USA > Minnesota > Jackson County > An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota > Part 75
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PETER E. FREER 0870. of Heron Lake, is an early day settler of western Jackson county. Ile is the son of JJohannes D. and Ann E. ( Hasbrook) Freer, descended from pio- neer New York state stock, the family origin- ally coming from Germany in colonial days. The mother of our subject was a cousin of John Jacob Astor, the founder of the American branch of the Aster family. The father of our subject moved from New York state. to Wineshick county, lowa. in IS56, and settled with his family at Frankville. There he eree- ted and conducted a fouring mill seven or right years. Later he engaged in farming in Winneshick county, and in 1874 came to Jack- son county and homesteaded in Alba town- ship. He located in leron Lake in ISS9 and . died in that village in 1891 at the age of 78 years. His wife died in 1896, aged 78 years.
Mr. and Mrs. Johannes D. Freer were the par- ents of seven children, as follows: Abraham 11., horn May 20, 1810; Sarah A., born May 22, 1812; Newton, born October 20, Isit; Peter E., born April Jo, Ist8; Mary ( .. born August 23. 1550: Nellie D., born August 11, 1853. died November 9. 1553: Walter, born March 29, 1859.
Peter E. Freer, the fourth child of this fam- ily. was born in Ulster county, New York. He accompanied his parents to Winneshirk county, lowa. in 1556 when eight years of age. and in that county he grew to manhood. re- «riving his education and working on his fa- tler's farm and in the flouring mill at Frank- ville. He came with the family to Jackson county in 1874 and took a homestead claim in Alba township. He remained on the home- strad until the fall of 1879, and then took a position as brakeman on the St. Paul and Sioux City railroad. running between Heron Lake and Woodstock. In the fall of 1880 Mr. Freer took a position in the low mill of J. T. Smith. and operated one of the brakes in the mill the following winter. In the sum- mer of Iss1 he was employed on the large farm of Hugh Paul, and that fall operated a threshing machine.
Mr. Freer went to St. Paul in the spring of 1882 and for three months was engaged in teaming there. Ile was in White Bear Lake for a time and then returned to Jackson coun- ty. locating in Heron Lake. In partnership with his brother. W. S. Freer. he rented the Pioneer House, which he conducted for a num- her of years. He also conducted the Chapman House livery barn until the spring of 1881. Re- turning to the farm that year. he engaged in agricultural pursuits until the fall of 1889: then he moved to Heron Lake, rented the Pio- neer House from his brother Walter, and condueted it eleven years. Thereafter until the spring of 1909 he engaged in teaming in Her- on lake. On that date he rented the Waver Tree hotel, which he conducted until the fall of 1909. Mr. Freer owns his home in the vil- lage of Heron Lake. During his residence in Alla township Mr. Freer served two terms as treasurer of his precinct.
Mr. Freer was married to Maggie Golda in Heron Lake March 7. 1893. She was born in Germany and came to America with her fa- ther. Joseph Golda. when one year old. They have six children: Milton S., born February II, 1891; Merlin M., born July 26, 1895; Mand
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
ASTOR, LENOX AND TIDEN FOUNDATIONS
JACKSON COUNTY OFFICERS
P.D.Mckellar, Auditor
H.K.Rue, Treasurer
C.H.Sandon. Judge of Probate
Henry TerHaar, Sheriff
WJACKSON COUNTY COURT HOUSE
L.J. Dostal, Register of Deeds
1
AM.Schroeder. Clerk of Court
J.B.Arp, Superintendent of Schools
J.A.Mansfield, County Attorney
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
A., born June 12, 1908: Myrtle, born December 23. 1901; Raymond, born January 21, 1903, Mary, born August 30, 1905.
PETER BURRESON (1874), whose farm lies in Des Moines township a short distance northwest of the village of Jackson, is a na- tive of the county. having been born on the farm he now eonduets November 21, 1874. His parents, William Burreson and Christie (O)- son) Burreson, were among the very earliest of the settlers of Jackson county. They were born in Norway and came to Jackson county in 1860 with the vanguard of the Norwegian settlers and were living in the county at the time of the Indian massaere of 1862. William Burreson and his wife still live on the old homestead he took in 1860. Eleven children were born to them. of whom the following seven are living: Burr. Emery, Peter, Belle, Bedena. Obena and Annie.
Peter Burreson attended the Jackson county district schools and grew to manhood on his father's farm. Until he was twenty-three years of age he worked for his father; then hr rented the home place on sections 14 and 11 and engaged in farming for himself. In 1909 he bought eighty acres of his father's farm. His place is known as the "Fairview Farm."
JOHN A. MANSFIELD (1904), county at- torney of Jackson county. resides at Lakefield. He is a native Minnesotan, having been born at Mankato July 12, 1879. His father, Charles Mansfield, was of English origin and came to Mankato in 1856. He died there in 1884, aged 56 years. The mother of our subject. Louisa (Burchard) Mansfield, is of German birth. She still resides in Mankato.
John A. Mansfield grew to manhood in his native city and was graduated from the high school there in 1899. He then took a three years' course in the law department of the Michigan state university and later read law in the office of Pfau & Pfau, Mankato. In 1903 he began the practice of his profession at Park Rapids, Minnesota, and in the spring of 1904 located at Lakefield. where he has since resided. He was elected county attorney on the republican ticket in 1908 and assumed the duties of that office at the beginning of the year 1909.
During the Spanish-American war Mr. Mans-
field served as a member of company A, of the Twelfth Minnesota volunteer infantry, and was stationed with his regiment at Chiekamau- ga, Georgia. He is a member of the A. F. & A. M., the M. W. A. and I. O. O. F. lodges.
At Park Rapids, Minnesota, on June 12, 1903. Mr Mansfield was married to Miss Myr- tle Gibson. a native of Ironton, Ohio.
JOHN A. SPAFFORD (1872), farmer and storekeeper of Ewington township and former- ly postmaster of Spofford postoffice, is one of the oldest residents of his precinct. lle is one of the best known residents of western Jackson county and a man who has taken an active part in the business, social and political affairs of the community in which he has lived so long.
Mr. Spafford deseends from one of the oldest families of America. For several centuries be- fore the American family was founded the Spaffords, or Spoffords, as the name was or- iginally spelled, were a people of high rank in England. So early as 1066 we find the name in the Doomsday Book, which is a book of ree- ord of the lands of England as pareelled out after the conquet of William, Duke of Nor- mandy. The American branch of the family was founded by John Spofford, who came to America in 1638 with a colony under the lead- ership of Rev. Ezekiel Rogers. The colony was composed of many families from York- shire and made settlement in April, 1639, be- tween Newbury and Ipswich, in Massachusetts. The name of John Spofford appears on the rec- ord of the first division of lands into home- stead lots, which was made in 1643. His lot consisted of one and one-half acres, and was located on Bradford street, so called, near the center of the present town of Rowley. In the spring of 1669 he moved to Spofford's Hill, in the west part of the town, and he was without doubt the first settler of Georgtown and the progenitor of all of the name in the United States and Canada. His wife was Eliz- aleth Scott. who came to America in the ship Elizabeth in 1634, when nine years of age.
The John A. Spafford of this sketch helongs to the eighth generation in this deseent. One of the sons of the original John Spofford was also named John. He lived on the site of the original settlement on Spofford's Hill, in what is now Georgetown, Massachusetts, where he died April 27, 1696. Jonathan, son of John,
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
wa- a resident of Rowley, where he died Jan- mary It, 1772. aged 89 years, Jacob, con of Jonathan. emigrated to Salisbury. Comeetient. where he lived for many years, and where he died. Colonel Solomon Spafford was a son uf Jacob Spafford. He moved from Connectient to Hallowell, Canada, at which place he died February 2. 1537. One of the sons of Colonel Solomon Spafford. was Ira Spafford, who was born in Vermont, emigrated with his father to Canada, and settled at Hallowell, now Alhol. One of his sons was Heman Spafford, the fa- ther of the subject of this sketch. Heman Spafford was born in Prince Edward county. Ontario, Canada, February 8, 1805, and died in Picton, Prince Edward county. August 26, 1876. Ile was married to Cecelia Abrams, who was born in Ireland in 1812, and died in Bloom- ington. Illinois, June 14. 1894.
To Heman and Cecelia Spafford was born John A. Spatford. His birthplace was Pie- ton. Prince Edward county. Ontario, and the date of his birth was August 20, 1837. In his native county he grew to manhood. His early life was spent in securing a common school education and in working on the farm. When twenty-four years of age he left home and songht his fortune in the west. He de- parted from his native town on the 13th of April. ISel, and arrived in Chicago three days later. There he secured employment in the grain commission house of Baker & Spafford. for which firm he worked two years. In An- gust, 1863, Mr. Spafford moved to Wapella, De Witt county, Illinois, where for two years he was grain buyer for a Chicago commission house.
During those two years he made consider- able money but owing to a general collapse in prices at the close of the civil war. he lost it all. and what was still worse he found himself considerably in debt. During the win- ter of 1865 he was engaged in buying and sacking corn and oats for the commissary de- partment of the government through a sub- agent, who, at the close of the war, found himself over-stocked with grain for which the government would have no use. Mr. Spaf- ford had contracted for much grain from the farmers, advancing some money on each lol. and when the department's demand was ent off, and the markets in the large grain centers tuinbled fifty per cent or more, there was noth- ing left for him to do but take in the con- tracted grain at former prices, to wit: 65 to
70 cent- per bushel for oat- and 55 to 80 cents per Imshet for corn, and put it on the Chicago market at 30 to 40 cents per bushel. In this deal his fortune was swept away, and for six or seven years he knocked about at various occupation- until his removal to dack - son county.
With the rush of homeseekers to southwest. ern Minnesota in the spring of 1872 came Mr. Spafford, the date of his arrival being May 9. For a time he made his home in the new town of Worthington, engaging in team- ing for 1. N. Sator. the pioneer huuber dealer. and other business men. In June he filed a homestead claim to the northwest quarter of section 20. in Ewington township which is now his home. Three months later he re- turned to his old home in Hlinoi-, straightened out his business affairs there. and on October 6 returned with his family. He lived in Wor- thington until the spring of 1873, and then moved onto his homestead. He began farming then, but the grasshoppers took nearly every- thing, and late in the fall of 1875 he was forced to return to Worthington and seek employ- ment. He seenred work in the flouring mill. in the fall of 1876 being promoted to the office of head bookkeeper. His residence was in Worthington about a year and a half, and then he returned to the farm which has been his home over since.
Mr. Spafford hohl- a record as a township officer which is equaled by few men. With the exception of the first year he has held a township office ever since Ewington town- ship was organized. He was elected town work in 1881 and held the office for twenty. five conseentive years, finally giving up the office in 1906. Still longer service has be seen in the school district. When the di -- triet was organized in 1875 he was elected to the office of treasurer and a few years Inter to that of clerk, which be held for a continuons service of thirty three years. Be- sides the offices mentioned he has been town- ship assessor, member of the board of super- visors, and for a short time was chairman of the board.
In 1891 Mr. Spafford applied to the post office department for an office to be located on his farm. He was shecessful in his effort -. and in September of that your the office, named Spofford in his honor (although the name was incorrectly spelled), was put in operation, with Mr. Spafford as postmaster. The next year
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
he opened a general store and operated it in connection with the office. He continued this business six years, and then sold out the store and resigned the postmastership. Tn the spring of 1909 Mr. Spafford again engaged in the mercantile business, opening a store on his farm in April.
Mr. Spafford was married in Bloomington, Illinois. April 5, 1865, to Mary Stoutz, daughter of George Stoutz. a coach Imilder in the shops of the Chieago & Alton Railway company. To this union have been born seven children as follows: Edith Cecelia (Mrs. Joel Edward White), Aberdeen, South Dakota ; George Wal- ter, Ewington township; William Charles (died in 1874, aged four and one-half years) ; Frank Addison, Ewington township; Clara Au- gusta (Mrs. Robert Edward Davis), Worthing- ton: Emma Elizabeth (Mrs. Charles E. Gehr- ke), Ewington township; John Heman, Ewing- ton township.
Mr. and Mrs. Spafford were both charter members of the Methodist church of Worth- ington, having brought letters from their church in Illinois.
TOLLEF J. EGGE (1866) has spent the en- . ing been born in Heron Lake township May 1, tire forty-four years of his life in Jackson 1873. Tle is the son of Charles and Christine (Kilen) Malchow, pioneer settlers of the coun- iv. county, having been born in northern Des Moines township on the seventeenth day of March, 1866. His parents are John Jolmson Egge and Ingebor (Evenson) Egge.
Tollef grew to manhood on his father's Christiania township farm, attending the dis- friet school and assisting with the farm work. At the age of twenty years he went to Wis- consin, spent one year there, and then moved to North Dakota. where he remained only one year. Returning, he worked as a farm hand two years and then married. After his mar- riage he engaged in farming rented land three years and in 1893. he bought the south half of the northwest quarter of section 24, Weimer township, moved onto the place and began the work of improving it. He now has a fine home and well improved farm. His Weimer town- ship farm consists of 160 acres, and he also owns an eighty acre farm in Christiania, upon which he has a tenant.
The parents of our subject were born in Norway and came to America when young. The first husband of Mrs. Egge was Tollef Olson Slaabaken. They came to Jackson county with the vanguard of the Norwegian settlers and
were living on the Des Moines river at the time of the massacre of 1862. Tollef Olson Slaabaken died in the army and his widow married John Johnson Egge. As a result of the second marriage six children were born, of whom the following four are living: Tollef, Mary, John and Theodor. Eli and Ella are the deceased children.
Tollef Egge was married in Jackson county September 7. 1890, to Mary Solnes, who was born in Iowa June 24, 1866. To this union have been born three children: Ella. born Feb- rmary 19, 1894; Olga. born March 30, 1895: Eli. born August 31, 1896. The family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church.
Mr. Egge has held many offices of trust within the gift of his neighbors. In 1903 he served as a member of the board of county commissioners from the Fourth district. Tle has been chairman of the board of supervisors of Weimer, has been assessor and is now a school director.
WILLIAM G. MALCHOW (1873), cashier of the Farmers State Bank of Wilder, has spent his entire life in Jackson county. hav-
William secured his education in this county, completing it in the academic department of the school at Wilder. After his school days, at the age of nineteen years, he began teach- ing school, which occupation he followed seven years. He then took a position as grain buy- er for the firm of Thom & Christensen at Wil- der and was so engaged three years. In 1902 he and his brother and father bought the con- trolling interest in the Farmers State Bank and since that date he has held the position of cashier.
Mr. Malchow is a man of family, having been married in Heron Lake township January 2, 1895, to Miss Christine Sether, a native of Blue Earth, Minnesota, and a daughter of Hans E. Sether, a Norwegian Lutheran minis- ter and an early settler of the county. To this union have been born four children: Evangeline C., born December 23, 1898; Vivian G., born July 16, 1900; Thelma, born Decem- ber 1. 1904: Violet, born June 2, 1908.
Mr. Malehow served as president of the Wil- der village council two years and was village
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
recorder four years, He was treasurer of the school board six years. He is a member of the Masonic, Woodmen and Royal Neighbors lodges.
MARTIN IL. LEE (1865) owns and farms the northeast quarter of section 13, Des Moines township, which lies only a short distance to the north of the Jackson depot. He has been a resident of Jackson county ever since lie was a baby two years old. He was born in Dane county, Wisconsin, February 8. 1863, the son of llalvor B. and Martha (Hansen) Lco. pioneer residents of the county.
Martin has grown to manhood in Jackson county. Until he was twenty-one years of age he resided on his father's old homestead in Des Moines township. For several years thereafter he worked out part of the time and farmed rented land part of the time. He bought his present farm in 1892, and has made all the improvements on the place. He is a breeder and raiser of sheep and horses and for the last eleven years has been engaged in buy- ing grain and stock. Since buying his pres- ent farm he has resided alternately on it. in Jackson. and on the old homestead. Ile is the third ehill in a family of five living. Ile has never married.
PETER T. HANSON (1872) is the expert machinist and repair man employed by J. M. Johnson at Okabena. According to the records, he is the second child born in Weimer town- ship. the date of his birth being June 22, 1872. Ile is the son of Otto and Annie (Lorneen) Hanson, natives of Norway, who were early settlers of Weimer township and who still live in that precinct.
Peter has always made his home in the county of his birth. He was brought up on the old homestead not far from the village of leron Lake and he was educated in the pub- lie schools of that village. Until he was twenty five years of age he lived on the farm with his parents. Then he married and lo- cated in lleron Lake, engaging in the shoe business in partnership with John Rafdal. Hc was a partner in the business until The spring of 1909. Imit all his time was not taken up with his duties in the store. He was janitor of the Heron Lake school building two years. was engineer on a steam dredge three years
and was engineer of the Heron Lake brick vard one year.
Mr. Hanson soll hi- shoe business in May, 1900, having accepted a position the first of the year with the Western Implement com- pany in its branch at Okabena. He moved to Okabena and that has since been his home. The branch at okabena was bought by .I. M. Jolinson in June. 1909, since which time Mr. Hanson has been in his employ. Mr. Hanson is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church and of the M. W. A. lodge.
In Weimer township JJune 2, 1597, occurred the marriage of Mr. Hanson to Minnie John- son, a native of Iowa, and a daughter of M. B. Johnson, of Weimer township. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Han- som, as follows: Odvion. Andrew, John, Pal- mer: Alta. Mildren and Maurice.
HENRY W. UDEN (1892) is one of the ex- tensive farmers and stock raisers of Ewington township. He has a finely improved farm of 320 acres on sertions 21 and 22, his stock sheds being rated among the best in Jackson county. Ilo makes a specialty of raising full blooded Shorthorn cattle, Shropshire sheep and Poland China swine and deals in good grade horses. Ile is an extensive feeder and shipper.
Mr. Uden was born in Woodford county. Illinois. April 8, 1858, the son of George and Elizabeth (Jenson) Uden, of whom the former died two years ago at the age of eighty years, and the latter is living in Livingston county, Illinois. Henry was educated in the district schools of his native county and until he reached his majority resided on his father's farm. He then engaged in business for him- wolf. farming rented land two years, and then taking charge of his father's farm. his parent having retired from active life for eight years. In 1889 Mr. Uden moved to Minonk, Ilinois, and for three years was engaged in the mercan- tile business, lle sold out in 1892 and located upon his farm in Ewington township. Jackson county, which he had bought before coming to the county. His farm first included only the northeast quarter of section 21. but right years ago he added to his hoklings by the purchase of the northwest quarter of section 22.
Mr. Uden was married in Woodford county. Illinois, in June. 1873, to Fannie Bentz, who died two years later. One child, now Mrs.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Amel Will, of Round Lake, was born to this union. The second marriage of Mr. Uden oc- curred in Woodford county in June, 1877, when he wedded Minnie Hendricks. Eleven children have been born to these parents, of whom the following nine are living: George, Rudolph, Theodore, Ellsworth, Herman, Henry, Wilbert, Amelia and Minnie. The family are members of the German Lutheran church. Mr. Uden has been a member of the school board of dis- triet No. 99 for a number of years and is now the treasurer.
THOMAS MADDEN (1872), of Hunter town- ship, residing a short distance west of Lake- field is an early day settler of the county. He was horn at Racine, Wisconsin, August 17, 1861, the son of William and Rose (Gallagher) Madden, both natives of Ireland. His father died in 1868. llis mother lives at Austin, Minnesota, and is 70 years of age. There are four children in the family.
Thomas Madden was eleven years of age when he and his mother first came to Jackson county in 1872. Until grasshopper times they made their home with Thomas' grandfather, John Gallagher, who had a homestead on sec- tion 6, Hunter township. When the hard times incident to the grasshopper invasion came our subject and his mother moved to Mason City, Iowa, where they resided several years. Returning, they took up their residence on the northeast quarter of section 6, Hunter township, which his mother had taken as a homestead in 1871 and to which she subse- quently obtained title. Thomas received his education in lowa and in the Jackson high school, which he attended several years. Our subject has lived on the homestead ever since returning to the county and he now owns the farm.
Mr. Madden was married at Oxford, Iowa, January 4, 1894, to Julia O'Connor, a native of the town in which she was married. She is the daughter of Patrick and Bridget O'Con- nor. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Madden, as follows: Thomas V., Rose M., Margaret E., Joseph. The family are members of the Catholic church.
CHARLES W. WITHERS (1870), of Jack- son, has lived in the county since infancy and has been identified with several different
lines of endeavor. His birthplace was Fill- more connty, Minnesota, where he first saw the light of day on October 25, 1869, the youngest child of Walter and Jane E. (Allen) Withers.
Walter Withers, the father, was one of the well known early settlers of Jackson county. He was a native of England and came to the United States at the age of sixteen years. He married Jane Allen and in an early day they located in Fillmore county, Minnesota. Mr. Withers served during the war of the rebel- lion in the Second Minnesota infantry and was wounded and discharged just before the expira- tion of his term of enlistment. The family came to Jackson county in June, 1870, aud the father took a homestead claim on section two, Middletown township, just a short dis- tance south of the village of Jackson. There the family resided many years, when they moved to Jackson. Walter Withers died there March 3, 1907, aged 78 years. His wife died several years before.
Charles Withers was only eight months of age when he came to Jackson county with his parents. fle received a country school educa- tion and lived on the farm until he attained his majority. Then moving to Jackson he he- gan learning the butcher trade, working for Gruhlke & Brown six years. He then purchased the meat market now owned by H. W. Jack- son and conducted it several years, being engaged in the ice business in connection with the shop. Selling out his interests in Jackson, he purchased farming property in North Da- kota, and has since added to his land hold- ings in that state. He also owns village prop- erty on the east side of the river in Jackson. He is a member of the Odd Fellows and Wood- men lodges.
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