USA > Iowa > Dickinson County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 20
USA > Iowa > Emmet County > History of Emmet County and Dickinson County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 20
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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. Lambert is a stanch republican and has filled the offices of clerk of Spirit Lake township, member of the school board of district No. 4 and treasurer of that board. He is identified with the Presbyterian church and fraternally is connected with Twilight Lodge, No. 329, A. F. & A. M., of which he is a charter member, and the Order of the Eastern Star. The success which he gained was not easily won, as there was much hard work to be done before the wild land could be brought under cultivation and adequate improvements made upon his farm. Moreover, there were other difficulties to be overcome, one of the greatest of which was the lack of adequate transportation, as when he located in Dickinson county he was one hundred miles from a railroad. In order to build his house it was necessary to haul lumber seventy miles and all the supplies which he could not raise upon his land had to be brought from a long distance. The fact that there were but few settlers in the county led to a sense of isolation that was often depressing and also made it necessary that each settler depend almost entirely upon his own resources. For four or five years Mr. Lambert lived alone upon his farm and there is no phase of pioneer life in this region which he did not experience. From the time of his marriage until her death he was greatly aided by the sound advice, encouragement and good management of his wife, who performed cheerfully and efficiently the many and exacting duties of the pioneer wife and mother. His reminiscences of the early days are very interest- ing but he likes best to think of the prosperity of the present and the splendid future in store for the county.
REV. E. C. MEYERS.
Rev. E. C. Meyers, pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic church of Mil- ford, is a native of Iowa, his birth occurring on a farm in Carroll county, August 10, 1877. His parents were John and Catherine (Rosauer) Meyers, the former born in Dubuque county, Iowa, and the latter in La Salle county, Illinois. At an early day the father and his twin brother, Christ Meyers, came to Iowa and purchased a farm in Carroll county, which they operated in partnership for some time, but finally the property was divided and John Meyers is still living on his portion, engaged in agricultural pursuits. He is now about sixty-four years of age. His wife died on the 8th of June, 1895.
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During his boyhood Father Meyers attended the country and parochial schools of Carroll county and assisted his father in the work of the home farm until nineteen years of age. He then entered St. Francis College at Quincy, Illinois, where he studied for the priesthood for six years, and then went to St. Paul, Minnesota, becoming a student in St. Paul Seminary, which institution was established by James J. Hill, the well known railroad magnate. After spending four years there, Father Meyers was ordained by Archbishop Ireland, June 12, 1906, and was sent to Granville, lowa, as assistant pastor, serving as such for three years. On the 28th of May, 1909, he came to Milford, Dickinson county, as the first resident priest in the county, and was in charge of every parish within its borders with exception of that of Lake Park.
The hisory of the Catholic church in Dickinson county begins with the year 1873, when the first holy mass was offered in the house of Oliver Sarazine by Rev. J. J. Smith, of Emmetsburg, who continued to attend to the spiritual wants of the Catholics in this county, coming twice or three times a year, until 1881. In the spring of that year Rev. M. K. Norton came to Spirit Lake and also attended as missions, Milford, Armstrong, Everly, Spencer, Ruthven, Estherville and Lake Park. At Spirit Lake in 1883 he erected the first Catholic church in the county. In 1887 Father Norton was succeeded by Father L. Carroll, who in order to be more centrally located took up his residence at Spen- cer. In 1898 Spirit Lake was assigned as an out-mission for the priests of Emmet county. Like Spirit Lake, Milford's church history is a long struggle against many odds and begins with the time of Father Norton, who said first holy mass in the house of Daniel Ryan, three miles east of town. Mass continued to be held in private houses or in a hall over a store until 1889, when under the guidance of Father Carroll a church was erected at a cost of thirteen hundred dollars, which in 1894 was dedicated to St. Patrick and was then under the pastorate of Father Tierney. He was succeeded by Father Kirby, who assisted the Catholics of Milford in purchasing a cemetery in 1897. The next pastor was Rev. M. J. Hetherington, who divided his time between Spencer, Everly and Milford until October, 1908, when he was succeeded by Rev. B. A. Hunt. The great drawback to the Catholics in Dickinson county was the fact that their spiritual leader did not live among them until the spring of 1909, when Father Meyers became the first resident pastor. He found about twenty-five scattered families at Milford and a similar number at Spirit Lake. The churches had become dilapidated, the peo- ple discouraged and their faith weakened on account of unavoidable neglect. The church at Milford was a small affair in the south part of the town and as it soon became too small for the growing congregation under the leadership of Father Meyers the property was traded for a better site, to which the church was moved, remodeled and enlarged, making it one of the best churches in Dickinson county. At present, in 1917, plans are being made to erect a still handsomer and more com-
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modious structure. There are now one hundred families in the parish and the membership of the church is five hundred and fifty-five.
In 1912 the Catholics of Milford purchased the old public school building and started a parochial school with two teachers and fifty-three pupils. Three years later they enlarged the building by an addition thirty-four by sixty feet, about doubling the former capacity, and they now employ six teachers, while the enrollment has reached one hundred and twenty-eight. In 1913 a modern rectory was erected and it is one of the finest in the state. A year previous to this the present location of the church, rectory and school house was a cornfield, and when Father Meyers located at Milford the church property was worth only fifteen hundred dollars, but they now own a block and a third of ground and their holdings are valued at twenty-five thousand dollars.
Father Meyers has always taken a great interest in athletic sports and now owns the athletic field in Milford, which in reality is the base- ball park of the town, and he gives his encouragement to all manly sports. He has labored untiringly for the welfare of his congregation and under his able guidance the church has steadily grown in numbers and in power. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and is a supporter of the democratic party at the polls.
JESSE V. BURKHEAD.
Jesse V. Burkhead, the proprietor of the only clothing store in Armstrong, lowa, is an up-to-date and enterprising merchant, sparing no pains to satisfy his customers. He was born in Brandon, Buchanan county, Iowa, September 12, 1884, and is a son of Gilbert W. and Nora R. (Pike) Burkhead, likewise natives of Buchanan county. In 1889 the family removed to Emmet county, where the father became a land- owner, and agricultural pursuits continued to claim his attention until 1906. He now makes his home with his son, Jesse V., but the mother passed away on the 25th of December, 1914.
Jesse V. Burkhead was but a child when the family home was estab- lished in this county and received his education in the schools here. For several years he clerked in a clothing store in Armstrong and in 1906 he engaged in that line of business on his own account in partnership with H. J. Felkey, his father-in-law, under the firm name of Felkey & Company. This connection was maintained for four years, at the end of which time Mr. Burkhead became sole proprietor of the store, which he is still conducting. It is the only clothing store in the town and he enjoys a large patronage, his trade covering not only Armstrong but the adjoining districts. He carries a large stock of the best makes of ready-to-wear clothing and is thoroughly reliable in all his business dealings. He also owns a store at Swea City, Iowa.
The marriage of Mr. Burkhead and Miss Florence M. Felkey was
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celebrated on the 1st of January, 1908. She is a daughter of H. J. and Rebecca Felkey, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work. To this union have been born two children: Lorna D., whose natal day was July 31, 1909; and Jesse V., born November 30, 1916.
Mr. Burkhead casts his ballot in support of the men and measures of the republican party and has been honored by election to the town council, of which he has been a member for three years. He is a Mason. In building up the large trade which he enjoys he has not only won individual success but has also contributed to the commercial develop- ment of his town and can always be counted upon to cooperate with others in advancing the interests of the community as a whole.
PETER N. PETERSON.
An eighty-acre farm on section 13, High Lake township, pays tribute to the care and labor bestowed upon it by Peter N. Peterson, who has long been one of the active and progressive agriculturists of that sec- tion of the county. He was born in Norway, March 20, 1848, a son of Peter and Gertrude (Olson) Peterson, who were also natives of the same country. They brought their family to America in 1848, during the infancy of their son Peter, and first established their home in Wis- consin upon a farm. In the '60s they came to Emmet county, Iowa, which was then a frontier district, and the father took up a homestead claim which he converted from a tract of wild and unimproved land into a productive and valuable farm, giving his undivided attention to general agricultural pursuits throughout his remaining days. To him and his . wife were born six children, of whom three are now living.
Peter N. Peterson was largely reared and educated in Iowa, being indebted to the public schools of Emmet county for the educational privileges which he received. He continued upon the old homestead to the time of his marriage and afterward purchased the property upon which he now resides, constituting a valuable tract of land of eighty acres on section 14, High Lake township. He has worked persistently and earnestly in the development of the place, to which he has added many modern improvements, and his practical methods of tilling the fields resulted in bringing forth good harvests.
In 1871 Mr. Peterson was united in marriage to Miss Martha L. Johnson, who was born in Wisconsin, a daughter of Lewis and Martha (Mohn) Johnson, who were natives of Norway and came to the United States in the '50s. They settled in Wisconsin and the family arrived in Emmet county, Iowa, in 1866. The mother had previously passed away in Wisconsin, but the father died in this state. In their family were twelve children but only two are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have become the parents of five children, namely: Peter P .; Mary J .; Lewis P .; Nels P .; and John P., now a resident of South Dakota.
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Mr. and Mrs. Peterson hold membership in the Lutheran church and guide their lives according to its teachings. His political faith is that of the republican party and he served as road supervisor and also as a member of the school board. He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished, as he started out in the business world empty handed and since that time has gradually worked his way upward through persistent energy and unfaltering effort.
CHRIS JOHNSON.
Chris Johnson, a retired farmer living in Ringsted, has taken a promi- nent part in public affairs here ever since his removal to the town and is now acceptably filling the office of mayor. He was born in Denmark, May 7, 1859, and is a son of Johan and Magdalina (Christianson) Johan- son. The father was a laborer and was a lifelong resident of Denmark, as was his wife. They were the parents of nine children, of whom four died in infancy.
When only seven years of age Chris Johnson began working for farmers but was allowed the privilege of attending school until he was fourteen years old. In 1881, when twenty-two years old, he came to the United States and made his way to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he was employed for seven years by the Northwestern Railway Company. He saved sufficient money to enable him to buy eighty acres on section 36, Denmark township, in 1883 and four years later took up his residence upon the place, which he improved and brought to a high state of development as the years passed. He resided there until the fall of 1909, when he sold that place and removed to eight acres adjoining the town of Ringsted, where he now makes his home. He supervises its operation but the actual work is done by hired help.
On the 26th of May, 1886, occurred the marriage of Mr. Johnson and Miss Anna C. Andersen, a daughter of Anders Jorgen and Marie (Hanibalsen) Pallesen, who passed away in Denmark. Mr. Johnson was justice of the peace for twenty-two years, township trustee for three years and a member of the school board for thirteen years, twelve years of that period being consecutive, and was on the committee which estab- lished the library in the Ringsted schools. He was one of those who gave generously to the fund for providing books for the library and has never ceased to take an interest in its growth. He has held other offices as for two years he was road supervisor and has twice been United States census taker, while he is now mayor of Ringsted, in which capacity he is doing valuable work for the advancement of the town. He is one of the lead- ing republicans of the county and for a long period was township com- mitteeman. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in St. John's Danish Lutheran church. His boyhood and youth were charac- terized by hard and unremitting work and in his efforts to gain a living
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he received no aid from outside sources, but he proved equal to the demands made upon him and as the years passed his resources increased so that he now has more than a competence.
LARS P. ANDERSEN.
Lars P. Andersen makes his home on his farm on section 3, Center township, but is practically living a retired life, leaving to others the more arduous work of the fields. In the course of an active and well spent career he has accumulated a substantial fortune and his record should serve to inspire and encourage others, showing what can be accomplished through persistent and honorable effort. The many sterling traits of character which he has displayed have won for him high regard. He was born in Denmark, February 17, 1849, and is a son of Andrew and Hen- rietta Andersen, who were also natives of the same country. The father reached the advanced age of one hundred and four years and nine months ere death called him and his wife has also passed away. In their family were eleven children.
Lars P. Andersen, who is the only one now living, was reared and educated in Denmark and came to the United States in 1867, being at that time a youth of eighteen years. He made his way at once to Iowa, settling in Black Hawk county, where he was employed as a common laborer for some time, but laudable ambition prompted him to save his earnings and at length his industry and economy brought him sufficient capital to enable him to purchase a farm. In 1891 he invested in land in Emmet county and in 1893 he took up his abode upon his place on section 3, Center township, where he has three hundred and seventy acres of fine land, which he has brought to a high state of cultivation. His fields are well tilled and annually produce good crops of corn, wheat and other cereals. To the farm he has also added many substantial improvements in the way of good buildings, having a pleasant home and large barns and sheds, which furnish ample shelter for grain and stock. In a word he has made good use of his time and opportunities and his labors have been rewarded by a very substantial competence.
In 1871 Mr. Andersen was united in marriage to Miss Anna Eliz- abeth Petersen, a native of Denmark and a daughter of Peter C. and Elsie Y. Nielsen. They came to America in 1868 and established their home in Butler county, Iowa, where the father carried on farming until his death, after which the mother became a resident of Kansas, where her last days were spent. Their family numbered five children, four of whom are yet living. By her marriage Mrs. Andersen has become the mother of ten children: Henrietta, now the wife of Nels Ling; Andrew, living in North Dakota; Anna, who is teaching school; Nels C., whose home is in Ransom county, North Dakota; Jens, also residing in that state; William D., of Emmet county, Iowa; Carrie, the wife of William
LARS P. ANDERSEN AND FAMILY
THE NEW PUBLIC LIBRARY
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Rathman ; Thorwald, who is upon the home farm ; Emma E., now attend- ing high school; and one deceased.
Mr. Andersen has always given his political allegiance to the demo- cratic party since becoming a naturalized American citizen. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church and they enjoy the esteem of all with whom they have come in contact. At the time of their marriage their financial resources were quite limited but they worked together, utilizing every possible effort to advance their fortunes, and today they are the possessors of a very substantial and gratifying competence. More- over, no one can grudge them their success, so honorably has it been won and so worthily used.
FRED W. CHEEVER.
Fred W. Cheever, who is devoting practically his entire time to the operation of his excellent farm on section 15, lowa Lake township, is also interested financially in a number of local business enterprises. His birth occurred in Butler county, Iowa, in March, 1874, and he is a son of Samuel W. and Helen (Tufts) Cheever, an account of whose lives appears in the sketch of John T. Cheever.
Fred W. Cheever remained at home until he was twenty-three years of age and after completing his education in the district schools assisted his father with the farm work for several years. For a time he had charge of the operation of the home place, but in 1898, at the outbreak of the Spanish-American war, offered his services to the government. He enlisted in Company D, Fifty-second Iowa Volunteer Regiment, but was transferred to Company D, Forty-ninth Iowa Volunteers. He was taken ill while in camp and was in a hospital at Fort McPherson, Atlanta, Georgia, for twenty weeks. On the 24th of May, 1899, he returned home and in the following year arrived in Emmet county, Iowa, where he has since lived. He purchased one hundred and twenty acres on section 15, Iowa Lake township, and at once began the operation of his place. Dur- ing the first winter, however, he also engaged in teaching school but is now concentrating his energies upon his farm work. He has added to his holdings eighty acres adjoining his original purchase and the entire tract of two hundred acres is in a high state of cultivation and pro- duces excellent crops. He also raises some stock and his annual income ensures him of all the comforts of life. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company of Armstrong and also in the Armstrong cement factory, of which he is likewise vice president and a director.
Mr. Cheever was married on the 23d of December, 1901, to Miss Martha Hanson and they have become the parents of three children : Lester F., who was born December 9, 1908; Arnold N., born September 24, 1912; and Martha Fern, born in August, 1915.
Mr. Cheever is a strong republican in his political belief and is
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quite influential in public affairs. He is now town clerk, which office he has filled since 1905, and for many years has been secretary of the school board, his experience as a teacher qualifying him unusually well to have voice in the management of the local schools. He is characterized by those qualities which invariably win esteem and regard and his per- sonal friends are many.
JENS CHRISTENSEN.
For a third of a century Jens Christensen, who is now living retired in Ringsted, has resided in Emmet county and during that period has seen a transformation that is well nigh incredible. When he arrived here the county was a frontier district with a few widely scattered white settlers and today it is a prosperous and up-to-date farming region. For many years he engaged in agricultural pursuits but is now living in honorable retirement. He was born in Denmark, November 23, 1849, and is one of six children whose parents were Christian and Carrie Marie (Clausen) Jensen, lifelong residents `of that country, where the father was a blacksmith and small farmer.
Jens Christensen attended the public schools until he was confirmed and from that time until he was twenty-three years of age, with the exception of six months spent in military training, worked for others, thus providing for his own support. He desired to take advantage of the unusual opportunities which he had heard the United States offered to energetic young men and in 1873 came to America, locating in the upper peninsula of Michigan, where he was employed in the iron mines for two years. Later he worked on farms near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and while there received his citizenship papers. After a year he returned to the mines, where he remained for a year, and then went to Illinois, being employed in the stone quarries at Lamont and Joliet for three years. He next operated a rented farm near Green Bay, Wisconsin, and in 1883 came to Denmark township, Emmet county, Iowa, and purchased eighty acres of land, comprising the west half of the southwest Quarter of section 22. Later he bought the northeast quarter of section 28 and the east half of the northwest quarter of that section. As soon as possi- ble he brought his. land under cultivation and for almost three decades his time and energy were given to farming and stock raising. He was not afraid of hard work and his industry, combined with his good man- agement, enabled him to gain a substantial competence. In 1911 he retired from active life and built a fine modern home in Ringsted, where he is now living.
In 1880 occurred the marriage of Mr. Christensen and Miss Mary Hansen, likewise a native of Denmark, where her parents lived and died. To Mr. and Mrs. Christensen were born six children: Arthur, who is married and lives near Antelope, Sheridan county, Montana; Will, also
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a resident of that locality; John, who is married and lives in Ringsted ; Harold, who is married and resides in Sanders county, Montana; Anna, at home; and Elmer, a resident of Sheridan county, Montana.
Mr. Christensen is a stanch republican in politics, but has never had the time nor inclination to take an active part in public affairs although never remiss in his duties as a good citizen. He came to this country empty handed and had no influential friends to aid him in gaining a start but was determined to succeed and has accomplished his purpose, for he is now in very comfortable circumstances. Moreover, he has never resorted to questionable dealings and is esteemed for his integrity as well as his ability.
GEORGE A. SKEWIS.
George A. Skewis has held the office of mayor of Terril and is con- nected with its business advancement as the proprietor of the Terril Grain Company. His birth occurred near the City of Mexico, January 25, 1867, and he is a son of James and Jane (Rabling) Skewis, both natives of England, where they grew to maturity. The father was a miner and after his removal to the United States in early manhood found employment in the lead mines of Wisconsin, but in 1849 joined the rush to the newly dis- covered gold fields of California. Thence he went to Australia and at length returned to England, where he was married. Subsequently he came to the United States and established his home in Shullsburg, Wis- consin. Early in 1861 he was chosen by an English syndicate to superin- tend the operation of their silver mines near the City of Mexico, and for seven years had charge of their important interests. At the end of that time he returned to Wisconsin, where he remained until 1876, when he located in Lyon county, Iowa. He engaged in farming there until his demise in 1911, making his home, however, in the town of Inwood, near which his farm was located. His wife died in 1908.
George A. Skewis was educated in the common schools and in Augus- tana College at Canton, South Dakota, and for a few years after complet- ing his schooling engaged in farming in Lyons county, Iowa. In 1890, however, he and his five brothers went into the lumber business on quite an extensive scale, establishing a line of yards throughout Iowa and oper- ating under the name of the Pritchard-Skewis Lumber Company. In June, 1899, he entered the field of banking, founding the Farmers Bank in Terril, and about the same time organized the Terril Grain Company and the Pritchard Stone Company, the latter of which operated the bank and the lumberyards. Later Mr. Skewis severed his connection with Messrs. Pritchard and Stone, took charge of the elevator and associated with himself A. W. Bascom in the management of the grain business. Since 1911, however, he has been alone in business and the large and profitable
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