USA > Minnesota > Jackson County > An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota > Part 48
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Mr. Ilolden owns the northwest quarter of section 36, Petersburg, and has stock in the Jackson Telephone company and in the Petersburg Creamery company. Ile has been a member of the township board of supervis- ors and of the school board and has held the office of road overseer. He is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church.
On September 14, 1874, Mr. Ilolden was mar- ried to Annie Bottleson, of Petersburg. This union has been blessed with the births of the following named children: Olef B., born October 23, 1876; Ida, born August 14, 1879; Genton l'., born June 23, ISS]; Lillie, born September 22, 1875, died January, 1908; Esther, born March 16, 1883; Henry, born September 1, ISSS.
BEN H. JOHNSON (1865). One of the very earliest of the settlers of Jackson county who
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now reside in the county is B. H. Johnson, who lives a retired life in the village of Jack- son. During the early days Mr. Johnson took an active interest in the affairs of the new county and participated in its organization.
Mr. Johnson was born in Plymouth, Litchi- field county, Connecticut, August 1, 1834, the son of Louis and Nancy (Marsh) Johnson. He received a public and academic education in Watertown, Connecticut, and at the age of eighteen years came west and located in Bar- aboo, Wisconsin. Ile farmed in the vicinity of that town ten years and then enlisted in the army. The date of his enlistment was December 4, 1862, when he became a member of company F, of the Third Wisconsin cavalry. lle served in the union army until September 29, 1865, when he was discharged at Fort leavenworth, Kansas.
Immediately after his discharge Mr. Johnson returned to his old home in Baraboo. He immediately made preparations to seek a home in the new country of Jackson county, and on Christmas day, 1865, landed on the Des Moines river. He bought sixty acres of land, partly in Des Moines township and partly in Wisconsin township. and also filed a home- stead claim to land in Wisconsin adjoining his sixty acres. Ilis life during this pioneer per- iod was full of hardships, as were those of nearly all the settlers of that day. In January, 1868, while he was away from home, his house and everything in it was destroyed by fire. Mr. Johnson and his family then moved into a little log house which was located on an- other part of his farm.
Until September, 1873, Mr. Johnson continu- ed to farm in Jackson county. Then, on the fifteenth of the month, he set ont with a team for Kansas to make his future home in that country. He located at Burr Oak. in Jewell county. hought an eighty acre farm near town, and engaged in agricultural pursuits about five years. He then moved to town and for abont fifteen years was engaged in the drng business. He was street commissioner of the village for three years and during the rest of the time he was a resident of Burr Oak he lived a retired life. In 1903 Mr. Johnson re- turned to his old home in Jackson county, and since that time has made his home in Jackson.
Upon the organization of Jackson county in January, 1866, Mr. Johnson received the ap- pointment of clerk of the district court and served until his successor was elected and
qualified. As there were practically no duties to perform the office was a nominal one only. lle was a member of the board of county commissioners in 1867 and 1868, and during those years served as chairman of the board. He held the office of justice of the peace four years and was assessor in both Wisconsin and Des Moines townships. Mr. Johnson is a Mason and a member of the Knights of Py- thias lodge.
Mr. Johnson has been married twice. llis first marriage occurred at Recdsburg, Wiscon- sin, November 9, 1859, when he wedded Emma T. Cornish. She died October 3, 1871, aged 20 years. To this union two children were born: Rollan W., born December 4, 1860; Irv- ing V., born January 16, 1870. His second marriage occurred April 3, 1873, in Jackson, when he wedded Martha Moore. As a result of this marriage the following children were born: Louis L. and Lloyd W., twins, born October 6, 1879; Ethel W., born January 31, 1881; Gretla, II., born May 16, 1886, died May 20, 1891; Alice C., born September 3, 1887.
MENZO L. ASHLEY (1866). With the cx- ception of a little less than three years the gentleman whose name heads this sketeh las lived in the village of Jackson over forty-three years and has seen it grow from a grass- covered prairie to the substantial city it is today. During these many years spent in Jackson Mr. Ashley has taken a prominent part in the atl'airs of his village and county and has participated in many of the stirring events of pioneer days.
On July 5, 1847, in Tioga, county, Pennsyl- vania, Menzo L. Ashley was born to Welch and Margaret (Smith) Ashley. In that county he passed his boyhood days, attending the dis- triet schools winters and working on the farm during the summer months. At the age of sixteen and one-half years he entered the army and took part in the closing events of the war of the rebellion. Being under age he was required to secure the consent of his parents before enlistment. January 7, 1864, he en- listed in the Seventh Pennsylvania cavalry, and later became a member of company B, of the 97th Pennsylvania volunteer infantry. He served until his muster out at Weldon, North Carolina, August 28, 1865, being finally discharged at Philadelphia a little later.
After his discharge from the army Mr. Aslı-
21
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ley returned to his old home in Tioga county, remained there ten months, and then came to the site of the village of Jackson, arriving during the month of July, 1860. Ilere he joined his parents, who had come out the year before. Soon after his arrival Mr. Ashley was engaged in carrying the mail between Jack- son and Estherville, lowa, over the first route opened in the county after the Sioux war. When the second mail route was opened into the county-from Madelia to Jackson-he car- ried the mail on contract with the govern- ment three years. In those days there were no bridges or beaten paths on the routes and it was necessary to ford streams and un- dergo other hazardous risks in the discharge of his duties. In the way of a pioneer "tree blazer" he was considered among the best, and many tales are still told of his exploits and deeds of heroism in those days. After giving up the Madelia route Mr. Ashley ear- ried the mail for some time between Jaek- son and Sioux City. When the Sioux City and St. Paul railroad was built through to Windom, B. W. Ashley, our subjeet's brother, took the government contract to carry the mail from Windom to Jackson, and Menzo Ashley opened and operated the line.
tn 1869 Mr. Ashley bought an eighty aere farm in Des Moines township and later bought. an additional ninety acres in the same town. ship, property which he still owns. In addi- tion to his other occupations he engaged in farming these tracts part of the time. After giving up his mail contracts Mr. Ashley de- voted his time to teaming, farming and other occupations. He resided at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a little less than three years, from 1889 to 1891. lle owns his home in the city in addi- tion to his farming land. Mr. Ashley served as deputy sheriff of Jackson county five years during the eighties. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He was the cap- tain of Jackson's first fire department, or- ganized in 1874, and he has been a fireman ever since. He is an honorary member of the Minnesota Stato Fire Department association.
Mr. Ashley was married in Jackson July 5. 1872, to Hattie O. Benton, a native of Colum- bus, Ohio, and a daughter of Porter W. and Harriet Benton. To Mr. and Mrs. Ashley lave been born four children. Of these Por- ter W. lives in the state of Washington and Benjamin 11. lives at home. Alice B., the eldest child, died March 22, 1895, aged 20
years and 11 months; Dallas C. was born May 15, 1876, and died April 11, 1901.
HANS C. SETHIER (1869). Among the old time residents of Jackson county and one of the most successful farmers of Belmont town- ship is llans C. Sether, who has resided upon his present farm more than forty years. lle is an extensive stock raiser and his farm embraces 440 acres in Belmont and Christiania townships, the home place being on section 2, Belmont.
Mr. Sether was born in Norway April 23. 1851. Ilis father, Clans II. Sether, died Decem- ber 31. 1898, aged 72 years and 4 months. The mother of our subject died in 1896, aged over 81 years. Hler maiden name was Gure HI. Bjerken. Hans was brought up on a farm in his native land, and when fourteen years of age came to America with his parents. The family left the old country in April, 1868, and after a journey of three months and three weeks arrived in Goodlme county, Min- nesota, which was the family home until the next spring.
During their residence in Goodhme county a Lutheran minister named Hanson visited the Jackson county country and upon his return reported that there was an excellent country open to homestead entry along the Des Moines river. The Sethers decided to make their fu. ture home there, and they came to the new country, driving through with oxen hitched to covered wagons, arriving on May 3, 1869. The family were very poor. When they landed in Amerien they had absolutely nothing in the way of earthly possessions and owed $170 for passage money. Arriving in Jackson county. their possessions consisted of one two year-old heifer. But they set to work with a will to carve out a home in the new land. The head of the family took as a homestead claim the north half of the northwest quarter of section 2, Belmont, the present home of our subject.
During the first summer the family lived in the covered wagon in which they had come from Goodhue county. Then they built a dugout in a side hill and completed their first domicile in Jackson county with "Minnesota bricks;" in this primitive structure they lived three years. The sod shanty and dugout was replaced with a log building, 16x16 feet with addition, which was made from logs eut
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from the timber along the river. The log house answered the purpose until 1898, when Mr. Setber erected his present commodious house one of the finest in Belmont township. Very hard times were encountered during the grasshopper period, but the family had at once engaged in raising stock on a small seale, and as they were not entirely dependent upon their grain erops, did not suffer as did many who did not engage in raising stoek.
Hans Sether took the management of the home place after his marriage in 1875 and has ever since conducted it. He has an excellent farm, improved with excellent buildings and one of the finest groves in the neighborhood. lle has added to his original farm by purchase, the land eosting him from $7 to $33 per acre.
In school, township and county affairs Mr. Sether has taken an active part. He was appointed county commissioner from the Fifth distriet September 23, 1886, to sneeeed A. E. Kilen and was elected to the same office on the republican ticket in 1886 and again in 1890, serving over eight years. During his incumbency two of the county seat fights took place and Mr. Sether took part in those history making times. Hle served as clerk of Belmont township several years and he has been treasurer of school distriet No. 100 for many years. He is a member of the Nor- wegian Lutheran ehureh and of the M. W. A. lodge.
Mr. Sether was married in Belmont town- ship July 9, 1875, to Minnie Anderson, dangh- ter of the late John Anderson, of Enterprise township. Mrs. Sether was born in Norway and eame to the United States in 1869, arriv- ing in Jackson county on the same day her husband-to-be did. Ten children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sether, of whom eight are living, as follows: Clarenee, born August 12, 1876; Just, born February 8, 1878; Gea, born January 21, ISSO, died September 9, 1881; Ingman, born March 12, 1882: Gea, born Sep- tember 15, 1884; Martha, born September 9, 1887; Clara, born February 28, 1890, died December 10, 1905; Ilenry, born May 3, 1893; Harry, born Jannary 3. 1896; Helen, born July 30, 1898.
CHARLES MALCHOW (1869), ex-sheriff of Jackson county and seeretary of the Delafield Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance company, re- sides on his farm in Delafield township, just
east of the village of Wilder. Ile is a pio- neer, having spent over forty years of his life in Jackson county, and was one of the very first to locate in lleron Lake township.
Mr. Malehow is a native of Prussia and was born June 25, 1846, the son of Frederiek and Henrietta (Kuhn) Malehow. He eame to the United States with his parents when quite young and located with them in Wan- shara county, Wisconsin. He resided at home until February, 1865, when he enlisted in company F, of the Fiftieth Wiseonsin volun- teer infantry. He served in the army until June, 1866, the longest part of his serviee be- ing spent in Dakota territory under Colonel John G. Clark in frontier warfare against the Indians.
After his discharge from the army Mr. Mal- ehow spent a few years working on farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota. In the spring of 1869 he moved to Jackson county and in May of that year filed a soldier's homestead elaim to the southwest quarter of seetion 8, Heron Lake township, being one of the three first settlers of that precinct. The others were Fred Ebert and Albert Hohenstein and all settled on the banks of Lake Flaherty. On this farm he lived twenty-nine years, pass- ing through the grasshopper days and other trying ordeals of pioneer life and witnessing the development of Jackson county from a wilderness to the prosperous condition of the present time. In 1898 Mr. Malchow moved to his present location just outside the village of Wilder and has since made his home there.
During his long residence in the county Mr. Malchow has held many offiees of trust. Ile was sheriff of the county from 1879 to 1887 and has many times been called upon to serve as township officer. He is secretary of the Delafield Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance com- pany, which was organized May 10, 1888, and began business September 1, 1888. In Janu- ary, 1909, the company had in foree $1,619,- 894 of insurance. The assets of the company on that date were $2,546.70 and the disburse- ments for the past year were $2,135.56. For the past ten years the company has maintain- ed a record of levying an assessment of only one and one-half mills on the dollar. The officers of the company are IIerman Rossow, president; C. F. Morley, vice-president ; Charles Malehow, secretary; August Pohlman, treas- urer; August Wolf, John Nestrud, T. J. Egge, August Milbrath and John P. Koster, direc-
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tors. Mr. Malchow is the owner of 480 acres of Jackson county land, a quarter section in Colorado, and town property in Armstrong, lowa.
The marriage of our subject occurred in Jackson county March 4, 1872, when he wed- ded Christina Kilen. She was born in Nor- way and died in March, 1893, at the age of thirty-eight years. Nine children were born to this union, as follows: William G., born May 1, 1873; Hannah B. (Mrs. S. A. Smith), born September 7, 1874: Fred E., born Febru- ary 16, 1877; Lydia C., born December 6, 1878; Blanch, born December 12. 1880; Edith R. (Mrs. Chauncey Hamlon), born March 16, 1882; John C., born Angust 17, 1884; James S .: born January 9, 1886; Otis M., born January 14, 1888.
Mr. Malchow's second marriage occurred at Mason City, Illinois, October 5, 1897, when he married Katie A. Skinner. She was born in Long Island, New York, moved to Illinois when a baby, and resided in that state until her marriage. Mr. Malchow is a member of the Evangelical church; his wife belongs to the Presbyterian church.
BROWNELL H. LEE (1865). of Jackson, has lived in the county ever since he was five years of age and during his long residence here has been engaged in many different bus- iness enterprises. He was born in Madison, Wisconsin, January 29, 1860, the son of lla]- vor and Martha (Hansen) Lce.
When Brownell was one year old the fam- ily moved to Primrose, Wisconsin, and after a residence of four years left there on May 26. 1865, by ox teams for Jackson county, arriving June 17. 1865. During the first four months of the residence here the family lived in old Fort Belmont, and in the spring of 1866 the head of the family took a homestead claim on section 2, Des Moines township. Brownell lived at home until he was twenty- two years of age, receiving his education in Belmont and Des Moines townships. Ilis par- ents both died on the old homestead. aged 60 and 58 years, respectively.
In INS3 Mr. Lee set out in life for himself and moved to Charles Mix county. South Da - kota, where he took a homestead claim and where he remained about one and one -half years. Returning to Jackson county in ISSI, he spent two years on the old homestead. In
1886 he moved to Jackson and was employed as team buyer for the Wilson & Avery creamery, and two years later bought the creamery, conducting it one year. He then sold an interest in the creamery and started a brewery, which he managed a year, and then sold out. In 1800 Mr. Lee purchased a build- ing on Main street, one door north of Berge's store, and for the next twelve years was in the restaurant business. In 1895 he purchased the old brick yard and a little later in the same year took in John Stroble and William Finnern as partners, was interested in the business two years, and then sold out to his partners. After disposing of the restaurant Imsiness in 1902, Mr. Lee was not engaged in active business for a couple of years, but in 1901 he leased the West hotel and was its landlord three years. He then took charge of the hotel at the north end of Main street and conducted it one year. Leaving the hotel he started a feed barn, in which business he has since been egnaged and in breeding Per- cheron horses. Mr. Lee is a member of the Episcopal church and of the M. W. A. lodge.
Mr. Lee was married in Jackson to Miss Eva Simpson. As a result of this union three children have been born. named as follows: Margie M., Ruth S. and Hubert B.
CHARLES WINZER (1869). Among the substantial and influential farmers of Jack son county and one of the county's pioneer settlers is the gentleman whose name heads this biography, who resides in Weimer town- ship on the east bank of Heron lake. He has an elegant home and is one of the large land- owners of the vicinity, owning over a section of fertile land in one body. Ile has lived on his present place over forty years and was the first to file a homestead claim to land in Weimer township as well as the first to make settlement in that precinct.
Mr. Weinzer was born in Saxe-Weimar, Ger- many. June 11, 1845. the third of a family of eight children. His father, Christopher Win- zer, was a weaver by trade. He died in his native land in 1867, aged 56 years. The mother of our subject. Barbara (Hoffman) Winzer. was one of an old German family whose an- cestry can be traced back to the thirteenth century. She died in 1893 at the age of 76 years.
Charles Winzer spent his boyhood days in
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his native land. attending the mechanical school at Weimar and learning the carpenter's trade. At the age of seventeen he left home and came to America. Ile showed his patrio- tism for his adopted country by enlisting from the city of New York, one week after his ar- rival, in the union forces. He was mustered in as a member of company K. 173rd regi- ment of New York volunteer infantry, and was in the service until after the elose of the war. Ilis regiment was ordered south and he participated in a number of severe en- gagements in Louisiana under General Butler. During the second day of the engagement at Port Hudson, on May 27, 1863, Mr. Winzer was so severely wounded that he was in hospital nine months. After a partial recovery he was transferred from the New York regiment to the Invalid corps, and later, being of a mu- sical turn, he was transferred to the famous Twenty-second regiment veteran reserve corps band, and as such served the balance of his enlistment. He was honorably discharged No- vember 2, 1865. at Camp Chase. Columbus, Ohio.
After his army service, early in the year 1866, Mr. Winzer located at Fond du Lac, Wis- consin, where he was married the same year and for a few months worked at the carpen- ter trade there. Ile then moved to Chicago and in partnership with his father-in-law, Carl Peter, engaged in the grocery business. In 1869 he gave up that business and started on a prospecting trip through the west. touring Missouri and Kansas and finally landing at Duluth, then just starting, where for a few months he assisted in erecting some of the first buildings of that future city.
In the fall of 1869 Mr. Winzer came to Jackson county and decided to make his fu- ture home here. He filed a homestead claim to the southeast quarter of section 26 of what is now Weimer township, on the east bank of Heron lake, his being the first entry made to land in that township. He did not pass the winter of 1869-70 on his claim, but return- ed with his family the next April and became the first resident of the precinct. For two years he and his wife lived in a dugout in the bank of the lake, and there on June 29, 1871, their first child, and the first while child born in the township, was given birth and named Charles. Very hard times were en- countered during the first decade of his resi- dence in Jackson county, but he weathered
the storms of adversity, and is today rated as one of the substantial men of the county.
In 1873, other settlers having located in the vicinity, Mr. Winzer circulated the petition asking for the organization of the township and did all the preliminary work incident to the township beginning an existence, and to him was given the honor of naming the new township. lle gave it the name Weimar, in honor of his old German home. The spelling of the word was changed to Weimer through error. although the name was correctly spelled on the original petition.
In addition to his other interests, Mr. Win- zer is a director and stockholder of the First National Bank of Heron Lake and is a direc- tor of the Farmers Bank of Wilder. He was one of the first to make use of the lake front as a hunting resort, Heron lake having a state wide reputation as a hunter's paradise.
During his long residence in Weimer town- ship Mr. Winzer has been often chosen to re- sponsible positions within the gift of his neighbors and he has taken an active interest in all matters pertaining to the public welfare. He was chosen the first chairman of the Weimer township board and served two terms. For many years he has served as either a member of the township board, township clerk or justice of the peace. For many years he was clerk of school district No. 30. Mr. Win- zer is associated with a number of lodges. He is the commander of the G. A. R. post at Heron Lake and has held the office for a number of years. He is also a member of the A. O. U. W., the I. O. O. F., the M. B. A. and the D. of II.
At Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, May 20, 1866, Mr. Winzer was united in marriage to Ida Peter, who was born in Germany March 22, 1848. and came to the United States and to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, when seven years of age. To Mr. and Mrs. Winzer have been born the following named children: Charles, pro- prietor of the Winzer hotel of Sibley, Iowa, born June 29. 1871; Ernest, who manages the home farm, born February 22, 1875: Minnie (Mrs. Gerhard Kulinan), of Weimer, born May 17, 1879; Dasie (Mrs. Rudolph Kuhnau), of Weimer, born September 21, 1885; Lena, born October 14, 1887.
FRANK E. BAILEY (1865) came to Jack- son county when a boy ten years of age and
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ever since that date his Lome has been on land that now is within the corporate limits of The village of Jackson. He is the son of the late Major Hiram S. Bailey and Jane R. (Wheeler) Bailey. He was born in Waupun. Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, on April 11, 1855.
At the age of one year Frank Bailey was taken with the family to Hamilton, Mower county. Minnesota, and in September. 1865. came with them to Jackson county, the father taking as a homestead land which he after. ward platted as a part of the townsite of Jackson. Frank was odueated in the schools of Jackson and in Carleton college, of North- field, Minnesota, where he was a student dur- ing the years 1872-73. After securing his edu- ration he engaged in farming until 1875. Then he took up teaching as a profession and during the winter of 1875 76 taught in Martin county. lle taught in Olmsted county during the sum. mer of 1876 and during the next three years was employed in teaching in Mellenry county. Illinois. Hle then returned to Jackson county and continued in that line of work.
Mr. Bailey owns village property, eighty acres of land in Des Moines township and 160 acres of land in North Dakota. On his land in the south part of the village is an immense sand pit which he opened a few years ago and from which he supplies the needs of the vil- lage. Mr. Bailey served as deputy sheriff of the county in 1584 and 1885. and was elected justice of the peace in the spring of 1909. He is a member of the Odd Fellows and Wood- men lodges.
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