USA > Minnesota > Jackson County > An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota > Part 54
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
and the next year locating in Fillmore county, Minnesota, and for several years worked at his trade in Fillmore and Mower counties. When Windom was founded he moved to that town and was engaged in the lumber business there until the fall of IS74.
Selling out his interests in Windom in the fall of 1874. Mr. Wood came to Jackson coun- ty and located on the farm of his brother. ... E. Wood, on section 23. Des Moines township. lle lived there several years and then moved onto the farm upon which he now resides a farm which he had bought previous to coming to the county. Since then he has resided on the farm engaged in farming and working at his trade. Mr. Wood is a member of the Ma- sonie order.
In July. 1865, Mr. Wood was married in Jackson county to Helen Wheeler, n native of New York state and a daughter of Isaac Wheeler, who came to Jackson county in an early day and homesteaded the land upon which Leonard Ashley now lives, just south of Jackson. Mrs. Wood died May 5, 1878, at the age of thirty years. They were the parents of three children: Evalina (Mrs. William Rew), of South Dakota: Emmogene (Mrs. Bert Wil- ford), of Jackson county; Elmer, who lives in northern Minnesota.
JOSEPH E. THOMAS (1858), now a resi- dent of Windom, was one of the very earliest residents of Jackson county, and there are few men living who gazed upon the country of Jack- sun county before he did. It was in the spring of 1858 that our subject, then a boy nine years of age, accompanied his parents to the all but deserted Jackson county country and set- tled on the Des Moines river within the present incorporate limits of the village of Jackson. He grew up with the country and took part in many of the thrilling events of pioneer days.
Joseph E. Thomas was born in New York state March 11, 1819, the son of those well known pioneers of the county, Joseph and lane (Van In Wegint Thomas, When he was three years of age the family moved to Five. port. Illinois, and in 1855 they came farther west and located at Newton. Towa. In Iss they pushed out farther onto the frontier and settled on what is now known as Thomas hill. across the river from the business section of Jackson. For a number of year- the family
lived in a cabin, which had been deserted by an earlier settler.
Our subject grew up amid the surroundings of typical frontier lite. Four years after the family had established their home came the sioux war and the Thomas family were obliged to temporarily desert their home, living one year in Spirit Lake, Joseph received a meager education in the frontier schau! and at the age of fifteen years began driving stage. For two years he drove the Jackson Blue Earth City stage, and for six years drove the stage be- tween Jackson and Madelia. During these Years he gained a reputation as a stage driver excelled by no one. On only one occasion did he miss a trip, and then it was not his fault, but owing to the inability to cross Elm crock in the early spring.
After growing up Mr. Thomas engaged in farming. In 1890 he moved to the vicinity of Windom. where he engaged in farming until 1906. when he retired from active life, since which time he has lived in Windom. For ten years Mr. Thomas served as constable of Jackson and for two years he was a school di- rector. Ile is a member of the Episcopal church.
Mr. Thomas was married September 22, 1878. to Ella M. Miner, a native of New York state and a daughter of Aiken Miner, a pioneer res !. dent of Jackson and later of Worthington. To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have been born the fol- Bowing named children: Lulu. deceased; Edgar. Nellie, deceased: Mac. Alice, deceased; Eva, dereased ; Franeis.
DR. CHARLES R. J. KELLAM (1879), pro- prietor of a Heron Lake drug store and a med- ical practitioner. is one of the well known resi- dents of Jackson county, having been engaged in business at Heron Lake for thirty years. lle was born at the Choctaw agency in Indian territory August 16, 1837. the son of Rev. Charles R. Kellam and Elizabeth (Person) Kel- lam, natives of Vermont and Massachusetts, re- speetively. The father was sent in 1836 18 a missionary to the Choctaw Indians soon after their removal from Georgia.
The subject of this biography received his early education from his parents, there being no public school- at the agency. When twelve years of age he entered a school which is now known as the University of Arkansas, of Fax- etteville, Arkansas, and was a student there
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two years. The death of his father caused young Kellam to leave school in order to sup. port himself. and for several years he did this by teaching school. Afterwards he took up the study of medicine under a local physician.
Anticipating the impending conflict between the north and south and his sympathies being with the north. Mr. Kellam, in the fall of 1859, left Arkansas and located at Peacham, Ver- mont. He conducted a book store there for a time and later worked for the Fairbanks Scale company at St. Johnsbury, Vermont. On April 15, 1861, he enlisted as a member of company C, of the Third Vermont regiment of infantry, and took part in nearly all the battles of the army of the Potomac up to the evacuation of the peninsula. Because of illness he was dis- charged October 6, 1862, but later enlisted in the Ninth Vermont infantry. He was promo- ted to the position of hospital steward and served in that capacity until he was discharged on November 6, 1865.
Mr. Kellam spent the rest of the year 1865 and part of 1866 as a student in Harvard Medical college, of Boston, and later practiced medicine in Vermont and New Hampshire. He was graduated from Dartmouth Medical college in 1868 and soon after moved to Lynn. Massa- (Imisetts. Dr. Kellam was broken down in health, and in 1876 eame west, locating at St. Charles. Minnesota, where he practiced his pro- fession until November, 1879. At that time he located at Heron Lake, since which time he has been engaged in the practice of medicine and in the drug business. Eleven years ago. owing to a breakdown in health, Dr. Kellam gave up active practice and confined his energies to the drug trade.
Dr. Kellam is a member of the state medical society and an ex-president of the Minnesota Pharmaceutical association. He has been a member of the Heron Lake board of education for the last twenty-five years and has served as a justice of the peace for the same length of time. Politically he is a republican, and in 1894 was the nominee of his party for the state legislature, but was defeated by the fusion candidate. He was the first commander of B. F. Sweet Post No. 149, G. A. R., is a Royal . Arch Mason, a member of the Eastern Star and of the Odd Fellows lodge.
Dr. Kellam has been married three times. Ilis first marriage was on August 16, 1856, when he wedded Sarah E. Carter, of Peacham, Ver- mont. Five children were born to this union, of
whom the following three are living: W. I. Kellam, druggist of Kilkenny, Minnesota; T. Il. Kellam and A. C. Kellam, a grocer of Lynn, Massachusetts. Dr. Kellam's second wife was Emma M. Noyes, of Chelsea, Vermont. One daughter, Mrs. Alice E. Brooks, now residing at Springfield, Massachusetts, was born to this union. Dr. Kellam was married to his present wife January 1, 1880. She was Mary C. Scher- merhorn, of Albany. New York. To them were born the following named eight children: Ansel B., of St. Paul: Alex S., of Duluth; Mand. a Jackson county school teacher; Wil- liam Il., mate on a Columbia river steamboat; Clarence W .. of the United States navy; ller- bert K., Ruth and Charles R. J. Kellam.
GUNDER A. HUSBY (1868), member of the firm of T. Il. Stall & Co., which owns one of the general merchandise stores of Jackson, is an early day settler of the county. Hle was born in Trondjam, Norway, January 22, 1863, the only son of a family of five children born 10 Gunder and Sarah (Kyllo) Husby. The father died in 1882; the mother now lives on the old farm in Belmont township and is eighty-two years old.
The family emigrated to America in 1866, and located in Goodhue county, Minnesota. They came to Jackson county in the year 1868, and the father took a homestead claim on the north half of section 26, Belmont township. On that elaim our subject grew to manhood. He received an education in the district school and upon the death of his father when the son was eighteen years of age he took the man- agement of the farm. Hle conducted that un- til he moved to the village of Jackson and en- tered the mercantile business, having purchased an interest in the store two years previous.
Mr. Ilusby was married in Belmont town- ship October 7. 1885, to Lena Peterson, who was born in Norway and who came to the United States when a young woman. She is the daughter of Peter Peterson, an early Jack- son county settler. To this union have been born seven children, as follows: Mark, Sena, Plume, Gilmore, Alice, who died at the age of one year; Blanch and Hazel.
Mr. Husby owns a farm in Belmont town- ship and property in Jackson. He served four years as clerk of school district No. 79. lle is a member of the Lutheran church and of the
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A. O. U. W., the E. F. U. and the Sons of Norway lodges.
HANS O. SKINRUD (1870) is a homestead- er and one of the pioneer settlers of Delafield township, having made his home on the farm he now occupies for the last forty years. Mr. Skinrud is a native of Norway and was born February 14, 1848, the youngest of a family of seven children born to Ole and Martha Skin- rud. The father of our subject died when Hans was one and one-half years old; his mother died when he was eight years old.
Hans grew to early manhood in Norway, attending school and working on a little farm. When eighteen years of age he came to Amer- ica and spent the first few years of his life in Lafayette county, Wisconsin. Ile came to Jackson county in 1870 and took as a home- stead claim the northeast quarter of section S, Delafield township, upon which he has ever since lived. He hanled lumber from Mankato and St. James and ereeted a little frame build - ing on the claim, building a sod addition to it. lle experienced hard times during the terrible grasshopper times that came upon the country soon after his arrival and several summers was obliged to desert his elaim to work in the eastern counties to earn enough money to meet the expenses of living. He remained with the country and has prospered, adding to his holdings about twenty years ago by the purchase of an adjoining quarter seetion of land.
Mr. Skinrud was married in Lafayette eoun- ty, Wisconsin, in May, 1870, to Louisa Tollofs- ind. also a native of Norway. Mr. and Mrs. Skinrud are the parents of five children, three of whom are living: Tillie (Mrs. Paul Molden). born December 11, 1876; Helen (Mrs. Albert Nestrud), horn January 12, ISSO; Henry, who condnets the home farm. born April 29, 1884. married May 5, 1909; Bessie, born March 26, -acres of land on the northeast quarter of see- 1871, died May 5, 1883: Olaf, born February 13, 1875; died March 27. 1875. The family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church. In the early days Mr. Skinrud served as a member of the township board of supervisors.
1 .. A. FOSS (Furuseth) (1869) is one of the pioneer settlers of Delafield township and one of the best known residents of that precinct. lle owns a fine farm on the bank of Minno-
seka luke, one mile south of the village of Wi !- der. The home farm consists of 148 aeres on the northwest quarter of section IS, and he owns in addition eighty aeres on section 17 and a quarter section of land in Norman county, Minnesota.
Mr. Foss was born in Land, Norway, Febru- ary 11, 1852, the son of Anton Mikkelsen Fur- useth and Martha (Larson) Svecom. The form - er died March 5, ISSG; the latter October 10, 1898. Until he was sixteen years of age L. A. Foss lived in his native country, securing a good education and working on the farm. flo accompanied his parents to America in IS6S and located in Olmsted county, Minnesota. There young Foss continued his schooling, tak- ing a course in English, and working on a farm. In May, 1869, the family came to Jackson county, and the father of our subject took as a homestead claim eighty acres of his son's present farm, taking another eighty acres as a preemption claim. At this early day the nearest neighbor was seven miles away, on Heron lake, and lumber for the pioneer cabin of the Minneseka lake country had to be hauled from Lake Crystal. Wild game was plentiful in the neighborhood and the Fosses made their living for several years principally by trapping.
The rest of the family remained to make their permanent home in Jackson county, but 1 .. A. Foss went back to his old home in Olnt- sted county. where for two years he worked on a farm. Returning to Jackson county in 187], he took employment with the Sioux City & St. Paul Railroad company, which was then .extending its line through this part of the county, and for two years worked for that company. He again returned to Olmsted com- ty, was married there in 1875, and for two years engaged in farming on rented land. Again he came back to Jackson county, this time to remain permanently. He bought 120
tion 18. Delafield township, and engaged in farming. That was his home until 1905, when he located upon the present place-his father's old homestead. He purchased the eighty acre traet on scetion 17 in 1897 and his present farm in 1899. Mr. Foss rents most of his land and farms only a small part of it him- self. having retired from hard work and ac- tive business.
Mr. Foss is interested in several lines of en- deavor besides his farming operations. He owns
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stock in the creamery company of Wilder, in the Sontag Lumber company of Heron Lake and in the Jackson County Cooperative com- pany's store at Lakefield. He served as treas- urer of school district No. 28 for twelve years and was a Delafield township supervisor four years. Ile and his family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Delafield.
In Olmsted county, Minnesota, on May 24, 1875, Mr. Foss was married to Anne C. Even- son, who was born in Olmsted county Decem- ber 17, 1858. To these parents have been born a large family of children, named as follows: Albert, born August 20, 1876, died December 23, 1894; John, of Weimer township, born Oc- tober 16, 1878; Oscar, of Delafield township, born December 9, 1880; Mary Ella ()Irs. Otto Bailey), of Berlin, North Dakota, born Decem- ber 11, 1882; Tillie Bertina (Mrs. Martin En- deward). of Watertown, South Dakota, born August 28, 1885; Walter Levi, born December 23, 1887, died June, 1889; Walter L., born August 20, 1889; Lillie Amanda, born Decem- ber 3, 1891; Elmer, born January 30, 1894; Albert Clifford, born April 27, 1896, died De- cember 21, 1896; Manton, born January 30, 1898; Verna C., born March 31, 1901.
ROBERT H. LUENEBURG (1878) is the edi- tor and publisher of the Lakefield Standard and an early day settler of Jackson county. Hc first saw the light of day in Krakow, Ger- many, on March 16, 1863. His parents, Lud- wig and Caroline (Wicherd) Lueneburg, are both read, the former having died March 16, 1906, aged 80 years; the latter on April 8, 1900, aged 76 years.
Robert accompanied his parents to the new world in 1872 and for two years lived at Her- mann, Missouri. From 1874 to 1878 the family home was near Spring Valley, in Fill- more county, Minnesota, and in the year last named they came to Jackson county and lo- cated on section 10, Rost township, about six miles west of the present village of Lakefield. Robert remained on his father's farm until 1883 and then he went to Jackson and entered the office of the Jackson Republic as an appren- tice, the paper then being under the manage- ment of Burt W. Day. One year later Mr. Lueneburg went to Edgerton, bought a half in- terest in the Enterprise and conducted the pa- per one year.
Early in October, 1885, Mr. Lueneburg moved
to Lakefield and bought the Minnesota Citizen. The next spring he changed the name of the journal to Lakefield Standard, presided over its destinies until the fall of 189], and then sold out to Crawford Brothers. He ran a paper at White Bear a short time after moving from Lakefield and then went to Brownton, Mc- Leod county, and founded the Bulletin. He dis- posed of his interests at Brownton, in the spring of 1896 and established the Free Press at Elgin. Wabasha county. He returned to Lakefield in the spring of 1900 and bought the Lakefield Herald, which he ran about two and one-half years, and then sold to C. S. Bell. IIc conducted a job office in Lakefield for about two years, and then in September, 1906, re- turned to his first love and purchased the Lakefield Standard, which had been consoli- dated with the Herald in May, 1904. At the time of making the purchase J. W. Daubney secured a balf interest.
Mr. Lueneburg served as recorder of Lake- field village from ISS7 to 1890 and in 1895 he held a clerkship in the Minnesota state sen- ate.
The subject of this biography was married at Spring Valley, Minnesota, October 31, ISS6, to Emma Kummer, a native of that village. Four children have been born to Mr and Mrs. Lueneburg, of whom the following two are liv- ing: Raymond, born October 27, 1890; Lois, born April 25, 1905.
WILLIAM SCHUMACHER (1872), of West Heron Lake township, is a native Minnesotan and he has resided in Jackson county since he was two years old, moving at that age with his parents from Brown county, where he was born December 9, 1869. His parents are Henry and Caroline Schumacher, natives of Germany. The former came to the United States in 1853 and the next year took up his residence in New Ulm, Minnesota. There he was married and engaged in farming until 1872. That year he moved to Jackson county, took a home- stead and tree claim in Atba township. and resided on the farm until 1905, when he moved to Heron Lake village. There he and his wife now reside. They are 77 and 73 years of age, respectively, and are the parents of seven chil- dren.
William Schumacher resided on the old home- stead in Alba township with his parents until 1892, working on the farm and attending tlie
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district school when a boy. In 1892 he married and moved to West Heron Lake Township. where he bought the northwest quarter of section 7. and where he has since lived. He ha , made all the improvements on the place, and by industry and frugalty has prospered.
Mr. Schumacher was married on his father's add homestead on May 11, 1892, 10 Bessie Sev. erson, a native of Wisconsin. They have live children, as follows: Clayton. born February 17. 1893: Sadie, born June 25, 1895: Herby. born April 29, 1899; Mice born May 6, 1902: Roy. born February 12. 1904.
Mr. Schumacher is a member of the A. O. U. W. and M. W. A. lodges.
FERDINAND K. HABERMAN (1872) is one of the successful farmers and pioneer settlers of LaCrosse township. He owns a 280 Here well improved farm on section 20 and has giv- en to his sons 320 acres of farming land in the vicinity. Having had absolutely nothing when he arrived in the county, by hard work and frugality he has accumulated a small for- tune and is in prosperous circumstances.
Mr. Haberman was born in Austria April 7. 1853, the son of John and Ama Haberman. The former lives in Lacrosse township: the latter died when Ferdinand was seven year- of age. Our subject learned the weaver's tra.le in Austria and in 1822 came to America. After stopping a few weeks in Wisconsin he came to Jackson county. While on the road here he ran out of money and was obliged to walk from Winnebago City to Heron Lake, arriving in the latter village on the third day. He at once went to work in the harvest fields and by saving his money was soon on his feet again.
The first two years Mr. Haberman lived with his parents on section 30, LaCrosse township: then he married and took as a homestead chim the east half of the northwest quarter of see- tion 20 a part of his present farm erected a sod shanty thereon, and began farming. Later he built a sun dried brick house with a straw roof. Because of crop failures during the grasshopper times he was obliged to work ont in neighboring counties to make a living for himself and family. Staying with the country through the dark days, he weathered the storm- of adversity and in time came upon prosperon- times, and today is rated as one of the well to do farmers of the neighborhood.
Mr. Haberman served as treasurer of school district No. 33 for sixteen years. He and hi, family are members of the Catholic church of lleron Lake.
Our subject was married in Nobles county in the fall of Is74 to Mary Nimmerzhter, also a native of Austria. To this union have been horn the following named children: Florian. horn 1875: William, born Ist: Carl. born ISTS: Mathilda, born Issl: Mary, horn Iss4; Regena. horn Isso: Ferdinand. born 1891; Frederica, born 1897.
JESSE F. ASHLEY (18), a retired busi- hess man of Jackson, is a gentleman who-e name is inseparably linked with the early his tory of the village in which he has lived so many years and with JJackson county. From the 29th day of dune. Is66, when he first came to the county, up to the present time he has had continuons residence here and has taken part in many of the incident- of pioneer his- tory,
Jesse Ashley was born in the county of Tioga, Pennsylvania, on the lith day of AAug. ust. 1849. the son of Welch and Margaret Ashley. Up to his seventeenth year be re- sided on his father's farm in his native conn- ty, where he seenred an education in the com. mon school -. Coming to the little settlement of Jackson in the summer of Isto. he took a position in his father's saw mill, at which he was engaged until he became of age. When his father platted the Jackson townsite. lesse assisted the surveyor, dame- E. Palmer, in the work. In company with Lant Thoms- and l'eter Kingsley he went to Garden City. sixty-two miles distant, in 1867 for the pur pose of bringing back flour to relieve the auf- fering of those who were in need. The com- try was flooded by melting snow- and the party experienced much suffering on the trip. At Blue Earth it was found necessary to con- struet a boat to ferry the teams over the swol len stream. The party was gone thirteen days, Inn was successful in bringing back the much needed article of food. The flour sold for thirteen dollars per hundred weight, which was the actual cost of getting it in.
Upon reaching his majority the subject of this biography purchased a farm in Middle- town township and engaged in farming several years. Three years of this time he had a government contract and carried the mail he.
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tween Jackson and St. James. During the time he lived on the farm he held the offices of township clerk, assessor and other offices.
Giving up his farming operations, Mr. Ash- ley moved to JJackson and for about ten years conducted a store and meat market. Later he engaged in other mercantile pursuits and be- came the local agent for the Standard Oil company. A few years ago he gave up aetive participation in business affairs and now lives a retired life.
JOIN BESSER (1876) is one of the pio- neer settlers of Alba township and owns the southeast quarter of seetion 14. Hle is a na - tive of Ohio and was born July 16, 1858. He was brought up and educated in his native state. Ilis father died when he was a child and John worked out for neighboring farmers until he was nineteen years of age.
Mr. Besser came to Minnesota in 1876 and for a year worked on a farm near Brewster. He was married in 1877 and took as a home- stead claim eighty aeres of his present farm and has ever since lived on the place. He is a member of the German Lutheran church of Brewster and for several years served as treasurer of school district No. 102.
The marriage of Mr. Besser occurred at Brewster, Minnesota, in 1877, when he wedded Catherine Barton, who was born at Chaska, Carver county, Minnesota, October 30, 1855. Three children have been born to this union, as follows: Andrew, born November 24. 1879; Frank, born January 16, 1882; Fred, born Aug- ust 21. 1894.
Frank Besser, the second son. was born in Hersey township. Nobles county, January 16. 1882, and has spent his entire life on the farm. He was educated in the school of distriet No. 102 and spent his early years assisting his father with the farm work. In 1907 he ac- quired eighty acres of land from his father and engaged in farming for himself, and in the spring of 1910 he rented and took the man- agement of his father's farm. Ile is a mem- ber of the German Lutheran church and is treasurer of school district No. 102. He is not married.
CARL FRANTSEN (1873), Belmont town- ship farmer, was born in that precinet Febru- ary 2, 1873, the son of John and Johanna
(Halverson) Frantsen. His parents were born in Norway and came to America when young. They were married a year before their arrival and in an early day came to Jackson county and homesteaded in Belmont township, where they lived until their death. There are seven children of the family living: Ferdinand, Mrs. Nels Ilol-ten. Carl, Mrs. George Lilleberg (de- ceased ), William, Mrs. Paul Olson, Mrs. Obert Ofson.
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