USA > Minnesota > Lyon County > An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota > Part 68
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Mr. Heagle was born in Winnebago county, Illinois, September 7, 1862. His parents, B. J. and Clarisa (Sweet) Heagle, were natives of New York State and located in Illinois in an early day. The father was a farmer and was also interested in a flouring mill. William received his school- ing and grew to manhood in Illinois, and in 1883 he came to Lyon county. He rented land on section 19, Lake Marshall township, which his father had purchased the year before, and farmed eleven years.
In 1894 Mr. Heagle sold his Lyon county place and returned to Illinois, where he bought land and farmed five years. His experience in Lyon county had given him a good impression of this region and he returned in 1899 and bought the place where he now resides. Mr. Heagle was chairman of the township board ten years, and for several terms he was a director of his school district.
The marriage of our subject to Sarah Carmichael occurred in Illinois December 21, 1882. She was born in Ogle county of that state August 19, 1862, and is a daughter of Patrick and Jane (Graham) Carmichael, the former a native of Ireland and the latter of Canada. To Mr. and Mrs. Heagle one daughter, Etta Josephine, was born February 25, 1889. She is the
wife of Neil Van Dorin, a farmer of Clifton township.
Fraternally Mr. Heagle is associated with the A. F. & A. M. and the Modern Woodmen lodges.
NELS PEHRSON (1890) is the proprie- tor of the Model Clothing and Shoe House of Tracy, one of the progressive business enterprises of that city. Mr. Pehrson has been a resident of Tracy for many years and is a notable example of what can be accomplished by perseverance and applica- tion. He came to the country from Sweden when a young man without a dol- lar and he is now rated among the sub- stantial men of the county.
Our subject was born in Malmo, Sweden, March 3, 1867. He received his education in his native land and there learned the goldsmith's trade. At the age of twenty- one years, in 1888, he came to America and the first year of his life in the New World was passed with an uncle, Peter Swan, in Murray county, Minnesota. Then he secured his first experience in the mer- cantile business, clerking in a store at Currie.
Mr. Pehrson located in Tracy in 1890. One year he clerked in the clothing store of Jacobi Brothers and one year in Martin Thurin's store. In the fall of 1891 he ac- cepted a position with Pattridge Brothers and for six years he had charge of the clothing and shoe departments. He set up in business for himself in 1898, establish- ing a clothing and shoe store in the old First National Bank building on Front Street. He erected his present handsome business block in 1903. Mr. Pehrson made a trip to his native land in 1896 and in 1909 he and his wife made another trip to the old country, visiting England, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland and France. Our subject is a member of the K. P. lodge and the Tracy Commercial Club.
At Walnut Grove, Redwood county, on New Years Day, 1906, Mr. Pehrson was married to Laura Lund, a daughter of Charles Lund, one of the pioneers of Red- wood county. Mrs. Pehrson was educated in Gustavus Adolphus College.
The parents of Nels Pehrson were Pehr
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and Elna (Swanson) Pehrson. He died in his native land in 1896; she continues to make her home in the old country. There are six living children of the family, as follows: Anna, Nels, Ida, Ernest, Ed- ward and Emil.
LOUIS E. PETERSON (1887) is a thor- ough believer in the value of Lyon county farm land, and his judgment should be good, for Mr. Peterson has prospered since locating on the west half of the southeast quarter of section 31, Rock Lake township. With the additional forty which he has charge of Mr. Peterson farms 120 acres and also raises considerable stock for mar- ket. He has outside interests, being a member of the board of directors of the Western Mntual Fire Insurance Company of Balaton and of the Farmers Co-operative Elevator Company of the same village.
Sweden is Louis Peterson's native coun- try. He came to America in 1880, lo- cating in Knox county, Illinois, where he worked as a farm laborer seven years. In March, 1887, he was married at Prophets- town, Illinois, to Nellie Olson, a native of Sweden. She was born December 25, 1854. Immediately after their marriage Mr. Peterson and his bride departed for Lyon county and located on the farm which he had purchased in Rock Lake township from the Winona & St. Peter Railroad Company. On that place they have since made their home. For the past fourteen years a boy, Leonard Johnson, has made his home with the Petersons.
Our subject has been clerk of the town- ship board of Rock Lake the past five years and was chairman of the board for a number of years. He has also been school clerk and assessor several years dur- ing his Rock Lake residence. Mr. Peter- son is a member, and for the past twenty- four years has been secretary and a deacon, of the Swedish Lutheran church of Scan- dia township, Murray county.
Louis Peterson's parents were Peter and Ellen (Johnson) Larson, both of whom are now dead. Lonis Peterson was born Oc- tober 3, 1857, and was educated in Sweden. When seventeen years old he commenced work in a saw mill as engineer and held
the position three years, afterward holding the position of bookkeeper two years. He resigned that position to come to America.
H. P. FULTON (1892) is a general con- tractor and the proprietor of a wood work- ing manufactory and an automobile garage in the city of Marshall. He has been a resident of that city for the past twenty years and has taken a prominent part in the affairs of his city.
Mr. Fulton is the son of the late Francis M. and Annie M. (Palmer) Fulton, natives, respectively, of Maryland and Ohio. His father settled in Iowa in 1853, was married at West Liberty, and resided there until his death. The mother of our subject also died in that Iowa town. To these parents H. P. Fulton was born at West Liberty on August 20, 1868.
Until he was eighteen years of age young Fulton resided in his native county. At that age he went to the Black Hills, remained one year, and then took up his residence in Sioux City, Iowa. In that city he learned the carpenter's trade and worked at it there until locating in Mar- shall in 1892. He has ever since been engaged in contracting and building and has erected many of the leading business houses of the city, among others the State Bank Building, library, Schutz business house, Presbyterian church, Congregational church, Dibble's and Harden's residences and many others.
In 1900 Mr. Fulton erected his factory building for the purpose of making all kinds of building supplies and wood work. In July, 1910, he opened a garage in con- nection with his other business enterprises. He handles the Mitchell, Maxwell and Reo cars, sells automobile accessories, and does repair work. This establishment is one of the worthy enterprises of Marshall and from ten to fifty men are employed the year round. Mr. Fulton is a member of the Masonic lodge. He served two years as a member of the Marshall City Council.
In Sioux City, Iowa, on June 16, 1891, Mr. Fulton was united in marriage to Ida B. Meyers, of Tekama, Nebraska. They have three children: Ruth E., a stenogra- pher; Ray M. and Robert C.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
FRED J. GUELSOW (1887), farmer of Lynd township, was born in Germany No- vember 2, 1863. His parents, William and Minnie (Romlo) Guelsow, died in the Fatherland.
Fred spent the first twenty-four years of his life in Germany and in 1887 he came to America and direct to Lyon county. He worked as a section hand at Marshall three years, farmed rented land in Lake Marshall township one year, worked on the section again for a year and as a farm hand one year. Then he went to Mille Lacs county, Minnesota, took a homestead. proved up on it, and farmed the place nine years.
Mr. Guelsow then sold his homestead and returned to Lyon county. He worked one year in Marshall, farmed near Ghent four years, on section 21, Lynd township, a short time, and in the spring of 1912 rented his present place, the southwest quarter of section 20, Lynd. He raises Shorthorn cattle and grade hogs.
The marriage of Mr. Guelsow occurred in Germany, his wife's maiden name be- ing Matilda Tessmer. She was born June 15, 1862, a daughter of Paul Tessmer. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Guelsow, Paul and Pauline.
WILLIAM P. TILLEMANS (1884), live stock dealer of Minneota, has resided in Lyon county for the last twenty-eight years. He was born in Holland January 21, 1875. When nine years of age he im- migrated to the United States with his parents, who located on a farm south of Minneota in the township of Nordland. He remained with his parents and worked on that farm until he reached the age of twenty-two years. Then he moved to Min- neota and has since dealt in live stock principally. In June, 1911, Mr. Tille- mans was married to Katherine Welch, daughter of Philip Welch, of Tracy.
His parents, Johannes and Katherine Tillemans, are both dead. They were the parents of the following named children: John, Dena, William, Mary and Harry. Mr. Tillemans was married a second time, to Christina Hendrix. To them were born the following children: Nellie, Katherine, Sophia and Leon.
ANDREW CLAY (1900) is the proprie- tor of one of the finest improved farms of Amiret township and engages in general farming and stock raising. He is paying special attention to the Shorthorn breed of cattle and Poland China swine.
A native of Sweden, born August 14, 1871, Mr. Clay spent the first eighteen years of his life in his native land. The boy was brought up on his father's farm, and his education was acquired in the country school. In 1890 he accompanied his parents, Andrew and Mary (Klej) Johnson, to this country. The family lo- cated at Ironwood, Michigan, where the boy and his father found employment in the mines for several years. Later the boy spent the summers and falls in Minnesota, working in the harvest fields in Redwood and Yellow Medicine counties.
In 1895 the Clay family moved to Red- wood county, where Andrew and his father purchased a quarter section of land, and there they resided until 1900, when they moved to Lyon county, the father pur- chasing land. Our subject rented land in Amiret township seven years and in 1907 moved to the north half of the northeast quarter of section 20, Amiret township, which he purchased in 1901 and where he has since resided.
On October 16, 1901, occurred the mar- riage of Andrew Clay and Emma Larson, daughter of Lars P. and Gustava Larson, both of whom are living in Custer town- ship. Her parents settled in Lyon county in 1890 and have been continuous resi- dents ever since. Mrs. Clay died in 1907. By her marriage to Mr. Clay she became the mother of three children, two of whom are living: Alma, born September 8, 1902; Anna, born March 29, 1904; and Henry (deceased), born November 10, 1905.
Mr. Clay's father is dead and his mother resides in Dudley, Minnesota. He has one brother, Charles, living in Trego, Wiscon- sin, and two sisters, Ida (Mrs. Andrew Nelson), of Dudley, and Hulda, of Min- neapolis. One sister, Emma, died in Michigan in 1890.
Mr. Clay is a member' of the Modern Woodmen lodge of Amiret. For one term he served as the constable of Amiret town- ship.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
WILLIAM B. THORBURN (1880), pro- prietor of a bus and dray line in the city of Marshall, is the only child born to William B. and Sarah A. (Stokes) Thor- burn. His father was born in Scotland and his mother in Canada. Both are de- ceased.
Our subject was born in Sarnia, Canada, February 8, 1862. When a child he ac- companied the family to Red Wing, Min- nesota, later lived in River Falls, Wiscon- sin, and in 1880 came to Lyon county. He was then a boy eighteen years of age and for a year he worked on the farm of W. L. Watson, near Lynd. He then located in Marshall and began work in the L. B. Nichols livery barn, which was then con- ducted in the same building which houses the business now carried on by our sub- ject. After being employed in the livery barn one and one-half years Mr. Thor- burn took a homestead claim in South Da- kota. He lived on that a short time and was in Wisconsin a short time before again becoming a resident of Lyon county. Un- til 1886 he worked at various occupa- tions; then he married and started a dray line, which he has ever since conducted. In 1907 he bought the Nichols barn and has since been in the dray and bus busi- ness. For twenty-two years he was the local agent for the Standard Oil Company.
Mr. Thorburn was married in Marshall September 6, 1885, to Stella M. Chap- man, a native of Austin, Minnesota. To this union have been born five children, named as follows: Lloyd M., William B., Jr., Neil O., Marvel E. and Norine E. Mr. Thorburn holds membership in the Ma- sonic, Elks, Modern Brotherhood, Work- men and Yeomen lodges.
WILLIAM BEASLEY (1884) is a young farmer of Lyons township and a native of Lyon county, the date of his birth being August 1, 1884. He is the son of Reuben and Mary ( Wilcox) Beasley, pioneer resi- dents of the county. The mother, a na- tive of England, died in 1901. The father resides with his son, Frank, in Lynd town- ship.
William Beasley received his schooling in the district schools of Lyon county and later attended the Normal College
of Austin, Minnesota. After completing his education he worked a year for his father on the farm, and in 1906 he rented the southwest quarter of section 6, Lyons township, which he still operates.
Mr. Beasley is a member of the Pres- byterian church. He raises considerable stock, among other breeds, Duroc-Jersey hogs, Durham cattle, Black Langshang chickens and Percheron horses. He is a successful farmer and stock raiser. Mr. Beasley has two brothers and one sister living, as follows: John T. and Daisy J., of Lynd township; and George, of Water- town, South Dakota. Our subject's father is a veteran of the Civil War, having served through the entire struggle.
Mr. Beasley was married November 9, 1905, to Lettie Kendall, a native of Lin- coln county, Minnesota. She is a daugh- ter of J. W. Kendall, a former business man of Tyler, and later proprietor of a hotel at Russell. Mrs. Beasley was born in March, 1887, at Tyler. Mr. and Mrs Beasley are the parents of two children: Wanda, born June 22, 1906, and Leonard William, born September 9, 1909.
MARTIN PETERSON (1875) is the ef- ficient marshal of the village of Minneota. He is a native of Lyon county and was born in Nordland township September 20, 1875. On a farm in that precinct Martin grew to manhood. When twenty-one years of age he began farming for him- self and continued in that work nine years. He then moved to Minneota, where he operated the dray line two years, when he was made marshal of the village, a posi- tion he still holds.
On December 28, 1899, Mr. Peterson was married to Clara Johnson, a native of Lyon county. They are the parents of three children: Elmer, Martin and Clif- ford.
Martin Peterson is a son of Swen and Christina (Amundson) Peterson, natives of Norway who came to the United States when they were very young. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson, Sr., were married in Olm- sted county, Minnesota. They came to Lyon county in 1874 and homesteaded in Nordland township, where they still re- side. They are the parents of the follow-
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ing five childen: Tinnie, Martin, Charlie, Andrew, Sophia, Alfred.
HERBERT L. STARR (1881) is a farmer of Monroe township, living on the southwest quarter of section 15, which has been his home since Norman H. Starr, his father, bought the place from the railroad company in 1881.
Norman Henry Starr was born in Roe, Massachusetts, in 1834, and after coming to Lyon county in 1881 he lived on the farm in Monroe township until his death, July 18, 1909. His wife, Martha ( Welch) Starr, was born in Washington, Vermont, in July, 1844, and is living with her two sons, Herbert and Samuel, on the farm near Tracy. Another son of Nathan Starr, Fred, is station agent for the North- western railroad at New Ulm, and the fourth child, Frank, is now dead. Fred and Frank were twin brothers.
The subject of our sketch was born in Beaver, Winona county, Minnesota, Octo- ber 25, 1863. He was educated in Wi- nona county and in the Tracy school, and afterward went on the farm with his father, taking charge of the place after the father's death. Herbert has made a spe- cialty of the poultry business for the past twenty years. He raises Barred Plymouth Rocks exclusively and has gained a repu- tation with the birds, having a sale for them all over the country, and during the last three years being unable to sup- ply the demand. Herbert has attended many of the famous poultry shows and conventions. He is a member of the Pres- byterian church of Tracy.
Samuel H. Starr (1880), brother of the above, was born in Winona county March 12, 1866, where he lived until coming to Lyon county with his parents. After mak- ing his home on the farm some time the boy commenced railroading at Tracy, serv- ing as call boy first, and later at different times as baggageman, car clerk and brake- man, remaining in the railroad service un- til five years ago, when he retired to the home farm near Tracy and has been as- sisting his brother, Herbert, in conducting the place.
OLE H. STERK (1888), civil engineer of Marshall and surveyor of Lyon county, has resided in the county many years. He is a native Norwegian and was born June 3, 1864. After securing a common school education, at the age of seventeen years, he entered the engineering branch of the military college at Throundhjem and was a student there five years, learning civil engineering. He secured his diploma in 1888 and in August of that year he im- migrated to America.
The first stopping place of Mr. Sterk in the New World was Cass county, North Dakota, where he remained only a few months. He then took up his residence in Lyon county, where he has ever since re- sided. For many years he lived on the farm on section 4, Vallers township, and for ten years he served as postmaster of Brenner postoffice, which was located on his place and which had been established in pioneer times. During six years of the time he was residing on the farm Mr. Sterk served as county surveyor, having taken office in 1893. He was also assessor of Vallers township five years and justice of the peace four years.
From the farm Mr. Sterk moved to Min- neota and for eight years was in the gen- eral merchandise business there. He moved to Marshall in the spring of 1906 to accept the office of city engineer. The same fall he was again elected county sur- veyor and has since held the office. He is also city engineer of Marshall. Besides his official duties Mr. Sterk makes esti- mates for ditches, sewers and waterworks systems. He has recently published a valuable wall map of Lyon county, which is one of the most complete and exhaus- tive maps of the kind in the state.
Mr. Sterk was married at Minneota in 1900 to Bertha Rogde. She was born in Westerheim township, Lyon county, and is the daughter of John Rogde, an early set- tler. Mr. and Mrs. Sterk have two children, Adelaide and Vigo. Mr. Sterk is a mem- ber of the Masonic, Odd Fellows and Woodmen lodges.
Hans and Indiana (Peterson) Sterk were the parents of our subject. They came from Norway in 1891 and for many years resided in Vallers township. In 1908 they moved to Kidder county, North
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Dakota, and there Mr. Sterk died in Feb- ruary, 1911, at the age of seventy-eight years. Mrs. Sterk resides in that county. There are three boys in the Sterk family: Ole, of this review; Hartwig and Carl, of Kidder county, North Dakota.
LARS H. ORDLOCK (1888) is half owner of the Hynden store in Florence and is actively engaged in the handling of groceries, dry goods and shoes. The pro- prietors also handle fresh meats and buy and sell cream.
Lars Ordlock was born in Ringbo, Nor- way, June 13, 1864, a son of Hans and Mariet ( Bredevien) Ordlock. He attended school in the land of his birth until six- teen years of age, coming then to America and locating in Goodhue county, Minne- sota. There he worked as a farm hand until 1888, when he came to Lyon county. He worked in Tracy three months and then went to Custer township to work on a farm. During the next three or four years Lars worked in and around Bala- ton and Garvin at different pursuits, and for six months being employed in the creamery at Balaton and for a year drill- ing wells in the vicinity. The balance of the time was spent in farming and in threshing in the falls. For nine months our subject drove the stage between Currie and Tracy. About this time Mr. Ordlock made his first investment in land, buying 140 acres in Murray county, but continuing to work in the vicinity of Garvin.
October 29, 1896, Lars Ordlock mar- ried Louisa Larson, a native of Fillmore county and a daughter of Bure Larson. The young married couple located in Coon Creek township, where Lars farmed for the next thirteen years. Then he sold and moved to Florence to engage in his pres- ent business. While a resident of Custer township Mr. Ordlock was a school officer two years.
Mrs. Lars Ordlock was born June 19, 1877. She and her husband are mem- bers of the Norwegian Lutheran church. They have three children: Clara, born August 28, 1897; Bayard, born August 24, 1900; and Lillie, born August 6, 1909.
FERDINAND A. RIVARD (1901) is a farmer and land owner residing in Lake Marshall township. He is a native of Illinois and was born August 21, 1862, a son of George and Adeliade (Drollette) Rivard, both natives of Canada. The lat- ter settled in Illinois in an early day, where our subject received his early edu- cation and grew to manhood.
Mr. Rivard resided at home until twen- ty-two years of age, when he married and farmed rented land two years. He then received eighty acres from his father, which he farmed until 1901. During the latter year he came to Lyon county and purchased the southwest quarter of section 19, Lake Marshall township, where he has since resided. He has a well-improved farm. Mr. Rivard has served several terms on the school board of his district and is a shareholder in the Farmers Ele- vator Company of Lynd. He is a member of the Catholic church and the Catholic Order of Foresters lodge.
On October 6, 1884, our subject was married to Emelia Vandepoorten, a native of Illinois and a daughter of Joseph and Aurila (Bunker) Vandepoorten. Mrs. Riv- ard was born January 18, 1862. To Mr. and Mrs. Rivard have been born the fol- lowing named children: Angeline Alice, born August 22, 1885, died August 5, 1894; Eglantine Henrietta, born October 1, 1886; Eurilia Albertine, born May 8, 1888; Lydia Ella, born February 2, 1891. Mrs. Rivard died July 15, 1891. Mr. Rivard was married a second time Febru- ary 1, 1893, at Manteno, Illinois, to Clem- entine Langlois, a native of Kankakee county, Illinois. She was born December 25, 1866, and is a daughter of Napoleon and Ella (Longton) Langlois, both na- tives of Canada.
W. A. HOUSTON (1895), patentee and founder of the Houston fountain pen, was born June 2, 1872, at Hadley, LaPeer county, Michigan, where he received a common school education, leaving school.at the age of seventeen to come West to work on a farm at Manchester, South Dakota, for his brother-in-law. This business he continued for two or three years; then he
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farmed on his own account until 1893. Soon after this he learned the barber trade, which business he followed until 1901, operating successfully two shops in Tracy, Minnesota, for several years, one shop consisting of five chairs, bath parlor, cigar stand, etc. He is the former owner of the property where now stands Rich- ard's Department Store, Mr. Richard hay- ing purchased the same in 1909. While engaged in the barber business, he worked out the idea of drying the face by com- pressed air. This is now used in many places and was soon adopted in general by barber supply dealers, and thousands of outfits have been sold.
In the year 1901 Mr Houston sold his business and went on the road as traveling salesman and was quite successful. After trying several different lines, he took up the fountain pen line, which proved to be the one that pleased him most. In 1908 he received a patent on his first pen and soon after commenced manufacturing the same on the upper floor of his building, one skilled rubber turner and himself con- ducting the business. The business was continned this way for the first year, its growth being wonderful. In the second year the Houston Pen Company was incor- porated with a capital of $50,000. The business was moved to Opera House Block and some of the best business men bought freely of the stock and put their "shoulders to the wheel."
At this time the company is located at Sioux City, Iowa, has a capital of $100,- 000, and is destined to be one of the larg- est pen manufacturing companies in the world. Tracy business men still hold con- trolling stock in the company, of which W. A. Houston is president.
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