USA > Minnesota > Lyon County > An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota > Part 72
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FRANK L. HOLLEY (1898) is one of the most prosperous farmers and stock raisers of Lake Marshall township. He was born in Kankakee county, Illinois, November 3, 1867, and is a son of Steven and Mariette (Fairchild) Holley, natives of New York. The parents moved to Illinois in an early day and settled in Kankakee county.
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Frank received his early education and grew to manhood near his parents' home in Illinois. When twenty-one years of age he rented land and started farming for himself. In 1898 he came to Lyon county and pur- chased 240 acres of land in Island Lake township, which he farmed four years and then returned to Illinois, where he farmed two years. He again took up his residence in Lyon county and purchased 280 acres on section 2, Lake Marshall township, where he has since resided. In addition to grain farming, Mr. Holley raises considerable stock, including Shorthorn cattle, Duroc- Jersey hogs and Shropshire sheep. He feeds and ships his own stock. He is a shareholder and director of the Farmers Elevator Company of Marshall. He is also a director of the Lyon County Fair Associa-
tion, a member of the Township Board of Supervisors, and a member of the Masonic lodge.
Mr. Holley was married in Illinois Decem- ber 25, 1891, to Minnie A. Corliss, a native of that state. She was born August 29, 1872. and is a daughter of John I. and C. Jennie (Switzer) Corliss. The father is a native of Ohio and the mother of Illinois. Mr. and Mrs. Holley are the parents of the following children: Merlin C., born December 4, 1899: Arlo J., born December 29, 1904.
Mr. Holley, with three neighbors, built the first farmers' telephone line in Lyon county. It is known as the Big Four tele- phone line.
H. RAYMOND SEITER (1883) is a native of Lyon county and was born at Tracy July 10, 1883, a son of H. F. and Emma C. (Swan- son) Seiter, the former a native of New Ulm and the latter of Sweden. They came to Tracy in 1882, where the father still resides, a retired business man and president of the Citizens Bank. Mrs. Seiter died in 1902. They were the parents of three children: Winona (Mrs. I. W. Bedle), of Spokane, Washington; H. Raymond and Dudley H. Our subject has made his home in Tracy nearly all his life.
The subject of this review received his education in the Tracy High School and was a member of the original Tracy High School orchestra. While yet a young man he entered the Citizens State Bank and re- mained about four years. He then removed to Kansas City, where he remained four years-one year in the National Bank of Commerce and three years representing the Lake Erie Seed & Silo Company. He re- turned to Tracy in July, 1911, and still repre- sents the last named ยท firm, with headquar- ters at Tracy.
Mr. Seiter was married in Kansas City on May 2, 1907, to Louise Maderia, a native of that place. They are the parents of one child, Herman Ridgley.
TOLLEF T. MOULAND (1890), the owner of 240 acres of well-improved land in Vallers township, was born in Stavanger, Norway, February 27, 1864, and is a son of Tonnes and Berthae (Holen) Mouland. Both the parents of our subject are dead.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Tollef grew up on the farm in his native land and received the customary education of the farmer lad. He was twenty-two years of age when, in 1886, he came to America and located in Yellow Medicine county, Min- nesota. There he worked at farm labor for a time, and later worked one year in the pineries of Northern Wisconsin. His advent to Lyon county occurred in 1890, in which year he took up his residence on 160 acres of the north half of section 27, Vallers township, having purchased the land two years before. The next year Tollef bought an additional eighty acres, and he has since been farming successfully the whole piece. He raises considerable stock. Mr. Mouland is active in the township's affairs, has been assessor four years, a member of the town board one year, and has been a member of the school board of district No. 71 eleven years.
Our subject's marriage to Bertha M. Lende occurred in the county December 27, 1890. She was born in Norway May 3, 1870, and is a daughter of Oli and Grette M. (Kverne- land) Lende. Her parents came to America in 1879 and settled in Yellow Medicine coun- ty, later moving to Lyon county and taking a homestead on section 22, Vallers township. After a few years they sold that farm and moved to Lucas township, where Mr. Lende died in 1909 and where Mrs. Lende still lives at the age of seventy-five years. Mr. and Mrs. Mouland have the following children: Bertha E., born October 6, 1891; Oscar, born August 4, 1893; Tonnes R., born July 27, i895; Conrad M., born October 2. 1897: Thomas B., born October 20, 1900; and Grette MI., born July 23, 1903. The family belong to the Norwegian Lutheran church.
HERMAN C. STANKEY (1874), who car- ries on a business in Marshall under the title Marshall Auto Company, has resided in Lyon county all except the first twelve years of his life. He is a native of Germany and was born February 24, 1862. At the age of five years he came with his parents to America, the family settling at Chatfield, Min- nesota. His mother died when he was seven years old, and at the age of ten years he started out in life for himself, leaving home in the fall of 1872 to go to Gary, Minnesota,
to make his home with the family of Alfred Edwards.
In 1874 young Stankey accompanied the Edwards family to Lyon county, a homestead and tree claim being taken in Fairview township. Mr. Stankey remained on the home farm until twenty-one years of age; then he engaged in farming for himself in the same precinct. He prospered and pur- chased land until he was the owner of 400 acres of Lyon county's productive soil, the home place being the northeast quarter of section 4, Fairview. He engaged in farming until 1900. when he moved to Marshall.
For a few years Mr. Stankey worked at the machinery business and then engaged in the auto livery business, opening the first auto repair shop in the city. In the fall of 1910 Mr. Stankey erected a fire-proof cement block garage, 44x80 feet, and the following January opened the place with a large stock of cars. The capacity of the garage is thirty cars. He conducts a repair shop in connec- tion and deals in automobile accessories.
Mr. Stankey was married in Lyon county December 23, 1885, to Emma Marshall, a native of Canada. They have one child, Bertha (Mrs. Bert Robbons). During his residence in Fairview township Mr. Stankey served three years as a supervisor and for several years was a member of the school board.
EDWARD MARCOTTE (1900), of Sodus township, is a native of Kankakee county, Illinois, where he was born April 1, 1852. He received his education in the county where he was born, living with his parents until his marriage in 1875. In the latter year he rented his father's farm, which he oper- ated one year, after which he moved to an eighty-acre farm which he received from his father. He operated the latter farm three years and then he sold out and moved to Cloud county, Kansas, where he purchased a homestead right, on which he proved up. He resided in Cloud county twenty years.
In 1900 Mr. Marcotte moved to Lyon coun- ty and rented land in Lake Marshall town- ship nine years. In 1909 he bought the west half of section 5, Sodus township, and has resided thereon since. Mr. Marcotte is a member of the Catholic church. His parents are Antoine and Louise (Belouin) Marcotte,
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
natives of Canada, who were among the first settlers in Kankakee county, Illinois.
At Manteno, Illinois, April 5, 1875, oc- curred the marriage of our subject to Joseph- ine Brosseau, a native of Kankakee county. She is the daughter of Peter and Julia (Pilotte) Brosseau, natives of Canada. Mrs. Marcotte was born April 25, 1858. Mr. and Mrs. Marcotte are the parents of the follow- ing children: George L., born December 5, 1876: Nellie C., born August 9, 1880; Antonie F., born September 26, 1SS2; Hector A., born August 24, 1SS4; Victoria J., born November 12, 1SS6, died October 7, 1903; Fred J., born August 27, 1888; Leon C., born January 12, 1892; Meria A., born March 28, 1897; Juliett, born March 19, 1899.
NICKOLAI ORSEN (1882) is a native of Lyon county and was born on his father's homestead in Westerheim township August 25, 1882. He has always lived on the place, with the exception of ten months spent in Stanley county, South Dakota, in 1907-08. At that time he filed on a homestead and ac- quired land which he still owns.
Ole L. and Theoline (Nelson) Orsen, par- ents of our subject, came to the United States from Norway. Ole L. Orsen emi- grated in the early seventies and settled first in Iowa, where he lived several years, and then he came to Lyon county and took a homestead on the northeast quarter of sec- tion 18, Westerheim township. He married Theoline Nelson and they have the following children living: Louis, Amelia (Mrs. C. G. Lee), Nickolai, Alfred, Olai, Theoline, Magn- hild, Mamie and Nora. A daughter, Mattie, died a few years ago and another child died in infancy: Mr. and Mrs. Orsen retired to Minneota to live in 1904.
Nickolai was educated in the district schools of his township and in the Agri- cultural College at St. Paul, and later helped his father on the home farm, having conducted the old homestead since his par- ents moved to Minneota He also owns the southwest quarter of section 18, which he bought in 1911, and farms 400 acres in all.
Our subject was married in the township December 13, 1905, taking for his wife Bea- trice Olevson, a native of Watertown, South Dakota. To this union four children were born, Ivan, Irven, Tillie and Orval. Mr.
Orsen is a member of the Norwegian Luth- eran church.
Louis Orsen, brother of the above, was born on his father's homestead in Wester- heim township and grew to manhood on the farm. He left home at the age of nineteen years and started out for himself, working at farm labor. In 1910 he took a homestead in Perkins county, North Dakota, and proved up on the place the next year. He then rented the farm he now conducts on section 18, Westerheim township, from his grand- mother, Mrs. Magnild Orsen. He farms in addition eighty acres on section 19.
The marriage of Louis Orsen and Irene Melhus, a native of Norway, took place in Minneota March 26, 1911. They have one son, Ole.
JACOB A. RICKERT (1907), of Tracy, was born in Byron, Olmsted county, Minne- sota, December 31, 1881, a son of Jacob A. and Annie E. Rickert. He received a com- mon and high school education at Wahpeton, North Dakota, where his parents reside.
Mr. Rickert completed a course in the Law Department of the University of Minnesota in 1902 and practised law at Spokane, Wash- ington, two years. He had banking ex- perience with the First National Bank of Wahpeton, North Dakota, and the First Na- tional Bank of Lidgerwood, North Dakota. He moved to Tracy January 1, 1907, to take the position of assistant cashier of the Citi- zens State Bank, and was elected cashier one year later, a position he still holds.
At Spokane, Washington, in 1908, Mr. Rickert was married to Eva C. Lowry. Mr. Rickert is a member of the Board of Educa- tion and treasurer of the school district. He is treasurer of the Tracy Savings and Loan Association.
HARRY A. TATE (1890) is manager of the Tate elevator of Balaton. He was born in St. Charles, Minnesota, June 19, 1885, and is a son of George A. and Lillian M. (Dickin- son) Tate, natives of Minnesota and resi- dents of Balaton. The father is president of the First National Bank of Balaton and is a large land holder and grain dealer. They are the parents of two children, Harry A. of this sketch and Georgia.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Harry Tate accompanied his parents when four years of age to Oshawa, Minnesota, where they resided a year, moving to Bala- ton in 1890, where they have since lived. Harry attended the schools of Balaton and later the Marshall High School, from which he was graduated. He then attended Carle- ton College at Northfield, Minnesota, two years. In 1906 he took charge of his father's elevator at Balaton and has had charge since. He holds membership in the Masonic and Modern Woodmen lodges.
Our subject was married in Balaton July 13, 1910, to Iva H. Hall, who was born near Wessington Springs, South Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Tate are the parents of one child, Eva Louise, born May 27, 1911.
The Tate elevator of which our subject has charge is the outgrowth of the Winona Grain Company's elevator, which was built twenty-seven years ago. It was purchased in 1900 by George A. Tate, who rebuilt the house, making it the largest in the county, with a capacity of 40,000 bushels. He con- ducted it several years after buying and then installed his brother-in-law, W. E. Dick- inson, as manager. The latter had charge until 1906, when our subject took charge and has managed it since. He handles grain, coal, feed and flour.
GEORGE H. BAMFORD (1852), of Lake Marshall township, was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, April 23, 1877. His parents are William E. and Catherine (Cairns) Bam- ford, the former a native of Rhode Island and the latter of Kentucky.
When five years of age George accom- panied his parents to Lyon county and his father purchased land in Sodus township. He has resided in the county since that date. Our subject worked at home until 1896, at which time his father died and he took charge of the home farm. In 1906 he became the owner of the southeast quarter of section 30, Lake Marshall town- ship, where he now resides. He has a fine farm. Mr. Bamford is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. He is clerk of school district No. 7.
The subject of this review. was married at Marshall November 14, 1906, to Caroline F. Buchert, who was born in Appleton, Wisconsin. Mrs. Bamford was born De-
cember 12, 1882, and is a daughter of Henry and Emily (Lippoldt) Buchert, the former a native of Wisconsin and the lat- ter of Germany.
GEORGE A. HANSEN (1902) is the pro- prietor of a meat market and grocery store at Tracy, where he has resided the past ten years. He is a native of Denmark and was born April 23, 1872. When eighteen years of age he came to America and for a number of years made Sioux City, Iowa, his home. There he learned the butcher business and there he afterward engaged in the business for himself. He conducted a shop at Plankinton, South Dakota, four or five years and then engaged in the mill and elevator business at Dakota City, Ne- braska.
From the last named place Mr. Hansen moved to Tracy in 1902. He purchased the John W. Beedle meat market on Front Street and conducted it five years. Then he engaged in the livery business in part- nership with Al. Swoffer for a short time and afterwards was in the ice business two years. During that time he also had an interest in a meat market in partnership with C. M. Duus. In 1909 Mr. Hansen bought the general store of Vilwock & Reetz, in the John Owens Building. He disposed of the merchandise stock and now handles only meats and groceries.
Mr. Hansen owns his home in the city, village property in Tyler, and a Lyon coun- ty farm. He is a member of the City Coun- cil and holds membership in the Odd Fel- lows, Workmen and Woodmen lodges.
Our subject is one of a family of ten children, of whom the five named reside in America: George A., of this biography; Olaf W., of Los Angeles, California; Peter C. and Carrie Boe, of Sioux City; and Fer- dinand, of Aberdeen, South Dakota. The parents, Hans Andersen and Bodel M. (Hansen) Andersen, are deceased.
Mr. Hansen was married at Plankinton, South Dakota, April 22, 1896, to Anna K. Clark, who was also born in Denmark and came to America when a child. To Mr. and Mrs. Hansen have been born seven children: Flora, George, Bernice, Leo, deceased; Edith, Gladys and Clark A.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
STEPHEN NICHOLSON (1901) is a hardware, stock and lumber dealer of the village of Lynd. He also deals in full- blood Duroc-Jersey hogs. Mr. Nicholson is a native of New York and was born in Livingston county, near Rochester, on May 11, 1854, a son of William and Hanna Nicholson, natives of England. The par- ents were at various times residents of New York, Illinois and Bremer county, Iowa. From the latter place they moved to Pasadena, California, where both died. They were the parents of four children: Mrs. C. E. Banks and Miss Jennie Nichol- son, of Algona, Iowa; Stephen and Fred Nicholson, of Lynd.
When two years of age the subject of this review accompanied his parents to Bel- videre, Illinois. They resided there until 1867 and then moved to Bremer county, Iowa. It was there that Stephen received his early education and grew to manhood. He engaged in the grocery and crockery business in that county three years and then moved to Burt, Kossuth county, Iowa, where he engaged in a similar business until 1900.
In 1901 Mr. Nicholson located in Lynd and built his present hardware store and lumber yards and put a complete stock in each. A year later his brother, Fred D. Nicholson, joined him in the business and the firm name was changed to Nicholson Brothers. Besides carrying on their lum- ber and hardware business, they buy and ship stock. They are the largest breeders of Duroc-Jersey hogs in the state, their sales extending throughout Minnesota and Iowa. They hold public sales of thorough- bred sows every February. Our subject is a member of the A. O. U. W. lodge and has been president of the school board of dis- trict No. 1 for a number of years.
The subject of this review was married at Waverly, Iowa, April 16, 1884, to Mabel N. Kelley. They are the parents of four children as follows: Frank, a graduate of the Mechanic Arts School of Saint Paul, now a student of Cornell University; Rich- ard, Paul and Helen, who reside at home.
Fred D. Nicholson is a native of Illinois and was born at Belvidere. He is a mem- ber of the firm of Nicholson Brothers and moved to Lynd in 1902, where he associ- ated himself with his brother Stephen.
Fred Nicholson is also a man of family. He was married at Waverly, Iowa, to Agnes Kelley. They have four children: Mrs. A. C. Boomer, of Owatonna, Minnesota; Roy, Maurice and Robert, of Lynd. Mr. Nicholson is a member of the A. O. U. W. lodge.
JOHN W. MOORE (1899) is the owner of eighty acres on the northeast quarter of sec- tion 4, Lyons township, where he has re- sided the past thirteen years. He is a na- tive of New York and was born in Belfast, Allegany county, September 13, 1855, a son of German R. and Almina (Orcutt) Moore, natives of Vermont. They came to Minnesota in the seventies and located in Martin county, where the father of our sub- ject homesteaded land.
John Moore received his schooling in Mar- tin county and there grew to manhood, ex- periencing many of the inconveniences of frontier life, notably the grasshopper scourge and blizzards. He assisted with the work on the home farm several years and homesteaded land adjoining his father's homestead. He also purchased 120 acres of state land, which he farmed until 1899. Then he sold and came to Lyon county, buying the land in Lyons township upon which he still resides.
Besides farming, Mr. Moore raises consid- erable stock, among other breeds the Duroc- Jersey and Poland China hogs. He is a member of the Masonic lodge and was clerk of school district No. 14 five or six years. He was a member of the Township Board of Supervisors in Martin county and served several terms.
Mr. Moore was married at Houston, Min- nesota, in August, 1884, to Mary McCann, a native of Wisconsin and a daughter of Peter and Margrette McCann, natives of Ireland. Mrs. Moore was born in Plymouth, Wiscon- sin, April 29, 1862. To Mr. and Mrs. Moore have been born the following children: Bet- tie L., born April 3, 1886; May M., born June 7, 1888; Nina E., born April 26, 1890; Dora M., born December 11, 1891; Harry J. and Hatty M., born October 12, 1897; Leslie R., born September 27, 1899; John W., born Au- gust 10, 1901; Marilla J., born October 25, 1903; Pearl, born November 5, 1905.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
JOHN F. FINNEGAN (1880) is a member of the firm of Finnegan & Huyck, who con- duct a butcher shop and buy live stock in Minneota. He was born in Durham, Eng- land, November 17, 1875, and when five years of age accompanied his parents to the United States. The family located in Nordland township, Lyon county, where the father pur- chased land from the railroad company. His father having died when John was twenty-two years of age, our subject then operated the home farm five years.
In 1901 the subject of this review moved to Minneota and worked two years for George Geiwitz, after which he engaged in the butcher business, and he has since con- ducted a shop. In July, 1910, he sold a half interest in the business to Smith Huyck, the firm name now being Finnegan & Huyck. They also deal in live stock. Mr. Finnegan continues to operate the old home farm, which is owned by himself and his sister, Mrs. A. J. Kelly, of Gilroy, California. Mr. Finnegan holds membership in the K. C. and M. W. A. lodges and was banker of the latter order nine years. He was a member of the Village Council two terms. He has three sisters: Mrs. W. P. Fessler, Mrs. A. J. Kelly and Mrs. Martin Murry, of Redwood county, Minnesota.
Mr. Finnegan was married at Minneota April 17, 1900, to Mary Tillemans, a native of Holland. Her father, John Tillemans, lo- cated in Nordland township in 1883. Mr. and Mrs. Finnegan are the parents of six children: Marie, Bernice, Dolores, John, Fe- licia and Katherine.
ALBIN W NELSON (1890), a Rock Lake township farmer, is a native of Lyon county, having been born at Burchard June 8, 1890. His father, Andrew W. Nelson, also lives in Rock Lake township; his mother, Annie (Munson) Nelson, is deceased. The family made settlement in the county in the late eighties.
Albin attended the district school until six- teen years of age and thereafter worked on his father's farm. He was married in 1912 and is now engaged in farming for himself. He owns the southwest quarter of section 9. Mr. Nelson is a member of the Swedish Lutheran church of Balaton.
In Rock Lake township, on February 21,
1912, Mr. Nelson was married to Ellen Ot- tida Nelson. She was born in Ida Grove, Iowa, April 21, 1894, and is a daughter of Gust and Tilda (Larson) Nelson, of Rock Lake township. Her parents were born in Sweden, came to America early in life, and have lived in Lyon county since 1907.
HARRY W. ADDISON (1876) is associated with his father in the hardware business at Marshall. They are the largest dealers in the city, carrying a full line of hardware and dealing in implements, farm machinery, auto- mobiles, gas engines and carriages. Much of the firm's success has been due to the energy which Harry has displayed.
Our subject was born January 21, 1869, at Waseca, Minnesota, and when seven years of age the family moved to Marshall, where he has since made his home. He re- ceived his education in the public schools and was a member of the Marshall High School's first graduating class, in 1888. When a lad he commenced to work in his father's hardware store and has always been asso- ciated with him, being admitted to partner- ship in 1892, since which time the firm has been R. M. Addison & Son.
Harry Wood Addison is a son of R. M. Addison and Ella (Wood) Addison. His mother died January IS, 190S. The father is one of the city's pioneer business men, having located here in the seventies. R. M. Addison has another son, Robert M., Jr., who is a resident of Marshall and associated with the firm, and a daughter, Edith D. (Mrs. S. McKennan), of Helena, Montana.
At Marshall, in February, 1899, occurred the wedding of Harry W. Addison and Anna L. Weikle. Mrs. Addison is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. K. Weikle, of Marshall, and her birthplace is Allentown, Pennsylvania. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Addison are the parents of two children, Ella Barbara and Harry Wood.
THOMAS I. CASTLE (1885) conducts a farm in Clifton township and is the owner of the south half of section 26. He raises Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs and has one of the best improved farms in the township.
William and Maria ( Wilkinson) Castle,
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
parents of our subject, were born in York- shire, England, and came to America in 1865, settling in Illinois and pursuing the occupation of farmers. Thomas I. was born in Will county, Illinois, August 20, 1875. He lived with his parents on the Illinois farm until he was ten years of age, at which time the family moved to Lyon county.
Thomas Castle received his early schooling in Illinois and later attended country school in Lyon county. His father upon coming to Lyon county had purchased the homestead right to the southwest quarter of section 26 and a tree claim to the southeast quarter of the same section, Clifton township. Thomas grew up on the farm and when twenty-two years of age he rented the south- west quarter of section 26 and later bought both quarters from his father, and he now conducts the half section.
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