USA > Minnesota > Jackson County > An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota > Part 65
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In the township of Delafield, in 1899, Mr. Rossow was united in marriage to Annie Hoh- enstein, who was born in Delafield township and who is a daughter of Ilenry Hohenstein. To this union have been born seven children,
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named as follows: Alfred, born September 2, 1899; Erwin and Walter (wins), born Octo- ber 29, 1901; Ella, born April 27, 1903; Esther, born January 27, 1905; Dellwert, born January 9, 1907: Leona, born September 21, 1909.
JAMES C. CALDWELL (1899) is the presi- dent of the First National Bank of Lakefield and is interested in several other lines of musi- ness in that village. He is a native of Column- bia county. Wisconsin, and was born June 22, 1864. llis parents, John and Esther ( Mackay) Caldwell, were born near the city of Glasgow, Scotland. They came to the United States and to Columbia county, Wisconsin, in 1851, where they lived on a farm until their death. John Caldwell died in May, 1878, aged 76 years; his wife died in 1897, aged 76 years.
Our subject resided on the farm with his parents until he was 28 years of age. He ro- ceived a high school education and early in life engaged in teaching, which he followed in his native county eight years. At the age of es, in the spring of 1892, Mr. Caldwell mar- ried and moved to Dane county, Wisconsin. Near the town of Morrisonville he bought a farm, which he conducted until his removal to Jackson county in 1899.
Upon his arrival Mr. Caldwell bought a farm in Heron Lake township and engaged in farming until 1903. That year he moved to Lakefield and engaged in the real estate busi- ness. In 1906 he was chosen president of the First National Bank and has since presided over that financial institution, devoting his entire time to its management.
Mr. Caldwell is a firm believer in the prin- ciples of cooperation and has put his ideas into successful practice in Lakefield. Largely through his efforts the bank stock was dis- posed of to farmers, so that now the bank is practically a farmers bank. To his efforts is also dne the organization and success of the Lakefield Farmers Cooperative Elevator com- pany, which was incorporated for $50,000 on November 4, 1905, and of which he is the sec- ietary. Mr. Caldwell is also president of, aml was instrumental in organizing, the Jackson Cooperative company, a corporation organized for handling general merchandise. This com- pany has a paid up capital of $20,000.
In Arlington township. Columbia county, Wisconsin. on March 15, 1892. occurred the marriage of Mr. Caldwell to Miss Agnes M.
Mair, a daughter of Andrew Mair, a native of Scotland and a large land owner of Columbia county, Wisconsin, where he now resides. To Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell have been born two children, Bessie R. and Esther May. The fam- ily are members of the Presbyterian church.
HENRY M. MILLER (1872) has spent his entire life of nearly thirty-eight years in Dela- field township, having been born on his fath. er's homestead-the northeast quarter of see- tion 22 on the third day of May, 1872. His father. Charles II. Miller, now a resident of Windom, was born in Sweden, came to Ameri- ca when a young man and homesteaded in Delafield township, Jackson county, in 1871. The mother of our subject was Sarah L. (Michaelson) Miller, who was a native of Wis- cousin and who died in 1906 at the age of fifty-five years. Our subjeet was the oldest of a family of seven children, named as follows: llenry M., Martha, Ida. John, Albert. Emma and Oscar (deceased.)
Until he was twenty-one years of age llen- ry worked for his father on the ohl home- stead. During this time he received a country school education. When he reached his ma- jority he rented land on section 15 and en. gaged in farming on his own account. In 1896 he bought the 120 acre farm on section 15, then entirely unimproved, erected the build- ings, set out the grove, fenced the land, and made all the improvements the farm now con- tains.
Mr. Miller is a man of family, having been married in Delafield township October 25, 1821, to Julia Tobiason, who was born in Chris- tiania township March 2. 1874. She is the daughter of Anders and Olena (Anderson) To- biason. To Mr. and Mrs. Miller have been born the following named children: Lilly, born October 9, 1895; Mabel. born April 1, 1897; Alma, born April 15. 1900; Minnie, born April 19, 1903; Hazel, born JJune 23. 1904.
JOHN SMITH (1885) is a farmer and land owner of Kimball township and has resided in Jackson county nearly a quarter of a een- Tury. He is a native of Monroe county, New York, and was born June 5, 1865, the son of Fred and Mary (Groth) Smith, both natives of Germany, he having been born in Mecklenberg and she in Prussia. They came to America
JAMES C. CALDWELL
President of the First National Bank of Lakefield and a Believer in Co-operation.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTER, LENOX AND
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
in 1863 and after living in the Empire state nineteen years came to Minnesota and died in Middletown township, Jackson county. They were the parents of six children, of whom the following three are living: Minnie, who lives in New York state; Fred, of Des Moines town- ship; and John, of this sketch.
John spent the first twenty years of his life in his native county, attending school and working at various occupations. He came to Jackson county in 1885 and for thirteen years lived on a farm in Middletown town- ship. Then he moved to Kimball township, where he engaged in farming rented land un- til October, 1909. At that time he moved on- to his present farm, which he had bought the spring before. llis farm is the south half of the southwest quarter of section 32. On Au- gust 13, 1901, Mr. Smith lost his right arm as a result of a runaway accident. The arm was caught in a wagon spring and literally torn off at the elbow.
Mr. Smith was married in Middletown town- ship October 17, 1891, to Mrs. Lena Hamp, a native of Prussia. To them has been born one child, Albert, born October 22, 1892. By a former marriage Mrs. Smith is the mother of five children: Will, born May 9, 1879; August, born April 3, 1881; Freda, born No- vember 24, 1882; Herman, born November 14, 1887; Emma, born November 14, 1887. The family are members of the German Lutheran clureh.
VERNON E. BUTLER (1891), seeretary and treasurer of the Benson Grain company of lIeron Lake, and ex-auditor of Jackson county, is one of the leading business men of Heron Lake. He descends from colonial stock and pioneers of the west. His grandfather, Willis R. Butter, a native of Virginia, settled in Iowa in territorial days and became very wealthy, owning many thousands of acres of land. Butler county, Iowa, was named in his honor.
The parents of our subjeet are the late James Butler and Margaret (Bonwell) Butler. James Butler was born in Coshocton, Ohio. lIe located in Iowa when a young man and from that state enlisted in company G, of the 32nd volunteer infantry, serving until serious- ly wounded, which necessitated his discharge. After the war he located in Butler county, where he engaged in the grain, stock and bank-
ing business. He died September 23, 1880, at the age of 39 years. On his mother's side V. E. Butler descends from an old English family which settled in Virginia and North Carolina in colonial days. Mrs. James Butler was born in Indiana, was married to Mr. But- ler at Clarksville, Butler county, Iowa, and now makes her home with her son in Ileron Lake. She is 68 years of age.
To these parents Vernon E. Butler was born in Butler township, Butler county, lowa, on the 10th day of July, 1865. He received his education in that county and made his home with his parents until seventeen years of age. Then, being in poor health, he spent two years in Kansas and Colorado. Returning to Iowa, Mr. Butler located in Elma, Howard county, and at the age of nineteen years en- gaged in the hotel business, which he follow- ed until 1889. That year he married and mov- ed to Blue Earth City, engaging in the mer- cautile business in partnership with an nele, A. Bonwell.
Mr. Butler sold out at Blue Earth City in the summer of 1891, and on October 1, of that year, he moved to Heron Lake. He seenred a position as bookkeeper for J. W. Benson in that gentleman's general store, at which work he was employed several years. In 1894 Mr. Butler received the republican nomination for county anditor, but was defeated at the elec- tion by 32 votes. He made the race again in 1896 and was elected by two votes. He was reelected in 1898 by over 800 plurality. His term of office expiring January 1, 1901, Mr. Butler, having refused to again become a ean- didate, retired to private life. That year le and J. W. Benson and F. S. Kingsbury or- ganized and incorporated the Benson Grain company, Mr. Butler becoming secretary and treasurer. The company was first incorporated for $100,000 but later the capital stock was raised to $200,000 . It is the owner of twenty- two elevators and one flouring mill in Minne- sota and northeastern Nebraska. In Febru- ary, 1906, Mr. Butler purchased the Kings- bury interests in this company.
In official life Mr. Butler has taken an ae- tive part and has held a number of local of- fiees. Ile has served as a member of the Heron Lake village council and has been president of that body. He holds the office of president of the board of education and has been a mem- ber of the board for five years. Mr. Butler affiliates with the Methodist Episcopal church.
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lle is a member of the A. F. & A. M., the M. 1. .. and the Yeomen lodges.
Mr. Butler was married in Elkader, Clayton county, lowa, June 20, 1889, to Bessie 1. Fair- field, a native of lowa. Her parents were na- tives of Massachusetts, settled at Niles, In- diana, and later in South Bend, Indiania, where her father died. Her mother is now 73 years of age and makes her home with her daughter in Heron Lake. To Mr. and Mrs. Butler have been born four children, as fol- lows: James Arthur, Grace Gladys, George Vernon and Kenneth Alfred.
WILLIAM EGGESTEIN (1884), farmer and landowner of Middletown township, was born in Cook county, Ilinois, December 4, 1856, the son of Christ and Ricka (Kosdorf) Egge- stein. These parents were born in Germany and came to America when young, settling in Illinois. Mrs. Eggestein died there about 1880. Mr. Eggestein came to Jackson county and engaged in farming in l'etersburg township, where he died in 1899. William is the eldest of eight children, of whom six are living, as follows: William, Daniel, Benjamin, Sarah, Lydia and Emma.
William was brought up on a farm in Cook county, Illinois, and there he received his edu- ration. Ile resided with his parents until he was twenty- three years of age. Then he mar- ried and moved to Chicago, in which city he resided four years, two years of which time he was engaged in the wholesale hay business. lle came to Jackson county in 1881, bought his present farm, the northeast quarter of section 35, Middletown, and that has since been his home. During his residence in that precinct Mr. Eggestein has held several offic- ial positions. He served as chairman of the township board three years and was a mem- ber of the school board of district No. 23 for eighteen consecutive years. He is treasurer of the Middletown Telephone company. He and his family are members of the Evangeli- cal Association.
Mr. Eggestein was married at Park Ridge, Cook county, Illinois, October 9, 1879, to Fred- erika Eggestein, a native of Germany. To them have been hoin the following eight chil- dren: Ida, born August 19. ISSO; Tilda, born October 17, 1852: William. born March 11, 1584: Alvin. born March 10, 1886; Walter, born August 7. 15%; Edwin, born February 14,
1892; Esther, born April 5, 1896; Alma, born April 25, 189S.
JOHN HAGERSON (1879), grain buyer at. Okabena, has been a resident of Jackson conn- ty since he was two years of age. He was born in Goodhne county, Minnesota, October 14, 1877. the son of Edward E. and Ambuhe Berg. In April, 1879, the family located in Jackson county, and our subject lived in the village of Lakefield from the time of its founding until 1901. le bought grain at Granada one year. and since that time has been engaged in the same business at Okaben. Mr. Hagerson owns a quarter section of land in northern Min- nesota. He is a member of the M. W. A. lodge.
HENRY TER HAAR (1899). sheriff of Jack- son county, was born in Sheboygan county, Wisconsin, March 23, 1968, the son of Herman J. and Jane (Ruseling) Terllaar. He received his education in Sheboygan county and resided there until twenty years of age.
He left home in ISSS and located at St. Croix, Wisconsin, where for the next five years he was employed in a creamery, making but. ter and cheese. In 1893 Mr. Terllaar made a trip to the west, visiting Montana, Idaho. Washington, Colorado and Utah. He returned and located temporarily at Alton, lowa, and later at Luverne. In 1894 he moved to Edger- ton. Minnesota, where for five years he was employed in a creamery. In January, 1899, he located in Heron Lake and for the next eight years sold groceries for John Saxton & Co .. of Chicago.
Mr. Terllaar was elected sheriff of Jackson county on the democratie ticket in 1906 and was reelected in 1908. His present term ex. pires January 1, 1911. Ile owns 320 acres of real estate in Hubbard county, Minnesota. Hle is a member of the Masonic and Knights of Pythias lodges.
Sheriff Terllaar has been married twice. His first marriage occurred at Baldwin. Wisconsin, February 15, 1590. when he wedded Jennie Demaster. He was married September 15, 1898. to Miss Rose Mulroy, of Adrian. To this union have been born two children: Bertha M., born September 26, 1899; Katherine, born No. vember 29, 1902.
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JOSEPH UKOSICK (1891) is a farmer and land owner of Hunter township. He was born in Austria in 1870, the son of John and Katie Ukosick. The former is dead; the latter is the wife of Albert Dunai.
Joseph was seventeen years of age when he came to America and Joeated in New Haven county, Connecticut. The first three years of his life in the new world were spent work- ing in a straw hat and matting factory; then he deenled to come west. He came to Jackson county, lived here two months and then went to Chicago, where he was one year. Coming to Jackson county again in 1891 he located permanently. Until 1901 he engaged in farm- ing rented land. Then he bought his present farm, the northwest quarter of section 32, Hunter township, and has since made his home there, making most of the improvements on his farm.
Mr. Ukosick was married in Jackson county in September, 1892, to Tessi Dunai. also a na- tive of Austria. The following named seven children have been born to this union: Katie, born October 29, 1893; Frank, born March 13, 1895; Mary, born Mareli 23, 1897; Annie, born May 18, 1898; Joseph, born August 14. 1899; Francie, born October 20, 1902; Jacob, born July 22, 1905. The family are members of the Catholic church.
PETER D. MeKELLAR (1886), county an- ditor of Jackson county, has resided in the county twenty-three years. He was born near the village of MeGregor, Clayton county, Iowa, December 14, 1860, his parents being Archibald and Christine (Nelson) MeKellar. The father died in 1903. aged 71 years; the mother lives in Heron Lake.
The subject of this biography was educated in the common schools of Clayton county, fin- ishing his education with a course in the Bay- less Business college of Dubuque, Iowa. Until he was twenty-six years of age he resided on the farm with his parents in Clayton county. He came with them to Jackson county in Sep- tember. 1886, and for two years lived on the home farm in Alba township. Going then to Postville. Allamakee county, Iowa, he worked one year in the employ of an implement dealer and one season for the Warder-Bushnell & Glessner Harvester company.
Returning to Jack-on county. Mr. MeKellar located at Heron Lake. For one year he worked
in an elevator and then engaged in the im- plement business in that town in partnership with J. C. Buckeye, the firm name being P. D. MeKellar and company. He sold out his interests in the business in 1896 and until May, 1898, devoted his time to the well, pump and windmill business. During the sea- son of 1898 he was in the employ of the J. I. Case Threshing Machine company, but dur- ing the season of 1899 and 1900 was again engaged in the well business. Mr. MeKellar was elected county auditor in November, 1900. and the first of the following year entered upon his duties. He has since been elected every two years and his present term expires January 12 1911. He held the office of township clerk of Alba township in 1887 and in 1894 was a member of the Heron Lake village coun- cil.
Mr. MeKellar was married at Mankato Decem- ber 17, 1900, to Amanda Veigel, a native of the city in which she was married. To them have been born three children, as follows: Pierre A., Jean and Margaret. He is a member of the Masonie Blue Lodge and Chapter and of the I. O. O. F. and A. O. U. W. lodges.
GEORGE II. SMITH (1887), teacher of the school in district No. 91, Ewington township, is one of the best known edueators of western Jackson county and has devoted his entire life to educational work.
Mr. Smith was born in Phoenix, Michigan, April 25, 1866. When four years of age his parents moved to Dodgeville, Iowa county, Wiseonsin, and in that town our subjeet grew to manhood and secured his early education. JIe was graduated from the Dodgeville high school in 1886 and later took a course of study at the Iowa state normal school, Cedar Falls. lle completed his education in the Cherokee (Iowa) Institute, from which he was graduated in 1891.
During the years Mr. Smith was securing his education he spent the summer months work- ing on farms and teaching at intervals. He came to Jackson county in 1887 and for the last twenty years has been engaged in teaching school, having taught in Jackson county during the past fifteen years. He has had charge of the west school in district No. 91 for the last six years. Mr. Smith owns the northeast quarter of section 14, Ewington township, where he
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makes his home and where he engages in farm- ing to a limited extent.
Our subjeet is the youngest of a family of tive children. llis father, Mark Smith, was an Englishman by birth and a carpenter by trade. Ile came to the United States in 1865, lived in Michigan and Wisconsin, and finally loeat- ed in Jackson county, Minnesota, where he died in 1908 at the age of 83 years. Our sub- ject's mother was Thomasine Prideaux, who was born and married in England. She died in Jackson county at the age of 74 years.
Mr. Smith was married in Cherokee county, lowa, June 19, 1895, to Stella A. Smith, who was born in Scott county, lowa, in 1869. To this union have been born the fol- lowing named children: Irene, Jennie, Paul, Clarence and Mildred. Mr. Smith is a member of the Evangelical Association church and is superintendent of the Sunday school of that society. He holds the office of clerk of the Ewington township board of supervisors.
JOIN HARM (1888) is a Belmont township farmer who owns the southwest quarter of section 23, upon which he has lived twenty- one years. Ile is a native of Germany and was born August 17, 1854. His parents were Fred and Mary (Engelbrecht) Harm, and he is the only living child, a brother and sister, Fred and Reka, having died.
At the age of nine years, in 1863, John ac- companied his parents to America and lived with them in Wheeling, Cook county, Illi- nois, until 1888. That year the family came to Jackson county and located upon the farm Mr. Ilarm now owns. He lived with his par- ents until their death, which occurred four- teen years ago. He then fell heir to the farm and has since conducted it.
In Cook county, Illinois, in ISS7, Mr. Harm was married to Dora Prihs, a native of Ger- many, and to them have been born five child- ren: Ilelen. Millie, Lizzie, Otto and Lillie. The family are members of the German Luth- eran church. He served six years as a mem- ber of the township board and has been direc- tor of school district No. 79 for the past four years.
ADAM VOENL (1896). Rost township farmer. was born in Kurfersten, Ilessen, Germany. Oc- tober 6, 1816, the son of John and Clara (Hell-
wel) Voehl. llis father, who was born in 1802, died when Adam was six years old. llis mother was born June 14, 1814, and died in Illinois December 28, 1883.
Adam Vochl lived in Germany until nine- teen years of age, receiving an education in the public schools and working on the farm. Ile came to the United States with a brother in 1867 and settled in l'eru, Illinois. There he worked out by the month at farm work six years. At the end of that time he moved to Iroquois county, Illinois, where he lived until coming to Jackson county in 1890. For many years he farmed a rented farm there and dur- ing the last eight years of his residence in Illinois owned real estate.
It was in February, 1896, that Mr. Voebl came to Jackson county to reside. Some lit- tle time before he had bought the west half of section 23, Rost township, and when he came it was upon that farm that he located. Six years after his arrival he bought the northwest quarter of section 26, of the same township, both of which pieces of land he still owns. The farm was only partly improved when he bought it; today it is one of the fine farms of the township.
Mr. Voehl engages quite extensively in stockraising and has interests in the Rost creamery and the farmers elevator at Lake- field. lle is a member of the German Lutheran church of Rost township.
Mr. Voehl is a man of family, having been married at Buekley. Illinois, February 3. 1851, to Mary Poppentick, who was born in Illinois April 12, 1861. To these parents have been born seven children, as follows: Clara (Mrs. Herman A. Rost), of Lakefickl, born February 7, 1883; Lizzie, born March 17, 1887; Jolin, born January 21, 1889; Mary, born March 10, 189]; Annie, born April 19, 1893; Freda, born August 16, 1896; Willie, born March 23, 1899.
CHARLES MILLER (1887), who is the street commissioner of Heron Lake and who is employed in other official capacities con- nected with the management of municipal af- fairs, has resided in lleron Lake twenty-two years and has been a resident of southwestern Minnesota for a much longer period. Germany is the country of his nativity and the date of his birth was October 2, 1848. le accompan- ied his parents. Charles and Elizabeth Miller, to the new world in 1834, when he was only
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six years of age, and until he was twenty-four years old lived with them in Montgomery county, Ohio where his parents died.
Our subject was educated in Montgomery county and when a boy began working at the milling business under his father's instruction. The flouring mill in which he learned his trade in Ohio was bought in 1873 by parties who moved it to Worthington, the new town found- ed by the National Colony company of Ohio. Mr. Miller assisted in moving the machinery to its new location and assisted in the recon- struction of the mill at Worthington. After it was put in running order he was retained as one of the millers in charge, and he was so employed until 1877.
That year Mr. Miller moved to Bingham Lake and in partnership with three others built a flouring mill, with which he was eon- nected two years. Selling out to his partners, he moved to Red River, North Dakota, and for a short time had charge of a flouring mill owned by the Hudson's Bay company. From that point he went to Rock Rapids, Iowa, and had charge of a mill until 1SS7. He then lo- cated in Heron Lake and in partnership with his father-in-law, John Behrenfeld, erected the flouring mill in that village. He was in charge of that mill until 1896 or 1897, when he sold out to Pitner & Lynch, who in turn sold to J. W. Morgan. The mill was burned down in recent years.
In 1901 Mr. Miller was made street com- missioner of Heron Lake, a position he has held ever since. He also assists in managing the gas plant and has charge of the pumping .station and city hall. He is a member of the Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and Wood- men lodges.
Mr. Miller was married in Montgomery county, Ohio, in the spring of 1872, to Annie Myers, of Dayton, Ohio. Sbe died at Worth- ington in 1877, aged 27 years. The second marriage of Mr. Miller occurred at Worthing- ton September 7. 1878, when he wedded Bertha Behrenfeld. a native of Carver county, Min- nesota, and a daughter of John Behrenfeld. To this union have been born five children: Charles E., born April 2. 1884; Arthmr B., born September 16, 1891; Herbert J., born November 17, 1894. Two children, Cora and Emma, died at early ages.
LAURITZ P. PETERSEN (1887) is a Pet- ersburg farmer and stoekraiser. He owns
and resides upon the northwest quarter of seetion 25 and owns the southeast quarter of section 16. He was born in Kolding, Den- mark, July 19, 1848, the son of Hans P. and Anna M. (Bryda) Petersen.
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