USA > Minnesota > Jackson County > An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota > Part 81
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FRED W. KIDNEY (1872), a farmer and horse dealer of Middletown township, was born on the farm he now conduets October 8, 1872, and resided on that farm with his parents un- til he was twenty-one years of age. When he reached his majority he engaged in farm- ing for himself three or four years.
Mr. Kidney moved to Superior, Iowa, where he conducted a barber shop for a time: then he moved to South Dakota, where he resided eight years. Thereafter for a time he traveled over the northwestern states, dealing in horses. In 1908 he returned to his native county and has since been engaged in farming the old homestead, besides dealing in horses.
The parents of our subject were pioneer set. tlers of Jackson county, Joshua W. and Phoebe E. (Randall) Kidney. born respectively in Cat- taragus county, New York, and Wisconsin. They were married in Wisconsin and soon aft- erwards. in the early sixties, moved to Mason City, Iowa. They came to Jackson county in 1869, paid $250 to Nelson Arms for a relin- quishment to his homestead claim -- the south- west quarter of section 28. Middletown lown- ship, engaged in farming the place and proved up and secured title. Nelson Arms, the orig- inal claimant, was later murdered is Mis- souri, together with his wife and children and a man named Dickerson, by a man named Tausy. Tansy was hung for his crime and the rope which served the purpose is now in the possession of Mrs. Olive (Pearson) Allen, whose husband was a relative of Arms. Jushua Kidney died on the old home place May 9, 1909, aged 78 years. His wife died in Effington. South Dakota. They were the parents of three chil- dren, one of whom died in infancy. The others are Robert H .. of Jackson, and Fred W .. of this sketch.
Our subjeet was married in Roberts county. South Dakota, in November, 1902, to Maggie Ness, who was born near Sacred Heart, Min- nesota, the daughter of Ole Ness. Two child-
ren lave been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kidney, as follow -: Franklin A. and Maggie M.
0. E. ELNESS (1873). Christiania township farmer. has lived in that precinct since he was one year of age. He was born in Goodhue county. Minnesota. December 3. 1971, the son of Elling and Alan Elness. His parents were horn in Norway and the father came to Am- erica in 1865 or 1866. He took a homestead claim in Christiania township in 1870. There he resided many years: now he lives in the state of Washington. The mother of our sub- ject is dead.
Our subject came to Jackson county with his parent- in the spring of 1573 and has ever since lived in Christiania township, engaged in farming. carpenter work and threshing. Mr. Elness owns 200 acres of land on section 17. He has stock in the telephone company of Windom. in the Christiania Creamery company and in the store at Bergen. He is a member of the Lutheran church and of the Modern Wood- men and Sons of Norway lodges. He served two years as constable of Christiania township.
Mr. Elnews was married October 5. 1895. to Betty Ingebritson. They are the parents of three children. named as follows: Edna, horn August S. IS97: Irene, born April 2, 1900; Orpha. horn February 5. 1903.
JOHN GREIN DOSAD is the manager of the Lakefield Tile and Drainage company. He was born in Hessen, Germany. March 10. 1869. the son of Henry and Elizabeth (Lapp) Grein, both of whom died in their native country. John was educated in his native country and made his home with his parents until isso. That year he came to the United States and located in LaSalle county. Ilinois. One year later he took up his residence in Iroquois coun- ly, Illinois, where for four years he was om ployed as a farm hand.
During the time he was working in Illinois. in 1599. Mr. Grein came to Jackson county and bought an eighty acre tract of land in Rost township. In 1991 he became a resident of the county and has ever since made his home here. During the first year he worked at farm work; then he married and engaged in farming in Rost. having added to his real estate holdings by the purchase of another eighty acre trael. Ile farmed four years and then engaged in the
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threshing business four years. Moving to Lake- field, he condneted a butcher shop one year, and then sold out and made a visit to Ger- many. Returning he engaged in the butcher Imisiness a short time, and for two years prior to 1908 engaged in the dredging business.
During the month of July. 1908, Mr. Grein in partnership with John Frederickson and A. C. Quivili organized the Lakefield Tile and Drainage company, and in October of the same year the company was incorporated with a capital stock of $25,000. MIr. Quivili is presi- dent of the company, Mr. Frederickson secre- tary and Mr. Grein is treasurer and manager. It is the largest plant of the kind in Jackson county and employs ten men. The plant was started in July. 1909, and now manufactures cement drain tile. building blocks, etc. It cov- ers an area of 60x150 feet and has a daily capacity of from 2,000 to 4,000 tile, the sizes manufactured ranging from four to twenty-two inchi. There is a ready sale for the product and the company is meeting with success. A ditching machine is also owned by the com- pany, utilized to cut trenches and lay the tile. It has a capacity of from 500 to 800 feet per day. according to the size of the tile and the depth of the ditch.
Mr. Grein was married in Rost township Jannary 11, 1892, to Miss Anna Schultz, a na- tive of Wisconsin. To this union have been born seven children, as follows: Henry, Willie. Tterman, Lizzie, Alonia. Lilly and Mabel. The family are members of the German Lutheran church. of which Mr. Grein is treasurer and one of the elders. He is now serving his second term as a member of the village council.
JOHN G. LIEPOLD (1875) owns a quarter section farm in LaCrosse township. a few miles northwest of Heron Lake, upon which he has lived all except the first three months of his life. He was born in Austria May 9, 1875. and when an infant in arms was brought by his parents to the United States and to Jack- son county.
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The parents of our subject, Franz and Bea- trice (Winkler) Liepold. came from the old country during the summer of 1875 and took as a homestead claim the cast half of the southeast quarter of section 2, LaCrosse town- ship, upon which they lived until the year 1901, when they sold the homestead to their son and moved to Heron Lake. Mrs. Liepold
died there February 13, 1905. at the age of 68 years. Their first house on the old home- stead was made of sun-burned clay with a hay thatched roof. It still stands on the farm.
John worked on his father's farm until 1901. Then he married and, purchasing the home place, engaged in farming on his own account. Ile also owns the north half of the northwest quarter of section 1. Mr. Liepold is clerk of school district No. 44 and before tak- ing that position held the office of director. Tle is a member of the Catholic church of Heron Lake and of the Catholic Order of Foresters.
Mr. Liepold was married in LaCrosse town- ship October 15, 1901, to Anna ITedrick. She was born in Austria March 5. 1878, and is the daughter of Frank and Anna Hedrick, of - Graham Lakes township, Nobles county. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Lie- pold, namely: Alphons, Trene and Beatrice.
JOHN L. STEINER (1888), carpenter and builder of Alpha, has resided in Jackson county since he was thirteen years of age. He was born in Calumet county, Wisconsin. April 4. 1875. the son of Anton and Magdalen (Born- lander) Steiner.
In his native county our subject lived until he was thirteen years of age. Then in 1888 he moved with his parents to Jackson county, and until he was of age lived with them on the farm a little northeast of the Jackson depot. Upon reaching his majority in 1896 he worked one year on a farm south of Jackson and the next year on a farm near Mallard, lowa. In 1898 Mr. Steiner moved to the little town of Alpha and engaged in carpenter work, which he has since followed. He owns property in the village of Alpha and eighty acres of land in St. Louis county. Minnesota. Ile is a mem- ber of the Catholic church of Jackson and of the Catholie Order of Foresters.
Mr. Steiner was united in marriage to Miss Gertie Beckman, of Madelia. To them have been born the following named children: Louis. born December 14, 1904. died February 17. 1905: Herman J., born November 6, 1905; Bernard L., born November 14, 1907.
PAUL MOLDEN (1892) is a farmer and land- owner of Delafield township residing one mile east of the village of Wilder. He owns the
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
southwest quarter of section ? and farm- 200 10 acres of land on section 10, Heron Lake acres of rented land in addition.
Mr. Molden's parents were H. G. and Mabel (Wal) Molden, both of whom died in Norway. Their children are Gilbert. Paul and Chestie, of whom the latter lives in the old country. Paul was born in Norway January 22, 1871. Until he was nineteen years of age he lived with his parents in his native land, assisting with the farm work and attending school. He came to America in 1890, lived one year at Sioux City, Iowa, one year in Cottonwood conn- ty, and then in 1892 came to Jackson county. For three years he worked out asa farm hand ; then he bought his present farm at the time unimproved -- and has since been engaged in agricultural pursuits, He is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church, has been a di- rector of the Wilder public schools for the past six years and has been road overseer for several years.
Mr. Molden was married in Delafield town- shop October 25. 1891, to Tillie Skinrud. a daughter of Hans and Louisa Skinrud, pioneer settlers of Delafield township. She was born in Delafield December 11, 1876. One child, Ma- bel L., has been born to this union.
FREDERICK B. FABER (1895), junior mem- her of the law firm of Knox & Faber of Jackson. is a native of Seymour. Connectient. and was born January 13, 1865. His parents, Jacob P. and Mary C. (Conde) Faber, were natives of Germany, but come to the United States when young and were married in Seymour, Connecticut. His father died in that New Eng- land town; his mother still resides there.
Frederick B. Faber grew to manhood in Connectiont. In 1889 he was graduated from the Wesleyan university at Middletown, Con- netient. and later from the Minnesota Law school. In 1895 he moved to Jackson and be- gan the practice of his profession and five years later formed a partnership with T. J. Knox.
On June 27. 1900, Mr. Falwer was united in marriage to Miss Bertha S. Meyer, of Wabasha. . Minnesota, and to them have been born two children: Henrietta and Russell C. Mr. Faber is a member of the Masonic and Modern Wood- men of America lodges.
AUGUSTUS TALLMAN HISSI. in partner- ship with his brother Donald Tallman, farms
township-land owned by their father, who re- sides in Cedar Rapids, lowa.
Augustus is the oldest of a family of three children born to' S. H. and hoda N. (Pollock) Tallman. He was born in Cedar Rapids, lowa. July I, Isso, and came to Jackson county with his parents in Isst. Ili- father bought the north half of the north half of section 10, Heron Lake township, and upon that farm our subject was brought up. With the exception of three years spent as an engineer in a touring mill at Jasper. Minnesota. Augustu- ha - made his home on that farm ever since coming to the county. He worked for his father until 1905, when they moved back to their old home in Cedar Rapids. Since then AAugustus and Donald Tallman have farmed the home place. In the spring of 1909 the elder Tallman bought the other property on section 10 and the boys farm that also. N. IT. and Rhoda Tallman are natives of Ohio and Indiana, respectively. They located in Cedar Rapids in an early day.
Our subject was married in Jackson county February 17. 1901. to lda Marquardt, who was born in Ilinois February 17. Isso. She is the daughter of the late Lewis Marquardt and Minnie (lasse) Marquardt, who lives in Lakefield. Three danghters have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Tallman: Gertrude, born July 31. 1905: Edna, born March S. 1907: Doris, born November 9. 1908, Mr. Tallman is a member of the M. W. AA. lodge.
Donald Tallman, a brother and partuer of Augustus Tallinan, was born in Cedar Rapids, lowa. January 27. 1882. He has lived in Jackson county sine his second birthday. securing an education in the district schools. brother rented the home place and began farm- Brother rented the home place and began farm- ing on their own account.
EDWARD MILBRATH (1883) in a West Ileron Lake township farmer and the manager of the Okabena creamery. Ile was born on his father's homestead in Rost township, Jack- son county. May 7. 1983, the oldest of a fam- ils of five living children. His father. For- dinand Milbrath, was born in Germany and came to America when fourteen years of age. He lived in Wisconsin and Fillmore county, Minnesota, before locating in Jackson county. Upon his arrival to Jackson county he took a homestead claim in Rost township, where he
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has ever since lived. The mother of our sub- ject, Matilda (Meister) Milbrath, was born in Wisconsin.
Edward grew to manhood in Rost township. making his home with his parents. When a young man he left home and located in Lake- field, where he elerked in a hardware store three years. The next three years were spent clerk- ing in a hardware store in Okabena, and then, in 1904, he bought his present 160 acre farm adjoining the Okabena townsite. He has made all the improvements on the place and has a fine home.
Mr. Milbrath has stock in the bank at Oka- bena and in the elevator and creamery of the same village, being the manager of the last named institution. He is a member of the German Lutheran church. For four years he was justice of the peace in West Heron Lake township and he is now one of the directors of school district No. 57.
In Heron Lake township on September 24, 1905. Mr. Milbrath was united in marriage to Emma Malchow. She is a daughter of C. F. W. Malchow and was born in Jackson county September 22, 1883.
BERT WILLFORD (1890) is a Hunter township farmer residing two and one-half miles southeast of Lakefield. He is a native of Cottonwood county and was born October 13, 1871, the son of John and Nancy (Allison) Willford. His father was born in Ohio Jan- mary 2, 1824. and died September 20, 1881; bis mother was born in Illinois May 5, 1828, and died May 18, 1892. They were the parents of eleven children, of whom Bert was the young- est.
When our subject was five years of age he accompanied his parents to Colorado, and that state was his home seven years. He then took up his residence in Spirit Lake, Iowa, where he lived until he came to Jackson county in 1890. Since his arrival here he has been en- gayed in farming, having rented the farm on scetion two, Hunter, where he now lives, in the spring of 1909 While a resident of Des Moines township Mr. Willford served four years as elerk of school district No. 7 and for six years he was constable of his precinct. He is a member of the M. W. A. Jodge.
Mr. Willford was married at Jackson March 25. 1894, to Emmogene Wood, a native of Hamilton, Fillmore county, Minnesota, and a
daughter of J. H. Wood, of Des Moines town- ship. To Mr. and Mrs. Willford have been born seven children, named as follows: Jolin G., born April 23, 1895; Elmer R., born No- vember 9, 1896; Arthur C., born August 5, 1899; Isabelle G., born July 3, 1901; Donald A., born April 4, 1906; Vernon L., born Jan- uary 22, 1909; Violet V., born January 22, 1909.
THOMAS KULSETH (1879), of Christiania township, was born in Norway October 29, 1828, the son of John and Betsy (Thompson) Thompson, of whom the former died at the age of 65, the latter at the age of 97. Thomas received a common school education and after growing up engaged in farming. He lived in Norway over fifty years, and then came to America in the spring of 1879 and located in Christiania township, where he has ever since resided. Ile owns 160 acres of land on section 26.
Mr. Kulseth was married in 1851 to Ger- trude Pauls. To them have been born seven daughters and one son, named as follows: Julia (Mrs. Anton Berge), of North Dakota; Bessie (Mrs. Peter Hoffland), of Jeffers, Min- nesota; Carrie (Mrs. Peter Borsgard), of Chris- tiania; Sarah (Mrs. Ludwig Ehern), of Chris- tiania; Bessie (Mrs. Albert Jacobson), of Christiania; Lena (Mrs. Paul Olson), deceased; Mary (Mrs. John Hamm), of Christiania ; John, of Christiania. The family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church.
CHARLIE PETERSON (1880), who is en- gaged in the restaurant business at Jackson, is a Jackson county boy, having resided here since he was a boy five years of age. He is the son of the late Jolin Peterson and Sophia Peterson. The former died in 1906 at the age of 67 years; the latter lives in Jackson. To these parents, in Christiania, Norway, Charlie Peterson was born October 29, 1875.
In 1880 the family emigrated to America and came direct to Jackson county, locating in Enterprise township. One year later the fam- ily home was made in Jackson and our sub- jeet has been a resident of that village ever since. Ile was educated in the Jackson schools and then began clerking. In 1898 he and his brother, Julius, went into the general mer- chandise business at Lakefield, which they
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continued one year. Charlie culisted in com- pany Il (Worthington), of the Fifteenth Min- nesota Volunteer infantry, on July 5, 1898, at the time of the Spanish- American war, and served in the army until the muster ont of the regiment on March 27, 1899. He was stationed with his regiment at Camps Ramsey and Snell- ing (St. Paul, Minnesota), Camp Meade (Ilar- ri-burg. Pa.), and Camp MeKenzie (Augusta, Ga.) The regiment did not see service at the front. In 1908 Mr. Peterson formed a partner- ship with James Shay and purchased the res- taurant of Albert Jackson, which the partners conducted until the spring of 1909. At that time Mr. Peterson purchased his partner's in- terests and has since conducted the business alone. He has built up an excellent trade and is doing a prosperous business.
Mr. Peterson was married at Sherburn, Min- nesota, May 1. 1908, to Minnie Schwager, a native of Martin county. To this union has been born one child, Ronald. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are members of the Lutheran church.
MIKE WHUISNEY (1891), of Des Moines township, is a native of Slovis, Austria, and he was born November 25, 1865, the son of An- drew and Mary (Zepi) Whisney. The first sixteen years of his life were spent in his na- tive land, attending school and working for his parents on the farm. He came to the Uni- ted States in 1881 to make his fortune in the new world, his earthly possessions at the time of his arrival being a tive cent piece.
Mr. Whiskey worked as a teamster a few months in Hazeltown. Pennsylvania, drove a tram in a stone quarry a couple of years at Marble Head, Illinois, was in Chicago a few months, worked in the coal mines of Streator, Illinois, for a time, worked as a farm hand near Sibley. lowa. several years, and again took up his residence in Streator for a short time, He came to Jackson county in 1891 and with the savings of former years bought the northwest quarter of section 30, Des Moines township, and began farming. Later he added to bi- holdings until today he has a fine farm of 206 acres, all of the improve- ments upon which he has made. The boy who landed in America twenty-eight years ago has prospered. He is vice president of the Des Moines Hunter Telephone company, is a mem- ber of the school board of district No. 11, and has served six years as road overseer.
Mr. Whisney was married at Streator, Illi- nois, May 10, 1887, to Annie Riko, also a na- tive of Austria. They are the parents of six children, named as follows: John, Joseph, Mary, Julia, Mike and Lawrence. The family are members of the Lutheran church and Mr. Whisney is a member of the MI. W. A. lodge.
HENRY F. POHLMAN (1881) is one of Jackson county's successful farmers, having a fine home on the east shore of lleron lake in lleron Lake and Weimer townships, where he owns 166 neres. lle was born April 20, 1873, in kreis Minden. Holtzhausen, Westfallen, Ger- many, son of the late Carl Pohlman and Chris- tina (Gieselman) Pohlman.
Until he was eleven years of age Henry lived in his native land. In 1881 he accom- panied the family to America, arriving in the little village of Lakefield on March 24. The head of the family bought a farm on section 8, Heron Lake township, and that was the home of our subject seven years. Thereafter until his marriage in 1897 he lived with his parents on section 2, West lleron Lake town- ship. He received an education in the district schools and in the German school of Delatield township. After his marriage in 1897 Mr. Pohlman moved onto his present farm, which he had bought two years before, and upon that farm he has ever since made his home. lle has made all the improvements on the farm.
In addition lo his farming operations Mr. Pohhnan has other business interests. lle is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator company of Lakefield, in the First National Bank of Lakefield. in the Jackson County Cooperative company's store at bakefield and in the Sontag Lumber company of Heron Lake. Besides his home farm Mr. Pohlman owns a half interest in a half section farm in Griggs county, North Dakota. He is a member of the German Lutheran church.
Mr. Pohlman was married in Heron Lake township Inne 7, 1897, to Alvina Malchow, who was born in Heron Lake township April 11, 1877. and who is the daughter of C. F. W. and AAugusta (Kielzer) Malchow, of Lakefield. To Mr. and Mrs. Pohlman have been born the following named four children: Louisa, horn May 7. 1898: Emil. born July 15. 1902; Arnold. born May 5, 1901; Esther, born Sep- femher 13, 1906.
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
AUTOR, LENEN AND TIDEN FOUNDATIONAL
1
F. E. MALCHOW A Wilder Business Man.
WILLIAM G. MALCHOW Cashier of the Farmers State Bank, Wilder.
SAMUEL L. RANK Postmaster of Wilder.
LOUIS KIESEL A Jackson Business Man.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
JESS A. IIOLM (1890) is one of the suc- cessful farmers of Wisconsin township and has been a resident of the county twenty years. Hle is of Danish birth and first saw the light of day July 18, 1863. He is the only child of the late Peter Ilohm and Annic (Scott) Holm. His father died in Jackson December 14, 1905, aged 68 years. His mother makes her home with her son and is 75 years of age.
Jess received his education in Denmark and spent the first seventeen years of his life in his native land, residing with his parents. Ile came to the United States with his parents in 1880 and located at Burlington, Iowa. From the time of his arrival until 1890 he worked in the shops of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. In the last named year he came to Minnesota, and, after living six months in Martin county, became a resident of Jackson county. With the exception of three years, when he was engaged in farming in Enter- prise township, Mr. Holm has resided upon his present farm ever since coming to the county. He farms 585 acres of land, raises considerable stock and milks twenty-five cows. lle is also quite an extensive hay dealer, ship- ping from twelve to fifteen cars annually.
Mr. Holm was married at Burlington, Iowa, October 10, 1884, to Amanda Selburg, a na- tive of Keokuk, lowa. Her parents were both natives of Sweden and both are dead. Mr. and Mrs. Holm are the parents of four chil- dren: Emma, born June 21, 1886; Hans, born August 20, 1888; Nellie, born April 12, 1890; Bennie, born January 24, 1892. Mr. Hohn is a member of the Danish Brotherhood lodge and for the past four years has been treasurer of school district No. 14.
LOUIS L. JOHNSON (1901), assistant cash- ier of the First National Bank of Jackson, was born in Burr Oak, Kansas, October 6, 1879, a son of Bennet H. and Martha (Moore) John- son, natives of Connecticut and Vermont, re- spectively. These parents were among the very early settlers of Jackson county, having come here from Sauk county, Wisconsin, in 1865. They homesteaded in Wisconsin town- ship, where they resided until 1873. That year the family moved to Kansas, which was the family home until recent years, when B. IT. Johnson and family again became residents of Jackson county.
Louis grew to manhood in the Sunflower
state. He was educated in the Burr Oak pub- lie schools and in the Kansas Wesleyan Busi- ness college. After his graduation from the business college Mr. Johnson entered the Jew- ell County National Bank, where be was em- ployed as a clerk until he came to Jackson county in 1901. He located in Jackson and took the position of assistant cashier in the First National Bank, which he has since held.
Mr. Johnson was married at Burr Oak, Kan- sas, June 20, 1907, to Ethel Olney, a native of that place and a daughter of A. N. and Lida Olney. Mr. Johnson is a member of the Ma- sonic and Woodmen lodges. He owns a home in the city.
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