USA > Iowa > Hancock County > History of Winnebago County and Hancock County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 10
USA > Iowa > Winnebago County > History of Winnebago County and Hancock County, Iowa, a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 10
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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 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55
Mr. Thoe was married May 9, 1870, to Miss Inger Moen, a daughter of Eric and Ragnel Moen. They removed with their family from Norway to the United States during the girlhood of Mrs. Thoe and the voyage was made on the same ship that brought Mr. Thoe to the new world. The Moen family first settled in Winneshiek county, Iowa, but subsequently removed to Winnebago county, where both Mr. and Mrs. Moen passed away. They are buried in the Lime Creek Church cemetery. To Mr. and Mrs. Thoe have been born ten children : Nels L., an account of whose life appears below; Eric L., who is married and is living in Richland county, North Dakota; Martin J., a resident of Belmond, Iowa; Regina M., the
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wife of Eugene Gilbert, of Albert Lea, Minnesota ; Ellen at home; Edd S., and Louis E., both of whom are married and reside in Lake Mills; Emma L., now the wife of Earl Forrester, of Ventura, lowa ; Martha M., the wife of II. E. Norskow, of Belmond, Iowa; and Eveline, now Mrs. Elmer Hylbak, of Lake Mills.
Mr. Thoe is a prohibitionist and is firm in his belief that the liquor traffic runs counter to the best interests of society in many different ways and is therefore doomed. Ile was school director for six years, was treasurer of Center township for seven years and for nine years was township trustee, his long official service being evidence of the high esteem in which he is held. Ilis religious faith is evidenced by his membership in the Norwegian Methodist Episcopal church, in whose work he has taken an active part. The expectation of finding unusually favorable opportunities for advancement which led him to come to the United States has been realized and he has gained a competence which now enables him to live in ease and comfort. Upright and honorable in all relations of life, he holds in full measure the respeet of all who come in contact with him and his personal friends are many.
NELS L. THOE.
Nels L. Thoe occupies an important place in commercial circles of Lake Mills as president of the Union department store, whose large and varied stock makes literally true the company's slogan, "Everything to Eat and Wear." Ile is a native son of Iowa as his birth occurred in Center township, Winnebago county, on the 19th of January, 1871, and the pioneer conditions which then prevailed in that section are indicated in the fact that his birthplace was a log house with a sod roof. A sketch of his parents, Lars and Inger (Moen) Thoe, appears above.
Until he reached the age of sixteen years Nels L. Thoe attended the public schools and from that time until he attained his majority he assisted his father with the work of the home farm, save for two winters spent in study at the Breckenridge Business College of Decorah. When twenty-one years old he became clerk in a general store conducted by Olson & Wadsworth at Lake Mills and remained with them for five years, at the end of which time he and his father established a store in one of the rooms now occupied by the Union department store. The father and son engaged in business together for five years, after which they sold out, Lars Thoe retiring from active business at that time. The Union department store was organized and Nels L. Thoe was connected therewith for five years as an employe. At length he purchased stock in the business and has from time to time inereased his holdings. He is president of the company, Ed Thoe is secretary and Karl Hylbak, treasurer, while the board of directors is composed of the officers and L. N. Thoe, and Irvin L. Thoe. The company was incorporated in 1902 and occupies both the first and second floors of the Union block, which was built in 1897 by L. N. Thoe, the firm of Jessen & Due and P. M. Joice. The slogan of the company is, "Everything to Eat and Wear," and the store is divided into five departments, in which are carried complete and up-to-date lines of dry goods, ready-to-wear clothing, groceries, tinware and crockery. The buying is done with the actual needs and preferences of their customers in mind; the stock
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is displayed to the best advantage and a sale is never considered complete until the customer is satisfied. As would be expected, their trade has grown steadily and rapidly and their annual volume of business has reached a large figure.
In 1894 Mr. Thoe was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Brakke, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ingebrit Brakke, who were born in Norway but were married in the United States. They were early settlers of Norway township, Winnebago county, Iowa, and are buried in the Lime Creek Church cemetery, or, as it is sometimes known, Ostby's Church cemetery. Mr. and Mrs. Thoe's children are four in number: Irvin L., who is associated with his father in business; and Irene, Laurette and Margaret, all at home.
Mr. Thoe supports the prohibition party at the polls, is a member of the Norwegian Methodist Episcopal church and can at all times be counted upon to aid in every way possible movements calculated to promote the moral advancement of his community. The sterling principles to which he rigidly adheres, his initia- tive and his fine business ability have all aided him in gaining a high place in public esteem.
PETER A. IIELGESEN, M. D.
Dr. Peter A. Helgesen is discharging his duties as mayor of Lake Mills with marked capability and is also taking care of his large and representative practice as physician and surgeon. Ile was born in Iowa county, Wisconsin, August 29, 1868, of the marriage of John and Ingebor (Dakken) Helgesen, natives of Norway, who located in Iowa county, Wisconsin, on their emigration to the United States. There at the time of the Civil war the father enlisted in the Fifteenth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and was at the front for four years, thus proving the quality of his allegiance to his adopted country. At the close of the war he returned to Wiseonsin and farmed there until his death in December, 1895, when he was sixty- six years old. The mother died in January, 1905, at the age of fifty-three years.
Peter A. Helgesen grew to manhood upon the home farm and received his early education in the district schools. Later he took a course in the Northwestern Business College and Academy at Madison, Wisconsin, and in 1887 he entered Rush Medical College of Chicago, Illinois. Subsequently he became a student in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Keokuk, Iowa, from which he was grad- uated in March, 1891. He soon afterward opened an office in Lake Mills, where he has since remained, and his skill as a physician and surgeon is recognized by both the general public and his professional colleagues. He is also a registered pharmacist and from 1900 to 1905 was interested in a drug store in Lake Mills. He still owns stock in the Farmers Elevator Company, in the Lake Mills Lumber Company and in the Mutual Telephone Company.
Dr. Helgesen was married in 1889 to Miss Anna Dakken, who passed away in 1911 after an illness of fifteen years' duration. To them were born two children, as follows: Walter, a jeweler residing in Lake Mills; and Russell, who is a junior in the Lake Mills high school and has enlisted in Company D, Iowa National Guard. In Angust, 1912, Dr. Ilelgesen was married to Miss Maude E. Thomas,, a graduate of the Iowa State Teachers College at Cedar Falls and a holder of the
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M. D. I. degree. For several years she was principal of the Lake Mills schools, was later teacher of Latin and English in the Waterloo (fowa) high school and principal of the Waukon (fowa) public schools. She has one son, Ilarold I., three years old.
Dr. Helgesen is one of the leaders in local republican circles, was from 1912 to 1914 chairman of the county republican central committee and has many times been called to publie office. For two years he was county coroner and during the greater part of the time since 1898 has been mayor, which office he is now filling. He understands well the interests of the city and has been very efficient in devising and carrying out plans for the advancement of its interests, while at all times his devotion to the public good has been above question. In his religious belief he is a Lutheran and fraternally he belongs to the Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Ancient Order of United Workmen and the Modern Woodmen of America. In addition to his large private practice he is surgeon for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad and his professional connections include membership in the Winnebago County and the lowa State Medical Societies and in the American Medical Association.
EDWARD G. MCGREEVEY.
Edward G. McGreevey, cashier of the Farmers Savings Bank at Leland, has through his own efforts and capability risen to his present position of impor- tance and responsibility in the business circles of Winnebago county. Ile was born in Wisconsin, February 22, 1867, and is a son of Edward and Mary (Hanlon) McGreevey, who were natives of Ireland and came to America in early life. They first settled in New York, but afterward removed to Wisconsin, in 1877 came to Iowa, establishing their home upon a farm in Winnebago County. Here the father passed away in 1906 and is still survived by the mother.
Edward G. McGreevey was one of a family of nine children, all of whom are yet living. lle spent his boyhood days under the parental roof and obtained a publie school education, which he supplemented by a high school course at Forest City, Iowa. He started ont in the business world as a clerk in a store in Forest City, where he remained for a year and then went to South Dakota, where he was employed on a railroad for three years. He afterward removed to Montana, where he continued in railroad work for a year, after which he returned to Iowa and spent a similar period in merchandising. He next turned his attention to buying and shipping stock, which business claimed his time and energies for a few years, and later he devoted six years to buying grain, spending two years of that time at Leland and four years in Ogden. On the 1st of March, 1901, he took charge of the Farmers Savings Bank at Leland as cashier and has since been in control of this institution, which was organized in 1900 and which has been under his direction for sixteen years, its growth and success being attributable in large measure to his efforts, enterprise and business ability. For the last sixteen years he has also engaged in auetioneering and during that time he has eried many sales. He is treasurer of the Farmers Cooperative Creamery Company and of the Leland Farmers Elevator Company and is secretary of the Leland Mutual Telephone Com- pany and of the Mount Valley Manufacturing Company. Ile is also the owner
EDWARD G. McGREEVEY
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of land in Nebraska and his realty holdings and his other interests are the visible evidence of an active, useful and well spent life.
On October 23, 1907, at Fort Dodge, Iowa, Mr. McGreevey was married to Miss Mina Anderson, a native of that city and a daughter of Christian and Mary ( Brovold) Anderson, who came from Norway in carly life and settled in Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. McGreevey have become parents of two children: Edward HI., eight years old; and Donald M. C., six years old, both of whom are attending school. Mr. McGreevey is a member of the Catholic church and belongs to the Brotherhood of American Yeomen. He gives his political support to the democratic party. His prominence and popularity in Leland are indicated in the fact that he has served for fourteen years as mayor, no other having ever occupied the position for so long a period. It is indicative not only of the confidence reposed in him but also a proof of the marked ability and fidelity which he has displayed in discharging his duties. Ile has also been secretary of the school board for several years and he is interested in every plan and measure for promoting the general welfare of county and state.
JOHN ISAACSON.
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John Isaacson, justice of the peace of Forest City, a veteran of the Civil war and a retired business man and farmer, has in many ways left the impress of his individuality upon the history of Winnebago county, where he has ever stood for those things which are most worth while in the life of the community. Ile was born in Norway on the 12th of March, 1840, a son of Knud and Mary (Berg) Isaacson, who came to the United States in 1855, settling in Dane connty, Wis- consin, where they resided until called to their final rest.
John Isaacson was a lad of fifteen when he left his native conntry and came with his parents to the new world. His education was largely acquired in the parochial schools of Norway, and after coming to the United States he also attended district schools in Wisconsin. His parents were in humble financial circumstances, owing money for their passage to America, and John Isaacson early became a wage earner. Almost immediately after his arrival in Wisconsin he secured work as a farm hand, which brought him seven dollars per month, a sum which he contributed to the support of the family. He had reached the age of twenty-two years when on the 15th of August, 1862, he responded to the country's call for troops, enlisting in the army as a member of Company II, Twenty-seventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, with which he served until the close of hostilities. He enlisted as a private and was subsequently promoted to the rank of orderly sergeant, while later he was commissioned second lieutenant. He took part in the siege of Vicksburg from the 18th of May to the 4th of July, 1863, and assisted in the capture of Little Rock, where his command remained until March 6, 1864, and then joined the Seventh Corps under General Steele. He then took part in the celebrated Red River expedition and afterward was engaged in the battle of Okalona, Arkansas, on the 3d of April, 1864. He was also in the fight at Elkins Ford, Arkansas, which began the following day and continued until the 6th of April. At Moscow,
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Arkansas, on the 13th of April, and at Camden on the 24th his regiment again engaged the enemy and was also under fire at Jenkins Ferry, Arkansas, on the 30th of April. The troops then returned to Little Rock, Arkansas, and were stationed there until some time in May, when they were transferred to Pine Bluff, Arkansas, but the same month returned to Little Rock, there continuing until February, 1865, when they proceeded down the Mississippi river to New Orleans, making their way afterward to Fort Morgan, Alabama. Mr. Isaacson with his command partici- pated in the capture of Spanish Fort in April, 1865, and in the capture of Fort Blakely in the same month. In 1864 he was detailed home on recruiting service, being thus engaged for two months, during which period he was made first sergeant, and on the 25th of September of that year he was commissioned second lieutenant. He was mustered out of the service on the 25th of September, 1865, at Brownsville, Texas, after which he was sent north and was honorably discharged.
Prior to his enlistment Mr. Isaacson had secured eighty acres of land in Dane county, Wisconsin, and soon after his return he was married and settled upon his farm, there residing until June, 1881, when he came to Winnebago county, Iowa, establishing his home in Forest City, where he opened a store, being prominently identified with merchandising for nine years. On the expiration of that period he sold out and bought a farm of two hundred and sixty acres in Center township, to the cultivation of which he devoted his attention for two years. In 1892 he was called to public office, being elected county auditor, after which he returned to Forest ('ity, entering upon the duties of his position on the 1st of January, 1893. By reelection he served for four years in that position, making a ereditable record by the faithful manner in which he discharged his duties. Later he once more resumed farming and for eight years was identified with agricultural pursuits in Ellington township, Hancock county, but afterward sold out and returned to his Forest City home, which he has since occupied. He was again called to public office in 1912, when elected justice of the peace. He has been twice reelected and is now serving for the third term. In 1916 more than fifty cases were tried before him, about one-half of which were criminal cases, and in his official capacity he has also married sixteen couples. In 1906 he was appointed court bailiff and has continuously occupied that position to the present time. During the eight years that he resided on the farm in Ellington township, Hancock county, he was con- nected with the school board, five years as a director and three years as secretary to the board.
On Christmas Day of 1865 Mr. Isaacson was united in marriage to Miss Carrie Olson, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, by whom he had fourteen children, eleven of whom still survive, as follows: Clara M., who is the wife of P. G. Kloster, of Forest City ; Adelia M., who gave her hand in marriage to G. I. Koto, of Forest City ; Carl A., who is engaged in the land business at Forest City; Newton E., the president of the First National Bank of Thompson, Winnebago county; George E., a Montana ranchman; Mabel A., the wife of C. E. Robinson, of Forest City; Amanda S., who is the wife of William F. Groves, of Viroqua, Wisconsin ; Elpha F., the wife of Walter A. Forde, of Marysville, California; Sumner E., who is assistant cashier of the First National Bank at Thompson, Iowa; Reuben I., assistant cashier of the German State Bank at Hartley, Iowa ; and Vernon V., who acts as assistant cashier of the Stanton State Bank at Stanton, North Dakota. On Christmas Day of 1915 Mr. and Mrs. Isaacson celebrated their golden wedding,
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on which joyous occasion their children and grandchildren to the number of more than fifty gathered.
Mr. Isaacson has always been a stanch republican sinee age conferred upon him the right of franchise and fraternally he is connected with Hayden Post, No. 151, G. A. R., thus maintaining pleasant relations with his old army comrades. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church and they are among the most highly esteemed and respected couples of Winnebago county, where they have now long resided, witnessing its development from a frontier district into one of the populous and progressive counties of the state. At all times Judge Isaacson has been as true and loyal in discharging the duties of citizenship as when he followed the old flag on the battlefields of the south, marching with quick step as the stars and stripes led on. His step today may be slower but the same spirit of loyalty remains, and though an adopted son of the nation, America has no more faithful and vigorous supporter of her interests than Judge Isaacson.
ANDREW E. BRANSTAD.
Since 1875 Andrew E. Branstad has been a resident of Winnebago county and has therefore witnessed almost its entire development and progress. He has seen towns and villages spring up and the wild land transformed into productive and valuable farms. As an agriculturist he has been actively identified with this devel- opment and he has also taken an important part in public affairs.
A native of Norway, Mr. Branstad was born August 10, 1859, and is a son of Endre and Dordy (Groitnes) Branstad, who came to the United States in 1873 and first located in Winneshiek county, Iowa, but after residing there for two years removed to Winnebago county. The father purchased eighty acres of land on section 1, Forest township, on which he resided up to the time of his death in 1911. The mother is still living and now makes her home in Leland.
Being thirteen years of age on the emigration of the family to the new world, Andrew E. Branstad had attended school in his native land, and for one term continued his studies in the schools of Winneshiek county. Ile assisted his father in the operation of the home farm until he attained his twenty-second year and then started out to make his own way in the world, working on a section of the railroad for three years. At the end of that time Mr. Branstad purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land one and a half miles southeast of Leland and turned his attention to farming, with which occupation he had become thoroughly familiar during his boyhood and youth. He converted the raw prairie into highly cultivated fields and made his farm one of the best in the locality. His first house was built of logs which had formed a building erected by John Springen immediately after the Civil war and in this dwelling Mr. Branstad lived for six years, at the end of which time it was replaced by a good frame residence. He continued to live upon his farm until the 1st of March, 1917, when he purchased his present home adjoin- ing Leland, and now rents the home farm, consisting of two hundred and eighty acres, to his sons, Helmer and Carl.
Mr. Branstad was married June 15, 1885, to Miss Ingeborg Nerley, of Winne- shiek county, Iowa, but a native of Norway, and to them have been born nine
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children, of whom seven survive, namely: Edward G., and Gust E., both farmers of Polk county, Wisconsin ; Dinah Ann, the wife of Levi Larson of the same county ; Ifelmer D., who is on the home farm; Hazel, with her parents; Carl O., also on his father's farm ; and Wilma O., now attending Waldorf College at Forest City, Iowa.
Mr. Branstad now votes independently and for many years has been an active worker for prohibition. He is a member of the town council of Leland and was a member of the first town council after the incorporation. As a public-spirited citizen he has always taken an active interest in the welfare of his town and county and has given his support to all worthy enterprises for the public good. He was one of the principal factors in the organization of the co-operative creamery built at Leland, which was the first co-operative creamery in Winnebago county, and he served as the first president, after which he filled the office of secretary for some time.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Branstad are earnest and consistent members of the Norwe- gian Lutheran church and he was one of five men to organize the first church of that denomination in Leland. He has always taken an active part in church and Sunday school work, serving as superintendent of the Sunday school continuously since its organization. Ilis life has been upright and honorable in every respect and ho well merits the high esteem in which he is uniformly held.
JENS BEN JENSON.
Jens Ben Jenson, living on section 9, Newton township, is a representative of the Norwegian element in the citizenship of Winnebago county -- an element that has done much toward developing this district. He was born in Mitchell county, Iowa, March 2, 1862, and is a son of Jens and Mary O. Jenson. He was reared and educated in Mitchell and in Winnebago counties, being but nine years of age when in 1871 his parents removed to Winnebago county. ITis youthful days were spent under the parental roof until he had reached the age of nineteen, when he began earning his own living as a farm hand and was thus employed until 1892. He was thirty years of age when he purchased his present place of eighty acres on section 9, Newton township, on which he has now resided for a quarter of a century. He immediately took up the task of improving and developing the property and has since continued its cultivation with the exception of a period of two years when he rented his farm. His work is carefully and systematically carried on and every- thing that he does is characterized by good judgment and unfaltering industry. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company of Lake Mills and also in the Lake Mills Creamery Company.
On December 8, 1881, Mr. Jenson was married to Miss Mattie Martin, who passed away in August, 1886, and on the 24th of March, 1891, Mr. Jenson was again married, his second union being with Miss Julia Rusley, who departed his life in November, 1899. For his third wife he chose Ellen C. Anderson, whom he wedded March 24, 1902. To them were born two children: Joseph A., who was born June 5, 1903; and Elmer B., born in July 1911.
Mr. Jenson holds membership in the Lutheran church and he votes with the republican party, keeping well informed at all times on the questions and issues
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of the day. Those who know him, and he has a wide acquaintance, esteem him as a man of genuine personal worth and good business ability. Ile has lived in the county for forty-six years and has therefore witnessed the greater part of its growth, progress and development. He can relate many interesting incidents of the early days when this was a pioneer district, and his memory forms a connecting link between the primitive past and the progressive present.
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