USA > Iowa > Winneshiek County > Past and present of Winneshiek county, Iowa; a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume II > Part 23
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Mr. Lane is a republican in his political views and has ably served in the capacity of assessor of Decorah township for a period of fifteen years. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Lutheran church, to which his wife and children also belong. The period of his residence in this part of the state covers almost four decades and the circle of his friends is a wide one. Coming to the United States in early manhood, he eagerly availed himself of the opportunities here afforded and has attained a substantial position as an agriculturist of Winneshiek county.
MIKE J. DREW.
Mike J. Drew, a prosperous and successful farmer of Madison township, owning two hundred and forty-five acres of valuable land on section 28, is a native of Winneshiek county, born in Glenwood township, July 10, 1860. He is a son of James and Catherine (O'Malley) Drew, natives of Ireland, the former of whom came to America and located in New York. After remaining there for a short time he and his wife came to Winneshiek county and bought land in Glenwood township. James Drew cleared, improved and developed this property during the remainder of his life, dying upon his holdings April 3. 1894. His wife survives him and still resides upon the homestead.
Mike J. Drew was reared under the parental roof and acquired his educa- tion in the district schools of Glenwood township. Until he was twenty-two years of age he remained with his parents, becoming thoroughly familiar with the details of farm operation by assisting his father with the work of the homestead. When he began his independent career he rented land and operated this for three years, at the end of which time he joined his father and his brother, working the farms on shares. Eventually the father gave Mike J. Drew a quarter section of land on section 28, Madison township, and upon this property he has since resided, its neat and attractive appearance being evidence of his careful supervision. He has from time to time added to his holdings. which now comprise two hundred and forty-five acres of well improved land. and his standing in agricultural circles is high.
In May, 1890, Mr. Drew was united in marriage to Miss Jane Sexton, a daughter of John and Johanna (Jones) Sexton, natives of Ireland. The father came to Winneshiek county at a very carly date and turned his attention
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to farming, an occupation in which he is still active, owning a fine tract of land in Bluffton township. He is now eighty-four years of age and has survived his wife since 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Drew have become the parents of eight children, Catherine, Willie. Grace, Jennie, Bea, Loretta, Francis and Lucy.
Mr. Drew is a stockholder in the Farmers Hog Buying Company of Decorah and in the Farmers Creamery Company of Ridgeway, and his ability is widely recognized in business circles. His political allegiance is given to the demo- cratic party and his religious views are those held by the Roman Catholic church. He is well and favorably known in this part of Winneshiek county, where his success has gained for him the respect of his associates and his honorable and upright life has won him the esteem and confidence of many friends.
HENRY H. FRETHEIM.
Henry H. Fretheim, who since 1906 has owned and operated a fine farm of two hundred and seventy acres on section 21, Madison township, is well known in agricultural circles of this vicinity as a practical and successful farmer. He is one of Allamakee county's native sons, born February 2, 1864, his parents being John and Carrie ( Anderson) Fretheim, natives of Norway. The father came to America at an early date and. settling in Allamakee county, purchased land, which he improved and operated for a short time. Eventually he sold his hold- ings and moved to Winneshiek county, where he purchased one hundred and fifty acres in Madison township. Upon this property he has since carried for- ward the work of improvement and development and upon it makes his home today.
Henry H. Fretheim was reared and educated in Madison township, having been only three or four years of age when his parents removed to Winneshiek county. At the age of fifteen years he moved to Allamakee county and there operated land which his father owned until he was twenty-two years of age, when he returned to Madison township, renting his uncle's farm. After one year he went to Howard county, Iowa, and after renting a tract of land in that vicinity for two years moved to Chickasaw county. At the end of a similar period of time he returned home and again took up his residence upon his uncle's farm, which he continued to develop for four years thereafter. He then went to Texas and worked in his father's interest for two years in that state, being influenced in removing from it by the losses he incurred in the Galveston flood. Again returning to Winneshiek county, he farmed on rented land for nine years and then traded a farm which he owned in Minnesota for the property which he now owns. This tract comprises two hundred and seventy acres on section 21, Madison township, and upon it he has made substantial improvements, erecting fine barns and outbuildings.
In April, 1886, Mr. Fretheim was united in marriage to Miss Annie Sever- son, a daughter of Ole and Sarah Severson, natives of Norway, who came to. America at an early date and engaged in farming in Allamakee county, where they still reside. Mr. and Mrs. Fretheim became the parents of seven children.
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five of whom are still living, Clara, Sandra, Olaf, Myrtle and Johnnie. Two other children, Johnnie and Eda, have passed away.
Mr. Fretheim gives his political allegiance to the republican party and is a devout member of the Lutheran church. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Hog Buying Company of Decorah and his ability is recognized and respected in business circles. For several years past he has been influentially associated with the agricultural development of this township and he is a man whose high character and sterling qualities have always merited him the respect and con- fidence of his fellow citizens.
HENRY J. ALBERS.
For seventeen years Henry J. Albers has been prominently identified with agricultural interests of Winneshiek county and since 1901 has owned and oper- ated a fine farm of one hundred and twenty acres on section 8, Lincoln township. He is a native son of this county, born in Canoe township, December 31, 1869, his parents being Henry and Elizabeth ( Herr) Albers, natives of Germany. The father came to America when he was about eighteen years of age and after spend- ing two years in Illinois moved to Winneshiek county, where he engaged in farm- ing for a number of years. He eventually retired from active life and moved into Cresco, where his death occurred on the ist of February, 1910. His wife survives him and makes her home in Cresco. They were the parents of eleven children : George, who resides in Lake Benton, Minnesota; Anna, who became the wife of Albert Reinhardt, of Howard county; Ida C., the deceased wife of John Bender; Henry J., of this review ; John J., who is operating the old home- stead ; Clara, who married John Kuntz, of Luck, Wisconsin; Emma R., who is the wife of Frank Blackburn, of Lincoln township; Albert and Fred W., of Cresco; a daughter who died in infancy; and Edward R., also a resident of Cresco.
Henry J. Albers was reared at home and in his childhood divided his time between attendance at the country schools and work upon his father's farm. He began his independent career in 1896, when he rented one hundred and forty- seven acres in Lincoln township, whereon he resided for one year. At the end of that time he rented the homestead and operated this for three years, after which he rented one hundred and ninety acres in Lincoln township. At the end of two years he purchased land of his own, acquiring one hundred and twenty acres on section 8. This he has operated since 1901 and by following progressive and practical agricultural methods has made it a valuable and pro- ductive property. He engages in general farming and stock-raising and has met with success in both, standing today among the representative and ahle agricul- turists of his township.
On the 16th of September, 1897, Mr. Albers was united in marriage to Miss Mary Blaser, a daughter of John and Mary (Luete) Blaser, natives of Switzer- land. Mr. and Mrs. Albers became the parents of three children: Raymond H., who was born September 15, 1898; a son, who died in infancy ; and Arthur Edward, born April 3, 1901.
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Mr. Albers is a member of the Methodist church and is a republican in his political beliefs. He has served twice as school director of his district. His entire life has been spent in this part of Winneshiek county and he is widely known here, his business progressiveness and his personal worth having gained him the esteem and confidence of all who are associated with him.
W. . A. PLUNKETT.
Among the substantial farmers of Winneshick county is W. A. Plunkett. who owns valuable land on section 10. Hesper township, comprising two tracts, one of one hundred and fifteen acres and the other of seventy-eight acres. 1le is a native of Canada, having been born in Fullerton township, Perth county, Ontario, March 26, 1851. His parents were Joseph and Margaret (Carr) Plunkett, natives of County Antrim, Ireland. There they were married and in 1848 went to the province of Ontario, Canada, locating upon a farm in Perth county, where they spent the remainder of their lives, the father dying in 1861 at the age of seventy-five years, and the mother in 1903 at the remarkable age of ninety-three. During all of his active life the father followed farming, secur- ing upon his arrival here one hundred acres of unimproved land which upon his death he left in the best of condition, all under cultivation and yielding large harvests. He was an elder of the Presbyterian church.
W. A. Plunkett resided on the home place until 1888, acquiring his education in the neighboring schools and early learning thorough agricultural methods. Upon coming to Winneshiek county he purchased the farm upon which he now resides, comprising one hundred and fifteen acres on section 10, Hesper town- ship. Ile gives his undivided attention to the cultivation of his land, has made valuable improvements and installed such equipment as is considered indispen- sable by the modern agriculturists. In 1911 his means permitted him to purchase another valuable farm of seventy-eight acres, known as the old Russell Tabor farm, in the village of Ilesper. He now operates both of these properties.
On the 27th of September, 1876, Mr. Plunkett married Miss Sarah A. Worth, who was born in Perth county, Ontario, Canada, February 15. 1859. Mr. and Mrs. Plunkett have five children : Maggie, the wife of J. P. Street, of Story City. who is superintendent of the city schools; Josie May, who married Alfred B. Street, a school teacher of Cleveland, Ohio; John, a traveling salesman for a typewriter company of Omaha, Nebraska ; Blanche, who married Grover Ruwe. of Butler, Oklahoma ; and Lloyd, at home.
In his political affiliations Mr. Plunkett is a republican and has always stanchly supported the candidates of his party. He is now serving as one of the town- ship trustees and for the past ten years has held the position of justice of the peace to the general satisfaction of all. For nine years he served as a member of the school board of the independent district of Hesper, giving thereby evidence of his interest in the cause of education, and he served also as chairman of the board of health of his township and as chairman of the township board of trus- tees. For the past three years he has been president of the Hesper Telephone Company. He is a member of the Friends church. One of the substantial men
MR. AND MRS. W. A. PLUNKETT
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of his locality, Mr. Plunkett enjoys the respect and esteem of all who know him, not only on account of his material achievements but also on account of the high qualities of his mind and character and his public-spirited citizenship.
CHARLES W. PILGRIM.
Winneshiek county numbers among her most valued and worthy citizens, Charles W. Pilgrim, whose fine farm of one hundred acres on section 14, Mad- ison township, is visible evidence of his life of industry and thrift. He has been a resident of Iowa since 1870 and has consequently witnessed a great deal of the later growth and development of the state, the years bringing him success, prom- inence and a comfortable fortune. He was born in England, December 14, 1845, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Croft) Pilgrim, the former a native of England and the latter of Wales. The father came to America and settled in French Grove, Peoria county, Illinois, in 1851 and he remained there two years, moving at the end of that time to Knox county in the same state. He rented a farm, but one year later his wife died of cholera and the father moved from that property to another in Knox county. He afterwards married again and went to Henry county, Illinois, where he purchased land in the vicinity of Galva, operating this for a number of years. Eventually, however, he retired from active life and moved into Galva where he resided until his death in July, 1882.
Charles W. Pilgrim was only six years of age when his parents came to America and he acquired his education in the district schools of Illinois. After his mother's death he made his home with his sister until he was eighteen years of age, after which he worked out by the month as a farm laborer for five years. At the end of that time he married and rented a farm near French Grove. This property he operated for two years and then moved to Buena Vista county, Iowa, making his first location in that state in 1870. After a short time he moved into Clay county and there, took up a homestead claim of eighty acres which he improved and operated for seven years. A more than usually destructive grass- hopper invasion, however, at length caused him to sell his farm and move into Winneshiek county where he had previously spent one season operating a thresh- ing outfit and a clover huller for W. C. Cook of Hesper. When he returned after disposing of his property in Clay county, he settled in Hesper, bought property there and turned his attention to the teaming business. After nine years he hired out to William Beard & Sons as a cream hauler and thus began a connection with creamery interests of this vicinity which extended over a number of years. After two years and a half as hauler he was made cream in- spector and overseer of all the routes controlled by his employers and during this period superintended the erection of a creamery at Galeville, Wisconsin, and established the interests of William Beard & Sons in that city. Tiring of outside work. Mr. Pilgrim was transferred to Ridgeway, where he superintended the erection of the creamery there and after its completion took full charge of the plant, acting also as buttermaker. At the end of three years he formed an as- sociation with H. and L. W. Beard, and the partners bought land, Mr. Pilgrim Vol. II-12
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taking charge of the property in which he owned a half interest. At the end of seven years during which he brought this farm to a high state of cultivation, he purchased four hundred acres on section 14, Madison township, and began its improvement and development. The farm upon which he now resides is a portion of this property and reflects everywhere the many years of careful supervision and practical labor that have been bestowed upon it. As his sons married he gave each one hundred acres, but one son sold to his two brothers, who now control tracts one hundred and fifty acres in extent. Mr. Pilgrim has retained one hundred acres and makes his home upon it, being numbered today among the men whose well directed labors have been forces in the agricultural development of this part of the state.
On the 3d of November, 1868, Mr. Pilgrim was united in marriage to Miss Nancy E. Boyer, a daughter of Levi and Mary A. (Turbit ) Boyer, natives of Pennsylvania. The father went to Illinois at an early date and turned his atten- tion to farming, operating a fine property in that state until his death which occurred in 1861. Mr. and Mrs. Pilgrim became the parents of four children: John Edward, who resides in Marshalltown, Iowa; Charles C. and William Franklin, engaged in farming on properties adjoining their father's; and Walter B., a farmer in Frankville township.
Mr. Pilgrim is a member of the Methodist church and his political allegiance is given to the republican party. He is not active as an office seeker, but during the many years of his residence in Winneshiek has been always interested in public affairs, and has borne an active and honorable part in the work of develop- ment. He is widely known and favorably regarded among the people of this locality, who respect his success and honor the methods by which it was attained.
LEWIS K. NESTE.
Lewis K. Neste is engaged in the operation of a tract of eighty acres, located on section 26, Madison township, but quite recently has purchased a valuable farm of eighty acres in Canoe township, three and a half miles north of Decorah, for which he paid one hundred and twenty-five dollars per acre. He is a native son of Madison township, the date of his birth being September 27, 1876. His parents, Knute K. and Gro (Tostenson ) Neste, were natives of Norway. Upon their emigration to America, they settled at McGregor, Iowa, where the father worked for some time in the timber woods. He eventually engaged in farming, however, purchasing land in Madison township, which he cultivated until his demise on the 4th of January, 1911. His wife preceded him to the home beyond, her death occurring in September, 1903.
Lewis K. Neste was educated in the district schools and was trained to the work of the farm from early age. He remained with his parents until twenty-three years of age, when he engaged in operating a threshing machine and in drilling wells. He followed this business for three seasons, when he once more took up agricultural pursuits, operating the old homestead for five years. He then rented the farm known as the Dubb place, comprising eighty acres in Madison township, and here he has since made his home. He follows progres-
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sive methods in his farm work and each year is rewarded by abundant harvests. Hle has recently become an owner by the purchase of a highly improved farm of eighty acres in Canoe township. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Creamery Company and in the Famers Hog Buying Company of Decorah.
Mr. Neste chose as a companion and helpmate for life, Miss Christena Gull- ickson, whom he wedded on the 17th of January, 1906. She is a daughter of James and Ingeborg ( Luken ) Gullickson, who were natives of Norway, and upon their emigration to America chose Winneshiek county as their place of abode. The father here purchased a farm and has since given his attention to its further improvement and cultivation.
In politics Mr. Neste is a republican, and in religious faith is a Lutheran. He is a conscientious, upright man, adhering strictly to honest methods in all business transactions, and all who know him have for him high regard and com- mendation.
OLE S. MAGNUS.
Ole S. Magnus, whose life has been spent within the borders of Winneshiek county and who has devoted his attention to general agricultural pursuits throughout his entire business career, is the owner of a well improved and valu- able farm of one hundred and twenty acres on section 15, Lincoln township. His birth occurred in that township on the 24th of August, 1868, his parents being Samuel and Anna ( Kettleson) Magnus, natives of Norway. When a youth of thirteen the father came to Winneshiek county, Iowa, locating in Lin- coln township. When nineteen years of age he enlisted for service in the Union army as a member of Company E. Thirty-eighth Iowa Infantry, with which com- mand he remained for one year and was then discharged because of disability. He gave his time and energies to farming throughout his active business career and at his demise owned two hundred and eighty acres of rich and productive land. In his passing the community lost one of its substantial agriculturists and esteemed citizens.
Ole S. Magnus spent the first twenty-six years of his life under the parental roof and, assisting his father with the work of the fields, gained a comprehensive knowledge of the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. Start- ing out as an agriculturist on his own account, he purchased a tract of eighty acres from his father but subsequently disposed of the property and bought the farm of one hundred and twenty acres on section 15, Lincoln township, on which he now resides. The place is splendidly improved, and the well tilled fields annually yield golden harvests as a reward for the care and labor which is be- stowed upon them. In connection with the cultivation of cereals Mr. Magnus also devotes considerable attention to stock-raising, meeting with success in both branches of his business.
On the 3d of October, 1898, Mr. Magnus was united in marriage to Miss Randina Johnson Hovden, a daughter of George Johnson and Randina Sned- srud Johnson Hovden, both natives of Norway. Her father served for three
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years as a member of the Fifteenth Wisconsin Infantry during the period of the Civil war, holding the rank of first sergeant in Company G.
In his political views Mr. Magnus is a stanch republican, supporting the men and measures of that party at the polls. His religious faith is that of the Lutheran church. His life has been well spent, in harmony with his professions, and in every relation he has been honorable and upright, winning for himself the warm regard of his fellow citizens.
WALKER DE COU.
Among Winneshiek county's most progressive, prominent and active native sons is numbered Walker De Cou. who since the beginning of his business career has been operating the homestead farm in Military township upon which he was born and reared. He is, moreover, a worthy representative of one of the most honored and respected pioneer families of this section of the state, his father, Judge John De Cou, having located here in 1851 among the earliest settlers. He was a native of Norfolk county, Ontario, Canada. born on the 16th of April. 1824, and he there attended school until eighteen years of age, afterward engag- ing in teaching for about six years. At the end of that time he entered the University of Canada, which he attended for about two years, completing in that institution an excellent and comprehensive education. On the 10th of June, 1850, he was married in Port Dover, Canada, to Miss Mary De Con, his second cousin, and in the same year emigrated to Iowa, locating first in Bloom- field township. Winneshiek county, where he remained for three years. In 1853 he bought land in Military township, acquiring at that time one hundred and sixty acres on section i and adding to this from time to time until he became one of the most extensive landowners in this section of the state. By con- stantly following the most practical and progressive methods he made his farm a productive and valuable property, developing it from a wild tract into a well cultivated and model farm. He won a place among the most successful and prosperous farmers of the vicinity. Always a progressive and public-spirited citizen he identified himself closely with community affairs, and was honored by his fellow citizens by election to various important positions of trust, serving as chairman of the board of supervisors and assessor of Military township. In 1861 he was made judge of Winneshiek county and he served with credit and distinction for two years. He was elected to the state legislature in 1873 and during his term of service his influence and his vote were always on the side of right, reform and progress, his labors contributing to the passing of a great deal of important legislation. He was a democrat of the old school, a stanch and loyal supporter of the principles and policies of that party and an active worker in its ranks. He won widespread renown and distinction and at his death the Decorah Republic spoke of him as "one who in his youth and activity was one of the most prominent and able members of the democratic party." He passed away on the 21st of December. 1912, at the age of eighty-eight years. and in his passing Winneshiek county lost one of its representative and substantial citizens and one of the earliest and greatest of its pioneers. Judge De Cou and
JUDGE JOHN DE COU
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