USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 18
USA > Iowa > Emmet County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 18
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38
Mr. Paulson of this review began his studies in the district schools of Emmet county, which he attended until sixteen years of age, and in the meantime acquired an excellent knowledge of farm work while assist- ing his father in the labors of the home place. On starting out in life for himself he was employed on neighboring farms until he attained his majority and later operated the home place for a time and also engage in farming on rented land in High Lake township. In 1911 he purchased fifty acres on the southeast corner of section 36, Estherville township, and has since devoted his time and energy to its improve- ment and cultivation with good results.
In 1900 Mr. Paulson was united in marriage to Miss Bertha Peter- son, a daughter of William and Carrie Peterson, of High Lake township. Her parents are both deceased and lie buried in High Lake cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Paulson have three children, Myra, Chester and Francis. They are earnest and consistent members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and are most estimable people. By his ballot Mr. Paulson sup- ports the men and measures of the republican party.
A. J. ANDERSON.
A. J. Anderson, actively and successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits in High Lake township, Emmet county, his home being on section 14, has resided within the borders of this county for forty-six years or since 1871, at which time he arrived here with his parents when a lad of ten summers. He was born in Norway, March 16, 1861, a son of Ole and
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Haldir (Paulson) Anderson, who were also natives of the same country. They continued in the land of the midnight sun until 1871, when they bade adieu to friends and native country and sailed with their family to America. Making their way into the interior of the country, they settled upon a farm in Emmet county, Iowa, where the father built a log cabin which they occupied for a number of years. It was in this county that the mother passed away, but the father is still living and has long been one of the honored and respected agriculturists of this section of the state.
A. J. Anderson was reared in the usual manner of farm boys, divid- ing his time between the work of the fields and the acquirement of a public school education. He remained at home up to the time of his marriage, which occurred in 1888, Miss Julia Paulson becoming his wife. She was born in Wisconsin, a daughter of Paul and Kari (Ellingson) Paulson, who were natives of Norway but came to America in the latter '50s and in 1864 removed to Emmet county, Iowa, taking up their abode upon a farm which continued to be their home throughout their remaining days. They had a family of eight children, of whom three are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson became the parents of four children, but Ada J., the eldest, and Hilma Odella, the youngest, are the only ones now living. They lost two daughters, Hazel O. and Petra C.
Following their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Anderson took up their abode upon the farm which is now their home, at first renting the property but later purchasing it. The place comprises one hundred and ninety-six acres on section 14, High Lake township, and constitutes today one of the best improved farms of the locality, equipped with every modern convenience and accessory found upon a model farm of the twentieth century. His attention is devoted to the cultivation of those cereals best adapted to soil and climate and also to stock raising, and his labors are attended with a gratifying measure of success.
Mr. Anderson gives his political allegiance to the republican party but has never sought nor desired office. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church and their well-spent lives have gained for them the warm and enduring regard of many friends. Mr. Anderson is a thoroughly reliable and progressive business man, and his well-directed efforts as an agriculturist have brought him substantial success.
PETER O. BJORENSON.
Peter O. Bjorenson, now serving as cashier of the First National Bank of Milford, Iowa, is one of Dickinson county's native sons, his birth occurring in Orleans, November 18, 1886. His parents, Ole and Inger (Pederson) Bjorenson, were both born in Norway. Before the Civil war the father came to the United States and located in Waseca, Minnesota, where he resided for some time, but in 1872 took up a homestead in Dia- mond Lake township, Dickinson county, Iowa, where he lived for a num-
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ber of years, his time and attention being devoted to its improvement and cultivation. On leaving the farm he was appointed superintendent of the fish hatchery at Orleans and filled that position until failing health caused his retirement in 1896. His last days were spent in Spirit Lake, where he passed away April 19, 1914, at the age of sixty-nine years. His widow is still living.
In the acquiring of an education Peter O. Bjorenson attended the public schools of Spirit Lake and was graduated from the high school with the class of 1902. In the fall of the same year he entered the First National Bank of Milford as bookkeeper and served in that capacity until 1910, when he was made assistant cashier. On the 1st of January, 1917, he was elected cashier and is now filling that position in a most creditable and satisfactory manner. His long connection with this bank has well fitted him for the responsible office he now holds and he is regarded as one of the representative young business men of the town.
On the 18th of November, 1914, Mr. Bjorenson was united in mar- riage to Miss Bessie M. Cutting, of Iowa Falls, and they have a son, Ellis Olin, born October 24, 1915. They hold membership in the Methodist Episcopal church of Milford, and by his ballot Mr. Bjorenson supports the men and measures of the republican party.
JULIUS M. JENSEN.
Julius M. Jensen is one of the prominent merchants of Ringsted, his general store being well stocked and well patronized. A native of Iowa, he was born in Kossuth county, January 1, 1878, of the marriage of Peter W. and Maria (Jacobson) Jensen, natives of Norway. The father was a farmer and was held in high esteem in his community. He passed away in Ringsted and is buried in the Norwegian Lutheran cemetery at Seneca, but the mother survives and makes her home in Ringsted. To them were born five sons and four daughters.
Julius M. Jensen attended school during the winter months until he was nineteen years old and for three more years remained at home assist- ing his father with the farm work. He then cultivated land on his own account for two years in Kossuth county, after which he conducted a gen- eral store in Odin, Minnesota, for three years. Upon leaving that place he located in Ringsted, Emmet county, and for four years engaged in the furniture business here but then disposed of those interests and bought out the general store formerly conducted by A. C. Pies. He carries an up-to-date and well-chosen line of dry goods, groceries and shoes and the attractiveness of his stock, combined with the integrity of his business methods, has resulted in the building up of a representative and profit- able trade.
On the 20th of March, 1901, Mr. Jensen was married to Miss Sena Christiansen, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Christiansen, who lived for
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a number of years in Lonerock, Kossuth county, but passed their last days in honorable retirement in Ringsted. Both are buried in Seneca, Kossuth county. To Mr. and Mrs. Jensen have been born two children : Opal, whose birth occurred in 1903; and Wendell, born in 1910.
The republican party has a stanch adherent in Mr. Jensen and he is now serving as a member of the town council, his fellow citizens having recognized his fitness for official preferment. He is a communicant of the Norwegian Lutheran church and supports heartily the various phases of its work.
ALFRED C. SNYDER.
Alfred C. Snyder, actively engaged in general farming on section 35, Emmet township, is one of the honored veterans of the Civil war and since 1892 has made his home in Emmet county. He was born in Wash- ington county, Maryland, on the 26th of March, 1843, and is a son of Christian and Jane (Wright) Snyder. In 1855 the family removed to Indiana and in 1862 became residents of Ford county, Illinois, where the parents spent their remaining days. They had ten children, of whom three are yet living.
Alfred C. Snyder was a little lad of twelve years at the time the fam- ily left his native state and went to Indiana, and he was a young man of nineteen at the time of the removal to Illinois. He there remained at home until he attained his majority, when he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting as a member of Company B. Eighth Illinois Vol- unteer Infantry, in 1864. He served with that command for one year in defense of the Union and was mustered out at New Orleans with the close of the war. When the country no longer needed his military aid he returned to Illinois and was there engaged in farming for many years or until 1892, when he came to Iowa, establishing his home on section 35, Emmet township, in Emmet county. He first purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land and afterward extended his possessions by the pur- chase of a quarter section on section 16 of the same township. He now has valuable farming interests and from his fields annually gathers rich and substantial harvests which place him in comfortable financial cir- cumstances.
Mr. Snyder was married about 1870 to Miss Vermelia Steinbaugh, a native of Indiana, by whom he had three children, namely: Effa J., who gave her hand in marriage to M. R. Weir and has six children; Henry N .; and Fletcher C. The wife and mother passed away October 12, 1905, and was laid to rest in Oak Hill cemetery.
Mr. Snyder is a republican in his political views, having supported the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He has served as township assessor, as collector and for a number of years as school director and is ever deeply interested in the welfare and progress of the community in which he makes his home. He maintains pleasant
ALFRED C. SNYDER
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relations with his old army comrades through his membership in Van- denberg Post, No. 365, G. A. R. He is a self-made man and owes his success entirely to his indefatigable effort, his persistency of purpose and his honorable business methods. During the years of his residence in Emmet county he has become widely known and enjoys the friendship of many with whom he has been brought in contact.
JOHN A. NELSON.
John A. Nelson, assistant cashier of the Farmers Savings Bank at Wallingford, is a native son of Emmet county and is regarded as one of the progressive young business men of his city. He was born March 3, 1887, a son of Nels L. and Olina (Bendixson) Nelson, both of whom were natives of Norway. In early life they came to America and Nels L. Nelson took up his abode upon a farm in Emmet county, devoting many years to the further development and improvement of his land, which he converted into rich and productive fields. He passed away in 1911 and is still survived by his widow. In their family were eleven children, ten of whom are yet living.
John A. Nelson was educated in the common schools and in a col- lege at Forest City, Iowa, from which he was graduated with the class of 1909. He made his initial step in the business world as a stenog- rapher in the Iowa Savings Bank at Estherville, where he remained for a year, on the expiration of which period he removed to Mohall, North Dakota, where he remained in a bank for a year. He then came to Emmet county and through the intervening period has occupied the position of assistant cashier in the Farmers Savings Bank at Walling- ford. He is making an excellent record in this connection, a record characterized by thorough reliability, faithfulness and efficiency in the tasks assigned him. He is also the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 14, Twelve Mile Lake township, which is well improved and returns to him a gratifying annual income.
In 1915 Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Emma Egertson, a native of Emmet county and a daughter of Halvor and Christina Egertson, who were natives of Norway and in early life came to the new world. Both are still living. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson have become the parents of a son, Norton Harold, who was born August 20, 1916.
They are members of the Lutheran church and Mr. Nelson gives his political allegiance to the republican party, in the work of which he takes an active and helpful interest. He has served as commissioner, as one of the members of the city council of Wallingford and is now town clerk. In the discharge of his public duties he has ever been prompt and faithful, fully recognizing the obligations that devolve upon him, and at all times he is actuated by a public-spirited devotion to the general
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good that is above question. In a word he is an alert, enterprising young business man and citizen whose course commands the respect and high regard of those with whom he is brought in contact.
HANS P. NIELSEN
Hans P. Nielsen, who has resided in Denmark township, Emmet county, continuously since 1892, has been a factor in the agricultural development of his locality. A native of Denmark, he was born Janu- ary 16, 1859, the only child of Rasmus and Martha (Hansen) Nielsen, who passed their entire lives in that country, where the father engaged in farming.
Hans P. Nielsen was educated in the public schools of Denmark, which he attended until he was confirmed, and subsequently he worked on farms there until he attained his majority. He then came to the United States and for the first three years was employed as a farm hand in Champaign county, Illinois, and for eight years worked in a similar capacity in Humboldt county, Iowa. In 1892 he bought the east half of the southeast quarter of section 9, Denmark township, Emmet county, and there he has since made his home. The high state of devel- opment to which he has brought the place is evidence of his knowledge of farming and his energy, and the sale of his crops and live stock annually nets him a substantial profit.
In 1897 occurred the marriage of Mr. Nielsen and Miss Catherine Petersen, whose parents, Rasmus and Marie (Stephensen) Petersen, were lifelong residents of Denmark. To Mr. and Mrs. Nielsen have been born three children, Marie Fredericka, Meta Otilia and Lydia Hansina, all at home.
Mr. Nielsen is a stanch supporter of the republican party and is recognized as one of the public-spirited citizens of his community, being always willing to aid worthy public projects. He belongs to St. Paul's Danish Lutheran church and has conformed his life to high ethical standards.
FRITZ BUHR.
Fritz Buhr, who follows farming on section 2, Lloyd township, Dick- inson county, was born on the first of May, 1856, in Germany, of which country his parents, Adam and Mary Buhr, were lifelong residents. In his native land he grew to manhood, being provided with good educa- tional privileges, and before leaving Germany was married on the 5th of February, 1882, to Miss Louisa Wischmeier, who was born March 4, 1855. Four weeks later he and his bride bade adieu to friends and native
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land and sailed for the new world. They first located in Missouri where they remained for three years, and then removed to Fillmore county, Nebraska, where the following five years were passed. At the end of that time they became residents of Red Willow county in the western part of the latter state where they made their home for twelve years. While there Mr. Buhr purchased five hundred and ten acres of Land on which he erected a good house and barn. After cultivating that place for some time he sold the land for two thousand five hun- dred dollars.
It was in 1902 that Mr. Buhr brought his family to Dickinson county, Iowa, and purchased his present home farm of one hundred and forty-seven acres on which he has since resided. He also owns a town residence and four lots in Terril, and it is his intention to remove to that place in the near future. He is a wide-awake and progressive farmer, his fields are in a high state of cultivation and everything about the place indicates that he is a practical and progressive business man.
Mr. and Mrs. Buhr have five children, namely: John and George, who own and operate a half section of land at Sanborn, Minnesota ; Henry and Fritz, who are operating the home farm in Dickinson county ; and Minnie, the wife of Christ Rickwo, a farmer of Emmet county, Iowa. In religious faith Mr. and Mrs. Buhr are Lutherans, and wherever known they are held in the highest esteem. At the polls Mr. Buhr sup- ports the men and measures of the republican party and never with- holds his support from any enterprise which he believes will prove of public benefit.
JAMES PETERSON.
James Peterson, a highly esteemed farmer who is living retired in Ringsted, was born in Denmark, February 13, 1848, a son of Peter and Mary Anna (Sorenson) Rasmussen. The father was a shoemaker by trade and passed his entire life in his native country, as did the mother. Of their six children only James and a sister came to the United States, arriving in Pottawattamie county, Iowa, in 1881.
James Peterson attended the public schools in Denmark until he was fourteen years old and from that time until he entered the army for the required military service he worked for farmers. After eighteen months of military training he returned to civil life and for eight years was in the employ of a brewer. Following his emigration to the United States he worked as a farm hand in Iowa for two years and subse- quently went to Council Bluffs and for three years was connected with railroad work. For a similar period of time he rented a farm in Den- mark township, Emmet county, and next removed to Palo Alto county, where he bought land which he farmed for twelve years. On disposing of that place he returned to Denmark township, Emmet county, and
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purchased land, to the cultivation of which he devoted his energies for two years. He then put aside the work of the fields and removed to Ringsted, where he has since lived retired. He has also sold his land, so that he has no business cares to prevent his thorough enjoyment of a well deserved leisure.
In 1872 Mr. Peterson was united in marriage to Miss Lena Jensen, whose parents were lifelong residents of Denmark. To this union have been born four children, namely : Peter, who is farming in South Dakota ; Mary, now Mrs. Raymond Buchan, of Spencer, Iowa; Joseph S., who is engaged in banking; and Sarah, the deceased wife of Peter Mickelson, of Melville, Missouri.
Mr. Peterson is a democrat in his political affiliations and loyally supports the candidates and measures of that party, although he has never taken an active part in public affairs. He holds membership in the Danish Lutheran church, which indicates the standards which have determined his conduct in the various relations of life and his social qualities have made him highly respected wherever known. He can justly be termed a self-made man, for from the age of fourteen years he has been dependent solely upon his own labor and through the exer- cise of sound judgment and through years of hard work he has gained a competence.
JOHN H. THOMPSON.
John H. Thompson, a successful farmer residing on section 1, Denmark township, Emmet county, is a representative of the first family to settle in the township and was one of the first white children born there, his birth occurring in a log cabin upon his father's homestead in Emmet county on the 15th of January, 1874. His parents, James L. and Mary (Riebhoff) Thompson, were natives respectively of Fife county, Scotland, and Jesup, Iowa. When a young man of twenty-four years the father came to the United States and for some time he worked as a coal miner near Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania, but in 1865 removed to Emmet county, Iowa, and took up a homestead in Denmark township, of which he was the first settler, arriving seventeen years before the Danish immigration. He came to this county from Pennsylvania and his capital amounted to only about one hundred dollars and he not only had to provide for his own support but for that of his family. His first wife died not long after their removal to the west and subsequently he married Miss Riebhoff. It was all that he could do to make a living and during the hard times he walked to Fort Dodge, Iowa, at the beginning of each winter and there worked in the coal mines to earn enough money to provide the barest necessities of life for his family. Under the homestead law he took up the south half of the northeast quarter and the north half of the southeast quarter of section 1, Denmark township, and subsequently bought the northwest
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MR. AND MRS. JAMES L. THOMPSON
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
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quarter of section 1 and thirty-four acres on section 36, Armstrong Grove township. He followed agricultural pursuits until his death, which occurred on the 30th of April, 1904, six weeks after the demise of his wife, who died March 16th. They are buried in Armstrong cemetery. To their union were born four children : Jennie, now Mrs. W. G. Vandenburg, of Sioux City, Iowa; John H .; Margaret, who is teaching in Lewiston, Idaho; and Elizabeth, who owns a controlling interest in a bank at Ione, Washington.
John H. Thompson attended the Armstrong Grove school until he was ten years old and subsequently went to the Morton Petersen school on section 2, Denmark township, which was established following the settlement of the Danish colony there. From the time that he was seven- teen years of age until he attained his majority he gave his entire attention to working for his father upon the home farm. In 1897 he was given eighty acres of the homestead, which he cultivated on his own account, and at the same time he assisted his father in the operation of the remainder of the home place. At the end of three years he rented his father's farm, which he continued to cultivate under lease until the death of his parents in 1904. He has erected fine buildings upon his land and spares no effort to make his farm one of the most highly improved in the township. His up-to-date and practical methods are rewarded by large crops and all phases of the farm work are well managed, so that his annual income is a gratifying one.
Mr. Thompson was married June 10, 1896, to Miss May M. Miller, a daughter of D. S. and Harriett L. (Hall) Miller, natives of New York. They removed from the east to Wisconsin and thence to Algona, Iowa, where the mother died Novmeber 28, 1908, and where the father is still living. To Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have been born three children: Lil- lian, whose birth occurred January 16, 1900; Harold M., born October 21, 1901; and Donald J., born March 17, 1905.
Mr. Thompson gives his political allegiance to the republican party but has never been an office seeker, being content to confine his political activity to the exercise of his right of franchise. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and can be counted upon to further movement seeking the moral welfare of his community. His first interest has always been farming and the betterment of the conditions of country life and he is a director of the Emmet County Farm Improvement Association. He has witnessed the development of the county from the earliest period of white settlement to the present day and finds great pleasure in the knowledge that he and his father before him aided in the transformation of an unbroken prairie region to the present prosperous and up-to-date farming section. In the first years of the residence of the family in this county there seemed little else than hardships in the life here as the crops were barely sufficient to buy provisions, which were brought by stage from Fort Dodge. It was impossible to get credit; there was no market within many miles and the prices of all farm products were ridiculously low. The contrast between conditions in those days and the present is so great
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it hardly seems possible that the change could have been wrought within the lifetime of one man, but such has been the marvelous history of the West.
OSCAR N. YOUNG.
The feeling of deep sorrow that spread through Emmet county when it was learned that Oscar N. Young had passed away, showed that death had removed one whom the community could ill afford to lose. His splendid qualities of manhood and of citizenship had given him high place in public regard, and his work was of substantial worth to the district in which he lived, contributing to general development and progress as well as to individual success. A native of Mahaska county, Iowa, he was born June 24, 1859, of the marriage of Amos T. and Sarah J. (Sleeth) Young, who with wagon and ox team removed from Indiana to Iowa, casting in their lot among the pioneer settlers of Mahaska county, where the father followed farming for many years. Both he and his wife lie buried at Lacey in- that county.
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