USA > Minnesota > Lyon County > An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota > Part 57
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PAUL W. GIESE (1882) is manager of the Farmers Co-operative Company of
Balaton and is interested in several other business enterprises of that village. He has been a resident of Lyon county many years and is one of the prosperous busi- ness men of the little village on the south- ern edge of the county.
Paul Giese is the eldest of five children (the others being Minnie, Charles, Albert and Otto) born to Charles F. and Fred- ericka (Mellenthin) Giese, who reside on a farm in Murray county. He was born in the province of Pommern, Germany, Oc- tober 29, 1870. On the twenty-second day of April, 1882, he arrived with the fam- ily from the old country in Tracy. There he lived a little less than eight years, dur- ing the last few years of which time he was employed as clerk by the railroad com- pany.
In the fall of 1889 Mr. Giese took charge of a Murray county farm, not far from Tracy, which was owned by his father. Until 1895 he conducted that during the summer seasons, while working as second man in Tracy elevators and buying stock for E. L. Starr. He then located in Bala- ton, was employed as grain buyer for the Winona Mill Company until the failure of the company two years later, and then un- til August, 1900, he was employed in a like capacity for the Atlas Company, which was a company reorganized from the for- mer company.
On the date last mentioned Mr. Giese formed a partnership with C. W. Candee and engaged in the grain and live stock business under the firm name of Candee & Giese until the death of the senior mem- ber of the firm in 1903. After the death of his partner Mr. Giese continued the live stock business. In 1905 he became the manager of the recently organized Farmers Co-operative Company, a position he has since filled. He still engages in the stock business on his own account and is the proprietor of a meat market which he established in September, 1910.
The Farmers Co-operative Company was incorporated with a capital of $5000 in July, 1905, for the purpose of dealing in grain, flour and feed, and the new ele- vator and other buildings were erected at that time. The present officers of the company are as follows: C. F. Norwood, president; H. G. Brockway, secretary and
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treasurer; Paul W .. Giese, manager. The directors, made up from farmers of the vicinity, are as follows: C. F. Norwood, H. G. Brockway, James Egan, E: E. John- son, Justus England, George Johnson, E. John Erickson, L. E. Peterson and B. M. Olson.
Paul Giese was married near Balaton on November 28, 1906, to Anna Smerling, a native of Murray county. They have two children, Sophia and Minnie. Mr. Giese is a member of the Masonic, Odd Fellows and Modern Woodmen lodges. He served as assessor of Balaton for a number of terms.
JACOB J. JANSEN (1885) is one of the most prosperous farmers of Lake Marshall township and has been a resident of Lyon county over a quarter of a century. He is a native of Holland and was born at Bem- mel September 15, 1867, a son of Albert and Annie (Boerboom) Jansen. The father, a tiller of the soil, came to Lyon county in 1885 and purchased land near Ghent, which he operated until his death ten years later. The mother died in 1893. Both parents are buried at Ghent.
Jacob resided with his parents until their deaths. He had received his educa- tion in the land of his nativity, where he attended school until seventeen years of age, at which time he accompanied his parents to America. After his parents' death, in company with his brother, he purchased 680 acres of land in Lake Mar- shall township, which they farmed together several years and then divided. Our sub- ject engages extensively in stock raising. He raises Poland China hogs and Durham and Shorthorn cattle. He is a member of the Catholic church. He holds stock in the farmers' elevators of Ghent and Mar- shall and in the Lyon County Agricultural Association.
Mr. Jansen was married June 7, 1904, to Mary Senden, a daughter of Hebert and Mary (Fossen) Senden, old residents of Lyon county, both of whom are now de- ceased. Mrs. Jansen is a native of Hol- land and was born September 12, 1881, at Voerdaal. Mr. and Mrs. Jansen are the parents of the following children: He bert, born March 6, 1905; Antonette, born
September 14, 1906; Frank, born Sep- tember 14, 1908. Hebert attends the Catholic Sisters' School at Marshall.
HERMAN J. ARNDT (1882) is the owner of the northwest quarter of section 8, Lyons township, and has lived in Lyon county thirty years. He is a native of Germany and was born at Rogasen Feb- ruary 28, 1866, a son of Daniel and Susan (Helwig) Arndt. Both parents are de- ceased. The former died in 1901.
Herman received his education in the land of his birth, attending school until fourteen years of age, after which he worked for his father on the farm two years and then came to America. He lo- cated at Balaton, and near that place worked at farm labor. The next seven years of his life were spent at farm labor in Yellow Medicine, Murray and Redwood counties.
In 1897 the subject of this review pur- chased 200 acres of land in Lyons township and later bought a tree claim, which he sold in 1910. He has one of the finest improved farms in the county and raises a great deal of stock, including Poland China. hogs, grade cattle and Rhode Island Red chickens. Mr. Arndt is a member of the A. O. U. W. lodge and a stockholder of the Farmers Elevator Company of Rus- sell. He has been director of school dis- trict No. 69 for twenty consecutive years and was road overseer in Lyons township two years. Mr. Arndt's undertakings have been very successful.
Mr. Arndt is a man of family. He was married December 3, 1889, to Emma Bot, a daughter of Gustaf Hayes. Mrs. Arndt died October 22, 1896. On May 23, 1897, he was married a second time, to Pauline Degner, a daughter of Ludwig and Amelia (Hayes) Degner. Her mother died in May, 1881; the father resides at Gnesen, Germany. Mrs. Arndt was born Septem- ber 2, 1877, at Rogasen, Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Arndt are the parents of the fol- lowing named children: Anna Elizabeth, born March 3, 1898; Henry Ludwig, born November 17, 1899; Elsie Wilhelmina, born December 14, 1901; Natalie Gertrude, born August 22, 1903; Rudolph Ernest, born February 11, 1906; Theodore John,
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born September 16, 1910. All the chil- dren reside at home.
HENRY J. PATTRIDGE (1878) is the senior member of the Tracy mercantile firm of Pattridge Brothers Company, the largest and one of the oldest business es- tablishments of the city. The business was established in March, 1883, by Hen- ry J. and Otis L. Pattridge and was con- ducted under the name of Pattridge Broth- ers until the spring of 1908. Then Clay B. Pattridge, son of the subject of this re- view, was admitted to the firm and Pat. tridge Brothers Company was incorporated. The officers are as follows: H. J. Pat- tridge, president; Otis L. Pattridge, vice
president and treasurer; Clay B. Pattridge, secretary. The first home of the store was a small frame building on the site adjoin- ing the First National Bank. The present structure, a double-front, two-story brick building, was erected in 1891 by H. J. Pattridge, the present owner of the build- ing.
Henry J. Pattridge was born in Olmsted county, Minnesota, September 1, 1855, and O. L. Pattridge in Maquoketa, Iowa, Au- gust 12, 1853. They grew to manhood on their father's farm, which had been taken as a pre-emption claim in an early day. They accompanied the family to Spring Valley in 1875. In 1878 H. J. Pattridge moved to Marshall and for a few years was employed as clerk in A. C. Chittenden's store. He moved to Tracy in the spring of 1883 and with his brother engaged in the business with which they have ever since been connected.
The marriage of Henry J. Pattridge to Minniett Savage occurred at Marshall May 11, 1880. Mrs. Pattridge is a native of St. Charles, Minnesota. They have three children, Clay B., now a member of the firm; Vivian and Walter H. Henry Pat- tridge has served as member of the City Council and of the Board of Education.
O. L. Pattridge was married to Martha Parks at Pleasant Grove, Minnesota, Oc- tober 11, 1877. Three children were born to them, only one living, Mark O. Pat- tridge, a practising dentist of Minneapolis. Both brothers belong to the Masonic fra- ternity.
OTIS L. PATTRIDGE (1883) is one of the founders and members of the firm of Pattridge Brothers Company, who conduct the leading mercantile establishment of Tracy. He was born at Maquoketa, Iowa, August 12, 1853.
At the age of one year he was taken with the family to Olmsted county, Minne- sota, and there grew to manhood. Later he moved to Spring Valley, and in 1883 he located in Tracy and in partnership with his brother engaged in business. During the twenty-nine years the brothers have been in business in Tracy they have pros- pered. They are both interested in the Citizens State Bank and in partnership own several farms in Lyon county and one in Murray county. Otis Pattridge is a member of the Masonic lodge and has served on the Board of Education.
Otis Pattridge was married to Martha Parks, of Pleasant Grove, Minnesota. They have one child, Dr. Mark O. Pattridge, a dentist of Minneapolis.
The father of the Pattridge brothers is Albert Pattridge. He was born in High- gate, Vermont, October 22, 1829, and in an early day moved to Maquoketa, Iowa. There he engaged in farming and the blacksmith business. He pre-empted land in Olmsted county, Minnesota, in 1854, lived there twenty years, and then located at Spring Valley. He was in business in Minneapolis several years, and in 1891 moved to Tracy to make his permanent home. Although over eighty years of age, Mr. Pattridge is active and healthy and puts in regular hours as cashier at the store. He is a member of the Masonic lodge. The mother of the Pattridge brothers was Eunice Bradish, a native of Vermont. She died August 13, 1869. The two sons at Tracy are the only living children of the family. One daughter, Helen, is deceased ..
ELLSWORTH E. DAVIS (1893) is a farmer and a member of the Board of Coun- ty Commissioners residing in Lynd town- ship. Mr. Davis is a native of Wisconsin and was born near Oshkosh May 7, 1862, a son of Shadrach and Louise (Sharatt) Da- vis, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The father is a native of Wales and the mother of Eng-
.
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land. The father came to America with his parents when he was eleven years of age, locating in Pennsylvania. After reaching maturity he went to Wisconsin, where he still resides.
Ellsworth received his schooling in Winnebago county, Wisconsin, where he attended school until eighteen years of age. He then entered the employ of his father, for whom he worked until twenty- one years of age. Then he went to work in the pineries, where he worked five win- ters. He again took up farming, this time operating his father's farm. He continued working his father's place until he came to Lyon county in 1893. Mr. Davis pur- chased two
hundred forty acres in Lynd township, which he still owns and manages. Besides farming, Mr. Davis raises considerable stock, among other breeds, Duroc-Jersey hogs and Shorthorn cattle, besides a great number of fowl. He is a successful farmer and stockraiser.
The subject of this sketch is a member of the M. W. A. lodge. He is a stockholder in the following enterprises : Farmers Elevator Company of Lynd, of which he is president; the town hall company of Lynd; Lyon County Agricultural Associa- tion. He was an officer of school district No. 1 for twelve years and was clerk of Lynd township. In the fall of 1910 he was elected county commissioner to repre- sent the fourth district.
On September 29, 1886, Mr. Davis was married to Jennie Fitzgerald, a daughter of James and Mary Fitzgerald, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald are natives of Ireland. Mrs. Davis was born in Wisconsin on Christmas Day, 1863. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of the fol- lowing children: Homer, born June 20, 1887; Belle, born October 14, 1888; Olive, born January 16, 1890; Hazel, born May 6, 1891; Albert, born December 3, 1893; Bernice, born April 4, 1895; Mark, born July 22, 1897; Hugh, born January 31, 1899; Vesta, born September 12, 1900; Alma, born July 26, 1902; George, born December 8, 1904. All reside at home with their parents.
HENRY J. BURCKHARDT (1887), Coon Creek township farmer, was born in Stephen-
son county, Illinois, April 29, 1874, the son of John and Albertina (Watzke) Burckhardt, natives of Germany. The father died two years ago; the mother resides on the old home place near the village of Russell. They came to Lyon county in 1894.
Henry attended school near his home in Illinois and when thirteen years of age came to Lyon county and worked for his brother- in-law, John Sullivan, for two and one-half years. Returning to Illinois, he worked for his father on the farm until 1894. Then his father sold out, came to Lyon county, and became a permanent resident, having purchased sections 23 and 26, Coon Creek township, in 1885. Later our subject pur- chased from his father the northeast quarter of section 26, upon which he has made all the improvements. He has a fine home. Mr. Burckhardt raises and ships a great number of cattle, sheep and hogs. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and the M. W. A. and R. N. A. lodges. He holds stock in the Farmers Elevator Company of Russell and in the Farmers Mutual Telephone Company.
On January 23, 1898, occurred the marriage of Mr. Burckhardt, in Coon Creek township, to Emma D. Henrichs, a daughter of Fred and Frederica (Trust) Henrichs, who now reside in Todd county, Minnesota. Mrs. Burckhardt was born in Bremer county, Iowa. January 23, 1880. To Mr. and Mrs. Burckhardt have been born the following named eight children: John F., born March 2, 1899; Gladys R., born February 11, 1900; Florence A., born April 13, 1901; Hazel M., October 17, 1902; Laura, born November 26, 1903, died when three months old; Walter, born June 24, 1905, died when two and one- half years old; Orville, born January 7, 1909; Robert, born October 2, 1910.
THOMAS P. CULSHAW (1881) is a jew- eler and optician of Minneota. He was born in England October 14, 1877. His parents are Robert and Helen (Parker) Culshaw, who were early settlers of Lyon county. They came in 1881 and were among Arch- bishop Ireland's colonists who purchased railroad land in Lyon county. They are the parents of eleven children: Mrs. Helen Buckley, of Lyon county; Joseph, of Wells, Minnesota: Mrs. Agnes Bolton, of Porter, Minnesota; Charles, of Minneota; Robert,
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of Hopkins, Minnesota; Mrs. Winifred Bol- ton, of Porter, Minnesota; Theresa Brod- erick, of Ballard, Washington; Thomas P., of this sketch; Mary, who resides at home; John and William I., who reside near Min- neota.
The subject of this sketch accompanied his parents to Lyon county in 1881. He re- sided with them on the farm until 1902. when he went to Minneapolis and learned the jewelry business. He then worked one year in Marshall and one year at Luverne, Minnesota. In 1906 he engaged in the jew- elry business at Minneota which he still owns. He carries a complete line of jewelry, musical goods and pianos, and does all kinds of repair work in the jewelry line. Mr. Cul- shaw is a member of the Village Council. He holds membership in the Modern Wood- men, Yeomen, Catholic Order of Foresters and Knights of Columbus lodges.
Mr. Culshaw was married in Minneota June 8, 1906, to Marie Princen, a native of Holland. To Mr. and Mrs. Culshaw have been born the following three children: Antoinette, Helen and Gladys. The last named died in infancy.
M. O. GORSETH (1881) is the proprietor of a general merchandise store in the vil- lage of Florence. He is vice president of the State Bank of Florence and ex-postmaster of that village. Mr. Gorseth is a native of Nor- way and was born November 30, 1861, a son of Ole and Brit Gorseth, both of whom died in the land of the midnight sun. He has one sister, Mrs. C. P. Myran, who resides in Lyon county.
When twenty years of age our subject came to the United States, located in Lyon county, and worked several years in Shel- burne township as a farm hand. In 1891 he purchased the northwest quarter of section 18, Shelburne township, which he farmed ten years. In 1901 he moved to Florence and purchased the J. A. Martin general store, which he still conducts. He carried a com- plete stock of dry goods, groceries, furnish- ing goods, shoes, hats, caps and notions. He is a stockholder of the State Bank of Florence and a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church and of the Modern Wood- men lodge.
Mr. Gorseth was married in Lyon county
May 28, 1897, to Eva Ceder, a native of Sweden. Mr. and Mrs. Gorseth are the par- ents of two children, Sheldon and Ruth.
PATRICK FORD (1880) is a native of Ireland but has been a resident of this coun- try since he was one year old. He has been a farmer of Amiret township since 1880 and owns 240 acres on section 31.
The subject of this sketch was born June 12, 1849. When he was one year of age his family came to America and located in New Jersey, where Patrick's father worked in a hat factory four years. At the end of that time the family moved to Marquette county, Wisconsin, where the father bought land. There young Ford received his education and grew to manhood amid the surroundings of farm life.
At the age of twenty-four Patrick Ford was married. The ceremony occurred in Wisconsin January 11, 1874, and the young lady who became his wife was Margrette Curley, a daughter of Peter and Rose (Mc- Eninany) Curley, natives of Ireland. Mrs. Ford was born October 7, 1852. By her marriage to Mr. Ford she became the mother of eleven children. Their names are Cath- rine, Frank, Martha, Mary, Charles, Gertrude, Helen, Henry, Luella, James and Vincent.
After his marriage Mr. Ford started farm- ing for himself, having bought eighty acres near Unity, Wisconsin. He lived in the Badger State until 1880, when he sold his interests there and moved to Lyon county. The journey was accomplished by ox team, and four weeks was necessary to make the trip. Mr. Ford bought eighty acres of land in Amiret township and later bought an additional quarter section, all of which land he has since farmed. He raises Red Polled cattle.
Michael Ford, father of our subject, and his wife, Cathrine (McDonough) Ford, were natives of Ireland. Both are dead. Mr. Ford is a member of the Catholic church.
HELGE K. HELGESON (1878) is one of the prosperous and up-to-date farmers of Eids- vold township and owns the northwest quar- ter of section 2. He is one of the substantial men of Eidsvold, in which precinct he has lived since he was three and one-half years of age.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
The subject of this review was born in Juneau county, Wisconsin, December 14, 1874, the son of Knute and Martha (Forland) Helgeson. The former was born in Roldahl, Norway, the latter in Suldahl, Norway. They came to America early in life and were mar- ried in Juneau county, Wisconsin, in 1869. Knute Helgeson died in Lyon county May 3, 1889, aged sixty-three years. Mrs. Helgeson resides with her son and is seventy-two years old. There are three children: Helge K., Sena and Annie (Mrs. Roy Hathland), of Clarkfield, Minnesota.
In 1878 the Helgeson family came to Lyon county in one of the well-remembered prairie schooners and the father took as a home- stead claim the northwest quarter of section 2, Eidsvold township, the farm now owned by his son. After their arrival in the new home the family possessions consisted of one horse and $100 in cash. The only improvement on the place was a claim shack erected by a squatter.
Ever since that time Helge Helgeson has resided on the old homestead, attending school and working for his father during his boyhood days. He has had charge of the farm during the past thirteen years and is now its owner. Within the last four years Mr. Helgeson has expended many thousands of dollars in improvements and he has one of the best-improved farms in the county. On the place is a two-story, nine-room mod- ern residence, equipped with bath rooms, hot water heating system and waterworks. There is also a new barn, 48x60 feet, and a clay block silo, 16x32 feet, erected in the summer of 1912. It is the intention of Mr. Helgeson to feed stock on an extensive scale hereafter.
Mr. Helgeson has a complete J. I. Case threshing outfit, an automobile, and other conveniences that form the equipment of the present up-to-date farmer. He served as a member of the Eidsvold Township Board of Supervisors four years and was assessor two years. He holds membership in the Modern Woodmen and Yeomen lodges.
Julia Bakken became the wife of Mr. Helgeson on May 16, 1900. She was born on her father's homestead on section 10. Eidsvold township, and is a daughter of Knute and Carina Bakken, pioneer settlers of the township. Mr. and Mrs. Helgeson have six children, as follows: Mildred, born
June 26, 1901; Clarice, born September 30, 1902; Harvey, born October 2, 1904; Mar- vin, born August 5, 1906; Laura, born Octo- ber 20, 1908; and Elva, born September 30, 1911.
BERT WILLFORD (1879) has been a con- tinuous resident of Custer township for thirty-three years and is the owner of 320 acres of well improved farming land on sections 15 and 22.
Mr. Willford's parents, Daniel and Malinda (Joy) Willford, the former of whom is de- ceased and the latter a resident of Balaton, came to Lyon county when Bert was ten years of age, taking as a homestead the northeast quarter of section 22, Custer town- ship, where Bert Willford now resides. Bert grew up on his father's farm in Custer, at- tending the country school and assisting with the farm work. He has resided con- tinuously on the one place since he came to Lyon county with his parents, with the ex- ception of four years spent on his other farm on section 15.
Our subject was married June 2, 1896, at Tracy, to Mary Price, a native of Blue Earth county. She was born December 30, 1871, and is a daughter of Rees and Ruth ( Thomas) Price, both of whom are residents of Tracy. Her parents came to Lyon county in the spring of 1872 and located on a home- stead in Monroe township, where they made their home until moving to Tracy in 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Willford are the parents of two children, Danile, born May 4, 1897, and George White, born March 15, 1902.
Mr. Willford has the following brothers and sisters living: Cassius M., of Custer; Clinton, of Saskatchewan, Canada; Hattie (Mrs. J. H. Call), of Birmingham, Alabama; and Mary (Mrs. J. C. Abernathy ), of Willard, Montana. Mrs. Willford has two brothers and four sisters: Joseph F., William D. and Winifred, all of Tracy; Eleanor (Mrs. Hugh H. Jones), of Custer; Mabel (Mrs. Philip J. Hughes), of Mountain Lake, Minnesota; and Diana (Mrs. Reuben L. Harris), of Kerman. California.
Mr. Willford is a member of the Modern Woodmen lodge of Garvin. He is a stock- holder of the Farmers Independent Elevator Company of the same village.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
ROBERT G. MURRISON (1882) is the proprietor of a livery barn at Balaton and has an auto livery in connection. He was born in Poweshiek county, lowa, June 21, 1878, and came to Lyon county with his par- ents, James and Rachael H. (Graham) Mur- rison, in 1882.
The father was born in Scotland and the mother in Canada, the former emigrating from Scotland when thirteen years of age. They were married in Poweshiek county, Iowa, and lived there until the spring of 1882, when they came to Lyon county and bought land in Lyons township, where they resided until they moved to Balaton in 1903. Mr. Murrison died July 6, 1908, aged sixty- three years. Mrs. Murrison resides in Balaton. Mr. and Mrs. Murrison were the parents of the following six children: Mrs. James Shand, of Garvin; Mrs. Henry Shand, of Windom, Montana; Robert G., of this sketch; Isabella G., of Windom, Montana, where she is post- mistress; Maggie G. and Mrs. Alfred E. Anderson, of Rock Lake township. Mr. Mur- rison, Sr., was president of the Balaton Vil- lage Council one or two terms and a mem- ber of the School Board. He was one of the organizers of the Western Mutual Fire In- surance Company and was secretary of the company eight or nine years. He was an elder of the Balaton Presbyterian church for several years.
The subject of this sketch resided with his parents in Lyons township until 1903, when he took charge of the farm and oper- ated it until the fall of 1908. In April, 1909, he purchased of E. G. Gifford the livery which he now owns and has conducted since that date. In the fall of 1908 he es- tablished an auto livery. He holds member- ship in the Modern Woodmen and Masonic lodges.
CYRUS P. SHEPARD (1894), city re- corder of Marshall, is one of the prominent citizens of Lyon county and a man who has ļived an eventful and useful life. For many years he served as register of the United States Land Office at Worthington and at Marshall.
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