Infantry,  and 
after  seiwing  three  j^ears  he  re-enlisted  in  the 
First  Minnesota,  and  was  made  first  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  I.  He  served  six  months 
in  that  regiment.  In  1867  he  came  to  Meri- 
den,  Steele  County,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  grain  business,  and  later  to  Owatonna. 
He  was  married  in  1870  to  Miss  Hattie  E. 
McCall,  a  native  of  Wisconsin.  Ora  Z., 
Winnefred,  Lois  and  Daisy  are  their  children's 
names.  Mr.  Barncard  is  a  Knight  Templar 
and  a  prominent  member  of  James  A.  Good- 
win Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Lars  Peterson,  foreman  at  J.  Z.  Barn- 
card's  lumber  yard,  was  born  in  Februarj', 
1842.  He  came  to  America  in  1862,  locating 
in  Freeborn  County,  Minn.,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years,  then  came  to  Owatonna, 
and  was  employed  by  Crooker  &  Franklin 
in    the     lumber    business.      He    afterward 


worked  for  Graham  &  Co.,  then  for  C.  H. 
Randall,  and  finally  entered  the  employ  of 
Mr.  Barncard.  Mr.  Peterson  was  married 
in  1802  to  Miss  Sophia  Christianson.  They 
have  four  children :  Annie,  Emma,  Walter 
and  Adelia.  Mr.  Peterson  is  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church  and  also  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen. 

George  W.  Caward,  wood  and  coal  dealer, 
was  born  in  England  in  1842.  When  he  was' 
still  a  child  his  parents  came  to  America, 
locating  in  Ontario  County,  IST.  Y.  He  was 
in  that  State  until  1867,  when  he  came  to 
Whitewater,  Wis.,  where  he  embarked  in  the 
grain  and  stock  business.  For  nine  3' ears  he 
was  conductor  on  the  Milwaukee  &  Prairie 
Du  Chien  Railroad,  and  subsequently  came 
to  Cresco,  Iowa,  and  was  engaged  in  the  dry 
goods  business  there  for  two  years,  after 
which  became  to  Owatonna  in  1875.  After 
coming  here  he  ran  the  omnibus  line  for 
eight  years,  and  finalh^  sold  out  to  Gage  & 
Giddings.  Mr.  Caward  was  married  in  1866 
to  Miss  Rosetta  Kinney.  Neil  is  the  name 
of  their  only  son. 

William  A.  Dynes,  retired  merchant,  was 
born  in  Warren  County,  Ohio,  in  1844. 
When  only  six  years  old  his  parents  came  to 
Delaware  County,  Ind.  In  1863  he  enlisted 
in  Company  B,  Seventh  Indiana  Cavalry, 
and  was  discharged  March  16,  1866,  after 
serving  nearly  three  years.  He  then  came 
to  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  to  attend  Brj^ant  & 
Stratton's  Commerci;il  College,  from  which 
he  graduated.  In  July,  1866,  he  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  in  Somerset 
Township.  He  remained  there  five  3'ears, 
and  then  engaged  in  the  hardware  business 
at  Owatonna.  In  1876  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  which 
office  he  has  since  held  with  the  exception  of 
one  year.  In  company  with  Mr.  Burdick 
in  1878,  he  built  the  Diamond  steam  mill.  Mr. 
Dynes  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  also  of  the  James  A. 
Goodwin  Post,  No.  81,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.     September  10,  1866,  Mr.  Dynes 


254 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


was  married  to  Miss  Abigail  E.  Twifonl. 
They  have  live  children  :  Willis  M.,  Ina  A., 
Ella  B.  and  Eva  M.  (twins),  and  Albert.  Mr. 
Dynesisamember  of  the  Universalist  Church, 
and  is  among  the  prominent  citizens  of  the 
city. 

S.  S.  Greene,  grain  dealer,  came  to  Owa- 
tonna  in  186(>,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
Winona  and  St.  Peter  Eailroad  Co.,  as  clerk 
at  the  depot  for  some  seven  years.  In  1875 
lie  went  into  the  grocery  business,  remaining 
in  that  for  three  or  four  3'ears,  and  in  1ST8 
engaged  in  the  grain  trade,  which  he  still 
continues.  Mr.  Greene's  name  appears  fre- 
quently in  these  pages,  particularly  in  con- 
nection with  the  histor}'  of  the  city  fire 
department,  of  which  he  was  chief  engineer 
for  a  number  of  years. 

T.  R  Medd,  D.  D.  S.,  was  born  in  Dane 
Conntv,  Wis.,  in  1852.  His  father  was  a 
preacher  of  the  Methodist  Episco])al  denom- 
ination, and  has  been  stationed  at  various 
places  throughout  Wisconsin.  T.  R.  Medd 
studied  dentistry  under  a  practitioner  in 
Sparta,  Wis.,  and  in  the  fall  of  1874 
came  to  Owatonna  and  followed  his  pro- 
fession for  about  one  year.  He  then  at- 
tended the  Phihadelphic  Dental  College,  and 
graduated,  after  wiiich  he  returned  to  Owa- 
tonna, where  he  iias  since  had  a  lucrative 
practice.  Dr.  Medd  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Order,  and  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows. 

Dr.  Alexander  C.  Searl,  dentist,  was  born 
in  Cattaraugus  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1850. 
When  he  was  ten  years  old  his  parents 
came  to  Owatonna,  Minn.,  and  a  year  later 
moved  upon  a  farm  northeast  of  tiie 
city.  His  father  lived  upon  that  place  two 
years,  and  then  moved  back  to  the  city.  In 
1878  he  settled  in  Lemond,  and  remained 
there  until  1882,  when  he  returned  to 
Owatonna,  where  his  death  occurred.  Dr. 
Searl's  mother  is  still  living.  In  the  fall 
of  1871  the  subject  of  this  sketch  went  to 
Sinclairville,  N.  Y  ,  where  he  spent  three 
years  in  the  dental  office  of  Dr.  A.  A.  Stone, 


and  in  the  spring  of  1875  he  opened  a  dental 
office  in  Owatonna  in  company  with  Dr. 
Mcintosh,  now  of  Chicago.  He  later  at- 
tended the  Pennsylvania  Dental  College, 
graduatingand  receiving  his  diploma  in  1883. 
Dr.  Searl  was  marrietl  in  May,  1884,  to  Miss 
Hattie  Sewell,  a  native  of  Wisconsin. 

John  N.  Hammel,  contractor  and  builder, 
was  born  in  Wurtembui'g,  Germany,  in  1823. 
He  came  to  America  in  1854,  and  for  a  time 
made  his  home  in  Washington  County,  Wis. 
He  learned  the  carpenter's  trade  in  the  old 
countrv,  and  has  folloAved  it  all  his  life.  He 
came  to  Owatonna  in  18fi4,  and  has  erected 
a  large  number  of  the  linest  dwellings  and 
business  houses  in  the  city  ;  among  these  are 
Germania  hall,  high  school  building,  Web- 
er's block,  three  cottages  connected  with 
the  State  Indigent  School,  W.  H.  Kel- 
ly's store  building  and  Oppliger's  resi- 
dence, Mork's  store,  Theinier's  store,  P. 
Ganser's  brewery  and  residence,  and  many 
others.  Mr.  Hammel  was  married  in  the 
old  country  in  1853  to  Miss  Marj'  Steigauf, 
a  native  of  Germany.  John,  Matilda,  Lou- 
isa and  Louis  are  the  names  of  their  children, 
lie  is  a  prominent  member  of  Goethe  Lodge 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  as  will 
be  seen  by  reading  the  history  of  that  lodge. 

George  W.  Shaw,  carpenter,  was  born  in 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  July  30, 1823.  He  came  west 
to  Faribault,  Minn.,  in  May,  1856,  and  in  Oc- 
tober of  the  same  3' ear  came  to  Owatonna. 
lie  erected  some  of  the  first  buildings  in  the 
village,  among  them  being  the  old  Eureka 
House.  He  was  married  in  1849  to  Miss 
Catharine  J.  Knapp,  a  native  of  New  York. 
Their  children  are  Elmer  E.  and  Dell  B. 
Mr.  Shaw  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church.  He  is  among  the  most  prom- 
inent workers  in  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fel- 
low orders  in  the  city,  and  his  name  is  indis- 
solubl}'  connected  with  the  histor}'  of  the  lo- 
cal lodges  of  these  societies. 

W.  H.  Burdick,  contractor  and  builder, 
came  to  Steele  County  in  1865,  and  located 
in  the  then  village  of  Owatonna,  putting  in 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


255 


a  sash,  door  and  blind  factory  and  planing 
mill.  Mr.  Burdick  ran  that  business  for 
some  time,  and  finally  sold  out,and  has  since 
followed  contracting  and  building,  chiefly  in 
Owatonna,  but  in  ISTO  went  to  Minneajwlis 
and  took  contracts  there.  Mr.  Burdick  is  a 
native  of  Vermont,  born  June  27,  1834^.  His 
parents  were  William  and  Cynthia  Burdick. 
They  moved  to  New  York  when  William 
was  quite  young,  remaining  until  1855,when 
they  came  to  Monroe  County,  Wis.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  William  was  apprenticed  to 
the  carpenter  trade  for  three  j^ears,  after 
which  he  followed  contracting  for  two  years, 
and  in  1855  he  went  to  Sparta,  Wis.,  and  en- 
gaged in  contracting  and  building.  While 
there  he  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Ingels.  They 
have  four  children:  Fred.  L.,  Carl  J.,  Ger- 
trude A.  and  Orvill  H. 

J.  D.  Holden  came  to  Owatonna  in  1869 
and  opened  the  first  cooper  shop  in  the  city. 
He  remained  in  the  business  until  1885,when 
his  health  failed,  and  he  turned  the  business 
over  to  his  son,  G.  D.  Holden.  J.  D.  Hol- 
den was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  but 
left  there  while  young,  and  with  his  father's 
family  went  to  New  York,  remaining  there 
until  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  when  they 
removed  to  Appleton,  Wis.,  and  engaged  in 
the  cooper  business.  He  remained  there  un- 
til the  war  broke  out,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  D,  Twenty-first,  Wisconsin,  and 
served  three  years,  being  in  twenty-one  en- 
gagements, and  following  Sherman  in  his 
memorable  march  to  the  sea.  Mr.  Holden  nev- 
er received  a  wound,  nor  lost  a  day  through 
illness,  during  his  long  service.  After  receiv- 
ing his  discharge,  he  returned  to  Milwaukee 
and  remained  there  two  years ;  from  thence 
he  went  to  Winona,Minn., remaining  one  year, 
when  he  came  to  Owatonna  and  remained 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  November,  1886.  Mr.  Holden  was  mar- 
ried, while  in  New  York,  to  Miss  Olive  En- 
terton.  She  died  some  j^ears  later,  leaving 
two  children,  Laura  and  George.  Mr.  Hol- 
den was  married  again  in  1865  to  Mrs.  Mary 


J.  Howe,  who  still  lives  in  Owatonna. 

George  D.  Holden  was  born  in  New  York 
in  1857.  He  remained  with  his  father  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to 
Richmond,  Ind.,  where  he  remained  one 
year.  The  two  succeeding  years  he  trav- 
eled as  a  musician.  Later  he  went  to  Elgin, 
111.,  and  for  three  years  worked  in  the  watch 
factory,  and  from  there  came  to  Owatonna, 
where  he  has  since  lived. 

Hosea  F.  Luce,  harness  dealer,  was  born 
in  Bridgewater,  Windsor  County,  Vt.,  in 
1832.  When  twenty-nine  years  of  age 
he  came  west  to  Wisconsin,  locating  in 
Ripon.  In  1866  he  removed  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  settling  in  Owatonna,  where 
he  opened  a  harness  shop.  He  is  ward  jus- 
tice of  the  first  ward,  which  office  he  has  held 
since  1877.  Mr.  Luce  was  married  March 
13,  1855,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  A.  Harding,  a 
native  of  Vermont.  Thev  have  five  children: 
Chas.  E.,  Frank  F.,  Harry  II.,  George  W. 
and  Grace  V.      Mr.  Luce  is  an  Odd  Fellow. 

Charles  E.  Luce,  son  of  Hosea  F.,  was 
born  in  Woodstock,  Vt.,  in  1856.  He 
was  married  on  the  12th  of  September,  1877, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Y.  Allen,  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin. He  is  the  present  recorder  of  the 
city  of  Owatonna. 

Charles  Bower,  harness  dealer,  was  born 
in  New  York  State  February  16,  1850. 
He  came  west  to  Dane  County,  Wis.,  learned 
the  harness  trade  at  Cross  Plains,  and  came  to 
Minnesota  in  1870.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  worked  at  journe}'  woi'k  in  the  differ- 
ent towns  of  the  State.  He  opened  business 
for  himself  in  Owatonna  in  the  spring  of 
1875,  and  is  still  doing  a  good  business.  He 
was  married  in  the  spring  of  1880  to  Caro- 
line Erdmann.  Their  children  are  Mary, 
Wilhelmena,  Caroline  and_Laura. 

Carl  Zamboni,  gun  and  ammunition 
dealer,  was  born  in  Switzerland  in  1811.  He 
came  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1868  and  worked 
at  his  trade  two  years  in  that  city.  He 
came  to  Owatonna  in  1870,  and  now  carries 
a  splendid  stock  of  everything  in  his  line. 


25  fi 


HISTORY    OF    STKKI.E    COUNTT. 


He  was  married  in  1868  to  Miss  Mary  Tome. 
Their  children's  names  are  Erail,  Willie, 
Sylve  and  Eddie. 

William  H.  Hill,  glove  and  fur  dealer, 
was  born  in  Lewis  County,  N.  Y.,  in  184:2. 
He  came  to  Illinois  with  his  father's  family 
in  ISJrC),  and  in  18-t8  came  to  Baraboo,  Wis. 
In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Third 
Wisconsin  Cavalry.  This  regiment  partici- 
pated in  the  battles  of  Shiloh,  Balls  Bluff, 
Snow  Hill,  Ci'ooked  Creek,  Taperville,  second 
Bull  Ilun,  besides  many  minor  engagements. 
Mr.  Hill  was  discharged  October  14, 
186,5,  and  in  the  following  year  came  to 
Owatonna,  where  he  woi'ked  at  various  pur- 
suits until  1873,  when  he  engaged  in  his 
present  business.  He  was  married  in  1865 
to  Miss  Carrie  E.  Sahlor,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who  died  in  1881.  He  was  again 
married  in  1886  to  Miss  Emma  Dike.  The 
names  of  his  children  are  William  H.  G., 
Birdie  L.  and  Lottie  D. 

James  W.  Gillett,  dealer  in  flour  and  feed, 
was  born  in  Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1850. 
In  1854  the  family  came  west  to  Dodge 
County,  Wis.  Our  subject  came  to  Owa- 
tonna in  1862,  and  here  received  his  educa- 
tion. When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  went 
into  the  dairy  business,  and  followed  it  eight 
_years,  and  then  embarked  in  the  flour  and 
feed  business.  He  was  married  in  1871  to 
Miss  Eliza  Ring,  a  native  of  Maine.  The 
names  of  the  children  boi'n  to  them  are  Ida, 
Ira,  Wallace  and  Pearl. 

The  Crawbuck  brothers  are  natives  of 
New  York  City.  Both  their  father  and 
grandfather  were  born  there.  Their  grand- 
father was  a  sui'geon  in  the  United  States 
army  during  the  War  of  1812,  and  died  in 
the  South,  of  yellow  fever.  Their  father 
served  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion  as  a  pri- 
vate in  Company  I,  One  Hundred  and 
Seventy-sixth  N.  Y.,  of  Brooklyn,  and  was 
killed  in  the  battle  of  Brashears  City.  The 
brothers  remained  in  New  York  until  the 
spring  of  1874,  when  they  came  to  Owa- 
tonna and  followed  painting  for  two  years, 


when  they  returned  to  New  York  City, 
remaining  one  year.  They  again  came  to 
Owatonna,  and  later  went  to  St.  Paul  and 
pursued  their  business  of  ])ainting  there 
for  four  years ;  then  returning  to  Owa- 
tonna, started  a  paint-shop,  which  they  con- 
ducted for  two  years.  They  then  removed 
to  Oakland,  Cal.,  Avhere  they  remained  two 
years,  returning  to  Owatonna  in  the  fall  of 
1886,  since  which  time  this  has  been  their 
home. 

Fred.  R.  Rosskopf,  liveryman,  was  born  in 
Washington  County,  Wis.,  in  1853.  When 
Fred,  was  twelve  years  old  his  parents  moved 
to  Waupun,  AVis.,  and  six  years  later  to  New 
Ulm,  IMinn.  Fred,  came  to  Owatonna  in 
1875,  and  in  Ma3%  1887,  succeeded  George 
Gage  in  the  livery  business.  His  barn  is 
opposite  the  Arnold  House,  and  is  a  tii-st- 
class  establishment  in  every  department. 

R.  Deininger  came  to  Owatonna  in  1874 
and  woi'ked  at  the  blacksmith  trade  until  the 
following  year,  when  he  opened  a  sho))  for 
himself,  and  has  continued  in  that  business 
since  that  time,  doing  all  kinds  of  custom 
and  repair  work.  In  1886  Mr.  Deininger 
]iut  in  a  stock  of  plows,  and  added  to  his 
blacksmith  shoji  a  wagon  department,  where 
he  carries  on  the  manufacture  of  all  kinds  of 
wagons  for  local  trade  and  also  doing  repair 
work.  Mr.  Deininger  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  November  24,  1849.  He  re- 
mained in  his  native  country  until  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, locating  in  Wisconsin  for  two  years. 
From  there,  in  1874,  he  came  to  Owatoima. 
Mr.  Deininger  isamember  of  the  Odd  Fellows, 
both  of  Subordinate  Lodge  and  Encamp- 
ment, having  filled  all  the  different  offices 
in  each  lodge,  and  at  present  is  S.  W.  of  the 
Encampment.  He  was  raai'ried  in  1876  to 
]\Iiss  IVIary  Fritze,  of  Steele  County.  They 
have  four  children  :  Maggie,  Amelia,  Katie 
and  Robert,  all  living  at  home. 

Charles  F.  Smith,  blacksmith,  was  born 
in  Saxony,  Germany,  in  1846.  He  caine  to 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  in   1854,  and  to  Owatonna 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


2n7 


in  1868,  where  he  opened  a  blacksmith  shop. 
He  was  married  in  187-±  to  Miss  Annie  Engel. 
Mary  is  the  name  of  their  only  child.  Mr. 
Smith  is  a  member  of  tlie  Masonic  order. 

Homer  E.  Wardwill,  blacksmith,  was  born 
in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  in  1847.  When  four 
years  old  he  was  brought  by  his  parents  to 
Sauk  County.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  the 
Sixth  Wisconsin  Artillery,  serving  eleven 
months  with  that  regiment.  He  then  reen- 
listed  in  Company  K,  Twenty-third  Wisconsin 
Infantry,  and  was  mustered  out  July  4, 1865, 
at  Mobile,  Ala.  He  was  married  in  1868  to 
Miss  Eliza  Wilson.  The  children  born  to 
them  are  Minnie  E.,  Mary  E.  and  an  infant 
child.  Mr.  Wardwill  is  a  member  of  the 
James  A.Goodwin  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic. 

The  job  printing  office  of  J.  E.  Winship 
was  established  in  March.  1886,  by  J.  E. 
Winship  and  others  under  the  firm  name  of 
J.  E.  Winship  &  Co.,  and  was  carried  on 
under  that  firm  name  until  the  spring  of  1887, 
when  Mr.  Winship  l)onght  out  the  other 
partners  and  is  now  the  sole  proprietor.  Mr. 
Winship  does  all  kinds  of  job  work,  having 
as  well  a  fitted  office  as  is  usually  found  in 
the  large  cities.  The  office  is  equipped  with 
an  engine  of  six-horse  power  to  run  the  ma- 
chinery. J.  E.  Winship  is  a  native  of  Owa- 
tonna,  born  here  in  July,  1863.  His  parents 
were  Nathaniel  and  Emily  P.  Winship. 
When  fifteen  years  of  age  J.  E.  Winship  en- 
tered the  printing  establishment  of  Johnson, 
Smith  &  Harrison,  in  Minneapolis,  where  he 
remained  for  one  \'ear,  when  his  health  failed 
and  he  returned  home  for  a  year.  Later  he 
went  to  St.  Paul  and  took  charge  of  the 
printing  department  of  Noyes  Bros.  &  Cut- 
ler, wholesale  tlruggists,  for  three  years.  He 
returned  to  Owatonna  in  the  fall  of  1885, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1886  ojiened  his  present 
business. 

John  Chambers  came  to  Steele  County  in 
1856,  in  company  with  his  brother  Frank. 
They  took  up  government  land  on  sections 
29   and  32   in  the   town   of  Havana,  each 


taking  160  acres.  After  securing  their  land 
they  returned  to  Illinois  and  remained  there 
until  1860,  when  thej'  came  back  to  Steele 
County,  arriving  here  July  4.  They  brought 
with  them  from  Kane  County,  111.,  two 
hundred  and  forty  head  of  sheep,  forty  head 
of  cattle,  twenty-one  head  of  horses  and  three 
hogs,  driving  them  all  the  way  and  being 
three  weeks  and  four  days  on  the  road.  In 
1861,  they  moved  ujion  their  farms,  Frank 
Chambers  remaining  on  his  until  the  spring 
of  1883,  when  he  went  to  Puget  Sound,  Wash. 
Ter.  John  Chambers  remained  on  his  farm 
until  1876,  when  he  lost  his  wife  and  moved 
into  the  city  of  Owatonna.  He  remained  in 
the  city  for  two  years,  \vhen  he  bought  an- 
otherfarm  nearthecity,  and  moved  upon  that, 
remaining  four  years,  when  he  sold  the  farm 
which  he  lived  on  and  again  returned  to  the 
city.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Chambers  has 
been  in  the  stone  quarry  and  wood  business. 
He  is  a  native  of  Cattaraugus  County,  N.  Y., 
born  October  3,  1830.  His  parents  were 
Alexander  and  Sarah  Chambers.  Mr.  Cham- 
bers remained  with  his  parents  until  twenty- 
four  jea.rs  of  age,  when  he  went  to  New  Or- 
leans and  remained  there  for  six  months,  and, 
then  returned  to  his  old  home  in  New  York. 
In  1855  he  went  to  Illinois  and  remained  there 
until  1860  (excepting  his  visits  to  this  State), 
when  he  moved  to  this  county.  Mr.  Cham- 
bers was  married  in  1859  to  Miss  Orinthia 
Babcock,  of  Illinois.  She  died  in  1876.  They 
had  six  children  born  to  them  :  Gertrude,  born 
September,  1860,  died  December  30,  1861  ; 
Andrew,  born  February  14,  1862,  died  Au- 
gust 1,  1868;  Ella,  born  September  16,  1864  ; 
Sarah,  born  December  27,  1865,  died  August 
1, 1868  ;  Alexander,  born  March  7, 1869,  died 
February  7,  1871,  and  Laura,  born  April 
7,  1871.  Mr.  Chambers  was  married  again 
March  14,  1877,  to  Amanda  A.  Patten,  of 
Steele  County.  The}^  have  one  child,  an  in- 
fant. 

Sylvester  McNitt  is  a  native  of  Jefferson 
County,  N.  Y.,  born  August  27,  1822.  His 
parents    were  James   and  Sarah  (Lindsay) 


258 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


McNitt.  Sylvester  remained  in  his  native 
State  until  twenty-two  years  of  age,  when 
he  removed  to  Kane  County,  111.,  remaining 
there  about  eleven  years,  when  he  again 
started  west,  traveling  with  team  from  Kane 
County,  111.,  to  Steele  Countj%  Minn.;  being 
two  months  on  the  way,  and  landing  in 
Clinton  Falls  Township  June  24,  1855.  He 
claimed  government  land  on  section  24, 
where  he  remained  from  that  time  until 
1882,  when  he  moved  into  the  city  of  Owa- 
tonna,  where  he  now  lives.  Mr.  McNitt  in 
company  with  Abraham  Earnhardt  cut  the 
first  road  from  what  is  called  East  Prairie, 
to  Owatonna,  in  the  winter  of  1857,  and 
made  the  first  wagon-track  from  what  was 
then  called  Elwood  to  the  village  of  Clinton 
Falls,  which  is  up  to  this  day  called  the  "old 
McNitt  road."  At  this  time  Mr.  McNitt 
kept  a  few  sheep,  and  had  to  go  to  Decorah, 
Iowa,  to  get  their  carding  done,  that  being 
the  nearest  mill.  When  he  first  located  on 
the  farm  he  built  the  kind  of  house  so  well 
known  to  all  early  settlers,  of  logs,  and  re- 
mained in  that  until  1866,  when  he  erected  a 
fine  brick  house,  which  still  stands,  it  being 
the  first  and  only  brick  house  in  the  town- 
ship. To  give  an  idea  of  prices  in  those  days 
we  give  one  of  the  incidents  of  Mr.  McNitt's 
settlement.  From  Illinois  he  brought  some 
potatoes  to  use  on  the  way,  thinking  to  find 
plenty  for  seed  when  he  got  here ;  but  this 
proved  a  mistake,  so  he  hunted  in  his  wagon- 
box  and  found  a  few  snuiU  ones  that  had  not 
been  used.  These  he  jilanted,  and  from  them 
raised  eighteen  Imshels  of  fine  potatoes. 
The  settlers  of  Owatonna  hearing  of  his 
crop  came  and  offered  as  high  as  $6  per 
bushel  for  them  ;  but  he  knowing  the  scarcity 
concluded  not  to  sell,  even  at  that  price,  and 
the  would-be  purchasers  had  to  return  as 
they  came,  empty-handed.  Mr.  McNitt  was 
married  March  30,  1841,  to  Susan  Smith, 
whose  parents  were  Oliver  and  Eebecca  Van 
Patten  Smith,  of  Jefl'erson  County,  N.  Y. 
Their  union  was  blessed  with  five  children, 
three  of  whom  are  still  living :   Emelia  J., 


now  ]\Irs.  N.  Castle,  of  Wolcott.  Rice  County  ; 
Henrietta,  now  Mrs.  J.  P.  Atwater,  of  the 
town  of  Clinton  Falls ;  and  Clara  R. ,  now 
Mrs.  Jos.  Ring,  of  the  town  of  Medford. 

L.  C.  Woodman  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  in  November,  1859,  and  purchased  a 
farm  on  section  5,  in  the  township  of  Owa- 
tonna. He  remained  upon  that  for  some 
six  years,  when  he  sold  it,  and,  in  company 
with  M.  Gould,  purchased  a  tract  of  land 
on  section  33,  Clinton  Falls  Township,  where 
they  ran  a  lime-kiln  for  one  year.  Mr.  Wood- 
man then  sold  his  interest  to  his  partner 
and  removed  to  Owatonna.  built  a  home,  and 
lived  there  for  one  year ;  then,  purchasing  the 
farm  and  lime-kiln  referred  to,  he  conducted 
that  lousiness  for  a  year,  after  which  he  gave 
his  attention  to  farming,  and  remained  there 
until  1882,  when  he  sold  out  and  again  re- 
turned to  the  city  of  Owatonna  and  bought 
a  home  on  Oak  street.  A  year  later  he 
moved  into  the  western  part  of  the  city, 
where  he  has  since  been  living  more  of  a 
retired  life.  For  a  time  he  was  in  the  wood 
trade,  and  now,  in  addition  to  a  light  real- 
estate  business,  he  loans  money,  having 
accumulated  a  comfortable  fortune.  Mr. 
Woodman  is  a  native  of  New  Hampshire, 
and  was  born  March  1,  1825.  He  remained 
at  home  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when 
he  went  to  Massachusetts,  remaining  about 
seven  months ;  then  went  to  Michigan,  where 
he  spent  two  years.  Returning  to  New 
Hampshire  and  spending  the  winter,  he  then 
went  back  to  Massachusetts,  where  he  put 
in  three  seasons.  In  tlie  meantime  he  had 
purchased  a  farm  in  New  Hampshire  and 
farmed  it  on  his  own  account  for  three  or 
four  years,  when  he  rented  his  place,  and 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  town  of  Canaan, 
Grafton  County,  N.  H.,  taking  care  of  the 
poor  for  four  years.  The  following  sum- 
mer he  spent  in  Massachusetts,  and  then,  as 
has  been  stated,  he  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.  Mr.  Woodman,  during  the  many 
j'ears  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county, 
has  always  been  active  and  prominent   in 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


259 


public  matters,  and,  in  tlie  heavy  taxes 
which  he  pays,  besides  always  being  willing 
to  contribute  to  worthy  enterprises,  does 
his  full  share  in  the  support  of  public  insti- 
tutions and  in  building  up  and  developing 
the  city.  Shortly  after  he  came  here  he  was 
chosen  supervisior  of  Owatonna  Township, 
and  held  that  office  for  two  terms,  and  after 
moving  to  Clinton  Falls  he  was  elected 
supervisor  a  number  of  times,  and  held  the 
office  of  assessor  for  four  years,  besides 
other  local  offices  of  trust,  although  he  is 
not  a  politician.  He  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  cause  of  education.  Having  lived 
here  for  nearly  thirty  3'ears  lie  has  a  wide 
acquaintance,  and  has  many  warm  friends 
among  the  substantial  old  settlers  of  the 
counties.  Mr.  Woodman  is  a  deacon  in,  and 
a  member  of,  the  Baptist  Church,  having 
joined  that  denomination  some  twent}'  years 
ago.  We  take  pleasure  in  presenting  a 
portrait  of  Mr.  Woodman  elsewhere  in  this 
volume. 

Oliver  Abernethy  came  to  Steele  County 
in  1864  and  rented  a  farm  in  the  town  of 
Meriden,  remaining  there  for  two  years.  In 
1865  he  "claimed"  eighty  acres  of  govern- 
ment land,  and  in  the  spring  of  1886  moved 
onto  it.  In  1868  he  bought  141  acres  adjoin- 
ing his  original  property,  making  a  farm  of 
221  acres.  He  lived  there  until  1879,  when 
he  rented  his  farm  and  removed  to  Meriden 
Station,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business  for  four  years.  In  1883  he  sold  liis 
farm  and  also  the  property  at  Meriden  Sta- 
tion, and  located  in  Owatonna.  Mr.  Aber- 
nethy was  justice  of  the  peace  for  twelve 
successive  years  while  on  his  farm  in  Meri- 
den Townsiiip,  and  the  first  year  in  Owaton- 
na he  was  appointed  to  the  same  office  to  fill 
a  vacancy.  The  next  year  he  was  elected, 
but  refused  to  qualify.  Since  that  time  Mr. 
Abernethy  has  been  dealing  somewhat  in 
real  estate,  but  lives  a  rather  retired  life.  Mr. 
Abernethy  was  born  in  Scotland  July  19, 
1815,  and  lived  in  his  native  country  until 
the  age  of  sixteeen,  when  he  went  to  Eng- 


land and  made  that  his  home  until  the  fall 
of  1840.  During  this  time  he  led  a  seafar- 
ing life.  He  then  came  to  Canada,  where  he 
was  laid  up  in  the  hospital  for  three  months 
from  severe  injuries  received.  The  next  two 
years  he  spent  in  Montreal,  fitting  vessels 
for  the  sea,  and  in  1842  he  came  to  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  where  he  lived  for  seven  years. 
In  1849  he  came  to  Milwaukee,  and  went  into 
the  mercantile  trade,  but  was  soon  burned 
out,  and,  not  having  any  insurance,  was  un- 
able to  start  again.  He  went  to  work  at 
carpentering,  remaining  in  Milwaukee  for 
three  years ;  then  was  at  Janesville  for  one 
3'ear ;  thence  to  Belleville,  where  he  remained 
until  1864,  when  he  came  to  Owatonna  as 
has  been  stated.  Mr.  Abernethy  is  an  old 
settler  and  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of 
the  county. 

J.  C.  Backus,  retired  business  man,  is  a 
native  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  was 
born  in  1829.  He  remained  in  his  native 
State  until  twenty -two  years  of  age,  when  he 
came  west  and  located  in  Columbia  County, 
Wis.,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  devot- 
ed his  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits 
until  1865,  when  he  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  and  located  in  the  then  village  of 
Owatonna.  In  company  with  a  Mr.  Ward  he 
opened  a  lumber  yard.  About  one  year 
later  Mr.  Backus  purchased  his  partner's  in- 
terest, and  soon  afterward  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  brother,  Hiram  Backus.  This 
firm  was  finally  succeeded  by  Crooker 
Brothers.  J.  C.  Backus  then  engaged  in  the 
grain  trade,  and  after  cai'i'ving'  on  a  success- 
ful  business  for  eight  years,  sold  his  elevator, 
and  has  since  been  retired  from  business. 

Hon.  Myron  A.  Fredenburg,  tleceased,  was 
a  native  of  Schoharie  Count}^  town  of  Gil- 
boe,  N.  Y.,  born  in  1826.  He  remained  in 
his  native  State  until  1874,  when  he  came  to 
Owatonna,  Minn.  AVas  married  in  1858 
to  Miss  Gertrude  Major,  of  New  Jersey.  In 
1862  he  went  into  mercantile  trade  in  Jef- 
fersonville,  Sullivan  County,  N.  Y.,  and  re- 
mained  there   in   trade  until  he  came   to 


260 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


Owatonna.  After  Mr.  Fredenburg  came  to 
this  city  he  opened  a  grocery  store  and  re- 
mained in  that  business  for  five  years.  In 
1877  was  elected  mayor  of  city,  and  held  the 
office  for  two  terms,  and  afterward  was 
elected  city  justice  two  terms.  He  then 
held  the  office  of  justice  for  the  second  ward 
for  five  years,  or  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  March  29,  1887.  For  some 
time  previous  to  his  death  he  had  been  in  the 
msurance  business.  Mr.  Fredenburg  was 
an  earnest  Christian,  having  joined  the 
Presbyterian  Church  while  quite  j^oung, 
and  was  appointed  deacon  of  that  church 
while  still  in  New  York.  After  coming 
here  he  joined  the  Congregational  Church, 
and  was  deacon  of  that  denomination 
at  the  time  of  his  death.  In  his  younger 
days  Mr.  Fredenburg  followed  teaching, 
making  that  his  business  for  some  six 
years.  He  was  a  poor  boy  when  he  be- 
gan life  for  himself,  but  by  economy  and 
frugality  accumulated  a  competency,  leavmg 
ample  means  for  his  family,  which  consists 
of  wife  and  four  children  :  Carrie,  Milton, 
Gertrude  and  Hiram.  Carrie  married  S.  S. 
Hotclikiss,  and  now  lives  in  Chicago.  Mil- 
ton is  married  and  lives  in  Minneapolis.  The 
other  two  are  still  at  home  with  their 
motiier. 

John  N.  Travis,  a  wealthy  retired  citizen 
of  Owatonna,  has  led  an  eventful  and  active 
life.  He  was  born  in  New  London  County, 
Conn.,  in  1826 ;  came  to  Illinois  in  1848 ; 
crossed  the  plains  in  1849  as  wagon-master 
of  a  train.  Starting  from  St.  Joseph,  Mo., 
sometime  in  April,  they  crossed  tlie  Missouri 
about  forty  miles  above  St.  Joe  in  a  flatboat; 
were  five  days  in  crossing  into  Nebraska, 
there  being  at  that  time  no  white  inhabit- 
ants on  the  route  taken  to  Fort  Kearney, 
about  200  miles  distant,  and  only  at  the 
forts  and  Salt  Lake  City,  between  the  Mis- 
souri River  and  the  Sacramento  Valley,  2,300 
miles.  They  were  without  water  for  almost 
two  days  between  tiie  Ilumbolt  Rivei*  and 
Black  Eock  Hot  Springs.     Mr.  Travis  saw  an 


Indian  shoot  an  emigrant's  ox  with  arrows  at 
Pitt  River,  and  landed  in  the  Sacramento 
Valley  in  October,  having  been  alx)ut  six 
months  on  the  road.  He  was  in  the  mines 
and  valleys  something  over  three  years,  and 
was  once  surrounded  bj'  Indians  m  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains.  He  returned  to  Con- 
necticut by  way  of  San  Diego,  Acajiulco, 
Panama  and  island  of  Jamaica  to  New  York, 
in  1853 ;  was  taken  with  Panama  fever  after 
returning,  Avhich  broke  him  down,  and  he 
has  been  an  invalid  ever  since.  He  returned 
to  Chicago,  and  was  in  the  mill-stone  manu- 
facturing business  with  an  uncle  and  brother 
for  a  year  or  more,  ami  then  came  to  Minne- 
sota in  1855  on  a  prospecting  tour.  He  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  and  the  next  spring  (1856) 
brought  a  nursery  stock  to  Owatonna  of 
60,000  root  grafts,  with  cuttings  and  shrub- 
bery. He  was  in  Hastings  on  this  trip,  and 
witnessed  a  "Sioux  scalp  dance"  a  few  days 
after  the  Indian  battle  near  Shakopee.  Upon 
arriving  here  Mr.  Travis  took  a  claim  a  few 
miles  from  Owatonna,  where  he  erected  a 
house  and  did  some  breaking.  His  nursery 
was  the  first  in  Steele  County.  Then,  as  Mr. 
Travis  afterward  wrote :  "  Thinking  I  had 
tlie  world  by  the  he^Is  in  tlie  nursery  line,  I 
thought  it  time  to  get  married ; "  and  he 
therefore  returned  to  Illinois  in  September, 
1857,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  A. 
Miller  at  Ottawa,  111.  She  was  born  in 
Huntington  County,  Pa.,  in  1827,  and 
with  her  parents  had  removed  to  Illinois  in 
1848.  They  have  had  four  children,  three 
of  them  now  alive :  Annie  F.,  born  in  Chi- 
cago; Charles  Jay,  born  in  Milwaukee,  and 
Mattie  E.,  born  in  Owatonna.  They  re- 
turned to  Owatonna  in  May,  1857,  moved 
onto  their  land,  and  commenced  farming. 
The  AVinebago  Indians  were  quite  plenty  in 
those  days,  and  Mrs.  Travis  was  very  much 
afraid  of  them,  especially  as  once  in  the 
night  at  about  2  o'clock  tliey  were  awakened 
and  found  three  big  fellows  standing  by 
tlieir  bed.  The  nursery  proved  a  failure. 
The  second  year,  in  February,  a  thaw  and 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


261 


violent  freeze  destroyed  the  whole  outfit, 
and  in  the  fall  Mr.  Travis  and  family  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  and  went  into  the  mill- 
stone business  again  in  Chicago.  He  saw 
the  first  four  companies  of  thirty-day  Illi- 
nois State  troops,  armed  mostly  with  shot- 
guns (as  the  city  had  not  enough  rifles),  de- 
part for  Cairo.  That  year  they  removed  to 
Milwaukee,  and  he  took  charge  of  the  mill- 
stone department  of  the  Reliance  works  of 
E.  P.  Allis  &  Co.,  and  was  witii  tlie  company 
some  five  or  six  years.  He  again  lost  his 
health,  so  that  the  doctors,  as  he  states,  "  to 
get  him  ofl:  their  hands,"  sent  him  again  to 
Minnesota,  where  he  has  since  lived — eleven 
years  on  his  farm  and  nine  j'ears  in  town. 
He  has  invented  twelve  different  labor-saving- 
machines,  but  has  but  few  of  them  patented. 
He  crossed  the  plains  again  in  1883,  and  was 
landed  in  four  days  at  San  Francisco  from 
the  Missoui'i  River,  making  the  distance 
in  about  176  days'  less  time  than  in  1849, 
and  returned  in  about  two  months  by  way 
of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  Olympia, 
Portland  and  Spokane  Falls,  and  staged  it 
from  Missoula  to  Helena  over  the  Rockies, 
finally  coming  home  by  way  of  St.  Paul. 
He  has  been  in  nearly  all  the  States  and 
Territories,  and  Canada,  Mexico,  Central 
America  and  the  West  Indies. 

D.  C.  Adams  came  to  Owatonna  in 
November,  1872,  and  went  into  the  business 
of  loan  broker  and  real-estate  agent.  In 
1879,  in  addition  to  that  business,  he  put  in 
a  stock  of  furniture,  and  remained  in  that 
line  for  about  a  year.  Witliin  the  last  few 
years  he  has  invested  considerable  money  in 
loans  and  real  estate  in  Minneapolis,  which 
is  under  the  control  of  an  agent.  Mr.  Adams 
is  a  native  of  Vermont,  but  when  quite 
young-  went  to  Massachusetts,  and  later 
became  propietor  of  a  large  hotel  at  Hol- 
yoke  in  that  State.  He  remained  in  that 
business  a  number  of  years,  and  when  he 
gave  that  up  came  to  Owatonna,  Minn.,  as 
has  been  stated.  Mr.  Adams  is  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  wealthy  citizens  of  the 


city,  and  has  in  man}'^  ways  been  jjrominent 
in  the  various  projects  and  enterprises 
advanced  to  build  up  the  city  and  county. 

J.  S.  Austin  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
in  1864,  and  located  in  Havana  Townshij). 
He  bought  a  farm  on  section  7  and  lived 
there  for  three  years,  Avhen  he  sold  out, 
came  to  Owatonna,  and  went  into  the  grain 
trade.  In  1870  he  went  to  Havana  Sta- 
tion, built  an  elevator,  and  in  addition  to  his 
gi-ain  trade  engaged  in  the  general  mercan- 
tile business.  He  remained  there  until  the 
fall  of  1885,  Avhen  he  returned  to  Owatonna, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  living  a  retired 
life.  Mr.  Austin  is  a  native  of  New  York, 
born  in  1833.  His  parents  were  Wm.  S.  and 
Hannah  Austin,  —  his  father  a  native  of 
Vermont  and  his  mother  of  New  York.  Mr. 
Austin  lived  in  his  native  State  until  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  when,  with  his  father's 
family,  he  removed  to  Green  Lake  County, 
Wis.  Remaining  there  until  1856,  he  then 
went  to  Omaha,  Neb.,  where  he  remained 
two  years,  when  he  again  returned  to  Wis- 
consin, living  there  until  1864.  Mr.  Austin 
was  made  a  Master  Mason  in  1856,  and  has 
always  remained  in  good  standing  with  the 
order. 

P.  Brennan  came  to  Owatonna  in  August, 
1866,  at  that  time  having  charge  of  laying 
the  track  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railroad.  Later  he  moved  his  family 
to  the  city,  where  they  have  remained.  Mr. 
Brennan  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  but  came  to 
the  State  of  Ohio  in  an  early  date,  and  com- 
menced working  for  a  railroad  company  in 
1850  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  as  a  track-layer. 
He  remained  there  until  1855,  when  he  went 
to  Milwaukee  and  commenced  on  the  Lake 
Shore  ;  later  he  came  to  Owatonna.  He  has 
been  an  extensive  railway  contractor,  and 
been  identified  with  many  of  the  leading 
roads  in  the  West. 

Andrew  Bryson  came  to  Steele  County  in 
1877,  and  bought  a  farm  within  tlie  city  limits 
of  Owatonna,  where  he  has  since  lived.  Mr. 
Bryson  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  in  1852. 


262 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    CODNTY. 


His  parents  were  William  and  Eliza  Brvson, 
who  still  live  in  Scotland.  Andrew  Bryson 
left  home  when  fourteen  years  of  age  and 
came  to  New  York,  where  lie  learned  the 
harness-maker's  trade.  Later  he  opened  a 
shop  for  himself,  but  had  to  give  up  his 
trade  on  account  of  failing  eye-sight.  He 
then  came  west  to  get  a  farm  and  located  in 
Owatonna.  He  now  has  a  farm  of  130  acres, 
seventy  acres  of  which  are  in  the  city  limits. 
Mr.  Bryson  was  married  in  1876  to  Miss 
Ida  J.  Parment,  of  New  York. 

Rev.  Reuben  Washburn  was  born  in  Essex 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  182-1.  He  entered  the 
ministry  in  1816  and  labored  in  the  Troy 
Conference  until  1868,  when  he  came  west 
to  Dundas,  Minn.,  where  he  took  the  pastor- 
ate of  that  church.  Since  that  time  he  has 
been  stationed  at  Owatonna,  Spring  Valley, 
Eyota,  Castle  Rock,  Zumbrota  and  Grand 
Meadow.  He  now  resides  in  Owatonna,  and 
has  retired  from  the  ministry  after  a  long 
life  of  usefulness.  He  was  married  in  1849 
to  Miss  Harriet  A.  Wright,  who  died  in 
March,  1870.  He  was  married  in  July  fol- 
lowing to  Annie  Bi'undige.  Their  chil- 
dren's names  are  Emma  J.,  Wilbur  W.,  Chas. 
D.  and  John  W. 

Maj.  J.  W.  Burch  was  born  in  Otsego 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1833.  When  he  was  five 
years  old  his  parents  came  to  Steuben 
County,  Ind.,  where  he  was  brought  u])  on  a 
farm.  He  came  to  Owatonna  in  1855  and 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1860  he  returned 
to  Indiana  and  enlisted  in  Company  A,  For- 
t3'-fourth  Indiana  Volunteer  Infantr3^  This 
regiment  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Donald- 
son, Shiloh,  Corinth,  Perryville,  Stone  River, 
Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge  and  Nashville, 
besides  numerous  skirmishes.  Our  subject 
was  promoted  to  second  lieutenant ;  at  Stone 
River,  on  June  12,  1863,  was  made  cap- 
tain of  Comi)any  A,  and  in  1861  was  made 
major  of  the  regiment.  He  was  mustered 
out  September  25,  1865.  He  was  married 
m  1886  to  Miss  Matilda  Freygang.  He  is 
adjutant  of  James  A.  Goodwin  Post,  Grand 


Arm}'  of  the  Republic,  at  the  present  time. 

William  II.  Montgomery,  furniture  dealer, 
was  born  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  in 
1834.  When  eighteen  years  of  age  he  came 
west  to  Wisconsin,  and  came  to  Minnesota 
in  1853,  locating  near  Hastings.  When  he 
arrived  there,  there  were  500  Sioux  Indians 
encam])ed  on  the  river  bottom.  He  was  the 
fourteenth  person  (west  of  the  river)  in  Min- 
nesota to  preempt  land,  and  was  a  jui'or  at 
the  first  court  held  in  Dakota  County.  He 
came  to  Steele  County  in  1865,  and  carried  on 
a  farm  in  Meriden  Township  until  the  fall  of 
1871,  -when  he  came  to  Owatonna;  was 
engaged  in  the  butcher  business  until  1880, 
when  he  embarked  in  the  hardware  business 
in  company  with  W.  A.  Dynes.  The  firm 
closed  out  tlieir  business  in  1887.  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery was  married  in  1860  to  Miss  Diana 
Boice,  a  native  of  New  York  State.  Nora 
I.  is  tiie  name  of  their  only  child.  Mr.  Mont- 
gomery is  now  carrying  on  the  furniture 
business,  being  located  under  the  Opera 
House. 

Philo  Bliss  was  born  in  1830  in  Groton, 
Tompkins  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  spent  the 
early  part  of  his  life.  He  attended  the  acad- 
emy in  Cortland  County,  N.  Y.,  and  was 
engaged  in  farming  and  milling  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old.  In  1858  he  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  in  Owatonna, 
and  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1871.  In 
1877  lie  engaged  in  the  book  and  stationery 
business,  and  continued  until  the  summer  of 
1887.  Mr.  ]]iiss  was  married  April  7,  1858, 
to  Miss  Charlotte  E.  Franklin,  a  native  of 
New  York  State. 

Peter  Mallinger,  retired  hotel-keeper,  was 
born  in  Luxemburg,  Holland,  in  1836.  He 
came  to  America  in  1855,  locating  in  Mil- 
waukee. In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Company 
F,  Ninth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
for-  four  and  a  half  years  was  engaged  in 
the  frontier  warfare  which  raged  on  the 
borders  of  the  Indian  Territory,  Arkansas, 
Kansas,  and  Missouri.  In  1864  he  reen- 
listed  in  Company  K,  Forty-eighth  Wiscon- 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


263 


sin  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  until  the 
close  of  the  war  as  second  lieutenant  of  his 
company.  He  was  married  in  1867  to  Cacilio 
Buchstor.  Their  children's  names  are  Annie, 
Minnie,  Adolph,  Gustaf,  Charles  and  Mary. 
He  is  a  member  of  James  A.  Goodwin  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

Adolphus  Town  was  born  in  Washington 
County,  Vt.,  in  1805.  There  he  lived  with 
his  parents  until  the  age  of  twenty-eight 
years.  When  twenty-six  j^ears  old  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Rebecca  Simmons.  They  were 
blessed  with  eleven  children,  six  boys  and 
five  girls,  all  of  whom  are  living  but  three, 
and  one  is  now  a  resident  of  Owatonna.  Im- 
mediately after  leaving  home  he  went  to 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  some 
time,  then  moved  to  Sandusky,  O.  After 
this  he  went  to  Mei'rian,  Merrian  County, 
Ind.,  and  there  bought  a  farm  ;  then  sent  to 
Sandusky  for  his  wife  and  two  children. 
While  there  the  first  winter  he  taught  a  sub- 
scription school.  In  1835  he  was  ordained 
as  Baj)tist  minister,  and  followed  this  calling 
until  a  few  years  ago,  when  he  met  Avith  an 
accident,  being  struck  on  the  head  with  a 
stoae,  injuring  his  brain.  Mr.  Town  is  one 
of  Steele  County's  first  settlers,  having  come 
here  in  August,  1855,  and  his  name  figures 
quite  prominently  in  the  early  history  of  tlie 
city. 

H.  C.  Yarchow,  traveling  salesman  for 
Buxton  &  Jones,  came  to  Owatonna  in  May, 
1881,  and  since  that  time  has  been  traveling 
for  the  above-named  farm  implement  and 
machinery  firm  through  Minnesota  and  Da- 
kota. Mr.  Yarchow  is  a  native  of  Prussian 
Germany,  born  in  1847.  He  came  to  this 
country  in  1851  with  his  parents,  who  settled 
in  Cook  Countj^,  111.,  and  remained  there 
three  years,  when  they  went  to  Monroe 
County,  Wis.,  where  they  now  reside.  H.  C. 
Yarchow  remained  with  his  parents  until 
the  fall  of  1875,  and  since  that  time  has  been 
in  the  machine  business,  making  Winona, 
Minn.,  headquarters  for  several  years  before 
he  came  to  Owatonna. 


George  Mitchell  came  to  Steele  County  in 
1857  and  took  up  government  land  on  section 
4,  town  of  Summit,  where  he  remained  until 
1860,  when  he  moved  into  the  village  of 
Owatonna.  He  remained  here  until  the  spring 
of  1865,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  second 
organization  of  the  First  Minnesota,Company 
F,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
then  returned  to  Owatonna,  and  the  follow- 
ing spring  went  into  the  lumber  trade,  and 
has  remained  in  that  business  most  of  the 
time  since.  Mr.  Mitchell  now  has  a  farm  of 
sixty -six  acres  (all  of  which  is  in  the  city  lim- 
its), which  he  cultivates  in  connection  with  his 
other  business.  Mr.  Mitchell  is  a  native  of 
Scotland,  born  November  30,  1833.  His 
parents  were  Alexander  and  Annie  Murdock 
Mitchell.  He  remained  in  Scotland  until 
twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to  Can- 
ada, remaining  there  three  years  ;  then  start- 
ed for  the  West,  arriving  at  Owatonna  in 
April,  1857.  He  was  married  in  1860  to  Miss 
Bolinda  Watson.  They  have  two  children  : 
George  Alexander  and  Charles.  Geo.  A.  is 
now  married,  and  Charles  is  home  with  his 
parents. 

Henry  P.  G.  Sander  was  born  in  Hano- 
vei',  Germany,  in  1843.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1873  and  located  in  Madison,  Wis., 
where  he  workeil  at  his  trade  as  a  baker  one 
year.  In  1874  he  started  in  business  for 
himself  at  Columbus,  Wis.  He  came  to 
Minnesota  a  few  years  later,  locating  in 
Owatonna,  where  he  carried  on  an  extensive 
business  in  his  line — baker  and  confectioner. 
He  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Riekman.  The  names  of  their  children  in 
the  order  of  their  ages  are  Hieno,  Dora,  Ru- 
dolph and  Hedwig. 

LIQUOE  DEALERS. 

The  first  saloon  in  Owatonna  was  started 
in  1856  by  a  couple  of  brothers  named  Sher- 
wood. 

We  here  present  biographical  sketches  of 
all  the  most  prominent  liquor  dealers  of  the 
city,  at  this  writing  : 


ao4 


ItlSTl^KY    OK    SIKKI.K    IXHIN'n". 


Emil  Thoimor.  liquor  doalor.  was  born  in 
Austria  in  IS.'>'_>.  llo  oauio  to  AVatorvillo. 
Lo  Suour  County. .Minn.,  in  lS(>;{,\vith  liis  j>ar- 
onts,  and  tluMV  sj>ont  liis  yontliful  days  on  a 
l'ani\,  attondinji'  soiiool  at  St.  IVtor  iluring 
tlio  wintor  niontlis.  Wlion  sovontoon  yoai's 
of  aijo  iio  wont  to  Faril>ault  ami  ontorod  a 
bixnvorv  t"ortiu>  |)nri>oso  i>t  loarnini;  tlio  ti-ade. 
lie  thon  went  to  Elysian  and  built  a  bivwery, 
wliioli  was  destroyinl  by  tiiv  two  yeai-s  later 
Mr.  riioinier  then  went  to  Faribault,  and 
later  to  St.  Paul,  wlien>  he  aetetl  as  foivnian 
in  Urui^Muan's  bivwery  until  he  eaiue  to 
Owatonna.  lie  has  just  eon»|>letiHl  a  tine 
briek  building  on  Cedar  stivet.  :*2x70  feet  in 
size  and  two  stories  high,  lie  was  niarriinl 
in  1S7.'>  to  Miss  Anna  Misgen,  of  Faribault. 
Their  ehildivn's  names  aiv  Imelda,  Kuiil, 
(ieorgi\  .\llu\a,  Carl  ami  Ilugi>.  Mr.  Thei- 
mer  is  a  pi\>nuuent  member  of  GiH^the 
lAHlgt\  hulepeuilent  (.Mxler  of  OM  Fellows, 
of  the  Ctnuul  L<Hlgi\  and  also  of  Eneuin^v 
nuM\t  No.  4. 

.laeob  Glaeser.  liquor  tlealer.  is  a  native  of 
Wiseonsin,  Ihm'h  theiv  February  7.  IS54. 
liis  jviivnts  weiv  Jaoob  and  Klizabeth  i^Sie- 
beu^  Clae.ser,  both  natives  of  Gennany, 
Jaeob  ,Ir.  start tnl  for  himself  when  sinen- 
ttvn  yenj-s  of  agi\and  olerktHl  in  a  giwery. 
stoiv  in  Sun  Prairie,  ^Yis..  for  four  ami  a 
lialf  yeai-s.  He  then  eaiue  to  .MlnM-t  Lea. 
Minn.,  in  NovenilHM".  1S74;  and  ivmaine<l 
theix"  until  he  eame  to  C>watonna,  in  IS75. 
when  he  engjigtnl  in  his  pivsent  business,  K^ 
ing  in  (.HMnjvmy  with  M.  Miekelsen  for  one 
yeju*.  Mr.  (.ilaeser  then  sold  his  inten»st  in 
that  establishment  to  .Kvseph  llotTman.  ami 
forminl  a  iKutnei-ship  with  IVter  Gansor. 
They  eiwttnl  the  (.termania  hall,  a  briek 
bUvk.  anil  put  in  the  thuvt  etiuipjHHl  and 
furnislunl  billianl  hall  in  this  pju't  of  the 
State.  They  we>v  in  )\\rtnership  for  a  little 
over  ton  y«ir«  when.  July  I.  ISS7.  Mr. 
Glaeser  puix^liasetl  Mr.  Ganser's  inten^st  and 
is  now  sole  pi\^prietor. 

M.  Kyan.  lujuor  dwUer.  eame  to  Sttvle 
(.\>untv.  Minn.,  in  ISS4,  and  KxnUe*l  in  Owa- 


tonna  in  1SS6.  o]H?ning  a  liquor  store  and 
billiard  hall,  and  has  eontinued  in  that  busi- 
ness since.  Mr.  Kyan  is  a  native  of  Indiana, 
and  was  born  in  18r>8.  His  parents  weiv 
.lames  and  Julia  Ryan.  He  ivniained  with 
them  until  twenty-six  yea i"s  of  age,  working 
on  the  farm,  and  then  eauie  to  Steele  County. 
Minn.  Mr.  Kyan  was  marrieil  in  1SS2,  while 
in  Indiana,  to  Miss  Hannah  Jetfei-son.  a  na- 
tive of  that  State.  They  have  two  ehildren, 
Frank  and  Mabel. 

IVter  Tetei-son.  liquor  dealer,  was  born  in 
Denniark  in  IS4S>.  He  eame  to  Ameriea  in 
1870,  locating  at  Faribault.  Minn.  Fixim 
theiv  he  moved  to  Minneapolis,  wheiv  he  iv- 
maintnl  the  yeai-s.  In  1S7!>  he  ivnuneil  to 
New  Kiehland.  Wa.>;ei"a  County,  and  eame  to 
Owatonna  in  May,  1SS7. 

Anton  Helina.  liquor  dealer,  is  a  native  of 
Bohemia,  wheiv  he  was  born  in  1S49.  He 
eame  to  this  country  in  1S(>'2  with  his  p;ir- 
ents.  who  weiv  "NVenzel  and  Jennie  Belina. 
The  family  then  includeil  live  ehildivn.: 
Frank,  .\nton,  ^Venzel.  John  (^who  die*l 
December  lo,  lS8t>).  and  Joseph,  all  of 
whom,  except  John,  still  live  in  Stet^le 
County.  The  father  pnivhastHl  a  farm  in 
thetownsliip  of  Owatonna.  and  like  many 
other  early  settlei"s  found  it  a  haul  struggle 
to  pivvide  for  his  family  and  {>;iy  for  the 
farm ;  but,  by  industry  ami  frugtility,  he 
snectHHled  in  paying  for  his  home,  btvoniing 
one  of  the  thrifty  ami  sul>stantial  citizens  of 
the  township.  He  ivinaintnl  on  the  farm 
until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1884.  and  his 
wife  still  survives  him.  All  of  the  Iwys 
weiv  musicians.  Anton  ivginning  music 
when  only  nine  years  of  age.  Charles  M.. 
one  of  the  bivthers,  is  now  studying  meili- 
eine  with  Pr.  M<.x>ivhouse.  He  l>egan  in 
tlie  spring  of  lS$i».  and  the  following  winter 
attend^  a  course  of  Uvtuivs  at  Dos  Moines. 
He  intends  completing  a  thonnigh  course, 
and  has  gixnl  pri>sjiects  for  the  future. 
Anton,  the  subjtvt  of  this  sketch,  ivmainevl 
with  his  jKiivnts  until  sixteiMi  yeai*s  of  agi>. 
when  he  learnetl  the  wsuron-maker s  trade. 


(f^^'^^yt.fM^ 


HISTOET   OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


267 


following  that  until  18S3,   when  he  opened 
his  present  establishment. 

Joseph  Kubat,  liquor  dealer,  came  to 
Owatonna  in  187-i  and  opened  a  butcher 
shop.  He  carried  on  that  business  for 
eighteen  months.  Later  he  opened  a  liquor 
store  and  billiard  room,  and  has  since  con- 
tinued in  that  business.  Mr.  Kubat  was 
born  in  Bohemia  in  1848.  llis  parents  were 
Anton  and  Annie  Kubat,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  1852,  and  settled  in  Illinois. 
There  they  remained  until  *1851:,  when 
they  came  to  Steele  County,  taking  govern- 
ment land  in  section  2-4,  Owatonna  Town- 
ship, being  among  the  eai'liest  settlers  in  the 
county.  There  were  at  that  time  but  one  or 
two  log  houses  where  now  stands  Owatonna 
City.  They  still  live  on  their  farm.  Joseph 
lived    with   his    parents    until    twenty-four 


*  [This  is  probably  meant  for  "  1856 ' 
Editor.] 


instead  of  "  1854.' 


years  of  age,  when  he  started  in  life  for 
himself  and  worked  on  a  farm  until  1874.  He 
was  married  October  30, 1872,  to  Miss  Annie 
Slezak,  of  Owatonna.  They  have  six  child- 
ren :  "William  A.,  born  November  21,  1873  ; 
Milo  A.,  born  July  29,  1875 ;  Otto  A.,  born 
October  3,  1876 ;  Emel  S.,  born  March 
16,  1879 ;  Joseph  A.,  born  April  5,  1881 ; 
and  Libuse  A.,  born  June  10,  1883. 

Theodore  Fedder,  liquor  dealer,  was  born 
in  Prussia  in  1847.  He  came  to  America  in 
1868,  locating  in  Kichfield,  Wis.,  where  he 
remained  four  years,  after  which  he  came  to 
Owatonna.  Here  he  was  for  seven  years  in 
the  employ  of  Louis  Bion,  in  the  brewery, 
and  in  1878  he  started  in  business  for  him- 
self. In  1867  he  was  married  to  Miss  Eva 
Bartz,  and  their  children's  names  are 
Matilda,  All^ert,  Theodore,  Theresa,  Katie, 
Dora  and  Louis.  Mr.  Fedder  is  a  member 
of  Goethe  Lodge  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


PILLSBURY  ACADEMY  — STATE   SCHOOL  FOE  DEPENDENT  AND 

NEGLECTED  CHILDPtEN. 


[T  the  Baptist  State  convention  held 
at  Rocliester,  in  October,  1874, 
the  committee  on  education,  con- 
sisting of  Rev.  G.  Cole,  of  Red- 
wing, Rev.  J.  W.  Reese,  of  Man- 
kato,  and  Rev.  J.  Rowley,  of  Win- 
ona, reported  in  favor  of  early 
efforts  for  the  establishment  of 
an  institution  of  learning,  the  ajj- 
pointment  of  a  committee  "  to 
receive  proposals  for  the  location  of  a  Baptist 
academy,  and  do  such  other  work  as  in  their 
judgment  they  ma^"  deem  necessary  to  advance 
the  cause  of  higher  education."  Dr.  Geo.  IL 
Keith,  of  Minneapolis,  Rev.  S.  Adams,  of 
Hastings,  and  Rev.  G.  Cole,  of  Red  Wing, 
were  appointed  the  committee. 

At  the  State  Convention  held  in  St.  Paul, 
in  October,  1875,  this  committee  reported 
proposals  for  location  from  Brainerd,  Red 
Wing  and  O  watonna,  and  among  other  things 
said  :  "  We  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  one 
from  Owatonna,  in  view  of  all  considerations, 
is  the  one  it  would  be  for  the  best  interests 
of  the  denomination  to  accept."  The  report 
was  referred  to  a  special  committee  of  live, 
as  follows :  Rev.  E.  AYestcott,  Rev.  J.  Rock- 
wood,  C.  S.  Bryant,  Esq.,  E.  N.  Brown,  Esq., 
and  W.  C.  Durkee,  Esq.  That  the  character 
of  the  report  may  be  better  known,  the  fol- 
lowing extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  State 
Convention  is  here  given  : 

"  The  first  of  the  recommendations  is  that 
a  committee  of  seven  —  one  from  each  asso- 
ciation —  be  appointed,  with  power  to  ex- 
amine the  proposals  received,  and  to  decide 
the  question ;  having  power  also  to  extend 
the  time  for  receiving  such  proposals,  but  not 


beyond  January  1,  1876.  This  was  adopted. 
The  second  recommendation,  that  the  denom- 
ination in  Minnesota  endeavor  to  raise  the 
sum  of  $5U,000  as  an  endowment  of  the  pro- 
posed academy,  was  also  adopted.  The  thii-d 
recommendation  is  that  there  be  a  finance 
Committee  of  seven  —  one  from  each  associa- 
tion— who  shall  have  charge  of  the  whole 
work  of  endowment.  This  also  was  adopted. 
The  fourth  recommendation,  proposing  a 
committee  of  three,  to  have  in  charge  the  in- 
corporation of  the  proposed  academy,  was 
adopted.  The  fifth  point  is  to  the  effect  that 
the  donor  of  $20,000  shall  have  the  privilege 
of  giving  a  name  to  the  academv.  This 
recommendation  was  likewise  adopted.  The 
report  was  then  unanimously  adopted  as  a 
whole." 

The  following  committees  were  then  ap- 
pointed : 

Committee  to  Receive  Proposals  and  Select 
Location.  —  Rev.  E.  Westcott,  Hon.  W.  W. 
Bilison,  Dea.  N.  C.  Gault,  Dea.  E.  French, 
Geo.  H.  Herrick,  Esq.,  Hon.  John  O.  Milne 
and  Rev.  G.  W.  Fuller. 

Finance  Committee.  —  Rev.  J.  E.  Wood, 
Rev.  E.  Westcott,  Hon.  M.  H.  Dunnell,  Rev. 
J.  F.  Wilcox,  W.  C.  Durkee,  Esq.,  E.  Kim- 
ball, Esq.  and  Dea.  T.  W.  Stebbins. 

Committee  on  Charter.  —  E.  M.  Van 
Duzee,  Esq.,  Dr,  Geo.  H.  Keith  and  Hon.  W- 
W.  Bilison. 

This  convention  voted  to  decline  the  offer 
of  815,000  from  the  city  government  of  Owa- 
tonna. The  committee  on  location  took  final 
action  November  16,  1875,  and  through  its 
chairman.  Rev.  E.  Westcott,  re])orted  to  the 
State  Convention,  held  at  Owatonna  in  Oc- 
tober, 1876,  as  follows : 


268 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


269 


"  Your  committee  on  location  of  State 
Academy  would  report  that  they  met  at 
Owatonna  on  November  16,  1875,  and  found 
no  new  propositions  fi'om  localities  awaiting 
their  coming  together.  They  did  find  the 
proposition  from  Owatonna  necessarily  modi- 
fied by  the  action  taken  by  the  convention 
held  at  St.  Paul,  in  the  rejection  of  the  gen- 
erous offer  of  the  citizens  and  council  of  the 
city  of  Owatonna,  because  it  contravened  the 
great  principles  of  religious  liberty  for  which 
Baptists  have  suffered  so  much  and  uniformly 
contended  so  long.  The  proposition  as  modi- 
fied was  a  subscription  by  citizens  of  Owa- 
tonna, amounting  to  $6,195,  with  the 
promise  of  more  as  the  subscription  should 
be  f  urtlier  pressed.  I  may  say  in  conclusion, 
the  members  of  the  committee  who  were 
present  were  unamious  in  their  decision ;  each 
ballot  read  Owatonna,  and  as  far  as  I  have 
heard  the  people  express  themselves,  the 
unanimity  is  unbroken." 

On  motion  of  Dr.  Keith  it  was  voted  "  that 
the  action  of  the  committee  in  locating  the 
academy  at  Owatonna  is  hereby  approved 
and  confirmed." 

The  finance  committee  organized  at  St. 
Paul,  October  7,  1875,  by  electing  Hon.  M. 
H.  Dunnell,  president,  Eev.  E.  Westcott, 
treasurer  and  W.  C.  Durkee,  Esq.,  as  secre- 
tary, and  soon  became  incorporated  under 
the  laws  of  the  State.  The  first  regular 
meeting  of  the  committee  was  held  at  Owa- 
tonna, November  26, 1875.  There  were  passed 
over  to  the  committee,  at  this  meeting,  the 
subscriptions  of  the  citizens  of  Owatonna 
amounting  to  $6,195,  together  with  the 
deed  of  the  lots  selected  for  the  site  of  the 
academy,  costing  $2,000.  The  first  payment 
on  the  lots  was  made  by  the  citizens  of  Owa- 
tonna. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  committee  was 
held  at  Owatonna,  May  3, 1876,  at  which  the 
committee  voted  to  adopt  the  dollar  roll  as 
one  method  of  raising  funds. 

Eev.  E.  Westcott  was  appointed  to  raise 
funds  in  the  Zumbro  Association ;  Rev.  W. 


W.  Whitcomb  in  the  Central,  Rev.  S. 
Adams  in  the  Minnesota,  and  Rev.  J.  W. 
Reese  in  the  Minnesota  Valley  Association, 
while  Rev.  J.  F.  Wilcox  was  appointed  for 
the  rest  of  the  State,  and  to  have  a  general 
oversight  with  power  to  appoint  agents,  also 
to  secure  a  general  agent  in  case  he  could  not 
himself  attend  to  it. 

The  next  and  last  meeting  of  the  commit- 
tee was  held  at  Minneapolis,  July  11,  1876, 
when  Rev.  R.  A.  Clapp  and  Rev.  J.  M.  Thurs- 
ton were  appointed  solicitors  in  the  Minne- 
sota Valley  Association. 

The  finance  committee  through  Hon.  M.  H. 
Bunnell,  reported  to  the  convention  held  at 
Owatonna,  October,  1876,  pledges  to  the  en- 
dowment and  building  funds,  including  the 
dollar  roll,  to  the  amount  of  $12,313. 

The  following  resolution  was  offered  by 
Dr.  Keith : 

"  Besolved,  That  the  committee  on  incor- 
poration of  the  academy  located  at  Owa- 
tonna, are  hereby  instructed  to  arrange  for 
a  board  of  trustees  of  eighteen,  and  not  less 
than  one-third  of  said  board  to  be  women.  " 
On  motion,  the  resolution  was  adopted. 
Under  instructions  from  the  State  Conven- 
tion, the  finance  committee  met  in  Owatonna 
in  Ma}^,  1877,  and  I'esolved  to  take  immediate 
steps  to  secure  funds  sufficient  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  building  on  the  academy  grounds, 
to  the  end  that  a  school  be  opened  in  the 
coming  September.  Hon.  M.  H.  Dunnell, 
Rev.  E.  Westcott  and  T.  W.  Stebbins  were 
appointed  a  building  committee.  Funds  were 
raised  to  the  amount,  in  round  numbers,  of 
$4,100.  Ground  was  broken  July  8,  and  the 
building  was  dedicated  September  10  —  the 
school  opening  the  next  daj\  The  building, 
including  all  its  furniture  and  fixtures,  was 
w^hoUy  paid  for  at  the  time,  and  cost,  as 
stated,  the  sum  of  $4,100.  At  the  dedication, 
September  10,  a  minute  report  was  read  by 
Hon.  M.  H.  Dunnell,  president  of  the  finance 
committee.  Speeches  were  made  by  Rev.  Dr. 
E.  C.  Anderson,  of  Lake  City,  Rev.  E.  West- 
cott, of  Concord,  Dr.  Geo.  H.  Keith,  of  Minne- 


270 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


apolis,  Kev.  Mr.  Thatcher,  of  Owatonna,  Eev. 
A.  P.  Graves,  of  Concord,  Eev.  Mr.  Arnold, 
of  Kochester,  Kev.  E.  K.  Cressy,  of  Illinois, 
Prof.  Pratt,  of  Faribault.  Ptev.  J.  F.  Wilcox, 
of  Northfield,  and  Rev.  H.  C.  Woods,  of  Min- 
neapolis. The  president  of  the  finance  com- 
mittee, in  a  short  address,  delivered  the  kej's 
of  the  academy  to  Samuel  H.  Baker,  B.  A., 
the  principal,  to  which  he  made  an  appro- 
priate response.  Holden's  cornet  band  and  the 
Beethoven  Musical  Association,  of  Owatonna, 
furnished  excellent  music  for  the  occasion. 
This  building  is  still  in  use,  although  it  is  the 
intention  at  the  present  writing  to  erect  a 
costl\-  and  commodious  structui'e  in  the  near 
future,  and  use  the  present  building  as  chapel. 
At  the  Baptist  State  Convention  held  in 
Minneapolis  in  1885,  Hon.  George  A.  Pills- 
bury  proposed  that  if  $25,000  could  be  raised 
and  added  to  the  endowment  fund  he  would 
erect  a  ladies"  boarding-hall  and  donate  it  to 
the  institution.  The  amount  was  raised  al- 
most immediately,  and  in  accordance  with 
his  proposition  in  1886,  he  erected  what  is 
known  as  Pillsbury  Hall.  The  site  for  the 
hall,  which  is  just  north  of  the  "chapel," 
was  purchased  in  February',  1886  ;  the  corner- 
stone was  laid  June  1,  1886,  and  the  hall  was 
opened  in  October.  It  is  a  magnificent 
structui'e,  occupying  a  commanding  position 
on  the  hill  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  city. 
The  cost  was  about  is25,000.  The  name  of 
the  acadeni}'  was  changed  from  Minnesota  to 
Pillsbury  Academy  by  a  vote  of  the  Baptist 
State  Convention  in  October,  1886,  and  rati- 
fied and  legalized  by  an  act  of  thelegistature 
in  1887.  The  academy  has  prospered  finelj', 
now  having  students  from  all  portions  of  the 
State.  The  average  attendance  is  now  about 
seventy-five.  It  has  prepared  many  students 
for  some  of  the  most  noted  educational  insti- 
tutions in  America,  including  Havard  Col- 
lege ;  Madison  (N.  Y.) ;  Rochester ;  Am- 
herst ;  Carlton  ;  Minnesota  State  University, 
and  others.  The  control  of  the  institution  is 
vested  in  a  board  of  eighteen  directors  or 
trustees — one-third    of    whom    are   ladies. 


The  latter  fact  is  due  to  Mrs.  Silas  Hillman, 
of  Dodge  County,  who  made  a  generous 
donation  upon  the  condition  that  one-third  of 
the  board  of  trustees  should  be  composed  of 
ladies.  Among  so  many  who  should  be  men- 
tioned as  prominent  workers  in  securing  the 
academv  and  making  it  the  success  it  has 
been,  it  is  difficult  to  choose ;  but  a  history 
of  this  institution  that  did  not  give  great 
credit  to  Hon.  George  A.  Pillslniry  and  Hon. 
M.  II.  Dunnell  would  be  sadly  deficient. 

OFFICEKS  AND  INSTK0CTOKS. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  and 
instructors  who  have  served  in  the  various 
years  since  the  academy  was  opened  : 
FALL,   1877. 

Finance  Committee  and  Acting  Trustees — 
Hon.  Mark  H.  Dunnell,  of  Owatonna,  presi- 
dent ;  Rev.  Erastus  Westcott,  of  Concord, 
treasurer  ;  William  C.  Durkee,  Esq.,  of  Man- 
kato,  seci-etary ;  Rev.  John  E.  Wood,  of  De- 
troit ;  Rev.  James  F.  Wilcox,  of  ^N'orthfield ; 
Thomas  W.  Stebbins,  of  Rochester;  and 
Edwin  Kimball,  Esq.,  of  Forest  City. 

Instructors  —  Samuel  II.  Baker,  B.  A., 
principal;  Addie  A.  Sargent,  B.  S.,  assistant; 
Rev.  Geo.  C.  Tanner,  teachers'  class ;  Dora 
Williamson,  instrumental  music  ;  A.  C.  Gut- 
terson,  vocal  music. 

1877-8. 

Instructors  —  Samuel  II.  Baker,  B.  A., 
principal  (higher  mathematics  and  classics) ; 
Addie  A.  Sargent,  B.  S.,  preceptress  (modern 
languages);  Jean  C.  Sherwood,  B.  S., 
(English  literature  and  rhetoric);  Rev.  G.  C. 
Tanner,  A.  M.  (normal  class);  Dora  A.  Wil- 
liamson, and  Prof.  A.  C.  Gutterson,  music. 

Officers  and  Trustees  —  Rev.  E.  Westcott, 
of  Concord,  president ;  Dr.  H.  S.  Hill,  secre- 
tary; P.  Bliss,  of  Owatonna,  treasurer;  Dr. 
G.  II.  Keith,  Minneapolis ;  Hon.  M.  H.  Dun- 
nell ;  Hon.  H.  H.  Johnson,  Owatonna ;  Rev. 
R.  A.  Clapp,  St.  James  ;  John  V.  Daniels, 
Rochester ;  E.  M.  Van  Duzee,  St.  Paul ;  M. 
A.  Fredenburg,  Owatonna;  W.  F.  Ililiinan, 
Mantorville;  W.  P.  Gibson,  Mankato;  Sarah 
P.  Butler,  Minneapolis;  Lydia  J.  R.  Gates, 


HISTORY    OF   STEELK   COUNTY. 


271 


St.  Paul;  Lucy  J.  Ross,  Kasson ;  Nancy  M. 
Farringtou,  Winona ;  Amy  H.  Wilbour,  Aus- 
tin ;  Lucy  N.  Allen,  Lake  City. 
187S-9. 

Instructors  —  Samuel  H.  Baker,  B.  A., 
principal ;  Addie  A.  Sargent,  B.  S. ;  Jean  C. 
Sherwood,  B.  S. ;  Eev.  Geo.  C.  Tanner,  A. 
M. ;  Lillie  Lake,  A.  C.  Gutterson. 

Trustees  and  Officers  —  Eev.  Erastus  West- 
cott,  of  Concord,  president ;  Dr.  H.  S.  Hill, 
of  Owatonna,  secretary;  Pliilo  Bliss,  of 
Owatonna,  treasurer;  Dr.  George  H.  Keith, 
of  Minneapolis ;  Hon.  Mark  H.  Dunncll,  of 
Owatonna;  Hon.  H.  H.  Johnson,  of  Owa- 
tonna; Rev.  Robert  A.  Clapp,  of  St.  James; 
John  V.  Daniels,  of  Rochester ;  E.  M.  Van 
Duzee,  of  St.  Paul ;  Myron  A.  Fredenburg, 
of  Owatonna;  William  F.  Hillman,  of  Man- 
torville  ;  William  P.  Gibson,  of  Mankato ; 
Sarah  P.  Butler,  of  Minneapolis ;  Lydia  J. 
R.  Gates,  of  St.  Paul ;  jSTancy  M.  Farrington, 
of  Winona ;  Amy  H.  Wilbour,  of  Austin  ; 
Lucy  N.  Allen,  of  Lake  City  ;  and  Maggie  E. 
Morin,  of  Albert  Lea. 

1879-80. 

Instructors  —  Samuel  II.  Baker,  B.  A., 
principal  (classics  and  higher  arithmetic) ; 
Addie  E.  Sargent,  B.  S.  (modei'n  languages); 
Maria  Burlingame,  O.  E.  (English  literature 
and  rhetoric)  ;  Lillie  Lake,  instrumental 
music;  A.  C.  Gutterson,  vocal  music. 

Trustees  and  Officers  —  Rev.  Erastus  West- 
cott.  Concord,  president ;  Dr.  H.  S.  Hill, 
Owatonna,  secretary  ;  Philo  Bliss,  Owatonna, 
treasurer;  Dr.  G.  H.  Keith,  Minneapolis; 
Mark  II.  Dunnell,  H.  H.  Johnson,  Owatonna ; 
Rev.  Robert  A.  Clapp,  St.  James ;  John  Y. 
Daniels,  Rochester ;  E.  M.  Van  Duzee,  St. 
Paul;  M.  A.  Fredenburg,  Owatonna;  W.  F. 
Hillman,  Mantorville ;  W.  P  Gibson,  Man- 
kato; Sarah  P.  Butler,  Minneapolis;  Lydia 
J.  R.  Gates,  St.  Paul ;  Nancy  M.  Farrington, 
Winona ;  Amy  H.  Wilbour,  Austin ;  Lucy 
K  Allen,  Lake  City ;  Maggie  E.  Morin,  Al- 
bert Lea. 

1880-1. 

Instructors  —  Israel   H.  DeWolf,   A.   M., 


principal  (Latin  and  natural  science) ;  Addie 
A.  Sargent,  B.  S.,  (mathematics  and  Ger- 
man) ;  Maria  Burlingame,  O.  E.  (Greek, 
English  literature,  history);  Lillie  Lake, 
(instrumental  music)  ;  A.  C.  Gutterson  (vocal 
music). 

Trustees  and  Officers  —  Rev.  Erastus  West- 
cott,  of  Concord,  president ;  Dr.  H.  S.  Ilill, 
of  Owatonna,  secretary ;  Philo  Bliss,  of 
Owatonna,  treasurer ;  Dr.  G.  H.  Keith, 
Minneapolis;  Hon.  M.  H.  Dunnell,  Hon. 
Harvey  H.  Johnson,  Owatonna ;  Rev.  R.  A. 
Clapp,  St.  James ;  Rev.  R.  W.  Arnold, 
Rochester  ;  E.  M.  Van  Duzee,  St.  Paul ;  M. 
A.  Fredenburg,  Owatonna ;  W.  F.  Hillman, 
Mantorville ;  W.  P.  Gibson,  Mankato  ;  Sarah 
P.  Butler,  Minneapolis  ;  Lydia  J.  R.  Gates, 
St.  Paul ;  Nancy  M.  Farrington,  Winona; 
Amy  H.  Wilbour,  Austin  ;  Mary  H.  S.  Pratt, 
Faribault ;  Maggie  E.  Morin. 
1881-2. 

Instructors  —  Israel  11.  DeWolf,  A.  M., 
principal  (Latin  and  natural  science) ;  Ad- 
die A.  Sargent,  B.  S.,  (mathematics  and 
German) ;  Maria  Burlingame,  O.  E.  (Greek, 
English  literature,  history);  Lillie  Lake  and 
Maggie  Louise  Dickson  (instrumental  music) ; 
A.  C.  Gutterson,  vocal  music. 

Trustees  and  Officers  —  Rev.  Erastus  West- 
cott,  of  Concord,  president ;  Dr.  II.  S.  li. 
Hill,  secretary  ;  Philo  Bliss,  Owatonna,  treas- 
urer ;  Rev.  H.  C.  Woods,  Minneapolis  ;  Hon. 
M.  II.  Dunnell,  Hon.  II.  II.  Johnson,  Owa- 
tonna ;  Rev.  R.  A.  Clapp,  St.  James ;  Rev. 
R.  W.  Arnold,  Rochester  ;  E.  M.  Van  Duzee, 
St.  Paul ;  M.  A.  Fredcnl)urg,  Owatonna;  W. 
F.  Hillman,  Mantorville  ;  Rev.  L.  C.  Barnes, 
St.  Paul ;  Sarah  P.  Butler,  Minneapolis ; 
Lydia  J.  R.  Gates,  St.  Paul;  Nancy  M.  Far- 
rington, Winona;  Amy  H.  Wilbour,  Austin  ; 
E.  A.  Ellerbe,  Mankato ;  Maggie  E.  Morin. 
1882-3. 

Instructors  —  Israel  H.  DeWolf,  A.  M., 
principal  (Latin  and  Greek) ;  Addie  A.  Sar- 
gent, B.  S.,  (mathematics,  German  and 
botany) ;  Maria  Burlingame  (English  litei'a- 
ture  and  history);  Clara  M.  Griffin    (English 


272 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


department) ;  Maggie  Louise  Dickson,  (in- 
strumental music) ;  A.  C.  Gutterson,  (vocal 
music) . 

Trustees  and  Officers  —  Kev.  Ei-astus  West- 
cott,  of  Concord,  president ;  Dr.  H.  S.  Hill, 
secretary;  Philo  Bliss,  Owatonna,  treasurer  ; 
Rev.  H.  C.  Woods,  Minneapolis  ;  Hon.  M.  H. 
Dunnell,  Hon.  H.  H.  Johnson,  Owatonna; 
Gr.  H.  Herrick,  St.  James;  Eev.  E.  W.Ar- 
nold, Eochester;  E.  M.  VanDuzee,  8t.  Paul ; 
M.  A.  Fredenburg,  Owatonna ;  W.  F.  Hill- 
man,  Mantorville ;  Hon.  Geo.  A.  Pillsbury, 
Sarah  P.  Butler,  Minneapolis ;  Lydia  J.  E. 
Gates,  St.  Paul ;  Irene  Wilcox,  Northfield  ; 
Amy  H.  Wilbour,  Austin  ;  E.  A.  Ellerbe, 
Mankato  ;  Maggie  E.  Morin,  Albert  Lea. 
1883-4. 

Instructors  —  Joshua  L.  Ingraham,  A.  M., 
principal  (Greek  and  mathematics) ;  Bela  M. 
Lawrence,  A.  B.  (Latin,  German  and 
sciences) ;  Orinda  P.  Chollar  (English  litera- 
ture, history  and  rhetoric) ;  M.  Louise  Dick- 
son (instrumental  music) ;  A.  C.  Gutterson, 
(vocal  music). 

Officers  and  Trustees  —  Hon.  M.  H.  Dun- 
nell, president ;  Dr.  H.  S.  Hill,  secretary ; 
Philo  Bliss,  of  Owatonna,  treasurer;  Eev. H. 
C.  Woods,  St.  Paul ;  Eev.  Erastus  Westcott, 
Concord ;  Hon.  H.  H.  Johnson,  Owatonna  ; 
G.  H.  Herrick,  St.  James ;  Hon.  A.  C.  Hick- 
man, Owatonna  ;  E.  M.  Van  Duzee,  St.  Paul ; 
M.  A.  Fredenburg,  Owatonna;  W.  F.  Hill- 
man,  Mantorville;  Hon.  G.  A.  Pillsbur}^, 
Minneapolis ;  Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Butler,  Mineapo- 
lis;  Lydia  J.  B.  Gates,  St.  Paul;  Irene  Wil- 
cox, Northfield  ;  Anna  II.  Wilbour,  Austin  ; 
Maggie  E.  Morin,  Albert  Lea ;  Mrs.  G.  M. 
Palmer,  Mankato. 

1884-.5. 

Instructors  —  Joshua  L.  Ingraham,  A.  M., 
principal  (Greek  and  mathematics);  Bela 
M.  Lawrence,  A.  B.  (Latin,  German  and 
sciences) ;  Laura  E.  H.  Arey  (English  litera- 
ture, history  and  rhetoric) ;  Emma  M.  Eich, 
(instrumental  music);  A.  C.  Gutterson, 
(vocal  music). 

Officers  and  trustees  —  Hon.  M.  H.  Dun- 


nell, president ;  Eev.  W.  A.  Spinnej^,  secretary; 
Philo  Bliss,  of  Owatonna,  treasurer ;  Mrs. 
Sarah  P.  Butler,  Minneapolis ;  M.  A.  Freden- 
burg, Owatonna ;  Mrs.  Lydia  J.  E.  Gates,  St. 
Paul;  W.  F.  Hilhiian,  Mantorville;  Hon.  H. 
H.  Johnson,  E.  M.  Van  Duzee,  St.  Paul ;  Eev. 
E.  AVestcott,  Concord ;  Mrs.  Amy  H.  Wil- 
bour, Austin ;  Mrs.  Maggie  E.  Morin,  Albert 
Lea ;  G.  H.  Herrick,  St.  James ;  Eev.  H.  C. 
Woods,  St.  Paul ;  Hon.  G.  A.  Pillsbury,  Min- 
neapolis ;  Mrs.  Irene  Wilcox,  Northfield ; 
Hon.  A.  C.  Hickman,  Owatonna;  Mrs  G.  M. 
Palmer,  Mankato. 

1885-6. 

Instructors  —  Joshua  L.  Ingi-aham,  A.  M., 
principal  (Greek,  mathematics  and  mental 
philosophy') ;  Bela  M.  Lawrence,  A.  M. 
(Latin,  German  and  sciences);  Mrs.  Laura  E. 
H.  Lawrence  (English  literature,  history 
and  rhetoric) ;  Emma  M.  Eich  (instrumental 
music) ;  A.  C.  Gutterson  (vocal  music). 

Officers  and  Trustees  —  E.  M.  Van  Duzee, 
of  St.  Paul,  president;  Eev.  W.  A.  Spinney, 
secretary ;  Philo  Bliss,  of  Owatonna,  treas- 
urer; Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Butler,  Minneapolis; 
Hon.  M.  H.  Dunnell,  M.  A.  Fredenburg,  Owa- 
tonna; Lydia  J.  E.  Gates,  St.  Paul ;  W.  F. 
Ilillman,  Mantorville ;  Hon.  H.  H.  Johnson, 
Owatonna ;  Eev.  E.  Westcott,  Concord ; 
Mrs.  Amy  H.  Wilbour,  Austin  ;  Mrs.  Maggie 
E.  Morin,  Albert  Lea;  G.  H.  Herrick,  St. 
James ;  Eev.  H.  C.  Woods,  St.  Paul ;  Hon. 
G.  A.  Pillsbury,  Minneapolis;  Mrs.  Irene 
Wilcox,  Northtield  ;  Hon.  A.  C.  Hickman, 
Owatonna;  Mrs.  G.  M.  Palmer,  Mankato. 
1886-7 

Instructors  —  Joshua  L.  Ingraham,  A.  M., 
principal  (Greek,  mathematics  and  mental 
philosophy) ;  Bela  M.  Lawrence,  A.  M. 
(Latin,  German  and  sciences) ;  Mi'S.  M3'ra  E. 
Call,  A.  B.  (English  literature,  history  and 
rhetoric) ;  Emma  M.  Eich  (instrumental 
music) ;  Prof.  A.  C.  Gutterson  (vocal  music). 

The  following  is  a  list  of  officers  and 
trustees,  giving  the  year  in  which  their  terms 
expire — Edward  M.  Van  Duzee,  of  St.  Paul, 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


273 


president;  Rev.    W.  A.  Spinney,  secretary; 

Pliilo  Bliss,  of  Owatonna,  treasurer : 

Philo  Bliss,  Esq Owatonna 1889 

Mrs.  Sarah  P.  Butler Minneapolis 1887 

Hon.  M.  H.  Dunnell Owatonna 1888 

*Myron  A.  Fredenburg,  Esq.,  Owatonna 1887 

Mrs.  Lydia  J.  R.  Gates St.  Paul 1888 

William  F.  Hillman,  Esq. . .  .Cedar  Rapids,  Neb. .  .1888 

Edward  M.  Van  Duzee,  Esq.,  St.  Paul 1889 

Rev.  Erastus  AVestcott West  Concord 1887 

Mrs.  Amy  H.  Wilbour Austin  1889 

Mrs.  Maggie  E.  Morin Alberta  Lea 1887 

G.  H.  Herrick,  Esq St.  James 1887 

Rev.  H.  C.  Woods,  D.  D....St.  Paul 1887 

Hon.  George  A.  Pillsbury. .  .Minneapolis 1888 

Mrs.  Irene  Wilcox Nortbfield 1888 

Hon.  A.  C.  Hickman Owatonna 1889 

Rev.  W.  A.  Spinney Owatonna 1888 

William  H.  Kelly,  Esq Owatonna 1889 

Mrs.  T.  W.  Stebbins Rochester 1889 

Executive  Committee  (1887-8)  —  Hon.  M. 
H.  Dunnell,  W.  H.  Kelly,  Hon.  A.  C.  Hick- 
man, Philo  Bliss,  and  Rev.  AV.  A.  Spinney, 
of  Owatonna. 

Finance  Committee  —  Rev.  J.  F.  Wilcox, 
of  Northfield,  president;  Hon.  M.  H.  Dun 
nell,  of  Owatonna,  treasurer ;  W.  W.  Hunt- 
ington, of  Minneapolis,  secretary ;  G.  H. 
Herrick,  of  St.  James ;  T.  W.  Stebbins, 
Rochester ;  Rev.  E.  "Westcott,  West  Concord  ; 
Hon.  George  A.  Pillsbury,  Minneapolis. 
1887-8. 

Instructors  —  Joshua  L.  Ingraham,  A.  M., 
principal  (Greek,  mathematics  and  mental 
philosophy);  Homer  J.  Vosburgh,  A.  B. 
(Latin,  German  and  sciences) ;  Miss  Myra  E. 
Call,  A.  B.  (English  literature,  history  and 
rhetoric) ;  Emma  M.  Rich  (instrumental 
music) ;  Prof.  A.  C.  Gutterson  (vocal  music). 

Prof.  J.  L.  Ingraham,  the  ])resent  principal 
of  Pillsbury  Academy,  is  a  native  of  Cam- 
den, Me.,  born  in  1852.  His  parents  were 
Joseph  and  Fanny  Ingraham.  Mr.  Ingra- 
ham remained  with  them,  receiving  the 
advantages  of  a  common-school  education 
until  twenty -one  years  of  age,  when  he  went 
to  the  Waterville  Classical  Institute  and 
remained  until  entering  Colby  College  in 
1S76,  graduating   therefrom   in  1880.     For 


*  [Deceased.] 


two  years  after  this  he  taught  in  Worcester 
Academy.  Then,  his  health  not  being 
robust,  he  gave  up  work  for  a  year,  and  in 
1883  came  to  Owatonna  and  took  charge  of 
the  educational  institution,  which  is  still 
under  his  direction.  Prof.  Ingraham  was 
married  in  1880  to  Miss  Maria  E.  Page,  of 
Camden,  Me.    They  have  one  child,  Fanny  C. 

GRADUATES. 

Class  of  1878  — William  Abbott. 

Class  of  1879  —  Mrs.  Cornelia  Tanner 
Perceval  (deceased). 

Class  of  1880  — A.  W.  Lane,  A.  J.  Trues- 
dell,  George  R.  Kinyon,  Silas  Middleton, 
James  Haj'craft,  Helen  S.  Evans,  Dora  W. 
Hunkins  and  Ina  M.  Gutterson. 

Class  of  1881— Edward  G.  Adams  and 
Eugene  Case. 

Class  of  1882  — Eugene  P.  Hickok,  Frank 
Burnett,  Frank  A.  Sebring,  Mary  Webber, 
Ellen  Nelson,  Libbie  Crandall,  Mabel  E.  Peck 
and  Etta  M.  McBride. 

Class  of  1883  —  Carl  Rosebrock,  Carl 
Brown,  Bertha  C.  Truesdell,  Mabel  E.  Gut- 
terson, Nellie  E.  Fife,  John  B.  Mitchell, 
Peter  Koch,  Luella  Gould. 

Class  of  1884 — George  L.  Carey,  Agnes 
Brennan,  Benton  A.  McMillen,  Minnie 
Williamson,  F.  W.  Meehan,  Sadie  Wilson 
and  Wm.  J.  Leary. 

Class  of  1885  — Arthur  R.  Albertus,  Mary 
L.  Bailey,  Alzina  Jones,  Carl  K.  Bennett, 
Gertrude  Kimball,  Jefferson  Brown,  Minnie 
A.  Pillsburjf,  C.  II.  Christianson,  Theo. 
Weber,  May  Fowler,  Charles  Mitchell,  A.  I. 
Reeves  and  Alvin  Schuster. 

Class  of  1886  — Carl  D.  Case,  U.  G. 
Weathersly,  Lillian  L.  Abbott,  Nellie  Bren- 
nan, Frank  F.  Buffum,  Maxwell  II.  Cusick, 
Willis  N.  Holland,  Lawrence  W.  Parker, 
Frank  L.  Carey,  Fred.  E.  Church,  Ane 
Magrete  Heegaard,  A.  A.  Maloney,  G.  W. 
Tryon,  Lucia  M.  Wolverton. 

Class  of  1887  —  Lavinia  Mead,  Alice  Ken- 
nedy, Mary  Schafer  and  Minnie  Heegaard 
(first  graduate  from  musical  course). 


274 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


e)tate   [niblic   e^chool. 

The  Legislature  of  Minnesota  passed  an  act 
which  was  approved  by  tlie  governor  on  the 
9th  of  March,  1885,  establishing  what  is 
known  as  the  State  Public  School  for  Depend- 
ent and  Neglected  Children,  and  making- 
provisions  for  the  government  of  the  same. 
In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  this  act 
the  governor  appointed  five  commissioners, 
for  the  purpose  of  selecting  a  location  and 
erecting  tliereon  suitable  buildings.  The 
members  of  this  commission  were  B.  B.  Her- 
bert, Anthony  Kelly,  C.  S.  Crandall,  Wm. 
Morin  and  John  Bvers,  and  the  body  was 
termed  "  Commissioners  for  the  Location  and 
Acting  Board  of  Control  of  the  State  Public 
Schools  of  Minnesota. "  This  board  held 
their  first  meeting  in  the  governor's  office,  at 
the  State  capital,  April  22,  1885,  and  elected 
from  their  members  a  secretary  and  treasurer, 
the  governor  acting  as  president  ex-ojficio.  It 
was  decided  that  all  applications  for  the  loca- 
tion of  the  institution  from  the  different  ])or- 
tions  of  the  State  should  be  heard;  but  in  mak- 
ing the  final  decision  as  to  a  site  the  interest 
and  convenience  of  the  school  should  be  re- 
garded rather  than  the  amount  that  might  be 
offered  in  the  way  of  a  donation  to  the  State, 
but  that  not  less  than  eighty  acres  of  land 
could  be  accepted  as  a  site  for  the  school. 
The  commissioners  then  adjourned  to  meet 
June  1,  1885,  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the 
several  villao:es  and  cities  offering  sites. 

At  the  meeting  on  June  1,  the  secretary 
reported  thatFarmington,  in  Dakota  County  '■, 
Northfield,  Ilice  County ;  Owatonna,  Steele 
County  ;  Albert  Lea,  Freeborn  County  ; 
Hastings,  Dakota  County,  and  Lake  City, 
Wabasha  Count\',  had  each  offered  a  site 
of  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  and  sixtv 
acres.  A  few  other  )ioints,  including  Way- 
zata  and  Redwood  Falls,  also  submitted  prop- 
ositions. 

After  visiting  the  several  ])laces  and  care- 
fully examining  the  different  sites  a  meeting- 
was  held  at  St.  Paul  on  the  26th  of  June,  to 


decide  the  matter.  The  offers  for  tlie  dona- 
tion of  sites  as  finall}'  submitted  in  writing 
w^ere  as  follows:  Farmington,  110  acres  of 
land ;  Northfield,  94  acres ;  Lake  City,  240 
acres  ;  Bed  Wing,  145  acres  ;  Hastings,  116| 
acres ;  Albert  Lea,  eighty  acres ;  Owatonna, 
160  acres  of  land  with  all  necessary  wells 
for  the  use  of  the  institution,  and  all 
building  material  delivered  on  the  grounds 
free  of  freight.  The  sites  offered  were 
each  and  all  desirable  and  entirely  suffi- 
cient for  the  wants  of  the  sciiool,  and  when 
the  size  of  the  various  places  and  the  cost  of 
the  several  tracts  were  taken  into  account, 
the  offers  might  be  said  as  to  be  equally  gen- 
erous. The  farm  buildings  were  offered  to 
be  donated  with  the  various  sites.  Bed  Wing 
included  fair  buildings,  stables  and  fences, 
costing  over  $4,000.  Lake  City  added  to  her 
munificent  offer  of  240  acres  of  land,  a  stone- 
quarr}',  the  use  of  a  brickyard  for  the  manu- 
facture of  the  brick  for  the  buildings,  and 
$500  worth  of  trees  and  shrubbery  to  be  prop- 
ei'ly  set  out  under  the  direction  of  the  com- 
missioners, also  offering  to  furnish  employ- 
ment to  the  inmates  of  the  institution  in  the 
extensive  nurser}'  and  fruit  gardens  adjoin- 
ing the  land  to  be  given  as  site,  so  far  as 
should  be  deemed  advisable  by  the  school 
management.  Litchfield,  in  Meeker  County, 
also  appeared  before  the  commissioners  at 
the  meeting  and  made  a  like  liberal  offer  with 
the  other  places  named.  The  decision  be- 
came a  matter  of  much  difficulty  and  delicacy. 
Sixteen  ballots  were  had  without  any  choice. 
An  adjournment  was  taken  unlil  the  twenty- 
seventh,  when  on  the  twentyfourth  ballot 
Owatonna  was  cliosen  as  the  })lace  for  the 
location  of  the  scliool  by  three  votes  for  that 
point  to  one  for  Red  Wing  and  one  for 
Hastings.  The  selection  of  Owatonna  was 
then  made  unanimous. 

The  site  at  Owatonna  was  finally  selected 
under  the  advice  of  Supt.  John  N.  Foster,  of 
the  State  Public  School  of  Michigan,  and 
Secretary  II.  II.  Hart,  of  the  State  Board  of 
Charities  and  Cori'ections  of  Minnesota.   The 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


275 


site  consists  of  160  aci'es  of  excellent  farm 
kind,  adjoining  and  overlooking  the  city  and 
the  beautiful  river  valley  at  that  place.  The 
land  is  rolling,  well  drained,  and  affords  a 
most  attractive  site.  The  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad  crosses  the  farm,  and  a 
switch  has  been  built  to  accommodate  the 
school,  —  the  State  only  paying  a  small 
amount  toward  the  grading  for  the  track,  — 
so  that  building  materials  and  fuel  are  de- 
livered on  the  grounds  without  any  cost  for 
drayage,  and  the  products  of  the  farm  may 
hereafter  be  handled  in  like  manner. 

Among  the  reasons  which  influenced  the 
commissioners  in  deciding  upon  Owatonna 
as  the  home  for  this  institution  were,  first, 
the  fact  of  its  location,  very  near  the  center 
of  the  oldest  and  most  densely  settled  por- 
tion of  the  State,  affording  a  better  oppor- 
tunity for  placing  the  children  in  well-to-do 
families  within  easy  reach  of  the  institution 
which  is  expected  to  keep  a  watch  over 
their  care  and  education;  second,  its  easy 
accessibility  by  different  lines  of  railroads 
from  any  portion  of  the  State. 

As  soon  as  the  title  to  the  property  was 
obtained,  arrangements  were  commenced  for 
laying  off  the  grounds  and  the  erection  of 
buildings.  The  services  of  Mr.  Pehrson,  a 
landscape  gardener  in  the  employ  of  the  State 
institution  at  Faribault,  were  secured  and 
the  buildings  located  and  grounds  laid  off 
for  future  improvement.  W.  B.  Dunnell 
was  chosen  as  architect,  and  directed  to  pre- 
pare plans  for  the  buildings. 

Prof.  J.  N.  Foster,  superintendent  of  the 
State  Public  Schools  of  Michigan,  had 
already  visited  the  State,  on  invitation  of  the 
commissioners,  and  given  much  valuable 
advice  with  regard  to  the  choice  of  a  site, 
the  erection  of  buildings  and  the  manage- 
ment of  the  schools.  As  the  act  passed  by 
the  Minnesota  Legislature  is  almost  an  exact 
copy  of  the  Michigan  law,  and  the  Michigan 
school  at  Coldwater  was  considered  a  model 
in  every  wa}%  the  architect,  and  Directors 
Anthony  Kelly  and  B.  B.  Herbert,  visited 


that  institution,  in  order  to  be  thoroughly 
informed  as  to  the  best  building  methods  for 
such  a  school.  Their  report  favored  what  is 
known  as  the  cottage  plan,  and  the  commis- 
sioners decided  unanimously  to  adopt  that 
system. 

The  Michigan  school  had,  through  its 
admirable  management  and  the  result  of  its 
work,  become  not  only  the  model  for  several 
States  of  the  Union,  but  for  some  of  the 
countries  in  Europe  that  have  sent  commis- 
sioners to  examine  and  copy  its  plans,  and 
the  commissioners  thought  it  wise  to  benefit 
by  the  eleven  j'ears  of  most  successful  experi- 
ence of  that  institution.  To  give  the  plans 
adopted  there  is  to  give  in  effect  the  plans 
deemed  most  practicable  and  in  theory 
adopted  by  the  Minnesota  commissioners. 
The  buildings  of  the  model  school  at  Cold- 
water,  perfected  after  so  many  years  of 
experience,  consist  of :  1.  A  main  building, 
containing  the  superintendent's  ofSce,  recep- 
tion room,  vault  for  jiapers  and  records,  and 
the  library,  living  rooms  for  the  superin- 
tendent and  family,  children's  and  employes' 
dining  halls,  sewing  room,  sleeping  apart- 
ments for  the  teachers  and  emploj'es,  kitchen, 
bakery,  store-rooms  and  pantries.  2.  From 
six  to  nine  cottages  for  the  children.  Each 
of  these  cottages  is  under  a  ladv  known  as  a 
cottage  manager.  The  children  are  divided 
by  means  of  these  cottages  into  families  of 
twenty-five  or  thirty  each,  under  the  control 
of  this  lady,  acting  in  the  place  of  a  mother, 
looking  after  the  behavior,  cleanliness,  cloth- 
ing and  instruction  of  the  children  out  of 
school  hours.  3.  A  school  building  with 
four  rooms,  also  a  building  devoted  to  kin- 
dergarten instruction  for  the  smaller  chil- 
dren.  L  A  hospital  building  for  the  care 
and  separation  of  children  when  sick,  and  for 
keeping  of  new  pupils  supposed  to  have  been 
exposed  to  infectious  diseases  until  danger  of 
contagion  has  passed.  5.  An  engine,  boiler 
and  pump  house  from  which  all  Iniildings  are 
heated  and  in  which  gas  is  manufactured  for 
lighting  purposes.     Above  the  boiler  room. 


276 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


in  the  same  building,  is  also  a  laundry 
operated  by  steam  for  the  accommodation  of 
the  entire  school.  6.  Extensive  barns  and 
stables  for  the  accommodation  of  a  well- 
stocked  farm.  All  these  buildings,  with  the 
exception  of  fewer  cottages  and  a  smaller 
main  building,  were  needed  here.  The 
arrangement  for  water  supply  and  sewerage 
is  also  excellent,  and  the  adoption  of  a  simi- 
lar plan  was  also  recommended. 

Michigan  has  found  it  wise  and  economical 
to  care  for  her  dependent  children.  In  the 
eleven  years  of  the  existence  of  their  institu- 
tion, over  nineteen  hundred  children  had 
been  received  and  put  on  the  way  to  hap))y 
and  useful  lives. 

The  appropriation  made  bj'  the  Legisla- 
ture for  establishing  this  school  was  $20,- 
000.  The  commissioners  decided  that  the 
amount  could  be  most  wisely  expended  in 
the  erection  of  three  cottages  capable  of 
accommodating  thirty-five  children  each,  one 
to  be  used  temporarily  as  a  main  building 
for  offices,  living  room,  kitchen,  dining  halls, 
etc.  In  accordance  with  this  decision,  plans 
and  specifications  were  drawn  under  the 
direction  of  the  commissioners  and  bids 
taken  for  the  building  and  completion  of 
the  same.  These  bids  were  publicly  opened 
at  a  meeting  of  the  commissioners  advertised 
to  be  held  for  that  purpose,  and  were  found 
to  range  from  a  little  over  $24,000  down  to 
$15,600  for  the  cottages,  and  the  contract 
was  let  to  John  Ilammel  and  Silas  Anderson, 
of  Owatonna,  at  the  last-named  price,  they 
being  the  lowest  bidders.  The  foundations 
for  the  cottages  were  put  in  during  the  fall 
of  1885,  and  the  walls  built  and  the  buildings 
completed  during  the  summer  of  1886.  The 
buildings  are  of  brick,  30x40  feet  on  the 
ground,  two  stories  besides  the  basements 
and  garrets.  They  are  substantially  built 
and  covered  with  slate  roofs.  The  basements 
have  been  plastered  with  water  cement  on 
the  outside  and  especially  finished  with  a 
view  to  permanent  use  for  domestic  purposes, 
sewing  rooms,  etc.,  to  economize  in  the  num- 


ber and  size  of  other  buildings.  The  garret 
in  the  cottage  temporarily  set  apart  for  the 
superintendent's  or  main  building,  has  been 
finished  off  into  dormitories  for  employes, 
and  the  garrets  in  the  other  buildings  could 
be  in  like  manner  utilized. 

The  commissioners  had  many  applications 
for  the  position  of  superintendent  of  this 
school.  After  careful  consideration  it  was 
thought  that  the  permanent  success  and  use- 
fulness of  the  institution  would  depend  very 
much  on  placing  it  in  the  hands  of  a  gentle- 
man of  practical  experience  at  the  very 
beginning.  The  position  was  accordingly 
tendered  to  Piof.  G.  A.  Men-ill,  of  the  Michi- 
gan State  public  school,  who  added  to  years 
of  experience  the  highest  qualifications,  and 
had  been  most  flatteringly  recommended  by 
his  associates  in  this  line  of  work.  Nego- 
tiations were  opened  through  a  committee 
appointed  for  the  purpose,  and  his  services 
were  secured,  to  commence  as  soon  after  the 
1st  of  October,  1886,  as  arrangements  could 
be  made  for  opening  the  school.  For  like 
reasons  it  was  subsequently'  decided  to  em- 
ploy one  experienced  cottage  manager  from 
the  Michigan  school,  and  an  estimable,  ex- 
perienced lady  was  secured. 

On  August  18th  the  newly  elected  super- 
intendent met  with  the  commissioners,  and 
it  was  decided  to  attempt  to  open  the  insti- 
tution to  the  public  October  10.  This  was 
afterward  found  impracticable. 

The  funds  appropriated  Ijy  the  State  had 
been  exhausted,  and  it  was  found  that  unless 
other  aid  could  be  obtained  the  buildinsrs 
must  stand  empty,  and  the  dependent  chil- 
dren, clamoring  for  admittance,  must  go  un- 
cared  for,  and  the  opening  of  the  school  be 
postponed  to  await  the  action  of  this  Legis- 
lature. At  this  crisis,  citizens  of  Owa- 
tonna who  trusted  to  the  good  faith  of  the 
State  in  this  attempt  to  care  for  the  desti- 
tute children,  stepped  forward  and  advanced 
$5,000.  The  work  Avas  pushed  forward,  the 
buildings  were  furnished  and  the  commis- 
sioners were  enabled  to  notify  the  governor 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


277 


on  November  30  that  the  buildings  were 
in  readiness,  and  on  the  second  day  of  De- 
cember the  first  three  children  were  received. 

BUILDINGS. 

The  first  appropriation  was  approved  in 
March,  1885,  the  amount  being  $20,000. 
Three  cottages  were  erected  with  this  money, 
besides  getting  the  grounds  in  shape,  pur- 
chasing furniture,  stock  and  incidental  ex- 
penses. The  cottages  cost  about  $16,500,  as 
has  alread}'  been  stated.  In  these  buildings 
the  institution  began  its  work,  one  of  them 
being  temporarily  used  as  the  administration 
building. 

The  Legislature  in  18S6-7  made  an  addi- 
tional appropriation  of  $70,000  for  perma- 
nent improvements,  besides  an  ap})ropria- 
tion  for  current  expenses.  The  permanent 
improvements,  such  as  the  erection  of  suit- 
able buildings,  was  at  once  put  under 
way,  contracts  let  and  building  operations 
begun.  The  buildings  in  course  of  erection 
will  be  ready  for  occupancy  by  January, 
1888,  and  are  as  follows  : 

The  administration  or  main  building 
at  this  writing,  August,  1887,  is  fast  near- 
ing  completion.  It  will  be  132x180  feet 
in  size  and  practically  three  stories  in 
height,  and  will  cost  about  $50,000.  The 
first  floor  of  this  building  will  be  used  for 
superintendent's  offices,  reception  room, 
library,  chapel,  children's  and  employes' 
dining-rooms  and  the  industrial  departments, 
shoe  shop,  sewing  room,  etc.  On  the  second 
floor  will  be  the  superintendent's  family 
rooms,  together  with  the  private  rooms  of 
the  teachers  and  employes.  The  laying  of 
the  corner-stone  of  this  building  was  an 
auspicious  event  in  Steele  County's  history. 
It  was  performed  with  ancient  and  imposing- 
ceremonies,  thousands  of  prominent  citizens 
from  Steele  County  and  all  portions  of  the 
State  being  present.  The  ceremonies  were 
conducted  by  the  Masonic  fraternity,  al- 
though nearh'  all  the  societies  took  part  in 
the  exercises. 

Hon.  W.  R.  Kinyon  was  president  of  the 


day,  and  announced  the  jirogram.  Mayor 
Pratt,  ex-Mayor  Birkett  and  President  Al- 
bertus,  of  the  City  Council,  were  the  city 
committee,  and  Mr.  F.  F.  Grant,  a  leading 
Knight  Templar,  contributed  largely  to  the 
success  of  the  ceremonies.  The  architect  of 
the  building,  Mr.  W.  B.  Bunnell,  Avas  also 
one  of  the  moving  spirits.  The  ceremonies 
at  the  grounds  were  begun  by  an  address  of 
welcome  by  Hon.  M.  H.  Dunnell.  Hon.  W. 
H.  Braden,  state  auditor,  represented  Gov. 
McGill,  and  spoke  a  few  words  a]>propriate  to 
the  occasion.  Rev.  Dr.  Dana,  of  St.  Paul, 
made  a  fine  address.  He  was  followed  by 
Rev.  H.  H.  Hart,  secretary  of  the  State  Board 
of  Corrections  and  Charities.  Ex-Gov.  Barto, 
of  Sauk  Center,  made  a  humorous  speech  and 
was  followed  by  Hon.  C.  S.  Crandall,  of 
Owatonna,  President  of  the  Board  of  Control 
of  the  State  Public  School  for  Indigent  Chil- 
dren, who  made  a  good  speech  showing  the 
purposes  and  benefits  to  Ije  derived  from  so 
beneficent  a  State  institution.  Hon.  B.  B. 
Hei-bert,  of  Red  Wing,  followed  by  a  few 
words  from  M.  J.  Daniels,  of  Rochester. 
Most  "Worshipful  J.  II.  Brown,  Grand  Master 
of  the  State  of  Minnesota,  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
then  proceeded  with  the  Masonic  ceremonies 
of  laying  the  corner-stone.  He  was  assisted 
by  C.  H.  Benton,  D.  G.  M. ;  Alphonzo  Barto, 
G.  S.  W. ;  Ambrose  La  Due,  G.  J.  W. ;  J.  E. 
Getman  acted  as  Grand  Treas. ;  A.  T.  C. 
Pearson,  G.  S. ;  Thomas  G.  Crump,  of  Litch- 
field, Grand  Orator.  Rev.  Geo.  B.  Whipple 
acted  as  Grand  Chaplain.  Hon.  J.  M.  Bur- 
lingame,  of  Owatonna,  acted  as  Grand  Mar- 
shal. After  the  stone  was  laid,  corn,  wine 
and  oil  were  put  on  it.  The  building  was 
then  turned  over  to  the  architect  for  com- 
pletion, who  responded  with  a  short,  well 
chosen  speech.  The  procession  was  then  re- 
formed and  returned  to  the  city.  The  casket 
in  the  corner-stone  contained  a  Bible,  the 
names  of  the  State,  county  and  city  ofiicers, 
a  list  of  the  officers  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of 
Minnesota  and  of  the  Star  of  the  East  Lodge 
of  Owatonna,  and  copies  of  the  constitution 


278 


HISTOKT    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


and  by-laws  of  both,  the  charter  of  Owatonna, 
copies  of  the  Globe,  Pioneer  Press,  Minne- 
apolis Trihune,  The  PeopWs  Press,  Jour- 
nal and  Herald,  and  a  copy  of  the  first 
biennial  report  of  the  board  of  control  and 
superintendent,  and  a  copy  of  Gov.  Hub- 
bard's message  to  the  Legislature  of  1886-7. 

Next  to  the  administration  Ijuilding  comes 
the  schoolhouse,  which  is  also  in  course  of 
erection.  This  is  57x41  feet  in  size,  and  will 
be  divided  into  five  school-rooms,  one  devot. 
ed  exclusively  to  kindergarten  work.  The 
building  will  have  cost,  when  completed, 
about  §7,500. 

A  large  and  handsome  barn  has  been 
erected,  to  the  west  of  the  cluster  of  build- 
ings, at  a  cost  of  $2,200. 

The  hospital  is  a  one-story  structure,  size 
about  33x47  feet.  It  will  be  divided  into 
sick-rooms,  neatl}^  furnished,  and  will  cost 
$2,200.  The  name  implies  the  use  to  which 
it  will  be  put. 

One  building  serves  as  the  engine-house 
and  laundr3^  It  will  be  a  one-story  building- 
size  40x50  feet,  with  the  boilers  and  machin- 
ery in  the  basement. 

A  fourth  cottage  will  also  be  erected,  in 
1888,  upon  a  similar  ^^lan  as  those  now  in 
use,  which  will  cost  about  $6,000. 

These  improvements  will  exhaust  all  of  the 
appropriation  of  $70,000,  and  wiU  place  the 
institution  in  good  working-order  and  furnish 
comfortable  and  convenient  quarters.  The 
buildings  will  be  well  furnished,  and  the  con- 
tract has  already  been  let  for  electric  lighting. 
Tlie  buildings  are  all  heated  bj'  steam.  The 
cottages  now  in  use  are  comfortably^  fur- 
nished, and  are  kept  scrupulously  clean  and 
neat. 

WOIJK    OF    THE    SCHOOLS. 

The  institution  was  formally  opened  on 
the  2d  of  December,  1886,  when  three  chil- 
dren from  Steele  County  were  received. 
From  that  time  on  they  have  continued  to 
come.  Twenty-one  had  been  received  up  to 
the  1st  of  January,  1887.  On  the  1st  of 
July,   1887,    sixty-one    had    been    received. 


although  eleven  of  this  number  had  been 
placed  in  families,  leaving  fifty  at  the  schools. 
On  the  1st  of  August,  1887,  there  were 
sixty  in  the  schools  and   eleven   in  families. 

The  following  list  shows  the  number  which 
have  been  received  from  the  various  coun- 
ties :  Steele,  8 ;  Rice,  3  ;  Dakota,  11 ;  St. 
Louis,  7 ;  Nicollet,  2 ;  Freeborn,  5  ;  Wabasha, 
3;  Otter  Tail,  2;  Isanti,  3;  Hennepin,  5; 
Waseca,  4 ;  Sherburn,  2 ;  Winona,  1 ; 
Wright,  1;  Goodhue,  2;  Becker,  2;  Fill- 
more, 1;  Olmsted,  1;  Nobles,  3;  Eamsey, 
1 ;  Murray,  2 ;    Houston,  1 ;    Crow  Wing,  1. 

The  children  admissible  to  the  State  pub- 
lic school  are  those  within  the  borders  of  the 
State  who  are  dependent  on  the  public  for 
support,  over  three  and  under  fourteen  years 
of  age,  and  in  suitable  condition  of  body  and 
mind  to  receive  instruction.  The  children 
are  placed  under  the  care  of  the  school 
through  proceedings  in  the  probate  courts 
begun  by  count\^  commissioners.  This  pro- 
cess of  law  in  the  probate  courts  makes  the 
child  the  ward  of  the  State  during  minority, 
and  cancels  all  parental  control  if  the  par- 
ents of  the  child  are  living.  It  is  not  in- 
tended that  worthy  families  shall  be  unduly 
broken  up,  or  that  children  shall  be  unneces- 
arily  separated  from  their  parents,  but  that 
those  children  whose  parents  have  deserted 
them  or  have  been  rendered  incajmble  of 
supporting  them  shall  be  provided  for  and 
saved  from  leading  the  neglected  lives  they 
would  naturally  lead  if  left  unprotected. 
As  has  been  indicated,  the  children  are  not 
kept  in  the  institution  for  a  definite  term  of 
years,  but  are  placed  in  good  approved  homes 
on  indenture  as  soon  as  practicable.  But  the 
supervision  of  the  State  does  not  cease  when 
the  children  are  jilaced  in  homes.  They  are 
carefully  and  frequently  visited  in  order  that 
none  shall  be  ill-trea.ted,and  every  indenture 
contract  contains  a  clause  reserving  the  right 
to  tlie  board  of  control,  to  cancel  the  con- 
tract and  return  the  child  to  the  school 
whenever  the  interests  of  the  child  require 
it.     Thus  the  State  assumes  the  care  and  con- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


279 


trol  of  its  dependent  and  neglected  children 
that  it  may  rear  them  to  self-supporting  and 
respectable  citizenship. 

OFFICERS    AND    EMPLOYES. 

The  present  list  of  officers  and  employes 
is  as  follows :  Prof.  G.  A.  JVIerrill,  superin- 
tendent ;  Mrs.  G.  A.  Merrill,  matron  ;  H. 
W.  Lewis,  clerk ;  Alma  Herapel  and  May 
Donovan,  teachers ;  Mrs.  Sarah  Bailey  and 
Miss  Mary  Considine,  cottage  managers.  To 
this  list  will  be  added  two  teachers  and  two 
cottage  managers  as  soon  as  the  additional 
buildings  are  completed.  There  will  also  be 
a  chief  engineer,  besides  other  assistants  and 
laborers. 

An  important  office  yet  to  be  filled  is  that 
of  State  agent  for  the  schools,  whose  duty  it 
is  to  look  after  the  important  matter  of  locat- 
ing the  children  in  families  and  visiting  and 
watching  their  conduct  and  progress  after 
they  are  so  placed.  It  is  an  office  which 
requires  the  keenest  of  judgment  and 
abihty,  and  is  among  the  most  important 
features  of  the  institution.  Up  to  this  time 
Prof.  Merrill  has  tilled  this  position,  together 
with  attending  to  his  duties  as  superintend- 
ent ;  but  with  the  additional  capacity  given 
by  the  buildings  now  in  course  of  erection, 
the  work  of  both  offices  will  soon  be  beyond 
the  ability  of  any  one  man,  as  there  are 
already  applications  which  will  more  than 
fill  the  increased  capacitj^.  Prof.  Merrill 
served  as  State  agent  of  the  Michigan  insti- 
tution for  a  number  of  3'ears,  resigning  that 
to  become  superintendent  here.  As  soon  as 
the  new  buildings  are  opened  the  board  of 
control  will  fill  the  office  of  State  agent  for 
the  Minnesota  school. 

The  general  supervision  and  government 
of  the  State  public  school  is  vested  in  what 
is  termed  a  board  of  control,  appointeil  by 
the  governor  and  confirmed  by  the  State 
Senate.  The  first  and  present  board  of  con- 
trol is  made  up  of  Hon.  C.  S.  Crandall,  of 
Owatonna,  president  (six-year  term) ;  Hon. 


B.  B.  Herbert,  of  Redwing,  secretary  ( four 
years ) ;  and  Dr.  L.  P.  Dodge,  of  Farm- 
ington  (two  years).  After  the  expiration 
of  the  terms  for  which  they  were  appointed, 
one  member  will  be  appointed  every  two 
j'ears,  and  serve  a  six-year  term.  This  board 
constitutes  a  body  corporate,  with  the  right 
of  suing  and  being  sued  and  of  making  and 
using  a  common  seal.  It  has  exclusive 
authority  over  the  management  and  govern- 
ment of  the  school,  establisli<es  the  system  of 
government  for  the  institution,  makes  all 
necessary  rules  and  regulations  for  enforcing 
discipline,  imparting  instruction,  preserving- 
health,  and  for  the  proper  physical,  intellect- 
ual and  moral  training  of  children.  They 
appoint  the  superintendent  and  matron,  and 
such  officers,  teachers  and  employes  as  shall 
be  necessary,  who  hold  during  the  pleasure 
of  the  board  ;  it  prescribes  duties  and  fixes 
salaries  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  -  gov- 
ernor. 

Prof.  G.  A.  Merrill,  superintendent  of  the 
State  public  school,  is  a  native  of  Kalamazoo 
County,  Mich.,  where  he  was  born  December 
27, 1859.  His  parents  were  George  and  Sabra 
Merrill.  G.  A.  Merrill  lived  with  his  mother 
until  fifteen  years  of  age  —  his  father  having 
died  when  he  was  but  eight  years  old  —  and 
he  then  started  in  life  for  himself,  obtaining 
his  education  in  common  schools  and  by  pri- 
vate study.  He  began  teaching  school  when 
nineteen  years  of  age  and  continued  at  that 
for  some  three  years,  when  he  was  appointed 
assistant  superintendent  of  Michigan  State 
public  schools  and  remained  in  that  position 
for  two  years,  when  he  was  appointed  as  State 
agent  of  the  same  institution.  He  continued 
in  that  position  for  two  years  when  he  was 
appointed  to  his  present  position.  Prof.  Mer- 
rill was  married  October  6,  1886,  to  Miss 
Estelle  Ogden,  of  Michigan.  Prof.  Merrill  is 
filling  his  important  office  with  credit  to 
himself  and  satisfaction  to  all  interested  in 
the  institution. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


MEETON  TOWNSHIP. 


Ills  township  forms  the  northeast- 
ern cqrner  of  Steele  County,  being 
composed  of  township  108,  range 
lit.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  liice  County,  on  the  east  by 
Dodge  County,  on  the  south  bv 
Havana  Township,  and  on  the 
west  l)y  Medford  and  Clinton 
Falls.  The  soil  is  a  rather  light 
loam,  with  a  clay  subsoil  on  the  low  lands, 
and  on  the  higher  or  rolling  prairie  a  gravel 
or  sandy  subsoil.  The  surface  is  mostly 
prairie,  although  there  is  a  small  patch  of 
timber  in  the  northern  part.  In  the  south- 
ern portion  is  a  small  amount  of  oak  open- 
ings. Natural  meadows  are  found  on  nearly 
every  quarter-section,  though  the  principal 
part  of  the  land  is  entirely  suited  to  agri- 
culture, and  produces  the  best  quality  of 
crops  of  all  kinds,  and  the  township  is  not 
surpassed  by  any  other  portion  of  the  county 
in  productiveness. 

EARLY    SETILEMENT. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  first  settlement  in 
this  township  was  made  in  1855,  by  G.  W. 
Dresser,  who  located  in  the  southwestern 
portion  of  the  township. 

Among  others  who  came  during  the  same 
year  were  the  following :  William  and  David 
Deets,  Paul  Williams,  John  Coburn,  William 
Miller,  J.  W.  Adams,  David  Casper,  T.  B. 
II.  Brown,  Thomas  Hortop,  Fred.  Irwin, 
Andrew  Reed  and  Lewmon  G.  Reed. 

A  number  of  additions  were  made  to  the 
settlement  in  1856,  among  them  being 
A.  Wilson,  Charles  Baker,  James  Clark, 
Hugh  Mooney,  Mr.  McAndrew,  George 
Norton,  E.  P.*   Taylor,  Thomas  Stockwell, 


John  Pierce,  M.  J.  Kendall,  L.  E.  Thom]v 
son,  James  Hurst,  the  Naylors,  Oscar  Searle, 
Mr.  Deffenbacher,  Daniel  McNitt,  S3'dney 
Smith  Jr.,  Mr.  Curtis  and  others. 

Among  others  who  came  at  an  early  day 
were  R.  A.  IMcDonald,  Charles  Wilson,  Her- 
man Purfeest,  the  Lane  family,  Henry 
Maw,  John  Trask  and  others, 

VARIOUS    EVENTS. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that 
of  Harriet  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  Lewmon 
G.  Reed  and  wife,  who  was  born  May  3, 
1856. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  Sarah  Jane 
(Reed)  Irwin,  who  died  November  1,  1856. 
Iler  remains  were  interred  at  what  has  since 
been  known  as  Rice  Lake  Cemeter}'. 

In  1862  that  dreaded  scourge  of  children, 
diphtheria,  visited  this  townshi]).  The  first 
death  from  it  occurred  in  February,  in  the 
family  of  Oscar  Searle,  and  two  daughters, 
Alice  and  Marion,  were  taken  away.  A 
number  of  children  soon  followed,  among 
them  being  Adelaide  and  Bertie,  children  of 
Henry  Maw,  and  three  from  the  famil}'  of 
Daniel  McNitt. 

The  first  school  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  township  was  taught  in  what  was  after- 
ward known  as  the  Rock  schoolhouse. 

The  first  lady  teacher  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  township  was  Margaret  Hunter. 
The  school  Avas  held  in  Edward  Naylor's 
house  on  section  26.  Andrew  J.  Stickles 
was  the  second  teacher  in  that  district. 

In  the  summer  of  1859  —  sometime  in 
June  —  considerable  excitement  was  created 
in  the  settlement  by  the  appearance  of  a 
large  brown  bear,  which  had  made  its  way 


280 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTT. 


281 


from  the  timber  in  the  northwest  part  of 
the  town,  and  was  probably  on  an  exploring 
expedition.  The  settlers  turned  out  tn  masse 
to  give  him  a  reception,  and  greeted  him 
with  pitchforks  and  such  other  implements 
of  warfare  as  could  most  readily  be  found, 
and,  after  a  weary  march,  in  which  the  peo- 
ple undertook  to  keep  up  with  his  bearship, 
one  sturdy  farmer  got  a  fair  shot  and  killed 
him. 

In  1856  a  Mr.  Coburn  opened  a  store  in 
the  northwest  corner  of  the  township  and 
christened  the  village  "  Dodge  City, "  but 
the  country  was  so  sparsely  settled  he  con- 
cluded that  it  would  not  pay,  and  sold  his 
stock  to  O.  T.  Jones.  Mr.  Jones  kept  the 
store  but  a  short  time  and  then  closeil  it  up. 

OEGANIZATION. 

When  Steele  Countj'  was  organized  in  1855 
the  eastern  tier  of  townships  as  it  is  now 
formed  was  connected  with  Dodge  County. 
It    remained  in  this  shape  until  February, 

1856,  when  the  Legislature  changed  the 
county  lines,  and  Steele  County  was  made  to 
include  this  tier  of  townshij^s.  On  the  0th 
of  April,  1857,  the  board  of  count\"  commis- 
sioners set  off  township  108,  range  19,  and 
authorized  its  organization,  giving  it  the 
name  of  Union  Prairie.  The  organization, 
however,  was  not  fully  perfected  until  the 
spring  of  1858.     On  the  11th  of  September, 

1857,  the  name  was  changed  to  Orion,  and  it 
thus  remained  until  January,  1802,  when  it 
was  given  the  name  of  Lyon  ;  this  however 
was  almost  immediately  changed  to  Merton, 
which  it  still  bears. 

BIOGEAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  PROMINENT  CITIZENS. 

Lewmon  G.  Keed  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Merton  Township,  having  come 
here  from  Canada,  in  1855,  and  located  on 
section  25.  lie  was  born  in  Canada,  March 
11,1811.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  years  he 
left  home  to  care  for  himself,  and  engaged  at 
farming,  in  which  he  still  continues.  Mr.  Eeed 
has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being 
Miss  Jane  Eichards  (now  deceased),  a  native 
of  England.   This  union  was  blessed  with  two 


children,  Mary  Cornelia  and  Sarah  Jane ;  the 
former  afterward  became  Mrs.  Joseph  Smith. 
Sarah  Jane  married  Fred.  Irwin;  she  died. 
November  1,  1856.  Mr.  Eeed's  second  mar- 
riage was  to  Miss  Margaret  Orrock,a  native  of 
Canada,  born  November  30,1832.  Her  an- 
cestors were  Scotch.  They  have  had  seven 
children,  as  follows :  Harriet,  born  May  3, 
1850  (killed  by  an  accident  in  falling  wheat) ; 
Sarah  G.,  born  August  23,  1858  ;  Janet  J., 
born  Mai'cli  13,  1861 ;  Caroline  A.,  born 
April  15,  1864;  Jessie  L.,  born  July  17, 
1866;  Orrock  G.,  born  January  18,  1869, 
and  Nellie  L.,  born  October  6,  1871.  Two 
of  these,  Orrock  and  Nellie,  are  living  at 
home.  Sarah  married  James  Naylor,  and 
lives  in  Potter  County,  D.  T.  Janet  married 
John  Naylor,  and  now  lives  in  Otter  Tail 
County,  Minn.  Caroline  A.  married  Ward 
Perkins,  and  now  lives  in  Brookings  county, 
D.  T.  Jessie  L.  married  Joseph  Miller. 
Mr.  Eeed  was  the  second  settler  who  located 
in  the  eastern  part  of  this  township,  and  was 
among  the  very  earliest  settlers  in  Steele 
County.  He  has  been  prominent  in  local 
affairs.  In  1859  he  was  elected  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  held  the  office  for  two  years ; 
has  been  road  overseer,  and  held  various 
other  positions.  He  is  Eepublican  in  poli- 
tics. He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  and  was  the  first  class-leader  at  Eice 
Lake,  Dodge  County,  and  was  also  Bible- 
class  leader  for  a  number  of  years. 

Edward  Naj'lor  came  here  with  his  parents, 
in  the  year  1850,  from  Illinois.  Mr.  Nay- 
lor is  a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  Eng.,  where 
he  was  born  January  6,  1833.  He  remained 
at  home  until  he  arrived  at  the  age  of 
twenty-four  years,when  he  commenced  farm- 
ing for  himself  on  section  26,  Merton  Town- 
ship, and  has  remained  there  ever  since, 
doing  a  general  fanning  and  stock-raising. 
In  the  year  1865  Mr.  Naylor  enlisted  in  the 
First  Minnesota  Heavy  Artillery,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  service  for  about  nine  months.  He 
was  discharged  October  8,  and  came  back  to 
his  farm.  On  February  29, 1851,  he  was  mar- 


282 


HISTOET    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


ried  to  Miss  Marion  Hunter,  a  native  of  Can- 
ada. They  are  the  parents  of  five  children : 
Wilham  John  and  Margret  Elizabeth, 
(twins),  Minnie  E.,  Nettie  Marion,  and 
Edwin  H.,  three  of  whom  are  living  at 
home.  Margaret  is  at  Warren,  Marsliall 
County,  teacliing  school.  Minnie  E.,  is  liv- 
ing at  Warren,  Marshall  County,  Minn. ;  she 
married  Wilber  F.  Powell,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  machinery  business.  The  other  children 
are  living  at  home.  Mr.  Naylor  has  been 
road  supervisor  and  school  director.  He  was 
elected  in  1873  and  held  the  offices  several 
years.  He  is  a  Kepublican  in  politics,  and  is 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr. 
Naylor  engages  quite  extensively  in  cattle, 
keeping  about  one  liundred  head  most  of  the 
time.  He  has  a  magnificent  residence,  and 
out-buildings,  the  house  and  barns  having 
cost  about  $7,000.  The  house  is  surrounded 
by  a  beautiful  natural  grove  of  timber.  ]\Ir. 
Naylor  s  market-place  is  at  Owatonna,  while 
his  postoffice  is  at  Kice  Lake. 

A.  Wilson  was  born  in  England  in  1833. 
At  the  age  of  four  years  he  came  to  America 
with  his  father.  They  first  located  in  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  they  remained  for 
six  or  eight  years,  then  removed  to  Dane 
County,  Wis.  The  subject  of  this  sketch 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-two 
years  old,  then  went  to  Janesville,  and 
ensjaged  as  salesman  for  a  lumber  firm.  He 
only  remained  there  during  the  summer,  as 
he  was  taken  sick  in  the  fall  and  returned 
home  for  the  winter.  The  following  spring, 
on  the  1st  of  May,  1855,  he  was  married  to 
Nancy  E.  Thompson.  During  the  summer 
he  remained  at  home,  helping  his  father  on 
the  farm,  and  in  tlie  fall  moved  onto  a  little 
farm  of  his  own  near  tiiat  of  his  father's, 
lie  remained  there  until  1850,  when  he  sold 
out  and  moved  overland  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  arriving  here  May  31,  1856.  In  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Wilson  were  Lorenzo  Muckey, 
Mrs.  P.  Wilkins  and  family,  and  L.  E. 
Tliompson  and  familj'.  Mr.  Wilson  im- 
mediately made  a  liomestead  of  the  south- 


east quarter  of  section  17,  put  up  a  10x12 
foot  claim  shanty,  and  did  some  break- 
ing to  comply  with  the  homestead  laws.  He 
still  lives  upon  his  homestead.  The  place  is 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  with  fine 
Iniildings,  and  is  among  the  best  farms  in  the 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  have  had  born 
to  them  five  children,  as  follows  :  Adelbert, 
born  August  7,  1859  (died  when  six  weeks 
old) ;  Frank  Arthur,  born  October  28,  1864; 
Henry  Ellsworth,  born  May  19,  1867  (died 
November  21,  1869) ;  Lena  Z.,  born  Novem- 
ber 23,  1869  ;  and  Mary  Mabel,  born  Septem- 
ber 27,  1876. 

Charles  Wilson  was  born  January  18, 
1835.  His  people  were  English,  and  he  was 
but  two  years  of  age  when  they  came  to  the 
United  States.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
began  life  for  himself  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Wisconsin.  In  May,  1856,  he  came 
to  Minnesota  and  settled  in  Merton  Town- 
ship, taking  government  land  and  building 
a  cabin.  Mr.  Wilson  now  has  240  acres  of 
land  on  sections  8  and  18,  and  carries  on 
general  farming  and  stock-raising.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and  has  held  various 
school  district  and  township  offices  of  import- 
ance. In  Februarj',  1864,  he  enlisted  in  the 
Second  Minnesota  Calvalr}^,  and  was  dis- 
charged November  21,  1864.  Mr.  Wilson's 
present  wife  was  formerlj'  Miss  Agnes  J. 
Gibson.  They  were  married  December  24, 
1876.  Mr.  Wilson's  family  consists  of  six 
children :  Jennie,  Ida,  Nettie,  Fred.,  Minnie 
and  Arthur,  the  five  last  named  of  whom 
are  living  at  home. 

Thomas  Stockwell,  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent farmers  in  Steele  County,  came  here  in 
May,  1857,  and  settled  on  section  28,  where 
he  has  since  lived.  Mr.  Stockwell  was  born 
in  England,  April  17,  1832,  but  from  the 
time  he  was  fifteen  until  1857  he  lived  in 
Chicago.  Mr.  Stockwell  married  Miss  Mary 
Conhn,  a  native  of  Illinois.  Politically  he 
is  a  Democrat,  and  has  held  various  offices 
of  trust  in  the  township,  including  those 
of  assessor,  supervisor,  etc.     Mr.  Stockwell 


HISTOEY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


285 


has  500  acres  of  land,  most  of  which  is 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation ;  he  has  line 
buildings,  carries  on  an  extensive  farming 
and  stock-raising  business,  and  is  one  of  the 
leading  farmers  in  this  part  of  the  State. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Episco])al  Church. 

Dexter  Carlton  came  to  Steele  County  in 
April,  1855,  and  located  in  Owatonna  Town- 
ship. After  remaining  there  for  eleven 
years  engaged  at  farming,  he  came  to  Mer- 
ton  and  located  on  section  7.  where  he  has 
since  lived.  Mr.  Carlton  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont, June  29, 1819.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  he  left  home  to  care  for  himself,  first 
being  engaged  at  farming,  after  which  he 
worked  in  a  miU  for  some  time.  Most  of  his 
life,  however,  has  been  devoted  to  tilling  the 
soil.  Mr.  Carlton  was  married  to  Miss  Caro- 
line Lord,  a  native  of  "Vermont,  who  was 
born  April  30,  1820.  They  have  had  seven 
children :  Maria  C,  born  November  23, 
1844;  Lowell  D.,  born  July  8,  1846;  Chloe 
A.,  born  January  2,  1849 ;  Alma  D.,  born 
April  3,  1851 ;  Frank  C,  born  September  26, 
1855;  George  L.,  born  March  3,  1857,  and 
Albert  O.,  born  October  16,  1859  (died  July 
22,  1880).  Mr.  Carlton  is  a  Eepublican  in 
politics.  With  his  family  he  belongs  to  the 
Universalist  Church.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in 
the  Tenth  Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry, 
and  was  honorably  discharged  in  August, 
1865. 

R.  A.  McDonald  is  a  native  of  Aberdeen, 
Scotland,  born  December  25,  1834.  He  left 
Scotland  in  1839,  and  came  to  America,  set- 
tling at  Jerse}''  City  where  he  remained 
about  one  year  He  then  removed  to  the 
town  of  Dover,  near  Eacine,  Wis.,  and 
remained  there  a  number  of  years.  He  then 
lived  in  Bremer  County,  Iowa,  for  two  years 
and  on  the  27th  of  October,  1855,  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  and  settled  in  Merton 
Township.  Mr.  McDonald  married  Miss 
Marion  Gibson,  who  was  born  in  Canada, 
September  7,  1834.  Her  parents  were 
natives  of  Scotland ;  the  mother  died  Decem- 
ber 11,   1886;  the  father  is  now  living   in 

17 


Merton  Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDonald 
have  five  children,  as  follows  :  Maggie,  born 
September  22,  1871;  Asa,  born  July  15, 
1873;  William,  born  May  22,  1875;  James, 
born  December  23,  1877,  and  Agnes,  born 
November  23,  1879.  Mr.  McDonald  is  one 
of  the  prominent  citizens  of  the  township  ; 
is  a  Eepublican  in  political  matters  and,  with 
his  family,  belongs  to  the  Congregational 
Church.  He  cari'ies  on  general  farming  and 
extensive  stock-raising,  devoting  much  atten- 
tion to  breeding  blooded  horses  and  stock. 

W.  A.  Eggleston  is  a  native  of  New  York, 
born  August  8, 1843.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  W.  A.  Eggleston  began  life  for  himself, 
and  followed  the  vocation  of  teaching  during 
the  winter  and  farming  in  the  summer.  He 
taught  for  a  number  of  terms  and  in  1869 
pnrchased  a  farm.  He  now  has  160  acres 
of  excellent  land  on  sections  17  and  18, 
where  he  carries  on  extensive  farming  anil 
stock-raising.  Mr.  Eggleston  married  Miss 
Lucinda  Norton,  a  native  of  Green  County, 
Wis.  Her  people  came  here  in  1857, 
and  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  the 
township,  locating  on  section  19.  Mrs.  Nor- 
ton died  in  1874,  and  Mr.  Norton  is  still  liv- 
ing. Mr.  and  Mi's.  Eggleston  have  three 
children,  living  at  home,  as  follows  :  Gertie 
H.,  born  July  31,  1870;  Ella  M.,  born 
November  3, 1871,  and  Daisy  M.,  born  Octo- 
ber 24,  1877.  Mr.  Eggleston  is  a  Eepublican 
in  political  matters  ;  he  has  held  the  office 
of  county  commissioner,  was  town  clerk  for 
nine  years,  justice  of  the  peace  for  eleven 
years,  school  district  treasurer,  and  is  the 
present  chairman  of  the  township  board. 
He  is  treasurer  and  one  of  the  trustees  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  Mr.  Eggleston  received 
a  classical  education,  attending  for  three 
terms  the  Academy  at  Antwerp,  N.  Y.,  and 
is  among  the  most  intelligent  and  prominent 
citizens  of  the  county. 

John  Lane  came  to  Steele  County  in  1857, 
from  Sheboygan  County,  Wis.  He  had  be- 
gun life  for  himself  when  about  twenty 
years  of  age,  and  engaged  at  farming,  work- 


28G 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


ing  by  tlie  month  for  some  two  years.  He 
then  went  to  Wisconsin,  where  for  about  six 
years  he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  business, 
and  in  1857,  as  stated,  came  to  Steele  County, 
and  located  on  section  29,  Merton  Township, 
where  he  has  since  lived,  having  now  a  well 
improved  and  valuable  farm.  In  1862 
he  enlisted  in  tlie  Tenth  Minnesota  Vol- 
unteer Infantry  and  served  for  three 
years,  pai'ticipating  in  the  battle  of  Nash- 
ville, and  in  many  other  important  en- 
orasements.  He  was  mustered  out  on  Au- 
o-ust  31,  18K5.  Mr.  Lane's  first  wife  was 
Miss  Mary  Jane  Shaw,  a  native  of  Vermont. 
In  1875  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Holmes,  a 
native  of  Ohio.  Mr.  Lane's  family  consists 
of  two  children,  Stella  J.,  and  Wykoff  J., 
both  living  at  home.  Mr.  Lane,  in  his  early 
3'ears,  received  a  common-school  education, 
as  schooling  facilities  were  not  as  perfect  as 
they  are  to-day.  He  is  a  Eepublican  and 
belongs  to  the  Methodist  Church,  with  his 
family. 

Herman  Purfeest  became  a  resident  of 
Merton  Township,  Steele  County,  Minn.,  on 
the  17th  of  April,  1857.  He  is  a  native 
of  German}',  and  was  born  July  18,  1830. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen,  Plerman  left  home 
to  care  for  himself,  and  worked  at  wool- weav- 
ing for  three  years.  In  185(i  he  caivie  to  the 
United  States,  and  in  1857  came  to  Steele 
County,  as  stated.  In  1857  he  was  married 
to  Catherine  Kiser,  who  died  in  the  spring 
of  1871.  In  1872  he  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Sherneing  (formerly  Miss  Elizabeth  Smith), 
a  native  of  Germany.  They  have  one  child, 
and  Mrs.  Purfeest  had  four  children  by  her 
former  marriage.  Mr.  Purfeest  has  always, 
in  the  ]iast,  been  a  Repuljlican  in  political 
matters,  but  is  now  Independent.  He  has 
been  school  treasurer  of  his  district  for  five 
years,  and  taken  an  active  interest  in  public 
affairs.  He  belongs  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  Purfeest  served  during  part  of  the  war 
in  the  Second  Minnesota  Cavalry,  and  was 
discharged  in  November,  1865. 

"W.  E.  Martin  came  here  in  1857  from  Ad- 


dison County,  Vt.,  and  engaged  in  farming 
and  teaching  school.  He  was  born  on 
the  8th  of  December,  1836.  On  December  2d, 
1857,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nancy  Cady, 
who  died  September  8,  ISfii.  He  was  again 
married,  on  the  25th  of  September,  1865, 
to  Miss  Alice  A.  Barnes,  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin. They  have  six  children,  besides  one 
which  died  in  infancy,  as  follows :  Frank, 
born  April  11,  1868;  George,  born  June  27, 
1870  ;  Bessie,  born  November  8, 1871: ;  Grace, 
born  March  11,  1880  ;  Ruth,  born  December 
29,  1882,  and  Harriett,  born  November  16, 
1885.  Frank  is  in  Marshall  County,  Minn., 
teaching  school,  and  the  others  are  at  home. 
Mr.  Martin  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  In  political  matters  Mr. 
Martin  has  taken  a  prominent  part,  being  a 
Proliibitionist.  In  1879  he  was  elected  asses- 
sor of  Merton  Township  and  still  holds  the 
office.  He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  six 
years ;  school  treasurer  two  terms,  and  town 
supervisor  two  terms.  On  the  11th  of  Au- 
gust, 1862,  Mr.  Martin  enlisted  in  Company 
A,  Tenth  Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry,  and 
served  until  honorably  discharged,  July  7, 
1865.  At  the  present  writing  Mr.  Martin  is 
carrying  on  farming  and  stock-i'aising  on 
section  32. 

E.  P.  Taylor  was  born  on  the  20th  of 
August,  1835.  He  came  to  Steele  County, 
from  Franklin  Count}',  Mass.,  in  1857, 
and  located  on  section  12,  in  Merton 
Township.  August  llth,  1862,  he  enlisted 
in  Comi)any  A,  Tenth  Minnesota  Volunteer 
Infantry ,and  was  honorably  discharged  June 
2,  1865.  After  being  mustered  out  he  went 
to  Massacliusetts,  and  remained  a  few 
months,  then  returned  to  his  Steele  County 
home.  Mr.  Taylor  now  has  a  valuable  farm 
and  lives  on  section  5,  carrj'ing  on  general 
farming  and  raising  Holstein  and  other 
blooded  stock.  Mr.  Taylor  was  married 
Januar}'  1,  1869,  to  Miss  Ellen  Hulett,  a 
native  of  Wisconsin.  They  have  five  chil- 
dren :  Berthold  W.,  born  March  12,  1871 ; 
Lewis  S.,  born    November  17,1873;  Eliza, 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


287 


born  Septeiubei'  1-i,  1877  ;  Ina,  born  Novem- 
ber 10, 1882,  and  Chester  A.,  born  July  17, 
1884.  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and  takes  an  active  interest  in  public 
matters  calculated  to  benefit  town  or  county. 

John  Young  is  a  native  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  was  born  ]\[arch  7,  1839. 
At  eleven  years  of  age  he  began  caring  for 
himself  and  followed  farming  for  six  years, 
when  he  came  "West  to  Indiana.  From 
there  he  Avent  to  Iowa  and  worked  in  a  saw- 
mill for  a  number  of  years.  lie  then  for 
four  years  was  in  Dakota  County,  Neb., 
part  of  the  time  carrying  the  United  States 
mail  from  Dakota  City  to  a  point  about 
130  miles  distant.  From  there  he  went 
back  to  Iowa,  and  later  settled  at  Canon 
Cit}",  Eice  County,  Minn.,  remaining  there 
six  years,  from  where,  in  1867,  he  removed 
to  this  township.  In  January',  18fi5,  Mr. 
Young  enlisted  in  the  First  Minnesota  Heavy 
Artillery  and  was  discharged  at  Chatta- 
nooga, Tenn.,  August  15,  1865.  On  the 
10th  of  March,  1861,  Mr.  Young  M-as  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Ruth  A.  Munger,  who  was  born 
in  Dorchester,  near  London,  Canada,  May 
31,  18i4.  She  had  lived  in  Canada  until 
twelve  years  of  age  and  then  removed  to 
Waterloo,  where  she  married  Mr.  Young. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young  have  four  children,  as 
follows  :  Minnie  M.  born  May  17,  1862  ; 
Jared  S.,  born  August  15,  1870;  Jessie  D., 
born  March  17,  1872,  and  Frederick  W., 
born  Sept.  9, 1874.  Mr.  Young  is  a  Ke])ub- 
lican  in  political  matters.  He  was  one  of 
the  organizers  of  school  district  No.  41,  and 
held  the  office  of  clerk  of  that  district  for 
sixteen  yeare.  He  is  one  of  the  deacons  in  The 
Eichland  Baptist  Church,  and  all  of  the  fam- 
ilj"  are  members  of  that  religious  organiza- 
tion. 

Henry  Maw  is  a  native  of  England,  born 
in  the  town  of  Darfield,  December  15,  1828. 
His  parents  were  James  and  Mai'y  M.  (Booth) 
Maw ;  his  father  being  a  toll-gate  keeper,  his 
business  kept  him  moving  from  one  station  to 
another  about   every  year.     When   Henry 


was  fourteen  the  family  came  to  America 
and  located  in  Jefferson  County,  Wis., 
where  they  claimed  government  land.  At 
that  time  the  townships  of  that  county  were 
not  organized,  but  were  the  next  spring, 
and  their  claim  was  in  what  became  Palmyra 
Township.  The  parents  remained  on  the 
place  until  their  deaths  some  years  later, 
the  mother  dying  when  Henry  was  nineteen 
and  the  father  when  he  was  twenty-four 
years  of  age.  Henry  remained  upon  the 
homestead  until  he  was  thirty  years  old, 
when  he  sold  the  farm  and  drove  overland 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  accompanied  b}^  his 
brother-in-law,  wife  and  children.  They 
drove  three  teams,  and  the  stock,  all  told, 
consisted  of  eight  cows,  one  pair  of  oxen, 
and  a  team  of  horses.  The}'  were  one  month 
on  the  way  and  arrived  here  June  13,  1858. 
He  had  previously  bought  his  present  farm, 
on  which  was  a  "  shell  of  a  log  house."  It 
was  moved  to  where  his  present  residence  is 
located,  was  repaired  somewhat  and  in  a  few 
da^'s  they  were  living  in  their  own  house. 
Mr.  Maw  at  once  commenced  breaking  land, 
and  put  in  what  crops  he  could  that  season 
He  has  lived  on  the  place  ever  since,  now 
having  400  acres  of  land,  and  fine  build- 
ings, and  carries  on  farming  and  stock- 
raising  on  an  extensive  scale.  In  the  fall  of 
1858,  after  getting  through  breaking,  Mr. 
Maw  retvxrned  to  Wisconsin  and  brought 
back  a  thrashing-machine,  with  an  eight- 
horse  power.  They  began  threshing  as  soon 
as  they  crossed  the  Mississippi  at  La  Crosse, 
and  continued  to  do  jobs  all  along  the  road, 
until  the}'  ai'rived  at  home  in  February,  1859. 
This  was  the  first  thrashing-machine  brought 
into  Steele  County.  Mr.  Maw  was  married 
in  April,  1849,  in  Jefferson  County,  Wis.,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Mosher,  anativeof  New  York. 
Their  union  was  blessed  with  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Charles  N.,  born  December  10,  lb53; 
Henry,  born  December  13, 1855  ;  Ellen  J., 
born  December  28,  1857;  Rose  M.,  born 
June  1,  1862,  and  Lilley  Viola,  born  July 
15,1864;    Mrs.  Maw  died  August  1,  1866. 


2S8 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUTNTT. 


On  the  25th  of  April,  1867,  Mr.  Maw  was 
married  to  Louisa  O.  Eeynolds.  They  have 
had  two  children  :  Frederick  J.,  born  July 
13,  18CS,  and  Flora  Louise,  born  October  10, 
1876.  Mr.  and  Mi's.  Maw  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  he  having  joined 
forty-seven  years  ago  ;  she  thirty-one  years 
aero.  Mr.  Maw  has  alwavs  taken  an  active 
interest  in  town  affairs  and  educational  mat- 
tei's,  and  has  held  an  office  in  his  school  dis- 
trict for  twenty  years  past. 

Henry  Maw  Jr.  came  to  Steele  County 
with  his  father  in  1858.  He  was  born  in 
Jefferson  County,  Wis.,  December  13,  1856. 
When  twenty-six  years  old  he  began  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account  on  section  22,  Mer- 
ton  Township,  where  he  has  since  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock-raising,  devoting 
considerable  attention  to  breeding  Norman 
liorses.  On  the  11th  of  November,  1881,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Ida  Jane  Burns,  a  na- 
tive of  Steele  County,  Minn.  They  have 
two  children  :  Pearl  Eva,  born  October  13, 
1883,  and  Flossy  M.,  born  November  3, 1886. 
Mr.  Maw  is  a  Prohibitionist  in  political  mat- 
ters, and  is,  with  his  wife,  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Cluirch. 

W.  H.  Wilson  was  born  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  March  27,  18-12.  At  an  early 
dav  he  became  a  resident  of  Dane  Countv 
Wis.,  where  for  some  eighteen  years  he 
followed  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1863 
he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  and  pur. 
chased  100  acres  of  land  in  section  18, 
township  108,  range  19.  In  1864  he  en- 
listed in  the  First  Wisconsin  Heavy  Artil- 
lery, and  was  in  the  service  about  eleven 
months,  being  mustered  out  in  1865.  After 
this  he  went  to  Wisconsin,  and  after  a  few 
months  returned  to  Minnesota  for  the  third 
time,  bringing  his  family.  Mr.  Wilson  was 
married  to  Miss  INIary  Partridge,  a  native  of 
Nova  Scotia.  The_y  have  four  children  :  Jes- 
sie E.,  Harry  G.,  Dora  M.  and  Mary  E.  In 
political  matters  Mr.  Wilson  is  a  Republican  ; 
he  has  been  school  director  and  held  vari- 
ous other  local  offices.     He  has  now  a  large. 


well  cultivated  and  improved  farm,  with 
magnificent  farm  buildings,  and  is  one  of 
Merton's  most  substantial  and  prominent  cit- 
izens. 

Edward  Smith  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  from  Dodge  County,  Wis.,  in  1863. 
His  people  were  natives  of  Germany,  l)ut 
he  had  moved  to  Wisconsin  from  New 
York  State,  and  spent  some  thirteen  years 
in  farming  in  Dodge  County,  Wis.  In  his 
father's  family  there  were  four  children  :  So- 
phia, Elizabeth,  Frederick  and  Edward.  So- 
phia married  Frederick  Ribstein.  Elizabeth 
first  married  Mr.  Scherneing  (deceased),  and 
afterward  married  Herman  Purfeest.  Ed- 
ward Smith  began  life  for  himself  when  about 
twenty -four  years  of  age,  and  for  three  j'ears 
farmed  in  Wisconsin.  ITpon  coming  to  Min- 
nesota he  located  on  section  11,  in  Merton 
Township,  where  he  now  has  a  splendid  farm. 
He  was  married  to  Miss  Maggie  Putsch,  a 
native  of  Germany.  They  have  six  cWldren : 
Anna,  born  October  1,  1869  ;  Elizal)eth,  born 
January  i,  1871;  Edward,  born  March  27, 
1873;  Frederick,  born  June  1,  1877;  Lucy, 
born  May  30, 1879,  and  William,  born  May  29, 
1883,  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He 
has  held  the  offices  of  school  director  and  town 
supervisor,  besides  others  of  a  local  nature. 

Dexter  Lane  is  a  native  of  Cuyahoga 
County,  Ohio,  and  was  born  November  1-1, 
1832.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, his  mother  (formerly  Miss  Elizabeth 
Hurlbut)  of  New  York  State.  They  came 
here  at  an  earl}'  day,  and  the  Lane  family 
figure  prominently  in  the  early  history  of 
the  count}'.  The  father  and  mother  remai ned 
until  the  times  of  their  death,  and  are  buried 
in  the  Merton  cemetery.  In  the  father's 
family  there  were  nine  children :  Elias,  Eliza, 
John,  Licena,  Dexter,  Laurinda,  Leander  IL, 
Matilda  and  Louisa.  John,  Dexter,  Leander 
H.  and  Louisa  (now  Mrs.  C.  B.  Baker),  are 
still  residents  of  Merton  Township.  Dexter 
began  life  for  himself  when  twent3--one 
vears  of  age,  and   was   engaged  chieflv  at 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


289 


farming  until  the  spring  of  1862,  when  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  Company  C,  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-fourth  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry.  He  saw  much  hard  service.  On 
September  20,  1863,  he  was  taken  prisoner 
of  war  and  was  taken  to  Atlanta,  Ga. ; 
thence  to  Eichmond,  Va. ;  thence  to  Dan- 
ville, where  he  remained  until  exchanged, 
and  was  then  placed  in  the  convalescent 
camp  at  Columbus,  Ohio.  From  there  he 
was  transferred  to  the  Chicago  Invalid 
Corps,  and  was  finally  honorably  discharged 
at  Chicago  in  July,  1865.  He  then  came  to 
Merton  Township,  Steele  County,  Minn., 
where  he  has  since  lived.  Mr.  Lane  was 
married  February  21,  1855,  to  Miss  Carrie 
Chamberlain,  a  native  of  Trumbull  County, 
Ohio.  She  died  July  18,  1885,  being  in  her 
forty-ninth  year.  Her  death  was  sadly 
mourned  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and 
relatives.  They  had  three  children:  Eva 
Jane,  born  December  IS,  1855;  Arthur  W., 
born  December  12,  1859,  and  Bessie  E.,  born 
October  23,  1871.  The  two  daughters  are 
at  home.  Arthur  is  practicing  law  at  Lin- 
coln, Neb.  Dexter  Lane  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  has  held  various  local  offices, 
including  that  of  school  district  treasurer, 
and  is  among  the  most  prominent  citizens  of 
the  township. 

Captain  Leaniler  H.  Lane,  who  has  been 
referred  to,  is  a  native  of  Cuyahoga  County, 
Ohio,  wliere  he  was  born  May  10,  1840. 
When  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  in  the  spring 
of  1861,  Mr.  Lane  enlisted  as  a  private  in 
Company  D,  Twenty -third  Ohio  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  remained  in  the  service  until 
April,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. Step  by  step  he  was  promoted 
until  when  mustered  out  he  had  become  cap- 
tain of  Company  I,  Twenty-third  Ohio 
Infantry.  After  receiving  his  discharge  he 
came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  and  located  in 
Merton  Township,  where  he  still  lives.  He 
now  has  500  acres  of  land,  mostly  under  a 
good  state  of  cultivation,  with  good  im- 
provements,  where   he    carries  on  general 


farming  and  stock-raising,  devoting  consid- 
erable attention  to  blooded  stock.  In  poli- 
tical matters  Capt.  Lane  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  all 
political  and  public  matters.  He  has 
held  various  offices  of  importance,  including 
those  of  county  commissioner,  township 
supervisor,  road  supervisor,  school  director 
and  others.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  and  may  justly  be 
termed  one  of  Steele  County's  most  promi- 
nent farmers. 

P.  Lynch  became  a  citizen  of  Merton  Town- 
ship in  1865.  He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born 
March  21,  1836.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  at  an  early  day,  lived  for  a  time  in 
New  Jersey  and  then  settled  in  Lafayette 
County,  Wis.,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  for  about  eight  years.  Upon  com- 
ing here  he  first  located  on  section  34,  but 
about  two  j'ears  later  he  removed  to  section 
29,  where  he  now  has  a  splendid  farm,  and 
carries  on  extensive  stock-raising  and 
farming,  generally  keeping  from  thirty  to 
forty  head  of  cattle.  Mr.  Lynch  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Anna  Gayner,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land. Her  people  were  natives  of  the  same 
country,  who  came  to  America  in  1857 ;  the 
mother  died  in  1880.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lynch 
have  four  children :  May  Ann,  born  in 
1864;  Thomas  A.,  born  in  1865;  Ally  A., 
born  in  1870,  and  Elizabeth  J.,  born  in  1872, 
all  of  whom  are  living  at  home  except  May, 
who  married  John  Malone,  now  a  resident  of 
Berlin  Township.  Mr.  Lj'nch  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  political  matters.  He  and  his  wife 
are  memljers  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

George  Hunter,  a  prominent  citizen  of 
Merton  Township,  was  born  in  Canada,  on 
the  15th  of  April,  1834.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-one  he  left  home  to  care  for  himself, 
and  for  several  years  followed  farming  near 
Northfield,  in  Rice  Countj'.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Canada,  and  for  two  years  was  en- 
gaged in  the  lumbering  business.  His  next 
move — in  1866 — was  to  come  to  Steele 
County,   Minn.,    where    he   has  since  been 


•2do 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE    COUN'i'Y. 


engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising.  Mr. 
Hunter  was  married  on  the  ISth  of  Decem- 
ber, 1866,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Naylor,  a  native 
of  England,  who  was  born  April  23,  1845. 
They  have  had  nine  children,  as  follows: 
Jessie  E.,  born  October  8,  1866;  George  F., 
born  December  13,  1867;  James  F.,  born 
January  2,  1869 ;  David  R.,  born  September 
9,  1870  ;  Margaret  E.,  born  April  28, 1872 ; 
"William  C,  born  March  2,  1874;  Cora  M., 
born  November  18,  1876 ;  Emma  J.,  born 
November  25,  1879,  and  John  E.,  born 
August  2,  1884.  In  political  matters  Mr. 
Hunter  is  a  Republican. 

Frederick  Ribstein  was  born  in  Germany 
July  13,  1821.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1847,  and  lived  in  New  York  State 
for  about  eight  years.  He  then  removed  to 
Wisconsin  where  he  lived  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1867  he  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  and  located  on  section  3  where  he 
still  resides.  He  now  has  a  large  amount  of 
land,  fine  buildings  and  is  among  the  most 
substantial  and  well-to-do  farmers  in  the 
township.  ]\Ir.  Ribstein  began  life  with 
nothing.  At  eighteen  he  left  home  and  af- 
ter learning  the  carpenter's  trade  he  worked 
at  that  n^ost  of  the  time  until  he  came  to 
Steele  County.  He  was  married  in  August, 
1850,  to  Miss  Sophia  Smith,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  they  have  had  nine  children,  as 
follows:  Amelia,  born  March  2,  1851; 
Lewis,  born  April  7,  1853;  Frank,  born 
April  14,  1857;  Matilda,  born  April  14, 
1855;  Edward,  born  August  28,  1859; 
Fred,  born  September  27,  1861;  Sophia, 
born  January  5,  1864 ;  Lizzie,  born  April 
27,  1866,  and  Flora,  born  November  10, 
1868.  Two  of  the  children  are  dead  ;  three 
are  married ;  one  lives  in  Dakota,  and  the 
others  are  at  home.  Mr.  Ribstein  is  a  Re- 
jiuljlican  in  politics,  and  belongs  to  the 
Lutheran  Church,  with  his  family.  He  has 
been  school  director  for  several  terms,  and 
is  the  present  school  treasurer  of  his  district, 
an  oifice  which  he  has  held  for  ten  years 
jiast. 


Thomas  Williams,  one  of  the  most  enter- 
prising farmers  of  the  township,  is  a  native 
of  the  Isle  of  Wales,  being  born  in  County 
Radnor,  September  5,  1833.  His  people 
were  natives  of  the  same  country.  They 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1853,  and 
located,  in  Racine  County,  Wis.  In  his 
father's  family  there  were  eight  children : 
John,  Mar}^,  Ann,  Thomas,  Susanna,  James, 
Sarah  and  Rice.  Three  of  them,  Susanna, 
Ann  and  Rice,  are  dead.  Thomas  Williams 
came  to  the  United  States  in  the  fall  of 
1849.  For  a  time  he  lived  in  Macoupin 
County,  111.,  and  was  then  engaged 
chiefly  at  farming  in  Racine  Count}',  Wis., 
for  a  period  of  about  twelve  years.  From 
there,  in  1867,  he  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  where  he  has  since  been  enraged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising,  now  hav- 
ing 240  acres  of  land  on  section  22,  in  Mer- 
ton  Townshi]),  besides  twenty  acres  of 
timber  land  in  Medford  Township.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics.  On  the  23rd  of 
December,  1872,  Mr.  Williams  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Sophia  Maw,  a  native 
of  Wisconsin,  born  in  March,  1851.  They 
had  one  child,  Henry  T.,  born  November  21, 
1874.  Mrs.  Williams  died  July  23,  1876. 
Her  deatli  was  a  terrible  blow  to  her  hus- 
band and  family,  and  was  mourned  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends,  as  she  was  beloved 
b}'  all  who  knew  her. 

J.  H.  Laughlin,  another  of  Merton  Town- 
ship's substantial  and  prominent  citizens, 
came  here  in  1867.  He  is  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, born  December  14, 1843;  but  came 
here  from  McIIenry  County,  111.  Since  his 
residence  here  he  has  devoted  most  of  his 
attention  to  stock-raisino-  and  farmino-  and 
now  has  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  Steele 
County.  He  was,  however,  on  the  road  for 
a  time  for  the  Woods  Harvester  Works. 
On  the  25th  of  Januar}',  1867,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Katie  Conway,  a  native  of  St. 
Louis.  They  had  six  children :  Edwai'd, 
George,  James,  Maggie,  Milford  and  \'m- 
son.     In  political  matters  Mr.  Laughlin  is  a 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


291 


Democrat,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

Philo  J.  Tuttle  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence 
County,  N.  Y.,  April  10,  1821,  his  parents 
being  natives  of  Vermont.  "Wlien  he  was 
eighteen  montlis  old,  his  mother  died.  When 
eleven  he  began  life  on  his  own  account  and 
began  work  by  the  month  on  a  farm,  follow- 
ing this  occupation  for  a  period  of  nearly 
fifteen  years.  He  then  purchased  a  farm  in 
his  native  county  and  for  a  number  of  years 
tilled  it.  In  1869  he  sold  out  his  interests 
there  and  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn,, 
and  located  on  section  19,  Merton  Town- 
ship. He  now  has  240  acres  of  land  on 
that  section,  besides  thirt}^  acres  of  timber 
in  Clinton  Falls  Township.  He  carries  on 
farming  and  stock-raising  extensively.  In 
1864  Mr.  Tuttle  enlisted  in  the  Thirty-ninth 
New  York  Volunteer  Infantrv,  and  partici- 
pated in  a  number  of  skirmishes.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1845,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Tliesta 
Taylor,  a  native  of  New  York  State.  She 
died  in  1846,  leaving  one  child,  Thesta, 
which  died  in  1850.  Mr.  Tuttle  was  again 
married,  on  September  28,  1848,  Miss  Abi 
gail  Rice  becoming  his  wife.  She  was  born 
in  Vermont  but  had  been  raised  in  the  State 
of  New  York.  They  have  six  living  chil- 
dren, as  follows :  Frederick,  Charles,  Alice, 
Stella,  Alton  and  Floy.  Alton  and  Floy  are 
still  at  home.  Fred  is  clerking  in  a  music 
store  at  Sioux  City,  Iowa.  Charles  is  farm- 
ing near  Flandrau,  D.  T.  Alice  married 
John  Burgess,  a  carpenter  at  Spearfish, 
Lawrence  County,  D.  T.  Stella  married 
James  Gallea,  of  Clinton  Falls  Township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tuttle  have  buried  four  chil- 
dren :  Hattie,  Florence  E.,  Ernest  L.  and 
Eva  A.  Mr.  Tuttle  has  taken  a  prominent 
part  in  public  affairs,  and  has  held  various 
local  offices,  including  tliose  of  chairman  of 
the  township  board,  overseer  of  roads,  and 
school  director  a  number  of  terms. 

George  L.  Merrill,  Esq.,  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire,  August  7,  1820.  He  received  a 
classical  educatiou,  graduating   from   Dart- 


mouth College  in  1840.  He  then  began  the 
study  of  law,  and  pursued  his  studies  for 
three  or  four  years ;  one  year  with  Judge 
I.  Perry,  of  Concord,  N.  H. ;  tlien  for 
about  two  years  with  M.  N.  Benton, 
county  attorne}^,  at  Covington,  Ky.  After 
this  he  was  examined  by  Hon.  J.  J.  Mar- 
shall, State  judge,  and  admitted  to  the  bar. 
He  then  engaged  in  practice  at  Covington 
for  three  years,  when  he  removed  to  Janes- 
ville.  Wis.,  where  he  dealt  in  real  estate  and 
practiced  his  profession.  In  the  spring  of 
1854  he  removed  to  Faribault,  Minn.,  where 
he  lived  for  some  fifteen  years,  engaged  in 
speculating  and  law  practice.  Then  worn 
out  by  an  active  and  eventful  life,  he  located 
upon  his  farm  on  section  5,  Merton  Township, 
Minn.,  where  has  since  been  engaged  at 
farming  and  stock-raising.  Mr.  Merrill  was 
married  November  16,  1847,  to  Miss  Mary 
Young,  a  native  of  Alexandria,  N.  H., 
born  January  1,  1827.  They  have  had 
eight  cliildren,  only  three  of  whom  are  still 
living.  They  were  as  follows:  James C.  (de- 
ceased), born  July  17,  1849;  Caroline,  (de- 
ceased), born  March  17,  1851 ;  Ann,  born 
April  30,  1853;  George  L.,  born  March  25, 
1856 ;  John  E.  (deceased),  born  August  13, 
1858;  Mary  F.  (deceased),  born  January  21, 
1861 ;  James  J.  (deceased),  August  21,  1863, 
and  Charles  L.,  born  September  18,  1865. 
Mr.  Merrill  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  but  has 
not  taken  an  active  part  in  political  affairs, 
that  of  justice  of  the  peace  being  the  only 
office  he  has  held  since  coming  here.  The 
family  attends  the  Methodist  Church. 

Anders  M.  Hansen  is  a  native  of  Denmark, 
born  April  3,  1845.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
he  began  life  for  himself.  He  learned  the 
cooper's  trade  and  followed  that,  at  odd 
times  being  engaged  at  farming  for  a  number 
of  years.  In  March,  1864,  he  settled  in 
Illinois,  and  a  few  months  later  went  to 
Wisconsin  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming. 
In  1869  he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
and  ]iurchased  eighty  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 34,  Merton  Township.     He  farmed  this 


292 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


for  about  five  years  and  a  half,  then  rented 
it  and  moved  to  Owatonna,  where  for  six 
3'ears  he  Was  engaged  in  the  machinery  busi- 
ness. He  then  returned  to  his  place,  where 
he  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  has  a  fine  brick  residence, 
splendid  outbuildings  and  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  Steele  County.  On  the  11th  of 
January,  1867,  Mr.  Hansen  was  married  to 
Miss  Anna  K.  Hansen,  a  native  of  Den- 
mark. They  have  had  four  cliildren,  as  fol- 
lows: Molizzie  F.  (deceased),  born  JVIay  3, 
1868;  Herman,  born  September  16,  1869; 
Ange  Margaretta,  born  April  10,  1872, 
and  Emma  Patrina,  born  May  12, 187-1.  ]Mr. 
Hansen  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  was 
elected  pathmaster  in  1882  and  held  the 
office  for  two  years;  in  1885  was  elected 
clerk  of  school  district  Xo.  SO.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hansen  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  Havanna,  of  which  Mr.  Hansen 
has  been  one  of  the  trustees. 

Benjamin  M.  Northup  was  born  in  the 
State  of  New  York,  April  13,  1850.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  he  began  life  for  himself, 
and  for  about  two  years  worked  in  a  barrel 
factory.  He  then  was  engaged  for  two  3'ears 
at  farming  in  Eice  County,  Minn.,  af- 
ter which  he  came  to  Merton  Township, 
Steele  County,  and  located  on  section  6.  A 
year  later  he  again  resumed  farming  in  Rice 
County.  He  was  then  engaged  in  the  mill 
business  atDundas  for  two  years,  after  which 
he  again  became  a  resident  of  Merton  Town- 
ship, purchasing  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section     3,    of    Hudson     Wilson,    of   Fari- 


bault. He  now  has  a  well  improved  farm, 
and  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  Mr.  Northup  was  married  June 
16,  1870,  to  Miss  Anna  C.  Edsall,  a  native  of 
Waushara  County,'  Wis.  They  have  three 
children:  Benjamin  Edsall,  born  May  30, 
1872;  Ismay  Temperance,  born  October 
31,  1876,  and  Arthur  Truman,  born  July  11, 
1878 ;  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home.  Mr. 
Northup  is  a  Republican  in  politics;  in  1881: 
he  was  elected  clerk  of  school  district  No. 
■11,  and  still  holds  the  office.  The  family  at- 
tends the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Geoi-ge  W.  Strong,  deceased,  was  born 
March  23, 1822.  He  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  in  1856  and  located  in  the  town- 
ship of  Medford.  Nine  years  later  he  came 
to  Merton  Township.  His  death  occurred 
at  Medford,  March  27,  1881.  He  was  a  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  was  well  and  favora- 
bly known  throughout  this  portion  of  the 
county.  Mr.  Strong  was  married  July  4. 
1853,  to  Miss  Helen  E.  Thompson,  a  native 
of  Monroe  Countj%  Mich.,  who  survives 
liira.  She  has  nine  living  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Avelys  Z.,  born  April  31,  1855 ;  Helen 
R.  born  July  4,  1858  ;  Mary  I.,  born  July  23, 
1860;  George  E.,  born  June  7,  1862;  William 
O.,  born  July  6,  1864;  Kitsy  J.,  born  Janu- 
ary 23,  18«)6;Fred  A.,  born  July  21,  1868; 
Fannie  E.,  born  February  1,  1871  ;  Frankie 
E.,  born  May  28,  1873,  and  Minnie  E.,  born 
March  16,  1876.  Three  girls  and  one  boy 
are  living  at  home.  In  1882  Mrs.  Strong 
moved  to  section  IS,  Merton  Township, 
where  she  still  lives. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


MEDFOED  TOWNSHIP. 


HIS  is  one  of  the  smallest  town- 
ships in  the  count3^  containing 
only  eighteen  sections  of  land,  the 
north  half  of  township  108,  range 
20.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north 
by  Eice  County ;  on  the  east 
by  Merton  Township ;  on  the 
soutli  by  Clinton  Falls,  and  on  the 
west  by  Doertield.  The  Straight 
Eiver  passes  through  the  town- 
ship, just  west  of  the  center,  on 
its  way  northward,  and  several 
tributary  creeks  join  it  in  this 
township.  About  one-half  of  the 
surface  of  the  township  is  covered 
with  timber,  nearly  all  of  the  land  on  the 
east  side  of  the  river  being  covered  with  a 
heavy  growth  of  fine  timber  for  lumber  or 
fuel.  A  good  man}'  tine  farms  have  been 
cleared  in  the  timber,  and  the  prairie  lands 
are  dotted  with  the  fine  buildings  of  the 
many  thrifty  farmers  who  have  settled  there. 
The  soil  of  the  timber  land  is  of  a  black  sandy 
loam,  very  deep,  with  a  clay  subsoil,  adapted 
to  all  kinds  of  cereals  or  vegetables.  On  the 
west  side  of  the  river  the  soil  is  of  a  lighter 
loam,  but  is  also  very  productive. 

EAKLY  SETILEMENT. 

The  first  settlement  within  the  present 
limits  of  Steele  County  was  made  in  Med- 
ford  Township.  The  first  claims  were  made 
in  the  summer  of  1853,  by  A.  L.  Wright, 
Chauncey  Lull,  Smith  and  Orlando  Johnson, 
and  L.  M.  Howard,  who  staked  off  claims, 
and  in  September  Mr.  Howard  turned  over 


the  first  sod  in  what  is  now  Steele  County. 
The  Messrs.  Johnson  commenced  breaking 
on  their  claims  that  fall,  but  did  not  build 
their  house  nor  remove  their  families  to 
this  place  until  the  following  spring. 

A.  L.  Wright  took  a  claim  on  what  after- 
ward became  section  5,  in  Medford  Town- 
ship, and  then  returned  to  St.  Paul.  In  Sep- 
tember of  the  same  year  he  hired  a  team 
and  came  back,  accompanied  by  Chauncey 
Lull,  and  then  erected  a  cabin  on  the  claim. 
This  was  undoubtedly  the  first  house  put  up 
within  the  limits  of  the  county.  In  this 
cabin  Messrs.  Wright  and  Lull  spent  the 
winter,  keeping  "  batch."  There  were  no 
other  whites  in  the  county;  but  a  band  of 
Indians  were  in  winter-quarters  within  160 
rods  of  the  cabin.  This  was  the  extent  of 
the  settlement  during  the  year  1853. 

During  the  year  1851  a  number  of  addi- 
tions were  made  to  the  settlement.  Those 
who  came  were:  W.  W.  Wilkins,  William 
Allen,  John  Sanborn,  William  K.  Colling, 
Edwin  Drake,  Orlando  Bartholomew  and 
David  Sanborn. 

William  Allen  settled  on  section  10.  He 
remained  there  for  nearly  twenty  years,  then 
removed  to  St.  Paul,  and  has  since  gone  to 
the  Pacific  coast. 

John  Sanborn  came  with  his  family  early 
in  the  spring  of  1851  and  located'on  section 
16,  Mrs.  Sanborn,  it  is  claimed,  being  the 
first  white  woman  resident  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Sanborn  remained  for  about  fourteen 
years  and  finally  removed  to  Missouri,  where 
he  has  since  died. 


3fl:3 


294 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


William  K.  Colling  was  an  Englishman. 
He  located  and  selected  government  land, 
building  a  house  near  where  the  elevator 
now  stands  in  the  village  of  Medford.  He 
remained  here  for  seven  or  eight  years  and 
finally  returned  to  England. 

Edwin  Drake  located  ujjon  what  was  after- 
ward a  portion  of  the  village  plat,  where  he 
lived  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1886. 

Sylvester  Gillman,  in  April  of  this  3'ear 
(1854),  settled  upon  section  33  of  "Walcott 
Township,  Rice  County,  just  over  the  county 
line,  where  he  lived  for  over  twenty  3'ears. 

Orlando  Bartholomew  made  a  claim  on 
section  8.  He  remained  here  until  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1878. 

David  Sanborn  came  this  year,  but  first  lo- 
cated in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Clinton 
Falls.  About  fifteen  years  later  he  settled 
in  Medford,  finally  removing  to  Owatonna, 
where  he  died  in  March,  1SS.5. 

In  1855  the  settlement  continued  rapidly. 
The  following  were  the  arrivals  during  that 
year:  G.  O.  Hankerson,  Isaac  and  Jacob 
Heath,  S.  M.  Freeman,  A.  Ring,  L.  Muckey, 
"William  Reynolds,  Charles  Jones,  Joel 
Pound,  F.  B.  Davis,  J.  Sliaw,  George  Strong, 
Benjamin  Freeman,  James  McDonald,  Chas. 
Jones,  A.  L.  Kinyon,  Mr.  Cotton,  Robert 
McDonald,  Charles  Strong  and  Luther  Lane. 

Biographical  sketches  of  many  of  these 
pioneers  will  Ije  found  in  another  depart- 
ment of  this  work. 

Lorenzo  Muckey  settled  on  section  14, 
where  he  remained  until  1885,  when  he  sold 
out  and  removed  to  Montana. 

"William  Reynolds  located  on  section  11 
and  remained  here  or  about  sixteen  years, 
when  he  removed  to  St.  Paul,  then  to  Alma 
City,  and  finally  settled  in  Owatonna,  where 
he  still  lives. 

Charles  Jones  made  his  home  on  section 
10.  After  living  there  until  1883,  he  re- 
moved to  the  Mouse  River  countr}^  in  Da- 
kota. 

Joel  Pound   selected  his  piece  of  land  on 


section  11,  and  remained  there  until  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1865. 

F.  B.  Davis  also  located  on  section  12, 
After  a  residence  of  some  fifteen  years 
here,  he  removed  to  Meriden,  and  from 
there  has  gone  to  "Watertown,  Dakota. 

J.  Shaw  settled  upon  a  claim  on  section 
12.  AVhen  the  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  and 
remained  in  the  service  until  death  cut  him 
off  in  1864. 

George  Strong  selected  a  claim  on  section 
11,  and  remained  there  for  nearly  twenty 
years,  when  he  removed  to  Merton.  Later 
he  returned  to  Medford  Township,  and  died 
there  in  March,  1880. 

S.  M.  Freeman  first  settled  on  section  13, 
and  remained  there  some  ten  years.  In  the 
meantime  when  the  war  broke  out  he  enlist- 
ed in  the  Tenth  Minnesota  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, and  was  discharged  in  1864.  After 
coming  l)ack  he  farmed  it  one  season,  and 
then  moved  to  Medford. 

James  McDonald  located  on  section  12. 
About  ten  years  later  he  sold  to  J.  Pike  and 
removed  to  Merton  Township.  He  is  now 
dead. 

Charles  Jones  settled  on  section  10.  He 
remained  there  for  about  twenty  years,  then 
sold  his  place  and  rented  farms  until  1883, 
when  he  removed  to  the  Mouse  River  coun- 
try, in  Dakota. 

A.  L.  Kinyon  settled  to  section  2.  A  few 
j'ears  later  he  sold  and  went  to  Iowa. 

Mr.  Cotton  selected  a  claim  in  the  north 
ern  part  of  the  town,  but  only  i-emained  a 
few  years. 

Robert  McDonald  lived  with  his  brother 
on  section  12.  He  is  now  in  Merton  Town- 
ship. 

Charles  Strong  took  a  claim  on  section  14. 

Luther  Lane  settled  on  section  4,  remained 
there  till  1880,  and  then  located  in  Medford 
village. 

In  1850  the  settlement  was  again  in- 
creased b\'  a  large  number  of  arrivals,  and 
about  all  the  remaining  Government  land 
was  taken.     Amono-   those   who   came  this 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


295 


year  were :  Samuel  Ring,  Wm.  Robinson, 
W.  ]Sr.  Abbott,  W.  L.  Abbott,  Joseph  Jaw- 
yer,  Zacharias  Scribner,  Charles  Scribner, 
Benjamin  Livingstone,  B.  F.  Melvin,  W.  P. 
Bissell,  R.  G.  Lincoln  and  Richard  and 
Chancy  Carpenter. 

Samuel  Ring  settled  on  section  12  and 
remained  tliere  until  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1885. 

The  Richardsons  located  on  section  1. 

W.  N.  and  M.  L.  Abbott  settled  on  section 
9.  W.  N.  remained  there  until  the  spring 
of  18S7,  when  he  moved  to  Lincoln,  Neb. 
M.  L.  Abbott  remained  here  until  the  fall  of 
1869,  when  he  removed  to  Tennessee,  where 
he  still  lives. 

Joseph  Sawyer  first  located  on  section  17. 
He  died  at  Owatonna  in  August,  1886. 

Zacharias  Scribner  located  on  sections 
8  and  9,  and  lived  there  until  1863,  when  he 
moved  to  Faril^ault,  and  in  1866  to  Water- 
ville,  Minn.  Charles  Scribner  remained  here 
until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1867.  Ilis 
widow  afterward  married  II.  B.  Morrison 
and  now  lives  at  Britt,  Iowa. 

Benjamin  Livingston  remained  here  until 
1866,  when  he  went  to  Faribault. 

B.  F.  Melvin  settled  on  section  9.  He 
was  later  elected  count}'  treasurer  and  re- 
moved to  Owatonna  where  he  remained  until 
the  time  of  his  death  in  1880. 

"W".  P.  Bissell  located  on  section  9.  He 
is  still  a  resident  of  the  township. 

FIRST    EVENTS. 

The  first  house  in  the  township  was  that 
erected  by  A.  L.  Wright  and  Chauncey  Lull 
in  the  fall  of  1853. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that  of 
William  Colling,  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W. 
K.  Colling. 

The  first  marriage  of  residents  of  the  town- 
ship was  that  of  A.  L.  Wright  and  Miss 
Phoebe  Hayes.  The  ceremony  was  performed 
in  Rice  County. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  William  Wohl- 
ford,  which  occurred  July  29, 1859.     The  re- 


mains were  buried  in  what  is  now  known  as 
Wolcott  and  Medford  Union  cemetery. 

ORGANIZATION. 

When  Steele  County  \vas  organized,  August 
1,  1855,  all  the  territory  in  the  west  two- 
thirds  of  the  county  was  organized  as  Owa- 
tonna Township,  which  included  what  is  now 
Medford.  On  the  25th  of  the  same  month, 
however,  Medford  Township  was  created  by 
the  board  of  county  commissioners  and  then 
included  what  is  now  known  as  Medford, 
Clinton  Falls  and  Deerfield  Townships.  It 
was  ordered  that  the  first  to\vn  meeting  be 
held  at  the  house  of  William  Colling,  and 
F.  F.  Adams,  Orlando  Bartholomew  and 
William  Allen  were  a])pointed  judges  of  the 
first  election.  On  the  7th  of  April,  1856, 
the  records  state  that  Franklin  Township 
was  organized  of  township  108,  range  19, 
and  the  east  half  of  township  108,  range 
20,  • —  which  would  take  of  the  east  half 
of  what  is  now  Medford  and  Clinton  Falls 
Township.  Many  of  the  old  settlers  claim 
that  this  is  a  mistake,  yet  it  so  appears  in  the 
records  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners. On  the  6th  of  April,  1857,  a  change 
of  boundaries  was  made,  and  Medford  was 
made  to  include  the  territory  now  forming 
Medford  and  Clinton  Falls  Township.  Thus 
it  remained  until  April  6, 1858,  when  Clinton 
Falls  Township  was  set  off',  leaving  the  bound- 
aries of  Medford  Township  as  they  still  re- 
main. The  organization  of  the  township  as 
it  is  now  formed  was  not  fully  perfected  until 
the  11th  of  May,  1858,  when  a  complete  list 
of  township  officers  was  elected  as  follows  : 
F.  B.  Davis,  J.  D.  Sanborn  and  O.  Bartholo- 
mew, supervisors ;  A.  O.  Francis,  clerk ;  W. 
P.  Francis,  assessor ;  Edwin  Drake,  treasurer ; 
E.  Sanborn,  overseer  of  the  poor ;  K.  Pres- 
cott  and  Joel  L.  Pound,  justices  of  the  peace. 

Among  others  who  were  prominent  in 
township  affairs  in  early  days  and  who  held 
leading  offices  were  :  B.  F.  Melvin,  W.  F. 
Lewis,  Orrin  Lee,  W.  P.  Bissell,  W.  W.  Wil- 
kins,  R.  Miles  and  Charles  Pomeroy. 


296 


HISTORY    OK    STEELE    COUNTY. 


The  following  are  the  present  township 
officers  of  Medford,  elected  March  8,  1887 : 
N.  "Webb,  Charles  Gardner  and  E.  P.  Ring, 
supervisors ;  M.  Skinner,  clerk ;  W.  A.  Bailey, 
treasurer ;  L.  R.  Barlow,  assessor ;  Orrin  Lee 
and  G.  H.  Butler,  justices  of  the  peace ;  G. 
F.  Johnson,  and  S.  Curtis,  constables. 

In  the  spring  of  1858  the  town  officers  let 
a  contract  to  B.  F.  Melvin  and  J.  P.  Ride- 
out  to  build  a  bridge  across  Straight  River, 
for  the  sum  of  $900,  the  county  to  pay  $600, 
on  condition  that  the  town  should  pay  the 
other  $300.  O.  Bartholomew  and  others 
were  sureties  that  the  town  would  pay  this 
sum,  and  on  the  19th  of  June,  a  special 
meeting  was  called  to  take  formal  action  for 
the  town  to  assume  the  liabilit3^  Tiie  vote 
stood  4:2  for  paying  the  debt  to  38  against- 

In  1862  tlie  report  of  the  town  treasurer, 
as  to  the  liabilities  of  the  town  was  as  fol- 
lows :  "  The  town  owes  not  one  dollar  that 
we  know  of  and  there  remains  in  the  hands 
of  the  treasurer  a  balance  of  $218.68." 

In  1863  a  special  town  meeting  was  called 
to  vote  on  the  projiosition  to  purchase  the 
schoolhouse  on  the  west  side  of  the  river 
for  a  "town  hall,"'  but  the  project  failed,  and 
in  1867  the  building  was  bought  by  the  Free 
Will  Baptist  Society  and  removed  to  the 
east  side  of  the  river  and  fitted  up  for  a 
church,  which  by  arrangement  with  other 
denominations  was  afterward  used  as  a  un- 
ion church. 

In  1862,  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  massa- 
cres on  the  frontier,  tlie  people  of  Medford 
became  somewhat  excited  in  regard  to  their 
own  safety  and  the  town  appropriated  $5  to 
purchase  powder.  For  some  time  pickets 
were  stationed  about  the  town,  but  as  the 
Indians  never  came  the  powder  was  finally 
burned  to  celebrate  the  fall  of  Richmond  or 
the  capture  of  Jeff  Davis. 

In  1866  the  spring  floods  carried  away  the 
Ijridge  across  the  river,  and  in  May  a  special 
town  meeting  was  held  to  authorize  an  ap- 
propi'iation  to  build  a  new  one.  A  majority 
decided  in  favor  of  the   pi'oject  and  a  com- 


mittee consisting  of  Smith  Johnson,  L.  M. 
Howard,  George  Hankerson,  W.  W.  Wil- 
kins  and  Alfred  Sanborn,  was  aj)pointed  to 
select  a  location  that  would  be  the  most  fa- 
vorable and  best  accommodate  the  people. 
The  committee  selected  a  point  about  forty 
rods  above  the  old  site.  The  report  of  the 
committee  was  adopted  and  an  appropria- 
tion of  $1,500  made  to  pay  the  cost ;  the 
county  appropriating  $1,000,  made  a  total  of 
$2,500.  Another  special  meeting  was  held  a 
short  time  later  and  the  former  location  an- 
nulled, and  it  was  decided  to  build  upon  the 
old  site.  On  motion  of  Smith  Jolinson, 
$500  was  added  to  the  fund.  Tlie  contract 
was  let  to  Mr.  Alden,  who  commenced  the 
work,  but  as  he  failed  to  go  through  with  it 
the  town  board  finished  it.  Another  special 
meeting  was  held  in  Jul}^  to  add  $650  to 
the  bridge  fund,  and  as  this  was  not  suffi- 
cient $500  more  was  ajipropriated  in  Novem- 
ber following,  making  a  total  of  $-1,150, 
when  a  fine  bridge  was  completed. 

VAEIOUS   MATTERS. 

The  first  schoolhouse  at  Medford  was 
erected  in  1856  near  where  the  highway 
crosses  the  railroad  south  of  town.  The  dis- 
trict was  then  known  as  the  Sanborn  school 
district.  The  building  was  moved  into 
town  in  the  spring  of  1859. 

The  second  schoolhouse  built  in  the  town- 
shij)  was  a  frame  building  erected  in  tlie  fall 
of  1856,  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  It 
was  used  for  school  purposes  for  about  ten 
years  ;  was  finally  moved  into  the  village  and 
is  now  occupied  as  a  dwelling  by  G.  C. 
Moon.  The  first  teacher  in  this  building 
was  George  Lincoln. 

The  present  school  building  in  Medford 
village  was  erected  in  1867,  at  a  cost  of 
about  $2,500.  It  is  a  neat  and  substantial 
building. 

School  district  No.  5  was  organized  in  1855, 
and  the  schoolhouse  was  ei'ected  during  the 
following  year.  It  was  a  frame  building 
whicli    is    still    standing,  and    cost    about 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


297 


$500.  This  was  the  first  frame  school  build- 
ing in  the  county.  The  first  school  in  this 
district  was  taught  by  Loduskey  Wilkins,  in 
an  old  claim  shant}',  which  belonged  to  W. 
W.  Wilkins.  The  present  teacher  in  this 
district  is  Miss  Yina  Close.  Religious  services 
were  held  here  as  early  as  185i.  William 
Colling,  a  man  of  real  practical  piety,  tiiougii 
not  an  ordained  minister,  frequently  gath- 
ered his  neighbors  together  and  explained  the 
Scriptures.  Bishop  Whipple  held  services  at 
Mr.  Ceiling's  house  in  1857,  when  a  child 
was  christened. 

The  Walcott  and  Medford  Union  cemetery 
was  first  used  for  burial  purposes  in  1855,  but 
was  not  platted  until  about  the  close  of  the 
war. 

BIOGRAPHIES    OF    PROMINENT    CITIZENS. 

Hon.  W.  W.  Wilkins  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  in  Steele  County,  and  is  to-day  among 
the  most  prominent  citizens  in  this  part  of 
the  State.  He  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  born 
August  21,1833,  his  parents  being  Kendall 
and  Polley(Laflin)Wilkins.  W.W.Wilkins  was 
first  married  in  1850  to  Miss  Mary  E.  John- 
son, a  daughter  of  Smith  Johnson,  one  of 
the  most  prominent  figures  in  the  earlj^  his- 
tory of  the  county.  The}^  had  two  children, 
Mary  E.,  and  Florence  E.  Mary  E.  was  mar- 
ried November  19, 1885,  to  W.  C.  Kern,  and 
now  lives  in  Dakota.  Florence  is  still  at 
home.  Mrs.  Wilkins  died  July  21 ,  1807 ;  and 
in  Fel^ruaiy,  1871:,  Mr.  Wilkins  married  Miss 
Marilla  Idell.  Mr.  Wilkins  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  in  1851,  selecting  a  piece  of 
government  land  in  what  has  since  become 
Medford  Township,  in  October  of  that  year. 
He  has  since  lived  here,  taking  an  active  in- 
terest in  all  matters  regarding  his  town  or 
county.  Liberal  and  enterprising,  every 
move  brought  to  his  notice  which  was  calcu- 
lated to  benefit  his  locality'  or  county,  has 
received  his  hearty  support,  and  his  name  is 
indissolubly  connected  with  the  growth  and 
development  of  this  portion  of  the  State. 
In  political  Matters  he  has  taken  an  active 


)3art,  and  besides  offices  of  great  importance 
has  filled  innumerable  positions  of  a  local 
nature.  In  the  fall  of  1872  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature; 
in  1873  he  was  reelected,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1878  was  elected  to  represent  his  district  in 
the  State  Senate.  These  were  important  ses- 
sions, and  that  Mr.  Wilkins  maile  an  influen- 
cial  representative  is  attested  by  many  flat- 
tering press  notices  of  that  time.  He  served 
upon  a  number  of  important  committees,  and 
made  a  record  creditable  to  himself  and  sat- 
isfactory to  his  constituents.  Since  his  offi- 
cial term  expired  he  has  devoted  his  time 
whollj'  to  his  farming  and  stock-raising  inter- 
ests, which  are  extensive.  A  portrait  of  Mr. 
Wilkins  very  appropriately  ajjpears  in  tliis 
volume. 

George  O.  Hankerson  is  another  of  Steele 
County's  representative  men.  He  is  a  native 
of  Kennebec  County,  Me. ;  a  son  of  George 
and  Celia  Ann  (Atkins)  Hankerson.  George 
O.  came  to  Steele  Countj^  Minn.,  in  June, 
1855,  and  selected  a  government  claim  on 
section  14,  in  the  township  of  Medford.  His 
wife  came  in  October  of  the  same  year. 
Mr.  Hankerson  has  since  lived  upon  his  orig- 
inal claim.  He  now  has  one  of  the  finest 
farms  in  Steele  County,  embracing  350  acres, 
150  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  also 
devotes  considerable  attention  to  stock-rais- 
ing:. Mr.  Hankerson  was  married  in  Ken- 
nebec  County,  Me.,  in  October,  185i,  to  Miss 
Eliza  Ann  Barker.  They  have  had  four 
children,  as  follows :  George  William,  born 
in  January,  1856;  Alice  L.,  born  in  Febru- 
ar3%  1858;  John  Frank  (deceased),  born 
November  1,  1801  (died  February  7,  1872), 
and  Charles  F.,  born  in  December,  1863. 
George  William,  who  lives  in  Medford 
Township,  was  married  July  6,  1881,  to 
Eliza  Ann  Gallea,  who  died  May  5,  1887. 
Alice  L.  was  married  in  March,  1885,  to 
George  Flinn,  a  resident  of  section  11,  Med- 
ford Township.  Charles  F.  is  still  at  home. 
Mr.  Hankerson  has  been  a  leading  man  in 
township  and  county  affairs.     He  has  filled 


298 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


a  great  many  local  oifices.  In  the  fall  of 
1871  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board 
of  county  commissioners  and  served  through 
1872-3-4. 

Isaac  Heath  is  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, born  November  13,  1810.  He  lived 
with  his  parents,  David  and  Tabothy  (Clif- 
ford) Heath,  until  twenty  years  of  age  when 
he  went  to  the  State  of  Maine,  where  he 
lived  for  twenty-five  years.  He  then,  with 
a  company  of  fourteen,  started  West  and  on 
April  14,  1855,  ai-rived  in  Steele  County. 
Mr.  Heath  selected  government  land  on  sec- 
tion 10,  in  Medford  Township,  where  he  has 
lived  ever  since.  He  was  married  in  August, 
1836,  to  Miss  Mai-y  Clifford.  They  had  a 
family  of  ten  children,  three  of  whom  are 
now  living:  Isaac  P.,  a  resident  of  Grafton, 
D.  T.;  John  A.,  a  resident  of  Dodge  County, 
Minn.,  and  George,  who  still  lives  at  home 
and  superintends  the  farm. 

Samuel  Ring  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Steele  County.  He  came  to  Medford  Town- 
ship in  1856  from  Kennebec  County,  Me., 
and  located  upon  a  claim  which  had  been  se- 
lected by  his  oldest  son,  Abner,  in  1855.  Mr. 
Eing  remained  upon  the  farm  until  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  came  to  Minnesota  with  a 
family  of  seven  children  :  Abner,  Sarah,  Na- 
thaniel. Eugene,  Eumagene,  Joseph  and 
Eliza,  five  of  whom  are  still  residents  of  the 
count3^ 

Eugene  Ring  was  born  in  Maine  in  1840, 
and  was,  therefore,  sixteen  years  of  age  when 
he  came  to  Steele  County  with  his  father. 
When  the  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany A,  Tenth  Minnesota  Volunteer  Infant- 
ry, under  Col.  J.  H.  Baker,  and  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1863  went  with  Gen.  Sibley's 
Northern  Expedition  as  far  as  where  Bis- 
marck, D.  T.,  is  now  located.  In  the  fall  he 
returned  and  joined  the  regular  army  and 
went  South,  participating  in  the  battles  of 
Tupello,  Miss.,  Nashville,  Spanish  Fort  and 
others.  He  received  an  honorable  discharge 
at  Fort  Snelling  in  1865.  In  the  fall  of 
1868  he  settled  upon  his  present  place   on 


section  18,  Medford  Township,  where  he 
has  since  lived.  He  was  married  in  the 
fall  of  1868  to  Miss  Sojjhronia  Compton, 
who  died  in  1871.  In  the  fall  of  1872  he 
was  married  to  Flora  Shear.  There  are  seven 
children  in  the  family  :  Sarah  E.,  Albert  C, 
May  E.,  Flora,  John,  Alice  and  Fred. 

Joseph  Ring,  who  still  lives  on  the  old 
homestead,  is  a  native  of  Maine.  He  came 
to  Steele  County  in  the  summer  of  1856, 
with  his  father,  Samuel  Ring,  being  then 
only  six  years  old.  He  was  married  October 
17,  1872,  to  Miss  Clara  R.  McNitt.  They 
have  four  children  :  Merritt  M.,  born  March 
27,  1875;  Randall  O.,  bora  June  12,  1877; 
Hiram  W.,  born  October  8,  1881,  and  Ar- 
thur S.,  born  August  9,  18S4. 

William  Ha^'es  Avas  bora  in  Essex  County, 
N.  Y.,  January  15,  1841,  and  came  West 
with  his  father's  family  in  1856.  His  par- 
ents were  Chester  and  Elizabeth  (Sanders) 
Hayes.  Chester  Hayes  came  to  Steele  Coun- 
ty, Minn.,  and  settled  government  land  on 
section  16,  in  ]\Iedford  Township,  M'here 
he  lived  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  the 
fall  of  1S82.  Mrs.  Hayes'  death  occurred 
in  1879.  Their  family  consisted  of  the  fol- 
lowing named  :  Cornelius,  Sanford  A.,  James, 
William,  Phebe  A.,  Dorcas  and  Maria.  Cor- 
nelius never  came  West.  Sanford  and  James 
are  dead.  Phebe  mari'ied  A.  L.  Wright. 
Dorcas  mari-ied  Avery  Kinney,  and  lives  in 
Dakota ;  Maria  married  C.  A.  Harris,  of 
Dakota.  AVilliam  Hayes  has  lived  on  the 
old  homestead  ever  since  coming  to  Minne- 
sota. He  was  married  Ajn-il  16,  1862,  to 
Miss  Lucy  Anna  Jeffrey.  They  have  three 
children  :  Chester,  Leonard  and  Lizzie. 

D.  T.  Eastman  spent  his  early  days  at 
Clinton,  Kennebec  County,  Me.,  with  his 
parents,  Henry  and  Lydia  Eastman.  D.  T. 
Eastman  remained  in  Maine  until  1856,  when 
he  started  west,  arriving  in  Medford  Town- 
ship on  the  16th  of  October.  He  selected 
government  land  on  section  7  and  remained 
on  it  a  few  years.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he 
started  a  brickvard  about  one  mile  east  of 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


299 


where  the  village  of  Medford  is  now  located 
and  manufactured  the  first  brick  made  in 
Steele  Count}'.  The  enterprise  did  not  prove 
satisfactory,  as  he  sustained  heavy  losses  by 
fire,  but  with  the  energj'  characteristic  in 
those  days  he  tried  again,  and,  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring,  established  another  yard  at 
Geneva.  Mr.  Eastman  has  remained  in  the 
county  ever  since  his  first  settlement,  having 
purchased  his  present  farm,  on  section  17,  in 
1882.  Mr.  Eastman  was  first  married  before 
he  came  west,  to  Miss  Charlotte  K.  Thomas, 
who  died  in  May,  1856,  leaving  one  child, 
Aliston  L.,  who  is  now  married  and  living 
at  Faribault,  Minn.  On  the  11th  of  October, 
1857,  Mr.  Eastman  was  mai-ried  to  Miss 
Hannah  J.  Fowler,  who  came  to  Medford  at 
an  early  day  with  her  father's  famil3\  They 
were  blessed  with  three  children :  Orient  N., 
George  and  Edward  M. 

H.  C.  Gillman,  deceased,  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Steele  County.  He  came  here 
in  1S56  and  claimed  government  land  in  the 
timber,  but  did  not  build  upon  it.  The  fol- 
lowing year  he  purchased  the  homestead 
where  he  lived  until  his  death,  which  occur- 
red March  20,  1882,  and  his  family  still 
occupy  the  place.  Mr.  Gillman  was  an  active 
and  prominent  factor  in  the  affairs  of  the 
township,  and  was  one  of  Steele  County's  most 
substantial  citizens.  He  left  a  wife  and  three 
children  to  mourn  his  loss.  He  was  married 
November  18,  1858,  to  Miss  Jane  Babcock. 
They  had  three  children  :  Carrie,  William, 
and  Fred.  Carrie  married  Charles  Headline, 
January  1,  1884,  and  lives  in  Warsaw,  Minn. 
William  and  Fred  are  still  at  liome  assisting 
their  mother  on  the  farm. 

W.  li.  Miner  came  to  Steele  County  in 
October,  1863,  from  East  Randolph,  Colum- 
bia County,  Wis.,  and  bought  his  present 
farm  on  section  17,  Medford  Township, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  He  is  a  native  of 
St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  born  May  25, 
1843.  He  went  to  Wisconsin  with  his 
parents  when  about  nine  years  old.  He 
started  in  life  for  himself  when  but  eighteen 


years  old,  and  followed  farming  in  Wiscon- 
sin until  he  came  to  Minnesota.  He  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  K.  Wohlford  Decem- 
ber 30,  1869.  They  have  one  child,  George 
H.,  born  in  1870,  who  is  at  home  with  his 
parents. 

Merritt  Webb  is  a  native  of  Jefferson 
County,  ]Sr.  Y.,  born  March  21,  1829.  His 
parents  were  James  and  Wealthy  (Hutchin- 
son) Webb,  natives  of  Massachusetts.  They 
removed  to  New  York  at  an  early  day,  and 
in  1849  settled  in  Sheboygan  County,  Wis. 
Merritt  remained  with  his  parents  until 
twenty  years  of  age,  striking  out  in  life  for 
himself  in  Wisconsin.  He  followed  farming 
in  that  State  for  fifteen  years,  then  came  to 
Minnesota,  and  lived  in  Wabasha  County  one 
year,  after  which  for  two  j'ears  he  lived  in 
Meriden  Township,  Steele  County.  He  then 
purchased  his  present  farm  from  John  San- 
born, who  had  "claimed"  it  in  1854.  Mr. 
Webb  was  married  April  17,  1849,  to  Miss 
Mary  C.  Putnam,  who  was  born  December 
30,  1831,  her  grandfather  being  a  "son  of 
General  Putnam,  of  Revolutionary  fame. 
They  have  five  living  children :  Frank  C, 
born  November  27,  1850;  Charles  N.,  born 
February  8,  1855 ;  Edmund  E.,  born  March 
22, 1859 ;  Mary  A.,  boi'n  September  29, 
1863,  and  Eva  May,  born  January  16,  1870. 
Frank  C.  lives  in  Owatonna;  Charles  N.  and 
Edmund  E.,  in  Watonwan  County,  Minn.; 
Mary  A.  married  Homer  Demick,  of  Owa- 
tonna ;  Eva  May  is  still  at  home. 

William  Gibson  is  a  native  of  Granville 
County,  Canada,  and  a  son  of  George  and 
Jane  Gibson.  William  lived  with  them  un- 
til thirty  j'^ears  of  age.  He  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  in  1865,  and  rented  farms 
in  Medford  Township  until  1875,  when  he 
purchased  his  present  farm,  which  consists  of 
120  acres  on  section  10,  where  he  still  lives. 
He  was  married  March  7,  1870,  to  Miss 
Mary  Hunter,  and  they  have  had  six  children 
as  follows  :  Jane,  William,  Mary,  Margaret, 
Barbra  and  George. 

Alex.  McDonald  is  a   native   of   Canada 


800 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


West,  where  he  was  born  in  1831.  He  came 
to  Steele  County  in  1S66  and  located  on  sec- 
tion 2,  in  Medford  Townsliij),  where  he  has 
since  lived,  carrying  on  general  farming  and 
stock-raising. 

John  Hamilton  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  born 
March  20,  1821.  When  eight  years  of  age  he 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents, 
Gavin  and  Isabel  (Douglas)  Hamilton.  They 
settled  in  Oswego  County,  N.  Y.,  where  the 
father  died  two  years  later,  and  the  mother 
eighteen  years  later.  John  Hamilton  lived 
with  his  mother  until  the  time  of  her  death, 
when  he  went  to  California,  remaining  for  a 
short  time  and  then  returned  to  New  York 
State.  He  was  then  for  three  years  engaged 
in  lumbering.  Removing  to  Wisconsin  he 
was  there  engaged  in  farming  for  about  nine 
years.  He  then  located  in  Goodhue  County, 
Minn.,  where  he  remained  two  years,  and,  in 
the  spring  of  1868,  came  to  Medford  Town- 
ship. Steele  County,  where  he  has  since 
lived.  He  commenced  building  on  his  pres- 
ent plate  in  1883.  He  owns,  however,  a 
number  of  farms  which  he  rents.  Mr.  Ham- 
ilton is  a  single  man,  and  has  but  two  relatives 
in  America,  a  Mrs.  Wilson,  in  New  York 
State,  and  a  ]\[rs.  Dudley,  in  Iowa,  both  being- 
nieces  of  his.  He  is  a  Republican,  but  does 
not  take  much  interest  in  political  matters. 

J.  S.  Cory  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  March 
24,  1848.  His  parents,  Mr.  J.  H.  and  Mrs. 
M.  J.  (Palmerton)  Cory,  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  in  June,  1808,  and  settled  upon 
the  farm  originally  taken  by  A.  L.  Wright. 
J.  H.  Cory  lived  there  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  Januarj^  1,  1872,  and  his  widow  now 
lives  in  Medford  Village.  J.  S.  Cory  has  lived 
upon  the  place  ever  since  he  came  to  the 
county.  lie  was  married  March  27,  1872, 
to  Miss  Jennie  A.  Bloss,  a  native  of  Iowa. 
They  have  live  children  :  Jessie  G.,  Jennie 
E.,  James  E.,  George  H.  and  Merton  E.  Mr. 
Cor3''s  farm  consists  of  193  acres  of  land,  100 
oi  which  is  under  cultivation. 

Stewart  Warren  is  a  native  of  tiie  town  of 
Wholford,  West  Canada,  born  April  G,  184.5. 


His  parents  were  Matthew  and  Mary  (Ervin) 
Warren.  SteM'art  remained  at  home,  help- 
ing his  father  on  the  farm  until  twenty-one 
j'ears  of  age,  and  then  went  to  New  York 
State,  remaining  two  years.  He  then  came 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  arriving  here  March 
3,  1869,  and  has  since  been  a  resident  of  the 
count}'.  He  purchased  his  present  farm  on 
section  10,  Medford  Township,  in  1875,  and 
has  since  devoted  his  attention  chiefly  to  bee 
culture,  which  he  carries  on  extensively.  Mr. 
Warren  was  married  March  5,  1875,  to  Miss 
Cora  Heath.  There  are  three  children :  Nel- 
lie C.  (adopted) ;  Bertha  M.,  born  February 
22,  1883,  and  Jennie  M.,  born  March  16, 
1885. 

D.  A.  McKinlay  was  born  September  29, 
1855;  he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  March 
30,  1875,  and  purchased  his  present  farm  on 
section  18,  Medford  Township.  He  was  mar- 
ried September  24,  1884,  to  Miss  Jennie 
Daniels  of  Waseca  County.  Mr.  McKinlay's 
parents  were  natives  of  Scotland.  They 
came  to  America  in  1851,  and  located  in  the 
State  of  New  York.  In  1880  they  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  and  are  now  residents 
of  the  village  of  Medford. 

D.  Boynton  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Blue 
Earth  County,  Minn.,  having  located  there 
in  1857,  when  the  settlers  were  "  few  and 
far  between."  He  is  a  native  of  Lower  Can- 
ada, his  parents  being  David  and  Betsy 
(Vinton)  Boynton.  When  twent\'  years  old 
he  went  to  Vermont  and  remained  two  years 
at  work  in  the  woolen  mills.  He  then  lived 
in  Wisconsin  for  four  years,  when  he  came 
still  farther  west  and  located  in  Blue  Earth 
County,  taking  up  government  land  in  the 
town  of  Mapleton.  He  lived  upon  his  ori^- 
nal  homestead  for  eighteen  years,  except 
while  he  was  in  the  army.  In  July,  1804,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  Fifth  Minnesota, 
and  served  a  j^ear  and  a  half,  participating 
in  the  battles  of  Nashville,  Montgomery 
and  others,  and  received  an  honorable  dis- 
charge in  the  fall  of  1805,  at  Des  Plaines, 
Ala      He  then  returned  to  his  home  in  Blue 


l^^-^^<2^ 


UISTOKY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


303 


Earth  County.  Later  lie  sold  his  farm  and 
moved  to  Clinton  Falls,  where  he  lived  for 
two  years.  He  then  settled  in  Jredfoi-d  Vil- 
lage and  from  there  moved  to  his  jiresent 
farm  on  section  4  in  tlu^  town  of  Med  ford. 
Mr.  Boynton  was  tirst  mari-ied  at  Manches- 
ter, N.  II.,  in  1852,  to  Miss  Julia  A.  Hancock, 
a  native  of  Vermont.  Tliey  had  three  chil- 
dren :  George,  Walter  and  Ellen.  George  is 
an  artist  in  New  York  City ;  Walter  has  a 
farm  in  Medford  Township,  and  Ellen  mar- 
ried S.  Freeman,  present  postmaster  at  Med- 
ford Village.  Mrs.  I^oynton  died  at  Lowell, 
Mass.,  in  March,  ISGL  Mr.  Boynton  was 
again  married,  his  second  wife  being  Mrs. 
Sarah  F.  Parsons.  Their  union  was  lilessed 
with  three  children  :  Charles  S..  xVda  A.  and 
Bessie  E.,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home. 

G.  B.  IIf)sfield,  another  jn'ominent  citizen 
of  the  town  of  Medford,  is  a  native  of  New 
York  State.  When  seventeen  years  old  he 
started  in  life  for  himself  and  came  west  to 
Waupaca  County,  Wis.,  where  he  remained 
for  a  year.  In  August,  1SC>3,  he  enlisted  in 
Comjiany  A.  Eighth  Wisconsin  Volunteer 
Infantry,  under  Col.  Murphy,  and  jjartici- 
pated  in  a  number  of  impoi'tant  battles, 
among  which  were  those  of  Nashville  and 
Mobile.  lie  was  honorably  discharged  at 
Madison,  Wis.,  in  September,  1865.  On  the 
17th  of  November,  186t>,  he  landed  in  Minne- 
sota. Later  he  located  at  Fariliault,  where 
he  remained  until  March,  1S71,  when  he 
came  to  Steele  County,  and  located  on  sec- 
tion 4,  town  of  Medford,  where  he  still  lives. 
He  was  married  in  January,  1870,  to  Miss 
Mary  M.  Cabot,  a  native  of  New  York. 
They  have  had  seven  children,  as  follows  : 
Harriet  J.,  Cora  L.,  George  F..  Alton  C, 
Ralph  G.,  William  and  Delos. 


The   Village   of  Medford 

is  located  on  sections  S  and  9,  in  a  beau- 
tiful valley  through  which  flows  the  Straight 
River.  The  village  was  laid  out  in  1856,  on 
land  which  had  been  entered  as  government 

18 


land  by  Smith  Johnson  in  1853.  The  site 
was  surveyed  and  platted  by  Rev.  O.  A. 
Thomas,  for  the  ])roin'ietoi'.  Smith  Johnson 
Sr.  At  a  meeting  of  the  settlers  to  con- 
sult upon  a  name  wherewith  to  chi-isten  the 
town,  Mr.  Colling  said  that  he  had  a  son 
who  was  born  on  board  the  ship  Medford, 
and  was  named  Medford  in  honor  of  the  ship, 
and  proposed  that  the  town  should  be  named 
Medford  in  honor  of  the  boy,  which  proposi- 
tion was  unanimously  adojited.  The  post- 
office  at  Medford  was  established  in  the  fall 
of  1855,  with  Smith  Johnscju  Sr.,  as  the  first 
po.stmaster.  This  was  the  first  postoffice  es- 
tablished in  what  is  now  Steele  County.  The 
office  was  then  kept  at  Mr.  Johnson's  resi- 
dence, and  he  retained  the  i)osition  until  the 
time  of  his  death  in  I860.  Succeeding  him 
in  turn  came  the  following  j)ostmasters :  Ed- 
win Drake,  Albert  McKinney,  D.  C.  Hunkins, 
E.  T.  Howard,  Orlando  Johnson,  L.  S.  Fow- 
ler, John  Bailey  and  S.  M.  Freeman.  The 
last  named  is  the  present  ))ostmaster.  The 
first  frame  house  erected  in  Medford  Village 
was  commenced  by  Mr.  Kinyon,  and  com- 
pleted in  1856  by  Smith  Johnson.  It  was 
inin  as  a  hotel  until  about  1867  by  A.  Steb- 
bins.  The  building  is  still  standing,  now  be- 
ing occupied  by  John  Barney.  In  1856  the 
Abbott  Brothers  put  up  a  steam  .sawmill  and 
set  it  in  operation  and  it  furnished  most  of 
the  lumber  for  this  section  of  the  country. 
The  mill  was  removed  after  running  a  year 
or  two.  The  same  year  Messrs.  Melvin, 
Rideout  &  Hall  erected  a  fine  steam  sawmill 
a  short  distance  below  the  village  site.  It 
continued  in  active  operation  until  about  1860, 
when  it  was  burned  to  the  ground  and  has 
nevei'  been  rebuilt. 

The  first  stoi'e  in  the  village  was  started 
in  the  summer  of  1856  by  Albert  McKinney, 
on  the  corner  opposite  the  old  hotel.  He 
continued  it  until  July,  1857,  when  it  was 
rented  by  W.  P.  Francis  ife  Co.,  who  put  in 
what  was  considered  a  heavy  stock  of  goods 
in  those  days.  They  ran  the  store  for  a  year 
or  two  and  then  exchanged  it  for  real  estate. 


304 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


In  the  fall  of  185S  Messi-s.  Sullev  iV  Fran- 
cis established  a  paper  here,  called  the  2Iefl- 
ford  YaUey  Argu^.  removing  the  material 
fro^i  Owatonna.  The  ])ublicationof  the  pa- 
)>er  was  discontinued  within  a  year.  Men- 
tion of  this  is  made  in  the  general  chaptere 
of  this  work. 

In  the  fall  of  ISOT  an  extensive  gristmill 
was  erected  here  by  E.  T.  Howard.  It  was 
a  valuable  acquisition  to  this  part  of  the 
county.  It  had  a  capacity  of  150  barrels  a 
day.  Mr.  Howard  i-an  it  for  several  veal's, 
and  was  succeedetl  by  White  <k  Baynon.  and 
then  Baynon  iV:  Mace.  In  September.  ISSO, 
the  mill  was  destroyetl  by  tire  and  the  own- 
ei"s  did  not  rebuild. 

In  the  spring  of  1ST3  Howai'd  «fc  Johnson 
erected  a  cheese  factory,  which  is  still  in  suc- 
cessful ojieration  by  Orlando  Johnson.  It 
now  has  a  capacity  for  the  manufacture  of 
900  pounds  daily  during  the  season,  and  is 
among  the  most  important  industries  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  county.  The  size  of  the 
building  is  30x50  feet,  with  :iO-foot  posts. 
The  cost  of  building  and  machinery  was 
about  $2,000. 

In  July,  1866.  the  lii-st  train  of  care  was 
run  through  the  village,  on  what  has  since 
become  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway. 

The  Methotlist  Church  in  the  village  was 
erected  in  1S75. 

The  Congregational  Ciiurch  was  erected 
in  1863-4. 

The  present  business  of  Metlfoixl  is  carried 
on  by  the  following  named  gentlemen  and 
firms:  Postmaster,  S.  M.  Freeman:  general 
merchandise,  John  Baily«feSons;  hardware, 
A.  F.  Baily ;  drugs.  Ira  D.  Beeman  :  cheese 
factory,  Orlanilo  Johnson :  groceries,  S. 
Gillman.  Capt.  Hetithand  B.  Smith  :  lumber, 
Bissell  <k  Hamilton :  blacksmiths,  Daniel 
McKinlev,  Michael  Cochran  and  S.  AV. 
Godfrey ;  wagon  shop,  F.  Douglas ;  harness 
maker,  W.  H.  Swinton. 

On  the  2uth  day  of  December,  1883,  a  de- 
structive fire  occurred  in  Medfortl  Village, 


destroying  five  stores  and  a  doctors  office. 
Tlie  losses  were  reported  to  the  country 
papers  as  follows:  Capt.  Heath,  building 
and  pool  table,  loss  $l,00o:  G.  11.  Butler, 
stock,  loss  S550,  insurance  $400:  A.  B.  Bry- 
ant, drug  store,  loss  $800,  insurance  $600  : 
J.  F.  Curtis,  drug  store,  loss  $1.50u.  insur- 
ance $1.000 :  O.  Lee,  meat-market,  barber 
shop,  doctor's  office,  store  and  hall,  loss 
$2,800  insurance  $1,350  ;  John  Baily 's  loss 
was  about  $1,000  on  store. 

A  Congregational  society  was  organized 
at  a  meeting  held  at  Clinton  Falls,  on 
the  13th  of  Septemljer,  1856.  Pvev.  O.  A. 
Thomas  was  chosen  motlerator  and  seci"e- 
tary.  The  following  named  were  present : 
Xathan  and  Phoebe  "WiDiamson.  Minerva 
Finch,  Helen  M.  Finch,  Avery  Adams,  Em- 
ma T.  Adams,  David  Sanborn.  Joseph  Saw- 
yer. AnnaC.  Sawyer  and  Zachariah  Scribner. 
At  a  meeting  held  in  Clinton  Falls  on  April 
10,  1857.  S.  C.  Williamson  and  Zachariah 
Scribner  were  appointed  as  a  committee  to 
hire  a  minister,  and  instructed  to  enj^age 
Eev.  O.  A.  Thomas  to  preach  at  Metlford 
and  Clinton  Falls,  as  the  organizjition  em- 
braced both  point.s.  This  plan  was  carried 
out  and  Xathan  Williamson,  of  Clinton, 
and  Joseph  Sawyer,  of  Medford.  were  se- 
lected as  deacons.  In  1864  a  chureh  was 
erected  at  Medford  which  was  dedicated 
Februarv  18.  1864.  The  following  have 
served  as  pastors  of  this  chureh :  O.  A. 
Thomas.  C.  L.  Tappan,  John  J.  Gridley.  D. 
H.  Rogan,  Dr.  Aiken.  Edward  Brown, 
Samuel  W.  Powell.  John  Powell.  A.Graves. 
D.  Stover,  C.  W.  Bird  and  W.  L.  Suther- 
land.    The  last  named  is  the  present  pa.stor. 

SKETCHES    Of    PROMIXEXT   CITIZENS    OF     THE 
VILLA(;E. 

A.  L.  Wright,  son  of  Daniel  and  Xancy 
(IN'^alker)  Wright,  was  born  in  Franklin 
County,  Mass.,  Mareh  1.  1828.  When  ten 
yeai-s  of  age  he  started  in  life  for  himself, 
and  was  engaged  at  farming  for  other  par- 
ties until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age.     He 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


305 


tlieii  entered  a  boot  and  shoe  store  and  re- 
mained in  this  for  about  seven  years,  when 
lie  went  to  Nortli  Hampton,  in  the  same 
State,  and  there  engaged  in  tlie  marble 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  two  ^-ears. 
Then,  getting  the  western  fever,  he  started 
for  Minnesota,  landing  in  St.  Paul  Ma}'  ;^, 
1853.  The  following  August  he  came  to 
Steele  Countv  and  made  a  claim  on  section 
5  of  what  is  now  Medford  Townshij).  Short- 
ly after  this  he  returned  to  St.  Paul,  and  in 
September  hired  a  team  in  company  with 
Chauncey  Lull  and  retui'ned  to  his  claim. 
They  then  erected  a  cai)in.  which  was  the 
lirst  house  erected  in  the  county.  After  all 
was  finished  they  again  returned  to  St.  Paul 
and  in  November  of  the  same  year  they 
came  back  to  stay,  keeping  "  bachelor's 
hall"  all  winter,  their  only  neighbors  being 
a  band  of  Indians  who  were  in  winter's 
camp  about  160  rods  from  their  house.  The 
first  plowing  in  Steele  County  was  done  by 
Mr.  Wright  in  Mav,  1S51-,  and  the  Hrst  croi3 
consisted  of  corn  and  potatoes.  On  this 
claim  Mr.  Wright  remained  until  1S<>2,  when 
he  moved  to  Canon  City,  Rice  County,  and 
there  passed  twenty-two  years  ;  then  sold  all 
his  interests  there,  and  returned  to  Steele 
County,  locating  in  Medford  Township,  on 
the  farm  he  now  holds.  March  22, 1S55,  he  was 
united  in  nuirriage  to  Phoebe  Hayes.  They 
have  had  born  to  them  five  children  :  Will- 
ard,  Wallace,  (4eorge,  Xettie  and  Fred. 
Wallace  is  married  and  lives  in  Medford; 
Nettie  is  now  Mrs.  Henry  S.  Turner.  oF  Can- 
on City,  nice  County,  Minn. 
■  Orlando  Johnson,  one  of  the  substantial 
citizens  of  this  part  of  the  county,  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  Medford  Township.  He 
is  a  native  of  C'henango  County,  N.  Y., 
l)orn  in  18H1,  his  parents  being  Smith  and 
Elizabeth  (Carjienter)  Johnson.  When  twenty 
years  old,  Orlando  went  to  Wisconsin, 
and  a  .short  time  later  to  Kingsbuiy  (4rove, 
Whiteside  County.  Til.,  where  he  taught 
school  during  the  winter  of  1851.  In  the 
spring  of  1852  he  went  to  St.  Paul,  Minn., 


and  a  short  time  later  to  Faribault.  In  the 
summer  of  1853  he  came  with  a  party  of 
first  settlers  to  what  is  now  Steele  Count}' 
and  took  a  claim  for  his  father,  Smith  John- 
son Sr.,  on  the  present  site  of  MedfOrd  Vill- 
age. In  1854r  he  turned  the  claim  over  to 
his  father.  He  was  here  "off  and  on  "  until 
1855,  but  his  home  was  at  Faribault.  In 
1853  he  had  liought  a  claim  at  Faribault, 
and  in  company  with  Mark  Wells  erected  a 
cabin.  In  the  summer  of  1855  he  went  to 
California,  where  he  was  engaged  in  mining 
and  lumbering.  In  1801  he  enlisted  in  the  First 
California^'olunteerInfantl'v,  which  remained 
in  camp  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  during  the 
winter  of  1801-2.  In  the  spring  they  crossed 
the  California  desert,  reaching  the  llio 
Grande  at  Fort  Thorn.  Going  down  the 
river  they  were  stationed  at  Franklin  (now 
El  Paso),  Tex.  The  remainder  of  his  service 
was  ]iassed  at  Santa  Fe  and  Fort  Union. 
During  the  time  he  was  in  Me.xico  his  duty 
consisted  chief!}'  in  gathering  Indians  on  the 
reservation,  and  his  last  act  was  to  so  station 
113  red-skins.  Fie  was  honorably  discharged 
at  Fort  Union,  N.  M.,  returned  to  Medford, 
Minn.,  in  October,  1804,  and  settled  on  the 
farm  now  owned  by  John  Hamilton.  In 
1870  he  left  the  farm  and  engaged  in  the 
general  mercantile  trade  for  a  short  time. 
In  the  spring  of  1873  he  erected  the  cheese 
factory  which  he  still  carries  on,  doing  an 
extensive  business.  Mr.  Johnson  was  mar- 
ried November  1,  1805,  to  Miss  C)live  E.  IIu- 
lett.  They  have  three  children:  Rollin  E., 
lAike  H.  and  Lloyd  15. 

Smith  Johnson  is  also  among  the  most 
prominent  and  influential  citizens  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  county.  He  is  one  of 
the  oldest  settlers  and  has  been  very  prom- 
inent in  all  matters  affecting  either  town  or 
county.  We  regret  that  owing  to  Mr.  John- 
son's absence  from  the  county  during  the 
comj)ilation  of  this  volume  we  are  prevented 
from  presenting  a  full  biograpln'  of  him. 

W.    P.  Francis,  whose  first  settlement  in 
Steele  Countv  dates  Julv  1,  1857,  is  a  native 


306 


HI8TORY    OK   STEELE   COUNTY. 


of  Wyoming  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
was  born  May  18,  1827.  His  ])arents.  Al- 
fred and  Nancy  (Deminiij  Francis,  remained 
in  the  Empire  State  until  ISiS,  when  they 
moved  to  Wisconsin  and  located  in  Wal- 
worth County,  later  moved  to  Kock  County, 
where  Mr.  Francis  Sr.  died  in  ISotJ.  In 
June,  1857,  W.  P.  F)'ancis,  in  company  with 
his  brother  A.  B.,  his  sister  Ellen  M.,  and 
James  Dreraer  and  family  (a  brother-in-law) 
started  for  Steele  County,  Minn.,  arriv- 
ing July  4:,  1857,  as  stated.  Their  convey- 
ance was  a  novel  affair:  a  covered  wagon 
with  a  bo.K  8  feet  wide  and  10  feet  long  —  a 
small  house  on  wheels.  In  this  they  had  a 
stove,  table,  and  all  necessary-  utensils  to 
make  it  convenient.  The  trip  consumed 
three  weeks.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the  little 
party,  Mr.  Francis  entered  the  mercan- 
tile trade,  which  he  carried  on  for  some 
time,  then  went  to  farming,  and  has  followed 
this  ever  since.  Mr.  Francis  on  the  2d  of 
July,  1863,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Celia  Fredenburg.  They  are  the  parents  of 
two  children,  Anna  F.,  and  May  A.  ]SIr. 
Francis  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in 
town  and  county  politics.  Has  served  two 
terms  as  county  commissioner,  and  was  one 
of  the  first  elected  under  that  system. 

W.  P.  Bissell  is  a  son  of  Albert  and 
Adeline  (Bishop)  Bissell.  He  is  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  and  in  this  State  received  his 
early  education.  At  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  he  started  for  himself,  entering  a  store 
as  salesman  at  Hartford,  which  position  he 
held  for  two  years;  after  which  he  went  to 
Farmington,  where  he  remained  about  two 
years.  The  western  fever  then  seizing  him, 
he  started  for  Minnesota,  arriving  at  Med- 
ford  in  November,  1856.  Here  he  worked 
by  the  month  until  the  war  broke  out,  when 
in  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
Tenth  Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry,  under 
Col.  J.  H.  Baker.  During  the  summer  of 
1863  he  was  with  Gen.  Sibley's  expedition 
asrainst  the  Indians,  and  was  as  far  west  as 
Bismarck,  Dakota.     In  the  fall  he  returned 


and  joined  the  regular  army,  and  served 
three  years,  participating  in  the  following 
battles :  Tupello,  Nashville,  and  siege  of 
Spanish  Fort.  He  received  his  discharge 
July  10, 1865,  and  returned  to  Steele  County. 
This  j'ear  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Almira  Stebbins.  He  then  entered  the 
hotel  business  and  i-emained  in  that  a  few 
years,  aftei'  which  he  started  a  general  store, 
which  he  ran  for  some  time,  then  sold  and 
purchased  a  farm.  In  1880  he  entei'eil  the 
lumber  trade,  and  is  now  engaged  in  this 
line,  also  handling  live  stock  in  connection. 
Mrs.  Bissell  died  in  1878. 

S.  Gillman,  a  native  of  Oswego  County, 
N.  Y.,  was  born  November  29,  1817.  April 
3,  1854,  he  made  a  claim  in  what  is  now 
Walcott,  Rice  County,  Minn.,  and  remained 
thei'e  for  twentj'-one  yeai'S,  when  he  moved 
to  the  village  of  Medford,  Steele  County. 
For  three  years  he  was  engaged  in  a  mail 
and  j)assenger  route,  after  which  he  opened 
a  grocery  store  in  the  village,  and  is  still  in 
this  line  doing  a  good  and  growing  business. 
In  1841:  Mr.  Gillman  was  united  in  mai'i'iage 
to  Miss  Flmily  Letson,  also  a  native  of  New 
York.  The}'  had  born  to  them  four 
children  :  Mary  Jane,  now  Mrs.  J.  W.  Loth- 
ian, of  Spencer,  Iowa;  Nancy,  a  school- 
teacher ;  Emma,  now  ]\Ii's.  R.  F.  Strong,  of 
Spencer,  Iowa,  and  John  E.,  also  a  )-esident 
of  Spencer.  Mrs.  Gillman  died  October  17, 
1868,  and  in  October,  1870,  Mr.  Gillman  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Wilson.  Mr.  (Till- 
man's j)arents  are  both  dead.  The  mother 
died  in  1872;  the  father  in  August,  1875,  at 
the  age  of  ninety -one  years.  Politically, 
Mr.  (Tillman  is  a  Republican. 

S.  M.  Freeman,  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Lucy 
(White)  Freeman,  is  a  native  of  Kennebec 
County,  Me.,  and  in  that  State  spent  his 
early  life.  April  1,  1855.  he  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  in  company  with  his  brother, 
B.  A.  Freeman.  S.  M.  made  a  claim  in  Med- 
ford Township.  In  August,  1862,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  A,  Tenth  Minnesota  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  servetl  three  \'ears,  re- 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


307 


ceiving  liis  discharge  September  24,  1864, 
after  wliich  he  returned  to  Steele  County, 
and  in  18(56  came  to  the  village  of  Medt'ord, 
wiiere  he  has  I'emained  most  of  tlie  time,  be- 
ing engaged  in  the  grocery  trade.  April  14, 
1886,  was  appointed  postmaster,  which  office 
he  now  holds.  He  has  always  Ijeen  a  stanch 
Democrat,  voting  the  straight  ticket.  Mr. 
Freeman  has  been  twice  married — first  to 
Miss  Bettie  Drake  in  1871.  They  had  born 
to  them  two  children,  Fred  and  Roger.  Mrs. 
Freeman  died  FeV)raary  14,  187l>.  Mr.  Free- 
man was  again  marrieil  in  September,  1881, 
to  Miss  Ella  Boynton,  and  by  this  union 
they  have  been  blessed  with  one  child,  Floid, 
born  in  May,  1883. 

John  Barney,  a  native  of  New  York,  was 
born  in  Erie  County,  at  the  town  of  Collins, 
December  !l,  1824.  His  parents,  George  and 
Rhoda  M.  (Luther)  Barney,  were  natives  of 
Massachusetts.  They  came  to  the  Empire 
State  in  1824,  and  in  1840  moved  to  Wis- 
consin. In  1848  thej'  returned  to  New 
York,  and  in  1880  made  a  trip  west,  locating 
in  Iowa,  where  Mr.  Barney  Sr.  died,  Septem- 
ber 5,  1882.  John  Barney  lived  with  his 
parents  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when 
he  started  for  himself  and  engaged  at  farm- 
ing  for  some  four  years  in  Wisconsin.  He 
then  returned  to  New  York  State  and  re- 
mained until  1854.  when  he  again  settled  in 
Wisconsin.  In  1856  started  for  Minnesota 
and  landed  in  Medford  June  15, 1856,  travel- 
ing from  Prairie  du  Chien  to  Medford  with 
an  ox  team,  and  being  ten  days  on  the  road. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  he  made  a  claim  on 
section  7  in  Medford  Township,  and  on  this 
he  remained  until  1871,  when  he  sold  and 
moved  into  the  village,  where  he  has  since 
lived.  Mr.  Barnej^  was  married  August  23, 
1848,  to  Abigal  Allen.  They  are  the  parents 
of  five  children :  George  W.,  who  was  mar- 
ried in  1875  and  now  lives  in  Roberts  County, 
Dak. ;  Manley  H.,  married  in  1876  and 
now  lives  in  Minneapolis  ;  Hattie,  now  Mrs. 
Gibson,  was  mai-ried  in  1878  and  lives  in 
Deerfield  Township,  Steele  County  ;  Minna, 


now  Mrs.  Charles  Johnson,  married  Decem- 
ber 25,  1886,  and  lives  in  Minneapolis ;  and 
Milton,  who  lives  in  Nelson  County,  D.  T. 
]\Ir.  Barne}'  enlisted  in  1863  in  Company  A, 
Tenth  Minnesota,  and  during  that  summer 
was  with  Sibley's  expedition,  and  went  as  far 
west  in  Dakota  as  the  Missouri  River.  In 
the  fall  he  returned  and  went  south,  partici- 
pating in  the  battles  of  Nashville  and  Span- 
ish Fort.  He  received  his  discharge  at  Fort 
Snelling  in  September,  1865,  and  returned  to 
the  old  homestead. 

D.  S.  Riper,  a  native  of  Sanbornton,  N. 
II.,  was  born  September  30,  1833.  His 
parents,  Daniel  and  Nancy  Piper,  were  both 
natives  of  the  same  State,  and  their  family 
consisted  of  three  children :  Abbie  K.,  Mary 
H.  and  Daniel  S.  The  latter  was  with  his 
father  in  business  until  he  was  thirty-six 
years  of  age,  when  in  1869  his  father  died. 
Daniel  S.  then  carried  on  the  business  alone 
until  he  came  west  in  1877.  He  first  settled 
in  Medford  Township  and  has  made  this  his 
home.  Since  coming  west  he  has  not  entered 
into  active  business,  but  has  lived  more  of  a 
retired  life.  Mr.  Piper's  marriage  dates  De- 
cember 2,  1862,  when  he  was  united  to  Miss 
Livona  M.  Whitney.  They  have  had  boim  to 
them  one  child  a  daughter,  Myra  A.,  born 
November  16,  1873. 

G.  C.  Moon  was  born  in  Erie  County,  N. 
Y.,  in  1831.  He  lived  with  his  parents, 
Daniel  and  Nancy  (Northup)  Moon,  until 
eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Buf- 
falo, and  renniined  in  that  city  for  about  four 
years.  He  then  went  to  Evansville,  Wis.,  and 
remained  there  one  year,  after  which  he  came 
to  Minnesota,  locating  in  the  town  of  Summit. 
Steele  County,  about  the  30th  of  May,  1857, 
He  made  a  claim  on  section  29,  on  which 
he  lived  until  1873,  when  he  moved  to 
Owatonuii.  In  1874  he  came  to  Medford 
Village,  where  he  has  since  lived.  G.  C.  Moon 
and  Miss  Hellen  M.  Francis  were  married  in 
November,  1861.  They  have  one  son,  born 
September  3,   1862,      He  was    married    in 


308 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


1881  to  Miss  Louella  Standish,  and  tlie}'  are 
now  I'esidents  oi  Montana. 

Jolm  IJaily,  son  of  Jolin  and  Eliza  liaily, 
was  born  in  Franklin,  N.  II.,  and  tliere  re- 
mained until  the  spring  of  1855,  when  he 
came  west  and  located  in  AV'^aseca  Connty. 
He  was  one  of  tlie  proprietors  of  tlie  town- 
site  of  St.  Mary,  which  made  a  strong  fight 
for  the  county-seat  of  that  county.  In  that 
place  he  remained  until  September,  18fi2, 
when  he  moved  to  Faribault,  and  later 
to  the  village  of  East  Prairie,  remaining  at 
the  latter  place  until  1865,  when  he  came  to 
Med  ford  and  entered  into  the  general  mer- 
chandise trade,  and  has  since  remained  in 
the  same  line.  In  A]iril,  187fi,  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  and  held  that  office  about 
ten  years.  Mr.  Baily  was  married  March  24, 
1858.  when  at  St.  Mary's,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Erwin.  They  are  the  ]jarents  of  three  chil- 
dren :  Emily  E.,  born  February  2, 1859 ;  Will- 
iam A.,  born  May  28,  1860;  Arthur  S.,  born 
July  21,  1864.  Emily  E.  was  married  to 
George  O.  Lee,  I'ebruary  14, 1877.  They  live 
in  Medford.  William  A.  married  Ella  Mc- 
Nitt,  December  15,  1SS2.  Arthur  S.  is  at 
home,  and,  with  his  brother  William,  is  in 
partnership  with  the  father  in  the  mercan- 
tile trade. 

Alexander  Gault  is  a  native  of  Norton 
Creek,  Canada  East,  born  in  that  province 
January  1,  1848.  When  but  twelve  years  of 
age  Mr.  Gault  started  in  life  for  himself ; 
first  engaged  on  a  farm  and  remained  in  this 
capacity  for  about  three  years.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  he  went  to  Missouri  and  worked 
on  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joe  R.  E.,  for  one 
year.  He  then  worked  on  a  steamboat  for 
a  time.  In  the  fall  of  1865  in  comjjany  with 
others  he  went  to  Mississippi  Island  No.  63 
and  there  remained  eighteen  months.  He  was 
at  this  place  during  the  cholera  reign  of 
1866,  but  fortunately  only  one  of  the  party 
died  from  the  dread  disease.  In  the  sjiring 
of  1867  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  was  en- 
gaged with  the  Iron  Mountain  R.  R.  Co.; 
later  worked  on  a  farm  and  remained  at  this 


until  1868,  when  lie  went  to  work  for  the  Chi- 
cago. Milwaukee  it  St.  Paul  R.  R.  Co.  The 
year  following  (June  19)  lie  had  his  leg  run 
over  and  so  badly  injui'ed  that  amputation 
was  necessary.  After  this  sad  misfortune 
and  as  soon  as  he  was  al)le  to  l)e  about,  he 
began  to  learn  the  art  of  telegraphy  and  after 
this  was  accomplished  was  given  Blooming 
Prairie,  Steele  (Jounty,  as  his  first  station. 
After  this  he  was  at  various  other  offices  until 
April  25,  1871,  when  he  came  to  Medford 
and  has  since  been  in  this  station.  In  1876 
he  began  buying  grain,  in  which  he  still 
deals.     He  was  married  September  12, 1877. 

C.  Freeman  is  another  leading  citizen  of 
Medford,  who  has  for  a  number  of  years 
been  })rominently  connected  with  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  this  part  of  the  county. 

Orrin  Lee,  Esq.,  was  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Minnesota.  He  is  a  native  of  Tolland 
County,  Conn.,  born  June  2,  1821,  his  par- 
ents being  William  and  Elizabeth  (Harding) 
Lee.  His  grandfather  was  Xatlian  Lee,  who 
spent  his  life  in  Connecticut.  His  father, 
William,  lived  in  Connecticut  until  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  sixty-one  years,  when  he 
removed  to  Rock  Island  Connty,  111.,  where 
he  died  in  1885.  Orrin  Lee,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  left  home  when  eighteen  years 
old  and  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  busi- 
ness. In  1852  he  came  west  and  "took  up" 
government  land  in  Lee  County.  III.  Early 
in  1855  he  again  resumed  his  westward 
march,  coming  by  boat  and  team,  and,  in 
April,  1855,  landed  at  Hastings,  in  Minne- 
sota. Three  days  after  his  arrival  there,  he 
pushed  on  with  teams  to  F^aribault,  accom- 
panied all  this  time  bj'  his  family.  In  Rice 
County  he  selected  a  ])iece  of  government 
land,  about  four  miles  from  the  city  of 
Faribault.  Their  nearest  neighbor  was  two 
and  a  half  miles  distant.  Here  they  re- 
mained for  eight  years,  when  Mr.  Lee  sold 
out  and  returned  to  Illinois.  A  short  time 
later,  however,  he  retraced  his  ste))S  to  Min- 
nesota, and  arrived  at  Medford,  in  Steele 
County,  in  1863,  where  he  has  since  lived. 


IIISTOET   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


309 


A  short  time  after  his  settlement  here  he 
was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  and  has 
held  the  office  ever  since,  attending  to  about 
all  of  the  legal  business  of  the  northern  part 
of  Steele  County.  He  has  also  taken  an  act- 
ive interest  in  educational  matters  during 
all  the  _years  of  his  residence  here.  In  pol- 
itical matters  he  is  a  "  straight  Republican." 


Mr.  Lee  was  married  October  24, 1847,  to  Miss 
Laura  CobI).  They  have  two  living  children  : 
Frances  M.  and  George  O.  Frances  married 
Cyrus  L.  Osborn,  and  they  live  in  Taylor 
County,  Iowa.  George  O.  mari'ied  Miss 
Emily  E.  Baily,  February  14,  1877,  and  they 
live  in  Medford. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


CLINTOX  FALLS  TOWNSHIP. 


j  LINTON  Falls  Township  embraces 
the  south  half  of  township  108, 
range  20,  Avest  of  the  fifth  prin- 
cipal meridian.  Medford  Town- 
ship lies  contiguous  on  the  north, 
Merton  joins  it  on  the  east,  while 
on  tlie  south  and  west  it  is  bound- 
ed respectively  by  Owatonna 
and  Deerheld  Townships.  Straight 
River  crosses  the  township  from 
south  to  north,  passing  through 
very  near  the  center  east  and 
west,  while  Crane  Creek  touches  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  township  on  its  way 
to  its  junction  with  the  Straight  River  at 
Medford.  The  river  is  skirted  by  a  mod- 
eratel}'  heavy  growth  of  timber  —  an 
abundance  to  supply  the  township  with 
material  for  fuel  and  fencing  for  centuries. 
Back  from  the  river  the  surface  varies,  occa- 
sionally oak  openings  and  again  beautifull3' 
rolling  prairie.  The  soil  is  rich  and  ]U'oduct- 
ive,  and  Clinton  P^alls  Township  is  the  home 
of  many  of  the  wealthy  and  most  prosperous 
citizens  of  the  county. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settlement  within  the  present 
limits  of  Clinton  Falls  Townsliip  was  made 
by  A.  W.  and  F.  F.  Adams,  in  1854,  on  sec- 
tions 28  and  33,  where,  in  November  of  that 
year,  A.  W.  Adams  erected  the  first  log  cabin 
in  the  township.  In  the  preceding  spring 
(1854)  Dr.  Fincli,  W.  W.  Arnold  and  James 
Huginan  had  been  here  and  selected  claims, 
but  they  at  once  returned  to  St.  Paul.  Messrs. 
Adams  first  came  in  August,  l)ut  returned  to 
St.  Paul  and  did  not  get  back  here  until  in 
November,      Section  lines  were  surveyed  in 


Septenil)er  of  tliat  year.  A.  W.  Adams  still 
lives  upon  the  section  where  he  first  settled. 

The  other  settlers  who  came  during  the 
same  fail  (1854)  wei-e  as  follows:  Francis  F- 
Adams  settled  on  section  28,  where  he  lived 
for  thi'ec  or  four  \'ears,  and  then  returned  to 
Massachusetts,  where  lie  still  lives.  W.  W. 
Arnold  came,  selected  a  claim,  and  is  still  a 
citizen.  I).  Sanl)orn  took  a  claim  on  section 
21,  and  lived  there  for  a  number  of  years,  tak- 
ingan  active  part  in  public  matters.  He  moved 
from  this  township  to  Medford,  juid  from 
there  to  Owatonna,  wliere  he  lived  until  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1885.  F.  Wilbur  Fisk 
also  came  in  1854  and  claimed  government 
land  on  sections  23  and  24,  where  he  laid  out 
a  village  called  "  Elwood,"  platting  the  south- 
west quarter  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 24.  Mr.  Fisk  was  a  well  known  charac- 
ter in  early  times.  He  remainetl  in  the  county 
until  the  time  of  his  ileath,  which  occurred 
at  Medford. 

In  the  spring  of  1855  there  were  a  num- 
ber of  arrivals,  among  them  being  the  fol- 
lowing: F.  L.  Judd  selected  a  claim  on  sec- 
tion 33,  built  his  cabin  and  returned  to  Ohio 
in  the  fall  of  1855  ;  there  he  was  married, 
and  the  following  year  he  brought  his  wife 
to  his  Western  home.  He  remained  in  the 
township  until  the  fall  of  1859,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Ohio. 

Fletcher  Du  Bois  selected  a  claim  in  the 
timber  on  section  27,  but  afterward  traded 
with  Judd  for  a  prairie  farm  on  section  32, 
where  he  liveil  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  three  or  four  j^eai'S  later. 
His  remains  were  taken  back  to  his  foi'mer 
home  in  the  State  of  New  York. 

Samuel  and  Isaac  Morrison  took  up  their 


31U 


HISTOKY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


311 


claims  in  the  western  part  of  the  townshijj, 
and  are  still  residents.  Their  father,  Daniel 
Morrison,  came  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
with  his  wife  and  familj'.  He  died  the  fol- 
lowing spring  (1856),  this  being  the  first 
death  in  the  township.  His  remains  were 
interred  in  the  cemetery  at  Clinton  Falls. 

Sylvester  McNitt  came  in  1855,  and 
located  on  section  21.  He  remained  here 
for  many  yeare  and  finally  removed  to 
Owatonna,  where  he  still  lives. 

K.  R.  Stout  settled  on  section  21  in  1855, 
and  remained  there  untd  the  fall  of  1885, 
when  he  returned  to  his  former  home  in 
Indiana,  where  he  now  lives. 

In  May,  1856,  Rev.  O.  A.  Thomas  took 
a  claim  and  settled  on  section  20.  He  re- 
mained there  some  eight  or  nine  years  and 
then  returned  to  Michigan,  but  later  went  to 
the  Pacific  coast.  He  was  a  Congregational 
preacher,  and  an  able  and  prominent  man 
in  early  days. 

The  settlement  was  rapid  all  through  1856 ; 
among  others  who  came  were :  James  Finch 
and  family,  William,  Samuel  and  Nathan 
Williamson,  Charles  Deming  and  Moses 
Hutchinson. 

FIRST  EVENTS. 

The  first  building  in  the  township  was  A. 
W.  Adams'  log  cabin,  erected  in  November, 
1854. 

The  first  frame  building  was  erected  by 
William  Williamson  in  1856. 

The  first  birth  in  this  townsliij)  was  also 
one  of  the  first  births  in  Steele  County.  It 
occurred  April  7,  1855,  and  was  Frank  W. 
Adams  who  now  lives  on  section  ^i-',  Clinton 
Falls  Township,  a  son  of  A.  W.  Adams,  the 
first  settler  of  the  township. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  townshij) — and 
in  the  county— was  that  of  William  William- 
son to  Lucretia  Finch.  The  ceremony  was 
performed  by  Elder  O.  A.  Thomas,  at  the 
house  of  James  Finch,  the  event  taking- 
place  in  the  fall  of  1856. 

The  hrst  death  in  the  township  was  that 
of  Daniel  Morrison,  which  occurred  in  March, 


1856.     He   was  buried   in   the  cemetery  at 
Clinton  Falls. 

A.  W.  Adams  broke  the  first  ground  in 
the  township. 

VILLAtiE  OF  CLINTON  FALLS. 

The  village  of  Clinton  Falls  was  laid  out 
in  the  fall  of  1855  by  Dr.  W.  W.  Finch.  In 
the  village  plat  a  block  was  platted  as  a 
cemetery,  free  to  every  one.  It  was  notlaitl 
out  in  lots  until  after  Dr.  Finch  left.  In 
1882  the  Oak  Hill  Cemetery  Association 
was  formed  and  Dr.  Finch  deeded  the  block 
to  them  and  it  was  then  platted  into  lots. 
This  was  the  first  cemeter}'  in  the  county. 
The  first  burial  in  it  was  of  the  remains  of 
Daniel  Morrison,  who  died  in  March,  1855. 
His  widow,  Phoebe,  died  the  following  June, 
and  was  interred  in  the  same  cemetery. 

A  postofiice  was  established  here  in  the 
fall  of  1856,  with  James  Finch  as  postmas- 
ter. The  postmasters  since  tliat  time  have 
been  as  follows:  Di-.  Finch,  S.  Houston,  and 
G.  W.  Knapp.  The  last  n;imed  is  the  pres- 
ent postmaster. 

The  first  frame  house  in  the  village  was 
erected  bv  Moses  Hutchinson  in  the  fall  of 
1856. 

The  first  and  only  hotel  ever  established 
here,  was  started  by  C.  M.  Williamson  and 
T.  Burns,  in  the  summer  of  1857.  It  was 
run  bv  them  for  some  time  and  was  known 
as  the  Clinton  House. 

The  first  religious  society  organized  here 
was  the  Medford  and  Clinton  Congregation- 
al Society,  which  was-  oi-ganized  by  Rev.  O. 
A.  Thomas. 

The  first  store  at  Clinton  Falls  was  starteil 
by  Cyrus  Williamson  in  1857,  with  a  small 
stock  of  gi-oceries  and  notions.  In  1861 
Judge  Gi-een  \vent  to  Milwaukee  and  secured 
what  was  then  considered  a  large  stock  of 
goods,  which  was  hauled  to  this  place  by 
teams  from  La  Crosse,  that  being  the  nearest 
railway  point.  Later  the  store  was  owned 
by  Dr.  Finch,  and  on  the  1st  of  July,  1873, 
it  was  purchaseil  by  G.  W.  Knapp,  who  has 
continued  it  ever  since,  it  being  the  only 
store  in  the  village. 


312 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


In  1856  Dr.  Fincli  commenced  building  a 
dam  across  Straight  River,  for  the  purpose 
of  securing  sufficient  water-power  to  operate 
mill  nuichinery,  but  one-half  interest  was  to 
belong  to  the  Williamson  Brothers,  who 
were  to  build  a  gristmill,  and  Dr.  Finch  a 
sawmill,  the  gristmill  to  be  completed 
within  a  year.  When  the  sawmill  was  put 
into  operation  James  Finch  had  a  leg  broken 
by  a  log  I'oiling  upon  him.  The  Messrs. 
AVilliams(jn  failing  to  get  their  gristmill 
completed  early  enough,  Dr.  Finch  sent  to 
Chicago  and  procured  a  set  of  small  burrs, 
or  what  was  called  a  "portable  mill."  and 
put  it  in  operation  in  his  sawmill.  This  was 
the  first  gristmill  in  this  county.  It  was 
truly  a  Godsend  to  the  settlers,  who  had 
frequently  lieen  under  the  necessity  of  re- 
sorting to  their  coffee  mills  to  manufacture 
their  meal  for  l)i'<>ii(l.  Wheat  thus  ground 
was  very  apjiropriatel}'  called  meal,  as  it 
could  not  be  reduced  fine  enough  to  be  called 
flour.  Settlers  used  to  come  here  from  a 
distance  of  forty  or  fifty  miles.  Williamson 
Brothers  pushed  their  work  on  their  grist- 
mill and  in  1857  lIon.G.  W.Green  purchased 
an  interest,  and  later  the  whole  mill,  and  it 
was  pushed  forward  to  completion  under  the 
superintendence  of  Moses  Hutchinson,  the 
onl}^  practical  millwright  this  section  of  the 
countr\'  then  afforded.  D.  II.  Morrison  was 
established  as  miller.  Judge  Green  became 
sole  proprietor  and  continued  to  operate  the 
mill  for  many  years.  .  He  sold  to  Van  Kirk 
efe  Coburn,  who  operated  it  some  four  or  five 
years;  they  sold  out  to  Sherman,  Winship 
&  Kelly.  The  mill  still  stands,  but,  at  the 
present  time,  is  only  used  as  a  feedmill. 
Mr.  Green  jnurhased  the  sawmill  in  1863. 

A  division  of  the  Sons  of  Temjierance  was 
organized  here  in  the  summer  of  1876,  a 
chartei-  being  granted  on  the  27th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1876.  The  chaiter  members  were  Frank 
W.  Sherman,  Ella  Boynton.  Annie  McCart- 
ney, Matie  Brown,  Matie  Green,  Nellie 
Knapp,  Susan  Larson,  E.  A.  Shadick,  M. 
Shadick,  C.  C.  Finch,  F.   H.  Church,  F.  E 


Green,  W.  H.  Bo^mton  and  Thomas  GriflHn. 
The  organization  was  enthusiastically  main- 
tained for  some  time,  and  was  very  success- 
ful, as  at  one  time  there  were  twenty-two 
prohil)ition  votes  polled  in  the  township.  Af- 
ter a  time,  however,  the  interest  flagged 
and  it  was  finally  abandoned. 

TOWNSHIP    OEGAHIZATION. 

When  Steele  County  was  organized,  in  the 
summer  of  1855.  the  territory  which  now 
forms  Clinton  Falls  Township  became  a  part 
of  Owatonna  township,  which  then  embraced 
all  of  townships  105-6-7-8,  and  in  ranges 
2(1  and  21.  This  arrangement  was  made  on 
the  1st  of  August,  1855.  On  the  25th  of  the 
same  month,  however,  Medford  Township 
was  created,  including  township  108,  ranges 
20  and  21,  thus  including  what  is  now  Clin- 
ton Falls.  On  the  7th  of  April,  1856,  the 
township  of  Franklin  was  created  and  it  ap- 
pears from  the  records  that  this  embraced 
the  east  half  of  what  is  now  Medford  and 
Clinton  Falls.  This  is  claimed  to  be  a  mis- 
take, yet  the  records  so  show  it. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  1857,  a  rearrangement 
of  the  county  took  place,  and  township  108, 
range  21,  was  set  off  as  Medford.  It  remained 
in  this  shape  until  the  6th  of  April,  1858, 
when  Clinton  Falls  Township  was  created, 
embracing  the  south  half  of  township  108, 
range  20,  the  same  territory  which  it  now  in- 
cludes. 

The  organization  of  the  township  was  per- 
fected on  the  11th  of  May,  1858,  when  the 
first  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  "  Clinton 
House,"  and  a  full  list  of  township  officers 
was  elected  as  follows :  Supervisors  — 
George  W.  Gi'een,  chairman,  E.  E.  Stout 
and  A.  W.  Adams;  clerk,  Geo.  E.  Rex;  as- 
sessor, B.  L.  Deming;  collector,  Charles  M. 
Williamson  ;  overseer  of  the  poor,  S.  Mc- 
Nitt;  justices  of  the  peace,  D.  Sanborn  and 
F.  W.  Fisk ;  constable,  W.  Barnhardt. 

Among  others  who  in  early  days  were 
prominent  in  township  matters  were:  W.  W. 
Finch,  J.  W.  Morrison,  N.  Parker,  D.  S.  Kim- 


HI8T0KY    OF    STEELE    COCTNIT. 


313 


ball,  J.  M.  Finch,  G.  W.  Knapp,  C.  M.  Hous. 
ton,  David  IIoAve,  T.  B.  Cimse  and  A.  C. 
Finch. 

In  1867  the  people  voted  to  l)uild  a  sub- 
stantial bridge  across  Straight  River,  and 
raised  by  tax  $2,000,  and  the  county  giving 
$1,000,  a  covered  bridge  was  erected  with 
solid  abutments  spanning  tlie  entire  width  of 
the  river. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  present  of- 
ficers of  the  township  elected  in  March,  18S7  : 
Supervisors  —  F.  W.  Adams,  ciiairman,  J.  F. 
Carter  and  R.  W.  Cheesenian ;  town  clerk, 
A.  C.  Finch;  treasurer,  G.  W.  Knapp;  asses- 
sor, E.  G.  Adams ;  justices  of  the  peace,  A. 
Samson  and  O.  L.  Knapp ;  constables,  G. 
McCloud    a7id  N.  Parker. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  at  Clinton  Falls  was 
taught  in  the  summer  of  ISoti,  in  a  board 
shanty  on  the  farm  of  Dr.  Finch,  by  Mary 
Morrison,  afterward  Mrs.  Charles  "Williamson. 

The  first  frame  schoolhouse  in  the  town- 
ship was  erected  in  the  village  in  the  spring 
of  1857,  and  was  built  by  subscription.  The 
lot  which  it  occupied  was  donated  by  Dr. 
Finch,  on  condition  that  it  was  alwaA^s  to  be 
open  for  religious  services  and  moral  enter- 
tainments. In  the  spring  of  1S<).5  an  addition 
was  made  to  the  schoolhouse  in  Clinton  Falls 
Village,  and  O.  T.  Otis,  of  Wisconsin,  was 
engaged  to  teach  a  high  school  liere.  It  was 
very  successful ;  scholars  attended  from  all 
parts  of  the  county,  and  for  sevei'al  years  it 
was  the  most  advanced  and  thorough  edu- 
cational institution  in  the  county;  but  after 
the  high  schools  in  Owatonna  were  estab- 
lished this  again  became  a  common  school. 

The  first  schoolhouse  in  district  No.  3  was 
a  log  building  erected  in  the  spring  of  1857. 
The  first  school  in  it  was  taugiit  by  Miss 
Frances  Atwater,  now  Mrs.  Charles  Strong. 
The  present  schoolhouse  in  this  district  was 
erected  in  the  spring  of  1870,  at  a  cost  of 
$1,020.  The  first  teacher  in  this  building 
was  Fi'ed.  Tuttle. 


The  first  school  taught  in  district  No.  3 
was  in  the  house  of  S.  McNitt  in  1855  (or 
1856),  Mrs.  F.  W.  Fisk  being  the  teachei'. 

The  schoolhouse  in  district  No.  18  is  lo- 
cated on  section  31.  The  district  was  organ- 
ized in  1876,  and  the  scliool  building  was 
erected  during  the  same  season  at  a  cost  of 
about  $300.  The  first  teaclier  in  the  district 
was  Miss  Mary  Cole.  The  last  term  of  school 
(1887)  was  taught  by  Miss  Lizzie  Adams. 

School  district  No.  (>6  was  organized  in 
1868.  The  first  school  in  the  district  was 
held  in  an  old  log  claim  shanty,  on  section 
33,  which  had  been  erected  by  F.  Judd. 
The  first  teacher  was  May  Smith.  The  pres- 
ent schoolhouse,  which  is  located  on  section 
32,  was  erected  in  1870  at  the  cost  of  $500. 
The  first  teacher  in  this  house  was  Ella  San- 
born, the  last  (1887)  was  Frank  Buffum. 

lilOGBAPHIES  01''  REPKESENTATIVK    CITIZENS. 

A.  W.  Adams  is  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Clinton  Falls  Township.  He  was  born  in 
Worcester  County,  Mass.,  October  28,  1826. 
He  hved  with  his  parents  until  the  age  of 
twenty-five  years,  and  then  came  west  to 
St.  Paul,  Minn.,  where  for  two  years  he 
worked  at  the  mason's  trade.  In  August, 
1854,  he  came  to  Steele  County  and  selected 
160  acres  of  government  land  on  sections  33 
and  3-1,  township  108,  range  20.  now  in  the 
toAvn  of  Clinton  Falls.  In  November  he  se- 
cured an  ox  team,  drove  to  his  claim  and 
erected  a  log  cabin.  His  wife  joined  him  in 
February,  1855.  and  they  lived  in  this  cabin 
until  1862,  when  they  moved  into  anew  house, 
which  was  built  of  stone  from  his  own 
quarry.  Mr.  Adams  was  married  in  May, 
185-t,  to  Miss  Emma  Tilton.  They  have  five 
children,  as  follows :  Frank  West,  born 
April  7,  1855;  Fred.  Tilton,  born  November 
30,  1856;  John  G..  born  August  12,  1858: 
Edward  G.,  born  February  17,  1862 ;  Lizzie 
A.,  born  July  13,  1865,  and  George  F.,  born 
March  13.  1871.  Theii-  eldest  son,  Frank 
West  Adams,  was  the  second  white  child 
born    m   Steele  County,  and   is  the    oldest 


3U 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


native  of  Steele  County  now  living.  G.  "W. 
Green  hail  a  son  born  a  few  hours  previous, 
but  he  is  now  dead.  Frank  W.  Adams  was 
married  October  '4,  1SS2,  to  Anna  M.  liogers, 
and  the\'  live  upon  a  farm  adjoining  his  fath- 
er's. All  of  Mr.  Adams'  children  are  still 
living,  except  John  G.,  who  died  October  1-1. 
1859. 

"W.  W.  Arnold  was  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers in  Clinton  Falls  Township.  He  was 
born  in  Oswego  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1832,  his 
parents  being  Samuel  and  Katherina  (Hu- 
ganin)  Arnold.  lie  lived  with  his  parents 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  came 
west  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  and  from  there,  in 
the  fall  of  1854,  came  to  what  is  now  sec- 
tion 28,  Clinton  Falls  Township,  Steele 
County.  He  spent  several  years  with  ex- 
ploring expeditions  and  government  survey- 
ors, and  later  went  to  Oberlin  College,  Ohio, 
where  he  remained  until  the  war  broke  out 
Enlisting  then,  in  the  Seventh  Ohio  Volun- 
teers, he  went  into  service,  participating 
in  many  important  engagements,  but 
coming  out  without  a  wound.  After  his 
discharge  he  went  to  Hillsdale  College,  in 
Michigan,  and  tliere  on  the  17th  of  October, 
186i,  was  married  to  Miss  Susanna  Gossard. 
They  have  one  child,  born  July  18,  1876. 
Mr.  Arnold  now  has  250  acres  of  land,  most 
of  which  is  under  a,  liigh  state  of  cultivation. 
He  is  one  of  th(;  sul>stantial  citizens  of  the 
county. 

David  Lindersmitii,  one  of  tiie  pioneers  of 
Steele  County,  is  a-  native  of  Columbiana 
County,  Ohio.  His  grandfather,  Joseph 
Lindersmitii,  came  to  America  in  1772  or 
1773,  when  eleven  years  old,  and  was  bound 
f)Ut  as  an  apprentice  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade.  He  served  as  a  lifer  in  the  Revolution- 
ary War;  also  followed  barbering,  and  fre- 
quentlv  shaved  George  "Washington  during 
those  years.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
settled  in  Somerset  County,  Pa.,  and  in 
ISO-t  removed,  witii  his  wife  and  five  child- 
ren, to  Columbiana  County.  Ohio,  where  he 
died  in  1817.     Peter  Lindersmith,  the  father 


of  David,  was  a  son  of  Joseph,  and  at  an 
early  day  took  government  land  in  the  town 
of  Hanover,  Columbiana  County,  Ohio.  He 
served  as  a  fifer  under  Gen.  Harrison  in  the 
war  of  1812.  His  wife  was  formerly  Susan 
Ehrhart,  and  they  had  children,  as  follows  : 
Elizabeth,  Daniel,  Julia.  Ann,  David,  Cather- 
ina,  William  and  Isaac.  David  Lindersmith, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  lived  with  his 
parents  until  twenty-five  years  of  age,  then 
went  to  Washington  County,  Ohio,  where  he 
remained  until  the  spi-ing  of  1850.  He  then 
settled  in  Williams  County,  Ohio,  and  re- 
mained until  the  2d  of  April,  1855,  when  he 
started  for  Minnesota  with  an  ox  team, 
bringing  his  wife  and  four  children,  the 
youngest  being  only  six  weeks  old.  They 
arrived  at  what  is  now  Owatonna  city,  on 
the  19th  of  May,  having  been  some  seven 
week's  on  tlie  way.  Upon  their  arrival  Mr. 
Lindersmith  secured  the  top  of  another 
wagon,  and  by  placing  the  two  together  on 
logs  lived  in  this  until  the  1st  of  July,  when 
the_y  moved  into  their  log  cabin,  using  rugs 
for  doors  and  windows.  Thus  they  got 
along  until  a  trip  could  be  made  to  Hastings 
for  the  necessary  articles.  In  the  early  part  of 
lS5ti  Mr.  Lindersmith  was  appointed  by  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  as  assessor 
for  nine  townships,  in  what  is  now  Steele 
and  Waseca  counties.  In  November,  1856, 
he  was  elected  sheriff  of  the  county  and 
served  for  two  years.  In  September,  1857, 
he  collected  from  William  Thomson  the  first 
taxes  paid  in  Steele  County,  the  amount 
beino-  $6.  In  1870  he  moved  to  section 
28,  in  the  town  of  Clinton  Falls,  where 
he  has  since  lived.  Mr.  Lindersmith  was 
married  in  Carroll  County,  Ohio,  in  1848,  to 
Miss  Catherine  Simmons.  The}'  have  six 
livingchildrcn:  Orlando,  Anjeline,  Elizabeth, 
Asnes,  Stiles  and  Emma.  Orlando  is  men- 
tioned  at  length  elsewhere.  Anjeline  mar- 
ried Mr.  lloadley,  a  second  cousin  of  Gov. 
Hoadley,  of  Ohio,  and  they  live  in  Dakota. 
Elizabeth  married  William  Putney,  a  resi- 
dent of  the  town  of  Clinton  Falls.    Agnes 


HISTORY    OK    STEELE    COUUTV. 


316 


inarried  M.  Jepson,  a  resident  of  Dakota. 
Stiles  is  a  traveling  man,  and  Emma  is  now 
Mrs.  Thomas  Burns,  of  Windom,  Minn. 

Orlando  Lindersmith  came  to  Steele  Coun- 
ty, Minn.,  in  May,  1855,  witli  his  parents, 
being  then  only  eleven  years  of  age.  He 
lived  at  home  until  October,  18G1,  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Minnesota  Volunteer 
Infantry  for  three-years'  term,  and  upon  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  service  reenlisted 
at  Huntsville,  Ala.,  January  1,  1S64,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  receiving 
his  discharge  at  St.  Paul,  August  7,  1805. 
Among  the  many  battles  which  he  partici- 
pated in  were  the  following :  luka,  Miss., 
September  19,  1862 ;  Willow  Springs,  Miss., 
May  3,  1863;  Raymond,  Miss.,  May  12, 
1863;  Jackson,  Miss.,  May  U,  1863;  Cham, 
pion  Hills.  Miss.,  May  16.  1863;  he  was  at 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg  for  forty-seven  days, 
and  was  at  Missionar}'  Ridge,  November  23, 
24,  25,  1863.  He  was  wounded  at  his  first 
battle,  being  shot  through  the  leg,  and  again 
at  Vicksburg.  He  was  with  Sherman  in  his 
famous  "  march  to  the  sea,"  and  was  at  the 
battle  of  Altoona,  where  Sherman  signaled 
the  besieged  to  "  Hold  the  Fort ;  I  am  com- 
ing," which  was  the  origin  of  P.  P.  Bliss's 
noted  song — Bliss  being  a  private  soldier  in 
the  fort  at  the  time.  After  Orlando  received 
his  discharge  he  returned  home  and  at- 
tended school  during  the  followino-  winter 
In  the  spring  of  1867  he  bought  his  first 
land  on  section  28,  Clinton  Falls  Township, 
where  he  has  since  lived,  increasing  his  farm 
until  he  now  has  180  acres  of  land,  on  which 
is  a  part  of  the  Clinton  Falls  stone  quarries. 
When  Mr.  Lindersmith  first  bought  an  inter- 
est in  the  stone  quarries  the  other  owners 
were  David  Lindersmith,  A.  B.  Cornell,  R. 
Sanborn  and  Mr.  Ellis.  In  1882  Orlando 
Lindersmith  acquired  the  whole  property. 
During  the  present  summer  (1887)  he  has 
employed  twelve  men,  and  taken  out  about 
1,100  cords  of  stone.  Mr.  Lindei-smith  was 
married  July  13,  1872,  to  Miss  Ellen  Thom- 
son.    They  have  seven  children,  as  follows: 


Everett  E.,  David  li.,  Horold  IL,  Albert  E.. 
Mary  A.,  Samuel  M.  and  Arthur. 

John  T.  Carter  is  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  born  in  November,  1839.  His  fatiier, 
George  Carter,  was  a  native  of  London,  Eng- 
land, and  came  to  the  United  States  in  about 
1835,  settling  in  New  York  State.  In  1850 
they  came  Avest  to  Wisconsin,  where  thev 
remained  until  1856,  when  they  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  and  settlecl  on  section 
36,  in  .the  town  of  Clinton  Falls.  The  father 
died  there  in  the  fall  of  1869.  The  mother, 
who  was  formerly  Margaret  Henderson,  is 
still  living  with  her  son,  John  T.  Carter,  in 
this  township.  George  and  Elizabeth  Carter 
had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  still  living,  as  follows :  John  T., 
George,  Charles,  Augustus,  Wellington,  Char- 
lotte and  Matilda.  Four  of  them  are  livino- 
in  Steele  Count\\ 

John  T.Carter  cast  his  first  vote  for  Presi- 
dent Lincoln.  On  the  16th  of  September, 
1861,  he  enlisted  in  the  Second  Minnesota 
A^olunteer  Infantry,  and  partici})ated  in  the 
battles  of  Mill  Springs,  Chickamauga,  Mission 
Ridge,  and  so  on,  with  Sherman's  army,  un- 
til the  fall  of  Atlanta.  He  did  not  receive  a 
wound,  and  was  honorably  discharged  No- 
vember 16,  1864.  He  then  returned  to  Steele 
County  and  lived  at  Owatonna  for  four 
years.  In  1868  he  moved  to  his  present 
farm,  and  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock-raising.  He  was  married  Novem- 
ber 29, 1868,  to  Miss  Josephine  P'isher.  They 
have  four  children  :  Lillie  A.,  Ella  J.,  A.  M. 
and  Arthur  J.  Mr.  Carter  has  been  a  prom- 
inent man  in  all  townshij)  and  educational 
matters,  and  has  held  many  offices  of  a  local 
chai-acter. 

James  Finch,  deceased,  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  in  1856,  and  selected  govern- 
ment land  on  sections  2S  and  29  in  what  is 
now  the  town  of  Clinton  Falls,  where  he 
lived  until  the  time  of  his  death,  December 
25,  1873.  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  all 
public  matters  and  was  well  and  favorably 
known   throughout   the  county.      He    was 


316 


HISTORY  OF  STEELE  COUNTT . 


county  surveyor  for  a  number  of  years,  and 
when  the  postoffice  at  Chnton  Falls  was  es- 
tablished, in  the  fall  of  1856,  he  was  appointed 
postmaster.  The  first  marriaoe  in  Steele 
County  took  place  at  his  house,  the  contract- 
ing parties  being  his  daughter  Lucretia  and 
William  Williamson.  Mr.  Finch's  name  ap- 
pears very  frequently  through  these  })ages. 

Cyrus  Finch  is  a  son  of  James  and  Minerva 
Finch,  and  was  onl}'  nine  years  of  age  wlien 
they  settled  in  Steele  County,  in  185G.  He 
remained  at  home  until  the  fall  of  1868,  when 
ho  went  to  Mower  Countj'  and  taught  school 
for  a  year.  In  tlie  spring  of  1869  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Martha  Huston,  and  the 
same  season  went  West  on  a  prospecting 
tour.  In  1871  lie  went  to  Cottonwood 
County  ajid  located  in  Windom  Townsliip. 
In  the  fall  of  1873.  on  account  of  his  father's 
failing  health,  he  returned  and  has  since  oc- 
cupied the  original  homestead.  In  |)o]itical 
matters  Mr.  Finch  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
taken  an  active  part  in  public  affairs,  having 
held  the  office  of  county  commissioner  for 
three  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Finch  have  three 
children,  Maud,  Blanch  and  Walter. 

Fyler  D.  Finch  is  also  a  son  of  James  and 
Minerva  Finch.  He  was  born  in  Clinton 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  May,  1843,  and  was,  there- 
fore, thirteen  years  of  age  when  his  parents 
located  in  Steele  Count3^  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  eighteen  years  old, 
when  he  began  driving  on  the  Burljank 
stage  line,  his  route  being  chiefly  between 
Owatonna  and  Faribault,  and  remained  in 
that  work  for  five  years.  He  then  for  two 
seasons  had  ciiarge  of  tiie  Clinton  Falls  saw- 
mills, and  since  that  time  has  been  engaged 
at  carpenter  work  and  other  pursuits.  Mi-. 
Finch  was  married  August  9,  1863,  to  Miss 
Annie  McCormick.  They  had  two  children  : 
George  W.  and  Minnie.  George  W.  mai'- 
ried  Miss  Nettie  Trace}'  and  now  lives  in 
thistownship.  Minnie  married  FrankChurch. 
She  died  August  18,  1887,  leaving  a  little 
girl,  Frankie,  and  was  buried  in  the  Owa- 
tonna cemetery  by  the  side  of  her  husband, 


whose  death  occurred  a  few  months  pre- 
vious. Mrs.  Finch  died  in  March,  1868.  Mr. 
Finch  was  again  married,  in  April,  1870,  to 
Miss  Amelia  Peavey.  They  have  two  boys  : 
Arthui',  born  August  9,  1871.  and  Ernest, 
born  May  12,  1875. 

A.  J.  Abbott,  one  of  the  prominent  stock- 
raisers  of  Steele  County,  is  a  son  of  William 
and  Lois  (Sawyer)  Abbott.  He  was  born 
at  Sanbornton,  Belknap  County,  N.  H.,  May 
10,  1829.  He  lived  with  his  parents  until 
April,  1857,  when  he  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  and,  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  settled 
upon  liis  ])i'esent  farm  on  section  29,  Clinton 
Falls  Township.  He  remained  there  imtil 
December,  18(il,  when  he  moved  to  Fari- 
bault, and  engaged  in  the  l)utchering  busi- 
ness.  In  the  spring  of  1866  he  settled  in 
Medford  Village,  and  remained  there  uiitd 
1876,  when  he  again  located  upon  his  farm, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  He  devotes  his  at- 
tention chieflj'  to  raising  stock,  and  now  has 
one  of  the  finest  herds  of  cattle  in  the  State. 
Mr.  Abbott  was  married  April  18, 1853,  to 
Miss  Mary  H.  Pijier.  who  was  born  March  5 
1830.  Nine  children  have  been  born  to 
them,  as  follows  :  Mary  H.,  born  Mai'ch  9, 
1851 ;  Ellen  N.,  born  October  21, 1855  ;  Katie 
A.,  boi'n  August  28,1857;  William  D.,  born 
July  13,  1859;  Asa  J.,  born  September  12, 
1861;  Tinnie,  born  September  26,  1863; 
Lillian,  born  November  21,  1868,  and  Emma 
and  Ella  (twins),  born  August  23,  1871.  All 
are  living  except  three  :  Tinnie  died  October 
18,  1865;  Ella  died  September  17,  1872. 
and  Emma  died  October  10,  1872, 

John  Virtue  was  boi-n  in  Ireland  in  1833. 
He  first  landed  in  America  in  the  spring  of 
1852  and  settled  in  Cohunbia  County,  N.  Y. 
He  remained  there  until  the  spring  of  1859, 
when  he  came  west  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
and  locnted  on  sections  23  and  24  in  the  town 
of  Clinton  Falls,  where  he  has  since  lived, 
carrying  on  general  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing on  an  extensive  scale.  In  1855  he  mar- 
ried Mary  Dinan,  who  came  west  with  him. 
They  have  six   children    living,  as  follows- 


HISTORY    OF   STEKLK   COUNTY. 


317 


Dennis  E..  born  November  28,  1858;  Willie 
J.,  born  July  IG,  1800;  Leonard,  born  Api'il 
2,  1865  ;  Alice,  born  April  23, 1868 ;  Emmett, 
born  April  17,  1870,  and  Emma  J.,  born  Au- 
gust 23,  1874.  Mr.  \^irtue  has  780  acres  of 
land,  making  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
farms  in  the  county.  He  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  public  affairs,  having  filled  the  office 
of  county  commissioner  and  many  offices  of 
a  local  nature. 

William  Gallea  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  X.  Y.,  November  19,  1829.  His 
parents  were  James  and  PoUey  (Beemis) 
Gallea.  He  lived  with  his  parents  until  the 
spring  of  1859,  when  he  went  to  Wisconsin, 
where  he  remained  four  years,  and  then, 
in  the  fall  of  1863,  came  to  Steele  Count}', 
Minn.,  and  purchased  his  present  farm  on 
section  23,  town  of  Clinton  Falls.  He  has 
since  lived  upon  his  farm,  now  having  200 
acres,  most  of  which  is  under  cultivation,  and 
devotes  considerable  attention  to  raising- 
stock.  His  early  life  was  spent  upon  the 
lakes,  so  that  farming  was  resorted  to  foi'  a 
change.  He  has  been  successful  and  is  now 
one  of  the  well-to-do  citizens  of  the  county. 
In  the  spring  of  1864  Mr.  Gallea  enlisted  in 
the  Second  Minnesota  Cavalry  and  remained 
in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  married  January  25,  1852,  before  leaving 
New  York  State,  to  Miss  Policy  Gilbert. 
They  have  had  the  following  children  :  James 
B.,  born  September  28, 1854  ;WilliamG.,  born 
November  10, 1856  ;  Eliza  A.,  born  November 
4, 1860  ;  Thomas  A.,  born  August  19,  1863 ; 
Bertha  M.,  born  November  18,  1866;  Carrie 
B.,  born  May  25,  1869 ;  George  B.,  born  No- 
vember 23, 1872 ;  Alice  G.,  born  February  22, 
1875;  Peter  B.,  born  March  8,  1879,  and 
Pearl,  born  January  10,  1880.  All  of  these 
are  still  living  except  Peter,  who  died  May 
29,  1879,  and  Eliza  A.,  who  died  May  5,  1887. 
The  latter  had  married  W.  Hanicerson,  of 
Medford  Township  in  1881. 

T.  H.  Griffin  was  born  in  Chenango  Coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  in  1836.  He  lived  with  his  parents 
until  twenty -one  years  of  age,  when  he  started 


in  life  for  himself,  following  the  occupation 
of  a  farmer  until  1864,  wlien  lie  enlisted  in  a 
Nevv  York  infantry  regiment  and  entered  the 
service.  His  company  was  in  the  front  of  Pe- 
tersbui'g  all  througii  the  winter  of  1864-5, 
and  was  at  Appomatox  when  Lee  surrendered 
to  Gen.  Grant,  and  he  witnessed  the  stacking 
of  arms  of  Lee's  army.  On  tiie  morning  of 
President  Lincoln's  funei'al  they  were  ordered 
to  Washington.  They  passed  "grand  re- 
view,"' and  were  among  the  first  regiments  to 
be  discharged.  Mr.  Griffin  arrived  home  in 
May,  1865,  and  in  August  stalled  for  Minne- 
sota, arriving  here  in  September  of  the  same 
year.  He  bought  an  interest  in  the  Daniel 
Morrison  estate  on  section  20,  town  of  Clinton 
Falls,  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  was  mar- 
ried December  8,  1859,  to  Miss  Fannie  E. 
Brown.  Four  childi-en  have  been  boi-n  to 
them :  Mark  A.,  George  T..  Sidney  J.  and 
Emma  G. 

O.  Eastman  was  born  in  Clinton,  Kenne- 
bec County,  Me.,  March  28,  1828.  He  re- 
mained with  his  parents,  Henry  and  Lydia 
(Quigg)  Eastman,  until  twelve  years  old 
when  he  began  life  for  himself.  At  that 
time  he  began  work  for  a  man  named  John 
Hern  and  remained  three  years.  From  that 
time  he  followed  various  occupations.  On 
the  22d  of  October,  1855,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Silvia  C.  Butler,  at  Aurora,  Hancock 
County,  Me.  After  this  he  lived  in  Ken- 
nebec Count}'  until  the  fall  of  1863,  when  he 
came  to  Steele  County  Minn.,  and  settled 
at  Medford.  In  the  spring  of  1866  he  "  took 
up  "  eighty  acres  of  government  land  on  sec- 
tion 26,  Clinton  Falls  Township,  where  he  has 
since  lived,  doing  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eastman  have  seven 
children,  as  follows :  Ituel  S.,  born  Febru- 
ary 19,  1856;  Vesta  M.,  born  July  17,  1857; 
Yinal  IL,  born  Sejitember  3,  18ii2;  Lydia 
M.,  born  May  27,  18()5  ;  Robei't  M.,  born 
March  27,  1868;  Ambrose  B.,  born  Septem- 
ber 16,  1870,  and  Edna  O.,  born  June  22, 
1881.  All  are  living  at  home  except  Vesta 
M.,  who  married  Nathaniel  Paul,  of  Clinton 


318 


HIStOKY   OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


Falls  Towni5hip,  Minn.,  July  the  11th,  1877. 
Itichavd  and  Henry  Cheeseman  are  na- 
tives of  England,  their  jjarents  being  Eich- 
ard  a'nd  Maria  (Early)  Cheeseman.  Richard 
was  born  in  London,  November  1,  1858.  He 
was  an  engineer's  draughtsman  until  tAvo 
years  before  coming  to  America,  and  was 
then  in  the  employ  of  the  A.  W.  Faber  Pen- 
cil Co.  On  the  1st  of  May,  1880,  he  came  to 
the  United  States  and  went  to  farming.  A 
year  later  he  purchased  a  part  of  their  pres- 
ent farm  on  section  20,  Clinton  Falls  Town- 
ship, and  in  18S()  added  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  the  same  section,  so  their  farm  now 
comprises  225  aci-es.  On  the  15th  of  March, 
1881,  Richard  was  married  to  Miss  Ella  F. 
Duncan,  a  native  of  Chenango  County,  X. 
Y.  Tliey  have  the  following  children  : 
Henry,  born    November  25,   1881  ;    Grace, 


born  May  21,  1883;  Florence,  born  Decern 
ber  25,  1884,  and  Asa  born  August  16, 
1886.  Henry  Cheeseman  was  born  in  Kent 
County,  England,  April  5,  1861.  He  served 
an  apprenticeship  at  the  stone  sculptor's 
trade  and  worked  at  it  until  he  joined  his 
brother,  Richard,  in  Steele  County,  Minn., 
in  February,  1882.  He  has  since  devoted 
his  attention  to  their  farm.  Their  father 
died  in  London,  June  22,  1885.  Their  mother 
and  sister,  Sarah  A.,  came  from  London  in 
June,  1886,  and  are  now  living  with  them 
on  the  farm. 

lion.  G.  "W.  Buffum,  the  present  repre- 
sentative from  Steele  County  in  the  Legisla- 
ture, is  also  a  prominent  citizen  of  Clinton 
Falls  Township.  A  biographical  sketch  of 
his  life  is  presented  in  chapter  VIIL 


UUdj 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


DEEEFIELD  TOWNSHIP. 


EERFIELD  forms  the  northwest 
corner  of  Steele  County,  witli  Rice 
County  on  the  north  and  AVaseca 
on  the  west,  while  on  the  east  it  is 
hounded  by  the  townships  of  Med- 
ford  and  Clinton  Falls,  and  on  the 
south  by  Meriden.  It  embraces 
all  of  congressional  township  lOS, 
range  21,  west ;  a  total  acreage  of 
about  23,040  acres.  Its  location 
is  ver\'  favoral^le  in  an  agricul- 
tural point  of  view,  being  ten 
miles  from  the  city  of  Faribault 
and  onl\'  seven  from  Owatonna,  with  the 
village  of  Medford  within  three  miles,  which 
affords  a  market  and  freighting  facilities. 
The  southwest  portion  of  the  town  finds  an 
easy  and  convenient  market  at  Waseca,  so 
that  in  almost  an\^  direction  the  people  maj' 
find  a  market  for  all  their  grain  and  produce 
at  a  very  short  distance  from  their  doors.  The 
soil  for  the  most  part  is  a  deep  clay  loam, 
rich  and  very  fertile  in  the  production  of  all 
the  small  grains.  The  population  of  the 
town  is  made  up  of  Gernums,  Americans  and 
Irish,  with  a  few  of  other  nationalities. 
There  is  a  good  supply  of  timber  for  fuel 
and  fencing  purposes.  In  the  south  part  of 
the  town  is  a  belt  of  timber,  bordering  on 
Crane  Creek,  of  about  two  miles  in  width, 
while  it  is  but  a  short  distance  to  the  large 
timber  belt  of  the  Cannon  and  Sti'aight  riv- 
ers on  the  east  and  north. 

In  1857  the  township  had  a  population  of 
192  persons;  in  1885  this  had  grown  to  863. 

ITEMS    REGARDING    EARLY    SETrLERS    AND    PROM- 
INENT CITIZENS. 

The  first  settlement  in  this  township  was 
made  about  the  12th  of  May,  1855,  by  Ed- 

19  I 


ward  McCartney,  who  came  from  Elgin,  111., 
with  his  family  of  wife  and  three  children 
and  a  brothei-  of  his  wife.  He  located  on 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  8  and  re- 
mained for  al)out  two  years,  when  he  sold 
out  and  returned  to  Illinois.  He  soon  came 
back  to  Minnesota  and  located  at  Morris- 
town,  in  Rice  County,  but  becoming  discon- 
tented went  to  California,  and  after  spending 
a  time  in  the  land  of  gold  returned  to  Min- 
nesota, sold  his  projierty  and  emigrated  to 
Cass  CJounty,  Neb.  Other  settlers  soon  fol- 
lowed Mr.  McCartney  into  the  town  and  a 
neighborhood  was  soon  established.  Within 
a  year  or  .so  later  the  following  named  all 
came  and  selected  homes  :  Andrew  Wertz- 
ler,  Nicholas  Stearns,  Conrad  Reineke,  E. 
Crandall,  John  and  James  Condon,  E.  J. 
Lilly,  H.  Hodgson,  Arthur  McMillen,  John 
H.  Morse,  Washington  Morse,  Charles  Birch, 
Mr.  Austin,  L.  Anderson,  E.  I.  Stocker, 
Shephard  Moses  and  others. 

During  the  Indian  outbreak  in  1862 
nearly  all  the  citizens  left  the  township  for 
safety,  but  returned  within  a  few  days. 

Coni-ad  Reinelie  was  born  in  the  province 
of  Hanover,  Germany,  July  19,  1843.  He 
lived  there  for  ten  years,  then  with  his 
father  and  mother  and  two  brothers.  Chris- 
tian and  Henry,  came  to  the  United  States, 
landing  at  New  York.  They  were  eight 
weeks  on  the  ocean,  and  encountered  much 
stormy  weather.  Thej'^  went  to  Chicago,  and 
for  a  j'ear  and  a  half  lived  at  Schonburg, 
Cook  County,  111.  In  May,  1855,  they  all 
started  with  ox  teams  for  Minnesota,  and,  af- 
ter a  tedious  journey  of  four  weeks,  landed  at 
Conrad  Reineke's  present  farm  on  section  7, 
Deertield  Township.    Several  parties  accom- 


322 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


panied  them,  but  most  of  them  stopped 
on  the  praii'ie  east  of  Faribault.  Times  were 
very  hard  during  the  first  few  years  of  the 
settlement.  At  first  the}'  went  to  St.  Paul 
for  supplies  and  market ;  then  to  Hastings, 
but  it  took  four  days  to  make  the  trip.  Tiie 
Indian  troul)les  also  made  matters  worse,  and 
(jnce  the  settlers  were  obliged  to  leave  on  ac- 
count of  their  hostility.  Mr.  Reineke's 
father  died  twenty-five  years  ago  ;  his  mother 
is  living  at  an  advanced  age  with  a  younger 
brother  at  Morristown.  Conrad  Eeineke 
now  has  a  fine  farm  of  408  acres,  180  of 
which  is  under  cultivation  ;  has  a  commo- 
dious house,  barn  and  other  farm  buildings, 
and  devotes  considerable  attention  to  raising 
stock.  Mr.  Eeineke  enlisted,  in  1863,  in 
Company  F,  Third  Minnesota  Volunteer  In- 
fantry ;  went  to  Arkansas ;  was  in  several 
skirmishes  in  that  vicinity  ;  did  duty  at  Lit- 
tle Rock  and  DuvalFs  Bluff ;  and  was  in  tlie 
Red  River  expedition.  He  was  mustered 
out  in  1865  on  account  of  sickness.  Mr. 
Reineke  was  married  in  1865  to  Miss  Otelia 
Wilkowske.  They  liave  nine  children,  as 
follows :  Henr\',  Anna,  George.  William, 
Albert,  Louis,  Ilulda,  Ernst  and  Rudolf. 

Christian  Reineke  was  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  March  19,  18-16.  In  1853  the  family 
came  to  the  United  States,  going  by  way  of 
New  York  to  Cook  Count}',  111.  From  there, 
in  1855,  they  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
and  the  father  pi'eem])ted  the  "quarter 
section"  in  Deerfield  Township  now  owned 
by  Christian  and  Conrad  Reineke.  There 
were  but  very  few  settlers  in  this  region  at 
that  time — many  more  Indians  than  whites. 
The  Indians  were  very  friendly  up  to  the 
time  of  the  outbreak,  but  during  the  out- 
break, at  one  time,  nearly  all  the  settlers  left 
for  safety.  St.  Paul  first,  and  later,  Hast- 
ings, were  tiie  trading  places  in  early  times. 
Christian  Reineke  was  married  in  1870  to 
Ernestine  Turk.  Mrs.  Reineke's  father  died 
in  the  old  country,  but  she  has  several  sisters 
and  brothers  in  this  country.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Reineke  have  the  follow ine- children  :    Frede- 


rick, Edward,  Wesley,  Amelia,  Christian, 
Ida,  Arthur  and  Laura.  Mr.  Reineke  now 
has  a  fine  farm  of  352  acres,  a  good  share 
of  which  is  under  cultivation,  and  the  build- 
ings are  substantial.  He  devotes  considera- 
ble attention  to  raising  stock. 

James  F.  Brady  was  born  in  Canada, 
Aprd  2.  ISiP.  He  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  and  located  in  the  town  of  Deerfield, 
September  1,  1856,  and  has  since  been  a  res- 
ident. Mr.  Brady  was  married  Januar^'^  7, 
1873,  to  Louisa  Parsons.  They  have  five 
children,  as  follows:  ('harles,  James  F., 
Alice  M.,  George  and  Arthur.  Mr.  Brady 
is  a  supervisor  of  the  townshi])  and  has  held 
various  offices  of  importance.  He  has  an 
excellent  farm  of  240  aci'es,  the  most  of 
which  is  under  cultivation.  Mr.  Brady's 
father,  Charles  Brady,  is  still  living  with 
James,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty -seven. 
The  mother  died  Julv  20,  1885,  atied  eiirhtv- 
four.  Mr.  Bradj^  is  mentioned  frequently 
in  this  volume. 

Mrs.  Margretta  Lilly  was  born  in  Bucks 
County,  Pa.,  Xovember  22,  1.S23.  Her 
fathei-  died  August  24,  1844.  Her  mother 
lived  in  Indiana  until  the  children  were  mar- 
ried, then  went  to  Iowa  and  lived  with  hei" 
youngest  daughter.  She  died  at  Brooklyn, 
Poweshiek  Count}',  Iowa,  August  1,  1885. 
Mai'gretta  was  married  to  Elijah  Lilly  at 
New  Lisbon,  Henry  County,  Ind.,  July  30, 
1840.  In  1856  with  ox  teams  they  came 
through  to  Morristown,  Minn.,  being  some 
six  weeks  on  the  way.  They  were  accom 
panied  by  Mr.  Lilly's  brother-in-law,  niece 
and  family.  Mr.  Lilly's  earthly  possessions 
at  that  time  consisted  of  fifty  cents  in  money, 
two  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  wagou.  One 
yoke  of  oxen  and  the  wagon  weie  traded  for 
their  claim  of  160  acres.  Mr.  Lilly  remained 
here  until  the  time  of  his  death  January 
3, 1883.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lilly  were  blessed 
with  the  following  children :  Samuel. 
George  W.,  Joseph.  Sarah  Ann,  Willie 
(deceased),  David  (deceased)  and  Tacy  El- 
len (deceased).     Mrs.   Lilly's   son,  David,  in 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


323 


1864,  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Third  Minne- 
sota Volunteer  Infantry,  and  served  princi- 
pally in  Arkansas,  being  at  Duvall's  Bluff 
and  Little  Rock.  He  was  finally  taken  sud- 
denly sick,  and  died,  as  was  tliought  by  his 
comrades,  from  the  effect  of  poison  purposely 
administered  by  the  hospital  steward,  a  rebel 
sympathizer.  Samuel  was  also  in  the  service. 
He  enlisted  in  Compan}'  G,  First  Minnesota 
Infantry,  and  served  three  years,  being  in 
the  army  of  the  Potomac.  He  participated 
in  many  battles  and  skirmishes  and  was 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  where 
his  canteen  saved  him  from  lieing  killed. 
Sarali  Ann  was  married  June  29th,  1881,  to 
G.  W.  Lewis,  of  Deerfield,  and  they  are  liv- 
ing on  the  farm  with  Mrs.  Lilly.  They 
liave  two  children.  Myrtle  M.  and  Xellie  M. 
One  incident  in  the  histor}^  of  Mr.  Lilly's 
ancestry  is  worthy  of  mention.  His  grand- 
father when  quite  a  small  boy,  together  with 
about  a  dozen  others,  was  stolen  from  Eng- 
land and  brought  to  America.  Being  with- 
out money,  when  they  arrived  in  Maryland 
they  were  sold  to  service  for  their  passage. 
He  was  so  small  he  could  not  tell  where  they 
came  from. 

Rudolph  Eisert  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Deerfield,  Steele  County,  Minn.,  March  8, 
1862.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Germany. 
They  came  to  the  United  States  in  1859,  land- 
ing at  New  York,  and  coming  to  Steele  Coun- 
ty the  same  year  from  Milwaukee.  Tliey 
came  with  ox  teams,  and  were  six  weeks  on 
the  way.  Once,  in  1862,  they  were  obliged 
to  leave  on  account  of  the  Indian  outbreak, 
but  came  back  the  next  day.  For  three  years 
after  coming  here  they  rented  a  farm,  and 
then  bought  the  present  place  on  section  6. 
The  father  died  November  3, 1886.  Rudolph 
Eisert  was  married  March  25,  1886,  to  Miss 
Amelia  Saufferor,  whose  parents  reside  in 
Waseca  Count\^  They  have  one  child,  an 
infant  bo}'.  Mr.  Eisert  lias  200  acres  of  land, 
100  of  which  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva^ 
tion.     He  has  fine  buildings  upon  the  farm. 

H.  Lamson  was  born  at  Maria,  Rensselaer 


County,  N.  Y.,  June  23, 1825.  He  lived  there 
one  year ;  then,  in  company  with  his  parents 
and  sister,  moved  to Cavendish,Windsor  Coun- 
ty, Vt.,  where  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  3'ears  of  age.  Mr.  Lamson  then  moved 
to  Ru-tland  County,  Vt.,  living  there  ten 
years,  after  which  he  removed  to  Fall  River, 
Cohimbia  Count}',  Wis.  He  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany B,  Seventh  Regiment  (Columbia  County 
Cadets),  under  Capt.  Huntington.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Bun, 
South  Mountain,  Antietam,  Fredericksburg 
and  all  the  battles  with  Grant  in  the  Wilder^, 
ness,  and  was  mustered  out  on  the  19th  of 
August,  1864,  having  been  in  the  meantime 
transferred  to  the  Twenty-fourth  Wisconsin. 
Mr.  Lamson  was  married,  Marcli  7,  1849,  to 
Miss  Hannah  P.  Chamberlain.  They  had 
four  children ;  Carrie  M.,  Sarah  Celestine 
(now  Mrs.  Lincoln),  Emma  Louisa  (deceased) 
and  Henry  H.  Mrs.  Sarah  Lamson  died,  and 
Mr.  Lamson  subsequently  married  again, 
iiis  second  wife  being  formerly  Miss  Lucretia 
C.  Williamson.  Mr.  Lamson  now  has  a  fine 
farm  of  234  acres,  a  good  share  of  which  is 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  has 
good  buildings  and  a  comfortable  home.  He 
has  taken  an  active  interest  in  public  matters, 
and  has  filled  many  offices  of  importance. 
He  is  the  present  chairman  of  the  townsliip 
l)oard,  having  held  that  office  for  four  terms. 
He  has  also  been  justice  of  the  peace  and  as- 
sessor. Mr.  Lamson  has  been  a  resident  of 
Deerfield  Toivnship  for  over  twenty  years. 

Henry  H.  Lamson  was  born  in  Sherburn, 
Vt.,  August  21,  1854.  He  came  west  with 
his  parents  to  Wisconsin,  and  attended  the 
high  school  at  Fall  River  in  that  State  for 
several  years.  From  there  he  came  with  his 
parents  to  Minnesota.  Mr.  Lamson  was  mar- 
ried November  8,  1877,  to  Miss  Olive  L. 
Glines.  Her  parents  were  former  residents 
of  Vermont,  but  now  live  in  Rice  County, 
Minn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lamson  have  no  ciiil- 
dren  of  their  own,  but  have  taken  an  orphan 
girl,  Abbie  Wheeler,  whom  they  love  as  a 
daughter.  Mr.  Lamson  purchased  his  present 


324 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COIINTY. 


farm,  which  consists  of  eighty  acres,  in  De- 
cember, 1875.  Half  of  the  farm  is  under -a 
good  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Lamson  takes 
an  active  interest  in  all  public  and  educa- 
tional matters  and  is  the  present  treasurer  of 
school  district  No.  75. 

Julius  Busho,  one  of  Steele  County's  most 
substantial  and  thrift}'  farmers  and  stock- 
raisers,  was  born  February  4,  1844,  in 
Prussia,  Germany,  where  he  lived  for  fifteen 
years  with  his  parents,  who  died  before  he 
came  to  America.  In  1859,  in  company 
with  liis  brother-in-law,  Julius  Popke,  and 
wife,  lie  came  to  the  United  States,  landing 
in  New  York.  He  then  came  west  to  Prince- 
ton, Marquette  County,  "Wis.,  where  for  sev- 
ei'al  years  he  worked  upon  farms.  In  1864 
he  enlisted  in  the  regular  service  (cavalry 
branch)  and  was  sent  with  other  recruits  to 
Carlisle  Barracks,  Pa.,  foi-  drill.  He  re- 
mained at  the  barracks  only  a  few  days, 
when  he  with  others  from  there  were  trans- 
ferred to  the  Third  Regular  (Cavalry,  which 
was  at  St.  Louis.  From  the  latter  jilace  the 
regiment  was  ordered  to  Little  Rock,  Ark., 
from  there  to  Fort  Smith,  and  later,  across 
the  plains  to  Santa  Fe,  N.  M.,  where  the 
regiment  was  divided  and  distributed  for 
detached  service  at  the  several  frontier  posts. 
Col.  Howe  was  the  regular  officer  in  com- 
mand, but,  as  he  was  temporarily  absent. 
Col.  Hall  assumed  command.  Mr.  Busho 
was  finally  discharged  at  Santa  Fe,  in  1807, 
upon  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service. 
Thesolicitor  and  writer  of  this  sketcii  (J.  W. 
Coa])man)  hapjiily  and  unex])ectedly  found 
this  comrade  very  nieel\'  enjoying  an  ai)uu- 
dance  of  the  comforts  of  this  life,  upon  one 
of  the  finest  farms  in  the  State,  and  pos- 
sessed of  an  unusual  amount  of  landed  and 
personal  property,  a  noble  wife,  and  a  fam- 
ily of  bright  ciiildren.  We  enlisted  in  the 
army  at  about  the  same  time,  at  the  .same 
recruiting  office  at  Madison,  Wis.,  but  were 
separated  at  Carlisle  Barracks,  he  going  to 
the  Third  Regiment,  and  I  being  transferred 
to  the  permanent  company  at  the  barracks. 


When  Mr.  Busho  came  to  Minnesota,  he 
first  located  at  Wilton,  in  Waseca  County, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  He  then 
moved  to  his  present  farm  on  section  30, 
Deerfield  Township,  where  he  has  since 
lived.  He  was  married,  in  1867,  to  Miss 
Lydia  Fie,  of  Pennsylvania.  They  liave  the 
following  children :  Charles,  John,  Eddie, 
Fred.,  WiUiam,  Elmer  and  Mary,  all  of 
whom  are  living  at  home.  Mrs.  Busho's 
father  and  mother  are  living  at  Morristown, 
Minn.  Mr.  Buslio  has  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  all  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfai-e 
of  the  townshi]),  and  is  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Steele  Count}'.  He  lias  been 
school  district  treasurer  for  six  years,  and 
has  held  various  other  local  offices  of  impor- 
tance. He  has  400  acres  of  land,  about  200 
of  which  is  under  good  cultivation,  and  has 
a  large  amount  of  stock.  A  portr.iit  of  Mi-. 
Busho  will  be  found  in  this  volume. 

H.  Hodgson,  deceased,  was  one  of  the  old 
settlers  of  Steele  County.  He  was  born  at 
High  Crosby,  County  Cumberland,  England, 
January  19,  1814,  and  lived  in  his  native 
country  until  1843,  when  he  came  to  the 
L^nited  States,  landing  at  New  York.  From 
there  he  went  successively  to  New  Jersey, 
Rhode  Island  and  Massachusetts,  and  in  the 
last  named  States  remained  for  a  short  time, 
aftt^r  which  became  west.  In  1861  he  made 
a  claim  of  160  acres  in  the  town  of  Deer- 
field,  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he  lived 
until  the  time  of  his  death,  in  July,  1887. 
He  had  taken  an  active  part  here,  having 
held  at  different  times  the  offices  of  supervi- 
sor, treasurer,  justice  of  tlie  peace  and  vari- 
ous school  district  offices.  Mr.  Hodgson 
was  married  in  18?>ti  to  Miss  Rebecca  Smith- 
son,  of  Cumberland  County,  England.  She 
died  February  19,  1865,  leaving  eight  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Richard,  Elizabeth,  AVill- 
iain,  Jennie,  Hetherington,  Thomas,  Mary 
and  Sarah  R.  Mr.  Hodgson  was  again  mar- 
I'ied,  in  February,  1867,  to  Lucy  Anna  Evens, 
who  still  survives  him. 

William  Fehmer  was    born   at  Mecklen- 


HISTORY    OK    STEELE   COUNTV. 


325 


burg-Schwerin,  Germany,  May  14,  1841. 
He  lived  in  his  native  town  until  eighteen 
years  of  age,  when  with  his  father,  mother 
and  four  sisters  he  came  to  America.  Two 
brothers,  Henry  and  John,  had  preceded 
them.  The  family  landed  in  New  York 
City  in  18*31,  and  pushed  westward  to  Wau- 
kesha Count}',  Wis.,  where  his  father  and 
mother  remained  with  one  of  their  sons  on 
a  rented  farm.  William  worked  at  differ- 
ent places.  In  October,  1867,  he  located 
upon  his  farm  (m  section  9,  Deerfield  Town- 
ship, Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he  has 
since  lived.  AYhen  crossing  the  ocean,  Mr. 
Fehmer  states  that  thej'  were  eight  weeks 
and  two  days  on  the  way,  encountering  very 
rough  weather  and  many  icebergs.  In 
1863  he  was  married  to  Amelia  Bobzein,  in 
Waukesha  County,  Wis.  They  have  six 
children  living,  as  follows :  Caroline,  George, 
Hattie,  Albert,  Amelia  and  Bennie.  Five 
children  have  died :  Josephine,  Carl,  Will- 
iam, Edward  and  Arthur.  Mr.  Fehmer's 
father  died  July  2,  1880,  at  William's  resi- 
dence, his  age  being  eighty-two  years.  His 
mother  died  in  Deerfield  Township  July  26, 
1887,  aged  eighty -three.  William  Fehmer 
has  a  most  desirable  farm  of  160  acres,  100 
of  which  is  under  cultivation  and  has  fine 
farm  buildings. 

August  Hoffmann  was  born  in  Prussia, 
April  1,  1841.  He  lived  there  until  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age,  when  he  came  with  his 
father's  family  to  America.  They  landed  at 
New  York  City,  and  came  west  to  Wiscon- 
sin, locating  on  a  farm  near  Sauk  City. 
They  remained  there  for  eleven  years  when 
they  moved  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  and 
located  upon  their  present  farm  on  section 
26,  town  of  Deerfield,  which  has  since  been 
their  home.  The  father  is  still  living,  with 
August's  family,  but  the  mother  died  in 
1875.  The  father  was  a  soldier  in  the  regu- 
lar service  in  the  old  country.  August 
Hoffmann  was  married  in  Wisconsin,  in  1866, 
to  Miss  Augusta  Radel.  They  have  six 
living  children,  as  follows :     Julius,   Ame- 


lia, Matilda,  Herman,  Yetta  and  WiUiam. 
They  have  lost  five  children  by  death,  as 
follows:  Minnie,  Gusta,  Amel,  Bertha  and 
Ida.  J\lr.  Hoffmann  has  a  good  farm  of  240 
acres,  120  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He 
has  held  the  office  of  town  supervisor,  and  is 
the  present  treasurer  of  the  Farmer's  Mutual 
Fire  Insurance  Co.,  of  Steele  County,  Minn. 
Christian  Yust  was  born  in  Switzerland, 
January  8,  1843.  He  lived  there  for  three 
years,  and  then  with  his  parents  came  to  the 
United  States.  They  landed  at  New  Orleans, 
and  from  tliere  took  a  boat  up  the  Mississippi 
River  to  Galena.  111.  They  remained  upon 
a  farm  in  Illinois  for  seventeen  years.  The 
father  died  in  1850.  The  mother  lived  with 
the  children,  finally  married  a  second  time, 
and  died  in  Deerfield  Township  in  1880. 
Christian  Yust  first  settled  on  section  28  upon 
coming  here,  but  is  now  on  section  13.  He 
has  a  good  farm  of  eighty  acres,  sixty  of 
which  is  under  cultivation.  Mr.  Yust's  first 
wife  was  Miss  Mary  Jane  Meinder.  They 
were  married  at  Lansing,  Iowa.  By  this  mar- 
riage they  had  nine  children,  as  follows : 
George,  Elizabeth,  William,  Caroline,  Min- 
nie, Peter,  Herman,  Josephine  and  Harvey. 
His  first  wife  died  in  Deerfield  Township  in 
1880.  Some  time  later,  Mr.  Yust  married 
Ernestine  Putzke.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  three  children :  Emma,  Anna 
and  Ella.  Mr.  Yust  has  been  ])rominent  in 
township  affairs.  He  has  held  the  office  of 
town  clerk  eight  years,  assessor  three  years 
and  justice  of  the  peace  three  years. 

EARLY  EVENTS. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  a 
daughter  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Hobaugh, 
who  lived  on  section  26.  This  occurred  in 
September,  1856.  She  was  christened  Car- 
oline Hobaugh. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  a  Miss  Austin, 
a  young  lady  of  some  seventeen  or  eighteen 
years  of  age. 

The  first  marriage  in  Deerfield  Township 
was  that  of  Stephen  Birch  to  Precilla  Coe. 


326 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


The  ceremony  was  performed  in  June,  1858, 
at  the  residence  of  the  bride's  father,  by 
Washington  Morse,  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
Another  earl}'^  marriage  was  that  of  W.  B. 
Evans  to  Miss  Frederica  C.  Williams,  June 
16,  1859,  by  'Squire  Morse. 

The  first  school  in  the  town  was  taught  in 
the  summer  of  1857,  by  Miss  Elizabeth  Hodg- 
son. 

The  first  religious  service  in  the  township 
was  held  at  the  funeral  of  Mrs.  Anderson, 
and  was  conducted  by  Eev.  Washington 
Morse,  a  minister  of  the  Seventh-day  Advent 
creed,  who  took  the  occasion  to  enlighten 
his  audience  as  to  the  particular  and  distinct- 
ive tenets  of  his  religious  views. 


OFFICIAL. 

The  territory  which  now  comprises  Deer- 
field,  when  first  associated  with  an  organized 
township  became  a  part  of  Owatonna  Town- 
ship, which  was  created  August  1,  1855,  em- 
bracing all  of  the  west  two-thirds  of  Steele 
County  as  it  is  now  formed.  On  the  25th  of 
August,  1855,  a  change  was  made,  creating 
Medford  Township,  which  included  all  of  the 
present  townships  of  Deerfield,  Clinton  Falls 
and  Medford.  Thus  it  remained,  so  far  as 
Deerfield  was  concerned,  until  the  6th  of 
April,  1857,  when  Deerfield  Township  was 
created  of  township  108,  range  21.  It  was 
reorganized,  however,  in  the  spring  of  1858, 
and  the  organization  has  since  been  main- 
tained. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


47^ 


MEKIDEN  TOWNSHIP. 


EKIDEIN'  Township  is  (-omposed 
of  township  107,  range  21, 
forming  one  of  the  western  tier  of 
townships.  It  is  bounded  on  the 
north  by  Deerfleld  Townsliip,  on 
the  south  by  Leinond  Township, 
on  the  east  by  Owatonna  Town- 
ship, and  on  the  west  by  Wa- 
seca County.  Tiie  surface  of  this 
township  is  wholly  made  up  of  a 
rolling  prairie,  interspersed  with 
oak  openings.  Crane  Creek  flows  through 
the  northern  part,  on  its  Avay  to  Straight 
liiver.  The  southern  portion  of  the  town- 
ship is,  or  at  least  was  originally,  covered 
to  some  extent  with  oak  openings,  while  the 
north  and  central  portions  are  made  up  of 
as  fine  prairie  land  as  can  be  found  in  the 
State.  The  population  of  this  township  in 
1857  was  about  193.  This  has  steadily  in- 
creased until  at  the  time  of  the  last  census, 
in  1885,  it  had  reached  833. 

ITEMS  OF  INTEREST  EEGAEPING    EARLY    SETfLEES 
AND    PROMINENT    CITIZENS. 

The  first  settlement  in  this  township,  it  is 
claimed,  was  made  in  June,  1855,  by  A.  M. 
Fitzsimmons,  who  located  on  section  36.  A. 
C.  Harris  also  came  during  the  same  year 
and  settled  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
township,  where  he  still  lives.  Among  others 
who  came  during  that  year  and  the  year  or 
two  immediately  following  were :  C.  H. 
Wdker  and  family,  including  his  sons  John 
H.  and  Conrad  H.  Wilker ;  Lysander  House, 
Anton  Shultz,  William  Shultz,  Henry  Abbe, 
William  Mundt,  John  Drinking,  F.  J. 
Stevens,  John  Wuamett,  Thomas  Andrews, 
David  House,  A.  F.  Tracy  and  others. 

The  settlement  j^rogressed  rapidly  until  aU 


of  the  government  land  in  the  township  was 
taken,  and  the  early  settlers  here,  as  in  other 
portions  of  the  county,  underwent  many  hard- 
ships and  disadvantages. 

L}'sander  House,  an  early  ]uoneer,  was 
born  in  Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  May  31, 1833. 
His  parents,  Daniel  and  Catherine  (Nestle) 
House,  were  natives  of  New  York.  Thej'' 
had  ten  children :  David,  Henry  (deceased), 
Betsie,  George,  Ann  (deceased),  Jackson, 
Lysander,  S3dvester  (deceased)  and  Edwin 
(deceased).  Ann  married  Richard  Whitlock, 
a  native  of  New  York.  Their  home  was  in 
Minneapolis.  Ann  died  in  June,  1887.  Jack- 
son married  Miss  Lucy  Strong.  George 
married  Clarissa  Ackerman.  Betsie  mar- 
ried Mr.  Peter  Palmer.  David  resides  in 
Meriden  Township.  Susan  died  in  January, 
1876.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Lysander 
started  out  for  himself.  His  parents  came  to 
St.  Paul,  Minn.,  in  1851,  where  they  remained 
three  years.  Then,  in  1855,  they  removed  to 
Steele  County,  locating  in  Meriden  Township 
on  section  34,  where  they  resided  until  the 
time  of  their  death,  the  father  dying  Janu- 
ary 10,  1873,  the  mother  dying  July  6, 
1878.  Our  subject  located  on  section  26, 
Meriden  Township,  where  he  still  resides, 
being  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising. 
Mr.  House  was  married  November  20, 1865, 
to  Miss  Phylenia  Pierce,  who  died  May  10, 
1867.  Mr.  House  later  married  Mrs.  Sarah 
C.  Gotham,  who  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence 
County,  N.  Y.,  November  29,  1837,  her  first 
husband  having  died  in  1865.  Mrs.  House 
had  one  child  by  her  first  husband,  Calvin 
Henry,  born  June  25,  1860,  and  died  May 
11,  1882.  Mr.  House  is  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, and  one  of  Meriden's  most  prominent 
men. 


328 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTT. 


John  H.  Wilker  is  a  native  of  Iowa.  He 
was  born  August  17.  1852.  His  parents, 
riiristopher  and  Louisa  (Ribbei  Wilker,  were 
natives  of  Prussia.  They  had  ten  children, 
four  of  whom  are  dead.  His  parents,  after 
coming  to  America,  located  in  Ohio,  where 
they  remained  a  short  time.  They  then  re- 
moved to  Clayton  County,  Iowa.  In  1855  they 
came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  in 
Meriden  Township,  where  they  remained  un- 
til 1879;  then  retired  from  farming  and  moved 
to  Owatonna,  where  they  still  reside.  Mr. 
Wilker,  our  subject,  began  life  for  himself 
when  twenty -one  years  of  age,  locating  in 
Meriden  Township,  on  section  27,  where  he 
is  still  engaged  in  farming.  Mr.  Wilkei-  was 
married  to  Miss  Amelia  Welk,  who  was  born 
March  18, 185(5.  They  had  six  children,  four 
of  whom  are  dead.  John,  born  June  19,  187H, 
and  Albert,  born  February  4,  1S78,  are  the 
only  living  children.  Mr.  Wilker  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  He  was  elected  side  supervisor 
in  1882  and  held  that  office  one  year,  after 
which  he  was  chairman  of  the  board  for  three 
years.  In  1879  he  was  elected  clerk  of  school 
district  39,  which  office  he  held  for  three 
years. 

John  O.  Wuamett,  one  of  Steele  County's 
most  extensive  farmers  and  stock-raisers,  Avas 
born  in  Montreal,  Canada,  December  20, 1830. 
His  parents,  John  and  Mary  (Barrel)Wuamett 
were  also  natives  of  Canada.  They  had  four 
children :  Anton,  Ralph,  Sophia  and  John. 
The  father  died  in  Canada  in  1864.  When 
thirteen  years  of  age  John  O.  Wuamett 
started  out  for  himself,  clerking  in  a  store  in 
Canada  for  five  years;  then  went  to  Connect- 
icut, where  he  also  remained  five  years.  He 
then  returned  to  Canada,  remaining  one  win- 
ter, thence  to  Champaign  County,  111.,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  farming  until  1856,  when 
he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  on 
section  3,  in  Meriden  Township.  Mr.  Wua. 
■  mett  has  at  present  500  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tions 2,  3, 10, 16  and  27  and  does  an  extensive 
farming  and  stock-raising  business.     He  was 


mai'ried  March  30,  1865,  to  Miss  Sarah  Glo- 
ver, who  was  Ijorn  in  Greene  County,  Wis.. 
April  22,  1848.  Hei'  parents  were  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Illinois.  There  were  seven 
children  in  her  father's  family.  Mr.  Wua- 
mett and  wife  have  five  children  :  Ellen,  born 
Febi-uary  14,  1866;  Ida,  born  June  15,  1869 
(died  January  20,  1871) ;  Frank,  born  August 
16,  1871 ;  Clara,  born  July  10,  1875,  and  Clif- 
ford, born  August  13,  1879.  Mr.  Wuamett 
is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  has  been 
chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors  for  some 
four  years ;  has  also  been  town  treasurer,  town 
assessor,  school  directoi'  anil  county  commis- 
sioner. 

Thomas  Andrews,  deceased,  was  born  in 
Columbia,  Ohio,  Febiaiary  20, 1829.  His  par- 
ents were  natives  of  Ireland  and  New  Hamp- 
shire. Mr.  Andrews  came  to  Minnesota  in 
1854,  locating  in  St.  Paul.  In  1856  he  came 
to  Steele  County  and  settled  on  section  S,  in 
Meriden  Township,  whei'e  he  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock  raising.  Mr.  Andrews 
was  married  May  19.  1856,  to  Miss  Margret 
Blong,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  March  29, 
1836.  The  result  of  this  union  was  seven 
children  :  Cleos  Francis,  born  July  25,  1857 ; 
Mary  Ellen,  born  October  11,  1858  ;  Robert 
Stewart,  born  January  19,  I860;  James  Wat- 
son, born  July  22,  1867  ;  Jennie  R.,  born  Au- 
gust 25,  1869;  Arthur  Thomas,  born  Febru- 
ar\'  23,  1870,  and  Clarence  Centennial,  born 
July  4,  1876.  Cleos  Francis  was  killed  in 
the"  "  St.  Cloud  Cyclone,"  April  14,  1886. 
He  had  been  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Ciuircii  for  five  years.  Robert  was  married 
November  20,  1881  to  Miss  Ellen  Safford. 
They  reside  near  Fergus  Falls,  Minn.  They 
have  three  children  :  Margret  Maud,  William 
and  Ellen.  The  rest  of  the  children  are  liv- 
ing at  home.  Mr.  Andrews  died  May  4, 1887, 
and  was  l)uried  in  the  Owatonna  cemetery. 
He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  was  a 
man  who  was  highly  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.  He  had  held  the  office  of  school 
director  two  years. 

David    House  was   l)orn    in   New    York, 


HISTOEY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


329 


January  15,  1821.  His  parents  were  also 
natives  of  New  York.  Mr.  House  came  to 
Minnesota  in  April,  1857.  locating  at  once 
on  section  27,  Meriden  Township,  Steele 
Count}-,  engaging  in  farming  and  the  raising 
of  stock.  Mr.  House  was  married  Septem- 
ber 29,  1844,  to  Miss  Sarah  Chapin,  who  was 
born  in  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.,  January 
10,  1822.  Her  i)arents.  Gad  and  Sally 
(Kellsy)  Chapin,  being  natives  of  the  same 
State.  There  were  live  children  in  her 
mother's  family  :  Cloe,  Anna,  Eri  and  Sarah, 
the  last  named  iiaving  been  named  aftei'  a. 
sister  who  had  died.  Anna  and  Sarah  are 
still  living.  Anna  married  David  Stoddard 
(deceased).  She  was  married  to  her  second 
husband,  John  A.  Tiobbins,  a^  native  of  New 
York.  Mr.  House  and  wife  had  two  chil- 
dren :  El  win,  born  March  8,  1851,  and 
Lavonzo,  born  in  April.  1856.  Elwin  mar- 
ried Miss  Dorothy  Bunyon,  a  native  of  St. 
Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.'  They  are  located 
in  Yellow  Medicine  County,  Minn.  Lavonzo 
marrietl  Miss  Lizzie  Eoss,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  November  20,  1853.  Her  parents, 
Reese  G.  and  Susan  (Mattox)  Eoss,  were  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania.  They  are  both  dead. 
Our  subject,  Mr.  House,  is  a  Eepublican 
in  politics.  He  was  elected  school  director 
of  district  29  at  an  early  day,  and  hekl  tlie 
office  for  ten  years.  He  has  also  been  clerk 
of  district  for  five  years.  He  is  a  prominent 
citizen  of  the  township. 

Joseph  Grandprey,  one  of  the  pioneer  set- 
tlers of  Steele  County,  was  born  in  Canada, 
April  22,  1818.  His  parents,  Alexander  and 
Margaret  (Genereux)  Grandprey,  were  also 
natives  of  Canada.  Joseph  Grandprey  be- 
gan life  for  himself  wlieii  twenty-two  years 
old.  In  1857  he  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  first  locating  in  Lemond  Township. 
From  there  he  removed  to  Meriden  Town- 
ship, settling  on  section  22,  where  he  still 
lives,  engaged  in  general  farmino;  and  stock- 
raising.  Mr.  Gi'andprey  was  married  Sep- 
tember 15,  1844,  to  Miss  Marinda  Middaugh, 
who  was  born  in  New  Yorlc,  in  November, 


1824.  The  result  of  this  union  was  seven 
children:  Sarah  E.,  Andrew  M.,  Mary  A., 
Eose  E.,  John  E.,  Samuel  E.  and  Fannie  M. 
Mr.  Grandprey  is  a  Eepublican  in' politics. 
He  has  held  the  office  of  school  clerk  and 
school  treasurer  of  district  No.  43,  and  at 
pi'esent  holds  the  office  of  justice  of  the 
peace. 

Eobert  Anilrews  was  born  in  Columbia, 
Ohio.  May  2,  1 834.  His  parents,  William  and 
Ellen  (Watson)  Andrews,  were  natives  of 
Ireland  and  New  Hampshire.  They  are  both 
dead.  There  were  four  childi'en  in  the 
father's  family :  Francis,  Eebecca,  James 
and  Eobert.  The  subject  of  this  sketch, 
Eobert  Andrews,  began  life  for  himself  at 
the  age  of  thirteen,  working-out  on  a  farm 
for  two  years.  Then  he  went  to  Poland, 
Ohio,  where  he  worked  in  a  mill  for  three 
years.  He  was  then  in  the  lightning-rod 
business  for  Baker  &  Co.,  of  Cincinnati,  for 
two  summers,  and  finally  came  to  Minnesota, 
locating  in  St  Paul,  where  he  remained  for 
nine  years.  He  came  to  Steele  County, 
April  1,  1865,  and  settled  in  Meriden  Town- 
ship, on  section  4,  where  he  still  resides,  en- 
gaged in  general  farming.  Mr.  Andrews 
was  married  October  21,  1858,  to  Miss  Lou- 
isa Baseman,  who  was  born  in  Germany, 
February  19,  1838.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren :  Emma,  Archie  and  Helen,  all  of  whom 
are  living  at  home.  Mr.  Andrews  is  a  Ee- 
publican in  politics. 

J.  D.  Backus,  farmer  residing  on  secticm 
12,  Meriden  Townshij),  Steele  County,  was 
born  in  Washington  Count}',  N.  Y.,  May  9, 
1843.  His  parents,  John  and  Electa  (Cong- 
don)  Backus,  were  natives  of  Connecticut 
and  New  York.  His  father  was  born  July 
16,  1793,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the  war  of 
1812.  His  mother  was  born  March  1,  1803. 
There  were  fourteen  children  in  the  family. 
He.  in  company  with  his  parents,  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  in  1866.  The  parents 
located  on  section  12,  Meriden  Township, 
remaining  there  one  year  and  then  retired, 
moving  to  Owatonna,  where  they  remained 


330 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


until  the  time  of  their  deaths,  the  father  dy- 
ing November  1,  1878;  the  mother  dying 
November  18, 1884.  Our  subject  enlisted  Au- 
gustus, 1862,  in  tlie  One  Hundred  and  Twen- 
ty-third New  York  Infantry,  and  was  dis- 
charged June  8,  1805,  having  been  under 
Capt.  Anderson.  He  was  in  the  following 
battles :  Ciiancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Dal- 
ton,  New  Hope  Church,  Lost  Mountain, 
Kenesaw.  Peach  Creek.  Ayersboro  and 
Bentonville.  After  being  discharged  Mr. 
Backus  went  to  New  York,  where  he  re- 
mained a  few  montlis.  then  returned  to 
Steele  County,  where  lie  has  since  lived. 
October  27,1867,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Emma  G.  King,  who  was  born  in  Maine, 
November  27,  18-17.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren :  Carrie  E.,  born  December  i,  1869 : 
Flora  E.,  born  July  16, 1871,  and  Electa  L., 
born  December  9,  1880,  all  of  whom  reside 
at  home.  Mr.  Backus  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace, 
school  director,  and  clerk  of  school  district 
No.  10,  and  is  at  present  one  of  the  town 
supervisors. 

William  F.  Hobbins.  town  clerk,  and  one  of 
Meriden's  most  prominent  farmers,  was  born 
in  Gloucester,  England,  October  1-1,  1839. 
His  parents  were  also  natives  of  England. 
His  mother  died  when  he  was  three  years 
of  age,  leaving  two  children,  Ella  and  him- 
self. His  father  came  to  America,  locatino- 
in  Wisconsin,  where  he  married  his  second 
wife.  Ella  was  married  to  Mr.  Jeffers,  a  na- 
tive of  England.  Mi'.  Hobbins  first  located 
in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  after  coming  to  Amer- 
ica, where  he  remained  for  some  time.  May 
1,1866,  he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
locating  on  section  35,  Meriden  Township, 
where  he  still  lives,  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  September  18, 
1862,  Mr.  Hobbins  was  mari-ied  to  Miss 
Rosaltha  Reynolds,  who  was  born  in  Wis- 
consin, September  18,  1844.  Her  parents 
were  natives  of  Mew  York,  and  were  farm- 
ers. Tiiere  were  seven  children  in  her  moth- 
er's   family.     Mr.    Hobbins  and    wife   have 


nine  children,  as  follows :  Loretta,  born  Sep- 
tember 17,  1865 ;  Nellie,  born  November 
8,  1867;  Emma,  born  August  14, 1869 ;  Cora, 
born  August  22,  1 871 ;  Zada,  born  August  9, 
1873  ;  Fred.,  born  September  30,  1876 ;  Jes- 
sie, born  February  22,  1879  ;  Nettie,  born 
April  23,  1881,  and  Lura,  born  x\})ril  24, 
1883,  all  of  whom  are  single,  and  six  reside 
at  home.  Mr.  Hobbins  is  a  Democrat  in  pol- 
itics. He  has  been  on  the  board  of  super- 
visors two  years ;  was  assessor  for  eight 
3'ears,  and  was  clerk  of  school  district  No.  36 
some  seventeen  years.  In  the  spring  of 
1887  was  elected  town  clerk,  Avhich  office  he 
still  holds. 

Herman  Rosenau  was  born  in  Germany, 
November  IS,  1843.  His  parents,  Godfred 
and  Anna  (Stendel)  Rosenau,  were  natives 
of  Germany.  There  were  nine  children  in 
his  fathers  family  :  August,  Minnie,  Fred., 
Caroline,  Hattie,  Herman,  Rudolpii,  Gus. 
and  William.  In  May,  1866,  Herman  Rose- 
nau came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating 
in  Meriden  Township,  on  section  18,  where 
he  remained  one  year,  then  moved  to  sec- 
tion 21,  in  the  same  township.  On  February 
6,  1865,  Mr.  Rosenau  enlisted  in  the  First 
Minnesota  Heavy  Artillery,  being  under 
Capt.  James  P.  Allen,  of  Company  L,  He 
was  discharged  September  15,  1865.  He 
went  to  Faribault,  Minn.,  wliere  he  remained 
a  few  months,  and  then  came  to  Steele 
County,  Meriden  Township,  where  he  has 
since  resided,  engaging  in  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  Mr.  Rosenau  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried. First  on  November  24,  1866,  to  Miss 
Augusta  Welk,  who  was  born  in  German}-, 
June  14,  1850.  Mrs.  Rosenau  died  February 
15,  1880,  and  was  buried  in  Meriden  Town- 
ship. Slie  left  tliree  children  :  Albert,  born 
May  11,  1868;  Milie,  born  October  11,  1869, 
and  Hattie,  boi'ii  June  17,  1871.  Mr.  Rose- 
nau was  mari'ied  to  his  second  wife,  Miss  Ot- 
telie  Zellmer,  October  24,  1880.  They  have 
three  children  :  Ottelia,  born  September  18, 
1881 ;  Elda,  born  January  2,  1884,  and  Ar- 
thur, born  March  19,  1886.     Mr.  Rosenau  is 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


.sni 


a  Republican  in  politics.  In  1870  he  was 
elected  school  district  treasurer  of  No.  43, 
which  office  he  held  for  three  years;  was 
elected  in  1886  as  one  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors, Avhich  office  he  still  holds.  Mr.  Eose- 
nau  and  family  are  members  of  the  Luther- 
an Church. 

Lewis  Reiter,  a  farmer  residing  in  Meriden 
Township,  was  born  in  Germany,  October  16, 
1836.  His  parents,  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Reiter)  Reiter,  were  also  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Lewis,  in  company  with  his  parents, 
came  to  America  in  June.  18.54,  remaining 
for  some  time  in  New  York  and  Wisconsin. 
In  1868  he  came  to  Steele  County,  locating 
in  Havanna  Township,  where  our  subject  re- 
mained a  year  or  two.  He  then  removed  to 
section  13,  Meriden  Township,  where  he  still 
resides.  In  1865  Mr.  Reiter  was  married  to 
Miss  Julia  Heller,  who  was  born  in  Germany, 
August  7,  1845.  They  have  seven  children, 
as  follows  :  Emma,  born  July  17,  1866  ;  Ma- 
tilda, born  October  13,  1867 ;  Albert,  born 
March  1,  1869 ;  Edward,  born  February  28, 
1871  ;  Bertie,  born  January  10, 1873  ;  Sophia, 
born  February  29,  1876,  and  August,  born 
June  21,  1884.  Emma  was  married  October 
15,  1885,  to  Chas.  Finger,  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin. They  have  one  child,  Louisa,  born 
December  24,  1886.  Mr.  Reiter  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics.  In  1882  he  was  elected  school 
director  of  district  34  and  still  holds  the 
office  ;  was  also  elected  road  overseer  in  the 
spring  of  1887.  Mr.  Reiter  and  family  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Carl  Radke,  came  to  Steele  Count}',  Minn., 
in  1868.  He  was  born  in  Prussia,  Januarj^ 
23,  1845.  His  parents,  William  and  Charlotte 
Radke,  were  also  natives  of  Prussia.  Their 
family  consisted  of  seven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  dead  with  the  exception  of  Carl 
our  subject.  He,  in  company  with  his  parents, 
came  to  America  in  1868,  locating  in  Michi- 
gan for  a  few  months.  In  May,  1869,  they 
removed  to  Steele  County,  locating  in  Owa- 
tonna,  where  the}^  remained  for  si.x  years. 
Carl  Radke  is  now  engaged  in  farming  and 


stock-raising  on  section  13,  in  Meriden  Town- 
ship, having  removed  here  from  Owatonna 
city.  In  November,  1868,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Caroline  Grunz,  who  was  born  in 
Prussia,  December  8,  1844.  They  have  five 
children  :  Olga,  born  August  8,  1869  ;  Lewis, 
born  February  10,  1872  ;   Anna,  born  April 

3,  1874;  Carl,  born  January  19,  1876,  and 
Martha,  boi-n  August  9,  1879.  All  of  the 
children  live  at  home.  Mr.  Radke  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  In  1880  he  was  elected 
school  district  treasurer  of  No.  43,  which 
office  he  still  holds.  Mr.  Radke  and  family 
belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 

G.  Bosshard,  farmer,  residing  on  section  2, 
Meriden  Township,  was  born  in  Switzerland, 
February  15th,  1841.  His  parents  were 
also  natives  of  Switzerland.  His  father's 
family  consisted  of  the  following  children: 
Elizabeth,  Godfred,  Gustaf  and  Emihe.  Gus- 
taf  is  engaged  in  farming  in  Dodge  County, 
Minn.  He  was  married  when  a  young  man 
to  Miss  Katie  Solmey.  They  have  four 
children :  Emma,  Ada,  George  and  Eddie. 
Emilie  married  Alfred  Beardon.  They  have 
three  children.  Their  present  home  is  in 
Wisconsin.  Gertrude  was  married  in  May, 
1878.  Elizabeth  was  married  to  Mr.  Al- 
fred Gattiker.  They  have  three  children : 
Emma,  Edwin  and  William.  In  December, 
1866,  Mr.  Bosshard,  our  subject,  was  married 
to  Miss  Fredericke  Wolf,  who  was  born  in 
Germany,  July  19,  1849;  she  died  January 
19,  1876,  leaving  five  children,  as  follows : 
Herman,  born  June  23,  1868 ;  Bertha,  born 
November  7,  1869  ;  Louisa,  born  March  7, 
1872 ;  Fred,  born  June  13,  1874,  and  Max, 
born  March  13, 1876.  February  12, 1877,  Mr. 
Bosshard  married  his  second  wife.  Miss  Caro 
line  Theile,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  May 

4,  1841.  They  have  one  child,  Armin,  Avho 
was  born  November  25,  1878.  Miss  Bertha 
was  married  May  16,  1887,  to  Mr.  Louis 
Kuchenbecker.  They  also  live  in  Meriden 
Township.  Mr.  Bosshard  is  a  Republican 
in  pohtics. 

Thomas  Kujawa,  who  resides  on  section  2, 


332 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COCNTT. 


Meriden  Township,  was  born  November  11, 
1852.  He  came  to  America  in  1869,  locat- 
ing in  Indiana,  where  he  remained  seven 
\^ears.  He  then  went  to  Chicago  and  worked 
in  a  tannery  for  a  few  months,  and  then 
came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  and  began 
working  on  a  farm.  He  was  then  engaged 
in  the  saloon  business  for  one  year.  Mi'. 
Kujawa  was  married  April  23,  1877,  to  Miss 
Antonna  E.  Granoski,  a  native  of  Prussiii, 
now  deceased.  He  married  his  second  wife, 
November  11,  1878.  She  was  a  Miss  Con- 
stancy Schymanski,  who  is  also  deceased. 
On  January  K),  1887,  ^Mr.  Kujawa  was  mar- 
ried to  his  present  wife,  formerly  Miss  Mary 
Nowaczeski,  a  native  of  Prussia.  Mr.  Ku- 
jawa has  five  children  :  Ilosalia,  Celia,  Wlad- 
islaw,  Simon  and  Alex.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  as  is  also  his  family.  Mr.  Kujawa 
has  been  engaged  in  farming  since  he  quit 
the  saloon  business  in  Owatonna,  having 
moved  from  Owatonna  to  his  present  farm 
in  Meriden  Township. 

August  Grunz  was  liorn  in  Germany, 
January  27,  1852,  his  jjarents,  Daniel  and 
I^ouisa  (Manke)  Grunz,  both  being  natives  of 
German}-.  There  were  si.x  children  in  his 
father's  family :  Lena,  Huldena.  August, 
Charley,  Huldaand  Tilda.  Ilulda  died  Sep- 
tember 1,  18f>3,  and  Tilda  died  when  three 
years  of  age.  The  famil}'  came  to  America 
in  1873,  coming  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
and  locating  in  Owatonna,  where  they  lived 
for  fourteen  years.  They  then  moved  to 
Meriden  Township,  buying  the  northeast- 
quarter  of  section  24,  where  they  have  since 
lived,  engaging  in  farming.  December  27, 
1871,  our  subject,  August  Grunz,  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Ulrike  Taske,  who  was  born 
in  Germany,  July  2.5,  1851.  They  have  six 
children  :  Herman,  born  November  28, 1872 ; 
Mai-y,  born  ]\[arch  19,  1874;  Gusta.  born 
May  17,  1879  ;  Charles,  born  April  21,  1882; 
Frank,  born  August  22,  1884,  and  an  infant, 
iioy  Ijorn  September  2,  1887.     Mr.  Grunz  is 


a  Democrat  in  politics.      He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Henry  Stendel  was  born  in  Germany, 
October  30, 1845.  He  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  in  1874,  locating  on  section  15,  in 
Meriden  Township,  where  he  has  since 
lived.  He  carries  on  a  general  farming  and 
stock-raising  business.  Mr.  Stendel  was 
married  February  1,  1874,  to  Miss  Sophia 
Oldenfendt,  who  was  born  in  Germany, 
July  4,  1855.  Her  parents,  Fred,  and  Caro- 
line (Reiter)  Oldenfendt,  were  natives  of 
Germany.  They  came  to  America  in  1869, 
locating  in  Clayton  County,  Iowa,  where 
they  remained  five  years.  They  then  came 
to  Steele  County,  locating  in  Meriden  Town- 
ship. The  father  has  since  died.  Mr.  Sten- 
del and  wife  have  four  children :  Minnie, 
born  December  2,  1875  (died  November  17, 
1884,  and  was  buried  in  Meriden  Cemetery); 
Herman,  born  January  4,  1878;  Louis,  born 
December  2,  1880,  and  John,  born  Septem- 
ber 2,  1885.  Mr.  Stendel  and  family  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr. 
Stendel  is  a  Democrat  in  political  jnatters. 

Norman  G.  Seely,  farmer,  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  June  10,  1875,  locating  on' 
section  14,  Meriden  Township.  He  was  born 
in  New  York,  November  18,  1842.  His 
parents,  John  D.  and  S3'bil  (Gilmore)  Seelj^, 
were  natives  of  New  York  and  Vermont. 
His  father  wasl)orn  July  25,  1801,  in  Orange 
County,  N.  Y.  His  mother  was  born  August 
1,  1807,  in  Vermont.  There  were  nine  chil- 
dren in  his  mother's  famiW  :  Agnes,  John 
D.,  Thankful,  Mial  W.,  Sarah  A.,  Norman 
G.,  Lura  D.,  Emba  J.  and  Laura  E.  John 
D.,  died  June  S,  1875 ;  Emba  J.  is  also  de- 
ceased. Norman  G.  Seelj'  was  married  Nov- 
ember 19, 1882,  to  Miss  Lura  E.  Francis,  who 
was  born  in  Wisconsin,  Ajiril  30,  1853.  Mr. 
Seely  has  a  fine  farm  of  200  acres,  and 
is  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  town- 
ship.    He  is  a  Democrat  in  political  matters. 

C.  W.  McVicker  was  born  in  Miami 
County,  Ohio,  December  ]8,  1843.  His 
parents,  Archibald   and  Susan  (Custer)  Mc- 


HISTORY   OK   STEELE   COUNTV. 


333 


Vicker,  were  natives  of  Virginia.  Tlieir 
family  consisted  of  ten  children :  John  D., 
George  D.,  Elizabeth  A.,  Mary  C,  Martha 
J.,  William  H.,  Joseph  P.,  Margaret  S., 
Robert  O.  and  Charles  W.  The  parents  are 
both  deceased;  the  father  died  August  12, 
1869.  The  mother  died  in  August,  1878. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  C.  W.  Mc- 
Vicker  started  out  in  life  for  himself.  He 
engaged  in  farming  in  Marshall  County,  111., 
for  twelve  years  and  on  September  20,  1877, 
he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  in 
Owatonna,  where  he  remained  for  one  year. 
He  then  moved  to  section  12,  Meriden  Town- 
ship, where  he  lives  at  the  present  time,  en- 
gaged in  farming.  Mr.  McViclcer  was  mar- 
ried on  February  i,  1867,  to  Miss  Dorcas 
Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  August  24, 
18-12.  They  have  thi-ee  children  :  Allen,  born 
December  12,  1869  ;  Mabel,  born  December 
2-t,  1876,  and  Pearl,  born  March  12, 1880,  all 
of  whom  reside  at  home.  Mr.  McVicker  is  a 
Republican  in  politics ;  has  been  school  di- 
rector of  district  55  for  four  years ;  was 
elected  road  supervisor  in  1879  and  served 
two  years,  and  has  held  various  other  local 
positions. 

FIEST   EVENTS. 

The  first  birth  in  the  townshij)  was  that 
of  a  daughter  of  Mr.  C.  H.  Wilkerand  wife, 
which  occurred  in  March,  1856.  The  child 
grew  up  to  womanhood,  and  is  now  Mrs. 
John  Scholljerdes,  of  Lemond  Township. 

The  first  marriage  in  this  neighborhood 
was  that  of  W.  T.  Drum  to  Miss  Roxie  Hen- 
shaw,  which  took  place  at  the  residence  of 
Austin  Vinton,  just  across  the  line  in  Waseca 
County,  September  2-i,  1856,  Rev.  H.  Chapin 
of  Owatonna,  performing  the  ceremony. 
Oxen  were  used  in  conveying  the  guests  to 
and  from  the  party.  Anotlier  early  mai'- 
riage,  and  probably  the  first  within  the 
limits  of  the  township,  was  that  of  Daniel 
Root  to  Rebecca  Williams. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  Edwin   House, 


which  occurred  May  3,  1858.  It  is  thought 
that  the  next  was  that  of  Mr.  Simmons,  a 
son-in-law  of  Mr.  Fitzsimmons,  the  first  set- 
tler of  the  township.  lie  was  killed  by  light- 
ning while  sitting  in  his  house,  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1858.  Another  early  death  was  that 
of  Andrew  Cook. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was 
taught  in  the  summer  of  1857,  by  Miss 
Leroy,  a  daughter  of  Henry  Lero}'.  One  of 
the  first  schoolhouses  in  the  township  was 
erected  in  1857  by  the  citizens,  on  the  north- 
east corner  of  section  10,  now  in  district  No. 
52.  At  about  the  same  time  a  log  school- 
house  was  built  on  section  30.  There  are 
now  six  school  districts  in  the  township. 

The  first  religious  service  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Wilker,  in  the  summer  of  1857, 
by  a  German  Methodist  preacher. 

ORGANIZATION. 

When  Steele  County  was  organized  in 
August,  1855,  the  territory  of  which  Meri- 
den is  now  formed  became  a  part  of  Owa- 
tonna Township.  It  remained  thus  until  the 
6th  of  April,  1857,  when  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  set  off  and  authorized  the  or- 
ganization of  township  107,  range  21,  as 
Meriden.  The  organization,  however,  was 
not  fully  perfected  until  the  sjiring  of  1858. 
Among  those  who  were  prominent  in  official 
matters  in  earh'  days,  and  who  filled  the 
most  important  of  the  township  offices  were: 
F.  J.  Stevens,  A.  F.  Tracy,  Samuel  Reemsny- 
der,  J.  O.  Wuamett,  T.  P.  Jackson,  E.  L. 
Scoville,  AV.  F.  Drum,  W.  T.  Drown,  Joseph 
Grandprey,  Henry  Leroy,  E.  L.  Crosby, 
Robert  Stevenson,  L.  G.  Green. 

The  present  officers  of  the  township  are  as 
follows :  Supervisors,  Fred.  Walter,  chair- 
man, J.  D.  Backus  and  H.  Rosenau:  treas- 
urer, F.  W.  Goodsell ;  clerk,  William  F. 
Hobbins;  constable,  Henry  Stendel ;  justices 
of  the  peace,  Joseph  G.  Grandprey  and  F. 
W.  Goodsell :  assessor,  R.  G.  Rosenau. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


OWATONNA  TOWNSHIP. 


a  great  extent  the  early  histoi'v 
of  this  township  is  identical  with 
that  of  the  city.  The  township 
includes  territory  in  township 
107,  range  20,  but  the  incorpo- 
rate limits  of  the  city  embrace 
nine  sections  of  land  in  this 
congressional  township,  leaving 
only  twenty-seven  sections  for 
the  civil  township.  Straight 
River  travei-ses  the  townshi])  from  south 
to  north,  and  is  skirted  bj'  a  moderately 
heavy  body  of  timber.  The  land,  away  from 
the  region  of  the  river,  is  made  up  generally 
of  oak  openings  and  rolling  prairie,  dotted 
with  schools  and  residences,  and  diversified 
by  the  many  groves  which  have  been  grown 
by  the  thrifty  settlers.  In  1857  the  town- 
ship, including  the  village,  had  a  population 
of  614;  in  1885  it  had,  including  the  city, 
3,830 ;  or,  outside  of  the  city,  550. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settlement  within  the  present 
limits  of  this  township  was  made  in  the  fall 
of  1854,  by  A.  B.  Cornell  and  W.  F.  Pettitt, 
who  located  within  the  present  limits  of 
Owatonna  city.  G.  W.  Green,  J.  W.  Park 
and  S.  B.  Smith  also  came  the  same  fall  and 
winter.  All  these  parties  receive  extended 
notice  elsewhere. 

During  the  year  1855  the  following 
named  came  and  made  homes  in  this  town- 
ship, or  near  by  :  Addison  Phelps,  Nelson 
Morehouse,  E.  M.  Morehouse,  Alson  Selleck, 
Joel  Wilson,  B.  L.  Arnold,  Dexter  and 
Parker  Carlton,  N.  Winship,  John  Wilcox, 
two  of  the  Schimeks.  David  Lindersmith, 
Leonard    and    Simeon    Case.    Bazil   Meek, 


Obed  Gaines,  Miner  Prisbey,  Adolphus 
Town,  E.  Eeed,  Lucius  Lewis,  Philo  San- 
ford,  Charles  Ellison,  John  Hand,  Ezra 
Abbott,  C.  G.  Hayes,  John  Moon  and  a  man 
named  Ward.  Many  of  these  parties 
brought  their  families  with  tiiem,  and  at 
once  selected  claims  and  began  making- 
homes.  The  city  history  in  another  chapter 
details  the  growth  in  business  matters. 

In  1856  the  following  named  all  came  and 
settled  in  this  township :  J.  W.  Morford, 
J.  G.  Morford,  G.  W.  Morford,  Dr.  Harsha 
and  John  Odell.  Besides  these,  a  few  oth- 
ers located  in  the  soutliern  portion  of  the 
township.  After  this  the  settlement  con- 
tinued gradualh'  until  all  of  the  government 
land  in  the  township  was  taken.  Many  of 
these,  besides  other  early  settlers,  are  noticed 
at  length  in  connection  with  the  biographi- 
cal de])artment. 

FIRST  EVENTS. 

The  first  white  child  born  in  this  town- 
shij)  was  also  the  first  born  in  Steele  County. 
It  was  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mi's.  G.  W.  Green, 
iiorn  April  6, 1855,  and  was  named  George 
K.  Dr.  W.  W.  Finch  was  the  attending 
physician. 

The  first  death  in  the  township  occurred  in 
August,  or  September,  1855,  and  was  a  child 
of  Miner  Prisbey's.  The  remains  were  in- 
terred in  the  cemetery  north  of  town. 

The  first  marriage  took  place  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1855,  the  parties  being  John  Wilcox 
and  Clara  Brooks.  They  were  married  at 
Faribaujt,  by  Elder  Town.  The  event  was 
heartily  celebrated  by  the  young  people  in 
the  settlement. 

The  first  building  erected  in  the  township 
was  A.  B.  Cornell's  log  cabin. 


334 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


335 


ORGANIZATION. 

When  Steele  County  was  organized  in  the 
summer  of  1855,  it  included  all  of  the  pres- 
ent county  of  Waseca  and  the  two  western 
tiers  of  townships  now  forming  Steele.  On 
the  1st  of  August,  1855,  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  organized  Owatonna  Town- 
ship, embracing  all  of  the  west  two-thirds  of 
Steele  County,  as  it  is  now  formed.  August 
25,  1855,  Medford  Township  was  organized, 
leaving  Owatonna  six  congressicmal  town- 
ships. April  6,  1857,  the  balance  of  the 
government  townships  were  organized  civ- 
illy, and  Owatonna  was  left  in  the  shape  in 
which  it  has  since  remained.  In  the  spring 
of  1858,  the  matter  was  readjusted  t<j  make 
it  conform  to  a  change  in  the  law. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the 
gentlemen  who  have  filled  the  various  town- 
ship offices  during  each  year,  as  far  as  can 
now  be  learned  from  the  records  : 

Elected  April  5,  1859 —  Supervisors,  G.  B. 
Hall,  chairman,  A.  Selleck  and  Gordon  Wat- 
son ;  clerk,  W.  K.  Kinyon  ;  collector,  J.  G. 
Morford  ;  assessor,  John  Odell ;  overseer  of 
the  poor,  A.  Town  ;  constable,  J.  G.  Mor- 
ford. 

April  3,  1860  —  Supervisors,  John  OdeU  ; 
chairman,  A.  Selleck  and  Gordon  Watson  ; 
clerk,  W.  K.  Kinyon ;  assessor,  L.  E.  Raw- 
son  ;  treasurer,  J.  G.  Morford ;  justices,  L. 
F.  Babcock  and  Addison  Phelps ;  constables, 
C.  R.  Ilutchins  and  J.  G.  Morford  ;  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  W.  F.  Drum ;  overseer 
of  the  jioor,  Anton  Schimek. 

April  3,  1861  —  Supervisors,  Geo.  W. 
Shaw  ;  chairman,  Luther  Torrey  and  Hiram 
Greenwood  ;  clerk,  L.  F.  Babcock  ;  assessor, 
Addison  Phelps  ;    treasurer,  J.  G.  Morford. 

April  1,  1862  —  Supervisors,  Geo.  B.  Hall, 
chairman,  Dexter  Carlton  and  L.  C.  Wood- 
man ;  clerk,  W.  R.  Kinyon ;  justices,  M.  A. 
Dailey  and  L.  F.  Babcock ;  constables,  G. 
B.  Twiss  and  J.  B.  Crooker;  treasurer,  L. 
R.  Hunnewill;  assessor,  L.  E.  Rawson ; 
overseer  of  poor,  Adolphus  Town. 

No  record  of  election  in  1863. 


April  5,  1864  —  Supervisors,  W.  F.  Pettit, 
chairman,  D.  Furman  and  L.  C.  Woodman  ; 
assessor,  L.  E.  Rawson  ;  clerk,  A.  M.  Kinyon  ; 
treasurer,  D.  S.  Harsha ;  constables,  J.  B. 
Ci'ooker  and  H.  A.  Burr. 

April  4,  1865  —  Supervisors,  Gordon  Wat- 
son, chairman,  Alson  Selleck  and  L.  R. 
Crooker ;  assessor,  G.  B.  White  ;  treasurer, 
Joseph  Kaplan  ;  justices,  J.  L.  Landon  a;id 
William  Thompson  ;  clerk,  T.  C.  S.  Minthorn  ; 
constables,  George  Thom  and  Peter  Hill. 

April,  1866  —  Supervisors,  Gordon  Wat- 
son, chairman,  Daniel  W.  Wells  and  Fred- 
erick Math  wig  ;  clerk,  Alson  Selleck;  treas- 
urer, John  Thom ;  constable,  Joseph  Young. 

April  2,  1867 — Supervisors,  Daniel  Bliss, 
(died  and  J.  B.  Smith  elected  chairman,  to 
succeed  him) ;  C.  F.  Mathwig  and  Samuel 
Bellig,  Jr.  ;  assessor,  Francis  TIkjui  ;  clerk, 
Alson  Selleck ;  treasurer,  John  Thom  ;  jus- 
tices, J.  Landon  and  E.  O.  Walden  ;  consta- 
ble, Hiram  Robinson. 

April  7,  1867— Supervisors,  J.  B.  Smith, 
chairman,  Francis  Thom  and  George  Mor- 
ford ;  treasurer,  John  Tliom  ;  clerk,  Alson 
Selleck ;  assessoi",  Gordon  Watson ;  justice, 
Harrison  Greenwood  ;  constable,  George  W. 
Kinyon. 

April  6,  1869  —  Supervisors,  Geo.  W.  Mor- 
ford, chairman,  W.  B.  Norman  and  John 
Pichner  ;  treasurer,  John  Thom ;  clerk,  Alson 
Selleck  ;  assessor,  Francis  Thom ;  justice,  J. 
W.  Landon ;  constables,  J.  B.  Norman  and 
Geo.  W.  Morford. 

April  5,  1870  — Supervisors,  G.  W.  Mor- 
ford, chairman,  J.  Young  and  Francis  Thom  ; 
clerk,  Alson  Selleck  ;  treasurer,  John  Thom  ; 
assessor,  J.  W.  Landon ;  justice,  H.  R.  Thom- 
son ;  constables,  J.  B.  Essex  and  Julius  Town. 

March  14,  1871  —  Supervisors,  H.  Robin- 
son, chairman,  Joseph  Young  and  W.  B.  Nor- 
man ;  clerk,  Alson  Selleck ;  treasui-er,  John 
Thom  ;  assessor,  Francis  Thom  ;  justices,  L. 
Town  and  J.  W.  Landon ;  constables,  G.  W. 
INforford  and  Robert  Davison. 

March  12,  1872 — Supervisors,  J.  Q.  Ellis, 
chairman,  J.  Young  and  J.  B.  Smith  ;  asses- 


336 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COtTNTT. 


sor,  Francis  Thorn ;  justice,  J.  E.  Barker ; 
clerk,  Alson  Selleck  ;  treasurer,  .John  Thorn ; 
constable,  M.  Robinson. 

March  11,  1873  — Supervisors,  J.  Q.  Ellis, 
cliairman,  C.  F.  Mathwig  and  J.  B.  Smith ; 
clerk,  Alson  Selleck ;  treasurer,  John  Thorn  ; 
assessor,  Francis  Thorn  ;  justices,  J.  W.  Lan- 
(ion  and  George  Moi'ford  ;  constables,  W.  E. 
Kimball  and  ]Vathan  Stone. 

March  10, 187-1  —  Su])ervisors,  J.  B.  Smith, 
chairman,  C.  F.  Matluvig  and  W.  E.  Kim- 
ball ;  clerk,  Alson  Selleck ;  treasurer,  John 
Thom  ;  assessor,  George  Moi-ford  ;  justices, 
11.  liobinson  and  J.  W.  Landon  ;  constaliles, 
J.  Q.  Ellis  and  S.  Case. 

March  9,  1875  —  Supervisors,  J.  B.  Smith, 
chairman,  Philip  Junker  and  John  Thom; 
clerk,  Alson  Selleck  ;  assessor,  Francis  Thom ; 
treasurer,  Joseph  Kubat ;  justice,  "W.  E.  Kim- 
ball. 

March  l-l,  1876  —  Supervisors,  N.  S.  Dwi- 
nell,  chairman,  G.  AV.  Degner  and  J.  W. 
Landon ;  clerk,  0.  D.  Selleck ;  treasui-er, 
Robert  Thom  ;  assessor,  D.  K.  Johnson  ;  jus- 
tice, J.  W.  Landon  ;  constable,  N.  Stone. 

March  13, 1877 —  Sujjei'visors,  R.  De  Long, 
chairman,  George  Kinyon  and  J.  F.  Bickner  ; 
clerk,  O.  A.  Buckland  ;  treasurer,  A.  Kubat ; 
assessor,  Don.  Johnson  ;  justice,  R.  De  Long. 

March  12,  1878  — Supervisors,  G.  W.  Kin- 
yon, chairman,  J.  F.  Pichner  and  Martin 
Cook  ;  clerk,  O.  D.  Selleck  ;  treasurer.  Anton 
Kubat;  assessor,  Francis  Thom;  justice,  J. 
W.  Landon  ;  constable,  S.  Case. 

March  18, 1879  —  Supervisors,  G.  W.  Kin- 
yon, chairman,  Frank  Sikora  and  Casper 
Zimmerman ;  clerk,  O.  D.  Selleck ;  treasurer, 
Anton  Kubat ;  assessor,  R.  De  Long ;  jus- 
tices, Alson  Selleck  and  J.  W.  Landon  ;  con- 
stable, Charles  Sette. 

March  9,  1880  —  Supervisors,  G.  W.  Kin- 
yon, chairman,  Piiilip  lunker  and  R.  C. 
Thom ;  clerk,  O.  D.  Selleck  ;  treasurer,  John 
Pichner;  assessor,  R.  De  Long;  justice, 
Joseph  Ka])lan ;  constable,  Casper  Zimmer- 
man. 

March  8,  1881  —  Supervisors,  G.  W.  Kin- 


yon, chairman,  Philip  lunker  and  G.  W. 
Degner ;  clerk,  J.  W.  Landon  ;  treasurer, 
A.  Kubat ;  assessor,  Joseph  Kubat ;  justice, 
Alson  Selleck:  constables.  Frank  Sikora 
and  Thomas  Stephenson. 

March  14,.  1882  — Supervisors,  G.  W.  Kin- 
yon, chairman,  Philip  lunker  and  Joseph 
Kaplan;  clerk,  J.  W.  Landon;  treasure)-, 
Anton  Kubat ;  assessor,  Joseph  Kubat ;  jus- 
tices, R.  C.  Tiiom  and  J.  W.  Landon  ;  con- 
stables, John  Pichner  and  John  Gladback. 

March  13,  1883 —  Supervisors,  G.  W.  Kin- 
yon, chairman,  John  Pichner  and  G.  "W. 
Morford ;  clerk,  J.  W.  Landon;  treasurer, 
Anton  Kubat ;  assessor,  R.  C.  Thom  ;  jus- 
tice, Alson  Selleck  ;  constable,  J.  Gillett. 

March  11,  1884  — Supervisors,  A.  R. 
Jones,  chairman.  A.  M.  Thom  and  Joseph 
W.  Kaplan  ;  clerk,  J.  "W.  Landon  ;  treasurer, 
John  Pichner;  assessor,  R.  C.  Thom  ;  justice. 
J.  W.  Landon  ;  constable,  John  Pavek  Jr. 

March  10, 1885  —  Supervisors,  A.  R.  Jones, 
chairman,  S.  Kinney  and  O.  D.  Selleck ; 
clerk,  G.  W.  Kin\fon ;  treasurer,  John  Pich- 
ner ;  assessor,  R.  C.  Thom ;  justice,  A.  Sell- 
eck ;  constable,  J.  M.  Thompson. 

March,  9,  18S6  —  Supervisors,  A.  R.Jones, 
chairman,  Joseph  Kaplan  and  S.  Kinney  ; 
clerk,  Joseph  W.  Kajilan  ;  treasure!-,  John 
Pichner;  assessor,  R.  C.  Thom;  justices, 
S.  B.  Williams  and  A.  Selleck ;  constables, 
John  Pavek  and  Setli  Temple. 

March  8,  1887  —  Supervisors,  A.  R.  ,Iones, 
chairman.  S.  Kinney  and  Samuel  Kubat; 
clerk,  J.  W.  Keplan  ;  treasurer,  John  Pich- 
ner; assessor.  R.  C.  Thom;  justices,  A.  Sell- 
eck and  J.  W.  Landon ;  constables.  John 
Pavek  and  Robert  Lennon ;  judges  of  elec- 
tion, A.  R.  Jones,  S  Kinney  and  Joseph 
Kaplan. 

UIOGEAPHIF.S  OF    OLD    SKTTLERS    AND   PROMINENT 

crrizENS. 
Alson  Selleck  was  born  in  New  York  State, 
December  20.  1823.  In  1850  he  came  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  for  five  years. 
In  1855,  while  the  settlem-ent  here  was  in  its 
infancy,  he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 


CTf^ui^^    2^ 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COPNTY. 


339 


where  he  has  since  lived.  Mr.  Selleck 
was  married  September  17,  1850,  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Kent.  They  have  three  children: 
Oliver  D.  born  June  19,  1854;  William  A., 
born  May  30,  1857,  and  Susan  E..  born  Sep- 
tember 8,  1862,  who  died  June  11,  1864,  and 
was  buried  in  the  Owatonna  cemetery.  Mr. 
Selleck  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Owatonna  Congregational  Church, 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Owatonna  I.  O.  O.  F. 
He  has  for  many  years  been  prominent  in 
all  public  matters  and  has  held  many  offices 
of  importance. 

John  Pichner  was  born  in  Bohemia,  Jan- 
uary 6,  1844.  He  left  there  in  1853  for  the 
United  States  and  went  direct  to  Illinois. 
He  remained  there  until  the  year  1855, 
when  he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  set- 
tling in  Owatonna  Township,  where  he  now 
resides.  Mr.  Pichner  was  married  in  the 
year  1867  to  Rosa  Jirsonsek,  and  the  fruits 
of  their  union  were  eight  children,  as  follows: 
John,  born  October  16,  1868;  Anna  and 
Rosa  (deceased),  born  October  27,  1873, 
twins;  Hattie,  born  February  24,  1876;  Lot- 
tie (deceased),  born  January  19,  1878;  Mag- 
gie, born  January  6,  1882;  George  born  Feb- 
ruary 29, 1884;  Robert,  born  March  12, 1886. 
Mr.  Pichner  belongs  to  the  Bohemian  Society 
in  Owatonna,  and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat. 

G.  W.  Morford  was  born  in  New  York 
State,  September  17, 1831.  In  1853  he  came 
to  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  till  1855. 
He  then  returned  to  New  York  State,  where 
he  remained  soTiie  time,  and  then  came  back 
to  Wisconsin,  and  after  visiting  in  New  York 
once  more  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
in  1856,  locating  in  Owatonna  Township, 
where  he  now  lives.  Mr.  Morford  was 
married  December  23, 1857,  to  Sarah  Weller. 
Thej'  have  been  blessed  with  two  children: 
Alice,  born  June  8,  1861,  and  Hattie,  born 
June  4,  1871.  Mr.  Morford  is  a  Republi- 
can in  politics,  has  been  prominent  in  polit- 
ical and  official  matters  ever  since  he  came 
to  the  county,  and  is  one  of  the  enterpris- 
ing citizens  of  the  township. 

20 


A.  R.  Jones  was  born  in  McHenry 
County,  111.,  February  28,  1849.  In  1856  he 
came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  Mr.  Jones  was  united  in  mat- 
rimony December  5,  1869,  to  Miss  Alzina 
Coon.  The  fruits  of  this  union  were  two 
children:  Mary  L.,  born  December  15,  1876, 
and  Charles  L.,  born  December  14,  1880. 
Mrs.  Jones  died  August  6,  1886,  and  was 
buried  in  Havanna  cemetery.  Mr.  Jones  has 
been  engaged  in  farming  since  he  came  to 
Steele  Count}'.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can. He  has  held  many  offices  of  impor- 
tance as  will  be  seen  in  other  chapters,  and 
has  been  a  leading  man  in  the  official  historv 
of  the  township. 

Joseph  Kaplan  was  born  in  Bohemia,  in 
the  year  1829.  He  left  there  in  1856  for  the 
United  States,  and  came  direct  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  where  he  now  resides.  Our 
subject  has  been  married  twice.  His  first 
marriage  occurred  in  the  year  1855  to  Barbara 
Zeduik,   who  died  on  the  27th  of  October, 

1881.  The  fruits  of  this  union  were  ten 
children  ;  their  names  and  ages  were  as 
follows  :  Joseph,  born  September  20,  1856  ; 
Agnes,  born  April  20, 1858  ;  Rosa,  born  June 
29,  1860  ;  Godfrey,  born  November  12,  1861 ; 
John,  born  December  30,  1863  ;  Joslin,  born 
Mayl,  1866;  Emil,  born  April  24,  1868; 
Lewis,  born  April  18,  1870,  and  Albert  and 
Mary,  deceased  (twins),  born  December  28, 
1873.  The  daughter  Mary  was  killed  by 
the  cars,  while  coming  home  from  school, 
June  13,  1881.  His  second  marriage  oc- 
curred May  22,  1883,  to  Anna  M.  Kaplan. 
The  fruits  of  this  union  were  two  children, 
as  follows :  Anna  L.,  born  February  22, 
1884,  and  Bedrich,  born  November  30,  1885. 
Mr.  Kaplan  belongs  to  the  Catholic  Church 
and  in  politics  is  a  Democrat.  He  has  been 
prominent  in  township  affairs,  and  is  a  lead- 
ing citizen. 

J.  W.  Kaplan  was  born  in  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  September  20,  1856,  and  has  always 
resided  here.     He  was  married   February  2, 

1882,  to  Fanny  Slavik.     The  fruits  of  the 


340 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   CO0NTT. 


union  were  three  children,  as  follows :  Emil, 
bom  December  1,  1883 ;  Grace,  born  July 
26,  ISS-l,  and  Mabel,  born  January  15,  18S7. 
Mr.  Kaplan  belongs  to  Bohemian  Lodge,  No. 
67,  C.  S.  P.  S.,  of  Owatonna.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat. 

Samuel  Kubat  was  born  in  Bohemia  in  the 
year  1846.  He  left  there  in  1854  for  Amer- 
ica and  settled  in  Illinois,  where  he  remained 
until  the  year  1856,  then  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  where  he  now  lives.  He  was 
married  in  1869  to  Matilda  Blazak,  the  fruits 
of  this  union  being  six  children.  Their 
names  and  ages  are  as  follows:  Samuel  A., 
born  June  20,  1870;  Anna  M.,  born  April 
14,  1872;  William  A.,  born  A])ril  3,  1874; 
Henry  L.,  born  July  25,  1876 ;  Matilda  A., 
l)orn  February  5,  1879,  and  Josie  I.,  born 
April  16,  1881.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  Church  in  Owatonna,  and  in 
politics  a  Eepublican. 

G.  W.  Degner  was  born  in  Prussia,  Octo- 
ber 25,  1836.  He  left  there  in  1855  for  the 
United  States  and  settled  tirst  in  Wisconsin, 
where  he  lived  until  1857;  then  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he  now  resides. 
He  was  married  November  7, 1867,  to  Sophia 
Alborn.  The  fruits  of  the  union  were 
eleven  children:  Louisa,  born  September  10, 
1868;  Emma,  born  April  4,  1870;  Ernest, 
born  September  16,  1871;  one  child  died  at 
birth,  born  May  10,  1873;  Louis,  born  Sep- 
tember 16,  1874;  Edward,  born  September 
24, 1876 ;  Bertha,  born  April  14, 1878 ;  Helen, 
born  January  15,  1881 ;  Edith,  born  July  6, 
1883;  AVilliam,  born  April  9,  1885,  and 
Sophia,  born  February  11,  1887.  Mr.  Deg- 
ner belongs  to  the  Lutheran  Church  and  is  a 
Republican  in  political  matters. 

Francis  Thom  was  born  in  Aberdeenshire, 
Scotland,  July  8,  1808.  He  left  his  native 
countiy  in  1856  for  the  United  States,  and 
first  settled  in  Wisconsin.  He  remained 
there  until  1858,  when  he  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
Mr.  Thom  was  married  June  17,  1832,  to 
Margaret  Cragian,  who  died  October  2,  1885, 


and  was  buried  in  Owatonna  cemetery. 
She  was  a  lady  of  high  Christian  character 
and  was  beloved  bj'  all.  The  fruits  of  their 
union  were  twelve  children,  as  follows: 
Anna,  born  August  7,  1833  (died  March  22, 
1885,  was  buried  at  Racine,  Wis.);  William, 
born  Sept  9,  1834 ;  George,  born  Aug.  24, 
1836  ;  Elizabeth,  born  Sept.  26, 1838 ;  James, 
born  Oct.  10,  1840;  John,  born  June  19, 
1S42;  Daniel,  born  July  8,  1844;  Robert, 
born  January  12,  1847 ;  Maggie,  born  Feb- 
ruary 8, 1849  ;  Frank,  born  June  11,  1851 ; 
Alexander,  born  March  15,  1854,  and  Mary, 
born  June  25, 1855.  Mr.  Thom  belongs  to  the 
Congregational  Church  at  Owatonna.  In  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Republican,  and  has  held  a  great 
man}'  local  offices  of  trust  and  importance, 
discharging  the  duties  with  credit  to  himself 
and  satisfaction  to  the  citizens  of  the  town- 
ship. Xo  man  in  Steele  County  has  led  a 
more  exemplary  life  than  Mr.  Thom,  noi'  is 
held  m  higher  esteem  or  respect  by  his  fel- 
low men.  A  portrait  of  Mr.  Thom  adorns 
another  page  in  this  volume. 

R.  C.  Thom  was  born  in  Aberdeenshire, 
Scotland,  January  12,  1847.  He  left  there 
in  1856  for  the  United  States,  and  first 
settled  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained 
until  1858.  He  then  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  was 
married  in  1875  to  Mary  J.  Kerr.  They 
have  had  three  children,  as  follows  :  Elsie  M., 
born  May  1,  1876  ;  Ada  B.,  born  September 
12,  1879,  and  Daniel  A.,  born  September 
16,  1882.  Mr.  Thom  belongs  to  the  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Owatonna.  In  poli- 
tics he  is  a  Republican. 

R.  Beaumont  was  born  in  England, 
October  1,  1817.  He  was  a  shepherd  while 
living  in  England.  In  1856  became  to  Amer- 
ica, tirst  settling  in  Wisconsin,  where  he 
remained  until  1858,  when  he  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  locating  in  Owatonna  Town- 
ship, where  he  now  lives.  Mr.  Beaumont 
was  married  in  1840  to  Susan  Mann,  who 
died  in  1854,  and  was  buried  in  England. 
Mr.  Beaumont  was  again  married,  in  1856, 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   CODNTY. 


341 


to  Mary  Kidmann,  the  second  wife  dying  in 
1856,  in  "Wisconsin,  and  he  was  again  married 
ip  1858  to  Mary  Elliott.  Mr.  Beaumont  has 
nine  children  :  Emma,  born  Novembei-  22, 
1842  ;  Isabella,  born  January  1,  1844;  Susan, 
born  March  30,  1846  ;  Sophia,  born  March  5, 
1848;  Mary,  born  October  4,  1849;  Charles, 
born  June  12,  1851 ;  William  (deceased), 
born  January  3,  1853 ;  Lumcan,  born  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1859,  and  Martha  (deceased),  born 
August  11,  1863,  the  hrst  seven  being  by 
the  first  wife  and  the  others  by  the  third 
wife.  In  politics  Mr.  Beaumont  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
Chnrch  of  Owatonna. 

Anson  Titus  was  born  in  New  York  State, 
January  22,  1814.  In  1856  he  came  to  Wis- 
consin, where  he  remained  until  1859,  and 
then  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating 
first  on  Straight  River,  in  Owatonna  Town- 
ship, where  he  remained  for  three  years,  and 
then  settled  upon  the  place  where  he  still 
lives.  In  1840  Mr.  Titus  was  married  to 
Nancy  B.  Spencer.  They  have  ten  children 
as  follows  :  Anguette  (deceased),  born  Janu- 
ary 11,  1841  ;  Elhannan  (deceased),  born 
December  19,  1843;  George,  born  March  23, 
1845;  James,  born  June  6,  1847;  Harriet, 
born  March  23,  1850  ;  Mary  (deceased),  born 
June  17,  1851 ;  Adell,  born  August  23, 1854; 
Ida,  born  March  23, 1857 ;  Ezra,  born  April 
15,  1859,  and  Clara,  born  August  11,  1861. 
Mr.  Titus  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and 
one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  township. 

S.  B.  Williams  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
June  26,  1822.  In  1830  his  parents  moved 
to  Ohio.  In  1852  he  went  to  Calif oi'nia, 
where  he  remained  until  1858,  when  he 
moved  to  Wisconsin.  He  remained  there 
six  months,  then  went  to  Illinois,  and  finallj' 
in  1860  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.  Mr. 
Williams  was  married  in  1864  to  Sarah  Jane 
Domaj'.  They  had  one  child,  Samuel  B., 
born  December  15,  1876,  who  died  Decem- 
ber 27,  1883,  and  was  buried  in  the  Owa- 
tonna cemetery.  Mr.  AVilliams  belongs  to 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 


also  to  the  Masonic  order  in  Waseca.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  is  among 
the  most  prominent  and  influential  citizens 
of  tlie  county. 

Joseph  Belina  was  born  in  Bohemia,  in 
the  year  1861.  He  left  there  in  1862  and 
came  direct  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where 
he  still  resides.  He  was  married  in  1884  to 
Rosa  Kaplan.  Mr.  Belina  belongs  to  the 
Catholic  Church  and  in  politics  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 

William  A.  Wiggins  was  born  in  Barton, 
Vt.,  June  10,  1846.  In  1862  he  came  to 
Iowa,  where  he  remained  one  year.  In 
1863  he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.  In 
1872  he  moved  to  Mountain  Lake,  Cotton- 
wood County,  Minn.,  where  he  resided  un- 
til 1876,  then  returned  to  Steele  County, 
where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Wiggins  was 
married  in  1872  to  Miss  Emma  McFall. 
Tiiejr  have  four  children  :  Millie  M.,  born 
September  11,  1875 ;  Ray  W.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1879;  Loie  A.,  born  June  11,  1881, 
and  Alice  M.,  born  October  26,  1884.  In 
politics  Mr.  Wiggins  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church 
of  Owatonna. 

G.  W.  Kinyon,  county  commissioner,  is  a 
native  of  Jefferson  Count}^,  N.  Y.  In  1864 
he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he 
resides  at  the  present  time.  Mr.  Kinyon 
was  married  in  1862  to  Miss  Frances  Han- 
chett.  They  have  four  children  :  Nettie  M., 
born  July  1,  1865 ;  Mary  D.,  born  Novem- 
ber 10,  1867;  Stella  M.,  born  October  28, 
1869,  and  Nellie  J.,  born  August  10,  1871. 
Mr.  Kinyon  has  been  engaged  at  farming 
since  he  came  to  Minnesota.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat in  politics  and  belongs  to  the  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Owatonna.  As  will  be  seen 
from  reading  Chapter  V.,  Mr.  Kinyon  is  the- 
present  county  commissioner  from  this  dis- 
trict. He  is  an  efficient  and  careful  officer 
and  is  making  a  creditable  record. 

Edgar  B.  Sanders  was  born  in  Fond  du 
Lac  County,  Wis.,  March  22,  1851.  In  1865 
he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locatmg  in 


?.42 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


Owatonna  Township,  where  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  farming,  being  among  the 
prominent  and  thrifty  farmers  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Sanders  was  married  in  April,  1886.  In 
pohtics  he  is  a  Kepublican. 

WiUiam  J.  Sahler,  one  of  the  thrifty  farm- 
ers of  the  township,  was  born  in  Sauk 
County,  Wis.,  April  9,  1855.  In  1866  he 
came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he  now 
lives.  On  the  10th  of  March,  1881,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Emelia  Mathwig.  They  have 
been  blessed  with  three  children  :  Ida  E.,  born 
November  IT,  1882 ;  Anna  M.,born  January 
12,  1884,  and  Lidia  C,  born  December  24, 
1885.  Mr.  Sahler  is  a  Eepublican  in  politics 
and  is  a  member  of  the  German  Methodist 
Church. 

J.  R.  Morley  was  born  in  New  York,  No- 
vember 19,  1850.  In  1860  he  came  to  Wis- 
consin, remaining  there  until  1868,  when  he 
moved  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  in 
Owatonna.  In  the  fall  of  1872  Mr.  Morley 
went  to  Chicago ;  in  1873  removed  to  Jeffer- 
son, and  in  1883  he  again  moved  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  settling  in  Owatonna  Town- 
ship, where  he  is  now  among  the  most  prom- 
inent farmers.  In  1872  Mr.  Morley  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Emma  C.  Searl.  They  have  four 
children  :  Mary  C,  born  June  9, 1874 ;  Ida  M., 
born  October' 29,  1875;  Alice  E.,  born  De- 
cember 25,  1877,  and  Edna  C,  born  Novem- 


en gaged 


ber  4,  1884.  Mr.  Morley  has  been 
in  farming  since  he  came  to  Minnesota,  and 
is  among  the  most  enterprising  men  of  the 
county.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
Church  of  Owatonna. 

William  lunker  was  born  in  Dane  County, 
Wis.,  March  5,  1860.  In  1868  he  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  in  Owatonna 
Township,  where  he  still  lives.  Mr.  lunker. 
was  married  in  1885  to  Agnes  Pischkey. 
They  have  one  child,  Samuel  W.,  born  Octo- 
ber 18, 1886.  Mr.  lunker  is  one  of  the  thrifty 
farmers  of  the  township.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church,  his  wife  being  a 
Catholic.  Politically  Mr.  lunker  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat. 

T.  H.  Frazer  was  born  in  Ireland,  February 
1,  1840.  He  came  to  America  in  1859,  locat- 
ing in  Illinois.  In  1863  he  removed  to  IMin- 
nesota,  and  in  1878  he  removed  to  Owatonna 
Township,  where  he  is  living  at  the  present 
time.  Mr.  Frazer  was  married  in  1S80  to 
Miss  M.  A.  Johnson.  The  fruits  of  their 
union  were  two  children  :  Henry  S.,  born 
October  1,  1881,  and  Hubert  L.,  born  De- 
cember 5,  1882.  Mr.  Frazer  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  ever  since  he  came  to  Min- 
nesota. He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  of  Owatonna,  and  in  political  mat- 
ters is  a  Republican. 


e>'.j3 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


HAVANNA   TOWNSHIP. 


HIS  forms  one  of  Steele  County's 
eastern  tier  of  townships.  It  is 
Ijounded  on  the  east  by  Dodge 
County;  on  the  north  by  Merton 
Township ;  on  the  west  by  Owa- 
tonna,  and  on  the  south  by  Au- 
rora. The  Chicago  6z  Northwest- 
ern Eailway  traverses  the  town- 
ship from  east  to  west,  and  a 
station  called  Havana  has  been 
located  on  the  corner  of  sections  17,  18,  19 
and  20.  Rice  Lake  covers  a  considerable 
area  of  land  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
the  township,  and  Maple  Creek  flows  from 
the  lake  to  the  Straight  River,  crossing  the 
northern  tier  of  sections.  Quite  a  body  of 
timber  is  found  in  the  region  of  the  lake 
and  stream ;  but,  aside  from  this,  the  town- 
ship is  made  up  of  prairie  and  oak  open- 
ings. The  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway  touches  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  Township,  and  Pratt  Station  is  located 
upon  the  township  line.  In  1857  this  town- 
ship had  a  population  of  222;  in  1885  this 
had  grown  to  865.  Havanna  is  among  the 
wealthiest  and  most  prosperous  localities  in 
Steele  County,  and  is  the  home  of  many  sub- 
stantial and  well-to-do  farmers.  The  surface 
of  the  township  is  diversified  by  the  many 
groves  which  have  been  set  out  by  the  thrifty 
settlers,  and  is  dotted  with  fine  buildings, 
schools  and  churches. 

EARLY   SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settlement  within  the  limits  now 
comprising  Havanna  Township  was  made 
during  the  year  1855.  John  and  Robert 
Adair  located  in  the  northwestern  portion  of 
this  township  in  July,  1855.  Among  others 
who  settled  here  during  the  same  year,  were 


Charles  McCarty,  William  Burns,  Robert 
Page,  George  Squires,  George  Baird  and  Mr. 
Johnson. 

In  1856  the  following  named  arrived 
and  selected  homes  in  this  township:  Mr. 
Sherman,  George  Dennis,  William  Ellis, 
Agrim  Johnson,  Andrew  Thompson,  Ole 
Johnson,  L.  K.  Johnson,  Newton  Parker, 
James  Soper,  Mr.  McCaslin,  N.  Easton, 
Silas  Euston,  J.  and  Elisha  Eldridge, 
Ole  Hoggenson,  Daniel  Potter,  J.  Nelson 
and  others.  Among  many  others,  who  came 
at  an  early  daj^  and  should  be  mentioned, 
are  the  following,  who  settled  here  in  1857 
and  1858,  although  it  has  been  impossible  to 
learn  their  initials,  or  how  their  names  were 
spelled:  Messrs.  Conway,  Bloom,  Ewer, 
Brehmer,  McNary,  Hammond,  Jones  and  D. 
C.  Tiffany. 

FIRST    EVENTS. 

The  first  death  in  the  township  was  that 
of  Mrs.  Newton  Parker,  which  occurred  in 
November,  1856.  The  funeral  sermon  was 
preached  by  Rev.  Mr.  Wetzel,  and  it  is 
believed  that  this  was  the  first  religious  ser- 
vice held  in  the  township. 

The  first  birth  that  occurred  in  the  town- 
ship was  that  of  Esther  Adair,  a  daughter  of 
Robert  Adair.  This  took  place  in  October, 
1855. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  Mr.  Frank 
Hickok  to  Miss  Elizabeth  McCaslin,  in  the 
fall  of  1857.  D.  C.  Tiffany,  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  performed  the  ceremony. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was 
taught  in  the  summer  of  1857  by  Miss  Eliza- 
beth McCaslin. 

ORGANIZATION. 

When   Steele   County   was  organized   in 


343 


iU 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


August,  1855,  all  of  the  territory  which  now 
comprises  the  eastern  tier  of  townships 
belonged  to  Dodge  County.  Early  in  1856 
a  change  was  made  in  county  lines  and  this 
tier  of  townships  became  a  portion  of  Steele 
County.  On  the  6th  of  April,  1857,  the  ter- 
ritory which  now  comprises  Ilavanna  (town- 
ship 107,  range  19)  was  set  off  and  named 
Lafayette  Township  b}'  the  board  of  county 
commissioners,  and  its  organization  was 
authorized.  In  September,  1858,  the  name 
of  the  township  was  changed  to  Freeman, 
but  in  October  of  tlie  same  year  the  name 
was  again  changed,  this  time  to  Dover. 
Thus  it  remained  until  1869  when  the  pres- 
ent name,  "  Havanna,"  was  given  to  super- 
sede Dover. 

BIOORAPHICAL     SKETCHES     OF     EARLY     SETTLERS 
AND   PROMINENT   CITIZENS. 

John  Adair  was  born  in  1818,  in  Islay, 
Scotland.  He  left  there  in  1848  and  came 
to  Canada,  spending  one  year  and  a  half  near 
Toronto.  He  then  came  west  to  "Wisconsin. 
About  five  years  later  he  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  coming  here  by  team  from 
Racine  County,  Wis.,  and  arriving  July  15, 
1855. 

Henry  Langerher  was  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  September  9,  1817.  In  1851  he 
came  to  America,  locating  in  Illinois,  where 
he  remained  until  1856,  when  he  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  lie  still  resides. 
Mr.  Langerher  was  united  in  the  holy  bonds 
of  matrimony  in  1817  to  Miss  Darete  Schultz. 
Two  children  blessed  their  union :  Lena 
(deceased)  and  Mena,  born  November  16, 
1850.  Eai'ly  in  1868  his  wife  died,  and  was 
buried  on  the  farm  where  she  had  spent  so 
many  j^ears.  In  the  latter  part  of  1868,  Mr. 
Langerher  was  married  to  Miss  Johanna 
Teaman.  They  have  five  children  :  Herman 
(deceased) ,  born  August  15,  1869;  Emma, 
born  October  13,  1871 ;  August,  born  May  9, 
1874;  E  vena  (deceased),  born  March  23,1876, 
and  Henry  (deceased),  born  February  15, 
1878.  In  Germany  Mr.  Langerher  was  en- 
gaged at  the  carpentering  trade,  but  has  been 


farming  since  he  came  to  America.  He  re- 
ceived his  education  in  Germany  where  his 
parents  resided  until  their  death.  He  is  a 
Democrat,  and  a  member  of  the  German 
Lutheran  Church. 

Agrim  Johnson  was  born  in  Norway,  in 
1826.  He  left  there  for  the  United  States  in 
1854,  and  landed  in  Quebec.  He  remained 
there  three  days,  then  went  to  Stoughton, 
and  later  to  Dar  Creelv,  where  he  remained 
two  years.  From  there  in  1856,  he  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he  still  lives.  He 
was  married  in  1854  to  Julia  Johnson,  the 
fruits  of  their  union  being  the  following  chil- 
dren :  James,  Ole,  Betsy,  Ann,  Eliza,  Joseph 
and  John.  Mr.  Johnson  belongs  to  the  Luth- 
eran Church  and  is  a  prominent  citizen  of  the 
townsliip. 

William  Elhs  was  born  in  England  in  1820. 
His  father  was  a  captain  and  boat  owner,  and 
William  was  brought  up  at  a  sea-faring  life, 
serving  as  a  sailor  in  the  coasting  trade, 
Spanish,  Portugese,  etc.,  experiencing  many 
hardships  and  having  an  adventurous  time. 
When  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  came  to 
America  (altiiough  as  a  sailor  he  had  pre- 
viously been  here),  and  finally  settled  in  Du 
Page  County,  111.  In  1856  he  came  to  Steele 
County,  arriving  in  June,  and  settled  in  Ha- 
vanna  Township  where  he  still  lives.  Mr. 
Ellis  was  married  in  1843  to  Sophia  Gillot. 
Their  children  were  :  AVilliam  Thomas  (de- 
ceased), and  William  J.,  the  latter  a  resident 
of  Steele  Count\'. 

William  J.  Ellis,  was  boi'u  in  Illinois  in 
1850,  and  in  1856  he  came  with  his  parents 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  they  have  all 
since  lived.  William  J.  was  married  to  Betsy 
Hemmerson,  and  they  have  the  following- 
children  :  Chrissa  Ann,  born  December 
19, 1874  ;  Sophia  J.,  born  November  4,  1876  ; 
Fannie  E.,  born  August  29, 1878 ;  Mary  Corne- 
lia, born  October  30,  1880;  Charles  F.,  born 
April  21,  1884,  and  William  J.,  born  INlarch 
2,  1886.  In  politics  Mr.  Ellis  is  a  Democrat. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church. 

Fred.    Mussman    was   born  in    Hanover, 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


345 


Germany,  in  1 838.  He  left  there  in  1852  and 
came  to  America,  settling  in  Illinois,  where 
he  remained  until  1856,  when  he  came 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he  still 
lives.  Politically  Mr.  Mussman  was  a  Re- 
publican until  the  Greeley  campaign  in  1872, 
since  which  time  he  has  been  a  Democrat. 
He  was  married  on  the  14th  of  September, 
1864,  to  Barbara  Thompson.  They  have 
had  seven  children,  as  follows :  Ferdinand, 
born  October  15,  1865 ;  "William,  born 
January  28,  1867  (died  in  1883);  Lena,  born 
May  12,  1869  (died  in  187:^);  Theodore,  born 
April  10, 1871 ;  Sophia  and  Thursta  (twins), 
born  April  10, 1873,  and  Fred.,  born  October 
15,  1883.  It  should  be  mentioned  that  after 
coming  to  Steele  County,  Mr.  Mussman 
worked  at  his  trade  (shoemaker)  for  two 
years  at  Hastings,  Minn.,  but  has  always 
called  Havanna  Township  his  home. 

O.  M.  Jones  was  born  in  McHenr}'  County, 
111.  He  left  there  in  1857  for  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  where  he  now  lives.  He  was  married 
in  the  year  1879  to  Mary  Morford.  They 
have  two  children  :  Ethel,  born  February  7, 
1883,  and  William,  born  November  5,  1885. 
Mr.  Jones'  market  is  Havana.  In  political 
matters  he  is  Republican. 

W.  M.  Jones  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in 
1837.  When  he  was  four  years  old  his  par- 
ents removed  to  Wisconsin,  and  later  settled 
in  Illinois.  In  the  spring  of  1857  the  family 
came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  W.  M. 
Jones  has  since  lived.  The  father  died  in 
the  spring  of  1879.  He  was  a  man  of  high 
character,  and  held  the  esteem  and  respect  of 
all  who  knew  him.  W.  M.  Jones  was  mar- 
ried in  1864  to  Alvira  Curtis,  and  they  have 
three  children  as  follows :  Nellie,  born  in 
January,  1865;  Ray,  born  in  April,  1868, 
and  Roy,  born  in  December,  1879.  Mr. 
Jones  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  is  one 
of  the  leading  farmers  in  this  part  of  the 
county. 

Andrew  Thompson  was  born  in  Norway, 
in  1840,  his  parents  being  Lewis  and  Velda 
Thompson.      He  lived  there  thirteen  years. 


and  in  1853  settled  in  Dane  County,  Wis., 
stopping  for  awhile  in  Jefferson  Count}'', 
Wis.,  where  he  worked  at  various  pursuits. 
He  made  his  home  there,  until  1857,  then 
started  for  the  west,  and  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  settling  in  Havanna  Town- 
ship. He  was  married  to  Anna  Peterson  ; 
the  fruits  of  their  union  were  ten  children, 
six  of  whom  are  now  living. 

Conrad  Engbard  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1833.  When  twenty-three  years  old  he 
came  to  America,  locating  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  lived  for  five  years.  In  1855  he 
came  to  Minnesota,  locating  in  Winona. 
In  1860  he  settled  in  Havanna  Township, 
Steele  County,  where  he  still  lives.  In  1861 
Mr.  Engbard  was  married  to  Fredarickia 
Baker.  Tlie  fruits  of  this  linion  were  eight 
children  :  Augusta,  born  July  20,  1864  ;  Au- 
gust (deceased),  born  August  12, 1867 ;  Threse, 
born  February  2,  1870  ;  Charles,  born  Au- 
gust 28,  1872;  Adolph,  born  March  17, 
1875 ;  William  and  Sofa  (twins),  born  No- 
vember 8,  1878,  and  Celia,  born  March  17, 
1882.  Mr.  Engbard  is  a  Democrat  in  pol- 
itics, and  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Geo.  L.  Chambers  was  born  in  the  North 
of  Ireland  m  1825.  He  lived  there  until 
1853,  then  came  to  Washington  County,  N. 
Y.  Remaining  there  four  years,  he  then  set- 
tled in  Allegany  County,  where  he  was 
foreman  of  the  Genesee  Valley  canal,  while 
it  was  being  constructed.  In  1859  he  came 
to  Winona,  Minn.,  and  from  there,  the  same 
year,  came  to  Steele  County,  where  he  still 
lives.  He  was  married  in  1860  to  Emma 
Burns.  The  fruits  of  their  union  were  seven 
children,  as  follows:  Belle,  born  July  7, 
1862;  Minnie,  born  September  18,  1864; 
Maggie,  born  in  July,  1867 ;  Evelanderia, 
born  January  16,  1872;  AVilliam  J.,  born 
March  7,  1875 ;  George,  born  September  5, 
1877,  and  Frank,  born  June  10, 1883.  Min- 
nie married  Mr.  E.  Reynolds,  principal  of 
of  the   Appleton,  Wis.,  high   schools.     Mr. 


346 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COtTNTV. 


Chambers  in  politics  is  a  Eepublican ;  he 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  Church. 

William  "Wagner  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1834.  In  1859  he  came  to  America,  locating 
in  Illinois,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
He  then  removed  to  Missouri,  and  located 
at  St.  Louis  where  he  remained  for  nearly 
three  years.  In  1863  he  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  locating  in  Havanna  Town- 
ship, where  he  still  lives,  now  having  a 
valuable  farm  of  229  acres  of  land.  Mr. 
"Wagner  was  married  to  Miss  Sophia  Gills, 
and  they  have  liad  five  children,  as  follows : 
"William,  Martin,  Alvina,  Edo  and  Tilda. 
In  political  matters  Mr.  "Wagner  is  a  Demo- 
crat. 

James  Cotter  was  bora  in  ISTew  York; 
from  there  he  went  to  Cook  County,  111., 
where  he  lived  for  four  years,  then  he  went 
to  AVisconsin  and  from  there,  in  1863,  came 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he  now  lives. 
He  was  married  in  1883  to  Aurelia  Patter- 
son. They  have  six  children.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat. 

Mrs.  Anna  Erdmann  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, May  14,  1842.  She  resided  there 
until  1848  when  she  came  to  America,  locat- 
ing in  New  York,  where  she  remained  till 
1850 ;  then  removed  to  "Wisconsin,  where  she 
lived  for  fourteen  years.  In  1864  she  came 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  settling  in  Havanna 
Township,  where  she  still  lives.  On  Novem- 
ber 17,  1862,  she  was  married  to  Andrew 
Erdmann.  The  fruits  of  this  union  were 
eight  children  :  "William,  born  July  26, 1863  ; 
Charles,  born  March  '23,  1865;  Mathelina 
(deceased),  born  July  28,  1867;  Edward, 
l)orn  June  24,  1870 ;  Andrew,  born  August 
14,  1874;  Caroline,  born  July  14,  1876; 
Mary,  born  July  9,  1879,  and  John,  l)oru 
September  15,  1884.  Mr.  Erdmann  died  in 
1885  and  was  buried  in  the  Havanna  ceme- 
tery. He  was  highly  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him,  and  his  death  was  a  sad  blow  to 
the  faithful  wife  and  children  who  were  left 
to  moui'n  for  the  departed  husband  and 
father.     Mr.  Erdmann  was  a  Democrat,  be- 


longed to  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  was  a 
prominent  man  in  public  aifairs.  Mrs.  Erd- 
mann is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

John  "Widrick  was  born  in  New  York. 
He  left  there  in  1862  for  Minnesota,  settling 
at  Morristown.  In  1864  he  came  to  Steele 
County,  where  he  now  lives.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Harriet  Quackenbush.  They  have 
had  two  children,  Spencer  and  David,  one  of 
whom  is  living.  Mr.  Widrick's  parents  were 
born  in  New  York  State.  His  father  died 
in  the  year  1862  and  was  liuried  in  "Wiscon- 
sin. His  mother  at  the  j^resent  time  is  living 
in  Morristown,  Minn.  Mr.  "V\'^idrick  enlisted 
in  the  service  at  Owatonna  in  1864  and  was 
mustered  out  in  1865;  he  belonged  to  "Com- 
pany E ,"  whose  first  captain  was  Mr.  Cor- 
kins  and  last  captain  was  Mr.  Bradford.  He 
is  a  Republican. 

Andrew  Anderson,  deceased,  was  born  in 
Norway  in  1832.  In  1856  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica, locating  in  Wisconsin.  In  1865,  he  re- 
moved to  Steele  Count}^,  Minn.,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  the 
summer  of  1887.  Mr.  Anderson  was  mar- 
ried twice ;  first  in  1849  to  Carrie  Sieve,  who 
died  in  1877.  In  1886  he  was  married  to 
Agnet  Johnson.  Mr.  Anderson  had  six 
children,  five  by  his  first  wife  and  one  by 
the  second.  Their  names  were :  Andrew, 
born  in  1850 ;  Siever  (deceased),  born  in 
1852;  Caroline  (deceased),  born  in  1856; 
Betsy,  born  in  1859  ;  Sophia,  born  in  1862, 
and  Charles,  born  July  9,  1886.  Mr.  Ander- 
son was  a  Eejmblican  and  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Isaac  Jones  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1844. 
He  left  there  in  1865  for  Minnesota,  lived 
one  year  in  Goodhue  County,  and  then  came 
to  Steele  Count}',  where  he  still  lives.  He 
is  a  single  man  and  is  a  Eepublican  in  pol- 
itics. 

Joseph  "V^on  Euden  was  born  in  Prussia, 
May  6,  1837.  In  1864  he  came  to  America, 
locating  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained 
until  1866,  when  he  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  locating  in  Owatonna.     There  he  re- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


347 


mained  for  three  3'ears.  He  then  removed 
to  Havanna  Township,  where  he  still  resides. 
In  1868  he  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  Lan- 
gerher.  They  are  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, as  follows  :  John,  born  May,  31,  1870; 
Francis,  born  May  30,  1872;  Joseph,  born 
February  20, 1874;  George,  born  September 
20,  1875;  Mary,  born  October  15,  1877; 
Alvenia,  born  September  9,  1880;  Lena, 
born  February  20,  1882,  and  William,  born 
July  29, 1885.  Mr.  Von  Ruden  was  engaged 
in  farming  in  Prussia.  While  he  resided  in 
Owatonna  he  was  engaged  in  the  butcher- 
ing business.  He  received  his  education  in 
Prussia,  attending  school  for  eight  years.  In 
political  matters  he  is  a  Democrat,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Catholic  Church.  His  par- 
ents died  in  Prussia. 

Fred.  Ahrens  was  born  in  Germany,  June 
17,  1850.  In  1867,  in  company  with  his 
parents,  he  came  to  America,  coming  direct 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he  still 
lives.  Our  subject  was  married  June  6, 
1875,  to  Miss  Dora  Miller.  The  fruits  of 
their  union  were  five  children,  as  follows : 
Alvina,  born  October  3,  1876  ;  Edward  (de- 
ceased), born  November  21,  1871  ;  Hulda, 
born  December  16,  1881  ;  Pertha,  born 
March  28,  1883,  and  Mary,  born  September 
15,  1885.  Mr.  Ahrens  is  a  strong  Democrat 
in  politics,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  He  is  one  of  the  prominent 
citizens  of  the  township. 

Hans  N.  Christenson  was  born  in  Den- 
mark, September  2,  1836.  He  worked  at  the 
shoemaker's  trade  until  July  1, 1864,  when  he 
came  to  America,  locating  in  Wisconsin. 
There  he  remained  four  years,  when,  in  1868, 
he  came  to  Steele  Counter,  Minn.,  locating 
in  Havanna  Township,  where  he  still  lives. 
In  1863  he  was  married  to  Miss  Matilda 
Hanson.  They  have  been  blessed  with  three 
children,  as  follows  :  Hans,  born  December  7, 
1863  ;  Charles  R.,  born  September  29,  1867, 
and  Peter  E.,  born  August  28,  1876.  Mr. 
Christenson  was  the  first  Dane  that  settled 
in  Havanna  Township,  and  was  the  means  of 


bringing  thirty-two  families  of  Danes  to 
Steele  County.  He  is  a  strong  Republican, 
and  also  a  member  of  the  Lutheran   Church. 

Hans  Markson  was  ])orn  in  Denmark  in 
1843.  In  1865  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
locating  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained 
four  years.  In  1869  he  came  west  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  where  he  resides  at  the 
present  time.  In  1870  he  was  married  to 
Anna  Maria  Smith.  They  have  six  children  : 
Mark  Nelson,  born  October  3,  1871 ;  Millde, 
born  November  8,  1873 ;  Alice  C,  born 
March  23,  1876  ;  Albert,  born  July  18, 1878  ; 
Elnora,  born  September  11,  1880,  and  Clara, 
born  April  3,  1883.  In  politics  Mr.  Markson 
is  a  Republican,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Henry  Hartle  was  born  in  Worcestershire, 
England.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1869,  and  came  direct  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  locating  upon  a  fine  farm  in  Havanna 
Township,  where  he  lived  until  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1878,  and  where  his  family  still 
reside.  Mr.  Hartle  was  a  man  of  high 
standing  among  his  acquaintances,  and  held 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  all.  His  remains 
were  buried  in  Llavanna.  cemetery.  His  wife 
was  also  a  native  of  England,  and  she  died 
in  Minnesota  in  1879.  Their  family  con- 
sisted of  nine  children,  who  stiU  carry  on  the 
place,  and  they  are  among  the  most  prom- 
inent and  well-to-do  citizens  of  the  township. 

Henry  Wacker  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1847.  In  1867  he  came  to  America,  locating 
in  Baltimore,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
He  then,  in  1869,  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  where  he  is  still  living.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1867  to  Lotta  Nuller.  Five  children 
blessed  this  union,  as  follows:  Mary,  born 
November  17, 1867 ;  Deetrich,  born  November 
20,  1869;  Fred.,  born  June  10,  1872;  Louisa, 
born  October  14,  1875,  and  Augusta,  born 
December  14,  1877.  Mr.  Wacker  \vas  en- 
gaged at  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Germany 
for  eighteen  years.  He  received  his  educa- 
tion in  Germany,  where  his  parents  resided 
until  the  time  of  their. deaths.     Mr.  Wacker 


348 


HISTOKY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  is  also  a  prona- 
inent  church  member. 

B.  P.  Chapin,  one  of  the  prominent  citizens 
of  the  township,  was  born  in  New  York  State, 
March  2,  1850.  In'^  ISTO  he  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  and  located  in  the  township 
of  Havanna,  where  he  stiU  lives,  carrying  on 
general  farming  and  stock-raising,  having  a 
well  tilled  fai'm  of  190  acres  of  land.  He  was 
married  in  this  county  to  Kate  Landon  in 
1877.  They  have  three  children,  as  follows : 
George  R.,  born  May  20, 1882;  Clara,  born 
April  5,  1884,  and  Frank,  born  January  11, 
1886.  Mr.  Chapin  is  a  Prohibitionist  in  poli- 
tics, and  is  a  member  of  the  Free  Methodist 
Church. 

Peter  Jansen  Sjniskov  was  born  in  Den- 
mark, May  1, 1844.  In  1874  he  came  to  Amer- 
ica. After  spending  one  summer  in  Wiscon- 
sin became  to  Steele Countj", Minn.,  in  1875, 
locating  in  Merton  Township,  where  he  re- 
mained for  live  years.  He  then  moved  to 
Havanna  Township,  where  he  now  lives.  He 
was  married  in  Denmark  in  1871  to  Miss 
Mary  Yule.  They  have  seven  children : 
James  P.,  born  April  20,  1872;  Christ,  born 
July  24,  1874 ;  Andrew  P.,  born  May  25, 1876; 
Maiy  P.,  Ijorn  ilarch,  27,  1878 ;  Hans  P., 
born  April  9,  1880;  Anna  P.,  born  April  12, 
1882,  and  Henry  P..  l)orn  June  30,  1884. 
Mr.  Synskov  is  a  Pepublican,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  received  his 
education  in  Denmark,  where  his  parents 
lived  until  their  deaths. 

L.  L.  Inman  was  born  in  New  York  State. 
When  two  years  old  he  left  there  with  his 


people  for  Bradford  County,  Pa.,  and,  when 
he  was  eight,  they  removed  to  Wisconsin. 
He  remained  there  until  he  was  thirty-six 
3^ears  old,  when  he  went  to  Nebraska.  Two 
years  later,  in  1875,  he  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  where  he  still  lives.  He  was 
married  in  1869  to  Elizabeth  J.  Warren. 
Their  children  were  as  follows  :  Bertha  M., 
born  ,lune  10,  1871 ;  George  Frederick,  born 
March  8,  1875  ;  Luther  L.,  born  October  31, 
1876,  and  John  J.,  born  July  30,  1884. 
When  the  war  broke  out  Mr.  Inman  entered 
the  service,  enlisting  in  a  cavalry  brigade  at 
Baraboo,  Wis.  He  was  seriously  Avounded 
in  the  battle  of  Dallas  ;  was  taken  to  field 
hospital ;  then  transferred  to  Nashville ; 
later  to  Evansville  ;  then  to  Keokuk  hospi- 
tal, and  was  finalh' mustered  out  in  1865.  He 
has  not  fully  recovered  from  his  wounds 
yet.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a 
member  of  James  A.  Goodwin  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic. 

Frank  L.  Thamert  was  born  in  Free- 
born County,  Minn.,  September  13,  1800.  In 
1876  he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
where  he  resides  at  the  present  writing. 
Mr.  Tlianiert  has  been  engaged  in  fanning 
since  he  came  here,  and  is  one  of  the  enter- 
prising young  men  of  the  county.  He  is  a 
prominent  politician,  being  a  strong  Demo- 
crat. Mr.  Thamert  has  four  brothers  in 
Minnesota,  three  of  them  being  in  Steele 
County  and  the  other  one  in  Freeborn 
County.  Mr.  Thamert  is  one  of  the  active 
young  members  of  the  Catholic  Church  of 
Owatonna. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


AURORA  TOWNSHIP. 


dark 
clays 


OWNSPIIP  106,  range  19,  is  or- 
ganized civilly  as  Aurora  Town- 
ship. It  forms  one  of  tbe  eastern 
tier  of  townships  in  the  county, 
and  is  bounded  on  the  north  by 
Havanna  Township ;  on  tbe  south 
by  Blooming  Prairie  Township  ; 
on  the  west  by  Somerset,  and  on 
the  east  by  Dodge  County.  The 
soil  here  is  made  up  of  a  rich 
loam,  which  is  very  fertile.  In  early 
considerable  of  the  land  here  was 
marshy  and  wet,  but  in  later  years  this  has 
been  making  the  most  profitable  and  pro- 
ductive farming  land  in  the  county.  Tlie 
other  portions  of  the  township  are  made  up 
chiefly  of  oak  o])enings,  interspersed  with 
fine  tracts  of  prairie  land,  just  enough  un- 
dulating to  make  it  of  easy  tillage.  The 
population  of  the  township  in  1857  was  only 
1.38,  including  what  is  now  Blooming  Prairie 
Township,  and  in  1885  this  had  grown  to 
727. 

The  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Kail- 
road  traverses  the  townsliip.  having  been 
constructed  through  here  in  1807.  The 
same  year  a  station  was  located  here  called 
Aurora.  This  furnishes  the  inhabitants  with 
easy  market  and  shipping  facilities.  The 
village  consists  of  several  dwellings,  a  sta- 
tion, Aurora  postoffice,  etc.  In  addition  to 
this,  the  station  called  Pratt  is  located  in 
the  northeast  corner  of  this  township,  and 
has  about  the  same  line  of  business  as  is  rep- 
resented at  Aurora. 

EARLY  SETTLERS  AND  PROMINENT  CITIZENS. 

The  first  settlement  in  Aurora  Township 
was  made  on  May  19,  1856,  at  which  time 


quite  a  party  came  and  selected  government 
land.  The  party  consisted  of  Charles  and 
A.  C.  Adsit,  George  W.  and  B.  J.  Grim- 
shaw,  John  Ball  and  John  Perham.  None 
of  these  parties  except  Charles  Adsit  are 
now  residents  of  the  county,  but  two  of 
them  live  in  the  State.  A.  C.  Adsit  is  now 
assistant  United  States  attorney  of  the  west- 
ern district  of  Michigan  ;  John  Ball  became 
prominent  during  the  war,  coming  out  of 
service  as  colonel  of  the  Eleventh  Minnesota 
Regiment ;  John  Perham  now  lives  in  Michi- 
gan and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture of  that  State  several  terms. 

When  this  party  arrived  in  Auroi'a,  May 
19,  1856,  there  was  not  a  single  settler 
within  the  limits  which  now  comprise  tlie 
township.  The  only  traces  of  settlement 
was  a  little  piece  of  breaking  on  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  27.  A  stage  driver 
named  Baker  had  taken  a  claim  there  early 
in  the  spring  of  1856,  but  had  made  no  set- 
tlement. His,  it  is  thought,  was  the  first 
claim  taken  in  the  township,  and  the  only 
one  prior  to  the  arrival  of  the  "Adsit  party." 

About  all  of  the  government  land  was 
taken  during  the  summer  of  1866  and  the 
town  filled  with  settlers  very  rapidly.  But 
very  little  was  raised  in  the  way  of  crops 
and  vegetables,  only  a  little  sod  corn  and 
potatoes,  and  Charles  Adsit  sowed  a  little 
patch  of  land  to  oats.  A  severe  hailstorm 
visited  this  portion  of  the  county  in  August 
of  this  year,  and  proved  disastrous  in  many 
instances  to  the  few  fields  sown. 

Among  others  who  settled  in  this  town- 
ship during  the  years  1856  and  1857  the  fol- 
lowing are  remembered :  A.  B.  Clark,  John 


3i9 


350 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


George,  Henry  and  J.  S.  Bixby,  Oscar  King, 
S.  A.  Sargent,  Hon.  Amos  Coggswell,  August 
Miller,  Christopher  Dickinson,  I.  D.  Bee- 
man,  Hon.  G.  C.  Pettie,  Moses  Bentley, 
David  Bentley,  Mr.  Hoggerfield,  "William 
Depj)in,  F.  Ivruckerberg,  Rufus  Waterman, 
the  Stapletons,  Mr.  Flynn,  Mr.  Grover,  Mr. 
Montgomery,  H.  Eastman  and  Mr.  Barrett, 
besides  a  number  of  Germans. 

Charles  Adsit,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Steele  County,  was  born  in  Oneida  County, 
N.  Y.,  April  29,  1833.  He  remained  with 
his  parents  until  twenty-three  years  old. 
then  joined  a  party  coming  west,  consisting 
of  A.  C.  and  Geo.  W.  Adsit,  B.  J.  Grim- 
shaw,  John  Ball  and  John  Perham,  coming  to 
Minnesota  and  taking  up  government  land, 
our  subject,  Charles  Adsit,  locating  on 
section  35,  Aurora  Township.  Steele  County, 
where  he  still  resides.  Two  of  the  party 
still  reside  in  Minnesota.  A.  C.  Adsit  is 
at  ]5resent  assistant  United  States  attor- 
ney of  the  western  district  of  Michigan. 
John  Ball  was  colonel  of  the  Eleventh  Min- 
nesota, when  tlie  war  closed.  John  Perham 
resides  in  Michigan  and  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  of  that  State  several  terms. 
Mr.  Adsit,  our  sultject,  was  married  May  10, 
1860,  to  Miss  Jennett  Woodruff,  a  native  of 
Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.  Her  parents  were 
also  natives  of  Jefferson  Count}',  N.  Y. 
Her  father,  in  his  younger  days,  followed 
landscape  and  portrait  painting  and  attained 
great  skill  in  his  chosen  profession.  Ulti- 
mately, he  was  connected  with  the  Wood, 
ruff  Sleej)ing  Car  Company,  and  was  the  in- 
ventor of  the  car  now  being  used  and  manu- 
factured by  that  corporation.  Mrs.  Adsit 
departed  this  life  October  2,  1878,  leaving 
four  children  to  mourn  her  loss:  Chai'les  W., 
born  February  11,  1863;  Will  B.,  born  March 
21,  1865;  John  Waldo,  born  December  12, 
1868,  and  Nettie  P.,  born  March  13,  1877. 
There  were  seven  children,  three  of  whom 
are  dead.  Mr.  Adsit  was  the  first  postmas- 
ter in  Aurora  Township,  having  been  ap- 
pointed in  the  fall  of  1856,  and  held  the  office 


for  fifteen  years.  He  has  also  held  all  the 
local  offices  of  the  township  at  various  times. 
Mr.  Adsit  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  is  a 
representative  man  of  the  count}'. 

John  Bixb}'  located  on  section  33  in  the 
fall  of  1856,  and  is  still  engaged  in  farming 
and  raising  stock.  He  was  born  January  28, 
181i,  in  Vermont.  In  1839  he  left  home 
and  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Vermont  for 
twenty  years.  He  removed  to  Wisconsin 
and  subsequently  came  to  Minnesota.  He 
married  iliss  Schagel,  a  native  of  Canada, 
born  April  10,  1817.  They  had  five  chil- 
dren :  Jacob  S.,  born  November  8,  1840 ; 
Hattie,  born  September  28,  1844;  Henry, 
born  December  4,  1847 ;  George,  born  June 
15,  1851,  and  Addie,  born  February  5,  1861. 
Hattie  married  George  Curtis,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  and  lives  in  Aurora  Township. 
Henry  married  Miss  Lydia  Block,  a  native  of 
California;  they  are  living  in  New  Mexico. 
George  married  Miss  Alice  P.  Schagel,  a 
native  of  Canada,  and  they  are  located  in 
Aurora  Township.  Addie  married  Mr.  Up- 
ham,  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  who  is  a 
geologist  in  the  employ  of  the  government. 
Mr.  Bixb}'  is  Republican  in  politics.  His 
family  are  all  members  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church.  He  has  filled  the  offices 
of  justice  of  the  peace,  school  treasurer  and 
town  clerk. 

J.  S.  Bixby  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
October  24,  1856.  He  was  born  in  Vermont, 
November  8,  1840.  When  he  started  in  life 
for  himself  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  en- 
listed August  11,  1862,  in  the  Tenth  Minne- 
sota Infantry,  and  was  discharged  Septem- 
ber 16,  1865.  Mr.  Bixby  was  in  sixteen 
skirmishes  and  battles,  the  first  one  being  at 
Big  Mound  under  Gen.  Sibley.  The  second 
battle  was  that  of  Stoney  Hill.  After  being- 
discharged,  Mr.  Bixby  came  back  to  Steele 
County.  He  was  married  November  29, 
1866,  to  Miss  Lizzie  Eichlar,  a  native  of  New 
York.  She  died  March  24,  1879,  and,  was 
buried  at  Blooming  Prairie.  Mr.  Bixby  and 
wife  had  five  children  :  Katie  M.,  born  Sep- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY.. 


351 


tember  22,1869  (died  February  10,  1871); 
Lottie  A.,  born  December  26, 1871  (tlied  Jan- 
uar3^  21:,  1872);  Jennie  S.,  born  March  12, 
1872  ;  Henry  N.,  born  May  9, 1871:,  and  Jes- 
sie M.,  born  May  1,  1876.  Mr.  Bixby  was 
married  to  his  second  wife,  Miss  Gertie  C. 
Liveson,  who  was  born  in  Norway,  March  3, 
1856.  They  have  two  children  :  John,  born 
December  26,  1882,  and  Jacob,  born  August 
16,  1885.  Mr.  Bixby  is  located  on  section 
34,  where  he  is  engaged  in  general  farming 
and  stock-raising.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  He  was  elected  chairman  of  the 
board  of  supervisors  March  20,  1862,  hold- 
ing the  same  until  in  August,  when  he 
joined  the  army.  In  1885  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  jseace,  which  office  he  held 
two  j^ears.  He  has  also  been  clerk  of  school 
district,  and  in  many  other  ways  been  prom- 
inent in  public  affairs. 

Corydon  King  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  in  1856.  He  made  the  first  claim,  south 
of  what  is  now  Rice  Lake,  on  section  13,  Ha- 
vanna  Township.  He  remained  there  seven 
years,  then  removed  to  section  31  in  the  same 
township.  In  1869  he  came  to  Aurora  Town- 
ship, and  located  on  section  11,  his  present 
home.  He  was  born  May  24,  1830,  in  Cat- 
taraugus County,  N.  Y.  His  mother  was  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  and  his  father  of 
Vermont.  His  father  died  in  Claremont, 
Minn.,  in  December,  1863  ;  he  held  a  com- 
mission in  the  war  of  1812,  which  was  signed 
by  Gov.  Clinton,  of  New  York.  Octo- 
ber 12,  1856,  Corydon  King  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Bartlett,  who  was 
born  in  Maine,  April  23,  1837.  She  is  now 
deceased  ;  was  buried  in  Havanna  Township. 
She  left  one  child,  Augusta  Belle,  born  Au- 
gust 25,  1857,  who  married  Mr.  Sylvester 
Bell,  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  now  resides  in 
Aurora  Township.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bell  have 
one  child,  Floyd  Lee.  Mr.  King  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  at  various  times  has  been  honored 
by  the  nomination  of  his  party  for  important 
offices.  In  1871  he  was  elected  chairman  of 
the  board  of  supervisors,  and  held  the  office 
for  a  number  of  years. 


Fred.  Kruckerberg  has  a  fine  farm  of  520 
acres  on  section  36,  Aurora  Townshi]!,  and  is 
industriously  engaged  in  stock-raising  and 
farming.  He  was  born  in  Germany,  March 
17,  1831 ;  emigrated  to  America  when  a 
3'oung  man.  He  married  Miss  Sopha  Meyer^ 
a  native  of  Germany.  They  have  eleven 
children  :  Sopha,  Henry,  John,  Fred.,  Wilhel- 
mine,  Anna,  Ernest,  Ida,  Lizzie,  George  and 
Herman.  When  he  landed  in  New  York  he 
worked  there  for  two  months,  then  made  his 
way  to  Illinois,  where  he  labored  two  years, 
then  removed  to  Steele  Count\%  Minn.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

David  C.  Hunkins  is  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  at  Pratt  Station  in  Aurora 
Township.  He  was  born  in  New  Hampshire, 
September  14,  1827,  and  came  to  Minnesota 
in  the  spring  of  1853.  He  engaged  in  his 
present  busmess  in  St.  Paul  and  remained 
about  a  year  and  a  half.  Afterward  in  1854 
he  removed  to  Rice  County,  and  farmed  it 
for  six  years.  He  then  sold  his  fai'm  and 
moved  to  Medford,  Steele  County,  Minn. ; 
opened  a  store  which  he  continued  there  fif- 
teen years  ;  also  was  postmaster  for  six  years. 
Then  moving  his  family  to  Owatonna,  he 
transferred  his  goods  to  Claremont  where  he 
was  in  business  a  number  of  years.  Then  for 
about  five  years  he  was  in  business  at  Owa- 
tonna, and  then  established  a  store  at  Pratt 
Station.  December  20,  1852,  he  married 
Miss  Weltha  A.  Sanborn,  who  was  born  in 
Massachusetts  in  1823.  They  have  seven 
children :  George  E.,  born  March  9,  1854 ; 
William  S.,  born  December  2,  1856;  Fi'ank 
A.,  born  August  13,  1859;  Josephine  M., 
born  March  30,  1861 ;  Myra  F.  born  April  2, 
1863  ;  Adelbert  B.,  born  April  25,  1864,  and 
Fred.  C,  born  December  23,  1867.  Myra  is 
living  at  home.  George  married  Miss  Lura 
Barlow,  a  native  of  New  York.  They  live  at 
Medford.  William  married  Miss  Dora  Wil- 
liamson, also  a  native  of  New  York.  Mr. 
Hunkins  is  a  Republican.  His  family  are  all 
members  of  the  Baptist  Church.  His  parents 


352 


HISTOEY   OF   STEELE   COPNTY. 


were  Stephen  S.  and  Hannah  D.  (Clark)  Hun- 
kins.  His  father  died  in  1847.  His  mother 
still  -lives  with  him,  being  eighty  six  years  of 
age. 

George  Gabriel,  residing  on  section  36  Au- 
rora Township,  was  born  in  France,  October 
13,  1832.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he  began 
life  for  himself,  and  learned  carpentering, 
wagon-making  and  blacksmithing,  whicli  he 
afterward  followed  in  Wisconsin  for  ten 
years.  He  came  from  Washington  County, 
Wis.,  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  in  1862.  In 
April,  18.54  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Matilda  Amy,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who 
died  March  29,  1878,  and  was  buried  in  Au- 
rora cemetery.  They  liad  three  children : 
Madora,  born  July  4,  1857;  LiUie,  born 
August  24,  1858,  and  George,  born  January 
10,  1868.  Medora,  was  married  July  5, 
1875  to  Charles  F.  EUis,  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts. LiUie  and  George  are  unmarried. 
Mr.  Gabriel  married  his  second  wife,  Octo- 
ber IS,  1879,  Miss  Martha  Day,  a  native  of 
Canada.  They  have  three  children :  Matilda, 
born  December  12,  1880;  Elijah,  born  No- 
vember 5,  1881,  and  Kittie,  born  June  25, 
1884.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  has 
been  school  treasurer  for  several  terms,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  the 
township. 

J.  K.  Bucklin,  is  a  well  known  farmer  of 
Aurora  Township.  He  is  a  native  of  Jeffer- 
son County,  N.  Y.,  born  March  31,  1837,  and 
came  to  Steele  Count}',  Minn.,  in  1864.  He 
now  has  a  fine  farm  on  section  25,  and  also 
forty  acres  in  Dodge  County,  on  section  31. 
He  was  favored  with  a  good  education  and 
off  and  on  followed  the  profession  of  teach- 
ing for  twenty  years.  He  taught  the  first 
school  in  the  village  of  Blooming  Prairie 
in  18G9-70.  He  was  married  to  Mrs.  Au- 
gusta Pettie,  a  native  of  New  York.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Diantha  (Robbins)  and 
AVilliam  Lamphier.  Her  former  husband 
was  Hon.  Geo.  C.  Pettie,  who  was  born  April 
23,  1828,  and  died  January  18,  1865.  He 
was  a  prominent  man,  took  an   active  inter- 


est in  the  affairs  of  his  county.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  first  Legislature  of  Minnesota, 
serving  in  1857-8.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Lan\[)hier  October  24,  1852.  They  had  six 
children :  George  R.,  Viola  E.,  Willis,  Ann 
J.,  Lewis  L.  and  David  C.  George,  Viola 
and  Willis  are  married.  Ann  died  in 
September,  1878,  and  was  buried  in  Bloom- 
ing Prairie.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bucklin  have  five 
children  :  Wayne  K.,  born  January  21, 1868  ; 
John  W.,  born  November  30, 1870  ;  Eflie  M., 
l)orn  January  9,  1873  ;  Frank  W.,  born  Oc- 
tober 20,  1875,  and  Lottie  E.,  born  Decem- 
ber 5,  1880.  Mr.  Bucklin  enlisted,  August 
12,  1862,  in  the  5th  Heavy  Artillery,  of  New 
York  (Companj'  M)  and  was  dischai-ged 
December  17,  1862,  on  account  of  disability 
contracted  in  the  service.  He  Avas  elected 
town  clerk  in  1866,  serving  four  years.  He 
was  chosen  justice  of  the  peace  in  1879  and 
served  six  years.  In  1887  he  was  again 
elected,  and  still  retains  the  office.  He  is  a 
Republican  in  politics. 

Peter  McCrady  was  born  March  16,  1808, 
m  Scotland.  In  1867  he  located  on  section 
15,  Aurora  Township,  Steele  Count}',  Minn., 
and  is  engaged  in  stock-raising  and  general 
farming.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Ire- 
land. At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  home  to 
do  for  himself.  In  1826  he  enlisted  in  the 
British  arm}',  79th  Cameronian  Highlanders, 
in  which  he  served  for  three  years.  He  emi- 
grated to  America  and  located  in  Clinton 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming 
about  seven  years.  He  removed  then  to  St. 
Lawrence  County,  N.  Y. ;  subsequently  to 
McHenry  County,  111. ;  thence  to  Wisconsin, 
and  finally  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  as  stated. 
In  1830  he  married  Miss  Margret  Nirlson,  a 
native  of  Glasgow,  who  died  in  1836,  leaving 
two  children.  He  was  again  married  to 
Miss  D.  Blowels,  a  native  of  Montgomery 
County,  N  Y.,  who  died  and  left  five  chil- 
dren. In  October,  1 854,  he  married  Miss  Ellen 
Shea,  a  native  of  Ireland.  They  have  seven 
children :  Delia,  Nancy,  Michael,  William, 
Theresa,    Marian    and    Hellen.     Delia   and 


filSTORY   OP    STEELE   COUNTY. 


353 


Nancy  are  married.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics.  He  has  held  the  oflBces  of  justice  of 
the  peace  and  school  director  for  the  last 
sixteen  years.  He  belongs  to  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  is  esteemed  as  an  excellent 
citizen. 

George  H.  Curtis  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Steele  County.  He  is  a  native  of  Canada, 
born  June  10,  IS-iO.  He  emigrated  to  Rock 
County,  Wis.,  where  he  worked  seven 
years,  and  then  came  to  Minnesota  in  JSTo- 
vember,  1857.  He  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
Tenth  Minnesota  Infantry  ;  was  under  Capt. 
Ambler  for  one  year,  then  under  Capt.  Bab- 
cock  until  the  close  of  the  war.  The  princi- 
pal battles  he  participated  in,  were  Nash- 
ville, Tupello  and  Spanish  Fort.  He  was 
discharged  August  19,  18G5,  and  located  on 
section  32,  Aurora  Township,  where  he  lived 
five  years.  He  then  moved  to  Owatonna, 
and  engaged  in  collecting;  from  there 
removed  to  Blooming  Prairie,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  hardware  and  machinery  busi- 
ness. After  six  months  he  sold  out  to  D. 
Giddings,  and  removed  to  his  present  home, 
where  he  carries  on  stock-raising  and  general 
farming.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Hattie  M. 
Bixby,  who  was  born  in  Canada,  September 
28, 18J:4.  They  have  four  children :  Fred.  E., 
born  November  13,  1866 ;  Frank  H.,  born 
March  18, 1871 ;  Herbert  E.,  born  March  24, 
1873,  and  Walter  N.,  born  June  23,  1876. 
Mr.  Curtis  belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Kepublic,  and  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  has  held  the  office  of  assessor,  took  the 
United  States  census  in  1880,  and  in  other 
ways  taken   an  active  part  in  public  matters. 

Jonas  G.  McLoud  is  located  on  section  33. 
He  was  born  in  Vermont,  August  0,  1821, 
He  left  home  at  fourteen,  to  do  for  himself, 
working  on  different  farms.  August  18, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Compan^'^  G,  Fourth  Ver- 
mont, and  was  discharged  June  29,  1865.  Mr. 
McLoud  was  taken  prisoner  June  23,  1864, 
at  Petersburg,  and  i-ealized  all  the  horrors 
of  Richmond,  Libby,  Belle  Isle  and  Anderson- 
ville  prisons.     He   was  released   December, 


1864.  He  then  returned  to  Vermont  and  re- 
mained until  1868,  when  he  came  to  Steele 
Counter,  Minn.  He  was  joined  in  marriage 
October  13,  1839,  to  Miss  Abbie  Ann  Morey, 
a  native  of  Vermont,  who  died  of  consump- 
tion, in  Burlington,  Vt.,  leaving  six  children  : 
Henry  H.,  Mai'illa  G.,  Clarissa,  Lucina,  Sam- 
uel and  Mary.  On  December  20,  1851,  he 
married  Mrs.  M.  Fisher,  who  was  born 
March  21,  1813,  her  first  husband  having 
died  March  7,  1845,  leaving  two  children. 
Mr.  McLoud  has  three  children  by  this  union  : 
Abbie  Ann,  Phila  P.  and  George  W.  Their 
daughter,  Abbie,  married  Henry  Henderson, 
and  resides  in  California;  George  W.,  mar. 
ried  Miss  Clara  Ellis,  a  native  of  Illinois,  and 
lives  in  Clinton  Falls  Township.  Phila  mar- 
ried Warren  Reynolds,  of  AVisconsin,  and 
they  also  live  in  Clinton  Falls  Township. 
Mr.  McLoud  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

Henry  J.  Cassidj'  purchased  his  present 
home  on  section  30,  in  Aurora  Township,  in 
1882,  andis  now  engaged  in  general  farming. 
He  was  born  in  Kenosha  Cit}^  Wis.,  August 
31,  1853,  and  came  to  Steele  Count}^  Minn., 
June  1,  1870.  He  settled  in  Lemond  Town- 
ship, where  he  lived  twelve  years ;  then  sold 
out  and  went  to  Dakota,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  shipping  horses.  His  parents  lo- 
cated in  Somerset  Township,  Steele  County, 
where  his  father's  death  occurred  October 
24,  1878.  He  was  buried  in  the  Owatonna 
cemetery.  His  mother  still  lives  in  Owaton- 
na. Henry  J.  Cassidy  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  A.  McCauley,  who  was  born  in 
Ireland,  January  4,  1854.  They  are  blessed 
with  three  children :  Ellen,  born  May  29, 1SS5; 
Alice,  born  April  30,  1886,  and  Henry  James, 
born  April  19,  1887.  Mr.  Cassidy  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  belongs  to  the  Catholic  Church. 

W.  C.  Lieb  is  the  jjresent  postmaster  and 
station  agent  at  Pratt's  Station  in  Aurora 
Township.  He  was  born  in  Germany,  June 
3,  1849,  and  came  to  Minnesota  in  1S80.  He 
remained  in  Owatonna  for  a  few  months, 
then  removed  to  Somerset  Station,  which  was 
afterward  named   Pratt.     He   has  held  his 


354 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


present  position  since  1882.  In  1876  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Matilda  Schofferle,  who  was  born 
in  Austria,  June  6,  1859.  They  liave  four 
children  :  William,  born  July  1, 1877 ;  George, 
born  October  28,  1879 ;  Charlotte,  born  May 
26,  1882,  and  Eva,  born  December  19,  1884. 
Mr.  Lieb  is  a  Eepublican  in  political  matters. 
His  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Christian  Johnson  is  located  on  section  14, 
Aurora  Township.  He  was  born  in  Denmark, 
July  9,  1859,  and  emigrated  from  Denmark 
in  1878  to  Owatonna,  Steele  County,  Minn., 
where  he  remained  a  few  months.  He  then 
went  to  Havanna  and  spent  two  years,  at 
which  time  he  settled  on  his  present  place. 
He  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Ene-elkino:, 
who  was  born  in  Illinois,. March  11,  1866. 
They  have  two  children :  Clara  Florence,  born 
July  18, 1884,  and  Luella  Emily,  born  March 
6,  1886.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics. The  family  belong  to  the  Seventh-day 
Adventists. 

EARLY  EVENTS. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that 
of  Gr.  E.  Dickinson,  a  son  of  Christopher 
Dickinson  and  wife,  born  February  23, 1857. 
The  boy  grew  to  manhood,  and  is  now  a 
druggist  at  Nunda,  111. 

The  second  birth  occurred  on  the  6th  of 
March,  1857,  when  Helen,  a  daughter,  was 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Amos  Coggswell. 

The  first  marriage  of  residents  of  the 
township  was  that  of  David  Bentley  to  Jane 
Hill,  which  occurred  as  early  as  1858.  The 
couple  borrowed  Mr.  Stapleton's  yoke  of 
oxen  and  went  to  Owatonna,  where  the  cer- 
emony was  performed. 

Another  early  marriage  was  that  of  Joseph 
Branning  and  Miss  Laura  Pettie,  July  7, 
1861.  They  were  married  in  Winona 
County. 

The  first  death  was  tliat  of  Mrs.  Stephen 
A.  Sargent,  which  occurred  on  the  1st  of 
September,  1856.  The  funeral  services  were 
conducted   by   Rev.  Harvey  Chapin.     This 


was  the  first  religious  service  in  the  town- 
ship. 

The  first  school  was  taught  in  the  summer 
of  1858,  in  a  log  schoolhouse  near  Amos 
Coggswell's,  by  Miss  Jane  Arnold,  afterward 
Mrs.  W.  Odell,  of  Owatonna.  There  are 
now  seven  schools  located  in  the  township. 

Charles  Adsit  and  G.  W.  Grimshaw  built 
the  first  house  and  done  the  first  breaking 
in  the  township.  The  house  was  built  on 
Charles  Adsit's  land.  The  breaking  was 
begun  on  the  line  between  their  claims. 

The  first  postofiice  in  the  township  was 
established  at  the  residence  of  Charles  Adsit, 
in  September,  1856,  under  the  name  of 
Aurora.  It  was  moved  into  Oak  Glen 
Township,  then  back  to  Mr.  Adsit's  place, 
where  it  remained  for  some  fourteen  j^ears, 
and  was  finally  located  at  Aurora  station, 
where  it  still  remains.  John  J.  Guthrie 
is  the  present  postmaster.  Charles  Adsit 
planted  the  first  corn  and  potatoes  in  the 
township. 

Pratt  postoffice-  was  established  later. 
W.  C.  Lieb  is  the  present  postmaster. 

ORGANIZATION. 

When  Steele  County  was  organized  in  the 
summer  of  1855,  the  territoiy  which  now 
forms  the  eastern  tier  of  townships  was  a 
part  of  Dodge  County,  and  it  did  not  be- 
come connected  with  Steele  County  until 
February,  1856.  On  the  6th  of  April,  1857, 
the  board  of  county  commissioners  set  off 
township  106,  range  19,  named  it  Aurora, 
and  authorized  its  organization.  The  first 
election  was  held  at  the  house  of  A.  B. 
Clark  on  section  22.  The  organization  of 
the  township  was  not  full}'  perfected  until 
the  11th  of  May,  1858,  when  a  full  set  of 
officers  were  elected. 

One  incident  in  relation  to  detaching  this 
tier  of  township  from  Dodge  and  annexing 
it  to  Steele  County  is  remembered.  The 
territory  was  annexed  to  Steele  County  in 
February,  1856,  and  in  the  winter  of  1856-7. 
Dodge  County  parties  came  through  Aurora 
with  a  petition,  asking  tliat  the   territory  be 


"-  ^ST-""^' 


^^^^V/'^ZA 


^^LA.A^^<^ 


HISTOKY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


357 


re-attached  to  Dodge.  About  all  the  citi- 
zens of  Aurora  refused  to  sign  the  petition  ; 
but  at  the  following  session  of  the  Legisla- 
ture the  same  petition  was  presented,  and 
strange  to  say,  it  appeared  signed  by  nearly 
all  the  citizens  of  Aurora,  some  one  having 
forged  them. 

The  official  history   of  the   township   has 
been"  uneventful,   the  oflRces  having  without 


exception  always  been  filled  by  capable  and 
honest  men. 

The  present  officers  of  the  township  (1887) 
are  as  follows  :  Supervisors,  Patrick  Keenan ; 
chairman,  Frank  McCauley  and  Tver  Ander- 
son ;  assessor,  Ole  Prestagaard ;  treasurer, 
August  Lindsey ;  clerk,  J.  J.  Guthrie ;  jus- 
tices, P.  McCrady  and  J.  K.  Bucklin ;  con- 
stable, John  Hogan. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


SOMERSET  TOWNSHIP. 


HIS  civil  township  embraces  con- 
g-ressional  township  106,  range  20. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the 
township  of  Owatonna ;  on  the 
east  by  Aurora ;  on  the  south  by 
Summit  and  on  the  west  by  Le- 
niond.  Straight  River  traverses 
tlie  western  portion  of  the  town- 
ship and  Turtle  Creek  flows  across 
the  northern  poi-tion.  The  river  is  fringed  by 
a  moderately  heavy  belt  of  timber,  and 
lieavy  timber  extends  from  Turtle  Creek 
northward.  Originally  about  all  of  the  town- 
ship was  made  up  of  timber  and  oak  open- 
ings. The  timber  is  composed  mainly  of 
oak,  pop]ile,  black  oak,  and  a  little  black  wal- 
nut. The  soil  is  generally  a  black  loam, 
which  is  rich  and  fertile,  and  very  productive, 
being  well  adapted  for  raising  all  the  cereals 
common  to  this  latitude.  The  population 
here  is  mixed,  the  present  settlement  being 
principally  composed  of  Germans,  Bohemians 
and  a  few  Irish,  Americans,  Scandinavians, 
and  other  nationalities.  The  earlier  settlers 
were  mainly  Americans.  In  1857  the  town- 
ship had  a  population  of  207.  In  1885  this 
had  grown  to  833. 

EARLY    SETrLEMENT. 

The  earliest  settlement  in  Somerset  of 
which  we  can  find  any  trace  was  made  in 
1855  by  Thomas  Thompson,  who  located  on 
section  1.  He  remained  here  until  1881  when 
he  removed  to  near  Fargo.  He  erected  the 
first  log  cabin  in  the  township,  and  was  the 
only  settler  who  came  that  year. 

In  1856,  —  on  May  27, — three  brothers, 
Levi,  William  and  Albert  Bailey  came,  and 


Levi  took  his  claim  on  the  1st  of  June.  Dur 
ing  the  same  year  the  following  named  all 
came :  Jesse  Healey,  William  B.  Higgins, 
Jacob  J.  Harris,  Thomas  Kenyon,  E.  Lagro, 
Joseph  Irvin,  Dexter  Smith,  O.  Fisher,  Charles 
Dunster,  J.  Leslie,  Cornelius  Dunham,  Mr 
Hartshorn,  Samuel  Greenwood,  C.  Borchart^ 
F.  Borchart,  H.  Borchart,  Charles  Wilcox, 
Phelps  Case,  William  Case,  George  Vincent, 
Gilbert  Gross,  Calvin  Gross,  Oscar  Gross, 
Daniel  Gross,  Elias  Hahn,  T.  J.  Clark,  O.  A. 
Barnes,  David  Barnes,  Henry  and  John  Cat- 
lin,  Charles  Ellison,  Charles  R.  Knowlton, 
John  A.  Knowlton,  Warren  Fisher,  James  E. 
Hughes,  T.  C.  Minthorn  and  others. 

Nearly  all  the  settlers  of  that  year  in  Som 
erset  were  natives  of  New   York,  Pennsyl. 
vania,  Wisconsin  or  the  New  England  States. 

The  township  filled  up  very  rapidl}'  and 
nearly  all  of  the  choice  government  land 
was  taken  was  during  1856. 

FIRST    EVENTS. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  township  occur- 
red in  July,  1858.  The  parties  were  Alex- 
ander Hissam  and  Miss  Rachel  Bill. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  a 
daughter,  Ellen,  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T. 
Jefferson  Clark,  in  1856. 

The  second  birth  in  the  township  occurred 
on  the  11th  of  April,  1857,  when  John  J. 
Healej',  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  Healey, 
was  born. 

The  first  death  in  the  township  was  that 
of  Mr.  Manna  Case,  which  occurred  in  July, 
1858. 

The  first  school  was  taught  in  the  summer 
of  1850  by  Miss  Phoebe  Kenyon,  in  the  attic 


358 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


359 


of  the  residence  of  Dr.  Thomas  Kenyon,  and 
by  vh"tue  of  the  elevated  position  of  the 
I'oora  it  was  denominated  the  "  high  school." 

The  first  schoolhouse  was  erected  in  dis- 
trict No.  iO,  in  1857,  and  Eliza  Sawyer 
taught  the  first  school  in  the  house.  Thei'e 
are  now  six  school  districts  in  the  township. 

The  first  postofflce  in  the  township  was 
established  in  1857  with  Dr.  Thomas  Ken- 
yon as  postmaster.  It  was  then  called  Som- 
erset PostofSce.  Succeeding  Dr.  Ken3'on 
the  following  were  postmasters  in  the  order 
named  :  Charles  Ellison,  Mr.  Bill,  Dr.  W.  H. 
Twiford,  Lewis  Robinson,  "W.  R.  Catlin  and 
D.  M.  Smith.  The  last  named  is  the  present 
postmaster.  A  number  of  years  ago  the 
name  of  the  office  was  changed  to  '•  River 
Point,"  which  it  still  retains. 

A  postofflce  was  establislied  a  number  of 
years  ago  under  the  name  of  "  Steele  Center." 
M.  D.  "Whitman  is  the  present  postmaster  of 
this  office. 

VILLAGES. 

A  village  called  "  Somerset  "  was  platted 
on  section  20  in  this  township,  in  1856,  by 
John  and  William  Catlin  and  Charles  Ellison. 
They  divided  a  forty-acre  tract  into  streets, 
lots  and  blocks,  and  the  establishment  of  a 
postofflce  under  the  name  of  Somerset  was 
secured.  A  store  building  was  erected  but 
was  never  occupied  as  a  store,  and  finally, 
after  considerable  efl'ort  on  the  part  of  those 
interested,  the  project  was  abandoned  and 
the  site  reverted  to  farm  property. 

In  1857  a  village  named  "  Elmira "  was 
laid  out  on  section  18  near  the  township  line 
by  Thomas  Twiford,  who  platted  about 
eighty  acres  of  land.  A  company  was 
formed  through  wliich  a  dam  was  thrown 
across  Straight  Rivei-  and  a  sawmill  was 
erected.  A  frame  hotel  was  erected,  whicli 
in  those  days  was  considei'ed  a  credit  to 
the  county.  Mr.  Twiford  also  established 
a  store.  An  earnest  and  determined  effort 
was  made  to  start  a  town  here,  and  con- 
siderable  stress    was   laid    upon    the    pros- 


pects of  the  embryo  city  as  to  county- 
seat  honors.  Five  or  six  thousand  dollars 
was  expended  in  placing  the  village  on  a 
good  foundation  ;  but  as  it  failed  to  get  the 
railroad,  the  proprietor  gave  up  ho^ie  and 
finally  vacated  the  plat. 

ORGANIZATION. 

Wlien  Steele  County  was  organized  in 
August,  1855,  the  territory  which  now  forms 
Somerset  became  a  part  of  Owatonna  Town- 
ship. It  remained  in  this  connection  until 
April  6,  1857,  when  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  set  off  and  authorized  the  or- 
ganization of  Somerset.  The  act  was  re- 
peated in  the  spring  of  1858.  A  complete 
organization  was  not  effected  until  the  11th 
of  May,  1858,  when  a  full  list  of  offlcers 
was  elected  including  T.  C.  Minthorn,  chair- 
man of  su))ervisors,  and  W.  H.  Sherman, 
town  clerk.  Among  others  who,  in  early 
days,  were  prominent  in  township  affairs 
and  held  important  township  offices,  were : 
Thomas  Thompson,  W.  H.  Sherman,  J.  W. 
Doolittle,  Seth  Hotchkiss,  Thomas  Kenyon, 
H.  M.  Bill,  F.  B.  Doolittle,  Augustus  Theile, 
Dexter  Smith,  Phelps  Case,  Manley  Curtis, 
Charles  Ellison  and  John  Anderson. 

The  present  officers  of  the  township  are 
as  follows :  Supervisors,  W.  A.  Pratt, 
chairman,  James  J.  Healey  and  James  Mar- 
ion Jr.;  clerk,  Jacob  J.  Harris ;  assessor,  L. 
F.  Pike ;  treasurer.  Dexter  Smith ;  justice  of 
the  peace,  L.  F.  Pike. 

A    REMINISCENCE. 

Dexter  Smith,  Esq.,  in  1868,  wrote  the 
following  in  regard  to  the  history  of  this 
township  :  "  The  prevailing  characteristics  of 
the  inhabitants  are  honesty,  industry  and  in- 
pendence  in  thougiit  and  deed.  The  medical 
profession  was  at  one  time  represented  by 
Drs.  Thomas  Kenyon  and  W.  H.  Twiford, 
but  owing  to  the  'alarming  healthfulness  '  of 
this  locality  their  'pill  bags'  were  early  con- 
signed to  the  cabinet  of  antediluvian  curiosi- 
ties, and  the}^  took  to  farming  as  a  more 
lucrative  business.      Dr.  Twiford  however, 


360 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


aftei'ward  resumed  practice  and  now  has  an 
extensive  business  at  Geneva,  Minn.  The 
legal -profession,  has  no  representative;  the 
people  have  too  much  sense  to  spend  their 
substance  in  litigation  for  the  benefit  of  that 
fraternity. 

"  The  pioneers  in  this  town  were  without 
exception  poor  men,  and  suffered  all  the  pri- 
vations incident  to  the  opening  up  of  a  new 
country.  For  several  years  our  wardrobes 
and  larders  seldom  contained  anything  but 
the  absolute  necessaries  of  life ;  and  I  might 
cite  3'ou  to  moi'e  than  one  case  where  to 
'  keep  the  wolf  from  the  door,'  we  subsisted 
ourselves  and  our  little  ones,  on  forage  only 
suited  to  the  cattle  on  the  hills;  but  in  hope 
and  faith,  and  trust  in  the  promises,  and  the 
vigorous  strokes  of  our  good  right  arms,  we 
struggled  on,  and  the  seasons  as  they  came 
and  went  never  wholly  failed  to  leave  some 
token  for  the  encouragement  of  renewed 
effort." 

EAELY    SETPLEKS    AND    PROMINENT    CITIZENS. 

Levi  Bailey  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
October  17,  1832.  His  parents  w^ere  also 
natives  of  Pennsylvania,  and  were  engaged 
at  farming.  Tiiey  had  five  children,  Levi 
being  the  oldest.  He  took  his  claim  in  Steele 
County,  Minn..  June  1,  1856,  where  he  still 
resides.  In  August,  1853,  Mr.  Bailey  was 
married  to  Miss  Sarah  Card,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  August  11,  1832.  They 
have  twelve  children  :  Leander,  born  April 
4,  1854;  Melvin,  born  September  3,1855; 
Edgar,  born  September  2,  1857;  Ahce,  born 
January  24.  1859 ;  Maria,  born  Marcli  15, 
1860;  Ida,  born  October  3,  1861;  Nelson, 
born  June  29,  1863 ;  Hiram,  born  March  15, 
1865;  Lemuel,  born  Decemljer  21,  1867; 
Cleos,  born  September  8,  1869;  Elmer,  born 
August  11,  1870,  and  Fred,  born  April  30, 
1875.  Alice,  Maria,  Ida  and  Nelson  are 
mari'ied.  Mr.  Bailey  is  a  Republican  in  pol- 
itics. He  has  been  supervisor  of  the  town- 
ship for  six  years ;  he  has  also  been  school 
district  treasurer  of  district  No.  12  for  six- 


teen years,  and  he  still  holds  the  office,  and 
in  many  ways  has  been  prominent  in  public 
affairs.  Mr.  Bailey  is  at  present  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising,  devoting 
his  attention  chiefly  to  short-horned  Durham 
cattle  and  Percheron  horses.  He  has  two 
half-blooded  Percheron  stallions  and  some 
six  or  eight  half-blooded  Percheron  mares. 
His  cattle  grade  from  one-half  to  seven- 
eighths  short  horn.  He  also  does  an  exten- 
sive business  in  Cotswold  sheep,  and  is 
among  the  most  prominent  stock-raisers  in 
the  county. 

Jesse  Healey  was  born  in  England,  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1832.  When  nineteen  years  of 
age  he  came  to  America,  locating  in  Jeffer- 
son County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming  for  two  years.  He  then  came  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 
In  1856  Mr.  Healey  came  to  Steele  Countj', 
Minn.,  locating  on  his  })resent  place  on  sec- 
tion 21,  Somerset  Township,  where  he  is  still 
carrying  on  general  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. Mr.  Healey  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Mary  Lee,  who  was  born  in  Ireland, 
December  21,  1834.  They  have  four  chil- 
dren :  James  Harris,  born  September  8, 1855; 
John  Jesse,  born  April  11,  1857;  Geoi-ge 
Jacob,  born  August  29,  1858,  and  Mary  Ann, 
born  November  29,  1859.  In  1878  James 
married  Miss  Martha  Thompson,  a  native  of 
Iowa.  They  located  at  once  in  Somerset 
Township,  where  they  engaged  in  farming. 
They  have  two  children:  Lawrence  and 
Laura.  George  was  married  in  1886  to  iliss 
Mary  A.  Marion,  also  a  native  of  Iowa.  They 
reside  in  Somerset  Townshij),  and  are  also 
engaged  in  farming.  Mary  was  united  in 
marriage  in  June,  1885,  to  Mr.  James  Marion, 
of  Iowa.  They  are  at  present  i-esiding  in 
Somerset  Township  engaged  in  farming. 
Jesse  Healey,  our  subject,  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  He  lias  been  chairman  of  the  town 
board.  He  was  elected  as  one  of  the  county 
commissioners  in  1881 ;  reelected  in  1884, 
and  served  till  1887.  Mr.  Healey  has  also 
been  treasurer  of  his  township,  besides  hold- 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


3fil 


ing  many  other  local  offices,  and  has  always 
taken  a  prominent  part  m  public  affairs. 

Dexter  Smith,  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Somerset  Township,  was  born  in  New 
York,  September  13,  1822.  His  father  was 
a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and  his  mother  a 
native  of  New  Jersey.  Mr.  Smith  left  home 
at  the  age  of  twenty-one  to  care  for  himself. 
After  teaching  school  for  eight  years,  he  en- 
gaged in  farming,  which  business  he  still  fol- 
lows. In  1856  Mr.  Smith  located  on  section  21, 
in  Somerset  Township,  Steele  County,  Minn., 
where  he  still  lives.  He  has  been  twice  mar- 
ried. First  on  November  19, 18-48,  to  Miss  Jane 
McMillen,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1830, 
and  is  now  deceased.  She  left  three  children  : 
D  wight,  born  March  21 ,  1850;  Abbie,  born 
January  5,  1853,  and  Hortense,  born  Janu- 
ary 22,  1858.  Mr.  Smith  was  again  married, 
October  14,  1859,  to  Miss  Berthania  Butter- 
field,  a  native  of  New  York.  They  have  one 
child,  Dexter  M.,  born  September  19,  1862. 
In  1876  Dwight  was  married  to  Miss  Annie 
Stewart,  a  native  of  Wisconsin.  They  reside 
at  present  in  Dakota.  They  have  three 
children.  Abbie  married  Walter  Kenyon,  a 
native  of  New  York,  They  have  one  child, 
Robert  B.  Their  home  is  in  Big  Stone 
Count\',  Minn.  Hortense  was  married  in 
1883,  to  Alexander  Young.  They  reside  in 
Dakota.  Dexter  Smith,  our  subject,  is  a 
Prohibitionist  in  politics.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  town  board  for  four  years  ;  is 
at  present  town  treasurer,  and  has  taken  an 
active  interest  in  public  matters,  all  through 
the  many  years  he  has  lived  here. 

Oscar  Gross  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
December  3,  1836.  His  father  was  a  native 
of  Vermont,  and  his  mother  a  native  of  New 
York.  His  father  was  a  farmer.  Oscar 
Gross  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  in  1856, 
locating  on  section  9,  in  this  township.  In 
May,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  First 
Minnesot'a  (Second  Army  Corps),  and  was 
discharged  in  September,  1861.  He  was  un- 
der Capt.  McKune  for  some  three  months, 
afterward  under  Capt.  Messick.     Mr.    Gross 


participated  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  where 
he  received  three  gun-shot  wounds  in  the 
left  limb,  hip  and  arm.  After  having  the 
main  arter\'  of  his  arm  severed,  he  walked 
some  thirty-six  miles  before  he  could  receive 
the  necessarj'  medical  treatment.  He  then 
entered  the  hospital.  After  being  discharged 
he  returned  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating 
again  on  section  16,  where  he  had  moved  be- 
fore enlisting.  He  has  since  resided  in  Somer- 
set Township,  on  the  same  section.  Mr.  Gross 
was  married  April  7,  1863,  to  ]\Iiss  Mary 
P.  Stewart,  who  was  born  in  Canada,  July 
25, 1843,  her  parents  being  natives  of  New 
York,  They  have  three  children :  Carrie, 
born  Ma}' 15,  1864;  Julia,  born  March  27, 
1867,  and  Daniel,  born  May  19,  1870.  Julia, 
married  L.  P.  Clements,  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin, and  they  reside  in  St.  Paul.  Carrie  mar- 
ried Henry  Langdon,  a  native  of  Franklin 
County,  N.  Y.  They  are  located  in  Wis- 
consin. Daniel  is  living  at  home.  Mr. 
Gross  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
at  Owatonna. 

Gilbeit  Gross  was  born  in  New  York, 
June  20,  1830.  His  parents,  Daniel  and 
Maria  Gross,  were  natives  of  New  York.  In 
July,  1856,  Gilbert  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged 
in  general  farming.  In  his  father's  family' 
there  were  four  children,  three  boys  and  one 
girl:  Calvin,  Gilbert,  Oscar  and  Malvina. 
Malvina  married  Chester  Newton,  a  native 
of  Ohio.  Oscar  has  already  been  mentioned. 
Gilbert  Gross  was  married  May  2,  1852,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Y.  Wall,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who 
was  born  June  18,  1830.  They  have  seven 
children,  as  follows :  Adaline,  born  July  31, 
1853;  Gilbert,  born  February  13,  1855; 
Perrjr,  born  September  12,  1857;  Wallace, 
born  March  5,  1859 ;  Adalade,  born  Feb- 
ruary 6,  1862  ;  Martin,  born  May  22,  1867, 
and  Henry,  born  March  17,  1872.  Three  of 
them  are  living  at  home,  Adaline,  Adalade 
and  Gilbert  being  married.  Mr.  Gross 
enlisted  December  1,   1863,  in  the   Second 


362 


HIST(1RY    OF    STEELE   COUNTT. 


Minnesota  Cavalry,  and  was  discharged 
November  21,  1865.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics  ;  was  elected  school  director  in  1866 
and  served  one  year,  and  has  been  other- 
wise active  in  local  matters. 

Jacob  J.  Ilari'is,  one  of  the  most  promi- 
nent citizens  of  Somerset  Township,  is  a 
native  of  the  town  of  Hounsfield,  Jeflferson 
County,  N.  Y.,  his  birthday  being  Decem- 
ber 23,  1834.  His  ancestors  were  English, 
and  his  forefathers  for  four  or  five  genera- 
tions back  had  borne  the  name  of  John 
Harris.  His  father,  John  Harris,  was  born 
at  Hanley,  Parish  of  Witnej^  Oxfordshire, 
England,  on  the  10th  of  March,  1810.  He 
grew  to  manhood  there,  and  about  1832  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Ann  Faulks,  who  was 
the  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
John  Harris  learned  the  trade  of  a  "  mill- 
wright," and  worked  in  and  about  the 
famous  "Witney  mills  during  his  younger 
days,  early  in  this  centur\'.  In  the  summer 
of  1834  he  came  to  America  with  his  family 
and  located  in  the  town  of  Hounsfield,  Jef- 
ferson County,  N.  Y.  He  continued  at  his 
trade  in  that  portion  of  the  countr}',  working 
in  the  mills  at  Oswego,  "Washingtonville, 
Camps  mills,  Brownsville,  and  erected  a  mill 
at  AVolfe  Island,  Canada.  He  moved  the 
family  from  Hounsfield  to  Stoney  Island,  at 
the  foot  of  Lake  Ontario,  remained  there 
about  two  years,  then  located  at  Point 
Peninsula,  in  the  same  county.  Here  they 
remained  for  a  number  of  years,  then  re- 
moved to  Dexter,  at  the  foot  of  Black  River, 
and  after  a  number  of  years  settled  at  Wolfe 
Island,  where  they  were  living  when  the 
father  died,  in  June,  1882.  In  the  meantime 
the  family  had  been  growing  in  size,  as  tiieir 
union  had  resulted  in  the  following  sons  and 
daughters :  Caroline,  a  daughter,  was  born 
in  England,  January  10,  1834;  she  married 
John  Fawdrey,  and  they  are  now  living  in 
the  town  of  Iloiinsfield,  Jeflferson  County, 
N".  Y.  John  Jacob  (or  Jacob  J.),  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  Hounsfield, 
N.  Y.,  December  23.  1834;  now   a  resident 


of  Somerset  Township.  Luther,  born  Sep- 
tember 26, 1836,  and  now  living  on  the  old 
homestead  on  Long  Island,  the  mother  living 
with  him ;  Christopher,  born  May  24,  1838, 
now  living  at  Dog  Lake  Mills,  Canada ; 
Maria  Amelia,  born  November  23,  1839, 
now  Mi's.  James  Hunter,  living  at  Lake 
Opinecon,  Canada ;  William,  born  January 
10,  1841,  died  on  Long  Island  when  about 
thirty -five  years  of  age.  This  comprises  the 
father's  family. 

Jacob  J.  Harris  remained  at  home  until 
sixteen  years  of  age,  working  the  farm — all 
labor  and  little  or  no  schooling  being  his 
lot.  During  these  years  times  were  very 
hard,  money  was  scarce  and  as  is  usual  in 
such  times,  the  more  mouths  in  a  family  to 
feed  and  the  more  bodies  to  clothe,  the 
heavier  is  the  burden  thrown  upon  the 
father.  Realizing  this,  in  about  the  year 
1850,  Jacob  Harris  set  out  to  provide  for 
himself,  his  worldly  possessions  consisting  of 
a  home-made  suit  of  clothes  and  one  of  the 
old  "  thin  York  shillings  "  in  his  pocket ;  but 
he  had  a  stout  heart  and  willing  hands. 
Within  a  few  days  he  brought  up  at  Sack- 
ett's  Harbor,  where  he  got  a  place  as  com- 
mon sailor  on  board  the  sailing  vessel  "  Her- 
bridge,"  and  began  life  on  his  own  account 
as  a  sailor  on  the  great  lakes.  He  remained 
with  that  vessel  until  it  was  burned  at 
Oswego,  July  6,  1851.  He  continued  for 
ten  years  to  sail  in  different  vessels,  some- 
times as  a  sailor  and  again  as  mate,  now  on 
a  sailing  vessel  and  again  on  a  propeller. 
Late  in  the  "fifties,"  getting  tired  of  work- 
ing for  others,  Jacob,  in  company  with  his 
oldest  brothers,  built  a  sailing  vessel.  He 
afterward  purchased  his  brothers'  interests 
and  operated  the  vessel  for  nearly  seven 
years,  when  he  sold  out.  He  soon  built 
another  sailing  vessel,  the  "  Mary  Fox," 
which  he  owned  and  commanded  for  seven 
years,"  and  then  sold  it.  In  the  meantime, 
in  1856,  he  had  left  his  vessel  long  enough 
to  come  out  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  and 
preempted  160  acres  of  land  on  section  22, 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   CO0NTY. 


363 


Somerset  Township.  Occasionally,  during 
these  j'ears,  he  had  been  here,  but  only  re- 
mained a  short  time.  After  selling  the 
"  Mary  Fox,"  Capt.  Harris  decided  to  live 
for  a  time  upon  land  instead  of  water,  and 
accordingly  on  the  lith  of  May,  1874,  he 
moved  to  Minnesota,  and  on  that  day  located 
upon  his  farm  in  the  town  of  Somerset, 
having  all  these  years  held  his  land.  On 
the  30th  of  August,  1871,  he  had  married 
Mrs.  Catherine  Harkin,  widow  of  William 
Harkin,  whose  maiden  name  was  Catherine 
Miller.  She  had  two  children  by  her  first 
marriage :  Sarah  Jane,  who  is  now  Mrs. 
AVilliam  MuUenhaeur,  a  resident  of  section 
16,  Somerset  Township,  and  Lizzie,  now 
Mrs.  Dwight  Hunter,  of  Medford  Township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris  still  live  upon  their 
farm  in  Somerset  Township,  and  are  widely 
known  and  resjiected.  The  farm  is  among 
the  best  in  the  township,  fitted  with  its 
large  red  barns,  capacious  granaries  and  ele- 
gant and  comfortable  dwelling.  While 
abundantly  able  to  rest  from  their  labors, 
yet  they  continue  from  force  of  habit  to 
sow  and  reap.  Mr.  Harris  has  been  promi- 
nent in  all  public  matters,  and  is  the  present 
clerk  of  the  township. 

Dr.  Thomas  Kenyon,  deceased,  was  born 
in  New  York,  November  29, 1812.  His  par- 
ents were  natives  of  New  York  and  followed 
farming.  There  were  thirteen  children, 
Thomas  being  the  oldest.  Our  subject  came 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  in  1856,  and  lo- 
cated on  section  20,  in  Somerset  Township, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming  and  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine.  He  was  married  August 
18,  1833,  to  Miss  Mary  Smith,  who  was  born 
in  New  York,  August  14,  1818.  Her  par- 
ents were  also  natives  of  New  York.  Dr. 
Kenj'on  and  wife  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children :  Marion,  Phebe,  Eliza,  Edgar, 
Lois,  Walter,  Willis,  Frank,  Darwin  and 
Fred.  Marion  married  J.  Clark,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania  ;  Phebe,  married  Geo.  Crooker. 
of  Owatonna  ;  Eliza  married  L.  Eobinson, 
also  of  Owatonna;  Edgar  married  Miss  Al- 


lecia  Twiford,  a  native  of  Indiana;  Lois 
married  S.  Anderson,  also  of  Indiana;  Wal- 
ter married  Miss  Abbie  Smith,  of  New  York, 
and  Willis  married  Miss  Ann  Swezel,  a  na- 
tive of  Minnesota ;  Frank  married  Miss 
Sarah  Hurlbert,  a  native  of  Missouri;  Fred, 
married  Miss  Minnie  Swezel.  Dr.  Kenyon 
followed  farming  and  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine until  his  death,  which  occurred  April 
17,  1882.  Pev.  Tanner,  of  Owatonna, 
preached  his  funeral  sermon,  which  was  held 
in  the  Bailey  schoolhouse  and  was  largelj' 
attended.  He  was  buiied  in  Somerset  Town- 
ship. He  was  a  man  highly  respected  by 
all  who  knew  him,  and  in  his  death  Steele 
Count\'  lost  one  of  its  most  prominent  citi- 
zens.    His  widow  still  survives  him. 

John  J.  Graif  was  born  in  Chicago,  111., 
October  29,  1854.  His  parents  were  Mr. 
M.  and  Tracia  (Hackle)  Graif.  Mr.  Graif 
Sr.  and  family  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
at  an  earljr  day,  locating  on  section  8,  Som- 
erset Township,  engaging  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising,  which  business  they 
have  since  followed.  John  J.  Graif  was 
married  July  12,  1881,  to  Miss  Mary  A. 
Frenen,  a  native  of  Oshkosh,  Wis.  They 
have  one  child,  Mary,  born  March  15,  1886. 
Mr.  Graif  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

William  Addison  Pratt  was  born  in  Stock- 
bridge,  Windsor  County,  Vt.,  November  20, 
1829.  His  parents  were  Liberty  and  Mary 
Pratt,  both  natives  of  Massachusetts,  his 
father  being  a  farmer.  There  were  four 
children  in  the  father's  family :  Martha, 
Caroline,  Lucy  and  William.  The  three 
sisters  are  dead,  William  Ijeing  the  only 
living  child.  His  mother  died  during  the 
year  1847,  and  his  father  in  1873.  Wm.  A. 
left  home  when  about  seventeen  years  of 
age  to  care  for  himself.  He  served  as  an  ap- 
prentice for  three  years  at  the  shoemaker's 
trade,  driving  a  team  on  the  road  during  the 
summer  months.  He  was  married  Novem- 
ber 4,  1853,  to  Miss  Sarah  Gertrude  Seger, 
who    was    born    in    Vermont,    October   23. 


364 


HISTORY    OF    STEEI.K    COUNTY. 


1829.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Vermont 
and  Connecticut,  and  there  were  seven  chil- 
dren in  her  father's  family.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pratt  had  five  children :  Mary  Susan,  born 
December  15,  1856;  Frank  A.  (deceased), 
born  December  30,  1858;  Vinton  W.  (de- 
ceased), born  December  31,  1860;  Carrie  S., 
born  June  18,  1866,  and  Kay  A.,  born 
August  25,  1868.  Mary  was  married  Feljru- 
ary  2,  1876,  to  Mr.  McDougall,  of  Green 
Bay,  Wis.  They  have  four  children  :  Effie, 
born  June  9,  1877;  Edith,  born  January  20, 
1879;  Roy,  born  September  15,  1880,  and 
Eoss,  born  November  12,  1885.  William  A. 
Pratt  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  June 
18,  1860,  and  located  on  section  12,  Somerset 
Township,  where  he  still  lives.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics;  has  been  chairman  of 
the  board  of  town  supervisors  for  six 
yeai's,  besides  having  been  supervisor  a  num- 
ber of  times  before.  Mr.  Pratt  has  h'eld  the 
office  of  school  district  director  and  clerk 
for  some  fifteen  years,  and  has  taken  an 
active  part  in  public  matters.. 

Julius  Kabage,  a  prominent  farmer  located 
on  section  22,  Somerset  Township,  was  born 
in  Sac  County,  Wis.,  November  1,  1855.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Prussia.  His  father 
died  in  May,  1876,  in  Steele  County,  Minn., 
and  his  mother  is  still  living.  Our  subject, 
at  the  age  of  twentj^-two,  left  home  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world,  and  located  on  a 
farm  in  Owatonna  Township,  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  in  November,  1861.  After  remaining 
there  for  some  time  he  moved  to  Somerset 
Township.  Mr.  Kabage  was  married  June 
24,  1877,  to  Miss  Barbara  Kovars,  a  native 
of  Bohemia.  Her  mother  is  dead,  and  her 
father  is  still  living.  There  were  eight  chil- 
dren in  hei'  father's  family.  Mr.  Kabage  and 
wife  have  six  children:  Henry,  born  Decem- 
ber 26,  1878 ;  Mary,  born  January  20,  1880  ; 
Josephine,  born  February  28,  1881 ;  Katie, 
l)orn  June  24,  1882 ;  Joseph,  born  October 
26,  1883,  and  Rosia,  born  May  20,  1884,  all 
of  whom  are  living  at  home.  i\[r.  Kabage  is 
a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 


John  L.  Turk  was  born  in  Prussia,  Novem- 
ber 1.  1836.  His  parents  were  also  natives  of 
Prussia.  There  were  nine  children  in  his 
father's  family,  six  of  whom  are  living  at  the 
present  time.  Two  reside  in  Prussia,  the 
other  four  live  in  America.  Mr.  Turk  came 
to  America  June  6,  1864,  and  after  remain- 
ing a  few  days  in  Baltimore  and  Chicago, 
came  to  La  Crosse  where  he  remained  from 
June  16,  until  the  following-  December.  He 
then  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating 
in  Owatonna,  December  21,  1864.  After  re- 
maining there  for  two  years,  he  removed  to 
Somerset  Township,  locating  on  section  16, 
where  he  has  since  remained,  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  has  at  the 
present  time  a  good  farm  of  192  acres.  Mr. 
Turk  was  married  June  8, 1868,  to  Miss  Hen- 
rietta Chandler,  a  native  of  Prussia,  who 
died,  leaving  one  child  :  Willie,  born  August 
18,  1869.  Mr.  Turk's  second  wife  was  Miss 
Augusta  Miller,  who  was  born  in  1851.  They 
have  five  children :  John,  Eda,  Bettie,  Celia 
and  Huldah.  Mr.  Turk  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  and  he  and  his  family  l)elong  to  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Frederick  E.  Degner,  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  in  1865.  He  was  born  in 
Pru.ssia,  April  4,  1838.  His  father  was  a 
shoemaker  in  Prussia.  Fred.  E.  Degner  left 
home  when  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  and 
came  to  America  in  1855,  locating  in  Wiscon- 
sm,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  until 
August  16, 1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany H,  Twenty -third  Wisconsin  Infantry. 
July  25, 1865,  he  was  discharged,  having  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Fort  Hineman, 
Vicksburg,  Mobile  and  Spanish  Fort.  After 
the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Degner  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  on  section  11, 
Somerset  Township,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained, engaged  in  farming  and  stock-rais- 
ing. Mr.  Degner  was  married  November  19, 
1868,  to  Miss  Marv  Elizabeth  Grass,  a  native 
of  Denmark.  They  have  six  children  :  Mary 
Ida,  born  December  13,  1869  ;  Albert  Will- 
iam,  born     February     12,    1872 ;    Augusta 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


365 


Ellen,  born  October  14,  1874;  Ernest  Otto, 
born  April  30,  1877  ;  George  Edward,  born 
December  7, 1882,  and  Alma  Julia,  born  July 
4,  1886,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home. 
Mr.  Degner  is  a  Kepnblican  in  politics,  and  is 
one  of  Somerset's  most  prominent  men.  He 
has  been  chairman  of  the  town  board  one 
year,  town  supervisor  four  years,  and  also 
school  director  of  district  twenty-five  for  nine 
years,  and  still  holds  that  office.  Mr.  Degner 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Elias  Hahn  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
in  June,  1856.  He  was  born  in  Ohio,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1828,  his  pai'ents  being  William 
and  Marj'  (Centz)  Hahn,  natives  of  Mary- 
land. There  were  nine  children  in  his 
father's  family,  all  of  whom  were  farmers. 
Our  subject,  Elias,  when  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  began  life  for  himself,  learning  and 
working  at  the  carpenter's  trade  for  seven 
years.  He  then  came  to  Minnesota,  locating 
at  Northfield,  where  he  remained  for  one 
year.  He  then,  in  1856,  came  to  Steele 
County,  locating  on  section  3,  Somerset 
Township,  where  he  has  since  lived,  engaged 
in  general  farming.  Mr.  Hahn  was  married 
August  21,  1853,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hahn, 
a  native  of  Ohio.  They  have  two  children 
living:  Mary,  born  June  10,  1858,  and  Edna, 
born  September  15,  1860,  both  of  whom  are 
living  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hahn  have 
lost  three  children  :  Milton,  who  died  Novem- 
ber 8,  1854;  Howard,  who  died  February 
7,  1863,  and  Sarah,  who  died  August  6, 
1865,  all  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Mr, 
Hahn  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  has 
been  town  treasurer  for  seven  years,  town 
supervisor  for  one  year,  and  has  held  the 
office  of  road  overseer  for  seven  or  eight 
years.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  Church. 

Fred.  Sette  was  born  in  "Wisconsin,  April 
19,  1855.  His  parents,  Carl  and  Minnie 
(France)  Sette,  were  natives  of  Prussia. 
There  were  twelve  children  in  liis  father's 
familjs  five  boys  and  seven  girls,  three  of 


whom  are  dead.  Tavo  of  the  boys  reside  in 
Dakota;  the  other  remaining  brothers  and 
sisters  live  in  Minnesota.  Mr.  Sette  left  home 
when  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  to  make 
his  way  in  the  world.  .June  1,  1865,  they 
came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  in 
Owatonna  Township.  In  1879  Fred,  re- 
moved to  section  32,  Somerset  Township, 
where  he  has  since  remained,  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising.  Mr. 
Sette  was  married  October  22,  1879,  to  Miss 
Hattie  Panzer,  who  was  born  in  Prussia, 
October  15,  1857.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren :  Edna,  born  July  28,  1880 ;  Albert, 
born  October  15,  1881,  and  Frederick,  born 
April  17,  1885.  Mr.  Sette  is  a  Republican 
in  politics.  He  and  his  family  belong  to  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Frederick  Ost  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  February  1,  1834.  His  father  was  a 
shepherd  in  Germany,  and  died  in  February, 
1850.  His  mother  died  in  about  1845. 
Frederick  Ost  came  to  America,  August  2, 
1864,  and  went  to  Quebec,  Canada,  where  he 
remained  a  short  time.  He  then  came  to 
Chicago,  111.,  and  thence  to  Wisconsin, 
where  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  eight  months. 
He  then  went  to  Rochester,  Minn.,  and  on 
May  8,  1865,  he  came  to  Steele  County, 
locating  in  Owatonna,  where  he  worked  at 
the  carpenter's  trade  for  five  years.  He 
then  removed  to  section  4,  Somerset  Town- 
ship, where  he  is  now  living,  engaged  in 
general  farming.  Mr.  Ost  was  married  Sep- 
tember 14,  1867,  to  Miss  Augusta  Sette  who 
was  born  in  Wisconsin,  June  28, 1849.  They 
have  eight  children :  Mary,  born  January  1 , 
1869;  Augusta,  born  November  30,  1873; 
Charles,  born  November  6,  1875 ;  Albert, 
born  August  26,  1877  ;  Anna,  born  Novem- 
ber 25,  1879  ;  Bertie,  born  August  15,  1881; 
Gustaf,  born  May  9,  1885,  and  Alma,  born 
May  31,  1887,  all'  of  whom  are  living  at 
home.  Mr.  Ost  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
He  and  his  family  belong  to  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Christian  Peterson    was   born    December 


36f5 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE  COUNTY. 


27,  1835,  in  Denmark.  His  parents  are  both 
dead,  his  mother  having  died  while  our  sub- 
ject was  nine  j'ears  old,  and  his  father  died 
in  1877.  There  were  eight  children  in  his 
father's  family.  Mr.  Peterson  came  to 
America  in  1867,  coming  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  in  June  of  that  year,  locating  at  once 
on  section  10,  Somerset  Township,  where  he 
lives  at  the  present  time,  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stoclc-raising.  Mr.  Peterson 
has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Miss  Jennie 
Jensen  in  October,  1860.  She  was  born  in 
Denmark  in  April,  1832,  and  died  October 
1867,  leaving  four  children:  Mary,  born 
April  9,  1861 ;  Anna,  born  January  2,  1862  ; 
Louis,  born  Januar}^  20,  1865,  and  Sena, 
born  in  January,  1868.  Two  of  the  children 
are  married :  Mary  married  Christian  Eas 
musson  in  1877.  Anna  married  Louis  Kas- 
musson  in  1879.  The  gentlemen  are  broth- 
ers, and  natives  of  Denmark.  Mr.  Peterson 
was  married  to  his  second  wife.  Miss  Julia 
Hanson,  July  13,  1873.  She  was  born  in 
Denmark,  December  24,  1811.  They  have 
three  children  :  Hannah,  born  May  3,  1874; 
Ida,  born  April  28,  1876,  and  Estie,  born 
April  28,  1883.  Mr.  Peterson  is  a  Eepubli- 
can  in  politics.  He  and  his  famil_v  are  mem- 
bers of  tiie  Baptist  Church. 

W.  K.  Knickerbocker,  one  of  Somerset's 
most  prominent  men,  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  in  1868,  locating  on  his  present  place 
on  section  20,  Somerset  Township,  where  lie 
carries  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising, 
He  was  born  in  New  York,  January  11, 
1830.  When  nine  years  of  age  his  father 
died,  and  our  subject  made  his  home  with 
an  uncle,  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twelve. 
He  then  worked  out  at  farming,  until  twenty- 
eight  years  old,  when  he  began  for  himself. 
He  has  been  twice  married,  first  to  Miss 
Caroline  Lyon,  a  native  of  New  York,  in 
January,  1858.  She  died  in  1852,  leaving 
two  children  :  William  R.,  now  dead,  and 
Charles  L.  born  October  3,  1861.  Mr. 
Knickerbocker's  second  wife  was  Miss  Helen 
E.  Burgess,  who  was  born  in  New  York,  Sep- 


tember 15,  1841.  They  have  four  children  : 
Irene,  born  August  22,  1869;  Nellie,  born 
Januar}"^  13,  1872 ;  Clarence,  born  August 
11,  1874,  and  Eleanor,  born  September  11, 
1880.  Chas.  L.  was  married,  in  1884,  to 
Miss  Irene  Wilkinson,  a  native  of  Wisconsin. 
They  are  located  in  Lemond  Township.  Mr. 
Knickerbocker  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  a  representative    man  of  the  township. 

Fred.  Stange  was  born  in  Prussia,  March 
27,  1838.  His  parents  were  natives  of  Prus- 
sia, and  there  were  six  children  in  his  father's 
family,  four  girls  and  two  bo3's.  When 
eleven  years  of  age  our  subject  left  home  to 
earn  his  own  living,  being  first  engaged  as  a 
shepherd  boy  for  a  few\'ears.  Hetlien  came 
to  America,  remaining  a  short  time  in  New 
York.  Then  came  to  Wisconsin,  when  he 
worked  on  a  farm  for  five  3'ears.  He  then 
•  in  1873,  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  first 
locating  in  the  western  part  of  Somerset 
Townshi]),  where  he  remained  a  few  weeks 
and  then  moved  to  his  present  place,  on  sec- 
tion 9.  Mr.  Stange  Avas  married  June  6, 
1865,  to  Miss  Wilhelmine  Gohlke,  who  was 
born  in  Prussia,  July  22,  1844.  They  have 
had  eight  children :  August,  born  December 
10,  1866  ;  Wilhelmine,  born  March  27,  1871 ; 
Gusta,  born  September  28,  1873;  Herman, 
born  June  18,  1879;  Anna,  born  August  15, 
1884;  Rudolph,  born  November  10,  1885. 
The  other  two  cliildren  are  dead.  The  liv- 
ing children  are  all  at  home.  Mr.  Stange  is  a 
Republican  in  politics.  He  and  his  family 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

M.  D.  Whitman,  was  born  in  Vermont, 
October  8,  1841.  His  parents,  Daniel  and  Re- 
becca (Freeman)  Whitman,  were  natives  of 
New  Hampshire,  and  were  farmers.  Mr. 
AVhitman  enlisted  August  15,  1862,  in  the 
Twelfth  Regiment  Vermont  Volunteers,  and 
was  discharged  July  20,  1S63.  The  principal 
liattle  he  was  in  was  that  of  Gettysburg,  July 
23, 1863.  After  being  discharged  he  went  to 
New  Hampshire  where  he  worked  on  a  farm 
for  thi-ee  years.  In  February,  1865,  he  went 
to   Illinois,  locating  in  Winnebago   County, 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


367 


where  he  worked  at  farming  for  some  eight 
months,  after  which  he  went  to  Wisconsin 
and  remained  four  months,  and  finally  came 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  in  1869,  locating  on 
section  16,  Somerset  Township,  where  he  still 
lives  engaged  in  general  farming.  Mr.  Whit- 
man was  married  October  8,  1867,  to  Miss 
Anna  Bryant,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin, 
May  11,  1847.  They  have  five  children : 
Clarence  L.,  born  October  11,  1868  ;  George 
N.,  born  November  6,  1870 ;  Frank  M.,  born 
July  29,  1875;  Arthur  J.,  born  November  26, 
1877;  Hattie  A.,  born  March  13,  1882,  and 
Charles  E.,  born  June  28,  1887,  all  of  whom 
are  living  at  home.  Mr.  Whitman  has  been 
postmaster  of  the  postoffice,  located  at  his 
residence,  since  1877.  In  the  spring  of  1870 
he  was  elected  school  district  clerk.  Mr. 
Whitman  is  a  Eepublican  in  politics. 

Edward  Kuckenbecker  was  born  in  Prus 
sia,  March  22,  1830.  His  father  and  mother 
were  both  natives  of  Prussia,  and  were 
farmers.  There  were  eight  children  in  his 
fatlier's  family,  one  of  whom  is  dead.  Mr. 
Kuckenbecker  came  to  America  in  1861,  locat- 
ing in  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  three 
vears.  He  then  removed  to  Eochester,  Minn., 
where  he  remained  three  years.  In  1870  he 
came  to  Steele  County,  locating  on  section 
29,  Somerset  Township,  where  he  is  still  en- 
gaged in  general  farming  and  stock-raising. 
Mr.  Kuckenbecker  was  married  to  Mrs.  Tina 
Wolf,  whose  first  husband  was  deceased.  She 
was  born  October  8,  1839.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kuckenbecker  have  three  children  :  Amanda, 
born  August  13, 1879 ;  Bennett,  born  August 
17,  1S81,  and  Edward,  born  May  13,  1883. 
The  children  are  all  living  at  home.  Mr. 
Kuckenbecker  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He 
and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Lutlieran 
Church. 

Villars  Larson  was  born  in  Denmark,  De- 
cember 13,  183.5.  His  parents,  Lai's  and 
Hannah  (Jensen)  Larson,  were  both  natives 
of  Denmark.  There  were  nine  children  in 
his  father's  familj^  five  boys  and  four  girls. 
Our  subject  came  to  America  in  1859,  locat- 


ing in  St.  Louis,  where  he  remained  one  year 
working  on  a  farm.  He  then  enlisted  in  the 
Second  United  States  Infantry,  and  was  in 
service  in  the  regular  army  until  the  close 
of  the  war,  being  under  Capt.  Sulley  (after- 
ward Gen.  Sulley)  one  year,  and  under  Capt. 
Drum  the  remainder  of  the  time.  He  was 
dischargedAugust  IS,  1865.  M.  Larson  was 
in  fifteen  different  battles ,  including  those 
of  Yorktown,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg, 
Cole  Harbor,  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  An- 
tietam,  etc.  Mr.  Larson  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  April  17,  1870,  locating  on 
section  10,  Somerset  Township,  where  he  has 
since  lived,  being  engaged  in  farming.  Mr. 
Larson  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

William  Sannemann  was  born  in  Hanover, 
Germany,  August  8,  1816.  His  parents,  " 
Henry  and  Maria  (Blohm)  Sannemann,  were 
both  natives  of  Germany.  When  thirteen 
years  of  age  William  left  home  to  do  for 
himself.  He  worked  on  a  farm  till  he  was 
twenty-eight  years  old.  Then  he  came  to 
America,  locating  in  Marion  County,  111., 
where  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land.  He 
remained  there  a  few  years,  and  then  came 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locating  in  Somer- 
set Township,  on  section  12,  where  he  has 
since  been  engaged  in  farming.  Mr.  Sanne- 
mann was  married  September  7,  1871,  to 
Miss  Maria  Stangler,  who  was  born  March 
20,  1855.  Her  parents  reside  at  present  in 
Plavanna  Township,  Steele  County.  They 
have  had  four  children,  one  of  whom  is 
dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sannemann  have  two 
children :  Arthur,  born  December  6,  1874, 
and  Ordelia,  born  February  20, 1879.  Both 
of  the  children  live  at  home.  Mr.  Sanne- 
mann is  a  Deniocrat  in  politics,  and  has  been 
school  treasurer  of  his  district  for  some 
term.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church. 

Gardner  Storer,  farmer,  residing  on  sec- 
tion 33,  Somerset  Township,  was  born  in 
Maine,  May  1,  1841.  His  parents,  Josepli 
and  Betsey  Storer,   were  natives  of   Maine. 


368 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


Their  family  consisted  of  eight  children,  four 
boys  and  four  girls.  When  twenty-one 
yejirs  of  age  (iardner  started  in  business  for 
himself,  farming  in  Goodhue  County,  Minn., 
for  seven  yeai's.  From  that  place  he  moved 
to  Faribault  County,  Minn.,  where  he  was 


also  engaged  in 


farming, 


remaining   there 


some  five  years.  Then,  in  1873,  he  came  to 
Steele  County  and  in  the  fall  settled  on  sec- 
tion 33,  Somerset  Township,  where  he  still 
lives.  Mr.  Storer  was  married  June  9, 1860, 
to  Miss  Rosia  Zimmerman,  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois. Her  parents  were  natives  of  Germany, 
and  there  were  twelve  children  in  her  moth- 
er's family.  Mr.  Storer  and  wife  have  eight 
children  living :  Amanda,  born  August  22, 
1862;  Mary  Louisa,  born  March  31,  1864; 
Eva  Lillian",  boi'n  May  22,  1866  ;  John  Will- 
iam,  Ijorn  December  17,  1868 ;  Joseph  Fred- 


erick, born  September  11,  1871 ;  Sarah,  born 
December  29,  1873  (died  August  9,  1S75); 
Albert  Ernest,  born  September  28,  1876, 
(died  July  29, 1879) ;  Guy  Earl,  born  October 
12,  1878 ;  Inez  Addie,  born  September  11, 
1881,  and  Aaron,  born  February  28,  1885. 
Amanda  married  T.  McFall,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, March  1, 1882.  The  other  children 
all  live  at  home.  Mr.  Storer  was  in  the 
army.  He  enlisted  August  7,  1864,  in  a 
Minnesota  regiment  and  was  discharged  in 
May,  1865.  He  is  Republican  in  politics  ;  a 
member  of  the  Seventh  day  Advent  Church. 
In  1873  he  was  elected  school  director  and 
held  the  same  for  three  years;  in  1875 
was  elected  school  treasurer  and  served  six 
years,  and  has  otherwise  taken  an  active 
interest  in  public  affairs. 


CHAPTER  XXVIIL 


LEMON D  TOWNSHIP. 


'  lEMOND  is  composed  of  township 
lofi,  range  21.  It  forms  one  of 
the  western  tier  of  Steele  Coun- 
ty's townships,  being  bounded 
on  the  west  by  "Waseca  County ; 
on  the  north  by  Meriden  Town- 
ship ;  on  the  east  by  Somerset, 
and  on  the  south  bj^  Berlin.  The 
soil  here  is  about  the  same  as 
characterizes  the  balance  of  the 
county' — rich  and  fertile,  and 
produces  excellent  crops.  The  surface  of  the 
township  is  well  watered  by  numerous  creeks 
and  runs,  and  there  are  many  fine  farms 
here.  In  1857  the  township  had  a  popula- 
tion of  ninety-six.  At  the  latest  census, 
— 1885  —  this  had  grown  to  689  inhabitants. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settlement  in  this  township  was 
made  in  1856.  During  this  year,  Samuel 
Thompson,  John  Thompson,  W.  F.  Manson, 
Sandford  Kinney,  E.  Teed,  and  E.  J.,  J.  B. 
and  E.  B.  Coon,  all  selected  homes.  Messrs. 
Kinney  and  Coon  sowed  the  first  wheat  in 
the  township,  in  the  spring  of  this  year,  on 
section  2.  John  Thompson  remained  here 
less  than  a  year,  when  he  returned  to  Ohio. 
W.  F.  Manson  lived  here  for  about  twenty 
years,  when  he  removed  to  Blue  Earth 
County,  and  has  since  returned  to  his  former 
home  in  Canada.  A  son  of  his  still  lives  in 
the  county.  Sandford  Kinney  is  dead.  E. 
Teed  moved  from  here  to  Clinton  Falls,  and 
finally  went  to  Cottonwood  County.  All  of 
the  Coon  family  left  the  county  a  number  of 
years  ago.  S.  M.  Kinney,  who  came  here 
with  his  father  s  family,  in  November,  1856, 
is  still  a  resident  of  the  township.  In  1857, 
a  number  of  pioneers  arrived  and  located  in 


this  township,  among  the  number  being 
Martin  Hanson,  Cornelius  Moran,  Henry 
Ludkins,  Henry  Mondt,  Alvin  Bragg,  Neils 
Johnson,  Oscar  Murphy,  Samuel  Hastings, 
James  Reynolds,  Peter  Nelson,  Mr.  Branden- 
burg, E.  Dampier,  Mortimer  Gould,  Mi-. 
Ketchum,  J.  M.  Gibbons,  Thos.  Hughes, 
Mr.  Hobbs,  Wm.  Manson  (who  died  here), 
Euel  Wilcox,  Wm.  Parcher  and  Thomas 
Houston.  In  1858  among  those  who  came 
were  Aaron  S.  Bragg,  William  Stover,  Mv. 
Deffenbacher,  Ira  Richardson,  Benjamin 
WoUet  and  others.  Mr.  Bragg  is  still  a 
prominent  citizen  of  the  townsiiip.  William 
Stover  went  to  California  with  Ketchum,  in 
1859.  Mr.  Deffenbacher  settled  on  section  1, 
but  only  remained  a  couple  of  years.  Mr. 
Richardson  still  lives  in  the  township.  Mr. 
Wollet  located  on  section  1,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1802,  when  he  went  to  Fari- 
bault, where  he  died.  A  man  named  Kipp 
came  at  about  this  time,  and  bought  one  of 
the  Coon  claims  on  section  1,  and  remain- 
ing a  short  lime.  In  the  year  1859  a  few 
more  came,  but  about  all  the  government 
land  had  been  taken,  and  the  settlement 
from  this  time  on  progressed  slowly,  until 
after  the  close  of  the  civil  war. 

In  1857,  Thomas  Twiford  put  up  a  log 
building  on  section  12,  put  a  dam  across  the 
river  and  set  a  sawmill  to  operating.  He 
ran  it  about  a  year  when  Mr.  Hughes  oper- 
ated it  for  some  time.  Finally  it  ran  down, 
and  the  machinery'  was  sold  and  moved 
away.  A  history  of  tlie  village  which  was 
laid  out  in  this  neighborhood  will  be  found 
in  the  chapter  relating  to  Somerset  Town- 
ship. 

Ill  tliis  connection  we  present  biographical 


370 


HISTOEY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


sketches  of  many    of   the  old  settlers   and 
prominent  citizens  of  the  township. 

S.  M.  Kinney,  who  resides  on  section  2, 
Lemond  Township,  is  a  son  of  Sanford  and 
Louisa  (Moulton)  Kinney,  natives  of  Ver- 
mont, who  emigrated  to  Minnesota  in  1856, 
locating  in  Lemond  Township.  His  father 
died  in  August,  1869,  and  was  buried  in 
Lemond  Township  ;  his  mother  died  Janu- 
ary 20,  1887,  and  was  buried  beside  her  hus- 
band. Our  subject  was  thus  among  the 
first  settlers,  and  experienced  all  the  var- 
ied clianges  through  which  the  country  has 
passed.  He  taught  the  first  school  in  the  town- 
ship in  a  little  log  dwelling  which  was  used 
for  a  schoolhouse.  August  10,  1S62,  he  en- 
listed in  the  Tenth  Minnesota  Infantry  and 
was  discharged  May  29,  1865,  being  under 
Capt.  Ambler  one  j'ear,  then  under  Capt. 
Babcock  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
engaged  in  a  number  of  battles  the  principal 
ones  being  Big  Mound,  in  August,  1863, 
and  Nashville,  December  15  and  16,  1864. 
After  being  discharged  he  returned  to  Steele 
County,  where  he  has  since  resided,  engaged 
in  general  farming  and  stock-raising.  He 
was  united  in  marriage,  March  11,  1885,  to 
Miss  Charlotte  Weber,  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin, born  July  6,  1861.  They  have  one  child, 
Stillman  Warren,  born  January  23,  1886. 
Mr.  Kinney  has  taken  an  active  part  in  pub- 
lic afi'airs,  having  been  town  clerk,  supervi- 
sor and  assessor,  and  at  present  is  treasurer 
of  school  district  No.  36,  having  been  elected 
in  1880.  He  is  a  Kepublican  in  politics,  and 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Baptist  Church. 

C.  R.  Knowlton  on  section  14,  Lemond 
Township,  a  pioneer  settler,  was  born  in 
Rhode  Island,  March  10,  1826.  He  was  the 
oldest  son  of  John  A.  Knowlton,  a  native  of 
Rhode  Island  and  Eliza  G.  (Wood)  Knowlton, 
a  native  of  Massachusetts.  His  father's  oc- 
cupation was  farming.  The  family  removed 
to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  in  1856,  locating  on 
section  13,  Lemond  Township,  where  the 
father's  death  occurred  June  10,  1870,  and 
the    mother's    November    10,    1879.       The 


parents  had  five  children :  Charles  R., 
Ann  E.,  Elmira,  Emeline  (deceased)  and 
Caroline.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  Charles 
R.  left  home  to  care  for  himself,  work- 
ing for  six  years  in  a  cotton  factory, 
then  was  emploj'ed  in  a  tan-yard  for  two 
years.  He  then  removed  to  Massachusetts, 
and  worked  five  years  in  a  cabinet  shoj). 
Emigrating  to  Illinois,  he  was  engaged  in 
a  reaper  factory,  and  the  following  year 
(1856),  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  locat- 
ing first  in  Somerset  Township.  In  1859  Jie 
removed  to  his  present  home.  He  married 
Miss  Harriette  E.  Rhodes,  April  15,  1846. 
She  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  October  22, 
1825,  and  died  September  1,  18S3,  leaving 
six  children,  two  of  whom  are  unmarried : 
Ellis,  born  September  10,  1847;  Charles  E., 
born  February  8,  1849 ;  Jolin  II.,  born 
March  14,  1854;  George  W.,  born  April  6, 
1856  ;  Frank  M.,  born  October  16,  1861  (died 
February  28,  1870);  Lemuel,  born  August 
27,  1858  (died  November  9,  1863) ;  Wallace, 
born  November  14,  1864,  and  Delbert,  born 
March  20,  1868.  Mr.  Knowlton  was  after- 
ward married  to  Mrs.  Henriette  Russell, 
whose  husband  died  December  21,  1884. 
He  was  a  native  of  St.  Lawi-ence  County, 
N.  Y.,  who  had  settled  in  Lemond 
Township  in  1865.  They  had  six  chil- 
dren:  Ella  Gertrude,  born  July  23,  1866; 
Minnie  J.,  born  June  27,  1869  ;  Orpha  O., 
born  October  7,  1871 ;  Henrietta,  born  April 
15, 1873  ;  Cora  Belle,  born  January  16,  1875, 
and  Gilbert  E.,  born  April  9,  1877.  Mr. 
Knowlton  enlisted  in  Companj'  E,  First 
Minnesota  Volunteer  Infantry,  March  16, 
1865,  and  was  discharged  August  2,  1865. 
He  has  been  justice  of  the  peace  two  years, 
chairman  of  township  board  of  supervisors 
one  year.  In  politics  is  an  earnest  Pro- 
hibitionist. 

Aaron  S.  Bragg,  a  pioneer  of  the  town- 
ship, located  on  his  present  home  on  section 
32,  Lemond  Township,  in  1865.  He  was  born 
in  Maine,  October  31,  1838.  His  parents 
were  natives  of  Massachusetts  and  Maine. 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


371 


His  father  died  in  1866  in  Lemond  Town- 
ship. His  mother  is  still  living.  They  had 
seven  children.  A.  S.  Bragg  married  Miss 
Maiy  Graham,  who  was  born  in  New  York, 
September  12,  1848.  They  had  four  chil- 
dren: Cynthia  N.,  born  February  .5,  1868 — 
now  a  successful  teacher;  Alice  L.,  born 
April  4,  1873 ;  Sarah  J.,  born  December  14, 
1880,  and  Louis,  born  February  4, 1867  (died 
December  1,  1881 ;  was  buried  in  Lemond 
cemetery).  In  the  fall  of  1861  Mr.  Bragg 
enlisted  in  Company  I,  Fourth  Minnesota 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  was  discharged  in 
1865.  He  participated  in  the  battles  of 
luka,  September  19,  1862;  Corinth,  Miss., 
October  3  and  4,  1862;  Ft.  Pemberton, 
March,  1863;  Forty  Hills,  May  3,  1863; 
Champion  Hill,  May  15, 1863;  the  assault  of 
Vicksburg,  May  22  to  July  4,  1863 ;  Mission 
Kidge,  November  24  and  25,  1863  ;  Altoona, 
Ga.,  October  5,  1864;  siege  of  Savannah, 
December,  1864,  and  Little  Salkehatchie 
River,  S.  C,  February  6,  1865.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  first  corporal  before  discharge.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, and  is  Republican  in  politics.  He  has 
taken  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs,  hav- 
ing been  supervisor,  justice  of  the  peace  and 
constable  several  terms.  At  present  he  is 
clerk  of  school  district  No.  53,  which  office  he 
has  held  since  the  organization  of  the  district. 
Oscar  Murphy,  ex-county  commissioner, 
and  one  of  Lemond's  most  prominent  citizens 
is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 
His  parents  were  Selim  W.  and  Hannah  M. 
(Townsend)  Murphy,  both  natives  of  the  same 
State.  His  ancestr}',  on  his  mother's  side, 
traced  back  to  Yates  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
on  the  father's  side  to  Bradford  Count^^, 
Pa.  In  the  father's  family  there  wei'e  the 
following  children,  two  of  whom  are  now 
deceased,  viz. :  Sarah,  Oscar,  Henry,  Wilson, 
George,  Harriet  E.,  Polly,  Eugene,  Alice  and 
Ciiarles.  When  nineteen  years  of  age,  Oscar 
Murphy,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  left  home 
to  begin  life  for  himself,  and  took  a  trip  to 
St.  Croix   Falls,  Wis.     He  remained  there 


for  about  three  years,  working  the  first  sea- 
son in  the  ])ineries,  and  the  balance  of  the 
time  being  engaged  in  teaching  school.  In 
the  meantime,  from  that  place  he  had  made 
a  trip  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  and  took  a 
claim  in  Lemond  Township,  remaining  only 
a  short  time,  however.  In  1859  he  organized 
a  band  of  boys  or  young  men,  and  went  to 
Pike's  Peak  in  search  of  fortune,  remaininar 
there  until  the  outbreak  of  the  civil  war, 
wlien  he  returned  to  St.  Croix,  Wis.  He 
then,  on  the  11th  of  September,  1861,  en- 
listed in  the  Second  Wisconsin  Cavalry,  un- 
der Col.  C.  C.  Washburn.  They  were  moved 
to  St.  Louis  and  then  to  Helena,  taking  part 
in  the  war  n:ovements  in  the  southwest 
They  participated  in  the  following  battles  : 
Helena,  FayetteviUe,  where  the  battalion 
captured  150  Confederates;  Prairie  Grove, 
Ark.,  December  7, 1862  (where  Commissioner 
Black  lost  an  arm),  and  Springfield, Mo.,where 
they  defeated  the  forces  of  Gen.  Marmaduke, 
the  present  Governor  of  Missouri.  This  com- 
pleted their  work  in  that  region,  and  then 
the  First  Battalion  (of  which  Mr.  Murj)hy's 
company  had  become  a  part)  was  transported 
from  St.  Louis  to  Memphis.  When  just  be- 
low Island  No.  10,  in  the  Mississippi  River, 
their  transport  boat,  the  "  John  J.  Roe,"  ran 
onto  a  sunken  coal  barge,  and  went  to  the 
bottom.  It  contained  the  men,  supplies  and 
about  500  head  of  horses.  The  men  escaped 
and  succeeded  in  saving  all  except  about  150 
of  the  horses.  LTpon  arriving  at  Memphis 
the  regiment  was  made  a  part  of  Grierson's 
Cavalry  Division,  and  took  an  active  part  in 
fighting  Gen.  Foi-est's  (Confederate)  cavalry. 
While  connected  with  this  division  Mr.  Mui-- 
phj^'s  regiment  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Yazoo  City,  December  1, 1864 ;  Black  River 
and  Bayou  Sara.  During  this  summer  (1864) 
the  regiment  veteranized  and  had  a  thirty- 
da}' furlough.  During  the  winter  of  1864-5 
they  took  part  in  the  engagements  at  Egypt 
Station  (December  28,  1864,)  and  Lexington, 
when  Grierson's  famous  raid  was  made  on 
Hood's   rear,  coming  out   at  Vicksburg  in 


M7'j 


IIIS'rOKY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


January,  1HC5.  Ovor  sixty  milos  of  tlic 
Oliio  &  Mobile  iuid  tiio  Mississippi  Central 
(•iuii-oatis,  over  wiiicii  Hood's  sii])plies  wcm'c! 
j)assing,  wore  destroyed,  ;ii:d  a  large  auioiiiit 
of  the  supplies  was  captured.  This  marked 
the  dowididl  ol'  Hood's ai'iiiy.  In  l''el)ruary, 
1805,  the  regiment  was  transpoi'ted  to  Mem- 
phis, and,  after  sortu;  unimportant  service, 
was  sent  to  the  liio  (Jninde,  wiiere,  undcn' 
Ocn.  ('ustcr,  it  licc-iiMc  ii  part  of  the  iii'my 
of  olistn'vaJ  ion.  In  ()ct()l)(U',  iSfif),  the  I'egi- 
ment  was  sent-  on  transports,  /lyV  New  Or- 
leans, to  Madison,  Wis.,  whei'e  they  wore 
mustered  lait  in  October,  ISdf).  Mr  l\lur 
phy's  eom])iiny  was  but  a,  i-emnant  ol'  what 
il  had  been.  In  |sr,|  ii  iuuni>ered  105  strong, 
abl(^-l)odi(!d  young  men;  but  only  seventeen 
a,nswei'ed  to  tin*  I'oll-call  when  mustercMl  out 
in  18(15.  Ml".  Murphy  had  enlisted  as  a,  pi'i 
vato,  but  had  i)eeu  promoted  through  the 
various  grades  until,  when  mustered  out,  he 
was  lirst  lieuteUMUt  of  his  eom|)ajiy.  lie 
nevcsr  misscul  an  (sngagcMuent,  uoi'  i'aile<l  to 
respond  when  duty  called,  nor  was  lie  ever 
sicic  a  day  during  the  years  of  active  and 
perilous  servic(Mn  which  lu^  jiarticipalcd.  It. 
is  worthy  ol'  UKMition  in  this  connection  that 
C.  I'!,  (iraham.ol'  ^Vaseca,  ol'  whom  a  biog- 
raphy will  be  lonnd  flse\vlici-e  in  this  vol- 
ume— was  also  a  mrudicr  of  the  same  r(^gi- 
uu'.nt.  'i'o  I'etnrn  to  Mr.  Murphy's  private 
life.  After  the  close  of  I  he  war,  in  18(')5,  he 
eamo  to  Steele  CJouidy,  Minn.,  where  lui  still 
lives  carrying  on  general  fai'uung  and  stock- 
raising.  In  1877  he  went  to  the  Black  Hills 
on  a  pi-ospeeting  toui',  but  only  remained  a 
short  tnne.  On  the '22(1  of  February,  ISOO, 
he  was  inanied  to  Miss  UelxH'cti  Koss,  who 
was  born  in  Wisconsin,  Mai'ch  9,  1850.  They 
hav(^  had  twochildrini:  llert,  born  December 
;!,  IS(;(;,  and  Uay  (deceased),  born  April  24, 
ls7l,died  A|)rii  s,  1885.  Mr.  Murphy  has 
taken  an  active  and  ])rominent  jiail  in  public 
mattci's.  He  was  a  nuMuber  of  ihi^  board  of 
county  commissioners  from  ISSd  to  1887, 
and  for  li\i^  years  was  chairman  of  that 
bod\';    he   was   (slected   assessor  of   Jjcmond 


Township  in  l87o,  and  served  until  1873; 
and  was  one  of  the  town  supervisoi's  fi-om 
1873  to  1880.  In  political  matters  he  is  a 
Ki^publican,  and  is  a  jirominent  meudier  of 
the  Grand  Arin\'  of  the  liepublic 

(licorge  W.  Hastings,  a  piominent  fanner 
and  stock-rais(!i',  lives  on  section  II.  Ho  was 
b(»rn  July  3,  1855,  in  Kockford,  III.  In  the 
yeai'  1857  his  parents  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  lirst  locating  in  the  westei'n  part  (d 
Lemond  'i'ownship,  bntsubsc^cjuently  I'cmoved 
to  section  14.  At  the  age  of  twenty -three 
the  subject  of  oursketch  settled  on  section  24, 
where  he  lived  three  years,  then  removed  to 
his  father's  ])lace  on  section  14.  He;  was 
united  in  marriage  April  28,  1880,  to  Miss 
Alice  De  J.ong,  who  was  born  in  New  "i'or'k. 
May  17,  1857.  They  are  blessed  with  two 
children :  l"'anni(^  E.,  born  November  20, 
1881,  and  Blanche  L.,  born  September  14, 
1885.  Mr.  Hastings  is  a  Democrat  in  jjoliti- 
cal  matters. 

Amos  lioss  is  the  oldest  man  living  in  Le- 
mond Township.  lie  came  from  Wisconsin, 
wlier(!  he  had  livt^d  lift  ecu  years,  and  hjcated 
on  section  12,  in  1857.  He  was  born  June 
18,  18(1;;,  in  Saratoga  Couidy,  N.  V.  His 
|)arents,  Dorothy  (Ernsbui'g)and  David  Boss, 
were  also  natives  of  New  York.  They  had 
eight  children,  four  girls  and  four  bctys.  On 
the  loth  of  January,  1828,  Mr.  Boss  married 
Miss  Experience  Fairbank,  who  was  born  in 
New  York,  February  24,  Bsoc.  She  is  now 
deceas((d,  leaving  eight  children  :  JJorothy, 
Ixuii  October  5,1828;  Lucy,  born  September 
;i,  I8;i4  ;  William  C,  born  January  Ki,  1841 ; 
Susan  J.,  born  June  16,  1840;  James  W., 
born  Septembei'  10,  18;}0  ;  Ermina,  born  Ma}' 
;!1,  1843  and  Bebecca,  born  March  !),  184',t, 
all  of  whom  ai'e  married.  Mi'.  Tloss  is  a  Be- 
publican,  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
tJhurcli. 

L.  B.  Could,  is  one  of  the  extensive 
farmers  of  Steele  County,  having  4t)5  acres, 
located  on  sections  14,  15  and  23,  in  Lemond 
and  .section  35  in  Meriden  Townshij).  Mi', 
(ioiild    was    born  July  4,  183!l,  in  Edwards 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


375 


County,  111.  His  parents  were  Joel  Gould,  a 
native  of  Massachusetts,  and  Electa  (Phillips) 
Gould,  a  native  of  New  York,  whose  death 
occuri'ed  in  Edwards  Count}',  111.,  in  June, 
1853.  They  had  six  children,  two  of  whom 
are  dead.  "When  L.  B.  Gould  was  twenty- 
one  he  left  home  to  provide  for  himself,  and 
emigrated  to  Wabasha  County,  Minn.,  where 
he  lived  four  years.  In  1865  he  removed  to 
his  present  home.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Barrier,  February  19,  1862.  She 
was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born  Novem- 
ber 21,  18il.  Her  ]iarents  were  also  natives 
of  North  Carolina  and  had  seven  children, 
four  girls  and  three  boys.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gould  have  two  children :  Luella,  born  Febru- 
ary 16,  1864,  and  Chester  N.,  born  October 
1,  1872.  The  elder  is  a  graduate  of  the 
"Minnesota  Baptist  Academy"  atOwatonna 
(June,  188-1).  Mr.  Gould  is  a  Republican  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  public  affairs.  He 
is  the  present  town  treasurer,  having  been 
elected  in  1885.  He  is  also  school  district 
treasurer,  having  held  the  office  for  nine 
years.  He  was  elected  assessor  in  1876.  His 
father  resides  witli  him.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Congregational  Church. 

Lars  Larson  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
in  1866.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of  Gunaild 
Larson  and  Hans  Larson,  who  were  natives 
of  Norway.  They  had  nine  children  :  Lars, 
Lena,  Betsie,  Hattie,  Minda,  Matilda,  Henry, 
Laura  and  Josie.  They  came  to  America  in 
1866.  They  spent  one  summer  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  Leiliond  Township,  then  located 
on  section  16,  where  the}'  now  reside  with 
three  children.  Lars  Larson  was  born  in 
Norway,  July  29,  1855.  On  March  8,  1883, 
he  married  Miss  Julia  Hendrickson,  a  native 
of  Waseca  County,  Minn.  They  had  two 
children  :  Harry  Oscar,  born  December  12, 
1884,  and  Jesse  Loyd,  born  September  7, 
1886.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and, 
with  his  famil}',  belongs  to  the  Lutheran 
Church.    He  served  one  year  as  supervisor. 

Thomas  Annett  is  engaged  in  general 
fanning  and  stock-raising,  on  section  28,  Le- 


mond  Township.  He  was  born  in  County 
Down,  Ireland,  August  4,  1832.  His  father, 
John  Annett,  was  a  native  of  Scotland.  His 
mother,  Elizabeth  (Russell)  Annett,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland.  They  had  ten  children  : 
Hugh,  William,  John  (deceased),  John, 
Thomas,  Jane,  Sarah,  Mary,  Catherine  (de- 
ceased), and  Eliza.  Thomas  and  John  came 
to  the  United  States  July  12,  1855,  and  lo- 
cated in  Oneida  county,  N.  Y.,  where  they 
remained  fourteen  years.  Thomas  came 
to  his  present  home  February  14,  1869.  De- 
cember 22,  1857,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Mary  Moran,  who  was  born  May 
24,  1837,  in  Rutland  County,  Vt.  Her 
parents  were  natives  of  Ireland.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Annett  have  ten  children :  John  W., 
born  May  1,  1861 ;  Nellie  M.,  born  April 
6,  1865  ;  Sarah  E.,  born  Septeiflber  15, 1868  ; 
Thomas  Charles,  born  January  5, 1871 ;  Frank 
C,  born  May  21,  1874;  Nettie  L.,  born 
July  12,  1872 ;  Minnie  E.,  born  July  25, 
1878;  MayM.,  born  January  5, 1880  ;  Pearl 
M.,  born  January  5, 1883,  and  Elizabeth,  born 
May  21,  1863,  all  of  whom  are  unmarried 
and  at  home.  Mr.  Annett  is  a  Republican. 
He  was  elected  supervisor  in  1883,  serving 
one  year.  He  is  the  present  school  treas- 
urer of  his  district,  having  been  elected  in 
1884.  He  has  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the 
township. 

Nels  Knudson  settled  on  section  31,  Le- 
mond  Township,  in  1869.  He  was  boi"n  in 
Norway,  June  24,  1840.  He  and  his  par 
ents,  Knut  and  Carrie  Olson,  emigrated  to 
America  in  1869.  They  located  in  Wiscon- 
sin, remaining  there  four  years,  then  re- 
moved to  Waseca  County,  Minn.  The  father 
died  in  New  Richland,  Minn.,  in  1880. 
There  were  three  children :  Ole,  Cornelia 
and  Nels.  Ole  lives  in  New  Richland.  He 
married  Miss  Margret  Knudson,  a  native  of 
Norway,  and  has  two  children,  Knut  and 
Carrie.  Carrie  married  Andrew  Johnson,  also 
a  native  of  Norway,  and  they  are  located  in 
Waseca  County,  Knut  is  living  at  home. 
Nels  Knudson  married   Mrs.  0]e   Knutson, 


376 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


August  20,  1869.  She  was  born  in  Norway 
in  1847.  Her  first  husband  died  April  10, 
1862,  and  left  five  children  :  Bert,  Knut, 
Chris,  Lena  (deceased),  and  Anna.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Knudson  have  one  daughter, 
Caroline,  who  is  living  at  home.  Mr.  Knud- 
son is  Independent  in  politics.  His  family 
all  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Peter  Olson  has  a  fine  farm,  well  im- 
proved, on  section  8,  Lemond  Township.  He 
began  for  himself  at  the  age  of  seven,  by 
herding  cattle,  since  which  he  has  depended 
on  his  own  exertions.  He  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, August  24,  1851,  and  came  to  America 
in  1869.  His  father  died  November  11, 
1868.  His  mother  and  step-father,  Peter 
Nelson,  emigrated  to  Minnesota  and  settled 
in  Lemond  in  1872.  Peter  Olson,  in  188-4, 
married  Miss  Ellen  Larson,  a  native  of  Nor- 
way. In  politics  he  is  Republican  The 
family  are  devout  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church. 

Hans  Olson  has  250  acres  of  choice  land, 
on  section  4,  Lemond  Township.  He  came 
to  Steele  County,  June  2,  1869,  remaining 
the  first  six  months  in  Owatonna,  at  which 
time  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  on 
section  4,  in  the  town  of  Lemond.  He  was 
born  in  Denmark,  October  22,  1835.  He 
was  united  in  marriage,  in  March,  1863,  to 
Miss  Margaret  Christianson,  who  was  born 
in  Denmark,  May  3,  1845.  Her  father. 
Christian  Lorrenson,  a  native  of  Denmark, 
died  in  1853.  Her  mother,  also  a  Dane,  is 
still  living.  They  had  five  children.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Olson  have  had  two  children : 
Peter  C,  born  May  4,  1864  (died  in  June, 
1869);  Emma,  born  October  3,  1873  (died 
November  6,  1874).  Mr.  Olson's  parents  are 
dead.  His  father  died  in  November,  1867; 
his  mother  in  March,  1850,  leaving  six  chil- 
dren to  mourn  their  loss.  Mr.  Olson  is  an 
independent  Republican.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He 
was  school  treasurer  three  years,  and  has 
held  various  other  local  offices. 

E.  C.  Bryant  resides  on  section  2,  Lemond 


Townshi]),  engaged  in  general  farming  and 
stock-raising.  He  located,  when  twenty  years 
of  age,  on  his  present  home.  He  is  a  native  of 
Butternuts,  Otsego  Count3%  N.  Y.,  born 
March  20,  1850.  His  parents,  John  Augus- 
tus and  Colstia  (Sage)  Bryant,  both  natives 
of  New  York,  came  to  Minnesota  in  Janu- 
ar}^,  1870,  and  located  on  section  36,  in 
Meriden  Township,  where  his  mother  still 
lives.  His  father  died,  aged  sixty-four,  and 
left  eight  children  to  mourn  his  loss.  E.  C. 
Bryant  was  married  Maj'^  3,  1878,  to  Miss 
May  Davis,  who  was  born  August  18,  1859, 
in  Steele  County,  Minn.  Five  children  have 
been  born  to  them  :  James  A.,  Earl  C,  Bes- 
sie G.,  John  A.  and  Hattie,  all  of  whom  are 
living  at  home.  Mr.  Bryant  is  a  Republican 
in  politics. 

Henry  Ribbe  resides  on  section  33,  Le- 
mond Township.  He  is  the  oldest  son  of 
Eliza  (Baker)  and  Frederic  Ribbe,  natives 
of  Hanover, .Germany,  who  were  married 
November  22,  1854,  and  had  nine  children : 
Henry,  Anna,  Louis,  Herman,  Christian, 
Eliza,  Minnie,  John  and  Lena.  Two  are 
married.  Henry  Ribbe  and  Miss  Pauline 
Stelter,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  April 
17,  1861,  were  married  April  14,  1886. 
Henry  was  born  in  Clayton  County,  Iowa, 
November  24,  1856.  They  have  one  child, 
Louis  William  Henry,  born  January  14, 
1887.  Henrj^  Ribbe  is  a  Republican.  They 
are  members  of  Lutheran  Church. 

Heni-y  Mliller,  living  on  section  7,  is  also 
engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock-raising. 
He  came  to  Lemond  Township  in  1870.  He 
is  a  native  of  Iowa,  born  in  1853.  His  par- 
ents were  Germans.  His  father  resides  in 
Waseca  County,  Minn.,  and  his  mother  is 
dead.  Mr.  Mliller  married  Miss  Wilhelmina 
Ost,  who  was  born  June  17,  1857.  They 
have  five  children  :  Henry,  Mary,  Helena, 
August  and  Elvena  (who  died  March  22, 
1885).  The  family  all  belong  to  the  Lu- 
theran Church.  Henry  Mliller  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics.     He  has  been  school  clerk  three 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


3Y7 


terms,  and  takes  an  active   interest   in  all 
public  matters. 

Ellick  A.  Ellickson  was  born  November  1, 
1850,  in  Wisconsin.  He  located  on  section 
29,  Lemond  Township,  in  June,  1875.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Norway.  His  father, 
Amos  Ellickson,  died  in  Wisconsin  in  1880. 
His  mother,  Mai'y  (Johnson)  Ellickson,  is  still 
living.  They  had  five  children  :  three  boys 
and  two  girls.  Mr.  Ellickson  married  Miss 
Martha  Nelson,  June  1,  1872.  She  is  a 
native  of  Norway.  They  are  blessed  with 
four  children :  Aaron  M.,  born  June  3, 
1873  ;  Harriet  M.,  born  October  29,  1874 ; 
Esther  Josephine,  born  March  23,  1878,  and 
Amos  C,  born  March  3,  1882.  They  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  In  politics 
Mr.  Ellickson  is  a  Eepublican.  He  is  engaged 
in  farming  and  stock-raising. 

William  Smith  settled  on  section  8,  Le- 
mond Township,  in  1879.  He  is  the  son  of 
Fredricka  (Berg)  and  Fritz  Smith,  natives 
of  Germany,  who  emigrated  to  America 
in  1867.  They  located  in  Clayton  County, 
Iowa,  where  the  mother  died  on  May  15, 
1872.  In  1879  they  removed  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.  They  had  ten  children, 
six  boys  and  four  girls,  five  of  whom 
ai"e  still  living.  William  Smith  was  born  in 
Germany,  February  5,  1856.  He  married  Miss 
Anna  Kibbe,  November  28, 1819.  She  was 
born  in  Clayton  County,  Iowa,  April  18, 1859. 
They  have  two  children :  William,  born 
August  29,  1881,  and  Louis,  born  February 
3,  1882.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Eepublican.  He 
was  elected  school  treasurer  in  1880,  and 
served  six  years,  and  is  at  present  one  of  the 
town  supervisors.  His  family  all  belong  to 
the  Lutheran  Church. 

John  Scholljegerdes,  a  prominent  farmer 
and  stock-raiser,  is  located  on  section  6,  Le- 
mond Township.  He  has  600  acres  of  well 
improved  land,  excellent  buildings  and  a 
fine  grade  of  Holstein  cattle.  He  was  born 
in  Germany,  January  3, 1852.  He  came  to 
Steele  County  in  1876.  His  parents,  Margret 
(Eenken)    and   George    D.    Scholljegerdes, 


emigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1872,  and 
settled  in  Waseca  County,  where  at  present 
they  are  doing  an  extensive  business  in  cat- 
tle and  farmmg.  They  have  three  children ; 
John,  Lena  and  George.  Lena  was  married 
in  1880,  and  resides  in  Waseca  County. 
George  is  unmarrried.  John  Scholljegerdes 
was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Wilker,  November 
14,  1876.  She  was  born  in  Steele  County, 
March  20,  1857.  John  first  purchased  120 
acres  on  section  5,  from  A.  Miller,  after 
which  he  bought  and  removed  to  his 
present  home.  The\'  have  four  children  : 
Ida,  born  September  12,  1877;  Emma,  born 
July  28,  1879  ;  John,  born  April  2,  1881, 
and  Anna,  born  February  9,  1883. 

FIRST   EVENTS. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught 
by  Stillman  Kinney,  in  1858,  on  section  2.  H. 
G.  Mosier,  who  then  lived  in  Waseca  County, 
was  one  of  the  next  teachers.  There  are  now 
six  school  districts  in  the  township. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  township  was 
that  of  Daniel  Tasker  and  Miss  Cornelia 
Davis.  The  ceremony  was  performed  in  May, 
1859,  by  Sandford  Kinney,  a  justice  of  the 
peace. 

The  first  birth  occurred  in  the  family  of 
Thos.  Hughes. 

The  earliest  death  in  the  township  of  which 
we  can  learn  occurred  in  November,  1860, 
when  William  Manson  died. 

The  first  religious  services  were  held  in 
January,  1858,  Eev.  Mr.  Moses  being  the 
ofiiciating  clergyman. 

ORGANIZATION. 

When  Steele  County  was  organized,  in  the 
summer  of  1855,  the  territory  which  now 
forms  Lemond  became  a  portion  of  O  watonna 
Township.  In  April,  1857,  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  set  off  township  106, 
range  21,  and  authorized  its  organization  as 
a  civil  township,  naming  it  "  Lemond."  The 
organization,  however,  was  not  fully  per- 
fected until  April,  1858,  when  the  following 
oflicers    were   elected :    Supervisors,  S.    M. 


378 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


Hastings,  chairman,  E.  D.  Teed  and  Sandford 
Kinney;  clerk.  E.  Dainpier ;  assessor,  J.  E. 
Hughes ;  collector,  Jerome  Coon ;  overseer 
of  the  poor,  E.  J.  Coon ;  justices  of  the  peace, 
S.  M.  Hastings  and  Sandford  Kinney. 

The  following  named  were  all  prominent 
in  township  matters  in  early  days  and  filled 


the  most  important  offices :  S.  M.  Hastings, 
S.  G.  Townsend,  S.  M.  Kinney,  Hugh  Mur- 
ra}',  C.  G.  Hersey,  Charles  Knowlton,  Oscar 
Murphy,  E.  Dampier,  S.  F.  Gould  and  Sand- 
ford Kinney  Jr. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held  at  Twi- 
ford's  Mills. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


BEELIN  TOWNSHIP. 


HE  southwest  corner  township 
in  Steele  County  is  Berlin — 
composed  of  township  105,  range 
21.  It  is  bounded  on  the  north 
b}'  Lemond  Township  ;  on  the  east 
by  Summit ;  on  the  west  by  Wa- 
seca County,  and  on  the  south  by 
Freeborn  County.  It  is  one  of 
the  finest  agricultui'al  towns  in 
the  State,  and  is  not  excelled  by 
any  for  the  beauty  of  its  natural  scen- 
erj'.  Near  the  center  of  the  township 
is  Beaver  Lake,  a  perfect  gem  of  beauty, 
with  a  sandy  beach  and  bottom,  and  Avater 
clear  as  crystal.  The  soil  here  is  a  dark 
loam,  rich  in  the  production  of  the  cereals 
and  indigenous  grasses.  Many  fine  farms 
are  located  here,  and,  as  a  whole,  the  citizens 
are  to-day,  and  have  been  in  the  past,  as 
prosperous  as  any  community  in  this  part  of 
the  State.  In  1857  the  township  had  a  pop- 
ulation of  193.  At  the  time  of  the  last 
census  —  in  June,  1885  —  it  had  707  inhabit- 
ants. 

EARLY  SETTLERS  AND  PROMINENT  CITIZENS. 

The  first  settlement  within  the  present 
limits  of  Berlin  Township  was  made  in  1856. 

In  this  connection  Ave  make  brief  mention 
of  most  of  the  early  settlers,  together  with 
biogra])hical  sketches  of  a  number  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Berlin. 

Hiram  Pitcher  came  in  1856,  and  located 
on  section  15.  He  remained  about  nine  years 
Avhen  he  removed  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  and 
has  since  died.  He  Avas  a  prominent  man  in 
early  days,  and  Avas  the  first  justice  of  the 
peace  in  the  township. 

Nathan  Cheeney,  another  settler  of  185<>, 


located  on  section  2,  Avhere  he  remained 
until  the  Avar  broke  out,  Avhen  he  enlisted  and 
Avent  into  the  service.  Upon  his  return  he 
located  on  section  9,  and  lived  there  until  six 
or  eight  years  ago,  Avhen  he  removed  to 
Huron,  D.  T. 

Charles  W.  Gardner  came  in  1856  and 
settled  upon  section  13.  In  1863  he  Avent 
into  the  army,  and  after  the  close  of  the 
Avar  settled  in  Blooming  Prairie.  He  has 
since  returned  to  the  eastern  States. 

James  S.  King  came  here  in  1856  and 
located  on  section  13.  He  remained  here 
until  1880  ,  when  he  left  for  Dakota. 

Mr.  Warren  also  came  to  this  township  in 
1856  and  settled  on  section  12.  After  re- 
maining here  for  two  or  three  years  he  re- 
moved to  California,  Avhere  he  still  lives. 

S.  Hull  came  in  1856  and  located  on  sec- 
tion 11.  He  left  here  in  about  1865  for  the 
northern  part  of  the  State. 

Joseph  Gordon  came  in  the  spring  of  1856 
and  located  on  section  28,  where  he  lived 
until  his  death  in  1868.  His  Avife  died 
November  30,  1859. 

John  Dock  came  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  and  settled  on  section  21.  About  three 
years  later  he  removed  to  California. 

Barney  Banks  Avas  another  of  the  "settlers 
of  '56."  He  located  on  section  21.  He  was 
frozen  to  death  in  a  terrible  blizzard  while 
on  his  way  from  Geneva  to  his  home.  His 
oxen  returned  liorae  without  him,  and  his 
body  was  soon  afterward  discovered. 

William  Shea  came  the  same  year  and 
located  on  section  30.  He  Avas  in  his  one 
hundred  and  fifth  year  at  the  time  of  his 
death. 


379 


380 


HISTf)RY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


Thomas  Brick  was  a  son-in-law  of  Mr. 
Shea.  He  located  on  the  same  section  and 
remained  there  until  1877,  when  he  removed 
to  section  14,  where  he  still  lives. 

Halver  Howen  came  in  1856  and  located 
on  section  23.  In  1868  he  was  frozen  to 
death  while  on  his  way  home  from  Faribault. 

Enfin  Enfinson  came  in  1856  and  settled 
on  section  27.  wliere  he  still  lives. 

M.  Wright  came  during  the  same  year 
and  located  on  section  32,  where  he  still 
lives. 

E.  Johnson  came  in  1856  and  is  still  a  res- 
ident. 

Philo  Sawyer,  in  company  with  M.  War- 
ren and  J.  O.  Colver,  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  and  took  up  government  land  in  Ber- 
lin Township  in  1856.  Mr.  Sawyer  is  a  na- 
tive of  Vermont,  born  August  22,  1830.  In 
18'±1:  his  parents,  A.  and  Demarius  (Well) 
Sawyer,  removed  to  Wisconsin,  where  the 
father  died  in  1848.  The  mother  died  in 
1863  in  Minnesota.  After  securing  his  land 
liere  in  1856.  Philo  returned  to  Wisconsin, 
remaining  until  1857,  when  he  came  here  to 
stay.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
Eleventh  Minnesota  Infantry,  under  Col. 
Ball,  serving  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
received  his  discharge  in  Gallatin,  Tenn., 
since  which  time  he  has  followed  farming  on 
his  original  homestead.  He  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  interests  of  his  township,  hav- 
ing been  a  township  officer  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  is  an  active  and  highly  respected 
citizen. 

Tiionias  Brown  is  the  second  son  of  C.  V. 
Brown,  a  pioneer  settler  of  Berlin  Township, 
who  came  in  1856  and  located  on  section  27, 
wliere  iiis  death  occurred.  There  were  four 
children  :  Charles,  Thomas,  John  and  Mary. 
The  father  was  one  of  the  first  supervisors  of 
the  township  ;  was  postmaster  for  a  number 
of  3'^ears.  His  death  occuri'ed  July  1,  1868. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Thomas 
left  home  and  began  life  for  himself.  He 
settled  in  Berlin  Township  on  his  present 
farm  on  section  22,  in  1875,  where  he  is  still 


engaged  in  genei-al  fanning  and  stock-rais- 
ing. He  was  born  in  New  York  in  1847, 
and  in  1875  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  Hare. 
They  have  five  children :  Mary  Sedate,  Hel- 
len  Elizabeth,  Thomas  Franklin,  Jefferson 
Newton  and  Eva  Corrinne,  all  of  whom  are 
living  at  home. 

Francis  J.  Trowe  was  one  of  the  settlers 
of  1856.  He  was  born  in  Sullivan  County, 
N.  H.,  February  14,  1830.  He  emigrated  to 
McIIenry  County,  111.,  where  he  only  re- 
mained a  short  time.  From  there  he  went 
to  Du  Page  County,  111.  At  Marengo,  111., 
he  married  Miss  Clara  E.  Mitchell,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1856,  with  their  oldest 
child,  they  started  with  an  ox  team  for  the 
far  west,  coming  by  way  of  McGregor,  where 
they  found  the  waters  of  the  Mississippi  so 
high  at  the  lower  wharf  that  with  difficulty 
they  gained  a  landing.  After  undergoing 
all  the  vicissitudes  of  such  an  overland 
journey  they  arrived  in  Steele  County,  Minn., 
in  July,  1856,  and  located  in  Berlin  Town- 
ship. Mr.  Trowe  enlisted  in  1863  in  Com- 
pany C,  Second  Minnesota  Cavalry,  under 
Gen.  Sibley  in  the  campaign  against  the  In- 
dians. He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service 
at  Fort  Snelling  in  1865.  He  is  a  Kepublican 
in  politics.  He  is  the  present  township 
assessor,  which  office  he  has  held  for  many 
consecutive  terms.  He  has  nine  children: 
Edwin  F.,  George  H.,  Charles  II.,  Willis  L., 
Lillie  N.,  Julia  E.,  Frank  S.,  Clara  V.  and 
Fred.  S.  They  were  called  to  mourn  the 
loss  of  Frank  S.,  who  died  June  7.  1887,  of 
scarlet  fever,  aged  eighteen  j^ears.  He  was 
a  promising  and  estimable  young  man  and 
had  been  a  member  of  the  Good  Templars 
since  the  organization  of  the  lodge. 

Robert  H.  Reynolds  was  born  in  Pittsburg, 
Pa.,  June  12, 1844.  He  immigrated  with  his 
parents  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  in  1856, 
from  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.  His  father,  Robert 
Reynolds,  located  on  sections  13  and  23, 
Berlin  Township,  where  he  lived  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  August  23,  1884.  On  Au- 
gust 14, 1862,  Robert  H.  enlisted  in  Company 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE    CODNTT. 


381 


E,  Tenth  Minnesota  Regiment,  and  was  in 
the  service  three  years.  He  was  with  Gen. 
Sibley  the  first  year  fighting  Indians ;  the  re- 
maining time  was  in  the  south.  After  being 
discharged  at  Fort  SnelUng  he  returned  home, 
and  later  he  went  to  Waseca  County,  Minn., 
where  he  lived  seven  years,  then  removed  to 
his  present  home  in  Berlin  Township.  He 
was  married  in  1869,  and  they  have  five 
children  :  Frank,  Fred,  Pearly,  Edith  and  an 
infant. 

John  Culver  settled  on  section  11,  in  1856. 
He  remained  there  until  1877,  when  he  re- 
moved to  New  Eichland.  In  1885  he  went 
to  Nebraska. 

J.  Winchell  came  in  1856  and  selected  a 
claim  on  section  24.  This  continued  to  be 
his  home  until  1879,  when  he  "pulled  up 
stakes  "  and  removed  to  Wisconsin. 

Levi  Chase  was  another  of  the  arrivals  in 

1856.  The  tract  which  he  chose  for  a  home 
was  on  section  21,  and  he  remained  here 
until  1866,  when  he  removed  to  Owatonna 
and  in  1880  went  to  Madison,  Wis. 

A.  Ingerson  came  in  1857,  and  settled  on 
section  27.  He  held  the  office  of  county  sur- 
veyor while  living  here,  and  is  mentioned  at 
length  elsewhere. 

Morris  O.  Sullivan  came  either  in  1856  or 

1857,  and  located  on  section  30,  where  he 
still  lives. 

William  Lonergan  Sr.  came  in  1857,  set- 
tled on  section  17,  and  remained  there  until 
the  time  of  his  death  in  1877. 

A.  Miller  came  in  1857  and  located  on 
section  18. 

J.  B.  Smith  settled  on  section  11,  in  1857. 
In  1864  he  enlisted  in  the  Eleventh  Minne- 
sota Volunteer  Infantry,  and  went  into  the 
service.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he  set- 
tled in  Owatonna.  In  1877,  he  removed  to 
the  northwestern  part  of  the  State. 

George  W.  Goodrich  also  came  in  1857. 
In  1872  he  removed  to  Dakota,  where  he 
died  in  1885. 

Henry  D.  Bingham  resides  on  section  2, 
Berlin   Township,  where  he   has  120  acres, 


fifty  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  He  was 
born  in  Susquehanna  County,  Pa.,  October 
26,  1831.  In  1850  he  married  Miss  Serhnda 
L.  Chamberlain  in  Pennsylvania.  In  1851 
they  moved  to  Waushara  County,  Wis. 
They  immigrated  in  1862  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  with  an  ox-team  and  wagon,  contain- 
ing all  their  worldly  effects.  They  went 
through  the  Winnebago  agency,  then  occu- 
pied by  Indians,  and  witnessed  quaint  cus- 
toms and  dances  of  the  Indians.  They 
halted  at  Garden  City,  Blue  Earth  County, 
Minn.,  but  were  driven  from  there  by  the 
Indians,  and  then  came  to  Owatonna.  A 
few  years  later  they  removed  to  their  pres- 
ent liome.  Their  eldest  daughter,  Edith  A., 
died  in  the  autumn  of  1869,  at  their  present 
home,  aged  seventeen.  There  are  still  liv- 
ing Ada  R.  (now  Mrs.  Farnsworth),  Clar- 
ence A.  and  Claude  E.  In  1863  Mr. 
Bingham  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Second 
Minnesota  Cavalry,  being  sergeant  of  his 
company.  He  was  inustered  out  at  Fort 
Snelling,  in  November,  1865.  The  cam- 
paign, which  was  principally  against  the 
Indians,  is  remembered  as  one  of  extraordi- 
nary hardship  and  interspersed  with  many 
incidents. 

Hon.  Horace  A.  Finch  settled  on  section 
9,  Berlin  Township,  in  the  fall  of  1868.  He 
was  born  in  Turin,  Lewis  County,  N.  Y., 
December  17,  1842.  His  father  and  mother 
died  when  he  was  four  years  old.  In  1849 
the  children ,  James,  Caddie,  Minnie  and 
Horace,  moved  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  where 
Horace  lived  until  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  G,  Sixteenth  Wisconsin  Infantry, 
under  Capt.  John  R.  Wheeler,  Col.  Allen 
being  in  command.  They  were  ordered  at 
once  to  Pittsburg  Landing.  Their  first  en- 
gagement was  at  Shiloh,  after  which  Mr. 
Finch  was  sick  in  the  hospital  three  months. 
He  joined  his  regiment  near  luka,  Miss., 
from  thence  to  Vicksburg  ;  then  on  to  Lake 
Providence,  La. ;  thence  to  Redbone,  Miss., 
where  they  "  laid  up "  till  February,  1864. 
There  Mr.  Finch  reenlisted  and  received  a 


382 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE    COUNTY. 


veteran's  furlough.  He  went  to  Cairo.  III., 
and  joined  Sherman's  army,  then  at  Dalton, 
Ga.,  on  its  "  march  to  the  sea."  He  was  in 
the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  all  its  battles  and  skirmishes.  He 
was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  Septem- 
ber, 1865.  He  married  Miss  Irene  Hazen,  of 
"Wisconsin,  in  1867.  She  died  June  6,  1881. 
They  had  six  children  :  Herbert,  Fred.,  Cal- 
vin, Minnie,  Chester  and  Mertie,  only  two  of 
whom  are  living,  Fred,  and  Mertie.  In 
1883  he  married  Miss  Katie  E.  Davis  in 
Waupun,  Wis.  They  have  two  children, 
Ray  C,  and  Hattie  Isabel.  Mr.  Finch  was 
elected  representative  to  the  Legislature, 
from  the  twelfth  district,  in  1882,  and  served 
one  term  very  acceptably  to  his  constituents. 
He  served  on  several  special  committees, 
and  was  chairman  on  committee  of  public 
lands. 

T.  R  Sheldon  came  to  Steele  County  in 
February,  1869,  and  settled  on  his  present 
farm  on  section  12,  Berlin  Townshi]).  He  is 
a  native  of  New  Yoi'k,  born  December  16, 
1820.  In  18-13  he  immigrated  to  Waukesha 
County,  Wis.,  where  he  lived  for  eighteen 
years.  He  then  removed  to  Olmsted 
County,  Minn.,  and  remained,  there  eight 
years.  He  married  Miss  Elizabeth  Scott,  of 
New  York,  in  18-11.  She  died  in  1852, 
leaving  two  children  to  mourn  her  loss : 
Hudson  B..  who  married  and  is  living  in 
Grand  Meadow  ;  and  Adelaid  L.,  married  to 
L.  P.  Case,  and  living  near  Chatfield,  Olm- 
sted County.  Mr.  Sheldon  was  again  mar- 
ried, to  Miss  Parnelia  B.  Simons.  They 
have  one  son,  Frank,  who  lives  near  his 
father  in  the  town  of  Summit. 

W.  R.  Ellis  was  born  in  Lincolnshire,  Eng- 
land, in  1849.  His  parents,  Samuel  and 
Mary  (Robinson)  Ellis,  emigrated  to  America 
in  1852,  and  went  first  to  Lower  Canada.  In 
ISSlr  they  removed  to  Illinois,  remaining 
there  fifteen  years,  when  they  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.  W.  R.  Ellis  came  with  thein. 
and  for  two  years  worked  on  a  farm.  He 
then  learned  the  blacksmith  trade,  which  he 


has  since  followed.  He  married  Miss  Annie 
McLaughlin  of  Illinois.  They  have  three 
children  ;  Rosie,  Benjamin  and  Veenie.  They 
are  active  members  of  the  Baptist  Church. 
Samuel  Ellis  enlisted  in  Company  D, 
Fifteenth  Illinois  Infantrj',  in  1861,  and 
again  in  1864,  in  Company  E,  Fifteenth 
Illinois  Infantry.  After  being  discharged 
he  resided  with  his  son,  W.  R.,  until  fad,  1887) 
when  he  removed  to  Tyler,  Minn.,  and  now 
lives  with  his  youngest  son,  Edward  Ellis. 

Ole  Olson  has  a  fine  farm  of  140  acres  on 
sections  2  and  4,  and  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stoclc-raising.  He  was  born  in 
Norway,  July  19, 1843,  and  came  to  America 
in  1865.  He  settled  first  in  Lemond  Town- 
ship, Steele  County,  Minn.,  and  in  1871 
removed  to  Berlin  Township.  August  10, 
1865,  he  was  joined  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Annie  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Norway, 
May  26,  1846.  They  have  eight  children: 
Anna  Matikle,  born  April  23,  1866 ;  John 
William,  born  December  14,  1867 ;  Lora 
Olivia,  born  April  21,  1870  ;  Jein  Mary,  born 
December  8,  1872  ;  Ola  Martin,  born  Febi'u- 
ary  20,  1876  ;  Emma  Julie,  born  April  7, 
1879;  Minnie  Josephine,  born  October  15, 
1883,  and  Albert  Emil,  born  September  7, 
1885.  His  family  are  all  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Theodore  Chambers,  a  prominent  farmer 
of  Berlin  Township,  is  located  on  section  11. 
He  has  an  excellent  farm  of  360  acres,  250  of 
which  is  under  good  cultivation.  He  was 
born  in  Du  Page  Count}^  111.,  in  October, 
1844.  When  eiglit  years  of  age  his  parents 
moved  to  McHenry  County,  111.,  subsequently 
to  Owatonna,  Steele  County,  Minn..  M'here 
the  mother  still  lives.  The  father  was  city 
treasui'er  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1881.  Theodore  moved  to  the 
Town  of  IVIeriden,  where  he  lived  four  years, 
then  came  to  Berlin.  Later  he  removed  to 
Owatonna  and  spent  five  years,  then  returned 
to  his  present  liome.  He  was  married  in 
Faribault,  Minn.,  in  September,  1S66,  to 
Miss  Emilv  Arnold  of  Owatonna.  They  have 


HISTOBY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


383 


five  children  :  Edward  W.,  James  L.,  Frank, 
Marion  and  Grace  F.  He  enlisted  in  1862 
in  Company  F,  Ninety-fifth  Illinois  Infantry, 
under  Capt.  N.  H.  Stewart,  Col.  Church 
being  in  command  at  first,  but  was  soon 
relieved  by  Col.  Thomas  Humphrey.  The 
regiment  remained  in  camp  two  months  at 
Eockford,  111.,  when  they  were  ordered  to 
Jackson,  Miss.,  and  joined  the  Third  Division 
Seventeenth  Army  Corps  at  that  place.  He 
served  during  the  entire  campaign,  participat- 
ing m  all  the  battles  and  skirmishes,  and 
realized  all  the  hardships  incidental  to  a 
soldier's  life.  After  the  engagement  at 
Oxford,  Miss.,  they  returned  to  Holly  Springs, 
and  took  a  forced  march  to  Ripley  to  head 
off  Van  Dorn  and  Price.  They  were  then 
ordered  to  Holly  Springs,  by  land  and  rail  to 
Memphis,  then  by  boat  to  Lake  Providence, 
La.,  where  they  remained  two  months,  then 
overland  to  Vicksburg,  and  remained  on  duty 
in  the  rear  of  that  city  until  its  surrender. 
From  Natchez,  they  were  ordered  on  the  Eed 
Piver  expedition  in  Arkansas  and  Missouri 
against  Price,  took  part  at  Fort  Du  Russey, 
Old  Piver,  Clouterville,  Yellow  Bayou,  Gun 
Town,  etc. ;  the  campaign  against  Hood  in 
Tennessee ;  thence  to  Mobile,  siege  at 
Spanish  Fort  in  186.5,  and  Fort  Blakely.  Also 
participated  in  Sherman's  Georgia  campaign, 
at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Chattahoochee  River, 
Atlanta,  Jonesboro,  etc.,  the  i-egiment  ti'avel- 
ing  during  service  9,960  miles.  In  the 
engagement  at  Guntown  they  met  with  a 
reverse  and  Col.  Humphreys  was  Idlled,  a 
loss  sadly  deplored  by  his  men.  The  regi- 
ment afterward  reorganized  at  Memphis. 
On  their  first  raid  to  Greenville  and  Wood- 
ville,  they  destroyed  large  quantities  of  fionr, 
bacon,  sugar,  hams  and  commissary  stores  of 
the  enemy,  tore  u])  the  railroad  track,  took 
300  head  of  horses  and  mules  and  a  large 
herd  of  Texas  cattle.  In  their  second  raid 
from  Brownsville  to  Sedalia,  in  pursuit  of 
Price,  whom  they  failed  to  capture,  they 
destroyed  large  quantities  of  his  supplies.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  enlistment,  he 


was  mustered  out  at  Springfield,  III,  in  Au- 
gust, 1865. 

ORGANIZATION 

When  Steele  County  was  organized  in  Au- 
gust, 1855,  the  territory  which  now  comprises 
Berlin  Township  (and  for  that  matter  the 
whole  of  the  county),  became  a  part  of 
Owatonna  Township.  It  remained  in  this 
shape  until  the  6th  of  April,  1857,  when  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  set  off  town- 
ship 105,  range  21,  and  authorized  its  organ- 
ization as  a  civil  township,  to  be  called 
"  Berlin."  The  name  was  derived  from  the 
town  of  that  name  in  Wisconsin.  The  proper 
spelling  of  the  name  is  "Berlin,"  as  it  is  com- 
monly used  at  this  daj',  although  in  the 
earlier  county  records  the  name  appears 
Burlin. 

The  organization  of  the  township  was  not 
fully  perfected  until  the  spring  of  1858, 
when,  on  the  11th  day  of  Maj',  a  full  set  of 
township  officers  was  elected,  as  follows : 
Supervisoi's,  C.  V.  Brown,  Thomas  McCor- 
mick  and  M.  Warren ;  assessor,  Otis  Bath- 
rick  ;  clerk,  H.  Lawson  ;  justices  of  the  peace, 
Michael  Wright  and  George  Goodrich  ;  col- 
lector, John  O.  Shea. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  present  town- 
ship officers,  elected  March  9,  1887  :  Super- 
visors, H.  A.  Finch,  H.  Bradley  and  J.  Tor- 
gesen  ;  clerk,  D.  M.  Betchen ;  treasurer,  J. 
Malone  ;  assessor,  F.  T.  Trowe  ;  justices,  J. 
M.  Cusick  and  A.  Gales. 

VARIOUS    EVENTS. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  township  was 
that  of  John  O.  Culver  to  Miss  Jane  Gordon. 
The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Hiram 
Pitcher,  Esq.,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  in  1857. 
This  being  the  first  time  the  justice  had  pei"- 
formed  the  ceremony,  he  varied  a  little  from 
the  usual  form,  and  the  groom  was  made  to 
promise  to  obey  the  bride  instead  of  the 
bride  obeying  the  groom.  The  first  birth 
was  that  of  Fred  Brown,  who  now  lives  in 
Waseca  County.  It  occurred  in  January, 
1857.     The  first  death  was  that  of  Mrs.  J. 


384 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


V.  Gordon,  which  occurred  Nov.  30,  1859. 
The  remains  were  buried  in  Berlin  cemetery. 

The  first  ground  broken  for  a  crop  was 
done  by  Levi  Chase,  in  the  summer  of  1856. 

The  second  marriage  in  the  township  was 
that  of  Ashbel  Ingerson  to  Sarah  A.  Chase. 
The  ceremony  was  performed  by  Eev  H. 
Chapin,  in  August,  1875. 

About  the  first  fatal  accident  which 
occurred  in  tlie  township,  was  the  drown- 
ing of  John  Brown,  a  lad  of  eighteen  or 
nineteen  years  of  age,  in  Beaver  Lake.  His 
body  was  secured  a  few  hours  after  death 
had  claimed  him. 

RELIGIOUS. 

The  first  religious  services  in  the  township 
were  held  at  the  residence  of  Levi  Chase,  in 
the  fall  of  1856,  when  praj'er  meetings  and 
a  Sabbath  school  were  established.  In  the 
fall  of  1657,  Rev.  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  and  Rev. 
S.  N.  Phelps  commenced  preaching  on  alter- 
nate Sabbaths. 

A  Methodist  organization  was  effected  in 
1858,  by  Elder  Phelps. 

On  the  27th  of  August,  1859,  a  Baptist 
Church  was  organized  by  Elder  Town,  of 
Owatonna.  The  last  preacher  was  Rev.  B. 
K.  Dye,  of  Clinton  Falls. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  fir.st  school  in  the  township  was 
taught  in  the  winter  of  1857-8,  by  D.  T. 
Gordon,  in  an  old  log  blacksmith  shop, 
which  stood  on  the  edge  of  Beaver  Lake,  on 
section  16.  The  following  j'ear  the  present 
log  schoolhouse  was  erected  by  the  citizens. 
The  same  party   taught  the   first  school   in 


the  house.  That  was  the  only  school  build- 
ing in  the  township  at  that  time. 

POSTOFFICES. 

The  first  jjostoffice  in  the  township  was 
established  in  1856,  under  the  name  of 
Adamsville,  with  Hiram  Pitcher  as  postmas- 
ter. He  also  carried  the  mail  from  Owa- 
tonna, many  times  going  on  foot,  and,  in 
the  winter,  using  snow-shoes.  In  1857  the 
name  of  the  office  was   changed   to   Berlin. 

C.  V.  Brown  was  the  second  postmaster, 
and  held  the  office  until  the  time  of  his  death. 
Succeeding  him  in  turn  came  S.  A.  Gordon, 
G.  W.  Sawyer,  Peter  Betchen,   C.  W.   Fox, 

D.  McLaughlin  and  S.  Ellis.  The  one  last 
named  is  the  present  postmaster,  having 
taken  the  office  in  1884. 

BUSINESS. 

In  1871  a  cheese  factory  was  started  on 
section  12,  at  a  cost  of  some  $5,000,  by  a 
company  formed  for  that  purpose ,  composed 
of  citizens  of  the  township,  After  being  in 
operation  for  a  time,  the  plant  was  sold  to 
Mr.  Sloan,  and  later  Mr.  Miller  became  in- 
terested. After  a  few  years  the  enterprise 
was  abandoned,  as  it  had  not  proved  a  profita- 
ble investment. 

About  1875  a  store  was  started  by  Miller 
&  Sloan  in  a  part  of  the  cheese  factory 
building,  and  the  postoffice  was  also  kept 
there.  L.  Barrett  also  started  a  store  on 
section  13,  but  both  concerns  were  closed 
out  b}^  their  creditors,  after  running  a  few 
years. 

W.  R.  Ellis  started  a  blacksmitli  shop  on 
section  22,  in  April,  1875,  which  he  still 
operates. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


SUMMIT  TOWNSHIP. 


lUMMIT  forms  the  center  of  the 
southern  tier  of  townships,  em- 
bracing congressional  township 
105,  range  20.  On  the  north  it  is 
bounded  by  Somerset  Town 
ship ;  on  the  east  by  Blooming 
Prairie  Township;  on  the  west 
by  Berlin  Township,  and  on  the 
south  by  Freeborn  Countj^  The 
northwest  corner  of  the  township  has  consid- 
erable timber.  A  branch  of  the  Straight 
River  runs  across  the  northwest  corner,  in  a 
northeasterly  direction,  while  another  branch, 
taking  its  rise  in  a  little  lake  lying  partly  in 
the  town  of  Blooming  Prairie,  flows,  in  a 
northwesterljr  course,  across  the  entire  town, 
furnishing  an  abundant  supply  of  water. 
The  surface  here  is  somewhat  rolhng,  and  the 
prairie  is  diversified  by  the  many  groves 
which  have  been  set  out  bj^  the  settlers.  The 
soil  here  is  of  a  light  but  productive  nature — 
of  about  the  same  character  as  is  found  in 
tlie  other  portions  of  the  county.  In  1857 
Summit  Township  had  a  population  of  45. 
In  1885  this  had  grown  to  551  inhabitants. 

ITEMS    OF    INTEREST    CONCERNING    OLD    SETTLERS 
AND  PROMINENT  CITIZENS. 

The  first  settlement  within  the  limits  now 
comprising  Summit  Township,  was  made  in 
the  summer  of  1856,  by  John  Bennett  and 
a  man  named  Dribilibus,  both  single  men. 
Bennett  selected  a  claim  on  section  9,  and 
his  companion  on  section  4.  The  former  re- 
mained here  for  several  3'ears,  then  removed 
to  Dakota,  where  he  still  lives.  Dribilibus, 
after  a  year  or  two,  sold  out  and  left. 

Later  in  the  same  season  (1856),  Hiram 
Fredenburg,  H.  W.  Ruliffson  and  D.  A. 
Loomis  came  with  their  families,  and  also  a 


man  named  Heath,  and  all  selected  claims. 
Mr.  Fredenburg  was  a  native  of  New  York, 
and  a  man  of  prominence  in  early  days.  He 
selected  a  claim  on  section  20  and  remained 
in  the  township  until  1880,  when  he  removed 
to  Owatonna. 

Mr.  Rulifl'son  located  on  section  .30,  where 
he  lived  until  1880,  when  he  removed  to  Da- 
kota. 

Mr.  Loomis  settled  on  the  same  section  and 
remained  until  late  in  the  "seventies,"  when 
he  removed  to  Dakota  Territory,  where  he 
still  lives. 

G.  W.  Knapp  located  here  in  June, 
1856,  pitched  his  tent  and  at  once  went  to 
"  housekeeping.'" 

William  Cooley  came  in  1856  and  is  still  a 
prominent  citizen.  Mr.  Cooley  is  a  native  of 
Massachusetts.  He  was  born  June  1st,  1812. 
His  parents,  Moses  and  Lucretia  (Graves) 
Cooley,  died  before  our  subject  arrived  at 
manhood,  his  father  dying  in  1815,  and  his 
mother  in  1826.  When  sixteen  years  of  age 
William  Coolej'  went  to  Geneva,  Seneca 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained  five  years, 
learning  the  carpenter's  and  wagon-maker's 
trade.  In  the  summer  of  1833,  he  came  to 
Chicago,  Ills.,  where  he  remained  until  1854. 
He  then  came  to  Minnesota,  locatino-  in 
Chatfield.  Finally,  on  the  Uh  of  September, 
1856,  he  came  to  Steele  County,  settling  at 
once  in  Summit  Township,  on  section  25. 
At  that  early  day  Mr.  Cooley  had  charge  of 
the  postofiice  and  stage  station,  which  was 
named  Cooleysville,  in  honor  of  him.  Mr. 
Cooley  had  charge  of  it  for  six  years,  at  which 
time  the  stage  route  was  changed.  Our  subject 
was  offered  $25  to  sign  a  petition  to  have 
the  postofBce  moved  four  miles  farther  west, 
which  he  did,  refusing  to  take  the  money. 


385 


386 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


He  remained  on  section  25  for  nine  years, 
then  removed  to  section  14,  where  he  still 
lives.  Mr.  Cooley  has  been  twice  married  : 
first,  on  December  25,  1833,  to  Eebecca 
"Warner,  who  died  November  12, 1851,  leav- 
ing two  children:  Mary  E.,  born  October 
6, 1834,  and  Delia,  born  February  22,  1837. 
Mary  E.  married  W.  V.  Johnson.  They 
reside  in  Chicago,  111.  Delia  was  married 
in  1852,  to  Julius  Moffit.  Their  home  is  in 
Nickerson,  Kan.  Mr.  Cooley  was  married 
December  31,  1852,  to  Catherine  Cull. 

A.  C.  Colquhon  came  here  in  1856,  and 
located  on  section  24,  where  he  remained 
until  the  death  of  his  wife,  which  occurred 
three  or  four  years  later.  After  this,  he 
spent  some  time  in  Wisconsin,  and  then  i-e- 
turned  to  his  old  home.  A  few  years  later 
he  removed  to  Blooming  Pi-airie  Township, 
where  he  still  lives. 

Mr.  Dunlavey  came  in  '1857,  and  settled 
on  section  14.  After  a  few  years  he  sold 
out  his  interests  here  and  left. 

John  W.  Smith  was  also  nmong  the  pio- 
neers of  "  \57."  Mr.  Smith  was  born  in 
Virginia,  November  1,  1817.  He  remained 
in  his  native  State  until  twenty  years  of  age, 
then  in  company  with  his  parents  settled  in 
Ohio,  where  they  resided  for  seventeen  years. 
J.  W.  Smith  came  to  Minnesota  in  Septem- 
ber 1854,  locating  in  Chatfield,  Fillmore 
County,  where  he  remained  three  years.  In 
June,  1857,  he  came  to  Steele  County,  locat- 
ing on  section  35,  in  Summit  Township, 
where  he  lives  at  the  present  time.  Mr. 
Smith  was  married  in  1841.  They  had  three 
children  :  William  L.,  James  A.  and  David. 
William  was  married  and  lived  in  Summit 
Township,  on  section  34,  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  January,  1880.  He 
left  a  large  family  to  mourn  his  loss.  James 
A.  lived  with  his  parents  until  1862,  wlien 
lie  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Tentli  Minnesota 
Infantry,  at  that  time  being  but  eighteen 
years  of  age.  He  was  wounded  in  the  bat- 
tie  of  Tupelo  and  died  soon  after  in  the  hospi- 
tal.    David  lived  with  his  parents  until  1864 


then  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Eleventh  Min- 
nesota Infantry,  remaining  in  service  until 
the  close  of  the  war.  He  then  returned 
home,  and  died  three  years  later  of  a  dis- 
ease contracted  in  the  army.  Mrs.  Smith 
died  in  1850.  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  his 
second  wife,  Elizabeth  Erat,  in  1852. 

William  Goolsby  settled  in  Summit  Town- 
ship in  1858,  selecting  his  share  of  govern- 
ment land  on  section  14.  He  remained  here 
until  a  few  j'ears  ago,  when  he  removed  to 
Dakota  Territory,  where  he  still  lives. 

T.  E.  Kenyon,  in  company  with  his  par- 
ents, Thomas  and  Mary  L.  (Smith)  Kenyon, 
came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  from  Otsego 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  1856,  locating  in  Somerset 
Township,  our  subject,  at  that  time,  being 
only  ten  years  of  age.  The  father  resided 
in  Somerset  until  the  time  of  his  death.  T. 
E.  Kenyon  remained  with  his  parents  until 
1863,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Sec- 
ond Minnesota  Cavalry,  under  Col.  Thomas, 
remaining  in  the  service  until  the  fall  of  1865, 
when  he  was  discharged  at  Fort  Snelling. 
He  then  returned  home,  where  he  remained 
one  year.  He  then  started  out  in  life  for 
himself.  In  1877  Mr.  Kenyon  located  on  his 
present  place  in  Summit  Township,  on  sec- 
tions 5  and  6,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
Mr.  Kenyon  was  married  in  1870,  to  Alliecia 
Twiford.  They  have  two  children :  Arthur 
and  Mary  E. 

Edward  Darmody  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1845.  When  live  years  of  age  he  came  to 
America  in  company  with  his  parents,  Mich- 
ael and  Bridget  Darmod3^  They  located  in 
Rock  County,  Wis.,  where  the}'  remained  un- 
til 1862.  They  then,  in  company  with  P.  P. 
Thimsen,  Mrs.  Thirasen,  Pat.  Fallon  and  John 
Anderson,  came  to  Minnesota,  traveling  by 
team.  Mrs.  Darmody  died  on  the  journey, 
and  was  buried  at  Spring  Valley,  Minn. 
Mr.  Darmody  at  once  settled  in  Steele  County, 
taking  up  government  land  on  section  10, 
Summit  Township,  where  Mr.  Darmody 
Sr.  remained  with  bis  son  Edward  until  tlie 
time  of  his  death,  in  1S66.      Our  subject,  Ed- 


I 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


387 


ward  Diirmody,  was  married  in  1867  to  Mary 
Welsch.  They  liave  eight  children ;  Bridget, 
Katie  Ellen,  Michael,  Thomas,  Edward, 
Margaret,  Eliza  and  Mary.  Mr.  Darmody 
has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  town 
affairs.  He  was  elected  supervisor  in  1868, 
and  has  held  some  town  office  ever  since. 

A.  Hemingway  was  born  in  Canada  in 
1843.  In  1844,  his  parents,  Josiah  and  Eli- 
zabeth (Lawrence)  Hemingway  with  their 
family  removed  to  Wisconsin,  where  Mr. 
Hemingway  Sr.  died.  Mrs.  IIemingwa\' 
came  to  Minnesota  in  the  spring  of  1866,  to 
live  with  her  sons,  Clinton  and  George,  who 
reside  on  section  18,  in  Summit  Township. 
A.  Hemingway,  our  subject,  came  to  Steele 
County  in  1866,  locating  on  section  19,  in  Sum- 
mit Township,  where  he  remained  four  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Wisconsin.  He  remained 
there  until  1878,  and  then  returned  to  his 
original  farm  in  Steele  Couutj^,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  B,  Thirtj^-second  Wisconsin  In- 
fantry, under  Col.  Howe,  remaining  in  ser- 
vice until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was  in  a 
number  of  battles,  among  which  were  Three 
Rivers,  Columbia,  S.  C,  the  taking  of 
Savannah,  Ga.,  with  Sherman,  on  his  march 
to  the  sea,  and  was  also  at  the  grand  re- 
view, at  Washington.  Mr.  Hemingway  was 
married  in  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  in  January, 
1867,  to  Miss  Olive  Nickerson.  They  have 
five  children :  Elsie,  Lula,  Myrta,  Elwin 
and  Eva. 

A.  C.  Tennis,  who  resides  on  section  28, 
in  Summit  Township,  Steele  County,  Minn., 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  in  1835. 
He  remained  in  his  native  town  until  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  and  then  came  to  Minne- 
sota, locating  in  Wabasha  County,  where  he 
remained  one  year.  In  April,  1867,  Mr. 
Tennis  removed  to  Steele  County,  locating 
at  once  on  the  place  where  he  now  lives. 
His  parents  were  Samuel  and  Jane  Tennis. 
Mrs.  Tennis  died  while  our  subject  -was  quite 
young.  Mr.  Tennis  Sr.  came  west  with  his 
son  A.  C,  and  settled  with  him. 


Scott  Hayes,  who  lives  on  section  6,  in 
Summit  Township,  was  born  in  Hartford 
County,  Conn.,  October,  15,  1829.  He  re- 
sided with  his  parents  until  eigliteen  years 
of  age,  then  served  as  an  apprentice  for 
three  years  at  the  blacksmith's  trade.  He 
then  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  few  years.  In 
June,  1859,  he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
taking  up  government  land  on  section  6,  in 
Summit  Township,  where  he  remained  until 
he  proved  up  on  the  land.  In  the  fall  of 
1859  Mr.  Hayes  returned  to  Hartford, 
Conn.,  remaining  there  until  1869.  He  then 
returned  to  Steele  County,  locating  on  the 
land  taken  up  ten  years  before,  where  he  has 
since  remained.  Mr.  Hayes  was  married  in 
1864  to  Mrs.  Elvira  Elder.  They  had  one 
child,  Nellie  A.,  who  married  Mr.  James 
Cassady.  She  died  December  26, 1885,  leav- 
ing a  small  family. 

E.  Coggins  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1835. 
He  remained  in  his  native  land  until  twenty 
years  of  age,  then  came  to  America,  landing 
in  New  York,  May  10,  1855.  He  remained 
in  that  State  two  years,  then  went  to  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  worked  one  year  in  the 
iron  works.  He  then  returned  to  New  York, 
where  he  remained  until  1859,  then  removed 
to  Racine  County,  Wis.  After  remaining 
there  for  some  time,  he  went  south  to  Car- 
son's Landing,  Miss.,  where  he  remained  a 
short  time.  He  then  returned  to  Racine, 
Wis.,  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1870  Mr. 
Coggins  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  and 
was  employed  on  the  farm  of  Dr.  Morehouse 
for  two  years.  He  then  bought  his  present 
farm  on  sections  12  and  13,  in  Summit  Town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  lived,  engaged  in 
general  farming  and  stock-raising.  Mr. 
Coggins  was  married  May  2,  1861,  to 
Bridget  Toher.  They  have  nine  children. 
Mr.  Coggins  was  elected  town  su})ervisor  in 
1880 ;  was  reelected  in  1881,  and  again  in 
1883.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  men  of 
Summit  Township  and  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Steele  County. 

John  Ryan,  a  prominent  farmer  residing 


388 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE    COtTNTY. 


on  section  20,  in  Summit  Township,  was  born 
in  DurhaiB,  England.  He  came  to  America 
wlien  six  years  of  age,  with  his  parents,  John 
and  Margret  Rj^an,  locating  in  Ohio.  Our 
subject  lived  with  his  parents  until  fourteen 
years  of  age,  then  started  out  in  life  for 
himself,  going  to  ISTew  Orleans,  La.,  where 
he  remained  two  years.  In  October,  1855, 
he  came  to  Minnesota,  locating  in  Freeborn 
County,  remaining  there  until  the  war  broke 
out.  He  then  enlisted,  October  15,  1861,  in 
Company  F,  Fourth  Minnesota  Volunteer 
Infantry,  remaining  in  the  service  three  years 
and  three  months.  He  was  in  the  following 
battles :  luka,  Corinth,  Raymond,  Jackson, 
Champion  Hill,  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Chat- 
tanooga, Altoona  Pass  and  also  with  Sher- 
man on  his  march  to  the  sea.  Mr.  Ryan 
received  his  discharge  January  14,  1865,  at 
Savannah,  Ga.,  and  returned  to  Freeborn 
County,  Minn.,  where  he  again  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1865  he  sold  his  farm  and 
came  to  Steele  County,  locating  on  his  pres- 
ent place,  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  was 
married  November  16,  1861,  to  Julia  Fitz- 
simmons.  They  have  six  children  :  Huldah, 
Patrick,  Martha,  Margret,  James  and  Mary 
Ann. 

D.  P.  Sawyer  was  born  in  Vermont  in 
1839.  He  remained  with  his  parents,  Otis 
and  Mary  Anna  (Bickford)  Sawyer,  until 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  He  lived  in  Ver- 
mont until  the  war  broke  out,  enlisting  in 
June,  1861,  in  Company  B,  Third  Vermont 
Infantry,  being  under  Col.  Hyde  for  three 
years.  Mr.  Sawyer  was  in  forty-seven  bat- 
tles, the  first  being  the  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
Mr.  Sawyer  received  his  discharge  in  the  fall 
of  1864,  at  Burlington,  Vt.  He  then  returned 
home,  where  he  remained  two  years,  and 
then  came  to  Minnesota,  locating  in  Freeborn 
County,  where  he  lived  for  ten  years.  He 
then  came  to  Steele  Count}',  locating  on  sec- 
tion 21,  in  Blooming  Prairie  Township.  Six 
years  later  he  removed  to  Summit  Township, 
settling  on  section  20,  where  he  resides  at  the 
present  time.     Mi'.   Sawyer  was  married  in 


1876  to  Melinda  McFall,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  have  four  children  :  Ira,  Mabel, 
Floid  and  Elwin.  Mr.  Sawyer  is  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising,  and  is  among  the 
representative  citizens  of  this  part  of  the 
county. 

FIRST  EVENTS. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that 
of  Adelbert  Heath,  son  of  Roswell  Heath, 
who  was  born  in  1857. 

The  first  marriage  took  place  in  December, 
1858,  the  parties  being  Benjamin  "Wheeler 
and  Miss  Delia  Fredenburg. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  Mrs.  Delora 
Fredenburg,  wife  of  Jeremiah  Fredenburg, 
which  occurred  in  1860. 

A  postoflice  called  CooleyviUe  was  estab- 
lished in  1858.  The  postmasters  have  been 
as  follows :  William  Cooley,  H.  Fredenburg, 
M.  Hitchcock,  M.  Fredenburg,  John  Curtis, 
A.  D.  Felton  and  Julia  A.  Ryan. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  school  in  district  No.  38  was 
taught  by  Celia  Fredenburg,  now  Mrs.  P. 
Francis,  of  Medford,  in  the  summer  of  1862, 
occupying  an  old  log  house,  which  had  been 
previously  used  by  Paul  Miller.  Several 
terms  were  held  here. 

The  first  schoolhouse  erected  in  district 
No.  38,  was  built  in  1864,  a  frame  structure, 
which  cost  about  $300.  The  district  then 
embraced  half  the  township. 

The  first  school  in  district  No.  51  was  held 
in  a  log  schoolhouse,  which  was  erected  in 
1867.  The  first  teacher  was  Ellen  Donaldson. 
In  1875  a  new  schoolhouse  Avas  erected, 
about  half  a  mile  east  of  the  old  site,  at  a  cost 
of  about  $600. 

The  first  school  meeting  in  district  No.  74, 
was  held  in  September,  1876,  when  the  or- 
ganization of  the  district  was  effected.  A 
schoolhouse  was  erected  the  following  3'ear 
at  a  cost  of  about  $325.  The  first  teacher 
was  Nora  Loomis. 

OEGAHIZATION. 

Like  all  other  townships  in  the  two  western 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


389 


tiers,  the  territory  Avliich  now  forms  Sum- 
mit became  a  part  of  Owatonna  Township 
when  the  county  was  organized  in  1855.  It 
remained  in  this  shape  until  April  6,  1857, 
when  the  board  of  commissioners  set  off 
township  105,  range  20,  and  authorized  its 
organization,  under  the  name  of  Summit 
Township.  The  organization,  however,  was 
not  perfected  until  the  lOtli  of  May,  1858, 
when  a  town  meeting  was  held  at  the  house 
of  Hiram  Fredenburg,  and  the  following 
township  officers  were  elected :  Supervisors, 


Hiram  Fredenburg,  chairman,  R.  M.  Davis 
and  G.  W.  Knapp  ;  clerk,  N".  S.  Kingsley ; 
assessor,  William  Cooley  ;  constables,  Daniel 
Loomis  and  George  Mitchell ;  justices  of  the 
peace,  Hiram  Fredenljurg  and  G.  "W.  Knapp. 
The  present  officers  of  the  township  were 
elected  March  8,  1887,  viz :  Supervisors,  H.  C. 
Borchert,  C.  E.  Clark,  A.  C.  Tennis ;  clerk, 
E.  Darmody ;  treasurer,  Joseph  Yoith ;  as- 
sessor, W.  E.  Kenyon ;  justices,  T.  C.  Clark 
and  D.  P.  Sawyer. 


0    U^2^ 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


BLOOMING  PRAIRIE  TOWNSHIP  AND  VILLAGE. 


( )RMING  the  southeastern  cor- 
ner of  Steele  County  is  Blooming- 
Prairie  Township,  embracing 
township  105,  range  19.  The 
township  was  originally  called 
Oak  Glen,  a  name  derived  from  a 
glen  in  the  northern  part,  in  which 
is  a  little  lake  surrounded  by  a 
heavy  growth  of  oak.  There 
are  three  of  these  lakes,  one  covering  some- 
wiiat  over  a  section  of  land,  and  each  of  the 
other  two  about  100  acres.  About  one-third 
of  the  townsliip  in  the  northwest  portion,  is 
covered  with  scattering  oak  or  oak  open- 
ings, while  the  Ijalance  is  rolling  prairie.  The 
soil  here  is  about  the  same  as  is  found  in 
other  portions  of  the  county,  rich  and  pro- 
ductive. The  township  is  becoming  well 
settled,  the  population  having  a  heavy  foreign 
element,  but  as  a  whole  the  inhabitants  are 
as  thrifty,  intelligent  and  prosperous  as  any 
community  in  the  State. 

EAELY    SBTTLEES    AND    PROMINENT   CITIZENS. 

The  first  settlement  within  the  limits  now 
comprising  Blooming  Prairie  Township  was 
made  in  July,  1856,  by  John  Blythe,  who 
selected  160  acres  of  government  land  on 
sections  19  and  30  and  put  up  a  log  cabin. 

In  October  of  the  same  year,  Dennis  Moran 
arrived  with  his  family,  consisting  of  wife 
and  two  sons  and  a  sister-in-law.  Mr.  Moran 
located  on  section  29.  He  died  on  the  same 
section.  Thomas  Bray  came  in  Januaiy, 
1857,  and  it  is  thought  that  Mr.  Whaley  and 
his  son-in-law,  Mr.  Ewers,  settled  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  township  at  about  the 
same  time.  These  were  the  only  families 
who  settled  in  the  township  that  winter 
although  many  passed  through. 


After  this,  the  township  settled  uj)  very 
slowly.  The  financial  panic  of  1857  coming 
as  it  did,  checked  travel  very  much,  and 
times  became  very  hard.  Early  in  the  sixties 
the  number  of  settlers  became  more  numer- 
ous, although  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion 
prevented  the  town  from  filling  up  very 
rapidly. 

Among  others  who  came  at  an  early  day 
and  settled  here  are  the  following  named  :  J. 
H.  McDaniels,  James  Carey,  Joseph  Bran- 
ning,  George  Topliff,  Andrew  Cole,  Thomas 
Sweeney,  Miles  Flannagan,  G.  Stoddard,  S. 
Roberts,  C.  E.  Hancock,  Patrick  Fallon, 
John  Anderson,  P.  P.  Thimsen,  N.  P.  Thim- 
sen,  T.  Feeney  and  others. 

In  this  connection  we  present  biographical 
sketches  of  many  of  the  ]iioneers  and  other 
leading  citizens  of  the  township. 

The  honor  of  being  the  first  settlers  of  the 
territory  which  now  forms  the  town  of 
Blooming  Prairie,  undoubtedly  belongs  to 
John  Blythe  and  family.  John  Blythe  was 
a  native  of  England,  and  was  born  in  1828. 
His  father,  Richard  Blythe,  died  when  he 
was  a  child,  and  his  mother  married  a  Mr. 
Bishop.  She  died  when  John  was  eleven 
years  of  age.  John  Blythe  came  to  the 
United  States  when  quite  young  and  lived 
at  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  until  1851,  when  he 
located  at  Chicago,  111.  At  that  city,  on  the 
20th  of  October,  1852,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Eliza  Jane  Patton,  by  Rev.  R.  H. 
Clarkson,  afterward  Bishop  of  Nebraska. 
They  remained  in  Chicago  until  the  spring 
of  1856,  when  they  determined  to  seek  their 
future  home  on  the  sunset  side  of  the 
Mississippi,  and  secure  a  farm.  Mr.  Blythe 
had   followed  the  active  and  adventurous 


390 


/U^y/s. 


■  (d£C£A3£0) 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


393 


In  coming 


business  of  a  sailor  on  tlie  lakes, 
west,  they  came  by  railway  and  steamboat 
to  Winona,  where  a  team  was  hired  to  brine: 
the  goods  and  the  family  (which  then  con- 
sisted of  the  parents  and  two  children)  to 
Coole\'sville,  in  Summit  Township.  They 
paid  $42.50  in  gold  for  the  trip,  besides 
$12.50  incidental  expenses  from  Winona  to 
their  new  home.  Early  that  fall  Mr.  Blj'the 
selected  government  land  on  sections  19 
and  30,  in  Blooming  Prairie  Township,  this 
being  the  first  claim  taken  in  the  township. 
Here  they  built  at  first  a  little  cabin  14x16 
feet  in  size  and  lived  on  the  place  for  nine 
years,  when  in  the  spring  of  1866,  they  pur- 
chased the  farm  of  David  Bagley,  on  section 
26,  where  the  family  still  live.  On  the  26th 
of  September,  1864,  Mr.  Blythe  enlisted  in 
Company  B,  First  Regiment  Heavy  Ar- 
tillery, and  served  until  June  11,  1865,  when 
he  was  honorably  discharged  at  Chatta- 
nooga, Tenn.  With  the  exception  of  tiiis 
absence,  his  home  remained  in  Blooming 
Prairie  Township  from  the  date  of  his 
settlement  in  1856  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  April  1, 1886.  He  had  taken  an  ac- 
tive part  in  all  public  piatters,  and  was  well- 
known  throughout  all  this  portion  of  the 
county  as  an  upright,  honorable  and  enter- 
prising citizen.  In  his  death  the  family  lost 
a  kind  father  and  the  county  lost  one  of 
its  earliest  pioneers  and  most  esteemed  citi- 
zens. A  portrait  of  him  will  be  found  else- 
where in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Blythe,  who 
survives  her  husband,  was  a  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Mary  (Tucker)  Patton,  natives 
of  Ireland.  In  1832  they  settled  at  Kingston, 
in  Upper  Canada,  where  the  father  was  en- 
gaged at  boot  and  shoe  making  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  In  1852,  as  stated,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Blythe  were  married  at  Chicago, 
and  in  1856  settled  here.  Thej'  were  blessed 
with  eight  children,  who  are  living,  as 
follows:  William  H.,  born  July  9,  1854; 
Eobert  JST.,  born  April  21,  1856;  Richard 
H.,  born  March  29,  1860  ;  Mary  A.,  born 
February  23,  1862 ;  Grace  J.,  born  March  28, 

23 


1864;  Frank  D.,  born  March  25,  1868; 
Annie  M.,  born  October  2,  1870,  and  Albert 
J.,  born  February  9,  1873.  Mrs.  Blythe  is, 
and  Mr.  Blythe  was  until  his  death,  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Episcopal  Church.  Mrs. 
Bh'the  is  in  good  circumstances,  so  far  as 
this  world's  goods  is  concerned,  and  carries 
on  her  large  farm  in  a  profitable  manner. 

Thomas  Bra}'  is  another  jiioneer,  whose 
name  is  indissolubly  connected  with  the 
early  history  and  development  of  Steele 
County.  Being  one  of  the  very  earliest 
settlers  of  Blooming  Prairie  Township,  he 
witnessed  and  participated  in  all  the  hard- 
ships and  disadvantages  which  attended  the 
early  part  of  Steele  County's  existence.  Mr. 
Bray  was  a  native  of  England,  but  came  from 
there  when  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  lived 
in  Racine  County,  Wis,  until  1856.  He 
then  came  west,  and  for  a  short  time  stopped 
in  the  southwestern  part  of  Dodge  County, 
Minn.  In  January,  1857,  he  crossed  the 
county  line  and  took  up  government  land 
on  section  35,  Blooming  Prairie  Township. 
Here  he  built  a  cabin  and  made  a  home. 
Settlers  were  very  few  and  far  between  in 
those  daj's,  markets  were  onlj'  to  be  found  at 
Hastings  or  Winona,  and  many  a  time  the 
settlers  almost  gave  up  in  despair,  as  the 
trips  had  to  be  made  overland,  camping 
by  the  wayside,  and  fording  or  swimming 
the  sloughs  and  streams.  In  early  times 
prices  were  also  very  low,  money  was  very 
scarce,  and  not  a  few  were  the  times  when 
starvation  seemed  almost  to  stare  them  in 
the  face.  Such  were  the  disadvantages 
which  the  pioneers  had  to  contend  with,  but 
thev  struggled  on,  and  finally,  success  and 
competency  crowned  the  efforts  of  those  who 
were  enterprising  and  frugal.  Mr.  Bray  was 
married  in  1857,  to  Miss  Agnes  Thorborn,  a 
native  of  Scotland,  who  came  to  the  United 
States  when  very  young.  They  had  eight 
children  :  James,  who  is  married,  and  lives  in 
Mower  County ;  Jennie,  Lizzie,  William, 
George,  Albert,  Allen  and  Richard.  Mr. 
Bray   died  upon  his  original  homestead  on 


394 


HISTOET    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


the  10th  of  November,  1876.  He  always 
took  an  active  and  prominent  part  in  all 
public  matters  affecting  this  2)art  of  the 
county,  and  was  widely  known  and  respect- 
ed as  a  man  of  the  highest  worth  and  integ- 
rity. His  death  was  sincerely  mourned,  not 
only  by  his  family,  but  by  all  wlio  knew  him. 
A  portrait  of  him  very  apjn-opriately  appears 
in  this  work.  Mrs.  Bray,  who  survives  lier 
husband,  with  the  aid  of  her  children  carries 
on  extensive  farming  and  stock-raising. 
The  farm  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  townsliip 
containing  320  acres. 

Hon.  A.  Colquhoun,  residing  on  section  30, 
is  also  a  pioneer  of  Steele  County.  He  was 
born  in  Nova  Scotia,  September  2,  1835. 
His  parents  were  John  and  Mai-gret  (Peter- 
son) Colquhoun.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Argyleshire,  Scotland,  and  his  mother  was 
also  of  Scottish  descent.  Our  subject,  A. 
Colquhoun,  came  to  the  United  States  when 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  in  November, 
1856,  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  taking 
up  government  land  on  section  24,  in  Sum- 
mit Township,  where  he  remained  until  he 
proved  up  on  his  land.  He  then  went  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  for  five  years.  In  1S02  j\Ir.  Col- 
quhoun returned  to  Steele  County.  In  1S64 
he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Eleventh  Minne- 
sota Volunteer  Infantry,  remaining  in  the 
service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  receiving 
his  discharge  at  Fort  Snelling,  in  Julv,  1865. 
He  then  returned  to  Steele  County,  and,  in 
1866,  selected  government  land  on  section 
30,  Blooming  Prairie  (then  Oak  Glen)  Town- 
ship, where  lie  has  since  lived.  Mr.  Colqu- 
houn was  elected  as  first  assessor  of  the 
townsliip  after  Oak  Glen  and  Auroi'a  were 
divided,  and  held  the  office  for  two  years. 
He  was  also  elected  as  chairman  of  the  board 
of  supervisors  in  tlie  spring  of  1872,  serving 
until  fall,  at  which  time  he  was'  elected  to 
the  State  Legislature.  He  was  again  elected 
representative  in  1880  and  served  until  1882. 
Mr.  Colquhoun  has  taken  an  active  part  in 
aU  educational  matters,  having  been  one  of 


the  school  board  for  twenty  successive  years. 
His  name  appears  frequently  in  these  pages. 

C.  B.  Pettie,  one  of  Steele  County's  most 
prominent  men,  was  born  in  Westford,  Ot- 
sego County,  N.  Y.,  December  8,  1834.  He 
remained  with  his  parents  until  twenty -one 
years  of  age,  and  then  started  out  in  life  for 
himself.  He  came  to  Steele  County.  Minn., 
October  7, 1S5<),  taking  up  government  land 
on  section  25,  Aurora  Township.  He  re- 
mained there  until  1859.  At  that  early 
date  times  were  so  hard  that  Mr.  Pettie  be- 
came discouraged  and  returned  to  Wiscon- 
sin, where  he  worked  out  on  a  farm  for  a 
year,  at  the  end  of  the  time  taking  a  small 
pair  of  cattle  for  payment.  He  then  went 
to  work  and  made  a  wagon  entirely  of 
wood,  with  the  exception  of  the  draw  bolt. 
He  then  started  again  for  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  driving  througli  in  about  two  weeks, 
and  locating  on  section  24,  Blooming  Prairie 
(then  Oak  Glen)  Township,  where  he  resides 
at  the  present  time.  In  August,  1862,  Mr. 
Pettie  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Tenth  Min- 
nesota Infantry,  remaining  in  the  service 
until  June,  1865.  He  then  returned  to  his 
farm,  where  he  has  since  lived.  Mr.  Pettie 
was  man-ied  in  1868  to  Frances  A.  Farring- 
ton.  They  had  three  children,  two  of  whom 
are  still  living,  Eddie  and  Lizzie.  Mr.  Pettie 
was  elected  chairman  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors for  the  town  of  Oak  Glen,  in  April 
1867,  and  has  alwa^'s  taken  an  active  part  in 
town  matters.  Among  Mr.  Pettie's  posses- 
sions is  tlie  old  W()(Klen  wagon,  wliicii  he 
retains  as  a  relic  of  former  days. 

A.  B.  Clark  was  born  in  the  State  of  New 
York  and  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
June  12, 1856.  He  took  up  government  land 
on  section  22,  in  the  town  of  Aurora,  wliere 
he  found  five  settlers  who  had  been  on  the 
ground  about  one  week.  Tiie  onlv  now 
remaining  settler  of  those  five  is  Cliarles 
Adsit.  Mr.  Clark  came  by  railroad  and 
steamboat  from  his  home  in  the  east  to 
Winona,  Minn.,  and  there  ]n*ocured  a  yoke 
of  oxen  and  drove  to  his  new  home  in  Min- 


mSTOET    OF    STEELE   COITNTT. 


395 


nesota.  After  arriving,  the  first  thing  he  did 
was  to  build  a  log  house  for  the  accommoda- 
tion of  his  wife  and  family,  who  cauie  about 
a  month  later.  The  following  year  Mr.  Clark 
was  one  of  three  men  who  assessed  what 
was  at  that  time  Steele  County,  now  Steele 
and  "Waseca  counties,  he  having  to  assess  the 
south  tier  and  the  south  half  of  the  second 
tier  of  towns,  making  in  all  nine  townsiiips. 
The  work  was  not  as  pleasant  at  that  day  as 
it  is  now,  the  settlers  being  scattered,  roads 
bad  or  none  at  all.  Mr.  Clark  remained  on 
his  original  farm  until  1S76,  at  which  time 
he  moved  to  his  present  place  in  Blooming 
Prairie,  where  he  has  since  lived.  In  the  fall 
of  1880,  he  put  in  a  stock  of  goods  in  the 
village  of  Blooming  Prairie,  and  carried  on 
merchandising  in  connection  with  farming 
for  four  years;  then  sold  out  his  merchandise! 
and  since  that  time  has  devoted  his  attention 
especially  to  the  breeding  of  fine  horses,  so 
that  to-day  some  of  the  best  blooded  horses 
in  the  county  can  be  seen  at  his  stables.  Mr. 
Clark  was  married  in  ISiS,  while  in  New 
York,  to  Esther  M.  Waterman.  They  have 
had  six  children :  George  W.,  born  March 
11,  1850;  Clara  M.,  born  May  2,  1852;  Mary 
E.,  born  October  31,  1854;  Rosalind,  born 
December  7,  1857;  Frank  B.,  born  May  18, 
1861,  and  Amy  N.,  born  June  29,  1865. 

C.  E.  Hancock  purchased  his  present  farm 
in  the  spring  of  1862.  He  is  a  native  of  Jef- 
ferson County,  N".  Y.,  and  came  to  Steele 
County,  Minn.,  in  the  spring  of  1859,  when 
he  took  up  school  land  in  Aurora  Township. 
He  afterward  sold  out  and  removed  to  his 
present  farm  in  Blooming  Prairie,  where  he 
is  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  In  those  pioneer  days  Winona  was 
his  nearest  trading  point,  to  which  place 
settlers  hauled  their  grain  and  produce. 
Their  loads  would  average  thirty  and  forty 
bushels,  and  were  drawn  by  two  pair  of 
oxen.  The  trip  would  require  from  seven  to 
nine  days  and  they  could  then  only  get  from 
forty-five  to  sixty  cents  per  bushel  for  their 
wlieat.    At  one  time  he  took  some  excellent 


butter  to  Ped  Wing  and  could  get  only  five 
cents  per  pound  for  it.  He  has  witnessed  all 
the  varied  changes  that  have  taken  place, 
and  has  undergone  the  privations  of  an  early 
settler.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  the  First 
j\[innesota  Heavy  Artillery,  under  Col. 
Thomas,  and  served  until  he  was  honorably 
discharged  June  19,  1865,  at  Nashville, 
Tenn.  He  then  returned  to  his  present 
home.  He  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Pamelia  Hanson,  in  New  York,  in  1856. 
They  have  four  children :  Lucy  B.,  Fred., 
May  and  Albert.  May  was  married  to  Mr. 
C.  P.  Ellis,  and  resides  in  Minneapolis. 

J.  II.  McDaniels  was  born  in  Vermont, 
June  12,  1822,  and  at  an  early  day  went  to 
Canada.  From  Canada  he  went  to  Wiscon- 
sin, and  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Waupun 
in  that  State,  having  settled  in  that  town 
about  the  year  1848.  He  remained  there 
until  he  came  to  Minnesota  in  about  1860. 
On  first  coming  to  this  State  he  located  on 
a  farm  on  section  9,  of  Blooming  Prairie 
(then  Oak  Glen)  Township,  Steele  County. 
On  this  farm  he  remained  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  April  2,  1884.  Mr.  McDan- 
iels wiis  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  that 
part  of  the  town,  his  nearest  neighbor  being- 
four  miles  distant.  His  first  house  for  him- 
self and  family  was  built  of  poles  and  hay. 
As  soon  as  ]iossil)le  he  erected  a  more  sub- 
stantial building,  which  still  stands  on  the 
farm.  While  in  Canada,  Mr.  McDaniels  was 
married  to  Julia  Ann  Carey.  Thej^  have 
eight  children :  Robert,  Mary,  Celestia,  John, 
Frank,  Charles,  IVIai'garet  and  Sarah.  Frank 
McDaniels  was  born  in  Waupun,  Wis.,  Oc- 
tober 4,  1858,  and  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  with  his  parents  when  he  was  about 
two  years  of  age.  He  lived  with  his  parents 
till  the  time  of  their  death.  He  was  married 
May  24,  1886,  to  Julia  E.  Carey,  a  native  of 
Wisconsin.  He  still  lives  on  the  old  home- 
stead taken  originally  by  his  father  in  1860. 
Frank  McDaniels  brought  the  first  steam 
thrashing  machine  into  the  town  of  Bloom- 
ing Prairie. 


396 


HISTORT   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


P.  P.  Thirasen  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  in  1862.  He  was  born  in  Denmark, 
April  3,  1831.  His  father  was  Nis  Thimsen. 
Our  subject  came  to  America  in  1858,  locat- 
ing in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained 
a  short  time ;  he  then  removed  to  Rock 
County,  "Wis.,  where  he  lived  until  1862, 
when  he  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.  He 
at  once  took  up  government  land  on  section 
8,  Blooming  Prairie  (then  Oak  Glen)  Town- 
ship, where  he  has  since  resided.  Mr.  Tliim- 
sen  was  married  in  1863  to  Julia  A.  Ackley, 
a  native  of  Lafayette,  N.  Y.  They  have 
four  children  :  Marion  M.,  aged  twenty-two; 
Hattie  F.,  aged  twenty ;  John  F.,  aged 
eighteen,  and  Katie  M.,  aged  thirteen.  Mar- 
ion married  Hans  Johnson  ;  they  reside  in 
Blooming  Prairie.  Hattie  married  James  C. 
Peterson  ;  their  home  is  in  Colorado.  The 
other  children  live  at  home.  Mr.  Thimsen 
has  a  very  fine  farm  of  400  acres,  300  of 
which  are  under  cultivation. 

Patrick  Fallon,  a  prominent  farmer,  resid- 
ine:  on  section  22,  inBloominfj  Prairie  Town- 
ship,  was  born  in  Ireland,  January  25,  1833. 
His  parents  were  Martin  and  Hanora  Fallon. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  Patrick 
came  to  America,  landing  in  New  York, 
May  5,  1854.  He  remained  in  that  State 
a  year,  and  then  came  to  Wisconsin,  locating 
in  Rock  County.  In  1862  he  came  to  Minne- 
sota, and  took  up  government  land  on  sec- 
tion 22,  in  Blooming  Prairie  (then  Oak 
Glen)  Township,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
Mr.  Fallon  was  married  in  New  York,  Sep- 
tember 2,  1855,  to  Bridget  Conley.  They 
have  seven  children :  Sarah  E.,  Mary,  Libbie, 
Jennie,  George,  Frank  and  Maggie..  Sarah 
married  J.  Sorenson,  a  blacksmith,  of  Bloom- 
ing Prairie.  Mary  married  Mr.  O'Brien ; 
their  home  is  in  Owatonna.  The  other 
children  live  at  home.  Mr.  Fallon  has  been 
prominent  in  public  matters  affecting  the 
township,  and  has  held  various  offices,  in- 
cluding that  of  township  treasurer  and 
others. 

Michael   Fallon,  residing    on  section   22, 


Blooming  Prairie  Township,  was  born  in 
Ireland,  December  10,  1836,  and  came  to 
America  when  twenty  years  of  age.  He 
located  in  Rock  Countj^  Wis.,  where  he 
lived  for  five  j^ears.  He  then  removed  to 
Minnesota,  taking  up  government  land  on 
section  22,  Blooming  Prairie  (then  Oak 
Glen)  Township,  Steele  County,  where  he 
still  lives.  Mr.  Fallon  was  married  in  1865 
to  Martha  Jane  Powers.  They  have  four 
children :  Michael  J.,  Ella,  Stephen  and 
Gusta  G.  Mr.  Fallon  was  elected  town  su- 
pervisor in  1875 ;  was  reelected  in  1876,  and 
was  again  elected  in  1878. 

H.  A.  Dunton  is  one  of  the  prominent 
and  prosperous  farmers  of  Blooming  Prairie 
Township.  He  was  born  in  Hampden, 
Me.,  in  1840.  In  1857  his  father,  John 
Dunton,  settled  in  Mower  Countj'^,  Minn., 
where  he  was  one  of  its  earliest  settlers.  In 
1863  they  moved  to  Oak  Glen,  Steele  County, 
and  kept  the  stage  station  for  some  four 
years.  He  then  went  into  business  in  the 
village  of  Blooming  Prairie,  which  he  con- 
tinued until  his  death  in  July,  1876.  H.  A. 
Dunton  remained  at  home  until  1863,  then 
went  to  the  Montana  gold  fields,  where  he 
remained  a  3'ear  or  so,  then  returned  to 
Blooming  Prairie.  He  is  actively  interested 
in  all  that  pertains  to  the  good  of  his  town- 
ship, and  is  present  chairman  of  the  board  of 
supervisors.  He  was  joined  in  marriage  in 
April,  1874,  to  Emma  Cary,  a  native  of  New 
York.  They  have  five  children :  Bertha  E., 
George,  Jessie  C,  Mary   and  Allen  Plenry. 

A.  Dies  is  a  native  of  Canada  West.  lie 
was  born  January  4,  1823.  His  parents 
were  Matthew  and  Olive  (Lenan)  Dies.  A. 
Dies  resided  in  Canada  until  1853,  when  he 
removed  to  the  United  States,  coming  to 
Chicago  by  boat,  and  from  there  to  Olm- 
sted County,  Minn.,  by  team.  He  located 
in  the  town  of  Pleasant  Grove,  Avhere  he  re- 
mained ten  years.  He  then  came  to  Steele 
County,  taking  a  homestead  on  section  22, 
Blooming  Prairie  (then  Oak  Glen)  Town- 
ship, where  he   has  since   lived.     Mr.   Dies 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


397 


was  married  in  Canada  to  Alice  Clargo,  who 
was  born  June  10,  1827.  They  had  eleven 
children  :  Lucy  J.,  born  September  9,  1850  ; 
James  W.,  born  May  15,  1857;  Olive  A., 
born  July  9,  1859  ;  Mary  E.,  born  June  12, 
1861 ;  Arthur,  born  May  30,  1863  ;  Lewis  E., 
born  July  16,  1865,  and  Elmer  M.,  born 
born  September  16,  1868.  Four  children  are 
dead  :  Geo.  H.,  born  August  23,  1818,  died 
in  May,  1875 ;  James,  born  April  1,  1853, 
died  October  15,  1853;  Elizabeth,  born  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1855,  died  August  2,  1858,  and 
Luther  E.,  born  July  16,  1865,  died  June  2, 
1869.  Elmer  and  Lucy  live  at  home.  Mr. 
Dies  has  taken  an  active  interest  in  public 
matters,  and  has  held  various  local  offices, 
including  those  of  town  supervisor  and  jus- 
tice of  the  peace. 

James  W.  Smith  came  from  West  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  was  born,  in  July,  18-12. 
His  parents  were  George  and  Sarah  (Wal- 
lace) Smith,  with  whom  James  W.  lived 
until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  At  this 
age  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  way  in 
the  world.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  went 
to  Pennsyh^ania.,  and  engaged  in  farming 
until  1864,  when  he  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn,,  and  took  up  government  land  on  sec- 
tion 14,  Blooming  Prairie  Township.  Here 
Mr.  Smith  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil,  prov- 
ing himself  a  successful  farmer,  and  has 
remained  on  the  original  claim  ever  since 
he  came  liere.  Mr.  Smith  was  married  Au- 
gust 11, 1864,  to  Jane  Bridendolph,  who  is  a 
native  of  Maryland.  They  have  seven  chil- 
dren :  Amanda,  Carey  A.,  May  E.,  Jennie, 
Calvin,  Nellie  and  Cora.  The  children  are 
all  living  at  home. 

N.  L.  Dutton  first  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  in  1865.  He  was  born  in  Cattarau- 
gus County,  N.  Y.,  December  23,  1829. 
His  parents  were  Ephram  and  Harriet 
(Starkweather)  Dutton.  Mr.  Dutton,  our 
subject,  remained  in  his  native  State  until 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  In  1852  he  came 
to  Waupun,  Wis.,  where  he  remained  eight 
years.     He  then  moved  to  Rosendale,  where 


he  remained  until  1862.  He  enlisted  at  that 
time  in  Company  PI,  Thirty -second  Wiscon- 
sin Infantry.  He  remained  in  the  service 
until  September  25,  1865,  receiving  his  dis- 
charge at  St.  Louis,  Mo.  He  was  under  Col. 
Howe.  Mr.  Dutton  then  returned  to  Wiscon- 
sin, and  in  October  of  the  same  year  came 
to  Minnesota,  remaining,  however,  only  a 
short  time.  Returning  to  Wisconsin,  he  pro- 
cured a  team  and  again  started  for  Minne- 
sota, being  two  weeks  on  the  way.  He  at 
once  located  on  sections  25  and  26,  in  Sum- 
mit Township.  In  September,  1879,  he  re- 
moved to  Blooming  Prairie  Township,  set- 
tling on  sections  23  and  26,  where  he  still 
lives.  Mr.  Dutton  was  married  October  20, 
1850,  to  Mary  Brooks,  a  native  of  New 
York.  They  have  six  children:  John, 
Franklin,  Dwight,  Will,  Sarah  and  Hattie. 

James  Dugan  came  with  his  parents, 
Dennis  and  Mary  (Eyan)  Dugan,  from  New 
York  his  birthplace,  when  eleven  years  of 
asre.  He  lived  with  them  until  1885,  when 
they  removed  to  Owatonna,  since  which 
time  he  has  operated  the  farm.  He  was 
married  in  February,  1884,  to  Margret  Ber- 
gen.    They  have  one  child,  Mary  Margretta. 

Nels  Johnson  was  born  in  Denmark, 
August  16,  1850.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four 
he  came  to  America,  and  settled  in  Bloom- 
ing Prairie  Township,  Steele  County,  Minn. 
When  he  came  he  bought  a  farm  on  sectioii 
28,  where  he  has  since  resided.  During  his 
residence  here  Mr.  Johnson  has  taken  a  com- 
mendable interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  county 
and  town.  He  was  elected  supervisor  of 
his  town  in  1879,  and  again  in  1886  and 
1887.  He  was  married  April  3,  1875,  to 
Anna  Olson.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  four  children  :  James,  George,  Nels  P., 
and  Henry,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

A.  J.  Zwiener,  a  prominent  farmer,  re- 
siding on  section  15,  Blooming  Prairie 
Township,  is  a  native  of  Germany.  He  was 
born  March  16,  1846.  He  remained  in  his 
native  land  until  eight  years  of  age,  then 
came   to   America   with  bis  parents,  living 


398 


HISTORY    OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


with  them  until  seventeen  \'ears  old.  In 
February,  18G3,  Mr.  Zwiener  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  Twenty-ninth  Wisconsin  In- 
fantry, under  Col.  Green,  and  served 
until  Jul}^  1S64-,  when  he  received  his  dis- 
charge while  in  a  hospital  at  New  Orleans, 
La.  In  1865  Mr.  Zwiener  came  to  Minne- 
sota, locating  in  St.  Paul,  where  he  remained 
three  3'ears,  then  removed  to  Winona  County. 
Five  years  later  he  removed  to  Wisconsin, 
where  he  lived  two  years,  and  tlien  again 
came  to  Minnesota,  locating  on  section  15, 
Blooming  Prairie  Township,  where  he  still 
lives.  Mr.  Zwiener  was  married  to  Bertha 
Menzel.  They  have  five  children :  Mary, 
Frank,  Lena,  Tracey  and  Lawrence.  Mr. 
Zwiener  was  elected  assessor  in  1880,  serv- 
ing two  years.  In  1SS3  he  waselectetl  town 
clerk,  whicii  office  he  still  holds.  Mr. 
Zwiener  has  always  taken  an  interest  in 
town  matters,  and  is  one  of  themost  promi- 
nent citizens  of   Blooming  Prairie  Township. 

Fred.  Nelson  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
in  1875.  lie  was  born  in  Denmark,  Novem- 
ber 1,  1851.  His  parents,  Peter  and  Anna 
Nelson,  were  also  natives  of  Denmark.  Fred. 
Nelson  remained  in  Denmark,  working  on 
a  farm,  until  twenty-four  j^ears  of  age,  and 
then  came  to  America,  coming  direct  to 
Minnesota,  and  locating  on  section  14, 
Blooming  Prairie  Township,  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  where  he  remained  four  years.  lie 
then  sold  that  farm  and  bought  a.  place  on 
section  3,  where  he  has  since  lived,  with  the 
exception  of  the  year  1886,  when  he  had 
charge  of  the  poor-farm.  In  1878  Mr. 
Nelson  was  married  to  Annie  Nelson,  who 
was  also  a  native  of  Denmark.  They  have 
three  children :  Ellen,  Peter  and  Carroll. 
Mr.  Nelson  has  a  very  good  farm  of  160 
acres,  100  of  which   is  under  cultivation. 

Peter  Peterson  was  born  in  Denmark  in 
1844.  When  twenty-eight  }'ears  old  he  came 
to  America,  locating  in  Illinois,  remaining 
there  for  a  short  time.  He  then  came  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  where  he  remained 
during  the  winter  of  1872-3.     Mr.  Peterson 


removed  to  Iowa  the  following  spring,  locat- 
ing in  Howard  County,  where  he  lived  for 
three  or  four  years,.  Then  returning  to 
Steele  County,  Minn.,  he  located  on  section 
21,  Blooming  Prairie  Township,  where  he 
still  lives.  In  1876  Mr.  Peterson  was  married 
to  Miss  H.  M.  Shaw,  a  native  of  Denmark. 
They  have  five  children :  Thomas,  Mary, 
Hans.  Annie  and  Emma,  all  of  whom  are 
living. 

A.  P.  Smith  was  born  in  Wyoming  County, 
N.  Y.,  in  September,  1842.  His  pai'ents  were 
William  and  Sarah  Hodges  Smith.  A.  P. 
Smitii  remained  in  New  York  until  seventeen 
yesrs  of  age,  at  which  early  period  of  life  he 
determined  to  come  west.  He  first  located  in 
Hennepin  County,  Minn.,  and  remained  there 
until  in  March,  1861,  at  which  time  he  moved 
to  Pope  County,  Wis.,  remaining  there  two 
years,  when  he  again  started  for  Minnesota 
and  located  in  Goodhue  County,  between 
Zumbrota  and  Pine  Island.  Here  he  remained 
until  1876,  and  then  came  to  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  purchasing  the  farm  on  which  he  has 
since  lived,  on  section  12,  Blooming  Prairie 
Township.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  practical  and  suc- 
cessful farmer.  He  was  married  in  1861  to 
Susan  M.  Dickinson,  a  native  of  Maine. 
The}'  have  six  children :  Adeline  O.,  Elsie, 
Georgiana,  Alice  M.,  Wilmar  L.  and  William 
P.  Adeline  O.  married  WiUiam  Ferrington 
and  resides  in  Blooming  Prairie.  Elsie  E. 
married  Charles  Forbes,  of  Iowa.  They  are 
now  living  in  Mitchell  County,  Iowa.  The 
rest  of  the  children  are  still  at  home  with 
their  parents. 

T.  C.  Smith  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
in  1877.  He  Avas  born  in  Genesee  County, 
N.  Y.,  January  10,  1836.  His  father,  Elisha 
Smith,  came  to  Indiana  when  our  subject 
was  quite  young.  In  1869  he  removed  to 
Steele  Count}',  locating  on  section  12,  Bloom- 
ing Prairie  Township,  where  Mr.  Smith  Sr. 
remained  until  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1884.  Our  subject,  T.  C.  Smith, 
remained  in  Indiana  until  1864,  then  came 
to  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  where  he  engaged  in 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


399 


business.  Mr.  Smith  remained  there  until 
1877,  and  then  came  to  Steele  County,  locat- 
ing on  section  11,  Blooming  Prairie  Town- 
ship, where  he  still  lives.  Mr.  Smith  was 
married  at  Bloomington,  Minn.,  in  1860,  to 
Eliza  M.  Scone.  They  have  five  children  : 
Ira  J.,  Leroy,  Charles  Frederick,  Henry  J. 
and  George.  Ira  J.  was  married  and  resides 
in  St.  Paul,  where  Leroy  also  lives.  The 
other  children  live  at  home.  Mr.  Smith  has 
a  good  farm  consisting  of  160  acres,  11 U  of 
which  are  under  cultivation.  He  is  one  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  the  township. 

VAEIOUS  MATTEES. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that 
of  Walter  John  Blythe,  a  son  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  John  Blythe,  which  occurred  on  the 
22d  of  August,  1858. 

Another  early  birth  was  that  of  James,  a 
son  of  Thomas  Bray,  who  was  born  in  1 859. 

It  is  thought  the  first  marriage  was  cele- 
brated in  1860,  the  parties  being  Ira  Foster 
and  Mrs.  Scott,  a  widow  lady. 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was 
taught  in  1861  by  Miss  Hattie  Layton,  after- 
ward Mrs.  Joseph  Carey. 

OEGANIZ-VriON. 

The  territory  w  'lich  now  comprises  Bloom- 
ing Prairie  Townshij)  was  a  portion  of 
Dodge  County,  imtil  Februar}',  1856,  when 
it  was  separated  from  Dodge  and  annexed 
to  Steele  County.  This  was  the  case  with  the 
entire  eastern  tier  of  townships.  On  the 
6th  of  April,  1857,  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  set  off  township  105,  range 
19,  and  named  it  Oak  Glen.  It  was  attached 
to  Aurora  Township  and  was  not  organized 
as  a  township  until  March,  1867,  when  the 
county  board  authorized  a  separate  organi- 
zation. •  The  name  was  changed  to  Blooming 
Prairie  in  January,  1873.  The  organization 
of  the  township  was  perfected  on  the  2d  of 
April,  1867,  when  the  first  township  meeting 
was  held,  and  a  full  set  of  officers  elected 
for  Oak  Glen  Township,  as  follows :  Super- 
visors, C.  B.  Pettie,   P.   Haley,   and   G.   M. 


Topliff ;  assessor,  A.  Colquhoun ;  clerk,  A.  J. 
Snyder ;  treasurer,  A.  J.  Pettie ;  justices  of 
the  peace,  Giddon  Stoddard  and  Aaron  Pet- 
tie ;  constables,  Andrew  Magoon  and  John 
Eastumn. 

The  first  officers  for  Blooming  Prairie 
Township  were  elected  on  the  11th  of 
March,  1873,  and  were  as  follows :  Supervis- 
ors, W.  Bowman,  chairman,  G.  A.  Peterson 
and  F.  Carey  ;  clerk,  Lewis  Ellington  ;  asses- 
sor, H.  A.  Gleason ;  treasurer,  C.  Whitten ; 
justice  of  the  peace,  C.  W.  Gardner. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  present  (1887) 
officers  of  the  township  :  Supervisors,  H.  A. 
Dunton,  P.  Nelson  and  N.  Johnson  ;  clerk, 
A.  J.  Z  wiener ;  treasurer,  Nels  Nelson  ;  as- 
sessor, George  Johnson ;  justices  of  the 
peace,  V.  Yencl  and  R.  C.  Page. 

EAELY    KECOLLECTIONS. 

By  C.  B.  Pettie. 

Blooming  Prairie  Township  was  first 
named  Oak  Glen,  and  was  known  by  that 
name  from  1856  to  1868,  when  it  was  changed 
to  Blooming  Prairie,  as  that  name  was  given 
to  the  village  by  the  general  superintendent 
of  the  railroad  company. 

John  Blythe  was  the  first  to  settle  in  the 
township,  soon  followed  hy  Mr.  Moran,  Ira 
Foster,  Thomas  Bray,  Levi  Annis,  William 
Greene  and  David  Bagiey.  They  remained 
some  three  years,  wlien  another  colony  came 
along  in  which  was  Joseph  Branning,  C  B. 
Pettie,  A.  J.  Pettie,  D.  T.  Pettie  and  C.  E. 
Hancock,  all  of  whom  settled  on  section  24. 

In  186 1 -2  there  came  quite  a  number  of  set- 
tlers from  Wisconsin,  including  R.  T.  Carey, 
J.  C.  Carey,  James  Carey,  George  M.  Topliff, 
Andrew  Meehan,  Patrick  Fallon,  Michael 
Fallon,  John  Anderson  and  Thomas  Feeney, 
and  all  took  claims  and  went  to  farming. 

The  first  reaper  used  in  the  south  part  of 
Steele  County  was  purchased  by  Joseph 
Branning,  who  drew  his  wheat  to  AVinona, 
sold  it  at  forty-five  cents  per  bushel,  and  paid 
some  1300  for  his  reaper  —  a  "  McCormick 
hand-rake."     The  grain   was  all   cut   with 


400 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COITNTT. 


oxen  ;  would  change  teams  about  every  two 
rounds  in  an  ordinary  field,  the  chain  being 
dro.pped  and  another  team  put  on  in  about 
the  twinkle  of  an  eye.  I  remember  one  day 
we  cut  twenty  acres  in  the  German  settlement 
in  Aurora,  then  moved  four  miles,  and  started 
in  to  cut  a  field  for  William  Johnson  after 
dark.  About  ten  o'clock  we  struck  a  stump, 
broke  a  guard  and  had  to  leave  the  field  till 
daylight.  While  in  the  German  settlement 
the  reaper  was  followed  by  about  twenty 
binders.  Most  of  them  would  twist  the 
band  like  a  hay  rope,  put  the  rope  on 
the  ground,  take  up  the  gavel,  place  it  on 
the  band,  then  tie  it  very  firmly.  Among 
the  binders  was  a  Gei'man  girl  of  about 
sixteen  or  seventeen  years.  I  took  the 
liberty  to  leave  the  reaper  a  moment 
to  show  the  girl  how  Yankees  made  the 
band  and  bound  the  bundle.  She  got  the 
knack  very  quick,  and  in  a  short  time  was 
one  of  the  fastest  binders  in  the  field.  When 
cutting  on  the  prairie  near  where  the  village 
of  Blooming  Prairie  now  stands,  we  had  one 
lively  day.  Commenced  cutting  for  William 
Thorburn  in  the  morning,  and,  as  we  had  to 
change  teams  often,  Mr.  Thorburn,  or 
"  Billy,"  as  he  was  called,  said  he  would  put 
his  team  on  a  while.  He  took  the  driver's 
seat,  whip  in  hand  and  started.  As  soon 
as  the  reels  began  to  play,  the  oxen  began 
to  go ;  and  as  they  began  to  go  fast,  the 
oxen  tried  to  go  faster  and  left  a  cloud  of 
dust  behind  them  ;  D.  T.  Pettie  raking  ofl' 
grain  with  a  vengeance.  After  going  about 
eighty  rods  "  Dave  "  thought  he  had  grain 
enough  on  the  platform,  so  he  threw  the 
machine  out  of  gear.  That  brought  on  a 
heavy  side-draft,  which  threw  the  cattle  in 
the  grain  and  left  a  large  circle  of  down- 
grain  uncut.  Before  noon  the  steers  thought 
they  had  rather  stand  still  than  go.  In  the 
afternoon  we  were  cutting  for  William 
Greene,  where  the  cemetery  now  is.  Mr. 
Greene,  "Little  Billy,"  as  he  was  called, 
had  "imbibed"  quite  freely.  Levi  Annis 
came   with  his  oxen  to  put  on  the  reaper 


when  needed.  "  Little  Billy  "  had  some  old 
grudge  against  Annis.  He  wouldn't  have 
Annis  on  his  farm,  nor  his  oxen.  Mr. 
Annis  insisted  that  he  was  hired  b}^  Mr. 
Branning  to  help  run  the  harvester,  and  he 
was  going  to  stay.  Words  brought  blows, 
and  blows  brought  bloody  noses,  before  Mr. 
Branning  could  reach  the  field  to  quell  the 
row. 

About  the  first  of  October,  1856,  a  terrific 
prairie  fire  came  sweeping  over  the  country 
from  the  southwest,  and  burnt  over  several 
counties.  Among  the  sufferers  was  a  familj' 
by  the  name  of  Lake.  Report  soon  reached 
our  settlement  that  Nr.  Lake  and  son  were 
badly  burned  and  needed  help.  Stephen 
Sargent,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Aurora, 
volunteered  to  take  his  oxen  and  carry  all 
that  would  go  to  complete  Mr.  Lake's  house 
which  was  in  course  of  erection.  I  think 
Charles  Adsit,  G.  W.  Grimshaw,  John  Per- 
ham,  John  Ball  and  several  others  were  in 
the  party.  The  distance  was  ten  or  twelve 
miles,  but  we  arrived  quite  early  and  found 
otiier  neighbors  there;  so  we  made  quite 
an  improvement  to  his  home.  Mr.  Lake's 
place  was  in  the  eastern  part  of  Westfield, 
Dodge  County.  During  the  fire  he  and  his 
son  were  out  on  the  prairie  with  their  oxen 
and  wagon.  The  fire  came  rushing  on  with 
a  tremendous  roar ;  overtook  them  ;  the  boy 
fell  by  suffocation  into  the  flames,  and  the 
father  springing  to  his  rescue,  both  were  ter- 
ribly burned.  By  the  kindness  of  C.  Dicker- 
son,  who  was  keeping  the  "  Bracket  Station," 
or  stage  house,  at  Oak  Glen,  we  were  fur- 
nished with  a  basket  of  dinner.  When  we 
returned  to  the  station  in  the  evening  word 
came  out  for  all  to  stop  for  supper.  The 
boys  jumped  out  thick  and  fast;  Mr.  Sar- 
gent sat  quiet  for  a  few  moments,  then 
started  up  his  team,  and  as  he  did  so  he 
turned  to  me  and  said :  "  Do  you  know 
wh}'  I  didn't  stop  for  supper?"  "Why," 
says  I,  "I  suppose  you  wasn't  hungry." 
"  Hungry  !  I  am  hungry  enough  to  eat  a  raw 
dog,  but   they  didn't   notice  my  oxen."     I 


HISTOET   OF    STEELE    COUNTY. 


401 


saved  a  four-mile  walk  by  remaining  with 
the  wagon. 

The  first  log  houseerected  in  thetownsiiip 
of  Blooming  Prairie  was  b\'  John  Blytlie. 

The  first  fi'ame  building  was  ]]racket's 
Station,  the  lumber  being  hauled  from  St. 
Paul. 

The  first  frame  dwelling  house  was  C.  B. 
Pettie's. 

The  first  enlistment  from  Blooming  Prairie 
was  that  of  David  T.  Pettie,  in  Comjiany  F, 
Third  Minnesota  Infantry. 

The  first  town  meeting  of  Aurora  was 
held  in  the  spring  of  1857,  at  the  house  of 
A.  B.  Clark.  At  that  early  day  there  was 
considerable  strife  for  the  town  offices,  es- 
pecially for  that  of  supervisor,  as  everybody 
wanted  a  road,  to  get  the  travel  to  pass  their 
door.  I  was  sent  out  quite  late  in  the  daj\ 
to  gather  up  a  load  of  Germans  that  were 
living  in  the  northeast  part  of  the  town. 
I  started  in  post  haste  almost  without  a 
track.  I  could  not  speak  a  word  of  German, 
and  they  could  hardly  speak  a  word  of 
English;  but  by  signs  and  motions  I  gathered 
up  nearly  a  wagon-box  full.  I  stood  up  and 
drove  while  they  sat  in  the  bottom,  and  of 
all  thumping  a  set  of  men  ever  got,  fell  to 
that  lot  of  men ;  for  I  go  over  grub-land, 
across  marshes  and  through  timber  at  a 
rapid  rate.  But  I  "  fetched  "  in  and  reached 
the  polls  three  minutes  before  closing  time. 
How  they  voted  I  never  knew,  and  I  don't 
believe  they  ever  did,  for  there  was  hauling 
and  pulling,  grabbing  and  talking,  as  they 
were  hurried  to  the  ballot-box,  with  a  ticket 
in  each  hand. 

The  next  schoolhouse  was  located  on  sec- 
tion 25.  It  was  10x12 — 5^  feet  high,  with  a 
sod  roof.  Here  the  first  school  was  held  in 
the  township.  Miss  Hattie  Leighton,  now 
Mrs.  J.  C.  Carey,  teacher.  This  was  in  the 
summer  of  1862. 

This  house  was  used  for  meetings,  Sab- 
bath-schools and  the  like,  until  1866,  when 
the  settlement  had  increased  and  they  called 
for  a  larger  house.    Then  came  the  strife  for 


another  location.  This  time  it  was  pulled  to 
the  west,  and  planted  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  26— land  owned  b}'  An- 
drew Meehan.  This  time  they  built  a  larger 
log  house,  size  16x20  feet,with  board  roof.  The 
town  was  divided  into  two  school  districts, 
running  north  and  south,  known  as  the  Mc- 
Daniel  district  and  the  Prairie  district. 
This  house,  being  so  large,  was  used  for 
quarterly  meetings,  elections,  political  meet- 
ings and  almost  all  other  kinds  of  meetings. 
The  villafi-e  of  Blooming-  Prairie  was  laid  out 
in  1868,  and  in  1869  was  too  proud  to 
look  toward  a  log  schoolhouse,  but  built  a 
substantial  frame  house,  which  stood  on  the 
ground  now  occupied  by  the  Episcopal 
Church. 

The  village  grew,  and  the  scholars  became 
more  numerous.  Then  they  called  for  the 
present  brick  structure,  which  is  an  ornament 
and  an  honor  to  any  town.  Thus  we  see 
the  old  log  house  giving  way  for  something 
better. 

We  also  see  the  old  "Pioneer"  giving 
way  for  the  rising  generation,  and  may  they 
go  on  until  they  are  as  far  in  the  advance  as 
the  brick  and  stone  structures  are  ahead  of 
the  "old  sod  roofed  school-house"  that  once 
decked  the  prairie  of  Blooming. 


The  ^il 


Pr 


lage  of  ©loonnqg  prairie. 

During  the  year  1867  the  Minnesota  & 
Cedar  Valle}'  Kailway  was  built  south  from 
Owatonna,  to  which  place  it  had  been  com- 
pleted during  the  preceding  year.  A  station 
was  located  on  section  25  of  this  township, 
and  it  was  given  the  name  of  Blooming 
Prairie.  A  village  was  also  platted  and  busi- 
ness development  commenced  immediately. 

The  first  store  was  started  by  Capt.  A.  C. 
Ilawley  and  Mr.  Wadworth  on  the  ground 
now  occupied  by  Brainerd's  lumber-yard. 
A  short  time  later  the  first  warehouse  was 
built  and  a  portion  of  it  was  partitioned  off, 
and  Capt.  Hawley,  then  being  the  sole  pro- 
prietor, moved  his  stock  of  general  merchan- 


402 


HISTOET   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


dise  into  this.  C.  "W".  Gardner  soon  pur- 
chased the  business,  and  L.  Ellington  entered 
into  his  employ  as  a  clerk.  Mr.  Gardner 
erected  a  store  building  which  now  forms  a 
part  of  the  Ferrington  House.  The  business 
soon  changed  hands  again  and  Octave  Gan- 
iefj  became  proprietor,  and  Mr.  Gardner 
moved  onto  the  farm  now  owned  by  R.  J. 
Fuller.  Ml'.  Ganiefy  conducted  the  business 
for  six  or  seven  years,  when  the  stock  was 
closed  out. 

BUSINESS  DEVELOPMENT  AND  BUSINESS  MEN. 

Shortly  after  Capt.  Hawley  had  started 
his  store,  E.  B.  Sprout  erected  a  store  build- 
ing and  opened  a  stock  of  general  merchan- 
dise. He  sold  to  J.  N.  Dunton  &  Sons. 
The  original  building  was  afterward  sold  to 
A.  Mayo  and  finally  burned.  J.  N.  Dunton 
died  while  in  business,  and  the  sons  contin- 
ued it  for  a  number  of  yeai's,  when  the  stock 
was  closed  out.  During  this  time  they  had 
erected  a  building  facing  on  Fourth  street. 

L.  Ellington,  as  stated,  had  been  clerking 
at  different  times  for  Capt.  Hawle\',  C.  W. 
Gardner  and  Octave  Ganiefy.  In  about  the 
year  1870  he,  in  company  with  F.  C.  Brown 
(afterward  his  brother-in-law),  opened  a  gen- 
eral merchandise  store  in  T.  Feeney's  build- 
ing. They  at  once  erected  a  building  (in 
which  the  ])ostofBce  is  now  located)  and  soon 
moved  into  it.  The  firm  remained  thus  for 
about  one  year  when  F.  C.  Brown  sold  his 
interest  to  Mr.  Peterson,  and  the  firm  of 
Ellington  &  Peterson  continued  the  business 
for  about  two  years,  when  Mr.  Peterson 
became  sole  j^roprietor.  A  few  years  later 
J.  A.  McConnell  bought  the  stock,  and  later 
John  Lennon  became  interested,  and  the 
business  is  still  prospering  under  his  man- 
agement— although  the  firm  is  now  A.  G. 
Lennon  &  Co. 

In  1871,  T.  Feene}'  established  a  general 
merchandise  store  in  the  building  which  he 
now  occupies  as  a  hardware  store.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  general  merchandise  trade  for 
about  seven  years,  when  he  sold  to  Veb- 


lin  &  Jensen.  They  remained  in  the  same 
building  for  about  one  year,  and  then  re- 
moved to  the  Dunton  building  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  Fourth  street.  About  two  years 
later  the}^  purchased  stock  and  building  of 
Wilson  &  Lucklon,  consolidated  the  stocks 
and  moved  into  the  latter  building.  In  the 
meantime,  the  firm  had  become  Veblin  & 
Co.  (O.  A.  Yeblin,  N.  Evans  and  G.  Jen- 
sen). The  last  named  member  has  since 
sold  his  interest,  and  Veblin  &  Evans  still 
conduct  the  business. 

The  next  general  merchandise  store  was 
started  by  A.  Mayo  in  a  building  which  he 
had  purchased  of  J.  N.  Dunton.  The  build- 
ing had  been  used  for  various  purposes  and 
finally  he  ppened  a  stock  of  clothing,  boots, 
shoes  and  gents'  furnishing  goods.  He  con- 
tinued the  business  for  several  years  and 
finally  closed  out  the  stock. 

P.  N.  Nelson  &  Bro.  in  1879  started  a  gen- 
eral store  in  a  building  opposite  the  Western 
Hotel.  This  stock  was  a  bankrupt  one 
which  they  had  purchased  of  M.  Guthrie. 
Originally  it  had  belonged  to  the  Paulson 
Brothers,  who  had  been  in  trade  here  for  a 
short  time.  Nelson  Brothers  remained  in 
the  building  mentioned  for  about  one  year, 
then  moved  into  T.  Feeney's  building. 
About  a  year  later  the  firm  was  dissolved, 
P.  N.  Nelson  buying  his  brothei*'s  interest, 
and  a  few  years  later  he  removed  the  stock 
to  Lake  Benton,  Minn. 

The  next  general  merchandise  store  was 
started  in  1880  by  A.  B.  Clark,  one  of  the 
oldest  settlers  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
the  county.  Ole  Ecker  conducted  the  busi- 
ness for  him,  and  Mr.  Clark  continued  as 
proprietor  until  1884,  when  the  business  was 
purchased  by  Mr.  Ecker.  About  one  j'ear 
later  the  building  was  burned  to  the  ground. 
The  stock  was  saved  and  was  purchased  by 
M.  Guthrie,  who  consolidated  it  with  a  stock 
which  he  was  then  keeping,  and  he  still  con- 
tinues in  the  trade. 

In  1882  L.  E.  Hatch  opened  a  general 
store  in  the  building  which  he  now  occupies. 


HISTORY   OF    STEELE   COCNTY. 


403 


These  changes  in  the  history  of  this  line 
of  trade — general  merchandise — leaves  the 
present  (1887)  dealers  as  follows  :  Lennon 
&  Co.,  Veblin  &  Evans,  M.  Guthrie,  G.  Jen- 
sen and  L.  E.  Hatch. 

J.  G.  Lennon  was  born  in  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  September  2,  1857.  Ilis  younger 
days  were  spent  in  scliool.  At  tlie  age  of  six 
he  went  with  his  parents  to  Lansmg,  Mower 
County,  Minn.,  thence  in  1865  to  Dodge 
County,  Minn.,  where  the\'  were  engaged 
in  farming.  In  1871  he  moved  to  Blooming 
Prairie,  and  during  the  three  following  years 
attended  school  in  Owatonna,  Minn.  In 
1876  he  engaged  in  the  furniture  business 
with  Mr.  Marshall,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Marshall  &  Lennon.  continuing  in  this  busi- 
ness  about  thi-ee  years.  In  1882  he  engaged 
in  his  present  business,  tJiat  of  general  mer- 
chandising, in  which  he  has  prospered.  On 
December  2(5,  1877,  Mr.  Lennon  was  married 
to  Amy  Giddings.  Their  only  living  child 
is  Bertie,  born  February  26,  1884.  In  poli- 
tics Mr.  Lennon  is  a  stanch  Republican. 

George  Jensen  was  born  in  Norway  and 
came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  in  1872.  After 
coming  here  he  taught  a  Norwegian  school 
for  one  year,  and,  in  1873,  entered  the  store 
of  G.  A.  Peterson  of  Blooming  Prairie,  as 
clerk.  He  remained  with  Mr.  Peterson  as 
clerk  until  he  sold  out  to  J.  A.  McConnell. 
Mr.  Jensen  was  then  employed  in  Mr.  Mc- 
Connell's  store  for-  some  time.  After  his 
engagement  with  Mr.  McConnell  terminated, 
Mr.  Jensen,  in  company  with  O.  A.  Veblen, 
bought  out  the  stock  of  T.  Feeney,  and  has 
continued  the  business  up  to  this  time.  In 
1881  Mr.  Jensen  was  married  to  Carrie  A. 
Peterson,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin.  They 
have  one  child,  Gena. 

M.  Guthrie,  postmaster  and  a  ))rominent 
business  man,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  where 
he  was  born  in  18-18.  He  came  to  America 
in  1867,  being  then  about  nineteen  j^ears  old. 
His  first  home  was  in  Dubuque,  Iowa,  where 
he  lived  until  September,  1875,  at  wdiich  time 
he  came  to    Blooming    Prairie    and    took 


charge  of  the  elevator.  The  next  year  he 
purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  elevator,  and 
in  1877  he  handled  about  200,000  bushels  of 
wheat,  paying  an  average  price  of  ninety- 
five  cents  per  bushel.  He  continued  in  this 
business  until  the  present  season,  having 
now  rented  his  elevator  for  a  time.  In  the 
year  1883  he  went  into  the  general  mer- 
chandise business,  and  for  the  past  three  or 
four  years  he  has  engaged  in  the  hay  trade, 
pressing  and  shipping  to  northern  markets. 
His  shipments  have  been  very  heavy.  In 
the  last  year  he  has  also  handled  about 
$20,000  worth  of  live  stock,  shipped  chiefly 
to  eastern  markets.  In  1878  he  became  pro- 
prietor of  the  Western  Hotel,  which  he  still 
conducts,  also  running  a  livery  stable  in  con- 
nection with  the  hotel.  All  these  different 
branches  of  business  Mr.  Guthrie  has  con- 
ducted with  ability  and  success.  In  1882  he 
was  nominated  by  the  Democratic  party  as 
a  candidate  for  representative  to  the  State 
LeoMslature,  but  was  defeated  bv  about  100 
votes.  Lie  was  again  nominated  in  1886, 
but  was  again  beaten  by  the  Republican  can- 
didate. He  was  appointed  postmaster  on 
May  1,  1886.  Mr.  Guthrie  has  always  taken 
an  active  interest  in  political  matters,  and  is 
at  this  time  president  of  the  village  board. 
He  was  married  October  24,  1883,  to 
Amelia  Volhardt.  They  have  two  children : 
Florence  K.,  being  three  years  old,  and  Lulu, 
being  eighteen  months  old.  Mr.  Guthrie 
own  five  good  farms,  comprising  560  acres, 
only  eighty  acres  of  which,  however,  lie  in 
Steele  County. 

The  first  drug  store  in  Blooming  Prairie 
was  started  by  Dr.  Hatch  in  the  spring  of 
1871,  in  the  same  room  in  which  L.  Ellington 
was  carrying  on  his  general  merchandising. 
The  stock  of  drugs  changed  hands  a  number 
of  times  after  that,  and  was  finally  moved 
away. 

The  second  drug  store  here  was  established 
in  1874,  by  C.  W.  Williams  and  Dr.  Johnson, 
in  a  building  belonging  to  Mr.  Morton  which 
had  been  erected  for  a  furniture  store.  They 


404 


HTSTORT   OF   STEELE   OOITNTT. 


moved  the  buildinff  to  near  Feenev's  hard- 
ware  store,  where  the  business  was  conducted 
by  this  tirm  for  several  yeai"s.  Then  Mr.  Will- 
iams bought  his  partner's  interest  and  several 
years  later  moved  the  stock  across  the  street 
into  one  of  the  Dunton  buildings.  Finally 
he  sold  to  C.  Peterson,  and  the  stock  was 
moved  to  Owatonna. 

Olson  it  Johnson  started  the  next  drug 
store  in  a  building  now  owned  by  Peterson 
«fe  Hogan.  The  same  firm  is  still  in  business, 
but  has  moved  the  stock  into  a  building  on 
the  south  side  of  Fourth  street,  which  they 
erected. 

Anton  Olson  is  a  native  of  Xorway,  where 
he  was  born  in  1853.  His  parents  were  Ole 
and  Annie  Olson.  Anton  came  to  America 
when  eighteen  years  of  age,  arriving  at  Owa- 
tonna, Minn.,  in  ISTl.  Here  he  remained 
about  one  year,  when  he  went  to  Rochester. 
Minn.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  a  drug 
store,  remaining  about  five  veal's.  In  1S77 
he  came  to  Blooming  Prairie,  and  for  some 
two  yeare  was  with  Charles  Williams  in  a 
drug  store,  and.  in  January,  ISSO.  in  com- 
pany with  Dr.  Johnson,  he  put  in  a  stock  of 
drugs,  and  has  since  devoted  his  time  to  that 
business. 

The  first  hardware  store  in  the  village  was 
started  m  1S73  by  Dunton  <S:  Curtis,  in  a 
building  belonging  to  Mr.  Dunton.  About 
a  year  later  they  sold  to  Mr.  Giddings,  who 
in  turn  made  a  sale  to  Ed.  Morton.  Mr. 
Morton  is  still  in  trade,  having  erected  the 
building  which  he  now  occupies. 

The  second  hai-dware  store  was  established 
by  Mr.  Douglas,  in  1S76.  in  the  restaurant 
building  opposite  the  Western  Hotel.  About 
two  years  later  he  sold  to  Ira  Jones,  who 
remained  in  the  same  building  somethinj; 
less  than  a  year,  when  he  removed  the  stock 
to  Austin. 

In  March.  ISSl.  T.  Feeney  established  a 
hardware  store  in  a  building  now  occupied 
as  a  restaurant,  opposite  the  Western  Hotel. 
He  remainetl  there  for  about  one  year,  when 
he  removed  to  his  present  quarters. 


These  changes  in  the  hardware  trade  have 
brought  the  present  business  —  in  1SS7  — 
into  the  hands  of  Ed.  Morton  and  T.  Feeney. 

Edward  Morton  was  born  in  England  in 
1S49.  He  came  to  this  country  with  his  par- 
ents. George  and  Elisabeth  (Sharpies)  Mor- 
ton, when  he  was  three  months  old.  The 
family  first  settled  in  Xew  York  City,  re- 
mained there  about  seven  years,  then  came 
west  and  settled  at  St.  Charles,  Minn.,  which 
place  they  made  their  permanent  home. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  remained  at  home 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
old.  Later  he  learned  the  tinner  trade,  and 
in  February,  1873,  settled  in  Blooming  Prai- 
rie, starting  the  hardware  business,  which  he 
has  carried  on  ever  since.  In  IS 74  he  added 
to  his  business  a  full  line  of  farm  machinery, 
and  in  1SS5  he  became  an  equal  partner 
with  A.  G.  Lennon  in  genei-al  merchandis- 
ing. Mr.  Morton  is  a  successful  business 
man  and  conducts  with  ability  these  lines  of 
business.  He  has  always  taken  an  active 
part  in  village  and  town  interests :  was 
elected  president  of  the  viUage  board,  being 
the  second  to  hold  that  office.  He  held  this  ■ 
]iosition  for  six  successive  terms,  then 
dropped  out  for  two  years,  after  which  he 
was  again  elected.  Mr.  Morton  was  mar- 
'  ried.  August  20.  1873.  to  Mabel  Johnson,  a 
native  of  St.  Charles,  Minn.  By  this  union 
they  have  three  children,  aU  living  :  Mabel, 
aged  twelve  :  Edna,  aged  ten,  and  George, 
aged  three. 

Thomas  Feeney  is  a  native  of  Ireland, 
and  born  in  Roscommon  County.  November 
22,  1832.  He  came  to  America  when  he 
was  eighteen  years  of  age.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Mary  (Conlan)  Feeney.  who  re- 
mained in  the  old  country.  Wlien  Thomas 
Feeney  came  to  America  he  first  settled  in 
New  Jersey,  where  he  lived  until  1856.  when 
he  started  for  the  west  and  located  in  Janes- 
ville.  Wis.  Here  he  remained  until  1863,  at 
which  time  he  again  moved  westward,  ar- 
riving in  Steele  County.  Minn..  September 
28,  1863.    Here  he  took  up  land  on  section 


HISTORY   OP   STEELE   COtTNTY. 


405 


22,  Blooming  Prairie  (then  Oak  Glen)  Town- 
ship, and  engaged  in  farming.  He  remained 
on  his  farm  about  eight  years,  at  which  time 
he  moved  into  the  village  of  Blooming 
Prairie  and  opened  a  stock  of  general  mer- 
chandise, remaining  in  that  business  for 
seven  years,  when  he  closed  out  his  stock. 
In  1881  he  opened  a  hardware  store,  in  which 
business  he  lias  been  engaged  ever  since. 
While  Mr.  Feeney  was  in  Janesville,  Wis., 
he  was  married  to  ]\laria  Fallon,  in  18fi2. 
By  this  marriage  there  were  six  children, 
four  of  wliom  are  now  living:  William  E., 
born  February  25,  1866  ;  Eliza  J.,  born  July 
12, 1867 ,  Isabel  M.,  born  December  25, 1877, 
and  Lena  E.,  born  April  13,  1879.  These 
four  children  are  at  this  date  all  living  at 
home.  Mrs.  Feeney,  the  wife  and  mother, 
is  deceased. 

C.  Hartley  opened  the  tirst  blacksmith 
shop  in  the  village,  in  1867.  Messrs.  Wheeler, 
Sprout  and  others  have  at  different  times 
run  shops  here.  The  present  blacksmiths 
are  Thomas  Morton,  C.  Saxton  and  J.  Soren- 
son. 

HOTELS. 

The  first  hotel  in  Blooming  Prairie  was 
the  Union  Hotel,  erected  by  C.  Volhardt  in 
1867.  The  building  is  now  owned  by  An- 
di-ew  Pettie,  and  is  occupied  by  George 
Camp's  hai-ness  shop.  The  hotel  changed 
hands  a  number  of  times.  Mi'.  Yoliiardt 
opened  it  to  the  traveling  public  and  anujng 
others  who  afterward  occupied  the  position 
of  "mine  host"  were  Messrs.  Dunton,  Hart- 
ley and  A.  Pettie. 

The  second  hotel  opened  was  the  Western 
House.  It  was  built  by  C.  Hartley  at  about 
the  same  time  as  the  Union  hotel.  Several 
additions  were  made.  Hartley  sold  to  Mr. 
Dutcher,  he  to  Mr.  Yolhardt,  and  then  Frank 
Carey  became  proprietor.  J[.  Guthrie  next 
became  proprietor  and  is  the  i)resent  one, 
although  it  has  been  rented  at  various  times. 

The  Ferrington  Hotel  was  built  bv  Mr. 
l<'errin'>ton  in  1SS2.  He  ran  it  for  about  one 
year  when   he  sold  to  J.  A.  McConnell,  the 


present  owner.  He  ran  it  for  some  time,  and 
since  then  it  was  at  diflferent  times  rented 
to  J.  Laird,  then  A.  J.  Pettie,  then  Mrs. 
O'Toole  and  Daniel  Keefe.  The  last  named 
is  the  present  landlord. 

rOSTOFFICE. 

A  postottice  was  established  liere  in  1868, 
under  the  name  of  Blooming  Prairie,  with 
C.  W.  Gardner  as  the  first  postmaster.  He 
iield  the  office  for  two  years,  when  lie  was 
succeedetl  by  L.  Ellington.  He  continued 
in  the  office  until  July,  1876,  when  A. 
Mayo  was  appointed.  Mr.  !Mayo  held  the 
office  for  about  ten  years,  when  in  May, 
1886,  M.  Guthrie  received  the  appointment 
and  is  the  present  incumbent. 

Asaph  Mayo,  deputy  jiostmaster,  and  for 
ten  years  jiostmaster,  of  Blooming  Pi-airie, 
was  born  in  I\Iassaciiusetts,  June  7,  1825. 
His  parents,  xVsaph  and  Policy  (Smith)  Mayo, 
were  natives  of  the  same  State.  Asa])h,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  went  to  sea  when  he 
was  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  was  a  seaman 
until  twenty-one.  He  then  learned  the  lock- 
smitli's  trade,  which  he  followed  for  four- 
teen years.  Later  he  came  west,  and  in 
1802  took  up  government  land  in  Udolpho, 
Mower  County,  Minn.  In  July,  lS6-i,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  A,  Second  Minnesota 
Infantry,  under  Col.  Bishop,  and  served  un- 
til the  close  of  the  war,  being  honorably  dis- 
charged at  Fort  Siielling  in  the  fall  of  1865. 
Mr.  Mayo  remained  in  Mower  County  for 
about  twelve  years  and  then  came  to  Bloom- 
ing Prairie.  After  settling  here,  for  the 
first  two  years  he  carried  the  United  States 
mail  twice  per  week  from  Blooming  Prairie 
to  Waltham,  he  being  the  first  contractor 
under  the  Star  Koute  system.  On  the  1st  of 
June,  1876,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at 
Blooming  Pi'airie,  whicii  office  he  held  until 
May  1,  1886,  and  since  then  he  has  contin- 
ued in  charge  of  the  office  as  assistant  po.st- 
master.  While  in  Boston  Mr.  IVIayo  was 
married,  May  2,  1850,  to  Kachel  C.  Crosby. 
They  had  seven  children,  only  two  of  whom 
are  now  living :    A.  11.,  who  now  resides   in 


406 


HISTORY   OF   STEELE   COUNTY. 


St.  Paul,  and  Rachel  A.,  now  living  in  Min- 
neapolis.    The  mother,  Mrs.  Mayo,  died  in 

1866,  and  later  Mr.  Mayo  married  his  second 
wife,  Miss  Margaret  Pettie,  of  Steele  County, 
Minn.  They  have  three  children  :  Laura  E., 
INIary  E.  and  Jennie,  all  of  whom  are  at 
home. 

SCHOOLS. 

The  first  schoolhouse  was  erected  in  the 
village  in  186S,  at  a  cost  of  $700.  It  was  a 
one-story  building,  which  stood  where  the 
Episcopal  Church  now  stands.  J.  K.  Buck- 
lin  taut!-ht  the  lirst  school  in  this  building. 
This  building  was  used  for  about  Hve  years, 
when  it  was  sold  to  G.  E.  Skinner.  It  is 
now  occupied  as  a  meat  market.  The  school 
building  which  is  now  in  use,  was  erected  in 
1873,  and  cost  $:i,000.  It  is  a  neat  two  story 
building.  Mr.  Fate  was  the  first  teacher  in 
this  building.  The  present  teachers  engaged 
for  the  winter  of  1887-8  are  B.  F.  McMillan, 
principal,  and  Miss  Lizzie  Bray,  primary. 

KELIGIOUS. 

Religious  services  were  held  here  as  early 
as  1867,  shortly  after  the  site  of  the  village 
was  located.  In  1887  there  were  four  or- 
ganizations here:  Catholic,  Episcopal, 
Lutheran  and  Methodist  Episcopal. 

A  Catholic  society  was  organized  here  in 

1867.  For  some  time  services  were  held  in 
the  building  now  occupied  by  Thomas  Feeney 
as  a  hai'dware  store;  but  in  1868  a  church 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $500.  This  building 
was  used  for  about  ten  3'ears,  when  the  j)res- 
ent  edifice  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $4,000. 
Father  Kellar.  from  Faribault,  came  here  to 
hold  services  at  an  eai'ly  day;  then  Father 
Priliyl,  (if  Owatonna,  luul  chai'ge  of  the  par- 
ish for  about  live  years.  Father  Rawley 
fi'om  Owatonna,  also  served  for  some  time. 
Father  Murray,  the  present  pastor,  is  really 
the  first  resident  priest. 

Rev.  I).  L.  Miu'ray  is  a  native  of  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.  His  jmrents  were  Laurence 
and  Mary  (Kcnneaily)  IVfurray.  D.  L.  Mur- 
ray' remained  in  Rhode  Island  until  he  was 


eighteen  vears  of  age.  lie  then  went  to 
St.  Lawrence  College  at  Montreal,  Canada, 
where  he  remained  si.x  years  receiving  an 
education.  He  then  entered  the  Grand 
Seminary  of  Montreal,  whei-e  he  pursued  his 
theological  course  for  three  and  a  half  years. 
Having  completed  his  studies  in  the  college 
and  seminary  he  came  to  St.  Paul,  Minn., 
where,  on  September  25,  1882,  he  was 
ordained  to  the  priesthood  by  Bishop  Ire- 
land. After  his  ordination  he  came  to 
Blooming  Prairie,  where  he  has  since 
remained.  Rev.  D.  L.  Murray  is  highly 
esteemed  by  all  who  know  him,  for  his  Chris- 
tian character  and  gentleraanly  deportment. 
He  has  charge  of  the  church  here  and  also 
of  the  one  at  Newry,  Freeborn  County, 
Minn. 

The  first  Lutheran  services  were  held  here 
by  Rev.  C.  L.  Clausen,  of  St.  Ansgar,  Iowa, 
who  organized  the  society  and  remained 
until  1871.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  P.  G. 
Ostby,  of  Austin,  who  remained  until  1878. 
At  that  time  Rev.  Mr.  Clausen  again  took 
charge,  making  his  home  in  Blooming  Prai- 
rie. He  remained  one  year  when,  his  health 
failing,  Rev.  S.  Strand  became  his  assistant 
and  it  continued  in  this  shape  until  July 
1885,  when  Mr.  Clausen  resigned  and  Rev. 
S.  Strand  has  since  that  time  filled  the  pul- 
])it.  He  has  charge  of  three  congregations. 
The  present  Lutheran  Church  edifice  in 
Blooming  Prairie  was  erected  in  1876  at  a 
cost  of  $3,500. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  society  was 
organized  here  a  number  of  years  ago,  and  a 
church  building  was  purchased  of  the  Luth- 
eran denomination,  for  about  $500,  which 
was  refitted  for  their  own  use.  The  present 
(August,  1887)  pastor  is  Rev.  AV.  S.  Chase. 

The  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  here 
early  in  the  "seventies"  by  Rev.  G.  C.  Tan- 
ner, of  Owatonna.  Shortly  afterward  the 
society  erected  the  church  edifice  which  they 
still  use,  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,400.  Services 
have  always  been  held  by  i)astors  from 
abroad. 


filSTOET    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


407 


OTHER    BUSINESS    MEN. 

Thomas  Morton  was  boi-n  in  England  in 
1840.  When  he  was  ten  years  of  age  he 
came  to  America  with  his  parents,  George 
and  Ehsabetli  (Sharpies)  Morton.  He  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he  enlisted 
in  Company  K,  Ninth  Minnesota,  under  Col. 
Wilkins.  He  served  in  the  war  three  years, 
and  was  in  the  battles  of  Guntown,  Tupelo, 
Spanish  Fort,  ISTasliville  and  some  other  en- 
gagements. He  was  discharged  at  Fort 
Snelling  in  1865.  He  came  to  Blooming 
Prairie  in  1870,  and  for  sometime  worked  at 
the  blacksmith  trade  for  Edward  Wheeler, 
but  in  1871  he  went  into  the  same  business 
for  himself  in  a  shop  that  stood  on  the  site 
now  occupied  b^'  the  dwelling-house  of  J. 
Brainerd.  Some  time  afterward  he  built 
his  present  shop,  and  has  devoted  himself  to 
his  trade  ever  since  he  settled  in  the  village. 
In  1873  Mr.  Morton  was  married  to  Miss 
Adelia  Johnson,  a  native  of  Wisconsin. 
This  union  was  blessed  with  two  children : 
Byron,  aged  eleven,  and  Anna,  aged  four. 

Another  prominent  and  worth}^  business 
enterprise  of  Blooming  Prairie  is  the  cream- 
ery, of  which  H.  L.  Zwiener  is  manager.  Mr. 
Zwiener  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  March  20, 
1855.  He  remained  there  with  his  parents 
until  September,  1876.  His  parents,  Frank 
and  Tracy  (Bartsch)  Zwiener,  were  natives 
of  Germany.  They  came  to  America  in 
1854,  locating  in  Milwaukee,  AVis.,  for  a  short 
time,  and  afterward  I'emoved  to  Jefferson 
County,  Wis.,  where  they  resided  until  1876, 
when  they  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn., 
and  purchased  a  farm  in  Blooming  Prairie 
Township.  When  H.  L.,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  first  came  to  this  county  he  bought 
a  farm  on  section  14,  where  he  remained  un- 
til he  came  to  the  village  of  Blooming- 
Prairie  to  take  charge  of  the  creameiy.  He 
still  owns  and  manages  his  farm.  He  has 
always  shown  a  laudable  interest  in  town 
and  county  matters,  and  has  held  several 
positions  of  responsibility.     He    has   been 


chairman  of  the  town  board  of  supervisors 
for  four  successive  years,  and  was  elected 
county  commissioner  in  188('),  for  the  full 
term.  Mr.  Zwiener  was  married  in  1878  to 
Nancy  McCrady,  who  was  born  in  Wiscon- 
sin. They  have  had  four  children:  Jessie 
F.,  aged  seven  ;  Wallace  P.,  aged  five  ;  Al- 
mond H.,  aged  three,  and  Eugene  P.,  who 
died  June  5,  1887,  and  was  buried  in  Bloom- 
ing Prairie  cemetery. 

The  first  phvsician  to  locate  at  Bloomine' 
Prairie  Village  was  Dr.  Sauisbury,  who 
came  here  from  Owatonna  in  1867,  and  re- 
mained for  about  two  years.  Among  others, 
who  at  different  times  have  been  engaged  in 
practice  here,  but  are  now  gone,  are  Drs. 
Hatch,  Goudy,  Hadle}'  and  Way.  At  the 
present  writing  (1887)  the  medical  profession 
is  represented  here  by  Dr.  Johnson  and  Dr. 
Cooley. 

Dr.  J.  P.  Johnson  came  oi-iginally  from 
Windham  County,  Conn.,  where  he  was  born 
February  22,  1839.  His  })arents  were  Poyal 
and  Sarah  (Winchester)  Johnson.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen,  he  began  learning  the  trade  of 
carpenter  and  joiner,  at  which  he  spent  three 
years.  When  tlie  war  broke  out  he  responded 
to  the  first  call  for  troops,  enlisting  in  April, 
1861,  for  three  months.  He  reenlisted  for 
three  years,  but  the  quota  being  full  he  was 
discharged.  He  then  came  west  and  located 
in  St.  Charles,  Minn.  Hei-e  he  remained 
two  years  and  then  enlisted  in  Company  A, 
Second  Minnesota  Cavalry,  under  Capt.  J.  K. 
Jones,  serving  till  the  war  closed,  when  he 
again  returned  to  St.-  Charles.  He  embarked 
in  the  di'Ug  business,  where  he  remained 
about  eight  years,  at  the  same  time  reading 
medicine.  From  St.  Charles  he  went  to 
Dover  Center,  where  he  continued  to  carry 
on  the  drug  business.  Later  he  attended  the 
Rush  Medical  College,  at  Chicago,  111.,  and 
graduated  m  1876.  From  Dover  Center  he  re- 
moved and  settled  in  Blooming  Prairie,  about 
1874,  where  he  has  since  resided,  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  jn'oression.  In  February, 
1872,  Dr.  Johnson  was  mai'ried  to  Anna  R. 


408 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


Hawkins.  By  this  marriage  there  were  two 
children,  only  one  of  whom  is  now  living, 
Charles  B.,  aged  thirteen. 

The  first  harness  shop  here  was  started  by 
George  Camp,  in  187-i.  lie  is  still  in  busi- 
ness, although  at  one  time  his  shop  was  run 
by  George  Gage  for  a  short  period. 

Capt.  A.  C.  Hawley  and  Mr.  Ford  were 
the  first  to  buy  grain  here,  in  1867.  The 
present  grain  buyers  are  M.  H.  Hitchcock 
and  J.  A.  Beattj'.  Mr.  Hitchcock  buys  for 
Pratt  &  Co.  This  firm  have  a  large  eleva- 
tor, erected  in  1877,  which  has  a  capacity  of 
about  15,000  bushels.  J.  A.  Beatty  buys  for 
Hunting  &  Co.,  who  also  have  a  large 
elevator  here.  This  was  erected  in  1875,  and 
has  a  capacity  of  some  25,000  bushels. 

In  addition  to  the  various  lines  of  trade 
represented  here,  already  referred  to,  there 
are  the  following :  J.  C.  Brainerd  &  Co. 
have  for  a  number  of  \'ears  cari'ied  on  a  lum- 
ber, agricultural  im]ilement  and  light  bank- 
ing business ;  Mr.  Keller  is  proprietor  of  a 
restaurant ;  Mr.  IngersoU  is  a  practicing 
attorney  ;  L.  E.  Hatch  has  a  livery  stable; 
and  Geo.  H.  Johnson  a  meat  market. 

Michael  Dugan,  another  prominent  resi- 
dent of  the  village,  is  a  native  of  the  State 
of  New  York.  He  was  born  Sejitember  16, 
1859.  His  parents,  Dennis  and  Mary  (R3'an) 
Dugan,  came  to  Steele  County,  Minn.,  in 
1867,  making  Owatonna  their  home  for  a 
few  years  ;  then  they  removed  to  their  farm 
in  Blooming  Prairie  Township,  where  they 
remained  six  or  eight  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  they  again  settled  in  Owatonna, 
where  Mr.  Dugan  died  October  15,  1886. 
Mrs.  Mary  Dugan  still  resides  in  Owatonna. 
Michael  Dugan,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
commenced  life  for  himself  when  only  thir- 
teen years  of  age,  going  first  with  a  survey- 
ing party  to  Devil's  Lake,  and  the  following 
year  he  went  west  on  the  Winona  &  St. 
Peter  Railroad.  At  that  time  there  was  no 
settlement  of  whites  west  of  the  site  where 
Sleepy  Eye  now  stands.  He  remained  out 
there  about  two  j^ears,  then  worked  on  the 


railroad  for  eight  years,  and  in  October, 
1883,  he  settled  in  Blooming  Prairie,  where 
he  has  since  lived.  He  was  elected  marshal 
of  the  village  in  the  spring  of  1884,  and 
the  following  fall  he  was  a]i]iointed  deputy 
sheriif,  holding  both  these  positions  smcehis 
first  appointment.  On  the  23d  of  Novem- 
ijer,  1886,  Mr.  Dugan  was  married  to  Mary 
Cummings,  a  native  of  Iowa. 

William  Trotman,  liquor  dealer,  was  born 
in  England,  December  11,  1852.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  came  to  New  York  City  and 
for  one  year  was  in  the  employ  of  Kelly, 
once  the  Democratic  leader  of  that  city. 
After  remaining  in  New  York,  a  year  he 
came  farther  west,  and  for  some  time  was 
engaged  upon  the  lakes,  sailing  out  of 
Buffalo.  After  this  he  came  to  Detroit, 
Mich.,  where  he  made  his  home  for  three 
years.  In  1877  he  came  to  Blooming  Prai- 
rie, Steele  County,  Minn.  Here  he  has  since 
resided,  having  been  engaged  in  the  liquor 
business.  In  188-4  Mr.  Trotman  was  mar- 
ried to  Jane  Farrell.  By  this  marriage  they 
have  two  children. 

M.  J.  Keenan,  liquor  dealer,  was  born  in 
Victoria  County,  Canada,  in  1851,  where  he 
was  brought  up  on  a  farm  till  the  age  of 
eighteen.  His  parents,  Bernard  and  Anna 
(Byron)  Keenan,  came  from  Canada  to  Iowa 
in  1868,  purchasing  a  farm  in  Winneshiek 
County,  where  they  remained  until  their 
death.  M.  J.  Keenan  having  come  with  his 
parents  to  Iowa,  remained  there  until  1882, 
at  which  time  he  came  and  located  in  the 
village  of  Blooming  Prairie,  Steele  County, 
Minn.  Here  he  has  since  resided,  being  en- 
gaged in  the  liquor  business  and  also  run- 
ning a  billiard  hall.  Mr.  Keenan,  in  connec- 
tion with  his  liquor  business,  runs  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  within  the  corporate  limits  of 
the  village.  He  was  married,  October  4, 
1874,  to  Ella  T.  Cummings,  who  is  a  native 
ol'  Iowa.  By  this  union  thei-e  were  nine 
children,  .five  of  whom  are  now  living: 
Lauretta,  aged  ten  years;  Joseph  A.,  aged 
eight ;  Eugene,  whose  age  is  si.x ;  Anna  J. 


^  (deceased^ 


HISTORY    OF    STEELE   COUNTY. 


411 


aged  four  years,  antl  Rose  F.,  aged  one  year. 
There  is  also  an  organization  of  a  Blue 
Lodge  of  the  Masonic  order  here — Prairie 
Lodge,  No.  123,  Avhich  was  organized  several 
years  ago.   The  present  officers  of  the  lodge, 


elected  in  December,  ISSO,  are  as  follows : 
J.  C.  Brainerd,  W.  M. ;  George  Reynolds, 
S.  W. ;  A.  Olson,  J.  W. ;  N.  Evans,  treas- 
urer ;  T.  M.  Hitchcock,  secretary ;  W.  S. 
Chase,  chaplain  ;  T.  S.  Morton  and  L.  E. 
Hatch,  stewards,  and  C.  "W.  Treat,  tyler. 


34 


'WASECA  i>  COUNTY* 


^ 


^=^    • ^  (^ 


fl 


CHAPTER  I. 


INTKODUCTION. 


flE  stml3'  of  the  annals  of  the  past 
has  at  all  times  and  in  all  climes 
claimed  a  large  share  of  the  at- 
tention of   the  more  intelligent 
of    men.      The    sage    and   ripe 
scholar,  poring  over  some  vast 
and  ponderous  tome,  dusty  with 
age,  and  in  some  almost  forgot- 
ten   tongue  ;  the  new  beginner 
Avith  his  eyes  skimming  his  short 
and  comprehensive  compilation, 
suited  to  his  early  yeai's, — each  draw  much 
pleasure  in  its  perusal.     Men  eminen  t  in  the 
domain  of  letters  have,  however,  divided  this 
history  of  the  past  into  several  classes,  the 
most  prominent  of   which  ai'e  :     first,  that 
which  treats  only  of  events,  and  second,  of 
that  which  treats  of  men — the  living  actors 
in  the   world's  great  drama.      The  first  of 
these  is  but  the  dry   bones  of  a  fossil  age, 
reft  of  all  life,  and  is,  at  best,  but  a  synopsis 
of   the  more   important    actions  that  have 
crowded  upon  the  stage  of   the  past  a  list  of 
kings,    rulers,    dynasties  and  their  acts,  in 
which   their   ])eople   play   but  a  secondary 
part.     The  second  treats  of  the  people — of 
men  in  their  broad  humanity,  and  is  an  ever 
living  reality,  clothed  in  the  flesh  ;   and  the 
story  of  their  deeds  has  in  its  relation  all 
the  fascination   of  romance,  enchaining  the 
I'eader  to  its  pages  until  the  volume  is  fin- 
ished and  laid  down  with  a  sigh.     This  form 
of  history,  warm  and  palpitating,  as  it   is, 
with  the  busy  lives  of  men,  who,  like  our- 
selves, have  lived  and  moved  upon  the  world's 
broad  surface,  is  the  model  after  which  it 
has  been  the  endeavor  to  compile  these  pages. 
No  narrow  attempt  to  paint  with  partisan 


pen  the  workings  of  any  party  or  creed,  but 
setting  out  in  broad  and  comprehensive  de- 
tail the  action  of  tiiose  brave  men  and  heroic 
women  who,  in  the  early  days  of  this  coun- 
ty's existence,  played  so  well  "  tlieir  parts 
upon  the  mimic  stage."  Brave,  hardy  pio- 
neers, who,  departing  from  the  parent  roof- 
tree,  plunged  into  the  great  wilderness  west 
of  the  Mississippi,  there  to  carve  out  for 
themselves  homes  upon  the  prairies  of  Min- 
nesota. Heroic  women,  who.  leaving  the 
home  and  association  of  childhood,  where 
surrounded  with  ease  and  comfort  they  had 
passed  their  youthful  days,  followed  their 
husbands  to  this  then  wilderness,  and  cheei-ed 
their  weary  hours,  sharing  their  joys  and 
sorrows.  Men  and  women  who  lived  true 
lives  while  here  on  earth,  and  many  of  them 
departed,  leaving  "  footprints  in  the  sands  of 
time"  that  cannot  help  but  make  the  world 
brighter,  richer  and  truer. 

The  times  move  on  apace,  and  these,  the 
pioneers  of  Waseca  County,  are  already  pass- 
ing away  to  their  reward  beyond  the  "  dark 
river,"  and  it  behooves  the  historian  to 
hasten  in  his  task  that  he  may  note  down, 
from  the  lips  of  those  who  still  remain,  the 
account  of  the  trials,  the  labors,  the  joys  of 
those  early  days,  to  preserve  within  the 
pages  of  history  their  deeds,  so  that  when 
they  have  all  been  called  to  the  better  land, 
the  sure  annals  of  their  pioneer  days  may 
not  be  lost  in  oblivion. 

In  casting  a  backward  glance  "  adown  the 
misty  corridors  of  time,"  the  thinking  mind 
cannot  but  wonder  at  the  comparatively  few 
years  that  have  elapsed,  since  these  now 
fruitful  fields  and  busv  towns  were  but  the 


«5 


416 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


waste  and  grassy  desert,  the  roaming-ground 
of  wild  beast  and  wilder  Indian.  Where 
is  now  located  the  beautiful  town  or  vil- 
lage, then  was  reared,  perhaps,  the  lonely 
tepee  of  the  savage ;  where  is  now  heard 
the  hum  of  busy  industr}'  or  the  whir 
of  machinery,  then  reechoed  only  to  the 
howl  of  prowling  wolf,  the  hoot  of  the  night- 
seeking  owl,  or  the  horrid  whoop  of  the 
fiendish  savage.  But  the  white  man  came, 
civilized  man,  and  with  the  characteristic 
energ}'  of  the  Caucasian  race,  made  these 
waste  places  to  give  place  to  cultivation 
and  refinement.  The  savage  gave  place  to 
industry  and  thrift,  and  farms  and  villages 
began  to  dot  the  virgin  surface  of  the 
country. 

But  little  more  than  thirty  years  have 
passed  since  first  the  tide  of  emigration 
flowed  over  the  bounds  of  Waseca  County, 
and  one  can  hardly  help  but  look  round  and 
contrast  the  difference  between  the  then  and 
now.  The  early  pioneer,  to  reach  this  local- 
ity, was  forced  to  make  long  journeys  in  his 
wagon  or  on  horseback,  over  undulating- 
prairie,  through  swamp  and  slough,  with  no 
road  to  guide  or  make  the  way  smooth.  No 
bridges  spanned  the  streams,  and  his  only 
alternative  was  to  make  a  long  detour  to 
find  a  ford,  or  swim  the  creek  or  river.  Then 
the  destination  reached,  the  humble  cabin 
was  to  be  raised,  often  by  the  unaided  efforts 
of  his  own  hands,  that  he  and  his  might  be 
sheltered   from  the  elements.     He  was  cut 


off,  to  a  certain  extent,  from  mail  communi- 
cation with  the  outside  world  ;  and  when  he 
had  by  infinite  toil  succeeded  in  raising  his 
little  crop,  he  had  no  means  of  disposing  of 
the  surplus,  except  b_y  hauling  it  to  far  dis- 
tant markets.  But  now  neat  frame  cottages 
adorn  the  land,  and  the  pioneer  sits  in  his 
easy  chair  surrounded  by  every  comfort  and 
luxury  that  he  knew  in  his  old  cherished 
home  in  the  older  States ;  the  iron  horse 
snorts  at  his  front  door,  and  he  can  have  his 
daily  paper,  yet  damp  from  the  press,  and 
watch  the  current  of  events  of  but  yester- 
day. 

Let  us  then  pay  honor  to  these  pioneers  of 
Waseca  County,  these  adventurous  forerun- 
ners of  our  present  pros]3erity  and  civiliza- 
tion. The  present  and  the  future  generations 
can  hardly  repay  them  for  the  trials,  the 
sorrows,  the  strife  against  adverse  elements 
and  times  of  those  early  days.  Let  us  then 
honor  and  love  them  as  they  should  be 
honored  and  loved,  as  far  above  the  common 
herd. 
When  the  statesman  saves  the  nation,  soldiers  stand 

the  burning  test, 
Then  the  nation  pays  them  gladly,  with  a  medal  at  the 

breast. 
But  the  pioneer,  with  ax  and  plow,  clears  the  way  for 

coming  race. 
Shall    he  then  be  forgotten,  dying    leave    no  lasting 

trace  ? 
His  reward  ?     Nor  cross  nor  medal,  but  all  others  high 

above, 
They  may  wear  more  splendid  symbols,   these  have 

gained  a  people's  love. 


CHAPTER  II. 


GEOGKAPHY,  TOPOGRAPHY  AND  GEOLOGY. 


ASECA  COUNTY  is  in  the  south- 
ern portion  of  the  great  State  of 
Minnesota,  in  the  second  tier  of 
t'^^s^^s^  counties  from  the  Iowa  hne,  and 
is  the  fifth  one  west  from  the 
Mississippi  River,  which  there 
forms  the  eastern  boundary  of 
the  State.  It  embraces  all  of 
congressional  townships  105,  106.  107  and 
108  north,  ranges  22,  23  and  24  west  of  the 
fifth  principal  meridian.  It  is  intersected 
about  its  center  by  the  forty-fourth  paral- 
lel of  noi'th  latitude  and  is  in  about  the 
ninety-third  degree  of  longitude,  west.  It 
is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  counties  of 
Rice  and  Le  Sueur;  on  the  east  by  Steele  ;  on 
the  south  by  Freeborn  and  Faribault,  and  on 
the  west  by  Blue  Earth.  It  is  in  area  about 
437  square  miles,  and  contains  279,685  acres, 
of  which  11,524  acres  are  covered  with  water. 
The  Le  Sueur  Hiver,  which  has  its  course  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  this  and  Steele  and 
Freeborn  counties,  runs  in  a  general  north- 
westerly course  through  the  county,  and 
with  its  tributaries,  the  princi])al  of  which 
are  the  McDougal  and  Boot  creeks,  drain  the 
central  part  of  this  subdivision  of  the  State. 
The  southwestern  part  sheds  its  waters  into 
the  Big  and  Little  Cobb,  and  Bull  run.  The 
northwestern  part  is  drained  by  the  way  of 
lake  Elysian  and  its  outlet.  Iosco  and  Silver 
creeks  are  the  principal  water-courses  in  this 
part  of  the  county.  The  northeastern  por- 
tion, including  northeastern  Iosco,  Blooming 
Grove  and  the  north  part  of  Woodville  are 
in  the  basin  of  the  Cannon  River. 

Lake  Elysian,  the  largest  body  of  water  in 
the  county,  is  five  miles  long,  and  from  one- 


third  of  a  mile  to  a  mile  wide.  It  lies  mainly 
within  the  township  of  Janesville,  but  its 
north  end  is  crossed  by  the  county  line. 
Rice  and  Willis  lakes  lie  west  of  Elysian 
in  the  same  township.  Lily,  Reed's  and 
Toner's  lakes  are  in  Iosco,  Helena  lake  lying 
on  the  boundary  of  these  two  townships. 
Four  small  lakes,  a  quarter  to  a  half  mile  in 
length,  lie  in  Blooming  Grove  Township. 
Rice  Lake,  covering  about  a  square  mile,  is 
crossed  by  the  south  line  of  Blooming  Grove, 
its  greater  part  being  in  Woodville,  and 
close  to  its  east  side  is  Watkins  Lake,  half  as 
large,  lying  mainly  in  section  3,  Woodville. 
Four  other  lakes  lie  in  this  latter  township. 
The  first  of  these  in  the  east  is  Goose  Lake, 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  long  from  north- 
east to  southwest,  three  miles  east  of  Waseca ; 
Clear  Lake  is  next,  one  and  a  half  miles  lono- 
and  half  as  wide,  about  half  a  mile  east  of 
the  county  seat,  while  just  south  of  it  is 
Gaiter  Lake,  about  a  mile  long  and  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  wide  ;  Loon  Lake  lies  adjacent  to 
the  town  plat  of  Waseca,  on  the  west,  with 
about  the  same  area  as  Gaiter.  Other  note- 
worthy lakes  in  the  county  include  lake  Can- 
field,  in  the  northeastern  part  of  Otisco; 
Thompson  Lake,  in  New  Richland ;  Sdver 
Lake  in  Wilton  :  Wheeler,  in  Vivian  ;  one  in 
Freedom  ;  Mud  Lake  in  Alton,  and  Buffalo 
Lake,  the  largest  in  the  county  excejit  Ely- 
sian, near  the  center'  of  Alton.  The  last 
named  is  about  two  miles  long,  covering  an 
area  of  about  a  thousand  acres. 

The  surface  of  the  land  is  of  great  diversi- 
ty, part  being  nearly  flat  or  gently  rolling, 
and  part  consisting  of  steep  ridges  and  round 
or  irregular  hills,   somewhat   strewn   with 


418 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


boulders.  A  more  particular  account  of  the 
peculiarities  of  each  subdivision  of  the  county 
is  given  in  the  stor}'-  of  each  townsh^p. 

Estimates  of  the  averajre  heifi-ht  of  the 
land  above  the  sea  level,  place  the  various 
townships  of  Waseca  County,  as  follows: 
Blooming  Grove,  1,150  feet;  Woodville,  1,150, 
Otisco,  1,160;  New  Eichland,  1,190;  Iosco, 
1,100 ;  St.  Mary,  1,120  ;  Wilton,  1,110 ;  Byron, 
1,150;  Janesville.  1,060;  Alton,  1,060;  Free- 
dom, 1,070  and  Vivian,  1,100,  or  a  mean  for 
the  county  of  1,120  feet. 

The  whole  face  of  the  country  is  covered 
with  the  fine  black,  fertile,  gravelly  clay, 
with  occasional  boulders,  with  an  excellent 
subsoil  of  till,  both  colored  by  the  decay  of 
vegetation  through  countless  centuries.  It 
contains  a  considerable  amount  of  limestone, 
in  a  pulverized  condition,  as  well  as  in  peb- 
bles, which  contributes,  in  an  important  de- 
gree,tothe  productiveness  of  the  soil.  Wheat, 
oats,  corn,  potatoes,  flax,  sorghum,  and  all 
the  crops  that  belong  to  this  latitude,  are 
here  successfully  cultivated,  while  indigenous 
grasses  form  a  succulent  food  for  grazing 
herds. 

Timber  covers  the  greater  part  of  Janes- 
ville Township,  the  west  half  of  Alton  and 
northwestern  Iosco,  this  being  the  soutli- 
east  edge  of  the  Big  Woods.  About  half  of 
Blooming  Grove  is  also  wooded,  and  numer- 
ous large  groves  occur  in  the  townships  of 
St.  Mary,  Woodville  and  Otisco,  and  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  New  Eichland.  The 
Le  Sueur  River  is  bordered  by  timber,  which 
attains  a  width  of  one  to  one  and  a  half 
miles  at  the  east  side  of  this  stream  in  south- 
east Wilton  and  the  adjoining  edge  of  Otisco. 
The  lalces  are  bordered  l)y  wood,  as  are  the 
smaller  streams.  White  and  red  elm,  bass, 
sugar  and  red  maple,  box-elder,  black  and 
burr  oak,  butternut,  white  and  black  ash, 
ironwood,  wild  plum,  Juneberry,  crab-apple, 
poplar,  Cottonwood  and  willow  are  the  prin- 
cipal trees  that  make  up  this  timber. 

GEOLOGY. 

Says  the  state  geologist  in  speaking  of  the 


geological  structure  of  Waseca  County,  in 
his  exhaustive  report : 

No  outcrop  of  the  strata  underlying  the 
drift  occurs  in  this  count}'^,  but  they  have 
been  reached  by  wells  at  three  localities. 
One  of  these  near  Janesville,  after  passing 
through  200  feet  of  blue  clay,  reached  a 
sandstone,  said  to  be  identical  with  the  St. 
Peter  in  appearance.  An  abundance  of 
good  water,  which  rose  to  w^ithin  thirty 
feet  of  the  surface,  was  found  between  the 
clay  and  the  sandstone. 

At  the  town  of  New  Richland,  a  well  at 
Dunwoody  ct  Corson's  mill  reached  a  deptli 
of  110  feet,  finding  the  following  section : 
soil,  2  feet ;  yellow  till,  with  streaks  of 
sand,  yielding  water,  30  feet ;  blue  till, 
softer  and  sticky,  66  feet;  sand,  2  feet;  and 
hard,  straw-colored  sandstone,  10  feet.  At 
this  depth  water  was  struck,  and  rose  in  two 
minutes  to  within  thirty  feet  of  the  surface. 
Another  well  at  this  mill,  149  feet  deep, 
gives  the  following :  drift,  107  feet ;  yellow 
calcareous  sandstone,  40  feet,  and  a  similar 
rock  of  a  blue  color,  2  feet.  A  very  large 
supply  of  water  was  obtained,  rising  to  the 
same  height  as  the  last.  The  well  at  the 
depot,  about  forty  rods  north  of  the  fore- 
going, and  on  land  of  the  same  height,  is 
129  feet  deep,  and  found  the  soil  2  feet  thick ; 
yellow  till,  spaded,  10  feet;  blue  till,  mostly 
very  hai'd,  picked,  115  feet;  and  yellowish 
sandstone  similar  to  that  of  Dunwoody  & 
Corson's  well,  2  feet  and  extending  lower. 
Water  found  in  this  sandstone  rose  eight}' 
feet.  It  is  noteworthy  that  the  top  of  the 
bed  rock  in  these  wells,  only  an  eighth  of  a 
mile  apart,  differs  about  25  feet  in  lieight, 
probably  on  account  of  erosion  in  a  formation 
horizontally  stratified.  About  three  miles 
northwest  of  New  Richland,  a  well  110  feet 
deep  on  S.  W.  Franklin's  farm,  went  10  feet 
into  this  rock,  after  penetrating  a  hundred 
feet  of  drift,  obtaining  water  in  the  rock 
which  rose  to  within  ten  feet  of  the  surface. 
At  Owatonna  on  the  northeast,  and  at  Wells 
in  Faribault  County,  on  the  southwest,  simi- 


HISTOKY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


419 


lar  forraations  of  sandstone,  with  associated 
layers  of  shale  and  limestone,  encountered 
by  deep  wells,  appear  to  be  of  the  cretaceous 
age ;  and  very  probably  these  beds  and  the 
sandstone  of  New  Eichland,  belong  to  the 
same  horizon. 

The  whole  surface  of  the  county  is  deeply 
covered  with  the  deposit  called  drift,  which 
has  been  the  despair  of  scientists  to  explain, 
hence  the  invention  of  the  so-called  glacial 
theory,  but  which  seems  to  be  doubted  by 
the  more  inquiring  minds  among  our  geolo- 
gists. The  thickness  of  tlie  drift  varies  from 
one  to  two  hundred  feet  over  this  county 
and  the  adjoming  region.  Says  the  state 
geologist.  "  This  formation  is  principally  the 
unstratified,  gravelly  and  stony  clay  called 
till,  boulder-clay,  or  hard  pan,  with  which 
are  associated  beds  of  modified  drift,  which 
were  gathered  from  the  melting  ice,  assorted 
and  deposited  by  water." 

MATERIAL   BESO0KCES. 

The  agricultural  capabilities  of  Waseca 
County,  its  fertile  and  almost  inexhaustible 
soil,  have  been  spoken  of  in  previous  parts  of 
this  chapter,  and  it  only  remains  to  look  into 
the  mineralogical  resources,  to  bring  this 
chapter  to  a  close.  No  water-power  has 
been  utilized  in  the  county  as  yet.  Drift 
boulders  are  the  only  stone  found  for  tiie 
construction  of  foundations,  walls  of  cellars 
and  wells,  culverts,  etc.  These  boulders 
occur  quite  commonly  upon  what  is  called 
the  morainic  belt,  and  sparingly  in  all  other 
parts  of  the  county.  They  are  mostly  varie- 
ties of  granite,  syenite,  and  gneiss,  with 
occasional  blocks  of  limestone.  In  size  thej' 
reach  to  five  feet,  and  rarely  to  ten  feet  in 
diameter. 

Lime  has  been  burned  by  E.  R.  Tuttle  for 
many   years   past,    in  Janesville,   from  the 


boulders  of  magnesian  limestone  in  the  drift. 
The  annual  product  of  this  necessary  article 
has  been  from  one  to  two  hundred  barrels. 
The  greater  part  of  these  boulders,  say  about 
three-fourths  or  more,  make  a  fine  white 
lime;  while  the  remainder  yield  lime  of  a 
yellowish  or  darkish  gray  color. 

Brick  have  been  and  are  being  made  at 
several  places  in  the  county,  some  of  which 
are  of  an  excellent  quality.  For  many  years 
Mr.  Tuttle,  at  Janesville,  has  produced  from 
100,000  to  400,000  per  year.  He  is  said  to  use 
a  stratified  j'ellow  and  gray  clay,  which  con- 
tains sandy  layers,  so  that  it  needs  no  more 
admixture  of  sand.  These  bricks  are  of  a 
red  color  and  good  quality. 

On  section  2,  Iosco,  close  to  the  county 
line,  and  about  one  and  a  half  miles 
south  of  "Waterville,  red  brick  have  been 
made  for  some  years.  This  yard  produced 
about  two  to  three  hundred  thousand  annu- 
ally, of  excellent  quality.  The  clay  used  is 
stratified.  It  contains  no  sand  in  its  upper 
four  or  five  feet ;  but  its  layers  below  are 
separated  by  little  seams  of  sand,  occasion- 
ally with  a  thin  film  of  iron  rust.  This  clay 
bed  extends  to  a  depth  of  at  least  thirteen 
feet,  and  is  sufficient  to  make  many  millions 
of  brick. 

There  is  also  found  in  the  county  many 
springs,  some  of  them  medicinal.  Some  in  sec- 
tion 9,  Otisco,  are  of  a  chalybeate  character, 
and  possibly  of  a  salty  nature,  as  they  are 
resorted  to  by  the  cattle.  Another,  of  an  irony 
nature,  somewiiat  resorted  to  by  the  jieople 
of  the  vicinity,  and  from  Waseca,  because 
of  its  medicinal  properties,  alterative  and 
tonic,  is  situated  northwest  of  the  foregoing, 
in  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  5,  Otisco 
Township.  Many  others  are  of  the  same 
general  character,  but  no  general  analysis  of 
their  waters  has  been  attempted  as  yet. 


CHAPTER  III. 


EAELY  SETTLEMENT. 


HE  annals  of  the  early  settlement 
of  any  countiy,  while  it  is  the 
most  difficult  part  to  collate,  is  j^et 
the  most  interesting  and  enter- 
taining to  the  general  reader,  and 
of  absorbing  interest  to  the 
pioneer  himself.  Here  the  early 
^^^  settler,  noble  forerunner  of  the 
present  civilization,  sees  the 
graphic  picture  of  those  early 
days  when  first  he  pitched  his  tent  in  the 
wilderness,  when  first  he  reared  his  humble 
cabin  in  the  grove,  or  on  the  wind-swept 
prairie.  As  he  pores  over  these  lines,  busy 
memory  recalls  the  recollections  of  those  by- 
gone days,  and  he  lovingly  lingers  over  the 
pages,  while  in  meditation  the  picture  grows, 
and  he  lives  once  more  those  hours  of 
frontier  life.  lie  loses  the  present,  and  en- 
joys again  the  halcyon  days  when  he  iiad 
youtli  and  health  and  strength,  and  in  the 
bright  glamour  that  memory  throws  around 
those  distant  days,  sees  the  little  cabin  and 
the  homelv  hearthstone,  around  which  gath- 
ered wife  and  little  ones  when  the  labors  of 
the  day  had  been  finished,  and  night  had 
drawn  her  sable  curtain  around  the  world. 
Anon  comes  up  the  somber  side  of  the  ])ic- 
ture,  the  trial,  the  hardship,  the  almost 
penury  and  want,  when  the  gaunt  wolf, 
starvation,  lay  close  beside  the  cabin  door. 
The  life  of  the  heroic  pioneer  was  not  all  a 
bed  of  roses.  In  his  day  dreams  he  sees 
himself  starting  with  the  patient,  but  slow 
l)lodding  ox  team,  or  scarcely  more  active 
horses,  for  the  far  distant  settlement  seventy- 
five  miles  awaj^  or  more,  for  the  necessaries 
of  life,  through  a  new  country  unsupplied 
with  roads.      The  loved  ones  at  home  man- 


aged to  keep  life  in  them  by  feeding  upon  a 
scanty  supply  of  hulled  corn,  and  percliance 
a  little  milk,  if  the  onl}^  cow  had  not  suc- 
cumbed to  the  rigors  of  a  hyperborean 
winter. 

But  times  grow  brigliter  and  better,  and 
as  memory  pursues  the  train  of  thought,  he 
sees  tlie  country  gradually  tilling  up  with 
whole-souled,  hospitable  people,  the  trading 
points  grow  nearer  and  nearer,  until  they 
are  almost  at  his  very  door ;  sees  thriving 
towns  and  flourishing  villages  spring  up 
around  him,  where  he  found  only  waving 
grass  and  unsightly  weeds.  Thus  it  is  that 
this  part  of  local  history  is  doubly  dear  to 
all  that  remain  of  that  little  band  of  i)ioneers 
who  first  located  upon  the  soil  of  this 
count}'.  Manj'  of  them  have  been  gath- 
ered to  their  reward,  and  others  have  sought 
distant  localities,  but  to  those  who  do  remain, 
these  pages  may  prove  the  solace  of  a  weary 
hour. 

For  several  years  prior  to  the  advent  of 
any  wiiite  settlers,  it  is  more  than  prol)able 
that  white  trappers  and  hunters  pursued 
their  calling  upon  the  banks  of  the  streams 
and  in  the  Woods  and  groves  of  Waseca 
County;  but  if  this  is  so,  tradition  fails  to 
preserve  the  record  of  it,  and  the  dead  ashes 
of  oblivion  cover  it  from  human  ken. 

The  first  white  man  to  come  herewith  the 
intention  of  making  a  permanent  settlement 
was  Asa  G.  Sutlief.  On  a  l)rightand  beauti- 
ful day  in  August,  1S54,  slowly  over  the 
southern  part  of  this  county,  then  an  unin- 
habited wilderness,  the  bright  sun  beaming 
down  upon  a  vast  sea  of  green,  the  air  per- 
fumed with  the  scent  of  many  gorgeous 
flowers,  came  a  little  cavalcade.     Foremost 


420 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   CODNTY. 


421 


a  canvas-topped  wagon,  bearing  the  pioneer, 
tall,  dark  and  slender,  his  raven  hair  and 
keen  black  eyes  denoting  his  descent  from 
Gallic  ancestry.  'Xeath  the  flapping  sides  of 
the  wagon  tent,  could  have  been  seen  the 
form  of  his  wife,  and  the  laughing  faces  of 
his  two  children,  Delancy  and  Rhoda. 
"With  them  they  had  some  sheep  and  about 
thirty  head  of  cattle.  Looking  around  him, 
Mr.  Sutlief,  one  of  the  best  judges  of  land 
that  ever  came  to  this  part  of  the  county, 
determined  to  settle  here.  lie  was  a  native 
of  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  being  of  a  naturally 
-adventurous  disposition,  he  had  hardly  at- 
tained the  age  of  nineteen  years,  when  he 
made  a  trip  into  the  wilds  of  Michigan. 
After  returning  to  his  home,  he  removed 
to  McHenrj^  County,  111.,  where  he  settled 
down  for  a  while. 

Becoming  restless,  however,  he  left  there 
and  became  one  of  the  hardy  pioneers  who, 
about  that  time,  had  commenced  to  ]ilant 
the  banner  of  progress  in  the  wilds  of  what 
is  now  Dodge  County,  Wisconsin.  Here  he 
remained  until  June,  1854-,  when  he  fitted 
out  three  wagons  for  a  trip  into  the  then 
wilderness  of  Minnesota.  Besides  his  wife 
and  children  he  was  accompanied  by  three 
hired  men,  who  took  care  of  about  sixty 
sheep  and  thirty  or  more  head  of  cattle. 
After  crossing  the  river  at  La  Crosse,  on  the 
second  day  from  that  place  they  were  over- 
taken by  Judge  Green  and  Messrs.  Boomer, 
Bentley  and  Hollings worth,  the  latter  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Sutlief ;  all  were  from  Dodge 
County,  also.  This  little  company  traveled 
across  the  prairie  for  fifteen  days  without 
meeting  with  a  single  person.  Arriving  at 
Mankato  on  the  3d  of  July,  they  rested 
there  the  Fourth,  but  soon  pressed  on  west, 
and  seven  miles  west  of  the  Minnesota  River, 
on  the  old  Fort  Ridgely  road,  Mr.  Sutlief 
made  a  claim,  the  other  parties  returning 
home.  In  August,  after  having  put  up  a 
claim  shanty  and  breaking  some  land,  he 
concluded  to  sell  his  claim  and  make  a  set- 
tlement on  the  rich  lands  on  the  Le  Sueur 


River.  Therefore  we  see  him  returning  in 
this  direction.  He  selected  some  land  on 
section  35,  on  the  south  bend  of  that  river  in 
the  southern  jiart  of  what  is  now  Wilton 
Township.  On  this  spot  he  erected  a  cabin, 
going  to  Mankato  for  boards  to  coVer  it.  He 
then  broke  up  the  sod  over  a  few  acres,  and 
cut  enough  grass  to  make  hav  with  which  to 
feed  his  stock  through  the  coming  winter. 
In  the  latter  part  of  November,  of  the  same 
year,  he  employed  Luther  Barrett,  formerly 
of  Horicon,  Wis.,  but  then  of  Mankato,  to 
live  in  his  shanty  and  tend  his  stock,  and 
putting  his  wife  and  children  into  one  of 
his  wagons  drawn  by  an  ox  team,  started  for 
his  home  in  the  Badger  State,  where  he  still 
owned  a  farm.  They  camped  in  the  wagon 
at  night  until  they  reached  La  Crescent. 
There  they  had  to  wait  for  the  freezing  of 
the  river  so  that  they  might  cross,  and  on 
the  fourth  day  after  their  arrival  there,  al- 
though the  ice  was  barely  thick  enough  to 
bear  up  a  man,  in  his  rash,  impetuous  way 
he  started  to  cross.  After  a  thorough  exam- 
ination of  the  way,  obtaining  help  he  cast 
the  oxen,  and  tieing  their  feet  together,  drew 
them  across  on  the  slippery  ice.  The  wagon 
was  pulled  over  the  same  way,  and  then  the 
family  escorted  over. 

In  January,  1855,  returning  to  Waseca 
County,  Mr.  Sutlief  was  accompanied  by 
James  E.  Child,  then  a  young  man ;  his 
brother,  Simeon  P.  Child, a  stripling  of  nine- 
teen, and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Flummer, 
who  had  joined  them  at  or  near  La  Crescent. 
A  history  of  their  journey  is  given  by  J 
E.  Child  in  a  personal  reminiscence  in  this 
work,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to  repeat  it 
here.  Arriving  here  on  the  second  day  of 
January,  1855,  they  found  the  shanty  of  Mr. 
Sutlief  in  the  charge  of  Barrett,  and  were 
glad  of  shelter  from  winter's  cold  and  freez- 
ing  breath.  They  settled  down  in  the  Sut- 
lief cabin,  but  in  a  few  weeks  Mr.  Sutlief 
returned  to  Wisconsin  to  settle  up  his  affairs. 
He  returned  once  in  June,  1855,  but  it  was 
November  when  he  came  here  to  stay,  at 


422 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


which  time  his  family  came  with  him.  In 
the  fall  of  1S67  Mr.  Sutlief  left  here,  going 
to  Wisconsin,  and  from  there  to  Texas,  re- 
turning in  about  four  years  later  with  a 
drove  of  Texas  cattle.  He  died  here  October 
13,  1871,  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the 
county.  Few  men  were  better  calculated  by 
nature  and  experience  to  overcome  the  ob- 
stacles and  hardships  incident  to  pioneer  life 
than  he.  Fertile  in  resources,  although  his 
actions  might  have  seemed  rashness  to  a  less 
dauntless  man,  he  was,  nevertheless,  a  cau- 
tious and  safe  guide  on  the  frontier. 

Luther  Barrett,  whom  he  left  in  charge  of 
his  stock,  was  a  cooper  by  ti-ade,  and  unmar- 
ried. He  was  a  great  hand  for  hunting,  and 
followed  that  more  than  anything  else.  He 
lived  at  Mankato,  where  he  built  what  is 
now"  called  the  Minneopa  Hotel,  but  later 
Avent  to  the  mineral  regions  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 

Plummer  took  up  a  claim  and  lived  on  it 
the  next  sumnrer,  but  when  the  leaves  beg-an 
to  fall,  he  left  here  and  returned  to  Wiscon- 
sin, whence  he  had  come. 

James  E.  Child  is  still  in  Waseka  County, 
the  oldest  resident  settler,  and  is  noticed  at 
length  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  Press, 
he  having  been  connected  with  that  engine 
of  civilization  for  over  twent3'  vears. 

Simeon  P.  Child  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
in  1835,  and  remained  in  his  native  State 
until  1838,  when  his  parents  removed  to  New 
York,  where  they  had  formerly  lived.  Six 
years  later  the  family  returned  to  Ohio, 
but  in  a  year  emigrated  to  Wisconsin,  then 
a  new  country.  In  1855  he  came  to  this 
county.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Indian 
massacre,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  First 
Minnesota  Mounted  Bangers,  and  was  made 
seventh  corporal.  After  taking  part  in  the 
Sibley  expedition,  he  was  discharged  with 
the  regiment,  and  was  connected  with  the 
supplying  of  provisions,  trains,  etc.,  for  that 
part  of  the  army,  continuing  until  the 
close  of  the  war.  Coming  back  here  he 
stayed  only  one  year,  and  then  moved  to 


Blue  Earth  City,  where  he  started  a  bank  in 
company  with  H.  D.  Baldwin.  Becoming 
involved  at  the  time  of  the  failure  of  the 
Baldwin  &  Kittredge  bank  at  Waseca,  this 
was  closed.  Shortly  after  he  started  a  brick- 
yard at  that  place.  He  was  one  of  the 
leaders  of  the  Bepublican  party  in  Faribault 
County,  and  was  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  in  the  Legislature  during  the  sessions 
of  1872-3.  In  the  session  of  187-1,  he  was  in 
the  State  Senate,  and  in  1877  again  in  the 
House.  He  was  appointed  assistant  post- 
master of  the  United  States  Senate  the  next 
year,  and  while  there,  was  made  United 
States  postoffice  inspector,  which  position 
he  held  until  the  year  1886,  when  he  was 
suspended  from  active  service.  He  is  still  a 
resident  of  Faribault  County,  engaged  in 
farming. 

Scarce  a  week  had  elapsed  from  the  date 
of  the  arrival  of  the  first  settlers,  when 
Christopher  Scott  with  his  family  made  his 
appearance.  Having  no  cabin  built  they, 
rather  than  camp  in  the  snow  and  cold,  took 
up  their  quarters  in  the  shanty  of  Mr.  Sut- 
lief, which,  although  but  14x16  feet  in  size, 
at  that  time  was  fully  occupied  b}'^  twelve 
people.  Scott  took  up  a  claim  about  a  mile 
north  of  Mr.  Sutlief's,  where  he  put  up  a 
cabin.  This  house,  so  called,  was  covered 
witli  "troughs,"  the  crevices  between  the 
logs  of  the  side  walls  and  the  "troughs  "  of 
the  roof  being  chinked  in  with  dried  praii'ie 
grass,  cut  in  February,  and  daubed  with 
mud.  The  floor  was  the  frozen  ground,  and 
for  warmth  it  was  banked  up  with  snow,  of 
which  there  was  an  abundance.  Christopher 
Scott  remained  here  a  few  years  and  then 
removed  to  Kansas,  where  he  has  since  died. 
He  was  a  Pennsylvanian  and  came  here  from 
what  was  then  called  the  "  Straight  River 
settlement,"  now  Owatonna,  where  he  had 
located  the  previous  fall.  Andrew  Scott 
came  the  same  spring  and  lived  on  his  claim 
on  section  13,  for  a  while  and  then  removed 
to  Wilton,  where  he  died.  His  son  Charles 
is  still  a  resident  of  the  township. 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COITNTY. 


423 


In  the  month  of  April  two  brothers, 
George  and  William  Bobbins,  came  to  this 
county  and  located  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Le  Sueur  River,  in  what  is  now  Otisco 
Township.  In  the  summer  of  1856,  they 
sold  their  claim  and  moved  west  to  what 
was  then  called  the  Blue  Earth  country. 

The  next  to  settle  in  the  county  were 
Abraham  and  Joseph  Bird,  John  White, 
Gottlieb,  Martin  and  J.  Fred.  Krassin,  Gott- 
lieb and  Frederick  Prechel,  Frederick  Wub- 
schall  and  Bernard  Gregory. 

Abraham  Bird  and  his  brother  were  En- 
glish by  birth.  On  coming  to  this  county, 
in  June,  1855,  they  located  in  what  is  now 
St.  Mary  Township.  Joseph  remained  here 
until  about  the  year  1870,  when  he  removed 
west  to  Oregon.  Abraham  Bird  died  in 
this  county  about  the  year  1867.  John 
White,  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  was  a 
brother-in-law  of  the  Birds,  and  settled  with 
them  in  St.  Mary,  locating  near  what  was 
afterward  the  site  of  the  village  of  that 
name.  He  is  still  a  resident  of  the  count}', 
dwelling  in  Iosco  Township. 

Gottlieb  Krassin  Sr.  was  an  old  man, 
born  in  Prussia,  Germany,  and  lived  with  his 
son  Martin,  but  took  up  a  claim  as  most  of 
the  early  settlers  did  in  those  days.  Ilis 
land  also  lay  in  what  is  now  St.  Mary. 
About  the  year  1860  he  died  in  this  county. 

Martin  Krassin,  his  son,  was  also  a  native 
of  Prussia.  On  coming  here  he  settled  on 
what  Avas  then  Indian  lands  inside  the  limits 
of  the  reservation,  but  in  a  few  weeks 
found  out  his  mistake,  and  removed  to  St. 
Mary  Township,  and  made  a  claim  upon 
which  he  resided  until  May  15,  1877,  when 
he  was  called  away  by  the  angel  of  death. 
His  family  are  still  residents  of  the  county. 
He  had  a  family  of  six  children,  one  of  whom 
is  the  present  sheriff  of  the  county. 

John  Fred.  Krassin  was  a  bachelor,  and 
settled  in  St.  Mary,  and  is  still  living  in 
single  blessedness  at  Wilton.  He  is  of  Ger- 
man birth,  and  a  son  of  Gottlieb  Sr.  also. 

Gottlieb  Prechel,  brother-in-law  of  Martin 


Krassin,  a  Prussian  by  birth,  made  a  settle- 
ment in  St.  Ma,ry,  where  he  still  resides. 

Fred.  Prechel  located  also  in  St.  Mary. 
He  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  cavalry  regi- 
ments sent  from  this  State  to  aid  in  suppress- 
ing the  I'ebellion.  He  is  now  a  resident  of 
Wilton  Township. 

Frederick  Wubschall,  also  a  German  by 
birth,  settled  in  the  same  town,  where  he  lo- 
cated in  June,  1855,  and  is  still  a  resident. 

Bernard  Gregory,  an  American  by  birth, 
made  his  claim  in  the  town  of  St.  Mary,  and 
settled  there  with  his  family.  He  had  a 
wife  and  four  children  at  that  time ;  one  son 
is  now  in  Dakota,  and  one  is  a  resident  of 
this  county.  Both  daughters  are  dead.  Mr. 
Gregory  died  here  in  1877,  his  wife  in  1883. 
A  daughter  of  his,  Louisa  by  name,  was  one 
of  the  parties  in  the  first  marriage  celebrated 
in  the  county.  She  died  August  15,  1878, 
at  Decoria,  Blue  Earth  County,  this  State. 

David  and  John  Jenkins  came  to  the 
count}'  in  the  same  summer,  locating  in  Wil- 
ton Township.  They  wei'e  natives  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  David  settled  near  the 
site  of  the  village  of  Wilton,  and  is  now  a 
resident  of  Blue  Earth  County.  John  was 
the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  appointed  by 
the  Governor,  for  this  part  of  what  was  then 
Steele  County.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the 
Fifth  Minnesota  Infantry,  and  died  at  luka. 
Miss.,  August  21,  1862. 

In  the  spring  of  1855  four  young  men 
came  to  this  county,  and  building  a  log  cabin 
on  section  1,  in  what  is  now  Blooming- 
Grove  Township,  commenced  life  as  gay 
young  bachelors.  Their  names  were: 
Michael  Johnson,  Jonathan  Howell,  A.  J. 
Bell  and  S.  F.  Wyman.  These  were  the  first 
settlers  in  that  part  of  the  county.  They 
kept  "bach"  in  their  cabin,  living  after  a 
fashion,  cooking  part  of  the  time  without  a 
stove,  for  about  two  years,  when  Wyman  and 
Bel]  left  the  company,  setting  up  for  them- 
selves. The  remaining  portion  of  the  outfit 
kept  up  bachelors'  hall  for  about  seven  years 
longer,  when  Johnson  was  married  and  is 


424 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


still  a  resident  of  the  townsliip.  Mr.  Howell 
died  here,  a  single  man,  in  1880  ;  Bell  re- 
moved to  Faribault,  and  Mr.  "Wyman  lives 
at  Waseca. 

J.  M.  Blivens  came  here  early  in  1855, 
and  taking  up  a  farm  on  the  west  half  of  sec- 
tion 32,  in  Blooming  Grove,  gave  his  name 
to  the  settlement  that  soon  grew  up  around 
him.  He  lived  here  for  many  years,  finall}^, 
in  1866,  removing  to  Missouri,  where  he  is 
now  living. 

In  June,  Simeon  Smith  and  his  son  Alfred 
C.  with  their  families  came  to  this  county. 
Simeon  took  up  a  claim  on  sections  31  and 
32,  in  Blooming  Grove.  Alfred  located  his 
land  on  section  5,  of  Woodville  Township, 
but  on  account  of  the  fear  of  the  Indians  that 
prevailed  at  that  time,  he  resided  with  his 
father  until  the  following  year,  when  he 
removed  to  a  cabin  which  he  built  on  his 
own  land.  Simeon  lived  on  his  place  until 
his  death,  in  November,  1872.  Alfred  is 
now  living  on  his  father's  place. 

In  June,  this  same  year,  Ole  Knutson,  now 
a  resident  of  Kenville  County,  came  to  the 
Blooming  Grove  settlement,  and  taking  up  a 
claim,  commenced  to  open  up  a  farm,  and 
remained  a  resident  of  this  county  for  many 
years. 

During  the  same  summer  a  settlement  was 
commenced  in  what  is  now  Iosco  Township. 
Early  in  July  of  that  year,  Luke  B.  Osgood 
came  here  with  his  family  and  erected  the 
first  shanty  witliin  tlie  bounds  of  the  town 
of  Iosco.  All  that  summer  the  family  lived 
in  this  make-sliift  house,  built  of  rough  logs, 
a  hole  cut  in  it  for  a  doorway,  but  no  door 
swung  ;  no  windows,  and  a  dirt  floor.  In  the 
fall,  however,  he  got  up  a  more  comfortable 
place.  Some  years'  residence  in  this  place 
was  terminated  bv  his  sellinjjout  and  movino- 
to  Michigan,  where  he  died  about  the  year 
1883. 

Daniel  McDaniels  and  John  H.  "Wheeler 
came  to  Iosco  with  Mr.  Osgood.  McDaniels 
finally  removed  to  Missouri.  John  H. 
Wheeler  resided  here  until  1886,   when  he 


sold  out  the  farm  he  had  on  section  29,  the 
place  of  his  original  settlement,  to  Julius 
Mittelstadt,  and  removed  to  Nebraska. 

Michael  Anderson  made  a  settlement  in 
what  is  now  Otisco  Township,  in  July,  1855. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  Lyons  County,  this 
State.     He  was  a  Norwegian  by  birth. 

John  Davis  and  Alfred  Holstein,  John 
Rowley,  Patrick  Moonan,  John,  James  and 
Patrick  McCue,  George  Merrill  and  John 
Cunningham  made  settlements  in  Janesville 
Township,  and  J.  W.  Hosmer  and  N.  E. 
Strong  in  what  is  now  Iosco.  John  Davis 
went  back  to  his  Carolina  home ;  Holstein 
went  to  the  penitentiary  for  horse-stealing ; 
Patrick  Moonan  is  still  a  resident  of  the 
county;  James  McCue  died  here  in  1885, 
and  John  and  Patriclc  removed  from  the 
county  some  years  ago  ;  George  Merrill  is 
still  livmg  in  the  county ;  J.  W.  Hosmer 
lives  at  Janesville  Village,  and  N.  E.  Strong 
is  in  California. 

William  M.  Gray,  a  native  of  New  York 
State,  came  to  Blooming  Grove  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1855,  and  took  up  a  claim.  He  was 
a  resident  of  the  county  at  the  time  of  his 
decease,  in  1872. 

Burgeff  Oleson,  Knute  Hanson  and  Ilalvor 
Thoi'son,  three  Norwegians,  settled  in  Otisco 
in  this  same  jenr.  All  are  now  residents  of 
the  old  homesteads  established  at  that  time. 

George  Merrill,  now  of  Alton,  made  a  set- 
tlement in  Janesville  in  this  year,  where  he 
lived  many  years. 

Aaron  Hanes  and  Joseph  Madrew  settled 
in  Iosco  during  the  year  1855.  Hanes  died 
here  in  1859,  and  Madrew  sold  out  his 
claim  shortly  after  locating  it,  and  returned 
to  Wisconsin. 

Eobert  and  Hugh  McDougal,  two  Scotch- 
men, came  to  Waseca  County  from  Canada, 
where  they  had  lived,  in  the  fall  of  1855,  and 
took  up  claims  on  section  6,  Otisco  Town- 
ship. In  a  few  years  Hugh  returned  to  Can- 
ada, where  he  lives.  Eobert,  after  a  trip  to 
the  mountains  and  a  stay  of  a  few  years  in 
Canada,  whei-e  he   was    married,    returned 


HISTOET    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


425 


here  and  died  on  his  place  January  15,  1887. 

John  G.  Greening  came  in  1855,  and, 
settling  in  Otisco  Township,  made  it  his 
home  for  many  years.  From  here  he  re- 
moved to  Minneapolis,  where  he  died. 

Ferdinand  Turnacliff  and  his  sons,  Jack- 
son and  Delevan,  made  settlements  in  this 
same  township  during  the  same  year,  and 
are  still  numbered  among  the  pioneer  citizens 
of  the  county. 

John  Wind,  R.  Dreever  and  John  Bradish 
all  settled  in  Janesville  Township  in  this 
same  year.  Wind  died  here  long  since ; 
John  Bradish  is  still  a  resident  of  the  town- 
ship; Dreever  removed  to  Iosco  Township, 
where  he  died  in  1885.  George  Dreever 
also  settled  here  at  the  same  time,  and  is 
now  a  resident  of  Iosco. 

The  Reraund  brothers  came  to  Blooming 
Grove  in  1855,  and  made  settlements,  where 
they  are  still  living.  Their  claims  were  lo- 
cated on  sections  8  and  9. 

David  and  A.  H.  Coddington  were  among 
the  settlers  of  Iosco  in  1855.  David  was 
called  by  the  angel  of  death  in  1878;  A. 
H.  removed  to  Kansas. 

Jeremiah  Hogan  came  to  Waseca  County 
from  his  native  State,  Kentucky,  in  this  same 
year,  and  located  on  section  21,  Janesville. 
A  few  years  since,  after  a  long  residence,  he 
was  found  dead  in  his  house,  the  summons 
having  come  upon  him  suddenly.  With  him 
came  James  Thomas  and  John  Hogan,  all  of 
whom  are  yet  living  in  the  county. 

Austin  Abell,  in  September,  1855,  came  to 
Otisco  Township  and  made  a  claim,  where  he 
resided  for  some  years.  He  was  a  native  of 
New  York  State,  and  resided  here  until  dur- 
ing the  war  when  he  enlisted  in  the  Eleventh 
Minnesota  Infantry,  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Winona. 

Bernard  Bunchell,  now  of  Portland,  Ore., 
was  also  a  settler  of  the  year  1855  in  Otisco 
Township. 

Samuel  and  Luther  Dickenson  came  in  the 
fall  of  1855,  and  located  in  the  northwestern 
part  of  Blooming  Grove.     Three  years  later 


Luther  returned  home  to  the  Green  Moun- 
tain State.  In  1860,  Samuel  removed  to  Le 
Sueur  County, 

Curtis  Hatch,  a  blind  man,  settled  with  his 
family  in  Blooming  Grove,  in  the  fall  of  1855. 
He  died  in  Moody  County,  D.  T.,  in  1884. 
M.  P.  Ide  settled  here  the  same  time. 

Daniel  C.  Davis  located  upon  section  33, 
Byron  Township,  this  year.  He  is  still  a 
resident  of  that  portion  of  the  county.  He 
came  here  with  his  father,  Jeremy  Davis, 
who  was  the  first  to  build  a  house  in  the 
town  named  above.  The  elder  Davis  died 
here,  September  13,  1863.  He  was  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  as  is  his  son  Daniel. 

In  1856  quite  a  tide  of  emigration  swept 
across  the  country,  and  many  came  to  what 
is  now  Waseca  CountJ^  Among  those  now 
called  to  memory,  were:  B.  F.  Weed,  E.  A. 
Rice,  Isaac  Hamlin,  A.  Kellogg,  William 
Wells,  Jesse  I.  Stewart,  Jacob  and  George 
E.  Brubaker,  Tarrant  Putnam,  H.  P.  Nor- 
ton, Nathaniel  Garland,  John  C.  Ide,  Thomas 
L.  Paige,  Michael  O'Brien,  N.  Duane  Baker, 
Alexander  Henderson  and  others,  who  lo- 
cated in  Wilton ;  E.  R.  Conner,  George  Dean, 
John  and  James  Walker,  William  Donaldson, 
Patrick  Healy,  Lewis  McKune,  John  L. 
Saufferer,  Cornelius  Hand,  J.  N.  Power, 
Philo  Woodruff,  John  Gibson,  Daniel  Riegle, 
Patrick  Murphy,  Andrew  Nelson,  Joshua, 
Josiah,  Henry  and  Samuel  Smith,  Jacob 
Oory,  W.  H.  Young,  B.  Sharp  and  Joseph 
Churchill,  who  located  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  the  County,  in  Blooming  Grove 
Township ;  W.  H.  Chamberlain,  John  Bailey, 
Christian  and  Gottlieb  Krassin  Jr.,  John 
Worden,  H.  S.  Loveland,  Buel  Welsh  of  St. 
Mary ;  H.  A.  Mosher,  J.  A.  Canfiekl,  H.  G. 
Mosher,  Silas  Grover,  William  Smith,  W.  S. 
Baker,  H.  Williams,  P.  Young,  E.  B.  Stearns 
and  others,  who  located  in  Otisco  ;  Obediah 
Powell,  Nathaniel  Wood,  Eri  G.  and  Loren 
Clark  Wood,  Henry  Watkins,  C.  B.  Lyman 
and  Jacob  M^^ers,  who  all  chose  locations  in 
what  is  now  Woodville ;  H.  P.  Chamberlain, 
John    F.    Allen,    John    Minske,    Gottfried 


420 


HISTORY    OF    WASKCA    COUNTY. 


Kanne,  William  Martzahn,  Dano  Hutchin- 
son, John  J.  Fell,  H.  W.  Peck,  G.  L.  Leonard, 
Daniel  Tripp,  Ilial  I).  P.aldwin,  B.  W.  Gil'- 
furd,  A.  A.  Cotton,  S.  \V^  and  Geoi-ge  W. 
Long,  M.  S.  Green,  S.  J.  Willis  and  others, 
who  settled  in  Iosco  Township;  Joim  Put, 
William  Caliill,  John,  James  and  Patrick 
McC'ue,  Cajsar  DeEegan,  W.  H.  Crawford, 
Charles  (Jolestock,  E.  Brown,  Alexander 
Johnston,  W.  N.  Buckhout  and  many  others, 
in  Jancsville  precinct ;  Anthony  Sampson, 
II.  H.  Sunde,  K.  O.  liofegard,  H.  T.  Iland- 
grud,  O.  K.  Hagen,  W.  Anderson,  K.  Knud- 
son,  E.  O.  Strenge,  Erick  Christianson,  J.  S. 
Eice  and  others,  who  found  homes  in  what  is 
is  now  New  llichland. 

These  old  settlers  are  mentioned  merely 
as  an  index  of  what  will  be  furnished  in  de- 
tail in  the  histories  of  the  various  townships, 
where  the  settkjment  of  these  and  many 
more  is  related  at  full  length.  The  list  is 
])nt  a  partial  one  of  all  those  who  came  after 
the  first  year,  but  all  are  mentioned  else- 
where, none  being  forgotten  or  overlooked 
that  are  remembered  by  the  pioneers  of  the 
county. 

CLAIM    JUMPING. 

During  the  winter  of  1855-6,  ill-feeling 
having  arisen  between  the  proprietors  of  the 
town  site  of  Wilton,  and  the  surrounding 
settlers,  the  former  employed  some  parties 
to  jump  the  chums  of  the  McDougal  brothers 
and  tlie  Eobbins  brothers,  just  east  of  the 
Le  Sueur  Eiver.  These  last  named  parties, 
all  foui-,  v,'eni  (Canadians,  who  had  come  hei'e 
and  had  honestly  taken  up  claims  in  good 
faith,  but  who  had  neglected  to  declare  their 
intentions,  legally,  of  becoming  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  thinking  that  it  could 
be  done  at  the  time  of  proving  up  their 
claims.  This  reason,  and  that  of  claiming 
more  land  than  they  were  entitled  to  were 
the  excuses  given  by  the  "  jumpers."  The 
scheme  would  not  work,  however.  As  soon 
as  it  was  understood  throughout  the  little 
settlement,  an  impromptu  meeting  was  held 
and  a  decision  quickly  reached     It  was,  that, 


they  go  in  a  body  and  interview  the  "claim 
jumpers"  and  give  them  to  understand  that 
such  ]n'oceedings  could  and  would  not  be 
allowed  in  the  settlement.  Accordingly  tiiey 
proceeded  to  where  the  cul]5rits  were,  who 
under  the  direction  of  the  town  owners  were 
putting  up  a  cabin  on  one  of  the  "  jumped  " 
claims.  In  very  few  words  their  wishes  were 
communicated  by  the  settlers  assembled,  but 
tiie  "claim  jumpers,"  being  under  legal  advice, 
conducted  themselves  accordingly.  Says  a 
local  writer  :  "  There  was  none  of  that  blunt, 
outspoken  honesty  common  to  oui'  western 
pioneers,  but  a  studied  purjiose  to  overreach 
the  boys  in  a  legal  point,  and  preserve  them- 
selves from  physical  harm."  More  worils 
were  exchanged,  when  the  exas])ei"ated  set- 
tlers invited  the  interlopers  to  step  one  side, 
while  the  owners  of  the  land  tore  down  the 
building  then  in  course  of  construction.  This 
they  did,  not  wishing  to  bring  down  upon 
themselves  the  signal  vengeance  of  the  deter- 
mined men  who  surrounded  them.  After 
witnessing  the  tearing-down  operation  they 
retired  from  the  Held. 

But  the  end  was  not  yet.  A  short  time 
after  this,  the  discomfited  "claim  jumpers" 
swore  out  warrants  before  the  authorities  at 
Owatonna,  as  this  was  then  a  part  of  Steele 
County,  for  the  apprehension  of  live  of  the 
settlers  who  had  been  foremost  in  the  work, 
and  that,  and  a  peremptory  subpa^na  for 
nearly  all  the  other  settlers  on  the  Le  Sueur 
Eiver,  was  brought  over  by  the  proper  of- 
ficers, the  arrests  made  and  summons  served. 
Forthwith  appearing  at  the  bar  of  the  court 
in  Owatonna,  the  accused  were  placed  on 
trial  and  three  of  the  five  found  guilty.  The 
other  two  were  discharged  on  the  motion  of 
the  prosecuting  attorney.  Those  whom  the 
verdict  proclaimed  guilty  entered  an  appeal 
to  the  district  court,  and  were  discharged  on 
account  of  some  error  in  the  proceedings.  A 
lawsuit  about  the  same  time  was  com- 
menced in  Winona,  before  the  United  States 
land  officers,  in  order  to  settle  the  rights  of 
the  parties  in  interest.      During  the   next 


Ci/7^    ^^ivtxc^A-^ 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


429 


year,  both  parties  and  many  witnesses  made 
several  trips  to  Winona,  but  about  the  end  of 
that  time  the  matter  was  settled  by  a  com- 
promise, and  all  were  again  happy. 

HAED  TIMES. 

The  following,  quoted  from  an  article  from 
the  pen  of  James  E.  Child,  one  of  the  par- 
ticipants in  the  scenes  he  so  graphically  de- 
scribes, recalls  the  hardshij^s  of  pioneer  days: 

"The  summer  of  1S58  will  long  be  remem- 
bered by  the  early  settlers  of  the  county,  as 
tlie  most  disastrous  of  any  up  to  the  j^resent 
time.  Nearly  or  quite  one-half  of  the  people  of 
the  county  had  settled  along  the  Le  Sueur 
Kiver.  Many  of  the  farmers  had  no  crops 
except  on  the  bottom  lands,  while  nearly  all 
had  more  or  less,  on  these  lands  adjoining 
the  river.  During  the  early  part  of  the  sea- 
son the  crops  looked  well ;  but  in  the  latter 
part  of  July  heavy  and  oft  repeated  storms 
swept  over  the  whole  country.  During  the 
first  week  in  August  storm  succeeded  storm, 
until  the  whole  country  was  inundated.  The 
waters  of  the  rivers  and  streams  were  in- 
creased to  such  an  extent  that  their  banks 
were  overflown.  The  bottom  lands  looked 
like  great  inland  seas.  Fences  were  torn 
down  and  carried  away ;  hay  and  grain 
stacks  were  torn  to  pieces  and  carried  down 
stream ;  trees  were  washed  out  by  the  roots, 
and  wheat,  corn  and  potato  crops  were  de- 
stroyed in  a  day. 

"  Whole  families  stood  by  in  astonishment, 
witli  despair  depicted  in  every  feature,  and 
witnessed  the  destruction  of  their  only  means 
of  subsistence  for  the  coming  year.  Most 
of  the  settlers  had  spent  their  limited  means 
in  purchasing  their  lands  and  improving 
them,  and  were  entirely  dependent  upon 
their  growing  crops  for  a  supply  of  food. 
The  crops  on  the  bottom  lands,  nearly  or 
quite  one-half  of  the  whole,  were  almost  a 
total  loss,  while  those  on  the  highlands  were 
badly  injured. 

"  Many  gave  up  in  despair,  and,  with  what 
they  had  left,  '  pulled  up  stakes '  and  left  the 


country.  A  general  depression  rested  upon 
the  whole  country,  and  the  succeeding  year  . 
was  a  season  of  '  hard  times.'  A  whole 
chapter  of  incidents  might  be  written  of  the 
hardships  endured  by  the  settlers  during  the 
winter  of  1858-9  and  the  following  spring. 
Manj"^  farmers  lived  for  months  on  corn- 
bread,  milk  and  butter ;  some  lived  for  weeks, 
in  the  spring,  on  milk  and  wild  roots ;  some 
lived  on  fish,  and  all  suffered  more  or  less 
deprivation. 

"  During  the  spring  many  cattle  died  of 
starvation,  and  the  people  who  lived  here  at 
that  time  are  seldom  heard  to  call  the  pres- 
ent '  hard  times.' " 

Says  Hon.  William  Brisbane,  in  speaking 
of  hard  times  in  early  days :  "  Speaking  of 
graham  bread,  I  can  assure  you  that  twenty- 
eight  years  ago  a  loaf  of  graham  bread  or  a 
corn  dodger,  with  a  very  thin  sprinkling  of 
molasses,  would  have  been  thankfully  re- 
ceived and  no  questions  asked.  Those  were 
the  days  that  tried  men's  stomachs  as  well 
as  their  souls,  but  we  lived  and  hoped  for 
better  days,  for  we  had  faith  in  the  resources 
of  Waseca  County.  Thanks  to  the  industri- 
ous energy  of  the  people,  our  expectations 
have  been  fully  realized  ;  as  the  good  Book 
says :  '  The  rain  is  over  and  gone,  and  the 
time  of  the  singing  of  birds  has  come  ;'  yet 
I  never  knew  or  saw  a  tragedy  acted  but 
there  was  always  some  comical  or  ludicrous 
scenes  interlarded  with  it.  .  .  .  The 
following  is  a  fact,  although  it  smacks  of 
the  improbable :  A  family  out  in  the 
Big  Woods,  be3'ond  Janesville,  were  sorely 
pressed,  for  gaunt  Famine  was  wagging  his 
bony  finger  in  their  faces.  Almost  in  de- 
spair they  went  into  the  woods  and  tried  to 
find  some  roots,  whereby  they  miglit  satisfy 
the  cravings  of  hunger.  They  were  success- 
ful in  unearthing  the  sought-for  roots,  but 
were  afraid  that  they  might  be  poisonous. 
Something  must  be  done ;  they  would  try  an 
experiment.  As  luck  would  have  it,  there 
was  a  crazy  sort  of  fellow  in  the  family ;  so 
they  thought  they  would  try  it  on  him.     If 


430 


HISTOKT   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


he  died  it  woidd  be  no  great  loss,  and  if  he 
lived,  why  couldn't  they.  You  see  that  they 
were  excellent  logicians.  "Well,  the  crazy 
fellow  lived,  but  you  can  bet  that  he  never 
fared  so  well  again  as  he  did  on  the  day  the 
life  or  death  experiment  was  tried." 

HISTORICAL    ITEMS. 

The  first  birth  in  the  county  was  that  of  a 
child  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Plunimer,  in  the 
township  of  Wilton,  born  in  July,  1855. 

The  first  death  is  believed  to  have  been 
that  of  the  wife  of  Josiah  Smith,  of  Bloom- 
ing Grove,  who  died  in  the  fall  of  1856. 

William  Wells,  of  Wilton,  had  a  child  die 
in  1856,  also,  probably  the  second  death  in 
the  county. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  which  united 
the  destinies  of  a  Mr.  Ballard,  of  Mankato,  and 
Louisa  A.  Gregory,  of  this  county,  which 
took  place  at  the  house  of  the  bride's  par- 
ents, on  the  2d  of  January,  1856.  It  is  re- 
corded of  this  interesting  event,  that  great 
preparations  had  been  made,  and  invitations 
issued  to  friends,  both  far  and  near,  John 
Jenkins,  the  only  justice  of  the  peace,  being 
duly  secured  to  tie  the  hymeneal  knot.  On 
the  evening  in  question  the  'Squire,  hiring  a 
man  to  take  him  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Gregoiy 
in  a  sleigh,  started.  The  weather  was  in- 
tensely cold,  the  snow  deep  and  badly  drift- 
ed. They  got  along  very  well  until  the  dark- 
ness overtook  them,  when  they  lost  their 
way,  and  wandered  around  over  the  cold, 
bleak  prairie  the  whole  night,  trying  to 
reach  the  appointed  place.  About  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning  they  managed  to  return 
to  the  place  from  which  they  had  started, 
where  they  soon  warmed  themselves  up 
with  hot  coffee,  hot  cakes  and  fried  pork, 
which  restored  their  exhausted  frames. 
Breakfast  eaten,  they  again  started  for  the 
scene  of  the  wedding.  In  the  meantime  the 
folks  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Gregory  had 
been  waiting  expectantlj^  for  the  arrival  of 
the  'Squire ;  the  bride  was  ready,  the  groom 
on  hand,  each  with  his  or  her  best  friend 
to  help  them  pass  through  the  ordeal,  but 


still  no  'Squire  appeared.  Expectation  grew 
into  anxiety  as  the  night  wore  on,  and  the 
question  as  to  what  was  the  matter,  was 
bandied  about  among  the  waiting  guests. 
All  night  the  assembled  company  kept 
watch,  but  he  came  not.  With  the  morninir 
came  the  'Squire,  but  on  his  arrival  he  found 
that  a  party  had  sallied  forth  to  look  after 
him,  so  the  ceremon^^  had  to  be  deferred 
until  they  had  returned.  About  dark  the 
searchers  returned,  but  it  was  so  late  that  it 
was  thought  necessary  to  have  supper  be- 
fore proceeding  to  the  business  of  the  day. 
Many  were  the  jokes  and  laughs  about  the 
first  marriage  ceremony  to  be  performed  by 
the  bachelor  justice.  The  supper  over,  the 
table  was  cleared  away,  the 'Squire  called  up 
the  wedding  party.  Says  our  informant, 
''  the  ceremony  was  short  and  to  the  ]ioint." 
After  joining  the  hands  of  the  young  couple 
Squire  Jenkins  turning  to  the  groom,  asked 
"  Mr.  Ballard,  do  you  take  Miss  Gregory  to 
be  your  wife  ? "  The  answer  came  prompt- 
ly, "Yes,  sir."  Then  to  the  blushing  bride, 
"  Miss  Gregory,  do  you  take  Mr.  Ballard  as 
your  lawful  husband  ? "  In  a  low  tone  came 
the  expected  answer,  "Yes,  sir."  "All 
right,"  said  the  'Squire,  "  then  you're  man 
and  wife."  This  finished  the  ceremony,  and 
the  relieved  company  began  to  enter  ujion 
the  festivities  usual  at  that  time. 

The  second  marriage  took  place  upon  the 
19th  day  of  April,  1856.  At  that  time 
James  E.  Child  and  Justina  Krassin  pledged 
themselves  "to  cleave  unto  one  another  until 
death  do  them  part,"  before  John  Jenkins, 
justice  of  the  peace. 

The  first  school  was  opened  in  what  is  now 
Blooming  Grove  Township,  in  1857,  and  was 
taught  by  IVIrs.  Lina  Hughes.  This  was  in 
what  is  now  district  No.  7,  then  No.  1. 

The  fii-st  religious  services  were  held  at 
the  house  of  Christian  Kemund,  in  Blooming 
Grove,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Groeciitenme^yer,  in 
1856.  This  was  by  the  German  Methodists 
and  an  organization  was  then  effected  that 
exists  to  this  day. 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


431 


The  first  postoffice  was  established  at 
Swaversey,  in  Blooming  Grove  Township, 
in  1857,  with  Mrs.  William  Gibbs  as  post- 
mistress, on  section  5  of  that  town. 

ORIGIN    OF   THE    COUNTy's    NAME. 

In  1856,  some  Winona  parties  laid  out  a 
town  in  the  southwestern  part  of  Woodville 


Township,  which  they  called  Waseca,  which 
is  a  Sioux  word  denoting  rich,  especialty  in 
provisions.  Lobbying  in  the  Legislature  to 
have  a  new  county  set  off  and  their  town 
made  the  county-seat,  they  failed  to  carry 
their  point,  but  the  euphony  of  the  name 
seemed  to  strike  those  interested,  and  the 
county  was  thus  christened. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


EEMINISCENCES  AND  INCIDENTS. 


It  is  the  intention  to  group  under 
this  he.ad  the  personal  experiences 
of  the  pioneers  and  others  of  the 
county  of  "Waseca.  Many  of 
them  are  written  b}^  the  early 
settlers  themselves,  and  others 
related  and  written  up  from  their 
oral  relation.  In  compiling, 
the  editor  has  not  attemjjted  to 
change  the  style  of  the  Avriter, 
it  being  the  design  to  leave  them 
as  they  were  penned,  a  record  not 
only  of  the  facts  narrated,  but  preserving 
the  individuality  of  the  writer  and  the  view 
he  took  of  the  matter.  These  reminiscences 
are  interesting  and  well  worthy  a  perusal. 

BY   JAMES    E.    CHILD. 

Thirty-three  or  four  years  ago  the  present 
county  of  Waseca  was  a  portion  of  the  ter- 
ritory known  as  Blue  Earth  County.  Not  a 
single  white  man  then  had  a  habitation  with- 
in its  borders.  The  solitude  of  nature  was 
broken  only  occasionally  by  the  hunter  and 
trapper,  or  by  wandering  bands  of  Sioux  In- 
dians. Buffalo,  elk  and  deer  had  for  ages 
roamed  its  prairies  and  woodlands.  Fish 
basked  undisturbed  in  its  lakes  and  streams. 
The  muskrat,  the  otter  and  the  mink  gamboled 
upon  the  ice  in  winter,  with  no  one  to  molest 
or  make  them  afraid.  Ducks,  geese  and 
other  aquatic  fowl  covered  the  waters  in 
summer,  and  chattered  and  squawked  in  all 
their  native  glory.  The  prairie  wolf  howled 
upon  each  little  hillock,  and  coward-like  was 
always  ready  to  pounce  upon  the  weak  and 
defenseless.  Pocket  gophers  went  on  with 
their  interminable  mining  operations,  all 
unconscious  of  the  inroads  soon  to  be  made 
upon   their  dominions  by  the  husbandman. 


Grouse  and  prairie  chicken  crowed,  drummed 
and  strutted  in  all  their  pride,  and  the  winds 
and  blizzards  and  cyclones  swept  unheeded 
across  its  solitary  waste.  The  autumnal 
prairie  fires,  in  aU  their  terrible  grandeur 
and  beauty,  lighted  the  heavens  by  night 
and  clouded  the  sun  by  day.  Age  after  age 
had  added  alluvial  richness  to  the  soil,  and 
prepared  it,  as  one  of  the  richest  fields  in  the 
world,  for  the  abode  of  the  husbandman 
and  for  the  uses  of  civilized  man.  It 
furnishes  food  for  reflection  to  the  inquiring 
mind  at  times,  that  an  overruling  Providence 
should  have  sent  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  to 
the  rock  bound  and  stormy  coast  of  New 
England  and  reserved  the  rich  prairie  lands 
of  the  west  for  their  descendants  and  fol- 
lowers. 

In  the  month  of  June,  1854,  Asa  G.  Sut- 
lief,  his  wife  and  three  children,  left  Dodge 
County,  Wis.,  in  covered  wagons,  taking 
with  them  quite  a  drove  of  cattle  and  sheep, 
to  seek  a  home  in  the  land  of  "  Laughing 
Waters." 

They  passed  over  the  Mississippi  at  La 
Crosse,  and  taking  across  the  country  in  a 
westerly  direction,  struck  the  Minnesota 
River  at  Traverse  or  St.  Peters,  locating  on  a 
claim  some  five  or  six  miles  west  of  there. 
He  had  been  there  only  a  few  days,  how- 
ever, before  he  was  offered  $100  for  his 
claim  and  accepted  it.  He  then  proceeded 
to  Mankato,  where  he  left  his  family,  and 
sought  a  new  location,  "  far  from  the  haunts 
of  men." 

After  a  thorough  and  extensive  tour  of 
inspection,  he  finally  selected  a  portion  of 
section  32  in  what  is  now  the  town  of  Wil- 
ton, where  most  of  his  famih'^  still  reside. 
He  reached  this  place  with  the  family  in  the 


«;i 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


433 


month  of  August,  and  at  once  broke  about 
two  acres  of  land,  and  set  about  providing 
hay  and  shelter  for  his  cattle  and  sheep. 
A  "shanty"  for  himself  and  family  was  at 
once  reared.  It  was  a  work  of  some  magni- 
tude to  prepare  for  winter,  but  his  energy 
and  industry  overcame  all  obstacles,  and  by 
the  latter  part  of  November  he  was  ready  to 
return  to  Wisconsin  with  his  family,  leaving 
his  cattle  and  premises  in  charge  of  Luther 
Barrett,  formerly  of  Horicon,  Wis.  Mr. 
Sutlief  and  family  made  their  return  trip  in 
a  covered  ox-wagon,  arriving  at  Herman, 
Wis.,  in  the  early  part  of  December,  1854. 

On  the  9th  of  January,  1855,  Mr.  Sutlief 
and  James  E.  Child  left  Herman  for  Minne- 
sota with  three  yoke  of  oxen,  a  wagon  and 
a  sled.  At  Fox  Lake  they  were  joined  by 
S.  P.  Child,  then  a  boy  of  nineteen,  from 
Waupun,  Wis.,  whose  whole  capital  consisted 
of  a  trunk  of  clothes,  three  hogs  and  consid- 
erable "  sand."  He  was  to  assist  in  driving 
the  teams  and  hogs  belonging  to  Mr.  Sutlief, 
for  his  board  while  on  the  road. 

Nothing  of  striking  importance  occurred 
on  the  journey  until  their  arrival  at  La 
Crosse.  At  this  point  they  crossed  the  river 
in  the  dark  and  on  ice  which  had  formed 
since  the  January  thaw.  The  act  of  cross- 
ing was  a  dangerous  one  and  a  less  venture- 
some  man  than  Mr.  Sutlief  would,  at  least, 
have  taken  daylight  for  the  undertaking. 
About  9  o'clock  in  the  evening  they  stopped 
at  a  small  house  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Mississippi,  occupied  by  a  Mr.  Plummer  and 
his  wife.  Here  a  couple  of  days  were  spent 
while  Mr.  Plummer  was  getting  ready  to 
join  the  company.  It  took  nearly  all  the 
first  day  after  starting  to  get  the  loaded 
vehicles  to  the  top  of  the  river  bluff,  and  the 
party  returned  to  the  shanty  for  the  night. 

Early  next  morning  all  hands  turned  out, 
and  the  first  rays  of  the  sun  found  them  on 
the  trail,  going  westward.  The  day  turned 
out  cloudy  and  storni}'^,  but  the  drive  was 
short,  and  just  before  dark  tkey  stopped  at 
a  little  frame  house  near  the  road,  about 


five  miles  east  of  the  site  of  the  present  vil- 
lage of  St.  Charles.  The  next  morning  an 
early  start  was  made  so  as  to  reach  Roches- 
ter, then  called  Zumbro  Falls,  that  night. 
The  day  was  pleasant,  but  the  snow  had 
drifted  in  many  places,  which  made  travel- 
ing very  slow.  It  was  necessary  in  some 
places  to  shovel  out,  or  unhitch  the  teams 
and  drive  them  back  and  forth  through  the 
drifts,  before  attempting  to  get  through 
with  the  loads,  and  although  the  teams  were 
urged  forward  as  fast  as  shouting  and  whip- 
ping could  do  it,  yet  it  was  eleven  o'clock 
at  night  before  they  reached  a  stopping- 
place.  The  night  was  cold,  and  Mr.  Sutlief 
frosted  his  cheeks,  ears,  nose  and  feet,  and 
Mr.  Plummer  and  S.  P.  Child,  their  feet 
sUghtly.  The  house  was  filled  with  travel- 
ers ;  the  beds  were  all  full ;  the  floor  was 
nearly  covered  with  sleepers,  and  there  was 
no  room  for  these  last  arrivals  except  in  a 
log  shanty  "lean-to"  with  its  Dutch  fire- 
place. This  afforded  about  the  poorest  pro- 
tection from  cold  that  could  well  be  imag- 
ined, even  by  a  western  man.  The  roof 
was  made  of  oak  shakes,  the  crevices  were 
not  plastered  or  daubed,  and  the  prairie  bliz- 
zard whistled  through  it  with  a  lavish  liber- 
ality altogether  unpleasant.  Our  travelers 
made  a  huge  fii"e,  and  passed  the  night  in 
turning  first  one  side,  and  then  the  other  to 
it,  after  the  old  fashion  of  roasting  spare 
ribs  before  the  fire. 

The  next  morning  the  wind  blew  a  gale,  and 
the  thermometer  indicated  twentj'-eight  de- 
grees below  zero,  rendering  travel  across  the 
prairies  simply  impossible.  All  parties  were 
compelled  to  remain  over  during  the  day. 
There  were  over  forty  travelers  thus  de- 
tained. This  place  being  on  the  stage  road 
from  Dubuque  to  St.  Paul  accounted  for  so 
many  being  there.  Many  a  good  story,  and 
some  not  so  good,  were  told  that  da}'^,  and 
jokes  passed  among  them  in  a  manner  pe- 
cuHar  to  the  west.  One  fellow,  a  liquor 
peddler,  was  quite  chagrined  at  finding  his 
whiskey  keg  bottom  end   up,  the  bung-hole 


434 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


open  and  its  contents  spread  out  on  the 
snow.  The  crowd  insisted  that  he  had  been 
on  a  spree,  and  had  left  the  keg  in  that  condi- 
tion himself,  and  as  no  one  pretended  to 
know  anything  to  the  contrary,  he  was 
obliged  to  smother  his  pent-up  wrath,  and 
make  the  best  of  the  matter.  His  attempt 
at  the  retail  business  in  the  morning  was, 
without  doubt,  the  primary  cause  of  his  sad 
loss,  at  least  some  of  the  ladies  intimated  as 
much. 

The  wind  lulled  during  the  night,  and 
the  next  morning  was  bright  and  pleas- 
ant. Our  "  first  settlers  "  "tackled  up"  early 
and  started  across  the  prairie  for  Mantor- 
ville.  That  village  was  then  less  than  a 
year  old  and  contained  only  three  or  four 
small,  log  cabins.  This  was  the  last  settle- 
ment on  the  road  of  our  travelers  until  they 
reached  their  destination.  Did  you  ever  see 
a  treeless,  uninhabited  prairie  in  midwinter  <! 
Imagine,  if  you  will,  that  four  men,  a  woman 
and  her  small  child  are  about  to  start  across 
a  prairie  wilderness  without  an  inhabitant, 
without  a  road,  destitute  of  a  tent,  the  tem- 
perature ten  degrees  below  zero,  to  spenil 
three  days  and  two  nights  with  no  shelter 
save  the  starry  canopy  of  heaven.  Such  was 
the  reckless  and  foolhardy  undertaking  of 
the  first  settlers  of  this  county,  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  30th  of  January,  1855.  The  at- 
mosphere was  cold  and  filled  with  frost, 
though  the  sky  was  cloudless. 

They  left  Mantorville,  after  loading  on 
what  hay  they  could  take  with  them,  bear- 
ing south  of  west  until  they  struck  the  south 
tier  of  sections  in  townshi])  10(3,  and  then 
kept  due  west,  guided  by  the  section  posts 
set  the  fall  before,  by  the  United  States 
surveyors.  About  noon  they  came  near  los 
ing  one  of  their  teams  in  a  deep  narrow 
creek,  but  finally  succeeded  in  crossing 
without  serious  damage.  About  sunset,  they 
arrived  at  a  small  grov'^e  of  burr  oaks,  near 
the  source  of  one  branch  of  the  Zumbro 
Eiver,  where  they  concluded  to  camp.  The 
oxen  were  soon  unyoked   and  fed,  a  large 


camp-fire  built,  supper  prepared  and  con- 
sumed, stories  told  and  songs  sung.  The 
evening  was  very  pleasant,  with  a  slight 
breeze  from  the  west. 

About  9  o'clock  they  spread  their  hay 
beds  upon  the  snow,  under  the  wagons,  and 
laid  themselves  down  for  the  night,  covei'ing 
themselves,  head  and  ears,  with  quilts  and 
blankets.  They  slept  soundly  until  3  o'clock 
the  next  morning,  when  all  hands  were 
aroused  by  the  cr}^  of  "fire!"  coming  from 
Mr.  Sutlief,  who  had  been  "  warmed  out." 
Upon  awakening,  it  was  ascertained  that 
the  wind  had  changed  during  the  night, 
blowing  bi'iskly  from  the  south,  and  had 
thrown  the  fire  upon  Mr.  Sutlief  s  bed.  It 
took  some  time  to  extinguish  the  fire  in  the 
bed  clothing,  and  when  that  was  accom- 
plished, and  they  had  fairly  recovered  from 
the  excitement,  it  was  discovered  that  their 
cattle  had  left  them,  taking  the  back  track 
to  the  settlement.  Two  of  the  men  started 
in  pursuit  with  furious  feelings  and  at  a  furi- 
ous rate  of  foot  speed.  The  cattle  were 
overtaken  about  five  miles  from  camp,  and 
ordered  back  in  the  forcible  language  pecul- 
iar to  the  ox-teamster  of  the  west.  They 
i-eturned  to  camp  half  an  hour  before  day- 
light, partook  of  a  hearty  breakfast  with  the 
rest  of  the  company,  and  just  as  the  sun 
made  its  appearance,  all  hands  started  in  a 
due  westerly  course. 

The  day  was  intensely  cold,  and  it  required 
considerable  activity  to  keep  from  freezing. 
There  was  a  hard  crust  on  the  snow,  which 
imi^eded  progress  and  cut  the  cattle's  legs 
so  badly  tliat  blood  was  left  in  their  tracks. 
Several  deep  snow  drifts  were  encountered 
during  the  da}\  That  night  they  encamped 
in  a  thicket  of  hazel  brush  and  poj)lar  trees, 
with  some  oaks,  about  six  or  eight  miles 
south  of  what  is  now  Owatonna.  This  was 
a  splendid  place.  The  brush  and  trees 
formed  a  thicket  which  was  a  great  protec- 
tion to  both  man  and  beast.  The  great 
difficult}^  was  want  of  food  for  the  cattle. 
They  had  no  hay  except  what  was  in  the 


HISTOEY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


435 


beds,  and  but  a  small  allowance  of  grain. 
The  cattle  were  secured  by  head-ropes  that 
night. 

The  men  cleared  away  the  brush  and 
snow,  and  soon  made  a  large  camp-fire,  and 
Mrs.  Plumraer  prepared  a  warm  supper, 
which  was  eaten  with  a  relish.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  company  were  not  quite  as  much 
given  to  songs  and  stories  and  funny  jokes 
as  on  the  previous  evening.  The  romance 
of  camping-out  in  winter  had  lost  somewhat 
of  its  charms  to  them  after  two  days'  expe- 
rience. They  piled  high  the  camp-fire  with 
fuel,  and  retired  early  to  beds,  which  were 
made  on  the  snowy  ground.  The  wind  came 
up  from  the  northwest  in  the  evening,  and 
before  morning  the  weather  was  very  cold. 
Long  before  daylight  thej^  had  arisen,  fed 
the  cattle  what  hay  was  in  the  beds  and 
eaten  breakfast.  As  soon  as  there  was  day- 
light enough  to  enable  them  to  keep  their 
course,  they  renewed  their  journey.  They 
crossed  the  Le  Sueur  River,  in  what  is  now 
the  town  of  New  Richland,  with  some  diffi- 
culty, the  banks  being  very  steep.  They 
then  took  for  their  guide  a  large  oak  tree 
standing  alone  on  section  36,  in  Wilton 
Townsliip,  about  a  mile  from  the  Sutlief 
shanty. 

They  reached  Mr.  Sutlief's  place  about 
4  o'clock  p.  m.,  where  they  found  Mr.  Bar- 
rett who  had  been  trapping  and  taking  care 
of  Sutlief's  cattle  during  the  winter.  To 
say  that  every  member  of  the  company  was 
thankful  for  a  safe  resting-place  would  but 
faintly  describe  the  feelings  of  the  first  set- 
tlers, on  their  arrival. 

The  condition  of  the  country  at  that  time, 
however,  was  not  very  inviting.  The  prairie 
was  covered  with  snow  and  ice;  the  trees 
looked  short  and  scrubby  ;  the  weather  was 
severely  cold  ;  not  a  postoffice  nearer  than 
thirty-five  miles,  no  letters,  no  newspapers ; 
no  houses  nor  barns,  nor  fences,  nor  human 
beings  met  the  gaze  in  any  direction.  At 
that  time  Mr.  Sutlief's  shanty  was  the  only 
human  habitation  between  the  Winnebaeo 


agency  and  Owatonna  ;  the  only  one  within 
the  present  limits  of  "Waseca  County. 

THE    INDIAN   MASSACRE. 
By  William  Brisbane. 

The  following  from  the  pen  of  William 
Brisbane  has  been  published  in  the  Waseca 
Herald.,  but  as  a  picture  of  the  exciting  days 
of  Indian  massacre  of  1862,  it  is  needed  to 
the  completeness  of  these  annals,  and  there- 
fore no  apology  is  necessary  for  its  insertion 
in  this  place: 

Wilton  was  soon  to  be  aroused  from  her 
Rip  Van  Winkle  slumber,  with  this  differ- 
ence :  that  instead  of  waking  up  after  the  war, 
she  awoke  to  find  the  nation  engaged  in  a 
hand  to  hand  struggle  for  existence.  One 
day  the  citizens  had  met  to  bid  good-by  to 
a  number  of  the  boys  who  were  starting  for 
the  front,  some  of  whom  never  came  back, 
but  offered  up  their  lives  a  willing  sacrifice 
upon  the  altar  of  their  country.  The  last 
wagon  was  barely  out  of  sight  when  the 
stage  from  the  west  brought  us  the  terrilile 
news  of  the  Indian  massacre.  The  people 
were  so  confounded  that  they  couldn't  be 
brought  to  realize  the  fact  that  such  a  bloody 
tragedy  had  been  enacted.  About  mid- 
afternoon,  when  the  excitement  had  some- 
what cooled,  it  was  suddenly  kindled  again 
into  fever  heat,  by  the  appearance  of 
two  men  in  a  covered  buggy,  one  a  white 
man,  the  other  an  Indian  grasping  a  rifle. 
The  white  man  said  they  were  from  the 
agency  and  that  the  Winnebagoes  were  mak- 
ing very  warlike  demonstrations,  and  that 
they  had  come  to  solicit  immediate  help. 
Here  then,  we  thought,  was  war  at  our  very 
doors,  and  most  all  of  our  young  men  gone 
south.  A  meeting  was  held  and  volunteers 
called  for.  All  seemed  chock-full  of  patriot- 
ism, and  spoiling  for  fight.  It  was  agreed 
that  the  volunteers  should  secure  what  arms 
they  could  and  meet  at  the  Globe  Hotel,  at 
8  o'clock  that  night.  On  my  way  to  Wilton, 
I  called  upon  Peter  Van  Dyke,  who  in  the 
afternoon  seemed  to  have  no  other  thought 


436 


HISTORY   OF    WASECA    COTJNTY. 


but  just  to  kill  two  at  a  blow ;  but  a  change 
had  come  over  his  dream  of  military  glory, 
for  I  found  Peter  in  bed  groaning  with 
neuralgia.  His  wife  (the  better  man  of  the 
two)  shamed  him  and  called  him  a  coward. 
Very  few  came  at  the  time  appointed,  and  I 
began  to  think  that  neuralgia  had  become 
epidemical.  If  memory  serves  me  right, 
three  wagons  started  about  11  o'clock.  The 
night  was  pitch  dark,  with  a  heavy,  drizzling 
rain  falling,  and  the  roads  almost  impassable. 
"We  had  taken  with  us  all  the  ammunition 
Wilton  could  furnish,  not  forgetting  a  little 
drop  of  the  "  craithur,"  but  on  such  a  night 
the  supply  was  not  equal  to  the  demand, 
and  the  men  began  to  doze,  but  were  sud- 
denly startled  into  life  again  by  the  second 
wagon  running  into  the  one  ahead,  which 
had  stopped.  Upon  inquiring  what  the  mat- 
ter was,  the  teamster  said  that  he  had  heard 
an  Indian  war  whoop,  and  refused  to  go  on. 
While  deliberating  upon  the  situation,  the 
loud  crowing  of  roosters  broke  the  stillness 
of  the  scene  around  us.  So,  after  a  not  very 
hearty  laugh,  we  started  ahead  again,  and 
arrived  at  the  agency,  as  the  day  began  to 
break,  wearied  and  jaded  enough.  Balcombe, 
the  agent,  received  us  with  apparent  grati- 
tude, and  thanked  us  for  responding  so 
promptly  to  the  call  for  aid.  A  few  bales  of 
Indian  blankets  were  ripped  open  and  spread 
down  as  couches  for  us  to  lie  upon  and  rest, 
but  our  nerves  were  too  much  excited  by  the 
novelty  of  our  surroundings  to  get  the  rest 
we  so  much  needed  ;  so,  getting  up  and  per- 
forming our  ablutions,  we  thought  we  would 
take  a  stroll  and  reconnoiter  a  little ;  but 
here  we  were  met  by  a  difficulty  we  were 
hardly  prepared  for.  Col.  Ide  and  Balcombe 
objected  to  our  taking  our  guns  with  us,  as 
it  might  excite  the  Indians,  they  said.  I 
remarked  that  if  the  Indians  had  any  hostile 
intentions  they  would  be  more  apt  to  attack 
unarmed  men  than  if  they  had  arms  in  their 
hands.  The  Colonel  didn't  think  that  there 
was  any  danger.  Then  if  there  is  no  danger, 
I  said,  why  are  we  here  ?  I  saw  I  had  no  influ- 


ence, and  finally  gave  in,  leaving  our  guns 
in  a  room  of  the  government  store-house. 
While  sauntering  along,  a  few  Indians  passed 
us.      One   of    them    complimented    us    by 

calling    us whites.      He    could    swear 

in  English,  anyway.  We  concluded  that 
things  presented  a  rather  warlike  aspect, 
and  that  we  had  better  go  and  secure  our 
guns  ;  but  to  our  surprise  we  found  the  door 
of  the  room  in  which  we  had  left  our  guns 
locked,  and  nobody  could  tell  who  had  the 
key.  I  said  I  would  find  a  key,  grasping  a 
stick  of  cordwood.  Just  then  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Dyer  came  running  with  the  key. 
He  said  that  he  had  gone  out  on  the  prairie 
for  a  load  of  hay  and  taken  the  key  with 
him.  At  night  we  were  doomed  to  another 
surprise.  The  storekeeper,  Jim  Hubbell, 
Col.  Ide  and  Agent  Balcombe  proposed  divid- 
ing the  men  and  stationing  one  party  at 
liubbell's  store  and  the  other  part}'^  at  the 
government  storehouse.  This  I  strenuously 
opposed,  as  there  were  so  few  of  us ;  how- 
ever, I  told  Balcombe  if  he  would  assume 
the  responsibilit}^  of  command,  I  would  will- 
ingly serve  under  him  until  troops  arrived. 
He  said  he  would  assume  no  resi5onsibilit3% 
though  he  distributed  a  few  flasks  of  powder 
amonfrst  us.     Here  then  we  found  no  one  to 

O 

act  as  leader,  and  with  no  plan  of  action,  so 
that  in  case  of  an  attack  it  would  be  every 
man  for  hiinself  and  the  devil  take  the  hind- 
most. It  looked  to  me  as  if  we  were  running 
with  eyes  open  into  a  trap,  and  I  began  to 
wish  myself  well  out  of  it.  The  next  day 
was  distribution  day,  but  few  Indians  were 
around  ;  they  were  down  in  the  woods  hold- 
ing a  pow-wow.  The  squaws  came  for  the 
provisions  and  they  cut  a  very  ludicrous 
figui-e  as  they  waddled  away  with  a  bag  of 
flour  and  a  chunk  of  pork  strapped  on  their 
backs.  In  the  afternoon  the  Indians  came 
from  the  woods,  dressed  in  aU  their  toggery 
and  war  paint.  A  sort  of  council  was  held  ; 
the  Indians  formed  in  a  circle,  with  the  chiefs 
and  interpreter  in  the  center.  The  chiefs, 
according  to  the  interpreter,  complained  of 


HISTORY    OF    WASKCA    COUNTY. 


437 


unfair  dealing  by  the  agent.  The  scene,  with 
its  surroundings,  was  extremely  picturesque. 
"While  walking  around  in  the  evening  along 
with  a  man  by  the  name  of  Burgess,  we  saw 
two  squaws  leave  a  store  carrying  something 
between  them.  They  kneeled  down  on  the 
prairie,  applying  their  hands  in  quick  succes- 
sive movements  to  their  mouths.  I  felt  a 
curiosity  to  see  what  they  were  doing.  I 
found  them  engaged  in  the  delectable  em- 
ployment of  eating  sugar.  They  motioned 
me  to  kneel  and  partake  with  them.  I  did 
so,  but  I  believe  I  forgot  to  ask  a  blessing, 
my  mind  being  too  much  engrossed  by  the 
novelty  of  the  scene. 

The  next  morning  dawned  amid  great  ex- 
citement. A  report  had  come  in  that  the 
Indians  had  burned  Mankato,  and  the  stage 
being  some  two  hours  behind  time  gave 
color  to  the  rejjort.  John  Greening  started 
on  horseback  for  Mankato  to  make  a  recon- 
naissance and  report  as  quickly  as  possible. 
John  started  off  in  gallant  style,  an  excel- 
lent caricature  of  Don  Quixote  charging 
windmills.  Shortly  after,  became  galloping- 
back  shouting,  "  Mankato  all  right ;  no  burn, 
and  stage  a-coming!"  A  few  of  us  promptly 
seized  the  stage  when  it  drove  up,  and  de- 
manded to  be  taken  back  to  Wilton.  This 
caused  considerable  flutter.  One  woman 
said  that  she  wouldn't  give  that  (snapping 
her  fingers)  for  her  life  if  we  went  away. 
Dyer,  bare-headed  and  excited,  came  and 
told  me  that  Balcombe  wanted  to  see  me.     I 

told   him  to  tell  Balcombe  to  go   to . 

Col.  Ide  said :  ''You  will  be  very  sorry  when 
you  hear  that  we  are  all  killed."  "  Yes," 
said  I,  "  very."  You  can  judge  of  our  sur- 
prise when  we  came  to  Wilton  to  find  Mrs. 
Balcombe  and  Mrs.  Hubbell  waiting  for  the 
stage.  I  learned  long  after  that  they  had 
taken  a  team  early  in  the  morning  and  gone 
by  what  they  call  the  timber  road. 

As  no  troops  had  yet  arrived  at  the 
agency,  and  our  own  homes  were  exposed 
to  danger,  a  military  company  was  formed 
called  the   Wilton   home  guards.     Warren 


Smith  was  lieutenant,  and  J.  E.  Child  drilled 
us  in  the  manual  exercise,  assisted  by  Col. 
Ide  when  difficult  military  maneuvers  were 
to  be  executed.  I  often  thought  that  I  would 
die  from  laughing  when  the  Colonel  was 
teaching  us  how  to  march  through  narrow 
defiles.  We  had  to  march  almost  sideways, 
which  gave  us  such  a  limping  kind  of  gait 
that  a  strans:er  would  have  thought  that  we 
had  all  been  wounded  in  battle,  and  crippled 
for  life.  We  were  dressed  in  blue  jean  jack- 
ets and  pants.  I  am  sure  that  if  such  a  mil- 
itary company  were  to  appear  on  the  streets 
of  Waseca  to-day  they  would  be  taken  for 
military  cranks,  or  foolish  school-boys  play- 
ing soldier  for  the  fun  of  the  thing. 

THRASHING  BY  MOONLIGHT. 

H.  P.  Chamberlain  relates  that  the  first 
thrashing  he  had  at  his  place  took  place  in 
January,  1858.  Machinery  to  do  this  work 
was  scarce  in  the  county  and  those  who 
coujd  not  secure  the  services  of  the  thrasher 
early,  had  to  wait.  One  bitter  cold  night  in 
January,  when  the  thermometer  indicated 
that  it  was  twenty  degrees  below  zero,  the  men 
who  had  agreed  to  do  this  work  for  Mr. 
Chamberlain  made  their  appearance  at  his 
house  and  announced  that  they  must  do  the 
job  then  and  there,  as  they  had  to  return  to 
Wilton,  where  they  lived,  to  attend  a  dance 
the  veiy  next  evening. 

Reasoning  or  expostulation  was  in  vain,  go 
to  that  dance  they  would  ;  so  Mr.  Chamber- 
lain, making  a  virtue  of  necessity,  sallied 
out  and  with  some  difficulty  mustered  up  a 
sufficient  crew,  and  all  hands  went  to  work. 
All  night  hmg  they  toiled  in  the  intense 
cold,  and  by  morning  they  had  the  job  done, 
and  after  a  warm  meal  went  on  their  way 
rejoicing,  and  tradition  tells  that  they 
reached  Wilton  that  evening  in  good  time 
to  join  the  festive  dance,  the  work  of  the 
past  night  not  seeming  to  affect  their  iron 
frames  or  to  detract  from  their  enjoyment. 

BLOODY  TRAGEDY. 

Anotiymovs. 

A  dark   and   bloody    tragedy   stains  the 


438 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


annals  of  the  early  settlement  of  Woodville 
Township,  although  tlie  deed  was  justified 
at  the  time  and  has  passed  from  the  minds 
of  all  but  a  few  of  the  participants  therein. 
It  was  upon  a  clear,  cold  night  in  the  win- 
ter of — well,  never  mind  the  year,  but  to  be 
exact  enough,  say  it  was  when  Waseca 
County  was  in  its  extreme  infancy.  The 
snow,  with  fleecy  mantle  covered  all  the 
earth  to  the  depth  of  a  couple  of  feet  or 
more,  and  the  twinkling  stars  gleamed  down 
through  the  frosty  air  upon  the  peaceful  cabin 
of  a  pioneer  in  Woodville  Township.  This 
man,  E.  K.  Carlton,  with  his  family  had  re- 
tired to  their  couches  to  court  the  god  of 
sleep,  believing  with  the  poet  that 

"  Night  is  the  time  to  sleep, 
To  draw  around  an  aching  breast 
The  curtain  of  repose." 

Sounds  proceeded  from  the  house  like  the 
prolonged  howls  of  the  hungry  cayote,  and 
demonstrated  the  fact  that  the  tired  farmer 
and  his  sons  were  deeply  plunged  in  lethean 
slumber.  Suddenly  a  terrible  outciy  arose 
upon  the  still,  midnight  air,  which  roused  the 
sleepers  from  their  couches,  and  with  dis- 
tended ej'es  and  lifting  hair,  they  asked  each 
other,  "What's  the  matter?"  The  robust 
pioneer,  nothing  daunted,  plunged  out  doors 
in  the  undress  uniform  in  which  he  had 
tumbled  out  of  bed,  and  waded  through  the 
snow  toward  his  chicken  house,  whence 
there  proceeded  such  a  terrible,  din,  such  a 
clatter  and  such  an  outcry  as  has  seldom 
been  heard  before  on  so  prolonged  and  ex- 
tensive a  scale.  Trembling  with  wrath,  he 
quickly  threw  open  the  door  and  introducing 
his  huge  proportions,  after  a  short  chase, 
with  iron  hand  he  grasped  the  graceless 
intruder  upon  his  preserves.  Vengeance  dire 
flashed  from  his  eyes, 

"And  shook  his  very  soul  with  ire." 

Suddenl}'^  he  heard  the  sound  of  footsteps 
rapidly  approaching,  and  turning  to  meet  his 
new  antagonist,  never  loosening  his  tight  hold 
upon  the  thief  he  had  secured,  however,  he 
discovered,  to  his  great  joy  that  it  was  only 


his  friend,  Obediah  Powell,  who  boarded 
with  him,  and  who  hearing  the  noise  and  ob- 
serving the 

"  Confusion  dire  and  worse  confounded," 
had  hastened  to  his  assistance.  No  word 
was  spoken,  but  with  ruthless  hands  these 
sturdy  pioneers,  in  answer  to  the  rough 
teachings  of  the  frontier  code,  proceeded  to 
coolly  destroy  the  life  of  the  scamp  whose 
strong  love  for  the  poultry  of  his  neighbor 
had  led  into  such  fearful  straits.  While 
Carlton  compressed  his  victim's  frame  with 
bands  like  those  of  steel,  Powell  calmly  and 
collectedly  as  if  he  were  performing  a  be- 
nevolent action,  cut  the  throat  of  the  wretch 
with  the  sharp  knife  which  he  carried  in  his 
hand.  A  moment  after,  the  bleeding  corpse 
dropped  upon  the  ground,  his  life-blood 
crimsoning  the  pearly  whiteness  of  the  glis- 
tening snow.  Recalled  at  length  to  himself 
by  the  intense  cold,  which  penetrated  the 
scanty  attire  in  which  Carlton  was  clad,  the 
two  men  passed  on  to  their  house,  and  as  a 
last  "good-night"  was  said,  one  remarked, 
"  That's  the  largest  mink  I  ever  saw." 

FIRST    SAD    MISFORTUNE. 

We  are  also  indebted  to  J.  E.  Child,  Esq., 
for  the  following  account  of  the  first  sad  mis- 
fortune: 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  in  this  county  of 
the  company  of  "  first  settlers,"  Messrs. 
Barrett,  Sutlief  and  S.  P.  Child  started  for 
Mankato  with  a  portion  of  their  cattle,  in 
order  to  have  them  kept  there  until  spring,  as 
provender  was  running  short.  Mr.  Sutlief 
returned  in  a  few  days,  leaving  Child  at 
Van  Brunt's  sawmill  to  get  in  logs  for  lum- 
ber. Owing  to  some  misunderstanding, 
Child,  after  remaining  there  a  few  days, 
started  to  return  to  Sutlief's,  intending  to 
stop  over  night  at  the  shanty  of  Mansfield 
and  Callen,  about  four  miles  south  of  the 
Winnebago  agency.  On  his  arrival  at  that 
place,  finding  the  house  deserted  and  the  door 
locked,  he  concluded  to  push  on  to  Sutlief's 
that  day.  The  snow  was  deep,  especiall}^  in 
low  places,  often  taking  aman  in  waist  deep. 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


439 


During  the  middle  of  tiie  day  it  was  quite 
warm,  melting  the  snow,  some  of  which 
worked  into  his  boots,  making  both  them 
and  his  socks  quite  wet.  Toward  evening 
the  weather  became  colder,  and,  despite  all 
his  efforts,  his  feet  began  to  freeze  soon  after 
dark.  There  was  no  track  or  road  that  could 
be  followed,  and  he  was  only  enabled  to 
keep  his  course  by  a  star,  which  he  selected 
as  his  guide.  One  can  better  imagine  than 
describe  the  emotions  of  this  boy,  for  he  was 
scarcely  more,  thus  toiling  on  amid  the 
shades  of  night,  over  an  uninhabited  prairie, 
among  wolves  and  otlier  wild  animals, 
spurred  on  to  reach  a  place  of  shelter  or  to 
perish  miserably  of  cold  and  fatigue.  Hour 
after  hour  wore  away,  for  he  could  travel 
but  slowly  ;  his  feet  to  his  ankles  frozen 
hard  ;  drowsiness  came  over  him,  and  yet  no 
signs  of  the  cabin  could  he  discover.  Ex- 
hausted and  discouraged,  still  he  struggled 
on  until,  finally,  he  saw  a  light.  It  beamed 
across  the  snow  from  the  window  of  the 
shanty  he  was  in  search  of.  He  had  passed 
it  to  the  south,  and  but  that  fortunately  the 
inmates  were  at  work  much  later  than  usual 
that  evening,  the  light  would  have  been  put 
out  and  he  would  not  have  seen  the  caljin, 
but  would  have  passed  on  to  death  in  the 
cold  and  snow. 

He  reached  the  shanty  between  ten  and 
eleven  o'clock,  more  dead  than  alive.  His 
boots  and  socles  were  frozen  tight  to  his  feet 
and  ankles.  Some  time  and  much  labor 
were  required  to  remove  them,  but  it  finally 
was  accomplished.  Tiie  sufferings  he  en- 
dured for  many  weeks  cannot  be  described. 
No  medical  aid  could  be  obtained,  and  the 
flesh  on  his  feet  literally  rotted  away,  leav- 
ing the  blackened  bones  of  his  toes  exposed. 
Many  weeks  passed  before  lie  could  step  on 
his  feet,  and  it  was  months  before  he  could 
walk  without  the  aid  of  crutches.  Most  of 
the  bones  of  his  toes  were  taken  off  b^'  his 
brother  who  used  a  razor  for  the  purpose. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  following  April 
he  was  conveyed  to  Mankato,  where  surgical 


aid  was  obtained  and  more  bones  removed. 
In  July  he  had  so  far  recovered  the  use  of 
his  feet  that  he  took  the  position  of  cook  for 
the  employes  of  the  government  at  the 
Winnebago  agency,  among  the  Winnebago 
Indians,  who  had  been  brought  to  this  reser- 
vation during  the  month  of  June,  that  year. 

THE  GREAT  SNOW  STOEM. 

Perhaps  no  annals  of  the  county  of 
Waseca  would  be  complete  without  some 
mention  of  the  great  snow  storm  of  January 
7,  1873,  that  was  totally  unparalleled  in  this 
part  of  the  country  in  the  memory  of  the 
oldest  inhabitants.  To  quote  from  the 
Waseca  WeeMy  News  of  that  date  : 

The  morning  opened  comparatively  pleas- 
ant, and  as  the  day  worn  on,  the  growing 
moisture  of  the  atmosphere  caused  many  to 
hope  that  the  severity  of  the  winter  had 
passed,  and  that  we  were  entering  upon  the 
mild  season  known  as  the  January  thaw.  In 
the  afternoon,  however,  dark  clouds  gath- 
ered in  the  west,  and  about  3  o'clock  the 
wind  commenced  blowing  a  gale,  producing 
a  rapid  change  in  the  temperature,  and  at 
the  same  time  the  air  was  filled  with  snow, 
which  was  driven  with  great  force  into  every 
opening,  however  small,  by  the  terrific  fury 
of  the  howling  blast.  The  sun  soon  with- 
drew his  light,  and  soon  an  almost  impene- 
trable darkness  settled  upon  the  earth  like 
a  funeral  pall,  bringing  with  it  intense  cold, 
made  doubly  so  by  the  driving,  penetrat- 
ing force  of  the  wind.  This  continued  with- 
out interruption  througliout  the  night,  and 
Wednesday  morning  opened  upon  us,  one  of 
those  intensely  furious  days  which  once  in  a 
while  visits  this  high  northern  latitude,  and 
the  remembrance  of  which  is  retained  by  the 
old  settlers  and  constitutes  the  theme  of 
their  conversation  upon  each  succeeding  oc- 
casion. 

Tlie  sun  was  shut  out  by  thick  clouds,  and 
throughout  Wednesday,  Wednesday  night 
and  Thursday  until  about  midnight,  the 
fierce    blasts  of   the  storm  king   drove  the 


440 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


snow  in  vast  quantities  over  the  whole  north- 
west, making  a  winding  sheet  for  the  many 
men,  women  and  children  that  were  caught 
in  its  icy  embrace.  l\o  pen  can  fully  describe 
the  terriffic  death  chill  of  the  fifty-six  hours 
during  which  this  storm  raged. 

Fortunately  Waseca  County  had  not  a 
death  to  chronicle  among  her  inhabitants,  al- 
though many  had  narrow  escapes  from  fol- 
lowing the  hundred  or  more  of  wretched 
mortals  all  over  this  and  adjoining  States, 
who  were  forced  to  succumb  to  the  grim 
king  of  terrors  clothed  in  this  hideous  mantle 
of  snow. 

One  incident  has  come  to  our  knowledge 
in  regard  to  a  narrow  escape  from  death, 
and  is  well  worth  the  recital. 

As  has  been  shown  above,  the  day  was  a 
pleasant  one,  and  many  people  had  taken  ad- 
vantage of  it  to  go  to  town,  to  go  over  to  the 
"  other  place  "  or  to  visit  neighbors.  It  so 
happened  that  Alfred  Smith,  then  living  on 
section  5,  in  Woodville  Township,  had  gone 
over  to  the  farm  where  his  father  had 
settled,  about  a  mile  away,  with  his  team. 
About  the  time  that  the  storm  had  got  well 
under  way,  his  daughter  Lovica,  then  a  girl 
of  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  who  had 
been  washing  out  the  clothes,  threw  a  shawl 
over  her  head,  and  taking  a  little  brother 
with  her,  went  out  and  up  the  road  look- 
ing for  her  father.  For  part  of  the  way  the 
grove  on  the  west  side  of  the  road  shut  off 
the  gale,  and  she  did  not  realize  that  the 


storm  was  of  any  unusual  character.  Coming 
to  the  end  of  the  grove  the  brother  ran  back, 
but  she  pushed  on,  nothing  daunted,  think- 
ing that  she  must  soon  meet  her  father.  But 
thinly  clad,  no  wrap  around  her  except  a 
light  cotton  shawl  thrown  over  her  head  and 
held  together  by  her  naked  hands,  she  soon 
became  aware  that  she  must  turn  back  or 
perish  from  the  cold,  for  the  wind  that  swept 
down  upon  her  from  the  west  was  of  arctic 
severity.  Retracing  her  steps,  blinded  by 
the  whirling,  drifting  snow,  confused  b}'  the 
savage  fury  of  the  wind,  she  took  the  wrong 
road  where  the  two  crossed  and  wandered 
on  across  the  bleak  prairie,  death  staring  her 
in  the  face.  Battling  bravely  she  pushed  on, 
her  limbs  chilled  by  the  cold,  her  form  grow- 
ing faint  beneath  the  merciless  pelting  of  the 
storm,  until  she  reached  the  grove  near  the 
house  of  Obediah  Powell,  where  she  halted 
but  a  moment,  when  knowing  that  it  was 
death  to  stop,  she  pushed  on,  and  spying 
a  light  she  made  her  way  to  Mr.  Powell's 
house.  So  confused  was  she,  so  bewildered 
by  the  blizzard,  and  unhinged  by  the  tension 
upon  her  nerves,  that  she  did  not  know  for 
a  few  moments  where  she  was  nor  who 
were  the  friends  she  had  stumbled  upon. 
Soon  the  genial  hospitality  of  Mrs.  Powell, 
the  light  and  warmth  of  the  room,  restored 
her,  and  she  was  made  comfortable.  She 
suffered  but  little  inconvenience '  from  her 
terrible  experience  except  a  soreness,  the 
flesh  naving  been  chilled,  but  not  frozen. 


CHAPTER  V. 


COUNTY  GOVEENMENT. 


HE  territory  now  embraced  in 
the  county  of  "Waseca  was  at 
the  time  of  its  settlement  a  por- 
tion of  Steele  County,  and  so 
continued  until  the  Legislative 
Assembly  of  the  territory  of 
Minnesota,  of  1857,  which  passed 
an  act,  separating  "so  much  of 
the  county  of  Steele  as  is  com- 
prised in  the  following  bound- 
aries, to-wit :  townships  105,  106,  107  and 
108  north,  ranges  22,  23  and  24  west,"  and 
declared  that  such  territory  should  be  organ- 
ized and  known  as  the  county  of  Waseca. 
This  act  was  approved  and  became  a  law, 
February  27,  1857,  and  was  signed  by  John 
W.  Furber,  speaker  of  the  house,  and  by 
John  B.  Brisbin,  president  of  the  council. 
It  was  also  enacted  that  on  the  first  Monday 
m  June  following,  the  legal  voters  of  said 
county  should  hold  an  especial  election  in 
their  established  precincts,  for  the  purpose  of 
locating  a  county -seat,  and  for  the  proper  elec- 
tion of  oiEcers.  Until  that  time,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  the  county.  Gov.  Gor- 
man appointed  the  following  officers  to  estab- 
lish the  precincts,  select  election  precincts, 
appoint  judges  of  election  and  other  officers 
for  carrying  on  the  machinery  of  county 
government :  J.  C.  Ide,  J.  M.  Bhvens  and 
H.  W.  Peck,  county  commissioners  ;  Nathan- 
iel Garland,  sheriff,  and  Tarrant  Putnam, 
register  of  deeds.  These  officers  were  to 
hold  their  offices  until  their  successors  had 
been  duly  elected,  and  been  qualified.  They 
all  entered  upon  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
of  their  office,  and  thus  came  into  existence 
the  county  of  Waseca. 


The  first  meeting  of  the  county  commis- 
sioners was  held  at  the  village  of  Wilton, 
March  16,  1857.  After  being  duly  qualified 
they  elected  J.  C.  Ide  chairman,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  business.  The  bonds  of  the  reg- 
ister of  deeds  and  sheriff  being  duly  pre- 
sented, were  approved,  and  a  seal  was 
adopted  for  temporary  purposes,  which  con- 
sisted of  a  circle  of  yellow  paper  with  the 
name  of  the  count}'  printed  thereon.  W.  S. 
Baker  was,  by  them,  appointed  treasurer  of 
the  county,  and  filing  his  official  bond,  on 
its  approval  at  once  entered  upon  the  duties 
of  his  office.  The  commissioners  then  pro- 
ceeded to  form  the  election  precincts,  accord- 
ing to  law,  and  to  appoint  the  necessary  offi- 
cers. 

The  first  precinct  was  called  Svvaversey, 
and  embraced  all  of  township  108  north, 
range  22  west,  and  the  north  half  of  township 
107  north,  range  22  west.  The  election  was 
ordered  to  be  held  at  the  house  of  Ole  Knutsen, 
and  Lewis  McKune,  Patrick  Ilealey  and  Ole 
Knutsen  were  appointed  judges.  Until  said 
election  the  commissioners  appointed  W.  H. 
Young  and  Lewis  Mclvune  as  justices  of  the 
peace ;  Clark  Wood  and  S.  F.  Wyman,  con- 
stables for  this  precinct. 

The  second  precinct  was  called  Empire, 
and  embraced  all  of  townships  108  noith, 
ranges  23  and  24  west,  except  so  much  as 
was  within  the  bounds  of  the  Indian  reserva- 
tion, and  the  north  half  of  towsnhip  107, 
range  23.  The  election  was  to  take  place  at 
the  residence  of  John  Wheeler;  N.  E. 
Strong,  C.  E.  Miller  and  James  Haynes  be- 
ing appointed    judges.     M.   S.   Green    was 


441 


442 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


appointed  justice  of  the  peace,  and  George 
L.  Leonard,  constable. 

Precinct  No.  3  was  to  be  called  Wilton,  and 
contained  the  sonth  half  of  township  107, 
ranges  22  and  23,  except  those  portions  that 
were  included  within  the  reservation,  and 
the  north  two-thirds  of  township  106,  ranges 
22  and  23,  except  the  Indian  lands.  The 
election  was  ordered  to  be  held  at  the  hotel 
of  A.  J.  Woodbury,  in  the  village  of  Wilton. 
Jesse  I.  Stewart,  W.  H.  Chamberlain  and  E. 
A.  Kice  were  appointed  judges.  George  W. 
Tremper  was  made  constable  in  and  for  this 
precinct. 

Otisco  precinct,  for  so  the  fourth  was 
named,  consisted  of  all  of  township  105, 
ranges  22,  23  and  24,  and  the  south  one-third 
of  township  106,  ranges  22  and  23.  Election 
polls  were  to  be  set  up  at  the  house  of  Silas 
Grover,  Ebenezer  B.  Stearns,  Calvin  Chap- 
man and  Daniel  Grover  being  appointed 
judges. 

At  this  meeting  the  commissioners  ap- 
pointed James  Haynes,  county  coroner,  and 
H.  W.  Peck,  county  surveyor,  and  as  Mr. 
Peck  resigned  his  position  as  one  of  the  com- 
missioners to  accept  this  office,  the  proper 
officers  were  called  upon  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

On  the  21st  of  March,  this  same  year,  a 
meeting  was  held  by  N.  G.  Garland,  sheriff, 
Tarrant  Putnam,  register  of  deeds,  and  W. 
S.  Baker,  treasurer,  who  duly  appointed 
David  Smith,  of  Empire,  to  fill  the  vacant 
commissionership. 

N.  N.  Norcutt,  James  E.  Child  and  E.  B. 
Stearns  were  appointed  the  assessors. 

The  second  meeting  of  the  commissioners 
was  held  at  the  same  place  April  6,  1857,  at 
which  time  Benjamin  Northrup  and  Silas 
Grover  were  appointed  judges  of  election  in 
Otisco  precinct  in  place  of  Calvin  Chapman 
and  Daniel  Grover.  John  Bradish  was  ap- 
pointed county  attorney,  and  a  number  of 
school  districts  organized.  Other  business 
of  the  county,  such  as  road  matters,  etc.,  was 
ti'ansacted.      Henry     Thiving,   of  Empire, 


and  John  J.  Greening,  of  Wilton,  were  ap- 
pointed constables. 

The  third  meeting  of  the  commissioners 
was  convened  on  the  4th  of  May,  1857,  and 
organized  a  fifth  election  precinct  embracing 
all  the  territory  in  Waseca  County  lying 
west  of  Lake  Elysian,  which  was  to  be 
known  by  the  name  of  Elysian.  J.  C.  York, 
C.  M.  Barnard  and  Abram  Jaqua  were  ap- 
pointed judges  of  the  election,  which  was  to 
to  be  held  at  the  house  of  E.  H.  Loomis.  J. 
M.  Stoddard  was  appointed  justice  of  the 
peace ;  Abram  Jaqua,  constable,  and  J. 
C.  York,  road  supervisor.  The  commis- 
sioners also  made  the  following  apjioint- 
ments  for  Swavesey  precinct ;  Asa  Conner, 
justice  of  the  peace  ;  S.  F.  Wyman,  consta- 
ble, and  Ezra  South  worth,  road  supervisor. 
It  was  ordered  that  the  register  of  deeds  be 
instructed  to  transcribe  from  the  records  of 
the  county  of  Steele  as  much  of  them  as  re- 
lated to  the  land  embraced  within  the  limits 
of  the  new  county  of  Waseca. 

The  fourth  meeting  of  the  commissioners 
was  held  on  the  2d  of  June,  and  nothing 
seems  to  have  been  transacted  l)ut  the  busi- 
ness of  auditing  the  accounts  of  the  county 
officers,  which  amounted  to  $92.80. 

An  account  of  the  election  which  located 
the  county  seat,  is  given  under  its  proper 
head  in  the  chapter  relating  to  the  political 
matters  of  this  county,  in  this  volume. 

The  board  of  commissioners  that  held 
their  meeting  on  the  6th  of  July,  1857,  was 
composed  of  the  newly  elected  members : 
E.  B.  Stearns,  of  Otisco ;  L.  C.  Wood,  of 
Swaversey,  and  David  Smith,  of  Empire. 
After  being  duly  qualified  and  taking  their 
seats,  they  elected  David  Smith  as  chairman. 
The  official  bonds  of  J.  W.  Crawford,  regis- 
ter of  deeds,  and  Nathaniel  Garland,  sheriff, 
were  then  presented  and  approved.  The 
following  named  men  then  presented  road 
petitions :  C.  L.  Lovell,  Alonzo  Heath,  J.  A. 
Canfield  and  John  McKune. 

The  sixth  session  of  the  board  was  held 
August  10,  1857,  and  the  bond   of  H.  W. 


HISTOEY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


443 


Peck,  the  newly  elected  county  surveyor, 
having  been  presented,  was  approved.  The 
regular  routine  business  was  then  transacted. 

The  seventh  session  convened  a  short  time 
later.  A  sixth  election  precinct  was  organ- 
ized, and  called  Vivian. 

At  the  ninth  meeting  there  was  no  busi- 
ness of  any  special  importance  transacted. 

The  stringency  of  the  money  market  all 
over  our  country  during  the  dark  days  of 
1857,  was  felt  very  severely  in  these  new  set- 
tlements, and  this  is  best  shown  by  the  fol- 
lowing record : 

"  At  a  special  meeting  held  October  20, 
1857,  the  board  borrowed  of  Byron  L.  Clark 
the  sum  of  $100,  for  which  a  joint  note 
signed  by  E.  B.  Stearns  and  L.  C.  Wood  was 
given,  paj'able  one  year  from  date  thereof, 
with  interest  at  the  rate  of  6  per  cent,  jjer 
month." 

Tenth  meeting  was  a  special  one,  held 
November  11.  Two  hundred  dollars  was 
borrowed  of  George  Snyder  for  county  ex- 
penses, for  which  E.  B.  Stearns  and  L.  C. 
"Wood  gave  their  joint  note,  payable  fifteen 
months  from  date,  with  interest  at  the  rate 
of  5  per  cent,  per  month. 

November  16,  at  the  eleventh  meeting, 
there  were  present  E.  B.  Stearns  and  L.  C. 
Wood.  The  following  appears  upon  the 
record : 

"  The  treasurer  being  absent,  the  funds  in 
the  hands  of  the  commissioners  were  appro- 
priated by  them  to  pay  the  most  urgent  bills 
against  the  county.  The  following  named 
individuals  received  the  amounts  set  against 
their  respective  names,  for  services  rendered, 
as  per  bills  and  receipts  filed  with  the  clerk : 

L.  C.  Lowell I    5  00 

E.  A.  Rice 51  85 

N.  Garland 120  70 

J.  W.  Crawford    29  00 

Total $206  55 

The  new  board  of  county  commissioners 
who  met  for  the  first  time,  January  4,  1858, 
consisted  of  the  following  named :  E.  B. 
Stearns,  L.  C.  Wood  and  John  Bailey.     Mr. 


Stearns  was  elected  chairman  for  the  ensu- 
ing year.  The  bonds  of  the  new  officers 
were  presented  and  approved.  By  a  finan- 
cial statement  presented  to  this  board,  it 
was  shown  that  the  indebtedness  of  the 
county  amounted  to  $1,258.52. 

The  fourteenth  meeting  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  was  convened  at  Wil- 
ton, April  5,  1858.  At  this  session  of  the 
board  the  following  towns  were  organized  : 
Township  108,  range  24,  to  be  known  by  the 
name  of  Okaman.  Two  polling  places  were 
appointed,  one  at  Olvaman,  at  the  house  of 
A.  Tuttle,  where  Alexander  Johnson,  C.  H. 
Bishop  and  W.  N.  Buckhout  were  to  pre- 
side as  judges ;  and  at  Janesville,  at  the 
house  of  Caesar  De  Eegan,  the  judges  of 
election  in  this  latter  place  being  K.  Brown, 
John  Cunningham  and  C.  De  Eegan. 

Township  108,  range  23,  was  named  Tosco. 
The  place  of  holding  elections  was  appointed 
at  the  house  of  Daniel  Tripp.  H.  W.  Peck, 
G.  L.  Leonard  and  David  Smith  were  ap- 
pointed judges  of  election. 

Township  108,  range  22,  was  set  off  and 
called  Blooming  Grove.  The  polling  place 
was  to  be  at  the  residence  of  Patrick  Healey  ; 
James  Isaac,  P.  Healey  and  J.  M.  Bliven 
being  named  judges  of  election. 

Township  107,  range  22  was  henceforth  to 
be  known  as  Woodville ;  the  place  of  elec- 
tion was  designated  as  at  the  house  of  E.  G. 
Wood;  J.  K.  Meyers,  William  M.  Green 
and  E.  G.  Wood  being  appointed  judges. 

Township  107,  range  23  was  to  be  known 
as  St.  Mary.  The  polling  place  was  fixed  at 
the  tavern  of  J.  W.  Clark ;  B.  M.  Morrill, 
Warren  Smith  and  A.  W.  Chamberlain  were 
designated  as  judges  of  election. 

Township  106,  range  23  was  named  Wil- 
ton, with  the  polling  place  located  at  the 
Washington  House,  and  I.  C.  Price,  L.  Cur- 
tis and  J.  C.  Ide  appointed  judges. 

Township  106,  range  22  was  to  be  known 
by  the  name  of  Otisco.  The  place  of  hold- 
ing elections  was  located  at  the  house  of 
Owen  Salisbury.     H.  G.  Mosher,  S.  S.  Griggs 


444 


HISTORY    OP   WASECA    COtlNTT. 


and  Owen  Salisbury  were  named  judges  of 
election.  All  of  township  105,  range  22, 
and  the  east  half  of  township  105,  range  23, 
were  joined  to  Otisco  for  voting  purposes. 

Township  105,  range  24,  was  named  Viv- 
ian, and  the  place  of  election  located  at  the 
house  of  J.  B.  Hill.  Mr.  Hill  was  "appointed 
one  of  the  judges  of  election,  the  other 
names  are  not  recorded.  For  voting  pur- 
poses, the  west  half  of  township  105,  range 
23,  was  attached  to  Vivian. 

At  the  fifteenth  meeting  of  the  board, 
held  on  the  ITtli  of  May,  1858,  a  petition 
was  presented,  asking  that  the  name  of  the 
town  of  Okaman  be  changed  to  that  of 
Janesville,  which  was  granted. 

The  first  Legislative  Assembly  of  the 
State  of  Minnesota  having,  by  an  act,  sub- 
stituted the  system  of  county  supervisors  for 
that  of  commissioners,  this  change  was  made 
in  the  county  of  Waseca  in  the  fall  of  1858, 
and  the  first  meeting  of  the  new  board  of 
county  supervisors  was  convened  on  the  14th 
of  September  of  that  year,  at  Wilton.  It 
consisted  of  the  following  named  :  W.  W. 
Robinson,  E.  B.  Stearns,  C.  W.  Johnston,  N. 
E.  Strong,  J.  W.  Davis,  Philo  Woodruff,  and 
Obediah  Powell.  The  meeting  having  been 
called  to  order,  elected  E.  B.  Stearns  chair- 
man for  the  ensuing  year.  An  act  of  the 
Legislature  having  authorized  the  boards  of 
supervisors  to  borrow  money  and  give  the 
bonds  of  the  county  therefor,  it  was  oi'dered 
that  the  county  of  Waseca  issue  its  bonds 
for  $3,000  to  be  made  payable  March  1, 1862, 
and  to  draw  interest  at  the  rate  of  15  per 
cent  per  annum,  and  payable  annually. 
The  said  bonds  to  be  in  the  dimensions  of 
$50  and  $100.  These  bonds  were  to  be 
printed,  and  signed  by  the  chairman  of  the 
board,  and  countersigned  by  the  county 
auditor,  with  the  seal  of  the  count}^  and 
approved  by  the  county  treasurer.  William 
W.  Robinson  and  E.  N.  Rice  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  have  the  bonds  printed  and 
negotiate  the  sale  of  them,  provided  that  the 
said  bonds  should  not  be  sold  for  less  than 


ninety  cents  on  the  dollar.  It  was  further 
ordered  that  the  amount  of  the  county  bonds 
be  increased  $500  more  than  was  first  or- 
dered. The  parties  appointed  to  negotiate 
the  sale  of  the  bonds  were  required  to  give 
approved  bonds  in  the  sum  of  $5,000  each, 
and  to  file  the  same  with  the  county  treas- 
urer. 

The  second  meeting  of  the  board  was  con- 
vened Monday,  November  1,  1858.  At  this 
session  it  was  ordered  that  township  105, 
range  22,  be  organized  and  that  it  be  named 
Norway,  and  that  township  105,  range  23,  be 
organized  and  the  name  Byron  to  be  borne 
thereby.  E.  B.  Stearns,  W.  W.  Robinson 
and  Philo  Woodruff  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  select  a  site  for  and  contract  with 
some  responsible  party  or  parties  for  the 
erection  of  a  county  jail ;  provided  that  it 
would  be  found  that  the  board  were  author- 
ized by  law  so  to  do.  The  said  jail  was  not 
to  exceed  $700  in  cost,  and  was  to  be  com- 
pleted by  September  1,  1859.  If  on  consul- 
tation with  the  proper  authorities  it  was 
found  that  the  board  could  build  the  said  jail, 
the  expense  of  building  it  was  to  be  defrayed 
partly  by  the  issuance  of  county  bonds  to 
the  extent  of  $500,  to  be  made  payable  in 
not  less  than  two  years,  or  more  than  five, 
from  the  1st  of  February,  1860. 

Monday,  December  20,  1858,  the  board 
met  for  the  third  time.  At  this  session  it 
was  ordered  that  the  order  in  regard  to  the 
bonds  of  the  county,  passed  at  the  Septem- 
ber term  be  changed,  so  as  to  read  as  fol- 
lows :  "  That  the  dimensions  of  the  said 
bonds  be  issued  in  $5,  $10,  $20,  $50  and  $100 ; 
and  that  $5,000  of  said  bonds  be  printed  in 
$50  and  $100  dimensions  and  the  balance  in 
$5,  $10  and  $20." 

It  was  also  decreed  that  the  county  treas- 
urer procure  the  government  survey  plats 
from  the  land  office,  and  he  was  directed  to 
pay  the  price  asked  for  them,  out  of  any 
money  in  his  hands  not  otherwise  appropri- 
ated. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board,  held  on  the 


Lewis     M?  Kune. 

(decbascd) 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    OOUNTY. 


447 


26th  of  February,  1859,  E.  B.  Stearns  and  E. 
A.  Rice  were  appointed  a  committee  to  rent 
rooms  for  the  accommodation  of  the  county 
oiRcers  for  the  ensuing  year. 

The  board  of  supervisors  for  the  j^ear  1859, 
met,  for  the  first  time,  on  the  24th  of  May. 
It  consisted  of  the  following  named  :  Philo 
Woodruff,  of  Blooming  Grove  ;  James  Bar- 
rie,  of  St.  Mary  ;  O.  Powell,  of  Woodville ; 
G.  W.  Ayers,  of  Byron ;  J.  W.  La  Paul,  of 
Janesville;  John  Thompson,  of  Richland, 
(late  Norway);  II.  G.  Mosher,  of  Otisco  ;  M. 
S.  Gove,  of  Wilton;  H.  D.  Baldwin,  of 
Iosco,  and  T.  West,  of  Vivian.  On  taking 
their  seats,  the  board  proceeded  to  the  elec- 
tion of  a  chairman,  which  resulted  in  the 
choice  of  M.  S.  Gove.  Most  of  the  transac- 
tions at  this  term  were  of  a  routine  charac- 
ter, of  which  none  are  worthy  of  interest. 
At  the  term  commencing  September  13,  it 
was  ordered  that  the  proper  officers  be  in- 
structed to  pay  the  two  notes  held  by  George 
Snyder,  "  with  county  bonds,  of  ninety  cents 
on  the  dollar ;  interest  on  the  notes  to  be  5 
per  cent  per  month."  Otlier  bills  were  also 
ordered  to  be  paid  in  the  same  way.  At  the 
session  held  October  12,  M.  S.  Gove,  II.  G. 
Mosher  and  J.  W.  La  Paul  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  purchase  the  store  building 
owned  by  Thos.  L.  Paige,  in  the  village  of 
Wilton,  for  a  court  house  with  the  certifi- 
cates of  tax  sales  of  lands  sold  in  1858,  and 
bid  in  bj^  the  county.  The  amount  of  said 
purchase  was  not  to  exceed  $700.  The  reg- 
ister of  deeds  was  ordered  to  make  the 
proper  assignments  of  such  certificates,  on 
the  order  of  the  said  committee.  The  build- 
ing was  purchased  for  the  amount  named, 
and  was  used  as  a  courthouse  until  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1869. 

On  the  11th  of  January,  1860,  the  board 
met  in  regular  session,  with  Philo  Woodruff 
as  chairman  ^??'o  tern.  W.  W.  Cowles  ap- 
peared and  was  admitted  to  a  seat  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  removal  of  J.  W.  La 
Paul ;  John  R.  Wood  was  admitted  to  fill 
the  place  of  II.   D.  Baldwin,  also  removed 

26 


from  the  town  of  Iosco.  At  this  session  the 
office  of  county  treasurer  was  declared  va- 
cant, Jesse  I.  Stewart,  the  occupant  of  that 
office,  havmg  been  elected  member  of  the 
State  Legislature.  J.  S.  Rice  was  appointed 
to  fill  the  vacancy.  At  the  March  session  it 
was  ordered  that  the  sheriff  be  instructed  to 
build  a  jail  in  the  rear  of  the  courthouse;  to 
be  at  least  16x18  feet  in  size,  one  story  high; 
to  be  built  of  lumber,  lined  with  sheet  iron, 
and  the  sum  of  $300,  in  tax  certificates  of 
1858,  was  ap])ropriated  for  the  purpose.  A 
license  was  granted  Hall  &  Johnson,  of 
Wilton,  for  the  sale  of  strong  and  spirituous 
liquors  and  wines,  to  be  drank  in  the  Wilton 
House;  this  license  was  given  for  one  year, 
from  March  21,  1860.  A  license  was  also 
granted  for  the  same  purpose  to  G.  H. 
Woodbury,  the  business  to  be  carried  on  at 
the  Washington  House  in  the  same  village. 
These  licenses  were  each  for  $50. 

The  Legislative  Assembly  in  1859-60  hav- 
ing repealed  the  law  in  regard  to  county 
government,  and  restored  the  system  of  com- 
missioners, the  new  board  met  for  the  first 
time  April  26,  1860.  W.  T.  Kittredge, 
George  H.  Bishop  and  Jolni  Powers  were 
the  gentlemen  intrusted  with  the  control  of 
county  affairs.  On  taking  their  seats  they 
elected  W.  T.  Kittredge  chairman  for  the 
ensuing  year.  At  the  June  session  the  board 
divided  the  county  into  commissioner's 
districts,  for  election  and  other  purposes  as 
follows : 

District  No.  1,  to  consist  of  the  towns  of 
Janesville,  Iosco  and  Blooming  Grove,  with 
239  legal  voters.  District  ISTo.  2,  to  consist 
of  the  towns  of  St.  Mary,  Woodville  and 
Otisco,  with  182  legal  voters.  District  No. 
3,  of  the  towns  of  Richland,  Byron  and 
Vivian,  witli  192  legal  voters.  It  was  also 
ordered  that  H.  P.  Powers,  the  deputy  coun- 
ty surveyor,  be  emploj^ed  to  construct  a 
proper  map  of  the  county,  the  cost  of  such 
labor  not  to  exceed  $75,  which  amount  was 
appropriated  for  that  purpose.  In  Septem- 
ber, John  Powers  resigning  his  position  as 


448 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COtJNTT. 


county  commissioner,  was  succeeded  by  D. 
L.  Whipple.  M.  S.  Green  also  resigned  the 
office  of  county  attorne}-,  the  board  appoint- 
ing.H.  D.  Baldwin  to  fill  the  vacancy  for  the 
unexpired  term,  with  the  salary  of  |12  per 
month. 

The  board  for  the  year  1861  consisted  of 
B.  A.  Lowell,  P.  Healey  and  Isaac  Hamlin. 
But  little  of  general  interest  is  to  be  found 
in  the  transactions  of  this  board. 

The  boai'd  of  commissioners  for  the  year 
1862  composed  the  following  named  :  B.  A. 
Lowell,  J.  G.  Honor  and  J.  B.  Jackson.  On 
oreanization  Mr.  Lowell  was  elected  to  the 
chair. 

In  1863  the  board  was  made  up  as  fol- 
lows :  B.  A.  Lowell,  chairman ,  J.  B.  Jack- 
son and  John  G.  Honor. 

The  board  of  county  commissioners  for 
the  year  1864  embraced  the  following  gen- 
tlemen: J.  B.  Jackson,  J.  S.  G.  Honor  and 
"W.  G.  Kennedy,  Mr.  Jackson  in  the  chair. 
At  a  meeting  held  March  8,  E.  S.  Smith  was 
appointed  county  superintendent  of  schools 
for  the  year,  with  the  salary  of  $100  per  an- 
num. At  the  same  session  it  was  ordered 
that  townships  106  and^  107,  range  24,  be 
organized  as  one  civil  town,  and  that  at  the 
first  election  held  therein,  a  name  should  be 
adopted  to  hold  until  such  time  as  it  was 
found  necessary  to  se})arate  the  two  town- 
ships, and  that  when  such  separate  organiza- 
tion took  place,  township  106  should  retain 
the  old  name. 

In  1865  W.  G.  Kennedy,  chairman,  C.  S. 
Luce  and  John  S.  McKune  constituted  the 
board. 

In  1866  it  embraced  the  same  gentlemen, 
with  Mr.  Kennedy  still  in  the  chair. 

Nor  \vas  there  much  change  in  1867, 
James  Isaac  taking  the  place  of  W.  G.  Ken- 
nedy on  the  board.  C.  S.  Luce  was  chair- 
man this  year. 

In  1868  James  Isaac,  R.  F.  Stevens  and 
J.  S.  McKune  made  up  the  board  for  a  time, 
but  at  a  meeting  held  on  the  22d  of  April, 
James  Isaac  handed  in  his  resignation,  as  he 


was  about  to  remove  from  the  district  which 
he  represented,  which  was  accepted,  and  S. 
S.  Phelps  appointed  to  fill  the  vacanc}'. 
While  Mr.  Isaac  was  a  member  of  the 
board  he  acted  as  chairman,  he  having  been 
elected  thereto,  but  on  his  retirement  R.  F. 
Stevens  was  chosen  his  successor. 

The  board  for  the  year  1869  consisted  of 
the  following  named:  R.  F.  Stevens,  J.  S. 
McKune,  William  Byron,  Robert  Earl  and 
John  Buckhout,  Mr.  Stevens  being  chair- 
man. At  a  special  meeting  held  April  12, 
it  was  announced  that  as  the  courthouse  had 
been  destro3'ed  by  fire,  it  was  necessary  to 
make  some  provision  for  the  county  offices. 
Therefore  some  proceedings  in  the  matter 
were  had,  but  as  this  is  mentioned  at  length 
elsewhere  in  regard  to  the  county-seat  con- 
test, it  is  omitted  here. 

The  gentlemen  comprising  the  board  dur- 
ing the  year  1870,  were  AVilliam  Byron, 
Robert  Earle,  O.  Powell,  John  Buckhout 
and  R.  F.  Stevens,  the  latter  being  chair- 
man. On  the  10th  of  September  this  board 
met  in  session  at  Wilton  for  the  last  time, 
antl  on  the  17th  of  November  held  court  at 
the  new  courthouse  at  Waseca,  the  latter 
place  having  been  made  the  seat  of  county 
government. 

The  board  in  1871  consisted  of  Robert 
Earl,  O.  Powell,  William  Byron,  AVilliam 
Lee  and  II.  G.  Mosher.  Mr.  Powell  was 
duly  elected  chairman  for  the  year. 

In  1872  the  board  of  commissioners  con- 
tained the  following  named  gentlemen  :  O. 
PoweU,  H.  G.  Mosher,  William  Byron,  Wil- 
liam Lee  and  S.  K.  Odell.  Obediah  Powell 
was  chairman. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1873  the 
board  was  constituted  the  same  as  the  last 
year,  but  at  a  meeting  held  July  15,  R.  F. 
Stevens  was  appointed  to  fill  the  place  lately 
occupied  by  H.  G.  Mosher. 

O.  Powell,  William  Byron,  II.  K.  Stearns, 
R.  O.  Craig  and  S.  K.  Odell,  made  up  the 
board  for  the  year  1874.  William  Byron 
was  the  chairman. 


HISTOEY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


449 


At  the  first  meeting  of  the  board  for  1875, 
held  on  the  5th  of  January,  H.  K.  Stearns, 
E.  O.  Ci-aig,  William  Burke  and  C.  II.  New- 
ell appeared  and  took  their  seats,  and  it  ap- 
pearing that  O.  Powell  had  resigned  his 
place  on  the  board,  William  C.  Young  was 
app  ointed  to  till  the  vacancy. 

The  board  for  1876  emljraced  the  follow- 
ing named :  H.  K.  Stearns,  C.  II.  Newell, 
William  Burke,  H.  Vincent  and  R.  O.  Craig, 
the  last  named  being  chairman. 

In  1877  it  was  the  same,  except  that  H. 
Vincent  filled  the  chair. 

In  January,  1878,  met  the  new  board  for 
that  year.  It  was  composed  of  the  following 
named :  H.  Vincent,  R.  O.  Craig,  William 
Burke,  H.  K.  Stearns  and  John  Brady.  On 
due  organization,  R.  0.  Craig  was  elected 
chairman.  The  auditor  was  instructed  at 
this  session  to  obtain  sealed  bids  for  the 
erection  of  a  county  jail,  at  the  county-seat. 
At  the  March  term  the  bids  were  presented, 
and  that  of  W.  B.  Craig  &  Co.,  for  $9,334, 
having  been  a^djudged  the  lowest,  the  con- 
tract was  let  to  them,  with  the  understand- 
ing that  the  edifice  should  be  completed  on 
or  before  the  first  day  of  October  following. 

The  board  for  1879  was  R.  O.  Craig,  chair- 
man, H.  K.  Stearns,  John  Bradj%  Thomas 
K.  Bowe  and  William  Burke. 

In  1880  it  was  composed  as  follows  :  Will- 


iam Burke,  chairman,  Thomas  K.  Bowe, 
John  Brady,  Philip  Purcell  and  N.  M.  Nel- 
son. 

Philip  Purcell,  chairman,  Thomas  K. 
Bowe,  N.  M.  Nelson,  W.  D.  Armstrong  and 
A.  J.  Jordan,  constituted  the  board  of  com- 
missioners in  1881. 

The  board  for  1882,  now  increased  to  six 
members,  consisted  of  Philip  Purcell,  chair- 
man, G.  W.  Soule,  N.  M.  Nelson,  A.  J.  Jor- 
dan, W.  D.  Armstrong  and  Ira  C.  Trow- 
bridge. 

In  1883  the  board  was  composed  the  same 
as  the  previous  \'ear. 

The  board  for  the  year  1884  was  com- 
posed as  follows :  Philip  Purcell,  N.  M.  Nel- 
son, A.  J.  Jordan,  G.  W.  Soule,  M.  F.  Con- 
nor and  I.  C.  Trowbridge.  Mr.  Purcell  was 
chairman. 

The  board  in  1885  consisted  of  Philip  Pur- 
cell, N.  M.  Nelson,  A.  J.  Jordan,  M.  F.  Con- 
nor, M.  Craven,  Austin  Vinton.  Mr.  Purcell 
was  again  chosen  to  fill  the  chair. 

In  1886  the  board  was  the  same  as  last 
year,  with  the  same  chairman. 

The  present  board  is  composed  of  the  fol- 
lowing named  gentlemen  :  Austin  Vinton, 
Philip  Purcell,  Jonas  B.  Sunde,  James  Con- 
way, Charles  Deyling  and  Oliver  Peterson. 
Mr.  Purcell  is  still  chairman. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


POLITICAL. 


is   something    fascinating 


HERE 

about  an  election  in  a  country 
where  the  will  of  the  people  is 
the  supreme  law  of  the  land  ; 
where  all  are  equal  in  the  eyes  of 
that  law,  and  where  the  most 
lowly,  be  he  rail-splitter,  tanner 
or  driver  of  the  team  that  hauls 
the  canal  boat,  may  aspire  to  the 
highest  office.  Merit,  and  that  alone,  must 
win.  Many  of  our  ablest  men  in  the  halls  of 
Congress,  on  the  bench  or  elsewhere,  are 
bright  and  living  examples  of  it,  and  hold 
out  briglit  beacons  to  guide  the  rising  gener- 
ation to  fortune  and  fame.  The  policy  of 
our  nation  justly  encourages  ))olitical  ambi- 
tion and  fosters  its  children  in  their  attempt 
to  scale  the  ladder  of  preference.  Nearly 
every  man  has  some  aspirations  to  a  higher 
position,  and  each  feels  that  if  he  does  not 
reach  its  highest  pinnacles,  his  children  may. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  a  political  cam- 
paign yields  an  excitement  pleasurable  to 
nearly  all,  and  although  jJersonalities  are  in- 
dulged in.  yet,  as  a  general  thing,  all  yield 
gracefully  to  the  verdict  of  the  people  when 
it  is  pronounced,  by  the  majority  vote,  and 
submit  quietly.  In  tJiis  ciuipter  it  is  pro- 
posed to  sketch  a  synopsis  of  the  issues  as 
far  as  possible,  and  the  local  complexion  of 
the  various  campaigns  since  the  organization 
of  the  county. 

Waseca  came  into  existence  as  a  separate 
county  in  1857,  as  has  already  been  stated. 
The  first  election  in  Waseca  County  was 
the  special  one  for  perfecting  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  same  and  the  selection  of  a 
county-seat,  and  was  held  on  the  first  Mon- 
day in  June,   1857.     The  vital  issue  of  the 


campaign  was  the  question  of  county -seat, 
and  this  seemed  to  swallow  up  every  other 
consideration.  Wilton,  St.  Mary  and  Em- 
pire each  aspired  to  be  the  seat  of  county 
government,  and  each  had  its  partisans. 
Men  fi'om  other  parts  of  the  territory  came 
here  just  before  election,  to  become  citizens 
of  one  of  the  three  rival  towns,  and  money 
and  promises  were  lavishly  expended  by  the 
champions  of  each  to  carry  their  point.  The 
county  gained  rapidly  in  population,  to  lose 
it  again  after  election,  but  for  the  time  ex- 
citement ran  riot.  Speculation  was  rife  and 
towns  on  paper  sprang  into  existence  full 
fledged.  Had  the  fate  of  the  nation  hung 
upon  the  result  of  an  election,  the  feeling 
could  not  iiave  reached  a  more  feverish  state. 
But  the  appointed  day  came  round,  and  the 
friends  of  Wilton  being  the  most  numerous, 
carried  their  point,  and  thus  that  town  be- 
came the  seat  of  government  for  Waseca 
County.  The  following  is  an  abstract  of  the 
vote :  Whole  number  of  votes  cast,  fi65,  of 
which  Wilton  received  332,  St.  Mary  207, 
and  Empire  126.  Elysian  cast  29  votes;  23 
for  Wilton,  i  for  St.  Mary  and  2  for  Empire. 
Empire  in  a  total  vote  of  160,  polled  11  for 
Wilton,  49  for  St.  Mary  and  100  for  Empire. 
Swaversey  had  107  votes,  of  which  Wilton 
received  51,  St.  Mary  33  and  Empire  23. 
Wilton  polled  309  votes,  189  of  them  for 
Wilton,  119  for  St.  Mary  and  one  for  Empire. 
In  Otisco  Wilton  liad  58  votes  and  St. 
Mary  2. 

In  the  fall  campaign  of  1857  considerable 
excitement  was  displayed  over  the  choice  of 
county  officers.  Both  Republican  and  Dem- 
ocratic parties  worked  hard  for  the  ascend- 
ency in  the  new  county.      The  Democrats 


450 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


451 


elected  E.  A.  Rice  register  of  deeds,  and  H. 
P.  Norton,  clerk  of  the  courts;  the  Repub- 
licans E.  B.  Stearns,  L.  C.  Wood  and  John 
Bailey,  county  commissioners  ;  N.  Garland, 
sheriff ;  A.  E.  Smith,  surveyor ;  Jesse  I. 
Stewart,  treasurer;  James  E.  Child,  county 
attorney ;  J.  A.  Canfield,  judge  of  probate, 
and  W.  S.  Baker,  assessor.  Neither  party 
had  a  very  large  majority. 

In  1858  the  election  had  but  local  feat- 
ures, and  but  little  interest  seems  to  have 
been  found  outside  of  the  particular  friends 
of  the  candidates,  and  strong  party  adher- 
ents. 

The  election  which  was  held  in  October, 
1859,  was  one  of  intense  excitement.  The 
question  of  Ijond  and  anti-bond  disturbed 
the  current  of  political  strife,  and  bade  fair 
to  break  up  both  great  parties.  The  State 
Republican  Convention  nominated  Alexan- 
der Ramsey  for  governor,  and  the  Demo- 
cratic party  was  headed  by  George  L. 
Becker,  candidate  for  the  same  office.  The 
Republicans  succeeded  in  carrying  the  State 
by  a  small  majority. 

In  this,  as  in  nearly  all  cases  for  many 
years,  the  Republicans  were  in  the  majority 
in  this  county,  but  in  many  cases  the 
county  offices  were  given  to  the  best  men  ir- 
respective of  party;  that  is,  although  both 
parties  had  tickets  in  the  field,  only  the  bet- 
ter part  of  each  Avere  chosen,  none  being  tied 
to  party. 

The  questions  which  were  the  forerunners 
of  the  great  campaign  of  1860  were  such  as 
have  never  stiri'ed  the  popular  heart  before. 
Ever  since  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  com- 
promise the  conflict  in  Kansas  had  roused  all 
the  feelings  of  the  Northern  people,  and  John 
Brown,  in  his  futile  attempt  at  Harper's 
Ferry,  had  skillfully  enlisted  Northern  S3'm- 
pathy,  and  roused  the  anger  of  the  South.  A 
large  part  of  the  population  of  the  northern 
States  were  sternly  determined  that  the  ter- 
ritories should  never  be  defiled  with  the 
curse  of  slavery,  and  that  the  boundaries  of 
that  "  peculiar  institution"  should  not  be  ex- 


tended any  further.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
South,  seeking  to  perpetuate  their  institution 
and  enlarge  their  political  power,  determined 
that  they  should  have  their  share  of  the  ter- 
ritories in  which  to  extend,  not  to  restrict, 
themselves.  The  questions  dividing  parties 
were  chiefly  sectional,  and  pointed  directly 
to  war.  The  Republican  party  met  in  na- 
tional convention,  at  Chicago,  to  place  m  the 
field  candidates  for  the  offices  of  President 
and  Vice-President.  The  names  of  Seward, 
Chase,  Blair  and  Lincoln  were  in  the  mouths 
of  all,  for  the  first  place.  But  three  ballots 
were  taken.  On  the  last  Abraham  Lincoln, 
having  received  a  majority  of  all  votes  cast, 
was  made  the  unanimous  choice  of  the  con- 
vention. Hannibal  Hamlin,  of  Maine,  was 
nominated  for  the  second  place  on  the  ticket. 

The  Democratic  National  Convention  met 
at  Charleston,  S.  C,  April  23,  1860,  but  the 
claims  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  his  north- 
ern partisans  being  stoutly  contested  by  the 
southern  faction  of  the  party,  after  a  ten 
days'  session  the  convention  broke  up  with- 
out making  any  choice.  July  19  the  con- 
vention again  met,  but  this  time  at  Balti- 
more, but  no  agreement  between  the  factions 
could  be  made.  After  six  days  spent  in  use- 
less endeavor  to  heal  the  breach,  Stephen  A. 
Douglas  and  Herschel  V.  Johnson,  of  Geor- 
gia, were  chosen  standard-bearers  in  the 
approaching  conflict. 

That  portion  of  this  convention  which  had 
not  concurred  in  this  choice  had  seceded, 
and  holding  a  convention  of  their  own,  nom- 
inated John  C.  Breckenridge,  of  Kentucky, 
and  Joseph  Lane,  of  Oregon,  for  the  offices 
of  President  and  Vice-President,  respectively. 

A  union  conservative  convention  was  also 
held,  at  which  John  Bell,  of  Tennessee,  was 
nominated  for  the  presidency,  and  Edward 
Everett,  of  Massachusetts,  for  the  vice-presi- 
dency. 

With  four  presidential  candidates  in  the 
field,  the  exciting  questions  growing  out  of 
slavery,  and  the  threats  of  secession  made 
by  the  South,  in  the  event  of  Lincoln's  elec- 


452 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


tion,  tended  to  make  the  campaign  one  of 
intense  excitement.  Large  and  enthusiastic 
meetings  were  held  in  all  the  cities  and 
towns  of  our  wide-spread  land,  and  small 
indeed  was  the  village  which  did  not  have 
its  share  in  the  enthusiasm.  The  people  of 
Minnesota,  having  no  gubernatorial  candi- 
dates in  the  field,  calmly  walked  to  the  polls 
and  gave  a  majority  for  the  Republican 
nominee.  In  Waseca  County  the  Republicans 
elected  their  whole  ticket,  including  State 
senator,  representatives,  auditor,  attorney, 
court  commissioner,  etc. 

1861  brought  with  it  another  contest  for 
the  governorship  which  resulted  in  the  re- 
election of  Alexander  Ramsey,  the  Republi- 
can candidate  for  that  office.  In  this  count}'^ 
the  regular  nominees  of  the  Republican 
party  captured  all  the  offices,  altiiough  a 
determined  effort  was  made  to  defeat  the 
candidate  for  reo:ister  of  deeds. 


In 


1863    another    gubernatorial   contest 


was,  as  usual,  decided  in  favor  of  the  Repub- 
licans. In  the  county  H.  P.  Norton,  Demo- 
cratic nominee  for  the  office  of  register  of 
deeds  was  elected  by  a  majority  of  but  seven, 
the  only  one  on  that  ticket. 

In  1864  and  1865,  tlie  election  was  simply 
a  repetition  of  those  going  before,  the  Re- 
])ublicans  carrying  nearly  everything  before 
them  with  larger  or  smaller  majorities. 

In  1866  the  Democrats  succeeded  by  a 
hard  effort  in  electing  one  candidate,  William 
Brisbane,  to  the  Legislature  by  a  majority  of 
but  five,  although  that  gentleman  ran  about 
fift}'^  ahead  of  his  ticket. 

1867  was  but  a  repetition  of  the  foregoing- 
years  and  without  much  interest. 

The  year  1868  brought  with  it  another 
presidential  campaign.  The  Republican 
National  Convention  met  in  Chicago  and 
placed  in  nomination  Ulysses  S.  Grant  and 
Schuyler  Colfax  for  President  and  Vice- 
President.  The  Democrats  placed  in  nomi- 
nation, Horatio  Seymour  and  Francis  P. 
Blair  Jr.,  for  the  same  offices.  The  finan- 
cial question  began  to  be   a   leading   issue, 


especially  with  reference  to  the  payment 
of  tiie  bonds,  the  Republicans  favoring 
their  being  redeemed  in  gold,  the  Democrats 
in  greenbacks.  In  Waseca  County  excitement 
ran  high,  as  several  local  questions  were 
to  be  solved;  member  of  Congress,  State 
Senator,  member  of  Legislature,  besides 
county  officers  were  to  be  chosen.  After  a 
hard  conflict  the  Republicans  carried  their 
point  on  all  questions  except  on  several  of  the 
commissoiners. 

The  year  1869  was  another  gubernatorial 
election,  which  was  carried  by  the  Republi- 
cans. In  this  county  that  party  had  a  ma- 
jority ranging  from  lOd  to  150  on  the  State 
ticket.  On  the  county  ticket  they  swept 
the  field. 

In  1870  party  lines  seemed  to  have  been 
badly  broken  up,  C.  F.  Buck,  the  Democratic 
nominee  for  member  of  Congress,  receiving 
a  majority  in  Waseca  County  of  63,  while 
on  State  senator  the  Republican  nominee 
had  a  majority  of  402.  The  Democrats 
captured  the  offices  of  member  of  Legislature, 
county  auditor  and  court  commissioner. 

In  1871  party  spirit  again  ran  high,  the 
Republicans  of  the  State  nominating  Horace 
Austin  for  governor,  and  the  Democrats, 
Winthrop  Young.  In  Waseca  County  a  full 
ticket  was  placed  in  the  field,  and  after  the 
contest  it  was  found  that  although  the  Re- 
pul)licans  carried  most  of  the  offices,  still 
the  vote  showed  some  demoralization  in  that 
party. 

In  1872,  being  again  a  presidential  cam- 
paign, considerable  excitement  was  infused 
into  politics.  At  the  election  on  the  5th  of 
November,  U.  S.  Grant  received  a  majority 
of  274  votes  in  the  count\'.  The  Republi- 
cans elected  two  members  of  the  Legislature, 
but  the  Democrats  captured  the  offices  of 
State  senator  and  county  auditor. 

In  1873  the  Republicans  seemed  to  make 
a  rally  and  succeeded  in  electing  nearly  all 
their  candidates,  Peter  McGovern,  the  Demo- 
cratic nominee   for  county  attorney,  taking 


HISTORY    OF    WASP;CA    COUNTY. 


453 


that  office  bj'  storm,  having  898  votes  to  his 
opponent's  502. 

The  election  of  1874  was  a  surprise  to 
most  people,  the  Democrats  of  Waseca 
County  taking  the  offices  of  county  auditor. 
State  senator  and  one  representative  for 
their  share. 

With  the  election  of  1875  a  new  party 
came  upon  the  stage  of  action,  and  became 
quite  a  factor  in  the  politics  of  this  county  ; 
this  was  the  Prohibition,  or  people's  reform 
party.  This  had  a  large  following  in  Waseca 
County,  and  this  campaign,  being  a  guber- 
natorial one,  was  quite  an  animated  one. 
The  Republicans  managed  to  carry  the 
county  on  State  ticket  by  very  small  plurali- 
ties, that  of  governor  being  but  one,  and  all 
less  than  a  hundred.  On  the  county  ticket 
Kelsey  Curtis,  being  endorsed  by  the  new 
party  and  the  Democrats,  was  elected  with 
Robert  Earl,  a  Republican,  to  the  Legislature. 
Warren  Smith,  the  candidate  of  the  Republi- 
cans and  Reform  party  for  county  treasurer, 
was  also  elected.  The  Republicans  carried 
all  the  other  offices  except  that  of  clerk  of 
the  court. 

The  year  1876  was  again  that  of  a  presi- 
dential campaign.  The  Republicans,  on  na- 
tional and  State  questions  were  in  the  major- 
ity, but  the  Democratic  nominees  for  the 
offices  of  auditor  and  court  commissioner  and 
one  representative,  were  successful. 

In  1877  four  parties  were  in  the  field, 
Republican,  Democratic,  Prohibition  and 
Greenback.  James  E.  Child  was  this  year 
the  candidate  for  attorney  general  on  the 
reform  ticket.  The  Democratic  party  came 
to  the  front  and  elected  their  nominees  to 
the  office  of  members  of  the  Legislature, 
county  attorney,  sheriff  and  coroner,  besides 
giving  a  handsome  majority  for  the  State 
ticket. 

The  Republicans  of  Waseca  County  re- 
gained their  ascendency  in  the  campaign  of 
1878,  giving  small  majorities  on  the  State 
ticket.  On  the  congressional  ticket  William 
Meighen,  the  Democratic  candidate,  had  a 


majority  in  this  county  of  1:^7.  S.  B.  Will- 
iams, the  Prohibition  candidate  for  State 
senator,  and  John  S.  Abell  for  the  House  of 
Representatives,  were  both  elected.  Politics 
from  this  time  out  were  somewhat  mixed. 
In  1879  the  Democrats  having  a  majority 
on  their  State  ticket,  elected  all  their  candi- 
dates for  county  offices,  by  fair  majorities  in 
most  cases.  In  1880,  the  Repubhcans  had 
large  majorities  in  favor  of  all  their  candi- 
dates. In  1881  on  State  ticket  they  were  again 
successful,  but  for  the  offices  of  treasurer, 
register  of  deeds,  su])erintendent  of  schools 
and  coroner  the  Democratic  nominees  wei-e 
successful,  and  thus  it  fluctuates  from  year 
to  j'ear.  On  questions  of  State  or  national 
politics  the  county  of  Waseca  has  about  300 
majority  on  the  side  of  the  Republican  pai'ty, 
but  in  county  affairs  local  causes  disturb  the 
certainty  of  an  election,  as  will  be  seen  by  a 
close  perusal  of  the  following  summary  of 
the  official  vote  of  the  county  from  1860  to 
the  present.  It  was  found  impossible  to 
obtain  the  official  record  of  any  returns  prior 
to  those  given,  and  in  one  or  two  instances 
of  complete  ones  for  those  of  later  date,  al- 
though no  pains  have  been  spared  to  pro- 
cure them. 

OFFICIAL    VOTE. 

Election,  November  6,  1860. 
President. 

Abraham  Lincoln,  R 304—161 

Stephen  A.  Douglas,  U.  D 143 

John  C.  Breckenridge,  S.  D 

John  Bell,  U.  C 

Member  of  Congress. 

William  Windom,  R 337—149 

Cyrus  Aldrich,  R 337—185 

James  George,  D 188 

•John  M.  Oilman,  D 152 

Auditor  of  State. 

Charles  Mcllrath,  R 337—149 

Herman  Trott,  D 188 

Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 

A.  J.  Vanvorhes,  R 337—149 

Jacob  J.  Noah,  D 188 

State  Senator. 

George  Watson,  R 299—  80 

Henry  Thornton,  D 319 


454 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


Member  House  of  Representatives. 

James  E.  Child,  R 292—  62 

Geo.  W.  Greene,  R 273—  48 

W.  F.  Pettitt,  D 230—    5 

A.  E.  Smitli,  D 225 

County  Auditor. 

S.  J.  Willis,  R 346—190 

Jolin  Power,  D 156 

County  Attorney. 

H.  D.  Baldwin,  R 335—162 

P.  B.  Enos,  D 173 

Court  Commissioner. 

W.  T.  Kittredge,  R 231—  68 

John  Bradish,  D 169 

County  Commissioners. 

P.  Healey  57—    4 

J.  B.  Powers 53 

B.  A.  Lowell Ill—  59 

Enoch  Plummer 52 

Asa  Francis 38 

Isaac  Hamlin 80 

William  Brisbane 45 

Election,  October  8,  1861. 

Governor. 

Alexander  Ramsey.  R 244 —  99 

E.  0.  Hamlin,  D 145 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Ignatius  Donnelly,  R 246 — 103 

Thomas  Cowan,  D 143 

Secretary  of  State. 

J.  H.  Baker,  R 246—103 

Daniel  Buck,  D 143 

Treasurer  of  State. 
Charles  SchofTer,  R 246—103 

C.  P.  Fisher,  D 143 

Attorney  General. 

Gordon  E.  Cole,  R 243—  99 

William  Peckham,  D 144 

State  Senator. 

A.   B.  Webber,  R 208—  25 

E.  C.  Stacy,  D 183 

Member  House  of  Representatives. 

P.  C.  Bailey,  R 21.5—  84 

H.  C.  Magoon,  R 190—112 

W.  G.  Mathes,  D 129 

J.  L  Stewart,  D  78 

A  B.  Cornell,  R 69 

(bounty  Treasurer. 

Geo.  T.  White,  R 239-  64 

Patrick  Kennehan,  D 165 

Scattering 4 

Register  of  Deeds. 

Alex.  Johnston,  D 76 

Samuel  T.  Isaac,  R .59 

Tarrant  Putnam,  R 175—  82 

John  N.  Powers,  1 93 


Clerk  of  District  Court. 

H.  P.  West,  R 228—177 

H.  P.  Norton,  D 151 

Scattering 10 

Sheriff. 

D.  L.  Whipple,  R 194—  79 

Isaac  Ilamlin,  D 115 

J.  W.  Clark,  1 82 

Judge  of  Probate. 

H.  D.  Baldwin,  R 227—125 

P.  B.  Enos,  D 102 

W.   W.  Cowles,  1 62 

County   Attorney. 

H.  D.  Baldwin,  R 228—134 

P.   B.  Enos,  D 94 

John  Bradish,  D 61 

W.  W.  Cowles 3 

Surveyor. 

G.  P.  Johnson,  R  212—  76 

J.  B.  Powers,  D   62 

H.  G.  Mosher,  R 136 

Court  Commissioner. 

J.  A.  Canfleld,  R 224—  48 

.lohn  Bradish,  D 176 

Coroner. 

J.  H.  Wightman,  R 52 

Natlaaniel  Wood,  R 220—  92 

Peter  Eckert,  D 128 

County  Commissioners. 

John  G.  Honor 92—  38 

W.  G.  Mathes 54 

B.  A.  Lowell 81—  41 

Austin  Vinton 10 

William  Byron 30 

J.  B.  Jackson 61—    8 

Nicholas  McGrath 53 

John   Thompson.  .    21 

Scattering 4 

Election,  1863. 

Governor. 

Steplien  Miller,  R 292—143 

H.  Wells,  D 149 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Charles  B.  Sherwood,  R 290—143 

James  S.  Norris,  D 147 

'  Secretary  of  State. 

David  Blakeley,  R 291-144 

Amos  Coggswell,  D 147 

Scattering 53 

Treasurer  of  State. 

Charles  Scheffer,  R 290—147 

Joseph  Estebrook,  D 143 

Scattering 1 

Attorney  General. 

Gordon  E.  Cole,  R 290—143 

W.  H.  Grant,  D 147 

Auditor  of  State. 

Charles  Mcllrath,  R 290—145 

John  McKenney ,  D 145 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


455 


Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 

George  F.  Potter,  R 365—170 

Jacob  Maiuser,  D 95 

State  Senator. 

F.  J.  Stevens.R 383—173 

Amos  Coggswell.D 58 

Jacob  Mail,  1 51 

Member  of  House  of  Representatives. 

Philo  Woodruff,  R 363—  11 

J.  L.  Gibbs,  R 363—  11 

William  Brisbane,  D 351 

Scattering 1 

County  Treasurer. 

P.  C.  Bailey,  R 386—  53 

Enoch  Plummer,  D 334 

Scattering 1 

Register  of  Deeds. 

Tarrant  Putnam,  R 341 

H.  P.  Norton,  D 267—  36 

James  E.  Child,  R 1 

Sheriff. 

D.  L.  Whipple,  R 368—  S3 

N.  McGrath,  D 245  » 

Scattering 1 

Judge  of  Probate. 

H.  D.  Baldwin,  R •  ■  ■  • 351 

P.  Brink  Enos,  D _. 358—    7 

County  Attorney. 

James  E.  Child,  R 355—    3 

P.  Brink  Enos,  D 353 

Scattering 1 

Court  Commissioner. 

James  E.  Child,  R 317—  31 

John  Bradish,  D 166 

P.  Brink  Enos,  D 30 

Coroner. 

W.  S.  Baker,  R 374—  36 

Peter  Eckert,  D 338 

County  Surveyor. 

H.  G.  Mosher,  R 509—509 

County  Commissioner. 

W.G.Kennedy 76—    7 

William  Byron 69 

Election,  1866. 
Member  of  Congress,  First  District. 

William  Windom,  R 405—216 

Richard  A.  Jones,  D 189 

R.  A.  Jones 85 

Will  Windom 22 

Richard  Jones 56 

Auditor  of  State. 

Charles  Mcllrath,  R 436—104 

NelseE.  Nelson,  D 333 

Nelse  Nelson 14 

Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 
Sherwood  Hough,  R 349—    9 


Dennis  Cavanaugh,  D 340 

Sher.  Hough 31 

Sherwood  How 51 

Court  Commissioner. 

James  E.  Child,  R 417—  78 

John  N.  Power,  D 339 

James  Isaac 2 

State  Senator. 

Augustus  Armstrong,  R 408 — 399 

Hial  D.  Baldwin,  R 3 

William  Brisbane,  D 3 

H.  D.  Baldwin 4 

Member  House  of  Representatives. 

Hial  D.  Baldwin,  R 380 

William  Brisbane,  D 385—    5 

County  Auditor. 

C.  C.  Comee,  R 402—  37 

Samuel  T.  Isaac,  D 365 

County  Commissioners. 

Eri  G.  Wood 75 

E.G.  Wood 73 

James  Isaac 99 

Eri  Wood 6 

Patrick  Kenehan 62 

County  Attorney. 

William  T.  Kittredge,  R 434^  73 

Thomas  HuUand,  D 3.53 

Election,  1868. 

President. 

Ulysses  S.  Grant,  R 817—299 

Horatio  Seymour,  D 518 

Member  of  Congress. 

Morton  S.  Wilkinson,  R 799—262 

George  W.  Batchelder,  D 537 

State  Senator. 

J.  B.  Crooker,  R 706—  79 

M.  F.  Lowth,  D 627 

County  Commissioners. 

J.  S.  McKune 246—144 

E.  W.  Hawthorn 103 

C.  P.  Pratt 68 

John  Buckhout 157—  39 

S.  S.  Phelps 78 

William  Byron 138 

Robert  Earl 188—108 

Asa  Francis 51 

Kelsey  Curtiss 80 

County  Auditor. 

C.  C.  Comee,  R 804—380 

H.  G.  Mosher,  D : 533 

G.  H.  Mosher 1 

Mosher 1 

Election,  1869. 

Governor. 

Horace  Austin,  R 538—101 

George  L.  Otis,  D 487 

Daniel  Cobb,  G.  B 35 


45fi 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


Lieutenant  Governor. 

W.  H.  Yale,  R 544—112 

J.  A.  Wiswell,  D 433 

J.  H,.  Stevens,  G.  B 32 

Secretary  of  State. 

Hans  Mattson,  R 586—159 

T.J.  Fladelaml,  D 377 

J.  E.  Childs 19 

T.  G.  Flandrew 17 

Auditor  of  State. 

Charles  Alcllrath,  R 529—  94 

Lewis  A.  Evans,  D 435 

J.  S.  Randolph,  G.  B 367 

Treasurer  of  State . 

Emil  Munch,  R 540—141 

Caspar  Baberich,  D 399 

Robert  Stewart,  G.  B  36 

Attorney  General. 

F.  R.  E.  Cornell,  R 542—108 

Seagrave  Smith,  R 434 

J.  Hum  David,son,  G.  B 36 

Clerk  Supreme  Court. 

Sherwood  Hough,  R 546—115 

W.  T.  Bouniwell,  D 431 

A.  P.  Connelly,  G.  B 21 

Member  House  of  Representatives. 

William  C.  Young,  R 585—165 

Kelsey  Courtis,  D 420 

County  Treasurer. 

G.  R.  Buckman,  R 5.50—  93 

Philo  Hall,  D 457 

Register  of  Deeds. 

Hiram  A.  Mosher,  R 609—209 

H.  G.  Mosher,  D 400 

Sheriff. 

J.  B.  Hill,  R 338 

Seth  W.  Long,  D 665—337 

Scattering 1 

County  Attorney. 

Lewis  Brownell,  R 443 

B.  S.  Lewis,  D ,547_104 

County  Surveyor. 

C.  E.  Crane,  R.  and  D 978—978 

Judge  of  Probate. 

J.  A.  Canfield,  R  533—  94 

John  Bradish,  D 439 

Coroner. 

M.  S.  Gove,  R.  and  D 976—975 

Scattering 1 

County  Commissioner,  1st  District. 

O.  Powell,  R 210—126 

Peter  Eckert,  D. . .   84 

Election,  JSfovemher  <?,  1870. 
Member  of  Congress. 

Mark  H.  Dunnell,  R 740 

C.  F.  Buck,  D 803—  63 


State  Senator. 

William  C.  Young,  R 968—403 

James  Jones,  D 566 

Scattering 1 

Member  House  of  Representatives. 

William  Bri.sbane,  D 878—233 

S.  C.  Dow,  R 645 

County  Auditor. 

Fred.  Kittredge,  R 596 

Edgar  Cronkhite,  D 920—324 

Scattering 1 

Court  Commissioner. 

J.  B.  Smith,  D 833—183 

H.  P.  Norton,  R 650 

Scattering 6 

County  Commissioners. 

J.  O.  Chandler 148 

William  Lee 174—  26 

H.  G.  Mosher 145—  64 

R.F.Stevens 81 

Scattering 1 

On    the   Question   of    Removing  the   County   Seat  to 
Waseca. 

For  Removal 870—315 

Against  Removal 653 

Scattering 3 

Election,  November  7,  1871. 

Governor. 

Horace  Austin,  R 839—263 

Winthrop  Young,  D 576 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

W.  H.Yale,  R 814—314 

D.  L.  Buell,  D 600 

Secretary  of  State. 

S.  P.  Jamison,  R  826—337 

Erik  Nelson  Falk,   D 589 

Treasurer  of  State. 

Barney  Vosberg,  D 597 

AVilliam  Seager,  R 816—319 

Attorney  General. 

F.  R.  E.  Cornell,  R 814—313 

J.  L.  McDonald,  D 601 

Justices  of  Supreme  Court. 

S.  J.  R.  McMillan,  R 818—244 

John  ]M.  Berry,  R 815—217 

Daniel  Buck,  D  574 

William  Jlitchell,  D 598 

Constitutional  Amendment  on  tlie  Question  of  Borrow- 
ing Money  for  the  Erection  of  Public  Buildings. 

Yes 54 

No 822—768 

Constitutional  Amendment  on  the  Question  Relating  to 
Taxes  Upon  Railroads. 

Yes 1 162— 1 142 

No 20 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


457 


Judge,  5th  Judicial  District. 

Samuel  Lord 645 —  645 

State  Senator. 

James  E.  Cbild,  R 856—  342 

William  Brisbane,  D 514 

Scattering 2 

Member  House  of  Representatives. 

John  Thompson,  R 850—  238 

John  S.  McKune,  R 622 

Kelsey  Curtis,  D 739—160 

E.  P.  Latham,  D 579 

County  Treasurer. 

R.  O,  Craig,  D , 697—      3 

George  R.  Buckman,  R 694 

Scattering 1 

Register  of  Deeds. 

H.  A.  Mosher,  R  789—  186 

George  Hofleld,  D 603 

Clerk  of  District  Court. 

James  Hayden,  D 696 —    22 

S.  J.  Willis,  R 674 

Sheriff. 

M.  B.  Dolson,  R 511 

S.  W.  Long,  D 878—  367 

Judge  of  Probate. 

J.  A.  Canfleld,  R 742—    97 

William  Huse,  D 645 

County  Attorney. 
Frank  A.  Newell,  R 677 

B.  S.Lewis,  D 734—    47 

Coroner. 

L.  D.  Mcintosh,  no  opposition 677 —  677 

Surveyor. 

C.  E.  Crane,  no  opposition 817 —  817 

County  Commissioners. 

William  Byron 108—     14 

L.  D.  Smith 94 

S.  K.  Odell 124-      4 

Alex.  Miller 120 

Otis  Baker 6 

Election,  Novemler  5,  1872. 
President. 

Ulysses  S.  Grant,  R 933—374 

Horace  Greeley,  D 649 

Member  of  Congress. 

Mark  H.  Dunnell,  R 937—293 

Morton  S.  Wilkinson,  D 645 

State  Senator. 

A.  W.  Jennison,  R 778 

W.   G.  Ward,  D 803—  34 

Scattering 1 

Members  House  of  Representatives. 

John  Thompson,   R 840 

J.  L.  Sauffercr,  R 966 

J.  O.  Chandler,   D 686 

Patrick  Kenehan,  D 706 

A.  W.  Jennison 1 


County  Auditor. 

F.  D.  M.  Orcutt,  R 748 

Edgar  Cronkhite,  D 835—  81 

County  Commissioner. 
Obediah  Powell 373—373 

Election.,  Novemher  5, 1873. 
Governor. 

Cushman  K.  Davis,  R 787—166 

Ara  Barton,  D 631 

Samuel  Mayall 3 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Alphonso  Barto,  R 779—147 

Ebenezer  Ayers,   D 633 

Secretary  of  State. 

S.  P.  Jennison,  R 777—144 

J.  H.  Stevens,  D 633 

Treasurer  of  State. 

Mons  Grinager,  R 746—96 

E.  W.  Dyke,  D 650 

L  N.  Sater 4 

Attorney  General. 

George  P.  Wilson,  R 782—161 

W.  P.  Clough,  D 621 

On   the   Question  of  Holding  Biennial  Sessions  of  the 
Legislature. 

Yes 75 

No 394—319 

On   Amending  Constitution,  Preparatory  for  Biennial 
Sessions  of  Legislature. 

Yes 55 

No 396—341 

On    Amendment  to  Section   13  of  Article  IX  of  the 
Constitution. 

Yes 311—163 

No 149 

Member   House  of  Representatives. 

L.  D.  Smith,  R 967—489 

James  E.  Cbild,  R 765—166 

Kelsey  Curtiss,  D 478 

David  Wood,  D 599 

County  Treasurer. 

Warren  Smith,  R 986-605 

Michael  Sheran,  D 381 

George  McDermott,  1 34 

Register  of  Deeds. 

H.  A.  Mosher,  R 845—383 

Louis  Krassin,  D 563 

Sheriff. 

George  H.  Woodbury,  D 513 

S.  W.  Long,  R 696—184 

Chas.  Cunningham,  1 196 

Judge  of  Probate. 

J.  A.  Canfield,  R 774—157 

Neri  Reed,  D 617 

Court   Attorney. 

F.  A.  Newell,  R 503 

Peter  McGovern,  D :   898—396 


458 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


Court  Commissioner. 

J.  B.   Smith,  110  opposition 1403 — 140 

Coroner. 

L.  D.  Mcintosh,  R.  and  D 1402—1402 

County  Commissioners. 

R.  O.  Craig 193—  82 

H.  C.  Pacliard 112 

Halvor  K.    Stearns 217—148 

Frank  McLane 69 

Election,  November  5,  1871),. 

Chief  .Justice,  Supreme  Court. 

S  J.  R.  McMillan,  R 693 

Wescott  Wilkins,  D 772—    79 

Associate  .lustice,  Supreme  Court. 

F.  R.  E.  Cornell,  R 674 

William  Lochren,  I) 790—  116 

Member  of  Congress. 

Franklin  H.  Waite,  D 602 

Mark  H.  Dunnell,  R 1032—  4.30 

County  Auditor. 

Edgar  Cronkhite,  D 955—  357 

H.  J.  Wadsworth,  R 698 

State  Senator. 

Peter  McGovern,  D 875—  155 

.James  E.  Child,  R 720 

Pat.  Child 1 

Members  of  House  of  Representatives. 

H.  P.  Packard,  D 748 

.Joseph  Minges,  D 968—  3?)2 

Morris  II.  Lamb,  R .  837—    79 

.John  Thompson,  R 666 

For  County  Commissioners. 

William  Burke 93—    33 

Christian  Melchior 49 

William  Byron 70 

George  Hofeldt 104 

C.  H,  Newell 110—      6 

Election,  November  2,  1875. 
Governor. 
John  S.  Pillsbury,  R 547—      1 

D.  D.  Buell,  D  546 

R.  F.  Humiston,  P 334 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

.J.  B.  Wakefield,  R 570-     20 

E.  W.  Durant,  D 550 

J.  B.  Tuttle,  P 314 

Secretary  of  State. 

.J.  S.  Irgens,  R 558—      3 

Adolphus  Bierman,  I) 555 

.John  H.  Stevens,  P 300 

Auditor  of  State. 

O.  P.  Whitcomb,  R 568—    38 

P.  H.  Rahiley,  D 540 

A.  B.  Hutchinson,  P 318 

Treasurer  of  State. 

William  Pfender,  R 603—    93 

Albert  Schef er,  D 509 


H.  D.  Brown,  P 399 

E.  W.  Dike 6 

Attorney  General. 

G.  P.  Wilson,  R .579—    76 

R.  A.  Jones,  D 503 

C.  M.  McCarthy,  P 346 

Railroad  Commissioner. 

W.  R.  Marshall,  R 554—    14 

W.  T.  Bonniwell,  D 540 

A.  M.  Greeley,  P 332 

Chief  Justice,  Supreme  Court. 

James  Gilfilian,  R 713—  196 

L.  Emniett,  D 517 

A.  A.  McLeod,  P 2 

Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 
S.  H.  Nichols,  R 573—    35 

A.  M.  McLeod,  D 547 

P.  A.  .Jewell,  P 307 

Sherwood  Hough 3 

On  the  Question  of  Amending  Section  4,  Article  VI  of 

the  Constitution. 

Yes 16 

No 1308—1193 

Amendment  to  Article  VII  of  the  Constitution. 

Yes 1068—  905 

No 163 

Amendment  to  Article  VIII  of  the  Constitution. 

Yes 1 140—1065 

No 75 

Amendment  to  Section  3  of  Article  X  of  the  Constitution. 

Yes 60 

No 1169—1109 

Members  House  of  Representatives. 

Kclscy  Curtis,  P.  and  D 830 

William  Brisbane,  D 541 

Gullick  Knutson,  R 562 

Robert  Earl,  R 587 

S.  Hawks,  P 366 

Scattering 8 

County  Treasurer. 

Warren  Smith,  P.  and  R 886—  363 

Thomas  White,  D 523 

Scattering 3 

Register  of  Deeds. 

II.  A.  Mosher,  R 831—  368 

George  Hofeldt,  D 453 

E.  G.  Pierce,  P 145 

Scattering 3 

Clerk  of  District  Court. 
James  Hayden,  D 646—  373 

B.  A.  Lowell,  R 374 

James  Van  der  Made,  P 303 

Sheriff. 

J.  D.  Andrews,  D 429 

S.  W.  Long,  R 466—    37 

Daniel  Murphy,  1 399 

M.  F.  Connor,  P 137 

Judge  of  Probate. 
J.  A.  Canfield,  R 004—    68 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


459 


Caleb  Halleck,  D 636 

Scattering 1 

County  Attorney. 

M.  D.  L.  Collester,  R 713—    32 

Lewis  Brownell,  P •. 680 

Scattering 9 

County  Surveyor. 

C.  E.  Crane,  P 937—  448 

Prank  HofEstadt,  D 489 

Scattering 3 

Coroner. 

J.  C.  McMahon,  D 1098—  776 

L.  D.  Mclntosli,  P 321 

Scattering 1 

County  Comrai.ssloner. 

H.  Vincent 281—    67 

Patrick  Haley 314 

Election,  November  7, 1876. 
President. 

Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  R 1130—  372 

Samuel  J.  Tilden,  D 758 

Peter  Cooper,  G.  B 76 

State  Senator. 

P.  C.  Bailey,  R 739 

William  Brisbane,  D 561 

James  E.  Child,  P 700 

Member  House  of  Representatives. 

Anthony  Sampson,  R 816 

Selma  Dane,  R 691 

John  Buckhout,  D 738 

Fentou  Keenan,  D 828 

T.  D.  M.  Orcutt,  P 517 

Gulick  Knutson,  P 411 

County  Auditor. 

Edgar  Cronkhite,  D.  and  P 1043—  111 

A.  E.  Dearborn,  R 931 

Court  Commissioner. 

J.  B.Smith,  R 736 

C.  G.  Park,  D 1138—  300 

A.  G.  Chapman 103 

County  Commissioners. 

R.  O.  Craig 338—  338 

H.  K.  Stearns 308—  117 

R.  F.  Stevens 91 

H.  C.  Woodford 88 

B  J.  Chapman 4 

Special  Election,  June  12,  1877. 

On  the  question  of  appropriating  500,000  acres  In- 
ternal Improvement  Lands  for  payment  of  Minnesota 
State  Railroad  Bonds. 

Yea 57 

No 1642—1595 

Election,  November  6,  1877. 
Governor. 

John  S.  Pillsbury,  R 495 

Austin  Willey,  P > 595 

William  L.  Banning,  D.  and  G.  B 817—  322 


Lieutenant  Governor. 

J.  B.  Wakefield,  R 605 

P.  A.  Jewell,  P 488 

A.  A.  Ames,  D 800—    95 

William  Meighen,  G.  B 9 

Secretary  of  State. 

John  S.  Irgens,  R 630 

M.  T.  Anderson,  P 482 

P.  T.  Lindholm,  D 790—  170 

A.  E.  Rice,  G.  B 6 

State  Treasurer. 

William  Pfaender,  R 655 

J.  F.  Meagher,  D 750—    95 

W.  W.  Slocum,  P 478 

Isaac  Staples,  G.  B 6 

Attorney  General. 

George  P.  Wilson,  R 606 

James  B.  Child,  P 490 

J.  R.  Jones,  D 799—  193 

S.  L.  Pierce,  G.  B 6 

Railroad  Commissioner. 

William  R.  Marshall,  R 608 

T.  G.  Carter,  P 487 

H.  W.  Hill,  D 799—  192 

E.  Ayres,  G.  B 11 

Representative  to  Legislature. 

Mark  L.  Devereaux,  P 553 

John  F.  Preston,  P 590 

J,  R.  Davison,  R 280 

ABishman,  R 623 

Fenton  Keenan,  D 800—  520 

J.  O.  Chandler,  D 935—  303 

Register  of  Deeds. 

H.  A.  Mosher,  R 1026—  437 

Ed.  Bennett,  G.  B 384 

R.  Jacoby,  D 589 

Judge  of  Probate. 

Caleb  Hallack,  P 706—  105 

J.  A.  Canfield,  R 601 

H.  C.  Woodbury,  D 584 

County   Attorney. 

J.  E.  Child,  P 768 

P.  McGovern,  D .1031—  263 

Superintendent  of  Schools. 

H.  G.  Mosher,  D.  and  P 1438—  961 

George  N.  Annes,  R 467 

County  Treasurer. 

Warren  Smith,  R.  and  P 1013—  150 

William  Leo,  D 863 

Surveyor. 

C.  E.  Crane,  no  opposition 1885 — 1885 

Court  Commissioner. 

F.  A.  Newell,  R.  and  P '. 1066—  267 

J.  A.  Roemer,  D 799 

Sheriff. 

M.  Craven,  P 495 

S.  W.  Long,  1 458 

H.  Wilson,  R 407 


460 


UISTOEY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


M.  Keeley,  D 547—    52 

Coroner. 

L.  D.  Mcintosh.  R 683 

J.  C.  McMahan,  D 1207—524 

County  Commissioners. 

William  Burke 136—    55 

A.  J.  .Jordan 61 

Michael  !Madigan 44 

D.  N.  Ackerman Ill 

William  Hoover 53 

John  Brady 135—    24 

Election,  Noverriber  5,  1878. 
Auditor  of  State. 

O.  P.  Whitcomb,  K 670—  186 

Mahlon  Black,  D 584 

T.  G.  Carter,  P '. 398 

O.  H.  Page,  G.  B 270 

Associate  .Justice,  Supreme  Court. 

John  M.  Berry,  K.  and  P 1074—  .558 

W.  H.  Mitchell,  D 516 

O.  M.  Mead,  G.  B 262 

Scattering 4 

Clerk  Supreme  Court. 

S.  H.  Nichols,  R 665—    44 

Dillon  O'Brien,  I) ...  621 

William  Copp,  P 404 

W.  J.  Webb,  G.  B 229 

Scattering 6 

.Judge,  5th  Judicial  District. 

Samuel  Lord,  li.  and  P 933—  397 

I^afayette  Emmett,  D 361 

Lewis  Brownell,  1 536 

Scattering. 2 

Member  of  Congress. 

M.  H.  Dunnell,  R .556 

William  Meighen,  D.  and  G.  B 743—  137 

George  H.  Green,  P 586 

State  Senator. 

S.  B.  William.s,  P 729—  265 

P.  C.  Bailey,  R 464 

Feuton  Iveenan,  D 443 

W.  D.  Armstrong,  G.  B 274 

Members  of  House  of  Representatives. 

John  Thompson,  R 553 

H.  P.  Packard,   R 488 

H.  C.  Chase,  D 531 

M.  Sheeran,  D 485 

John  S.  Abell,  P  570 

Ira  D.  Beeman,  P 505 

John  Byron,  G.  B 503 

Edward  Bennett,  G.I} 140 

County  Auditor. 

Edgar  Cronkhite,  D.  and  P 745—  231 

H.  J.  Wadsworth,  R 514 

J.  A.  Roemer,  1 233 

Jlartin  E.  Cogley,  G.  B 417 

County  Commissioners. 

Eri  G.  Wood 229 


Thomas  Bowe 300—    71 

Hugh  Wilson 22 

Election,  N&oember  1).,  1879. 

Governor. 

John  S.  Pillsbury,  R*. 868 

Edmund  Rice,  D 992—  124 

W.  W.  Satterlee,  P 481 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Charles  A.  Gilman,  R  878 

E.  P.  Barnum,  D  951—    73 

S.  B.  Williams,  P 512 

Secretary  of  State. 

Fred.  Von  Baumbach,  R 859 

Felix  A.  Borer,  D 1043—  184 

I.  C.  Stearns,  P 447 

State  Treasurer. 

Charles  Kittleson,  R 939 

L.  E.  Cowdry,  D 966—    27 

J.  M.  Durnam,  P 440 

Attorney'  General. 

Chas.  M.  Start,  R 917 

P.  M.  Babcock,  D 982—    65 

A.  W.  Bangs,  P 450 

Railroad  Commissioner. 

W.  R.  Marshall,  R 904 

William  Colville,  D 987—    83 

Charles  Griswold.  P  484 

County  Treasurer. 

H.  K.  Stearns,  R 716 

C.  McKenna,  D 969—245 

Warren  Smith,  P 724 

Sheriff. 

B.  F.  Roddle,  R 496 

Malhew  Keeley,  D 712—216 

J.  L.  Claghorn,  P 343 

Oliver  Peterson,  1 483 

G.  Buchler,  1 304 

Register  of  Deeds. 

G.  P.  Johnson,  R 684 

Chas.  San  Galli,  D 1047—361 

C.  E.  Crane,  P 686 

County   Attorney. 

]\[.  D.  L.   Collester,  R 881—194 

A.  J.  O'Grady,  D 777 

James  E.  Child,  P 683 

County   Surveyor. 

O.  L.  Smith,  R.  and  D 2087-2078 

C.  E.  Crane 9 

Clerk   of  the   Court. 

Lewis  Huge,  R 451 

J.  B.  Hayden,  D 901—230 

E.  E.   Verplank,  P 671 

Henry  Murphy,  1 335 

Judge  of  Probate. 

J.  A.  Canfleld,  R 796 

H.  C.  Woodbury,  D .'. 1015—219 

Caleb  Hallack,  P 528 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


461 


Superintendent  of  Schools. 

F.  D.  Seaman,  R 468 

M.  V.  Hunt,  D 723—118 

E.  W.  Young,  P 605 

H.  G.  Mosher,  I ,^47 

Coroner. 

D.  C.  Cummings,  D,  and  P 1840-1349 

L.  D.  Mcintosh,  R 491 

County  Commissioners. 

L.  Wallace 108 

Philip  Purcell 256—113 

August  Minske 144 

N.  M.  Nelson 274—105 

Peter  Echternach 169 

J.  W.  Cleland 33 

Wm.  Brisbane 110 

Amendment  to  Article  9  of  the  Constitution. 

Yes 1797-1786 

No 11 

Election,  Movemher  S,  1880. 
President. 

James  A.  Garfield,  R 1381—418 

Winfield  S.  Hancock,  D  963 

Congress. 

W.  G.  Ward,  R 1366—882 

M.  H.  Dunncll,  R 484 

H.  R.  Wells,  D 467 

Judge  of  District  Court. 

Thomas  S.  Buckman 2347-2347 

On  the  Text  Book  Act. 

For  the  Act 909 

Against 883 

State  Senator. 

R.  L.  McCormick,  R 1553—  771 

R.  O.  Craig,  D 781 

B.  C.  McCormick 4 

Members  Hou.se  of  Representatives 
Christopher  Wagner,  R 1358—  413 

D.  J.  Dodge,  R 1398—  438 

Thomas  Barden,  D 946 

Joseph  Schmid,  D 960 

County  Auditor. 

C.  E.  Crane,  R 1281—  313 

E.  Cronkhite,  D 1068 

Court  Commissioner. 

F.  A.  Newell,  R 1193—  264 

H.  C.  Woodbury,  D 928 

County  Commissioner. 

A.  J.  Jordan 109—    13 

William  Byron 97 

G.  G.  Pride 78 

H.  A.  Mosher 3 

W.  D.  Armstrong 331—  103 

Ernest  Miller 119 

Election,  Novemher  8,  1881. 
Governor. 

Lucius  F.  Hubbard,  R 1350—  504 

R.  W.  Johnson,  R 746 


C.  H.  Roberts 8 

I.  C.  Stearns 5 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Charles  A.  Gilman,  R 1173—  366 

E.  P.  Barnum,  D 806 

Scattering 40 

Secretary  of  State. 
Fred.  Van  Baumbach,  R 1172—  366 

A.  J.  Lamberton,  D 806 

Scattering 40 

State  Treasurer. 

Charles  Kittelson,  R 116")—  350 

John  F.  Russell,  D 815 

Scattering 39 

State  Auditor. 

W.  W.  Braden,  R 1174—  309 

R.  L.  Lehmicke,  D 805 

Scattering 43 

Attorney  General. 

W.  J.  Hahn,  R 1174—  339 

G.  N.  Baxter,  D 835 

Scattering 11 

Railroad  Commissioner. 
James  H.  Baker,  R '. 1168—  338 

B.  F.  Cook,  D 840 

Scattering 13 

Associate  Justice,  Supreme  Court. 

Charles  E.  Vanderberg,  D 1017 

William  Mitchell,  R 1652—  635 

D.  A.  Dickinson,  R 1652—  865 

Greenleaf  Clark,  D 787 

Clerk  of  Supreme  Court 

Samuel  H.  Nichol,  R 1173—  339 

J.  J.  Thornton,  D 834 

Scattering 11 

County  Treasurer. 

Charles  McKenna,  D 1321—  638 

Robert  Earl,  R 683 

Scattering 9 

Register  of  Deeds. 

Charles  San  Galli,  D 1111—  225 

H.  A.  Mosher,  R 886 

Scattering 6 

Sheriff. 

Hugh  Wilson,  R 843—  255 

Fred.  Bettner,  D 588 

M.  Keeley,  1 864 

D.  Murphy,  1 314 

Scattering 4 

County  Attorney. 
W.  R.  Kinder,  R 995—      2 

P.  McGovern,  D 993 

Scattering 10 

Judge  of  Probate. 
S.  D.  Crump,  R 1038—    81 

H.  C.  Woodbury,  D 957 

Scattering 13 

County  Surveyor. 

Orson  L.  Smith,  R.  and  D 2020—2030 


462 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


Superintendent  of  Schools. 

D.  S.  Cummings,  D 1100—  196 

E.  B.  Collester,  R 904 

Scattering , 5 

Coroner. 

R.  O.  Craig,  D 1995—1983 

M.  V.  Hunt 8 

C.  Cunniugluim 4 

County  Commissioners. 

G.  W.  Soule 126—    55 

A.  H.  Brandt 67 

Scattering 4 

I.  C.  Trowbridge 183—    47 

G.  Bucliler 135 

Election,  November  7, 1882. 
Member  of  Congress. 

James  B.  Waliefleld,  R 1048—  198 

Felix  A.  Borer,  D 850 

Scattering 4 

Chief  Justice,  Supreme  Court. 

James  GilfilUui,  R.  and  D 1901—1901 

Stale  Senator. 

A.  W.  Jennison,  R  683 

R.  O.  Craig,  D 1201—  519 

Scattering 8 

Members  House  of  Representatives. 

Anthony  Sampson,  R 893 

John  C.  White,  D 986—  83 

Scattering 6 

County  Auditor. 

C.  E.  Crane,  R 1008—118 

George  Hofeldt,  D 890 

Coroner. 

H.  J.  Young,  R 890—  57 

Carroll  Corson,  D 833 

County  Commissioners. 

Phillip  Purcell 244—109 

A.  P.  Wilson 135 

N.  M.  Nelson 237—106 

Michael  Murphy 131 

Election,   November  6,   1883. 
Governor. 

L.  P.  Hubbard,  R 1044 

A.  Bierman,  D 1347 

C.B.  Holt,  P 13 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

Chas.  A.  Gilman,  R 1305 

R.  L.  Frazee,  D 1082 

C.  B.  Shore,  P 12 

Secretary   of   State. 

Fred.  Van  Baumbach,  R 1236 

J.  J.  Green,  D 1061 

E.  G.  Paine,  P 13 

State   Treasurer. 

Chas.  Kittelson,  R 1310 

John  Ludwig,  D 1074 

C.  M.  Anderson,  P 12 

C.  McKenna 1 


Attorney  General. 

W.  J.  Hahn,  R 1219 

J.  W.Willis,  D 1070 

Francis  Cadwell,  P 12 

Railroad  Commissioner. 

James  H.  Baker,  R 1315—133 

A.  Lindholm,  D 1071 

S.  Meeker,  P 13 

On  Amending  Section  5,  of  the  Constitution. 

Yes 377 

No 888—611 

County   Treasurer. 

Charles  McKenna,  D 1399— .500 

C.  Wagner,   U 899 

Clerk  of  District  Court. 

M.  B.  Keeley,  D 1147—  31 

A.  J.  Lohren,  R 1136 

Register   of   Deeds. 

Walter  Glendenning,  R 631 

C.  Mertons,  D 325 

H.  A.  Mosher,  1 663—  10 

Charles  San  Galli,  1 6.53 

Sheriff. 

Hugh  Wilson,  R 1288—388 

D.  Welch,  D 1000 

Judge  of  Probate. 

S.  D.  Crump,  R 903—185 

Josepli  Finley ,  D 717 

F.  A.  Newell,  1 395 

H.C.Woodbury,   1 366 

County  Attorney. 

M.  D.  L.  Collester,  R 1060 

P.  McGovern,  D 1198—138 

W.  R.  Kinder 1 

Court  Commissioner. 

B   A.  Lowell 1155 

H.  P.  Norton 816 

W.  G.  Ward 69 

C.  E.   Leslie 243 

County   Surveyor. 

O.  L.  Smith,  R  and  D 1161—1160 

W.  G.  Ward 1 

Coroner. 

H.  J.  Young,  R 1170—304 

M.  V.  Hunt,  D 966 

Superintendent  of  Schools. 

J.  B.  Dye,  R 987 

D.  S.  Cummings,  D 1343 

County  Commissioners. 

A.  J.  Jordan 168 

C.  Melchoir 13 

G.  W.  Dunham  Ill 

J.  L.  Shaw 89 

M.  F.  Connor Ill 

Election,  Novemher  If.,  188^.. 

President. 

.lames  G.  Blaine,  R 1189—333 


ay)onJ 


HISTORY    OF   W 

Grover  Cleveland,  D 867 

John  P.  St.  John,  P 97 

Benj.  F.  Butler,  L 9 

Belva  Luckwood,  W.  S 1 

Member  of  Congress. 

J.  B.  Wakefield,  R 1197—312 

J.  J.  Thornton,  D 885 

William  Copp,  P 70 

Associate  Justice,  Supreme  Court. 
.1.  M.  Berry,  U ISfjo-loJ.") 

Jlember  House  of  Representatives. 

M.  1).  L.  Collester,  11 1115— 2,i.^) 

Michael  Shearan,  D 860 

Ebenezer  Thompson,  1 144 

County  Auditor. 

S.  Swenson,  R 1361—368 

Charles  San  (iaili.  D 893 

C.  Mertens,  1 9 

County  Commissioners. 

Austin  Vinton 176—  92 

J.  P.  Wheelan 84 

M.  Craven 278—  74 

U.  11.  Helms 204 

Mention,  Noveinhev  2, 1886. 

Governor. 

A.  R.  jMcGill,  R 938 

A.  A.  Ames,  D 1442—504 

J.   E.  Child,  P 431 

Lieutenant  Governor. 

A.   E.  Rice,  D 1442—  56 

John  Frank,  R 1386 

J.  P.  Piukham,  P 313 

Secretary  of  State. 

Hans  Mattson,  R 1188 

Lute  Jager,  D 1343—1.54 

O.  A.  Pierce,  P 241 

State  Treasurer. 

Joseph  Bobletter,  R 1189 

Henry  Poehler,  D 1341—152 

P.  J."  Kniss,  P  281 

State  Auditor. 

W.  W.  Bradon,  R 1189 

A.  G.  L>mdburg,  D 1342—153 

H.  W.  Allen,  P 274 

Attorney  General. 

M.  E.  Clapp 1190 

J.  N.  Ives 1344—154 

W.  M.  Hatch 279 

Associate   Justices,  Supreme  Court. 
William  Jlitchell,  R.  and  D 2531-2253 

D.  A.  Dickinson,  R.  and  D 2530-2252 

C.  E.  Vanderburgh,  R.  and  D. 2531-2253 

C.  E.  Shearman,  P 278 

J.  McKnight,  P 278 

J.  W.  Cochran,  P 278 

Clerk  of  Supreme  Court. 

J.  D.  Jones,  R 1189 

T.  O'Leary,  D 1326— Kil 


ASECA   COUNTY.  465 

C.  A.  Fossnes,  P 281 

G.  T.  Gardner 3 

Judge  of  District  Court. 

T.  S.  Buckham,  R 2584-2584 

Menil)cr  of  Congress. 

John   Liml,  R 1195 

A.  H.  Bullis,  D 134.5-1.50 

George  J .  Day,  P 269 

State  Senator. 

W.  G,  Ward,  R  1300—276 

R.  O.  Craig,  D 1024 

Samuel  Hawkes,  P ■ .     450 

II.  Hawkes 1 

Member  House  of  Representatives. 

Sauuiel  Hodgkins,  R 1193 

M.  W.   Ryan,  D 1220—  27 

County  Auditor. 

S.  Swenson,  R 1816-1047 

P.  A.  Lilly,  D 769 

County  Treasurer. 

L.  C.  Remund,  R 1037 

('has.  McKenna,  D 1733—695 

Register  of  Deed^ 

A.  F.  Kruger,  R 1762—993 

R.  Jacoby,  D 769 

S.  H.  Drum,  P 181 

Tarrant  Putnam,  1 35 

Clerk  of  District  Court. 

Walter  Child,  R.  and  P 1074 

M.  B.   Keelev,  D 1 724-650 

Sherifl'. 
W.  J.  Baker,  R 1006 

A.  C.  Kras.sin,  D 1.598— .592 

D.  J.  Bickford,  P 176 

Judge  of  Probate. 

W.  C.  Young,  R 1559-648 

J.  Madden,  D 911 

W.  H.  Hover,  P 309 

Scattering 1 

County  Attorney. 

E.  L.  Maddox,  R 1125 

P.  McGovern,  D 1376—251 

C.  E.   Leslie,  P 279 

W.  E.  Young 1 

Superintendent  of   Schools. 
J.  B.  Dye.  R.  and  P 1445—    7 

D.  S.   Curamings,  D 1438 

Court  Commissioner. 

G.  R.  Buckman,  R 1247—  17 

H.  C.  Woodbury,  D 1230 

B.  A.   Lowell,  P 299 

County  Surveyor. 

O.  L.  Smith,  R " 1968-1968 

Coroner. 

M.  V.  Hunt,  D 1306-118 

H.   J.  Young,  a 1188 

N.  C.  Davis,  P 294 

County  Commissioners. 
A.  Vinton.  R " 20.5—108 


466 


HISTORY   OF  WASECA   COUNTY. 


Thos.   McGuire,  D 

.   .               97 

Adam  Bishman,  P 

C.  G.  Pride,  R.  and  P 

46 

52 

W.  H.  Kidney,  R 

235 

271—  36 

78 

253—56 

196 

Philip  Purcell,  D 

A. -P.  Wilson,  P 

Jonas  0.  Svinde,  R 

A.  J.  Stensvad,  D 

P.  Champion,  D 

James  Conway,  D 

John  Wilkinson,  R 

Clias.   Deyling,  D  

155 

159— 

190 

209- 

4 
79 

CHAPTER  VIT. 


OTHER  OFFICIAL  MATTERS. 


ROUPED  together  in  this  chapter 
will  be  found  the  various  mat- 
ters gathered  from  the  count}' 
records  and  various  other  sources, 
that  fill  no  special  place  in  his- 
tory, but  which  if  left  untold 
would  mar  the  completeness  of 
these  annals. 

POPULATION. 

The  census  of  1885  gives  Waseca  County 
a  total  population  of  13,343,  which  is  divided 
as  follows : 

Woodville  Township 603 

City  of  Waseca 2,513 

Otisco  Townsbip 876 

Janesville  Township .■ 839 

Village  of  Janesville 1 ,054 

Wilton  Township 737 

St.  Mary  Township 743 

Freedom  Township 964 

Iosco  Township 1,069 

Blooming  Grove 784 

Alton    Township 1,051 

Vivian  Townsliip 522 

Byron  Township 421 

New  Rifliland  Township 710 

New  Richland  Villasce 457 


Total 13,343 

In  1860,  the  county  contained  but  2,601 
people,  and  by  the  census  of  1870  it  had  in- 
creased to  7,854.  In  1880,  a  close  and  accu- 
rate account  made  the  number  of  inhabitants 
in  Waseca  County  12,385,  with  the  increase 
in  the  succeeding  five  years  as  above  given. 

SUBDIVISIONS  OF  THE  COUNTY. 

The  county  of  Waseca  'is  divided  into 
twelve  civil  townships,  as  follows: 

Janesville,  embracing  all  of  congressional 
township  108  north  of  range  24  west. 

Iosco,  congressional  township  108  north  of 
range  23  west. 


rano-e  23 


north    of 


Blooming  Grove,  township  108  north  of 
range  22  west. 

Alton,  townsliip  107  north  of  range  24 
west. 

Saint  Mary,  township  107  north  of  range 
23  west. 

Woodville,  township  107  north  of  range 
22  west. 

Freedom,  township  100  north  of  range  24 
west. 

Wilton,  township  106  north  of  range  23 
west. 

Otisco,  township  100  north  of  range  22 
west. 

Vivian,  township  105  north  of  range  24 
west. 

Bvron,  township  105  north  ol 
west. 

New  Richland,  township    105 
range  22  west. 

TOWN  PI-.iTS. 

A  list  is  lierewith  given  of  the  various 
town  plats  that  have  been  recorded  from 
time  to  time  in  the  books  of  Waseca  County, 
with  the  date  of  filing,  names  of  original 
proprietors,  etc. 

Waseca — laid  out  and  established  b}'  Ira 
C.  Trowbridge,  in  -Tuly,  1867;  J.  II.  Jenkins, 
surveyor. 

First  addition  to  Waseca  —  laid  out  by 
Ira  C.  Trowbridge  and  II.  P.  Norton  in 
September,  1867. 

Barney's  addition  to  Waseca  —  filed  for 
record  on  the  21st  of  October,  1867. 

Lakeside  addition  to  Waseca  —  laitl  out 
by  Nathaniel  and  Eri  G.  Wood,  in  October, 
1868,  C.  E.  Crane,  surveyor. 

Bennett's  addition  to  Waseca  —  laid  out 
in  January,  1872,  by  Edward  Bennett;    sur- 


46T 


468 


HISTOKY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


veyed  by  C.  E.  Crane.  Subdivision  of  the 
same  platted  in  July,  1875. 

McNamara's  addition  to  Waseca — laid  out 
in  May,  1872,  by  Francis  McNamara.  It 
was  surveyed  by  F.  McNainara,  and  the  plat 
acknowledged  before  F.  B'oodgood,  commis- 
sioner for  Minnesota,  at  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

Trowbridge's  addition  to  Waseca — laid 
out  by  Ira  C.  Trowbridge  in  June,  1873.  A 
subdivision  was  platted  in  September,  the 
same  year. 

Jenkins'  addition  to  Waseca — laid  out  by 
J.  II.  Jenkins,  who  was  also  the  surveyor,  in 
August,  1875. 

Ward's  addition  to  Waseca — laid  out  by 
William  G.Ward  in  May,  1885;  surveyed 
by  O.  L.  Smith. 

South  addition  to  Waseca — laid  out  by 
William  G.  Ward,  in  October,  1881 ;  E.  W. 
Fiske,  surveyor. 

South  side  addition  to  Waseca — laid  out 
in  September,  1885,  by  Ira  C.  Trowbridge. 

Jenkins'  second  addition — laid  out  in  May, 
1885,  by  J.  H.  Jenkins. 

Clear  Lake  City — laid  out  by  George  W. 
Watkins  in  August,  1867. 

New  Eichland — laid  out  in  August,  1877, 
by  Henry  T.  Wells. 

Zieger's  addition  to  New  Hichland — by 
Charles  Zieger,  April,  1 878. 

Wells'  addition  to  New  Eichland — by  II. 
T.  Wells  in  June,  1878. 

McClane's  addition  to  New  Eichland — 
laid  out  in  Maj',  1882,  by  Jane  McClane. 

Zieger's  second  addition  to  New  Eichland 
— laid  out  by  Charles  Zieger,  in  May,  1886. 

St.  Mary — was  laid  out  and  platted  in 
February,  1857,  by  W.  li.  Chamberlain  and 
others ;  surveyed  by  H.  W.  Peck. 

Alma  City— platted  June,  1865,  S.  M.  Lar- 
abee,  proprietor;  S.  E.  Stebbings,  surveyor. 

East  Janesville — laid  out  by  J.  W.  Sprague, 
in  August,  1869;  S.  II.  Mott,  surveyor. 

First  addition  to  East  Janesville — laid  out 
by  J.  W.  Spi'aguo  in  November,  1874. 

Allyn's  addition  to  East  Janesville — laid 
out  in  November,  187-1,  by  W.  G.  Allj'u. 


Allyn's  second  addition  to  East  Janesville 
— laid  out  in  October,  1875,  W.  G.  Allyn, 
proprietor. 

Allyn's  third  addition  to  East  Janesville — 
laid  out  l)y  W.  G.   Allyn,  in  October,  1876. 

Allyn's  fourth  addition  to  East  Janesville 
—laid  out  in  October,  1877,  by  W.  G.  Allyn. 

Carjienter's  first  addition  to  East  Janes- 
ville— laid  out  and  platted  by  Adna  Carpen- 
ter in  September,  1875. 

Carpenter's  second  addition  to  East  Janes- 
ville— laulout  in  March,  1878,  by  A.  Carpen- 
ter. 

French's  addition  to  East  Janesville — was 
laid  out  in  June,  1870. 

Gosper's  addition  to  East  Janesville — laid 
out  by  Edwin  II.  Gosper  in  November,  1877. 

Okaman — was  laid  out  in  May,  1857,  the 
owners  being  W.  V.  Mathes,  B.  S.  Hall,  S. 
M.  Cooley,  F.  E.  Eoberts  and  G.  H.  Bishop. 

Eobert's  addition  to  Okaman — laid  out 
by  Frederick  E.  and  James  Eoberts,  and  tlie 
plat  filed  for  record  May  26,  1857. 

Smitli's  Mill — laid  out  by  Angeline  and  B. 
II.  Lane  in  May,  1885. 

Wilton — was  laid  out  by  John  C.  Ide  in 
December,  1856,  it  then  being  in  Steele 
County. 

AVilton  addition  to  Wilton — laid  out  by  J. 
D.  Pattee  and  I.  Wilcox  in  October,  1857. 

Mayfield  —  laid  out  in  July,  1857  by  Har- 
vey Abbott. 

Otisco  —  laid  out  and  platted  in  July, 
1857,  by  AVarren  Bundy  and  S.  S.Goodrich. 

Grigo-s  and  Obert's  addition  to  Otisco  — 
laid  out  June,  1858,  by  S.  S.  Griggs  and  W. 
W.  Obert. 

These  matters  are  treated  at  length  in  tlie 
township  and  village  histories. 

MATRIMONIAL. 

The  first  marriages  in  Waseca  County  are 
not  all  recorded  in  the  books  of  the  county, 
and  hence  some  may  be  missing  in  this 
record,  but  no  efforts  have  been  spared  to 
make  it  complete. 

The  first  marriage  took  place  on  the  2d 


HISTOKV    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


469 


of  January,  1856,  and  was  that  of  Mr.  Bal- 
lard, of  Mankato,  and  Louisa  A.  Gregory, 
John  Jenkins,  justice  of  the  peace,  officiat- 
ing. 

The  second  was  that  of  James  E.  Child 
and  Justina  Krassin,  which  took  pkice  on 
the  19tli  of  April,  1856,  John  Jenkins, 
justice  of  the  peace,  performing  the  cere- 
mony. 

The  first  marriage  recorded  upon  the 
books  after  the  organization  of  Waseca 
Connty  was  that  of  Gottlieb  Pfeifer  and 
Magdalina  Eemund,  on  the  17th  of  October, 
1857,  Rev.  II.  Eoth  performing  the  cere- 
mony. 

Then  follows  that  of  George  Nicholas  and 
Janet  Hagadorn,  on  October  31,  1857, 
Mathew  S.  Green,  J.  P.,  officiating. 

A  few  more  are  here  given  in  their 
sequence  to  show  that  even  in  that  early 
day  there  was  "marrying  and  giving  in  mar- 
riage. " 

William  F.  Armstrong  and  8araii  F.  Far- 
rington,  who  were  united  by  Eev.  Jolin 
l^uigiey,  on  the  2d  of  Jnly,  1858. 

George  Gilmore  and  Emma  Walker,  July  . 
11,  1858,  by  P.  C.  Bailey,  J.  P.,  at  the  house 
of  A.  G.  Sutlief. 

Baptist  Rochsenlmck  and  Lisa  Kammerer, 
by  P.  C.  Bailey,  J.  P.,  July  2'.),  1858. 

Bastian  Rochsenback  and  Johanna  Metter, 
by  P.  C.  Bailey,  J.  P.,  July  29,  1858. 

Simeon  P.  Child  and  Clarissa  A.  Northup, 
August  8,  1858,  by  J.  B.  Jackson,  J.  P. 

W.  H.  H.  Jackson  and  Mary  Eckert,  by 
Daniel  Riegle,  J.  P.,  August  8,  1858.   • 

Alexander  Miller  and  Margaret  Gould, 
before  'Squire  Bailey,  September  30.  1858. 

L.  Clark  Wood  and  Cornelia  C.  Isaac, 
October  3,  1858,  by  Daniel  Riegle,  J.  P. 

Thomas  Johnson  and  Maria  Oleson,  before 
Daniel  Riegle,  J.  P.,  November  4,  1858. 

Jens  Olson  and  Brila  Ivisslolfostlatter, 
October  17,  1858,  by  Lans  Larun,  a  Lutheran 
minister. 

Jacob  P.  Lupher  and  Grace  G.  Goodrich, 


on  the  30th  of  October,  1858,  by  P.  C. 
Bailey,  justice. 

The  marriages  for  1859  are  as  follows: 

John  S.  G.  Ilosmer  and  Annette  Greene, 
February  17,  by  H.  P.  Chamberlain,  J.  P. 

James  Ruath  and  Emma  Greene,  February 
17,  by  LI.  P.  Chamberlain,  J.  P. 

John  A.  Magiil  and  Margaret  Magill, 
April  8,  by  Rev.  S.  M.  Rogers,  a  Methodist 
Episcopal  minister. 

Gothlul  F.  Knud  and  Albertine  Welhel- 
mone  Steller,  June  14,  bj^  Rev.  Schmitt. 

Albert  Taringson  and  Mary  Ann  Ander- 
son, August  1,  by  P.  C.  Bailey,  J.  P. 

Joseph  Peasley  and  Cyntha  Hanes,  July 
31,  by  Hubert  P.  Chamberlain,  J.  P. 

Andrew  W.  Hicks  and  Laura  A.  Scott, 
August  20,  by  A.  Matson,  deacon. 

John  Peters  and  Caroline  Larson,  Novem- 
ber 6,  by  Sevenus  Farrington,  J.  P. 

James  A,  Root  and  Hannah  Brisbane, 
November  8,  by  J.  B.  Jackson,  J.  P. 

Wilhelm  Brivoe  and  Emilia  Auguste 
Brerhel,  December  26,  by  Rev.  John  Schnell. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of 
marriages  contracted  from  the  year  1857  to 
1886,  inclusive  : 


1857 3  1873. 

1858 10  1873. 

1859 10  1874. 

1860 18  1875. 


65 

58 

73 

65 

18G1  21     1876 71 

1863 20    1877 83 

1863 18    1878 87 

1864 39    1879 80 

1865 33     1880 96 

1866 40    1881 80 

1867 40    1882 68 

1868 61    1883 83 

1869 67    1884 99 

1870 45    1885 117 

1871 54    1886 104 


Total 1697 

A  glance  at  the  foregoing  figures  shows 
that  the  market  matrimonial  has  its  rises  and 
depressions  the  same  as  the  monetary  one. 
The  state  of  the  times  is  more  or  less  re- 
flected in  the  number  of  marriages  contracted. 
The  Avar  caused  a  large  falling  off  from  what 


470 


HISTOKY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


it  should  have  been,  but  in  1864, 1S65  and 
1866,  when  the  "  boys  in  blue"  "  came  march- 
ing home,"  then  there  is  a  large  increase 
in  the  number  of  life  partnerships.  Some 
falling  off  is  also  noticed  in  1873,  ownig  to 
the  stringency  of  the  money  market. 

HE(;ISTEY  OF  DEEDS. 

As  has  alreaily  been  stated,  before  its  or- 
ganization Waseca  County  was  a  portion  of 
Steele  County.  The  first  transfers  of  land 
were,  therefore,  recorded  in  the  books  of  that 
county,  and  were  afterward  transcribed 
into  "Waseca  County  books. 

The  first  entry  affecting  land  in  this 
county,  was  the  record  of  the  location  of  a 
land  warrant  by  Marcus  T.  C.  Flowers, 
claiming  title  to  the  east  half  of  the  north- 
west quarter  and  the  southw-est  quarter  of 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  1,  in  town- 
ship 106,  north  of  range  22  west,  containing 
120  acres.  This  was  dated  November  26, 
1856.  The  date  of  filing  for  record,  unfor- 
tunately, is  not  given. 

The  first  deed  was  tliat  in  which  George 
W.  Tremper  aiul  his  wife,  Matilda  S.  Trem- 
per.  convey,  for  the  consideration  of  $60(1, 
the  northwest  quarter  of  section  14,  town- 
ship 106,  north  of  range  23,  to  Henry  C. 
Lowell,  of  "Wilton.  This  is  acknowledged 
before  Charles  L.  Lowell,  a  notary  public,  on 
the  30th  of  March,  1857. 

After  the  county  of  "Waseca  \vas  organ- 
ized, books  were  procured  and  records  kept 
at  "Wilton,  Tarrant  Putnam  being  the  first 
register  of  deeds. 

There  are  now  twenty-seven  books  of 
deed  records,  the  register  now  using  No.  1, 
having  run  through  the  alphabet,  and  then 
commenced  with  numbers.  There  are,  also, 
twenty-two  books  of  mortgages,  that  bearing 
the  letter  V  being  now  in  use.  The  whole 
number  of  record  books  in  the  office  at 
present  is  seventy-two. 

auditok's  report. 

The  following  is  an  abstract  of  the  re]iort 
of  the  auditor  in  regard  to  the  assessment 
in  county'  of  "Waseca,  for  the  year  1886 : 


Lands,  e.xclusive  of  town  property,  value. . .  $3,599,442 

Town  and  village  lots.    379,649 

Value  of  personal  property 585,991 

Total  assessed  value $3,565,083 

Total  tax  levied |64,156.19 

The  value  of  realty  in  the  several  towns 
of  the  county,  as  per  the  assessment  of  1886, 
is  as  follows : 

Woodville |213,701 

City  of  Waseca 216,535 

Janesville 196,975 

Village  of  Janesville 67,041 

Iosco 334,311 

Blooming  Grove 339,856 

Alton 214,053 

St.  Mary 245,908 

Freedom 235,689 

Otisco 233,030 

Wilton 231,314 

Vivian 172,418 

Byron 161,371 

New  Richland 328,301 

Villiige  of  New  Richland 25,154 

Cattle  assessed  in  the  county,     10,801,     Value  $147,416 

Horses  and  Mules 5,895,  "      301,563 

Sheep 3,601,  "  5,386 

Swine 5,989,  "  8,538 

Valuation  of  live  stock $462,903 

treasurek's  report. 
J]y  t lie  last  report  of  C.  McKenna,  treas- 
luer  of  "Waseca  County,  the  following  is  a 

summary  of  cash  on  hand  for  the  county 
and  credited  to  the  various  funds  on  the  1st 
of  June,  1887,  as  follows  : 

State  Fund $4,613.18 

County  Current  Fund 8,785.07 

County  Poor  Fund 3,826.71 

County  Road  and  Bridges 3,300.90 

County  Commission  Fund 103.22 

Town  of  New  Richland 1,345.55 

Village  of  New  Richland 96.18 

Town  of  BjTon 363.13 

Town  of  Vivian  359.54 

Town  of  Otisco 60.75 

Town  of  Wilton 549  46 

Town  of  Freedom 315.18 

Town  of  Woodville 335.14 

Town  of  St.  Mary 367..55 

Town  of  Alton 384.57 

Town  of  Blooming  Grove 363.99 

Town  of  Iosco 247.44 

Town  of  Janesville 401.30 

Village  of  Janesville 155.38 

The  several  school  districts 1,056.44 

$36,035,58 


CI-IAPTER  VIII. 


STATE  AND  COUNTY  REPEESENTATION. 


i|N  all  countries  the  men  who  hold 
the  public  offices  are  more  or  less 
looked  upon  merely  as  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  masses.  This 
truism  applies  equally  to  the  des- 
potic monarchies  of  the  old  world 
as  well  as  to  free  America,  for 
when  they  cease  to  truly  repre- 
sent the  people,  they  cease  to  ex- 
ist. In  our  laml  and  day  where 
the  office  holder  is  merely  the 
servant  of  the  will  of  the  people, 
wlio  will  dispute  the  right  of  the  term  i-epre- 
sentative,  to  such  as  figure  in  an  official 
capacity?  As  a  people  we  must  give  him 
the  respect,  in  his  official  relations,  that  we 
owe  to  the  will  of  the  people,  for  he  stands 
there  the  embodiment  of  their  power.  While 
in  this  connection  it  has  been  attempted  to 
give  some  slight  pen  pictures  of  the  many 
parties  who  have  represented  the  citizens  of 
Waseca  County  in  official  positions,  many  of 
them  fall  short  of  doing  full  justice  to  the 
subjects,  inaccessibility  of  material  being  the 
chief  of  many  reasons,  and  which  should  not, 
therefore,  be  laid  at  the  door  of  tlie  compilei'. 

CONGRESSIONAL. 

Under  this  head  it  is  not  necessary  to  en- 
ter into  detail  in  this  place,  as  most  of  the 
gentlemen  who  have  served  the  people  of 
this  district  in  the  halls  of  Congress,  are  men- 
tioned in  the  historj^  of  Steele  County. 

The  first  to  represent  this,  tlie  1st  Minne- 
sota district,  was  William  Windom,  elected 
in  1860,  previous  to  this  the  State  being 
represented  bj'  two  members  at  large.  He 
held  this  position  until  1869,  when  he  was 
succeeded  bj^  Morton  S.  Wilkinson,  then  a 


resident  of  Mankato.  He  served  the  people 
as  their  representative  one  term,  being  suc- 
ceeded by  Mark  H.  Dunnell,  of  Steele 
County. 

This  latter  gentleman  was  elected  in  the 
fall  of  1870,  and  served  as  representative  in 
the  XLIId  Congress.  He  was  reelected  his 
own  successor,  until  1882,  thus  having  been 
a  member  of  the  XLIId,  XLIIId,  XLIA^th, 
XLYth.  XLVIth  and  XLVIIth  Congresses. 
A  sketch  at  length  of  him  is  given  in  the 
history  of  Steele  County,  to  which  the  reader 
is  referred. 

J.  B.  Wakefield  was  tlie  successor  to  Mr. 
Dunnell,  being  elected  to  represent  the  2d 
Minnesota  district  in  the  XLVIIIth  Con- 
gress, and  was  re-elected  in  1884  by  a 
handsome  majority  ;  served  his  constitu- 
ents in  the  XLIX  Congress.  He  was  an 
old  settler  of  Blue  Earth  County,  and  had 
been  lieutenant  governor  of  this  State.  As 
a  lawyer  he  is  quite  an  able  man,  and  as  a 
legislator,  of  considerable  talent. 

In  1886  the  people  of  this  district  chose 
John  Lind  to  represent  them  in  the  Lth 
Congress.  Mr.  Lind  is  a  resident  of  New 
Ulm,  Brown  County,  an  early  settler  of  that 
part  of  the  State,  and  was  at  one  time  con- 
nected with  the  United  States  land  office. 
He  has  been  quite  prominent  in  politics,  and 
is  a  representative  man. 

LEGISLATIVE. 

On  the  adoption  of  the  State  constitution 
in  1857,  the  counties  of  Waseca  and  Steele, 
then  constituting  the  15th  senatorial  dis- 
trict was  represented  in  the  fii'st  Legislature, 
which  assembled  December  2,  1857,  by  Sen- 


471 


472 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTV. 


ator  Lewis  McKune,  and  Representatives  H. 
M.  Sheetz,  G.  C.  Pettie  and  Smith  Joiinson. 
lion.  Lewis  McKune  was  born  in  Meriden, 
Sus(]nehanna  County.  Pa.,  July  22,  1821, 
and  was  reared  and  educated  among  the 
roclcs  and  hills  of  the  "  Old  Keystone  State," 
living  there  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
twenty -five  3'ears,  wlien  he  started  west  in 
search  of  a  home  and  fortune,  and  settled 
for  a  time  in  Illinois.  Wiien  the  gold  fever 
broke  out  in  1849  and  '50,  he,  like  many 
others,  at  that  time,  left  the  homes  of  civil- 
ization and  sought  tiie  golden  sands  of  Cali- 
fornia. Fortune,  in  his  case,  proving  propi- 
tious, he,  in  185-i,  returned  to  Illinois  with  a 
fair  amount  of  means,  enough  to  give  him  a 
good  start  in  life.  In  1856  became  to  Waseca 
County,  coming  all  the  way  from  his  home 
in  the  "  Sucker  State"  by  team,  lie  made  a 
claim  on  tlie  northeast  quarter  of  section  2, 
and  the  west  half  of  tlie  northwest  quai'ter 
of  section  1.  Wilton  Township.  He  at  once 
became  one  of  tiie  leaders  and  prominent 
men  of  this  county,  and  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  constitutional  convention  that 
drew  up  tlie  fundamental  law  of  this  State. 
This  convention  met  in  July,  1857.  In  the 
first  State  Legislature  which  assendjled  in 
Decemljer,  1857.  Lewis  McKune  represented 
this  district  in  the  Senate.  But  it  was  not  to 
be  that  he  should  live  long  enough  to  enjov 
his  honors,  and  tiie  competence  he  liad  gained. 
The  civil  war  breaking  out  in  1801,  he  en- 
listed in  the  old  First  Minnesota  Infantry, 
and  was  commissioned  captain  of  company 
F,  and  proceeding  to  the  front,  went  down 
in  the  awful  slaughter  at  Bull  liun,  July  21, 
1861,  being  killed  by  a  rebel  bullet.  A  bet- 
ter hearted,  more  liberal,  hospitable  man  it 
were  hard  to  Hnd,  and  lie  enjoyed  the  esteem 
and  respect  of  all  who  knew  him,  an<l  Jiis 
loss  was  a  great  one  to  the  community. 

At  the  election  of  1858,  Buell  Welch,  of 
this  county,  was  chosen  representative.  He 
had  this  empty  honor,  for  there  was  no  session 
in  the  winter  of  1858-9,  mainh'  owing  to 
the  protracted  session  of  1857-8. 


The  lid  Legislature  convened  December 
7,  1859,  and  adjourned  March  12,  ISOO. 
W.  F.  Pettit  represented  the  15th  district 
in  the  Senate,  and  Amos  Coggswell,  G.  W. 
Greene,  G.  T.  White  and  Jesse  I.  Stew- 
ai't,  in  the  House.  The  last  two  named 
were  residents  of  Waseca  County,  but  hav- 
ing held  the  office  of  treasurer  therein,  are 
mentioned  in  that  connection. 

By  the  apportionment  of  1860,  Steele, 
Waseca  and  Freeborn  counties  were  erected 
into  a  district  known  as  the  16th,  which 
was  represented  in  the  Hid  Legislature  by 
George  Watson  in  the  Senate,  and  James  E. 
Child  and  W.  F.  Pettit  in  the  House.  Mr. 
Child  is  mentioned  at  length  in  connection 
witli  the  press  of  this  county,  with  wiiich  he 
has  been  identified  nearl}^  ever  since  tiie 
foundation  of  a  paper  within  its  precincts. 
This  Legislature  assembled  Januaiy  8,  1861, 
and  continued  in  session  until  March  8. 

Tiie  IVth  Legislature,  which  assembled 
January  i.  1802,  contained  in  tlie  Senate  A. 
B.  Webber,  and  in  the  House  H.  C.  Majroon 
and  P.  C.  Bailey,  as  representatives.  Mr. 
Bailey  was  and  is  a  resident  of  this  county, 
and  has  served  the  people  in  several  capaci- 
ties. A  sketch  of  him  is  found  under  the 
head  of  State  Senator,  farther  on. 

The  Vth  Legislature  assembled  January  0, 
1863,  and  adjourned  March  6.  In  that  bodv 
^f.  A.  Daily  represented  this  district  in  the 
Senate,  and  Asa  AValker  and  Philo  Wood- 
ruff in  the  House. 

The  YIth  Legislature  convening  January 
5,  1861,  contained  as  the  representatives  of 
tliis  district,  F.  J.  Stevens  in  the  Senate,  and 
Plnlo  Woodruff  in  the  Llouse.  This  session 
continued  until  Marcli  4,  when  it  adjourned. 

In  the  Vllth  Legislature  that  came  to- 
gether January  3,  1865,  this  district  was 
represented  by  B.  A.  Lowell  in  the  Senate, 
and  J.  L.  Gibbs  and  J.  B.  Crooker  in  the 
House.     The  session  lasted  until  Marcii  3. 

On  the  2d  of  January,  1860,  the  Vllltli 
Legislature  convened.  In  this  body,  as  rep- 
resentatives from  the  16th  district,  was  B.  A. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


4:73 


Lowell  in  the  Senate  and  J.  B.  Crooker  and 
Augustus  Armstrong,  in  the  House. 

Tliere  was  no  change  as  to  this  county  under 
tlie  ajiportionnient  of  1SG6,  and  when  the 
IXth  Legislature  met,  January  8,  1867,  Au 
gustus  Armstrong  from  this  district  was 
found  in  the  Senate,  and  William  Brisbane, 
AV.  II.  Twiford  and  James  E.  Smith  in  the 
House,  the  district  having  been  given  one 
additional  representative. 

Hon.  AVilliam  Brisbane  is  a  native  of  the 
cit}^  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  born  December 
11,  1811.  His  father  was  a  soldier  in  the 
British  ami}'  and  was  stationed  at  that  ])]ace 
at  the  time;  but  our  Mr.  Brisbane,  liaving 
been  reared  at  the  town  of  Hawick,  calls 
himself  a  native  of  that  city,  and  wishes  to 
l)e  termed  a  Hawick  man.  He  resided  in 
"  Bonnie  Scotland  "  until  the  spring  of  1839, 
when  lie  sailed  for  the  shores  of  America,  set- 
tling at  the  town  of  Andes,  Delaware  Count}', 
N.  Y.  At  this  place  he  remained  some 
ten  years,  and  while  in  that  section  of  the 
country  was  mixed  up  in  the  anti-rent 
troubles  of  that  time,  and  suffered  tiie  ]ien- 
alty  of  the  misdeeds  of  others.  In  1S4'J  he 
started  for  the  West,  and  located  at  Alto, 
Fond  du  Lac  County,  Wis.,  but  ten  years 
later,  in  18.50,  moved  to  Minnesota  and  set- 
tled in  AVilt'on  Townshij),  AV^aseca  County, 
where  he  now  lives,  and  where  he  owns 
a  large  and  well  tilled  farm  of  252  acres  of 
land  on  section  23.  Janaarv  20,  1832,  he 
was  united  in  nuirriage  with  Janet  Scott,  a 
native  of  the  parish  of  Alinto,  Scotland,  born 
September  lo,  1810.  They  have  been  the 
jjarents  of  twelve  childi'en  :  Isabel,  born  in 
Hawick,  Scotland,  Januarys,  IS.^j3  ;  Catii- 
erine,  l)orn  Hawick,  October  2G,  ISSlr ;  Helen, 
born  Hawick,  June  21,  1830;  James,  born 
Hawick,  June  22, 1838;  Hannah,  born  Dela- 
ware County,  X.  Y.,  August  18,  IS-iO ; 
Janet,  Ijoi'u  Delaware  County,  N.  Y;,  May 
5,  1842;  Alexander,  born  Delaware  County, 
N.  Y.,  March  6, 18'41;  AVilliam  Ilobert,  born 
Delaware  Count}^  N.  Y.,  June  5,  184:5  ;Mar- 
geret,  born  Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  Decem- 


ber 12,  184T ;  Mary,  born  Alto,  Wis.,  May 
14,  1849,  died  February  1(»,  1850;  John, 
born  Alto,  January  29,  1850,  and  Thonuis, 
born  Alto,  July  26,  1853.  Mr.  Brisbane 
has  twice  represented  this  county  in  the 
legislative  halls,  the  first  time  in  this  the 
IXth  Assembh'^,  and  later  in  the  Xlllth, 
in  1871.  He  is  one  of  the  sterling,  thrifty 
farmers  of  the  county,  and  a  fair  repre- 
sentative of  the  land  of  Scotia,  honest,  up- 
right, and  of  unimpeachable  integrity,  and 
drawing  to  the  close  of  a  long  life  of  useful- 
ness and  honor. 

The  Xth  Legislature  assembled  January 
7,  1868,  and  adjourned  March  6.  Augustus 
Armstrong  still  represented  the  district  in 
the  Senate.  In  the  House  William  R.  Kin- 
j'on,  J.  E.  Smith  and  George  A.  La  Dow  rep- 
resented us.  Mr.  La  Dow  is  noticed  at 
length  in  the  chapter  entitled  "Bench  and 
Bar,"  he  having  been  a  prominent  attorney  of 
the  county. 

J.  B.  Crooker,  in  the  Senate,  and  Augustus 
Armstrong,  E.  Easton  and  Warren  Smith  in 
the  House,  were  the  re])resentatives  from  the 
16th  district  in  the  Xlth  Legislature.  This 
assembly  convened  January  5,  1869,  and  ad- 
journed March  5. 

Hon.  AVarren  Smith  is  the  son  of  Amasa 
Smith,  and  was  born  in  Barnstable  County, 
Mass.,  November  15,  1821.  He  was 
reared  in  the  county  of  his  nativity  within 
sound  of  the  wild  Atlantic's  surf,  and  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years  commenced  to  learn  the 
trade  of  boat  builder.  Between  that  and 
wrecking,  a  calling  much  followed  on  the 
iron  coast  of  New  England,  he  passed  his  time 
until  1856,  when  he  came  west  to  Minne- 
sota, locating  at  the  time  in  Faribault, 
where,  in  company  with  J.  S.  Fuller,  he  en- 
gaged in  the  mercantile  business.  In  the 
winter  of  1856-7  he  came  to  this  county, 
and  purchasing  the  stock  of  goods  of  Cham- 
berlain, Bailey  &  Co.,  of  St.  Marj',  entered 
into  business  at  that  infant  village.  He  re- 
mained here  until  1862,  when  he  removed  to 
Wilton,  where  he,  with  his  partners,  carried 


474 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


on  the  general  merchandise  business  until 
1870,  when  he  removed  to  Waseca,  his 
present  residence.  In  1862  Mr.  Smith  was 
appointed  assistant  sutler  of  the  Tenth 
Minnesota  Infantry,  then  engaged  in  the 
Sibley  expedition  against  the  Indians,  and, 
after  the  successful  termination  of  that  cam- 
paign, he  returned  to  liis  home  in  Wilton, 
and  the  peaceful  paths  of  commerce.  In 
the  fall  of  1868  he  was  elected  to  the  Legis- 
lature, and  occupied  a  seat  in  the  lower 
house  of  the  Xlth  Assembly.  In  1870, 
on  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Comee  from  the 
office  of  county  auditor,  Mr.  Smith  was 
appointed  by  the  county  board  of  commis- 
sioners to  fill  out  tlie  unexpired  term,  which 
he  did.  In  the  fall  of  1ST3  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  county  treasurer,  with  a  ina- 
jority  of  605  votes  out  of  a  total  ballot  of 
l,3t*l,  and  over  two  other  candidates.  On 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  he  was 
twice  reelected  and  thus  served  six  years  in 
that  responsible  position.  In  1881  he  was 
elected  mayoi-  of  Waseca,  on  its  incorpora- 
tion as  a  city.  In  1853  Mr.  Smith  and 
Susan  E.  Johnson,  also  a  native  of  the  Old 
Bay  State,  were  united  in  the  holy  Ijonds 
of  matrimony,  and  they  have  been  the 
parents  of  four  children  :  Minnie  M.,  Mar}' 
L.,  (xeorge  W.  and  Charles  A.  Mr.  Smith 
is  one  of  the  prominent,  public  spirited  citi- 
zens of  Waseca,  and  considerably  interested 
in  everything  tliat  is  conducive  to  the  best 
interests  of  iiis  adopted  home.  He  is  a 
member  of  Tuscan  Lodge,  No.  77,  Ancient 
Fi'ee  and  Accepted  Masons,  Waseca  Chajjter 
No.  26,  Royal  Arcli  Masons,  and  Cyrene 
Commander\\  No.  9,  Knights  Tem])lar. 

The  Xllth  Legislature  met  for  the  first 
time  on  the  •1th  of  Januar\',  1870.  J.  B. 
Crooker  was  in  the  Senate,  and  W.  C. 
Young,  H.  W.  Ruhfifson  and  Dr.  A.  C.  Wedge 
in  tlie  House  as  representatives  of  this  dis- 
trict. Mr.  Young  was  tlie  gentleman  to 
whom  Waseca  County  had  committed  her 
interests.     He  is  the  present  judge  of  the 


probate  court  of  the  county,  in  which  con- 
nection will  be  found  a  sketch  of  him. 

W.  C.  Young,  in  the  Senate,  and  William 
Brisbane,  A.  C.  Wedge  and  F.  B.  Davis  in 
the  House,  were  found  as  tlie  representa- 
tives of  the  16th  district  in  the  Xlllth 
Legislature,  which  assembled  January  3, 
1871,  and  adjourned  Mai'ch  3. 

Under  the  apportionment  act  of  1871, 
Waseca  Count}'  was  made  a  senatorial  dis- 
trict by  itself,  and  entitled  to  a  senator  and 
two  representatives.  In  accordance  with 
this,  when  the  XlVth  Legislature  assem- 
bled, January  6,  1872,  there  were  found  as 
representatives  of  Waseca  in  that  body, 
James  E.  Child,  in  the  Senate,  and  Kelsey 
Curtis  and  John  Thompson  in  the  House. 
Kelsey  Curtis  is  still  a  resident  of  the  county  ; 
John  Thompson  was  an  old  settler  of  New 
liichland  Township  and  is  now  a  resident  of 
Albert  Lea. 

The  XYth  Legislature  contained  within 
itself,  on  assembling  on  January  7,  1873, 
Senator  W.  G.  AVard,  and  Representatives 
John  Thompson  and  J.  L.  Saufferer. 

Hon.  John  L.  SaufFerer  was  born  in  AVitr- 
temberg,  Germany,  January  20,1821,  where 
he  lived  until  the  age  of  twenty-four  yeare, 
when  he  sailed  for  America,  landing  in  New 
York  City.  He  then  went  to  Lawi'ence 
County,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  four  years 
working  on  a  farm.  After  this  he  went  to 
Clay  County,  III,  and  purchased  a  farm. 
In  1851  he  returned  to  Germany  and  Avas 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Henrietta  Miiller 
and  again  sailed  for  America.  Tliey  re- 
mained on  the  farm  he  had  purchased  about 
six  years,  then  sold  and  came  to  Waseca 
County,  Minn.,  in  1857,  where  he  still  resides 
on  a  large  farm.  They  have  had  born  to 
them  twelve  children,  as  follows  :  George, 
born  October  25,  1852;  Henrietta,  ijorn  No- 
vember 14,  1853 ;  John  Carl,  born  March 
19,  1855  ;  Maria  Anna,  born  January  26, 
1857;  Caroline,  born  April  9, 1859;  Matilda, 
Willhelmina,  born  Decembei- 1, 18(!0  ;  Henry, 
born    October    12,   1862;   Amelia   J.,    born 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


475 


September  19,  1864;  Lydia  E.  born  October 
23,  1866;  John  George,  born  February  25, 
1869 ;  Benjamin,  born  January  0,  1874,  and 
Louis,  born  June  27,  1S7G.  Two  of  these 
are  dead :  George  died  in  Illinois,  August 
9, 1853,  and  Matilda  W.  died  September  16, 
1884. 

The  XVIth  Legislature  convening  Janu- 
ary 6,  1874,  kept  in  session  until  March  6, 
^vhen  it  adjourned.  W.  G.  Ward  was  still 
in  the  Senate,  and  L.  D.  Smith  and  James  E. 
Child  were  in  the  House  as  representatives 
from  Waseca  Count\\ 

L.  D.  Smith  at  that  time  was  one  of  the 
leading  agriculturists  of  the  town  of  Alton, 
but  IS  now  a  resident  of  Albert  Lea,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  the  cooper  business. 

In  January,  1875,  the  XVIIth  Legislature 
convened.  Peter  McGovern  represented 
AVaseca  County  in  the  Senate,  and  Morris  II. 
Lamb  and  Joseph  Minges  in  the  House.  Mr. 
Minges  was  a  native  of  Bavaria,  born  in 
1817.  lie  came  to  this  country  in  1847,  and 
to  Otisco  Township  in  1858,  where  he  died 
Monday,  June  21,  188G,  of  paralysis,  at  the 
age  of  sixt3'-nine. 

Hon.  Peter  McGovern,  the  present  county 
attorney,  is  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of 
AVaseca.  His  large  and  growing  practice  is 
a  sufficient  index  of  his  success  and  increas- 
ing popularity.  He  is  a  native  of  Water- 
town,  Wis.,  born  October  9,  1845,  and  is  the 
son  of  Edward  and  Rose  McGovern.  He 
was  reared  among  the  scenes  of  his  nativity', 
and  there  received  an  academical  education, 
thus  laying  the  foundation  for  his  legal  stud- 
ies. Entering  the  law  school  at  Madison, 
Wis.,  he  graduated  therefrom  in  1871,  and 
the  following  year  came  to  Waseca  and  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  chosen  profession, 
and  has  remained  here  ever  since.  In  the 
fall  of  1874  Mr.  McGovern  received  the  nom- 
ination of  the  Democratic  party  for  the 
])osition  of  State  senator,  to  represent  this 
district  in  the  XYIIth  Legislature,  and 
was  duly  elected  1)}'  a  handsome  majority. 
Mr.  McGovern  was  first  elected  to  the  office 


of  county  attorne}^  Avhich  he  now  holds,  in 
the  fall  of  1873,  and  filled  it  for  the  ensuing 
two  years.  In  1877  he  was  again  inducted 
into  this  office  by  the  will  of  the  people,  and 
held  it  for  another  two  years.  At  the  elec- 
tion of  1881  he  was  defeated  for  the  same 
office  by  but  two  votes,  but  in  1883  he  was 
again  elected  to  fill  the  place,  and  reelected 
in  1886.  In  1883  Mr.  McGovern  and  Minnie 
Gilmore,  a  native  of  Canada,  were  united  in 
marriage.  They  are  the  parents  of  two 
children  :  Florence  and  Ambrose. 

Hon.  Morris  II.  Lamb  is  a  native  of  Me- 
dina County,  Ohio,  born  January  2,  1837, 
and  is  the  son  of  Morris  and  Sebrina  (Hop- 
kins) Lamb,  who  were  the  parents  of  six 
children :  Lurinda  P.,  Morris  II.,  Francis 
M.,  Anna  M.,  Clara  A.  and  Harry  P.,  all  of 
whom  are  living.  Mr.  Lamb,  the  elder,  died 
December  31, 1869  ;  his  wife  in  1859.  Morris 
H.,  at  the  age  of  twenty -one,  commenced  life 
for  himself  as  a  farmer,  and  has  followed 
that  vocation  ever  since.  In  tlie  fall  of  1854 
the  whole  family  moved  to  Cumberland 
County,  Tenn.,  where  the  elder  Mr.  Lamb 
was  engaged  in  farming.  There  they  lived 
until  1861,  and  they,  being  of  the  undeniable 
Union  stripe,  Hed  from  their  homes  with  the 
other  refugees  of  those  daj's,  loading  three 
wagons  with  such  of  their  pereonal  effects 
as  they  could  carry,  seeking  more  congenial 
quarters.  Crossing  the  Ohio  Piver,  their 
haven  of  safety,  they  came  right  on  to  Min- 
nesota, and  in  1S64  to  Waseca  Countv. 
August  15,  1861,  Morris  H.  enlisted  in  com- 
pany F,  Eleventh  Minnesota  Infantry,  under 
Capt.  J.  W.  Plummer.  He  remained  in  the 
service  until  July  11,  1S65,  when  he  was  dis- 
charged at  Fort  Snelling,  and  came  back  to 
this  county,  locating  on  section  36,  Alton 
Township,  where  he  now  lives.  He  carries 
on,  at  present,  a  more  extensive  dairy  farm 
than  any  ])arty  in  Waseca  County,  commenc- 
ing this  branch  of  his  business  in  1880.  He  has 
from  thirty  to  forty  head  of  full-blood  Jersey 
cattle,  besides  a  large  number  of  grades.  His 
large  barn,  built  in  1887,  is  42x90  feet  on  the 


476 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


ground,  and  capable  of  holding  120  tons  of 
hay,  and  also  contains  three  silos,  holding 
about  350  tons  of  green  fodder,  he  being  the 
first  in  Waseca  County  to  commence  the 
system  of  ensilage.  October  20,  1S70,  he 
and  Harriet  Old  field  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. She  is  a  native  of  Steuben  County, 
N.  Y.,  born  August  20,  18-14,  and  a  daughter 
of  Samuel  and  Lucretia  (Jaynes)  Oldfield. 
Tiie  former  raised  six  children  :  Mary  Ann, 
Reuben,  Tiiomas  II.,  William  M.,  Jessie  and 
Harriet.  Mr.  Oldfield  died  in  1S6S;  the 
mother  is  still  living  in  Williamsport,  Pa. 
Mr.  and  ilrs.  Lamb  are  the  parents  of  two 
children  :  Walter  E.,  born  August  12,  1878, 
and  Ina  E.,  Ijorn  January  20,  ISSl.  In  1874 
Mr.  Lamb  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  on 
the  Democratic  ticket,  and  has  served  in 
sevei-al  township  offices,  always  with  credit 
and  honor. 

In  the  XVII Ith  Legislature,  that  met  in 
1876,  Peter  McGovern  still  represented  AVa- 
seca  County  in  the  Senate,  Robert  Earl  and 
Kelsey  Curtis  in  the  House. 

In  1877  the  XlXth  Legislature  held  its 
session.  P.  C.  Eailey  was  our  representative 
in  tlie  Senate ;  F.  Keenan  and  Anthony 
Sampson  in  the  House. 

Hon.  Phiio  C.  Baile}'  is  a  native  of  Onon- 
daga County,  N.  Y.,  born  October  15,  1S2S. 
He  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  ])lace  of 
liis  nativity,  where  he  remained  until  1S5(), 
when  he  came  west  to  Minnesota,  locating 
first  at  Faribault,  where  lie  remained  until 
the  following  j'ear,  when  he  came  to  Wilton, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  hardware  business. 
In  1861  he  was  elected  to  the  lower  house 
of  the  State  Legislature,  and  sat  in  the 
session  of  1862,  representing  the  16th  dis- 
trict. In  the  fall  of  1863  he  was  elected  to 
the  office  of  county  treasurer,  which  he 
filled  for  two  years,  to  the  satisfaction  of  all. 
When  the  town  of  Waseca  was  started  in 
the  summer  of  1867,  Air.  Bailey  removed  to 
that  place,  putting  up  the  building  where  he 
now  is,  and,  in  company  with  George  W. 
Watkins,  opened  the  first  hardware  estab- 


lishment in  the  rising  young  village,  and  is 
still  the  leading  merchant  in  that  line.  In 
1876  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate,  and 
served  during  the  session  of  1877  and  187S. 
In  June,  1857,  P.  C.  Bailey  and  Airs  Slo- 
cum  were  united  in  mai-riage,  and  they 
Avere  the  parents  of  two  children  :  Kate 
and  Gertrude.  IMrs.  Bailey  died  September, 
1865;  and  December  27,  1867,  Mr.  Badey 
was  again  married,  this  time  to  Lorinda 
Dodge.  The\'  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren :  Fi'eil.  and  Lena.  Mr.  Baile}'  is  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  business  interests 
of  Waseca,  and  takes  rank  with  the  leading 
public  spirited  citizens  of  the  city.  He  is  a 
member  of  Tuscan  Lodge,  No.  77,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  and  of  Gyrene 
Commandery,  No.  9,  Knights  Templar,  of 
Owatonna. 

Hon.  Anthony  Sampson  was  born  in  Seans- 
vard,  Norway,  August  21,  1827,  and  was 
reared  in  that  country.  Novembei'  11,  lsl<>, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna 
Thovsdatter,  the  officiating  clerg\-nian  being 
Rev.  Romka,  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  The 
bride  was  a  native  of  Norway,  born  August 
12, 1825.  They  left  their  native  land  May 
15,  1853,  and  on  landing  in  America  at  once 
proceeded  to  Rock  County,  Wis.,  where  they 
arrived  July  10  the  same  3'ear.  The}'  re- 
mained there  three  years,  and  finally  con- 
cluded to  remove  to  Alinnesota.  Eight 
families  startetl  together,  as  detailed  in  the 
history  of  New  Richland  Township,  and 
overcoming  all  obstacles,  reached  the  above 
town  June  10,  1856,  where  Mr.  Sampson 
took  up  a  claim  on  section  14,  where  he  now 
resides.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Samj)S()n  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  the  two  oldest  of 
whom  were  born  in  Norway  :  So]ihia,  born 
in  the  3'ear  1847;  Olave,  February  14,1852; 
Carl  A.,  November  22,  1854;  Aliana,  De- 
cember 17,  1856  ;  Sinna,  November  6,  1861 ; 
Andrew,  Alarch  13,  1866,  and  Julian,  De- 
cember 26,  1867.  Air.  Sampson's  pioneer 
house,  like  many  others,  was  built  of  logs, 
with  a  sod  roof,  and  was  Init  14x16  feet  in 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


477 


size,  but  he  now  lias  good  buildings  on  bis 
productive  and  well  tilled  farm  of  120  acres 
of  land.  He  represented  this  county  in 
the  Legislature  in  18T7,  as  detailed  above. 

In  tbe  XXth  Legislature,  which  assem- 
bled January  S,  1878,  P.  C.  Bailey  was 
still  the  senator  from  this  county;  and  J. 
O.  Chandler  and  Fenton  Keenan  were  the 
representatives  in  the  House. 

Hon.  J.  O.  Chandler  came  to  Waseca 
County  in  1866.  He  located  in  the  old  town 
of  Janesville,  where  he  entered  the  mercantile 
trade.  He  was  appointed  postmaster  there 
the  ne.xt  year  (1867)  and  retained  the  office 
until  1870.  When  the  new  town  of  Janes- 
ville started,  Mr.  Chandler  was  the  first  to 
take  advantage  of  the  new  location,  and 
erected  the  first  store  in  the  town,  moving 
his  goods  from  the  old  village.  He  con- 
tinued in  the  general  merchandise  trade  for 
two  years  after  that.  In  1873,  in  company 
with  Dr.  K.  O.  Craig,  he  put  in  a  complete 
drug  stock,  which  they  have  continued  since 
that  time.  In  February,  Chandler  &  Craig 
purchased  the  interest  of  Henry  Chase,  of  the 
firmofCiiase  &  Cordrey,  general  merchants, 
and  since  that  time  have  been  in  that  line 
of  trade  also.  Mr.  Chandler  was  elected  to 
the  State  Legislature  in  the  fall  of  1876,  serv- 
ing that  winter  and  the  following  fall  at  the 
extra  session.  Mr.  Chandler  is  a  native  of 
the  State  of  JMaine,  being  born  in  Dexter, 
Penobscot  Count}',  September  21, 1837.  His 
parents  were  John  C.  and  Lucey  B.  Chandler. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen,  Mr.  Chandler  went 
into  the  store  of  his  father  and  uncle,  who 
were  partners  in  business,  and  two  years 
later  started  for  himself,  running  a  peddler's 
wagon,  which  business  he  followed  for  a 
time.  In  1857  he  came  to  Minnesota  and 
located  in  Pleasant  Grove.  In  1858  he  went 
west  to  Idaho,  but  not  liking  it  there,  re- 
turned to  Minnesota  after  a  year's  absence, 
settling  in  Winona,  where  he  remained  until 
1863.  Lie  then  entered  the  United  States 
service  as  paymaster's  clerk,  and  served 
as  such  until  1865,  when  he  again  returned 


to  this  State  and  went  on  the  road  as  sales- 
man for  J.  D.  Blake  &  Co.,  of  Rochester. 
He  came  to  Janesville  one  year  later  as 
already  detailed.  Since  coming  here  Mr. 
Chandler  has  always  taken  an  active  interest 
in  whatever  would  be  of  any  advantage  to 
the  village  or  the  interests  of  the  people, 
and  is  to-day  one  of  Janesville's  most  enter- 
prising and  substantial  men. 

January  7,  1879,  the  XXIst  Legislature 
was  convened.  In  the  Senate,  S.  B.  Will- 
iams, elected  by  the  Prohibition  party,  rep- 
resented Waseca  County,  and  in  the  House, 
John  Thompson  and  J.  S.  Abell.  Mr.  Wil- 
liams was  an  old  settler  of  the  county  of 
Steele,  and  had  located  at  the  village  of 
Waseca  among  the  first  comers,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business,  and  afterward 
in  grain-buying.  He  is  now  a  resident  of 
Steele  County.  John  Thompson,  a  pioneer 
of  Waseca  Count}',  having  settled  here  in 
1856,  was  a  farmer  at  the  time  of  his  elec- 
tion to  the  Legislature,  living  at  that  time 
in  jSew  Richland  Township.  Lie  now  re- 
sides near  Albert  Lea. 

Hon.  John  S.  Abell  is  a.  native  of  Oswego 
County,  N.  Y.,  born  July  22,  ISU.  His 
father  died  in  1841,  and  John  lived  with 
his  grandfather  for  a  few  years,  when  he  had 
to  get  a  living  for  himself.  He  remained  in 
the  county  of  his  birth  until  1856,  when  he 
came  to  Winona  Count\%  Minn.,  where  he 
remained  about  two  months  and  then  came 
to  Otisco  Township,  Waseca  County,  where 
he  has  lived  ever  since. 

Mr.  Abell  was  married  in  Winona  County 
August  11,  1859,  to  Miss  Hannah  Ilarshman, 
she  being  a  resident  of  that  county.  They 
have  had  born  to  them  eight  children,  six 
girls  and  two  boys,  as  follows  :  Marie,  Sarah, 
Permelia,  Helena  L.,  Emma  and  Jennie,  the 
two  latter  being  twins.  The  boys'  names  are 
John  H.  and  Irving  O.  Sarah  was  born  July 
13,  1861;  Permelia,  born  May  20,  1867; 
Irving  O.,  born  January  3,  1S72;  Helena  L., 
born  April  23, 187-1 ;  Emma  and  Jennie,  born 
July  13,  1876,  all  of  whom  are  living  and  at 


478 


HISTORY   Of   WASECA   COUNTY. 


home  with  their  parents  except  Marie  and 
John  H.  Marie  was  married  to  Charles 
Scouton,  November,  1878,  and  John  H.  died 
January  16, 1882. 

Mr.  Abell's  mother's  maiden  name  was  Per- 
melia  Park,  and  she  was  man-ied  to  Harley 
O.  Abell  in  October,  1838,  and  after  her  hus- 
band's death  she  married  Joseph  Gallop  in 
1843,  and  died  in  1847.  J.  S.  Abell  has  been 
town  clerk  for  twenty  j^ears,  chairman 
supervisors,  one  year,  assessor,  two  years, 
and  has  been  elected  justice  of  the  peace 
twice,  and  now  holds  the  office  of  justice  of 
the  peace,  and  was  representative  in  the  Leg- 
islature in  1879,  being  elected  on  the  Prohi- 
bition ticket.  He  owns  240  acres  of  land, 
about  all  of  which  is  under  cultivation, 
has  made  the  improvements  himself,  and 
has  a  fine  grove,  which  surrounds  the  build- 
ings, that  he  started  from  seeds  and  slips 
or  cuttings,  and  some  of  the  trees  are  now 
over  two  feet  in  diameter.  Mr.  Abell's 
brother,  Irving  L.,  was  born  February  23, 
1837,  and  was  the  first  book-keeper  in  the 
penitentiary  at  Stillwater,  in  1855,  and  was 
afterward  clerk  in  the  Stillwater  postoffice. 
He  went  from  tiiere  to  Michigan  and  was 
distributing  clerk  there  about  one  year, 
wiien  he  was  transferred  to  St.  Louis  and  re- 
mained there  till  some  time  in  1864,  when 
he  went  to  Tennessee,  and  from  there  he 
went  to  Oakland,  CaL,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  publishing  business  for  a  few  years  and 
tlien  went  to  Colfax,  Whitman  County, 
W.  T.,  where  he  is  now  publishing  the 
Colfax  Commoner.  His  sister  Jennie  is  now 
in  Oakland,  CaL,  engaged  in  the  poultry 
business,  and  is  doing  well.  His  brother, 
William  H.,  came  to  Minnesota  in  1860 
and  enlisted  in  First  Minnesota  Infantry, 
served  four  years  and  six  months  and  died 
in  AVinona  in  February,  1885.  The  widow 
and  three  children  (two  boj's  and  one  girl) 
are  still  living  in  Winona. 

Hon.  P.  S.  McCormick  was  tlie  senator 
from  this  district,  and  Christoph  Wagner 
and  D.  J.  Dodge,  the  representatives  in  the 


XXIId  Legislature,  which  met  January, 
1881.  This  was  the  first  assembly  un- 
der the  biennial  session  clause.  Senator 
McCormick  came  to  the  village  of  Waseca 
in  its  infancy,  and  was  here  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business.  After  his  term  of  office 
had  expired  he  sold  out  his  interests  in  this 
count}'  and  removed  to  Hayward,  Wis. 

Hon.  Christoph  Wagner,  of  the  firm  of 
Wagner  Brothers,  of  New  Richland,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Prussia,  Germany,  and  was  born  on 
the  7th  day  of  November,  1842.  Wlien 
he  was  but  five  years  of  age,  his  parents, 
Jacob  and  Margaret  (Morton)  Wagner,  emi- 
grated to  America,  and  settled  in  Sheboy- 
gan County,  Wis.  There  he  was  reared 
and  there  received  his  education,  remain- 
ing with  his  parents  until  1861,  when  the 
dark  cloud  of  war  gathering  over  our 
fair  land,  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Ninth 
Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  served  for  three 
years  and  three  months,  and  was  discharged 
in  December,  1864,  and  then  returned  totlie 
Badger  State.  On  the  10th  of  December, 
1867,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary 
Zieger,  while  in  Wisconsin.  In  1869  he 
came  to  Waseca  County,  locating  at  that 
time  on  section  18,  New  Richland  Town- 
sliip,  on  a  farm,  where  he  remained  until 
January,  1885,  when  he  bought  out  the  in- 
terests of  A.  J.  Newgard,  in  t]ieluml)er  busi- 
ness. ]Mi'.  Wagner  was  a  member  of  the 
Legislature  during  the  session  of  1881  and 
the  extra  one  of  the  same  year. 

Hon.  D.  J.  Dodge  came  to  Waseca  County 
in  1857  when  he  was  twelve  j'ears  of  age. 
His  })arents,  who  were  Samuel  and  Mai-iaA. 
(Zuba)  Dodge,  came  from  Tioga  County, 
N.  Y.,  and  settled  in  the  town  of  Wilton. 
The  elder  Mr.  Dodge  remained  there  until 
1862,  when,  witli  the  familj',  he  moved  to 
Steele  County,  and  in  1S64  started  for 
Missouri,  but  died  on  the  way  there.  D.  J. 
remained  with  his  father  until  eighteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  Rochester,  Minn., 
where  he  I'emained  for  a  time.  Later  he 
went  to  Wabasha,  where  he  stayed  a  little 


tllStORY   OF   WASECA   COttHTY. 


479 


while,  but  soon  returned  to  Steele  Count}'. 
November  1,  18(53,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
C,  Second  Minnesota  Cavalry,  and  served  in 
the  army  until  November  17,  1865,  when  he 
was  dischai'ged.  After  that  he  returned  to 
Steele  County,  and  in  the  spring  of  18G6 
went  to  learn  the  tinner's  trade  at  Wilton, 
serving  three  j'ears  apprenticeship.  When 
the  town  of  Janesville  started  in  1869,  he 
came  here  and  has  been  in  the  hardware  busi- 
ness since  that  time.  Mr.  Dodge  was  elected 
to  the  Legislature  in  the  fall  of  1880,  taking 
his  seat  in  January,  1881,  and  serving  at  the 
extra  session  that  was  called  the  following 
fall.  July  31,  1870,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Flora  L.  Long.  They  are  the 
parents  of  five  children  :  Edith  L.,  Ethel 
M.,  Myra  A.,  Seth  Edmund  and  Ilarley  D., 
deceased. 

Under  the  apportionment  act  of  1881, 
Waseca  was  erected  into  the  11th  district 
and  given  one  senator  and  one  representa- 
tive. In  January,  1883,  the  Legislature  met, 
at  which  time  Dr.  E.  O.  Craig,  of  Janesville, 
represented  the  district  in  the  Senate.  J.  C. 
White  was  the  member  of  the  lower  house. 

Dr.  R.  O.  Craig  came  to  the  county  of 
Waseca  in  1866,  and  located  in  the  old 
village  of  Janesville,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  medicine.  AVhen  the  new 
town  first  started  he  came  there,  in  the  fall  of 
1869,  and  followed  his  profession  for  many 
years.  In  1874,  in  company  Avith  J.  O. 
Chandler,  he  started  in  the  drug  business, 
which  he  still  continues.  He  is  a  native  of 
New  York  State,  born  in  183-1,  and  is  the  son 
of  John  and  Mary  (Ballagh)  Craig.  The 
Doctor  commenced  the  study  of  medicine 
at  Ogdensburg,  N.  Y,  when  eighteen  years 
of  age,  and  graduated  from  Albanj'  Med- 
ical College,  in  1855.  He  entered  into 
practice  in  the  city  of  Albany,  N.  Y., 
and  remained  there  until  1856,  when  he  was 
appointed  assistant  surgeon  in  the  United 
States  army  and  served  five  years  on  the 
Pacific  coast.  This  position  he  then  resigned 
and  went  back  East.     He  was  later  ou  com- 


missioned surgeon  of  the  Tenth  New  York 
Infantry,  serving  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
In  1882  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate 
and  represented  this  county  for  four  years. 
He  is  one  of  the  leading,  substantial  citizens 
of  his  town  and  county,  and  is  doing  his  part 
toward  the  advancement  of  Janesville  and 
the  community,  and  merits  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  townsmen  and 
the  people  of  the  county  in  general. 

J.  C.  White  came  to  Waseca  in  1870  and 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business  for  about 
a  year,  and  then  sold  a  part  interest  to  A.  C. 
Krassin,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  White 
&  Krassin,  they  carried  on  the  business  until 
December,  1882,  when  he  disposed  of  his 
remaining  interest  to  Thos.  Bouchei'.  Mr. 
White  has  lately  been  devoting  his  attention 
to  the  manufacture  of  a  patented  article  of  his 
own  invention.  Mr.  White  was  born  in 
Ireland  in  1837,  and  was  brought  to  the 
United  States  when  some  four  years  old  hj 
his  parents,  who  settled  in  Wisconsin.  In 
Jul\r,  1865,  he  came  to  Minnesota  and 
located  at  Faribault.  Shortly  after  that  he 
removed  to  Owatonna,  but  in  about  a  year 
went  to  Austin,  from  whence  he  came  to 
Waseca.  He  was  married  in  1876,  to  Anna 
Tropejr,  of  Watertown,  Wis.,  and  the}'  are 
the  parents  of  two  children,  Anna  and  May. 
He  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature,  and 
served  during  the  term  for  which  he  was 
chosen. 

In  the  XXIVth  Assembly  of  the  State 
Legislature,  held  in  January  and  Febru- 
arv.  1885,  E.  O.  Craig  still  continued  to 
represent  this  county  in  the  Senate.  M.  D. 
L.  CoUester,  then  a  prominent  attorney'  of 
the  village  of  Waseca,  represented  this  county 
in  the  House.  The  latter  is  mentioned  in 
connection  with  the  bar  of  the  county,  in 
the  chapter  devoted  to  that  profession. 

William  G.  Ward  took  his  seat  in  the 
XXVth  Legislature,  in  January,  1887, 
as  the  Senator  representing  the  11th 
district.     In  the  House,   M.   W.  Eyan  was 


480 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COtTNTY. 


intrusted     with    tiie    interests    of    Waseca 
County. 

Hon.  W.  G.  Ward,  the  present  State 
Senator,  is  a  native  of  Oneida  County,  N. 
Y.,  born  December  27, 1830.  He  was  reared 
upon  a  farm,  attending  a  private  school  in 
Booneville,  from  which  he  graduated.  He 
spent  some  eight  years  in  the  study  of 
Greek  and  Latin,  although  mathematics 
was  his  favorite  study,  and  in  which  he  was, 
and  is  remarkaijiy  ])roficient.  He  held  a 
tutorship  in  this  academy  for  some  years, 
thus  paying  for  his  own  tuition,  by  teaching 
the^younger  scholars.  When  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  seventeen  years,  he  commenced 
his  career  as  civil  engineer,  with  S.  B.  Will- 
iams, on  the  Black  River  canal,  remaining 
witli  him,  and  his  successor,  D.  C.  Genney, 
for  five  years  and  three  months,  and  was 
then  dismissed  on  account  of  his  politics,  he 
being  a  Whig.  He  then  formed  an  engage- 
ment with  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  as 
chief  engineer  and  road-master.  In  these 
and  other  capacities  he  remained  two  years, 
during  which  time  he  built  two  branches  of 
the  road,  viz.:  the  Hempstead  and  thellicks- 
''ille.  He  was  then  appointed  superintend- 
ent of  car  and  engine  repairs  for  the  whole 
road,  with  his  office  located  at  Brooklyn, 
although  the  shops  were  at  Jamaica  Plains. 
In  December,  18.52,  Mr.  Ward  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Martha  E.  Dodge,  and 
they  were  the  parents  of  two  children : 
Clarence  T.,  now  of  Redwood  Falls,  and 
Emma  L.,  now  Mrs.  Hendrickson,  of  St. 
Paul.  After  two  years  spent  by  Mr.  Ward 
as  superintendent  of  the  repair  shops,  he 
left  this  road  and  engacred  with  the  Lake 
Ontario  &  Auburn  Railroad,  wliere  he  was 
first  assistant  engineer  to  his  former  em- 
ployer, S.  B.  Williams.  About  a  year  passed 
here,  and  then  he  transferred  himself  to  the 
Utica  &  Black  River  Road,  as  first  assistant 
engineer,  under  D.  C.  Genney,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1856.  Resigning  on  account  of  ill 
health,  he  came  west,  during  that  3'ear,  and 
took  charo'e  of  tiie  work  as  chief  engineer  on 


what  was  then  known  as  the  Watertowu  & 
Madison  Railroad,  now  a  part  of  the  Chi- 
cago, Milwauliee  6c  St.  Paul  system.  He 
then  had  charge  of  the  construction  of  tiie 
Oconomowoc  ct  Columbus  Railroad.  Soon 
after  this,  the  crisis  of  1857  precipitating 
everything  into  linancial  ruin,  and  in  1858 
all  i-ailroad  work  stopjiing,  Mr.  Ward  seeing 
that  for  a  time  his  business  must  be  sus- 
pended, began  the  study  of  law  with 
AVood  &  Blake,  of  JMadison,  where  he 
remained  some  six  months.  lie  afterward 
pursued  his  studies  with  Geo.  B.  Smith, 
]\[att.  Car])enter  and  others,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar,  Harlow  S.  Orton  being 
judge  and  Lucius  Fairchild  clerk  of  the 
court.  He  then  commenced  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  JMadison,  and  was  engaged 
in  defending  a  client  who  had  killed  a  man 
in  a  cranberry  marsh,  when  the  tocsin  of  war 
was  sounded  throughout  our  fair  land. 
Sumter  was  fired  on,  and  the  court  ad- 
journed to  go  to  the  front.  The  man  was  on 
trial  when  this  occurred,  and  Mr.  Ward's 
only  plan  was  to  get  the  man  pardoned, 
which  he  did,  thus  ending  his  law  practice. 
Late  in  18C1  Mr.  Ward  was  appointed  chief 
clerk  in  the  postoffice  at  Madison,  under  E. 
AV.  Keyes,  and  held  that  position  for  three 
3'ears.  Recruiting  men  for  all  the  batteries 
and. regiments  sent  from  Wisconsin  next  oc- 
cupied his  attention.  At  the  close  of  the 
war,  in  company  with  Major  Blake,  he  built 
and  operated  a  sawmill  on  the  Little  Wolf 
River,  which  fourteen  months  later  they 
sold  to  the  Wisconsin  Manufacturing  Co. 
His  wife  having  died  in  Jefferson,  Wis., 
in  November,  1865,  he  took  his  two 
children,  Clarence  and  Anna,  east,  where  he 
left  them  witli  relatives,  and  came  back 
west.  On  his  arrival  here  he  took  charge  of 
the  construction  of  the  Winona  &  St.  Peter 
Railroad  as  chief  engineer,  and  pushed  it  to 
a  completion  in  1868.  December  14,  1867, 
he  and  Ella  C.  Trowbridge  were  united  in 
marriage,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  four 
children  :  Mattie  E.,  Roscoe  Percy,  Florence 


^4'^'  -w^^^fw^j^ 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


483 


T.  and  Earl  W.  Since  his  connection  with 
the  Winona  &  St.  Peter  road,  Mr.  Ward  has 
made  his  home  in  Waseca,  he  being  identi- 
fied with  it  from  its  first  inception,  being 
one  of  the  original  proprietors  and  pro- 
jectors, and  having  large  real  estate  interests 
here.  Through  force  of  character  and  great 
native  ability  Mr.  Ward  has  pushed  him- 
self through  adverse  circumstances,  until  he 
stands  to-day  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  this  section  of  the  State.  In  the  fall 
of  1872  Mr.  Ward  was  elected  to  a  seat 
in  the  XVth  and  XVIth  Legislatures  as 
State  Senator,  and  in  18S6  was  again 
chosen  to  fill  the  same  position  and  is 
now  the  incumbent  of  that  office.  In  1880 
he  was  the  candidate  of  the  Republican 
party  for  Congress,  but  owing  to  a  split  in 
the  party  he  faded  of  an  election,  although 
carrying  Waseca  County. 

Hon.  Michael  W.  Ryan,  the  present  mem- 
ber of  the  lower  house,  was  born  in  North- 
field,  Minn  ,  May  1,  1802,  and  is  the  son 
of  Michael  Ryan,  a  native  of  Tipperary, 
Ireland.  His  father  was  born  in  1826.  and 
came  to  America  in  18.51,  and  worked  in 
several  States  on  various  railroads.  In  18C3 
the  family  came  to  Waseca  County,  and 
located  in  Byron  Township,  where  the  family 
now  reside.  The  father  was  the  parent  of 
four  children  :  Alice,  born  February  9, 1859  ; 
Thomas,  born  August  31,  1860;  Michael  W., 
born  May  1,  1862,  and  Elizabeth,  born  Sep- 
tember 18,  1865.  Michael  W.  has  held  the 
office  of  township  clerk,  and  in  the  fail  of 
1886  was  elected  to  the  State  Legislature, 
being  the  youngest  member  of  the  same  in 
the  assembly  of  1887.  He  introduced  some 
twelve  bills,  the  most  important  of  which 
was  that  compelling  insurance  companies  to 
pay  the  full  face  of  their  policy  in  case  of 
loss.  He  owns  a  good  farm  on  section  8,  in 
Byron  Township. 

COUNTY   AUDITORS. 

The  first  to  occupy  this  office  in  the 
county  of    Waseca    was  S.  J.  Willis,  who 


entered  upon  its  duties  January  1,  1860,  and 
held  it  for  three  years.  Mr.  Willis  was  for 
some  years  connected  with  the  office  of  clerk 
of  the  district  coui't,  and  is  mentioned  in 
that  connection. 

John  C.  Ide  was  the  next  to  occupy  this 
office,  being  appointed  thereto  in  January, 
1863,  on  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Willis,  and 
entered  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties  at 
once.  Colonel  Ide,  as  he  was  called,  was  a 
New  Yorker  of  New  England  parentage, 
and  came  to  Minnesota  in  an  early  day. 
Previous  to  leaving  the  East  he  had  been 
employed  in  teaching  music  and  giving  con- 
certs. He  first  located  in  Rice  County, 
which  he  represented  in  the  Vllth  Terri- 
torial Legislature,  in  1856.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  came  to  Wilton,  having  been 
appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to  or- 
ganize this  county.  During  this  same  year 
he  was  the  candidate  for  the  office  of  lieu- 
tenant governor  on  the  Republican  ticket, 
which  was  defeated.  On  account  of  his 
political  prominence,  he  was  made  part 
owner  of  Wilton,  and  was  instrumental  in 
building  up  that  village.  He  was  very  un- 
fortunate in  his  financial  affairs,  but  every- 
where respected  for  his  social  qualities  and 
accommodating  disposition.  He  was  an  active 
and  zealous  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
and  contributed  liberally  toward  the  erec- 
tion of  the  church  of  that  denomination  in 
Wilton.  In  the  fall  of  1866  he  died  of  heart 
disease  while  holding  the  office  of  auditor. 

On  the  death  of  Col.  J.  C.  Ide,  the  board 
of  county  commissioners  appointed  C.  C. 
Coraee  to  fill  the  vacancy  for  the  unexpired 
term.  At  the  following  election  in  Novem- 
ber, 1866,  he  was  chosen  by  the  people  to  fill 
the  same  office,  and  I'eelected  his  own  suc- 
cesor  for  several  terms,  holding  it  until  1870. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Warren  Smith,  who 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by 
the  retirement  of  Mr.  Comee,  and  filled  it  for 
the  balance  of  the  term. 

Edgar  Cronkhite  was  elected  auditor  at 
the  election  of  187o,  and  entered  upon  the 


484 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


duties  of  the  office,  March  1,  1871.  He  was 
reelected  in  1873,  1875,  1877  and  1879,  thus 
holding  the  office  for  ten  years,  and  was  an 
active  and  able  officer. 

Edgar  Cronkhite  is  a  son  of  George  and 
Parraelia  Cronkhite,  and  was  born  at  Glens 
Falls,  N.  Y.,  January  20,  1826.  He 
was  fitted  for  college,  after  receiving  his 
preliminary  schooling  at  Glens  Falls  Acad- 
emy, and  entered  Williams  College  as  fresh- 
man in  the  fall  of  1845.  After  leaving  col- 
lege he  spent  the  following  four  years  in  the 
city  of  Washington  and  in  travel  in  the 
South.  In  1852  he  returned  home,  and  later 
in  the  year  began  the  study  of  law  in  Buffalo 
and  was  duly  admitted  to  the  bar  in  that 
city  in  the  fall  of  1853.  He  then  removed 
to  Neenah,  Wis.,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  served  as 
register  of  deeds  in  Winnebago  County,  Wis., 
at  Oshkosh  where  he  also  was  engaged  in 
practice.  He  subsequently  removed  to 
Kochester,  Minn.,  and  hanging  out  his 
shingle,  practiced  law  there.  During  his 
residence  at  that  place  he  took  part,  as  lieu- 
tenant of  a  cavalry  company-,  in  the  Sibley 
expedition  after  the  Sioux  Indians  in  1862, 
and  was  adjutant  at  Forts  Snelling  and 
Eidgeley.  In  1867  he  came  toWaseca  County, 
where  he  has  made  his  residence  since.  In 
1870  he  was  elected  county  auditor  and 
served  ten  years.  He  has  retired  from  active 
business,  except  loaning  his  money  and  that 
of  other  parties,  and  is  very  comfortably 
fixed  on  one  of  his  farms  near  Alma  City, 
in  Freedom  Township.  He  is  a  talented 
man  and  a  fine  speaker,  and  in  his  boyhood 
days  took  the  first  prize  for  declamation  at 
Williams  College  in  1846.  He  has  delivered 
many  public  speeches  since  coming  here, 
and  is  among  the  best  known  men  in  the 
county. 

C.  E.  Crane  was  the  next  to  fill  the  office 
of  auditor,  being  inducted  into  that  office, 
January  1,  1881.  In  the  fall  of  1882  he  was 
reelected  and  thus  served  the  people  of  the 
county  for  four  years. 


S.  Swenson,  the  present  auditor,  was 
elected  November  4,  1884,  and  reelected  in 
1886. 

S.  Swenson,  the  present  auditor,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Norwaj'^,  born  at  Fredericksvoern, 
September  3,  1849.  In  the  spring  of  1864 
he  shipped  as  sailor  on  board  of  a  vessel 
bound  for  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  afterward 
made  many  voyages  to  various  ports  on  the 
Atlantic  and  up  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  In 
1868  he  came  to  America,  and  worked  as 
blacksmith  and  wagonmaker,  until  he  came 
to  Waseca  in  1877,  where  he  carried  on  the 
latter  business  until  ISSl,  when  he  became 
deputy  auditor,  and  in  1884  became  auditor. 
In  1882  he  was  married  to  Julia  Anderson. 
They  have  one  adopted  child,  Clara. 

REGISTER    OF    DEEDS. 

At  the  time  when  the  organization  of  the 
county  was  oi'dered,  the  governor  of  the 
Territory  appointed  Tarrant  Putnam  to  fiU 
the  office  of  register  of  deeds  until  the  elec- 
tion of  a  successor.  He  entered  upon  his  du- 
ties in  March,  1857,  and  held  the  office  until 
June  following,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
J.  W.  Crawford,  who  had  been  elected  at 
the  special  election  held  in  the  latter  month. 
Mr.  Crawford  was  a  Kew  Englander,  and, 
shortly'  before  the  late  war,  left  the  county 
and  located  elsewhere  in  the  State.  He  en- 
listed in  the  army  during  the  late  war, 
and  after  that  settled  in  Chicago. 

January  1,  1858,E.  A.  Eice  took  possession 
of  this  office,  and  served  the  people  two 
years.  This  gentleman  had  come  to  Waseca 
among  the  early  settlers,  and  was  quite  pop- 
ular. On  the  organization  of  the  Fifth  Min- 
nesota Infantry,  early  during  the  late  civil 
war  he  enlisted,  became  captain  of  Company 
G,  of  that  regiment,  and  afterward  rose  to 
the  rank  of  major  in  the  United  States  ser- 
vice. He  is  now  the  county  treasurer  of 
Pipestone  County,  this  State.  He  is  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire. 

Tarrant  Putnam,  being  elected  to  fill  the 
office  of  register  of  deeds  in  1860,  commenced 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


485 


the  duties  of  that  office  at  the  beginning  of 
the  following  year,  and  filled  it  for  four 
years. 

H.  P.  Norton  succeeded  Mr.  Putnam  in 
the  duties  of  this  office.  He  served  during 
the  years  1864  and  1865. 

H.  P.  Norton  is  a  native  of  Yates  County, 
N.  Y.,  born  May  26,  1823,  removing  with  his 
parents  the  following  year  to  Richford,  Tioga 
County.  He  remained  at  home  until  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  learning 
the  trade  of  his  father,  who  was  a  blacksmith. 
On  reaching  his  majority,  he  left  home  and 
for  two  years  labored  at  this  trade  and  then 
started  West.  Onarrivingat  Woodstock,  111., 
about  the  Istof  June, 1846,  he  went  to  work  and 
remained  there  several  years,  then  removed  to 
Chicago.  Being  employed  at  that  place  and  at 
Michigan  City,  Ind.,  in  tlie  railroad  shops,  he 
passed  his  time  until  1856,  when  he  came  to 
Minnesota,  arriving  at  Owatonna  in  July. 
He  worked  at  the  forge  there  for  Joel 
Wilson  until  fall,  when  he  removed  to  Wil- 
ton, and  opened  a  shop  on  liis  own  account. 
In  company  with  a  younger  brother,  who 
joined  him  the  next  year,  he  ran  tliis  business 
until  1859,  when  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the 
district  court  to  fiU  the  vacancy  occasioned 
by  the  removal  of  Thos.  L.  Paige,  who 
had  been  elected  to  that  office.  After 
the  expiratidn  of  this  term  he  was  appointed 
postmaster  at  Wilton,  and  held  it  for  two 
years.  In  1863  was  elected  register  of  deeds 
and  for  two  years  served  in  that  capacity. 
During  the  first  year  he  was  made  agent  lor 
the  American  Express  Company  and  held 
that  position  many  years.  On  leaving  his 
public  office  he  entered  the  banking  house  of 
Baldwin  &  Kittredge,  remaining  with  tliem, 
making  abstracts  of  land,  until  he  removed 
to  the  village  of  Waseca,  since  which  he  has 
devoted  his  attention  to  real  estate.  He  was 
married  at  Woodstock,  March  2,  1863,  to 
Anna  G.  Kimball ;  they  have  one  son,  Char- 
les N.,  now  agent  for  American  Express  Co., 
at  Tracy,  Minn.  Mr.  Norton's  father,  Amzi, 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  February  12, 1783, 


h  is  mother  being  a  native  of  the  same  State. 
They  were  the  parents  of  ten  children,  five 
of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  Norton  was  made 
a  Mason  in  the  Woodstock  Lodge  thirty -nine 
years  ago,  and  is  a  prominent  member  of 
that  fraternity.  In  1884  he  retired  from  act- 
ive business  on  account  of  ill  health,  and  is 
passing  his  last  3'ears  in  a  quiet  way. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1866,  Hiram  A. 
Mosher,  a  one-armed  ex-Union  soldier,  on  be- 
ing duly  qualified,  entered  the  office  as  reg- 
ister of  deeds,  and  serving  the  people  of  the 
county  to  their  satisfaction  was  reelected 
several  terms,  performing  the  duties  of  the 
office  until  January  1, 1880,  when  he  gave 
way  to  a  successor. 

Chai'les  San  Galli  was  the  next  incumbent 
of  this  office,  being  elected  thereto  in  the  fall 
of  1879.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1880,  he 
entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office,  and  ful- 
filling them  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people, 
was  reelected  in  1881,  serving  in  all  four 
years. 

Charles  San  Galli  is  a  native  of  Prussia, 
Germany,  born  July  9,  1822.  His  parents 
were  Carl  and  Henrietta  (Lubcke)  Sau  Galli, 
natives  of  the  same  place,  and  who  were  the 
parents  of  six  children  :  five  bo^^s  and  one 
girl.  Our  Mr.  San  Galli  began  life  for  himself 
when  about  twenty -two  years  of  age,  first  in 
the  mercantile  business  in  Prussia,  and  then 
came  to  the  United  States  in  the  year  1849. 
On  arriving  here  in  the  spring  of  that  year 
he  first  located  in  New  York  City,  where  he 
remained  for  about  twelve  years,  and  then 
returned  to  his  native  land.  Eight  years 
later  he  returned  to  America,  settling  at  Al- 
himy,  N.  Y.  From  there  he  came  to  Min- 
nesota and  to  Waseca  County.  This  was  in 
the  year  1869.  He  located  in  Woodville 
Township,  where  he  now  lives.  In  1859  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Emily  Shep- 
hard,  a  native  of  Albany,  N.  Y.,  who  died  in 
February,  1869.  They  were  the  parents  of 
four  children  :  Elizabeth,  Theodore,  Carl  and 
Emily,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home.  Mr. 
San   Galli  is  a   Democrat  in  politics  and  a 


486 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


Lutheran  in  religion.  He  is  a  widely  known 
and  highly  respected  citizen. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1884  H.  A. 
Mosher  again  entered  this  office  and  served 
until  November  13,  the  same  year,  when  he 
died,  leaving  a  vacancy.  He  was  one  of  the 
old  settlers  of  Otisco  Township,  having  set- 
tled there  in  1856.  During  the  late  war  he 
enlisted  in  Company  F,  Tenth  Minnesota  In- 
fantry, and  bravely  gained  for  himself  the 
name  of  an  excellent  soldier,  and  returning 
to  his  family,  his  empty  sleeve  showed  that 
he,  like  others,  had  been  compelled  to  leave 
his  arm  upon  tiie  field  as  his  offering  upon 
the  altar  of  his  country. 

On  the  death  of  Mr.  Mosher  the  board  ap- 
pointed August  F.  Kruger  to  fill  the  vacancy, 
although  he  had  not  solicited  it.  His  pleas- 
ant manners  and  accommodating  disposition 
being  aj^preciated  by  the  people,  he  was 
elected  his  own  successor,  and  is  the  present 
incumbent  of  the  office.  Mr.  Kruger  is 
a  native  of  Germany,  born  September 
20,  1851.  He  remained  at  home  in  the 
fatherland  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
sixteen,  when,  crossing  the  ocean,  he  came  to 
America,  first  settling  in  Marquette  County, 
Wis.  After  remaining  there  for  about  a 
year  he  removed  to  Hipon,  the  same  State, 
where  he  entered  a  store  as  clerk  and  sales- 
man, and  gained  his  first  insight  into  mer- 
cantile affairs.  Four  years  later  he  went  to 
Eau  Claire  County,  Wis.,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  same  business,  and  remained 
two  years.  In  1875  he  came  to  Waseca 
County  and  located  at  the  village  of  Janes- 
ville,  where  he  entered  the  store  of  Chase  & 
Condry.  In  November,  1884,  on  the  death 
of  H.  A.  Mosher,  while  Mr.  Kruger  was 
standing  behind  the  counter  engaged  in 
business,  without  any  solicitation  on  his  part 
the  board  of  county  commissioners  appointed 
him  to  the  office  of  register  of  deeds.  In  the 
fall  of  1886  he  was  reelected  by  the  people 
to  the  same  position.  April  10,  1879,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Emelie 
Thiese,  of  New  Ulm. 


COUNTY  TKEASURER. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  board  of  com- 
missioners, on  the  16th  of  March,  1857,  they 
appointed  W.  S.  Baker  to  the  office  of  treas- 
urer of  the  county,  who  immediately  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  the  office,  not  very  ardu- 
ous at  that  time,  as  the  county  treasury  was 
empty  as  j'et.  He,  however,  held  the  office 
until  the  beginning  of  1858.  He  was  a 
native  of  the  State  of  Maine,  where  he  was 
born  April  28, 1808.  In  early  life  he  emi- 
grated to  Ohio,  and  while  at  Marion,  that 
State,  was  united  in  marriage  with  Clarissa 
B.  Mosher,  December  30,  1841.  He  removed 
with  his  family  to  Dodge  County,  VV^is.,  in 
1844,  and  was  among  the  pioneers  of  that 
region.  In  1856  he  moved  farther  west, 
coming  to  Otisco.  He  was  a  man  in  delicate 
health  in  some  respects,  and  by  some  of  a 
hardier  nature  judged  somewhat  harslily. 
He  was  quite  active  in  public  affairs.  He 
died  at  Waseca,  March  6,  1887,  in  the  sev- 
enty-ninth year  of  his  age.  It  has  been 
remarked  of  him :  "  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
no  man  or  woman  ever  went  hungry  from 
his  door,  when  he  had  anything  to  spare." 

Jesse  I.  Stewart,  elected  at  the  fall  election 
of  1857,  was  the  next  incumbent  of  the 
office,  and  was  reelected  in  the  fall  of  1859, 
but  havmg  been,  also,  chosen  as  the  member 
of  the  lower  house  of  the  State  Legislature, 
at  the  same  time,  on  the  11th  of  January, 
1860,  the  county  commissioners,  after  declar- 
inir  it  a  violation  of  the  law  of  the  State  for 
a  man  to  hold  both  these  offices,  resolved 
that  a  vacancy  existed  in  the  office  of  county 
treasurer,  and  appointed  J.  S.  Rice  to  fill  the 
same.  Mr.  Stewart  was  one  of  the  promi- 
nent men  of  the  early  days  of  this  county 
and  lived  here  for  some  years.  He  removed 
to  Rice  County  from  here  many  years  ago, 
and  in  1879  emigrated  to  the  Sinslaw  Val- 
ley, Ore. 

J.  S.  Rice  was  a  native  of  Oliio,  and  came 
to  this  county  in  1856  or  1857,  and  settled  in 
what  is  now  New  Richland,  close  to  the 
Otisco  line,  afterward  removing  to  the  vil- 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


487 


lage  of  Wilton.  During  the  Avar  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  United  States,  and  after 
gallantly  serving  his  country,  on  his  dis- 
charge moved  to  the  State  of  Iowa.  He 
held  the  office  of  Waseca  county  treasurer 
for  two  years. 

He  was  succeeded  by  George  T.  White  in 
March,  1862.  In  August  of  the  same  year 
he  enlisted,  but  the  board  of  commissioners 
instead  of  declaring  the  office  vacant  by 
the  books  and  records  of  the  courthouse, 
seem  to  have  allowed  him  to  remain  treas- 
urer, although  absent,  doing  his  work  by 
deput}^.  Mr.  White  was  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  came  to  Minnesota  on  at- 
taining his  majority.  He  first  settled  in 
what  is  now  St.  Mary  Township,  and  in  the 
faU  of  1859  was  chosen  to  represent  this 
county  in  the  State  Legislature,  with  Jesse  I. 
Stewart.  Enlisting  in  1862,  while  county 
treasurer,  he  was  chosen  captain  of  Company 
F,  Tenth  Minnesota  Infantry  Regiment,  and 
with  his  company  was  ordei-ed  to  the  fron- 
tier to  repel  the  Indian  attacks  of  that  year. 
The  next  season  he,  with  a  portion  of  his 
command,  accom[)anieU  General  Sibley  across 
the  plains.  Returning  in  the  fall  he  was 
ordered  South,  and  was  in  active  service 
until  the  battle  of  Nashville,  where  he  fell, 
pierced  by  many  balls.  His  body  now  lies 
near  his  boyhood's  happy  home,  among  the 
granite  hills  of  New  Hampshire.  A  young 
man  of  ability  and  affable  manners,  he  had 
many  friends  here  among  the  old  settlers. 

P.  C.  Bailey  was  the  next  incumbent  of 
the  office,  entering  upon  the  duties  of  the 
same  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1864,  and 
serving  two  years.  He  is  stiU  a  resident  of 
the  county,  engaged  in  the  hardware  business 
at  Waseca,  and  is  mentioned  at  length  in  this 
chapter  under  the  head  of  Legislative  Repre- 
sentation. 

With  the  beginning  of  the  year  1806 
George  R.  Buckman,  now  a  resident  of 
Waseca,  entered  upon  the  duties  of  this  office. 
In  1867  and  1869  he  was  reelected  to  the 
same  position.     At  the  election  of  1871  the 


official  returns  showed  that  Dr.  R.  O..  Craig 
had  a  majority  of  three,  but  on  contesting 
the  matter  on  account  of  some  illegality  in 
some  votes,  the  court  decided  that  G.  R. 
Buckman  was  duly  elected  to  the  office  of 
county  treasurer,  and  he  was  accordingl', 
sworn  in.  He  thus  served  the  people  eight 
years  in  this  responsible  position,  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  the  people  of  the 
county. 

George  R.  Buckman,  one  of  the  old  set- 
tlers of  Waseca  County,  is  a  native  of 
Crown  Point,  N.  Y.,  born  December  23, 1832, 
and  is  the  son  of  Silas  and  Huldah  (Sisson) 
Buckman.  He  remained  in  the  place  of  his 
birth  until  he  had  attained  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  when  he  went  to  Man- 
chester, N.  H.,  where  his  time  was 
employed  in  working  in  a  stoi'e  and  attend- 
ing school  alternately,  for  about  four  years. 
In  1855  he  came  west  to  Minnesota,  locating 
at  first  at  Winona.  In  1S57  he  came  to 
Waseca  County,  and  settled  at  St.  Mary, 
where  he  worked  at  the  carpenter's  trade 
until  May  23,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Company  G,  First  Minnesota  Infantry 
Regiment,  the  "Old  First,''  as  it  is 
familiarly  called,  and  with  that  famous 
body  of  men  participated  in  all  the  bloody 
battles,  from  the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run 
to  Bristow  Station,  Va.  He  was  mustered 
out  with  the  regiment  May  5,  1864,  and 
returned  to  Minnesota.  The  same  year 
he  was  nominated  for  the  office  of  county 
auditor,  but  declined  to  serve.  In  1865 
he  was  elected  to  the  position  of  county 
treasurer,  which  he  retained  for  eight  j'ears. 
On  the  expiration  of  his  last  term  he  entered 
into  the  real-estate  business  at  Waseca, 
whither  he  had  removed  on  the  transfer  to 
that  place  of  the  county-seat  from  Wilton. 
He  was  the  founder  of  the  People's  Bank,  of 
which  he  is  the  present  cashier.  He  was 
united  in  marriage,  March  12,  1867,  with 
Isadore  A.  Wood,  and  they  have  been  the 
parents  of  three  children:  Marion,  Royal 
and  Harley,  who   died   January   23,  1869. 


488 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COtTNTY. 


Mr.  Buckraan  is  a  member  of  Tuscan  Lode^e, 
No.  77,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ; 
Waseca  Chapter  No.  26,  Eoyal  Arch  Masons ; 
Cyrene  Commandery,  No.  9,  Knights  Temp- 
lar, and  of  Lewis  McKune  Post,  No.  27, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Eepublic. 

Mr.  Buckman  was  succeeded,  in  1874,  by 
Warren  Smith,  who  held  the  office  of  county 
treasurer  for  four  years.  Mr.  Smith  is 
noticed  at  length  under  the  legislative  head- 
ing, he  havnng  served  the  county  in  the 
Xlth  Legislature. 

Charles  McKenna,  the  present  county 
treasurer,  was  lirst  elected  to  that  office  in 
the  fall  of  1879,  and  has  held  it  ever  since, 
being  reelected  twice.  Charles  McKenna, 
the  present  treasurer,  is  a  native  of  Canada, 
having  been  born  in  1837.  He  is  the  son 
of  Daniel  and  Anna  (Flanegan)  McKenna. 
Eemaining  at  home  until  1868,  Mr.  Mc- 
Kenna struck  out  for  the  West,  coming  to 
Faribault,  Eice  County,  Minn.,  where  he 
entered  the  store  of  L.  Barber,  as  salesman. 
After  a  year's  service  he,  in  company  with 
C.  L.  La  Grave,  established  a  business  stand 
of  their  own,  carrying  a  stock  of  general 
merchandise.  Six  years  later  he  sold  out, 
and  coming  to  the  city  of  Waseca  formed 
the  copartnership  of  Forbes  &  McKenna, 
dealers  in  general  merchandise,  which  after 
about  two  years  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Mc- 
Kenna carrying  on  the  business  alone.  This 
store  he  still  operates.  In  the  fall  of 
1879,  such  was  his  popularity  that  he  was 
elected  county  treasurer,  and  has  been  re- 
elected his  own  successor. 

CLEEK  OF   THE  DISTRICT  COURT. 

At  the  first  court  held  in  Waseca  County, 
in  1857,  F.  L.  Paige  acted  as  the  clerk,  but 
only  acted  a  short  time  when  he  went  back 
East  and  H.  P.  Norton  was  appointed  to 
this  office,  and  at  the  fall  election  of  that 
year,  H.  P.  Norton  was  duly  elected  to  this 
office  and  held  it  for  four  years. 

H.  P.  West  entered  upon  the  duties  of  this 
office  in  1862,  and  for  that  and  the  succeed- 


ing year  filled  it  to  the  satisfaction  of  all. 

N.  E.  Strong  was  the  next  incumbent  of 
the  office  of  clerk  of  the  court,  taking  posses- 
sion January  1,  1864.  He  was  reelected  and 
served  in  all  four  years.  He  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  in  this  county,  locating  in 
what  was  called  Plum  Valley  in  1856.  He 
was  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  the  State  of  California. 

S.  J.  Willis  was  the  successor  of  Mr. 
Strong  as  clerk  of  the  court,  serving  four 
years.  Mr.  Willis  came  to  this  county  in  1856 
and  located  at  Wilton,  where  he  engaged  in 
business.  He  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Washington,  filling 
some  clerical  position  in  one  of  the  depart- 
ments of  the  general  government. 

James  B.  Hayden  was  the  next  to  fill  this 
important  office.  Entering  upon  its  duties 
with  the  beginning  of  the  year  1872,  he  was 
retained  there  by  an  appreciative  people  un- 
til the  end  of  1879. 

J.  B.  Hayden  was  born  in  Ireland  Novem- 
ber 30,  1840,  but  left  his  native  home  when 
but  two  3'ears  of  age  and  came  to  Canada 
with  his  parents,  who'were  Peter  and  Anna 
Hayden,  where  they  remained  until  1849. 
From  there  they  moved  to  Portage  City, 
Wis.,  at  that  time  a  new  country,  Mr.  Hay- 
den coming  from  Milwaukee  to  his  new 
home.  He  remained  in  Portage  City  some 
two  3'ears,  when  he  removed  to  Marquette 
County.  J  B.  Hayden  lived  with  his  parents 
until  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
Seventeenth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  under  Col. 
J.  L.  Doran,  and  served  for  three  years,  be- 
ing mustered  into  service  January  2,  1862, 
and  receiving  his  discharge  Ma}'  5, 1865.  He 
was  in  a  number  of  battles,  among  others  the 
battle  of  Atlanta,  where  he  was  struck  on  the 
wrist  by  a  spent  minie  ball,  which  caused  the 
loss  of  the  use  of  his  arm.  He  still  has  the  bul- 
let in  his  possession,  and  retains  it  as  a  valu- 
able relic  of  his  arm}'  life.  On  the  7th  of 
June,  1865,  Mr.  Hayden  came  to  Waseca 
County,  and  in  July  of  the  same  year  located 
in  the  town  of  Alton,  where  he  farmed  until 


BISTORT    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


489 


January,  1872.  He  then  took  charge  of  the 
office  of  clerk  of  the  district  court,  having  been 
elected  to  the  same  the  preceding  fall,  and  re- 
tained possession  for  twelve  successive  years. 
In  1884  he  went  to  California,  but  only  re- 
mained a  short  time,  retui'ning  to  Waseca. 
Since  May  1, 1885,  he  has  had  charge  of  Amer- 
ican Express  Company's  business. 

M.  B.  Keeley,  the  present  clerk  of  tlie 
court,  was  first  elected  in  the  fall  of  1879, 
and  has  been  reelected  twice.  He  is  a  native 
of  Ireland,  born  in  1852,  who  was  brought 
in  1856  by  his  parents,  who  located  in  Can- 
ada. In  1866  he  came  to  Rock  County, 
Wis.,  where  he  remained  until  coming  to 
Waseca  in  1873,  when  he  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  which  he  still  continues.  He 
was  married  May  1,  1876,  to  Mary  A.  Dela- 
ney.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  children  : 
James  W.,  Mary  A.,  Lena  C,  Emma  and 
Arthur  H.  All  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

SHERIFF. 

Nathaniel  Garland,  the  first  sheriff  of 
Waseca  County,  was  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor to  act  in  that  capacity  during  the  or- 
ganization of  the  county,  in  the  spring  of 
1857.  At  the  special  election,  held  in  June 
of  that  year,  he  was  elected  to  fill  that  office, 
and  held  it  until  the  close  of  the  year  1859. 
He,  soon  after  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
office,  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in 
raising  sheep,  but  returned  to  Wilton  in  the 
spring  of  1SG4,  and  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  with  John  Forest.  In  1868  he 
sold  out  there,  and  together  with  J.  A.  Clag- 
horn,  entered  into  tlie  butcher  business  at 
the  village  of  Waseca.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  in  1863  with  Miss  L.  D.  Dodge. 
July  26,  1880,  he  was  found  dead  under  the 
waters  of  Clear  Lake,  drowned  in  less  than 
five  feet  of  water. 

In  1860  D.  L.  Wliipple  succeeded  to  the 
office  of  sheriff  of  the  county.  He  was  re- 
elected, and  served  until  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1866.  Mr.  Whipple  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  and  worked  at  that  both 


before  and  after  his  term  in  office.  He  was 
a  prominent  member  of  the  Anti-Horse  Thief 
Association,  and  a  very  popular  man  through- 
out the  county.  He  died  here  February  4, 
1872. 

E.  M.  Broughton,  elected  in  the  fall  of 
1865,  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  office  of 
sheriff  with  the  beginning  of  1866,  and 
served  the  people  for  two  years. 

Seth  W.  Long  was  chosen  by  the  people, 
at  the  election  of  1867,  to  fill  the  office  of 
sheriff,  and  was  reelected  in  1869,  1871, 
1873  and  1875,  serving  in  all  ten  years.  He 
is  still  a  resident  of  the  county. 

Mathew  Keeley  served  as  sheriff  from  Jan- 
uary, 1878,  until  January,  1882. 

Mr.  Keeley  was  succeeded  in  1882  by 
Huffh  Wilson,  who  retained  the  office  until 
the  1st  of  January,  1886. 

At  the  fall  election  of  1885  A.  C.  Krassin 
was  chosen  by  the  people  of  Waseca  County 
to  represent  them  in  the  office  of  sheriff,  and 
is  the  present  occupant  of  that  position. 

August  C.  Krassin,  the  present  sheriff,  is 
also  one  of  the  hardware  firm  of  Krassin  & 
Boucher,  and  is  a  son  of  Martin  Krassin,  one 
of  the  earliest  settlers  of  this  county.  Au- 
gust was  born  in  Wisconsin,  and  when  he 
was  but  a  small  child  was  brought  by  his  par- 
ents to  this  county  in  June,  1855.  They  lo- 
cated in  what  is  now  the  township  of  St. 
Mary,  where  August  was  reared.  In  1880 
he  came  to  Waseca  City,  where  he  engaged 
in  business  with  J.  C.  White,  but  in  1882 
Thomas  Boucher  purchased  the  interest  of 
Ml".  White  and  the  present  firm  was  formed. 
They  carry  all  lines  of  hardware,  and  are 
very  heavy  dealers  in  agricultural  imple- 
ments. 

JUDGES  OF  PROBATE  COURT. 

The  first  to  occupy  this  office  was  J.  A. 
Canfield,  who  was  elected  at  the  fall  election 
of  1857.  He  continued  to  hold  this  office 
until  1860,  when  he  made  way  for  a  suc- 
cessor. 

Job  A.  Canfield  was  born  in  Knox  County, 
Ohio,  January  20,  1824,  and  July  27,  1845, 


490 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


was  maiTied,  and  came  west  to  Dodge 
County,  Wis.,  in  October  of  the  same  year. 
He  there  took  up  a  claim,  but  it  was 
"  jumped  "  by  another  party,  and  to  avoid 
trouble,  he  left  that  part  of  the  country  and 
settled  at  Rolling  Prairie,  in  the  same  State, 
where  he  located  on  eighty  acres  of  school 
land,  which  he  purchased.  This  he  sold  out  in 
the  spring  of  1856,  and  came  to  this  county, 
settling  on  section  3  of  Otisco  Township, 
taking  up  a  claim  of  1(30  acres  of  land.  He 
afterwards  purchased  some  sixty  acres  moi'e 
land  on  sections  3  and  4,  August  12,  1862, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Tentii  Minnesota 
Infantry,  and  did  excellent  service  in  de- 
fense of  his  country  and  his  country's  flag, 
participating  in  all  the  battles  in  which  his 
regiment  was  engaged,  and  was  discharged 
at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Ma\^  17,  1865,  when  he 
returned  to  this  county.  He  held  the  office 
of  judge  of  the  probate  court  for  many 
years  in  this  county,  and  died  here  January 
28,  1884.  He  and  his  wife,  Mary  A.  Can- 
field,  were  the  parents  of  seven  children: 
Nancy  B.,  born  July  27,  1846,  who  was  mar- 
ried January  2,  1875,  to  George  W.  Soule, 
of  this  county ;  Henry  O.,  born  April  23, 
1848,  married  January  21,  1877,  to  Joseph- 
ine L.  McKinster,  and  is  a  resident  of  Wa- 
seca ;  Viola  A.,  born  August  2,  1850,  mar- 
ried December  25,  1876,  to  George  A.  Onn, 
now  in  Le  Sueur  County,  Minn. ;  John  M., 
born  December  10,  1852,  married  August 
26,  1876,  to  Frances  S.  Morrison,  resides  in 
city  of  Waseca ;  Lillie  G.,  born  August  6, 
1855,  died  August  18,  1859;  Eunice,  born 
April  13,  1S58,  died  October  10,  1875,  and 
Ida  May,  born  April  30,  1861.  The  widow, 
Mrs.  Mary  A.  Canfield,  resides  on  the  old 
homestead  with  her  daughter,.  Ida  May, 
although  she  rents  the  farm  to  a  tenant. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

H.  D.  Baldwin  filled  the  office  of  probate 
judge  during  the  years  1860  to  1863  inclu- 
sive. A  sketch  of  Mr.  Baldwin  occui's  else- 
where. 

P.  Brink  Enos  was  the  judge  of  probate 


during  the  years  1S64  and  1865.  A  slight 
sketch  of  this  gentleman  is  given  among  the 
early  attorneys  of  this  county,  further  on, 
in  its  proper  place. 

Mr.  Enos  was  succeeded  in  1866  by  James 
E.  Child,  who  held  the  office  until  the  last  of 
1867,  when  he,  too,  "  threw  off  the  restraint 
of  official  life,"  and  passed  the  office  to 
liis  successor,  H.  D.  Baldwin,  who  again 
occupied  the  office  until  January  1,  1870, 
when  he,  in  turn,  was  succeeded  by  J.  A. 
Canfield.  This  second  term  of  Judge  Can- 
field  lasted  for  eight  years. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1878  Caleb 
Hallack  entered  upon  the  duties  of  this 
office,  and  served  two  years. 

In  1879  and  1880  S.  D.  Crump  filled  the 
position  of  probate  judge.  Mr.  Crump  is 
one  of  the  leading  attorne\^s  of  the  county, 
a  very  talented  man  ;  is  noticed  elsewhere. 

H.  C.  Woodbury  was  the  successor  of  Mr. 
Crump  in  this  office,  and  filled  the  position 
for  one  term  of  two  years. 

Januarj^  1,  1886,  W.  C.  Young,  the  present 
judge  of  the  probate  court,  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  his  office,  and  fills  it  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  the  people  of  the  county. 

Hon.  William  C.  Young  came  to  the 
county  of  Waseca  in  1866,  and  purchasing 
a  farm  in  Woodville  Township  remained 
there  but  a  short  time,  when  he  removed  to 
the  new  village  of  Waseca,  where  he  followed 
the  occupation  of  contracting  and  building 
until  January  1,  1876,  when  being  appointed 
postmaster,  he  gave  much  of  his  time  to  that 
office,  which  he  held  for  ten  years.  He  is 
a  native  of  Madison  County,  N.  Y.,  born  Au- 
gust 10,  1826,  and  is  the  son  of  Henry  and 
Philena  Young.  In  1854  he  came  west,  lo- 
cating at  Fitch  burg.  Wis.,  where  lie  was 
engaged  in  building,  and  made  that  his 
home  until  1861.  When  the  dark  cloud  of 
civil  war  lowered  over  the  heads  of  this  na- 
tion, he  raised  a  company  of  men  for  the 
service  of  the  general  government,  wliich 
was  mustered  in  as  Company  E.  of  the  Eighth 
Wisconsin  Infantrv,  he  receiving  a  commis- 


HISTOEY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


491 


sion  as  captain.  Participating  in  the  for- 
tunes of  that  gallant  regiment,  he  saw  con- 
siderable service  and  was  in  many  of  the 
battles  that  took  place  in  the  southwest. 
He  it  was  who  took  the  only  boat  through 
the  bayou  and  canal  in  the  rear  of  Vicks- 
burg,  that  could  be  so  forwarded,  the  water 
falling  after  its  passage,  not  permitting  any 
to  follow.  In  July,  1864,  he  was  commis- 
sioned major  of  his  regiment,  and  in  that  ca- 
pacity served  until  the  close  of  hostilities. 
He  then  returned  to  his  Wisconsin  home, 
where  he  remained  until  1866,  when  he  came 
to  Waseca  County,  as  detailed  above.  In 
the  fall  of  1869  he  was  elected  to  represent 
this  district  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  oc- 
cupied a  place  in  that  august  body  in  the 
Xllth  Assembly.  In  the  Xllltli  Assembly 
he  was  in  the  Senate.  In  1S85  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  judge  of  the  probate 
court,  of  Waseca  County,  and  is  now  filling 
that  position.  He  is  a  member  of  Comee 
Lodge,  No.  25,  and  of  Golden  Rule  Encamp- 
ment, No.  13,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  of  Lewis  McKune  Post,  No.  27, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  July  12, 
1816,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Caro- 
line Kingsley,  a  native  of  Chautauqua,  N.Y., 
and  a  sister  of  Bishop  Kingsley.  They  are 
the  parents  of  four  children  :  William  Henry, 
Eugene  W.  and  Mabel  A.,  living,  and  Luna 
E.,  deceased. 

COUNTY   ATTORNEY. 

At  the  second  meeting  of  the  county  com- 
missioners' court,  held  April  6,  1S5Y,  John 
Bradish  was  appointed  count3f  attorney, 
with  the  munificent  salary  of  $100  per 
year.  He  only  held  it  for  one  year,  when  he 
made  way  for  his  successor. 

M.  S.  Green  was  elected  to  fill  this  office 
in  the  fall  of  1857,  and  probably  served 
a  year. 

J.  E.  Child  was  county  attorney  in  1859 
and  1860,  and  was  succeeded  by  Hial  D. 
Baldwin.  Tlie  latter  held  the  office  for  three 
years,  and  then  in  turn  gave   way  for  Mr. 


Child,  who  again  filled  it  for  about  three 
years. 

In  1867  W.  T.  Kittredge  became  county 
attorney,  and  for  two  years  served  the  peo- 
ple in  this  office. 

B.  S.  Lewis  entered  upon  this  office  Jan- 
uary', 1869,  and  continued  therein,  being 
reelected  his  own  successor  until  the  last  of 
1873. 

Peter  McGovern  was  the  incumbent  of  the 
office  during  the  years  1874  and  1875,  and 
was  succeeded  by  M.  D.  L.  Collester,  who  in 
1882  gave  way  for  W.  R.  Kinder.  The  lat- 
ter served  two  years. 

In  1884  Peter  McGovern  became  the 
county  attorney  by  the  will  of  the  people, 
and  is  the  present  incumbent  of  the  office. 

Most  of  the  gentlemen  mentioned  above 
are  among  the  attorneys  of  the  county,  or 
have  held  more  important  official  positions, 
and  are  mentioned  in  connection  therewith. 

COUNTY    SURVEYORS. 

The  first  surveyor  of  the  county  was  H. 
W.  Peck.  This  gentleman  came  to  Waseca 
County  in  1856,  and  was  appointed  one  of 
the  commissioners  to  organize  the  county, 
but  resigned  the  same  to  accept  the  position 
of  county  surveyor,  to  which  office  he  was 
appointed  March  16,  1857.  He  held  this  po- 
sition until  the  first  of  1858,  when  he  rotated 
out  of  office.  He  shortly  afterward  returned 
to  Ohio,  whence  he  had  come. 

He  was  succeeded  by  A.  E.  Smith. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1862,  G.  P  John- 
son became  the  county  surveyor. 

H.  G.  Mosher  was  the  county  surveyor 
from  1864  until  the  last  of  the  j^ear  1865. 
Mr.  Mosher  has  been  noticed  previous  to  this 
in  this  chapter. 

O.  S.  Canfield  served  two  years  as  county 
surveyor  from  January  1,  1866. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1868,  C.  E. 
Crane  commenced  his  long  term  of  office  as 
surveyor,  which  lasted  until  the  first  of  1881, 
when  he  entered  the  office  of  count}'  auditor 
as  already  mentioned.  He  was  succeeded  by 
O.  L.  Smith,  the  present  county  surveyor. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


COUNTY-SEAT  CONTESTS  AND  COUNTY  BUILDINGS. 


HE  act  of  the  Legislature  that 
authorized  the  organization  of 
Waseca  County  in  1857,  or- 
dered that  the  people  of  the 
said  county  should  determine 
by  ballot  upon  the  location  of 
the  seat  of  justice  in  and  for 
said  county,  at  a  special  election 
to  be  held  for  that  purpose. 
Excitement  ran  riot,  for  three  several  towns 
within  the  limits  of  the  new  county  as- 
pired to  tlie  honor  of  being  the  count j'-seat, 
Wilton,  Empire  and  St.  Mary.  To  quote 
from  the  peti  of  "  The  Oldest  Settler,"  pub- 
ished  in  1869  in  the  Weekly  News: 

"  Men  from  Faribault,  O watonna  and  other 
parts  of  the  then  Territory,  suddenly  became 
permanent  residents  of  Waseca  County. 
Wilton,  Empire  and  St.  Mary  attained  large 
proportions  some  ten  days  before  the  elec- 
tion. Their  streets  literally  swarmed  with 
black  coats,  satin  vests  and  plug  hats.  Money 
and  promises  were  as  plenty  as  house  flies  in 
August.  There  was  '  hurrying  to  and  fro,' 
among  the  paper  city  lots  and  town  site  spec- 
ulators. Loafing  young  men  played  euchre 
on  the  prairie  green,  or  lounged  upon  the 
corners  of  imaginary  magnificent  future  busi- 
ness blocks  in  the  would-be  cities  heretofore 
mentioned. 

"  Alas,  poor  human  foresight.  Man  sow- 
eth,  but  God  giveth  the  increase.  In  this 
case  there  was  a  sudden  decrease  immediately 
after  the  election. 

"  The  whole  number  of  votes  cast  was 
T36.  Was  not  that  a  fair  sized  election  for 
a  county  of  only  two  j'ears  settlement  ? 

"  The  precinct  of  Elysian  cast  29  votes : 
23  for  Wilton,  4  for  St.  Marv  and  2  for  Em- 


pire. Empire  cast  160  votes:  11  for  Wilton, 
49  for  St.  Mary  and  100  for  Empire.  Swav- 
ersey  cast  107  votes :  51  for  Wilton,  33  for 
St.  Mary  and  23  for  Empire.  Wilton  cast 
309  votes:  189  for  Wilton,  119  for  St.  Mary 
and  1  for  Empire.  The  'oldest  settler'  has 
never  found  out  who  that  fellow  was.  Otisco 
cast  60  votes  :  58  for  Wilton  and  2  for  St. 
Mary. 

"Wilton  therefore  received  332  votes,  St. 
Mary  207.  and  Empire  126." 

And  as  the  village  of  Wilton  had  received 
but  two  less  than  a  majority  of  the  whole 
vote  cast,  it  was  declared  the  legal  seat  of 
justice  for  Waseca  County,  and  so  continued 
for  many  j^ears. 

After  the  advent  of  the  railroad  in  Waseca 
County  and  the  birth  of  the  new  town  of 
Waseca  in  1867,  some  talk  was  indulged  in 
in  regard  to  the  re-location  of  the  county- 
seat  at  the  latter  place.  Nothing  of  any 
moment  was  done  at  that  time  ;  but  in  the 
latter  part  of  1868  the  subject  being  again 
agitated,  it  began  to  crystalize,  and  a  pe- 
tition was  sent  to  the  Legislature  for  action 
autiiorizing  the  submission  of  the  question  to 
the  people  of  the  county.  This  was  met  by  a 
remonstrance  from  the  friends  of  Wilton. 
Nothing  definite  seems  to  have  come  of  this. 

The  remonstrance  brought  out,  of  course, 
attacks  from  the  partisans  of  Waseca,  and 
counter  attacks  from  Wilton's  friends.  The 
war  waxed  warm  and  the  people  of  the 
county  were  divided  upon  the  issue.  But 
Waseca  having  the  railroad,  and  Wilton  be- 
ing without  that  necessary  adjunct,  and  the 
courthouse  and  vault  at  the  last  named  jilace 
being  miserabl\'  unfit  for  the  use  to  which  they 
were  put,  Wilton  had  extreme  difficulties  to 


492 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


493 


overcome  to  compete  with  the  newer  town. 

Finally,  to  add  to  the  discomfiture  of  the 
Wilton  people,  the  old  courthouse,  a  miser- 
able affair  at  the  best,  was  destroyed  by  fire, 
about  8  o'clock  Saturday  morning,  April 
3,  1869.  Fire  was  discovei'ed  about  that 
time  in  the  courthouse,  caused  either  by  the 
overheating  of  a  stovepipe,  or  by  a  prisoner 
confined  at  the  time  in  the  jail.  When  first 
discovered  it  had  spread  throughout  the 
building  between  the  ceiling  and  walls 
and  had  reached  the  roof.  After  brave 
exertions  to  save  the  building  on  the  part 
of  some  present,  and  hard  work  in  re- 
moving part  of  its  contents,  it  was  found 
that  the  edifice  was  doomed,  and  all  hands 
turned  to  and  carried  out  the  county  books, 
papers,  records  and  furniture,  and  soon  but 
little  was  left  but  the  empty  shell,  which 
lasted  but  a  short  time.  Several  other  build- 
ings in  the  same  block  suifered  at  the  same 
time  being  all  swallowed  up  by  the  flames. 
Immediately  after  the  fire  the  county  officers 
took  up  their  quarters  temporarily  in  a  wagon 
shop,  formerly  occupied  by  B.  Bundsho. 

On  the  12th  of  the  same  month,  a  spe- 
cial session  of  the  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners was  held  at  Wilton,  for  the  purpose 
of  providing  a  suitable  place  for  the  county 
offices  and  records,  and  in  which  to  transact 
public  business.  There  were  present  at  this 
meeting  :  R.  F.  Stevens,  chairman  ;  John  S. 
McKune,  Robert  Earl,  William  Byron  and 
John  Buckhout.  They  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  rent  a  building  for  their  use,  but 
they  reported  that  but  one  place  could  be 
rented,  and  that  was  one  owned  by  G.  P. 
Johnson,  who  wanted  $250  per  year  for  it. 
Thereupon  the  board  appointed  another  com- 
mittee to  see  for  what  price  they  could  pur- 
chase a  building.  This  consisted  of  John 
Buckhout,  Robert  Earl  and  J.  S.  McKune. 
After  a  time  they  returned  and  reported  that 
the  building  formerly  occupied  by  John  Win- 
ters could  be  bought  for  $.500,  whereupon 
the  chairman  was  empowered  to  complete 
the  purchase  of  the  same  and  pay  for  it  out 


of  the  insurance  money  that  would  be  re- 
ceived for  the  old  courthouse.  This  was  ac- 
cordingly done,  and  the  old  building  fitted 
up  for  use  until  such  time  as  the  county  could 
or  would  erect  a  proper  edifice,  and  the  county 
officers  moved  into  it. 

This  was  in  use  when.,  in  January,  1870, 
W.  C.  Young,  the  representative  from  this 
county  in  the  State  Legislature,  presented  a 
bill  authorizing  the  voters  of  the  village  of 
Waseca  to  vote  for  or  against  the  issue  of 
bonds  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  suitable 
buildings  for  the  use  of  the  county.  The  act 
was  passed  and  signed  by  the  Governor  in 
February,  1870.  Under  this  act,  the  board 
of  village  trustees  presented  to  the  legal  vot- 
ers of  Waseca  the  following  resolution,  to  be 
balloted  on  either  for  its  acceptance  or  rejec- 
tion.    Omitting  the  preamble  it  read  thus : 

"  That  ...  the  bonds  of  the  village  of 
Waseca,  with  interest  coupons  attached,  be 
issued  for  the  purpose  named  in  the  act,  in 
the  sum  of  $5,000,  and  bearmg  annual  inter- 
est at  the  rate  of  12  per  centum. 

"  That  the  denominations  of  such  bonds, 
and  the  time  or  times  when  the  same  shall 
be  payable,  be  such  as  this  board  may  here- 
after direct. 

"  Provided,  that  no  bond  shall  be  issued 
running  more  than  ten  years  from  the  date 
thereof." 

Accordingly,  at  the  March  election  the 
people  of  the  villjige  gave  a  hearty  asserit  to 
the  matter,  and  the  courthouse  was  built 
during  that  summer.  During  its  erection 
considerable  discussion  went  on  about  the 
new  building,  the  enemies  of  the  village  say- 
ing that  Waseca  was  only  going  to  rent  the 
building  to  the  county,  if  the  county-seat 
was  changed  there,  and  other  remarks  of 
that  nature.  But  the  people  of  the  growing 
railroad  town  went  on  with  their  work,  and 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  it  was  completed. 

This  being  done  the  trustees  of  the  village 
executed  a  warrantee  deed  of  conveyance  to 
the  county,  of  the  grounds  and  buildings, 
the  only  condition  of  the  gift  being  that  the 


494 


HISTOEY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


people  of  the  county,  at  the  fall  election, 
would  locate  the  county-seat  at  the  village  of 
"Waseca,  and  use  the  building  as  a  courthouse. 

Then  the  fun  began,  Janesville  entering 
the  contest  as  an  aspirant  for  the  honor  of 
being  the  shire  town.  Aspersions  and  def- 
amations were  as  freely  bandied  back  and 
forth  as  if  they  were  the  most  honied  com- 
pliments. As  a  specimen  of  the  literature  of 
the  times  the  following  is  quoted  from  a 
newspaper  article,  of  that  eventful  summer : 

"  Some  fellows  at  Wilton  got  up  an  elec- 
tioneering document,  which  appeared  at  this 
place  on  Thursday  last,  which  is  remarkable 
mostly  on  account  of  its  great  length  and 
breadth,  and  dearth  of  truth.  It  is  not 
worth  while  to  expend  any  time  over  the 
gramraarless  jargon  and  senseless  twaddle 
which  it  contains  about  the  county-seat,  but 
it  contains  one  broad  falsehood  which  it 
may  be  as  well  to  simply  deny  ;  namely, 
that  the  people  of  Waseca  are  trying  to  kill 
off  the  other  villages  of  the  county."  After 
showing  the  folly  of  that  course  of  proceed- 
ing, and  disclaiming  any  intent  at  all  in  that 
direction,  the  article  concludes  thus :  "  But 
no  sensible  man  wants  to  pull  down  any 
locality,  and  the  soul  that  cannot  desire  the 
prosperity  of  the  whole  county,  could  easily 
find  room  inside  a  flea's  bladder  for  a  cotil- 
lion party." 

But  any  vituperation,  abuse  or  chicanery 
could  not  alter  the  inevitable,  and  at  the  resu- 
lar  election,  iield  on  the  Sth  of  jSTovember, 
1870,  the  people  of  the  county  agreed  to  ac- 
cept the  offer  of  the  village  of  Waseca,  take 
the  courthouse  and  remove  the  county-seat 
to  that  town.     The  following  is  the  vote  : 

For  the  removal  of  the  county-seat 870 

Against  the  removal 6.53 

Majority  in  favor  of  removal 217 

It  was  hoped  that  on  the  decision  of  the 
majority  for  the  re-location  of  the  county- 
seat  at  Waseca,  that  the  matter  would  end 
there,  but  it  seems  that  some  parties  inter- 
ested in  its  retention  at  Wilton  intended  to 
contest  the  matter  in  the  courts,  and  to  save 


a  long,  bitter  and  expensive  lawsuit,  the 
people  of  Waseca,  with  the  full  cooperation 
of  most  of  the  county  officers,  took  measures 
to  learn  the  result  of  the  election  at  an 
early  hour.  About  10  o'clock  on  the 
evening  of  the  election  the  matter  was  def- 
initely known,  and  men  and  teams  were 
started  for  Wilton  to  assist  the  officers  in  re- 
moving the  county  property  to  the  new 
county -seat.  Arriving  there  about  1  o'clock 
the  records,  books,  papers  and  other  prop- 
erty of  the  county  Avas  loaded  at  once  on 
the  wagons  and  taken  to  the  new  seat  of 
justice,  in  the  village  of  AVaseca.  This  was 
with  the  exception  of  the  county  auditor's 
office.  Warren  Smith,  who  had  been  ap- 
pointed auditor,  refused  to  move  the  office 
in  the  night,  but  transferred  it  the  next  day 
to  its  new  quarters. 

In  its  issue  of  November  9,  1870,  the  fol- 
fowing  item  appeared  in  the  columns  of  the 
Waseca  News,  under  the  caption,  "  The 
County-seat  Has  Come :" 

"  At  an  early  hour  this  morning,  the  sound 
of  music  by  the  band  and  the  huzzas  of  the 
people,  aroused  our  slumbering  (?)  citizens  and 
it  was  soon  ascertained  that  the  register  of 
deeds,  the  clerk  of  the  court,  the  sheriff  and 
the  treasurer  had  moved  their  books,  papers 
and  recoixls  from  the  rotten  old  hulk  at 
Wilton  to  the  new  county-seat  of  Waseca 
County,  and  '  set  up  shop '  at  the  new  and 
elegant  courthouse  in  this  place. 

"The  'thing  is  did.'  That  big  lawsuit 
over  the  removal  of  the  county-seat  will  be 
held  at  Waseca — when  it  comes  off. 

"Any  one  having  business  at  the  county- 
seat  will  find  the  'machine'  in  full  blast  at 
the  courthouse." 

Some  of  the  more  hasty  of  the  partisans 
of  Wilton,  feeling  aggrieved,  both  at  the 
re-location  of  the  county-seat  and  the  hasty 
removal  of  the  records,  etc.,  to  the  new  court- 
house, threatened  a  contest  at  law,  but  on 
due  reflection  gave  it  up,  as  it  was  useless  to 
attempt  to  override  the  decision  of  so  large 
a  majority  of  the  qualified  electors  of  the 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


495 


county,  and  the  prosecution  was  abandoned. 
Considerable  asperity  was  engendered  be- 
tween the  rival  towns  and  their  faction,  but 
time,  the  great  ameliorator  of  such  disputes, 
has  wiped  it  all  away,  most  of  the  Wiltonites 
having  removed  to  Waseca  or  Janesville. 

The  present  courthouse  which  was  thus 
donated  to  the  county,  is  a  fine  brick  sti'uct- 
ure  40x50  feet  in  size  on  the  ground,  and  two 
stories  in  height.  The  first  floor  contains 
four  oflBces,  two  on  each  side  of  a  corridor 
that  extends  through  the  entire  building 
froni  east  to  west.  From  the  west  end  of 
this  hall  wa}'  there  extends  a  flight  of  stairs 
which  leads  to  the  courtroom  in  the  second 
story.  The  building  is  a  good  specimen  of 
the  architecture  of  the  present  day,  with  but 
little  ornamentation,  but  substantial  in 
appearance.  In  the  rear  of  the  office  occu- 
pied by  the  register  of  deeds  is  a  capacious 
vault,  that  holds  all  the  records,  books  and 
papers  of  the  county. 

CODNTY  JAIL. 

The  board  of  county  commissioners,  on 
January  7, 1875,  passed  a  resolution,  asking 
the  necessary  authority  to  issue  the  bonds  of 


the  county,  in  a  sum  not  to  exceed  $10,000, 
to  raise  the  funds  with  which  to  build  a 
jail,  and  to  levy  a  tax  to  meet  the  payments 
on  the  said  bonds.  After  some  delay,  the 
authority  being  granted,  the  auditor  was,  Jan- 
uary 4, 1878,  by  order  of  the  board,  author- 
ized to  advertise  for  bids  for  the  erection  of 
the  building. 

On  March  20  the  various  bids  were 
opened,  and  it  was  found  that  W.  B.  Craig  & 
Co.,  whose  bid  was  for  $9,334,  were  the  lowest 
and  the  contract  was  accordingly  let  to 
them,  they  agreeing  to  finish  the  building  bj"^ 
October  1,  1878.  Work  was  at  once  com- 
menced, and  the  building  soon  began  to 
assume  shape  under  the  supervision  of  C. 
G.  Maybury,  of  Winona,  the  architect.  The 
jail  was  completed  on  time  and  accepted  by 
the  board  of  county  commissioners,  who  were 
so  Avell  pleased  that  the}'  passed  the  following 
resolution  at  a  session  held  October  14, 1878: 

'•'■  Besolved,  That  C.  G.  Mayburj%  architect, 
is  entitled  to  the  thanks  of  Waseca  County 
for  his  ability  and  diligence  displayed  in 
drawing  plans  and  specifications  for,  and  in 
superintending  the  erection  of,  the  jail  build- 
ing in  this  county." 


CHAPTER  X. 


JOURNALISM. 


ASECA  County  is  well  supplied 
with  newspapers,  and  no  county 
in  the  State  has  been  more  bene- 
fited by  this  means.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  select  a  county  in  the 
Northwest  more  widely  known 
than  Waseca,  and  this  fact  can  be 
directly  attributed  to  its  local  papers,  which 
have,  week  after  week,  month  after  month 
and  year  after  year,  continued  to  spread  in- 
telligence and  record  events  relating  to  this 
locality. 

The  pioneer  journal  of  Waseca  County 
was 

THE  HOME  VIEWS. 

This  paper,  a  small  six-column  folio,  first 
made  its  appearance  at  Wilton,  then 
the  county  seat,  on  the  13th  of  March, 
1860.  It  was  edited  by  J.  W.  Crawford, 
but  was  published  by  A.  B.  Cornell,  of 
Owatonna.  Thus  it  ran  for  awhile,  but  in 
the  fall  of  the  same  year  the  publication  of 
the  paper  was  transferred  to  the  office  of 
the  Central  RepuUican,  at  Faribault.  About 
this  time  W.  T.  Kittredge  became  associated 
with  Mr.  Crawford  in  the  editorial  manage- 
ment, and  under  their  joint  efforts  it  was 
kept  running  until  the  latter  part  of  the 
year  1860,  when  it  passed  away  into  that 
land  that  has  received  so  many  journalistic 
ventures. 

THE  WASECA    HOME  VIEWS. 

About  the  1st  of  March,  1861,  Alexander 
Johnston  and  S.  J.  Willis  commenced  the 
paper  with  the  above  iieading.  It  was 
a  seven  column  folio,  and  printed  on 
their  own  press  at  Wilton,  really  the  first 
paper  printed  in  the  county.     Here  they  ran 


the  Home  Views  until  in  the  fall  of  1861, 
when  they  removed  the  press  and  material 
to  Faribault,  though  still  publishing  the 
Home  Views  from  that  place.  In  the  latter 
part  of  October,  1863,  Alexander  Johnston 
became  the  sole  proprietor,  and,  removing  it 
entirely  to  Faribault,  changed  its  politics  to 
Democratic. 

THE  WASECA  COUEIEE. 

A  small  paper  with  the  above  name  was 
started  in  the  town  of  Wilton,  early  in  1863, 
the  initial  number  bearing  date  of  January 
21.  It  was  a  five  column  folio  edited  by 
John  C.  Ide,  but  printed  at  Owatonna,  by 
Mrs.  A.  B.  Cornell,  at  first,  but  later  by  L. 
H.  Kelley.  It  had  but  a  sickly  existence  at 
best,  and  about  the  first  of  December  of  the 
same  year  that  saw  its  birth,  it  died. 

WILTON    WEEKLY    NEWS. 

About  the  beginning  of  November,  1863, 
the  press  and  other  material  that  had  been 
used  to  print  the  Home  Views,  at  Faribault, 
became  the  property  of  H.  D.  Baldwm,  then 
a  resident  of  Wilton,  who  determined  to  util- 
ize it.  James  Mowatt  was  employed  as 
printer  and  publisher  and  James  E.  Child  as 
editor.  On  the  8th  day  of  December,  1863, 
the  first  issue  of  the  Wilton  WeeMy  News 
made  its  appearance.  It  was  a  small,  six 
column  folio,  and  Republican  in  politics.  At 
the  close  of  a  year,  the  press  and  outfit  of 
the  office  were  purchased  by  Mr.  Child,  the 
editor,  who  assumed  entire  control.  On  the 
8th  of  March,  1866,  the  jJajjer  was  enlarged 
to  a  seven  column  folio,  in  which  form  itcon- 
tmued  for  many  years.  This  journal  continued 
to  be  published  at  Wilton,  until  the  latter  part 


49ti 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


497 


of  October,  1867,  when  the  office  was  re- 
moved to  "Waseca,  then  a  new  town,  laid  out 
on  the  coming  of  the  "Winona  &  St.  Peter 
Railroad.  On  its  arrival  here  the  name  was 
changed,  and  it  made  its  appearance  as  the 

WASECA   NEWS. 

Mr.  Child  continued  the  sole  propi-ietor  un- 
til in  November,  1868,  when  "William  J. 
Graham,  formerly  of  Brownsville,  Pa.,  pur- 
chased a  half  interest  in  the  JVews,  thus 
forming  the  firm  of  Child  &  Graham.  The 
first  issue  under  the  new  copartnership  bears 
the  date  of  November  i,  and  contains  a  no- 
tice to  the  public  of  the  change,  signed  by 
Mr.  Child,  marking  out  the  future  course  of 
the  paper,  and  formally  introducing  his  part- 
ner to  the  patrons  of  the  JVews.  He  concludes 
in  the  following  words : 

"  "We  (i.  e.  '  Pat')  are  already  a  fixture  of 
this  section.  You  all  know  us  —  at  least  you 
know  the  hard  side  of  us.  You  know,  too, 
that  we  have  made  the  Neivs  live,  notwith- 
standing hard  times,  and  some  pretty  strong 
opposition.  "We  shall  continue  our  efforts  to 
make  it  one  of  the  most  reliable  and  spicy 
of  the  many  good  papers  of  the  "West.  "We 
shall  continue  to  battle  for  the  right,  and 
against  the  wrong.  We  shall  work  for  the 
building  up  of  the  whole  country.  "We  shall 
work  particularly  for  the  advancement  of 
the  State  of  Minnesota,  and  forever  herald 
forth  the  praises  of  "Waseca  County,  believ- 
ing, as  we  tlo,  that  God  hath  not  made  a 
better  spot  —  all  things  considered  —  any- 
where on  this  great  earth." 

Mr.  Graham,  in  the  same  number,  makes 
his  salutatory  to  the  people  of  the  county,  in 
a  bold,  manly  style.  In  speaking  of  the 
political  course  of  the  paper,  he  said : 

"  Eeared  in  the  political  faith  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  we  shall  give  it  an  earnest 
and  consistent  support,  recognizing  its  prin- 
ciples as  being  founded  on  truth  and  right, 
having  for  its  ends  the  elevation  of  mankind, 
tlie  perpetuity  of  the  union  on  an  enduring 
basis,  and  the  fulfillment  of  all  national  obli- 


gations according  to  the  spirit  and  letter  of 
the  law.  "While  we  shall  render  true  alle- 
giance to  the  great  principles  of  the  party, 
we  claim  the  right  to  criticise  the  acts  of  our 
leaders,  and  to  express  freely  and  candidly 
our  opinion  on  all  questions  of  the  day. 
'  "With  malice  toward  none,  with  charity  to- 
ward all,'  we  shall  seek  to  do  our  dutj'  at 
all  times,  '  unawed  by  influence  and  unbribed 
by  gain.'  As  the  sum  of  our  political  action 
we  accept  the  Augustine  maxim  :  '  In  essen- 
tials, unity  ;  in  non-essentials,  liberty  ;  in  all 
things,  charity.' " 

In  October,  1869,  Mr.  Graham  assumed 
the  greater  burden  of  the  editorial  work  of 
the  office.  On  the  31st  of  May,  1871,  he 
severed  his  connection  with  the  News,  which 
then  passed  into  the  hands  of  J.  E.  Child  as 
sole  proprietor.  Just  previous  to  the  change 
the  form  of  the  paper  was  altered  to  that  of 
a  six  column  quarto. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  1871,  John  F.  Mur- 
phy became  associated  with  Mr.  Child  in  the 
News,  and  was  connected  with  this  journal 
until  the  29th  of  May,  1872,  when  the  name 
of  Mr.  Child  appears  alone  at  the  head  of 
the  paper.  This  well-known  gentleman  con- 
tinned  at  the  head  of  the  News  until  Janu- 
ary 6,  1875,  when  he  changed  the  name  of 
the  paper  to  that  of  the 

MINNESOTA    RADICAL, 

and  made  it  the  organ  of  the  temperance  and 
prohibition  movement.  Its  motto  was  "  tem- 
perance, anti-monopoly,  anti-corruption,  and 
a  new  party — the  Radical  Reform  party." 
The  stated  object  of  this  change  was  to  en- 
large the  field  of  his  paper,  making  it  a  State 
journal  and  making  it  the  champion  of  the 
above  causes.  In  the  first  number  the  editor 
thus  speaks: 

"  This  paper  will  aim  to  be  radically  right 
on  all  questions  of  public  policy  and  will 
advocate  the  truth  about  men,  parties  and 
principles.  Some  of  the  old  ])arty  papers 
will  j^robably  insist  that  the  liadical  is  a 
'crazy'  sheet,  but  as  that  is  the  argument 


498 


HI8T0KT   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


which  has  been  used  against  every  reform 
movement  since  tlie  ^yorld  began,  our  friends 
should  not  be  alarmed." 

In  May,  1878,  Walter  Child,  a  son  of  the 
proprietor,  became  associated  in  the  publica- 
tion of  the  paper,  the  elder  Mr.  Child  still 
havine:  editorial  control.  In  October,  the 
same  year,  W.  W.  Satterlee,  then  candidate 
for  governor  on  the  temperance  ticket,  be- 
came joint  editor  of  the  Radical,  although 
he  had  no  pecuniary  interest  therein,  it  being 
brought  about  b}'  the  consolidation  of  the 
Liberty  Blade,  of  Minneapolis,  with  the  Radi- 
cal. The  united  papers  were  printed  simul- 
taneously at  Waseca  and  Minneapolis,  and 
was  the  exponent  of  the  temperance  and  anti- 
monopoly  cause.  Under  these  auspices  the 
Radical  and  Liberty  Blade  continued  until 
July,  1880,  when  it  was  purchased  by  William 
G.  Ward,  then  a  candidate  for  congressional 
honors,  tie  restored  the  old  name  of  Min- 
nesota Radical,  or  rather  cut  off  the  name  of 
Liberty  Blade  from  it,  and  changed  its  politics 
to  that  of  the  Republican  party.  For  a  short 
time  he  continued  to  edit  the  paper  himself, 
but  afterward  employed  E.  B.  Collester  as 
editor,  who  continued  to  occupy  the  editorial 
chair  until  August,  1881,  when  the  paper  was 
purchased  by  C.  E.  Graham,  the  present  pro- 
prietor. About  a  year  after  becoming  its 
owner,  Mr.  Graham   cUanged  the  name  to 

THE  WASECA  RADICAL, 

under  which  head  it  is  now  known.  On  the 
9th  day  of  September,  1885,  the  journal 
made  its  appearance  as  a  six  column  quarto, 
in  a  new  dress,  and  is  a  neat  and  tasty  ex- 
hibition of  the  printer's  skill. 

Clarence  E.  Graham,  the  editor  and  proprie- 
tor of  the  Waseca  Radical,  was  born  at  Wind- 
sor, Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  December  22, 
1841,  and  is  a  son  of  John  L.  and  Emma  L. 
(Hermans)  Graham.  His  father  comes  of  a 
noted  Scottish  house,  and  his  mother  is  of 
German  descent.  C.  E.  was  reared  in  the 
county  of  his  birth  until  February,18tJ0,when 
he  went  to  Perryville,  Perry  County,  Mo., 
where  he  engaged  as  carpenter  onthe  court 


house  then  building,and  while  there,saw  what 
they  termed  Lincoln  men  ridden  upon  a  rail 
for  their  opinion's  sake.  In  the  winter  of 
1860^61,  he  was  taken  sick  and  returned  to 
New  York,  where  he  did  a  little  work  on  the 
farm.  In  the  spring  of  1862,  his  father  and 
brother  came  west  to  Minnesota,  and  he  and 
his  mother  followed  the  same  fall,  all  locat- 
ing in  Houston  Count}'.  In  1863,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  D,  Second  Wisconsin  Cavalry, 
known  as  Washburn's  Cavalry,  and  remained 
in  the  service  until  December  12, 1865,  when 
he  was  mustered  out  and  came  to  Waseca 
County.-  January  9,  1866,  he  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Freedom  Township,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1873.  He  then  removed  to  the 
village  of  Janesville  and  established  the 
Argus,  and  was  made  postmaster  of  the  vil- 
lage. He  continued  at  the  head  of  this  paper 
until  1881,  when  he  disposed  of  it  to  J.  A. 
Henry,  the  present  owner,  and  came  to 
Waseca,  and  in  August  of  that  year  pur- 
chased the  Radical  and  has  been  engaged  in 
editing  it  ever  since.  January  3,  1869,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Rocepha  Helen 
Stone,  a  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Ann  (Com- 
stock)  Stone.  They  are  the  parents  of  four 
children :  Aretas  Earl,  Frederick  Comstock, 
Clarence  Charles  and  George  Stone.  Mr. 
Graham  is  a  member  of  McKune  Post,  No. 
27,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  As  a 
writer  Mr.  Graham  has  an  easy,  graceful 
style,  and  conducts  his  paper  in  an  able  and 
business-like  manner. 

WILTON   COUEANT. 

After  the  removal  of  the  JVews  from  Wil- 
ton to  Waseca,  in  the  fall  of  1867,  the  county- 
seat  was  left  without  a  newspaper,  and  so 
continued  until  the  spring  of  1869.  On  the 
6th  of  March  of  that  year  the  initial  number 
of  the  Wilton  Courant  made  its  appearance, 
with  the  name  of  W.  D.  Palmer  at  its  head 
as  editor.  After  but  two  issues  had  been 
printed  A.  J.  Clark's  name  was  substituted, 
and  under  his  editorial  management  the 
paper  continued  until  with  the  number  bear- 
ing date    of  August  17,   1869,  the   venture 


/Z^T-^^bM 


S.  S4z^^ 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    CDUNTY. 


501 


came  to  an  end.  The  outfit  of  the  office 
was  removed  to  Sherburne  County,  this 
State. 


LANTERN. 


An  advertising  sheet  with  the  above  name 
was  issued  at  Janes ville,  October  25,  1871, 
by  H.  P.  Paclvard,  of  that  village.  It  was 
not  a  newspaper  in  the  true  sense  of  the 
word,  being  printed  for  general  distribution. 
Only  a  few  numbers  were  issued. 

THE  INDEPENDENT. 

A  paper  was  established  at  the  village  of 
Jauesville  during  the  spring  of  1873,  with 
the  above  name.  The  citizens  of  that  place, 
desiring  a  journal  of  their  own,  ]Hirchased 
the  press  and  material  for  an  office,  and  sold 
the  same  to  John  L.  Barlow,  taking  there- 
for, a  chattel  mortgage  as  security.  After 
about  twelve  papers  had  been  issued,  the 
people  becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  way  it 
was  conducted,  closed  the  affair  up  under 
the  mortgage  and  brought  the  paper  to  a 
stand-still. 

THE  KECOKD. 

In  the  fall  of  1873  a  paper  was  published 
at  the  village  of  "Waseca,  under  the  above 
title,  the  initial  number  bearing  date  of 
October  14,  with  "W.  J.  Graham  as  proprie- 
etor,  and  Graham  &  Carman  editors.  It  was 
a  three  column  folio,  and  neatly  gotten  up. 
On  the  15th  of  November  following,  Mr 
Graham's  name  was  taken  from  the  head  of 
the  columns,  A.  H.  Carman  continuing  to 
act  as  editor  until  the  following  spring,  when 
it  suspended.  The  material  was  sold  to  the 
Kasson  Repuhlican  and  moved  to  that  city. 
Mr.  Carman  is  now  engaged  in  preaching  at 
St.  Charles,  Minn. 

JANESVILLE    ARGUS. 

This  venture  in  the  newspaper  world  first 
saw  the  light  in  the  fall  of  1873.  The  Inde- 
^endeni,then  published  at  the  village  of  Janes- 
ville,  not  meeting  the  expectations  of  those 
interested,  C.  E.  Graham,  although  without 
in 


any  previous  knowledge  of  journalism,  under- 
took to  establish  a  paper  at  that  point.  Pur- 
chasing an  outfit,  on  the  2d  of  November 
he  issued  the  first  number  of  the  Argus.  It 
was  a  neatly  printed  and  well  gotten  up 
sheet,  five-column  quarto  in  size,  and  justly 
met  the  approbation  of  the  people  of  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  county.  Mr.  Gra- 
ham continued  to  occupy  the  editorial  chair 
and  remained  sole  proprietor  until  August, 
1881,  when  he  purchased  the  "Waseca  Radi- 
cal, and  disposed  of  the  Argus  to  John  A. 
Henry,  the  present  proprietor. 

J.  A.  Henry,  the  editor  and  proprietor  of 
the  Janesville  Argus,  is  a  native  of  Crawford 
County,  Pa.,  born  May  25,  1855,  and  is 
the  son  of  J.  N.  and  Diana  (Merchant) 
Henry.  When  he  was  quite  small  his  par- 
ents removed  to  the  State  of  New  York, 
where  they  remained  until  1872,  when  they 
came  to  Blue  Earth  County,  locating  near 
Mankato.  Mr.  Henry,  the  elder,  was  both  a 
graduate  in  medicine  and  a  Methodist  min- 
ister,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Anoka,  Minn., 
where  he  is  engaged  solely  in  healing  bodies. 
Before  J.  A.  left  New  York,  he  attended 
the  Griffith  Institute  at  Springville  for  a  term 
and  after  coming  to  Minnesota  he  attended 
the  State  normal  school  at  Mankato  for 
three  terms.  Later,  he  commenced  the  study 
of  law  with  S.  D.  Crump,  then  of  Janesville, 
meantime  acting  as  clerk  in  the  postoffice 
here,  and  absorbing  aU  the  knowledge  of 
local  newspaper  that  he  could  from  C.  E. 
Graham,  who  was  then  postmaster  and  ed- 
itor of  the  Argus.  "When  the  latter  moved 
to  Waseca  in  1881,  Mr.  Henry  purchased  the 
paper  and  has  since  continued  to  manipulate 
the  editorial  pen,  and  control  its  entire 
machinery.  In  the  fall  of  1881  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  and  held  that  office  until 
March,  1887,  when  Mr.  Tefft  was  appointed, 
although  Mr.  Henry  still  has  charge  of  the 
office  as  deputy.  Mr.  ■Henry  holds  strictly 
to  the  Republican  principles,  but  in  local 
matters  supports  the  man  for  the  place, 
rather  than  party. 


502 


HISTORY    or  WASECA   COIJNTT. 


WASECA   LEADER. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1876  T.  F.  Hollister 
came  to  the  village  of  Waseca  from  Chip- 
pewa Falls,  Wis.,  and  instituted  the  paper 
with  the  above  name.  The  first  number  Avas 
issued  on  the  8th  of  April,  1876.  Mr.  Hol- 
lister is  said  to  have  been  a  Democrat,  but 
on  coming  here  commenced  the  publication 
of  a  Republican  sheet.  This  paper  contin- 
ued in  his  hands  until  May  7,  1880,  when  it 
was  sold  to  G.  W.  Morse  and  A.  F.  Booth, 
who  consolidated  it  with  the  Herald,  the 
material  of  the  ofBce  being  removed  to 
Sparta,  Wis. 

WASECA    HERALD. 

In  the  fall  of  1877  Lem.  Eeeves  and  A.  J. 
Fullerton  commenced  the  publication  of  this 
live  paper.  The  initial  number  was  issued 
October  5.  It  was  a  seven  column  folio, 
and  straight  Republican  in  politics.  Reeves 
was  a  young  man  who  had  been  reared  at 
McGregor,  Iowa,  learning  his  trade  as  print- 
er in  the  office  of  tlie  North  Iowa  Times  of 
that  place.  For  a  year  the  paper  was  an 
"all  at  home  printed"  sheet,  but  on  the  4th 
of  October,  1878,  the  form  was  changed  to 
that  of  an  eight  column  folio  with  "patent 
inside."  In  December  of  the  same  year  Mr. 
Fullerton  retired  from  the  firm,  and  the  sole 
management  fell  upon  Mr.  Reeves.  Becom- 
ing involved  in  some  libel  suits,  on  the  2d  of 
May,  1879,  he  disposed  of  the  paper  and 
office  to  G.  F.  Booth,  who  on  the  1st  of 
July  following  associated  with  himself,  in 
the  control  of  the  paper,  H.  F.  Pond,  for- 
merly of  Trempealeau,  Wis.,  and  they,  under 
the  firm-name  of  Booth  &  Pond,  carried  on 
the  journal  until  April  23,  1880,  when  by 
the  retirement  of  Mr.  Pond,  Mr.  Bootli  again 
became  sole  owner.  On  tlie  7th  of  the  fol- 
lowing month  he  purchased  the  subscrip- 
tion lists  and  good-will  of  the  Leader,  and 
consolidated  it  with  his  own  paper,  and  at 
the  same  time  forming  a  copartnership  with 
G.  W.  Morse.  The  new  firm  was  of  but 
short  duration,  for  with  the  next  issue,  that 


of  May  14,  1880,  is  heralded  a  new  firm,  Mr. 
Booth  selling  his  interest  to  S.  M.  Rose,  late 
of  Mantorville,  the  firm  name  being  Rose  & 
Morse.  Under  the  management  of  these 
gentlemen  the  Herald  was  conducted  until 
March  13,  1883,  when  Mr.  Rose  died.  He 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  1832,  and 
had  come  to  Minnesota  in  1868,  locating,  at 
first,  in  Dodge  County,  where  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Abbie  F.  Bunker.  He  was 
a  practical  printer  of  ability,  and  was  early 
in  life  connected  with  the  journalism  of  this 
State.  Noted  for  his  energ}^,  honesty  of  pur- 
pose, and  general  integrity,  he  left  many 
friends.  After  his  death  his  widow  con- 
tinued with  Mr.  Morse  as  a  partner,  and  the 
latter  as  editor,  to  conduct  the  paper  until 
Decembei',  1883,  when  John  F.  Murphy  pur- 
chased her  interest,  forming  the  new  firm 
of  Morse  &  Murphy.  On  the  15th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1885,  James  E.  Child,  the  former  well- 
known  editor  of  the  News,  and  later  of  the 
Radical,  became  the  owner  of  the  interest 
of  Mr.  Morse.  Owing,  however,  to  the  fact 
that  Mr.  Child  could  not  yet  give  his  atten- 
tion to  his  editorial  duties,  Mr.  Morse  con- 
sented to  act  as  such  until  such  time  as,  for- 
mer businesses  being  settled,  Mr.  Child  could 
again  take  up  the  "  broken  thread  of  life's 
duties"  in  the  sanctum.  In  the  issue  of  De- 
cember 4  following,  we  find  this  greeting  to 
his  friends,  over  the  signature  of  the  incoming- 
editor,  and  under  the  heading  "  Back  Again  ": 
"The  vindersigned,  having  spent  the  last 
five  years  as  a  Jackson  County  granger,  and 
made  a  fortune  {^)  by  tilling  the  soil,  returns 
to  his  'first  love' — the  rich  hunting-grounds 
of  the  Le  Sueur  Valley — and  among  his  old 
friends  and  neighbors,  and  again  takes  up 
the  editorial  pencil  for  better  or  worse.  The 
kind  greeting  and  friendly  words  which 
meet  him  on  every  hand,  encourage  him  to 
again  commence  the  difficult  task  of  editing 
a  newspaper.  The  Herald^  so  far  as  the 
writer  shall  be  able  to  aid  in  its  publication, 
will  continue  to  be  a  first-class  local  news- 
paper, and  will  put  forth  every  effort  to  ad- 


HISTOET    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


503 


vance  the  local  interests  of  this  city  and 
county.  Politically  it  will  be  aboi;t  as  inde- 
pendent and  outspoken  as  any  newspaper  in 
this  newspaper  land  of  ours.  '  With  charity 
for  the  erring,  and  malice  toward  none,'  the 
writer  invites  the  cooperation  of  every  citi- 
zen to  aid  in  making  this  paper  the  Herald 
of  news,  and  the  promoter  of  education,  in- 
dustry and  sobriety." 

Under  the  firm  name  of  Child  &  Murphy 
the  Herald  has  continued  to  flourish,  and  it 
has  become  one  of  the  leading  journals  of 
this  portion  of  the  State  of  Minnesota. 

James  E.  Child,  the  veteran  journalist  of 
Waseca  County,  is  the  son  of  Zabina  and 
Orilla  (Rice)  Child  and  was  born  in  DeKalb, 
St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  December 
19, 1833.  His  father  was  a  carpenter  and 
joiner  by  trade,  and  worked  at  that  and 
farming.  In  the  spring  of  1834  the  family 
removed  to  Medina  County,  Ohio,  where 
they  remained  some  three  years  and  then 
returned  to  St.  Lawrence  County,  where  the 
head  of  the  familj'  purchased  a  small  farm 
on  which  they  remained  until  about  1843, 
when  they  again  returned  to  Ohio,  but  one 
year  later  emigrated  to  Dodge  County,  Wis., 
and  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  that 
region.  About  1854,  the  family  removed  to 
Outagamie  County,  Wis.,  near  Appleton. 
James  E.  taught  three  terms  of  school  in 
Wisconsin,  following  farming  in  the  sum- 
mer. In  September,  1864,  he  went  to  the 
pineries  of  the  great  Badger  State,  and  return- 
ing from  thence  in  December,  shortly  after- 
ward started  with  A.G.  Sutlief  for  Minnesota, 
as  detailed  elsewhere,  arriving  in  Waseca 
County,  February  2, 1855.  He  came  to  take 
charge  of  the  Sutlief  farm  and  stock,  which 
he  did,  taking  up  a  claim  for  himself,  how- 
ever, on  section  24  and  25,  putting  up  a 
shanty  in  the  fall  of  1855,  in  the  latter 
section.  He  remained  with  Sutlief  until 
November,  1855,  breaking  some  land  and 
cutting  some  hay  on  his  own  place  that 
summer,  however.  He  remained  on  this  farm 
until  the  spring  of  1863,  when  he  rented   it 


and  moved  to  Wilton  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  law.  Shortly  afterward  he  was 
appointed  deput\'  United  States  marshal, 
which  office  he  held  for  about  a  year.  In 
the  fall  of  1863  he  commenced  his  labors  as 
editor  of  the  paper  as  above  mentioned,  and 
has  been  in  the  journalistic  harness  nearly 
all  the  time  since.  In  the  fall  of  1867  he 
removed  to  Waseca,  where  he  practiced  law 
in  addition  to  his  editorial  duties,  and  has 
held  the  offices  of  county  attorney,  court 
commissioner,  superintendent  of  schools  and 
justice  of  the  peace,  besides  numerous  minor 
offices.  He  \\'as  elected  to  the  Legislature 
in  1860,  and  took  his  seat  in  the  Hid  Legis- 
lature in  January,  1861.  In  the  XlVth 
Legislature,  in  1872,  this  county  was  repre- 
sented in  the  Senate  by  Mr.  Child,  and  in 
the  lower  house  of  the  XVIth  Assembly, 
in  1874,  he  was  a  member.  He  represented 
the  district  composed  of  Martin  and  Jack- 
son counties  in  the  XXIIId  Legislature 
— 1883.  At  the  gubernatorial  election  held 
November  2, 1886,  James  E.  Child  was  the 
Prohibition  candidate  for  the  office  of  gov- 
ernor. On  April  19,  1856,  Mr.  Child  and 
Justina  Krassin  were  united  in  marriage,  and 
they  have  been  the  parents  of  eight  children  : 
Walter,  a  resident  of  Waseca ;  S.  M.,  now  in 
Jackson  County,  Minn.;  Annie,  now  Mrs.  F. 
A.  Wood,  of  Waseca;  Orilla,  now  Mrs. 
George  H.  Goodspeed,  of  the  same  place; 
Dora  M.,  a  teacher  in  Jackson  County,  this 
state;  George  E.,  at  home,  and  Avery  and 
Marcia,  deceased.  Mr.  Child  is  a  member  of 
Tuscan  Lodge,  No.  77,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons.  His  life  has  been  a  busy 
one,  and  while  he  has  "of  necessity"  made 
some  enemies,  he  has  a  host  of  warm  friends. 
A  keen  and  trenchant  writer,  he  is  extreme 
in  all  his  views  and  does  not  fear  to  give 
utterance  to  his  belief  on  all  occasions. 

John  Fiske  Murphy,  "  the  printer,"  is  a 
son  of  William  and  Sophia  (Fiske)  Murphy, 
and  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  January 
7,  1850.  His  father  was  a  native  of  county 
Armagh,   Ireland,   who  came    to   America 


504 


HISTORY    OP   WASECA   COUNTY. 


when  three    yeai's  old,  and    was  a  homeo- 
pathic 2)h\'sician,  a  graduate  of  the  Hahne- 
mann   College,    of  Philadelphia,  and   prac- 
ticed his  profession  in  that  city.  In  1857  the 
family  came  to  Minnesota   and  located    at 
Wilton,   after    stopping   a    few   months   in 
Steele  County.      Dr.  Murphy  did   not  live 
'long  after  coming  here,  dying  May  14,  1859. 
John  remained  at  Wilton  until  the  fall  of 
1862,  when  he  went  to  Iowa  with  Nathaniel 
Gai'land,  and  herded  sheep  for  him.   He  was 
but  a  boy,  but  the  oldest  of  the  children,  his 
elder  brother   having   died,   and  he  had  to 
hustle  to  help  support  the  family.   In  the  fall 
of  1863  he  returned  to  Wilton  and  entered  the 
office  of  the  Wilton  A'ews,  and  remained  until 
January,  1864,  when  he  went  to  Philadel- 
phia.     After  a  time   he  entered  the  office 
of  the  Daily  JVews,  of  that  cit}',  edited  b}' 
J.  li.   Flanegan,  as  proof -taker  and   copy- 
holder.     Afterward  he  was  employed  as  er- 
rand boy  in  the  toy  store  of  G.  A.  Schwartz, 
1008  Chestnut  street,  of  the  same  city.     He 
came  back  to  Wilton,  July  15, 1865,  and  went 
to  work  again  in  the  JVetos  office,  where  he 
remained  until  1869,  when  he  went  to  Daven- 
port, Iowa,  where  he  worked  on  the  Gazette. 
From  there  he  went  to  Monona  County,  Iowa, 
and  took  up  a  homestead  in  Grant  Town- 
ship, but  shortly  after  moved  to  Omaha,  and 
was  employed  on  the  RejnihUcan.     In  1870 
he  was  in  cliarge  of  the  mechanical  depart- 
ment of  the  Pilot,  of  Blair,  Neb.,  during  the 
summer,  and  from  there  returned  to  Omaha, 
where  he  ''held  cases''  on  the  Tribune,  and 
later  was  employed  in  a  job  office  in  that 
city.     In  1871  he  returned  to  AVilton,  and, 
after  a  short  time  spent  as   part  owner   of 
the  News  in  Waseca,  put  in  a  job  office,  the 
first  in  tliis  county,  he  being  the  first  to  bring 
a  job  press  to  Waseca  County.     This  was  a 
Liberty,  eighth  medium.     He  then  ran  a  Lib 
eral-Republicau-Democratic  campaign  sheet 
in  tlie  interest  of  Horace  Greeley  Democrats, 
and  sold  out  the  office  in  1873  to  W.  J.  Gra- 
ham, of  the  Record.     For  several  years  fol- 
lowing he  worked  at  his  trade  in  this  place. 


and  in  January,  1878,  went  to  Baltimore,  and 
had  charge  of  the  mechanical  department  of 
the  Presbyterian  Weekly,  of  Baltimore.  On 
March  5, 1879,  came  back  here,  and  worked  at 
his  trade  for  W.  G.  Ward,  who  was  running 
the  Radical.  In  the  fall  of  1881  he  rented 
the  office,  but,  on  finding  that  C.  E.  Graham 
wanted  to  buy  it,  canceled  his  lease  and 
worked  for  Mr.  Graham  for  a  year.  In  De- 
cember, 1883,  he  purchased  a  half  interest  in 
the  Herald,  and  has  been  connected  with 
that  paper  ever  since.  November  15,  1871, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Emma  J. 
Ililler,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Lydia  Hiller, 
and  they  have  one  child,  Martha  Inez,  born 
November  7, 1 872.  Mr.  Murphy  is  a  member 
of  Tuscan  Lodge,  No.  77,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  and  of  Waseca  Chapter, 
No.  26,  Eoyal  Arch  Masons. 

CHEONICLE. 

A  paper  bearing  the  above  name  was  estab- 
lished at  New  Eichland,  in  the  fall  of  1878, 
by  E.  P.  Child,  the  paper  being  published 
in  the  office  of  the  Radical,  at  Waseca.  It 
was  of  but  short  life,  lasting  only  some  six 
months. 

THE  TOWN  TALK. 

On  the  9th  of  October,  1879,  a  small,  three 
column  folio  paper,  under  the  above  heading 
was  issued  at  Waseca,  with  the  name  of  T. 
White  as  editor.  The  second  number  bear- 
ins  date  of  October  23,  seems  to  have  been 
the  work  of  several  hands,  and  this  was  the 
end  of  it. 

NEW   RICHLAND    REVIEW. 

An  eight  column  folio  paper  was  started 
in  the  fall  of  1884,  the  initial  number  bear- 
ing date  of  September  24.  It  was  published 
by  Morse  &  Murphy,  of  the  Herald,  with 
L.  M.  Paschall  as  local  editor,  and,  as  its 
name  of  New  Richland  Review  denotes,  was 
a  fair  exponent  of  the  business  of  that  thriv- 
ing town.  It  was  neatl}'  and  tastefully  got- 
ten up,  full  of  good  advertisements  and 
a  credit  to  any  village.  The  support  it 
drew,  however,  was  not  consonant  with  the 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COTJNTT. 


505 


wishes  of  the  publishers,  so  they  ceased  its 
issue,  on  the  7th  of  October,  1885. 

THE  NORTH  STAR. 

February  4,  1886,  witnessed  the  birth  of 
the  youngest  of  the  newspapers  of  Waseca 
County.  On  that  day,  at  the  village  of  New 
Eichland.  S.  K.  Gregg  and  M.  E.  Goodwin 
launched  this  paper  upon  the  journalistic 
sea.  In  their  salutatory  they  give  their 
reasons  for  establishing  the  new  ]iaper :  "  For 
the  purpose  of  deriving  some  pecuniary  ben- 
efit therefrom,  and  to  aid,  to  the  best  ability 
in  our  possession,  in  the  development  and 
prosperity  of  the  inhabitants  of  New  Rich- 
land and  the  vicinity."  The  pajjer  was  a 
neatly  gotten  up  five  column  quarto,  a  form 
which  it  still  preserves.  On  the  15th  of 
April,  1886,  Mr.  Goodwin  retired  from  the 
firm,  leaving  S.  K.  Gregg  the  sole  proprie- 
tor. In  August,  1887,  Mr.  Gregg  disposed 
of  his  interests  in  the  North  Star;  to  Bron- 
son  &  Holland,  and  with  O.  H.  Bronson,  in 
the  chair  editorial,  it  launches  out  on  its 
new  career,  with  renewed  life  and  with 
every  promise  of  a  successful  future.  The 
first  paper  issued  under  the  new  administra- 
tion bore  the  date  of  Septembers,  1887. 

O.  H.  Bronson,  the  editor  of  the  North 
Star,  is  a  native  of  "West  Monroe,  Oswego 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  was  born  September  17, 
1853.  In  1859  his  parents  removed  to 
Watertown,  Wis.,  where  be  was  reared.  He 
attended  the  usual  district  schools  and  the 


college  at  Ripon,  Wis.,  for  several  terms. 
His  father  was  interested  in  a  saw,  stave  and 
heading  mill  with  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Sanford,  and  he  remained  with  them  in  that 
business  until  he  had  2-eached  his  majority. 
He  then  started  out  for  himself  and  landed 
in  Chicago  ,  where  he  was  a  clerk  in  a  store 
for  five  years,  then  was  in  business  for  a 
short  time  on  his  own  account,  but  later 
went  on  the  road  selling  goods  for  Leonard, 
Thompson  &  Bates,  afterward  C.  T.  Leon- 
ard, of  Minneapolis.  In  March,  1887,  he 
came  to  New  Richland,  and  took  charge  of 
the  Washburn  House,  one  of  the  leading 
hotels,  which  he  is  still  running.  At  Hen- 
derson, Minn.,  December  17,  1882,  he  and 
Lois  M  Stearns  were  united  in  matrimonial 
bonds.  September  5,  1887,  Mr.  Bronson 
took  charge  of  the  North  Star,  in  connection 
with  Mr.  Holland,  and  is  the  present  editor. 
He  is  a  son  of  Royal  P.  and  Antoinette  Eliza 
(Duerden)  Bronson. 

NEW    YEAR. 

An  amateur  journal  bearing  the  name 
given  above  made  its  appearance  at  Waseca. 
January  1,  1877,  edited  by  Carl  and  Cad 
Young.  It  was  a  small  two  column  folio, 
well  printed  and  neatly  gotten  up.  It  was 
furnished  for  50  cents  a  year,  published  bi- 
weekly. It  was  of  but  a  short  life,  however, 
not  outlasting  the  cold  weather.  The  senior 
editor  is  now  the  deputy  auditor  of  Waseca 
Count}'. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


BENCH  AND  BAR. 


HE  fundamental  principle  under- 
lying all  law  has  been  recognized 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world. 
The  Divine  command  to  our 
first  parents,  "  In  the  day  thou 
eatest  thou  shalt  surely  die,"  is 
as  much  a  law  with  the  penalty 
for  its  violation  attached,  as  is  a 
statute  enacted  by  the  Legisla- 
ture of  a  State,  or  the  Confess  of 
the  United  States.  Man  in  a  state  of  semi- 
barbarism  had  but  httle  need  of  written  law, 
for  his  jrossessions  were  but  few  and  the  peo- 
ple so  scattered  as  to  make  courts  imprac- 
ticable. But  with  the  first  dawn  of  civiliza- 
tion, came  a  different  state  of  aifairs.  Trac- 
ing back  through  the  dim  corridors  of  time 
to  the  oldest  civilization  known,  that  of 
Egypt,  we  find  them  with  a  complete  code 
of  laws,  and  all  the  machinery  of  regularly 
appointed  courts.  And  from  thence  uj)  to 
the  present  time  courts  presided  over  b}' 
judges,  and  advocates  to  jirosecute  or  defend 
cases  have  always  existed  in  almost  every 
land  and  clime.  Almost  the  first  thine  in 
this  bright  land  of  ours  when  a  settlement  is 
made;  is  the  appointing  of  the  proper  law 
officers,  that  disputes  may  be  adjusted,  life 
and  property  be  protected,  and  criminals  be 
punished.  In  view  of  this  fact,  the  framers 
of  our  State  constitution  instituted  certain 
courts  of  justice,  each  with  well  defined 
powers.  Changes  have  been  constantly 
made  in  the  laws,  and  some  in  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  courts,  from  time  to  time,  but  the 
rights  of  all,  be  they  high  or  be  they  low, 
have  been  carefully  protected.  Some  of  the 
ablest  men  in  the  State  have  adorned  the 
bench  from  time  to  time.     In  many  a  court 


has  been  heard  the  brilliant  pleading  of  some 
legal  light  for  some  wrong  sustained  by  his 
client,  or  listened  to  the  scathing,  withering 
denunciation  of  some  criminal  act.  A  his- 
tory of  the  courts  of  a  county,  of  its  judges, 
and  of  its  lawyers,  is  an  important  compo-, 
nent  of  the  whole  and  should  not  be  neglected. 

THE  FIRST  LAWSUIT  IN  WASECA  COUNTY. 

The  first  lawsuit  in  what  is  now  "Waseca 
County,  took  place  in  the  summer  of  1856. 
The  history  of  the  case  was  about  as  follows : 
Two  brothers,  William  and  John  Jaques, 
came  here  from  Iowa,  some  time  in  June, 
and  made  a  pretense  of  looking  for  some 
government  land.  Their  first  camp  was  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Mr.  Sutlief's  cabin. 
They  were  eternally  asking  questions  about 
claims;  who  had  preempted;  who  claimed 
more  land  than  the  law  allowed ;  who  had 
claims  to  sell;  who  had  lived  up  to  the 
requirements  of  the  law,  and  who  had  not; 
and  numerous  others  of  the  same  tenor. 
Passing  along  through  the  settlement  they 
plied  these  questions  to  all  they  came  in 
contact  with.  In  what  is  now  St.  Mary 
Township  thej^  thought  the}'  found  just  the 
case  that  suited  them. 

It  seems  that  a  small  German  settlement 
had  been  made  here  in  1855,  and  among 
them,  one  Gotlieb  Prechel,  who  had  taken  a 
farm  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  below 
St.  Mary  village,  on  the  line  of  the  Win- 
nebago reservation.  During  the  winter 
of  1855-C,  he  had  entered  his  land  and  re- 
ceived his  papers  therefor.  During  the  sum- 
mer he  had  erected  a  log  cabin  and  broken 
up  some  five  or  ten  acres.  He  had  a  crop 
in,  and  was  fencing  it,  when  these  two  broth- 


506 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


507 


ers  came  that  way,  and  as  it  Avas  not  gener- 
ally known  that  Prechel  had  paid  for  the 
land,  and  judging  from  what  they  heard, 
they  determined  to  jump  this  claim.  Nobody 
but  a  Dutchman  claimed  it ;  he  could  be 
driven  or  frightened  off.  There  was  a  house 
ready  to  their  hands,  breaking  and  fencing 
begun ;  there  was  a  fine  piece  of  land,  prairie, 
timber  and  water ;  why  not  enter  into  pos- 
session. 

They  accordingly  moved  into  the  cabin, 
Mr.  Prechel,  on  account  of  the  proximity  of 
the  Indians  and  a  natural  timidity  on  the 
part  of  his  family,  not  having  yet  occupied 
it,  but  boarded  with  ilartin  Krassin,  three 
miles  distant.  As  soon  as  Prechel  heard 
of  the  unwarrantable  seizure  of  his  place,  in 
company  with  his  brother-in-law,  Krassin, 
took  a  team,  and  proceeding  to  the  farm, 
commenced  chopping  and  getting  out  fenc- 
ing. The  Jaques  boys  heard  the  sound  of 
the  axe,  and  soon  came  to  see  about  it,  and 
ordered  the  Germans  off  the  premises  rather 
roughh'.  Neither  of  the  Teutons  could  speak 
or  understand  much  English,  but  tried  hard 
to  make  the  intruders  understand  that  the 
land  was  theirs,  and  that  it  had  been  paid 
for.  This  they  would  not  believe,  or  failed 
to  catch  the  meaning  of,  and  again  ordered 
them  off.  Prechel,  being  a  timid  man,  kept 
quiet,  and  was  for  going  away  and  taking 
counsel  on  the  matter,  but  Martin  was  made 
of  a  sterner  stuff,  stood  boldly  to  the  front, 
and  in  turn  ordered  the  intruders  away,  as 
they,  Prechel  and  himself,  had  the  best  right 
there.  This  brought  on  hostilities,  John 
Jaques  immediately  making  an  assault  upon 
Krassin,  and  pounded  the  poor  German 
about  the  face  and  eyes,  that  soon  he  was 
hardly  able  to  see.  The  Germans  then  with- 
drew, and  being  quite  indignant,  started  off 
to  invoke  the  majesty  of  the  law.  John 
Jenkins,  then  justice  of  the  peace,  was  dul3' 
consulted,  -but  as  lawyers  were  then  an 
unknown  quantity  in  the  new  settlement, 
some  difficulty  was  had;  but  after  some 
study,  an  affidavit  to  the  facts  was  made. 


and  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  the  aggres- 
sors placed  in  the  hands  of  John  G.  Green- 
ing, then  actmg  constable,  who,  summoning 
a  posse,  started  for  the  apprehension  of  the 
culprits,  and  found  William  alone,  his  brother 
being  absent.  Going  to  a  neighbor's  they 
caught  sight  of  him,  but  he  fled.  They  pur- 
sued him  and  he  took  refuge  in  the  river. 
On  one  side  of  it  stood  the  posse,  on  the 
other  the  constable.  Being  ordered  to  sur- 
render he  refused,  whereupon  the  officer 
drew  a  pistol,  but  Jaques  threw  a  club  which 
he  had  in  his  hand  at  his  would-be  captor, 
who  shut  his  eyes  and  dodged.  Taking 
advantage  of  this,  Jaques  jumped  to  the 
land,rushed  past  the  constable,  and  took  to  the 
woods.  After  spending  some  time  in  search 
of  him,  the  discomfited  official  started  back, 
taking  "William  Jaques  with  him,  and 
brought  him  before  the  court.  But  he  being 
the  wrong  party,  was  discharged.  Consid- 
erable search  was  made  for  John,  but  he 
could  not  be  found. 

A  suit  was  now  brought  for  willful  tres- 
pass upon  the  premises,  as  the  brothers  had 
considerable  property  with  them,  and  Mr. 
McCarty  was  emploj'ed  to  jirosecute.  "Wdl- 
iam  Jaques  was  again  arrested  and  i-equired 
to  plead  to  the  charge  of  trespass.  He  set 
up  the  plea  of  not  guilty,  and  defended  his 
own  case ;  but  the  prosecution  was  too  much 
for  him,  and  made  out  a  clear  case,  and 
judgment  for  damages  was  rendered  against 

him. 

John  Jaques,  in  the  meantime,  was  skulk- 
ing about  the  county  to  avoid  arrest,  but  on 
the  conclusion  of  the  trial  they  did  not  want 
to  settle  in  this  county,  so  shook  the  dust  off 
their  feet  and  departed.  They  settled  in 
Brown  Countj^  on  the  Minnesota  River,  and 
became  the  terror  of  the  people  in  that  sec- 
tion of  countr3\  They  afterward  made  a 
trip  to  this  county  and  stole  a  horse,  but  on 
being  arrested  settled  with  Mr.  Patrick 
McCullough,  the  owner  of  the  beast. 

DISTRICT  COURTS. 

At  the  village  of  Wilton,  then  the  seat  of 


508 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


justice  of  Waseca  County,  on  the  12th  daj^ 
of  October,  1857,  Hon.  Charles  E.Flandrau, 
at  that  time  associate  justice  of  the  supreme 
court  of  the  Territory  of  Minnesota,  opened 
the  first  district  court  in  this  county.  From 
the  records  it  may  be  learned,  that,  on  the  first 
day  of  the  court,  "  the  grand  jury  being  ab- 
sent, and  no  civil  business  appearing,"  the 
court  adjourned  until  afternoon,  when,  on 
reassembling,  the  grand  jury  was  impan- 
eled. 

After  due  deliberation,  the  grand  jur}^  on 
the  morning  of  the  14th,  returned  an  indict- 
ment against  William  11.  Chamberlain,  etal., 
on  which  the  judge  ordered  that  a  bench  war- 
rant be  issued  for  the  apprehension  of  the 
parties,  and  that  they  be  held  in  the  sum  of 
$250  each,  as  bail.  This  was  a  trivial  case, 
and  at  a  subsequent  tei'm  the  indictment  was 
quashed. 

An  indictment  against  Peter  Farrell,  for 
murder,  was  by  the  grand  jury  returned,  and 
the  court  ordered  that  a  bench  warrant  be 
issued  for  the  apprehension  of  the  guilty 
party.  It  seems  that  on  the  day  previous, 
at  an  election  held  in  the  precinct  of  Em- 
pire, now  Iosco,  there  was  some  kind  of  a 
drunken  row.  Peter  Farrell  having  imbibed 
a  large  quantity  of  "  corn  juice,"  grew  pug- 
nacious. A  fracas  occurred,  during  which 
Farrell  stabbed  Jacob  Hagadorn,  a  neighbor, 
with  whom  he  had  been  on  the  best  of  terms. 
Many  stories  are  rife  in  regard  to  this,  but  it 
is  generally  believed  that  his  intention  was 
to  kill  some  other  person,  but  in  his  drunken 
fury  mistook  his  man,  or  that,  in  the  melee, 
could  not  distinguish  friend  from  foe.  In- 
dictments were  also  presented  against  John 
H.  Wheeler  and  Richard  Toner,  as  accesso- 
ries to  the  murder.  Farrell  was  arrested  and 
sent  to  Stillwater  to  be  put  in  the  jail,  but 
managed  to  escape  and  left  the  country,  and 
was  never  seen  here  again  ;  but  it  is  reported 
that  during  the  war  some  of  the  residents  of 
this  county  saw  and  recognized  him,  at  New 
Orleans.  Wheeler  and  Toner  were  put  upon 
trial,  but  were  finally  acquitted  by  the  jury 


and    discharged    by    order    of    the    court. 

At  this  term  of  court,  John  Bradish  ap- 
plied for  admission  to  practice  as  an  attor- 
ney in  the  courts  of  the  Territory,  and  his 
suit  was  granted  and  his  name  enrolled  as 
an  attorney  by  the  court. 

On  the  2d  of  September,  1858,  the  second 
term  was  commenced,  with  Hon.  N.  M.  Don- 
aldson, judge  of  the  5th  judicial  district,  on 
the  bench.  At  this  session  Alfred  B.  Web- 
ber and  P.  Brink  Enos,  on  application  were 
recognized  as  practicing  attornej^s  in  the 
courts  of  this  State.  The  first  civil  suit  tried 
in  Waseca  County  came  before  this  court. 
It  was  that  of  Joseph  T.  Dexter  vs.  David 
A.  Springer,  a  case  of  appeal  from  justice 
court.  At  the  April  term,  Alexander  John- 
ston and  Hial  D.  Baldwin  were  admitted  to 
the  bar,  as  full-fledged  lawyers. 

At  the  April  term,  1859,  the  first  petit  jury 
was  impaneled  to  try  the  case  of  Richard 
Toner,  spoken  of  above.  It  consisted  of  the 
following  names :  A.  J.  Watton,  John  Mc- 
Cue,  L.  P.  Stowell,  Caleb  Northup,  Michael 
Kinney,  Daniel  Riggle,  J.  A.  Wheeler,  C.  O. 
Norton,  C.  E.  Williamson,  F.  Glover,  J.  M. 
Blivens  and  Ole  Knutson. 

Hon.  N.  M.  Donaldson,  the  first  judge  over 
the  5th  judical  district,  of  which  Waseca 
County  has  always  formed  a  part,  held  this 
position  until  1872. 

At  the  February  term,  1872,  Hon.  F.  M. 
Crosby  appeared  at  Waseca  and  held  court ; 
but  this  was  but  temporary,  for  at  the  ses- 
sion held  in  May  of  the  same  year,  Hon. 
Samuel  Lord  took  the  position  of  judge,  and 
remained  in  that  capacity  until  1880. 

On  the  16th  of  March,  1880,  the  court  was 
opened  with  the  new  judge,  Hon.  Thomas 
Buckham,  on  the  bench.  Mathew  Keeley 
was  the  sheriff  and  James  B.  Haj'den  clerk. 
The  judge  has  continued  to  occupy  this  ex- 
alted position  until  now,  being  the  present 
incumbeni. 

A'n'ORNEYS. 

Probably  the  first  resident  lawyer  in 
Waseca  Countv  was  John  Bradish,  who  was 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


509 


duly  admitted  to  practice  in  the  courts  of  the 
Territory  of  Minnesota  at  the  first  term  of 
the  district  court,  held  in  October,  1 857,  at 
Wilton.  He  is  still  a  resident  of  the  county, 
being  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  insur- 
ance business  at  Janesville.  Mr.  Bradish 
was  somewhat  of  a  retiring  disposition,  and 
seldom  if  ever  did  much  practice  in  the  dis- 
trict court,  confining  his  practice  to  justice 
courts. 

Alfred  Webber  and  P.  Brink  Enos  were 
the  next  lawyers,  having  been  recognized  as 
such  at  the  September  term  of  court,  1858. 
Webber  was  a  resident  of  Faribault  at  the 
time  and  afterward. 

P.  Brink  Enos  came  to  this  county  from 
Woodstock,  111.,  early  in  1858,  and  located 
at  Wilton.  He  was  a  talented  man,  full  of 
fun  but  reckless,  and  soon  got  into  bad  hab- 
its. He  left  here  and  went  to  Nebraska, 
where  he  died. 

Hial  D.  Baldwin  and  Alexander  Johnston 
applied  to  the  court  in  April,  1859,  for  ad- 
mission to  the  bar,  and  upon  motion  the  judge, 
Hon.  N.  M.  Donaldson,  appointed  P.  B. 
Enos,  H.  C.  Lowell  and  A.  J.  Tanner  a  com- 
mittee of  examination.  The  two  latter  gen- 
tlemen named  were  residents  of  Faribault, 
Rice  County,  at  that  time.  They  having  re- 
turned a  favorable  report,  the  two  applicants 
were  brought  into  court  and  duly  declared 
authorized  to  practice  before'  the  courts  of 
the  State. 

H.  D.  Baldwin  was  officially  connected 
with  the  county  and  mention  of  him  is  made 
in  the  chapter  devoted  to  county  representa- 
tion. 

Alexander  Johnston  came  to  this  county 
with  his  father-in  law,  W.  N.  Buckhout, 
from  New  York  State,  in  1856,  and  settled 
for  a  time  in  Janesville.  Later  he  removed 
to  Wilton,  and  in  company  with  S.  J.  Willis 
commenced  the  journal  known  as  the  Waseca 
Home  Views  in  the  spring  of  1861.  About 
a  year  or  two  later  Mr.  Johnston  removed  to 
Faribault,  and  from  there  to  St.  Paul,  where 
he  now  lives. 


W.  T.  Kittredge  was  probably  the  next  at- 
torney to  locate  in  this  county.  He  was  born 
in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  his  father  was  an 
eminent  physician.  He  was  considerable  of 
a  scholar,  being  a  graduate  of  one  of  the 
leading  colleges,  and  on  attaining  his  major- 
ity, came  west  and  located  at  Wilton.  On 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  entered  the 
Fourth  Minnesota  Infantry  as  a  lieutenant, 
and  afterward  rose  to  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain, assistant  adjutant  general,  and  major. 
After  the  close  of  hostilities  he  returned  to 
Wilton,  and,  in  company  with  H.  D.  Bald- 
win, opened  a  law  office  and  banking  insti- 
tution, which  they  afterward  removed  to 
Waseca.  There  they  failed,  as  is  detailed  in 
the  annals  of  that  city.  He  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  the  West. 

James  E.  Child,  so  long  connected  with  the 
journalism  of  Waseca  County,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  at  the  February  term  of  court, 
1863.  A  sketch  of  this  gentleman  is  given 
in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  history  of  the 
press  of  the  county. 

At  the  August  term,  1863,  George  La  Dow 
was,  on  motion  of  H.  D.  Baldwin,  admitted 
to  practice  in  the  courts  of  the  State  of  Min- 
nesota. He  had  studied  law  with  Judge 
Stroud,  of  Illinois,  and,  on  being  admitted  to 
the  bar,  went  to  Waupaca,  Wis.,  where  he 
commenced  practice.  In  the  summer  of  1863 
he,  in  company  with  Edgar  Cronkhite,  came 
through  Wilton,  on  their  road  to  Mankato, 
where  they  calculated  to  open  offices.  Meet- 
ing H.  P.  Norton  at  Wilton,  they  were  in- 
duced to  stay  here.  Mr.  La  Dow  was  an  ex- 
cellent speaker,  good  lawyer  and  excellent 
company,  and,  being  quite  portly,  was  the 
subject  of  many  jokes.  In  1867  he  was  in- 
terested in  the  town  of  Clear  Lake  City, 
which  did  not  materialize  to  his  satisfaction, 
so  he  left  this  county  and  went  to  Oregon, 
where  he  was  elected  to  Congress,  but  died 
of  heart  disease  before  taking  his  seat. 

P.  H.  Swift,  one  of  the  first  attorneys  to 
locate  in  the  rising  town  of  Waseca,  in 
February,  1868,  entered  into  a  partnership 


510 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA  COUNTY. 


with  C.  E.  Lewis,  but  before  May  of  the 
same  year  they  dissolved.  In  the  early  part 
of  1870  Mr.  Smith  removed  from  here  to 
Eenville  County,  which  district  he  has  since 
represented  in  the  State  Legislature. 

J.  N.  Powers,  mentioned  elsewhere,  was  a 
practicing  attorney  for  a  little  while  at  Wilton 
in  an  early  day. 

W.  E.  Young,  a  young  and  able  attorney, 
for  several  years  was  in  practice  in  Janesville, 
but  in  1887  left  tliere,  going  to  Mankato, 
where  he  is  one  of  the  firm  of  Brown  & 
Toung. 

M.  D.  L.  CoUester,  a  practicing  attorney, 
settled  at  Waseca  in  1872,  and  remained 
in  that  city  until  1885,  when  he  moved  to 
Mankato,  where  he  is  following  his  jirofes- 
sion.  He  was  born  in  Marlboro,  IST.  H.,  in 
January,  1839.  He  fitted  for  college  at 
Power's  Institute,  Bernardstown,  Mass., 
graduated  from  Middlebury  College,  Ver- 
mont, in  1865,  and  read  law  at  Newport,  IST. 
H.,  where  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He 
came  West  in  1867,  remaining  for  a  while  in 
Minneapolis,  but  during  the  following  year 
moved  to  Faribault,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  teaching  in  the  Shattuck  School,  and  from 
there  came  to  the  city  of  Waseca. 

W.  R.  Kinder  came  to  this  county  about 
the  year  1877,  from  Hamilton,  Ohio,  where 
his  father  was  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law. 
He  first  located  at  or  near  Janesville,  but 
later  came  to  Waseca,  where  he  studied 
law  with  Lewis  Brownell,  and  after  a  course 
or  two  at  the  Cincinnati  Law  School,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  in  tiiis  county  and  prac- 
ticed here  until  1884.  On  the  13th  of  Au- 
gust of  that  year  he  died. 

John  Carmody  practiced  law  for  several 
years  in  Waseca,  settling  there  about  1870. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  Hillsboro,  D.  T.  He 
was  the  first  to  occupy  the  office  of  munici- 
pal judge  in  Waseca. 

In  the  fall  of  1884,  the  legal  firm  of  Wash- 
burn &  Maddox  opened  an  office  in  Waseca, 
and  practiced  their  profession.  In  June, 
1887,  the  firm  dissolved,  Washburn  removing 


to  Austin,  Minn.,  where  he  is  the  proprietor 
of  the  A  ustm  Transcrijyt.  Maddox  remained 
until  the  last  of  July,  1887,  when  he,  too, 
left  to  look  up  a  place  in  which  to  pursue 
his  profession. 

James  Quirk  was  among  the  attorneys  of 
the  county,  having  been  located  at  Waseca 
for  several  j^ears.  He  is  now  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession  at  Waterville,  Minn. 

The  present  bar  of  Waseca  County  is  rep- 
resented by  the  following  named  attorney's, 
who  are  all  engaged  in  practice :  P.  Mc- 
Govern,  W.  G.  Ward,  E.  B.  CoUester,  Lewis 
Brownell,  B.  S.  Lewis,  S.  D.  Crump,  C.  E. 
Leslie,  W.  D.  Abbott  and  John  Moonan,  of 
Waseca,  and  A.  J.  O'Grady  and  L.  D.  Rogers 
of  Janesville. 

Benedict  S.  Lewis  was  born  in  Cortland 
County,  N.  Y.,  December  20, 1839.  His  par- 
ents, in  the  year  1851,  removed  to  Columbia 
County,  Wis.,  and  in  the  latter  State,  B.  S. 
received  the  most  of  his  education,  although 
well  grounded  before  he  left  his  native  State. 
He  attended  the  University  of  Wisconsin,  at 
Madison,  and  Union  College,  State  of  New 
York,  graduating  from  the  latter  in  1864. 
After  that  he  taught  school  for  about  two 
years,  and  then  began  the  stud}'  of  law  at 
Madison,  Wis.,  with  Gregory  &  Pinney, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1867.  For 
about  a  year  he  practiced  his  profession  at 
Lodi,  Wis.,  but  in  1868  came  to  the  then 
young  village  of  Waseca,  and  commenced  the 
duties  of  his  chosen  profession,  and  has 
been  identified  with  the  history  of  the  bar, 
of  this  county  ever  since.  July  7,  1869,  B.  S. 
Lewis  and  Mary  Eaton,  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin, were  united  in  marriage,  and  they  have 
been  the  parents  of  three  children  :  Harlow 
E. ;  Esther  Irma  and  Mary  E.  In  1884,  in 
addition  to  his  otherwise  large  practice,  Mr. 
Lewis  was  made  attorney  for  the  Minneapo- 
lis &  St.  Louis  Railroad  for  this  and  several 
adjacent  counties.  He  is  a  member  of  Tus- 
can Lodge,  No.  77,  Ancient  Fi'ee  and  Accept- 
ed Masons,  and  of  Waseca  Chapter,  No. 
26,  Royal  Arch  Masons.     Close  attention  to 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COITNTY. 


511 


his  business  and  to  tlie  interests  of  his  cli- 
ents, has  won  for  him  an  enviable  reputation, 
both  as  a  man  and  as  a  lawyer,  and  he 
enjoys  the  respect  and  esteem  of  all. 

Eugene  B.  Collester  was  born  in  Gardner, 
Mass.,  December  20,  1847,  and  received  his 
early  education  in  the  excellent  schools  of 
his  native  city.  He  entered  Amherst  College, 
from  which  he  graduated  with  honors  in 
1873,  and  later  moved  to  New  London,  Conn., 
where  he  became  principal  of  Bulkeley  high 
school,  and  remained  in  that  capacity  until 
1880,  when  he  came  to  the  city  of  Waseca 
and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law,  he 
having  read  for  that  profession  previously. 
April  6,  1875,  he  and  Sarah  Jane  Hollande, 
a  native  of  Connecticut,  united  their  destinies 
in  marriage,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one 
child,  Alice  M.,  born  September  26, 1877.  In 
the  spring  of  1887,  Mr.  Collester  was  elected 
mayor  of  the  city  of  "Waseca,  and  now  fills 
that  onerous  office.  He  is  a  member  of  Tus- 
can Lodge,  No.  77,  Ancient  Free  and  Accept- 
ed Masons,  and  of  Comee  Lodge,  No.  25,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  A  compara- 
tively young  man,  blessed  with  a  liberal 
education  and  great  native  talent  and  energy, 
he  is  one  of  the  rising  attorneys  of  this  part  of 
the  State  and  has  a  bright  future  before  him. 

W.  D.  Abbott,  of  the  firm  of  Sawyer, 
Abbott  &  Sawyer,  is  one  of  the  prominent 
attorneys  of  Waseca.  He  is  a  native  of 
Clinton  Falls,  Steele  County,  Minn.,  and  is 
the  son  of  Asa  J.  and  Mary  (Piper)  Abbott. 
He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  attending 
the  district  schools  when  his  help  was  not 
required  at  home.     Entering  the  Pillsbury 


Academy  of  Owatonna,  he  graduated  there- 
from in  1879,  and  then  attended  the  Carleton 
College.  In  September,  1883,  he  commenced 
reading  law  with  Sawyer  &  Sawyer,  of 
Owatonna,  and  applying  himself  diligently 
to  his  studies  was  duly  admitted  to  the  bar, 
in  Steele  County,  June  5,  1884.  He  remained 
in  that  city  until  March,  1886,  when  became 
to  Waseca,  and  opened  the  present  office  of 
the  firm,  the  other  members  of  which  re- 
mained in  Owatonna.  October  7,  1886,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Lorena  M. 
Adams,  of  Kice  County,  this  State.  Mr. 
Abbott  is  a  member  of  Waseca  Lodge,  No. 
44,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  which  he  is  the 
present  chancellor  commander. 

A.  J.  O'Grady,  an  attorney  of  Janesville, 
came  to  that  village  in  May,  1878,  opened 
an  office  and  has  remained  there  ever  since. 
He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  July,  1847, 
but  came  to  this  country  with  his  grandpar- 
ents, in  1849.  They  located  in  the  State  of 
New  York,  where  they  lived  until  1855,  when 
they  moved  to  Wayne  County,  Pa.  In 
1858,  they  came  west  and  settled  in  St. 
Mary,  Waseca  County,  where  the  old  people 
died.  A.  J.  resided  with  them  until  Janu- 
ary, 1864,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  H, 
Tenth  Minnesota  Infantry,  under  Col.  J.  H. 
Baker,  and  was  with  the  corps  commanded 
by  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  until  his  discharge 
Ausjust  19,  1865.  Then  returned  to  Waseca 
County,  and  in  1876  commenced  to  read 
law,  and  March  23,  1878,  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  then  came  to  Janesville,  hung 
out  his  shingle,  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  his  profession. 


CHAPTER   XII. 


EDUCATIONAL- 


HEN  upon  that  cold  and  stormy 
day  in  December,  1620,  the  noble 
band  of  pilgrims  landed  upon  the 
bleak  and  desolate  shore  of  New 
England,  their  first  thought  was 
of  religious  duty,  the  second  of 
schools  and  academies.  They 
came  fleeing  from  the  religious 
intolerance  of  the  old  world,  to 
found  a  commonwealth  of  their 
own  in  the  wilds  of  America.  Scarce  had 
they  landed  when  all  were  assembled,  and 
prayers  and  religious  services  were  held,  the 
echos  of  which  still  reverberate  around  the 
world  ;  for  in  their  prayers  they  sought  the 
Divine  assistance  to  found  a  colony  where 
freedom  and  education  could  go  hand  in 
hand  ;  and,  if  in  after  years  their  stern  creed 
of  morals  and  religious  asceticism  led  them 
into  intolerant  acts  towai'd  their  neighbors, 
still  the  general  movement  was  toward  the 
light  of  libert^y  and  education. 

There,  on  the  stony  soil  of  old  Massachu- 
setts, these  stern  and  rigid  moralists  first 
planted  the  seed  of  our  grand  system  of 
educational  facilities.  There  they  originated 
the  district  school  that  has  outlasted  them 
and  their  other  institutions,  seen  govern- 
ments wax  old  and  pass  away,  and  survived 
the  throes  of  revolution,  when  these  colonies 
revolted  from  the  galling  yoke  of  Britannia. 
In  the  land  of  its  birth  the  system  of  district 
schools,  with  its  board  of  selectmen,  still 
survives,  with  but  little  change  from  that  of 
the  original  plan  that  was  planted  two  centu- 
ries and  a  half  ago.  The  sons  and  daughters 
of  New  EnglantI,  in  their  journey  toward  a 
home  in  the  West,  carried  with  them  the 
precious  seed,  and  planting  it  in  fruitful  soil 


It  flourished  and  grew  until  it  far  overshad- 
owed the  parent  tree.  In  Minnesota  such 
has  been  the  fostering  care  of  our  ofovern- 
ment.  it  has  reached  the  very  acme  of  per- 
fection. In  the  constitution  of  the  State  is ' 
distinctly  declared,  that  "  The  stability  of  a 
Kepublican  foi'm-  of  government  depending 
mainly  upon  the  intelligence  of  the  people, 
it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Legislature  to  es- 
tablish a  general  and  uniform  system  of  pub- 
lic schools."  In  accordance  with  this,  laws 
have  been  passed,  amended,  repealed,  others 
passed,  until  the  present  school-law  of  the 
State  stands  unequaled  in  the  world,  a  mon- 
ument to  the  care  and  labor  bestowed  upon 
it. 

When  the  county  was  first  organized  the 
system  of  a  superintendent  of  town  schools 
was  in  vogue,  but  that  proving  nnreliable 
and  too  cumbersome,  it  was  soon  changed 
to  the  present  system  of 

COUNTY  SUPEBINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS. 

The  first  to  occup}'  this  important  and  re- 
sponsible position  in  Waseca  County,  was 
Rev.  Elijah  S.  Smith,  a  Baptist  clergyman, 
then  laboring  in  the  village  of  Wilton.  He 
was  appointed  to  the  position  on  the  8th  of 
March,  1864:,  and  was  to  receive  for  his  ser- 
vices the  sum  of  $100  jper  annum.  Mr.  Smith 
had  come  to  this  county  from  Illinois  in 
1856  or  1857,  and  had  built  up  a  church,  and 
now  he  wanted  to  try  his  hand  at  religion's 
twin-brother,  education.  He  did  his  work 
well,  and  was  succeeded  in  1867  by  James 
E.  Child,  who  ably  carried  on  the  work  of  his 
])redecessor.  He  held  it  for  onl}'^  one  year, 
liowever,  his  other  business  interests  inter- 
fering with  its  successful  advancement. 


.512 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COtTNTT. 


513 


In  the  spring  of  1868  Jesse  Poland  came 
into  this  office,  but  did  not  continue  therein 
for  any  length  of  time,  for  in  the  month  of 
September  of  the  same  year  the  board  of 
commissioners,  finding  it  vacant,  appointed 
the  Rev.  S.  T.  Catlin,  a  Baptist  clergyman, 
to  the  place,  at  a  yearly  salary  of  $300.  On 
the  expiration  of  the  time  for  which  he  was 
appointed,  in  the  fall  of  1869,  he  was  elected 
to  this  office,  but  declined  to  serve,  although 
the  board  offered  to  raise  the  salary,  so  much 
had  he  pleased  them  and  the  people.  He 
removed  to  Wisconsin. 

At  their  April  session,  1870,  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  seeing  that  Mr.  Cat- 
lin refused  to  quality  for  the  office,  ap- 
pointed Dr.  R.  O.  Craig  to  fill  the  vacancy, 
and  he  served  until  the  expiration  of  the 
term. 

In  1871,  at  the  regular  election,  Dr.  M.  S. 
Gove  was  chosen  to  fill  this  position,  but  de- 
clining to  serve,  the  board  appointed  H.  G. 
Mosher  one  of  their  number  to  the  vacancy. 
This  gentleman,  filling  the  office  to  the  sat- 
isfaction of  the  people  of  the  county,  was 
elected  and  reelected  to  the  position,  occu- 
pying it  until  1880. 

Dr.  M.  Y.  Hunt,  one  of  the  leading 
physicians  of  the  county,  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  superintendent  in  the  fall  of  1879, 
and  fulfilled  the  duties  of  that  position 
through  the  years  1880  and  1881. 

In  1882  Dr.  D.  S.  Cummings,  another  of 
the  prominent  members  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession of  Waseca  County,  became  the  occu- 
pant of  this  responsible  office,  and  served 
the  people  in  the  capacity  of  superintendent 
for  four  years. 

J.  B.  Dye,  the  present  efficient  superin- 
tendent of  schools  of  Waseca  County,  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  office  with  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  1886.  He  is  a  native  of  Mont- 
gomery County,  N.  Y.,  born  July  13,  1834. 
He  is  a  son  of  Rev.  E.  P.  and  Lovina  (Bailey) 
Dye,  both  natives  of  the  Empire  State.  Rev. 
E.  P.  Dye  was  the  pastor  of  several  Baptist 
Churches  for  a  number    of  years   in  New 


York  State,  then  in  Hebron,  Jefferson 
County,  Wis.,  then  in  New  York  again.  Rock 
County,  Wis.,  Sheboygan,  the  same  State, 
Steele  and  Dodge  counties,  Minn.,  were  each 
the  scene  of  his  labors  for  Christ.  He  is 
now  at  Clinton  Junction,  Rock  County,  Wis. 
J.  B.  remained  with  his  parents  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  old,  when  he  learned  the  trade 
of  wagon-making  at  North  Brookfield,  Mad- 
ison County,  N.  Y.  When  his  parents  re- 
turned to  Wisconsin  he  came  with  them, 
and  for  a  time  was  in  a  store  at  Hebron. 
Not  liking  his  situation  he  secured  a  place 
as  school  teacher  and  taught  four  months, 
and  then  decided  to  follow  and  fit  himself 
for  that  profession.  He  then  attended  the 
Milton  College,  entering  the  teachers'  class, 
and  remained  there  several  terms,  teaching 
during  the  winter  and  going  to  school  during 
the  summer.  In  the  spring  of  1855  he  came 
to  Minnesota  and  bought  a  quarter  section 
of  land  in  Rice  County,  paying  $200  for  it. 
He  returned  to  Wisconsin  and  resumed 
teaching,  and  in  the  following  spring  came 
back  to  Faribault.  Selling  his  land  in  1857 
for  some  $900  more  than  he  paid  for  it,  he 
returned  to  Wisconsin  and  took  chai'ge  of 
the  high  school  at  Palmyra  for  one  term. 
From  there  he  moved  to  Centerville  and  re- 
mained there  teaching  until  1873,  when  he 
came  to  Waseca.  He  taught  the  school  in 
the  city  for  one  year  and  then  removed  to 
Dodge  County,  where  he  taught  school  and 
carried  on  a  farm  he  haVl  purchased  there. 
Four  years  later  he  sold  out  there  and  came 
back  to  Waseca,  where  he  has  since  resided, 
teaching  every  year  but  one.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1886,  he  was  elected  county  superin- 
tendent of  schools.  Mr.  Dye  and  Georgianna 
Chesebro  were  united  in  marriage  April  3, 
1862,  and  they  have  four  children :  Alice 
L.,  born  May  10,  1864 ;  Burt  U.,  born  Janu- 
ary 18,  1868 ;  Nellie  G.,  born  May  26,  1877, 
and  John  E.,  born  April  6,  1880.  The  eld- 
est, Alice  L.,  is  the  wife  of  John  C.  Young, 
of  Waseca.  Rev.  E.  P.  Dye  was  born  in 
Onondago  County,   N.  Y.,    in    November. 


514 


HISTORY   OF   WASEOA   COUNTY. 


1810.     His   wife  died   at  Clinton  Junction, 
"Wis.,  in  September,  1878. 

THE    DEVELOPMENT. 

From  the  time  of  the  first  settlement  of 
the  county,  and  the  time  of  the  organization 
of  the  1st  district,  the  number  of  school  dis- 
tricts increased  very  rapidly,  and  educa- 
tional facilities  became  more  and  more  ef- 
ficient. Every  decade  showed  a  marked 
contrast  to  the  preceding  one.  The  follow- 
ing abstract  will  show  the  status  of  educa- 
tional matters  of  the  count}'  in  1871,  sixteen 
years  after  its  first  settlement,  and  just  six- 
teen years  ago : 

No.  of  school  districts  in  the  county 71 

No.  of  children  of  school  age  in  county 3,095 

No.  of  pupils  enrolled,  winter 1,807 

Average  daily  attendance,  winter 1,039 

No.  of  teachers,  winter 64 

Average  wages,  winter |33.28 

No.  pupils  enrolled,  summer 1,680 

Average  attendance,  summer 840 

No.  of  teachers,  summer 59 

Average  wages,  summer $22.81 

No.  of  schoolhouses,  frame 39 

No.  of  schoolhouses,  brick  .    1 

No.  of  schoolhouses,  log 24 

Value  of  all  school  buildings 125,335.00 

Amt.  of  money  rec'd  from  State ^  4,109.08 

Amt.  of  money  rec'd  from  tax  from  district,  $12,444.76 

Amt.  paid  for  .sclioolhouse  property $  4,712.74 

Amt.  paid  teachers $11,576.57 

Amt.  contingent  expenses  $  1,302.69 

Amt.  on  hand , $  1,715.14 

One  of  the  county  superintendents  of  this 
count}'  in  his  report,  uses  the  following  Ian. 
guage  in  speaking  of  the  matters  committed 
to  his  charge : 

"  The  most  interesting  feature  of  improve- 
ment is  the  fact  that  teachers  are  more  fully 
awake  in  a  common-sense  matter,  viz  :  That 
their  pecuniary  interests  demand  better  qual- 
ification ;  that  demand  is  ever  regulated  by 
supply,  and  that  the  world  is  not  indilTerent 
to  the  result  of  skilled  labor ;  and  that  the 
interest  our  school  officers  are  evincing  in 
our  school  work  increases.  "Where  last  spring 
one  director  said  to  me :  '  She  will  do  to 
teach  our  summer  school ;  we  can  get  her 
cheap,' — the    same   man    said    to  me   this 


spring,  '  Eecommend  us  a  good  teacher, 
money  is  no  object.'  And  I  am  fully  con- 
vinced that  in  man}'  districts  of  this  county 
a  known  poor  teacher  cannot  get  employ- 
ment at  any  price,  while  a  known  good  and 
faithful  one  will  be  secured  regardless  of 
cost.  This  is  progress  ;  the  laborer  is  worthy 
of  his  hire,  and  in  no  department  more  than 
ours." 

PRESENT  CONDITION. 

From  the  last  statistical  report  a  number 
of  items  have  been  collected,  which  will  show 
conclusively  the  present  condition  of  educa- 
tional matters  in  Waseca  County  : 
No.  of  scholars  entitled  to  apportionment..  3,740 

No.  of  scholars  not  entitled  to  the  same. . . .  137 

No.  enrolled,  winter 2,452 

No.  enrolled,  summer 3,389 

Average  attendance,  winter 2,010 

Average  attendance,  summer 1,866 

Average  length  of  school,  months 5}^ 

No.  of  teachers  employed,  winter,  males. . .  30 

No.  of  teachers  employed,  winter,  females.  86 

No.  of  teachers  emplo)'ed,  summer,  males. .  '      4 

No.  of  teachersemployed,  summer,  females.  98 

Average  monthly  wages,  males . .         $39.05 

Average  monthly  wages,  females $24.68 

Teachers  graduates  of  normal  school 3 

No.  common  school  districts 89 

No.  independent  districts 2 

No .  schoolhouses,  frame 82 

No.  schoolhouses,  brick 5 

No.  schoolhouses,  log 6 

Value  of  school  houses  and  sites $75,235.00 

Value  of  school  fixtures,  etc $7,620.00 

SCHOOL   FUND. 

Cash  on  hand  at  beginning  of  year $8,608.03 

Rec'd  from  school  fund,  fines,  estrays,  etc. .  6,829.68 

Rec'd  from  1  mill  tax,  collected 3,947.81 

Rec'd  from  special  tax  collected 22,656.53 

Rec'd  from  bonds  sold 1,750.00 

Rec'd  from  other  sources 2,517.88 

Total $46,309.93 

CONTRA . 

Paid  for  teachers'  salary  and  board $22,699.25 

Paid  for  wood  and  school  supplies 3,980.40 

Paid  for  repairs  and  improving  grounds.  . .  .  3,933.22 

Paid  for  new  schoolhouses  and  sites 1,304.81 

Paid  for  interest  and  paying  bonds 3,485.29 

Paid  for  other  purposes 1,516.68 

Cash  on  hand  at  end  of  year 10,484.28 

Total $46,309.93 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


AGKICULTURE  AND  AGRICULTUEAL  SOCIETIES. 


high 


HE  count}'   of  Waseca  is  ranked 

among  the    most     prosperous  of 

the   agricultural  counties   in  the 

State.     Its  people  are,  as  a  rule, 

awake    and     keep    step    in   the 

progressive   march  of  the  times. 

Its    future   possibilities   may  be 

in    the   bright    galaxy  of    sister 

the   golden     diadem    of     Minne- 


set 

stars    in 

sota.  The  early  pioneers  did  not  come  loaded 
with  wealth,  in  fact  few  had  more  than 
enough  to  barely  get  settled  upon  their 
lands ;  but  they  came  with  that  which  was, 
in  those  days,  equal  to  it,  training  in  agri- 
cultural jnu'suits,  brawny  hands  that  were 
able  and  not  ashamed  to  do  hard  work,  and 
in  connection  with  industrious  habits,  the 
energy  and  determination  of  success.  The 
country  was  new,  and  there  was  no  alterna- 
tive but  that  success  must  be  wrought  from 
the  soil,  which  was  their  only  wealth  and 
their  only  hope.  In  spite  of  all  the  obstacles 
and  hardships  to  be  encountered,  success  has 
attended  their  efforts,  and  the  transforma- 
tion from  the  primitive  wilderness  to  the 
])resent  comfortable  condition  of  affairs  ac- 
complished. Nor  is  the  end  yet  reached, 
for  the  county  still  has  amine  of  agricultural 
wealth  undeveloped,  which,  as  years  roll  on, 
will  grow  moi'e  and  more  valuable,  and  when 
a  cycle  of  cultivated  maturity  shall  dawn  to 
transform  the  yet  unsubdued  lands,  to  wav- 
ing fields  of  nodding  grain,  Waseca  County 
will  occupy  a  place  among  the  foremost 
ranks  of  Minnesota's  banner  counties. 

A  little  pamphet  published  by  the  Wilton 
Weekly  Netos,  in  1867,  from  the  pen  of  the 
editor,  gives  a  comprehensive  view  of  the 
history  of  the  agriculture  of   the  county  at 


that  time,  and  the  compiler  of  these  annals 
is  of  the  opinion  that  nothing  can  show  the 
early  condition  of  that  branch  of  the  county's 
history  like  the  article  in  question,  hence  it 
is  freely  quoted  from.  Says  the  little  book : 
"  Wheat  is  the  principal  cereal  raised  in  the 
county.  Spring  wheat  is  raised  generally 
throughout  this  district,  and  winter  wheat 
in  the  timbered  portions.  The  writer  has 
made  considerable  exertion  to  obtain  facts 
and  figures  by  which  to  make  a  statement  of 
the  amount  produced  per  acre,  on  an  aver- 
age, throughout  the  county  each  year,  but 
has  only  been  able  to  find  reliable  reports  for 
the  years  1859,  1860, 1862  and  1865.  In  1859 
the  yield  per  acre  was  20  bushels ;  in  1860 
22  bushels ;  in  1862, 22|-  bushels,  and  in  1865, 
21  bushels.  These  figures  are  taken  from 
the  compiled  reports,  as  found  in  the  audi- 
tor's office,  and  are  certainly  low  enough. 
The  reports  of  the  other  years  were  never 
made  out,  or,  at  least,  cannot  be  found.  The 
writer,  however,  having  been  a  resident  of 
the  county  ever  since  its  first  settlement,  is 
enabled  to  state,  as  his  opinion,  that  the  av- 
erage yield  for  the  past  seven  years,  has 
never  been  less  than  18  bushels  to  the  acre. 
A  yield  of  25  or  30  bushels  to  the  acre  is 
considered  nothing  very  extraordinary.  It 
should  be  borne  in  mind  by  the  reader,  that 
the  average  yields  above  given  include  all 
kinds  of  wheat  growers,  good,  bad  and  mid- 
dling. 

"  The  superior  quality  of  the  wheat  grown 
in  this  county  is  shown  by  its  weight,  when 
compared  with  the  same  in  other  localities. 
The  wheat  of  this  county,  except  that  of 
1866,  weighs  from  61  to  65  pounds  to  the 
bushel,  whilst  in  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania  it 


515 


516 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


only  averages  from  58  to  60,  and  in  Illinois 
from  54  to  58  pounds  to  the  bushel.  As  a 
wheat  producing  county  it  is  not  excelled. 
'  "  Oats,  so  far,  has  only  been  cultivated  for 
home  consumption.  The  yield  of  this  grain 
for  the  year  1862,  as  shown  by  the  assessors' 
lists,  was  35  bushels  to  the  acre ;  and  for 
the  year  1865,  40  bushels  per  acre.  When 
sowed  on  high  uplands,  oats  yield  remarka- 
bly well ;  but  on  low  or  wet  lands  they  gen- 
erally lodge,  do  not  fill,  and  turn  out  a  failure. 

"  Rye  is  not  generally  raised  here,  although 
a  few  crops  grown  by  some  of  the  Germans 
of  the  county  have  shown  that  it  can  be 
successfully  raised  here. 

"  Barley  up  to  this  time  has  received  but 
little  attention  in  this  county.  The  total 
amount  raised  in  1865,  as  appears  by  the 
assessors'  lists,  was  only  3,366  bushels,  at  an 
average  yield  per  acre  of  27  bushels. 

"  In  regard  to  corn :  the  oft  repeated  ques- 
tion, 'Can  you  raise  sound  corn  in  Minne- 
sota?'has  been  emphatically  answered  in  the 
affirmative  by  the  experience  of  the  farmers 
of  Waseca  County.  It  is  true  there  have 
been  seasons  in  which  the  corn  crop  failed ; 
but  during  the  eleven  years  which  have 
elapsed  since  the  first  settlement,  there  have 
been  only  two  general  failures  of  this  crop  : 
one  in  1863,  the  other  in  1866.  The  corn 
crop  in  this  county  for  the  year  1860 
averaged  34  bushels  to  the  acre;  in  1861 
and  1862,35  bushels  ;  and  in  1865,  37  bushels 
to  the  acre.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
this  average  is  from  the  amount  saved,  which, 
as  a  rule,  does  not  exceed  four-fifths  of  the 
actual  amount  raised. 

"  Potatoes  are  only  raised  here  as  yet  for 
iiorae  consumption,  and  are  of  superior  qual- 
ity and  excellence.  The  average  yield  per 
acre  is  about  140  bushels. 

"  Sorghum  has  been  quite  extensively 
raised  in  this  county,  yielding  from  two  to 
three  hundred  gallons  per  acre.  Undoubt- 
edly its  cultivation  will  be  continued  with 
more  or  less  success,  so  long  as  sugars  shall 
command  their  present  high  price. 


"  The  absence  of  the  choice,  cultivated  fruit 
of  the  more  eastern  States  is,  in  a  measure, 
supplied  by  the  variety  and  great  abundance 
of  wild  fruits  which  abound  in  every  thicket 
throughout  the  county.  Crab  apples  are 
everywhere  present ;  and  a  species  of  wild 
l)lura,  scarcely  inferior  to  the  cultivated  fruit, 
abounds  everywhere  in  the  county.  The  wild 
grape-vine  grows  luxuriantly  and  yields  pro- 
fusely, in  every  wooded  glen.  Strawberries 
grow  and  thrive  on  the  prairies.  Goose- 
berries and  wild  currants  abound  in  the 
woodlands  along  the  Le  Sueur  Eiver,  and 
blackberries  and  red  and  black  raspberries 
spring  up  in  the  outskirts  of  every  grove 
and  woodland.  Numerous  young  apple-tree 
orchards  have  been  planted  in  the  county, 
two  of  which  have  already  borne  fruit. 
The  gentlemen  who  have  succeeded  in  rais- 
ing apples  in  the  county  are  Philo  Wood- 
ruff, of  Blooming  Grove,  and  W.  G.  AUyn, 
of  Janesville. 

"  In  regard  to  vegetables,  the  annual  vines, 
squashes,  pumjtkins,  etc.,  thrive  remarkably 
well,  and  nowhere  are  finer  melons  to  be 
found  than  in  the  patches  which  constitute 
a  part  of  every  garden  and  homestead  in  the 
country.  The  wild  fruits,  with  the  tomato 
and  pie  plant,  form  a  good  substitute  for  the 
apple  and  other  fruits  of  the  older  States. 

"  There  is  no  other  State  or  country  which 
can  excel  Waseca  County  in  raising  turnips, 
rutabagas,  beets,  carrots,  cabbages,  parsnips, 
etc.  The  yield  of  these  useful  vegetables  is 
so  enormous  as  scarcely  to  be  credited  by 
those  who  have  never  witnessed  it.  Rutaba- 
gas are  raised  very  extensively  by  some  farm- 
ers for  feeding  stock. 

"There  is  no  lack  of  native  nutritious 
grasses  in  the  county,  both  for  pasture  and  for 
hay.  Even  the  highest  prairie  can  be  mowed, 
yielding  one  ton  of  hay  to  the  acre  and  often 
two,  while  the  bottom  lands  along  the 
streams  frequently  yield  three  and  sometimes 
four  tons  to  the  acre.  The  prevailing  grass 
in  the  county  is  what  is  called  red-top  blue- 
joint,  a  variety  that  is  almost,  if  not  quite, 


(o£CEAS£Oj 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


519 


equal  to  the  best  varieties  of  cultivated 
grasses.  Persons  arriving  here  from  the 
East  any  time  in  August  with  cattle  to  pro- 
vide for,  will  always  find  sufficient  grass 
from  which  to  make  any  needed  quantity  of 
hay,  as  the  grass  retains  its  nutriment  until 
the  frost  strikes  it.  The  county  is  already 
noted  for  being  one  of  the  best  in  the  State 
for  stock-raising. 

"  The  general  excellence  of  the  grasses  of 
the  county  is  manifested  in  the  fine  quality 
and  general  healthf  ulness  of  all  kinds  of  stock, 
whicli  forms  so  large  a  portion  of  the  farm- 
ing capital  of  the  county.  The  number  of 
horses  in  the  county  on  the  1st  day  of  June, 
1866,  was  1,473 ;  assessed  value,  $78,091. 
The  whole  number  of  cattle  on  the  same  date 
was  4,985 :  assessed  value,  $74,863.  Official 
reports  of  dairy  productions  in  the  county 
show  an  average  yield  of  72  pounds  to  each 
cow,  while  in  Iowa  shows  an  average  of  only 
47  pounds,  and  Illinois  42  pounds. 

"  There  are  no  better  cattle  raised,  on  an 
average,  than  are  to  be  found  among  the 
native  stock  of  Waseca  County. 

"  Quite  a  number  of  our  farmers  have 
turned  their  attention  to  sheep-raising.  Ac- 
cording to  official  reports,  the  number  of 
sheep  in  the  county  June  1,  1866,  was  1,925  ; 
asessed  value,  $9,169.  The  average  of  wool 
per  sheep  is  4  pounds,  which  would  give 
23,700  pounds  at  a  cash  valuation  of  $11,850. 
The  general  dryness  and  healthfulness  of  the 
climate,  the  abundant  supply  of  pure  water, 
the  vast  extent  and  richness  of  free  pastur- 
age, make  this  one  of  the  finest  locations  in 
the  world  for  raising  sheep. 

"The  number  of  hogs  in  the  county,  as 
reported  in  June,  1866,  was  1,658,  at  an 
assessed  value  of  $4,207.  Hogs,  like  all  other 
animals  in  Waseca  County,  are  healthy  and 
thrive  well.  Pork  fattened  here  is  peculiarly 
sweet  and  healthy." 

Since  the  data  of  the  above,  wonderful  ad- 
vances have  been  made  in  the  line  of  agri 
cultural  productions,  and  the  county  has  a 
large  surplus  of  nearly  every  farm  commodity 

30 


to  ship  to  other  markets.  The  State  reports 
for  1886  show  that  there  was  raised  in  Wa- 
seca County  the  previous  year,  651,566  bush- 
els of  wheat  on  46,681  aci'es,  an  average 
of  nearly  14  bushels  to  the  acre ;  382,690 
bushels  of  oats  on  11,333  acres,  or  an  average 
of  nearly  34  bushels  to  the  acre;  279,727 
bushels  of  corn  on  8,791  acres  of  ground, 
or  about  an  average  of  32  bushels  to  the 
acre.  There  were  raised  the  same  year, 
24,536  bushels  of  barley ;  3,030  of  rye ; 
55,065  of  potatoes ;  80  bushels  of  beans  ; 
4,842  gallons  of  cane  syrup ;  4,608  tons  of 
cultivated  hay ;  967  bushels  of  flax-seed ; 
73,684  tons  of  wild  hay;  656  bushels  of 
timothy  seed  and  1,357  bushels  of  clover 
seed  are  reported  for  the  same  time  ;  and 
also  55,065  bushels  of  potatoes.  Only 
some  634  pounds  of  grapes  were  raised,  and 
3,621  bushels  of  apples.  Dairy  products 
for  the  year  1885  aggregated  :  butter  332,030 
pounds,  and  100  pounds  of  cheese,  from 
4,586  cows ;  while  in  1886,  13,830  pounds  of 
wool  was  shorn  from  2,694  sheep,  in  the 
spring  alone,  although  some  10,000  pounds 
came  off  the  backs  of  the  same  animals  the 
fall  previous.  There  were  in  1886,  1,523 
farms  in  the  county. 

AGRICULTURAL    SOCIETIES. 

Several  efforts  have  been  made  to  sustain 
agricultural  societies,  or  those  of  a  kindred 
nature  previous  to  the  formation  of  the  pres- 
ent one,  with  variable  success.  The  first 
effort  in  this  line  was  in  1870.  During  the 
summer  of  that  year  an  organization  was 
formed  known  as  the  Waseca  County  Agri- 
cultural Society,  with  WiUiam  Brisbane  as 
president,  and  B.  S.  Lewis,  secretary. 

At  a  meeting  held  on  the  3d  of  Septem- 
ber, the  same  year,  it  was  decided  that  a 
county  fair  should  be  held  that  fall  under 
their  auspices,  and  having  determined  the 
date,  the  society  appointed  E.  Bennett,  S.  B. 
Williams,  O.  Powell,  H.  Vincent  and  P.  Mc- 
Dermott  as  a  committee  to  propose  the 
general  arrangements  for  the  said  fair.     On 


520 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


the  6th  and  7th  of  October,  1870,  the  first 
county  fair  in  Waseca  County  was  held. 
There  was  a  large  attendance  the  second  day, 
and  considering  the  short  time  emplo\'ed  in 
getting  it  up,  and  the  extremely  limited  no- 
tice the  people  had  to  prepare  articles  for 
exhibition,  it  was  a  decided  success.  The  ex- 
hibits were  moderately  numerous,  except  in 
the  matter  of  cattle,  which  was  rather  slim. 
President  Brisbane  dehvered  an  address  to 
the  people  in  his  usual  happ}'  vein,  the  usual 
speeding  of  horses  took  place,  and  the  brass 
band,  for  whom  conveyance  thi'ough  some 
mistake  had  been  neglected,  rode  into  the 
grounds  on  a  one-ox  wagon,  and  joy  and 
pleasure  beamed  on  every  face. 

The  following  year  a  second  fair  was 
given,  but  the  thing  proved  a  failure  and  the 
association,  growing  discouraged,  abandoned 
their  further  efforts  in  that  line.  A  few  of 
the  members,  however,  some  years  later  or- 
ganized farmers'  fairs  and  farmers"  societies, 
both  with  the  idea  of  following  the  European 
fashion  of  having  a  fair  or  market  day  once 
a  month,  but  somehow  it  never  proved  much 
of  a  success.  Some  yeai-s  later  a  sort  of  agri 
cultural  society  was  formed,  but  no  fairs 
were  held.  In  September,  1886,  however,  at 
a  meeting  held  then,  H.  H.  Corson  being 
president,  the  name  was  changed  to  that  of 
the  Agricultural,  Mechanical  and  Industrial 
Society  of  Waseca  County.  The  member- 
ship fee  was  fixed  at  one  dollar.  At  this 
time  Charles  San  Galli  was  treasurer  and 
Michael  Sheeran  secretary.  On  a  motion 
made  it  was  decided  that  stock  of  the  associa- 
tion, should  be  issued  in  five  dollar  shares 
and  a  committee  appointed  to  solicit  sub- 
scriptions. 

On  the  25th  of  September  a  meeting  was 
held,  and  it  was  then  decided  to  hold  a  county 
fair  on  the  13th  and  14th  of  October  follow- 
ing. Dr.  H.  J.  Young  and  WiUiam  Everett 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  see  to  the 
construction  of  fence,  stalls,  sheds,  etc. ;  H. 
H.  Corson  and  John  McWade,  as  committee 
to   arrange   premium  list;   Edward   Castor 


and  I.  C.  Trowbridge,  committee  on  track ; 
and  the  following  ladies  committee  on  floral 
hall :  Mrs.  Wilham  Everett,  Mrs.  I.  C.  Trow- 
bridge, Mrs.  E.  E.  Dun  woody,  Mrs.  D  J.  Bick- 
ford  and  Mrs.  J.  0.  Chandler.  John  McWade, 
Obediah  Powell  and  Austin  Vinton  were 
detailed  as  committee  on  privileges,  and 
Thomas  Bohen,  Harry  Bird  and  Charles 
McKenna  on  trotting.  The  fair  was  held  as 
advertised  and  was  a  success,  the  attendance 
being  quite  encouraging,  and  the  societ}'  in- 
tend to  repeat  the  experiment  this  year 
(1887) .  Edward  Bennett  was  superintendent 
of  cattle  and  horses;  Patrick  Murray,  of 
swine,  sheep  and  poultry,  and  John  S. 
AbeU,  of  farm  machinery. 

ANTI-HOESE  THIEF    ASSOCIATION. 

The  Waseca  County  Anti-Horse  Thief  As- 
ciation  was  organized  in  February,  1864, 
the  meeting  for  that  purpose  being  held  at 
the  courthouse,  in  Wilton,  on  the  16th  of 
the  month  above  named.  William  Brisbane 
was  called  to  the  chair,  and  E.  A.  Smith 
made  secretary.  Settling  down  to  business, 
the  chair  appointed  D.  L.  Whipple,  B.  A. 
Lowell  and  E.  B.  Stearns,  a  committee  of 
three  to  draw  up  and  present  a  constitution 
for  the  society.  Shortly  after  the  said  com- 
mittee presented  a  draft  of  their  labors, 
which  was  adopted  with  some  slight  amend- 
ment. Organization  having  thus  been  ef- 
fected they  proceeded  to  an  election  of 
officers,  which  resulted  as  follows  :  Di\  M. 
S.  Gove,  president ;  William  Brisbane,  vice- 
])resident ;   E.  A.  Smith,  secretary. 

The  first  members  of  the  association  were 
Asa  G.  Sutlief,  William  Brisbane,  George 
Brubaker,  Noah  Lincoln,  B.  A.  Lowell,  Eri 
G.  Wood,  J.  A.  Heath,  William  Roddle,  W. 
H.  Young  Sr.,  Joseph  Bird,  D.  L.  Whipple, 
Henry  Watkins,  Myron  Blackman,  J.  K. 
Myers,  E.  A.  Smith  and  M.  S.  Gove. 

Dr.  Gove  was  for  many  years  the  presi- 
dent of  this  society,  and  on  his  death  the 
association  passed  the  following  resolutions  : 

"  In  memory  of  Brother  M.  S.  Gove,  presi- 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


521 


dent  of  the  Waseca  Anti-Ilorse  Thief  Asso- 
ciation, who  died  December  1, 187i.  His  de- 
voted and  unswerving  attachment  to  our 
society  during  its  entire  existence  has  en- 
deared him  to  its  members ;  and  in  his  deatii 
his  estimable  family  have  lost  a  loving  hus- 


band and  father,  the  community'  and  State  a 
valuable,  self-sacrificing,  public  spirited  citi- 
zen, and  our  society  one  of  its  most  influen- 
tial and  leading  members,  and  one  who  was 
loved  most  bv  those  who  knew  him  best." 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


WASECA  COUXTY  IN  THE  WAR. 


1 

se-.....^ 

"mmW 


duriner 


HE  causes  that  led  to  the  irrepres- 
sible civil  war  between  the  States 
in  1861  to  1865,  inclusive,  have 
been  detailed  at  length  in  the 
histoiy  of  Steele  County,  in  this 
volume,  and  it  were  but  waste  of 
valuable  space  to  repeat  it  in  this 
connection .  Our  only  dut  v  is  to 
fi-lean  together  the  effects  it  had 
upon  Waseca  County,  the  action 
of  the  people,  all  loj'al  to  the  core 
g,  „„s  nation's  trial,  and  enroll  the 
names  of  the  defenders  of  the  Union  from 
Waseca,  that  posterity  may  know  the  heroes 
of  that  unholy  rebellion  against  the  best  gov- 
ernment ever  established  on  the  face  of  the 
earth. 

Looking  at  Waseca  County  to-day  we  can 
scarcely  realize  the  fact  that,  when  the  war 
broke  upon  the  people  of  this  country,  array- 
ing more  than  a  million  of  men  in  arms,  and 
which  made  our  ship  of  State  reel  and  stag- 
ger as  if  smitten  by  thunderbolts  and  dashed 
upon  the  rocks,  that  this  county  had  been  set- 
tled but  about  seven  3'ears ;  and  Minnesota,  as 
a  State  of  the  American  Union,  but  in  its  in- 
fancy. But,  notwithstanding  its  own  soil  had 
not  been  fully  subjugated  to  man's  use,  aid 
was  promptly  offered  in  subduing  the  seced- 
ing States.  The  feeling  throughout  Minne- 
sota, although  not  quite  as  intense  as  in  some 
of  the  older  States,  was  universal  that  the 
Union  must  be  preserved,  and  the  sights  and 
sounds  that  were  so  noticeable  in  every  vil- 
lage and  hamlet  north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's 
line,  were  duplicated  here,  and  men  came  for- 
ward to  lay  down  their  lives  in  defense  of 
fi-eedom  and  freedom's  flag  freely,  and  pa- 


triotism throbbed  in  every  bosom.  As  a 
county,  Waseca  was  not  called  on  in  an  offi- 
cial way  to  provide  funds  to  encourage  en- 
listments, but  several  of  the  town  boards 
did  levy  a  tax  for  that  purpose,  issuing  bonds 
and  borrowing  raoiiey  with  which  to  give 
bounties  to  the  volunteers.  Meetings  were 
held  throughout  the  county,  and  money  was 
i-aised  to  encourage  enlistments  and  pledges 
made  by  private  citizens  to  care  for  the  fam- 
ilies of  the  soldiers  in  this  county. 

With  a  population  in  1860  'of  only  2,601, 
Waseca  County  responded  nobly  to  the  call 
of  the  general  government  for  men,  furnish- 
ing fully  her  share  toward  the  suppression  of 
the  Rebellion. 

Appended  is  a  list  of  the  gallant  heroes 
who  participated  in  the  war.  If  any  com- 
rade has  been  omitted  from  the  list  it  has 
been  done  unintentionally,  and  rather  the 
fault  of  defective  muster  rolls  than  that  of 
the  historian,  than  whom  a  more  ardent 
admirer  of  the  ''  boys  in  blue "  is  not  to  be 
found. 


n 


oster. 


OLD  FIRST  MINNESOTA  INFANTRY. 


Capt.  Lewis  McKune 
G.  R.  Buckman, 
Martin  Healy, 
Ludwell  J.  Mosher, 
Neri  Reed, 
E.  E.  Verplanck, 
C.  C.  Davis, 


Jolin  M.  Churchill, 
George  Kline. 


COMPANY   G. 

Sergt.   Irvine  W.  Northup, 
Michael  Harrusauer, 
Philo  Hall, 
John  JIcKinster, 
Walter  S.  Reed, 
Luman  S.  Wood, 
Norman  B.  Barron, 
Adam  Areman. 

COMP.iJS'T   I. 

Amos  Canfield, 
O.  H.  Sutlief, 
Jens.  T.  Dahl. 


5S3 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


523 


FIRST  MINNESOTA  INFANTRY. 

COMPANY   E. 

H.  P.  Chamberlain,              Nathaniel  Reed, 

Jonathan  Hardy. 

COMPANY  G. 

THIRD  MINNESOTA  INFANTRY. 

A.  Davis. 

COMPANY   n. 

Hugh  Donaldson,                  S.  M.  Jones, 

TENTH  MINNESOTA  INFANTRY. 

George  W.  Peasley,              C.  A.  Peasley. 

COMPANY  P. 

C.  W.  Preston,                     James  Broderick, 

Capt.  George  T.  White,        Lieut.  Isaac  Hamlin, 

W.  H.  H.  Jackson,               David  Lilly, 

H.  A.  Mosher, 

C.  W.  Roberts, 

Hugh  B.  Withrow. 

David  McDaniels, 

M.  A.  Francis, 

COMPANY   I. 

John  A.  Wheeler, 

S.  A.  Goodwin, 

S.  F.  Wyman,                       H.  B.  Withrow. 

J.  R.  Whitman, 

Richard  Ayers, 

Robert  Beith, 

William  Blivens, 

FOURTH  MINNESOTA  INFANTRY 

George  E.  Brubakei 

Edward  Brossard, 

Lieut.  W.  F.   Kittredge,   adjutant;  afterward  captain 

Nels  Bergosen, 

Samuel  Gleason, 

and  A.  A.  G.  and  major. 

Charles  Grover, 

S.  M.  Grover, 

COMPANY   D. 

James  Glendening, 

A.  D.  Gregor, 

Captain  S.  T.  Isaac. 

J.  A.  Canfield, 

Chas.  Chadwick, 

George  Dreever, 

Thomas  Eldredge, 

COMPANY  C. 

John  Teas. 

Fred .  Emery, 

James  Gallagher, 

Knute  Hanson, 

Christian  Hatsaul, 

CO.MPANY  H. 

G.  W.  Ives, 

H.  A.Jones, 

Myron  S.  Sheldon,                Charles  Parvin, 

August  Krieger, 

John  King, 

Ebenezer  M.  Broughton. 

L.  A.  Lafayette, 

G.  W.  Lee. 

COMPANY   I. 

M.  M.  Morgan, 

Jacob  Newkirk, 

Capt.  D.  L.  Wellman,          Loren  C.  Wood, 

Charles  Olebaugh, 

Hans  Oleson, 

Augustus  Pintler,                 Waldo  Lyon, 

John  Pickitt, 

Samuel  Preston, 

S.  T.  Isaac,                            Samuel  Alexander, 

J.  S.  Rice, 

M.  V.  B.  Storer, 

Aaron  Bragg,                        Orin  Coates, 

Benjamin  Swan, 

S.  P.  Satterly, 

James  S.  Camp,                    James  L  Conner, 

Martin  Spankley, 

W.  W.  Taylor, 

Erastus  Fish,                         N.  T.  Foster, 

Barney  Vosburg, 

P.  J.  D.Wood, 

James  Haines,                       Silas  Hubbell, 

G.  H.  Woodbury, 

Ole  Johnson, 

Jonathan  Isaac,                     T.  B.  .lackson, 

William  Brisbane, 

Henry  Yarigan,  ' 

S.  A.  Norris,                         Moses  Norris, 

Hans  Hanson, 

A.  H.  Coddington, 

J.  N.  Powers,                       Corwin  W.  Quiggle, 

Isaac  Lyng, 

Robt.  Quiggle, 

D.  P.  Stowell,                       Jonas  Whitcomb. 

J.  B.  Hill, 

Francis  Lincoln. 

COjrPANY  D. 

FIFTH  MINNESOTA  INFANTRY. 

G.  W.  Ives, 

John  King, 

Capt.  E.  A.  Rice, 
Melmoth  P.  Ide, 
Alex.  Wentworth, 
William  Blaisdell, 
G.  F.  Rice, 
John  Barden, 
Moses  Camp, 
Edward  Guise, 
William  Harding, 
John  Jenkins, 
S.  M.  Merrill, 
E.  H.  Stiles, 
B.  F.  Weed, 
P.  Davis, 

Peter  Oleson 


COMPANY  p. 

Lieut.  G.  W.  Johnson, 
G.  R.  Loveland, 
J.  W.  Pierce, 
G.  H.  Bishop, 
E.  M.  Atwood, 
Patrick  Burns, 
S.  W.  Franklin, 
W.  H.  Gray, 
E.  R.  Horton, 
Harvey  Lawrence, 
John  Murphy, 
David  Skinner, 
H.  H.  Wallace, 
William  Douglas. 

COMPANY  c. 

Christopher  Sampson. 

CO.MPANY  D. 

James  E.  Crook. 


Nathan  Satterly, 
Frederick  Emery, 


S.  P.  Satterly. 
Martin  Spankley. 


FIRST  MINNESOTA  HEAVY  ARTILLERY. 

COMPANY  A. 

Granville  Barnes,  Josephus  Blevins, 

George  F.  Long. 


Charles  Christman, 
A.M.  Roberts, 


COMPANY  c. 

H.  A.  Christman. 
Fred.  Rosenau. 


COMP.ANY  G. 

William  A.  Flowers. 

COMPANY  D. 

Joseph  Davidson. 

COMPANY  E. 

James  Hand. 


524 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


FIRST  MINNESOTA  MOUNTED  RANGERS. 

SECOND  MINNESOTA  CAVALRY. 

COMPANY  B. 

Major  E.  A.  Rice. 

Lieut.  T.  F.  West, 

J.  H.  Elliston, 

COMPANY  A. 

S.  P.  Child, 

W.M.  Fay, 

E.  A.  Erwin. 

John  Cunningliam 

L.  W.  Krassin, 

COMPANY  C. 

Gullecli  Knuteson, 

.John  Murphy, 

C.  G.  Scott. 

Egle  Oleson, 

Jordan  Smith. 

SECOND  MINNESOTA  BATTERY,  LIGHT 

COMPANY  H. 

ARTILLERY. 

L.  F.  Preston, 

A.J.  Williams, 

James  W.  Clark.                    Austin  Peck, 

Jonas  Whitcomb. 

John  O'Brien. 

BRACKETT'S  CAVALRY  BATTALION. 

THIRD  MINNESOTA  BATTERY,  LIGHT 

COMPANY  B. 

ARTILLERY. 

J.  R.  West, 

Fred.  Prechel. 

Joshua  Downing,                  I.  W.  Johnson. 

CHAPTER  XV. 


THE  INDIAN  MASSACRE. 


HE  following  account  of  some 
thrilling  personal  experiences 
during  the  Indian  massacre  of 
1862,  portraj'ing  in  graphic  lan- 
guage the  suffering  and  trials  of 
the  early  settlers  on  the  frontier, 
is  from  the  pen  of  the  senior  editor 
of  the  Waseca  Herald.  Many  of 
the  scenes  and  incidents  were 
detailed  to  him  b}^  William 
Everett,  now  a  citizen  of  Waseca, 
a  participant  in,  and  eye-witness 
to  them. 

It  seems  that  in  the  fall  of  1860 
WiUiam  Everett,  his  family,  and 
a  man  by  the  name  of  Wright,  made  a  set- 
tlement at  the  south  end  of  Lake  Shetek, 
where  there  were  at  that  time  but  three  or 
four  other  settlers.  The  families  of  Wright 
and  Everett  each  consisted  of  a  wife  and  two 
children.  In  the  spring  of  1861  Charles 
Hatch,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Everett,  a  single 
man,  came  to  the  lake  and  made  a  settle- 
ment there. 

In  May,  1862,  Messrs.  Hurd  and  Jones, 
two  of  the  settlers,  concluded  to  visit  the 
Big  Sioux  River  and  look  over  that  section 
of  country.  Hurd  told  his  wife  that  if  they 
did  not  return  by  a  certain  time  in  June,  she 
might  know  that  something  unusual  had 
happened  them.  The  time  came,  but  Hurd 
and  Jones  came  not.  There  was'  considera- 
ble anxiety  on  their  account  in  the  settle- 
ment, and  Everett,  Wright,  Duly,  Smith  and 
Eastlick  took  two  horse  teams  and  started 
to  look  for  them.  These  parties  drove  as  far 
as  Split  Rock  Creek,  and  camped  for  the 
night.     The  next  morning  it  was  decided  to 


leave  Duly  with  the  teams  in  the  camp, 
while  Everett  and  Wright  should  follow 
down  the  creek,  and  Smith  and  Eastlick 
should  go  in  the  opposite  direction  and 
search  for  the  missing  men,  both  parties 
agreeing  to  return  to  camp  that  night. 
Everett  and  Wright  soon  discovered  a 
buffalo,  shot  and  wounded  him.  They  for- 
got all  else  in  their  desire  to  kill  the  buffalo, 
and  chased  him  until  late  in  the  afternoon. 
They  then  began  to  think  of  returning,  but 
having  given  no  heed  to  the  direction  they 
had  traveled,  and  night  coming  on,  they 
soon  discovered  that  they  were  lost.  They 
camped  in  a  slough,  covering  themselves 
with  grass  cut  with  their  knives,  the  better 
to  protect  themselves  from  the  swarms  of 
mosquitoes  and  the  chilly  night  air.  They 
hoped  to  get  their  direction  by  the  sun  next 
morning,  but  when  morning  came  there  was 
a  heavy  fog,  and  thick  clouds  shut  out  the 
sun,  so  they  were  compelled  to  guess  as  to 
the  proper  course  to  travel.  As  usual  under 
such  circumstances,  they  traveled  in  the 
wrong  direction.  Not  having  anything  to 
eat  they  felt  weary,  but  were  encouraged  by 
coming  onto  the  trail  leading  from  Sioux 
Falls  to  Shetek.  Again  they  took  the  wrong 
direction  and  traveled  until  they  came  in 
sight  of  the  timber  along  the  Sioux  River. 
Then  realizing  that  they  were  going  wrong, 
they  turned  about  and  retraced  their  steps, 
reaching  the  Split  Rock  camp  near  night,  to 
find  it  deserted.  They  found  a  piece  of  paper 
pinned  to  a  post,  on  which  was  written : 
"  We  suppose  Everett  and  Wright  have  been 
killed  by  Indians — we  have  gone  home. " 
As  they  had  had  nothing  to  eat  since  the 


5S5 


526 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


day  before,  and  were  very  much  exhausted 
with  traveling  on  foot,  the  outlook  was  dis- 
couraging. Just  at  night,  however,  they 
had  the  good  fortune  to  shoot  a  duck,  which 
they  ate  raw.  They  camped  on  the  ground, 
in  the  shelter  of  some  large  rocks,  for  the 
night.  They  were  awakened  just  before 
midnight  by  the  sound  of  voices — at  first 
supjiosing  that  Indians  were  coming  upon 
them.  They  were  gladly  disappointed,  how- 
ever, to  find  the  voices  proceeded  from  a 
squad  of  soldiers  and  the  mail  carrier.  The 
soldiers  had  with  them  plenty  of  provisions, 
and,  after  a  bountiful  supper,  all  camped 
there  during  the  remainder  of  the  night. 
The  next  day  they  arrived  at  Lake  Shetek, 
just  as  the  settlers  were  getting  read}''  to  send 
men  to  the  agency  for  soldiers  to  look  them 
up. 

Hurd  and  Jones  were  never  heard  of  after- 
ward, but  at  the  time  of  the  massacre,  Mrs. 
Hurd  saw  one  of  Ilurd's  horses,  as  she 
believed,  ridden  by  one  of  the  Indian  savages. 

From  that  time  to  the  time  of  the  outbreak 
nothing  occurred  at  the  settlement  to  arouse 
any  suspicion  of  danger.  That  settlement 
was  so  isolated  from  others  that  thev  seldom 
heard  from  the  larger  towns.  Everything 
was  quiet  and  peaceful,  and  no  one  had  a 
suspicion  of  the  horrible  scenes  of  bloodshed 
that  were  soon  to  follow. 

About  the  17th  of  August,  1862,  "Pawn" 
and  five  or  six  other  Indians,  with  squaws 
and  children,  came  to  the  lake  and  camped, 
not  far  from  Everett's  place.  Nothing  was 
thought  of  this,  as  roving  bands  often  came 
that  way,  and  especially  as  these  were  the 
Indians  whom  the  settlers  had  feil  the  winter 
before,  and  were  supposed  to  be  friendly. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  here  and 
there  a  slight  suspicion  existed  that  the 
Indians  were  preparing  for  war,  yet,  as  a 
rule,  few,  if  any,  believed  that  there  was  any 
I'eal  danger. 

But  on  the  20th  of  August,  1862,  the 
murderous  assault  commenced  all  along  the 
line.     Men,  women  and  children,  regardless 


of  age  or  condition,  were  murdered,  mangled 
and  outraged  in  the  most  cold-blooded  and 
barbarous  manner. 

The  people  of  the  little  settlement  at  Lake 
Shetek  were  industriously  pursuing  their 
avocations  on  that  fatal  da}',  and  were  en- 
tirely unprepared  for  the  murderous  attack 
which  commenced  near  the  head  of  the  lake 
at  daybreak. 

The  first  outrage  was  at  the  -farm  of 
Mj'ers,  near  the  head  of  the  lake.  On  ac- 
count of  Mrs.  Myei's'  sickness,  Myers  arose 
at  an  early  hour.  As  he  went  out  of  the 
house  he  discovered  the  Indians,  who  had 
torn  down  his  fence  and  were  riding  through 
his  corn,  breaking  it  down  and  destroying  it. 
He  called  to  them  saying  he  would  whip 
them  if  they  did  not  leave,  and  asked  them 
if  he  had  not  always  treated  them  well.  They 
admitted  that  he  had  and  finally  rode  away. 
They  ]iroceeded  at  once  to  the  farm  of  Mrs. 
Hurd,  whose  husband,  with  Jones,  disaj)- 
peared  in  the  spring.  A  German,  named 
Voight,  was  working  on  the  farm.  When  the 
Indians  arrived  Mrs.  Hurd  was  milking  cows, 
and  on  seeing  them  hastened  into  the  house. 
The  Indians  followed  her,  and  with  pretended 
friendship  asked  for  some  tobacco.  Voight 
gave  them  some,  and  they  commenced  to 
smoke.  Mrs.  Hurd's  babe  awoke  and  began 
to  cry,  when  Voight  took  it  up  and  walked 
out  into  the  yard.  Just  as  he  was  turning 
to  go  into  the  house  again,  one  of  the  Indians 
stepped  to  the  door,  raised  his  gun  and  shot 
him  through  the  breast,  killing  him  almost 
instantly.  They  then  plundered  the  house 
of  all  its  contents,  and  told  Mrs.  Hurd  that 
if  she  made  any  noise  they  would  kill  her 
also,  but  if  she  remained  quiet  they  would 
permit  her  "to  return  to  her  mother."  They 
destroyed  nearly  everything  about  the  house 
and  then  ordered  her  to  leave,  telling  her 
which  way  to  go,  and  informing  her  that  if 
she  should  attempt  to  go  to  one  of  the  neigh- 
bors or  make  an  outcry  to  wai-n  them  they 
would  kill  her.  Mrs.  Hurd  was  compelled 
to  leave  by  an  unfrequented  path  with  her 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


527 


two  children,  the  elder  about  three  years  old 
and  the  younger  less  than  a  year  old. 

We  must  now  return  to  the  lower  or  south 
end  of  the  settlement.  Early  that  morning 
Everett's  brother-in-law,  Charles  Hatch, 
started  on  horseback  to  go  to  Kurd's  place 
to  get  a  yoke  of  oxen  to  put  into  a  breaking 
team.  It  was  about  six  miles  between  the 
two  places.  "When  Hatch  reached  Cook's 
place  he  hitched  his  horse  and  went  across  a 
marsh,  imjiassable  for  a  horse,  to  save  the 
time  and  trouble  of  going  around  the  marsh 
or  slough.  When  he  reached  Hurd's  house, 
a  horrid  sight  presented  itself.  Voight  lay 
stark  dead  upon  the  ground,  covered  with 
blood ;  everything  about  the  house  was 
broken  and  destroyed,  and  Mrs.  Hurd  was 
nowhere  to  be  seen.  The  tracks  at  once  dis- 
closed the  fact  that  Indians  had  been  there. 
Looking  to  the  east,  he  saw  the  Indians  mak- 
ing around  the  marsh.  He  started  at  once 
to  retrace  his  steps  and  warn  the  settlers ; 
but  the  Indians  arrived  at  Cook's  place  ahead 
of  him.  They  found  Mrs.  Cook  in  the  corn- 
field with  her  husband's  gun,  keeping  birds 
from  the  corn,  and  Cook  at  the  house.  They 
divided,  part  going  to  the  cornfield  and  part 
to  the  house.  Those  who  went  to  the  corn- 
field asked  to  see  her  gun.  Not  suspecting 
murdei',  she  let  them  take  it.  As  soon  as 
they  got  possession  of  the  gun,  they  told  her 
she  might  "go  to  her  mother,"  for  they  were 
going  to  kill  all  the  white  men  in  the  country. 
Those  that  went  to  the  house  asked  for  a 
drink  of  water.  As  there  w\as  none  in  the 
house,  Cook  took  the  pail  to  go  totlie  spring. 
He  had  proceeded  but  a  few  steps  when  one 
of  those  cowardly  villains,  without  the  least 
warning,  shot  him  in  the  back,  killing  him 
at  once.  Hatch  was  in  sight  of  the  house 
when  Cook  was  shot,  and  saw  liis  horse  break 
loose  and  run  off.  Hatch  managed  to  get 
past  the  place  unperceived,  while  the  Indians 
were  plundering  Cook's  place,  and  went  from 
house  to  house  as  fast  as  he  could  travel 
warning  the  settlers.  When  he  reached 
Easthck's  house  he   was  nearly   exhausted. 


Mrs.  Eastlick,  in  her  account  of  the  massacre, 
says :  "  My  husband  and  Rhodes  had  just 
sat  down  to  breakfast,  when  my  eldest  boy, 
Merton,  came  to  the  door  saying,  '  Charley 
Hatch  is  coming,  as  fast  as  he  can  run.' 
Hatch  was  a  young  man  living  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Everett,  and  thinking  that 
perhaps  some  one  was  sick  or  hurt,  I  went  to 
the  door.  As  soon  as  he  came  near  enough 
to  me  I  saw  that  he  was  very  pale  and  out  of 
breath.  'Charley,  what  is  tlie  matter?'  I 
asked.  He  shouted  — '  The  Indians  are  upon 
us.'  '  It  cannot  be  possible,'  said  I.  '  It  is 
so, '  said  Charley,  '  they  have  already  shot 
Voight.'  He  then  related  the  other  facts  he 
had  witnessed,  and  asked  for  a  horse  that  he 
might  ride  quickly  to  the  lower  end  of  the 
lake  to  warn  the  rest  of  the  settlers.  Rhodes 
let  him  have  one  of  his  horses.  He  asked  us 
for  a  bridle  several  times,  but  we  were  all 
so  horror-stricken  and  mute  with  fear  and 
apprehension  that  we  stood  for  some  time 
like  dumb  persons.  At  last  I  seemed  to 
awake  as  from  a  horrible  dream  and  began 
to  realiz,e  the  necessity  of  immediate  and 
rapid  flight.  I  sprang  into  the  house  and 
got  the  bridle  for  liiin,  urging  him  to  hurry 
away  with  all  speed.  He  started  oflf  and  bade 
us  follow  as  fast  as  we  could  to  Smith's 
house. 

Returning  to  Mrs.  Cook,  we  learned  that  she 
remained  concealed  about  the  jiremises  until 
the  Indians,  tired  of  plundering  the  house, 
departed.  She  then  went  to  the  house  to 
find  her  husband  murdered,  and  all  her 
household  goods  destroyed.  Notwithstand- 
ing her  bereavement  and  the  dangers  sur- 
rounding her,  she  bravely  resolved  to  warn 
the  other  settlers  of  what  had  transpired. 
After  traveling  on  foot  through  brush  and 
timljer,  and  wading  in  water  along  the  shore 
of  the  lake,  she  reached  the  lower  settle- 
ment the  same  day  a  little  in  advance  of 
the  murderous  savages.  Hatch  had  lost  no 
time  in  notifying  every  settler  of  what  had 
transpired.  Every  house  was  soon  deserted, 
leaving  cattle,  horses,  household  gootls,  every- 


528 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


thing  to  be  plundered  by  the  merciless  sav- 
ages, and  the  settlers  all  assembled  at  the 
house  of  Wright — being  thirty-four  in  num- 
ber, "men,  women  and  children. 

"Old  Pawn"  and  his  band  who  had 
camped  there  the  Monday  before,  were  at 
Wright's  place  and  pretended  great  friend- 
ship for  the  whites.  They  even  went  so  far 
as  to  help  bring  in  Mesdames  Ireland  and 
Duly,  with  their  children,  who  had  been  left 
behind  in  the  flight.  The  men  at  once  pre- 
pared Wright's  house  as  well  as  they  could, 
for  defensive  operations.  They  opened 
crevices  here  and  there  between  the  logs,  as 
port-holes  for  their  guns;  and  not  having 
entire  confidence  in  "Pawn"  and  his 
Indians,  told  them  that  they  could  take 
their  stand  in  the  stable.  The  women  were 
armed  with  axes,  hatchets  and  butcher- 
knives,  and  sent  up-stairs  with  the  children. 
These  hasty  preparations  were  not  fully 
completed  when  the  murderous  savages, 
whooping  and  yelling  like  pandemonium, 
made  their  appearance  at  Smith's  house, 
in  full  view  of  Wright's  place  where  the  set- 
tlers were  assembled. 

One  would  suppose  that  the  whites  would 
have  remained  at  the  house  and  defended 
themselves  to  the  last ;  but  when  it  is  known 
that  the  only  supply  of  water  was  some  dis- 
tance from  the  house ;  that  they  had  no  ])ro- 
visions  for  more  than  a  day  or  two,  and  that 
they  were  surrounded  by  some  two  hundred 
Indians,  we  can  easily  understand  that  any 
chance  of  escape,  however  slim  or  dangerous, 
would  be  eagerly  accepted. 

The  murderous  Indians  had  assembled  at 
Smith's  house  and  plundered  it.  From  there 
they  sallied  forth  in  squads,  mounted  on 
ponies,  firing  guns  and  yelling  like  demons. 
Occasionally  they  would  shoot  a  cow  or  an 
ox,  and  then  ride  back  to  Smith's  house. 
After  spending  some  time  in  this  way,  the}' 
advanced  toward  Wright's  house.  Everett 
noticed  about  this  time  one  of  Pawn's  band 
skulking  around  to  the  Indians  who  were 
advancing.     Pie  held   a  short   consultation 


and  sneaked  back  again.  Old  Pawn,  who 
pretended  to  be  friendl}',  said  he  would  go 
and  see  them  and  find  out  what  they 
wanted.  He  started  out  to  meet  them,  and 
had  only  proceeded  a  short  distance  when 
several  of  the  war  party  came  riding  toward 
him  on  a  gallop.  He  soon  halted.  As  soon  as 
they  noticed  this,  they  also  stopped  and  called 
to  him.  He  then  went  to  them  and  talked 
for  some  time,  after  which  he  came  running 
back  as  though  excited,  and  said  there  were 
200  warriors  coming,  and  if  the  whites  would 
quietly  go  away  the  "braves"  would  not 
harm  them ;  but  if  not  they  would  burn  the 
house  and  kill  them  all. 

By  this  time,  Everett  and  many  of  the 
others  were  satisfied  that  Pawn  and  his  band, 
notwithstanding  their  pretended  friendship, 
were  in  a  conspiracy  to  murder  the  settlers. 

The  men  held  a  hurried  consultation,  and 
the  majority  decided  to  leave  the  building 
and  take  their  chances.  Khodes  and  Hatch 
were  sent  to  Everett's  place,  half  a  mile 
away,  to  get  a  wagon  for  the  conveyance  of 
the  women  and  children,  and  to  get  some 
flour,  quilts,  etc.  Without  waiting  for  the 
return  of  the  team,  the  whole  company 
started  across  the  prairie  on  foot.  Rhodes 
and  Hatch  overtook  them  with  the  Avagon 
by  the  time  they  had  proceeded  half  a  mile, 
and  the  women  and  children,  except  Mes- 
dames Wright  and  Eastlick,  got  into  the 
wagon.  Mrs.  Wright  bravely  shouldered 
her  husband's  rifle,  he  being  absent  from  the 
settlement,  below  Mankato,  at  the  time  of 
the  outbreak.  They  had  proceeded  a  little 
over  a  mile  when  they  discovered  the  In- 
dians following  them  as  fast  as  they  could 
come,  yelling  like  so  many  fiends.  Old  Pawn 
and  his  band,  who  had  pretended  to  be 
friendly,  had  joined  the  others  in  the  work 
of  murder  and  plunder.  All  was  terror  and 
consternation  among  the  settlers,  and  they 
attempted  to  urge  the  horses  to  a  run,  but 
the  poor  creatures  were  so  loaded  down  that 
they  could  not  go  faster  than  a  walk.  On 
came  the  savages  riding  at  full  speed.     All 


HI8T0EY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


529 


got  out  of  the  wagon  that  could  run,  and 
hurried  on  as  fast  as  possible,  but  all  to  no 
purpose — the  savages  were  soon  upon  them. 
The  men  marched  at  the  head  of  the  team, 
with  their  guns,  in  order  to  protect  the 
women  and  children  who  were  in  advance. 
The  men  thought  at  first  that  perhaps  all 
they  wanted  was  the  team,  and  for  that 
reason  sent  the  women  and  children  ahead. 
As  the  Indians  approached  almost  to  within 
gunshot,  they  spread  out  in  a  long,  single 
line,  and  came  on  yelling  like  demons. 
"When  at  long  range  they  fired  a  volle}^  but 
no  one  was  hurt.  Two  of  the  men,  Rhodes 
and  Smith,  deserted  the  company,  and  ran 
for  dear  life,  leaving  the  balance  to  their 
fate.  They  escaped  without  a  scratch.  One 
went  to  Dutch  Charley's  and  warned  his 
family,  and  the  other  went  to  the  Walnut 
Grove  settlement. 

As  soon  as  the  Indians  fired  the  first  round 
they  rushed  for  the  team,  and  one  of  them 
seized  the  horses  by  the  bits  and  turned 
them  around.  At  this  juncture,  some  of  the 
white  men  fired  upon  the  Indians,  and  the 
one  having  hold  of  the  team  fell  dead. 

It  was  now  evident  that  there  was  to  be 
a  deadly  conflict.  The  men  directed  the 
women  and  children  to  a  slough  nearby,  and 
told  them  to  conceal  themselves  as  well  as 
they  could  in  the  tall  grass,  the  men  cover- 
ing their  retreat.  All  started  amid  a  shower 
of  shot  from  the  Indian  guns. 

Mrs.  Eastlick  received  a  ball  in  one  heel ; 
Ireland's  youngest  child  was  shot  through 
one  leg ;  Emma  Duly  received  a  wound  in 
the  arm,  and  "Willie  Duly  received  a  shot  in 
the  shoulder.  They  soon  reached  the  slough, 
and  although  concealed  from  view,  it 
afi'orded  little  protection.  There  were  about 
two  hundred  Indians  and  only  six  white 
men  left.  For  two  hours  the  cowardly  sav- 
ages, keeping  out  of  sight  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, poured  volley  after  volley  into  the 
slough.  They  would  skulk  behind  the  hills, 
crawl  to  the  top,  rise  and  fire,  then  drop  out 


of  sight. 


It  was  dangerous  for  one  of  the 


white  men  to  fire  his  gun,  for  immediately 
there  would  be  a  volley  fired  into  the  grass 
where  he  was.  One  after  another  of  the 
whites  were  wounded  or  killed.  Eastlick, 
after  doing  brave  work,  was  killed.  Mrs. 
Eastlick  received  a  scalp  wound  and  another 
in  the  side.  Mrs.  Everett  received  a  shot  in 
her  neck.  Everett  received  a  bullet  in  the 
thigh  which  struck  the  bone,  followed  around 
and  lodged  under  the  knee.  Charles  Hatch 
was  wounded  in  the  hand  and  arm,  and 
Bentley  in  the  arm.  There  was  little  chance 
for  further  resistance  by  the  settlers.  The 
firing  ceased.  Three  of  the  skulking  Indians, 
one  of  them  old  Pawn,  then  came  forward 
and  called  upon  the  women  to  come  out  of 
the  slough.  Everett  answered  them.  Pawn 
who  knew  the  voice,  commanded  him  to 
come,  out  of  the  slough.  Everett  told  him 
he  could  not  for  he  was  wounded.  Pawn 
said :  "  You  lie  ;  you  can  walk  if  you  want 
to." 

Two  of  the  Indians  then  fired  into  the 
grass  where  Everett  was,  one  of  the  bullets 
striking  his  arm  near  the  elbow  and  shattering 
the  bone  and  a  buckshot  entering  his  foot. 
Mrs.  Everett,  forgetting  all  fear,  bravely 
arose  and  in  the  most  piteous  manner  told 
them  her  husband  was  dead,  and  they  had 
killed  him. 

Pawn  then  told  her  that  he  would  not  hurt 
the  rest  of  them,  but  that  they  must  come 
out  of  the  slough,  for  he  wanted  her  and 
Mrs.  "Wright  for  his  squaws.  Mrs.  "Wright 
could  speak  the  Sioux  language,  to  some  ex- 
tent, and  under  the  advice  of  Everett,  who 
was  now  helpless,  the  two  women  concluded 
to  go  out  and  confer  with  the  Indians. 
"While  this  hurried  conference  was  going  on 
between  Mrs.  "Wright  and  Everett,  Uncle 
Tommy  Ireland,  a  short  distance  from  them, 
arose  out  of  the  grass  and  begged  of  the 
Indians  to  spare  the  women  and  children. 
Two  of  the  murderous  Indians,  onh'^  a  few 
rods  distant,  fired  upon  liim,  and  he  fell  to 
the  ground  with  a  groan,  saying  :  "  Oh  God ! 
I  am  killed  ! "     He  received  seven  buckshot, 


530 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


two  of  which  passed  through  his  left  lung, 
one  through  his  left  arm,  and  others  lodged 
in  various  parts  of  his  body. 

Mesdames  Wright  and  Everett,  having 
been  advised  by  Everett  that  perhaps  by 
going  out  to  the  Indians  they  might  be  able 
afterward  to  make  their  escape,  and  that 
refusal  would  be  certain  death  to  all,  ven- 
tured to  go  to  the  Indians.  After  a  short 
talk  with  the  villain,  Pawn,  they  returned 
and  reported  that  he  said  he  would  s]«ire  all 
the  women  and  children  if  they  would  come 
out  of  the  slough.  After  a  short  consultation 
the  women  concluded  to  go  forth  with  all  the 
children. 

Ah,  the  sad  parting  !  Mrs.  Eastlick's  hus- 
band was  dead.  Mrs.  Ireland  bent  over  the 
prostrate  form  of  her  husband,  whom  she 
would  never  see  again,  to  receive,  as  she 
supposed,  his  dying  words,  and  husbands 
and  fathers  felt  deep  anguish  as  wives  and 
children  went  forth  to  death  or  to  a  time  of 
suffering  worse  than  death. 

Many  of  the  prisoners  as  they  came  forth 
were  wounded.  Mrs.  Smith,  whose  husband 
fled  at  the  first  fire,  was  wounded  in  the  hip. 
Next  to  the  youngest  of  Mrs.  Ireland's  chil- 
di-en  was  shot  through  the  bowels  and  died 
in  a  short  time. 

Shortly  after  the  surrender,  the  fiendish 
brutality  and  devilish  cruelty  of  the  Sioux 
were  fully  demonstrated.  A  little  boy,  five 
years  old,  son  of  Mrs.  Eastlick,  while  follow- 
ing his  mother,  who  was  being  led  away  by 
an  Indian,  was  attacked  by  a  squaw,  beaten 
over  the  head  with  a  club,  and  finally  ri])ped 
open  with  a  knife.  Another  of  her  children, 
Frank,  was  shot  and  murdered  before  her 
eyes.  Mrs.  Duly's  boy,  "Willie,  was  shot  in 
her  presence,  and  left  in  a  suffering,  dying 
condition  on  the  prairie.  Mrs.  Ireland  and 
Mrs.  Smith  were  murdered  in  cold  blood, 
and  left  near  each  other ;  and  near  by  was 
the  corpse  of  Mrs.  Eastlick's  third  child, 
Giles. 

Shortly  after  the  Indians  left  the  slough 
with  their  prisoners,  one  of  the  redskins  shot 


Mrs.  Everett's  little  boy,  which  so  excited 
her  that  she  broke  loose  from  her  captor, 
and  was  running  back  to  her  boy,  when  she 
was  shot  through  the  body  and  mortally 
wounded,  dying  during  the  night. 

Mrs.  Eastlick  in  her  account  says :  "  The 
Indians  sent  Mrs.  Wright  back  to  the  slough 
to  gather  up  and  bring  out  the  guns.  I 
found  that  I  was  quite  lame  and  could  hardly 
walk.  .  .  The  sky  soon  became  overcast 
with  heavy  clouds,  and  a  furious  rain-storm, 
accompanied  with  thunder  and  lightning, 
was  coming  on.  Soon  the  rain  descended  in 
torrents.  The  Indians  caught  their  ponies, 
and  made  all  preparations  for  starting  away. 
We  expected  to  be  all  taken  along  as  pris- 
oners, but  we  were  disappointed  ;  for,  as  it 
afterward  proved,  some  were  taken,  while 
others  were  put  to  death,  or  left  in  a  dying 
condition.  Those  of  us  who  afterward 
escaped,  were,  for  a  long  time,  in  such  a 
plight  that  death  seemed  inevitably  to  stare 
us  in  the  face." 

After  giving  an  account  of  the  death  of 
three  of  her  children,  she  continues :  "  Old 
Pawn  came  along  with  Mrs.  Wright  and  her 
children.  He  brought  along  a  horse  which 
belonged  to  Charley  Hatch,  and  ordered  her 
to  put  her  children  on  it,  which  she  did.  He 
then  gave  her  the  halter  strap  and  sent  her 
along,  telling  me  to  go  along  with  her.  .  . 
I  asked  him  what  he  intended  to  do  with 
me,  and  if  he  meant  to  kill  me?  He  replied 
in  the  negative,  then  stopped,  leaned  on 
his  gun,  and  told-  me  to  hurry  on.  .  .  I 
limped  along  at  a  rapid  pace,  but  looking 
back  I  saw  old  Pawn  standing  where  I  had 
left  him,  loading  his  gun,  and  I  instantly 
feared  that,  in  spite  of  all  his  protestations, 
he  was  going  to  shoot  me.  I  had  a  small 
slough  to  cross,  and  when  about  half  way 
through  it,  some  one,  probably  Pawn,  shot 
me  again,  making  four  bullets  which  I  had 
i-eceived  that  day,  in  all.  The  ball  struck 
me  in  the  small  of  the  back,  entering  at  the 
left  side  of  the  spine,  and  coming  out  at  the 
right  side,  just  above  my  hip  —  also   passing 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COtrNTY. 


531 


through  my  right  arm,  between  the  elbow 
and  wrist,  I  fell  to  the  ground  upon  my 
face,  and  lay  there  for  some  minutes,  .  . 
expecting  the  Indians  would  ride  over  me, 
as  I  had  fallen  in  the  trail.  Finding  that  I 
could  move  I  crawled  about  a  rod  from  the 
trail,  and  laid  down  again  on  my  face.  In  a 
few  moments  more  I  heard  the  step  of  an 
Indian,  and  held  my  breath,  thinking  he 
might  pass  me,  supposing  me  dead.  But  I 
was  sadly  mistaken.  He  came  close  beside 
me,  stood  a  moment,  then  commenced  beat- 
ing me  on  the  head  with  the  butt  of  a  gun. 
He  struck  me  many  times  so  hard  that  my 
head  bounded  up  from  the  sod,  and  then 
gave  me  three  severe  blows  across  the  riglit 
shoulder.  I  did  not  lose  all  presence  of 
mind,  although  the  blows  fell  heavy  and  fast. 
.  .  I  was  so  nearljf  smothered  with  my 
face  beaten  into  the  grass,  tliat  I  caught  my 
breath  several  times.  He  probably  supposed 
me  to  be  d3'ing,  and  threw  down  his  gun. 
I  thought  he  was  preparing  to  scalp  me.  I 
expected  every  moment  to  feel  his  hand  in 
my  hair  and  the  keen  edge  of  the  scalping- 
knife  cutting  around  my  head.  But  for 
once  I  was  happily  disappointed,  for  he  went 
away,  thinking  no  doubt  I  was  dead. 

"  I  laid  here  some  two  or  three  hours,  not 
daring  to  stir.  .  .  The  rain  had  continued 
to  fall  all  of  this  time  ;  my  clothes  were  wet 
through,  and  I  was  very  cold  and  chilly. 
About  4  o'clock  p.  m.,  on  trying  to  get  up, 
I  found  that  I  was  very  weak,  and  that  it 
required  a  great  deal  of  painful  effort  to 
raise  myself  to  a  sitting  posture.  .  .  I 
then  found  that  the  blood  had  i-un  down 
from  my  head  and  coagulated  among  my 
fingers ;  hence  I  knew  my  head  had  bled 
quite  freely,  or  the  rain  would  have  washed 
it  away.  .  .  I  was  insensible  to  pain,  but 
by  turning  my  head  back  and  forth,  I  could 
plainly  hear  and  feel  the  bones  grate  to- 
gether. 1  thought  my  skull  must  be  broken, 
and  this  afterward  proved  to  be  true.  My 
hair  was  very  thick  and  long,  and  this,  I 
think,  saved  my  life  by  breaking  somewhat 


the  force  of  the  blows.  Here  I  sat,  wet  and 
cold,  not  daring  to  move  from  the  spot.  I 
had  heard  the  cry  of  a  child  at  intervals 
during  the  afternoon,  and  thought  it  Johnny 
(her  son).  I  thought  Merton  (an  elder  son) 
must  have  taken  him  to  the  wounded  men 
(in  the  slough)  to  stay  with  them.  So  I 
detei'mined  to  try  and  go  to  them,  thinking 
we  could,  perhaps,  keep  warm  better,  for  the 
rain  was  still  falling  fast,  and  the  night  was 
setting  in  cold  and  stormy  I  rose  up  on 
my  feet  and  found  that  I  could  walk,  but 
with  great  difficulty.  I  soon  heard  Willie 
Dulj^  whom  I  supposed  dead  long  before 
this,  cry  out,  '  Mother,  mother  ? '  but  a  few 
steps  from  me.  .  .  Having  to  pass  close 
by  him  as  I  left  the  slough,  I  stoi^ped  and 
thought  I  would  speak  to  him,  but  on  re- 
flecting that  I  could  not  possibly  help  the 
poor  boy,  I  passed  him  without  speaking.  He 
never  moved  again  from  the  spot  where  I 
last  saw  him ;  for  when  the  soldiers  went 
there  to  bury  the  dead,  they  found  him  in 
the  same  position,  lying  on  his  face,  at  the 
edge  of  the  slough.  I  was  guided  to  the 
place  where  my  children  and  neighbors  were 
murdered  during  the  day,  by  the  crying  of  a 
child,  which  I  supposed  to  be  Johnny  ;  but 
on  reaching  the  spot  where  it  lay,  it  proved 
to  be  Mrs.  Everett's  youngest  child.  Her 
eldest  child,  Lilly,  aged  six  years,  was  lean- 
ing over  him,  to  shield  him  from  the  cold 
storm.  I  called  her  by  name.  She  knew 
my  voice  instantly,  and  said  :  '  Mrs.  East- 
lick,  the  Indians  liaven't  killed  us  yet.'  '  No, 
Lilly,'  I  said,  '  not  quite,  but  there  are  very 
few  of  us  left.'  Said  she,  '  Mrs.  Eastlick, 
I  wish  you  would  take  care  of  Charley.'  I 
told  her  it  was  impossible,  for  my  Johnny 
was  somewhere  on  the  prairie,  and  I  feared 
he  would  die  unless  I  could  find  him  and 
keep  him  warm.  She  then  begged  me  to 
give  her  a  drink  of  water,  but  it  was  out  of 
my  power  to  give  her  even  that,  or  to  assist 
her  in  any  way,  and  I  told  her  so.  She 
raised  her  eyes,  and  with  a  sad,  thoughtful, 
hopeless  look,  asked,   '  Is  there  any  water  in 


532 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


heaven  'i '  •  Lilly,'  I  replied,  'when  you  get  to 
heaven  you  will  never  more  suffer  from 
thirst  or  pain.'  On  hearing  this,  the  poor, 
little  patient  sufferer,  only  six  years  old,  laid 
hei-self  down  again  by  her  baby  brother  and 
seemed  reconciled  to  her  fate." 

Mrs.  Eastlick  then  continued  her  search 
for  her  missing  children  far  into  the  night, 
and  then  detennined  to  go  to  the  settlements 
to  procure  the  help  she  stood  so  much  in 
need  of. 

Mrs.  Eastlick  goes  on  to  say  :  "  I  knew 
the  road  to  be  about  two  miles  due  east  of 
this  place.  This  night  I  kept  the  right  direc- 
tion b}'  the  north  star,  but  did  not  travel  far, 
for  I  could  go  but  a  short  distance  before 
I  was  obliged  to  lie  down  and  rest.  Just  at 
daybreak  I  reached  the  road,  having  made 
the  distance  of  two  miles  in  the  whole  night! 
This,  I  thought,  was  slow  traveling,  but  I 
was  quite  encouraged  now  that  I  had  found 
the  road  and  was  sure  of  going  right.  I 
lay  down  and  slept  until  after  sunrise;  then, 
after  eating  some  green  corn,  I  started 
again.  Often  did  fatigue  force  me  to  sit 
down  and  rest,  and  each  time  after  resting 
I  could  scarceh^  put  my  foot  to  the  ground. 
My  heel,  which  had  been  shot  through,  was 
badly  swelled  and  very  sore,  but  I  still 
pressed  onward  till  I  reached  Buffalo  Lake, 
at  about  11  o'clock  a.  m.  Here  I  found 
that  I  must  cross  the  outlet  of  the  lake  on  a 
pole,  and  when  I  trusted  my  weight  upon 
it,  over  the  middle  of  the  stream,  it  broke 
and  I  fell  into  the  water.  After  laborious 
and  repeated  efforts  I  got  out  and  passed  on, 
but  I  was  soon  obliged  to  stop  and  repair 
damages.  I  took  off  and  wrung  out  some 
of  my  clothing  and  spread  them  in  the  sun 
to  dry.  I  also  laid  the  meat  in  the  sun  to 
dry,  for  it  had  become  so  slippery  that  I 
could  not  eat  it.  After  this  I  lay  down 
among  the  bushes  that  grew  around  the 
lake,  and  slept  very  soundly.  I  arose  at 
length,  put  on  my  skirt,  coat  and  apron, 
dressed  my  feet  again,  ate  some  corn  and 
forced  down  some  meat.     Just  as  I  finished 


mv  lonely  meal,  a  flock  of  ducks  flew  off  the 
lake  and  soon  a  crane  followed  them.  This 
was  proof  that  something  had  disturbed 
them,  and  fearing  that  Indians  were  upon 
my  track  and  close  at  hand  I  hid  behind  a 
tree  and  watched  the  road  in  the  direction 
I  had  just  come. 

"  Presently  the  head  of  a  horse  was  seen 
to  rise  over  the  hill  near  by.  Indians,  with- 
out doubt,  thought  I.  and  shrank  down 
among  the  bushes,  and  watched  to  see  a  dozen 
or  more  savages  file  along  before  me ! 

"  But  oh !  what  a  change  from  fear  to  joy ! 
It  proved  to  be  the  mail-carrier  from  Sioux 
Falls  to  New  Ulm.  I  crept  out  of  the  brush 
and  addressed  him.  He  stopped  his  horse, 
and,  staring  at  me  in  the  utmost  astonish- 
ment, asked,  in  the  Indian  tongue,  if  I  was  a 
squaw.  I  answered  yes,  not  undei-standing 
him,  and  told  him  the  Indians  had  killed  all 
the  white  people  at  the  lake.  '  Why,'  said 
he, '  you  look  too  white  to  be  a  squaw." 

''  I  am  no  squaw,'  I  replied,  '  I  am  Mrs. 
Eastlick ;  you  have  seen  me  several  times  at 
Mrs.  Everett's  house ;  I  am  very  badly 
wounded.'  He  then  inquired  as  to  the  ex- 
tent of  my  wounds,  and  I  showed  him  my 
wounded  arm  and  the  place  where  mv  head 
was  broken.  He  then  helped  me  on  to  his 
sulky,  and  walked  along  leading  the  horse. 

"  At  about  -i  p.  m.  we  came  in  sight  of 
Dutch  Charley's,  when  he  drove  the  horse 
into  a  ravine  away  from  the  road,  helped  me 
to  the  ground,  telling  me  to  conceal  myself 
in  the  grass,  and  he  would  go  to  the  house 
and  see  if  there  had  been  anj'  Indians  about. 
He  returned  presentl}^  saying  there  had  been 
none  there :  that  the  family  had  deserted 
the  premises,  but  that  there  was  an  old  man 
there  who  came  from  Lake  Shetek.  He 
helped  me  to  mount  the  sulky  again,  and 
we  were  soon  before  the  door.  As  soon  as  I 
had  got  to  the  ground,  the  man  made  his  ap- 
pearance at  the  door,  and,  wonderful  to  tell, 
it  was  poor  '  Uncle  Tommy  Ireland.'  I  hard- 
ly knew  him,  for  he  looked  more  like  a  corpse 
than  a  living  being.     His  face  was  deathly 


HISTORT    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


533 


pale,  his  eyes  deeply  sunk,  and  his  voice  re- 
duced to  a  whisper.  I  hurried  to  greet  him, 
rejoiced  to  find,  still  living,  my  old  friend 
and  neighbor  who  had  witnessed  the  same 
heart-rending  sights  with  myself.  He  clasped 
his  arm  around  me  and  we  both  wept  like 
children  at  the  sight  of  each  other. 

"  He  told  me  that  Merton  had  left  the 
scene  of  the  massacre  on  the  same  day,  carry- 
ing little  Johnny,  and  he  thought,  perhaps, 
they  had  reached  the  house  before  Dutch 
Charley's  family  had  left  and  so  gone  along 
with  them.  I  was  filled  with  hope  and  joy 
to  think  that,  perhaps,  two  of  my  children 
were  spared." 

Mr.  Ireland,  after  following  Mrs.  Eastlick's 
boj^s  half  a  mile  from  the  scene  of  the  first 
massacre,  laid  down  entirely  exhausted,  ex- 
pecting to  die.  He  laid  stretched  upon  the 
ground  through  all  that  rainy,  stormy  night, 
unable  to  turn  over.  All  the  next  day  and 
the  next  night  he  remained  there  without 
food  or  drink.  The  following  morning,  Fri- 
day, feeling  a  little  better  he  made  his  way 
to  Dutch  Charley's,  where  the  mail-carrier 
and  Mrs.  Eastlick  found  him  on  Saturday. 
So  far  he  had  been  unable  to  get  any  food 
or  drink.  The  mail-carrier  furnished  some 
water,  and  finally  found  a  cheese  which  he 
fed  to  the  wounded  man  and  woman. 

After  feeding  the  horse  and  resting  a  short 
time,  the  mail-carrier  took  Mrs.  Eastlick  on 
the  sulk}',  put  some  turnips  and  cheese  aboard, 
and  started  east  again,  Mr.  Ireland  accom- 
panying them.  At  first,  the  wounded  man 
made  slow  progress,  but  after  awhile  was  able 
to  walk  as  fast  as  the  horse.  After  follow- 
ing the  road  about  eight  miles,  they  went 
about  half  a  mile  from  it  and  camped  for 
the  night,  eating  turnips  and  cheese  for  sup- 
per. The  mail-carrier  had  a  quilt  and  an  oil 
cloth  blanket,  and,  notwithstanding  a  heavy 
rainstorm  during  the  night,  the  parties  did 
not  suffer  severely. 

At  early  dawn,  Sunday  morning,  the  par- 
ties again  took  the  road  and  traveled  east- 
ward.    About  noon  they  espied  some  persons 


a  long  distance  ahead  of  them,  and  suspect- 
ing they  were  Indians,  the  mail-carrier  went 
cautiously  ahead  to  reconnoiter,  his  two  com- 
panions slowly  following  After  a  while  he 
discovered  that  the  objects  they  had  seen 
were  a  woman  and  two  children,  and,  upon 
overtaking  them,  found  them  to  be  Mrs. 
Hurd  and  her  two  children. 

Mrs.  Ilurd  and  children,  and  Merton  and 
Johnny  Eastlick  had  left  Dutch  Charley's 
place  on  Friday  morning.  Merton  and  John- 
ny were  only  a  short  distance  ahead  of  Mrs. 
Hurd,  and  the  mail-carrier  and  Mrs.  Easthck, 
as  may  be  well  imagined,  lost  no  time  in 
overtaking  them.  Merton  had  then  carried 
his  little  brother  about  fifty  miles,  with  very 
little  food  or  sleep.  He  looked  like  a  skele- 
ton, while  the  babe  was  so  sick  that  he  did 
not  know  his  mother.  His  face  was  a  com- 
plete scab  where  the  mosquites  and  flies  had 
bitten  him. 

The  little  company  soon  arrived  at  a  Mr. 
Brown's  place,  found  it  deserted,  and  the 
door  of  the  house  fastened.  The  mail  carrier 
crawled  through  a  window  into  the  house, 
where  he  found  some  bread  on  the  table, 
brought  it  out  and  distributed  it  among  the 
weary,  hungry  refugees.  After  feeding  his 
horse,  he  started  for  New  Ulm  alone,  advis- 
ing the  parties  to  remain  about  the  premises, 
and  telling  them  he  would  send  a  team  and 
men  to  bring  them  to  New  Ulm. 

The  parties  being  afraid  to  stay  about  the 
house,  went  to  the  bank  of  the  Cottonwood, 
some  eighty  rods  from  the  house,  and  secreted 
themselves  in  a  thicket  till  night.  About 
sunset  they  returned  to  the  house  and  crawled 
in  through  the  window.  Here  they  found 
bedding  and  clothing,  some  forty  pounds 
of  pork  and  a  crock  of  lard.  Mrs.  Hurd 
gathered  some  potatoes  and  onions  from  the 
garden  and  cooked  a  meal,  which  was  the 
first  warm  meal  they  had  eaten  since  the 
Tuesday  before.  Here  they  remained  in 
constant  fear  of  Indians  until  Wednesday 
night,  when  the  mail-carrier  returned  with 
sad  news  of  the  situation. 


534 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


He  reported  tliat  all  the  settlers  on  the 
Cottonwood  River  were  driven  away  by  the 
Indians  or  killed  ;  that  he  had  gone  in  sight 
of  'New  ITlm,  on  foot,  leaving  his  horse 
hidden  some  miles  behind  ;  that  he  could  see 
the  I'uins  of  many  burnt  houses  there,  and 
people  of  some  kind  walking  about  the 
streets,  but  could  not  determine  whether 
they  were  Indians  or  whites ;  that,  as  he  was 
traveling  along  on  foot,  he  suddenly  came 
upon  six  Indians,  two  of  whom  fired  upon 
and  pursued  him  ;  that  he  fled  and  concealed 
himself  in  a  slough  till  his  pursuers  were 
tired  of  hunting  for  him  and  gave  up  the 
search. 

All  felt  that  there  was  no  safety  in  the 
house,  and  they  again  repaired  to  the  thicket 
— taking  with  them  bedding  and  clothing. 
The  kind  mail-carrier  then  shook  hands  with 
them  all,  bidding  them  good-by,  saying  that 
he  would  return  to  Sioux  Falls  and  send 
soldiers  to  their  rescue.  When  he  reached 
Sioux  Falls  he  found  that  the  settlers  had 
all  been  killed,  and  also  all  the  soldiers  but 
two,  who  managed  to  escape.  After  many 
hardships  and  dangers,  he  reached  Fort 
Clark  in  safety. 

Mr.  Ireland,  the  women  and  children,  after 
great  sufl'ering  for  two  days  and  nights,  from 
mosquitoes  and  flies,  returned  to  the  house, 
preferring  the  risk  of  discovery  by  Indians 
to  their  sufl'erings  in  the  thicket 

We  now  return  to  the  camp  at  Little 
Creek,  where  we  left  Mr.  Everett  and  his 
companions.  The  next  morning,  they  started 
as  early  as  ])ossible.  Mrs.  Meyers  was  no 
better,  and  Everett,  if  possible,  suffered  more 
than  the  day  before.  They  drove  as  far  as 
Leavenworth  that  day.  On  ever}'^  hand 
there  was  evidence  of  the  murderous  foot- 
steps of  the  savages.  The  houses  were  all 
deserted  and  the  fields  laid  waste. 

After  looking  at  several  houses  they  finally 
went  to  one  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  road 
just  at  dusk,  and  took  possession.  They  un- 
loaded Mrs.  Meyers  and  the  children,  and  had 
just  dragged  Everett  into  the  house  (for  by 


this  time  he  was  almost  totally  helpless),  when 
they  heard  loud  talk  not  far  off.  Bentley 
and  Hatch  crept  out  through  the  corn  field, 
and  saw  three  Indians  going  past  toward 
a  house  not  far  off,  where  the  whites  first 
thought  of  stopping.  Bentley  and  Hatch 
then  came  back.  The  men  took  Mrs.  Mej'ers 
and  children,  and  hid  in  the  brush  some  dis- 
tance from  the  house.  Everett  could  not  well 
be  moved  so  far,  so  he  crawled  and  dragged 
himself  along  through  a  fence,  and  out  into  a 
buckwheat  field.  He  had  only  just  laid  down 
in  a  hollow  when  the  three  Indians  came  to 
that  house,  looked  around,  and  finally  sat 
down  on  the  fence,  not  far  from  him,  and 
in  full  view.  They  stayed  around  the  house 
about  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  and  finally 
departed  without  discovering  any  of  the 
whites.     It  was  a  very  close  call,  however. 

All  hands  remained  concealed  during  the 
night,  Everett  staying  in  the  buckwheat 
patch.  In  the  morning  they  started  again, 
having  nothing  to  eat  except  flour  wet  up 
with  water  and  dried  in  the  sun.  They 
crossed  the  Cottonwood,  and  drove  toward 
Mankato  as  rapidly  as  possible.  During  the 
forenoon  they  could  hear  the  booming  of 
cannon  at  New  Ulm,  which  was  the  day  of 
the  battle  there. 

At  noon  they  stopped  in  a  ravine  out  of 
sight  of  the  road.  They  were  not  very  far 
south  of  New  Ulm,  but  the  firing  in  that  di- 
rection, and  all  the  indications  surrounding 
them,  made  them  believe  that  the  Indians 
were  in  possession  of  all  the  country  around 
New  Ulm,  at  least.  Meyers  decided  to  leave 
them  there,  and  make  his  way  to  New  Ulm, 
if  possible,  hoping  to  bring  a  party  to  their 
relief.  He  tokl  them  if  he  did  not  return  or 
send  relief,  by  the  next  day  at  noon,  to  drive 
on  to  Mankato. 

The  situation  was  indeed  critical.  Bands 
of  murderous  Indians  were  prowling  over  the 
country  in  every  direction.  There  was  no 
safety  anywhere.  This  little  band  of  settlers 
was  now  entirely  defenseless.  The  three 
men  were  all   wounded,  Everett  so    badly 


"=7^1^     /n/^<^>-L.c^tK:r 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


537 


injured  that  he  was  almost  entirely  helpless. 
Mrs.  Meyers  was  so  very  sick  that  there  was 
little  hope  of  her  recovery.  They  had  no 
food  except  a  little  raw  corn  and  uncooked 
flour.  They  were  worn  out  with  constant 
watching  and  excitement.  Tormented  by  an 
army  of  flies  by  day,  and  myriads  of  mos- 
quitoes by  night,  sleep  was  almost  impossible. 
A  few  gopher  knolls  on  a  distant  hill- side 
looked  like  a  band  of  Indians  —  every  rus- 
tle of  the  tall  grass  brought  a  startled  glance 
for  the  cause  —  every  clump  of  weeds  and 
each  little  grove  might  cover  the  presence  of 
a  murderous  foe.  The  situation  was  enough 
to  bring  terror  to  the  strongest  heart  in  a  ro- 
bust man,  and  what  must  have  been  the  feel- 
ings of  persons  half-starved,  wounded,  weak 
and  worn  out  with  constant  watching  and 
excitement,  as  they  were  compelled  to  wait 
and  watch  for  twenty-four  hours,  with  no 
assurance  of  relief  even  then  ? 

After  Meyers  left  for  New  Ulm  the  hours 
wore  slowly  away,  and  at  noon  the  next  day 
he  had  not  returned  or  been  heard  from. 
There  was  no  choice  left,  and  the  wounded 
and  sick  must  reach  Mankato  or  perish  on 
the  prairie. 

The  oxen  were  put  to  the  wagon  ;  Mrs. 
Meyers  and  William  Everett  were  lifted  into 
it,  and  again  they  started  eastward.  They 
drove  till  night  and  camped  near  a  deserted 
house.  Bentley  and  Hatch  found  some  pota- 
toes, which  were  eaten  raw,  as  they  still 
feared  to  build  a  fire  lest  the  Indians  should 
discover  them. 

As  soon  as  daylight  the  next  morning, 
they  again  started  East,  driving  as  rapidly 
as  possible.  When  within  eight  or  ten  miles 
of  Crystal  Lake  they  discovered  men  in  the 
distance,  on  horseback,  whom  they  supposed 
to  be  Indians.  The  horsemen  discovered 
them  about  the  same  time  and  came  directly 
toward  them. 

Bentley  and  Hatch  at  once  drove  to  a 
slough  of  tall  grass  near  bj%  and  hid  Mrs. 
Meyers,  her  children  and  Mr.  Everett  in 
different  places  ;  drove  the  oxen  and  wagon 

31 


some  distance  away  and  then  secreted  them- 
selves in  the  tall  grass.  Their  fear  of  Indians 
overpowered  every  other  feeling.  They  had 
no  doubt  whatever  that  the  horsemen  were 
Indians,  and  that  if  they  were  discovered  they 
would  be  tortured  and  murdered. 

The  horsemen  came  on  rapidly  and  soon 
reached  the  place  where  the  frightened, 
wounded  and  starved  settlers  were  hidden. 
They  searched  the  ground  thoroughly  and 
soon  found  one  after  another  of  the  settlers 
until  all  were  found  except  Charley  Hatch. 

William  Everett  was  so  sick  and  weak  that 
he  could  scarcely  speak,  but  he  urged  Capt. 
Dane  (for  he  it  was  with  a  squad  of  soldiers)  to 
keep  up  the  search  for  Hatch.  They  searched 
long  and  called  often,  but  could  not  find 
him,  and  were  finally  compelled  to  go  on  to 
Lake  Crystal  without  him. 

Poor  Charley  Hatch  heard  them  plainly 
enough,  but  he  believed  them  to  be  Indians 
and  half-breeds  who  were  calling  him,  seek- 
ing to  murder  him,  and  he  refused  to  answer 
or  stir  from  his  hiding-place.  He  remained 
hidden  in  the  grass  all  night.  The  next 
morning  Everett  prevailed  upon  tJie  soldiers 
to  renew  their  search  for  Hatch.  They  re- 
turned to  the  slough,  and,  after  much  time 
spent  in  looking  and  calling,  finally  rode  on 
to  his  hiding-place.  His  joy  at  finding 
them  friends  instead  of  murderous  savages 
quite  overcame  him.  The  wounded  and 
nearly  famished  settlers  from  Shetek  were 
at  once  removed  to  the  hospital  at  Mankato. 
If  we  are  correctly  informed  Mrs.  Meyers 
died  the  day  after  her  arrival  at  Mankato. 
Meyers  finally  reached  Mankat©  in  safety. 
Bentley  and  Hatch  soon  recovered  from  their 
wounds  and  suffering,  but  Everett's  life  hung 
in  the  balance  for  a  longtime.  His  wounded 
leg,  by  constant  irritation,  was  fearfully 
swollen  and  terribly  painful.  His  shattered 
arm  was  in  an  equally  bad  condition.  Noth- 
ing short  of  an  iron  constitution  could  have 
brought  him  from  death's  door  back  to  life 
and  strength. 

He  remained  in  the  hospital  at  Mankato 


538 


HISTORY    OP   WASECA   COtJNTT. 


until  the  following  February,  when  he  had 
SO  far  recovered  that  he  could  hobljle  around 
on  crutches,  with  his  arm  in  a  sling ;  and  in 
that  condition  he  went  to  Arena,  Iowa 
County,  Wis.,  where  he  remained  for  some 
time. 

We  must  now  return  to  follow  briefly  the 
history  of  those  made  captives  at  the  time  of 
the  massacre.  These  were  Mrs.  Wright,  her 
little  boy  and  girl,  Mrs.  Duly  and  two  chil- 
dren, Lillie  Everett,  two  of  Ireland's  girls 
and  Mrs.  Cook.  The  prisoners  were  first 
taken  from  the  camp  on  Cottonwood  Eiver 
to  Yellow  Medicine,  where  they  remained 
some  time.  At  this  place,  Mrs.  Wright's 
boy  and  other  captives,  including  Mrs.  Cook, 
were  ransomed  by  Gen.  Sibley.  About 
that  time,  "  Old  Pawn "  took  the  other 
Shetek  prisoners  and  started  across  the 
country  for  tlie  Missouri  Eiver.  The  chil- 
dren, especially,  were  badly  treated.  An 
old  hag  of  a  squaw  seemed  to  take  particular 
delisrht  in  torturino^  them.  On  two  or  three 
occasions  Lillie  came  near  being  killed  by 
this  old  squaw.  She  pounded  her  with  a 
club  most  brutally.  They  were  finally  taken 
into  winter  quarters  on  the  Missouri  River, 
some  four  hundred  miles  above  Fort  Randall. 

Their  final  release  was  somewhat  remark- 
able. Early  one  morning  Mrs.  Wright  was 
down  at  the  bank  of  the  Missouri,  getting  a 
pail  of  water,  when  she  discovered  two  white 
men  in  a  boat,  going  down  the  river.  She 
hailed  them  and  told  them  the  story  of  her 
capture,  and  that  of  the  others.  She  said 
there  were  two  women  and  six  children,  and 
she  implored  them  to  rescue  the  captives. 
They  hesitated  some  time,  but  finally  con- 
cluded that  it  would  be  impossible  for  them 
to  do  so.  They  told  her  however,  that  they 
would  make  all  haste  to  report  the  facts  to 
the  government  officers.  True  to  their  word, 
tliey  did  so,  and  tlie  result  was  pubhshed  by 
the  Fort  Dodge  (Iowa)  Times  some  years 
ago.  We  learn  from  this  report  that  an  In- 
dian chief,  Ma-to  To-pa,  Four  Bear,  who  was 
friendly  to  the  whites,  was  requested  to  go 


to  the  hostile  camp  and  rescue  the  captives, 
either  by  force  or  treaty.  He  called  a  coun- 
cil of  his  braves,  and  it  was  determined  that 
they  would  make  an  effort  to  rescue  the  cap- 
tives. He  selected  ten  of  his  best  braves, 
and  with  eight  good  horses  started  for  the 
hostile  camp.  They  took  their  rifles,  bows 
and  arrows,  as  if  going  to  war.  They  started 
in  November,  18()2,  and  traveled  seven  days 
— snow  falling  nearly  every  day.  They  at 
last  reached  the  camp  of  the  hostiles,  near 
the  moutli  of  Grand  River.  The  next  morn- 
ing the  hostile  Indians  invited  them  to  a 
council.  They  tied  their  eight  horses  close 
to  the  tepee  and  went  in.  Both  parties  were 
armed.  Four  Bear  was  asked  what  urgent 
business  had  brought  him  and  his  braves  so 
far  from  home  at  that  time  of  year. 

He  replied  that  he  had  heard  they  had 
been  on  the  war  path  and  had  taken  some 
prisoners.  He  made  quite  a  speech,  and 
told  them  he  and  his  party  had  come  for  the 
captives  and  would  not  return  without  them. 

One  of  tlie  hostiles  said :  "  You  are  all 
Indians,  and  belong  to  the  same  confedera- 
tion that  we  do,  and  instead  of  being  friendly 
to  the  accursed  pale  face  you  should  unite  with 
us  and  help  slay  them  as  long  as  there  is  a 
Dakota  on  the  face  of  the  earth." 

Four  Bear  replied  that  he  and  his  braves 
were  friendly  to  the  whites,  and  always 
would  be  —  that  they  would  never  lift  a  hand 
against  the  women  and  children  of  the 
whites,  and  that  the  hostiles  must  give  up 
the  captives. 

The  council  was  a  stormy  one,  lasting  all 
day ;  but  finally  one  of  the  hostiles  said  they 
had  the  captives  and  they  were  woi'th  money, 
and  nothing  less  than  $1,000  in  ponies  would 
get  them.  Near  niglit  tliey  finally  agreed 
that  the  hostiles  should  exchange  their  eight 
prisoners  for  the  eight  horses  and  saddles. 
The  exchange  was  made  that  night,  and 
then  they  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace. 

The  hostile  band  on  their  retreat  from 
Minnesota,  were  so  afraid  of  being  overtaken 
by  the  whites  that  they  took  no  time  to  hunt, 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


530 


and  in  consequence  the  prisoners  were  nearly 
starved  to  death.  The  first  square  meal  for 
some  time  was  indulged  in  that  night,  and  it 
consisted  of  venison  and  coffee.  Four  Bear 
was  of  the  opinion  that  the  women  and 
children  relished  his  cooking  that  night. 

The  prisoners  were  so  destitute  of  cloth- 
ing, that  they  were  compelled  to  divide  their 
wardrobe  with  them.  The  weather  was  in- 
tensely cold,  but  the  homeward  march  be- 
gan. The  six  children  had  to  be  carried 
every  step  of  the  way,  and  the  two  women 
the  greater  part  of  it.  Some  of  the  Indians 
would  go  ahead  and  kill  game,  and  get  the 
camp  ready  at  night  when  they  arrived.  In 
consequence  of  the  great  deptli  of  snow  it 
was  a  slow,  laborioils  tramj).  At  Swan  Lake 
they  met  some  of  their  people  and  ti'aded 
some  ammunition  and  blankets  for  sugar  and 
coffee  for  the  captives,  and  in  the  morning 
they  all  contributed  everything  they  could 
spare  for  the  use  of  a  big  horse  to  get  home 
with.  They  made  a  "travoy,"  which  is  two 
long  poles,  one  end  of  each  fastened  to  the 
saddle,  extending  backward  on  each  side  of 
the  horse  with  cross-pieces  lashed  on.  The 
six  children  were  bundled  on  this  vehicle 
and  they  got  along  splendidly.  They  ar- 
rived at  last  at  their  camp,  and  the  next  day 
they  took  the  captives  across  the  river  and 
turned  them  over  to  the  officer  in  command, 
who  gave  Four  Bear  the  following: 

Fort  Pierre,  D.  T.,  Dec.  12,  1862. 

The  bearer,  Ma-to  To-pa,  is  one  of  the 
eleven  Indians  that  recovered  Mrs.  Julia 
"Wright,  Mrs.  Emma  Duly  and  six  children 
from  the  Ih-Sanu-Ta,  near  the  Grand  River, 
in  November,  1862.  He  deserves  to  be  kindly 
treated  by  aU. 

[Signed]  John  Pattee. 

Major  1st  Iowa  Cavalry 
Expedition  in  Search  of  Prisoners. 

In  course  of  time  the  captives  were  sent 
down  the  Missouri  River,  and  across  the 
country  to  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa. 

"William  Everett  saw  a  report  in  the  Chi- 
cago papers  that  the  captives  would  soon  be 


at  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa.  He  left  Arena,  "Wis., 
on  crutches,  his  wounded  arm  still  useless, 
to  meet  them  at  Cedar  Falls.  He  was 
doomed  to  disappointment,  for  on  his  arrival 
there  he  learned  they  had  not  yet  arrived, 
and  that  he  must  go  to  Fort  Dodge  to  meet 
them.  He  took  the  stage  for  that  jilace,  but 
on  his  arrival  there  could  hear  no  news  of 
them.  There  he  was  taken  sick  and  confined 
to  his  bed  for  two  weeks.  In  the  meantime 
the  captives  arrived,  and  among  tliem  iiis 
child,  Lillie.  Wright  also  met  his  wife  and 
little  daughter  at  that  place. 

Mr.  Everett,  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to 
travel,  returned  again  to  "Wisconsin  with  his 
little  child.  He  remained  at  Arena  until 
1867.  He  lost  all  his  propertj^  at  Lake  She- 
tek,  amounting  to  $5,000,  and  only  received' 
from  the  government  for  his  loss  $800. 

It  will  be  remembered  by  our  readers  that 
the  mail-carrier,  after  his  failure  to  reach 
New  Ulm,  returned  to  Brown's  house,  where 
he  left  Mrs.  Hurd  and  her  two  children,  Mrs. 
Eastlick  and  two  children, and  "Uncle  Tom- 
my Ireland."  After  the  mail-carrier  left, 
these  parties  remained  at  Brown's  house  for 
nine  days,  living  upon  the  vegetables  grow- 
ing on  the  farm. 

Thomas  Ireland  gradually  recovered  from 
his  wounds,  while  Mrs,  Eastlick  was  as  yet 
unable  to  walk.  Mr.  Ireland  proposed  at 
last  to  make  a  trip  to  New  Ulm,  and  get  as- 
sistance to  remove  the  women  and  children. 
During  their  stay  there  two  large  dogs  had 
come  to  them  and  remained  there. 

On  Monday  morning,  the  ninth  day  they 
had  been  there,  Ireland,  taking  two  cooked 
chickens  as  a  supply  of  food,  started  for 
New  Ulm,  sajing  that  he  should  try  and 
reach  New  Ulm  that  night,  and  would  send 
relief  on  Tuesday.     Mrs.  Eastlick  says : 

"All  the  afternoon  of  Tuesday  we  looked 
long  and  eagerly  for  some  one  to  come  to 
our  relief,  until  after  dark,  when  I  retired 
and  slept  some  hours.  At  about  midnight 
we  were  awakened  by  the  loud  barking  of  the 
dogs.      Mrs.  Hurd  arose  and  went  to  the 


540 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   CODNTY. 


window,  but  could  see  nothing.  The  dogs, 
however,  barked  more  savagely  than  before, 
running  out  a  short  distance  and  then  back 
to  the  door.  This  frightened  us  very  much, 
as  we  thought  it  must  be  Indians,  or  the 
dogs  woukl  not  act  so.  But,  thought  I, 
whether  it  be  friends  or  enemies,  I  must  arise 
and  dress,  though  it  may  be  the  last  time. 
So  I  began  putting  on  my  clothes,  still  ask- 
ing Mrs.  Hurd  if  she  saw  anything,  when, 
just  as  I  was  about  dressed,  she  exclaimed, 
'  My  God !  Cook,  is  that  you  ? '  Then  I  real- 
ized that  it  was  some  one  whom  she  knew. 
It  proved  to  be  a  young  man  named  Cook, 
who  lived  at  Lake  Shetek,  and  some  time 
before  the  outbreak  had  gone  to  Crystal 
Lake  to  work  in  harvest,  and  mj'^  neighbor, 
■  "Wright,  who  was  also  gone  at  the  time. 
They  came  into  the  house  and  greeted  us 
with  tears  in  their  eyes,  while  Mrs.  Hurd 
and  I  wept  aloud  for  joy.  They  were  ac- 
companied by  a  squad  of  soldiers,  who  also 
came  into  the  house.  The  soldiers  stationed 
guards  about  the  house,  to  prevent  a  sur- 
prise. We  now  learned  that  '  Uncle  Tom- 
my '  had  succeeded  in  getting  into  New  Ulm 
about  noon  on  Tuesday,  and  at  once  made 
known  our  condition  to  Capt.  Dane,  who  or- 
dered fourteen  men  under  Lieut.  Roberts  to 
prepare  to  start  as  soon  as  possible  to  our  re- 
lief. It  was  almost  sunset  before  they  were 
ready  to  start,  when  Wright  and  Cook  came 
into  town  and,  learning  the  facts,  volunteered 
to  attend  them  as  guides.  They  reached  our 
place  at  midnight,  and  fearful  that  the  sight 
of  them  all  at  once  would  frighten  us, Wright 
and  Cook  came  on  alone  to  rouse  us.  The 
soldiers  brought  some  tea  and  crackers,  killed 
some  chickens,  gathered  some  vegetaljles 
and  prepared  a  good  meal.  At  daylight  they 
placed  the  feather  bed,  some  quilts  and  a 
buffalo  robe  in  a  light,  two-horse  wagon.  I 
was  then  helped  in  with  Mrs.  Hurd  and  our 
children. 

"When  about  five  miles  on  the  road, 
Lieut.  Roberts  rode  back  and  ordered  the 
driver   to  turn  out  of   the  road,  pointing  a 


little  distance  ahead  of  us.  I  looked  in  the 
direction  he  pointed,  and  beheld  the  body  of 
a  gray -haired  man  lying  in  the  road.  This 
was  the  body  of  Brown,  who  owned  the 
house  where  we  had  stopped.  We  soon 
crossed  a  run  where  stood  his  wagon,  the 
goods  thrown  out  and  scattered  upon  the 
ground.  There  were  two  feather  beds  which 
the  soldiers  took  along.  Near  the  wagon 
was  the  body  of  Mrs.  Brown,  with  her  head 
split  open.  As  we  started  out  in  the  morn- 
ing, one  of  the  soldiers,  Gilfiilan,  tarried  be- 
hind, got  lost  from  the  company  and  his 
body  was  found  next  day  some  six  miles 
from  New  Ulm,  shot  through  the  breast  and 
his  head  severed  from  his  body." 

All  along  the  route  tlie  houses  had  been 
plundered,  and  several  dead  bodies  were 
found. 

These  parties  I'emained  for  some  time  in 
New  Ulm  and  were  kindly  nursed  and  cared 
for.  About  the  5th  of  September  they  went 
to  Mankato  under  escort.  As  soon  as  Mi's. 
Eastlick  was  able  to  travel  she  went  to 
friends  in  Wisconsin. 

Mrs.  Cook  was  taken  with  some  of  the 
other  prisoners  back  to  the  settlement  at 
Lake  Shetek,  to  Ireland's  house,  where  a 
large  number  of  Indians  were  camped  for 
the  night.  They  held  a  big  war  dance  that 
night,  notwithstanding  the  storm.  The  In- 
dian who  claimed  her  told  her  to  stay  in  the 
"tepee"  or  the  other  Indians  would  kill  her. 
They  kept  up  the  pow-wow  nearly  all  night, 
and  their  chief  having  been  killed  during  the 
day,  they  chose  "  Old  Pawn "  to  succeed 
him. 

Next  morning  some  of  the  Indians  brought 
in  Lillie  Everett,  so  chilled  and  wet  that  she 
could  hardly  speak.  Mrs.  Cook  and  Mrs. 
Duly  wrapped  her  in  a  shawl  and  sat  her 
down  close  by  the  fire.  This  so  enraged  the 
savages  that  they  fired  at  them,  one  bullet 
passing  through  the  skirt  of  Mrs.  Duly's 
dress,  and  another  piercing  the  shawl  worn 
by  Mrs.  Cook,  just  below  her  shoulders. 
Fortunately  neither  one  of  them  was  hurt. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


541 


While  returning  to  the  lake  Mrs.  Cook 
was  leading  little  Belle  Duly,  five  years  old, 
when  the  murderous  old  squaw  that  killed 
Fred.  Eastlick  came  along,  snatched  the 
child  away,  whipped  her  over  the  face  with 
a  raw-hide,  raised  her  as  high  as  she  could 
and  threw  her  upon  the  gi'ound  with  all  her 
force  ;  next,  tied  the  child  to  a  bush,  stepped 
back  a  few  paces,  threw  knives  at  her, 
hitting  her  in  various  parts  of  the  body  until 
life  was  extinct,  while  the  mother  was 
forced  to  behold  the  sight,  with  no  power  to 
shield  her  child. 

The  Indians  gathered  together  quite  a 
drove  of  cattle,  loaded  several  wagons  with 
plunder,  and  compelled  the  women  to  drive 
the  oxen  that  drew  the  wagons,  and  also  the 
loose  cattle.  They  went  to  the  Cottonwood, 
and  thence  across  the  prairie  to  the  Yellow 
Medicine  country. 

Mrs.  Cook  was  with  the  savages  seven 
weeks.  For  three  or  four  weeks  she  had 
plenty  to  eat,  but  was  finally  sold  to  an  old 
Indian  who  was  very  good  to  her  sometimes, 
and  at  other  times  very  cruel.  One  day  he 
told  her  he  was  going  to  another  band  of 
Indians  at  some  distance,  and  some  of  the 
squaws  told  her  that  where  they  were  going 
there  was  hardly  anything  to  eat.  He 
finally  started  off,  compelling  her  to  go  with 
him.  She  made  no  resistance,  but  after  go- 
ing some  five  miles,  she  offered  to  carry  his 
gun  for  him.  He  gave  it  to  her.  She  man- 
aged to  take  off  the  cap  and  throw  it  away, 
then  spit  in  the  tube  to  make  sure  the  gun 
would  not  go  off,  and  then  told  him  she 
should  go  no  farther  with  him.  He  seized 
his  gun  from  her  hands  and  told  her  to  go 
on  or  he  would  shoot  her,  at  the  same  time 
raising  his  gun.  She  boldh'  told  him  to 
shoot  for  she  would  not  go  with  him,  and 
bared  her  breast  as  if  to  be  instantly  killed. 
He  was  amazed,  and  dropped  the  butt  of  his 
gun  in  astonishment.  He  probably  thought 
her  the  bravest  squaw  he  ever  saw.  At  least 
he  concluded  to  return  with  her. 

That  night  she  intended  to  escape  with  a 


squaw  who  had  married  a  white  man,  and 
who  was  also  a  prisoner  ;  but  their  plan  was 
defeated  by  the  sickness  of  the  squaw's  babe. 
The  next  morning  the  child  was  better,  and 
all  the  Indians  left  the  camp  except  the  one 
who  claimed  to  own  Mrs.  Cook.  This  was 
an  opportunity  not  to  be  lost.  Mrs.  Cook 
stole  away  to  the  river  unperceived,  and  the 
squaw  rode  a  pony  in  the  same  direction, 
pretending  to  be  going  to  water  him.  She 
let  him  go  at  the  river  and  started  with 
Mrs.  Cook.  They  traveled  as  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible, crossed  the  Minnesota  Kiver  ten  times 
that  day  in  order  to  hide  their  trail  if  fol- 
lowed. They  ti-aveled,  they  thought,  about 
thirty  miles,  when  they  came  upon  "  Ked 
Iron's"  band  of  Indians,  whom  they  joined. 
After  remaining  three  or  four  days  with  this 
band  they  were  surrendered,  with  a  great 
many  other  captives,  to  Gen.  Sibley's  com- 
mand by  Ked  Iron.  Mrs  Cook  afterward 
married  and  settled  in  Mankato. 

Thomas  Ireland  recovered  from  his  wounds 
and  has  since  lived  in  Mankato.  He  was 
married  again  some  time  ago.  Both  daugh- 
ters remained  with  him  until  recently  one 
of  them  was  married. 

Charley  Hatch  is  married  and  lives  in 
Faribault  County. 

Mrs.  Hurd  was  living  at  La  Crosse  at  last 
accounts. 

Mr.  Duly  joined  the  Mounted  Rangers 
and  became  captain  of  scouts.  He  it  was 
Avho  cut  the  drop  that  sent  the  thirty-eight 
condemned  Indians  into  eternity  on  the  26th 
of  December,  1862.  The  last  heard  of  him 
he  was  in  Iowa. 

Mrs.  Geo.  P.  Keeney,  nee  Lillie  Everett, 
resides  with  her  husband  in  California. 

The  young  people  of  to-day,  and  the  older 
people  of  the  more  eastern  States,  can  have 
but  a  faint  idea  of  the  real  situation  of 
the  ])eoj)le  of  this  State  at  the  time  of 
the  Indian  outbreak.  The  State  had  then 
raised  5,000  troops  for  service  in  the  war 
of  the  rebellion.  The  people  were  all  pooi-, 
many   of   them   in  destitute  circumstances. 


542 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


Men  were  without  suitable  arms,  destitute  of 
ammunition  and  entirely  unorganized.  The 
Indians  came  like  a  thief  in  the  night,  and 
before  the  settlers  were  aware  of  it  they  had 
murdered  and  plundered  all  the  frontier  set- 
tlements. To  add  to  the  general  fear  in  this 
section,  the  Winnebago  tribe  of  Indians  was 
located  on  a  reservation  occupying  portions 
of  Blue  Earth  and  Waseca  counties,  between 
Mankato  and  Wilton.  The  wildest  stories 
were  in  circulation  everywhere,  and  every- 
body believed  them,  more  or  less,  because 
they  had  no  means  of  knowing  the  contrary. 


Many  people  took  teams  and  wagons,  with 
a  few  household  goods,  perhaps,  and  fled, 
leaving  cattle,  crops  and  everything  else  to 
eo  to  destruction.  The  wildest  excitement 
prevailed  almost  everywhere.  At  one  time 
a  strong  guard  was  stationed  on  the  bridge 
at  Wilton  to  arrest  the  stampede  of  settlers, 
long  after  all  danger  was  over.  The  loss 
of  property  and  crops  was  immense  tlirough- 
out  the  State,  and  the  consequent  suffering 
the  ensuing  year  was  wide-spread  on  the 
frontier. 


e>«k3 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


WILTON  TOWNSHIP. 


ONGRESSIONAL  township  106 
north,  range  23,  constitutes  what 
is  known  as  Wilton.  This  is  one 
of  the  most  level,  beautiful  tracts 
of  country  in  Waseca  County.  It 
is  but  very  slightly  undulating, 
the  difference  between  the  high- 
est and  lowest  portions  of  the  sur- 
face, connected  b}^  slopes  from  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  mile  in 
lengtlj.  is  but  from  five  to  ten  feet. 
The  soil  is  rich,  alluvial,  clayey 
loam,  enriched  by  decay  of  vegetation  for 
countless  centuries,  and  is  peculiarly  adapted 
for  the  wants  of  agriculture.  All  the  small 
grains,  corn,  vegetables  and  small  fruits  do 
exceedingly  well,  and  return  a  rich  harvest 
to  the  industrious  tiller  of  the  soil. 

The  Le  Sueur  River  enters  this  township 
on  the  east  side  of  section  36,  and  flowing  in 
a  general  northerly  direction,  sometimes  in 
this  and  sometimes  in  the  adjoining  town  of 
Otisco,  fully  waters  the  eastern  side  of  Wil- 
ton. In  the  western  part  lies  Silver  Lake,  a 
superb  sheet  of  water  into  which  little  runs 
and  streamlets  carry  the  drainage  of  the  west- 
ern portion  of  the  territory. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  first  settlement  in  the  county  was  in 
the  township  of  Wilton.  In  August,  185J-, 
Asa  G.  Sutlief  came  to  this  place  and  made 
a  settlement  on  section  35,  as  detailed  at 
length  in  the  history  of  the  early  settlement 
of  the  county  in  the  former  portion  of  this 
work.  He  remained  here  until  November, 
when  leaving  his  cattle,  shanty  and  claim  in 
charge  of  Luther  Barrett,  of  Mankato,  and 


taking  his  family  into  his  wagon,  he  returned 
to  Wisconsin.  In  January,  1855,  he  returned 
here  and  made  this  his  residence,  except  about 
four  years  spent  south,  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  October  13,  1871. 

Byron  CI.  Sutlief,  a  son  of  Asa  G.  Sutlief, 
the  first  settler  of  this  county,  was  born  in 
the  town  of  Wilton,  Waseca  County,  Sep- 
tember 10,  1858,  and  still  resides  on  the 
pioneer  farm  taken  up  by  his  father  on  the 
banks  of  the  Le  Sueur  River,  previous  to  the 
government  survey  of  this  part  of  the  State, 
the  surveying  party  wliile  woi'king  here 
boarding  with  A.  G.  Sutlief  s  family.  On  this 
farm  was  built  the  first  house  in  Waseca 
County  This  was  of  primitive  style,  erected 
of  loe:s,  and  stood  about  sixtv  rods  southeast 
of  Byron  Sutlief's  present  residence.  The 
latter  jrentleman  owns  200  acres  of  excellent 
land,  all  situated  in  section  35,  in  Wilton 
Township.  He  was  married  December  18, 
1884,  to  Lavenne  Kerr,  who  was  born  in  St. 
Mary  Township,  this  county,  October  1, 1864. 
Asa  G.  Sutlief,  the  father,  was  born  in  New 
York  State  and  died  in  Wilton,  October  13, 
1871.  The  mother  of  Byron  is  a  native  of 
England,  and  is  residing  with  her  son  on  the 
old  -homestead. 

In  January,  1855,  on  the  return  of  Mr. 
Sutlief  to  this  county,  James  E.  Child,  his 
brother,  S.  P.  Child,  and  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Plummer.  came  with  iiim.  They  made 
claims  in  Wilton  Township  and  settled  there, 
where  they  resided  for  years.  J.  E.  Child 
is  the  senior  editor  of  the  Waseca  Herald; 
S.  P.  Child  is  a  resident  of  Faribault  County 
and  both  are  spoken  of  fully  elsewhere. 
Plummer  lived  here  only  about  ten  months. 


543 


544 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


and  then  returned  to  Wisconsin,  from  whence 
he  had  come  to  this  country. 

Christopher  Scott  and  his  family  were  the 
next  to  locate  in  this  little  settlement.  They 
came  here  in  Januar}^  1855,  and  put  up  Avith 
Mr.  Sutlief  until  they  could  get  their  cabin 
built,  into  which  they  then  removed.  Scott 
came  here  from  what  was  then  called  the 
"  Straight  River  Settlement,''  wnere  he  had 
been  staying  since  the  previous  autumn.  He 
took  up  a  claim  about  a  mile  north  of  ilr. 
Sutlief  s.  He  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  died  in  Kansas,  whither  he  removed  after 
living  here  a  few  years. 

The  spring  of  1855  had  scarceh'  dawned 
when  he  was  followed  by  his  father  and 
brother,  Andrew  and  Charles  D.  Scott.  An- 
drew took  a  claim  on  section  13,  and  opened 
up  a  farm  where  he  dwelt  for  a  few  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Wilton  where  he  died 
about  1865.  Charles  D.  lived  with  his 
father  until  the  removal  of  the  latter, 
when  he  continued  to  farm  on  the  old 
homestead.  Finally  he  abandoned  this,  but 
is  still  a  resident  of  the  township. 

During  the  summer  of  the  same  year, 
David  J.  and  John  Jenkins  came  to  this 
county  and  made  claims  in  Wilton  Town- 
ship. 

John  Jenkins  was  the  first  justice  of  the 
peace  in  the  new  settlement,  and  performed 
the  first  marriage  ceremony  in  the  county, 
as  related  elsewhere.  He  was  a  native  of 
the  State  of  New  York.  In  1862  he  enlisted 
in  Company  F,  Fifth  Minnesota  Infantr}^ 
and  while  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  died  at  luka,  Miss.,  August  21, 1862, 
of  disease  brought  on  bv  exposure  and  camp 
life. 

David  Jenkins  erected  the  first  house  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  village  of 
Wilton.     He  is  still  a  resident  of  the  county. 

In  January,  1856,  William  Young  and  Am- 
brose Kellogg  came  here  from  Jackson  Coun- 
ty, Iowa,  and  made  claims.  Young  located 
on  section  26,  in  this  township,  on  the  farm 
now  occupied  by  George  T.  Dunn.     He  was 


a  single  man  at  that  time,  and  remained  here, 
off  and  on,  for  some  five  or  six  years,  when 
he  went  to  Fillmore  County,  where  he  was 
married.  Afterward  he  removed  to  Iowa 
where  he  is  still  living.  Kellogg  was  a  doc- 
tor, but  never  practiced  while  here.  He 
took  up  a  claim  on  section  35,  which  he  soon 
sold ;  prospected  around  for  coal,  etc.,  and 
finally  went  back  to  Iowa,  but  is  now  in 
Kansas. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  this  year  (1856), 
William  Wells  came  here  from  Wisconsin, 
and  took  up  a  claim.  He  was  unfortunate 
in  his  marriage  relations,  and  his  wife  leaving 
him,  he  finally,  after  five  or  six  years  resi- 
dence, removed  back  to  the  Badger  State. 
He  was  known  throughout  this  region  as 
"  Nucky  Wells." 

Benjamin  F.  Weed,  at  the  present  a  resi- 
dent of  the  town  of  New  Richland,  made  a 
settlement  on  section  23,  in  1856,  where  he 
made  his  home  for  many  years.  A  sketch  of 
him  is  given  in  connection  with  the  history 
of  the  township  in  which  he  is  living.  With 
him  came  Silas  O.  Kellogg,  who  remained 
but  a  short  time ;  he  is  now  a  I'esident  of 
Jackson  County,  Iowa. 

E.  A.  Rice  and  Isaac  Hamlin  located  claims 
here  during  the  year  1856.  Mr.  Rice  was 
identified  with  the  official  life  of  the  county, 
and  is  noticed  in  that  connection  in  Chapter 
VIII. 

Jesse  I.  Stewart  came  to  this  township  in 
1856,  and  located  in  the  village  of  Wilton. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  at  the  session  commencing  January. 
1860,  having  served  the  county  previous  to 
that  as  treasurer  for  two  years.  Early  in 
the  "sixties,"  he  removed  to  Morristown, 
and  in  1879,  emigrated  to  far  away  Oregon. 

Jacob  Brubaker  and  his  son  G.  E.  came  to 
this  township  and  located  upon  section  28. 
Jacob  Brubaker  died  in  August,  IS 78,  at 
Waseca. 

Tarrant  Putnam  located  at  the  village 
of  Wilton  in  1856,  and  was  closely  con- 
nected with  the  organization  of   the  county 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


545 


in  1857,  being  the  first  register  of  deeds. 
He  is  still  living,  dividing  his  time  between 
this  and  Faribault  County. 

H.  P.  Norton,  now  a  resident  of  the  city  of 
Waseca,  made  a  settlement  in  this  town  in 
1856.  He  was  prominently  identified  with 
the  office  of  register  of  deeds,  which  he  held 
in  186J:  and  1865,  and  is  mentioned  in  that 
connection. 

Nathaniel  Garland,  the  first  sherifl'  of 
Waseca  County,  came  to  the  little  settle- 
ment in  Wilton,  in  1856,  Avhere  he  located. 
He  was,  after  holding  office,  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  the  village  of  Wilton, 
and  afterward  at  Waseca,  where  he  died. 

Col.  John  C.  Ide  in  the  fall  of  1856  came 
to  Wilton  bringing  with  him  a  steam  saw- 
mill, owned  by  himself  and  A.  B.  Cornell,  of 
Owatonna.  One  of  the  leading  men  of  his 
day,  he  was  a  recipient  of  the  favor  of  the 
people  and  chosen  to  fill  the  office  of  county 
auditor.  He  is  mentioned  in  that  connection 
in  the  chapter  devoted  to  State  and  County 
representation. 

In  October,  1856,  Michael  O'Brien  located 
a  claim  on  a  part  of  section  12,  where  he 
made  a  residence.  He  was  and  is  a  single 
man,  and  lives  in  Wilton  Township,  at  this 
writing. 

Nathan  Duane  Baker  made  his  appearance 
in  the  township  in  1856.  About  the  same 
time  came  Thomas  L.  Paige.  Both  these 
gentlemen  are  spoken  of  in  connection  with 
the  village  of  Wilton,  further  on. 

Abraham  Jaque  made  a  settlement  in 
Waseca  County  in  1856,  also,  and  remained 
a  resident  until  May,  1872,  when  he  passed 
over  to  the  land  beyond  the  grave. 

Patrick  Kenehan  came  to  this  township  in 
1856,  and  is  still  a  resident.  He  was  born  in 
Ireland  on  St.  Patrick's  day,  March  17, 1825. 
He  lived  in  the  Emerald  Isle,  until  March 
18,  1849,  when  he  started  for  America,  lantl- 
ing  in  New  York  on  the  1st  of  May,  1849. 
He  came  to  Geneva,  Wis.,  and  from  there 
removed  to  Peoria,  111.,  and  from  there  to 
Lacon,  in  the  same  State  and  from  the  latter 


place  came  to  Waseca  County  in  1856,  set- 
tling on  section  9,  this  township.  During 
the  Indian  troubles  in  1862,  Mr.  Kenehan 
belonged  to  the  home  organization  for  pro- 
tection, and  was  one  of  three  men  detailed 
to  visit  the  Winnebago  agency  to  interview 
the  agent,  and  found  his  house  guarded  by  a 
company  of  soldiers  and  the  Indians  kept 
down  through  fear  of  the  same.  October 
24,  1849,  Mr.  Kenehan  and  Bridget  Martin 
were  united  in  marriage  at  Geneva,  Wis.,  by 
Rev.  Father  McKiernan.  They  have  been 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  of  whom  six 
are  now  living  :  James  born  August  31, 1850, 
died  in  1851 ;  John,  born  February  13, 1852 ; 
Margeret,  born  July  4,  1854,  died  October 
27,  1860;  Patrick  Henry,  born  October  9, 
1856 ;  Michael,  born  December  3,  1858,  died 
November  17,  1865  ;  Elizabeth,  born  Decem- 
ber 4,  1860 ;  Mary  Ann,  December  15, 1862  ; 
William  Pius,  January  15,  1865,  and  Agnes, 
March  7,  1867. 

Noah  Lincoln  was  also  one  of  the  settlers 
of  the  same  3'ear.  He  was  born  in  New 
York  State,  June  16,  1822,  and  came  here 
from  Cass  County,  Mich.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Emma  S.  Davis,  December 
7.  1844.  She  was  born  December  19,  1826. 
They  had  a  famih'  of  eight  children  :  Maria 
W.,  born  October  13, 1845  ;  Francis  M.,  born 
July  4,  1847,  died  in  the  army,  at  Mound 
City,  111.,  April  7,  1865  ;  Charles  F:,  born 
September  9, 1849 ;  Friend  A.,  December  11, 
1851,  died  August  28,  1852;  Elva  V.,  July 
13, 1853  ;  Louisa  J.,  November  20, 1855,  died 
July  8,  1887;  Mina  A.,  November  19,  1859, 
died  March  30, 1862,  and  Ida  V.,  born  April 
4,  1862.  The  family  came  through  from 
Michigan  with  a  team  of  oxen,  consuming 
nine  weeks  on  the  way.  During  the  winter 
of  1856-7  they  were  compelled  to  put  up 
with  many  hardships,  having  to  exist  a 
greater  part  of  the  time  on  buckwheat 
ground  in  a  coffee  mill.  Finally  Mr.  Lincoln 
bought  a  bushel  and  a  half  of  corn  for  whicli 
he  had  to  pay  five  dollars.  On  coming  hei'e 
he  took  up  a  government  claim,  but  soon 


546 


HISTOET    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


sold  out  aud  purchased  nearly  219  acres 
on  section  1,  Wilton,  and  moved  to  the  vil- 
lage of  Wilton,  where  he  died  March  23, 
1875.  His  son  Charles  F.  carries  on  the 
farm. 

Charles  F.  Lincoln  was  born  in  Cass  County, 
Mich.,  September  9,  1849,  and  is  the  son 
of  Noah  and  Emma  S.  (Davis)  Lincoln.  He 
came  to  Minnesota  with  his  parents  in  1855, 
and  to  Wilton  Township,  Waseca  County 
the  year  following.  April  9,  1885,  C.  F. 
Lincoln  and  Mary  Pomroy  were  united  in 
marriage  at  Jackson,Mich..  She  was  born 
January  23, 1858.  They  have  had  one  child 
which  is  now  dead. 

Alexander  Henderson  was  also  an  arrival 
of  the  year  1856. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1857,  several  set- 
tlers made  their  appearance  in  this  vicinity, 
among  whom  were  George  H.  Woodbury, 
who  settled  on  section  28  ;  George  Barclay, 
who  located  a  claim  on  part  of  section  21  ; 
David  Weaver,  on  section  11,  and  Eobert 
Gibson  who  "  stuck  his  stakes  "  on  the  north- 
west quarter  of  section  29. 

Frank  Hadley  and  Eugene  A.  Smith  came 
to  the  township  this  year,  also. 

Among  the  settlers  of  the  year  1857,  was 
Edwin  E.  Verplanck.  Lithe  spring  of  that 
year,  he  came  to  Wilton  Township  and  took 
up  a  claihi  southwest  of  the  village,  where 
he  lived  for  a  short  time,  then  abandoned  it 
and  moved  back  to  Faribault.  After  his  dis- 
charge from  the  United  States  service,  in 
Company  G,  First  Minnesota  Infantrj^  he 
came  back  to  Waseca  County  and  settled  in 
New  Richland,  where  he  is  at  present  a 
resident. 

M.  F.  Conner  was  born  in  Ireland,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1846,  and  came  with  his  parents  to 
America  when  but  a  child.  The  family 
settled  in  the  State  of  Illinois,  in  1848.  In 
1857,  they  came  to  Waseca  County,  and 
settled  in  the  town  of  Wilton.  During  the 
years  1866,  1867  and  1808,  M.  F.  was  in 
Montana  Territory,  where  he  was  engaged 
in   mining,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  re- 


turned to  this  county.  November  2,  1873, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Alice  Dolan 
and  the}^  have  been  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren :  George  F.,  born  July  13,  1874 ;  Nel- 
lie E.,  born  November  11,  1876  ;  Arthur  E., 
born  May  14,  1877  ;  Charles  M.,  born  Janu- 
ary 29,  1879 ;  William,  born  February  14, 
1881;  Gertrude,  born  November  13,  1883; 
Leo  S.,  born  April  13,  1885,  and  James  Wal- 
ter, born  August  8,  1887.  Mr.  Conner  owns 
and  cultivates  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  on 
section  16,  Wilton  Township,  and  is  a  promi- 
nent and  representative  citizen  of  the  county. 
He  has  held  the  offices  of  county  commis- 
sioner, township  trustee  and  member  of  the 
school  board.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  Church. 

On  the  2d  of  November,  1857,  William 
Murphy  and  his  family  left  their  home  in 
Philadelphia,  and  journeyed  toward  Minne- 
sota, first  stopping  in  Steele  County,  but  in 
December  of  the  same  year  changed  his 
residence  to  the  village  of  Wilton.  While 
there  he  was  connected  with  the  seminary, 
as  teacher,  and  died  at  that  place  Mav  14, 
1859. 

C.  O.  Norton  was  among  the  settlers  of 
1857.  He  located  in  the  village  of  Wilton, 
where  he  carried  on  the  blacksmith  trade. 
On  the  founding  of  the  village  of  Waseca 
he  removed  there,  where  he  died  July  22, 
1868. 

B.  A.  Lowell  Sr.,  now  a  resident  of  Wa- 
seca, located  in  Wilton  duringthej^ear  1858, 
among  the  early  settlers. 

Thomas  Bardon,  Patrick  Madden  and 
Thomas  Bowers  are  among  the  early  settlers 
of  Wilton  Township  that  are  still  left  in  this 
locality. 

Jackson  TurnaclifF,  proprietor  of  "Town- 
Line  Farm,"  was  born  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  May  6,  1835,  and  while  a  child  the 
family  moved  to  Ohio,  where  he  was  reared 
until  he  was  about  twent}'  yeai's  of  age,  when 
he  came  to  Iowa  and  settled  in  Jackson 
County,  but  only  remained  there  a  short 
time,  when  he  started  for  Minnesota,  walk- 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


547 


ing  the  whole  distance,  arriving  in  this  State 
the  last  day  of  the  year  1855.  He  took 
up  a  claim  on  section  7,  in  the  town  of 
Otisco.  He  subsequentl}^  purchased  the  land 
on  section  12,  "Wilton  Township,  where  he 
now  lives,  in  1867,  and  has  erected  an  exceed- 
ingly fine  residence  and  barns.  His  farm 
contains  160  acres  of  land  located  on  both 
sides  of  the  Le  Sueur  Eiver.  August  25, 
1858,  Mr.  Turnacliff  and  Lucia  Elvira  Barber 
were  married  in  Ohio.  She  was  born  in  that 
State,  February  6,  1839.  They  have  been 
the  parents  of  nine  children,  eight  of  whom 
are  living :  Minnie  Dora,  born  June  6, 1859  ; 
Lolah  Mina,  born  January  26,  1861 ;  Elsa 
Lavern,  October  26,  1863  ;  Linna  May,  De- 
cember 6,  1865,  died  October  6,  1866;  Laura 
Meria,  August  9,  1867  ;  Ferdinand,  April  26, 
1872;  Walter  D.,  May  1,  1876  ;  Jay  B.,  Sep- 
tember 5,  1880  ;  Kill,  May  1,  1885. 

Ferdinand  Turnacliff,  the  father  of  Jack- 
son, was  born  in  Otsego  County,  N.  Y., 
September  11,  1813,  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  Waseca  County,  and  one  of  its  early 
settlers.  His  wife,  Maria,  was  born  in  New 
York,  April  4,  1812,  and  died  December  6, 
1862.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren :  Amelia  Ann,  born  January  2  1837 ; 
Delevan,  September  30,  1838;  Sally  M., 
August  27, 1842,  died  June  13,  1860  ;  Matilda, 
born  March  16,  1848,  and  Seymour,  boi'n 
May  8, 1851,  died  January  17,  1854. 

S.  A.  Farrington  was  born  in  Kennebec 
County,  Me.,  August  27,  1826,  and  in  an 
early  day  removed  with  his  parents  to  what 
is  now  Green  Lake  County,  Wis.,  where 
he  remained  until  1857,  when  he  came  to 
Waseca  County,  Minn.,  settling  in  Otisco 
Township,  from  whence  he  moved  to  Wood- 
ville  Township,  and  in  1884  to  this  pres- 
ent location  on  section  15,  in  Wilton.  No- 
vember 26,  1855,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
Foster,  who  was  born  November  26,  1840. 
The  young  people  shortly  after  their  mar- 
riage, came  with  a  colony  of  twelve  families 
from  Green  Lake  County  by  team,  spending 
some    five   weeks  on   the    trip.     All   these 


people  settled  within  the  radius  of  six  miles, 
and  Mr.  and  Mr.  Farrington  had  to  live  in 
their  wagon  until  they  completed  a  house. 
This  was  a  hard  year  for  the  new  arrivals, 
and  the  first  experience  Mr.  Farrington 
had  was  dividing  the  necessaries  of  life  with 
their  more  needy  neighbors.  During  the 
Indian  troubles  twelve  neighboring  families 
congregated  at  Mr.  Farrington's  houses, 
for  he  had  two,  and  he  generously  provided 
them  with  shelter.  All  were  badly  fright- 
ened by  a  report  of  the  coming  of  their 
savage  foes,  and  hiding  their  most  valua- 
ble articles  in  a  stone  jar,  concealed  it  in  a 
corn-field.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farrington  have 
had  born  to  them  eight  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  now  living :  Minnie  E.,  born  Sep- 
tember 7,  1857,  died  December  11,  1875; 
Howard  S.,  born  October  31,  1859;Kosetta 
S.,  born  June  30,  1861 ;  Sarah  C,  July  20, 
1863;  Warren  A.,  October  11,  1866  ;  Edith 
M.,  May  30,  1870 ;  Frank  W.,  February  5, 
1875.  and  Guy  A.,  October  18,  1878.  Mr. 
Farrington's  farm  consists  of  160  acres  in 
Wilton  Township  and  40  acres  near  the 
town  of  Waseca.  He  has  a  herd  of  fine 
grade  short-horn  and  Holstein  cattle,  and 
is  giving  considerable  attention  to  stock- 
raising. 

P.  Burns  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  the 
year  1837,  who  emigrated  to  the  shores  of 
America  and  settled  in  the  State  of  Ohio  in 
1851.  There  he  remained  until  1856,  when 
he  came  to  Minnesota.  In  1865  he  moved 
to  the  farm  which  he  now  occupies.  On  the 
11th  of  June,  1862,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Ann  How  Ian,  and  they  have  eight 
children,  all  living ;  Mary  Elizabeth,  born 
April  27,  1863;  Margaret,  December  20, 
1864;  George,  December  18,  1866  ;  Catherine 
Ann,  April  5,  1869;  Martha,  July  4,  1871; 
Martin,  July  29,  1873  ;  Peter,  November  30, 
1878,  and  William,  January  15,  1882.  Mr. 
Burns  is  making  a  specialty  of  breeding 
short-horn  cattle  and  has  a  herd  of  forty 
head  of  grades.  In  early  times,  like  all  old 
settlers,  he  had  some  tough  experiences,  but 


548 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


by  courage  and  perseverence  got  through 
them  all  and  is  now  one  of  the  most  j^ros- 
perous  farmers  in  the  county.  He  has  held 
the  office  of  treasurer  of  the  township. 

James  A.  Root,  the  proprietor  of  the 
"  Willow  Grove  Farm,"  is  a  native  of  Jeffer- 
son, N".  Y.,  born  February  26,  1832.  With 
his  parents  he  removed  to  Ellicottville, 
Cattaraugus  County,  N".  Y.,  where  his 
mother  died.  In  1859  they  removed  to 
Minnesota,  settling  on  the  farm  where 
James  A.  now  lives,  on  section  34,  in  this 
township.  His  father,  Joseph  N.  Eoot,  came 
later  and  died  here  April  12,  1869,  aged  68 
years  and  eight  months.  James  A.  Eoot  and 
Hannah  Brisbane  were  united  in  marriage 
December  12, 1859.  She  is  a  daughterof  Hon. 
William  Brisbane  and  born  August  18, 1840. 
They  have  been  the  parents  of  ten  children 
of  whom  eight  are  now  living;  Charles  E., 
born  February  27,  1861,  married  to  Ella  M. 
Eoddle  February  2,  1883,  who  was  born  in 
Wilton,  January  12,  1863,  and  who  is  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Oren  E.,  born 
February  4, 1884 ;  William  L.,  born  Jan- 
uary 29,  1863;  Joseph  S.,  born  April  16, 
1865  ;  Cora  B.,  August  26,  1867;  Hattie  M., 
March  4,  1870;  James  A.,  May  22,  1872; 
Maggie  J.,  May  31,  1873  ;  Freddie,  July  2, 
1877,  died  August  24,  1877;  Dora"  E., 
born  March  14,  1879,  and  Marvin  L.,  born 
October  9,  1880,  died  February  22,  1882. 
Mr.  Root's  farm  comprises  some  270  acres  of 
tine  land  and  is  well  tilled,  and  his  residence 
is  surrounded  by  a  thrifty  plantation  of  fine 
trees  containing  nearly  all  the  varieties  that 
will  grow  in  this  climate.  Besides,  he  lias  a 
fine  orchard  of  fruit  trees  and  a  garden  of 
small  fruit. 

John  Doran  was  born  in  Ireland,  June  20, 
1829.  On  the  11th  of  December,  1851,  he 
left  the  Emerald  Isle  and  came  to  America, 
and  for  awhile  after  his  arrival  here  drifted 
about  the  State  of  New  York,  but  finally 
settled  in  Erie  County,  that  State.  From 
there  he  came  west,  and  locating  in  Wis- 
consin,  remained    there   about    ten    vears. 


coming  to  Waseca  County  in  1865  and  set- 
tled on  section  27,  in  this  township.  He  sub- 
sequently removed  to  his  present  location 
in  section  33.  March  16,  1855,  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  John  Doran  and  Catherine 
Kohl  were  united  in  marriage,  and  they  have 
been  the  parents  of  fourteen  children,  nine 
of  whom  are  now  living :  Peter,  born  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1856;  James  and  David,  (twins) 
born  and  died  in  November,  1857;  Annista- 
cia  Mary,  l^orn  November  5,  1858 ;  Mar- 
garette  Ann,  born  March  28, 1861 ;  James  A., 
June  15, 1863  ;  Mary  C,  June  27,  1865,  died 
July  6,  1887;  Catherine  A.,  September  29, 
1867 ;  John  M.,  January  8, 1869  ;  George  W., 
born  March  28,  1871,  died  August  8,  1874 ; 
Agnes  E.,  born  June  26,  1874,  died  August 
15,  1886;  George  William,  March  2,  1877; 
Lurina  M.,  November  7,  1880,  and  Nellie 
G.,  July  7,  1882. 

H.  B.  Allen  is  a  native  of  Potsdam,  St. 
Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  born  May  1,  1836. 
From  there  the  family  moved  to  Penn- 
sylvania and  finally  to  Wisconsin.  On  the 
16th  of  November,  1860,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  Ackerman,  in 
Columbia  County,  Wis.  The  date  of  her 
birth  was  January  13,  1839.  In  June,  1863, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Allen  came  to  Minnesota,  set- 
tling in  Faribault  County.  While  there  Mr. 
Allen  enlisted  in  Comjiany  G,  1st  Minne- 
sota Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close  of 
the  war,  being  discharged  at  Washington, 
in  April,  1864,  viewing  the  body  of  the  mur- 
dered president,  Abraham  Lincoln,  as  it  lay 
in  state  in  that  city,  while  there.  Mrs. 
Allen  had  four  brothers  in  the  service  during 
the  war,  one  of  whom  spent  two  years  in 
the  rebel  jirison  pens  and  endured  hardships 
that  no  ijen  can  tell  of  or  words  portray. 
Mr.  Allen  has  a  fine  farm  and  is  extensively 
ena'a"'ed  in  stock-raising',  having  several  tine 
short-horn  cattle,  full  bloods.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Allen  have  had  born  to  them  the  following 
children  :  Benjamin  C,  born  September  12, 
1861 ;  Willie  D.  W.,  born  October  25,  1867  ; 
Merritt  H.  C,  born  August   6,   1871 ;  Josie 


HISTOEY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


549 


Gladys,  boi'n  July  30,  1873,  and  twins  that 
died  in  infancy.  They  came  to  Waseca 
County  in  1876  and  settled  on  section  25,  in 
this  town,  where  they  now  live. 

R.  Nelson  was  born  in  Crawford  County, 
Pa.,  December  16,  1837.  When  he  was 
twelve  years  of  age  his  parents  moved  to 
he  State  of  Wisconsin,  where  they  lived  for 
years.  In  1857  Mr.  Nelson  made  a  tour  of 
inspection  through  a  part  of  Minnesota  and 
then  returned  to  the  Badger  State.  On  the 
9th  of  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company 
A,  Thirty-second  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and 
served  one  year,  when  he  was  discharged,  in 
October,  1863,  but  remained  at  the  front  un- 
til some  time  in  December  in  the  same  year, 
when  he  came  to  Wilton  and  mad§  a  settle- 
ment. February  2,  1865,  he  reenlisted,  this 
time  in  tlie  First  Minnesota  Heavy  Artillery, 
and  went  to  Chattanooga,  Tenn.,  where  he 
remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  March 
18,  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage  witli 
Rhoda  A.  Sutlief,  a  daughter  of  Asa  G. 
Sutlief,  the  first  settler  of  this  county,  born 
in  Dodge  County,  Wis.,  September  18,  1818. 
They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  six 
of  whom  are  living  :  Lee  B.,  born  December 
31,  1868 ;  Rezin  Jr.,  born  February  15, 
1871;  Clarence  W.,  born  April  13,  1873; 
Mary,  born  January  22, 1876,  who  died  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1882 ;  Roy,  born  September  23, 
1878;  Volney  F.,  born  February  10,  1881, 
died  Februaiy  5,  1882;  Nellie  D.,  born 
August  20,  1884,  and  Rex  G.,  born  March  5, 
1887.  Mr.  Nelson  settled  upon  his  present 
place  in  1871. 

E.  M.  Atwood  was  born  at  Littleton,  N. 
H.,  December  24,  1839,  and  moved  with  his 
parents  to  Wisconsin  in  the  fall  of  1849.  He 
resided  in  various  places  in  the  Badger  State 
but  finally,  in  1859,  left  Grant  County,  that 
State,  and  came  to  Waseca  County,  first  set- 
tling in  the  town  of  St.  Mary.  In  1866  he 
located  in  Wilton  Township,  where  he  at 
present  resides.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  com- 
pany F,  Fifth  Minnesota  Infantry,  and  served 
three  years,  being  discharged  at  Point  Look- 


out, Md.,  January  25,  1865,  and  is  a  member 
of  Lewis  McKune  Post  No.  29,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  March  11, 1869,  Mr.  Atwood 
and  Mary  Frances  Reibeling,  a  native  of 
Philadelphia,  were  united  in  marriage  at 
Wilton,  by  Elder  Smith.  They  are  the  parents 
of  five  children:  Eva  Valeria,  born  February 
27,  1870,  died  January  13,  1877  ;  Eliza  Fran- 
ces, born  December  26,  1871 ;  Laura  May, 
born  January  2, 1873,  died  January  19,1877  ; 
George  Edwin,  born  March  9,  1879,  and 
Anna  Lolah,  born  April  4,  1884.  Mr.  At- 
wood's  father  was  born  in  New  Hampshire, 
October  31,  1811. 

William  Roddle  is  a  native  of  England, 
born  June  2,  1822,  and  came  to  America  in 
1840,  first  locating  in  Cayuga  County,  N.  Y., 
From  there  he  moved  to  Onondaga  County, 
and  finally  to  Tompkins  County,  in  the  same 
State.  In  1844  he  journe^'ed  to  Ohio,  and 
from  there  subsequently  to  Kenosha  County, 
Wis.,  where  he  remained  imtil  the  fall  of 
1860,  when  he  came  to  this  county,  and  pur- 
chasing a  farm  on  section  12  in  this  township, 
took  up  his  residence  in  the  village  of  Wilton, 
where  he  now  lives.  His  place  contains  120  • 
acres  of  finely  cultivated  land.  In  1849,  at 
Bristol,  Wis.,  Mr.  Roddle  and  Mary  Green 
were  united  in  marriage,  and  they  wei'e  the 
pai'ents  of  three  children  :  William  Henry, 
born  December  28,  1850 ;  B.  F.,  born  April 
9, 1854,  and  Ella,  born  January  12, 1863.  Mrs. 
Roddle  died  at  Wilton,  June  19,  1876.  De- 
cember 17,  1879,  Mr.  Roddle  and  Emily  A. 
Loder  were  united  in  marriage.  She  was 
born  in  Fond  du  Lac  County,  Wis.,  October 
26,  1852.  Her  father,  John  W.  Loder,  enlist- 
ed in  the  army  and  died  in  the  service  of  his 
country,  in  1862 ;  her  mother  is  still  living. 
Her  brother,  S.  T.,  died  in  Steele  County, 
Minn.,  May  17,  1864. 

George  T.  Dunn,  proprietor  of  the  River 
Side  farm,  was  born  in  Cattaraugus  County, 
N.  Y.,  February  7, 1845,  and  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Illinois  in  1856,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1867  he  removed  to 
Waseca  County,  Minn.     In  the  year  1881 


550 


HISTOKY   OF   WASECA  OOUKTY. 


purchased  his  present  farm  of  four  hundred 
acres  in  sections  26  and  27,  town  of  Wilton. 
Mr.  Dunn  is  giving  particular  attention  to 
raising  Norman  Perciieron  horses,  cattle  and 
grain.  His  fann  is  well  adapted  to  stock- 
raising,  being  located  directly  on  the  banks 
of  Le  Sueur  River.  Mr.  Dunn's  father, 
Thomas  Dunn,  was  born  in  Dumfrieshire, 
Scotland,  March  S,  1813,  and  emigrated  to 
America  in  the  year  1839.  He  died  in  Lee 
County,  III,  September,  1862.  Isabell  Dunn, 
the  mother  of  George  T.  and  wife  of  Thomas 
Dunn,  was  born  also  in  Dumfrieshire,  Scot- 
land, June  25,  1812,  and  is  still  living,  a 
member  of  Cleo.  T.  Dunn's  family. 

FIRST  ITEMS. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  of  "Wilton 
was  that  of  a  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pium- 
mer,  born  in  July,  1855. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  a  child  of 
"William  "Wells,  that  departed  this  life  in  the 
summer  of  1856. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  James  E. 
Child  and  Justina  Krassin,  April  19,  1856, 
John  Jenkins,  justice  of  the  peace,  perform- 
ing the  ceremony. 

The  first  ground  was  broken  by  Asa  G. 
Sutlief,  who  planted  the  first  grain. 

The  first  sawmill  put  up  in  the  county  was 
probably  that  of  Col.  J.  C.  Ide  and  others, 
which  was  hardl}^  a  success. 

The  pioneer  religious  meeting  was  held  in 
1856  at  the  house  of  C.  Northup,  a  Rev. 
Mr.  Hicks  conducting  the  services. 

The  first  schoolhouse  was  erected  in  1858, 
at  "Wilton,  and  Miss  Angeline  Krider  was 
the  pioneer  teacher. 

ORGANIC. 

The  first  town  meeting  was  held,  as  the 
records  state,  on  the  11th  of  May,  1858,  at 
the  house  of  Joseph  Doty.  The  assembly 
was  called  to  order,  with  P.  C.  Bailey  in  the 
chair.  The  object  of  the  meeting  being- 
stated,  Buel  "Welsh  was  made  modei-ator  and 
T.  L.  Paige,  clerk.  On  motion  of  A.  J. 
"Woodbury,  the  name  of  the  township  was 


made  that  of  "Wilton,  and  the  following  of- 
ficers chosen :  "W.  "W.  Robinson,  chairman, 
John  Brand  and  A.  J.  "Woodbury,  super- 
visors ;  Tarrant  Putnam,  town  clerk  and  col- 
lector ;  L.  Curtis,  assessor ;  J.  B.  Jackson 
and  P.  C.  Bailey,  justices  of  the  peace ;  A. 
Miller,  overseer  of  the  poor,  and  P.  Van 
Dyke  and  L.  Curtis,  constables.  The  present 
officers  of  the  town  are  as  follows  :  G.  Geher- 
ing,  chairman,  T.  Bardon  and  A.  Schulz, 
supervisors  ;  "William  Brisbane,  clerk  ;  Thos. 
Bowers,  treasurer;  Henry  Buck,  assessor; 
William  Bi-isbane,  justice  of  the  peace. 

The  Roman  Catholics  liave  a  church  edifice 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  section  31,  which 
was  erected  by  that  denomination  in  1881. 
Rev.  Robert  Hughes  is  the  pastor  here  and 
attends  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  more  than 
sixty  families,  or  350  members.  The  con- 
gregation live  in  all  four  townships,  the 
church  standing  at  the  corner  where  Byron, 
Vivian,  Freedom  and  Wilton  join. 

VILLAGE    OF    WILTON. 

In  the  autumn  of  1855  a  village  plat  was 
surveyed  and  laid  out  by  A.  B.  Cornell, 
J.  H.  Abbott  and  W.  F.  Pettit,  of  Owatonna, 
and  James  E.  Child,  John  Jenkins  and  D.  J. 
Jenkins,  of  this  county.  Shortl}'  after,  James 
Child  and  John  Jenkins  gave  up  their  claim 
to  the  town  site  and  others  took  their  place. 
Says  a  local  writer  in  speaking  of  these  days, 
of  which  he  is  fully  cognizant : 

"During  the  winters  of  1855  and  1856, 
the  first  claim  jumping  commenced.  The 
avarice  of  some  of  the  town  proprietors,  and 
the  land  and  town  site  fever  of  tliat  time, 
caused  some  unprincijDled  ones  to  trespass 
upon  the  just  rights  of  some  of  the  early  set- 
tlers, and  caused  such  a  feeling  of  opposition 
to  the  town  of  Wilton,  that  for  the  first  year 
after  it  was  laid  out,  no  building  was  com- 
pleted. 

"  Like  all  other  towns  of  that  day,  it  was 
expected,  like  Jonah's  gourd,  to  grow  in  a 
day,  but  unfortunately  the  prime  movers  of 
the  enterprise  so  managed  their  affairs  that 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COTTN'fY. 


551 


the  people  of  the  county,  even  up  to  the 
boundary  line  of  the  village  plat,  refused  to 
countenance  the  building  of  the  new  city, 
and  even  Avent  so  far  as  to  oppose  the  erec- 
tion of  buildings  on  the  town  plat  by  force 
and  arms. 

"  In  the  month  of  April,  1856,  several 
house  bodies  made  of  logs,  found  standing 
in  the  village,  were  discovered  one  Sunday 
morning  and  razed  to  the  ground.  As  to  who 
did  the  evil  deed,  probably  no  one  knows  ex- 
cept those  engaged  in  it.  This  occurrence, 
and  the  general  opposition  to  the  persons 
having  control  of  the  village,  by  the  sur- 
rounding settlers,  prevented  any  further 
growth  during  the  summer." 

In  the  fall  of  1856,  John  C.  Lie  and  A.  B. 
Cornell  brought  in  a  sawmill,  and  Mr.  Ide 
becoming  part  owner  of  tlie  town  site,  the 
difficulties  between  the  proprietors  and  the 
settlers  were  adjusted  and  during  that  win- 
ter the  place  began  to  grow.  During  the 
coldest  weather  stores,  shops,  hotels  and 
residences  were  put  up,  so  that  by  spring  it 
had  the  appearance  of  a  verj^  fair  village. 

Among  those  who  came  to  the  infant  vil- 
lage during  this  year,  1857,  may  be  men- 
tioned the  following:  Buel  "Welsh,  Alva  B. 
Hough,  A.  T.  Peck,  Micajah  C.  Wright, 
Owen  C.  "Waters,  "W.  B.  Burbank,  L.  Curtiss, 
Lorenzo  P.  Stowell,  Alva  C.  "Walker,  Smith 
Lapham,  Newell  Morse,  A.  B.  "Wattles,  E. 
F.  Lawton,  Byron  F.  Clarke,  H.  P.  West, 
Asa  Wait,  George  W.  Watkins  and  others. 

Buel  Welsh,  came  to  the  State  in  1855, 
and  located  at  Faribault,  pursuing  his  trade 
of  carpenter.  He  came  there  from  Wiscon- 
sin. In  the  fall  of  1856,  he  removed  to  Wil- 
ton, where  he  remained  for  many  years.  He 
was  a  kind-hearted  man  of  but  little  educa- 
tion, but  had  picked  up  considerable  knowl- 
edge of  law  and  other  subjects,  and  had 
practiced  for  about  twenty-five  years  in  the 
various  justices'  courts.  On  Saturday,  April 
24,  1886,  he  fell  dead  in  a  neighbor's  wagon, 
while  going  from  Alma  City  to  his  home  in 
Freedom  Township. 


Dr.  M.  S.  Gove,  one  of  the  pioneer  physi- 
cians, came  to  Wilton  in  1858,  from  his 
native  State,  "Vermont,  and  remained  in 
practice  in  Waseca  County  until  December 
1,  1874,  when  he  passed  to  "  that  land  from 
whose  bourne  no  traveler  ever  returns,"  in 
the  very  prime  of  life. 

A.  J.  Woodbury  came  to  Wilton  in  1856 
and  put  up  a  hotel  which  he  called  the  Wash- 
ington. This  place  he  ran  for  man^'  years, 
up  to  1882,  except  some  six  or  eight  months 
when  it  was  rented  and  operated  by  Joseph 
Doty.  He  is  a  native  of  Beverley,  Mass., 
born  in  1808.  In  1855,  he  came  west,  after 
having  been  to  Texas,  New  Orleans,  etc., 
and  in  the  spring  of  1856  came  to  Wilton  as 
alreadj'  detailed.  About  1830  he  married 
Elizabeth  Stratton,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children :  Henry  C.  and  George  H.  both  of 
whom  came  with  their  father.  All  three 
have  been  identified  with  the  history  of  the 
county  since.  George  H.,  however,  is  now  a 
resident  of  Jamestown,  D.  T.  Henry  C.  is 
the  municipal  judge  of  the  city  of  Waseca, 
and  his  father,  A.  J.    lives  in  the  same  city. 

Another  hotel,  afterward  called  the  Globe 
was  put  up  and  run  by  E.  A.  Eice,  about 
this  same  time.  Welsh  and  Smith  were  the 
next  proprietors  of  the  tavern,  and  were 
then  succeeded  by  Tyrrell.  Hall,  Long  and 
Gray  all  in  turn  played  the  part  of  host  in 
this  hotel,  which  was  one  of  the  institutions 
of  Wilton,  but,  alas,  the  old  building  stands 
in  forlorn  loneliness,  in  the  almost  deserted 
village. 

The  first  store  was  opened  by  Paige  & 
Baker,  in  a  small  log  shanty,  in  the  winter  of 
1855-6.  They  came  here  about  this  time 
from  Oswego,  N.  Y.  Thomas  L.  Paige 
acted  as  the  first  clerk  of  the  court,  but 
about  1858  sold  out  and  I'eturned  to  York 
State.  His  partner,  Nathan  Duane  Baker, 
stayed  but  little  longer,  when  he,  too,  re- 
turned east.    Both  are  now  among  the  dead. 

About  the  same  time  a  Scotchman,  by  the 
name  of  McLauren,  built  a  one-story  store, 
and  opened  a  saloon  and  grocery  establish- 


552 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    ConNTT. 


ment.  John  C.  Hunter  who  came  to  Wilton 
about  this  time,  afterward  was  in  partner- 
ship with  him.  They  sold  out  to  Isaac  Ham- 
lin, who  ran  it  until  the  war  broke  out. 

A.  E.  Smith  put  up  a  store  building  next, 
and  opened  a  stock  of  general  merchandise. 
This  store  was  afterward  run  by  Luther  & 
Chase. 

N.  E.  Strong  ran  a  drug  store  here  in  an 
early  day,  as  did  J.  D.  Andrews. 

P.  C.  Bailey  opened  up  in  the  hardware 
business  in  1857,  and  ran  the  same  for  some 
years  alone,  when  J.  H.  "Wightman  went  in 
with  him,  but  his  interest  was  finalh*  pur- 
chased by  George  Watkins,  and  the  firm 
of  Bailey  &  "Watkins  formed.  This  was 
afterward  moved  to  Waseca,  where  it  is  con- 
tinued to-day. 

J.  W.  Johnson  &  Co.  opened  a  store  here 
about  1858,  which  continued  for  many  years 
and  finally  removed  to  Waseca. 

J.  W.  Clapp  in  the  fall  of  1857  put  in  a 
stock  of  goods,  but  within  a  year  sold  out 
and  quit. 

John  C.  Hunter  was  in  business  here,  also, 
in  1858. 

The  first  blacksmith  shop  was  put  up  and 
operated  by  H.  P.  Norton,  in  1856. 

The  first  wagon  maker  was  A.  T.  Peck, 
who  commenced  business  here  in  the  spring 
of  1857. 

Many  other  stores  were  started  after  that, 
many  changes  were  made  in  the  ownership 
of  those  mentioned,  but  to-day  there  is  not 
one  store  left.  At  one  time  there  were  some 
twenty  stores  and  saloons  in  the  place,  but 
the  glory  of  the  place  has  departed.  On  the 
foundation  of  the  city  of  Waseca,  many  of* 
the  inhabitants  of  Wilton    removed  thither, 


and  when  the  seat  of  justice  was  transferred 
to  the  former  place,  the  rest  of  the  merchants 
moved  there  too,  and  the  village  of  Wilton 
relapsed  into  an  apathy  that  is  premonit.ory 
of  its  real  demise.  Silence  reigns  in  its 
streets  where  once  resounded  the  noise  of 
busy  commerce,  and  desolation  broods  over  it. 

A  Masonic  lodge  was  organized  at  the 
village  of  Wilton  under  dispensation  granted 
June  1,  1857,  with  the  following  officers  : 
Jesse  I.  Stewart,  W.  M.;  J.  C.  Ide,  S.  W.;  H. 
P.  Norton,  J.  W.;  E.  A.  Bice,  T.;  H.  S. 
Edmondson,  S.;T.  L.  Paige,  S.D.;Buel  Welsh, 
J.  I),  and  John  Magill,  Tyler.  For  the  after 
history  of  this  lodge  in  full  detail  the  reader 
is  referred  to  the  annals  of  Alma  City,  where 
it  was  transferred,  under  dispensation,  No- 
vember 21,  1883,  and  where  it  now  is  located. 
It  is  one  of  the  oldest  lodges  in  the  State, 
being  known  as  Wilton,  No.  24. 

Waseca  Lodge  No.  17,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  was  organized  atW  ilton,  in 
1866  or  1867,  and  continued  for  many  years. 
In  1883  it  was  consolidated  with  Comee 
Lodge  of  Waseca,  most  of  the  members  hav- 
ing removed  thither. 

The  first  bridge  built  in  the  county  was 
put  up  by  James  E.  and  S.  P.  Child,  in  this 
township,  for  which  they  received  the  enor- 
mous sum  of  $5,  and  it  was  not  much  of  a 
bridge,  either. 

About  the  year  1862,  a  Presbyterian 
Church  was  organized,  and  lingered  along  for 
several  years,  when  it  naturally  died  out. 
Rev.  William  McClelland  was  the  last 
pastor. 

The  Methodists  and  Baptists  both  have 
houses  of  worship  in  the  village,  and  both 
hold  services  therein. 


(deceased) 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


ST.  MAEY  TOWNSHIP. 


HE  subdivision  of  the  county 
bearing  the  appellation  of  St. 
Mary  embraces  all  of  congress- 
ional township  107  north  of  range 
23  west,  and  contains  about 
33,000  acres  of  fine  land.  Some 
of  the  best  arable  soil  in  this 
county  is  found  here.  The  sur- 
face of  the  country  is  gently 
undulating,  some  of  the  swells 
rising  almost  to  the  altitude  of 
hills,  but  the  long  and  gentle  slope  destroy- 
ing any  idea  of  height. 

This  township  is  well  watered,  the  Le 
Sueur  River  entering  it  on  the  southern  line 
of  section  36,  and  in  its  westward  course  ti'av- 
ersing  sections  26,  30,  31,  32,  33,  34  and  36, 
and  this  with  its  affluent,  a  creek  having  its 
source  on  sections  16  and  22,  afford  ample 
drainage  to  this  territory.  The  soil  is  a 
rich,  black  loam  that  is  unexcelled  for  fertil- 
ity and  productiveness.  Small  grain,  corn 
and  vegetables  bear  an  uncommon  yield,  and 
the  native  indigenous  grasses  on  the  un- 
broken sod  affoi'ds  pasturage  for  the  many 
herds  of  cattle.  The  people  of  St.  Mary  are 
entirely  agricultural,  there  being  no  village 
within  its  limits,  although  the  north  half  of  it 
is  traversed  by  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

The  pioneer  settlers  of  the  j^recinct  of  St. 
Mary  came  here  in  the  spring  and  summer 
of  1855,  and  were :  Abraham  and  Joseph 
Bird,  John  White,  Gottlieb  Sr.,  Martin  and 
John  Fred  Krassin,  Fred  Prechel,  Bernard 
Gregory  and  Fred  Wubschall.  Of  these, 
Abraham  Bird  died  here  February  12, 1869  ; 

33  566 


Joseph  removed  to  far  away  Oregon ;  Martin 
and  Gottlieb  Krassin  Sr.,  have  "  crossed  tlie 
dark  river  to  a  better  land  beyond  ; "  Ber- 
nard Gregory  passed  away  also  about  the 
year  1877,  and  John  White  is  now  a 
resident  of  Iosco  Township.  All  these  old 
settlers  have  been  mentioned  at  length  al- 
ready in  the  chapter  on  the  early  settlement 
of  the  county. 

Gottlieb  and  Fred.  Prechel  and  Fred.  Wub- 
schall are  still  residents  of  the  township. 

John  Bailey  came  to  this  precinct  in  1856, 
and  located  for  a  time,  but,  with  Mr.  Cham- 
berlain, purchased  the  town  site  of  St.  Mary, 
and  was  for  some  time  connected  with  the 
growth  of  that  place  as  well  as  interested  in 
the  mill.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Medford, 
Steele  County,  and  a  biographical  sketch  of 
him  will  be  found  in  that  department  of  this 
volume. 

Christian  and  Gottlieb  Krassin  Jr.  came 
here  in  the  summer  of  1856.  Christian  died 
here  April  22, 1876  ;  Gottlieb  is  still  a  resident 
of  the  township. 

Johan  Gottlieb  Krassin  is  a  son  of  Gottlieb 
Krassin  Jr.  and  Augusta  (Sommer)  Krassin, 
his  wife,  who  were  among  the  earliest  settlers 
in  Waseca  County.  Johan  Gottlieb  Krassin 
was  born  in  Marquette  County,  Wis.,  Sep. 
tember  6,  1855,  and  came  to  Waseca  County 
an  infant  in  his  mother's  arms.  The  family 
have  been  largely  identified  with  the  growth 
of  St.  Mary  Township,  and  are  extensive 
farmers  and  stock-raisei-s.  Gottlieb  Krassin 
is  as  yet  unmarried.  He  owns  some  480 
acres  of  land,  and  cultivates  a  large  share  of 
it.  He  is  engaged  also  in  raising  short-horn 
Durham  cattle,  and  Norman  Pei-cheron 
horses.      His  farm,   of   which    he  is  justly 


556 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COtrNTT. 


proud,  is  located  on  section  27.  In  1880  Mr. 
Krassin  was  elected  to  the  office  of  scliool 
director,  and  held  tiie  same  for  three  years. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  in  religion 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

John  Woixlen  came  to  this  precinct  also 
in  1856,  purchasing  a  farm,  where  he  lived 
for  a  few  years.  He  sold  out  here  finally 
and  removed  to  Iosco,  where  he  bought  a 
place  and  lived  until  death  called  him  away. 
His  son,  Henry,  is  now  a  resident  of  Iosco. 

Joseph  Mantie  was  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers of  St.  Mary,  coming  here  August  5, 1856, 
and  settling  on  section  27,  where  he  now 
lives.  He  is  a  native  of  Prussia,  and  came  to 
tiie  United  States  in  the  year  1853,  first  lo- 
cating at  Princeton,  Wis.,  where  he  followed 
tiie  blacksmith  trade,  after  which  he  came  to 
Waseca  County,  wliere  he  did  the  first  work 
in  that  line  within  its  limits.     In  December, 

1855,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Minnie 
Krassin,  daughter  of  Gottlieb  and  Augusta 
Krassin,  a  native  of  Prussia,  born  March  29, 
1841.  They  are  the  parents  of  nme  children: 
Samuel,  married  to  Matilda  Buke,  a  native 
of  Prussia,  July  i,  1 883  ;  Henrj',  John,  Will- 
iam, Frank,  Mena,  married  Frank  Zickerick, 
June  2  1879;  Melia,  married  Fred  King, 
October  3,  1883  ;  Emma;  and  Elizabeth  mar- 
ried Amel  Martin,  November  16,  1886.  Mr. 
Mantie  is  a  Republican,  has  held  many  town- 
ship and  school  district  offices,  and  is  one  of 
the  representative  men  of  the  township.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

John  Jordan  came  to  this  town  in  the  year 

1856,  and  located  on  section  16,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  was  born  in  Ireland, 
June  4, 1835,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Mary 
(Malia)  Jordan.  His  parents  raised  a  family 
of  seven  children :  Michael,  Martin,  Mary, 
John,  Ann,  Austin  and  Thomas,  all  of  whom 
are  living  but  one.  The  family  came  to 
America  in  1849,  landing  at  St.  Johns,  N.  B., 
but  after  a  short  staj'  there,  moved  to  Clin- 
tonville,  Mass.,  where  they  remained  one 
year.  Their  next  place  of  residence  was  in 
New  York  State,   where   they  dwelt  some 


seven  years.  Both  of  the  old  people  are 
now  dead.  John  Jordan  was  engaged  in 
running  a  canal  boat  in  New  York  for  a  few 
years,  and  then  came  to  Waseca  County. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  a  Catholic 
in  religion. 

Anthony  Gorman  was  also  a  settler  of  the 
year  1856  in  this  township.  He  is  a  native 
of  Ireland,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  and 
Mary  Gorman,  both  of  whom  are  now  dead. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  five 
boys  and  four  girls.  Anthony  Gorman  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1848,  landing  in  New 
York  City.  From  there  he  went  to  Orange 
County,  in  the  same  State,  and  remained  there 
a  short  time,  when  he  went  to  Illinois ;  but  a 
few  months  later  came  to  Minnesota,  stop- 
ping a  short  time  in  Wabasha  County  ;  from 
there  to  Hastings  and  then  to  St.  Mary  in 
1856.  He  located  on  section  28,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  is  a  single  mail,  a 
Democrat  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  He  has  held  the  office  of 
chairman  of  tlie  town  board  for  ten  years, 
justice  of  the  peace  for  nine  years,  and  other 
town  offices,  and  is  a  representative  man 
of  the  township. 

Michael  McGonagie,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  the  year  1856,  still  resides  on  the  old 
homestead  established  b}^  him  in  those  early 
daj's.  He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  Sep- 
tember 10,  1825,  and  is  the  son  of  Neil  and 
Mary  (O'Donnell)  McGonagie,  who  had  three 
children :  Hugh,  Michael  and  Neil.  The 
subject  of  this  sketch  has  one  of  the  finest 
places  in  Waseca  County,  on  section  15, 
where  lie  follows  genei-al  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  October  10,  1855,  he  and  Margeret 
Gill,  the  latter  a  native  of  Ireland,  were 
united  in  marriage  and  they  have  been  the 
parents  of  nine  children :  Michael,  Mary 
Ann,  Katie,  Neil,  Maggie,  Hugh,  John,  Will- 
iam and  Lizzie.  Michael  was  married  to 
Bridget  McBride,  a  native  of  Ireland,  in 
1881,  and  they  have  five  children  ;  Maggie 
was  married  in  1886  to  Daniel  Murray,  of 
Iosco,  and  Hugh  was  married  in  April,  1887, 


HISTOEY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


557 


to  Katie  Kelley  and  lives  on  section  16,  this 
township.  Mr.  McGonagle  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics  and  has  held  some  of  the  more 
important  oflSces  connected  with  the  educa- 
tional department  of  the  town  government, 
and  is  a  representative  man  of  this  part  of 
the  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

George  H.  Reibeling  Sr.  came  to  this 
township  in  1S56,  and  settled  on  section  10, 
where  he  died,  aijd  where  the  family  still 
reside.  G.  H.  Keibehng  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
man}', born  November  18,  1854,  and  is  the 
son  of  George  H.  and  Eliza  (Nebhul)  Eeib- 
eling,  natives  of  the  same  empire,  who  had 
a  famil}'  of  eight  children :  May,  Anna, 
George  H.,  Caroline,  Theodore,  Katie,  Cor- 
nelius and  Laura.  Caroline  died  June  26, 
1865,  and  Laura  May  the  31st  of  July,  1866. 
The  family  came  to  this  county  in  1856. 
The  elder  Mr.  Keibeling  died  and  the  mother 
was  again  married  November  20,  1867,  to 
William  Harding,  and  is  the  mother  of  three 
more  children  :  William,  Everhardt  and  Isa- 
bella, all  living  at  home  on  section  10,  this 
township.  George  H.  is  a  single  man  and 
own  120  acres  of  land  on  the  same  section. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

Holder  S.  Loveland,  in  1856,  made  a  settle- 
ment on  part  of  section  25.  He  afterward 
sold  out  the  farm  which  he  had  taken  and  re- 
moved from  the  count}'.  His  son  George 
was  in  the  army  during  the  late  rebellion, 
and  died  September  29,  1863,  at  Black  River 
bridge. 

Charles  W.  Johnston  and  family  were 
among  the  pioneers  of  the  year  1857. 

Mrs.  Jane  C.  Johnston  is  the  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Louisa  (Clark)  Scrilmer,  the 
former  a  native  of  Washington  County,  N. 
H.,  and  the  latter  of  Orange  County,  Vt. 
They  had  a  family  of  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows :  Charles,  who  married  Emma  Horn, 
in  1855,  living  at  Lowell,  Mass.;  George  F., 
who  married  Abbie  Chapman,  now  living  in 
Massachusetts;  Alzoa  married  S.  D.  Oster- 
hout,  living  at  Lowell,  Mass.;  Mary  A.  and 


Jane  C.  The  latter  was  born  at  Chelsea, 
Vt.,  February  5,  1833,  and  was  united  in 
marriage  April  5,  1857,  with  Charles  W. 
Johnston,  a  native  of  Montpelier,  Vt.,  born 
March  9th,  1834.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  five  children :  Nellie  M.  L.,  born 
August  7,  1858;  Alma  S.,  May  22,  1860; 
Charles  F.,  April  17,  1863 ;  Willard  C,  June 
29,  1866,  and  George  S.,  May  28,  1869. 
Charles  F.  died  Mai;ch  25  and  George  March 
31,  1873,  of  scarlet  fever  and  diphtheria,  and 
are  buried  in  Waseca  cemetery.  Mrs.  John- 
ston and  her  family  came  here  in  1857  and 
settled  on  the  place  on  section  13  where  she 
now  lives.  Her  son  Willard  carries  on  the 
farm. 

August  Priebe  was  born  in  St.  Mary  Town- 
ship, Waseca  Count}',  July  31,  1864,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  and  Caroline  (Vondrie) 
Priebe,  natives  of  Prussia,  who  came  to  this 
county  in  an  early  day,  being  among  the  first 
settlers  of  St.  Mary.  John  Priebe  was  a 
farmer  and  settled  on  section  10,  where  he 
died  August  25,  1872;  his  wife  died  in  1880  ; 
both  are  buried  in  Iosco  Township.  August 
commenced  life  for  himself  on  his  farm  on 
section  10  in  the  spring  of  1887,  he  having 
282  acres  from  his  father's  estate,  where  he 
carries  on  farming  and  stock-raising.  June 
16,  1887,  he  was  United  in  marriage  with 
Molvena  Krienke,  also  a  native  of  this  county, 
Ijorn  September  7,  1868,  and  a  daughter  of 
August  and  Henrietta  Krienke,  farmers  in 
this  town.  August  Priebe  has  a  sister  and 
a  brother  living ;  Amelia,  the  sister,  is  the 
wife  of  Julius  Mittelstadt ;  married  April  4, 
1883;  lives  in  losca ;  the  brother,  WilMam, 
works  for  August.  August  and  his  wife  are 
members  of  the  German  Lutheran   Church. 

OTHEKS. 

The  following  are  a  few  more  of  the  lead- 
ing representative  people  of  St.  Mary  Town- 
ship who  deserve  a  place  in  history  : 

S.  S.  Phelps  (deceased),  was  a  native  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  and  was  born  April 
5,  1840.     He  was  the  son  of  John  and  Nancy 


558 


HISTOET   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


(Woodruff)  Phelps,  the  former  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  the  latter  of  New  Yorli.  John 
Phelps  was  a  farmer  all  his  life,  and  died  in 
1877;  the  mother  still  survives.  They  raised 
a  family  of  four  children,  three  boys  and  one 
girl,  in  the  spring  of  ISfiS  S.  S.  Phelps 
came  to  Waseca  County  from  Portage 
Count}',  Wis.,  and  purchased  a  farm  on  sec- 
tion 11,  St.  Mary  Township,  where  his  fam- 
ily reside,  but  that  year  spent  part  of  the 
time  in  Owatonna  and  the  balance  in  Por- 
tage County,  whither  he  had  returned.  In 
the  spring  of  1866  he  built  a  house  on  this 
place  on  the  site  of  the  present  splendid  man- 
sion. The  first  house  was  but  12x14  feet  in 
size,  and  in  this  the  family  lived,  two  small 
additions  being  built  in  the  meantime,  until 
their  new  residence  was  built.  This  latter 
was  erected  by  Mr.  Phelps  during  the  year 
1869,  and  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  county, 
having  cost  $11,000.  It  is  a  brick-veneered 
structure,  40x47  feet  on  the  ground,  two 
stories  and  a  half  with  the  foundation  and 
trimmings  of  cut  Kasota  stone,  and  is  fitted 
with  all  the  modern  conveniences.  The 
same  year  he  put  up  a  residence  on  a  place 
he  owned  in  Blue  Earth  County,  near  Eagle 
Lake,  at  a  cost  of  $1,400  and  another  near 
Janesville  at  a  cost  of  $1,000.  Mr.  Phelps 
was  a  large  land-holder,  at  one  time  owning 
some  2,200  acres  of  land  in  this  and  Blue 
Earth  Counties.  In  1867  when  the  railroad 
had  reached  Waseca,  Mr.  Phelps  took  a  con- 
tract to  haul  all  the  freight  from  that  point 
to  St.  Peter,  Mankato  and  New  Ulm,  and 
this  he  held  until  the  road  had  reached  those 
points,  having  from  four  to  ten  teams  en- 
ffat'ed.  He  had  also  a  contract  with  the 
railroad  company  to  distribute  ties  along  the 
roadbed  from  Waseca  to  Janesville.  In 
1869  he  entered  into  a  contract  with  the  rail- 
road company  to  furnish  them  with  60,000 
cords  of  wood,  and  purchased  machinery  to 
saw  it  with,  which  business  he  pursued  for 
seven  years.  He  fitted  up  seven  small  saws 
run  by  horse  power  and  one  large  one  which 
cost  $1,200,  run  bv  steam.      These  with  the 


boarding  car  were  arranged  to  move  along 
the  track  and  operated  all  the  way  from 
Madison,  Wis.,  to  St.  Peter  and  New  Ulm. 
After  his  large  expense  tiie  company  began 
burning  coal,  so  that  Mr.  Phelps  sustained 
heavy  losses,  having  to  sell  his  machinery  at 
a  great  sacrifice.  Mr.  Phelps  was  one  of  the 
enterprising  men  that  have  so  materially 
helped  to  build  up  Waseca  County,  and  a 
man  that  united  great  energy  of  character 
with  rare  business  ability.  October  13, 
1861,  Mr.  Phelps  and  Elspa  Sutherland  were 
united  in  marriage.  She  is  a  native  of  New 
Brunswick,  born  July  8,  1842.  They  were 
the  parents  of  six  children  :  Ellen  E.,  born 
February  15,1864;  Nancy  H.,  born  April  5, 
1868:  Sethie  J.,  born  December  31,  1870; 
George  P.,  born  January  8,  1873;  Jessie  E., 
born  February  4,  1875,  and  Joseph  D.,  born 
June  27,  1877.  Sethie  died  October  16, 
1880.  Ellen  married  Carl  S.  Fitch,  Decem- 
ber 31,  1885,  and  is  living  in  Dakota.  All 
the  rest  of  the  family  are  at  home  with  their 
mother.  Mr.  Phelps  met  his  death  on  the 
evening  of  the  11th  of  March,  1884,  while 
crossing  the  railroad  track  about  a  mile  west 
of  Waseca.  He  was  driving  his  team  home, 
and  while  on  the  track  was  struck  by  the 
engine  and  instantly  killed.  His  body  lies 
in  Waseca  cemetery.  Thus  was  cut  off  in 
the  prime  of  life  one  of  the  most  active  busi- 
ness men  of  this  county.  A  portrait  of  Mr. 
Phelps  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume. 

Daniel  T.  Ballard  Avas  born  in  England, 
October  16,  1839,  and  is  the  son  of  Samuel 
and  Mary  (Ashb}')  Ballard,  who  had  a  fami- 
ly of  five  children  :  Ann  Eliza  beth,  Elizabeth, 
Isaac,  John,  and  Daniel  T.  The  last  named 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1856,  with  two 
brothers,  landing  in  New  York  City,  and 
worked  in  Crawford  County,  Pa.,  farming 
in  the  summer,  and  in  the  winter  following, 
doing  chores  for  his  board,  and  went  to 
school.  The  next  summer  he  went  to  Ohio, 
but  in  that  fall  came  to  Waseca  County. 
This  was   in   1858.     He  located   at  fii'st  in 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


559 


Iosco.  In  the  fall  of  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  F,  Eig-hth  Minnesota,  but  was  dis- 
charged the  same  year  at  Fort  Snelling.  He 
then  went  to  Dakota  Countj%  this  State, 
where  he  lived  three  years,  and  from  there 
he  returned  to  Iosco  Township,  Waseca 
County.  In  May,  1866,  lie  and  D.  A.  Erwin 
started  for  Montana  with  ox  teams,  and  joined 
a  train  going  that  direction,  which  consisted 
of  fifty-three  wagons  and  about  three  hun- 
dred persons.  He  returned  in  November, 
1872,  to  this  county,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained. June  17,  1873,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Josephine  Brossard,  a  native 
of  Wisconsin.  They  are  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Sylvester  E.,  born  February  22, 
1874 ;  Ida  B.,  born  April  26,  1883,  and  Wes- 
ley E.,  born  February  26,  1885.  Mr.  Bal- 
lard is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

Isaac  Ballard  came  to  Waseca  County  in 
1856.  First  located  in  Iosco,  where  he  re- 
mained for  about  ten  years.  Then  purchased 
a  farm  on  section  1,  St.  Mary,  where  he  still 
lives.  Mr.  Ballard  is  a  native  of  England, 
born  December  16,  1834,  where  he  lived  un- 
til 22  years  of  age,  and  then  sailed  for 
America.  His  first  stop  was  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  remained  but  a  short  time,  and 
then  came  on  to  Illinois,  where  he  remained 
but  a  few  weeks,  and  then  came  to  Waseca 
County,  in  the  fall  of  1856.  On  October  6, 
1864,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Carrie  Er- 
win, daughter  of  P.  A.  and  Jane  Erwin, 
natives  of  New  York  State.  She  was  born 
January  11,  1836.  They  are  the  parents  of 
eight  chilch'en  :  Arthur,  Clifton,  Carrie,  Wal- 
ter, Marshall,  Sidney  and  Maud.  Six  are 
still  at  home,  one,  Arthur,  in  Minneapolis 
working  for  a  glass  firm.  Mr.  Ballard  is  a 
Republican  in  politics.  He  also  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Hans  Paulson  came  to  AYaseca  County  in 
the  spring  of  1869,  and  at  that  time  pur- 
chased 160  acres  of  land  in  this  township,  to 
which  he  has  added  eighty  acres,  now  hav- 
ing 240  acres  on  section  11.  He  gives  his 
attention   to  genei'al  farming  and   raising 


short-horn  cattle  and  blooded  horses.  He  is 
■a  native  of  Norway,  born  January  27,  1833. 
His  father  and  family  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1868,  and  located  in  Fillmore 
County,  this  State,  where  he  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years.  Hans  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  1856,  and  for  four  years  thereafter 
was  a  resident  of  Iowa.  He  then  removed 
to  Fillraofe  County,  Minn.,  where  he  lived 
until  coming  here  in  1869.  April  5,  1862, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Osse  Fin- 
gerson,  a  native  of  Norway,  boi'ii  February 
16,  1845.  Iler  parents  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1852,  and  settled  in  Wisconsin.  In 
a  few  years  they  removed  to  Fillmore  Coun- 
ty, Minn.,  and  in  1865. to  Waseca  County, 
locating  in  Blooming  Grove,  where  her  fath- 
er remained  until  his  death  in  1873.  The 
mother  is  still  a  resident  of  the  same  town. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paulson  have  a  family  of  eight 
children  :  C.  William,  Alfred,  Oliver,  Aus- 
tin, Eddie,  Carl,  Anna  and  Tilda.  Mr. 
Paulson  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

William  Mittelsteadt,  is  an  enterprising 
farmer  on  section  9,  where  he  carries  on 
quite  an  extensive  business  in  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising.  He  came  to  Waseca 
County  in  1867,  settling  where  he  now  lives. 
He  is  a  native  of  Prussia,  born  February  15, 
1848,  and  is  the  son  of  Gottfried  and  Gus- 
tiva  Mittelsteadt,  who  were  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  seven  boys  and  one  girl. 
Gottfried  died  in  the  old  country.  William 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1867,  and  came 
directly  here,  as  already  detailed,  his  mother, 
who  lives  with  him,  coming  in  his  companj'. 
Mr.  Mittelsteadt  has  been  thrice  married. 
December  26,  1872,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Caroline  Priebe,  born  in  Prussia, 
in  1848,  and  who  died  June  19, 1880,  leaving 
two  children  :  Gustof,  born  December  12, 
1876,  and  Emma,  born  December  7,  1878. 
January  13, 1881,  he  was  married  to  Augusta 
Fisher,  a  native  of  Prussia,  who  died  March 
20,  1884,  leaving  one  child,  Martha,  born 
Mav  11,  1883.    He  was  married  to  Willimena 


560 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


Leeck,  September  12,  1884,  and  they  are  the 
parents  of  three  children :  Freddie,  born 
June  12,  1885  ;  Eddie,  born  June  8,  1886, 
and  Herman,  born  August  18,  1887.  Mr. 
Mittelsteadt  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  has  held  the  office  of  town  supervisor 
for  three  terms. 

Charles  Gorman  is  a  native  of  Ireland, 
born  May  11, 1836,  and  lived  in  that  country 
until  1852,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States.  Landing  in  Boston  he  proceeded  to 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained 
some  three  yeai'S,  after  which  he  came  to 
Aurora,  111.,  and  made  that  his  home  for 
about  one  year.  He  then  came  to  Winona 
County,  Minn.,  where  he  made  a  stay  of 
about  three  years,  when  he  went  to  Mem- 
phis, Tenn.,  and  remained  until  1861.  He 
again  came  to  Minnesota,  locating  in  Waseca 
County,  purchasing  a  farm  in  St.  Mary 
Township,  where  he  has  since  made  his  home 
and  it  is  a  most  pleasant  one.  Mr.  Gorman 
has  a  fine  farm  on  section  20,  with  good 
buildings,  and  his  land  in  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. May  12,  186i,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Bridget  McNickle,  also  a  native 
of  Ireland,  who  died  October  10,  1869.  She 
was  mother  of  three  children,  all  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  He  was  married  again  Oc- 
tober 10,  1876,  to  Catherine  Gallagher,  a 
native  of  Ireland.  She  is  also  deceased. 
They  had  a  family  of  eight  children :  Mary, 
Bridget,  Winford,  Johannah,  Thomas  and 
Anthony,  and  two  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
Gorman  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  be- 
longs to  the  Catholic  Church  with  his  fam- 

iiy. 

D.  A.  Erwin,  who  resides  on  section  2,  where 
he  has  a  fine  farm,  was  born  August  4, 1839, 
in  New  York  State,  and  is  the  son  of  P.  A.  and 
Jane  Erwin,  tlie  former  a  native  of  Vermont, 
the  latter  of  Ireland.  Mr.  Erwin  the  elder 
was  born  in  1797,  and  was  in  the  service  of 
his  country  during  the  war  with  Great 
Britain  in  1812-15,  and  is  stiU  living  in  this 
county  with  his  son,  D.  A.  Mrs.  Jane  Erwin 
died  here  in  September,  1867.     In   Septem- 


ber 1862,  D.  A.  Erwin  enlisted  in  Company 
D,  Ninety-eighth  New  York  Infantry,  and 
served  until  May,  1863,  when  he  was  dis- 
charged for  disability.  He  then  returned  to 
New  York  State  and  engaged  in  farming 
for  about  a  year,  when  he  came  west  to 
Waseca  County  in  1864,  joining  his  parents, 
who  had  located  here  about  a  3'ear  previous. 
In  1865  the  gold  fever  seized  upon  Mr.  Erwin 
and  he  crossed  the  plains  to  Montana,  in 
search  of  the  precious  metal ;  but  fortune 
proving  but  a  fickle  goddess,  was  not  propi- 
tious, and  after  three  years'  efforts  there 
he  returned  to  this  county,  where  he  has 
made  his  home  ever  since.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Orrilla  Ketcham,  a  native  of 
Wisconsin,  and  they  have  been  the  parents  of 
seven  children :  Sidney,  born  September  15, 
1871,  died  October  11,  1873;  Claude,  born 
March  26,  1873;  Stanley,  born  May  1,  1875; 
Grant,  April  26,  1877 ;  Eoland,  January  27, 
1879;  Eugene,  January  17,  1882,  and  an 
infant  boy,  born  November  29,  1886,  not 
named.  In  politics  Mr.  Erwin  aflfiliates 
with  the  Republican  party. 

Patrick  Farley,  a  leading  farmer  and  stock- 
I'aiser,  living  on  section  2,  where  he  has  160 
acres  of  fine  land,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
was  born  March  16,  1836.  He  is  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Garrett)  Farley.  His 
mother  died  in  1847,  leaving  a  family  of 
eight  children,  five  boys  and  three  girls. 
Patrick  came  to  America  in  1855,  and  for 
the  first  year  lived  at  Albany,  N.  Y.  From 
there  he  moved  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1865,  when  he  came  to  Waseca 
County,  first  locating  in  Alton  Township. 
He  lived  there  for  twenty-one  years,  but 
in  the  spring  of  1887  came  to  St.  Mary, 
and  bought  his  present  place  of  E.  Bros- 
sard.  February  2,  1870,  he  was  married  to 
Mary  Ann  Hagearty,  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin, ])orn  in  November,  1848,  and  a  daughter 
of  Richard  and  Mar}^  Hagearty,  the  former 
a  native  of  Ireland,  the  latter  of  Massachu- 
setts. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farley  are  the  parents 
of  eight  children  :  Emma  May,  born  Novem- 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


561 


ber  26,  1870  ;  Thomas  P.,  born  December  9, 
1873  ;  William  H.,  November  24,  1875  ;  Ed- 
ward, January  5,  1877 ;  Nellie  J.,  August  5, 
1879 ;  Katie,  August  6,1882;  James,  De- 
cember, 1884,  and  Sarah,  January  5,  1887. 
Mr.  Farley  is  a  Democrat  politically,  and 
the  family  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church. 

Julius  Papke,  a  prominent  farmer  and 
stock-raiser,  living  on  section  26,  this  town- 
ship, was  born  in  Prussia,  September  1, 1838. 
He  is  a  son  of  Michael  and  Ellaura  (Block) 
Papke,  who  had  but  two  children.  Julius 
came  to  the  United  States  m  1861,  and  for 
four  years  lived  in  Wisconsin,  and  then  came 
to  this  county,  locating  on  the  section  where 
he  now  lives.  February  15,  1857,  he  and 
Eliza  Boscho  were  united  in  marriage.  She 
was  born  in  Prussia,  December  19,  1837. 
They  are  the  parents  of  eleven  children  : 
Adolph,  Melia,  Augusta,  Fred,  John,  Julius, 
Sarah,  Mary,  Edward,  Lewis  and  Elia. 
Adolph  married  Maggie  Criptner,  December 
22, 1884,  and  lives  in  Blooming  Grove  ;  Melia 
married  A.  A.  Robinson,  December  1,  1884, 
and  lives  in  Freel^orn  County,  this  State,  and 
Augusta  married  Lewis  Priebe,  February  12, 
1885,  and  lives  in  Woodville.  Mr.  Papke 
was  elected  township  assessor  in  1882  and 
held  that  office  for  two  years.  Is  school 
director  for  district  No.  44,  and  has  held 
that  position  since  1881,  a,nd  has  been  school 
treasurer  and  clerk  of  the  same  district. 

Michael  Gallagher  was  born  in  Marquette 
County,  Wis.,  February  22,  1858,  and 
is  the  son  of  Michael  and  Maria  (Foley) 
Gallagher,  both  natives  of  Ireland.  His 
parents  came  to  America  in  1847,  and  re- 
mained for  the  first  seven  years  in  New  York 
State,  and  then  moved  to  Marquette  County, 
Wis.  They  remained  there  until  1863,  when 
they  came  to  Waseca  County  and  the  1st  of 
July  located  upon  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  22,  where  the  elder  Mr.  Gallagher 
followed  farming  until  1886,  when  he  re- 
moved to  the  city  of  Waseca,  where  he  now 
lives  a  retired  life.     He  and  his  wife  had  a 


family  of  six  children  :  Bernard,  Eose  Ann, 
John,  Michael,  Maria  and  Celia.  The  last 
named  was  burned  to  death  when  eleven 
years  old,  at  the  time  her  father's  house  was 
destroyed  by  fire ;  the  rest  of  the  children 
are  married.  In  1886  Michael  began  life  for 
himself,  farming  on  the  old  homestead,  hav- 
ing been  married  on  the  20th  of  October, 
1886,  to  Ellen  Lynch,  a  native  of  this  county, 
born  January  16.  1861.  Her  family  were 
among  the  first  settlers  of  this  township  and 
county.  They  are  both  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 

Poger  Geraghty,  one  of  the  prominent  and 
representative  citizens  of  St.  Mary,  is  a  native 
of  Ireland,  born  July  4,  1833,  and  is  the  son 
of  Peter  and  Mary  Geraghty,  both  natives 
of  Ireland.  The  latter  raised  a  family  of  six 
children,  named  as  follows  :  Poger,  Thomas, 
Peter,  Mary,  Bridget  and  Julia.  During  the 
year  1849  Roger  Geraghty  came  to  America, 
and  for  two  years  remained  in  Marquette 
County,  Wis.,  whither  he  had  gone  on  landing. 
From  there  he  went  south,  where  he  remained 
until  1865,  when  he  came  to  Waseca  County 
and  settled  upon  the  farm  on  section  32,  this 
township,  where  he  now  lives.  November 
16,  1856,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Catherine  Madden,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Honora  Madden,  a  native  of  Ireland,  born 
August  5,  1833,  and  who  had  come  to  the 
United  States  in  1849,  the  same  time  Mr. 
Geraghty  had.  Their  married  life  has  been 
blessed  with  a  family  of  five  children  :  Peter, 
Thomas,  Mary,  Honora  and  Kate.  Peter 
died  March  23,  1884,  and  Kate,  March  11, 
1874 ;  the  rest  are  living  at  home.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church.  Mr. 
Geraghty  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  has 
held  the  offices  of  town  clerk,  school  clerk 
and  treasurer  of  school  district  15. 

HISTORIC  CRCMBS. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  township  was  at 
the  house  of  Bernard  Gregory  on  the  2d  of 
January,  1856.  when  Louisa  Gregory  was 
united  with  Mr.  Ballard,  of  Mankato,  in  the 
holy  bonds['of  matrimony. 


562 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


VILLAGE  OF    ST.  MAEY. 


In  the  montli  of  February,  1857,  a  village 
was  laid  out  on  the  west  half  of  section  33, 
by  Chamberlarin.  Bailey  &  Co.,  which  at 
one  time  was  quite  an  important  point,  vy- 
ing with  Empire  and  Wilton  for  the  honor 
of  being  the  county  seat  of  AVaseca  County, 
in  1857.  Patrick  McCartliy  was  the  original 
proprietor  of  the  land  upon  which  the  village 
was  platted,  but  sold  it  in  May  of  the  above 
year  to  the  firm  mentioned.  His  house  was 
the  pioneer  building  of  the  new  town. 

Other  settlers  who  were  also  among  the 
first  to  locate  at  the  new  village  may  be  men- 
tioned :  Amos  H.  Morris,  W.  H.  Chamber- 
lain, John  Bailey,  George  T.  White,  T.  C. 
McClure,  James  F.  Elliott,  Edward  Lang,  G. 
E.  Buckman,  H.  B.  Morrison,  Harvey  Bailey 
Mr.  Clark,  and  Dennis  McCarthy. 

Amos  H.  Morris  was  a  notarj^  public  at 
this  place  in  1857.  lie  came  up  here  to 
make  out  papers,  bringing  his  family,  but 
only  remained  three  months,  going  to  Has- 
tings, Minn. 

W.  H.  Chamberlain  settled  in  this  village 
in  May,  1856.  Pie  was  one  of  the  proprietors 
of  the  town  site.  He  remained  in  this  place 
for  some  years.  While  here  his  Avife  died, 
about  1859  or  1860,  and  he  then  sold  out  and 
moved  to  New  York. 

John  Bailej"^  moved  here  in  the  spring  of 
1857.     He  is  now  a  resident  of  Steele  County. 

Capt.  George  T.  White  was  connected  with 
the  official  life  of  the  county,  and  is  noticed 
in  that  connection  in  the  chapter  entitled 
State  and  County  Eepresentation. 

Edward  Lang  came  here  from  Lowell, 
Mass.,  and  put  up  a  house  south  of  the  vil- 
lage, across  the  river,  where  he  lived  about  a 
year,  and  then  returned  to  the  "Old  Bay 
State."  He  is  remembei-ed  bv  his  by-word, 
"By  fire." 

G.  E.  Buckman  is  now  identified  with  the 
city  of  Waseca,  and  is  noticed  at  length  else- 
where. 

Dennis  McCarthy  was  of  Irish  birth,  and 


came  to  this  place  and  opened  a  saloon.  He 
was  in  the  habit  of  freely  indulging  in  his 
own  whiskey,  and  making  himself  obnoxious 
to  tiie  citizens  generally  on  such  occasions. 
One  daj'  a  number  of  the  boys,  led  by  James 
Plummer,  took  possession  of  the  place,  and 
finding  about  two  barrels  of  "  the  ardent  " 
emptied  it  upon  the  ground.  The  sheriif 
soon  arrested  about  twent\'-five  of  those  im- 
plicated, and  they  were  taken  to  Wilton  for 
trial.  The  case  was  adjourned  from  term  to 
term,  until  in  the  end  Isaac  Price,  acting  as 
their  attorney,  got  them  cleared  at  an  ex- 
pense to  each  one  of  about  seven ty-five  cents. 
McCarthy  some  time  previous  to  this  had 
frozen .  both  his  feet,  while  laboring  under 
too  great  a  load  of  "  benzine,"  and  was  made 
a  cripple  for  life. 

Whitney  AVheeler  came  to  St.  Mary  about 
1850,  and  was  interested  in  the  sawmill, 
being  head  sawyer.  He  died  in  Wilton  about 
1809.  He  ran  a  farm  wiiile  liere,  and  prac- 
ticed a  little  as  farrier.  His  widow  is  still 
a  resident  of  the  county. 

Warren  Smith  was  also  a  new  comer  of 
the  year  1857.  He  was  elected  by  the  peo- 
ple, in  after  3' ears,  to  fill  the  office  of  county 
treasurer,  and  has  been  already  mentioned 
in  that  connection. 

J.  William  Jolinson,  now  of  Waseca,  set- 
tled in  St.  Mar}'  in  1857,  and  entered  into 
mercantile  business  with  Warren  Smith. 
Later  they  removed  to  Wilton,  where  they 
remained  in  trade  until  the  removal  of  the 
county-seat  to  Waseca,  when  they  removed 
to  that  place.  Smith  afterward  retired 
from  business,  and  the  firm  now  is  Johnson 
&  Claghorn. 

George  Johnson  came  to  this  village  about 
the  same  time,  with  the  sawmill  of  which  he 
was  part  owner.  After  the  establishment  of 
Wilton,  business  declined  at  this  point,  and 
he  removed  to  Wilton,  where  he  entered  into 
the  mercantile  business  as  a  member  of  tlie 
firm  of  Johnson  Brothers  &  Smith.  He  died 
at  Waseca. 

Charles  Hale,  A.  M.  Dickey,  N.  B.  Barron, 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    CODNTY. 


563 


Charles  Davis,  Mr.  Parker,  Mr.  Palmer  and 
Frank  Danforth  should  also  be  mentioned 
in  connection  with  the  early  history  of  the 
village. 

Soon  after  the  laying  out  of  the  village,  a 
man  by  the  name  of  Grossman  opened  a 
boarding-house,  the  first  house  of  entertain- 
ment in  the  place.  He  ran  it  but  a  few 
months,  for  he  died  before  the  settlement  of 
the  place.  His  death  was  caused  bj^  expos- 
ure while  duck-hunting. 

The  first  frame  building  in  the  village  was 
erected  by  W.  H.  Chamberlain,  in  the  spring 
of  1857,  and  is  now  in  the  city  of  Waseca, 
having  been  removed  thither  about  the  year 
1877,  and  is  owned  by  J.  E.  Cragin. 

During  the  fall  of  1856  the  proprietors  of 
the  town  site  started  the  erection  of  a  saw- 
mill, with  which  they  did  sawing  all  the  fol- 
lowing summer,  but  did  not  complete  until 
the  winter  of  1857  8.  This  mill  was  of  great 
utility  to  all  the  surrounding  country,  such 
establishments  being  rare  in  southern  Min- 
nesota at  that  date.  It  was  afterward 
moved  down  to  the  river,  and  a  shingle  and 
flouring  mill  attached,  and  continued  in  oper- 
ation until  about  1862  or  1863,  when  it  was 
destroyetl  by  fire. 

The  pioneer  store  was  opened  by  Warren 
.Smith  in  1857  in  a  building  which  he  erected 
for  the  purpose,  carrying  a  stock  of  general 
merchandise.  Shortly  after  this  a  copart- 
nership was  formed  between  Smith  and  the 
Johnsons  as  related  elsewhere.  This  firm 
carried  on  Imsiness  here  for  a  few  years  and 
then  removed  to  Wilton. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Wright  opened  a 
drug  store  here  in  the  spring  of  1857.  After 
continuing  this  business  for  a  few  years  he 
closed  up  and  removed  from  the  county. 

The  first  cemetery  was  laid  out  by  the 
lioman  Catholic  Church  at  St.  Mary  Village 
about  the  year  1857. 

The  first  burial  was  that  of  Crossman, 
who  died  about  the  time  of  the  laying  out  of 
the  cemeter}',  from  consumption. 

Tlie  first  religious  service  was  held  at  the 


house  of  Latin  Fitzgerald  by  a  Catholic  priest 
from  Mankato,  in  the  year  1857. 

After  the  location  of  the  seat  of  justice  at 
Wilton,  St.  Mary  ceased  to  grow  and  soon  it 
began  to  decay  and  pass  away.  Like 
Auburn  it  soon  became  a  "  Deserted  Vil- 
lage," and  one  by  one  the  buildings  were 
removed  to  other  places,  and  on  the  5th  of 
October,  1873,  the  site  was  vacated  by  a 
decree  of  the  district  court  and  the  ground 
reverted  to  its  original  condition  of  farm 
land. 

St.  Mary's  Catholic  Church  was  organized 
by  Rev.  Father  Kellei-,  of  Faribault,  in  the 
year  1856.  The  first  religious  services  of 
this  denomination  of  Christians,  and  doubt- 
less the  first  in  the  townshi]),  were  held  at 
the  dwelling  of  Andrew  Lynch,  and  after 
that  in  the  schoolhouse  in  the  vicinity. 
The  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1858,  but 
with  the  lapse  of  years  this  building  becoming 
too  small  for  the  growing  congregation, 
they  erected  a  large,  fine  church  in  1880 
at  a  total  cost  of  $12,000.  The  building 
was  44x86  feet  upon  the  ground  and  26  feet 
high,  and  was  a  most  beautiful  edifice.  On 
the  afternoon  of  Sunday,  December  20, 
1885,  the  entire  structure  was  destroyed 
by  tire,  but  very  little  of  its  contents 
being  saved.  A  fine  statue  of  St.  Joseph, 
presented  to  the  church  but  two  months 
previous  by  Peter  Burns  and  Christie 
Heiferan,  and  the  figure  of  the  Blessed  Vir- 
gin Mary,  were  taken  out  of  the  burning 
building  comparatively  unhurt.  The  chalices 
and  some  of  the  altar  furniture  were  also 
saved  through  the  instrumentality  of  Thomas 
Geraghty  and  James  Byron.  The  church  had 
an  insurance  upon  it  of  $7,000,  divided  be- 
tween the  Continental  and  Ilekla  companies. 
A  contract  for  the  rebuilding  of  the  church 
edifice  has  been  let  the  summer  of  this  year, 
(1887)  to  J.  T.  Lee,  and  a  contract  for  the 
erection  of  a  parsonage  to  Thomas  Flynn. 
Rev.  Father  R.  Hughes  is  the  present  pastor 
in  charge.  The  membership  embraces  about 
420  individuals. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


IOSCO  TOWNSHIP. 


IIEN  Waseca  County  was  lirst  oi- 
ganized,  in  1857,  the  territory  now 
called  Iosco  was,  together  with 
about  all  of  Janesville,  known 
as  the  precinct  of  Empire ;  and  at 
the  first  election,  which  took  place 
in  June,  1857,  the  polling  place 
was  fixed  at  the  hotel  of  John  H. 
Wheeler,  in  the  village  of  Empire. 
N.  E.  Strong,  C.  R.  Miller  and  James  Haynes 
were  the  judges  of  election.  M.  S.  Green 
was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners held  April  5,  1858,  congressional 
township  108  north,  range  23  west,  was  set 
off  and  organized  into  the  town  of  Iosco. 
The  place  of  holding  the  election  was  at  the 
house  of  Daniel  Tripp,  in  the  village  of 
Empire,  and  H.  W.  Peck,  George  L.  Leonard 
and  David  Smith  were  the  election  judges. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

The  pioneer  settlers  in  what  is  now  Iosco 
township,  were  Luke  Osgood,  Daniel  Mc- 
Daniels  and  John  II.  Wheeler.  These  gentle- 
men came  to  Waseca  County  early  in  the 
summer  of  1855.  In  July  of  that  year  Mr. 
Osgood,  who  had  his  family  with  him,  erect- 
ed the  first  shanty  in  the  town.  It  was 
made  of  rough  logs  and  covered  with  shakes ; 
a  doorway  was  cut,  but  no  door  was  swung 
in  the  opening,  nor  were  there  any  Avindows 
or  floor.  His  family  resided  in  this  until 
fall,  and  having  lived  in  a  canvas-covered 
wagon,  found  it  a  very  comfortable  change. 
Before  cold  weather  set  in,  however,  he  put 
up  a  better  cabin,  into  which  he  moved.  He 
sold  out  some  years  afterward  and  moved 
back  east,  where  he  died  about  1SS3.  Daniel 


McDaniels  removed  to  the  State  of  Missouri, 
where  he  is  now  living. 

John  H.  Wheeler  is  a  resident  of  Nebras- 
ka, whither  he  removed  in  the  year  1886. 
His  first  settlement  was  on  section  29,  and 
there  he  resided  until  he  sold  out,  as  above 
stated,  to  Julius  Mittelstadt. 

Buell  Welsh  located  in  this  township  in 
August  following,  but  did  not  remain  here 
long,  going  to  St.  Mary. 

David  Wood  was  the  next  to  settle  here 
after  Osgood,  McDaniels  and  Wheeler,  com- 
mg  here  in  1855,  and  is  still  a  resident  of 
section  2,  where  he  first  located. 

David  Wood  was  born  in  Sutherland, 
Scotland,  in  1820,  and  came  to  America  in 
1818,  having  spent  the  time  up  to  that  period 
in  the  land  of  his  nativity.  He  landed  at 
Quebec,  and  from  there  went  through  to  St. 
Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.  During  that  sum- 
mer he  was  employed  on  the  American  Mail 
Packet  Company's  steamers,  between  Og- 
densburg  and  Lewiston,  on  Lake  Ontario. 
He  then  journeyed  to  New  Orleans,  from 
there  he  returned  to  northern  country,  and 
was  employed  on  the  Cleveland  &  Pittsburg 
Railroad,  laying  track,  and  for  four  years 
was  section  boss.  Taking  a  contract  to 
build  some  two  miles  of  road  on  the  Pitts- 
burg, Fort  AVayne  &  Chicago  Railroad,  he 
was  seized  with  the  ague  and  came  to  Min- 
nesota, locating  on  the  land  he  now  lives  on, 
preempting  the  same.  He  came  all  the  way 
by  ox  team,  being  six  weeks  on  the  road.  In 
1853  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Susan 
Somerville,  formerly  of  Virginia,  who  has 
Ijeen  the  mother  of  five  children :  David 
W.,  now  living  at  home;  Mary  Ann,  now 
]\Irs.  O'Leary,  of  Waterville ;  Victor  R.  and 


.564 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


565 


Horatio  S.,  both  at  home,  and  Alvin,  who 
died  August  28,  1868.  David  W.  Avas  the 
first  child  born  in  the  township,  as  is  told 
elsewhere. 

Mr.  Wood  has  held  the  position  of  chair- 
man of  the  town  supervisors  for  about 
twenty  years,  and  various  school-district 
offices,  assisting  in  organizing  the  district, 
and  has  always  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
the  town's  historJ^ 

Aaron  Hanes  came  to  this  county  and  se- 
lected a  claim  in  1855.  He  died  here  in  1859, 
leaving  a  wife  and  four  children.  James, 
the  eldest  son,  lives  in  Le Sueur  County; 
John  died  many  years  ago;  the  younger  girl, 
Charlotte,  died  about  1884.  The  other  daugh- 
ter, Elizabeth,  was  married  when  they  came 
here. 

Joseph  Madrew  also  settled  here  in  1855, 
but  did  not  remain  very  long,  selling  his 
claim  and  returning  to  "Wisconsin,  whence 
he  had  come. 

Jacob  Conrad  was  a  German  lad  who 
worked  for  J.  H.  Wheeler.  He  took  up  a 
claim,  but  in  1858  sold  it  to  J.  H.  Wheeler, 
and  left.  His  parents  resided  in  Ohio,  from 
whence  he  had  come. 

J.  W.  Hosmer,  now  of  the  village  of  Janes- 
ville,  came  to  Waseca  County  in  1855  and 
settled  in  this  township,  but  the  following 
year  removed  to  the  adjoining  township 
west. 

Hubert  P.  Chamberlain  came  to  Iosco  in 
March,  1856,  and  making  a  settlement,  has 
remained  a  resitlent  ever  since.  H.  P.  Cliam 
berlain  was  born  in  Sparta,  Livingston  Coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  April  13,  1833.  His  parents  emi- 
grated from  there  to  Florence,  Erie  Count}^ 
Ohio,  when  he  was  but  a  year  old.  When  he 
was  but  nine  years  of  age  he  started  for 
himself.  He  worked  out  by  the  month  and 
day  in  Ohio  until  he  was  about  twenty  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  Grand  Island, 
Lake  Superior,  where  he  worked  about  one 
year.  He  also  worked  in  the  Michigan 
pineries  one  winter,  and  started  for  Minne- 
sota early  in  the  spring  of  1855.     He  came 


through  from  Michigan  accompanied  by  his 
brother  Orlando,  arriving  at  what  is  now 
the  city  of  Eochester,  Olmsted  Count}",  April 
13,  1855.  His  personal  pi'operty  consisted 
of  one  horse  and  a  small  amount  of  money 
for  his  expenses.  He  made  a  claim  south  of 
Eochester,  near  Eoot  Eiver,  put  up  a  cabin, 
and  eight  days  afterward  sold  his  claim  and 
improvements  for  $200  to  a  man  named 
Wilson.  Then  in  company  with  several 
others  he  came  to  Le  Sueur  County  and  lo- 
cated about  a  mile  north  of  Okaraan,  taking 
a  claim.  Mr.  Chamberlain  was  married  in 
February,  1857,  to  Sarah  E.  Hatch,  daughter 
of  Curtis  Hatch,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Blooming  Grove.  They  have  had  born  to 
them  nine  children  :  Alma,  born  February, 
22,  1858;  Adelia,  August  29,  1860;  Eosia, 
February  15,  1861;  Effie,  February  18,1864; 
Angeline,  November  5,  1866;  William,  De- 
cember 15, 1868  ;  Lafayette,  March  4,  1871 ; 
Edgar,  March  24,  1875 ;  Edward,  November 
9,  1880,  aU  of  whom  are  living,  six  being 
residents  of  this  county. 

John  F.  Allen  made  a  settlement  in  Iosco 
on  the  16th  of  June,  1856. 

William  Lee  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this 
portion  of  the  county,  making  his  first  ap- 
pearance here  in  March,  1856.  He  came 
here  from  Hastings,  Minn.,  hunting  land. 
Shortly  after  this,  making  a  second  trip,  he 
found  what  he  wanted  and  settled  here, 
locating  upon  the  portion  of  section  6  where 
he  now  lives.  He  is  a  native  of  County 
Wexford,  Ireland,  born  October  15,  1831, 
and  resided  in  that  "  beautiful  isle  of  the 
sea,"  until  1851,  when  he  left  his  home  for 
the  United  States.  Landing  in  New  York 
on  the  17th  day  of  March,  he  only  remained 
in  that  vicinity  about  two  months  and  then 
came  west  to  Milwaukee,  and  spent  about  a 
year  in  that  neighborhood,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, railroading  and  blacksmithing.  From 
there  he  drifted  to  Chicago,  where  he  still 
followed  the  railroad  business.  Next  we 
find    him  at   Eockford,  111.,  where  he  was 


employed     running 


stationary     engme. 


566 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


which  he  followed  for  eight  months.  In 
August,  1854,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Catharine  Beahan  at  Freeport,  111., 
after  which  event  he  came  to  Minnesota. 
This  was  in  the  fall  of  1855.  He  remained 
at  Hastings  all  that  winter,  coming  here  in 
the  spring  as  mentioned  above.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lee  have  been  the  parents  of  eight 
children  :  Mary  Ann,  single,  at  home,  en- 
gaged in  teaching ;  Catherine,  single,  en- 
gaged as  dressmaker ;  Ellen  J.,  now  Mrs. 
Truman,  lives  at  Hector,  this  State;  John, 
section  foreman  Cannon  Valley  Railroad, 
lives  at  P>elle  Creek,  Goodhue  County  ;  Mag- 
gie, Susan,  James  and  Emma,  at  home.  Mr. 
Lee  was  county  commissioner  for  three  years, 
town  clerk,  assessor,  town  supervisor  and 
held  several  school  district  offices,  now  serv- 
ing as  clerk  of  district  27.  He  is  also  trustee 
of  the  Catholic  Church  of  Iosco,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Farmer's  Alliance  of  the  county. 

John  Minske,  with  his  two  sons,  August 
and  Fred.,  located  here  in  1856.  The  elder 
Mr.  Minske  died  a  resident  of  this  town  in 
1862,  after  a  long  and  painful  illness, 
brought  on  no  doubt  by  the  exposure  and 
hardship  incident  to  a  new  settlement,  and 
to  which  he  was  not  accustomed  in  early 
life.  His  sons  are  still  living  in  the  town- 
shiji. 

With  the  Minskes  came  Gottfried  Kanne, 
his  three  sons,  Fred.,  August  and  Gottlieb, 
and  his  son-in-law,  William  Martzahn.  These 
all  settled  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the 
town.  Mr.  Kanne  the  elder,  died  here  in 
1886,  the  balance  are  still  living.  They 
reached  this  place  on  the  25th  of  May,  1856, 
and  at  once  broke  some  sixty  acres,  twenty 
on  each  of  the  three  claims. 

Fred.  F.  Kanne  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  February  10,  1846.  When  he  was  but 
eleven  years  of  age  he  lost  his  mother,  and 
the  father,  with  his  little  family  consisting  of 
four  children,  left  the  fatherland  to  come  to 
the  shores  of  the  great  republic,  in  1856, 
landing  at  Baltimore  after  a  passage  of  seven 
weeks   and   two   days.      They   came   right 


through  to  Minnesota,  locating  near  Water- 
ville,  Le  Sueur  County,  where  the  old  gen- 
tleman took  up  a  claim,  and  where  Fred. 
lived  for  ten  years.  On  the  21st  of  July, 
1865,  Fred.  F.  Kanne  and  Augusta  M. 
Richter,  were  joined  in  wedlock,  and  some 
time  later  came  to  Iosco  Township,  settling 
upon  section  1,  where  he  now  resides.  Mrs. 
Kanne's  father  and  brother  were  killed  by 
the  Indians  in  the  outbreak  of  1862 ;  her 
mother  is  also  dead.  Mr.  Kanne  has  a  large 
farm  of  270  acres  of  fine  land,  good  buildings 
and  is  one  of  the  thrifty  and  prosperous 
farmers  of  whom  any  county  may  well  feel 
proud.  He  has  held  the  office  of  town  super- 
visor and  various  others  in  the  school  district. 
He  is  the  inventor  of  a  patent  collar  pad  for 
horses,  which  received  honorable  mention  at 
the  New  Orleans  exposition  in  1885.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kanne  are  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren :  Albert  J.,  Otto  F.,  Anton,  deceased; 
Emma  L.,  Anna  M.,  Lydia  M.,  Theodore  E., 
Martha  A.,  Wesle}'  B.,  George  G.  and  Karl 
II.  Albert  is  at  Waterville  and  is  a  clerk  in 
the  bank.  AU  the  others  live  at  home  ex- 
cept Emma,  who  is  attending  school  and 
lives  with  her  grandfather  in  Waterville. 

David  Hutchinson,  Thomas  Bishop  and 
Thomas  Gibson  made  settlements  within 
this  precinct  in  1856.  Mr.  Hutchinson  is 
now  a  citizen  of  Red  Wing,  this  State  ;  Mr. 
Gibson,  who  located  on  section  28,  after  liv- 
ino-  there  for  a  few  years  moved  back  to 
Illinois,  where  he  died.  Mr.  Bishop  emi- 
grated to  Colorado. 

John  Reed,  after  whom  Reed's  Lake  in  this 
township  was  named,  was  a  veteran  of  the 
war  of  1812-15,  who  came  here  in  1856.  He 
was  the  father  of  seventeen  children  by  two 
wives,  five  boys  of  whom  were  in  the  service 
during  the  late  war.  He  died  at  Morristown 
not  many  years  since. 

John  F.  and  William  Allen  located  claims, 
which  they  improved,  in  1856 ;  the  former  is 
now  living  in  Nebraska,  the  latter  in  Mis- 
souri. 

John  G.  and  Silas  Ward  were,  also,  among 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


567 


the  pioneers  of  this  year.  John  died  in  Mis- 
souri, where  he  had  moved  in  1872,  and 
Silas  returned  to  Illinois,  where  he  is  now 
living. 

John  J.  Fell,  still  a  resident  of  Iosco,  set- 
tled on  section  33,  in  1856. 

Richard  Toner  settled  on  section  16,  in 
the  fall  of  1856.  He  was  mixed  up  in  the 
Hagadorn  case,  but  there  being.no  evidence 
against  him  the  jury  acquitted  him.  He  was 
born  about  1813.  On  the  27th  of  August,  1878, 
his  house  was  burned  to  the  ground,  and  in 
spite  of  the  strenuous  efforts  made  by  his  son 
and  others,  he  could  not  be  rescued,  and 
miserably  perished  in  the  flames.  A  daugh- 
ter of  William  Kanne  was  also  burned  at  tlie 
same  time.  She  was  a  young  girl  and  was 
living  there  at  the  time  as  a  domestic. 

During-  this  year  (1856)  quite  a  number  of 
settlers  arrived  in  this  part  of  the  county, 
among  whom  were  H.  W.  Peck,  George  L. 
Leonard,  Daniel  Tripp,  H.  D.  Baldwin,  Benja- 
min W.  Gifford,  A.  A.  Gotten,  Nelson  and 
Henry  Thwing,  William  Long  and  his  sons, 
Seth  W.  and  George;  M.  S.  Green,  Alnieran 
Wilsey,  James  Chad  wick  and  Spencer  J. 
AVillis. 

Henry  Peck,  who  was  the  fii'st  to  hold  the 
office  of  county  surveyor,  was  interested  in 
the  town  site  of  tlie  embryo  village  of  Em- 
pire, but  after  the  failure  of  that  place  to 
secure  the  seat  of  justice  for  the  county  and 
its  subsequent  downfall,  Mr.  Peck  went  back 
East. 

George  W.  Leonard  was  a  resident  of  the 
village  of  Empire.  About  the  year  1860 
he  returned  to  Ohio. 

Daniel  Tripp,  who  ran  tlie  hotel  at  Empire, 
removed  to  liice  County  after  some  years. 

Benjamin  Giff'ord  was  also  one  of  the  pro- 
prietors of  the  town  site  of  Empire.  He 
Anally  went  back  to  Wisconsin.  Later  he 
returned  to  this  county  and  remained  a  short 
time,  tlien  moving  to  Elysian,  Rice  County, 
where  he  died  about  1885. 

A.  A.  Gotten  was  one  of  the  leading  spirits 
in  the  village  of  Empire  town  site,  he   doing 


the  larger  part  of  the  selling,  no  small  job,  for 
this  was  quite  an  extensive  town  on  paper. 
On  the  collapse  of  the  enterprise  he  left 
the  county. 

Henry  Thwing  after  a  few  years'  residence 
here  removed  to  the  western  part  of  the 
State,  where  he  is  now  living.  Nelson 
Thwing  is  a  i^esident  of  Janesville  Town- 
ship now. 

M.  S.  Green  owaed  a  farm  adjoining  the 
town  site  of  Empire,  and  resided  there  for 
many  years.  Later  he  sold  out  and  moved  to 
Iowa,  where  he  died. 

Spencer  J.  Willis  lived  at  the  village  of 
Empire  working  at  his  trade,  that  of  carpen- 
ter. He  afterward  removed  to  Wilton,  and 
for  four  years  filled  the  office  of  clerk  of  the 
court.  Some  j'ears  ago  he  removed  to 
Washington,  where  he  has  been  in  one  of  the 
depai'tments  as  clerk  ever  since. 

Jacob  Hagadorn,  the  victim  of  the  first 
murder  in  the  county,  came  here  in  tlie  fall 
of  1856  and  settled  in  the  village  of  Empire. 
After  his  death,  in  October,  1857,  his  family 
moved  away. 

Peter  Farrell,  the  murderer  of  Hagadorn, 
came  here  in  the  spring  of  1856.  He  was  a 
man  given  to  drink,  and,  when  full  of  the 
intoxicating  fluid,  apt  to  grow  boisterous. 
At  the  election  of  1857,  being  full  of  whiske}'^ 
and  frenzy,  he  killed  Mr.   Hagadorn,  a  quiet 

against  whom  he 
It  was  said  at  the  time 
that  it  was  his  intention  to  slay  some  one 
else,  and  that,  blinded  by  drink,  he  made  a 
mistake.  He  was  arrested,  sent  to  Stillwater 
for  security  until  he  could  be  tried,  but  broke 
jail  and  left  the  country.  He  was  seen  or 
thought  to  have  been  seen  at  New  Orleans, 
during  the  war.  It  is  tliought  now  that  he 
is  a  resident  of  Chicago,  and  has  been  for 
some  time. 

David  Coddington  and  his  son  A.  H.  came 
to  this  township  from  New  York  State,  in 
1857,  and  took  up  claims,  and  remained  here 
until  1861,  when  they  moved  over  into 
Janesville.     David  Coddington  died  a  resi- 


and  inoffensive   neighbor 
had   no    grudge 


568 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


dent  of  that  township    in  1878;   A.  II.  is  a 
resident  of  Ehndale,  Chase  County,  Kan. 

G.  Wash.  Mathews  and  Fred.  E.  Koberts 
made  settlements  in  1S57.  on  section  fi,  where 
they  remained  but  a  sliort  time,  returning  to 
Le  Sueur  County. 

Charles  Green  made  a  claim  on  section  30, 
whei'e  he  lived  for  many  years,  finally  emi- 
grating to  Missouri. 

liiamsel  Giles  made  a  settlement  in  the 
same  year,  on  section  1,  and  James  Babcock 
on  section  30. 

Jane  Babcock  located  a  claim  on  section  2, 
where  she  still  lives. 

Myron  S.  Sheldon  came  to  this  township 
in  1857.  He  was  born  in  Monroe,  Vt.,  in 
1831,  and  was  united  in  marriage  at  North 
Adams,  Mass.,  Decemljer  25,  1855,  with 
Mary  E.  Babcock.  They  were  the  parents 
of  four  children  ;  Inez,  tlied  in  infancy  ;  Ed- 
win II.,  also  deceased ;  Ida  B.  and  Arthur 
M.,  living  at  home  with  their  mother.  Mr. 
Sheldon  lived  here  from  the  time  he  made 
his  settlement  until  1S64-,  when  he  enlisted 
in  Company  H,  Third  Minnesota  Infantry, 
and  went  to  Fort  Snelling.  From  there 
they  were  ordered  south,  and  at  Little  Ilock, 
Ark.,  was  taken  sick,  came  home  on  furlough 
and  died  at  Waterville,  January  21,  1865. 
His  son,  Arthur  M.,  is  second  lieutenant  of 
Hancock  Camp,  No.  20,  Sons  of  Veterans. 

Martin  Miller  is  also  among  the  settlers  of 
the  year  1857,  coming  to  this  township, 
where  his  father  preempted  some  land, 
where  Martin  now  lives.  Martin  Miller  was 
born  in  Prussia,  April  7,  1837.  In  1856,  the 
family,  consisting  of  the  father  and  four 
children,  the  mother  having  died  years  pre- 
vious, left  the  old  home  beyond  the  sea,  and 
came  to  America,  to  make  a  new  home  in 
"  the  land  of  the  free."  They  landed  at 
New  York  but  came  straight  west  as  far  as 
Chicago.  Martin  worked  for  one  year  in 
Lake  County,  Ind.,  and  then  the  family  came 
to  Minnesota,  and  to  Waseca.  In  1864  Martin 
Miller  and  Mary  Kaplisky  were  united  in 
marriage.    She  was  a  native  of  the  empire  of 


Bohemia.  They  have  had  eleven  children : 
Barbara,  Joseph,  Lizzie,  Mary,  IVIollie.  Anna, 
Henry,  Charles,  Clara,  John  and  Ellen,  all  of 
whom  are  at  home  exce])t  the  eldest,  who 
lives  at  Faribault.  His  father  died  in  Indiana, 
July  23,  1883;  his  brother  Jose])h  lives  near 
by  him,  and  all  of  his  sisters  have  left  here, 
one  being  in  German3%  one  in  Chicago  and 
one  in  Indiana.  His  daughters  are  liberally 
educated,  Mary  having  attended  the  central 
high  school  at  Faribault. 

Hugh  Ilealey  came  to  this  township  in 
1857,  and  made  a  settlement  on  section  7. 
He  is  a  native  of  County  Mayo,  Ireland,  born 
in  September,  1821.  He  lived  in  that  island 
with  his  parents  for  some  twenty-eight  years 
on  a  small  farm,  Ijut  in  1849  he  left  his  na- 
tive shcn-es  ami  came  to  America,  landing  in 
New  York,  March  31  of  that  year.  Fi'om 
that  port  he  \vent  to  Pike,  Luzerne  and 
Wayne  counties,  Pa.,  where  he  lived  sev- 
eral years.  December  14,  1852,  at  Hones- 
dale,  Wayne  Count}',  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Sarah  Coleman,  whose  parents 
were  natives  of  Ireland.  From  the  last 
named  place  he  came  to  this  countv,  and 
settled  in  this  town  as  detailed  above,  in 
April,  1857.  After  living  on  the  piece  of 
land  on  section  7,  he  sold  it,  and  bought  his 
present  place  on  sections  15  and  16.  He  has 
l)een  closely  identified  with  the  educational 
interests  of  the  district  in  which  he  lives, 
having  held  man\'  of  the  school  offices,  and 
was  town  treasurer  for  two  years.  He  has 
a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  of  land,  100  of  which 
is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Healey  are  the  parents  of  eleven  chil- 
dren :  Thomas,  living  in  Dakota ;  John,  at 
home  ;  Mary,  J[rs.  Dreever,  living  in  this 
town;  Catherine,  Mrs.  Lansing,  of  Waseca; 
Sarah,  at  home  ;  Fi-ancis,  at  La  Crosse,  Wis.; 
Josephine  and  Sidney  at  home ;  Luke  died 
1871 ;  Elizabeth,  died  1873,  and  Maggie,  who 
who  is  home. 

REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZENS. 

The  following  ai-eafew  of  the  leading agri- 


HISTORY   OF    WASECA   COTTNTT. 


569 


culturists  of  Iosco  Township,  given  to  show 
the  class  of  people  who  make  up  this  part  of 
the  county  : 

Philip  Purcell,  the  present  chairman  of  the 
board  of  county  commissioners,  is  a  native  of 
Ireland,  born  in  the  County  Tipperai'y,  De- 
cember 15,  1840.  Six  years  later  the  family, 
consisting  of  his  parents,  two  brothers,  two 
sisters  and  himself,  left  the  "  Emerald  Isle," 
and  came  to  the  United  States.  Landing  at 
New  York,  they  came  right  through  to  Mil- 
waukee, in  the  county  of  which  name  in  Wis- 
consin the  elder  Mr.  Purcell  made  a  settle- 
ment, where  his  wife  died  in  1856,  and  where 
the  old  gentleman  still  resides.  Philip  was 
reared  in  that  county  on  a  farm,  receiving 
his  education  at  the  usual  educational  insti- 
tutions, and  later  in  life  taught  school  there 
for  some  ten  or  twelve  years.  February, 
1870,  he  and  Mary  A.  Flynn  were  united  in 
marriage,  and  shortly  after  came  to  Waseca 
County,  where  he  has  since  lived,  and  been 
closely  identified  with  the  official  life  of  the 
county,  serving  eight  years  on  the  board 
of  commissioners,  six  of  them  as  chairman. 
He  has  also  held  the  office  of  town  supervis- 
or for  several  years,  and  is  the  present  clerk 
of  the  school  district  in  which  he  lives.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Purcell  are  the  parents  of  three 
children  :  Mary  Agnes,  born  May  11, 1874  ; 
Ellen  Theresa,  February  14,  1870,  and  Anna 
Margaret,  November  15,  1879,  all  living  at 
home.  He  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 

Samuel  A.  Minor  was  born  in  Coleraine, 
Mass.,  February  8,  1843,  and  j'esided  in  the 
"  Old  Bay  State "  for  twenty -three  years, 
when  he  came  west,  locating  at  Waterville, 
Le  Sueur  County.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
at  Wilton,  with  Mrs.  Maiy  E.  Sheldon,  widow 
of  Myron  S.  Sheldon,  one  of  the  old  set- 
tlers of  Iosco,  a  sketch  of  whom  appears 
elsewhere.  There  have  been  no  children  by 
this  marriage,  which  took  place  Febi-uary 
23,  1869.  His  father  is  still  living  in  Cole- 
I'aine,  where  his  mother  died  in  1876.  His 
brothers  were :    Everett   W.,   married    and 


lives  at  Turner's  Falls,  Mass.;  Cyrus  H.,  died 
in  1863 ;  William  H.,  now  of  Waterville, 
Minn.;  James  B.  and  Joseph  C,  residing  in 
Massachusetts;  Winfield  S. ,  at  Waterville, 
Minn.;  Uriah  D.  of  Starke,  Fla.,  and  Charles 
D.  on  the  homestead,  Massachusetts.  His 
sisters  were:  Sarah  E.,  died  1870;  Fannie 
E.,  Mrs.  Martin,  of  Massachusetts.  Septem- 
ber 2,  1862,  Mr.  Minor  enlisted  in  Company 
B,  Fifty-second  Regiment  Massachusetts 
Volunteers,  and  served  his  country  in  the 
ranks  of  her  noble  defenders.  He  was  in  the 
siege  of  Port  Hudson,  and  was  held  in  re- 
serve in  front  of  that  place  twenty-seven 
days,  but  was  in  no  open  battle.  He  is  a 
member  of  N.  B.  Barron  Post,  No.  93, 
Grand  Armj'  Republic,  of  Waterville.  He 
taught  school  in  1866,  in  the  same  town,  and 
was  the  clerk  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
that  village.  He  has  270  acres  of  land  under 
line  culture,  and  owns  considerable  fine 
graded  stock,  and  has  a  fine  residence. 

Martin  Plath  was  born  in  Germany,  De- 
cember 29,  1825,  and  resided  in  that  country 
until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  thirty-five 
years.  When  he  was  twenty -three  years  old 
he  and  Caroline  Batke  were  united  in  mar- 
riage, and  they  have  been  the  parents  of  nine 
children  :  Edward,  Charles,  Bertha,  Pauline, 
Herman,  Otelia  and  Mollie,  twins;  Martin 
and  Alvina,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Ger- 
many except  Alvina,  who  was  born  in 
Waseca  County.  His  parents  are  both  dead, 
and  he  was  an  only  child.  Mr.  Plath  and 
family  sailed  for  America  in  1865,  landing 
in  Quebec.  While  crossing  the  long  bridge 
across  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  at  Montreal, 
the  draw  being  open  to  permit  the  passage 
of  a  vessel,  the  train  ran  through  the  opening 
and  Mrs.  Plath  was  severely  injured,  having 
her  jaw  bone  broken,  and  their  child,  Martin, 
then  but  nine  months  olil,  was  killed.  They 
came  to  Wisconsin  ami  settled  in  Marquette 
Count}',  where  they  remained  three  years 
and  then  came  to  Waseca  County,  when  he 
purchased  the  farm  on  section  26,  in  this 
township,  where  they  now  reside. 


570 


HISTORY    OK    WASKCA    CO0NTY. 


Christiiin  Koester  is  a  native  of  Alsace, 
France,  born  July  31,  1832.  He  remained  a 
resident  of  "J.a Belle  France"  until  he  had 
reached  his  majority,  in  1853,  when  he  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  his  father 
having  died  when  he  was  but  eight  years  of 
age.  On  landing  in  this  country  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Fhiladelphia,  and  after  some  stay 
there  and  in  the  vicinity,  came  west  as  far  as 
Milwaukee.  From  there  he  went  to  Muske- 
gon, Mich.,  where  he  worked  for  a  short 
time  in  the  first  sawmill  erected  in  that  place. 
Soon  after  we  find  him  on  a  farm  near  Water- 
town,  Wis.,  but  ten  months  later  he  went  to 
Columbia  County,  in  the  same  State,  and 
rented  a  farm  and  finally  bought  forty  acres 
of  land  and  lived  on  it  for  about  si.Y  years, 
when  he  sold  out  and  came  to  this  county, 
and  in  1864  purchased  his  present  farm  on 
section  29,  where  he  now  owns  2fi0  acres  of 
land,  150  of  which  are  under  cultivation.  He 
has  a  good  and  commodious  dwelling  and 
other  farm  buildings.  Mr.  Koester  was 
married  in  1858  to  Catherine  Eppingler, 
who  died  March  9,  1873,  leaving  five  chil- 
dren :  Louis,  Laura  (now  Mrs.  Pingel),  Frank, 
Willis  and  Clara.  On  March  22,  1874,  he 
was  married  to  Anna  Rudolph,  who  is  the 
mother  of  three  children  :  Eddie,  William 
and  Emil,  all  of  whom  are  at  home. 

Ludwig  Walter  is  a  native  of  Schwerin 
Mecklenburg,  Germany,  and  was  born 
August  10,  1832.  He  remained  in  the  land 
of  his  nativity  until  his  mai'i'iage.  In  1854 
the  young  couple  embarked  for  the  far- 
away shores  of  America.  Arriving  at  New 
Vork  he  went  at  once  to  Detroit,  Mich., 
and  from  there  went  into  the  pineries  and 
labored  the  following  winter.  In  the  spring 
he  went  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  to  see  his 
parents,  who  had  followed  their  son  across 
the  ocean.  From  there  he  moved  to  Wau- 
kesha, Wis.,  and  from  thei'e  to  Appleton, 
and  from  the  latter  place  came  to  Owatonna, 
where  he  rented  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  and 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  for  a  year, 
when  he  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land   in 


the  town  of  Meriden,  Steele  County,  where 
he  remained  until  1875,  when  he  purchased 
the  farm  on  section  21,  Iosco,  in  this  county, 
where  he  now  lives.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter 
are  the  parents  of  twelve  children  :  Albert, 
married  and  living  near;  Emma,  Mrs. 
Wendland  ;  Ida,  Mrs.  Frederick;  William, 
Sophia,  Minnie,  Martha,  Hannah,  Sarah, 
L3'dia,  Ella  and  Lewis,  the  latter  of  whom  is 
dead.  Mr.  Walter  has  three  brothers,  all 
farmers  of  the  town  of  Meriden,  Steele 
(Jounty  :  Frederick,  John  and  Henry ;  his 
sister  Minnie,  Mrs.  Peter,  is  the  wife  of  the 
pastor  of  the  Evangelical  Society  of  the 
same  place ;  the  other  sister,  Sophia,  Mrs. 
Hensel,  lives  at  Sleepy  Eye.  His  father  died 
at  Meriden  in  1871,  but  his  mother  still 
lives  there.  His  wife's  family  consisted  of 
two  brothers,  John  and  Christian,  and  two 
sisters.  Mar}',  Mrs.  Jarcho,  and  Minnie,  Mrs. 
Walter.  Mr.  Walter  has  a  fine  farm  and  a 
handsome  residence,  with  pleasant  surround- 
ings to  make  him  happy. 

John  McWade  came  to  Iosco  Township  in 
1856,  and  making  a  claim  on  section  25,  re- 
mained there,  proved  up  and  still  resides  on 
the  old  homestead.  He  is  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, born  in  County  Tyrone,  December  25, 
1829,  and  remained  there  until  twentj'  years 
of  age.  Then  with  his  sister  Ella,  set  sail 
from  ihe  green  shores  of  the  Emerald  Isle 
for  America,  and  after  seven  Aveeks  and 
three  days  spent  on  the  passage,  landed  at 
Boston.  He  remained  in  that  city  and  at 
Lowell,  Mass.,  for  about  five  years,  when 
he  came  to  this  place.  In  1855,  at  Lowell, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ann  Lynch, 
whose  parents  had  also  come  from  Ire- 
land. They  have  been  the  parents  of  five 
children  :  Frank,  living  at  home  ;  Margaret, 
Mrs.  James  Bowe,  living  near  Waseca; 
Catherine,  deceased ;  Theresa,  died  in  in- 
fancy, and  Mary  A.,  at  home.  Mr.  McWade 
has  filled  the  offices  of  town  supervisor,  town 
clerk,  justice  of  the  peace  and  all  the  various 
ortices  of  the  school  district.  He  has  a  farm 
of  280  acres  of  land  and  a  fine  residence.   He 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


573 


gives  considei'able  attention  to  fine  stock, 
running  to  graded  cattle,  Poland-Cliina  and 
Victoria  hogs,  etc.  Mrs.  Ann  McWade  is 
the  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Ellen  Lynch, 
who  were  the  parents  of  six  children : 
Mary,  Hannah,  Ann,  Alice,  Kate  and  John, 
all  of  whom  are  living  in  Massachusetts  ex- 
cept John,  who  is  in  the  Soldiers'  Home  at 
Logus,  Me.,  and  Ann,  who  is  the  wife  of 
John  McWade,  of  this  township.  John 
Lynch  enlisted  at  Lowell,  Mass.,  in  October, 
1861,  in  Company  B,  Twenty-sixth  Massa- 
chusetts Infantry, and  fought  bravely  in  many 
of  the  battles  of  the  late  war,  especially  at 
that  of  Cedar  Creek  in  1804,  in  the  Shenan- 
doah Valle\^  He  reenlisted  on  the  expira- 
tion of  his  term  of  service,  serving  to  tlie 
end  of  the  war,  and  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. 

August  Bathke  and  his  family  settled  in 
Waseca  County  in  1864,  on  section  22,  Iosco 
Township,  where  Mr.  Bathke  now  has  210 
acres  of  tine  land.  He  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  May  25,  1825.  He  resided  in 
the  country  of  his  birth  for  many  years,  and 
there  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Caro- 
line Roesky,  and  they  have  had  born  to 
them  eleven  children :  Charles,  August, 
William,  Gusta,  Albert,  Herman,  Fred,  Ame- 
lia, Martha  and  Lydia.  Fred,  is  now  dead, 
dying  in  Minnesota.  When  they  came  to 
America  they  landed  at  Quebec,  Canada, 
and  from  there  proceeded  to  Detroit,  where 
they  stayed  only  two  days  and  then  went 
to  Princeton,  Wis.,  where  he  worked  on  a 
farm  that  summer,  and  then  bought  a  farm 
of  s  xty-five  acres  of  land,  and  lived  there 
five  years.  Selling  out  at  the  end  of  that 
time,  he  came  to  Minnesota,  and  after 
spending  six  months  at  New  Ulm,  came  to 
thi.s  county. 

James  E.  Jones  is  a  native  of  England, 
born  in  the  parish  of  Minsterworth,  Glouces- 
tershire, May  20,  1827.  Beginning  life  for 
himself  at  the  early  age  of  twelve  years,  his 
time  has  been  filled  with  many  adventures. 
Having  a  longing  for  tlie  sea  that  girts  his 

33 


native  land,  he  shipped  on  board  of  a  vessel 
as  ship's  l)oy,  and  followed  a  sailors  life  for 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  making  many 
voyages ;  at  one  time  was  pressed  into  the 
service  of  the  British  P]ast  India  Company, 
and  served  in  the  military  contingent  in 
Hindoostan  for  four  years.  In  18fiO  he 
came  to  America  to  stay,  and  located  at 
Milwaukee,  which  he  made  his  home,  being 
engaged  in  the  duties  of  seaman  on  the  lakes. 
Shortly  afterward  he  came  to  Iosco,  Waseca 
County,where  he  still  resides.  June  11, 1863, 
Mr.  Jones  and  Mrs.  Louisa  Lafayette  were 
united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Lafayette,  who 
was  a  widow,  had  at  that  time  two  children  : 
Edgar  Lafayette,  now  at  Casselton,  D.  T., 
and  Minnie  L.,  now  Mrs.  Brossard.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jones  have  had  nine  children : 
Fayette,  born  June  3,  1865,  and  died  at  the 
age  of  four  years;  Alice  A.,  born  Sep- 
tember 3,  1867,  and  died  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen months;  Fayette,  born  May  20,  1869; 
Wesley,  September  3, 1871;  Frank,  October 
6,  1873;  AHce,  January  14,  1875;  George, 
February  17, 1878;  Willie,  July  27, 1880,  and 
Roy,  February  27,  1882.  James  E.  Jones 
purchased  the  place  where  he  now  lives,  in 
1860.  It  is  very  pleasantly  situated  and 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  Notwith- 
standing his  early  education  as  a  seaman,  he 
has  made  a  success  of  farming,  and  has 
achieved  a  competency. 

Henry  S.  Ballard  is  a  native  of  Iosco 
Township,  Waseca  County,  Minn.,  born  Sep- 
tember 10,  1862,  and  has  been  a  resident 
nearly  all  the  time  ever  since.  Determined 
to  get  an  education,  he  attended  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Seminary,  at  Wasioja,  Dodge 
County,  for  nearly  eight  terms,  working  there 
at  whatever  he  found  to  do  to  pay  his  tuition 
and  keep,  and  attending  the  school  when- 
ever he  could.  He  was  away  from  home 
thus  most  of  the  time,  from  the  time  he  was 
eighteen  until  he  was  twenty -four  years  old  ; 
but  August  31,  1886,  his  father  was  hurt  by 
his  horse  running  away,  by  which  he  received 
such  injuries  that  he  died  after  six  weeks  of 


574 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTT. 


suffering.  Henry  then  came  home  and  took 
full  charge  of  the  farm.  He  has  delivered  a 
number  of  public  lectures,  including  one  on 
the"  use  of  tobacco  and  six  on  the  prohibi- 
tion question.  His  mother,  Huldah  A. 
(Wright)  Ballard  was  united  in  marriage 
with  John  Eallard,  his  father,  August  31, 
1861.  They  had  a  family' of  eleven  children: 
Henry  S.,  Mary  A.,  Charles  B.,Emma  M., 
David  L.,  Chandler  J.,  Lovell  A.,  deceased; 
Benjamin  L.,  NelJie  Mae  and  Ellie  J.  (twins) 
and  Anna  H. 

Mary  Newman  was  born  in  Milwaidvce, 
Wis.,  December  6, 1845,  where  she  lived  with 
her  parents  until  twenty-six  years  of  age ;  in 
18Y1  was  united  in  marriage  to  John  New- 
man, a  native  of  Germany,  born  May  7, 1831. 
Soon  after  their  marriage  they  came  to 
Waseca  County,  Mrs.  Newman's  parents  bav- 
ins: come  some  time  before.  Mr.  Newman 
died  November  4,  1885.  They  had  born  to 
them  eight  children  :  Fred,  Anna,  William, 
Gustave  and  Herman,  all  living  and  at  home, 
and  three  died  in  infancy. 

August  Kaiser  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  November  4,  1849.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica when  nineteen  years  of  age,  landing  at 
New  York  City,  and  from  there  went  to 
Wisconsin  and  worked  in  Green  Lake  County 
about  one  year;  then  came  to  Waseca  County, 
Minn.,  and  worked  out  for  a  few  years.  In 
1874  he  purchased  the  farm  on  which  he  now 
resides.  The  same  year  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Augusta  Wunderliech  in  Rice 
County.  They  have  had  born  to  them  six 
children :  George,  Ilachel,  Adolf,  Almon, 
Eddie  and  Orlando.  Mr.  Kaiser  has  about 
315  acres  of  land,  of  which  150  is  under  cul- 
tivation. He  has  four  brothers  and  two 
sisters  living  in  Minnesota.  His  farm  is  in 
a  high  state  of  cultivation  and  has  fine 
buildings. 

James  Slattery  was  born  in  Montreal, 
Canada,  October  4,  1833,  where  he  lived  for 
many  years.  In  1878  he  settled  in  Iosco 
Township,  Waseca  County,  Minn.,  where  he 
purchased  a  farm  on  section  20.     In  1863  he 


was  united  in  marriage  to  ilary  Murphy, 
also  a  native  of  Canada.  Thej^  have  had 
born  to  them  four  children  :  Lizzie,  Katie, 
Bridget  and  Mary  A.  Mr.  Slattery  has  a 
brother,  a  resident  of  Iosco ;  a  sister,  now 
Mrs.  Blanchfield,  lives  in  Moorhead,  Minn. 
His  father  and  mother  both  died  in  Canada 
some  years  ago.  Mrs.  Slattery's  parents  are 
both  dead.  She  has  two  brothers,  Henr}' 
and  Thomas,  neither  of  whom  are  residents 
of  Waseca  County,  however. 

August  Wendland  came  to  Waseca  Countv 
in  1868  and  located  on  section  21,  where  he 
now  resides.  He  is  one  of  the  prosperous 
farmers  of  Iosco,  and  has  a  fine  farm  under 
good  cultivation.  He  is  a  native  of  Prussia, 
born  March  4,  1826,  and  was  reared  in  that 
countr\'.  Like  most  youths  of  Germany,  he 
served  in  the  army  of  his  fatherland. 
January  3,  1850,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Justina  Wendland,  by  whom  he  had 
seven  children:  Julius,  deceased  ;  Herman, 
deceased  ;  August,  born  December  27,  1857, 
married  to  Emma  Walter  and  resides  in 
this  town ;  Henrietta,  born  May  27,  1860, 
now  Mrs.  Keiser,  also  of  Iosco;  Amelia, 
deceased;  John,  born  December  6,  1862, and 
Mary,  born  November  14,  1864,  now  Mrs. 
Draham,  of  Waseca.  In  1853,  in  company 
with  his  wife  and  one  child,  Herman,  he  left 
his  native  land  and  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  for  some  years  made  his  home 
in  Wisconsin  ;  coming  to  Waseca  Count}^  in 
1868,  he  has  made  it  his  residence  ever  since. 
His  first  wife  died  in  1868  ;  he  was  again 
married  to  Justina  Block,  of  Mai'quette,  Wis., 
who  bore  him  one  child,  Henrv,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1869,  who  is  stiU  at  home.  Both  his 
parents  and  those  of  his  wife  are  dead, 
having  died  in  the  old  country. 

FIRST  THINGS. 

The  first  school  in  district  No.  12  was 
held  at  the  house  of  John  M.  Minske,  during 
the  winter  of  1858-9.  Sallie  Norcott  was 
the  teacher. 

The  first  religious  services  were  held  at  the 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


575 


house  of  J.  M.  Minske  in  the  spring  of  1857, 
by  the  German  Methodists. 

RELIGIOUS. 

The  German  Methodist  congregration  of 
Iosco  Townslii])  is  a  part  of  the  church  at 
Waseca,  but  hold  independent  meetings  at 
the  residence  of  August  Minske,  who  usually 
presides.  This  class  was  initiated  at  a  series 
of  meetings  held  at  the  house  of  John 
Minske,  in  the  spring  of  1857.  No  society 
was  formed  at  that  time,  they  belonging  to 
the  church  organization  in  Blooming  Grove, 
but  in  1876  this  was  set  off  and  called  Wa- 
seca Mission.  The  class  at  Mr.  Minske's 
numbers  about  twenty-five.  Sunday  school 
was  instituted  in  1865  and  now  has  about 
thirty  members. 

St.  Jarlath  Roman  Catholic  Church  is 
located  on  section  17,  and  was  erected  in 
1868,  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,800,  but  has  since 
been  remodeled  and  finished  until  it  repre- 
sents a  cost  of  $4,000.  It  is  a  very  pretty 
specimen  of  church  architecture  and  reflects 
credit  upon  the  community  that  put  it  up. 
The  first  meeting  of  the  Catholics  of  Iosco 
was  held  at  Okaman,  in  1858,  mass  being 
celebrated  by  Rev.  Father  Somerising.  This 
was  at  the  house  of  John  Bradish.  The  peo- 
ple of  this  township  attended  mass  at  Ely- 
sian  for  the  most  part,  going  there  to  their 
duties.  In  1865  meetings  were  held  at  the 
Murray  schoolhouse  on  section  9.  Missionary 
services  were  held  from  this  time  on  until 
1868  when  the  church  here  was  built.  At 
that  time  the  church  had  some  140  members 
taking  in  a  part  of  the  Waseca,  Janesville 
and  Waterville  missions,  but  now  has  but 
about  forty  members.  Rev.  Father  P.  J. 
O'Neil  comes  here  from  Janesville  twice  a 
month  to  attend  to  the  spiritual  wants  of 
the  community  and  celebrate  mass. 

The  cemetery  in  connection  with  this 
church  was  laid  out  in  1868.  The  first 
interment  here  was  that  of  John  Oaks,  in 
the  winter  of  1868-  9  ;  the  second,  that  of 
John  Haley,  in  April,  1869. 


There  is  a  German  Methodist  Church  on 
section  13,  that  was  built  in  1880-81.  The 
first  meeting  of  this  societ}'  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Gottfried  G.  Kanne,  on  section  12, 
in  the  year  1858.  This  and  subsequent 
services  were  held  by  Rev.  Goechtenmier, 
at  various  houses,  and  the  society  organized. 
In  1872,  when  the  schoolhouse  was  built, 
meetings  were  held  in  that  until  the  build- 
ing of  the  church. 

VILLAGE    OF    EMPIRE. 

In  the  spring  of  1856  N.  E.  Strong,  George 
L.  Leonard,  Daniel  Tripp,  Benjamin  W.  Gif- 
ford  and  A.  A.  Gotten,  conceiving  that  a 
town  in  this  part  of  the  county  would  be  a 
good  thing,  laid  out  the  village  of  Empire,  on 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  20.  II.  W. 
Peck,  afterward  county  surveyor,  laid  it  out 
and  platted  it.  High  hopes  were  indulged 
in  regard  to  the  new  village,  and  anticipations 
of  having  the  county  seat  located  there  daz- 
zled the  eyes  of  the  owners  and  residents ; 
but  when  the  seat  of  justice  was  located  at 
the  rival  village  of  Wilton,  Empire  gradi\ally 
lost  its  prestige  and  waned  and  melted  away 
into  nothingness.  In  the  language  of  a  local 
writer,  "  It  rose,  reached  its  zenith  and  faded 
away  all  in  the  course  of  two  years."  Where 
once  the  imagination  of  its  partisans  expected 
to  see  rise  stately  buildings  filled  with  mer- 
chandise, hear  busy  factories  make  the  air 
throb  with  beat  of  machinery,  naught  now 
is  seen  but  nodding  grain  or  bending  corn  ; 
streets  they  hoped  to  have  seen  pressed  by 
the  feet  of  huriying  multitudes,  now  resound 
to  the  tread  of  cud-chewing  cattle  or  whis- 
tling ploughmen. 

The  first  hotel  in  this  embryo  village  was 
built  by  John  H.  Wheeler,  in  the  spring  of 
1856.  It  was  a  log  building,  two  stories  high 
and  thirty  feet  square  on  the  ground. 

Mr.  Long,  the  father  of  Seth  W.,  the  ex- 
sheriflf,  brought  a  sawmill  to  this  village,  which 
was  ver}'  useful  and  a  great  accommodation 
to  the  settlers.  It  remained  here  for  many 
years,  finally   being  removed  to  Janesville 


576 


H18TUBY    OF    WA8K0A   tXJUNTY. 


Townwliip.  Mr.  Long,  the;  older,  died  here 
al>out  two  ycai'H  al'lcr  his  Hetllciiicnt. 

'J'hornas  Tripp  came  to  this  village  from 
Fiinliaiilt,  in  IHr<7,  and  erected  another  hotel, 
wliieli  was  run  |)artly  \ty  himself  and  partly 
by  Daniel  'i'ripp. 

The   lirst  store   huilding  was  erected  by 


Ilial   D.  I'aldwin,  who  ran  it  about  a  year 
and  then  closed  it  out. 

Alrneran  Wilsey  ran  a  blacksmith  shop 
here  which  he  put  uj)  in  185*!.  A  year  later 
he  tore  dcjwn  the  building  and  took  up  a 
claim. 


li 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


liLOOMINU  (4 MOVE  TOWNSHIP. 


fllK  town  of  I 'looming  Grove  coni- 
pi'isos  all  ol'  congressional  tovvn- 
sliip  1(18  nortii,  range  22  west.  It 
is  l)oun(l(!(l  <;n  the  nortli  by  Ilice 
(bounty,  on    the   east   by    Steele 
(bounty,   and    on   the  south  and 
west  by  th(!  townships  of  Wood- 
vilUi   and    Iosco.       Some    of  the 
11  nest  portions  of  the  county  arc 
included  in  its  limits.      It  is  well 
drained  by  the  snniJl  ci'(!cl<s  and 
streams  that  How  into  its  several 
lakes ;  mention  is  made  of  these  latter  in  the 
former  part  of  this  history.     The  east  iialf 
of  the  township  is  almost  level,  gently  un- 
dulating, but  as  it  approaches  the  west  lino 
the  "rolls  "  become  more  abrupt  and  knolly. 
Nearly  one  half  of  the  town  is  covered  with 
timber,  iilike  valuable  for  fuel  and  for  pro- 
tection from  the  searching  winds  of  winter. 
The  first  settlers  in  what  is  now  Blooming 
Grove   Townshij)    were    Michac^I    .hthnson, 
Jonathan  Howell,  A.  J.  Bell  and  S.  F.  Wy- 
man.     These  young  m(!n,  in  the  spring    of 
ls.5."),  built  a  log  cabin  on  section  4.     Th(;re 
they  kept  "bach,"  being  all  single  men,  for 
about  two  years,   when    Wyman    and    Bell 
quit.     The  others  kept  right  along,  and   for 
seven  years  longer  lived  the  life  of  "single 
blessedness,"  doing  their  own  cooking,  ]iiirt 
of  the  time  without  a  stove.     At  the  explica- 
tion of  that   period    Mr.  Johnson   married, 
but  Mr.   IIowcll    niiiiained  single   until    the 
day  of  his  death.     Mr.  Johnson  is  still  a  resi- 
dent of  the  township  ;  Mr.  Howell,  who  was 
a  native  of  England,  died  here  in   1880  as 
stated  ;  Mr.  Bell  removed  to  Faribault,  and 
Mr.  Wyman    is  a  resident   of  the   city  of 
Waseca. 


In  June,  1855,  Christian  Remund  with  his 
fa^mily  made  a  settlement  in  this  subdivision 
of  tlie  county,  on  sections  8  and  9,  where 
they  still  reside. 

Christian     licMuund,    |)roprietor    of      llm 
^looming  Grove  Stock   Farm,  is  a  native  of 
Switzerland,  born   November  21,  18;5().     Ho 
resided    in    his    native   country  until  about 
twenty  years  of  age,  when,  in   March,  18.')(), 
li(!,    in    company    with  Jacob   Bumgerdner, 
saihul  for  the  shores  of  America,  and  liuuhid 
in  New   York.     From    there   they    W(Uit    to 
Joliet,  III.,  by  way  of   Chicago,  where  they 
worked    out  in  that  vicinity  for  about  one 
year.     Then,  still  in  company,  they  rent-ed  a 
farm   and   raised   and   harvested  one  crop. 
Mr.  Remund  tlum  loft  this  place  and   rentod 
another  near  by.     October'  21,  1851,  he  mar- 
ried his  partner's  sister,  Anna  Bumgerdner, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  Switzerland,  and 
had  como  to  America  a  y<!ar  earlier.     After 
tli(!ir  marriage  he  remained  on  the  place  he 
hiid  rented  one  year,  then  rented  anotlusr  in 
siime  neighborhood,  where  ho  lived  until  the 
spring  of  1855,  when  ho  started  for  Minne- 
sota, arriving  in  Waseca  County,  June  28, 
1855.     He  immediately  located  a   claim  on 
section   9,   Blooming  Grove  Township,  the 
site  of  his  present  home.     The;  first  summer 
they  lived  in  their  covered  wagon  until  Oc- 
tober, when  they  movcsd  into  the  cabin  which 
he    had   built.     At  this  time    the    country 
was  full  of  Indiims,  and  only  one  cabin  wiis 
near  where  Mr.  Remund  en;cted  his.    When 
he  came  to  this  county  his  property  invoiced 
as  follows:  one  ox-team,  two  yoke;  of  three- 
yoiiT-old   steers  and  a  span  of  yearling  colts, 
a,  few  cows,  and   not  one  dolliir  in  money. 
He  now  has  370  acres  of  land  in  a  high  state 


577 


578 


HISTORY    OF    WASKOA    COUNTY. 


of  cultivation,  a  nice  residence  and  good 
barns,  and  a  large  quantity  of  stock  about 
liim  ;  is  a  breeder  of  thoroughbred  short-horn 
cattle,  and  also  owns  the  two  noted  horses, 
Amateur  No.  10  and  Bruno  No.  2101.  When 
his  son  Lewis  was  married  he  gave  him  160 
acres  of  land,  and  about  $1,500  in  money  and 
personal  property.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christian 
Kemund  are  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
three  of  whom  are  living,  four  dying  in  in- 
fancy. Tiiose  living  are:  Lewis  C,  born 
April  18,  1858,  now  in  Minneapolis  studying 
for  a  veterinary  surgeon  ;  Carrie  A.,  born 
December  3,  1861 ;  George  H.,  March  8, 
1866.  The  last  two  still  remain  at  home 
with  their  parents. 

W.  M.  Gray  with  his  family  also  settled 
here  in  1855.  He  was  a  native  of  Allegan^' 
County,  N.  Y.  This  was  his  residence  until 
about  1872,  when  he  died.  His  settlement 
was  on  section  33. 

J.  M.  Blivens,  after  whom  one  of  the 
settlements  in  this  townshij)  was  called,  came 
here  with  his  family  in  1S55.  He  lived  here 
for  many  years,  finally  emigrating  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  is  still  living.  His  settle- 
ment was  upon  the  west  part  of  section  32. 

In  June,  1855,  Ole  Knutson  made  a  settle- 
ment here,  and  remained  many  years.  He 
is  now  a  resident  of  Renville  Count}',  this 
State. 

Samuel  and  Luther  Dickenson  made  a 
settlement  during  the  fall  of  1855  in  the 
northwestern  part  of  Blooming  Grove. 
About  1858,  Luther  growing  tired  of  pioneer 
life  returned  to  Vermont,  their  native  State. 
Samuel  remained  here  until  1860,  when  he 
moved  to  Le  Sueur  County. 

Curtis  Hatch,  a  blind  man,  with  his  fam- 
ily settled  in  this  precinct  in  1855.  He 
died  in  Moody  County,  D.  T.,  in  1884. 

M.  P.  Ide  settled  here  in  the  same  year. 

Simeon  Smith,  who  came  from  Fayette 
County,  Iowa,  with  his  family,  made  a  claim 
just  west  of  the  lake  on  sections  31  and  32 
in  June,  1855.  He  lived  on  this  place  many 
vears  and  died  there  in  November,  1872. 


With  him  came  Alfred  C.  Smith,  his  son. 
who  lived  with  his  father  until  the  follow- 
ing year,  when  he  removed  to  Woodville 
Township,  where  he  resided  until  sometime 
after  his  father's  death,  when  he  returned  to 
the  elder  Smith's  farm,  where  he  now  lives. 

The  year  1856  witnessed  everywhere  an 
immense  tide  of  immigration  setting  west- 
ward, and  the  countj'  of  Waseca  received 
many  new  settlers.  Among  those  who  lo- 
cated in  this  township  during  that  j'ear 
were :  E.  R.  Conner,  George  Dean,  John 
and  James  Walker,  William  Donaldson, 
Patrick  Ilealy,  Lewis  McKune,  John  L. 
Saufferer,  Cornelius  Hand  and  his  sons,  J. 
N.  Powers,  Philo  Woodruif,  John  Gibson, 
Daniel  Riegle,  Patrick  Murphj',  Andrew 
Nelson,  Joshua,  Josiah,  Henry  and  Samuel 
Smith,  Jacob  Oory,  William  H.  Young,  B. 
Sharp  and  Joseph  Churchill. 

E.  R.  Conner  was  a  native  of  Indiana, 
from  whence  he  canie  to  Minnesota  with 
James  and  John  Walker,  all  bringing-  fami- 
lies.  Mr.  Conner  settled  on  eighty  acres  of 
land  in  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  10, 
to  which  he  laid  claim  on  the  11th  of  June. 
He  lived  on  this  place  until  1883,  when  he 
removed  to  Faulk  County,  D.  T.,  where  he 
is  still  living. 

John  Walker  enlisted  during  the  war  in 
tiie  Third  Minnesota  Infantry,  and  died  at 
Pine  Bluff,  Ark.,  in  September,  1864. 

William  Donaldson  died  here  in  1860. 

Capt.  Lewis  McKune  was  quite  promi- 
nent, politically,  in  the  early  days  of  the 
county's  history,  representing  this  district 
in  the  constitutional  convention  and  in  the 
senate.  He  was  afterward  killed,  at  the 
head  of  his  company,  at  the  battle  of  Bull 
Run.  A  detailed  sketch  of  him  is  given  in 
the  chapter  entitled  State  and  County  Rep- 
resentation. 

J.  N.  Powers  lived  here  but  a  short  time, 
removing  to  Wilton,  where  he  practiced 
law.  He  afterward  moved  to  Rice  County, 
and  represented  that  district  in  the  State 
Legislature. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


579 


Daniel  Riegle  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  for  this  town  in  1858.  He  is  now  a 
resident  of  Kittson  County,  this  State. 

Joshua  Smith  lives  in  Greenland,  Le  Sueur 
County,  Minn ;  Josiah  Smith,  in  Nebraska ; 
Henry  Smith,  in  Montana,  and  Samuel 
Smith  in  California. 

Jacob  Oory  did  not  remain  here  long,  and 
is  now  a  resident  of  Kansas.  He  was  a 
young  man  when  he  came  here,  and  with- 
out any  family. 

William  H.  Young  was  an  original  charac- 
ter, well  known  among  the  old  settlers. 

Joseph  Churchill  left  this  part  of  the 
State  and  settled  in  Eenville  County,  Minn., 
where  he  died  several  years  since. 

John  L.  Saufferer  is  still  a  resident  of  tlie 
township,  and  a  sketch  of  him  is  given  in  the 
chapter  entitled  State  and  County  Represen- 
tation, he  having  served  the  people  of 
Waseca  County  in  the  legislative  halls  of 
the  State. 

William  J.  Wheeler,  Cyrus  Ross  and  An- 
drew Oleson  all  took  up  claims  and  com- 
menced opening  up  farms  in  the  fall  of  1856. 

Gottlieb  Petrich,  a  German  by  birth,  came 
to  this  town  in  June,  1856.  and  settling  down 
upon  a  farm,  there  dwelt  until  January,  1887, 
when  he  was  called  hence  by  the  death 
angel. 

Fred.  McKune  is  the  son  of  Lewis  McKune, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  leaders  of  early 
days  in  Steele  and  Waseca  counties.  Fred. 
was  born  in  Illinois,  where  his  parents  had 
settled  on  coming  from  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  10th  of  February,  1851.  In  the  year 
1856  Capt.  McKune  brought  his  family  to 
Waseca  County  and  located  on  section  1. 
Here  Fred,  was  reared,  growing  up  among 
the  scenes  that  now  surround  him,  one  of  the 
old  settlers  of  this  locality.  His  sisters — Mrs 
McBride,  now  resides  in  Milbank,  D.  T.,  and 
Laura,  Mrs.  Vogel,  at  ^Marietta,  D.  T. — were 
raised  in  this  county.  His  mother  died  at 
Morristown  in  1863.  In  1883  Mr.  McKune 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Clarissa  C. 
Gore,  of  Indiana,  and  they  are  the  parents 


of  two  children :  Lewis  and  Edna.  His 
wife's  father  is  a  resident  of  Morristown,  but 
her  mother  was  called  away  from  this  world 
by  the  angel  of  death  during  the  •winter  of 
1886.  Mr.  McKune  has  a  farm  of  200  acres 
of  land,  125  of  which  are  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  and  owns  a  handsome  resi- 
dence and  some  excellent  graded  stock. 

In  February.  1856,  Christian  Remund 
went  as  far  as  Dunlieth,  111.,  to  meet  his 
folks,  and  brought  from  there  his  father, 
Samuel  Remund,  and  his  brothers,  John, 
Samuel,  Rudolph  and  Albert,  and  sister  Lina. 
John  and  Samuel  were  married,  and  with 
their  father  brought  their  wives  with  them. 
They  took  up  claims  on  coming  here.  John 
settled  on  section  15,  and  is  now  in  Wilmot, 
D.  T.;  Samuel  located  on  section  9,  and  is  a 
resident  of  the  same  section  ;  Ru(lol]>h  took 
a  claim  on  8,  and  is  now  in  Wilmot,  D.  T.; 
Albert  on  section  9,  and  is  still  in  the  county. 
The  elder  located  on  the  claim  of  Rudolph. 

Samuel  Remund,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Waseca  County  and  one  of  the  representa- 
tive citizens,  is  a  native  of  Canton  Berne, 
Oberamt,  Switzerland.  He  was  born  Janu- 
ary 26,  1833,  at  Laupen,  Miihlberg,  Butten- 
reid,  and  resided  among  those  Alpine  heights 
until  April,  1855,  when  he  and  his  wife  emi- 
grated to  the  shores  of  the  United  States,  in 
company  with  his  father's  family,  landing  in 
New  York  on  Christmas  day.  From  the  lat- 
ter point  they  journeyed  to  Dubuque,  by  way 
of  Buffalo,  Cleveland  and  Chicago,  and  re- 
mained there  until  al)out  the  15th  of  January. 
Leaving  there  by  sleigh,  when  they  reached 
Dunleith  Mr.  Remund  was  taken  sick,  and 
he  and  his  wife  remained  at  that  place  until 
February,  when  they  finished  the  journey, 
reached  the  point  for  which  they  had  made 
their  long  journey,  as  before  mentioned,  in 
February,  1856,  and  located  a  claim  on  sec- 
tion 9,  where  he  now  resides.  When  they 
came  here  this  part  of  Minnesota  was  a  wil- 
derness, only  one  frame  house  standing  in  Far- 
ibault, the  hotel — and  nothing  but  log  and 
pole  cabins  in  Owatonna,  and  but  five  or  six 


580 


HISTORY   OK   WASECA    COUNTY. 


settlers  were  in  this  town,  and  Indians 
abounded  in  this  section  of  country.  Before 
starting  for  this  country,  Mr.  lieraund,  on 
the  21st  of  July,  1856,  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Anna  Jiine,  by  wlioni  he  had  four 
cliildren;  Samuel,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six 
years;  Lana,  now  Mrs.  David  Newhart,  of  St. 
Paul;  Anna,  now  Mrs.  Andrew  Brooker,  of 
Colorado,  and  Rosina,  now  Mrs.  Davison,  of 
Waseca.  His  first  wife  dying  in  1861,  he  was 
again  united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  New- 
hart,  in  the  fall  of  1861.  They  had  six  chil- 
dren: Samuel,  Lizzie,  Henry,  David,  Mar}' 
and  Eddie.  Again,  in  1874,  Mr.  Remund 
was  bereft  of  his  wife,  and  in  the  summer  of 
1874,  was  married  to  Mrs.  Orsala  Rover,  by 
whom  he  had  no  family.  Mr.  Remund  has 
lield  the  office  of  town  assessor  and  clerk  of 
school  district,  and  was  elected  town  super- 
visor, but  declined  to  serve.  He  is  one  of 
tiie  leading  farmers  of  the  town,  owning 
450  acres  of  land,  220  of  which  are  in  a  iiigh 
state  of  cultivation.  He  has  also  a  fine  lot 
of  cattle. 

Albert  Remund,  another  brother,  was  born 
in  Canton  Berne,  Oberamt,  Laupen,  Mlihl- 
berg,  Buttenreid.  in  July,  1836,  and  came  to 
America  with  the  family,  asabove  mentioned, 
in  1855.  On  coming  to  Waseca  County  he 
took  a  claim,  as  was  the  custom  in  tliosedays, 
on  section  9,  and  proved  up  on  the  same.  In 
June,  1859,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Frances  Winter,  a  native  of  Gei-many,  born 
March  26,  1844,  and  moved  on  the  place  on 
section  9,  where  he  now  lives.  They  are  the 
parents  of  eleven  children:  Emma  L.,  born 
June  3,  1869;  William,  August  13,  1874; 
Louisa,  January  23,  1877;  Sarah,  September 
1,  1880;  Laura,  July  12,  1883;  Mabel,  May 
13,  18S6;  Philip,  who  is  dead,  and  four  who 
died  in  infancy.  His  wife  is  the  daughter  of 
P'red.  and  Louisa  Winter,  who  both  died  in 
Iowa.  Thev  have  several  children  vet  livins: 
besides  Mrs.  Remund  :  Edward,  who  lives  in 
Iowa;  Henrietta,  now  Mrs.  Rief,  on  a  farm 
near  Des  Moines,  and  Augusta,  Mrs.  Flack- 
nuin,  whose  husband  is  connected  with  the 


police  force  of  Burlington,  in  the  same  State. 
Mr.  Remund  for  twenty  3'ears  has  held  the  of- 
fice of  clerk  of  tliis  town,  and  at  present  (1887) 
is  justice  of  the  peace  and  school  director. 
He  has  110  acres  of  very  fine  land,  80  of 
wJiich  is  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
and  has  some  very  fine  stock,  chiefly  short- 
horn cattle  and  Victoria  swine. 

James  Hand  was  born  February  22,  1835. 
and  is  the  son  of  Cornelius  and  Rebecca 
Hand.  His  grandfather,  Cornelius,  also  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  was  a  soldier  of  the 
war  of  1812-15,  who  later  in  life  removed  to 
Ohio.  The  father  of  James,  who  was  born 
February  27,  1812,  resided  in  Holmes  Coun- 
ty, Ohio,  when  James  was  born.  In  1840 
the  family  removed  to  Kosciusko  Coun- 
ty, Ind.,  settling  on  a  farm,  where  the 
mother  and  Elizabeth,  one  of  the  daughters, 
died.  In  1855  the  family  came  to  Minnesota 
and  spent  one  winterj  and  in  the  spring  of 
1856  came  to  Waseca  County  and  located 
on  east  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  5,  this  township,  where  James  now 
lives.  August  24,  1856,  James  Hand  and 
Lydia  Ann  Sprague  were  united  in  marriage, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children  : 
Ella,  now  Mrs.  M.  E.  Milieu  ;  Stephen  T., 
living  in  the  township,  and  Manerva,  de- 
ceased. In  Novemljer.  1864,  Mr.  Hand  en- 
listed in  Company  E,  First  Minnesota  Heavy 
Artillery,  and  was  ordered  to  Chattanooga, 
Tenn.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  provost 
duty  until  September  25,  1865,  when  he  was 
mustered  out.  He  has  a  good  farm  in  ex- 
cellent state  of  culture.  He  has  been  hon- 
ored by  his  fellow  citizens  by  having  con- 
ferred upon  liim  the  office  of  town  supervi- 
sor for  three  different  terms,  and  has  held 
school  district  oifices  besides. 

Kj^es  Swift  was  born  in  Fond  du  Lac, 
Wis.,  where  he  lived  until  two  years  of  age. 
While  he  was  quite  young  his  father  died, 
and  he  was  thrown  upon  his  own  resources, 
and  through  hard  labor  and  steady  habits  he 
has  accumulated  a  fair  amount  of  tliis  world's 
ffoods  and  a  fine  home.    He  came  to  Waseca 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    OOUTNTY. 


581 


Coimty  in  1856,  and  at  that  time  the  Indian 
trail  passed  near  his  door.  Five  imndred 
Indians  have  been  at  his  well  at  one  time  for 
water.  Mr.  Swift's  father  was  a  native  of 
New  York  State.  His  mother  died  in  Catta- 
raugus County,  that  State,  in  1865.  At  Mor- 
ristown,  Minn.,  July  3,  1874,  Mr.  Swift  was 
married,  and  is  the  parent  of  three  children : 
Clara  A,,  born  April  28,1875;  Clarence  C, 
June  26,  1878,  and  Homer  J.,  November  4, 
1883,  who  died  March  22,  1884. 

Mrs.  Margeret  Hackett,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Phelan,  is  a  native  of  County  Tip- 
perary,  'Ireland,  and  resided  in  that  county 
until  she  attained  her  twenty-seventh  year. 
One  year  previous  to  that  she  had  been 
united  in  marriage  with  John  Hackett. 
They  sailed  for  America  about  a  3'ear  after 
marriage,  landing  at  New  York  City,  and 
from  there  went  to  Milwaukee,  but  after  a 
residence  there  of  six  months  moved  to  Kock- 
ford.  111.,  whei'e  they  remained  some  eight 
years,  he  working  by  the  day  at  any  work 
that  he  and  his  team  could  find  to  do.  In 
1856  they  came  to  "Waseca  County,  settling 
on  the  place  on  section  13,  where  they  now 
live.  They  have  had  ten  children  born  to 
them  :  Martin,  Pierce,  Julia,  Patrick,  Will- 
iam, John,  James,Mary,  Maggie  and  William. 
Five  of  the  children  are  living  and  five  are 
numbered  with  the  dead.  Two  boys  are  in 
St.  Paul,  Julia  lives  near  Hastings,  this  State, 
and  two  are  at  home  with  their  parents. 

Knut  Ericksen,  sometimes  called  Saltvold, 
a  native  of  Norway,  came  to  this  townsliip 
in  June,  1856,  and  made  a  settlement.  He 
was  a  resident  of  this  township  until  his 
death  in  1869.  His  widow  and  children  are 
residents  here  still. 

Gullick  Knutsen  was  born  at  Roldat,  Ber- 
genstift,  Norway,  May  25,  1840,  and  came 
to  America,  with  his  parents,  Knut  Erick- 
sen Saltvold,  and  liagnhild  (GuUicksdatter 
Berge),  in  the  spring  of  1 851,  settling  near 
Marsliall,  Dane  Count}'.  Wis.  After  remain- 
ing there  five  years,  they  removed  to  Minne- 
sota, and  in  the  latter  part  of  June,  1856, 


settled  in  Blooming  Grove  Township,  this 
county.  In  the  fall  of  1862,  during  the 
Sioux  war,  Gullick  enlisted  m  Company  B, 
First  Minnesota  Mounted  Rangers,  under 
Capt.  Horace  Austin,  which  were  with 
the  Sibley  expedition  in  the  summer  of  1863, 
participating  in  several  engagements  with 
the  Indians.  He  was  mustered  out  at  Fort 
Snelling,  November  9,  1863,  on  account  of 
expiration  of  term  of  service.  In  1866  he 
returned  to  Wisconsin,  and  while  there,  June 
25,  1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Martha  Johnson,  of  Lodi,  Columbia  County, 
Wis.,  who  was  a  native  of  Haugs,  Bergen- 
stift,  Norwaj%  born  August  20,  1844,  and 
who  had  come  to  America  with  her  parents 
in  1850.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Knutsen  are  the 
parents  of  eight  children  :  Regina,  now  Mrs. 
John  Knutsen,  of  Waseca;  Valetha,  now 
Mrs.  O.  T.  Hagen ;  Cora  J.,  Jennie  O.,  Alice 
S.,  Martha  J.,  Joseph  K.  and  Emma  R. 
The  last  named  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
months,  in  1883.  After  his  marriage  Mj'. 
Knutsen  returned  to  Minnesota,  and  settled 
in  Iosco  Township,  and  remained  there  until 
1878,  when  he  sold  his  farm  there  and 
removed  to  Blooming  Grove,  on  section  18, 
where  he  now  lives.  His  father  died  here 
in  1869  as  stated  elsewhere ;  his  mother  is 
still  a  resident  of  the  township.  Mr.  Knut- 
sen has  held  the  office  of  town  supervisor  one 
year,  town  treasurer  three  years,  town 
clerk,  in  Iosco,  for  four  or  five  years,  and 
is  now  clerk  of  the  school  district  in  which 
he  lives.  His  farm  consists  of  120  acres  of 
land,  eighty  of  whicii  is  under  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  and  his  improvements  in  the 
shape  of  buildings  are  fine.  He  has  also 
considerable  good  stock. 

Joseph  Churchill  in  the  summer  of  1857, 
located  on  section  30,  where  he  made  a  long 
residence,  finally  removing  to  Renville 
County,  this  State,  where  he  died  several 
years  ago. 

Among  the  settlers  of  1857  was  James 
Isaac,  who  purchased  a  farm  and  remained 
on  it  about  five  years,  and  then  sold  out  and 


582 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


a     short     time    later    moved    to   Missouri. 

Samuel  Isaac,  who  came  here  with  his 
father,  James,  i-emained  at  home  until  1862, 
when  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Minnesota 
Infantry,  and  served  during  the  war.  He 
was  promoted  to  the  position  of  captain 
sometime  before  he  received  his  discharge. 
His  brother  Jonathan,  who  enlisted  at  the 
same  time,  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Altoona 
Pass. 

Andrew  Nelson  was  born  in  Sweden,  Au- 
gust 29,  1829,  and  made  that  country  his 
home  until  he  was  twenty-four  years  old, 
when  he  came  alone  to  America,  landins'  at 
Quebec,  Canada.  From  there  he  went  to 
Moline,  111.,  where  he  remained  until  fall, 
and  spent  the  winter  in  Albany,  the  same 
State.  In  the  spring  of  18.55  he  came  to 
Eed  "Wing,  Minn.,  where  he  was  employed 
some  two  years.  In  1857  he  came  to  this 
county  and  settled  where  he  now  lives,  hav- 
ing preempted  and  proved  up  his  claim  the 
same  year.  In  1861  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Christena  Evanson,  and  they  had 
five  children :  Anna  Sophia,  born  August 
6,  1863;  Nels,  born  March  22,  1866;  Betsy, 
born  September  9,  1866  ;  Charles,  born  July 
1-1,  1868,  and  Rebecca,  born  May  i,  1870. 
His  first  wife  dying  in  1872,  he  married 
Anna  Jameson,  by  whom  he  has  had  six 
children:  Tilda  C.,  born  June  23,  1874:; 
William  Oscar,  born  May  21,  1876  ;  Joseph 
M.,  born  September  4, 1878  ;  Henry  C,  born 
January  17,  1882;  Minnie  J.,  born  May  24, 
1885,  and  Xellie  L.,  born  May  17,  1887. 
Mr.  Nelson  is  the  son  of  Nels  and  Anna  Nel- 
son who  both  died  in  Sweden  as  did  three 
of  his  brothers.  He  lias  one  brother  and 
three  sisters  still  living  in  their  native  land. 
Mr.  Nelson  is  one  of  the  early  settlers  of 
this  county,  and  was  quite  prominent  in  the 
organization  of  this  township.  He  has  a 
very  fine  farm  of  340  acres  of  excellent  land 
under  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  well 
stocked.  He  has  been  town  supervisor  and 
is  and  has  been  for  many  years,  treasurer  of 
the  school  district. 


Carl  Johnson  came  to  Blooming  Grove 
Township  and  took  up  a  claim  on  section  19, 
on  the  17th  of  May,  1857,  and  is  still  a  resi- 
dent of  the  same.  He  is  a  native  of  Sweden, 
born  September  22.  1825.  In  1853,  when  he 
was  about  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  he 
determined  to  emigrate  to  America,  and 
crossing  the  ocean,  arrived  at  New  York, 
October  22,  of  that  year,  where  they  had  to 
endure  some  days'  quarantine  on  account 
of  the  cholera  on  board  their  vessel,  some 
twenty-one  having  died  durmg  the  passage 
over.  From  New  York  he  went  to  Mil- 
waukee, and  from  there  to  Rockforii.  111., 
remaining  two  years  at  the  latter  place, 
employed  in  railroad  work.  Being  there 
laid  up  by  a  long  sickness,  on  liis  recovery 
he  went  to  the  "Wisconsin  pineries,  where 
he  remained  two  3'ears  longer,  and  then 
came  to  "Waseca  County,  as  above  mentioned. 
In  1859  he  went  back  to  "Wisconsin  for  a 
short  time,  and  also,  in  1860,  made  a  trip  to 
Ai'kansas,  and  remained  there  until  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war.  Returning  to  his 
home  in  this  town,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Julia  Johnson,  on  the  16th  of 
Jul\%  1862,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two 
children  :  John  C.  and  Christina.  Mr. 
Johnson  has  held  the  office  of  town  super- 
visor, and  is  school  treasurer,  director  and 
clerk.  He  has  160  acres  of  land,  eighty  of 
which  is  under  cultivation,  and  owns  some 
fine  stock.  Mrs.  Johnson  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, in  February,  1825,  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1853,  landing  in  New  York.  From 
there  she  proceeded  by  canal  to  Buffalo,  and 
from  there  by  boat  to  Sheboygan.  Pro- 
ceeding b^'  team  to  Fond  du  Lac,  "Wis.,  she 
remained  there  until  1858,  when  she  came  to 
Vivian  Townsiiip,  this  county,  by  team  with 
her  brother-in-law.  From  tjiere  she  went 
afoot  to  Faribault,  wiiere  she  worked  for 
sometime.  In  1S62  she  was  married.  She 
has  never  yet  ridden  on  the  cars. 

Thomas  B.  Jackson  settled  in  this  town- 
ship in  Maj',  1858,  with  his  three  sons,  W. 
H.  H.,  Caleb  and  Thomas  B.  Jr.     The  elder 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


583 


Mr.  Jackson  purchased  a  farm  of  Mr.  Walker, 
which  he  afterward  sold  and  removed  to 
Morristown,  Rice  County,  where  he  died  in 
1877.  Caleb,  his  son,  was  a  member  of  Capt. 
McKune's  company,  First  Minnesota  In- 
fantry, and  after  his  discharge  from  the 
service  removed  to  Morristown,  Minn.,  where 
he  now  resides.  Thomas  B.  Jackson  en- 
listed in  the  Fourth  Minnesota  Infantry, 
and  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Altoona. 
Pass,  and  died  of  the  effects  thereof  in  1864. 
W.  H.  H.  Jackson  is  still  a  resident  of  the 
township. 

"VV.  H.  H.  Jackson,  the  son  of  Thomas  B. 
and  Margaret  Ann  Jackson,  was  born  inCen- 
terville,  Warren  County,  Ind.,  March  23, 
1840.  When  he  was  about  two  yeai'S  of  age 
the  family  moved  to  Tipton  County,  in  the 
same  State,  on  a  farm,  where  they  resided 
until  1855,  when  they  removed  to  Webster 
County,  Iowa,  but  two  years  later,  or  to  be 
exact,  in  May,  1858,  they  came  to  this  town 
and  bought  of  James  Walker  eighty  acres 
of  land  on  section  4,  the  place  of  residence  of 
W.  H.  H.  Jackson.  Here  the  latter  has  re- 
sided ever  since,  except  during  a  part  of  the 
civil  war,  he  having  enlisted  in  1863,  in  Com- 
pany H.,  Third  Minnesota  Infantr}'^,  and  saw 
considerable  service,  and  was  mustered  out 
at  the  close  of  the  war  in  1865,  when  he 
returned  to  this  county.  August  8,  1858, 
Mr.  Jackson  and  Mary  Ann  Eckert,  daughter 
of  Peter  and  Mary  Eckert,  were  united  in 
marriage,  and  are  the  parents  of  six  children  : 
J.  W.,  who  is  a  merchant  at  Morristown ; 
Florence  Emma,  now  Mrs.  Kev.  Robertson, 
of  Morris,  Minn.;  William  E.,  Linda  E.,  Har- 
mon F.  and  Erwin  E.  J.  W.  and  Florence 
E.  both  attended  Hamlin  University.  The 
father  of  Mrs.  Jackson,  who  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  died  about  1881,  but  her 
mother  resides  with  her,  a  remarkably  well 
preserved  old  lady  of  eighty -four  years.  Mr. 
Jackson  now  has  the  old  homestead  of  eighty 
on  section  4,  and  an  adjoining  eighty  in  Rice 
Count\\ 

William   Reinhardt   was   born  in  Berlin, 


Germany,  February  10, 1850,  where  he  lived 
until  1855,  when  his  people,  consisting  of 
father,  mother,  two  brothers  and  two  sis- 
ters, sailed  for  America,  landing  at  New 
York  City.  From  there  they  went  to  Illi- 
nois, where  they  remained  two  years,  after 
which  the}^  came  to  Waseca  County,  and  pur- 
chased the  farm  on  section  12,  where  AV"ill- 
iam  still  resides.  Mr.  Reinhardt's  father 
died  in  1876,  in  Blooming  Grove.  His  mother 
is  living  with  her  son,  Justus.  The  two  sis- 
ters, Amelia  and  Mary,  are  both  married. 
Mr.  Reinhardt  was  united  in  the  holy  bonds 
of  matrimony,  in  1878,  to  Caroline  Kruger. 
They  have  been  blessed  with  five  children : 
Benjamin  W.,  born  Januar}'^  12, 1880;  Emma 
B.,  January  12,  1882 ;  Estella,  October  29, 
1883  ;  Ervin  F.,  June  4,  1885,  and  George, 
January  19,  1887.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kruger,  the 
parents  of  Mrs.  Reinhardt,  are  residents  of 
Deerfield  Township,  Steele  County.  Justus, 
a  brother,  is  also  a  resident  of  same  town ; 
Carl,  the  other  brother,  is  not  a  resident  of 
this  section  of  country. 

Justus  Reinhardt  is  a  native  of  Henry 
County,  111.,  born  October  12, 1857,  but  when 
he  was  but  about  one  year  old,  the  family  emi- 
grated to  the  great  and  growing  State  of 
Minnesota,  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  section 
12,  Blooming  Grove,  where  Justus  was 
reared.  He  resided  with  his  parents  until 
his  father  died  in  1876,  and  then  was  one 
of  the  remaining  stays  of  his  mother,  remain- 
ing with  her  until  1883,  when  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Helen  Fehmer,  and  pur- 
chased the  farm  on  section  14  where  he  now 
lives,  when  his  mother  came  to  live  with  him 
and  is  still  an  inmate  of  his  house.  Mrs. 
Reinhardt  is  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Sophia  Fehmer,  of  Deerfield  Township, 
Steele  County,  where  they  are  now  living. 
]\Ir.  Reinhardt  has  one  of  the  finest  farms 
in  the  town;  it  contains  some  240  acres  of  land, 
seventy  of  which  is  well  tilled  and  cultivated. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reinhardt  are  the  parents  of 
two  children :  Louis  Henr\%  born  July  28, 
1884,  and    Mabel  Anna,    born  October  19, 


584 


HISTOKT    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


1886.  He  is  the  present  town  supervisor, 
and  holds  the  oflSce  of  clerk  of  the  district 
scliDol  board. 

FIKST   ITEMS. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that 
of  Lovica,  daughter  of  Alfred  C.  Smith,  who 
was  born  October  15, 1855.  She  is  living  in 
"Woodville  Township,  this  county,  and  is  the 
wife  of  H.  N.  Carlton. 

The  fii'st  death  was  that  of  Mrs.  Josiah 
Smith,  who  died  in  the  fall  of  1856,  and 
was  buried  in  what  is  known  as  the  Old 
Settlers'  cemetery,  the  first  to  be  interred 
therein. 

The  next  deaths  to  occur  were  those  of 
John  and  Martin  Hand,  of  this  township, 
who  died  in  Eice  County,  in  the  fall  of  1856, 
where  they  were  at  work.  Maklen  Riegle 
died  also  in  this  township  in  1856.  Another 
death  in  the  township  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances was  that  of  Henry  Howell,  a  brother 
of  Jonathan,  in  the  winter  of  1858.  He 
was  returning  from  Faribault,  where  he  had 
been  stopping  in  company  with  his  brother, 
in  a  sleigh,  and  getting  out  to  warm  himself  b}^ 
walking,  his  brother  drove  on  to  Hersh's  mill, 
a  short  distance  away,  where  he  remained  for 
a  time.  Not  knowing  of  his  stopping,  Henry 
passed  right  on,  and  not  arriving  at  his  desti- 
nation search  was  instituted,  and  after  some 
trouble  and  difficulty  found  his  body.  He 
had  fi'ozen  to  death. 

The  first  furrow  was  ploughed  by  Johnson 
Bell,  Wyman  and  Howell,  in  1855. 

As  near  as  can  be  ascertained  AV.  H.  H. 
Jackson  and  Mary  Eckert  were  the  first  to 
assume  the  marriage  vows  in  Bloomino- 
Grove  Township,  on  August  8,  1858,  Daniel 
Eiegle,  justice  of  the  peace,  officiating.  On 
his  first  election  to  this  office,  he  had  given 
it  out  that  the  first  parties  married  by  him 
should  get  off  without  any  fee ;  but  as  cir- 
cumstances alter  cases,  when  called  upon  it 
was  too  hard  times  and  the  little  fee  was 
very  acceptable,  nor  did  Mr.  Jackson  be- 
grudge the  little  amount  on  that  occasion. 

A  school  building  was  erected  in  the  sprmg 


of  1857,  in  this  part  of  the  district,  which 
comprised  a  portion  of  the  two  townships  of 
Woodville  and  Blooming  Grove,  then  known 
as  No.  1.  It  was  put  up  on  the  subscription 
plan,  each  man  hauling  so  many  logs  and 
contributing  some  money  to  purchase  nails, 
glass,  etc.  When  all  the  materials  were  on 
the  ground,  a  bee  was  made  which  put  up 
the  structure.  That  summer  a  twelve-week 
school  was  taught  by  Mrs.  Lin  a  Hughes. 
This  is  now  district  No.  7,  but  was  the  first 
district  organized  in  the  county. 

Tlie  schoolhouse  in  district  No.  3  was 
erected  in  1857,  of  logs,  the  whole  district 
taking  a  part  in  building  it.  Nails,  glass, 
etc.,  were  procured  by  subscription.  This 
building  was  in  use  until  1875,  when  it  was 
rebuilt  and  enlarged  to  its  present  capacity, 
and  now  has  two  rooms,  being  a  graded 
school  with  two  teachers. 

The  fii'st  reliffious  oi-jjanization  was  made 
by  the  German  Methodist  Episcopal  Society 
in  1856.  The  first  services  were  held  at  the 
house  of  Christian  Eemund  by  Eev.  Mr. 
G  roechtenmey  er. 

The  cemeterj'^  adjoining  on  the  north  was 
instituted  in  1860,  and  the  first  burial  there 
was  that  of  the  body  of  Samuel  T.  Eemund. 

The  first  postoffice  in  the  township  was 
that  known  as  Swaversey,  established  about 
1857,  with  Mrs.  William  Gibbs  as  postmis- 
tress. It  was  located  on  the  land  of  William 
Gibbs,  at  his  residence  on  section  5.  Mr. 
Gibbs  was  carrier  of  the  mails.  The  office 
jmssed  finally  into  the  hands  of  James  David- 
son, who  removed  it  to  his  residence,  and 
the  name  changed  to  Blooming  Grove.  It 
was  discontinued  in  1880. 

ORGANIC. 

What  is  now  Blooming  Grove  was  organ- 
ized with  a  portion  of  Woodville,  in  the  early 
part  of  1857,  under  the  name  of  Swaversey 
precinct.  The  first  election  was  held  at  the 
house  of  Ole  Knutson,  and  Patrick  Healey, 
Lewis  McKune  and  Ole  Knutson  were  the 
judges  of  election. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COtTNTY. 


585 


In  April,  1858,  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners set  off  what  is  now  included  in 
the  township,  and  ordered  its  organization 
under  the  name  of  Blooming  Grove.  Elec- 
tion took  place  at  the  house  of  Patrick 
Healey,  and  that  gentleman  and  James 
Isaac  and  J.  M.  Bhvens  were  the  judges  of 
election. 

RELIGIOUS. 

The  German  Methodist  Church  located  on 
section  9  was  put  up  by  that  congregation 
in  1885,  at  a  cost  of  $3,000.  This  society  is 
the  outgrowth  of  the  first  religious  services 
held  in  the  township  at  the  house  of  Chris- 
tian Remund,  in  1856.  They  held  services 
at  that  place  until  1860,  when  they  erected 
a  church  on  the  site  of  the  present  large  one. 
The  various  pastors  that  have  ministered 
here  were :  Revs.  Groechtenme_yer,  Henry 
Boettcher,  Frederick  Hermsmeier,  Henry 
Schuittker,  F.  W.  Bucholz,  George  Hoerger, 
William  Rottert,  Adam  Miiller,  Charles 
HoUman,  William  Pagenart,  Daniel  Pfaff, 
John  Spiker  and  J.  C.  Jahn,  the  present  one. 

The  German  Methodist  Church  on  section 
1  was  erected  in  1873,  and  was  then  a  brick- 
veneered  structure.  This  remained  for  some 
years,  but  finally  began  to  break  off  and 
crumble  down ;  so  in  1885  it  was  remodeled 
and  altered  into  a  frame  building.  It  is 
32x48  feet  in  size  with  a  fine  spire  about  75 
feet  high.  Previous  to  the  building  of  the 
church  the  society  held  services  at  the  resi- 
dence of  John  L.  Saufferer,  and  continued  to 
do  so  for  some  eight  years.  After  this  they 
held  meetings  in  the  schoolhouse  until  the 
erection  of  the  church.  The  society  was 
organized  in  1858.  The  pastors  have  been 
the  same  as  the  above  church,  both  being  one 
charge. 

The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  on  sec- 
tion 19,  was  erected  by  this  congregation  in 
1864.  At  that  time  the  frame  was  gotten 
up  and  the  building  enclosed  and  finished  at 
a  later  date.  The  first  meeting  in  the  town- 
ship held  by  the  Lutherans  was  at  the  house 
of  Alex.  Herlugsen,  on  the  17th  of  October, 


1858,  and  a  society  was  organized  at  that 
time.  Then  there  were  some  twenty-seven 
families  connected  with  the  chui-ch.  Rev. 
Lauer  Larsen  was  the  first  pastor.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  B.  J.  Muus,  and  he  by 
Quammen.  Rev.  O.  A.  Mellby,  of  New  Rich- 
land, is  the  present  pastor. 

PROMINENT    CITIZENS. 

Among  other  representative  citizens  of 
this  township  who  have  helped  to  develop 
its  resources,  are  the  following  mentioned : 

Weston  Mosher  was  born  in  Genesee 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  with  his  parents  resided 
there  until  he  was  nine  years  of  age,  when  they 
removed  to  Erie  County  in  the  same  State. 
While  there  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Lucy  Bishop,  and  later  removed  to  Ohio. 
After  this  he  came  west,  living  some  time  in 
Illinois,  m  Kenosha,  Wis.,  and  again  in  Lake 
County,  111.  He  at  that  time  followed  black- 
smithing  and  wagonmaking.  He  j'emoved 
from  there  to  Fillmore  County,  Minn.,  where 
he  practiced  medicine  for  several  years,  when 
he  came  to  his  present  location,  on  section 
6,  and  took  up  agricultural  pursuits.  In 
1855,  in  Fillmore  County,  his  wife  died,  leav- 
ing ten  children  :  Orpha,  Iva,  Juliette, 
George,  Lauretta,  Marietta,  Lucy,  Weston, 
Austin  and  Emily.  In  1859  he  again  en- 
tered the  marriage  state  with  Adelia  Yar- 
rington,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren :  Adelia,  Alice,  Ellen,  Ida,  Edwin  and 
Cora.  Mr.  Mosher  has  a  farm  of  some  fifty 
acres  of  land. 

Francis  Brossard  is  the  son  of  Augustus 
and  Agatha  Besoncon,  of  French  ancestry. 
He  was  born  at  Lennox,  Mass.,  November  18, 
1833,  and  resided  there  until  he  had  reached 
the  age  of  eighteen,  when  the  whole  family 
removed  to  Fall  River,  Columbia  County, 
Wis.,  but  after  a  residence  of  eight  years 
there,  they  came  to  Waseca  County.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Augustus  Brossard  were  the  parents 
of  ten  children  :  Francis,  Augustus,  Edward, 
Charles,  Joseph,  Julia,  now  Mrs.  0.  James, 
of  Waterville ;  Adele,  Mrs.  Constant  Bross- 


586 


UTSTOET    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


ard,  of  "Wisconsin  ;  Eosalie,  Mrs.  O.  P.  Smith, 
of  Tennessee ;  Louise,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Jones,  of 
Iosco,  and  Josephine,  Mrs.  D.  T.  Ballard. 
"When  the  Brossards  came  to  this  county,  in 
1859,  this  was  a  new  country,  and  the}'  can 
give  some  very  pathetic  ancedotes  in  regard 
to  the  liardships  of  the  early  pioneers.  On 
the  4th  of  May,  1863,  Francis  Brossard  and 
Mary  E.  Brossard  were  united  in  marriage, 
in  Blooming  Grove.  They  are  the  parents 
of  one  child,  Florentine  E.,  who  was  married 
February  1,  1886,  to  Minnie  L.  Lafayette, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  cliikl, 
Mabel  A. 

Jens  T.  Dahle,  a  native  of  Norway,  was 
born  on  a  farm,  March  25,  1839,  and  lived 
with  his  parents  until  he  had  reached  the 
age  of  fourteen,  and  then  worked  for  other 
parties  for  about  four  years.  In  1858  he  em- 
igrated to  America,  landing  at  Quebec,  Can- 
ada. From  there  he  made  his  way  to  Rice 
County,  Minn.,  where  he  worked  for  various 
parties,  usually  at  extremely  low  wages. 
January  22,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the  second 
company  Minnesota  Sharpshooters,  who 
were  attached  to  Col.  Berdan's  command. 
"With  them  he  participated  in  the  engage- 
ment at  Hanover  Courthouse,  after  which 
he  was  transferred  to  the  First  Minnesota 
Infantry,  joining  them  at  Fair  Oaks  in  June. 
He  participated  in  all  the  bloody  battles  of 
the  Chickahominy  swamps,  and  in  all  others 
in  which  the  famous  First  Minnesota  was 
engaged,  except  Antietam  and  Fredericks- 
burg, up  to  the  time  he  was  taken  prisoner 
at  Ream's  Station,  August  24, 1864.  He  was 
also  in  the  battles  of  the  "Wilderness,  Spots- 
sylvania,  North  Anna,  Cold  Harbor,  Deep 
Bottom  and  Petersburg.  He  was  an  inmate 
of  the  rebel  prison  pens  of  Libby  and 
Belle  Isle,  Va.,  and  Salisbury,  N.  C.,and  was 
then  taken  back  to  Richmond  and  paroled, 
reaching  the  Federal  lines  March  13,  1865, 
nearly  three  months  after  his  time  of  enlist- 
ment had  expired.  He  was  then  in  a  shock- 
ing state  of  health,  and  was  sent  to  Annap- 
olis, Md.,  to  the  parole  camp,  and  from  there 


to  Columbus  and  St.  Louis  in  a  box  car. 
There  getting  a  furlough  he  came  as  far  as 
Chicago,  where  he  became  much  worse  in 
health,  entered  the  hospital  and  lay  there 
very  low.  Recovering  to  some  extent  he 
reached  St.  Paul,  where  he  received  his  dis- 
charge. For  two  years  succeeding  the  war 
he  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  business  at 
Faribault,  Minn.,  and  then  came  to  this 
county  and  engaged  in  farming,  he  having 
lately  purchased  the  farm  of  Philo  "Wood- 
raff,  and  now  has  160  acres  of  land,  fifty  of 
which  is  under  cultivation.  February  7, 1886, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna  Olena 
Seim,  whose  parents  are  natives  of  Norwa}'. 
They  are  the  parents  of  one  child,  Theodore, 
born  March  22,  1887. 

E.  J.  "Wolf  was  born  in  AVheeling,  Cook 
County,  111.,  April  5,  1858,  and  resided  thei'e 
until  he  was  some  four  j'ears  old,  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Goodhue  County,  Minn., 
settling  upon  a  farm,  where  his  father  still 
lives,  the  mother  dying  December  20,  1886. 
In  1879  E.  J.  "Wolf  went  to  Lincoln  County, 
this  State,  and  took  up  a  claim  of  160  acres 
of  land,  which  he  afterward  sold  and  then 
came  to  Waseca  County  and  purchased  the 
farm  on  section  2,  where  he  now  lives.  In 
March,  1883,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Barbara  Bollenbach,  born  in  Rice  County, 
Minn.,  August  5,  1859.  They  have  had  born 
to  them  one  child,  Alice,  now  two  yeai's  of 
age.  Mr.  "Wolf  has  seven  brothers  and  two 
sisters  living,  and  his  wife  six  brothers  and 
five  sisters.  Her  parents  are  still  living  in 
Rice  Count}^  both  liaving  passed  their  half 
century  in  age.  Mr.  "Wolf  has  a  most  excel- 
lent farm,  and  thoroughly  understands  hand- 
ling it  to  attain  the  best  results.  i 

Julius  Schuette  was  born  in  Prussia,  Ger-  * 
many,  November  26,  1848,  and  resided  in 
his  native  land  until  he  was  some  five  years  1 1 
of  age,  when  the  family  came  to  America, 
and  for  a  time  lived  in  "Warsaw,  Minn.,  and 
then  came  to  Blooming  Grove  Township. 
The  mother  of  Julius  died  here  in  1868,  the 
father  in  1883,  and  they  are  buried  in  the 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


587 


cemetery  of  the  German  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  together  with  two  of  their  children : 
Augusta,  who  died  in  1870,  and  Charles, 
who  was  killed  in  1885  by  a  load  of  timber 
falling  on  him.  Rev.  Edward  Schuette,  a 
brother  of  Julius,  was  ordained  a  minister  at 
the  early  age  of  twenty,  and  is  now  in  charge 
of  the  German  Episcopal  Church  at  Charles 
City,  Iowa.  In  1878,  at  the  residence  of  the 
bride's  father,  Hon.  John  L.  Saufferer,  Julius 
Schuette  and  Henrietta  Saufferer,  the  eldest 
daughter,  were  united  in  holy  matrimony, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children : 
Arthur  and  Mabel,  deceased.  They  have  a 
very  pleasant  farm,  and  the  land  evinces  a 
high  state  of  cultivation. 

Rev.  J.  C.  Jahn  was  born  in  Prussia,  July 
1, 1839.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  came  to 
America,  landing  at  Baltimore.  From  there 
he  went  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  and  engaged  in  a 
general  store  as  salesman,  which  occupation 
he  followed  for  several  years.  In  1861  he 
enlisted  in  the  First  Minnesota  Cavalry,  and 
was  ordered  from  Fort  Snelling  to  St.  Louis. 
This  regiment  acted  as  bod}' -guard  to  Gen. 
Halleck,  and  participated  in  tlie  battles 
of  Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donaldson,  Shiloh 
and  Granville,  in  the  latter  of  which  he  was 
wounded  by  a  saber-cut  on  the  left  leg  and 
taken  prisoner.  Was  taken  to  Jackson, 
Miss.,  and  Corinth,  and  there  paroled.  He 
was  discharged  in  July,  1863.  He  then 
engaged  again  as  salesman,  and  worked  one 
year.  In  1864  he  was  married  to  Christina 
Hartung,  and  for  a  few  years  thereafter 
followed  farming.  He  then  studied  for  the 
ministry,  and  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Clnirch  in  1870,  and 
took  the  Blooming  Grove  charge  in  1886, 
after  labors  elsewhere.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
the  Erfurt  high  school  and  military  school 
of  Gernlany.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jahn  are  the 
parents  of  ten  children,  six  of  whom  are 
living,  they  having  lost  the  other  four  in 
one  winter,  by  diphtheria. 

Henry  Behne  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Han 
over,  Germany,  April  29,  1839,  and  resided 


in  the  country  of  his  birth  until  1853,  when 
he  and  his  sister,  Mena  Lotweizer,  and  her 
husband  started  across  the  ocean  for  Amer- 
ica's shore.  Landing  in  New  York,  they 
proceeded  to  Will  County,  111.,  where  Mr. 
Behne  worked  out  for  two  years,  and  then 
came  to  Minnesota  and  was  employed  at 
several  places  in  the  vicinity  of  Faribault. 
March  28,  1860,  he  and  Hannah  Mtiller  were 
united  in  matrimony,  and  immediately  after 
he  rented  a  farm  and  tilled  the  soil  thereof 
for  two  years,  and  then  purchased  the  farm 
on  section  15,  in  this  town,  where  he  now 
lives.  Mrs.  Behne  is  the  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick and  Minnie  Miiller,  both  of  whom  died 
in  the  fatherland.  Mr.  Behne  has  a  fine  farm 
of  280  acres  of  land,  and  has  fine  buildings, 
making  his  surroundings  very  pleasant  and 
agreeable,  and,  being  only  six  miles  from 
the  city  of  Waseca,  is  quite  convenient  to 
market  and  store.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Behne  are 
the  parents  of  eight  children:  Henry  W., 
Emma,  now  Mrs.  Henry  Beck ;  George, 
August,  Mary,  Ida,  Willie  and  Louis.  The 
last  named  died  at  the  age  of  eleven  years. 
Mr.  Belme's  parents,  William  and  Sophia 
Behne,  came  to  America  in  1855,  and  located 
in  Will  County,  III.,  but  later  came  to  Steele 
County,  where  the  father  died  in  1876,  and 
where  the  mother  is  still  living  with  her 
youngest  son,  August. 

Henry  Singenstrue  was  born  in  Oelber, 
Germany,  November  16,  1821,  where  he 
lived  until  1852,  when  he  sailed  for  America, 
landing  in  New  Orleans.  From  there  he 
went  to  Cincinnati,  and  stayed  about  six 
months,  then  to  Newport,  Ky.,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year.  In  1854  he  came  to  Red 
Wing,  Minn.,  and  bought  a  claim  that  had 
been  taken  up,  and  remained  on  this,  making 
improvements,  for  about  two  years.  He 
then  rented  it  for  two  years,  he  having  ob- 
tained the  appointment  as  misionary  of  the 
German  Methodist  Episco2)al  Society.  This 
latter  he  followed  for  sixteen  years,  his  work 
calling  him  part  of  the  time  to  Wisconsin, 
and  as  far  north  in  Minnesota  as  the  Indian 


588 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


agencj',  which  was  at  that  time  near  what  is 
now  the  village  of  Kedwood  Falls.  Mr.  Sin- 
genstrue  was  married  in  September,  1861,  to 
Salome  Eider,  a  native  of  Switzerland.  They 
have  had  born  to  them  three  children :  Amelia 
born  September  11,  1862 ;  Berta,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  eleven  months,  and  Lydia, 
born  November  23, 1866.  Amelia  and  Lydia 
are  still  at  home.  Mr.  S.  during  the  summer 
of  1857  assisted  Kev.  Groechtenmeyer  in 
his  labors  in  the  vicinity. 

C.  W.  Knauss  is  the  son  of  Christian  and 
Margaret  (Popp)  Knauss,  and  was  born  in 
Cook  County,  111.,  March  25,  1867.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Alsace,  France,  born 
May  28,  1834.  The  parents  of  Christian 
Sr.  were  engaged  in  the  culture  of  grapes 
and  making  of  wine  in  France,  but  about  1846 
they  emigrated  to  America,  settling  in  Cook 
County,  111.,  where  they  died.  Christian 
Sr.  came  to  Minnesota  about  1881.  He  was 
the  father  of  nine  children  :  John,  Charles, 
Christian  W.,  Henry,  William,  Bertha,  Car- 
rie, died  in  Illinois  ;  Benjamin  and  Edward. 
John,  the  eldest  son,  was  married  to  Anna 
Wolf  in  1884,  and  they  have  one  child, 
Esther ;  Charles  is  a  blacksmith  in  St.  Paul ; 
C.  W.  has  the  general  management  of  the 
home  farm,  and  resides  with  his  father  and 
mother  in  a  fine  brick  residence  built  in 
1876,  and  suri'ounded  by  a  fine  barn  and 
other  farm  buildings.  The\'  have  280  acres 
of  land,  ISO  of  which  are  under  cultivation. 

Christian  Sutter,  an  enterprising  agri- 
culturist who  owns  some  two  hundred 
and  nine  acres  of  fine  land  on  section 
8,  Blooming  Grove  Township,  was  born 
in  the  village  of  Bergen,  in  the  can- 
ton of  Berne  Oberamt,  Arrsberg,  Switz- 
erland, May  6,  1842.  In  1851  the  family, 
consisting  of  the  father,  mother  and  six  chil- 
dren, came  to  the  United  States,  landing  in 
New  York.  From  there  they  came  west  as 
far  as  Joliet,  111.,  where  they  settled  and 
where  the  old  folks  died,  the  father  in  1852, 
tlie  mother  in  1872.  Christian  remained  at 
home   until  August  13,    1862,  when  he  en- 


listed under  Capt.  H.  P.  Goddard  in  Com- 
pany H,  One  Hundreth  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  participated  in  all  the  marching  and 
engagements  of  that  celebrated  regiment. 
Among  the  latter  may  be  mentioned  those 
of  Stone  River  bridge,  Chattanooga,  Chicka 
mauga.  Lookout  Mountain,  Hatchie  Eiver, 
Missionary  Ridge,  Dalton,  Resaca,  Atlanta, 
Jonesboro,  Lovejoy's  Station,  Columbia, 
Franklin  and  Nashville.  He  was  mustered 
out  at  Nashville,  June  12,  1865,  and  at  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  on  the  3d  of  July  following,  re- 
ceived his  pay  and  final  discharge,  and  re- 
turned to  Will  County,  111.,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  for  a  year,  and  in  1866  came 
to  Waseca  Count}'.  March  16, 1868,  he  was 
married  to  Caroline  F.  A.  Canne,  who  was 
born  March  16,  1849,  by  whom  he  has  had 
ten  children :  Ida  A.,  born  April  28,  1871  ; 
Charles  F.,  born  June  2,  1872.;  Emma  H., 
born  September  21,  1873;  Albert  J.,  born 
February  6,  1875 ;  Edward  O.,  October  19, 
1876;  Christian  B.,  born  June  27,  1878; 
Clara  L.,  born  March  26,  1880  ;  Amelia  P., 
born  January  6,  1882;  Benjamin  F.,  Janu- 
ary 7,  1884,  and  Caroline,  born  December 
30,  1885. 

John  Leonard  Bahr  was  born  in  Saxony, 
(-rermany,  August  18,  1847,  where  he  lived 
until  1853,  when  he,  with  his  parents  and 
two  sisters,  sailed  for  America  and  located 
in  Waukesha  County,  Wis.,  where  they  lived 
until  1867,  when  they  immigrated  to  Minne- 
sota, locating  in  Deerfield  Township,  Steele 
Count}',  his  father  purchasing  a  farm  on 
section  18  of  that  town.  John  L.  remained 
at  home  until  1873.  March  26,  1872,  he 
married  Julia  Reineke,  the  ceremony  tak- 
ing place  at  the  residence  of  Henry  Reineke, 
the  bride's  brother.  After  leaving  home  in 
1873,  Mr.  Bahr  jiurchased  a  farm  on  section 
18,  in  Deerfield  Township,  where  he  lived 
four  years  and  then  purchased  the  160-acre 
farm  on  section  15,  Blooming  Grove  Town- 
ship, Waseca  County,  where  he  still  resides. 
They  have  had  born  to  them  six  children  : 
Matilda,  born  February  17,  1873 ;  Henrietta, 


c.-'Jco:^-^       L^!^^.:^?/^^^^?-^'^-^^^ 


foECEASEOj 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COIINTT. 


591 


born  March  7,  1875 ;  George,  born  October 
8,  1876  ;  Lydia,  born  September  21,  1878 : 
Carl,  born  February  12,  1881,  and  Amanda, 
born  February  20,1885,  all  of  whom  are  living. 

"While  on  the  road  from  New  York  City 
to  Waukesha  County,  Mr.  Nicholas  Bahr, 
father  of  John,  on  the  train  had  the  misfor- 
tune of  losing  by  death  a  small  daughter  two 
and  one-half  j'ears  old.  When  the  officers 
of  the  road  found  that  the  child  was  dead 
they  stopped  the  train,  after  they  had  left 
Detroit  about  five  miles,  and  insisted  on  his 
leaving  the  train  with  the  child,  which  he 
did,  carrying  the  dead  body  to  Detroit,  and 
there  buried  it  the  next  day. 

Mr.  J.  L.  Bahr's  parents  are  both  living 
and  are  residents  of  Deerfield,  Steele  County, 
on  the  farm  where  they  first  located.  Mr. 
Bahr  had  two  sisters,  and  one  brother  who 
was  born  in  Waukesha  County,  Wis.,  April 
7,  1858,  and  who  is  now  a  resident  of  section 
18,  Deerfield  Township,  Steele  County.  The 
remaining  sister  is  also  a  resident  of  Deer- 
field, now  the  wife  of  Geo.  Gleichmann.  Mrs. 
John  L.  Bahr  has  three  brothers  living ; 
two  are  residents  of  Deerfield  and  the  other 
is  living  in  Morristown,  Rice  County.  Her 
mother  lives  with  the  brother  in  Morris- 
town.  The  father  died  in  Deerfield  in  1862, 
and  is  buried  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
cemetery  at  Blooming  Grove. 

Ernest  Nordmier  is  a  native  of  Hesse, 
Germany,  born  March  2,  1843.  He  resided 
in  the  country  of  his  birth  until  he  was  fifteen 
years  old,  when  in  company  with  his  sister 
Mena,  now  Mrs.  Christopher  Eommal,  of 
Iowa,  he  came  to  America.  His  mother 
died  in  Germany  in  1860,  and  is  buried  at 
Bassingfeld.  The  father  came  to  America 
and  died  in  Lake  County,  111.,  in  1864,  and  is 


buried  there.  Mr.  Nordmier  has  three  broth- 
ers still  in  the  old  country,  as  is  also  one  sis- 
ter ;  two  brothers,  William  and  Fred.,  live  in 
Big  Stone  County,  this  State ;  another  brother, 
Henry,  lives  in  Lake  County,  111.  Mr. 
Nordmier  was  married  in  1868  to  Gottlieben 
Oehler,  a  native  of  Wurtemburg,  Germany, 
and  they  have  been  the  parents  of  eight 
cliildren :  Ernest,  Willie,  Lydia,  Bertha, 
Amelia,  Mena,  Louisa,  Emma,  and  one  that 
died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Nordmier  has  a  fine 
farm  of  180  acres  of  land,  100  of  which  is 
under  cultivation.  He  is  also  the  owner  of 
some  fine  grade  stock,  and  is  nicely  fixed. 

Louis  Beisner  was  born  in  Hesse,  Germany, 
January  25,  1837,  where  he  lived  until  sev- 
enteen years  of  age.  Then  he  and  his  brother 
Henr}'^  and  two  sisters  sailed  for  America. 
Landing  in  New  York,  they  came  to  Cook 
County,  111.,  where  they  did  a  farming  busi- 
ness for  ten  or  twelve  years.  During  this 
time,  in  the3'ear  1861,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Minnie  Roper.  In  1866,  he  and 
his  family  moved  overland  to  Waseca 
County,  locating  in  Blooming  Grove  Town- 
ship, purchasing  a  farm  on  section  11,  where 
he  still  resides.  They  have  had  born  to 
them  eight  children  :  Henry,  born  February 
9,  1863 ;  Charles,  November  30,  1864,  died 
June  2,  1880;  Louis,  born  June  13,  1868, 
died  May  19,  1880 ;  Emar,  born  March  13, 
died  April  11,  1867  ;  Mena,  April  11,  1871, 
died  May  12,  1880 ;  Emma,  born  November 
25,  1873,  died  May  9,  1880;  Willie,  born 
May  24,  1876,  died  May  18, 1880,  and  Eddie, 
born  May  1,  1880.  Mr.  Beisner's  father 
died  in  Germany.  He  has  two  brothers  in 
Kansas ;  one  sister,  Mrs.  Mena  Kruger,  in 
Cook  County,  111.,  and  one  sister  died  in 
Illinois,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two. 


34 


CHAPTER  XX. 


OTISCO  TOWNSHIP. 


JHE  territory  embraced  in  the 
township  of  Otisco  is  designated 
on  the  survey  plats  as  township 
106  north,  range  22  west.  It  lies 
upon  the  eastern  line  of  the 
county, the  second  from  the  south 
edge.  The  most  of  the  surface  of 
this  portion  of  the  county  is  mod- 
erately rolling,  although  it  some- 
times becomes  quite  hilly.  Scattered  drift 
hills  and  mounds  of  the  morainic  belt  are 
largel}'^  predominant  througliout  a  portion, 
and  in  part  these  tracts  are  pretty  well 
sprinkled  with  boulders,  remains  of  the  gla- 
cial period. 

The  soil,  the  rich,  dark  loam  of  southern 
Minnesota,  yields  abundantlj'  to  a  generous 
cultivation,  and  some  of  the  finest  land  in 
this  part  of  the  State  is  to  be  found  here. 
"Well  drained  by  the  Le  Sueur  Kiver  and  its 
tributaries,  ample  facilities  are  also  afforded 
by  these  streams  and  the  smaller  affluents 
for  the  purpose  of  watering  stock.  Groves 
of  timber  dot  its  surface  and  follow  the 
course  of  the  rivers  and  creeks,  diversifying 
the  view  and  adding  materially  to  the 
wealth  and  natural  resources  of  Otisco. 

EARLY  SETfLKMENT. 

In  April,  1S55,  two  brothers,  William  and 
George  Kobbins  by  name,  came  to  the  little 
settlement  in  this  county,  and  took  up  claims 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Le  Sueur  River,  oppo- 
site tiie  site  of  the  village  of  Wilton,  but  in 
this  township.  These  were  the  first  settlers 
in  Otisco.  In  the  summer  of  1856  they  sold 
their  claims  to  Watters  and  Chamberlain.  In 
a  short  time  after  this  they  removed  west  to 
the  Blue  Earth  County,  where  one  of  them 
still  lives. 


Michael  Anderson  settled  in  what  is  now 
Otisco,  in  July,  1855.  Mr.  Anderson  was 
a  native  of  Norway,  a  fine  man,  and  a  leader 
among  his  countrymen  here.  About  eight 
years  ago  he  left  here  and  is  now  in  Clay 
County. 

Burgiff  Oleson  was  the  next  to  make  a 
settlement  in  the  territory  now  known  as 
Otisco,  coming  here  in  the  fall  of  1855,  and 
settling  on  section  32,  where  he  preempted 
160  acres  of  land,  where  he  now  lives.  He 
has  added  many  improvements  to  the  place 
in  the  way  of  a  fine  residence,  good  out-build- 
ings and  an  excellent  barn  46x6-1  feet  in  size. 
He  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  February 
21,  1828,  and  came  to  America  in  May,  1851. 
Settling  in  Dodge  County,  Wis.,  at  first,  he 
was  there  married,  September  16,  1855,  to 
Julia  Anderson,  who  was  born  in  Norway, 
March  14-,  1837.  They  then  came  to  this 
count}'  as  above  stated.  They  have  lived 
here  ever  since,  and  have  been  the  parents  of 
twelve  children :  Ole,  born  July  6,  1856 ; 
Andrew,  born  November  19, 1858,  died  Octo- 
ber 7,  1861 ;  Christian,  born  March  6,  1865, 
died  March  12,  1865 ;  Julia,  born  February 
4,  1861,  died  February  6,  1861;  Christian, 
born  April  22,  1866,  died  March  8,  1874. 
Andrew,  born  August  29,  1862 ;  Sarah, 
November  9, 1868  ;  Julia,  September  4, 1870 ; 
Mary,  October  19,  1873 ;  Christian,  Novem- 
ber 4,  1876;  Sophia,  October  10,  1879,  and 
Julius,  June  16,  1883.  The  first  year  Mr. 
Oleson  spent  in  this  county,  his  shanty,  which 
was  covered  with  a  hay  roof,  was  burned 
down  a  bitter  cold  day  in  the  middle  of  that 
cold  winter,  and  his  wife  froze  her  hands 
severely  in  going  to  her  neighbor,  Michael 
Anderson's.     During  the   war  Mr.   Oleson 


593 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COtTNTY. 


593 


was  drafted  into  the  arra^^but  the  town  rais- 
ing the  requisite  number  of  men  by  substi- 
tutes, he  was  not  compelled  to  go  to  the 
front. 

The  next  to  make  a  settlement  here  were 
Robert  and  Hugh  McDougal,  who  came  here 
in  the  fall  of  ISoo,  and  took  up  their  claims 
on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  6,  where 
they  put  up  a  cabin  and  kept  "  bach." 

Robert  McDougal  was  born  amid  the  high- 
lands of  Scotland,  March  26,  1821,  but  when 
he  was  as  yet  but  a  small  boy,  his  parents  left 
their  native  home  and  settled  in  Canada, 
near  where  the  present  town  of  Guelph  now 
stands.  In  this  vast  wilderness  Robert  was 
reared  and  inured  to  the  hardships  of  a 
pioneer  life.  In  1854  he  and  his  brother 
Hugh  came  to  Iowa,  and  in  the  fall  oi  1855 
to  this  place.  Each  entered  a  claim  where 
the  present  McDougal  farm  now  is,  and 
commenced  baching,  for  they  were  both  un- 
married. They,  as  well  as  their  neighbors, 
the  Robbins  boys,  had  filed  their  claims 
without  thinking  of  declaring  their  inten- 
tions  of  becoming  naturalized  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  believing  that  it  could  as  well 
be  done  at  the  time  of  proving  up  their 
claim.  But  this  was  not  strictly  legal,  so 
some  parties  proceeded  to  jump  their  claim, 
Avitli  the  result,  as  is  related  elsewhere  at 
length,  of  being  compelled  to  quit,  them- 
selves. A  few  years  aftei-  this  they  proved 
up  their  claims  and  Hugh  returned  to  Can- 
ada, where  he  still  resides.  Robert,  packing 
up  his  traps,  and  with  a  horse  and  wagon 
started  for  the  western  mountain  mines.  He 
spent  a  year  at  the  mines  at  the  head  of  the 
Saskatchawan  River,  then  crossed  over  the 
Rocky  Mountains  into  Washington  Terri- 
tory, whei'e  lie  remained  until  about  1860. 
After  a  short  visit  here  he  returned  to  Can- 
ada, where  he  remained  several  years.  On 
the  6th  of  April,  1866,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Annie  McKersie,  at  Toronto,  and 
immediately  afterward  came  to  their  farm 
in  this  county.  They  were  the  parents  of 
nine  children  :   Catherine  L.,  born  December 


7,  1866 ;  Annie  R.,  July  22,  1868,  married 
Frank  Erfurth,  January  1,  1886,  and  is  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Anna  M.,  born  March 
10,  1887;  Jeannette  C,  March  26,  1870; 
William  W.,  August  12,  1872  ;  Robert  B., 
June  15,  1874 ;  Maggie  G.,  May  6,  1876 ; 
Bessie  C,  March  1,1878;  Isabella  M.,  No- 
vember i,  1880,  and  Hugh  P.,  April  27, 1882. 
Mr.  McDougal  gave  his  name  to  one  of  the 
creeks  of  this  county.  On  the  15th  of  Jan- 
uaiy,  1S87,  he  was  called  by  death  to  his  re- 
ward beyond  the  grave,  and  his  remains  lie 
buried  in  Wilton  cemetery.  His  wife  has  a 
fine  farm  of  some  two  hundred  acres,  about 
seventy  of  which  are  under  cultivation. 

Ferdinand  Turnacliff  and  his  sons,  Jackson 
and  Delevan,  came  to  Waseca  County  in 
1855,  and  settled  in  this  township.  All  are 
still  residents  of  the  county,  living  in  Wilton 
Township. 

G.  Goetzenberger  settled  on  section  21  in 
this  township,  in  November,  1855,  bringing 
his  family  with  him  from  Galena,  111.  He 
was  a  native  of  Wittemburg,  Germany,  born 
in  1814,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1853.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  the  city  of 
Waseca. 

Bernard  Bunchell,  now  in  Portland,  Ore., 
came  to  this  place  in  1855,  and  remained 
many  years. 

J.  G.  Greening  made  a  settlement  here  in 
1855,  and  remained  here  until  his  death. 

Austin  Abell,  a  native  of  New  York,  came 
to  this  township  in  September,  1855,  and 
made  a  claim.  During  the  war  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Eleventh  Minnesota  Infantry. 
He  took  up  his  claim  on  section  11,  the  place 
now  owned  by  his  cousin,  John  S.  Abell. 
He  is  now  a  resident  of  Winona. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1856,  H.  A.  Mosher 
landed  in  Otisco,  where  he  took  up  a  claim. 
He  was  afterward  identified  with  the  offi- 
cial life  of  the  county,  and  a  sketch  of  him 
is  given  in  the  chapter  relating  to  the  office 
of  register  of  deeds,  which  he  filled  for  many 
years,  dying  while  an  incumbent  of  the 
same  in  1884. 


594 


HISTOKY   OF  WASECA  COUNTY. 


E.  E.  Stearns  came  to  this  township  in  1856 
and  made  a  settlement,  and  is  still  a  resident. 

Ebenezer  B.  Stearns,  one  of  Waseca 
County's  successful  farmers,  is  a  native  of 
Eeedsboro,  Vt.,  born  October  1,  1812.  In 
February,  1817,  the  family  removed  to  On- 
ondaga County,  ]Sr.  Y.,  wliere  he  was  reared. 
When  he  had  attained  manhood  he  adopted 
the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner  and  built 
several  mills  and  other  buildings  while  in  New 
York  State.  In  18-17  he  went  to  Belleville, 
Canada  where  he  was  engaged  in  erecting  a 
mill.  In  June,  1853,  he  came  with  his 
father's  family  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  and 
from  there  came  to  Minnesota  in  1856,  ar- 
riving here  on  the  5th  of  August.  He  settled 
on  160  acres  of  land  on  section  29  and  lived 
thei'B  for  ten  years,  when  he  sold  his  farm  to 
J.  B.  Chapman,  and  moved  to  Lemond  Town- 
ship, Steele  County,  but  after  one  year's  resi- 
dence there,  returned  to  this  town  and  pur- 
chased 210  acres  of  land,  on  section  19, 
where  he  now  lives.  He  has  since  added 
eighty  acres  to  his  farm,  and  now  has  290 
acres  in  all.  August  2, 1851,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Emily  Garrett,  who  was 
born  in  Albany  County,  N.  Y.,  September  7, 
1829.  They  have  had  six  children  as  fol- 
lows :  Susan  Ellen,  born  September  5,  1852, 
Avho  married  Frank  W.  Weed,  January  7, 
1878,  and  died  October  13,  1883  ;  George  B., 
born  December  26,  1854,  married  Jennie  R. 
Weed,  July  18,  1877;  William  H.,  born 
May  26,  1859,  married  Sarah  Arraitage,  a 
native  of  Yorkshire,  England,  IVCay  14, 1884, 
born  December  17,  1857,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1882 ;  Mary  E.,  born  July 
9,  1862,  married  Rev.  Melvin  R.  Baldridge, 
July  11, 1882 ;  Cora  Isabel,  born  April  2, 1865, 
and  Charles  Albert,  born  May  11,  1878.  Mr. 
Stearns  has  held  the  office  of  county  com- 
missioner three  terms,  that  of  town  supervisor 
for  three  terms,  and  justice  of  the  peace 
three  terms.     He  is  a  strong  Prohibitionist. 

J.  A.  Canfield  came  to  Waseca  County  in 
1856,  and  settled  in  Otisco.  He  came  here 
from   Dodge  County,  Wis.,  and   arrived  on 


the  9th  of  June.  He  served  for  many  years 
as  judge  of  the  probate  court  of  this  county, 
but  died  in  Januar}',  1884,  and  is  noticed  at 
length  in  the  chapter  relating  to  State  and 
County  Representation. 

Silas  Grover  came  to  what  is  now  the 
town  of  Otisco  in  1856,  and  taking  up  a 
claim,  settled  there  and  remained  a  resident 
for  many  years.  April  12,  1870,  in  Waseca, 
he  passed  over  to  the  land  beyond  the  grave, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-seven  j'ears. 

William  Smith,  now  a  citizen  of  Dixon, 
111.,  came  here  in  the  fall  of  1856,  and  lived 
here  some  years. 

W.  S.  Baker,  afterward  the  first  treasurer 
of  the  county,  settled  in  Otisco  on  coming 
to  Waseca  County,  in  1856.  A  sketch  of  liim 
is  given  in  Chapter  VIII. 

Harlow  Williams  and  James  Wells,  two 
young  men  and  unmarried,  came  here  in 
1856  and  took  up  claims,  and  after  proving 
up  the  same,  sold  out  and  left  tiiis  county. 

Mr.  Flowers,  the  father  of  Mark  D.  Flow- 
ers, the  State  adjutant-general,  was  a  settler 
here  in  1856.  He  resided  here  but  a  short 
time,  when  he  removed  to  Meriden,  Steele 
County,  and  later  to  St.  Paul. 

Parselus  Young  came  here  in  1856  and 
made  a  claim,  but  moved  away  a  few  years 
later.  During-  the  war  he  enlisted  among  the 
"  brave  boys  in  blue,"  and  rose  to  the  rank 
of  colonel  of  a  colored  regiment. 

H.  G.  Mosher  made  his  first  appearance 
on  the  stage  of  Waseca  County  on  the  10th 
of  October,  1856.  Mr.  Mosher  resided  here 
for  many  years,  filling  several  important 
public  offices,  and  is  mentioned  at  length  in 
that  connection.  The  first  winter  after  Mi\ 
Abell  brought  his  family  here,  H.  G.  Moshei", 
his  wife  and  two  children  lived  in  the  cabin 
of  J.  S.  Abell,  who  also  liad  a  wife  and  two 
children.  This  cabin  was  but  16x20  feet  in 
size  and  was  considerably  crowded. 

AdamBishman,  still  residing  here,  located 
in  Otisco  in  1856.  He  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  March  27,  1824,  and  came  to 
this  country  in  1846. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


595 


Benjamin,  John  and  George  Northup 
came  to  Otisco  in  1S56,  and  for  many  years 
resided  here. 

Zachariah  Ilolbrook  made  a  settlement 
here  in  1856.  He  was  a  native  of  western 
New  York.  He  was  one  of  the  few  men 
who  although  comparatively  uneducated  was 
a  most  excellent  financier.  He  died  in  this 
township  in  March,  1886. 

Ole  Peterson,  a  native  of  Norway,  made  a 
settlement  here  in  1856,  and  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  the  township. 

Charles  Johnson  was  another  of  the  Nor- 
wegian emigrants  that  founded,  a  home  in 
Otisco  Township  in  1856,  and  is  still  a  resi- 
dent here. 

John  S.  Abell,  came  to  Otisco  Township  in 
January,  1857,  and  made  a  claim.  He,  how- 
ever, went  liack  to  Winona,  and  came  here 
again  in  the  spring  of  1858,  and  made  a  per- 
manent settlement.  He  was  a  native  of 
New  York  State,  and  represented  this  dis- 
trict in  the  State  Legislature,  under  which 
head  a  sketch  of  him  in  detail  is  given. 

Edward  Smith  came  here  in  the  spring  of 
1857,  and  made  a  settlement. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  1857,  a  party  con- 
sisting of  S.  A.  Farrington  and  wife,  his 
father,  mother  and  sister,  Franklin  Farring- 
ton, Mrs.  Lincoln,  a  widow  with  five  children, 
Volney  DeWitt  and  wife  and  Michael  Quig- 
gle,  a  young  man,  a  blacksmith  by  trade, 
left  Green  Lake  County,  Wis.,  for  the  wilds 
of  southern  Minnesota.  This  little  comjsany 
of  emigrants  were  embarked  in  five  wagons 
drawn  l:)y  nine  yoke  of  oxen,  and  drove  with 
them  some  cows  and  other  cattle.  Traveling 
westward  through  the  western  part  of  the 
"  Badger  State,"  near  La  Crosse,  they  fell  in 
with  another  band  of  wayfarers,  who  joined 
company  with  them.  These  latter  were 
Daniel  Styles  and  wife,  and  their  son  Elijah 
and  his  wife.  After  a  hard  and  laborious 
trip  they  all  reached  Otisco  safely  on  the 
14th  of  June,  and  at  once  commenced  to 
occupy  the  land.  S.  A.  Farrington  settled 
on  section   25,    where   he  resided  for  many 


years.  He  is  living  in  Wilton  Township  at 
the  present  writing. 

Franklin  Farrington  located  on  section 
24  and  opened  up  a  farm.  He  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Minneapolis.  Their  father  is  still 
living  in  Owatonna. 

Volney  DeWitt  put  up  a  cabin  on  a  por- 
tion of  section  24,  but  afterward  removed 
to  Iowa,  where  he  now  lives. 

Michael  Quiggle  ])ut  up  a  blacksmith  shop 
on  section  26,  the  first  in  the  township. 

Elijah  Styles  settled  down  to  a  farmer's 
life  on  his  claim  on  section  15,  and  lived  here 
until,  during  the  war,  he  enlisted  among 
our  nation's  defenders,  and  fills  a  soldier's 
grave  'neath  the  green  sod  of  the  Sunny 
South,  djang  February  16,  1863.  Daniel 
Styles,  his  father,  died  in  1879,  and  his  body 
rests  peacefully  in  the  Otisco  cemetery. 

During  the  same  spring  of  1857  Philip 
Quiggle,  the  father  of  Michael,  heretofore 
mentioned,  came  here  from  Wisconsin  to  go  to 
work  in  the  shop  of  his  son,  for  he,  too,  was 
a  blacksmith  by  trade.  The  next  year  the 
shop  caught  fire  and  burned  to  the  ground. 
The  old  man,  who  had  but  limited  means, 
thought  it  best  to  g'o  to  Owatonna  to  work 
at  his  trade,  which  he  did,  and  the  next  year 
moved  back  to  Wisconsin. 

Owen  Salisbury  located  here  in  1857.  He 
was  an  old  and  feeble  man,  and  did  not  attempt 
to  do  any  farming,  but  kept  the  postoffice  at 
Otisco.  About  the  year  1860  he  removed  to 
Warsaw,  Minn.,  where  he  kept  a  hotel. 
Later  he  moved  to  Wabasha  County,  where 
he  died. 

Ole  Anderson  came  to  Otisco  Township  at 
an  early  day,  and  preempted  160  acres  of 
land  on  section  35,  and  afterward  purchased 
eighty  acres  more  on  the  same  section.  He 
is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  May  16,  1832, 
and  came  to  the  United  States,  bringing  his 
mother  with  him,  in  1853.  He  first  settled 
in  Wisconsin,  whei'e  he  remained  until  com- 
ing here.  In  1863  he  was  married  in  New 
Iiichland  Townshi))  to  Marj'^  Knutson,  who 
was  born  in   ]Sorway,  August  13,  1843,  and 


596 


HISTOET   OF    WASECA    COITNTY. 


came  to  America  in  1853.  They  have  been 
the  parents  of  thirteen  children :  Ernest, 
born  March  15,  IStil,  married  to  Barbara 
Knutson ;  Julia,  February  26,  1865,  married 
Bank  Evenson  ;  Knute.  born  Octol)er  1, 1866; 
Betsey,  July  29,  1868;  Ole,  February  25, 
1870  ;  Sarah,  February  24,  1872,  died  in 
infancy ;  Severt,  January  7,  1873,  died  in 
infancy;  Severt,  June  11, 1874 ;  Nina,  May  7, 
1876,  died  aged  ten  months ;  Olena,  January 
1,1878  ;  Elbert,  March  23,  1880  ;  Clara,  July 
19,  1882,  and  Minnie,  September  13,  1885. 
Mr.  Anderson  and  family  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics. 

John  Peterson  came  to  the  town  of  Otisco 
in  the  spring  of  1857,  where  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  and  homesteaded  forty 
more.  In  addition  to  this  he  has  bought 
forty  acres  and  now  has  a  farm  of  160  acres, 
all  on  section  28.  He  is  a  native  of  Sweden, 
born  February  6,  1828,  and  came  to  America 
in  1853.  For  the  first  six  months  after  land- 
ing he  was  doing  genei^al  work  in  Chicago, 
and  from  there  he  went  to  Indiana,  where 
he  remained  until  he  came  to  Waseca  County, 
Minn.  Our  sul)ject  was  united  in  marriage 
in  Otisco  Township  witli  Caroline  Larson,  a 
native  of  Sweden,  born  March  11,  1843,  and 
came  to  America  with  her  parents  in  the 
spring  of  1853.  Mr.  Peterson's  parents  died 
in  the  old  country  previous  to  his  leaving 
there ;  Mrs.  Peterson's  parents  live  in  this 
township.  Mr.  and  ]\[rs.  Peterson  have  been 
the  parents  of  nine  children:  Victor  Ed- 
ward, born  November  3,  I860,  and  died  July 
14,  1861 ;  Carl  L.,  April  22, 1862;  Mary  A., 
October  8,  1865  ;  P.  Victor,  July  22,  1867  ; 
John  August,  April  5,  1871;  Helena  Sophia, 
March  3,  1874;  Oscar  Theodore  and  Otto 
Herman,  June  23,  1876 ;  and  Lief,  August 
18,  1879.  Mr.  Peterson  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  has  held  the  offices  of  supervisor, 
assessor  and  treasurer,  the  last  two  for  many 
years.  lie  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his 
right  arm  in  a  thrashing-machine  in  October. 
1875,  but  manages  to  carry  on  his  extensive 


farming  operations  successfully  nevertheless. 

John  Anderson  came  to  Otisco  in  the 
year  1857,  and  made  a  settlement  on  section 
16.  He  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  born  Novem- 
ber 6,  1831.  He  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1853,  and  settled  in  Indiana,  where,  March 
29,1855,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mary  Peterson,  by  whom  he  had  one  child, 
Albert,  born  January  10,  1856.  The  next 
year  after  the  birth  of  his  son,  he  came  to 
AVaseca  County.  In  1863  he  went  to  Roch- 
ester, and  enlisted  in  Company  D,  First  Min- 
nesota Heavy  Artillery.  He  was  with  the 
regiment  until  October,  1865,  when  he  was 
mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  was 
discharged  at  Fort  Snelling.  December  28, 
1881,  his  wife  died,  and  on  the  first  Sunday 
in  October,  1884,  he  was  again  married,  this 
time  to  Anna  Johnson.  He  belongs  to  the 
Lutheran  Mission  Church. 

Moses  Johnson  came  to  Otisco  in  1857, 
and  bought  120  acres  of  land  on  section  27, 
where  he  now  lives.  He  was  born  near 
Stockholm,  Sweden,  December  14,  1831,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  August,  1855. 
He  at  first  located  at  Lafayette,  Ind.,  where 
he  remained  until  coming  to  this  place.  In 
December,  1860,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Christina  Larson,  daughter  of  Lars 
Ilogenson,  of  this  township.  She  was  born 
in  Sweden,  June  10,  1840.  They  have  been 
the  parents  of  the  following  children :  Carl 
Otto,  born  August  26,  1861 ;  Tina,  Septem- 
ber 15,  1863;  Lars  Edward,  March  1,  1866; 
John  Alfred,  September  17,  1869;  Emma 
Matilda,  January  26,  1872;  Herman  Theo- 
dore, December  15,  1874,  and  Oscar  Ren- 
halt,  June  12,  1880.  Mr.  Johnson  has  held 
the  offices  of  town  supervisor  and  road  mas- 
ter. He  is  a  Republican  in  politics,  and  in 
religion  a  Lutheran.  He  carries  on  his  farm 
now,  but  for  some  thirteen  seasons  ran  a 
thrashing  machine,  which  business  he  has 
turned  over  to  his  eldest  son.  Otto. 

Orrin  and  Warren  Bundy  came  to  this 
township  in  tlie  earh^  part  of  1857,  and  in 
July  of  the  same  year,  in  company  with  S. 


HISTOET    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


597 


S.  Goodrich,  laid  out  the  town  site  of  Otisco. 

Orrin  enlisted  during  the  war,  and  died 
in  the  service. 

S.  S.  Goodrich  and  his  two  brothers  came 
here  in  1857,  and  in  July  of  that  year  S.  S. 
was  one  of  the  parties  engaged  in  laying  out 
the  village  of  Otisco.  They  were  also  con- 
nected with  the  store  in  the  village,  but 
removed  from  liere  to  Lyons   County,  Minn. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Yosberg  settled 
here  in  1857,  and  while  here  married  a  Miss 
Goodrich,  and  when  his  father-in-law  re- 
moved to  Lyon  County,  went  with  him. 

Among  the  others  who  came  to  this  town- 
ship in  1857  was  a  man  by  the  name  of  Wy- 
man,  who  resided  here  but  a  few  years, 
when  he  removed  to  McLeod  County. 

William  Ashley  Jones,  a  South  Carolinian, 
took  up  a  claim  on  section  5,  at  a  ver}'  early 
da3%  but  never  made  any  improvements,  and 
soon  removed  to  Winona. 

Two  Germans  by  the  name  of  Michael 
Wanka  and  Wilhelm  Wilke,  came  here  in 
1857,  and  purchased  land  on  section  16,  where 
they  lived  some  years.  They  are  both  now 
in  Olmsted  County. 

Peter  Lindsay  took  up  some  land  in  this 
town  in  1857,  but  his  residence  was  erected 
in  Woodville. 

S.  S.  Griggs  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  year  1858.  He,  in  connection  with  Obert, 
at  one  time  owned  the  sawmill  at  Otisco. 
About  the  year  1861  he  removed  to  Kasota. 
He  never  was  a  farmer  while  here,  being  en- 
gaged only  in  the  lumbering  business. 

John  Nelson  came  to  this  township  in 
1858  and  settled  on  section  28,  on  which  he 
now  lives.  He  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  born 
March  6,  1830.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1853,  and  remained  in  Indiana  for 
some  years,  working  among  the  farmers  of 
that  State.  From  there  he  came  to  Cannon 
Falls,  Minn.,  where  he  arrived  May  25, 1858, 
and  remaining  in  that  place  until  the  24th 
of  the  following  October,  he  then  came 
here,  taking  up  eighty  acres  of  land  with  a 
land  warrant,  to  which  he  has  added  forty 


acres  more  on  section  21,  purchased  of  the 
railroad  company.  He  was  married  in 
Sweden,  in  the  year  1852,  to  Annie  John- 
son, and  they  were  the  parents  of  one  child, 
Hattie,  born  April  27,  1853,  now  the  wife  of 
Frank  Lombard,  living  in  this  town.  On 
the  1st  of  February,  1854,  his  wife  depart- 
ing this  life,  he  lived  alone  until  October, 
1856,  when  he  and  Charlotte  Peterson  were 
united  in  marriage.  They  have  had  born  to 
them  the  following  children  :  P.  August, 
born  in  1863 ;  Charles,  born  April  1,  1871, 
died  February  6,  1873;  Caroline,  born  1873, 
and  William  in  1874  . 

Joseph  Minges  made  a  settlement  in  this 
township  m  1858,  and  is  still  a  resident  of 
the  same.  He  is  noticed  at  length  in  Chapter 
VIII  of  this  work. 

J.  D.  Andrews  came  to  Waseca  Countj^  in 
1858,  and  on  the  3d  of  July  of  that  year 
settled  in  Otisco.  Some  time  after  this  he  en- 
tered into  the  drug  business  at  Wilton,  buying 
the  E.  A.  Smith  store.  In  later  years  he 
was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  in  Duluth, 
but  he  came  back  to  this  county  and  was 
in  the  same  line  in  Janesville,  among  the 
pioneer  merchants  of  the  new  town  of  that 
name.  He  died  at  Madison,  D.  T.,  June 
11,  1887,  having  removed  to  that  Territo- 
ry in  the  fall  of  1878. 

Edwin  S.  Weed,  who  does  a  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising  business  on  the  eighty 
acres  of  land  which  he  owns  on  section  31, 
in  this  township,  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin, 
having  been  born  in  Fond  du  Lac  County, 
September  20,  1858,  and  came  to  this  county 
with  his  parents  the  same  year,  when  but  an 
infant  six  weeks  old.  He  has  remained  in 
this  county  ever  since.  Hei'e  he  was  reared, 
here  he  was  educated,  and  hei-e,  March  16, 
1885,  he  was  married  to  Lida  Kellogg,  and 
here  their  child  Jennie  Laura  was  born. 
Mrs.  Weed  was  born  in  Jackson  County, 
Iowa,  April  18, 1857.  Mr.  Weed  is  a  Eepub- 
lican  in  politics,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem 
by  his  fellow  citizens. 

Albert  Anderson,  who  has  a  a  fine  farm  of 


598 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


160  acres  of  land  on  section  11,  is  a  native  of 
Indiana,  born  January  10,  1857.  His  parents 
were  both  born  in  Sweden,  the  father  in 
December,  1830,  and  the  naotlier  in  January 
of  the  same  year.  When  Albert  was  but 
two  or  three  years  of  age  the  family  came 
to  Otisco  Township,  and  here  he  grew  to 
manliood..  In  the  year  1878,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Ida  Christine  Johnson,  who 
was  born  in  Sweden,  July  8,  1859.  They 
are  the  parents  of  three  children :  Joseph 
Ali)iia,  born  May  5,  1879 ;  Arnst  Walford, 
October  19,  1880,  and  Johanna  Maria, 
April  (i,  1882.  They  belong  to  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  Mr.  Anderson  is  a  Republican 
in  politics. 

Moses  Plummer,  whose  sketch  is  given 
below,  nuule  a  settlement  here  in  the  sjiring 
of  1860. 

Moses  Plummer  (deceased),  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  this  township,  and  one  of  the  indus- 
trious, intelligent  and  thrifty  farmers  who 
have  done  so  much  to  develop  the  resources  of 
the  county,  was  born  among  the  granite  hills 
of  New  Iliunpshire,  in  the  town  of  Sanborn- 
ton,  Belknap  County.  The  date  of  his  birth 
was  December  23,  1817.  He  was  reared  in 
that  county,  farming  part  of  the  time  in  his 
native  town,  and  part  of  the  time  in  the  ad- 
joining one  of  Meredith.  On  November  11, 
IS-t-l-,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Matilda 
S.  Gate,  a  native  of  Meredith,  N.  H.  Shortly 
after  their  marriage  they  moved  to  a  farm 
near  Saubornton,  where  they  resided  a  few 
years  and  then  removetl  to  another  place 
near  by,  where  they  livoil  until  1859.  Mr. 
Plummer  then  sold  out  there  and  moved  to 
Minnesota  and  located  at  first  in  Clinton, 
Steele  County,  whore  tliey  remained  that 
winter,  in  order  to  allow  their  son  George  to 
attend  school.  In  March,  1860,  they  came 
to  Otisco  Township,  this  county,  where  Mr. 
Plummer  purchased  the  farm  on  sections  3 
and  4,  where  Mrs.  Plummer  now  resides,  and 
which  contains  180  acres.  In  1850  Mr. 
Plummer  was  in  the  town  hall  at  Meredith, 
N.  II.,  when  part  of  the  floor  gave  way,  pre- 


cipitating a  part  of  the  300  people  present 
into  the  abyss,  killing  several  and  injuring 
many,  among  the  latter  Mr.  Plummer,  who 
then  received  injuries  that  eventually  killed 
him.  For  some  live  years  previous  to  his 
death  he  was  completely  paralyzed  and 
totally  helpless,  until  released  from  suffering 
by  death  on  the  20th  of  September,  1883. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Plummer  were  the  parents  of 
three  children :  George  C,  born  October  17, 
1845,  who  died  March  17,  1865;  Charles  M., 
born  March  1, 1866,  and  died  November  21, 
1866,  and  Georgia  born  Januray  20, 1870,  now 
in  Owatonna  attending  scliool.  Mr.  Plum- 
mer's  death  was  sadly  mourned  b\'  not  only 
the  family,  but  a  large  circle  of  acquaint- 
ances. He  was  a  man  of  high  moral  char- 
acter, and  patiently  bore  sutl'erings  which 
would  have  shaken  the  faith  of  other  men. 
In  his  day  he  was  an  active  and  influential 
citizen,  and  in  his  affliction  the  county  lost 
the  services  of  a  worthy  man. 

Knud  Hanson  was  also  one  of  the  set- 
tlers of  the  year  1860.  He  is  a  native  of 
Norway,  born  August  24,  1824.  He  re- 
sided in  the  land  of  his  birth  until  he  was 
thirty-six  years  old.  March  15,  1860,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Tollif- 
son,  and  the  29th  of  the  following  July 
sailed  for  America  and  came  direct  to  Otisco 
Township  and  settled,  as  above  stated,  and 
bought  160  acres  of  land  on  section  35, 
where  he  now  lives.  In  1862  Mr.  Hanson 
enlisted  in  Company  F,  Tenth  Minnesota 
Infantry,  and  participated  in  the  Sibley  ex- 
pedition. During  the  winter  of  1862-3  the}' 
were  stationed  at  the  Winnebago  agency, 
and  in  the  spring  started  after  the  Indians, 
defeating  them  five  times.  In  October  he, 
with  the  regiment,  went  to  St.  Louis  to  guard 
prisoners,  and  from  there  to  the  front,  where 
Mr.  Hanson  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Guntown,  Miss.,  and  Nashville,  Tenn.  After 
the  last  battle  he  was  taken  sick,  contract- 
ing rheumatism,  which  troubles  him  much 
to  the  present  time,  and  was  confined  to  the 
hospital  until  he  was  discharged,  when  he 


HI8T0EY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


699 


came  back  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanson 
had  born  to  them  nine  children:  Hans, 
married  in  June,  1882,  to  Anna  Hanson; 
Peter,  Mar^^  Barbara,  Annie,  CaroHne  (de- 
ceased,) Matilda,  Caroline  and  Tollef  M.  Bar- 
bara was  married  December  3, 1886,  to  Ernest 
Oleson.  Mrs.  Hanson  died  May  22,  1886. 
Mr.  Hanson  is  a  Republican  in  politics. 
Halvor  Thorson  was  also  a  settler  of  1860. 

HISTORIC  ITEMS. 

The  first  birth  in  the  township  was  that 
of  a  child  of  Michael  Anderson,  born  in 
July,  1856. 

The  first  marriage  was  that  of  William  F. 
Armstrong  and  Sarah  F.  Farrington,  which 
took  place  July  2, 1858. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  Lillie  J.  Can- 
field,  who  died  August  18, 1859. 

ORGANIC 

At  the  first  organization  of  the  county, 
in  the  spring  of  1857,  all  the  territory  now 
embraced  in  the  townships  of  New  Richland, 
Byron  anil  Vivian,  together  with  the  south 
one-third  of  what  is  now  AVilton  and  Otisco, 
was  oro-anized  into  one  civil  town  under  the 
name  of  Otisco,  but  on  the  5th  of  April, 
1858,  what  now  constitutes  the  town  was  set 
off  and  retained  the  name  it  bears.  The 
first  election  was  held  at  the  house  of  Owen 
Salisbury,  and  that  gentleman,  H.  G.  Mosher 
and  S.  S.  Griggs  were  the  judges  of  the 
election. 

WATEKLYNN. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  1856,  Watters  and 
Chamberlain,  taking  advantage  of  the  trouble 
between  the  settlers  and  the  proprietors  of 
the  town  of  Wilton,  purchased  the  claims  of 
William  and  George  Robbins,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  and  there  laid  out  a  town 
wiiich  they  christened  b}'  the  above  name. 
This  was  right  opposite  the  site  of  Wilton 
and  tiie  owners  expected  it  would  prove  a 
formidable  rival  to  the  prospective  town 
above  named.  A  store  and  a  hotel  were 
erected  that  summer,  the  latter  part  frame 


and  part  log.  But  it  never  amounted  to 
anj'thing ;  the  hotel  was  burned  down  in 
1858,  while  occupied  as  a  residence  of  Wil- 
liam Murphy,  and  a  fine  farm  is  now  found 
upon  the  site  of  this  embryo  town. 

VILLAGE  OF    OTISCO. 

A  village  of  the  above  name  wp.s  laid  out 
in  July,  1857,  by  Warren  Bundy  and  S.  S. 
Goodrich,  but  it  never  amounted  to  very 
much.  Although,  doubtless,  the  proprietors 
indulged  in  golden  di'eams  of  the  prospective 
importance  and  business  prosperity  of  the 
place,  its  history  can  be  summed  up  in  a  few 
words.  Where  once  they  hoped  to  hear  the 
busy  whir  of  machinery,  or  the  ceaseless  hum 
of  commercial  activity,  now  I'esounds  only 
to  the  low  of  kine  or  whistle  of  the  plow- 
boy  at  his  work,  and  is  covered  with  nod- 
ding corn  or  bending  grain.  In  its  infancy 
it  was  nothing,  and  at  its  prime  it  had  but 
the  sawmill,  a  store  and  the  postoffice. 

The  sawmill  was  erected  in  the  fall  of 
1857  by  Daniel  and  Gould  Grover,  two  sons 
of  Silas  Grover,  who  ran  it  but  a  short  time, 
when  it  was  purchased  by  Griggs  &  Obert. 
After  a  time  it  again  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Gould  Grover,  who  was  killed  in  the  mill, 
when  it  became  the  proi)erty  of  Eno  & 
Beatty,  but  they  becoming  unpopular  left  it, 
and  the  dam  going  out,  the  mill  fell  into  de- 
cay and  went  to  pieces. 

A  small  store,  the  stock  consisting  of  gro- 
ceries, clothing,  etc.,  was  started  by  the 
Goodriches,  at  Otisco,  in  the  latter  part  of 
1857.  It  was  but  a  small  affair  and  did  not 
last  any  length  of  time. 

The  postoffice  was  established  in  1857, 
and  Owen  Salisbury  was  the  first  postmaster. 

PROMINENT   PEOPLE. 

Sketches  of  some  of  the  more  prominent 
representative  people  of  Otisco  Township  are 
given  here  as  indicative  of  the  general  popu- 
lation. 

Roger  B.  Wood,  one  of  the  enterprising 
and  intelligent  agriculturists  of  this  township, 


600 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COrNTT. 


resides  on  section  31,  on  the  farm,  part  of 
which  he  purchased  in  1869,  and  which  con- 
tains 354  acres,  he  having  sold  some  six  acres 
to  the  railroad  company.  He  is  a  native  of 
Stormont  County,  Ontario,  born  June  1, 
1842,  and  was  reared  in  the  country  of  his 
birth.  In  1862,  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  for  two  years  remained  in  Eiga, 
Monroe  County,  N.  Y.  From  there  he  re- 
moved to  Oil  City,  Pa.,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  blacksmith  trade  for  some  two 
years,  when  he  came  west  and  worked  at  his 
trade  in  Owatonna,  for  Philip  Shuester,  but 
only  staved  one  month,  coming  to  Waseca 
Village  where  he  opened  a  blacksmith  shop 
of  his  own  and  there  lived  until  April  1, 
1871,  when  he  moved  on  his  farm.  Decem- 
ber 15,  1869,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Parmelia  Smith,  in  Byron  Township.  She 
was  born  at  Oak  Grove,  Dodge  County,  Wis., 
February  1,  1852,  and  came  to  Minnesota 
Avith  her  parents  in  1866.  The  family  settled 
in  Goodhue  County,  but  a  year  later  came 
to  Byron  Townsiiip,  this  county,  where  the 
father  died  in  February,  1881 ;  the  mother 
lives  near  Alma  City.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood 
have  been  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Jessie  J.,  born  August  27,  1871 ;  Ben- 
jamin W.,  born  January  19,  1873;  James 
A.,  January  13,  1875  ;  John  W.,  born  Octo- 
ber 26, 1881,  died  November  12, 1883 ;  Roger 
G.,  born  March  28, 1878  ;  Edna  Jennie  Grace, 
July  1,  1883,  and  Robert  A.,  December  7, 
1885.  Mr.  Wood  is  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Wesleyan  Church,  and 
are  ardent  prohibitionists. 

Samuel  Leslie,  one  of  the  leading  farmers 
of  this  town,  is  a  native  of  Essex  County,  N. 
Y.,  born  September  9,  1837.  He  came  to 
Minnesota  in  November,  1866,  and  helped 
plat  the  city  of  Waseca  in  the  spring  and 
summer  of  1867,  and  lived  in  that  beautiful 
city  until  about  1870,  when  he  moved  to 
Otisco  Township,  on  section  4,  where  he  now 
resides,  and  where  he  has  240  acres  of  ver}^ 
fine  land.     His  buildings  are  first  class,  and 


are  surrounded  with  a  fine  grove  and  orchard. 
All  this  jjrosperity  is  the  result  of  his  own 
industry,  he  having  settled  here  on  the  wild 
prairie,  and  by  labor  and  perseverance  he  has 
made  a  beautiful  home.  He  was  married 
September  23,  1860,  to  Mar}'  E.  Sisson,  and 
the}'  have  been  the  parents  of  ten  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  living :  Jennie  M.,  born 
December  6,  1861,  married  to  C.  G.  Mosher, 
February  10,  1886,  and  has  one  child,  Ruth 
F.,  born  in  December,  1886 ;  Frank  J.,  born 
October  6,  1863;  Herbert  J..  February  7, 
1866;  Ptalph  B.,  Apnl  7,  1869;  Mark  P., 
June  6,  1871,  and  Ella,  July  12,  1S75. 

Joseph  T.  Dunn,  who  resides  on  his  highly 
cultivated  farm  on  section  4  in  this  township, 
is  a  native  of  Park  County,  Ind.,  born  No- 
vember 21,  1855.  He  is  the  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Mary  J.  (Baird)  Dunn,  both  natives 
of  Ireland,  the  former  born  March  31,  1823, 
and  died  March  20,  1884;  the  latter  born  in 
1819,  and  died  in  September,  1871.  When 
Joseph  was  but  one  year  old  the  family  came 
to  this  county,  settling  on  section  35,  Wood- 
ville  Township,  where  they  were  among  the 
earliest  settlers.  In  this  county  he  was 
reared,  and  he  remained  at  home  with  his 
parents  until  after  the  death  of  his  mother, 
when  he  commenced  life  for  himself.  March 
21,  1877,  he  and  Lena  Beck  were  united  in 
marriage,  at  Owatonna.  The  following  sum- 
mer he  rented  a  farm  in  Wilton  Township, 
where  he  raised  one  crop,  and  then  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  in  Woodville  Township, 
where  he  lived  until  the  spring  of  1881.  He 
then  purchased  120  acres  on  section  24, 
Otisco,  but  five  years  later  he  bought  the 
place  where  he  now  lives,  selling  the  farm  on 
section  24  to  James  M.  Dunn.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dunn  are  the  parents  of  three  children : 
Joseph  II..  born  January  9,  1878;  Anna, 
December  31,  1879,  and  Martha,  November 
2,  1SS3.  Mr.  Dunn  does  a  general  farming 
and  stock-raising  business,  and  owns  a  fine 
horse  of  the  Norman  Percheron  breed. 

H.  O.  Robbins  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,    N.  Y.,    April  15,    1844,    and    re- 


* 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


601 


sided  with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  when  he  moved  to  Wiscon- 
sin, but  after  five  years'  residence  there  he 
came  to  Wilton,  Minn.,  where  he  spent  about 
eighteen  months.  From  there  he  went  to 
the  city  of  Waseca,  where  he  remained  two 
years  and  a  half.  The  next  three  years  were 
spent  on  his  father's  farm  on  section  IG,  this 
township.  He  then  removed  to  Meriden, 
Steele  County,  but  two  years  later  came  back 
to  the  farm,  which  he  is  now  working  for 
his  father  on  shares.  He  is  doing  a  general 
farming  and  stock-raising  business,  and  has 
a  herd  of  some  twelve  head  of  cattle,  two 
horses,  besides  other  stock.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  July  20,  1871,  in  Waseca  with 
Sarah  Ellis,  who  was  born  November  21, 
1852.  They  have  been  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Oora  A.,  born  April  19,  1872; 
Edwin  II.,  October  4, 1873,  and  Erskine  A., 
August  14,  1882.  Mr.  Robbins  has  filled  the 
offices  of  school  director  and  clerk,  and  con- 
stable and  road  overseer,  and  is  a  Prohibi- 
tionist. 

Asa  Robbins,  father  of  H.  O.  Robbins,  was 
born  in  the  State  of  New  York  in  1811.  On 
the  5th  of  February,  1838,  he  was  married  to 
Hulda  A.  Chapman.  She  was  born  January 
9,  1815,  and  died  on  the  10th  of  December, 
1885. 

William  Kugath  waS  born  in  Germany, 
April  27,1857,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1873.  He  came  to  Chicago  on  first  land- 
ing, and  there  he  remained  for  six  years,  and 
then  came  to  Waseca  County,  and  worked 
for  different  parties  inOtisco  Townsliip  until 
1883,  when  he  purchased  160  acres  of  land 
on  section  12,  in  this  town,  where  he  now 
lives.  His  parents  came  to  this  country  in 
1881,  and  are  now  keeping  house  for  him. 
He  was  a  poor  man  when  he  came  here  but 
lie  now  has  a  good  farm,  well  improved  and 
well  stocked,  and  is  in  good  shape  financially. 
He  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and  a  Luth- 
eran in  religion. 

Gustaf  Johnson  was  born  in  Sweden, 
November  25,  1831,  and  lived  in  that  coun- 


try until  coming  to  the  United  States.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Johanna  John- 
son, a  native  of  Sweden,  born  in  1831. 
They  came  direct  from  their  native  land  to 
Otisco  Township,  where  Mr.  Johnson  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land  on  section  2, 
where  he  now  lives.  They  are  the  parents 
of  six  children :  Christina,  born  July  6, 
1859;  Charles,  born  April  24,  1861;  Oscar, 
born  January  28, 1864  ;  Hilda,  born  August 
21,  1866;  John,  born  February  5,  1871,  and 
Edwin,  born  December  15,  1872.  All  are 
living  in  this  township  except  Oscar,  who  is 
in  Idaho.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  and  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics. 

Otto  Hanson  was  born  in  Norway,  March 
16, 1850,  and  came  to  the  United  States  with 
his  parents  in  1867.  His  father  died  here 
October  1,  18S5,  his  mother  in  1869,  and 
both  are  buried  in  Otisco  cemetery.  He  was 
married  in  Wisconsin,  March  15,  1874,  to 
Ellen  Thompson,  when  he  moved  to  eighty 
acres  of  land  on  section  24,  that  he  had 
previously  bought.  He  lived  there  awhile 
and  then  sold  it  and  purchased  360  acres  on 
sections  14  and  23,  on  which  he  has  put  up 
a  fine  house  and  a  barn  32x88 -feet  in  size, 
with  a  wing  to  it  16x24  and  granary  and 
other  outbuildings.  When  he  came  here 
he  was  a  poor  man,  having  nothing  and 
owing  $35  for  his  passage  over  the  water,  but 
he  went  to  work  for  a  farmer  and  worked 
three  weeks  for  $5.  He  then  hired  out  to 
work  through  haying  and  harvest  for  $13 
per  month,  and  from  that  on  up  until  he  is 
now  in  good  comfortable  circumstances, 
brought  about  mainly  by  his  own  industry 
and  thrift.  He  and  Mrs.  Hanson  are  the 
parents  of  five  children :  Martin,  born  July 
7,  1875;  Helena  Sophia,  born  September  27, 
1876;  Emil,  born  May  19, 1878;  Mena,  born 
January  16,  1880,  and  Henry  Oscar,  born 
January  13,  1884.  lie  and  his  family  belong 
to  the  Lutheran  Church. 

James  Irwin  was  born  in  County  Armagh, 
Ireland,  in   May,    1828,   and   came   to   the 


602 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


United  States  for  the  fii-st  time,  in  184-9.  He 
worked  on  a  farm  in  New  Jerse\',  near  Had- 
donfield,  for  five  years,  and  then  returned 
to"  Ireland,  but  one  year  Later  came  back,  and 
came  west  to  "Wisconsin,  where  he  bought  a 
farm  of  John  G.  Pease,  at  La  Prairie,  south 
of  Janesville.  April  31,  1860,  he  was  mar- 
ried at  Watertown,  Wis.,  to  Sarah  Fitz- 
patrick,  and  moved  to  his  farm,  where  he 
had  built  a  house  and  sunk  a  well  eighty-one 
feet  deep.  He  lived  there  awhile  when  he 
sold  out  and  purchased  eighty  acres  of  land 
near  Watertown,  where  he  lived  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  enlisted  in  the  Sixteenth  Illi- 
nois Infantry  and  went  to  the  front.  While 
at  Chickasaw,  Ala.,  they  lost  fifty-two  men 
by  the  close  fire  of  the  rebels,  but  he  escaped 
scot-free.  He  was  discharged  in  April,  1865, 
and  having  no  money  Capt.  Warren  of  his 
regiment  took  his  discharge  and  an  order  on 
the  paymaster,  and  let  him  have  the  money, 
jjromising  to  send  liis  discharge,  which  he 
has  failed  j'et  to  do.  He  came  home,  arriv- 
ing there  about  a  week  before  the  assassina- 
tion of  President  Lincoln.  He  remained 
on  his  farm  in  Wisconsin  until  1870,  when 
he  came  to  this  county,  arriving  here  April 
IS,  and  purchased  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  25,  this  town.  Tliey  have  had  five 
children  born  to  them :  George,  born  May 
3,  1861;  William  John,  born  February  20, 
1863  ;  Mary  Ann,  born  October  8,  1865,  died 
July  29,  1880 ;  James,  born  January  28, 
1868,  and  Patrick  Thomas,  born  March  14, 
1870.  These  were  all  born  in  Wisconsin. 
The  family  are  all  members  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  he  is  a  Democrat  politically. 

Johnny  Larson  was  born  in  Sweden, 
April  2,  1849,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
with  his  parents  in  1853.  They  remained 
for  a  short  time  at  West  Point,  Ind.,  and 
then  removed  to  Attica,  in  the  same  State. 
From  the  latter  place  they  moved  to  this 
county,  where  the  father  purchased  some 
forty  acres  of  land  on  section  21,  this  town- 
ship. Here  Johnny  Larson  lived  with  his 
father,    working  on  the  farm  until   he  was 


twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  was  mai'- 
ried  to  Clara  Matilda  Johnson,  and  pur- 
chased 160  acres  of  land  Avhere  he  now  lives. 
At  that  time  the  place  was  but  little  im- 
proved, but  he  now  has  nearly  ninety  aci-es 
under  cultivation,  with  a  good  house,  barn, 
granar}',  etc.,  and  the  buildings  are  sur- 
rounded by  a  fine  grove.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Larson  have  one  child,  Charles  Arvid,  born 
March  14,  1871.  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Larson  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a 
Republican. 

C.  Bauman  who  has  a  fine  farm  of  200 
acres  on  sections  19  and  20.  this  township, 
is  a  native  of  West  Prussia,  Germany, 
born  August  12,  1833.  He  lived  in  the  land 
of  his  nativity  for  many  years,  and  there, 
July  2,  1860,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Wilhelmina  Tesch,  who  was  born  in 
the  same  part  oT  Europe,  February  7,  1837. 
They  immigrated  to  America  in  1871,  and 
came  at  once  to  Waseca  County,  and  rented 
a  farm  for  some  three  years,  when  he  bought 
his  present  place.  When  they  came  over  to 
this  country,  many  of  the  passengers  had 
cholera,  and  some  eight3'-five  of  them  died, 
three  of  their  children,  John,  Anna  and 
Mary,  among  them.  Mrs.  Bauman  died  June 
3,  1885,  leaving  six  children  :  Otto,  born 
December  2,  1861 ;  Frank,  born  October  4, 
1863  ;  Carl,  born  March  4,  1873;  Elizabeth, 
born  Jul}'  2,  1876 ;  Clara  Augusta,  born 
August  2,  1878,  and  Gustave,  born  Septem- 
ber 2,  1886. 

Mrs.  Christine  Spoonburg,  widow,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Johnson,  was  born  in 
Sweden,  February  4:,  1837.  She  came  to 
America  in  1869,  with  her  brother  and  sis- 
ter, tlie  former  of  whom  lives  in  Davenport, 
Iowa,  and  the  latter  in  Waseca.  Christine 
Johnson  was  mai-ried  to  John  Spoonburg, 
in  New  Richland.  He,  also,  was  a  native  of 
Sweden,  born  October  12,  1838,  and  came  to 
this  country  in  1869,  and  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  on  section  34,  where  his  widow 
still  resides.  They  had  born  to  them  six 
children:  Abbie  Althie,  born  September  17, 


HISTOEY    OP    WASECA    COUNTY. 


603 


1871 ;  John  Andrew,  born  February  21, 
1873  ;  Ellen,  born  October  12,  1871,  died 
April  6,  1882 ;  Caroline  Virginia,  born  July 
17,1876;  Oscar  Emil,  born  March  1,1878, 
died  June  6,  1882,  and  Herman  L.,  born 
March  21,  1880.  Mrs.  Spoonburg  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

John  A.  Tolin  was  born  in  Sweden,  April 
29,  1859,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1881,  coming  directly  to  Waseca  County,  on 
landing  on  the  shores  of  this  great  republic. 
He  remained  in  the  city  of  Waseca,  about  a 
week,  and  then  went  to  St.  Peter  where  he 
remained  two  years,  and  then  came  to  this 
township  and  bought  eighty  acres  of  land  on 
sections  1  and  2,  and  built  him  a  house  on 
tlie  last  named.  Mr.  Tolin  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Hilda  Johnson,  and  they  have 
one  child,  Hannah.  Mr.  Tolin  carries  on 
his  farm  and  works  at  the  trade  of  carpenter, 
when  there  is  a  demand  for  that  kind  of 
labor. 

Fi'ederick  Lundquist  was  born  in  Sweden, 
July  3,  1837,  where  his  parents  died.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1806,  and  for 
the  first  year  made  his  residence  in  Illinois, 
after  which  he  came  to  Otisco  Township, 
this  county,  and  purchased  125  acres  of  land 
on  section  2,  where  he  now  lives.  January 
3,  1869,  he  and  Sophia  Maria  Larson  were 
united  in  marriage,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  four  children :  Ida  Melvina,  born  February 
21,1870;  Simon  Ludwig,  January  1,  1872  ; 
Adla  Lyustina,  November  3, 1876 ;  Hannah 
Albertina,  September  17,  1881.  Simon  Lud- 
wig died  November  4,  1882.  When  Mr. 
Lundquist  came  to  America  he  was  a  poor 
man,  but  by  industry  and  energy  he  has  ac- 
quired a  fine  property,  and  is  on  the  high 
road  to  an  easy  competency.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  a  Repub- 
lican. 

John  Youngberg  was  born  in  Sweden, 
October  5,  1811,  and -when,  in  1866,  he  immi- 
grated to  America,  he  came  direct  to  Otisco 
Township,  Waseca  County,  and  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  for  different  parties  until  1868, 


when  he  bought  120  acres  of  land  on  section 

27.  He  has  since  sold  eighty  acres  of  this, 
but  purchased  the  same  amount,  and  still 
owns  120  acres,  on  which  he  now  carries 
on  farming  operations.  Mr.  Youngberg 
was  married  to  Mary  Hanson,  who  was  born 
in  Norway,  June  15,  1852,  and  came  to  this 
country  with  her  parents.  They  have  had  a 
family  of  twelve  cliildren  :  August  John,  born 
June  12,  1870,  deceased ;  Alfred,  born  April 
1,  1871 ;  Hulda  Christina,  born  Februar}'  23, 
1873  ;  Agnes  Josephine,  born  February  19, 
1875  ;  Carl  Oscar,  born  May  12,  1877 ;  Lud- 
wig, born  December  13,  1879,  deceased ; 
Otto  Larson,  born  December  19,  1880,  de- 
ceased ;  Lena,  born  December  13,  1881 ; 
Samuel,  born  February  9,  1882,  deceased; 
Tena,  born  May  10,  1883,  deceased  ;  Theo- 
dore, born  July  6,  1885,  and  Victor,  born 
October  9,  1886,  deceased.  Mr.  Youngberg's 
parents  ai'e  still  living  in  the  old  country. 
Their  name  is  Larson,  but  Mr.  Youngberg 
changed  his  name  owing  to  there  being  so 
many  of  the  name  of  Larson  in  the  vicinity, 
and  the  confusion  in  mail  and  other  matters. 
He  has  three  brothers  and  one  sister  in 
America,  August  J.,  in  Nebraska,  the  others 
in  the  Black  liills,  Dakota.  Their  names  are 
Gabriel,  Otto  and  Mary. 

Mrs.  Louisa  Peterson,  widow,  whose  maid- 
en name  was  Anderson,  was  born  in  Sweden, 
October  16,  1827.  During  the  year  1856  she 
was  united  in  marriage  with  John  P.  Peter- 
son, a  native  of  that  country,  born  in  1828. 
In  1857,  they,  in  company  with  Mrs.  Peter- 
son's mother,  came  to  the  United  States, 
setthng  in  Princeton,  111.,  where  they  lived 
for  seven  j'ears,  Mr.  Peterson  bemg  engaged 
in  working  on  farms  for  others.  They  then 
came  to  this  county  and  settled  on  section 

28,  where  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land, 
afterward  addinji'  160  acres  to  it.  In  De- 
cember,  1867,  their  Iiouse  was  burned  down, 
so  they  dug  a  hole  in  the  ground,  in  which 
they  lived  some  six  years,  then  built  a  good 
house,  in  which  she  now  lives  with  two  of  her 
children,  and  carries  on  her  farm,  her  hus- 


604 


HISTORY   OF    WASECA   COITNTY. 


band  having  been  killed  by  the  cars  in  Feb- 
ruaiy,  1883,  close  to  his  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Peterson  were  the  parents  of  seven  children  : 
Andrew  Oscar,  born  in  Sweden,  January  27, 
1857,  married  and  lives  in  this  county  ;  Mary 
Louisa,  born  in  Illinois,  January  6,  1859, 
married ;  Carl,  born  in  Illinois,  October  10, 
1861,  died  in  Princetown,  July,  1857  ;  Frank 
Victor,  born  October  2,  1862,  married,  and 
lives  in  Minneapolis ;  Emma  Sophia,  born  in 
Minnesota,  October  1,  1865  ;  Charles  Lean- 
der,  born  December  6,  1867,  and  Anna 
Charlotte,  born  June  10,  1871,  married. 

Chai'les  Gustafson  was  born  in  Sweden, 
April  17,  1845,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1868.  The  same  year  he  came  to 
Waseca  County  and  worked  for  different 
parties  at  farm  work,  which  he  followed  for 
two  or  three  years,  when  he  purchased  120 
acres  of  land  on  section  .35,  in  Woodville 
township,  on  wbicli  he  built  a  house,  barn, 
etc.,  and  where  he  lived  for  a  time.  He 
then  sold  part  of  this  and  purchased  eighty 
acres  in  section  2,  of  this  township,  where 
he  now  lives.  His  father  died  in  this  town 
in  June,  1876,  but  the  mother  is  still  living 
hei'e.  Mrs.  Gustafson  is  also  a  native  of 
Sweden  and  they  have  a  family  of  seven 
children  :  Charles  Emil,  born  April  10, 1876  ; 
Emma  Otilla,  born  April  19,  1877;  Alfred 
Theodore,  born  December  2,  1878 ;  Joseph 
F.,  born  June  27,  1880 ;  Johanna  Christine, 
born  February  4,  1882  ;  Fi'ank  Ludwig,  born 
November  21,  1884,  and  Oscar  Simon,  born 
January  5,  18S7.  Mr.  Gustafson  is  a  Ee- 
publican  in  politics  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Frederick  ZeU  and  his  brother  Louis  have 
a  very  fine  farm  of  some  240  acres  of  land 
in  this  township,  and  although  they  were 
poor  men  when  they  came  here,  yet  by  per- 


severance and  industrj"  they  have  acquired 
property  worth  about  $8,000.  Frederick  was 
born  in  Prussia,  January  12,  1846,  and  with 
with  his  brother  came  to  America  in  1872. 
For  a  year  they  remained  in  New  York,  and 
then  came  to  this  county,  settling  in  Otisco 
Township.  The}^  are  Eepublicans  in  poli- 
tics and  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 
Louis  was  married  in  the  faU  of  1884,  to 
Otilda  Piatt,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one 
child,  Elfrida,  born  September  15,  1885.  The 
brothers  carry  on  farming  and  stock-raising 
on  an  extensive  scale,  and  they  deserve  to  be 
ranked  among  the  wealthy  farmers  of 
"Waseca  County. 

Lars  Peterson  was  born  in  Sweden,  Sep- 
tember 28,  1S30,  and  lived  in  that  country 
until  he  was  some  thirty-six  years  old. 
April  9, 1855,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mary  Oleson,  and  the  following  children 
were  born  to  them  in  their  native  land  : 
Sophia,  born  January  14, 1856 ;  Alfred,  April 
23,  1858;  Hadvig,  May  13,  1860;  Christina, 
March  27, 1802,  and  Halga,  February  7,  1865. 
In  1866  Mr.  Peterson  and  his  family  crossed 
the  ocean  to  America,  and  all  came  direct 
to  this  place  and  settled  on  section  28,  where 
he  owns  160  acres  of  excellent  land.  Since 
coming  to  this  country  they  have  been  the 
parents  of  four  children  :  August,  born  Sep- 
tember 25,  1869  ;  Ida,  December  10,  1872  ; 
Leonard,  August  4,  1874,  and  Hildur,  De- 
cember 18,  1875.  Sophia,  their  eldest  child, 
married  John  Melvin,  April  1,  1877,  and 
resides  in  Swift  County,  this  State.  Mr. 
Peterson  is  a  Kepublican  in  politics.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church, 
the  mission  church  building  of  that  denom- 
ination standing  on  his  farm  not  ten  rods 
from  his  dwelling-. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


JANESVILLE  TOWNSHIP  AND  VILLAGE. 


[IE  township  of  Janesville  is  in  the 
northwestern  corner  of  the  county, 
antl  embraces  all  of  congressional 
township  108  north,  range  2i 
west.  It  contains  the  least  amount 
of  tillable  land  of  any  in  Waseca 
County,  a  large  proportion  of  its 
surface  being  covered  by  the 
waters  of  Lake  El^'sian,  a  beauti- 
ful sheet  some  five  miles  long, 
and  in  some  places  a  mile  and  a 
half  wide.  The  land  is  fertile  and  produc- 
tive, yielding  a  rich  return  to  the  enterpris- 
ing husbandman.  The  soil  is  the  rich,  dark 
mold  characteristic  of  this  portion  of  the 
State  and  apparently  inexhaustible.  The 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  crosses 
the  town  from  east  to  west,  affording  ample 
facilities  for  the  transportation  of  produce 
and  of  travel.  Janesville  Village,  a  flourish- 
ing place,  lies  within  its  bordei's  and  is  the 
trade  center  of  the  precinct.  The  several 
small  creeks  and  streamlets  that  flow  into 
the  lakes  afford  ample  drainage  to  the 
countr\',  and  the  large  amount  of  timber, 
primeval  in  its  source,  that  still  covers  a 
great  portion  of  its  surface,  supplies  an 
almost  inexhaustible  amount  of  fuel,  both 
for  home  consumption  and  for  sale  abroad. 

EARLY    SETTLEMENT. 

The  land  of  Janesville  Township  lay  bask- 
ing beneath  the  blazing  sun  of  summer  or 
clothed  with  the  snowy  mantle  of  winter,  in 
pristine  beauty  and  loveliness,  until  the  year 
1855.  Roamed  over  by  parties  of  the  red- 
men  of  the  north,  in  search  of  the  game  that 
abounded   in    its  forests   or  the    fish  in    its 


lakes,  its  soil  lay  unfilled  by  the  hand  of  the 
white  man  until  the  year  spoken  of,  when 
the  tide  of  emigration  that  at  that  time 
flowed  over  this  fair  land,  came  this  way 
and  seekers  after  locations  finding  that  the 
land  was  fair  to  look  upon  began  to  take  up 
claims  and  make  a  home. 

Probably  the  first  to  make  a  settlement 
here  was  John  Douglas,  who  in  the  summer 
of  1855  made  a  claim  and  opened  up  a  little 
farm.  Fi'om  this  he  removed  to  Elysian, 
and  from  there  to  Nebraska.  With  him 
came  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hughes. 

Early  in  1855  John  Davis  and  Alfred  Hol- 
stein  came  to  this  part  of  the  county  and 
located  claims,  Davis  on  part  of  section  28, 
and  Holstein  on  portion  of  section  27.  These 
two  men  were  traders  and  sold  goods, 
especially  whiskey,  to  the  Indians  then  on 
the  reservation.  Davis  is  said  to  have  been 
a  peculiarly  truthful  man,  never  exaggerating 
anything,  and  in  telling  a  story,  even  if  it 
reflected  upon  himself,  he  would  tell  it  just 
as  it  was.  He  was  a  great  hunter,  and 
approached  in  that  line  the  Indians, — a 
genuine  backwoodsman.  He  lived  here  for 
some  yeai'S  until  his  folks  sent  him  tickets  to 
come  home  with,  they  having  sent  him  money 
several  times  before  for  that  purpose,  which 
he  spent  for  drink,  and  he  finally  left  here  for 
one  of  the  Carolinas. 

Alfred  Holstein  was  a  partner  of  John 
Davis,  and  they  were  engaged  in  a  store  in 
Janesville.  Holstein  was  deemed  a  straight- 
forward, honest  man,  and  was  well  liked  by 
all  the  settlers.  But  in  their  log  store  buildina: 
they  sold  goods  to  the  Indians,  trusting  many 
of  them,  expecting  to  get  their  pay  when  the 


eo6 


606 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


annuities  were  paid  from  the  paymaster, 
which  they  did  for  several  times ;  but  an  or- 
der was  issued  that  only  authorized  traders 
on  the  reservation  should  have  their  money 
held  back  this  way,  and  the  non-payment  of 
this  debt  broke  the  firm  up.  Sometime  after 
this  the  government  gave  the  Indians  a  lot 
of  horses,  and  Holstein  in  company  with  a 
man  from  Missouri,  to  get  even  with  the 
Indians,  put  up  a  scheme  and  stole  the  horses, 
some  forty  or  fifty  head,  and  made  off  south 
safely  and  disposed  of  them.  But  through 
the  influence  of  his  friend,  he  was  induced 
to  help  steal  some  more,  and  was  caught,  and 
languished  in  prison  for  the  offense. 

John  Rowley  made  a  settlement  in  1855 
on  section  9,  west  of  the  lake,  where  he  lived 
many  3'ears. 

Jerry  Hogan  came  from  the  State  of  Ken- 
tucky in  the  year  1855,  and  made  a  settle- 
ment on  section  21.  He  lived  here  for  many 
years,  but  a  few  summers  ago  he  was  found 
dead  in  his  house,  having  died  from  heart 
disease  wiiile  alone. 

James,  Thomas  and  John  Hogan,  also 
came  at  the  same  time,  all  of  whom  are 
still  resident  in  Waseca  County,  Thomas  in 
Alton,  and  James  in  Janesville.  John  re- 
turned to  Kentucky,  but  after  a  time  retui'ned 
here  and  is  now  a  citizen  of  this  town. 

Patrick  Moonan,  now  a  resident  of  the 
city  of  Waseca,  came  here  in  1855,  and 
made  a  settlement  near  the  lake. 

John,  James  and  Patrick  McCue  came  to 
tiiis  locality  in  1855,  and  "  stuck  their  stakes." 
James  died  in  1885,  and  Patrick  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Parker's  Prairie,  this  State.  John 
removed  to  Missouri,  and  has  grown  quite 
wealthy.  He  was  a  very  peculiar  and 
wliimsical  man,  always  wanting  to  be  ad- 
dressed as  Mr.  McCue,  and  gave  them  all  to 
understand  that  he  was  not  poor,  Init  a 
wealthy  farmer. 

George  Merrill,  now  an  inhabitant  of 
Alton,  came  to  Janesville  in  1855,  and  lived 
here  many  years. 

John    Cunningham    made   a   settlement 


in  this  township  on  section  29,  in  the 
year  1855,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  August  30,  1870.  October  4, 
1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  B,  First  Min- 
nesota Mounted  Rangers,  and  did  excellent 
service  in  the  Sibley  campaign  against  the 
Sioux  Indians,  until  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service,  and  was  discharged  Novem- 
ber 9,  1863.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mrs.  Mary  Crawford,  the  widow  of  W. 
II.  Crawford,  one  of  the  earl}'  settlers  of  this 
township,  who  was  murdered  in  Texas.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cunningham  were  the  parents  of 
two  children  :  James  and  Maud.  Mrs.  Cun- 
ningham resides  on  the  farm  made  by  Mr. 
Cunningham  in  early  days. 

Early  in  January,  1856,  W.  G.  Allyn  came 
to  this  part  of  Waseca,  and  took  up  a  claim 
on  section  24.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  the 
village  of  Janesville.  and  owner  of  some  four 
additions  to  the  town  site  thereof. 

W.  G.  Allyn  is  a  native  of  Martinsburgh, 
Lewis  County,  N".  Y.,  born  June  13,  1822, 
and  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Elizabeth 
(Greene)  Allyn.  In  1851  the  family  removed 
to  Otsego,  Columbia  County,  Wis.,  where  W. 
G.  remained  until  the  fall  of  1855,  when  he 
started  from  there  with  a  team  and  drove 
to  Faribault,  Rice  Count}',  this  State,  arriv- 
ing there  December  2,  being  some  three 
weeks  on  the  road.  Making  his  home  for  a 
time  with  a  Mr.  Haines,  who  lived  about 
four  miles  south  of  that  town,  he  got 
up  a  house  on  his  claim  on  section  24,  m 
this  county,  where  he  removed  in  January, 
1856.  This  house  was  of  rough  logs,  and  the 
roof  composed  of  the  covering  of  his  two 
wagons,  with  a  quilt  hung  up  for  a  door. 
Neither  had  it  any  windows,  or  any  floor 
other  than  mother  earth.  He  remained  on 
the  original  claim  some  eighteen  years,  and 
then  purchased  120  acres  of  land  adjoining 
the  town  site  of  Janesville,  on  sections  33  and 
34,  and  there  laid  out  a  portion  of  it  into 
what  is  known  as  Allyn's  first  addition  to 
the  town  of  Janesville.  Since  that  time  he 
has  laid  out  three  more  additions.     Of  late 


HISTORY    OF    WASKCA    COUNTY. 


609 


years  he  has  attended  to  his  farm,  and  the 
sale  of  his  lots,  but  for  one  year  was  in  busi- 
ness in  the  village.  He  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Laura  A.  Williams,  and  they  have 
three  children  :  William  Henry,  George  W. 
and  Fannie  J.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  AUyn  are  act- 
ive members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  hav- 
ing been  members  of  the  same  for  over  forty 
years. 

Paul  Wandrie  and  his  son  Charles,  came 
to  this  township  in  1856,  and  took  up  claims. 
Both  of  them  are  now  dead. 

With  them  came  William  and  Martin 
Stanke,  who  also  took  up  claims,  and  lived 
here  some  time.  They  afterward  removed 
to  Blue  Earth  County  where  they  are  living 
now. 

These  all  settled  at  the  old  town  of  Janes- 
ville,  and  were  the  first  real  settlers  of  that 
place  when  the  town  was  started.  It  is  told 
of  Martin  Stanke,  that,  during  the  war,  he 
enlisted  in  the  service,  but  could  not  learn 
to  march  or  keep  step,  even  if  tried  in  an 
awkward  squad  of  two  or  three,  and  after 
trying  for  some  time  he  was  discharged  as 
incompetent  for  a  soldier. 

Michael  Silkey,  a  German  by  birth,  came 
soon  afterward,  in  the  same  year,  and  made 
a  settlement  at  the  old  town  also. 

In  1856  J.  AV.  Ilosmer,  the  present  com- 
modore of  the  Lake  Elysian  fleet,  made  a 
settlement  at  the  old  village  of  Janesville, 
then  but  a  town  on  paper,  and  became  half 
owner  thereof. 

J.  W.  Hosmer  came  to  this  county  in 
1856,  and  located  in  what  is  now  the  town 
of  Iosco,  opening  a  store  there,  where  he  re- 
mained but  a  short  time,  when  he  came  to 
this  town  and  purchased  the  half  interest  in 
the  old  town  site  of  Janesville  as  mentioned. 
He  there  built  a  large  sawmill,  which  was 
of  great  utilitv  to  the  settlers.  He  after- 
ward was  engaged  in  the  mercantile  trade 
at  that  point,  and  traded  some  with  the  In- 
dians, of  whom  there  were  ])lenty  around 
here  in  those  days.  After  the  new  village 
was  laid  out  and  the  business  removed  there 


Mr.  Hosmer  remained  on  the  old  place  and 
ran  the  mill  until  it  was  burned,  and  then 
devoted  his  attention  to  bee  culture,  produc- 
ing one  season  some  nine  tons  of  honey.  He 
is  now  engaged,  principally,  in  stock-raising 
and  during  the  summer  months  in  runnino- 
his  steamboat  on  the  lovely  waters  of  Lake 
Elysian,  or  hauling  sand  from  its  banks  in 
his  sand-barge,  from  whence  he  derives  his 
nickname  of  "  Commodoi-e."  He  is  a  native 
of  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  born  May  19, 
1824-,  and  is  the  son  of  Elisha  and  Clarissa 
(Rowley)  Hosmer.  About  the  year  1826, 
the  famih'  removed  to  Chautauqua  County, 
N.  Y.,  where  J.  W.  was  raised,  and  wiiere 
he  lived  until  he  was  some  eighteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  Wisconsin  and  re- 
mained there  until  coming  here. 

W.  G.  Mathes  came  to  Okaman  in  1856. 
He  was  one  of  the  owners  of  the  town  site  of 
that  village  and  resided  there  for  some  years, 
when  he  moved  to  Minneapolis,  where  his 
death  occurred  some  years  afterward. 

N.  E.  Strong,  now  of  California,  came  here 
from  Iosco  in  1856.  He  remained  here  for 
some  time,  interested  in  the  sawmill  at  Janes- 
ville, and  was  identified  with  the  official  life 
of  the  county,  and  the  business  interests  of 
Waseca,  before  he  left  the  county. 

John  Put  made  a  settlement  in  1856. 

Thomas  McHugo  was  among  the  hardy 
pioneers  of  the  year  1856,  he  having  come 
from  the  State  of  Ohio  to  a  new-found  home 
in  Minnesota.  He  is  still  a  resident  of  the 
township,  living  just  east  of  the  village  of 
Janesville. 

CtBsar  DeRegan,  a  Frenchman,  made  his 
appearance  here  in  1856,  and  located  a  claim 
on  what  was  afterward  the  site  of  old  Janes- 
ville. He  laid  out  a  town  site,  part  of  it  on 
the  ice  of  Lake  Elysian,  which  was  sold  to 
non-residents,  and  taxes  were  paid  on  those 
"  water  lots  "  for  some  years.  It  was  at  his 
house  that  the  polls  for  the  southern  part  of 
the  township  were  fixed  at  the  first  election 
on  the  organization  of  the  town.  DeRegan 
left  here  shortiv  after  the  starting  of  the 


33 


610 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


town,  but  later  returned  but  made  no  ex- 
tended visit,  owing  to  some  transactions  he 
was  mixed  up  in. 

W.  H.  Crawford  came  to  Waseca  County 
in  1856  and  settled  on  the  west  bank  of 
Lake  Elysian,  where  he  remained  two  years, 
when  he  removed  to  Texas.  At  that  time  the 
feeling  against  Northerners  was  quite  strong, 
and  upon  some  one  examining  Mr.  Craw- 
ford's mail  and  finding  therein  a  Waseca 
County  paper  which  advocated  Ilepublican 
principles,  the  self-styled  vigilance  commit- 
tee called  upon  Mr.  Crawford,  without  warn- 
ing, and  killed  him  in  sight  of  his  wife  with- 
out compunction,  nor  had  she  anj"^  recourse, 
lie  was  a  native  of  Bath,  Me.,  and  in  1852  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Furfey.  They 
were  the  parents  of  three  children :  Will- 
iam, John  and  Jennie.  After  his  death  Mrs. 
Crawford  returned  to  Wilton,  where  she 
remained  one  year,  and  then  returned  to  her 
people  in  Maine.  In  1866  she  returned  to 
Waseca  County  and  was  united  in  marriage 
with  John  Cunningham,  an  early  settler 
of  this  township,  whose  history  has  al- 
ready been  given.  She  is  still  living  on  the 
Cunningliam  homestead,  where  her  husband 
died  in  1870. 

Shortly  after  these  came  quite  a  number 
of  others,  prominent  among  which  were  the 
following:  William  Wind,  now  dead  ;  John 
Bradish.  who  occujtied  the  position  of  count}' 
attorney  in  an  early  day,  and  is  still  a  resident 
of  Janesville;  Eichard  Dreever,  who  after- 
ward removed  to  Iosco  Township,  where  he 
died  in  1885,  and  George  Dreever,  still  a 
resident  of  the  town. 

Thomas  Cahill  came  to  this  township 
in  1857,  and  settled  where  he  now  lives. 
He  was  born  in  Ireland  in  November, 
1825,  and  remained  in  his  native  land  un- 
til 1847,  when  he  came  to  America.  On 
arriving  here  he  first  settled  in  Ken- 
tucky, but  from  there  moved  to  Webster 
County,  Iowa,  where  he  purchased  a  farm, 
but  only  remained  a  short  time,  when  he 
came  to  this  locality,  and  on  April  9,  1857, 


took  up  a  claim  on  section  27,  and  where  he 
now  owns  on  that  and  adjoining  sections 
795  acres  of  most  magniticent  land,  all  lo- 
cated near  Lake  Elysian,  well  sup]ilied  with 
timber,  and  is  one  of  the  best  adapted  for 
stock  farming  of  any  in  the  count3\  In 
March,  1855,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mary  Harney,  at  New  Albany.  She  was 
born  in  Ireland,  August  15, 1831.  They  have 
had  a  famil}'  of  five  children,  one  of  whom 
is  dead.  Those  living  are:  John,  born  June 
22,  1859  ;  Bridget,  June  8, 1861 ;  William  K., 
November  6,  1862,  and  Thomas  Edward, 
June  8, 1864.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Catholic  Church. 

James  Roberts,  one  of  the  owners  of 
Okaman,  located  there  in  1857,  and  resided 
in  that  place  for  about  two  or  three  years. 

R.  C.  Wilkins  was  another  early  settler. 
In  a  few  years  he  removed  from  here  to 
Northfield,  where  he  lives  at  the  present. 

John  Hrown  .settled  here  about  the  year 
1857.  In  a  drunken  frolic  at  Elysian, 
whither  he  had  gone,  he  killed  a  man  and 
was  sent  to  the  ])enitentiary,  and  having 
served  out  his  term,  is  now  a  resident  of  St. 
Paul. 

B.  S.  Hall,  a  son-in-law  of  John  Buckhout, 
came  to  Okaman  in  1857  with  that,  gentle- 
man, and  was  concerned  in  the  planting  of 
that  village.  He  resided  at  the  village  for 
some  years,  and  then  went  to  St.  Paul. 

George  H.  Bisliop,  also  an  owner  of  the 
town  of  Okaman,  settled  at  the  village  in 
1857.  He  entered  the  army  during  the  late 
war,  and  died  at  the  siege  of  Yicksburg  in 
1863. 

Frederick  Roberts  lived  at  Okaman  for  a 
time.  He  was  interested  in  the  town,  but 
left  here  about  1859  or  1860.  He  settled 
here  in  1857. 

Nicholas  Allen  made  a  settlement  here  in 
1857.  He  was  an  Irishman  by  birth.  He 
finally  started  for  California,  and  it  was 
rumored  perished  with  his  family  during  the 
horrible  massacre  at  Mountain  Meadow,  but 
it  is  believed  that  the  report  is  not  true. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


611 


J.  W.  Crawfoi'd,  G.  M.  Bernard  and 
Charles  Colestock  came  here  during  the 
year  1857.  Crawford  settled  on  section  10, 
but  removed  from  this  county  in  a  very 
early  day ;  Bernard  did  not  remain  long,  nor 
did  Colestock. 

Among  others  who  located  here  in  1857 
were  :  E..  Brown,  Alexander  Johnston,  John 
Buckhoiit,  Frank  Johnson,  Gottlieb  Grams, 
James  Heming,  James  and  David  Colledge 
and  Patrick  Hackett. 

Alexander  Johnston  was  connected  with 
the  early  history  of  the  press  in  tliis  county, 
and  is  noticeil  in  that  connection. 

John  Buckhout,  an  old  conductor  on  the 
New  York  ife  Erie  Railroad,  came  to  what 
was  afterward  Okaman,  and  put  up  a  saw 
and  grist  mill,  which  became  quite  famous 
afterward  as  one  of  the  best  gristmills  in  the 
county.  When  he  died,  October  21,  1881, 
the  mill  ceased  running  and  is  now  idle. 

Frank  Johnson  is  still  a  resident  of  Janes- 
ville  village. 

Gottlieb  Grams  came  to  this  township  in 
the  fall  of  1857,  and  made  a  settlement  on 
section  8,  where  he  still  resides.  He  is  a 
native  of  Prussia,  Germany,  born  September 
7,  1828.  He  was  reared  in  that  country, 
and  there  received  his  education.  When  he 
had  attained  the  age  of  manhood,  he  was 
called  upon  to  serve  in  the  army,  and  during 
the  two  years  and  a  half  that  he  spent  thus, 
saw  some  active  service.  In  1853  he  immi- 
grated to  America,  locating  at  first  in  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.  He  resided  there  for  some 
four  years,  and  then  came  to  this  county.  He 
has  a  fine  farm  of  173  acres  of  land ;  the  fine 
brick  residence  where  he  lives  is  upon  the 
banks  of  Lake  Lily.  His  home  is  a  most 
pleasant  one.  October  16,  1855,  Mr.  Grams 
and  Louisa  Wandrie  were  united  in  mar- 
riage. She  is  a  native  of  Prussia,  also  a 
daughter  of  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  this 
township,  and  was  born  in  1843.  They  have 
a  family  of  four  children,  born  as  follows  : 
Charles,  born  June  22,  1863;  Ottila,  born 
July  4,   1865;  Eliza,  born  March  15,  1868, 


and  Pauline,  who  was  born  August  2,  1873. 
James  and  David  Colledge  did  not  remain 
here  long,  removing  to  a  more  southern  lo- 
calitA'. 


ORGANIC. 

The  most  of  the  territory  now  embraced 
within  the  limits  of  the  township  of  Janes- 
ville  was  included  in  that  of  Empire,  organ- 
ized in  March,  1857,  and  it  continued  to 
form  a  part  of  that  precinct  for  about  a  year. 
In  May,  1857,  however,  that  portion  of  the 
town  lying  west  of  the  lake  was  organized 
into  a  separate  precinct,  under  the  name  of 
Elysian.  On  the  5th  of  April,  1858,  the 
county  commissioners,  however,  organized 
the  present  township  and  gave  it  the  name  of 
Okaman.  At  this  time  the  board  appointed 
two  polling  places,  on  account,  no  doubt,  of 
the  distance  from  one  settlement  in  the  town 
to  the  other,  and  the  rivalry  between  the 
two  parts  of  the  town.  The  one  at  Okaman, 
at  the  house  of  H.  Tattle,  where  Alexander 
Johnston,  G.H.  Bishop  and  W.  N.  Buckhout 
presided  as  judges  of  election ;  the  one  at 
Janesville,  at  the  residence  of  Caesar  De- 
Regan.  Here  the  judges  were  R.  Brown, 
John  Cunningham  and  C.  DeRegan.  By  some 
misunderstanding  the  two  rival  towns, 
both  of  which  then  expected  to  become 
large  places,  each  elected  a  full  set  of  offi- 
cers, but  this  being  declared  illegal,  those 
chosen  in  the  north  half  of  the  town  never 
qualified.  The  first  oflicers  of  the  township 
were ;  John  Davis,  chairman,  and  Thomas 
Cahill  and  Gottlieb  Grams,  supervisors ;  M. 
S.  Green,  clerk;  J.  W.  Hosmer,  treasurer; 
Richard  Dreever  and  John  Bradish,  justices 
of  the  peace ;  James  Heming  and  Alfred 
Holstein,  constables.  Richard  Dreever,  when 
he  attempted  to  try  his  first  suit,  became 
disgusted,  and  resigning  his  oflBce,  J.  W. 
Hosmer  was  appointed  justice  in  his  place. 

OTHERS. 

Follow^ing  are  given  sketches  of  many  of 
the  representative  men  of  the  township, 
biography  being  the  pith  of  history. 


612 


HISTOET   OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


C.  Hover  is  a  native  of  Chemung  County, 
N.  Y.,  born  February  21,  1831.  He  lived  in 
that  State  until  1864,  when  he  came  to  Minne- 
sota," locating  on  section  29,  Janesville  Town- 
ship, this  county,  where  he  stiU  resides.  His 
place  is  on  the  west  bank  of  that  beautiful 
sheet  of  water,  Lake  Elysian,  across  whose 
pellucid  waters  the  view  extends  from  his 
house.  The  buildings  on  his  farm  are  com- 
modious and  even  elegant,  and  are  among 
the  finest  in  the  county.  October  21,  1852, 
Mr.  Hover  and  Maria  English  were  united  in 
the  bonds  of  matrimony.  She  is  a  native  of 
Bradford  County,  Pa.,  born  April  5,  1833. 
They  are  the  parents  of  one  son,  N.  D.,  who 
was  born  October  10,  1854,  and  who,  on  the 
1st  of  January,  1873,  took  unto  himself  a 
wife  in  the  person  of  Anna  IVIorse,  and  they 
have  a  family  of  four  children  :  Cora  I., 
born  December  12, 1875  ;  Clarence  I.,  born 
March  16,  1877;  Earl  C,  born  August  25, 
1879,  and  WiUiam  D.,  April  30,  1881.  N. 
D.  Hover  lives  on  section  28,  this  township. 

Joseph  Warner  is  a  native  of  Northamp- 
tonshire, England,  born  February  9,  1847. 
He  came  to  the  shores  of  America  with  his 
parents  in  1855,  and  they  settled  in  Coluifi- 
bia.  Wis.,  where  he  remained  until  1865. 
That  3'ear  the  family  removed  to  Le  Sueur 
County,  this  State,  where  he  made  his  home 
until  1873,  the  date  of  his  coming  to  Waseca 
County.  He  purchased  the  farm  on  section 
4,  where  he  still  resides,  at  that  time,  The 
same  year,  in  July,  he  was  married  to 
Evaline  Swann,  who  was  born  in  1851,  and 
who  died  in  1879,  leaving  two  children : 
Blanche,  born  January  19, 1876,  and  Thomas, 
born  July  23,  1878.  Mr.  Warner's  father, 
Thomas,  was  born  in  England  in  1812,  and 
died  in  Le  Sueur  County,  this  State,  in  1872  ; 
his  mother,  Martha,  is  now  living  with  her 
son.  She  is  also  a  native  of  England,  born 
in  1812.  Joseph  Warner's  place  comprises 
some  216  acres  of  land  in  this  and  Le  Sueur 
counties,  and  on  it  he  has  a  fine  sugar  bush 
of  some  three  hundred  trees. 

W.  Talmadge  was  born  in  Grant  Countv, 


Wis.,  December  31,  1857.  He  hved  there 
until  1872,  when  he  came  to  Minnesota,  lo- 
cating in  Watonwan  County,  and  remained 
there  about  four  years.  He  then  went  to 
Le  Sueur  and  engaged  in  the  drug  business, 
which  he  continued  for  about  two  years.  In 
1887  he  came  to  Waseca  County,  locating  in 
Janesville  Township.  On  July  23,  1877,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Nellie  Jewison, 
a  native  of  the  Badger  State,  born  December 
19,  I860.  They  have  two  children  :  Myrette 
Ella,  born  August  9,  1879,  and  Grace  E., 
born  October  19,  1882.  Mr.  and  Mr.  Tal- 
madge are  both  members  of  the  Episcopal 
Church. 

A.  Willis,  one  of  the  old  settlers,  was  born 
in  Connecticut,  August  15,  1816,  where  he 
lived  for  manj'^  years.  For  twenty-two  years 
he  worked  in  a  woolen  factory  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  after  which  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois, where  he  lived  for  several  years.  He 
then  came  to  Waseca  County,  Minn.,  locat- 
ing in  Janesville  Township,  taking  a  claim 
on  section  8.  Here  he  remained  and  made 
improvements,  then  moved  his  family  to  the 
homestead,  where  he  now  lives.  In  1836  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Hulda  Treat, 
who  died  in  1842.  June  5,  1847,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Hannah  Allen,  a 
native  of  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.,  born  April 
22,  1824.  They  are  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren: Emily  A.,  born  October  24,  1848;  An- 
nette, born  March  6,  1851,  died  in  June, 
1854  ;  Ellen,  born  March  10,  1852,  died  Au- 
gust 31,  1880;  Eliza,  born  November  24, 
1853;  Mary  J.,  born  February  14, 1856  ;  Ed- 
ward, born  April  20,  1857 ;  Anna  E.,  born 
May  19,  1860;  John  A.,  born  January  12, 
1862,  and  Frank  and  Fred.,  twins,  born  Sep- 
tember 20, 1863.  When  Mr.  Willis  came  to 
the  county  they  had  their  household  goods 
shipped  from  Illinois,  but  as  railroads  were 
things  of  the  East  instead  of  the  West,  by 
some  means  or  another  all  these  goods  were 
lost. 

Edward  Willis,  the  si.xth  child  of  A.  and 
Hulda   (Treat)   Wilhs,   was   born   in   Iowa, 


HISTOET   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


813 


April  20,  1857,  while  his  parents  were  on 
their  journey  from  Illinois  to  this  place.  Com- 
ing to  Waseca,  an  infant  in  arms,  he  has 
been  reared  and  educated  among  the  familiar 
scenes  that  first  awakened  his  childish  ideas. 
Here  he  attended  the  rough  log  schoolhouse, 
around  whose  hallowed  walls  fond  memory 
throws  so  many  halcyon  thoughts.  Here  on 
the  26th  of  December,  1880,  he  and  Emma 
Record  took  upon  themselves  the  marital 
vows.  Here  have  been  born  to  the  couple : 
Bessie  May,  born  October  11,  1881 ;  Arthur 
Adrian,  born  March  23, 1883  ;  Herbert  Allen, 
December  19,  1884,  and  John  Sherwood, 
January  13,  1887.  Here  with  his  young 
family  growing  up  around  him,  in  the  quiet 
and  beautiful  modern  cottage  which  he  has 
erected  near  his  father,  on  the  same  piece  of 
land,  he  lives  happ}^  and  contented.  The 
farm,  which  he  has  brought  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation,  lies  on  the  banks  of  beautiful 
Lake  Willis,  a  charming  situation,  and  most 
excellent  land.*  Mrs.  Willis  is  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  a  sincere  Christian 
woman. 

Floj'd  Martin  came  to  this  part  of  Waseca 
County  in  1862,  and  carried  on  the  cooper 
ti-ade,  until  October,  1886,  when  he  retired 
from  that  business  and  purchasing  a  farm  on 
section  29,  near  the  site  of  the  old  village  of 
Janesville,  took  up  the  "  trade  "  of  farmer. 
He  is  a  native  of  Antwerp,  Jefferson  County, 
N.  Y.,  born  June  30, 1843.  He  was  united  in 
marriage,  January  13,  1878,  with  Maggie 
Haubrles,  a  native  of  Kenosha  County,  Wis., 
born  July  28, 1855,  and  a  daughter  of  Hubert 
Haubrles,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  the 
county.  They  are  the  parents  of  two  chil- 
dren :  Hubert,  born  January  9,  1879,  and 
George  E.,  born  September  29,  1885.  Mr. 
Martin  is  the  son  of  John  Preston  Martin 
and  his  wife.  The  former  was  born  in  Jef- 
ferson County,  N.  Y.,  December  10, 1818. 
Mrs.  Martin's  father,  Hubert  Haubries,  was 
born  in  Germany,  June  18, 1831,  and  came  to 
this  county  in  an  early  day,  and  reared  a  fam- 
ily of  fifteen  children,  all  of  whom  are  living. 


Thomas  Savage  came  to  the  township  of 
Janesville  in  the  year  1866,  and  settled  where 
he  now  lives,  on  section  15.  He  was  born  in 
Leeds,  Yorkshire,  England,  December  9, 1841, 
and  remained  in  his  native  land  until  1855, 
when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  locating 
for  the  time  near  Oconomowoc,  Wis.,  where 
he  remained  until  coming  to  this  county. 
He  has  a  fine  farm  of  160  acres  of  land,  on 
sections  10,  11,  14  and  15.  His  residence 
stands  upon  the  east  bank  of  the  beautiful 
Lake  Elysian.  In  Mapleton,  Wis.,  November 
11,  1868,  he  and  Elizabeth  Hicks  were  united 
in  marriage.  She  is  a  native  of  Devonshire, 
England,  born  October  11,  1844,  and  came 
to  this  country,  with  her  parents,  when  but 
a  small  child.  They  have  been  the  parents 
of  four  children,  all  living  :  Thomas  H.,  born 
October  3,  1869  ;  Mary  E.,  November  19, 
1872;  William  W.,  August  24,  1874,  and 
Emma  Alice,  October  17,  1876.  When  Mr. 
Savage  settled  hei-e  this  land  was  extremely 
wild,  but  with  his  own  hands  he  has  cleared 
it  up  and  now  has  a  fine  farm,  one  that  is 
always  productive.  Mrs.  Savage,  who  is 
quite  artistic  in  her  tastes,  gave  considerable 
attention  to  painting  in  her  younger  days, 
and  distinguished  herself  in  that  line,  and 
from  an  inspection  of  her  work  one  is  com- 
pelled to  regret  her  neglect  of  its  pursuit,  as 
artists  of  her  ability  are  far  from  plentiful. 

S.  F.  Shephard  came  to  Waseca  County 
in  1874,  and  settling  in  the  village  of  Janes- 
ville, entered  into  the  grain  business,  which 
he  continued  for  the  succeeding  ten  years, 
when  he  purchased  the  interest  of  A.  W. 
Jennison,  in  the  firm  of  Miner  &  Jennison, 
general  merchants,  of  Janesville,  and  in  com- 
pany with  F.  H.  Miner,  carried  on  that 
business  until  1886,  when  he  sold  out  to  his 
partner,  and  removed  to  the  farm  where  he 
now  resides,  on  section  36,  just  across  the 
line  in  Blue  Earth  County,  the  road  lying 
between  his  place  and  this  county.  He  is  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire,  born  among  its 
granite  hills,  November  23, 1837.  In  1860  he 
went  to  the  Eocky  Mountains,  where  he  re- 


(il4 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


nicained  some  eleven  years.  "While  there  he 
Avas  engaged  in  mining  and  stock-raising, 
and,  in  1868,  was  the  first  to  winter  cattle  in 
the  Wind  Eiver  Valle3',Wyo.  T.  Coming  back 
he  located  at  "Worthington,  Minn.,  in  1871, 
where  he  was  one  of  the  very  first  settlers. 
He  ran  a  feed  store  there  until  1874,  when 
he  came  to  Waseca  County.  August  2, 
1876,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Helen 
Comstock,  a  native  of  Chautauqua  County,  N. 
Y.  They  are  tlie  parents  of  five  children  : 
Helen,  George,  John,  May  and  an  infant. 
Mr.  Shephard  is  a  member  of  Janesville 
Lodge,  No.  12-4,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons  ;  Waseca  Chapter,  No.  26,  Eoyal 
Arch  Masons,  and  Mankato  Commandery, 
No.  4,  Knights  Templar. 

William  Jewison  is  a  native  of  Yorkshire, 
England,  born  January  1,  1846.    In  1848  the 
family  immigrated  to  America,  and  settled 
at  Mapleton,  Waukesha  County,  Wis.,  where 
William  was  reared  and  educated,  also  at- 
tending- theschoolsat  Ajipleton  and  Horicon, 
in  that  State,  fitting  himself  for  a  teacher, 
which  profession  he  followed  for  some  years. 
In  1865,   he  went  to  the  Lake  Superior  re- 
gions, where  he  remained  some  tliree  years, 
and  in  1868  came  to  this  county.     Wlien  he 
was  but  nine  years  of  age,  he  had  the  mis- 
fortune to  lose  a  leg,  but  notwithstanding 
that,  has  labored  so  diligently  that  he  has  ac- 
quired a  fine  property,  and  an  excellent  home. 
November  14,  1870,  he  was  united   in  mar- 
riage with  Ellen  Hughes,  of  Mapleton,  where 
she  was  born,  April  18,  1848.     They  are  tlie 
parents   of   five  children :  Olive,   who   died 
when  quite  young  ;   Grace  S.,  born  Septem- 
ber 12,  1872;  Pearl,  born  July  4,  1879.  died 
January  2,  1883 ;    Fannie  M.,  born   October 
12,  1883,  and  William,  born  January  2,  1886. 
G.  W.  Fanglit  was  born  in  Indiana.  April 
28,  1821.      He  remained  in  that  State  until 
1863,  when  he  came  to  Minnesota,  settling 
in  this  county.     He  has  a  beautiful  place  on 
the    west    bank   of   crystal    Lake    Elysian, 
where  he  devotes  his  time  to  the  cultivation 
of  sorghum^cane,  and  the  manufacture  of  sy- 


rup from  the  same ;  the  quality  of  the  latter 
being  extremely  fine,  and  in  which  he  takes 
a  just  pride.     January  28,  1842,  he  was  uni- 
ted in  marriage  witii  Miss  Lloyd,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  born  September  19,  1828.     They 
were  the  parents  of  eleven  children  :    Eliza 
J.,  born  November  14.  1844  ;  Taylor,  ]\Iarcli 
18,  1847,  died  December  21,  1847  ;  Aurelius, 
December  8, 1848,  died  June  4,  1886  ;  Elijah, 
May  27,  1851,  died  June  11,  1851 ;  Mary  E., 
May   20,   1852 ;    John  H.,  Marcli  15,  1855 ; 
George  W.,  July  12, 1858 ;  Lenora,  February 
11,  1861,  died  December  14,1881;  Abraham 
L.,  born  October  1,  1863;   Laura  F.,  Decem- 
ber 19,  1865,  and  Isabel,  September  28.  1869. 
William  Burnett  is   a  native  of  the  Do- 
minion of  Canada,  born  in  1842.     He  is  the 
son  of  Henr\'  and  Annie  Burnett.    When  he 
had   attained   the  age   of  fifteen  years  he 
thought  to  start  in  the  world  for  himself, 
commenced  farming  and  has  followed    that 
line  of  occupation   ever  since.     In  1862   he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Charlotte  Raven, 
wlio  was  also  a  native  of  Canada,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  four  cliildren.      In  1865 
tiiey  came  to  Waseca  County  and  located  in 
tiie  old  village    of   Janesville,   where   they 
lived   about  three  years,  when,  in  1869,  he 
j)urchased  the  farm  on  section  31,  wiiere  he 
now  resides.     After  the  death  of  his  wife  in 
1882,  he  returned  to  his  Canada  home,  where 
he  spent  two  years,  and  then  returned  to 
this  place,  and  took  up  his  residence  on  his 
homestead,  where  he  has  a  pleasant  place. 

THE  <1LD  VILLAGE  OF  .JANESVILLE. 

During  the  year  1854  a  government  sur- 
veyoi'.  tlien  employed  in  his  vocation  in  this 
portion  of  the  State,  laid  out  the  plat  of  a 
town  on  section  28  for  Father  La  Valdo,  a 
French  Catholic  priest,  which  the  owner 
called  Beopolis.  This  was  on  the  north  half 
of  what  was  afterward  the  town  site  of  old 
Janesville.  According  to  the  custom  of  the 
day  Father  La  Valdo  advertised  his  town  in 
Eastern  pajjcrs  to  some  extent  and  sold  some 
lots,  but  the  place  never  had  an  inhabitant, 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


615 


except  wild  animals.  Like  many  others  in 
that  time  of  mad  speculation  in  real  estate 
that  helped  bring  on  the  financial  crisis  of 
1857,  it  was  but  a  town  on  paper,  and  was  a 
prototype  of  those  so  graphically  drawn  by 
Dickens,  and  which  were  the  theme  of  many 
writers  of  that  day. 

In  lS5t),  Ctesav  DeRegan,  a  Frenchman, 
who  at  that  time  came  here,  laid  out  a  town 
site  upon  the  ground  occupied  by  the  old 
village  of  Janesville,  and  upon  the  waters  of 
Lake  Elysian,  which,  at  first,  he  called  St. 
Cjesar's  but  changed  the  name  afterward  to 
New  Albany.  Shortlj^  after  this  J.  W. 
Hosmer  came  here  and  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  the  town  site,  and  in  a  short  time 
a  new  name,  Janesville,  was  given  it  by 
Mr.  Ilosmer,  after  the  town  of  the  same 
name  in  Wisconsin,  from  which  he  had  come. 
The  village  was  located  upon  the  west  half 
of  section  28,  in  a  beautiful  situation  on 
the  banks  of  Lake  Elysian.  Here  quite  a 
village  sprang  into  existence  and  flourished 
for  years. 

Previous  to  the  time  when  Mr.  Hosmer 
took  hold  of  the  place,  but  one  building  was 
upon  the  town  site,  and  that  was  but  a  pole 
shant}'  placed  there  by  the  owner  to  hold 
the  claim,  and  in  which  he  lived.  In  1858 
Mr.  Hosmer  built  a  store  building  and  a  res- 
idence. This  was  the  pioneer  business  house 
of  the  town.  In  the  winter  of  1861-2  Mr. 
Homer  and  N.  E.  Strong  put  up  a  steam  saw 
mill,  which  was  the  only  one  "  for  many  miles 
around,"  and  settlers  came  often  from  tift}^ 
to  seventy-five  miles  after  lumber. 

As  an  instance  of  the  lack  of  sawmills  it 
is  told  that,  on  the  opening  of  the  Winnebago 
reservation  in  1863  or  1864,  a  man  hastened 
there,  staked  out  his  claim,  and  leaving  his 
family  in  his  wagon-box  upon  the  ground, 
covered  only  by  its  canvas,  tent-like  covering, 
started  off  for  lumber  to  put  up  a  cabin. 
He  first  went  to  Mankato,  then  on  up  to 
Faribault,  and  from  thence  to  other  places, 
but  could  not  even  hear  of  any  lumber  to  be 
had,  and  when  finally  he  did  reach   Hosmer 


&  Strong's  mill,  he  had  been  nearly  two 
weeks  on  the  hunt,  and  had  not  secured  a 
single  board.  He  filled  up  his  wagon  and 
started  for  his  claim,  which  he  found  all 
right,  and  his  family  patiently  awaiting  his 
return. 

This  mill  was  a  very  large  one  for  the  time 
and  the  country,  being  32x60  feet  in  size,  and 
two  stories  in  height,  besides  the  basement. 
They  had  finished  the  upper  floor  for  a  hall, 
and  in  it  were  held  the  first  religious  services 
in  the  village.  These  were  conducted  by  a 
man  by  the  name  of  W.  G.  Alexander.  On 
the  day  in  question,  there  being  a  large 
sugar  camp  in  operation  run  by  Mr.  Alexan- 
der, and  the  saj)  running  freely,  the  dishes 
and  troughs  soon  filled,  and  as  it  was  neces- 
sary to  gather  it  or  lose  a  large  amount  of 
the  sugar-making  sap,  the  settlers,  I'ather 
than  have  him  sustain  the  loss  of  his  sugar, 
to  induce  him  to  work  on  Sunday  told  him 
that  they  would  not  go  to  church  until  they 
had  collected  the  sweet,  and  although  he 
was  a  man  very  rigid  in  his  religious  ideas, 
he  was  compelled  tosuspend  the  service  until 
that  was  accomplished  or  have  no  congrega- 
tion ;  so  making  a  merit  of  the  necessity,  he 
gracefully  gave  in,  and  the  sap  was  gathered 
When  that  was  finished,  all  filed  into  th( 
Iniildinir  and  tlie  church  service  held,  with  a 
full  attendance.  So  strict  was  Mr.  Alexan- 
der in  his  ideas  of  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  that  a  story  was  current  that  he 
had  shut  up  his  bees  in  their  hives  on  that 
day,  that  they  might  not  violate  the  com- 
mandment against  working. 

The  first  store  in  the  village  was  ])ut  up 
by  J.  W.  Hosmer,  as  has  been  already  re- 
lated. Shortly  after  this,  a  merchant  of 
Waterville,  by  the  name  of  Tidball,  put  in  a 
branch  store  of  the  general  character  usual 
in  new  settlements,  where  the  "  store  "  sold 
nearly  every  thing  from  a  needle  to  a  crow- 
bar, sugar,  calico,  whiskey,  quinine,  etcet- 
era, particularly  the  latter.  "Elder"  Perkins 
was  the  manager  of  this  enii)orium.  Davis 
&  Holstein  were  the  next  merchants,  deal- 


616 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


ing  largely  with  the  Indians  as  already 
related.  Several  saloons  were  started,  and 
at  one  time  this  branch  had  as  many  as 
eighteen  representatives  in  existence. 

J.  O.  Chandler  opened  a  general  store 
there  in  1866,  whicli  was  the  most  extensive 
the  town  ever  had,  up  to  that  time. 

Dr.  E.  O.  Craig  was  the  pioneer  physician 
of  the  village,  "  hanoino-  out  his  shingle "  at 
that  place  in  1866. 

Besides  the  sawmill  spoken  of,  another  was 
erected  west  of  the  bridge  just  over  the  hill. 
by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Waterburv.  This 
was  afterward  bought  by  James  Cummins 
and  his  brother,  who  ran  it  for  some  time. 
It  was  destroyed  by  fire,  as  was  the  Hosmer 
mill. 

J.  W.  Hosmer  was  the  postmaster  here  for 
many  years,  but  in  1867  J.  O.  Chandlei-  held 
that  office,  and  in  1869  removed  it  to  the  new 
village  that  has  just  spi-ung  into  existence. 

In  1869  and  1870,  the  whole  of  the  little 
hamlet  removed  to  the  present  village  of 
Janesville,  the  presence  of  the  railroad  at  that 
)>oint  drawing  trade  there,  and  the  old  site  is 
left  in  loneliness  now. 

OKAMAX. 

The  now  extinct  village  that  bore  the 
name  of  Okaman  was  laid  out  on  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  1.  The  site  of  the 
town  was  laid  out  by  W.  P.  Mathes,  B.  S. 
Hall,  S.  M.  Cooley,  F.  E.  Koberts  and  G.  H. 
Bishop,  in  May  1857.  F.  E.  and  James 
Roberts  laid  out  an  addition  to  the  town 
site  the  same  month.  ]\Iuch  was  expected 
of  the  new  town  at  that  time,  but  it,  alas, 
has  passed  away,  and  is  numbered  with  the 
things  that  were. 

ELYSIAN. 

A  small  part  of  the  village  of  Elysian  lies 
on  a  portion  of  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  2.  Nearl}"-  all  the  town  lies  in  La 
Sueur  Count}',  but  little  of  it  lying  in  Wa- 
seca. A  histoi'v  of  that  village  will  be  found 
in  the  annals  of  the  county  in  wliicb  it 
lies. 


trast  ^anesVill 


e, 

or  the  new  town  of  Janesville,  is  situated 
on  the  east  half  of  section  3.3  and  the  west 
half  of  section  .34,  and  was  laid  out  originally 
by  J.  W.  Sprague,  general  managei'  of  the 
Winona  &  St.Peter  Railroad,  inAugust,  1869, 
S.  H.  Mott  being  the  surve^'or.  Nine  additions 
to  the  town  plat  have  been  made  since  by  J. 
W.  Sprague,  W.  G.  Allyn,  Adna  Carpenter 
E.  II.  Gosper  and  George  French.  This  is 
official  and  taken  from  the  records  of  tlie 
county. 

On  the  foundation  of  this  town,  at  the 
time  of  the  building-  of  the  railroad  througli 
here,  most  of  the  business  men  of  the  old 
town  moved  to  this  point. 

The  first  building  was  erected  by  H.  D. 
Baldwin,  inAugust,  1869,  the  first  load  of 
lumber  for  which  was  hauled  by  J.  AV.  Cum- 
mins. Tliis  building,  in  an  unfinished  condi- 
tion, was  used  as  a  boarding-house  and  a 
hotel  by  the  "  Judge"  for  a  year  or  two, 
when  it  was  purchased  by  Frank  Johnson, 
who  finished  it,  made  considerable  additions 
and  improvements,  and  after  its  remodeling 
opened  it  as  a  hotel  with  the  name  of  the 
Jolmson  House  displayed,  a  name  that  it 
bore  until  it  was  destro\'ed  b^  lire  in  1887. 
Mr.  Johnson  leased  the  building  afterward 
to  James  Fisher,  who  was  landlord  until  suc- 
ceeded by  B.  II.  Hanaford.  W.  W.  Day 
was  the  next  host  of  this  hostelry,  and  was 
succeeded  by  John  Church,  the  genial  pro- 
prietor of  the  DeGraff  House,  who  was  the 
occupant  of  the  old  hotel  at  the  time  of  its 
destruction. 

J.  O.  Chandler  came  to  the  new  town  in 
the  fall  of  1869,  and,  putting  up  a  building, 
removed  his  stock  of  goods  from  the  old 
town  and  adding  to  it  opened  the  first  store 
in  the  town.  This  stock  was  of  the  miscella- 
neous character  that  is  known  by  the  name 
of  general  merchandise.  The  second  was 
put  up  by  A.  W.  Jennison  and  F.  H.  Miner. 
D.  J.  Dodge  &  Co.,  J.  D  Andrews  and 
Denzil  Vai's  were  among  the  pioneer  busi- 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


617 


ness  houses  of  the  town.  D.  J.  Dodge  & 
Co.  dealt  in  hardware  and  goods  of  that 
description  ;  J.  D.  Andrews  dispensed  drugs, 
medicines,  paints,  oils,  etc.;  and  Denzil  Vars 
ran  a  butcher  shop. 

These  were  the  pioneers  in  their  respective 
lines. 

All,  or  nearly  all,  of  the  buildings  in  the 
old  village  were  removed  to  the  new  one 
during  the  winter  of  1869-70,  and  when 
spring  had  come,  in  the  latter  year,  the  place 
had  already  put  on  the  looks  of  a  thriving 
village,  and  promised  a  good  healthy  gro-\vth. 
From  that  time  on  it  has  gradually  increased 
both  in  size  and  business  importance,  until 
to-day  it  ranks  only  second  to  the  city  of 
Waseca,  in  the  county.  In  1885,  by  the 
census  then  taken,  it  had  a  population  of 
1,051,  and  has  probably  added  another  hun- 
dred to  that  since  that  time. 

With  the  spring  of  1870  building  com- 
menced, and  rapidly,  as  if  by  magic,  edifices 
of  all  kinds  sprang  into  being ;  although  lots 
were,  by  the  good  judgment  of  the  proprie- 
tors kept  at  reasonable  figures,  still  the  town 
had  a  "  boom,"  to  use  a  current  expression. 

Dr.  K.  O.  Craig  was  the  first  physician 
in  the  village  of  Janesville.  Dr.  M.  J.  Taylor 
is  the  present  leading  physician,  R.  O.  Craig 
no  longer  practicing  his  profession. 

John  Bradish  was  the  pioneer  attorney  of 
the  town.  This  profession  is  represented  at 
present  by  A.  J.  O'Grady  and  L.  D.  Rogers, 
both  of  whom  are  mentioned  in  the  chapter 
devoted  to  bench  and  bar  of  the  county,  in 
this  volume. 

The  present  business  interests  of  the  town 
of  Janesville  are  represented  by  the  follow- 
ing firms,  who  nearly,  if  not  quite  all,  are 
doing  a  flourishing  business  :  J.  F.  Cordry  & 
Co.,  F.  H.  Miner,  Chase  &  Day  and  Finley 
Bros.,  in  general  merchandise ;  Bailey  & 
Watkins  and  F.  L.  Hagen,  hardware;  Craig 
*fe  Chandler  and  Emerson  &  Emerson,  drugs ; 
J.  G.  Smith  and  W.  Merrill,  jewelry ;  il. 
D.  Cameron,  furniture ;  E.  Dieudonne,  J. 
A.  Tyrholm  and  Carpenter  &  Morrill,  deal- 


ers in  agricultural  implements,  etc. ;  F.  M. 
Long  and  the  Laird-Norton  Co.,  lumber  ; 
Gutfleisch  &  Britton,  clothing  and  gents' 
furnishing  goods  and  custom  tailoring ;  H.  J. 
Cummins,  grocery ;  E.  H.  Gosper,  meat 
market ;  F.  A.  Selover  and  J.  F.  Gilday, 
restaurant. 

F.  H.  Miner  came  to  this  county  in  the 
fall  of  1 863,  and  for  the  first  four  years  was 
a  citizen  of  New  Richland,  but  at  the  expir- 
ation removed  to  the  then  new  village  of 
Waseca,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  wheat 
trade  and  the  sale  of  agricultural  machinery 
for  some  two  years.  On  the  laying  out  of 
the  new  village  of  Janesville,  he  came  hither, 
and  entering  into  partnership  with  A.  W. 
Jennison,  put  up  the  second  store  building 
in  the  town,  and  put  in  a  general  stock  of 
merchandise,  under  the  firm  name  of  Jenni- 
son &  Miner.  They  remained  together 
for  fourteen  \^ears,  when  Jennison  sold  his 
interest  to  S.  F.  Shephard,  and  the  firm  of 
Miner  &  Shephard  carried  on  the  business 
for  two  3'ears,  since  which  time  Mr.  Miner 
has  been  carrying  on  the  business  alone. 

Mr.  Miner  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  born  in  1810.  When  quite  young  the 
family  removed  to  Vermont,  where  they  re- 
sided but  about  two  years,  and  then  moved 
to  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  until  1863, 
when  he  came  to  Minnesota  as  above  men- 
tioned.    He  married  Addie  Wookey  in  1869. 

Charles  Gutfleisch,  of  the  firm  of  Gutfleisch 
&  Britton,  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in 
1856.  When  about  seventeen  years  of  age 
he  emigrated  to  America,  and  came  direct 
to  the  city  of  Waseca,  where  he  worked  at 
the  tailor's  trade  from  1872  until  1878,  when 
he  removed  to  the  village  of  Janesville  and 
opened  a  tailor  shop  for  himself,  being  one 
of  the  sufl'erei's  by  the  fire  of  1887.  He 
shortly  afterward  formed  a  partnership  with 
R.  L.  H.  Britton,  and  they  erected  the  brick 
building  where  they  carr^f  on  the  clothing 
and  men's  furnishing  goods  trade,  Mr. 
Gutfleisch  having  charge  of  the  merchant 
tailoring  department. 


618 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COtTNTY. 


R.  L.  H.  Britten  came  to  this  county 
November  18,  1871,  witli  his  father,  who 
located  on  section  16,  Alton  Township.  He 
remained  with  him  until  the  spring  of  1886, 
when  he  came  to  the  village  of  Janesville 
and  engaged  in  the  sale  of  agricultural  im- 
plements, which  business  he  continued  until 
the  spring  of  1887,  when  the  present  firm  of 
Gutfleisch  &  Britton  was  formed.  Mr. 
Britton  is  a  native  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  born 
February  24,  1854.  When  he  was  about  a 
year  old  the  family  removed  to  Kentucky,  on 
Hunter's  Bottom,  opposite  Madison,  Ind., 
where  they  lived  five  years,  and  then  re- 
turned to  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  whei-e 
they  resided  until  coming  here.  His  mother 
died  there  February  13,  1879.  She  was  a 
native  of  Long  Island,  born  in  February 
18(19.  His  father  is  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
born  January  20,  1803,  now  living  in  Alton. 

James  Cummins  was  born  in  Bristol, 
Kenoslia  County,  Wis.,  March  5,  1840.  He 
remained  in  that  locality  until  1857,  when  he 
came  here,  and  for  a  time  was  backward  and 
forward  between  this  and  Blue  Earth  coun- 
ties. In  1858  he  had  a  government  contract 
to  break  100  acres  of  land  on  the  reservation 
for  the  Indians,  part  in  each  county.  He 
then  came  to  the  old  town  of  Janesville,  and 
for  a  time  worked  in  Hosmer  &  Strong's 
sawmill,  and  later,  with  his  brother,  bought 
another  mill,  just  west  of  the  former,  and 
ran  that  for  a  while.  He  has  been  entensively 
engaged  in  railroad  contract  work,  getting 
out  timber  and  ties,  and  other  work.  In 
1876  he  came  to  the  new  village  of  Janes- 
ville and  entered  in  the  meat-market  business. 
Later  he  ran  a  hardware  store,  but  is  now  in 
the  grocery  trade  witli  its  accompaniments. 
June  19,  1862,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  H.  J.  Coddington. 

Henry  Chase  came  to  the  county  of 
Waseca  in  the  year  1863,  and  settled  in  the 
town  of  Freedom,  on  section  33.  On  the 
starting  of  the  village  of  Janesville  he  came 
liere  and  for  a  time  ran  a  dray  line,  and 
later  opened  a  livery  stable  which  he  carried 


on  for  a  time.  He  then  sold  out  and  went 
East,  but  in  1875  returned  here,  and  in  com- 
pany with  J.  E.  Cordrey,  went  into  the 
general  merchandise  trade.  In  1SS4  he  sold 
out  his  interest  there  to  Chandler  &  Craig, 
and  the  same  season,  in  partnership  with 
Fred.  Williams,  opened  another  store  in  the 
same  line.  In  the  fall  of  1887  the  present 
firm  of  Chase  &  Day  was  formed.  Mr. 
Chase  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  in  1842, 
and  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Morse) 
Chase,  both  born  in  Vermont.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  1862,  when  he  enlisted 
in  Company  E,  Ninth  Vermont  Infantry 
under  Col.  Stannard,  but  in  the  first  engage 
ment,  at  Winchester,  Va.,  he  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  after  four  montlis  in  Libby 
prison,  was  released  on  parole.  He  received 
his  discharge  in  Februar\%  1863,  and  the 
same  year  came  to  Minnesota. 

W.  W.  Day  came  to  Waseca  County  in 
1878,  settling  in  the  village  of  Janesville,  buy- 
ing out  the  livery  business  of  Hubbard  tt  Cum- 
mins, and  five  years  later  the  stable  of  Chan- 
dler Bros.,  combining  the  two  into  one.  This 
he  ran  until  March,  1887,  when  he  sold  out 
the  same,  together  with  his  dray  line,  to  J. 
C.  and  P.  J.  Murphy,  and,  building  a  neat 
brick  building  on  the  west  side  of  the  main 
street,  formed  the  copartnership  with  Henry 
Chase,  and  under  the  firm  name  of  Chase  A: 
Day  opened  a  general  merchandise  stoi-e. 
Mr.  Day  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  born  in 
July,  1856,  and  is  the  son  of  W.  C.  and  Alma 
L.  Day.  He  remained  with  them  until  com- 
ing to  Minnesota.  March  19,  1875,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Lois  J.  Lobdell,  a 
native  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  They  have  two 
children  :  Arthur  and  Mabel. 

E.  H.  Gosper  came  to  the  county  of 
Waseca  in  1869,  and  located  in  the  then  new 
village  of  Janesville,  where  for  a  time  he 
had  charge  of  a  lumber  yard  and  a  sawmill 
in. the  old  village.  In  connection  with  these 
businesses  he  had  charge  of  the  sale  of  the 
town  lots  here,  and  had  the  control  of  them 
until  1873.     In  1872   he   opened   a   general 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


619 


merchandise  store  and  continued  in  that  line 
until  18S2.  In  1883  he  opened  the  meat- 
market  which  he  is  at  present  running.  E.  H. 
Gosper  is  a  native  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
born  in  1842.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  farm, 
which  he  carries  on  in  connection  with  his 
other  business. 

Josejjh  Davidson  came  to  Waseca  County 
in  1862,  locating  in  Byron  Township.  Later 
he  enlisted  in  the  First  Minnesota  Heavy 
Artillery,  Battery  D,  and  served  in  the 
war  under  General  Thomas,  until  September, 
1865,  when  he  received  his  discharge  at 
Chattanooga,  Tenn.  He  then  returned  to 
"Waseca  County.  When  the  village  of  Janes- 
ville  started,  in  1869,  he  came  to  this  place 
and  helped  to  erect  some  of  the  first  build- 
ings. Joseph  Davidson  is  the  son  of  James 
and  Ella  Davidson.  He  was  born  in  the 
State  of  New  York  in  1834,  and  there  he  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  when  he  went  to  Green  Lake 
County,  Wis.,  and  worked  at  carpentering, 
being  a  contractor  and  builder.  There  he 
remained  until  he  came  to  Waseca  County 
in  1862. 

James  C.  Murphy  is  a  native  of  Dodge 
County,  Wis.,  born  July  14, 1861.  When  he 
was  some  four  years  of  age,  in  1865,  his  par- 
ents, Patrick  and  Ellen  (Campbell)  Murph}^ 
came  to  Waseca  County  and  they  purchasetl 
a  farm  on  sections  21  and  22,  Alton  Town- 
ship, where  they  still  reside.  There  James 
was  reared  and  educated.  He  taught  school 
for  some  three  winters  in  district  No.  66, 
working  on  the  farm  in  the  summers.  In  the 
spring  of  1887  he  and  his  brother,  Patrick 
J.,  purchased  the  livery  business  of  W.  W. 
Day,  of  Janes ville,  and  are  now  running  the 
same,  James  having  chai'ge.  James  C.  Mur- 
phy and  Margeret  L.  Callahan  were  united 
in  mari'iage.  May  25,  1887.  She  was  born 
near  Montello,  Marquette  County,  Wis.,  and 
came  with  her  jiarents  to  St.  Mary,  this 
county,  where  they  now  live. 

Patrick  J.  Murphy  was  born  in  Dodge 
County,  Wis.,  December  20,  1864,  and  came 


with  his  parents  to  this  county  in  November, 
1865,  and  now  resides  with  them  on  the  farm 
in  Alton  Township,  although  engaged  with 
his  brother  James  in  the  livery  business. 

The  first  bank  in  the  village  was  estab- 
lished b}^  Hill  Bros,  in  1879,  and  continued 
by  them  for  about  three  years.  It  was  then 
purchased  by  O.  P.  Smith,  who  managed  it 
until  1884,  when  it  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Jennison  Bros.  &  Co.  The  latter  firm  were 
burned  out  in  the  great  fire  of  April  12, 
1887,  and  for  a  time  carried  on  their  bank- 
ing business  at  the  office  of  the  mill.  They 
are  now  the  occupants  of  a  neat  and  tasty 
brick  building,  erected  by  themselves  in 
the  summer  of  1887,  on  the  east  side  of 
Main  street.  It  is  quite  commodious  and 
fitted  up  with  counter,  safes,  etc.,  in  excel- 
lent shape.     John  W.  Jennison  is  cashier. 

A.  W.  Jennison,  one  of  the  firm  of  Jenni- 
son Bros.,  bankers,  millers,  etc.,  is  a  native 
of  the  State  of  Vermont;  born  in  1839, 
and  is  the  son  of  Jason  H.  and  Lydia 
(Gage)  Jennson.  He  remained  in  the  Green 
Mountain  State  until  1860  when  he  came 
west  and  located  in  Green  Lake  County, 
Wis.,  where  he  purchased  a  farm  and  oper- 
ated that  until  1866,  when  he  removed  into 
the  village  of  Kingston  and  entered  into 
mercantile  trade.  In  1868  his  store  was 
burned  out,  he  meeting  with  a  loss  of  some 
$5,000.  The  fall  of  that  year  he  came  to 
the  village  of  Waseca,  where  he  remained 
until  October,  1869,  when  he  removed  to  the 
rising  village  of  Janesville,  and,  in  company 
with  F.  H.  Miner,  put  up  a  store  building, 
the  second  in  the  place,  and  putting  in  a  stock 
of  merchandise,  continued  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Jennison  &  Miner  until  1883,  when 
he  sold  out.  Previous  to  this,  however,  he 
had  taken  charge  of  the  lumber  yard  of  Laird, 
Norton  &  Co.,  and  had  the  management  of 
that  until  1886.  In  1883  he  purchased  ft,n 
interest  in  the  Banner  flouring  mill,  and  since 
that  time  has  devoted  his  time  to  the  mill 
and  banking  business  as  already  related. 

The  Banner  Hourin«'  mill  was  erected  in 


620 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


1873  by  the  firm  of  Stokes,  Kimball  &  Co., 
who  operated  it  for  some  time,  when  it  passed 
into  the  hands  of  Stokes  Bros.  &  Co.  In 
1886,  the  latter  tirm  disjjosed  of  it  to  Jenni- 
son  Bros.,  the  present  owners. 

The  Diadem  flouring  mill  was  removed 
to  Janes vi  lie  from  Taopi,  Mower  Count\', 
this  State,  by  Ilarn,  Snyder  &  Co.,  about  the 
year  1877,  and  rebuilt  in  a  substantial  man- 
ner. After  operating  it  here  for  about  two 
years,  misfortune  overtook  them,  and  failing 
in  business,  the  mill  was  allowed  to  stand 
idle  for  about  three  years,  when  it  came  into 
the  possession  of  Hillyer  &  Tillotson,  who 
ran  it  for  some  eighteen  months,  and  then 
disposed  of  it  to  J.  S.  Sutcliffe,  who  is  now  in 
Minneapolis  engaged  in  the  grain  commis- 
sion business.  December,  1886,  it  was  pur- 
chased by  the  present  owners,  Jenuison 
Bros.,  who  now  oi)erate  both  mills.  These 
two  manufacturing  enterprises '  under  one 
management  are  turning  out  about  4.50 
barrels  of  flour  per  day,  which  they  ship 
to  eastern  markets.  They  are  both  fully 
equipped  with  roller  machinery;  with  all  the 
necessary  adjuncts  that  go  to  make  up  first- 
class  mills,  and  are  a  credit  to  the  business 
enterprise  of  the  able  firm  of  Jennison 
Bros. 

J.  M.  Gordon,  the  miller  of  the  Banner 
flouring  mill,  came  to  Waseca  County  with 
his  parents  in  1867.  They  settled  about 
half  a  mile  .south  of  the  village  of  Janesville 
on  section  5,  where  they  still  live.  J.  M. 
remained  at  home  with  them  until  he  was 
al)out  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  went  to 
Dodge  County,  this  State,  where  he  worked 
on  a  farm.  Later  he  was  employed  in  a 
brickyard  at  Mankato,  but  in  October,  1881, 
came  into  the  Banner  mill,  then  operated 
by  Stokes  Bros.,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained, taking  charge  of  the  same  as  head 
miller  and  superintendent  in  October,  1886. 
He  is  the  son  of  William  and  Mary  Gordon ; 
was  born  June  6,  1860,  and  was  married  Oc- 
tober 1,  1881,  to  Eudora  Clark,  a  daughter 
of  Joel  and   Lavina  Clark.     Mr.  and  Mrs. 


Gordon  are  the  parents  of  two  children :  Guy 
and  Vern. 

A  gristmiU  was  put  up  at  this  place  in 
1876-7  by  Waterbury  &  Wagoner,  who  ran 
it  for  a  time,  when  A.  Carpenter  purchased 
the  interest  of  Mr.  Waterbury.  The  new 
firm  of  Carpenter  &  Wagoner  repaired  it 
and  remodeled  it  and  operated  it  for  a  short 
time,  when  it  became  the  property  of  A. 
Carpenter,  who  managed  it  a  little  while  by 
himself,  but  in  1880  it  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
It  is  said  to  have  been  a  very  fine  little  mill 
and  well  equipped  with  excellent  machinery. 

About  the  year  1872  Hurd  Bros.,  erected 
a  sawmill  at  this  point  and  ran  it  for  a 
time.  One  of  the  proprietors  being  killed 
by  an  accident  it  was  sold  to  II.  P.  Pack- 
ard, now  of  Redfield,  D.  T.,  who  added  a 
stave  factory  to  it.  It  was  afterward  sold 
to  Jennison  Bros.,  and  finally  swept  out 
of  existence  by  fire.  On  its  site  Mills  Gil- 
more  erected  a  sawmill  and  wood-bending 
works.  He  sold  it  to  Kichard  Ash,  the  pres- 
ent owner. 

Hosmer,  Gosper  &  Packard  at  one  time 
ran  a  mill  for  the  manufacture  of  broom- 
handles,  oak  staves  and  clothes  pins,  but 
they  discontinued  the  business,  and  the 
buildings  went  to  rack  and  ruin. 

A  barrel  and  tub  factory  was  put  up  by 
L.  V.  B.  Welch,  who  ran  it  for  awhile,  when 
he  was  succeeded  in  the  business  by  S.  C.  L. 
Moore,  but  in  the  course  of  time  it  became 
again  the  property  of  Mr.  Welch,  who 
finally  closed  it  up.  The  building  is  now 
useil  as  the  cooper  shop  connected  with  the 
rtourmills. 

The  upright  part  of  the  elevator  was 
erected  by  the  Winona  <k  St.  Peter  Pail- 
road  Company,  on  their  reaching  this  point 
in  1869.  This  was  added  to,  in  1874:,  by  the 
then  owners,  Shabut  et  Lewis,  of  Mankato. 
Shephard  ife  Sanborn  purchased  it  next  and 
operated  it  until  S.  F.  Shephard  bought  out 
Lis  partner  and  ran  it  alone.  The  next  firm 
was  Jennison  Bros.  &  Co.,  who  operated  it 
for  about  four  years,  but  in  May,  1886,  Jen- 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


621 


nison  Bros,  obtained  complete  control  and 
are  now  tlie  owners.  P.  M.  Enright  is  the 
superintendent  and  manager. 

P.  M.  Enright  came  to  this  county  in 
1874,  and  settled  in  the  village  of  Janesville, 
where  he  still  lives,  engaging  in  the  wheat 
business  for  G.  W.  Van  Dusen  &  Co.,  of 
Rochester  City,  Minn.,  and  has  been  in 
that  line  of  trade  ever  since.  He  was  born 
in  Montreal,  Canada,  December  23,  1848, 
and  is  the  son  of  Jeremiah  and  Mary  (Sulli- 
van) Enright.  He  lived  with  his  parents, 
working  on  a  farm  until  1870,  when  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  locating  at  that  time 
at  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  where  he  worked  for 
the  railroad  company  for  about  two  years. 
From  there  he  removed  to  Columbus,  Wis., 
at  which  place  he  was  in  the  grain  business 
for  about  a  year  and  a  half,  and  then  came 
to  Janesville.  February  3,  1876,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  A.  W.  Ilofel- 
man.  They  are  the  parents  of  five  children: 
Hattie,  Barney,  Minna,  Amy  and  John. 
He  held  the  office  of  street  commissioner  of 
Janesville  for  two  years,  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  education. 

The  De  Graff  House,  the  only  hotel  in  the 
village,  was  built  during  the  summer  of 
1887.  John  Church,  who  was  running  the 
Johnson  House  at  the  time  of  the  fire,  put 
up  the  present  fine  structure,  which  deserves 
more  than  a  passing  notice.  It  is  a  brick 
veneered  building  having  a  handsome  por- 
tico in  front,  and  is  finished  in  a  tasty 
manner,  both  inside  and  outside.  It  con- 
tains a  large  and  commodious  reception 
room  and  office,  sample  rooms,  dining  room, 
Avash  room,  ])arlor  and  twenty  bedrooms, 
and  will  be  well  furnished  throughout  as 
soon  as  Mr.  Church,  the  genial  and  efficient 
landlord,  can  get  the  furniture  into  the  new 
building. 

The  postoffice  was  removed  to  this  village 
from  the  old  town  in  the  fall  of  1869  by  J. 
O.  Chandler,  who  was  the  postmaster  at 
that  time.  The  following  year  he  was  suc- 
ceeded bv  J.  W.  Vars,  who  held  it   for  a 


time,  Avhen  he  was  followed  by  D.  A.  Ran- 
dall. In  1873  Clarence  E.  Graham  was 
made  the  postmaster,  which  he  ran  in  con- 
nection with  the  Argus  until  October  24, 
1881,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  J.  A. 
Henry.  J.  W.  Tefft  is  the  present  incumbent 
of  the  office,  but  it  is  under  the  management 
of  Mr.  Henry,  who  is  the  able  editor  of  the 
Argus. 

The  first  schoolhouse  was  erected  in  1871 
at  a  cost  of  $2,800,  and  it  is  still  used  for 
educational  purposes.  This  structure  was 
sufficient  for  the  needs  of  the  village  until 
1877,  when  another  was  built.  This  is  now 
used  by  the  Good  Templars  as  a  hall  of 
meeting.  The  present  brick  schoolhouse 
was  erected  in  1885,  at  a  total  cost  of  about 
$7,000;  in  this  are  four  schoolrooms  and  a 
library.  All  three  of  these  structures  are  on 
one  block.  Prof.  Wheaton,  from  Caledonia, 
Houston  County,  with  a  corps  of  four  teach- 
ers. Misses  Co}^,  Sackitt,  Baker  and  Ilaginau 
preside  over  the  elevation  of  the  youthful 
minds. 

The  first  church  building  in  the  village 
was  erected  by  the  Free  Will  Baptist  Soci- 
ety in  1870,  and  is  still  in  use  by  the  same 
congregation.  The  church  cost  some  $3,000. 
Rev.  Mr.  McElroy  is  the  present  pastor. 

The  next  to  put  up  a  building  were  the 
Episcopalians  in  1877,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$2,000.  Rev.  Mr.  Cornell  is  the  rector  at 
this  writing. 

The  Roman  Catholic  congregation  erected 
a  fine  church  edifice  here  in  1876,  at  an  ex- 
penditure of  about  $6,000.  At  that  time 
Rev.  Father  Herman  had  charge  of  the  par- 
ish, and  continued  here  until  1879.  Rev. 
Father  P.  J.  O'Niel,  the  present  pastor,  is  a 
native  of  the  north  of  Ireland,  born  in  18.58, 
and  is  the  son  of  Francis  and  Ellen  (Higgins) 
O'Neil,  natives  of  that  country.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  seminary  in  Langford, 
remaining  there  the  years  of  1877  and  1878, 
in  classic  studies,  and  in  All  Hallows  for- 
eign missionary  college,  where  he  remained 
for  five  years.      He  then  came  to  America, 


«22 


HISTOKY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


locating  at  Minneapolis,  this  State,  where 
for  one  year  he  acted  as  assistant  to  Kev. 
Father  James  McGuh'ick,  and  then  was  ap- 
pointed to  his  present  charge,  coming  to 
Janesville  in  August,  1885. 

In  1880  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomi- 
nation erected  a  fine  brick  structure  for  re- 
ligious purposes,  at  a  cost  of  $i,000. 

The  Lutheran  Evangelical  Church  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  $3,500,  during  the  year 
1885. 

A  large  building  45x100  feet  in  size,  was 
erected  in  1878,  and  is  used  as  a  town  hall. 
It  is  a  fine  building  of  brick,  and  cost  in  the 
neighborhood  of  $5,000. 

Janesville  Lodge,  No.  124,  Ancient  Free 
and  Accepted  Masons,  was  organized  under 
dispensation,  August  10,  1875,  with  the  fol- 
lowing ofiicers :  E.  O.  Craig,  W.  M. ;  E.  H. 
Gosper,  S.  W. ;  F.  H.  Miner,  J.  W. ;  E.  M. 
Eedfield,  S.  D. ;  J.  W.  Tefft,  J.  D. ;  S.  C.  L. 
Moore,  S.  S. ;  C.  H.  Younglove,  J.  S. ;  E. 
Heritage,  Tyler.  Besides  these  officers  there 
were  the  following  members  at  the  date  of 
organization:  E.  N.  Sackett,  Kelsey  Curtis, 
Darling  Welch,  and  J.  O.  Chandler.  The 
charter  was  issued  to  this  Lodge  February 
11,  1877,  and  the  following  officers  installed  : 

E.  O.  Craig,  W.  M. ;  E.  H.  Gosper,  S.  W. ; 

F.  H.  Miner,  J.  W. ;  C.  Hallack,  T. ;  J.  W. 
Tefft,  S.;  S.  C.  L.  Moore,  S.  D. ;  C.  H. 
Younglove,  J.  D. ;  A.  Carpenter,  S.  S. ;  D. 
Welch,  J.  S. ;  E.  Heritage,  Tyler. 

The  lodge  has  a  present  membership  of 
forty-tlD'ee  brethren  of  the  square  and  com- 
pass, and  holds  regular  communications  on 
the  second  Wednesday  evening  in  each 
month.  The  officers  for  1887  are  the  follow- 
ing named  brethren :  W.  J.  Baker,  W.  M. ; 
D.  J.  Dodge,  S.  W. ;  P.  M.  Enright,  J.  W. ; 
J.  W.  Jennison,  S. ;  J.  V.  Kee,  T. ;  W.  W. 
Day,  S.  D. ;  J.  A.  Willis,  J.  D. ;  L.  D.  Eog- 
ers,  S.  S. ;  W.  F.  Gottschalk,  J.  S. ;  J.  W. 
Tefft,  Tyler. 

The  village  of  Janesville  was  incorporated 
May  10,  1870,  when  the  following  officers 
were  elected ;  E.  O.  Craig,  J.  O.  Chandler, 


and  A.  W.  Jennison,  trustees ;  H.  D.  Bald- 
win, justice  of  the  peace.  This  election  was 
held  at  the  hotel  of  the  last  named  individual. 
At  the  first  meeting  of  the  village  board,  at 
the  office  of  E.  O.  Craig,  William  Huse  was 
chosen  town  clerk,  H.  D.  Cameron,  treasurer, 
and  Henry  Chase,  marshal.  The  present 
officers  are  as  follows  :  E.  Dieudonne,  presi- 
dent; D.  J.  Dodge,  treasurer ;  W.  H.  Kidney, 
recorder ;  Paul  Avers,  marshal ;  M.  J.  Gor- 
don, commissioner,  and  George  A.  AVilson, 
justice. 

fiee! 

On  Tuesday  evening,  April  12,  1887,  a 
large  share  of  the  beautiful  village  of  Janes- 
ville was  laid  waste  by  fire,  which  has  no 
parallel  in  the  history  of  the  count3^  8ays 
the  Argus  of  April  18:  "In  the  short  space 
of  two  hours,  the  homes  and  property  of  over 
one  hundi'ed  people  were  swept  away,  leav- 
ing a  scene  of  distressing  desolation. 

"At  five  minutes  past  nine,  the  sound  of 
the  Banner  mill  whistle  and  the  ringing  of 
bells  was  heard,  bringing  people  out,  all  cen- 
tering in  one  direction  —  toward  the  rear  of 
the  Northwestern  Hotel,  whei-e  a  vast  sheet 
of  fire  and  smoke  were  pouring  from  the  toj) 
of  the  building.  The  fire  was  located  in  the 
loft,  which  was  pretty  well  filled  with  hay, 
and  it  was  only  a  few  moments  ere  it  had 
spi'ead,  with  almost  lightning  rapidity,  to 
adjoining  buildings,  the  Northwestern  Hotel, 
Kleeman's  building,  Tom  Moonan's  building, 
occupied  by  Mr.  Gorman,  and  the  Johnson 
House. 

"  Efforts  to  stay  the  progress  of  the  fire 
were  useless.  Everything  on  that  side  of  the 
street  was  doomed.  The  flames  spread  over 
the  block,  reaching  theu'  fiery  tongues  in 
every  direction.  On  the  north  from  the 
Johnson  House  and  across  the  street,  is  loca- 
ted Emerson's  drug  store.  For  a  short  time 
it  seemed  as  if  this  too  must  succumb,  but  b}' 
dint  of  haril  work  it  was  saved,  and  with  it 
the  block.  From  the  south  the  flames  com- 
municated to  the  McCabe  building,  burning 
with  it  Tyrholm's  machinery,  from  thence  to 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


623 


Dieiidonne's  store  and  \varehouse,  where  sad 
havoc  was  made.  Machinery  of  all  kinds 
was  drawn  into  the  street,  only  to  be  licked 
up  by  the  devouring  flames.  Ilogan's  saloon 
next  succumbed,  followed  by  Charles  Gvit- 
fleisch's  building  and  the  lumber  yards.  In 
the  meantime,  barns  and  outhouses  were  in 
flames,  to  which  no  attention  was  paid.  The 
liver}'  stable  barn  was  saved,  but  how,  and 
by  what  means,  seems  to  be  a  miracle.  For- 
tunately for  tliat  and  the  elevator,  the  direc- 
tion of  the  wind  favored  them. 

"  But  ere  this,  the  flames  had  leaped  across 
the  street  and  were  wrapping  ever^'thing  in 
their  deadly  embrace.  The  first  to  feel  its 
efl'ects  was  F.  L.  Hagen's  large  hardware 
store.  To  the  north.  Chandler  &  Craig's 
building,  occupied  by  Haggerty  &  Fitzgerald, 
and  south,  Powell  Ayer's  grocery,  occupied 
by  W.  G.  AUyn,  went  quicklj'.  South  of 
Allyn's  came  C.  Guior's  saloon,  the  postofBce 
and  Argus  office,  Kruger's  saloon,  Hallack's 
building,  occupied  1)\'  Chas.  Hohen  as  a  har- 
ness shop,  the  bank,  and  Britton's  office. 
From  Chandler  &  Craig's  building  the  flames 
leaped  and  struggled  and  roared,  in  a  vain 
endeavor  to  penetrate  the  brick  hardware. 
Several  times  the  windows  were  on  fire,  the 
flames  reaching  inside,  but  as  man}'  times 
they  were  extinguished.  They  reached  over 
tlie  building  almost  from  the  Johnson  House, 
setting  fire  to  Miner's  store  and  Gilday's  sa- 
loon.    But  here  was  stationed  a  large  bucket 


brigade,  and  the  hand  engine,  and  it  was  by 
prompt  and  efficient  work  that  the  progress 
of  the  fire  was  stopped. 

"  To  the  rear  of  these  buildings  were 
several  ice  houses.  Dodge's  large  warehouse, 
and  several  outbuildings  that  went  up. 
Peters'  wagon  and  blacksmith  shop  was  saved, 
by  earnest  and  persistent  work.  The  town 
well  was  located  here,  and  by  this  means  the 
building  was  saved. 

"  The  loss  was  extremely  heavy,  aggregat- 
ing some  $46,000,  on  which  there  was  the 
trifling  insurance  of  about  $6,200." 

"  Too  much  praise  cannot  be  accorded  the 
women  of  the  town,  for  their  heroic  and  en- 
ergetic efforts  in  saving  goods  and  material. 
They  were  out  in  force  and  labored  like 
Trojans. 

"  The  origin  of  the  fire  is  unknown.  It 
was  discovered  in  the  loft  of  the  barn,  as  pre- 
viously stated,  but  just  what  was  the  cause, 
no  one  knows.  A  small  bonfire  had  been 
kindled  during  the  day  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
barn,  but  it  was  stated  positively  that  it  was 
thoroughly  extinguished." 

But  what  was  a  great,  and  to  some  extent 
an  irreparable  loss,  has  been  the  gain  of  the 
community,  for  on  nearly  all  of  the  lots  left 
vacant  by  the  fire  have  risen  brick  buildings, 
that  give  a  look  of  substantiality  to  the  vil- 
lage that,  together  with  its  beauty  of  location 
and  bright  business  outlook,  will  attract  those 
seeking  a  home,  to  this  place. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


WOODA^LLE  TOWNSHIP. 


[lIE  teiTitorj'  known  as  Woodville 
lies  in  the  second  tier  of  town^ 
ships  from  the  north  line  of  the 
county,  on  its  eastern  margin.  It 
embraces  all  of  congressional 
township  107  north,  range  22 
west,  and  contains  about  23,000 
acres,  2,000  of  which  are  covered 
with  the  pellucid  waters  of  the 
lakes  that  dot  its  bosom.  The 
surface  is  most  beautifully  diversified  ;  gently 
undulating  in  some  places,  it  becomes  nearly 
flat  in  others ;  prairie  interspersed  with  tim- 
ber, and  in  some  places,  notably  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  the  lakes,  heavy  groves  make  up  a 
picture  of  great  natural  beauty.  The  lakes, 
most  of  them  of  considerable  size,  are  gener- 
ally of  clear  water  and  enhance  the  peace- 
ful loveliness  of  the  scenery.  The  principal 
of  these  bodies  of  water.  Clear  Lake,  lying 
partially  in  sections  8,  9,  16  and  17,  is  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  long  by  about  three-quar- 
ters of  a  mile  wide.  Loon  Lake,  half  in  sec- 
tion 7  and  half  in  section  IS,  is  less  in  size. 
Goose  Lake  occupies  part  of  sections  11,  14 
and  15,  and  Rice  Lake,  part  of  which,  onl3% 
is  in  this  township,  fills  up  a  portion  of  sec- 
tions 3  and  i ;  Watkins  Lake  on  sections  2 
and  3,  Gaiter  Lake,  on  the  corner  between 
sections  16,  17,  20  and  21,  and  two  smaller 
ones  lying  between  sections  20  and  29,  make 
up  the  complement.  The  soil,  equal  in  pro- 
ductiveness and  fertility  to  any  in  the  State, 
is  the  dark,  rich  loam  that  predominates  in 
this  portion  of  Minnesota. 

Woodville  has  the  best  railroad  facilities  of 
any  township  in  the  county,  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railroad  crossins'  it  from  east 


to  west,  on  sections  13,  14,  15,  16,  17  and 
18,  and  the  Minneapolis  &  St.  Louis  from 
north  to  south,  on  sections  (i.  7,  18,  19,  30 
and  31,  intersecting  on  the  northeast  quar- 
ter of  section  18,  at  the  city  of  Waseca. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

Obediah  Powell  came  to  this  count}'  from 
Rice  County,  arriving  on  the  6tli  of  May, 
1856.  The  next  day  he  picked  out  a  piece 
of  land  upon  Avhich  he  filed  his  claim  on  the 
9th  of  the  same  month.  This  was  the  south- 
east quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter,  and 
the  south  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  5,  and  the  southwest  quarter  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  4.  Only  a  forty 
of  the  original  homestead  is  now  included  in 
his  fine  farm  of  160  acres,  on  section  5. 

Obediah  Powell  is  a  native  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  born  February  1,  1828.  He  is 
the  son  of  Hiram  and  Mary  (Carpenter) 
Powell,  both  natives  of  the  Empire  State. 
His  father  died  in  Januar}',  1859,  but  his 
mother  is  still  living.  Mr.  Powell  started 
out  for  himself  about  1850,  first  as  a  farmer 
in  his  native  State,  then  in  Pennsylvania. 
In  1855,  he  emigrated  to  the  State  of  Minne- 
sota, locating  for  a  few  months  in  Rice 
County,  when  he  came  to  this  county  as 
above  mentioned.  On  the  5th  of  July,  1857, 
he  and  Miss  Mary  Jane  Gray  were  united  in 
the  bonds  of  holy  matrimony.  Mrs.  Powell 
is  also  a  native  of  New  York,  born  March 
22,  1836.  They  are  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren: George,  born  May  11,  1858;  Norton, 
born  July  25, 1860;  Amalyor,  born  March  5, 
1863  ;  Julia,  May  7,  1865;  Hiram,  June  10, 
1868;  Frost,  December  15,1870;  Augusta, 


eat 


•»«l«* 


*-¥- 


^O-^-'T.-^,^ 


?h. 


W 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


627 


March  30,  1867;  Elmer,  April  20,  1873; 
Rutherford,  March  4,  1877  ;  Hattie,  June  8, 
1879  ;  Mary,  May  23,  1875.  Of  these  two 
are  deceased.  Augusta,  died  April  11, 1867, 
and  Mary  February  26,  1876.  Mr.  Powell 
has  been  quite  prominently  identified  with 
the  interests  of  Waseca  County,  was  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  supervisors  of  the  county 
in  1858  and  1859,  and  has  served  for  five 
years  as  county  commissioner  for  the  1st 
district.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  Republi- 
cans of  this  county,  and  merits  and  retains 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact. 

Eri  G.  Wood  and  his  brother,  Loren  Clark 
Wood,  came  here  early  in  1856,  and  took  up 
claims.  The  last  named,  enlisting  in  the 
army  for  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion, 
contracted  disease  from  the  effects  of  which 
he  died. 

Eri  G.  Wood,  a  native  of  Franklin 
County,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in  1832,  and  is  the 
son  of  ISTathaniel  and  Almeda  (Cochrane) 
Wood.  His  parents  removed  to  Iowa  in 
1845,  and  settled  in  Clayton  County.  Eleven 
years  were  spent  there,  and  in  1856,  when  he 
was  some  twenty-four  years  of  age,  in  com- 
pany with  his  brother  Loren  became  to  what 
is  now  Woodville  Township,  taking  some 
good  land.  A  portion  of  this  claim  is  that 
upon  which  considerable  additions  to  the 
city  of  Waseca  are  laid  out  and  built  upon. 
In  point  of  fact  Mr.  Wood  lives  upon  the 
same  spot  where  he  first  built  his  pioneer 
cabin.  He  was,  while  a  resident  of  Iowa, 
united  in  marriage  with  Mary  L.  Stevens. 
They  are  the  parents  of  seven  children  : 
Loren  G.,  who  was  born  August  5, 1856,  who 
is  now  married  and  resides  in  Waseca  ;  Sum- 
ner E.,  Luman  L.,  Isabel,  Robert  Q.,  Flor- 
ence A.  and  ]Srelhe,born  August  6, 1878,  died 
February  7,  1879. 

Henry  Watkins  also  made  settlement  in 
this  town  in  the  same  year,  coming  here 
with  the  Wood  family,  and  working  for 
them  during  the  summer  of  that  year,  and 
afterward  taking  up  a  claim  on  section  3,  on 


the  banks  of  the  lake  to  which  he  gave  his 
name— Watkins'  Lake.  Later  he  opened  up 
a  farm  south  and  east  of  this.  During  the 
early  part  of  the  "  seventies  "  he  removed  from 
this  locality  and  is  now  living  in  Iowa. 

In  the  summer  of  1856  C.  B.  Lyman  came 
here  and  took  up  some  land  on  section  18,  it 
being  lots  along  Loon  Lake.  Before  cold 
weather  set  in,  however,  he  sold  his  claim 
and  returned  to  New  York. 

Alfred  C.  Smith,  who  had  come  to  Wa- 
seca County  in  1855  with  his  father  and  lo- 
cated in  Blooming  Grove  Township,  although 
he  had  taken  a  claim  in  Woodville,  moved 
to  this  town  in  1856,  and  took  up  some  land 
on  section  5,  opened  up  a  farm  whe)-e  he 
lived  until  after  the  death  of  his  father  in 
JSTovember,  1872,  when  he  removed  back  to 
Blooming  Grove,  where  he  now  lives. 

Another  very  early  settler  was  E.  K.  Carl- 
ton, who  came  here  with  his  family  in  May, 
1856,  and  took  up  a  claim  on  sections  5  and 
6,  where  he  immediately  built  a  cabin  and 
moved.  This  shanty  was,  undoubtedly,  the 
first  one  in  the  township  covered  with  shin- 
gles. However,  before  this,  the  family  had 
managed  to  live  in  it  through  a  dry  spell 
with  a  bark  roof,  but  the  first  rain  drowned 
them  out,  and  shingling  was  deemed  neces- 
sary. E.  K.  Carlton  is  a  native  of  Otsego, 
N.  Y.,  born  February  5,  1811,  and  resided 
there  and  in  that  neighborhood  and  in  Con- 
necticut until  coming  to  Minnesota.  He 
was  married  in  1842  to  Mary  Burdick,  of 
Hornellsville.  They  have  had  seven  children  : 
Mary  Eliza,  Gertrude  C,  Horatio  N.,  Lu- 
ceba,  Lucius,  Edgar  and  Emily.  Mrs.  Carl- 
ton died  July  27,  1878,  but  her  husband  is 
still  a  resident  of  the  county. 

Jacob  Myers  came  here  in  the  fall  of  1856 
and  made  a  claim  on  sections  17  and  18,  the 
site  of  the  city  of  Waseca,  which  he  after- 
ward preempted.  In  1867  he  sold  this  piece 
of  property  to  Ira  C.  Trowbridge,  who  laid 
out  the  town,  and  emigrated  to  the  golden 
shores  of  the  Pacific,  and  is  now  living  in 
California. 


628 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTi'. 


William  Dunn,  a  native  of  the  Emerald 
Isle,  came  to  this  part  of  Waseca  County 
from  Indiana  in  1856,  and  settled  on  section 
35.  He  died  in  this  county  in  March,  18S4 ; 
his  wife  died  in  September,  1871. 

Daniel  Egan,  a  native  of  Ireland,  came  to 
this  place  and  located  in  1857.  He  took  up 
a  claim  and  opened  up  a  farm,  where  he  died 
many  years  ago. 

Patrick  Farrell  came  to  Woodville  Town- 
ship in  1857,  and  made  a  settlement  on  sec- 
tion 6,  where  he  still  resides.  He  is  a  native 
of  Ireland,  born  March  17,  1832,  and  is  the 
eldest  son  of  William  and  Julia  Farrell,  who 
were  the  parents  of  eight  children.  For 
many  years  Mr.  Farrell  remained  in  the  land 
of  his  birth,  but  finally  concluded  to  seek  his 
fortune  in  the  new  world,  so  accordingl}'  set 
sail,  and  landed  in  New  York.  June  9,  1857, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Julia  Agen, 
born  in  1832.  They  have  been  the  parents 
of  ten  children:  Lewis,  Mary,  Julia,  Will- 
iam, Mary,  Daniel,  Mary  Ann  and  Maggie. 
Of  these  the  two  first  Marys  are  dead,  the 
others  are  all  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs  Farrell 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  lie 
is,  politically,  a  Democrat. 

Luman  S.  Wood  came  to  the  town  of 
Woodville  about  1857.  He  was  a  brother  of 
Eri  G.  Wood,  and  a  native  of  St.  Lawrence 
County,  N.  Y.,  born  in  1836.  He  resided 
with  his  parents  until  about  twenty-five 
years  of  age  when  he  enlisted  in  the  First 
Minnesota  Infantry.  On  the  expiration  of 
his  term  of  service,  he  re-enlisted  in  the  heavy 
artillery  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  About  1867  he  was  married  to  Fannie 
Lansdale,  and  prior  to  leaving  for  Oregon, 
in  1872,  where  he  now  resides,  one  child, 
Edith,  was  born  to  them. 

William  M.  Green,  a  millwright  by  occu- 
pation, came  to  Waseca  County  about  the 
year  1857.  He  located  in  this  township,  and 
during  his  stay  here  followed  his  trade  and 
ran  a  sawmill  for  about  two  years.  He  then 
removed  to  Warsaw,  Rice  County,  and  later 
to  Wasioja,  Dodge  County,  this  State. 


Quite  a  number  of  settlers  made  their  ap- 
pearance here  in  1857,  among  whom  were 
James  Nitcher  and  W.  H.  Houck,  the  latter 
locating  on  section  2 ;  John  Morton,  on  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  30 ;  Andrew 
Jackson,  who  settled  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  town ;  Frances  Corr,  Charles  Domey, 
Austin  Vinton  still  a  resident  of  the  town, 
located  on  section  36 ;  S.  II.  Drum  and 
Samuel  Knutson,  who  settled  on  what  is 
now  known  as  the  Roessler  farm. 

FIRST  ITEMS. 

The  first  birth  in  this  township  was  that 
of  Loren  G.,  son  of  Eri  and  Mary  L.  Wood, 
born  August  5,  1856. 

Probably  the  first  religious  services  in  the 
town  were  held  at  the  house  of  E.  G.  Wood, 
in  1857,  by  Elder  Moreland. 

A  school  was  held  in  a  log  shanty  close  to 
Clear  Lake,  on  section  17,  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1859,  of  which  Emma  Cook  was  the 
teacher. 

The  first  cemetery  was  instituted  on  the 
east  side  of  section  17,  where  some  few  were 
interred  before  the  ground  was  survej'ed. 
Andrew  Hicks  who  did  the  sui'veying 
being  the  first  to  be  buried  there  after  it  \vas 
laid  out. 

ORGANIZATION. 

Woodville  was  organized  as  a  separate 
civil  township,  at  a  meeting  of  the  county 
commissioners   on   the   5th   of   April,  1858. 

The  first  election  was  held  at  the  house  of 
Eri  G.  Wood,  on  section  17,  that  gentleman 
assisted  by  Jacob  Myers  and  William  Green, 
acting  as  judges  of  election. 

WASECA. 

A  village  was  laid  out  upon  section  31,  in 
this  township,  early  in  1856,  by  some  Winona 
parties  who  gave  it  the  Indian  name  of 
Waseca.  They  undertook  to  lobby  in  the 
State  Legislature  to  have  it  made  the  seat  of 
county  justice,  but  failed  in  their  object,  al- 
though the  name  was  given  to  the  county. 
There  never  was  any  building  on  the  town 
site  except  a  pole  claim  shanty. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


OAK    HILL    STOCK    FAJ{m. 

In  speaking  of  the  results  of  the  develop- 
ment of  Waseca  County,  we  must  not  ne- 
glect to  mention  this,  one  of  the  leading  stock 
farms  of  this  part  of  the  State.     It  lies  upon 
sections  35  and  36,  of  Woodville  Township 
and  sections  1  and  2,  of  Otisco,  and  contains 
YOO  acres  of  land.     It  is  devoted  to  the  breed- 
ing and  raising  of  Percheron  and  French 
coach  horses  and  Durham  cattle.     The  place 
is  laid  out  with  great  judgment  for  conveni- 
ence in  carrying  on  the  business  for  which 
it  is  intended,  and  the  buildings  are  all  that 
coukl  be  desired  in  that  line.     The  house, 
a  model  in  its  way,  was  erected  in  1882.  to 
replace    one   built  by  Mr.  Dunn  on  coming 
here  in  1867,  which  although  but  16x24,  was 
then  the  best  house  in   the  county.     It  is 
used  by  James  M.  Dunn,  the  proprietor,  as  a 
granary.     On  the  place  are  two  large  barns, 
one    being    32x72    feet    upon   the  ground,' 
with  IS  foot  studding;  the  other  is  32x42 
feet    in    size,  2(i    feet  high,  with  basement 
underneath.     Besides    this    are    machinery 
sheds,  etc.     Mr.  Dunn  is  the  owner  of  Brill- 
iant, No.  2,831,  an  imported  Norman  Perch- 
eron horse  which  weighs  some  twenty-three 
hundred  pounds,  and  for  points,  is  deemed 
one  of  the  best  of  his  class   in   the  State; 
Apollo,  No.  1,505,  also  an  imported  Norman 
Percheron,  and  LeDuc,  an  imi^orted  French 
coach  horse  that  excellent  judges  pronounce 
the  equal  of  anything  in  the  line  of  horse 
flesh  of  that  character  in  Minnesota;  besides 
a  number  of  other  thoroughbred  and  high- 
grade   horses   and   mares,  numbering  some 
thirty-five  head. 

In  the  way  of  short-horn  Durham  cattle, 
Mr.  Dunn  has  a  henl  of  about  thirty-five 
head  of  thorough  and  high  grades  with  Lone 
Star,  a  bull  of  fine  strain  and  imported  stock, 
at  the  head.  At  the  county  agricultural 
fair  of  1887,  Mr.  Dunn  took  some  seven  first 
and  two  second  premiums,  being  about  all 
for  which  his  stock  was  entered  for  compe- 
tition. 

James   M.  Dunn,   the  proprietor  of  Oak 


629 

Hill  Stock  Farm,  is  a  native  of  Dumfrieshire 
Scotland,  and  was  born  March  5   1839     He 
is  the  son  of  Thomas   Dunn   and   Isabella 
(Lindsay)  Dunn,   both  natives  of  the  same 
place,   who  had  a  family  of  ten  children- 
Ann.    James,    Isabella,    William,     George! 
Walter,  John,  Eliza,  Andrew  and  IsabeUa! 
ihe  first  named  Isabella  was  drowned  hence 
the  repetition  of  the  name.      All  are  livino- 
except  John  and  Isabella.     In  1840  the  fain 
ily  came  to  the  United  States,  first  locatino- 
in  Cattaraugus   County,  N.   Y.,  where  the 
lather  was  engaged  in  farming  and  lumber- 
ing.    In   1856  the  family    removed   to  Lee 
County,  111.     While  hving  there,  September 
16,  1862,  the  father  of  the  family  was  killed 
by  a  stroke  of  lightning.     The   mother  and 
the  balance  of  the  family  came  to  Minne- 
sota in  the  fall  of  1866,  and  in  the  sprino-  of 
the  following  year  J.  M.  purchased  eiglity 
acres  of  land  on  section  36,  in   Woodville 
Township,   part    of    his    present    extensive 
farm.      From  this  humble    beginning    has 
grown  the  Oak  Hill  Stock  Farm.    Mr.  Dunn 
was  the  leader  in  the  movement  to  raise  the 
grade  of  stock  to  a  higher  standard,  bring- 
ing   into    this    county    the  first  imported 
stallion  and  mare.     He  is   a  Eepublican   in 
politics,  and  a  member  of  Tuscan  Lodge,  No. 
77,    Ancient  Free  and    Accepted    Masons; 
Waseca  Chapter,   Eoyal  Arch  Masons ;  Gy- 
rene Commandery,  No.  9,  Knights  Tem'plar 
July   18,   1868,  J.   M.   Dunn   and    Matilda 
Turnacliff   were  united  in   marriage.      She 
is  a  daughter  of  Ferdinand  Turnacliff,   one 
of  the  pioneers  of  this  county,  and  is  a  native 
of  Ohio,  born  March  16,  1848.     They  are  the 
parents  of  six  children :     Thomas,  born  July 
5,  1871;  Mary,  born  April  11,  1873;  John, 
born  March   13,   1879,   and   Isabella,    born 
June  29,  1881,  all  living ;   and  Addie  May, 
born  April  25,  1879,  died  June  27,  1886,  of 
scarlet  fever,  and  an  infant. 

MAPLETON  STOCK   FARM. 


This  is  one  of  the  institutions  of  the  town- 
siiip,  -and   is   lieadquarters   for   finely    bred 


630 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


stock.  It  contains  some  262  acres  of  land 
situated  on  sections  16  and  21,  and  is  but  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  the  city  of  Waseca.  It 
is  the  property  of  H.  J.  Young,  M.  D.,  one 
of  the  leading  physicians  of  the  latter  place, 
lie  has'a  fine  place  here  and  is  continually 
improving  it.  He  has  here  a  fine  herd  of 
short-horn  cattle  of  some  of  the  finest  and  best 
strains  Ivnown,  and  particular  attention  is 
given  rather  to  quality  than  to  size,  as  the 
proprietor  deems  that  paramouut.  At  the 
head  of  the  herd  is  the  bull,  Knight  of 
Maplewood.  He  has  one  of  the  best  thor- 
oughbred trotting  stallions  in  the  State, 
Mambrino  Eclipse,  who  has  a  record  of  2:31-, 
and  a  trial  record  of  2:30,  and  unites  in  him- 
self some  of  the  best  blood  in  the  world,  be- 
ing descended  from  Mambrino  Chief,  the  sire 
of  Lady  Thorn,  and  from  Abdullah  and  im- 
ported Messenger.  He  is  pronounced  by 
excellent  judges  to  be  the  peer  of  any  horse 
in  the  State.  Besides  him  the  Doctor  has 
other  stock,  all  of  a  valuable  nature,  and 
calculated  to  do  the  county  a  large  amount 
of  good  in  raising  the  grade  of  the  stock 
therein.  Poland  China  hogs  of  pure  strains 
are  here  carefully  raised  and  brought  to  per- 
fection. Take  it  altogether  the  place  is  a 
great  credit  to  any  community,  and  although 
the  proprietor  is  in  full  practice  as  a 
physician,  he  manages  to  give  his  stock  farm 
a  good  deal  of  personal  attention. 

.,  REPRESENTATIVE  CITIZENS. 

A  few  biographical  sketches  of  some  of 
the  leading  agriculturists  are  here  given  as 
representing  tlie  people  of  the  township. 

N.  J.  Leavitt,  the  proprietor  of  Lake  View 
Stock  Fann,  is  a  native  of  Washington  Coun- 
ty, Vt.,  born  November  19,  1841,  and  is 
the  son  of  Jonatlian  and  Sarah  C.  (Gilman) 
Leavitt.  His  father  was  born  in  Vermont, 
and  his  mother  in  New  Hampshire,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  two  boys 
and  four  girls:  Zelotus,  Sarah  Jane,  Nehe- 
miah  J.,  Phylura,  Agnes  and  infant  daugh- 
ter.    Nehemiah  J.  was  but  eleven  years  old 


when  he  began  the  world  for  himself,  working 
at  farm  work,  afterward  learning  the  trade 
of  carpenter,  which  he  followed  for  about 
four  years.  On  the  20th  of  November,  1861, 
he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Eighth  Vermont 
Infantry,  under  Capt.  Foster,  as  private. 
He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Fort  Bis- 
land,  those  of  the  Red  Kiver  campaign, 
Alexandria,  Port  Hudson  and  others,  and 
was  discharged  September  4,  1S63,  for  dis- 
ability, with  the  rank  of  sergeant.  He  re- 
turned to  Vermont  and  engaged  in  wag-on- 
making  for  about  a  year,  when  he  took  up 
farming.  Four  years  later  he  emigrated  to 
Wisconsin,  and  in  one  year  fi'om  tliat  time, 
to  Waseca  County,  Minn.  May  1,  1864, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Lizzie  P. 
Sterling,  who  was  born  in  Vermont,  August 
10,  1845.  Tliey  have  two  children :  Her- 
bert, born  August  30, 1865,  and  Frank,  boi'u 
June  5,  1870,  both  of  whom  are  living  with 
their  parents.  Mr.  Leavitt  is  an  extensive 
raiser  of  thoroughbred  Holstein  cattle,  and 
has  a  very  fine  herd  of  those  animals  on  his 
extensive  farm  on  section  1 6.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican politicall}'. 

William  H.  Gray  was  born  in  Lake  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  July  22,  1840,  and  his  parents  were 
old  settlers  of  Waseca  County.  Tlie  family 
removed  to  West  Union,  Fayette  County, 
Iowa,  in  1853,  and  in'  June,  1855,  came  to 
this  count}^  settling  on  section  35  of  the 
town  of  Blooming  Grove,  where  the  father 
died  in  1872.  William  II.  remained  at  home 
with  his  parents  until  April  25,  1862,  when 
he  enlisted  in  the  Fifth  Minnesota  Infantry, 
under  Captain  E.  A.  Rice,  and  with  his  regi- 
ment participating  in  many  engagements, 
among  which  were  the  siege  of  Corinth, 
battle  of  Corinth,  Jackson,  siege  of  Vicks-  i 
burg,  battle  of  Mechanicsburg,  Fort  De  ' 
Russey,  Clarksville,  Bayou  Roberts,  Nash- 
ville, Spanish  Fort,  Tupelo,  etc.  After  his 
discharge  he  came  back  to  Waseca  Count}', 
and  m  June,  1865,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Rosalia  E.  Ketcham,  who  was  boi-n  in 
Ohio,  May  24,  1846.     They  have  been  the 


HISTOEY   OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


631 


parents  of  six  cliildren :  Lura,  born  Novem- 
ber 11,  1866;  Isora,  March  6,  1870;  Emer 
"W.,  March  11,  1873,  died  when  nine  months 
old;  Orrilla  Orlett,  JSTovember  15,  1874; 
Fred.  W.,May  9, 1877,  and  Lelace  Henrietta, 
January  2,  1881.  Mr.  Gray  is  a  member  of 
McKnne  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Eepubhc, 
and  is  a  Repulilican  in  politics. 

George  H.  Wood,  an  intelligent  and  thrifty 
farmer  living  on  section  22,  this  township, 
is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born  September  29, 
1849.  He  is  the  son  of  Ezra  H.  and  Cather- 
ine (Gamble)  Wood,  the  former  a  native  of 
Massachusetts,  born  May  1,  1814 ;  the  latter 
of  New  York,  born  September  15,  1820. 
They  had  a  family  of  six  children:  Theo- 
dore, Emma,  George  Henry,  Orry  E.,  Ella 
A.  and  Alfred  A.  Mr.  Wood's  father  died 
October  11, 1885,  of  consumption  ;  his  mother 
September  29,  1886.  George  H,  began  life 
for  himself  when  he  was  twenty-one  years 
of  age,  engaging  in  farming  on  the  place 
where  he  now  resides.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  July  4,  1877,  with  Jennie  Deverell, 
who  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  December  22, 
1857.  They  have  a  family  of  three  children  : 
Casper  A.,  born  Februarj'  2,  1879 ;  Augusta 
A.,  January  6,  1883,  and  Frank  G.,  Septem- 
ber 29,  1885.  Mr.  Wood  was  elected  clerk 
of  school  district  No.  45,  in  1870,  and  held 
that  position  for  t^velve  years. 

John  Curran  was  born  near  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  November  28,  1847,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Mary  (Roney)  Curran,  natives  of 
Ireland,  who  came  to  this  country  in  1837, 
first  locating  in  Milwaukee,  but  a  year  after- 
ward moved  to  Michigan.  Later  they  re- 
turned to  Milwaukee,  where  the  father  died 
May  12,  1860.  In  March,  1874,  the  family 
came  to  Waseca  County,  Minn.,  locating  on 
section  29,  this  townshijj,  where  the  mother 
still  resides  with  her  son  James.  When 
John  Jr.  had  reached  the  age  of  eighteen 
years  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself,  en- 
gaging first  in  the  sawmill  business,  which 
he  followed  for  seven  years.  He  then  came 
to  Waseca  County  and  visited  for  about  two 


months,  going  from  here  to  Minneapolis. 
Later  he  went  to  the  Red  River  country, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  lumbering  bus- 
iness, and  then  came  back  to  this  county  and 
settled  on  section  28,  where  he  now  resides. 
He  carries  on  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  November  9,  1876,  he  and  Mary 
Carraody  were  uniteil  in  marriage.  She  was 
born  December  21,  1857.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  five  children  :  Arthur,  born  Septem- 
ber 20,  1877;  John,  September  23,  1879; 
Thomas,  March  1,  1882;  Harry,  May  6, 1884, 
and  Mary,  Fel^ruary  28,  1887.  In  1884  Mr. 
Curran  was  elected  school  district  treasurer, 
which  office  he  still  holds. 

James  Curran,  another  son  of  John  and 
Mary  (Roney)  Curran,  resides  on  section  29, 
in  this  township.  A  sketch  of  his  parents  is 
given  above,  as  a  part  of  the  personal  history 
of  the  elder  brother.  James  was  appren- 
ticed at  and  learned  the  carpenter  trade, 
which  he  occasionally  follows  now.  He  de- 
votes the  greater  part  of  his  time  to  the 
various  details  of  general  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  Mr.  Curran  is  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin, where  he  was  born  Sejjtember  11,  1857, 
and  where  he  resided  until  1877,  when  he 
came  to  Waseca  County.  He  is  unmarried, 
his  mother  living  in  the  same  house  with 
him  since  her  husband's  death,  and  attending 
to  the  household  duties  thereof.  In  1883, 
Mr.  Curran  was  elected  town  supervisor  and 
still  holds  that  office. 

Andrew  L.  Dunn,  whose  farm  of  104  acres 
lies  on  section  35,  of  this  township,  came  to 
this  county  in  1866.  He  was  twenty-two 
years  of  age  when  he  began  life  for  himself 
on  his  present  place,  as  a  farmer,  and  that 
vocation  he  has  followed  ever  since,  giving 
considerable  attention  to  stock-raising. 
March  8,  1883,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Carrie  Rens,  a  native  of  Marion  County, 
Iowa,  and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Fettgather)  Rens,  who  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Her  father  died  in  1871,  but  her 
mother  is  still  living  in  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Rens  were  the  parents  of  four  children  : 


r)32 


HISTORY    OF   WASKCA    COUNTY. 


Edith,  Carrie,  Arthur  and  Frank.  Mr.  Dunn 
is  a  Republican  in  politics. 

Lor  in  A.  Gage,  an  enterprising  farmer 
living  on  section  4,  this  township,  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  State  of  New  York,  born  April 
11,  1838.  In  1852  he  with  his  parents  re- 
moved to  the  State  of  Illinois,  where  they 
lived  for  many  years  and  then  came  to 
Waseca  County.  His  father  died  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty  years.  His  mother 
has  also  been  called  to  her  rest  beyond  the 
dark  river.  They  had  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren :  Clarissa,  Mary  Jane,  Jackson,  Lorin, 
Olive  and  Harriet.  Lorin  A.  Gage's  wife  is 
a  native  of  Ireland,  Catherine  Collins  by 
name.  They  have  a  good  farm  in  an  excel- 
lent state  of  cultivation  and  Mr.  Gage  shows 
by  close  attention  to  business  that  he  un- 
derstands how  to  farm  to  obtain  the  best 
results  for  his  labor. 

William  Hover,  who  has  a  fine  farm  on 
section  8,  in  this  township,  is  a  native  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  born  April  30,  1S2-I-, 
and  is  the  son  of  Cornelius  and  Eunice 
Hover.  He  resided  in  the  Empire  State 
until  1854.  In  1863  he  came  to  Waseca 
County  and  located  on  a  farm  on  section 
27,  Vivian  Township.  On  the  5th  of  No- 
vember, 1863,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G, 
Fifth  Minnesota  Infantry,  participating  in 
most  of  the  engagements  in  which  that  reg- 
iment was  employed.  He  served  his  country 
at  the  front  until  September,  1865,  when,  re- 
ceiving his  discharge,  he  came  back  to  his 
home  in  Vivian  Township,  where  he  re- 
mained until  188('),  when  he  sold  out  there 
and  purchasing  his  j^resent  place,  removed 
thither.  November  8,  1845,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Susan  Hill,  who  was  also  a 
native  of  New  York,  born  August  21,  1826. 
Mrs.  Hover  died  in  Vivian,  January  8,  1878, 
having  been  the  mother  of  two  children: 
Lucina  D.,  born  August  27,  1846,  ami  Lewis 
D.,  born  December  25,  1847.  In  politics 
Mr.  Hover's  views  coincide  with  those  of  the 
Republican  party,  which  ticket  he  usually 
votes. 


Thomas  Kennedy  was  born  in  Ireland, 
May  28,  1848,  and  is  the  son  of  Patrick  and 
Mary  Kennedy.  The  sanie  year  he  was 
born  the  family  emigrated  to  America  and 
settled  at  St.  Johns.  N.  B.,  where  they  re- 
mained some  three  years,  when  they  re- 
moved to  Vermont.  Two  years  later  they 
came  west  to  Wisconsin,  where  Patrick  Ken- 
nedy engaged  in  farming.  Thomas  Ken- 
nedy started  out  for  liimself  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  and  has  always  followed  farm- 
ing. October  11,  1862,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Rose  Reynolds,  also  a  native 
of  Ireland,  born  December  28,  1844,  and  is 
the  daughter  of  Bernard  and  Catherine 
Reynolds.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kennedy  are  the 
parents  of  eight  children :  John,  Mary, 
Rose,  Thomas,  Bernard,  Joseph,  William  and 
Edward,  all  of  whom  reside  with  their 
parents.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 

Henry  Buker  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born 
May  14,  1837,  and  is  the  son  of  Henr\'  and 
Gertrude  (Gotmon)  Buker,  who  had  a  family 
of  five  children  :  Christopher,  Eliza,  Henry, 
Jerry  and  Marv.  His  father  died  in  the 
old  country,  and  in  1861  the  mother  with 
her  family  came  to  America,  first  settling  in 
Clayton  County,  Iowa,  where  they  remained 
some  ten  years.  Henry  Buker  commenced 
life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years, 
and  has  always  followed  farming.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1865,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with. 
Lena  Make,  who  was  born  October,  8,  1841*. 
In  1874  they  moved  to  Waseca  County,  where 
they  settled  on  section  33,  in  Woodville  Town- 
ship, where  they  now  live,  and  where  Mi'. 
Buker  owns  some  510  acres  of  as  tine  land  as 
lies  out  doors.  He  and  his  wife  are  the 
parents  of  six  children:  AVilliam,  born  June 
24,  1866;  Katie,  October  16,  1867  ;  Henry, 
August  15,  1870;  John,  March  15,  1871; 
Mar}',  October  23,  1872,  and  Anna,  Decem- 
ber 19,  1877.  All  the  children  live  with 
their  parents.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Buker  is  a 
Republican  in  politics. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


633 


Henry  F.  Lewer  is  a  native  of  Germany, 
born  December  6,  1853,  and  is  tb,e  son  of 
Henry  and  Margeret  (Orns)  Lewer,  who  had 
a  famity  of  seven  children,  three  boys  and 
four  girls,  only  one  of  whom  is  dead;  the  rest 
are  living  in  the  United  States.     In  1866  the 


family 


came 


to   America,  locating   at    La 


Crosse,  Wis.,  where  they  only  remained  a 
few  months,  after  which  they  came  to  Steele 
County,  but  seven  months  later  moved  to 
this  county,  settling  in  Vivian  Township, 
where  ■  they  mostly  still  live,  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  Henr}^  F.  com- 
menced life  for  himself  on  his  marriage, 
November  14-,  1879,  to  Lena  Scholljegerdes, 
who  was  also  a  native  of  Germany,  born 
December  4,  1855.  He  moved  to  the  farm 
on  section  27,  this  township,  where  he  now 
lives.  In  1885  Mr.  Lewer  was  elected  town- 
ship assessor  and  still  holds  that  office.  He 
is  a  Eepublican  in  politics.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lewer  have  a  family  of  two  children  :  Henry, 
born  October  28,  1883,  and  John,  born  Feb- 
ruary 9,  1886.  The  family  are  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church. 


Isaac  Vickere,  an  enterprising  agriculturist 
on  section  33,  this  township,  is  a  native  of 
Somei'set  County,  Me.,  and  was  born  March 
12,  183Jr.  He  is  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Susan 
(Small)  Vickere,  botli  natives  of  the  same 
county  and  State.  The  father  died  Novem- 
ber 18,  1876;  the  mother  who  was  born  in 
1806,  is  still  living.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  Isaac  began  the  world  for  him- 
self, first  engaging  in  the  lumbering  business 
in  Wisconsin,  which  he  followed  for  some 
eighteen  years.  From  there  he  came  to 
Waseca  County,  locating  on  the  farm  on 
section  33,  this  town,  where  he  now  resides, 
and  where  he  has  some  240  acres  of  well  im- 
proved land  under  high  state  of  cultivation. 
September  15,  1869,  Mr.  Vickere  and  Addle 
Seager  were  united  in  marriage.  She  was 
born  in  the  State  of  New  York,  July  19, 
1849.  They  have  a  family  of  two  children : 
Albian,  born  March  8,  1875,  and  Mont  R., 
born  March  26,  1879.  Mr.  Vickere  is  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  a  representative 
man  of  this  township. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


NEW  RICHLAND  TOWNSHIP  AND  VILLAGE. 


I  HE  township  of  New  Richland 
lies  in  the  extreme  southeastern 
corner  of  Waseca  County,  and 
embraces  all  of  congressional 
township  1(>5  north,  range  22 
west,  and  contains  22,653.47 
acres  of  lanti,  most  of  which  is 
capable  of  use  for  agriculture 
and  7,925  acres  of  which  is  now 
improved.  None  of  the  land  is 
too  level,  and  in  the  east  two  ranges  of  sec- 
tions, being  included  in  what  is  called  the 
morainic  belt,  is  mostly  covered  with  mounds, 
swells  and  hills,  thirty  to  fifty  feet  above 
the  intervening  hollows.  The  western  part 
is  gently  undulating,  with  prolonged,  smooth 
swells,  the  highest  of  them  being  ten  to 
thirty  feet  above  the  neighboring  sloughs 
and  lakes.  The  Le  Sueur  Riv^er  intersecting 
this  township,  with  its  tributaries,  affords 
ample  drainage,  which  is  largely  assisted  b\' 
the  contour  of  the  ground.  Tiie  soil  is  the 
black,  unctuous,  alluvial  loam  so  common  to 
southern  Minnesota,  which  under  favorable 
circumstances  yields  such  a  large  return  to 
the  laboring  agriculturist.  Some  of  the  best 
land  in  the  county  is  found  in  this  township, 
the  rich  lands  ofthe  valley  of  the  Le  Sueur 
having  became  almost  proverbial. 

EAKLY    SETrLEMENT. 

On  the  fith  of  May,  1856,  a  band  of  Nor- 
wegian emigrants  left  Rock  Count\',  Wis., 
bound  for  the  North  Star  State  and  new 
homes  in  the,  then,  wilderness.  These  were 
Anthony  Sampson,  H.  H.  Sunde,  K.  O. 
Rotegard,  H.  T.  Handgrud,  Ole  Iv.  Hagen, 
W.  Anderson,  Christian  Knudson  and  E.  O.  I 


Strenge.  They  had  all  left  their  home  in 
Norway  for  a  home  in  the  "  land  of  the  free," 
and  had  settled  in  Rock  County,  but  at  the 
above  date  started  out  anew.  They  had 
with  them  twelve  yoke  of  cattle,  thirty  cows, 
about  fifty  head  of  young  cattle,  and  about 
$600  in  gold.  Slowly  toiling  on,  on  the  10th 
of  June  they  came,  after  a  tiresome  journey, 
to  what  is  now  the  town  of  New  Richland, 
then  an  uninhabited  land.  Only  a  few  In- 
dians hunting  the  game  that  abounded  were 
to  be  seen. 

They  at  once  commenced  their  labors 
toward  a  permanent  occupation  of  the  ter- 
ritory, each  taking  up  160  acres  of  land,  and 
making  up  two  breaking  teams  of  working 
cattle  each  consisting  of  four  yoke,  began 
bi'eaking  up  the  virgin  sod.  In  this  manner 
four  acres  were  prepared  for  each  family, 
which  they  immediately  planted  with  flint 
corn,  but  when  it  had  come  uj)  the  gojihers 
and  blackbirds  took  it  nearly  all.  For  two 
years  the}'  had  a  hard  time,  for  they  could 
raise  but  little  and  flour  was  $11  a  barrel, 
and  then  they  had  to  go  seventy-five  miles 
after  it.  But  still  they  persevered  and  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  themselves.  One  of 
the  mainstays  of  life  among  them  was  the 
fish  that  abounded  in  the  lake  and  river,  and 
had  it  not  been  for  this  food  supplj',  living- 
had  been  almost  impossible  for  a  time. 

Of  tliis  colony  it  may  be  said  that  they 
never  had  any  great  dissension  amono- them. 
Whenever  there  chanced  to  arise  an}'  difi'ei'- 
ence  among  any  of  them,  two  or  three  Avould 
get  together  and  settle  the  matter  satisfac- 
torily to  all  concerned.  There  never  has 
been  one  of  them  in  a  lawsuit  in  this  county. 


834 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


63.5 


Ole  C.  Knudson  is  a  native  of  the  town  of 
New  Kichland,  "Waseca  County,  Minn.,  born 
November  12,  1857.  He  is  unmarried,  and 
lives  on  his  farm  on  sections  13  and  15,  where 
he  has  about  115  acres  of  land.  His  father, 
Christian  Knudson,  was  born  in  Norwa}'',  but 
came  to  America  in  1853,  and  was  one  of  the 
party  who  made  the  first  settlement  in  this 
township  in  1856,  as  given.  He  took  up  a 
claim  on  sections  13  and  2i.  He  died  here, 
October  11,  1888.  Ole's  mother  is  now  Mrs. 
Margaret  Christianson,  wife  of  Nels  Chris- 
tianson.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  ]\Irs.  Chris- 
tian Knudson  were  as  follows :  Betsy  Soren- 
son,  born  October  11,  1845  ;  Knudt  Chris- 
tianson, born  in  1852,  died  in  1881 ;  Julia 
Oleson,  born  in  1855 ;  Ole  C,  born  in  1857  ; 
Christian,  born  in  1859,  now  deceased  ;  Mary 
born  in  1863;  Gustaf,  born  March  2,  1865  ; 
Nena,  in  1868,  and  Teena  in  1871,  died  in 
December,  1886.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Ole  Oleson  Hagen  is  a  native  of  this  town- 
ship, having  been  born  on  the  farm  where  he 
now  lives,  on  section  2,  October  29,  1858. 
His  father,  Ole  K.  Hagen,  a  native  of  Nor- 
way, came  to  this  county  in  1856,  as  stated, 
and  settled  on  this,  the  well  known  Pioneer 
Farm,  putting  up  one  of  the  first  houses  in 
the  township.  The  farm  now  comprises  some 
240  acres  of  land  on  sections  2  and  3,  on  both 
sides  of  the  Le  Sueur  River,  and  includes 
some  20  acres  of  fine  timber.  His  house  is 
a  good  comfortable  modern  cottage,  and  his 
barn  is  an  immense  one,  with  good  stone 
basement.  Grain,  cattle  and  horses  are  tlie 
principal  products  of  the  place.  July  16, 
1880,  Ole  Oleson  Hagen  and  Ingeberg  Chris- 
tofson  were  united  in  marriage.  She  w.is 
born  in  Norway,  January  29,  1853.  They 
have  a  family  of  five  children  :  Sielie,  born 
May  24,  18S1 ;  Bereth  Oienia,  May  19,  1S82  ; 
Clai"a,  January  22,  1884;  Marit,  June  6, 
1885,  and  Olda  Emilia,  February  22, 1887. 
They  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Churcli. 

N.  C.  Koffstad,  Martin  Anderson  and 
August  Miller  came  to    this    county  about 


two  weeks  after  the  arrival  of  the  Sampson 
colony.  Koff'stad  is  still  a  resident  of  the 
townshi)) ;  Miller,  after  a  residence  here  of 
five  years,  removed  to  Berlin,  Steele  County, 
where  he  now  lives  ;  Anderson  migrated  to 
Albert  Lea,  after  living  here  about  seven 
years. 

Knute  Christenson  came  here  in  the  fall 
of  1856,  and  resided  here  until  September  1, 
1871,  when  he  died. 

Nels  Christenson  was  also  a  settler  of  this 
year. 

Nels  Christenson  was  born  in  Norway, 
September  16,  1828,  and  emigrated  to 
America  in  ]  853.  He  settled  in  Illinois,  near 
Chicago,  where  he  remained  until  1856,  when 
he  came  to  this  township,  and  took  up  a 
claim  on  government  land,  where  he  still  re- 
sides. He  now  has,  besides  his  farm,  about 
thirty  acres  of  good  timber  land,  and  has  a 
never  failing  spring  of  excellent  water.  He 
has  a  herd  of  about  sixty  head  of  cattle,  and 
eight  horses,  and  is  one  of  the  county's  solid 
farmers.  He  has  also  a  fine  residence,  and 
spacious  barn,  with  excellent  surroundings. 
He  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
being  Miss  E.  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, June  15,  1843,  to  wliom  lie  was  married 
in  1859.  She  died  in  1876,  having  been  the 
mother  of  eleven  children,  three  dying  in  in- 
fancy, and  eight  are  now  living,  whose  names 
are:  Christiannia,  bornMa}'^  11,  1861 ;  John, 
May  28,  1863;  Randine,  December  29, 1864  ; 
Eline,  November  19,  1865;  Peter,  February 
18,  1867  ;  Mary,  March  4, 1870  ;  Otto,  March 
28,  1871,  and  Nena,  April  1,  1875.  Mr. 
Christianson's  second  wife  was  Mary  Knud- 
son, born  in  Norway,  January  10,  1826,  to 
whom  he  was  married  July  29,  1885.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

In  the  spring  of  1857,  Halleck  Peterson 
settled  near  by,  and  continued  there  until 
1862,  when  he  removed  from  the  county. 

April  1,  1857,  Hans  O.  Sunde  came  to 
New  Richland  Township,  and  made  this  his 
home  until  December  16, 1874,  when  he  died 
of  old  age,  being  ninety-two  years  old. 


636 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


J.  S.  Rice  was  a  settler  of  the  year  1857, 
also.  He  at  first  located  in  this  town,  but 
afterwai'd  removed  to  the  village  of  Wilton, 
about  1860.  He  was  about  that  time  ap- 
pointed county  treasui'er,  and  served  two 
years.  On  the  expiration  of  histei'm  of  office, 
he  entered  the  service  of  the  general  govern- 
ment, to  aid  in  suppressing  the  rebellion,  and 
on  his  discharge,  settled  in  Iowa. 

In  1858  Ole  Hogaas  made  a  settlement  in 
this  township,  and  lived  here  until  his  death, 
in  June,  1885. 

John  Benson  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born 
in  March,  1S33.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1853,  and  settled  in  Rock  County, 
Wis.,  where  he  remained  until  1858,  when 
he  came  to  this  county  and  settled  Avhere  he 
now  lives,  on  section  26,  where  he  has  most 
excellent  improvements  in  the  way  of  resi- 
dence, barns,  granary  and  a  fine  grove.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Marie  Olson  in 
1855.  She  was  born  in  Norway,  December 
26,  1833.  They  have  been  the  parents  of 
six  children  :  Peter,  born  January  22, 1856 ; 
Anna  Marie,  March  22,  1860 ;  Henry,  No- 
vember 7,  1863  ;  Martin,  August  1,  1866 ; 
Theodore,  April  6,  1868,  and  Betsy  Oline, 
June  21,  1881.  Mr.  Benson  now  owns  and 
cultivates  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  county,  having  400  acres  of  land. 
He  is  giving  much  attention  to  stock-raising, 
having  some  forty  head  of  cattle,  eleven 
horses  and  eighty  sheep.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Nels  Tyrholm,  now  a  resident  of  the  vil- 
lage of  New  Richland,  came  here  in  1858 
and  settled  on  a  farm,  the  place  now  owned 
by  E.  E.  Verplank.  He  is  the  present  fur- 
niture dealer  of  the  village. 

Torkel  Lund  and  Ole  H.  Sunde,  both  still 
residing  here,  made  their  settlement  in 
]  858. 

H.  J.  Hanson  came  to  this  township  in 
1858  with  his  parents,  who  settled  on  section 
1 1 ,  near  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a  native 
of  Norway,  born  September  27,  1848.  In 
1856  his  father  brought  the  family  to  Amer- 


ica, and  for  two  years  thereafter  they  re- 
sided in  Rock  County,  Wis.,  and  then  came 
here.  Mr.  Hanson  bought  part  of  the  farm 
where  he  lives,  on  section  32,  in  1868,  but  now 
owns  land  in  all  three  sections — 32,  33  and 
29.  May  2,  LS69,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Anna  F.  Hedenstadt,  who  was  born  in 
Norway,  February  10,  1848.  They  have 
been  the  parents  of  nine  children,  only  four 
of  whom  are  living :  Paulina  Amelia,  Alfred 
Julian,  Paulina  Sophia,  Olave,  Carl  Oliver, 
Peter,  Carl  Martin,  Gearhard  and  one  that 
died  in  extreme  infancy.  His  father,  Ole 
H.  Sunde,  was  born  in  Norway  in  Novem- 
ber, 1816,  and  is  still  living  in  this  county. 
Mr.  Hanson  enlisted  in  Company  L,  First 
Minnesota  Heavy  Artillery,  and  was  in 
active  service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  par- 
ticipating in  many  battles,  and  was  dis- 
charged October  9, 1866,  at  Nashville.  lie 
had  three  comrades  who  enlisted  with  him, 
and  of  the  four  he  only  survived.  Mr.  Han- 
son has  an  excellent  place,  good  dwelling, 
barn,  etc.,  surrounded  with  a  thrifty  grove. 
He  has  twentj'-four  head  of  cattle,  four 
horses,  besides  over  thirty  swine. 

S.  W.  Franklin  was  among  the  pioneers  of 
New  Richland,  coming  here  in  1857.  He 
is  still  a  resident  of  this  town.  He  is  a 
native  of  Essex  County,  N.  J.,  born  Febru 
ary  18,  1823.  He  was  reared  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  came  here  from  Illinois,  and  set- 
tled on  section  5,  of  this  township.  Novem- 
ber 19,  1866,  he  married  Eva  Melissa  Free- 
love,  of  Manchester,  Iowa. 

David  Skinner,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this 
settlement,  located  in  New  Richland  Town- 
shi]i  during  the  year  1858.  He  resided  here 
until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  when  he 
enlisted  in  Company  F,  Fifth  Minnesota  In- 
fantr}',  and  while  in  the  service,  died  at  St 
Louis,  Januarj'  13,  1863. 

John  Thompson  made  a  settlement  in  New 
Richland  Township  in  1858,  and  resided  here 
until  about  1880,  when  he  removed  to  Albert 
Lea.  He  represented  this  district  in  the 
Legislature  two  terms. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


637 


In  the  fall  of  1858  came  Eric  Christianson, 
A.  N.  Berg,  A.  J.  Stensvad  and  Ole  John- 
son. Tlie  latter  died  here  on  his  farm  in 
1870. 

J.  E.  Christianson  was  born  in  New  Eich- 
land  Township,  on  section  28,  on  the  27th  of 
August,  1858,  and  was  reared  here.  He  was 
united  in  marriage,  June  21,  1879,  with 
Otilda  Peterson,  who  was  also  a  native  of 
this  county,  born  June  18,  1860,  but  who 
died  July  21,  1883,  leaving  one  child,  Joseph- 
ena  Cecelia,  born  August  9,  1880.  Mr. 
Christianson  is  by  trade  a  mason  and  plas- 
terer, doing  all  kinds  of  work  in  that  line  in 
all  their  various  branches,  and  is  an  adept  at 
it.  He  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church,  like  many  others  in  this  town- 
ship, and  is  a  straightforward  business  man. 

Andrew  N.  Berg,  the  proprietor  of  Oak 
Hill  Farm,  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born  No- 
vember 12,  1835.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1855,  and  settled  in  Rock  County, 
Wis.,  and  from  there  removed  to  Fillmore 
County,  this  State.  Later  he  came  here  and 
made  a  permanent  settlement,  and  now  has  a 
magnificent  farm  of  710  acres  of  land  under 
excellent  cultivation,  and  with  an  elegant 
residence,  fine  spacious  barns  and  other  fine 
buildings,  all  located  in  a  beautiful  grove. 
He  has  110  head  of  fair  grade  cattle,  and 
twenty-one  head  of  horses,  and  is  in  excellent 
circumstances  in  every  way.  April  28, 1861, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Isabell  John- 
son, who  was  also  born  in  Norway,  June  12, 
1S13.  They  are  the  parents  of  fourteen 
children :  Anna  Jorgine,  born  February  1, 
1862 ;  Ingeborg  Sophie,  July  10,  1863;  An- 
drew, December  23,  1864 ;  Inge  Maria,  April 
21, 1866 ;  Ly  verine  Matkea,  January  3,  1868 ; 
Elise  Nicohne,  July  3,  1870;  Syvert,  March 
10,  1872;  Otto,  May  11,1873;  Nils  Edward, 
February  5,  1875;  Martin,  September  21, 
1878 ;  Ingoburg  Allette,  February  13,  1879, 
Thea  Johanne,  September  2,  1881 ;  Darthea 
Elizabeth,  May  13,  1884,  and  Christian 
August,  September  11,  1886.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


PEOMINENT  CITIZENS. 

Sketches,  more  or  less  biographical,  are 
given  here  of  some  of  the  leading  citizens  of 
this  town,  they  being  good  representatives  of 
the  population  of  the  same. 

J.  H.  "Wightman  is  a  native  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  born  February  3, 1822,  and  is 
the  son  of  Rufus  and  Mary  (Potter)  "Wight- 
man.  His  father  died  when  J.  H.  was  about 
<i  year  old,  and  he  resided  with  his  mother 
until  1849,  when  he  went  to  Chicago,  where 
he  learned  the  tinner's  trade,  and  since  that 
time  has  been  engaged  in  business  on  his 
own  account.  In  July,  1857,  he  came  to 
Waseca  County  from  Wisconsin,  driving 
throujrh,  bringins:  with  him  his  wife  and 
family,  then  consisting  of  three  children. 
He  then  settled  on  section  24,  in  the  town  of 
Byron,  where  he  remained  until  the  spring 
of  1863,  when  he  removed  to  the  village  of 
Wilton,  where  he  went  into  the  hardware 
business  with  P.  C.  Bailey.  Two  years  later 
he  sold  out  to  G.  W.  Watkins,  and  bought 
out  a  boot  and  shoe  store  and  carried  on 
that  line  of  trade  for  five  years,  when  he 
closed  out  and  removed  to  a  farm  in  Otisco 
Township.  After  two  years  spent  there,  he 
bought  the  dry  goods  and  grocer}^  store  of 
Forrest  &  Stevens,  at  Wilton,  and  returned 
to  that  village  and  carried  on  that  business 
at  that  point  until  the  village  of  New  Rich- 
land had  commenced,  when  he  removed  tlie 
stock  to  the  latter  jjlace,  bringing  also  a  full 
line  of  hardware.  He  continued  here  in 
business  until  1885,  when  he  sold  out  to  A. 
J.  Newgard,  and  moved  to  his  farm  on  sec- 
tion 16,  where  he  now  lives.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  1853  to  Mary  Robinson,  a  native  of 
New  York.  They  have  been  the  parents  of 
fourteen  children. 

J.  F.  Hunt,  a  true  representative  of  the 
refined  and  thrifty  farmer  of  his  native  State, 
was  born  in  Niagara  County,  N.  Y.,  Novem- 
ber 19,  1848.  When  but  a  boy  the  family 
removed  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained 
until  tlie  fall  of  1881,  when  he  came  here 
and  settled  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 


638 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


tion  9,  where  he  now  lives.  April  20,  18T8, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ettie  Board- 
man,  at  Fairwater,  Fond  du  Lac  County, 
Wis.,  where  she  was  born  January  22,  1857. 
They  are  the  parents  of  three  children : 
Albert  E.,  born  February  22,  1879 ;  Cora 
May,  born  October  12,  1881,  and  Jessie  L. 
born  January  4,  1886.  Mr.  Hunt  is  giving 
considerable  attention  to  the  raising  of  stock, 
in  addition  to  his  other  farming  operations. 
He  and  his  excellent  wife  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  Church. 

Andrew  Breilein  is  a  native  of  Washington 
Count}',  Wis.,  born  December  22, 1815.  He 
came  to  Minnesota  in  the  year  1873,  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  on  section  9,  near  where  he 
now  resides.  He  now  has  a  beautiful  place 
of  200  acres  of  excellent  land,  within  a  mile 
of  the  village  of  New  Richland,  whither  he 
looks  forward  to  taking  up  his  residence  in 
the  near  future.  He  is  the  father  of  nine 
children,  eight  of  whom  are  living :  Mary, 
born  July  3,  1870  ;  Peter,  born  December  20, 
1871 ;  Elizabeth,  born  July  13,  1873  ;  Fred- 
erick, born  February  11,  1875 ;  Lena,  born 
September  10,  1876  ;  Ida,  born  October  9, 
1878 ;  George,  born  April  7,  1880 ;  Cather- 
ine, born  February  11,  1882,  died  October, 
1882,  and  Henry,  born  June  27,  1883. 
Their  mother  was  formerly  Mary  Laudert, 
to  whom  he  was  married  in  Wisconsin  in 
October,  18('>S.  She  was  born  in  Wisconsin 
May  16,  1851.  Mr.  Breilein  [runs  a  thrash- 
ing machine  in  season,  and  also  owns  and 
operates  a  feedmill  in  the  village  of  New 
Richland.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Church. 

Paul  O.  Qverna  was  born  in  Norway, 
October  22,  1 849,  and  worked  in  the  silver 
mines  and  on  his  father's  farm  in  that 
country  until  he  had  reached  tlie  age  of 
seventeen  years,  when  he  emigrated  to 
America,  landing  in  this  country  in  1867, 
and  coming  direct  to  Waseca  County.  From 
here  he  went  to  Olmsted  County  where  he 
remained  some  four  years  and  then  returned 
here  and  purchased   120  acres  of  land   on 


sections  15  and  16,  building  his  residence  on 
the  latter.  July  28,  1875,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Sophia  J.  Nelson,  of  Yellow 
Medicine  County,  who  was  born  in  Norwaj', 
October  1,  1851.  They  have  a  family  of 
three  boys:  John  Olaf,  born  May  1,  1876  ; 
Carl,  born  August  18,  1877,  and  Rudolph, 
born  February  1,  1879.  His  father,  Ole 
Sornson,  worked  in  the  silver  mines  for  the 
govei'uraent  in  Norway  for  forty-nine  years 
and  now  enjoys  a  pension  in  his  retirement. 
Mr.  Qverna  has  a  fine  herd  of  twenty  head 
of  graded  cattle,  and  six  head  of  horses,  and 
has  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  town- 
ship. 

John  Peterson  was  born  in  Sweden,  May  Kl, 
1845,  and  came  to  America  in  1859,  settling 
in  Wabash  County,  Ind.  He  remained  there 
about  four  years,  and  then  came  to  Red  Wing, 
Minn.,  and  from  there  to  this  county,  and  set- 
tled upon  section  4,  of  this  township,  in  1863, 
on  government  land.  His  mother  resided  witli 
him  while  he  was  perfecting  his  title.  In  tlie 
year  1859  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Anna  Lawson,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
thi'ee  children  :  Charles  Alfred,  born  May 
24,  1860;  Edwin  Walford,  born  June  12, 
1866,  and  Hulda  Lucetta,  born  November 
14,  1880.  During  the  Indian  outbreak  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Company 
of  Volunteers  who  went  to  Fort  Ridgeley, 
and  where  they  passed  through  many  excit- 
ing experiences,  and  while  on  this  trip  saw 
and  picked  up  many  crippled  and  mutilated 
people  and  many  more  that  were  dead.  He 
has  a  fine  farm  of  240  acres  of  land  undei" 
excellent  cultivation.  He  and  family  are 
Lutherans. 

Nels  J.  Anderson,  one  of  the  solid  farmers 
of  New  Richland  Township,  has  a  fine  place 
of  some  two  hundred  acres  of  land  on  sec- 
tion 2,  of  which  he  has  over  one  hundred 
acres  in  grain  and  forty  acres  of  grass,  be- 
sides twenty-five  acres  of  fine  natural  timber. 
He  is  giving  some  attention  to  stock-raising, 
having  a  herd  of  twenty  head  of  cattle,  all 
good  strains,  and  eight  head  of  fine  horses. 


UISTOKY    OF    WASECA    COUNUT. 


639 


He  is  a  native  of  Sweden,  born  April  6, 1842, 
and  was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
land,  living  there  until  the  ye&v  1869,  when 
he  came  to  the  United  States,  and  on  first 
arriving,  settled  at  Albert  Lea,  Freeborn 
County,  this  State.  In  1882  he  purchased 
the  place  where  he  now  lives,  and  moved  to 
it  in  tlie  year  1885,  and  has  made  it  his  resi- 
dence ever  since.  This  is  one  of  the  best 
farms  in  this  locality. 

E.  E.  Verplank  was  born  in  Cayuga 
County,  N.  Y.,  October  22,  1835,  and  was 
reared  in  that  locality.  In  his  early  man- 
hood he  worked  in  a  woolen  factory  there, 
but  in  1855  came  west  to  Bradford,  Iowa, 
but  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  came  to 
Minnesota,  locating  at  Faribault,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  the  trade  of  painting.  While 
a  resident  there,  April  22,  1861,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  G,  First  Minnesota  Infantr}', 
and  was  mustered  into  the  service  at  Fort 
Snelling.  The  regiment  being  ordered  to 
the  front,  he  was  struck  down  with  a  sun- 
stroke near  Washington,  and  on  the  14th  of 
July,  1861,  he  was  discharged  for  disability 
and  returned  home.  October  22,  1864,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Sophia  Hanson 
Sunde,  who  was  born  in  Norway,  August  1, 
1844.  They  have  been  the  parents  of  seven 
children,  six  of  whom  are  alive :  Edwin, 
born  August  18,  1865,  died  September  10, 
1865  ;  Edwin,  October  20, 1866;Leida  Olevia, 
February  6,  1869  ;  Willie,  October  23,  1871 ; 
Hannah  Maria,  May  29,  1874,. Oscar,  June  5, 
1877,  and  Albert  Martin,  September  12, 
1883.  Mr.  Verplank  made  a  claim  in  this 
county  in  1856,  but  abandoned  it  and  re- 
turned to  Faribault.  He  now  owns  some 
eighty  acres  of  land  where  he  now  resides. 

Joseph  1).  Young  is  a  native  of  Holland, 
born  February  17, 1845.  In  1853  the  family 
came  to  the  Uuited  States  and  settled  in 
Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  until  1873, 
when  he  removed  to  this  State,  and  in  1875 
came  to  Waseca  County,  and  now  has  a  good 
farm  on  section  18,  where  he  moved  in  1880. 
January  14,  1880,  he  was  united  in  marriage 


with  Mrs.  Anna  Dietling,  formerly  Anna 
Lauder,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  July  15, 
1845,  and  who  had  married  John  Dietling, 
October  15,  1868,  and  whose  husband  had 
died  December  27,  1879,  leaving  her  with  a 
family  of  six  children,  one  having  died. 
Their  names  are :  Theresa  S.,  born  Jul\'  31, 
1869;  Mary  Catherine,  July  21,  1871;  John, 
November  17,  1872  ;  Jacob,  August,  1874, 
died  August,  1875 ;  Caroline,  August  19, 
1877,  and  Elizabeth,  April  2,  1879.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Young-  are  the  parents  of  four 
children  :  Joseph,  born  October  14,  1881 ; 
Peter  J.,  March  11,  1883  ;  Agnes  Mary,  July 
4,  1885,  died  May  14,  1887,  and  Georgie, 
August  12,  1887.  ' 

Ole  Knudson  Eekke  is  a  native  of  Norway, 
born  April  14,  1839.  He  came  to  America 
in  1852  with  his  parents,  who  settled  at 
Spring  Valley,  Rock  County,  Wis.,  where 
they  remained  until  1856,  Avhen  they  came 
to  this  county  and  township.  March  2, 1863, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Margeret 
Knudson  Hagen,  who  was  born  in  Novem- 
ber, 1838.  The  same  year  they  moved  to 
the  farm  on  section  2,  where  they  now  reside, 
and  where  Mr.  Rekke  owns  160  acres  of  good 
land,  and  where  he  carries  on  general  farm- 
ing and  stock-raising,  having  sixteen  head 
of  cattle  and  six  head  of  horses.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Rekke  are  the  parents  of  two  children  : 
Carra,  born  November  26,  1863,  and  Knud, 
October  31,  1865.  They  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

Thomas  Lajord  is  a  native  of  Norway, 
born  February  26,  1842.  He  was  educated 
for  a  teacher,  and  being  a  Lutheran,  was 
confirmed  at  Hamarstiff  in  1857,  and  that 
year  attended  school  to  complete  his  educa- 
tion for  his  life  work  as  teacher.  He  began 
his  career  in  his  native  land  January  10, 1859, 
and  followed  teaching  there  until  April  4, 
1870,  when  he  immigi'ated  to  America  and 
landed  at  New  York.  Ten  days  after  his 
arrival  he  came  to  Goodhue  County,  this 
State,  aiul   from   there  to   Dakota  County, 


6-±f) 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


where  he  occupied  his  time  in  teaching  until 
1875,  when  he  came  to  this  count}'  and  pur- 
cliased  forty  acres  of  land  on  section  12,  New 
Tiiclilund  Township,  where  he  still  resides, 
lie  held  the  position  of  teacher  and  choir 
leader  in  the  church  here  until  1885,  when 
some  of  the  members  thinking  that  he  was 
too  outspoken  in  his  manner  in  regard  to  his 
views  as  to  the  way  Christian  people  should 
live,  and  dissensions  creeping  into  the  church, 
he  resigned  his  stewardship.  June  26, 1869, 
Thomas  Lajord  and  Maren  Kattvold  were 
united  in  mari'iage,  and  they  have  been  the 
parents  of  four  children :  Thorstein,  born 
October  27,  1876;  Ingeborg,  June  6,1879; 
Clara,  July  8,  1882,  and  Hannah,  March  3, 
1887.  Mrs.  Lajord  is  a  native  of  Norway, 
born  December  24,  1850,  and  with  her  hus- 
band is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Mr.  Lajord  was  the  doorkeeper  in 
the  Legislature  at  the  session  of  1887.  He 
is  an  upright  Christian  and  a  worthy  citizen. 

Knudt  Olson  Hagen  was  born  in  Norway, 
September  12,  1851.  In  Jul}',  1852,  his  par- 
ents brought  him  to  this  country,  and  settled 
at  Rock  Prairie,  Wis.,  but  four  3'ears  later 
moved  to  Minnesota,  among  the  old  settlers 
of  this  township,  and  located  on  section  3, 
where  jMr.  Hagen  now  lives.  Here  he  was 
raised  and  educated,  and  hei'e,  November  19, 
1874,  be  was  united  in  marriage  with  Ella 
Tollefson,  who  was  born  in  Norway,  Decem- 
ber 14, 1853.  They  were  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Salma  Mary,  born  August  31, 
1875 ;  Henry  Otto,  born  October  22,  1876, 
and  Tena  Cecilia,  born  in  July,  1877,  died 
same  month.  Mrs.  Hagen  died  November 
15,  1883.  On  the  25th  of  June,  1887,  he 
was  again  united  in  marriage,  this  time  with 
Marreth  Swenson,  who  was  born  in  Norway, 
May  29,  1861.  His  farm  consists  of  240 
acres  of  land  under  high  state  of  culture, 
with  good  house,  barn  and  other  buildings, 
and  he  has  a  herd  of  some  forty  head  of 
fine  grade  cattle.  Tiie  family  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Torkel  Lund  \vas  born  in  Norwaj'',  Decem- 


ber 7,  1829.  He  immigrated  to  America  in 
1850,  and  settled  in  Eock  County,  Wis., 
where  he  remained  four  years,  then  removed 
to  Fillmore  Count}',  this  State,  and  after 
four  years  spent  there,  came  to  this  town- 
ship and  county,  and  settled  on  section  22, 
where  he  now  lives.  Before  leaving  his 
native  land,  in  1850,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Gerete  Berg,  who  was  born  on 
December  25,  1830.  They  have  had  a  fami- 
ly of  nine  children  :  Tidman,  born  January 
2,  1851,  died  three  weeks  later;  Andrew, 
born  in  1852,  deceased  ;  Tidman,  born  June 
4,  1853;  Amelia,  born  October  1857,  died 
February,  1863;  Alfred,  born  November  15, 
1860  ;  Martin,  born  October  5,  1862  ;  Sophia, 
born  December  15,  1864;  Amelia,  born  Octo- 
ber 19, 1867,  and  Emma,  born  November  17, 
1869,  died  May  12,  1886.  Mr.  Lund  owns,  in 
connection  with  his  sons,  320  acres  of  land 
under  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  They 
have  some  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  five  horses. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Cliurch. 

Ole  O.  Bommengen  is  a  native  of  Norway, 
born  August  8,  1834,  and  came  to  America 
in  1867,  coming  direct  to  this  county  and 
town,  settling  on  section  23,  where  he  now 
lives,  and  where  he  owns  a  fine  farm  of  200 
acres  of  land  under  a  good  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, fifty -four  head  of  cattle,  eight  horses, 
Ijesides  other  stock.  He  was  married  in  Nor- 
way, in  1855,  to  Cari'ie  Mary  Hanson,  by 
whom  he  had  three  children;  Louis  Olson, 
born  in  Norway,  May  1,  1859;  Cassa,  bornin 
Norway,  February  11,  1865,  and  Edwin,  born 
in  Minnesota,  March  25,  1871.  He  married 
his  second  wife,  Martha  Oleson,  February 
20,  1877.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church.  He  is  one  of  the  good, 
substantial  fanners  of  this  township,  and  is 
striving  to  achieve,  what  he  merits  by  his 
industr}'  and  energy,  an  easy  competence. 

Eev.  O.  A.  Mellby  was  born  in  Aurdal, 
Norway,  January  9,  1843.  He  received  his 
education  in  his  native  land,  graduating 
from  the  university  of  Christiana  in   1872, 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


641 


and  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  by  the  Bishop  of  Christiana,  in  Octo- 
ber of  that  year.  He  started  immediately 
for  the  scene  of  his  hibors  in  New  Eichland, 
having  had  a  call  from  this  parish  while  yet 
a  student.  He  landed  in  New  York  on  the 
15th  of  December,  1S72,  and  a  few  days 
later  was  installed  as  pastor  of  the  New 
Richland  Church,  and  is  the  present  incum- 
bent of  that  position.  January  9,  1867, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Sigrid 
Grundt,  who  was  born  in  Norway,  February 
18,  1839.  The}'  have  had  seven  children  : 
Carl  August,  born  January  5,  1869,  now  at 
the  college,  Decorah,  Iowa,  class  of  1888 ; 
Agnes  Theodora,  born  September  25,  1870, 
now  at  Northfield  College ;  Oscar  Michael 
and  Marie  Eliza,  born  April  23,  1873,  and 
died  September  1,  1873 ;  Marie  Elizabeth, 
born  November  5,  1875 ;  Oscar  Frederick, 
born  May  11,  1876,  and  Gisle  Bernhard 
born  May  24,  1879.  Mr.  Mellby  has  im- 
proved the  parsonage  farm  since  coming 
here,  setting  out  a  fine  grove  of  ijOOO  trees 
and  cultivating  the  land  highly. 

N.  M.  Nelson  was  born  in  Sweden  tn  the 
year  1848,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1868,  settling  in  this  county  at  that  time, 
and  for  the  last  twelve  years  has  been  a  con- 
tinual resident  here.  He  located  on  a  farm 
of  160  acres  in  section  9,  which  he  has 
brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and 
has  a  good  comfortable  dwelling  and  good 
outbuildings.  He  has  held  the  office  of 
county  commissioner  for  seven  years  and 
enjoys  the  confidence  of  all.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Lottie  Johnson,  in  Waseca  County, 
March  9,  1884.  She  was  born  in  Indiana, 
and  died  January  8,  1885,  leaving  one  child 
who  was  born  January  2,  1885.  Mr.  Nelson 
carries  on  general  farming  and  stock-raising 
and  is  in  good,  comfortable  circumstances. 

Edward  C.  Sybilrud  is  the  son  of  Christian 
C.  Sybilrud,  who  was  born  in  Norway,  De- 
cember 1,  1817,  and  Anna  Mary,  his  wife, 
who  is  a  native  of  the  same  country,  born 
January  8,  1822,  and  both  of  whom  reside 


with  their  son,  Edward,  who  has  a  fine  farm 
of  240  acres  of  land  on  section  25.  He  has 
a  fine  modern  cottage,  where  he  resides  sur- 
rounded by  a  fine  natural  grove  some  seven 
or  eight  acres  in  extent.  He  is  a  native  of 
Norway,  born  July  1,  1851,  and  came  to 
America  in  the  year  1870,  settling  where 
he  now  lives.  December  25,  1877,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Renegarde  Burtnes, 
who  was  also  born  in  Norway,  December  25, 
1861.  They  have  been  the  parents  of  five 
children :  Anna  Mary,  born  February  25, 
1879;  Christian,  born  October  27,  1880; 
Thea  Carrenia,  born  October  23,  1882,  who 
died  January  20,  1883  ;  Oscar,  born  Decem- 
ber 11,  1883,  and  Theo  Knute,  born  Febru- 
ary 2,  1886.  The  family  are  active  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Olave  Anderson  owns  160  acres  of  land  on 
section  36,  this  township,  and  175  acres  in 
the  adjoining  county  of  Freeborn.  He  has 
about  twenty  head  of  cattle,  including  eleven 
milch  cows  and  eleven  horses.  He  is  giving 
much  attention  to  grading  up  his  stock,  and 
has  among  them  some  full-blood  short-horns. 
His  horses  are  one-half  or  better  of  Norman, 
or  Clyde  stock.  He  also  owns  and  operates 
a  steam  thrashing  machine.  He  is  a  native 
of  Norway,  born  April  20,  1847.  He  left 
the  country  of  his  birth  for  the  United 
States  in  1867,  and  on  his  arrival  came  to 
Fillmore  County,  this  State,  and  settling 
there  remained  for  two  years,  and  then 
removed  to  the  farm  where  he  now  lives,  in 
the  year  1869.  June  8,  1872,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Lora  Olson,  Avho  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, July  1,  1852.  They  have  had  born  to 
them  five  children  :  Anton,  born  January' 
24,  1877;  Nena,  born  October  14,  1879; 
Netka,  born  January  12,  1881 ;  Emma,  born 
August  2'2,  1884,  and  Ida,  born  August  24, 
ISSO.  Mr.  Anderson's  mother,  Mrs.  Mary 
Anderson,  lives  with  him.  She  was  born  in 
Norway,  in  1815.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Henry   Schwenke,    a    thrifty    intelligent 
fanner,   who  has  an  excellent  farm  of  160 


642 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


acres  of  land  on  section  21,  is  a  native  of 
Germany.  He  was  born  September  10, 1850, 
and  remained  in  the  fatlierland  until  1873, 
when  he  immigrated  to  the  United  States, 
and  for  a  time  lived  in  Wisconsin.  In  1874 
he  was  married  to  Mary  Steinhaus,  a  native 
of  Wisconsin,  born  July  22,  1853.  Later  he 
removed  to  this  county.  He  had  learned  the 
trade  of  miller  in  the  old  country,  and  for  a 
year  after  coming  to  America  he  followed 
that  occupation.  He  has  a  fine  place,  with 
excellent  buildings  and  good  stock.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Schwenke  are  the  parents  of  five 
children  :  Emil,  Ida,  Henry,  Mada  and  Row- 
land. 

Carl  Kotegard  was  born  in  New  Richland 
Township,  Waseca  County,  Minn.,  on  the 
place  where  he  now  lives,  on  section  12,  July 
27,  1863.  His  father,  Knudt  Oleson  Rote- 
gard,  was  a  native  of  Norway,  born  April 
14,  1813,  died  here  November  19,  1878.  His 
mother,  Barbara  (Oleson)  Rotegard,  was 
also  a  native  of  Norway,  born  September  7, 
1820,  and  still  resides  on  the  old  homestead. 
Carl  was  reared  here,  and  on  the  29th  of 
October,  1883,  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Hannah  Kittelson,  who  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, August  13,  1861.  They  have  one 
child,  Christian  Olaf,  born  October  18,  1885. 
Carl  has  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  of  land 
which  he  cultivates.  The  family  are  mem- 
l)ers  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Julius  A.  R.  Kruger  was  born  in  Germany, 
December  18,  1852,  and  was  brought  to 
America  by  his  parents  in  1856.  They  set- 
tled at  (irst  in  Jefferson  County,  Wis.,  where 
they  remained  until  1861,  when  they  moved 
to  Freeborn  County,  this  State,  where  his 
parents  still  live.  Mr.  Kruger  came  to  tlie 
place  where  he  now  lives,  on  section  34,  in 
1884.  March  11,  1885,  he  was  married  to 
Mary  Goertz,  a  native  of  Germany,  born 
December  1,  1864.  They  have  been  the  par- 
ents of  two  children  :  Martha  Louisa,  born 
March  22,  1886,  and  died  April  9,  1886,  and 
Louis  Robert  August,  born  May  22,  1887. 
Mr.  Kri'ger's  father,  Frank  Kruger,  was  liorn 


in  Prussia,  May  22,  1823,  and  his  mother  in 
the  same  principality,  November  15,  1833. 
Part  of  the  father's  farm  of  430  acres  is  in 
this  and  part  in  Freeborn  County.  Julius 
owns  160  acres  where  he  lives,  has  a  good 
new  dwelling  in  modern  style,  surrounded 
by  a  grove  of  young,  thrifty  trees. 

FIRST  ITEMS. 

The  first  birth  was  that  of  a  daughter  of 
Ole  K.  Llagen,  in  July,  1856.  She  is  now 
the  wife  of  Even  Tostenson,  a  resident  of  the 
village. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  Samuel  S. 
Sampson,  who  died  August  22,  1861. 

The  first  school  district  was  organized  in 

1860.  John  Larson  was  the  first  clerk  of 
the  district ;  Anthony  Sampson  director,  and 
T.  Tidmauson  Lund,  treasurer. 

The  first  school  meeting  in  the  township 
was  held  at  the  residence  of  Nels  T^^rholm. 

In  1862  the  first  schoolhouse  was  erected 
of  logs,  on  a  half  acre  of  ground  donated 
for  that  purpose  by  Anthony  Sampson. 
Miss  Northup  was  the  first  teacher.  A  spe- 
cial meeting  of  the  district  was  held  Julj-  6, 

1861,  which  voted  a  tax  of  $100  to  build  this 
house,  which  was  on  the  southwest  corner  of 
section  14,  on  Sampson's  land. 

The  first  church  organized  was  of  the 
Lutheran  denomination,  in  1861. 

The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  on  sec- 
tion 11,  of  this  township,  was  built  during 
the  years  1875  and  1876,  at  a  cost  of  about 
$5,000.  It  is  36x60  feet  in  size  upon  the 
ground,  and  2(i  feet  high.  An  addition  upon 
the  rear  is  20x20  feet  in  dimension.  The 
sjiire  is  16  feet  square  at  the  base,  and  has 
an  altitude  of  96  feet.  The  edifice  has  a 
seating  capacity  of  550. 

The  society  was  organized  in  the  spring  of 
1861,  and  in  1862  a  place  of  worship  was 
erected  of  logs.  This  was  20x26  feet  in  size. 
Rev.  B.  Muse,  the  pastor  of  a  Goodhue 
County  congregation,  was  the  first  to  minis- 
ter to  these  people.  After  about  two  years, 
he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  N.  A.  Qvame,  who 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


645 


officiated  for  seven  years.  In  1872  the 
Kev.  O.  A.  Mellby  was  called  from  his  far- 
away home  in  Norwa}%  and  is  the  present 
pastor.  The  first  trustees  were  PI.  Halvor- 
sen,  Anthony  Sampson  and  H.  Taraldson. 
The  society  own  a  fine  parsonage  on  section 
13 ;  witli  it  is  a  fine  farm  of  eighty  aci'es  of 
land,  the  land  and  building  costing  some 
$1,800. 

The  first  meeting  of  this  society  was  held 
at  the  house  of  Ole  Arneson,  on  section  2,  in 
the  spring  of  1858,  by  Eev.  Laurs  Larson. 
The  same  people  held  meetings  in  different 
places  until  the  organization. 

ORGANIZATION. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  on  the  16th  of  March,  1857, 
the  three  townships  of  New  Richland,  Byron 
and  Vivian,  and  the  south  one-third  of  Otisco 
Township,  as  constituted  to-day,  were  thrown 
into  one  precinct  and  called  Otisco.  But 
on  the  2d  of  IS^ovember,  1858,  the  board 
set  off  and  organized  congressional  town- 
ship 108  north,  range  22  west,  into  a  civil 
town  under  the  name  of  Norway,  but  that 
was  afterward  changed  to  Richland,  the 
New  being  added  subsequently.  The  first 
town  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  organizing 
the  township,  was  held  on  the  5th  of  April, 
1859,  at  the  house  of  John  Larson.  John 
Thompson  was  chairman,  and  on  the  meeting 
being  called  to  order  J.  S.  Rice  was  chosen 
moderator  and  S.  "W.  Franklin,  clerk.  The 
polls  were  duly  opened  at  10  o'clock.  The 
first  officers  chosen  were  the  following- 
named  :  John  Thompson,  chairman ;  J.  S. 
Rice  and  David  Skinner,  supervisors  ;  S.  "W". 
Franklin,  clerk  ;  Anthony  Sampson,  assessor ; 
Nels  Christianson,  collector ;  J.  S.  Rice  and 
John  Larson,  justices  of  the  peace ;  George 
W.  Legg  and  Andrew  Johnson,  constables, 
and  Ole  Johnson,  overseer  of  the  poor.  The 
present  officers  are  as  follows :  W.  F. 
Discher,  chairman,  and  E.  C.  Sybilrud  and 
E.  O.  Rotegard,  supervisors ;  Christof  Wag- 
ner, clerk ;  T.  T.  Lund,  assessor  ;  J.  O.  Sunde, 

3! 


treasurer ;  E.  E.  Yerplank  and  W.  F.  Discher, 
justices  of  the  peace,  and  George  Flagman 
and  Fred  Heckes,  constables. 

COESONDALE  STOCK  FARM. 

No  annals  of  this  town  would  be  com- 
plete without  some  reference  to  the  noted 
stock  farm  owned  by  Messrs.  Dunwoody 
&  Corson,  the  enterprising  owners  of  the 
model  roller  mill  in  the  village  of  New 
Richland.  This  farm,  one  of  the  important 
factors  in  the  development  of  this  town- 
ship, is  composed  of  880  acres  of  land,  em- 
bracing the  south  half  of  section  20,  the 
north  half  of  section  29,  the  west  half  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  section  29,  and  the 
northwest  quarter  of  section  32,  all  in  this 
township.  Their  farm  buildings  are  located 
on  the  eastern  part  of  this  tract,  about  one 
mile  due  south  of  this  village,  upon  a  beau- 
tiful site,  and  were  built  with  special  atten- 
tion to  the  care  and  comfort  of  their  fine 
Norman  horses  and  thriving  herds  of  thor- 
oughbred short-horns,  Jerseys,  grades  and 
other  stock. 

At  the  time  this  farm  passed  into  the  hands 
of  Dunwoody  &  Corson  it  was  compara- 
tively wild  prairie  land,  but  since  that  time 
it  has  been  improved  and  cultivated,  and  is 
now  divided  into  fields  which  are  enclosed 
with  strong  wire  fences.  What  portion  is 
not  required  for  the  raising  of  feed  for  the 
stock  (for  no  produce  is  marketed  from  this 
place)  is  seeded  to  clover  and  other  tame 
grasses,  which  thrive  exceedingly  well  in  this 
country,  the  soil  being  peculiarly  adapted 
to  the  growing  of  such. 

This  noted  farm  was  opened  up  in  1882 
and  stocked  in  1883  at  an  outlay  of  from 
$30,000  to  $40,000. 

Their  original  purchase  of  short-horns  was 
forty  head ;  since  that  time  (less  than  three 
years)  they  have  sold  eighteen  head  for 
$3,000,  and  now  have  on  hand  sixty-five 
head  of  as  fine  looking  thoroughbred  short- 
horns as  can  be  found  in  any  herd  in  the 
Northwest,  besides  a  large  number  of  valu- 


646 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


ble  grades,  crosses  with  their  common  stock 
and  their  imported  Baron  Glencoe. 

In  1883  they  placed  on  theirfann  six  half- 
blood  Norman  and  two  common  mares,  and 
since  that  time  each  of  them  have  raised 
colts  from  Bon  Homme,  their  imported 
stallion.  They  also  have  two  fine  carriage 
horses  bred  to  DeGraff's  Alexander.  In  the 
past  year  they  have  sold  three  colts  for  $-l-50 
and  now  have  sixteen  grade  colts  of  both 
sexes,  one  half  blood  and  one  three-quarter 
blood  Norman  stallion,  besides  several  colts 
of  a  recent  purchase.  Among  these  colts  is 
an  exceedingly  promising  trotter  sired  by 
Commodore  Kittson's  Blackwood  Jr.,  dam, 
Mary  Lane. 
»  The  house  and  barns  are  large,  roomy  and 

commodious,  and  are  ^vell  adapted  for  the 
convenience  of  George  Stearns,  the  superin- 
tendent, his  help  and  their  four-footed 
charges. 

On  this  place  Messrs.  Dunwoody  &  Cor- 
son have  their  imported  Norman  stalhon, 
Bon  Homme,  brought  from  France  by  them 
in  1882,  and  weighing  1,750  pounds,  and  other 
fine  horses;  Baron  Glencoe,  an  imported 
short-horn  bull,  than  whom  there  is  none 
better  in  this  country,  and  many  mares,  cows, 
Poland  China  and  Jersey  Red  hogs  and  Ply- 
mouth Rock  chickens,  and  in  fact  a  large 
quantity  of  high  grade  animals  of  all  kinds 
and  descriptions.  Among  some  of  the  most 
noted  cows  on  this  model  farm,  are  Orange 
Blossom  of  Cedar  2nd ;  Tuberose  of  Browns- 
dale  ;  several  representatives  of  Miss  Wiley  of 
Brownsdale  ;  Arabella,  and  many  others,  be- 
sides about  twent}'  thoroughbred  Jersey  cows 
and  grades,  among  them  Sunny  Sister  and 
Sunny  Morn. 

To  Messrs.  Dunwoody  &  Corson,  too  much 
praise  can  hardly  be  given  for  their 
efforts  in  improving  the  stock  in  this  part  of 
the  State,  and  anyone  can  at  a  glance  see  the 
incalculable  value  a  few  such  model  farms 
throughout  the  State  would  be  to  the  rest  of 
the  farming  community.  The  magnificent 
farm  is  well  worth  a  visit. 


fi 


age   of  JNIeW    Kichland. 

The  thriving  village  that  bears  the  name 
of  New  Richland  lies  upon  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  17,  and  was  laid  out  and 
platted  in  August,  1877,  by  Henry  T.  Wells. 
Four  additions  to  the  town  plat  have  been 
laid  out  subsequently  bv  Charles  Zieger,  H.  T 
Wells  and  Jane  McClane.  The  village  is  beau- 
tifully situated,  and  neatly  and  well  kept,  and 
is  a  OTOwing  and  thrivino-  village.  With 
abundant  forethought,  many  of  the  resi- 
dences are  deeply  embowered  in  trees,  which 
lend  beauty  to  the  aspect  of  the  place,  and 
help  shelter  them  from  the  icy  blasts  of 
winter. 

The  first  building  in  the  new  town  was 
put  up  by  a  man  by  the  name  of  Buncho,  in 
July,  1877,  who  opened  up  a  saloon  in  it  and 
ran  it  for  about  eight  months,  and  then  sold 
the  building  to  James  Murphy,  who  converted 
it  into  a  residence  and  about  a  year  later  sold 
it  to  M.  Murphy,  who  rented  it  to  other 
parties  a  few  years,  and  then  disposed  of  it 
to  Fred.  Laudert,  who  uses  it  for  a  dwelling. 

Thomas  Lynch  put  up  a  building  in  the 
fall  of  1877,  which  he  rented.  In  it  a  saloon 
was  opened,  and  during  that  winter  was 
continued.  The  building  is  now  occupied 
by  Mrs.  M.  P.  Lofty,  as  a  millinery  establish- 
ment. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  J.  H.  Wight- 
man  erected  a  store  building,  and  putting  in 
a  stock  of  hardware,  ran  it  for  about  eight 
years,  when  he  sold  out  to  A.  J.  Newgard, 
the  present  proprietor,  who  carries  a  stock 
of  general  hardwai'e,  pumps,  barbed  wire 
and  Summit  washing  machines,  and  does  a 
large  and  growing  business. 

A.  J.  Newgard  was  born  in  Gjovik,  Nor- 
way, February  10,  18-t4,  and  is  the  son 
of  Gorgenson  G.  and  Agneta  (Gulbranson) 
Newgard.  Rearetl  among  the  scenes  of  his 
childhood,  the  free  spirit  that  dwells  in  the 
hearts  of  all  mountaineers  led  him  in  1S69  to 
leave  his  home  and  seek  a  new  one  in  free 
America.    For  about  a  year  after  coming  here 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


64:7 


he  remained  in  Chicago,  and  then  came  to 
"Waseca  County,  locating  in  this  township  on 
a  farm  belonging  to  A.  J.  Stensvad,  where 
he  remained  some  two  months.  He  then 
took  a  farm,  which  he  worked  on  shares  for 
a  year,  after  which  he  purchased  some  im- 
provements on  some  railroad  lands  of  Anton 
Ciiristianson,  of  Steele  Countj^  where  he 
spent  some  eighteen  months,  selling  out  at 
tlie  end  of  that  time,  and  working  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  some  eighteen  months.  He 
then  removed  to  Owatonna,  Steele  County, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  the  lumber  trade, 
as  salesman  for  Thomas  Kelh',  for  six 
months,  and  other  emplovment  in  that  line, 
and  working  at  the  carpenter  or  tinner's 
trade.  In  the  fall  of  1877  he  came  to  the 
newly  started  village  and  opened  up  the 
lumber  yard  as  detailed  elsewhere,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  line  until  1S85,  when  he  sold 
out  and  took  a  pleasure  trip  to  Europe,  to 
visit  the  scenes  of  his  happy  childhood's 
days,  and  to  live  over  once  more  tiie  old 
life.  After  spending  some  six  months  in 
this  way,  he  returned  to  New  Richland, 
purchased  the  hardware  stock  and  business 
of  J.  H.  Wightman,  commenced  trade  in 
that  line,  in  which  he  is  now  engaged. 
During  the  year  1865  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Marie  L.  Steuseth.  They 
have  been  the  parents  of  the  following 
children  :  Ingulf,  born  July  29,  1866;  Carl, 
March  10,  1868  ;  Gulbran,  born  January  2, 
1872,  died  the  22d  of  the  same  month ;  An- 
drew, born  April  21,  1874  ;  Emma,  June  29, 
1876;  Lars,  April  15,  1879,  and  Georgine. 
July  26,  1883. 

The  same  year  (1877)  C.  H.  Hooper  put  in  a 
stock  of  drugs  and  medicines  and  operated 
it  for  a  few  years,  when  the  goods  were 
closed  out,  and  about  1880  the  building  was 
sold  to  Henry  Jaehning,  who  is  engaged  in 
the  furniture  business  and  sale  of  undertak- 
ing goods. 

The  same  autumn  a  store  building  was 
moved  to  this  town  from  Wilton,  by  Hugh 
Wilson,  who  rented  it   to   Mee   Bros.,  from 


Faribault,  who  put  in  a  stock  of  general  mer- 
chandise. They  continued  this  business  but 
a  short  time,  when  they  closed  out  the  stock. 
The  building  was  occupied  for  several  months 
with  machinery,  but  in  the  fall  of  1878  H. 
K.  Stearns  purchased  the  building  and  put  in 
a  well  assorted  stock  of  general  merchandise, 
commencing  business  here  January  1,  1879, 
and  still  continues  in  the  same  old  stand, 
doing  a  lucrative  business,  and  drawing  trade 
from  a  large  scope  of  countr^^ 

Ilalvor  K.  Stearns  came  to  Waseca  Count)' 
in  1862,  and  settled  on  a  farm,  on  section  15, 
on  the  Le  Sueur  River,  about  two  miles  east 
of  the  present  village  of  New  Richland.  He 
is  a  native  of  Nomedal,  Norway,  born  De- 
cember 25,  1836.  He  remained  in  his 
fatherland  until  he  had  passed  the  age  of 
seventeen  years,  when  he  came  to  this  coun- 
tr}^  and  settled  in  Rock  County,  Wis.  This 
was  in  185-t.  While  a  citizen  of  that  place, 
be  was  united  in  marriage  April  20,  1860,  at 
Rock  Prairie,  Rock  County,  Wis.,  with  Betsy 
Sevets,  who  was  born  in  Norway,  June  10, 
1840.  Three  years  before  coming  to  this 
county  he  had  purchased  the  farm  where  he 
made  his  first  settlement,  and  when  he  was 
ready  to  come  to  this  State  he  took  a  team 
and  wagon  and  drove  the  whole  distance,  tak- 
ing some  six  weeks  to  make  the  trip.  He 
had  his  wife  and  one  child,  all  his  his  family 
at  that  time,  with  him,  and  on  his  arrival 
here  about  the  1st  of  June,  settled  at  once  on 
the  farm.  He  did  some  plowing  that  sum- 
mer and  fall  but  did  not  raise  any  crops  that 
season.  He  remained  on  his  farm  until 
March,  1880,  when  he  removed  to  the  vil- 
lage of  New  Richland,  having  opened  a  gen- 
eral merchandise  store  there  in  January  pre- 
vious, and  has  remained  in  that  line  of  busi- 
ness ever  since.  Mr.  Stearns  served  the 
county  on  the  board  of  commissioners  from 
January,  1874,  until  December,  1879,  and 
always  with  credit  to  himself  and  the 
satisfaction  of  his  constituents.  Among  the 
foremost  businessmen  of  New  Richland,  he  is 
a  true  representative  of  her  better  class  of 


648 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


citizens.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stearns  are  the  par- 
entsof  six  children  :  Knudt,born  Ma>'  7, 1861, 
at  Rock  Prairie,  Wis.,  died  November  28, 
1882,  in  New  Richland ;  Sophia,  born  in 
New  Richland,  Aug-ust  19,  1868;  Martin, 
born  June  12, 1871 ;  Gustav,  born  March  23, 
1874 ;  Henrj^  born  February  25,  1878,  died 
August  22,  1883 :  Kaia  Henrj'etta,  born  Sep- 
tember 16,  1885. 

Johnson  &  Murphy  started  in  the  hard- 
ware business  in  September,  1877,  and  are 
still  engaged  in  that  line,  in  the  same  build- 
ing. They  are  handling  all  the  lines  of  goods 
that  go  to  make  uj)  a  tirst-class  hardware 
stock,  and  their  business  has  grown  to  goodly 
proportions  by  strict  attention  to  business. 

The  firm  of  Murphy  &  Johnson  was 
formed  in  the  summer  of  1877,  before  there 
was  any  building  in  New  Richland,  or  the 
railroad  track  had  reached  here.  Anticipat- 
ing the  wants  of  those  about  to  settle  in  the 
future  village,  they  ordei'ed  a  stock  of  build- 
ing hardware,  which  they  hauled  from 
Waseca  by  team.  Not  having  any  building 
in  which  to  set  up  store,  they  opened  shop 
on  a  lumber  pile,  weighing  out  nails  in  a 
market  basket,  on  an  old-fashioned  steel- 
yard. When  night  had  come  they  laid  down 
by  their  stock  to  protect  it  from  marauders. 
Soon,  however,  they  got  up  a  building  and 
from  their  small  beginning  have  by  energy 
and  ability  worked  up  a  fine  trade.  They 
also  carry  on  an  extensive  business  in  farm 
machinery,  coal,  wire,  pumps,  etc.  They 
have  also  an  establishment  of  the  same  kind 
at  Hartland,  Minn. 

Michael  Murphy  was  born  October  1, 1849, 
in  Davis  County,  Ind.,  and  is  the  son  of 
Patrick  and  Margaret  Murphy.  He  remain- 
ed in  the  Hoosier  State  until  July,  1855, 
when,  with  his  parents,  he  came  to  Waseca, 
settling  in  Blooming  Grove  Township.  In 
this  county  he  was  reared,  and  approaching 
manhood  he  learned  the  trade  of  tinner' 
which  he  followed  as  journeyman  until  he 
came  to  this  place  and  opened  up  this  busi- 
ness, except  during  the  years  1872  and  1873 


when  he  was  engaged  in  civil  engineering 
on  the  Northwestern  Railroad.  May  1,  1872, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Lizzie  De- 
laney,  a  native  of  Toronto,  Canada,  born  Oc- 
tober 1,  1849.  They  are  the  parents  of  six 
children:  Lettie,  born  March  14,  1873; 
Elain,  July  5,  1875;  Irean,  December  25, 
1879 ;  William,  Januar}'  1,  1877 ;  Georgia, 
May  19,  1882. 

Nels  Johnson,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Denmark,  August  26,  1843,  resided  in  the 
country  of  his  birth  until  1865,  when  he 
came  to  America.  He  is  the  son  of  John 
and  Maggie  Johnson.  On  landing  in  the 
United  States  he  came  to  Minnesota,  locating 
at  Faribault,  Rice  County,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1874,  when  he  came  to  Wa- 
seca County.  For  about  three  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  hardware  business  at  Waseca, 
when  he  came  here.  On  September  27, 
1869,  he  was  married  to  Mary  Erickson,  a 
native  of  Norway,  born  on  a  farm  there  in 
1848.  They  ai'e  the  parents  of  six  children: 
Minnie,  born  May  21,  1871 ;  Henry,  June  11, 
1874;  Albert,  February  20,  1876;  Nellie, 
October  7,  1880;  Freddie,  May  25,  1884, 
and  an  infant,  born  August  26,  1887. 

In  the  same  month — September,  1877 — 
C.  H.  Brossard  put  up  a  store  building,  and 
putting  in  a  general  stock,  continued  in  that 
line  of  trade  for  about  two  years,  when  he 
closed  out  the  stock  at  publfc  sale.  The 
building  was  then  sold  to  F.  G.  Schneider, 
who  had  come  here  from  Dodge  County,  Wis., 
and  who  opened  up  a  harness-making  shop, 
therein.  It  is  now  occupied  by  F.  G.  Schnei- 
der &  Co.,  a  new  firm  formed  in  1887,  com- 
posed of  Mr.  Schneider  and  John  Kreuzer. 
They  handle  harness,  boots  and  shoes,  trunks, 
etc.,  and  are  building  up  a  fine  business  by 
attention  to  the  wants  of  their  customers. 

About  the  same  time  the  firm  of  Clark  & 
Swann  put  up  a  building  and  filled  it  with  a 
finely  assorted  stock  of  drugs,  medicines, 
fancy  toilet  articles,  etc.,  and  still  continue 
to  cater  to  the  wants  of  the  public  in  that 
line.     J.  R.  Swann  is  the  managing  partner, 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


649 


Mr.  Chu'k  being  a  druggist  at  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

John  li.  Swann  is  a  native  of  Sweden, 
born  January  13,  1853,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  when  he  was 
eleven  years  of  age.  They  settled  in  St. 
Paul,  but  are  now  residents  of  Chisago 
County,  Minn.  John  R.  lived  with  them 
until  he  was  some  sixteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  entered  the  drug  store  of  H.  "W.  Robin- 
son, of  St.  Paul,  where  he  remained  almost 
three  years.  From  there  he  went  to  Wil- 
mar,  this  State,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  his 
present  partner  for  about  five  years,  when 
he  bought  an  interest  in  the  concern.  One 
year  later  they  removed  to  this  place.  De- 
cember 1,  1877,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Sophia  B.  Quale,  of  Hudson,  Wis.  They 
have  a  family  of  four  children :  Ella,  Rich- 
ard, Sarah  and  Walter. 

Nels  Tyrholm  &  Son  put  up  a  building  at 
about  the  same  time  in  1877,  which  they 
immediately  stocked  with  furniture,  and  are 
engaged  in  the  same  line  of  business  at  the 
present. 

The  same  fall  (of  1877)  a  building  was 
erected  by  John  Larsen,  who  opened  in  it  a 
stock  of  general  merchandise.  In  this  store 
was  kept  the  postoffice,  Mr.  Larsen  being 
the  first  postmaster.  He  continued  in  this 
building  for  about  eight  years,  when,  having 
erected  the  new  brick  store  on  the  west  side 
of  the  street,  the  goods  were  moved  into 
that,  and  is  now  occupied  by  his  son,  M.  C. 
Larsen,  who  carries  on  a  general  merchan- 
dise business. 

The  old  building  formerly  occupied  by 
John  Larsen  was  sold  to  M.  A.  Larsen,  a 
barber,  who  put  in  a  stock  of  general  mer- 
chandise. He  runs  the  barber  shop  in  con- 
nection with  the  store. 

M.  A.  Larsen  came  to  Waseca  County  in 
1873,  settling  on  section  1.5,  this  town,  where 
he  remained  until  1878,  when  he  purchased 
a  farm  in  Berlin  Township,  Steele  County, 
where  he  moved.  After  one  year's  residence 
there  he  came  to  the  village  of  New  Rich- 
land and  opened  a  barber  shop,  which  he 


ran  for  about  three  years,  and  then  removed 
to  Minneapolis,  where  he  spent  a  year,  and 
then  returned  to  this  place  and  reopened 
his  barber  shop.  He  afterward,  in  con- 
nection with  it,  put  in  a  stock  of  confec- 
tionery. He  now  has  a  stock  of  general 
merchandise,  as  related  above.  He  is  also 
local  agent  for  six  large  steamship  lines 
plying  between  this  country  and  Europe, 
supplying  tickets,  drafts  on  Europe,  etc., 
having  been  in  that  line  of  business  since 
1873.  He  was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway, 
Februarj'  22,  1846,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  187:i.  He  was  married  March  21, 
1877,  to  Anna  S.  Mork,  a  native  of  Soleur, 
Norway,  who  died  July  17,  1882,  leaving 
one  child,  Guia  Adina. 

The  same  fall  (of  1877)  a  building  was  put 
up  by  Fenton  Keenan,  which  he  rented  to 
W.  Blake  &  Son,  who  put  in  a  stock  of  ready- 
made  clothing.  These  parties  ran  it  but  a 
short  time,  when  they  moved  the  stock  to 
Waseca.  From  this  time  for  several  years 
it  was  used  as  a  saloon  by  different  parties. 
It  then  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  present 
owner,  who  rents  it  to  Peterson  &  Peterson, 
general  merchants,  and  who  have  the  post- 
office. 

About  the  year  1881  Peterson  Bros,  put 
up  a  brick  building  in  which  they  opened 
up  their  saloon.  This  is  now  owned  and 
occupied  for  the  same  purpose  by  Peter 
Peterson. 

I.  Sorenson,  about  the  same  time,  put  up  a 
building,  and  put  in  a  stock  of  groceries  and 
crockery,  and  for  a  short  time  continued  the 
business,  finally  closing  out.  The  village 
afterward  purchased  the  building,  and  now 
uses  it  for  an  engine  house  for  the  fire  de- 
partment. 

Joseph  Smith  &  Co.  put  up  a  building  in 
the  latter  part  of  1877,  and  opened  a  stock 
of  dry  goods,  clothing,  groceries,  etc.,  and 
continued  in  business  for  about  seven  years, 
when  they  moved  the  stock  to  Red  Lake 
Falls.  This  building  is  now  occupied  by 
Johnson  &  Sunde,  as  detailed  elsewhere. 


650 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTS'. 


E.  E.  Ellifson  put  up  a  building  in  1877 
also,  in  which  he  carried  on  the  tailoring  bus- 
iness for  five  or  six  years,  when  the  building 
was-sold.  It  is  now  the  property  of  Emma 
Bettner,  who  carries  on  the  harness-mating 
business,  the  mechanical  work  being  under 
the  management  of  her  father.  Fred.  Bett- 
ner. 

A  building  was  put  up  by  Hunt  Bros, 
in  the  fall  of  1877,  and  it  was  used  as  a 
saloon  for  about  a  year,  when  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Fred.  Bettner,  who  uses  it  at 
present  as  a  residence  and  ice  cream  parlor. 

Fred.  Bettner  erected  a  building  on  the 
east  side  of  the  town,  and  ran  a  saloon  in  it 
for  a  while,  finally  removing  the  buildinff  on 
to  the  main  street.  He  used  it  for  a  residence 
for  a  time,  when  he  sold  it  to  Gill  Gorgan, 
who  uses  it  as  a  residence  and  grocery  store. 

About  the  year  1875,  J.  Torgerson  &  Co. 
opened  a  store  for  the  sale  of  general  mer- 
chandise, on  section  1,  of  this  township.  This 
firm  continued  in  business  for  about  sixteen 
months,  when  C.  B.  Johnson  purchased  an 
interest  of  one  of  the  partners,  and  the  busi- 
ness was  thereafter  carried  on.  until  the 
starting  of  the  New  Richland,  by  the  firm 
of  Torgerson  &  Johnson.  In  October,  1877. 
they  removed  both  building  and  stock  to 
tliis  place.  In  the  following  spring,  Torger- 
son sold  his  intei-est  to  Paul  O.  Sunde.  and 
the  firm  name  changed  to  its  present  one  of 
Johnson  it  Sunde.  A  few  years  later  they 
made  additions  to  the  old  building  they  oc- 
cupied and  remained  there  until  the  spring 
of  1885,  when  they  purchased  the  store 
building  of  Joseph  Smith  &  Co.,  and  are 
now  the  occupants  of  that  edifice.  They 
carry  on  a  general  merchandise  trade,  which 
draws  a  liberal  support  from  the  surround- 
ing country. 

Charles  B.  Johnson  is  a  native  of  Sandsvar, 
Norway,  born  September  5,  1852,  and  came 
to  this  country  with  his  parents  when  he  was 
but  eighteen  months  old.  The  family  set- 
tled in  Wisconsin,  where  they  remained  for 
three   vears  and   then   removed   to   Berlin 


Township,  Steele  County.  Charles  remained 
with  his  parents,  growing  to  manhood  there, 
until  he  started  for  himself  on  a  farm  of  his 
own  in  Steele  County.  In  1875  he  started 
the  store  on  section  1  with  James  Torgerson. 
as  already  mentioned.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  October  8,  1877.  with  Tena  Sunde. 
They  have  a  family  of  three  children  :  Olaf, 
William  and  Selmer.  Mr.  Johnson  is  one 
of  the  leading  business  men  of  the  village, 
and  is  also  one  of  the  most  popular  mer- 
chants, owing  to  his  steady  adherence  to 
strict  integrity  in  dealing  with  all  his  cus- 
tomers  and  his  invariable  good  nature. 

Paul  O.  Sunde  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born 
July  25.  1851.  but  when  he  was  but  five 
vears  of  age  was  brought  to  this  country  bv 
his  parents,  O.  H.  and  Annie  M.  Sunde,  in 
1856.  AVhen  they  came  here  they  settled  in 
Rock  Count}',  Wis.,  where  they  remained 
for  about  two  years,  and  in  1858  came  to  this 
county,  locating  upon  section  11,  of  New 
Richland  Township,  where  the  father  still 
lives.  The  mother  died  there  in  May,  1886. 
P.  O.  Sunde  began  life  for  himself  in  1874, 
woi'king  at  the  carpenters  trade  in  summer 
and  spending  the  winter  in  school.  This  he 
followed  the  next  year,  and  then  was  em- 
ployed in  a  lumber  yard.  In  1878  he  was 
in  the  firm  of  Torgerson  &.  Johnson,  dealers 
in  general  merchandise,  and  is  now  one  of 
the  firm  of  Johnson  &:  Sunde,  among  the 
leading  merchants  of  the  village.  February 
26,  1880,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Lizzie  C.  Tyrholm,  and  they  have  a  family 
of  four  children  :  Minnie,  Harry,  Cora  and 
Ella.  Mr.  Sunde  was  town  clerk  of  New 
Richland  for  seven  yeai-s,  recorder  of  the 
village  two  years,  and  is  the  president  of  the 
village  board  this  year,  1887. 

In  October.  1877,  a  lumber  yard  was 
opened  by  Randall.  Botter  &  Co..  A.  J. 
Newgard  being  the  '•company."  The  latter 
being  the  resident  partner,  had  the  manage- 
ment of  the  business  at  this  point.  Six 
months  later  the  interests  of  Randall  & 
Botter  were  purchased  by  Charles  Zeigei', 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


651 


and  the  firm  name  changed  to  ISTewgard  & 
Zeiger,  who  continued  in  the  business  for 
about  sixteen  months,  when  Mr.  Zieger  died. 
Four  months  from  then  A.  J.  Newgard  pur- 
chased his  deceased  partner's  interest,  and 
continued  the  business  alone  for  about  one 
year.  About  1880  the  lumber  yard  then  run 
by  C.  D.  Haven  &  Co.  was  consolidated 
with  his,  and  the  new  firm  formed,  which 
was  known  by  the  style  of  A.  J.  Newgard  & 
Co.  This  continued  until  about  eighteen 
months  had  passed,  when  Mr.  Newgard  pur- 
chased the  interests  of  his  partners,  and  for 
two  years  ran  it  alone,  when  he  associated 
with  himself  C.  A.  Wagner,  and  they  re- 
mained in  the  business  about  two  years,  when 
he  sold  to  his  partner  the  entire  busmess.  in- 
cluding all  the  real  estate  in  that  vicinity, 
and  the  latter  associating  with  himself 
his  brother  Christoph,  formed  the  present 
firm  of  Wagner  Bros.  They  do  an  extensive 
business  in  this  line,  handling  lumber,  sash, 
doors,  blinds,  etc.  They  have  also  a  yard 
at  Hartland,  Minn.,  under  the  management 
of  J.  C.  Sybilrud. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1877,  also,  a  lumber 
yard  was  started  by  Isaac  Lincoln  &  Co., 
who  continued  the  business  about  six  months, 
when  they  sold  out  to  A.  J.  Stensvad,  who 
eighteen  months  later  sold  out  to  C.  D. 
Haven  &  Co.,  who  ran  it  until  its  consolidation 
with  the  yard  and  business  of  A.  J.  New- 
gard, as  already  stated. 

The  first  and  only  bank  in  the  town  was 
initiated  by  Dunwoody  &  Corson  in  the  au- 
tumn of  18SU,  in  their  office  at  the  mill,  where 
they  do  a  general  banking  business. 

On  the  5th  of  July,  1877,  O.  P.  Olson 
started  a  blacksmith  shop  on  the  farm  of 
Peter  Ecternock,  in  this  township,  and  con- 
tinued at  that  place  until  the  village  was 
laid  out  in  the  fall,  when  he  removed  thither 
and  opened  the  first  smithy  in  the  place. 
He  ran  this  for  about  five  years,  when  he 
sold  it  to  John  Kreuzer.  Olson  then  re- 
moved to  Preston.  Fillmore  County,  but 
three  years   afterward    returned    here   and 


purchased  his  old  stand,  where  he   is  now 
carrying  on  the  business. 

T.  Thompson,  in  the  fall  of  1877,  opened 
a  blacksmith  shop  in  the  new  village.  This 
was  in  what  was  known  as  Zeiger's  addition. 
About  eight  years  he  carried  on  the  business, 
when  he  sold  out  to  John  Ilestvedt,  who 
immediately  formed  a  partnership  with 
Alexander  Blyhl,  which  firm  is  now  carry- 
ing on  the  business. 

At  the  time  of  the  foundation  of  the 
village,  in  1877,  P.  A.  Holt  started  a  wagon- 
making  shop,  and  continued  in  that  line 
until  1884,  when  he  closed  out  all  his 
material,  and  forming  a  partnership  with 
others,  under  the  firm  name  of  Holt,  Ander- 
son &  Co.,  opened  a  small  lumber  yard. 
This  firm  added  to  their  business  a  sash  and 
door  factory,  and  continued  together  for 
about  six  months,  when  Anderson  sold  his  in- 
terest to  G.  N.  Husely.  The  firm  of  Holt, 
Husely  &  Co.  continued  together  for  about 
a  year,  when  Mr.  Husely  sold  out  to  his  part- 
ners. P.  A.  Holt  &  Co.,  the  present  firm,  are 
doing  quite  an  extensive  business  in  the 
manufacture  of  sash,  doors,  blinds  and 
"  Favorite  "  washing  machines.  They  have 
never  handled  lumber  very  extensively,  but 
are  able  to  fill  all  orders  on  short  notice. 

P.  A.  Holt  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born 
May  8,  1847,  and  came  to  America  in  June, 
1861;  came  at  once  to  New  Richland  Town- 
ship, where  he  went  on  a  farm.  From  here 
he  went  to  Decorah,  Iowa,  and  then  back  to 
Owatonna,  where  he  learned  the  carriage- 
making  trade.  In  1877  he  came  to  the  vil- 
lage of  New  Richland  and  started  a  wagon- 
shop  and  carried  on  that  business  untd  1885, 
when  the  present  business  was  inaugurated. 
He  enlisted  in  November,  1863,  in  Company 
G,  Twelfth  Iowa  Infantry,  and  saw  consid- 
erable service  with  that  gallant  regiment. 
He  was  married  November  23,  1875,  to 
Carrie  Olson.  They  have  two  children: 
Emma  and  Anna. 

Ole  S.  Bokke  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born 
October  21,  1854.     He  came  to  America  in 


652 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


1876  in  compam'  with  his  brother  George, 
locating  at  first  in  Faribault,  Eice  County, 
this  State,  where  he  attended  school  for 
about  a  year,  and  afterward  was  emplo^'ed 
as  clerk  in  a  hardware  store.  He  came  to 
New  Richland  in  1877  and  opened  a  boot  and 
shoe  store,  remaining  in  that  line  for  six 
years.  After  that  he  was  engaged  in  selling 
farm  machinery  for  about  a  year.  When 
the  firm  of  P.  A.  Holt  &  Co.  was  formed  he 
was  one  of  the  company,  and  has  since  con- 
tinued in  this  business.  He  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mary  Larsen  in  New  Eich- 
land,  December  25,  1878.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Petrie  Larsen.  They  have  two 
children  :  Oscar  Henry,  born  October  11, 
1879,  and  Anna  Helena,  October  21,  1882. 
Mr.  Bokke  is  the  present  village  recorder, 
having  been  elected  to  that  office  March, 
1887. 

The  pioneer  jeweby  establishment  was 
opened  in  the  fall  of  1877,  by  O.  A.  Tififany 
&  Bro.,  Avho  did  all  kinds  of  repairing  in  that 
line,  in  connection  with  a  general  stock  they 
had. 

The  present  business  in  this  line  is  re]3re- 
sented  by  A.  S.  Boice,  who  established  the 
stand  in  May,  1887. 

The  Washburn  House  was  built  in  the 
latter  part  of  1877  by  N.  J.  Eobbins.  who 
ran  it  about  a  year  and  then  disjjosed  of  it  to 
J.  O.  Culver.  This  gentleman  continued  in 
the  hotel  business  in  this  building  for  about 
six  years,  when  it  was  sold  to  Alex.  Brisbane, 
who,  after  but  a  few  montlis'  hotel-keeping, 
rented  it  to  Thomas  Eice.  This  party  kept 
it  for  about  eighteen  months,  wlien  Brisbane 
sold  it  to  its  present  owner,  Sophronia  Wil- 
son. The  Washburn  House  is  kept  in  a  most 
excellent  manner  by  the  present  landlord,  O. 
H.  Bronson. 

What  is  known  as  the  Commercial  House 
was  erected  in  the  latter  part  of  1877,  by  Ole 
Johnson  Moe,  who  ran  it  for  a  few  years  as 
a  hotel.  It  was  then  sold  to  F.  B.  Hanks, 
who  kept  it  open  for  three  or  four  years, 
when  he  disposed  of  it  to  Christian  Hanson, 


but  after  a  short  time  this  landlord  sold  it  to 
its  present  proprietor,  Patrick  Kelley. 

The  American  House  was  built  by  Charles 
Brunell  in  the  fall  of  1877,  who  rented  it  to 
Goldsmith  &  Johnson,  who  opened  and  ran 
a  saloon  in  it  for  about  a  year,  and  to  others 
afterward.  It  was  sold  finally  to  Mrs.  Gib- 
son, the  present  owner,  and  is  occupied  as  a 
residence. 

New  Richland,  also,  has  a  neatly  printed 
and  ably  conducted  weekly  newspaper, 
known  as  the  JVo?-f/i  Star,  a  history  of  which 
is  given  in  connection  with  the  annals  of  the 
journals  of  the  county  in  this  volume. 

One  of  the  leading  institutions  of  the  vil- 
lage, and  one  that  first  strikes  the  eye  of  a 
visitor,  is  the  Model  EoUer  Mill.  This,  which 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  this  part  of  the  State, 
was  erected  by  the  present  proprietors.  Dun- 
woody  <fe  Corson,  in  the  fall  of  1879,  at  an 
expense  of  $40,000.  It  is  40x60  feet  in  size, 
three  stories  high,  exclusive  of  the  basement, 
and  is  surmounted  by  a  cupola.  In  addition 
to  this  is  the  engine  and  l)oiler  house, 
30x00  feet  in  size.  In  this  latter  is  a  very 
fine  engine  of  200  horse  power.  The  mill  is 
one  of  the  most  complete  exponents  of 
the  system  known  as  that  of  rollers,  having 
twenty-two  pair  of  rolls  and  two  4-foot 
stones,  and  has  in  addition  all  the  latest 
improved  machinery  in  the  way  of  purifiers, 
bolters,  etc.,  that  go  to  make  up  a  first-class 
establishment  of  this  kind.  The  mill,  which 
has  been  constantly  improved  and  added  to 
since  its  first  erection,  manufactures  about 
three  hundi'ed  barrels  of  the  finest  grades  of 
flour,  running  night  and  day. 

In  addition  to  the  main  building  there  are 
several  others  grouped  about  it,  among  which 
are  :  the  storehouse,  28x48  feet  on  the  ground, 
two  stories  high;  baghouse,  12x18  feet  in 
size ;  cooper-shop,  30x50 ;  barrel-house,  24x28  ; 
stockhouse,  16x24;  elevator,  40x40;  ware- 
house, 40x60,  and  an  office.  16x28,  the  latter 
neath'  and  tastefully  fitted  up,  and  supplied 
with  all  the  necessary  conveniences  fordoing 
business. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


663 


The  elevator  and  warehouse  spoken  of 
above  were  put  up  by  this  firm  in  the  fall  of 
1877,  on  their  coming  here,  and  they  have  a 
combined  storage  capacity  of  60,000  bushels 
of  wheat.  Large  quantities  of  the  product 
of  this  mill  are  exported  to  London,  Liver- 
pool, Glasgow,  while  the  markets  of  Phila- 
delphia and  the  principal  cities  of  Iowa  furnish 
a  nearer  market  for  its  sale. 

During  the  year  an  average  of  two  car 
loads  a  day  is  shipped  from  this  mill.  The 
firm  gives  employment  to  about  fifteen  or 
twenty  men,  and  puts  into  circulation  about 
$150,000  annually. 

The  firm,  which  is  composed  of  E.  E. 
Dund  woody  and  H.  H.  Corson,  was  formed 
in  the  fall  of  1877.  Mr.  Dunwoody  came 
first,  quite  early  in  the  season,  and  started 
to  put  up  the  elevator,  when  he  was  joined 
by  Mr.  Corson,  and  the  elevator  and  a  feed- 
mill  was  built.  Shortly  after  this  a  feed  and 
flour  mill  was  put  up  by  them  where  the 
cooper-shop  now  stands,  but  this  they  toi'e 
down  to  make  way  for  the  present  elegant 
and  finely  equipped  merchant  mill.  At  first 
this  had  only  a  capacity  of  turning  out  about 
140  barrels  a  day,  but  by  remodeling  it  and 
additional  machinery  its  capacity  is  more 
than  doubled. 

E.  E.  Dunwoody,  the  senior  member  of 
the  firm,  was  born  in  Delaware  County,  Pa., 
April  30,  1848,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and 
Hannah  (Hood)  Dunwoody.  He  was  reared 
among  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the  old  Key- 
stone State,  around  wiiich  many  loving  mem- 
ories linger,  and  rem.iined  there  on  a  farm 
until  he  had  attained  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  years,  when  he  went  to  Chicago.  In 
that  city  he  was  engaged  in  the  grain,  seed 
and  druggist  glassware  business  for  about 
eighteen  months.  After  that  he  made  a- 
tour  through  most  of  the  eastern  States,  and 
then  returning  west,  located,  in  the  fall  of 
1875,  at  Benson,  Swift  County,  Minn.,  at 
which  point  he  was  engaged  in  buying  and 
shipping  wheat.  In  the  fall  of  1877  he  came  to 
the  new  village  of  New  Richland  and  entered 


into  partnership  with  H.  H.  Corson,  and  the 
firm  thus  formed  has  been  carrying  on  Inisi- 
ness  ever  since.  It  can  truthfully  be  said  that 
to  no  other  two  men  in  the  village  is  it  in- 
debted in  so  great  a  degree  for  its  growtli 
and  development  as  to  the  membei's  of 
this  firm.  September  12, 1883,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Susannah  E.  Lewis,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Eli/.abeth  Lewis,  and  a 
native  of  the  same  county  as  her  husband. 
Her  parents  were  also  natives  of  the  grand 
old  Keystone  State. 

H.  H.  Corson,  the  junior  partner,  is  also  a 
native  of  Pennsj'lvania,  having  been  born  in 
Montgomery  Count}',  September  19,  1847. 
He  is  the  son  of  Elias  II.  and  Emily  H. 
(Harris)  Coi'son,  and  was  reared  in  the  coun- 
ty of  his  birth  until  he  had  attained  his 
eighteenth  year,  when,  having  studied  and 
graduated  as  a  civil  engineer,  he  commenced 
life  in  the  practice  of  that  profession.  After 
coming  west,  in  1869,  he  was  engaged  as 
civil  engineer  on  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road, and  was  city  engineer  for  the  city  of 
Minneapolis  during  the  years  1871,  1872  and 
1873.  For  two  years  succeeding  that  he  was 
engaged  in  building  mills  and  other  edifices. 
In  1875  he  removedto  Wilmar,  Minn.,  where 
he  commenced  banking  operations.  In  1 877  he 
came  to  this  village,  and  has  been  identified 
with  it  and  its  interests  ever  since.  Decem- 
ber IS,  1872,  Mr.  Corson  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Sallie  Abraham,  the  daughter  of 
Jonatlian  and  Sarah  T.  Abraham,  who  had 
come  from  Delaware  County,  where  Mrs. 
Corson  was  born,  to  Minnesota,  in  1857, 
and  located  in  Minneapolis.  Her  parents 
are  dead  ;  two  sisters  live  at  the  old  home- 
stead in  the  latter  city. 

One  of  the  promising  and  growing  institu- 
tions of  New  Ricliland,  which  has  been  and 
will  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  community,  is 
the  cheese  factory,  which  was  started  in  the 
spring  of  1886,  and  which  took  the  first  pre- 
mium for  the  excellence  of  its  product,  at  the 
State  Dairj'men's  Association,  at  Albert  Lea, 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  vear  that  it  was  insti- 


654 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


tilted.  This  speaks  well  for  the  high  grade  of 
goods  put  on  the  market  b}'^  the  energetic 
and  business-like  proprietor,  Henry  Jaehn- 
ing.- 

In  the  spring  of  1878  A.  H.  Laughlin  and 
C.  M.  Palmer,  under  the  firm  name  and  style 
of  Laughlin  &  Palmer,  opened  an  agricult- 
ural implement  depot,  and  continued  in  that 
business  for  about  five  years,  when  the  busi- 
ness VYas  closed  up  by  John  Laughlin,  a 
brother  of  A.  IL,  the  firm  having  removed 
to  Lisbon,  D.  T.,  where  they  have  grown  quite 
wealthy.  T.  W.  Laughlin.  who  had  charge 
of  this  business  here  after  the  firm  left  this 
place,  was  killed  here  by  the  cars,  on  April 
13,  1883. 

M.  C.  Larsen  started  a  hay-press  here  in 
1885,  which  is  run  by  horse  power,  and  is 
capable  of  baling  ten  tons  of  hay  per  diem. 
It  gives  emplo3'ment  to  ten  men. 

A.  J.  Stensvad  started  a  steam  hay  press 
in  the  fall  of  1886,  which  also  gives  emjjloy- 
ment  to  about  ten  men,  and  can  turn  out 
about  ten  tons  of  baled  hay  in  a  day. 

Benjamin  F.  Weed,  who  is  the  principal 
dealer  in  wood  for  fuel  in  the  village,  was 
born  in  Eupert,  Vt.,  April  3, 1834,  and  while 
but  a  child,  moved  with  his  parents  to 
Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  and  from  there  to 
Oswego  County.  There  he  lived  until  he 
Avas  twelve  years  old,  when  he  went  to  work, 
driving  on  the  Erie  Canal,  and  remained  at 
that  employment  some  three  years,  and  at 
other  business  in  his  native  State  until  1854. 
He  then  came  to  Jackson  County,  Iowa, 
and  engaged  to  work  for  Silas  O.  Kellogg 
on  a  farm  for  a  year,  for  eightj^  acres  of  land 
and  $25  in  money.  December  6,  1855,  he 
and  Nellie  Brisbane  were  united  in  mar- 
riage, and  in  the  spring  of  1856  he  came  to 
Waseca  Count}',  settling  in  Wilton  Town- 
ship, on  section  23.  There  were  not  many 
settlers  here  at  that  time,  and  Mr.  Weed  is 
claimed  to  have  taken  the  first  prairie  claim 
in  the  township.  On  going  to  Winona  to 
enter  his  claim,  he  found  that  he  had  to  have 
his  wife  on  his  land,  and  consequently  went 


after  her  to  Jackson  County,  Iowa,  Kellogg 
coming  back  to  this  vicinity  to  keep  any  one 
from  jumping  the  claim.  He  resided  here 
until  December.  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in 
Companj'  F,  Fifth  Minnesota  Infantry,  and 
was  mustered  into  the  service  January  24, 
1862,  and  served  three  years  and  four  months, 
and  was  in  some  twenty  engagements.  He 
was  discharged  from  the  service  March  23, 

1865,  and  returned  to  his  Minnesota  home, 
where  he  lived  until  1877,  when  he  sold  out 
and  moved  up  the  river,  and  in  1884  moved  to 
the  village  of  New  Richland,  where  he  now 
lives.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weed  are  the  parents 
of  five  children  :  W.  Frank,  born  November 
28,  1856,  married  Susan  R.  Stearns,  January 
7,  1878,  Avho  died  October  13,  1883,  leaving 
one  child,  Margaret  Jennie ;  Edwin  S., 
born  September  20,  1858,  married  March  10, 
1885,  to  Lida  Kellogg  ;  Jennie  R.  born  Au- 
gust 22,  1860,  married  George  B.  Stearns, 
July,  1877 ;  George  L.,  born  September  16, 

1866,  married  Ella  Brown,  July  31,  1887, 
and  Alexander,  born  December  11,  1876. 
Mrs.  Weed  was  born  in  Scotland,  June  22, 
1836. 

B.  H.  Schlosser,  who  deals  in  wines, 
liquors,  cigars,  etc.,  and  has  a  real  neat  and 
tastily  fitted-up  establishment,  came  to  the 
county  of  Waseca  in  1875,  and  settling  on  a 
farm  on  section  22,  of  New  Richland  Town- 
ship, remained  there  tilling  the  soil,  sowing 
and  reaping  the  fruits  of  his  labors  until 
1SS4,  when  he  removed  to  the  village  of  New 
Richland  and  opened  his  present  business 
place,  wiiere  only  good  goods  are  kept  and 
evervthine;  is  done  for  the  accommodation  of 
his  many  customers.  Mr.  Schlosser  is  a  native 
of  Washington  County,  Wis.,  although  of 
German  extraction.  He  was  born  January 
21,  1857,  and  was  reared  and  educated  in  the 
place  of  his  birth  until  early  manhood,  when 
starting  out  in  the  world  for  himself  he  caine 
to  this  county  and  has  since  resided  here. 

Edward  Steinhaus,  who  has  in  operation 
an  excellent  restaurant  and  saloon,  came  to 
Waseca  County  in  the  spring  of  1880,  and 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


655 


was  engaged  in  carpentering  for  about  two 
years,  that  Ijeing  liis  trade.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  he  opened  the  place  where 
he  is  now  doing  business.  lie  has  a  large, 
fine  room,  well  supplied,  and  is  alwaj's 
ready  and  willing  to  meet  his  customers  and 
supply  their  wants.  He  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  this  countrj'^  with  his 
parents  when  some  fourteen  years  of  age. 
He  remained  with  the  old  folks  until  1862, 
when  he  commenced  to  learn  the  carpenter 
trade,  which  he  followed  up  to  the  time  of 
opening  his  saloon. 

Martin  Laudert  came  to  this  township  in 
1871,  and  settled  on  a  farm,  on  section  17, 
where  he  lived  for  seven  years.  He  then 
rented  his  place  and  removed  to  the  village 
of  New  Richland.  Two  years  later  he 
started  a  meat  market  which  he  continued 
for  two  years,  when  he  was  elected  city 
marshal,  and  held  that  position  for  three 
years.  He  then  bought  another  farm  on 
section  17,  and  moved  there,  but  eighteen 
months  later  rented  it  and  moving  back  to 
town  started  his  present  meat  market.  He 
is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  1849,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  1871,  and,  on  land- 
ing, came  directly  to  this  county  as  men- 
tioned above,  and  has  ever  since  been  a  resi- 
dent here.  He  is  an  able,  energetic  man,  of 
good  business  talents,  and  is  doing  his  part 
toward  the  development  of  this  section  of 
country. 

S.  E.  Christianson  was  born  in  Minnesota, 
January  29,  1860,  and  was  reared  in  this 
vicinity.  He  was  united  in  marriage  in 
1880,  with  Olenia  Peterson,  who  was  also  a 
native  of  this  State,  born  June  17,  1864,  but 
who  died  April  28,  1881,  leaving  one  child, 
Samel  Olein,  born  April  21,  1881.  Mr. 
Christianson  is  the  owner  of  the  New  Eich- 
land  dray  line,  and  employs  his  time  in  that 
business.  May  8,  1883,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Sophia  Hanson,  born  in 
America,  April  27,  1869.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

D.  B.  Sparks,   who  is  the  village  justice, 


and  is  also  acting  as  insurance  and  collecting 
agent  in  this  vicinity,  came  to  this  place 
in  the  falj  of  1877,  when  the  village  was 
in  its  infancy,  and  commenced  business 
as  a  millwright,  putting  in  the  machinery 
in  the  elevator  and  mill  for  Dunwoody 
&  Corson,  and  remained  with  tiiat  firm 
for  three  years,  and  then  started  in  busi- 
ness for  himself.  In  1883  he  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace,  and  has  filled  that 
office  ever  since.  For  the  last  year  or  so 
has  also  handled  farm  machinery  in  addition 
to  his  insurance  and  collection  business.  He 
is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
in  the  year  1833,  and  is  the  son  of  Ozias  and 
"Wealthy  Sparks.  When  D.  B.  had  attained 
the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  commenced 
to  learn  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner, 
which  he  followed  until  he  came  to  this 
place.  In  1869  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Clara  West,  of  Illinois. 

William  Lauder  was  born  in  Washington 
County,  Wis.,  Januai-y  1,  1852,  where  he  re- 
sided until  1876,  when  he  came  to  Minne- 
sota and  settled  on  section  19,  New  Rich- 
land Township.  After  some  residence  there 
he  sold  that  farm  and  purchased  some 
eighty  acres  of  land  on  section  8.  He  made 
his  liome  there  until  recently,  but  now  lives 
in  the  village  of  New  Richland.  July  28, 
1875,  he  was  united  in  the  holy  bonds  of 
matrimony  with  Bertha  Joeeks,  who  was 
born  in  Germany,  February  23,  1854.  They 
have  been  the  parents  of  six  children,  five 
of  whom  are  now  living.  The  names  of  the 
children  are  as  follows :  Mary  E.  M.,  born 
November  9,  1877;  William  F.,  born  Oc- 
tober 30,  1879  ;  Charles  F.,  born  November 
27,  1881 ;  Ida  Elizabetli,  born  May  26,  1883, 
died  October  24,  1883 ;  Clara  Anna,  born 
September  5,  1884,  and  John  F.,  born  Oc- 
tober 23,  1886.  The  family  of  Mr.  Lauder, 
with  himself,  are  active  members  of  the 
Lutheran  Church. 

The  postoffice  was  established  at  the  vil- 
lage of  New  Richland  in  the  fall  of  1877, 
with  John  Larsen  as  postmaster.      He  con- 


65fi 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


tinued  in  this  position  until  1886,  wlien  he 
was  succeeded  by  N.  L.  Peterson,  the  pres- 
ent incumbent  of  the  office.  The  office  was 
made  a  money -order  office  in  July,  1879,  and 
the  first  order  issued  on  the  7th  of  that 
month  to  O.  A.  Tiffany,  payable  to  Little  & 
Beresford,  St.  Paul,  for  $8.  On  the  same 
da}''  two  others,  each  for  the  sum  of  $50, 
were  issued  to  John  Larsen,  payable  to  An- 
drew Wilson,  Rochester,  Minn.  One  for 
$9  was  issued  the  same  day  to  Frank 
Kruger,  to  Continental  Insurance  Company, 
Chicago. 

The  first  church  erected  in  the  embryo 
town  was  by  the  Congregational  denomina- 
tion, in  the  fall  of  1882.  It  was  put  up  at  a 
cost  of  about  $1,500.  The  first  meetings  of 
this  society  were  held  at  the  waiting-room  of 
the  depot,  Kev.  "Wilbur  Fisk  officiating.  This 
gentleman  continued  to  hold  services  for 
some  time,  and  it  was  due  to  his  labors  that 
the  society  was  organized  in  1882.  Meet- 
ings were  held  in  empty  store  buildings  and 
at  the  school  building  until  the  church  was 
erected.  It  has  always  had  a  light  member- 
ship, even  from  the  start,  and  has  not  in- 
creased materially.  Tiie  church  building  is 
a  very  pi-etty  one,  and  handsomely  and  taste- 
full}'  fitted  up  inside,  manifesting  the  cult- 
ure of  those  who  were  foremost  in  the 
good  work  in  putting  it  up  and  finishing 
it.     The  present  pastor  is  Ilev.  Eaker. 

The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  was 
erected  in  tlie  summer  of  1883,  at  a  cost  of 
$2,500.  The  first  meeting  of  this  society 
in  the  village  was  held  at  II.  Larson's  hall, 
in  the  fall  of  1877,  Rev.  O.  A.  Mellby  presid- 
ing. He  continues  to  preach  in  the  church 
to  this  day.  Meetings  wei'e  held  in  the 
schoolhouse,  prior  to  tlie  building  of  the 
church. 

The  sciiool  Ijuikling  was  oi'ected  in  the 
north  part  of  town,  during  the  summer 
of  1878,  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,200.  It  re- 
mained in  that  locality  until  the  autumn  of 
1886,  when  it  was  removed  to  its  present 
location,  nearer  the  center  of  the  town.      It 


was  then  remodeled  and  additions  made, 
until  the  total  cost  of  the  building  is  al)out 
$•3,700.  The  first  teacher  in  the  schoolhouse 
was  O.  A.  Tiffany. 

Tiie  first  school  in  the  village  was  held  in 
Lai'son's  hall,  and  it  was  taught  for  aljout 
four  months  by  Miss  Marian  Dunbar,  at  a 
salary  of  $25  per  month.  The  schoolhouse 
can  accommodate  some  two  hundred  scholars 
in  its  four  rooms,  but  only  three  rooms  are 
in  use,  three  teachers  being  employed. 

The  depot  at  the  Minneapolis  ik  St.  Louis 
Railroad  at  this  village  was  erected  in  the 
fall  of  1877,  and  E.  Davis  was  the  first  agent. 
He  remained  for  about  five  years.  The 
position  is  filled,  at  present,  by  S.  V.  L.  Meigs. 

Strangers  Refuge  Lodge,  No.  74,  Inde))en- 
dent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  instituted 
January  4,  1880,  with  the  following  charter 
members :  C.  G.  Cheesebro,  Henry  Jashning, 
F.  G.  Schneider,  E.  Steinhaus  and  William 
Lutt'.  The  first  officers  were  :  C.  G.  Cheese- 
bro, N.  G.;  E.  Steinhaus,  V.  G. ;  F.  G. 
Schneider,  S. ;  Henry  Jtehning,  T. ;  C. 
Hooper,  R.  S.  N.  G.  ;  Chas.  Brossard,  L.  S. 
N.  G, :  W.  Smith  Jr.,  W.  ;  Charles  Brunell, 
C. ;  W.  Luff,  I.  G. 

The  present  officers  are:  C.  A.  Wagner, 
N.  G. ;  J.  Kreuzer,  V.  G. ;  O.  S.  Bakke.  S. ; 
F.  G.  Schneider,  T.  ;  C.  A.  Wagner,  R.  S. 
N.  G. ;  Archie  Johnson,  W. ;  O.  H.  Bronson, 
C. ;  Morris  Ilolbrook,  I.  G. ;  L.  F.  Meigs, 
R.  S.  V.  G. ;  John  McGary,  L.  S.  V.  G. 

The  lodge  is  in  good  shape  and  in  very 
nourishing  condition,  and  has  a  full  member- 
ship of  eighteen. 

Lincoln  Post,  No.  26,  Grand  Army  of  tlie 
Republic,  was  organized  in  the  fall  ofjl882, 
with  the  following  officers:  Chris.  Wagner, 
P.  C. ;  B.  F.  Weed,  S.  V.  C. ;  O.  H.  Sutlief, 
J.  V.  C. ;  Fenton  Keenan,  O.  D.  ;  E.  E.  Yer- 
plank.  A.;  II.  J.  Hanson,  V.  M. ;  P.  A. 
Holt,  0.  G. 

The  officers  are  at  present :  Z.  M.  Pati'idge, 
P.  C. ;  O.  H.  Sutlief,  S.  V.  C. ;  E.  E.  Yer- 
plank,  A. ;  Chris.  Wagner,  Q.  M.  \  J.  AV. 
Pierce.  Chap. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COTTNTY. 


657 


In  the  spring  of  1885  a  fire  company  was 
organized  at  this  village,  under  the  name  of 
Rescue,  No.  1,  with  D.  B.  Sparks  as  en- 
gineer and  M.  Murphy,  captain.  In  July  of 
the  same  year  a  hand  fire  engine  was  pur- 


chased, which  has  places  for  eighteen  men  on 
the  levers,  and  has  done  excellently  well, 
paying  for  itself  within  a  j'ear  from  its  pur- 
chase, at  the  fire  that  occurred  at  the  planing 
mill  of  P.  A.  Holt  &  Co. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


VIVIAN  TOWNSHIP. 


OWNS  HIP  105,  nortli  of  range 
2-i  west,  constitutes  the  subdi- 
vision of  Waseca  County  known 
as  Vivian.  It  lies  in  the  extreme 
southwestern  corner  of  the  coun- 
ty, and  is  bounded  on  the  nortli 
and  east  by  the  townships  of 
Freedom  and  Byron ;  on  the 
south  and  west  by  the  counties 
of  Faribault  and  Blue  Earth. 
The  sui'face  of  the  land  in  this 
portion  of  Waseca  is  nearly  Hat,  with  onl3'  a 
slight  inclination  to  undulation.  The  differ- 
ence in  elevation  between  the  highest  and 
the  lowest  portions,  connected  by  slopes  in 
some  instances  a  mile  in  length,  is  only  about 
five  or  ten  feet.  This  no  doubt  is  the  most 
level  land  in  the  county,  but  is  by  no  means 
marshy,  or  in  any  way  unfit  for  cultivation ; 
in  fact,  some  of  the  best  farms  in  tiie  county 
are  located  in  this  town. 

The  Big  Cobb  River  flowing  in  a  generally 
westerly  course  through  the  southern  part 
of  the  precinct,  and  an  affluent  of  the  Little 
Cobb  River  in  the  northern  part,  constitute 
the  principal  drainage  system  of  Vivian. 
The  soil,  a  ricli,  warm,  dark  alluvial  loam,  is 
noted  for  its  quick  fertility  and  ample  pro- 
ductiveness; while,  in  such  places  as  are  yet 
untouched  by  the  plow,  native  indigenous 
grasses  cover  the  ground,  affording  excellent 
pasturage  for  stock. 

EAELY    SETTLEMKNT. 

The  town  of  Vivian  was  one  of  those  in 
the  county  that  was  settled  up  slowly,  prob- 
ably owing  to  the  general  flatness  of  the 
land  and   its  consequent  wetness.     Still,  by 


persistent  hard  work,  much  of  it  has  been 
brought  into  subjection  to  the  uses  of  man, 
and  some  of  the  finest  places  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  county  are  found  in  this  town- 
siiip. 

The  pioneer  settler  of  Vivian  was  un- 
doubtedly E.  S.Woodruff.  He  had  formerly 
lived  near  Green  Bay,  Wis.,  with  the  Indians, 
and  had  a  squaw  wife  and  a  half-breed  son. 
He  came  here  from  Iowa  in  the  summer  of 
1856,  and  settled  upon  section  27,  where  he 
lived  until  the  spring  of  1865,  when  he  died. 

About  the  same  time  came  B.  F.  Haines, 
who  located  a  claim  on  section  83.  He  had 
formerly  lived  at  Bennington,  Vt.,  and 
was  a  man  of  high  culture,  but  extremely 
diffident,  and  somewhat  of  a  recluse  in  his 
habits  of  life.  He  was,  however,  one  of  the 
most  upright,  honorable  men  that  is  possible 
to  find,  and  leaves  behind  him  the  warmest 
esteem  and  respect  of  all  who  knew  him. 
He  died  here  in  1872. 

A  man  by  the  name  of  E.  A.  Clark  came 
with  Mr.  Haines  and  "  bached  "  with  him, 
for  these  men  had  no  wives  or  families 
with  them.  Clark  afterward  married  and 
returned  to  Wisconsin  in  1858.  Haines 
bought  his  claim  on  section  28. 

Two  men  by  the  name  of  Edgerton  came 
here  from  Wisconsin  in  the  summer  or  fall 
of  1856,  and  located  claims  on  section  28, 
and  remained  long  enough  to  preempt  the 
same,  when  they  returned  to  the  Badger 
State.  One  of  them,  Fred.,  died  at  Portage 
Citj',  where  he  was  practicing  law. 

The  next  settler  was  J.  B.  Hill,  who  on 
the  2d  of  July,  1857,  located  on  section  31, 
on  the  Cobb  River.  He  was  born  at  Sraithboro, 


668 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COtTNTY. 


659 


Tioo-a  County,  N.  Y.,  July  7,  1824,  and 
when  eleven  years  old  removed  with  parents 
to  Chemung  County.  In  1850  he  and  his 
wife,  Myanda  E.  (Stevens)  Hill,  whom  he 
had  married  in  August,  1846,  removed  to 
Green  Lake  County,  Wis.,  where  they  lived 
until  coming  here.  Mrs.  PliU  has  the  honor 
of  being  the  first  white  woman  to  settle 
within  the  bounds  of  the  present  town  of 
Byron.  Mr.  Hill  enlisted  in  February,  1864, 
in  Company  F,  Tenth  Minnesota  Infantry, 
and  participated  in  the  engagements  at 
Tupelo,  Nashville  and  Spanish  Fort.  He 
is  now  living  at  Minnesota  Lake.  When  he 
came  here  the  season  for  breaking  was 
l)ast,  and  but  little  could  be  done  in  that 
line,  and  the  year  bringing  but  little  encour- 
agement to  the  new  settlers,  in  1859  Mr. 
Hill  opened  a  blacksmith  slio))  in  St.  Mary, 
but  the  next  year  returned  to  his  farm  in 
this  township. 

Within  a  few  days  after  Mr.  Hill,  S.  L. 
Daggett  made  his  appearance  in  this  locality 
and  settled  here.  He  was  one  of  nature's 
noblemen,  and  enjo\'ed  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  all.  He  left  here  some  years 
afterward,  and  died  at  Blue  Earth  City  about 
the  year  1863. 

Four  brotiiers  by  the  name  of  Shanahan 
made  a  settlement  here  in  1857  and  remained 
until  the  Pike's  Peak  excitement,  when  they 
went  to  that  land  of  golden  hopes. 

An  Irishman  by  the  name  of  Sweeney, 
and  his  brother,  came  here  about  the  same 
time.  One  of  these  men  married  a  sister  of 
the  Shanahan  brothers,  and  was  frozen  to 
death  shortly  afterward,  in  November,  1857, 
as  detailed  further  on. 

Richard  or  Dick  Whiting,  a  young  man, 
took  up  a  claim  on  section  31,  in  the  summer 
of  1857,  but  sold  out  the  same  fall  and  left. 

George  T.  White,  although  not  entitled 
to  be  called  a  settler  in  this  township,  came 
here  in  1857,  and  made  a  claim  on  the  soutli- 
west  of  section  30, 1'esiding  on  it  long  enough 
to  preempt  it.  He  was  one  of  the  coolest 
men  imaginable,  and  his  presence  of  mind 


and  composure  while  at  the  head  of  his  com- 
pany of  the  Tenth  Infantry,  and  while  mor- 
tally wounded,  was  remarkable. 

Joseph  Thurston,  in  the  fall  of  1857,  came 
to  Vivian  Township  and  bought  out  the 
claim  of  Eichard  Whiting  on  section  31.  He 
came  here  from  Waushara  County,  Wis., 
and  about  1860  went  back  to  that  place. 

W.  H.  Harmon  came  to  Minnesota  in  1857, 
from  Green  Lake  County,  Wis.,  and  after  a 
year  spent  in  Blue  Earth  County,  came  to 
Vivian  Township  and  settled  on  section  32, 
where  he  still  lives.  He  is  a  native  of  Berk- 
shire County,  Mass.,  born  January  27,  1827. 
He  was  united  in  marriage  in  1849  with 
Esther  Smith,  and  the  following  year  moved 
to  Wisconsin.  His  wife  died  May  14,  1873, 
having  been  the  mother  of  eleven  children. 
Mr.  Harmon  has  done  much  toward  the 
develojmient  of  this  part  of  the  county,  and 
has  a  very  fine  place.  Mr.  Harmon's  present 
wife  is  Ellen,  daughter  of  Aiken  Mycue  Sr. 

William  and  Irvine  Clark,  two  young  single 
men,  came  from  the  State  of  New  York,  in 
1858,  and  settled  on  sections  18  and  19,  where 
they  lived  for  a  time,  and  then  returned  to 
the  place  of  their  nativity. 

Ichabod  West  with  his  family  came  here 
and  located  in  this  township  in  1858.  He 
settled  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
9,  where  he  resided  many  years.  He  died 
some  five  or  six  years  ago.  His  son,  J.  F. 
West,  settled  on  the  south  west  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 8,  and  made  that  his  home  until  a  few 
years  ago,  when  he  removed  to  Kittson 
County,  this  State.  Ammi  West,  another 
son,  located  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 17.  He  removed  from  here  to  a  place 
near  Janesville,  but  has  since  left  the  count}'. 
Some  of  the  family  still  live  here. 

John  Dwj'er  made  a  settlement  on  section 
10  of  this  town,  in  1858,  where  he  lived  for 
some  years,  but  subsequently  moved  to  Eice 
County.  He  was  a  native  of  the  Emerald 
Isle. 

John  Dineen,  now  of  Byron  Township, 
came  here  and  made  a  settlement  in  1858. 


660 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


Thomas  Kyan,  a  native  of  Ireland,  set- 
tled on  section  15  during  the  year  1858.  He 
is  now  dead. 

John  A.  "Wheeler,  who  had  settled  at  St. 
Mary  some  time  previous,  came  to  this 
township  in  1858  and  took  up  a  claim  on  sec- 
tion 4,  but  did  not  move  on  it  for  some  time 
afterward.  He,  during  the  war,  was  a  member 
of  Company  F,  Tenth  Minnesota  Infantry, 
and  afterward  served  as  a  captain  in  a  col- 
ored regiment.  He  was  quite  a  genius  in 
his  way,  and  considerable  of  an  inventor. 
He  built  the  sawmill  near  his  property,  and 
gave  his  name  to  the  lake  in  the  northern 
part  of  Vivian,  that  is  known  as  Wheeler 
Lake  to  this  day.  He  died  about  1876  or 
18T7. 

Nels  Sorenson,  commonly  known  as  San- 
derson, made  a  settlement  on  the  southwest 
quarter  of  section  21,  where  he  now  resides. 

Ole  Johnson,  still  a  resident  of  this  town, 
settled  here  in  1858,  taking  up  a  homestead 
of  160  acres  on  section  21,  where  he  now 
lives.  He  was  born  in  Norway,  January  4, 
182-1.  February  8,  1852  he  was  married  to 
Betsy  Nelson,  who  was  born  October  3, 1826. 
They  came  to  the  United  States  in  1855,  and 
for  three  years  lived  in  Wisconsin,  from 
whence  he  came  to  this  place.  He  was  a 
member  of  Company  F,  Tenth  Minnesota 
Infantry,  during  the  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Johnson  are  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
as  follows :  Mary,  born  in  Norway,  Novem- 
ber 26,  1854,  died  August  9,  1882,  buried  in 
Waupun  cemetery  ;  Carl,  whose  history  fol- 
lows this  ;  Harriett,  born  April  6,  1859,  died 
June  10,  1877,  buried  in  Medo  cemetery ; 
Ella,  born  August  2,  1861 ;  Louis,  born  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1864,  died  April  16,  1866 ;  Louisa, 
born  March  12,  1867 ;  Jennie,  April  3,  1869, 
and  Matilda,  February  26, 1871. 

Carl  Johnson  is  the  son  of  Ole  and  Betsy 
(Nelson)  Johnson,  and  was  born  in  Waupun, 
Wis.,  March  12,  1856.  He  came  with  his 
parents  to  this  county  in  1858,  they  settling 
on  section  21.  There  Carl  grew  to  man- 
hood, there  he  received   his   education,  and 


there  he  continued  to  work  for  his  father 
until  March  10,  1882,  when  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Carrie  Thompson,  and  the 
3'oung  couple  went  to  live  on  a  farm  of 
eighty  acres  on  section  21,  that  his  father 
had  given  him.  They  are  the  parents  of  one 
cliild,  Eva,  born  February  26,  1883.  Carl 
has  filled  the  office  of  town  supervisor  two 
years,  that  of  town  clerk  three  years,  and 
school  district  clerk  nine  years. 

Quite  a  number  of  Norwegian  families 
came  here  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1858, 
but  left  here  in  the  following  spring,  not 
making  any  permanent  settlement. 

Mark  Moore  also  came  in  1858  and  located 
on  section  19.  He  was  a  resitlent  of  the 
county  at  the  time  of  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred some  four  or  five  years  since. 

Montraville  Sias  came  to  Vivian  from 
Waupun,  Wis.,  m  1858,  and  settled  on  sec- 
tion 18,  where  he  lived  until  about  1871, 
when  he  removed  to  Kansas. 

Owen  M.,  David  and  Samuel  Jones,  three 
Welshmen,  made  settlements  here  in  1858. 
O.  M.  located  on  section  17,  where  he  lived 
until  the  summer  of  1887,  when  he  left  the 
county.  David  located  on  section  20,  where 
he  resided  some  years  and  then  moved  to 
Douglas  County,  Minn.  Samuel's  settlement 
was  on  section  19.  He,  too,  has  removed  to 
Douglas  County. 

OTHERS. 

There  are  a  few  other  leading  agricult- 
urists in  this  township  who  are  worthj^  of 
notice  in  these  annals,  and  sketches  of  them 
are  given  in  this  conection  : 

Andrew  J.  Henderson,  one  of  the  leading 
stock  farmers  of  this  part  of  the  county,  is  a 
native  of  Scotland,  born  August  15,  1849. 
In  1854  he  was  brought  to  the  United  States 
by  his  parents,  who  settled  in  Dane  County, 
Wis.  He  remained  there  until  the  fall  of 
1871,  when  he  removed  to  Nebraska,  where 
he  took  up  a  homestead  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  was  among 
the  pioneers  of  the  region   where  he  settled 


HISTORY   OF    WASEflA   COUNTY. 


663 


at  that  time.  He  lived  there  until  1882, 
when  he  came  to  this  county  and  township, 
where,  purchasing  the  west  half  of  section 
34,  he  settled  down  to  his  present  business. 
He  has  been  extensively  engaged  in  raising 
cattle,  but  is  now  devoting  himself  to  the 
breeding  and  raising  of  fine  draft  horses, 
now  owning  five  imported  stallions  and  one 
imported  mare,  all  of  tiie  Lord  Lj'on  strain 
of  the  Clyde  breed,  which  is  said  to  be  the 
best  of  that  stock  in  the  world.  He  intends 
to  increase  these  to  twenty  liead.  His  suc- 
cess in  this  line  is  marvelous,  and  the  thrifty, 
industrious  nature  inherent  in  people  of  his 
country  is  making  him  rapidly  a  wealthy 
man.  He  was  married  in  Wisconsin,  May 
10,1876,  to  Elizabeth  Muir,  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, born  August  13,  1853.  The}^  are  the 
parents  of  five  children,  born  as  follows : 
Andrew,  June  30,  18T7 ;  James,  January  24, 
1879  ;  "William,  September  10,  1881 ;  Susan, 
January  27,  1883,  and  Joseph,  March  15, 
1886.  The  three  eldest  were  born  in  Nebras- 
ka, the  others  here.  Mr.  Henderson  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  is 
a  Eepublican  politically. 

Eodney  E.  Hanks  is  a  native  of  Alleganv 
County,  N.  Y..  l)orn  December  13,  1836. 
While  he  was  young  the  famih'  removed  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  continued  to  work  for 
his  father  until  the  day  after  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  old,  when  he  commenced  teaching 
school,  pursuing  that  profession  during  the 
winters,  and  farming  in  the  summers  for  tlie 
next  ten  years.  Pie  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Matilda  Margeret  Poland,  September 
2,  1861,  and  the  young  couple  came  to  the 
county  of  Waseca  in  1864,  and  made  a  set- 
tlement here.  He  now  has  a  fine  farm  here 
on  section  24,  this  town.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hanks  liave  had  born  to  them  five  children, 
as  follows  :  Herbert  E.,  born  April  8, 1870  ; 
Albert  Fisk,  November  27,  1872;  George 
Spencer,  July  2,1874;  Jesse  Earl,  March  6, 
1881,  and  May  Bell,  May  14,  1886.  Mr. 
Hanks  has  held  theoffices  of  town  supervisor, 
justice  of  the  peace  and  clerk  of  the  school 

39 


district.  On  the  7th  of  January,  1873,  dur- 
ing the  great  storm  of  that  day,  he  was 
exposed  to  all  its  fury.  He  had  started  from 
Janesville  for  home,  with  a  load  of  wood, 
but  when  he  was  about  two  miles  south  of 
Alma  City  the  snow  and  wind  came  down 
upon  him  with  a  rush.  The  mules  which  he 
was  driving  wandered  from  the  road,  and 
finally  refused  to  face  the  storm,  so  making 
a  virtue  of  the  necessity,  he  unloaded  the 
wood,  and  standing  it  on  end  managed  to 
make  it  a  shelter.  There  he  remained  a  day 
and  two  nights,  with  nothing  to  eat  and 
exposed  to  the  worst  storm  Minnesota  has 
ever  seen  in  the  memory  of  man.  On  the 
second  morning  the  snow  abated  a  little,  and 
although  his  feet  were  badly  frozen,  he  man- 
aged to  reach  a  house  about  a  mile  distant. 
He  then  learned  that  there  was  a  house  not 
more  than  sixty  rods  from  where  he  had  kept 
his  sad,  cold  and  lonely  bivouac.  When  he 
was  facing  the  storai  he  had  tied  an  empty 
grain  sack  on  his  head,  and  the  snow  being 
damp  when  the  storm  first  came  up,  wet  it, 
as  well  as  liis  clothes,  and  this  freezing  kept 
out  the  piercing  wind,  and  hence  part  of  the 
cold.  He  has  been  unfortunate  in  more  ways 
than  that,  as  the  roof  of  his  house  was  taken 
off  and  landed  about  twenty-five  feet  away, 
in  a  storm  on  tJie  17th  of  July,  1870,  which 
came  up  about  10  o'clock  at  night.  The 
very  next  fall  the  prairie  fire,  di'iven  by  a 
strong  wind,  came  i-acing  down  toward  him, 
and  burned  up  his  hay  and  stables,  while 
his  father-in-law,  Jesse  Poland,  just  across 
the  road  had  house,  barn  and  everything 
destroj'ed  b\^  the  same  devastating  element. 
Aiken  Mycue  Sr.  is  a  native  of  Canada, 
born  November  16,  1807.  In  1864  he  came 
to  the  county  of  Waseca,  and  settling  in  the 
village  of  Wilton,  remained  there  for  about 
sixteen  months,  when,  purchasing  160  acres 
of  land  on  sections  29  and  32,  in  this  town- 
ship, moved  thither,  and  has  made  this  his 
home  ever  since.  He  has  given  eighty  acres 
of  this  farm  to  his  son  Aiken,  who  carries  on 
farming  there.      Mr.  Mycue  was  united  in 


664 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


marriage  with  Mary  McDonald,  in  the  year 
1830,  who  departed  this  life  March  10,  1875. 
They  were  the  parents  of  nine  children,  born 
as  follows:  Caroline,  born  March  10,  1831, 
married  Loren  Harmon,  and  resides  at 
Anoka,  this  State  ;  Ellen,  born  January  25, 
1835,  who  married  Thomas  Simpson,  but 
he  dying,  she  is  now  the  wife  of  W.  H.  Har- 
mon, living  in  this  township ;  Elizabeth,  born 
February  13,  1840,  now  Mrs.  Joel  Headley, 
of  Luverne,  this  State  ;  an  infant,  born  De- 
cember 11,  1847,  died  the  22d  of  the  same 
month ;  Elijah,  born  September  21,  1837, 
married  Ada  Preston,  and  lives  in  Mankato, 
Minn.;  Daniel,  born  November  8,  1842,  died 
August  26,  1845;  Henry  M.,  born  May  25, 
1845,  married  Louisa  Butler,  and  lives  in 
Minneapolis ;  Aiken  Jr.  born  November  25, 
1848,  married  Ida  Harmon,  and  lives  in  this 
township;  Levi,  born  September  17,  1851, 
and  died  February  22,  1853,  and  Jesse. 

Herman  Baldwin  was  born  in  Germany, 
January  10,  1847,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1869.  He  at  first  settled  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  engaged  laying  slate  for 
about  six  months,  and  came  west  as  far  as 
Milwaukee.  Two  years  later  he  removed  to 
New  Orleans,  spending  a  j'ear  in  the  latter 
place.  He  then  came  to  Owatonna,  Steele 
County,  and  worked  at  whatever  he  could 
find  to  do  for  some  eight  or  ten  years. 
About  1877  he  came  to  this  county,  and  now 
has  a  fine  farm  of  240  acres  of  land,  well 
stocked  and  improved.  April  5,  1878,  he 
was  united  in  mari'iage  with  Augustina 
Dumpka,  in  Dunbar,  Faribault  County,  tiiis 
State.  They  have  been  the  parents  of  five 
children  :  Edith,  born  June  6, 1879,  who  died 
in  October,  1880;  Leinhardt,  born  Decem- 
ber 25,  1880,  and  died  in  February,  1881 : 
Eliza,  born  August  24,  1883;  Martha,  Au- 
gust 5,  1885,  and  Emma,  May  31,  1887.  Mr. 
Baldwin's  mother  died  in  Germany,  and  he 
sent  for  his  father  to  come  out  and  spend  the 
remainder  of  his  days  with  him,  but  the  old 
gentleman  only  lived  six  months  after  com- 
ing to  the  United    States.     He    and    his 


family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

Charles  Beyer,  an  enterprising  agriculturist 
of  this  township  who  has  a  small  but  highly 
cultivated  farm  on  section  30,  where  he  car- 
ries on  general  farming  and  stock-raising,  is 
a  native  of  Germany,  born  September  4, 
1854,  and  was  brought  to  the  United  States 
by  his  parents  in  the  year  1856.  He  remained 
at  home  with  the  old  folks  until  1875, 
when,  having  attained  the  age  of  twenty -one 
years,  he  started  out  in  the  world  for  him- 
self. He  then  came  to  this  county,  and  for 
about  two  years  woi-ked  for  sevei-al  farmers 
in  this  vicinity,  and  in  1877  bought  the  place 
where  he  now  resides.  October  31,  1878,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Louisa  Peper, 
and  they  have  been  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Leona,  born  November  3,  1880 ; 
Emma,  May  3,  1882,  and  Ida,  November  16, 
1886.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Cliurch,  and  a  Republican  in  politics. 

Mrs.  Honora  Dwj^er,  who  maiden  name  was 
Honora  Conlin,  first  saw  the  liglit  in  Ire- 
land in  1837.  She  remained  in  the  land  of 
her  birth  until  1869,  when  she  came  to 
America,  and  to  the  State  of  Minnesota. 
Here  in  July,  1871,  she  was  united  in  the 
holy  sacrament  of  marriage  with  Thomas 
Dw3'er,  wlio  died  January  20,  1881,  leaving 
her  with  two  daughters :  Bridget,  born  June 
26,  1872,  and  Ann,  born  August  17,  1874. 
Both  are  living  with  their  mother.  She 
owns  a  good  farm  of  160  acres  of  land  on 
section  3,  of  this  township,  on  which  she 
lives,  although  she  rents  the  use  of  the  land. 

ORGANIZATION. 

Vivian  was  organized  as  an  independent 
civil  township,  after  being  a  portion  of 
Otisco  precinct,  at  a  meeting  of  the  county 
commissioners  held  April  5,  1858.  The  first 
election  was  held  at  the  house  of  J.  B.  Hill, 
that  gentleman  and  E.  Woodruff  and  S.  L. 
Daggett  acting  as  judges.  The  officers 
chosen  at  that  time,  according  to  the  mem- 
ory of  the  old  settlers,  no  record  being 
found,  were :   J.   B.  Hill,   chaii-man,   S.   L. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


665 


Daggett  and  E.  S.  Woodruff,  supervisors  ; 
Irvine  Clark,  town  clerk.  The  present  offi- 
cers are :  Marshall  Fowler,  chairman  ;  Henry 
Bluhm,  clerk  ;  "William  Fisher,  treasurer. 

FIRST  ITEMS. 

Probably  the  first  birth  in  the  town  was 
that  of  a  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  L.  Daggett, 
l)orn  shortly  after  their  coming  here  in  the 
summer  of  1857.  This  infant  died  in  the 
fall  of  1858.  A  child  was  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sweeney  about  the  same  time,  but  as 
the  dates  of  both  births  cannot  be  had,  it  is 
a  question  which  preceded  the  other. 

The  first  death  was  that  of  the  Ii'ishman, 
Sweeney,  which  occurred  in  November,  1857. 
He  had  been  to  St.  Mary ;  there  came  on  a 
snow  storm,  and  being  thinly  clad  and  be- 
coming confused  and   bewildered,  he    was 


frozen  to  death,  having  lost  his  way, 
although  his  body  was  found  but  a  short 
distance  from  his  home. 

The  first  jiiarriage  was  that  of  the  man 
Clark,  who  came  with  Haines,  to  Ann  Stocker. 

The  first  schoolhouse  was  built  in  1859, 
and  here  the  first  religious  services  were 
held  by  Elder  E.  S.  Smith,  of  Wilton,  a  Bap- 
tist clergyman. 

In  the  earl}^  days  a  post  route  was  laid  out 
through  the  town  of  Vivian,  and  J.  B. 
Hill  was  commissioned  postmaster  under 
Buchanan's  administration,  and  held  that 
office  for  many  years. 

Vivian  cemetery  was  laid  out  in  1869,  but 
burials  had  taken  place  there  as  earl3'  as 
1858  ;  the  first  interment  was  that  of  a  child 
of  S.  L.  Daggett,  that  died  the  fall  of  that 
year. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


BTKON  TOWNSHIP. 


I V ING  on  the  central  part  of  the 
south  line  of  the  county  is  the 
township  of  Byron.  It  comprises 
all  of  congressional  township 
105,  north  of  range  23  west,  and 
contains  about  the  usual  23,040 
acres  of  land.  The  surface,  which 
is  nearly  level,  with  gentle  undulations,  has 
yet  sufficient  pitch  to  drain  well,  carried 
off  by  the  waters  of  Boot  Creek,  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  township.  The  soil  is  a 
dark,  warm,  clayey  loam,  and,  for  fecundity 
and  fertility,  not  surpassed  by  any  in  the 
county  for  some  kinds  of  crops. 

EAELY  SETTLEMENT. 

Owino-  to  several  causes,  the  settlement  of 
Byron  Township  was  not  as  rapid  in  an  early 
day  as  in  some  other  parts  of  the  county. 
The  land  being  more  level,  in  the  wet  seas- 
ons the  soil  was  damp  and  cold,  and  until 
the  surrounding  country  was  broken  up  and 
occupied,  immigrants  sought  more  congenial 
places,  except  a  few  hardy  pioneers  whose 
foresight  told  them  that  the  natural  resources 
of  this  country  could  be  brought  out  by  per- 
sistent work,  and  who  have  been  rewarded 
for  their  pains. 

The  pioneer  settler  of  this  subdivision  of 
the  county  was  Jeremy  Davis,  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  who  located  on  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  34,  in  the  spring  of  1855, 
and  built  the  first  house  in  the  township. 
Tiiis  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  the  spring  of 
1857.  Mr.  Davis  resided  here  until  Septem- 
ber 13,  1863,  when  he  died,  and  his  body  lies 
in  the  Trenton  cemetery,  in  Freeborn  County, 
Minn.      His     first     wife,    Phoebe    (Bowenj 


Davis,  died  in  Cumberland  Count}',  N.  J. 
in  1837.  His  second  wife,  Keziah  (Davis) 
Davis,  is  now  living  in  Chicago.  He  had 
two  sons  in  the  army  during  the  war  in  the 
famous  Fifth  Minnesota,  one  of  whom  died 
in  the  service. 

Daniel  C.  Davis,  a  son  of  Jeremy  and 
Phoebe  (Bowen)  Davis,  came  to  what  is  now 
Byron  Township,  in  1855,  and  made  a  settle- 
ment. He  preempted  one  farm  and  took  an- 
other as  a  homestead  on  sections  28  and  33, 
where  he  now  lives,  his  buildings  being  on 
the  latter  section.  He  was  born  in  Cumber- 
land County,  N.  J.,  May  13,  1834.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  years  he  commenced  work 
in  a  painting  and  carriage  trimming  estab- 
lishment at  Shiloh,  N.  J.,  and  remained  there 
some  four  years.  He  then  moved  to  Wal- 
worth County,  Wis.,  where  he  worked  one 
year  on  a  farm,  and  the  next  year  delivered 
brick  at  the  kiln  of  Coleman  &  Davis,  in 
Rock  County,  Wis.  In  1855  he  came  here 
as  above  mentioned.  July  18,  1861,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Frances  Parvin,  the 
daughter  of  Benaiah  and  Elizabeth  Parvin, 
who  came  to  Minnesota  in  ]  860.  They  have 
been  the  parents  of  three  children  :  Charles, 
born  July  6,  1863  ;  Mary,  July  13, 1865,  and 
Hattie  L.,  April  13, 1874.  Charles  died  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1865,  and  his  body  is  interred  in 
Trenton  cemetery.  Mary  was  united  in  mar- 
riage, September  5,  1885,  with  Fred.  Her- 
rington,  and  lives  on  her  father's  farm  in  the 
house  he  built  on  coming  here.  Mr.  Davis 
has  devoted  most  of  his  time  to  his  farm  un- 
til within  the  last  two  years,  during  which 
time  he  has  been  writing  life  insurance,  and 
has  been  very  successful  indeed  in  that  line. 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COTINTT. 


667 


Christie  McGrath,  no\y  a  resident  of  the 
township,  made  a  settlement  here  in  1856  on 
section  4,  where  he  now  lives. 

William  and  David  Beavins,  in  1856,  made 
settlements  on  sections  23  and  26.  David  is 
now  a  resident  of  Freedom  Township,  and 
William  is  still  living  on  the  old  homestead. 
They  came  here  from  Wisconsin. 

Isaac  Lyng  came  to  this  township  in  1856, 
also,  and  settled  on  part  of  section  26. 
During  the  war  he  enlisted  in  Company  F, 
Tenth  Minnesota  Infantry,  and  died  during 
the  year  1865,  and  is  buried  at  Dauphin 
Island.  His  wife  died  here  at  home  about 
the  same  time. 

C.  S.  Weed  came  to  Waseca  County  in 
1856,  and  made  a  settlement  here,  and  is 
still  a  resident  of  the  township. 

J.  H.  Wightman,  one  of  the  representative 
citizens  of  New  Richland,  is  one  of  the  pio- 
neer settlers  of  this  township,  coming  to  this 
part  of  the  county  in  July,  1857,  and  locat- 
ing on  section  24.  With  him  came  Ira 
Dane. 

Richard  Ayers,  from  New  Jersey,  came  to 
this  township  in  1857,  and  located  on  sec- 
tion 34.  He  died  at  Janesville,  whither  he 
had  removed,  about  three  or  four  years  ago. 

William  Philbrook  came  to  Byron  Town- 
ship in  1857,  and  made  a  settlement. 

Mrs.  Sarah  Tibbets  Philbrook  was  born 
in  Brooksville,  Me.,  May  6,  1807,  and  was 
married  to  William  Philbrook  in  1835. 
They  came  to  Waseca  County  in  1857,  and 
Mr.  Philbrook  bought  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  14,  in  this  township,  where  they 
lived  till  in  1865,  when  he  was  called  from 
this  world  "  to  a  mansion  not  made  with 
hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  The  widow 
still  lives  on  the  old  homestead.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Philbrook  were  the  parents  of  five 
children,  born  as  follows :  Rowena,  born  in 
October,  1837 ;  Roscoe,  June  16,  1839;  By- 
ron, January  19,  1841;  Lyman  F.,  February 
19,  1842,  and  George,  October  31,  1846. 
When  they  settled  in  this  place  there  was 
not  a  house  in  sight,  and  their  nearest  neigh- 


bor was  a  long  distance  away.  Her  son, 
Roscoe,  lives  with  his  mother,  and  carries  on 
the  farm,  which  is  a  most  excellent  one,  and 
very  productive.  On  the  place  is  a  very 
neat  cottage,  and  a  good  commodious  barn. 
Roscoe  Philbrook  was  one  of  the  nation's 
defenders  in  the  late  civil  war,  enlisting  in 
the  United  States  navy  in  the  autumn  of 
1864,  and  served  until  July,  1865,  when  he 
received  an  honorable  discharge. 

Jacob  W.  Pierce  came  to  Byron  Township 
in  April,  1857,  and  took  up  a  claim  on  sec- 
tion 35,  where  he  now  lives. 

Jacob  W.  Pierce  was  born  in  Cumberland 
County,  N.  J.,  October  15,  1833.  He  re- 
mained in  the  State  of  his  birth  until  he  had 
reached  his  majority,  when  he  commenced 
the  world  for  himself,  doing  farm  work  and 
carpentering  work.  In  1855  he  came  west 
and  settled  in  Walworth  County,  Wis., 
where  he  remained  some  eighteen  months, 
and  in  December,  1856,  he  returned  to  New 
Jersey  and  stayed  there  until  March,  1857, 
when  he  came  back  to  Wisconsin,  where  he 
purchased  some  ox  teams,  and  came  through 
to  Freeborn,  Freeborn  County,  this  State, 
where  he  followed  carpentering,  although 
he  took  up  a  claim  on  section  35,  of  this 
town,  where  he  now  lives.  He  resided  in 
Freeborn  until  1862,  when  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  F,  Fifth  Minnesota  In- 
fantry. He  was  a  participant  in  many  en- 
gagements, and  was  wounded  at  the  second 
battle  at  Corinth.  He  served  until  Sep- 
tember, 1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out  as 
first  lieutenant  and  discharged  at  Fort  Snell- 
ing.  He  returned  to  Freeborn  and  was  a 
clerk  in  a  store  there  until  1866,  when  he  re- 
turned to  New  Jersey  to  visit  his  father  and 
spent  eight  months  there.  Returning  to  Free- 
born he  took  up  his  trade  of  carpenter  and 
followed  it  for  some  years,  and  then  turned 
his  attention  to  his  farm,  of  which  he  now  has 
365  acres,  with  a  beautiful  grove  surrounding 
his  house  and  other  buildings.  January  1, 
1867,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Sarah 
Horning.      They   are  the   parents    of    five 


6rtS 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


children,  born  as  follows  :  Clarence  E.,  Jan- 
uary 4,  1868  :  Albertus  M.,  March  12,  1869  ; 
Vilmer  E.,  March  20,  1872;  Bertrice  M., 
March  19,  1874,  and  Claude  A.,  August  18, 
1877. 

Mrs.  Fierce  is  a  lady  of  unusual  courage 
and  presence  of  mind,  as  the  following  in- 
cident will  show :  They  had  been  annoyed 
by  tramps  from  time  to  time,  and  as  she  had 
heard  of  several  dastardly  acts  those  gentry 
had  committed,  she  was  determined  to  stop 
their  coming  to  her  house  if  cool  and  deter- 
mined receptions  would  keep  them  away. 
She  did  not  have  long  to  wait,  for  one  day, 
when  she  was  alone,  a  burly,  villainous-look- 
ing tramp  came  to  the  door  and  ordered  her 
to  get  him  something  to  eat.  She  quickly 
stepped  into  another  room  and  picked  up  a 
shot-gun,  which  she  aimed  at  his  head,  and 
told  him  if  he  did  not  leave  instanter  she 
would  feed  him  in  a  way  he  would  not  like. 
He  could  see  by  her  determined  look  that  she 
meant  what  she  said,  and  did  not  wait  for  a 
second  invitation  to  leave.  She  has  not  been 
troubled  in  that  way  since. 

Garret  Hope's  settlement  in  this  township 
dates  from  1858.  He  is  still  a  resident  on 
the  place  where  he  first  located. 

Garret  Hope  owns  one  of  the  finest  farms 
in  the  town,  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 6,  where  he  has  an  excellent  dwelling- 
house,  a  horse  barn,  cattle  barn,  two  grana- 
ries and  a  machine  shed.  He  has  an  artesian 
well  on  his  place,  and  an  orchard  from  which 
he  has  raised  one  year  some  forty  bushels  of 
apples,  besides  a  large  quantity  of  small  fruits. 
Mr.  Hope  was  born  in  County  West  Mayo, 
Ireland,  August  15,  1840,  and  is  the  son  of 
James  and  Ann  Hope.  AVhen  he  was  twelve 
years  old,  in  1852,  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  locating  in  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  where 
he  remained  until  1855,  learning  the  car- 
penter's trade.  He  then  moved  to  Beloit, 
"Wis.,  where  he  remained  until  1857,  when 
he  came  to  this  countj^  and  in  1858 
settled  in  this  township,  where  he  now 
lives.     The  first  year  he   was  here   he   fol- 


lowed his  trade,  and  for  a  time  after  loca- 
ting on  his  farm  did  something  at  carpenter- 
ing at  odd  times.  On  the  27th  of  May,  1861, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mary  Mc- 
Grath,  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Catherine 
McGrath.  They  have  been  the  parents'of  ten 
children,  born  as  follows  :  James,  April  16, 
1862;  Catharine,  September  4,  1863;  Pat- 
rick, March  5,  1865  ;  Ann,  October  16,  1866  ; 
Garrett,  June  4,  1868  ;  Maria,  July  12, 1870  ; 
Julia,  November  5,  1872 ;  Agnes,  September 
22,  1875;  Mary,  February  20,  1878,  and 
Charles,  November  6,  1880.  All  are  living  at 
home  except  Ann,  who  is  one  of  the  Domin- 
ican sisters  at  Chicago,  HI.  Mr.  Hope  has 
been  town  supervisor  and  school  clerk,  and 
is  otherwise  prominent  in  town  affaii-s. 

Omer  H.  Sutliff  made  a  settlement  in  this 
county  in  1858,  but  did  not  come  to  Byron 
until  1861,  as  related  below. 

Omer  H.  Sutliff  was  born  Warren  County, 
Pa.,  May  2,  1837.  When  he  was  only  sixteen 
years  of  age,  he  left  home  to  seek  his  for- 
tune, and  that  summer  worked  on  the  Erie 
canal,  in  New  York.  The  next  year  he 
spent  on  a  farm  in  the  same  State,  and  then 
came  west  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained 
until  1856,  when  he  came  to  this  State,  where 
he  remained  all  winter,  in  the  spring  return- 
ing to  Black  River,  Wis.,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  teaming  for  the  mills.  In  1858  he 
came  to  Waseca  County,  and  helped  erect  the 
sawmill  at  the  village  of  Otisco,  and  when  it 
was  finished,  worked  there  for  about  a  year. 
December  11,  1860,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mary  Holbrook,  and  renting  his 
father-in-law's  farm  in  Otisco  Township,  cul- 
tivated that  for  a  year.  He  then  made  a 
claim  on  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  24, 
this  township,  where  he  now  lives,  and  there 
he  built  him  a  shanty  of  two  wagon-loads  of 
poles  and  a  few  slabs,  aud  as  they  lost  the 
legs  of  their  stove  in  moving,  Mr.  Sutlitt' 
drove  stakes  in  the  ground  for  it  to  rest  on. 
In  April,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  company  I, 
First  Minnesota  Infantry,  in  w^hich  he  served 
three  years  and  three  months.      He  was  in 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


669 


twenty-one  pitched  battles,  besides  skir- 
mishes, and  had  his  thumb  shot  off.  He  was 
at  the  banquet  given  at  Washington,  and 
there  received  the  reward  of  merit  granted  to 
all  that  had  served  through  their  term  of 
service.  He  was  mustered  out  and  dischai'ged 
at  Fort  Snelling,  in  June,  1864,  and  return- 
ing home,  purchased  a  house  and  moved  it 
on  his  farm.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sutliff  are  the 
parents  of  five  children  :  Amanda,  born  Sep- 
tember 9,  1864,  married  Dwight  Hatch,  in 
August,  1882,  and  now  lives  in  Otisco  Town- 
ship ;  Minnie,  born  April  2,  1867,  married 
in  December  1884,  to  P>ed.  Heckes,  living 
now  in  New  Eichland  Township ;  Morris, 
born  May  28,  1869  ;  Viola,  born  October  1, 
1872,  and  Dora,  born  August  15,  1877.  Mr. 
Sutliff  has  now  a  fine  farm  and  a  fine  mod- 
ern cottage,  in  which  he  lives,  and  excellent 
surroundings. 

Benaiah  Parvin,  a  native  of  New  Jersey, 
made  a  claim  in  this  township,  on  section  33, 
and  settled  here  in  1860.  He  drove  the 
stage,  and  carried  the  mail  from  Alma  City 
to  Janesville  for  a  number  of  years.  Charles 
Parvin,  a  son  of  his,  was  a  member  of  the 
Fourth  Minnesota  Infantry  during  the  war, 
and  died  in  the  service.  Benaiah  emigrated 
to  Arkansas  a  few  years  ago  and  died  there. 
Mrs.  D.  C.  Davis  is  a  daughter  of  his. 

Jesse  R.  Weed  was  born  in  Angelica,  Alle- 
gany County,  N.  Y.,  May  23,  1819,  and 
came  to  Waseca  County,  in  October,  1860, 
settling  on  the  northwest  quarter  of  section 
34,  in  this  town,  which  he  purchased  pre- 
vious to  coming  here,  on  which  he  still  lives. 
The  north  part  of  his  house,  one  of  the  first 
built  in  this  neighborhood,  is  the  only  one  of 
the  old  buildings  left.  Mr.  Weed  has  also 
eighty  acres  of  land  on  section  27.  When  he 
was  nineteen  years  of  age,  he  started  out  in 
the  world  for  himself,  engaging  in  farming, 
which  occupation  he  has  followed  ever  since 
June  7,  1838,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Clarinda  Maxon,  and  they  have  been  the 
parents  of  five  children,  born  as  follows : 
Lorenzo,  August  29,  1843,  died  October  12, 


the  same  year ;  Henry  Spencer,  May  31, 
1845  ;  Lucy,  June  30,  1847,  died  July  7,  the 
same  year;  Harriet,  March  31,  1850,  died 
July  11,  1850  ;  Susan  L.,  May  27,  1854,  died 
January  30,  1883.  Mr.  Weed  is  the  son  of 
James  and  Susan  (Rogers)  Weed,  the  father 
a  native  of  New  York,  the  mother  of  Con- 
necticut. Mr.  Weed  was  here  during  the 
Indian  troubles  of  1862,  and  went  to  the 
Winnebago  agency,  and  helped  guard  that 
place,  and  both  nights  he  was  there  the  sav- 
ages had  a  war  dance. 

ORGANIC. 

In  1857  when  the  first  board  of  county 
commissioners  were  districting  the  county 
for  the  first  time,  what  is  now  Byron  Town- 
ship was  made  a  part  of  Otisco,  and  so  re- 
mained until  November  1,  1858,  when  the 
board  ordered  the  organization  of  it  as  a 
separate  civil  town.  The  first  officers  elected, 
according  to  the  best  recollections  of  the 
oldest  inhabitants,  there  being  no  records 
accessible,  were  :  J.  H.  Wightraan,  chairman 
of  board  of  town  supervisors;  John  Mc- 
Grath,  side  supervisor,  and  David  Beavins, 
clerk.  The  present  officers  are:  Christie 
McGrath,  chairman ,  Garret  Hope  and 
Michael  Heffernan,  supervisors ;  C.  S.  Weed, 
clerk. 

REPRESENTATIVE  PEOPLE. 

Sketches  of  some  of  the  most  )irominent 
and  enterprising  people  of  this  town  are 
given  here,  as  an  index  of  the  people  who 
inhabit  Byron. 

Mrs.  Calista  J.  Wilson  was  born  in  Madison 
County,  N.  Y.,  December  11, 1831,  and  with 
her  parents,  whose  names  were  Campbell, 
moved  to  Rock  County,  Wis.,  where,  Decem- 
ber 11,  1849,  she  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Edwin  A.  Crumb.  They  remained 
there  about  eight  years,  and  then  removed 
to  Winnesheik  County,  Iowa,  but  after  three 
years'  residence  there,  they  came  to  this 
township  and  took  up  a  homestead  of  160 
acres  of  land,  the  northeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 32.     Since  coming  here  thev  lived  some 


670 


HISTORY    OK    WASECA    COCNTY. 


time  in  the  village  of  "Wilton,  where  Mrs. 
Crumb  carried  on  a  millinerv  establishment, 
and  her  husband  a  wagon-making  shop. 
After  three  j'ears  spent  there  the}'  returned 
to  Wisconsin  for  Mr.  Crumb's  health,  which 
was  failing.  Eig-hteen  months  later  thev 
returned  here,  and  on  the  20th  of  Januar}', 
1878,  death  claimed  her  husband.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Crumb  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren: Xevonia  A.,  born  May  15,  1851, 
married  Truman  Davis  in  1870,  and  now  re- 
sides at  Cartright,  Wis.;  John  M.,  born  De- 
cember 3, 1853,  married  Ada  Cummings,  and 
now  lives  in  Freeborn  Count}',  Minn.;  Lovell 
A.,  born  February  12,  1857,  died  October  12, 
1877;  Carloss  H.,  born  March  8,  1858,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Erb,  and  lives  in  this  town, 
and  Mary  A.  born  October  12, 1864.  Wlien 
they  came  to  Byron  Township,  in  1864,  Mr. 
Crumb  was  drafted,  and  as  he  had  no  shelter 
for  his  family  but  a  rough  shanty,  and  noth- 
ing to  cover  his  teams,  his  distress  was  great, 
but  on  examination  he  was  pronounced  un- 
fit for  the  service,  and  returned  here.  After 
her  husband's  death,  she  remained  on  the 
farm  with  those  of  her  children  that  were 
unmarried,  and  carried  on  the  business.  On 
the  28th  of  February,  1880,  she  was  united 
in  marriage  with  John  N.  Wilson,  who  was 
born  in  Canada,  September  1,  1833,  who, 
when  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  came 
to  "  the  States,"  and  settled  in  Rock  County, 
Wis.,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  From 
there  he  removed  to  Colorado,  where  he  en- 
listed in  Company  G,  First  Colorado  Regi- 
ment, and  served  to  the  end  of  the  war.  At 
the  time  of  his  marriage  with  Mrs.  Crumb, 
he  was  a  widower  with  two  children  :  Claude 
S.,  born  February  19,  1869,  and  John  M., 
born  April  2,  1872.  In  December,  1881, 
the  family  removed  to  Dodge  Centei',  this 
State,  in  order  to  send  the  daughter.  JNIary, 
to  school,  but  she  being  taken  sick,  they 
brought  her  back,  as  she  was  anxious  to  see 
her  old  home  once  more,  and  here  she  died, 
April  24,  1882. 
Zalmon  M.  Partridge  is  a  native  of  Berk- 


shire County,  Mass.,  born  January  15,  1834. 
He  remained  at  home  with  his  parents 
among  the  hills  of  his  native  place,  where 
he  was  reared  until  lie  was  fourteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  commenced  life  for  himself. 
In  1857  he  came  to  Minnesota,  locating  in 
Dakota  County,  where  he  worked  at  farming 
and  carpentering  for  about  three  years.  He 
then  removed  to  Virginia,  where  he  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  brick  molder  until 
August,  1S61,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company 
H,  Fourth  Loyal  Virginia  Infantry,  and 
served  a  little  over  three  years,  and  ^vas 
mustered  out  in  1864.  On  the  2d  day  of 
November,  1864,  he  was  married  to  Narcis- 
sus Samples  in  Kenawha  County,  W.  Va. 
He  remained  in  that  State  for  two  years, 
and  then  removed  to  Dakota  County,  Minn., 
where  he  resided  until  1870,  when  he  came 
to  this  county  and  settled  on  the  160  acres 
of  land  on  section  36,  of  this  township,  that 
he  had  purchased  the  year  previous,  where 
he  is  now  living.  At  the  time  of  his  coming 
here  the  land  was  without  improvement,  but 
he  has  now  a  fine  residence  and  other  build- 
ings, and  has  115  acres  of  land  under  culti- 
vation. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Partridge  have  been 
the  parents  of  five  children :  William  S., 
born  in  Virginia,  July  28, 1865  ;  John  Henry, 
born  March  18,  1867,  died  April  3,  1867, 
and  is  buried  at  Castle  Rock,  Minn.  : 
Ulysses,  born  May  30,  1868  ;  Philip  S.,  born 
March  9,  1S70,  and  Mary  V.,  born  December 
14,  1875. 

Harvey  Cummings  was  born  in  Bureau 
County,  111.,  September  20,  1834.  He  re- 
mained a  resident  of  the  Sucker  State 
until  1870,  when  he  removed  to  Farmington, 
Dakota  County,  IMinn.,  where  he  rented  a 
farm  and  resided  there  until  1874,  when  he 
came  to  Waseca  County,  and  purchased  160 
acres  of  land,  the  southeast  quarter  of  sec- 
tion 31,  Byron  Township.  At  that  time  he 
did  not  build  any  house  on  his  land,  but 
renting  the  adjoining  farm,  which  had  a 
house  on  it.  cultivated  both  places.  In  1876 
the  grasshoppers   came  here  in  great  nuni- 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


671 


bers,  and  besides  devastating-  the  land, 
deposited  their  eggs  in  the  ground  in  such 
numbers  that  Mr.  Cummings,  fearing  that 
there  would  be  no  crops  the  next  year,  re- 
turned to  Illinois,  where  he  remained  until 
1880,  when,  returning  here,  he  built  his  resi- 
dence and  other  buildings,  and  has  made 
this  his  home  ever  since.  June  29,  1856,  he 
was  married  to  Mary  Donaldson,  and  they 
have  had  a  family  of  eleven  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living,  except  one :  Ada,  born  in 
Illinois,  April  10,  185Y,  married  J.M.  Crumb, 
m  1877,  and  lives  a  near  neighbor ;  Francis, 
born  January  12, 1859 ;  Lilian,  born  October 
14,  1860,  married  \yarren  Ladd  in  1882,  and 
lives  in  Nebraska ;  Viola,  born  March  16, 
1863,  and  died  the  following  September; 
William  Henry,  born  January  6,  1865 ; 
Charles  Henry,  born  November  8,  1866; 
Clara,  born  October  31,  1868;  Melvin  Ells- 
worth, born  in  Dakota  County,  Minn.,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1871 ;  Rilla  Mabel,  born  December 
27,  1872;  Edna,  born  December  22,  1874, 
and  Pearl  Evalina,  born  in  Illinois,  October 
17,  1879.  Mrs.  Cummings  is  a  native  of 
Mason  County,  Ky.,  born  April  2,  1834. 

Peter  Bumgerten  was  boi-n  in  Prussia, 
June  27,  1832,  and  lived  in  his  German  home 
until  1857,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  farming  for  twelve  years.  He 
then  came  to  Waseca  County,  and  purchas- 
ing eighty  acres  of  land  in  St.  Mary  Town- 
ship, lived  there  for  about  six  years,  and 
then  purchased  160  acres  of  land  on  section 
16,  Byron  Township,  where  he  now  lives. 
He  has  since  added  to  his  farm,  160  acres  on 
section  20,  and  has  now  a  fine  place  of  320 
acres  well  improved  and  well  stocked,  and 
has  a  fine  frame  barn  28x48  feet  in  size,  16 
feet  studding,  which  was  the  first  frame  one 
in  the  town.  When  he  came  to  this  country 
he  was  almost  penniless,  but  by  energy,  in- 
dustry and  thrift,  he  has  accumulated  quite 
a  fine  property.  In  the  early  days  of  his 
struggle  with  the  world  he  cradled  and 
thrashed  grain  for  twenty-five  cents  per  day, 


and  in  the  winter  worked  for  his  board. 
December  13,  1864,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
Schultz,  and  they  have  had  a  family  of  eight 
children :  Peter,  born  September  17,  1866 ; 
Lena,  born  December  5,  1867;  Tena,  May  5, 
1868  ;  Michael,  June  24,  1870 ;  John,  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1872;  Meda,  January  10,  1874; 
Maggie,  August  14,  1882,  and  William,  Jan- 
uary 20,  1885. 

Lawrence  W.  Concanon  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, July  20,  1827,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1851.  He  landed  in  New  Orleans, 
where  he  remained  until  the  following 
spring,  and  then  went  up  the  river  to  the 
State  of  Illinois,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  some  twenty-four  years.  In  1877 
he  came  to  Waseca  County,  locating  in  St. 
Mary  Township,  but  three  years  later  he 
removed  to  Byron  Township,  purchasing 
160  acres  of  land  on  section  19,  where  he 
has  a  good  house,  and  a  well  improved  fai-m, 
and  a  beautiful  grove  of  cottonwood,  maple, 
willow  and  box-elder  trees.  He  does  a  gen- 
eral farming  and  stock-raising  business  and 
is  one  of  the  solid  men  of  the  town.  He 
was  united  in  marriage,  April  11,  1856, 
with  Bridget  Broderick,  and  they  have  been 
the  parents  of  eight  children :  Mary,  born 
July  4,  1858;  William,  born  October  11, 
1859 ;  Catherine,  born  March  27,  1861,  died 
March  18,  1868 ;  Lawrence,  born  February 
15,  1863  ;  Bridget,  born  April  9,  1865  ;  Ellen, 
born  May  11,  1867 ;  Margeret,  born  Ma}'^ 
10,  1869,  and  Honora,  born  A])ril  9,  1871. 
His  daughter  INIargeret  is  a  school-teacher 
and  Honora  is  fitting  herself  for  the  same 
profession.  Mr.  Concanon  being  a  great 
believer  in  education,  has  given  his  children 
every  advantage  he  could  in  that  direction. 

John  Dinneen  was  born  in  Ireland,  in 
June,  1828,  and  lived  in  the  country  of  his 
birth  until  1850,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States.  He  remained  in  the  State  of  New 
York,  where  he  worked  on  the  railroad  for  a 
time,  and  then  purchased  a  farm,  which  he 
tilled  until  1875,  when  he  sold  out  there  and 
came  to  Waseca  Countv,  and  took  a  home- 


672 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COITNTT. 


stead  of  160  acres  on  section  20,  where  he  is 
still  living.  He  has  purchased  since  then 
320  acres  of  land  on  sections  20  and  29,  and 
has  -a  fine  farm  of  480  acres,  where  he  car- 
ries on  general  farming  and  stock-raising, 
giving  considerable  attention  to  the  breeding 
and  rearing  of  fine  cattle.  He  has  a  fine 
cottage  and  several  convenient  buildings  in 
which  to  shelter  his  horses  and  cattle,  and 
fine  machinery  sheds.  In  February,  1856,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  witli  Mary  Burke. 
They  have  been  the  parents  of  nine  chil- 
dren :  Maggie,  born  December  25, 1856,  who 
died  June  1,1860  ;  EUen,  born  June  15,  1858, 
who  died  June  1,  1860 ;  James,  born  May  15, 
1862;  Timothy,  born  January  7,  1864,  died 
January  22,  1879;  Daniel,  born  October  31, 
1865;  John,  born  January  7,  1867;  Nicho- 
las, born  November  31,  1869  ;  Mary  E.,  born 
February  8,  1873,  and  Catharine,  born 
March  23,  1876.  Mr.  Dinneen  has  held  the 
office  of  chairman  of  the  town  supervisors 
one  year,  side  supervisor  three  or  four  years, 
school  director  ten  years  and  school  treasurer 
ten  years. 

Peter  Obrine  was  born  in  Ireland,  June 
29,  1837,  and  remained  a  resident  of  the 
Emerald  Isle  until  1863,  when  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  and  after  a  few  months' 


residence  in  Wisconsin,  in  1864  came  to 
Waseca  County,  and  settled  on  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  17,  in  this  town,  where 
he  now  lives.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mrs.  Margaret  Dwyer,  nee  Ryan,  who 
was  the  widow  of  Thomas  Dwyer,  and  had 
at  the  time  of  this  last  marriage  two  chil- 
dren :  Alice,  wife  of  Thomas  Ryan,  living 
in  Waseca,  and  Honora,  born  April  10, 
1847,  wife  of  Barney  Agnew.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Obrine  have  but  two  children  living:  Cath- 
erine, born  November  25,  1859,  now  the 
wife  of  Emmons  Smith,  of  Waseca  City, 
and  Mary,  married  November  22,  1868,  to 
Frank  Smith,  but  who,  having  separated 
from  her  husband  by  divorce,  resides  with 
her  parents  with  her  two  children  :  George 
Edward,  born  August  26,  1881,  and  Maggie, 
born  August  29,  1883.  In  the  Avinter  of 
1864,  Mrs.  Obrine  started  to  visit  a  neigh- 
bor distant  about  four  miles,  and  was  caught 
in  a  snow  storm  and  got  lost  on  the  ])rairie. 
She  wandered  around  from  Wednesday 
until  Friday  evening,  when  she  arrived 
at  her  sister's  house.  She  was  so  badly 
frozen  and  so  exhausted  that  she  could  not 
get  into  the  house  without  help.  She  lost 
about  one-half  of  each  one  of  her  feet,  and 
was  injured  otherwise. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


ALTON  TOWNSHIP. 


jLTON  Township  embnices  all 
of  congressional  township  107, 
north  of  range  24  west,  and  con- 
tains the  usual  23,040  acres  of 
land.  The  surface  is  gently  un- 
dulating, and  exceedingly  fertile 
is  the  soil,  a  deep,  rich,  warm 
loam,  that,  with  intelligent  cul- 
tui'e,  is  practically  inexhaustible. 
This  portion  of  the  county  is  well 
drained,  the  Le  Sueur  Eiver  trav- 
ersing sections  31,  32,  33,  34,  35 
and  25,  besides  slightly  touching 
several  others.  Buffalo  Lake,  cov- 
ering nearly  all  of  section  21,  and 
parts  of  sections  16,  17,  20  and  28,  with  its 
affluent  creeks  and  runs,  make  up  the  drain- 
age system  of  the  central  and  northern  part 
of  the  town.  A  large  part  of  the  township 
was  originally  covered  with  timber,  much  of 
which  remains  here  to  day. 

EARLY  SETTLEMENT. 

Lucius  Kyes,  now  of  the  city  of  Waseca, 
was  probably  the  pioneer  settler  in  this  town- 
ship, coming  to  this  part  of  the  county  dur- 
ing September,  1863,  and  taking  up  a  claim 
on  section  32,  where  he  lived  until  1871.  He 
is  now  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Waseca,  he 
having  gone  there  from  his  farm,  and  is  en- 
gaged in  carpentering  and  building.  He  was 
born  in  Medina  County,  Ohio,  in  1837. 

William  Wager,  in  1863,  came  to  Waseca 
County  and  located  in  the  town  of  Alton,  on 
section  32,  and  when  tiie  land  came  into 
market  bought  it  of  the  government,  and  re- 
sided there  until  1873,  when  he  removed  to 
Freedom,  where  he  now  lives. 


Elijah  Hills  came  at  the  same  time  and 
took  a  claim  on  what  is  now  the  northeast 
corner  of  Alma  City,  and  when  that  village 
was  laid  out  it  received  its  name  from  his 
daughter.  Alma  HilJs.  When  these  two 
families  came  here  there  were  but  two  fam- 
ihes  within  a  radius  of  six  miles.  Both  these 
two  families  of  Wager  and  Hills  spent  the 
winter  in  one  cabin,  14x16  feet  in  size,  and 
built  of  poles  and  bark  taken  from  the  old 
Indian  tepees  and  some  basswood  boards. 

Morris  Lamb  came  to  this  township  in 
1864,  and  located  on  section  36,  where  his 
son,  M.  H.  Lamb,  now  lives.  Mr.  Lamb  was 
one  of  the  unfortunate  Union  refugees,  who, 
at  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  war, 
had  to  leave  their  "  sunny  southern  home  " 
for  their  opinion's  sake.  He  resided  in  Cum- 
berland County,  Tenn.,  and  on  the  17th  of 
June,  1861,  was  compelled  to  seek  more  con- 
genial quarters.  He  therefore  packed  all  he 
could  on  three  wagons  and  fled  for  the  Ohio 
Eiver,  his  port  of  safety.  He  came  to  Min- 
nesota in  1861,  and  in  1864  to  this  county 
and  township.  He  died  here  December  31, 
1869.  He  was  a  native  of  Vermont.  A 
sketch  of  him  is  given  in  connection  with  his 
son  in  Chapter  VIII. 

Morris  H.  Lamb,  a  native  of  Ohio,  whose 
sketch  is  given  in  detail  in  connection  with 
legislative  representation  in  Chapter  VIII, 
came  to  Alton  Township  in  1864  with  his 
father  and  made  a  settlement,  and  still  re- 
mains one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Alton. 
Perhaps  it  would  be  as  well  to  mention  in 
this  connection  that  Mr.  Lamb  is  one  of  the 
largest  dairy  farmers  in  this  county,  and  the 
first  one  to   appreciate  the  merits  of    the 


673 


674 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


ensilage  method  of  preparing  fodder  for  win- 
tering his  stock.  He  has  a  large  barn,  second 
only  in  size  to  that  on  the  De  Graff  place  in 
the  township,  42x90  feet  in  size,  capable  of 
holding  a  large  quantity  of  hay  and  three 
silos  of  a  total  capacity  of  350  tons,  besides 
his  large  herd  of  cattle.  Mrs.  Lamb  is  famed 
throughout  the  county  as  being  one  of  the 
best,  if  not  the  best  butter  maker  in  the 
State.  Their  dairy  produced  in  1886  the 
enormous  amount  of  6,535  pounds  of  butter, 
which  was  sold  for  $1,601.35.  The  quality 
is  unsurpassed  and  readilj'  finds  a  market. 

Mathew  Casey  came  here  in  1864,  and 
made  a  settlement  on  section  2,  but  shortly 
after  removed  to  section  15,  which  latter 
piece  of  land  he  sold  the  following  year  to 
August  Kruger,  after  breaking  some  of  it, 
and  removed  to  section  26.  He  after  this 
removed  to  Janesville,  and  from  there  to 
Tracy,  Minn. 

Patrick  Hayden  made  a  settlement  here, 
on  section  13,  in  1864,  and  is  still  a  resident 
of  the  township. 

A  man  of  the  name  of  Hert  came  to  this 
settlement  among  those  who  located  here  in 
1864.     He  died  here  in  the  fall  of  1885. 

In  the  spring  of  1864,  Jefferson  Davis 
made  a  settlement  on  section  34,  this  town, 
where  he  lived  for  several  years,  and  finally 
removed  to  Alma  City,  and  put  in  a  general 
stock  of  merchandise  in  what  is  now  the  Ked 
front  store,  which  was  called  Jeff  Davis' 
Headquarters.  There  he  remained  a  few 
years,  and  then  moved  to  Vivian,  and  re- 
mained about  three  years,  thence  to  Amboy, 
where  he  now  runs  a  hotel  and  livery. 

C.  M.  Campion,  Avith  his  two  sons,  John 
and  Patrick,  myde  a  settlement  in  Alton,  in 
1864.  The  elder  Mr.  Campion  located  upon 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  13,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death  ;  John  took  a  claim 
on  the  northeast  quarter  of  tlie  same  sec- 
tion, and  Patrick  on  the  northeast  of  section 
24.  Both  of  the  latter  still  reside  on  their 
original  claims. 

Col.  Chas.  Long  made  a  claim  on  sections 


15  and  22,  in  1864,  where  he  resided  for  a 
time,  and  then  returned  to  Ohio,  where  he 
now  lives. 

"  Uncle  Sam  "  Larabee  came  to  this  town- 
ship in  the  fall  of  1864.  He  was  the  owner 
of  the  town  site  of  Alma  City,  and  is  men- 
tioned in  that  connection. 

William  Maloney,  who  drove  the  stage 
through  this  country  in  an  early  day,  made 
a  claim  here  in  1864.  He  is  now  a  resident 
of  Janesville. 

Terence  Lilly,  who  had  come  to  Waseca 
County  from  Illinois  some  years  previous,  in 
1864  removed  to  this  township,  and  located 
on  section  1,  where  he  now  lives. 

In  1864  M.  L.  Devereaux  made  a  settle- 
ment on  section  34,  and  resided  in  this  town 
for  some  time  and  then  removed  to  the  north 
part  of  this  State.  Later  he  came  back  here 
and  lived  in  Alton  until  his  death.  He  was 
a  member  of  one  of  the  Minnesota  regiments 
during  the  late  civil  war. 

H.  A.  Clark  purchased  a  farm  on  section 
9,  this  town,  in  1865,  and  proceeded  to  make 
a  settlement  as  detailed  below.  He  came  to 
what  is  now  Alton  Township,  in  1865,  and 
bought  the  farm  on  section  9,  where  he  now 
lives,  of  Willard  &  Barney,  of  Mankato,  and 
made  a  settlement.  He  is  a  native  of  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  born  January  26,  1826.  He 
is  a  son  of  Herman  and  Martha  (Warner) 
Clark,  of  English  and  Welsh  descent,  but  both 
natives  of  the  State  of  Connecticut,  and  who 
had  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  eight  of 
whom  are  still  living.  H.  A.  came  west  in 
an  early  day,  settling  in  Walworth  County, 
AVis.,  where  he  remained  some  twelve  years 
engaged  in  farming  and  carpentering.  From 
there  he  went  to  California,  where  he  made 
a  stay  of  three  years,  and  then  made  the 
voyage  to  China,  and  after  a  stay  there  re- 
turned by  way  of  England,  having  com- 
pletely circumnavigated  the  globe  when  he 
2ot  back  to  his  old  home  in  Wisconsin.  After 
a  few  years  spent  in  roving  about,  he  came 
to  this  township  and  has  been  here  ever 
since,  engaged  in  farming  and  stock-raising. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


675 


November  2, 1865,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
Avith  Harriet  Bennett,  who  was  born  in  New 
York,  July  22,  1830. 

Timothy  Colby  came  in  the  fall  of  1864, 
and  resided  in  this  town  until  1886,  when  he 
was  removed  by  death. 

M.  Powers  made  a  settlement  on  section 
22,  in  1865,  and  lived  here  until  his  death. 
He  was  an  Irishman,  who  came  to  this  place 
from  Waterloo,  Wis.  He  died  here  about 
1879. 

Patrick  Farley,  now  a  resident  of  St. 
Mary  town,  was  one  of  the  settlers  of  Alton 
in  1865.  He  resided  here  until  1886,  when 
he  removed  to  his  present  location. 

Kichard  Haggerty,  in  the  spring  of  1865, 
came  to  this  place  from  Dodge  County,  Wis. 
He  was  a  native  of  County  Mayo,  Ireland, 
and  died  in  this  township,  on  his  farm  on 
section  12,  in  the  latter  part  of  1882.  His 
wife  died  in  1881. 

Michael  Lang  in  1865  settled  on  section 
1,  on  the  place  where  he  now  lives. 

Michael  Kearney  in  1865  made  a  settle- 
ment on  section  13.  He  afterward  removed 
to  Faribault,  where  he  is  now  living. 

Charles  Lockwood  came  to  Waseca  County 
in  September,  1865,  from  Wisconsin  and 
made  a  settlement  on  section  15,  this  town- 
ship, where  he  now  resides.  He  is  a  native 
of  Fairfield  County,  Conn.,  born  December  2, 
1821:.  He  is  the  son  of  Ephi'aim  and  Mary 
(Hendi'ickson)  Lockwood,  natives  of  Connect 
icut,  also,  both  of  whom  are  now  dead. 
They  had  raised  a  family  of  seven  children : 
Sarah  Ann,  Aaron,  Charles,  Jane,  Melvina, 
Frank  and  Samantha.  When  Charles  was 
seventeen  years,  he  commenced  a  seafaring 
life,  which  he  followed  for  ten  years,  and 
then  relinquished  that,  and  moving  to  Dodge 
County,  Wis.,  began  farming,  which  vocation 
he  has  followed  ever  since.  He  made  his 
home  in  the  last  named  place  for  about  ten 
years  and  then  came  here,  as  above  men- 
tioned, where  he  is  devoting  his  attention  to 
general  farmingand  raising  short-horn  cattle, 
in  which  he  is  very  successful.     September 


3,  1855,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Louisa  Merrill,  who  was  born  in  Erie  Coun- 
ty, N.  Y.,  May  9,  1832,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Rachel  Merrill,  natives  of  New 
Hampshire  and  New  York,  who  had  raised 
a  family  of  six  children.  Her  parents  had 
settled  in  Wisconsin  in  an  early  day,  where 
they  lived  some  twelve  years,  and  came  to 
Waseca  County  in  1859,  where  the  mother 
died,  January  28,  1875 ;  the  father  resides 
with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Lockwood.  Mr. 
Lockwood  has  been  a  member  of  the  town 
board  for  four  years,  and  director  of  school 
district  No.  i)Q,  for  eight  years,  and  is  one 
of  the  prominent  farmers  of  the  township. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lockwood  are  the  parents  of 
four  children :  Mary,  born  June  10,  1857, 
who  wedded  Fred.  Dickenson  in  1878,  and 
lives  in  Janesville  Township ;  Frances,  born 
October  30,  1860,  married  to  Frank  Dicken- 
son, and  lives  in  the  village  of  Janesville; 
Aaron,  born  September  3, 1872,  at  home,  and 
Laura,  born  August  11,  1874,  also  at  home. 
Mr.  Lockwood  is  an  Independent  in  political 
matters  and  has  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
public  afifairs  of  the  township. 

Terence  McBride  made  a  claim  on  section 
12,  on  coming  here  in  1865,  where  he  still 
lives. 

Jeremiah  Vaughn  came  from  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Montello ,  Marquette  County, 
Wis.,  in  1865,  and  settled  on  a  farm  on  sec 
tion  14.  This  place  he  afterward  sold  to  his 
brother,  James  A.,  who  still  owns  it.  Jere- 
miah removed  to  Rock  Island,  111.,  and  from 
there  back  to  Montello,  Marquette  County, 
Wis.,  where  he  is  now  living. 

E.  H.  Skilling  was  also  among  the  settlers 
of  the  year  1865.  He  was  a  native  of  Port- 
land, Me.  When  he  came  here,  he  made  a 
claim  on  section  20.  He  is  still  a  resident  of 
the  township. 

Patrick  Murphy,  William  Stewart  and  L. 
C.  Bonner  were  among  the  settlers  of  the 
year  1865.  William  Stewart  located  on  sec- 
tion 15,  where  he  lived  many  years,  but  is 
now  in  the  western  part  of  the  State.     L.  C. 


676 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


Bonner's  place  was  a  part  of  section  19  ;  lie 
moved  from  here  to  Nebraska.  Patrick 
Murphy  is  stiU  a  resident  here. 

Emerson  Gates  came  to  Waseca  County 
in  1866,  and  entered  into  mercantile  pursuits 
at  the  village  of  Alma  City,  at  first  by  him- 
self, but  in  a  short  time  formed  a  i)artnership 
with  W.  E.  Lockwood,  and  continued  in  busi- 
ness there  until  1881,  when  he  sold  out  to  his 
partner  and  moved  to  his  farm,  on  section 
32,  forty  acres  of  which  he  had  purchased  of 
E.  G.  Pierce,  in  1874.  He  now  has  160  acres 
of  land,  including  some  ten  or  eleven  acres  of 
timber,  and  his  residence  and  barns,  which  are 
of  a  high  class,  are  located  about  eighty  rods 
west  of  Alma  City.  Emerson  Gates  is  a  na- 
tive of  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  born  February 
27,  1842.  He  is  the  son  of  Abel  and  IMary 
(Peabody)  Gates,  both  natives  of  Massachu- 
setts. His  father  was  a  chairraaker  by  trade 
and  followed  that  business  all  his  life.  The 
parents  had  a  family  of  six  children,  three 
boys  and  three  girls.  Emerson  began  life  for 
himself  when  nineteen  years  of  age,  by  en- 
rolling himself  among  the  nation's  defenders, 
enlisting  October  7,  1862,  in  Company  A, 
One  Hundredth  New  York  Infantry,  and 
participated  in  the  battles  of  Yorktown, 
Fair  Oaks,  Seven  Pines,  and  other's  of  the 
Chickahominy  campaign,  siege  of  Charles- 
ton, S.  C,  and  of  Fort  Wagner,  battles  of 
Fort  Walthal  Junction,  Drury's  Bluff  and 
siege  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  and  many  others.  He 
entered  the  service  as  a  private,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  of  it  as  sergeant,  at  Buffalo,  N.  Y., 
Januaiy  30,  1S65.  He  then  came  west  to  La 
Crosse,  Wis.,  and  the  next  year  to  this  town- 
ship, as  related.  February  5,  1865,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Emma  J.  Gray,  a 
native  of  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  born  February 
5,  1844.  They  have  been  the  parents  of  six 
children  :  Caspar  A.,  born  November  18, 
1865,  died  in  1875  ;  Clarence  L.,  born  De- 
cember 19,  1807,  died  in  July,  1875  ;  Edith, 
born  February  20,  1876  ;  Alice,  born  July  25, 
1878  ;  Laura  E.,  born  November  22,  1880, 
and  Cassius  E.,  born  April  26,  1886. 


George  W.  Dunham  came  here  in  1866, 
and  made  a  settlement  on  section  23,  pui'- 
chasing  the  place  of  Daniel  Shellock.  He  is 
still  a  resident  of  this  place.  He  is  a  native 
of  Fairfield  County,  Conn.,  born  November 
24,  1837,  and  is  the  son  of  Peter  and  Maria 
(Peck)  Dunhaui.  His  father  was  a  hatter  by 
trade,  and  died  in  1839;  the  mother  is  living 
in  Wisconsin  with  a  daughter.  They  had  a 
family  of  five  children,  viz:  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried Joseph  Hooker,  but  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two ;  Bessie  Maria,  now  Mrs.  C.  A. 
Lockwood,  living  in  Wisconsin;  Sarah  Ann, 
now  Mrs.  Oliver  Wood,  of  New  Jersey ;  Mar- 
tha, now  Mrs.  Ezra  G.  Wildman,  and  George 
W.,  the  topic  of  this  biography.  When  he  was 
but  nine  years  of  age,  on  account  of  the 
death  of  his  father  he  commenced  struggling 
against  the  world,  working  out  on  a  farm, 
and  liking  that  business,  has  ever  since  fol- 
lowed it.  September  23, 1857,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Mary  J.  Lyon,  who  was 
born  in  Massachusetts  in  1836.  Her  parents 
were  natives  of  New  England,  but  had  come 
west  to  Wisconsin  in  an  early  day,  where  Mr. 
Dunham  and  she  were  married,  he  having 
moved  there  from  his  native  State.  They 
are  the  parents  of  six  children,  born  as  fol- 
lows :  George  Harrison,  August  9,  1859  ; 
William  D.,  February  22, 1862  ;  Oliver,  April 
18,  1864  ;  Charles,  March  4,  1866  ;  Bessie  J., 
January  21,  1870,  and  Nellie  Mary,  March  4, 
1882.  All  of  them  are  living  at  home.  Mr. 
Dunham  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  is  a 
representative  man  of  Alton  Town.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  town  assessor,  supervisor 
of  the  town  and  clerk  of  the  school  district, 
and  is  the  present  town  clerk. 

Terence  Hammel  first  made  his  appearance 
in  this  county  in  1864,  but  did  not  locate  here 
until  1866,  which  latter  is  the  date  of  his  set- 
tlement. He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in 
1845,  and  is  the  son  of  James  and  Alice 
(McCue)  Hammel,  who  came  to  America  in 
1850,  remaining  in  New  Jersey  some  eight 
years,  then,  in  the  year  1859,  coming  to  Le 
Sueur  County,  Minn.,  where  the  mother  died 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


677 


March  26,  1887,  and  where  the  father  still 
lives.  Terence  commenced  life  for  himself 
in  Le  Sueur  County,  at  farming,  which  voca- 
tion he  has  always  followed.  June  2,  1865, 
he  and  Mar}'  Smith  were  united  in  marriage. 
She  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  1847, 
whose  parents  had  settled  in  Le  Sueur 
County  in  1858,  where  they  remained  until 
their  death.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hammel  liave 
had  a  family  of  ten  children,  born  as  follows : 
William,  January  17, 1868  ;  James,  August 
26,  1869;  Mary,  January  9,  1873;  Alice, 
March  15, 1874 ;  Rosella,  December  25, 1876  ; 
Anna,  July,  1878  ;  Grace,  December,  1880  ; 
Jennie,  November,  1882 ;  Gertrude,  May, 
1883 ;  Varonica,  October,  1885.  All  are  single 
and  living  at  home.  Mr.  Hammel  is  the  pres- 
ent town  assessor,  having  been  elected  in 
1885. 

William  Burke  came  to  Waseca  County  in 
the  year  1867,  and  settled  on  section  34,  Al- 
ton Township,  where  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  William  Lambert.  He  lives  at  pres- 
ent on  section  23,  in  the  same  town,  where 
he  has  a  fine  farm  and  modern  style  dwel- 
ling. He  was  born  in  Oneida  County,  N. 
Y.,  February  15,  1844.  He  is  the  son  of 
Michael  and  Catherine  (Kelly)  Burke,  both 
natives  of  County  Boscommon,  Ireland,  both 
of  whom  are  now  dead.  The}'  raised  a  famil}' 
of  ten  children  :  Patrick,  John,  Mary,  Mich- 
ael, William,  Edward,  Kate,  Maggie,  James 
and  Timothy.  At  the  age  of  seventeen,  Will- 
iam Burke  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Sixteenth 
Wisconsin  Infantry.  This  was  in  1861.  He 
was  discharged  in  June,  1862,  on  account  of 
disability,  but  on  recovering  from  his  illness, 
he  reenlisted  in  the  same  regiment  and  par- 
ticipated m  all  of  the  battles  in  wliich  that 
regiment  made  such  a  glorious  record,  among 
which  were :  Shiloh,  siege  of  Atlanta,  Jones- 
boro,  Dalton,  Besaca  and  Corinth.  He  was 
finally  discharged  July  16,  1865.  He  then 
went  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  but  a 
short  time,  and  then  went  South,  but  in  1867 
returned  to  the  northern  country  and  settled 
in  Alton  Township,  where  he  has  since  re- 


mained. January  28,  1867,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Joanna  Quirk,  a  native  of 
Middletown,  Conn.,  born  Nov.  25, 1845.  Her 
parents  were  natives  of  Cork  and  West 
Meath,  Ireland,  who  came  from  Connecticut 
to  Wisconsin  in  an  early  day.  Her  father 
was  a  member  of  Company  D,  Seventeenth 
Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  died  in  the  hospital 
at  St.  Louis ;  her  mother  died  in  1846.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Burke  have  been  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  born  as  follows:  Thomas, 
May  24, 1869 ;  Anna,  April  18,  1871  ;  Will- 
iam, February  1,  1873  ;  Mary,  February  16, 
1875;  Bose,  July  9,  1877;  Agnes,  May  27, 
1879,  and  Josie,  August  1,  1884.  Mr.  Burke 
was  elected  chairman  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors and  served  three  years ;  in  1877  was 
chosen  county  commissioner  and  held  that 
office  for  six  years,  and  has  held  the  positions 
of  town  assessor  for  one  year,  and  director 
of  school  district  No.  61,  for  eleven  years. 
He  is  one  of  the  leading  prominent  men  of 
the  town,  and  is  a  Democrat  in  politics. 

Patrick  Markham  came  to  Waseca  County 
about  the  year  1867,  and  settled  where  he 
now  lives,  on  section  34,  Alton  Township, 
where  he  carries  on  general  farming  and 
stock-raising.  After  these  twenty  years  of 
good,  steady  work,  Mr.  Markhan  has  accumu- 
lated quite  a  competence,  and  can  now  re- 
tire from  the  more  active  part  of  farm  life 
and  enjoy  the  comforts  of  living,  which  his 
energy  and  ambition  have  honestly  won  him. 
Mr.  Markham  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  De- 
cember 25,  1805,  and  when  but  a  young  man 
came  to  America,  first  locating  in  Canada, 
and  from  there  removed  to  the  State  of 
Massachusetts,  where  he  spent  a  number  of 
years.  While  there  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Dorcas  Bliss,  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts, who  died  after  about  seventeen 
years  of  married  life.  In  1857  he  was  again 
united  in  marriage.  He  is  the  parent  of  three 
children  :  John,  James  and  Jane.  James  died 
in  1882 ;  Jane  married  John  Murphy,  and 
John  married  Nellie  Dojde,  and  lives  in  this 
town.   The  family  are  members  of  the  Catho- 


678 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


lie  Church,  and  Mr.  Markham  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics. 

M.  S.  Hopkins,  and  his  wife,  Ahna  (Nor- 
ton) Hopkins,  with  their  family  came  to  the 
town  of  Alton  in  1867,  and  settled  on  section 
25.  They  were  natives  of  the  State  of  New 
York  and  Vermont,  who  had  emigrated  to 
Ohio,  from  whence  they  had  come  here. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoj^kins  resided  here  until 
their  death,  which  occurred,  Mr.  Hopkins, 
September  25,  1871,  and  Mrs.  Hopkins,  the 
3d  of  June,  1882.  Both  are  buried  at  Ped- 
dler's Grove.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
cliildren  :  George  R.,  born  in  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  December  27,  1840,  died  December  1-1-, 
1863  ;  Mary  E.,  born  in  the  same  place,  Sep- 
tember 9,  18-12,  who  married  Albert  Chapel 
about  186B,  and  has  three  children;  they  live 
at  Farmington  this  State  :  Helen  L.,  born  in 
the  same  place,  January'  30,  1844,  living  in 
Alton  Township,  and  is  unmarried ;  H.  M. 
whose  sketch  follows  this  ;  Gertrude,  born  in 
Ohio  also,  October  10,  1854,  married  J.  lian- 
daU  in  1875,  and  lives  in  Minneapolis,  where 
he  is  a  machinist ;  and  Sarah  E.,  born  in  Ohio. 
August  9,  1857. 

H.  M.  Hopkins,  whose  father's  sketch  is 
given  above,  was  born  in  Summit  County, 
Ohio,  November  15,  1845,  and  came  to  this 
county  with  the  family  in  1866.  He  has  fol- 
lowed the  vocation  of  farmer  ever  since  he 
was  old  enough  to  do  anything  in  that  line, 
and  understands  it  thoroughly  in  all  its 
branches.  Since  his  father's  death  he  has 
been  the  main  one  to  carry  on  the  farm,  and 
is  the  chief  maintenance  of  his  two  unmar- 
ried sisters  and  a  sister  of  his  mother,  who 
lives  with  them.  He  is  one  of  the  represen- 
tative men  of  tlie  township,  and  has  held  the 
office  of  town  clerk  therein.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics. 

Patrick  Seymour  came  to  the  county  of 
Waseca  in  1856,  and  is  therefore  one  of  the 
oldest  of  settlers.  He  was  born  in  Ireland, 
Marcii  20,  1840,  and  is  the  son  of  Patrick  and 
Joanna  (Ryan)  Seymour,  who  had  a  family 
of  six  children,  two  boys  and  four  girls.  His 


parents  died  in  the  old  country,  and  Pat- 
rick came  to  this  country  in  early  youth, 
first  settling  in  New  Jersey,  where  he 
remained  about  a  year,  and  then  came  west, 
spending  three  years  in  Chicago,  and  then 
coming  to  this  county,  as  above  stated,  where 
he  has  since  remamed.  He  was  married  to 
Mary  Hederman,  a  native  of  New  York, 
born  in  1847,  by  whom  he  has  had  six  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  at  home  with  their  par- 
ents. Mr.  Seymour  is  one  of  the  soUd  farm- 
ers of  this  section  of  the  county,  having  a 
fine  farm  on  section  13,  where  he  is  residing. 

At  an  early  day.  Dr.  Morrison  located  at 
Peddler's  Grove.  He  was  an  eclectic  physi- 
cian. 

The  lands  now  embraced  within  the  limits 
of  Alton  Township  were,  until  1863,  a  part  of 
the  "Winnebago  agency,  and  on  their  being- 
thrown  open  to  settlement,  or  shortly  after, 
the  people  from  all  parts  of  the  country 
flocked  in  and  took  up  claims.  The  number 
in  1864  and  1865  probablj'^  equaled  the 
entire  population  of  the  township  at  present, 
hence  it  is  imposible  to  give  all  of  the  early 
settlers. 

Among  others  who  came  here  early,  not 
mentioned  before,  were :  W.  B.  Morris,  George 
Watson.  C.  G.  Pride,  B.  F.  Crump,  O.  P.  Sat- 
terlee. 

BIOGKAPHICAL. 

The  annals  of  Alton  would  be  incomplete 
witliout  some  mention  being  made  of  other 
citizens,  who  have  been  so  largely  instru- 
mental in  developing  and  building  up  this 
part  of  the  countr}^,  so  sketches  of  some  of 
them  are  inserted  here. 

Andrew  De  Graff  is  a  native  of  Schen- 
ectady County,  N.  Y.,  and  was  born  October 
21,  1811.  He  is  the  son  of  Nicholas  and 
Nellie  (Thomas)  De  Graff,  who  were  botli 
natives  of  the  Empire  State,  the  father  be- 
ing engaged  in  farming  there  until  called  to 
his  reward.  Since  1832  Andrew  De  Graff 
has  been  more  or  less  engaged  in  the  con- 
struction of  railroads,  both  in  the  eastern, 
middle  and  western  States.     In  1857  he  had 


i 


HISTOKY    OF    WASKCA   COUNTY. 


681 


a  contract  to  build  the  Winona  &  St.  Peter 
Railroad,  and  had  commenced  operations 
when  the  great  financial  panic  of  that  year 
came  on  and  swept  like  a  tidal  wave  over 
the  land,  and  compelled  the  cessation  of  all 
work  of  that  kind.  Hardly  had  the  financial 
crisis  spent  its  force  when  Col.  De  Graff 
again  commenced  work  and  fini.s]ied  it,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  carried  on  that  busi- 
ness with  his  late  son,  Charles  A.  De  Graff. 
Col.  De  Graff  married  Rachel  Pomeroy,  who 
was  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  They  were 
the  parents  of  thi'ee  children  :  Minnie,  now 
Mrs.  John  A.  Berkey,  living  in  St.  Paul, 
where  her  husband  is  engaged  in  mercantile 
and  banking  business ;  Frankie,  a  single 
man  who  died  in  1875,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years,  living  at  home  with  his  parents  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  and  Charles  A.,  whose 
sketch  follows  this.  Col.  De  Graff,  by  the 
energy  of  his  nature  and  the  ability  with 
which  he  is  gifted,  has  raised  himself  until 
he  now  stands  one  of  the  most  prominent 
figures  in  the  historj'  of  railroad  construction 
and  financial  undertakings  in  this  great  re- 
public. 

Charles  A.  De  Graff  (deceased)  was  the 
son  of  Col.  Andrew  and  Rachel  (Pomeroy) 
De  Graff,  and  first  saw  the  light  in  Alexan- 
der, N.  Y.,  l^ovember  20,  184r3,  and  died  at 
St.  Paul,  July  20,  1887.  He  was  truly  one 
of  the  representative  men  of  the  United 
States.  When  but  a  boy  he  came  with  his 
father  to  Minnesota,  and  shortly  after  they 
engaged  in  railroad  construction,  which  re- 
sulted in  tlie  accumulation  of  a  large  and 
handsome  fortune.  In  1864  he  served  in  the 
Union  army  for  the  salvation  of  our  country. 
Like  many  other  wealthy  men  throughout 
the  Union,  he  became  fascinated  with  the 
breeding  problem,  and  the  amusement  of  his 
life  was  his  splendid  Lake  Elysian  stock 
farm.  Here  he  loved  to  retire  from  the 
busy  hum  of  commerce,  and  surrounded  by 
his  champion  herd  of  Jerseys,  or  in  the  pad- 
docks of  his  excellently  bred  trotters,  spend 
many  peaceful  days.     Mr.  De  Graff  was_  a 

39 


member  of  the  National  Short-Horn  Associa- 
tion of  America,  a  director  of  the  Southern 
Minnesota  fair,  a  director  in  the  Breeders' 
Association  of  Trotting  and  Pacing  Horses, 
and  at  one  time  vice-president  and  member  of 
the  board  of  managers  of  the  State  Agricul- 
tural Society.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  Winona  Commandery  of  Knights  Tem- 
plar. His  large  circle  of  friends  will  ever 
keep  his  memory  green,  as  a  man  of  the 
highest  personal  character,  a  generous  and 
faithful  friend,  an  honorable  and  briUiant 
business  man,  and  one  who  was  always  first 
and  foremost  in  every  good  work  and  deed. 

In  regard  to  Mr.  De  Graff's  place,  it  is 
unsurpassed  by  any  in  the  United  States, 
and  the  buildings  which  have  been  erected 
by  Mr.  De  Graff 's  untiring  ambition  gives 
it  the  appearance  of  a  little  town  of  a  couple 
of  hundred  inhabitants.  The  hundreds  of 
beautiful  trees  which  have  been  set  out  by 
his  own  hands  afford  abundance  of  shade, 
and  make  it  the  handsomest  grove  in  the 
Northwest.  The  barns  which  stand  on  the 
place  are  enormous,  one  of  them  being 
60x120  feet,  and  several  more  nearly  as 
large ;  two  fine  and  handsome  tenement 
houses,  and  many  buildings  which  are  too 
numerous  to  mention.  The  farm,  which  lies 
in  one  body,  covers  2,400  acres  of  land.  It 
numbers  from  125  to  160  head  of  horses,  a 
great  many  of  which  are  imported  stock,  and 
their  record  competes  with  any  in  the 
Northwest,  Mr.  De  Graff  paying  for  some 
as  high  as  $3,000  apiece.  The  herd  of  cattle 
which  are  kept  within  the  boundaries  of  this 
large  farm  numbers  about  two  or  three  hun- 
dred of  the  finest  Jersey  and  short-horn 
stock  which  can  be  produced. 

The  following  beautiful  tribute  to  the 
memory  of  Charles  A.  De  Graff,  written  by 
Bishop  Whipple,  sums  up  the  lovable  traits 
in  the  character  of  his  deceased  friend,  and 
fitiingly  closest  his  eulogium  upon  the  dead  : 

"May  I  bring  a  few  fiowers  to  lay  on  the 
new-made  grave  of  our  friend  Charles  De 
Graff.     I  have  known  him  almost  a  quarter 


682 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


of  a  century,  and  loved  him  as  one  of  the 
truest  friends.  Others  can  speak  better  than 
I  of  his  business  life  —  of  the  benefits  he 
conferred  on  the  im.poverished  wheat-grow- 
ers by  showing  them  the  marvelous  adapta 
tion  of  our  fair  State  to  the  growth  of  stock. 
He  was  the  first  to  introduce  the  Kentucky 
blue  grass,  and  from  the  day  he  left  railway 
i)uilding  he  was  a  model  farmer  and  stock- 
Iji'ceder.  I  loved  him  for  the  tender  sym- 
pathy which  ^vas  always  given  in  sorrow. 
His  heart  was  as  gentle  as  a  woman's  and 
yet  strong  and  manly,  true  as  steel.  I  never 
knew  one  more  ready  to  respond  to  the  calls 
of  duty.  In  every  walk  of  life  he  had 
learned  '  to  do  justly  and  to  love  mercy.' 
As  a  son,  a  brother,  a  friend,  he  loved  with 
his  whole  heart.  I  never  knew  a  son  with 
deeper  filial  love.  It  was  his  devotion  to  his 
mother  which  first  won  my  admiration  and 
regard.  No  lover  ever  watched  and  waited 
to  anticipate  its  loved  one's  unspoken  wishes 
more  than  he  his  father's.  He  knew  men. 
His  friends  were  of  the  best.  With  him  it 
Avas  a  law,  'If  he  cheats  me  once,  he  is 
to  blame;  if  he  cheats  me  twice,  I  am  to 
blame.'  When  I  saw  him  on  his  beautiful 
farm,  looking  so  lovingly  into  the  faces  of 
his  dumb  friends,  I  thought  of  Webster's 
advice  to  John  Taylor:  'Look  into  their 
large  eyes  and  kindly  faces  and  be  an  honest 
man.' " 

E.  F.  Nettleton  was  bom  in  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  July  7,  1830,  and  is  the  son 
of  Lemon  and  Nancy  (Rose)  Nettleton.  The 
former  of  these  was  a  farmer  and  attained 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven  years 
before  he  died;  his  wife  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three.  They  had  a  family  of  fifteen 
children,  seven  boys  and  eight  girls.  In 
18.57  E.  F.  Nettleton  c^ame  to  Minnesota  and 
settled  in  Le  Sueur  County,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming.  In  August,  1862,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  G,  Tenth  Minnesota  In- 
fantry, and  participated  in  all  the  hardships 
and  battles  with  that  famous  regiment ;  was 
in  the  battles  of  Tupelo   and  Spanish  Fort, 


and  served  until  August  19,  1865,  when  he 
was  discharged  and  returned  to  Le  Sueur 
County,  where  he  lived  until  1874,  when  he 
removed  to  tliis  town  and  county.  When 
he  first  returned  he  was  under  the  physi- 
cian's hands  for  some  time  for  a  sunstroke 
received  in  the  army.  lie  lives  on  section 
32,  whei'e  he  settled  on  first  coming  here. 
March  29,  18.51,  he  was  united  in  the  holy 
bonds  of  matrimony  with  Elizabeth  Stone, 
who  was  born  in  New  York  State,  October 
19,  1832.  They  have  been  the  parents  of 
four  children  :  William,  born  November  29, 
1854;  Theron  S.,  born  in  April,  1858,  mar- 
ried Mary  Gates,  and  is  a  harness  maker  in 
Alma  City  ;  George,  born  March  19,  1859, 
married  Emma  Hodge  and  is  a  professor 
of  penmanship  in  St.  Louis ;  Luella,  born  in 
September,  1850,  married  Joel  Southwick,  a 
carpenter  of  Alma  City. 

William  Thompson  is  one  of  the  old  settlers 
of  Blue  Earth  County,  this  State,  his  parents 
locating  in  1855  about  a  mile  from  what  is 
now  Garden  City,  when  there  was  not  a 
house  in  that  village.  Lie  is  a  native  of 
Waukesha  County,  Wis.,  born  October  1(», 
1844,  and  is  the  son  of  William  R.  and  Anna 
(Brown)  Thompson,  natives  of  New  York 
and  Vermont,  who  had  come  west  to  Wis- 
consin in  1844,  and  in  1855  to  this  State,  as 
above  stated,  where  they  remained  until 
tiieir  deaths.  When  William  was  but  thir- 
teen years  of  age,  he  commenced  work  on 
his  father's  farm,  and  has  always  followed 
farming.  September  26, 1867,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Henrietta  Killmer,  a  native 
of  Upper  Canada,  born  December  3, 1846. 
Her  parents  were  also  natives  of  Canada,  who 
came  to  Wisconsin  in  1854,  and  remained 
there  ten  years,  then  moved  to  Blue  Earth 
County,  Minn.,  where  her  mother  died  in 
1866,. the  father  lieing  still  a  resident  there. 
They  had  a  family  of  eight  children  in  their 
family.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomi)son  are  the 
parents  of  nine  children,  born  as  follows : 
William  Freeman,  May  2,  1868 ;  John  C. 
March  19,  1871;  Lois  Ann.  May  2.3,   1874; 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


683 


George  Curtis,  November  17,  1873 ;  James 
R.,  November  20,  1875  ;  Raymond,  January 
21,  1877 ;  Lee  Coleman,  February  1,  1879  ; 
Frank  Ellis,  January  18,  1881,  and  Jevena 
Pearl,  February  12,  1885. 

Andrew  Ilogan  is  a  native  of  Ireland, 
born  in  1835,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  the  3'ear  1856,  and  for  some  nine  months 
remained  in  New  York  City,  and  then 
proceeded  to  Ohio,  but  in  1S58  came  to 
Waseca  County  and  settled  on  section  29, 
of  Janesville  Township,  where  he  lived  until 
1874,  and  tlien  removed  to  section  3,  this 
town,  wiiere  he  still  lives.  In  tlie  year 
1S60  he  was  married  to  Mary  Hander- 
han,  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  They  are 
the  parents  of  six  children,  three  boys  and 
three  girls.  One  of  the  latter  is  married  to 
Patrick  Mulcahy,  a  farmer  of  Alton  Town- 
ship ;  the  rest  live  at  home  with  their  parents. 

James  A.  Yaughan  was  born  in  Ii'eland 
in  1831,  and  is  the  son  of  Edward  and  Mary 
Yaughan,  who  were  farmers  in  the  old  coun- 
try and  who  had  a  family  of  fourteen  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  dead.  The  parents  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1838,  bringing  their 
family  with  them,  and  for  some  three  years 
remained  in  New  York  City.  From  there 
they  moved  to  McHenry  County,  111.,  where 
they  resided  until  called  away  by  death,  the 
mother  in  1861.  the  father  in  1866.  James 
A.  Yaughan  came  to  "Waseca  County  in 
1873,  and  settled  on  section  14,  Alton  Town- 
ship, where  he  still  lives,  carrying  on  his 
farming  pursuits.  He  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics,  but  seeks  no  public  preferment.  In 
1859  he  was  united  in  the  holy  bonds  of 
marriage  with  Catherine  O'Locklin,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Honora  (Clarj')  O'Locklin, 
who  was  born  July  26,  1843,  in  Ireland. 
Her  parents  came  to  this  country  in  1863, 
but  both  are  now  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Yaughan  are  the  parents  of  eight  children  : 
Hannah,  James,  John,  Mary  Jane,  Agnes, 
Eddie,  Sylvester  and  Katie. 

ORGANIC. 

Alton,  until  the  spring  of  1863  a  portion 


of  the  Winnebago  Indian  agency,  was  or- 
ganized in  May,  1864,  as  a  part  of  the  town 
of  Freedom.  It  remained  thus  until  April 
27,  1866,  when  it  was  ordered  by  the  board 
of  county  commissioners  that  it  be  organized 
as  a  separate  civil  township,  under  the  name 
of  Alton,  under  the  township  organization 
act  of  the  State,  approved  February  21, 1860. 
The  first  election  was  held  at  the  house  of 
M.  L.  Devercaux. 


Alma    G'ity. 


In  June,  1865,  as  the  townships  of  Alton 
and  Freedom  filled  up  with  an  enterprising- 
class  of  agriculturists.  S.  M.  Larabee  pro- 
ceeded to  lay  out  a  town  site  with  the  assis- 
tance of  S.  E.  Stel)bings,  as  surveyor,  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  Alma  Cit^y. 

■On  this  site  he  put  up  a  hotel  known  then 
as  the  Larabee  House.  "  Uncle  Sam  "  and 
his  wife,  "  Aunt  Patty  "  Larabee,  kept  this 
hotel  for  many  years.  He  was  rather  an 
eccentric  genius,  and  was  somewhat  deaf,  but 
it  is  said  of  him  that  he  could  always  hear 
even  a  whisper,  if  it  concerned  money  or  a 
horse  trade.  "  Aunt  Patty  "  was  killed  in 
1885  by  being  thrown  out  of  a  buggy;  "Uncle 
Sam"  resides  with  a  daughter  in  Blue  Earth 
County. 

In  the  fall  of  1865  Chase  tfe  Ames,  of 
Rochester,  Minn.,  erected  the  first  store 
building  here.  The  people  of  this  vicinity 
gave  them  a  lot,  where  now  the  store  of 
Smith  &  Hofeld  stands,  on  which  they  put 
up  the  building.  In  this  they  opened  up  a 
stock  of  general  merchandise.  After  re- 
maining about  a  year  the  stock  was  removed 
to  Peddler's  Grove. 

Mary  Ann  Johnson,  about  the  same  time, 
opened  up  a  small  stock  of  the  same  char- 
actei'. 

A.  H.  Davis  was  the  next  merchant,  open- 
ing in  what  is  now  the  red  front  building, 
in  the  spring  of  1866. 

In  the  same  spring  O.  P.  Smith  opened  a 
stock   of  general  merchandise  in  the  store 


684: 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COtJNTT. 


building  now  occupied  by  Smith  &  Hofeld. 

Rineerson  &  Morton  were  the  first  black- 
smiths in  tlie  village  of  Alma  City,  opening 
their  smithy  in  the  latter  part  of  1865. 

The  business  of  this  thriving  little  burg  is 
now  represented  1)V  the  following  firms: 
Smith  &  Hofeld,  Gates,  Crump  &  Co.  and 
Lau  Bros,  in  general  merchandise ;  D.  D. 
Smith,  drugs ;  Baldwin  Bros.,  furniture ; 
Theron  S.  Nettleton,  harness;  D.J.  Bickford 
and  Iver  Moen,  blacksmiths ;  J.  Benjamin 
and  "Warren  Gates,  wagon-makers.  Tlie 
Runnells  House,  formerly  the  Larabee  House, 
is  now  kept  by  Thomas  Donahue. 

George  Hofeld  was  born  in  Germany, 
March  4,  1838,  and  resided  in  that  country 
until  he  had  finished  his  education.  In  1854 
he  came  to  tlie  United  States  and  remained 
until  fall  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  then 
moved  to  Indiana.  In  1856  he  removed  to 
Michigan,  and  remained  there  until  1863, 
when  he  first  came  to  Minnesota.  He  re- 
turned to  Indiana  that  fall,  but  in  1865  came 
to  this  county,  and  purchased  a  farm  in 
Freedom  Township  in  tlie  month  of  June, 
1866,  but  did  not  settle  down  on  it  until 
August,  1868.  He  resided  on  it  until  the  fall 
of  1877,  when  he  sold  his  place  and  moved 
to  Alma  City,  where,  January  7,  1878,  he 
entered  into  the  mercantile  trade,  where  he 
now  has  a  general  stock  of  merchandise.  He 
taught  school  for  thirteen  winters  in  Indiana, 
Michigan  and  Minnesota,  working  at  farm 
work  during  the  summers  of  those  years.  He 
has  held  the  offices  of  chairman  of  town 
board  five  years  ;  town  assesscjr,  two  years ; 
town  clerk,  two  years  ;  notary  public,  eight 
years,  and  postmaster,  three  years,  the  last 
two  of  which  he  holds  now.  He  wasmari'ied 
July  5,  1868,  in  Michigan,  to  Anna  Huff. 
They  are  the  parents  of  five  children:  Henry, 
born  May  7,  1869;  Carl,  April  24,  1870; 
Frank,  January  21,  1872,  died  September  26, 
1874;  Maud,  August  24,  1877,  and  Edna, 
September  2,  1884. 

Warren  Gates  came  to  Waseca  County  in 
the  fall  of  1865,  locating  at  Alma  City,  and  is 


the  oldest  residentof  that  place.  He  engaged 
in  the  wagon-making  business  on  first  coming 
here,  and  still  continues  in  thatline.  In  1869 
and  1870  he  was  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  pumps  here,  but  closed  out  that  branch  of 
his  business.  He  is  a  native  of  Bennington 
County,  Vt.,  born  January  31,  1828,  and  is 
the  son  of  Abel  and  Mary  (Peabody)  Gates. 
Tlie  father  was  a  cabinet-maker  by  trade, 
and  died  in  1872,  the  mother  died  in  1880. 
They  had  a  family  of  six  children.  Warren 
beo'an  the  business  of  wagon-making-  in  1849, 
in  Erie  County,  N.  V.,  where  he  remained 
many  years,  and  came  to  La  Ci-osse,  Wis., 
in  the  spring  of  1864,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming.  He  remained  there  until  he  came 
to  this  county,  as  already  mentioned.  April 
25,  1852,  he  was  united  in  nuirriage  with 
Helen  M.  Canfield,  who  was  born  January 
1,  1832,  in  Erie  County,  N.  Y.  They  have 
had  a  family  of  six  children  :  Lawrence  E., 
who  married  in  1882,  and  is  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  at  Elgin,  Minn.;  Mary, 
the  wife  of  T.  S.  Nettleton,  married  in  1877, 
and  Carrie,  Susan,  Blanche  and  Emma,  all 
single  and  living  at  home.  During  the 
years  1870  to  1873,  inclusive,  Mr.  Gates  car- 
ried the  mail  from  this  place  to  Janesville. 

The  mill  at  Alma  Cit}'  is  in  the  hands  of  a 
stock  company  composed  of  Kelsey  Curtis,  J. 
D.  Morris  E.  S.  Taylor,  John  Markham,  John 
Wilkinson  and  Frank  R.  Field.  Mr.  Field  has 
the  general  management  and  superintendency 
of  the  mill,  which  turns  out  an  excellent  quality 
of  flour,  and  is  noted  throughout  this  part  of 
the  country.  The  mill  was  built  by  John  T. 
Fisher  in  1875,  and  after  running  it  for  some 
time  he  sold  it  to  W.  H.  Ketzback,  and  for 
nine  years  he  ran  it,  part  of  the  time  in  com- 
pany with  otliers,  among  whom  were  Frank 
Field  and  Smith  it  Hofekl.  In  February, 
1886,  the  present  company  was  formed  and 
have  run  it  ever  since.  The  mill  is  well 
eijuipped  with  all  modern  machinery,  has 
three  sets  of  stones,  five  sets  of  rollers,  excel- 
lent engine,  and  all  necessary  adjuncts  that 
go  to  make  up  a  first-class  mill.     It  has  a 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


685 


capacity  of  turning  out  some  seventy-five 
barrels  of  excellent  Hour  per  day. 

Frank  Field  was  born  in  Rockford,  111., 
November  1,  1855,  and  is  the  son  of  John  H. 
and  Rosie  Woodberry.  His  father  was 
born  in  North  Bridgewater,  Mass.,  March  19, 
1834.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  came  west  in  1853,  first  stop" 
ping  in  Illinois,  from  there  to  Mower  County' 
this  State,  and  then  to  Rochester,  Olmsted 
County,  were  the  next  moves.  June  6, 1864, 
they  came  to  this  county  and  settled  in 
Freedom  Township,  where  they  still  reside. 
They  had  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  six 
boys  and  seven  girls,  four  of  whom  are  now 
dead.  Their  son  Frank,  in  1876,  entered  the 
Banner  mill  at  Janesville,  where  he  got  his 
first  insight  in  the  milling  business,  and  re" 
mained  there  one  winter.  A  short  time  was 
spent  in  the  same  line  in  Madelia,  and  then  he 
came  to  Alma  City  and  entered  the  employ- 
ment of  W.  H.  Ketzeback  &  Co.,  who  were 
running  the  mill,  and  remained  with  them 
two  years.  He  then  engaged  with  his 
brother  under  the  firm  name  of  Field  Bros, 
in  the  hardware  business  in  the  same  place. 
Eighteen  months  later  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  William  Altenburg  to  carry  on  the 
same  line  of  trade,  and  still  continues  a  mem- 
ber of  that  firm.  In  the  fall  of  1886  Mr.  Field 
was  instrumental  in  forming  the  stock  com- 
pany who  purchased  the  mill  of  Smith  & 
Hofeld  and  are  running  it  as  mentioned  above. 
In  the  year  1880  Frank  Field  and  Martha  A. 
Boston  were  united  in  marriage.  She  is  a 
native  of  Racine  County,  Wis.,  born  Febru- 
ary 23,  1850. 

D.  P;  Young  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
May  11,  1838.  In  1850  he  went  with  the 
family  to  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
remained  several  years,  and  then  removed 
to  Dodge  County,  Wis.  In  1864  he  came  to 
this  county,  and  located  in  Freedom  Town- 
ship, among  the  first  settlers  in  that  part  of 
Waseca  County.  He  took  up  farm  there, 
and  followed  the  vocation  of  farmer  until 
1875,  when  he  removed  to  Alma  City,  where, 


in  company  with  Fisher  and  Wilkinson,  he 
built  the  flouring  mill  and  ran  it  for  about 
two  years  and  then  disposed  of  it.  He  then 
went  into  partnership  with  W.  E.  Lockwood, 
in  the  mercantile  business  and  has  fol- 
lowed that  ever  since.  May  27,  1858  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Ruth  Lockwood, 
daughter  of  Hezekiah  and  Caroline  Lock- 
wood,  who  was  born  October  8,  1838.  They 
have  been  the  parents  of  two  children : 
William,  born  in  1861,  now  an  attorney  of 
Mankato,  who  attended  the  law  school  at 
Iowa  City,  Iowa,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Waseca  when  but  twenty-one  years 
of  age.  He  is  married  to  Nettie  Shingler, 
and  has  one  child,  John  Paul.  The  other 
son,  Arthur  Young,  was  born  in  1871.  Mr. 
Y'oung's  father  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  a  carpenter  by  trade,  but  now 
dead ;  his  mother,  who  is  living  with  him, 
was  born  in  Connecticut. 

C.  W .  Remington  came  to  Waseca  County 
in  1882,  from  Blue  Earth  County,  where  he 
had  been  living  for  some  years,  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Freedom  Township,  where  he 
remained  until  1886,  when  he  removed  to 
Alma  City,  where  he  now  resides.  He  was 
born  in  Vermont,  December  11,  1828,  and  is 
the  son  of  William  and  Beersheba  (Packard) 
Remington,  natives  of  Massachusetts  and 
Vermont.  His  father  was  a  large  manu- 
facturer of  shoes  in  New  England.  C.  W. 
is  a  carpenter  and  joiner  by  trade,  although 
he  no  longer  follows  it,  but  in  his  time  had 
few  superiors  in  that  line  of  business,  as 
many  of  the  finest  edifices  in  New  England 
can  attest,  he  having  been  employed  in  their 
erection.  For  the  past  eighteen  or  twenty 
years  Mr.  Remington  has  given  his  atten- 
tion to  the  improvement  of  horses  in  this 
and  adjoining  counties,  and  is  now  the  owner 
of  three  of  the  best  imjiorted  Norman  Per- 
cheron  horses  in  this  section  of  the  country : 
Victor  Hugo,  Blackhawk  and  Success.  Mr. 
Remington's  wife,  Mary  Jane  (Wright) 
Remington,  in  a  native  of  the  State  of  New 
York.     They  have  two  children  :  Charles  I., 


686 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    CODNTT. 


mentioned  elsewhere,  and  Emma,  now  Mrs. 
Daniel  Mandigo,  of  Freedom. 

Dr.  C.  I.  Remington  was  born  in  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,-May  7.  1853,  and  is  the  son  of  C.  W. 
and  Mary  Jane  (Wright)  Eemington,  both 
natives  of  the  Empire  State.  Dr.  Reming- 
ton received  a  classical  education  in  his 
3'outh,  and  in  1876  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  with  Dr.  E.  J.  Davis,  of  Mankato, 
with  whom  he  remained  three  years,  aftei- 
which  he  attended  lectures  at  the  medical 
college  at  Keokuk,  Iowa,  for  two  years, 
and  finding  himself  well  fitted  for  the  pro- 
fession, in  1879  commenced  practice  at  Alma 
City,  where  he  has  since  remained.  Febru- 
ary 14,  1882,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Lury  Clark,  a  daughter  of  Archibald  and 
Margeret  Clark,  born  in  Winona  County, 
Minn.,  October  6,  1860.  Her  parents  are 
Scotch,  the  mother  having  been  born  in 
Paisley,  Scotland,  the  father  being  of  Scot- 
tish descent  also.  The  latter  was  a  hard- 
ware merchant  and  farmer  until  his  death 
in  1866,  he  falling  from  a  load  of  hay  and 
striking  a  jjitchfork  that  was  standing 
against  the  load,  resulting  fatally.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Remington  are  the  happy  parents  of 
one  child,  Everett  C,  born  December  18, 
1882.  The  Doctor  has  a  large  and  increas- 
ing practice,  and  is  ranked  high  in  his 
chosen  profession. 

Milo  Baldwin  was  born  in  Litchfield 
Count}^  Conn.,  March  22,  1818,  and  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Lucy  (Strong)  Baldwin,  both 
natives  of  the  same  State.  Thev  were  of 
English  origin,  and  had  but  two  children. 
Flora  and  Milo,  the  former  born  in  1829,  and 
married  in  1852  to  W.  W.  Ramsey,  now  of 
Lake  Benton,  this  State.  When  Milo  had 
reached  his  majority,  he  engaged  in  the 
painting  business  in  New  York,  and  while 
there  was  united  in  marriage  with  Rosetta 
AV  right,  September  12,  1839,  who  was  a 
native  of  New  York,  born  February  26. 1816. 
They  had  a  family  of  three  children  :  Mai-y 
Eliza,  born  July  3,  1810,  married  to  Abram 
T.  Borden,  a  merchant ;  John  W.,  born  Jan- 


uary 10,  1842,  who  enlisted  March  1861,  in 
Company  D,  Eighth  Regiment  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  died  of  wounds  received  at 
Port  Hudson,  July  31,  1863;  and  George 
W.,  born  June  28,  1843,  who  enlisted  inCom- 
panjr  G,  Fifth  Infantry,  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  Washington  Territory'.  Mr.  Milo  Baldwin 
was  engaged  in  the  painting  business  but  a 
short  time,  when  he  went  to  Medina  County, 
Ohio,  where  he  followed  farming  for  six 
years,  and  then  removed  to  Indiana,  where 
he  was  engaged  both  in  farming  and  cabi- 
net-making. His  first  wife  dying,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  his  second  wife,  Joanna  Taylor,  May 
27,  1849.  She  was  born  April  27,  1824. 
They  were  the  parents  of  four  children  : 
Lucy,  who  married  John  Rush,  a  farmer  of 
Janesville,  October  9,  1870;  WiUiam,  who  is 
the  Methodist  minister  at  Mapleton,  Minn., 
having  begun  his  ministry  in  1883,  and  who 
married  Mary  Cooley  in  1870,  who  died  in 
1874,  and  in  1882  William  married  Abbie 
Dunham,  who  was  born  in  Winnebago  City, 
this  State,  August  11,  1861 ;  Orlo,  who  was 
born  May  11,  1856,  now  in  the  mill  at  Alma 
City,  and  Robert,  an  insurance  agent,  born 
May  22,  1858.  Mrs.  Baldwin  died  February 
20,  1860.  Mr.  Baldwin's  third  wife  was 
Mrs.  Amy  L.  Moore,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  State,  Decemljer  11,  1822,  and  who 
was  a  widow  with  three  children,  as  follows : 
Eber  L.,  born  in  1849,  married  to  Mary  May- 
nard,  now  at  Motley,  Minn. ;  George  W., 
born  March  23,  1844,  enlisted  in  1861  in 
Company  D,  Tenth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and 
died  in  the  service  March,  25,  1862 ;  and 
Olivia  v.,  born  September  27,  1845,  married 
to  George  Smith  in  September  1865,  and 
now  living  at  Germania,  this  State.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Baldwin  have  had  by  the  present  mar- 
riage three  children :  Elmore  Y.,  born  De- 
cember 1,  1862  ;  Milton  J.,  born  January  1, 
1865,  and  married  January  1,  1886,  to 
Martha  Larrabee,  who  was  born  in  Minne- 
sota, August  16,  1864,  and  is  engaged  in  bus- 
iness in  Alma  City,  and  Homer  E.,  born 
May  24,  1861.     Mr.  Milo  Baldwin  is  a  Pro- 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


681 


hibitionist  in  politics,  and  is  a  leading  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Brethren  Church,  of  Alma 
City. 

Christopher  Mertens,  Esq.,  is  a  native  of 
South  Germany,  born  February  13,  1843. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1867,  and 
settled  in  Dunkirlc,  N.  Y.,  where  he  was  en- 
gasred  in  the  manufacture  of  boots  and  shoes 
for  about  one  year,  and  then  removed  to 
Two  Rivers,  Wis.,  where  he  followed  the 
same  line  of  trade.  Fi'om  there,  two  years 
later,  he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  Algona, 
Kossuth  County,  Iowa,  where  he  engaged  in 
farming,  and  remained  there  six  years.  He 
then  came  to  Minnesota,  and  locating  in  Blue 
Earth  Countj%  engaged  in  the  insurance 
business.  In  1878  he  removed  to  Alma 
City,  where  he  now  resides.  He  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  shortly  after  coming  here 
and  has  held  the  same  ever  since.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  official  duties,  he  is  the  principal 
insurance  and  collection  agent  in  this  part  of 
the  country.  He  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Genevieve  Geiger,  July  16, 1868.  They 
have  been  the  parents  of  five  children  :  John, 
born  July  18,  1869  ;  Elizabeth,  born  August 
20,  1871,  died  February  20, 1872  ;  Clara,  born 
July  17,  1873 ;  Emma,  born  March  11, 187.5  ; 
Louise,  born  February  17,  1877.  He  repre- 
sents some  of  the  best  insurance  companies 
in  the  United  States,  including  the  ^tna,  of 
Hartford,  Conn.;  Phoenix,  of  Hartford;  State, 
of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  Live  Stock,  of  St. 
Paul.  He  belongs  to -the  collection  agencies 
of  Dunn,  of  St.  Paul,  Wilbur,  of  Chicago, 
and  Northwestern,  of  Crookston. 

William  Orcutt,  veterinary  surgeon,  was 
born  in  Ohio,  March  17,  1840,  and  is  the  son 
of  Caleb  and  Helen  Orcutt.  He  commenced 
to  do  business  for  himself  at  the  early  age  of 
twelve  years,  his  first  venture  being  to  buy 
two  yoke  of  oxen,  paying  for  one  and  get- 
ting time  on  the  other,  and  commenced  team- 
ing, Avhich  he  followed  for  about  three  years. 
He  was  then  variously  employed  until  June 
29,  1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  C, 
Second  Minnesota  Infantry,  and  served  three 


years,  being  always  with  the  company  ex- 
cept three  months  in  the  hospital,  he  having 
been  wounded.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  in  June,  1864,  and  returned  to  Dodge 
County,  Minn.,  where  he  had  been  living. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  was  married  to 
Sophia  Donaldson,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children :  Lula,  born  September  25,  1865, 
and  James,  born  December  19, 1867.  Sep- 
tember 26,  1865,  he  removed  to  this  county 
and  made  a  claim  on  a  part  of  section  12, 
Freedom,  where  he  now  owns  about  150 
acres  of  good,  well-improved  land.  In  1873 
his  wife  died,  and  in  1877  he  gave  up  farm- 
ing and  moved  to  a  fine  residence  he  owns 
in  Alma  City,  where  he  practices  as  a  vet- 
erinary surgeon.  June  15, 1875,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Louise  Connor,  and  they  have  had 
born  to  them  two  children :  Dora  Belle,  born 
April  31,  1876,  and  Anna  Louise,  born  May 
1,  1878. 

Iver  A.  Moen  is  a  native  of  Norway,  and 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1866, 
and  settled  in  Dane  County,  Wis.,  where  he 
was  engaged  for  about  nine  years  in  farming. 
He  then  commenced  to  learn  the  blacksmith 
trade,  serving  there  as  apprentice  for  two 
years  and  then  came  to  Mankato,  Minn., 
where  he  finished  his  trade.  From  there  he 
moved  to  Medo,  Blue  Earth  County,  where 
he  opened  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  remained 
there  three  years.  In  August,  1881,  he 
moved  to  Alma  City,  where  he  is  at  the 
present.  He  has  an  excellent  trade,  as  he  is 
a  good  mechanic,  and  has  all  the  work  he  can 
attend  to.  He  owns  his  shop,  which  is  well 
supplied  with  tools,  and  has  a  nice  comforta- 
ble dwelling.  July  9,  1879,  he  was  married 
to  Johanna  Lee,  and  they  have  had  four  chil- 
dren :  Maritte,  born  June  13,  1880  ;  George 
Elmer,  May  30,  1882 ;  Benedict,  March  25, 
1884,  and  Stephen  Leon,  February  11,  18S6. 

Wilton  Lodge,  No.  24,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
the  State.  It  was  organized  at  Wilton, 
in  the  upper  story  of  the  mill  of  John 
C.   Ide,   under    dispensation   June  1,   1857. 


HISTOEY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


with  the  following  officers :  Jesse  I.  Stew- 
art, W.  M.;  John  C.  Ide,  S.  W.;  H.  P. 
Norton,  J.  W.;  E.  A.  Rice,  T.;  H.  S.  Ed- 
raondson,  S.;  T.  L.  Paige,  S.  D.;  Buel  Welch, 
J.  D.,  and  John  Magill,  tyler.  ■  The  charter 
was  granted  to  this  lodge,  and  a  number  as- 
signed it,  January  8,  1858,  when  the  follow- 
ing brethren  were  elected  to  the  respective 
offices  and  duly  installed  :  John  C.  Ide,  W. 
M.;  Thomas  Paige,  S.  W.;  Euel  Welch,  J. 
W.;  P.  C.  Bailey,  T.;  H.  P.  West,  S.;  J.  C. 
Price,  S.  D.,  and  D.  D.  Stevens,  tyler.  Vov 
man}'  years  this  was  one  of  the  most  pi-os- 
perous  lodges  in  this  part  of  the  State,  and 
when  the  lodge  in  Owatonna  w'as  about 
to  be  organized.  Dr.  Morehouse  and  others 
of  that  city  came  over  to  Wilton  to  he  made 
Masons,  that  they  might  have  enough  to 
form  their  lodge.  After  the  decline  of  Wil- 
ton, and  the  removal  of  so  many  of  the 
brethren  of  the  "mystic  tie"  to  Waseca, 
Janesville  and  Alma  City,  the  lodge  declined 
until  November  21,  1883,  when,  under  a  dis- 
pensation signed  by  C.  H.  Benton,  G.  M. 
and  A.  T.  C.  Pierson,  G.  S.,  the  lodge  was 
removed  to  Alma  Citj^and  received  new  ac- 
cessions to  its  membership  and  is  once  more 
in  flourishing  condition.  The  following  is 
a  list  of  the  present  officers :  George  Hofeld, 
W.  M.;  F.  R.  Field,  S.  W.;  W.  E.  Lockwood, 
J.  W.:  D.  D.  Smith,  S.;  F.  D.  Seaman,  T.; 
John  Wagoner,  S.  D.;  William  Orcutt,  J.  D.; 
Samuel  Hodgkins,  S.   S.;  Fred.  Dow,  J.  S., 


and  D.  J.  Bickford,  tyler.  They  have  a  very 
neat  hall,  where  they  hold  their  meetings, 
and  the  members  all  take  an  interest  in  the 
masonic  work. 

There  is  but  one  church  organization 
in  the  village,  and  that  is  of  the  United 
Brethren.  It  was  in.stituted  in  the  fall  of 
1864  by  Rev.  Joel  Steiner,  who  was  a  very 
able  and  energetic  nuin  and  who  proba- 
bly did  more  for  the  upbuilding  of  this 
church  than  any  other  man.  He  was  pastor 
for  the  first  two  3'ears,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  Daniel  Reed,  who  served  two 
years ;  Rev.  Joel  Steiner  again  served  two 
years,  then  Rev.  Mr.  Nield  for  one  year, 
and  Rev.  O.  O.  Rundle  for  two  years,  to  be 
again  succeeded  by  Rev.  Joel  Steiner.  Rev. 
E.  Clow,  one  year;  Rev.  Samuel  Kemerer, 
one  year ;  Rev.  J.  M.  Tresenriter,  one  year ; 
Rev.  E.  Clow,  two  years ;  Rev.  H.  J.  Hind- 
man,  one  year ;  Rev.  Joel  Steiner,  one  year ; 
Rev.  Mr.  Kerr,  one  year ;  Rev.  S.  George, 
one  3' ear ;  Rev.  E.  Carter,  one  year,  and  Rev. 
A.  Fairchild,  one  year,  succeeded  to  the  pas- 
toral labors  here.  A  year  ago  Rev.  I.  N. 
English,  the  present  pastor,  came  here  and 
is  building  up  the  church.  The  church  has  a 
membership  of  about  a  hundred  souls,  and  is 
in  a  very  prosperous  condition.  The  neat, 
tasty  and  commodious  church  edifice  was 
built  in  1874,  and  the  spii'C  contains  a  fine 
bell,  to  call  the  wor.shipers  to  service. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


FREEDOM  TOWNSHIP. 


HE  subdivision  of  the  county  of 
Waseca  known  as  Freedom,  em- 
braces all  of  congressional  town- 
ship 106  north  of  range  24,  and 
contains  36  square  miles  or  23,040 
acres.  Its  surface,  generally 
speaking,  is  quite  level.  The 
State  geological  report  says, 
that :  "  The  difference  in  eleva- 
tion between  the  highest  and 
lowest  portions  of  the  surface,  connected 
by  slopes  from  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  mile 
in  length,  is  only  five  to  ten  feet."  It  is  well 
drained  however  by  the  Little  Cobb  River 
and  Bull  Run,  both  of  which  cross  its  entire 
Avidth  from  east  to  west,  passing  into  Blue 
Earth  County,  the  former  on  section  31,  the 
latter  on  18. 

Settlement  in  this  township  was  consider- 
ably later  than  in  other  parts  of  the  county 
owing  to  the  fact,  that,  at  the  time  the  settlers 
were  taking  up  their  claims  in  the  other  town- 
ships, the  territory  now  embraced  in  this,  to- 
gether with  that  of  the  town  of  Alton,  and 
parts  of  St.  Mary,  Wilton  and  Janesville  was 
then  comprised  within  the  Winnebago  Indian 
reservation.  This  line  tract  of  land  remained 
in  the  hands  of  the  nomad  savages  until  the 
summer  of  1863,  when  they  were  all  removed 
and  the  land  thrown  open  to  white  settlers, 
to  the  evident  satisfaction  of  those  who  had 
located  in  other  parts  of  the  county,  who, 
after  the  outbreak  of  1862,  dreaded  the  near 
neighborhood  of  the  Indians. 

Luke  Chase  was  the  first  settler  in  this 
townshij),  taking   up   a  claim  and  locating 


thereon,  in  the  fall  of  1863. 
resident  of  the  county. 


He  is  still  a 


Edward  Steele  and  Stephen  Robinson 
came  next.  The  latter  settled  on  the  north 
half  of  section  3,  and  from  his  avocation  of 
peddler  the  hamlet  that  sprang  up  north  of 
there  took  its  name  of  Peddler's  Grove.  He 
is  now  a  resident  of  Mendon,  Neb. 

Three  brothers  by  the  name  of  Bean  came 
here  in  the  spring  of  186-1-,  bringing  with 
them  some  six  hundred  head  of  sheep,  and 
one  of  the  brothers  remained  here  some  time, 
but  linall}'  returned  to  Iowa. 

Henry  Chase,  now  a  merchant  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Janesville,  came  to  this  township 
during  the  year  1864,  and  resided  here  until 
1869,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  loca- 
tion.    His  settlement  was  on  section  33. 

Fletcher  D.  Seaman  settled  in  this  town- 
ship in  April,  1864,  taking  up  a  claim  where 
he  now  lives.  He  is  the  oldest  remaining 
resident. 

Fletcher  D.  Seaman,  one  of  the  leading 
agriculturists  of  this  town,  is  the  son  of 
Buckland  K.  and  Charlotte  (Meade)  Seaman, 
and  was  born  in  Essex  County,  N.  Y.,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1843.  He  remained  a  resident  of 
the  Empire  State  until  1855,  when  he  came 
west,  locating  at  Appleton,  Wis.,  where  he 
followed  the  trade  of  iron  molder  for  about 
a  year,  and  other  employment.  In  the  fall 
of  1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  First 
Wisconsin  Cavalry,  and  served  for  about  a 
vear,  when  he  was  discharged  for  disabiUty, 
and  returned  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  taught 
school  that  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1863 
he  came  to  this  State,  anil  worked  on  a  farm 
that  summer  and  taught  school  in  the  winter 
in  Hennepin  County.  April  1,  1864,  he 
came  to  this  countv,  and  settled  on  section 


68'.) 


690 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


18,  Freedom  Township,  a  portion  of  which 
he  preempted.  In  the  fall  of  1864  he  again 
enlisted,  this  time  in  Company  A,  Second 
Minnesota  Infantr}'',  and  participated  in 
the  march  to  the  sea  with  General  Sherman, 
and  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ky., 
July  1],  1865,  and  returned  to  his  farm, 
where  he  has  made  his  home  ever  since,  ex- 
cept two  years  spent  in  Dakota.  September 
23,  1868,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Phoebe  Chase,  who  was  born  in  Orleans 
County,  N.  Y.,  September  24,  1849.  They 
have  had  a  family  of  eight  children :  Maud  C, 
Meade  T.,  Fletcher  "W.,  Ernest  B.,  P.  May, 
Charlotte  H.,  Susan  and  DoUie,  all  of  whom 
are  living  at  home  except  DoUie,  who  died 
April  20,  1886.  Mr.  Seaman  was  the  first 
town  clerk  of  Freedom  and  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  develojiment  of 
this  part  of  the  county.  On  the  loth  of 
May,  1885,  Mr.  Seaman  was.  in  a  short  half 
hour,  stripped  by  lire  of  house,  fui'niturc, 
barn,  gram  antl  everything  but  his  family, 
the  clothes  they  had  on,  his  land  and  stock. 
But  he  was  not  without  friends,  and  good 
warm  ones  at  that,  Mr.  Rollins  taking  in 
the  family  and  keeping  them  until  they 
could  get  up  a  new  house.  Neighbors  by 
the  score  flocked  here  without  a  word  and 
helped  Mr.  Seaman  rebuild  his  house,  and 
grain  and  other  necessaries  were  poured  in 
on  him  by  sympathizing  friends.  lie  can- 
not express  his  feelings  when  speaking  of 
this  unwonted  kindness,  but  feels  it  all  the 
more  deeply. 

D.  P.  Young,  now  a  resident  of  Alton 
Township,  came  here  in  1864,  one  of  the  first 
to  settle  on  these  lands.  He  remained  until 
1875,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  resi- 
dence. 

William  Davidson  Jr.,  still  living  in  the 
town,  came  here  and  made  a  settlement  in 
1864. 

William  Davidson  Jr.,  son  of  William  and 
Mary  Davidson,  was  born  in  Thompsonville, 
Conn.,  July  18,  1838.  His  father,  William 
Davidson    Sr.,    was    born    in   Musselburgh, 


Scotland,  October  22,  1810  and  his  mother, 
Mary  (Stevenson)  Davidson,  was  born  in 
the  parish  of  Denny,  Scotland,  January  25, 
1805.  In  1850  William  moved  to  Iowa  with 
his  parents,  and  there  remained  until  1858, 
when  he  removed  to  Winona  County,  Minn. 
He  remained  there  until  1859,  when  he  went 
to  California,  and  soon  after  removed  to 
Nevada,  where  he  was  engaged  in  mining 
until  September,  1863.  He  then  came  back 
to  Minnesota,  and,  in  the  course  of  a  year, 
purchased  the  southeast  quarter  of  section 
19,  in  Freedom  Township.  Waseca  County. 
He  has  since  that  time  spent  most  of  his 
time  there,  carrying  on  general  farming  and 
stock-raising.  William  was  mai-ried  Decem- 
ber 1,  186Y,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Vars,  of  Blue 
Earth  County,  Minn.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  John  W.  Vars,  who  was  born  October  lO, 
1821,  and  Livinia  (Brown)  Yars,  born  Feb- 
ruary 8,  182(1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davidson  have 
been  Ijlessed  with  live  children :  Rolla  B., 
born  October  23,  1868;  William  G.,  born 
June  26,  1870;  Traca  A.,  born  March  8, 
1874,  and  died  September,  1887  ;  Ralph  D., 
born  August  22,  1876,  and  Livinia,  born 
March  7,  1878. 

Willet  Tolles  made  a  settlement  in  this 
part  of  the  county  in  1864  with  his  father 
and  brother.  He  is  no  longer  a  resident  of 
the  county,  however,  living  now  in  Mankato. 

O.  S.  Canfield,  now  of  Janesville,  came 
here  in  1864. 

Daniel  Pierce,  S.  C.  Brooks,  Amos  Waring, 
William  Reed,  Mr.  Moon,  Luther  Ackerman, 
Ira  Abell  and  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hois- 
ington  came  into  this  township  during  the 
year  1864.  Daniel  Pierce  is  now  a  resident 
of  the  city  of  Waseca  ;  S.  C.  Brooks  is  in 
Mapleton;  Amos  Waring  is  in  Dakota; 
William  Reed  moved  to  California;  Mr. 
Moon  and  his  five  or  six  sons  have  all  left 
the  county ;  Luther  Ackerman  emigrated  to 
Colorado ;  Ira  Abell  about  a  dozen  years  ago 
moved  back  to  the  New  England  States,  and 
Mr.  Iloisington  died  here  some  years  ago. 

A  man  bv  the  name  of  McDowell  came 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


fiOl 


here  in  1864  and  made  this  his  residence 
until  his  death. 

Simon  Sackett,  now  of  Janesville,  came 
here  in  186-1  and  located  a  claim,  and  lived 
here  for  years. 

John  H.  Fields  made  a  settlement  upon 
the  northeast  quarter  of  section  9,  the  same 
year.  He  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  who 
first  came  west  in  1853,  and  settled  in  Mower 
County,  this  State,  and  from  there  moved  to 
Olmsted  County,  and  then  here.  He  is  the 
father  of  Frank  Field,  of  Alma  City,  and  a 
sketch  of  him  is  included  in  the  mention  of 
the  latter. 

Harry  Scoville,  a  keen,  nervous,  ambitious 
man  from  the  State  of  New  York,  located 
here.  He  has  since  died,  and  the  family  has 
removed  from  the  county. 

Just  as  soon  as  the  grass  had  come  in  1864, 
a  tide  of  emigration  swept  over  this  part  of 
the  county  and  filled  up  nearly  every  part 
of  it.  So  great  was  their  number  that  it  is 
an  almost  impossible  task  to  mention  all  of 
them.  The  many  that  are  named  are  all 
that  could  be  remembered  bj'  the  old  settlers. 
Many  stayed  but  a  short  time,  but  those  that 
remained  here  have  nearly  all  pi'ospered,  and 
have  become  well  off  in  tiiis  world's  goods. 
Many  of  the  first  settlers  were  young  men, 
unmarried,  who  has  just  come  out  of  the 
army,  and  who  returning  to  their  old  homes 
had  found  their  places  filled  by  others,  and 
pushed  out  in  search  of  a  new  home. 

W.  D.  Armstrong  took  up  land  on  section 
1,  of  this  town,  where  he  moved  his  family 
two  years  later,  and  where  he  lived  until 
1883,  when  he  moved  to  Waseca,  where  he 
now  lives. 

In  October,  1865,  John  J.  "VVilkins,  with  his 
family,  settled  here  and  has  remained  a  citi- 
zen ever  since. 

John  J.  "Wilkins  is  a  native  of  the  State  of 
New  Jersey,  born  July  13,  1827,  and  is  the 
son  of  James  and  Hannah  (Ferguson)  Wil- 
kins. He  lived  with  iiis  parents  until  he  was 
about  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  came  to 
Wisconsin,  and  worked  in  the  pineries  dur- 


ing the  winters  and  on  fai-msin  the  summers 
until  December  9,  1849,  when  his  mar- 
riage with  Zilpha  M.  Borst  took  place,  when 
he  bought  a  farm  in  Green  Lake  County, 
Wis.,  where  they  remained  until  October, 
1865,  when  he  came  to  this  town  and  county 
and  settled  on  section  26.  In  1862  he 
enlisted  in  company  H,  Fifth  Wisconsin  In- 
fantry and  served  three  years  with  that  fa- 
mous regiment  throughout  all  the  bloody  cam- 
paigns which  the  army  of  the  Potomac  was 
called  to  endure.  Antietam,  Frederickburg, 
Chancellorsville,Getty  sburg  and  a  great  many 
others  are  inscribed  on  the  flag  of  the  gal- 
lant Fifth.  Mr.  Wilkins  was  mustered 
out  at  Hall's  Hill,  Va.,  June  22,  1865,  and 
received  his  discharge  July  8,  following,  and 
returned  home.  He  is  the  parent  of  four 
children:  Eichard  S.,  born  April  1,  1851: 
Charles  H.,  born  June  24,  1852  ;  Charlotte 
J.,  born  April  16,  1854,  and  Ernest  G.,  born 
June  5,  1868.  Mr.  Wilkins  has  held  the 
office  of  chairman  of  the  town  supervisors, 
town  assessor,  justice  of  the  peace  and  clerk 
of  the  school  district. 

William  Orcutt,  whose  sketch  is  given  in 
connection  with  Alma  City  came  to  Waseca 
County  in  September,  1865,  and  made  a  set- 
tlement in  this  township. 

Darling  Welch,  made  a  settlement  in  this 
town  in  1865.  He  is  now  a  resident  of 
Waseca. 

John  L.  Graham,  a  native  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  came  to  this  township  in  1865 
and  made  a  settlement.  He  had  been  a  can- 
vasser in  his  early  days  in  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania.  He  is  the  father  of  Clarence 
E.  Graham,  of  the  Waseca  Radical,  and  Ar- 
thur Graham,  of  this  town.  He  is  a  resident 
of  Janesville  at  the  present  writing. 

Arthur  Graham,  his  son,  made  a  settlement 
in  Freedom  in  1865.  Artliur  is  a  native  of 
New  York,  born  September  12,  1845.  He 
came  to  Waseca  County  with  his  parents  in 
1865,  and  settled  on  tlie  southwest  quarter 
of  section  6,  Fi'eedom  Township.  He  after- 
ward purchased  the  farm  of  his  father,  who 


692 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


now  resides  in  Janesville.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  in  Waseca  County,  October 
20,  1869,  to  Miss  Barbara  Elmore,  born  in 
Wisconsin,  July  27,  1850.  Her  father  died 
May  21,  1883,  and  was  buried  in  Alma  City 
cemetery.  Her  mother  now  lives  in  Janes- 
ville. They  have  had  four  children  :  Byron, 
born  September  13,  1870 ;  John,  born  De- 
cember 16,  1871  ;  Arthur,  born  June  8, 1875, 
and  Emma,  born  April  7. 1878. 

Robert  Earl,  now  a  resident  of  Alton 
Township,  settled  in  Freedom  in  1865.  He 
is  a  native  of  Crawford  County,  Pa. 

Among  the  other  settlers  of  the  year  1865 
may  be  mentioned  :  Joseph  Griffiths,  now 
in  the  township;  Isaac  Westover,  in  Hlinois 
at  this  writing,  William  Oldlield,  who 
returned  to  New  York  State,  and  Nelson 
Witts,  now  a  resident  here. 

Nelson  Witts  is  the  son  of  Nelson  and 
Catherine  Witts,  and  was  born  in  England, 
February  6,  1832.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1855,  and  settled  in  Green  County, 
Wis.,  where  he  remained  a  year,  and  then 
moved  to  Kansas.  Four  years  and  a  half 
Avere  spent  there,  when,  returning  to  Wiscon- 
sin, he  lived  there  two  years  and  then  came 
to  Minnesota,  and  a  little  later  to  Waseca 
County.  He  settled  where  he  now  lives,  and 
at  present  has  some  -180  acres  of  rich  land. 
He  has  always  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock-raising,  and  ever  since  he  has  been 
here  has  made  large  quantities  of  sorghum 
syrup,  he  having  fitted  up  a  factory  for  that 
purpose,  which  is  a  success  financially.  He 
has  invented  and  patented  an  evaporating 
pan  for  this  jnu'pose,  which  has  proven,  also, 
a  wonderful  thing,  large  numbers  of  them 
having  been  sold  and  alwa^'s  proved  satis- 
factory. He  has  also  secured  a  patent  for  a 
railroad  snow-plow.  He  is  indebted  to  him- 
self and  his  own  exertions  for  the  wealth  he 
has,  as  he  was  quite  a  poor  iiian  when  he 
came  here.  He  was  married  in  Wisconsin. 
November  2,  1862,  to  Esther  Flanegan, 
who  was  born  in  Canada,  in  1833.  They 
have  been  the    parents  of    four    children : 


Frank,  born  May  9,  1864 ;  Nettie,  born  De- 
cember 2,  1866,  died  April  3,  1874 ;  William 
Grant,  born  May  19,  1872,  and  Samuel  N., 
born  April  24, 1876. 

Among  the  settlers  of  the  year  1866  were, 
Samuel  S.  Eollins,  Franklin  W.  Bromaghin, 
John  Wilkinson,  John  Davis,  Clarence  E. 
Graham. 

Samuel  S.  Eollins  is  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  born  May  1,  1836,  and  the  son 
of  Reuben  and  Lavina  Rollins.  When  he 
was  about  eighteen  j'ears  of  age  he  com- 
menced work  in  a  bobbin  factory  in  his 
native  State,  where  he  remained  until  1855, 
when  he  came  to  Minnesota,  and,  purchasing 
a  farm  in  Houston  County,  settled  in  that 
place.  In  1866  he  came  to  this  town  and 
county,  and  purchasing  a  farm  on  section  8, 
lived  there  until  1878.  Avhen  he  removed  to 
the  farm  on  section  7,  where  he  now  resides. 
November  8, 1860,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Martha  M.  Elmore,  who  was  born  Octo- 
ber 31,  1843.  They  are  the  parents  of  six 
children :  Martha  Lavina,  born  August  16, 
1861,  died  January  IS,  1864;  Edith  A.,  born 
May  22,  1865 ;  Henry  C,  born  December  1, 
1866;  Lillian  Grace,  born  December  5, 1871, 
and  Nora  May,  born  July  21,  1876.  Edith 
A.  is  married  to  John  Harmon,  of  A'ivian 
Township.  The  others  are  with  their  par 
ents  yet.  Mr.  Rollins  is  one  of  the  represen- 
tative New  Englanders  that  have  made  their 
impress  upon  all  the  West,  men  of  sterling 
worth,  indomitable  perseverence  and  unsur- 
passed ability.  He  has  held  a  few  town 
offices  hei'e,  not  that  he  craved  political  pref- 
erment, but  as  the  duty  of  an  American 
citizen.  Among  others,  he  held  that  of 
school  treasurer  for  over  eighteen  years. 

Franklin  W.  Bromaghin  was  born  in  St. 
Lawrence  County.  N.  Y.,  June  29, 1820.  He 
came  to  Waseca  County  in  1866,  and  settled 
on  section  8  of  this  township,  where  he  lived 
for  some  five  or  six  years  before  he  could 
])ay  for  it.  When  he  came  he  had  a  very 
sick  wife,  a  feeble  old  father  and  eight  chil- 
dren, and  had  no  house  or  shelter  for  them 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


693 


and  only  $19  in  money  with  which  to  buy 
lumber  and  live  on,  and  flour  $18  per  barrel, 
potatoes  $1  per  bushel  and  butter  50  cents 
per  pound.  He  finally  bought  a  little  board 
shanty  of  a  man  for  $50,  on  time,  tore  it 
down  and  moved  it  to  his  claim  and  there 
ret'rected  it.  He  hud  served  in  the  Union 
army  prior  to  coming  here,  having  enlisted 
Fe])ruary  27,  1864,  in  Company  D,  Thirty- 
seventh  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  served 
until  July  27,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered 
out  and  discharged,  having  particijiated  in 
several  battles.  He,  as  second  duty  ser- 
geant, had  the  command  of  the  company, 
the  officers  of  whiSli  were  absent.  Januar\' 
8,  1843,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  M.  Taplin, 
who  was  born  March  2,  1827.  They  are  the 
parents  of  eight  children :  George  W.,  born 
August  4,  1844,  married  Angeline  Benjamin, 
and  lives  in  Alma  City  ;  Mary  Jane,  born 
February  16,  1848,  married  and  living  in 
Wisconsin  ;  Sarah  Ann,  born  April  22, 1850, 
married  and  living  in  town  of  Alton;  Mar- 
tin J.,  born  March  8,  1852,  married  Dora 
Carr,  living  in  this  town ;  William  H.,  born 
May  11,  1854,  married  Eva  Johnson,  lives  in 
Alton  ;  Ella  F.,  born  April  19, 1856,  married 
N.  O.  Can  field,  now  in  Mood}'  County,  D. 
T. ;  Emer  M.,  born  October  11,  1858,  mar- 
ried William  Tew,  lives  in  Alton,  and  Jolm 
A.,  born  October  3,  1860,  now  in  Dakota. 

John  Wilkinson  was  born  in  the  State  of 
Wisconsin,  February  28,  1846.  In  1866  he 
came  to  Waseca  County,  where  he  has  buried 
both  father  and  mother.  He  bought  a  farm 
on  section  4,  Freedom  Township,  which  he 
sold  the  same  year.  He  then  took  up  a 
claim  on  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  5, 
and  is  still  residing  there  engaged  in  general 
farming  and  stock-raising.  He  is  also  a 
stockholder  of  the  steam  flouring  mill  at  Alma 
City,  which  has  a  capacity  of  125  barrels  per 
day.  Mr.  Wilkinson  was  married  June  1, 
1869,  to  Miss  Mary  Morrinson,  who  was  born 
August  1,  1851,  and  daughter  of  John  and 
Parmelia  Morrinson,  both  of  whom  died  in 
Wisconsin.     They    have  had  four  children : 


Lydia,  born  May  19, 1870,  and  died  Decem- 
ber 22,  1874;  Musey,  born  July  15,  1874; 
Emma,  born  May  11,  1879,  and  Everett,  born 
November  25,  1886. 

Mrs.  Maria  Davis,  widow  of  the  late  John 
Davis,  is  a  daughter  of  William  and  Cather- 
ine Cora.  She  was  united  in  marriage  with 
John  Davis,  December  27,  1853,  and  in  the 
year  1S66.  they  removed  to  this  county,  first 
settling  about  three  miles  east  of  Peddler's 
Grove,  where  they  made  their  home  for 
many  years.  In  1877  they  sold  out  this 
place  and  purchased  a  farm  on  section  25, 
in  this  township,  where  she  now  lives.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Davis  were  the  parents  of  seven 
children:  Charles  T.,  born  May  29,  1855, 
now  in  St.  Cloud,  Minn.,  selling  agricultural 
implements;  Helen  Eliza,  born  April  12, 
1856,  wife  of  Augustus  Bakkedahl,  and  a 
resident  of  Colnum,  D.  T.,  Adelia,  born 
December  18,  1858,  wife  of  David  Powers, 
of  Colman,  D.  T.,  Estella,  born  October  21, 
1861 ;  Frederick,  born  May  3, 1867  ;  Burton, 
born  March  5,  1870,  and  Frank,  born  April 
26,  1872.  The  last  named  four  are  at  home 
with  their  mother.  Mr.  Davis  was  called 
from  this  world  January  2, 1886,  The  widow 
and  children  have  a  very  fine  home,  the 
farm  being  well  improved  and  well  stocked. 

Sanford  Hydorn  was  born  in  Morristown, 
St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y.,  July  24,  1841, 
and  resided  among  the  hills  of  his  native  land 
until  he  was  of  age,  when,  August  5,  1862, 
he  enhsted  in  Company  B,  One  Hundred  and 
Sixth  New  York  Infantry,  and  participated 
in  all  the  engagements  in  which  that  regi- 
ment was  found,  until  July  9,  1864,  when  at 
the  battle  of  Monocacy  Junction  he  was 
wounded,  and  Avhen  he  had  recovered  from 
that  was  transferred  to  the  Eighteenth  Vet- 
eran Corps.  On  his  discharge  he  returned  to 
his  home  in  New  York,  but  in  the  spring  of 
1866  he  came  to  Minnesota,  and  for  about 
two  years  remained  in  Goodhue  County, 
and  then  came  to  this  town  and  county, 
settling  on  a  farm,  the  northwest  quarter  of 
section  30,  which  he  had  purchased  previously. 


fi94 


HISTORY    OK    WASEt'A    GOUNTV. 


He  is  now  living  on  the  old  homestead, 
and  has  a  iine  home.  When  he  first  came 
here,  like  all  new  settlers  he  had  to  put  up 
with  many  hardships,  and  was  thankful  tliat 
they  were  no  worse.  Dry  bread  and  sour 
milk  was  often  his  noonday  meal  while 
breaking  the  prairie  sod,  for  he  came  here 
before  he  brought  his  wife  to  the  farm,  and 
}>oarded  out,  but  provisions  were  scarce  and 
money  more  so.  January  3,  1869,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Abbie  Woodward, 
and  they  have  been  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren: Fred.,  born  July  2,  1871 ;  Millie,  born 
September  18,  1873,  and  died  November  2, 
1874;  Mabel,  born  September  iS,  1881,  and 
Lura,  born  November  23, 1882.  Mr.  Hydorn 
is  one  of  the  representative  men  of  the  town- 
ship. He  IS  the  son  of  Adam  and  Margaret 
(Bonesteel)  Hydorn,  the  former  of  whom 
died  in  October,  1808  ;  the  latter  is  living  on 
the  old  homestead,  in  New  York  State. 

Henry  Converse  was  born  in  the  State  of 
Connecticut,  July  31,  1825,  and  is  the  son  of 
Benjamin  and  Hannah  Converse.  When  he 
was  about  nineteen  years  old  he  commenced 
work  in  the  foundry  at  Stafford  Hollow, 
Conn.,  where  he  remained  some  three  or  four 
years.  From  there  he  moved  to  Worcester, 
Mass.,  where  he  followed  the  profession  of 
molder  for  some  ten  years.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  he  came  west,  and  took  up 
a  claim  in  Winona  Count}\  where  he  com- 
menced farming.  There  he  remained  some 
four  years,  when  he  moved  to  the  city  of 
Winona,  and  resumed  his  old  trade.  Smith 
it  Dean,  the  foundrymen  of  La  Crosse,  Wis., 
then  wanted  him,  so  he  moved  to  that  city, 
and  was  foreman  of  their  foundry  for  four 
years.  He  next  kept  a  billiard  hall  in  North 
La  Crosse,  but  two  years  later  came  to  this 
town  and  county.  This  was  in  November, 
1868.  He  then  bought  the  farm  on  section 
27,  where  he  now  lives.  Mr.  Converse  was 
first  married  in  1844,  to  Caroline  Ona,  by 
whom  he  had  two  children  :  Julia,  who  after- 
ward died  in  Washington  Territory,  and 
Clarence  W.,  living  in  Janesville, thiscoimtv. 


His  second  marriage  took  place  in  Februar}'^, 
1863,  with  Mrs.  Mary  (Haley)  Hayden,  who 
had  one  child  by  her  former  marriage,  Katie, 
born  June  16,  1861,  and  died  in  Januaiy, 
1863.  Mrs.  Converse  had  an  experience  dur- 
ing the  Indian  troubles  in  1862  that  is  well 
worth  hearing  her  repeat.  It  seems  that  she 
and  her  husband,  Hayden,  lived  in  Renville 
County  at  that  time,  and  hearing  that  the 
savages  were  murdering  people  within  five 
miles  of  them,  they  all  fled  from  the  house, 
and  their  neighbors  from  theirs.  When  they 
had  gone  but  a  short  distance,  Mr.  Hayden 
returned  to  the  house  for  something  or  other, 
but  was  killed  by  the  reef  fiends,  who  had 
just  come  up.  She  and  the  neighbors  pushed 
on,  but  were  overtaken  by  the  Indians,  the 
men  with  them  butchered,  the  women  taken 
prisoners,  but  she.  leaping  from  the  wagon 
with  her  child  in  her  arms,  hid  in  the  woods 
till  night,  then  walked  to  Fort  Ridgelej', 
eighteen  miles  distant.  Mr.  and  IVIr.  Con- 
verse have  had  three  children  born  to  them, 
viz.:  Hattie  Belle,  born  October  16,  1865; 
Mark  Wallace,  born  November  16,  1868,  and 
Mildred  Elizabeth,  born  October  16,  1874. 

John  Oien  is  a  native  of  Norway,  born 
December  11,  1838.  He  remained  in  the 
country  of  his  birth  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  of  age,  and,  in  1855,  came  to  America, 
and  settled  in  Kewaunee  County,  Wis., 
where  he  was  engaged  in  farming  for  some 
thirteen  years.  He  was  married  there  to 
Anna  Christiansen  March  13,  1862,  and 
there  their  four  children  were  born,  as  fol- 
lows: Ole.  December  26.  1862  ;  Morris,  May 
10,  1865  ;  Carl,  October  20,  1866,  and  Min- 
nie (Jaroline,  July  2,  1868,  but  died  Novem- 
ber 14,  1868.  In  the  fall  of  the  last  nametl 
year  he  came  to  Minnesota  and  spent  the 
winter,  and  the  following  spring  moved  to 
his  farm,  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
32,  where  he  now  lives.  In  1881  he  })ut  up 
a  store  building  and  carries  it  on,  in  jiartner- 
ship  with  Charles  Dedrick.  They  have  a 
full  line  of  general  merchandise.  Mr.  Oien 
lias   been   postmaster  here  for  nine  or  ten 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   OOtTNTY. 


695 


years.  September  7,  1886,  Mrs.  Oien  was 
taken  from  her  family  by  death,  and  is 
deeply  regi-etted  not  only  by  them  but  by  the 
whole  neighborhood,  as  she  was  i  most  esti- 
mable lady.  She  acted  as  assistant  postmas- 
ter until  her  death,  and  her  son  Carl  succeeds 
her  in  that  ])lace. 

Charles  Dedrick  was  born  in  Kewaunee 
County,  "Wis.,  April  13,  1856.  In  his 
boyhood  daj's  he  attended  school  in  winter 
and  during  the  summer  months  worked  on 
the  farm  with  his  father.  At  fifteen  years 
of  age  he  started  out  into  the  world  for  him- 
self. Most  of  his  time  was  engaged  in 
working  in  sawmills  until  he  came  to  Free- 
dom Township  and  was  employed  by  his 
uncle,  John  Oien,  who  has  been  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  since  1881.  Mr.  Oien,  find- 
ing his  health  failing,  wanted  an  honest  and 
trustworthy  partner  to  take  charge  of  his 
business,  so  prevailed  on  Mr.  Dedrick  to 
take  an  interest  in  the  concern.  At  the 
present  they  carry  a  full  line  of  goods  such 
as  is  generally  kept  in  this  line  of  business, 
and  have  a  growing  and  prosperous  trade. 

ORGANIC. 

In  March,  1864,  the  board  of  count}'  com- 
missioners ordered  that  townships  106  and 
107,  range  24,  be  organized  as  a  civil  township, 
and  it  was  made  a  part  of  the  order  that  the 
people,  at  the  first  town  meeting,  should 
select  a  name  for  the  same,  with  the  under- 
standing that  when  it  should  be  divided 
town  106  should  retain  the  name  chosen 
at  this  time.  The  first  election  was  held  in 
May  following.  F.  D.  Seaman  and  Messrs. 
Robinson  and  Bean  were  chosen  a  committee 
to  name  the  town,  and  two  having  each  a 
name  left  it  to  Mr.  Seaman,  who  decided  to 
call  it  Freedom. 

CHURCHES. 

Pursuant  to  public  notice  a  meeting  was 
held  at  the  house  of  Rev.  R.  S.  Armstrong, 
November  3,  1878,  for  the  purpose  of  organ- 
izing a  Congregational  Church.  The  meet- 
ing  was  called  to  order  by  Rev.  R.  S.  Arm- 


strong, and  S.  O.  Garlick  was  chosen  scribe. 
The  expediency  of  forming  a  church  in  this 
place  was  then  stated  by  Rev.  Armstrong, 
when  the  following  resolution  was  presented 
for  adoption  : 

"  Hesohed,  That  we,  the  respective  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Congregational  Church 
of  McPherson,  having  letters  of  dismission 
from  said  church,  with  a  view  of  becoming 
members  of  a  Congregational  Church  to  be 
formed  at  the  county  line  do  hereb}'  consti- 
tute ourselves  a  Congregational  Church,  to 
be  known  as  and  by  the  name  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church  of  Freedom." 

After  deliberate  consideration  the  afore- 
said resolution  was  unanimouslv  adopted  and 
signed  by  the  following  named  persons  :  S.  O. 
Garlick,  Alice  Garlick,  Lizzie  Garlick,  Rob- 
ert Fields,  Wm.  Fields,  Thomas  Fields,  John 
E.  Gearv,  Eliza  Geary,  Rachel  Wallace,  R. 
S.  Armstrong,  Harriette  E.  Armstrong.-  J. 
E.  Gearjr  was  chosen  deacon,  and  S.  O.  Gar- 
lick, clerk.  , 

On  motion,  the  following  resolution  was 
adopted : 

"Hesolved,  That  we  invite  a  council  of  Con- 
gregational Churches  to  convene  at  the 
county  line  schoolhouse  on  the  12th  day  of 
November,  1878,  at  2  o'clock  p.  m.  to  receive 
our  action  and  recognize  us  as  a  Congrega- 
tional  Church." 

Robert  S.  Armstrong,  the  first  pastoi",  was 
installed  November  12. 1878. 

He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Joseph  S. 
Rounce,  and  he  by  Rev.  Wilbur  Fisk. 

March  21,  1887,  at  a  church  meeting  it 
was  decided  to  locate  the  site  of  their  church 
edifice  on  section  18,  and  the  erection  of  the 
building  was  commenced  Jul}'  9,  1887. 

A  meeting  was  held  at  the  county  line 
schoolhouse,  February  22,  1887,  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Society  as  a  body  corporate.  The 
meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Rev.  W. 
Fisk,  and  A.  P.  Runnells  was  elected  chair- 
man and  G.  B.  Wallace,  clerk. 

The  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 


fi9fi 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


Immanuel,  which  stands  on  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  16,  was  erected  in  187-t, 
under  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Andrew  Mueller, 
who  has  charge  at  the  present  time. 

Rev.  Andrew  Mueller  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  July  13,  1S50.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1864  with  his  father,  who 
settled  at  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  where  An- 
drew remained  until  1873,  when  he  entered 
the  theological  college  at  Springfield,  Ills., 
graduating  therefrom  in  the  year  1879.  He 
labored  in  the  cause  of  Christ  in  southern 
Dakota,  in  the  home  mission  field,  for  about 
six  years,  when  he  received  a  call  from  his 
present  congregation,  and  came  to  this  por- 
tion of  the  Lord's  vineyard,  where  he  has 
done  much  good  work.  May  13,  1880,  he 
was  united  in  the  bonds  of  matrimony  with 
Ottilie  Krumbholz,  and  they  have  been  the 
parents  of  four  children,  born  as  follows  : 
Alwine,  October  9,  1881 ;  Andrew,  May  21, 
1883;  John,  April  5,  1885,  and  Ottilie,  July 
13,  1887.  Uis  father  and  brother  now  reside 
in  lovva. 

OTHER    PROMINENT    CITIZENS. 

In  addition  to  the  parties  who  have  already 
been  noticed  at  length,  we  here  present  bi- 
ographies of  a  number  of  prominent  citizens 
who  should  receive  notice  in  the  annals  of 
Freedom. 

John  E.  Geary  was  born  in  Scotland. 
July  28,  181:0,  and  was  brought  to  the 
United  States  in  1842  by  his  parents,  who 
settled  in  St.  Lawrence  County,  N.  Y., 
where  he  remained  until  August  15,  1862, 
when  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  One  Hun- 
dred and  Forty-second  New  York  Infantry, 
and  served  in  the  front  some  three  years, 
and  was  discharged  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  June 
15,  1865,  when  he  returned  to  his  parents' 
home.  He  remained  there  until  November, 
1877,  when  he  came  to  Freedom  Township 
and  purchasing  a  farm  of  120  acres,  on  sec- 
tion 18,  where  he  now  lives,  settled  down  as 
a  farmer  and  stock-raiser.  March  14,  1867, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Eliza  Fields, 
and  they  have  had  a  family  of  six  children  : 


George  Edgar,  born  April  15,  1868 ;  Albert 
James,  February  13,  1872;  Myron  Fields, 
October  10,  1874 ;  Lilian  May,  July  1,  1880; 
Anna  Luella,  September  4,  1882,  and  Stella, 
June  17,  1886. 

Charles  Cunningham  was  born  in  Vermil- 
lion County,  Canada,  July  14,  1820.  Ho 
was  left  an  orphan  at  an  early  age  and 
drifted  from  one  occupation  to  another  until 
1836,  when  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he 
followed  the  occupations  of  peddler,  mail 
carrier  and  often  Indian  trader.  From  there 
he  went  to  "Wisconsin,  where  he  chopped 
wood  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1838.  In  the 
following  year  he  drove  a  stage  in  Indiana, 
and  in  1840  followed  the  same  vocation  in 
Ohio.  A  few  years  later  we  find  him  in  the 
lead  mines  at  Galena,  lU.,  but  from  there  he 
drifted  back  to  Milwaukee,  where  he  ran  a 
dray  line  for  some  time.  This  he  sold  out 
and  then  went  to  work  for  Levi  Blossom, 
of  the  Eagle  brewer}',  and  who,  as  he  had 
no  education,  sent  him  to  the  high  school  at 
Paris,  111.  When  he  returned  from  there  he 
sold  beer  for  the  brewery  all  daj',  and 
attended  school  during  the  evening.  In  this 
way  lie  obtained  considerable  education,  and 
being  qualified  for  the  position,  was  made 
traveling  agent  for  the  brewer}',  and  con- 
tinued in  that  capacity  for  several  years.  He 
then  was  a  member  of  the  police  force,  and 
also  kept  an  eating-house  for  several  years. 
After  this  acted  as  deputy  United  States 
marshal.  During  the  war  was  engaged  in 
the  South  as  government  cotton  and  cane 
gatherer,  and  for  other  parties  raised  cotton, 
bought  mules,  etc.  In  1865  he  purchased  a 
farm  in  Racine  County,  Wis.,  where  he  lived 
until  1870,  when  he  removed  to  this  town 
and  county,  where  he  has  a  fine  large  farm 
of  439  acres  of  well  improved  land.  July  2, 
1850,  he  was  married  to  Bridget  Hanly,  and 
they  have  now  living  seven  children : 
Sarah  Jane,  Mar\',  Charles  H.,  John  R., 
Anna,  Frank  and  James  A.  Mr.  Cunning- 
ham is  a  director  in  the  proposed  Alton, 
Mankato  &  St.  Cloud  Railroad. 


,lji"„  f>' 


zjjr^^^^4_^' 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


699 


Ole  O.  Oien  was  born  in  Norwaj',  Octo- 
ber 3,  1837.  On  coming  to  America  he 
settled  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  engaged  in 
fishing  for  two  years  and  tlien  worlied  on  a 
farm  one  year.  He  then  removed  to  Min- 
nesota and  spent  seven  weeks  in  looking 
around  and  trying  to  find  a  suitable  place 
to  live.  He  at  last  settled  on  the  nortlieast 
quarter  of  section  32,  this  township,  where 
he  now  has  a  large  house  beautifully  situ- 
ated on  his  farm,  and  carries  on  farming  and 
stock-raising.  Mr.  Oien  was  united  in  mar- 
riage, October  7,  1874,  to  Torbgoer  Torger- 
son,  who  died  June  11,  1883.  They  were 
the  parents  of  two  children  :  Oscar  Olson, 
born  February  11,  1878,  and  Ida  Bardine, 
born  December  10, 1881. 

Abner  E.  Comstock  was  born  in  New 
York  State,  July  2,  1852  and  is  the  son 
of  Orsini  and  Martha  Comstock.  He  was 
reared  and  educated  in  the  old  Empire  State, 
and  resided  there  until  he  was  seventeen 
years  old.  His  father  died  there  February  2, 
1861,  and  in  1869  Abner  came  to  Minnesota, 
bringing  with  him  his  mother,  and  settled  in 
Blue  Earth  County,  where  he  lived  until 
1879,  when  he  removed  to  a  farm  on  section 
7,  in  this  town,  which  he  had  purchased  in 
1873  of  his  brother  Hiram.  In  1886  he 
added  to  this  farm  some  eighty  acres,  and 
now  has  a  fine  farm  of  220  acres,  well  im- 
proved and  thoroughly  stocked.  He  has 
been  quite  successful  in  his  farming  opera- 
tions, for  intelligent  tillage  in  Minnesota 
always  brings  a  full  reward.  May  21,  1871, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Sarah  Earl, 
and  they  have  been  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren :  Lena  Earl,  born  January  17,  1876, 
died  January  18 ;  Deward  E.,  born  March  21:, 
1878  ;  Henry  B.,  October  2,  1882  ;  Daisy  L., 
born  May  30,  1883 ;  Ray  F.,  born  May  9, 
1885. 

Samuel  Hodgkins  was  born  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  June  15,  1839,  and  is  the  son 
of  William  and  Almira  Hodgkins.  He  re- 
inained  at  home  with  his  parents  until  May 
1,  1861,  when   he  enlisted   in  Company  K, 

40 


Eighteenth  New  Y^ork  Infantry,  and  served 
until  May  28,  1863,  when  he  was  honorably 
discharged.  He  returned  to  his  father's 
house,  where  he  remained  until  the  7th  of 
August  of  the  same  year,  when  he  reen- 
listed  in  Company  C,  Fourteenth  New  York 
Heavy  Artillery,  and  while  in  that  regiment 
received  injuries  from  which  he  will  never 
recover.  He  received  his  final  discharge  in 
Se]3tember,  1865,  when  he  again  returned 
home.  December  28,  1S()5,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Lucretia  Ackerman,  and  then 
rented  liis  father's  farm,  where  he  remained 
some  four  j'ears.  Selling  what  he  had 
he  then  came  to  this  town  and  county, 
arriving  here  April  7,  1870.  He  purchased 
an  eightj'-acre  piece  of  wild  land  for  $500. 
He  rented  a  farm  the  first  year,  but  his  crop 
was  a  total  failure,  and  it  is  said  of  him  that 
the  sum  of  his  earnings  for  eighteen  months 
was  about  $2.00.  He  has  now  a  finely 
cultivated,  well  improved  farm  of  320  acres 
of  land,  all  paid  for  and  free  from  any 
incumbrance.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hodgkins  are 
the  parents  of  seven  children,  born  as  fol- 
lows :  Smitii,  April  23,  1867  ;  Charles,  Au- 
gust U,  1869  ;  Milo,  August  15, 1871 ;  Samuel, 
August  19,  1874 ;  David,  July  10,  1876  ;  an 
infant  in  March  1878,  died  the  next  month, 
and  Nelly  J.,  February  11,  1873. 

Jeremiah  Macke^'  is  a  native  of  County 
Clare,  Ireland,  born  in  1813.  He  lived  in 
the  land  of  his  birth  until  1841,  when  he 
crossed  the  ocean  to  America,  and,  on  land- 
ing here,  remained  in  New  York  for  a  couple 
of  months,  and  then  went  to  Boston,  Mass., 
where  he  kept  a  grocery  store  and  ran  a 
job  wagon  for  some  fourteen  years.  He  then 
came  west,  locating  at  Watertown,  Wis., 
where  he  worked  on  the  railroad  until  the 
year  1874,  when  he  came  to  Waseca  County, 
and  settled  on  the  farm  on  section  29,  in  this 
township,  which  he  had  purchased  previous 
to  his  moving  here.  He  has  now  one  of  the 
finest  places  in  the  town,  with  excellent 
buildings,  all  surrounded  with  fine  groves. 
He  was  married  in  1843  to  Cathei'ine  Man- 


700 


HISTOKY   OF   WASECA  COUNTY. 


ning,  and  thej-  have  been  the  parents  of  four 
children  :  Mary  Ann,  deceased  ;  John,  mar- 
ried to  Mar}^  O'Leary,  living  in  this  town  ; 
Michael  and  Catherine  (deceased). 

Daniel  N.  Mandigo  was  born  in  Canada, 
July  15,  1840.  lie  came  to  the  United  States 
in  lSfi2,  and  settled  at  Medo,  Blue  Earth 
County,  this  State,  where  he  preempted  land 
on  section  1-1  of  that  town.  In  1809  he  sold 
out  there  and  came  to  this  county,  settling 
on  section  30,  where  he  now  lives.  When 
he  came  to  this  State  he  had  §ll  as 
the  sum  of  his  earthly  possessions,  but  by 
earnest  work  and  thrift  he  has  acquired  a 
line  property.  In  1863  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany F,  First   Minnesota  Heavy   Artillery, 


and  was  in  active  service  until  the  fall  of 
1865,  when  he  was  discharged.  On  return- 
ing to  this  State  he  ran  rafts  on  the  Mississippi 
River  for  about  two  years,  and  then  freighted 
provisions  to  Fort  Thompson  for  the  Indians. 
He  was  fired  on  several  times  by  the  savages, 
but  was  lucky  enough  to  escape  unhurt. 
November  10,  1867,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Janet  Remington,  who  was  born 
May  25,  1850.  They  have  a  family  of  six 
children  :  Geneva,  born  August  9,  1869  ; 
Lettie,  born  October  29,  1871 ;  Clara,  Au- 
gust 23,  1873  ;  Mary  Jane,  March  14,  1882 ; 
Charles,  November  2,  1885,  and  Guy,  June 
17, 1887. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


CITY  OF  WASECA. 


IIE  cit}'  of  "Waseca,  the  seat  of 
justice  of  the  county,  and  the 
largest  and  most  important  town 
within  its  hmits,liesin  Woodville 
Township,  on  sections  7,  8, 17  and 
18,  the  greater  part  in  the  last  two 
named.  On  the  coming  of  tlie 
Winona  &  St.  Peter  Raih'oad  to 
this  part  of  the  State  in  1867,  Ira 
C.  Trowbridge  laid  out  and  plat- 
ted a  portion  of  land  on  sections 
17  and  18,  known  as  the  Myers 
farm,  into  town  lots,  giving  it  the 
name  of  Waseca.  The  survey 
of  this  was  made  in  July  of  the 
above-named  year  by  Joseph  H.  Jenkins, 
surveyor.  In  September  following,  Mr. 
Trowbridge,  in  company  with  Mr.  H.  P. 
Norton,  laid  out  what  is  known  as  the  First 
addition  on  the  northern  part  of  the  east  half 
of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  17,  north 
of  the  railroad.  H.  G.  Mosher  was  the  sur- 
veyor. 

In  October,  1867,  J.  H.  Jenkins,  a  sur- 
veyor, laid  out  and  platted  what  is  known 
as  Barney's  addition. 

In  August  of  the  same  year,  however, 
George  W.  Watkins  laid  out  the  site  of  a 
town  south  of  the  track,  which  he  called 
Clear  Lake  City,  on  section  18.  H.  G.  Mosher 
was  the  surveyor.  This  is  now  a  part  of 
Waseca,  the  greater  having  absorbed  the 
less. 

Lakeside  addition,  on  section  17,  was  sui-- 
veyed  April  17  and  18, 1868,  by  C.  E.  Crane, 
for  Nathaniel  and  Eri  G.  Wood ;  and  Ben- 
nett's addition  was  placed  on  record  January 
27,  1872,  Edward  Bennett  being  proprietor, 


and  C.  E.  Crane  the  surveyor.  McNamara's 
addition,  laid  out  in  April,  1873  ;  Trowbridge's 
addition,  surveyed  in  June  of  the  same  year ; 
Jenkins'  addition,  in  August,  1875 ;  Ward's 
addition,  in  May,  1885 ;  South  addition,  by 
W.  G.  Ward,  October,  1885  ;  South  Side  ad- 
dition, by  I.  C.  Trowbridge,  in  September, 
1885  ;  and  Watkins'  Second  addition  in  May, 
1885,  with  several  smaller  ones,  go  to  make 
up  the  present  incorporated  city  of  Waseca. 

It  lies  upon  a  beautiful  slope  of  ground 
between  the  two  lakes,  Clear  and  Loon,  both 
charming  sheets  of  pellucid  water,  and  is 
embosomed  in  trees  and  groves.  No  more 
lovely  spot  for  a  town  could  be  desired,  and 
the  pride  the  citizens  have  in  theh*  lovely 
city  is  plainly  evinced  by  the  care  taken  of 
their  surroundings,  their  dwellings  and 
grounds.  But  few  old  buildings  appear,  nor 
tumbled-down  i-ookeries  give  an  air  of  in- 
solvency to  the  place ;  all  is  neat  as  paint 
and  care  can  make  them.  The  class  of 
buildings  is  far  in  advance  of  towns  of  a  like 
population  in  this  or  other  States,  and  the 
people  are  cultivated,  intelligent,  and  above 
all,  public  spirited. 

Prior  to  the  laying  out  of  the  town  in  the 
fall  of  1866,  William  McVeigh  opened  a 
store  near  where  the  brewery  now  stands, 
and  there  dispensetl  from  a  stock  of  general 
merchandise.  After  the  commencement  of 
the  new  town  he  removed  thither,  where  he 
erected  a  store  building  and  opened  business. 
About  a  year  subsequently  he  sold  out  and 
removed  from  here. 

Almost  as  if  by  magic  the  town  sprang 
into  being ;  house  after  house,  several  of 
them  at  a   time,   were   raised,  stores   were 


701 


702 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


opened,  and  although  the  first  edifice  was 
commenced  in  the  hitter  part  of  July,  before 
snow  flew  quite  a  respectable  village  had 
gathered  at  this  point. 

The  following,  quoted  from  the  News, 
under  date  of  December  6,  1S67,  will  give  a 
very  graphic  picture  of  the  sudden  growth 
of  the  embryo  cit}'.  Remember,  this  was 
written  when  the  place  was  only  about  four 
months  old : 

"On  the  north  side  of  the  track,  the  orig- 
inal Waseca,  there  are  eighty-two  buildings  ; 
on  the  south  side  there  are  twenty,  in  all 
102,  built  in  the  short  space  of  four  months. 
Of  those  north  of  the  elevator  there  are 
some  twenty-five,  two  stories  high;  one,  two 
and  a  half  stories  high ;  five,  one  and  a  half 
stories  high,  and  the  others  are  smaller 
buildings. 

"There  are  about  eleven  mercantile  estab- 
lishments, eight  liquor  dealers,  four  hotels, 
two  livery  stables,  two  cabinet  and  furniture 
rooms,  two  harness  shops,  two  shoemaker 
shops,  two  banks,  two  real  estate  offices  and 
several  carpenter  shops,  blacksmith  shoi>s 
and  meat  markets.     .     .     . 

"  It  is  almost  incredible  that  so  much  work 
could  have  been  done  in  so  short  a  time,  and 
still  there  are  many  who  are  yet  engaged  in 
building.  .  .  .  We  doubt  if  any  village 
in  the  State  can  show  such  a  rapid  and  sub- 
stantial growth  as  this." 

Let  us  try  and  trace  the  rise  of  the  town 
and  its  present  status,  giving  the  first  insti- 
tutions of  each  kind  and  the  present  state 
of  that  line  of  trade,  interwoven  with  the 
personal  history  of  prominent  business  men. 

To  begin  with,  then: 

About  the  first  of  August,  1807,  William 
Everett  erected  a  store  building,  the  pioneer 
business  house  of  the  town,  which  was  occu- 
pied by  Loi'd,  Addison  ct  Co.  with  a  stock 
of  general  merchandise.  These  ))arties  con- 
tinued in  business  for  a  few  years,  when 
the  firm  name  was  changed  to  Addison  & 
Everett,  who  operated  it  until  1875,  when 
they  were  succeeded  b}'  Everett  &  Ecken- 


beck.  This  firm,  composed  of  William 
Everett  and  S.  C.  Eckenbeck,  is  still  in 
existence,  doing  business  in  a  fine  large 
brick  block  on  the  main  business  street. 

In  1867  an  establishment  known  as  the 
"Norwegian  Store"  was  opened  by  C.  Son- 
steby  and  ran  for  some  years. 

II.  S.  Swift  &  Co.  opened  a  stock  of  gen- 
eral merchandise  in  the  fall  of  1867,  in  a 
building  put  up  by  Williams  &  AVashburn. 
In  June,  1808,  this  establishment  passed  into 
the  hands  of  W.  G.  Ward,  they  having  made 
an  assignment.  Mr.  Ward  ran  it  about  a 
year,  when  he  removed  the  stock  to  a  supply 
store  at  old  Janesville,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  railroad  work. 

This  line,  dry  goods,  groceries,  etc.,  is 
now  represented  by  McLoughlin  Bros., 
C.  McKenna,  F.  Voigt,  A.  E.  Jay  &  Co.,  A. 
M.  Johnson,  S.  C.  Eckenbeck  &  Co.  and  R. 
Miller.  Some  of  these,  however,  are  exclu- 
sively engaged  in  the  sale  of  dr^'  goods. 

T.  F.  McLoughlin,  the  junior  partner  in 
the  firm  of  McLoughlin  Bros.,  was  born  in 
Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1860,  and  was 
brought  to  Minnesota  b}'  his  parents  in 
1803.  They  settled  at  Cannon  City,  where 
he  was  reared.  He  came  to  Waseca  in  1881, 
and  entered  into. partnership  with  his  brother 
Dennis,  the  present  postmaster,  and  has  con- 
tinued ever  since  a  member  of  the  firm,  and 
is  a  prominent  business  man.  lie  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ronum  Catholic  Church  of  this 
city. 

In  the  fall  of  1867  a  clothing  establishment 
was  opened  by  Samuel  Friend,  with  John 
Mollin  as  manager,  in  the  building  put  up 
and  used  by  II.  P.  Norton  as  an  express 
office.  This  store,  however,  was  not  of  long- 
duration,  closing  out  about  the  first  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1868. 

This  line  of  trade  has  the  following  firms 
as  its  exponents,  in  1887:  W.  II.  Gillis,  G. 
Buchler,  Bird  Bros.,  Shubeine  &  Meinstein, 
Nicholas  Ott  and  John  Shea. 

The  first  furniture  store  was  opened  by  A. 
Grapp  in  the  summer  of  1867.     The  building 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


703 


that  he  occupied  at  that  time  was  on  the  lot 
just  north  of  the  fine  brick  store  which  he 
erected  in  1875,  and  where  he  now  transacts 
the  same  line  of  trade. 

Comee  &  Young's  furniture  rooms  were 
put  up  and  opened  but  a  few  days  after  that 
of  Mr.  Grapp.  A  full  history  of  this  insti- 
tution is  given  furtlier  on  in  connection  with 
that  of  the  Waseca  Furniture  Company,  into 
which  it  has  grown. 

This  line  of  trade  is  represented  by  the 
following  firms:  A.  Grapp,  Thomas  Flynn, 
and  the  Waseca  Furniture  Company. 

A.  Grapp,  the  pioneer  furniture  dealer  of 
Waseca,  is  a  native  of  Prussia,  Germany, 
born  June  26,  1841,  and  is  the  son  of  A.  F. 
and  Lena  (Wineke)  Grapp,  natives  of  the 
same  country.  He  remained  at  home  at- 
tending school  until  he  had  attained  the  age 
of  fourteen  years,  when  he  commenced  to 
learn  his  trade.  After  serving  and  work- 
ing as  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years,  as 
is  customary  in  the  fatherland,  he  carried  on 
the  business  for  himself  for  about  eighteen 
months,  when  he  entered  the  German  army, 
taking  part  in  the  Schleswig-Holstein  cam- 
paign between  Prussia  and  Denmark.  He 
l)articipated  in  the  attack  on  the  forts  at 
Diebel,  on  the  22d  of  December,  186-1,  and 
in  the  battle  at  the  village  of  Diebel,  in 
which  engagements  the  loss  Avas  something 
like  4,000  men.  In  December,  1865,  he  was 
discharged,  and  shortly  after  emigrated  to 
America,  arriving  in  Wisconsin  August  8, 
1866.  For  a  little  time  he  remained  in  that 
State,  and  then  came  to  Owatonna.  In  the 
summer  of  1867  he  came  to  Waseca,  as  de- 
tailed elsewhere,  and  entered  into  his  present 
business.  December  14,  1870,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Libbeline  Wresloo,  a 
native  of  Indiana.  They  liave  been  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Willie, 
Otto,  Albert,  Freddie,  Lydia,  John  and  an 
infant  not  named.  Freddie  died  in  April, 
1885. 

Hon.  O.  I).  Sawin  came  to  Waseca  in  tlie 
spring  of  1883,  and  helped  form  the  Waseca 


Manufacturing  Co.,  of  which  he  was  secretary 
and  treasurer  until  the  present  company  was 
formed,  and  became  the  successor  of  the  old 
company.  He  was  then  elected  to  the  same 
offices  in  the  furniture  company,  and  now 
has  charge  of  the  company's  store.  He  was 
born  at  Gardner,  AVorcester  County,  Mass., 
April  IS,  1834,  and  is  the  son  of  Joseph 
D.  and  Marcia  M.  (Scribner)  Sawin.  He 
started  in  the  dry  goods  and  grocery  trade 
in  Bald  wins  vi  lie,  Mass.,  where  he  remained 
in  trade  for  a  number  of  years.  He  was 
also  president  of  the  Templeton  Savings 
Bank  for  some  nine  years,  taking  the  first 
deposit  ever  paid  in  there.  In  18S1  he  was 
elected  to  the  State  Legislature  of  Massachu- 
setts, from  his  native  county,  and  took  his 
seat  therein  in  January,  1882,  and  also 
served  his  constituents  at  the  extra  session 
in  the  fall  of  that  year.  In  February,  1881, 
his  establishment  was  destroyed  by  fire,  but 
he  did  not  replace  his  business  there  upon 
its  footing,  but  came  west  in  the  spring  of 
1883,  as  already  stated.  August  19,  1858, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Martha 
Comee. 

Thomas  Flynn  established  his  furniture 
store  in  the  fall  of  1886,  in  connection  with 
Mr.  Lansing,  and  they  carried  on  the  busi- 
ness until  June,  1887,  when  Mr.  Flynn  be- 
came the  sole  proprietor.  Mr.  Flynn  is  a 
native  of  Waukesha  County,  Wis.,  born  in 
1851.  He  is  the  son  of  Michael  and  Johanna 
Flynn.  Thomas  lived  with  his  parents  until 
about  seventeen  years  of  age,  and  then  went 
to  Milwaukee,  where  he  worked  at  the  car- 
penter's trade  for  four  years.  He  then  went 
to  Chicago,  where  he  remained  one  year. 
From  there  he  went  to  Little  Rock,  Ark., 
where  he  stayed  two  more  years,  still  follow- 
ing the  same  trade.  After  a  short  stay  in 
Milwaukee  he  commenced  building  and  con- 
tracting in  his  native  countj^  where  he 
remained  until  1877,  when  he  came  to  Wa- 
seca. Since  then  he  has  done  considerable 
building  throughout  tiie  county,  and  still 
contracts  in  that  line.       He  was  united  in 


704- 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COHNTV. 


marriage  in  the  fall  of  1880,  with  Almira  G. 
Healy,  of  Waseca.  They  have  two  children  ; 
Robert  and  Leo. 

Baile}^  &  Watkins  were  the  pioneers  in 
the  hardware  line  of  business,  opening  their 
store  in  the  building  now  occupied  by  P.  C. 
Bailey,  and  erected  by  him  in  August,  1867. 
This  Arm  continued  until  1876,  when  J.  M. 
Robertson  &  Co.  bought  in,  and  the  above 
firm  name  was  ado))ted.  On  the  death  of  Mr. 
Robertson,  in  Januar}',  1885,  P.  C.  Bailey, 
purchasing  all  the  otlier  interests,  became 
the  sole  owner  of  the  store. 

Hardware  and  its  various  adjuncts  is  rep- 
resented (1887)  by  the  following  named 
firms :  P.  C.  Bailey,  Trowbridge  &  Dale, 
Pugh  &  Goodman  and   Krassin  ife  Boucher. 

The  pioneer  drug  store  in  the  new  village 
was  started  in  the  fall  of  1867  by  Strong  & 
Wilsey,  who  removed  here  from  "Wilton  as 
soon  as  the  town  commenced.  After  run- 
ning for  several  years,  Fred.  Kittredge  pur- 
chased the  interest  of  Mr.  Wilsey,  thus 
forming  the  firm  of  Strong  &  Kittredge, 
wliich  lasted  until  the  death  of  the  latter, 
whic!;  occurred  Januar}'^  i,  1875.  He  was  a 
native  of  Ohio,  born  in  18iO,  and  came  to 
this  State  in  1860.  His  interest  was  pur- 
chased by  C.  A.  Wright,  and  the  firm  of 
Strong  &  Wright  operated  the  business  until 
April,  1885,  when  Mr.  Wright  acquired  the  in 
terest  of  his  partner  and  has  continued  the 
business  ever  since.  The  building  which  he 
now  occupies  was  the  original  one  where 
Strong  &  Wilsey  first  opened  the  stand. 

In  1868  a  drug  store  was  established  Ijy 
Knappen  &  Eddy,  but  in  the  early  part  of 
that  year  Mr.  Eddy  I'etired  from  the  firm 
and  it  was  run  by  P.  L.  Knappen  alone  until 
January,  1869,  when  E.  P.  Latham  became 
a  partner.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1870, 
Mr.  Latham  bought  out  his  partner  and  con- 
tinued the  business  until  the  year  1876,  when 
he  disposed  of  it  to  Hall  &  Curamings.  John 
Lock  purchased  the  interest  of  Edward 
Cummings,  and  the  firm  of  Hall  &  Lock  for 
some  time  handled  the  establishment.    After 


this  Lock  purchased  the  interest  of  his  part- 
ner and  ran  it  until  1885,  when  he  died,  when 
Dr.  D.  S.  Cummings  ran  it  about  a  year,  as 
administrator,  when  it  was  sold  to  W.  D. 
Belden.  the  present  proprietor. 

In  1876  Middaugh  &  Tarbell  initiated  a 
drug  store  which  they  continued  until  April, 
1878,  when  it  was  purchased  by  the  present 
proprietors,  Sudduth  &  Preston.  The  build- 
ing they  occupied  at  that  time  was  located 
opposite  the  Waseca  County  bank,  but  they 
moved  into  their  present  quarters  in  the  fall 
of  1886.  This  firm,  composed  of  H.  H.  Sud- 
duth and  S.  H.  Preston,  carry  on  quite  an 
extensive  business  in  drugs,  medicines,  fancy 
goods,  etc. 

S.  H.  Preston,  of  the  drug  firm  of  Sudduth 
&  Preston,  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  Sep- 
tember 11,  18-12,  and  is  the  son  of  Lucius  and 
Rebecca  H.  Preston.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
enlisted  in  company  G,  Fifth  Vermont  In- 
fantry, under  Col.  Smalley,  and  served  with 
that  gallant  band  of  heroes,  through  the  cam- 
paigns of  the  army  of  the  Potomac.  Septem- 
ber 2i,  1864,  he  received  his  discharge,  but  re- 
enlisted  in  the  First  Regiment,  of  Hancock's 
First  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  and  participat- 
ing in  all  the  engagements  with  that  body 
of  picked  men  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
receiving  his  final  discharge  January  24, 
1866.  The  same  j'ear  he  went  to  Sheboygan, 
Wis.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  drug  trade, 
and  where  he  remained  one  year.  He  then 
came  to  tliis  county  and  located  in  the  town 
of  Woodville.  Five  years  later  he  moved 
into  Waseca,  and  has  since  been  a  resident, 
engaged  in  the  drug  business.  October  8, 
1866,  he  was  united  in  marriage  in  Sheboy- 
gan, with  Emily  Durkee.  They  have  a 
family  of  two  children  :  Josie  E.  and  Lutie, 
both  at  home. 

A  lumber  yard  was  opened  by  W.  W.  John- 
son, in  1867,  the  first  in  this  line.  Mr.  John- 
son remained  in  business  here  for  a  few  years, 
when  he  sold  out  to  Laii'd,  Norton  &  Co.,  of 
Winona,  the  present  proprietors. 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


705 


Charles  Eckenbeck  opened  a  depot  for  the 
sale  of  coal,  salt  and  lumber,  in  the  fall  of 
1867,  near  the  depot. 

Williams  &  Washburn  were  also  among 
the  pioneers  in  the  lumber  business  here, 
locating  in  the  fall  of  1867. 

At  present  the  lumber  trade  is  in  the  hands 
of  the  following  firms :  Winona  Lumber  Co., 
under  the  management  of  EUing  Johnson ; 
Laird,  Norton  &  Co.,  under  the  superinten- 
dency  of  A.  D.  Goodman,  and  the  Waseca 
Lumber  Co.,  E.  W.  Fiske,  manager 

The  Winona  Lumber  Company's  lumber 
yard  was  started  by  J.  J.  Elliott  when  Wa- 
seca was  but  a  small  village,  and  was  operated 
by  him  until  1877,  when  he  failed  and  Will 
Johnson  became  the  proprietor  thereof.  Five 
years  later  he  sold  out  to  the  present  pro- 
prietors, who  put  it  under  the  present  man- 
agement. 

EUing  Johnson,  manager  of  the  Winona 
Lumber  Company's  yard  at  Waseca,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Norway,  who  was  bcu-n  in  184:0.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  when  a  youth 
of  about  sixteen  and  settled  in  McHenry 
County,  111.,  where  he  remained  some  four 
years,  working  as  a  mechanic,  and  then 
}noved  to  Dodge  County,  Minn.,  where,  in 
1861:,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H,  of  the 
Eleventh  Minnesota  Infantry,  under  Col. 
James  B.  Gilfillan,  and  served  for  one  year, 
receiving  his  discharge  at  Gallatin,  Tenn., 
June  26,  1865.  He  then  returned  to  Dodge 
County,  where  for  seven  years  he  followed 
farming.  In  1876  he  took  charge  of  the 
lumber  yartl  of  llorton  &  Hamilton,  at  Kas- 
son,  that  county,  and  remained  there  for  six 
years,  and  then  moved  to  this  place  as  above 
stated.  He  was  married  while  in  McHenry 
County,  111.,  to  Miss  G.  Anderson. 

E.  W.  Fiske,  the  manager  of  the  Waseca 
Lumber  Company's  interests,  was  born  in 
Oneida  County,  N.  Y.,  March  8,  1851,  and 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  A.  Fiske. 
He  remained  until  he  had  reached  his  major- 
ity, and  then  started  west.  This  was  in  the 
spring  of   1872.     lie  remained   here   but  a 


short  time,  going  with  an  engineer  corps  of 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  west, 
and  remained  two  years.  He  then  returned 
to  Waseca,  and  engaged  in  the  wheat  trade, 
and  afterward  as  book-keeper  for  the  flour- 
ing mill,  then  operated  by  W.  G.  Ward. 
Minneapolis  was  the  next  place  he  went  to, 
but  only  remained  there  a  short  time,  when 
he  returned  here  and  took  charge  of  the 
mill  and  continued  therein  some  two  years. 
He  relinquished  that  and  went  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  on  an  expedition,  and  while  there 
helped  to  build  Fort  Custer.  Returning 
to  Waseca,  he  took  up  the  business  of  build- 
ing and  contracting,  which  he  followed 
here  until  1884,  when  he  removed  to  Athol, 
D.  T.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  same 
business.  He  then  took  charge  of  the  Da- 
kota Central  Railroad  station  and  express 
business,  which  he  held  for  about  a  year, 
and  then  coming  back  to  Waseca,  became 
manager  of  Robinson  &  Co.'s  lumber  yard, 
and  when  they  sold  out  to  the  present  com 
pany,  was  continued  in  the  same  position. 
December  21,  1880,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Kate  I.  Bailey.  They  are  the 
parents  of  two  children  :  Avis  and  Kennith. 

Boots  and  shoes  are  sold  at  present  by  A. 
Ilayward  and  several  of  the  general  mer- 
chandise dealers. 

Devannah  &  Reynolds  were  the  pioneer 
livei-ymen  of  the  town,  starting  here  in  the 
fall  of  1867. 

J.  R.  Whitman  almost  immediately  after 
opened  a  stable  of  the  same  character. 

The  two  livery  stables  are  kept  at  the 
present  by  George  L.  Arentsen  and  Thomas 
Connelly. 

George  L.  Arentsen,  proprietor  of  one  of 
the  livery,  sale  and  boai'ding  stables,  and  of 
the  omnibus  line,  is  a  native  of  Sheboygan 
County,  Wis.,  born  March  16,  1851.  He  is 
the  son  of  George  W.  and  Lucretia  E.  (Camp- 
bell) Arentsen,  who  came  to  Waseca  County 
in  1869,  and  locating  in  Woodville  Town- 
ship, remained  here  until  1880,  when  they 
removed  to  Jackson  County'-,  this  State.     In 


706 


HISTOKY    OF    \VASE(^A    COUNTY. 


1887  they  returned  to  this  county  and  are 
now  residents  of  this  city.  George  L.  lived 
with  his  parents  until  1875,  when  he  started 
for  .himself  and  followed  farming  for  two 
years,  when  he  moved  to  Waseca  in  the  fall 
of  1880  and  set  up  a  dray  line,  and  in  1885 
purchased  the  livery  and  omnibus  business 
of  Widger  &  Knowles.  February  28,  1875, 
he  was  married  to  Ellen  A.  Wood.  They 
have  been  the  parents  of  five  children : 
Edith  M.,  Guy,  Grace  E.,  Roy  and  Ruth. 
Edith  and  Ruth  are  living,  but  the  other 
three  died  in  infancy. 

Thomas  Connelly,  proprietor  of  one  of 
the  livery,  boarding  and  sale  stables  of  AVa- 
seca,  is  a  native  of  Ireland.  He  came  to 
America  in  1850,  and  for  six  or  seven  years 
thereafter,  resided  in  McHenry  County,  111. 
From  there  he  removed  to  Fort  Dodge, 
Iowa,  where  he  lived  until  about  1870,  when 
he  moved  to  the  State  of  Nebraska.  Six 
years  later  he  returned  to  Iowa,  and  located 
in  Palo  Alto  County,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  the  hotel  and  livery  business  for  four 
years.  He  came  to  Waseca,  December  9, 
1885,  and  opened  the  livery  stable  which  he 
now  owns  and  operates.  He  was  married 
while  in  Fort  Dodge  to  Kate  Owens.  They 
are  the  parents  of  three  children :  Joseph 
W.,  Emelia  A.  and  Zeta. 

Hans  J.  Lund  was  the  first  to  embark  in 
the  jewelry  trade  in  Waseca,  opening  in  the 
building  next  to  the  postoffice,  in  February, 
1868. 

The  jewelry  trade  is  well  represented  by 
Ed.  Castor,  Oliver  Peterson  and  E.  Preston. 
The  last  named  is  also  engaged  in  the  sale 
of  organs  and  sewing  machines. 

A.  E.  Dearborn  was  the  pioneer  of  the 
meat-market  business  in  Waseca,  setting  up 
his  establishment  there  in  the  autumn  of 
1867.  This  line  of  business  is  now  in  the 
hands  of  Smith  &  Myers,  C.  Fischer  and  C. 
Nitschke. 

Among  those  who  are  identified  with  the 
grocery  and  provision  business  are  the  fol- 
lowing firms:  Johnson  &  Claghorn.  Joseph 


Gatzman,  Mr.  Simons,  Jerome  Madden  Sr., 
M.  B.  Keeley  and  P.  J.  Dean. 

John  W.  Johnson,  of  the  firm  of  Johnson 
&  Claghorn,  retail  grocers  and  provision 
dealers,  was  born  in  Provmcetown,  Barn- 
stable County,  Mass.,  March  31,  1832.  On 
the  sea-girt  peninsula  of  Cape  Cod,  he  grew 
to  manhood,  and  in  1856  he  started  west  to 
Chicago,  and  from  there  went  to  Blooming- 
ton,  111.,  where  he  was  engaged  in  various 
pursuits  until  the  fall  of  that  year,  when  he 
came  to  Minnesota  and  located  at  Faribault, 
where  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  by  Fuller 
&  Smith.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  came  to 
the  village  of  St.  Mary,  in  this  county,  and 
entered  into  the  mercantile  trade  under  the 
firm  name  of  J.  W.  Johnson  &  Co.  In  1858 
they  removed  to  Wilton,  then  the  county- 
seat,  where  they  erected  a  new  store  build- 
ing and  opened  their  stock  of  goods.  There 
Mr.  Johnson  remained  until  1868,  when  he 
removed  to  Waseca,  where  he  has  since 
remained.  In  1871  the  partnership  between 
him  and  his  brother  George  was  dissolved 
and  some  time  afterward  the  present  firm 
was  foi'med.  Mr.  Johnson  was  united  in 
marriage,  June  27,  1866,  with  Mary  A.  Mars- 
ton,  a  native  of  the  "  Old  Bay  State  "  also. 
They  are  the  parents  of  two  children : 
Edward  P.  and  William  M.  Mr.  Johnson 
is  a  member  of  Tuscan  lodge,  No.  77,  An- 
cient Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  Waseca 
Chapter,  No.  26,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and 
Cyrene  Comraandery,  No.  9,  Knights  Tem- 
jilar. 

Joseph  Gatzman  came  to  the  city  of  Wa- 
seca early  in  1868  and  opened  a  grocery 
store  and  saloon  on  the  site  of  his  present 
building.  He  is  a  native  of  Baden,  Germany, 
born  May  1,  1837.  He  remained  in  the  old 
countiT  until  1857,  when  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  first  locating  in  Scott  County, 
Minn.,  where  he  remained  until  1861,  when 
he  removed  to  Faribault,  Rice  County. 
While  there,  in  October,  1861,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  C,  Fourth  Minnesota  Infantry, 
undei'   Col.    Sanborn,   and   served   for   four 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COtTNTY. 


707 


years  and  nine  months.  He  was  in  fourteen 
pitched  battles,  and  at  Mission  Ridge  was 
wounded  and  sent  to  the  hospital.  He 
was  discharged  at  Santa  Fe,  N.  Max.,  and 
returned  to  Fariljault,  where  he  resided 
until  coming  to  "Waseca  in  1868.  On  the 
14th  of  March,  1868,  he  was  married  to  ]\Iiss 
G.  Resslier,  a  native  of  Michigan  City, 
Ind.,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  three 
children :  Emma,  Edith  and  Kate.  Mr. 
Gatzman  is  a  member  of  Lewis  McKune 
Post,  No.  27,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
and  of  Comee  Lodge,  No.  25,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  the  latter  of  which 
he  is  the  present  Vice-Grand. 

H.  P.  Norton  established  the  first  real 
estate  office  in  the  village  in  the  fall  of  1867, 
coming  from  Wilton  here  for  that  purpose. 

The  pioneer  dealers  in  agricultural  imple- 
ments and  farm  tools  were  Allen  <k  Dear- 
born, J.  W.  La  Paul  and  F.  H.  Miner,  all  of 
whom  commenced  operations  in  February, 
1868. 

This  line  of  tratle  is  followed  now  by 
Hawkes  &  Clement,  Krassin  &  Boucher, 
Parmlee  &  Wright  and  Collins  Bros. 

Samuel  Hawkes,  of  the  firm  of  Hawkes 
&  Clement,  agricultural  implement  dealers, 
is  a  native  of  Windham,  Cumberland  County, 
Me.,  born  September  13,  1838.  He  is  the 
son  of  Samuel  R.  and  Hannah  (Morrill) 
Hawkes,  with  whom  he  remained  untd 
eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he  started  out 
in  the  world  for  himself,  coming  west  to 
Iowa  in  1856,  and  to  Minnesota  the  year 
following.'  He  purchased  a  claim  in  Meri- 
den,  Steele  Count}',  on  coming  to  the  State, 
from  a  man  by  the  name  of  Hatch,  and  re- 
mained there  two  years,  and  then  returned 
east  again.  In  1865  he  came  back  to  Steele 
County,  and  settled  on  his  farm,  where  he 
lived  some  nine  years.  He  then  sold  it  and 
bought  a  place  about  a  mile  and  a  half  north 
of  Waseca,  in  this  county,  where  he  resided 
until  1883,  when  he  moved  to  this  cit^'. 
He  commenced  the  sale  of  agricultural  im- 
plements in  1878,  Mr.  Clement  becoming  a 


partner  in  1883.  October  1,  1865,  Mr. 
Hawkes  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
C.  M.  Skellings,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
five  children  :  Hannah,  Allan  S.,  Charles  M., 
Annie  and  Julia. 

R.  B.  and  W.  B.  Wood  and  A.  Zimmer 
were  the  first  blacksmiths  and  wagon- 
makers,  opening  places  for  carrying  on  that 
trade  in  the  fall  of  1867.  The  trade  is  in  the 
hands  of  N.  J.  Breen,  P.  Bowe,  G.  A.  Ro- 
land, Schlicht  &  Prechel,  W.  Kreuzer,  A. 
Zimmer  and  others. 

Nicholas  J.  Breen  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Dublin,  Ireland,  January  29,  1830.  In  the 
spring  of  1842,  his  pai'ents  having  died,  he 
went  to  live  with  an  uncle  living  in  the 
County  Wexford,  where  he  lived  seven  years, 
and  while  there  commenced  learning  the 
trade  of  blacksmith.  When  he  was  nineteen 
3'ears  of  age  he  came  to  America,  and  for 
a  short  time  worked  at  Binghamton,  N. 
Y.,  but  in  the  fall  of  1849  he  came  west, 
locating  in  Milwaukee,  where  he  stayed  two 
years.  He  removed  in  1851  to  Franklin,  in 
the  same  State,  where  he  started  a  cmithy 
for  himself,  and  there  remained  until  1868, 
when  he  came  to  Waseca,  then  just  started, 
and  now  is  one  of  the  largest  manufacturers 
in  his  line  in  this  section  of  countrj^  build- 
ing all  kinds  of  wagons  and  carriages,  be- 
sides doing  all  kinds  of  regular  blacksmith 
work.  In  1857  he  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Rosanna  McAnanny,  a  native  of  New 
York  City.  They  are  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children,  all  still  at  home:  Margaret 
M.,  John  J.,  Thomas  Francis  M.,  Agnes  C, 
Rose  Mary  and  Alice.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  Church. 

The  Waseca  Plow  Works  was  established 
by  P.  A.  Bowe  in  1882,  who  still  carries  on 
the  business,  making  a  specialty  of  making 
and  repairing  plows  for  local  trade. 

Patrick  A.  Bowe  is  a  native  of  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  born  May  1,  1853.  He  remained  in 
that  city  until  1867,  when  he  came  to  Waseca 
with  his  parents,  Dennis  and  Ellen  Bowe, 
who  settled  in  the  town  of  Blooming  Grove. 


708 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


Patrick  lived  with  them  until  1873,  when  he 
commenced  to  learn  the  trade  of  blacksmith, 
and  after  serving  a  three-years'  apprentice- 
sliip,  worked  at  the  trade  until  1882,  when 
he  started  for  himself  in  his  present  business. 

In  the  fall  of  1867  the  first  milliner_y  es- 
tablishment was  opened  bj'  Miss  C.  A.  Jones. 
The  business  is  represented  to-day  (Septem- 
ber, 1887,)  by  Mrs.  Myrick,  Anna  Macklin 
and  C.  Sutter.  Miss  Forbes  and  the  Misses 
Swift  do  dressmaking  and  millinery. 

During  the  summer  of  1869  the  brewery 
was  established,  and  the  building  erected  by 
Edward  and  Samuel  Ginsberg.  It  is  op- 
erated at  the  jiresent  writing  by  Anthony 
Guyer. 

Anthony  Guyer  came  to  Waseca  in  May, 
1883,  and  first  engaged  in  the  saloon  busi- 
ness. Later,  he  and  John  Beierwalter  formed 
a  partnership  and  now  are  carrying  on  a 
saloon  in  -this  city.  In  March,  1886,  he 
rented  the  brewery  here  and  has  since  that 
time  carried  on  that  business.  He  brews 
some  twenty  to  twenty-five  barrels  of  beer 
per  week,  most  of  wliich  he  sells  here,  al- 
though he  ships  some  to  other  points.  He 
is  a  native  of  Boiiemia,  Austria,  born  Janu- 
ary 7,  1860,  but  was  brought  to  America 
when  but  nine  years  of  age  by  his  parents, 
who  first  settled  in  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  where 
they  remained  one  year  and  then  removed 
to  Janesville,  this  county,  where  they  still 
live.  Anthony  remained  with  them  until  he 
was  twentj^-one  years  of  age,  when  he  be- 
came bartender  for  William  Kleeman,  of 
Janesville,  and  remained  in  that  village  until 
1883,  when  he  came  to  Waseca.  He  was 
married  September  20,  1883,  to  Carrie  Man- 
ker,  a  native  of  Prussia.  They  have  two 
children  :  William  and  George. 

A  brickyard  was  also  established  in  the 
immediate  vicinit\'  of  tiie  village  in  April, 
1868,  by  M.  S.  Green,  and  bricks  supplied 
to  those  in  the  new  town  that  used  them. 

The  Waseca  Iron  Works  is  one  of  the  manu- 
facturing institutions  of  the  city,  and  does  a 
large  amount  of  business  in  its  line.      Cast- 


ings of  any  and  all  kinds  are  made  here.  It 
is  operated  by  Crane  &  Veness.  This  was 
established  by  Paddock  about  the  year  1877. 

Bowe  &  Fairchild  are  running  a  feedmill 
put  up  in  1887. 

A.  II.  Ranney  is  engaged  in  the  sale  of 
books,  stationery,  papers,  wall  paper,  fancy 
articles,  etc. 

As  soon  as  the  town  had  started,  H.  P. 
Norton  brought  over  here  the  agency  for 
the  American  Express  Com])any,  and  was  the 
pioneer  express  agent  of  this  town.  The 
company  still  has  its  agency  at  Waseca, 
under  the  management  of  J.  B.  Hayden,  a 
sketch  of  whom  has  been  given  in  Chapter 
VIII. 

The  United  States  Express  agency  was  es- 
tablished December  1,  1884,  with  A.  G. 
Bush  as  the  first  agent.  The  business  is 
still  in  the  hands  of  the  same  accommodating, 
genial  gentleman. 

A.  G.  Bush  is  a  native  of  West  Virginia, 
born  September  27,  1848.  He  is  the  son  of 
Abraham  and  Rachel  (Gofi')  Bush,  and  re- 
mained at  home  with  them  until  March  14, 
1867,  when  he  moved  to  Texas,  but  only  re- 
mained there  about  a  j'ear,  when  he  went  to 
Lee's  Summit,  Jackson  County,  Mo.  There 
he  stayed  a  short  time,  and  then  returned  to 
the  "  Lone  Star  State,"  but  six  months  later 
again  trod  Missouri  soil.  September  27, 
1870,  he  started  for  Minnesota,  and  on  ar- 
rival here  settled  in  AA'^aseca,  where  he  com- 
menced as  clerk  in  a  hotel.  In  the  winters 
of  1871-2  and  1872-3  he  was  tiie  village 
night  watchman,  having  been  appointed  to 
tliat  ofiice.  In  1873  he  entered  the  store  of  E. 
Preston  as  clerk,  where  he  remained  a  year 
or  two.  In  1876  he  opened  a  restaurant, 
which  he  carried  on  for  about  three  years, 
and  then  sold  out  and  was  made  baggage- 
master  on  the  Ciiicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
road. In  the  spring  of  1880  he  returned  to 
tliis  city,  where  for  eighteen  months  he  was 
engaged  as  janitor  of  the  schoolhouse  and 
other  occupations,  and  then  entered  the  store 
of  Mr.   Preston   again,    where    lie   remained 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


ro9 


until  1884,  when  he  was  appointed  United 
States  Express  agent.  In  January,  1876,  he 
was  married  to  Ida  Ta^'lor,  of  Rochester, 
Minn. 

C.  E.  Lewis  and  P.  H.  Swift  were  the 
pioneers  of  the  legal  fraternity,  locating 
here  in  Februar}^  1868,  in  an  office  over  the 
McVeigh  store.  There  are  now  eight  attor- 
neys in  the  city,  as  follows  :  E.  B.  CoUester, 
P.  McGovern,  Lewis  Bi'ownell,  S.  D.  Crump, 
B.  S.  Lewis,  C.  E.  Leslie,  W.  D.  Abbott  and 
John  Moonan,  nearly  all  of  wliom  are  men- 
tioned in  the  chapter  devoted  to  tiie  bench 
and  bar. 

The  first  physicians  to  locate  in  the  rising 
young  village  were  H.  J.  Young  and  C.  T. 
Peck.  The  medical  profession  is  represented 
at  the  present  writing  by  Drs.  H.  J.  Young, 
D.  S.  Cummings,  George  Christie,  A.  M. 
Hutchinson,  F.  A.  Swartwood.  M.  V.  Hunt. 

H.  J.  Young,  M.  D.,  the  pioneer  physician 
of  the  city  of  Waseca,  and  one  of  the  leading 
ones  of  the  county,  came  to  this  place  in 
the  fall  of  1867,  when  there  were  but  few 
buildings  here.  He  is  a  native  of  Windsor 
County,  Vt.,  born  June  9,  1831.  He  re- 
mained in  that  place  until  he  was  some 
twenty-four  years  old,  receiving  his  prelimi- 
nary education  in  the  excellent  schools  of  his 
native  town.  In  18.51  he  commenced  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  E.  A.  Knight, 
of  Springfield,  Vt.  He  attended  one  course 
of  lectures  at  Woodstock,  Vt.,  and  then  went 
to  Pittsfield,  wliere  he  spent  another  term 
at  the  Berkshire  Medical  College,  and  then 
returned  to  AVoodstock  and  graduated  from 
the  college  at  that  place,  in  June,  1854.  For 
about  eighteen  months  thereafter  he  prac- 
ticed his  profession  with  Dr.  Knight,  his  pre- 
ceptor. He  then  removed  to  Temple,  N.  IL, 
where  he  spent  a  year  in  practice,  and  then, 
taking  the  advice  of  Horace  Greeley,  came 
west  and  settled  in  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  duties  of  his  profession 
until  1862,  when  he  was  commissioned  as 
assistant  sui'geon  of  the  First  Wisconsin 
Cavalry,  and  proceeded  with  them  to  the 


front.  After  a  year's  service  he  was  com- 
pelled to  resign  on  account  of  sickness,  and 
returned  to  Sheboygan,  where  he  remained 
until  tlie  fall  of  1864,  when  he  accepted  the 
commission  of  surgeon  of  the  Forty-seventh 
Wisconsin  Infantry,  but  was  detailed  as  ex- 
amining surgeon  at  Madison,  where  he  re- 
mained until  spring,  when  he  rejoined  the  regi- 
ment. On  the  close  of  hostilities  and  discharge 
of  the  regiment,  lie  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  general  hospital  at  Tullahoma,  Tenn., 
where  he  remained  until  he  had  discharged  all 
the  ]iatients,  and  had  advertised  and  sold  out 
the  entire  equipment  to  the  people  of  that 
country,  having  as  guard  there  at  the  time  a 
part  of  acolored  regiment  only.  Before  he  left 
there,  it  is  no  more  than  justice  to  say  that 
he  was  offered  a  surgeon's  commission  in  the 
regular  army,  being  warmly  recommended 
thereto  by  high  officials,  but  declined  tlie 
honor.  He  then  returned  to  Sheboygan, 
where  he  remained  in  medical  practice  until 
coming  here  in  1867.  In  January,  1855,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Lucy  II.  Pres- 
ton. They  are  the  parents  of  two  children : 
Carl  H.,  deputy  county  auditor,  and  John  C, 
late  of  Curtis'  Business  College,  St.  Paul. 

M.  V.  Hunt,  M.  D.,  one  of  the  leading 
physicians  of  Waseca,  was  born  in  Darke 
County,  Ohio,  in  1848,  and  received  his  early 
education  in  Anderson,  Ind.,  where  his 
parents  removed  when  he  was  yet  a  child. 
He  pursued  his  studies  in  Earlham  College 
at  Richmond,  Ind.,  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1867.  He  then  matriculated  at  the  medi- 
cal college  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  from  which 
he  graduated  March  4, 1872,  and  commenced 
practice  at  Anderson,  Ind.  After  a  few 
months  he  removed  to  Janesville,  Waseca 
County,  Minn.,  and  tiiere  remained  about 
eighteen  months  and  then  came  to  the  city 
of  Waseca,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since, 
and  where  he  has  a  large  and  growing  prac- 
tice. In  the  fall  of  1879  Dr.  Hunt  was  elected 
to  fill  the  office  of  county  superintendent 
of  schools,  and  filled  that  jiosition  for  two 
vears  to  tlie  satisfaction  of  all.     A  man  of 


710 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    CODNTT. 


great  natural  ability,  heightened  by  a  su- 
perior education,  as  the  head  of  the  educa- 
tional department  of  the  county  government 
he  \vas  in  his  proper  sphere,  and  but  for  his 
practice  he  should  have  been  continued  in 
that  office.  In  March,  1876,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Addie  A.  Andrews,  who  died 
in  Juh',  1887,  leaving  one  child,  Montague 
Volney.  The  Doctor  is  at  present  the  county 
coroner. 

A.  M.  Hutchinson,  M.  D.,  the  onl}^  homeo- 
pathic physician  in  Waseca,  was  born  in  Le- 
Roy,  Genesee  County,  N.  Y.,  in  1847. 
When  he  was  but^  live  years  of  age  the  fam- 
ily removed  to  Fond  du  Lac,  Wis.,  and  there 
he  was  reared.  In  1867  he  came  to  Austin, 
Minn.  He  commenced  the  study  of  medi- 
cine at  an  early  age,  he  having  a  natural 
bent  in  that  direction,  and  later  attending 
the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  at  Chicago, 
graduated  from  that  institution,  one  of  the 
best  in  the  United  States,  and  in  1877 
commenced  the  practice  of  medicine.  He 
came  to  the  city  of  Waseca  in  April,  1885, 
and  already  has  a  large  and  inci'easing  prac- 
tice. While  attending  college,  it  is  a  matter 
of  record  that  he  took  the  first  prizes  on 
the  theoiy  and  practice  of  medicine,  and  on 
diseases  of  the  heart  and  lungs.  In  1872  he 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Libbie  P.  Otis, 
a  native  of  Wisconsin.  They  have  been  the 
parents  of  five  children  :  Eva  M.,  deceased  ; 
Edith  A.,  deceased  ;  Mabel  P.,  Harry  and 
Clarence.  The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the 
Minnesota  Homeopathic  Institute,  and  also 
of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

Dr.  Mcintosh  came  to  Waseca  in  1867 
and  remained  here  until  1880.  He  was  a 
native  of  Bethel,  Vt.,  and  studied  medicine 
with  Dr.  William  Huntingdon,  of  Eochester, 
that  State.  He  was  also  a  graduate  of 
the  medical  college  at  Castleton,  Vt., 
and  moved  to  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  in  1860, 
which  year  he  married  Rebecca  Preston. 
When  Dr.  Young  entered  the  army,  Mcin- 
tosh took  charge  of  his  patients,  but  when  the 
former  was  appointed  surgeon  of  the  Forty- 


seventh  Wisconsin, 


assistant  surgeon 


Dr.  Mcintosh  became 
He  has  invented  some 
useful  articles  for  the  medical  fraternity. 

Drs.  M.  M.  Davidson  and  E.  A.  Lyman 
Jr.  are  engaged  in  the  practice  of  dentistry. 

Besides  those  mentioned  as  being  in  busi- 
ness, there  are  in  Waseca  at  the  present  time 
the  following  representatives  of  various  busi- 
nesses :  G.  A.  Smith  and  C.  Weyrauch,  mer- 
chant tailors ;  R.  Reichel,  paints,  oils,  etc. ; 
Anhorn  &  Butsch,  A.  E.  Wollschlaeger 
and  others,  harness-makers ;  C.  Anderson, 
John  Guttteisch  and  others,  shoemakers ;  Ira 
Horton,  marble  works  ;  C.  C.  Orange,  Gus. 
Schildknect  and  Thomas  Gillfoyle,  cigar 
manufacturers ;  Adolf  Witt,  Gus.  Schildknect, 
L.  Maire,  and  Thomas  Gillfoyle,  restaurants. 

Robert  Reichel,  who  is  the  house  and  sign 
painter  of  the  city  of  Waseca,  is  also  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  paint  and  oil  store,  where  is  kept 
all  manner  of  ]iainters'  material,  either  for 
house  painting  or  for  artists'  uses.  He  came 
to  Waseca  in  1881,  and  in  1882  put  in  a  paint 
shop,  although  he  commenced  working  at  his 
trade  when  he  first  located  in  the  place.  In 
1887  he  opened  his  present  place  of  business, 
with  a  full  and  complete  stock,  paints,  oils, 
varnishes,  brushes,  etc.  He  is  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  in  1857.  He  remained  in  his 
fatherland  until  he  was  about  twenty-four 
years  of  age,  when  he  immigrated  to  this 
country,  coming  direct  to  Waseca,  where  he 
has  since  remained.  His  wife  was  Mar}^  Bee- 
man,  of  this  county,  previous  to  their  marriage 
which  took  place  in  1884. 

The  pioneer  hotel  was  the  Trowbridge 
House,   erected  in  the  summer  and  fall  of 

1867,  and  opened  by  Ira  C.  Trowbridge,  the 
original  owner  of  the  town  plat,  in  the  fall  of 
the  same  year.  It  was  a  frame  building,  two 
stories  high.  Mr.  Trowbridge  kept  the  house 
until  April  following,  when  it  passed  into 
the  hands  of  J.  B.  Reynolds.    In  November, 

1868,  it  was  again  kept  by  Mr.  Trowbridge, 
but  some  time  thereafter  it  was  closed,  and 
never  used  for  hotel  purposes  again. 

The  Vincent  House  was  another  pioneer 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


711 


hotel,  erected  in  the  fall  of  1867  by  H.  Vin- 
cent, on  the  corner  of  Second  and  Wood 
street.  On  its  completion  it  was  thrown 
open  to  the  traveling  public  by  the  owner, 
as  host.  The  building  was  55x(50  feet  in  size, 
and  cost  about  $3,000.  Mr.  Vincent,  in  the 
spring  of  1871  sold  the  place  to  M.  E.  Priest, 
who  ran  it  for  some  years ;  finally  it  was  cut 
up  into  various  rooms,  and  rented  to  several 
parties,  and  is  now  occupied  by  saloon,  meat- 
market,  cigar  factory,  etc. 

The  house  now  known  as  the  Stevens  House, 
on  "Wood  street,  opposite  tlie  postoffice,  was 
erected  in  1867  also.  Its  first  landlord  was 
Daniel  Grover. 

The  Waseca  House,  now  so  called,  was 
erected  in  the  fall  of  1867,  and  under  the 
name  of  the  Clear  Lake  House,  ran  for  a 
short  time  under  the  management  of  "  Doc" 
La  Dow.  The  Traveller's  Home  was  another 
hotel  south  of  the  track,  in  the  winter  of 
1867,  kept  by  Augustus  Gruhlke. 

The  hotel  business  is  well  represented  in 
the  city  of  Waseca,  the  following  being 
the  list  of  the  various  ones  running  in  1887: 
Grant  House,  Sheridan  House,  Stevens  House, 
Arcade  Hotel,  Waseca  House,  Clayton  House, 
Nora  House,  Crystal  Hotel,  Minnesota 
House,  and  railroad  eating  house. 

The  Grant  House,  the  leading  hotel  of  the 
city,  was  erected  in  1882.  In  the  spring  of 
that  year  a  few  of  the  leading,  public-spirited 
citizens  raised  a  bonus  of  $5,000  to  induce 
some  one  to  put  up  a  first-class  hotel.  That 
amount  and  the  site  upon  which  to  erect  the 
edifice  were  given  to  W.  L.  Grant,  he  agree- 
ing to  put  up  a  hotel  building  to  cost  $15,000 
or  more.  Too  much  praise  can  hardl}^  be 
given  to  the  citizens  who  inaugurated  this 
enterprise  and  gave  so  liberally  from  their 
funds,  especially  Ira  C.  Trowbridge,  who 
donated  the  site,  which  was  part  of  the  block 
reserved  for  his  family  residence,  and  some 
$1,500,  besides.  The  building  was  con- 
structed by  Mr.  Grant,  with  Mr.  Maybury, 
of  Winona,  as  architect,  and  Craig  &  Davis, 
contractors.     It  is  located  on  the  corner  of 


Second  street  and  Lake  avenue,  having  a 
length  on  the  former  of  eighty  feet,  and  on 
the  latter  of  seventy -four  feet.  It  is  a  brick 
veneered  building,  three  stories  high,  with  a 
handsome  veranda  surrounding  it  on  two 
sides.  It  contains  about  forty  sleeping- 
rooms,  parlors,  sample-rooms,  reading  and 
baggage-room,  office  and  reception-room, 
kitchen,  dining-room,  etc.,  and  is  supplied 
with  all  the  modern  conveniences.  W.  L. 
Grant  is  still  the  proprietor. 

Maurice  S.  Collins,  the  proprietor  of  the 
Ai'cade  Hotel,  was  born  in  Wayne  County, 
Ohio,  in  1832.  When  he  was  some  fifteen 
years  of  age  he  came  to  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
with  his  parents,  and  entered  tlie  employ  of 
the  Milwaukee  &  Prairie  du  Chien  Kailroad 
Company,  and  later  on  that  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Eailroad  Company.  He  came 
to  Waseca  in  the  fall  of  1867,  and  ran  a  con- 
struction train,  aiding  in  building  the  road 
fi'om  here  to  Watertown.  He  subsequently 
was  in  the  employ  of  the  Minneapolis  &  St. 
Louis  Eailroad  Company.  In  1881  he  built 
the  structure  known  as  the  Arcade  Hotel 
near  the  Union  depot,  which  he  has  kept 
in  good  style  since  then.  Although  bred 
a  railroad  man,  or  perhaps  because  of  that 
he  makes  a  most  excellent  host,  and  his  hos- 
tehy  is  well  patronized  by  the  traveling  pub- 
lic. The  building  is  new  and  well  furnished 
throughout,  and  affords  the  comforts  of  a 
home  to  the  wayfarer.  Mr.  Collins  was 
married  in  1863  to  Margaret  Ahern,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  three  children,  living : 
Maurice,  liosella  and  Mary  A. 

The  railroad  eating  house  was  started  as 
a  lunch  counter  only,  but  in  November,  1885, 
it  was  purchased  by  W.  C.  Wentworth,  who 
added  largely  to  the  building  and  now  has  a 
complete  dining-room  and  one  of  tlie  finest 
lunch  counters  on  the  lines  of  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  or  Minneapolis  &  St.  Louis 
railroads. 

W.  C.  Wentworth  was  born  in  Jefferson 
County,  Wis.,  December  22,  1845,  and  re- 
mained in  the  county  of  his  birth  until  Sep- 


712 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


tember,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company 
H,  Twenty-first  Wisconsin  Infantry,  under 
Col.  Hobart,  and  remained  with  that  regi- 
ment for  three  years.  They  were  in  service 
in  the  army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  were 
with  Gen.  Sheniian  in  his  famous  march 
to  the  sea,  and  Mr.  Wentworth  participated 
in  some  twenty  battles.  In  the  spring  of 
1865  he  was  taken  ])risoner  on  the  line  be- 
tween North  and  South  Carolina,  and  for  a 
short  time  languished  in  Libby  prison,  in 
Richmond,  Va.,  but  was  released  just  before 
the  surrender  of  Gen.  Lee,  at  Appomattox. 
Returning  from  the  front,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
road, and  after  that  went  to  Atchison,  Kan., 
where  he  remained  some  four  years  and  then 
returned  to  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railroad  Company  again,  with  whom  he  has 
spent  some  sixteen  years  of  liis  life  as  con- 
ductor. He  then  came  to  this  place  and 
started  in  his  present  business.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Janesville,  August  10,  ISTl,  to>  Mary 
E.  Moran,  and  they  have  a  family  of  four 
children :  Guy,  Gertrude.  Addie  and  John. 

HANKS. 

The  pioneer  banking  institution  in  the 
city  of  Waseca  was  that  of  Mills  &  Follett, 
who  occupied  a  two-story  building  on  Second 
street,  put  up  and  owned  by  George  L.  Tar- 
bell.  They  came  here  and  commenced  oper- 
ation   in  the  fall   of  1867,  but  in  January, 

1868,  discontinued  the  business  and  removed 
to  other  climes. 

About  the  same  time  that  they  removed 
from  Waseca,  Baldwin  &  Kittredge  brought 
their  bank  from  Wilton  to  this  place,  and 
commenced  business.  Everything  seemed 
prosperous  until   on   the   29th  of  January, 

1869,  it  became  known  that  the  firm  was 
bankrupt.  William  Everett  was  made  assignee 
(jf  the  assets  of  the  defunct  firm,  and  did 
the  best  he  could  for  the  interests  of  the 
creditors.  The  building  occupied  b}'  Bald- 
win &  Kittredge  was  the  small  one  now 
used   as   an   office  by  Hawkes   &   Clement, 


but  which  at  that  time  stood  on  the  site  of 
the  present  Bank  of  Waseca  building. 

A  bank  was  next  opened  by  Kinyon  Bros, 
at  this  place  on  the  2-J:th  of  August,  1870. 
The  bank  was  broken  into  b^'  bui'.glars,  who 
blew  open  the  safe  by  means  of  gunjiowder 
and  rifled  it  of  about  $3,000.  Some  little 
time  after  this  the  firm  wound  up  its  busi- 
ness at  this  point.  This  bank  was  located  in 
a  one-story  building  which  stood  where  the 
People's  Bank  now  stands. 

George  W.  Newell,  of  Faribault,  and  his 
brother,  Frank  A.  Newell,  who  had  been  in 
Waseca  about  a  year,  on  the  28th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1872,  opened  a  banking  establishment  in 
the  building  north  of  the  courthouse,  on 
Second  street.  This  continued  until  January, 
1875,  when  it  was  merged  into  the  corpora- 
tion known  as  the  Waseca  County  Bank, 
an  institution  organized  under  the  laws  and 
chartered  as  a  State  bank  with  a  capital  of 
$25,000.  The  incorporators  were  the  fol- 
lowing named  individuals :  P.  C.  Bailey, 
G.  W.  Watkins,  J.  W.  Johnson,  William 
Everett,  R.  M.  Addison,  Charles  Ecken- 
beck,  G.  P.  Johnson,  Lewis  Brownell, 
W.  H.  Young  Sr.,  C.  A.  Wright,  Edward 
Bennett,  J.  E.  Child,  G.  W.  Comee,  J.  A. 
Claghorn,  N.  Garland,  N.  E.  Strong,  H.  A. 
Mosher,  E.  G.  Wood,  H.  Vincent,  Josepii 
Gatzraan,  S.  S.  Phelps.  E.  H.  Gosper,  Kelsey 
Curtis  and  F.  A.  Newell,  all  of  Waseca 
County,  and  L.  Emmet,  L.  R.  Weld,  K.  B. 
Braley,  F.  A.  Berry,  H.  Wilson,  T.  B.  Clem- 
ent, A.  Renslow,  J.  W.  Parmeter,  H.  M. 
Matteson,  AV.  B.  Brown,  and  G.  W.  Newell, 
of  Faribault.  G.  W.  Newell  was  elected 
president ;  F.  A.  Newell,  cashier  ;  II.  M.  Mat- 
teson, W.  B.  Brown,  L.  Emmet,  P.  C.  Bailey 
J.  W.  Johnson,  R.  M.  Addison,  S.  S.  Phelps, 
J.  A.  Claghorn  and  E.  G.  Wood,  directors. 
The  bank  built  the  edifice  now  occupied  by 
the  People's  Bank,  on  Second  street,  into 
which  they  moved  on  its  completion.  It 
continued  in  successful  operation  until  the 
summer  of  1885,  when  it  went  into  liquida- 
tion, and    winding   up   its    business,  surren- 


HISTdKT   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


713 


dered  its  charter  on  the  1st  of  Janiuuy, 
1886.  The  building  was  sold  at  that  time 
to  "W.  G.  Ward,  who  is  still  the  owner. 

The  People's  Bank  was  organized  in  Decem- 
ber, 1880,  with  the  following  named  stock- 
holders: W.  G.  Ward,  C.  II.  Smith,  A.  F. 
Kelly,  I.  A.  Buckman,  Mrs.  W.  G.  Ward,  E. 

B.  Collester,  M.  Madden,  E.  M.  Broughton, 
W.  J.  Jemeson,  M.  A.  Green  and  C.  M.  Starr. 
The  first  officers  were :  G.  R.  Buckman, 
president ;  A.  F.  Kelly,  vice-president ;  C. 
H.  Smith,  cashier ,  and  A.  F.  Kelly,  W.  G. 
Ward,  G.  R.  Buckman,  E.  M.  Broughton  and 

C.  H.  Smith,  directors.  The  building  occu- 
pied by  them  at  fii'st  was  about  the  center 
of  the  block,  near  where  they  are  now  lo- 
cated. The  capital  was  at  that  time  |25,000, 
but,  in  1881,  this  sum  was  increased  to 
$40,000.  The  present  stockholders  are  as 
follows  :  G.  R.  Buckman,  C.  Taylor,  Mary 
E.  Mathews,  Joseph  Clayton,  C.  M.  Starr,  C. 
H.  Parker,  M.  Madden,  O.  D.  Sawin,  Joseph 
Haight,  H.  H.  Sudduth,  M.  A.  Green,  E.  B. 
Collester,  W.  G.  Ward,  L.  L.  Wood,  C.  E. 
Graham,  I.  A.  Buckman,  Willard  Baker,  M. 
A.  Wilson,  G.  W.  Fish,  Mrs.  W.  G.  Ward, 
John  Byron,  J.  H.  Jenkins  and  A.  F.  Kelly. 
The  present  officers  are :  W.  G.  Ward, 
president ;  O.  D.  Sawin,  vice-president,  and 
George  R.  Buckman,  cashier. 

The  Bank  of  Waseca  was  founded  by  C. 
Hardin  &  Sons,  in  June,  1874,  in  a  building 
that  at  that  time  occupied  the  site  of  the  pres- 
ent one,  with  A.  P.  Jamison  asmanager,  com- 
ing here  from  Kasson,  Dodge  County,  Minn. 
The  firm  at  present  consists  of  C.  Hardin, 
president  of  the  Second  National  Bank  at 
Monmouth,  111.;  C.  D.  Hardin,  J.  D.  K. 
Smith,  who  is  manager  of  the  City  Bank  at 
Eldora,  Iowa,  also  belonging  to  this  firm, 
and  A.  P.  Jamison.  The  individual  respon- 
sibility of  the  members  of  the  firm  reaches 
the  enormous  sum  of  $600,000.  The  build- 
ing now  occupied  by  them  was  erected  in 
1882,  by  W.  G.  Ward. 

A.  P.  Jamison  is  a  native  of  Henderson 
County,  111.,  and  is  the  son  of  William  R.  and 


Margaret  (Giles)  Jamison.  He  first  attended 
the  Madison  College  at  Antrim,  Ohio,  after 
receiving  his  preliminar)'  education  at  home. 
Later  he  attended  the  Knox  College  at  Gales- 
burg,  111.,  but  graduated  from  Monmouth 
College,  Monmouth,  111.  When  he  was 
twenty-three  years  of  age  he  entered  the 
hardware  store  of  C.  Hardin  &  Sons,  at 
Monmouth,  and  remained  with  them  some 
five  years,  and  then  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
where  he  was  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Missouri  Granite  Company  for  one  year, 
and  then  returned  to  Monmouth.  The  year 
following  he  came  to  Waseca  and  started  the 
present  bank,  where  he  now  is.  Mr.  Jamison 
was  married  in  Henderson  County,  111.,  Sep- 
tember 18,  1860,  to  Miss  A.  Hardin.  They 
have  a  family  of  eight  children  :  Harry, 
Hattie,  Arthur  C,  Flora  M.,  William  R., 
Nellie,  Earl  P.  and  RoscoeC.  Hattie  is  now 
the  wife  of  Charles  E.  Hasey  and  lives  in 
Minneapolis,  the  others  live  with  their  par- 
ents. 

POSTOFFICE. 

The  mail  facilities  are  among  the  first 
things  to  be  attended  to  in  anv  new  com- 
munity,  and  especially  so  if  it  is  a  mercan 
tile  or  commercial  one.  Hardly  had  Waseca 
started  before  the  postoffice  was  established 
with  G.  N.  Taylor  as  postmaster.  He  con- 
tinued in  office  until  1876,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  Maj.  W.  C.  Young,  the  pres- 
ent probate  judge  of  the  county,  who  held 
the  position  until  March,  1886,  when  he  gave 
way  to  his  successor,  Dennis  McLoughlin, 
the  present  efficient  and  genial  incumbent 
of  the  office.  His  commission  is  dated 
March  29,  1886,  and  bears  the  signature  of 
the  present  president  of  the  United  States. 

This  was  made  a  money  order  office  in 
July,  1879,  the  first  order  drawn  bearing  the 
date  of  the  14th  of  that  montli.  It  was 
issued  to  W.  W.  Satterlee,  of  Waseca,  for 
$17.45,  and  made  payable  to  I.  F.  A.  Stud- 
dart,  of  St.  Paul. 

Dennis  McLoughlin,  the  present  post- 
master of  Waseca,  and  senior  member  of  the 


714 


HISTORY   OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


firm  of  McLoughlin  Bros.,  general  mer- 
chants, came  to  this  city  in  the  spring  of 
1878,  and,  purcliasing  the  interest  of  A.  E. 
Dearborn,  in  the  firm  of  Dearborn  &  Haley, 
formed  the  new  firm  of  Haley  &  McLough- 
lin. Two  years  later  he  purchased  the 
interest  of  his  partner,  and  carried  on  tlie 
business  alone  until  1884,  when  he  sold  a 
one-tiiird  interest  in  the  same  to  his  brother, 
Tiiomas  F.,  and  the  present  firm  formed. 
He  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  about  1850 
and  was  brought  to  this  country  by  his 
parents,  Dennis  and  Judith  McLoughlin, 
when  but  about  eighteen  months  old.  The 
family  first  settled  in  Clinton,  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  where  they  lived  until  Sep- 
tember, 1802,  when  tliey  came  to  Minnesota, 
locating  in  Faribault,  Rice  County,  for  a 
time,  and  then  removed  to  Cannon  City,  in 
the  same  county,  where  they  still  live.  He 
lived  witli  his  parents,  and  acquired  an  edu- 
cation by  going  to  school  during  the  winters 
and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  in  summers 
from  1867  to  1870.  In  January,  1871,  he 
entered  the  hardware  store  of  J.  W.  Wood, 
of  Faribault,  where  he  remained  a  year. 
After  that  he  followed  teaching  in  the 
winter  months  and  acting:  as  clerk  durin»- 
the  summers  until  1877,  when  he  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Emily  Haley,  of  Waseca, 
and  a  year  later  came  here  as  told  above. 
May  3,  1881,  at  the  first  election  iield  under 
tiie  city  charter,  Mr.  McLoughlin  was  elected 
alderman  from  the  second  ward.  In  March, 
188C,  he  was  ajipointed  to  his  present  office 
of  postmaster,  he  being  a  stanch  Democrat 
in  politics,  always  voting  the  straight  ticket. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLoughlin  are  the  parents  of 
four  children,  all  girls :  Annie,  Katie,  Ger- 
trude and  Emma. 

OTHER    BUSINESS    INTERESTS    AND    BUSINESS    MEN. 

The  Winona  &  St;  Peter  Railroad  round- 
iiouse  and  repair  shops  were  erected  at 
Waseca  in  the  fall  of  1881,  at  a  cost  to  the 
company  of  some  $80,000.  They  are  situ- 
ated west  of  the  city,  near  the  south  bank  of 


Loon  Lake  and  witliin  the  city  limits.  The 
round-house  is  quite  large  and  commodious, 
having  stalls  for  twenty  engines.  The  re- 
pair shops  are  well  equipped  to  do  all  the 
light  repairing  that  is  sent  to  this  point,  al- 
though much  might  yet  be  added  in  machin- 
ery to  make  it  complete.  Fifty  men  are 
given  steady  employment  here  in  this  line. 
In  connection  with  the  shops  the  railroad 
company  has  here  very  extensive  wood  and 
coal  yards,  supplying  all  engines  running  be- 
tween Winona  and  Tracy.  The  old  round- 
house, built  at  the  time  of  the  first  coming 
iiere  of  the  railroad,  is  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  city,  and  is  now  used  as  a  car. repair 
shop.  The  pay  roll  at  tiie  various  shops 
here  averages  about  $3,000  monthly. 

H.  J.  Gerlicher  is  a  native  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  born  in  1859,  and  is  the  son  of  J.  F. 
and  Eva  Gerlicher,  who  were  both  natives  of 
Germany.  They  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1855,  and  resided  in  Cleveland  until  about 
1865,  when  they  removed  to  Winona,  Minn., 
where  the  father  was  employed  as  general 
foreman  in  the  shops  of  the  Winona  <k  St. 
Peter  Railroad.  He  remained  there  for 
some  six  or  seven  years  and  then  came  to 
Waseca,  where  he  had  charge  of  the  shops 
of  the  same  company,  and  remained  about 
three  years,  when  he  moved  to  Marshall, 
Lyon  County,  where  he  looked  after  the  re- 
pair shops  of  the  railroad  there.  Later  he 
returned  to  Winona,  where  he  now  resides. 
H.  J.  remained  at  home  until  some  fourteen 
years  of  age  wlien  he  entered  the  railroad 
shops  at  Winona.  A  year  later  he  was  sent 
to  Lyon  County,  to  the  town  of  Marshall,  in 
the  railroad  shops  there,  but  in  six  months 
came  to  Waseca.  He  remained  in  the  shops 
here,  under  his  father,  wlio  then  had  charge 
for  two  years,  and  then  went  on  tiie  road  as 
hreman,  which  he  followed  for  about  eigli- 
teen  months  and  then  returned  to  the 
Winona  shops.  He  after  this  was  on  the 
road  as  fireman  ag'ain.  At  the  ajje  of  nine- 
teen  he  took  charge  of  an  engine  as  engineer 
and  continued  as  such  for  two  years,  and 


.^icrS    -y^^ 


)A^€^i 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    (lODNTY. 


717 


then  took  charge  of  the  engine  in  the  saw- 
mill of  the  Winona  Lumber  Company,  which 
lie  ran  for  a  year  or  so.  Then  once  more 
upon  the  road  as  locomotive  engineer.  In 
18S:i  he  was  put  in  chai'ge  of  the  shops  at 
Waseca,  when  but  twenty -three  years  of  age. 
He  was  married  in  ISSl  to  Rosie  Lauer,  of 
Winona.     They  have  one  child. 

M.  R.  Pierce  was  born  in  Walworth 
County,  Wis.,  in  1848.  He  is  the  son  of 
Daniel  and  Louisa  (Bromaghin)  Pierce,  who 
came  to  Waseca  County  in  1864.  He  re- 
mained with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty- 
one  years  old,  helping  woi'k  the  farm.  He 
then  commenced  farming  for  himself,  which 
he  followed  until  1879,  when  he  had  his  arm 
injured  in  a  thrashing  machine  and  had  to 
relinquish  farming.  That  fall  he  moved  to 
the  city  of  Waseca,  and  the  following  spring 
commenced  the  sale  of  agricultural  imple- 
ments, musical  instruments  and  sewing  ma- 
chines, and  continued  that  business  until  Octo- 
ber, 1881,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Winona  &  St.  Peter  Railroad,  in  tlie  repair 
shops  here,  remaining  here  until  1884,  in  dif- 
ferent branches  of  the  work.  He  then  was 
given  charge  of  the  machine  shop,  where  he 
now  is.  He  was  married  October  16,  1869, 
to  Alma  J.  Woodward.  They  have  a  family 
of  four  children  :  Charles  A.,  Clarence,  Car- 
rie and  Frank. 

Waseca  Furnitui'e  Co.  is  the  outgrowth  of 
a  furniture  store  started  in  1867  by  George 
W.  Comee,  who  at  that  time  erected  a  build- 
ing on  the  lot  where  Andrew  Johnson's  store 
now  stands.  William  C.  Young  soon  after 
entered  into  partnersliip,  and  the  firm  of 
Coraee  &  Young  continued  for  two  or 
three  years,  when  the  latter  sold  out  to  M. 
H.  Helms.  Comee  &  Helms  renuxined  in 
business  until  1873,  when  the  junior  partner 
disposed  of  his  interest  to  Samuel  Comee, 
thus  forming  the  firm  of  Comee  Bros. 
In  November,  1882,  a  stock  company  was 
formed  by  them  and  others  called  the 
Waseca  Manufacturing  Company,  to  make 
coffins,  caskets,  etc.,  but  that  not  proving  a 

41 


successful  venture,  in  January,  1886,  a  new 
company  was  formed,  called  the  Waseca 
Furniture  Comj^any,  with  Warren  Smith,  C. 
A.  Wright,  O.  D.  Sawin  and  George  W. 
Comee,  as  stockholders.  They  have  a  ca- 
pacious factory,  where  they  make  all  kinds 
of  furniture,  on  the  line  of  the  Minneapolis 
&  St.  Louis  Railroad,  and  a  large  retail  store 
on  the  main  business  street. 

George  W.  Comee,  one  of  the  members  cf 
the  Waseca  Furniture  Company,  is  a  native 
of  Henderson,  Jefferson  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
was  born  June  9,  1838.  He  resided  in  the 
place  of  his  birth  with  his  parents  until  1864, 
when  he  went  to  Ashburnhara,  Mass.,  where 
he  made  his  residence  for  some  three  years. 
In  the  spring  of  1867,  the  western  fever 
seizing  him,  he,  taking  the  advice  of  the  ven- 
erable Horace  Greeley,  came  to  Minnesota, 
and  the  new  town  of  Waseca  seeming  to 
meet  his  views  as  a  proper  location,  he  en- 
gaged here  in  the  furniture  trade  as  detailed 
in  the  history  of  the  city.  He  has  since 
that  time  been  fully  identified  with  the 
mercantile  and  manufacturing  interests  of 
this  thriving  young  city,  and  is  ever  ready 
to  do  his  part  toward  advancing  its  interests. 
December  26,  1877,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  L.  Ivittredge,  a 
native  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  who  was  the 
mother  of  three  girls :  Mary  Abbie,  married 
September  28,  1887,  to  Henry  S.  Kennedy, 
of  St.  Peter;  Laura  E.  and  Jessie  C.  Mr. 
Comee  is  a  member  of  Tuscan  Lodge,  No. 
77,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons; 
Waseca  Chapter,  No.  26,  Royal  Arch  Masons ; 
Comee  Lodge,  No.  25,  and  Golden  Rule  En- 
campment, No.  13,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows. 

The  first  wheat  buying  was  for  the  new 
elevator,  which  was  built  by  the  Winona  & 
St.  Peter  Railroad,  south  of  the  track  in 
1867.  This  building  afterward  passed  into 
the  hands  of  a  party  from  Winona,  and 
from  them  to  Bonner  &  Wheeler  in  1876, 
who  two  years  afterward  sold  it  to  Mc- 
Cutchen  &  Co.,  the  present  owners.   George 


718 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


Tallen,  the  junior  member  of  the  firm,  is  the 
manager  here.  The  capacity  of  the  building 
is  about  30,000  bushels. 

The  next  party  to  buy  grain  at  this  place 
was  probably  George  L.  TarbeU,  who  put  up 
a  warehouse  here  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
summer  of  1867,  and  commenced  the  buying 
and  shipment  of  wheat  for  G.  W.  Van  Dusen 
&  Co.,  of  "Winona,  at  once.  Mr.  Tarbell  died 
at  Waseca,  Marcii  13,  18(58,  the  first  death  in 
the  place. 

The  elevator  on  the  north  side  of  the  track 
was  built  as  a  grain  warehouse  by  the 
grange  in  1876,  and  used  by  them  for  about 
a  year,  when  it  was  sold  to  P.  C.  Bailey, 
who  after  using  it,  in  the  fall  of  1878,  sold  it 
to  George  W.  Van  Dusen  &  Co.,  the  present 
owners.  By  the  latter  it  was  converted  into 
an  elevator  in  1886.  It  has  a  present  capac- 
ity of  8,000  bushels.  Nicholas  Jacobs  is  the 
manager  here. 

Nicholas  Jacobs  came  to  Waseca  County 
in  1870.  and  for  a  short  time  worked  on  a 
farm  in  Woodville  Township.  In  1874  he 
came  to  this  city  and  commenced  buying 
wheat,  and  has  been  in  that  business  nearly 
all  the  time  since.  For  the  past  nine  years 
he  has  had  charge  of  that  business  here  for 
Van  Dusen  it  Co.,  of  Rochester,  Minn.  He 
is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  1851.  and 
came  to  America  when  but  sixteen  years  of 
age,  first  making  his  home  in  Kane  County, 
111.,  remaining  with  one  party  there  for 
three  years.  He  came  here  when  but  nine- 
teen years  old.  He  was  married  in  1882  to 
Dora  Pester. 

The  elevator  operated  by  Everett,  Aughen- 
baugh  &  Wooil  was  erected  b}'  the  Millei-s' 
Association,  of  Minneapolis,  and  run  by 
them  until  1883,  when  it  was  purchased  by 
the  present  proprietors.  It  has  a  present 
capacity  of  35,0u0  bushels.  Eri  G.  Wood 
is  the  managing  partner. 

The  wai'ehouse  near  the  last  named  ele- 
vator was  put  up  in  1887  bj*  W.  D.  Arm- 
strong, the  present  owner. 

W.  D.  Armstrong  came  to  Waseca  County 


in  1861,  and  took  up  a  claim  on  section  1, 
Freedom  Township,  wliere  he  moved  his 
family  in  1866.  They  resided  there  until 
1883,  when  he  came  to  Waseca  City  and 
purchased  a  small  place  adjoining  the  town 
site,  where  he  now  lives.  In  the  summer  of 
1887  he  put  up  a  grain  warehouse,  in  the 
interest  of  the  Waseca  County  Farmers 
Alliance,  which  he  will  operate  in  the  near 
future.  He  is  a  native  of  Canada  West, 
born  in  1826,  and  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Martha  Armstrong,  both  natives  of  England, 
who  emigrated  from  Great  Britain  in  an 
early  da}-.  W.  D.  lived  in  Canada  until  he 
was  twenty-three  years  old,  when  he  re- 
moved to  the  "  States,"  and  settled  in  Wayne 
Count}',  Ohio,  where  he  resided  some  six 
years,  three  of  which  he  was  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  trade.  In  1856  he  moved  to 
St.  Anthony,  Minn.,  then  but  a  small  village, 
and  Minneapolis  scarcely  anything.  Two 
years  later  he  left  there,  moving  to  Oamden, 
Carver  County,  and  was  one  of  those  who 
organized  and  established  that  village.  He 
took  up  a  claim  in  that  county,  and  made 
the  necessar}'  improvements,  and  lived  there 
for  two  years,  but  his  wife's  health  failing 
he  returned  to  Minneapolis  to  be  within 
reach  of  medical  aid.  There  he  remained 
until  1864,  when  he  came  here,  as  mentioned 
above.  He  was  married  at  St.  Thomas, 
Canada,  to  Miss  Kinney,  who  died  in  Min- 
neapolis, leaving  one  son,  Benjamin,  who 
now  lives  on  his  father's  place  in  Freedom 
Township.  In  1866  Mr.  Armstrong  was 
married  to  Margaret  O'Neill,  of  Hennepin 
County,  at  Faribault,  Rice  County.  They 
have  one  son,  WiUiam  J. 

The  elevator  north  of  the  Minneapolis  ct 
St.  Louis  Railroad  station  was  built  about 
1879,  by  J.  M.  Robertson  and  P.  C.  Bailey, 
as  a  warehouse.  Three  years  later  it  was 
converted  into  an  elevator.  The  widow  of 
J.  M.  Robertson  owns  an  undivided  half 
mterest  in  the  building,  and  P.  C.  Bailey  the 
other  half.     Capacit}',  15,000  bushels. 

M.  H.  Helms  is  a  native  of  Cattaraugus 


HISTOliY    OF    WASKCA    COUNTY. 


719 


County,  N.  Y.,  born  December  19,  1831,  and 
is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Mahala  Abbie 
Helms.  In  1815  the  famil}'  removed  to  Wis- 
consin, settling  in  Dane  County,  near  Madi- 
son, where  Mr.  Helms  remained  with  his 
parents  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  in 
1861,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  E, 
Eighth  Wisconsin  Infantry,  and  was  com- 
missioned second  lieutenant.  The  regiment 
at  that  time  was  under  the  command  of 
Col.  Murph\^  Lieut.  Helms  served  in  the 
army  for  three  years  and  four  months,  en- 
joying all  the  various  fortunes  and  partici- 
pating in  different  engagements  in  which 
that  famous  regiment  took  part.  Among 
the  principal  battles  were:  Fredericktown, 
Mo.,  Island  No.  10,  Corinth,  and  others. 
He  was  mustered  out  at  Nashville,  Decem- 
ber 12,  1865,  and,  receiving  his  discharge, 
returned  to  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained 
until  1868,  when  he  came  to  Waseca,  and 
entered  into  partnership  with  G.  W.  Comee 
in  the  furniture  business,  and  continued  in 
that  line  for  about  seven  years,  when  he  sold 
out  his  interest  and  for  the  following  five 
years  carried  on  a  grocery  store.  Since  that 
time  he  has  been  in  the  business  of  bu^'ing 
and  shipping  wheat.  November  30,  1870, 
M.  H.  Helms  and  Eleanor  M.  Dodge  were 
united  in  marriage,  and  were  the  ])arents  of 
two  children :  Vinnie  M.  and  Jessie  E. 
Mrs.  Helms  died  June  30,  1877.  Mr.  Helms 
is  a  member  of  Comee  Lodge,  No.  25,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  Lewis 
McKune  Post,  No.  27,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Eepublic,  of  which  he  is  tlie  present  com- 
mander. 

Ward's  Opera  House  was  erected  about  the 
year  1875,  by  the  Turners'  association  of 
Waseca.  It  was  used  by  them  for  gymnas- 
tic exercises,  and  for  an  amusement  hall, 
until  1880,  when  it  became  the  property  of 
W.  G.  Ward,  who  made  additions  to  the 
building  and  fitted  it  up  in  a  proper  manner 
for  a  place  of  holding  meetings,  for  tiieatri- 
cal  performances  and  amusements  generally. 
It  is  located  on  lots  1,  2  and  3,  in  block  10, 


Jenkins'  addition  to  the  city  of  Waseca,  and 
is  a  fine  brick  edifice,  well  fitted  up  for  the 
purpose. 

The  flouring  mill  was  erected  by  W.  G. 
Ward,  Thomas  White  and  H.  Willyard  in 
1 870.  This  firm  continued  in  business  but  a 
short  time,  when  Mr.  Willyard  disposed  of 
his  interest  to  his  partners.  About  the  j^ear 
1872  Mr.  Ward  purchased  the  interest  of 
the  remaining  member  of  the  firm,  and  for 
abolit  three  years  operated  it  alone.  In 
1874  William  Everett  purchased  a  half  inter- 
est therein,  forming  the  firm  of  Ward  & 
Everett.  Two  years  later  Mr.  Everett  rented 
the  interest  of  his  partner  for  ten  years. 
Associating  with  himself  J.  W.  Ausrhen- 
baugh,  the  firuT  name  was  changed  to  Ever- 
ett &  Aughenbaugh,  which  continue  to 
run  the  mill  at  the  present  writing,  they 
having  re-leased  the  interest  of  Mr.  Ward,  in 

1886.  Since  it  was  built  it  has  been  much 
improved,  additions  built,  completely'  remod- 
eled and  new  machinery  put  in,  until  now 
it  is  one  of  the  finest  in  this  part  of  the 
State.  It  has  a  capacity  of  200  barrels  of 
flour  per  day  and  is  kept  running  night  and 
day  to  supply  the  demand  for  the  high  grade 
of    flour    produced.     Early    in    September, 

1887,  Ed.  Everett  was  admitted  a  member 
of  the  firm  and  the  firm  name  changed  to 
that  of  Everett,  Aughenbaugh  &  Co.  The 
mill  is  fully  equipped,  is  a  complete  roller 
mill  with  fourteen  sets  of  I'olls,  and  an  eighty 
horse-power  engine  to  furnish  the  power. 
They  ship  flour,  among  others,  to  the  follow- 
ing places:  Owatonna,  Dodge  Center  and 
Albert  Lea,  Minn.;  Lake  Mills,  Forest  City, 
Humboldt,  Fort  Dodge,  Garner,  Britt,  Cor- 
with,  Daj'ton,  Estherville,  Livermore,  Angus, 
Des  Moines,  Clear  Lake,  Mason  City,  Iowa 
Falls,  Ackley,  Algona,  Emmetsburg,  Spen- 
cer, Rockford,  Clarksville,  Marble  Eock, 
Greene,  Charles  Citj',  West  Bend  and  Shells- 
burg,  Iowa ;  Danville  and  Monmouth,  111., 
and  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

William  Everett,  the  senior  partner  of  the 
firm  of  Everett,  Aughenbaugh  &  Co.,  mer- 


720 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COtTNTY. 


chant  millers,  is  a  native  of  Sussex  County, 
N.  J.,  born  July  6,  1829.  He  was  reared  on 
a  farm  in  his  native  State,  and  there  received 
his  -education.  "When  he  had  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-one  he,  taking  Horace  Gree- 
ley's advice,  came  west  and  located  in  Iowa 
County,  Wis.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  lum- 
ber business.  In  1859  he  left  that  locality 
and  came  to  Minnesota  and  settled  in  Mur- 
ray County,  near  Lake  Shetek  on  a  farm, 
where  he  remained  until  the  eventful  August 
of  1862,  when  the  peaceful  settlers  became 
the  prey  of  the  fiendish  Sioux  in  the  general 
raassaci'e  of  that  summer.  The  people  of 
that  little  settlement  where  Mr.  Everett  lived 
were  nearly  all  cut  off,  his  wife  and  children 
captured  and  all  murdered  the  same  day 
except  one  child,  Lillie,  who  was  taken  pris- 
oner by  the  red  fiends,  and  himself  wounded 
and  tiriven  from  home.  Such  experiences 
beset  the  pioneer  in  early  da3's.  A  full  ac- 
count of  the  sufi"ering  of  these  families  is 
given  in  Chapter  XV  in  this  volume.  After 
recovering  from  his  injuries  and  obtaining 
possession  of  his  child  Lillie,  he  returned  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  made  his  home  until 
1867,  when  he  came  to  the  newly  laid  out 
village  of  Waseca,  and  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  business  men  of  the  place  in  the 
general  merchandise  trade.  A  history  of 
this  enterprise  is  given  in  detail  elsewhere. 
In  1874:  Mr.  Everett  turned  his  attention  to 
milling,  as  related  above  and  since  that 
time  has  been  identified  with  that  interest  in 
Waseca,  and  Is  half  owner  of  the  well  and 
widely  known  Waseca  City  Roller  Mill. 
November,  1858,  Mr.  Everett  and  Almira 
Hatch  were  united  in  marriage,  and  they 
were  tiie  parents  of  three  children :  Lillie, 
Eddie  and  William.  The  two  latter  with 
their  mother  were  killed  as  above  mentioned  ; 
Lillie,  now  Mrs.  Keeny  is  a  resident  of  Cali- 
fornia. Mr.  Everett  and  Amelia  S.  Addison 
were  united  in  marriage  October  29,  1865, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  children  : 
Edward,  Grace  and  Guy.  Mr.  Everett  is  a 
member  of  Tuscan  Lodge  No.  77,  Ancient 


Free  and  Accepted  Masons  ;  Waseca  Chap- 
ter No.  26,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  of 
Cyrene  Commandery  No.  9.  Knights  Tem- 
plar. He  is  one  of  the  leading  business  men 
of  Waseca  and  has  contributed  a  large  share 
toward  the  development  of  the  city  and 
county,  and  is  ranked  among  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  this  part  of  the  State. 

John  W.  Aughenbaugh,  another  member 
of  the  merchant  milling  firm  of  Everett, 
Aughenbaugh  &  Co.,  was  born  in  Meigs 
County,  Ohio,  December  25,  1846.  His  par- 
ents removed,  in  about  1854,  to  Vandalia, 
Fayette  County,  111.,  where  they  remained 
two  years.  In  1856  they  came  to  Minnesota, 
settling  in  Freeborn  County,  where  the  father 
was  engaged  in  farming,  and  John  W.  was 
there  reared.  During  the  late  civil  war  John 
W.  enlisted  in  the  United  States  navy,  and 
was  assigned  for  duty  to  Commodore  Porter  s 
rteet,  and  served  until  1864,  when  he  was 
discharged.  He  then  enlisted  in  Company 
Ij,  First  Minnesota  Infantry,  and  participat- 
ed in  the  fortunes  of  that  celebrated  regi- 
ment, until  it  was  mustered  out  at  the  close 
of  hostilities.  Coming  back  to  Minnesota, 
he  located  in  Faribault,  where  he  engaged  in 
the  milling  business,  and  continued  there 
some  four  years.  After  that  he  was  in  the 
same  line  in  Red  Wing,  Waterville  and  War- 
saw. In  1879  he  came  to  Waseca,  and  formed 
a  partnership  and  engaged  with  his  pres- 
ent partner  in  the  business  in  which  he  is 
now  engaged.  November  18,  1868,  John  W. 
Aughenbaugh  and  Carrie  Kocher  were  united 
in  marriage,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  two 
children  :  Daisy  and  Jennie.  Mrs.  Aughen- 
baugh is  a  native  of  Minnesota.  Mr.  Auo^hen- 
baugh  is  a  member  of  Tuscan  Lodge,  No.  77, 
Ancient  PVee  and  Accepted  IVIasons ;  Waseca 
Chapter,  No.  26,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  and 
Cyrene  Commander}',  No.  9,  Knights  Tem- 
plar. He  is  a  practical  miller  and  thorough- 
ly understands  his  business,  and  the  high 
reputation  enjoyed  by  the  output  of  the  mill 
is  his  best  recommendation. 

Among  the  other  prominent  citizens  not 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


721 


already  mentioned  at  length,  are  the  follow- 
ing gentlemen,  whose  sketches  are  here 
given : 

Ira  C.   Trowbridge   is  a   native  of  Lyle, 
Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  born  March  16,  1823, 
and  is  the  son  of   Harry  and  Betsey  (Lock- 
wood)  Trowbridge.    The  former  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  the  latter  in  York  State.   The 
father   was  a  tanner,   and    with  him  Ira  re- 
mained until  he  had  reached  his  majority, 
when  he  went  to  Chicago,  then  but  a  small 
city.      All  his  friends  said  that  he  would  be 
back  to  his  old  home  in  a  short  time,  shaking 
with  the  ague.     But  arriving  in  that  town, 
he   engaged    as   salesman   with  Gregory  & 
Robertson,  in  the  boot  and  shoe  trade,  on  Lake 
street,   and  made   Chicago   his  home   until 
1846.     In  the  spring  of  .the  last  mentioned 
year    he    moved    to  Woodstock,     111.,    and 
opened  a  boot  and  shoe  store  for  himself,  the 
county-seat  of  McHenry  County  having  just 
been  located  at  that  place,  and  remained  there 
some  twenty  years.    As  soon  as  he  was  fairly 
established  there,  in  the  fall  of  1846,  he  re- 
turned to  Lyle,  and  there  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Judith  Church,  a  native   of  that 
part  of  the  Empire  State,  born  September  28, 
1826.    The  young  couple  then  came  to  Wood- 
stock, where  Mr.  Trowbridge  carried  on  busi- 
ness for  so  many  years,  in  the  last  few  years 
handling   real  estate  as   well  as   foot  gear. 
In  the  fall  of  1867  he  came  to  Minnesota, 
and  as  soon  as  he  got  possession  of  the  farm 
owned  by  Myers,  and  purchased  by  him  in 
July,  1866i  came  to  what  is  now  Waseca,  and 
put  up   a   house,  which  constitutes  part  of 
the  one  he  now  lives  in.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Trow- 
bridge have  had  born  to  them  four  children : 
Augusta  M.,  born  September  27,  1847,  united 
in  marriage  December  9.   1867,  with  J.  H. 
Jenkins,  a  former  resident  of  this  county,  but 
now  living  in  Winona  ;    Adolphus  H.,  born 
April   24,   1849,  died   April   21,    1873,   and 
is  buried  in  Waseca  cemetery  ;  Ella  C,  born 
January  13,  1851,  married  to  W.  G.   Ward. 
December  9,  1867,  and  residing  in  Waseca, 
and  Edgar  C,   engaged   in   the    hardware 


business  in  the  city  of  Wasfeca.  In  en- 
terprises looking  to  the  benefit  of  the  town 
or  the  community,  Mr.  Trowbridge  is  one  of 
the  leading  spirits,  and  his  liberaUty  in 
such  matters  is  well  and  widely  known.  Al- 
though his  hair  is  silvered  with  the  snows  of 
many  winters,  he  is  still  young  in  heart  and 
feeling,  and  takes  a  great  interest  in  the  ac- 
tive business  of  life. 

J.  L.  Claghorn,  who   is  engaged   in   the 
insurance,   loan   and    real    estate    business, 
came  to  Waseca  in  October,  1868,  and  was 
employed  in  a  butcher  shop,  which  business 
he  followed  for  two  years,  and  then   com- 
menced his  present  business,  having  his  office 
in  Comee  &  Helms'  furniture  store.  He  now 
represents  some  twelve  fire  insurance  com- 
panies and  one  life  company.     He  is  a  native 
of  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he  remained 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  when  he 
went   to   work   for   a  railroad  construction 
company  and  followed  that  business  until, 
by  an  accident,    he  had  both  legs   crushed, 
which  laid  him  up  for  some  time.    On  recov- 
ering he  went  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  where  he 
entered  into  the  drug  business  with  a  part- 
ner, under  the  firm  name  of  L.  F.  Lake  & 
Co.,  but  only  continued  at  this  some  eigh- 
teen  months,  when  he  went  to   Janesville, 
Wis.,  and  built  the  city  bridge,  by  which  he 
lost  a  large  sum  of  money  through  mishaps, 
and   feeling   somewhat   discouraged  he  re- 
turned to  western  New  York,  and  went  on 
the  road  as  general  agent  for  a  publishing 
house,  which  he  followed  for  a  time  and 
then  was  general  agent  for  Wood's  mowing 
machine.    In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  the 
6ne   Hundred    and    Sixteenth   New   York 
Infantry,   under   Col.    E.    P.    Chapin,    but 
shortly  after  was  commissoned  as  lieutenant 
and  quartermaster  of  the  Eighteenth  United 
States  Infantry,  which  was  commanded  by 
Col.  J.  B.  Weber,  at  present  a  member  of 
Congress,  and  remained  with  that  regiment 
until  October,  1864,  when  he  resigned  and 
returned  to  New  York  State.     Some   time 
later  he  went  to  the  Pennsylvania  oil  regions, 


722 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


but  not  meeting  with  much  success,  engaged 
as  commercial  traveler  for  a  New  York 
house.  He  after  this  traded  for  some  prop- 
er!}^ in  Superior  and  on  going  to  see  it, 
not  liking  the  country,  came  to  this  place, 
where  he  has  since  remained.  August  2, 
1854,  he  was  married  to  Jennie  Lake,  of 
Hamburg,  N.  Y.  They  have  had  a  family 
of  seven  children :  Charles,  Dwight,  Agnes, 
Max,  David,  Frank  and  Kate.  The  last 
named  died  while  Mr.  Claghorn  was  in  the 
service.  Frank  died  in  infancy.  Besides 
these  Mr.  and  ilrs.  Claghorn  have  two 
adopted  children  :  Isabel  D.  and  Lillie. 

George  E.  Brubaker  came  to  Waseca 
County  with  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Rachel 
(Curry)  Brubaker,  in  1856,  his  father  taking 
a  claim  on  section  28,  in  the  town  of  Wil- 
ton, where  he  remained  until  1862,  when 
he  sold  out  and  moved  into  the  village  of 
Wilton,  where  he  lived  until  1883,  when  he 
removed  to  this  city  and  is  at  present  a  resi- 
dent thereof.  George  E.,  the  son,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  in  183S.  In  his  3'ounger 
days  he  enjoyed  excellent  educational  ad- 
vantages, of  which  he  availed  himself, 
attending  college  at  Annville,  Lebanon 
County,  and  White  Hall,  Montour  Count}', 
both  in  his  native  State.  About  1859  he 
took  up  a  claim  on  government  land,  on  sec- 
tion 4,  Byron  Township,  this  county,  which, 
after  making  some  improvements,  he  sold. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Tenth 
Minnesota  Infantry,  and  served  with  that 
gallant  regiment  until  April,  1863,  when  he 
received  his  discluirge  and  returned  to  this 
county.  In  1864:  he  opened  a  butcher  shop 
in  the  village  of  Wilton,  which  he  carried 
on  for  about  two  years.  While  there,  in 
1865,  he  was  married  to  Isabel  Lindsay.  In 
1872  he  removed  to  Polk  County,  Iowa, 
wliei'e  he  purchased  a  farm,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1882,  when  he  came  back  to 
this  county,  and  purchased  a  fai-m  in  Byron 
Township  which  he  still  owns,  and  is  raising 
stock,  which  he  makes  a  specialty.  In  1884, 
in  company   with  Mr.  Smith,  he  opened  the 


meat  market  in  Waseca,  but  a  year  or  so  later 
sold  out  his  interest  to  Mr.  M\'ers,  and  at 
present  is  only  looking  after  his  farm  and 
stock  interests.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brubaker 
have  only  one  child  living,  Anna  Bell. 

George  W.  Watkins  was  born  in  Orange 
County,  N.  Y.,  May  27,  1820,  and  resided  in 
his  native  State  until  1847,  when  he  came 
west  and  settled  at  Elgin,  111.  In  1850, 
during  the  gold  excitement,  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, but  a  few  months  spent  in  the  min- 
ing regions  of  that  El  Dorado  j)roving  suffi- 
cient, he  returned  to  New  York  State,  and 
after  a  short  time  to  Illinois.  He  was  for  a 
time  after  this  engaged  in  railroad  construc- 
tion in  Wisconsin,  and  in  gnan  buying  in 
Batavia,  111.  In  the  fall  of  1855  he  came  to 
Minnesota,  bringipg  a  sawmiU  with  him, 
and,  settling  at  Faribault,  operated  the  mill. 
In  the  spring  of  1856  he  preempted  a  piece  of 
land  on  Lake  Elysian,  in  this  county,  and 
tiieii  returning  to  Batavia,  111.,  was  there 
united  in  marriage  with  Annette  Ward,  a 
native  of  Michigan,  and  returning  to  this 
county  in  1857,  engaged  in  the  real  estate 
business,  having  acquired  an  interest  in  the 
town  site  of  Wilton.  While  there  he 
says  that  he  saw  times  when  money  was  so 
scarce,  that  it  was  difficult  to  get  enough  to 
buy  i^ostage  stamps.  He  entered  into  a 
partnership  with  P.  C.  Bailey,  in  the  hard- 
ware business  at  Wilton,  and  continued  in 
tliat  business  for  three  years.  His  wife  died 
at  Wilton,  leaving  one  child,  George,  now 
in  Bedfield,  D.  T.  When  tlie  city  of  Waseca 
was  started,  Mr.  Watkins,  with  others,  laid 
out  Clear  Lake  City,  now  a  part  of  Waseca, 
and  the  hardware  firm  of  Watkins  &  Bailey 
removed  to  the  new  city  of  Waseca.  He 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Anna  F.  Green, 
a  native  of  New  York  City,  in  1863.  who  is 
the  mother  of  one  child,  Mary  L.  When 
Waseca  was  made  the  county-seat,  he  re- 
moved to  this  place  and  is  still  a  resident. 
He  is  a  member  of  Tuscan  Lodge,  No.  77, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

Edward  Bennett,  a  stock  dealer  of  Waseca, 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


723 


was  born  in  Strongville,  Cayuga  County, 
Ohio,  August  17,  1839,  and  is  the  son  of  M. 
O.  and  Esther  (Carpenter)  Bennett.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Rutland,  Vt.,  and  his 
mother  of  Brattleboro,  the  same  State.  Wlien 
Edward  was  but  a  child  his  parents  moved  to 
Kenosha,  Wis.,  where  his  father  was  largely 
engaged  in  pork  packing.  In  1856  they 
removed  to  Mankato,  this  State.  In  1860 
Edward  attended  the  college  at  Oberlin, 
Ohio,  and  the  year  following,  while-  at  Buf- 
falo, N.  Y.,  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Forty- 
fourth  New  York  Infantry,  and  remained 
with  that  regiment  for  a  wliile,  and  was  then 
transferred  to  the  One  Hunilred  and  Forty- 
Sixth  New  York  Infantry,  participating  in 
nearly  all  of  the  great  battles  of  the  army  of 
the  Potomac,  and  was  discharged  as  lieu- 
tenant at  Washington,  with  the  Provisional 
Army  Corps,  July  26, 1865.  He  was  wound- 
ed at  Peoble's  farm,  five  miles  from  Peters- 
burg, September  30,  1864.  After  the  war 
he  returned  to  Blue  Earth  Count}^  and  in 
1867  came  to  Waseca,  then  but  a  little  vil- 
lage, where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in 
buying  and  shipping  live  stock.  He  is  also 
the  owner  of  Bennett's  addition  to  the  city 
of  Waseca,  which  he  laid  out  as  already 
detailed.  August  22,  1865,  he  was  married 
at  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  to  Eliza  J.  Brackett, 
a  native  of  that  State.  They  are  the 
parents  of  three  children :  Georgiana, 
Jennie  and  Edward.  Mr.  Bennett  is  a 
member  of  Tuscan  Lodge,  No.  77,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons  ;  Waseca  Chap- 
ter, No.  26,  Royal  Arch  Masons  ;  Coraee 
Lodge,  No.  25,  and  Golden  Rule  Encamp- 
ment, No.  13,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 

S.  F.  Wyman,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
the  town  of  Blooming  Grove,  where  he  still 
owns  the  pioneer  farm,  and  where  he  lived 
until  1873,  is  a  native  of  Cambridge,  Mass., 
born  February  i,  1832.  He  is  the  son  of 
Samuel  F.  and  Susan  (Smith)  Wyman,  both 
natives  of  the  "  Old  Bay  State,"  wliere  they 
lived   and   died.      Samuel   F.   Jr.  remained 


with  his  parents  until  some  fourteen  years 
of  age,  when  he  went  to  live  with  his  uncle, 
with  whom  he  remained  some  four  years. 
He  then  commenced  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  followed  that  for  four  years,  and 
then  starting  west,  arrived  at  the  village  of 
St.  Anthony,  Minn.,  in  the  fall  of  1854,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1855  came  to  this  county 
as  above  stated,  where  he  has  lived  ever 
since,  except  during  the  war  for  the  Union, 
he  having  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Third 
Minnesota  Infantry,  and  served  some  four 
years.  He  was  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle 
of  Murfreesboro,  Tenn.,  and  a  few  days  after 
was  released  on  jiarole.  He  came  north  and 
joined  the  force  under  Gen.  Sibley  against 
the  Indians,  he  being  under  parole  not  to 
serve  against  the  Confederates  until  ex- 
changed. In  the  fall  of  that  year  the  ex- 
change was  made,  and  he  returned  to  his  regi- 
ment, and  remained  with  them  until  1865, 
when  he  received  his  discharge  and  returned 
home.  He  was  in  seven  pitched  battles,  be- 
sides skirmishes,  and  never  received  a  wound 
or  was  sick  a  day.  Christmas  day,  1860,  S. 
F.  Wyman  and  Josephia  Davis,  a  native  of 
Nova  Scotia,  were  united  in  marriage.  They 
have  been  the  parents  of  seven  children  : 
Charles  S.  F.,  born  December  22,  1862; 
George  N.,  October  31,  1866  ;  Otis  A.,  Nov- 
ember 22,  1868;  Ina  H.,  September  8,  1870; 
Gertrude  G.,  Januar\r  25,  1875 ;  Bertha  P., 
May  24,  1878,  and  Wallace  J.,  May  25,1883. 

George  P.  Johnson  (deceased),  for  many 
years  engaged  in  business  in  St.  Mary,  Wil- 
ton and  Waseca,  was  a  native  of  Province- 
town,  Mass.,  born  in  1836.  He  came  west  in 
1858  and  settled  at  the  village  of  St.  Mary, 
and  became  one  of  the  firm  of  J.  W.  Johnson 
&  Co.  He  was  engaged  in  the  general  mer- 
chandise trade  in  Wilton,  but  on  coming  to 
Waseca  sold  agricultural  implements  and 
machinery.     He  died  here  October  17,  1880. 

J.  B.  Smith  is  a  native  of  Erie  County,  N. 
Y.,  and  in  1854  he  with  his  family  started 
west,  traveling  from  their  home  in  western 
New  York  to  Green  County,  Wis.,  during 


72-t 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COLWTV. 


the  cold  winter  months,  being  from  January 
17  to  February  22  making  the  journey.  He 
had  his  wagon  fitted  up  so  as  to  live  in  it 
comfortabl}',  witli  a  stove  to  heat  it  up  and 
to  cook  by,  so  that  they  did  not  suffer  much 
from  tlie  inclemency  of  the  weather  or  from 
liunger.  They  remained  some  nine  years  in 
Green  County,  and  then  started  west  again 
by  team,  as  before,  and  after  traveling  some 
two  weeks  arrived  in  Owatonna,  Steele 
County,  early  in  November,  1863,  and  re- 
mained in  that  county  until  1867,  when  he 
came  to  the  new  town  of  Waseca,  and  built 
the  first  house  south  of  the  track,  and  where 
he  has  a  really  elegant  place. 

D.  Pierce  came  to  this  count}^  in  186-1,  and 
took  up  a  claim  on  section  6  in  what  is  now 
the  town  of  Freedom,  where  he  remained 
until  1881.  when  he  removed  to  his  present 
home  in  Waseca,  where  he  has  since  been 
employed  in  market  gardening,  or  to  use  a 
New  Jersey  phrase,  "been  raising  garden 
truck."  lie  is  a  native  of  Washington 
County,  N.  Y.,  but  when  l)ut  six  years  of 
age  was  taken  by  his  people  to  Genesee. 
Walworth  County,  Wis.,  where  he  remained 
with  his  parents  until  he  had  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years,  when  he  started 
out  in  the  world  to  seek  his  fortune.  He 
went  to  the  northern  part  of  the  Badger 
State,  where  he  remained  until  1864,  when 
he  came  to  this  county.  He  was  married  in 
18-1-8  to  Laura  Bromaghin,  a  native  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  They  are  the  parents 
of  three  children. 

Chancey  Parker  was  born  in  Ohio,  Febru- 
ary 18,  18-13,  and  when  but  six  years  of  age 
his  parents  removed  to  Chicago,  where  tliey 
lived  until  1856,  when  they  went  to  Fond  du 
Lac  County,  Wis.,  where  he  lived  for  about 
four  vears,  and  then  returned  to  Chicago. 
In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  I,  Seventy- 
second  Illinois  Infantry,  under  Col.  F.  A. 
Staring.  He  served  in  this  regiment  three 
years,  and  was  present  in  twenty-six  battles, 
and  was  several  times  wounded,  the  last  one 
of  which  caused  the  loss  of  the  use  of  his 


arm.  He  was  discharged  at  Montgomery, 
Ala.,  June  6,  1865,  and  returned  to  Chicago, 
but  for  years  was  unable  to  do  anything  as 
a  result  of  his  wounds  and  exposure  while  in 
the  service.  From  Chicago  he  went  to 
Waupun,  Wis.,  when  he  had  somewhat  re- 
covered, and  later  to  Ripon,  the  same  State, 
staying  at  the  latter  place  for  seven  years, 
and  then  came  to  Waseca  in  June,  1877. 
He  was  married  at  Waupun,  June  18,  1866, 
to  Mary  E.  Conklin.  They  have  a  family  of 
three  children  :  Charles  E.,  Clyde  fc.  and 
Bessie.  The  eldest  is  a  postal  clerk  at 
Albert  Lea,  the  others  are  at  home. 

C.  Hansen  came  to  Waseca  in  1872  and 
put  up  the  first  house  west  of  what  is  now 
the  Minneapolis  &  St.  Louis  track.  He  was 
variously  employed  until  1876,  when  he  took 
chai'ge  of  the  bar  room  of  the  Turner  hall, 
but  in  March,  1879,  opened  a  saloon  for  him- 
self, where  he  now  continues  the  same  busi- 
ness. He  was  born  in  Denmark  in  18-15,  and 
remained  in  that  country  until  186'J,  when 
he  came  to  America,  and  located  at  Faribault, 
Minn.,  where  he  remained  until  coming  here. 
He  is  popular,  and  having  many  friends  is 
doing  a  large  and  lucrative  business. 

John  Beierwalter  came  to  Waseca  in  1867, 
among  its  first  settlers,  and  has  made  this 
his  home  ever  since.  In  1869  he  was  ap- 
pointed village  watchman,  the  first  one  the 
incipient  city  had.  About  1870  he  opened  a 
saloon,  and  has  been  in  that  line  of  business 
ever  since,  excepting  during  1879-80,  when 
for  a  year  he  had  charge  of  the  brewery, 
having  rented  it  of  the  owners,  and  operated 
it.  He  is  a  native  of  Bavaria,  Germany, 
born  June  19,  1821-.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  when  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  and 
settled  in  the  city  of  Pittsburg,  Pa.,  where 
he  remained  some  twelve  years.  He  then 
went  to  Portage  County,  Ohio,  where  three 
years  of  his  life  was  spent,  after  which  he 
came  to  Waseca  County,  and  settled  in 
Blooming  Grove  Township,  but  six  months 
later  moved  to  the  village.  March  3,  1854. 
he  was  married  to  Katrina  Brown,  at  Pitts- 


HISTOKV    OF    WASKCA    COUNTY. 


725 


burg,  who  died  in  this  city  August  27,  1884, 
leaving  six  children :  Lizzie,  Clara,  John, 
Joseph,  Anna  and  Thomas. 

MUNICIPAL. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  the  village 
of  Waseca,  held  January  18, 1868,  called  for 
that  purpose,  it  was  decided  to  make  an  ap- 
plication to  the  Legislature  of  the  State  for 
an  act  of  incorporation.  W.  T.  Kittredge, 
George  L.  Tarbell  and  S.  B.  WiUiams  were 
appointed  to  draft  the  necessary  articles  and 
forward  the  same  to  the  proper  parties.  The 
Legislature  passed  the  act  petitioned  for  at 
its  general  session  in  February,  1868,  and 
appointed  I.  C.  Trowbridge,  H.  P.  Norton 
and  P.  H.  Swift  inspectors  of  the  first  elec- 
tion. April  7,  1868,  the  said  election  was 
held,  and  J.  Shaw,  S.  B.  Williams  and  W.  G. 
Ward  were  elected  trustees,  and  P.  H.  Swift, 
justice  of  the  peace.  At  a  subsequent  meet- 
ing the  board  appointed  the  following 
officers :  A.  E.  Dearborn,  clerk  ;  W.  T. 
Kittredge,  treasurer ;  H.  P.  Norton,  marshal ; 
Charles  Dunn,  street  commissioner ;  F.  Y. 
Hoffstott,  lire  warden,  and  O.  T.  Royce,  as- 
sessor. 

During  the  session  of  the  Legislature  in 
the  winter  of  1881,  a  bill  was  introduced 
authorizing  the  incorporation  of  Waseca  as 
a  city,  and  in  Marcli  of  the  same  year  the 
act  was  passed  and  approved  by  the  governor. 
The  first  election  was  held  on  May  3,  1881, 
when  the  following  officers  were  chosen : 
Warren  Smith,  mayor;  H.  G.  Mosher,  as- 
sessor; B.  A.  Lowell  and  John  Carmody,  city 
justices  ;  S.  J.  Stevenson,  constable ;  Darling- 
Welch,  street  commissioner,  and  H.  H.  Sud- 
duth,  D.  McLoughlin,  Theodore  Brown  and 
Thomas  Coleman,  aldermen.  The  first  meet- 
intr  of  the  new  council  was  held  in  a  few 
days  thereafter,  when  the  mayor  appointed 
the  following  officers  to  fill  up  the  full  com- 
plement of  the  offices  of  the  municipal  gov- 
ernment :  L.  E.  Keyes,  marshal ;  C.  E.  Leslie, 
city  attorney  ;  F.  A.  Newell,  treasurer,  and 
J.  E.  Madden,  recorder. 


The  present  city  government  consists  of 
the  following  named  gentlemen  :  E.  B.  Col- 
lester,  mayor ;  E.  P.  Latham,  recorder  ;  G. 
R.  Buckraan,  treasurer;  PI.  C.  Woodbury, 
municipal  judge ;  C.  E.  Leslie,  city  attorney  ; 
and  W.  G.  Ward,  J.  W.  Aughenbaugh, 
Henry  Murphy,  William  Cronkhite,  and  B. 
S.  Lewis,  aldermen. 


SCHOOLS. 


For  a  short  time  after  the  settlement  of  the 
village  of  Waseca  there  were  no  public  schools 
the  education  of  the  rising  generation  being 
entrusted  to  several  private  schools  that  had 
been  established.  In  the  spring  of  1868, 
however,  a  movement  was  put  on  foot  to 
extend  the  school  privileges.  School  meet- 
ings were  held  during  the  month  of  June, 
and  a  small  school  opened'under  the  auspices 
of  the  school  district  in  the  latter  part  of  that 
month,  with  Miss  Hall  as  teacher. 

During  the  month  of  March,  1869,  at  the 
annual  school  meeting,  the  question  as  to  the 
advisability  of  bonding  the  district  for  tlie 
purpose  of  raising  funds  with  which  to  build 
a  schoolhouse,  came  up  for  discussion.  By 
an  almost  unanimous  vote  it  was  determined 
to  thus  raise  the  sum  of  $1,500,  and  ap- 
pointed the  following  committees :  On 
schoolhouse  site,  Messrs.  Williams,  Alden 
and  Dearborn ;  on  plan  and  specification  for 
building,  Messrs.  Ward,  Child  and  Willyard. 

At  a  meeting  held  on  the  8th  of  April 
following  it  was  reported  that  lots  1  ami 
2  in  block  3,  in  the  first  addition  to  the 
village  of  Waseca,  were  selected  for  the  site 
of  the  schoolhouse.  Additional  bonds  to 
the  amount  of  $500  were  voted  to  be  issued, 
and  tlie  officers  of  the  district  ordered  to 
advertise  for  bids  for  building  an  edifice 
upon  the  site  selected.  Matters  wei-e  soon 
arranged  and  a  building  erected  during  the 
summer,  and  on  Monday,  October  i,  186t>, 
school  was  opened  in  the  new  edifice,  with 
Prof.  A.  H.  Carman  and  Miss  Lizzie  Smith 
as  teachers.  The  building  is  a  two-story 
one,  2-1x40  feet   in  size,  with  a  schoolroom 


72« 


HISTOKY    OK    WASECA    COUNTY. 


on  oacli  floor,  and  is  located  a  few  rods  back 
from  tlie  sidewalk  on  Wood  street. 

An  addition  to  this  was  erected  some  two 
years  later,  whicli  was  nearly  of  the  same 
size. 

The  buildings  used  for  educational  pur- 
poses growing  too  confined,  in  the  fall  of 
1878  it  was  concluded  to  Ijuild  a  large  and 
handsome  schoolhouse  on  the  site  of  the 
other.  Accordingly  the  old  building  was 
removed,  and  a  contract  let  for  the  erection 
of  a  new  brick  edifice  on  the  site  of  the  old 
one.  This  contract  was  dated  August  2n, 
1878,  W.  B.  Craig  being  the  builder  and  the 
price  agreed  upon  was  $7,535. 

On  the  30th  of  April,  1881,  at  a  school 
meeting,  it  was  decided  by  a  vote  of  76  to 
1  that  the  district  should  issue  its  bonds 
to  raise  money  to  build  additional  school 
room,  the  bonds  to  run  ten  years  and 
draw  t)  per  cent,  interest.  Accordingly, 
money  was  so  raised,  and  the  contract  for 
building  the  same  let  to  W.  B.  Craig,  of 
Mankato,  (t,  R.  Maybury,  of  Winona,  being 
the  architect.  The  building  was  finished  in 
the  early  winter  of  that  year,  and  is  one  of 
the  linest  in  the  State,  costing  nearly  $2(),(»(iO 
in  all.  It  is  located  on  a  half  block  of  ground, 
which  is  well  laid  out  with  fine  wallcs  and 
l)hinte(l  with  shade  trees.  The  building  is 
the  shape  of  the  letter  IT,  and  is  102x70  in 
size  on  the  ground.  The  first  story  con- 
tains live  rooms  anil  four  halls,  the  second, 
three  rooms,  including  the  high-school  room  in 
the  south  section,  which  is  3-1x70  feet  in  size. 
( )n  this  floor  are  also  two  apparatus  rooms, 
and  by  glass  sash  a  recitation  room  can  be 
cut  oflF  from  the  high-school  room  1(5x3-1  feet 
feet  in  size.  The  entire  building  is  built  of 
cream  colored  brick,  trimmed  with  cut  stone, 
the  windows  having  inside  blinds,  and  the 
doors  covei'ed  with  hoods.  All  the  finishing 
of  the  building  is  in  first-class  style,  the  flooi's 
being  hard  wood,  and  great  blackboards 
four  and  a  half  feet  high  encirclintr  each 
room.  It  took  some  500,000  brick,  145  cords 
of    rough    stone,  2,0oo    feet    of   cut  stone, 


150,000  feet  of  lumber,  two  and  a  half  tons 
of  nails,  500  yards  of  sand  and  800  barrels 
of  lime  to  complete  it.  Among  the  appa- 
ratus it  would  be  well  to  mention  a  very  fine 
telescope,  solar  microscope,  air  pump,  elec- 
trical battery,  etc.,  all  of  which  cost  in  the 
neighborhood  of  $1,000  or  more.  The  citi- 
zens of  the  town  may  well  feel  j)roud  of  the 
building. 

RKIJGIOUS. 

Tlie  lii'st  religious  services  were  held  in  the 
summer  of  1807  in  the  building  now  occu- 
]iied  l)y  P.  C.  Bailey  as  a  hardware  store. 
The  building  was  about  finished,  but  the 
front  was  not  in,  when  Mr.  Bailey  started  for 
Chicago  to  buy  goods,  leaving  carpenters  to 
put  up  shelves,  etc.  The  first  stock  to  ar- 
rive was  some  boxes  of  glass.  A  Presbyte- 
rian clerg^auan  by  the  name  of  Lyon  used  it 
for  a  Sunday  to  hold  services  in,  and  the 
people  sitting  on  the  bo.xes  played  some 
havoc  with  the  glass. 

The  Congregational  Church  was  organ- 
ized at  a  meeting  held  at  the  Presbyterian 
Church  on  the  11th  of  May,  1869,  at  which 
Ezra  AVood  acted  as  chairman,  and  A.  E. 
Dearborn  as  secretary.  Kev.  E.  II.  Alden 
was  pastor,  and  A.  Vinton,  J.  H.  Stevens,  L. 
Ihuniston,  E.  Bennett  and  C.  A.  Bowland 
were  chosen  the  first  trustees.  Meetings 
were  held  for  a  time  in  the  building  now 
occujiied  by  Sudduth  ik  Preston,  but  in  the 
fall  of  ISOlt  the  church  edifice  was  built  from 
plans  drawn  by  May  berry,  of  Winona,  but  not 
dedicated  until  March  30. 1871.  Tli(>  building 
is  of  the  following  dimensions:  Main  struc- 
ture, 30x50  feet ;  extreme  length,  including 
projection  of  tower  in  front,  57^  feet;  ex- 
treme width,  32  feet ;  height  of  tower,  80 
feet.  D.  L.  Whipi)le  had  charge  of  the  build- 
ing. AVhen  the  society  was  organized  it  had 
but  about  fifteen  members,  but  now  numbers 
about  156.  There  have  been  seven  pastors 
in  charge  of  this  church :  Revs.  E.  II. 
Alden,  T.  A.  Wadsworth,  E.  C.  Starr,  L. 
Loring,  C.  W.  Merrill,  L.  W.  Chancy  and 
J.  A.  Stenian,  the  present  occupant  of  the 


HISTORY    OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


727 


pulpit.  The  original  members  were  the  fol- 
lowing: Frederick  Stevens,  L.  Hummiston, 
W.  H.  Vinton,  G.  Henshaw,  Mrs.  Lucy  P. 
Stevens,  Mi's.  Lydia  II.  Vinton,  Mrs.  Eliza 
IJummiston,  Miss  Julia  Hummiston,  Samuel 
Hawkes,  Mrs.  C.  M.  Hawkes,  Wilfred  Vin- 
ton, Edward  Bennett,  Mrs.  Edward  Bennett, 
Ezra  Wood  and  Mrs.  C.  G.  Wood.  The 
Sunday  school  was  organized  February  13, 
1870. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Ciuirch  is  one  of 
the  oldest  societies  in  Waseca.  Before  the 
village  was  a  year  old  Rev.  W.  W.  Satterlee, 
made  a  survey  of  the  prospect  of  organizing 
a  church  of  this  denomination  there.  At 
that  time  Rev.  A.  G.  Perkins  was  presiding 
elder.  After  a  year's  work  Mr.  Satterlee  found 
that  he  could  report  some  sixty -eight  mem- 
bers for  Waseca,  Wilton  and  South  Wilton, 
and  an  organization  was  effected.  The  en- 
rollment of  this  society  in  Waseca  Village 
was  but  twelve.  The  first  meeting  was  held 
at  the  residence  of  Eri  G.  Wood,  and  after- 
ward at  a  schoolhouse  near  Clear  Lake.  Be- 
fore the  erection  of  any  church  edifice,  wor- 
ship was  held  at  various  ))laces,  among  them 
were  the  Zeller  building,  Philbrick's  Hall 
and  the  Baptist  Church.  In  1874  a  church 
building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $5,000.  It 
was  36x52  feet  on  the  ground.  I.  C.  Trow- 
bridge donated  a  lot  on  which  to  put  it  up. 
It  was  dedicated  as  a  place  of  woi'ship  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1875-6,  Bishop  Merrill, 
Rev.  J.  E.  Chaffee,  Rev.  G.  W.  T.  Wright 
and  Rev.  Alfred  Cressey  officiating.  This 
building  was  destroyed  by  fire  on  tiie  SHth 
of  December,  1879,  only  the  organ,  pulpit 
chairs  and  a  few  other  things  being  saved. 
The  origin  of  the  fire  is  unknown.  On  the 
night  following  the  fire,  when  scarcely  the 
building  had  ceased  to  fiame  and  while  the 
embers  were  still  hot,  a  meeting  was  hold 
and  subscriptions  to  the  amount  of  $l,(lO(i 
were  raised  with  which  to  erect  anew  build- 
ing. There  was  an  insurance  on  the  burned 
bulling  of  $2,000  in  the  Phct'nix  Insurance 
Co.,  which  was  promptly  paid.  For  some  time 


afterward,  meetings  were  held  wherever  con- 
venient in  other  churches.  But  all  this  time 
the  new  edifice  was  being  put  up.  This  is 
one  of  the  handsomest  in  the  town  and  cost 
above  $5,000.  A  spire  KtO  feet  high  sur- 
mounts the  building.  The  following  have 
been  the  pastors  since  the  organization: 
Revs.  W.  W.  Satterlee,  S.  T.  Richardson,  F. 
A.  Reggin,  E.  S.  Bowdish,  Alfred  Cressey, 
Robert  Forbes,  M.  D.  Terwilligei',  Robert 
Forbes,  second  term  ;  Levi  Gilbert,  II.  C. 
Jennings,  H.  Frank  and  R.  M.  Carter,  the 
present  one,  whose  term  expires  in  October, 
1887.     The  present  membership  is  121. 

The  first  services  of  the  Catholic  Church 
were  held  in  1869.  At  that  time  mass 
was  celebrated  by  Rev.  Father  Bowman,  in 
the  vacant  Madden  store.  In  1870  Rev. 
Father  A.  Hurley  attended  to  the  spiritual 
wants  of  the  Roman  Catholics  of  AVaseca, 
and  organized  the  present  parish,  and  under 
his  administration  was  tiie  church  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  built.  Among  those  who  took 
an  active  part  in  the  first  meetings,  were : 
Jerome  Madden  Sr.,  John  Collins,  Thonuis 
White  and  G.  Buchler.  In  1872  Father 
Wisler  took  charge  here,  and  in  187-1  was 
succeeded  by  Father  Herman.  Father  Pry- 
bil  was  next,  taking  charge  in  1876,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Rev.  Father  A.  Christie,  the 
first  resident  pastor  and  the  present  priest. 
The  church  numbers  nearly  one  thousand 
members  at  this  time.  The  convent  and 
academy  of  the  sisters  of  the  Holy  Child 
Jesus  was  commenced  in  1886,  at  which 
time  the  west  wing  was  erected.  This  is 
•10x70  feet  in  size  and  well  constructed  of 
brick.  The  centei-  of  tiie  edifice  was  built 
during  the  summer  of  1887,  and  is  30x60  feet 
in  size,  and  is  surmounted  by  a  handsome 
belfrv.  It  is  the  intention  to  complete  the 
building  in  1888,  with  a  wing  the  exact 
counterpart  of  the  other.  The  academy  is 
in  charge  of  the  sisters  of  the  Holy  Child 
Jesus,  an  English  order,  of  which  there  are 
only  four  or  five  communities  in  the  United 
States.     The  church  has  also  a  fine  parson- 


728 


HISTORY   OF    WASECA    COUNTY. 


age,  where  Father  Christie  resides  at  pres- 
ent. 

Rev.  Father  A.  Christie,  pastor  of  the 
church  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  is  a  native  of 
Franklin  County.  Vt.,  born  in  1851.  He 
received  his  early  education  in  the  schools  of 
Adams  Count}',  Wis.,  whither  his  parents 
had  moved  when  he  was  yet  a  child.  In 
1866  the  family  came  to  Minnesota  and  lo- 
cated at  Austin,  Mower  County,  where  he 
pursued  his  studies,  and  later  attended  the 
college  at  St.  Joseph,  near  St.  Cloud,  Stearns 
County,  this  State,  but  finished  his  educa- 
tion at  Montreal,  Canada.  He  was  ordained 
and  set  apart  for  the  ministry,  December  22, 
1877,  and  then  came  to  Waseca  and  took 
charge  of  this  parish.  Father  Christie  has  a 
large  congregation,  which  is  still  increasing, 
and  he  is  highly  ])opular  with  all. 

The  Swedish  Lutheran  Church  was  organ- 
ized May  4,  ISSo.  At  the  first  meeting  the 
following  were  present  and  enrolled  them- 
selves as  members :  E.  M.  Oleson,  C.  V. 
Hanson,  Andrew  Hanson,  John  Holmburg, 
A.  Lind,  Samuel  Anderson,  A.  Helgren,  C. 
Engstrom,  A.  M.  Johnson  and  T.  W.  John- 
son. John  Holmbui'g  and  Samuel  Ander- 
son were  chosen  the  first  trustees.  Ivev. 
Samuel  Anderson  was  the  first  pastoi-,  and 
still  administers  to  the  s])iritual  wants  of 
this  flock.  Before  the  organization,  meetings 
were  held  at  ])rivate  houses  and  occasionally 
at  the  Ba])tist  Chuix-li.  Their  own  church 
edifice  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1885. 

St.  John's  German  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  was  organized  August  10,  1885,  at  a 
meeting  where  there  were  the  following 
present:  Robert  Chandler,  chairman  ;  AVil- 
helm  Slicht,  secretary  ;  Charles  Fink,  Chris- 
tian Slicht,  Peter  Stearns,  C.  Neidt,  C. 
Weber,  Adolf  Ciegslski.  AV.  L.  Herbst  and 
Gottlieb  Wiland.  The  following  were 
chosen  as  first  trustees  :  A.  Ciegslski,  AV.  L. 
Herbst  and  G.  Wiland.  Rev.  Mr.  Schoolen- 
berg  was  the  jiastor  at  the  time  of  organiza- 
tion. Previous  to  tin's,  for  three  or  four 
years  they  had  held  services,  occasionally, 


at  various  places.  The  church  edifice  was 
built  in  1885,  and  completed  September  15, 
that  year.  Rev.  Mr.  Staling  is  the  present 
pastor. 

Calvary  Episcopal  Church  originated  from 
a  meeting  held  at  the  residence  of  Ira  C. 
Trowbridge  early  in  the  spring  of  1868,  the 
Rev  II.  B.  Whipple  officiating.  Other 
meetings  were  held  in  halls  or  vacant  build- 
ings for  a  time.  Rev.  George  C.  Tanner,  of 
Owatonna,  conducting  service.  On  the 
evening  of  March  7,  1868,  a  meeting  was 
held  at  the  house  of  II.  S.  Teall  for  the  pur- 
pose of  organizing  an  Episcopal  Mite  Society 
for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  aid  toward  fit- 
ting u])  a  church  at  this  ])lace.  H.  D.  P.ald- 
win  was  chairman.  After  some  pi-eliminar}' 
business  the  following  officers  were  chosen  : 
Mrs.  H.  S.  Teall,  president;  Mrs.  P.  L. 
Knappen, vice-president ;  Mrs.  E.P.Latham, 
secretary,  and  Mi's.  H.  D.  P>aldwin,  treas- 
urer. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wadsworth.  Mr.  Teft, 
Miss  Hall,  Mrs.  Bailey  and  Mr.  P.  Smith 
were  appointed  a  committee  on  entertain- 
ments.    Some  twenty   members  joined  the 


society  the  first  evening. 


Religious  services 


from  this  time  out  were  held  with  consider- 
able regularitj'.  Most  of  the  members  of 
the  church,  some  thirty,  had  been  connected 
with  the  church  at  Wilton,  and  on  removing 
here  wished  to  enjoy  the  services  of  the 
church  of  their  predilections.  Rev.  Mr. 
Tanner,  Ge(M'ge  AV.  Dubois  and  E.  C.  Bill 
officiated  at  these  meetings.  The  latter  was 
a  young  man  in  the  ministry,  not  yet  or- 
dained, sent  into  this  field  as  a  missionary. 
The  first  service  held  by  him  was  in  the 
Congregational  Church.  In  1875  the  church 
edifice  was  erected  and  dedicated  December 
12,  the  same  year,  with  appropriate  ceremo- 
nies, Rev.  Mr.  Bill  appearing  for  the  first 
time  as  a  regularly  ordained  ministei*.  Serv- 
ices for  some  time  after  this  were  held  once 
a  month,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  until 
June  3,  1877,  when  with  the  assistance  of 
Rev.  G.  C.  Tanner,  of  Owatonna,  and  Rev. 
M.  T.  Pise,  of    Faribault,   thev   manageil    to 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA   COtJNTY, 


729 


hold  weekly  services  for  a  time,  but  that  was 
soon  abandoned.  In  1878  a  Sabbath  school 
was  organized  in  connection  with  the  church. 
The  society  owned  a  church  building  at  Wil- 
ton, which  they  sold  in  the  fall  of  1880.  The 
following  is  a  list  of  the  clergymen  of  this 
denomination  of  Christians  who  have  oiR- 
ciated  at  this  point,  from  first  to  last,  as 
near  as  can  be  ascertained :  Revs.  H.  B. 
Whipple,  Geo.  C.  Tanner,  G.  W.  Dubois,  E. 
C.  Bill,  M.  T.  Pise,  B.  T.  Hall,  D.  Knicker- 
bocker, E.  G.  Hunter,  Mr.  Irvine,  W.  R. 
Powell,  W.  B.  Hamilton  and  R.  E.  Metcalf, 
the  present  rector.  The. church  has  a  mem- 
bership of  about  30. 

The  Baptist  Church  was  organized  June 
6,  1868,  with  the  following  members,  who 
signed  the  articles  of  faith  and  covenant :  G. 
N.  Taylor,  S.  H.  Talbut,  W.  J.  Burner,  Mrs. 
H.  Buckman,  Mrs.  H.  Vincent,  Mrs.  A.  L. 
Taylor,  Miss  Hattie  Jones,  Miss  Olive  Fos- 
ter, Mrs.  G.  H.  Talbut  and  Mrs.  Haines. 
G.  N.  Taylor  was  elected  clerk,  and  S.  H. 
Talbut,  deacon.  The  first  baptism  tliat  took 
place  in  the  infant  church,  according  to  the 
records,  was  that  of  S.  W.  Burns.  The  first 
received  into  the  church  by  letter  were,  on 
the  authority  of  the  same,  Lucius  Taylor 
and  Orvis  Child.  The  church  edifice  whei-e 
they  worship  was  erected  by  the  Presbyte- 
rian societj',  which  disbanded  in  1873,  and 
sold  the  building  at  that  time  to  the  Baptist. 
Rev.  S.  T.  Catlin,  the  founder  of  tliiscliurcii, 
came  here  eai'ly  in  June.  18G8,  and  com- 
menced his  ministry.  He  continued  his 
spiritual  counsel  and  work  here  until  the 
spring  of  1870,  when  he  removed  to  Wiscon- 
sin. He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  E.  Thomp- 
son, and  he  by  Rev.  G.  N.  Annes.  The  next 
to  fill  the  pulpit  was  A.  H.  Carman,  who 
had  formerly  been  the  principal  of  the 
public  school  and  at  this  time  was. conduct- 
ing a  private  educational  institution.  He 
was  followed  by  Rev.  Mr.  Cox,  and  on  the 
e.xpiration  of  the  term  for  which  he  was  em- 
ployed, the  church  was  for  some  time  witliout 
any  regular  pastor,  services  being  held  when- 


ever convenient ;  the  Sunday  school  was 
kept  up  without  intermission,  however.  Fol- 
lowing this  interregnum  came  Rev.  H.  S. 
Davis,  who  was  succeeded  by  A.  M.  Torbet. 
In  the  summer  of  188C  A.  H.  Ballard,  a 
student  at  Morgan  Park  Baptist  Seminary, 
filled  the  puljiit  for  three  months.  Septem- 
ber 1,  188G,  Rev.  W.  D.  Athearn  became 
pastor  and  is  the  present  shepherd  of  the 
flock,  which  consists  of  about  sixty-five  mem- 
bei's. 

The  German  Methodist  is  part  of  a  society 
organized  as  early  as  1857  in  tlie  three  pre- 
cincts of  Iosco,  Blooming  Grove  and  Wood- 
ville.  In  1875  the  church  here  was  formed 
with  some  thirty-five  members,  under  the 
ministration  of  Rev.  W.  F.-  Buckholz,  their 
first  pastor.  This  gentleman  laboi'ed  in 
this  vine^'ard  for  tliree  years  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  F.  Hermsmeier,  who  remained 
two  years.  Rev.  Charles  Schoenheider  was  the 
next  to  preach  here,  and  after  three  years' 
service,  was  followed  b^  Rev.  G.  Reihle,  who 
stayed  only  one  year.  Three  years  ago  the 
present  pastor.  Rev.  F.  Hogrefe,  took  charge. 
They  have  a  membershi]i  at  present  of  some 
seventy,  twenty-five  of  wiiom  belong  to  the 
Minske  class  in  Iosco. 

FIKE    DEPARTMENT. 

The  Waseca  fire  department  was  organ- 
ized by  an  oi'dinance  of  the  city  council, 
approved  December  3U.  1881.  On  the  26th 
of  January,  1882,  the  engine  company  met 
for  organization  witii  the  following  members : 
Jesse  Reese,  John  Loi'tis,  Peter  Coles,  E. 
Morrison,  II.  V.  Davis,  Sumner  Wood, 
Charles  Piatt,  C.  Ebbinghausen,  John  Ro- 
land, Allan  Goodspeed,  S.  Swenson,  John 
Maloney,  Walter  Child,  Samuel  Strohmier, 
C.  Christopherson,  E.  Goodspeed,  E.  B.  Col- 
lester,  G.  W.  Smith,  J.  M.  Robertson, 
W.  Aughenbaugh,  Thomas  Breen,  William 
Schlicht,  M.  D.  L.  Collester,  Fred.  Clayton, 
Gus.  Staak,  C.  M.  Oster,  D.  McLoughlin,  W. 
Kritzer,  A.  J.  Lohren,  J.  A.  Lilly,  William 
Miller,  J.  F.  Murphy  and  M.  V.  Hunt.     On 


730 


HISTOKY    OF    WASECA   COUNTY. 


organizing  they  elected  the  following  officers : 
Jesse  Keese,  engineer ;  J.  M.  Robertson,  first 
assistant  engineer;  Peter  Stearns,  second 
assistant  engineer ;  Walter  Child,  secretary  ; 
H.  V.  Davis,  treasurer,  and  E.  B.  Collester, 
Charles  Barr  and  M.  Y.  Hunt,  finance  com- 
mittee. The  city  purchased  the  engine  in 
Winona,  and  it  arrived  here  and  was  housed 
on  the  11th  of  February,  1882,  and  was 
tested  on  the  8th  of  March  following,  and 
proved  entirely  satisfactory.  The  officers  in 
1887  were  as  follows  :  Nicholas  Jacobs,  en- 
gineer; August  Smith,  first  assistant  en- 
gineer ;  P.  H.  Kenehan,  second  assistant 
engineer ;  G.  E.  Child,  secretary ;  W.  Herbst, 
treasurer,  and  John  Mayer,  wardi'obian. 

The  hose  company  was  organized  at  a 
meeting  held  on  the  24:th  of  January,  1882, 
with  the  following  members  :  John  Locke, 
E.  Rarasdale,  Edward  Forbes,  Edward  Cum 
mings,  Edward  Goetzenberger,  E.  L.  Fiske, 
A  Schildknecht,  E.  W.  Fiske,  J.  E.  Madden, 
H.  E.  Strong,  D.  S.  Cummings,  C.  D.  Ward, 
J.  Neibles,  M.  O.  Forbes  and  Ed.  Castor. 
H.  E.  Strong  was  elected  first  foi'eman ; 
August  Schildknecht,  first  assistant  fore- 
man ;  Max  Forbes,  second  assistant  foreman  ; 
Ed.  Castor,  secretary  ;  Ed.  Cummings,  treas- 
urer, and  E.  Ramsdale,  wardrobian. 

The  present  officers  are :  E.  W.  Fiske, 
foreman;  Charles  Grant,  £1*81  assistant; 
William  Blowers,  second  assistant;  E.  L. 
Fisk  and  C.  A.  Hark,  tipmen;  D.  Devine, 
secretary ;  Ed.  Castor,  treasurer,  and  Fi'ank 
Forrest,  wardrobian. 

A  hook  and  ladder  company  was  organized 
March  4,  1884,  with  Ed.  Goetzenberger  as 
foreman,  but  wliicii  was  suspended  from 
the  department  in  1887,  while  Dr.  Christie 
was  foreman. 

The  entire  fire  department  is  in  a  very 
satisfactory  condition,  and  is  under  the  com- 
mand of  a  chief  engineer  and  a  fire  warden 
from  each  ward.  Tlie  present  officers  are: 
Ed.  Goetzenberger,  chief  engineer;  B.  S. 
Lewis,  fire  warden  from  tlie  First  ward  ;  W. 
G.    Ward,   Second    ward ;  Henry    Murphy, 


Third  ward ;  J.  W.  Aughenbaugh,  Fourth 
ward,  and  W.  T.  Cronkhite,  Fifth  ward. 

SOCIETIES. 

Tuscan  Lodge,  No.  77,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accejjted  Masons,  was  organized  under  char- 
ter bearingdate  of  January  14, 1869,  although 
meetings  were  held  previous  to  this,  under 
dispensation,  being  organized  under  dispen- 
sation, on  December  9, 1868.  The  following 
is  the  list  of  the  charter  members :  W.  G. 
Ward,  Lewis  Brownell,  B.  S.  Lewis,  Philo  C. 
Bailey,  H.  P.  Norton,  N.  E.  Strong,  W^T.  Kit- 
tredge,  J.  O.  Chandler,  James  E.  Child,  H. 
D.  Baldwin,  Eri  G.  Wood,  E.  M.  Broughton. 
Jonatlian  Shaw,  Frank  Miner,  O.  T.  Roice, 
J.  W.  Tefft  and  H.  Willyard.  The  first 
officers  given  on  tlie  charter  were  :  W,  T. 
Kittredge,  W.  M.  ;  E.  M.  Broughton,  S.  W. 
and  N.  E.  Strong,  J.  W.  and  James  E. 
Child,  Sec. 

The  lodge  is  in  a  highly  prosperous  con- 
dition in  every  particular,  and  has  a  large 
membershi]).  The  following  are  the  officers 
in  1887:  M.  O'Brien,  W.  M.  ;  N.  S.  Gordon. 
S.  W.  ;  E.  A.  White,  J.  W. ;  George  Webb- 
S.  D. ;  Harry  Britten,  J,  D. ;  G.  R.  Buck- 
man,  T. ;  E.  B.  Collester,  S. ;  William  Tyson- 
S.  S. ;  Frank  Wood,  J.  S.,  and  H.  O.  "^Can- 
field,  tyler. 

AVaseca  Chapter,  No.  26,  Roj^al  Arch  Ma- 
sons, was  duly  organized  under  dispensation, 
December  12, 1873,  with  the  following  named 
members :  P.  C.  Bailey,  E.  A.  Jordan,  J.  A. 
Claghorn,  B.  S.  Lewis,  E.  M.  Broughton,  G. 
W.  Comee,  G.  P.  Johnson,  H.  W.  Zeller,  S.  T. 
Lewis,  J.  W.  Johnson,  N.  E.  Strong  and  H. 
P.  Norton.  On  the  4th  of  November,  1874, 
a  charter  was  granted  them,  and  they  have 
been  working  under  that  ever  since.  P.  C. 
Bailey  was  the  first  High  Priest,  and  contin- 
ued in  that  office  until  1876,  when  he  was 
succeeded  by  R.  L.  McCormick,  who  reigned 
three  j'ears.  B.  S.  Lewis  was  the  next,  and 
was  followed  by  L.  Z.  Rogers,  and  he  by  E. 
G.  Wood,  the  present  one.  The  chapter  is 
ill  a  most  healthy  condition,  with  everything 


HISTORY    OF   WASECA    COUNTY. 


731 


in  its  favor,  and  its  work  is  pronounced  most 
excellently  "  good  and  true."  It  has  a  present 
membership  of  fifty -four  brothers.  The  offi- 
cers for  18S7  are  :  Eri  G.  Wood,  M.  E.  H.  P. ; 
J.  A.Claghorn.E.  K. ;  G.ll.  Buckman,  S.  E.  ; 
M.  O'Brien,  C.  H.  ;  S.  S.  Washburn,  P. 
S. ;  N.  S.  Gordon,  K.  A.  C.  ;  J.  W.  Johnson, 
T.  ;  J.  L.  Claghorn,  S. ;  George  Webb,  G.  M. 
T.  V. ;  John  F.  Murphy,  G.  M.  S.  V. ;  Theo- 
dore Brown,  G.  M.  F.  V.  and  G.  W.  Comee, 
Sent. 

Comee  Lodge,  No.  25,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  was  organized  at  a  meeting- 
held  in  what  was  called  the  Radical  building, 
then  just  south  of  whei'e  the  Grant  House 
now  stands,  "December  8,  1868,  with  the  fol- 
lowing charter  members  :  W.  C.  Young,  G. 
W.  Comee,  H.  D.  Baldwin,  L.  E.  Wallace, 
and  H.  P.  Norton.  The  first  officers,  installed 
Tuesday,  January  14,  1869,  were :  II.  D. 
Baldwin,  N.  G. ;  Warren  Smith,  V.  G. ;  II.  A. 
Mosher,  S. ;  W.  C.  Young,  T.  The  present 
officers  are  :  N.  J.  Leavitt,  N.  G. ;  Joseph 
Gatzman,V.  G. ;  S.  Swenson,  P.  G. ;  A.  J. 
Lohren,  S.;  O.  Powell,  T. ;  V.  Butsch,  W. ; 
E.  B.  Collester,  C. ;  L.  Larson,  I.  G.,  and  J, 
Gutfleisch,  O.  G.  They  have  now  a  member- 
ship of  fifty-one,  and,  jointly  with  the  Ma- 
sonic Lodge,  rent  a  hall  in  which  to  hold 
meetings.  Financial  condition  is  most  excel- 
lent, and  the  lodge  is  doing  much  good  in  this 
community. 

Golden  Rule  Encampment,  No.  13,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  organized 
under  charter,  October  27,  1873,  with  the 
following  charter  members  :  P.  V.  Smith,  G. 
W.  Comee,  H.  C.  Woodbury,  R.  F.  Stevens, 
J.  S.  Abell,  Joseph  Miller,  M.  S.  Collins, 
John  G.  Greening,  S.  F.  Phelps  and  John 
Craven.  The  first  officers  chosen  were  the 
following :  G.  W.  Comee,  C.  P. ;  R.  F.  Stev- 
ens, H.  P. ;  H.  C.  Woodbury,  S.  W. ;  John 
S.  Abell,  J.  W  ;  John  Craven,  S. ;  P.  V. 
Smith,  T.  and  Jos.  Miller,  Sent.  Besides  the 
charter  members,  there  were  present  the 
night  of  organization,  Brothers  W.  C.  Young, 
y.  Butsch,   Edward   Bennett,  S.  S.  Comee, 


and  W.  H.  Young  Sr.  The  camp,  which  is 
in  quite  a  fiourishing  condition,  has  a  present 
membership  of  twenty-four,  and  has  a 
beautiful  hall,  which  is  rented  jointly  be- 
tween the  Masonic  and  Oddfellow  fraterni- 
ties. The  present  officers  are :  O.  Powell,  C. 
P. ;  H.  Myers,  H.  P. ;  G.  W.  Comee,  S.  W. ; 
E.  P.  Latham,  J.  W. ;  H.  C.  Woodbury,  S. ; 
W.  C.  Young,  T. ;  V.  Butsch,  I.  S. ;  Edward 
Bennett,  F.  W. ;  A.  J.  Lee,  S.  W.  and  John 
S.  Abell,  G. 

A  post  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic was  organized  on  Monday,  March  16, 
1868,  with  the  following  officers:  W.  T. 
Kittredge,  P.  C. ;  P.  II.  Swift,  S.  V.  C. ;  H. 
A.  Mosher,  J.  V.  C. ;  A.  H.  Wellman,  Q.  M. ; 
Dr.  H.  J.  Young,  Surg. ;  A.  E.  Dearborn,  S. 
M. ;  Rev.  Mr.  Starr,  Chap. 

Among  the  members  not  included  among 
the  above  named  officers  were :  Edward 
Bennett,  M.  H.  Helms,  Joseph  Gatzman. 
Benjamin  Philbrick,  Henry  Zeller  and  Jonas 
Whitcomb. 

The  post  ran  for  about  one  year,  and  then, 
so  many  of  its  members  removing,  it  was 
allowed  to  die  out. 

Lewis  McKune  Post.  No.  27,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  was  organized  at  a  meeting 
of  the  veterans  of  the  civil  war,  held  at  the 
courthouse,  April  9,  1883,  when  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  chosen :  C.  C.  Comee,  P. 
C. ;  J.  A.  Canfield,  S.  V.  C. ;  J.  A.  Smith,  J. 
V.  C. ;  C.  E.  Graham,  A.  ;  G.  R.  Buckman, 
Q.  M. ;  Dr.  H.  J.  Young,  S. ;  Edward  Ben- 
nett, C. ;  J.  B.  Ilayden,  O.  D. ;  W.  H. 
Helms,  O.  G.  ;  George  White,  S.  M.  and  M. 
Craven,  Q.  M.  S.  The  post  is  in  excellent 
condition  financially  and  otherwise,  and  the 
meetings  held  on  the  first  and  third  Satur- 
day evenings  of  each  month  are  well  at- 
tended. They  always  have  money  in  the  re- 
lief fund  on  hand,  and  carry  out  all  the  pre- 
cepts of  the  order  in  a  fraternal  manner. 
There  have  been  some  eighty  comrades  mus- 
tered in,  in  this  post,  and  the  membership  is 
now  about  sixty-two.  The  pi'esent  officers 
are:  M.  H.  Helms,  P.  C.  ;  J.  B.  Hayden,  S. 


Y32 


HISTORY   OF   WASECA   COUNTY. 


V.  C. ;  Preston  Martin.  J.  \.  C.  ;  G.  A. 
Smith,  A. ;  J.  H.  Murphy,  Q.  M. ;  Edward 
Bennett,  S. ;  J.  L.  Claghorn,  C. ;  L.  E.  Whee- 
lock,  O.  D. ;  M.  E.  D.  Whitted,  O.  G. ;  Geo. 
White,  S.  M. ;  H.  Van  Buren,  Q.  M.  S. 

Catholic  Knights  of  Waseca  have  a  lodge 
here,  oi-ganized  January,  1886,  with  Thomas 
Coleman,  president ;  Thomas  Flynn,  vice- 
president  ;  John  ]\[oonan,  secretary  ;  P.  A. 
Bowe,  treasurer;  E.  W.  Lansing,  Thomas 
McLaughlin  and  William  Swift,  executive 
committee,  and  Pev.  A.  Christie,  spiritual 
director.  The  officers  for  1887  were:  Thomas 
Coleman,  P. ;  Thomas  Flynn,  V.  P.  ;  Francis 
Maloney,  S. ;  P.  A.  Bowe,  T. ;  Thomas  Flynn. 
Thomas  Connolly  and  E.  W.  Lansing,  execu- 
tive committee  ;  J.  T.  Lee,  sergeant  at  arms  ; 
and  Rev.  Father  Christie,  spiritual  director. 

The  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
was  organized  March  4,  1887,  with  a  mem. 
bership  of  forty-eight,  in  the  hall  of  tlie 
Good  Templars.  The  officers  cliosen  on  or- 
ganization were  :  W.  D.  Belden,  president ; 
Dr.  A.  M.  Hutchinson,  first  vice-president ; 
M.  E.  Parmalee,  second  vice-president ;  II. 

E.  Smith,  secretary' ;  M.  M.  Davidson,  treas- 
urer ;  H.  H.  Suddeth,  H.  C.  Monroe,  W.  C. 
Stegner.  E.  W.  Fiske,  F.  A.  Wood  and  A.  E. 
Jay,  directors.  These  officers  are  the  pres- 
ent ones,  except  that  J.  L.  Claghorn  has 
taken  the  place  of  W.  C.  Stegner  on  the 
board  of  directoi'S.  The  society  has  a  very 
tine  hall,  over  the  Bank  of  Waseca,  which 
tliey  rent  of  the  owner,  W.  G.  Ward. 

Waseca  Lodge,  No.  -ii,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
was  organized  Friday  evening,  September 
30,  1887,  with  the  following  charter  mem- 
bers :  K.  A.  Holbrook,  II.  H.  Sudduth,  F.  A. 
Swartwood,  W.  D.  Abbott,  B.  U.  Dye,  H. 
P.  Bird,  Charles  Smith,  E.  A.  Everett,  S.  E. 
Panney,  D.  A.  Kinney,  D.  E.  Tenney,  Harry 
A.  Read,  John  Evans,  E.  M.  Helms,  Frank 
Tripp,  C.  H.  Lippett,  J.  W.  Veness  and  11. 

F.  Gilson. 

The  following  officers  were  chosen  :  W.  D. 
Abbott,  C.  C. ;  K.  A.  Holbrook,  V.  C.  ;  F. 
A.  Swartwood,  P.  C. ;  H.  H.  Sudduth,  M.  of 


E.  ;  II.  P.  Bird,  M.  of  F. ;  E.  A.  Everett,  P. ; 
B.  U.  Dye,  K.  of  R.  and  S. ;  Charles  Smith, 
I.  G. ;  S.  E.  Ranney,  O.  G. 

Fort  Ridgely  Lodge,  No.  65,  Brotherhood 
of  Locomotive  Firemen,  was  organized  at 
Sleepy  Eye,  in  June,  1880,  and  moved  from 
that  place  to  Waseca  in  October,  1883.  The 
first  officers  were  as  follows  :  Thomas  Burke, 
master ;  W.  W.  Williams,  secretary ;  John 
Boyle,  financier.  The  lodge  is  in  quite  a 
flourishing  condition,  with  a  present  mem- 
bership of  seventy-two.  The  officers  at  pres- 
ent are:  J.  B.  Newcomer,  master;  II.  H. 
Richardson,  secretary ;  W.  D.  Grimes,  col- 
lector ;  Jolm  A.  Robinson,  receiver. 

There  is  also  in  the  city  a  division  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  a 
lodge  of  railroad  conductors,  a  lodge  of  brake- 
men  and  an  assembly  of  the  Knights  of  Labor, 
all  of  which  are  quite  prosperous  societies. 

Waseca  Lodge,  No.  128,  Independent  Or- 
der of  Good  Templars,  was  organized  Febru- 
ar}^  15,  1868,  with  the  following  officers: 
W.  W.  Satterlee,  W.  C.  T.;  Mrs.  L.  A.  Hicks, 
W.  V.  T.;  A.  E.  Dearborn,  W.  S.;  William 
McVeigh,  W.  F.  S.;  John  F.  Murphy,  W. 
M.;  Etta  Taylor,  W.  D.  M.;  Mary  Douglas, 
W.  L  G.;  N.  W.  Scott.  W.  O.  G.;  G.  N. 
Taylor,  W.  C.  and  E.  G.  Wood,   P.  W.  C.  T. 

The  above  was  the  first  lodge  of  the  kiiul 
in  the  city.  The  order  has  had  varying  suc- 
cess in  this  community,  lodges  being  started, 
running  a  few  years,  then  dying  out,  only  to 
stai't  again  shortly  after. 

Company  A,  Third  Regiment  Minnesota 
National  Guards,  was  organized  at  Waseca, 
August  5,  1886,  with  about  thirty  members, 
and  alread}^  manifest  considerable  efficiency 
in  the  drill  and  manual,  principally  owing  to 
the  excellence  of  the  material  upon  which 
able  officers  have  to  work.  The  company  is 
officered  as  follows  :  11.  A.  Leavitt,  captain  ; 
D.  Devine,  first  lieutenant ;  Carl  H.  Young, 
second  lieutenant,  and  H.  A.  Smith,  ortlerly 
sergeant. 

MAPLEWOOD   PARK. 

This  is  one  of  the  attractive  features  of 


HISTORY    OF    WASKCA    COUNTY. 


r33 


the  beautiful  scenery  that  suri'ounds  the  city 
of  Waseca.  Located  upon  a  lovely  wooded 
peninsula  that  juts  boldly  out  into  the  crys- 
tal waters  of  Clear  Lake,  it  is  one  of  the 
favored  spots  on  earth.  Standing  among 
tiie  lofty  trees,  Avhose  trunks  stand  like  col- 
umns in  the  grand  aisle  in  some  noble  cathe- 
dral, through  the  leafy  covering  that  sweeps 
down  to  the  water's  edge,  we  catch  here  and 
there  the  diamond  sparkle  of  the  lambent 
waves  when  the  sunlight  plays  upon  the 
surface  of  the  lake,  or  when  the  quieter 
light  of  the  moon  plays  over  its  tranquil 
bosom,  gather  rest  to  our  souls  in  the  quiet 
enjoyment  of  its  beauties.  It  is  largely  due 
to  the  energy  of  two  men,  Messrs.  Jamison 
and  Quirk,  that  Waseca  is  the  possessor 
of  such  a  lovely  spot.  In  1882  the  place 
was  the  wood-lot  of  Moses  Flummer,  who 
sold  it  to  A.  P.  Jamison  and  James  Quirk, 
who  employed  T.  P.  A.  Howe,  a  civil  engi- 
neer of  St.  Paul,  to  lay  it  out  into  lots  and 
blocks.  Accordingly  on  the  19th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1883,  he  did  so,  and  under  their  manage- 
ment and  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  con- 
ference, it  was  carried  on  until  July,  1886, 
when  it  was  disposed  of  to  the  Maplewood 
Park  Association,  a  society  just  organized. 
Ilei'e,  yearly,  meets  the  Chautauqua  Assem- 
blj',  that  "  feast  of  reason  and  flow  of  soul," 
where  meet  many  of  the  intellectual  people 
of  the  southern  part  of  Minnesota,  and  enjoy 
the  delights  of  culture  amid  the  works  of 
nature. 

The  Maplewood  Park  Association  was  in- 
corporated August  13,  1883,  with  the  follow- 
ing members :  C.  A.  Van  Anda,  C.  K.  Stow- 
ers,  Caleb  Hallack,  F.  II.  Tubbs,  J.  P. 
(3akey,   C.  M.  Smith,  C.  A.  Wright,  E.  G. 


Wood,  N.  S.  Gordon,  Hugh  Wilson,  E.  M. 
Broughton,  J.  H.  Parker,  William  Everett, 
I.  C.  Trowbridge,  A.  P.  Jamison,  H.  C. 
Jennings,  James  Quirk,  R.  W.  Peebe  and 
John  Staffoi'd.  These  gentlemen  incorpo- 
rated themselves  for  the  purpose  of  fitting  up 
the  park,  and  for  the  purpose  of  holding 
grove  or  camp  meetings,  Sunday-school  as- 
semblies, meetings  for  religious  instruction 
or  worship,  or  mutual  improvement  in  moral, 
literary  or  social  culture.  The  capital  stock 
of  the  association  was,  by  the  articles  of  in- 
corporation, fixed  at  $10,000  divided  into 
1,000  shares  of  $10  each,  and  the  indebted- 
ness of  the  same  was  limited  to  $3,000.  The 
first  officers  were :  C.  A.  Van  Anda,  of  Min- 
meapolis,  president ;  C  N.  Stowers,  of  Fari- 
bault, vice  president ;  H.  C.  Jennings,  of 
Waseca,  secretary  ;  A.  P.  Jamison,  of  Wa- 
seca, treasurer  ;  and  Robert  Forbes,  of  Min- 
neapolis ;  John  Stafford,  of  Rochester ;  Wil- 
liam Everett,  of  Waseca ;  E.  A.  Knowlton, 
of  Rochester ;  James  Quirk,  of  Waseca ;  R. 
W.  Beebe,  of  Mankato,  and  J.  II.  Parker,  of 
Albert  Lea,  were  directors. 

A  daily  paper  called  tlie  Daily  Chautau- 
qua^ during  the  time  of  assembly  each  sum- 
mer, which  gives  all  the  news  of  the  same. 
Rev.  H.  C.  Jennings  is  the  editor. 

The  present  officers  are :  Rev.  J.  F. 
Chaffee,  D.  D.,  president ;  William  Everett, 
vice-president;  Rev.  II.  C.  Jennings,  secre- 
tary ;  A.  P.  Jamison,  treasurer,  and  a  board 
of  direction  consisting  of  the  following  par- 
ties :  Rev.  R.  Forbes,  D.  D.,  E.  A.  Knowl- 
ton, George  B.  Arnold,  G.  R.  Buckman,  J. 
Quirk,  J.  A.  Pugh  and  Rev.  A.  II.  Gillet, 
D.  D. 


42 


HISTORY 


^MINNESOTA> 


HISTORY    OF    MIJSTNESOTA. 


CHAPTER  I. 


LOCATION,  TOPOGRAPHY  AND  GENERAL  REMARKS. 


INNESOTA  is  located  in  the 
geographical  center  of  the  con- 
tinent of  North  America  —  mid- 
wa.y  between  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  Oceans,  and  also  midway 
between  Hudson's  Bay  and  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  embraces 
territor}'  extending  from  latitude 
43  degrees  50  minutes,  to  49  de- 
grees, and  from  89  degrees  29 
minutes  to  97  degrees  5  minutes 
west  longitude.  As  to  its  area, 
it  can  only  be  estimated,  as  portions  of  the 
State  are  as  yet  unsurveyed  ;  but  as  near  as 
can  be  arrived  at,  the  area  is  85,531  square 
miles,  or  about  53,760,000  acres.  In  size 
Minnesota  is  the  fourth  State  in  the  Union. 
From  its  southern  boundary  to  the  northern 
is  about  400  miles,  and  from  the  most  east- 
ern to  the  extreme  western  point  about  354 
miles.  In  altitude  it  appears  to  be  one  of 
the  highest  j)ortions  of  the  continent,  as  the 
headwaters  of  the  three  great  river  systems 
are  found  in  its  limits  —  those  of  streams 
flowing  northward  to  Hudson's  Bay,  east- 
ward to  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  southward 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Nearly  three-quarters  of  the  surface  of  the 
State  is  made  up  of  rolling  prairie,  inter- 
spersed with  frequent  groves,  oak  openings 
and  belts  of  hard-wood  timber,  watered 
by  numerous  lakes  and  streams,  and  covered 
with  a  warm,  dark  soil  of  great  fertilitj'. 
The  balance,  embracing  the  elevated  district 


immediately  west  of  Lake  Superior,  consists 
mainly  of  the  rich  mineral  ranges  on  its 
shores,  and  of  the  pine  forests  which  extend 
over  the  upper  Mississippi  country,  afl'ording 
extensive  supplies  of  timber.  But  a  very 
small  portion  is  broken,  rocky  or  worthless 
land ;  nearly  all  is  arable.  But  few  States 
are  so  well  watered  as  Minnesota,  and  the 
numerous  rivers  and  water-courses  give  ex- 
cellent drainage.  A  number  of  the  rivers  — 
the  Mississippi,  the  Minnesota,  the  St.  Croix, 
the  St.  Louis,  the  Red  and  the  Red  Lake  riv- 
ers—  are  navigable,  and  nearly  all  of  the 
balance  afford  water  power.  The  lakes  of 
Minnesota  are  among  its  principal  phj^sical 
characteristics.  The  estimate  of  10,000  lakes 
in  the  State  is  not  an  unreasonable  one. 

With  all  these  natui'al  advantages,  favor- 
able climate  and  rich  soil,  Minnesota-  has 
become  one  of  the  most  successful  agricult- 
ural States  in  the  Union,  and  stock-raising 
and  dairying  is  rapidly  becoming  a  leading 
industry.  Lumbering  is  also  carried  on  very 
extensively,  and  the  manufacturing  branch 
is  rapidly  becoming  large.  While  at  first  it 
was  supposed  that  this  State  was  destitute 
of  valuable  minerals,  recent  discoveries  prove 
to  the  contrary.  Inexhaustible  quantities  of 
the  best  iron  ore  exist,  and  is  now  being 
mined  and  exported  in  large  quantities.  Sil- 
ver veins  have  also  been  found  near  the 
boundary  line ;  copper  oi*e  has  also  been 
found,  and  it  is  known  that  plumbago  and 
gold  quartz  exist.     Building  material,  gran- 


737 


738 


HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 


ite,    brownstone,  limestone,    sandstone  and 
brick  and  potter's  clay  are  abundant. 

A  few  words  as  to  railroads  and  history 
relating  to  their  construction  will  also  be 
interesting.  Twenty-five  years  ago  (1862), 
there  were  only  ten  miles  of  railway  in 
operation  in  the  State.  At  the  close  of  1885 
there  were  6,721  miles  in  operation.  The 
general  government  has  granted  to  railroads 
within  this  State  12,151,527  acres  of  land, 
and  the  State  has  given  1,811,750  acres  of 
swamp  and  other  lands,  making  a  total  of 
13,933,277  acres  of  land  within  the  State 
given  to  railroads,  valued  on  the  average  at 
$5  per  acre,  making  $69,666,385  thus  given. 
In  addition,  local,  county  and  State  bonds 
have  been  given  them  amounting  to  over 
$6,680,000,  making  in  lands  and  cash  a  total 
gift  of  $76,496,385,    or  about    $19,345    for 


every  mile  completed.  There  is  material  in 
these  facts  for  an  extended  political  essay, 
and  they  certainly  furnish  food  for  thought. 

In  concluding  these  general  remarks  it 
may  justly  be  said  that  the  outlook  for  the 
State  is  most  gratifying.  Its  population  is 
rapidly  increasing,  and  its  taxable  wealth 
increasing  in  similar  ratio.  Every  year  sees 
an  enormous  area  of  its  rich  soil  brought 
under  cultivation,  while  there  are  still  mill- 
ions of  acres  awaiting  the  plow  of  the  set- 
tler. 

The  following  table  of  census  returns  will 
show  the  growth  of  the  State  as  to  popula- 
tion: 1850,  population  6,077;  1860,  popula- 
tion 172,023  ;  1865,  population  250.099  ;  1870, 
population  439,706;  1875,  population  597, 
407;  1880,  population  780,773,  and  in  1885 
he  population  was  1,117,798. 


CHAPTER  II. 


HISTORY  OF  MINNESOTA  — FROM  1660  TO  1887. 


edge  of 


HE  lirst  exploration  b}'  whites  of 
the  territory  which  now  com- 
prises the  State  of  Minnesota 
dates  back  early  into  the  seven- 
teenth century.  It  is  claimed 
by  good  authority  that  Jean 
Nicolet  (pronounced  Nicolay), 
one  of  Champlain's  interpreters, 
was  the  first  to  spread  knowl- 
the  country  west  of  Lake  Michigan. 
As  early  as  1635  he  set  foot  upon  the 
western  shores  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  traded 
near  Green  Bay,  also  roaming  over  various 
portions  of  Wisconsin  at  about  that  time. 
In  December  of  the  same  year  he  returned 
to  Canada.  It  is  very  doubtful  whether 
Nicolet  ever  set  foot  on  Minnesota  soil, 
although  it  is  certain  that  his  visit  to  the 
country  west  of  Lake  Michigan  was  the 
means  of  spreading  knowledge  of  this 
country,  and  of  the  aborigines  of  Minnesota. 
It  was  said  of  him  that  he  penetrated  far 
distant  countries,  and  in  a  letter  bearing 
date  of  1640,  it  is  stated  that  "if  he  had 
proceeded  three  days  more  on  a  river  which 
flows  from  that  lake  (Green  Bay),  he  would 
have  found  the  sea."  The  death  of  this 
explorer  occurred  at  Three  Rivers  in  1640. 

After  Nicolet's  visit  to  Wisconsin,  for  a 
quarter  of  a  century  history  brings  no  trace 
of  any  explorations  concerning  this  region. 
At  the  end  of  this  time,  in  1660,  the  first 
white  men  of  whom  there  is  any  reliable 
record,  set  foot  on  Minnesota  soil.  They 
were  Medard  Chouart,  called  Groselliers, 
and  Pierre  d'Esprit,  who  was  known  as  Sieur 
Radisson.  Both  were  Frenchmen  who  had 
come  to  Canada  when  young  men  to  engage 


in  the  fur  trade.  About  the  middle  of  that 
century  several  important  changes  had  been 
made  in  the  location  of  Indian  tribes.  The 
Hurons  and  their  allies,  the  Ottawas,  after 
successive  battles,  had  drifted  to  the  west  of 
Lake  Michigan.  In  former  times  they  had 
been  located  in  the  St.  Lawrence  region. 
Finally  reaching  the  Mississippi  they  found 
the  Iowa  River.  Later,  returning  to  the 
Mississippi,  the  settled  upon  an  island  in  the 
river  near  where  the  city  of  Hastings  is 
now  located ;  but  becoming  involved  in 
battles  with  the  Sioux,  we  finally  find  the 
Hurons  located  about  the  headwaters  of 
the  Chippeway,  and  the  Ottawas  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  Superior,  near  where  Bay- 
field is  now  situated.  It  was  to  trade  with 
the  Indians  that  the  two  Frenchmen  men- 
tioned, GroseUiers  and  Radisson,  made  their 
trip  to  this  wild  region.  They  passed  the 
winter  of  16.59-60  among  the  Sioux  villages 
in  the  Mille  Lacs  country,  and  the  following 
spring  and  summer  was  spent  in  the  region 
of  Lake  Superior.  In  August,  1660,  they 
returned  to  Montreal,  and  their  report  of  the 
country  they  had  visited  created  much  ex- 
citement. Within  a  few  weeks  an  exploring 
and  trading  party  was  formed,  and  accom- 
panied by  six  Frenchmen  and  two  priests, 
one  of  whom  was  the  Jesuit,  Rene  Menard, 
they  again  started  westward,  and  on  the 
15th  of  October,  1660,  they  reached  the 
Ottawa  settlement  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Superior.  The  objects  of  this  party  were 
various,  some  bent  on  exploration,  others 
on  trading,  while  Father  Menard  went  as 
a  missionary.  Groselliers  (pronounced  Gro- 
say-ya)  and  Radisson,  accompanied  by  others, 


739 


7-ii) 


HISTOKY    OF    MINIVESOTA. 


pushed  on  through  the  country  to  the 
northwest  of  Lake  Superior  and  at  length 
reached  Hudson's  Bay.  They  returned 
to  Montreal  in  May,  1662.  The  names 
of  all  the  members  of  this  party  have 
not  been  preserved.  Groselliers  and  Rad- 
isson  proceeded  to  Paris,  thence  to  Lon- 
don, where  they  were  well  received  by 
the  nobility  and  scientific  men.  A  vessel 
was  fitted  out  and  placed  at  their  disposal, 
in  the  hope  of  finding  a  northwest  passage 
to  Asia.  Li  June,  1668,  they  left  England 
and  made  an  extended  vo^'age,  reaching  a 
tributary  of  Hudson's  Bay  and  returning  to 
England,  where,  in  1670,  the  famous  trading 
corporation,  the  "  Hudson's  Bay  Company," 
was  chartered. 

Now  to  return  to  the  venerable  Father 
Menard,  who  had  been  left  among  the  Ottawa 
Indians  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Superior  in 
October,  1660.  For  nearly  a  year  he  lived 
there  in  a  cabin  built  of  fir  branches.  In 
the  summer  of  1661  he  decided  to  visit  the 
Hurons,  who  had  fled  eastward  from  the 
Sioux  of  Minnesota  and  were  located  among 
the  woods  of  northern  Wisconsin,  as  stated. 
He  was  accompanied  by  one  Frenchman, 
whose  name  has  been  lost  in  the  mist  of 
years.  They  became  separated,  and  Father 
Menard  was  lost,  as  Perrot  says,  "in  the 
labyrinth  of  trees."  This  was  the  last  ever 
positively  known  of  him,  although  his  brevi- 
ary and  cassock  were  said  afterward  to 
have  been  found  among  the  Sioux  Indians. 
AVhether  this  good  and  venerable  man 
starved  or  was  murdered  or  captured  by  the 
Indians  will  forever  be  shrouded  in  mj'stery. 

These  were  the  earliest  explorations  of  the 
Northwest  of  which  any  record  has  been  left, 
but  after  that  period  this  region  was  visited 
by  various  parties  at  long  intervals,  and 
many  interesting  documents  have  been  pre- 
served giving  accounts  of  their  journeys  and 
discoveries. 

About  the  year  1665  several  French  trad- 
ers and  the  Jesuit,  Allouez,  visited  the  coun- 
try off  the  western  shore  of  Lake  Superior. 


Early  in  1679  we  find  Daniel  G.  Du  Luth 
west  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  it  is  believed  he 
planted  the  French  arms  on  Minnesota  soil. 
His  records  state  that  "  on  July  2d  he  caused 
his  Majesty's  arms  to  be  planted  in  the  great 
village  of  the  Nadousioux,  called  Kathio, 
and  at  Songaskicous  and  Houetbatons,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  leagues  distant  from 
the  former."  Rev.  E.  D.  Neill  in  his 
thorough  work  relating  to  early  explorers  of 
Minnesota,  locates  this  as  being  "one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  leagues  beyond  Mille 
Lacs."  Du  Luth  states  that  at  one  point  on 
Minnesota  soil  he  found  upon  a  tree  this 
legend :  "  Arms  of  the  King  cut  on  this  tree 
in  the  year  1679."  He  established  several 
posts,  carried  on  trading  with  the  Indians, 
and  was  probably  the  most  prominent  of 
the  early  explorers.  Later  he  was  stationed 
near  Lake  Erie  and  died  in  1710.  His 
reports  furnish  much  interesting  information 
regarding  the  early  explorations  in  the 
Northwest. 

La  Salle  was  given  a  commission  by  the 
King  of  France  in  1678  to  "explore  the 
West,"  and  do  limited  trading.  He  visited 
various  parts  of  the  Northwest.  His  jeal- 
ousy of  Du  Luth  appears  to  form  a  consider- 
able portion  of  his  official  reports,  but  it  is 
stated  on  good  authority  that  he  wrote  the 
first  description  of  the  upper  Mississippi 
Valley,  August  22. 1682,  some  months  before 
the  publication  of  Father  Henne])in's  first 
work,  "Description  de  la  Louisiane."  He 
must,  however,  have  obtained  his  information 
from  one  of  Hennepin's  men. 

Father  Louis  Hennepin's  explorations  and 
adventures  through  the  Northwest  form  an 
interesting  chapter  in  the  earlier  history  of 
this  region.  He  was  a  native  of  Ath,  an  in- 
land town  of  the  Netherlands,  and  had  early 
assumed  the  robes  of  priesthood.  In  1676 
he  came  to  Canada,  and  two  years  later  was 
ordered  to  join  the  La  Salle  exploring  expe- 
dition. A  ship  was  rigged,  and  on  August 
7th,  1679,  its  sails  caught  the  breezes  of 
Lake    Erie — the     first     European     vessel 


HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 


741 


launched  on  the  great  lakes.      La  Salle  con- 
ducted his  expedition  to  Green  Bay,  thence 
along  the  coast  of  Lake  Michigan,  and  about 
the  middle  of  January,  1680,  landed  it  on  an 
eminence  near  Lake  Peoria,   on  the  Illinois 
River,  where  he  commenced  the  erection  of 
J"'ort  Crevecoeur.   On  the  last  of  February  of 
the  same  year,  Father  Hennepin,  in  company 
with   Michael  Accault  (Ako)   and  Angelle, 
left  the  fort  to  ascend  the  Mississippi  River. 
On   the   11th   of  April,    1680,  after   having 
reached  a  point  north  of  the  Chippewa  River, 
they    were   met  and   taken  charge  of  by  a 
party  of  over  a  hundred  Sioux  Indians.  They 
then   proceeded   with   the  Indians   to  their 
villages,  nearly  sixty  leagues  north  of  St.  An- 
thony falls.  Thej'  remained  with  the  Indians 
some  time,  being  well  treated,  and  on  the 
25th   of  July,  1680,  they   were  met  by  Du 
Luth,  who  was  accompanied  by  his  interpi-e- 
ter,    Faffart,   and   several   French    soldiers. 
They  then  proceeded  to  Mille  Lacs,  arriving, 
according  to  Father's  Hennepin  writings,  on 
the  11th  of  August,  1680.     In  the  latter  part 
of   September  they   started  to  return  to  the 
French  settlement,  passing  by  St.  Anthony 
falls.     Father  Hennepin  published  two  works 
relating   to  his   discoveries,  the  first,    "  De- 
scription de  la  Louisiane,"   in  1836;  the  sec- 
ond, "  The  New  Discovery,"  in  1697.    These 
works  called  forth  much  criticism,  as  there 
can  be  no  doubt  Hennepin  greatly  magnified 
his  own    importance,   and  exaggerated    his 
services  and  discoveries.      For  instance,  he 
claims   to   have    descended   the   Mississippi 
River  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  before  proceed- 
ing northward,  then  returned  and  proceeded 
on  to  the  St.  Anthony  falls.     This  in  the  face 
of  his  own  stated  facts  —  leaving  Fort  Creve- 
coeur the  last  of  February,  he  claims  to  have 
made  this  wonderful  trip,  and  arrived  two 
miles  south  of  where  the  city  of  St.  Paul  is 
now  located,  late  in  April,  giving  the  11th 
of  April  as  the  date  of  their  capture  by  the 
Indians.       However   this  may   be,    Father 
Hennepin's  work   was  not  in  vain,  and  his 
memory   is  entitled   to  the  credit  for  that 


which  he  did.  His  publications  hastened  and 
facilitated  exploration,  and  his  failing  —  if 
such  it  was  —  should  be  treated  with  charity. 
La  Salle  speaks  of  him  highly,  but  charitably 
says,  "  it  was  his  failing  to  magnify  those 
adventures  which  concerned  him." 

During  1684,  Nicholas  Perrot  and  Le 
Sueur  visited  Lake  Pepin,  and  the  following 
winter  the  French  traded  with  the  Indians 
on  Minnesota  soil.  Perrot  had  been  ap- 
pointed by  the  governor  of  Canada  as  the 
commandant  for  the  West,  and  was  accom- 
panied by  twenty  men.  Upon  his  arrival  he 
caused  a  stockade  to  be  built  on  the  east 
bank  of  Lake  Pepin,  which  bore  his  name 
for  many  years.  He  discovered  a  number  of 
lead  mines,  and  his  name  figures  conspicu- 
ously in  the  history  of  the  early  French  ex- 
plorations and  frontier  work.  Perrot  re- 
mained for  some  time  after  building  the  fort, 
then,  in  1686,  returned  to  Green  Bay.  He 
passed  much  time  in  collecting  allies  for  the 
expedition  against  the  Iroquois  in  New  York, 
and  in  the  spring  of  1687,  was  with  Du  Luth 
and  Tonty  with  the  French  and  Indian  allies 
in  the  expedition  against  the  Senecas  of  the 
Genesee  Valley  in  New  York.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  was  sent  with  a  company  of 
Frenchmen  to  reoccupy  the  post  on  Lake 
Pepin,  in  Minnesota,  and  it  was  in  1689  that 
Perrot,  in  the  presence  of  Father  Joseph 
James  Marest,  a  Jesuit,  Boisguiblot,  a  trader 
on  the  Wisconsin  and  Mississippi,  and  Le 
Seur,  made  a  formal  record  of  taking  posses- 
sion of  the  Sioux  country  in  the  name  of  the 
King  of  France. 

Le  Sueur,  who  accompanied  Perrot  in  his 
first  trip  to  Lake  Pepin  in  1684,  was  inti- 
mately connected  with  that  explorer's  move- 
ments. In  1692  Le  Sueur  was  sent  by  Gov. 
Frontenac,  of  Canada,  to  the  extremity 
of  Lake  Superior  to  maintain  peace  between 
the  Indian  tribes.  Entering  the  Sioux 
country,  in  1694,  he  established  a  post  upon  a 
prairie  island,  nine  miles  below  where  Hast- 
ings is  now  located.  He  was  accompanied 
by  Penicaut  and  others.     Here   they  estab- 


742 


HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 


lished  a  fort  and  storehouse  and  passed  the 
winter,  as  game  was  verj'^  abundant.  On 
July  15,  1695,  Le  Sueur  went  back  to  Mon- 
treal accompanied  by  a  part}-  of  Ojibways, 
and  the  first  Dakotah  brave  that  ever  visited 
Canada.  Le  Sueur  then  visited  France,  and 
in  1697  received  a  license  to  open  certain 
mines  that  were  supposed  to  exist  in  Minne- 
sota. The  ship  in  which  he  was  returning 
was  captured  by  the  English,  and  he  was 
taken  to  England ;  when  released  he  returned 
to  France  and  secured  a  new  commission,  but 
it  was  afterward  suspended.  Fortunatelv, 
D'llberville,  a  kinsman  of  Le  Sueur,  was  ap- 
pointed governor  of  the  new  territory  of 
Louisiana,  and  in  December,  1699,  Le  Sueur 
arrived  from  France  with  thirty  workmen 
to  proceed  to  the  mines.  During  the  next 
year  he  ascended  the  Minnesota  Eiver  with 
his  expedition,  and  in  October,  1700,  built  a 
fort  on  the  Blue  Earth  Eiver,  which  he 
named  L'Huillier.  This  was  occupied  by 
Le  Sueur's  men  until  1702,  when  it  was 
abandoned  because  of  the  hostility  of  the 
Indians.  Charlevoix,  who  visited  the  val- 
ley of  the  lower  Mississippi  in  1722,  says  that 
"  Le  Sueur  spent  at  least  one  winter  in  his 
fort  on  the  banks  of  the  Blue  Earth,  and 
that  in  the  following  April  he  went  up  to  the 
mine,  aboitt  a  mile  above,  and  in  twenty-two 
days  they  obtained  more  than  30,000  pounds 
of  the  substance — lead."  Le  Sueur  estimated 
the  Sioux  Indians  at  that  time  as  beinsr 
four  thousand  families. 

In  1703  a  little  volume  was  published  in 
France  and  England  b\'  Baron  La  Hon- 
tan,  giving  an  account  of  his  "  travels,"  in 
which  he  claimed  to  have  penetrated  and 
pursued  explorations  through  the  territory 
which  now  forms  Minnesota,  farther  than 
any  of  his  predecessors.  He  states  that  he 
found  a  river  tributary  to  the  Mississippi, 
and  describes  a  journey  of  500  miles  up  this 
stream,  which  he  named  Long  Eiver.  His 
wonderful  story  was  believed  at  the  time 
and  the  river  was  placed  upon  the  early 
maps;  but  in  later  years  it   was  discredited 


and  is  now  by  the  closest  students  and  ablest 
historians  treated  as  fabulous. 

In  September,  1727,  Fort  Beauharnois  was 
erected  and  a  French  post  established  on  the 
shores  of  Lake  Pepin,  under  the  directions  of 
Sieur  de  la  Perriere.  An  extensive  trade 
was  carried  on  with  the  Indians  here,  and  it 
was  occupied  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1728 
Veranderie,  who  had  been  placed  in  com- 
mand of  a  post  on  Lake  NepigOn,  began  lay- 
ing plans  for  finding  a  communication  with 
the  Pacific  Ocean.  An  expedition  was  fitted 
out  which  left  Montreal  in  1731,  under  the 
management  of  his  sons  and  a  nephew,  De  la 
Jemeraye,  he  not  joining  the  party  until 
1733.  A  fourth  son  joined  the  expedition 
in  1735.  In  the  autumn  of  1731,  the  party 
reached  Eainy  Lake,  at  the  foot  of  which 
a  post,  called  Fort  St.  Pierre,  was  erected. 
The  next  year  they  reached  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  and  established  Fort  St.  Charles  on 
its  southwest  bank.  A  few  miles  from  Lake 
Winnepeg  they  established  a  post  on  the 
Assinaboine,  and  a  fort  was  established  on 
the  Maurepas  (Winnepeg)  Eiver.  In  June. 
1736,  while  twenty -one  of  the  expedition 
were  encamped  on  an  isle  in  the  Lake  of  the 
Woods,  they  were  surprised  by  a  band  of 
Sioux  Indians  hostile  to  the  French  allies, 
and  all  were  killed.  The  island  on  this  ac- 
count is  called  Massacre  Island.  The  ?e- 
maining  portion  of  the  expedition  pro- 
gressed as  best  they  could.  October  3, 
1738,  they  built  an  advanced  post  called 
Fort  la  Eeine  on  the  Assinaboine  Eiver. 
They  came  in  sight  of  the  Eocky  Mountains 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1743,  and,  on  the 
12th,  ascended  them.  In  1744,  after  plant- 
ing a  leaden  plate  of  the  arms  of  France  in 
the  upper  Missouri  countrv,  they  returned, 
reaching  Minnesota  soil  late  in  June,  and 
after  establishing  several  posts  in  the  ex- 
treme northern  frontier  country  they  finally 
returned  to  Montreal.  Expeditions  were 
afterward  fitted  out,  one  of  which  again 
reached  the  Eocky  Mountains,  but  the  clash 
of  arms   between  France  and  England  put 


HISTOBT    OF   MINNESOTA. 


743 


an  end  to  the  explorations  so  far  as  the 
French  were  concerned. 

In  1763,  by  the  treaty  of  Versailles,  France 
ceded  Minnesota  east  of  the  Mississippi  to 
England  and  west  of  it  to  Spain.  In  1766 
Capt.  Jonathan  Carver,  the  first  British  sub- 
ject, although  a  native  of  Connecticut,  visited 
the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony.  He  spent  some 
three  years  among  the  different  tribes  of 
Indians  in  the  upper  Mississippi  country ; 
found  the  Indian  nations  at  war  and  suc- 
ceeded in  making  peace  between  them.  As 
a  reward  for  his  good  offices,  it  is  claimed 
that  two  chiefs  of  the  Sioux,  acting  for  their 
nation,  at  a  council  held  with  Carver  at  a 
great  cave,  now  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  St.  Paul,  deeded  to  Carver  a  vast  tract  of 
land  on  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  extending  from 
the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  to  the  foot  of  Lake 
Pepin,  on  the  Mississippi,  thence  east  one 
hundred  miles  ;  thence  north  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles ;  thence  west  to  the  place 
of  beginning.  This  ]M'etended  grant,  how- 
ever, was  examined  by  our  government  and 
totally  ignored. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century 
there  were  no  white  men  in  Minnesota,  except 
the  few  engaged  in  the  fur  trade,  and  the  posts 
Avere  chiefly  held  by  the  Northwest  Com- 
pany, which  corporation  in  1794  erected  a 
stockade  at  Sandy  Lake.  In  1802  we  find 
William  Morrison  trading  at  Leech  Lake,  and 
two  years  later  at  Itasca.  In  the  meantime, 
in  1796,  the  laws  of  the  ordinance  of  1787 
had  been  extended  over  the  Northwest,  and 
on  May  7,  1800,  that  part  of  Minnesota  east 
of  the  Mississippi  had  become  a  part  of  In- 
diana by  the  division  of  Ohio.  On  the  20th 
of  December,  1803,  that  part  of  Minnesota 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  for  forty  years  in  the 
possession  of  Spain  as  a  part  of  Louisiana, 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  Napoleon 
Bonaparte,  who  had  just  obtained  it  from 
Spain.  In  1804  Upper  Louisiana  Territory 
was  constituted.  During  the  following  year 
the  United  States  for  the  first  time  sent  an 
officer  to  Minnesota,  in  the  person   of  Lieut. 


Z.  M.  Pike,  who  established  government  re- 
lations and  obtained  the  Fort  Snelling  reser- 
vation from  the  Dakotahs.  He  remained 
here  for  some  time,  but  the  war  of  1812 
coming  on  postponed  the  military  occupa- 
tion of  the  upper  Mississippi  by  the  United 
States  for  several  years.  Pike  afterward 
fell  in  battle  at  York,  in  Upper  Canada. 

In  1817  the  Earl  of  Selkirk,  a  nobleman, 
visited  the  Scotch  colony  on  the  Red  River, 
established  in  1812,  and  created  quite  an  ex- 
citement on  the  part  of  some  of  the  United 
States  authorities.  The  same  year  Mayor 
Stephen  H.  Long,  of  the  United  States  En- 
gineer Corps,  visited  Minnesota  and  made  a 
report  recommending  the  bluff  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Minnesota  and  Mississippi  rivers 
as  a  site  for  a  fort. 

In  1819  Minnesota  east  of  the  Mississippi 
River  became  a  part  of  Crawford  County, 
J\[ich.  During  the  same  year  Fort  Snell- 
ing was  established  and  the  site  of  Mendota 
was  occupied  by  the  United  States  troops, 
under  Col.  Leavenworth.  Major  Taliaferro 
was  appointed  Indian  agent. 

During  the  year  1820  much  of  interest 
transpired  on  Minnesota  soil.  Early  in  the 
spring  Jean  Baptiste  Faribault  brought 
Leavenworth's  horses  from  Prairie  duChien. 
On  the  5th  of  May  Col.  Leavenworth  estab- 
lished summer  quarters  at  Camp  Cold  water, 
(Hennepin  County).  In  July  Gov.  Cass,  of 
Michigan,  visited  the  camps.  In  August  Col. 
Joshia  Snelling  succeeded  Leavenworth  in 
command,  and  on  the  20th  of  September  tlie 
corner-stone  of  Fort  Snelling  (then  Fort  St. 
Anthony)  was  laid.  On  the  15th  of  April 
the  superintendent  of  farming  for  Earl  Sel- 
kirk left  Prairie  du  Chien,  having  purchased 
seed  wheat;  he  ascended  the  Minnesota 
River  to  Big  Stone  Lake,  where  the  boats 
were  placed  on  rollers,  dragged  a  short  dis- 
tance to  Lake  Traverse,  and  reached  Pembina 
June  3.  This  year  the  first  marriage  in 
Minnesota  occurred,  Lieut.  Green  to  a 
daughter  of  Capt.  Gooding.  The  first  birth 
of  a  white  child  in  the   State  occurred  this 


744 


HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 


year,  a  daughter  to  Col.  Snelling ;  died  the 
following  year. 

In  1821  Fort  St.  Anthony  (Snelling)  was 
sufficiently  completed  to  be  occupied  by 
troops.  During  this  year  a  sawmill  was 
constructed  at  St.  Anthony  Falls  for  the  use 
of  the  garrison  under  the  supervision  of 
Lieut.  McCabe. 

Nothing  of  particular  interest  transpired 
during  1822.  In  1823,  however,  the  first 
steamboat,  the  Virginia,  arrived  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Minnesota  Eiver  on  the  10th  of  May, 
and  created  consternation  among  the  Indians. 
Beltrami,  the  Italian,  during  the  same  year 
explored  the  northernmost  sources  of  the 
Mississipjii,  and  Maj.  Long,  of  the  United 
States  armj^,  visited  the  northern  boundary 
by  way  of  the  Minnesota  and  Eed  rivers. 
Millstones  for  grinding  flour  were  sent  to 
St.  Anthony  to  be  placed  in  the  sawmill. 

In  1824  Gen.  Winfield  Scott  visited  Fort 
St.  Anthony,  and  at  his  suggestion  the  name 
was  changed  to  Fort  Snelling. 

After  this  time  events  crowd  rapidly  one 
after  the  other  to  till  in  the  time.  From 
1825  on,  the  arrival  of  steamboats  became 
more  frequent.  During  this  year  a  heavy 
flood  visited  the  Eed  Eiver,  and  a  portion  of 
the  colony  were  driven  to  Minnesota  and 
settled  near  Fort  Snelling. 

In  1832  Schoolcraft  explored  the  sources 
of  the  Mississippi  Eiver,  and  during  the  fol- 
lowing year  Eev.  W.  T.  Boutwell  established 
the  first  mission  among  the  Ojibways  on 
Leech  Lake.  About  the  same  time  E.  F.  Ely 
opened  a  mission  school  at  Atkins,  a  trading 
post  on  Sandy  Lake. 

That  portion  of  Minnesota  lying  west  of 
the  Mississippi  Eiver  was  attached  to  lilichi- 
gan  in  1834.  During  this  year  Gen.  H.  II. 
Sibley  settled  at  Mendota  as  agent  for  the 
fur  company,  and  Samuel  W.  and  Gideon 
H.  Pond,  missionaries  among  the  Sioux,  ar- 
rived. They  were  followed  tlie  next  year 
by  T.  S.  Williamson.  J.  D.  Stevens  and  Alex- 
ander G.  Huggins,  and  in  June,  1835,  a 
Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  at  Fort 


Snelling.  Late  the  same  year  Maj.  J.  L. 
Bean,  in  accordance  with  the  treaty  of  1825, 
surveyed  the  Sioux  and  Chippeway  bound- 
ary line  as  far  as  Otter  Tail  Lake. 

In  1836  the  Territory  of  Wisconsin  was 
organized,  embracing  all  of  Minnesota  east 
of  the  Mississippi  Eiver;  that  territory  west 
of  the  river  being  attached  to  Iowa.  A 
number  of  steamboats  arrived  during  this 
year,  a  passenger  on  one  of  them  being  the 
distinguished  French  astronomer,  Jean  N. 
Nicollet. 

In  1837  Gov.  Dodge,  of  Wisconsin,  made 
a  treaty  at  Fort  Snelling  with  the  Ojib- 
ways, by  which  the  latter  ceded  all  their 
pine  lands  on  the  St.  Croix  and  its  tributaries ; 
a  treaty  was  also  effected  at  Washington 
with  a  deputation  of  Dakotahs  for  their  pine 
lands  east  of  the  Mississippi.  These  treaties 
led  the  way  to  the  first  actual  settlements  in 
the  State.  The  treaty  was  ratified  by  Con- 
gress in  1838.  At  about  this  time  Franklin 
Steele  made  a  claim  at  St.  Anthony  Falls ; 
Pierre  Parrant  took  a  claim  and  built  a  cabin 
on  the  present  site  of  St.  Paul ;  Jeremiah 
Eussell  and  L.  W.  Stratton  made  the  first 
claim  at  Marine  in  the  St.  Croix  Valley. 
During  the  year  1838  a  steamboat  arrived  at 
Fort  Snelling  with  J.  N.  Nicollet  and  J.  C. 
Fremont  on  a  scientific  expedition.  Develop- 
ment begins  in  the  St.  Croix  Valley.  The 
next  year  the  chapel  of  "St.  Paul"  was 
built  and  consecrated,  s^ivino-  the  name  to 
the  capital  of  the  State. 

Henry  M.  Eice  arrived  at  Fort  Snelling 
in  1840,  others  came  and  in  November,  1841, 
St.  Croix  County  was  established  with 
"  Dakotah  "  designated  as  the  county -seat. 

On  the  10th  of  October,  1843.  a  settlement 
was  commenced  on  the  present  site  of  the 
city  of  Stillwater,  and  the  erection  of  a  saw- 
mill was  immediately  commenced.  The 
names  of  the  town  proprietors  were :  John 
McKusick,  from  Maine  ;  Calvin  Leach,  from 
Vermont ;  Elam  Greeley,  from  Maine  and 
Elias  McKeane.  from  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  E.  D.  Neill  in  his  ''  Explorers  and  Pio- 


HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 


745 


neers  of  Minnesota,"  says  that  in  184:6  "  the 
site  of  St.  Paul  was  chiefly  occupied  by  a 
few  shanties,  owned  by  '  certain  lewd  fellows 
of  the  baser  sort,'  who  sold  rum  to  the  sol- 
diers and  Indians."  On  the  Gth  of  August, 
1846,  the  Wisconsin  enabling  act  was  passed. 

In  1847  St.  Croix  County  was  detached 
from  Crawford  Count}',  Wis.,  and  reorgan- 
ized for  civil  and  judicial  purposes  with  Still- 
water as  the  county-seat.  The  town  of  St. 
Paul  was  surveyed  and  platted,  and  recorded 
in  .St.  Croix  County.  During  this  year  the 
Wisconsin  constitutional  convention  was  held. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  1848,  Wisconsin  was 
admitted  to  the  Union,  leaving  Minnesota 
(with  its  present  boundaries)  without  a  gov- 
ernment, and  on  the  26th  of  tlie  following 
August  a  convention  was  held  at  Stillwater 
to  take  measures  foi-  a  separate  territorial  or- 
ganization. On  the  30th  of  October,  1848, 
Henry  H.  Sibley  was  elected  delegate  to 
Congress,  and  he  was  admitted  to  a  seat 
January  15,  1849.  Marcli  3d,  1849,  a  bill 
was  passed  organizing  Minnesota  Territory, 
and  on  the  19th  of  the  same  month  territo- 
rial officers  were  appointed.  June  1st  Gov. 
Ramsey  issued  a  proclamation  declaring 
the  teri'itory  organized,  and  on  September  3d 
the  first  territorial  Legislature  assembled.  In 
1851  the  capital  of  the  State  was  permanent- 
ly located,  as  was  also  the  penitentiary.  In 
June,  1854,  the  first  line  of  railway  was  com- 
pleted to  St.  Paul. 

On  the  23d  of  February,  1857,  an  act 
passed  the  United  States  Senate,  to  author- 
ize the  ])eople  of  Minnesota  to  form  a  consti- 
tution, preparatory  to  their  admission  to  tlie 
Union.  In  June  a  constitutional  convention 
was  held,  and  the  State  constitution  was 
framed.  This  was  adopted  on  tlie  13th  of 
October,  1857,  and  a  fuU  fist  of  State  officers 
was  elected.  On  the  lltli  of  May,  1858,  the 
President  approved  of  the  bill  admitting  the 
State,  and  Minnesota  was  fully  recognized  as 
one  of  the  United  States  of  America.  The 
first  State  officers  were  sworn  in  on  the  24tli 
of  Mav. 


From  this  time  on  we  can  only  briefly  re- 
view the  most  important  events  that  have 
transpired.  A  great  tide  of  immigration  had 
set  in  early  in  the  "  fifties,"  which  rapidly 
filled  up  portions  of  the  State,  until  in  1857 
a  census  gave  the  State  a  total  population  of 
150,037.  During  that  year,  however,  real 
estate  speculation  reached  a  climax,  and  the 
terrible  financial  panic  occurred,  which  great- 
l.y  retarded  the  settlement. 

In  1858  the  State  loan  of  $250,000  was 
negotiated ;  five  million  loan  bill  was 
passed,  being  voted  on  April  15;  great  strin- 
gency in  money  market. 

During  1859  the  hard  times  continued 
to  intensify.  "Wright  Count}'  War"  oc- 
curred ;  "  Glencoe  "  and  "  Owatonna"  money 
was  issued ;  work  on  the  land  grant  roads 
ceased  ;  collapse  of  the  five  million  scheme ; 
first  export  of  grain  tliat  fall ;  hard  political 
struggle,  in  whicli  the  Republicans  tri- 
umphed. 

Anotlier  warm  political  canvass  occurred 
in  1800  ;  the  census  talventhis  j'ear  gave  the 
State  a  total  population  of  172,123. 

In  1861  war  cast  its  gloom  over  tlie  coun- 
tiy  ;  on  April  13th  the  President's  proclama- 
tion for  troops  was  received  ;  the  first  regi- 
ment recruited  at  once,  and  June  22d  it  em- 
barked at  Fort  Snelling  for  the  seat  of  Avar. 
In  1862  occurred  the  memorable  Sioux 
outbreak ;  August  17tli,  massacre  at  Acton  ; 
August  18th,  outbreak  at  Lower  Sioux 
Agency  ;  19th,  New  Ulm  attacked ;  20th, 
Fort  Ridgely  attacked ;  25th,  second  attack 
on  New  Ulm ;  30th,  Fort  Abercrombie  be- 
sieged ;  September  1st,  the  blood}'  affair  at 
Birch  Coolie ;  19th,  first  railroad  in  Minne- 
sota in  o]ieration,  between  St.  Paul  and 
Minneai)olis;  22d,  battle  of  Wood  Lake; 
26tli,  captives  surrendered  by  the  Indians  at 
Camp  Release;  military  commission  tried 
321  Indians  for  murder,  303  condemned  to 
die ;  December  26th,  thirty-eight  hung  at 
Mankato. 

In  1863  Gen.  Sibley  conducted  an  expedi- 
tion to  the  Missouri  River ;  July  3d,  Little 


746 


HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 


Crow  was  killed ;  July  24th,  battle  of  Big 
Mound  ;  26th,  battle  of  Dead  Buffalo  Lake  : 
July  28th,  battle  of  Stony  Lake. 

I-n  1864  the  civil  war  was  still  in  progress, 
and  large  levies  for  troops  were  made  in 
Minnesota ;  expedition  to  Missouri  Eiver,  un- 
der Sully  ;  inflation  of  money  market ;  occa- 
sional Indian  raids. 

In  1865  the  war  closed  and  peace  returns ; 
Minnesota  regiments  return  and  are  dis- 
banded ;  in  all,  25,052  troops  were  furnished 
by  the  State  ;  census  showed  250,000  inhabi- 
tants. 

After  the  close  of  the  war,  and  from  1866 
until  1872, "  good  times  "  prevailed ;  immigra- 
tion was  very  heavy,  and  real  estate  and 
all  values  were  inflated.  The  western  por- 
tion of  the  State  received  many  settlers. 
Railway  construction  was  very  active. 

In  1873  the  famous  grasshopper  raid  began 
throughout  the  western  part  of  the  State, 
and  continued  about  five  seasons.  January 
7-8-9  of  this  year,  a  terrible  storm  swept 
over  the  State,  in  which  seventy  persons  per- 
ished. In  September  of  the  same  year,  the 
financial  "  panic  of  1873  "  began. 


In  1874  and  1875  nothing  of  especial  im- 
portance occurred. 

On  the  7th  of  September,  1876,  an  attack 
was  made  on  the  Bank  of  Northfield  by  a 
gang  of  armed  outlaws  from  Missouri ;  three 
of  the  latter  were  killed,  and  three  were  capt- 
ured. 

In  1877  biennial  sessions  amendment  was 
adopted. 

In  1878  (May  2),  three  flouring  mills  at 
Minneapolis  exploded,  and  eighteen  lives 
lost. 

On  November  15th.  1880,  a  portion  of  the 
hospital  for  the  insane,  at  St.  Peter,  was  de- 
stroyed by  fire;  eighteen  inmates  were 
burned  to  death,  seven  died  subsequently  of 
injuries  and  fright,  and  six  were  missing. 
Total  loss  was  $150,000. 

In  1881  the  State  capitol  at  St.  Paul  was 
destroj'ed  by  fire- 
In  1884  the  State  prison,  located  at  Still- 
water, was  partly  burned. 

In  1886  (April  14),  a  cyclone  swept  over 
St.  Cloud  and  Sauk  Rapids,  demolishing 
scores  of  buildings,  and  killing  about  seventy 
people. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  INDIAN  MASSACEE. 


IhE  outbreak  of  the  Indians  in 
1S62  furnishes  one  of  the  most 
interesting  chapters  in  Minneso- 
ta's history.  At  the  time  of  this 
sad  tragedy  there  were  scat- 
tered tliroughout  the  State  vari- 
ous bands  of  Sioux  Indians,  a 
powerful  and  wariike  nation. 
They  included  the  Medawakontons  (or  Village 
of  the  Spirit  Lake) ;  Wapatons,  (or  Village 
of  the  Leaves) ;  Sissetons  (or  Village  of  the 
Marsh),  and  "Wapakutas  (or  Leaf  Shooters). 
These  four  tribes,  numbering  about  six  thou- 
sand and  two  hundred  persons,  comprised 
the  entire  annuity  Sioux  of  Minnesota. 
All  these  Indians  had  from  time  to  time, 
from  the  19th  of  July,  1S15,  to  the  date  of 
the  massacre  in  1862,  received  presents  from 
the  government,  by  virtue  of  various  treaties 
of  amity  and  friendship.  From  the  time  of 
the  treaty  of  St.  Louis  in  1S16,  these  tribes 
had  remained  friendly  to  the  whites,  and 
had  by  treaty  stipulations  parted  with  all 
the  lands  to  which  they  claimed  title  in 
Iowa  ;  all  on  the  east  side  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  and  all  on  the  Minnesota  Eiver  in 
Minnesota,  except  certain  reservations.  One 
of  these  reservations  lay  upon  both  sides  of 
the  Minnesota  ten  miles  on  either  side  of 
that  stream,  from  Hawk  River  on  the  north 
to  Yellow  Medicine  River  on  the  south  side, 
thence  westerly  to  the  head  of  Big  Stone  Lake 
and  Lake  Traverse,  a  distance  of  about  one 
hundred  miles.  Another  of  these  reserva- 
tions commenced  at  Little  Rock  River  on 
the  east  and  a  line  running  due  south  from 
its  mouth,  and  extending  up  the  river 
westerly  to  the  eastern  line  of  the  reserva- 


tion first  named,  at  the  Hawk  and  Yellow 
Medicine  rivers.  The  last  also  had  a  width 
of  ten  miles  on  each  side  of  the  Minnesota 
River. 

Early  in  1858  a  scheme  was  devised  by 
the  authorities  at  Washington  for  the  civili- 
zation of  these  annuity  Indians.  A  civiliza- 
tion fund  was  provided,  to  be  taken  from  their 
annuities  and  expended  in  improving  the 
lands  of  such  as  should  abandon  their  tribal 
relations  and  adopt  the  habits  and  modes  of 
life  of  the  whites.  To  all  such,  lands  were 
assigned  in  severalty,  eighty  acres  to  the 
head  of  each  family,  on  which  should  be 
erected  the  necessary  farm  buildings,  and 
farming  implements  and  cattle  furnished 
him.  At  the  time  of  the  outbreak  about  one 
hundred  and  seventy-five  Indians  had  taken 
advantage  of  the  provisions  of  this  treaty 
and  become  "  farmer  Indians."  A  great 
majority  of  the  Indians,  however,  disliked 
the  idea  of  taking  any  portion  of  their  gen- 
eral fund  to  carry  out  the  civilization  scheme. 
Those  who  retained  the  blanket,  called 
"blanket  Indians,"  denounced  tlie  measure 
as  a  fraud,  as  it  was  slowly  but  surely 
destroying  what  was,  to  them,  their  God- 
given  right  to  the  chase.  The  result,  in  brief, 
of  this  civilization  scheme  was  this  :  After 
the  chase  was  over  the  "  blanket  Indians " 
would  pitch  their  tents  about  tlie  homes  of 
the  "farmer  Indians"  and  proceed  to  eat 
them  out  of  house  and  home,  and  when  the 
ruin  was  complete,  the  "  farmer  "  witli  his 
wife  and  children,  driven  by  necessity,  would 
again  seek  temporary  subsistence  in  the 
chase.  During  their  absence  the  "  blanket 
Indians"   would  commit  whatever  destruc- 


717 


748 


HISTOKY    OF   MINNESOTA. 


tion  of  fences  or  tenements  their  desires  or 
necessities  would  suggest.  In  this  way  the  an- 
nual process  continued,  so  that  when  the 
"farmer  Indian"  returned  to  his  desolate 
home  in  the  spring  to  prepare  again  for  a 
crop,  he  looked  forward  to  no  different  re- 
sults for  the  coming  winter.  It  will  thus  be 
seen  that  the  civilization  scheme  was  an  ut- 
ter failure. 

The  treaty  referred  to,  of  1858,  had  opened 
for  settlement  a  vast  frontier  country  of  the 
most  attractive  character  in  the  valley  of 
the  Minnesota  River,  and  on  the  streams  put- 
ting into  the  Minnesota  on  either  side,  such 
as  Beaver  Creek,  Sacred  Heart,  Hawk  and 
Chippewa  rivers,  and  some  other  small 
streams,  there  were  flourishing  settlements 
of  white  families.  Within  this  ceded  tract, 
ten  miles  wide,  were  the  scattered  settle- 
ments of  Birch  Coolie,  Patterson  Rapids, 
and  others  as  far  up  as  the  upper  agency  at 
Yellow  Medicine,  in  Renville  Count\'.  The 
county  of  Brown  adjoined  the  reservation, 
and  was  at  that  time  settled  mostly  by  Ger- 
mans. Here  was  also  the  flourishing  town 
of  New  Uhn,  and  further  on  was  a  thriving 
settlement  on  the  Big  Cottonwood  and 
Watonwan.  Other  counties.  Blue  Earth, 
Nicollet,  Sibley,  Meeker,  McLeod,  Kandiyohi, 
Monongalia  and  Murray,  together  with  others 
somewliat  removed  from  the  direct  attack  of 
the  Indians,  as  Wright,  Stearns  and  Jackson, 
and  even  reaching  on  the  north  to  Fort 
Abercrombie,  thus  extending  from  Iowa  to 
the  valley  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North, 
were  severally  involved  in  the  consequences 
of  the  warfare  of  1862.  This  extended  area 
had  a  population  estimated  at  over  fift_y 
thousand. 

Early  in  the  fifties  complaints  began  to  be 
made  by  the  Indians,  and  dissatisfaction  be- 
gan to  be  manifest.  By  the  treaty  of  Trav- 
erse des  Sioux,  dated  July  23,  1851,  between 
the  United  States  and  the  Sissetons  and 
Wapatons,  $275,000  was  to  be  paid  their 
chiefs,  and  a  further  sum  of  $30,000  was  to 
be  expended  for  their  benefit  in  Indian  im- 


provements. By  the  treaty  of  Mendota, 
dated  August  5,  1851,  the  Medawakantons 
and  Wapakutas  were  to  receive  the  sum  of 
$200,000,  to  be  paid  to  their  chief,  and  a  fur- 
ther sum  of  $30,000.  These  several  sums 
amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  $550,000, 
these  Indians,  to  whom  they  were  payable, 
claim  they  were  never  paid,  except  perhaps 
a  small  portion  expended  in  improvements. 
This  led  to  great  dissatisfaction,  of  which 
the  government  was  fully  apprised.  Several 
parties  were  at  different  times  sent  out  by  the 
Indian  department  of  the  government  to  in- 
vestigate into  the  causes,  but  the  rascality 
of  the  agents  and  officers  who  had  defrauded 
the  Indians  had  been  carefully  covered  up, 
and  as  usual  in  such  cases  the  guilty  parties 
were  exculpated.  This  was  one  of  the  leatl- 
ing  and  most  important  causes  which  led  to 
the  massacre  of  1862. 

Another  cause  of  irritation  among  these 
annuity  Sioux  arose  out  of  the  Spirit  Lake 
massacre  of  1857 — known  as  the  Inkpadutah 
massacre.  Inkpadutah  was  an  outlaw  of 
the  Wapakuta  band  of  Sioux  Indians,  and 
his  acts  were  entirely  disclaimed  by  the  "  an- 
nuity Sioux."'  He  had  committed  murder  in 
his  own  tribe  some  twenty  years  previous, 
and  since  had  led  a  wandering  and  marautling 
life  about  the  headwaters  of  the  Ues  Moines 
River  and  westward  to  Dakota.  Finality  his 
outrages  reached  aclimax,  when  early  in  1857 
with  a  few  of  his  followers,  he  proceeded  to 
murder  every  family  in  the  little  settlement 
about  Spirit  Lake,  Iowa,  except  four  women 
whom  they  bore  away  captives.  From  there 
they  went  to  the  Springfield  settlement  (on 
thepresentsiteof  Jackson,  Minn.),  whei'ethe\' 
murdered  seventeen  people,  making  a  total  of 
forty  seven  persons  killed.  They  then  re- 
treated westward.  Shortly  after  the  mas- 
sacre at  Springfield  (now  Jackson)  a  com- 
pany of  regular  soldiers  under  Capt.  Bee 
was  stationed  at  that  place,  and  had  the 
officer  been  a  zealous  or  capable  one  might 
easiW  have  overtaken  and  punished  them. 
As  stated  the  "  annuitv  Sioux  "  disclaimed  the 


HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 


7-i9 


acts  of  this  outlaw  ;  but  for  a  time  the  gov- 
ernment refused  to  pay  the  annuities  until 
they  should  deliver  up  the  murderers.  In  a 
short  time,  however,  the  government  let  the 
matter  drop,  and  continued  to  pay  the  an- 
nuities as  before.  Some  thought  that  this 
was  a  great  error,  and  that  the  Indians  mis- 
took it  for  a  sign  of  weakness. 

However  that  may  be,  as  time  went  on 
the  Indians  became  more  and  more  insolent, 
and  Little  Crow,  together  with  a  few  leaders 
among  the  annuity  Sioux,  from  the  time  the 
government  ceased  its  efforts  to  punish  Ink- 
padutah,  began  to  agitate  and  plan  the  great 
conspiracy  to  drive  the  whites  from  the  State 
of  Minnesota.  Little  Crow  was  one  of  the 
"  farmer  Indians,"  whose  headquarters  was 
a  short  distance  above  the  Lower  Agency, 
who  is  credited  with  being  the  leadei"  in  the 
outbreak  against  the  whites. 

The  antecedent  exciting  causes  of  this 
massacre  are  numerous.  The  displaced 
agents  and  traders  find  the  cause  in  the  er- 
roneous action  of  the  government,  resulting 
in  their  removal  from  office.  The  statesman 
and  the  philosopher  may  unite  in  tracing  the 
cause  to  improper  theories  as  to  the  mode  of 
acquiring  the  right  to  Indian  lands.  The 
former  may  locate  the  evil  in  our  s^'stem  of 
treaties,  and  the  latter  in  our  theories  of  gov- 
ernment. The  philanthropist  may  find  the 
cause  in  the  absence  of  justice  which  we  ex- 
hibit in  all  our  intercourse  with  the  Indian 
races.  The  poet  and  the  lovers  of  romance 
in  human  character  find  the  true  cause,  as 
they  believe,  in  the  total  absence  of  all  ap- 
preciation of  the  noble,  generous,  confiding 
traits  peculiar  to  the  native  Indian.  The 
Christian  teacher  finds  apologies  for  acts  of 
Indian  atrocities  in  the  deficient  sj'stems  of 
mental  and  moral  culture.  Each  of  these 
different  classes  are  satisfied  that  the  great 
massacre  of  August,  1S62,  had  its  origin  in 
some  way  intimately  connected  with  his 
favorite  theory. 

Maj.  Thomas  Galbraith,  Sioux  agent, 
says,  in  writing  of  the  causes  which  led  to 

43 


the  massacre :  "  The  radical,  moving  cause 
of  the  outbreak  is,  I  am  satisfied,  the  in- 
grained anil  fixed  hostility  of  the  savage  bar- 
barian to  reform  and  civilization.  As  in  all 
barbarous  communities  in  the  history  of  the 
world,  the  same  people  have,  for  the  most 
part,  resisted  the  encroachments  of  civiliza- 
tion upon  their  ancient  customs,  so  it  is  in 
the  case  before  us.  Nor  does  it  matter  ma- 
terially in  what  shape  civilization  makes  its 
attack.  Hostile,  opposing  forces  meet  in 
conflict,  and  a  war  of  social  elements  is  the 
result  —  civilization  is  aggressive,  and  bar- 
barism stubbornly  resistant.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  civilization  has  achieved  a  bloodless 
victory,  but  generally  it  has  been  otherwise. 
Christianit}',  itself,  the  true  basis  of  civiliza- 
tion, has,  in  most  instances,  waded  to  success 
through  seas  of  blood.  .  .  .  Having 
stated  thus  much,  I  state,  as  a  settled  fact 
in  my  mind,  that  the  encroachments  of 
Christianity,  and  its  handmaid,  civilization, 
upon  the  habits  and  customs  of  the  Sioux 
Indians,  is  the  cause  of  the  late  terrible  Sioux 
outbreak.  There  were,  it  is  true,  many  im- 
mediate inciting  causes,  which  will  be  allud- 
ed to  and  stated  hereafter,  but  they  are  sub- 
sidiary to,  and  developments  of,  or  incident 
to,  the  great  cause  set  forth.  .  .  .  But 
that  the  recent  Sioux  outbreak  would  have 
happened  at  any  rate,  as  a  result,  a  fair  con- 
sequence of  the  cause  here  stated,  I  have  no 
doubt. 

"  Now  as  to  the  existing  or  immediate 
causes  of  the  outbreak :  By  my  predecessor  a 
new  and  radical  system  was  inaugurated  ; 
practically,  and  in  its  inauguration,  he  was 
aided  by  the  Christian  missionaries  and  by 
the  government.  The  treaties  of  1858  were 
ostensibl}'  made  to  carry  this  new  system 
into  effect.  The  theory,  in  substance,  was 
to  break  up  the  community  system  which 
obtained  among  the  Sioux,  weaken  and  de- 
stroy their  tribal  relations,  and  individualize 
them,  by  giving  them  each  a  separate  home. 
On  the  1st  day  of  June,  A.  D. 
1861,  when  I  entered  upon  the  duties  of  my 


750 


HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 


office,  I  found  that  the  system  had  just  been 
inaugurated.  Some  hundred  families  of  the 
annuity  Sioux  had  become  novitiates,  and 
their  relatives  and  friends  seemed  to  be 
favorably  disposed  to  the  new  order  of 
things.  But  I  also  found  that,  against  these 
were  arrayed  over  five  thousand  'annuit}' 
Sioux,'  besides  at  least  three  thousand  Yank- 
tonais,  all  inflamed  hy  the  most  bitter,  re- 
lentless and  devilish  hostility. 

"  I  saw,  to  some  extent,  the  difficulty  of 
the  situation,  but  I  determined  to  continue, 
if  in  m}'  power,  the  civilization  system.  To 
favor  it,  to  aid  and  build  it  up  by  every  fair 
means,  I  advised,  encouraged,  and  assisted 
the  farmer  novitiates ;  in  short  I  sustained 
the  policy  inaugurated  by  my  predecessor, 
and  sustained  and  recommended  by  the  gov- 
ernment. I  soon  discovered  that  the  system 
cuuld  not  be  successful  without  a  sufficient 
force  to  protect  the  '  farmer '  from  the  hos- 
tility of  the  '  blanket'  Indians. 

"  During  my  term,  and  up  to  the  time  of 
the  outbreak,  about  175  had  their  hair  cut 
and  had  adopted  the  habits  and  customs  of 
the  white  men. 

"  For  a  time,  indeed,  my  hopes  were  strong 
that  civilization  would  soon  be  in  the  as- 
cendant. But  the  increase  in  the  civilization 
party  and  their  evident  prosperity,  only 
tended  to  exasperate  the  Indians  of  the  '  an- 
cient customs,'  and  to  widen  the  breach.  But 
while  these  are  to  be  enumerated,  it  may  be 
permitted  me  to  hope  tliat  the  radical  cause 
will  not  be  forgotten  or  overlooked ;  and  I 
am  bold  to  express  this  desire,  because,  ever 
since  the  outbreak,  the  public  journals  of  the 
country,  religious  and  secular,  have  teemed 
with  editorials  by  and  communications  from 
'reliable  individuals,'  ])oliticians,  philanthro- 
pists, philosophers  and  iiired  '  penny-a-liners,' 
mostly  mistaken  and  sometimes  willfully 
and  grossly  false,  giving  the  cause  of  the 
Indian  raid." 

Maj.  Galbraith  enumerates  a  variety  of 
other  exciting  causes  of  the  massacre,  which 
our  limit  will  not  allow  us  to  insert  in  this 


volume.  Among  other  causes,  .  .  that 
the  United  States  was  itself  at  war,  and  that 
Washington  was  taken  by  the  negroes.  .  . 
But  none  of  these  were,  in  his  opinion,  the 
cause  of  the  outbreak. 

The  Major  then  adds : 

"  Grievances  such  as  have  been  related, 
and  numberless  others  akin  to  them,  were 
spoken  of,  recited,  and  chanted  at  their 
councils,  dances  and  feasts,  to  such  an  extent 
that,  in  their  excitement,  in  June,  1862,  a 
secret  organization  known  as  the  'Soldiers' 
Lodge  '  was  founded  by  the  young  men  and 
soldiers  of  the  lower  Sioux,  with  the  object, 
as  far  as  I  was  able  to  learn  through  spies 
and  informers,  of  preventing  the  '  traders  ' 
from  going  to  the  pay-tables,  as  had  been 
their  custom.  Since  the  outbreak  I  have 
become  satisfied  that  the  real  object  of  this 
'  Lodge  '  was  to  adopt  measures  to  '  clean 
out '  all  the  white  people  at  the  end  of  the 
payment." 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  cause  of  the 
fearful  and  bloody  tragedy,  it  is  certain  that 
the  manner  of  the  execution  of  the  infernal 
deed  was  a  deep-laid  conspiracj',  long  cher- 
ished by  Little  Crow,  taking  form  under  the 
guise  of  the  "  Soldiers"  Lodge,"  and  matured 
in  secret  Indian  councils.  In  all  these  secret 
movements  Little  Crow  was  the  moving 
spirit. 

Now  the  opportune  moment  seemed  to 
have  come.  Only  thirty  soldiers  were  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Ridgely.  Some  thirty  were 
all  that  Fort  Ripley  could  muster,  and  at 
Fort  Abercrombie,  one  company  under  Capt. 
Van  Der  Hork  was  all  the  whites  could 
depend  upon  to  repel  any  attack  in  that 
quarter.  The  whole  effective  force  for  the 
defense  of  the  entire  frontier,  from  Pembina 
to  the  Iowa  line,  did  not  exceed  200  men. 
The  annuity  money  was  daily  expected,  and 
no  troops  except  about  one  hundred  men  at 
Yellow  Medicine,  had  been  detailed,  as  usual, 
to  attend  the  anticipated  payment.  Here 
was  a  glittering  prize  to  be  paraded  before 
the    minds    of    the  excited   savages.      The 


HI8TOBT    OF   JIINNESoTA. 


751 


whites  were  weak  ;  they  were  engaged  in  a 
terrible  war  among  themselves ;  their  atten- 
tion was  now  directed  toward  the  great 
straggle  in  the  South.  At  such  a  time,  offer- 
ing so  many  chances  for  rapine  and  plunder, 
it  would  be  easy  to  unite  at  least  all  the 
annuity  Indians  in  one  common  movement. 
Little  Crow  knew  full  well  that  the  Indians 
could  easily  be  made  to  believe  that  now 
was  a  favorable  time  to  make  a  grand  attack 
upon  the  border  settlements. 

A  memorable  council  convened  at  Little 
Crow's  village,  near  the  lower  agency,  on 
Sunday  night,  August  3,  previous  to  the 
attack  on  Fort  Ridgely,  and  precisely  two 
weeks  before  the  massacres  at  Acton.  Little 
Crow  was  at  this  council,  and  he  was  not 
wanting  in  ability  to  meet  the  greatness  of 
the  occasion.  The  proceedings  of  this  council, 
of  course,  were  secret.  The  council  matured 
the  details  of  the  conspiracy.  It  appears 
that  the,  next  day,  August  4,  a  party  of 
ninety-six  Indians  in  war  paint  and  fully 
ai'med,  rode  up  to  Fort  Ridgely  and  re- 
quested permission  to  hold  a  dance  and  feast 
in  the  fort.  They  were  allowed  to  hold  the 
dance  outside  the  fort,  but  Sergeant  Jones, 
with  singular  foresight,  mounted  a  howitzer 
charged  with  shell  and  canister-shot  and 
guarded  the  entrance,  having  it  pointed 
toward  the  Indians.  After  finishing  the 
dance  the  red-skins  left  without  making  the 
attack,  which  had  undoubtedly  been  medi- 
tated. Only  thirty  soldiers  occupied  the 
post  at  Fort  Ridgely,  and  this  was  deemed 
ampl3'  sufficient  for  times  of  peace. 

On  the  same  day  a  great  many  Indians 
were  encamped  about  the  Upper  Agency. 
They  were  afraid  they  would  not  get  their 
annuity  money,  which  had  not  arrived  as 
yet.  They  had  been  -complaining  bitterly 
of  starvation,  and  on  this  day  made  an 
attack  on  the  warehouse,  carrying  off  a 
great  deal  of  flour  and  other  provisions. 
The  matter,  however,  was  finalh"  adjusted, 
and  the  agent  issued  rations,  promising  to 
distribute  their  money  as  soon  as  it  should 


arrive.  None  of  the  Indians,  however,  were 
punished  for  their  attack  on  the  supply 
house. 

"We  now  come  to  the  massacre  itself,  the 
first  blow  of  which  fell  upon  the  town  of 
Acton,  in  Meeker  County,  about  thirty-five 
miles  northeast  of  the  Lower  Sioux  Agency. 
On  Sunday,  August  17,  1862,  six  Sioux  In- 
dians brutally  murdered  a  man  named  Jones, 
with  his  wife  and  a  daughter,  and  a  man 
named  Webster  and  Howard  Baker. 

On  the  next  day,  Monday,  the  massacre 
at  the  Lower  Agency  occurred,  where  many 
were  killed  and  fearfully  mutilated.  A  few 
escaped  and  made  their  way  to  the  eastern 
settlements.  The  Indians  declared  it  to  be 
their  intention  to  kill  or  drive  off  all  the 
whites  to  the  east  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
and  to  spare  none.  All  that  day  the  work 
of  plunder  went  on  at  the  lower  agency, 
and  when  the  stores  and  dwellings  had  been 
emptied,  they  were  fired.  So  complete  was 
the  surprise  and  so  sudden  and  unexpected 
the  terrible  blow  that  not  a  single  one  of  the 
host  of  savages  was  slain.  In  thirty  min- 
utes from  the  time  the  first  gun  was  fired 
not  a  white  person  was  left  alive.  All 
were  either  weltering  in  their  gore  or  had 
fled  in  fear  and  terror  from  that  ])lace  of 
death.  It  seems  that  hundreds  of  the  In- 
dians had  gathered  here  and  then  dispersed 
through  the  scattered  settlements  for  their 
murderous  work. 

On  the  same  morning — of  August  IS — 
the  massacre  began  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Minnesota  River,  from  Birch  Coolie  to 
Beaver  Creek  and  beyond,  and  the  region 
was  strewn  with  the  mutilated  bodies  of  the 
dead  and  dN'ing  men,  women  and  children. 
So  the  terrible  warfare  continued,  murder- 
ing and  burning  ;  none  wei'e  allowed  to  es- 
cape who  could  possibly  be  discovered.  The 
outbreak  extended  over  a  vast  scope  of  conn- 
try,  and  the  Indians  numbered  well  up  into 
the  thousands.  The  entire  length  of  the 
Minnesota  and  its  tributaries,  and  out  into 
Dakota,  together  with  all  the  western  part 


T52 


HISTORY   OF   MINNESOTA. 


of  this  State  was  the  scene  ever3'where  of  a 
carnival  of  blood.  The  counties  affected 
have  already  been  named. 

On  the  18th  of  August  the  Indians  at- 
tacked New  Ulm,  and  after  several  battles 
and  skirmishes  were  defeated.  A  few  days 
later  the  whites  evacuated  the  town  and 
moved  toward  Mankato. 

On  the  18th  of  August  the  battle  at  Lower 
Agency  Ferry  was  fouglit. 

On  the  20th,  seeing  they  were  foiled  in 
their  attack  on  New  Ulm,  they  made  a 
furious  assault  on  Fort  Ridgely.  A  number 
of  whites  were  killed  and  wounded,  but  the 
Indians  were  defeated.  The  attack  was  re- 
newed on  the  22d  and  another  severe  battle 
occurred,  which  was  ended  by  night  coming 
on. 

Numerous  engagements  were  also  fouglit 
in  the  nortiiern  part  of  the  State. 

Throughout  all  the  Minnesota  River  coun- 
tiy  many  women  and  children  were  taken 
prisoners.  In  the  meantime  companies  had 
been  raised  and  were  everywhere  following 
up  the  Indians  and  guarding  the  various  posts 
at  which  the  settlers  had  gathered.  These 
various  companies  had  also  picked  up  a  great 
many  wounded  found  on  the  prairies,  and  also 
buried  the  dead.  On  the  1st  of  September, 
Companjr  A,  Sixth  Regiment  Minnesota  Vol- 
unteers, under  Capt.  H.  P.  Grant,  fought 
the  battle  of  Birch  Coolie,  a  most  terrible 
and  bloody  engagement.  The  noble  little 
band  of  soldiers  were  relieved  on  September 
3,  by  an  advance  movement  of  Col.  Sibley's 
forces  at  Fort  Ridgeh'.  The  signal  defeat 
of  Little  Crow  at  this  battle,  in  effect,  ended 
the  efforts  of  the  Indians  in  subduinof  the 
whites  on  the  border.  After  this  battle  all 
of  the  Indian  forces  under  Little  Crow  be- 
gan a  retreat  up  the  valley  of  the  Minnesota 
toward  Yellow  Medicine;  and  on  Septem- 
ber 16,  Col.  Sibley,  with  his  whole  column, 
moved  in  pursuit  of  the  fleeing  foe,  and  on 
the  23d  they  came  up  with  the  Indians  and 
defeated  them  in  the  battle  of  Wood  Lake. 
This  put  an  end  to  the  hopes  of  Little  Crow. 


On  the  same  day  as  the  battle  of  Wood  Lake, 
the  Wapeton  band  of  Indians  surrendered 
later  and  turned  over  to  Col.  Sibley  all  the 
captives  — 107  whites  and  162  half-breeds. 
This  place  has  since  been  known  as  "  Camp 
Release." 

After  tlie  disaster  at  Wood  Lake,  Little 
Crow  retreated  in  the  direction  of  Big  Stone 
Lake,  with  those  who  remained  with  him. 
The  chief  was  never  captured,  but  is  said  to 
have  been  killed  at  Scattered  Lake  in  1863. 
Col.  Sibley  continued  to  pursue  the  deserting 
Indians,  and  demanded  the  surrender  of  all 
bands.  By  the  8th  of  October,  1862,  prison- 
ers had  come  in  and  surrendered  to  the  num- 
ber of  2,000.  Scouting  parties  were  sent 
over  various  parts  of  the  West,  and,  until  all 
danger  of  further  depredations  was  past, 
soldiers  were  stationed  at  all  of  the  frontier 
posts  and  settlements. 

A  military  commission  was  soon  after 
inaugurated  to  try  the  parties  charged  with 
murder  of  white  persons.  On  the  5th  of 
November,  1862,  321  Indians  and  their  allies 
were  found  guilty,  and  303  were  recom- 
mended for  capital  punishment,  and  the 
others  for  imprisonment.  They  were  im- 
mediately removed  under  a  guard  of  1,500 
men  to  South  Bend,  on  the  Minnesota  River, 
to  await  further  orders  from  the  govern- 
ment. The  final  decision  of  the  President 
was  rendered  on  the  ITthof  December,  1862, 
ordering  that  forty  of  these  be  hung  on  Fri- 
day, December  26.  One  of  these  died  a 
short  time  before  the  day  set,  and  one  other, 
a  half  breed,  had  his  sentence  commuted  to 
imprisonment  for  life  just  before  the  fatal 
da}'.  As  to  the  other  thirty -eight  the  sen- 
tence was  executed  at  Mankato  on  the  day  set. 

On  the  16th  of  February,  1863,  the  trea- 
ties before  that  time  existing  between  the 
United  States  and  these  '•annuity  Indians" 
were  abrogated  and  annulled,  and  all  lands 
and  rights  of  occupanc}',  and  all  annuities 
and  claims  then  existing  in  favor  of  said 
Indians,  were  declared  forfeited.  Thus  ended 
the  saddest  chapter  of   Minnesota's  history. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


TEERITOEIAL  AND  STATE  OFFICEES. 


TERRITORIAL   OFFICERS. 


HE  first  governor  of  the  Terri- 
tory of  Minnesota  was  Alexander 
Ramsey,  who  served  from  Jnne 
1,  IS-iii  to  May  15,  1S53.  AYillis 
A.  Gorman  succeeded  him,  and 
held  the  office  until  April  23, 
1857.  Samuel  Medary  was  the 
next  territorial  governor,  and 
held  the  office  until  the  State 
officers  were  sworn  in,  May  24,  1858. 

The  first  secretary  of  the  Territory  was 
Charles  K.  Smith,  who  served  from  June  1, 
1849,  until  October  23, 1851,  when  Alexander 
"Wilkin  qualified  and  held  the  office  until 
May  15,  1853.  Joseph  Travis  Rosser  was 
the  next,  and  served  until  April  28,  1857. 
Charles  L.  Chase,  the  last  territorial  sec- 
retary, qualified  on  the  date  last  named  and 
served  until  succeeded  by  the  newly  chosen 
secretary  of  state,  May  21:,  1858. 

The  office  of  territorial  treasurer  was  first 
filled  by  Calvin  A.  Tuttle,  who  served  from 
November  3,  18-49,  to  July  2,  1853.  George 
W.  Prescott  came  next  and  retained  the 
position  until  February  24,  1854.  Succeed- 
ing him  Charles  E.  Leonard  served  until 
May  7,  1857,  when  George  W.  Armstrong 
was  appointed  and  served  until  the  State 
officers  qualified.  May  24,  1858. 

J.  E.  McKusick  was  the  first  territorial 
auditor,  qualifying  November  3,  1849,  and 
serving  until  November  3(),  1852.  A.  Van 
Vorhees  succeeded  him  and  held  the  office 
until  the  15th  of  May,  1853,  when  Socrates 
Nelson  qualified.  January  17,  1854,  Julius 
Georgii  took  charge  of  the  office  and  served 
until  succeeded  by  the  State  auditor.  May 
24, 1858. 


During  the  existence  of  the  Territory  of 
Minnesota,  Lorenzo  A.  Babcock  and  then 
Lafayette  Emmett  were  the  only  ones  to 
hold  the  office  of  attorney  general.  Tlie 
first  named  served  from  June  1,  1849,  until 
May  15,  1853,  and  the  latter  from  1853  until 
May  24,  1858. 

In  territorial  times  there  were  no  district 
judges,  but  the  justices  of  the  supreme  court 
attended  to  all  judicial  matters  now  within 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  district  bench.  The 
first  chief  justice  of  the  territorial  supreme 
court  was  Aaron  Goodrich,  who  served  from 
June  1,  1849,  to  November  13,  1851,  when 
Jerome  Fuller  was  ajjpointed  and  presided 
until  December  16,  1852.  Henry  Z.  Hayner 
was  next  a]ipointed,  but  never  presided  at  a 
term  of  court.  William  H.  Welch  was  ap- 
pointed April  7,  1853,  and  served  until  May 
24,  1858. 

David  Cooper  and  Bradley  B.  Meeker 
were  the  first  associate  justices,  and  served 
from  June  1,  1849,  until  April  7,  1853. 
Their  successors  were  Andrew  G.  Chatfield 
and  Moses  G.  Sherburne,  who  retained  the 
])ositions  until  Aiiril,  1857,  and  were  fol- 
lowed by  R.  R.  Nelson  and  Charles  E. 
Flandrau,  who  served  until  the  State  officers 
qualified. 

The  clerks  of  the  territorial  supreme  court 
were :  James  K.  Humphrey.  Andrew  J.  Whit- 
ney and  George  W.  Prescott,  in  the  order 
named.  The  reporters  were:  William  Hol- 
linshead,  Isaac  Atwater,  John  B.  Brisbin,  M. 
E.  Ames  and  Harvej'  Officer. 

Henry  H.  Sibley  was  the  first  delegate 
from  the  Territory  to  Congress,  serving  from 
January  15,  1849,  to  March  4,  1853.    Henry 


753 


764 


HISTORY    OF   MINNESOTA. 


M.  Rice  was  the  second,  serving  from  De- 
cember 5,  1853,  to  March  4,  1857,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  W.  W.  Kingsbury,  who 
qualified  December  7,  1857,  and  whose  term 
expired  May  11,  1858. 

STATE    OFFICERS. 

The  governors  of  the  State  of  Minnesota, 
in  their  order  have  been  as  follows  :  Henry 
II.  Sibley,  from  May  24,  1858,  to  January  2, 
1860  ;  Alexander  Ramsey,  to  July  10,  1863  ; 
Henry  A.  Swift,  to  January  11,  1864; 
Stephen  Miller,  during  186-1-5  ;  William  R. 
Marshall,  during  1866-7-8-9  ;  Horace  Aus- 
tin, during  1870-1-2-3  ;  Cushman  K.  Davis, 
during  187J-5 ;  John  S.  Pillsbury,  during 
1876-7-8-9-80-81 ;  Lucius  F.  Hubbard,  dur- 
ing 1882-3-4-5-6,  and  A.  R.  IMcGill,  the 
present  governor,  who  assumed  the  duties  of 
the  office  January  5,  1887. 

The  lieutenant  governors  since  the  organ- 
ization of  the  State  have  been  as  follows : 
William  Holcomb,  from  May  24,  1858,  to 
January  2,  1860;  Ignatius  Donnelly,  to 
March  3,  1863 ;  Henry  A.  Swift,  to  July  10, 
1863;  Charles  D.  Sherwood,  during  1864-6; 
Thomas  H.  Armstrong,  during  1866-7-8-9  ; 
William  H.  Yale,  during  1870-1-2-3;  Al- 
l)honzo  Barto,  during  1874-5 ;  James  B. 
Wakefield,  during  1876-7-8-9 ;  C.  A.  Gill- 
man,  during  1880-1-2-3-4-5-6,  and  A.  E. 
Rice,  who  qualified  January  4,  1887. 

The  office  of  secretary  of  State  has  been 
filled  successively'  by  the  following  gen- 
tlemen: Francis  Baasen,  from  May  24,  1858, 
to  January  2,  1860  ;  James  H.  Baker,  to 
November  17, 1862  ;  David  Blakely,to  Janu- 
ary 8,  1866 ;  Henry  C.  Rogers,  during  the 
years  1866-7-8-9 ;  Hans  Mattson,  during 
1870-1 ;  S.  P.  Jennison,  during  1872-3-4-5  ; 
John  S.  Irgens,  during  1876-7-S-9;  Fred. 
Von  Baumbach,  during  1880-1-2-3-4-5-6, 
and  Hans  Mattson,  during  1887-8. 

The  State  treasurers  have  been  as  follows : 
George  W.  Armstrong,  from  May  24,  1858 
to  January  2,  1860 ;  Charles  Scheffer,  during 
1860-1-2-3-4-5-6-7 ;    Einil   Munch,  during 


1868-9-70-1  ;  William  Seeger,  from  January 
5,  1872,  to  February  7, 1873  ;  Edwin  W.  Dyke, 
to  January  7,  1876  ;  William  Pfaender,  dur- 
ing 1876-7-8-9  ;  Charles  Kittelson,  during 
1880-1-2-3-4-5-6,  and  Joseph  Bobleter,  the 
present  treasurer,  who  was  elected  for 
1887-8. 

The  auditors  of  State  have  been  as  fol- 
lows :  W.  F.  Dunbar,  from  May  24,  1868, 
to  Januaiy  1,  1861 ;  Charles  Mcllrath  to 
January  13,  1873 ;  O.  P.  Whitcomb,  to  Jan- 
uary 10,  1882,  and  W.  W.  Braden,  who  is 
the  present  incumbent  of  the  office. 

The  office  of  attorney  general  has  been 
filled  as  follows  :  Charles  H.  Berry,  served 
from  Mav  24,  1858,  to  January  2,  1860  ;  Gor- 
don E.  Cole,  served  during  1860-1-2-3-4-5  ; 
William  Colville,  during  1866-7;  F.  R.  E. 
Cornell,  during  1868-9-70-1-2-3  ;  George  P. 
Wilson,  during  1874-6-6-7-8-9  ;  Charles  M. 
Start,  from  January  10,  1880,  to  March  11, 
1881 ;  W.  J.  Hahn,  to  January  5,  1887,  and 
Moses  E.  Clapp,  the  present  attorney  general. 

The  present  board  of  railroad  commission- 
ers is  made  up  of  Horace  Austin,  John  L. 
Gibbs  and  George  L.  Becker.  Those  who 
have  composed  the  board  in  the  past  were : 
A.  J.  Edgerton,  W.  R.  Marshall,  J.  J.  Ran- 
dall, J.  H.  Baker  and  S.  S.  Murdock. 

Edward  D.  Neill  was  the  first  superintend- 
ent of  public  instruction  for  Minnesota.  He 
was  appointed  in  March,  1860,  and  on  the 
1st  of  July,  1861,  was  succeeded  by  B.  F. 
Crary.  From  1862  to  1867  the  secretary  of 
State  was  e.c-qffjci'o  superintendent,  but  on 
April  1,  1867,  M.  H.  Dunnell  was  appointed 
superintendent,  and  served  until  August, 
1870,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  H.  B.  Wil- 
son. April  3,  1875,  David  Burt  was  ap- 
pointed superintendent,  and  retained  the 
office  until  succeeded  by  the  present  incum- 
bent, D.  L.  Kiehl,  who  was  appointed  Sep- 
tember 1,  1881. 

The  office  of  insurance  commissioner  has 
been  held  in  turn  by  Pennock  Pusey,  A.  R. 
McGill  and  Charles  Shandrew ;  the  last 
named    gentleman  having    been   appointed 


HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 


755 


January  6, 1887,  is  the  present  commissioner. 

The  commissioners  of  statistics  have  been 
as  follows :  J.  A.  Wheelock,  Pennock  Pusev, 
C.  F.  Solberg,  J.  B.  Phillips,  T.  M.  Metcalf, 
J.  P.  Jacobson,  F.  Sneedorff,  Oscar  Malmros, 
A.  F.  Nordin,  Victor  Hjortsberg  and  Her- 
man Stockenstrom. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  gentlemen 
who  have  filled  the  office  of  adjutant-gen- 
eral :  Alex.  C.  Jones,  "W.  H.  Acker,  John  B. 
Sanborn,  Oscar  Malmros,  John  Peller,  H.  P. 
Van  Cleve,  M.  D.  Flower,  H.  A.  Castle,  H. 
P.  Van  Cleve,  A.  C.  Hawley,  C.  M.  McCar- 
thy and  F.  W.  Seeley. 

.JUDICIARY. 

The  first  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court 
of  the  State  was  Lafayette  Eramett,  who 
was  sworn  in  May  24,  1858,  and  served  until 
January  10,  1865.  Thomas  Wilson  suc- 
ceeded him  and  served  until  July  14,  1869, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  James  Gilfillan. 
Christopher  G.  Riplej'  was  the  next,  holding 
the   position   from   January   Y,    1870,   until 


April  7,  1874,  when  he  was  followed  by  S. 
J.  R.  McMillan,  who  served  until  March  10, 
1875.  At  that  time  James  Gilfillan  became 
chief  justice,  and  is  the  present  incumbent. 

The  following  statements  will  show  the 
associate  justices,  together  with  the  date  of 
qualification  of  each  :  Charles  E.  Flandrau 
and  Isaac  Atwater  served  from  May  24, 
1858,  to  July  6,  1864;  S.  J.  R.  McMillan 
from  July  6,  1864,  to  April  7,  1874;  Thomas 
Wilson  from  July  6,  1864,  to  January  10, 
1865 ;  George  B.  Young  from  April  16, 
1874,  to  January  11,  1875  ;  F.  R.  E.  Cornell 
from  January  11,  1875,  to  May  23,  1881,  and 
Greenleaf  Clark  from  March  14,  1881,  to 
January  12,  1882.  The  present  associate 
justices  are  John  M.  Berry,  who  first  quali- 
fied January  10,  1865 ;  D.  A.  Dickinson, 
since  June  27, 1881;  William  Mitchell,  since 
March  14,  1881,  and  C.  E.  Vanderburgh, 
since  January  12,  1882. 

As  to  districts  courts,  the  State  is  now 
divided  into  thirteen  districts. 


CHAPTER  V. 


REPRESENTATION  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  CONGRESS,  AND  THE 

CREATION  OF  COUNTIES. 


ENATORS.  The  firstUnited  States 
Senators  from  Minnesota  were 
James  Shields  and  Henry  M.  Rice, 
who  took  the  oath  of  office  May 
11,  1858.  The  former  was  suc- 
ceeded on  March  4th,  1860,  by 
Morton  S.  Wilkinson,  who  served 
the  full  term.  Daniel  S.  Norton 
was  sworn  in  to  succeed  Wilkin- 
son, March  4,  1867,  and  died 
while  in  office,  July  14,  1870.  O. 
P.  Stearns  was  appointed,  and  served  out  the 
few  weeks  left  of  the  term.  William  Win- 
dom  came  next,  and  retained  the  office  until 
March  12,  1881,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
A.  J.  Edgerton,  who  resigned,  however,  in 
October  of  the  same  year,  and  William  Win- 
dom  was  again  chosen,   serving   until   suc- 


ceeded by  one  of  the  present  Senators,  D.  M 
Sabin,  March  4,  188.3. 

Henry  M.  Rice,  who  was  mentioned  as  a 
colleague  of  James  Shields,  served  as  United 
States  Senator  from  May  11,  1858,  to  March 
4,  1863,  when  Alexander  Ramsey  succeeded 
him,  and  retained  the  position  until  Marcli  4, 
1875.  S.  J.  R.  McMillan  became  United 
States  Senator  on  the  day  last  named,  and 
occupied  the  position  for  two  full  terms  — 
twelve  years  —  being  succeeded  March  4, 
1887,  by  Cushman  K.  Davis,  one  of  the 
present  Senators. 

REPRESENTATIVES    IN   CONGRESS. 

The  territorial  delegates  have  already  been 
spoken  of.  When  the  State  of  Minnesota 
was  organized,  it  was  entitled  to  two  represen- 
tatives in  the  House  of  Representatives  of 


^ 


756 


HISTORY    OF    MINNESOTA. 


the  United  States.  This  state  of  affairs  con- 
tinued until  1871,  when  a  reapportionment 
was  made,  and  the  State  was  allowed  three 
members  of  the  House.  At  that  time  the 
State  was  divided  into  three  congressional 
districts — No.  1,  embracing  the  southern, 
No.  2  the  central,  and  No.  3  the  northern 
portion  of  the  State.  In  1881  another  ap- 
portionment was  made,  by  which  the  State 
secured  live  Representatives.  This  is  the 
present  status  of  the  representation.  The 
State  is  divided  into  five  congressional  dis- 
tricts, as  follows  :  Tlie  first  district  includes 
Houston,  Fillmore,  Mower,  Freeborn,  Steele, 
Dodge,  Olmsted,  Winona  and  "Wabasha 
counties  ;  the  second  district  includes  Fari- 
bault, Blue  Earth,  Waseca,  Watonwan,  Mar- 
tin, Cottonwood,  Jackson,  Murray,  Nobles, 
Rock,  Pipestone,  Lincoln,  Lj'^on,  Redwood, 
Brown,  Nicollet,  Yellow  Medicine,  Lac  qui 
Parle,  Sibley  and  Le  Sueur  counties ;  the 
third  district  embraces  Goodhue,  Rice,  Swift, 
Dakota,  Scott,  Carver,  McLeod,  Meeker, 
Kandiyohi,  Renville  and  Chippewa  counties  ; 
the  fourth  district  includes  Washington, 
Ramsey,  Hennepin,  Wright,  Pine,  Kanabec, 
Anoka,  Chisago,  Isanti  and  Sherburne  coun- 
ties, and  the  fifth  district  includes  Mille  Lacs, 
Benton,  Morrison,  Stearns,  Pope,  Douglas, 
Stevens,  Big  Stone,  Traverse,  Grant,  Todd, 
Crow  Wing,  Aitkin,  Carlton,  Wadena,  Otter 
Tail,  Wilkin,  Cass,  Becker,  Clay,  Polk,  Bel- 
trami, Marshall,  Hubbard,  Kittson,  Itasca. 
St.  Louis,  Lake  and  Cook  counties. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  various  gen- 
tlemen who  have  represented  Minnesota  in 
the  lower  house  of  Congress,  with  the  years 
during  which  they  served.  With  one  or  two 
exceptions,  the  term  of  office  began  and 
closed  March  ith. 

W.  W.  Phelps,  1858-9 ;  J.  M.  Cavenaugh, 
1858 ;  William  Windoin,  1860-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8  ; 
Cyrus  Aldrich,  1860-1-2;  Ignatius  Donnelly, 
1864-5-6-7-8;  M.  S.  Wilkinson,  1869-70;  E. 
M.  Wilson,  1869-70 ;  John  T.  Averiil,  1871-2- 
3-4 ;  M.  H.  Dunnell,  from  1871  to  1883 ;  H. 

William  S.  King; 


B.  Straight,  1S74-5-6-7-S : 


1876;  J.  H.  Stewart,  1878;  Henry  Poehler, 
1879-80;  H.  B.  Straight,  1881-2-3-4-5-6;  W. 
D.  Washburn,  1879-80-1-2-3-4 ;  Milo  White, 
188.3-4-5-6;  J.  B.  Wakefield,  1883-4-5-6; 
Knute  Nelson,  1883-4-5-6-7-8  ;  J.  B.  GilHllan, 
1885-6;  Thomas  Wilson,  1887-8;  John  Lind, 
1887-8  ;  John  L.  McDonald,  1887-8  ;  Edmund 
Rice,  1887-8. 

OKEATION    OF  COUNTIES. 

In  this  connection  we  present  a  list  of  tlie 
counties  of  Minnesota,  together  with  the 
date  on  which  they  were  ci-eated  by  the  terri- 
torial 01'  State  Legislatures,  viz.: 


Aitkin,  May  23,  1857, 
Anoka,  May  33,  1857, 
Becker,  March  18,  1858, 
Beltrami,  F'bru'ry  28, 1866, 
Benton,  October  27, 1849, 
Big  Stone,  F'br'ry  20, 1862, 
Blue  Earth,  March  5, 1853, 
Brown,  February  20,  1855, 
Carlton,  May  23,  1857, 
Carver,  February  20,  1855, 
Cass,  September  1,  1851, 
Chippewa,  F'br'ry  20,  1862, 
Chisago,  September  1, 1851, 
Clay,  March  2,  1862, 
Cook,  March  9,  1874, 
Cottonwood,  May  23,1857, 
Crow  Wing,  May  23,  1857, 
Dakota,  October  37,  1849, 
Dodge,  February  20,  1855, 
Douglas,  March  8,  1858, 
Faribault,  F'br'ry  20,  1855, 
Fillmore,  March  5,  1853, 
Freeborn,  F'br'ry,  20,  1855, 
Goodhue,  March  5,  1853, 
Grant,  March  6,  1868, 
Hennepin,  March  6,  1852, 
Houston,  Feb'ry  23,  1854, 
Hubbard,  Feb'y  26,  1883. 
Isanti,  February  13,  18.57, 
Itasca.  October  29,  1849, 
.lackson,  May  23,  1857, 
Kanabec,  March  13,  1858, 
Kandiyohi,  March  20, 1858, 
Kittson,  February  25,  1879, 
Lac  qui  Parle,  Nov.  3,  1871, 
Lake,  March  1,  1856, 
Le  Sueur,  March  5,  1853, 
Lincoln,  March  6,1873, 
L3-on,  November  2,  1868, 
McLeod,  March  1,  1856, 


Marshall,  February  25, 1879, 
Martin,  May  23,  1857, 
Meeker,  February  23.  1856, 
Mille  Lacs,  May  23,  1857, 
Morrison,  Febr'ry  35,  18.58, 
Mower,  February  30,  18.55, 
Murray,  May  23,  1857, 
Nicollet,  March  5,  1853, 
Nobles,  May  23,  1857, 
Norman,  Nov'mb'r29,  1881, 
Olmsted,  February  20,  18.55, 
Otter  Tail.  March  18,  1858, 
Pine,  March  31,  18.56, 
Pipestone,  May  23,  1857, 
Polk,  .July  20,  1858, 
Pope,  February  20,  1862, 
Ramsey,  October  27,  1849, 
Redwood,  February  6,  1862, 
Renville,  February  20,  1855, 
Rice,  March  5,  1853, 
Rock,  March  23,  1857, 
St.  Louis,  March  1,  1S56, 
Scott,  March  5,  1858, 
Sherburne,  Feb'y  25,  1856, 
Sibley,  March  5,  1853, 
Stearns,  February  20,  1855, 
Steele,   February  30,  1855, 
Stevens,  February  20,  1860, 
Swift,  March  4,  1870, 
Todd,  February  20,  1863, 
Travers,  February  20,  1863, 
Wabasha,  October  27,  1849, 
Wadena,  .July  11,  1858, 
Waseca,  February  27,  1857, 
Washington,  Oct.  27,  1849, 
Watonwan,  Nov.  6,  1860, 
Wilkin,  March  6,  1868, 
Winona.  February  23, 1849, 
Wright,  February  20,  1855, 
Yellow  Medicine,    Novem- 
bers, 1871. 


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