USA > Minnesota > Jackson County > An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota > Part 49
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On the first day of the year 1850 Mr. Bailey was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Bromaghim, and as a result of this union have been born The following children: Frank E .. horn March 13. 1881: Herbert B., horn July 2. 1883: Earl W. born November 10, 1886: Holen. born May 14, 1889, died November 27, 1892; Linden R .. born July 22. 1897.
JOHN T. SMITH (1871), president of the Minnesota Fibre company and manager of that company's tow mill at Heron Lake, is the oldest resident of that village and a man in whom both the village and county take pride. He came to Heron lake before the railroad was builded and when the site was raw prairie land. For thirty eight years his home has been in the village he helped to found, and none has taken a more active part in the busi-
ness life and in public enterprises than has Mr Smith. So closely identified is he with the in- terests of the town that when une thinks of Heron Lake one thinks of John T. Smith.
John T. Smith was born in Wales October 3. 1813. the son of William La and Sophia (Thomas) Smith. At the age of seven years, in 1850. he came to the I'nited States, locat- ing in Herkimer county, New York, where he resided ten year -. There he attended the pub- lie schools, cumpleting hi- education in Lyons, Clinton county. lowa, to which place he moved in 1860. From that place Mr. Smith enlisted in company B, of the First Towa cavalry, in January, 1864, and served with the union forces until his discharge at Memphis, Ten- nessee, in October, 1865.
After his discharge from the army Mr. Smith returned to Lyons for a short time and then went to LaCrosse. Wisconsin, where he resided about three years. In 18Gs he went to Whalan. Fillmore county. Minnesota, and there for one year was engaged in the mercan- tile Imisiness in partnership with John Carr. Mumt the first of September, 1849, Mr. Smith and C. I. Carroll, of LaCrosse. formed a part- nership and a little later started a general -tore at Big Bend. Cottonwood county, to which place it was rumored the Sioux City & St. Paul railroad would build. Cottonwood county was then very sparsely settled. and the store was the first one in the county. Mr. Smith also has the distinction of having been the first postmaster in that county and of having issued the first marriage license there. The railroad failed to come to Big Bend, but was built to the south of that place. and after conducting the store two years Messrs. Smith and Carroll moved to the point where Heron Lake was to be founded.
It was during the month of October. 1871. that Mr. Smith and his partner first set foot on the site. They at once created a store builling. hauling the lumber from Windom, and started the first store. The following year our subject bought out his partner's in- terest, and in 1871 took as a partner George Carr. For several years limes were prosper- ons in the little village of Heron Lake, and the pioneer merchant built up a marvelous business. He opened a branch store at Brew- ster in 1873, one at Adrian in 1876, and one at Fulda in 1878. Mr. Smith continued in the mereantile business until 1885.
Of more benefit to the people of Jackson
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county than any other business enterprise ever founded there was the tow mill, which Mr. Smith erected in Ileron Lake in 1881. It was the first tow mill ever built in Minnesota, and at the time it was the largest industry of the kind in the United States, if not in the world. ITe condueted the mill until 1898. when the plant was destroyed by fire, bringing a loss of $75,000. After that event he helped to or- ganize the Northwestern Tow company (now the Union Fibre company), of which Mr. Smith owned thirty-eight per cent of the stock and of which he was general manager until he sold out in 1902. In 1902 he organized the Min- nesota Fibre company, built a new mill, and has since been president and general manager of the company.
In addition to the manufacturing plant, Mr. Smith is the owner of 1,000 acres of Jackson and Cottonwood farming lands. He has never sought political preferment and the only pub- lic office he has ever held was postmaster of Heron Lake, which he held from the time of organization in 1871 until 1878. Ile is a mem- ber of the A. O. U. W. lodge.
Mr. Smith was married at Heron Lake Mareh 9, 1875, to Miss Jennie Weir. To this union have been born three children, Aliee C., born in 1877; Morton W., born in 1878; Jennie M., born in 1884.
PETER A. OLSON (1866), Belmont town- ship farmer, has spent the entire forty-three years of his life on the farm upon which he now lives. having been born in the old fort located on the farm, which was built by the early settlers as a protection against the hos- tile Indians.
l'eter Olson's parents were Anders Olson Slaabaken and Patnella (Peterson) Olson Slaa- baken. The former piloted the first Norweg- ian families to Jackson county and for many years was the most influential man in the Norwegian settlement-a man who had the ro- speet and confidence of all his neighbors. Much of his life's history is to be found in the ehap- ters in the first part of this volume. Ile and his wife were both born in Norway and eame to the United States when young. They re- sided several years in Wisconsin, a short time in Winneshick county, Iowa, and came to Jack- son county lo reside permanently in 1860 with the vanguard of the Norwegian settlers. An- ders Olson Slaabaken, also known by the name
of Anders Belmont, homesteaded the north half of the southeast quarter of section 34, Belmont-part of the site of the old town of Belmont-and upon that farm he lived until his death in 1895. He was a veteran of the civil war, enlisting from Jackson county, and was with the army at the time of the Bel- mont massacre. His wife also died in 1895. They were the parents of three children, of whom only our subject is living.
Peter A. Olson was born May 23, 1866. Ile helped his father work the home farm until the latter's death. Then he bought the place and has since been engaged in farming it. In addition to the home farm he now owns eighty acres on seetion 27, Belmont, and eighty arres in Enterprise. Hle engages extensively in general farming, raises Holstein cattle and feeds hogs for the market. He served sev- eral years as treasurer of school district No. 5. Ile is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church.
Mr. Olson was married in Belmont town- ship June 4, 1897, to Lena Ree, a native of Norway and a daughter of Hans J. Ree, a Bel- mont settler of 1870. Three children have been born to this union, namely: Albert, Harry and Alma.
BENJAMIN W. ASHLEY (1866), deceased. Among the men who took the lead in affairs in Jackson in the early and later days, and one whose name is inseparably linked with that of the county seat village, was Benja- min W. Ashley, who came to the little village at the time of its birth and continued to make his home in it until his death, which occurred December 19, 1905.
Benjamin W. Ashley was born in Sylvania, Bradford county, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1839. Hle came to Jackson county in 1866 and in company with his father built the first saw mill that was operated. In 1870, in company with his father, he erected the Ashley house and was its proprietor many years. Mr. Ash- ley was a man held in the highest esteem and had a host of friends.
In 1864 Mr. Ashley was united in marriage to Juliet Robbins. She died August 29, 1904, aged over sixty-two years. They were the par- ents of the following named children: Mark D., Otis M., Mrs. Maud Wold, Virginia. Will W., Mrs. Neva Burnham, Benjamin W., Jr.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
HANS TOLLEFSON ($70) is one of the early day settlers of Christiania township and one of the best known residents of that pre- vinet. He has a farm of 400 acres, well im proved with line buildings, and has made a success of his agricultural pursuits.
Mr. Tolletson was born in Norway April 5, 1835, the son of a carpenter, Tollef Christo- pherson by name. His mother was Ingebor (Hansen) Christopherson. He received a com. mon school education in the land of his na - tivity and after growing to manhood worked at the stone ma-on's trade. He came to Am- erica in 1868, resided one year in Wisconsin. one year near E-therville, Iowa, and in June. 1870, arrived in the county of Jackson, which was destined to be his home ever after. Upon his arrival he took as a homestead claim SO acres of his present farm, and upon that place he has lived nearly forty years. Be- sides his farming interests, Mr. Tollefson has stock in the Christiania Creamery company. the Farmers Elevator company of Windom and the company which owns the store at Bergen. He served two years as a member of the township board of supervisors, is a mem- ber of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Christiania and is a member of the Sons of Norway order.
Mr. Tollefson was married in March, 1865, to Vil Nelson. To them have been born the following named children: Tollef, who is in the mercantile business in Spokane, Washing- ton, born June 6, 1866, Ingebor (Mrs. Cland Stofer), of Duluth. Minnesota, born February 2. 1871; Nettie (Mrs. Peter Ryan), of Min- neapolis, born January 21. 1874: Mary (Mrs. James Morrison), of Spokane, born June 5. 1877: Hannah J. (Mrs. Henry Chester), of Christiania, born October 30, 1879; Henry, who resides at home. born November 7, 188]; Anna, a school teacher, born December 4, 1883; Christian, of Spokane, born January 15. ISSG.
DUNCAN MeNAB (1871) is a member of the board of commissioners of Jackson county and one of the large land owners and prosperous farmers of Alba township. as well as one of the early day settlers of western Jackson county. He owns 800 acres of land in south- ern Alba and northern Ewington townships and his home has been on his present place nearly thirty-nine years,
Mr. MeNab is of Scotch birth, having been born April 17, 1837. When ten years of age he left his native land and came to America with his parents, the family locating in On. tario, Canada. Duncan received a common school education in that province and until he was twenty two years of age lived in Can- ada, working in the lumber camps and on farm». For several years after he was twenty- two he divided his time between Michigan and Ontario, He married in 1866 and three years later located in Minnesota. Near the village of Sleepy Eye, in Brown county, he bought an eighty arre farm, which he con- ducted two years.
It was in the month of November. 1871, that Mr. McNab came to Jackson county. L'pon his arrival he took as a homestead claim the northeast quarter of section 32, Alba township, and the northwest quarter of the same section as a tree claim. le moved to hi- claim and began the erection of his first house the same day carpenters began the cree- tion of the depot in Hersey (now Brewster). The house was a little one, 16x20 feet, and it stood on the place until 1908. Mr. MeNab weathered the hard times period of the seven. ties, making a living by shooting and ship- ping prairie chickens, which were then in great abundance. He has prospered and is rated among the most successful men of the vieinity. He has been prominent in an official and social way ever since coming to the rounly.
Mr. WeNab has represented the Fourth dis- triet on the board of county commissioners for the past five years and his present term will not expire nutil 1913. He has served as a member and as chairman of the Alba town- ship board and he was assessor of the pre- einet for twenty-one years. For the past twenty years he has been clerk of school dis- triet No. 31 and he has served as justice of the peace. Ile was census enumerator in the federal census of 1900.
Our Anbjeet is the son of Finley and Jannet (MeArthur) MeNab. They came from Scot- land to Canada in 1817, the mother dying in quarantine below Quebee soon after landing. Finley MeNab lived in the province of Ontario many years, dying there about twenty years ago. There were seven children in the family. of whom the following Three are living: Mar. garet. Duncan and dennet Montgomery.
The subject of this biography was married
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in Ontario, Canada, January 18, 1866, to Cather- ine Montgomery, a native of Scotland and a daughter of Godfrey and Jennie (Thompson) Montgomery. To Mr. and Mrs. MeNab have heen born the following named eleven chil- dren: Jessie, John, Findley, Katie, Godfrey, Dan, Arthur, Hugh, Archie, Willie and Andrew. The family are members of the Presbyterian church of Brewster.
JOHN B. HABERMAN (1872). Among the oldest settlers of LaCrosse township and one of the most successful farmers of that pre- cinet is John B. Ilaberman, whose home is on section 19. Ile owns 400 acres of land on sections 19 and 20, 240 acres on section 25, Graham Lakes township, Nobles county, and 160 acres in Cottonwood county. He farms three-quarters of a section of his land and rents out the rest.
Mr. Haberman was born in Austria March 31, 1855, being one of a family of children born to John and Annie (Hager) Haberman. The father of our subject, who is now 79 years of age, resides in LaCrosse township. The mother of our subject died in her native land when John B. Haberman was six years of age.
The subject of this biography was brought up on a farm and received his education in Austria. At the age of seventeen years he accompanied his father to the new world, arriving in America on August 10, 1872. After spending one month in Watertown, Wisconsin, he and his father came to Jackson county and they have ever since been residents of La- Crosse township. When he reached his ma- jority our subject took as a homestead elaim the west half of the southwest quarter of section 20, and when twenty-three years old he began farming the place, having worked for his father and other farmers before that time. He met with success in his ventures and later added to his holdings by purchase.
Besides his farming operations Mr. Haber- man is interested in other lines of business. He is a stockholder of the First National Bank of Heron Lake, of the Ileron Lake cream- ery and of the Sontag Lumber company of Heron Lake. For twenty years he served as a member of the township board of supervis- ors and was chairman of the board for twelve years of that time. He is a member of the M. W. A. lodge of Kinbrae.
JOHN W. BENSON (1872). Soon after the founding of the village of Heron Lake John W. Benson came to the little town and en gaged in the mercantile business in 'a modest way. That village has been his home ever since. From the modest beginning thirty- seven years ago the business operations of Mr. Benson have advanced to such an extent that he is now interested in concerns capital- ized at several hundreds of thousands of dol- lars and is one of the wealthiest men of Jackson county. He is president of the First National Bank of Heron Lake and of the First National Bank of Westbrook. He is presi- dent of the Benson Grain company, having a line of elevators in Minnesota and Nebraska and capitalized at $150,000. He is president of the Benson-Cabot company, incorporated, which does a general merchandise business at Heron Lake. He is secretary and treasurer of the Western Implement company, whose headquarters are at Heron Lake and which has several branch houses. Ile is president of the Sontag Lumber company of Heron Lake and Wilder. He is president of the Karamin Lumber company of Republic, Wash. ington. In addition to his interests in these companies Mr. Benson owns, in partnership with a sister, Mrs. F. M. Southwick, 5,000 acres of farming lands in Jackson, Cottonwood and Murray counties.
John W. Benson descends from colonial stock. The American branch of the Benson family was founded in 1620, when his ances- tors, who were seafaring men, came from England and settled along the coast of Massa- chusetts. On his mother's side Mr. Benson is of Scotch-Irish descent. His great grand- father. John Moore, was granted land near Madison, Maine, by the government, in recog- nition of services during the revolutionary war.
The father of our subject was John Benson, a Methodist minister, who was born on the island of Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts. He located in Maine in an early day, and prior to 1852, when he moved to Minnesota, had no permanent location, be- ing located in different towns where his duties as minister called him. Coming to Minnesota in 1852, he located a claim on land that had been ceded to the government by Little Crow. Thereafter until his death in October, 1889, he was a resident of Minnesota. Our subject's mother was Margaret (Moore) Benson, who
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was born near Madison, Maine, and who was the daughter of Goff Moore and Betsy Moore. She died in Minneapolis in October, 1906, at the age of 91 year -.
To these parents John W. Benson was born at Dixmont, Maine, on the 15th day of March, 1819. He accompanied his parents to Min- nesota in 1852 and lived on the claim in Da - kota county five years, The next two year- were spent in Red Wing, and from then until he arrived in Jackson county he resided ou his father's farms in Goodhue and Dakota counties. During the month of July, 1872. Mr. Benson arrived in the little hamlet of Ileron Lake and engaged in the mercantile and grain business and in farming. In Sep- tember. 1892, he organized the Peoples State Bank, of which he was president, and when that was reorganized into the First National Bank he continued to hold the chief office. As the country developed and his capital increased Mr. Benson engaged in other lines of business until today he has interests as above mentioned.
In Rice county, Minnesota, March 22, 1877. Mr. Benson was married to Hattie M. Cabot, a native of Dane county, Wisconsin, and a daughter of John and Mary (Partridge) Ca- bot. She came to Minnesota with her par- ents in 1857, the family first locating in Good- Ime county and later in Murray county. Mrs. Cabot died in Murray county; Mr. Cabot in Heron Lake in December, 1897.
Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Benson. They are Elsie, wife of Prof. I. S. Kirk of the Heron Lake school -; Lois Ben- son, who resides at home: Frances (Mrs. (. A. Kirby), of Kansas City, Kansas; Paul, as- sistant cashier of the First National Bank of Heron Lake; John C., a student at Hamline university.
Mr. Benson is a member of the Methodist church. He served as treasurer of the board of education for a number of years. Mr. Ben- son's sister, Mrs. P. M. Southwick, who is interested with her brother in the many on- terprises, came to Jackson county with her brother in 1872 and homesteaded in Alba township.
THOMAS JJ. KNOX (1872). There is, per- haps, no man in Jackson county who is bet - ter known within the county and in the state at large than is Thomas J. Knox, attorney at
law of Jackson. lle has been actively en- gaged in the practice of his profession in that village for the last thirty-seven years, and a- a lawyer has gained a state-wide reputa- tion. During this long period of residener here he has taken an active and prominent part in the political, social and business life of the county and is one of its most honored eiti. zens.
T. J. Knox is a Pennsylvanian by birth and a descendant of revolutionary stock, his an- restors having come originally from Scotland and England. The paternal grandfather of our subject, George Knox, was born Septem- ber 27, 1757. and died March 10, 1831. He was a member of the Colonial army during the greater part of the struggle for independ- ence. and was a tanner by trade, and followed that occupation from the close of the war un- til his death, having built and operated the first tannery built in Covington. Pennsylvania. Ilis wife, Ann Knox, was born November 23. 1764, and died June 21, ISOS. The maternal grandfather of T. J. Knox. Royal Cole, was also a veteran of the revolutionary war, as well as the war of 1812. His home was in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.
The parents of our subject were George and Ruth (Cole) Knox. The former was born in Pennsylvania December 22, 1805, and was a tanner by trade. In the spring of 1851 he moved with his family to Wisconsin, locating on a larm near Geneva. and from that time engaged in agricultural pursuits. In the an- tmman of 1855 he became a resident of Fillmore county, Minnesota, preempting a claim in Bristol township. There he lived until after the close of the war, when he moved to Mower county. He died in that county No. vember 11, 1867. His wife, Ruth (Cole) Knox. also died in Minnesota.
To these parents at Covington, Tioga county. Pennsylvania, on February 16, 1846, Thomas ). Knox was born. At the age of eight years. in the spring of 185t, he accompanied his parents to the new home in Walworth county, Wisconsin, and in the fall of the following year to Fill- more county. Minnesota, where he grew to manhood on a farm. His early school privileges were limited, but he was naturally studions and had access to a good library in his father's home. Thus his education was obtained largely under the parental roof, supplemented by a year's attendance at a private academy.
Mr. Knox decided to make the law his pro-
THOMAS J. KNOX Who has Practiced Law in the Village of Jackson since 1872.
.MEN_ YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND T .. D' N FOUNDATIONME
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fession and in 1868 began reading law in the office of C. T. Benedict, of Rochester, Minne- sota. The next year he became a student in the office of Stearns & Start, both members of which firm have become prominent in the af- fairs of the nation, the former as United States senator, the latter as chief justice of the su- preme court of Minnesota. Mr. Knox was ad- mitted to practice before the state courts on October 14, 1871, and before the United States courts on December 12, 1876. For four months after his admission to the bar Mr. Knox remained in the office of Stearns & Start. and then decided to seek a location in Dakota territory.
In the month of November, 1872, Mr. Knox set out for the western country, but was caught in the great blizzard that swept over the country on the twelfth of that month. be- coming snow-bonnd in the new village of Win- dom. Cottonwood county. The roads were blockaded and it was impossible to proceed farther. Mr. Knox decided to visit the vil- lage of Jackson, which was then connected with Windom by a stage line, and from thence to return home, giving up his western trip for the season. At Jackson he met some friends of former years who urged him to lo- cate in that frontier village. This he decided to do and became a permanent resident of the village and county on November 17, 1872. He at once opened a law office and ever since has been engaged in the practice of his profession in that village.
The terrible grasshopper scourge came upon the country the year following the location of the young attorney in Jackson county and for several years Mr. Knox had a severe strng- gle to maintain his position during the early years of his practice; but by perseverance and close attention to business he eventually suc- ceeded in building up a lucrative elientage. He is gifted by nature with a good delivery, is a fluent and foreible speaker, and his services as a public speaker are frequently in demand. In 1900 Mr. Knox admitted Mr. F. B. Faber as a partner in the law business and that gen- tleman has since been associated with Mr. Knox. In January, 1903, John C. Knox, a son of the senior member of the firm, became a member of the firm which then became Knox, Faber & Knox. which it remained until the death of the junior partner on June 10, 1904.
During his long residence in the county Mr. Knox has been called upon to serve in re-
sponsible positions on several occasions. He was appointed judge of probate by the gov- ernor in June, 1874, to complete an unexpired term: served as county superintendent of schools from 1880 to 1886, inclusive; and was county attorney from 1887 to 1890, inclusive. He became a member of the Minnesota state board of examiners in law by appointment in May, 1891, and served in that capacity until 1900, when he resigned. In 1900 he was ap- pointed a member of the board of state rail- way commissioners. Mr. Knox was appointed in May. 1901, by the state supreme court as one of the commission to revise and codify the general laws of the state of Minnesota and he was occupied with these duties until April, 1905.
Fraternally Mr. Knox is associated with sev- eral worthy orders, holding membership in the A. F. & A. M., I. O. O. F. and A. O. U. W.
On September 3, 1877. Mr. Knox was united in marriage to Miss Jane Cowing, a native of Adams county, Wisconsin, and a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Davidson) Cowing, pio- hver residents of Jackson. To Mr. and Mrs. Knox have been born the following named children: Elizabeth, born September 23, 1878, died January 27, 1879; John Cowing, born Jannary 7, 1880, died June 10, 1904; Ruth, born June 6, 1884; Thomas Start, born Sep- tember 19, 1888.
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